ALRIGHT!! PART ONE OF THE GARGOYLE AU (I really need to find a proper title for this comic series…) IS FINISHED 💥💥 I'll admit, again, this was a bit of a scary start! My no.1 goal is to just keep improving and creating bigger things and hopefully making this silly idea a whole series will help! I may be experimenting with it quite a bit sooooo I guess we're going to see how it goes ✨
(Also ignore the fact that I forgot the "t" in "against" 🥲 noticed it way too late)
I'd also like to give credits to my friend Val (@nobredoesart on IG and Tumblr) for making this dialogue A LOT more refined than it originally was! Check her stuff out she's super cool hehe :> 🫶
Oh and btw I do have an ending for this story! Worry not I'm all about happy yuri but let's just say… This is going to be quite a ride!
Laios works part-time at a grocery store and is a mildly successful twitch streamer and one time this really fucking hot shirtless dude wanders into frame and everyone on Laios' chat starts freaking out like WHO THE FUCK IS THAT- HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A MAN SO BEAUTIFUL YOU STARTED CRYING- LAIOS THERES A HOT DUDE THERE- and Laios is like ahahah that's my friend Kabru! He sometimes comes over after the gym to take a shower while I make him dinner! He loves my food! And everyone in chat is like LAIOS ARE YOU STUPID- LAIOS FOR THE LOVE OF FUCK- LAIOS HES AFTER ANOTHER KIND OF MEAT- and Laios is a little bit offended like. No! He's just nice! Don't be mean you'll make him uncomfortable!
And then someone recognizes Kabru like "OH SHIT I SAW HIS FOUR PARTER ON ART AND MENTAL ILLNESS IT MADE ME CRY" and they dig up his SMs and he's like. A political commentator and activist/youtuber who speaks like 9 languages and has an history degree despite being like 22 and is working towards an anthropology degree now and pays the bills by being a fucking. Fashion model and there's INSANE photoshoots of him in all sort of artsy high fashion pictures in b&w like covered in bloodied bandages in BDSM gear dressed like a priest etc etc interspersed with like very good thinkpieces on consumerism and art and politics and the very rare YouTube 4-parters on random subjects with INCREDIBLE visuals and everyone is like what the fuck. What the FUCK Laios how do you even KNOW this dude and Laios is like he kept showing up at the grocery store during my turn and asking for ideas on what to make for dinner and one guy in chat asks but aren't you usual on at nighttime and he's like yeah it was like 3am for the most part and everyone is like LAIOS PLEASE
Grace explaining sheepishly to Eridian linguists that the reason he uses different pronouns for Rocky than for the rest of the population is that he reflexively defaulted to assigning Rocky the same grammatical and social gender that he himself uses, in a way that has historical precedent but in modern English is considered somewhat chauvinistic and backward, and he's not proud of it but also the habit is pretty deeply ingrained now and unless Rocky objects it's probably easier to just keep on as he has been...
and immediately being informed lol. lmao. do not even worry about it. you have no idea what kind of buck wild grammatical constructs Rocky has invented for you. everyone else addresses you as foreigner/scholar. they're somehow managing to refer to you as their sibling, ward, and semidivine culture hero at the same time every time they talk about you.
I think that eridian scientists would really enjoy testing Grace's ability to see. I feel like echolocation is Comprehensive but Limited in range. Like, sure, through doors and walls but only up to uhhh maybe 50m? (i dont know how to guess scale in space scenes. 100m?)
In the book somewhere in the tunnel scenes (so I hear) rocky freaks out that grace returns later than he agreed because he slept in. That implies that rocky couldn't hear the ship from his part of the tunnel.
Compared with humans that can see for MILES unless something gets in the way.
They're absolutely chucking lampposts in all kinds of weird places to see if Grace can see them from the edge of his biodome at night.
If I may offer for your headcanoning and fan-AUing perusal:
Abstraction can be recovered from
BUT
the damage to the mind data is permanent and the person who abstracted originally is gone forever.
So one day the circus folk go in to the tent and find that instead of the abstraction that was there last night, there's this new rabbit girl who has no idea who they are, who she is, and where they are.
Not-Jax now has to navigate this entirely new life with no knowledge of how her predecessor acted or who these people were to her. The values in the data are still there, influencing her behavior and attitude, but the actual memories that informed those values are missing.
Ragatha acts motherly towards her, and Not-Jax recoils, expecting abuse or degradation but not knowing why.
Not-Jax makes some rude joke towards Gangle, not actually intending to be mean about anything, but is suddenly confronted with Gangle's scared eyes and Zooble getting in her face, telling her to back off.
Pomni always trying to help her adjust and settle in, but there's something behind that kind smile, like Pomni isn't really looking at HER, but rather someone who Not-Jax reminds her of.
ok but this unironically works. talk about how the working class is exploited and you can basically sell full-on marxism to your average republican if you do it right. all you have to do is avoid the words "Marx," "capitalism," "socialism," "communism," "means of production," etc - just use synonyms. say "big business" or "corporate shareholder interests" instead of "capitalists." say "a government that prioritizes the needs of the working people" instead of "socialism." it WORKS. I've DONE it. the hardest sell are usually things like social and racial equity, welfare, things like that, because people have been primed with the racist/classist idea that those things are somehow unfair - but you can get your foot in the door to getting them to buy into those too if you start with class issues. read up on your theory, make sure you REALLY understand your own ideology, because that will enable you to reword it and successfully sell it.
In my experience, you can often help sell 'welfare' stuff by appealing to self-interest with a touch of Aren't We Great.
Disability benefits: "I mean, sure, there are probably some sad sacks who are gaming the system, there always are, but hell, with the amount of taxes we pay, the government can afford a few freeloaders, right? I'd rather pay for a couple people who don't really need it than not have the system at all for if I need it, or my kids do, or whatever. I mean shit happens. What if some asshole drunk driver puts me in the hospital and it takes me a year to get back on my feet? Or Heaven forbid something permanent happens. I'll sure be glad that I can get disability then, won't I?"
UBI: "I dunno, the kind of guy who'll just sit on the couch playing Call of Duty all day if he doesn't have to work, I kinda don't want him on my job site anyway. That type is just taking up a place that you could fill with someone who'll actually get the job done, you know? You end up short-handed even though you technically have enough people because everyone else has to pick up his slack. And it'd mean that if your boss is a dick you can tell him to shove it and not worry your kids are gonna go hungry while you find a better place. We can sure as hell afford it."
Racial equity: "I've got a lot more in common with a Black guy who's just trying to get the job done than I do with some rich white asshole who thinks the sun shines out of his ass because of how much money mommy and daddy have."
The Sunlight Sisters were performing one of their biggest concerts to date; the stadium was shaking with the fans’ energy. The song the artists were singing was one of the most energetic in their setlist that night, and Honmoon was… happy, moving along with them and the spirits of their fans, her blue color shining brightly.
Until a rift opened in the sky, and three unconscious, bloodied bodies fell from the stars. Honmoon quickly caught them, guiding these people toward the stage.
The impact of the bodies hitting the stage floor reverberated through the hunters’ souls; expressions of disbelief, surprise, and terror flashed across their faces before they dropped their microphones and rushed toward each of the bloodied women.
Poppy, the oldest of the group, walked straight up to the woman with pink hair; the iridescent jacket she was wearing was stained with blood—blood that was running down her arms and dripping onto the stage. She grabbed the woman by the shoulder and flipped her onto her back.
Mi-Yeong went to the woman closest to her; she looked a little older than Mi-Yeong.
Celine, the leader and youngest of the group, went to the woman in front of her—a woman with purple hair and patterns on her skin that resembled those of demons too closely for Celine to feel comfortable.
She gently cupped the woman’s face, then checked her pulse, noticing how fast it was racing. She looked back at her face—a trickle of blood running down her forehead and her arms slightly burned—and a strange, faint maternal impulse washed over her just before this woman, who was definitely older than she was, opened her eyes shakily.
“Eomma?”
Celine froze for a moment, the sound around her deafening her ears, and her manager’s shouts through her in-ear monitors—telling them to keep the show going—acting as white noise for her thoughts.
Eomma? Did this woman think she was her mom?
“Oh, hey, baby,” Celine offered a shaky smile, though her hands were steadier than she’d expected. “Can you tell me what happened? Where does it hurt?”
“Heh, you haven’t called me that in years…”
The paramedics quickly rushed to her side, taking the woman by the hands and carrying her off the stage on a stretcher.
btw i did end up getting the same tattoo as her. you should never design cool tattoos for your ocs bc there is a high chance you'll end up getting them yourself...
Soooo…….. that new witch show is really really good huh?
I’m joking, I’ve almost caught up on the manga and it’s AMAZING so in between assignments this term, I’ve been doing lots of sketching
I’m like 97% confident that someone has already drawn Remlin and Coco hanging out but, as a fan of both series it just felt right
Plus bonus doodle of Mary and Coco because Mary and the witch’s flower is a highly underrated film
Also — if I had a nickel for every eccentric, morally ambiguous, character that wore an eye mask, was head of a shady organization of violent anarchists, and performed an off-brand, forbidden form of magic that I ended up loving, I would have TWO ✌️nickels
So I just simultaneously did, and possibly didn't lose my job today :)
Very much did in the sense that I literally do not know where my job is at the moment. But, for the time being I haven't been let go because nobody else including the store owner knows where it is either.
So, I don't wanna risk doxxing myself by posting pictures but goddamn am I tempted because this is not a believable event. This is a cartoon problem. For looneytoons.
But yeah, so, I work(ed?) at a kiosk selling boba tea, right? Freestanding kiosk in the mall with full water and electrical hookups and multiple fridges and sinks and a mini kitchen and the works. Fully functional tea shop. Very important to note that it was there last night, The work chat was discussing another issue last night at closing time. I'll get back to this.
It's been showing signs of being on the way out with how business is being handled lately and I've been considering other options, which is probably why I'm not as torn up about this as I should be, but maybe it just hasn't set in yet, but that's not the point. The point is there's been a lot of shit breaking and not being replaced and nobody mentioning anything about it until I walk into work in the morning and have to figure out why shit like the fucking cash register isn't there today. So I'm kinda used to having to ask questions about big things that nobody bothered to update me on. I was out for two weeks recovering from a surgery, so I came to work this morning assuming there'd be some kind of bullshit, yeah?
So, the question I had to ask the chat this morning was:
Not a text I ever thought I'd have to send in sincerity, but there it is. Because what I found instead was a fenced off patch of discolored tiles and a few holes in the floor where my entire place of employment used to be.
And the answer? Nobody knows! It was there last night when the mall closed, and every single trace of the structure and all its contents including drink making supplies and our safe and cashbox was gone when it opened again. And when I say nobody knows, I mean everyone from last night's closers to the actual (former?) owner of the store jad no fucking clue about this until getting that text from me this morning. For once I am actually the first to know. 🎉.
So. I guess I didn't so much lose my job as had it stolen. Not by AI, but good old fashioned hands-on human beings picking it up and carrying it away somehow. All mall security would tell me was that they were instructed not to tell me anything and have us contact our management. Who also don't know anything. And later on I came across some construction workers around the gravesite of the kiosk discussing filling in the holes, asked them about it, and was told that they "weren't at liberty to say".
So, not only is my job gone in the most literal physical sense of the word, but it was taken in some kind of super secret kiosk extraction in the dead of night without any warning or witnesses and nobody is allowed to speak of it. The store owner said she was gonna figure it out 10 hours ago and still no word back.
I don't know what else to say aside from I've been laughing all day and I'm gonna have a hell of a time explaining Schrodinger's Unemployment to the benefits office.
Update that is not an update because I'm basically certain this isn't what actually happened:
My mother in law thinks the FBI took it.
Not any of the other stores around the state. Just the one little kiosk.
Why? Because she loves a conspiracy and is just a little bit extra.
Also because she was around for the massive crackdown on Yakuza-owned businesses in Waikiki (in her homestate) that did actually involve the FBI seizing stores (no confirmation of making kiosks cleanly disappear in the middle of the night though).
Still no word from my job on what's actually going on, but the most likely theory so far is that maybe the kiosk was on lease and got repossessed? The mystery continues
(also shout out to the person who proposed Carmen Sandiego)
According to the owner, based on what she's been able to find out, the kiosk was not removed legally and they're starting a potentially long process of legal action. I hope she gets to sue the shit out of whoever did it but for now at least I know for sure I'm unemployed.
Really hoping for more details in terms of who/why/how, so I'll keep updating if I learn anything.
For now the summary is: An unnamed entity that is most likely mall management (on account of mall security cooperating with them) stole an entire kiosk and all the contents including money and machinery with barely a trace in the middle of the night grinch-style, with zero warning or explanation, and ensured the silence of both security and the construction crew, in an action that was definitely preplanned and illegal, and as far as I know nobody knows its whereabouts.
So now I'm officially out of a job. Because my workplace was literally stolen in the night.
Actually fuck it let's share some photos cause I wouldn't be inclined to believe this myself. It's not like anyone can stalk me at my job now and I'm not gonna have to see any coworkers that might find my tumblr.
Enjoy the unintentionally funniest text I've ever sent in my life
Aaand a close-up:
The last remains of a once Very Much Solid And Immobile Workplace
Remembered the early days when I drew Celine for funsies and the not fun person (now blocked bcs I dont give af) comes barging in to be like, "How dare you draw an abusive woman?!" ...What?
Then checking their blog to see them analyzing the saja boys in greater depth (?????)
To the surprise of them actually making Gwi-ma sympathetic (?!?!?!?!?!?!)
Are we watching the same movie???
I mean, I see Celine as a B- parent (to me as a SEAsian) and she fails at certain aspect. But, she genuinely loves Rumi and is willing to let the world burn if it means not killing her daughter ward. Honestly looking at their blog and the many celine bashing fuels me and makes me love the sad middle age woman more.
things that I believe in my HEART are on the Beatles' message to Earth (Project Hail Mary)
taumoeba (obviously)
instructions on how to use taumoeba (obviously)
50+ hrs of unedited footage of Grace fucking up a bunch of stuff in the ship
so much info about Eridian language
1700+ hrs of unedited footage of Grace and Rocky fucking up a bunch of shit in the ship
Cannot emphasize how much info on the eridian sentence structure there is here
a weirdass knit sweater pattern that takes people weeks to realize is for Rocky
literally hundreds of pages of Grace just describing Eridian linguistic history which like honestly isn't even his field why should we even listen to this guy- (hes the only one to ever fucking met an intelligent alien Dave. we'll take him at his word)
Why the Goldilocks Zone is for Idiots Part 2: Biological Diversity all across the Petrova Line (subtitled "We haven't found them yet BUT THAT DOESNT MEAN THEY DONT FUDHING EXIST-")
what are essentially just those reaction videos "Alien watches Legally Blonde for the first time" "Alien gives thoughts on movie Cats (2019)" "You'll never believe what this Alien thinks of the movie Fantastic Mr. Fox"
Grace's modified cardigan charts because someone was asking for them on his Ravelry and he never actually got around to posting them
(people have already fully recreated this cardigan just months after his launch. but they appreciate it)
very respective, kind eulogies for everyone who died in this mission (Grace AND Rocky's crew)
a lace shawl pattern inspired by the petrova line with a beaded fringe. knitters everywhere weep in despair because those instructions are gOD AWFUL, the man had 0 (zero) test knitters AND THERES NO PICTURES FUCK
Rocky make Grace cringe compilation statement
Grace's final goodbye to Earth ig
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