#052.5- Meowth tend to live in urban areas, where they wander the streets at night in search of food or shiny objects to collect. Though fickle and prone to steeling coins, their intelligence and playful nature makes them popular household pets. However, as Meowth age, they become extremely temperamental and vicious, apt to lash out for little reason. Combined with their increased size, maturing Meowth—Felion—are often released into the wild as their owners realize they can no longer properly care for them. Their lithe muscles allow them to walk without making a sound; they are swift and potent hunters. [Old Version]
#052.5A - Meowth were originally introduced to the Alola region as a gift to royalty; the luxurious royal lifestyle soon led these Meowth to diverge from their origins and become selfish, prideful, and captious. When the Alolan monarchy fell, the rare Alolan Meowth went feral and, over several generations, grew to be a common sight in the wild. Conceited and cunning, Alolan Meowth look down on others and have a tendency towards cruelty, choosing to torture weakened prey rather than finishing them off. Although their velvet-soft fur and round face remain a symbol of wealth, these Pokemon are formidable battlers, unafraid of fighting dirty.
Named:Meowth - Felion -Persian
#052.5G - Galarian Meowth are a subspecies that had stowed away on ships and traveled unwittingly to Galar. Living with a savage, seafaring people has toughned their body so much that parts of it has turned to iron. Unlike their Kantonian relatives, Galarian Meowth seek out darker, less shiny coins, which are harder and made of more valuable material. As they grow and continue to seek out durable metals, both in their diet and for their collections, the hair on their head will begin to harden into a iron-hard “helmet.” These Meowth have a violent and barbaric demeanor, and lives for the thrill of battle
Black bear - Black Bear Untitled #6 - Girlfriends Cop graveyard - Teen Su*cide Kids in the kitchen - Me Like Bees Enjoy your worries, you may never have them again - The Books The casualty - Cursive Spitting venom - Modest Mouse Emptiness is a closet full of your old clothes - Wishing Everything must go - Nero’s Day At Disneyland Sleeping in - The Postal Service All dogs to go heaven - Frog Wearing my d*ad dog’s skin - Pill Friends
S- incerity Nature: Drastic Measures of Ignorance- Suzumu R-ain Dream Tower- Hitoshizuku_Yamasankakkei-P A- Pearl- Mitski S- ide to side- Ariana Grande
I-ndustry Baby- Lil Nas X S-keleton Orchestra and Lilia- To-Ma
D-on’t look at me With those eyes- Kikuo O-h No!- Marina I-ntense singing of Hatsune miku- CosMo N-akakapagpabagabag- Dasu G-enealogy of Red, White, and Black
S-even Crimes and Punishments- Mothy O-n the Rocks- OSTER Project M-e and my husband- Mitski E-h? Ah Sou- Chou Chou-P T-he Spider and the Kitsune-like Lion H-ow to be a heartbreaker- Marina I- (love)- VocaCircus N-emisis of a Fallen Kingdom- Hitoshizuku_Yamasankakkei G-olden Holy Night Rotting into the Frost and Snow-Deadball-P
We’ve calmed down enough here at Wyrd Sisters Central to put together a few thoughts about the art and game scenes from today’s BIoWare update.
Here is what we’re thinking so far…
Rivain Revealed?
After doing some checking, we are thinking that these egg shaped domes are likely representative of Rivaini architecture (World of Thedas Vol. 2, p. 134).
This particular picture is interesting, as it seems to be a blending of another architectural style as well, (likely Antivan, as it is Rivain’s only neighbor by land).
Meaning this particular city would likely sit between the two countries. Looking at the map, a significant city that fits this description is the city of Ayesleigh. Ring any bells? Ayesleigh is actually the site where the elven hero, Garahel, slew the Archdemon of the 4th Blight, Andoral.
Could this be another view of Ayesleigh? It looks to be the same building (and mountain) but from the other side.
And here we have what is likely (in our opinion) one of the major cities in Rivain. Could it be Dairsmuid? Or possibly the island of Llomeryn?
This image from World of Thedas Vol. 2 (p 129) is not captioned, but certainly has design elements that resemble the city we see in the concept art.
And speaking of Rivain and the Rivaini…
Bela in the Sea
We have a very Isabela looking swimmer present here! And some other interesting folks as well!
Possible Dorian sighting here? Whoever he is looks to be wearing armor like Zevran’s Black Shadow costume, who by this point might have formed his own gang to take down the Crows. If it isn’t Dorian, this character owes both Dorian and Zev royalties for his sweet style!! You also have to wonder why developers would make two characters so similar in design, but this is still early in the development process.
And ummmmm….did y’all see the skeleton in the corner doing a swan dive into the ocean? We would be so happy if this turned out to be Audric from “Down Among the Dead Men” in Tevinter Nights!
Assassins in the Street
Speaking of our beloved Zevran, it sure looks like the man himself “Black Shadow-ing” up behind the man in the blue, green, and gold robes. It seems Zev’s people (or our people ^_^) have business with the lady in the litter. The architecture here looks (possibly) Antivan from what we’ve seen illustrated in the comics. Tiled roofs seemed to be a hallmark of Antivan architecture and that can be glimpsed here in the top left corner.
Who is the fellow smirking at the front of the litter with Zev and his Qunari lady friend? He has some traits in common with the fellow pictured here on the left…
Are these pretty people new companions? Associates of Zev’s? We seem to see possible variations of them in several pictures.
Decima would really like the Qunari man on the far left to be our beloved Arishock, the warrior formerly known as Sten, but who knows? Also, the guy in the front-center could be the underwater Dorian-knock-off again. If so, his style is becoming more distinct, and very HANDSOME!
This heavy stone architecture looks much more Teviter. The triangles on the building in the background as well as the robed figure and their guards also suggest this is the Imperium.
Other Exotic Locales
We were also excited by how many locations were featured in the concept art and game preview. Lots caught our eye, but here were some that really stood out to the Sisters today.
The Wardens at Weisshaupt
Weisshaupt in the Anderfels, am I right? I mean, the arid, desolate landscape? The huge gryffon carving? The tall-ass building you could fly a griffon off of? It’s gotta be Weisshaupt! YAY!
Could this be an inner chamber of Weisshaupt Fortress? Notice all the Grey Warden banners and the Wardon-y looking fellow. The table, however, has echoes of the war table at Skyhold.
And holy shit! Is that a freakin’ rift opening up outside the window? We knew there was trouble brewing in the Anderfels, but that would be a devastating development. Especially without an Inquisitor on hand. ;)
Not so “Stark” haven?
Okay, going out a limb here, but we really want this to be Starkhaven. Yeah, yeah. We know we saw Starkhaven in the Knight Errant comics, but let’s face it…not everything in the comics is canon (or Alistair’s eyes would be blue).
We were disappointed with how small, and rather ugly, Sebastian’s hometown was in the comic. What gives us hope that this could be Starkhaven is the waterfalls (which are vaguely represented in Knight Errant #3) and Genitivi’s description of the place.
Also, if Sebastian’s armor was a city, wouldn’t it look like this? ;-)
There was so much to examine in the DA4 Behind the Scenes update, that we need to break this post up.
Stay tuned for more meta in Part 2. We’re putting the “Air” back in aravels, finding fine Dwarven Crafts definitely not direct from Orzammar, and your friendly neighborhood Titan Boi!
So….Tevinter Nights! Still reading it, but you know me and maps. I kind of like them. And while the book’s map is short on details, it had one very interesting image that caught my eye.
Let me zoom in a bit for you.
What an interesting depiction of the Veil! Complete with spikey projections!! Then I thought…we’ve seen those triangles before. Here they are clearly labeled as a visual representation of the Veil. And if they represent the Veil between the Fade and the Mortal World then…
….it is very likely that they mean the same thing here.
So this image may well be meant to show Solas creating the Veil.
Now that alone might not be groundbreaking. I think many of us thought that the triangles could represent magic or the Fade, but it seems to be more specific than that. These triangles are the Veil in Solas’ art.
Taking this as a working theory, then some interesting tin-foil hat analyses of the his other frescos is possible. Here is what I am thinking:
The demon with veil marks on the back could be representing the change it suffered, being a spirit first and becoming a demon when passing through a tear in the veil or for coveting a way to cross the veil (abomination)
How interesting the sentinels fresco, I just noticed the blue lines in the middle (something lyrium/magic related?) Also, look how it is present over the diamond shapes. Perhaps they represent the world without the veil? Like the diamonds are a complete shape, but the veil is a half shape (triangle), since without magic the world is less. And the sentinels here could be representatives of the only ones who saw/remember the world in both states, being ancient Elvhen.
The cloak veil in Fen'Harel’s back could also be a symbol, since he is probably the only mage back then who has a grasp on the kind of magic that can manipulate it.
This is all very interesting and I totally agree that these repeated symbols from art piece to art piece represent some constant thing present in each of them. I’m interested in figuring out the blue lines and the asterisk one, the eyes, the v shape too etc Send more theories :3
I’m so glad you commented, @sassyseeker! Your thoughts about the sentinels fresco were right on par with mine, but I couldn’t get over how much the blue lines looked like stylized water. So are they magic? Lyrium? Water? And then it hit me like a facepalm. Of course it’s magic water! It’s representing the most magical water we’ve encountered thus far! The vir’abelasan! Of course such a momentous choice as the fate of the Well of Sorrows would be represented in Solas’ artwork.
Lyrium, however, we have definitely seen in Solas’ frescos and other art. More on that and other symbols in other posts. ^_^
Thanks for the support! I’ll do my best to post more soon!!
-MM
PS - I found a few more instances of triangles that are very interesting.
First up, it’s ya boi Solas. This is the Dragon Age Keep tile for marking the Inquisitor’s promise to save or stop Solas. Interestingly, the image on the left is far more …saturated with color (If that is what you would call it. I am not an artist!). Solas has turned his back, but still casts a watchful eye over his shoulder. The circle (which Decima theorized represented the Fade, the mortal realm, or the Void depending on how they are depicted) is stark and clear as the Dread Wolf crosses it. This Solas is intent on his purpose, and there is barely a trace of the Veil in the image.
Solas doesn’t appear directly in the image on the right, but his presence is keenly felt there as well. This image is more faded, the circle smaller and more fractured, the Inquisitor moves forward with purpose while the figure of the wolf looks on with an attitude of waiting, watching, and perhaps wanting. This image implies that Solas is far less sure of himself if the Inquisitor is intent on saving him.
These next images are also super interesting and I worried that they were going to undermine my whole theory. And then they made me go “oh!!!” which, typically, is a good thing. ^_^
First up, Valta’s card. The imagery and symbolism in this one is just so damn cool! I have a lot of thoughts, but I am going to save most of them for separate analysis.
So the triangles. Look at their placement compared to any other picture and you’ll see some interesting things. First of all, they point up, not down. Valta towers over the Veil, the visual effect of making her look like she is towering over mountains (perhaps harkening back to Dagna’s experience handling a rune and feeling mountain tall). The presence of the triangles in this image probably symbolizes her connection to the titan of Heidrun Thaig while also showing that Valta has achieved a connection to the Fade that has been blocked from her people by the Veil.
This idea, that some dwarves have transcended the Veil, is repeated in the tarot cards for the male and female dwarf Inquisitor.
The lady dwarf inquisitor’s card has a diamond pattern that is more orderly and solid than the ones in Solas’ mural of the sentinels at Mythal’s temple. The male Inquisitor’s card has upward facing triangles like those in Valta’s card.
So why would the Dwarf Inquisitors have Veil in their tarot cards when no other Inquisitor’s share that symbol? Because, unlike all the other Inquisitors, dwarves are cut off from the Fade, and more and more it is looking like this is not their natural state. They are supposed to be connected to the Fade through lyrium and a bond with the titans.
Dwarven Inquisitors, however, command the Veil and bend it to their will, unlike their brethren. They have the means to overcome the barrier. They can dream. They can enter the Fade itself! Pretty damn impressive!
And ummm…this post script became a whole separate post. Thanks for making me think about this more! It was fun!
So….Tevinter Nights! Still reading it, but you know me and maps. I kind of like them. And while the book’s map is short on details, it had one very interesting image that caught my eye.
Let me zoom in a bit for you.
What an interesting depiction of the Veil! Complete with spikey projections!! Then I thought…we’ve seen those triangles before. Here they are clearly labeled as a visual representation of the Veil. And if they represent the Veil between the Fade and the Mortal World then…
….it is very likely that they mean the same thing here.
So this image may well be meant to show Solas creating the Veil.
Now that alone might not be groundbreaking. I think many of us thought that the triangles could represent magic or the Fade, but it seems to be more specific than that. These triangles are the Veil in Solas’ art.
Taking this as a working theory, then some interesting tin-foil hat analyses of the his other frescos is possible. Here is what I am thinking:
He walked among The People, freeing them of their bonds, cloaked in a proto-Veil (***) that shielded him and his followers from the eyes of the Evanaris.
Fen’Harel summoned all of his strength and cunning to raise the Veil across Thedas.
The Veil sundered the world of mortals from the Fade, but the alternative was worse. More war and more Titans felled for their orbs.
Thus the Veil keeps the Evanuris imprisoned in the Fade. Even now they watch through the mirrors, twisted and vengeful, waiting for a time they can return. And the sickness grows from within.
At least, that is one interpretation. These Veil triangles seem to be a go to symbol in Nick Thornborrow’s Dragon Age art (and if you can’t see these images, check out the beautiful full size versions there!). You can see a faded, failing Veil in the top right corner of the Dread Wolf Rises mural.
(The Veil is stretched too thin and chaos engulfs the world? And that Maker forsaken idol is the key? Yeah, that totally sounds like something that could happen in DA4.)
We already know that Nick Thornborrow uses symbols in a deliberate manner so it stands to reason that these triangles always represent the Veil, whether Solas was the artist or not.
The Veil triangles also appears in some of the tarot cards he created:
A demon with the mark of its Veil crossing fresh on its back.
Here is Corypheus sundering the Veil.
Thus image of the Sentinel Elves is interesting because we see the Veil triangles again, but also the diamond shapes on the right. Makes me wonder if the triangle represents the Veil from the mortal realm while the diamond shape is how it looks from a Faded perspective.
If that is the case, then I need to revise an analysis I did in another post. Sweet! That turns that image in an interesting direction! It still is the Evanuris trapped beyond the Veil, but the central symbol may mean more than I thought initially. I’ll have to update that soon!
When the triangle is the Veil…
So what can we do with this information? Knowing one symbol often makes others more decipherable. This leads to theories about these art works being more grounded in reasonable assumptions. It also shows us that when we see those same symbols used in other artwork, we can reasonably infer that they mean the same thing.
That is exciting because the imagery in Solas’ art shows up in other places that were not created by our favorite hobo apostate with god thighs. It would be a fun project to create a visual dictionary of common iconography used in Dragon Age and their likely meanings. While it will mostly still be guess work, it is a starting place….
Thanks for reading! I hope y’all are staying safe during these crazy times!
-MM
***PS - Those “V” shapes that I said might be a proto-Veil earlier in this post might also represent a mage who is talented at breaking the Veil. Might be part of the reason why Corypheus was so interested in Calpernia.
that winter in camelot is the coldest merlin can remember. the snow lays coffin deep in the courtyard, and when he tries using his magic to keep gwen’s chambers warm, she scolds him for giving her preferential treatment. he hasn’t quite gotten the hang of warming the entire castle, much less anything beyond that, so he settles for enchanting the stole leon had gifted her in secret and using his energy to keep every fire he can going.
it’s all he can do, these days, to keep a fire going. gaius has him on a number of draughts and dried herbs he’s carefully stored since the summer solstice, but they do little in the way of keeping merlin’s heart from stopping every time he sees a flash of golden hair.
it’s in the wake of the third snowfall that he hears from his mother.
ealdor is blanketed in white, thatch roofs bending and bowing under the freezing weight, and there’s a teenaged boy he recognises in the unsettling, removed sort of way adding another log to his mother’s dying fire.
his knees give out. a familiar feeling rises in his chest: that he wishes he could make his mother’s bed more comfortable, give her the plushness only royals are privy to. he thinks of gwen’s stole, of her lavish pillows, of her fire raging, and thinks of his mother, dying on a bed of straw.
she’s days away from death, if that. it will be the second person he’s lost this year, and merlin has come to terms with eternity’s cold grip, no longer has the fight left in him to uncurl its fingers from its tight grasp.
he grips her frail fingers and does everything he can to keep the fire going.
to say, “i will never forget you.”
she smiles at him. “that,” she tells him, “is how i know you love me.”
it takes him a few more winters to understand, fully, what his mother meant. in those years, he loses, and loses, and loses, until grief is a friend that walks beside him. when he realises that death will never come for him, but rather will flirt with his friends, seduce those he loves until they leave him to pick up their shadows, it hits him. to love someone is to remember.
so he begins telling stories. he’s not good with words, at first. doesn’t know how to tell anyone about arthur in a way that makes what he was make sense. he was more than my king. he was insufferable. he was half of me. he was arrogant and foolhardy and stupid. he was my destiny.
how do you say that? how do you find the words for that? how do you describe gwen– beautiful, kind gwen, who deserved the world over? how do you describe gaius– wise, complicated gaius, who harboured him when no one else would? how do you describe gwaine, and lancelot, and leon, and percival, and elyan, and morgana, and mordred, and–
how do you make your love into a legend?
merlin tells stories until his throat goes raw. he spends centuries spinning tales. there once, he tells countless, wide-eyed children, was a great king named arthur. and one day, he will come back.
to love someone is to remember. and merlin commissions paintings, reads poetry, watches plays where the actors try to mimic his friends.
all those centuries later, his heart still stops at a flash of golden hair.
in those first years, merlin had wondered if arthur knew how loved he was, how much merlin loved him. so merlin crafts him a world that knows his name, so that when he comes back, there will be no question.
arthur comes back to him in winter. there isn’t snow on the ground, but his skin is chilled from lake water, and merlin does everything he can to keep the fire going.
as he’s warming up his king, combing his hair, drying his hands, he dares to ask.
“do you remember me?”
it’s a question larger than the words that contain it. but arthur turns to him, and honest to god rolls his eyes, and speaks, for the first time in several lifetimes.
[Image 1 ID: A full-body picture drawn in a sketchbook and colored digitally of Mako Lowell-Scifo, the artist’s fan-child for Tales of Vesperia characters Flynn Scifo & Yuri Lowell. Mako is a young adult who has brown skin & long dark brown-purple hair. Their hair is partially tied back with a green ribbon. They’re wearing thigh-length short overalls over a short-sleeved t-shirt. One of their knees and one of their elbows is skinned. They are snapping their fingers to summon a golden glow, and holding a sword in their free hand. They look annoyed.]
[Image 2 ID: A full-body doodle of Mako, drawn in a sketchbook and colored digitally. They’re partially leaned over, hip cocked, one hand on their cocked hip. Their hair is partially tied back with a green ribbon. They wear a light green sleeveless tunic over a dark green turtleneck, and beige pants tucked into grey boots that resemble Yuri’s. Their tunic is belted with a dark brown sash, and they wear dark brown fingerless gloves. They are smiling, but look a little flustered.]
[Image 3 ID: Two portraits of Mako, drawn in a sketchbook. In one, they are wearing their normal outfit and smiling. In the other, their hair is fully pulled back into a ponytail, and they wear an elbow-length cloak. They appear flustered.]
[Image 4 ID: A doodle of Mako, and the artist’s fan-child for Estellise & Rita, Aither Evander Heurassein, drawn in a sketchbook. Aither is a young man with short hair and bangs. He is wearing a short-sleeve shirt, athletic shorts, and a shoulderbag. He leans over a desk where Mako is drawing in a notebook. Mako is wearing a cardigan over a shirt. Aither says, smugly, “Is that anime?” and Mako, annoyed but not looking up at Aither, replies “Die.”]
[Image 5 ID: A doodle of Mako from the waist up drawn in a sketchbook. They are wearing a plain shirt, pushed up to their elbows. They hold a jar with the partially-obscured word “COOKIES” written on it with both hands, and have a cookie halfway in their mouth; they look startled and embarrassed. They say “Dad?! Papa?!” A speech bubble with a headshot of an exasperated Flynn says, “Aren’t you too old for this?” while another speech bubble with a headshot of a laughing Yuri says, “LMAOOO”]
[Image 6 ID: A full-body doodle of Mako drawn in a sketchbook. They are lying on their stomach, drawing or writing in a notebook. They are smiling, humming and kicking their legs.]
[Image 7 ID: A full-body, full-color digital picture of Mako with their hands on their hips, smiling. They are wearing their hair partially tied back with a purple ribbon, a blue-grey hoodie over a light grey shirt, and dark blue athletic shorts. They also have beige sneakers.]
[Image 8 ID: A full-body picture of Mako, drawn in a sketchbook and colored digitally. They are wearing the outfit with the green tunic again, leaning forward with their arms behind their back. They are smiling and looking off to the side.]
[Image 9 ID: A full-body, full-color digital picture of Mako with their hands on their hips. They look grim and slightly dissheveled. Instead of partially pulled back in a ribbon, their hair is up in a messy bun. They wear overalls with a flower on the chest pocket over a blue sweater with ¾ length sleeves, and grey socks. There’s a friendship bracelet on their left wrist.]
[Image 1 ID: A one-panel comic with white figures on a gray-to-purple gradient. Raven from Tales of Vesperia attempts to emerge from under a sewer cover. Yuri and Estellise stand over him, Estellise hidden partially behind Yuri looking concerned. Yuri looks unimpressed and has one foot on the sewer cover. Raven “speaks” a text post by tumblr user grox that says, “Let me out of this sewer, man I could be your best friend. I could be the best thing thats ever happened to you”]
[Image 2 ID: A discord screenshot captioned “DO NOTFALL FOR THIS DISCORD SCAM!” The screenshot is in a text channel titled “Hot Gamer Girl Room.” The icon of a user named HotGamerGirl has been replaced with cartoon headshots of Judith, and the icon of user MinecraftChungus has been replaced with cartoon headshots of Raven. Judith/HotGamerGirl says, “Do you want a hot gamer girlfriend” to which Raven/MinecraftChungus replies, “Yes, here’s my Banking information: (text obscured with red line).” Judith says, “i just stole all your money” and Raven says, “Ok we get married now?” A discord notification indicates that HotGamerGirl has left the group.]
[Image 3 ID: One-panel comic with white figures on a turquoise-to-dark-grey gradient background. Raven looks smug, and proudly “speaks” a text post from tumblr user youforgivehowgodforgives, saying “women and fish would put aside their differences to beat the living hell out of me.” Yuri can be seen from behind in the foreground, with sweatdrops. In the background, drawn as silhouettes, Judith and a Merman loom over Raven. Judith is cracking her knuckles.]
[Image 4 ID: One-panel comic with white figures on a dark-grey-to-navy-blue gradient background. Raven staggers along with his arms over Judith and Yuri’s shoulders. Raven is drunk and frustrated, with tears in his eyes. Judith and Yuri both look somewhat concerned and exasperated. Raven “speaks” a tweet by twitter user roastmalone_, which says “bars need to do a sad hour with even cheaper drinks and everyone just acts cool if you cry a lil”]
[Image 5 ID: One-panel comic with white figures on a purple gradient background. Raven lies sprawled on the ground with his tongue out but one eye cracked open. Yuri, Karol, Rita, Judith and Flynn stand around him in a semi-circle, looking down at him. Karol and Rita appear upset, and hold onto Yuri’s arms, standing partially behind him. Yuri and Judith look disgusted, with Judith standing with her arms crossed. Flynn has tears in his eyes but looks angry. Raven is “speaking” a post by tumblr user turing-tested, the first part of which says “XP <- me pretending to die” and the second half of which says “;P <- me peeking an eye open to see if ur sad or not”]
After being grilled by his brothers, Minato went to his room and quite literally crashed on the bed. Even without an expression, you could tell he was tired. Minato was use to being asked tons of questions by the two because of the school hopping and all, but this time however, was more tiring. Every time he mentioned an amazing feature of his new friend, he expressed how amazing it was through his face. He wasn’t quite sure what was so different about Ren that made him want to express his feelings on his face.
Bzzt
Minato lifted his phone to face to see the message, coincidentally from Ren.
Ren: Hey, I just wanted to text you to see if I had the right numbers.
Minato: Well, you got it right ding ding.
Ren: Wow, you’re way more sarcastic when you text.
Minato: Nah, I just wasn’t being sarcastic to you today. I wasn’t in the mood.
Ren: After losing the marker right? It’s seems precious to you. If you don’t mind me asking, why is it so precious?
Minato paused for a moment. He wasn’t sure what to do. He’s never told the story to anyone other than Jun and Tatsuya. Then again, he’s never made a proper friend before.
Ren: Ah, sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I was just curious. You don’t have to tell me.
Minato: No, it’s fine. The marker was a gift from my mom for my birthday. She had it specially made for me. It costs a fortune, but she got it for me. She and my dad died a week later in a car crash. That marker is a memory of my parents but more so my mom. My dad was rarely home, so I never really got to know him.
There was a long pause after he sent the message. Minato internally panicked, but calmed down when Ren finally responded.
Ren: Wow. That’s rough. Do you live with relatives now?
Minato: No. My relatives really didn’t want to deal with my ‘problems’, so they sent me to some people they know. Don’t worry though. Jun and Tatsuya are very nice. They even treat me like their little brother, so it’s not terrible.
Ren: Your problems? You mean the fact that you use a sketchbook to express your emotions?
Minato: Yeah. They didn’t want a weird child to be apart of their family.
Ren: I don’t think it’s weird.
Minato stared at his screen for a whole minute. He almost thought he was dreaming. Someone understands and doesn’t think he’s weird.
Minato: It’s nice to hear that from someone other than Jun and Tatsuya. Not many people understand.
Ren: It’s really not that weird. You could say I have a similar problem.
The blue haired boy was now confused. This boy with perfect skin that rivals a porcelain doll’s has a similar problem.
Minato: Oh, and I realized we live pretty close to each other. You wanna walk to school together.
Ren: Sure, but just so you know I have to make a detour for something. If you don’t mind, I’d be glad to walk to school with you.
Minato expression changed. He was glad that he’s able to walk with his new friend. He’s also glad that he’s no longer lonely at school.
Minato: I don’t mind. It’s getting late. Good night Ren.
Ren: Night Minato.
The cardboard kid shut his phone off and got ready for bed. He was excited for tomorrow.
~~~Next Day~~~
Minato got up early that morning grabbing his bag and sketchbook and left sort of excited. And trust me when I say Jun was holding back the urge to hug the boy when he saw him excited. Although no expression was involved, Jun was pleasantly surprised when Minato was out of bed and happy.
Minato left and walked to Le Blanc, where Ren was already waiting outside.
“Hey Minato.” The bespectacled boy greeted. Though, his greeting was ignored by other teen when Minato saw Ren’s face. Ren had a mask on covering his face, from his chin to the bridge of his nose.
Minato flipped open to the confuse face, which seemed to become a common expression when he was with Ren.
“Ah, the mask. Don’t worry, nothing’s wrong. It- I’ll explain when we get to my detour stop.”
Minato flipped through to his resting face and then the boys took off to this place Ren needed to go to. Their destination was a small apartment close to the train station they just got off at. Ren rang the bell and out came a tall, blue haired boy. His hair was similar to Minato, if not for the fact it was more well kept.
“Ah, Ren I was wondering when you would get here, and who is this sketchbook friend of yours.”
“This is Minato. We’re walking together today. And Minato this is my friend Yusuke.”
Yusuke stared at the boy for a while before speaking again. “Well come in. I already have the makeup prepped, so you’ll be out in no time.”
Meanwhile, Minato was very confused. Ren’s mask, this stranger, and the talk about makeup. As they entered the apartment, the first thing Minato noticed was the vast amount of paintings. They ranged from different colors, emotions, and styles. They soon reach a small living room with a coffee table scattered with brushes. Yusuke motioned for Minato to sit on the couch while the other two went to sit on the stools. As Ren sat down, he put down his bag and removed his mask.
Minato’s eyes widened when he saw Ren’s face. When they first met, Minato thought Ren was a perfect porcelain doll. A beautiful man with an unflawed face, but what he saw now was a site. Ren’s face was scattered with scars. A few on each of his cheeks and a really noticeable one on his chin. Yusuke immediately got to work applying the makeup to cover up the scars.
“So, Minato, do you like to draw?” This question came from the makeup artist working on Ren.
“Yeah, it’s relaxing for me. I mostly draw expressions to use, but sometimes I draw random things.”
“I suppose you use those drawings of expressions to express your emotions because your face can’t.”
As if answering his question, Minato flipped to a page with a surprised face on it. “How did you know?”
“Oh, it was a simple guess.” The artist paused to change brushes. “I’m an artist myself, so I kind of understand those kinds of things, and to be honest the faces I’ve seen are pretty cute.”
Minato immediately switched to flustered. He’s never really gotten compliments from anyone for the faces he’s drawn. Then again, he’s never met an artist before either.
“And finished. Alright Ren, we’re good to go.” Minato looked at Ren once again. As if Yusuke had healing powers, all the scars were no longer there.
“Thanks Yusuke. I really appreciate it.”
The two left the artist’s humble abode and headed towards school. Minato, as much as he didn’t want to pry, wanted to know about the scars. Before he could open his mouth however, Ren spoke first.
“I guess I owe you an explanation for the scars. I did say I would tell you.”
The cardboard boy listened as the porcelain boy spoke.
“Back in my hometown, I was out taking a walk and I saw this woman being assaulted by this drunk man. I tried to help her, but this man had a blade and he marked up my face and arms pretty badly. Luckily a police car drove by and stopped the man before he could do more damage. Most of the wounds healed, but some of them left scars. The man did get arrested, but my parents decided to send me out here for a while to recover. They thought being there would trigger memories of that night.”
Minato didn’t really know how to react. He thought he had it bad with all the bullying and school hopping, but Ren’s story was something else.
“You don’t have to worry Minato. I’m fine now, just self conscious about my scars that’s all.”
After a moment of silence, the blue haired teen finally responded. “I don’t think you’re scars look that bad. They kind of look nice and give you personality.”
Minato internally screamed at himself. Did he really just say that? Thank God Minato had his sketchbook over his face, otherwise Ren would’ve seen how red it was. Instead of receiving the response he thought he was going to get, all Minato received was a chuckle from Ren. God, Minato didn’t know such a small chuckle could make his cheeks flare.
“You really think that way about my scars. Maybe one day I’ll go to school without makeup, but when I do, I want you to promise me something.”
“What?”
They both stopped and stared at each other. Ren smiled and finished. “I want you to spend that day without your sketchbook.”
Minato didn’t expect this from anyone other than Tatsuya or Jun. Really, he didn’t think Ren cared about his expression problem.
“I don’t know why, but I have the feeling you can express your emotions on your face if you tried. You’ve mentioned when we were drinking coffee that sometimes it happens, sometimes doesn’t. I think you could control that and actually express yourself.”
Faith. There were only four other people who believed he could express himself. His mom, his dad, Tatsuya, and Jun. Not many people thought he could do it. Nobody really had faith, but the teen had finally met someone who believed in him. A tear almost came out, but right now he didn’t want it.
“Deal. I’ll do it.”
Ren smiled and it made the other’s heart flutter. Minato didn’t know why or how this happened, but one things for sure. He was glad he met the boy with the porcelain face.
Yeah, so in this Fic all the palace bosses, not including Sae, are not pricks to my Phantom Thief children. Shido’s in jail, where he belongs, Kamoshida’s actually a decent person, and Madarame and Kaneshiro were Thanos snapped out of existence. Also Yusuke is financially stable and lives in a nice apartment, and Morgana is a nice cat, happily living with Sojiro and Futaba. I feel terrible for scarring Ren Shido deserves to burn in the firery pits of hell but all is good now because he has cinnamon roll to heal him. ☺️
Song stuck in my head: ugh…. we don’t talk about Buno. My kids are always singing it and they don’t actually know the words and that probably bugs me more because I know for a fact I know all the words to ever song in the little mermaid when I was their age.
Last thing I googled: how to fix my phone I tried to do load an app to check a 2nd email and I down loaded a whole new interface as well. ♀️
Time: 8:59 pm my kids really need to go to bed!!
Dream Trip: hmmmm.. Hawaii maybe?
Something I want: to see one ofy left eyeball again
Favorite Food: Burgers and Fries, Pizza, or Inari. Lol Can’t decide!
Song stuck in my head: I hate to admit this and it’s because I was just listening to it over and over again while working on a ghost writing project but Gold Digger by Kanye West
Last thing I googled: uhhhh… Oh right! Gowns for the ghost writing project because I was too lazy to design my own
Time: 12:49 A.M. Don’t attack me for not being asleep!
Rules: Tag 10 people you want to get to know better.
Relationship status: I have a cat
Favorite color: To look at: lavender or pink, to wear: light blue, coral, or burgundy (depending on the season) tho army green has been growing on me….
Favorite food: pasta and dessert. Any kind. They’re all good.
Song stuck in my head: I cycle several. Currently it’s that icarly song (you know the one and why), I had NASA by Ariana Grande in my head all day, then randomly bits of Panic! At the discos new song (*finger guns my adhd*)
Last thing I googled: uhhh I thiiiink? I was looking up grad schools earlier researching some programs to apply to, so probably some university I’m considering.
Time: 8:40PM
Dream trip: Japan or Hawaii
Something I want: To actually be able to afford my bills and a fucking nap
Thanks for the tag!! I love getting tagged in little games like this.
Relationship status: Truly, madly, deeply in love. There are no words to describe my rapture.
Favorite color: Red!! It’s been my favorite for a decade, and the reason why is always changing.
Favorite food: I really like a lot of foods. Meat and potato dishes the best, though. I will kill for a good curry with chicken and potatoes.
Song stuck in my head: Fall Out Boy’s entire discography and the whole Inside album by Bo Burnham.
Last thing I Googled: “male vs female cloaca” (don’t ask)
Time:7:54
Dream trip: I want to spend, like, a month in Washington DC going to all of the monuments and museums and important locations. Too bad the city is such a shit hole, I probably never will. And if not that, then space.
Something I want: My fanfics to write themselves. Or artistic talent. Either or.
