New Chapter Is Up, This Time Featuing The Destined One And Oz!

Lucky Charm

You didn’t always consider yourself a lucky charm. In the beginning of your travels with the Destined One / Sun Wukong, you often found yourself in trouble. Small little misfortunes happen to you on a daily basis. A yaoguai chasing after you, falling into a stream, getting your clothes caught in tree branches. It wasn’t easy adjusting to this strange new land. It was so different from what you knew. 

But little by little, everything seemed to get better. A small observation here, a causal comment there, and the fight always ends with Sun Wukong / Destined One emerging victorious. And even they start to notice that the fights seem easier and he’s not getting as injured as before.

Destined One

[-] Before any fight, he always makes sure you’re safe. It becomes second nature for you to let yourself be picked up and placed on the highest tree branch. Out of harm, but still able to watch and see in case he needs help. 

[-] But regardless if you’re up high on a tree or just watching on the sidelines, DO will always look into your eyes and press his forehead against yours before heading off.

[-] It’s his way of promising you that everything will be alright and that he’ll be back. Since then, it’s become a little ritual between the two. 

[-] Even when his opponents get stronger and stronger, he always manages to win. But the one time he didn’t gaze at your lovely eyes and nuzzle your cheek, he was hit by countless arrows.

[-] If he didn’t believe in you being his lucky charm, he sure does now. Immediately after recovering he goes to you and pulls you into a hug.

[-] It’s not only in fighting that you bring him good luck. When he’s out with you, DO always finds the best items. Be it armor or weapons, you always seem to find them.

[-] The Destined One rightly assumes that the longer he stays clinging on to you the better his luck will be. So fully expect him to have you trapped in a hug.

Sun Wukong

[-] It starts off as teasing. 

[-] Wukong when laying his head on your lap would insist on having you groom his fur. He’s a king after all and he can’t be looking all rough. Nuzzling into your hand, he’ll grab your wrist and press his lips against your palm.

[-] It’s at that moment that a peach falls off the tree both of you were resting under. With a laugh, he’ll say how his sweet peach brought him a snack to eat. He’ll call you his lucky charm, but won’t think further about it.

[-] The next time he kisses you it’s on the cheek while he’s in the middle of a fight. Considering the foe too weak, he sent out a clone to deal with it. And enamored by your blush, both of you are surprised when the yaoguai trips and falls to their death.

[-] From then on, Wukong takes every opportunity to give you kisses. Be it on your hand, face, shoulder, or neck. He will find an opportunity to press his lips against your skin.

[-] Does he need luck. No, he’s the Great Sage Equal to Heaven after all. But if it lets him boast to everyone how he has his own personal lucky charm then he’s all for it.

A desperate cleric slamming every healing spell so hard to bring someone back to life the ground is forced to grow plants and flowers around the body.

im literally not exaggerating when i tell you guys this video saved my life

Love how tumblr has its own folk stories. Yeah the God of Arepo we’ve all heard the story and we all still cry about it. Yeah that one about the woman locked up for centuries finally getting free. That one about the witch who would marry anyone who could get her house key from her cat and it’s revealed she IS the cat after the narrator befriends the cat.

Flashback to 2018 when I painted this for the first Art Ghoullery exhibition at the Rourke Art Gallery + Museum in Moorhead, MN!

I have giclee prints on my website if anyone wants to add some Halloween spirit to their walls! heatherfranzen.com/shop/reunion

Love how tumblr has its own folk stories. Yeah the God of Arepo we’ve all heard the story and we all still cry about it. Yeah that one about the woman locked up for centuries finally getting free. That one about the witch who would marry anyone who could get her house key from her cat and it’s revealed she IS the cat after the narrator befriends the cat.

I can understand how "modern person thrown into the past gets by pretending to be a healer/doctor" is as surprisingly common of a trope as it is. I mean I'm fluent enough at bullshitting to be pretty sure I could pull it off to impersonate a doctor in any time pre-1800s. If I have no idea what something is or how to treat it, I could just get the opinion of the other whatever-passes-as-medical-professionals around, but if their suggestions sound like bullshit I'm not doing it. And I'll beat the shit out of anyone suggesting bloodletting or mercury. With my healing stick. I've tied little bells on it, that jingle comically with every smack.

The awesome curative powers of my healing stick come from two separate sources: Placebo, and me using it to beat anyone trying to give my patients mercury.

I love me a pseudo-historical arranged marriage au but it always nudges my suspension of disbelief when the author has to dance around the implicit expectation that an arranged marriage should lead to children, which a cis gay couple can't provide.

I know for a lot of people that's irrelevant to what they want from an Arranged Marriage plot, but personally I like playing in the weird and uncomfortable implications.

So, I've been thinking about how you would justify an obviously barren marriage in That Kind of fantasy world, and I thought it'd be interesting if gay marriage in Ye Old Fantasy Land was a form of soft disinheritance/abdication.

Like, "Oh, God, I don't want to be in this position of power please just find me a boy to marry", or, "I know you should inherit after you father passes but as your stepmother/legal guardian I think it'd make more sense if my kids got everything, so maybe consider lesbianism?", or "Look, we both know neither of our families has enough money to support that many grandkids, so let's just pair some spares and save both our treasuries the trouble".

Obviously this brings in some very different dynamics that I know not everyone would be pinged by, but I just think it'd be neat.

also speaking of jakub różalski this painting of his is my FAVOURITE like yes girl snitch on the knight!!! get his ass!!!

Birdcage

You feel the cold grip of fear course through your veins. One moment you were sitting by the campfire waiting for the Destined One / Sun Wukong to come back the next a group of yaoguai showed up and took you captive. Large clawed hands ding into your arm as you’re lifted effortlessly off the ground. Kicking, screaming, you do everything in your power to escape. 

But it’s useless. You're dragged further and further away. 

Taken to a cave deep within the mountain, the cavernous lair is cold and haunting. It stinks of flesh and rot. Littered on the ground are bones of people who met an unfortunate end. You’re going to die. That’s the only thought running through your head.

But to your surprise the leader of the group has different plans. Instead of being turned into dinner, you're thrown into a massive birdcage. The bars are too narrow for you to squeeze through and you have nothing in hand to pick the lock. 

A day and night passes. 

You’re left to your own devices inside that lonely birdcage. With only the occasional visit. Your kidnapper does nothing, simply watches you inside your cage. You cling on to the hope that soon you’ll be rescued.

Destined One

[-] Starts to immediately go on the search for you the moment he realizes you’re gone.

[-] His one goal is to find you and make sure you are safe. His eyes narrow as he looks for any clues that will lead him to you. When he does find the cave, he initially sneaks inside but is spotted.

[-] The ensuing fight is a mess. His staff is swung left and right. Pushing through the enemy until he reaches you.

[-] Busting open the birdcage, DO rushes to your side. Pulls you into a hug and immediately starts to check you for injuries. When he’s sure that you’re okay, he’s going to slump against you.

[-] The stress of worry finally caught up to him. Both of you walk out of that cave together,exhausted but relieved.

[-] He’s going to follow you everywhere. Need to collect herbs and vegetables for dinner that day, he’s going to be at your side carrying anything you find. Need to take a bath, well better be comfortable with sharing a bath. 

[-] You’re going to have to reassure him that everything will be alright. And only after you’ve given him kisses will he relax.

Sun Wukong

[-] WHO WOULD DARE KIDNAP YOU?! Sun Wukong, known for wreaking havoc in heaven, earth, and the underworld, is beyond  furious. It’s not a matter of if he’ll find you, but a matter of when he’ll find you.

[-] Will do anything within his power to get you back. If he can’t do it on his own, he’ll threaten to cause another incident in heaven if they don’t help get you back.

[-] When he does find out where you are being kept, his first instinct is to storm in and take you. But, not wanting to risk you getting hurt, Wukong transforms into a small beetle and sneaks inside.

[-] Seeing you inside a birdcage causes him to detransform. The fight that follows is bloody. He shows no mercy to those that kidnapped you.

[-] By the time he’s done, you know that no one would think about ever kidnapping you.

[-] Wukong is going to check to make sure that you’re alright. Will tend to any wounds you may have gotten. Will make sure that you eat something and will stay by your side. 

[-] For the next couple of days, Wukong is going to be clingy. He’ll never admit it, but the thought that you could have died keeps him up at night. He has a lot of enemies that want revenge and any of them could try to hurt you.

[-] Keeps you within sight and reach. His tail is going to be wrapped around your waist or wrist.

[-] Is going to hold you closer at night, dreading the idea of waking up to you gone. He’ll only ease up when he knows you can protect yourself. Expect to get personal one-on-one training with him.