Cardverse - Blog Posts
Uff, tenía pensado tener listo este fanart para febrero, pero antes de que me diera cuenta ya estábamos en Marzo… no hay nada mejor que regresar con una ship crack xdxdxdxd
How would you think either of the two (Alfred and Ivan) would think about proposing/marriage in your au? Ik they do eventually but I would love to hear about how it might happen!
I think they're both into it! One more than the other tho lmao
ofc Alfred as an Omega was highly disdainful of the idea and actively rejected it, but only because its something expected of him. Take this excerpt:
Alfred wrinkled his nose. Marriage as a duty. What a ridiculous notion.
He saw the Omegas here in this village. The married ones. The ones who walked around the village claiming they were fulfilled because they had made a family. A good show, indeed—but through the windows of their cottages, behind drawn curtains, he could see their misery, their helplessness at the hands of their husbands. Fear flashed in their eyes at the prospect of returning home. Controlled. Locked away. No freedom or autonomy or any function other than to satisfy their husbands' carnal urges and pump out their babies.
Alfred saw it as a warning. And he didn't need to be told twice.
This is what Alfred thinks about marriage, mostly due to his upbringing of seeing the miserable people of Krasny. But he's not against it entirely. He just doesn't want it to be forced upon him. Like all things, he wants it at his own pace, at his own time. But he's not immune to dreaming—and even he wants his own fairytale romance one day. He just never has time to truly think about it or consider it. For most of the story its the last thing on his mind. Ofc, after getting feelings for Ivan, this mindset changed, and he very much wants to get married to him.
As for Ivan, in the story it's also the last thing on his mind. Of course, he's a royal with a lot on his plate—that is, until he started liking Alfred. Now, he very much wants to do so; there's even a scene where he goes through the lawbook trying to find a loophole so he can marry him. You would think with all his trauma and history that he would fear marriage, as he saw how his parents' turned out. But Ivan isn't like that. Rather than a cautionary tale, he sees it as another way to prove he isn't like his father, like a manual. For Ivan its like: get married, have children, and do it better than he did.
You said you’re rewriting your fic but I would love to hear some of the ideas you had that didn’t make it into the rewrite if you had any honestly. I love ur fic sm it’s like one of my favorite aus
aw thank u for the nice words!! and omg there's sm that didn't make it into the final cut it feels impossible to talk about them all. Half of them I scrapped because I plan to reuse them in the sequel, which I'm already drafting the outline of
There were many scrapped ideas. Most were about Alfred and Ivan's interactions. I was supposed to make them kiss earlier on in the story but scrapped it in favor of a more slow-burn pace.
Also, the world originally wasn't steampunk, but rather a more HOTD-like world. As in there was no technology, just medieval settings, but there were dragons and magic. Alfred was initially supposed to be a witch, but a very clumsy one. Dragons play an essential part of life, highly integrated into civilization, kinda like HTTYD. This came into use in the plot when Ivan's dragon escaped and landed in Alfred's village, and the villagers were too scared to approach a dragon of the royal family, but Alfred (not knowing it was a royal dragon cuz he's dumb like that) rushed forward to help. However his magic is faulty and he ended up making a big boom, but dw the dragon was unharmed. Instead of simply healing the dragon, Alfred accidentally seeped his magic into its scales. He didn't think much of it tho and continued to properly heal the dragon until it finally was able to fly away. But when it returned to the palace, the dragon no longer responded to Ivan because of Alfred's magic inside it, so they sent guards to hunt down the witch who marked a royal dragon, and that's how Alfred was found and dragged to the palace.
This was scrapped for a more high-stakes and much, much darker plot, as the original is so whimsy and fairy-tale like. I plan to reuse that kind of world-building though just not for Spades HAHAHA
There were many others, but most of them are in the bin to be reused, so I won't be spoiling them hehe
In your fanfiction “torn between love and hate” what time period is it? I know it’s steampunk but I read about Alfred talking about the 18-19th centuries in some chapters and the clothing you draw them in your art never really speaks to me about a decade this could be set in other than vague late 1900s future fantasy.
i intentionally made it pretty vague so its more to the reader's interpretation. Steampunk in general is like, pretty advanced for its time so their clothes reflect that. And in my world, each kingdom is set in a different time, but theyre roughly around the samw time.
Like Diamonds (ruled by Kiku in my AU) would be in the Meiji period, which is 1800s. Hearts would be in the Rococo/Regency period, which is 1700s. Clubs is like Early Modern Germany, which ranges from 1500-1800, but I'd say its 1800s. Spades is the 1800s-1900s.
But of course, like any fictional world, they have magic that makes technology possible for them. They live medieval-esque lives but have an archaic type of technology more advanced than ours that varies from kingdom to kingdom.
them three years into their marriage
just experienced the worst crashout of my life and this was the coping result
the perspectives and angles keep changing omfg but anyway spades palace entrance hall
their dynamic was different at the start because alfred was grumpy when he was a bodyguard
Ivan holding the love of his life (im so normal about them)
(click for better quality)
(click for better quality) i changed them a lil bit,, alfreds color scheme will stay the same but idk about Ivan, I might make his inner wear white and gold themed while his cloak is purple, or ill make both of them the some color (purple) like i did for Alfred
ignore the mess i was supposed to be doing literally anything but this. call me batman the way I’m out here serving justice (drawing Hetalia fanart in the year 2k24. unacceptable.)
love ur au! very sweet. needed to see him in armor biblically.
I AUDIBLY GASPED UPON OPENING THIS ITS SO GOOD the design is immaculate and exactly how id imagine it, thank you so much😭💞 ur so right u are definitely out here serving justice AND beautiful art
Based on that one gangsta au panel
or! alternatively without the text:
might make an ivan version if i could find that one official art where the cast is sitting on these chairs and alfred is manspreading while francis and arthur cant sit straight for the life of them
I finally made Yao's design
ngl i cooked with him, and i added him with a sword cuz he's a warrior
the exaggerated height differences is my trademark style fr, yao is so small compared to ivan omg😭 he's the size of ivan's leg, but he's strict toughness and raw power all in a tiny body
Okay so yall saw his bodyguard/assassin clothes, now for his post-coronation clothes (its blurry from afar but if you click on it its clearer)
the jewel got messed up HDGJSHJD and did i use the genshin model as a base pose? yes, because i can
And this is them side by side!
You'll notice Alfred's is more modern and detailed, reflecting how he is the one advancing the kingdom in technological ways (hence the robotic looking gloves), and it being a suit shows how he is the one handling diplomatic/foreign relations as he is the more charismatic of the two. On the other hand, Ivan's outfit is more subtle yet traditionally regal, reflecting how he is the one keeping the kingdom grounded to its culture and traditions and not letting them become too absorbed with the future, remembering to honor the past as well. His being a military hussar jacket also shows how he is the more ruthless(?) one, handling military and surveillance around the kingdom. I also wanted Alfred to be in clothes he can move more easily in, because true to his roots as a commoner, he moves in a fun and playful way that didn't indicate at all he was royalty. He's also more active (belligerent LMAO) because of his past as an assassin, while Ivan is the more elegant one.
also height difference because yes
alternatively, this is the sketch when rendered. I got bored so😭 (press pic for better quality bc it looks pixelated from afar)
a moment in their lovestory! honestly i dont have a too solid story for them yet😭 like,,, there's so many options. BUT SO FAR:
Ivan's the prince. He led an extremely hard life (he started out as a middle child with two parents, but now is an only child with just a father💀) Alfred is a peasant, not even a middle class peasant he's one of those who live in the slums. He led a similar life to Ivan until their village was raided. The children were scattered, so a now-orphan Alfred had to raise Matthew AND support them. Afred turned to a life of assassination to make money along with doing several odd jobs (which is why he's so insanely strong, even tho he doesnt rlly look it) One day Al is hired to assassinate the prince, but Ivan spotted him and they got into a huge brawl, which ended in Alfred setting off a smoke bomb and running away. He had actually landed a hit on Ivan, which surprised the prince so no one had been able to do that for years. Ivan, not knowing how to be a normal human being, became really interested in this person who tried to kill him. So far, his life has been really boring. It was just studying and training over and over since the day he was born. Alfred had shaken up his life so he became interested, but not in the romantic way, he was just amused by him. Alfred, on the other hand, hated him. During the fight Ivan had taunted him sadistically, and that made Alfred furious. He had only run away bc he was called back to headquarters. Ivan thought about Alfred for a while when, out of nowhere, the boy was placed in the palace.
Apparently, Alfred had a new mission, which was to assassinate the King instead because they got info that the King was planning to invade Hearts. Back then, Spades was one of the weakest Kingdoms, so they would definitely get crushed by Hearts and it would cause a lot of casualties along with a very unnecessary war. So Alfred had to work in the palace as Ivan's 'bodyguard' which Ivan enjoyed tremendously because now he got to annoy him even more and as a plus, get to be his boss. Alfred extremely hated this, and wanted to get the mission done with asap so he could get away from Ivan. But the more they spent time together, they started to hate each other less and less to the point that Ivan fell in love with him. After finding out that Alfred still worked jobs outside the palace for Matthew's tuition (which is the picture above) Ivan offered to pay for it instead. Alfred tried to refuse but Ivan didn't budge. Alfred was in love with him too but was in absolute denial. Plus, he couldn't afford to have feelings for him, bc once he killed the King Alfred would stop working at the palace and be taken back to Krasny. Keeping this in mind, Alfred had to reject Ivan when he confessed. He couldn't explain that he was an assassin since it was supposed to be secret, so he said, "I just can't."
Alfred's boss keeps tabs on him, so when he found out that the prince had confessed to Alfred he told him to distance himself from Ivan because it was starting to become a distraction, and to start focusing on his mission because the deadline was a few weeks away (thats when the King is planning to invade). The King never makes any sort of appearance, and is holed up in his chamber 24/7, the only time he'll come out is when he announces his plan to the Kingdom. Alfred had considered sneaking into his chamber and killing him there, but the security was extremely tight and it would be completely impossible for Alfred to sneak inside. Ivan had also been working to stop his father, as he had found the documents about his plan. Alfred's goal is to kill him, while Ivan's goal is just to stop him. So while Alfred is sneaking around trying to find any weak spots in their security, Ivan is sneaking around gathering information about the plan. Alfred's sneaking around had not gone unnoticed by the ever-observant Yao, who confronted him about it. Not in a I'm-going-to-kick-you-out way but in the curious way bc Yao also hates the King. When Alfred gave up and told him his real purpose for being here, Yao started helping him gather information and had supplied the most important one of all; the King had been building a bomb that was enough to wipe out at least half of the Hearts Island. Ivan had seen the documents already so he knew about the bomb as well, he had tried to stop the making of it but to get inside the room requires his father's physical identification.
The three of them were anxious and lost on how to go about doing this. The only way to stop the making of the bomb at this point is to kill the King, but by the time the King comes out of his chamber, the bomb and the war is ready to go. The deadline was ticking closer, and the pain of the confession was still eating up Alfred and Ivan which made them feel even worse. Then Yao told them that he overheard the guards saying the King is leaving his quarters to go somewhere 'private'. The two went to follow the King, who was wearing a hood. They followed him all the way to the middle of a forest. Right before he was going to enter a cave, both Alfred and Ivan jumped at him, ready to kill, shocking each other and causing them to collide into the King. They pointed at each other accusingly but they were speechless and unable to say anything, then Alfred noticed that the King was crawling away so he abandoned the 'conversation' and grabbed him, but in doing so, the hood came off and revealed a completely different person, definitely not Ivan's father. The two of them were shocked, and Alfred shook him violently "Who are you!?" Apparently he was a guard that was ordered to just wander off as far as possible. The two of them were confused, then Ivan's phone rang. Yao was hysterical, he told them to come back because it was a fake-out and that wasn't the real King, then he gets cut off with a muffling sound, a crash sound, a static noise, then the call stops completely.
The two of them look at each other then bolt back into the forest; while they were running Alfred explained that he was an assassin and that's why he was after the King. Before Ivan could say anything, Alfred spoke first, "But nevermind that, there are more important things right now." so Ivan just stayed quiet. They get back to the palace, and Ivan's gut tells him to go somewhere specific, so he leads them to the bomb room, which was suspiciously open. They rushed inside, ending up in a control room. The King was standing at the window, where there was a massive bomb. Next to him, Yao looked like he could barely stay conscious and his wrists were bound.
The King reveals that he knew all along what the two of them were up to, and that he was tired of them meddling in his plan. Because of their high-alert sneaking around, the King couldn't properly execute his plan so he had to lure them away, which didn't work either because Yao is "such a blabbermouth" but he told them it didn't matter anymore, because while they were gone he had finally completed the bomb and was going to eject it now. Alfred asked what about the announcement, and the King said he was never going to announce anything, it was another fake-out so that whoever is planning to stop him will wait until his 'announcement' but by then they would be too late, which would've worked (again) if it weren't for Yao. Ivan asked why he was doing all this, why he was suddenly wanting to invade Hearts. The King said that the Kingdom was bankrupt because he had been pocketing so much money and that money was gone now too, so he was going to invade Hearts to raid them. Ivan was baffled at how stupid his plan sounded and said that would never work because even if they got their hands on their money/resources they would hardly be able to use it before Hearts destroys them. The King told him to shut up, at this point he had a crazy expression. He said he was going to do this and there was nothing they could do to stop him then he pressed a button, which activated the timer for five minutes.
While he had been monologuing, the drug he used on Yao was wearing off, so he was now lucid. After piecing together what was happening, Yao stepped on the king's foot, causing him to yelp and let go of Yao. Yao, despite his size, was very strong, so he managed to hold down the King and gag him. He then yelled at the two to go find a way to deactivate the bomb before the timer went off. The two of them rushed out of the control room, they circled the bomb, trying to find its panel, but they took too long and the timer went off. Panicking, the two of them held onto the bomb as it flew away. While onboard the bomb, Alfred discovers a panel that changes the course of the bomb. He quickly works to alter the course, and while Ivan watches he suddenly asks that if Alfred is an assassin sent to kill his father, then was getting close to Ivan all part of his plan? Alfred is shocked and says no, and that it wasnt part of his plan at all. Alfred admits that he didn't want to reject Ivan, but he had to bc if he said yes it would just hurt the both of them more, because whether or not the assassination succeeds, they would still end up not seeing each other again. Ivan is surprised and asks (for clarification) why he didn't want to reject him. Alfred says its because he's in love with him, and that in these past few months he's never been happier. Ivan says 'Then, if we get out of this alive, would you go out with me?' Alfred says, "Are you kidding me? Of course! But first, we should make sure we do get out of this alive."
Alfred finishes successfully changing the course, making it head towards a volcano. He said they have to jump now unless they wanted to explode alongside the bomb. They jumped down into the ocean and watched as the bomb dropped into a volcano and exploded. Yao, who had put trackers on them before they went to follow the fake King, tracked them down in a helicopter and picked them up. Once they got back they are told that the King will be held in a mental asylum and that the Jack, General Winter (the person who had actually raised Ivan), would rule the Kingdom as a regent until they were of age. Currently, the two of them are 15 (Alfred) and 16 (Ivan). They spend the next three years getting closer and training together to be the new King and Queen.
the art was arting for feli, arthur and kiku but any skill i had left my body once it was alfred's turn💀
The kingdom Queens
the King serenading his Queen again (sorry if its bad💔)
i made an askblog for my cardverse for ✨funsies✨ (also to improve my skills bc haha artblock) Here's the link if you want to try and send an ask (warning im not good at drawing, i just have a wild imagination😭)
My anatomy reference for Yaokins. Jacks are the right-hands of the Queens, and are supposed to act like their boydguard. So despite having a quite "feminine" appearance, Yao is really strong and fierce. You may also notice the lack of muscles, despite him being "strong". Physically, he is weak. He couldn't win an arm-wrestling match to save his life. But his swordsmanship is the best in his kingdom and he specializes in medicine and poison. So while he is too weak to win in hand-to-hand combat, his strategies in battles win him his victories. His sword is covered in poison. Touching it is fine, nothing will happen, but if it slashes through your skin, the poison gets into your blood stream and poisons you from within. He is also built more for speed rather than strength, and can slash five times in one second so thats a pretty brutal poisoning. He's the shortest in the cast at 5"0/153 cm.
I didnt like the official positions and designs so i changed them woo, ivan looks rlly bad but i didnt know how to fix it hdjsbdjd if you recognize their coats thats because i tried doing the coats from the harbingers, it looks so slay fr