#[ i don't know why but i haven't been able to draw anything for like two weeks ]

[despairforme]

[14dayswithyou]

As a humble admirer of Everything Yandere and of the inner workings of the sick and twisted minds of loving, lovesick maniacs and of their warped and muddled perceptions of love and intimacy, I pose you the question: What type, kind, flavor, species of Yandere is Ren/Redacted? I've gone through the asks on the blog answering what lovesick and yearning behaviors he goes through, why he does them, what they mean to him — but can we go deeper? What disturbing things does Ren do, be it for his own twisted satisfaction and perception of "love", be it to those he sees as threats to his Angel? What are his limits, where does he draw the line, how far is he willing to go to get what he wants, and who is he willing to hurt and how? Where does he draw the line when it comes to Angel? I know he would never physically hurt them, but what kind of mental warfare would he inflict on them to get them where he wants? Are we talking isolation, manipulation, gaslighting, brainwashing? And if so, how does that happen?

I'd be very very happy if you'd be okay with going into this analysis — and would it be possible to answer the Yandere Alphabet for Ren? Thank you for blessing me with this mess of a boy and sowwy for the ramble ♡ ♡ Tell Ren to clean up the bloodstains he left earlier ♡

⌞♥⌝ Because I get this question a lot, I personally feel like I've answered it to the fullest possible extent that I can gdkfgjdj ^^; So if you haven't already seen them, I reccomend going through these asks: one, two, three, four, and five!

As for your other questions:

I've highlighted them in pink to make it easier to reference/link it back to the questions above

The "disturbing" things Ren would do to his victims have been answered more or less in a few of the asks mentioned above.

Ren honestly doesn't have any major limits aside from physically harming or forcing himself onto Angel in any way. He doesn't find any pleasure in doing so, nor would he ever want to turn out like his father — much less subject the only person he genuinely cares about to the same things he had to endure as a child.

Ren also doesn't really draw the line anywhere — again, aside from upsetting Angel in any way — so anything is fair game when it comes to everyone else. But speaking as his creator for a moment, I will say that Ren is not the type to harm babies, animals, abandon his own/Angel's children, force himself onto anyone, or coerce anyone into sexual activities in order to get what he wants. That's icky af and I'm not rocking with it /gen /lh

On a slightly lighter topic, Ren is willing to go as far as necessary if it means having Angel rely on him and him only... So long as it keeps them happy at the same time. As much as he'd love to "remove" Angel's friends and family permanently, he won't entertain that thought if it'll make them upset. At most, he'd likely try non-lethal ways to get rid of them in hopes of keeping Angel happy (and oblivious).

One of Ren's major characteristics is that he's willing to change himself to suit Angel's needs, no matter how drastic it may be. If they find any sort of reliability or comfort in him by doing so, then he'll latch onto that notion and feed into it. By becoming someone Angel can trust and confide in, Ren would (potentially) be able to manipulate them and sway their thoughts... Almost like a metaphorical devil on their shoulder, in a sense lmao

I've said this a few times on this blog before, but Ren is the CEO of gaslighting and manipulation. He's down to try a bit of isolation if it's somehow possible to keep Angel happy while doing so, though I don't think Ren would be into mindwashing since he idolises, honours, and blindly trusts Angel's original thoughts more than his own. He wants them to genuinely develop feelings for him, not because he forced them to.

I've actually been asked to do the Yandere Alphabet by a few other people recently, so I'll get around to doing it sometime!! ^^

[oceansssblue]

SW REQUESTS:

"Would love to see a Wolffe x reader fic where the AFAB reader is injured in battle, Comms him and then their Comms get jammed and he's just freaking the hell out. Love some angst of him carrying her back to a ship and losing his mind over it"

Some minor alterations but I'm SO HAPPY with how this one came out! I love wolffe and there aren't that many fics about him. Do recommend your favourites! Xx, sky.

"RADIO SILENT" –WOLFFE/F READER

WARNINGS: BATTLE, WOUNDS&BLOOD, ANGST AND FLUFF. 📩💔💖

Halsakaa is a nightmare. The Republic hasn't been able to redirect more forces to the Outer Rim planet to help you; and your troops are struggling to keep the droids battalions at bay. It honestly feels as though the Republic –and the Jedi– have abandoned you to your wrath; no-one coming to this remote location in the galaxy to save you. The destine of your own life, and the lifes of your soldiers, are solely in your hands. And you'd give everything for them, even sacrifice yourself if you have to. After so many experiences together, for almost three years straight now, they have becomed such an important part of you it feels as if you have ingrained every single one of them in your soul. You know you should'nt be so attached to them; Master Ploo quietly reminds you from time to time –though you know he's not exactly indifferent either–. The wolfpack is his own just as they are yours. Yours. Growing up as Jedi you haven't had this kind of... ownership over anything but your saber. Obviously, you don't see the clones as something you can posses, use; but they do belong to you in some sense, and in that way, it's your responsability to command them, to take care of them. And you... love them. It's a dangerous word for a Jedi. But it's the truth. It is the reason why, right now, your soul aches. Each death is a strike right to your heart. But how can you see them any different, when they are such loyal friends? Such fierce soldiers, who fight and die selflessly for the freedom of other citizens in the galaxy, a freedom that hadn't been given to themselves?

Your dark emerald green lightsaber flies in your hands, deflecting one bolt after the other one. Sweat makes your usually comfortable jedi robes stick to your body; minor scratches and wounds tingling painfully at the friction of the fabric. It doesn't make you move any slower, though; you feel unstopable jumping from a cluster of droids to another, the hum of your saber following you around while you slash through your enemies with persistent focus and skill. General Ploo is doing his own thing on the other side of the battlefield; your clone troops split in half to defend both sides of Halsakaa's capital.

You don't know how much longer you can hold this off. All of you have been trained for this, and you're used to drawing strength from the Force, increasing your usual endurance; but even you are feeling exhausted, muscles straining like painful cords, and the thing about the droids is that they never tire out. You know this has to end eventually. Right now, Master Ploo's orders are to hold on til some other battalion can come to your rescue –the other option abandoning Halsakaa to the separatists, which would cause a disastrous impact on the Republic–; though you don't know when that will be. It may be days, or weeks. A month, maybe two. Even with the system of rest-and-takeover you've got established with the clones you're afraid you're going to lose.

The night falls, and some troopers fall back into the delicate safety of the makeshift camp, a decent distant away from the battlefield; they'll try to shut the eye for some hours before replacing other brothers positions again. You keep fighting, completely exhausted but knowing perfectly well that your presence in the battlefield equals the force of ten clones; pushing through your energy limits and fiercely holding your own.

Hours pass, and the two suns of Halsaaka rises again; your tired eyes getting used to the new light while you keep slashing droids with your saber.

"We're pushing them further away from the South Door" Master Ploo's calm voice picks up through your coms. "I have been informed that the 442th have been dispatched in our way. They will join us in two sunrises".

You can't help but give a relieved sigh. The 104th have worked with the 442th more than once in the past. They are heavy infantry; and you wouldn't say no to some of that now. Any fresh soldier would be a welcomed addition. You can see the strain on your troopers; though none of them would dare say a word out loud.

"Copy that" you answer through your channel with your Master and the 104th's commander and sergeant. "I'll feel as happy as a kid with a popsicle when I see that green stripped armour along our light gray one".

You dodge a shot and use the Force to push a wave of droids to the side; your troopers quickly using the oportunity to blast them down.

Wolffe's deep husky voice pipes up in a tiny, well-humoured comment.

"Still a kid yourself, General" he teases you, voice still firm and contradictionally serious.

Your lips pull up on a tiny smirk.

"We can't all age in a blink of an eye, my dear Commander" you chirp back.

The coms pick up his raspy chuckle before the frequency goes back to silence.

The droids make way for something bigger and you groan under your breath. The first bolts make the earth beneath your feet shake slightly; orders and screams shouted all around you.

"Bad news, boys" you open the general coms this time so everyone gets updated in this very unwelcomed surprise. "We've got some spiders".

You focus yourself on them; flying through the battlefield and jumping on one droid after the other one, sinking your saber into their red sensors or cutting off their laser canions. Then, when you're in the middle of jumping off of one, a surprisingly well aimed bolt crosses the air and hits you; and you fall down with blood quickly soaking your side, staining the fabric of your Jedi clothes.

"Fuck" you mutter out loud, jaw clenching til your teeth hurt while you stand up quickly and deflect another bold with your saber, trying to cope with the pain. You open your private frequency with Sinker and quickly inform of your state.

"Sinker, I've been hit" you grit between your teeth while you kill the droid responsible for your wound and step back between your troopers to cover yourself momentarily.

You pull your clothes up and quickly glance down at the wound. Usually the bolts inmediately cauterizes the wounds; but this hadn't been a normal droid, but a combat-J1, with it's weapon specifically designed to make the most damage to human's skin without it's predecessors side-efects. The apparently less dangerous bolts are quite the opposite; dividing into smalller ones that diverts into different directions when hitting a surface with enough resistance. Right now, there's only one entrance wound on your right side; but you know they may have carved more than one path inside of you, making it a life or death situation depending on how lucky you are.

"How bad is it?" He asks, slowly but effectively advancing through the droid lines towards you, an easy person to locate with the shine of your emerald saber.

You grunt in pain, hand soaked in dark scarlet blood, and take a deep breath in, knowing what you need to do for now.

"Bad" you just answer, carefully lowering your own saber towards the wound "It's a shot from a J1. I'm going to cauterise the wound for now, but I might go into shock in the next hour. Just a heads up."

You chuckle weakly, and then carefully graze your lightsaber against the wound. The skin quickly hardens and clots; the smell of the burn quickly reaching your nose. Your knees buckle while you swallow your scream of pain; legs shaking weakly and tears springing to your eyes while you finish putting a momentarily solution to your wound. At least you won't die from blood loss for now.

"Maker, General" Sinker is suddenly there, taking a strong hold of your opposite hip to stabilize you. "That really doesn't look good. You should go back to camp, Sir".

You find solace in his strength for a minute before rightening yourself again and getting ready to move. You close your eyes and center yourself with the Force. You're hurt, but you're still in the middle of open fire; you need to swallow the pain and dizziness down and hold on.

You give Sinker a firm nod.

"I'm letting this side of the battlefield on your hands, then" you tell him, his own back inmediately straightening too under such responsability. "Just one more night and we'll have reinforcements with us tomorrow".

Sinker nods in understanding, appreciating your words of encouragement. He quickly orders Comet to help you get safely back to camp; while he inmediately takes the role of leader and commands your part of the 104th clone troops. You need to protect the North Door of Halsaaka while Master Ploo and Wolffe take care of the South.

One arm around Comet's shoulders and finding strength in the Force, you quickly start your dangerous way back to safety. Even though Comet's alert with his own blaster and you're still deflecting bolts with your saber, you're vulnerable now. You just hope you're both able to make it.

You open your coms to inform of the new situation.

"I've been hit with a J1" you warn Master Ploo and Wolffe. You don't like how weak your voice sounds. "Wolffe, I..."

There's a small explosion right beside you; and the force of it pushes both you and Comet to the ground. You whimper in pain, but quickly grab him and push the two of you back up, resume walking –more like stumbling forward–. You try the coms again, wanting to tell Wolffe you've left Sinker with command before retiring for the night; you grumble in irritation when you see your com device has detached from your forearm and has been left abandoned behind.

"Do you have your com?" You ask Comet.

His voice is barely audible under the protection of his helmet.

"My audio appears to be broken after that last fall, General."

You sigh, tired. There's nothing you can do about it now. Sinker will communicate with them sooner or later.

"Let's just make it back to safety then" you say, and Comet nods diligently.

You'll just focus on not collapsing to the ground before reaching camp.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Wolffe's heart stutters inside his chest when he hears your voice in the coms. You're always strong, always fierce; something he had admired from the very first time he had had the chance to work under your command. He had been cold towards you back then; not purposedly harsh against you, but not friendly either. You hadn't cared. When one of his men had pointed out to you it wasn't personal, but just Wolffe's reserved, unpolished personality, you had answered unbothered and completely understanding. He could still hear those words in his head; "I get it. I'm a stranger that holds the lifes of his brothers in her hands. None of you know me yet; trust is earned. I hope I will with time. I'd like us all to be comfortable with each othef. But if not, it doesn't matter. I'm not here to make friends. I'm here to fight. I'm here to protect people; and I'm here to direct my assigned troops as best as I can in order to achieve the best results with the minor number of casualties. If Commander Wolffe opens up to me I'd be honored. If not, I'm sure we could still be good comrades in this war". He still remembers the way you had tilted your chin upwards; staring defiantly at the clones in front of her, completely unaware of him standing not so far away at her back. "Now, I believe there's still some preparations needed for Jaal; and we're taking off in an hour". With that not-so-subtle signal that the conversation had ended, the troopers around you had quickly fell back to place; and Wolffe had silently followed Master Ploo Koo towards you. "Look at you, little warrior" the older Jedi had told you, a pleasant smile wrinkling the corner of his covered eyes. "Already displaying such good lidership traits". You had turned around in surprise; so many life presences around you, and experiencing a rush of your own emotions, you hadn't been aware of both of their presence. Your cheeks had flushed slightly; though that same defiant glint hadn't left your eyes. "Master" you had slightly bowed towards him. "You see me with good eyes" you had smiled softly at him, in a clearly opened affectionate way Wolffe wasn't used to seing in other Jedi. "Just having a chat with the troops". Master Ploo had chuckled quietly and pointed at him with a hand gesture; Wolffe quickly taking a step forwards towards them. "I have just had a quick meeting with the Council. Commander Wolffe will update you on my behalf, as I need to go have a word with the pilots" Master Ploo had glanced back at him pointedly. "If he'd be kind enough...". Wolffe had inmediately nodded, firmly. He had high respect towards that specifical Jedi; and he didn't usually hold others in such high regards. "Of course, sir" he had then turned towards you. "General, if you can follow me to the strategy room...". You had firmly hold his stare for a few seconds; and the quiet inquisitive gaze had felt as if the young Jedi Warrior had scanned his own very soul. Wolffe had had his first tingle of that uncomfortable but curious feeling back then; a feeling that had only increased with the following years. Nowadays, he...

Wolffe cleared his thoughts and focused on battle. Your voice had sound weak and tired, but you were perfectly capable of holding yourself, and this wasn't the first time you had been hurt before. He had actually patched you more than once in the past and... And then you mentioned a J1, and whispered his name, and there was a loud ringing sound through the coms that sounded too close to an explosion for his comfort and... And the sounds died, leaving nothing more than radio silence. And Wolffe, going against everything he had learnt and was trained for, pannicked.

"General?" His frantic, afraid voice was enough for Master Ploo to focus his attention on him, a graze at his Force life enough to make him understand his commander's feelings. "General. Come on. Com in, kid..."

There was only static.

Wolffe's heart pumped faster, adrenaline shooting through his veins. His hands trembled. A knot formed in his throat, slowly chocking his voice. He never broke down. He never broke down, but...

"Cyar'ika" he begged in a whisper. "Please, please answer and tell me you're okay".

He still got no answer back from you, and he felt his soul hurt.

Master Plo's hand suddenly renched him back into reality; a comforting wave of what could only be his Force washing over him. Wolffe turned his face towards him. The Jedi watched him in understanding.

"I can feel your turmoil. It is such it's difficult for me to focus on anything else. You are in no state to stay in the battlefield" he told him, cautiously gentle. "If my padawan has been gravely injured someone has probably helped her return to camp. You must go and make sure she's okay".

Even if Wolffe wanted nothing more than to start of a run and find her, he still hesitated in front of his General. He was a soldier. A commander. He couldn't leave his place just because he had stupidly, oh so fucking stupidly, fallen in love with her...

Master Plo squeezed his shoulders once. He knew him so well.

"Go" he insisted. "That's an order".

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Wolffe quickly wrenched the flimsi excuse of a door of the tent open. He had gone to the makeshift infirmary first; his doctor quickly informing him of the state of his Jedi, and where he could find her resting at the moment. "A dangerous wound, but surprisingly stable" he had told him while he took care of the wound of a fellow brother. "She's a tough one, our General. It was a good idea to use her own lightsaber as a cauterizer. She wouldn't have probably made it all the way back here otherwise". That probability had made Wolffe tremble.

His own eyes quickly scanned the Jedi's state now. She was laying down on a rucksack, unusually clad in just a sport top and his Jedi pant's; outer robes discarded and clean bandages effectively wrapping around her lower torso, with just a small amout of blood transpairing on her side. Her lightsaber had been carefully placed at her side. Her hair was untied and a mess; some sticking to her dirtied face and some falling around freely behind her. Despite her evident exhaustion, Wolffe hand't ever been so happy to see her.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

"Commander?" You asked in a surprised voice, slowly and carefully propelling some of your weight in your elbows in order to see him better. "Shouldn't you be back on the battlefield?"

Your face quickly changes into a deep, worried frown as you scan him up and down quickly.

"Are you hurt too, Wolffe?"

His heart clenches again. He steps inside the tent, slowly falling down on his knees besides you, and closes the door.

"No" he simply answers, observing you quietly.

You're completely lost. He's looking at you in a different way. He... Feels different, in the Force. Usually he feels much more reserved, almost as if he had learnt how to shield his emotions from a Jedi; however this... This felt raw.

"I'm afraid I don't understand" you chuckle and then wince at the way the movement tugs at your wound, a bit nervously now. You pointedly look at him. "You wouldn't be here just because you got worried, right?"

Wolffe's expression doesn't change.

"You went radio silent" he answers, quietly.

You arch an eyebrow.

"Our coms died" you explain, still confused about his attitude.

Wolffe can't help himself. He reaches forward and carefully grasps your chin in his right hand; eyes boring into yours. You gasp in surprise and can't do anything else but stare at his breathetaking mismatched eyes in response; emotions inside of you swirling dangerously with his move.

"You were hurt" he enfasises, almost as if he's trying to tell you something else, something you're not quite understanding. "You were hurt, and you went radio silent".

Oh. Oh. He thought you might be... You might have...

"Oh, Wolffe" his name is an understanding, affectionate sigh on your tempting lips. "I'm okay".

He doesn't want empathy. Doesn't want that almost condescending type of comfort. He needs to make sure you're still here; with him. He needs to exteriorize all this raw, painful emotions he has been keeping hidden for so fucking long, and he wants you so fucking bad it makes his mind and soul burn...

He bends down over you, holding himself against one hand proped against the floor while the other one tugs your neck forward, and then he's kissing you –fiercely, dominantly, real–; he kisses the same way he fights and a surprised but delighted whimper of a moan can't help but escape from your lips, hands quickly clinging onto his shoulders desperately.

You... You hadn't thought you'd end up having this. With you being a Jedi and him being such a perfect, respected clone Commander, you had always brushed your wants aside and...

"Wolffe" you whisper, trembling inevitably when his plush warm mouth moves from your lips to the side of your neck, biting gently. "Wolffe, I...".

He breathes and looks up at your face again; cupping your cheek with his right hand and observing your reaction with his eyes shimmering in needs and desire.

His Force signature blasts. He loves you. He loves you, and you...

"Ni kar'tayli gar darasuum" you whisper, risking it all and giving your heart to him.

Tears blur your sight. They're not sad tears; they're not happy either. They're a mix of emotions that make you feel like a mess and...

Wolffe sighs. You love him. You love him, and the fact that you've told him in Mando'a...

He closes his eyes and gently presses his forehead against yours; finding solace and peace in your embrace, in this Keldabe. His eyes then flutter open, and he holds your face in both of his hands, slowly joining your lips in a kiss much more sweet and unhurried than those from before. You hum, surrendering in complete bliss.

He caresses your smuged cheek with his thumb, taking some of the dirt and exhaustion of the battlefield away.

His voice is a secret whisper as well.

"Ni kar'tayli gar darasuum, cyare".

Your fingers tug at the hair at the back of his neck, and you crash your lips onto his.

You imprint those five mandalorian words in your soul.

THE END.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

This one was a blast to write! Felt the emotions so raw myself tooo bfbfbsfb this two are so cute. I hope I get to write more of Wolffe in the future, I really like the guy.

Did some minor alterations –like him not been the one to actually carry you back to safety– but it kinda wrote itself and I'm happy with how it came out. Hope you liked it as well!

Also, dear friends, if you ever want to request something longer than a one-shot, you're able to do so as well (if the plot goes accordingly or I find it expandable). I'm not writing whole stories, but a short one of maybe 2-5 chapters max would be okay.

Stay tunned for the next one yall. It will be a little angsty one with Echo, and then we'll have a flirty fun one with Crosshair.

Xx,

Sky.

Back to main masterlist here!

[jellyskink]

This is the first bit of non-comic writing I've done for the Domesticated Ford AU! It's short, but I wanted to write a bit of the Forbidden Polycule. Hand of God belongs to @alexthebordercollie !

---------------

Irene hadn’t known the meaning of "off the clock" since med school. Days bled into nights into commitments into personal time into work. Her life was a cavalcade of sisyphean responsibilities. The thing was, most of the time, she didn't mind it. It didn't bring her joy, exactly, but a sort of satisfaction. A whole feeling, frayed at the edges but comfortable. That was, at least, when she wasn't being asked to do something competely ridiculous.

D, a nickname for Irene's local Stanford Pines, had been nervous during his last appointment. That wasn't uncommon for him; the man generally eminated the same energy as a wounded deer with a mild case of mange. He wasn't usually uneasy around HER, however. He was getting ready to leave when he finally worked up the courage to say what was on his mind.

"I-I'd like to make a request," he rasped. He waited for her assent to continue. Oleander bobbed her chin in a slight nod. D beamed at her, apparently overjoyed to be given permission to speak. "Thank you! Thank you. Ah, this doesn't mean you have to ultimately agree, of course, but I appreciate your hearing me out."

D's request involved one of his few friends, H. H was the one who had given D his nickname. Apparently, it stood for "domesticated." Not exactly a charitable title, but D didn't seem to mind it. It certainly cut down on confusion while talking about the two of them. Irene didn't know H very well, but from what she had seen, he was sullen, cold and violent (he was, after all, the Hand of God in his dimension.) For some reason, though, D adored him.

As it turned out, H had been having trouble drawing.

"I think he's depressed," D fretted. "I can't understand why, but he's showing a broad range of symptoms that would be likely to land him a clinical diagnosis." D kneaded his Bill necklace, its hard edges pressing lines into his age-worn skin. "I haven't had much success getting him to pursue creative endeavors myself. He says it's all pointless, and that he'd rather watch me draw. I don't know if that's true." Irene nodded. D could be surprisingly perceptive at times. It was all the more astonishing when contrasted against the remaining 95% of his life, in which he displayed the emotional intelligence of a brick.

That brought Irene to D's request. He wanted the three of them to draw each other. If it felt a bit like a game, he reasoned, H might be more tempted to join. Doubly so if he got something in return. Irene had almost refused outright. She was no artist. D's proposal would only end with her embarrassing herself with her lack of skill. But, well. D would have been crushed if she refused. He so rarely worked up the courage to ask for anything; this must have been truly important to him. And, if he was correct in his supposition, she would be able to make a positive difference in H's mental health with very little effort on her part. So she agreed.

H, Irene was told, had access to a computer. That made things a bit easier; traveling between dimensions could be a pain (she'd learned that through her efforts to reach Calamari's shows.) It was decided that D would draw H, H would draw Irene, and she would draw D. Once they were all done, they would share them with each other.

D, not having access to a computer himself, showed up at the office in person to have Irene scan his drawing. He'd arrived unexpectedly during one of Irene's other appointments (it had been with a Cipher loyalist.) The trip must have exhausted him, as he was still winded by the time she was able to speak with him. He grinned as he handed her his drawing of H. It was... really good. H, rendered in black and white, had the look of a roman statue; severe angles mixed with biological softness, imposing yet tender. He was surrounded by an abstract cloud of yellow; golden triangles dancing in god rays. The whole thing screamed with D's feelings of sincere admiration for the other man.

Irene exchanged D's drawing with her attempt at randering him (she had already scanned it to send to H, as D had wanted everyone to see each other's efforts). It was, frankly, terrible. She'd tried to elevate the piece beyond her comfort area of "stick figure." The result had ended up looking more like pancaked roadkill than a human. Still, D had been ecstatic at the gift.

"It's wonderful!" He beamed. "It is very charming!" Irene had never known him to be so good at lying.

So now there Irene was. Sitting at her laptop, adorned with one of her many sets of cat-themed pajamas. She'd emailed H both her and D's drawings the other day. Apparently he had responded during her drive home.

'Tell D I like his drawing. Yours is shit. You made him look like a potato. Here's yours.'

Embarrassment curdled in Irene's chest as she downloaded the attachment. She KNEW she couldn't draw, and it's not like her ego was riding on a skill she knew she didn't possess, but still. He could have at least had the grace to be polite about her kindergartener-level skills. When she opened H's drawing, it only drove home how vastly different their abilities were. Irene stared at her mirrored image on the screen. Unlike D's picture, it lacked any sort of creative flare. It was an exact replica of the photo of herself she'd sent to him. Well, nearly exact. The longer Irene looked at it, the more it seemed off. She couldn't exactly tell how; it was still very good, and for as little as Irene could critically analyze art, all she could say was that she looked like herself. There was a subtle sense of wrongness, though, like something was skewed.

She told H it was amazing.

[mcflymemes]

AS SAID BY KASUMI GOTO *  assorted dialogue from mass effect 2 and 3, adjust as necessary

i swear to god, i didn't touch anything.

in case i don't see you again, thanks. that was a lot of fun.

and the "boxers or briefs" question is finally answered.

there's a certain aura about you. like you've seen things no one else has.

there's no way you're recruiting me to fight in a galactic war.

i wouldn't bring you here if it wasn't dangerous.

this is our stop.

you say the nicest things.

i'm a thief. stealing? it's who i am.

by the way, are you going to call security?

hey, come on. i never get caught.

ugh, i really need to avoid dairy.

you know, twenty years from now, this could be worth a fortune.

all right. i'm in.

nice working with you again.

this place has more money than it knows what to do with.

well... nobody's perfect.

hey, i'm nostalgic, not dead.

i like the seedier towns. they're prettier.

maybe when we're done with the mayhem thing, i could come back and... recover a thing or two.

now stop bothering me!

this is all i have left.

i imagine with all that's happened, old friends are becoming a luxury.

you know what i haven't had in ages? ramen.

come back later. i'm sure i'll have more to talk about.

i'm not really sure what to do with myself.

i'll stay off the grid. no one will know i exist.

well, that didn't go as expected.

we've never seen each other in person.

no one knows what i look like.

if we're lucky, you won't even have to draw your gun.

i always expect trouble. that's why you're here.

we should probably wrap this up.

see you on the ship.

you'd look really out of place at a society party in armor, don't you think?

i was just thinking about you.

i go through everyone's drawers.

[name] won't be able to keep his eyes off you.

getting it back will be easier with your help.

please tell me your password, [name].

good to finally meet you. i'm a fan.

my grandmother used to make the best ramen.

honestly, i'm shocked they didn't come to see me sooner.

it's my fault for being hard to find.

i'm the best thief in the business, not the most famous. need to watch my step to keep it that way.

i needed to make sure all this was legit.

you're the real deal.

even without knowing what you looked like, i knew it was you.

that's a bit of a story.

they were looking for me, so i trailed them to find out why.

i guess it slipped their minds.

i'm planning to get it back.

you'll get a briefing when the time comes.

i have a way in, and i think you're going to love it.

you'll want to look presentable.

you look great. you should wear this stuff more often.

you have been waiting patiently.

they won't hassle you over a sidearm.

you have excellent taste in underwear.

i thought about living here for a while, but everybody's so tight-ass.

it's all about money to these people.

i do what i do for the love of it. these people do it because they don't know any better.

i'm not a scientist.

this is why i don't put strange liquids in my mouth.

it's a plant!

was i that obvious?

people are talking out there... and i hear it all.

sounds like you two had a nice date.

it's nice to be able to look out a window for a change.

how many bedrooms does this place have?

i'm not really lactose intolerant, i just don't put up with lactose's stupid drama.

there's something about the feel of actual paper in your hands.

[theambivalentagender]

Hello all! So if you follow me, you likely also follow my comic Valley Echoes as well as any of my other art drabbles. You may also know that I've been financially limping along for some time.

For context, my day job is dog grooming. It's a "career" I came into relatively recently and honestly love. However, my location has recently been incredibly dead. I haven't been able to make commission from lack of dogs and my hours have been cut drastically.

I'm currently looking into finding extra work where I can that will still fit with my technically full time schedule. This has been a big part of why the comic updates have slowed considerably in the last few months.

In the meantime, however, I did want to show that I am available for commissions at this time. This is the first time I'd be getting into commissions, so if folks do request I just ask for patience as I figure it all out, but I'd love to be able to draw your requests. I have a vgen account that's still being set up at the moment.

I also want to plug my Patreon again - honestly, the fact you all give this much for what I do now is incredible to me. I recently met the fun "milestone" of Patreon temporarily locking access to my withdrawals because I had made enough money this year to require filling out a tax form before my funds could be released, which I did. Maybe it's silly but it made me a little happy. I also have a Kofi though that's updated less.

This next part ended up being much longer and more personal than I expected so I'll put it under a cut.

Anything at this time would help immensely. Cost of living is insane, I just turned 30 and keep wondering how much longer I'll be able to keep renting, let alone ever saving to afford a home. I'm very, very lucky in that I have support from my dad, who has honestly been one of my strongest lifelines for years. But I obviously don't want to have to keep taking so much of that support from someone who should be enjoying retirement.

There are a lot of expenses I keep having, and things I'm putting off. The ipad I use for art has been cracked for months, but is still functional thank god. I recently finally bought myself clothes that aren't falling off my body after losing over 100 lbs in the last year. I have to buy and maintain my own tools for my grooming job, and I have to maintain my own health, both mentally and physically. My left hand/arm probably has nerve impingements and muscle strains science hasn't even named yet lmao. And of course there's taking care of my two terrible feline children who cause nothing but chaos in my home and who I love dearly.

Even if you don't give monetary support though, I so, so greatly appreciate every one of you who shares, likes, or comments on my work. I just recently got an anon who I mean to reply to soon gushing about they love Valley Echoes. Nothing makes my day more than waking up to see a million notifications that's just one person liking each of my comics as they read through it the first time.

Ever since I was 6 years old I wanted to be a storyteller in some way. I used to draw my own Dilbert and Far Side comics, and I constantly wrote wild fantasy stories. But after going through college, dealing with a huge amount of stress, burnout, and just one random person online telling me that I needed to hear the harsh "truth" that my writing skills were garbage, that spark was just gone. Excluding occasional stuttering starts, I didn't really write for years.

Doing this "silly" comic and getting the feedback I have is starting to rekindle that spark. I have so many stories of my own that I'm starting to make tentative plans on producing in some way. But even if I never become some official published recognized author, I feel like just putting out this comic is fulfilling that dream I had as a kid. So thank you again, as cheesy and long winded as this post has become.

[kaija-rayne-author]

10.1 in review series for Dragon Age Veilguard

70 hours in, 68 actual gameplay

Obligatory I'm not an asshole disclaimer, feel free to skip to the cut.

Something came to my attention. I need to make it crystal clear that I utterly love the diversity in DAV. It's fantastic. I'm also a heavily left leaning, non-binary, queer as fuck reviewer, editor, and author.

I'm on media blackout while I play this, so I'm only getting second-hand info on how awful it is right now in the DA Fandom. Please be safe and take care of yourselves. Arguing with incels and white supremacists is completely pointless. They sea lion worse than an actual sea lion. Your mental health is important.

Though, every single time the anti-queer brigade comes out for a new DA game, I sit there thinking 'have you bozos ever played any DA game, like, ever?' My guess is nope.

Spoilers for Dragon Age Veilguard

Section 9 is here.

I haven't played yet today. I have to take my immunocompromised ass into a world that doesn't give a shit about my life to get groceries. How do I know they don't care? They don't mask. It's as simple as that. If you care about immunocompromised people, people like me recovering from almost dying, pregnant people, old people, many children, people with immune affecting issues like long covid, depression, anxiety, fibromyalgia... goddess, the list goes on, if you cared? You'd mask. It's the number one way to help us survive. And no, us masking by ourselves doesn't work very well. Everyone has to.

Anyway. Yeah. Gotta risk my life for groceries because I can't afford delivery.

I was just sitting here, and I think I figured out some of the many issues that are bothering me about this game. The great big missing I've been trying to figure out.

They didn't make Veilguard for the adult gamers who have desperately wanted it for so long. They made it for children and teens.

Epler even outright said they'd changed things hoping to draw in a younger section of gamers. (In one of the first q&a sessions after the gameplay reveals.) I wonder if he bothered to do any market studies to see if that demographic would actually be interested?

I can only judge by my two gaming kids because I'm on media blackout while I finish this game. But no matter how much they simplified it for kids, they still have absolutely no interest in Dragon age. They're far more interested in indie games than anything a triple A studio puts out. Their opinions on Triple A studios are so low it's honestly ridiculous. They don't even understand why I love games put out by them.

So, the devs chose to remove things so that parents would be more likely to let their kid play what is still listed as a M level game (ESRB M for mature).

Ooooh, no. We can't have rogues picking locks and doing all the stuff rogues are supposed to be able to do. Why? Because that means kids will be delinquents doing the same! (The trust in the ability of older kids to understand the difference between a fantasy video game and real life is astounding, I tell you. /s) This is such a boomer thought process I'm shocked to see it, to be completely honest.)

Everyone is just so... nice. Not kind, that's different. But that sugary, false nice. None of the romanceables have anything tooooo controversial about them.

Blackwall Inquisition was a child murderer and lying about being a Grey Warden. Dorian was a spoiled, enslaving Tevinter rich boy (he did actually have a growth arc in Inquisition). Sera was a thief and a Red Jenny (people who worked against the entitled, rich nobility as needed to protect people without power). Varric (even though you can't romance him) was a thief, liar, cheater, and someone you wanted at your back in a fight because he fights dirty. Cassandra was bigoted, hide bound, and intolerant of any faiths other than Andrastianism. The Iron Bull was a failed Ben-Hassrath double agent. The ben-hassrath are a combination of spies, saboteurs, and assassins, among other things. Whatever was needed to defend the Qun. Cullen was a drug addict and such a horrible person in the previous two games it actually made me physically ill to try to romance him. Solas was, well, Solas. Who we all know had a lot of bad in his background. They've certainly hammered that point home in Veilguard. With a jackhammer. The only romance option in Inquisition that wasn’t dirty was Josey. And if you do Romance her, you find some dirt on her too.

I could say the same for almost every Dragon Age Romanceable in the entire damned series. They've mostly been not the greatest of people and when the writers were doing their jobs right, there were growth arcs for them that made them better people during the game. That's part of the fun of games with Romanceable characters. Picking out which broken bird fits your type of broken to romance. (And we're mostly all broken in some way.)

But all the romance options in Veilguard are... well, boring. They're nice, safe, decent people. And since most people have some darkness in them, it's probably not working for others as epically as it's not working for me.

If they're already nice, safe, decent people (even the fucking assassin!) then there's no room for growth. No room to learn that character and feel like your presence in their lives might give them a light to help them strive to be better people. They've truncated any potential for growth arcs for all of them. I'm a Romance author. When you're designing characters for Romance, they have to have a balance of flaws to good points. Otherwise they're just poorly designed characters with little potential to get hearts throbbing and knickers in a twist.

No wonder the romanceables aren't working for me. None of them have flaws big enough to make them well-rounded characters.

Moving on.

Have you noticed there's no blood splatter? You'll get a slowly creeping puddle around enemies, but somehow it never gets on the characters. I'll check if I have the energy to play after risking my life to get food. But I don't recall seeing a toggle for blood splatter in Veilguard. Like it or hate it, the blood splatter is very much a thing in games like these. They usually have an option to turn it off, but it's usually there. Especially in Dragon Age, blood splatter was a thing. A big thing. Hells, their logo was a blood splatter dragon for at least two games FFS. Edit. Confirmed there is no option anywhere I can find that lets us have blood splatter.

And honestly, having my characters coming out of hard fights looking like they've been through a meat grinder is part of the reason I enjoy games like these.

The choices for dialogue are also usually pretty 'nice'. The 'sarcastic' option usually isn't. The angry/strong one isn't either. It's all just... boring. And I'm into Act three now, so I'm thinking my hope of 'maybe the dialogue will get better' is probably an impossibility at this point.

The simplified plot points, the puerile storylines, the lack of dirt on the romanceables, the lack of growth arcs, the completely ridiculous cutting of 90% of the dark horror elements that made these games so good... we've lost all of that because they made this game for kids. And I highly doubt kids will be interested. So they've fucked over, and at least in my case, utterly pissed off the older gamers who have loved Dragon Age for so long, and very likely failed to attract younger gamers, too.

The problem with trying that, which I really think should've been obvious to somebody. Is that Dragon Age has never been a game designed for kids. It's always been bloody, often harsh, horrific, dark fantasy made for adults.

Games for younger people need to be designed for younger people from the first moment of creation. Or it just doesn't work. You technically can transfer some concepts from adult games into things for kids, but the result is invariably something as awful as Veilguard. And something bound to satisfy few people. The condescension toward younger folks in Veilguard is pretty bloody obvious. Something I've noticed kids hate? Being condescended to.

Congratulations on learning the lesson of knowing who your fucking market is.

It's crucial in any kind of content creation to know who you're making the thing for, and to not deviate from those genre expectations toooo much. Otherwise, you just have a mess of a disaster like Veilguard. They shot for two wildly dissimilar markets and failed both. Even the cartoony look of the art style is much more like a game for kids than anything like a dark fantasy game for adults.

And like... it's still listed as a mature rated game. So what, exactly, was the point of ruining Dragon Age like this? Many parents won't let their kids play M rated games regardless.

It's just so depressing. If they'd actually made this game for the people who had been praying for it for so long? It probably would have been phenomenal. As it stands, I'll be shocked if it doesn't sink Bioware. And if it doesn't, I'd think it because of bribery more than game quality.

I do have to say that you can decorate more than I thought. But you have to buy almost everything. And they're themes, so there's no intermixing possible. Like you could have Elven windows with Alamarri rugs and a Ferelden throne in Skyhold? All gifts from either people or cultures you'd helped, which tied it all together and connected it to the world... you can just change themes for the Lighthouse. It changes everything, and again, you have to buy almost everything. That really removes a lot of depth from the game.

People call all the collectibles and gifts etc. from the previous games 'filler'. But, frankly, that's a very uneducated opinion of what that 'filler' is supposed to do in fiction. The 'filler' (which is an actual technical term in writing fiction, and those things aren't filler) collectibles and quests gave depth to the games. It tied the world of THEDAS into the world of the player character. It's called world building in writing circles. And what confuses me is that I don't recall anyone having to do any of that. If all you wanted out of the previous games (especially Inquisition) was a fighting game, you could do that. None of the world building collection parts locked you out of any quests that I can recall. If you did enjoy deeper world building and collecting things, you could collect to your heart's content. There's none of that delicately intertwined, beautiful worldbuilding in Veilguard. It's stripped down to the very bare bones of mediocrity.

At heart, Veilguard is not a role-playing game. It's a fighting game. And not even a very well designed one. My not-a-fucking-rogue should never have aggro. That's not how this is supposed to work.

Why they felt going from a successful history of role-playing games to a stripped-down, poorly world built fighting game a good idea is just beyond me? Whoever made that decision honestly needs to be fired. And you will almost never see me say that. Jobs are too hard to find. But I will say it about Veilguard. The decisions made have ruined Veilguard in my honest, incredibly disappointed viewpoint.

They marketed this as a role-playing game. The expectation was for a role-playing game set in a richly detailed, deeply world built environment. Like most of the Dragon Age games have been. Especially Inquisition.

And we got a fighting game so stripped of world building that it's sad and just... boring.

Oh, heads up if you're disabled with any sort of disability that affects your hand eye coordination or ability to move your fingers quickly on a keyboard or controller. Don't buy this game. Even on the lowest setting with no death clicked on, you need a great deal of manual dexterity to use this crappy new fighting set up they've come up with. They definitely didn't think of physically disabled gamers at all in developing this. I'm just lucky my particular physical disabilities don't affect me that way. Though my hands are in agony from keeping my not-a-rogue out of the dragon on one side, stone wall on the other situation the fucked up aggro set up always puts me in.

They did bring gifts for companions back, which would thrill me if I actually had any desire to romance any of them. Which I honestly don't. And in games like these? It's often hard for me to pick which one. I often have to install a polyam mod so I can see the other romances because I'm usually so hot and bothered and just captivated by a Romanceable character or three that I won't be able to not romance them. Meaning I need the mod if I'm going to see the other romances.

I'm physically and mentally incapable of not romancing Astarion BG3. (I've tried!) Halsin gets me every time, too. Those are markers of excellent character development.

There's none of that in Veilguard.

Emmerich, and (as much as I hated his intro story, The Wigmaker,) Lucanis are the only slightly interesting characters to me.

Bellara is sweet and awkward, but they reduced her neurodivergent qualities so much it feels... off, to my neurodivergent ass. In the autistic people on tv way of off. (To date, there hasn't been much, if any, good rep of us on TV. It's all inspiration porn.) I don't feel seen in her. And I have quite a few traits she expresses. Whoever wrote her has my version of ADHD. But the way she's written, where she's constantly telling herself she's stupid or foolish or shouldn't do things? Those are markers of traumatized neurodivergence, not the ADHD itself they're highlighting. What that says is that, in her world, people have come down on her so hard for her differences, so often, that now she's mean to herself. ADHD kids aren't born like that. People make us like that. It's a sad representation of ADHD, not a celebratory or accepting one. It makes me feel like she, and me by extension, is to be pitied. Like someone like me, or Bellara, aren't worthy of respect, love, and trust. It's not a good feeling.

Neve is so suspicious and bitchy that I have no desire to even try to romance her. I want to shove Harding off a cliff.

Davrin is really suspiciously similar to Halsin BG3. Big, more blocky than usual for an elf, wants to do good, carves wood... but where Halsin really works (because of his deep character development and darkness) Davrin, while definitely hot and with an amazing voice... just falls flat.

Emmerich is a doll of prince charming manners and adorable fussiness. He's probably the character next to Lucanis who actually has the most darkness to him.

I really wanted to love Taash. And I like them a lot, but their 'you must choose only one' thing showed up really fucking early in the game. I didn't feel like I knew them yet, so they're just never going to work for my demisexual ass unless I actually replay this (unlikely?) with a polyam mod and basically plug my nose and close my eyes and leap into a relationship with them far earlier than I'm really comfy with.

So, there's some clarity for me on what's missing and why.

Genshin Impact has more draw for me as an adult gamer than Veilguard does. And that is absolutely a game targeted at teens and early twenties folks. It's also an incredibly well designed game with good world building, balanced fighting, and devs who know who their market is.

It's an old saw in content creation. But Know Your Market is a saw for a reason.

Section 10.2 here.

[moonpie016]

Announcement about the Heart squad. :D

Sooooooo, I wanted to say that I kinda wanted to actually organize and structure this ask blog into what I initially thought.

What does that mean? Well! I didn't plan for it to be about Mind, or a Mind hurt blog. No.

I thought about the joke of Heart ORIGINALLY making it a Mind hate club. But, he changed it last minute in the request of Mind. As seen in this panel.

(Where Heart changes the name for his other half.)

Now I know it still says the Mind hate club on the sign. But I kinda don't want it to ONLY be about Mind being hurt or anything. Cause it's becoming less motivating, and two, I can't draw some requests. So, that doesn't mean I'm throwing this in the trash. Nah, I still love this idea. But I want it to be about Heart. Because it's also called Heart's social event. Y'know, for socializing with other Hearts.

(Like a get together or introduction sorta speak. :3)

Participation, rules, and other info here ⬇️

---

Participation to join the Heart squad/Heart's social event:

Because I see many wanting to join this, I should say how to. Because that's kinda a blank point. To join the Heart squad, these are the requirements:

•Submit your Heart, your own version of Heart with reference (or if you don't have a reference, a description) into the question for them to join.

---

Rules considering requests:

•This is a wacky place, but some requests are not of my skill to draw. Like dynamic poses, fighting or fighting moves. So no SUPER big intricate things. Yeah, seeing characters in funny situations is cool, but I can only draw what I'm able to.

•Please be patient if I don't fulfill a question super duper fast, I know that is probably not a worry. But just stating that in case.

•This isn't only about Mind, as I've stated. But I don't mind if you request anything with Mind, or Soul in anything. Just don't only make it about pain. And make it suitable.

•I'm doing this for fun. This is a silly fun idea I wanted to do.

---

If there's anything else that needs to be said, I'll add it. But that's all for now!

I hope this is all understood, I just felt demotivated with how it was going. That's why some things haven't been done. But I appreciate everyone who has participated in this.

Ok imma skedaddle.

[teethstitch]

Since you are into TMNT I am curious what’s your opinion on each of the turtles in general since you seem to be into all iterations of them /gen question

ooh fascinating question. unsure if you mean each individual turtle from each gen or just each gen itself but i'll go into both!

so i actually have a tmnt powerpoint i'm working on right now, so i'll lift some stuff but obviously i won't lift it all, ill go in franchise order. shows and comics in order (show specific comics will go in the show sections) and then movies. spoilers for pretty much every single thing i talk about. if you haven't finished a specific iteration just skip the paragraph about it

Mirage

I havent read too much of mirage, though i'm sure its good i find it a bit visually noisy and actually struggle to read it- my vision is fine as far as i know and i don't usually have trouble with other black and white comics but man mirage is hard to read, whenever eastman would draw for idw annuals or issues i'd have a hard time getting through them because even though the style is cool i just can't see anything, so yeah, that for the time being kind of sums up my thoughts on mirage, i think the shredder worm shark is funny as hell though. i suppose the only thing of note i have an opinion on is the april race debate - wherein by one of them she was thought of as white and the other thought of her as non-white (i can't remember which ethnicity), so based on that i've seen people say that means she's white or the other ethnicity but since they're co authors i've just gone with the idea that mirage april is biracial. that's about the only mirage thing i can actually give my two cents on, moving on!

1987

I really like 1987, i haven't watched it all but trust me i'm slogging through it o7. i adore the animation mistakes, the way they give one turtle another turtles lines, and i think the characterisation is pretty solid. sometimes the show can feel tedious to watch personally, which is why i love saturday morning adventures, it's a much more concise, thought out version of the show itself and is a beautiful love letter to the show (they also finally sent usagi home :'D). obviously it went on for way longer than it realistically needed to, a majority of episodes basically mean nothing unless they introduce new characters, its the one piece of the franchise, lots of filler, i still think it's great though. i also love shredders revenge, it was the first tmnt game i've played since joining the fandom and similar to SMA it is a genuinely beautiful love letter to the community and franchise, i'm an avid cross stitcher as well so pixel games make me happy because i can stitch straight from the game sprites, which i've been doing :3. I love how the turtles are characterised, Cam clarke is iconic and i love shredder and krangs dynamic, irma has become the love of my life and much to my dismay i love the neutrinos which sucks because they're only present elsewhere in idw, i'm doubtful but begging Tottmnt to bring them back.

2003

2003 is by far my favourite of the shows, i actually enjoyed fast forward unlike much of the tmnt fandom, i thought it was fun, though sterling was meh to me, i just didn't like him - even though i liked fast forward i can personally admit the show dealt with similar issues to 1987 of just. extending itself. when they were able to focus on plots and do arc episodes was great, but the seasons could have definitely been cut down sometimes because the formula of an episode was beholden to ads, which meant every 5 minutes someone had to say something shocking or nearly die only for it to be dissuaded or continued after the ad break, watching it digitally now with no ad breaks was kind of funny though because i would be up late sometimes and delirious and the 03 singers yelling 'teenage mutant ninja turtles' at me while mikey or other did a cool move entertained me much more than it should have. I really love that the opening scene is recreation of the first scene in the mirage comics, even if i have trouble reading it i think thats cool and fun, i love all the turtles voices and characterisation, i never have any complaints about voice in any iteration but especially not here, they all feel perfect. the fandom is a big part of the joy of 03 for me, but i do still love watching my favourite episodes back from time to time, and like any good 03 fan i can scream about good genes and same as it never was like a banshee, though i do also have a lot of thoughts on other arcs dw. usually i find it easier to pick a favourite turtle iteration to iteration but man is it hard here, they all have their moments, i think the humour and the darkness are played really well (cough except for when leo got stabbed in the shoulder and i had no idea where he got stabbed until he got a scar next episode because there was no blood). I was drawn into the fandom by rise and it will always hold a special place in my heart but 2003 is far and away my favourite iteration. forever sad about the dreamwave comics being cut short and no one picking them up. we deserve more official 03 comics.

IDW

I'm also still reading idw - don't kill me its long and also theres just a lot of turtles stuff to get through, okay? I really have enjoyed it thus far, i jumped for joy when the neutrinos were revealed, i hated chet with a passion and they somehow wormed me back in with the fugitoid reveal, i will say similar to watching 03 digitally and just getting hit with the before ad and after ads cutaways back to back, there's a bit of an annoyance in trying to find and read everything in exact order, because missing a micro/macro or short side story like the secret history of the foot can kind of screw you over, so when someone says they're reading idw its not actually the 150 issues, its well over 200, though i haven't counted specifically. if you read the powerpoint pictures you'll see the artist death match, basically i was just going to pit them against each other by choosing the best design of reoccurring characters and the artist would get the point, there are some great artist who had a hand in this series, i can't deny all of them are talented, but man some of them are just not for me, getting through an arc with a style i don't like is a breath of fresh air, right now my main example of a style i like is Mateus Santolouco - not all the character designs are my favourite but the secret history of the foot clan was gorgeous, especially karai, she's always been one of my favourite characters. i enjoy idw, i think the worst thing i can say about it really is sometimes theres styles i don't like and akin to other comic series it can be stupidly difficult to figure out the exact reading order when you're not there from the beginning.

2012

possibly controversial (definitely, i'm lying to myself), 2012 is probably my least favourite of the franchises shows (no, its not below next mutation, just talking animated main shows). just to explain myself, I do LIKE the show, but of the shows i find its the least in line with my humour, the gross out humour is a little more uncomfortable for me given the 3d style, i can't deny the story is probably the most well done of any of the shows thus far, i do enjoy the story and i think even non relevant episodes to the main storyline do a good job of serving some kind of purpose to character development or giving the viewer a look into the world, it is by no means a bad show, i would never say it is, i do like it, but for myself personally i struggle to sit down and rewatch because of some of the things i pointed out and some other things like the way apritello is written, leorai (shudders), idk why but 2012 splinter just annoys me, i will say the turtles and april are really enjoyable characters, i find most of the characters (karai, casey, some of the minor villains even) pretty engaging, everyone feels really fleshed out and similar to 03 the voice acting is on point, though this iteration isn't my favourite in terms of rewatchability, i audibly cheered when i realised shelldon was greg cipes, when he said booyakasha i was on the floor weeping. 2012 is a show that i would watch on occassion when it was on, its the one i technically grew up with, though i wasn't really into tmnt as a kid, but greg cipes was pretty much my childhood as a big teen titans kid, as well as mae whitman, i was a big tinkerbell kid, so those 2 are a huge highlight of the show for me. my feelings on 2012 are pretty confusing, but i still do like the show, its just if anyone (like you) asked, i would have to say its technically my least favourite, but again, by no means means that its bad, because it isn't, it's just not really as for me as the other shows. the '12 comics i enjoy, i haven't read too many but the batman crossover was sick as hell, style wise the 2012 comics are solid, while i don't think 2012 looks bad as a 3d show i would personally be more drawn to it if it was 2d like the comics, i just prefer 2d.

Rise (2018)

As previously mentioned, like many others rise was my formal introduction as a teen/now adult into the tmnt fandom, for a while it kind of stood out as my favourite before 03 topped it, but still i love it with all my heart and i rewatch episodes frequently. i think the voice casting was on point, i had recently finished ducktales so ben schwartz and josh brener were welcome surprises, kat graham was in perth for a con recently and i was so sad she wasn't scheduled for the melbourne run of that con and was heavily tempted to go just to see her, rise april is definitely my favourite of all aprils, while i think its a fun dynamic when April is an adult and sort of an aunt figure to the turtles, rise april really killed the older sister thing, every episode she's in is a treat, omar miller and brandon smith (am i meant to put middle/second names i have no idea) were stunning choices for raph and mikey, rise raph is so brotherly and silly, he just brings so much heart to raph, Mikey is so much fun in rise, i can get caught up in inflection and the way a line is said and there's a lot of variety with Mikey's lines, its funny and i couldn't ask for better delivery, i think they're all good at it but brandon knocks it out of the park with mikey. So, partially the blame goes to 03 but rise was also what got me into usagi yojimbo, it's kinda funny how the only show without a canon usagi is the one that kinda goes the hardest in adding him into stuff. the format of the show not getting to focus a lot on plot and mostly just being one off episodes obviously isn't ideal, but for what story we got i really enjoyed, i also just liked the one off segments, the majority of them i really liked and found funny, for me this is probably the show that makes me laugh the most out of any of them - while i tend to participate nowadays more with the 03 section of the fandom, i still love rise to my core and still interact with it here and there.

Ronin

As i said before, theres a lot of tmnt to go through, but uh. everyone talks about the last ronin, so i detoured my regular watching and reading to dive into it. I liked it, there are things i would love answers to but i might just need to reread to know because middle of reading my cat threw up and i had to pause to clean it up, so yeah- there are things i'm worried to have possibly misunderstood, like the dissolution of their treaty of sorts, misremembering or misunderstood that part of the story is a possibility but if its not that i'm still desperate to know who actually betrayed who first, what actually did the turtles/foot truce in? i haven't gone into re-evolution or lost years yet, i've been meaning to but occasionally i'll get a new shiny hyperfixation and when i return to turtles i tend to dive right into the shows or long running comics first compared to stuff like ronin. i am very excited for the game and the film, little nervous at the idea the film will be live action but i'm mostly just going to wait and see, no sense hating it before i even know what it looks like.

Mutant mayhem/tales/2023

i know i said movies last but its kind of different since the movie was before the show- so deal with it ig. mutant mayhem is a great movie, emotional, funny, i really like it, and the style translates beautifully into 2d animation for the show, i don't have much to say on the movie itself, i really liked it, i watched it with my mum who really liked it and she can be pretty hot and cold when it comes to movies. Tales is a fun show, i similarly don't have too much to say, i struggle to rewatch things i've watched semi recently because i get burnt out on it quicker, but i'm super excited to watch this iteration continue, i'll miss rise like hell but i think tales shows great promise and i'm looking forward to more of it!

Bayverse

if you're wondering why i skipped the 2007 movie its because i haven't watched it, semi similar to mirage the style is a lot, but not similar in the way that i can actually tell whats going on in 07, i just. don't like the style. bayverse is pretty controversial but i like it enough, i don't really rewatch it because the 3d models freak me out, but i love the fanart people make, i do think the character designs themselves are very good, peoples fanart definitely helps you look at them more clearly as well. I still don't visually get leo's bone necklace placemat thing. splinter in the first movie is too furless and he needs to be shot. the movies themselves i don't find too special but i don't dislike them, i remember watching the second movie because some cousins and i went out with our nan and my younger cousin wanted to watch it so we did. i had very little turtle exposure as a child but out of the shadows was part of it.

Original trilogy

I quite like the original trilogy, it's very campy but i think its a fun watch, similar to mutant mayhem i watched these with my mum, we really only watch the movies together and we had a good time, we both struggle to really take them seriously. we had to pause the first movie for a WHILE to laugh at the bathtub scene, i still laugh about it frequently and remind her of it just as often, 'i'm coming....... tO A DECISION' also was funny, the third movie is there also.

Batman vs tmnt

Holy crossover, batman. i really like this movie, as a tmnt fan and a batman enjoyer this movie is just so good, many have said it before and i will continue to say it. the movie is so full of easter eggs, i'm still trying to figure out if that portrait in the turtle van is of mikey or jennika - everyone is characterised so well, the dynamics between the batfam and the turtles is done amazingly, alfred and mikey as a duo is delightful and as always the voice acting is so good, i would sell my soul to hear kyle mooney and baron vaughn as mikey and donnie again. eric bauza is always fun to see given his history with tmnt, so seeing him actually be a turtle for once was great, i really enjoyed his performance as leo, i still can't believe darren criss is raph. i'm a gleek and a huge starkid fan and i can't hear it but i know its true. its fucking insane. the movies story and pacing is just really good, and is one of the few animated tmnt iterations to actually let people get hurt, have visible injuries and get fully murdered on screen, when i saw that foot ninja DIE die i was fucking pumped, a lot of the other video iterations lack actual tension because yeah shredder wants to murder a guy but this is family programming, so he wont and can't. but you watch people die and suddenly that hologram the foot tried to kill doesn't just feel like a 1987 thing where the one time the villains are able to do real damage its a decoy, it feels like a truly necessary precaution, had batman not done that, someone would have died, no doubt. i've spent an extended period of time analysing the easter eggs in this movie, especially when it comes to the turtle van itself, i LOVE the van design, the fact its an old rv, the call back to 87, the spare tire being an anti-foot symbol, the grafitti saying 'Foot Stinks', the April calendar with a picture of a turtle on it, its all a genuine treat. I love this movie, i think it's the best tmnt film ever, i love rise's film but to me nothing holds a candle to this. rarely do i only ever have one criticism for a movie but the only issue i have with the movie is the fact they clearly imply mr freeze DIED and that mutated batman killed him but they NEVER TOUCH ON IT AGAIN. i need directors commentary, i need a script, i need SOMETHING to tell me what happened. anyways. the fighting is so much fun, i love it, it's delightful to watch a tmnt fight and to be fully dialed in because it feels like a real fight, 03 had some pretty good fight scenes but in essence they were very cartoony in the way they won a lot of the time, i just think the batman vs fights are golden, especially the penguin fight, but again, all of them are really good.

so yeah. i have a lot of tmnt opinions, there's more i could say about each iteration individually, especially the shows, but i'll leave it with a list of my favourite characters and their iterations.

IDW Karai, 2012 and 2003 karai, they mean the world to me, i'm a big karai fan and i think they're great. of course the neutrinos, as little as they appear they mean the world to me. 2003 casey is definitely my favourite casey, second is probably idw casey. Batman Donnie is so much fun, his lack of social awareness is really played up but it feels natural and very donnie and i love the think he does where he moves his head like he's going to hide it in his shell but doesn't so he's just poking out. Rise april has my entire heart, she's the best and i'd die for her. 03 and 24/MM Leo, they're both great. really the entire rise cast has my heart. also the 03 cast but special shout out to 03 splinter he's just very sweet. i have to stop now because i could yell about even more characters forever, so last one i would say Alopex, i think she's a great addition to the franchise and i hope more people adapt her.

in case you weren't wondering because i'll tell you anyways, i do have oc's, i just don't really draw that much or particularly well so i don't post about them, i do write about them but i don't publish it bc i don't think anyone would care much, i don't really dip into oc fic either so.

so yeah. general thoughts on most of the franchise! if you want me to expand on any of the thoughts i shared here i'd be happy to but for now my fingers ache from typing so bye :3

[pomplalamoose]

Ooohhh so how do we think all the dynamics with dilf!luke would change if his kid was maybe ~10 years younger than you instead of your age (like maybe you met cuz you were their camp counselor or something and they got super attached to you)?

Omggg hiiiii! I got so excited when I saw it was you who sent in a request, I absolutely cherish all your ideas regarding this AU🩵🩵

Because I think it shows the subtle change in dynamics best I focused especially on a first encounter and then on how I imagine his child to cause further entanglement between him and you, since I think they'd definitely be the catalysator, especially in the beginning

• Luke, of course, remains a single dad in his late thirties to early forties and lives in a nice, cozy house with his child

• (if we assume they're about 10 years of age, he became a father at thirty)

• you, as a camp counselor/tutor/teacher/etc. don't know anything about his person, the picture you have in your mind consisting solely out of stories told by either his child or your co-workers

• but since you haven't met him yet, you're not particularly interested, not paying them much mind, as everything you know about the kid's guardians blurs together into a confusing mixture anyway

• of course this will change sooner or later, possibly when Mr. Skywalker comes to pick up his child and you see him for the first time from afar

• it's hard to miss him

• his consuming presence makes him stand out strongly from among the other parents gathering at the entrance, the dark, perfectly tailored suit he's wearing only accentuating the stark contrast

• maybe he just left work?

• even with so much distance between the two of you he strikes you as very handsome, though you can't help but feel glad you didn't run into him directly

• you wouldn't have been able to speak even a single word

• still you can't get him out of your mind and going forward you find yourself putting decidedly more effort into your looks

• just in case you see him around around again

• just in case should he take notice of you as well

• (you're only a little bit embarrassed by how quickly he put his spell on you)

• meanwhile his child, always happy to engage in conversation, seems to really love their dad, a smile blossoming on their little face whenever they talk about him

• especially as soon as they realize you're listening closely they can barely find another topic, making you endeavor to learn more about Mr. Skywalker a lot easier

• quickly you don't only know his first name but also when and if he's celebrating his birthday, what kinds of ice cream he likes best and which he doesn't like at all, details about his favorite knitted sweater and that he recently gifted them a rubber duck to take their baths with

• which is great, really, and you're not going to deny how very interesting all of this is

• but is he single????

• obviously you can't just ask a child whether their mum is in the picture or not and if their dad is currently dating someone

• luckily, or not so luckily, you're not the only one who's attention was caught by the tall, attractive man and you're able to catch some snippets of gossip among colleagues and the parents of other kids

• though gossip is all it is and soon you know why

• Mr. Skywalker is as cold as he is beautiful and impossible to draw near to

• it takes all of your courage to not flee the scene when one day his child decides to introduce you

• normally they let go of your hand as soon as they spot their father, quickly leaving you behind in their excitement as they jump into his arms

• today, however, they don't and you're starting to grow rather uneasy when they continue to drag you forward, towards a man already regarding you with raised eyebrows

• standing in front of him he's even more intimidating than from afar and you have to fight the need to lower your eyes when his gaze sweeps over you

• were it not for his child hanging on to your arm you would've left as fast as possible

• as it is though you're forced to stay

• bravely you endure the encounter consisting mostly of the child's happy blabbering and their father's polite but curt responses

• he's holding back, clearly not comfortable with your presence and studying you more and more intensely as time goes by

• he seems displeased and you have no idea why

• is your smile that terrible?

• did your greeting offend him in some way?

• does he not approve of how you're dressed?

• or about the way you interact with the children?

• you didn't think it possible but despite your initial feeling he eventually, slowly, starts to warm up to you over the next few months

• maybe due to the way his child obviously adores you?

• (yes absolutely, you're the only topic they can talk about at home, similarly to how they only talk about their father to you)

• true, he doesn't give you much to work with, the way he addresses you always stilted and his smile reserved, yet you couldn't be more relieved

• he doesn't seem to think you completely horrible and inadequate to take care of his child in his absence anymore!

• (also, as far as you know, none of your other colleagues have received a smile yet!)

• maybe you don't have a chance with him, this he made clear, but that's okay, there's joy to be found in a little harmless crush

• you dare to relax

• until his child invites you to their birthday party

• you had noticed, of course, how they followed you around like a duckling and how much you meant to them but still...

• wouldn't that mean to overstep a line?

• though when they present you a handmade birthday invite, smiling up at you so hopefully, you can't say no

• maybe it will make things easier for their parents (or hopefully just Mr. Skywalker?), you reason with yourself

• with you there they won't need to worry quite that much about a rambunctious crowd of little kids making a mess of their home

• you're good at your job and excell at pleasing even those hard to satisfy

• the longer you think about the upcoming event the more you feel your excitement grow

• you wonder if Mr. Skywalker is more relaxed in private

• as it turns out he's not

• and neither are you when you arrive and learn you are the only guest

• "I really like my friends", explains the child, "but I'd rather have you all to myself for once!"

• well

• there goes your plan to make a good impression by handling many kids on your own, while maybe sneaking a glance at Mr. Skywalker from time to time, who, in your head, sits somehwere in the distance, relaxing with a coffee

• of course, he does none of these things and instead never once leaves your vicinity, always lingering nearby to keep an eye on the two of you

• it's unnerving and continues to be so as you spend the day with activities his child planned for you

• at least there's no trace of a woman living here with them, which substantially lifts your mood despite the stern eyes you feel prickling in the back of your neck

• once it's time for you to go home you're exhausted

• to some extend you had fun, yes, but deep down you're ashamed

• how is anyone supposed to be taken seriously by an attractive older man while hosting a tea party for stuffed animals, rolling around in the grass and playing Mario Kart?

• does he even think you competent enough to do anything after watching his child chasing you with a water gun?

• your little friend insists on hugging you goodbye tightly

• "can we do this again soon? Pleaseee?", they whisper in your ear and you're inclined to agree were it not for the dark figure leaning against the wall a few steps away

• "you'll have to ask your daddy", you whisper back, hoping this will be a topic for another day and discussed without you

• once again things turn out differently though when they immediately throw themselves at their dad with great enthusiasm

• "DADDY CAN THEY PLEASE COME OVER AGAIN SOON?????"

• you don't know where to look

• what if Mr. Skywalker denys his child's request, here, right in front of you?

• he has the guts to do so, that much you were able to gather

• "we'll see about that, yes?"

• at least that's not a no, you tell yourself, yet you feel your eyes water in embarrassment

• forcing a smile you nevertheless thank him for his hospitality and receive a polite nod in return, before finally being allowed to flee the uncomfortable situation with burning cheeks, your heart beating painfully in your chest

• still holding back tears you've nearly reached the street when behind you the front door opens again causing you freeze

• half hoping, half fearing it's Mr. Skywalker you turn around, but instead spot the much smaller figure of his child against the backdrop of the lit interior

• you can't tell for sure but they seem to be grinning in mischievous delight before their little voice rings out clearly through the darkness

• "mY DADDY THINKS YOURE VERY PRETTY"

• for a second it's quiet

• then

• "but I'm not supposed to tell you because he says it's not proper"

[office-anomaly]

What are some of your favorite dynamics between characters?

this will be a long answer, because the gang's group dynamics is one of my favorite things to talk about. please bear with me haha (before anything: these views are purely my own. i know others have differing ideas for character/ship dynamics, and whatever i put here does not intend to challenge or demean any preference different from mine 🥺 our opinions can exist together lol) READ UNDER THE CUT

fred and velma: they are my gold standard for friendship. i think this dynamic is severely underrated as they are not only hilarious together, but they complement each other so well in terms of affirming each other's passion for mystery-solving, all the while keeping each other in check in case things get crazy. they strike me as the ideal friendship where the bond is meaningful, grounded and platonically intimate. one of the reasons why i like BCSD so much is that it showed just how well fred and velma work together in a way we haven't really seen in previous shows. ftr i think this is my favorite sub-group of the gang. velma and daphne (vaphne): i really like this ship, although i rank it behind varcie (i don't think i'll talk about varcie here since this might end up several pages long lol). this ship has been around forever, and i do think that it has a very good reason to exist mainly because of how the girls are such a positive presence in each other's lives. we've seen how daph has tried to get velma to come out of her shell on many occasions, and has shown that she understands her in a way that the boys will never do. meanwhile, velma acts as an anchor for daphne, keeping her on track when she gets overly excited or kooky during cases. i've always loved how different they are in all aspects, yet are able to foster a mutually beneficial relationship with each other. fred and daphne (fraphne): i know this is a basic ship, but i like how this has evolved over time, across many scooby media. SDMI really did this ship so much service by adding the much needed depth and justification why their dynamic works as well as it should. fred added a sense of adventure to daphne's otherwise sheltered life, and daphne has a good understanding of how to navigate fred's personality and quirks (much like how she is with velma). the show allowed these characters to play off each other and show us how they each deal with relationships that took a backseat in favor of mystery-solving in earlier iterations. daphne and shaggy (and scooby): ok these guys are FUN. like so much fun. i like that this was the group configuration for 13 ghosts, as i think their personalities lent so much entertainment to the idea of dealing with real supernatural phenomena (side note, but i like how the lego beach bash movie basically confirmed that they were the fun members of the gang lol). while i personally do not see shaggy and daphne as romantic partners, i totally understand why some people ship them and that's perfectly fine. velma and scooby: a girl and her canine best friend. whenever i draw velma and scooby in one picture, i make sure to show that they are the best of besties as much as i can. i am not subtle with my agenda to undo the optics damage SDMI did to these two lol

thanks for reading til the end, i know it's long. let me know if you have comments, violent reactions or anything, i'd be happy to discuss 😊

[tuliptheoshawott]

@lwasanta the time has come yet again! LWA secret santa 2024!!

My gift is for @codie.sys on Bluesky!

Constanze was never good with gift giving. She was never good with really anything except for her inventions. That must've been why she worked good with Akko, someone who also wasn't good with much of anything.

She was confident to make Christmas great for her girlfriend. Akko could barely take care of herself, especially on a holiday like Christmas.

Take care of herself. Wait a minute. That was the key. She definitely needed better help keeping herself in order. Constanze was best at that. She kept a tight ship at all times. She knew she could help her girlfriend do the same.

Planning. The planning board was where she had to go. She unveiled a massive chalkboard, perfect for her plans. She started drawing, drawing… maniacally drawing…

————————————————————

Large periods of silence for anyone else would be a sign of something terribly wrong. But for Constanze, who was silent all the time, she was able to hide her struggles pretty well.

She couldn't focus too hard in classes. Akko was someone who was hard to generally assist. How could she make something to help her?

Akko struggled with time, didn't she? Of course, an alarm clock. But it couldn't be any ordinary alarm clock, not for Akko it couldn't.

She got to work. The design couldn't be too weird, maybe something portable?

Her phone already existed, but it was the only thing she could think of. She was a terrible gift giver, but at least she thought of her needs, right?

She had to pull it off somehow. She was going to make it work.

————————————————————

Constanze hasn't shown up at the dorm recently, something that worried Amanda. “Hey, Jasminka… do you think I should check on Conz? I haven't seen her in forever…”

Jasminka nodded. She was munching on her chips, as per usual. She always seemed to love those.

Amanda always forgot how to work Constanze's bed. She always wished that Luna Nova would just install a robotics lab for her to work, she didn't even know how she ended up with a lab underground in the first place.

She found the switch behind her bed, and fell in.

She didn't see anyone there, but she ventured in.

She found Constanze, asleep on the floor, unshed tears in her eyes. Her beloved massive chalkboard, completely blank.

She shook Constanze awake, her eyes slowly opening. “Conz, you alright?” She asked. She looked distraught.

“You can't finish your gift for Akko, huh…” she asked. Constanze nodded.

“Well, maybe Akko doesn't need some big thing. What were you thinking of making her?” Amanda asked yet again.

Constanze went to one of her drawers, and pulled out one of her alarm clock designs. “Ah… you can buy an alarm clock at the store, y'know? But, this kinda looks special… you wanted to make something unique for her, didn't you?”

Constanze nodded. Amanda nodded back. “Okay, maybe we can scrap that. You don't need to impress everyone you meet, you just have to make sure they know you thought of them. Maybe… we could pick something out for her, together?” Constanze lit up at the idea.

“Alright, then, we can go get it tomorrow. You need sleep for now. And remember, she's Akko. She isn't gonna be dissapointed by one gift!” Amanda reassured her.

The two went back up to their dorm.

————————————————————

The next day, they headed into town, to the general store. The store was bustling with last minute Christmas shoppers, them included.

They went to an isle with various accessories, and Constanze laid her eyes on a specific one. A cat alarm clock. Akko liked animals, cats included, and it fit the original alarm clock idea, so she loved it. She knew Akko would too.

“You wanna get that one?” Amanda asked. Constanze nodded. “It's cute, I think she'll love it.” She commented.

Amanda walked toward the check out area, but Constanze didn't want to. She was trying to get Amanda's attention. “What is it?” She asked.

Constanze led Amanda to an isle. The food isle. They were already setting up for Valentine's, as the Christmas season was ending.

She picked out a chocolate arrangement shaped like a heart. “Don't you think it's a bit early for Valentines?” Amanda asked. Constanze stuck out the arrangement. “Alright, if you insist.” Amanda complied.

The check out line was long, but they only spent about 25 dollars on the whole package. They went back to Luna Nova, where Constanze went back to her lab, to package her gift. She had kept gift wrap in her lab since day one, for occasions like this. She stuck her gifts in a cardboard box, and wrapped It in colorful paper. It was finally over.

————————————————————

Lights out. It was time.

Constanze snuck out, gift in hand. She navigated to Akko's dorm, sticking the gift outside the door.

She also slipped a not under the door, telling her that the gift was outside.

Now she just had to pray the gift wasn't stolen.

She felt like her own little Santa Claus. If Santa Claus was a short girl with blue hair, who spent half her time going insane in a robotics lab, instead of relying on elves.

And so, it was done.

————————————————————

It was time to wake up. Akko awoke happily, her head hitting the top bunk as she did, waking up Lotte along the way.

“Ugh… Akko…”

“It's Christmas, Lotte!!” Akko squealed. Lotte squinted, she hadn't even gotten her glasses yet. “Ah, Christmas… I should see if my parents sent me anything…” Lotte murmured, getting up and putting her glasses on, going to check her orb.

Akko looked at the door. There stood a note. “Present is out front. -Constanze”.

Akko opened up the door, to see a present outside the door. “Constanze got me a present!” Akko said. “Great!” Lotte replied, her mood improved after reading an email from her parents back in Finland. “Let’s see what's inside!” She said, encouraging Akko to take a look.

Akko ripped open the paper, and popped open the box. She grabbed her alarm clock from the top. “Aww, a kitty cat!” She cooed. “It's an alarm clock, Akko.” Lotte replied.

“Yeah, because we know she's always late.” Sucy groaned.

“Sucy?” Akko and Lotte yelped in unison. “Yeah, I was awake the whole time. You know I'm always listening.” Sucy said, with her usual blackness.

“There's still something in the box.” Akko commented. She pulled out a heart box. Inside the box were an arrangement of chocolate, and a note.

“I love you. I'm sorry I couldn't be original. Have these as a reminder of your sweetness.”

Akko's heart melted. She passed the note to Lotte. “It's so sweet… she has such a way with written words, even if she rarely speaks.” She commented.

“Ah, the sparks of young love…” Sucy remarked.

Meanwhile, there was only one thing on the mind of Akko. Constanze was going to get so many kisses after this.

[the-morningstar-family]

So. Let me get this straight. Ghost is an entity who exists outside any plane of existence. Ceres is their friend, who somehow knows people from Heaven. Ceres was sent to Hell to help by Alastor's mum(?) and somehow can open basic portals. Couple questions here:

Does Ghost know Als mum too? If so, why haven't they mentioned anything?

Did Ghost transport Ceres to Hell? Or is Ceres capable of powering portals between the realms?

Also! Ghost is able to possess things (Luci's button?) in Heaven too? SO, they are able to venture there as well? And if so, why don't they just stay there?

We know Ceres is an Owl, but are they like Ghost? Or are they something else entirely?

What's going on with Ghost's other drones? So far, we've only seen the one at the hotel. We know that two more were with Al, and some were following Nova and Kidnapping Co. That's, what, at least 5 drones? And only one is accounted for?

Is Ghost still powering/controlling the drones, despite their physical form being KO? Or are they acting on their last directives. So far, they've been used as an extension of Ghost themself, as if they were yet another limb. Or have they also just kaput with Ghost?

There's so much going on!?!?! Like! SO MANY THEORIES. >:) Plus we have to worry about if Alastor and Nova are gonna be OKAY, and what exactly Charlie and Lucifer are about to do! AHHHHH. Its such an addicting story!

Angel, shrugging: "Hey we know as much as you do. They're passed out, the doctor's don't really know what to do with 'em'"

Nifty, suddenly appearing from some corner of the hotel: "They helped tough. Even when it hurt them. Maybe they like pain too!"

Nifty shudders in delight. Husk and Angel share a look.

Vaggie: "Charlie isn't answering her phone I hope she's okay..."

Meanwhile

Charlie and Lucifer stand in a dirty bedroom. There even a couple of bugs crawling around.

They sneak a peak around the corner. Through some miracle they haven't been spotted yet.

Nova is sitting on a chair. This time not bound to anything, though she looks terrified at the two men. And she's slummed in the chair. She's still in that chair. For what an hour now? Luckily they draw it slowly, they want to keep her alive as well.

She's whimpering and sniffling, the Morningstar's hearts break at the sight

Brax, annoyed: "Shut up. Or do you want to go back into the closet?"

She's trying to press her arm to her mouth, making the sound quieter, not actually able to stop. The other man just rolls his eyes and checks the machine. It must be Alastor's father.

Lucifer gives Charlie a sign to wait. She does so, but ready to step in as well, whenever needed.

Lucifer: "You know, I don't take kindly to people who hurt my family. And unfortunately for you, the two of you definitely made the list"

[niuttuc]

My Favorite Cards from 2024: Foundations

The year is pretty close to over, so let’s go back over the sets released this year (with new cards at least), and go through a few of my favorite cards from that release. I’ll group together stuff released together, in this case it’ll be the main Foundations set and the Foundations Jumpstart cards. Particularly welcome reprints might also get a mention.

I've been having a lot of fun with Raise the Past, and it's an excellent example of what new Foundations cards should be: a card that's simple, yet still powerful and at a rate we haven't really seen before. In the wake of Rally the Ancestors and Return to the Ranks. A mass of small creatures is a very white way to use the graveyard, and very fun.

A very splashy 3-drop, if you'll pardon the pun, Kiora has made an impact in quite a few decks. The base rate of a 3/2 that loots twice on etb isn't bad, but then the opponent has to deal with it anyway even if you've already gotten your value, because they can't just let you have a free 8/8 from your three drop. The looting helps to get to Threshold, wrapping the entire card into a nice package.

Doubling minor graveyard hate with fun copying and stealing effects is a good way to my heart. Abyssal Harvester does that, sadly it's held back by its fragile body on a creature that doesn't do anything until you untap with it. Still, I like the design!

Look at the kitty! It's like the cute dog but not an enchantment! I also love the cute dog, and I love cantripping bodies in the color that can best use them! A cat that'll make its way into plenty of my decks.

A lot of graveyard stuff in this list, but we don't see those kinds of rewards too often in blue, and a card every time is really good. Neerdiv does her best River Kelpie impression for half the cost and available in the command zone, and then she even enables herself!

I do not know why green got this card, but Spinner of Souls sure exists and is good! Not every green creature deck will reliably have creatures dying enough to make it worth the inclusion, but considering that Fecundity sees a decent amount of commander play, and Foster should see a bit more, there are definitely homes there. I do love an Evolutionary Leap. All of that on a body big enough it gets a chance in competitive formats? I'll take it!

Efficient engines that can both attack and draw cards at 2 mana are a really nice place to be in mono-white. Brigone is niche enough to get the counters with her own effect that she's not oppressive, and adds a nice tension between keeping her able to smack people with a lot of counters and getting cards to trigger her. Using her in other counter decks that don't rely on her Heroic effect is also possible, and makes her not just confined to those very few decks.

Twinflame Tyrant is the big mythic dragon for Foundations, and it passes the muster! Not oppressive without haste by itself, it pushes up an effect two mana from when we last saw it this widely on a body with Angrath's Marauders. It's simple, which is a plus, and impressive and gets people excited! Also an art that looks great in foil.

Sadly, I'm not the only one that likes Rev's design, and as a result she's currently at an unreasonable price. Moving past that, getting mana and cards out of every attack is very much something that's worth the four mana, and I do love stealing other people's cards. Being able to get up to three cards and treasures per turn in commander by attacking multiple opponents seals the deal on the design for me... If I can ever get some copies for a price I'd pay for a card in a commander deck.

I like Celestial Armor more than Maul of the Skyclaves, which it compares to. Targeted protection spells are generally too situational to warrant a slot in decks, so one that pulls its own weight by also being a decently threatening equipment in decks that would want that allow this one to be played. This in turn makes the game more interactive, because now players have to play around the possibility of the opponent running some protection spell. Everybody wins! Except the player who's removal spell just got fizzled.

Again, Archmage of Runes is simple, clean and effective. Combining two popular effects into one, not prohibitively expensive card, repaying the one mana more you spend on this compared to an Archmage Emeritus by the time you cast your first discounted spell.

A new Alesha! Who wouldn't love old lady Alesha, still turning sideways and still bringing back creatures to fight. Getting some potential immediate value compensates well the loss of some of the tricks of the original Alesha, but it's still a card I love being in the foundational set of magic.

Reprints:

Seeing this angel package return in Foundations is a welcome sight. Plenty of players love angels and that's a great entry point. Plus Youthful Valkyrie gets an ACTUAL printing this time which should help greatly with supply.

The vegetables package! Duress and Negate kinda HAD to be in the set, it avoids them having to reprint it in a standard set every couple years. Burst Lightning is a welcome surprise in this package of efficient base spells for standard.

In blue, we got the return of Witness Protection, which still holds some of the best trinket text in the game, beautifully tying together the design. Just for the sake of that, it deserves a place here. Brineborn Cutthroat is just a solid way for a flash deck to actually finish the game, and plays into the aspects of blue that appeals to many players (and gets it hated by many other players.)

Vampire Nighthawk more than any other card in Foundations sent a pang of nostalgia through me, and I wasn't even actively playing last time around!

Liliana, Dreadhorde General is a great card that sees play in plenty of commander decks and has seen play in standard, and seeing another reprint to keep the price low is very encouraging!

Scooze is back! I love Scooze! As long as it's not exiling my perfectly fair graveyard strategy, of course. Anyway, it's very funny that Scavenging Ooze started as a card from a commander precon and went on to become a "Foundational part" of Standard.

[dragonfirerogue-writes]

Black Light

Wednesday x Parasite!Reader

A/N: I hear y'all wanted a series?

Part One

Your door bursts open and you suddenly find yourself with a knife at your neck.

"You shifted yourself into Rowan, didn't you? Why? Are you on cahoots with Weems?"

The onslaught of questions following the intrusion left you stunned. It took longer than you would've liked, but you finally found your bearings and returned Wednesday's glare.

"What are you talking about?" The virus within you reaches out from your neck and grasps at the knife threatening you. "I saw Rowan's body with you. What would I gain from becoming him?"

"You tell me." The goth pulls at her arm, trying to release herself from your hold. You just let out a groan and push her back.

"What do I have to do for you to trust me again? I've done nothing to warrant this."

The two of you are locked in a staring contest. Neither of you were willing to back down. You could see Wednesday's mind running haywire, going through thought processes like nothing. With a growl, Wednesday finally relents.

"I suppose I can give you the benefit of the doubt..." With a sigh, you release your hold on the girl.

"So what's going on? I've heard rumblings, but I don't actually know anything."

"Rowan reappeared," Wednesday stares as she sheathes her knife. "Appeared after I spoke with Weems. Now everyone thinks I fabricated the murder." She starts to pace. "Nothing about this makes sense. We saw the attack. We saw the body. Suddenly, he's walking through the doors like nothing happened."

"See if you can find him," you offer. "Talk to him. See what you can get straight from the source."

The goth thinks for a moment before turning towards you. "Not a bad idea. Xavier is his roommate, so I might be able to use him as an in."

Without so much as a passing glance, Wednesday marches out of your room. You just sigh and wonder where this fixation was going to lead.

-----+++++-----

You walk into your botany class to see Wednesday talking to a familiar hand. It had been a while since you'd seen Thing and it brought you back to the days when you and Wednesday were thick as thieves. You take your seat near the front, leaving the two to their conversation.

"I see you finally made a friend." Looking up, you see Bianca being her usual self. You disliked a lot of the elitist students and she was on the top of the list. "Even if it is a plant." You frown at the words. But, as per usual, Wednesday has a quip up her sleeve.

"I prefer quality over quantity." That makes a soft snort come out of you and Bianca glares in response.

"There's an open spot next to me." You glance behind you to see Xavier offering the seat beside him. "If you can stand sitting next to an elitist snob."

You roll your eyes at him and turn back around. When you do, your eyes lock onto Wednesday's and a silent conversation happens before she breaks eye contact.

"I have better options to choose from." She sets her things next to you and takes the seat. A small, pleased smile threatens to split your face, but you keep your composure. At least she considers you better company than some people. Plus, it didn't hurt to see Xavier look put off at the rejection.

The best part though? Having front row seats to the verbal tennis match between Wednesday and Bianca.

-----+++++-----

Wednesday finds you later and drags you somewhere private. Once she's sure that you're alone, she speaks.

"Who knows of your powers, Y/N?"

"Just what I've shown. Mainly my weapon shifting and armor. Strength. That sort of thing." You shrug, wondering where this was leading to.

"And your shifting?"

"I haven't had reason to use it. Plus the academy gives me enough to eat so I don't consume bodies to draw from." You narrow your eyes at the goth. "Why?"

"I have to get back to the woods, but Weems is watching me like a vulture circling a carcass."

"And you need me to cover for you?"

"I do. I have beekeeping in the afternoon and I need a decoy. Your shifting ability is perfect for that. Even if Weems gets close enough, you can still fool her." She pauses for a moment before continuing. "You're the closest person to know my mannerisms well enough to be convincing."

You lean back against the closest wall with crossed arms. "You do know what this entails, right? I need your DNA in some form. While I don't need to consume a full body anymore, I still need something."

"I'm aware," Wednesday answers. "I do remember some aspects of your abilities." She mirrors your stance and crosses her own arms. "How much do you need?"

Your eyes close as you think. To Wednesday, it seems like you're communing with yourself. It's not too far off the mark.

"Like I said, it's been a long time since I've even shifted. But, if I remember correctly, it shouldn't be too much." You run your hand across your face in frustration. "It's really hard to quantify."

"Then take what you need." Your eyes shoot to Wednesday as she rolls up her sleeve. The pale skin tempts you in a way you buried away ages ago.

"This could hurt. A lot."

"Nothing I can't handle."

With a sigh, you reach out your hand and grab her forearm. Almost immediately, black tendrils ease out of your arm and settle into Wednesday's. It takes only a beat before the goth starts to react. The dark mass sinks into her skin and begins to essentially eat away at her. You will your parasite further into her arm, taking care to not go too deep. As soon as you feel it's enough, you draw back the darkness into your body. Wednesday grips her arm as it pulses in pain.

"You'll bruise, but I made sure there's no bleeding. Nothing to bandage." The telltale signs of bruising are already taking effect and you feel a little guilty. But this is what your friend wanted.

"Good." She rolls her sleeve back down. It was as if you didn't just take a piece of her. "Be at the apiary at noon. I'll brief Eugene."

"Sure."

-----+++++-----

After the successful decoy mission, you find yourself in your room once more. One of the few solo rooms since most were scared of your powers. Or rather, the rumors of them. It didn't bother you though. You had your friends and anyone else who didn't want to cross that line didn't matter.

Your door opens suddenly, causing you to look up. Wednesday strides through and you wonder if you have to actually lock your door now.

"I need your help." She states. "I'm joining Enid in the Poe Cup and we need to make sure we win." You furrow your brow.

"You're actually joining a school event? Voluntarily?"

"Bianca needs to be knocked down a few pegs."

"Ah." You nod in understanding. "Makes more sense now." Now fully facing Wednesday, you give her a wicked grin. "What do you want me to do?"

-----+++++-----

The cheers in the quad echoes in your brain. Ophelia Hall won the Poe Cup for the first time in a while. Enid was ecstatic as she carted the large trophy around everywhere she went. The sight made you smile.

You managed to help out the Black Cats by helping Thing with Kent and adding holes into the Gold Bugs canoe. All from a distance of course. Being able to see via your parasite had its perks.

One person was missing though. The other star of the event. You knew how Wednesday was with this type of crowd so you sought her out, finding her at the statue of Edgar Allen Poe.

"Hiding?" You sit down next to her. She seemed so small when she was out of her element.

"People keep randomly smiling at me. It's unsettling."

You let out a soft laugh. "Don't worry. It'll pass. At least it's a victory for you. Bianca is thoroughly pissed." That news causes a small upturn of her lips to appear. However, it quickly disappears when a particularly loud student passes by.

"I just want some peace..." Wednesday laments. You glance up to look at the balcony leading to her and Enid's room.

"I can probably make that jump." She follows your line of sight before looking back at you.

"As long as you take me with you." You meet her eyes with a soft smile.

"Of course."

/////-----/////

Tag list: @tundra1029 @rainbow-love4ever @ladyqueenxoxo @izumikokomi

[tyttamarzh]

REDESIGNING

HELLO!!

It's been a while since I posted anything here. I haven't had much time to do anything else, but I made some modifications to my Tallulah design to better fit the current version of her being a worthy daughter to her two daddies. In this version she has short hair and although it is still curly it is no longer as frizzy, I also made her skin tone and hair more like Missa's tone, my intention was to give her more Missa vibes, I think she wanted to look more like him, so I helped her (and the truth is that turn her into Missa's little girl seemed very cute to me).

She also has his little striped hat in honor of his father Philza, but that made me miss his mushroom hat, so I made a version with it, but I though like it didn't suit his type of dress as much hat, so I added a green cape. I liked the cape so I made a version of her with the cape and without the mushroom hat, so that's why there are 3 different versions.

I try to redefine the style a little (as much as working by joining dots in Illustrator allows me, I need a draw tablet U.U), at first I started making these more cartoonish designs and I have been modifying them, in the end this did not change much the way I create the vectors, but I think that there is a gradual improvement of style.

If you've seen my other Tallulah designs, you might notice the difference. I admit that in my first Tallulah design, which I did a long time ago, I didn't have much of an idea of what I wanted to do with the character and it was more about including her because she had to be there, but little by little I have become very fond of the character and now I have a clearer idea of her. I liked my second design but after thinking about it a lot I realized that she needed more features that would make her unmistakably the daughter of the deathduo (as well as Chayanne, which you see and it is very evident).

I am constantly trying to polish my designs and will try to give small touches to each of the members of the Death Family soon.

You probably don't care much about these drawings I make (I know they're not a big deal) and maybe so much explanation seems unnecessary, but doing this makes me feel satisfied and makes me happy to talk about each step (I am very excited to do that)

I hope to be able to create more little things about them soon (fics and arts). I add this comparison of my previous designs of her, which have more cartoonish proportions.

See you!!