#[[ but liz was a whole different character back then lol ]]

[viralesmater]

// im gonna be iconing the Tomi manga cuz i think she fits Liz's overall unnerving and off putting energy more than orihime.

[facelessanimator]

Hidden Projects: Remanence

[DRAGS SELF OUT OF DISPAIR PIT]

I DID IT HAHAHA I BROKE ART BLOCK- kinda.

Just till i get the energy back to work on Merged again im playing around with a whole other AU lol. I shared a different post about it but finally i have set in stone character sheets! So yeah enjoy lol.

[First off the Main 4]

In order: Mike, Liz, CC, and Charlie

[Heights]

Next up The Adults!

In Order: Mrs A, William, Henry

[Heights]

Cant rlly expect much from Mrs A cause she died at the start of her infection lol

[worldismyne]

Kirona fics recs.

"@worldismyne thank you! I'll check it out! Yeah, I'd love some recs. I prefer Crona as a boy (trans or cis) but I still like fics with them as non-binary or a girl."

------

Alright, it's been a hot minute since I read some of these, so any ff.net recs are vaguely remembered through rose color glasses, but they def left an impact on me.

Masc recs...

The Lycan and the Vampire (T - Incomplete)

Summary: Crona is a lycan via bitten. Kidd is a vampire by birth. Kidd hates the lycans. Crona doesn't know how to deal with a vampire. Male!CronaXKidd. Rated T for sexual references mentioned mostly by a Lycan

Review: I am paranormal romance cringe. I remember this fic being the first I remembered when thinking of good MxM Kirona. The AU was fairly well world built as well.

Kid x Crona : Hades and Persephone (G - Hiatus)

Summary: Have you ever wondered if there was more to the story of Hades and Persephone? That there was more than what was said in stone?

Review: This is a mythology AU. I just got started with this one, but I'm a sucker for greek mythology. Seems pretty cute so far.

The Difference Between Us (M - Incomplete)

Summary: An ongoing Death the Kid x Male!Crona fanfic. Kid shows Crona what it means to be loved. Slow paced and many chapters long.

Review: tldr, have not read this one, 1st person is not my jam. But, the people for people who do like it (according to other reviews) it's got solid characterization and is a decent long fic to settle in with.

NB recs...

Beneath All the Hate and Despair (T - Incomplete)

Summary: Even after switching sides and making peace with most of Maka's friends, Crona has a rocky transition into Kid's good graces. Things get even more difficult when traces of Medusa crop up. An exploration of two wildly different but curiously similar people that come closer together. Mostly canon compliant, but an AU of sorts. NB Crona. (Revamped fic)

Review - This is the OG for me, and by that I mean how young me found out about they/them pronouns. (I didn't really get it at the time, but I still read the whole thing AND the author went back 10 years later to do another copy edit once they had more expirence. Mad respect.)

Stir the Cauldron (T - Updating)

My summery: A continuation of the manga where Kid uses his new powers to help save Crona.

Review - Really nice getting to see Kid adjust to being the new Lord Death, the internal dialogue is really on point. Bonus points for addressing Ragnarok and having Crona be artificially made (gotta be one my fav HC).

Devestation Rots (NR - Complete)

Summary: In which Kid is shattered by the loss of two people very important to him.

Review: Cute hurt/comfort two-shot. Bonus points for Liz/Patty + Kid in a sibling dynamic.

-----

I read mostly fem!Chrona longfics way back. So The Birth of Scelus the Kishen and Child Born of Love are the absolute classic longfics that have survived (I could have sworn there were four or five others, they may have been deleted). But both of them are complete and rated T. I have 0 clue how well they've held up, but they got me through many a class and roadtrip growing up.

There is 10 pages of fics on ff.net (the ship predates the ship filter feature. So just pop in romance into genre and only have them as the listed characters). There used to be more, but like I said, people like to delete their old stuff.

キックロ or Kikkuro is the ship name in Japanese if you ever want to look for art on other sites. I know there were a few doujins back in the day, but very few were translated to English at the time.

It's so interesting to see a ship that used to be in the main trifecta of ships fall out of favor. I'm mostly writing for other ships now too, so I'm not complaining lol.

Daughter of Madness is the longest fic I ever wrote and now with the sequel, they've fully transitioned from she/her egg to they/them god X'D

I still love these two together in any interpretation. So if you ever get brainrot or wanna talk headcanons, my inbox is open lol.

EDIT 10 Pages of fics when browsing on mobile, 28 if you're on web.

[diggingupgrave]

Magnificently Cursed... the blog post ✨

🕰🍂🕯🌿📔🧣🌙

My writing log says it’s been exactly a year since I started writing Magnificently Cursed, my Dark Academia Inuokko Magic School AU! I find summer to be insufferable (my apologies to the sun) so I took an escape hatch to an early fall last year and immediately fell down this massive rabbit hole. Not only did I write the whole fic and make overly-intricate graphics for each chapter… I also made a ton of other content that I simply didn’t have enough time to post! (Fall is but one season… unless you’re me, and it’s two, because fuck summer) So as a little anniversary gift to me, I’m going back through the archives and finally putting everything in one place. 

Let’s start with the character mood boards, shall we? 

Toge Inumaki: 

I wanted Toge to have an earthy/natural, vintage-y feel, while Yuuta was all sleek and new. I’m still completely obsessed with this library-lizard aesthetic for Toge.

I low-key wound up buying a brown sweater after searching online for literal hours just like the one in the upper left so we could twin. That duffle coat still has my whole heart. Lavender mug inspired by Neara 🥺

Yuuta Okkotsu:

The lil ghostie patch 😭 I still think Yuuta would look hot as hell in all these clothes- especially the speckle-y fisherman sweater. Coat game is strong here as well. 

... so is it obvious that I spend too much time on Canva yet? 😅

The Timeline: 

My outline wasn’t outlining and I resorted to making an in-world calendar to make sure the dates were realistic. Each chapter is a different color, and the lines represent what days the chapters covered in-world. The corresponding stars represented each chapter’s posting dates… except the real life dates didn’t line up with the fictional dates (rude), so those thursdays were actually saturdays? I think? I'm actually not 100% sure what past me was up to here, to be totally honest 😅

(also, politely ignore that bit that says “epilogue - december” 💀i’ll get to it when i get to it. I don’t really like the idea of it being *over* so maybe i'll just gatekeep that bit forever)

⬆️ Example of aforementioned “outlining,” which, yes, is unfortunately littered with as many potential tweets as actual organization 💀

Not pictured: the outline for the first three chapters… when i thought this fic… would only *be* three chapters. 🪦

Writing Log:

I wrote all 92k between July 13th and September 13th (including 60k in August, nanowrimo style)!

Honestly would love to know what her regimen was because i immediately went back to being slow and undisciplined. I don’t foresee this coming august looking anything like this, lol.

Also, sidenote, hilarious that I took a break to work on it would make a whole in the middle of this? Because I literally just finished that piece this week and posted it today 😅

The Playlist:

Spotify proving that July 13th commitment! If you start a wip without procrastinating and making a playlist for two hours first... did you really start a new wip?

The playlist was three and a half hours and i would listen to it nearly every day, sometimes multiple times in a day 💀. Listen during a rainstorm for peak vibes.

(other favs not pictured: The Butterflly Effect’s cover of “Lay All Your Love on Me,” Sabrina Carpenter’s “Decode,” Liz Longley’s “Rescue My Heart,” and "Nothing's Gonna Happen" by The Staves) 

Bonus:

(fall baking... toge's fav pumpkin muffins of course)

(my toge sweater knockoff)

(editing buddy... clearly working very hard)

(cider donut cider... for the ✨vibes✨)

(obsessively drinking massive pots of harney and son’s victorian london fog tea as i tried to interpret my own bullshit)

(me celebrating actual halloween like i didn't start in july)

.... ANYWAY (if you made it this far 😅) many thanks to anyone who read/kudos/commented/supported this fic, because (if you can't tell already) i had so much fun writing it.

Currently, working on another longfic rn that's also promising to destroy my life... but you never forget your first 😘

[stars-and-darkness]

WIP WEDNESDAY!!!

week #6

this week, i thought we might do something a bit different, guys. this isn't technically a wip, as i don't believe i'll actually ever finish it. t's the first piece of tvd writing i ever did, over a year ago now, and i got some 2.5 k words in before i realised that it's not really going anywhere? so the chances of me picking it up again are pretty slim, but i thought you might enjoy reading what i have anyway. looking back on it, it seems that my love of the idea of liz adopting a bunch of mass murderers some 950 years older than her started early, heh.

but also, like, keep in mind this was early on, and that i didn't have as good a grasp on characters as i do now, lol.

happy mother’s day

Liz Forbes’s relationship with her daughter has been at an all-time best since Caroline became a vampire; she thinks she’s finally getting the hang of this whole motherhood thing. So naturally, she does the next logical thing and decides to adopt the first generation of vampires.

Their parents were shitty anyway.

.

Years ago now, Liz Forbes had read an article. She remembers it only vaguely; it was not a good time for her. Bill had left to chase his happily ever after or whatever with his boyfriend, and Liz had been left alone—scorned by the closed-minded conservative circles that made up most of Mystic Falls’ social scene, and with a daughter to take care of. A daughter who, as the days went by, sunk deeper and deeper into teen-typical moodiness, until what little understanding there was between them before Bill left was turned to dust.

The article was full of technical jargon she could not comprehend, and longer and wordier that it needed to be in order to convey its intended sentiment (at least in Liz’s opinion). It spoke of teenage brains and amygdales and other similarly confusing things. In the end, Liz was left with the dreadful piece of information that made all the years ahead of her dealing with her own impossible teen seem even more daunting.

Human brains fully develop at the age of twenty-five.

.

The first time Liz meets the infamous Klaus, he is the last thing on her mind—because not too long ago, Matt Donovan had carried her daughter into their house in his arms, weak and shivering, the skin at the crook of her neck torn and oozing sickly.

Still, the part of her mind that is still the Council member—and, oh, how ridiculous the premise sounds now, when her own daughter, her precious, precious Caroline is a vampire in her own right and happier than she’d ever been as a human—that part appreciates that she stands here in front of the ultimate predator. The monster monsters fear.

Klaus speaks, and it’s with a quiet, soft, oh-so-compassionate voice. He looks younger than Liz had imagined him, and so much sweeter; with his kind words and his golden curls and his dimpled smile. Monsters should not look like someone had taken all the finest features off the church cherubs and hewn a person from them.

And his request—oh-so-reasonable. Her support in the future, in exchange for Caroline’s life. Inviting him in in exchange for Caroline’s life.

She doesn’t even have to contemplate what her answer to his ultimatum will be.

When she is sure enough that he is gone, Liz stalks upstairs. The window of Caroline’s room gapes open; and Caroline herself rests on her bed, wan and weak, but already so much better than before. Where the ruinous bite had been on her shoulder is replaced by smooth skin.

There is still a drop of scarlet blood staining the corner of her lip.

Liz doesn’t ask any questions; she closes the window and strokes Caroline’s hair until her uneasy slumber turns into real sleep.

.

In the morning, Caroline won’t meet her eyes. Liz, who has had the whole night to contemplate just what she had invited into her home, can’t fault her for it.

(A diamond bracelet remains hidden up in Caroline’s room, with Liz none the wiser.).

The invitation is half-hidden in a way that means Caroline both wants and doesn’t want Liz to see it.

Mikaelson—it seems odd until she remembers some of Damon’s comments, and the fact that the eldest vampires in the world are actually Vikings.

It’s what is on the back that astounds her, though. Klaus’s handwriting isn’t the fancy cursive she would have attributed to him, but the blocky capital letters are in fact closer to the pictures she’d seen from the caves underneath the Lockwood estate. Runic. Because Vikings.

Save me a dance, he’d written, and though she’s only spoken with him for a moment, Liz can hear it in his accented, soft voice. Fondly, Klaus. As though there could be any confusion as to the writer’s identity in the first place.

“I can’t believe him!” Caroline rages and rants, all righteous indignation. A gown came with the invitation, layers of deep blue fabrics the names of which Liz doesn’t know.

Caroline refuses—at first—to even look at it. Liz feels mildly ill just thinking of her girl in that viper’s nest and yet—

Bill; dead. Caroline’s feelings towards the man who’d kissed her scraped knees and let sun ravage her sensitive, immortal skin will never be resolved.

“You should go,” Liz finds herself saying. “Take your mind off of everything.”

And if Klaus had wanted you dead, he had plenty of opportunity to do it that fateful night, and every moment since, she doesn’t say.

Caroline stares at her like she’d gone mad. But she goes, truly resplendent in the blue gown.

Liz notes the diamonds around her wrist. She assumes they came with the dress.

.

Caroline returns; uninjured but also somehow worse for wear. In the spirit of their newly-found connection, Liz tries to get to the bottom of the problem. It’s a blessing, this new understanding. The same part of her that warned her of the monster lurking behind Klaus’s blue eyes reminds her now, cynical, that all her daughter had to do for it was to die.

The new part replies, adamant and unyielding, that her Caroline has not gone anywhere.

“For a moment,” she answers cryptically, hair still done up and makeup still on even if the dress had long been replaced by a jumper and a pair of sweatpants, “I thought I saw the human inside the monster.”

“And he proved you wrong?” Liz asks before she can stop herself.

Caroline just shakes her head; and refuses to speak of it any more.

.

Days pass; Liz knows the Salvatores, the Bennetts, Elena and Caroline are scheming. They always are, as of late. She hates that the burden of fending off the oldest vampires in the world has fallen to children, yet somehow she can’t think of anything to do to help.

And no-one thinks to tell her everything.

One morning, she wakes to her daughter sitting listlessly on the couch, a half-drunk mug of blood in front of her.

She is dressed to entice, but her makeup is smudged, her dress rumpled and her hair a mess. Something went down last night.

“Caroline?”

“Bonnie’s mum was turned into a vampire.”

The rest of the story comes in halting pieces—a mother who had given her children eternal life now seeking to take it away, an ultimatum with Elena Gilbert’s life hanging in the balance, a betrayal of a deal—

And Liz can honestly say she doesn’t give a damn about Abby Bennett and her vampirism, because all that rings in her head is distraction, distraction, pretty blonde distraction.

“Caroline? You ... you ... a distraction?”

Caroline makes a face. It makes her look even more miserable than before, somehow.

“Klaus thinks he fancies me.” The word is odd, something Caroline herself would never use, yet Liz hears it perfectly in Klaus’s accent.

“Does ... does he?”

He can’t. That’s not how the world works, and by all accounts, there isn’t enough human left in Niklaus Mikaelson for him to ... to ...

Caroline throws her head back with a groan. “I don’t know! Maybe?” Then she shakes it, as though she’s giving up. “Even if he did, that’s over now.”

Liz doesn’t prod, but Caroline tells her anyway, fitting snugly into her embrace, her head slotted underneath Liz’s chin, like they used to do before—before.

“I used it against him, Mum ... there’ll be retaliation.”

And he has a standing invitation to our house, Liz realizes, and it chills her to the bone.

.

But the retaliation doesn’t come.

Life goes on as usual—or as usual as it can in Mystic Falls in these recent years. The mysterious murders take up most of her time, and her fear for what she’ll discover is almost enough to push the vampires and their spats out of her mind. It helps that the Originals have scattered with their mother’s failed attempt on their lives.

.

Here’s the thing, though.

Caroline may have recently celebrated her eighteenth birthday—and she’ll celebrate her nineteenth, and twentieth, and hundreds more if Liz has anything to say about it, and she does—but her body will forever remain frozen.

Seventeen.

And Liz remembers that damned article, and she realizes—Caroline’s brain will never mature to twenty-five. She’ll forever remain a teenager. What does it even do to vampires like Caroline and Stefan, stuck forever, with more experience under their belt than a human can have, aging them, yet immortality keeping them frozen in that young, young state?

It keeps her awake, sometimes.

.

The Originals all have false identities. She knows, because she’s the sheriff and things like these go through her hands, and she knows because Klaus’s place of birth is listed as London and his day of birth as January 15th, 1987. To a creature like him, those measly twenty-something years he claims to have must seem like the blink of an eye.

The sister’s, Rebekah’s, the one who stayed even after her elder brothers dispersed in the wind, claims she’s nineteen.

And Liz supposes that she is, in a way, except Rebekah has also been nineteen for over a millennium.

And it really shouldn’t matter that they’re stuck too—stuck in this odd limbo between child and adult, or that Liz keeps thinking, over and over again, that both their parents tried to kill them all in the span of a few weeks.

It shouldn’t matter.

It doesn’t—honestly.

.

Liz would like to file a formal complaint.

In the future, she would certainly like to be informed if a weapon that can kill Original Vampires has been found. Or if her friend, the resident vampire hunter who just so happens to also be her daughter’s history teacher has been turned into a killing machine with the express purpose of eradicating the vampire-kind, you know, the one her daughter belongs to.

This way, she doesn’t learn until the friend, the resident vampire hunter who just so happens to also be her daughter’s history teacher in question outs her daughter and her boyfriend as a vampire and a hybrid in front of the entire Council.

(Is the Council even aware werewolves are a thing, much less hybrids? Or are they still stuck on vampires? Oh, to be that oblivious again …)

She learns that Klaus is successfully desiccated and stuck in a coffin on its way to be dropped into the Atlantic when she is informed that Elena Gilbert will wake as a vampire in a matter of hours as a result of his sister’s vengeance. Then the Council kidnaps her daughter, Caroline somehow gets away, Elena completes her transition, and twelve people she’s known since she was a girl die in a gas explosion.

She doesn’t have time to celebrate Klaus finally leaving their lives for good before she sees him strolling casually down the street they live in, hands in the pockets of his probably-exorbitantly-overpriced jacket. His eyes meet hers, and he smiles in a way that reminds her precisely how easily his fangs can drop.

Liz runs home as fast as her very human legs can carry her, and bursts into kitchen with such urgency Caroline nearly drops the mug she’s taking out of the microwave. If it weren’t for those handy vampire reflexes, they’d probably have to spend the evening cleaning B positive out of their kitchen tiles.

“I saw—” Liz grinds out, fingers digging into the counter, “there—just—Klaus!”

Caroline turns towards the window, but the street is now deserted. Knowing the bastard, he strolled down it just to scare the living daylights out of Liz.

“Caroline! Why is Klaus not rotting in a coffin at the bottom of the ocean?”

Her daughter has the gall to look sheepish. “Don’t be mad, but—”

And that’s—finally—how Liz learns that:

Yes, Klaus had been desiccated. It took the combined effort of Tyler and the Salvatore brothers to hold him down, Bonnie’s magic and Jeremy’s sacrifice, but it had been done.

No, it didn’t last, because Bonnie Bennett would not risk the lives of her mother and friends with the Evil-Ric on a rampage. Considering that her daughter’s life was in the balance, and that Ric did manage to stab the White Oak Stake into Klaus’s heart, Liz doesn’t complain.

And, no, their Original infestation is not at an end—especially since Rebekah and Elijah returned into town to try and collect their brother’s body before they thought he’d been killed.

“And,” Caroline finishes, “I’m pretty sure Kol’s coming back, too, so …”

Liz does the only thing she can do and decides to deal with the problem after she has had a nap.

.

It takes Liz three days of cajoling to have Caroline confess to her how she’d escaped the Council, when neither Elena, Stefan, nor Rebekah herself has succeeded.

The answer, delivered in an annoyed growl, starts with a K and ends with laus.

“He was still in Tyler’s body,” Caroline continues. The pen she’d been using to write out their shopping list snaps in her hand and she doesn’t even notice. “Mum, I made out with Klaus. While in my boyfriend’s body. Why do things like these happen to me?”

Too much information. But also, the implications … “Care …”

She looks pained. “Nothing happened. He—look, I don’t want to give him any credit—gah. No. I can’t talk about this with you. You’re my mother.”

It’s not like Liz wants to discuss, or indeed, know, anything about her daughter’s sex life. “Care … are you sure? I know that—um. If you were … hurt …”

She looks supremely uncomfortable. “Mum …”

“You know you can tell me anything, right? Fine, nothing happened the other day, but …” She shakes her head. Her daughter is a vampire. There are very few who can hurt her anymore. “I’m here for you.”

Caroline gives her an odd look, and doesn’t speak again.

.

Liz doesn’t deny that she is tense. Weeks pass, and for some reason, no new and imminent threat emerges to wipe the world clean. The remaining Originals have settled down in their massive manor at the edge of town. It’s odd to think that the four of them are the most powerful vampires in the world when she sees them in the street, acting no different than regular humans. It’s odder still to remember that last year, there were six.

[purplesigebert]

Hello! This is your autumn exchange gifter! So, I've been thinking about your request and am very excited. I've never tried to think of a different meeting or how canon would change if Caroline hadn't been in Mystic Falls at all, so it's been a fun thought experiment.

First, do you have any other characters you especially love or hate? Do you have any hard pass themes or content I should stay away from? Any bits from the shows you'd especially like me to try to fold in or ignore completely?

Second, are you married to the exact scenario you laid out in your request? I do have a very vague alternate idea for Caroline as a vampire hunter, but it's a little weird and definitely in its infant stages. But I also have some thoughts about Bill (possibly with Steven and his daughter) being the one to stay in MF as sheriff and the reasons why Liz and Caroline would have had to go.

Third, if you had to choose a setting, would you prefer MF or New Orleans or Salem, MA or somewhere else entirely? New Orleans would end up including some of the same characters as The Originals, but I probably wouldn't write the baby plot in, unless you really want it there. Salem would end up being more spooky season themed and MF would probably be more of a family thing involving Bill's death.

Fourth, do you still want Caroline to be a vampire? I don't usually write her as a normal human, because I'm here for the supernatural stuff, but I can give it a shot if you're interested in that. There's the hunter thing, but do you have objections to her being a witch instead? Some other kind of supernatural creature? It's not what I'm leaning towards, but if that's something you would enjoy, I won't try to keep it strictly vampire Caroline if I think of something else.

Fifth, what level of Klaus do you like? S2 magnificent bastard Klaus or S3/4 slightly relaxed Klaus or TO unhinged mess Klaus?

This is a lot of questions. Please feel free to take your time and/or not answer all of them! Totally valid to not have strong feelings about any of this.

Omg hi! First off, thank you so much for writing this note to me! I'm speechless!! So, to answer in order:

First, I'm not a fan of Damon - if S1's events happened as canon. If not then I'm a fan. Stefan is great. I love love Katherine and Bonnie. Elena was great in her S1-S3 characterization. I don't have any problems with anyone else. Not a fan of the miracle babies storylines.

Second, I'm not completely fixed on my request. I've never considered a MF where Bill was Sherriff, how would that change canon? Damon and Bill already didn't get along and they were in the same room maybe two times? I don't see Bill changing his whole worldview the way that Liz did. If Liz and Caroline left MF, where would they end up?

Third, Oh this is tough one, Caroline coming back to MF for Bill's funeral is one of my fav stories to read! How old is she? Is it still canon time-line and have the S3 storylines been happening? I'll leave that up to you!

Fourth, I don't tend to read Caroline as any other creature (a few where she is a werewolf/hybrid but those are outliers), so Vampire!Caroline is good to go! I'm not too pick, if we see her turn in the story or not.

Fifth, S2/beginning of S3 is peak Klaus, he's just a little shit and he knows it lol.

Sixth, YOU ARE AWESOME! Seriously thank you so much for sending me this. You rock.

[horseshoegirl]

Hey Lucky! The series ask list, I’m curious if DTDT had any alternate versions to it?

I plan on finishing it soon, don’t worry lol 😂

Ohhhh, how do I write this without giving too much away for you, Fern!? 😅

There were parts I had envisioned in my head that ended up playing out differently on the page, so I wouldn't say the whole story would have changed if they did end up the way I had originally planned them (For example, Jake was always going to leave and Liz was always going to find herself at Ridley's grave reading her letter).

I will say the George/Jake confrontation in 15 would have been different had I not gotten the hate comment and the writer's block. Originally, I would have had Jake wuss out of the relationship entirely by himself, not by any prompting from George or the 'Hell-bringer," even if they were shouting from the sidelines. That he didn't believe himself to be worthy of Liz, or they had an argument over Sadie (Because let's be real, Liz is super protective over the bug), and afterwards, he essentially fucks it up by playing into that Rep he had by actively flirting with someone else.

I think I like how it played out, though, cause looking back on how I developed Liz's character, that's something she'd NEVER take him back after.

Thanks for the ask, Fern!!!! I know you'll get to it when you can, and I will never be hearing the end of it cause I know what chapter you have next 👀😅😭

[feralgodmothers]

I kinda hope that Rory ends up having a son. Mostly to break the weird “parent or friend” cycle she’s the product of. But also cause it’d be hilarious if the kid was called Lucas Christopher Richard Gilmore. Ritchie or Ricky for short. It just tickles me. You know?

Aww, that’s so cute, I like that. Naming him after all the men in her family. 💖 Plus, I could see Lorelai (affectionately) making fun of Rory for either nickname, lol.

I think part of Lorelai and Rory’s ‘best friend’ dynamic comes from having a smaller age gap than your typical parent and child. Just speaking from personal experience - I was 16 when my sister gave birth to my nephew. He ended up mostly in my care from the ages of 2 through 7, and I can tell you - our age difference really blurred the lines between us having a “guardian/child” vs. “sibling” dynamic. Rory might not have that issue, since she was about 30 when she got pregnant.

Another thing is: I think Lorelai and Rory developed their own sort of island with each other. Lorelai had cut off all ties to her parents and the whole wealthy world she grew up in, started new roots in a town full of (friendly) strangers, and Rory mainly grew up surrounded by adults, with Lane being her only friend that was her age. None of Lorelai’s friends had kids around (until Sookie got pregnant later), so even though Rory had a lot of general support - as far as stronger social ties go, it was probably 60% her mom and 40% Lane. I think something that would help break that cycle between Rory and her kid, would be if the characters were given the big, happy family they deserved. Imagine if Luke and Lorelai got married shortly after the original series ended, and had two kids. Then we’d have a 7 and 8-year old running around the house (one of which I like to think Paul Anka grew attached to, and selected as his emotional support child 😂), along with April, who would drop in for a visit sometimes from college. Also, we have Liz, TJ, and Doula in Stars Hollow, which gives Rory a step-aunt, uncle, and 9-year-old cousin living nearby (along with Jess popping in from time to time). Plus, on top of that we have Lorelai’s best friend Sookie with her kids, and Rory’s best friend Lane with her twin boys. The town is just overflowing with kids lol. So if Rory moved back to Stars Hollow (or at least close by), her child would have plenty of other options for companionship that he or she could gravitate toward.

It kinda bums me out how much the show crowds kids out, tbh. I can’t help but think of how much fuller AYITL could have felt. I mean, all those kids wouldn’t necessarily have to hog the spotlight, but they could have at least filled in some of the empty space in the background (the revival just felt so lonely to me, and it really didn’t have to). I think they would have contributed to a much more satisfying vibe, because having such a large crowd of family and friends around would have (potentially) helped Rory not feel so aimless and lost. Seeing life go on around her could have reassured her that nothing really stays still, and that things have a way of working out. And to have a show that starts out with strained relationships due to a family rift, end up with warm households full of love and wholesome chaos?

[incorrectgallaghergirlsquotes]

If you're down to talk Midnights and Gallagher Girls, I'm just curious on your pairings/characters you chose, and I have brain rot of this series and album now.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on why Cammie and Zach for Anti-Hero. I totally agree honestly they all relate to the song, but I went straight for Abby relating to it the most.

Snow on the Beach: I immediately thought of Preston/Macey and I'm just curious what made you think of Joe/Rachel and Bex/Liz. Like specific lines or just the vibe of the song?

Vigilante Shit: I went for Catherine, but I'm curious again about the four you chose. Like is this the four of them conspiring together and backing each other up, is it them individually? It reminds me so much of No Body, No Crime and your fic that's a part of the Spotify Wrapped.

The way we're becoming besties lol

Anti-hero: Now none of the characters are actually anti-heroes, they're all heroes pretty much. But who cares?

The first line that hit me over the head that made me give this to Cammie was "I should not be left to my own devices". I think we all know why lmao. By extension, I don't think Zach should be left to his own devices either Mr. Running-Away-Was-My-Idea-She-Just-Did-It-Without-Me. We've all also agreed Cammie has nightmares well into adulthood so the "I wake up screaming from dreaming". Then the way it goes on reminded me of how she felt like her friends and school all turned their backs on her in book 5 "One day I'll watch as you're leaving/cause you got tired of my scheming (for the last time)/It's me, hi/I'm the problem it's me" and the rest of the chorus. I can see the same lives fitting Zach's character as well just in a slightly different way. And then everyone, they've been through a lot.

I can totally see Abby though especially in the second verse and the following pre-chorus. We see her come into book 3 with this fun, young personality and then by the end she's been hardened. The next times we see her she's got more an all business sense about her. Which is devastating considering she either managed to retain that personality or bounce back after Matt and now it's gone (maybe again). And here are these girls with her niece and they're the new young, hopeful, excited spies.

And then "Did you hear my covert narcissism I disguise as altruism/like some kind of congressman?" is SO Macey coded

Snow on the Beach: So for Joe/Rachel and Bex/Liz I focused on the lines that reflected longing for someone. Both couples spent a long time as friends kind of dancing around their feelings- so yes! Macey and Preston too, I completely agree! I go back and forth on if I see this from Joe or Rachel's perspective, I think it could go either way, and the same with Bex and Liz. I think the only thing keeping me from going full in on Macey and Preston is I see the two of them as will-they-won't-they and Joe/Rachel, Bex/Liz as mutual pining and that's the vibe I get from the song. I keep going to pull specific lines but I just end up wanting to paste the whole song!

Overall it's really cute. It paints a really sweet scene to imagine with any of the ships

Vigilante Shit: For my list I mostly tried to think about which characters would listen to the song and like the vibe/lyrics so I picked those four but I can DEFINITELY see Catherine. I guess I blocked her out because she's more villain that vigilante but that's my nitpicking lol

My thoughts overall have evolved a little since I made this list but I had to get it out of my head otherwise I wasn't going to post anything this week because it's just this. And I'm absolutely down to talk about it more if anyone else wants to!

[emisirrelevant]

DYNASTY FINALE THOUGHTS

OMGGGG I JUST FINISHED THE FINALE OF DYNASTY AND-

I actually didn't think I'd be kinda emo???

It's so interesting to look back on what kind of shows pull me in. Dynasty was not a show I ever expected to be pulled into. I didn't even know it was based off of the original series in 1981 until they announced the 2017 series. But let's be real, anything that has Liz Gillies in it is worth it right? Anyway, my thoughts on the finale as follows:

• Fallon preparing for her baby in typical Fallon fashion

• I WAS RIGHT STEVEN CAME BACK AAAHAAAAAAAAA HE CAME BACK TO US

• SO HE WAS GRAHAM THE WHOLE FUCKING TIME OMG

• When Steven was literally about to murk Adam

• THE BOYS ARE FIGHTING

• I liked that Steven didn't actually k-word Adam though- I think it showed that was a key aspect of his character and I liked it- because to me it makes me think how much of a better man Steven is than Adam

• Even though they're the Carrington brothers, they both have their differences

• Sam being sad about Culhane leaving- but purposely causing the interviews to bomb lol

• STEVEN THEN REVEALING HIMSELF TO SAM I CRY ADKFHJKGLKHL

• ADAM TELLING FALLON IN THE CAR ABOUT THE BOOK omg no I was so scared for him but LOVE that Fallon said what she said to him and wasn't mad after all

• STEVEN THEN SHOWING UP AND REVEALING HIMSELF TO FALLON AGAIN I'M EMO MY EMOTIONS AND THEN THEY SANG TOGETHER ONE LAST TIME HOW DARE THEY-

• Aww Sam and Culhane: "I'm gonna miss you big bro" "you too, little bro"

• FALLON NAMING THE BABY Lauren Morell Carrington- "And Ridley"

• STEVEN COMING BACK AND THE REST OF THE FAMILY'S REACTIONS!!! EEEEEEE

• SAM MARRYING MICHAEL AND NINA AHHHHHHHH

• FALLON RENAMING THE COMPANY TO CARRINGTON UNITED!!! THE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT

• Blake telling Fallon he loves her and he's just so proud of his daughter OH THE FULL CIRCLE MOMENT

• SAM AND STEVEN TOGETHER AGAIN EUEHEHUE

• AND KIRBY AND AMANDA HAVING A HAPPY ENDGAME HOLY SHIT I'M SO HAPPY THEY ACTUALLY GOT A DECENT RESOLUTION THEY HAD ME WORRIED FOR A BIT BUT OMG THE WLWS WIN TODAY!!!!

• ENDING THE SHOW WITH A FAMILY PICTURE!!!! OH GOD WE'RE DONE THIS IS REALLY THE END

• "Smile, and pretend you love each other" "Everyone say Carrington"

• The only thing I did not like about this finale was what the heck they did with Adam- so is HE in London again??? As GEORGE??? HE BETTER STAY THE F AWAY FROM KIRBY AND AMANDA that's all I have to say

• Like, I get why he wasn't in the final picture at the end, but like it seemed weird to me that nobody wondered what happened but he was the "black sheep" I guess you could argue, and we know Fallon knew it was Adam with what happened to Steven... idk

• But I think Sam and Steven and Kirby and Amanda cancels that out for me honestly HAHA

• I'M STILL REELING CW FINALLY GAVE US WLW AND MLM WINS??? This makes me soooo happy. And how meaningful/significant it is.

ANYWAY. Now comes the hard part. It is time yet again to say goodbye to another CW show I got invested in. Like I mentioned, previously, I had no idea what this show was until I sort of just decided to jump into it. And I'm so grateful I decided to give Dynasty a chance. I'll miss waiting for every Friday to come around, to see what the Carringtons are up to now. But this finale wrapped things up pretty decently in my opinion. So lastly, I would like to say thank you. To everyone involved in making this show. Thank you, and goodbye, Dynasty.

[gb-patch]

Ask Answers: June 6th, 2021

I’m back with more ask responses! You can also check our Frequently Asked Question sheet if there’s something you’re wondering that’s not answered here.

FAQ   Also, if you prefer to just see the main posts without all the asks/reblogs, feel free to follow our side account instead: GB Patch Updates Blog

Thank you for the patience with these questions  ♡

Hey in very beginning of step 3 in the scene where Mr.Holden had a thought dancing on the tip of his tongue but he kept it to himself after MC and Cove were being cute (idk if it makes a difference but this is when they're dating)... Can we know what he was thinking/ wanted to say? It's been bugging me lol 

He would’ve gone into a “look how much you’ve grown”, “your dad is so proud of you”, “I’m so glad things worked out with the MC”, and etc spiel, haha. But he resisted the urge to fawn on his baby boy, at least for that scene.

If we planned to move away for college/future plans in step 3, is it implied that MC and Cove would have a long distance relationship for sure? Could MC have convinced Cove to come with them? How is the dynamic of their relationship going to be addressed in Step 4, if that makes sense? 

Cove is willing to follow the MC where they went after everything is settled for them there, and if they’re sure they want him to come! You’ll get to decide how things shook out during those transitional years just by making choices about it during the opening prologue of Step 4.

Hi! First off, how does it feel to have created one of the best games when it comes to inclusion for lbtq+ peeps? I've never felt as validated with my identity and sexuality when playing a game and I'm seemingly not alone ♥ Second, and this might be a little too specific, but what kinds of drinks does Cove like as well as dislike? Thank you, you're the best ♥

Thank you for very much! It’s really nice to hear the game felt inclusive. Cove likes regular water and fruit juices/smoothies most! He dislikes coffee and cola, and he’s not super into most teas either.

Hi, may i ask what gb patch stands for? Specifically the gb part lol

It stands for my old, silly username I used in places like Neopets as a kid, aha. The company name wasn’t super thought out since it was originally just me making VNs as a hobby. Luckily, “GB Patch” kind of seems like it could mean something reasonable, so I didn’t have to rebrand when it did become a more serious, commercial group.

If we chose to not propose to cove in the step 3 dlc would he propose or would the mc propose in step 4 or the wedding dlc? 

Yeah, you or Cove can propose in Step 4 if you’re not already engaged! The Wedding DLC takes place after the engagement so the proposal scenes aren’t there.

will you guys announce if the early access for the new game is out on patreon ? 

When beta builds of Step 4 or whatever start coming out on the Patreon we will mention it here on social media too.

Heyy I just had a quick question about Baxter if that’s okay :)?

I saw in an ask+answer that it’s possible to casually date Baxter In step 3, but what leads up to that? I have the step 3 dlc and I’ve tried playing them In a different orders and ways but it doesn’t seem to get anywhere ^^;

The Step 3 DLC is Cove-based because he’s the default guy. There’s a separate Baxter romance DLC that’s not out yet. That’s where you can get him to date you. I’m sorry for the confusion!

Will we ever get any LI's or side characters with physical disabilities or deformities? I think your games would be a great place to have them in since they're always so accepting and safe! 

Yeah, we do hope to have representation for that in future projects ^^. Thank you for the confidence in us.

Is it possible to get Cove to take the bed and MC to sleep on the floor? 

Not in Step 3, I’m afraid.

So, I have played the prologue of Our Life countless times and I haven't gotten the [Your Life] achievement, why is that? 

Steam sometimes isn’t connected properly when an achievement unlocks and so it remains locked on your account. If that happens, unfortunately getting the scene again won’t unlock it. The achievement becomes inaccessible because the game thinks you already have it. Playing with the same Steam account on a different device or fully deleting your game data (more than the only the save files) are the only work arounds we’ve found.

Since when you talk with Jeremy in step 3 it's mentioned he goes on dates with someone (which assume is JB because who else would take this boy on dates) that makes him happy, does that sort of make JB and Jeremy the canon relationship in the first game?

The default for XOXO Droplets is that JB casually goes on dates with each of the jerks! Shiloh would’ve been harsher if Jeremy was the only guy getting her attention, haha. But the player can change that default by dating just one person the whole game for their own story and who she ends up with for real has no default.

Hi, hello! Huge OL fan, thank you so much for the wholesome content, it was very much needed during these times. Managed to get several people to join team Cove, so that's very exciting, I always have people to fawn over him with. I have a little question and I'm sorry if it was asked before, but does it ever come up in the game what Cove has told his mom about us? (who knows, with so many options, one can miss it) Or, alternatively, will it come up in the Step 4 DLC? 

Thank you very much for sharing the game with people <3. It’s really great to hear people are liking it. Right now that doesn’t come up in game. Kyra is willing to keep her mouth shut and Cove isn’t gonna have that conversation either. At least not when he’s younger, but yes, perhaps when he’s a fully grown big boy in Step 4 you can ask him about it.

I’ve been thinking about this ever since it has been confirmed that there would be two love interests for OL2, would there be the possibility of forming a polyamorous relationship with both love interests? I’m sorry if you answered this previously, I’m just curious. 

We are considering it, but it’s not a guarantee yet. It’d be really great to have but it’d add so many extra alterations that’d need to made, aha.

Hello! You mentioned how Cove would be uncomfortable with kids at 23, but how old would he be when he’s comfortable with having/adopting kids? (Same goes for the other LI’s.) btw, love your game!! 

He’d want to be at least 25, but even older would be good. Derek would want to have kids when he and his partner could reasonably support them, the age itself wouldn’t matter. If they were doing good at 22 and wanted kids, he’d be up for it. Or they could wait until their 30s or whatever. Baxter is also more of a “when it feels right” guy rather than having a specific age requirement. Cove is just especially wary of being a young parent because of his own parents. I’m happy you like the game!

does step 4 immediately play after you press "end summer" in step 3? or is there another button/transition (like the story text thingy) before the epilogue begins? what happens after the epilogue? roll credits? 😂 

Step 4 will have transition section always and there will be an extra button, if you own the Derek or Baxter DLC. By default the Cove-based version of Step 4 just plays once Step 3 is over. However, having the other guys’ storylines will mean you get to pick which version of Step 4 plays; Cove Step 4 (the basic one), Derek Step 4, or Baxter Step 4.

Happy pride, thank you for all you do for us🥰

I have a quick question though, I recently got a MacBook after my old windows computer broke, and now steam says I cannot download it, but it has no issues with other games, what can I do to download it?? I’m sorry if my English is bad

Happy pride month! Unfortunately, Our Life isn’t available for Mac on Steam right now. To be an approval application Apple requires having special notarization and we as a small group haven’t gotten that. Itch doesn’t care and lets us release the game for Mac there anyway, Steam does care so we’re locked out of putting the Mac build up on their storefront. Feel free to email us and we can try to help the situation out further!

support@gbpatchgames.com

Hello! I was jus wondering if the Baxter and Derek DLCs are still happening? I haven’t heard anything about them on here or patreon in a while so I just wanted to make sure ^^

They’re still coming and we just released a new sprite sketch on the Patreon for the Derek DLC c:. But right now Step 4 is still much more of a priority. Once that’s closer to being done we’ll focus way more on sharing previews for the other guys.

is it possible to tell cove you love him (platonically) at step 3 fondness/selecting him as basically family? i just love the mc and liz sibling interactions and it got me wondering about it (especially if you've selected that option)

You and Cove can be as close as family, but there’s not a specific scene in Step 3 where you say “I love you” in a family context. But there’s always Step 4~

do you intend on ever adding a collectors mode to Our Life? Like a way to collect achievements and CGs for the gallery without it effecting any save files? 

We weren’t considering it before. But if a lot of players would find that helpful, we could start thinking on that!

Sorry if it's a silly question haha, but (in crush/love) is Cove really aware of how cute and cuddly he seems to MC? If so, what does he think or do about it? Or does he just ignore it? 

He isn’t particular aware. Cove never truly stops being surprised that the MC is interested in/attracted to him, haha.

Would you say that the alone ending of xoxo droplets is worth playing again to get? 

Nope, haha. The goal is to make friends/get a boyfriend and so the alone ending is kind of the bad ending for the game. Though there is a consolation prize if you get it by accident.

Is there any possible situation which would ever prompt Pran to bake for his girlfriend? Like I know it's unlikely I mean even if JB broke her leg somehow I'm pretty sure he'd still be like "I considered baking you a cake and doing the frosting the way I think looks interesting but you don't deserve a cake, no one does." right but also ahhh it would be super nice if some day he just surprised her with baked goods one day out of nowhere. JB would be so shocked it would be cute. So is there any possible situation where that could/would be a thing that he would do? 

He might bake out of spite, like if he felt he had to prove her wrong on something. Or if JB used some good reverse psychology on him. Or he might do it in a relatively nice way if he could make his GF so shocked by the kind gesture that his amusement with that overrode his insistence on not being sweet. Pran is very difficult in high school, aha.

Is the "one route (where) it can be seen that Everett will drop his seemingly eternal waging with Jeremy pretty easily and can start getting along without thinking much on it" the Lucas route? I'm curious! 

Yep! Everett will side with Jeremy if it’s between him and Lucas.

Hi I hope you guys are having a great day :) I just had to ask how Cliff would feel about Cove's partner/fiancé Mc calling them dad whether it be accidental or otherwise and secondly I also wanted to ask how he would feel about being asked to be the one to give the mc away at their wedding. 

He would be very touched and excited! I hope you have a good day too :D

Hello! I saw an ask relating to whether Cliff "moves on" after Cove's grown up and stuff (and he stays single), but what about Kyra? Will she be with anyone else or will she stay single? 

She does start dating again, but she takes it slow.

Hi! I absolutely love the art for characters in OL and I wonder is this fine to draw my MC in same drawing style and upload online later? Is this something artists would be okay with? Thank you! 

Yeah, you can certainly do that C:

Hey there!

I wonder if I'm just being stupid here.. Is Step 4 a DLC? And if so, where can I find it? I can't seem to find it on Steam :< Thank you!

Step 4 is a free epilogue! It’s not done yet, but once it is finished you’ll just update your game file and Step 4 will be there after Step 3 ends.

hi! are step 4 and the wedding dlc two different things?

They are. Step 4 is a free epilogue that’ll be a default part of the game once it’s done, the wedding DLC is an optional paid expansion that takes place after Step 4.

Why did Baxter not receive a step 2 sprite seeing how he shows up later

Sprites are time consuming to draw and take money out of the budget that could’ve gone to other things. His tiny appearance in Step 2 wasn’t worth all the effort to make a sprite, aha.

I just realized, what happens if if you get the patreon exclusive moment but at a later date, when you don't have the membership anymore, it's updated (like a bugs fix update for example)? Would you have to get the membership again? 

You would have to get the membership again to redownload the build. But there’s very little chance there’s going to be an update once it’s been out for over a month. If a build gets released with errors, players catch/report them within the first few days. So by the time the first subscription period ends, any problems that were noticeable would already have been fixed. And we’re certainly not gonna be adding new content to it once it’s been released for a long time. There’s no need to worry about missing out on something worthwhile in the future if you cancel your membership. It’s being made with the idea in mind that many players are gonna be getting it and then going.

Hello! Wanted to ask about gaming choice in step 3? Once upon a playthorugh I got the option to buy Cove a bracelet for his graduation present. I played the same basic character again and that option wasn't there anymore. I'm not sure where I went wrong. My Cove wears a bracelet on each hand and my MC is into fashion and jewelry. Do I need to put an earring on him or? Sorry, love your game so much. 

He also needs to have liked bracelets in Step 2 for that to be considered a good gift option for him. Sorry for the confusion! I’m happy you love the game :)

Is Step 4 being released at the same time as the Wedding DLC or will the first come before the latter? Thank you! 

I’m not sure. Ideally they’ll come out at the same time, but the wedding DLC has a lot of art to get done and we may have to release it after Step 4.

Can mc still get confession from Cove at the end of step 3 even if mc casually dates Baxter in step 3? Such as in crush mode? 

I don’t think so. Maybe that’ll change, but generally there’s differences to the Step 3 ending if you were dating Baxter and those differences likely will conflict with getting the Cove confession.

For the patreon moments/dlcs, will it be available for all tiers? 

It’ll be available for tier 2 (Fans) and up!

[thegalleonsnest]

DUNGEONS & GRUMPUSES

You bet I just drew the Bugsnax crew playing D&D! This was something I sketched out a few weeks ago but finally got around to it! Haven’t done a large piece like this in awhile, especially with so many characters! I tried drawing each Grumpus with different pieces of cosplay that tell you how committed they are to the game. These are just random little headcanons for how I think about them playing D&D.

I’ve got a whole list written out for each Grump’s class they picked and why, so keep reading if you wanna know who’s who!

Starting from the front left to the back, you got:

Filbo; Sorcerer: He’s trying his best while working with a slightly below averaged charisma modifier. He doesn’t play often, so he’s gets confused about what he can do and how to properly build characters, but he’s learning.

Wambus; Paladin: He pretty new to it, so decided to go with the simplest one that was all about being good. Mainly followed Floofty & Snorpy’s instructions on how to make a good starting character. Triffany; Wizard: She’s just as new to playing as Wambus, but hopped on board super hard after learning that you could be a necromancer. Loves getting into character. Gramble; Druid: After raising his barn full of Snax, felt natural to play as a class close to nature itself. He had friends who were into playing D&D, but rarely participated and just watched. Mainly acting as support rather than being front and center. Wiggle; Bard: It’s pretty self explanatory lol. She spends more time playing music & setting the tone during sessions, but surprisingly, she’s super into role playing. Cromdo; Warlock: When something stinks of opportunity, why not take advantage of it? Even if it means making deals with various demons/gods/whatever is willing to make a blood pact with him for some easy riches? Used to play back when he was way younger, but life became a bigger factor.

Beffica; Rogue: Gotta get that perf dirt without getting caught, you know? Might take advantage of the party, who knows? Barely had any interest in playing, but why not use this opportunity to learn some things about your local residence?

Shelda; Monk: She’s more of a pacifist, spreading the word of Mother Naturae, and still spouting metaphors and riddles. She has no idea how to play, but she’s surprisingly effective at confusing any NPC for whatever reason. Eggabell; Cleric: Resident doctor is your resident healer of the party. And managing a party of 12 in a campaign is stressful as heck. Might crack under pressure deciding who to heal. She’s always liked fantasy stuff, so of course she still had some props for cosplay should could use. Elizabert; Barbarian: Adventurous and reckless by nature, so it was an obvious choice for her. Usually the one to start attacking without asking too many questions. Used to play a lot of D&D back in high school, so she can get pretty into it. Barrowed some of Eggabell’s old cosplay material for a sweet ’tume (If you get that reference, you’re a legend) Snorpy; Artificer: Veteran D&D player; grew up playing with Floofty. You gotta have your engineer on the team to think outside the box (and correct you on the rules constantly and make sure your dice rolls are correct). He likes dressing up for the part to really get into it. It’s the few times he is actually calm and having fun. Chandlo; Fighter: Plays with Snorpy from time to time. As long as you have the highest constitution & strength modifier, you can take the hits and throw them back at them pretty hard. His Wisdom is pretty high for a Fighter as well. Teams up hard with Liz & Wambus to protect the group

Floofty; The DM: Veteran as well, and yes, they would totally be the one to run a D&D campaign as way to run “hypothetical” experiments/test that would otherwise be rejected if performed in real life. I would also think just because of their personality, they would rarely ever be a player because of the number of disagreements that would come up during normal play with other people, unless it’s with a good group that knows each other.

[lambourngb]

day 1 who do you think you are - character recs

Creator’s Week 2021 for @roswellnewmexicocreate - Day 1 : Character Recs

This is my favorite fandom event, and my third year doing it. The last year was really difficult, and fanfic more than ever was my escape from it.  Shout out to all the writers, commenters, and lurkers who kept fandom going during it.

Rosa Ortecho:

heal it or break it all apart by @adiwriting​ : (7,600) All Rosa’s ever done is break things. Her entire life she’s destroyed everything she’s ever touched. So it’s really no surprise when she comes back that her powers do the same. Alternatively- 4 times somebody tries to get Rosa to seek help with her powers and one time she decides to help herself.  GEN

why i like it: I pretty much love whatever Britt writes, but in the light of how season 3 is going, I found myself returning to this fic more than a few times. She really captures the fierce but vulnerable Rosa in this beautifully.

Kyle Valenti:

at every occasion i’ll be ready for a funeral by @bydayornight  (1,330) Kyle goes on a vacation after the events of 3x04 and meets an unlikely beach companion. GEN

why i like it: Christine has become one of my new favorite writers, and has been a season 3 coda writing machine. Here is where we all would like Kyle to be - lounging on a beach without a care in the world (with that RNM twist! lol)  She also does a brilliant job with the Kyle and Michael vibes here.

Maria Deluca:

Butter(bar)flies by @andrea-lyn​ (4,447) When all of Maria’s people fly away for new opportunities, she needs to find new ones. The lost decade and what should have been. MILUCA

why i like it: Manda has written some of my favorite stories, and even has dragged me into Ted Lasso, but this little lost decade AU is one of my favorites. She captures the flirty vibe of season 1 Michael/Maria, and inserts it into a time when it really makes sense to me for that a friends-with-benefits-relationship should have begun, to give weight to a choice for Michael. Maria is wonderfully characterized here, and it really makes it clear how a real love triangle should have been structured.

Liz Ortecho:

heart of lightning (a roswellian tale) by @bitch-ass-aliens​ (20,095) When Ser Elizabeth Ortecho of the Roswellian Court is sent by Queen Isobel to retrieve the heart of the missing King Maxwell from a fearsome lightning dragon guarding it, she knows success could bring her one step closer to completing a quest of her own. Ten years ago, a mage named Ophiuchus curse her sister with eternal slumber, and Liz has been searching for him ever since. Saving the king could be the key to learning Ophiuchus's true identity and saving Rosa. But the dragon is not what it appears to be. Soon Liz finds herself needing to guard her heart from feelings forgotten long ago as she and her friends journey back to Roswell, King Max by their side, with more than just the fate of Rosa hanging in the balance. For Ophiuchus's plans are bigger and more dangerous than any of them realize. ECHO

why i like it: This was part of the RNM Big Bang last year and as a fellow participant, I did my best to read and feedback the other submissions, which meant reading something that wasn’t Malex 😂🤯 - suz made it easy, writing a beautifully detailed medieval AU that retold the story of Rosa, Noah, and Max’s S1 sacrifice, through the amazing POV of Ser Liz. This story had everything I love about Liz- her devotion to her family, her bravery in doing hard things, and her love for Max.

Max Evans:

highway to the sun by @angsty-nerd​  (22,236) Noah’s heart is failing, and Max is on the verge of death. His final wish is to see Liz one last time, so he and Michael road trip to Los Angeles so that Max can say his goodbyes. ECHO

why i like it: Another part of the 2020 RNM Big Bang - Instead of a focus on Liz in this Echo story, we’re deep in the psyche of Max Evans, who is trying to tie up loose ends before he dies. I love the atmosphere of the road trip, the sadness of the clock that Max is trying to run out, and the whole Michael/Max brotherly bond in this story. It’s got all the sweet elements of some of my favorite romantic dramas - like “Beaches” or “Dying Young”, but mixed with the sci fi of RNM. Even though it was written pre-season 3, I really love how it ties up season 2 here.

Alex Manes:

i’m just like my mother, we both love to run @meneatyoghurt​ (5,211) After what his dad does, he runs and runs and runs. A look at Alex's relationship with running, from track and field to leaving Roswell. MALEX IMPLIED

why i like it: Alex is one of my favorite characters on RNM, mostly because of how hard he tries in spite of his flaws. I love a good story that focuses on why it’s a struggle for Alex to be present, and doesn’t shy away from the fallout of his actions. This is a gorgeous look into Alex and his tendency to run to feel safe, and how that affects his relationships, and why he wants to stop. I just have a lot of feelings about Alex, especially after reading this.

Michael Guerin : 

looking for yourself out there by @haloud (6,670)  It’s early; it’s a weeknight. Michael can only be here to get blasted or for Marco himself, and both of them know it.It’s been a while since this was a game, for Michael. The flirting he did with Maria was something else, a class all her own. Sex, and the lead up to sex, for the longest time was either life-or-death or it was a helpless, hopeless lashing out for any human contact. (It was either Alex, or it was Maria, or it wasn’t.)So this is nice. MICHAEL/OTHER

why i like it: I privately think hal understands Michael Guerin like no other, and their fic is just a delight for anyone who wants to look under that macho cowboy exterior to see him. One of the things we both agree on as Michael Guerin fans, is that Alex is not the male exception for Michael. And while the show will probably never deliver a Michael/OMC storyline like they have with Max/Jenna, Isobel/Blair, Liz/Heath, Alex/Forrest - that’s what fanfic is for and this story is so satisfiying. If you don’t come away from this story loving Marco and wishing he was real... I don’t know what to tell you. I was so inspired by it, I wrote my own Michael/OMC story.

Isobel Evans:

future starts slow by @foramomentonly​ (4,799) The bartop is sticky, but Maria's skin is clean and soft.This is how it starts. Brushes of fingers as Maria passes over a glass of wine; her cool, dry hand cupping Isobel's wrist as she reads her palm; Isobel's fingertips pressed to Maria's temples, wisps of curls caught around her knuckles as they practice combining their powers. MARIBEL

why i like it: It’s just facts that Maria and Isobel have incredible chemistry, their banter is off the charts, and I love this sexy story of Isobel approaching Maria for more after they’ve been circling each other for a while. It’s a gorgeous look at two strong women who very rarely let down their guards, but for each other, they do. The sex is really hot, but I think what lingers most with me is how this story rewards the swan dive of hope, Isobel after a lifetime of “being who she should be” becomes who she wants to be, a woman who loves fiercely but not destructively. Of course, Maria is no wilting flower here, which makes it all the sweeter.

If you like any of these recs, please leave a comment on the story- a ‘this was awesome’ is enough to propell an author into the stratosphere with happiness, so don’t worry about coming up with a unique, never before shared insight- sometimes a keyboard smash and emogi makes all the difference! 

[salmonthestoryteller]

RNM Season 4 Episodes 10-11

There was a surprising amount of good scenes packed into these two episodes.

I loved everything in the interactions between Bonnie and Dallas. As well as their interactions with Michael. Bonnie and Michael’s hug when he came through the gate especially was adorable.  She's like his kid sister and I love it.

Isobel and Kyle are simultaneously adorable and painful.  Their hug got to me, too. And Isobel looking at his picture on her phone.

More Evans twins - I'm really glad to see their connection brought to the forefront again.

I surprisingly approve of the current Echo plotline despite sort of breakup 4.0 when the alien mist had Dark Liz in control.  The alien mist addiction.  Max admitting he was allowing fear to control him when it came to erasing his powers. Echo has spent a lot of the previous seasons saving each other from one physical threat or another.  But rarely has emotional vulnerability been necessary during that. This current plot is much more about emotional vulnerability for Echo, and I find myself enjoying their scenes.

Rosa continues to be wonderful. I loved her scenes with Liz, but I especially loved her scenes with Kyle.

Malex, what can I even say?  Their scenes were pretty much everything I could have wanted.  Including Alex building a trap that caught Bonnie and Dallas. Lol

And the proposal - of course, the proposal took my breath away. Curious if they are going to have Dallas marry them in the pocket dimension or not.  I kinda want him to just so their siblings can give them a hard time about it later.

Alex dying… I'm kind of on the fence with that one. Seems kinda an unnecessary plot with so few episodes left? But also slightly curious about which deus ex machina we're going for to save him.  Max getting his abilities back, Michael getting to unlock healing; Liz’s alien mist?

I… just can't get into the Tezca redemption arc. It just feels too far removed? I appreciated her as a villain, the threat to the main characters that I felt she was capable of making a viewer feel.  But in a sense, she did not really do enough villainous acts on screen for me to feel attached to her redemption.  Her biggest acts are all in a nebulous past that I don't think the show has taken the time to connect the viewers to enough. Most of our flashbacks were on Earth.  What little information we have from Oasis itself is more legendary than a proper full tale.  And the type of time it would take to tell that full story is too much.  It's a whole separate story by itself. So to spend so much time redeeming a character whose entire story is caught up in a tale we do not and will never fully know feels like such a waste of time that could have been spent on other characters.

And, yeah, I still don't feel anything about Clyde as a villain.  His villainy feels too cartoony for me. I'm kinda waiting for him to tie someone to a railroad track.  But he threatened Liz's student!  Yeah, and? Are we forgetting that our first Villain was Noah and he used Isobel to kill three other teenage girls in cold blood?  And I’m supposed to be all - oh, Clyde is so scary for… threatening to kill one person and shoving Bonnie into a pocket dimension he already knew she could survive in?

Look, under different circumstances - in a different show, Clyde might be scary with his obsession to complete his cult's work. But in this show, with the villains we've had, with it literally being just Clyde against like a dozen people, I just feel more disappointed in our Heroes than threatened by Clyde. Like, seriously guys? Do you need Greg to come shoot someone for you again?

Shivani’s descent into villainy on the flipside has been far more real. Far more human and in the present time plot. I'm pretty much expecting her to be killed, and I will be sorta saddened by that.  But I’m not sure I see a different ending to her arc. Especially now that she's joined forces with Clyde.

[alyblacklist]

Hey!!

I am new to your tumblr but I read your fics all the time (and reread them more often than I should admit lol)

I think you’re really amazing!

I’m so relieved that you answer asks and discuss speculation because I really need someone to talk this through.

So, I have watched a couple of other thriller series along the same lines where the makers don’t have any issues killing off major characters off the show.

There are a couple of things that are happening in this show which I think (and I honest to god hope I’m wrong) are building up to them killing off Ressler.

They get together, they partially admit their feelings (which we’ve been waiting for too Damn long) - so they get closure. Ressler is in the hospital, they show him deteriorating, he goes into v-fib.

And all of this is not that much of a game changer but hear me out. The task force is being dismantled and they need to give the viewers sth that they won’t expect. And bring some new spice in s9. With Liz going full time into crime, it seems a lot easier for them to kill off Ressler.

My only counter debate to my point is that they would have killed him off the moment he got shot (like they did with Meera) rather than show him being treated.

I really need to know what you think. Please tell me he’s not gonna die cause honestly who on earth will watch the show then?

Hi there! I have to say a special thank you to you, @alrightygirl, and to my anon (above) who I have lumped in, for the shoutouts on my stories. I came to Tumblr in the first place during the hiatus between S2/S3 in part because I realized some of my fav fanfic authors (@aussieokie !) were here so I am especially happy to read this.

I'm not sure people realize how much we fanfic writers thrive on feedback, and especially on the multi chapter works we invested so much time into. So thank you, and I have to say I really am looking forward to the end of the season so I can step away from the BTS hunt and my inbox and get back to just creating. Hopefully the writers will leave things in a good place in 8.22 so there's plenty to work with. Ok, on to the substance of your ask and I'll put in a jump because I can already tell this is getting long.

I really do NOT think Ressler will die. I didn't think so before 8x19 and I still don't think so after the "medical drama" of 8x20. Because that's what I think they're doing - they're creating drama because it's the end of the season and they want people freaking out and guessing over who will survive. Call it the curse of cable, or thrillers or whatever, but we as audiences have been conditioned to believe that major characters have to die every year, even if it's pointless.

The thing is, The Blacklist has never been that show. They have killed three "main characters" in the life of the show. Meera in S1 (and I later read Parminder only had a one-year deal), Tom in S5 (with huge fanfare and foreshadowing and an entire "hero" arc following a failed spinoff with a new series eagerly awaiting him at NBC), and Samar in S6 after the actress specifically requested to be released from her contract after S5 and gave them time to write her character an appropriate conclusion arc which also had huge foreshadowing.

Could they go a different route this year? Sure. We're late in the life of the show and twists and cliffhangers and budgets all come into play but the thing is - I just still really don't see it when it comes to Ressler.

For me, the characters' perspective is always paramount. What purpose would Ressler's death serve? It would make Liz more upset (because, you know, Sam, Tom, Katarina, her sister, her whole team weren't enough?). And other than that......?

The audience already knows the gravity of the stakes. So does Liz. So does every other character. The only purpose Ressler's death would serve that I see (and to be clear, I am focusing only on the characters in the show not the irrational fandom hate for his character) is to "punish" Liz more, to make her feel worse about what she's done, to deal another body blow on top of all that she's suffered already.

I don't think Liz needs that. (I'm positive nearly all of Reddit disagrees).

She turned herself in to Cooper because she recognized the bloodshed needed to end after she FEARED losing him. She stayed by Ressler's side and spoke her entire speech in the hearse and by his unconscious side because she can't handle losing him too. This is exactly the scenario the writers teased when Eisendrath teased all those months ago that maybe he would use her feelings for him to get her to come back.

Source (X)

He didn't overtly "use" her feelings in the end because that is not Ressler. He is not that guy. But in the end, her feelings for him were EXACTLY why she turned herself in.

I don't think Liz doesn't need to be punished further or suffer more in anyone's eyes except those who still can't come to terms with her war against Red. I don't think the writers feel that way about her character. To the contrary, they introduced a hallucinated Kaplan to try to give her a pass and also had her give lengthy explanations to both Ressler and Aram defending her behavior. I think from all I have read and seen that the writers view Liz as a victim of circumstances caused by Red - something Cooper has also articulated to Panabaker along the way in defending why Liz has done what she's done under extraordinary circumstances. We can all agree or disagree on the why and the method and the extremes but the bottom line is that I think the writers still view Liz as more "victim" or "forced criminal" than diabolical villain so killing Ressler, on top of everyone else Liz has lost, is just another deep blow on top of all the blows that have turned her into who she is. I think we're past the point that that is necessary and we'll be even further past that point after 8.21/8.22 when Liz learns some truths.

This has gotten crazy long so I'll just add these final thoughts which I have also articulated in prior posts:

- I think if the writers were going to write out Ressler - an original character from the Pilot - they would do so with more hype and fanfare and story than what he's gotten this season. Sure he was present in 8x19 a lot but it was really Liz's story. She was the heroine saving him and moving them from place to place while he suffered. I think the writers have enough respect for Diego to give him at least as much substantial story as Tom and Samar got in their sendoffs if this was really the end. He's a good guy and a good character and he deserves more than for his final moments to be a quiet fade to black in Vfib in a hospital with only Park present (or even Liz present for a final, vague, goodbye). A show that can't do that isn't a show I'm interested in watching, you know?

- his agents congratulated him on the S9 renewal back when it was announced. Hardly an indicator that a major character is getting jettisoned.

-You'd also think, if he was leaving this season, that he'd be doing more to elevate his profile on social media like he did at the end of Homeland to gear up for a new gig. He's done NOTHING.

-Finally, there has been literally nothing in JB's recent interview with The Blacklist Exposed, any of the BTS, the press, the episode descriptions, the crew photos, or anything else to date to indicate that a major actor/character is leaving. I know people can hide the ball but usually in this show, something slips through. So far - nothing. (No, I don't take Megan's thank you's or wrap party photos that way).

Anyway, hopefully we'll all be here at this time next year (or a few weeks earlier if things are back to normal), analyzing S9 and all that has happened. Thanks for the ask!

[my-deer-friend]

Hi!! I am literally in love with your lams art, especially historical since I love historical lams more than anything. But that last one you did of John for the "he ded lol" day literally broke me, ha ha. I literally had to stop what I was doing as that particular one made me emotional-

But I was wondering how long it takes you to complete a piece like that? And what program you use for your drawings/tips? I want to start doing my own lams art digitally now that I have my Wacom tablet but I don't know where to begin and I'd thought I'd ask an expert-

Awww, Liz! That's so incredibly sweet of you to say! My goal as a creator is to make people have Feelings, so I'm glad I managed to accomplish that. 💕

These days I draw on Procreate on an iPad Air with Apple Pencil. It's honestly the best investment I've made in my creativity and I recommend it entirely if you can afford it, but before that I was drawing with Autodesk Sketchbook on my phone and still managed to produce some great stuff and refine my style. And Wacom tablets are great! I'll leave it to others to recommend desktop software but I will say - avoid Photoshop, since it's expensive and clunky for drawing.

A piece like that will take 8-10 hours over several days - the days are important because you need to look away from it and come back with fresh eyes to see the little flaws and bits that look iffy.

Some tips!

Use references. It's not cheating! All artists do it at least some of the time. Eventually you can draw a face out of your head but goddamn I'll never be able to draw a tricorn hat.

Play around with poses, angles, expressions... some artists become perfect at doing a 3/4 profile but can't do anything else, and that's not a good place to be. Yeah, your first tries will look shit. But that's fine!

Do a rough sketch, then put it away for a few hours before you come back to it. The weird-looking things will jump out immediately. (Bonus point 1 - flip your canvas for the same effect.) (Bonus point 2 - ask a trusted friend, not necessarily an artist, to look at your sketch. They'll see stuff you don't.)

For digital - layers. Layers! Layers. Layers let you test out ideas, stack effects on top of each other, adjust lighting, experiment without damaging your existing work, etc. etc. etc.

I really recommend keeping each character's line art, colour and shading/effects on their own layers (in a group - so I'll have a "John" group and a "horse" group), so that you can move the whole character around without damaging the other one.

Play with textured brushes, especially for shading. Skin, fabric, hair, it all has texture, and that's a great shortcut to adding dimension.

Tiny details really matter! Adding a gradient to a background, or a little touch to a face or piece of clothing, or a little extra lighting, really makes things pop out. (Put them on different layers!)

Be inspired by other artists but also allow your own style to develop. It takes time. But don't be afraid to make it uniquely yours.

Just... draw a bunch. Play. Mess around. Trace. Draw memes. Try something new every time, even if it looks wonky.

Oh and, if anyone's interested, I'd be happy to share some process shots as an example of the steps I take?

This is long...! But I hope it's useful. Feel free to shoot me more questions! 💕