#(but you have to have demona i mean. come on)

[servicereward]

the logline for the reboot makes me nervous, goliath being the only gargoyle mentioned by name

[earthnashes]

MORE GARGYOLES AU BAYBEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

I'm holding watch parties on my community discord for the Gargoyles; we're still on Season 1 but even then it's really helping give me some contextual clues I need for building the AU into something more sustainable. I'm super excited to get into Season 2; we'll be finishing off this season next Thursday before we continue on! :)

But ye! For this drawing; an experiment that went a little outta hand, but I'm glad it did. I really like the look of it; giving it some level of polish without resorting to coloring. I've always liked this sort of effect but rarely do I ever do it myself, but I think I'll have to do it more because it was far less time consuming to do! :>

So ye! More lore and brick work is being laid out for the AU, and once again I've written a short story to go along with the art!

For those of you who'd rather skip though, I placed it under the "Keep Reading" line, and for context for everyone here are some AU notes along with a TL;DR summary of what's happening here:

-AU explores the concept of "what if Demona was set onto the path of Redemption?"

-TL;DR for this image: Takes place a few nights after this. Demona confronts Elisa after her talk with Angela. To everyone's surprise it doesn't go south.

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

By all accounts Elisa thinks she should've expected this.

Especially with the life she's chosen for herself: top-rate detective with the highest arrest rate and cases solved on the force. In direct contact with Gargoyles-- literal living legends-- on a daily basis and what that typically entails, from revenge plots to sudden trips through the very fabrics of time. Enemies from all and every side, from supernatural to plain old human to the not-so-human and zealous occult.

And traveling Central Park alone in the dead of night? By all accounts, she should’ve expected this. Yet she still wasn’t prepared for the ambush.

One second she's halfway through the tunnel under the bridge. The next? Shoved face-first into grimy, soggy stone.

The taste of iron is sharp on her tongue as her teeth cut painfully into her lip on impact. It distracts her just enough before she finally zeroes in on the claws closed tight around the nape of her neck, another set digging hard into the leather of her jacket at her pinned wrists, easily piercing the material and biting into skin. She barely has time to gather her bearings before a familiar voice is hissing hot against her ear.

"You are not as clever as you think, detective."

Elisa's heart nearly beats out of her ribcage. "Demona," she breathes, alarmed but by no means surprised. It's been months since the last attempt the she-demon's made against her. Once again, Elisa curses allowing her guard to fall; she should've known it was only a matter of time before Demona struck. No matter how long this sudden bout of tremulous peace has gone.

"What do you want."

"That's exactly what I want to know," Demona drawls, pushing Elisa further into the rough stone. There's a seething sneer in her voice. " What are your intentions with Angela?"

Elisa pauses, her unease giving way to her confusion.

"What?"

Demona responds by gripping tighter, the tell-tale rumble of a growl behind her words. "You know damned well what I mean. It's no coincidence Angela has come to me so freely. Not if it meant lowering my guard; you're up to something." The gargoyle shoves Elisa none-too-gently against the stone again, her threat stark and clear. "And I don't take kindly to the thought anyone using my daughter like she's some sort of plaything--"

"--I'd never--" Elisa starts, offended, but she barely gets a word in before she's cut off with her own agonized grunt. Demona's bodily grinding her into the wall, the rough scrape of stone chafing at the skin of her cheek. She can barely breath with how hard the gargoyle pins her, straining for breath as Demona snarls at her, long teeth clacking dangerously close to her eye.

"Liar!" She barks, and Elisa hears how her tail cuts through the air as it lashes. "It's all you humans are ever good for! Weave empty words into pretty things, only to strike when your back is turned. Angela told me herself what you said, and your words ring hollow. You and I both know you don't believe any of it. What's your game?"

"So Goliath is right, then?" Elisa huffs in lieu of an answer, stilling herself and going mostly limp in Demona's grasp. Her common sense screams at her to struggle, to find an opening and break free... but her gut tells her stay put. Her father always told her to listen to her gut when it spoke, and it's never steered her wrong before. So she breathes in as much as she dares and forces each of her muscles to relax, to appear as little a threat as possible in her position.

Not too hard to do considering the circumstances, but it takes several breaths for her heart to stop trying to burst from her chest. Nor does it really erase the glower overtaking her face.

"Is that it? Angela shouldn't be anywhere near you. Shouldn't be allowed to choose for herself and that it was a mistake to even try to talk to you?"

"By the moon we glide under, I despise you, detective!" Demona hisses, and Elisa doesn't need to see her to know her eyes have begun glowing hot red. "I'm no fool; you view me a monster. You have absolutely nothing to gain from encouraging her to see me. Nothing. So why? What do you want with her?"

"Is it really so hard to believe I care for Angela?"

"Yes." Yet there is some degree of hesitance in Demona's voice when she says it, something Elisa nearly doesn't catch. As if the she-demon almost believes her own answer, but not entirely. There's enough evidence with Elisa aiding her old Clan-- never truly for her own gain -- that brings question to her conviction. "Humans don't do anything unless they gain something in return. You are either after her, my life, or something else." Demona allows Elisa's arm free to rake her claws against the stone of the bridge. It gives way easily as if nothing but dirt, leaving deep divots in a clear display of a threat. "Do not make me ask again."

"Then you're right," Elisa replies easily-- or as easily as her position allows-- and of all the responses she could've gotten Demona doesn't expect that. It's clear in how much she loosens her hold on Elisa in apparent surprise, no longer choking her so much as simply holding her in place now. Elisa's instincts flair then; demand she elbows the she-demon in the belly and get distance, yet even still her gut urges her: stay put.

"I do have something to gain. Angela's happiness."

Elisa doesn’t expect her words to have any real effect. Readies herself for Demona to snap at her again. Force her against the unforgiving stone, have her taste her own blood again, maybe even work up the nerve to inflict the bodily harm she always threatens. This is probably the closest she's gotten in a long while.

But Demona does… nothing. Simply a presence behind her. One simmering with barely held anger and confusion and the weight of her own paranoia. But still as stone—listening-- all the same.

Stay put.

Elisa takes in a shaky breath.

"She's miserable, you know. When the clan speaks ill of you," She breathes quietly, surprising herself with the gentleness in her own voice. "Goliath explicitly forbids her from ever trying to talk to you. He thinks you're a lost cause." It’s not hard to think of Goliath’s demeanor in those moments; regret, sadness, guilt, traces of betrayal and anger whenever he speaks of his ex. He's long since given up on reaching out to Demona.

"And maybe I did too, once. But now, I--"

The look on Demona's face when realizing who Angela was flashes through her memory. The shock, quickly replaced with unbridled joy and hope. Something Elisa was unsure Demona could feel up until that very moment.

"--you could've left us to die by Thailog's hand. You could've ended all of humanity with just a press of a button. But you didn't."

Elisa doesn't mention the sudden lack of schemes against all of mankind. She doesn't mention the abrupt disinterest in attacking the Clan. She doesn't say anything about how--even after all this time, even now-- she is still alive, when Demona has had ample chances to rid herself of her. Elisa is no slouch: she's proud enough to admit she's held her own against Demona a fair number of times. But there were times where only her keen eye and years of training caught the very slight hesitance from Demona when she was all but helpless.

"I don't think you're a lost cause," Elisa says unwaveringly. Nothing in her voice gives way to any underlying uncertainty she has. To the questions she burns to ask—why? What changed? -- but won’t. Not yet. "I have my reservations. But I don't think it's anyone's place to make that decision for Angela. Nor do I think it's fair to rob you of the chance to prove to her you're more than your past."

Elisa hesitates for just a second before she says clearly into the silence of the night, compelled by Demona's uncharacteristic show of restraint: "...I-I don’t think you’re a monster."

I never thought you to be.

The thought comes unbidden, and it catches her off guard at how honest it is. She doesn’t put it to words, only remaining in place and holding steady. Waiting.

Demona still doesn't say anything. Doesn't really do anything at first, but there's a very clear shift in the air, subtle as it may be. Elisa's instincts are no longer in overdrive, no longer in high alert of danger. Somehow  --even in Demona's sharp grasp-- there is no more danger to be aware of.

It's in the way the gargoyle's silence turns contemplative and not a raging storm cloud. In how she suddenly doesn't dig so hard in Elisa's jacket, tucking the tips of her claws safely against the leather and not into delicate skin. The intent is no longer there.

Demona mutters something to herself, low enough for Elisa not to hear what she says, but even with her keen senses it still manages to surprise the detective when the gargoyle simply... moves away.

It's by no means gentle. She abruptly drops the human without any sort of care, allowing her to crumple under her own weight when she finally touches ground after several minutes being held aloft. But the principle still stands.

Demona let her go.

"…I don't believe you," She grunts in a voice filled with scorn, but the usual bite is missing. Elisa allows herself a moment to rub at the scratches and welts those wicked claws left behind. She clears her throat before she chances a glance at the gargoyle and finds her back turned to her.

"I'm not asking you to," Elisa says softly. She eyes the gargoyle warily. "And I still don't trust you. But I do trust Angela. She saw something worth her time in you; the least I can do is support her... and be there if it blows up in her face."

When Elisa finds the energy to stand, she musters up a warning glare at Demona, stance cautious but no less filled with promise. "Don't make me regret it."

The threat behind it is barely veiled, and it must be the right thing to say, because Demona only barely casts a glance her way. Her eyes are hard to read. And despite it, Elisa can see the smallest hint of something in them when forest green sweeps over her, foot to face, the faintest upturn to the corner of her mouth.

"Then we are on the same page."

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

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

For some extra context:

-Demona is referring to how Elisa told Angela that she does actually believe Demona isn't pure evil, or a threat to her. Elisa doesn't trust Demona at all, but she recognizes that something has shifted in the gargoyle, and she knows she would never hurt Angela, so she sets aside her own doubts and encourages Angela to seek her mother out. I have plans to draw and write this interaction in the future so we have more context in this regard!

-Elisa strikes me as the type to be able to see things in varying shades of gray: Goliath isn't wrong in his reluctance to allow Angela near Demona, but she honestly doesn't think her heartless or a completely lost cause. Especially after she learns some of Demona's past

-Demona would never admit this, but she does actually respect Elisa. Much to her chagrin. Unlike most humans whom she barely bats an eye toward, she sees Elisa as her equal in prowess and intelligence, and she hates that she does, but she'd be a fool if she ignored it.

The further I get into the show I'll expand on this idea, but that's it for now. :)

[ideahat-universe]

It all checks out.

So among all this conversation about women looking too manly and how female characters should be designed, I've been keeping quiet on my own personal bugbear.

Monster Girl designs.

I HATE that monster girls are more girl than monster.

It's always 70% woman/girl and 30% monster. Barely enough to look like an actual monster and more like cosplay, like all the female monsters are just humans wearing sexy costumes.

Then there's Ivy from Deadlocked.

Ivy is the perfect monster girl character design.

Let me tell you why.

First off. They gave Ivy a wonderful voice.

As Max from Hotdiggedydemon once said, "The voice of the character IS the character" And we are set up on Ivy's personality where feminine aspects are detected in multiple ways.

Meanwhile, she is a gargoyle, which is a subcategory of reptile, with the gimmick being that it's a monster golem.

Cool, but not a popular trope.

Then again, dragons dominate the reptile group of the furry community. Don't believe me?

Here's a pie chart!

This is part of a larger conversation regarding the homogeneous nature of furry artistic expression.

But I digress. They stuck with a uncommon creature type and then they committed to it with Ivy having no breasts and being ugly.

In fact, Ivy has a similar, goblin like body type as Lexington from Gargoyles

But here's the thing. Gargoyles was a very successful cartoon series so you would think that it has thousands of tags on a gallery site like e621 BUT it's only a thousand less than the Gargoyles general tag (meaning that most of that tag is just that one tv show) but amongst all the characters in that show (that were regularly occurring gargoyle characters)

Ivy is roughly as popular as most of them.

Here's another chart.

Ivy is slightly more popular than Demona.

For reference, here is Demona.

Here is Ivy

Isn't that a fascinating dichotomy? Demona ticks basically every box on being a traditionally attractive character while being visually conservative (can't be too sexy in a children's cartoon), but people are as attracted to her as they are Ivy from deadlocked.

I think it's better creatively to abstain from what comes naturally and try something more experimental. I feel like just because you can draw everyone with a human shaped face, a human head of hair, and stonking great titties, that you should. Sometimes you shouldn't.

But that's just my opinion.

[the-doctor-3000]

HOLD UP!!!

.. You like Gargoyles!?!? 😭 I love that cartoon!

I’d like to sell my soul for an Angst Gargoyles oneshot~ with a half-Human half-Gargoyle fem reader who was adopted by Demona, but ended up trapped in a cursed mirror by a vengeful wizard as a young child, forced to do nothing but watch as her mother become more and more bloodthirsty and cruel towards Humans, as Demona blamed them for Reader’s sudden disappearance… the trapped child always crying and begging her mother to stop..

but Demona couldn never hear her.. eventually when she’s finally set free.. she can’t even look at the woman she once loved and called her mother.. no matter how much Demona tries to speak to her.. Despite reader being free of the mirror, she’s now trapped in the Castle Demona once called home.. with no hope of escape. (Like Repunzal, but more depressing)

Demona in desperate denial that her sweet innocence child truly did see everything she’d done during those bloodstained centuries they were apart..

A/n: I think I overdid it a little with the angst. I'm sorry if this isn't what you had in mind 😅 Also I'm sorry but I used 2nd POV for this one.

Warning: ANGST, no happy ending

You remember the first time you met her. You were barely five years old but you still could remember the day you met Demona. How could you forget? She had adopted you, took care of you when no one else did. 

Not even your biological mother cared as much as she did. Your mother and every human called you an abomination for being a hybrid. Half-human and half-gargoyle. They had never seen something as such and they were already not so fond of gargoyles. You were shunned by everyone in the realm. One day you decided to leave Castle Wyvern only for some human children to come and pick a fight. Just as one of them was about to get too violent, a female gargoyle jumped in front of you and growled at the children. Scared for their lives, they fled, leaving you alone with her. 

She turned to face you and you had a better perspective of her appearance. She had a shock of red hair and pale blue skin and, like every gargroyle, wings. She knelt down to meet your eyes.

"Are you alright, little one?" She asked you. This was the first time someone did something nice for you, that someone cared and asked you about your well-being. You ran to her and hugged her tightly, hiding your face in her shoulder. She was taken aback by your sudden action but she hugged you back and she could tell that you were not treated with any kindness. "I'll take care of you, child. I promise no harm shall ever come to you."

For the first time in your life, you were happy. She raised you like her own child and loved you despite being a crossbreed. The clan did not mind her having you since you were bringing an even better side of her. You'd always stuck to her side like glue and when she had to leave for a mission, you'd stay awake and wait for her to return and tuck you to sleep.

Everything seemed perfect until... Seven years later, you were exploring the forest nearby the castle. You were supposed to be with the clan but your curiosity got the better of you and left without telling them. You stopped when you noticed a camp and hid when you recognized them as the Vikings. There was a man with them. His clothes looked regal, made of a green expensive silk while his hair was black with a few grey streaks. He was saying something that you could not understand. You leaned closer in order to listen. They were planning on having the man using magic in order to take over the castle. He was trying to learn the spell to do so.

Your eyes widened. Sure the humans did not treat you with any kind of courtesy but that didn't mean that you wanted to see them all killed. You scanned the area, trying to find the man's book of spells. You thought that by taking his book would give your mother and the others some time to come up with a plan to prevent that from happening. You stayed hidden in the bushes, your eyes never left the man's figure. When he set the book down and he was out of sight, after making sure that everyone else was asleep, you got out of your hiding spot and grabbed the book. 

Before he could come back, you turned away and returned to the castle. You were shaking and you were holding the book close to your chest. Demona came to you, running and hugged you tightly.

"My darling, never do that again!" She said, shaking a little bit. "I thought something terrible happened to you."

"Mama!" You said as you showed her the book. "We have to inform the others! The Vikings plan to attack! They have a scary-looking guy with them who knows magic! So I took the book!"

Her eyes widened in shock but softened as she gently rubbed your head. "You're very brave, my sweet daughter. Now... Let me take this book to Goliath and tell the clan what you told me."

You gave it to her without second guesses. Little did you know was that it would be the last time you would see her in person. A few days later, the castle was under attack by the Vikings and you couldn't find your mother anywhere. As you were running down the spiral staircase, a hand grabbed you forcefully and brought you up to meet the person's gaze. It was the wizard. His eyes were burning with anger, his lip curled up a little into a sneer. 

"You-- You think I wouldn't notice?" He said and you tried to get out of his grasp. 

"Let me go!" You shouted, hoping that anyone from the clan would hear you.

"No one steals from me, little thief! No one!" He yelled in your face. "But... since you are but a brat, I suppose killing you would be too much." You didn't like it where this was going. With a swift movement of his hand, a mirror appeared beside him. "Naughty children ought to be punished, though."

"Ezra! Stop!" You recognized that voice, you turned to see your mother but the man did not budge and through you into the mirror. When you tried to leave, you couldn't go through as it was now solid. You could see your mother's eyes glow red as she growled. "What have you done!? That wasn't what the captain and I---"

"As you said, Demona, what you and the captain agreed." The man, Ezra, said expressionless. "I never made such a foolish oath. Even if I did, you must know that I do not take it kindly to those who steal from me!"

"Why you little treacherous---" She roared and went to attack him but he disappeared into green smoke. She turned to face you, you had tears in your eyes and were shouting something at her but she could not hear you. Her eyes turned back to normal and she placed her forehead against the mirror. "My darling daughter.... I promise that I'll make them pay. I'll make them all pay."

You stopped for a moment, trying to comprehent what she just said and then you started hitting the mirror from your side. "No! No! Ma, please don't it!"

With tears in her eyes, Demona left the castle with the mirror still there. You shouted after her to not do something that she would end up regretting but she couldn't hear you. You stepped back to have a look at your surrounding; a dark dimension, the only light that shone was through the looking glasses that were randomly placed around the dimension. From those were able to look at your mother. Every time she did anything vile or was about to do, you'd cry and beg her to stop. 

Days turned to months, months to years and years to centuries. Yet you were still were twelve. One day, as you were looking around all those mirrors, you saw a familiar face. Goliath. He was talking to the clan and a strange woman. You reluctantly stepped closer and started banging on it with one hand as you shouted and shook your other hand in order to get their attention. Even though they too did not seem to hear you, they could feel something or someone looking at them. 

"Is that... y/n?" Brooklyn, as he was now called, asked in shock. 

"But how?" Goliath asked as he approached. He put his hand on the mirror. "Who did this to you, little one?" You knew talking to him would do no good since only you could listen. An idea sparked into your mind and breathed onto the glass then wrote down a word 'Wizard' and then you added 'Get me out!' with a distressed look. "We'll do whatever we can. Just wait a little longer."

You nodded in response. You trusted them. You didn't care how long it would take for them to find a way to get you out, just that you'd finally be free from your mirror prison. You were so sick and tired of always watching the person you once called mother turning into a merciless monster. 

A few weeks went by and the clan had found it. You watched anxiously and when you were able to step out of the mirror, you stretched your little wings and looked at your family. Tears welled up in your eyes and hugged everyone there, even the human woman, Eliza Maza. You were free. It felt like a joke. You never actually thought that you'd see the day that you'd be out of that prison of yours. 

"Thank you! Thank you!" You cried as you hugged them, afraid to let go.

For the past few days you were happy. During night Eliza would take you out to see how much the world changed but also help you adjust to this new time period.

At first it was hard, but you managed just fine thanks to Eliza's help as well as the clan's. 

But of course, nothing good ever lasts forever. You and your family were sitting peacefully on a roof until some strangers, to you, attacked. You recognized one of them. Demona.

Her eyes opened wide in surprise but softened as she tried to touch you. "My sweet. Is it really you?"

Flashbacks of the time back to the castle came to your mind and you slapped her hands away angrily with a sneer. "Don't touch me!"

"My darling, it's me. Your mama." 

"You're not my ma! You hurt innocent humans!"

Her lip curled a bit upward but tried to restrain herself as she said. "There are no innocents! All of these filthy humans are the same! Treacherous and deceitful!"

"Then you are no different!" You shouted at her, shocking her. You turned to leave and glared at her over your shoulder. "Don't you ever try to speak to me. I don't know you anymore."

Your words struck her. After this little argument, she tried to approach and talk to you but you'd always turn away from her until one day... she had enough.

When the clan was away, she snuck inside and took you away. You screamed, kicked, shouted and called her names but she didn't budge. Soon you found yourself once again inside a prison. This time it was a different one. It was a tower. A tower of a castle.

No matter how many times you tried to escape, Demona would always find you and put you into your tower.

She refused to let you go. She refused to believe that you had seen what she had done. She looked at her hands and balled them into fists. She growled and punched a mirror. 

[promise-keeper-papyrus]

you do know that the monsters aren’t that flawed right? Except Mabye asgore, most of them were brought up in a world that hates humans? And the fact that people like sans and papyrus who ARENT trying to kill them exist is I miracle!

I mean they all don’t understand frisk as a whole, but in the end they are just trying to make there whole kind happy,

and aren’t humans really the villains for making the spell

ok I’m making a personal opinion chart on how messed up everyone is:

frisk: 1/10

4 of the fallen 6: ?

clover (not me clover): 0.5/10 (sacrificed self for monsters)

integrity: 8/10 (genocide)

chara: 4/10 (bad plan)

flowey: 7/10 (soulless)

Toriel: 3/10 (she has some attachment issues and is depressed, but tried to be good)

sans: Mabye 4/10 (too much to get into due to all the lore so geuss)

papyrus: 3/10 (although smart in some places and Mabye autistic he still does not know what happens when undyne collects a captured frisk, he’s so innocent)

undyne: 6/10 (she’s trying her best to be a hero but is VERY misguided, the rating would be higher if it wasent for geno route proving she can be a real hero)

alphys: 8/10 (almalagamates)

MTT: 9/10 (go get therapy Mettaton murder is not casual )

asgore: 8/10 (he’s flawed, But bears many peoples dreams on his shoulders as he tries to be a beacon for a kingdom, with time and effort he can improve, he wants to be a good person, he’s just far lost)

Average monster rating: 3/10 (all non important ones)

average human rating: 5/10

and keep in mind this is all just from ONE story (two if you count UTY)

thanks for coming to my Ted talk.

About the monsters aren’t that flawed thing, let's both agree to disagree...

Considering that the monsters were trying to kill a child and harvest that child's soul...

And they definitely did it with the previous humans (who could've been lost children like Frisk)...

I get that they were brought up in a world that hates humans, but that doesn't make what they're doing right.

Like for example, the vikings of HTTYD were raised to hate dragons, but Hiccup later realizes that this is wrong and tries to protect Toothless.

And you might be right about the human ancestors that trapped the monsters in the mountain, but how is that Frisk's fault?

How is that any of the previous humans' faults?

Why should they suffer over what their ancestors did?

It's like how Demona wanted to destroy all human descendants over what their ancestors have done...

As for the Integrity Human... What she did wasn't right, however she most likely only did it in self-defense, considering that almost every monster wanted to kill her... She was probably a scared, confused and lost little girl that just wanted to survive and go home...

Also, the souls didn't have to be dead in order to be used to break the barrier; the pacifist route is proof of that!

Even if you're right about the monsters not being that flawed, they still made mistakes and they at least should give Frisk a proper apology, like Flowey/Asriel did!

[the-blind-geisha]

Questions about OCs and stuff

You can find the original file here! I reblogged it super late at night.

Gonna fill this one out myself, because it looked fun!

OC questions:

* Who was your first ever OC? Do you still “use” them? How have they evolved over time?

Oreana was my first ever OC, and yes I do! She evolved from me wanting to write myself in with my favorite fixations to becoming her own actual character.

I could tell as a character she wanted to have the princess title removed, but I refused since I wanted that to be another obstacle for her. XD

2. Who is your newest OC? Why did you make them?

Asther Thyme, my goat OC was one I bought on toyhouse, but newest one made by me is Demiurge turned into a jackal.

I bought the goat because I am trying to rethink about this old idea of mine I wrote years ago as a kid that had more furries in it than humans. Demiurge turning into a jackal was just originally for fun but he stayed after awhile.

3. Biggest self-insert OC?

Oreana. XD; While she's come a long ass way since then, I still feel the parts of me that are in her.

4.What kind of music do your OCs listen to?

There's too many to list. Oreana just likes anything with a good beat, and Ignatius and Demiurge prefer instrumental.

5. What are some of your OCs biggest fears?

Oreana: being used again Ignatius: enduring loss again Demiurge: the loss of himself

Demona: never returning home

Cheshire: Demiurge ever getting his Creator's love when he feels he doesn't deserve it.

6. Do you have any OCs without stories? Will you ever create one for them?

Yuna, Asther, Elasha, and Haruka. Their Toyhouse bios aren't even filled in yet, because I don't know what to do. XD;

And yes, they will! I just have to get my ideas all together first.

7. What are your favourite relationships between your OCs? (romantic or platonic!)

Romantic, mainly because of the lack of love in my life. XD;

8. Do you have any OC family trees?

Oreana does have parents and 2 brothers—as well as an ancestor I can't get into because that's spoilery, and Ignatius has a twin brother.

9. Favourite OC?

It bounces from Oreana, Ignatius, to Demiurge.

10. OC you most struggled to make?

Ignatius. In fact, he went through a redesign about a year—er two years—ago. He originally was just going to look very much like a guy from YYH I loved but a naga, till I decided to make him more like an amalgamation of characters and ideas I loved. Doing that was so much so for the better. As I don't have to feel fixated on the one canon character to be fixated on him.

Fanfic questions:

11. * Sum up one or more of your wips!

Werewolf professor in a fantasy styled Victorian London looks to try and quell the fear over the werewolf curse. It's a commission so I can't really plop too much of it down.

12. Which story took the most research?

Anything from Assassin's Creed. Especially the Victorian London ones regarding brothels, tuberculosis, opium dens, and factories.

Don't get me started on the sex stuff... since that was considered 'prudish', it feels nearly lost to time.

13. Which story has the most lore?

Uuuh... A Love Most Profound and or The Demon King of the Desert, depending what you mean. Both spoke of their beliefs and even had rough outlines of their worlds.

14. Current word count of all your main wips?

I don't think I have any active yet since I'm on vacation.

15. How many projects do you have going on right now? Are there any that you doubt you’ll ever finish?

I have my private journal

A private personal story

In Another Life, We Could Have Been Lovers

Amnesia: A Dreamer's Requiem

An Empty Heart Full of Memories

The Devil After Midnight

The Devil's Tome

Within the Dream Temptation

The Princess and the Dove

I am not sure. I would like to get through all of these, but it's doubtful.

16. What was you first major project? How far along is it?

I guess The Devil's Contract would be considered that. And it's done now at 50 chapters. I was quite happy to have it finished.

17. What are some tropes and character dynamics found in your wips?

Slow burn, soulmates, and just romantic stuff.

18. Describe the setting of one or more of your wips

Horror fantasy of who is doing what and what is happening under the OC's nose, Victorian werewolf fantasy, and murder fantasy with a bit of reincarnation? I guess we'll say.

19. What are some things that inspired your stories? Real events? Maybe a dream?

Dreams more than anything, and if not those, anything I play or watch. Even The Demon King had elements of LOZ in it.

20. What story are you the proudest of? Why?

The Demon King of the Desert. It helped me come to terms with a bit more online trauma, and it seemed to touch a few folks. So I'm happy with it.

About me questions:

21. * When did you start considering yourself a writer/artist?

Artist, I always felt I was one. In fact, I was quite upset when I got online and people preferred my writing over my art. XD But I came to terms with it after awhile. Heck, I realize when I blend the two, people enjoy both.

Writing started to happen the more I wrote stories on websites, and folks came to love them or use them as a means to shoulder through a tough time in their life.

22. What are all the “kinds” of writing/art you do? (short stories, poetry, screenplays, digital, painting, clay, etc.)

I do short stories, poetry, digital art, traditional art too at some points—and sing as well as (kind of) play the piano.

23. Are you in any writer/artist groups? (Ex: discord server!)

Sadly, not really. I get nervous to spread my works to places I'm not comfortable in. But I've heard joining discord servers is a good idea.

24. Do you have/want a career in your medium? If not, what do you do/want to do instead? I would love to publish a book or do a comic of some sort. How I'll go about that, I have zero clue.

25. What’s your favourite genre to write? Is it also your favourite genre to read?

Fantasy and or romance. I prefer to read fantasy over reading romance. I only write romance because of the trauma in my life.

26. What are your favourite books?

The Maze Runner and The Last Unicorn.

27. What are your favourite movies?

The Last Unicorn,Watership Down, and now The Super Mario Brothers Movie (I've watched it like 4 times since I bought it lol).

28. Favourite songs at the moment?

Moonlight Shadow (original artist Mike Oldfield but any artist will do), The Secret of Monkey Island intro melody, and Tombi from Trigun.

29. What was your first fandom you were in? Did you make any art/fanfic for it?

Ronin Warriors, and yes, I wrote and drew for it but ALL that stuff is now archived and lost to time. Lol Well, only gone from the net, really. I still have it offline.

[makiruz]

I see, I see, everyone read All is Mended and decided that was it , even though it really misrepresents Xanatos, according to this story and its sequel, Xanatos chose Owen over Puck because he loved him and no, no, no, absolutely not; David Xanatos is not someone who's gonna pass up a golden opportunity for something as common as love, I mean he accidentally turned his wholeass fiance into a monster to test a magic item, you think he's gonna give up his chance for immortality for a man he's met for 6 months? No, absolutely not. Even if he's developed feelings for Owen he's gonna try to have it both ways because that's the kind of man he is.

Also you forget Xanatos has goals other than immortality, and Owen is way more useful for those things than one magic wish.

And I realize now I probably imagined this line in Gargoyles and I'm taking it from Wish (by CLAMP), but it was something like "Anything I wish I can get by myself, but a collaborator like Owen is hard to come by"; and that sounds so like him, like he believes he can get all his wishes all by himself, but needs the right right hand man

The whole thing is too emotional, too shippy; even Owen feels off. Also, this is nitpicky because not everyone has gone over Greg Weisman site for all info on Owen/Puck, but Owen has worked for Xanatos for at least 15 years; we know this because Owen introduced Demona to Xanatos and this happened in the late 70s and the show takes takes place in 1994, that's a much longer, much deeper relationship than the fic.

Now author, if you're reading this; it's nothing personal, you seem like a cool person and you've written a lovely story, it just doesn't feel right to me

[artistic-calathea]

Pain

It's all worth it for my babies

My stupid little babies :)

Gap it/they made of shadow emo shy but cool when you take the time to get to know them

- Gap & Pyro r besties Pyro helps them to open upand have fun:3

Satellisa :D she/her made of metal 90's themed outfit very positive and bubbly

Solar! She/they/it made of fire wears exclusively summer clothes silly when not stressed and busy always in a hurry

-solar, shiny, sparky have a sibling relationship (shiny is very much themiddle child)

Shiny she/he made of organic material comfort over style very tired usually off on their own monotone & bored energy

Aster he/him made of fire & rock wears whatever he feels like wearing stressed never slows down obsessive cares a lot about everything

- Aster & Sparky are dating - Aster & Pyro have a sibling relationship

Sparky they/them made of shadows wears very flowy soft clothes has their head in the clouds sweet charming

Luna she/it made of organic material dresses elegantly very regal acts like she thinks she's better than you but not in a mean way it just is better than you

- Luna is married to Ocean (ocean is a water goddess whose design is bringing me much pain.)

Flora she/her human wears anything with flowers on it Earth representative lots of hippie energy always brings flowers to the others very kind and understanding probably the group therapist

Pyro it/its made of fire mischievous a goofy little guy even

There's also these guys that may or may not be part of that same universe? It's God and the devil and their stupid little children Demona & Angel (+ rainbow designs)

Also this dingus. Im not sure of much with his design but he's a cloud that changes type based on his emotions and I love him :)

Im probably gonna make these guys a comic or something eventually since animation is pain but uhhh most of em aren't done yet and I'll probably come up with some other shit for it or another project so who knows if they'll be back :)

K BYEE:3

[thenightling]

The fifty-or-so-year history of the pop culture Gargoyle

What are Gargoyles?   This is a post for new Sandman fans.  

Gregory and Goldie are dog and puppy-like Gargoyles.  

The original meaning of Gargoyle is a water spout with a demon-like figure carved into it, usually on churches and cathedrals such as NotreDame in Paris.  Though they resemble demons they are said to ward off evil spirits and scare away cowardly demons who mistake the creatures as being like themselves.  Some demons are apparently afraid of other demons.

The ones that don’t spout water are called Grotesques.  

In 1969 Cain became the host of the House of Mystery horror anthology comics, starting at issue 175, The Gift of Doom.  He was DC’s equivalent to EC comics’ own Crypt Keeper.  Cain raised gargoyles.  The versions of Gargoyles in his story were the stone statue kind but they would come to life. At the end of the story Cain kept one of the little statues, a baby gargoyle, whom would appear in later issues by the name of Gregory.  

Gregory was sweet, dopey, and very dog-like.  Cain even kept a box of treats for him. Gregory resembled a giant lizard or small dragon, and he could fly, but he had dog-like mannerisms and behaviors, and dog-like eyes.

In 1972 a low budget horror film was made called Gargoyles. The film featured actress Grayson Hall (Dr. Julia Hoffman in Dark Shadows).  In this movie the Gargoyles were humanoid and could speak.  

In The Sandman issue 2, published in late 1988 (though dated 1989) Cain (of the old House of Mystery horror anthology comics) gives Abel, his brother, a gargoyle egg, which contains the tiny Golden Gargoyle, Goldie.

Both of these versions of gargoyles (The House of Mystery / Sandman version and the version from the 1972 film) may have helped inspire Greg Weisman’s Gargoyles created for the Disney TV series of the same name in 1994. This version established a lot of rules people follow with Gargoyle fiction today. 

In Disney’s Gargoyles the Gargoyles were mostly humanoid, with Bat-like wings, looking vaguely demonic but actually noble, honorable, and with a natural sense of justice and an inclination to usually fight evil.  Much like humans though there are exceptions, usually caused by psychological trauma such as with the character Demona.  

The Gargoyles are humanoid and resemble a cross between a person, a dragon and a bat.  In fact the castle where the main gargoyles resided in the show was called Wyvern Castle. A Wyvern is a two legged, smaller, dragon.    

Later in the series you see that Gargoyles from Japan are more serpent-like, and ones in England have features matching a lion, a unicorn, and a griffon.  Later, in the Gargoyles tie-in comics, a stag-like Gargoyle would be introduced as part of the English clan to be the romantic interest for Lexington of the main clan of Gargoyles of the series.  The Gargoyles have no concern about sexuality.  Lexington was the first confirmed gay Gargoyle of the series. 

And there were two non-humanoid Gargoyles in Disney’s Gargoyles.  These were dog-like Gargoyles very similar to Gregory from The House of Mystery and later Neil Gaiman’s the Sandman comics.  These were Bronx and Boudica.  Much like Gregory in The House of Mystery they are very dog-like.

The consistent traits of Disney’s Gargoyles were that they turn to stone by day to rest and replenish their energy.  It’s an involuntary transformation and they are vulnerable while stone.  They lay eggs and yet the humanoid females have mammalian breasts. 

The versions of gargoyles in The House of Mystery / Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman have no such daytime limitations.   However they do share similarities to the dog-like Gargoyles of Bronx and Boudica of Disney’s Gargoyles.   

In 2014 the horror film I, Frankenstein was released in which, centuries ago, Gargoyles were sent to Earth to act as opponents of the forces of Hell.  The Creature from the Frankenstein novel ultimately chooses the side of good even though the gargoyles are at first mistrusting of him and the way he came into being.

The Gargoyles in I, Frankenstein were humanoid and could fly like previous versions and much like the superstition tied to the actual architectural gargoyles, were there to fight the forces of Hell.  However in I, Frankenstein they could shapeshift to human form and their wings transform into apparent capes or cloaks in their glamoured disguise.

Though their wings don’t transform, the gargoyles in Disney’s Gargoyles wings can fold over their shoulders like a cape.

[princesssarisa]

Ebenezer Scrooge and Heathcliff for the Character Ask Game

-Ebenezer Scrooge

one aspect about them i love: That in his old age, when anyone would expect it to be "too late," he gets a second chance not only to be a better person, but to be happier than he ever was before.

one aspect i wish more people understood about them: He's neither a criminal nor a fair, reasonable man at the beginning, and just because he isn't the former doesn't mean he's the latter. He isn't a crooked businessman; everything he does is within the law. He's just the ultimate unfeeling conservative. But neither is he in any way a good employer to Bob Cratchit just because he doesn't criminally abuse him. The threat of Tiny Tim's death shouldn't be brushed off with "19th century families usually lost a child or two" and "It's Bob and Mrs. Cratchit's own fault for having too many children" – talk about missing the point!

one (or more) headcanon(s) i have about this character: He's going to live longer than he would have lived if not for his redemption – far past the time of his death shown in the Christmas Yet-to-Come vision. Now that he's not a miser anymore, he'll take better care of his health, and now that he has friends, he'll have people to take care of him if he ever falls ill. He'll also be happier and have more will to live.

one character i love seeing them interact with: The Ghosts. They tell him exactly what he needs to hear and the vulnerability they draw out of him is the key to his character.

one character i wish they would interact with/interact with more: Tiny Tim. It's no wonder that adaptations so often give them interactions; Tim is so important to Scrooge's transformation, yet in the book they never directly interact apart from the narrator saying that he became a second father to the boy in the end.

one (or more) headcanon(s) i have that involve them and one other character: After his redemption, he'll reconnect with Belle, and while they won't become a couple again (especially not if her husband is still alive), they will be good friends.

Heathcliff

one aspect about them i love: The delicate balance the narrative strikes between creating sympathy for him and never excusing his horrible actions.

one aspect i wish more people understood about them: That he's not a dashing romantic hero, but not a one-dimensional monster either, and just because he isn't the one doesn't mean he has to be the other. Also, he's not white.

one (or more) headcanon(s) i have about this character: Isabella is the only woman he ever sleeps with, and only to produce an heir. He never had off-page sex with Cathy I, as much as some people want to think he did at some point or other, and he has no interest in sex with any other woman.

one character i love seeing them interact with: Nelly. It's fascinating that he confides in her to the end, even when they're not allies anymore, and our greatest insights into his character come from what he reveals to her.

one character i wish they would interact with/interact with more: Hareton. Next to Cathy I (and not counting his hated enemies), probably his most important relationship is with this young man whom he reluctantly comes to care for, and Hareton is the only person besides Cathy I and her father ever to give him unconditional love. It might be nice to see more of their one-on-one interactions.

one (or more) headcanon(s) i have that involve them and one other character: He secretly blames himself more for Cathy I's death than he'll admit. That's part of why he hates his son – he knows that if he had never pursued Isabella, then Cathy I would still be alive, and Linton is the living symbol of that union. By outwardly blaming only Edgar, Cathy II, and Cathy I herself, he's basically acting like Demona from Gargoyles: "What have I... what have they done to you?"

[theliterarywolf]

Can someone at Disney explain to me why, out of ALL the villains that you could recontextualize into sympathetic anti-heros, you picked the puppy murderer who wanted to skin adorable innocent animals into coats? Like say what you want about Maleficent and how it's ruined Disney and Hollywood as a whole, at least she didn't perform animal cruelty!

Silly Taka, no one at modern Disney can think more than two moves ahead. They needed a girl-boss anti-villain! Could they have created a new one and had their first new merchandise mascot in almost a decade? -- when I say 'Merchandise Mascot', I'm referencing characters that are plastered onto so much merchandise that a good percentage of the population hasn't even seen the original films they come from, i.e.: Jack Skellington, Tinkerbell, Stitch -- Yes, but that's haaaaard~

Anon said: To be fair they could pull a maleficent and have this be an alternate timeline where she doesn't become a villain and skin puppies for a coat and they just chose cruella for the aesthetics. Or maybe they'll have the cruella personality somehow split off and whatever her actual name will have to fight her to keep the dogs safe god that dropped my iq typing that

People keep telling me that that's close to what they did... Which leads further into my frustrations of 'Disney, do something original for fuck's sake *looks at Raya* Not like that'

Anon said: Not only do the dalamations actually kill Cruella's mom, they did it in the stupidest way possible. Do they bite or maul her to death? No, one of them jumps on her and pushes her off a cliff and into the ocean.

Well, I mean, everyone knows that an average of 3 British middle-aged women are killed by level 20 Dalmatians using Tackle every year. It's common knowledge, anon, gosh.

Anon said: Just to play De Vil's advocate, her Stepmoms death isn't actually used to justify her puppy hatred, in fact it's not even really connected to why she wants a dalmatian coat, she's shown to like them towards the end of the movie, though with the implication she still wants to skin their babies for fashion. Imo the movie was pretty fun and she's still very much a villain protag where that scene is really only meant to further her grudge with the Baroness. The scene is still stupid though.

Okay, even if I tried to look at this through a similar perspective of someone like Wolf from Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts where a character is actively wearing the pelt of something that tried to kill her as a symbol of 'Fuck around and find out', it still feels like they handled it in a clumsy way here. Especially with 'Oh, I feel no grudge towards your kind... But I am still going to commit a crime against your species in the future, so keep an eye out~'

More and my responses beneath the break

Anon said: Actually if I had to say a few things about Cruella it's that it actually never delves into why she's so obsessed with furs. Fashion yes, but not furs specifically. General consensus I've heard though is that the movie could've been a really good standalone unconnected to any prior ips.

THAT'S ALL I WANT! FOR DISNEY TO JUST MAKE NEW IPs! I wouldn't care so much if we were following a murderous girl-boss anti-villain as long as we're not trying to woobify a pre-existing character who is already evil for evil's sake!

Anon said: Hey, since we're all collectively ragging on Cruella, thought I'd share something I stumbled on during a 2am YouTube crawl. Some dude on YouTube made a fake trailer for a theoretical Live Action Origin Movie about the dude that shot Bambi's mom

... As bad as this is for me to say, I wouldn't actually be opposed to watching a film following a guy who has essentially lost everything (job, family, house, etc.) and is living as a hermit in the forest. One day he happens upon a clearing full of animals and he needs to stock his rations for the upcoming winter and he manages to snag a doe.

Of course, as he's retrieving his kill, he sees the poor, now-orphan fawn looking at him in fear and horror before it bounds away into the woods. The rest of the movie is about the hunter trying to survive, thinking about his (mankind's) place in nature and just how much he should be taking and hurting to justify his own existence. The climax of the movie could be the fire but now written as a forest-clearing event that takes out the hunter's shelter and meager possessions. As he's trying to see what little can be saved, he hears a crack. Immediately grabbing for his gun, he takes aim and sees a buck. However... As both man and animal stare each other down, the hunter recognizes the buck as the same scared fawn from all those years ago.

And, thus... He lets him go. Bambi turns away and guides his family away from the burnt remains of the woods, and the hunter finally decides to go back to the city to try and rebuild a life without encroaching on the natural world.

Or something like that.

Anon said: You know who's actually a well written, sympathetic, female Disney villain, Demona from Gargoyles. An animated series from the 80s did a better job at giving a reason for being a villain than "wah, my mom got killed by Dalmatians but I'll still adopt them and use faux fur." I might even say Eclipsa from Star vs was a better "villain" than 2021 Cruella. I put " " because Eclipsa didn't really feel like a villain, more of a morally grey character IMO.

Sad to say, I doubt Disney will ever give us something in the same vein as Gargoyles anytime soon.

God... *holds back a scream* Season 4 of Star vs. would have been so much better if we just focused on Eclipsa and the other Queens of Mewni! Why couldn't Seasn 4 of Star vs. focused on Eclipsa and the other Queens of Mewni!!

Anon said: I feel like you probably could do a decent Cruella movie. A young woman starts her career in fashion at the bottom with earnest intentions to make an honest living. Heck she could be against fur in the beginning, but finds that she has to compromise more and more on her ethics until her rise to the top were she has lost all of her morality and no longer recognizes the person in the mirror. At that point, she's too far gone, and in the pursuit of even higher fashion heights, is willing to make a coat from puppies.

Anon, are you in my head? Because that's close to how I rewrote the premise of a movie like this when the trailer first dropped.

[twistedtummies2]

31 Days of Disney Villainy - Starting Line

When Halloween comes around, one of the first things I think of are Villains. And, when I think of Villains, among the first kinds of Villains I come up with are the Disney Villains. Perhaps this line of thought is only too appropriate: Disney seems to have marketed October as their “Month of the Villain,” as every year it seems to be Halloweentime when their cavalcade of crooks and creeps seems to hit their full stride. They take over the parks, and tons more villain-themed merchandise is made in the months leading up to Halloween than any other time of the year. So – just because I can, basically – I’ve decided, for a bit of fun, that I will use this Halloween season to create a sort of “Halloween Advent Calendar,” themed around the best of the worst that the Wonderful World of Disney has to offer. Every day of October, I’ll be counting down my Top 31 Favorite Disney Villains, with my 31st favorite being named on the 1st of October, and my Number One being named on Halloween itself. Now, I’m posting this post ahead of time not only to let you all know this, but also to set a few ground rules, so you know what to expect and what not to expect. The fact of the matter is there are TONS of Disney Villains. Not only that, but there are very, VERY few Disney Villains I outright dislike. From oneshot whackos to the big boys and ghoulish gals they push like mad, there is a precious small number of villains the company has concocted that I don’t have at least a small soft spot for. Disney also has such a massive hold on our pop culture in general, it’s hard to gauge just what qualifies for a Disney Villain or not. So, to make my own job a lot easier, there are three basic rules. Rule One is that I will ONLY be counting villains from Disney’s core canon of (currently) 58 Walt Disney Animation Studios Productions. 58 feature films gives me more than enough material. As a result, this means you won’t be seeing villains from direct-to-video spin-offs (no Zira or Maestro Forte), TV shows (no Varian or Demona), cartoons & comics (no Pete or Phantom Blot), video games (no Xehanort), live-action-focused productions (no Captain Barbossa or Judge Doom), Pixar movies (no Syndrome or Randall), or any of the various pre-existing companies and franchises Disney has effectively commandeered in recent years. (Don’t expect Loki or Kylo Ren to pop up anywhere.) There will be ONE – and ONLY ONE – exception to this rule; I will not say who it is, what kind of exception they are, nor where they place. Rule Two is that I’ll only be counting ONE villain per movie; some of these films have more than one antagonist in them, after all, and I feel it would be cheating to count multiple villains from the same film anywhere. Once again, there will be ONE exception to this rule (well…technically two, if you count the Honorable Mentions), but no more. The Third and Final Rule is that I won’t be counting Henchmen/Minions; characters like The Hyenas, Smee, LeFou, Flotsam & Jetsam, or Iago will not be counted. However, I WILL be counting secondary antagonists – villains who are not the central troublemakers, but do leave an impression, and are not working directly for the main villain, though they might or might not interact with them. Having said all that, tomorrow I shall post a quick list of Honorable Mentions: An Unlucky Seven Villains who ALMOST made the cut, but didn’t QUITE manage it. (Well…eight, again, technically, but…details, details.) I hope you’ll all join me in having some Halloween fun in this crazy, crazy time! And if any of you are inspired to do something like this of your own, be my guests. ;) Welcome to 31 Days of Disney Villainy!

P.S.: Just so you all know here, just because I’m doing this DOES NOT mean I won’t be doing any more of my usual writing for this site. I’ve got four pieces in the works, and several others planned for the future, and I’m not running out of ideas any time soon. I’ll make sure to have at least a couple of things for you ready this month. ;)

[the-blind-geisha]

angel sb mc 🌌✂️🌟

Thanks for the ask! I'm still trying to put together thoughts for her story, so bare with me... xD;

What was the inspiration behind your oc? what was the first thing you decided about them?

So, Demona (I'll start calling her) is a weird one. I actually had ideas about an SB OC prior to ever feeling comfortable about writing/drawing the ideas for Overlord. However, I never felt like I could really put anything out there that would be interesting, so I just turned her into a blank insert.

Being I love the whole angelic, holy being either being corrupted or falling for something demonic and sinful, it was easy to decide her race when I saw angels were considered heteromorphic in Overlord.

I knew she was going to be originally with Ulbert, as I adore his design as much as I do Demiurge's, but I wanted her to kind of suffer the same I've always felt with long distance relationships. People just either falling out of love via frustration of not being able to be there with their lover day in and out, taking them away from the means of which to communicate, ect.

The first thing I ever decided about them was their character race. Everything else has yet to flow into a cohesive story I can possibly, maybe...probably put together down the line. xD; We'll see.

What is the “last straw” for them to cut someone out of their life? how easily do they let go of people?

Not easily... lol

I will say this: we don't know what happened where Ulbert is concerned, but in his final hours, it is obvious he left for reasons he couldn't say or control.

Some of those could have been he was too stressed and not mature enough to continue in a relationship with someone dying slowly from cancer on top of worrying when he'd next see her again outside the gaming world.

There is probably a part of Demona that believes he left because the love died, and he was too scared to tell her to her face. Regardless, she tricks herself into believing that's not the case and to keep holding onto his memory best she can until she can hear it from his own mouth.

The last straw would be any person hurting someone close to her. Not really them hurting her by any means. She can deal with far too much emotionally till any straw is broken.

What do they think about when they look at the night sky? is there someone they want to star gaze with?

How horrible her true world is. She loves her new body and the new world she's in, but hates the responsibilities that are coming with it.

But when she looks at the night sky, she's grateful that, in all her years, she was blessed with the sight of the stars just once.

She wishes she could with the guild again. Ulbert, especially.

However, since he's not there, she often asks the NPCs to just indulge her, I wager. Demiurge is the main one to do this for obvious reasons. lol

[paintedrecs]

I was going to name a different one, but: the scene between Owen and Demona at the beginning of "All Is Mended" chapter three. :-D

That’s 800 words, so you’re cheating. Also what other one were you gonna name hmmmm.

For this meme.

Excerpt from this fic. (Gargoyles, Owen Burnett/David Xanatos, 11k, Owen POV, canon compliant.) Discussion under the cut.

“I don’t understand you,” Demona said.

Owen watched her approach; he’d heard her glide down to the castle but hadn’t bothered to move from his seat on the edge of a wide stone wall, overlooking the bright lights of the city stretching out far below. She was an ally for the present, working with Xanatos on his latest attempt at immortality. That didn’t mean Owen trusted her.

“You’re not human,” Demona said, folding her wings as she perched beside him—graceful, and dangerous, but not someone he wasted effort fearing. “Yet you act like one. Why.”

“I made a promise,” Owen said. He could’ve left it there, but he swept a sidelong look at her, then added, dryly, “Perhaps you need the word defined.”

“Funny,” she said, in a tone so casually uncaring that he could tell he’d poked at a particularly tender spot, one she’d spent centuries ignoring.

“So I’ve been told,” he said.

Demona’s lips pulled back slightly as she spoke through her fangs. “That’s what I mean, Puck. Why do you persist in masquerading in this skin, when we both know who you are?”

“I’m Owen,” he replied, adjusting the glasses that had slipped a little down his nose. The frames didn’t fit right around his ears anymore; he should have the screws tightened, when he had the time.

“You’re pining,” she spat, as though she’d never heard a fouler word.

That, he hadn’t expected. He didn’t bother denying it; Demona was many things, but never a fool. “I don’t see what relevance that has to you,” he said. “You wish to gain immortality; I’m doing my part. Owen is perfectly capable of playing his role.”

“And Puck has powers Owen could never dream of.” Demona tilted her head, watching him thoughtfully. It was unpleasant, but he let her eyes scrape over him. “When you were last in your true form, as Puck—” she began.

Owen let out a sudden, scoffing breath. “When you held me in chains and made me do your bidding.”

She shrugged, lightly. “You said something to me then. You told me that if I wished, you could make Goliath love me again. Was that true?”

“I bend the truth,” he said. “When the mood strikes me. I do not lie.”

“So it was possible.”

“Yes,” he said. He narrowed his eyes at her, unsure where she was heading. “Titania’s mirror is beyond your reach now. Even if you had it in your grasp, you know full well I wouldn’t carry out the wish the way you wanted.”

“Because you’re a trickster,” she said, with annoyance that bordered on grudging respect. It was clear that she hadn’t often run into someone who could best her. “But my point, Puck, is that you have this power. You could make David Xanatos love you.”

Owen’s lip curled in disgust; he turned away from her.

“Don’t pretend you have a human’s misguided sense of honor,” Demona chided, human sounding like the darkest expletive she could harness. “You’ve done worse, over the centuries, as have I.”

He didn’t bother dignifying her with a response.

“Answer me, Puck,” she demanded, then, dripping with disdain, when he remained silent: “Owen.”

“You think ill of humans,” Owen said, each word precise, biting. “You blame them for all your errors, for the foul deeds only you were responsible for carrying out. You think yourself above them, and you assume that I, as someone who has lived far longer than you, who has seen worlds you cannot fathom, will treat humans with as little esteem.”

Demona rose to her feet, towering over him, her eyes flashing red in fury.

Owen cast her a look that carried the full weight of his contempt. “Yes, I have the power to do as you say, and far beyond that. What you don’t see—what I suspect you’ve never seen—is that forcing someone to bend to your will is meaningless. All it does is show how weak, how petty, you are.”

Demona hissed at him, but did not approach. She unfurled her wings, and as she dropped from the turret, she cast back her parting shot. “You should know, then, that Fox is pregnant.”

“I know,” he said, to the now-empty sky. He watched as she followed the currents across the city, well past the clock tower where her former love resided, no longer thinking of her.

Xanatos hadn’t told him yet, but Owen was familiar with the signs. He’d seen, too, the way Xanatos had grown more careful with her, how his hands would instinctively stray, now, to her waist, her still-flat belly, not yet swollen with life. How he looked at her, with a light in his eyes that would’ve burned one less worthy to cinders.

“I know,” he repeated quietly and, adjusting his glasses and briskly dusting off his suit, returned to his work.

Commentary! Oof we’ll see if this gets long. Character limits on twitter make it easier to be concise. And please please let the read more actually work this time, tumblr.

So this is actually one of my favorite parts of that fic.

In general, I reach an Avoidance Point with my own writing; I edit obsessively, post, edit the posted fic a little more, then panic and stop rereading it. If you don’t check your bank account, it’ll never be empty. If you don’t reread your fics after you’ve posted them, you’ll never find out that (a) they’re terrible (b) there are a dozen more areas that could use more editing.

Nevertheless, I’m still, I think, really proud of this one. This particular section isn’t something that’s terribly new for me, not like other parts of the fic that stretched me beyond my usual comfort levels, but it is an interaction between two characters I’d never written before.

I’m really pleased with Demona’s voice here. The way she spits out Owen’s name, the hatred she shows for anything human, her very dubious (and self-centered) morality, the hints of lingering heartbreak over Goliath, her deep confusion over Puck choosing to take on human form. It’s the worst curse she can imagine - and since this scene takes place after “The Mirror,” you’ve seen how horrified she is at seeing herself as a human, a “gift” Puck bestowed upon her so she won’t turn to stone during the day.

Demona pissed Puck off, so he gave her what she asked for, but at a price he knew she would absolutely despise.

But Puck loves being a human. He loves being Owen. It’s something Demona can’t ever understand, and here she’s trying to, as much as Demona ever tries to truly understand anything that doesn’t directly benefit her.

Why would Puck spend his days in a form where he doesn’t have ready access to his exceptional powers? Why would he allow himself to continue serving a human - when he broke away from her so quickly, so easily? Demona might occasionally work with Xanatos, but she doesn’t like or trust him, and she’d readily destroy him alongside the rest of humanity, after she’s gotten what she wants/needs from him.

Why would Puck fall in love with a human - something that’s become obvious even to Demona, from working alongside the two of them. Worse: why the hell won’t he do anything about it, when he clearly has the power to make Xanatos do whatever he wants?

These were all questions I wanted to pull out of the story, and Demona - as someone who actually knows who Owen truly is - was a natural choice to press hard for some answers.

I layered a bunch of stuff into this interaction, but here are three main concepts:

1. Love isn’t selfish.

I don’t think Puck would’ve actually cast a love spell on Goliath if Demona had asked - not without throwing in a few twists and tricks. But the fact remains that he could have, and that it would’ve been comparatively easy. Demona didn’t ask for and didn’t really want that, but she did love Goliath for a long time, as much as she’s capable of loving anyone, so that offer would stick with her.

And Demona...well, Demona already used one free-will-spell against Goliath, so it’s not like it’s an idea she’s entirely adverse to.

Owen, on the other hand, would never consider making Xanatos do something against his will. (This is, in fact, something he and Xanatos share - Xanatos’s immense caution against pushing Owen into something he might not want contributes to that stupidly long gap before they resolve their relationship.)

If Xanatos doesn’t love Owen, that’s his choice. Owen is heartbroken about it, and he’s out here on the rooftop indulging in some quiet reflection on how it feels for a human heart to shatter, but he’ll shake it off and go back inside before long. Demona’s an unwelcome intrusion, and he’s understandably sharp with her.

2. Puck is a trickster, not a villain.

I have a lot of thoughts about Xanatos, too. While it’s not entirely relevant to get too into depth with here, I do think that a huge part of Puck’s attachment and loyalty to Xanatos comes from the fact that Xanatos is fascinating - not dull and full of preachy speeches like Renard - without being actually evil.

Demona is interesting, sure - she’s lived a long and exciting life - but Puck would never, ever willingly serve her. She’s selfish. She’s cruel. She’s vindictive. Puck doesn’t want to destroy humanity; he likes humans. He likes Xanatos best, yes, but he enjoys being in this world with the rest of them.

In the City of Stone episode, Owen stands toe-to-toe with Elisa and says, “Mr. Xanatos is trying to fix things. What are you doing to help?”

And that, I think, is the crux of the relationship between Owen and Xanatos. Owen sees Xanatos’s delightful trickster spirit, and he also sees the good in him. They’d both upend a city but would be careful to put it back to rights if things went too far. Demona would gladly stand back and watch it burn to the ground.

Demona can only see reflections of her own cruelty now. She hates humanity because they’re the easiest target to blame for her own flaws. Owen sees humans’ complexities and loves them for it.

And because he isn’t truly human - because he’s a fae who’s wandered the earth as long as Demona has, and has lived longer, with a much wider perspective on the world and all of reality - he has no reason to listen to her petty whining. And she might actually, for the barest moment, listen to what he says to her.

Of course, she has to get in one last dig before flying away in her usual dramatic huff, but he already knows that, too. Demona can’t hurt him; Owen made his own choices, knowing the consequences. And, unlike Demona, he’s willing to live with those consequences without trying to reflect the blame elsewhere.

3. You can choose your own identity.

Demona has very rigid ideas about...well, about pretty much everything. Humans are bad. Gargoyles are good. (As long as they side with her.) Her human form is something that’s useful to her now, but she’ll never stop loathing it or wishing she could shake it off.

She thinks everyone sees the world the way she does, and she assumes that Puck is (a) not entirely happy being trapped as a human, chained to Xanatos by a contract, like she attempted with the mirror (b) “pretending” to be someone else when he’s wearing his Owen shape.

But what I wanted to show throughout this fic is that Puck is Owen. And that even a fae subject to Oberon’s Rule can choose his own identity, his own name, his own place in a life that he wants to lead.

At one point here, Owen refuses to respond to Demona until she calls him by his proper name. She spits it out, hating it, but he’s already told her once that’s who he is. He gave himself that name; it’s the one he wishes to use.

Owen was born into a specific life. This life - with Xanatos, as Owen Burnett, glasses and suits and clunky flip phones and all - is the one he’s chosen for himself. And he’ll do everything in his power to keep it.

[citrus-cactus]

Ooooof, sorry for the long ramble, but I've been thinking about this post for a while, and it took me a while to respond! I've been champing at the bit to do another Macbeth-only rewatch (hopefully soon... those screenshots aren't going to take themselves!!).

I'm honestly still trying to sort out my feelings on "Pendragon," because it's just never been that strong of an episode in my opinion. Backdoor pilot plot, pretty "meh" animation, the Manhattan clan is just kind of "there," things that should be interesting and exciting (the Lady of the Lake lives in Central Park, Macbeth does a fair bit of magic, and a dragon, apparently??) feel very rushed, the action is not well-choreographed, and overall there's just not enough "good" to make up for the episode's flaws (sidebar, but I actually think this episode does become a bit more interesting from a lore perspective now that the Dark Ages comics exist. I'm not sure if you've read them so I won't spoil anything, but the final issues did made me go "huh!" in a way that is relevant to this episode).

Second sidebar, I am sorry for being critical of this episode if it actually is someone's favorite! It's just always been a bit of a slog for me, and I think that's mostly down to some plot and pacing issues. I do like Griff pretty well, though!

But, going back to the criticism: Macbeth. It's TRULY unfortunate that this is his last significant appearance in the series proper. He leans pretty heavily into (as Xanatos once put it) 'cliched villainy,' with his "mwahaha I will have this power for myself" thing (I mean. He doesn’t actually “mwahaha,” but hopefully you know what I mean). I DO think it's likely he's in the habit of collecting certain artifacts and magical items, for 'this might be useful down the road' and 'if I have it no one else does' sorts of reasons (I actually have a hypothesis about why he was interested the Scrolls of Merlin specifically, in "Lighthouse," when he thought the scrolls were actually magic spells). But yeah, why was he so fixated on this harmonic convergence thing, particularly after the events of "Sanctuary?" Buddy, what are you even DOING with your life right now?? I do think you're right, in that even HE doesn't know, and he's looking for a purpose/still recovering from having his heart broken and being massively betrayed by Demona, YET AGAIN.

I do kind of love that, once it becomes all about the sword, he ends up being all "yeah, why ISN'T this referring to me?" in regards to the 'timeless king' stuff. Because him being the (former) King of Scotland DOES very much seem like a point of pride for him, and why he turns down Arthur's offer at the end. This man has not been an active king since 1057 AD and yet he still (in some part) thinks of himself as one? I find that fascinating and I do actually love that for him (also YES, "Macbeth, Son of Findlaech!" He IS proud of where he comes from!!). I also imagine that pride complicates his idea of serving a (former/once/future?) King of England in such a direct capacity... even Arthur, who he respected as a legend. From Macbeth’s perspective, it’s easier to idolize a legend in the abstract than it is to accept that Arthur is alive and awake and doing his own thing in modern times, in the same world that Macbeth inhabits.

I also love in "Avalon" Part 2, where he and Arthur square off. Up to interpretation, I suppose, but based on how Macbeth and Demona talk to each other in "High Noon," I don't think it was part of the Weird Sisters' spell that made him say the things he was saying to Arthur. There's a part of Macbeth that wanted to fight him and see how they compared! And he doesn't even remember that he already had that chance! Sad (and maybe even sadder that he was bested—twice! ;_;) But he doesn't lose respect for Arthur, even though, at the end of “Pendragon,” his pride is a bit wounded. But apparently Macbeth and Arthur do meet again in the SLG comics from the early 2000s! They're f... they're friends, maybe, a little bit? I want to read that issue SO BAD just to see if there’s any more context to their conversation. But they do seem to share a little "immortal king support group" moment, at the very least!

So yeah, believe it or not, I am trying to think about this episode in a more positive light (or at least, with a different lens/more granularity than I had in 1997), and talking through it helps! I hadn’t thought about the Demona/Macbeth parallel in regards to wanting things but maybe not fully thinking them through, but that does seem to be on display for Macbeth here! And "destiny exists, but it means nothing for him." …Oh. Oh NO!!!!!!!! But... yeah............ T^T

I’m endlessly watching all the Macbeth centric episodes because I cannot stop

The city of Stone arc is a favorite of so many, and after you know his backstory it just makes everything about Macbeth fascinating to me.

In Pendragon, we see Macbeth challenge King Arthur, a figure that he presumably respects given his admiring speech about Camelot in Lighthouse, and it feels so far from what medieval Macbeth world do. I think that’s why most people took issue with this episode after seeing the person he was in City of Stone, not to mention after Sanctuary after Goliath helped him out of that bind with Thailog and Demona. Past Macbeth probably would have leapt at the chance to help Arthur reclaim Excalibur (although after he became King perhaps his support would have been measured), not covet the sword for himself.

What did he even want the sword for, anyway? I doubt it was to be the one true king (though I love that moment where he declares himself as such shouting “Macbeth, son of Findlaech” — he still takes pride in being his father’s son 😭). He clearly saw a moment of hope when he realized he was a “timeless king”, a chance that maybe after 900 years his existence would finally have a purpose, finally mean something. Like Demona, he is so lost to himself in some ways he doesn’t stop to think about why he wants it or what he’ll do with it once the power he’s after is his, he just throws himself at it headfirst. (It reminded me a lot of the moment in Mirror after Demona successfully summons and chains Puck—she spent so much time planning to steal the mirror and summon him and she still hadn’t bothered to think of what she’d wish for! She had to stop and think about it! Girl.)

Poor Macbeth doesn’t know what he wants after City of Stone or Sanctuary — he doesn’t want to live but doesn’t necessarily want to die anymore, he found love but it was a trap, destiny exists but it means nothing for him.

Someone get this man an immortal therapist or like one friend

[mad-madam-m]

M watches Gargoyles s2e21-42, aka The Arc That Never Ends

*sings* Yes it goes on and on my friiiiiiiiiiiiends

Y’all have probably noticed the, uh, lack of gifsets and meta over the past week, mostly because I’m on the arc known as the Avalon World Tour and my God it lasts forever. So I’ve mostly been trying to get through it as quickly as possible, which is much easier when I’m not pausing every 5 minutes to yell at @paintedrecs.

It’s not bad by any means (although there are a couple of episodes that make me raise an eyebrow), but it’s also very Goliath-centric and while I don’t hate Goliath by any stretch of the imagination, he’s also not really my favorite character, so this many episodes focused mostly on him and Elisa is uh. A lot.

HOWEVER I’m finally frigging done with this arc so here, have my thoughts in no particular order:

This show discovered one (1) action camera angle with a fist coming directly at the camera and they are going to use it, by God.

If I gif anything from this arc it’s absolutely going to be every one of these scenes.

Relatedly, Bronx is the Best Boy and he will make the most of his one single move of tackling the bad guy and ripping off their hand/arm/leg/face, and it’s glorious.

If I gif anything else from this arc, it’s going to be Bronx.

“Constantine will hunt me to the ends of the earth”/“Then I will take you beyond them” is the most romantic exchange in this entire series and no I will not take criticism on this point.

I fucking hate the Archmage with every fiber of my being and I hate that an entire episode was focused on his time jumping but “What have you achieved? You beat up a beach” is the funniest line in the entire series and I literally had to stop the show for a solid 5 minutes because I could not stop laughing.

On the one hand I was disappointed that the Weird Sisters’ 1000-year plan for Demona and Macbeth was centered around something as petty as revenge, but on the other hand, they’re fae and I can absolutely believe that they would be that petty.

I will never, ever be over the way Goliath just shoves the boat with Demona and Macbeth out into the ocean like “get it away get it away get it away.”

The Pack continues to have the creepiest fucking episodes oh my God.

The noise of outrage I made when Jackal and Hyena showed up in the Amazon, holy shit. THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD. I HAD HOPES FOR DEAD.

This means Wolf is probably alive somewhere and words cannot express the level of lip-curling disgust I have for that.

Dingo redeemed himself and made a new friend and that made me happy because he’s apparently the only one of the Pack who isn’t absolutely insane.

Fox’s cute pink maternity clothes while she’s working on an evil villain scheme are A+++. 

You just know she was on the phone with Xanatos within half an hour of that episode ending going “David you are not going to believe who just showed up in Australia to screw up the Matrix project.”

On the one hand, I was like “hey it should be obvious that Anastasia and Titania are the same character because they’re both voiced by Kate Mulgrew” but then I remembered Michael Dorn did Coldstone and the bull security guard from the New Olympians so uh. No, that was not as much of a clue as one would think.

The Anansi episode reinforced how much I do not like spiders.

Elisa calling Goliath “Tiny” and his irritation with it was hilarious. 

Really, show? Aliens? Aliens?

Brooklyn being literally the only character going “hey maybe we shouldn’t let the dude responsible for, like, a solid 75% of the shit we have to stop on a monthly basis know that Goliath and Elisa are missing?? Maybe??” like my God dude no wonder Goliath picked you.

Hudson’s proud papa look when Brooklyn finally stepped the fuck up to lead properly healed my entire soul.

I spent a lot of time during Kingdom shouting “Derek what the fuck are you doing” which was a nice throwback to my days of watching Teen Wolf.

I didn’t believe it was actually Xanatos for the first half of Cloud Fathers; I was convinced it was going to turn out to be another robot or something because I don’t get to have nice things during this arc.

Okay I take that back, Owen with his shirtsleeves rolled up and his tie undone, late at night in Xanatos’s office, was a very nice thing.

That being said, if I never see robot!Coyote again, it’ll be too soon.

Trickster!Coyote was my favorite, though.

I wondered how they were going to end up in a desert when they’re on a boat and then Avalon deposited them in the University of Flagstaff swimming pool and I just have this image of that poor skiff throwing up invisible hands and going “NEEDS MUST I GUESS.”

I spent an entire episode very vocally and creatively judging Halcyon Renard, which I would not have done had he not spent his first episode bitching about how awful Xanatos was, and then proceeded in his second episode to do exactly what Xanatos would do in the same situation. Twit.

I got really excited when Vogel was on-screen for about 0.5 seconds because I thought it was Owen and then my brain registered the hair and glasses and my hopes have never been crushed so quickly.

Me @ the episode with Odin: OH HEY Goliath does know how to laugh maniacally!!

Me: I have concerns that I will not want to punch Oberon enough to warrant writing this future fic I’ve been plotting for months Oberon: *is on screen for about two minutes* Me: Never mind I want to do all the punchings

Relatedly hey I found Oberon’s theme song

“Because when push comes to shove, I will kill your friends and family to remind you of my love.” Can anyone confirm that this is the plot of The Gathering because based on the like 20 screenshots I saw before I ever watched the show I assume it is.

The screenshots also told me that Oberon is basically an extremely jealous boyfriend who is pissed that his ex moved on when he was the one who dumped them in the first place and I’m going to be lowkey disappointed if this assessment turns out not to be true.

I’m gonna find out tonight EITHER WAY.

Stay tuned for our next update: “M watches The Gathering and probably expires from feels because she finally gets to see her favorite character again”