#AND THEN THE CHARACTER CREATION?!?!?!?!?!?!?

[carolofthebell]

I think we can acknowledge that most games presume a level of physical fitness and dexterity that well exceeds the average human’s.

[vampiric-arts]

Telling my kids that these were Gomez and Mortica Addams.

[catie-does-things]

Better comparisons of world building in Narnia vs Middle Earth have probably been written but here's mine:

C.S. Lewis does world building that is more plot driven. We learn things about the world of Narnia as the main characters learn about or experience them in the course of their adventures. This works because the main characters are usually outsiders to the world of Narnia experiencing these things for the first time, like the reader. (And even Shasta, who is from that world, spends most of his book getting into novel places and situations for him, so the same principle applies.) Because Lewis is writing for children, he is more sparing on detail to keep the story moving along. But the details he does include are always with an eye to sparking the reader's imagination. The sea people, the underground realms, the various mythical creatures - all are fantastical and strange and create the impression of a world full of unknown wonders at every turn. Father Christmas is real, because of course he is real, to the childlike imagination.

J.R.R. Tolkien does world building that is more driven by the sheer joy of what he most enjoys writing about. Much of it is plot relevant of course, but a lot of it really isn't - and that's by design. He's showing you his favorite things - languages and poetry and mythic history - and saying, "Look how wonderful they are!" He's writing for an adult audience, so he can afford more leisurely detours. He name drops mythic heroes and references which, if you want to read all of his legendarium, will make perfect sense - but even if you don't, they are usually understood by the characters who inhabit Middle Earth, and create the impression of a world that is ancient, rich in history, and full of meaning. Every seemingly extraneous detail speaks to the superabundant love of the creator for his creation.

Both are 10/10 no notes, I love these nerds.

[myfaenwy]

i was very, very pretty

"People die rushing. You have no idea who I am. You need to be more careful."

DIEGO LUNA as CASSIAN ANDOR in Andor, Season 2 [2/4] 2x04 — "Ever Been to Ghorman?" 2x05 — "I Have Friends Everywhere" 2x06 — "What a Festive Evening"

[aromanticduck]

Fun tip: if a piece of media ruins (or just never develops) a character who had great potential, you can create the version of the character that you wish they could be as an OC. Put that bitch into witness protection and give them a new identity!

[creatingblackcharacters]

Writing Polls Notes #2

‼️Number of Submissions Received:‼️

246 submissions!

‼️Number of Submissions co/authored, co/directed, co/screenwritten or co/produced by Black creators:‼️

A whopping.... 17.

6.9% of creations that involved Black people at the narrative helm. Let's talk about it!

The submissions with Black creators involved: Addy (American Girl), The Woman King, Legendborn, Static Shock, Circle of Magic, Grey's Anatomy, Nope, Wendell and Wild, Dread Nation, The Residence, Wakanda Forever, Bridgerton (TV), The Old Guard, Moon Girl (TV), How to Get Away With Murder, and Lou's 2 Dimension 20 characters

*I am not perfect with numbers and given the amount received, I may have missed some, so please let me know!

(Bridgerton and The Residence are Shondaland like Grey's and HTGAWM, so I included them.)

It seems despite this being the fandom website, y'all don't.... there was a lot of not seen😅 Don't get me wrong, it checks that everyone doesn't watch the same things, so of course there'd be a large number, but...

Well, it means we REALLY don't consume media made by the very demographic we're discussing! Part of that is due to what's emphasized in media, what receives funding and advertisement and support, but... Still. So many white and nonblack creators of Black characters, and then we notice how the trend generally leans mid to negative in these polls 😅 That's something we might wanna consider, especially when I say "study Black creators if you want to learn how to write us well".

I spent a lot of time waiting and wondering if anyone was going to submit any media made by Black people, resisting the urge to submit things myself so as to prevent a bias or artificial push. There were so many characters from "Black movies" I would have posted... But it didn't really feel like anything y'all have watched was culturally ours 😅 So I decided to create another series of polls and... Well 😅

Can you guess which is which 😅

I see that I should have made them equivalent measurements now, to better see this, but like... 😬

And to be fair! I myself shocked myself at how little of my own media I had consumed versus mainstream media. It bothered me, especially because I knew of the movies and hadn't seen them yet. It's something I want to set about fixing. It is clear that we could all use some more Black movie nights!

I also noticed that there was a small pattern of self back patting when I posted the "how many of these have you seen" polls. This wasn't about you feeling good about yourself lol, it was about recognizing that there's an entire subgroup of movies that you culturally would have never had put in your face because they weren't centered on your identity. "I don't watch movies, I've only seen four ever in my life" and of those four, how many had well written Black characters? How many were movies written by Black people? The question remains! Just because you watch less TV, doesn't make the TV you watch any less lacking in diversity. As always, I think we need to get out of that mindset of "whew I checked the list, I'm not racist" and focus on "here's this pattern I never noticed and should start".

[chocoyautja]

Introducing my girl Da'dtou-di (Little Knife) to the story soon. She's a baddy. She enjoys long walks through the battlefield and a floral arrangement of your bones in a vase. Thanks 😊 🤸🏾‍♀️

Coloring coming soon...finishing it up on my livestream next week.

Hehehehehheee

Hahahahahaaaa

Muwhahahahaha

Heh

*screams*

[queernobi]

This is insane to me, not because I'm shocked by it or hate it, but because I've been spending weeks wondering why Ken was so recognizable to me (beyond him sharing a lot of aesthetics with monster-type characters from the 90s, especially those created from costumes and props), and it's only now that I finally realize it's from this Dinosaurs show.

Hello The Gaslight District community

[miglaitu]

Peak character design

[delilah-briarwood]

Commission of my dnd crime syndicate, the Horned Guild by the incredible @baronmpontmercy (details about the members under the cut)

Mistain Horlir (He/Him)- The Faded Light: Fallen Aasamir, Echo Knight Fighter: Master of Whispers

Amerys Lockborn (She/They) - The Devil’s Blade: Zariel Tiefling, Swashbuckler Rogue: Assassin

Jan Flint (He/They) - The Serpent’s Smile: Half-Elf, College of Eloquence Bard: Thief

Artoria Barriurden (She/Her) - The Lady of Shadows: Drow, Way of Shadows Monk: Political Saboteur

[weirdmarioenemies]

Name: Scribblenaut

Debut: Scribblenauts

Scribblenauts is a game about everything! Everything's in there! Well, a lot of things are. They don't have Earthworm! What's the deal with that? Trying to summon an Earthworm will spawn a Tapeworm instead. I know it's a lot of work to add so many assets to a game, but I would really expect Earthworm to be added before Tapeworm, you know? It's a much more beloved worm. But I'm not complaining, just musing! Most games don't even get one tapeworm. I don't even get one tapeworm. Some people get all the luck!

It's very possible that you could have played Scribblenauts before, yet have never seen this character. And yet, this is The Scribblenaut! Is this who this is all about? No, it's not. But once upon a time, it would have been!

The Scribblenaut, as we know it, is a design that was originally worked on with the intention of being the game's protagonist. The Scribblenaut would have traveled across planets, helping their inhabitants, hence the name! This kind of roboty astroguy is a very Me design, so of course I would have been just fine if it ended up being the hero! However, the game's concept shifted, and with it so did the design. Any semblance of a story was removed, and you know what they say! "All's well that macks well"!

They say this because now Maxwell was the protagonist! While I love Scribblenaut, Maxwell is a really great design, and a great main character. Human and relatable, though with a rather eccentric outfit, and an iconic little smirk. This kid has the ability to do anything, you'd better believe he'd at least be MILDLY cheeky while doing so!

And that was the end of Scribblenaut (character)'s story, over before it ever actually began. Like it was absorbed by a twin in the womb. But this was only the beginning of its implications!

This here wispy-doodle is called monstermagic! It's formatted in game with an @ in front, but I don't want to ping some random blog that has not posted since 2014. (On that note, 2014 is closer to this blog's creation than the date of this post's publishing is!) Monstermagic comes from the monstergun, and these things have weirdly formatted names because they are not meant to be used by the player, who cannot type @ signs using the in-game keyboard. With some sufficient sneakery, though, the player can spawn these objects, including monstermagic, which transforms a human into a random monster on contact!

Why is this relevant? Because Scribblenaut is one of the possible monsters! This is no mere human in a suit, this is a CREATURE, some kind of alien or robot or who knows what. That's awesome! The one downside of the design was the implication that there might be a boring old human in that suit, but we know that is NOT the case! It's even in the "Mythical Creatures" avatar pack in Scribblenauts Remix, alongside other creatures, such as Mime.

Despite this, there is still the implication that one can Become a Scribblenaut. The 100% completion reward in the first game is the Scribblenaut as an avatar, as if Maxwell finally attained this elusive rank! Though, it seems like over time, this concept faded away, and "Scribblenaut" took on a less formal definition, with Maxwell's entire family being referred to as Scribblenauts. Perhaps the real Scribblenauts were the random kids who stole our identities and relegated us to mere cameos along the way...!

[kindaasrikal]

When it comes to elemental masters, the only generations that have ever been spoken about is the current one, and the one before them. Their parents. (Except in seabound)

Surprisingly enough, we have never heard even a peep of any of the other generations or groups of elemental masters until Ninjago Monstrosity (and seabound, but that was the first ever elemental master of water which isn’t an element of creation, but is still interesting seeing as its the first one to ever exist at all, but then she merged with the ocean so), where one of the characters clearly states “I will not fail another fire wielder twice.” Which implies that they have once met another master of fire before (presumably not the first, but definitely one from a long time ago) in the land that they are in.

It’s very likely that this fire wielder had existed generations before Kai or even Ray had from how its all being set and written. And honestly i am so excited by that concept because i want to learn more about who the first few masters of each element were, how did they wield it, how did they earn it? Unlock it? What were their histories and adventures and is it equal to the current generation? Were they greater? Equal? Lesser?

Now going onto another thought I’ve had.

This is all being set straight after the merge, and assuming that this land came from another realm, how did this previous elemental master end up there and likely end up dying?

I wonder if they received help from the fsm, or if they brewed the tea themselves, or were they born nearby? If its the last one than was this realm in ninjago, since the elements at the time had only ever went to citizens of the realm of ninjago and no others until after the merge. I wonder how the fire master before Kai ended up in that strange realm/land filled with monsters, and what exactly their fate ended up being.

Anyways look at these cool shots of Kai in the trailer you can barely see him but at the same time you can as well? It kinda reminds me of that scene in Lmk when baby red son was being consumed by the samadhi fire.

Edit: correction the elements WERE in other realms it’s just that they tended to go to people in ninjago more often than not. Zeatrix was an elemental master even before the merge. Sorry guys 😭

[meanbossart]

Some more asks about Izzantar and Grodderick!

Some general Insight about their relationship can be found here, the two paragraphs below concerning their dynamic specifically:

Grodderick and Izzantar are, in a lot of ways I suppose, the opposite of DU Drow and Astarion; bedroom habits included. While the protagonists of this blog have no particular dynamic that they stick to, the latter have roles that they feel most comfortable in and rarely abandon them, which is also perfectly okay.

Izzantar likes to be taken care of in bed. He prefers a partner who takes responsibility into their own hands and do what they want, when they want it. If he's unhappy with something, he will voice that discontentment; but he will be the unhappiest if you constantly seek his approval or guidance to do everything. As a male drow who was popular with the matrons, this is probably a dynamic he grew used to and feels at home with. If he's bedding with you, his body is already yours and you can do with it what you will. He also bottoms 100% of the time and is pretty indifferent to the involvement of his own genitalia in the endeavor, and the more time he spends away from drow and the Underdark, the more he settles on taking care of that part of the exchange himself.

Grodderick as a man is pretty malleable, but he fits into Izzantar's preferences fairly well as someone who is very confident in bed, and will happily take the wheel. Ironically, while Izzantar perceives himself as being extremely easy to please, Grodderick thinks otherwise - the drow expects a lot of particular behaviors out of the half-orc without actually voicing those preferences beforehand, like the taking of absolute control, apparent disregard for his own pleasure and overly rough play. Like I said, Grodderick is confident - but he's not an arrogant asshole or somehow unaware that he has at least 200 pounds on the drow.

But through communication everything is possible and the two do reach a kind of middle ground. By the time they're married, Izzantar is a much softer, less demanding person, and Grodderick has grown to understand that his requests for egoism are very much still for his pleasure and comfort.

Game Izzantar came after the creation of the character, and by then I did already have a voice-claim in mind (Thomas Brodie-Sangster! After puberty, obviously.) I picked BG3's Voice 1 for him which honestly I find quite similar LOL so either one works!

He does! VERY rarely, however. He usually looks either completely stoic or a little pissed off, but a little 😏 isn't so rare. He also laughs, believe it or not. That said, big ol' earnest smiles are indeed rare, and probably something he reserves for private moments. It's not really a response to his negative life experiences as much as just a personal quirk - he has a minor facial tick and I think being overly aware of his facial expressions became a habit because of it.

I might change this in the future, but at least as of right now he never takes any steps to change his physicality nor does he ever see what he is doing as "changing" anything in the first place, if that makes sense. He presents female, his husband calls him wife, people assume that he's a woman and are never told otherwise. In regards to his voice, he speaks a little softer in public but mostly I just like to think that voice pitch wouldn't be particularly demonstrative of sex or gender in Faerun.

[johannestevans]

It's the weekend!

In the mood to curl up indoors in front of the fan and have a bit of a read?

Here are a bunch of essays to read through and chew on.

A list of recommendations to start with - 50 movies and shows that feature men who love men.

I’m just in the mood for a movie with gay (or bi) dudes! — A rec list that mentions 50 movies, all of them with men who love men.

The Wicker Man (1973, dir. Robin Hardy)’s Spit in the Face of Cops and Colonialism — As we've come into May, it's been a great time for a rewatch of the folk horror classic The Wicker Man (1973) - here's a review diving into The Wicker Man's anti-cop and anticolonial sentiment in the course of its horror, and the way its protagonist is no hero.

What’s In A Uniform? — Let's talk Star Trek - uniforms, colonialism, and imperial attitudes that are reflected in the United Federation of Planets insistence on maintaining a space naval force in Starfleet, and each show's approach to orders and authority within their ranks.

The Real Harm in “Harmful Content” — We live in a time of rising fascism and reactionary responses to the unfamiliar - to queer and trans people going about our lives, to TV and film, to anything and everything. People are always pearl-clutching about "harmful content" on our screens…

How do we analyse text and fiction, delve into it and really get a handle on what it's saying? How do we find and interpret meaning within a piece of text - how do we read it closely, for better discussion and analysis?

Going back to core skills here: Close Reading: A Deep Dive Into The Process

Yentl: A Trans Man Studying Talmud is Distracted by Gay Thoughts — Talking about Barbra Streisand's Yentl in comparison to Isaac Bashevis Singer's original short story, Yentl the Yeshiva Boy - a transgender Jew eager to study scripture is distracted by gay thoughts, and who amongst us would not be distracted by Mandy Patinkin?

In the mood to stay inside and so something OTHER than watch movies? How about some private, dedicated time for… self-improvement?

Let's talk masturbation! Ringing The Devil’s Doorbell: A Light-Hearted, Practical Guide — Let’s talk sex! Vulvar and vaginal stimulation for fun, pleasure, and profit.

The Joy of Trans Creation — On the liberty of making unapologetically transgender art.

Who said that? Dialogue Guide — 8.5k. Crafting unique, distinctive voices for each and every character.

[lvebug]

TIPS FOR INTERACTING WITH MULTI-MUSE BLOGS:

it's okay to just write with one or two muses! especially when there are a lot of muses, it can be overwhelming. pick one or two that you and your writing partner will focus on developing more. these will be your Main Guys. it doesn't mean you'll ignore everyone else, but it will help give some focus. nobody is expecting you to write with every single muse on a multi

send in headcanon question asks for characters that you are not writing/plotting with as well. pick a character that the mun writes frequently, or one that you know NOTHING about and send in random questions for headcanon memes when they come up. they don't have to be characters that you want to/plan on writing with, but branch out and give the mun a chance to write about their less-loved muses

give options. if you haven't plotted yet or aren't sure who you want to write with, or just can't decide, list a few possible character options that you may want a meme or starter to be for. meet your writing partner halfway

utilize your drafts as a bookmark. see a memes list on your dash but don't have the time/energy to pick different muses to send prompts for? save the memes to your drafts and come back to it in a few hours or days when you have more spoons

be open to learning! multi-muses give the chance to discover all new characters and dynamics that you might not otherwise consider or know about. learning about new muses is one of the best things about the rpc and shifting your attitude to just be not only open to, but also excited about, learning about your friends' creations can make the rpc a much more fun place

remember that multis overall get less attention. so put in extra effort interacting with their posts so that they know they're loved just as much as solo blogs!

multi-muses have and always will be a staple part of the rpc and it's past time that we start focusing on them as we should. yes it can be difficult and overwhelming at times, but it's also worth the effort to interact and to learn about the muses featured on multi-muses. don't ignore our friends in the rpc just because you have to spend a few extra words to specify a muse.