#BB Events

[mimikyuno]

YOU DONT UNDERSTAND SHE WAS READY TO TELL HER!! SHE WAS FINALLY FEELING ALMOST SAFE ENOUGH TO BE ABLE TO COME OUT ON HER OWN TERMS TO THE ONE WHO HAS WAITED BY HER SIDE, PATIENTLY WAITING ALL THIS TIME. YOU DONT UNDERSTAND SHE THINKS IT’S ALL RUINED!!!!! SHE HAD A TASTE OF REAL SISTERHOOD AND FEMALE FRIENDSHIP AND BEING ONE OF THE GIRLS WITHOUT ANY “IF” AND “BUT”. YOU DONT UNDERSTAND SHE IS OUT TO PEOPLE WHO LOVE HER ALREADY. AND SHE IS OUT TO TRANSPHOBIC ASSHOLES. SHE KNOWS THAT HER DEAREST FRIENDS WILL LOVE AND ACCEPT HER AND UNDERSTAND HER BUT SHE CANNOT TAKE THE CREEPING DOUBT THAT THEY’RE JUST BEING KIND OUT OF PITY AND ACTING LIKE NOTHING’S DIFFERENT WHEN TO MIZUKI EVERYTHING’S CHANGED!!! BECAUSE NOW THEY KNOW TOO AND SHE CANNOT TAKE THE THOUGHT OF THEM NOW NOT SEEING HER AS A “REAL GIRL”, AS HER BULLIES PUT IT. YOU DONT UNDERSTAND SHE TORE THE DRESSES AND BROKE HER MIRROR AND BLINDFOLDED HER EYES. SHE IS THAT REPULSIVE!! WHY COULDNT SHE BE BORN A “”REAL”” GIRL!!!! YOU DONT UNDERSTAND SHE WAS SO SCARED OF THEM FINDING OUT, ESPECIALLY ENA, AND NOW ENA FOUND OUT IN THE WORST WAY POSSIBLE!!! YOU DONT UNDERSTANDDDDD SHE WAS SCARED OF COMING OUT BUT ALSO IT WAS EATING AWAY AT HER AND MAKING HER DISTANCE HERSELF FROM THE REST OF NIIGO AND IT WAS ONLY THROUGH ENA’S KINDNESS AND INSISTENCE THAT SHE WAS ABLE TO NOT DISTANCE HERSELF COMPLETELY FROM THE OTHERS, BUT THAT ONLY MEANS THAT NOW IT HURTS THAT MUCH MORE TO LOSE THEM!!! AND LOSING THEM NOT EVEN BECAUSE THEY REJECTED HER BUT BECAUSE SHE REJECTED THEM BEFORE SHE COULD EVEN FACE THEM!!! YOU. DONT. UNDERSTAND. SHE IS GONE FROM THE REAL WORLD, SHE IS DEPICTED LIKE SHE IS ABOUT TO BE HANGED, BLINDFOLDED, OFFERING HER NECK, DEFEATED, AS THE LACES SHE SO CHERISHED FORM A LOOP IN THE FOREFRONT OF THE ILLUSTRATION, AS IF THEY ARE HER ROPE. SHE IS DISSOCIATED AND SUICIDAL AND IS ISOLATING HERSELF. YOU DONT UNDERSTAND SHE WAS ALWAYS SMILING AND PUTTING ON A BRAVE FACE – ALWAYS READING THE ROOM AND HELPING ENA, KANADE, AND MAFUYU WITH THEIR STRUGGLES, BIG AND SMALL, SIMPLY BC THEY WERE HER PRECIOUS FRIENDS!! YOU DONT. UNDERSTAND. SHE WAS ALREADY SUICIDAL IN MIDDLE SCHOOL, WHEN SHE WAS REPRESSING HERSELF AND REJECTING HER TRANSNESS, SHORT HAIR AND MALE UNIFORM. NIIGO WAS THE LIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT!! NIIGO WAS HER ANCHOR AND HER SAFE SPACE!! WITH NIIGO SHE COULD JUST BE “AMIA”, A GIRL, AND MAKE MUSIC AND FILL WITH LOVE AND WARMTH THOSE ENDLESS NIGHTS. SHE TRANSITIONED AFTER NIIGO GAVE HER A FEELING OF PURPOSE, “AH, LIFE IS WORTH LIVING AFTER ALL.” AND IT’S ALL GONE NOW. SHE SAW ENA’S SHOCKED FACE WHEN HER CLASSMATES OUTED HER WITH THEIR TRANSPHOBIC JOKES. IT’S ALL GONE. IN AN INSTANT. “DONT LOOK AT ME”. BUT ALSO. “DONT LEAVE ME.” GODDDDDD

[hanase]

I suspect everyone is going to draw (and rightfully so), amazing images of them being in love. It's what they deserve! So as a token of my appreciation to everything I love about these two, I am finishing the event with them having fun and being competitive and "fighting" and being just happy with each other. I am sure Katsuya is always thrilled to help Seto have fun and feel ok doing silly things and I am also sure Seto is grateful to be able to smile with him, fully aware of how he can enjoy himself and be loved because he deserves to be happy and have fun spontaneous moments with someone he knows will always try again, be there, no matter what.

[oya-oya-okay]

kuroXtwst

[bonefall]

Hey, what makes a character a 'plot device but not a character'? And how do you not do that? I'm trying to do it on purpose but also I need to still make them interesting because it's on purpose, yknow?

A good skill to pick up is to learn to criticise criticism itself. A "plot device" is simply a thing that moves the plot along, it's a neutral literary analysis term! Usually, when people are angry that "a character has been used as a plot device," it doesn't mean they hate plot devices. It means they're gesturing at something deeper.

Runningwind and Bumble are equally plot devices in their deaths. They are both killed by the antagonist to escalate political tension. Runningwind is rarely "accused" of just being a plot device, and yet, we're talking about Bumble for the same thing.

So, why?

Well, Runningwind is just a background character, but in life, he was a part of the community. He was characterized as impatient but responsible. Yet, he wasn't SO important that he died with a bunch of unresolved plot threads.

He is mostly an extension of the entity of ThunderClan. His killing by Tigerstar, and the fear and paranoia that settles on the group after this, feel like a progression of the story insteas of something forced.

Bumble, on the other hand...

Is hated immediately by Gray Wing, when she's established as Turtle Tail's friend. Bumble's abuse at Tom the Wifebeater's hands invites even MORE investment. The rejection is shocking and upsetting. There's a story there about our main characters being imperfect; jealous, bigoted, and judgemental.

But, she is simply killed off. Everything they set up for this character is gone with little personalized fanfare. It's not a tragedy with a lesson about cruelty, or something anyone regrets.

It's just... plot. Gray Wing whinging that no one will like his shitty brother now that his body count is 2.

More than that, in the discussion of women in particular, "Fridging" was coined to give a name to the way women characters often don't get their stories told at all. There is a CULTURAL trend of female characters facing disproportionate violence, for the sake of advancing male plots.

Bumble has a lot going for her. Petal had a lot going for her. Turtle Tail had a lot going for her. Bright Stream had a lot going for her. When they died, they took their potential with them.

It's not always wrong to kill off a character of high potential, mind you. In Gurren Lagann, Kamina's death is sudden and shocking, leaving a massive hole in the hearts of the cast that never heals. Grappling with that loss, but also letting his memory fuel them, is a major theme of that story.

All that to say... there's no formula for avoiding it. You've gotta identify what the deeper issue is, in your specific narrative.

I can't say for certain what that will look like for your story, but here's some things I keep in mind;

When you make characters who exist to die, make sure they're people before you axe them.

Ask yourself; what about them does the cast miss?

If they just miss them because they were (pre-existing relationship), go back to the drawing board.

Fluttering Bird as an example. Who was she? Dead sister. Why do they miss her? Dead sister. No traits until after her death.

Runningwind was short-tempered and helpful. Kamina was a valuable leader who made people believe in a brighter future. Swiftpaw was fiesty and desperate to prove himself. The better characterized, the more profound the loss usually is.

If this is a female character who is dying just to serve the plot, be aware of cultural bias and tropes. How is the gender ratio looking in your cast? Is this happening disproportionately with your girls?

Note how Quiet Rain's litter had both a boy and a girl, but the girl was chosen to be "weaker" and wither away.

And how most of the time in DOTC, whenever a man had to be upset, a girl would get killed for it.

If you ever feel like the character on the chopping block is NOT a full character, ask yourself why it needs to be a character at all. You don't need to spend narrative time building out someone when a literal object of high value might suffice.

"My sister died when I swore to protect her and I can't face my family" = Old. Tired. Ive seen this.

"I lost my heirloom sword when I swore to protect it and I can't face my family." = Fascinating. Why was the sword so valuable? Will they really not take you back? How did you lose it?

When you do kill off "high value" characters, try to make sure you're not leaving too many plot threads hanging. Or at least make a point of how they will never get closure.

[perimity]

it's the unknown!!!

[scarletdestiney]

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ Sinister Red Velvet Coffin Cake, Choco Werewolf Paws, Zombie Brain Brownie Bite and Boo-Nilla Ghost Milkshake. Part of our current Fallentober Event Batch on discord! ~ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ [ Commissions | DA | IG | Twitter | Redbubble ]

[shitpostingkats]

Imagine you're Xigbar. You've joined a supervillain death cult, mostly because you are a centuries old bodysnatcher with little else to do, and this one seems like it might pan out and be the thing worldending doomsday event you've been waiting for. And your boss, who you met by helping him brutally disassemble a small family a couple years back, says he's got a new member for your little group. And he brings the new kid in. And they look exactly like that one kid you helped your boss send into a coma ten years ago. But no, different kid. Just happens to look identical, for reasons you don't know. But you're cool, you're centuries old, this kinda thing happens sometimes. You're chill.

And then a week passes. And your boss yet again goes "oh we're getting another member." Oh worm? What poor soul has been recruited this ti-

And they take off their hood. And they have. The same. Goddamn. Face.

[madbuns]

MADATOBI BIGBANG ART

This is based on @writhingbeneathyou work go ahead and check out the fic aye

I joined as one of the artists for @mdtb-bb twas a fun time to draw for this fic :3

[akkivee]

the way hitoya’s using his phone to scan his train pass, likely upon entry to the station, jyushi still with his phone in hand implying having already done the same action, but he seems to be chiding kuukou ahead of him, who doesn’t have his phone anywhere in sight, and he’s looking back almost sneakily with the way he’s touching the nape of his neck i present all of this to say i think kuukou jumped the ticketing gate LOL

[aftgbigbang]

AFTG Big Bang 2024: Sign-Ups March 2nd - March 27th, 2024

Writer Sign-Ups

Artist Sign-Ups

Beta Sign-Ups

Sign-Ups for the 2024 AFTG Big Bang are now open! They will remain open until March 27th, 2024, at 11:59 pm CST. 🧡 Beta Sign-Ups will remain open throughout the event.

Edit: If your Discord username does not have numbers anymore, put your username as it reads now.

[sarcasticfoxy]

MADATOBI BIG BANG ART

For lovely @ravenshira please do check their story from here

I joined as an artist for @mdtb-bb week. So glad to have this chance for it and getting so lovely partner as Raven! Their story really moved me and I love it very much <3

[swbigbang]

Star Wars Big Bang 2024

It's that time of year again! The Star Wars Big Bang is back for another year and we're excited to see everyone's work over the coming months. There are some changes from last year, namely in the shortened schedule, which we'll be posting now to give people time to look over it and decide if that's something they want to commit to! Sign ups will begin the 1st of December, which is a month away, and we hope to see you there!

01-DEC - Author + beta signups open 10-DEC - rolling early beta matching begins (by author opt-in) 05-JAN - artist sign-ups open 10-JAN - 1st author check-in; author sign-ups close 20-JAN - early beta-matching closes; all matched pairs required to submit "keep or new" requests 25-JAN - artist + beta sign-ups close 30-JAN - final story details due 05-FEB - story details go out for claims 15-FEB - beta/artist claims due 20-FEB - author check-in 2; last day for author drop-outs 25-FEB - pairings sent out 30-MAR - author check-in 3 ("finished writing") 05-APR - last day for artist + beta drop-outs; pinch hitting begins 20-APR - collection opens, posting begins 25-APR - last day to send work to event for posting 27-APR - collection revealed 10-MAY - all works 5-10k cat. and their art complete 20-MAY - all works 10-20k cat. and their art complete 10-JUN - all works 20k+ cat. and their art complete

[oya-oya-okay]

kuroXtwst Doodles inspired by the new Halloween event!🙌 — 🐰😈+Skully

[mdtb-bb]

Master Content List for MADATOBI BIG BANG 2024:

Now that posting has concluded for the event, you can find all of the amazing stories that were created for the Big Bang in our associated Collection on AO3. Below are all of the talented writers who participated in the event:

@ravenshira, @writhingbeneathyou, Berriest_Blue, @sarkasticfics, @geniusporcupine, AinyDa, Kafka_Esques, @anndiscworld-phile, @titaniafaeriequeen, @nekonom26, Chaifighter, @hali-ra, @illogicals-blog and Anon!

Please take a moment to leave some love for all of their content, if at all possible.

You can also find all of the art produced for the event on our main page. A master list has been organized by each artist for your enjoyment:

@sarcasticfoxy ART @taiyoooh ART @madbuns ART @fiyasgideon ART @doeinstinct ART 1, ART 2 @cherryhrat ART @writhingbeneathyou ART @tarutaruga ART 1, ART 2 @squidspawn ART @officerjennie ART @tiny-rice ART @lokineko ART Fullson ART

A big thank you to all of the creators who contributed to the Big Bang, you’ve made this event a success! For anyone interested in participating in another Big Bang in the future, please keep an eye out for further announcements from this account. Should there be enough interest, we are currently exploring the possibility of holding another Big Bang in 2025, so stay tuned!

[bonefall]

What would be Nightcloud’s name if she was leader? Since we have Nightstar, and we have Cloudstar,

StarClan would think of a good one for her, if she didn't have one in mind.

I feel like she'd want to call herself Sowstar. Hogs are the largest, strongest, most DANGEROUS animal in the 5 Clans. A boar might be dangerous on his own, but a sow fights with TWICE the strength to protect her little humbugs.

And I think that's the sort of name she would want to wear. She's proud of her strength, and is now finally realizing she can be proud of her commitment too. And even a sow, just for defending its babies, they can be hated and maligned by Clan cats.

She'd feel a connection to sows that would be a great honor to bear in a name.

[xayspancakeee]

⊹₊⟡⋆ celestial message gifset (02)

bunny, you be fulfilling every girl’s dream. (୨୧ᵕ̤ᴗᵕ̤)

screeching with so much love for you.