#I saw this meme thing and I immediately had to draw this

[dogwaterdish]

this is the type of shit they get up to

[nemo-in-wonderland]

Saw this meme this morning, and IMMEDIATELY had the idea for this artwork, because dear Gods, I just couldn't help myself.

I just imagined *immidiately* Jacob whisking Dorothea away somewhere in Cania, hoping to be able to persuade her to finally give in to her desire and sign the godforsaken contract. (my poor girl cannot have picnic by herself fml, that Jacob is always around lol)

BUT HE FORGOT ABOUT HIS NOSY SIBLINGS LOLOLOLOL

Like, I imagine that they all know the fixation he has for that cleric of his, and they KNOW that he was bound, sooner or later, to bring her to Cania.

And THEY WERE THERE WAITING, RUINING HIS GAME LOLOL.

Poor Dorothea has NO IDEA what she got herself into.

AND THE THING, SHE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW HOW THE HECK IT HAPPENED.

Because differently from Aranea, she didn't summon any fiend. He just stumble onto her while gallivating all over Faerun, and felt attracted to her.

But just like daddy dearest, once a Son or Daughter of Mephistopheles got their eyes on their prize and obsession, they won't let go, no matter how much the other party actually reciprocate their feelings (and this is for good or worse lol).

gods, I am having so much fun with this. I cannot wait to work some more on this (but now I seriously need to draw some smutty Mephistea because I NEED IT. Tomorrow. lolol)

I had much fun working on this today <3

I hope you will like this, just as much as I love working on it!

--Nemo

[sleepiestwizard]

okay im gonna put all my thoughts about the hotguy zinethology on here based on the incoherent ramblings my friends received while i was reading it

(obviously spoilers below the cut)

okay so first of all the first part was SO fucking funny i cried laughing multiple times

the first time i saw cute guy i SCREAMED

HOTGUY TRYING TO GET CUTEGUY TO JOIN HIS UNION AND GRIAN JUST GOING. NAH. WAS SO FUNNY

@cornpapers draws scar SO pretty

mumblr is SUCH a funny name 10/10

the "dont you think cuteguy and hotguy having matching names and outfits is queerbaiting" post is SO FUNNY

THE GRIANVERSE

SHE'S HERE !!!!!!! ARIANA GRIANDE !!!!!!!!!!

THIS IS SO FUCKING FUNNY. GRIAN LOOKS LIKE THE SAD HAMSTER

REALLY GOOD PANEL

this whole comic was so funny i loved it loved the cub

THE EMAILS PART WAS ALSO SO FUNNY

this is such an interesting and fun way to tell a story i loved the email part

in general the posts and stuff were SO funny and very realistic for the internet 😭

yeah

grian desperately trying to not let scar reveal his identity 😭😭 girl (this also hits so different now after reading the whole thing btw.)

the comparison to a wild horse in this first fic also killed me

i can't really put a lot of images but there were some really classic superhero comic looking panel that i thoroughly enjoyed

scar tangled in his own grappling hook. classic. very funny

I LOVED THIS FIC SO MUCH. scar voice this is gonna ruin the tour. grian voice what tour. scar voice the world tour.

scar saying he's playing volleyball. haikyuu reference!?!?!?

just putting this here

LOVEDDDD THIS GEM DESIGN

moon mask i immediately called pearl yes pf course

GRIAN REFUSING TO SHOW EACHOTHER THEIR IDENTITIES AGRHRGRHRVH

"you and your cuteguy" arggrgrhsggrgrhgr

murder camel REAL !!

I DIDN'T TRUST THIS FOR A SECOND. PEARL AND HER SOUP I DONT BUY IT

"i cant believe you guys fucking killed jimmy solidarity" <- actual message i sent to mochi

SCOUR KNOWING SCARS NAME. AGRHSGRHRGRHV

i literally had to Go Take A Walk after this fic

i really like how the pearl thing was resolved in this it felt like such a good act 2 reoccurring villain exit. very superhero comic/movie like or even dnd like

'vincent berger' made me laugh

ZEDDIT

MOCHI FIC !!!!

first off every single fic has SUCH a cool cover i love them all

poor grian has ptsd :((

i LOVEEE how mochi writes angst always they're so good at it

the fact that he never found jimmys body immediately made me call the fact that he wasn't really dead and would come back btw

gem would lovee to drive grian slowly crazy tbh

"IVE COME TO PICK UP MY BIRD" AGRHRGRHGRHRVRBTBJRG

JUST LOOK AT THAT GREAT BIG BEAUTIFUL TOMORROW !!!!!!!

i was going insane at this point

this whole zine had me feeling like that meme thats like first i laughed.. then i serioused (the first part was SO funny and then golden era was psychic damage /pos)

IMPULSE :D

GEMPEARL <33 they are so everything to me

SCAR WHY WOULD YOU LEAVE SUSPICIOUS POSSIBLY EVIL FOREIGN TECHNOLOGY ON YOUR BODY. SIR.

NOT THE DESTIEL MEME

they look SO fucking cute

both scar and grian look sooooo scrumptious in this comic argh

THE MIND CONTROL. THE. RHE MIND CONFNTOL.

THESE 2 FULL PAGES ARE ABSOLUTELY SO INSANE. I WAS AND STILL AM FOAMING AT THE MOUTH

THIS IS SO. GOD THIS

THE WAY GRIAN JUMPED AND SCAR JUMPED AFTER HIM. THEYRE CRAZY !!!!!!!

THE WIPING THE BLOODY NOSE AND THEN SMILING LITERALLY WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU !!!!!!!!!!!!!

HE TOOK THE MASK OFF

mumbo <3

THE HUG. ☹️☹️☹️

great big beautiful tomorrow :((( the parallels :((

GRIAN BEING TOO FLUSTERED BY SCAR KINDA FLIRTING THAT HE DIDN'T REALISE HE WAS DROPPING HINTS ABT HIS IDENTITY WAS SO FUNNY

cutiebird..

scar playing w his hair when cuteguy was hurt :(( so cute

REALLY FUNNY

THEY'RE HOLDING HANDS ☹️☹️

the tcg voice: theyre holding hands.. i want them dead

SKIZZ !!!!

ETHO !!!!!!!!!!

awhh skizzly :((((

THIS IS SO UPSETTING

"It's our Impulse, Gem" IM SO UPSET SHUT UP

god the way she puts on the mask and immediately is emotionless im gonna throw up

OBSESSED. THEY'RE EVERYTHING TO ME

im so obsessed w this cuteguy i love him

grian voice omg im the only bitch serving cunt in this place im so embarasseddddd

they are serving SO much in this comic

ETHO EYHO ETHO ETHEO

SCAR APPOINTING GRIAN AS LEADER. EARURGRHVRH THEY'RE EVERYTHING

READING THIS WAS SO CRAZY IT LITERALLY FELT LIKE WATCHING ENDGAME

JIMMY SOLIDARITY !!!

MUMBO JUMBO !!!!!

impulse thinking about skizz as he's dying :(((((

HE DID IT ALL FOR SKIZZ :(((((((((

i was so upset this made me sob like a baby

SOUP GROUP :(((

SKIZZLY!!! :(((

warden :/

SCAR PEARL INTERVIEW :( HOTGUY RETIRING :( I LOVE THEM

THE CHEMICAL MUTATING PEOPLE IS JUST ESTROGEN BEING A GIRL JUST DOES THAT TO YOU

grian and scar playing volleyball is that a haikyuu reference....

OH THIS PEARL IN THIS COMIC IS REALLY GOOD

cuteguy is so spiderman coded

GREAT BIG BEAUTIFUL TOMORROW !!!!!! WE'VE COME FULL CIRCLE !!! SOBBING !!!!

god all in all this was so crazy. it was such an obvious labour of love and everyone who was involved with it did such a good job and obviously put so much love into it AND IT WAS WORTH IT !!!! insanely good work thank you to everyone for doing this and sharing it for free?? @hotguycomiczine y'all are crazy. incredible work <333

[howlsofbloodhounds]

do you think killler would write poetry? to me he feels like this one meme i saw i think it said ‘i clearly dgaf (i have written poetry about the situation)’

I think he’d read it if he had the resources to. The reasons may differ depending on the Stage, but ultimately he may view it as a resource to learn something new from.

I doubt he’d write anything that can be used against him while under Nightmare. He may get curious about it, but I’m sure Stage 2 would suppress all that immediately and dismiss it.

Now, if he were in the timeline where Color has saved him—he’s adjusting to a “normal” life and working on deprogramming and deconditioning (as much as he’s reasonably able to)—perhaps he’d be willing to give it a shot. I’d imagine he’d have a harder time accessing deeper emotions to place in his poetry in Stage 2, and may end up writing something more abstract, less emotional. Perhaps drawing would come easier.

I think Stage 1 would definitely benefit from poetry and writing; he’d probably write entire paragraphs. Not all of them are going to be romantic and flowery, a lot of them are likely to cover topics centered around his trauma that many would likely find either very disturbing or “edgy.” He may even accidentally end up triggering himself.

I’d imagine that actually keeping the poetry would be such a hard thing, simply because I think Stage 2 holds such contempt for himself in Stage 1 and any possibility of being anywhere near vulnerable, that he’d burn or tear up any poetry made. In his mind, privacy isn’t something he has ever had nor deserves, and leaving information like that out for anyone to dig through is just asking to be taken advantage of.

In his mind, if anyone found that information and did indeed use it against them, it’s no one’s fault but their own. He should know better by now, not to leave his strings lying around for anyone to pull. It’s more evidence to him how emotions are an inconvenience.

Color would likely help him work on this, I think. Hide any poetry both so Killer himself won’t end up destroying it and causing himself further harm by denying himself what makes him happy, and so no one else can see or read it—and Color himself would always ask for permission. And then they’d get to work on those issues with vulnerability, and trusting anyone—reassurance that what happened before isn’t happening again.

{ @mafuyumagnet }

[kaledya]

Hi !

And I wonder how I will handle Constantine and Addolorata too. I have an idea of course, I already have the name of the ship (I had fun to make up ship names) and I think RoyalSnare or SlowBurn (it was a coincidence!)

The thing is Lolicia's character development need to be widely open like a cracked egg for their relationship to start for real. I think... I THINK their relationship will be a based on a FromSoftware 3 phases boss 🤣

Also, you will not believe it but I have something for Serenity too, because you said she is scared of the sea and the dark and its kinda Lolicia things and I wanted to help her deal with her phobias ? And it would be an interesting short healing trauma/cute/deep relationship but it is very difference from a full romance with Constantine.

And Constantine deep friendship with Serenity could be healing to her fear of abandonment or being alone. Because even if she loves her dad, she would take time to open her heart again because she is afraid to lose Alastor abruptly again (logically)

I don't know, what do you think ? It could be interesting to work with. I'm sorry I like complexity to things ahah.

_

I'm glad you like Sherlock and Irene too ! And you are very true about you said of their relationship and what Irene character represent. In serie/media/books.

I love it when she is about to die and then she heard the phone moan notification and look at the side. And then she saw Sherlock like "Girl, I'm saving you". So brave. Mycroft really said "she's dead forget it" and Sherlock took immediately a plane ticket to save her.

I like her in the movies too. I mean he let her do things he never will with others but I'm not even sure he realised it. Mycroft did realised that Irene has a full diamond room in Sherlock mind palace ahah

_

Glad you like that meme script ! Don't ask me if you could draw it, I will say "yes. Obviously. Whenever you want." I'm not a neutral person to ask 🌸

And I love the words Constantine said at the end. I can see it in my mind. "You look *very* confortable" Lolicia : "I already enjoy your attention to details, your highness" (Little laugh)

_

The storyboards you make are my base line to keep focus on the plot so thanks to YOU ! Really. It give an atmosphere, an idea, you know ? A smell about how the chapter must look like. And then I just go on a ride ahah

-

Congratulations for the 200 hours ! I don't play myself but I've consume enough playtroughs, videos, concept reading that its like i did it.

And IM DEAD. That gif is a gift. Its perfect and accurate. Never seen a hamster looking that much of Astarion. *save it in my gallery*

Oh yes ! Harleep the Incubus. I don't know what Gale said but the armor is surely bondage-like related. I mean Harleep is here to feed Raphael's simps so good for the armor (and them) !

_

Also, thank you to always complimenting my writing and take the time the give comments everytime, it make me very happy ! *take back my hamster-Astarion* 🌸

_

Chaggie is adorable ! I'm glad you like it 🌸 i think their duet song later will be great !

Lolicia and Alastor duet was a work but I'm so happy with it! I'm very happy you like too !

Don't worry for Lolicia it will come, I will feed you ! And yes her human appearance, I will draw it soon, I was searching 1939 fashion because that is the year she died.

And I'm not forgetting a drawing of Constantine !

Yes the conversation one the phone, I laugh. " - I'm the princess... Silence.   - What ? (Internally screaming)"

OH. I'm. so. glad. you liked the cameo of Constantine. I was all over the place while writing it. At one point I was just like... "I need the best of the best" *take the concept art of Elden Ring and other Dark Souls and Bloodborne* "perfect." Ahah 🌸

And I made him blow his workshop because you said somewhere he did blow his workshop multiple times! But I suppose he can pull it back together with sorcery too !

Thanks to have made him ! *let my hamster go. Take my glasses.* Let's get back to writing ! 🌸🌸🌸🌸

I can't wait to see it already and ROYAL SNARE AND SLOWBURN ARE GREAT SHIP NAMES!

I'm so glad to hear this and the three phase boss fight??? God, this is going to be a great read.Although three-stage boss battles are always a long and tiring road, the feeling of satisfaction when you defeat the boss is excellent!

--

And this looks like a great idea! Serenity is afraid of that feeling of unknown, helplessness and darkness in the sea. Lolicia is seriously a character who can help her get through this It would be very interesting to see the interaction of the two.I think they will have a nice dynamic!

-

And yes, Serenity never wanted to talk about what she went through after he died.Alastor doesn't know much about her and their lives were different.Serenity's experiences here are a bit similar to Constantine's, so a friendship would normally develop between the two. After all, they are both rare people who can understand each other. I think the plan you came up with is really creative! But it can be difficult to write all of that so don't work yourself too hard❤️

--

Yes, it was very nice that Sherlock didn't care about Mycroft and said, Nope, such a person is rare, I'm going to save her. (He fights alone, sword to sword, with a few soldiers.)

And definitely in the movies, Irene actually had a special room for herself in Sherlock's mind palace.

---

And lmao seriously, it's fun to write interactions like this between characters.And I have already made a sketch of that scene and I plan to finish it as soon as possible.Drawing Lolicia is always a pleasure😌

---

And thank you, but I don't think I've done too much. You're seriously writing amazing . I think you're very creative writer and a great planner! 🛐

---

I definitely recommend playing it yourself if you have the opportunity.Seriously great RPG For example, I was a bard character and I beat almost every boss in ACT2 by talking.(It was so much fun being a sweet-talking snake)

And certainly Harlepp was probably like a gift for those who loved Raphael.

And I don't remember Gale's dialogue exactly, but I'll try to find it on the internet and put it here;

And I'm so glad you like the meme, it's one of my favorite memes too!

--

And always, it's really great to read the fanfic you write.I'm honored that a talented writer like you writes fanfic with this AU.And I really love your writing, you are so creative.And you are EXTREMELY FAST, you update almost every day! But please take care to rest You started in a very short time and you have already written almost 50k I seriously refresh ao3 several times a day to see if there are any updates! Seriously, thank you for blessing me with your fanfic and its characters. I wish I could attract more people! I have exams soon, but when they are over, I will draw and publish the scenes in the fanfic and I hope more people will come and read your fanfic!You seriously deserve attention!

--

And seriously, Lolica and Alastor's duet was a masterpiece, how could I not like it!

---

I'll wait for good meal chef (⁠◡⁠ ⁠ω⁠ ⁠◡⁠)

And lolicia's human form is truly amazing ı Love the outfit and color palette I also think the bunny hair ties are so cute!

And your drawings were really great! 10/10🤌

--

And you really did wonders! Seriously, your concept choice was very clever.And yes, Constantine often blew up his workshop while experimenting. But what's the point of broken things when you have a repair spell! And a few shield spells of course!In the end, everything is worth it for victory

--

I wish you good writing in advance!

---

First of all, I read all the chapters you wrote. And they were AMAZING! Thank you for blessing my eyes! 🛐

It was nice to read where the people in the hotel were preparing for the show.The parts where Charlie convinced the team were great!

And seriously, you would make a great songwriter. I wish there were people who decided to bring your songs to life!

First of all, I want to talk about the narrator.HE'S AWESOME. I loved his design, his personality, his dialoges, all of them! I seriously think he is a very creative character! Draw him at the first opportunity

Also, it's really cool that the weapon he uses is inspired by the Turks! I think you made a very creative choice I LOVE IT.

-

Now let's get to the songs.Husk and Angel's duet was simply amazing! I loved the dialogues, the descriptions of the characters were very nice and it was a really cute and well thought out scene, in one word, it was wonderful!

Seriously, it was great to read the song and witness the thoughts of the characters.

-

Apart from that, I also loved the conversations of Lolicia and Al backstage!It's a really cute detail that Vittori and Alastor's shadow are constantly having little cat and dog fights with each other.

-

And Alastor and Charlie's duet.It was seriously perfect The characters finish each other's words, literally fight with words, and on the other hand, Charlie does not fall under Alastor and shows herself with determination, and finally makes Alastor say what she wants.

It was perfect!The movements of the characters while singing the dialogues were described really well.And I was seriously smiling while reading it, it was a truly magnificent scene.I would even pay money to see this scene in animated form!

And seriously the way you describe the scene is Alastor's movements On the other hand, it was great how the scene changed color as Charlie stepped forward.At the end, when Charlie makes Alastor say that he trusts her.Alastor's reaction was also very nice!

And in the final part, it was great to see Charlie stretching her chest and talking to the crowd, and Precious supporting him as a friend!You are truly an amazing writer!

I seriously want to draw this scene so much rn (l hate that damn exams)

Niffty and Al on's duet was really cute too The song was written really well.And it was so nice to have our little gremlin taking the spotlight!

Finally, SERENITY CAMEO I SERIOUSLY DON'T KNOW HOW YOU PRESENT A CHARACTER THAT WELL! Seriously, the scene came to life in front of me. You described it perfectly. It's so beautiful when Serenity appears with Olcayto and then takes her coat and leaves.And I love the way you described her appearance.And it was perfect that you refer to her with the lolicia saying "may luck be with you"!

--

Meanwhile, Lucia is also an overlord . Will they go to overlord meeting in the later part of the series?

--

In short, I seriously think you are a great writer, I am blessed every time I read your work and I am so excited about how the story will progress!❤️❤️❤️

[sephirthoughts]

Vincent, cloud, or character of your choice and 13, 26, 32, and 50 ❤️

BWAHAHAHAHA (from this ask game)

can i answer them for these two as a ship? cause it's one of my favorites and it definitly doesn't get enough love. yeah i'm gonna

13. If you could draw effortlessly and as much as you wanted, what scene (s) would you draw for this character?

obviously the things i would draw for them would be the kind of thing that gets your posts deleted from tumblr. for real though, i would most like to draw them fighting, in vincent's galian beast and human forms. they're both socially maladjusted and extremely violent people and a lot of their courtship in my headcanons involves intense one-on-one combat as flirting. i'd also draw them asleep flopped on each other. they both need a damned nap

26. If you look for this character’s name on AO3, what tags are you including or excluding?

i'm excluding polyships that include tifa (or any other female party member for that matter for a variety of reasons), which is just…listen guys, i'm bisexual and i like poly ships, and i am officially informing you that you don't have to awkwardly stuff the bland and boring as fuck canon hetero ship into every gay ship just to prove you don't hate women. she's not the vanilla filling in the bisexual oreo and making her that is doing her a bigger disservice than writing her as an actual person of her own whose life does not revolve around the male characters. YOU CAN ACTUALLY IMPROVE CANON! WE CAN DO THAT! NO ONE CAN STOP US!

otherwise, just the tags i usually exclude, which are kidfic, mpreg, omegaverse, a/b/o, and genderbends (i do NOT mean one or both of the characters being trans, i specifically mean the genderbent trope, which are always OOC and often grossly transandrophobic too). otherwise there's not much that offends me i just don't like to be bored

32. If you could make this character a meal, what would you make them?

if i could make vincent and cloud a meal, it'd be wine for vincent since i'm fairly certain he can't eat regular food but he canonically drinks wine a lot, and for cloud…i dunno. i just don't see him as a person who cares all that much about food. it'd be more about the atmosphere. i'd take them somewhere quiet and isolated where they won't be bothered by their annoying as fuck 'friends' every five goddamned seconds

50. Link your fav song, playlist, aesthetic board, fan-fiction, reference pile, personal artwork, analysis post, meme, headcanon, or quote for this character. Whichever one (s) you are most comfortable with!

i don't make character playlists per se, i just have a variety of work playlists that suit the specific tone or mood i'm going for.

i don't know what an aesthetic board is and i don't care to find out (lucille bluth voice).

instead, i give you this, which i stumbled upon one day, while scrolling tumblr looking for pictures of sephiroth. it was the very first time i saw vincent and i had no idea who he was, but i immediately knew he was my soul mate:

thank you for the ask you're the best!!! 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

[artemis-potnia-theron]

for the pagan ask meme: 🎭❤️🏛🔥

🎭 - What is an emotionally impactful or a silly worship-related experience you've had?

When Artemis revealed her name to me. I had been worshipping her under a different (and incorrect) name for years, and it never felt right. I commissioned multiple tarot readings to try and get a different perspective. I was on a plane when I opened the results, and her name showed up in every single commission. A light turned on immediately. After so long trying to find my way to her, it felt like a path had finally been cleared. It was similar to the feeling of falling into your mother's arms after having a nightmare. I also burst into tears and starting crying on the plane lol which was very embarrassing (P.S. I love you my Lady, but couldn't you have waited until I was in private? 😭)

❤️ - What's one memory of your practice that you reflect the most fondly on?

Dude I have so many. But off the top of my head, I remember when another tarot reader told me that the Queen of Swords - which I thought represented Artemis - was actually a representation of me in the divination sessions between she and I. I'd been drawing that card for years and never got the message. She'd been calling me strong for years, and I never realized. It was a very 'I've been trying to tell u this forever and u never listen to me' moment from Artemis 🙃. But it was also such an honor to know that this is how she saw me.

🏛️ - Do you have a favorite statue or temple to your deity(ies)? If yes, what is it?

Yes!! This one!

I got her in Prague during an especially spiritually important summer. But I lost my luggage travling home, and for two weeks, her statue was just flying around, trying to get back to me. I had resigned myself to the reality that I wasn't going to get her back when the luggage was miraculously found!! The employee I talked to said he'd never been a bag get that lost and still be found. Every time I see this statue, I think about how incredible and rare it was to have found her at all - both the statue herself and worshipping her in general. And I've adorned her with a lot of important things - my mother's old wedding ring is her hairband, my favorite childhood hairchip make up the feathers, she's has a deer antler and coyote claw around her neck (two of my favorite animals) and lots of other little trinkets 💜

🔥 - Do you have a favorite myth or tale from your pantheon or others?

Oooooooh dude just one?? All of Artemis' myths are important in my practice, but Iphigenia's story - especially the whole 'replacing her with a doe and then whisking her off to safety' is so touching. Just thinking about it makes me fall in love with Artemis all over again.

Thanks for the ask!!

- Taylor

[shads-shipposts]

Anachronism Ch 1

We did it chat

We surpassed the "Fandom is six people and a shoelace" meme. We are now seven people and a shoelace!

This calls for celebration.

In the form of another full chapter of my fic Anachronism! Unproofread of course, because this page is still the furthest thing from polished and I am to keep it chaotic.

The prologue is here!

CW: Language

Wordcount: 3086

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

It’s all fun and games until it happens to you.

Oh, sure, we’ve all laughed at someone else’s misfortune. I’ve done it, even at the most inopportune of moments. Like a kid tripping and eating asphalt.

Or when a character gets sucked into fanfiction and must survive the HorrorsTM.

I’d read my fair share of those fics in my fair share of fandoms. Star Wars, Assassin’s Creed Three and Four, and Tintin seemed to be the main ones.

Speaking of Tintin…

Maybe it was an odd sort of gift, granted by the universe with her oh so funny sense of humor. College had my stories stuck in a rut, so this could be the big breakthrough to jumpstart my creativity once more. Or this could be karma for never finishing my own universe-yeet Tintin fanfiction.

The Day Karma Bit Back.

I figured my habit of never finishing fics all the way through would eventually bite me in the ass.

I just didn’t imagine it’d be in the form of me waking up in a 1950s style apartment in the Tintin movie, something immediately apparent by the realistic yet stylized environment.

Slowly sitting up in confusion, I peered around at the room.

That only left me more confused when I saw my phone charging on the nightstand, and my laptop charging on a dresser.

Not the weirdest dream I’d ever had, because hellfire I’d had some off the wall ones that no amount of backtracking through my day could explain.

Useful for wilder story concepts, though.

Maybe college had finally pushed me to the breaking point. When I say I contemplated dropping out last Fall… damn those fruit flies and their entire lab-grown lineage to hell.

“Mornin’!”

I yelped and flipped out of the bed as a voice sounded right by my ear. Jumping into a right fighting stance, guard up, I found myself staring at a familiar face.

Not a sailor, or a reporter, or even a Tintin character at all.

Instead, I was looking at one of my characters.

Tan skin, shoulder length black hair that fluffed in every direction, mischievous green eyes, and a body built like a brick shithouse.

“T-… Trevor!?” I sputtered, blinking rapidly as if he were merely an illusion and a few resets would make him disappear.

How was he here? Yeah, sure, he originally started showing up in a Tintin fic snippet I had from like 2017 or 2018, so him in Tintin wasn’t too outlandish… but why was he in my room?

He flopped on my bed, rolling onto his back and grinning up at me.

Hell, those teeth are sharp.

“The creator recognizes me!” He flipped back onto his stomach, pointing a finger gun at me. “Ya know, still waitin’ on you to draw me.”

“Wait-”

“I mean, come on!” Trevor sat up and gestured to himself. “You only just recently settled on a design! I’ve just be a vague consciousness that plagues your story with no set corporeal form, do you know how hard it is to flirt with people like that?”

I shook my head, waving my hands in a weak attempt to get him to stop talking so I could get a word in. “Hold it! What kind of whack-ass dream am I havin’ that you’re in?” I exclaimed. “You’ve never shown up in my dreams!”

Yeah, college really has driven me past the brink of insanity. I’m really out here arguing with a figment of my imagination asking why he showed up.

Ain’t the weirdest dream we’ve had.

True that, but still!

Trevor’s grin, somehow, got wider. “Dream? My dearest creator, this isn’t a dream!” He frowned, scratching behind his ear like a dog. “Though, suppose it is in a way. Dream come true for your hyperfixated self, gettin’ to roam the Tintin movie from 2011! Ya know, the reason you’re writin’?”

I grimaced. “Ugh, please don’t remind me of that old role-play nightmare.”

“Hey, it was a start!”

“A cringey start at that,” I muttered, then shook my head violently to erase it from my brain like an Etch-A-Sketch. “Hey, stop changin’ the subject!”

“What subject?” Trevor asked, an innocent smile on his face.

“The subject of what the hell you’re doing here, in my dream. I know you’re self aware, you little shit.”

“That I am! Well, since you’re so persistent.” Somehow managing a backflip off the bed, he then raised his arms above his head like a successful gymnast.

“Try hard,” I snorted.

“Ah, but who designed me so?”

“Yourself,” I shot back. “I never even created your dramatic ass, you just started showin’ up. Like the personification of the plot or somethin’.”

“Ah, but you can’t say I ain’t useful!”

“Broken clock is right twice a day.”

“I could boot you back to the ‘waking’.” He used air quotes around the word. “World if you’d prefer!” His teeth flashed in a devious grin. “I’m sure the Spring semester would love to welcome you in.”

Nausea rose up my throat and I felt the beginnings of a tension migraine behind my eyes.

“Ugh hard pass.”

“So stay awhile!” Trevor suggested, spreading his arms wide. “Besides, what do you have to lose?” He winked at me. “Like you said, it’s just a dream.”

Boy, I do not like the way you said that.

But, he had a point. Or, I guess my subconscious did. This wouldn’t be the first time I lucid dreamed, or was self aware in a dream. And what else could it be other than a dream?

People didn’t jump between universes. That just wasn’t a thing.

A dream.

That was it.

Just… just a dream.

Given that it was just a dream, wouldn’t hurt to go rambling. It was odd the scene hadn’t shifted yet, since my dreams were usually pretty chaotic, but maybe this was the time for a scene shift.

May as well make the best of it before I wake up on Winter Break again. Happy New Year to me.

“Alright, fine,” I groaned. “I’ll bite.”

“You sure do!” Trevor looked at his watch-less wrist. “Welp, gotta get goin’! Things to do, places to be.”

Really?!

What cosmic entity did I piss off to earn this nightmare?

“Hold it!” I barked, following him as he started for the door. “Can’t I get at least a little explanation?”

“Nope!” Trevor turned to face me, grinning ear to ear. “This is not a well-thought-out and carefully crafted type of fanfic, no no! This is a wild ride of a fic where we just take the cards we’re dealt, and we run with them!” He shrugged. “All there is to it!”

“But-“

“Besides! Explaining things only slows the chaos down, after all no one has time nor patience for exposition dumps. That’s not why they’re here! They’re here for nonsense to fuel their escapism and yearning for found-family that would kill for them!”

“Who the fuck is they?” I exclaimed, gesturing at the empty apartment. “We’re alone.”

“Are we?”

“Hey, don’t pull a Polar Express train hobo,” I said, jabbing a finger into his chest. “Can’t I get a little info?”

“It’s a dream, right? They don’t do info dumped they go straight into the crack!” He held his hand up. “But if you insist.”

The moment he snapped his fingers a wave of images and information slammed into my brain and knocked me off my feet.

Dark alleyways, crowded marketplaces, peaceful courtyards, musty attics, cluttered apartments.

Quick glimpses really, like the faded, hazy memories of dreams. Enough of a visage to distinguish where I was, to feel a sense of familiarity, but not really anything more.

Blurry snapshot rather than a true picture.

Sounds muted and unclear, like hearing things from underwater. Just past the point of deciphering. Voices, lots of those. Gunshots? Yes, those too.

One particular scene came into focus.

The library, its aisles dark and shelves overturned. Books everywhere, some intact some not. Adrenaline pulsing through my veins, something heavy scalding my hand.

A pistol, recently and frequently fired.

Echoes of gunfire, accompanied by yelling. Angry, threatening yelling, the roughness and pitch unmistakably masculine.

Yet there was another above the din, a lighter tone that had yet to really mature into the lower base of a grown adult.

A glance to the side revealed a familiar freckled face and ginger quiff, its owner hunkered down behind an overturned table with me. A flash of white fur near his leg, adding his barks to the cacophony.

Was Tintin shorter than me? No, yes… maybe?

It was always so hard to tell when crouched, as I was all leg and hardly any torso at all.

Height didn’t matter here, but numbers did.

And we were losing.

Tintin grabbed my hand, yanking me towards a fallen shelf as he fired over his shoulder and forced the attackers to take cover.

Were they the sailors? Another faction? Simple thugs?

I didn’t know, and would apparently never know as the scene vanished like a mirage on an old dirt road during a summer heatwave.

In its place came the headache of the century.

“Hellfire,” I groaned, gripping my head. “I know they say to avoid infodumps in stories, but this is a-whole-nother bitch. What the fuck, Trevor?”

I received no answer.

I slowly sat up, cursing as the room spun. “Trevor?”

No one, just me in the room.

One of the windows to the fire escape was open, however, and with great difficulty I got to my feet to see if he’d escaped that way.

You better be gone gone, ‘cause boy if I get my hands on you you’re donezo.

I staggered to the back window, leaning heavily on the windowsill as the low drone of a ship’s horn echoed off the alley walls. A quick scan of the lower street revealed no Trevor, and as I blinked away the spots from my vision I also saw no sign of him along the rooftops.

“Trickster bastard,” I grumbled, rubbing my temple.

Another low drone from a ship caught my attention, and I looked towards the source. Just over the tops of some of the building, I could see the crane arms moving back and forth.

Go.

You know you want to.

It’s a dream, right?

My eyes moved to the sketchpad on my nightstand.

What do you have to lose?

My phone chirped, which was quite odd given I’d had that sucker on silent since 2015. The screen brightened, and as I picked it up, I found myself looking at the lockscreen.

My persona Scarlett Bloodsmoke embracing two dear friends, Thatcher Morgan and Skipper Anders, on the enchanted shores of the dreamrealm.

My eyes drifted to the text alert banner, and my nose wrinkled in a scowl as I read Trevor’s name at the top.

The contents of his text only deepened my frown.

“May as well get reference sketches for the Caroline even though you sink her!”

Of all the character deaths I concocted, the wreck of the Caroline and all the men who went down with her was probably the one that hit me the hardest. It’d been two years since I drafted the scene, and two years since I’d last read it because it was so painful.

It was also the reason I had my phone thrown at me by two of my friends.

Thatcher and Skipper had perished in the wreck, something that would haunt both Scarlett and me.

And got me yelled at by my therapist, but it was honestly very deserved.

I looked again out towards the distant cranes as yet again a ship’s horn echoed off the brick walls like a siren’s call.

This was a dream. It had to be. So any pictures or sketches would remain in my consciousness only as I couldn’t pull them into the real world . But even so…

Dreams had given me very handy inspiration before.

At the very least, I could update the Caroline’s design.

She had her roots in the Karaboudjan anyways, just like Thatcher had his roots in Allan and Skipper had his in Tom.

“Alright,” I muttered, heading to the closet to find something comfy to wear. “Let’s get some inspiration.”

-Allan pov-

The hair caught Allan’s eye first. 

Dark bluish-purple in the shade, a more vibrant reddish-purple in the sun. 

The owner of the hair only piqued his interest more.

He, or she, looked so out of place it was almost hilarious. At least among the dockworkers. She had enough sense to stay out of the way, sticking close to a large wall where she was cloaked mostly in the long, mid-morning shadows cast by the warehouse. But she wasn’t even trying to blend in with the rest of the men, sitting cross legged atop a crate scribbling furiously in a sketchbook.

The odd sight wasn’t exactly concerning, but the fact she frequently looked at the Karaboudjan was. 

Surely she couldn’t be a reporter or journalist. 

Then again, that ginger nuisance Allan and his men ran across near Egypt also didn’t look like a journalist but had caused a world of hurt for Allan’s operations. Looks could be incredibly deceiving. 

But there was something else.

He couldn’t be sure from this distance, but the kid almost looked… familiar? 

Maybe…

No. 

Surely not.

His dream that morning was making him paranoid, that was all. It was embarrassing really, that a simple nightmare had him so rattled he saw Scarlett’s face everywhere now. 

Yet his eyes remained trained on her. 

He had to know. Had to know why the hell she was sketching the ship. 

It was because of her clear fascination and focus on the ship, nothing more. He just needed... needed to keep an eye out. The FBI and Interpol could have spies everywhere. 

It was purely business.

It wasn’t personal.

It wasn’t dire.

It wasn’t Scarlett. 

“Hey, Al, what are ya lookin’ at?” Tom asked, coming up beside him. 

Allan dipped his head towards the kid. “We got a watcher.” 

Another one of Allan’s men, an Australian named Neil, joined them. “Yeah, she’s been there since I started unloadin’.”

Allan glanced at him. “Talk to ‘er?”

Neil shook his head. “Didn’t see a need to. She’s outta the way, and is mindin’ ‘er business. Ain’t botherin’ anyone.” 

Allan turned his attention back to the kid. “Right.” 

“Should I have?” Neil asked. 

“Not sure yet,” Allan replied slowly. 

And he hated that he wasn’t. Uncertainty could put you at risk to be blindsided, and blindsides were a death sentence in Allan’s line of work. 

“Nice hair, though,” Neil commented with a small laugh. “Reminds me of my sister, she always liked dyein’ ‘er hair fancy colors.”

Tom tilted his head as he watched her scribble. “Purple, though? Bit anachronistic, don’t ya think?” 

Neil glanced at Tom and elbowed him with a sly grin. “Didn’t think you could manage big words like that, Tommy.” 

Tom glared at him, clearly fighting down a smile of his own. “Piss off,” he growled, shoving Neil.

“Stow it,” Allan snapped as the pair started going for headlocks and rib shots.

This was just too weird to ignore, too odd to brush off as mere coincidence. 

He had to figure out why exactly she was here, and who exactly she was. 

“What’s wrong?” Tom asked, smacking Neil’s hat off in one last blow.

Tom, you well-meaning but unobservant idiot.

“Look at ‘er face.”

Tom gave him an odd look, but peered across the docks. “Is there… somethin’ I’m lookin’ for?”

“She doesn’t remind you of Scarlett?”

Tom’s eyes widened. “Oh… shit, yeah. I see it now.”

Neil frowned. “Who?”

“Someone we ran across a few months ago. She was…” Allan struggled to find the words to describe her that wouldn’t make him look like a madman spouting about aliens. “Unique.”

“She kinda just vanished without a trace,” Tom added. “We’re still not exactly sure what all happened those few days she was ‘round ‘ere.”

“And you think the sketcher is her?”

Allan shook his head. “Not a chance. Scarlett had some… unmistakable traits.”

“Like what?”

“Not important right now.”

As far as you’re concerned, Neil.

Neil glanced at Tom, clearly hoping the man would shed some light on the First Mate’s statement. When Tom offered nothing, eyes focused on the young woman, Neil looked back at Allan.

“Am I… missin’ somethin’, boss?”

Should he offer a little more information? Neil had proven himself a reliable secretkeeper, and fairly unshakable no matter what Allan threw his way. Harry Hobbs also spoke highly of him, assuring Allan that Neil could be trusted with their… more secretive operation.

“There’s a good chance,” Allan began carefully. “Scarlett wasn’t… earthly.”

Neil blinked. “An alien.”

“She had a bloody tail.”

“A fluffy one,” Tom added. “Black and white striped. Furry feet and ears too.”

“Ah.” Neil looked at the sketcher. “That explains the fascination. Really think this kid has a connection?”

“Think I’ll go find out myself.”

Tom looked at him, somewhat alarmed. “What if she bolts?” He gestured to the both of them. “We’re not exactly the most friendly lookin’.”

“Good point,” Allan muttered, then turned to Neil. “Go try and talk to ‘er.”

Neil wasn’t exactly any less physically imposing than Allan or Tom, but him alone may not be as threatening.

“Keep ‘er distracted, but don’t engage. No threats, got it?”

No need to make a scene, not yet. Usually he wouldn’t care, after all if you acted like you had something to hide people got suspicious, but after his nightmare coincided with Tom’s, he was on edge for anything unusual.

Her face, even from this distance…

It was just so damn close to Scarlett. Blood relation close. 

Could Alphians shift into humans? He thought he recalled Scarlett mentioning that once, but he couldn’t be sure. 

Either way, he could not let this kid escape without seeing if she knew the Alphian. 

“Not… gonna do anythin’ to ‘er, right boss?” Neil asked, a new hardness to his tone. 

“No, she’s not in any danger.” Not yet. “I just have questions for ‘er.”

Neil still didn’t seem convinced. 

“Just go,” Allan ordered. 

As Neil left, Allan turned to Tom. “Alert the boys. Get ‘em to block the exits, but discreetly. Wait for my word, this could be nothin’.” 

Tom nodded and left to carry out the order. 

Allan turned back to watch the kid, eyes narrowed. 

Nothing personal. 

I need answers. 

And you’re not goin’ anywhere until I get them.

[buggybugkilo]

Yo I saw a post of yours about a sky cotl and twisted Wonderland crossover and I've been writing a fic where I yote some sky kids into NRC and I was wondering if you'd like to chat about stuff like how they'd interact with the world or how people would react to them lol

I figured that everyone would initially assume that they're light Fae until the mirror calls them fallen stars or children if light or something haha

plus them jumping from high up and scaring anyone who might not know about their ability to fly yet (a video of one jumping in front of cameras at the spelldrive tournament and proceeding to glide around while everyone besides the NRC students lose their collective minds becomes a meme or something idk)

Perhaps the rain has some sort of magic properties that makes it interact with the sky kids similarly to how the forest rain works - meaning that the sky kids freak out and try to pull their friends out of the rain because 'GDI BIG MOTH YOU WILL LOSE YOUR LIGHT'

Sorry this got long lmao - I just like Sky and TWST and I like seeking out others who may also enjoy the idea of a crossover haha

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA I WOULD LOVE TO TALK TO YOU ABT IT

HAVE SO MANY LITTKE IDEAS THAT HAVE BEEN FLYING AROUND IB MY HEAD

okayokayokay so love all of that- /gen I feel like it’d be funny if sky kids could still only really talk by honking for awhile (or maybe it’s only the littles or smthin lol) and when students try and go in the rain it’s just “HONKHONKHONK” of a younger sky kid freaking out while trying to drag them to not go in the rain like you talked abt

maybe similar to how in the fairy gala they had a translator for the fae-(just thought abt that ahdhh)

But YES LOVE THE THOUGHT OF THEM FLYING DURING THE SPELL DRIVE TOURNAMENT AJSHDHDH can just imagine the amount of collective confusion

Since octavinelle has the ocean domain(?) and all i feel like it could be like how sky kids can go into the ocean and a few water areas without loosing light (could with savanaclaws too)

ANOTHER THING I feel like when one of them see a student pull out a magic pen for the first time their first thought is that it’s just a weird looking candle so they immediately go to become friends and take their candle out “HELLO TALL FRIEND😁” while the students preparing to fight or smthin so it quickly goes to “OH UH NO- WAIT NO FRIEND PLEASE-“

Though I wonder if Lillia and/or malleus would know that the sky kids aren’t light fae and would just go “..well you didn’t ask-“ when the others find out

Cater would be asking to do a little photo shoot with them at some point-can easily imagine that-

Another thing though- so because sky kids can burn darkness could they burn others blot? (Realistically probably not but it’s so much fun to think abt)

..now having the urge to draw these out ajssh

edit: because i managed to forget PLEASE TELL ME WHEN YOU FINISH THE FIC i would love to read it>:D

[adobe-outdesign]

Have you reviewed the Wingull line yet?

Many Pokemon fall into the category of "yep, that's an animal", and Wingull Sure Is A Seagull. There is, however, something really nice about the design. I think it's the eyes—it would've been super easy to give it normal generic bird eyes, but instead they went with these super stylized line eyes almost reminiscent of old cartoons that I don't think we've seen on any other Pokemon. It's very charming.

Additionally, I also like the "ears" (are those ears or feathers?) on the head, which are at least a little unusual. The colors are also nice, breaking up the pure white body with some blue accents and a black-tipped beak, which helps draw focus to the otherwise plain head area.

Also, have you ever seen how thing walks? The first time I saw one on the ground in SV I had to do a double take because I didn't even recognize what Pokemon it was for a second.

Instead of just becoming bigger, Wingull becomes a pelican when it evolves. This is actually nice, as it makes both stages distinct while still making sense as a line visually—mostly due to the colors (still white with blue on the wings and a yellow beak) and the funky eye. Once again, that eye adds a lot of personality, and I don't think we've gotten any other Pokemon eyes that look quite like it.

Pelipper is also the stage wherein the line kind of gains a concept; Wingull's bill is used to transport things, and because of this, it's occasionally used as a delivery/mailman of sorts, similar to what they do with Delibird from time to time. It's like this meme, but unironic:

It's not a major thing and not something you'd immediately pick up on just looking at it, but it at least gives it some kind of sticking point.

All that said, I do feel like the line could use a regional or something to spice it up a bit. I'm not sure what you'd do with it visually, but I could easily see them becoming water/dark types due to seagulls being scavengers IRL and pelicans just being kind of messed up in general. There's definitely enough room to play around with the designs in an interesting way.

Regardless, this is a fine line. Not doing anything spectacular or overly memorable, but they're nicely designed and pleasant to look at, and sometimes that's all you can ask for.

[boxfullaturtles]

For the commentary meme! I ignored word counts so long ask is long

It was hard to pick for Adagio in Green but I went with the following bit. But everything about this section of the fic gets me, including the fight immediately afterward and then Casey trying to help Donnie with the security upgrades.

"“He got up yesterday,” Donnie grunted in a hoarse voice. He was laying on his plastron on the cot, his blanket pulled all the way over his head. The only part of him that was visible was his snout, peeking out from the edge of the blanket and sunk into his own pillow. He had despised the bath, grumbling and hissing the entire time, flinching when the sponge had dabbed at the raw wounds on his tender shell.

“What!? Leo got up!? When!?” Raph had been laying on his front too, but at Donnie’s words he pushed himself partially upright, bracing himself on his good arm. His tail thumped the mattress, making the communicator bounce.

“When I was sick,” Donnie mumbled, nose wrinkling in distaste at the memory, “Throwin’ up yesterday. Lee helped.”

Casey had been shrinking back in on himself, drawing his knees up to his chest, a look of wariness and hurt on his face. He was staring at the med bay floor, picking at the fibers of his borrowed jeans. Raph noticed the lack of enthusiasm and cocked his head,

“CJ? What’s wrong? Thought you’d be happy to hear that Leo woke up.”

“I…” Casey shuffled nervously, chewing on his lip and looking anywhere but at the turtles, “It wasn’t...Leo.” Donnie stilled underneath his blanket and Casey’s breath caught, “It was me. I...you were...I tried to tell you I wasn’t Leo, but I don’t think you heard me. You were really out of it...”

A chill settled over the med bay, something bitter and fragile that twisted the shadows and made the spaces between all of them feel cavernous. Raph’s shoulders slumped and he sagged back down onto the mattress, tucking his chin into his pillow and wrapping his arms around it. Donnie hadn’t moved since Casey’s revelation, as if he were still processing it.

“Donatello, I’m s—” Casey began.

Donnie disappeared completely underneath the blanket. Casey made a hurt noise in his throat and clenched his jaw, ducking his head so that his dark hair fell into his face."

---

We Were Made to Suffer and to Love kills me every time I think about it. This isn't quite the money shot of the boys getting retro/double-mutated but I love this section for all the Draxum dad feels (he calls them his sons!).

"Raph whimpered in his cage and tugged at the cuffs hopelessly. He caught Draxum’s eye and Draxum saw fear there. Raphael was so young. They were both so young. They were children, babies compared to his centuries of living.

“Don’t—don’t do it!” Donnie gasped, trying to wear a brave face despite the way he was shaking, “She could destroy everything!”

Halima scoffed, rolling her eyes, “Please, I don’t care about the humans. I’m quite happy right where I am, thank you. All I want is to secure my place among the houses of the Hidden City.” She crossed her arms, tilting her head as she stared Draxum down, “So, Draxum. What will it be?”

Draxum had always intended to give her what she wanted. They both knew it.

Like Splinter before him, Draxum would let the world burn if it meant keeping the boys safe.

“I will give you the formula,” He said in a low voice, a thundercloud of resignation and rage and resolution all at one, “And you will not harm my sons.”

“No one will lay a finger on them,” Halima pressed a hand to her chest, her expression solemn and serious.

“And you will free them.”

“They will be released once things are finished.”

A part of Draxum, the part that had dealt with centuries of yokai paperwork and contracts and promises, clawed at him to get it all in writing. To make Halima keep her word with ink and paper and blood. But they didn’t have time for that and the anxious desire to get Raph and Donnie away was a roaring river that washed everything else from its path.

“Very well,” Draxum drew himself up, back straight, posture proud despite the circumstance, “The mutagenic formula is yours.”"

---

And then how about this section of Worth it for the Laughter because I really like it (especially Leo calling Draxum "evil dad" and Donnie telling Draxum not to call Leo stupid)

"

“You!” Leo’s attention snapped to Draxum, his eyes wide as he fumbled to shove Donnie off of him and point dramatically. His entire arm swayed around in the air, his accusatory finger drawing squiggly figure eights, “D-Don! He—the guy—it’s him! Why’s he here!?” Leo slapped his blankets, making an agitated noise, “Donniiiiieeeee! Donnie you gotta get out of here! It’s Dad! Evil Dad! Evil Dad is in here!”

Silence.

April, Donatello, and Draxum all stared at Leo with wide eyes and open mouths. Leo was breathing heavily, staring hard at Draxum, but when no one responded to him, he glanced at his siblings, brow furrowing,

“Guys? Hey...heeeeyyy…”

“You…” Draxum’s expression was difficult to discern, a crease between his brows, something like confusion tangled up with concern and something softer, something warmer, “You...you called me…’Dad’?”

Leo stared.

Donnie stared.

April stared.

And then Leo started crying. Again.

“I called Barry my ddaaaaaaddddd,” He wailed, flopping backwards on the bed, sprawling there like he’d been tossed aside, tears running down his face all over again, “He’s my dad toooooo! Don’t tell Pops, guys, you can’t Pops I called Dad my daaaaddddyyy!”

Donnie slapped a hand to his own face with a groan of exasperation, “If it’s not one thing he finds to cry about, it’s another…”

“Aawww, Leo, do you think of Barry as part of the family?” April cooed over the crying turtle, smiling in good humor as she rubbed Leo’s shoulder and tried to get him to calm down, “That’s really sweet of you. You should tell Mikey, he’ll be over the moon!”

Leo sniffled, almost poking himself in the eye as he scrubbed at the tears on his face, “M-Mikey? Is on the moon?”

“No, that’s not what I...ya know what, nevermind. Lemme tell you about this school project I’m working on.” April nudged Leo over on the bed and climbed up next to him, sitting shoulder to shoulder with the slider as she pulled out her phone to show him pictures. Leo appeared to be listening, but it was hard to tell when his gaze slid out of focus and drifted to random parts of the room before snapping back to April again. His head was slowly starting to dip towards resting on April’s shoulder, his lids getting heavy as drowsiness began to set in. But April didn’t seem to mind being used as Leo’s impromptu pillow, looping an affectionate arm around Leo’s shoulders and tucking him close to her side.

“What happened to him?” Draxum asked in a low voice, moving to stand beside Donnie’s chair as he watched the usually animated Leo slouch further into April and the nest of pillows, eyes falling completely closed.

Donnie was digging the heels of his hands into his eyes, fighting off the urge to take another nap. He squinted up at Draxum with a huff, “I thought April told you; Nardo had to get his wisdom teeth removed. He’s just recovering from the surgery right now, high on the painkillers I gave him. It’s stronger and a little different from the usual stuff we use, but this was a major operation with a longer recovery time so I had to use them.”

Draxum gave Donnie a look of confused disgust with a light dusting of horror, “You removed a portion of his wisdom? His mind!? This one is already so stupid—OW!”

“Don’t call him stupid,” Donatello said coolly, as if he hadn’t just kicked Draxum in the shin hard enough to leave a smarting bruise,"

Donnie disappeared completely underneath the blanket. Casey made a hurt noise in his throat and clenched his jaw, ducking his head so that his dark hair fell into his face.

This is one of the scenes in Adagio I really wanted to work in to try and show just how much Donnie is struggling. He desperately wants things to go back to normal so he can compartmentalize and just forget about everything. He doesn’t like being stuck in bed, he doesn’t like feeling weak, and most of all he doesn’t like feeling useless. So Donnie found a little comfort in the idea that Leo woke up and was moving around.

Only for Casey to kind of turn around and yank it away from him. Casey’s too honest to let Donnie keep believing that Leo was awake. And Donnie’s mad about it! His frustrations and struggles have an outlet and it’s to attack poor Casey! So he wasn’t really mad at Casey and I wanted that to come across with this build up to that fight, and the apology and offer to work on the upgrades/fixes thereafter. Donnie’s not mad at Casey and he doesn’t really blame Casey for locking Leo in the prison dimension. He’s just having a struggle, his world’s all messed up and he doesn’t have access to his usual coping mechanisms. So Leo being awake was a form of stability to him.

“I…” Casey shuffled nervously, chewing on his lip and looking anywhere but at the turtles, “It wasn’t...Leo.” Donnie stilled underneath his blanket and Casey’s breath caught, “It was me. I...you were...I tried to tell you I wasn’t Leo, but I don’t think you heard me. You were really out of it...”

And this moment of Casey knowing what he’s about to do, knowing he’s going to hurt Donnie, is hard on both of them. Casey’s got his own struggle of “I know these turtles, but at the same time they’re complete strangers”. It makes things super awkward for him, poor kid. So he knows what he's saying is going to hurt Donnie, he's just not sure what the reaction will be. I think that's really hard and scary for him. He can see bits of his old family in these turtles, but they will never be the people he grew up knowing.

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

I hold Made to Suffer and to Love in my hands and get mad that the author didn’t write more of it. Even though I am the author and I have nothing more to write for it.

Raph whimpered in his cage and tugged at the cuffs hopelessly. He caught Draxum’s eye and Draxum saw fear there. Raphael was so young. They were both so young. They were children, babies compared to his centuries of living.

I like to put emphasis on the fact that the turtles are children. They are kids. And while Rise does a very good job of having them act like teenagers, during those big action scenes it’s sometimes so easy to forget that they are just kids. Those are babies, your honor.

And to Draxum, whom I headcanon has lived for a very, very, very long time, looking at the turtles and actually seeing them as children I think is a big deal. I don’t think we really get that in the show, so this moment where he looks at big, powerful, intimidating Raphael and sees a scared little boy is so important. It’s such a big deal for Draxum to look at the turtles and see kids instead of warriors.

Draxum had always intended to give her what she wanted. They both knew it.

Like Splinter before him, Draxum would let the world burn if it meant keeping the boys safe.

I have so many emotions about how Splinter chose his sons over the world. How he defied his ancestors and instead of abandoning his family, he stuck with them, and that’s what saved the world in the end.

So of course I had to give that moment to Draxum too.

I think at this point Draxum didn’t really care about his mutagen at all anymore. It wasn’t about not giving it to Halima, it was about making sure his family was safe. And I kept thinking of the scene in Bug Busters, where Draxum dropped Leo off the roof because he wanted his mutagen back. And I wanted this to kind of feel like a mirror to that.

But I also wanted it to be clear that Draxum isn’t really used to being on this side of the emotional conflict. Which is why his anxiety to get Raph and Donnie free is ultimately his undoing. If he’d had a clearer head, he might have taken the necessary steps to iron out the fine print, even if it meant leaving the boys in the cages a little bit longer.

To be perfectly honest, I feel like I could almost write an essay about the parallels between Draxum and Splinter’s characters….

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

Calling Draxum “Dad” was a moment I planned from the get-go with this fic!

Yeah, like, half of Leo’s dialogue was very much inspired/stolen from when Markiplier got his wisdom teeth removed. But I knew I had to have Leo call Draxum “Dad” and then be absolutely mortified by it! And then tucker himself out by crying and fall asleep on his big sister.

Donnie defending Leo, also a mirror to Leo defending Donnie in the Battle Nexus New York episode. No one can call Leo stupid except for Donnie. That is Donnie’’s privilege and Donnie’s privilege alone. Leo is stupid (affectionate), and he will not stand to have Baron Draxum calling Leo stupid (derogatory).

(Side note; I have a great love of making Donnie kick. Headcanon that if he’s not using his tech, Donnie’s kicks are absolutely capable of obliterating your kneecaps. Will pulverize them into dust. Raph’s got the punches, but Donnie will roundhouse your head clean off your shoulders.)

[dissvicious]

I feel like the triplets would fit perfectly into a tweet I saw ages ago but can’t find anymore that goes as such:

Picture showing about 3 to 4, I forgot how many, identical twin boys and their lone little sister in the middle, all smiling for the camera. Description: this family had three identical triplets and one normal little girl 😊

Comment directly under it: The guy who’s gonna cheat on her in about 15 years is about to get a confusing as fuck beating.

Like, that’s the vibe I get. Imagine you’re a guy who just broke up with his girlfriend, who wasn’t that hot anyways, that one girl he’s been seeing behind her back is so much cooler and also has cash, and next thing you know you’re stopped in a dark alley by two redhaired, menacingly grinning clown guys, one with a baseball bat, one with a weird contraption that looks like a grenade launcher.

“… So you thought you could cheat on our sister?”

((And after they have beaten you within an inch of your live you get home and your new girlfriend slaps you across the face and breaks up with you because your weirdass ex contacted her and told her EVERYTHING about you))

Immensely charmed by the possibility of sudden clown mugging

thank you soooooo much for this!!

two things :

I actually thought about it. Despite being the latest born of the clown litter, Skye really has a big sister attitude toward her two dumbass brothers. Picturing the "THEY ASKED FOR NO PICKLES" meme, you see? (oh I have to draw this....) BUT I actually like to think that when she starts to date - ergo shows vulnerability, perhaps for the first time - the tables are turned. Partly because Rory and Blaze deeply love their sister - each one with their own way to be weird about it. Partly because they're AFRAID of her. so, following your exemple, picture this: the person is facing two menacing clown figures..... who immediately fell on their knees and start to whine "PLEASE GO APOLOGIES" "SHE'S TAKING REVENDGE ON US" "SHE USED CONQUEROR HAKI AND FORCED ME TO SMOOCH RICHIE ON THE MOUTH - mm, Blaze, let's be honest, that's not the haki, that's the strange booze you stole from the hold." the POTENTIAL. anyway if someone one day ever dare to break her heart for real, they would have the whole clown family on the back. which is... not the most impressive sight ever but still!

I ... forgot what my second point was while I was writting because I'm DUMB. pretend I said something funny please

anyway - HAVE A NICE DAY ♥

[cinnoasch]

Persona (game of your choice depending which is more fitting) gang's reaction to the Reader using a cardboard box by hiding himself within the box and remaining inconspicuous, and also uses it to escape the notice of enemy sentries and surveillance cameras (Basically like Solid Snake from Metal Gear Solid)

A/N: Hi Anon! Thanks for requesting! So so sorry this took so long! This is my first time doing a character reaction request but I hope you enjoyed it! Had a lot of fun doing this one, so please feel free to request more!

Word Count: 2765

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Akira

Akira wouldn’t be fazed at all. Maybe just a bit surprised on the inside, but on the outside, a blank stare or maybe a small smirk of amusement. He would wonder where you hid the box though. Under your coat? No, there’s no way you could hide a box of that size under your coat. How did you carry it anyways? Whenever you would hide, the box always seemed to pop out of thin air. But even though your hiding methods were peculiar, the box did serve its purpose. 

Besides Futaba, Akira was the first person to join you in your box hiding shenanigans. He was always looking for new things to test out while exploring palaces and this method proved to be fun. You could see the glint of mischief in his eyes as he would pull a box out of thin air and hide under it. As a Shadow approached, Akira would stand up, letting the box fly off of him. The Shadow would notice and immediately charge at him, weapon drawn. Then just as quickly as before, Akira would pull out another box and  hide himself under it. You could hear him chuckle as you watch the Shadow look around in bewilderment. The glint of mischief, the tiny glimpse of a smirk that you saw before he hid back under the box; it was just like a cat toying with a mouse.

Ryuji

He would be the one who would loudly shout “what the hell” and end up making you all retreat from the palace. But honestly Ryuji would probably get the reference. He probably never played the series before but he’s most likely seen it in memes and such. 

"Oh they're doing that hiding under the box thing!" (Futaba would probably get offended by this remark.)

At first Ryuji would find the idea dumb. There’s no way that hiding under a box would actually work, right? It was huge, and stuck out like a sore thumb. Even he would be able to notice that it was out of place in the palace. But once he sees that the Shadows completely ignore the box, Ryuji would eventually use it to his advantage. Like Akira, Ryuji would also want to test his luck with the shadows. The first idea he had was to sneak up behind the Shadows, put the box over their head and ambush them from behind. A lot of extra work to do when you could just normally ambush them but it put a smile on Ryuji's face whenever he pulled it off.

Ann

Much like Ryuji, she’d probably be surprised when she sees you hide under the box, but she’d be more composed about it. Ann wouldn't normally want to hide under a box, but she would do it if it meant staying undetected and not having to leave the palace. She might complain a bit at first, since it seemed to be a hassle having to lay on the ground; but she’ll quickly get used to it. 

One time while you all were taking a break in the safe room, you noticed Ann drawing faces on her box. When you asked her about it, she told you that she thought the faces would bring more life to it. You had to agree, the doodles were cute. So then you started drawing on your box too, and eventually all of the Phantom Thieves were doing it. It turned out to be a neat little stress reliever from exploring. But somehow, it ended up turning into a competition of whose box looked the best and you were appointed as the judge. As a joke, you voted for Ryuji which ended up making Yusuke snap a paintbrush in half.

Yusuke

Yusuke wouldn’t have much of a reaction to be honest. Just like his reaction to Morgana the first time, Yusuke would just see it as something normal. To him, it’d just be your way of escaping enemy surveillance. Yusuke probably would also come up with different ideas of using the box. Seeing Akira and Ryuji attempt their ideas made him curious. If he painted on the boxes would they become noticed by the Shadows? The answer was no, as the paint only added some flair. Interestingly enough this led to Yusuke collaborating with Futaba on an idea she had. With Akira’s permission and yours, you ended up being an art project. Specifically, Futaba wanted to have Yusuke paint the boxes and sculpt them in a way that could be worn like a costume. 

Within a few days, you showed up at the hideout inside of a beautifully painted cardboard costume of Futaba’s favorite Featherman. Yusuke and Futaba were proud of their collaborative creation; both of them explained the details that went into it. The rest of the Phantom Thieves were impressed to say the least, that was until you all went into Mementos. The costume was meticulously detailed, the paint gave off a very metallic feel for something made out of cardboard. The only problem was that you couldn’t move very well in it. When Makoto asks how Yusuke and Futaba got you to LeBlanc, they pull out a hand trolley that they used to wheel you there. Although the use of the costume was short-lived and never got to see any action, it neatly sits in Futaba’s room for the time being. Who knows, maybe one day you’ll actually be able to use it.

Makoto

Makoto would probably tell you to stop messing around at first. Saying something along the lines of “now isn’t the time to play hide-and-seek with the Shadows.” She apologizes to you for saying such a thing once she sees that the Shadows don’t pay any attention to the box. At first, Makoto wasn’t sure how to approach the situation. While yes, the box was actually an ingenious hiding method, but she had her doubts about it. Wouldn’t it just be easier to hide like you always did? The box did seem a bit inconvenient to pull out every time, and it did make ambushing enemies a bit slower. 

It wasn’t until Akira called a meeting per Futaba’s request that Makoto’s doubts were… somewhat relieved to say the least. You all sat through a 2-hour presentation about the Metal Gear Solid series, Solid Snake and the possible pros and cons of using the box to hide while in Palaces. At the end of it, everyone’s attention turned to Akira as he sat in the back of the room, his arms crossed. The only thing he said was “Okay.” as he pushed his glasses up and gave Futaba a thumbs-up.  With a loud cheer from Futaba, the room filled with chatter as Makoto only sighed with a small smile. To be honest, now she was completely terrified of what this could possibly bring on. But, this should be fine for the most part right? After all, you guys were still young. You should still be allowed to have some fun while trying to change society.

Futaba

To say that Futaba was ecstatic when she saw you hide under the box, was an understatement. A very severe understatement. Like Ryuji, she lets out a loud cheer which ends up attracting the Shadows’ attention. Luckily there was a safe room right around the corner, so you and the Thieves duck into there. Once inside the safe room, Futaba would ask you a bunch of questions. Such as have you played the games and if so which was your favorite? Were you a 100% completionist or the type to play it once and be done with it? And so on and so forth. Futaba becomes a lot more invested in actual palace exploring rather than just navigating once the other Thieves start using the boxes to hide as well. She would beg Akira and Makoto to let her join in on ambushing Shadows. Even with all of the pleading from Futaba, they deny her request. This rejection ended up being futile anyway since you suggested that she join you in a Showtime Attack. And no one could stop you, not even Akira. Let’s just say that your Showtime was… too chaotic for anyone to stop you.

After that, you’d always hang out at Futaba’s place, playing different games with her. Eventually it got to the point where Futaba would end up hosting small game parties in Akira’s room. It was friendly at first, just you all playing games together. At least it was friendly, until Ryuji suggested Mario Kart. Akira jokingly refers to that night as “the night the Phantom Thieves almost broke up.” You guys don’t mention that night. Ever.

Haru

Haru’s reaction would be similar to Yusuke’s, she wouldn’t see much wrong with it. In fact Haru would find the idea very cute. Hiding under the box and then ambushing an unsuspecting Shadow? What fun! Everytime Haru would pop out from underneath the box, she’d have a bright smile on her face as she swung her axe down. She also probably played a part in trying to convince Makoto that using the boxes to your advantage was a good thing.

In any case, Haru enjoyed the box method, if anything she was one of the people who really showed the advantage of it. She’d carry Morgana in one of the boxes if neither of them were chosen to be in the team lineup for the day. Seeing as the Shadows don’t notice the box, Haru would suggest that she wanted to try something. Of course, Akira gives the okay and before Morgana can even process what’s happening, Haru tosses the box towards a Shadow, leading to a successful ambush. She apologizes to Morgana for not warning him, and promises to warn him next time. He wanted to reject the promise, never wanting to be thrown again, but he couldn't bring himself to say no to Haru. This would end up being a mistake on his part as Haru came up with new ways to ambush Shadows. One of them included sliding the box with Morgana in it across the floor like a bowling ball. This soon became his least favorite thing about Palace exploration but as long as it was only Haru that was doing it, he was fine. There was no telling what hell the rest of you would unleash if he allowed them the same permission.

Morgana

Just like Makoto, Morgana would also tell you to stop messing around. He’d tell you that you’d have time to play after you all were done exploring the Palace. Of course once he sees that the Shadows ignore the box, he doesn’t say much about it anymore. He’d actually become intrigued about how it worked. Morgana knew that the effect of cognition was strong, seeing as that the guns you all used were actually loaded when inside of Palaces. But could that effect actually extend to making a box unnoticeable by the Shadows? It was just an ordinary box, what was so special about it? He’d ask you about it, wondering if it had something to do with your cognition of the box. The first answer you provided was that you had no clue of how it worked. After you thought about it some, your 2nd answer was that it was simply the will of the game mechanic. Morgana figured it was best to just let the conversation die there after that.

Morgana is most likely one of the only members of the team who doesn’t use the box that often. Well, more like even if he wanted to, he can’t. The box was a one-size fit all type of thing, that is for humans. When Futaba and Haru tried to convince him to join them, he refused at first. He was already fast enough to ambush normally, so adding the box would just be an extra step and a waste of energy. But of course, they kept trying to convince him, saying that it was a team spirit thing. Morgana would never admit it, but he was glad that Futaba and Haru wanted to include him in it; even if it was something as silly as this. Well, he was happy until the box he pulled out was the same size as the ones you all used. It was almost as if he pulled out a comically large spoon. It didn’t help when the box fell on top of him and he popped out from underneath it and everyone simultaneously said “aww”. 

Akechi

Pre-third semester Akechi would just go along with it. If he needed a place to hide, he would hide under a box. He'd be a bit confused when he first sees you hide under it and then even more perplexed when the rest of the Phantom Thieves follow your lead. But he understands that it proves to be useful when you get yourselves in a tight spot.

Now with third semester Akechi, he would absolutely loathe having to hide under the box. That would be the last thing he would resort to if he had no other choice. Even if you tried to force him under it to avoid having to retreat from the palace, he would try to brute force his way through the enemies. He’d still see the usefulness of hiding underneath it, but he much rather fight than hide at this point. To your disappointment, Akechi tends to try and avoid any situation that could possibly lead him into having to hide. However, on the rare off-chance that the situation is unavoidable, Akechi scowls when he has to pull out the box.  You and the other Phantom Thieves can't help but laugh a bit when you see him throw the box off angrily as he stands up and simply continues navigating through the palace. 

Sumire

Sumire’s reaction would be similar to Ann’s, surprised at first but quickly regains composure. She would ask you a lot of questions, mainly due to her wanting to do everything in her power to help the Phantom Thieves. Even if it was a bit bizarre to her at first, Sumire would just go with the flow. She didn’t question it and if anything thought it was fun. To her, it was somewhat of a team bonding sort of thing. Everyone followed your lead when the situation called for it, well some did it reluctantly, but Sumire felt as if it brought the team closer together.

Since she was a new addition to the team, Sumire was excited to learn and help out in any way possible. She’d watch you guys do different tactics to ambush the enemies, then she’d do it herself. You couldn’t help but be proud of her when she turned around after the battle asking “Senpai, did I do it correctly?” Eventually Sumire came up with her own ideas of ambushing while using the box to hide; she even pushed for Akechi to join in on the fun as well. Of course he refused, and then Sumire asked for everyone’s help in trying to convince him. She wanted him to feel like a part of the team, and also maybe show a genuine smile. In the end, he begrudgingly agreed. It was fine until Akechi started getting a bit too… creative you could say. In a sense the “jump” in creativity could be due to your convincing statement that the box ‘was just another way to strike fear into the heart of your enemies’. Yeah, not the best thing you could have said, but it sure did the trick.

Soon, Akechi was having a little too much fun with using the box to ambush that it put the whole team on edge. You were beginning to think that it was a bad idea. A very bad idea seeing that Akechi’s antics only got more violent as time went on. One day Sumire decided to copy Akechi, an idea that you, along with everyone else, advised against. But of course she reassured you all, saying that if anything this would make things less tense. And so, Sumire copied one of Akechi’s methods; it didn’t have the exact murderous intent that Akechi had but it was a good effort. Akechi only stared at Sumire when she asked if she did it correctly. It surprised all of you when he laughed and told her it was a good attempt and that he’d gladly teach her how to do it properly. Well, at least Sumire was right in that the box ambushing brought the team closer together.

[blorbology]

The other day I was thinking about the fact that I've been told my longer fics are written in a fairly unique way. While I view this observation as neither negative nor positive (it is what it is), I thought it might be interesting to dig into that particular topic more.

I feel like writing style works similarly to artistic style: you tend to come into your own eventually after enough practice and work at your craft. I couldn't actually cite a specific writer as inspiration for my writing style (or "voice" I suppose), but I also tend to not want to mimic prose styles—not even the ones I like the most. Because of this, even my earliest "writing voice" would probably feel somewhat familiar to anyone used to my work.

It feels weird to say I've always had a stable writing voice, but that's more or less the truth for me. I've bettered it over the years (versus finding it the way some do), but I think I've always felt secure in what I had. It probably helped that the old days of FFN gave me hundreds of reviews on 'fics and a lot of encouragement.

A long time ago, I saw a piece of fanart I really liked, and sought to redraw it in real life. This was the early 2000s, maybe 2002 or 2003. It was an MLP fanart of...I want to say Glory and Baby Glory (from the 80s), and I redid it on a huge piece of paper I'd taken from my school's art room. I busted ass to replicate the piece. It was a great replica, actually, and I posted it online, eager to share my hard work. I'm sure you can imagine what happened! The community recognized the source immediately and was annoyed with me. They scolded me for copying an artist, explained why that wasn't a good idea, and I never did it again. (I felt stupid but I realized that day that nobody cared how well I could replicate someone else's hard work; people wanted to see my spin on the idea.)

After that, I always had my own very recognizable style of art and I didn't seek to recreate the work of others, even if I liked it a lot. I just started drawing what I wanted how I wanted to do it—in my own style.

While I found many things to like about the prose of friends and published authors, I never tried to mimic someone else's prose wholesale. I've never even been tempted by it; writing like someone else feels so incredibly unnatural; I'd sooner give up writing entirely than tell my stories the way someone else would.

That said, this post isn't really about writing "voice" so much as the specific way I tend to tell stories, though I do think actual writing style factors in here, and I'll get to that in a second.

My favorite genre of fiction for a good number of years was historical "inspirational" fiction. You may laugh if you wish, but I grew up in a very strict Christian household, and...frankly there wasn't much literature to choose from. My mom loved doing "daily devotions" and at some point, on the recommendation of someone else, she started reading us "Love Comes Softly" by Janette Oke. All four of us kids really loved it. We memed the hell out of it and to this day we have at least one in-joke based on it. It was part of a long book series, and eventually I read them all. This book tackled a surprising amount of issues, including domestic violence, and had a great trope that I still adore: a marriage of convenience.

I was obsessed with Janette Oke's books after that. Roses for Mama, The Bluebird and the Sparrow, A Bride for Donnigan, the four-book seasons series, and They Called Her Mrs. Doc. There were plenty more, but those were some of the most iconic to me.

If you didn't know, the very specific subgenre of Historical Inspirational Romance Fiction (can I call it HIRF?) tends to read similarly across the genre. Some novels play up the romance a little more, some the relationships between the characters, some the faith aspect, but generally speaking these books tend to have predictable elements. The male lead usually has a bestie he's emotionally vulnerable and open to. The female lead's friends, siblings, and/or other family members are important to her and play a role in the story. These stories tend to feature or utilize animals. There is almost always a focus on relationships overall, in every story. In Roses for Mama a family of four is orphaned and the oldest two siblings raise the youngest two and run the farm. The primary relationships are between the four siblings and their friend group(s). The challenges of "parenting" siblings are here. Kids tend to act like kids in these books too. There are huge varieties in the ages of characters and some young women have best friends who are decades older than they are. Some of these writers are very serious too about being accurate regarding the places they're writing about (coal towns full of immigrants who are mistreated by the coal companies for example).

The first book I loved was I'll Always Love You by Hans Wilhelm. The Velveteen Rabbit also holds a place in my heart.

Relationships are ALWAYS at the core of everything I write these days. I love exploring how people affect the world around them. I like to write about the complexities of sibling relationships and friendships over the years. I love history and how "the times" impacted the way relationships worked. HIRF was foundational to me as a reader and a lot of those elements are things I have chosen to carry with me. Everything I write is about a character journey more than it's about anything else.

Yes, I want to write about the blorbos in situations, but these situations are a means to an end. I want the situation to happen but I want to explore every facet of how it affects the blorbos.

Dumping a baby on Raine in Break Open the Sky was a way to explore a character trying to do the right thing but feeling completely overwhelmed by it. It was about breaking cycles and doing better for the next generation. It was about choices, about how difficult they can be to make even when they're selfish. And it was about learning to trust and love while finally having a place and the safety to begin healing from trauma. The baby was the means to that end—a plot vehicle, yes, but hopefully she didn't feel that way because she had her own needs and impacted the story right to the very end.

I think my particular writing style, my "voice" if you will, lends itself well to this particular type of slow-burn character-study-esque storytelling. I try to hit a middle ground with descriptions and write a lot of engaging dialogue. I try to write people being people without being too sparse or detailed. Both sparse and detailed writing have their places and genres they do really well in, but in the very weird subgenre of writing I've nestled into I do think my voice tells the story to satisfaction.

As to what subgenre I'm writing in... I honestly don't know what to call it. It's like HIRF in spirit, but I tend to substitute more "adult" themes for the romance and have less or no focus on religious faith (though it depends on the characters). I don't actually think there's a name for it, though of course if someone has a name for it, I'd be happy to learn what it is. In the meantime I'll just consider what I write to be HIRF-adjacent.

[basslinegrave]

everytime i see ling tongs dw9 design i feel like i won in the lottery cuz his design is so good i love it so much. long rant cringe incoming

it has dw5 vibes but more evolved and the colors go so hard too... and i like how its slimmer overall which fits his weapon (much more than 8 fit the 3 section staff, i love that outfit too cuz it looks so cozy and warm and hes toasty in his scarf and sweater paws. but it doesnt fit his move set using his legs it feels too bulky for that like getting in the way?) the other outfit i didnt like much (the colors clash so much like the pink green purple and dark blue? :/ bad palette) but then the samurai armor dlc was so good (and matching with gan nings which added 3 more years to my life. like when i saw the list before the release i was pogging when i saw that they both have a different description from others but same between each another)

i was so worried before the dw9 design reveals cuz theres always some letdowns and i was fully bracing for them to cut his hair short or come up with something not fitting him like the dw7 draft.. but those madmen made his hair twice as long i was winning and the outfit was an instant fave like my most fav was 8 then i just immediately pushed it aside. make room for 9 this is the best

i wonder what they cook up for 10 if its coming, if and when its coming..., i hope they introduce alternates/dlc too cuz more designs more fun.. i just dont know what they could do next so im just gonna hope it wont be shite but like i think i would live if they changed up his hair but its like some characters can go thru big changes but others have a more singular look so its just about lenght here. his ponytail is so cute i want them to keep it 😭 i also think if they changed his weapon they would probably be inclined to go with the armor-y look they drafted before which doesnt fit much imo, id rather have something similar to the current design but maybe with wider sleeves thats cute, and fingerless gloves!!!! please. and the long hair with middle part or side part im praying 🙏🧎

also i gotta mention gan ning here cuz he went thru a few hairstyles and i gotta say it was also a letdown that while they just reused his dw8 hair for 9, they cut off his mullet! which is my most fave thing! especially how its slightly darker at the longest part.. like man... cant have shit in the three kingdoms (i joke that what they cut off they gave to ling tong [insert after surgery meme wheres gan ning? who do you think gave you the extra hair])

but like for him idc what color or style they do, like surprise me but give him a mullet its funney and give him earrings/piercings and more bells. thats my base in the pyramid of needs like idk why they went with just one bell in the final design since the drafts had more (and also a really cool hairstyle) also remove the stupidass feathers (its nice in 8 kinda cuz more subtle and still keeps the feathers included somehow but i also loved how they just pinned them to his butt in 7 and also how over the top it was in 6 though those are like rooster feathers not goose lmaobut also idk where i read about him being connected to crows so its nice theyre black. also thinking about how one artist used to just draw him without them. boss move. and how sometimes they dont load in 9 in game like the console also hates them lmao)

[secondhandmckie]

[ RUN ] : for  sender  muse  to  grab  receiver  muse hands  and  tell  them  to  run.  (i love this idea help)

First Meeting Meme

It had been a decent amount of time since she'd last stumbled across somebody else--somebody still living, anyway. Long enough that Molly felt more at ease simply talking to herself. About what? Nearly anything: whether that thing was poisonous, the joke she'd forgotten had been a favorite, irritation at the nerve of being interrupted in the middle of a gripping rendition of the Indiana Jones theme song by another walker.

So used to being on her own, Molly startled when she heard someone call to her, and that someone running damn near full speed toward her. Was it to her? She glanced around, not seeing anybody else to hear the man, and immediately was on guard, considering drawing her weapon. The indication that she might do so either didn't occur to this guy, or it didn't matter...and it wasn't long before she saw why.

"Oh...holy..."

"Run!" Yelled the man, dark hair curled around his forehead from the flight. Without a thought, he grabbed her hand and dragged her alongside him, and Molly was quick to pick up speed. It was either that, or be overtaken by the hoard he was drawing along behind him.

"What the hell did you do?!"