#I want to finish and share all the stuff I've started! I've been pretty good at carving out time/space to write this year

[mysteryshoptls]

Kalim Al-Asim Shared Lines

Tutorial: Oh, you came! I've been waiting.

Level Up 1 / Buddy Level Up: I feel like I can do anything now!

Level Up 2: Check out the fruits of all my training!

Level Up 3: Hehehe, thanks for practicing with me.

Level Max: We've known each other for a while now, huh. But there's so much I wanna know, and so much more I want you to learn. .........I guess I don't have to think too deeply. Hahah.

Vignette Level Up: If something's troubling you, don't hesitate to come ask me. I'll always be the first one by your side to help out.

Spell Level Up: Feel like my magic is growing bit by bit. Maybe I'll try out a few spells right now!

Friendship Level Up: Can I come again sometime? Thanks! You should come visit my dorm sometime, too. Me and Jamil’ll totally treat you well!

Friendship Level Max: Thanks, as always! I wanna give you something in return, so I’ll send some jewels and clothes over to Ramshackle soon! …Eh, you don’t need it? Then, what do you want?

Uncapped: You've done so much for me, so I gotta do what I can to live up to your expectations!

Groovification: The reason why I have so much fun every day might be because you're here with me. Thanks!

Lesson Select 1: Which class are you picking? Let's tryg to take a class together, it'll be more fun that way!

Lesson Select 2: Even subjects you're not as good at can be fun if you put a smile on. Let's try putting that into practice at least once, hahaha!

Lesson Select 3: Even if I get stuck, don't worry about it! Jamil'll come save me, so you can just chill!

Lesson Start: I can start whenever!

Lesson Finish:  That's done, then! Time for tea.

Battle Start: You wanna battle? Sure, I accept your challenge!

Battle Won: This battle is my win! ………Heeey, you okay?

Trouble 1: I didn’t mean to… Thanks for stopping me.

Trouble 2: Sorry! If I hurt you somewhere, let me know.

GIFT CALENDAR 2023: “How will you be spending the day?” Today, we have travelling salesmen from the Scalding Sands coming. I’m planning on buying a ton of stuff for the holidays! It’s so exciting to think about what kind of treasure I might find! You should bring some friends over and check it out, too.

Birthday Login Message 1: You remembered my birthday? Thank you! Oh yeah, you should come to today’s banquet too. An elephant parade is impossible on the school grounds, but Jamil’s going to make my favorite dishes.

Birthday Login Message 2: Oh, perfect timing! Right now, our lounge is overflowing with fruit. Take some, please. I received a bunch from home as a birthday gift. It feels like no matter how many my dormmates eat, we’ll never finish. Oh hey, did you get me a present too? Thanks! Here, I’ll trade you!

Birthday Login Message 3: Thanks for the birthday wishes. …A present for me? Eh, a coupon for “one party to be thrown at Ramshackle”!? This is the first time I’ve gotten something like this. I’m so happy! I’ll definitely be using this. It might be real sudden, but how does our next day off sound? We’ll decorate the lounge all fancy, and dance from morning til night!

Birthday Login Message 4: Hey, [Yuu] thanks for the present! You okay if I open it right now? …What’s this? Oh, these are earbuds! I didn’t have any, ‘cause whenever I listen to music, it’s always at live performances, or with speakers. Oh, so this’ll help me hear the other instruments while playing, too? …Woah, that’s pretty nifty. Thanks! I’m gonna go show this off to the others now!

Requested by Anonymous.

[skywritestudios]

Hey guys it's Joy! I'm alive, I've been pretty silent on my socials and skipped last month's devlog because I did nothing in April outside of managing teams and communicating in servers. Thanks to my good ol' friend burnout. 

General Recap Luckily, May was night and day comparatively. I had an exceptionally productive month.

I shipped out more merch, and generally just kept up with development. I was able to get over my burnout in the first week of May and find a pretty decent work life balance again. My job is thankfully very stress free and easy, as well as part time, so I have plenty of time off to work on dev stuff. Just as long as I schedule it out properly.

Nothing especially noteworthy happened outside of specific dev cycles, so let's just get into that. 

Criminally Yours

Let's start with Criminally Yours this time! Specifically the development of "Criminally Yours Part 2" aka "Criminally Mine" set to release August 1st 2025.

Criminally Yours Part 2 is nearly complete totalling at 53k words at the time of writing this, I have 3 ½ scenes left, I'm halfway through scene 15/18 and I estimate the final word count to be anywhere from 60-65k. Totalling for 6/6.5 hours of gameplay. 

It's quite large. I originally only anticipated for it to be 40k at most, to be double the length of Part 1 which is 23k for reference. 

It'll probably be 3 times the original length almost, but hey, what can you do? Friends of mine have joked that it's basically Part 2 and 3 at that length, and I can't disagree with that. With an extra love interest alone I knew it was going to be sizeable, but not like this.

However, I am extremely proud of it so far. I honestly expected it to be better than Part 1 just from the outline, but it has only gotten better and better as time has gone on and I think it's going to make a lot of fans happy. 

Our VA's have started recording their lines, our artists have plenty of sketched CG's and finalizing of sprites left, programming is in the works, and everything is moving very smoothly! (Not to jinx anything) 

I have our wonderful community of "Criminals" (Criminally Yours fanbase) for that! It's been so motivating for me to share my progress, and hear theories, and receiving messages telling me how much they loved the first part and how much more excited they are for the 2nd!

I just want to say, y'all are not even a little ready for what's in store, it truly is the emotional rollercoaster I planned for it to be and more. Buckle up, we've got 2 more months. (I'm sure they will fly by). When I've finished drafting I'll be posting an announcement on the "Criminally Yours" Tumblr which you can follow here.

Speaking of Tumblr! I'd like to plug the Skywrite Studios tumblr page, there is not a tumblr for Meant to Bee Studios. To be honest, Skywrite is my replacement for Meant to Bee, but since M2B has a large following, it'll be awhile before I can stick to only Skywrite.

Anyway follow Skywrite Studios Tumblr here. 

Fanart for Criminally Yours opening scene by iveu    

The Prince's Keeper

Okay, I know it's been like 3 months of TPK is coming, it's coming guys I swear. But it really is. It's literally a finished game, the only thing missing is 2 finished CG's. We've had some setbacks in regards to our CG artist this time around. Luckily, we have remedied this and will have a release as soon as those CG's are finalized. I hope you still look forward to playing once it's out. Its something truly special and deserves attention. Unfortunately it fell into a bit of a dev hell. 

CG concept for The Prince's Keeper- art by anonymous

My Sweet Fairy!

So unlike TPK. We've had a lot of luck with our artists and have made substantial progress, however, remember that burn out I'd mentioned earlier, well I was responsible for the last half of the script and completely dropped the ball. I had legit no motivation to work on the project or really anything at all. Even still, May I could have worked on it in time to get it done for Blossom Jam, however I have been hyper focused and stressed about Rectifier: In Bloom and Criminally Yours releases as they are commercial projects. Not free jam ones. 

So I made a tough decision, we decided to roll development over to next year and to release for Blossom Jam 2026. It hurts me a little to have to, but it was just not the right time, and I don't want to spread myself too thin as it can harm the quality of all projects involved and harm myself which is something I've learned not to do if I can help it. 

Next year will be here before we know it, and this way no team member who volunteered will be forced to crunch.

As my cofounder and best friend, Grey said. I'm not getting rid of the balls being juggled, just setting them to the side for when I can juggle them. (We love our silly analogies) but they're right. I'll happily pick up where we left off with fresh eyes and renewed spirit and produce the best project we can.

I hope you'll look forward to MSF! When it does eventually release, it's a super sweet romantic comedy with so much style and love put into it.

CG concept for My Sweet Fairy! Art by Zac/Jamkats

Starfallen: Strength

Strength's development like My Sweet Fairy! Is going very well, we have all sprites finished and finalized, and our OST. However, for the same reasons as before I had to roll this project over to next year as well, for next years Otome Jam.

I was very excited to release at least chapter 1/7 for the jam, but I think it's for the best to hold off so I can properly commission my artist for the project. I also would love to do an additional chapter for next year's release so 2/7. 

Image: Verona from Starfallen: Strength- art by Pinachos 

Rectifier: In Bloom Update

And last, but certainly not least, especially in my heart. We have the Rectifier: In Bloom update, as some of you may recall. Rectifier: In Bloom was my project for Otome Jam 2024, and what a time it was. Despite everything, I am still very proud of what I accomplished with a team of 4. 

However, it's clear from the current build (which you can find in the March devlog btw- only for Windows users though), what's clear from that build is that it's fundamentally flawed. Not only was the game made in RPG Maker MV meaning it lacks all the standard quality of life features and functionalities of a standard Renpy VN. It also was programmed by me, and lol it's not great. The routes are pretty good, however we had very little time for playtesting, and by little time I mean practically none. Art is stunning, though I wished I could've had more, soundtrack is very hodgepodge, some being original tracks with others being royalty free.

And don't get me started on the GUI or lack thereof and the abhorrent game page for Itch.

The whole thing felt like it was being held together by tape and child's glue. 

This time around, I wanted to polish the entire experience and add what was missing before.

So this time, we have a brand new game, completely reprogrammed into Renpy with all the QOL features that come with it, as well as a few more. A stunning GUI, more CG art, a fully edited script, as well as brand new extra scenes for each of the 7 routes! Extra tracks, and so much more! 

We are set to release the update here on itch June 30th 2025 in time for Otome Jam 2025. 

I want to say that despite all the flaws the original build came with, so many players were so supportive and saw something to love in the project despite its hang ups. This time around, I hope there is less focus on what holds the game back, and instead focus on all the little things that came together to make it so wonderful.

I've said it before, but Rectifier is my favorite project I've ever done. It has my whole heart and has so much content more to come, In Bloom was a way to sell people on the greater universe while still getting a complete experience. I think we accomplished that last year, but I want to cement it for those who liked it, and bring on new fans. 

Next year, I want to work on the main game, and In Bloom's success will help fund it.

The game will be commercial with 1 free route for the demo- Greer's, and 6 that will have to be paid for. The price will be $5.99 USD. However, you can donate $5 now to my Kofi now as a way to "preorder" the game. You'll get a key as soon as the game releases if you donate.

Thanks to all those that have donated so generously and bought one of our stunning keychains! (Mainly the Percy ones, but HEY lol) I am eternally grateful, I advise that even if you played the game last year you consider doing so again when it releases, I promise it'll be worth your time.

CG concept for Rectifier: In Bloom Greer's Route art by Gisselle

Thank you so much for reading and, even more so, for following and supporting my work! If you want to keep up with what we do, following Skywrite Studios on Itch.io) , Bluesky, and even me on Twitch are the best ways to do so!

We've got a lot more exciting things happening coming in the next 3 months, so please stay tuned! This time next month, Rectifier: In Bloom we available to purchase and play!

[forhappysake]

Fluffy Surprise

Author's Note: Not proofread and the first fic I've written in like six months so read if you dareeee

Summary: Reader decides to give Spencer a present when he returns to their new home.

Warnings: People with cat allergies, beware! (?) Fluff ofc.

You moved into the new house two weeks ago.  Technically, you moved all your stuff into the new house two weeks ago. In boxes. Lots and lots of heavy boxes.

Spencer had come up with a system, labeling each box with the room it would go into at the new house. You had worked together to pack everything, label each box, and unload the boxes into your new home. 

And it seemed like the moment he set the last box down and you were ready to start setting the place up, his phone rang. 

Spencer had been gone for one week. 

The case was halfway across the country, somewhere in Santa Fe. You couldn’t exactly be mad at him for being gone, but unpacking and trying to organize everything without his input was a nightmare. You were finishing the last box in your shared bedroom, carefully placing his clothes on wooden hangers and organizing them in the closet, when your phone rang. 

Spencer’s name lit up the screen. You answered quickly. 

“Hi, Spence,” you said, plopping down on the freshly made bed.

You could tell how tired he was from the long pause he took before responding. “Hey, honey. How’s the unpacking?” he asked with a small sigh. 

You frowned to yourself, worried about how tired he sounded. “Oh, it’s alright. I’d like you to look through all the rooms when you get home, just to make sure everything is where it should be.” You let out a soft laugh, “I also had a hard time hanging up all the pictures and paintings without you, so we may have to straighten some of them up when you get back.” 

Another pause followed, though this time you could envision him nodding to himself. “We can do that,” he said. “I’m sorry you had to do it all by yourself. I promise I’ll find a way to make it up to you.” 

You rolled your eyes. “It was fine, Spencer. Besides, I’m pretty sure chasing a serial killer or something gives you an excuse.” 

He sighed on the other end of the line. “That’s what I wanted to talk about. We caught the unsub this evening. I’m hoping to be home late this evening, but it probably won’t be until after you go to bed.”

You smiled, content with the thought of him coming home to your freshly decorated home. “Oh, I’ll be staying up. I want to see your reaction to the place.”

“Alright,” he said, clearly too tired to urge you to go to bed instead with a list of facts about the health benefits of a good night’s sleep. 

You sighed. “As much as I'd love to stay and chat, I’ve got about fifteen more boxes to go.” 

“I understand. I should probably get some work done, too. Files, reports, you know how it is,” his voice was barely a whisper now, the exhaustion beginning to get the better of him. 

“Don’t work too hard, Spence,” you cautioned. “I’ll see you tomorrow night. I love you.”

“I won’t. I love you too,” he answered. The end of his line promptly went dead.

You looked around the bedroom, discarding your phone on the bed. You couldn’t help but wonder if there was something you could do to make Spencer’s return home a bit more special. 

You sat up and leaned over, furrowing your brow and resting your head in the palm of your hand as you tried to think of things Spencer liked. Of course, Spencer liked a lot of things. He liked sweet coffee, puzzles, and a classic novel in some foreign language you couldn’t comprehend. 

None of those things were overly special, in your mind. As you sat and wracked your brain, a thought finally came to you. 

One month ago, walking by a local cat cafe, Spencer spotted the most beautiful calico. She had fluffy hair, one black ear, one orange. Her little paws were white and she was so well mannered. Spencer and yourself had gone in immediately and he had spent your time inside doting on the calico, whose name, you learned, was Calypso. 

You bolted up from the bed and out into the living room, finding your purse sitting among the unpacked boxes. You shot out to the car, and without a second thought, drove the ten minutes to the cat cafe. 

You said a silent prayer that the cat was still available as you pulled into a parking space across the street. As if on cue, you looked up to see the same cat lounging lazily in the window sill, green eyes poised on you. 

The adoption process was quick, quicker than you anticipated. Fifty dollars later, you were on the road with Calypso in the passenger seat, sitting demurely in the carrier the shelter had provided you with to take her home in. 

On the way home you had to stop at PetSmart to pick up a litter box, a few toys, and a scratching post with the hope that your new furry friend would not decimate your new furniture. Calypso remained in the carrier, watching quietly from the shopping cart as you agonized over which treats to get. 

Soon enough, you were on your way home. The moment you walked through the front door, you set the carrier down and allowed Calypso to wander free. She was tentative at first, gently sniffing the floor and getting the feel for her new surroundings. However, after ten minutes, she perched herself on the kitchen counter, looking quite like the queen of her own castle. 

You took this chance to open her new toys and scatter them about the house, as well as find a secluded corner for her litterbox.

For the rest of the day, the cat watched you unpack boxes. Beady green eyes noting your movements until you disappeared from her sight. Occasionally, if you left the room for too long, you would turn to find that she had followed you. In these moments, you would stop to offer her a gentle petting and giggle as she flopped down on the floor, furry belly up to the sky. 

It was six hours after his phone call that Spencer arrived at home. 

2:19 a.m. was the time on your watch when you heard the lock turn and rose to greet him at the door. Calypso, seated in the corner of the room on a side table, perked her ears up at the new noise coming from the entrance. 

Spencer locked the door behind him and turned to face you, reaching out and pulling you in for a long hug. 

You rubbed your hands up and down his back. “Are you happy to be home?” you asked, your voice muffled by his shoulder. 

“You have no idea,” he said. He pulled away only to examine the living room. Spencer nodded in approval. “It looks really good in here. You did a great job.”

You smiled warmly, nerves settling in your stomach as you realized he’d not yet noticed the cat in the corner of the room, who was still watching him with suspicious eyes. 

“Spencer, I have to tell you something,” you said, wanting to explain yourself for doing something as impulsive as adopting a cat while he was away. 

His face suddenly became very serious. “What is it? Did something happen while I was gone? Are you alright?” 

The questions came quickly and you shook your head to reassure him. “No, Spencer, it’s nothing bad. Here, come look.” You grabbed his hand and pulled him forward until the two of you were standing behind your couch in the middle of the living room. 

“Look around,” you said. 

Spencer’s tired eyes traversed the room. You watched as they landed on paintings, the television, the clock, and nearly everything but the cat who sat entirely still in the corner. 

“I don’t understand,” he said, brow furrowed. “Did you make some major change I don’t know about? If you did, I’m sure that it’s f-”

At that moment Calypso jumped off the side table. The soft thump that accompanied her landing on the floor was enough to stop Spencer in his tracks. Finally, you watched as the feline caught his eye. 

“You didn’t,” Spencer said, his voice barely above a whisper. His reaction wasn’t telling you much, and you were afraid that he was not pleased. 

You started trying to explain yourself. “Well, I knew that you had a long week. I wanted to do something special. I know how much you enjoyed spending time with her at the cafe and now that we have the space I figured…”

You trailed off. In the time you had spoken, Calypso had crossed the room, climbed the couch, and began butting her head up against Spencer’s hand. Panic was setting in. Why wasn’t he reacting? 

Just when you were about to push him to say something, you looked up to see a large grin plastered on his face. Spencer gently wrapped his arms around the cat and picked her up, holding her close and petting in between her ears. 

“This is the most thoughtful present ever. I love her,” he said. His excitement reminded you of a little child and pulled at your heartstrings in a way that could have made you cry. 

You sighed in relief. “I’m so glad.” 

With Calypso still draped over one arm, Spencer reached out for you, pulling you to his side. He planted a soft kiss on the top of your head. “Thank you so much. I love her. I love you,” he said, smile still evident on his face. 

“I love you too,” you said, turning to face Calypso, who looked all too content to be wrapped up in Spencer’s arms. 

“I think she’s trying to steal my man,” you joked, nudging Spencer on the side. 

Spencer laughed. “I don’t think you have to worry too much about that. My heart has room for two lovely ladies.”

[cannibalbuffe]

hi! I've honestly been craving some qpr headcanons with Alastor as someone who's also aroace! The concept piques my curiosity so much considering most of the stuff with him is purely romantic (no offense to those writers, I just wanna see more qpr stuff! :])

Of course! But do forgive me, annon, I got so carried away with this 😅. I just really like Alastor a lot.

I ended up writing some backstory to your relationship first, but I highlighted the start of the proper qpr headcanons if you feel like skipping that.

Obligatory I'm sorry if this is ooc, I'm still getting used to writing about these characters. This is also all based on my own perception of him.

(Also, I am aware that qprs are very different from one another and there is no single mold for a qpr, I'm just going off of what I think it would be like with Alastor.)

Uhh, I also finished this at 1 AM, so forgive any mistakes. And I'm pretty sure I changed the verb conjugations(? Is this how you say that in English?) from present to past at some point. Sorry. Enough with the A/Ns now. Hope you enjoy!

Alastor queerplatonic relationship headcanons

(gender neutral reader, Alastor x reader)

‼️Trigger-warning‼️: mentions of cannibalism (not graphic), a single mention of tongue-kissing and making out (spoiler: he doesn't want either of those things in this work.) Usage of the word queer, but not as a slur. Alastor is a grandpa and you have to explain LGBTQ+ stuff to him, but he gets it.

› At first, before you were close, it's likely that he didn't see you as an equal.

› Truly, in his eyes, it seems not really is his equal. He is the most powerful overlord in hell and he knows it.

› Unless you are someone he holds in high regard (and this is mostly based on vibes, barely anything to do with power, as we can see by how he is with Lucifer of all people) before your first meeting, like Zestial, you won't be on equal footing at first.

› You only really start getting close when his perception of you shifts.

› You respect his boundaries, you are interesting, you and him share quite a few interests (or not really, but you're at least interested in hearing about his), and you're, surprisingly, pretty wise and mature.

› And caring. I personally believe he would be drawn to that in a way that he may not even understand fully- or realize it at all.

› Still, the point is. He respects you, and you respect him.

› (And not in the way some others do, where they're only "respectful" out of fear. You would act like this regardless of his power.)

› This, by the way, is important. You don't treat him like a superior, but as an equal.

› You'd think someone like him would love to be treated like a superior, and it's true. He very much does.

› But he has to admit to himself that it does feel nice whenever someone isn't shaking in their boots and can hold really good conversations with him while still not being pushy, annoying or just generally disrespectful.

› Anyways.

› Ever since you became friends (which took long), one could say, you just kept becoming closer and closer.

› You were the first one to be vulnerable with him, of course. It happened on accident, but you trusted him enough for that.

› You were also the first one to share any more intimate information with him. Something you wouldn't tell just anyone.

› Between this, your conversations, and maybe even helping each other around (honestly, he probably helps you more than you do him, but you always offer it and always in a sweet way, never condescending, and he appreciates that.)

› He eventually felt more comfortable sharing personal things with you too.

› (He may have distanced himself a bit when he realized this, but it was short-lived. You can't be without each other for so long, and you were pretty upset at his suddenly withdrawal. You may not have mentioned it to him, but he could tell, and as much as he hated to admit it, it hurt him to see you sad because of him.)

› This marks the beginning of the path toward your queerplatonic relationship.

› I mean, you didn't initially label it as such, but it definitely started there.

› Surprisingly, I feel like the first one to ever do any sort of affectionate gesture towards the other was him.

› You knew he didn't like to be touched, so you didn't.

› But! He just started getting more and more comfortable with touching you. At first it was hands on your shoulders, or putting his arm over them.

› I can even see a head pat or two, which he probably passed off as some sort of joke the first few times, but, if you liked them so much, just became a thing he does to you.

› And then one day you, completely absent-mindedly, intertwined your arm with his while walking around.

› When you noticed you had done it and he hadn't said anything, you questioned him about it.

› "Alastor, I'm sorry I didn't ask... is this alright?"

› "This?... Oh, you mean the arms? Ah, dear, don't worry, if it weren't I would have simply told you so!"

› From them on you only got more and more physically affectionate with each other. At first you would usually be the one to start it, but eventually you were both shockingly equal in doing so.

› (You still would always ask if you could touch him beforehand, but after a while he just gave you a free-pass.)

› Not a lot in public, though. Mostly just hand holding, or intertwining arms (if in public, that is.)

› Alastor also was so protective of you. You were the person he treasured most, after all.

› Well, demon.

› Even if you told him you were going to be okay, he would watch out nonetheless. He couldn't afford to lose you, not when he's never trusted and cared for a person this much.

› You two also cuddle a lot. You were the first one to ask, as usual, but now both of you feel weird sleeping alone.

› Alastor loves being the big spoon, if you're doing that.

› But he is also quite fond of occasionally being the little spoon, although he wouldn't be caught dead admitting it.

› A hobby you two do together is cooking. Cooking with Alastor is fun... especially if you're okay with cannibalism.

› But if you don't like that, he won't insist, of course.

› He's pretty good at cooking, though! If you're also good at it, then great. If not, he'll tease you about it (in a friendly way), but still teach you.

› On teasing, he teases you quite a bit, but never in a mean way. If you don't mind, of course.

› You also may tease him occasionally, but he doesn't appreciate you teasing him in public.

› The two of you also have a good amount of inside jokes that probably confuse the hell out of the others.

› Kissing... well. I don't really see Alastor as the type who would enjoy kissing on the lips too much.

› Tongue is out of question for him, as well as any sort of making out, but otherwise... if you like it, he can do that for you.

› He might actually like a peck or two. An acquired taste for him. Don't overdo it, though.

› Of course, him being from the 1930s and not very familiar with anything LGBTQ+ related, he would, at first, be somewhat confused by the request.

› You would probably have to explain to him that nothing is inherently romantic, especially not if you don't want it to be.

› "A kiss on the lips? Well... we aren't courting, Y/n."

› "We can put our own meanings to things, though. Would you like this kiss to be romantic?"

› "Definitely not!"

› "Well, me neither. So it's not!"

› "... That is very sound logic! I can't believe I've never thought of this myself."

› Kisses on the rest of the face are something else, though. He does enjoy it whenever you kiss him on the cheek. He himself might occasionally kiss you on the forehead.

› But overall I don't think he's big on kissing.

› If you want to really solidify that you're in a queerplatonic relationship you'd also have to explain what that means to him, sorry.

› Again, he's old and not up to date with things.

› Thankfully he understands things easily.

› "I see... I suppose we do have quite the queer relationship, don't we? And it is certainly platonic. I don't see why not!"

› Going back to vulnerability. It will never feel fully natural for him to just be vulnerable with you — or anyone else, for the matter.

› (In case you couldn't tell, he's using the word queer as meaning odd (and doing a little pun. You know. Because it's a. Queerplatonic relationship. Queer. Hehehehe), as it defies the norm of what a platonic relationship usually looks like, despite being one.)

› But you know him well enough at this point to recognize whenever there's something going on with him.

› And if you show concern and give him enough time he will share whatever it is with you.

› If it's not anything too big he might even reach out to you first.

› He can also read you like a book and gives surprisingly good advice, and is also pretty good at comforting you.

› You are the only person allowed at his studio while he's live on the radio. You usually read as he speaks in the background, his voice is very relaxing. He enjoys having you around.

› He's also particularly gentlemanly to you, more than to the others. When you're with him you never have to open a single door yourself, for one. If it's raining, he'll hold the umbrella for the two of you. When walking together on the sidewalk, he's always on the side closest to the street instead of you.

› You two often go out for dinner. If you also fancy some cannibalism, he will definitely show you his favorite restaurants around. If not he will just pick the best non-cannibal places (but you know those are not his favorites, haha.)

› He just cares about you a lot, even if it took him long to admit (it may have seemed fast-paced during this, but Alastor is someone who really takes long to get close to.)

› And you care about him lot too!

› (And you're probably never going to be in a life-threatening situation again, at least not at the hands of most demons. Who would ever want trouble with Alastor?)

[backtothedrawingboard]

Evil Villain

Switch!Doey + Switch!Reader

Summary: You and Doey are playing with the kids in the Safe Haven. Doey "kidnaps" you and the children have to save you.

CW: Tickle fic

TW: None

AN: This is another universe in which the Safe Haven didn't explode and everyone is safe...for now. You are the Player and have been here for weeks now! :D

~~~~~~~~~~

You blinked against the string lights above you. A fluffy hand was shaking your shoulder vigorously. With a huff, you rolled onto your side and pulled your blanket over your head.

"Come on, Y/N!" the mini Kissy Missy whined. "Come play! Doey promised you would!"

"I see..." you grumbled. "Doey promised..." You sat up with a stretch. The Kissy Missy ran off with an excited giggle.

You rubbed your eyes and glanced around to reorient yourself. Right. You're in your tent. In your sleeping bag. Because of spacing issues, you share it with Doey. He's less likely to roll over on you in his sleep than with one of the toys. On the wall at your head there was a painting of a sunset overlooking a field. You liked to look at it when you were feeling homesick. On the tent wall next to you there were papers with drawings the kids made for you. You rolled onto your side to look at them. It gave you the encouragement you needed to wriggle out of the sleeping bag.

You quickly tidied up Doey's pillow bed and layed the blanket out neatly. You did not need another scare of him almost landing on you by tripping on a pillow. You noticed a picture book sitting on his stuff. The Adventures of the Word Wizard. You placed it carefully on the crate used as a nightstand. He would be distraught if he thought he lost it. You couldn't let that happen.

Once you finished tidying up, you stepped out of the tent. You stretched your back and looked around a bit. Doey was playing soccer with some of the kids. You watched with a small smile. The doughman remained mostly stationary and just stretched a bit to kick the ball. He didn't want to hurt anyone by accident, after all.

One of the toys noticed you and ran up, hugging your leg. "Are you joining us?" she squeaked.

You smiled and lifted your leg, and by extension, lifted the toy. She giggled and squealed. "Sure am. Who's team am I on?"

"Us vs. you and Doey!" one of the kids shouted. The others nodded eagerly.

Doey looked over at you and smiled. "You better be good at it, pal," he teased. You rolled your eyes and cracked your fingers.

"I'm pretty good. I was on the elementary soccer team when I was 4-8," you said confidently.

Doey looked down and shook his head. "Great. I got a grown adult who hasn't played since they were little," he sighed. The little toys giggled.

You rolled your eyes again and put your fists on your hips. "Heeyyy. I'll do fine. Come on, let's do this."

You and the doughman played against the seven kids. You were...not very good. But in your defense, you couldn't kick too hard. Doey effortlessly blocked the goal most of the time. You were suspicious of the times he "missed" and the ball went in.

You wheezed at the end of the game. You went way too hardcore on it. Well...not really. But still. The little Kissy Missy who woke you up earlier hugged your leg. You sat down and rubbed her head.

"What are we doing now, kids?" you asked. They clambered around you and excitedly shouted ideas. Your smile widened to a slight nervous grimace.

Doey sat next to you. "Alright. It's Kickin's turn today. What do you wanna play, pal?"

You sighed in relief. Doey to the rescue. As always.

"Super heroes!" Kickin' decided. The other kids nodded in agreement. "You be the villain!" The toy chicken pointed at the living playdough.

Doey put a "surprised" hand to his chest. "Oh? I'm the villain?" he gasped. The kids all nodded excitedly. He chuckled and stood up. "Alright. I'm the villain."

"And-! And-! And-! You're the person in distress!" Kickin' pointed at you. You blinked in surprise.

"Oh-" you started. "Oka-EE!" You were thrown over the dough blob's shoulder.

"I've kidnapped 'em!" Doey declared. "Better come save em!" He quickly grabbed his pile of pillows- which you had so meticulously fixed- and stacked them up in the middle of the lobby. He sat himself down on top of the stack with a pleased grin and dumped you unceremoniously in his lap.

You smiled and looked over at the toys. "Oh no! Save me from the evil villain!" you cried in a pretend scared voice. The kids squealed in excitement and started scheming amongst themselves.

You looked up at Doey and crossed your arms with an amused smile. "So...Am I allowed to try to escape?" you asked. Your friend shrugged.

"Uhhhh maybe?" He looked up at the kids. "Hey! Is she allowed to try to escape?" The toys nodded, a few of them exclaiming, "Yes!"

The doughman shrugged. "I guess you can."

The toys stopped scheming and turned to look at the two of you. "So...What do you plan with them?" Kickin' questioned authoritatively.

Doey tilted his head. "Hmmm. I'll hold her here until you...Hand yourselves over and work for me!" He laughed "evilly." You couldn't help but snort at how silly it sounded.

The kids scoffed. "We'll never work for you!" a Bubba Bubbaphant cried. A chorus of "Yeah!"s followed.

Your friend growled a little playfully. "No? Then I'll just have to torture my prisoner..." Wait, what? Your eyes widened in confusion. You squirmed to try to get free, but were firmly held down. "...With tickles!"

You squeaked and looked up at him with wide eyes. The kids giggled and one of them gasped. "No! You can't do that! It's cruel!"

Doey laughed villainously. "Oh, I know! That's the point! Now give up!" His fingers very lightly danced over your belly and ribs. You squeaked and scrunched up a little. He smirked slightly.

"Cruel villain!" one of the kids giggled. "We'll still never obey you!"

Your friend wiggled clawed hands above your torso. "Guess I'll have to torture your precious civilian then!" Dough fingers descended on your ribs and belly, wiggling ruthlessly. You snorted and laughed.

"W-wait! Doeyhehehehe!"

"Silence, prisoner!" Doey commanded playfully. His fingers dug in between your ribs, causing you to flail and squeal.

The kids laughed and pounced on the doughman. They clawed and kicked and punched at him to try to get you free. Your captor just laughed.

"That's useless! I'll never let them go! Hehe! Hey! That kinda tickles!" He peeled the little Kissy Missy toy off of him and set her gently back onto the ground.

"Doeyheheheheheee! That tihicklLLLLES!" You shrieked. His fingers flattened and dug under your arms. And to make matters worse, he formed another set of hands and dug right back into your bottom ribs at the same time. You flailed helplessly in his lap.

Your friend giggled and hugged you closer, trying to keep them on you as the kids pried at them. "That's the point, hostage! You heroes will never save them! Just give up!"

The kids laughed. "Never!" "Just let her go!"

You kicked and flailed. Tears prickled in the corners of your eyes. You couldn't even tell where the tickles were. Your whole body was tingling. You pushed at the hands that squeezed and prodded your ribs. They didn't budge at all.

"ALRIGHT!" you yelled. Doey stopped tickling and the kids stopped fighting with him. They all looked at you. "I can't! Too much! Stop!" You panted, a few giggles escaping you. Your friend patted your head.

"Don't worry about it, pal! You can sit out if you want to!"

You rolled out of his lap and flopped face down on the floor. "Hhhhh..." The kids giggled at your theatrics before getting back to fighting with Doey. You looked up to watch bit before sitting up.

"I can be a super hero too..." you started. You grinned mischeviously. The toys looked up at you.

"Yeah! Join us!"

The doughman narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "What are you up to...?"

"Oh nothing. Just bringing justice on the evil supervillain." You pounced on him and squeezed his sides. He squealed and wriggled under you and the kids.

"W-wahait!" Doey giggled.

"Nope! Villains must be brought to justice!"

You and the toys continued wrestling with your friend. His squeals and laughs echoed through the Safe Haven until he tapped out. He pulled you closer and patted your head.

"I'm glad you decided to stay, pal," he said happily. You blinked in surprise and patted his shoulders in return.

"Yeah, me too, Doey...Me too..."

[nevermorefanfics]

Burning Hearts pt 2

Moodboard Pt.1 Pt.2 Pt.3 Pt.4

Pairing: Eris x Reader, Earlier Azriel x reader

Summary: You arrive at the Autumn court and things are no longer what it used to be and without either your brother or Azriel in the way you and Eris start to catch feelings for each other.

Warnings ⚠️: A little agains, Mentions about sex, Alcohol, fluff, Mean!Azriel, mean!Rhysand, Swearing, mentions about cheating.

Word count: 1549

AN: Firstly I want to thank everyone who has supported me. I love you guys and I am ao thankful for everyone who's liked, followed or reshared. I'm sorry that it took such long time for me to finish this but I've had a lot going on. Hope you like the fic! Love/The cowinblack.

You arrived at the autumn court, feeling nauseous after the past events of the day. Azriel, the mate you’d loved ever since you met him so long ago, wasn't yours anymore. Looking up, Eris was already by your side, concern in his eyes.

“What happened, love?” He calmly asked.

“Azriel… Elain'' That was the only words that came out of your mouth, tears streaming down your face. But Eris didn't need anything else, he understood. You had told him about your concerns with Azriel and Elain earlier. Eris pulled you into a hug and you just stood there crying out for what felt like an eternity until the world became dark and you fell into a long dreamless sleep.

__________________________________

It had gone weeks since you got to the autumn court and you and Eris were closer than ever. Since Beron had been assassinated just months before there was a lot to fix here, laws to remove and things to change. You had helped Eris all you could, even if he said that you should rest and regain your strength. But you’d just laughed it off. Working distracted you and when Eris realized that he’d given you your own office and now you could sit all day working and helping people in need. 

Suddenly you heard a knock on the door and Eris walked in.

“Good afternoon sweetie, care for a stroll in the gardens? I’ve got dinner so we can have a picnic.” He told you. You hadn't really realized that it was already afternoon. Guess time goes faster when you have fun.

“Yeah, sure” Only now realizing how hungry you were.”I'm starving,” you added with a little giggle.

“Good you really should take more breaks from working, otherwise you're going to get wrinkles all over your beautiful face!” Eris joked and you shared a laugh. A laugh, that was the first time since Azriel cheated you’d actually laughed. Adoration shone from Eris' eyes, he really looked like you were his sun, the only thing that mattered to him. 

“Come on, I wanna eat before it gets dark!” You giggled, dragging him out in the fresh air. You and Eris walked around in the gardens for a bit before you got to your usual place, a beautiful orange tree beside a river. As you spread out the blanket Eris took out the stuff that was in his mystery basket. Strawberries, wine, pancakes and even more delicious things that made your mouth water. You sat and ate and talked for a while and when the time had reached midnight the two of you were drunk, like really drunk.

“You look really pretty tonight Y/N” He told you.

“ So do you, handsome.”

As his eyes met yours the both of you leaned forward and your lips met. The kiss wasn't gentle nor sweet, it was passionate, needy. As the kiss deepened something clicked. Maybe you and Azriel were wrong for each other. Because the passion you felt with Eris was something that you never had experienced earlier. 

Carefully Eris laid you down on the blanket.

“Is this okay with you love?” he asked nicely.

“Yes, Eris, yes.” You mumbled into his hair. And so you ended up making love in the fresh autumn air.

__________________________________

The next morning you were woken up by a gentle kiss pressed against your forehead.

“Good morning love, how are you feeling?” Eris asked. 

“Amazing, how do you feel?” You asked with a sleepy voice.

“Better than ever.” He said, now trailing kisses down your neck. “But we have to talk about us.” He continued.

“Of course, Eris I love you, a part of me always has, as you were the one who took care of me all those months ago when we got back from Under the mountain. You were there for me when no one else was, not even my mate. I totally understand if you don't have the same fee-” Eris cut you off with a kiss, a kiss so different from the one you shared before, this was so much more… Real. He wasn't leaving you.

“I love you Y/n, you're my world, I've loved you for so long, always thinking that you didn't see me in that way, we can take it slow if you want, but you’re the one I want by my side, forever.” Eris declared.

“Your little drama queen.” Was the only thing you could get out of your mouth, to shocked by the fact that Eris, the boy you’d had a crush on since you were so very young, was declaring his love before you.

“Well I'm your drama queen.” He laughed pulling you into another kiss.

__________________________________

Months past and you and Eris just grew closer. Your family had made several attempts to see you but you didn't feel ready. They had abandoned you when you needed them the most and you couldn't just forget that. Rhysands had said in a letter that everyone was missing me and that Cassian, Mor and Amren almost had killed Azriel for what he’d done. They were all sorry and just wanted me to come home.But the Night court wasn't your home anymore. Slowly you’d begun to love The Autumn Court and Eris and you had gotten married just days ago. Now you’re Autumn's high lady. It wasn't official. Just the court knew and you wanted to wait before declaring it, or at least make it dramatical. You and Eris had discussed when and where and then the perfect opportunity showed up:

 A High Lord (and lady) meeting was to be held at the Day Court, to discuss the restoration of Prythian. And you were going to be there, but for the first time you weren't going to stand by your brother's side, no you were going to have your own throne next to Eris. If you were going to see Rhys you were going to do it on your own accord. That was when you were going to reveal your title. And that meeting, that meeting was today. Right now you were packing and planning what to talk about, what to wear and how to act. You’d known Helion since you were a little kid and the two of you’d always gotten along. He was like you, hiding all his troubles with humor and you hoped that your friendship would help to stabilize an official, and well needed, alliance between the Day Court and the Autumn court.

“Love, are you ready? We have to get going now!” Eris said as he entered your room, greeting you with a kiss on your cheek.

“Yeah let me just get changed real quick!” You murmured to him.

“Do you need a hand?” He asked playfully. 

“No we don't have much time and I have a feeling that if you help me my dress is probably going off instead of on” You told him and quickly went into your ginormous wardrobe, an adorable chuckle following you. The dress you had chosen to wear was a piece of art. It was a clear beautiful red color which faded out into endless yellows and oranges. The bodice looked to be made of leaves in all of autumn's colors. It was in short just… Ethereal. You quickly got changed and right outside your room you saw the pleasant sight of your husband leaning against the doorframe. He was clad in a stunning tailored suit, a suit that matched your dress perfectly. In his hand he held the tiara version of the crown that covered the top of his head. He sweetly placed it on top of your head and then held out his arm for you to take. You laid your arm on his and a couple moments later you had arrived in Helions favored castle. 

Eris had winnowed the two of you to one of the many entrances where the two of you were greeted by a couple guards. They scienly led you into a ginormous, beautiful room with a glass roof painted in gorgeous golden patterns. Around a round marble table 8 chairs were placed. You quickly realized that the two of you were the first to arrive since the only people in the room, beside the two of you, were Helion and a couple guards. When he saw us he strode towards us with softness in his gaze. 

“Y/N! Long time no see. I heard what happened in the Night court and I became so worried that I wouldn't get to see you here!” He greeted you coming in for a hug. You wrapped your arms around his broad figure as he lifted you up, spinning you in the air.

“Oh and hello to you too Eris, what a fine Lady you have gotten your hands on.” Helion said as he put you down.

Eris answered with a chuckle and then spoke. “Fine indeed. Helion could you be an angel and ask your guards to get another chair. We can't have Autumn's High Lady stand through the whole meeting!” He announced.

“High Lady? Well Y/N I guess congratulations are in order-” Helion abruptly stopped and you knew what just happened. You spun around quickly, Eris clinging to your arm, offering support, as you uttered the words “Hello big brother.”

Taglist:

@queerqueenlynn @se7enteen--black-blog @@mybestfriendmademe @cleverzonkwombatsludge

An: I've got loooots of ideas for the next part and I hope to see you then!

[theabigailthorn]

If you had an employee who was perfectly civil and did all their work but just didn't want to be your friend what would you do?

I actually had a similar situation a while ago, not with an employee but a colleague! I was on a show with an actress who was really, really cold to me - to the point that some of the crew even commented on it like, "I can't believe I've just seen her do that, she's never this rude to anyone else!" After one incident I asked her whether I had done something to upset her and she denied it in a very odd, stiff way, so I was scratching my head a bit.

I reflected on my own behaviour and eventually I hypothesised (never found out if this was true, so it might all be in my head) that I might be accidentally activating her insecurities for a cluster of reasons, some of which weren't within my control but some of which arguably were. For example, I was pretty sure my being trans was part of it and that definitely indicated some shit she needed to work through! But I'd also been talking excitedly about my upcoming work on another show, which might have come across as bragging; I like to share my excitement, and I'm learning that some people take it as boasting when I don't mean it to be. I'd assumed she'd share my excitement because in my eyes she's much more successful than me, but you never know how people view their own careers - she might not have had anything lined up after that project and could have been really anxious about her career even though from the outside it looked good to me! (I also found out much later she'd been going through some difficult personal stuff during the shoot, so maybe she wasn't at her best - it happens!)

So having done that reflection I considered taking it to the producers but then I was like, "Y'know what? I've only got 2 weeks left on this thing, I don't have to see her much, let's just get through it." I finished the shoot with no more incidents, gave her plenty of space whenever we had to be together, and then afterwards I chatted to my agent about it too and we agreed yeah, not worth picking a fight over :)

Not sure if I'll ever run into her again but I'd be happy to start afresh if we ever did! We all have bad months sometimes <3

[zylphiacrowley]

Then v Now

Tagged by @sailor-artemis @gatheredfates and @disaster-husbun Thank you friends~! ♥

I will tag uhhhhh..... @golmorehotgirl @lilas @this-is-ris @e-nishka-aosh and @stalwart-spirit

^ 12/2020 (apparently?) || 12/2024 v

So uhhhhh... storytime I guess.

A long time ago (I think this would've been when StB or maybe even HW was current) I bought a prebuilt "gaming" PC (mistake). To test it's capabilities I decided I would run the benchmark for whatever expansion was current at that time (don't ask me why this was my first train of thought, I don't claim to know the inner workings of my own mind)... it failed. Like miserably. Like if the bench could audibly laugh at me I think it would've. No matter, I hate MMOs and didn't plan to play it anyway, I just wanted to test it. I went on my merry way with my shitass "gaming" PC (that didn't last long anyway because it really was just a glorified paperweight).

Several years (and a new custom built PC) later, I was scrolling tumblr, as you do, and I kept seeing this red haired catboy and I was like "I don't know who this catboy is, but I wish only the best for him" then I found out that he was from XIV and that XIV had a "Free trial up to level 60 including the award winning expansion, Heavensward", so I was like, "Eh, I should try out the benchmark again see if I can run it. Also I enjoy a good character creator so I'll make a character give it a go and probably stop once I finish all the free content." Oh..... oh you sweet summer child... Anyway because I was not seriously considering playing this game for the long run, I was like "heehee I make an old catman because old man protag is unusual for SE game so is a bit sillay." I ran him all the way through ARR with people calling him "lad" and "boy" before I decided I couldn't stand it anymore and I spent my free fantasia to shoot him with the lazerbeam of youth. Woe, youth be upon ye catboy.

Now, did I need a friend to pretty much hold my hand all through ARR and HW because I was literally shaking with anxiety every time I queued for literally any content in the game? ...................I mean, yeah (thank you for being patient with me Lambs, as I made you run a bby sprout through probably mind-numbingly boring content for you at the time). But look at me now! I can queue as a DPS without crying the whole time I'm sitting in queue! Progress babeeeeeeeee!

It wasn't until this year (or late last year, I forget) that I actually got up the courage to start posting more stuff about my catboy (and my ship... especially my ship I still get sort of self-conscious about posting ship stuff but I enjoy it so I keep doing it anyway) and through doing so I've met soooooooo many wonderful friends in the community! I love seeing and learning about other people's WoLs, OCs, and ships, so I have been thriving getting to know everyone!

It has been an honor getting to share fandom space with so many fantastic people! I hope in 2025 I get to know even more about everyone's characters, and maybe even meet new people!

[jojo-schmo]

hi jojo! im just wondering but ive been wanting to make a comic for a little while but im not too sure where to start 😅. i really love your style of art and your forgotten land roleswap, and i was wondering if you had any tips for beginners?

Hello, hello! Thank you for enjoying my Forgotten Land Roleswap comic, it means a lot! <3

I'm very honored that people have been asking me for tips and advice. All of this is coming from a hobbyist who draws these comics purely for fun outside of my regular day job. Some of my methods would probably deal psychic damage to a professional, LOL. But I'm more than happy to share some things I've personally learned! :)

First of all, the book, "Understanding Comics" by Scott McCloud ROCKS. It literally gave me a new dimension to understand the medium of comics and how it presents ideas and emotions to readers! And I haven't even had the chance to finish it all the way! I'm very happy I own a copy and I recommend having one of your own if you can, but it's archived here if you want to read it :D

I also like analyzing other comics and thinking about how they get information across to me as a reader. It's helped me learn more effective ways to visually tell a story, like what to include in a frame, how zooming in or out affects the feeling from the panel, maybe building a scene by focusing on other stuff if someone is talking a lot... etc.

ANYWAYS-! Some other tips I've learned through my personal experience-

I had to overcome a lot of negative self-talk in order to tackle a huge comic project like this and stay committed. I was a pretty severe self-deprecator for most of my life so far, and getting help has allowed me to catch myself when I'm slipping back into those habits, look in the mirror, and go, "NO, JOJO! You pour your heart into what you make and that is a wonderful thing! You are appreciated and loved and you deserve to have fun making something you are passionate about!!" Some examples of the negative self-talk I catch myself in....

"I'm a noob at writing and making a story interesting... What's the point of even trying?"

When it comes to starting a project, whether it's 2 pages or 2000 pages, is to just jump in and start! It's okay to be a little insecure or nervous about your technical art skills, writing skills, etc... But writing a "bad" scene is better than no scene- because you can always edit a "bad" scene down the line, but what can you do with nothing? Nothing!! I also put "bad" in quotation marks because I am trying to use that term less, and instead call them "early drafts." or "works in progress."

The first Roleswap scene I fleshed-out was the first Bandee boss fight, in May 2022. I made this drawing on an impulse, getting my ideas down on the page without thinking about the technical stuff like comic panel borders. I consider it like a "pilot episode" almost, haha. The final project is going to be very different from how things play out here. But it got me interested in the concept and excited to see where I could take it, and I made the decision to commit to an entire game plot's worth of AU comics!!

Also, what's the point in trying you ask? The point is to have fun! Making a fan comic in my free time means I don't have restrictions like deadlines, nobody's telling me what I can and can't write, and I can make the story as long or as short as I want! I have full control, which means the world I'm writing is all mine to create! Yes, with a fan comic there is a pre-established world with existing characters. But a universe like Kirby has enough open-ended concepts for people to take basic concepts in the world and take them to whole new levels! I think that's why there are so many amazing fan interpretations of Kirby characters and OCs. The rules are so vague, you can just make up your own a lot of the time!! And it's a wonderful exercise to learn skills for someday building an original world with all original characters from scratch! Magical!!!

"I'm not good enough to make a comic. I don't understand perspective or color and other stuff. Anything I make will look bad.

I once read a two panel comic on here. I can't find it anymore but I remember most of it. First panel showed the artist looking at what they're drawing on their tablet, looking defeated and sad. "Man, I don't even know how to draw this....."The next panel was like them smiling and shrugging, I think rainbows and sparkles were coming out of their tablet, ".....I GUESS I'LL JUST HAVE TO DRAW IT SHITTY!! :D "

IF ANYONE KNOWS THIS COMIC I'M REFERENCING, PLEASE TELL ME AND I'LL LINK IT!!! Because it permanently and positively changed my brain chemistry.

No kidding, making the decision to just do my best even if it's not perfect, helped me a LOT. I was always waiting to "reach a certain level" to tackle a huge project because I felt like I'd never do it justice at my current state. Except I had been telling myself that kind of stuff for years and I still didn't start any projects!!

So the day I said, "Oh well! If I draw backgrounds shitty, then it is what it is! I'll learn from it and draw the next background a little better," Was the day I could commit fully to the project. I'll keep studying how to draw them better for my own benefit, but I won't let my skill issues stop me from even trying!

And for my limited confidence in full-color art, I solved that by making the comic in black and white with no-to-minimal shading lolol. Because I can only address one skill issue at a time before it takes me 25 years to finish this HAHAHA.

It saves a BUNCH of time to work with skill issues rather than against them! Because at least experience is gained in other ways, and who knows, maybe that new knowledge will help address the skill issues someday! So identifying your personal skill issues and deciding which one to try to grow stronger, and which one to work around, could help with big projects!

"Nobody will read this. I'm going to put months or years of my life into a dumb little thing nobody will even care about."

Learning how to draw for my own enjoyment instead of somebody else's was one of the biggest breakthroughs I ever made. Enjoying the feeling of being challenged artistically and just doing my best, even if it's not technically perfect, is the reason why I was even able to start this!

And just because someone doesn't directly like, comment or whatever on a post doesn't mean nobody saw it! I used to get really down on myself for the lack of engagement on my art on other websites.

I was a lurker for pretty much my entire teenage years and never posted my own stuff or commented much. But that didn't take away the fact that I really enjoyed the things I saw online. Those positive feelings were real to me, even when I didn't know how to articulate it in words. Granted, I grew up into a Words of Affirmation main, and I use words to tell people the positive things I think about them as much as I can! But I know not everyone prefers words to express themselves. So I think about the people that I don't know enjoy my work- that just because I don't see it doesn't mean I didn't make a positive impact on someone by sharing my stories.

THIS IS GETTING LONG-- UHHH, STORY TIPS!!

If you work best on technology, start building the story in a Notes app, or a Google Doc! If you work best with pen and paper, start a notebook and rearrange stuff as you need to!

Or if you're chaotic like me, a mix of tech and paper!! I bought a notebook with ring binding so I can remove and rearrange pages of drafts as much as I wanted to! Like here's two very rough concept pages of one Chapter 1 scene made months apart.

I'd say planning out the biggest basic plot points and then filling in between as I went was most helpful! I also have separate notes for character motivations, important story-changing events, etc... So I can have my own reference when I'm writing new scenes!

Okay this was a lot, sorry about the yapping! Hopefully it helps even a tiny bit. If you have any specific questions I'm happy to talk about my experience in the creation process! Or elaborate on anything I said above.

And finally, because I'm not a professional there are probably plenty of other tactics that could work better for some people. My ADHD probably doesn't help with the chaos of my process either, HAHA. But thank you for reading this far and enjoying the peek into the rainbow glitter and soap bubbles that inhabit the right side of my brain, heehee.

[deiastormborn]

Arcane Act 3 Theories (and my take on Caitlyn so far)

Just finished watching the Act 2 and, good Lord, this was... something. I've been talking with my friend a lot about it and possible future of the show, so I thought to share it here for people to discuss it with me.

OBVIOUSLY, SPOILER WARNINGS! If you didn't watch the act 2 yet, do NOT read.

A few things I want to focus on here:

Vander

Cait & Vi & Jinx trio

Viktor

Let's start with Vander. Man, this whole thing broke me. I wasn't expecting a good outcome considering we know now that he is Warwick, and the current state of Warwick is no longer human. I assume he is not completely dead, I'm sure Singed had some fucked up idea on how to transfer the mind of Vander to another beast. I do imagine, however, that either Viktor's death, or the blast done by Isha, might have removed anything human that was left of him. Singed has spoken about Vander's strong resilience and will to live, so some part of him was still alive - after that explosion, my theory is, the Vander we know is gone now. I suppose next act we will see Warwick in it's pure beast form.

Next point: have you guys noticed anything about the scene between Silco, Vander and Vi/Jinx's mom?

Silco is an obvious representation of Jinx, it was obvious from the first season, even his hairstyle is somewhat similar to hers.

Vander is Vi, in its purest form, he even ironically gave her name.

Their mother, Felicia, is... oddly so similar to Caitlyn.

We know that Silco and Vander haven't been getting along too much, even before the betrayal we know of in season 1. Felicia even happens to scold them a bit before the scene starts. However, they all seem united together, in peace and harmony, especially with the news that Felicia was pregnant. You can see that Silco came closer when he heard the news, and the whole 'Blisters and Bedrock'... I might start using that one. My theory is, what if Caitlyn somehow plays a part in bringing Jinx and Vi closer? While I know that in League of Legends, Vi and Jinx are not allies at all, however, it's not the first story line that was different in Arcane to the lore of League. They were already getting along in order to help Vander, and you can see how much Vi started to soften up when she saw the interactions between Isha and Jinx. Now that Isha is dead, and I think we don't need to argue that she is most definitely dead, Jinx will need Vi. Question is, of course, whether Caitlyn will be able to get over her grief and hatred towards Jinx due to her mother's death, but she did manage to control herself when she met her (yes, she was angry at first, cut her some slack though, you don't just get over stuff like that).

Something tells me, due to the trailer of Act 3, that Jinx might help protect both Zaun and Piltover from Ambessa and Viktor. What if Caitlyn plays the same role as Felicia played for Silco and Vander before she died? Who knows, if she was still alive, maybe Silco and Vander wouldn't get into the mess they got.

(I also want to take a moment and defend Caitlyn here: while you guys were angry at her, please take a moment and transfer that anger on Ambessa instead. Caitlyn was in a grief, blaming herself for everything that went down with Jinx, because she could have stopped her and she didn't, leading to many deaths, including her mom's. She also was thrown into being a head of her family, having to accept the legacy. AND she didn't have a moment to sit down and work with her grief, due to the whole Enforcer role she is playing. While what she said to Vi, about her being 'just as bad' as Jinx, wasn't good, but it was also justified from her eyes. In her eyes, Vi wasn't defending Isha from being shot, she was defending Jinx, and i'm pretty sure we all saw, including Caitlyn, that Vi hesitated killing Jinx even before Isha jumped in to save her. Ambessa used Caitlyn in an unstable position, but AS SOON as Caitlyn saw Vi, and Caitlyn told her about Vander, she SNAPPED BACK. Caitlyn was never evil. She was broken. And her romance with Maddie - please remember there is an obvious time skip between act 1 and act 2, and act 3 also seems to be happening after some time passed. She was allowed for a new relationship, considering that her relationship with Vi lasted... 1 episode anyway.)

Now for my biggest theory with everything that happened to Viktor. I think we can all agree that Viktor is not dead. And while everyone is hating Jayce now, let me just say this: did you see in what state he was? All of the PTSD flashbacks and hallucinations? He has seen something TERRIBLE. While you like Viktor, so do I, please understand that Jayce wasn't acting like this for nothing. My theory is, since Jayce is either from the future, or some alternative reality he travelled to, and, before he killed Viktor, we heard a flashback of him talking to someone and 'I promise I won't fail this time', I assume that this is all Ekko's doing. Since Ekko and Heimer are not in the picture yet, something tells me that Ekko finally became stronger and learned to craft his trinkets for time travel better than before. I think he sent Jayce back to stop Viktor, either from the future or from that alternative reality. Additionally, I think this is all a big mistake on Ekko's part, too. Viktor talked to Singed about fate, and if we know of fate, Jayce and Ekko did not stop the events they were trying to stop. By killing Viktor, and him coming back to life somehow, this sort of betrayal probably removed his last hope in humanity, which will lead to the 'glorious evolution' and Viktor becoming a full cult leader with machine-like ideology. While Viktor seems to be good, he did still start a cult, and shreded people he healed from actual humanity. They were acting in the way Viktor wanted them to act, he could connect his mind to theirs like puppets. His intentions were pure, but the outcome was already bad. We can only imagine how bad it got in the future or that reality. And with Jayce hurting Viktor's 'human body', Viktor will completely loose his mind and turn to metal as he did in the League of Legends lore. I assume he will be the reason Piltover is getting attacked as well. And, since we all saw Oriana's picture, but not her in her current state, something tells me that Viktor will help Singed create Oriana the way we know her - a full robot with some resemblance to her real self.

Here's a thing though:

I think Jayce saw the future, but not how it happened. I think him, and possibly Ekko, decided that, by killing Viktor, they can stop this future from happening, but I actually think they made it worse. I think the whole reason Viktor went insane is because of this event. It's a Greek Tragedy. While they thought killing Viktor will stop him, they actually created a monster instead.

I'll be sad to see Viktor be evil, but, in a way, it all makes sense. In a very tragic way, but it does.

What if the Hextech is actually something from the Void? It's purple.

Alternative theory would be that, while Jayce and Heimer and Ekko were trapped in the core, and while Viktor was actively messing around with it, Jayce witnessed what it does to people that Viktor has been 'fixing'. He does hallucinate some kind of zombies when he looks at the people that Viktor interracted with. Though, then I would not know how Jayce was the only person who got out. Maybe that rune in Jayce's wrist will explain all of it.

This was all of my theories for now.

[mysteryshoptls]

Cater Diamond Shared Lines

Tutorial: Let's have some fun together.

Level Up 1: Yay! Watch me get even stronger ♪

Level Up 2: Feelin' like #Cay-kunsAtTheTopOfHisGame♪

Level Up 3 / Buddy Level Up: Let's keep on truckin' together ♪

Level Max: I always thought it'd be fine so long as I was having fun, but I guess it's not bad to get serious from time to time. ...Plus, I gotta look cool for anything I upload to Magicam ♪

Vignette Level Up:  What, you and me are buddy-buddy? Wow, really～? ...What's with that look? It's not like I said I didn't like it, right? It's more like I don't really know how to respond to hearing something so straightforward.

Spell Level Up: Hmm, so you're the type to do this kinda stuff, huh. Thanks ♪

Friendship Level Up: Thanks for the great time! If you ever want to invite me back over, I’ll definitely come. I’m sure the guest room will look even more amazing next time I come, right?

Friendship Level Max: Maybe I’ll try making some furniture with you next time. The style you got going right now’s pretty rockin’, but we do a collab, maybe you’ll end up even more attached to Cay-kun. What if, right? ♪

Uncapped: I've still got potential for growth, huh? Ahahah. 'Kay then, try and keep up!

Groovification: Ain't I the coolest I've ever been? This rocks ♪

Lesson Select 1: We should totally study together. I guess as your upperclassman, I should probably show you how it's done, right? ♪

Lesson Select 2: You're really the type to focus up hard, huh. You hear that a lot? ...Uh-huuuh, I totally thought so!

Lesson Select 3: Hey, now, relax a bit. It's not worth getting that tense just for class.

Lesson Start: 'Kay, let's get this done quick 'n easy.

Lesson Finish: It's finally over～ Time to check Magicam between classes.

Battle Start: Make sure to post and share my cool side ♪

Battle Won: You’ve had more than enough now, right? Bye-bye ♪

Trouble 1: Sorry, sorry! I just got too heated up. That wasn’t like me at all.

Trouble 2: Eeeh～? I wasn’t really angry or anything. We were just chatting ♪

GIFT CALENDAR 2023: “How will you be spending the day?” Maybe I’ll surf Magicam for some ‘cammable spots that’re only available in the winter. Stuff like diamond dust, or hotels made from ice… Knowin’ they’re only limited to the season really gets me psyched up!

Birthday Login Message 1: You remembered my birthday? Thanksー! You’re so nice to come out of your way to celebrate it with me. I’m so happy that I think I’ll upload a picture to Magicam. Alright look over here～!

Birthday Login Message 2: Thanks for coming to celebrate my birthday! I’m super stoked! You’re gonna give me whatever I want for my birthday? Well, if you say that… it might make me want to ask for something huge. I’m kidding, don’t worry! How about we go skateboarding together? We can do some sweet tricks and post some pictures online!

Birthday Login Message 3: Heyo, [Yuu]-chan! Ooh… Did you come to wish me a happy birthday? Oho, then maybe I’ll use my Unique Magic and ask for a gift for each one of me～ Eh, you’re still cool with that? I was just kidding, though. Well, Cay-kun here is just tickled to death that you’d go that far to celebrate my birthday! Thanks ♪

Birthday Login Message 4: A little quiz for you, [Yuu]-chan! What do you think is Cay-kun’s lucky charm for today? The answer is… a present! The more I get, the happier I’ll be, my horoscope says～ That’s why I’m on the lookout for people who might have presents for me. Are you that someone, [Yuu]-chan～?

Birthday Login Message 5: Thanks for the birthday wishes! I got a thing with the Pop Music Club after this, but you wanna come with me, [Yuu]? I mean, it’s not really like we’re going to be doing anything special. We’ll probably just be snacking and chatting, like usual. Ah, I just had a good idea. One sec, let me reach out to Lilia-chan and Kalim-kun. …Niice～ Looks like they’re both on board. “'Kay, then we’ll go with the plan I just sent you guys” …And send. So basically, we’re gonna throw an impromptu Cay-kun Birthday Performance. Come and enjoy the celebration!

Requested by Anonymous.

[meetmeinanotherworld]

Hey, gang. I have had a very busy weekend and since I plan on shifting tonight (not trying, I AM shifting tonight idc) I thought I would go ahead and share another shifting success story to boost my motivation.

TW: this is going to be like super tmi talking about my period. I have no shame talking about my period but I know some people may feel uncomfortable about that so maybe don't read this if that's you lol

I've been debating on sharing this just because it is VERY personal and tmi. I don't really care about talking about this stuff, but I also know some people are weird about it. Also digital footprint and stuff lmaoooo.

So this happened last summer. I had a beach day planned with me, my mom, her friend, and a few of my friends. This was something I had really been looking forward to for a good couple weeks. The night before, I started doing my normal nightly routine before sleep and when I went to use the bathroom, there was a little bit of blood. I had started my period. I started panicking a little bit because I knew I only had two options- I could either back out of the beach day which would effectively ruin mine and my friends' plans, or I could suck it up and wear a tampon. But here's the thing about me. I despise wearing tampons. They are so uncomfortable to me.

Anyways, I was sitting there silently hating my life for always having the worst timing. But then I had the genius idea to just shift to a reality where I didn't have my period. When I tell you I have never been more desperate in my life LMAO. I put on a pad just incase and then went to bed affirming like I've never affirmed before.

I just kept telling myself that I wouldn't be on my period when I woke up, I would have a super fun beach day, my period would not interfere, and I even specifically thought to myself that I can get my period later in the day, just that it won't get in the way of my beach day. I was nonstop affirming these things to myself until I fell asleep.

When I woke up, I was super nervous but I went to the bathroom and, lo and behold, no period. Not even after I used the bathroom or went through my morning getting ready, it didn't happen. I ended up bringing a tampon with me just incase but ended up just going to the beach like normal with my friends. And guess what. It was an incredible beach day full of memories. It was so much fun. And yes, I did end up getting my period later in the day, but just as I affirmed to myself, it didn't interfere with the beach day at all.

Now I know some of you may be thinking this isn't anything. Oh, bodies are weird sometimes, maybe it's just a coincidence.

*loud incorrect buzzer sound.*

I know my body. I have been getting my period once a month every month for 11 years now. This has never happened. I have never started my period, had it stop overnight and into the next day, and then have it pick up again. No, when my period starts, it stays until it's finished. My period is pretty predictable. I know how long it lasts, which days are my worst, roughly when it'll begin, etc. Once my period starts, it may start slow and light, but it doesn't stop. I will keep bleeding until it's over in 6-7 days.

This situation had never happened before and hasn't happened since. And it happened exactly how I affirmed it to. I absolutely shifted to a reality where I didn't get my period. You can say that it's just manifesting, but really, what is shifting if not just a more extreme form of manifesting? It's another parallel reality that I successfully shifted to and I will never forget that.

Anyways, thanks for reading this very personal shifting story aka me oversharing on the internet again. And since I know that I can shift to a parallel reality with a bit of intense affirming and desperation, I absolutely can shift wherever I want. And I'm gonna shift again tonight :)

[rockybloo]

With it nearing the end of the year, I feel like it's a good time to just have some real talk about why I create art.

At some point during in high school, during those years where you are pressured to figure out what you want to do when you grow up and what you want to major in when you go to college, I had wanted to go to art school after high school. I decided against it ultimately because I just didn't see a true appeal for me. I started to realize that I enjoyed my art so much more when I didn't have the pressure on me to create something for a fancy final product. Yeah, I could go but then I'd have to change aspects of myself I didn't really want to change but had to because that's what the world says I gotta do if I want to be a good artist.

And that's the thing I sort of hate the most about being able to create anything. You have to be good. Otherwise you are wasting your time. You aren't allowed to just make stuff for fun and for a hobby - you have to constantly be striving for improvement at a pace others have set for you. You can't just have it as a hobby. If you make art then it's expected that you make good art.

You're not allowed to be satisfied with being mediocre.

I've been actively posting my art online since I opened a Deviantart account way back in middle school. I'm 26, on my way to becoming 27. And as someone who has spent a solid decade online, I feel more certain than ever that I am a hobby artist. Having a fulltime job DEFINIATELY has helped me come to that conclusion but even before, I knew I liked to draw for fun. I don't like to stress about what I am sharing to cyberspace, I like just having this digital archive of stuff I've made and stories I've written.

I call myself a self indulgent artist because I'm incredibly selfish draw things I want and write stories I'd enjoy.

That's not to say I don't care that people enjoy my work and feel represented at times. I love it when people share how happy they feel when they see my OCs and read my stories. I'm happy I can fulfill some niches for people. Honestly, it'll always be crazy to me when I make something so damn specific that I wanna see and share it just for some other people to get excited. There are benefits to having a public digital archive your art and reactions people may have are one of them.

But ultimately I don't create to make others happy. If I did focus my art on just doing that, I promise you that my online presence and art would look DRASTICALLY different.

I share my stuff online because it's a whole lot easier to archive all my art as well as being able to share my stuff with the world and occasionally make some friends. Posting my art shows I was alive so MAYBE JUST MAYBE I will not be watered down when recalled in memories and people will always know I was insane about my OCs.

I'm pretty satisfied with be a mid artist. My finished work makes me happy, and what I care about is managing to create something of the fellas that reside in my head because seeing my OCs makes me happy...AND I'M THE ONLY SOURCE OF CONTENT FOR THEM SO I GOTTA COOK MY OWN FOOD AND EAT IT TOO--

ANYWAYS I am in no rush to level myself up. I'm 27 and human lifespans are pretty long. Even though it's slow and subtle, I have def been making improvements in my work...but mainly because there are aspects about my OCs that I occasionally realize I am struggling with and pull a "Do it for her" as I work on what I am having a hard time with. SURE they might not be improvements others would like to see but they are improvements that make me happy. And I am excited to see how my art develops over my existence on this planet.

.

.

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...I am also excited to see if my black ass can finish any of my webcomics before I die. I KNOW I CAN DEF FINISH ONE OF 'EM I JUST DUNNO WHICH ONE IT'S GONNA BE! IT'S A RACE TO SEE WHO MAKES IT TO THE FINISH LINE BEFORE I KEEL OVER

[atrophiedemotion]

hiya it’s the anon from https://www.tumblr.com/vanyathedoll/785181318790201344/i-love-your-thoughts-on-ivti-au-and-i-wanted-to?source=share!  I’ve always been a big fan of your analyses and thoughts about Alnst so I was wondering if you could recommend me some Alnst fics? I’ve pretty much finished reading all the ones that got recommended to me (they were awesome!) Anyways super cool stuff your fanfics are amazing can’t wait for more of your fics! (funfact I’m also the piano and drum anon(I’m too scared to turn off anon), I’m excited to see what you’ve thought about the whole leitmotif stuff, take as much time as u need!!!!)

hello!! thank you so much omg, id be more than glad to rec some alnst fics! and im glad you enjoyed my fics, i really appreciate it ^-^

tattoo (what's yours is mine) by ivanator (E, 7.7k, ivti) is a Beautiful canon compliant fic that delves into the physical branding of alnst characters and the lack of autonomy they have over their own bodies. it's so well written i love it sm

Risonanza by hanji (E, 57k, ivti) is a wonderful reincarnation au that i feel handles the characters meeting again really well!

blood on my shirt, rose in my hands by GallifreyanFairytale (T, 6.4k, ivti) is a great modern au with ivantill being Weird about each other and i love them. it's a childhood friends that meet again later in life fic and i spin it around in my head sm

i'm dumb and she's a lesbian by anonymous (T, 23k, ivti) is such a good highschool au where till realizes his feelings for ivan after finding out mizi is a lesbian. it's hilarious and adorable and overall a great time!!

you look so pretty when you put me down by justiceforfreddie (T, 14k, ivti) is a very fun jockemo 5+1 (five times ivan asked till out, one time till realized he was serious). i love the mutual pining and misunderstanding in this one it's very ivantill

100% Love Gauge by choux_panbun (T, ongoing, ivti) is a lovely complex fic about till gaining the ability to see everyone's affection level for him. i love how they characterize till in this and go into his guilt pertaining to his ability. it's very good and i'm always very excited when it updates! (i've been following since ch 1 lmao)

seek out the signs that precipitate desires: shooting stars, falling objects by renkinjutsushi (M, 26k, ivti) is another incredible reincarnation au that has Such a good discussion scene between till and ivan. it feels very in character and it's written beautifully. absolutely love this one

looking through your lense by theboynamedcrow (M, 15k, ivti) is one of my all time favorites!! it's a college au where till finds out ivan's feelings for him, tries to help him get over him, then starts to realize his own feelings. it is so, so good and well written. a must read imo

your gaze (a singular act) by fableowilba_booksandanime (M, 5.1k, ivti) is an insanely well written exploration of ivan's feelings for till in a canon compliant/divergent universe. the pining is so so well done and i adore this fic to smithereens

a song you've never heard by jjoy03 (G, 9.6k, ivti) is a very well done modern au fic where till plays piano at a hotel lounge that ivan works at. i love till's characterization in particular in this one, i can just tell it was written with so much love for him as a character and it's so so good.

that's all for now since this is becoming very long but! im always happy to compile more fic recs as i love reading alnst fics so very much. a lot of talented writers in this fandom!! (sorry these were all ivti btw i think my favorite ship is a little too obvious dsjvb)

((and omg hi!! thank you so much! ive been thinking about your ask SM especially after paratise came out! i promise i'll answer it soon sdvjbsd. also i respect you staying anon sm but if you ever wanted to dm me or smth you're more than welcome to!! <3))

[cleolinda]

The happenings, Tumblr edition

Obviously I am not happy about the prospect of Tumblr going into sunset "guess we'll just let it die" mode (or possibly "Let's sell it to fuck knows who!!"), if that is indeed what is happening. My clinical anxiety needs a lot of things. This is not one of them.

I've been using Tumblr as my primary hangout for pretty much exactly a year now. I am tired of watching platforms enshittify and crumble. Why does this keep happening to us. I am weary.

At the same time, yeah, Twitter is dogshit now, but a year after it got taken over, it is there still. There were some problems on Reddit, but it's thoroughly still there. There was time to figure out some migration for all the good it did.

I worked on essay-type posts and recaps all this year to figure out approximately how many spoons I have and how much I can expect to post a month, before I actually got the Patreon running in October. A solid 1-2 Long Posts a month, it seems like, and maybe more frequently if I do shorter posts. And Tumblr has great opportunities to just keep reblogging and sharing things, sometimes adding comments, so I feel like I'm active even when I'm stuck trying to finish a post of my own.

So now, fuck me, I guess

So I have the Patreon as a way to say, hey, I'm here no matter what else happens, sign up for the ~*free*~ weekend linkspam/check-in, here's what I posted wherever this week, I'll put up some early or extra stuff if you'd like to upgrade to a fancy tier someday. It is truly most important to me for people to just know where I am; you don't have to commit to the $1 or $5 tiers.

But I also want a way to post my writing publicly, so people can, you know, see it. So I'm gonna start mirroring my own longer posts on Dreamwidth, I guess. That's the place I know to go back to.

Hopefully Dreamwidth does not go also down in flames!!!!

I've started archiving some of my work (also from LJ and Twitter) as PDFs in Dropbox. Mostly as a safeguard for myself, but I'll make it a public link on the Patreon.

I would really like to keep up with where people are going, what sites people are going to try to migrate to next, and I'll pass that info on as I get it.

All that said, I think most of us will stay on Tumblr as long as we can, if only for the very unique shoot-the-shit culture it has. Like, people aren't leaving it so much as preparing for the future.

[drivingsideways]

2024 Watch List : K drama edition

Like 2023, I dropped more dramas than I finished, and I refused to watch about 90% of what's out there. Some of the big projects were absolute duds (Blood Free, anyone? ) and some dramas that seemed to have a spark at the start fizzed out pretty quickly (Frankly Speaking). I've just dropped Love Your Enemy, a rom com that stars- wait for it- Ju Ji hoon AND Jung Yu-mi- the audacity of making two such talented comedians play a script written by and for pre-teens quite takes my breath away.

Still, there were a few bright spots this year! Of the 2024 crop, it was LTNS, Love in the Big City and Jeong Nyeon : The Star is Born for me. But I've also been watching older stuff- both in movies and dramas (Asian/Western)- maybe it's just nostalgia as I get older, but I do feel that the kind of cinema or tv that I'm both familiar with and enjoy isn't out there much anymore. C'est la vie.

I've written about LTNS and The Matchmakers earlier this year, so here go the rest

Coffee Prince (2007)

This turned out to be every bit as charming and sweet as I was promised: both Gong Yoo and Yoon Eun-hye really embodied their characters in ways that I've very rarely see in this genre.

I went back and forth on how I felt about the queerness of this show- everybody is queer and nobody is- but the show itself is extremely loving and sensitive and I think it pushed the envelope on gender and sexuality- in 2007!- in ways that current shows in this genre are both unwilling and perhaps unable to do. There's a willingness to accept and celebrate that love, sexual attraction, gender and sexuality are messy and fluid ; an exploration that seems increasingly absent in our present media, where those lines are becoming increasingly rigid, much like everything else about our politics. Anyway! one of the joys of 2024 was watching a baby Gong Yoo playing a disaster bisexual and Yoon Eun-hye playing a CHAOTIC GENDER, both putting their entire hearts and souls into their characters, resulting in something that feels like a once-in-a-lifetime kind of screen magic. 

The only sour note for me was the workplace romance/ power dynamic between Han Gyeol and Eun-chan- it made the bits post the gender reveal extremely difficult for me to sit through. The writing and direction were both so sensitive on the whole, though, that I want to forgive them this.  The three most magical moments for me in this series: Eun-chan curling up to her mother on the night before she plans to tell Han-gyeol about her gender; the entire beach sequence, starting with him turning up at her gate and just- hanging there, PINING; and THE CHESTNUT TRAIL reunion after they break up over the deception/ reveal. The sub plots and the second love track weren't interesting to me at all- I ffwded through most of it. On the whole, I see why so many people hold this up as the gold standard in kdrama romance, and you know what? I think they might be right.

Queen Seondeok (2009)

I was super excited to finally be able to see this (thanks Viki and VPNs), and I binged sixty two (62) episodes in something like three weeks! Yes, it did drive me that crazy. Writer nims have really perfected the made-for-me sageuk formula, though Seondeok isn't as weighty, politcally, as Tree With Deep Roots or Six Flying Dragons. But it shares the same theatrical and political imagination and ambition, and it's so very engaging for most parts. Go hyun-jung is-not my fave, sorry- but Mi-Shil is probably one of my top ten characters of ALL time!!! What a woman!!! What a villain!!! What a hero!!! The drama tanks a bit with Mi-shil's exit- it's like without her, nothing seems important anymore- and all the other characters know it, especially Deokman. I didn't particularly care for the ending- a tad too bleak and trite-but that's not important, I think, in this story. It's just a damn good yarn.

Love in the Big City (2024)

My expectations from this drama were not very high- in fact, given the way the movie based on the same book was marketed- I was rather trepidatious about it! How lovely to be proved wrong: the drama is that rare thing in k-ent- unabashedly and explicitly queer without catering in any way to a straight audience- whether sympathetic or not. By the simple virtue of treating its queer characters seriously as whole, entire people and not unicorns, it normalizes queer life without brushing aside the joys and trials peculiar to it. This story about being young and gay in 2010s Seoul, is tender, funny, sexy, wry, poignant- cinematically shot and directed, with a career making turn from Nam Yoon su. Watch it (it's on Viki in many countries) and also read the book by Sang Young Park (Translated into English by Anton Hur)- your heart will be full.

Jeong Nyeon: The Star is Born (2024)

A miracle. That's what I keep thinking this show is- everything about its existence seems improbable. While Netflix/Disney-fication of K-drama and the general political climate has swung the pendulum far right in many ways, here is a show with a cast and main crew that is entirely female led and featuring multiple queer characters. The compromises made to get here seem obvious when you watch the show- the 12 episode speed run, for one, that left little time to sit with any emotions or character other than the lead; the less-than-fairy-tale endings to both the main lesbian love stories for another- but despite that, this show is just wonderful, start to finish. It's got a rollicking pace, beautiful cinematography and an extraordinarily talented cast. But even with a stacked cast, the true stars of the show are the art forms of pansori and gukguek. Every single performance and song moved me to tears with the sheer beauty of the poetry- delivered with real passion and skill by every actor who went above and beyond. Kim Tae ri reportedly trained in pansori for three years for this role, starting even before the show was officially off the ground- which gives you some idea of the passion that drove this improbable project to the screen. Fans of the original, beloved webtoon are probably rightfully miffed at some of the changes made, but while this show isn't perfect, it was clearly made with love and dedication, and with an eye on something other than a spreadsheet of numbers - a difference that in this day and age seems like a- sorry, but that's the only word for it- miracle.

I can't say I'm going into 2025 with any great expectations from k drama land (or indeed, most of tv) . Forgettability is feature not a bug in the 24/7 streaming "content" era- but it does not make for good art or enthuse me in the slightest. The best case scenario, I think, will be 2-3 dramas that I'll probably even consider watching - it feels like the end of a short era of my life. On the other hand, there are still a bunch of older dramas that I can get into- in fact, I'm ending this year with Secret Door (2014, 24 episodes), a sageuk on the lines of TwDR and SFD (though with far less verve and imagination so far) , featuring the irreplaceable Han Suk kyu, who's evidently been collecting Joseon kings in his filmography with the dedication and enthusiasm of an arachnologist let loose in Australia.

Anyway, here's wishing fellow k drama enthusiasts an exciting new year, and tell me in the notes/ replies what you enjoyed in 2024!