#also thank you so much anon that means a lot

[genericpuff]

Ok ok, what about red apples? 🤨 (doing fanart and need her height, in apples. Don’t ask-)

let's start by picking a specific apple because a lot of different apple types are red, we'll go with one that's native to Greece, like Firiki Piliou-

unfortunately there's no average height of these things, instead we have average circumference which is between 14 and 18 cm

so let's make life a little easier for ourselves and assume that all the apples we're using to measure Kore have a circumference of 16cm

this gives us a radius of ~2.5cm, a diameter of ~5.10 cm, and a volume of ~69.15cm (nice)

unfortunately (but unsurprisingly) i'm terrible at actually doing math and don't remember jack shit about determining height of an object from circumference, sooo next step is to go on youtube and find an ELI5 explanation of how to do that-

aaand of course, all my high school trauma is coming back to me now, we gotta do some flip floppy shit with the equation, bet-

Kore is roughly 5"5, or 168 cm. Comparing that to the absurdly teeny height of the Firiki Piliou, we get our FINAL TOTAL-

DAMN THAT'S A LOT OF APPLES

I PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE PICKED BIGGER APPLES, THIS HAS PROBABLY TOLD YOU NOTHING (BUT HEY AT LEAST NOW YOU HAVE THE MEANS TO CALCULATE IT YOURSELF IF YOU WANT TO KNOW PERSEPHONE'S HEIGHT IN A SPECIFIC KIND OF APPLE LMAO)

THANKS ANON, THIS IS THE MOST MATH I'VE EVER HAD TO DO SINCE HIGH SCHOOL, THIS FANART BETTER BE WORTH IT /HJ

(i'm actually very much looking forward to whatever ur cooking up but i'm also incredibly confused and intrigued as to why you specifically needed apples for scale fjdkalsfjdaskl but i guess we'll find out ???)

[dandysworld-meh-imagines]

Hello :3 could you do fruitcake x reader?

Poly Headcanons About Sprout And Cosmo With The Reader!

People seem to really like requesting Sprout and another character in a poly relationship with the reader, hehe! I really enjoy writing for Sprout, I think since I play him a lot now, it changed me sksks here you go, dear anon! Thank you for requesting! <3

-Anna

-You feel feel super cared for in this relationship and those two make sure that everything is okay. Sprout is protective over the two of you and is the one that always reminds you two to eat, take care of yourselves or he goes out of his way to do that himself! Cosmo makes sure you two are doing okay mentally and doesn't mind making you two some tasty cookies! Everyone cares for each other in their own ways and you feel this massive trust with them, you can always open up to them about anything as they will always be here for you and each other.

-It's been stuck a lot with Sprout to take care of everyone as best as he can and you both find it sweet! It's just that he sometimes forgets to take care of himself and that's when you and Cosmo team up to make sure he feels appreciated and taken good care of. Sprout usually says that there is no need to and that he is happy just caring for everyone though he has a warm smile on his face as you and Cosmo do things for him! He just chuckles and accepts it, it's nice to being taken care of here and there, but know he will soon go back to caring for you two instead!

-Sprout is pretty much the one that shows affection to you two constantly, spoiling you two and even stroking your heads or even leaving kisses here and there! If you or Cosmo get shy, he just laughs softly at the cute sight, it's something he adores doing, making sure to make you two feel flustered and especially loved. He can be pretty teasing but it's this soft teasing that doesn't last that long, he then becomes more soft as he shows you two his toothy grin, happy you two are in his life.

-Cosmo is more shy and he likes using his words. If you or Sprout cuddle with him, he just gets quiet as he feels flustered and smiles brightly. Add a kiss and he tries hiding his face somewhere on you or Sprout. Cosmo really likes complimenting you and Sprout in moments like these, making sure you both feel loved and appreciated for everything you do. He is usually the type that just clings quietly onto you if you cuddle with him. It's mostly quiet except for his sweet words but you can definitely catch a nice break in this comforting silence. If all you three cuddle together, it's really something!

-Of course, this fic wouldn't be accurate without mentioning the baking or cooking experience in the kitchen you all do together! Whether it's helping Sprout cook some delicious food for the others or even baking together with Cosmo, you all have a lot of fun! You have gotten so used to cooking/baking together with them that you all have your own roles or even things you feel like doing at that moment. Whether it's someone reading the instructions out loud, passing the ingredients to one another or even the actual cooking itself, it's like you are all connected with your minds, not even words are needed sometimes!!

-If it's not your thing, they don't mind you watching from the sidelines, just cheering them on. You are also the one they always go to when they need someone to taste test the things they are practicing or even making. That especially means that you will taste test Cosmo's cookies constantly! You can definitely see the flavor improving even better the more he keeps at it. Sprout's cooking is also very delicious, you always make sure to give some advice if a new recipe he tries feels a bit off and that. Those two trust your words as you are honest with them, you have helped them improve a lot with your advice, telling them if something is bitter or too sweet or too salty. Your advice also helps Boxten improve a lot, as well!

-If one of you feels down, the other two do their best to show their support and love! Whether it's comforting through cookies or something sweet, cuddles or even sweet and encouraging words. The three of you know what comforts the others perfectly. Cosmo feels safe when you or Sprout hug him and you both try your best to cheer him up with sweet words. Sprout will probably not show it and try to act more tough but you two know him well enough to get him to open up more about his problems, it take a bit before he gives in, appreciating that you two want to make sure he is okay. Those two know exactly what makes you feel better and best believe they will do it!

-At night, things always feel slow as you three are lying down together, trying your best to be in the best position so you all can feel close to one another and also comfortable enough to sleep. Sprout is quite tall and loves to be the big spoon, trying to make you two feel safe at night. Cosmo giggles often as he feels you two super close to him and smiles warmly. Sprout likes to chuckle and smile. You two like switching positions a lot, taking turns having someone sleep in the middle, only if they want, though! Sprout smells like strawberries and Cosmo smells sweet if you ever find yourself to be in the middle!

-Sprout likes to give quick kisses and sometimes deeper ones, wanting to see you and Cosmo's expressions as he leans back and smiles softly. He just really likes seeing you two flustered! Cosmo, on the other hand, gives more slow, very gentle kisses as he holds them for a good while, he is the type that gives you lots of time to process and make sure you or Sprout are liking it. Sprout basically likes making your hearts race faster as he teases here and there and Cosmo is slow, making sure the other toon can process it and even figure out if he should kiss differently or discuss about what he should do better.

-Through it all, this relationship is strong and your bond is amazing to witness. You all know pretty much everything about one another, likes, dislikes, anything, really! Whether it's with words or without, the way you three interact, it really does show how much you all love each other and truly care so much. It could be Sprout placing a protective hand on your head or even shoulder or Cosmo's observing gaze with a soft smile or even placing a gentle hand on your back, softly stroking it. You can tell each other everything and rely on them for absolutely anything. They love you so much after all and want the best for you!

Thank you for reading! <3

[hivemuthur]

I just wanted to say how appreciative I am that someone has called out the infantilization of Viktor’s character. It makes zero sense to me, and also kinda insulting as someone who struggles with illness and is also antisocial with that also being always paired with ‘oh you’re obviously sheltered and stupid right’

like he’s a literal scientist what do you mean he doesn’t at least know the basics of sex if we want to say he’s a virgin let alone freaky shit that I myself (as a virgin) know quite a bit about cause I researched (like what I’m sure a very smart scientist would do👀). it’s also kinda weird he can’t just be a normal sexual being like aside from dom/sub crap, he’s kinda fetishized in a lot of writing for both sides of the spectrum cause I personally don’t love the hardcore stuff on either side it’s super unsettling. That’s why your writing is enjoyable for me cause yes you lean more on the ‘dom Viktor’ spectrum, but you still have so much complexity in the dynamic that it’s not always who’s in ‘charge’ but the actual relationship between them and the softness you portray that they have for each other is just ‘chefs kiss’ I just think it’s really great writing honestly. So anyway I just wanted to say (the super long version) I appreciate your writing and opinions thank you <33

Hi Anon! Thank you, I'm very glad you enjoy my writing and that you think Viktor has some dignity in it, even when we put him in situations.

Infantilization IS a sexual fetish, and a valid one for that matter, and while it's not taken out of context and consensual on both sides it's pretty much ok, it just doesn't align with my own personal HC about Viktor -> the discourse in which his curiosity would be overshadowed by his disability. Disabled people are hot and fuck, and that's it. Like you, I also knew a lot before having sex for the first time. And yeh, it's just me, I don't like my men whimpering from the start, I like to see them whimper DESPITE being on the dominant side.

Furthermore, I think if we are to fetishize someone, fictional characters are the safest bet. And it's fun, and it's interesting. Personally, I don't read Dom/sub stuff as 'crap', it's a completely valid form of sexuality, just like vanilla. I don't like the 'normal' label on sex that is non-kinky, because it underlines that there is something wrong with the d/s dynamics. There isn't. It's totally ok to want to give away/take over control in bed and it doesn't really matter what form it adopts. It can be very healing. As long as both partners can consciously consent it's basically all good. When I write, I am mostly interested in the emotional aspect of it and how it impacts the rest of character's lives, but I know not everyone is and some people just want to read some kinky porn and that's fine, it's a form of entertainment. Reading smutty fanfiction is probably one of the very few ethical ways to consume pornography anyway.

My irk is out of context fetish-cruising and giving fetishes some false representations, but again - that's just me. You know, that part where characters feel guilty for having a fetish in the first place. I've learned to block accounts and hide tags that don't rock my boat. When I can't see it it can't hurt me. Also, 'hardcore' is a pretty subjective territory, it all depends on our adrenaline tolerance. I have done some crazy shit in my life and some of it stayed with me as my personal-favourite bed activities. I don't like sexual judgement and purity culture. Just as I don't judge people who are vanilla as 'repressed,' I don't want to be judged as 'unsettling' or 'weird.'

So yeh, I do fetishize Viktor. Mostly as a person who is curious about pushing boundaries and who is on the dominant side of things. I am good with him being represented as ace, sub, or a virgin, as long as it's done well, all of those representations are valid and people clearly need them if such media exists. And again, it's subjective, it's just my taste in writing/reading. I don't like him infantilized out of context, but I would read it as harmful if done with any character honestly.

But I live solemnly by fetishization of people. That thing where you are down bad for someone so hard, when you love them so much, everything they do is hot. And you take them apart and adore each part of them, from their toes to the tip of their head, and you stare at them when they are asleep because you can't believe how fucking lucky you are. What is it, if not fetish? Love is fetish to me.

[dr1zzleboy]

Hi, Can I request a Dante (DMC 5) x husband!reader who is calm, melodramatic, sensitive and gentle, and wears feminine kimonos ? The others think he can't defend himself against demons, but he actually knows how to fight and if you don’t mind, I’d love it if he fought using a fan. Sorry for asking so many things, I hope it’s not a problem. Buenas noches 🌸🌷

Hi Anon! Thank you for making this request, I love it! (The more detail, the better the story!). Anyway, I hope you like it!

Advertisement! My first language is not English, so there may be grammatical errors! Maybe a little bit ooc(?)

Dante DMC 5x Husband!reader

Dante and you met at a pizzeria at night, very romantic, he had gone to recharge his batteries and clear his mind after hard work, and you, you just wanted to eat something and the only thing that was open was that pizzeria.

You had caught the half-demon's attention; your calm and gentle way of interacting with others had mesmerized him. You were like him, but much more serene and not as sarcastic. So obviously he was going to try to get your attention, in his own way obviously.

"Hey, I think I put too much sauce on my pizza because it's too hot, just like you." The silver hair said followed by a wink.

And you could only laugh and cover your mouth as you felt your face blush. And at that moment Dante knew he had to take your hand in marriage.

Something that happened after a lot of jokes, silly flirting, and spontaneous but romantic dates. The two of you got to know each other better, and it seemed like Sparda's son had won the lottery when he discovered that you also enjoyed hunting demons, with a style as unique and graceful as yours. Winning your heart and soon proposing to you when he invite you on a "routine" mission, it would actually be a surprise.

You thought you were done with the mission until a horde of demons appeared. Dante eliminating the horde with the Stylish Rank SSS, not wanting to arruin his surprise, and of course not wanting you to get hurt. Until he stopped in the middle of the fight to take out a ring (hidden among the Ebony & Ivory bullets), and say:

"Hey, killing demons is fun, but doing it with you is on another level.... Wanna be my hunting partner... forever?" When he finished a demon interrupted, but you killed the demon without hesitation with one of your fans and you looked at him only to nod and repeat yes over and over again and then he put the ring on your finger.

And from that night on, you began to work more together, spending more time together, although sometimes it got complicated when he had very risky hunts and didn't want his husband to get hurt. Sometimes you argued and it was complicated because you were... Melodramatic, although he liked it and he tease you afterwards.

"But then if you leave I'll be left alone and I don't know what I'll do and I'll probably die of sadness and loneliness!" The older mocked again as he wrapped his arms around your waist and tried to make you laugh.

"Even though I care about you and you make fun of me... What would have happened if I had really died? Huh? I'm quite capable of defeating demons, but I still have a soft heart." You said offended and crossed your arms, turning your face away from him.

"Then I would do everything possible to get you back with me and apologize for doubting you." He whispered into your shoulder and nuzzling your neck with his nose, his beard tickling you.

Sometimes his flattery and flirting worked, but other times not so much and it could only be solved by going out together, letting you teasing him too, letting you hunt by yourself (Although sometimes he would stay at the entrance of the office to greet you instantly and totally concerned.) or in a long stress-relieving session. (If you know what I mean ;D)

Dante always loved it when you showed others that you were not only a lovely person and had a pretty face, but also a hunter and expert with a fan. Always with graceful movements, showing it as a simple and flirtatious thing if you wanted to.

I'm sorry if it's not what you wanted, I can change it or modify it, also make it more like a story although it would have to be a series, but I would gladly do it! ^^

[fluffyenergee]

Maybe a little request, treat it like you like. BUT! for me it's so frustrating when getting your foot wear slowly pulled off >///<

The ler taking their time to sloooowly untie the shoelaces and then sloooooowly pull down the socks. IMAGINE MEDIC, he wears those high boots that are over his ankles and probably also high socks to prevent abrasions

SO! after my little yapping, how about mercs reaction to such teasing? (=•w•=)

Oh, the scenario is lovely, although about the first part with the "request", I guessed you meant that as in fanfic request since I wrote a few of those tickle fics... Yeah, about that, if that's what you meant, or even if not, I guess that's as good time as any to say that: I don't and won't write requested fanfics. No. I have bad impression of that. I used to do that. Those fecking anons who requested never even said thank you. I'm not talking about you, of course, but yeah, they were anons who never even acknowledged I wrote something specifically for them. I only write when I get in the mood enough, sometimes they're in a reply for an ask, yeah, cause I like them in that way, but that's ocassional.

I'm not taking fic requests and never will again, if I post something I put a lot of effort in, then I want interactions, preferably comments. I'm not saying this to be entitled or anything, it's not that I need hundreds of interactions, and it's not that I think everyone will like it and as such should comment, but the hearts/likes to comments ratio is dreadful. I would take 1 comment over 10 likes, even more honestly. And since that's just not a thing I won't do it. Having said that, I am forever grateful to those who commented/said in a reblog something nice aboutmy fic. After all that, this isn't specifically for you, anon, of course, I don't even know if this is what you meant, but you did give me an excuse to say it :p.

Comment on stuff you like, on stuff you want to see more, likes are nice at best, but comments are what's really important. On art, on fanfics, on anything you like. Or next day you won't find desired fan content at all. I don't even mean my stuff, my stuff is bleh at most, but I can't accept seeing other people's amazing fan content with likes but very few nice words said about them. Comment. Or reblog with saying something. Or tell them in an ask. Did I mentions those people do it for free?

Now that I finished my yapping let's get to what you actually came here for, cause as I said it's a lovely scenario, and quite frankle perfect! I shall say more with each merc:

Medic: Let's start with the man of the hour himself - Scout Medic, since you talked about him I thought it was only right. I can go with him wearing high socks, oh for sure. Medic 🤝 Scout - wearing high socks. Anyway, in this scenario he's obviously very excited but the teasingly slow speed gets to him so much he might tell his ler to accelerate it. Either way, he's definitely wiggling his toes to tease them while twitching in his spot, all excited.

Scout: Hey look, it's... him. The guy who definitely wears long socks :D. And silly ahh shoes. This kind of teasing really gets to him, especially considering his feet are his most ticklish spot. He wiggles in place, his foot shakes while the foot wear is being taken off, and he's all red and blushy trying to hide his face and not to combust while talking his ler out of it. He doesn't really mean it.

Soldier: Brooo, he will kick his ler, be careful with him, hehe. Even if he knows damn well what's happening he will say that his ler is just doing all that to admire his "American feet". Of course he would. Although it's so flustering if prolonged I think that while his feet would move the rest of him would freeze and/or shake in anticipation.

Pyro: hey, he let his ler take off his shoes and socks, nice. Pyro keeps letting out muffled, of course, noises of excitement, his entire body wiggling in anticipation. He'll tease and keep moving his feet, even poking at his ler to playfully shove them away, but aside from that he's not exactly trying to stop it.

Demoman: He's the one who'd rather see just how close his feet are to being bare aka ready to be tickled. So yes, he tries looking away but can't keep his gaze away for too long while letting out nervous chuckles.

Heavy: He's holding onto his outstretched legs, head down to hide his flustered expression including biting down his smile. He knows what's coming, his feet are his 2nd most ticklish spot, uh oh. He'd rather not observe as his feet become more and more vulnerable but if his ler calls him out on that he will do it as stone-faced as possible.

Engineer: He's looking away, blushing. He's not saying he wants it but he's not protesting either, hmmmmmmm. Might chuckle nervously before the tickling starts. Yeah, he's real flustered. Also, look out for that gunslinger.

Sniper: He's kinda paralized with panicked anticipation. He knows what's coming and such teasing is too much for him. His eyes are closed, lips sealed shut, probably hiding his face with his silly hat (take it from him and observe) and his ticklish feet are twitching.

Spy: First of all, how dare you remove his foot wear? He's too French for that... smh. But seriously, he gets quite stiff trying to get his feet free without looking too desperate but at the same time making sure he doesn't get... brrr... tickled. And all this teasy removal is not doing him any good, let me tell you. At least if you ask him.

Well, this sure is the first time I stared at their boots so much. Aside from Scout. I stared at his shoes before. A lot :). I love his knee-lenght socks also. Seriously. They're one of my favourite things about him. You know what would be better than Scout wearing knee-lenght socks? Scout wearing thigh-lenght socks.

:D

I also love high boots so much, I'm obsessed with Medic wearing those too. And also Soldier wears those kind of boots hello? Awesome choice.

You can kinda tell in which order I wrote those based on the fact that as I wrote I used more and more ideas so the last ones I wrote are the shortest ones and the other way around.

[tesscourtes]

blowing your bill a kiss because he was also one of my faves back in the heyday

The kiss cartoonishly lands on his cheek. He is now sending pics of your kiss to ford to make him jealous. congrats! you are now a culprit of his obsessive behaviour!

[floccinaucinihilipilificationa]

Hello may 31th anon! Look at that, another year behind us and a new one to come. Have a nice day! ₍՞◌′ᵕ‵ू◌₎♡

[bumblingbabooshka]

Your vulcan characterization is so wonderful, the light you shine on both canon and OC vulcan characters is genuinely VERY inspiring. You really encapsulate and give a believable look into daily vulcan life that’s fleshed out and, most importantly, loved. Your care for these characters is apparent in every word, and it shapes them into real people that feel both alien and familiar. In some of the fanfics I’ve read involving vulcans, it sometimes feels like the author is just writing very stern humans who are misguided in their approach to love and emotion. In your writing, however, it feels like you really respect vulcans and love their way of life- that you find beauty and interest in what’s alien to us. Which, I would argue, is a big part of what sci-fi should be. Idk, I’m trying to write vulcans myself, and the way you portray them is a huge inspiration. Thanks for all you do!

Anywho, how do you think Tuvok’s kids (as young children) would react to an arcade? The mental image of a vulcan kid submerged in a Chuck E. Cheese ballpit is personally very funny to me

I'm sorry this is so late but this ask is one of the most beautiful and touching ones I've ever received and I didn't know how to respond (overwhelmed, pleasantly) so here's a bunch of doodles of Tuvok's kids being incredibly well behaved during their family outing at the Space Arcade/Play Place

(Arcade Trip Play by Play Under the Cut)

Elieth is the only one interested in the ball pit. He isn't doing anything in there he is literally just sitting in silence and observing the different balls. He does NOT want to leave the pit!!! <- This is foreboding to his parents who know that he must, at some point, leave the pit. Varith and Asil go in the ball pit in an attempt to understand Elieth's fascination but are quickly bored. Sek watches them with his hands clasped behind his back. Whenever an adult asks if he wants to go in he says "No, thank you." He appoints himself the safety officer and will tell the other children not to play too rough and 'rescue' the smaller ones if they look like they're struggling. Asil wants to leave the ball pit and Sek manages to pull Elieth away with the promise that they will return - they will each pick an activity so it is fair! They all go into that large overhanging contraption (reminds them of caves - fun to play in!) but only three make it out again. They try to use telepathy to find their lost brother but they can't do it (too little) so they have to go find one of their parents who has to telepathically lead them to the exit. This almost gets the trip cancelled but they all promise to stay together this time!! Sek fulfills his older brother duties of being fucking sick at a video game all his younger siblings watch him play. This actually draws a crowd of more than just his siblings - a VULCAN playing video games? He goes up against a human, wagering their tickets, and he wins. However, since Sek is against gambling he does not accept the human's tickets. This only makes him cooler. Elieth wanders away to the ball pit during this time. The remaining Tuvoklings figure out that the claw machine is rigged and think this is unethical and unfair. To remedy this, they find a way to plant their sister inside the machine where she proceeds to hand out as many toys as she can before the employees catch wind and alert their parents. That is it. We're going home. Where is your brother? (In the ball pit.) While Tuvok wrestles Elieth out of the ball pit, T'Pel takes the kids to the prize counter and they put all their winnings together and ask to be able to take a ball from the ball pit home. The clerk says that isn't a prize and they ask again to be able to take a ball from the ball pit home. The clerk is tired and says Sure. Whatever. So they each carefully select one ball from the ball pit and give them to Elieth which stops his tantrum. On the ride home Elieth happily stares at the balls from the ball pit which his siblings got him and Asil takes out several toys from her backpack which she took from the claw machine. A very satisfying trip! Indeed, we should endeavor to make a visit once a week. (No.) Twice a week? (Further.) Once a month? (Perhaps.)

[moeblob]

Oh that's a dwagon! (they're so cute!)

Siblings that hoot and holler together, stay together. (thank you so much!! I love these silly lil kids)

[skeletalheartattack]

...am I just losing my mind or did yer icon become evil? I don't remember that BeAst behind Boe

yuuuump always been behind me

[marshmallowgoop]

Repostober Day 29 | 29 Years

Detective Conan began its serialization in Shonen Sunday 29 years ago, and it's still going strong!

I think this is the first Cone I ever drew, in December 2012. At the time, I had no idea that several years in the future, this series would become so dear to me—and would introduce me to so many wonderful people!

[xxplastic-cubexx]

your art got me back into x men…. (cherik specifically) i was in denial abt losing my previous hyperfixation but your art was the final nail in the coffin (NOT DEROGATORY BTW I ABSOLUTELY LOVE YOUR ART)

WELECOME BACK MY FRIEND you can never escape !!!!!!!!!!!!!! not if i can help it ....

[sentimentalslut]

Sometimes I want to yell at you to update your fics but I remember you’re a whole ass lawyer and have a life.

also writers block dont forget the writers block

[presiding]

What is your favourite thing about Billie Lurk?

(Answers are obvious possibly but i love when people talk about her👍)

thanks for the ask!! YEAH ME TOO I love when people talk about Billie! I can't say I have a favourite thing specifically, but I can explain why she's my fav. apologies for not taking this qn literally, but -

short answer: she’s really cool

& you can stop reading there, or, for the maybe 2 mutuals who might have time to read this my thoughts on her as a character, her meta, and her character as raw potential...

long answer:

i considered making this entire thing a gush so you could read a gush about Billie. but, part of what draws me to her is that she’s not always well written, and in fandom she’s underrated for a literal protagonist.

since you ask...

billie is a cool character

when I played Dh2 (hadn't played Dh1), I was excited to see a black woman with disabilities who was captaining a massive ship by herself. wow.

then I discovered Billie’s backstory with Deirdre, the way she responded to that, then having to survive while living on the run, and her bisexuality. as well as her history with daud & delilah. fascinating!

she’s an outsider who has so much to lose, and knows what it's like to lose everything - having lost everything not once but three times - but nevertheless speaks truth to power. she's so brave! she went and helped Emily & Corvo and she must have known they might kill her! plus, she’s smart, she’s funny, she gets shit done, she’s gorgeous.

but... the meta

mild critique of fandom & arkane incoming.

skip this bit if you want - you've been warned twice now - jump to tired Hayao Miyazaki and read from there if you'd like my thoughts on writing her.

i thought Death of the Outsider was going to be amazing and then... well. *sad trombone* i've written about that before so i won't keep banging on. i figured others must be disappointed too, so I joined a few fandom spaces in hopes of finding camaraderie.

most people with complaints about DotO didn’t like how the Outsider and Daud were handled. which is valid & I agree. but it seemed like most paid no attention to Billie; when people talk about her it’s with respect to Daud, as opposed to in her own right. you could argue for fandom misogyny because people don’t talk about adult Emily Kaldwin that much either, but in Billie's case, it’s misogynoir (compare & contrast with the popularity of thomas, particularly the popularity of thomas portrayed as a white man for no particular reason that i've been able to discern - i keep asking around, is it in the books???).

i think this is a LOT better now than it used to be, which is fantastic. or perhaps i have found the correct echo-chamber? ha.

ultimately, The Fandom is a fraction of the entire picture, and not even the important bit since The Fandom is not who these games are made for. you can't make money relying on only your hardcore fans even if all of them spent a fortune on merch, this is true for any AAA game.

while it's true that Billie is underrated from a fandom perspective - but Billie as an underwritten protagonist is squarely Arkane’s fault.

it was reasonable when she was a side character - the lack of info in Dh2 makes perfect sense (if anything there was more lore in Dh2 which is kind of wild)-

- but as a protagonist in Death of the Outsider?

.... there’s lousy writing, and there’s whatever is going on with Billie Lurk, a black woman who mostly exists as a foil or saviour for light-skinned characters. In her own game there’s barely any of her own lore except where it's relevant to saving two dudes.

lore hints at, but barely touches on what race means in the Dh universe (xenophobia is stronger in Dh1; separate essay i guess), but Arkane has patted themselves on the back for portraying non-white characters, which feels like the same thing as the aesthetic of diversity we're seeing in advertising currently because it’s in marketing trend guides. it's self-congratulatory and it's a missed opportunity for deeper storytelling.

you can see an example of diversity at its most shallow in the way that Billie’s written: there’s little engagement with her as an entire person with history & wants & preferences, and the world she walks through in that game feels like it has nothing to do with her. you could make a case for alienation as a theme, but then, how do you handle the titular premise of 'Dishonored' without ever letting Billie make changes in an environment without a chaos system? it's disappointing from that angle too.

in my opinion, whatever it's worth, it was an accident Arkane created such an awesome character - they needed someone to betray daud. congrats billie.

all this said, it makes her an underdog as far as characters to enjoy & create art & stories for. it's nice to find so many like-minded, switched on people! <3

billie's character potential

she’s got a wealth of unexplored lore, being deeply intertwined with both Karnaca & Dunwall’s fates & criminal underbellies, as well as her connections to the witches & whalers, and three Empresses.

she’s lived a few distinct lifetimes and in the games we get to meet her at two peaks (KoD & DotO) & a low (Dh2 as Meagan).

her voice is very distinct, her dry & often dark humour is entertaining & fun to write. her perspective is really interesting - she’s had the widest variety of void-powers of anyone canonically, and she’s also lived through the highest highs and lowest lows.

she's got everything going for her :) i couldn't really pick a fav thing!

[pardonmydelays]

favourite lyrics from paladin strait?

paladin strait is honestly so special to me... the melody, the lyrics, the music video... and that fucking ending that i will never recover from??? (to quote tyler robert joseph: when you hear the end of paladin, you tell me, does it sound like the end?). i don't know, i'm getting emotional. thank you for this series, my lovely anon. it was fun. i love this album so goddamn much. here's my favourite lyrics:

i would swim the paladin strait without any floatation just a glimpse of visual aid of you on the other shoreline waiting expectations that i'm gonna make it

here's my chance, time to take it can't be sure that i'll make it even though i'm past the point of no return i'm all in, i'm surrounded put my money where my mouth is even though i'm past the point of no return

on the ground are banditos fighting while i find nico even though i'm past the point of no return climb the top of the tower "show yourself" i yell louder even though i'm past the point of no ret- *nico's evil voice* ...so few, so proud, so emotional hello, clancy

ok, i'm not gonna teach you the lore right now, but just so you know where exactly is paladin strait, here's a map of trench:

(where you can probably see shit but paladin strait is between that part of trench surrounding the walls of dema and the voldsøy island.)

[loopkinnie]

Smut isn’t even something I enjoy but your stories have fun emotions about it, and also plot. Tbh I think I just like seeing Siffrin suffer in any way.

This is both the sweetest thing ever and an ironic backhanded compliment

I'm trying really hard to write shameless smut here! The themes and plot keep sneaking in. I'm hitting them with newspapers but I still miss a few/silly