#also this is the last of the comics i had backlogged!!

[platin-amide]

and then soon afterwards... (more panels under the cut)

[aviedoodles]

This Lynx has Ties to Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

complete with shitty english translation below the cut

[dragon-wisteria-art]

This comic is about two things

[blackknightgargiemoviephile]

Venom: The Last Dance

This movie.

Has.

Broken me.

WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK

I know I have a lot more backlogged movies to review in my drafts section, but I watched this movie last weekend and I am still recovering from the depression I feel from watching this movie.

The story itself and the in-between pacing, to be fair, is a little bit mellow and a little bit dragged out. I mean, I get it, we're looking at the perspective where it has only been a year (a year? Really? Only that long? I thought it felt longer) in this movie universe timeline since Eddie and Venom's relationship began, so not much extra development can be said other than the fact that they have to be on the run and the plot sorta takes place almost straight after the events of Venom 2, but come on. I thought it would've been a little bit more of an exciting adventure than just running around getting drunk, getting over hangovers, losing and acquiring shoes (which is a pretty funny gag, ngl) and just traveling and hitchhiking in the middle of the desert.

The part where Venom hitchhiked on a plane to get to NY was pretty hilarious though, and the part where Venom infects a horse to give Eddie a faster ride kinda reminds me of their bike scene in the first movie, and that was pretty epic. Them having to get away from Strickland's men and wrestling with them in the water was also pretty exciting, and I was like screaming internally for Venom to quickly reach Eddie before he drowns or dies or get caught, got my heart pumping there.

When they added Martin Moon and his hippie family into the mix, tbh, they were technically kinda an unnecessary plot device. I mean, I guess they were sorta just there to give the human element? To fill the gap that was supposed to Eddie's ex-fiance's spot that she had been occupying for the first 2 movies? Yeah, totally unnecessary. They could've just have a very short scene of him hitchhiking with Martin (or any other person for that matter) without needing to delve into their character development or building any sort of bond, and just leave it at that and not get them involved in any part of the alien battle, that would've been fine.

Also, there can be no Venom without Mrs Chen LOL Their little dance scene was maybe a little cringe, but at the same time it was just hilarious and cute at the same time

The other symbiotes were interesting and got me guessing which symbiote is which based on the colour and my limited knowledge of other symbiote characters (thanks to Wiki and Tumblr), though I couldn't remember when exactly was the part where Mulligan got infected by a symbiote, but then the story had him infused with another symbiote to save his life, which felt a little odd since I've never seen this version of a symbiote anywhere in the comics or online, and that symbiote kinda reminds me a little bit of that fish man character in The Shape of Water LOL

The Xenophage alien was pretty cool and brutal at the same time, and the symbiotes, after they merged with the humans (which included Christmas and Teddy), look really really cool. It's a shame the fight scene on that one was a little short. Could've worked in a bit more fight scenes with the other symbiotes, and Teddy/Agony moment was also kinda short, but Christmas' symbiote was pretty awesome. I have a feeling her and Mulligan's symbiote were sorta an OC of sorts coz they defo did not seem to exist in any research I've seen of the symbiote characters.

And don't tell me I didn't see the attraction between Teddy and Christmas. My gaydar for men maybe a little weak, but my gaydar for women seems pretty spot on between them.

The climax. OMG the climax. The part where Eddie and Venom agreed that as long as they're both alive, Knull would just keep sending in more Xenophages, and Venom sacrificed himself and tossed Eddie out so he can die along with the Xenophage army, and when he said "Goodbye for now" instead of "Goodbye" like in the first movie... and then this scene...

I just cried. I cried and I died and my heart was just ripped to pieces as I watch Venom just melt before my eyes. The sacrifice he made for his Eddie. The way he said "I'll never forget you" and "Don't forget me either". I cannot. I just cannot...

And the ending scene where Eddie wakes up in the military hospital and realized Venom is no longer in his head for reals, the way he said "I need him", and the way he walks through the city alone with flashbacks of him and Venom from all three movies while Maroon 5's "Memories" was playing in the background? Oh god, it just broke me into more pieces and I cried even more. I've never cried harder than I've ever cried for a ship. The last time I cried this hard is when Dreamworks killed my Toothcup ship, and now this? I'm crying even harder. I'm still crying now as I'm typing this. I will never hear this song or feel about it the same way ever again.

The only other beef/nitpick I have for this movie is that the villain Knull was kinda weak. He hardly had any role in the movie, and it was just wasted cameo by Andy Serkis in there. All he basically did was just sit there in one spot and just sent the Xenophages to do the dirty work, which any Tom-Dick-Harry villain can do. I know now that's they're sorta setting him up as an intro character like they tried to do with Kraven, so hopefully? Maybe? Knull would end up in more of the SSU verse and also maybe MCU's upcoming new Spiderman film that'll be in 2026? Hope so.

Also, why did they need to end this amazing franchise?? They have so much more potential. When they put the end credit scene in which Eddie/Venom woke up in the MCU verse, I was hoping that it would spark a nice crossover movie or two about Peter "Tom Holland" Parker would have to deal with Venom and have an adventure or two (or three, or four, I'm not complaining). Let Spidey and Venom have their hero-villain rivalry moment before Venom slowly becomes established as an anti-hero or something.

Remember one of the end credit scenes in Spiderman where Eddie and Venom gets sent back to their universe thanks to Dr Strange's spell and a small piece of Venom was left behind? I've heard rumours about maybe that would be the tie in for SSU and MCU and for Venom to return and shine, but I also know it may be that MCU wants to have their take on a Venom for Tom Holland's Spidey, but to go through all that all over again with another new backstory for Venom and another character playing Venom? No. No way. There is no one else that can be a better Venom. Tom Hardy's Venom or bust.

Anyone who stayed all the way to the end to see the end credits for Venom 3 (seriously, the credit role was way too long though), there is a hint that the tiny piece of Venom that Strickland had captured when Venom also left behind at the bar in his universe maybe free, and that there is hope that this Venom would make his way back to Eddie and they can become whole again but still, they said that this was the final installment of the SSU Venom franchise, so...

Fuck you, Sony.

You and Dreamworks have officially killed another ship of mine.

I love and hate this movie at the same time and I. AM. BAWLING.

[darkness-nova]

More genshin oc shenanigans.. hehehe…. angst.. mm

I really wanted to do a sketchy mockup comic strip based on a writing tidbit of mine and friend's ocs (I care them very much)

Btw sorry I just dipped last month I got a lot going on I went on a very short notice snowboarding trip (I had a blast, no dislocated legs this time) and now I'm back in uni and my schedule is actual hell I have 8am-8pm classes all week and work practices at the hospital now !! yippee !!!

But I'm back and I got a big backlog of stuff to post

Also as always, if you'd like to have early access to my posts (months ahead) + other art exclusives you can support me on Patreon! <3 https://www.patreon.com/darkness_nova

[dreadnotau]

It’s been a hot minute, hasn’t it? This time, I come bearing actually good news!

Firstly, I’d like to thank everyone for their patience during this hiatus, and welcome all the new people! It always surprises me when the blog still gets notes and follows, even though it’s inactive. I have to say, though, the hiatus was completely necessary. College takes a lot out of me (who would’ve guessed), and I can’t imagine keeping up with comic uploads during it (more on that later), and while it hurts that I haven’t been able to continue my passion project while I study, I’ve made a lot of genuine improvements to my art and I hope that’ll show with the pages that’ll release shortly (and maybe with some projects I do in the future, ooo).

Oh, yeah, pages will be releasing again! When summer break started, I also slowly started chipping away at the comic again, but didn’t want to start uploading again until I had some pages ready a-la backlog in case of emergencies and blah blah, if you’ve read my announcement posts before, you know the story. The problem is, I glanced at my calendar the other day, and realised I REALLY don’t have that much time to spend dicking around and bouncing between projects willy-nilly, not if I want Dread Not Act 1 to actually wrap up soon. Which, I really do, because… there’s 3 other Acts after it.

I already have 2 pages ready to go, so the new upload schedule is as follows: This Saturday (8.) I’ll release one of the ready pages, then I’ll release the next on Tuesday (11.), and from the Saturday after that (15.) and on, I’ll be releasing pages weekly again. Yes, weekly, not with an extra week gap between them. This may prove catastrophic, BUT if my calculations are right (even though I’m bad at math), Act 1 should wrap up completely by the end of October.

The last page(s) SHOULD release on the 21st of October, if I don’t fuck something up royally. And that absolutely can happen, and I suspect it will, because October is when college starts, and if ya’ll remember oct. of 2022, you’ll know I absolutely DIED in October and handled absolutely none of the schedule well. I hope I’ll be better prepared this time though, and it’s a risk I’m willing to take to finally see this through to the end. BUT! Absolutely don’t be surprised if the last few pages end up having longer breaks between uploading them (even though I would HATE that for the comic’s pacing), because school just be like that and I can’t help it, for the most part.

Thank you all again for your support, and I hope this summer is a good one for all of us!

Bonus:

[kitkatt0430]

For the headcanons, how about an AU where Julian is there from s1, employed by CCPD after their other CSI got struck by lightning and comatosed for 9 months and definitely wasn't coming in to do his job

Ooooh, I like this idea a lot. :D They really did need another CSI. I mean, presumably there are others, I dunno what was up with the backlog at the start of S4 other than maybe David Singh screwing with Barry a little bit (it was funny), but there have gotta be more CSIs stationed off site. Presumably though they've always got at least one on site CSI who can explain stuff to detectives or lawyers while still keeping up with their own work.

So I think here Julian would not have changed his last name. So he's still Julian Desmond and not Julian Albert. (He did change his name in the show, though it's not clear how much of that is to distance himself from the snafu at the dig site in India and how much was to distance himself from his family after his sister's death.)

In turn, his sister is alive here and so while his relationship with his parents is troubled, he's not estranged from them.

If Julian was already employed by the city and just picked to take over as the on site CSI in Barry's absence, then he'd be a meta in S1. I think it'd make an interesting storyline to have him be kind of a jerk about metas as he was in S3, but then really explore what it means for him to find out that he's a 'dangerous meta' too. He wouldn't be a bad guy, just kind of a low level antagonist who peaks when his powers emerge, but winds up an ally of Team Flash when they help him get his powers under control.

Julian and Barry would absolutely have friction at first. Barry doesn't like how his lab has changed while he was away and expects that Julian will go back to the offsite labs now that he's back. Julian isn't about to let go of the on site lab, he likes it there and it's his now. They eventually work things out, but it takes a while.

Comics Albert Desmond had dissociative identity disorder which is where his iteration of Alchemy came from, but neither the comics nor the show treated that disorder well so I'd want to leave that out for Julian, but he could still have powers similar to what the philosopher's stone gave him. Specifically the 'transmutation' that allowed him to trigger potential metas to gain powers caterpillar style. So maybe his powers activating accidentally creates the main antagonist of an episode at least once and he, rather understandably, freaks out over it.

Eobard would absolutely be fascinated by Julian's powers. If he can create metas, could he also take away meta powers too? EoWells wants to know the answer.

I think Julian wouldn't be main Team Flash. He helps out where he can, but he doesn't have to be a genius of all trades to give him something to do every episode the way S3 decided to go. He'd be ideal for giving Barry alibis when he has to run off during work hours to be the Flash.

No Julian/Caitlin. I wasn't interested in it when the ship was danced around during S3, so I wouldn't want to see it happen in an alt S1. Besides, Caitlin is pretty tied up in the Ronnie Lives/FIRESTORM plotline, so she still has her fiance around and wouldn't be interested in a complication anyway.

[ctcomix]

DYNAMO HEROES HERO WATCH ISSUE #1

22/11/24 - Prologue & Chapter 1 Retrospective

Hello! My name is Andrew and I’m the creator of a webcomic called Dynamo Heroes! Recently the first chapter of the comic ‘The Medallion’ finished uploading onto Webtoon and Tumblr, and I wanted to take a moment to look back on the past few months. I’ll also be showcasing my favourite comments and dropping random lore and doodles cos why not. Mostly I’m gonna dump a load of thoughts I’ve had lately!

Random Thoughts

WHAT THE HECK - 30 subs in three months on webtoon??? Won’t lie, I thought that I’d get little to none during the first arc, or at least the first few chapters. Maybe my dreams of getting 50 subs by next summer will actually happen?? My overall goal is 100 subs altogether so!!!! It’s happening!!!

Oh, I wanted to clear up some things about the comic’s structure cos i’ve planned out a good chunk of the story. This first ‘arc’ is about 10 chapters long, and most of the comic’s arcs are about 10-20 chapters long with the longest written so far being Arc 8 with 19 chapters. As of this newsletter, I’m in the middle of writing Arc 9, and the last chapter I finished writing was chapter 131 pfff

This is prose written btw - not like comic script which is a format I’ve looked into before, but prose writing is just easier for me to adapt into comic since I can really go into the character’s headspace and do appropriate expressions and body language.

Also! I found this old photo of working on the chapter back in 2022, feat. Sushi

CHAPTER ONE THOUGHTS

The Medallion (and Prologue) is done and out there, and I have a lot of regrets… I mean, I’m kidding - I’m just a bit shook by the artwork quality. In case you missed on that one random post I did on Tumblr at like page 22 or so, a majority of these pages were created over a year or two ago - especially the prologue which i worked on in 2021… when I decided I had a large enough backlog (about 150 pages) I had gotten SO much better at art and creating comics, so I decided to redraw the Prologue, which the original looked SO bad compared.

Original Prologue:

New Prologue:

Yeah, I'm glad a redrew it lol. I also redrew the first scene of chapter one (pages 17 to 21), and wanted to redo a few more pages, but my partner convinced me not to so I can actually upload the dang thing… This comic has been in production for at least three years after all. If I just redrew all the pages again, it would NEVER see the light of day. Truthfully, I was procrastinating. I was scared of posting.

Alas, here we are. Sam has the medallion and Chester (Puppet) is being difficult about the whole thing. There’s not really much more I can say, the story hasn’t really got going yet. I can say though, that you can probably tell I was so obsessed with Chester while writing this arc lol. Also Circe. I love Circe.

Comments

Of course, I have to shoutout the first ever comment Dynamo Heroes received:

‘Request: please give Sam prehensile hair powers please?@@’

Thank you, Nable#. Your comment was truly a gift. Unfortunately, Sam will not be getting prehensile hair powers, but that sounds like a cool concept! I’ll definitely consider it for a future character!!

Next up I want to shoutout and thank brotheboss for being such a BRO and leaving a comment on almost every page so far - I’m always looking forward to hearing your thoughts, even if it’s just ‘uh oh.’ (that being said, if you’re reading this brotheboss, please don’t feel pressured to comment! Comment and read if and when you wanna :)) I think my favourite brotheboss comment in this first chapter was:

‘puppets ponytail goes crazy ngl’

This comment gave me a crazy big smile. It DOES go crazy doesn’t it? Thank you!

Finally, I'd like to thank Dr Everlasting for the shoutout to a TV show i’d never heard of called ‘The Greatest American Hero’ - I’m definitely gonna check it out, looks super charming!

Thoughts of the Future

I’m going to try keeping this whole newsletter short, obvs i haven't been able to stop yapping so far, so I’ll fill this section with sections I want to add to the newsletter once the comic perhaps has more of a following. I’m sure whoever’s reading this rn isn’t that invested in myself and this comic to keep reading past the first couple sentences, so if you’ve made it this far thank you! Or you’re my partner, to which I say hi honey : P

A section I’d like to add maybe is a script to screen type comparison - where I compare a section of the original prose to one of the pages and explore my thought process with changes and creation and such. I’m not so sure about adding this one, we’ll see.

Another section I’d love to do someday is popularity polls - y’know like in shonen jump? This comic is going to get SO many characters and I’d love love looove to see who’s peoples favourites from arc to arc, or like favourite moments/scenes etc. I think it’d be super fun! I think I’d like to hold a popularity poll when we get to 100 subs!! Let's make it happen!!

CONCLUSION

Ummmm,, that’s it! For now! I’m gonna be writing another one of these at the end of chapter 2 so hope to see you there! Thanks!!! To end off here's some random out of context teases of chapter 2:

Thanks again! Have a good day! TODAY'S STATS:

Views: 2179 Subs: 34 Likes: 226

[nrdmssgs]

Hozyain

Masterlist

Angst

Characters: Yasha (a young journalist, an OC for this story), Olga Zhar Samoilova (OC from a Heart and Matters), Makarov (no romantic interactions between anyone).

TWs: Descriptions of acts of violence, descriptions of depressive episodes, this is overall really sad.

AN: I had this work in my backlogs since forever. There is no romance there, no good comforting things. This is a little AU, where my girl Zhar is living her worst life, having lost Nikolai. I can't, and I won't write anything comforting for Makarov, as well as I have no intention to fetishize 'bad russian boy'. But I have something to tell about him and about the circumstances that keep producing such people. Since this work is long - Ill keep translations from Russian right after the phrases (like that)

Thanks: @siilvan for being eternally patient and supportive.

Also this is a songfic

"Tell them, I got all the documents, they have asked for!"

"Ona sobrala vse dokumenty..." (She has all the documents...)

"And make sure, they don't forget, this is the fucking sixth time, they change the rules at the very last moment!"

"...ona rasstroena. Budet zhalovatsya nachalstvu..." (...she is not happy with the situation. She might file a complaint with prison superiors...)

Yashas` angry voice contrasts so much with a lifeless mutter of her guide and translator - it sounds almost comical. But these two women are bound by one goal: to get Yasha to the deepest circle of hell. Or maybe it's just Yasha, who believes in it. Because Olga, her guide, remains calm, seemingly not interested in anything outside her mind, dead inside. Olga knows the ways, knows the right words, but it all breaks against the goddamned Kafkaesque wall.

"Olga Borisovna, da ona mozhet hot` v OON zhalovat`sya! Poka hozyain eiye ne propustit - ona ne prohodit!" (Olga Borisovna, she might as well complain to the UN! As long as the mater doesn't approve, she is not coming in!) These words are thrown at Olgas still, unmoving face, but Yasha knows, they are meant for her.

She spent six years learning journalism, then four years learning Russian culture and language. Still, her mentor told her, 'You want to tell that story - you better get ready to become a part of it'. Becoming affiliated with any part of the conflict was the very opposite of what a journalist must do. But she was willing to take the risk, to bury her career long before it actually started. So she learned this twisted language, reformed her mind to match these sick rituals, even got a new name - the name, they would understand and respond to. All for the purpose of speaking to the filthiest, sickest human being out there. All for his captors to turn her away for six times already.

"...poka hozyain ne propustit" or "until the master lets her in"

Yasha knew Russian well enough to understand this. In fact, she spoke this language well enough to lead all the negotiations with the prison personnel by herself. But there was a very important part of Russian culture, that kept her away from that goddamned interview, she needed so bad: the Russians were ready to speak only with their kin. It was a miracle, Yasha found Olga, a mysterious guide, speaking many languages, seeming to be a part of any party out there. At the same time, it was a curse, as Olga seemed to be not interested at all in Yashas mission success. No amount of money, no promises of a better, more comfortable life seemed to change that woman's mood: she was ready to provide only a bare minimum of linguistic support and serve as a temporary host.

She tried everything: persuasion, entreaty, intimidation - nothing helped. Her guide kept repeating 'You either find a way to 'hozyain', or abandon this place and go live your happy calm life', all while emptying yet another glass of wine and looking at the prison wall on the far horizon.

Yasha was exhausted after the sixth round of negotiations with the prison administration. Today was the first evening in the last three months, when she was genuinely happy to get absolutely wasted with Olga, after they returned, to her place.

"To the losers party!" She laughs awkwardly, watching, as Olga places a full glass on the windowsill and goes back to take another one for herself.

"Here is to you never falling in that pit, kid..." Her guide gestures with a full glass to a window, from which Yasha sees a prison every day.

They spend some time in a comfortable silence, enjoying the wine, one would never find in this secluded place in other circumstances. But after a few minutes, Yasha speaks.

"Can I be honest with you? I'm sick and tired of this place, of all you, bowing before that 'hozyain', of this endless and pointless paperwork, of this shithole, that remains gray even in April! I spent three months, trying to meet Makarov, haven't made any progress, but I'm already sick of him too! Maybe, you're right, maybe I should just drop it. Maybe there is no story behind this man - only your collective helplessness and stupidity..."

Olga smiles into her glass, not seeming to protest any of those words. Yasha knows, it's high time, she shuts up, but she is too tired to hold back her anger.

"It looks to me, that you are all happy to just sit on your asses and rot here. You, Makarov, other prisoners, the whole prison staff, that goddamned 'hozyain', whoever he is... You are all just rotting alive, and you hate to be interrupted by me." Yasha takes a tiny sip and goes on. "You think, I didn't find it suspicious, you live in this half-dead village by the prison, have no job whatsoever and yet your fridge is always full and someone even provides you with an alcohol so good, you actually won't find it even in the nearest city? Do you really think i'm that stupid? I see you eating from your masters hands, I see you growing comfortably numb, drowning your sorrow in booze!"

She was ready for Olga to slap her face or drag her out in the cold, snowy night. But nothing, not even these accusations seemed to move anything inside this dead soul. A strange grimace breaks her hosts still face, and she whispers 'You are truly fucked, once you get the feeling, you understand this place and its people, kid. I, too, thought as you once. It was a mistake, that costed me everything. So be better than me - trust nothing you hear and see here'.

They don't talk anymore, not until the next morning, when Yasha wakes up with a heavy head, while Olga shakes her shoulder.

She is barely given time to wash her face and have a sip of water - Olga leads Yasha out of the house and on the road to prison barracks.

"Whats going on! Olga, please, slow down! I can't run through all these snowdrifts and gullies!"

Yashas guide remains deaf to her pleas. When they reach the familiar prison checkpoint - Yasha is a breathless mess, her head is killing her and a stink of wet tiled floor, washed with some cheap chlorine makes her stomach twist.

Olga throws a few words in the little window and the gates, Yasha was trying to get through for the past three months, open.

"Trust nothing you hear" - so that included Olgas words as well? She's been wasting Yashas time for months, when she could just... open this fucking door just like that?

She clenches jaw and avoids her guide's gaze, because all Yasha wants for now is to spit right into this lifeless face, yell at her, throw hands. So much time wasted for nothing. They are both get checked at three different gates. Every time the guards search every centimeter of their clothes, touch, slap, run their fingers through all the layers of textile. By the time they are left alone in a small visiting room - Yasha already have no fury left for Olga. She just wants a minute of silence, without anyone shouting around and commanding them. Yasha sinks into dusty sofa cushions and closes her eyes, while Olga stands in the corner of the room above the radiator.

Heavy footsteps echo in the corridors outside the room. In other circumstances she would freak out and scream internally because for the first time in her life, she came on the interview entirely unprepared: no voice recorder, no notes, not even a piece of paper or a pencil. But now all that bothers Yasha is her terrible headache. Maybe its even better this way, she thinks to herself.

When the door opens it feels like all the oxygen is suddenly sucked out of the visiting room. One gaze, one single gaze lingering on her face for a few seconds is enough for her to forget about the hangover, the rage, the resentment. One can not possibly contain this much hate and menace just in their eyes. But then again - this is no ordinary man. Yashas mouth runs dry, she can barely breathe, so when this man proceeds to Olga and grabs her by the collar of her coat, Yasha manages only to half whisper half hiss 'hey!'.

"Ya tebya kogda zval? Skol`ko mesyatzev nazad?" (When did I call you here? How many months ago?) He doesn't pay the slightest piece of attention to Yashas attempt to draw his attention from Olga.

But her guide seems unbothered by this man's hand, dragging her collar back, causing her to suffocate. Olga closes her eyes, leans against the wall and answers 'Otoidi, Makarov, i bez tebya toshno...' (Step away, Makarov, I feel bad enough even without your help). The way these two interact is very unsettling. No rivalry as well as no warmth in their voices - just tiredness and irritation, as if they wish to part their ways, but can't for some reason. Yasha can't understand, if the man is trying to hurt her guide, as he tightens his grip, or he is trying to check on something, as his other hand slips under her collar in one swift motion and squeezes something on Olgas back, making her frown in pain.

"Govoril tebe lechitsya? Ya k doktoram tebya skol`ko raz vyzyval?!" (Did I tell you to get a proper treatment? How many times have I called you to the doctors?!) His voice is low and angry, like a deep rumble of some forest beast.

When he slams Olgas head against the wall, Yasha jumps from the sofa, not being able to witness any second more. She shouts for guards to come and help, and that finally breaks the man's concentration. Two guards really appear in the room almost immediately, but they freeze on the threshold the very next moment, they see, who is holding Olga, while she tries to wipe her bleeding nose with shaking hands.

"And what do you think, they should do?" The man turns to face journalist, and his gaze seems burning right through her. "Chain me up? Set this piece of shit free? Maybe beat me?"

Yasha feels her hands turning cold. She takes a step back, shooting a desperate gaze at the guards, but they still don't move. "Please," she whispers.

An amused smile appears on the mans face. "Watch," he say and turns back to the guards.

"Oruzhie" (Guns) After this command both guards take out their guns, and approach him and holding it out.

"Na stol." (On the table) He waits till both guns are on the table and lets go of Olgas collar. She slides down the wall, gasping for air.

"Etu v lazaret. Nas ne bespokoit`. Stvoly zaberete cherez chas." (Take this one to the med bay. Don't bother us. You will get your guns back in an hour)

Yasha can't believe her eyes: prison guards follow his commands as if he was their superior - not the most dangerous prisoner. They help Olga up and guide her out of the room, leaving her alone with the man, who murdered and tortured hundreds, if not more. And just as if it wasn't enough - they leave their guns to him. For three months Yasha believed, there is this village, where the prison personnel lives, then there is the prison itself and above this all there is this mysterious 'hozyain', the master, who decides, how this place and its people will live today and tomorrow. But now she sees him, she can reach out and touch him and, to her horror, she realizes that the hozyain and the main prisoner is one and the same person.

"So, you are the journalist, that wanted to speak to me that badly. How many months did Olga draw the wool over your eyes, before finally letting you here? Four? Five?" He sits down on a chair at the opposite side of the table and casually checks both guns.

"Three... Wait, where are the guards taking her? What are they going to do?!" By this point, she already can't think about an interview. Maybe Olga was an absolutely unbearable person, maybe she was disgusting in her self-destruction, but Yasha would never wish to leave her in this man's hands.

"Live here for three months already and still couldn't learn a word 'lazaret'? It means 'med bay in prison'. You see, our Olga is a very sick person, a lost soul, if you want. She was left here to keep an eye on me, but instead it is me, who has to feed her, make sure, she takes her medicine, lock her in a hospital when needed..." He pushes both guns to the opposite end of the table and gestures her to sit back, finally.

"What, I'm ruining a beautiful romantic story about the scary Russian beast, that has no compassion whatsoever?"

"No..." Yasha slowly descends back on a sofa, still not daring to look him back in the eyes. "You are only adding to it. It's clear, you despise her for whatever reason. You don't beat up someone, when you wish them to heal."

She takes a pause, weighing her next words. They may cost her not only her career, but her life.

"You... are keeping her. You think, bullet in her skull would be too much of a mercy, so you sit and watch as she slowly drowns herself."

For a minute, that feels to her like an eternity, he is watching her in silence. His eyes are a torture, his very presence is a torture.

"Nu tak kak - ya zver` ili chelovek?" (So who am I - a beast or a human?) He switches to Russian and talks somehow a bit quieter. But Yasha understands this question.

"Ne znaiy." (I don't know)

He leans back with a satisfied grin. This man loves the fear surrounding him like an invisible aura, he thrives in others panic and lostness.

"Nu tak prover`." (Well check it out) And with that words escaping his lips, Yasha got her worst job ever.

[bvannn]

Weekly update July 26, 2024

I’m still sick. Pretty sure it’s a normal cold, not much to be worried about. It’s lasted a while but google says I don’t need to see a doctor about it for another week yet, so if it doesn’t clear up by next week then I’ll start to get worried. I’ve been a bit slower on stuff in general this week but still got a fair amount done.

Artfight is still kicking, I have a few more sketches on backlog to get done but the event was extended a couple days so I’m not too concerned about it. I’ll try to get at least one done tomorrow, because I’m trying to take it easy tonight. I want to mess with more of that watercolor strategy I tried on the one but I’m going to maybe watch a tutorial on how to use actual watercolors first. I think I’m maybe not doing the lines the way I should, and I want to use the style for a music video.

Music: I’ve been listening to my own songs the past few days and have a few that I like that either are finished or almost finished. There’s a gabber/breakcore one I want to add some samples to but I’ve had the unfinished track on loop today and yesterday, which is great. Made some progress on the SOS medley but it needs to be mixed, sound balanced, EQed, and the last chorus is still missing. RR and BATB are basically done until vocals get done, and RR has an in-progress VPR that I plan to continue on tonight. There’s also an ambient instrumental that’s done-done, but I’m waiting for next month to have time to put together some visuals for it. Got a nice comment on my last ambient piece on Newgrounds the other day so hoping this one goes over well too.

OEB has hit a point where it’s probably not getting any better than it already is, so next month I’ll get to finishing up the storyboards and puppet rig. The storyboards need to get imported into Adobe and then split up into shots, but it’s going pretty quick so hopefully shouldn’t be too bad.

Writing going decent too, got unstuck on an outline for O’Malley yesterday. I also have been outlining a first chapter for Backstage as well, seeing as Josh has been a surprisingly popular character on here and on Artfight (which is great because he is the lead), but I’m at a writing hangup there too. I think I need to watch more media for inspiration, so I’ll try to do that at work next week (don’t worry boss knows and it’s allowed). I’ve been jittery because I’ve been sick but once that subsides I’ll get Epithet TTRPG statblocks done too, hopefully. I did get a bit of comic paneling done this week too, but not as much as I’d like. Again, that’s mostly going to be an issue for next month.

Next month is going to be a bit of a challenge to balance all the stuff I want to do, but I’ll try to get a schedule done over the weekend so I can be as optimal with my time as possible. The first week after Artfight ends I’m going to go easy on myself, so I’ll write up a list of less physically intensive tasks to dedicate my breaks and evening to that week, then the following week I’ll go back to animation and comic paneling.

[hibiscera]

Last year had a lot of ups and downs... I really DON'T know if I can put my feelings on 2023 into words because ultimately I just feel... I don't even know!! It made me realize I NEED to improve my life in certain aspects, even if it's hard and I really don't know how right now.

And of course that goes hand in hand with the frustrations I had about not being able to draw as much as I wanted, though I am happy that even so, I saw improvements in my work.

2024 I think my goal is really just... to have more fun and let myself enjoy things. Try to become closer friends with people, try to not stress if I'm letting myself do something that isn't productive. Especially since letting myself enjoy more stories and everything drives me to create even more!

Also part of this will be finishing my backlog of things I started last year that I stopped in the middle of, I have so much that I stopped because I felt guilty not being productive. 😭 (and my comics backlog is. scary. I wanna fix that.)

Basically I just wanna make things fun for me again in this new year as I try to figure out what my next moves in life are... It's a little scary but...!!

Thank you to everyone who has been here with me, even if we don't talk, people who I always see on my posts I do see you and your support makes me very happy. I hope we can all have more fun in 2024!! 🥺💖

[petra-creat0r]

Annual Update 2024

Alright everyone! New year, new updates for all my stuff!

Starting with ...

AtDFF and AYC

(The new signatures for my main art, AtDFF, and AYC)

As some, and by that I mean most of you have probably noticed, I rebooted AtDFF... again. I technically started a revamp all the way back in 2020 where I was redrawing the older updates to better match the current style and reformat the asks and text for better readability, but that didn't impede on the main updates (well, besides putting more onto mine and the rest of the team's work load.)

The Reboot

This past year though, I made the decision to completely reboot the comic for a few reasons. One was an attempt to renew my motivation, another was wanting to rework some of the lore, yet another was being inspired by @askfallenroyalty to remake the comic and post to ComicFury, but I think the main factor was... I wasn't all that happy with it. I think I kept comparing it to other comics, especially Fallen Royalty, which is my own issue, please don't go blaming anyone else. I knew I could do better, especially after over 5 years working on this, but now looking back, part of me feels that, rebooting it again is, in a way, diminishing those years. Even with the 2020 revamp, prior to it you could go through the updates and really look at how my art has progressed, and though true you can still scroll and find the old updates, it's just... not quite the same. Same can be said for the 2023 reboot.

Does that mean I'm going back on the reboot? No. I already have the next updates planned (I just haven't had a chance to work on them that often) and I really like the new lore of the world that I've come up with. I just think this will be the last time I ever reboot the comic. Whatever happens, happens, and I need to just roll with it. Even if what happens is our little roadtrip getting derailed into a corn field again, lol.

Comic Fury and New Comic?

With that said, what do I have in store for the new reboots of AtDFF and AYC? (yes AYC got rebooted too, I just haven't posted the first update like I did with AtDFF) Well, I mentioned a Comic Fury, which surprise. Both AtDFF and AYC have their own Comic Fury pages now! Don't worry, I still plan on posting to Tumblr as well, but now you can also find them on Comic Fury. Along with another comic I'm planning to do (eventually), Undertale-ish: The Comic. Ever wonder what Ish Frisk's journey through the Underground was like? Want to see what happened in most (not all) of their 800 runs? Want to see this child grapple with their self insecurities, perfectionism, and the responsibility of having full control over time and an entire civilization's lives in the palm of their hand? Want to see Chara as a ghost? Well that's what you'll get with Undertale-ish: The Comic! Coming I don't know since I such at scheduling and time management for these things!

Schedule

Speaking of scheduling! When are any of these comics coming out? Well... I just said I suck with schedules, and I can't promise really... anything when it comes to release but like... I know I for sure would like to release things... regularly? Even with the start of the reboot, I started it in April, and that stuff extended until at least August. Every summer I naively think "Oh! I'm gonna have so much time to work on the comic!" and then I get a summer job. Because I'm nearly 20 and going to college and even if I'm still living under my parent's roof, I can't entirely rely on my dad to pay my tuition. Only for half the year. Then during the school year, I have classes, and I feel burned out by the time I get home, and- It's a whole thing I need to find someway to work around or else nothing gets done and my brain just screams at itself. So, I think scheduling is something I'm gonna figure out throughout January, and try and get a backlog of updates ready throughout February to April or May so maybe we can start posting again in summer. Does that feel like a long wait? Even being near a year from the first update of the AtDFF reboot? Yes. But also I'm trying to over estimate and give myself the time and space I need while still attending college, and I wouldn't just be working on one comic update, but multiple. I'm trying to give myself space and some grace instead of making promises that feel hollow after a while of being unfufilled.

Lack of Motivation and How to Fix

Another thing to address, is my motivation when it comes to these series. I don't think it's accurate to say I've felt completely unmotivated to work on either comic, I mean, I was motivated for some of the beginning of last year to full on overhaul them, but I will say that, these comics have started to feel like a job. It's been something I've felt for a couple years now, where I've been having less fun with the comic as it's begun to feel like actual work. Believe me, I'm super excited for some of the later plot points of both AtDFF and AYC, and I love Undertale-ish and these characters but to get to those points or character moments, it feels like I'm slogging through what comes before it, which isn't good. This is something that sure, rebooting helped for a bit, before I got caught up in school and other stuff, but it's not a permanent solution and I've felt myself slipping back into the comic feeling like a job.

So how might I remedy this? Well, I think the solution might lie in another series I started this year, Drawing Junior Secret Squad until Chapter 3. Even if DJSSuC3 is more Deltarune focused, I've enjoyed drawing Chicago and my other fankids pretty much daily as, there's not that much pressure on it. Definitely not like there is with AtDFF or AYC. I don't have to line, or even color them since, they're just little doodles. I don't have to worry about missing a day since, I'll just do multiple the next day. They're quick, they're easy, I can just draw whatever idea I have with the characters I want, I'm having fun. Back when Ask the Dreemurr-Font Family was nothing but an ask chat on Amino, that's what I did it for. For fun. I wasn't worried with popularity or being like other creators, I just did silly little character driven roleplays for fun. I think that's been my issue with the comics. They aren't fun anymore. They're work because, I feel it's my job to tell this story rather than just... telling it because I want to. So, I think going forward, I'm gonna try to have more fun with the comics and Ish in general. For you all, that's probably gonna look like more sketches and doodles getting posted and maybe even just sharing small comics based off ideas that pop into my brain or from roleplays that happened in my server. Little things to help me regain the enjoyment I had with these comics and world.

Deltarune: Fool's Fate

I think that's all I've got to say on the Undertale based comics, so how about now we move onto something Deltarune related? As I was doing DJSSuC3, I introduced an idea called Deltarune: Fool's Fate. Aka, Chicago and Co's adventures through the Dark Worlds after Kris denied their destiny. So far, this has just been little doodles, character designs, and a roleplay I've been doing in my discord server. I've been having quite a bit of fun with that RP, we're nearly to the end of what would be the first "chapter" and have been fighting Dorothy, the secret boss of the Attic Dark World and who some of y'all might recall I made a real life doll of when my old computer finally kicked the bucket earlier this month. (I've still yet to make her dress or crown) I think roleplays have always been the thing I find the most enjoyable when it comes to character exploration as, I don't have to spend forever drawing comics and I get to sorta live through the characters. It's something I've been doing for characters from even before I was in this fandom. With the Fool's Fate roleplay too, I've also got to come up with elements that could feasibly be in an actual video game without, you know, actually coding a video game.

I don't know where Fool's Fate will go from here, while it'd be cool to have it be an actual fangame, I don't have that sort of skill. Nor the budget to pay a team. (My team for the comics is really just a bunch of friends I convinced to help me out for free.) Even with a sprite comic, it'd be too much. So, for now, it'll likely just remain a concept and roleplay. But, who knows. Maybe someday I could make it into something. I mean, after watching this year's Underevent I wanted to.

Other stuff

With all the UTDR stuff out of the way, what about some of my other stuff? (Because, surprise, Undertale and Deltarune aren't the ONLY things I do. Just the things I hyperfixate on the most.) Well, I've got my Fakemon region, Azmayca, POW-R, Dragon Riders, and Kinder Eyes which I started last summer. I don't really have any plans for them, asides from bugging people for ideas and doodling whenever I'm in the mood. However I think starting this year, I'm gonna try to post more of the doodles I make. Either ones in my sketchbook since DJSS gave me the confidence to post sketchy silly little doodles like that, or sketch doodles I draw digitally as warm ups. Though who knows. Maybe a hyperfixation swing some time during the summer will cause me to actually try to do something crazy like outline the whole Azmayca region and hypothetical game. Hopefully not something like that though. Making the evolutions of my redesigns of the starters might be nice.

Commissions

Another thing I'd like to finally do next year is update my commissions sheet. It's something I've had in the work for a while now, and was working on along side launching the comic updates. But, like the comics, school and work got in the way so... I sorta forgot about it. Regardless! I'm gonna try to post my updated sheet some time within the next few months, it's mostly just been havin to draw or find recent examples of my work. Hopefully then I'll actually get some more commissions because, um *looks at the whooping $3.94 in my checking account* I could really use the extra money. I might work during the summers and get grade payments from my dad but, that stuff is to pay my tuition and some of my lunches during the semester, and even with lunches, 500 dollars is spread thin through 17, 16 ish weeks. That's like, only $30 a week, which is maybe enough to cover buying lunch at the campus food court like, once or twice from the food court. Maybe three times if I'm lucky and conservative with my spending. Not to mention that $300 of that went to my new laptop, and even if I should be getting $300 from a paycheck I was never paid back when I worked at Arby's 3 summers ago, I still haven't gotten that gift card in the mail so... Yeah. If I was living on my own, I'd be screwed. Which is why commissions and Patreon are like, my only source of income during the school year. (I still need to look into getting an on campus job for this upcoming semester but that's its own whole big can of worms.)

Patreon

Speaking of Patreon, that's another goal I want to set. Actually posting to it again. I had a burst early last year were I was regularly posting to Patreon with early access chapters of The Puppet and the Real Boy (before I retconned that with Fool's Fate) and thanks to my only Patreon ever @kierangecko, I managed to make around $50 bucks which ended up being used to help get blanks for some of my Christmas gifts for people (thank you Gecko. I know I did stop posting after like, May, but that money really came in handy.) So for this next year, I'm gonna try to post to that again. Be it WIPs of the comic, scripts, little doodles I don't post on Tumblr or whatever, I want to make Patreon another source of income. Which involves posting to it at least monthly. And even if I don't, then you guys won't have to worry about anything since I've got it set to not charge for months I don't post anything.

Resolution Review

So, to review some of my... I guess you could call them resolutions, though I'd rather think of them as goals I don't absolutely have to hold myself too but would just like to accomplish, I'd like to...

Have more fun when with AtDFF and AYC through drawing and posting more loose, silly comics and doodles

Try figuring out a posting and work schedule for AtDFF and AYC by then end of January

Hopefully get a back log of updates for both comics ready to release by summer

Start on and release Undertale-ish: The Comic sometime this year

Keep doing Drawing Junior Secret Squad until Chapter 3 until Chapters 3 and 4 of Deltarune hopefully come out sometime this year.

Possibly design hypothetical secret boss predictions for Chapters 4 and 5 of Deltarune before the next chapters come out.

Keep working on, designing characters for, and coming up with Dark Worlds for Deltarune: Fool's Fate. Perhaps even drawing some tarot cards with the chapter bosses.

Post more about my other projects, even if they're only sketchbook drawings or warm up doodles.

Update my commissions page and hopefully take more commissions to earn some extra money/save up for college or to move out.

Post regularly to my Patreon, also to earn some extra money.

Generally have a better year than 2023 and to find more enjoyment in my art and projects.

Closing

Ho boy! That was... A lot! This has turned out to be one very long post. Hehe. Well, should be over now that I've said all I need too. Also, if I haven't said it already, I'd like to thank all of you for supporting me and my art. Be it my comics, DJSSuC3, my other projects, or anything I've posted this year. It means a lot to me that people even like what I draw and you all mean the world to me. With all of that out of the way, thank you Creative Creators and I hope you have a Happy New Year.

[sophia-sol]

November recs: fic, vids, short stories, and novelettes

In November I started doing a thing where whenever I read a story or a fic that I enjoyed, I quickly wrote up a brief rec for it and posted it directly to my mastodon account. I am amazed at how much I'm enjoying doing this, and how well it works for me! But this means that I have now built up a backlog of recs that I want to share to my dreamwidth and tumblr as well. So I think going forward I'll post a roundup once a month of the past month's recs, so that y'all can see them as well!

Here's the November ones! Featuring:

7 TGCF fics 13 SVSSS fics 1 MDZS fic 1 NiF fic 1 Persuasion (Jane Austen) fic 2 multifandom vids 5 short stories 3 novelettes

TGCF RECS

Digging for Orchids, by betts

TGCF, hualian

Over the last couple days I reread this fic and was reminded just how GOOD it is

modern AU hualian

roommates! out of work actors! pretending to be husbands!

hualian are canonically both just so weird about each other and so over the top about everything to do with each other always, and this fic captures that dynamic beautifully

the author's careful attention to the physicality of scenes is so good and so important

xie lian is living with chronic pain after a fall and it's so real about how that affects his life

there are so many funny and on point observations of various characters and their relationships with each other!

I had many feelings

LOVE WINS.

On Our Way to Fall, by etymologyplayground

TGCF, hualian

a cute quiet small domestic scene in puqi shrine in the middle parts of book canon

see hua cheng as a cat! hear hua cheng's theory about breathing being sexy! enjoy hua cheng and xie lian being completely smitten with each other! also lady windmaster is a real pal as always

it's super adorable

6k words in length

Celestial Confluence/Cultivation Cross, by pengiesama

TGCF, hualian

a silly funny fic about hua cheng causing chaos in heaven by creating a trendy new gacha game

xie lian, bewildered, ends up on shi qingxuan and ming yi's livestream about the game

hua cheng is absolutely willing to get distracted from the game by gege

there's some excellent comic timing in here!

6k words in length

The Heart and All its Chambers, by etymologyplayground

TGCF, hualian

modern au where hualian are lesbians

xie lian has never had an orgasm, and hua cheng offers to help by loaning her a toy

obviously the help ends up going further than that

it's just so cute and sweet how much xl and hc love each other and take care of each other and are clearly SUPER into each other!

and how good they are about each other's weird hangups about sex!

19k words in length

Stick in the Mud, by etymologyplayground

TGCF, beefleaf

beefleaf before the beefleaf arc goes down

having sex with a strap-on and definitely not having any undercurrents of emotions about anything, what are you talking about, beefleaf would never

god, the note it ends on!!

4k words in length

beloved in your sight, by olivers_box_of_raisins

TGCF, mulian

mu qing pov from the xianle trio era

ft. class issues and teen relationship drama

xie lian is an enormous martial arts nerd and a naive but shining prince; mu qing is pining but hyper-aware of class boundaries and how everyone sees him; feng xin is ready to judge

it's so great and succeeds so well at what it's doing, I love it

I love the last scene, which it ends on, about xie lian's appearance after he ascends. perfect ending to the fic

7k words in length

Your Sweet Breath On My Dice, by Siamesa

TGCF, hualian

canon divergence story where ghost king hua cheng manages to catch up with his god in a different way

that way: xie lian accidentally triggered a curse and now he's swapped bodies with a mysterious ghost….?

(INCREDIBLE premise)

I love xl and hc's very different reactions to finding themselves in each other's bodies

I think my favourite part though might be poor yin yu doing his best to handle the situation, between hc's firm instructions on how to treat xl, and xl's equally firm opinions on what to do

a very fun read overall!

6k words in length

SVSSS RECS

ars adeo latet arte sua, by lavenderandrue

SVSSS, bingqiu

post-canon bingqiu experimenting with roleplay

in which they pretend that lbh is a statue in a museum and sqq is the museum caretaker who understands the statue's true value more than anyone else

yes obviously they're both extremely horny about it and also feelings-horny about it

the asides about the various lbh figurines sqq had in his old life are so funny

I love seeing them able to just be happy and have fun exploring their sexuality together, after all the woes of canon!

the word count is 6969, nice

bereft, bestowed, by sixthmoon (seventhstar)

SVSSS, moshang

cute fic about mobei-jun being hounded by his advisors to get married, but he's uninterested in the various eligible women being presented to him

shang qinghua suggests that mbj set a task that anyone who wants to marry him must fulfill

I think you can guess how this ends :D

3k words in length

in the thin winter sun, by goshkiki

SVSSS, moshang

rule 63 post-canon moshang from mbj's pov, featuring a pining mbj who can't understand why sqh doesn't seem to be interested in being her queen even though sqh is happy enough to have sex with her

gorgeously desperate and despairing, lyrical and in love and hopeless about it

mbj's pov is amazing, and so is seeing sqh through mbj's eyes

note that the fic ends with the pining situation unresolved, but the author is planning a sequel, and the fic is satisfying as it is as well!

17k words in length

Tale Within A Tale, by BrilliantLady

SVSSS, bingqiu

an au where sqq does his best to communicate to lbh prior to the Immortal Alliance Conference, despite having his words held back by the system; so he tells a series of meaningful stories and hopes lbh will draw the right conclusions

the fic is from lbh's pov and I love how earnestly and carefully he tries to put together the clues sqq is giving him! the CONCLUSIONS he draws!!

I screamed internally with delight at multiple points while reading the fic. it's such a delightful read!

32k words in length

Come With Me, by acernor

SVSSS, bingliu

modern au, liu qingge's ex-fiance yue qingyuan is marrying luo binghe's ex shen jiu

lqg & lbh have an ill-advised hookup at the wedding of their exes, and then keep on having ill-advised hookups

both of them are completely incapable of being emotionally self-aware, even as they spend more and more time with each other, most of it framed antagonistically

oh my god they are both so fucked up

the draw and the attraction they both feel toward each other is so well-shown

truly impressed with them for managing to make a happy ending for themselves out of all this!! <3

63k words in length

Cold Blooded Rivalry (Just Add Heat), by acernor and hyphendots

SVSSS, liubingqiu

liu qingge gets hit with a fuck-or-die monster venom! shen qingqiu and luo binghe are here to help him out

the vibes are SO good, from the prickly antagonism between lqg & lbh at the beginning, through the awkward unspoken interest in sqq, to the way lqg goes all melty and floaty at the end

it's SO soft from lqg's pov once the cure is embarked upon and I love it so much

7k words in length

The Cost of Sacrilege, by Prim_the_Amazing

SVSSS, luo binghe & the old palace master

lbh is having a totally chill time of it having a breakdown after his shizun dies

the old palace master of huan hua is ALSO having a totally separate chill breakdown about once again having a disciple under his control (….he thinks) who looks like su xiyan

when their breakdowns intersect, no prizes for guessing who wins lol

It's Time For Binghe Angst

such a good view into what might have happened at the very beginning of the 5 year period where sqq is dead!

5k words in length

The Dark Is Full of Your Voice, by straightforwardly

SVSSS, bingqiu

post-canon au where post bing-ge vs bing-mei fight, it's bing-mei who returns to sqq

prompts that inspired this fic included “Technically awful attempts at comfort are actually very comforting” and “Comfortee flaunts their hurt in order to get more comfort” and it's perfect actually, I love how THEM it is

sqq having zero clue what to do that's Actually Helpful when someone's injured is soooo funny tbh. but his fussing is what really matters!

2k words in length

shen yuan and original luo binghe’s epic adventure in the modern world, by tshirt

SVSSS, bingyuan

shen yuan definitely didn't intend to buy this body pillow of luo binghe what are you talking about

he also definitely didn't involve his "essence" in an accidental ritual that summoned the real luo binghe

however luo binghe is now here and he needs to do SOMETHING about that

extremely funny, tshirt is always so good at the comic timing

the airplane cameo is also perfect

4k words in length

if you don't have your own boyfriend, rented is fine, by nyoomerr

SVSSS, bingyuan

I feel sure I've talked about this fic before but I can't find it in my tags?! I've been following it as a wip and it's now DONE!

the premise: bing-ge transmigrates to our world, and shen yuan thinks he's an attractive but incompetent and down on his luck cosplay-boyfriend-for-rent and takes pity on him

sy tries to reform lbh and turn him into someone who's not terrible at being a boyfriend. meanwhile lbh is slowly discovering that maybe…..it's possible………for someone to care about him and be nice to him just because they like him?? sounds fake! but what if?

every single aspect of their relationship (and everything else in the fic!!!) is a COMPLETE delight. I love to see how much sy's sharp-mouthed peerless cucumber side is out in full force, and how feral lbh is, and how the two of them play off each other

86k words in length

commodity fetishism, by tshirt

SVSSS, moshang

tshirt is a genius, this is SO funny, I'm dying

modern au where mbj is a trust fund baby who's lost access to his trust fund, and what is he going to do, WORK for money?? no.

enter sugar daddy sqh, or possibly findom mbj's paypig sqh

3k words in length

bro you posted cringe, by tshirt

SVSSS, cumplane

yes more tshirt fic, can't stop won't stop

this one's about shang qinghua and shen qingqiu arguing about whether sqh's sex scenes are at all believable

which of course leads to a hands-on demonstration

during which OBVIOUSLY they don't stop arguing

it's so funny and so in character and it's amazing

the excerpts from pidw that are read aloud as evidence are also peak comedy

also it's rule 63

3k words in length

is she, you know, a disciple of xian shu?, by tshirt

SVSSS, mingying

liu mingyan and ning yingying's developing relationship as they find ways to open up and be real with each other

it's so cute!!

I love how it talks about the experience of gender, how nyy likes that with lmy she isn't expected to be a demure flower, and lmy likes that she doesn't have to be perfect, and none of that excludes them from belonging as a woman who loves women

and also they bond over writing RPS, obvs

3k words in length

MDZS RECS

Disrupt, Corrupt, and Interrupt Me, by hansbekhart

MDZS, lan wangji/su minshan

I love fic that takes Su Minshan seriously as a character, it's a rare delight whenever I come across one

Lan Wangji/Su Minshan during the disciple era, before the guest disciples arrive

lwj is a fuckboy and sms is delighted to discover evidence that lwj despite his airs is the same as everyone else

they fuck about it a lot

content note for nonconsensual somnophilia

PERFECT ENDING omg.

3k words in length

NIF RECS

all around us are cliffs (close your eyes and fall), by plalligator

NiF, mei changsu/mu nihuang/xiao jingyan

canon divergence au where after the destruction of the chiyan army, mu nihuang takes her army back to yunnan to set up as an independent ruler, and prince jing disappears

mei changsu, hearing that nihuang has taken a husband and nobody knows who he is: right so I'm going to yunnan

cue identity shenanigans, of course!

the wip is at 5 chapters and 12k words right now, and it's left unmarked what the expected final length will be, but I am HERE for the ride wherever it goes because everything it is doing is delicious to me

it's tagged with mei changsu/mu nihuang/xiao jingyan so I'm assuming that's the endgame ship, which, yes, take me to there

PERSUASION RECS

An Officer and a Gentleman, by cedarboots

Persuasion, Anne/Frederick

a rewrite of Persuasion featuring butch 4 butch Anne/Frederick

god it's so GOOD and I am so EMOTIONAL about it

I love all the ways in which it is both the same and different, the ways their identities affect the things they do and the choices they make

and I mentioned in an earlier post how meaningful it is to be able to see gender non-conforming people like me in historical fiction, living their lives, finding ways to be happy, finding their community. shaking hands with them across time. I see you and you see me.

making Persuasion specifically be the story told is so perfect too because of how it's about getting to know yourself better when you've had time to grow up more

also there's lots of excellently-researched historical content

and lots of feels

READ IT READ IT READ IT

it's such a lovely ending and I nearly cried about it

47k words in length

MULTIFANDOM RECS

Masculine Women, Feminine Men, by Tafadhali

multifandom vid

fanvid about queer movies from mostly pre-Code hollywood days

a fascinating window into the way queer themes were portrayed in that era

fun and thoughtful at the same time

3 minutes in length

We Kiss in a Shadow (I Have Dreamed), by Tafadhali

multifandom vid

a follow-up to the pre-code vid I just recced, this one is about queer themes in 1950's-60's hollywood

very different vibes, and the contrast says a lot when you watch the two back to back

this one does really good understated yearning and unspoken secrets.

SHORT STORY RECS

Brincando Charcos (Jumping Puddles), by Ben Francisco

Short story

a beautiful story about fear and trauma and being latino in the USA, and queer romance and the wisdom of the people who love you, and how something that can help save you and that can bring joy and fun in your life can also be an unhealthy coping mechanism if you take it too far. I loved reading about Javier and Mateo as they developed their relationship!

4k words in length

The Long Mural, by James Van Pelt

Short story

about a stowaway on a generation ship

also about art and being part of a community of amateur artists whose work is worthwhile

I loved the details about the problems with microbial growth in a closed system full of humans who are constantly shedding skin particles, and that the main character sees it as an important job to be part of the clean-up

the future is unknown but worth being a part of

7k words in length

The Dying Lover of Nogorod, by R. K. Duncan

Short story

fantasy story about wizards and dragons and power, and being queer, and being horny for a dragon who is also your death

deliberately written in a higher register, which can too easily feel stilted or cold, but here works to give the whole thing a sense of dignity and depth

5k words in length

To Carry You Inside You, by Tia Tashiro

Short story

sci-fi story about a woman with a port-drive into her brain that allowed her to be a great child actor when she was young, and gives her a career as an adult of plugging in the mental backup of a dead person to visit bereaved families who want their beloved dead back again

about identity, embodiment, and not knowing how to want things

also about body-sharing

in second-person pov which works so well for the things this story is about and the things it's doing! the main character is someone who spends most of her time being someone else, after all

it's so compellingly written!

has the perfect ending, which can be so hard to pull off right

7k words in length

this is the first published story by this author, and something this great is her first; I am excited to think of where she might go from here!

Nextype, by Sam Kyung Yoo

Short story

a short story about a young woman who was given a neural implant to improve her abilities and skills in school to be able to get a good job

about parental expectations and abusive control

trying to figure out who you are and what you care about when you've never been given the opportunity to be anything but obedient

I had feelings

4k words in length

NOVELETTE RECS

The Year Without Sunshine, by Naomi Kritzer

Novelette

an urban neighbourhood handling an ongoing collapse of systems in a climate crisis by banding together and forming supportive community

doesn't ignore things like temporary and permanent disability

believable amounts of hopeful

10k words in length

Over My Dead Body by shukyou

Novelette

content notes for ummmmmmm body horror? body grossness definitely. also, murder, plus sex with weird consent stuff going on. drug use. probably other stuff too.

but it's not, like, horrifying and depressing about any of that! it's remarkably sweet!

an absolutely incredible piece of original fiction about bodyswap/bodysharing that really makes its home in exploring the weirdness of the situation from the inside. What Is Embodiment. How to have a relationship with the body you're in. Bodies have a lot going on! The brain is part of the body.

probably this story isn't for everyone, but if it is for you then you are in for a TREAT. I adored it.

14k words

Black are the Waters, by Ten Tzeng

Novelette

about the difficulties of being a teen girl whose dad just died, and who is trying to figure out her identity as an othered visible minority, with a large and close-knit multigenerational family whose older generations are more connected with traditional culture and who want her to be too

the traditional culture is selkies

yeah it's a GREAT premise and I love how carefully and believably the selkie culture is imagined, and what the experience of being part of a landed selkie family would be

very emotionally affecting too!

8k words in length

[thedevotionaltour]

hi friends also as i total up panels i have over 1.6k panels (daredevil only i am so sorry to anyone who remembers the times i've posted other comics) backlogged for posting right now. with this number in mind does panel posting in the coming months where hopefully i'll post them once school is done in rather quick succession (which is fairly soon and by the time that happens who knows we could be closer to/over 2k) would this be a wonderful beautiful dream for you guys or a total nightmare. even if they dont get out quick how are we feeling on the concept of major panel posting here. because if it isnt quick it'll still be large amounts in one go but like for real. like we're gonna be in panel city. depending on answers will probably inform some of how i'll structure it when the time comes.

[arwainian]

Reading This Week 2024 #26

blah (having a slow morning because i drank a lot of wine with a friend last night)

Finished:

the road to heaven, as paved by bad intentions by ineffmoth on ao3 i enjoyed this svsss porn-y modern au way more than i think i had any right to, but i think it was exactly the amount of Being Weird About It that I was seeking in my tag dive

A Transmigrator and a Time Traveler Walk Into the Bamboo House by VeryCharismaticDragon on ao3 as established in my notes last week, I think the first half of this is better than the second half, but I still had enough fun to finished it

"The Mermaid" by Kathleen Jowitt, narrated by Heather Rose Jones, aired on the Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast

"Talking to Ghosts" by Caitlin Flavell, narrated by Heather Rose Jones, aired on the Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast further historical lesbian short fiction that i get to listen to through a cool podcast I like. these little bites will simply keep showing up in my weekly recaps until I run out of backlog

"Historicizing Unreliable Narration: Unreliability and Cultural Discourse in Narrative Fiction" by Bruno Zerweck really interesting article about how "reliability" is culturally defined, and so the like label for a unreliable narrator comes out of differentiating it in a time where the narrator of a novel was not expected to be a character/expected to be objective, but now after like postmodernism took hold, "unreliability" in narration- ie. the representation of events within a text being from a particular perspective that lacks omniscient information and which is informed by the opinions of the protagonist, where we commonly understand that we likely wont get the full picture or a perfect recounting of events- is the norm

"The Empire Strikes Back: A Posttranssexual Manifesto" by Sandy Stone you saw me post an extended quotation from this, you know I liked it!

"The Rise of Fictionality" by Catherine Gallagher a good read in combination with the Zerweck article above, telling a history of the rise of novels as fiction: texts that are neither true histories, nor fully fanastical stories that aren't mean to be taken as truth, defining fiction in the novel sense as stories told to be realistic and believable, but which the reader is still not meant to be tricked into taking as fact

"The Right Language for Rape" by Nina Philadelphoff-Puren like a linguistic analysis of how victims of acquaintance/date rape defined their experiences in the moment and afterwards, coining the term "discourse maintenance" to describe the ways victims chose to act as if they were not about to be or being sexually assaulted in an attempt to resist the transformation of their situation from "bad date" into "sexual assault". i have a lot of notes on this one. i'm not sure i agree with some of the conclusions in its final paragraphs but the body of the text I think was really well argued/explained and gave me a lot of thoughts to work with, primarily the way testimony obliterates that transformation, reading the discourse of rape backwards over the original discourse of romance, rather than demonstrating the temporal shift between them. i'd recommend it?

Frequency by cryptocism on ao3 and now for something completely different! finally finished reading this longfic about comic book characters that I don't know much about, but that's okay because the end notes of every chapter literally cite every comic event that it is referencing and building the canon of this Inertia redemption arc around. it was very good

Started/Ongoing:

We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian this is All Vibes. not extremely compelling to me, but I do enjoy a Cat Sebastian romance so I am reading it at the pace that feels right for it, which isn't too fast

Reading Plans: pretty much the same plans as last week: articles, queer lit book club pick, stuff i need to grab from the library hold shelf in the next two days, etc but I'm also going to make an attempt to read through the fanfic tabs I have had open on my phone for way too long this week, which I already made some progress on with Frequency?

[asksoldieron]

SO-12: The Spirit of Harpo Marx

If there's a lot of engagement on this, this post is liable to get real long, beware before you expand.

Welcome to the Engagement Lounge, for Alight at the Window (SO-12) an instalment! Short comments can go in the replies, but there's a 475 character limit. Longer ones will need a reblog. Remember to @asksoldieron if you're reblogging someone else's reblog, so I can see it too!

Awwwwww, ya know? Awwwwww ❤️!

Poor Erik is in ⚡🔋no shape🔋⚡ to communicate, but he's doing his best. Maggie has no idea whether he's messing with her on purpose, or what's wrong with him, but she won't let him go. They'll get to him eventually. (I've just finished that part, actually. They've got him! Uh. Sorta. At least he's... safe now? 😅Oh, I can't say that with a straight face.)

This is the last of my queued posts/instalments, and I have no idea where my reading and drawing ability will be when it goes live. If I can't update you on my condition (and the condition of the next six instalments) I'll hafta have the spouse type a note for me. I want to do six more right away, or I might take a two week break, or - if I'm really struggling - it'll be a break of indeterminate length. I hope I'll be okay to just keep going, my Patrons have been so patient this year. Thanks, y'all.

But, either way, there will be a break at some point, because I'll have a while where I can't write or draw and that's going to eat up my backlog. Also, recent updates have done more stupid things to my theme and I think the site needs a redesign - maybe including some radical simplification. I'm just not mobile friendly and I can't make the current format behave. People with better eyesight than me do a lot of reading on their phones.

I have no idea how to build a community and I'm flailing, really, but maybe if I can get the interface more convenient, more people will like me? (I have no idea. Probably they won't.)

Look, though! You've got some extra art to tide you over! And a song!

I'm not in love with how Erik's design looks right now - he looks like a train wreck, but he should look like a train wreck. Nobody is going to fix his hair. I still feel self-conscious about it. He used to be cute. I've got to do a full-body rendering of how he'll clean up, but I don't have time for it now.

However, I did do a page of something trying to get comfortable with his ability to emote in train reck form. I don't have time to finish it, but I think it looks cool so I'm sharing.

This is potentially a way for me to serve you the music without lyric backgrounds that you can't read! It's very labour-intensive, but I was figuring out how to do it and it might get a little easier with practice. Also, my current tablet is struggling with the resolution and I plan to update it by the end of the year - depending on sale prices.

After I saw Hedwig and the Angry Inch, I found out the original Off-Broadway incarnation had filked music with lyrics by John Cameron Mitchell. 🥹😊I'm calling it! This is something other people sharing my identity do to tell their stories! Filk musicals are an enby thing! We do not give a shit about the music industry's copyrights! I'm performing nonbinary correctly!

So here's the lyrics again, and maybe I'll give you the rest in comic form as my vision and my tools improve.

You Are Found! (based on "We Are Young" by fun.) I need a minute, I… I don’t know if I’m ready yet I’m tryin’ to get my shit together, Maggie, please don’t be upset My family must be looking for me somewhere very near Guess I knew you must be coming but I can’t believe you’re here, and… It’s been forever since I’ve seen your face I know you want to take me home But although it hurts to do this work they need my help for what it’s worth —  Oh, gods I’m not sure if I wanna go So maybe if, next time you see me, You can take me by the hand, You’ll steal me away At last I am found So I guess the party’s over Time to get sober, and come down At last I am found So I guess the party’s over Time to get sober, and come down No, I wanna go home I’m just not done I guess that I, I just hoped We could visit and I’d get right back to work But I can’t go yet So I must forget 'Cause I think you’ll hafta steal me away At last I am found So I guess the party’s over Time to get sober, and come down At last I am found So I guess the party’s over Time to get sober, and come down Steal me away at last (na na na na na na) Come steal me away at last (na na na na na na) Steal me away at last (na na na na na na) Come steal me away at last (na na na na na na) The gods have their own plan (na na na na na na) But I’m just one weary man (na na na na na na) So you're gonna hafta steal me away at last (na na na na na na) I have so much to do (na na na na na na) How can I go with you? (na na na na na na) So you're gonna hafta steal me away (na na na na na na) At last I am found So I guess the party’s over Time to get sober, and come down At last I am found So I guess the party’s over Time to get sober, and come down So maybe if, next time you see me, You can take me by the hand You’ll steal me away at last

See you soon! Ha, I hope!

Late edit: Two week break, folks. No drawing ability yet, so we're stuck with it. I still hope to get you the next six by the end of the year. I'll keep you posted!

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