#and i did work really hard on the character aspects of these xD

[lethalhoopla]

I am once again losing my mind.

This time: I went to look up references of Varric, and just typed "Varric Tethras" into the search bar. I was going to just tab over immediately to the images section, eyes barely glancing over the obvious top-result fandom wiki, then (more entertainingly, but still expected) Wikipedia link-

but. but the next one.

GOODREADS??

.... There's absolutely no tongue-in-cheek in the entry either.

(of course I immediately clicked on it who do you think I am)

There are 3 quotes from him relating to storytelling, both from 2 and Inquisition, as well as a book attribution:

The Dragon Age Novel Edition of Hard in Hightown.

ATTRIBUTED TO VARRIC TETHRAS.

with Mary Kirby*~

Absolutely unblinkingly written summary/bio.

I love this with my whole heart. Varric you beautiful bastard -- and DA writers/editors (Mary Kirby very much most importantly included) you even more beautiful, dorky, wonderful bastards.

---

*if you're not in the know, Mary Kirby is a cornerstone of the DA writing team, including being the one who was in charge of Varric (and Merrill!). To say she's his "trusted human confidante" is certainly putting it one (delightful) way.

[crusaderce]

constant questions when making au's, one being would an uv-band from ons keep a demon from dying from the sun in demon slayer??

[omaano]

SW Hades AU August Update

Links and previous updates: May - June - July, everything else in this AU

In contrast to the July update, I didn't make as much progress in August as I'd intended, but all the same I'm quite happy with what I get to share with you here:

In the previous poll I only promised to get Echo and Fives to lines and flat colours by this (more than a bit belated) update, but thanks to @lesquatrechevrons keeping me company while I was working on them I managed to get the Domino Twins character art to a state of "almost finished". (I had posted them as "finished" but that was before I realized that I'd forgotten to add the little specks of neon colour to them, but oh well, I hate that stage anyway XD)

I also did some brainstorming with the amazing @elwinged about all the characters, as well as the various weapons and their aspects for this AU. They had some great theories and ideas, and also made me actively think about these things, which was real fun!

Before I go into some ramblings about what went into Echo and Fives' art and design (gotta pad this update with something, and some of you seemed to enjoy it with Omega last time), let's have another poll for next month! I've looked over my table of characters and plans, and I came to the delightful realization that I've made far better progress than how it feels on a day-to-day basis. So maybe it's time to work a bit on the boon-giver characters for a change:

Also would anyone be interested in a taglist for these updates, or are you all fine with me just putting these out whenever and let tumblr do its thing in getting them to you? (send me an ask or reply here if yes, I know my tumblr is a mess XD)

Now on to some thoughts on Echo and Fives:

Depicted but not illustrated in its fullest is that Rex has been a constant presence next to Echo and Fives (and to Cody, too, previous to that). It bears repeating that I really wanted to make sure that the clones are the same in size, and share as many colours as possible (so Cody also stood around as moral support when it came to Fives' hair). So you can also see how the shading on their faces are very similar in their shapes, except for the shadows in that part where nose, cheek and mouth meet, because I wanted to make the Dominoes look a bit younger.

Same with how Rex still has that wrinkle in his forehead that I oddly fixate on so much (don't ask), but Echo and Fives very clerly don't. I'll claim that it had been a completely conscious decision, and not just time passing between the two designs - well over half a year - during which I got it into my head that I should depict the clones during wartime as close to their barely-20-ish age as possible.

One thing I didn't commit to enough though (because I chickened out) was to make Fives look a bit more "dead" and ghostly before I put the blue-green soft light adjustment layer on him was the deeper and darker circles under his eyes, and I fully intended to leave out the light reflection from his eyes... but in the end I went back and added a duller shine to them because I'm weak, it's barely visible and he looked too grumpy and mean already T^T I also didn't want to make his cheeks more hollow or anything, because then I would just feel bad and weird about taking away the roundness from their shapes that I've worked so hard to put on them.

As I was working on this piece I've also thought a lot on the style that I've been trying to mimic through this project.

The thing that gave me pause is that I see more and more of my own style slipping into these pieces, I allow my lines to round out more... and I can claim that it is mostly because that's the compromise I can make with the clones, but I open up and look at Hades references less and less, and I just go freely with what's stuck in my brain while I'd tried to wrap my mind around the style when I first went at it.

I've also always had trouble with grouping my shadows and shapes, and this is exactly what I should be pushing more from now on forward. I keep letting myself get distracted by all the tiny details that I so enjoy to put into my work (case in point all that scarring on Echo, and even Fives' hair - as well as Cody's previously, but I didn't know how else to convey the texture of their hair in less and larger shapes). Hades character designs always feel so rich with detail, but at the same time they are a lot more streamlined than what I'd do if i let my own instincts and desires run wild. I'll try to work with that in the future!

Last but not least a few words on Echo's armor:

I'm slowly but surely stretching my artistic muscles a little and going a bit off-model for the characters, so I wanted Echo to wear armor that is a mix of his ARC and Bad Batch commando armor. So he's got the old plates on his arms (where he still has one LOL), all the straps and pouches (and both blasters!) and old kama hanging from his belt, as well as the hand print paint (because that is personally very very important to me that he has it). Then, beause I desperately needed some other colour in my characters that's not blue or black or grey, he's got elements of the red and orange paint he wears later in TBB (I really wanted him to have that orange stripe down the middle of his chest piece too, but I couldn't make it work with the handprint :() I'm real happy with this balance, and particularly with the shades of blue in his worn paint ^^

I also really wanted to give him a hand (I'll never not be frustrated at how Echo was kept literally handicapped with only his left hand to shoot and grab things (and people) with. It's good that he'd been an ARC and trained in dual wielding, but in a world where people keep losing their appendages (and sometimes half of their bodies) as if it was np big deal at all, it couldn't have been too difficult to get him a hand!! ANYWAYS. I'd first learned how to draw mechanical prosthetic hands/arms during my time in the Overwatch fandom, and I don't think I could draw them any other way (especially the fingers and the lights showing through in their joints) than how I'd done for Cole Cassidy way back when he still had a different name XD

I know there is a relatively limited way in how and what parts you can use to build up a hand/forearm, but I just cannot unsee it, and I thought I'd share this tidbit fun fact as well XD

I hope you enjoyed these ramblings, and I promise to try and keep to the normal mid-month-ish schedule for September!

[macabr3-barbi3]

Hello sweet summer child v( ͡° ᴥ ͡°)*

I love your work! I've come to yur account from a post I saw about Hazbin Hotel writers, and I love the dream story so much and powered through your archive of our own account in two days!!

If it's not too much to ask: Would you write a story with a reader and alastor, having anal sex? ԅ(≖‿≖ԅ) I just never see that in alastor fanfics, and I am so curious to see something written well and in character for him~ you seem perfect for the task!

Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you for keep me from sleeping and tell you that I really enjoy the things you write!

I'M SO SLOW I'M SO SORRY

this anon has been patiently waiting pretty much since I opened my requests 😭 I hope this smutty lil piece was worth the wait! I'm so glad you enjoy my writing and I hope I can keep turning out lovely little bits to keep you awake xD

CW: anal sex, that's pretty much the whole thing lmao

Alastor was not normally one to try new things. You knew this- and it made you appreciate the things that he did try with you even more.

You were on your hands and knees before him, face shoved deep into one of the soft pillows of his bed while he worked a toy in and out of your ass, the rim of it stretched and pleasantly sore from how long he had been at it, gradually sizing up from his fingers to something wider that would actually get you ready. Alastor kept the lube flowing generously, so much that the slide of the toy was near frictionless, pressing in deep before slowly pulling back out. His breathing is steady and even as he prepares you to take his cock, the thumb of his other hand lazily caressing your clit and making you clench around nothing.

“A-Alastor, please,” you beg, words muffled in the pillow. “I’m ready, please…”

“Ready for what, dearest?” He asks lowly, and lets a finger slide into your cunt, pressing insistently at that sweet, spongy spot inside of you that made you keen and cry out. “How am I meant to assist if you won’t tell me what you want?”

“Fuck me,” you moan, head turned to the side to make sure that he could hear you. “I can take it, please,” and you press your luck by pushing your hips back towards him just to really sell the message.

He hums in his throat, both the toy and finger inside of you sliding free as he repositions out of your line of sight, rewarded at last with the feeling of his erection pressed against your twitching hole, hot and hard and wet at the tip. “I wasn’t sure that I would enjoy this,” he says, “with such an act being so… taboo in my time.” He starts to press forward, and it burns deliciously, a sweet stretch that makes your limbs tingle and a line of drool drip from your mouth.

“Oh fuck,” you moan, your words wet as you sob them into the pillow. “Thank you, God, thanks for in- indulging me,” you manage, the feeling of his cock splitting you open enough to make your brain fuzzy at the sensation.

A finger comes back to your clit as he laughs darkly, hunching over so that his mouth is near enough to your skin to brush tantalizingly across it. “No, thank you, dear,” he whispers, his balls gently bumping your pussy when he finally bottoms out, your wail lost in the fabric of the sheets. “I might never have known- how much tighter this lovely body of yours could be. You’re clenching down on me so sweetly, my love.”

There’s a mental aspect to it, you’re sure; to the rapidly approaching bliss of orgasm that you can already feel buzzing in your bones as Alastor speaks. You love making him feel good, especially with something he was initially reluctant to try. You love the hint of desperation in his voice when he bucks his hips forward, a clawed hand digging into your hip where he clings to you for dear life.

A growl rips free from his throat as he comes down to bite gently at your shoulder, the slightest hint of teeth that he immediately soothes with his tongue. “To think,” he murmurs against your skin, “that you would be so desperate for me that you’ll take me in any hole. It’s enough to drive a man mad.” He begins to fuck you in earnest as your body burns at his words, the sweep of arousal and need that spreads through your body like fire rendering you beyond speech; you whine and moan like a whore into Alastor’s sheets, letting him use your body as he pleases, the only thing keeping you grounded the sharp pricks of his claws into your skin. You clench impossibly harder on him as the walls of your cunt flutter around nothing, his fingers wet with your slick and pressing insistently at your clit. “So perfect around me- fuck, darling, I’m already- fuck, fuck-”

His hips don’t stop shoving against your ass as he spends himself, a couple long pulses into the tight heat of your body as he growls, still pistoning as he fills you. He trails his teeth along the soft skin of your shoulders as if to distract himself from the way that you shake and ripple around him as you reach your peak as well, the echo of his cursing echoing in your head as you commit it to memory with a cry of his name. 

Everything is quiet for a moment while Alastor catches his breath, huffing heavily into your back and running soothing hands over the pinpricks he’s left on your hips. “Forgive me,” he says, and you can hear the tinge of embarrassment to the words. “I didn’t mean to- spend myself so quickly, before I could attend to your needs.”

“Needs met,” you slur against the pillow, a low groan escaping you when he pulls out and you feel his release dribbling slowly from your body before there’s a snap and soft fabric wiping at your sore skin. Your brain is still light and fuzzy as he cleans the two of you up, flipping you and repositioning so that you rest against his chest, body covered with silk sheets that he pulls over the top of you. “Thank you,” you murmur into his chest, the soft fur of it tickling your nose.

He hums into your hair, stroking a hand down your back. “It was a satisfactory venture out of my comfort zone,” he says softly. “I’m not sure that I would want to do this on a regular basis by any means but it would be a nice treat every once in a while.”

You hadn’t even expected him to agree to another time- you’d thought he would indulge you this once and move past it with how reluctant he had been at first, before he agreed once you assured him that it wouldn’t cause you any pain and that such an act was commonplace now. Your heart swells with affection, and you stretch up far enough to press a kiss to his cheek. “Love you,” you mumble, and the resulting rumble in his chest when he says it back is enough to lull you into an easy, sated sleep.

[enixamyram]

Just Saw Deadpool and Wolverine!

It wasn't as bad as I feared it was going to be. In fact, it was really quite good! Not perfect, unfortunately, but still really good.

Spoilers bellow:

Let's just get the bad things out of the way:

Why. Do. They. Keep. Splitting. Up. Couples. In. Between. Movies. Just. To. Get. Them. Back. Together. All. Over. Again?! Genuinely, they have Vanessa and Wade split up off screen before this film, they're still good friends so she still hangs around, he still has feelings for her and at the end of the film it's implied they're getting back together again. And it is so pointless! It would make no difference to the plot if they had stayed together throughout the film. It actually would have made certain moments stand out a bit more. It's just a completely unnecessary random trope that I am so sick of!

Channing Tatum as Gambit sucked... But he was kind of meant to... So I dislike Channing as an actor, I love Gambit as a character, so I was always going to have a bias about this. But genuinely I cringed at every moment of him on screen, but I think I was supposed to? I don't know if it really was intentional or not, but it seemed to me that the film was definitely playing up making fun of him. So while it was awful, it wasn't soul crushingly awful.

The NicePool dying joke went on for too long. I think every Deadpool film has that one joke that I laugh at. But then it keeps going and eventually my laugh gets a little awkward and it's still going so my laugh kind of dies. Not that big a deal, just something that really hit with this one.

OTHERWISE!

It was a really good film! It was funny in all the right moments. Ryan Reynolds continues to be supreme as Deadpool. Hugh Jackman is still the best Logan of all time. And I think the Deadpool films in general just mastered the act of upping the stakes in a way a lot of other trilogies fall down at. What I mean is, Deadpool 1 - the enemy was personal to Wade. Still a threat to others but the focus was on Wade's grudge. Deadpool 2 - the time travel aspect made it a little more intense than last time but it was still fairly personal and contained to Wade. Deadpool 3 - world ending drama that made this time really stand out against the others. It felt properly like the films before this were prepaing Deadpool to be the man he needed to save not just this universe but every universe.

Highlights:

X23!!! I was so damn excited when she came on screen! I love her, I love her comics, I love her movie, I'm just sad we probably won't get to see more of her but the stuff we did see was still amazing!

The Cameos I hated the Spiderman's film cameos because they felt cheap and pandering, but the ones in this film felt like they were done right! So it was a lot of fun seeing familiar faces popping in and reliving old stories or throwing out old lines (legit laughed hard at Blade's ice skating uphill throwback XD).

The Songlist Every song sequence, even the ones purposely out of place somehow worked so perfectly. It was hilarious in the right moments but even more than that, it was beautiful in all the right moments as well (I'm talking about you, Like A Prayer XD)!

Cassandra Nova A fantastic villain who I loved seeing on the big screen for the first time! She was delightfully psychotic and powerful and just perfect for the role as the ultimate big bad.

I think this is a good sendoff the Deadpool and the X-Men as a whole. I don't know if that's the plan, I don't know if Deadpool or any mutants are supposed to come back but I probably wouldn't rush out to see them to be honest. This feels like the right way to say goodbye. (At least until the MCU stops overdoing it and let's others remake superhero films on their own again. Not everything has to connect to the MCU for pete's sake.)

[gffa]

Hi there! I’m someone who’s been following you for Star Wars for a while but I’ve become really interested in your DC comics posting recently, and I was wondering - since the franchise has been going for so long and has so many instalments - what you would say to someone who wants to start reading these comics/watching the shows/movies but doesn’t know where to start? Have a lot of the comics been retconned? Is there a particular order one has to read in? Where does one even find these comics…?

My interest in this franchise was literally sparked by the Jason Todd telephone poll so I’m definitely interested in reading more about him - he seems like a character I’d like - and the rest of like, the… Batfamily, I think they’re called? I just have no idea where to start lol - my knowledge of DC is limited to seeing bits of Teen Titans GO when I walked past my little brother watching TV, and watching the Lego Batman movie with him xD

Also! If I’m correct, after observing the fandom, Talia seems like an interesting, complex female character (with some bad writing), like Padmé or Bo-Katan? I always love those kinds of characters, just wondering if I’d got the right impression of her.

Hi! You've got a solid idea of things so far, so hopefully, this shouldn't be too hard of a climb to get used to the structure! And I'll do my best to explain the structure of comics without getting too lost in the weeds about it. 😂

INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW: In my view, comics aren't meant to be a single coherent whole and it's helpful to drop that idea before you get started because otherwise you'll drive yourself around the bend in a fruitless attempt to make everything line up neatly, when it just never will. There is no one single "true" version of the characters, there is no one single creator who is the highest authority on a character, no matter who created the character or even who is most famous for writing them, these are shared characters being written and drawn by a multitude of authors and artists who all have varying takes on them. The characters should stay true to a core personality and traits, but the flexibility of an author to write a character differently from the last person who wrote them is a feature not a bug imo. I like to think of comics as stories being told by different authors playing with action figures and we're in the audience enjoying these stories, regardless of how some authors fit really well together and others completely clash with each other. You can try to make them mesh (sometimes that's fun!) or you can just shrug your shoulders and pick what you like out of the pile of comics that have been handed to you (you'll probably drive yourself less over the edge this way!). Jason is particularly difficult on this aspect, because he often doesn't have a regular book to be written in and his overall place/point in the Batman comics is murky at best somedays and so he is wildly different from author to author. I personally enjoy this, because I think it works for Jason as a character who has some core beliefs, but also is kind of a mess who doesn't really know what he wants, so he veers wildly from one reaction to another. You can read comics in a variety of ways, but I genuinely do not recommend trying to read "in order" because it's a nightmare to try to keep track of everything once it's been a few years and the numbering of these series is the most confusing thing you'll ever meet. Instead, I think it's better to focus on picking up trades (collections of comics that originally came out in single issues, but are put together in a single volume that tells the whole story of that particular run) that sound interesting or come recommended. (And, honestly, it's not even satisfying even if you did do all the work to read them in order. Throw out the idea that comics have a coherent timeline, because they do NOT.)

CONTINUITIES AND DIFFERENT ERAS: The ONLY context I think you need (other than a general sense of the Batfam, we'll get there in a minute) is to understand that there are sort of four "continuities" that you're likely to run into, and this is EXTREMELY simplified/streamlined, so nerds don't come for me on this unless you have a better streamlined and simple version. 😂 - Anything published before 1985-1986 is all "Pre-Crisis" and while reading a lot of the older comics can be super fun, they're generally not super relevant to current comics - In 1985-1986, there was a comics event (an event is where multiple different comic books are all written to be part of a bigger storyline, whereas normally, they don't cross over that much, each book usually has its own self-contained storylines) called "Crisis on Infinite Earths" (which is different from "Infinite Crisis") that was basically a way for DC to streamline all the different versions of the characters running around into one manageable universe. This ran up until about 2011 and I'll often refer to it as the "preboot" or "post-Crisis" continuity. (This is where Jason's death happened, in the storyline "A Death in the Family".) - In 2011, DC wanted to reboot their entire universe with an event called "Flashpoint", with the purpose of creating an all new lineup of 52 comics that new readers could jump right into, which isn't a bad idea in theory. The problem was that people were really attached to the preboot versions of the characters, a lot of the Nu52 comics were really badly written, and there was almost no collaboration. You expect a certain amount of contradiction just by the nature of comics, but there were major issues with "nobody is talking to each other, so everything is a giant mess".

- In 2016, for a variety of reasons (probably including that sales for Nu52 had dipped back down pretty far again), DC rebooted their universe again, with "Rebirth", which is the continuity we're in now. I'm still catching up (I left when Nu52 happened) but I think a lot of preboot events are leaking back into the continuity, but that's not the same as saying it's equal to the preboot continuity in total. This is also the era that I generally talk about the most because I've found it genuinely the most engaging to get back into! Generally, as long as you understand those four eras of continuity, I think you'll be fine in understanding how things are put together. If you want to know where something falls, just check the date and that'll tell you! But, honestly, yeah, background details change all the time, so even within a single continuity there will be retcons--just that there are MASSIVE differences in the Nu52 era that might confuse you if you're unaware of the reboot shenanigans. (Or if you want to understand how Jason returned--like, preboot continuity has the explanation that Superboy Prime (don't ask) punched reality so hard that it shook Jason back to life, even if they never found out about it, that's what happened. I think Nu52 said Talia dug him up and put him in the Lazarus Pit? Don't quote me on that. I flamed out hard on Nu52. Rebirth continuity, they have no idea what the hell happened and I'm not sure there's an explanation. I just assume the Reality Punch leaked back in or something.)

SO, LIKE, WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH THESE CHARACTERS? AS SHORT AS I CAN MAKE IT: - Bruce Wayne witnesses his parents being murdered in front of him and this traumatizes him so badly that he withdraws from life to obsess over it, eventually travelling the world for several years to learn every kind of skill he can, until he comes back to Gotham at, like 22 years old or whatever and becomes Batman to fight crime. The only rails on this ride is his butler Alfred who basically raises him from the time he's eight and Alfred is working MIRACLES here, but there's only so much even he can do. He is absolutely Bruce's father figure, even if they rarely frame it in those terms, because Thomas Wayne (Bruce's father) is such an important figure in their lives and because Alfred is extremely British. - Bruce is Batman for a few years, usually depicted as being super grimdark because he's shut his heart against loving anyone ever again because the pain is too much. But then one night he's at a circus performance and there's a terrible "accident" where a little 9 year old boy (shhhh we ignore any other versions than that he was nine, dammit, it's important for the thematic parallels!) witnesses his world-class aerialists parents falling to their deaths. Dick Grayson's grief and loss spark something in Bruce and he takes on this grieving, angry, brilliant little boy as his ward. Now, not even God can stop Dick Grayson, who is going to get justice for his parents' murder, so eventually Bruce reveals that he's Batman and Dick basically barges his way into creating his sidekick persona, Robin. Bruce is not a fan of this, but seriously. He couldn't have stopped that kid, he tried. He could only put a leash on him. Dick brings light and joy back to Wayne Manor and they have the most fascinating relationship--they're father & son, they're brothers, they're best friends, they understand each other like no one else does, they fight like no one else in that family does, they love each other, they're so angry at each other, they're co-dependent and absolutely batshit about each other, they basically raise each other from the time Dick came to Wayne Manor. - Dick eventually grows up and starts clashing with Bruce more, especially as he gains his independence. Different versions happen differently in different continuities, but eventually it hits a boiling point and either Bruce fires him as Robin or Dick quits because he can't deal with this. He goes off to become Nightwing, while Bruce eventually meets another kid who (in the most common version) tries to steal the Batmobile's tires because he needs the money. Circumstances happen, Bruce eventually ends up adopting Jason Todd, who becomes the next Robin. Things are relatively stable for awhile, until Jason learns about his birth mother and runs off to try to reconnect with her, except the Joker's got his sticky fingers all up in this situation, and it results in Jason dying in the exploding building.

- Bruce is Not Doing Well after this, so in comes our favorite horrible little stalker gremlin Tim Drake, who hunts down Dick Grayson and says, hey, you gotta become Robin again because Batman's going to get himself killed if you don't. Dick is like, no, I fucking do not. Tim responds with, well, guess I gotta do it myself then and basically barges his way into being the next Robin. He bonds with Dick as a brother (who is far and way Tim's favorite, imo), he does his best to be as good of a Robin as he can be. - Things are better after that, they're fairly well into Batfamily territory by this point. Jason comes back and, originally, it was supposed to be a trick, it was a villain pretending to be him, but was later retconned to actually be Jason who came back and... it's complicated. I don't think they really knew what to do with him once he came back, so he kind of ping-pongs around with varying levels of villainy for awhile. - Then we get to the time around Batman R.I.P. where a lot of shit happens all at once, especially for Tim. Bruce dies fighting a Justice League villain, Tim also has his bio-dad die around this time, his relationship with his ex-girlfriend/good friend is kind of going to shit, the boy he's in love with (not canon at the time, but current day storylines basically confirm it was true) also died and it wrecked Tim, like he lost his MIND over Conner Kent's death, there's this annoying little shit Damian Wayne who has showed up as the bio-son of Bruce, and then suddenly Bruce also dies. And Dick has to become Batman because Gotham needs Batman and he's in mourning and dealing with Jason being back and everything OFF THE RAILS as various people are like, "No, I'M going to be Batman now!" and Dick has to shut all that shit down and take up the mantle himself despite that he doesn't want it AND deal with Damian being an emotionally traumatized 11 year old baby assassin who has been abused into being a killer his entire life (I mean, it's comics, don't take it too seriously) and he needs something to hold onto or he's going to leave and go back to killing, so Dick and Alfred give the Robin mantle to Damian, which pisses Tim off because he's not doing well and sees it as a betrayal (while Dick was asking for his help as an ally, that he was ready to graduate to being more than just Batman's sidekick) because he's lost so much. - So we have Dick & Damian as Batman & Robin (THIS ERA WAS SO GOOD), Tim as Red Robin (fandom way overplays Tim and Dick's tension, they come back together after their dramatic few months), and eventually they find Bruce who was lost in the time stream (don't ask) and then, WHAM, Nu52 happens. But basically, that's the Robins timeline. I'm skipping over Steph's turn as Robin because it was so short and it was clearly set up just to knock her down, as well as not touching on Cass much because this is long enough as it is and I'm trying to circle back to focusing on Jason-friendly stuff.

WHERE TO START: Ask a dozen different people where to start and you'll get a dozen different answers! I think starting anywhere is fine and it's going to depend on what you like--for example, I'm personally not that into the animated DC movies (not enough of my Blorbo) but "Batman: Under the Red Hood" is generally very well-regarded as an updated version of Jason's return and is nicely self-contained if you want to watch it without much other context. I also think watching the Justice League animated series from 2001 is fantastic if you want a funny, charismatic, streamlined adaptation of what the Justice League is like. (Batman: The Animated Series was groundbreaking at the time and a really good adaptation, but very dated by this point in time, so I hesitate to recommend it too much, even though it's beloved to me.) The Wayne Family Adventures is an absolutely adorable, delightful webtoon adaptation that is very light-hearted compared to the mainline comics! I like recommending it to new fans because I think it's super easy to start reading without too much extraneous context and gives you an idea of the characters' relationships to each other, so long as you understand that it is EXTREMELY soft and is much in the vein of LEGO Batman content--you're not supposed to take it super seriously, there are times it's deliberately crossing into something like parody territory, but that doesn't mean it's not genuinely funny, charming, and a great read. @fantastic-nonsense has an incredibly thorough list of recommendations for comics by character here, and you can scroll down to the Jason Todd section and start reading there! Or you can check out the "A STARTING POINT: BATMAN IN OTHER MEDIA" section because I pretty much 100% agree with everything she says about the various adaptations. I like recommending "Young Justice" as an introduction to DC, so long as you understand that it's a loose adaptation and that the team compositions and various relationships are not always going to be accurate to comics dynamics. I have my own comics recs tag, but I'm more Dick-focused, so your mileage is going to vary on how useful you might find my recs! But basically, you can't go wrong with starting with "A Death in the Family", then "Under the Red Hood" (movie then comics) and "Red Hood: The Lost Days". Basically, anything by Judd Winick has a good chance of being a solid read for him. It's hard to recommend Jason comics, because so many of them are either not great or require knowledge of the events that are going on around the same time--but, honestly, once you're familiar with the set-up, I do think you can pick up almost any trade and pick up context along the way. I personally also loved "Robins: Being Robin" series, because all five of the Robins working to solve a case together and being unhinged weirdos at each other is my jam. (But I like pretty much anything Tim Seely writes!) I also always recommend the 2016 Nightwing series because Dick is my Blorbo, but I also think "Robin & Batman" by Jeff Lemire is a fantastic story to understand who baby Dick Grayson is and his relationship with Bruce, and both "The Long Halloween" and "Dark Victory" are some of the best Batman comics I've ever read, but they can be tough to get through if you don't like Tim Sale's very stylized art.

WHERE TO FIND THESE THINGS TO READ? The movies and animated series should be on HBOMax and/or Netflix, and comics I always recommend hitting up your library to see what they have--so many libraries have a ton of comics available, especially digitally! And, if you have a library card, it's very possible that your library partners with Hoopla, where they have a ton of Batman comics! You can also check out DC Universe, which has almost all DC comics if you get a subscription.

TL;DR: If you want bigger context on how all this stuff works, start with either "Justice League" or "Young Justice", they're really cute, fun adaptations. If you want to get straight to the Jason stuff, start with "A Death in the Family" --> "Under the Red Hood" --> "Red Hood: The Lost Days" --> "Batman: Urban Legends vol. 1". (And, yeah, you have the right impression of Talia! She often gets written as a villain, but she's also often a lot more complex than that, it really depends on who you get to write her. The corner of fandom I hang out in is generally more generous to her, but some of the actual comics can be kind of rough. But she's complex and has a lot of sharp edges, so, you know, I love her, too. 😂)

[calico-heart]

10. Is it important to include tension or outright areas of conflict in a relationship? If so then how do you explore these? Or does this not appeal to you?

23. What is something you feel you have improved at in terms of portraying sexual or romantic relationships?

32. If you ship your OC with a particular canon character, then what was it about that character that drew you to them? Is it that you have a certain "type" when it comes to shipping? Or did you surprise yourself with who you felt drawn towards? If your OC is in a relationship with another OC then did you change any aspects of either of their backstories or personalities to make this work?

Thank you for the ask :D

10. (Answered here!)

23. Five years ago I was afraid to write smut at all! It felt very intimidating to break into, but ultimately was rewarding and now it's one of my favorite genres. Whether I'm good at it or not... idk xD I am trying to focus on having fun with it. It's been a great way to learn new things about characters, because sex and romance can bring out sides you might not otherwise see.

But in this time I've also found myself a wonderful partner irl. The curiosity that's inspired, the experiences we've shared, and the growth it's encouraged me to achieve has, I think, definitely given me a broader perspective which I like to think has helped with my writing, too - even if only in opening my eyes to new types of relationships and encounters to explore!

32. I could go on all DAY about this but the short answer is yes to all.

I'm often drawn to the tragic gentle hero hiding behind a smile who likes to banter type, so characters like X'rhun and Haurchefant are catnip to me. Aymeric has that dogged idealism and polite competence which is hard to resist (plus that voice. That voice.) And I really like the trope of hot-blooded women who will open up a more vulnerable side when they come to trust you, so that made Alisaie (and fo4's Piper) predictable, too. But others, like Thancred, caught me by surprise and I still thank @briar-ffxiv for opening up my eyes to his potential XD Astarion in BG3 was also a bit of a surprise!

Nate/Mal are arguably my main ship and when @seasaltandcopper and I first started RP'ing we didn't think they'd get along at all. They weren't designed to be shipped together, but they connected in some really surprising ways. We kept throwing them into other aus and putting them in new situations, sometimes deliberately trying to push them into being enemies... and they just. kept. choosing each other. Sometimes it felt like when we set them up the most to fail, they speedran into falling in love even faster lmfao Finally we had to accept they were soulmates xD

Whether I tailor a characters backstory for shipping or just make something to see where the chips land, or blend the two, just kinda varies. I like doing different things!

Relationship Ask Game

[bareee]

are you planning to ship your tav with any of the companions? youve mentioned that the main 6 he would considsr too young but halsin or someone along those lines? i think the mutual stability in their characters would soften each others edges in a very sweet way but if you plan to keep your tav single i think their friendship would be extremely interesting too! will minthara get killed or added to the party? im so excited to see how all the characters resolve their arcs and how the creche and moonrise and everything else goes :D your art is so gorgeous too!!! the way you draw all of the characters is just so good <333 you really catch all the aspects of them that make people adore this game and thats such an amazing skill to have!!! i hope you have a good whatever it is when you read this!!!!!

Imma try keepin this short…but I doubt it’s gonna be XD

1. ‘Ppreciate ya~ happy ya enjoy my mess XD even though Im always over in the corner muttering about my poor consistency that drives me crazy

2. I’ve said this many times I’m pretty sure as replies to comments lost in the void somewhere, Through the 2 full playthroughs I’ve done, I didnt care to romance cause I couldn’t help but cringe myself even at the gale and Astarion stuff I couldn’t get away from. Im not good at romancy stuff movin so quickly like the game puts ya through,so I was dyin. And ‘in game wise’ Mark is like how Jaheria is, I’ve found thats the best way to put it. He’s gone through enough for himself to handle already at this point in his background story, and the best way to describe it is he’s just tired. Maybe in post game he’ll warm up, I think Imma leave that up to all yal and yer votin’ honestly. I’ve thought about it for a bit now and yal’s choices in Mark’s story I give you directing who he grows close to works well for me as I warm up to these goofballs, course as I said It’d still be more post game when he relaxes with stuff like that depending on what path yal put him on.

3. Kinda related to #2, Half of the main six are too young, not all. Gale is i think literally Mark’s age if not close and if I ignore elves and their age weirdness, Astarion and Shadowheart are fine. If/when the vote options open Mark up more to someone, Wyll,Karlach, and Laezel will never be more than family/kids to him. Nu….

4.We’ll get to Halsin…. I know I say that a lot when he comes up, but ughhh…. I will say I agree him and Mark have a lot they share and can grow together, but the horny side of Halsin drove me insane in the game and really made it where it was hard to talk to him cause the niceness felt so….uggghhh…. I’ll get to it,I’ll get to it, I’m gettin around that part of Halsin that loves to be constantly shoved in front… but aghhhh. Jaheria’s my favorite outta the side peeps obviously XD and Minsc is fun

5. Spoiler, I’m letting yal decide on if Minthara stays around! Wooooo, we’ll get thereeee XD And if yal choose to keep her alive it wont mean other peeps leave like the game does, we’ll see how that goessss. Halsin and wyll and whoever else will stay around of course, Wyll’s adorable and yal ain’t takin em away from me. In my playthroughs I could never go her route officially, never will. Little baby tieflings too cute, I refuse…

Think that’s all of it, woooooo I did ittttt! Hope I make senseeeeee yaaaay

[i-can-even-burn-salad]

Happy STS, Elli!

What are the most and least important aspects to you when it comes to character-creation? Are there any that don't matter to you at all? Is this different when it comes to reading about other people's characters?

How easy is it for you to change things about your characters when they don't work for whatever reason? Do you tend to change the story to fit the characters or the characters to fit the story?

Happy STS, let's not talk about the time this ask spent in my drafts.

I think there is only one absolutely important aspect: They gotta be fun. They can be fun for lots of different reasons (which are highly subjective and situational, who knows which char clicks), and being self-loathing tormented sad ace mages is only one of them 😅

Least is probably how they look. Hair color/style is probably the only thing I actually think about for most - I still have to look at Cedric's portrait every few weeks because I keep forgetting his eye color, and I forgot Merry's when I wrote GS as well XD I can't picture shit. It's not relevant to me. I could write a whole book without any character described and would barely miss something.

This is even more so when reading, I definitely have completely forgotten how characters look before, and I will again, and I have read stuff I really am not a fan of because I liked a character.

Consciously changing, once the story is done, don't even know if I could. While writing, things keep changing, because I start with a bag of vibes instead of a filled out character sheet.

Occasionally, some things come up while I write more (backstories, side stories, stuff like that) which is hard if the main story has already been posted/shared and I am torn between changing stuff or having stuff that doesn't match.

Usually, that's small things; for example, in the first version of GS, Damien wasn't forced to stay with the rebels, did paperwork instead of using his magic to hurt people, and he consciously used his brothers name (thinking it wouldn't matter). After writing Undeserved and the flashback pieces, I could no longer do that, he would never have put Valadan in danger, and the whole Ed thing was too fun—but the character is still the same.

[blimbo-buddy]

I think SSS Warrior Cats can never have a rival in fan animated warrior cats series because it adapted the source material in their own way

Like, as far as I've been watching fan adaptations of Warriors, everyone's been following the books, but SSS basically went along like an anime adaptation of a manga. Its following the story but also making their own strides such as extending the Longtail fight, Longtail slapping Spottedleaf, The entire Whitestorm fight!

No one ever wants to change the story except the interesting Stageplay created by Colacatinahat, where Redtail is Rusty's father, and Rusty joins the clans to avenge him. Many other changes, such as Greystripe being Rusty's mentor. Longtail mentoring Sandpaw.

Fan animated series like Little Dragon Studios got DMCA'd for sticking a bit way too close to the story. WCA animated by Bok Bok Choy being a funny satire parody of the story xD

My take away being that if you aren't being transformative with the story and creating a word for word recreation and the common idea is that Harper Collins sent the DMCA due to these adaptations being replacements for the books which is fair, I guess? Again, they're British and don't have the same copyright laws as us, so idk. Thoughts?

I’m honestly not exactly sure what made SSS Warriors so popular, like it’s hard for me to actually type out what I think it is.

I suppose it was just really good timing and the high production at which the series was at, even if it only had not that many episodes. And also y’know, the anime aesthetic made it extra popular back in 2009

I do think that some twists on the story can really do it favors if you’re adapting it into an animated youtube series. I think it's definitely the fact that the beginning part of Into the Wild that SSS Warriors made it up to not having that many. I guess “interesting” moments would have made it boring to watch for kids in the late 2000's who wanted to see cool anime fighting cats. So adding in that little fight scene with WhiteStorm really worked well for the series even if it’s not talked about that much

Think about it, it’s a kids book series that’s been adapted into a high production (for an internet series) youtube series with lots of cats fighting and doing these sick ass moves

What kid in 2009 isn’t going to like that?

Once again I think it was definitely released at the right time. The fact that the series never even made it to the halfway point of Into the Wild and yet still stands as an iconic piece of animation really just shows that they did something right. Just like what you mentioned they added their own unique twist to some aspects of the book and it served well in their favor

I’ve never really watched other adaptations (or attempts at them) of Warriors on youtube so I can’t really say if I agree with the “No one ever wants to change the story” part but I really think it can work well for the adaptation if there’s a good amount of twists to the story added. Not just one or two unique takes but multiple. But not so many that it just makes the audience wonder why the series isn’t just based around original characters

I still really like seeing changes done to the books when adapting them

Like for example, WCAnimated making SandStorm the daughter of RedTail and RunningWind

As much as I genuinely do not care for this take on the characters at all, I can still appreciate that some uniqueness is added to the story

Even with BokBokChoy’s take on the series it still is full of different takes on the characters that makes it stand out; it adds a comedic twist to everything so it makes it a stand-out amongst other “modern” adaptations

I’d also argue that Little Dragon Studios offers a visually unique take, however that doesn’t detract from the total narrative similarities it has from the original source material and the fact that it’s visually distinct didn’t really stop Harper Collins’ lawyers from sending a DMCA. I don’t have knowledge on copyright laws or infringements though

Legally? They’re able to do this 100% yes

But does that mean it’s necessarily a morally okay thing? No not really, a dickhead move if you will

[iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia]

Hey, how are you doing? How was coming back to work?

If I can be curious, let me ask you this super hard (or maybe simple, it depends), question: who's your favorite character and why? Also, which one do you find the most easy to understand/write?

Have a nice day my friend, cheers 😊

@dolceaspidenera hi! I'm so happy to hear from you! ^.^

And ooh, those are good questions. I won't answer them completely, but I will give you honest answers ^.^ I apologize in advance for what turned into a character analysis mini-essay XD

I do have a favorite character of the M6, but I prefer not to write like it on this blog. I think it's awesome when fan creators focus on their favorite characters - it means that everything they make is done out of love! - and it's almost something you'd expect in a dating sim fandom when you have to choose one specific character to experience most of the story with. I initially chose not to do that just because I genuinely enjoy writing for connections with all of the M6, even if there's very few that I would want a specifically romantic connection with. Every single one of them are characters that I'd be happy to get to know, as a lover, or an honorary sibling, or a close friend.

The longer I write like that, the happier I am that I do. It means I've explored aspects of the world of the Arcana that I wouldn't have initially been invested in, but that have contributed so much to the story! It also means that I get to chat with people who have so many different perspectives on the game because of their own preferences, and I've learned a lot from them!

As to who is more or less easy to write - that changes based on the prompt. For example, prompts that reference pre-prologue Vesuvia are a lot harder to write with Portia, simply because she didn't arrive there until after Lucio's "death" and because the game doesn't really delve into the life she's had there since. And the hardest prompts for me to write in general are for MC with specific familiars, only because those are characters I haven't read about XD

There are also themes I wish I could explore more, sometimes, for all the M6, but doing so would require so much speculation that it would be hard to keep the headcanons feeling "canon." Julian's life before Vesuvia, for example - he's been knocking all around the world since his teens, and of the two or so decades that that comprises, he's only spent a few years of that in Vesuvia. He glamorizes his adventures when he talks about them, but nobody in their late teens acts as a medic on a battlefield for their apprenticeship without taking away some kind of baggage. When does he break down without dramatics or smokescreens? When does he learn to talk about a painful past without trying to redirect his hurt into drama? When does he learn the healthy kind of selfishness that lets him be completely honest?

Asra's so emotionally private it's hard to get a read on them sometimes. We know they're deeply in love with MC and that that's been a shaping influence on them for the last nine years - but what else? There's so much about him that aches to be known, which he frequently tells MC in his route, but he still treats his relationship with them like it's fragile and new. What happens when things are more settled and they know MC isn't at constant risk of falling apart? Did they ever feel betrayed by MC for not leaving Vesuvia with them? Did they ever feel resentful of MC for causing that much relational pain, or at the very least, for holding them in a full-time caregiving role for three years? When does he learn to depend on them to the point of exposing them to his own ugly thoughts and feelings?

Nadia, for all of her capacity, is still very emotionally young. She's just beginning to process her feelings regarding her own family, which stem from her childhood and were never addressed directly until they were invited to the Masquerade. She has a deep-seated lack of faith in her own strengths, which MC has had the chance to help her overcome, but that attitude has been affecting her perception of other people's opinions of her for most of her life. At what point does she learn how to interpret someone's concern for her as something other than belittlement? At what point does she learn how to recognize and apologize for her own mistakes in a relationship without experiencing it as self-rejection? At what point does she learn to recognize someone else's strength without comparing it to her own and feeling challenged if she doesn't measure up?

Muriel's especially hard to predict physically. He has a whole host of reasons to feel the way he does about his body in relation to himself and others. It could be easy to say that, as he heals in his relationship with MC, he learns to enjoy and seek out physical pleasure as he overcomes trauma (in multiple ways, like food, and comfort, and intimacy). But when it does come to physical intimacy, Muriel is so easily read as demi/asexual that his interest in that aspect of a relationship doesn't really act as a good benchmark for healing. Maybe his aversion to touch is only trauma-related, and underneath that gruffness is a pent-up, touch-starved lover. Maybe he stays consistently disinterested in that kind of physical pleasure, simply because that's the way he is - and there is nothing wrong with that. But we don't know how that progresses.

So much of Portia's life is missing. We don't know much of what her life was like before she came to Vesuvia after Lucio's "death", and we honestly don't know much of what it was like after. We know that she's friends with all the palace employees and that she has a close connection with Nadia, and that's it. It's hard to know how she fits into a post-canon community because she remains so detached from the other M5 throughout her story. Most of what we know of her life with MC afterwards is that she spends a lot of it on a ship. She's the kind of person who thrives in building and maintaining community, and yet we have so few clues about what that looks like. Does she become like family with the sailors, assuming that the ship keeps the same crew? Does her new status give her a peer-based relationship with Nadia? Does she try to keep Julian in her life, or do they drift apart again? Does she eventually create a new home base in a different country?

And, well, I've already a written a whole character analysis of Lucio. We know that he's determined to become an honest man, but we don't know how that plays out. Does he get tired? Does he find a stopping point at "morally gray"? Does he stick it out and become one of the most emotionally healthy characters? Does he ever settle down somewhere else and build a life there? Does he stay in touch, or reconnect with anyone from Vesuvia and build a new friendship with them?

Anyways, those are some of the rabbit trails I let my brain loose on sometimes, and those are a lot of the character aspects I have a harder time writing for because it's so open-ended. Maybe another creator will read this and have answers I don't yet XD

Thanks for your questions, friend, I hope you don't mind my mini-essay!

brainrot

[altraviolet]

Going off the last few asks, how would you alter MTMTE shockwave not necessarily to fit into TEG, but be more like a character instead of an empty shell? What kind of character development would you give him? How would you make him better?

ah ok so to answer this, which I am probably going to fail to do to be honest, I need to write out some stuff

MTMTE Shockwave was a fine character. he wasn't an empty shell at all: he was a Senator with a face and a color-changing hobby who groomed (?) Optimus Prime in some capacity that I never fully understood. he was vocal about... stuff... against the current regime (pre-war senate), and therefore was horrifically punished with the empurata procedure. his head and hands were removed so that he looked like his G1/usual design.

so, I wanna be clear that MTMTE Shockwave (which you specifically mentioned) is fine. the rest of the stuff IDW did with him was incredibly confusing. I didn't read all those comics, but it was something like: Shockwave traveled back in time and established himself as a god and then ??? and then he was a senator and then he got empurata'd and then he went back in time. also at some point he sent a bunch of magical ores out to different planets. IDW somehow wrote it so that Shockwave was, like, responsible for all of the major milestones of the IDW universe in regards to TF. or something. honestly, like I said, I found it incredibly and unnecessarily confusing

if you happen to know what shockwave did and you feel like replying to this or reblogging with the answer, go ahead, but please know, and I mean this in the kindest way possible, I don't care xD they couldn't make me understand it the first time and it's too late to appreciate it now. again, it is a respectful apathy, lol.

so I'mma re-imagine your question to be "how would you alter IDW shockwave... What kind of character development would you give him? How would you make him better?"

and to that I say... I'm honestly really tired, lol. ok ok I'll try. uh. so, IDW had a specific and (apparently) long-entrenched plan for him. he's a huge part of that universe. entwined with the fabric of its reality. what you're asking for is a very big question: what does Shockwave do? and the answer is like... infinity. there are a ton of things one could do. what would I do? I can't help but take this question very seriously, and that's why I mention the fact that IDW had a big plan for him. how could I have changed him and kept aligned with the canon? is that an important part of what you're asking?

if I'm not making any sense right now, I guess an equivalent would be: this pound of ground beef was made into a burger. what would you have done with it instead? and my answer is 1) I don't eat beef so uhhhh, and 2) are we at McDonalds? are we still adhering to the burger-ness? Or can I make something completely different, like stew? I prefer chicken: can I use that instead?

did that make any sense at all xD

ok ok but let's just say I don't have to fit Shockwave into the larger IDW universe. I can do whatever I want with him

again it's hard for me to answer because Shockwave works in conjunction with other characters. what is Megatron doing? what resources does Shocky have available to him? where is he? are we pre-war?

maybe the faster thing to do is tell you what I wouldn't do: I wouldn't have him time travel back in time and become a god and then ??? and then ??? and then be a senator.

maybe I'd concentrate on the senator aspect. maybe I'd take him in a different direction after the empurata. I think it'd be more fun to explore him with clearly-defined goals after empurata. maybe the empurata wouldn't work perfectly: he'd still care about some things. maybe he'd be himself, but really fucked up, like how in stories when people die and come back, they come back wrong. maybe I'd brave some Shock/OP and make you all cry until your tear ducts burned, with the yearning and the loss and the visceral pain of what Shockwave was forced to endure. Remember me as I was is fucking hardcore.

sorry, I realize this answer is really long and possibly a pain in the ass to read. I have a brain that sees infinity and worldbuilds until it eats itself, so it's hard for me to narrow down an answer for you on the fly. I hope something here was entertaining or interesting, and if you want to narrow down the parameters in a further ask, I can hopefully give a better answer

[strawglicks]

Sorry for the ramble in your inbox incoming- I'm a really huge fan of your analysis type posts like the ones about Cathal and recently Flint ;A; So I hope its ok to maybe throw in my own 2 cents about Cogs/their society- (Sorry this gets rambly I thought about this last night and writing this like an hour after waking up lol)

I think what alot of people kind of (I wouldnt say ignore- more of:) don't really get is that I dont believe characters like Cathal or Flint have bad tendencies because they really want to in a way, (I kind of worded that poorly but point is) but because their society rewards and encourages that type of behavior. I think you said something kind of similar on Cathals post- But especially for Flint, whose a Bossbot (Who are literally the embodiment of a toxic workplace and elitism. I believe a old snippet from the TTO magazines says "They have no real skills of their own, just the ability to push down others and stay on top!" Or something to that nature.) he has to be demanding and imposing. There is no benefit to him in being kind. (Like looking at Misty for example) And don't get me wrong I don't believe that if Flint and Cathal were removed from Cog society they'd be better/objectively nicer (Like Flint not being condescending to Toons and Cathal not making people do things for him and being encouraged to try) But I do wonder how much of it is pressure, or how much of it is egged on and rewarded. Atleast in the aspects it relates to how they treat others.

(..And also I wonder what happens to Cogs that don't get jobs and are seen as ..not functioning. Since Graham was freaking the hell out in "Meeting Of Two Minds" over the possibility of not getting the job. I have a whole thing about this actually in my oc lore but thats another thing entirely I'll write about someday I swear)

Also I gasped when I saw the doodle of Graham in the MSI shirt finally a MSI listener Graham truther. I think he'd like the album "How I Learned To" and of course "You'll Rebel To Anything". I associate him mainly with the songs "Lights Out", "On It", and "You're No Fun Anymore" :p (This has been my favorite band since I was like 13 and now I get to spill all my opinions xD) I always imagined him doing the guitar backbend their bassist does! And my final hc is that Flint plays bass and Graham plays the main guitar. I think it fits them .. some people overlook bass when its actually pretty hard to learn from what I hear and vital to the song. (Like heres Feel Good Inc w/o the bass.. feels wrong x_x)

Anyways thanks for reading ;A; take care and happy new year!

RAHHHH EATING THIS UP YUM YUM YUM YES YES YOU GET IT

THe biggest issue with Cogs Inc is that it REWARDS and ENCOURAGES these poor behaviors, worsening these characters as people. ESPECIALLY cathal considering the position of power they’re in. I’m sure it applies to a ton of other cogs too, but unfortunately I haven’t gotten to them yet bc I’m not as insane abt them . LMAO

And yeah since cogs are literally built for work, it’s a wonder what happens to those who can’t find a job as easily as others. Hoping that gets built on since it’s clear in MOTM that these cogs have to actually apply and go to interviews and probably face some trial and error to land a job, just like people IRL.

ALSO. THE BAND HCS. I love it and you’re SOOOO RIGHT about the backbend that is so grahamcore. And yes I’m pretty sure Flint does play bass, I think his creator mailman said smth abt that on their blog . AND IM SO GLAD YOU BROUGHT UP FEEL GOOD INC bc i did draw flint in a demon days shirt in that same animatic . And ive def drawn them in the same shirt a couple times in the past too . I’ve always imagined him to be a Gorillaz fan, maybe graham too

Anyway ty for these thoughts im eating them up and leaving no crumbs . I love when ppl come to ramble in my inbox bc discussing this stuff IS SO FUN and a good outlet for me esp when i might be having art burnout rn .

[two-hands-toward-the-sun]

fic writer asks 7, 17, and 22 👀👀👀👀 i love ur writing and I'd love to listen to you talk about it!!!

AWWW that is TOO KIND 🥺🥺 it makes me so so happy to hear that!! Fuck!!

ANYWAY *unmelts myself so I can answer your questions*

From this ask game; anyone is welcome to send them in!

7. A fic of yours you think is underrated?

OUGH. I’m gonna go with my Mazikeen/Lucifer ficlet “i am singing now while rome burns.” Getting into Mazikeen’s head was a super fun challenge, and I like how all the prose fell into place. I worked hard on getting the characterisation as correct as I could get it, considering it’s just a 400 word story xD. And I’m just??? So into that panel in Season of Mists where Mazikeen and Lucifer tongue-fuck right in front of Dream??? It’s everything to me. That moment, combined with the Everything of Cassie Clare as Mazikeen and Gwendoline Christie as Lucifer, should have birthed at least a hundred fics in my HUMBLE OPINION. (Shout-out to @zorawitch who has done so much for the Mazifer nation!!)

17. Have you ever or would you ever write a fic in first person POV?

I certainly have! For about a year I was writing fics for a certain book series (I still have a fondness for it, but there are aspects of it that I’m now uncomfortable with so it shall go unnamed in this post), and they’re written in first person. The POV character has an incredibly distinctive voice and it was SO fun to try to capture it, and I think I did a pretty good job of it generally. Most of those fics were posted to a private series-specific fanfiction site, but now I’m thinking I should cross-post them to AO3 anonymously…

I’d certainly write first person fics again if the opportunity presented itself! Probably only for book series that are written in first person, though.

22. Pick out a random line from a fic you're really proud of

Oh I LOVE this question!!! Thanks so much for asking it!

Let’s see—after some deliberation, I decided to go with: Laughter bubbled out of Lucienne’s throat, and she felt so light; no, she amended to herself, she felt heavy with the weight of the woman she loved and who loved her, and it was glorious.

It’s from my very first Sandman fic, “our place in the sun.” (It’s also the first Lucienne/Calliope fic on the archive hehehe. I love creating ship tags! I’ve done it…three or four times now?) I think this sentence flows very well. Heaviness is often associated with negative emotions and lightness with positive, and I enjoyed flipping that around! Also they’re just ridiculously cute in that fic, my GOD.

Thanks for sending me such a great set of collections and for being generally so lovely about my work 💕💕 it is so, so deeply appreciated. Have a good night or day!

[74thpc-dol]

I first saw Degrees of Lewdity in my feed years ago in FB through a comic about RobinxPC, their struggles, hard work and how they comfort each other through their days. I admire their work and I was confuse what “dol” is.

Not long after I played the game and none of the LI interested me (but I got a soft spot for Sirris the Science and Jordan the Priest. Sad they aren’t LIs. )The game itself is pain and my dumbass went Ironman mode in first day of playing, I felt bad for my PC and I’m scared to even ask the comfort from other npcs since they got their own stuff to worry, it’s either I made my PC sleep or wait for the asylum to pick them up. They are always on high trauma and visiting .I got tired of the game after but hey it made me pay more attention to reading and enjoyed the grinding aspect of it since it’s like a NSFW version of Deluxe Lemonade game XD.

Years later (which was a few months ago ) after looking at different “Pink hair guy with glasses” art I stumble upon a fanart of Sydney for a Xmas event. I was instantly interested then when I read his from DoL and is related to the TWO PEOPLE I WAS INTERESTED BACK THEN I played the game again.

Sydney as a character though gave me a ton of comfort.When influenced ,their character didn’t really change much which surprised me. They are still them and they are willing to lend a hand or ear when they can. (I can’t tell more since it’s gonna turn to a novella of I do)

This game was my little escapism from my school troubles. I watch my PC learn from their mistakes and work themselves up from their already tarnish Reputation and stats but also see them being healthy and not in the brink of going back to the asylum really inspired me to grind myself with my own troubles even if I don’t see my own stats. Very corny I know but when you’re at your lowest with no arms to cry on ,you’ll just take it.

Okay that’s enough of me yapping about my experience with the game. I just wanted to let that one out since this game really did help me in a weird way. I been drawing doodles of fan arts for this game and you probably seen me peek from time to time in discord or post messy ass doodles in tumblr in a different account yet I kinda wanted to post my art mostly here.

[kitsaystransrights]

Okay I’m starting a new series on here called “I just finished this game” where I gush about a game I just finished.

Anyway, if you’re a fan of musicals, visual novels, or Greek mythology, you NEED to play Stray Gods.

If you haven’t heard of it before, Stray Gods is a visual novel with branching story routes, but it has the twist of also being a musical! Many of the game’s major choices take place in the songs themselves, and the songs will actually changed based on your decisions! Each song has numerous different permutations based on around 3-5 choices in each one. I recommend checking out Challenging a Queen, one of the early game songs that’s relatively light on spoilers, to see how some of the choices really add some spice to the game and weave through the songs.

The game’s story just follows Grace, a 20-something girl who witnesses the death of Calliope, the Last Muse, and to make matters worse, she has inherited her powers and role. The Chorus, leaders of the remaining Greek gods (known as Idols), give Grace one week to prove her innocence before she is executed, and the line of Calliope is gone forever.

Accompanying her on this journey are a variety of gods, monsters, and her mortal (strictly platonic… strictly) roommate, Freddie. The cast of Stray Gods is easily its best aspect, full of lovable and complex characters, leaving you laughing a lot, sobbing sometimes, and sometimes not knowing who to trust. And when it’s backed up by a fantastic voice cast, and nearly every character getting their own song if not multiple, I’d be astounded if you managed to get through the game without getting attached to SOMEONE lol.

(For the record, my favorite characters are Freddie, Persephone, and Aphrodite hehe)

And of course, what’s a musical without its music? The soundtrack of Stray Gods is absolutely incredible, even beyond the incredible amount of work and dedication it took to integrate so many variations of all the songs in the game. Lots of variety with the genre, sometimes even changing in the middle of a song! If I haaad to pick a few favorites, I suppose it’d be The Ritual, Look Into Me, and If Only. I’m a sucker for the emotional songs, but Look Into Me is suuuuuch a banger, it feels so threatening and I LOVE it.

OKAY now I’m gonna gush about my favorite parts of the story and get all spoilery so if you don’t want to be spoiled, DON’T KEEP READING! Go play the game yourself! Iirc it’s on all current platforms. Enjoy :)

So HOLY SHIT APHRODITE’S SONG HIT ME LIKE A BRICK??? I love the moral dilemma her whole cycle of rebirth puts you in, deciding whether to honor her wishes and let her die again or to convince her to find peace in life rather than trying to forget. I tried SO HARD to save her without forcing her and she ended up passing on anyways.

Persephone’s character is also SOOOO well done here, the reinterpretation of her story where she kills Hades is a fantastic direction to take her character. She ended up being my main investigative partner for the game and I did NOT regret it. I almost ended up romancing her, and I definitely will on my next playthrough, but I didn’t this time because of…

Freddie!!! Freddie absolutely rules and is my favorite character in the whole game. Mortal Greek mythology nerd who is super gay and wears a cool hat, how could I NOT love her??? My heart was completely torn to shreds when she died, and even though I knew she had to be able to come back somehow because you could romance her, the fury it raised in me made me blaze through the last four hours of the game and finish it in one sitting XD.

And JEEZ the way they let you bring her back is so well done. It’s not outright good or bad, it’s complex! Freddie and Grace are both traumatized by her death and resurrection, and the fact that you went against Freddie’s wishes and passed the line of Calliope onto her just makes it even more interesting from a storytelling perspective. It’s part of what makes If Only one of my favorite songs in the game. And of course, I’m a sucker for stories of unrequited love like Freddie’s is for Grace and now I’m gonna feel so guilty romancing anyone else 😭. Freddie is so relatable istg.

Anyways uuuuuh that’s all I have to say, maybe I’ll do a full review on my YouTube? Thanks for checking this post out tho! Okay bye :)