#and this was a fun way to slightly explore character designs
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is it meme redraw season yet
#glenn morgan lark nicky tj scary meryl stud#in that order🙃#somehow managed to stuff every single generation in here (except the omega daddies man fuck them)#did this instead of actually doing the math presentation i was supposed to😭😭#i *should* go do homework..#am i gonna?#no#anyways yes i love them all so muchsies#and this was a fun way to slightly explore character designs#dndads#dungeons and daddies#glenn close dndads#morgan freeman dndads#(theyre so dumb😭😭)#lark oak#lark oak garcia#AND NOW!! FOR THE SILLIEST GUY EVER:#nick close#nicolas foster#nick close foster#nicolas close#nicky freeman#hes so horrendous#i probably didnt even get all of them...#terry jr#terry jr stampler#scary marlowe#meryl Streep#stud stampler#ok i think. im done.
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The other day I drew an idea for "what if branded could transform", but really I just wanted to design a dragon. In reality I think you could take the idea way further.
What if you were to take the idea of branded being half laguz way more literally?? Basically I think it would be cool to have more of a half transformation resulting in what are basically monsters from myth and legend. Of course, I continue to have an interest in a story where the branded are the main characters and the heroes so, making them look like monsters but actually be good guys is fun to me!
The first and most obvious version of this idea would be the half human/half wolf (werewolf). I don't think they would lose themselves like werewolves, but they are the most iconic animal human hybrid design!
The next most obvious design would be half human/half bird (harpies). I think its important to really push the animal aspect and not just make them sexy sexy mostly human things. I think it would be fun to explore the design differences between hawk harpies, raven harpies, and heron harpies.
The cats are the hardest ones to design imo because there aren't that many human/cat hybrid monsters in mythology that aren't also mixed with even more animals. Its probably fine to just follow the example of the wolves and do were-cats though. Still cool!
For dragons I actually think there are a couple different directions you could go in. For this idea I basically went with your standard high fantasy/DnD demons and devils. There's only one half dragon in Tellius but this is another case where it would be really fun to design different looks for red, white or black half dragons since the ones we see in canon have slightly different builds and horn designs plus the different skin colors. (I would go with different skin colors like tieflings. The whole idea is for them to look like monsters and I think dragons should be scary!!)
The other idea I had would be for half dragons to be oni? Basically the same design sensibility but you would lose the wings. My reason for this idea is because oni are cool dragons in Tellius are kind of seen as this terrifying force of nature that could destroy everyone if they wanted to, which is kind of what oni are as well. I think it could work nicely.
#oni would be more strength based since dragons are implied to have more physical strength than other tribes#while demons would have super magical ability inspired by soren having super magical abilities#this is more of a character design exercise than fire emblem art really lol#tellius#fire emblem
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🍿 𝐂𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐂 𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐒 ( stray kids )
❛ In the hushed shadows of an empty cinema, you and Hyunjin find yourselves doing anything except watch the film.
𝐡𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐲𝐮𝐧𝐣𝐢𝐧 + male reader ೯ ( 𝐨𝐧𝐞-𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐭 )
𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 3.2k 𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞: 12 mins
꒰ 💌 ꒱ ミ This piece was requested by a lovely Anon! It was especially fun to explore the agoraphilia kink and it might or might not have awakened something in me, sorry not sorry. Requests are currently open! I hope you guys enjoy, reblogs and feedback are much appreciated! ── ( 𝐥𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲 )
𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: MDNI, FWB trope, agoraphilia (the kink related to having sex in a public space), handjob, blowjob, let me know if I missed anything!
( 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 ) ( 𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 & 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐬 ) ( 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 )
꒰ 🫙 ꒱ ミ Tip Jar!
The large screen cast a solitary glow in the otherwise dark and empty cinema room, its flickering light the only beacon amidst the shadows. The film, having premiered only a week ago, played out its animated scenes, but your attention was never captured by the vibrant characters or the lively plot. It was the heart of the week, the sun hanging high in the sky outside, and the cinema was hushed in a midday silence. The movie, a colorful tapestry of whimsy designed for children's delight, had been carefully selected by Hyunjin as part of a deliberate plan.
He knew that a matinee showing of a children's film would ensure privacy, a quiet refuge from the bustling world outside. The choice spoke volumes of his thoughtfulness, a gesture meant to cocoon you both in a rare moment of undisturbed togetherness. The dim ambiance and the occasional laughter from the screen seemed distant, like echoes in a cavern, as the true magic unfolded in the space between your entwined fingers and shared, whispered words.
His hand rested with a gentle weight on your upper thigh, a touch that felt both grounding and electric. Though his gaze appeared firmly fixed on the screen ahead, you could sense the unspoken intentions behind his seemingly casual posture. His fingers, warm and slightly calloused, felt like they were weaving a spell of anticipation and desire.
Your breath caught in your throat as you felt him inch just a fraction closer to your already eager core, a subtle yet powerful movement that sent ripples of longing through your body. You couldn’t tear your eyes away from him, the flickering light from the screen casting playful shadows across his face. His smirk, a tantalizing curve at the corners of his lips, told you he was fully aware of the effect he had on you. It was a dance of silent communication, a game of tension and teasing that left you breathless and wanting more.
The room seemed to shrink, the outside world fading into oblivion as every fiber of your being focused on the closeness of his touch and the promise of what it held. The distant sounds of the film became a mere backdrop to the intimate symphony of your shared moment, each second stretched out, dripping with delicious anticipation. His smirk deepened as he felt your reaction, a silent victory that only fueled the fire between you both.
It wasn’t long before Hyunjin’s hand found its way to the apex of your thighs, pressing firmly against your clothed core. The sensation was immediate and overwhelming, and suddenly breathing felt like a conscious effort rather than a natural reflex. Each inhalation was shallow, your chest rising and falling in a rhythm dictated by his tantalizing touch.
Your hands clung to the armrests of your seat, knuckles white with the force of your grip, as your body involuntarily arched and buckled against his hand. The need for more, for deeper contact, pulsed through you, a throbbing ache that begged for release. Hyunjin, sensing your desperation, was unreserved in his approach, his fingers moving with practiced skill as they massaged your length through the fabric of your jeans.
The roughness of the denim contrasted deliciously with the tenderness of his caress, each movement sending waves of pleasure coursing through your veins. You could feel the heat pooling low in your belly, a fire stoked by his every motion. From the corner of your eye, you glimpsed the outline of his own arousal, straining against the confines of his pants. The sight sent a jolt of satisfaction through you, feeding your ego and heightening the intensity of the moment.
In the dim, secluded theater, with only the flickering light of the screen to witness your secret encounter, the world outside ceased to exist. Each touch, each whisper of movement, was magnified in the hushed silence. Hyunjin’s breath, warm and shallow, mingled with yours, creating a private symphony of shared desire. His eyes, dark and intense, flickered with a mix of mischief and ardor, reflecting the storm of emotions that raged within you both.
There was never any kissing between the two of you, no trace of affection mingled with the deeply intimate actions that had become your shared ritual. Lips never met in tender embrace, and there were no soft whispers of endearment. Instead, the connection you forged was raw and elemental, stripped of the frills of romance. Behind closed doors and within the shadows of dimly lit rooms, you found a thrilling liberation in the mutual use of each other’s bodies. Each encounter was a secret symphony of touch and sensation, free from the constraints of emotional entanglement.
The exhilaration of this clandestine arrangement was a heady intoxication, a rush of adrenaline that coursed through your veins each and every time. The absence of romantic gestures and the lack of emotional responsibility created a unique and intoxicating blend of freedom and anticipation. You both existed in a world where the only currency was the explicit pleasure you pursued together, a hedonistic exchange that left no room for the complexities of caring beyond the immediate moment.
This arrangement, devoid of conventional intimacy, was pure bliss—a potent addiction that occupied your thoughts through every waking moment. The craving for these encounters became an ever-present undercurrent in your daily life, a hunger that only grew stronger with each rendezvous. The physical connection, unburdened by the expectations of love or the weight of emotional commitment, was a sanctuary of sorts, a place where you could lose yourselves in the primal joy of unrestrained passion.
Each touch, each breathless moment, was a testament to the unique bond you shared—one that thrived in the dark, away from the scrutinizing eyes of the world. The thrill of secrecy, the raw, unfiltered pleasure, was an addiction that neither of you could resist. It was a dance of shadows and light, a tantalizing game that blurred the lines between reality and desire, leaving you both perpetually yearning for the next encounter.
Growing weary of the languid touches that teased more than satisfied, you decided to seize control from Hyunjin. Your fingers, light and teasing, trailed a deliberate path up to his painfully hard arousal. The unexpected contact elicited a raw, unguarded moan from his plump lips, his eyes flashing with a mixture of surprise and irritation. Yet, his glare only made you chuckle softly, a sound that vibrated with quiet confidence and amusement.
Determined to unravel him with your touch, you felt a rising tide of desperation to see him surrender. Your movements became more purposeful, almost urgent, as you deftly tugged his pants and underwear down just enough to liberate his beautiful, aching member. The sight of him laid bare before you sent a thrill through your veins, your own need intensifying at the vision of his vulnerability.
Hyunjin sighed in relief, the tension momentarily ebbing away, only to be replaced by a darker, more intense gaze. His eyes, heavy with desire, watched as you surveyed the dimly lit cinema room, ensuring your clandestine encounter remained undisturbed. Satisfied that you were alone, you slowly sank to your knees between his legs, the anticipation of what was to come heightening the electricity in the air.
The dim glow of the screen cast ethereal shadows over your form, accentuating the intimate tableau you created together. Hyunjin’s breath hitched, his eyes never leaving yours, a silent acknowledgment of your shared hunger and the shifting power dynamic. As you positioned yourself, the world outside the darkened room ceased to exist, leaving only the palpable tension and the promise of exquisite release.
His chest rose and fell with shallow breaths, each exhalation a testament to his struggle to maintain composure. Your hands, now steady and confident, moved with a precision born of intimate knowledge, eager to draw out every shiver and gasp. The intimacy of the moment, the raw, unfiltered need, created a cocoon around you both, a sanctuary of desire where every touch, every glance, spoke volumes.
Hyunjin’s quiet moans filled the space, mingling with the distant sounds of the film, creating a symphony of pleasure that echoed in the secluded darkness. Your control, your neediness, intertwined seamlessly, crafting a moment of pure, unadulterated passion that left both of you breathless and yearning for more.
Hyunjin was already leaking, a tantalizing sight that made your mouth water with anticipation. The glistening evidence of his arousal only spurred you on, your desire mounting with every passing second. You wrapped your fingers around his throbbing length, feeling the heat and the pulse beneath your touch. Slowly, deliberately, you began to stroke him, each movement measured to draw out his pleasure.
As your hand moved, Hyunjin’s reaction was immediate and intense. He threw his head back, his face a portrait of pure ecstasy. His mouth fell open, a silent cry of pleasure escaping his parted lips, and his eyes squeezed shut as waves of sensation washed over him. The sight of him, so undone by your touch, bolstered your confidence, fueling the fire of your own arousal.
With a surge of boldness, you finally took him into your mouth, the familiar taste and texture igniting a spark within you. You fought to suppress a moan, the urge to vocalize your pleasure nearly overwhelming. The sensation of him filling your mouth, the weight and warmth of him, was intoxicating. You reveled in the control, in the power you wielded over his pleasure.
Hyunjin’s response was visceral. He hissed through clenched teeth, his head snapping forward to watch you. His eyes, dark and intense, were filled with a mix of surprise and unrestrained desire. His brows furrowed, the tension etched across his features, but his jaw remained slack, a testament to his struggle to contain his sounds. The effort to maintain some semblance of control was evident, yet you could see him teetering on the edge, each moment threatening to push him over.
Your movements were slow, deliberate, savoring the taste of him and the way his body responded to your ministrations. The flickering light from the screen played across his face, highlighting the sheen of sweat on his brow, the way his lips trembled with every suppressed sound. The intimacy of the moment, the raw, unfiltered connection, created a heady atmosphere that wrapped around you both.
Every subtle shift of his hips, every strangled breath, fed your own desire. The rhythm you established, the ebb and flow of pleasure, was a dance you both knew well. The darkened cinema room, the backdrop of the distant film, became a world unto itself, where the only reality was the shared ecstasy and the bond forged in the heat of passion.
With each stroke, each gentle suction, you brought him closer to the edge, the anticipation building between you. Hyunjin’s gaze never wavered, locked onto you with a mixture of awe and desperation. The connection, so deeply physical, was underscored by the unspoken understanding that this moment, this exchange of pleasure, was something sacred and profoundly intimate.
It was almost uncanny to experience Hyunjin’s unusual silence. You had grown so accustomed to the symphony of his voice, the way he filled intimate moments with his melodic praises and unrestrained moans. His words, often slurred by the intoxicating waves of pleasure, were a chorus of erotic melodies that resonated deep within you, igniting your own desires. The quiet now was both a stark contrast and a thrilling challenge, a testament to his struggle to maintain control.
Yet, even in his silence, the intensity of his need was unmistakable. His normally expressive self found new ways to convey his desperation, his fingers tangling in your hair with a grip that spoke volumes. The usually tender touch now firm and commanding, guiding your head in a rhythm that matched his urgent desires. The sensation of his fingers fisting your hair, each tug a silent plea for more, sent shivers down your spine.
Hyunjin’s hips began to move with a mind of their own, thrusting to meet the rhythm you established. Each upward motion synchronized with the downward movement of your mouth, creating a perfect harmony of motion and sensation. His normally vocal nature was replaced by a more physical expression of his need, every thrust a wordless cry of pleasure. The quiet, punctuated only by the sound of your movements and his ragged breaths, created an atmosphere thick with unspoken longing.
The flickering light from the screen danced across his face, highlighting the tautness of his jaw and the fire in his eyes. The restraint he showed, the effort to maintain some semblance of composure, made the moment even more electrifying. His usual clinginess, now intensified, was a physical manifestation of his pleasure, his body seeking yours with an almost desperate fervor.
As you moved together, the dance of your intimacy became a testament to your deep connection. Each motion, each shared breath, wove a tapestry of desire that wrapped around you both. The darkened cinema room, once a simple backdrop, now felt like a secret world where only the two of you existed, bound by the intensity of your shared experience.
Hyunjin’s control wavered with each passing second, the struggle evident in the way his body tensed and relaxed in quick succession. The quiet was a fragile thing, threatened by the rising tide of his pleasure. His eyes, dark and intense, locked onto yours, communicating volumes without a single word. The normally eloquent Hyunjin was now a creature of pure sensation, his need for you transcending language.
Every movement, every touch, was a symphony of silent communication, an intricate dance of desire and control. As you continued, the thrill of his intensified clinginess and the unusual quiet created a heady mix, a potent blend of intimacy that left you both breathless and yearning for more.
Your free hand moved to caress his balls, the delicate yet firm touch sending jolts of intensified pleasure through Hyunjin’s already electrified body. The effect was immediate and profound; his actions became increasingly erratic, a beautiful chaos of movement that reflected the storm of sensations you were conjuring within him. His face, a canvas of raw emotion, scrunched up gorgeously in response, each twitch and contortion a testament to the bliss you were eliciting.
As the tension mounted, he leaned forward, his need to be closer to you overwhelming his senses. His movements pushed your nose against his pelvis, the intimacy of the action driving both of you to new heights of arousal. You could feel his release building, a palpable tension that seemed to vibrate through his entire body.
When he finally reached the peak of his pleasure, you felt the hot, thick rush of his release spill down your throat. The sensation was overwhelming, filling your mouth to the point of gagging. The fullness was both a challenge and a thrill, a testament to the depth of your connection and the intensity of the moment. You struggled to breathe, the sheer volume of him making it difficult, but you relished every second of it.
Eventually, Hyunjin’s iron grip on you relaxed, his fingers loosening their hold on your hair. You pulled back, gasping for air, the sudden rush of oxygen a stark contrast to the suffocating fullness you’d just experienced. The cool air on your face and the lingering taste of him in your mouth created a heady mix of sensations that left you reeling.
Hyunjin’s gaze softened, the fierce intensity giving way to a tender vulnerability. His breaths came in ragged gasps, each one a testament to the overwhelming pleasure he’d just experienced. You could see the gratitude and the residual pleasure in his eyes, a silent acknowledgment of the profound connection you shared.
The dim light of the cinema cast gentle shadows across his face, highlighting the lingering flush of arousal on his cheeks. The room, once a simple setting, now felt like a sacred space where the boundaries between you had dissolved. Every detail, from the softness of his touch to the taste of his release, was etched into your memory, creating a moment that was both ephemeral and eternal.
As you both recovered, the world outside seemed distant and unimportant. The intimacy of the moment, the raw, unfiltered connection, had created a bubble of reality where only the two of you existed. The echoes of pleasure and the warmth of your shared experience lingered in the air, a promise of more moments like this to come.
Just like that, you returned to your seat, slipping back into the plush cushion as if nothing extraordinary had transpired. With a composed air, you swallowed the lingering evidence of your intimate adventure, the remnants of Hyunjin’s release settling deep within you. The calm facade you wore was a stark contrast to the storm of emotions that had just raged between you.
Beside you, Hyunjin was utterly spent, his chest rising and falling in an effort to catch his breath. His skin glistened faintly under the dim cinema lights, a sheen of sweat marking the intensity of your shared moment. His eyes, still glazed with the remnants of pleasure, never left your figure. The way you appeared so nonchalant, so composed, despite the passionate exchange that had just unfolded, captivated him.
Your core throbbed with a dull, insistent ache, a testament to the desire that still simmered within you. The anticipation of what was to come made it difficult to focus on anything else. You shifted slightly in your seat, the ache intensifying with every subtle movement, a constant reminder of the unfinished business between you.
Hyunjin’s gaze lingered on you, a silent promise of continued pleasure hanging in the air. The unspoken understanding that the fun was far from over added an electric tension to the room. The film continued to play, its plot a distant murmur, overshadowed by the anticipation of what awaited you both once the credits rolled.
As you both sat in the dim light, the world outside the cinema seemed to fade away. The mundane reality of your surroundings contrasted sharply with the charged intimacy you shared. The darkened room, filled with the flickering glow of the screen, became a private haven where your desires could roam free, undisturbed by the outside world.
Hyunjin’s fingers twitched slightly, a subtle indication of his renewed interest. The thought of continuing your escapade in the confines of the car sent a thrill through you, your body responding eagerly to the prospect. The anticipation built steadily, each passing moment bringing you closer to the next chapter of your passionate adventure.
The film’s soundtrack provided a background score to your thoughts, each swell of music mirroring the rising tension between you. Your composure remained intact, but beneath the surface, a tempest of desire brewed, ready to be unleashed once more. Hyunjin’s presence, his proximity, only added fuel to the fire, making the wait both torturous and deliciously exciting.
In that shared silence, the air thick with unsaid words and unmet needs, you both found solace. The bond forged in those stolen moments of pleasure was a testament to the depth of your connection. The promise of what was to come loomed large, a tantalizing prospect that kept you both on the edge, eagerly awaiting the privacy of the car where your desires could be fully realized.
꒰ 🏷️ ꒱ ミ Permanent taglist: @agi-ppangx @sunnyrisee @jisunglyricist (Click on the link to join! All you have to do is answer a few questions to help me stay organized!)
🍉 FROM THE RIVER TO THE SEA, PALESTINE WILL BE FREE! DAILY CLICKS! STAYBLR FUNDRAISER!
#hwang hyunjin#hyunjin fanfic#hwang hyunjin smut#hyunjin skz#skz hyunjin#hyunjin smut#stray kids hyunjin#hyunjin x reader#hyunjin#hwang hyunjin x reader#hyunjin x male reader#hyunjin stray kids#skz hwang hyunjin#skz#stray kids#straykids#skz fanfic#skz smut#skz fic#stray kids fanfic#stray kids fanfiction#skz x reader#skz x reader smut#stray kids x male reader#stray kids x reader#stray kids x reader smut#🌏: stray kids#🌏: stray kids (smut)#🌏: hwang hyunjin#🌏: hwang hyunjin (smut)
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my new character, his whole deal is that he's low-key.... uhhhh ....
So this is Luciano, basically he was born out of my interpretation of 2p Italy (alt design of hetalia Italy without a personality) being too different from how he's usually depicted in the fandom and the headcanons slipping into a separate setting that couldn't mix with hetalia (and I didn't want to make it hetalia either), I also got very heavily inspired by Schmalgauzen music (Ukrainian cabaret band) last January and then boom I hallucinated a backstory and a setting for this guy so I decided ok he's mine now
So personality-wise, Luciano is into sophistication and theatrical wit, but also has a playful, silly side. Throughout his life he's caught between a longing for connection and his fear of vulnerability, shaped by a past that left him grappling with identity and self-worth, and his main struggle lies in overcoming the scars of abandonment which make him question his place in the world and whether he’s deserving of love. Despite this, he radiates charm, humor, and a love for the dramatic, finding joy in life's finer details like make-up, sweets, fashion, collecting fancy stuff, and art. He deeply craves the feeling of belonging. He is also an intersex man, which is a big part of his identity since having PAIS shaped Luciano’s worldview in multifaceted ways. Negatively, it deepened his feelings of being "other," contributing to the belief that he had to earn acceptance. Positively, it cultivated empathy and a rebellious confidence as he grew to embrace his unique self thanks to challenging societal norms, so he comes off as unconventional and strange to most people, but grows to embrace it. Neutral aspects include a heightened awareness of individuality and a nuanced understanding of human complexities which shaped his intellectual and artistic pursuits, so most of the things he paints have to do with that. Ultimately I imagine it made him introspective and resilient
Now to the fun part, he was born to wealthy Italian parents who expected a "normal" child but got him instead, they panicked, tossed him into an orphanage, and pretended they adopted him later to save face (so he was deadass adopted by his birth parents), his teenage years were spent under the "guidance" of his adoptive father, a shady businessman with an absurdly specific niche in illegal antique firearm sales, involved in a lot of gunrunning, where he also learned to use weapons and charm a room in equal measure. He was also largely shaped by the streets of an ever-so-slightly haunted villa... Luciano eventually got tired of the criminal world’s chaos (especially after he faced legal consequences with his family) and set out to reinvent himself, embracing art, cooking, and vintage collectibles as if it were a full-time job. He later managed to earn himself a privilege to travel to other countries, particularly he's been to a lot of France. He couldn't be viewed as a legitimate business heir and instead got the training of an agent/guard/spy. Also, he has a white pet kitty. Yea
With all that I would like to also explore themes of fabricated memories with his character (Schmalgauzen song reference 😒); growing up in a volatile and high-stakes criminal environment might have led Luciano to subconsciously block out memories as a defense mechanism, then substance use manifested in memory issues, with confabulation as a subconscious way to fill in the gaps. So his life story focuses on figuring out which of the things he remembers are real while trying to find a place he could belong to where he's loved. Then there's fear of abandonment, his identity issues, unstable relationships, self-sabotaging behavior, impulsivity, brief moments of feeling emptiness. Also he's only about 25 years old and I've decided it's all happening in like 1960s
Schmalgauzen lyrics also inspired me to come up with a lot of abstract visuals for his character, which I want to use in future art with him, hopefully someday 😭 I kind of hate when this happens, one moment I look at a random design and the next I have a bazillion ideas that seem too overwhelming to apply to one concept, but I clearly have vivid scenes and ideas for plots I could put him into, like he's a tragic and complicated guy when I lay every little detail out about him, but if I have to imagine him behaving, he's a really sweet and fun character, and I don't wanna abandon this concept, so I didn't want it to just sit in my head forever, at least now it's also on my Instagram and Tumblr... mucho texto...
#oc#oc art#my art#artists on tumblr#art#арткозацтво#украрт#traditional art#mixed media#character design#character art#ocs#original character#sketchbook#nezlamnyi sketchbook#artwork#portrait#oc portrait#luciano#i need to come up with a last name for him#watercolor#lineart#ink drawing
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I can't sleep and I have to get up in less than 4 hours for school n shit, so have some of my thoughts about fiddlestan and fiddauthor.
DISCLAIMER: I have not read the entirety of The Book of Bill, or Journal 3. I've only seen snippets online. I want to get them both, tho. I'll get my hands on em once it gets less cold and icy around here.
Sooo fiddlestan. I like it, and it has a loooot of potential for angst. HOWEVER, I don't like when people villainize Ford just to make Fidds get with Stan. I do think that Ford cares deeply about Fiddleford, he just doesn't really know how to express it, and is entirely oblivious to any feelings Fiddleford may have for him (c'mon man, he left his wife and kids to study weird shit in the woods with you).
Now for Stan with Fiddleford, I don't really see that relationship lasting, at least not healthily (is that an actual word?? Whatever, you know what I'm sayin). If going the angsty route, I think Fidds would at first try to replace Ford with Stanley in an attempt to regain the man he lost. And Stanley would be open to the affection Fidds gives him cause he's touch-starved, and I don't think anyone's said "I love you" to him for a minimum of ten years. But Fiddleford would realize that Stan isn't Ford, no matter how much he tries to delude himself into thinking he is. And Stan would realize that Fidds just isn't his type or somethin.
Ok now fiddauthor. I love this so much, both when Stanford and Fiddleford are young and when they're old (people are sleeping on that old man yaoi!!). I also headcanon Ford as asexual. I looooveee the thought of fiddauthor in the 70s while they were in college, breaking up for whatever reason (or just kinda drifting apart if it wasn't a committed relationship or whatever), and Ford's lil heart breaking when Fidds marries Emma May.
Alternatively, I do kinda like the thought of a poly relationship between Fiddleford, Emma May, and Stanford. That would be a fun au to make a comic about. I have been wanting to make an Emma May design for a bit now lol.
But when they're older and working in Gravity Falls, oh god sooo much angsty potential with infidelity and unrequited feelingsss (technically they're both in love with each other, but neither are good at ✨️ communication ✨️). Ford would probably be so absorbed with Bill, and listening to his manipulations to actually recognize Fiddleford's feelings for him.
And when they're old ass men? Ugh so much fluff can happen from them finally making up for lost time or somethin. People really sleep on the true old man yaoi lmao.
On a slightly separate note, I do ship Billford, and I have thoughts about it that I'm not gonna get into here. But I'll give ya the abridged version: I like shipping it, I don't like romanticizing it, and i like seeing how the relationship had a lasting effect on Ford. I don't like shipping them post-weirdmageddon, and i don't think Bill can truly be redeemed. I have mixed feelings on those redemption au's. I also like triangle fucking jokes. I'm sorry but that is comedy gold.
Also I'm gonna (eventually) make a post talking about my oc x canon ship (Kyle x Stanley). I personally love them (obviously), they're two gay old criminals who have shockingly similar pasts. What's not to love? Also it's a fun way to explore writing older characters with different body types, since before, most of the characters i drew were young twinks, beefed up guys/girls, and skinnier women. Drawing these old men has really helped with diversifying the body types I draw.
Alright, ramble over. Goodnight everyone.
(Also while writing this, I broke into a coughing fit. I hope i didn't catch my dad's cold lmao. God is trying to stop me from talking about yaoi, but dammit, I can't be stopped >:3)
#gravity falls#stan pines#stanley pines#stanford pines#ford pines#fiddleford mcgucket#fiddleford hadron mcgucket#fiddlestan#fiddauthor#billford#but briefly mentioned
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Here are some ideas for a Monsters, Inc. AU where Mary, the daughter of Randall Boggs, goes to daycare:
**Story Ideas**
* **Fitting In:** Mary is a half-scarer, half-human child with unique abilities and a striking appearance. She struggles to fit in with the other daycare kids, who are mostly human or full-scarers. She may be teased or excluded due to her differences.
* **Finding Friends:** Mary discovers she has a special connection with the daycare's shy and withdrawn janitor, who is actually a retired Scarer hiding from the CDA. They form an unlikely friendship, teaching each other about their worlds and helping each other overcome their fears.
* **Uncovering a Conspiracy:** The daycare is not what it seems. Mary uncovers a secret operation where children are being harvested for their screams to power a new energy source. With the help of her janitor friend and a group of misfit kids, she must stop the conspiracy and save the children.
* **Learning to Scare:** Mary inherits her father's scaring abilities but struggles to control them. She attends a secret Scarer training program hidden within the daycare, learning how to scare responsibly and use her powers for good.
**Themes**
* **Acceptance and Belonging:** The AU can explore themes of acceptance and finding your place in the world, especially for those who are different.
* **Friendship and Loyalty:** The story can highlight the importance of friendship and the bonds formed between unlikely allies.
* **Overcoming Fear:** Mary's journey can be about facing her own fears and helping others overcome theirs.
* **The Power of Friendship:** The AU can emphasize the power of friendship to overcome challenges and fight for what's right.
**Visual Cues:**
* Mary's appearance: Give her a unique design that blends human and monster features, like Randall's chameleon-like skin and human-like hair.
* Daycare Setting: Design a daycare that is both whimsical and slightly sinister, with hidden compartments and secret passages.
* Scarer Training: Show the Scarer training in creative ways, like using shadow puppets or playing pranks.
**Additional Ideas:**
* Introduce other characters from the Monsters, Inc. universe, like Mike and Sulley, in cameos or supporting roles.
* Explore the consequences of Randall's actions on Mary's life and how she deals with her father's legacy.
* Create a heartwarming ending where Mary finds acceptance, uses her powers for good, and brings her parents back together.
If you'd like, tell me more about what kind of story you envision for Mary, and I can give you more specific ideas!
@shironezuninja @freyzw0rld @jedimemories @clairaquos @untitled14360 @twiliartsdreams2017 @gametoon @gamebruh12 @daydream358 @bloodmoon24 @bossbabyfan2 @ajaxus166 @princess-paige-place-of-fun @princesshillaryellaworld25 @princessfandom812 @leo-x-u-raptor-fan @punk-63 @aromantyczno-liryczna @bitter-yet-civilized @moonlighteclipse17 @jazzyrazzy157 @ladysegagenesis @ladybugsonfire @pastelmermaidgirl @cartoonfan21 @wolfie245 @saltysoulballoon @hicksthings
#disney#fanart#monster inc#monsters university#randall boggs#Randall#randy boggs#mary gibbs#au#boo#boo monsters inc#artists on tumblr#illustrations#digital art#daycare#alternate universe#Pixar#disney pixar
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Lost in the moon
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Sun/Moon X reader
Word count: 2521
Summary:
You decide to check out the daycare where you meet Sun, after the daycare closes you leave. But you gets lost and don't exit the Plex in time and get looked in. You end up meeting Moon and try asking him for help
Notes:
I got lazy with the ending cuz this fic took me nine days to write and I've had enough with it, so enjoy
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You stroll around the pizza plex enjoying the overpriced pizza, arcade games and various attractions that the place has to offer. At one point you got lost in the pizza Plex, but you got help from one of the glam rocks and at the same time you also got the chance to take a picture with them, which in all honesty was quite nice of them. Though you're terrible with names. (But you do remember them being a chicken with green earrings). Was it Sheikah? Sheek? Oh It was Chicka! Chicka the chicken! Even if your day was filled with exciting activities, you could not help yourself but to feel disappointed and isolated. Even surrounded by people constantly throughout the day, it fell short of what you had hoped for.
As the sun's light begins to dissipate, you find yourself meandering through the expansive building, observing as people gradually depart as the bustling crowds disperse. With less than an hour left until closing you start to make your way to the daycare. It was the only place you hadn't looked at yet today. And in addition, since the daycare closes an hour earlier than everything else, you believe that there will be an absence of strangers staring daggers at you, and wondering why a random adult is there, though you thought of it more reminiscent of a curious child exploring.
You don't do too well with copious amounts of crowds surrounding you for the entire day. So you need a quiet place to sit down for a bit to get your self level headed from the day. You know the two characters that work in the daycare, Sun and Moon. You have seen their posters here and there plastered on the walls. If you were going to be honest for a little while you thought that their names were Sundrop and Moondrop, but no, it's the candy they advertise.
You enter the daycare and you start to hear funky but kinda nice music. you start to bop to it slightly, and it makes you feel slightly better. You tread quietly up to the metal fence next to a slide where it said ´slide in to fun!´. You looked down at the play area and at first glance you saw two large jungle gyms connected with a bridge and a ball pit. Man you wished this was the daycare you went to when you were a kid, because this looked amazing this could easily be any kids dream come true. But your train of thought was interrupted by the feeling that it felt like something was staring at you but you can't pinpoint where it's coming from, so you just shrug it off as anxiety. You make your way down to the lower level of the daycare to sit on one of the benches to rest before you start making your way out of the Pizza Plex.
You have your back turned away from the big daycare doors as they fling open and you freeze in shock as you hear a loud chery voice behind you. "Why hello there friend! All the kids have already been picked up. So what concern do you have here to be here at such a late hour?" You berated yourself for forgetting that there are two daycare andents, of course they'd still be active. You turn your torso around slowly to face who is behind you, having both legs firmly rooted into the floor. As you turn you see a very tall robot with eyes that are chalk white and triangles around his head designed to look like sun rays. He had a big smile, and hands stretched to his sides and stood there with a mighty posture looming over you.
"I-" you took a deep breath to try to get the words out of your mouth as he stood there patiently with both of his hands clasped together. "I just wanted to get away from the crowds for a bit. I didn't mean to disturb or anything- I can leave if you want me to." At that last part you lift up your hands in a nervous mock surrender. "Oh no you are welcome to stay, we were just curious as to why you were here. We thought that maybe you took a wrong turn and got lost or something." He started to sway on his feet rocking back and forth, seeming to hold back his excitement that would explode like a balloon any second now. He suddenly stops standing on his tippy toes; "Oh how rude of me! I forgot to introduce myself, my name is Sun! And what would yours be?" turning his head to the side out of curiosity. Your body fully turned towards him and were more relaxed. This seems to have pleased Sun. You told him your name, plain and simple. You did wonder however, he said"we "a bit earlier, but there was only one animatronic in front of you. You wanted to ask him where Moon was. Maybe he was inside cleaning or was just shy.
"Where is Moon? I would like to say hello to him too." You say it a bit too nonchalantly. He lets out a nervous chuckle and plops down from being on the tips of his toes. "Well he’s only out when the pizza plex is closed as security. Sorry to disappoint." He slouches down a bit but quickly perks up and says. "BUT! I can say hi to him from you, does that sound good?" He starts to fidget with his hands. It was nice to converse with Sun and it helps to distract you from the day. Your legs were aching from exhaustion and you just wanted a place to collapse and catch your breath "Yeah i think that would be nice. Well I'm going to go and sit down somewhere now. It was nice meeting you." You wave him goodbye as you turn away. "Goodbye! The pizza plex closes in thirty minutes!" He waves goodbye and the bells on his wrist jingle. You give him a thumbs up without turning. You feel a small gust of wind hit you as he closes the heavy doors in one swift motion.
You have your gaze on a seat with a table, you speed walk towards it and slump down. Resting your head on your arms as you let out a sigh of fatigue. You allow your mind to wander and overanalyze everything that you've done today to every minute detail, like how you fumbled on that mini golf ting and lost your grip on the golf club and it fell into the indoors river, or how you could not control the gocart properly and jerking forward trying to workout how it works, or how you needed the staff to get you out of a labyrinth designed FOR KIDS! Your spiraling thoughts were broken by the speaker announcing that they close in five minutes and something about a free drink voucher that you could get.
You lift up your head and blink away the sleepiness. You start making your way to the exit of the daycare, not paying attention to where you were walking. You wander and take a turn and… you are not at the entrance gate. You definitely took a wrong turn somewhere to end up at the theater. You couldn't do one thing correctly today it seems. The way back had stairs not a corridor. You start to backtrack back to the daycare slightly panicking. Now speed walking out of the theater and going towards the stairs. You hear a concerned voice "Hello again! I can tell that you're lost, it’s just to go up those stairs and take a left and there's the entrance gate, it's impossible to miss it. You only have like two minutes so you better run" You turned to look at the door that was slightly cracked open and Sun's head was peeking through looking worried. Wow that's a way to rub it in that you had the sense of direction of an egg (or like Zoro from One piece).
Your mouth turns into a line as you have to bite your tongue to not say something snarky like ´yeah, no shit sherlock´ or ´wow this is life changing information´ he was just trying to help you. So instead you opted for a simple thanks with a tired smile and told him ´goodnight, rest well.´ "I hope you do too, it looks like you need it. Goodbye!" he slid back in and closed the door. You really must have looked tired, and you were tired too. You just wanted to get home and sleep. You continued to speed walk up the stairs and took a left. You hear the lights turn off in an ominous voom. You stand still so your eyes try to adjust to the sudden darkness you found yourself in. You eventually got adjusted to the dim neon lights that came in different arrays of colors.
At that moment you realized that the Plex had closed. You looked at the entrance and saw the shutters were down. You were too tired to panic, you were just pissed at yourself now. “Great, Now I'm stuck in here. Unless I get staff to help me”. You opted for Sun's help because you knew at least where he was. You sigh and turn on your heel harshly. As you approach the entrance you don't hear the music playing, it's way too quiet for your liking. You see that the daycare is pitch black, but you continue. You aggressively walk down the stairs and yell out "Sun are you there? I got locked in and I would like to go home and sleep. Please can you help me?" You are met with silence. You were starting to get annoyed (not at Sun just that you didn't want to go into the play area looking for him). You go up to tug on the door and it won't budge, it's locked. You remember that he told you that Moon is security and maybe he was nearby, ( you assumed he would probably have the daycare as his starting point).
You let go of the handle and groan as you pinch your nose bridge, feeling as you felt an annoying headache creeping in. "Moon! Are you nearby? I kinda need help" you yell out.
No answer. You hear a soft jingle of bells. "Where are you?" you mutter under your breath thinking it is Sun making the noise. As you look to the side trying to see movement through the darkness in the play area. No luck, nothing is there. You hear a raspy voice next to your ear whispering "Behind you."
"MOTHER OF JESUS!" You screamed out. You jumped, turning around to see the fucker, whispering in your ear, next to you. It was a blue and white animatronic, it had a wire from its back to the ceiling, hanging upside down like Spiderman does. It has red eyes and a starry night cap with a big sharp smile on its face. Ah this must be Moon. You were eye to eye, just staring at him while he chuckled in amusement. You tried to muster up courage and put on your best smile, but you still sounded shaky in your voice. "Um… are you Moon? If so, can I get some help?" He pauses and his eyes turn pitch black, his head flips around to be right side up with his body still upside down. His smile flattens and eyes are wide open and he is too close for comfort. You swallow the lump in your throat. You took a deep breath and said "I got lost and now I'm locked in." You had your arms crossed and had your weight on one leg as the adrenalin had started to dissipate, as you look in his eyes you can see red pupils staring right back.
His body started to get down to stand on the floor, the wire detaching and going up to where you can't see it, but his face remained in the same spot. He let out a small chuckle and started to smile again as he rose to his full height. He was just as tall and intimidating as Sun was. Looking down at you he said "You are an intriguing one." You paused for a bit, you were confused at his response "Thank you, I guess?" tilting your head to the side. He turns around and starts walking away from you, but stops when he realizes that you're not following and he gestures to follow him. You start to follow him, pleased that you're getting help.
”So, where is Sun? He was in the daycare a few minutes ago.” He turns to look at you and what sounded like him taking a sharp inhale to say something, but he stops himself from doing so. He looks displeased. He thinks for a moment as both of you walk up the stairs and take a turn. “We share the same body, if the lights are on Sun is out, if the lights are turned off I am the one who is out.” He states begrudgingly. You think to yourself that that's quite cool at first, but you realize it must be torment to be in the same body. “Can I ask one more question?” you look up at him, he looks annoyed “why are you asking persimmon now? You didn't before” he said with bewilderment. “Is it like a nap for the one who is not active?”
As you have almost reached the doors he stops for a bit now being behind you and says "Didn't your parents teach you not to trust strangers?" He chuckles. "Oh har har funny joke, it’s obvious that you are Moon right. right?" You turn back to look at him and you see nothing. You hear the creaking noise of the shutters opening. But at the moment you don't care, you were wondering where (THE FUCK) Moon went, and he was avoiding the queston. You look around yourself up at the ceiling and consider walking around and looking behind things, but you were technically trespassing at this point so it's good to not stay any longer. Especially with what he just said, and you ain't taking any chances. You probably pissed him off with that question. You cup your hands around your mouth and yell out "Thank you Moon! Goodnight." And that was it, you opened the glass door and out of the Pizza Plex.
The metal shutters don’t close immediately until youre a small distance away. You look behind you to watch it close and you see an upside down head peeking thru with completely red glowing eyes. As the shutters slowly descend you see Moon waving you goodbye, a bit surprised to see him you wave back until you can't see each other anymore. You might come back and visit, those two were intriguing too. But for now you just need to get home and sleep.
#sundrop#moon#sun#moondrop#sun fnaf#moon fnaf#fanfiction#fnaf#moon x reader#moon x y/n#moondrop x reader#moondrop x y/n#sun x reader#sun x y/n#sundrop x reader#sundrop x y/n#sun/moon fnaf#sun/moon x reader#sun/moon x y/n#fluff
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Kingdom of Wishes- A "Wish" Rewrite AUs
AUs are Alternate Universes, new ways to look at how a story could've gone if a few things were slightly different, it's a fun writing exercise to take your story and change it up a bit to see how the characters would react to these changes.
So I did that with my wish rewrite, and I came up with some pretty fun scenarios.
(Warning: that’s a lie, some scenarios here are not fun at all)
So let's begin:
Asha the Star & Aster the Human
That's exactly what it sounds like, Asha and Aster switch places!
In this scenario, Aster is an orphan whose mother was a musician, that's right, musician, not an artist
His grandfather used to say his mother could sing so beautifully and write songs so engaging that people could see whole stories form in their heads, she inspired people to imagine whole new worlds
That was Aster's dream, to write beautiful melodies, sing a song that could inspire people, see beyond reality
So same things that happened with Asha happen to him, he defies the royals (Who also change in this AU, we have Amaya as a queen regnant, so she's above in power than Magnifico, she being the one who has blue blood while he got married in, and their personalities switch. To me that's the funniest thing, like can you imagine Amaya as the drama queen that get's the whole spotlight and has anger outbursts sometimes like the Red Queen and Maleficent? While Mag is in the background just being calm, mysterious and I guess having a fatherly persona? What a twisted vision)
Anyway so they take Aster's wish, change it up yada yada yada Aster goes to make a wish upon a star and we get Star Asha babeeeyyy
Now design wise, Aster as a human would have brown hair, while Asha, as all wishing stars, would have blonde hair, with this hair style
Loooooong blonde braids that flow in the air constantly like Princess Celestia hair from MLP, and speaking of princess, yeah, she dresses like one too.
Imagine being human Aster here, you wish upon a star and suddenly a beautiful magical princess with gorgeous flowing hair shows up to help you, I would've died
So anyway, Asha has a very energetic and optimistic personality, and much like Aster was in Kow, she's fascinated by earth
When they come up with a plan to inspire the people of Rosas, Asha's idea is to make people draw, express how they feel, make them reflect if they're really happy with this system
Aster of course thinks that's not a good idea at first but she convinces him, so the whole arc of them being found out at the plaza happens yada yada yada let's cut to the good stuff
Instead of giving Aster a magic pencil, Asha enchants his's grandfather's mandolin, so Aster can play beautiful songs that can magically bring anything he imagines to life
So then we get their "At All Cost"... But I actually think Star Asha would sing a different song, she'd sing something like this:
youtube
This song just gives me major Kow! Asha vibes, and I'd love if Asha was played by Denee Benton cause I'm a huge fan.
And then the story proceeds as usual and we get to the climax, where instead of singing This Wish Reprise he'd sing something more like this:
youtube
Once again, I'm here to say I love Jordan Fisher and I can't imagine anyone better than him to voice Aster.
So yeah he'd have a very dramatic song where instead of using his guitar (That the queen broke) he uses only his voice and the last bit of Asha's magic to defeat the royals, along with everyone's hopes on his side.
Sooo yeah Asha later turns into a human thanks to true love's kiss, her hair turns dark brown, the end!
I like exploring this one because it shows how Asha and Aster are different with her being an artist and him being a musician, human Aster would be very different than the Aster we know though, being absolutely focused on the task at hand of saving his people, so Asha would help him loosen up a bit and have hope things would be better.
Kids AU
Okay so this one is more of a joke, but like... Kingdom of Wishes... But it's Ponyo, only genderbent
Basically I asked myself "What if Asha wished upon Aster when she was a kid?" well, when she was a kid, so was Aster.
So we'd have a story of a little 6 year old becoming friends with her wishing star. While her grandpa Sabino, still alive and very old, tries to hide this star and protect his spunky granddaughter from the king and queen that are after Aster
Of course the royals would have a harder time finding out who could've wished upon a star since they don't know who Asha is as a kid
But on the other hand, Asha and Aster would be a lot more naive and reckless, Aster would tell Asha "Hey! The king and queen are really mean! They change the wishes, wanna defeat them together" and Asha would be like "YEAH!" and off they go put themselves in danger
Don't think Magnifico would go easy on Aster just because he's a toddler, oh no, he'd drain all this child's power as soon as he caught his hands on them, which is why Sabino would be having a panic attack trying to keep them safe.
But what's really cute about this scenario is just imagining kid Aster interacting with the world, using his magic to play with Asha, and of course Sabino being a protective grandpa.
Bad Ending AUs
You guys know me, of course I have a whole section for not one but TWO bad endings lmao I'm so evil.
What If Asha's Cursed Wish Was Granted?
Yup, remember Asha's cursed wish? That would turn her into a obedient princess that would follow Magnifico and Amaya without question? Remember that wish? Yeah what if THAT happened hahah
Anyway, I thinks it's best if I just show you how that'd play out (Warning, the angst is STRONG in this one):
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"That's right, now hold still my dear, this will feel just like waking up from a pleasant dream." The king said as he lifted up her "wish" to grant it.
Asha felt herself frozen in fear, she wanted to speak up, but the fear of what could happen to her if she did outweighed her her strength to fight back.
She could only watch as the bubble popped and became a swirl of green magic enveloping all around her. Asha felt herself change, and not only because her clothes began to magically morph into a beautiful dress... She felt herself change from the inside out, starting with her mind.
Her desire to run away was muffled by a new desire to stay still as the king asked her to. But Asha knew she had to fight back because- Why did she have to fight back? This is what she wanted, to fit in and make people happy, now she finally could, thanks to Magnifico- Asha heard a voice that sounded like her's fill up her mind, popping any idea of resistance like bubbles- Why resist at all? It's easier to give up- She couldn't give up, she couldn't lose herself- But she doesn't even know who she is, and everyone tells her she's like a princess anyway, don't they? Her saba used to say so, her friends, even Aster said she's beautiful like a princess-... Why isn't he here?
She felt her eyes welling up with tears, realizing how helpless and alone she was. Asha knew she couldn't hold on to her consciousness for much longer, as the king's magic promised to make all her pain go away, leaving only bliss, her own freewill was fading away. But even then, a little bit of her is still fighting, tightly clinging onto the last semblance of thought she has left... Before it suddenly slips, and everything is gone… She is gone.
... She did feel like she woke up from a dream, the king was right, as he always is.
The magic that was surrounding her disappears, fully absorbed into Asha's very being. She's now fully transformed, wearing a princess gown, her hair braided and pulled up into a bun that resembled a rose.
... A single tear ran down her left eye, but the cheering crowd couldn't see it. All they saw was her smile, a blissful, carefree smile plastered on her face.
...
Aster ran back to the plaza as fast as he could. But once the star arrived there... Asha was gone, and so were the royals. The people were walking around commenting about what just happened... He heard people mumbling about how kind the king and queen were for adopting an orphan girl to be their princess...
All it took was one moment, one moment of distraction, one moment that Aster turned away from her... And he lost her... But they wouldn't give up, never, as long as he's on this earth, he will grant her wish, her true wish, no matter the cost.
The star didn't even think twice, revealing his true form in front of everyone, and flying off to the castle to look for Asha.
He looked through all the windows, all the many rooms of the castle, until he stumbles upon a room on the west wing tower, and in there, sleeping peacefully on a comfortable bed, he saw-
"ASHA!" The star screamed, using his magic to unlock the window, he got in and quickly shook her to wake her up "Come on! We gotta get you outta here!"
The princess rose up from the bed, gracefully stretching her arms as she did so, blinking her now unfocused eyes, that if you look closely you could see a small and faint green light sparkling in the center of her pupils.
She smiled at the star as if they were paying her a visit "Greetings Aster, so wonderful to see you-"
Aster grabbed her by the shoulders and just shook her back and forth "SNAP OUT OF IT! This isn't you! You're stronger than his magic, I know you are! You can fight it! Come on, Asha, look at me!" Aster gently places a hand under her chin to make her look at him in the eyes, he can't see her spark anymore... But he still reaches out to her "You wished upon me because you wanted to SAVE Rosas from them, remember? That's the whole reason I'm here, to help you." they give her a bittersweet smile, even though he's filled with sadness.
The girl giggled, in any other context it would be an adorable sound... But it just filled Aster with dread, seeing how his words weren't getting through to her at all. But nothing could've prepared Aster to what she said next "... Then where were you when I needed?"
... Those words pierced through him like a dagger, the star was speechless, now just staring at her, filled with sorow
"Indeed, where were you?"
Aster froze upon hearing the king's voice coming from the other side of the room. He turned around to see both Magnifico and Amaya sitting on comfortable chair next to a table with tea, if Aster could smell he would've probably felt the sent earlier.
"You took so long we were starting to wonder if you just flew back to the sky" Amaya said before sipping on her tea cup
Aster tried to escape through the window, but before he could reach it, he was trapped by the king's magic.
Magnifico and Amaya laughed as the star struggled with all his might to free himself from the king's magic, to which the king just jeered "I suppose a princess was of use to us after all, serving as bait to catch you, little prince"
And just like that, Aster is all alone at the villains mercy.
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I tricked yall with a false sense of security starting with two wholesome AUs only to then drop the most heart crushing stuff I've written in a WHILE.
Also thank you @gracebeth3604 for inspiring me to write that scene of Asha losing her conscience as the spell took hold of her, when you helped me write that nightmare sequence in chapter 8... So yall can blame Grace for this /j
Aster Turns Himself Into A Blackhole
What a title huh? Anyway, I've said plenty of times how Aster is very inspired by Rapunzel, so I wondered, what if that "Wither and decay" song from the Tangled series affected Aster the same way that it affected Rapunzel?
I didn't quite explore much Aster's frustration with the fact he couldn't hurt the king and queen the same way they hurt Asha, that's kind of a more internal frustration he doesn't show much, but it proves how human Aster is, to the point that he feels human emotions such as vengeance
But as we say here in Brazil: "Revenge is never complete, it kills the soul and poisons it."
So... Let's see if Aster choose a darker path, after he thought that he lost Asha for good in the climax.
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Aster was chained to the floor, all he could do was watch in horror the king drop Asha and all their friends off the tower.
... She was gone...
Just like that, Aster couldn't keep her safe, like he promised he would.
Without her, Aster felt his world growing dark, his own light was fading away. There was no hope for him, no hope for Rosas, no hope of granting her wish... So... Aster had nothing... So he had nothing left to lose.
... The star remembered once listening to a song, a song that stars sing when they're at the very end of their long, LOOOOONG lives. After all, everything must come to an end. The lyrics of this song were actually an incantation, a spell of death that allowed a star to snuff their own light away, turning themselves into... Something else... Something a lot more destructive.
The stars always warned him to NEVER sing that melody. And fly away as fast as he could if he ever heard some other star singing it... Aster never knew fully why, all they said was that the song would make him dangerous...
Well then... That was just what Aster wanted to be right now.
Suddenly, Aster felt the touch of the queen's hand, snapping them out of their thoughts. She lifted his scowling face, to give him a snark comment before they began to drain away his power "What's with the grimace, my dear? Is there something you wish to say?"
And so... The star began to sing.
"🎶... Wither and decay...🎶" Aster's voice was haunting, not at all as warm and lively as it always was when he sang... This was different.
Magnifico was previously looking down on his people, but the sound of those lyrics made the king turn around in cold sweat... He knew that spell.
"🎶...End this destiny...🎶" Aster continued to sing, his eyes were closed, and his face began to contort with discomfort. The star felt himself... Change.
The queen just raised an eyebrow and mocked "What's this? Trying to put us to sleep with a lullaby? hahaha *cough cough* haha" She didn't seem to pay much mind to her own coughing
The king minded it a lot though. He could see the roses on Amaya's hair begin to wither rapidly.
Magnifico's voice was trembling as he ran to his wife "A- Amaya-"
"🎶...Break these earthly chains...🎶" Aster opened his eyes... They were completely dark.
The queen's blood ran cold "wh-what ON EARTH-" she feels herself being pulled away from the star by her husband.
"ENOUGH! I ORDER YOU TO STOP!" The king commands, using his magic to cover Aster's mouth with glowing vines similar to the ones holding him down... But the star... Or rather, whatever Aster is becoming, is not weak to forbidden magic.
Aster breaks free from Magnifico's magic, leaving the two royals mortified.
"🎶…And set the spirit free…🎶" Aster didn't even react to the fact he was free, in fact, they didn't seem to notice the world around him at all, lost in their despair, all they could do was sing, floating above the ground. Tears kept running down his now inky black eyes.
Their hair changes from a yellow and lively flame to a dark and slowly shifting shadow. The star dust flowing out of their cape disappears, now his cape hides only dark nothingness under it. The light coming from the brooch bellow his neck now resembles a vortex... A blackhole.
"Magnus... I thought you said this thing was harmless" The queen is clinging to her king, she begins to feel... Strangely lightheaded, like she’s about to pass out.
"I- I didn't think the star would do this- *cough!*" The king feels a pain in his chest, his legs growing weaker. He stumbles forward "We- we must leave NOW"
But Aster had other plans for them, the former star finally moved. In the blink of an eye the king and him were face to face. With one swift motion Aster took the king's staff and threw it away from the edge of the tower.
The royals were shaking in fear, the entity was towering over them, dark inky tears still flooding his expressionless face.
As a last resort, Magnus desperately tries to reason with them "He-hehe now now Aster, let's talk about this, alright? You wouldn't actually want to-"
"🎶Take what has been hurt🎶" The haunting melody continues.
The king and queen kneeled down. They felt weaker by the second, the queen was whimpering and the king was gasping for air. It was becoming hard to breathe, hard to move, hard to think. They were both holding on to each other, even though they could barely hold on to their own lives.
"🎶Grant them no mercy🎶" Aster was looming over the two mortals, staring at them as they withered away. Aster felt himself grow stronger, for he was slowly but surely absorbing their very life essence... The corners of his mouth started to lift up slightly.
The two villains collapsed on the ground, shaking and wincing in pain.
"🎶Bend and break the reigns🎶" He was previously emotionless, but now, seeing them like this, Aster is consumed by a feeling he never thought he could feel before... It was ruthlessness. He was enjoying seeing the life drain away from them, the same way they wanted to drain his life away before... In a way, Aster understands them now.
The power to take was really different from the power to give... But if felt just as good, if not better.
"🎶And set the spirit free... The spirit free~...🎶" Aster finishes the lyrics, looking at the two lifeless bodies below him with twisted glee.
... Asha arrived at the top of the tower, as she never actually died, she managed to save herself and her friends with her magic pencil, and with it, she made her way back to Aster, hopeful that she could save him in an nick of time
"Aster! I'm here! Are you o-" She felt her heart stop, her whole body frozen in place when she saw the corpses of the two royals laying down... Beneath a floating figure that looks like Aster... But she knows that's not him "What... What have you done?" Asha takes a few steps back
He doesn't seem at all surprised to see her alive and well, simply tilting his head to the side as he floats towards her "What I had to. I mean, that's what you wished for, right? To defeat them." The creature spoke calmly, but with a twisted smile spread across their features.
"No-not like THIS!" She was trembling, seeing her own reflection on the dark pools that he now has for eyes "A-Aster please, this isn't funny, turn back to normal, NOW"
"Hmmmmm I don't think I can" They shrug, while drying the tears that were previously falling from his eyes "And even if I could, why should I? When like this, I can actually keep you safe"
"... Keep me safe from what?" She felt tears welling up on the corner of her eyes, Aster couldn't really be gone, right?
He embraced her, but it wasn't the same warm and secure embrace Asha fell in love with... He was holding her tightly, not letting her run away.
"From anyone who tries to keep us apart, of course." The blackhole whispered lovingly, but that gave Asha no comfort, it only cemented her fear, sending chills down her spine "And as long as your wish doesn't come true... As long as aaaaall those people down there aren't free... I'll be able to stay here... Loving you... Forever." They sound more and more deranged with every word.
Asha felt trapped, in the arms of the one she once loved.
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I bet ya'll weren't expecting evil Aster... Welp! Evil Aster is a thing now.
This is probably the darkest thing I’ve ever wrote for real, don’t let me do this again yall
@uva124 actually sneaked a little drawing of this Aster in one of her sketches here
So yeah! These were the alternate AUs! Two wholesome ones, and two very heavy with no comfort ones, perfectly balanced as all things should be.
Hope you guys forgive me after this hahaha see you guys next time! Bye!
Thank you for reading!
#Youtube#wish rewrite#wish reimagined#kingdom of wishes#wish 2023#wish#wish movie#wish star#wish au#disney wish#wish disney
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Hiiiii analyzing every part of the Subnautica 2 trailer that I can because I am unwell.
Starting off we have a diver in a deep empty abyssal-like area. Typically in the depths there is a source of bioluminescence or at least rock formations for light to reflect off of. The only place inside the game there’s this much empty darkness is the dead zone.
This could mean we have the chance to explore the dead zone! Or that there’s a new area that has similar features to the dark depths of the void.
This would be a banger feature to have considering how horrifying the dead zone is to traverse already. It would provide a new difficulty to the game if we had to confront or avoid packs of adult leviathans to progress.
The trailer then shifts to what could be the safe shallows or twisty bridges equivalent in this game. It seems we’re getting what looks like a proper reef! It’s super neat to see the game being more colorful with its environment design.
We also have a clear look at a new species of fish in this game. Considering its shape and large eye it could be a tropical/reef version of the peeper (or maybe the feather fish?). Or it could just be a new edible fish entirely!
All in all cool design. I do like how vibrant they look
Ok now for one of the most hype things in the trailer. Some sort of hermit crab based leviathan? It would be fascinating to have a leviathan that shows up in the shallows instead of only in deeper water. It could provide an additional challenge but I think this would be something similar to the reefback. Perhaps one of the elements of gameplay would be making it lift itself to access things hidden beneath it?
Next up we have what looks like an underwater city or at least a big building in the background. It’s pretty much a given there’s mysterious underwater structures in this franchise but I personally think it would be fascinating to have a proper Atlantis style city in Subnautica. This could also maybe incorporate the Architects into it? Like maybe after Al-An went to his home planet he brought back more Architects to cure the Kharaa and they set up a base.
Then again this also doesn’t exactly look like Architect architecture which is more of a cube structure. It looks closer like a temple’s architecture from what we can see. Maybe it could be a new alien species? That seems less likely
Next we have a specific feature that I am so hyped to see. It looks like Subnautica may be adding rip currants or something similar. Something that would actively make it more difficult for a player to swim to the surface. This would be so interesting because other than caves/islands/ice flows we generally never have something preventing us from going to the surface in Subnautica. Nothing actively pushing the player back at least. This would be a fresh new difficulty to get used to (if done correctly, at least. It could also be very annoying)
From there we get into something extra curious. It seems like we may have a second human in this game. Before Subnautica’s concepts have been based in the fact your character is alone on this planet with the odds against them. The way I see it, this addition can largely go three ways:
- a possible addition of a co-op system to Subnautica: unlikely, but it has been semi-popular in modding communities. People would have fun playing with their friends but I think it would take away from the horror aspect of Subnautica, one of its major draws
- a human companion that joins you in your journey: slightly more likely than multiplayer, but still not the direction I think they’d go. This could open the game to having puzzles that need two people and a companion could function similar to the sea monkey (bringing you needed items basically). This would also require a lot of AI and would probably be more annoying than anything else, however
- someone like Marguerite or Al-An that shows up in cutscenes and phone calls but mostly stays in one place: the most likely scenario. It could be we have a home base of sorts where this person is stays and gives the player hints and coordinates
Also as a note the vehicle she’s driving looks like a sea truck. Please oh please tell me it is not Sea Truck 2.0
Aaaand now we’re onto the most hype part of the trailer. We have a new leviathan!
This one looks a lot like a Kraken type with a bunch of limbs. It could maybe be related to the crab squids? Like a dead zone version of them? It could explain why it’s attracted to the vehicle
Or as a completely out there theory this could maybe be architect technology like the warpers? It may just be me but the way it moves its hands and its claws are very much reminiscent of heavier machinery. It would be so banger if the architects built themselves a leviathan.
Either way it would be fascinating to encounter a leviathan with the ability to seek out a grab a player with ‘hands’. Before creatures typically grab with their mouths or pinchers like the Reaper. This would be an interesting twist to learn to avoid
In conclusion I am unwell about this game and the theories are buzzing. I am so hyped
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Veilguard Thoughts
I just need to get my thoughts out of my head and the Void seems like a perfect place since I can’t write a review on console. I’m all for civil discussion, but at the end of the day this is my opinion/feelings after 20 hours. Perhaps it'll change once I finished the game, but I doubt it. Beware minor spoilers.
Warning: Incredibly long. TL;DR at the very end.
I’ll start this off by saying it’s not a bad GAME, just a bad DRAGON AGE. It runs nice (only had one crash, and minimal amount of stuttering on fidelity mode, one time the screen went completely black but the dialogue and music continued which was vaguely terrifying. Some movements are janky in cutscenes, but overall, not bad). It's pretty, I like some of the new designs. The music is nice.
I’m not a fan of this style of combat (never could jive with God of War or Bloodbourne; my preference for real time action is like Hades and DMC) mostly because I can’t cancel an action with dodge/block and the AI focuses solely on Rook so you end up getting swarmed and unable to properly see the flasher plus the timing is weird af. I tried playing on what I assume was supposed to be Casual mode (Keeper) because it said “emphasizes party composition over reflexes” and well…it lied. To the point that I was not having fun because the game is 70% combat, 20% exploring and 10% story. So I turned it to Story mode because I could not be bothered and enjoyed it slightly more. It feels very MMO, team-based, looter imo. The UI, how it handles, the depth of the story and how it goes about it (the Mission Accomplished Journal screens specifically), the emphasis on combat over anything else…
And here we get to my problem: I only enjoy it when I pretend it’s just a generic fantasy game and not Dragon Age. Because it doesn’t FEEL like a Dragon Age. It feels as soft as everyone’s skin texture. I don’t care about the story or the characters and it boils down to the writing.
It feels juvenile.
Like I loved DA because it was willing to confront the worst in humanity. The disgusting parts of war like Loghain selling elves to slavers, or the nunances of blood magic. Presenting choices that are morally grey like sacrificing the Circle or the Templars in DA2 (yes that choice was heavily forced and stupid but still). It didn’t shy away from it. There was levity, but the characters had multiple sides. They could get angry, they could get snappy or sappy. There was GROWTH to them. Zevran’s romance arc if you choose to reject the earring without more commitment was beautiful. DA2’ romances were…a little stilted, but I still enjoyed them. Inquisition also had lovely little arcs, depending on the romance. But even friendships felt natural as you got to know these people.
And Veilguard falls flat. They were okay with pissing off the culture war babies with trans/nonbinary options, but not with showing us the bad things. The game TELLS us “this is bad”, but doesn’t show why. They have their soap box moment of “slavery bad” like it’s not 2024 and anyone worth the air they breathe knows that, how about you still show that since we are IN THE HEART OF THE SLAVE TRADE?! Where’s the option to maybe be an escaped slave? An escaped Saarebas? They refuse to give us blood magic because “it’s messy” Yeah. It is. That’s the point. Maybe let me decide if that's a line I'd like to cross? No? Necromancy is fine? It’s like we traded the dark adult themes for better sex scenes.
The major choice I’ve gotten to means NOTHING outside of metagaming. It’s like they were trying to show they could be edgy or that “now now you can’t save everyone because we say so and we are going to force one of your companions to hate you”. And it boils down to who you want to romance, who is vital as a support character, and which faction do you prefer? Has nothing to do with anything else and there’s no way to fix this forced hardening, so have fun with that I guess? It’s not like I chose the dialogue options or anything, it feels as shoe horned in as DA2’s ending tbh. Like here have a shitty decision for no other reason than we want you to.
Then BioWare seems to have tried to both cater to the newbies and the ones who read/watch/listen to the extra media and fail to find a middle ground. It relies too heavily on codexes and journals and other media (which was my gripe with Inquisition) to do the heavy lore lifting (for example as someone who did not read Tevinter Nights yet nor listened to the third-party podcast, I have no connection to Rook's backstory).
But at the same time, it treats us like we are stupid? Going back to how juvenile the writing feels: it repeats itself a horrific amount. Every time Solas says “the Evanuris” it’s apparently a contractual obligation for him to say “or the elven gods as you would call them” immediately after. The amount of freaking out about them CONSTANTLY is like they are afraid we forgot after an hour. And again I kept thinking: how about you stop telling me they are terrible and why I should be scared and SHOW me? D’Meta did nothing because I didn’t see it happen like watching Loghain call the retreat after watching darkspawn slaughter the army. Another example in the beginning is after you get the dagger, you speak with Harding and you can discuss magic. Rook notes they know dwarves are called Children of the Stone. Five seconds later Harding goes in the most “I’m speaking to a toddler” tone: “Dwarves call ourselves Children of the Stone. Some of us have what we call Stone sense.” Like…Rook would know that??? If newbies are confused they can go look in the glossary (isn’t that what that’s for?) or give an option to ask a question. It just feels so fucking patronizing.
Then it spoils so much of the story with the Varric interludes, or repeats itself AGAIN when I think they are there for style and suspense. Like Varric I already know they need to craft a red lyrium dagger, they straight up TOLD ME. That scene didn’t need to be in there at all. Solas’ little monologue rehashing everything in the beginning was unnecessary, and honestly him just telling us who we were against without us first seeing how bad it was…just…It took the suspense out of it. Like imagine if Inquisition straight up told you that Corypheus was the baddie just immediately in the Temple of Sacred Ashes prologue scene. That’s what it felt like.
Which brings me to the dialogue and characters I suppose. The companions have the depth of a shallow pool and Rook has less. They have moments where I like them, but tbh I don’t really care for any of them because how could I? I can’t talk to them. It feels empty. I like that they have lights telling me when I have new dialogue, but I miss having conversations with Dorian or Zevran, getting to know them before I started flirting with them. But nope. None of that. And good god the flirting is cringey because of it. Just comes out of nowhere and feels like teenagers. Again, there are moments where I’m like: THAT DO THAT, but it goes right back to the blah stuff. Like whoever wrote the Crows, good job. I loved Teia almost immediately. Viago great. Illario, I’m intrigued. Lucanis by default also interests me, but unfortunately, I don’t get to explore his character much. Irelin is also good. I liked the Veil Jumper fight you could get into with Strife (felt like witnessing a father/child yelling match). Where’s that sort of dialogue with everyone else?
And ROOK. Oh god Rook. They make a big deal about us not being able to be a people pleaser, and yet that’s the only personality Rook has. My favorite moment of Inquisition was in Trespasser where the Inquisitor could FINALLY have a human moment and BREAK. It felt like they had been bottling it up for so long and they just couldn’t anymore. I don't foresee Rook getting that sort of moment.
Rook is just three flavors of customer service. There’s no option for them to be anything but the dashing hero who has boundless optimism like a puppy. Where’s the option be the reluctant hero? The ruthless “hero”? They are just a bumbling idiot with witty one liners.
They feel like a teenager’s first protag as they try to give them “flaws” but never show those flaws. Nothing you do matters, just how you say “yes I’ll help”. There’s no nuance. No places where I think Rook can grow without ME. Rook is just a blank doll without me projecting onto them and even in BIG supposedly heartwrenching moments, Rook is just an idiot. And put them with the juvenile and forced dialogue of the companions? It feels like they are a pre-teen who’s been put in charge of a bunch of toddlers while the nice uncle tries to soothe them and the abusive dad yells.
The abusive dad is Solas btw. Varric says he views us all as children, to which I want to reply: yeah and he’s a piece of shit dad who rubs their toddler’s face into their diaper going “LOOK AT THE MESS YOU MADE BAD BAD BAD!” Like honestly, you can tell it’s not the same people writing these characters. Solas feels like they decided the low approval Solas was the canon no matter what. In Inquisition I truly felt like he was redeemable. This Solas? Nah, I want to stab that bitch first chance. Like he’s giving me no reason to like him and he’s being a dick for no fucking reason. Maybe later on we learn a reason, but in 20 hours there’s ZERO. That’s a problem if you are trying to get me to see his side of things. And the tonal shifts from when he shows that he regrets stabbing Varric? Feel forced, like my dude I think you are lying just because you seem to be unable to comprehend half of this is YOUR fault.
Which ties into my last gripe: this is not MY Thedas. The decision to make only the last fifteen minutes of a paid DLC mean ANYTHING (and tbh I have yet to find where the hell it actually matters in 20 hours. I have two saves about the same amount of progress: one Solavellan and the other Dorian, they are basically the exact opposite choices. I can't say I've found where anything has changed, so what was that about them not wanting to do one bit of dialogue???? At least in Inquisition within the first two hours I could find those bits of dialogue) that decision made it where none of these characters matter to me. They feel more like carrots dangling in front of long-time players trying to entice us closer, but when you grab the carrot…it just vanishes.
That’s not MY Morrigan. That’s not MY Varric, MY Solas, MY Dorian. They are NewBioWare’s versions of them. The Inquisitor? The character I played over 100 hours as isn’t MINE. They are a stranger because they tore away any agency I had. They just picked whatever personality they wanted and said LOOK SEE CONNECTION. But there’s no history, no connection, NOTHING. There’s so many places where I can see where they could’ve done something. And if I can see them, why couldn’t anyone at BioWare?
They forgot that DA’s uniqueness wasn’t just the companions (and these ones are just below DA2’s since we didn’t get to interact with them either, so…), it was the world and how it reacted to choices in previous games. How new heroes might have to deal with the consequences (and to be fair, no DA game has ever actually managed to deliver on that, but they at least TRIED).
This though…
TL;DR: this should’ve felt like a homecoming and instead it feels like BioWare demolished my home, spray painted the ruins with soft pastels and is trying to tell me it’s the same, if not better. And it’s not, and probably never will be again.
#pay no attention to the bird behind the curtain#talking to the void#bioware#the veilguard#dragon age 4#minor spoilers#But don't spoil late game things#I just needed to get the thoughts out of my head#Because I'm just feeling hollow#I get that it wouldn't be the same#but this hurts on a different level#It just feels so empty and soft#I'm only playing now to see how exactly this mess of a protag manages#and also to hopefully get an option to stab/punch Solas at this point#I didn't even mention how silly and goofy the new darkspawn are#Regardless of if there's a lore reason#they aren't terrifying or revolting they are silly and honestly look like the assets weren't finished/or were bugged#Like DAI's Ogre was terrifying#The Shrieks' noises still trigger a shiver in my head#And why do their buttcracks and groins glow???? Was that necessary? Really?
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your grian is also what i strive to look like as a transmasc how has this happened to two separate people
anyways does your grian design just not care about gender roles and presents however she wants or do you not draw her more feminine since transfem grian isn’t the major head canon to avoid confusion?
i like learning about people’s lgbtq head canons XD
i think she just presents how she wants, yeah! i imagine she mostly wears more gender-neutral clothing like… sweaters, collared shirts, sweaters over collared shirts, lol. which is basically what most people’s grian designs already wear, i just enjoy exploring that character design concept in a slightly different direction i suppose? im certainly not the first person to hc grian as transfem, but i think for me it started when one day my friend sent me a drawing of grian i had done and joked that it looked just like our other friend who is transfem. it was funny bc it was true, but it made me realize i had a lot more fun drawing grian when i thought of the character as being transfem lol.
so as for why my grian isn’t super feminine, i think it’s also just because a lot of trans people i know personally tend to present similarly (that being, dressing more gender-neutral and not really worrying about gender stereotypes). that’s not to say all trans people present this way of course, just that i know a few folks that do! so i guess i enjoy drawing a character that reminds me of those around me. alternatively i know lots of transmasc people who enjoy dressing feminine as well and so on. for full disclosure i’m a trans man myself, so i don’t want to pretend i know everything about the transfem experience specifically, but i can at least relate to the trans experience overall o7
either way it makes me really happy that trans people on all wavelengths have been sending me messages saying that my grian gives them gender envy LOL. it’s really unexpected since i don’t draw grian as often as cub or scar for example, but it’s still really appreciated nonetheless :’)
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If its not too personal could you talk about what was the inspiration for Michaelis? He's got a lot of depth to him, especially for what could have been a one off character in the background after Fete. Also the way he mourns but carries on really resonates with me in Jes.
Oh sure! I mean, on the one hand it is quite personal but it's a kind of personal I really enjoy sharing. :D Michaelis began life as the Standard Hallmark Parent -- you see them a lot in the movies, the parent who is
1. Kinda grouchy
2. Usually pushing their kid slightly too hard in slightly the wrong direction (with the best of intentions)
3. Often a widow/er
4. Practically a cameo designed to stress out the lead, but easily attractive enough that they could be romantic lead themselves in the sequel.
There are actually several Hallmark films where the over-sixty characters are either the supporting romance in a one-off film or the main romance of a sequel film. (The Wedding Veil films, which despite their flaws are actually very enjoyable, have a Michaelis-like character for the mother of the male lead in the first movie, and she then becomes the major supporting romantic lead in the fourth movie.)
By the time I got to Michaelis talking to Eddie at the end of the script for Fete, I'd grown to really like him. When I adapted the script to a novel, I liked him even more. I thought that I could do a sequel with him getting jolted out of himself a bit -- and I was encouraged by how many people liked him in the initial read through. The main inspirations for the actual plot of Infinite Jes were, one, Gregory jokingly suggesting he do a podcast, and two, Michaelis's defensive dismissal of Gregory's question about what he's done for companionship since Miranda passed.
Over the course of writing Infinite Jes, he came to be a collection of themes I've explored or wanted to explore, sometimes themes I knew I wasn't skilled enough to handle yet. The core of him is based on a professor I worked with as a student; the confidence that occasionally tips into arrogance, the keen intellect that likes to take things apart, the ability to look at some toxic family traits and decide "RIP but I'm different" and be a present, nurturing masculine figure, all come from that professor, who had a huge impact on me.
But I have also been fascinated for decades now by a certain kind of character in fiction, someone who has had a devastating loss and keeps going, even if they aren't driven by something like revenge. Profound grief is difficult and fascinating for me, and I finally felt capable of exploring that fully, perhaps because the pressure on romance novels is a bit lower at times.
And honestly, a lot of him is me, processing the fact that I am aging in fandom. I'm older (44) than the oldest person I knew in fandom (38) when I joined it at the age of 14. I have, for lack of a better word, a position in fandom, a status, that affords me certain perks and requires of me certain obligations. Not to call myself elected king of fandom ("I didn't vote for him!") but the duty I feel to fandom, both as a culture that raised me and a found family, is very similar.
Most of my characters contain some of me, but Michaelis and Jerry contain far more of me than most, perhaps because I'm in a place to do some reflection. Michaelis -- intelligent, experienced, hopefully a mentor, but also lonely and detached at times -- is who I'm coming to grips with being; Jerry, the charming fuckup with power but no real clue how to use it, who is doing his best to grow up a little later than a lot of his peers and figure out how disability fits into his identity, is who I still see myself as.
So yeah -- I find Michaelis incredibly fun and compelling to write for, and I think that's because I had hit a skill level in my work where I could combine a lot of tropes and themes into one character and use him to explore why I enjoy them so much. But he definitely began life as the Hallmark Widowed Dad. :D Well, there are worse origin stories.
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Hi! I am very glad that the requests are open again! And I have a new idea for new characters for Young Justice on this occasion. It came to my mind after I read the story about the Daughter of the Ant-Man and the Wasp, I realized that that story would mostly focus on family adventures. And that's good, and I already have a couple of ideas for this story, too, but I still would like to see a story about characters who are more similar to the version of Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne from the comics.
That's why I came up with the idea for two new buddies : Dr. Henrietta Pym and her personal assistant James Van Dyne
Henrietta is your typical nerd scientist. She is very fond of her research in the field of quantum physics, chemistry and myrmecology (the science of ants). She really likes to talk about these topics and shares interesting facts, but unlike Susan Farmfield, Henrietta knows when the people she is talking to are not interested or do not understand what she is talking about and she is always happy to shorten her conversation or clarify what she is talking about. For her, the best pastime is to sit down in the laboratory and do some kind of project. That's why she has very few friends. She is a pacifist and she wholeheartedly believes that all super villains can be rehabilitated if given the right conditions. Because of these beliefs, Henrietta has a slightly ambiguous attitude towards the rest of the superheroes. She thinks that superheroes beating up and handing over "supervillains" to non-functioning correctional institutions only worsen their psychological state. Her superhero costume looks more like a spacesuit than a typical superhero costume, as it was originally created as a costume for exploring the subatomic world. In general, if you try to describe Henrietta in a few words, she resembles a science teacher in high school: she loves her job very much, is always happy to help, but at the same time she is a little careless and distracted due to lack of sleep and an overabundance of caffeine. James Van Dyne is a completely different case He is the type of person who is called a social butterfly: he likes to party, hang out and meet new people. He can make friends and find a common language with anyone. James loves fashion and dreams of becoming a designer. He thinks being a superhero is the coolest thing in the world. James was appointed to be Henrietta's personal assistant by his father (Dean of the university where Henrietta works) to learn responsibility. It was James who persuaded Henrietta to become a superhero, telling her that in this way she would be able to help both ordinary people and villains, although he disagrees with Henrietta about the rehabilitation of supervillains, he believes that most of them deserve only a good kick in the head. He designed and sewed his superhero costume himself, and it already looks more like a standard superhero uniform than Henrietta's costume: it fits well on him, it's dynamic, attention-grabbing, and that's all James would want from a costume. Fun fact James is actually a meta human, the wings that everyone thinks are just part of his costume actually grow out of his back. Henrietta created a special corset to help hide them and registered the wings as a result of her experiment in biotechnics so that people who hunt meta-humans would not attack James. As for how the team met with Henrietta and James. It seems to me that everything could have started with the fact that Batman gave the team the task to investigate a case of theft from a Wayne Tech laboratory. When examining the crime scene, the only evidence Robin could find was a bunch of small ants with strange microscopic cybernetic implants. And initially Robin and the others wanted to give them to Dr. Ray Palmer (Atom) for analysis, but since he was very busy going on a mission to prevent an explosion of a nuclear reactor in Arizona, he advised them to contact one of his friends. To Dr. Pym, the youngest employee of the University of Science and Technology in New York.
One travel in the boom tube later and now the team is in an alley next to the University of Science and Technology.
They quickly find the office where Dr. Pym is located, but before they can go inside, they are stopped by James, who is sitting at the secretary's desk reading a magazine. He tells them without looking up from his reading, "Sorry guys, but Dr. Pym is not seeing anyone today." Kaldur tries to explain that they have a very important task and they really need Dr. Pym's help. And James was about to repeat again that Henrietta was not seeing anyone today, but as soon as he looked up from the magazine and looked at the people asking, his decision immediately changed. He jumps up and exclaims joyfully, starting to talk nonstop about how cool it is that he could finally meet real superheroes. And as soon as James is asked again if they can talk to Dr. Pym, he quickly grabs the intercom and excitedly shouts into it: "Henrietta, drop what you're doing there! We have important guests!" And at first, the team can hear Dr. Pym trying to object, but James Van Dyne is unwavering in his demands. After leaving the office, Henrietta has a completely different reaction to the team: She just greets them in a friendly way and shakes their hands (because for her they are the same visitors as all other people.) After a brief explanation of the situation, Henrietta gladly agreed to help. And immediately after a quick examination under the microscope, it was revealed that the design of the implants on the ants was very similar to those invented by Henrietta, but they were made of cheap materials and assembled crookedly, and judging by the damaged brains of the ants, the same was the case with the ant control device. And from these conclusions, James immediately realized who was behind the robbery. : This is Elias Starr (Or as James likes to call him: Egghead) The long-time enemy of Henrietta and James and the one who is hated by the entire scientific community: ordinary scientists, superhero scientists, supervillain scientists all despise him because he constantly steals and appropriates other people's inventions. After hearing all the useful information about Elias Starr, our heroes thanked their new acquaintances and were about to leave when James called out to them: Hey, wait! We can help Kaldur immediately tried to explain that although they were grateful that James and Henrietta had given them time, they could not allow civilians to fight supervillains. These words caused the smile on James' face to increase. Henrietta tried to protest, but James still told them that he and Henrietta were not just civilians, but aspiring superheroes Ant Girl and the Wasp. After this discovery, almost all the team members looked at the couple in front of them with incomprehension (Only Wally laughs at their superhero names.) No one knew who they were, which upset James, but it was still not surprising since Ant Girl and the Wasp most often fought with ordinary criminals or third-rate villains. But after a short explanation of how their super powers work and why they do it, Henrietta and James were taken with them on a mission. They find Egghead, fight him and his henchmen, defeat them and stop the atomic accelerator they stole before it exploded and destroyed half the city. And maybe a couple of funny scenes at the end about how Henrietta and James are settling in at the base when they were accepted into the team Sorry, I got a little stuck at the end. I hope you like it.
Introducing Henrietta Pym and James van Dyne to the list shortly.
Hope you enjoy!
Ant Girl and The Wasp
SFW, Platonic, Human/ Meta reader
YOUNG JUSTICE
First things first, character introductions!
Dr. Henrietta Pym.
The youngest employee of the University of Science and Technology of New York.
Often seen either conversing with fellow colleges on research or on occasion lecturing a class.
Her fields of expertise lie in anything in relation to Quantum Physics, general chemistry, and Myrmecology.
It took time to get most other professors and colleagues to respect her.
Not many could say they had a doctorate at the shy age of 16 after all.
She could easily recite the components of ant pheromones during a specific season yet still have trouble reaching for things on the top shelf.
Henrietta walks into a lecture hall. Henrietta: “Good evening. Your professor is sick today so I will be covering for him—" Student 1: “How old are you?” Henrietta: “16 sir, but I don’t see wat that has to do with today’s lesson plan. Now according to the notes—” Student 2: “Is this a prank? There’s no way you’re teaching us.” Henrietta: “I assure you I am more than qualified to teach and if everyone is all right with not inter—” Student 1: “You’re not even tall enough to reach the light switch, what makes you—” Henrietta: “Do ants have lungs?” Student 1: “Uh what?” Henrietta: “Answer the question correctly and class is cancelled. Fail and you have to write a handwritten letter to your professor about how you wasted 20 minutes of this classes time with childish insults.” Student 1: “Deal!” Henrietta: “Do ants have lungs?” Student 1: “Well of course—” Henrietta: "Wrong. Have fun writing that letter.”
Despite having a blast talking about her favorite subjects, she knows when she is boring someone.
She will try and simplify things but will back off if they truly don’t care.
Henrietta has few friends thanks to her shy nature with strangers outside the University grounds.
One of her closest friends being the Dean’s son and her personal assistant, James van Dyne.
One of the biggest social butterflies Henrietta ever knew.
They met through his father, the Dean wanting his party loving 17-year-old son to learn some responsibility.
James mainly handled her calls and organized some paperwork.
It’s late at night in the office. James walks in with takeout and some drinks in his hand. James: “Yo Henny you still alive?” Henrietta jumps from her seat at the sound of the boy’s voice. She calms down seeing him walking over. Henrietta: “Oh its just you James. You have anything caffeinated?” James rolls his eyes as he passes the container of food and a bottle of water to her. James: “We’ve talked about this Henny. No coffee—” Henrietta: “After 9 pm. Huh, would have thought you’d forget that by now.” James: “Nope! Now drink you dehydrated bookworm.” Henrietta smiles and drinks the water.
While the two were good friends, it didn’t mean they were always on good terms with each other.
They had disagreed on many things.
Mainly on the topic of heroes and villains.
Henrietta firmly stood on a neutral stance on the debate.
While what many of the villains did was wrong, it still didn’t mean that punching them in the face and leaving them in places where their mental health would deteriorate even more was the answer.
With the right conditions and factors, rehabilitation of villains was possible.
James didn’t believe in rehabilitation.
A firm believer in ‘Kicking some bad guy’s head in’.
Henrietta was sure that James just liked the attention and flashiness being a hero brought.
She just wanted everyone to be happy.
But being a hero was not something that she expected to be.
And she had James to thank for that.
Henrietta walks into the lab with four cups of coffee and a smoothie for James. Henrietta: “James! You will not believe the offer they were doing at the campus coffee shop—” She quiets down as she sees a shirtless James admiring his back, with Wasp wings sprouted out. Henrietta: “…” James finally notices her and jumps with the wings up in alarm. James: “Henny! What are you doing here? I thought you where out in a meeting!” She quickly locks the door and closes the remainder of the semi-open blinds. The doctor finally turns to him with a blank look on her face. James gulps. James: “Listen Henny I have a perfectly good explanation for this—why are you grabbing your measuring tape?” Henrietta: “How else am I supposed to measure those wings?” James: “I’m not one of your ants Henny.” She pays no mind and continues to take notes down on a new pad of paper. Henrietta: “Obviously. You have wings like ones seen in certain Wasp species. But which ones though? Do you know?” James: “No, but you aren’t mad at me? Or going to tell anyone?” Henrietta: “James You’re my friend. Now while you’ve done some questionable things in the past, you have always been a good friend to me. If you didn’t trust me with this then I’m fine. Now while I would have loved to know that my best friend was secretly an meta human, I understand. There aren’t many people who like meta’s out there—are you crying?” James trying to keep it together: “N-no.”
James’s meta-abilities soon became another passion project.
From collecting data, safe experimentations and even creating a corset to better hide the wings.
One day he came in with several drawings and sketches of suits.
He wanted to have a superhero suit and even made sketches for her as well.
Now while Henrietta was against the idea at first, she soon found herself in a helmet and spandex while James was carrying her through the skies.
It was agreed that they would only go for criminals they could handle, much to James’s dismay.
But Henrietta really didn’t want to go to the Dean and explain why his son fell from the sky after messing with someone like Doomsday.
James’s excitement soon spread to her as soon as she finally was able to shrink and grow.
As well as making other things bigger or smaller.
She laughed for weeks the first time she managed to make one of her pet ants as big as she was.
James had fainted on the spot.
Now that the introductions are done, now it is time for the Young Justice to take to the scene.
Wayne Tech had just been attacked by an unknown villain.
The only evidence that was found was some ants with strange tech modifications.
Originally the team was going to go see Ray Palmer, aka The Atom, but he was on an away mission.
Thanks to some research the team had the next best thing.
Time to meet Dr. Pym.
Young Justice walks into the office area of Dr. Pym. James is at the front desk with his nose in a magazine. Robin: “We are here to see Dr. Pym.” James still doesn’t look up from his magazine. James: “Sorry pal but Dr. Pym is a very busy lady and can’t see anyone right now.” Kaldur: “Please, this is an urgent matter. It is important that we see Dr. Pym.” James puts down his magazine. James: “Look Dr. Pym—HOLY! You’re the Young Justice! James Van Dyne, big fan of your work!” Kaldur: “Thank you? Now about Dr—” James smashes the intercom. James: “Henny drop everything your doing! We got some important guests!” Henrietta: “James? What in the world? You know—” James: “Seriously! C’mon Henny!” Henrietta: “… The things I do for you. Give me a minute Van Dyne.” James: “Thanks Henny!”
Henrietta quickly walks out of the lab, smiles at the young heroes and gives them a handshake.
The team gives the two the run down about what happened in Wayne Tech and hands the doctor a few of the ants from the crime scene.
Never had the team of heroes seen someone so worried about the ant’s mental health before.
Henrietta quickly concludes the machinery used was similar to some of her own projects for her ants.
Except the material was much cheaper and had no fail safe for the ant’s safety.
It angered her on how these ants were treated.
James finally found a familiar logo and deduced the pairs Nemesis (his words not Henrietta’s), Elias Starr, aka Egghead.
A scientist hated by almost everyone in the community.
Infamous for appropriating and stealing other scientists’ designs/ inventions.
With enough information the team starts to leave but gets stopped by James.
James: “Wait, wait! We’re going with you.” Team: “You are?” Henrietta: “We are?” Kaldur: “With all due respect, we are more equipped to handle this situation. As civilians you are not.” James gets a sly smile. Henrietta: “James—" James: “We are more than equipped as Ant Girl and the Wasp!” Silence and Henrietta facepalming. So much for secret identities… Wally: “Who?” James deflates a bit. Henrietta: “My college here means to say—” James: “We are superheroes like you guys, costume and everything!” Henrietta: “We fight C list villains at best—” James covers her mouth. James: “Anyways you’re going to need someone who’s been inside that lab and someone to handle though ants. Trust me if they have anything that we have, you’re going to need us.” Henrietta eventually nods when he mentions the ants. The team huddles for a bit before breaking. Kaldur: “This is only for one mission. You both will follow our instructions and if the plan does not go according to plan, you two will leave.” James lets go of Henrietta, jumps up in cheer and accidentally lets his wings spread out. James: “YES!” Henrietta: “James!” Team: “HUH!?”
Turns out the team did need the pairs’ help.
It was a harsh fight against Egghead, his henchmen and his army of large ants.
James getting his time to shine zipping around as the perfect distraction with Superboy and Miss Martian.
The stakes only got higher when they found an atomic accelerator about to destroy half the city.
Who knew shrinking down to near subatomic size and an army of ants would save them all.
James hugged his friend the moment she came back to full size.
…Only to immediately let go the moment Superman descended from the sky with the rest of the Justice League.
In the end, the pair were offered a place amongst the team.
They both agreed.
With the girls… Artemis: “That’s your best friend?” She gestures a flying James who was over by the other boys Henrietta: “Sadly.” The archer smirks a bit at the sarcasm. M’gann wraps an arm around her shoulder pulling her into a hug. M’gann: “It is so good to have another girl on the team!” Henrietta gives a small smile and returns the hug. Artemis: “Not to mention its not often someone goes into a fight riding a horse sized ant.” Henrietta blushes at the memory. Henrietta: “His name is Anthony. You want to meet him?” Meanwhile with the boys… James is in the air while the others were on the ground. Robin: “You think you can catch Kid Flash and I if Superboy threw us?” James: “Please! I can catch you guys with my eyes closed—GAH!” Superboy had thrown both boys up at him sending them both crashing onto the mat bellow. They all groan a bit. Kid Flash: “…Want to do that again?” James and Robin: “Yes!”
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Now that I've finally finished it, I figured I'd share my thoughts on Sonic X Shadow Generations. It's good and you should buy it. O.K. Spoilers, below.
In terms of the Sonic Generations section, it's the same great game as it was 13 years ago. Ironically enough, I bought the original release back on December 23. Lucky me. The only real notable differences are in performance and story, so I'll focus on those. I'm not really an expert on performance. I can barely tell the difference between 30 fps vs. 60 fps. I'll just say that Sonic Generations ran better on my Switch than the original release did on my gaming PC. Take of that what you will. In terms of the rewrite, I thought it was lackluster. Ian Flynn is a writer that I like a lot, so it's a bit of a shame but not too much. The story remains virtually identical, with the changes adding nothing of note at best, and feeling slightly awkward at worst. I could have gone without the random Time Stone reference (it feels a bit off considering Sonic has time traveled in numerous other ways before), and Amy's crush on Sonic being toned town. I feel like making her less clingy was good, but they went a bit too far, in my opinion. I know she still mentions her attraction to Sonic in the dialogue, but I would have preferred it was mentioned in the cutscenes. Also, the removal off "I thought I was dead! Floating without a body in a black limbo... Ughhh, I'm gonna have nightmares for weeks!" is criminal.
Now, onto the main attraction, Shadow Generations. Now, this might be controversial, but... I think Sonic Frontiers is better. Don't get me wrong. Shadow Generations is still a great game, but it didn't quite capture the magic Frontiers had. In terms of the boost levels, Shadow Generations definitely beats out Sonic Frontiers. The level design was frankly more interesting, and I had a lot of fun using Doom Powers to take/come up with shortcuts. In terms of the Open Zone, Frontiers wins. While Shadow Generations White Space fits together more neatly, running around and exploring just isn't as fun as it was on the Starfall Islands. Part of that might be unlocking the map as you go, while in Shadow, it's just handed to you. Doing the open zone challenges in Shadow Generations feels like a chore, whereas it felt fun in Frontiers. Boss fights, I mean, come on, obviously Frontiers was going to win. The battling mechanics were so interesting, and it felt really fun to string them together. Shadow Generations also has really fun bosses, but I found them really easy. Honestly, the bosses characters are really what made the boss fights fun in Shadow Generations, I was geeking out like a kid in a candy shop. In terms of the story, I find them both great. I would heavily recommend Pariah695's video on Shadow Generations story as he goes into more detail than I will (even if I don't agree with his opinions on Ian Flynn). Ultimately, it might just be that the characters and their journeys in Frontiers mean more to me. They're both very enjoyable, and I'll probably watch the cutscenes of Shadow Generations for fun like I do with Frontiers.
Ultimately, even though I think Frontiers is the better game, Sonic X Shadow Generations are still great games that I would highly recommend.
#sonic the hedgehog#shadow the hedgehog#amy rose#miles tails prower#sonic x shadow generations#sonic frontiers#review
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[Review] Wallace & Gromit in Project Zoo (GCN)
A pleasant day in.
I recently watched Aardman's new feature film, Vengeance Most Fowl, which is a follow-up to the plot of 1993's The Wrong Trousers, the second Wallace and Gromit short. But did you know that there was already a sequel in 2003, in the form of a video game by British studio Frontier Developments (mostly known for their theme park simulation games)? It's true! Anyway, I played it.
The plot is slight but makes for a decent W&G premise. The duo are visiting the zoo for the birthday of Archie the infant polar bear, who they have a connection to through the zoo's sponsorship program. But oh no! Feathers McGraw, the penguin criminal mastermind incarcerated at this selfsame zoo, has taken over and has enslaved the animals, including Archie, to further his schemes. As you make your way through the increasingly industrialised zoo enclosures (and secret underground mines), you must free the animals and ultimately foil Feathers.
The game world has a nice cartoonish vibe that fits the tone of the claymation shorts, including the dark and shadowy parts. The characters and animation don't look particularly clay-like but they're on-model; the staff evidently invested a lot of polygon budget in making the major players nice and rounded, and the other animals are delightfully Aardman-esque. Along the way Wallace has plenty of amusing blather, voiced as always [until he retired] by Peter Sallis. Feathers has some fun mechs and machines that fill in as boss encounters, while basic enemy types are an assortment of animalistic robots, animal collaborators, and the occasional zookeeper (which are also revealed to be robots). What happened to the actual zookeepers is not explored.
The game plays out as a puzzle/exploration 3D platformer, with the player taking control of Gromit (ie. the competent one). Wallace follows along almost like Yorda in Ico; you can call him, and occasionally have to guard or guide him out of peril. He's needed to fix various contraptions to enable progress, although it's mostly just repairing panels to open doors. He does come up with weapons for Gromit at key points, silly G-rated things like a turnip launcher and porridge gatling. You also find a torch, fire extinguisher, etc. although oddly two slots on the weapon wheel are never filled and remain blank at the end of the game.
Apart from the weapons, Gromit has a surprising number of moves. A crouch jump, Mario 64-style side flip, a wall rebound thing that I never found a use for, as well as basic combat moves including a breakdancing spin kick. He can cling onto ledges which I always love to see. There's also a roll that gives you a bit more horizontal speed and chain into a long jump, but it's tricky to use effectively. There's not a huge call for this expansive moveset within the level design, though.
The levels vary in structure, which is interesting. The first world in the elephants' jungle enclosure is a set of three mini-hub style stages, like compact Banjo-Kazooie worlds with a lot of verticality. The mine, lava, and factory stages that follow are a bit more linear, although there is still plenty of branching and overlapping. The polar bears' icy zone was my favourite, an open and expansive playground. The game then ends with a very on-rails obstacle course, with lots of "save Archie from the timed hazards" going on. Between levels are boss fights and vehicle sections, some of which play out as rail shooters or an Asteroids-style fight against a submarine.
It's all impressively solid considering this is Frontier's first game of this type. And maybe I'm just projecting because they're British, but I got some Rare vibes from this game at times. From the BK-lite structure and Gromit's coin-nabbing celebration animations to a slightly Star Fox Adventures soundtrack, to minor things like the health bar mimicking Conker's Bad Fur Day's chocolate squares but with crackers, the DK64-style giant keyboard activity, and the boat-mounted turnip cannon having googly eyes for no reason. There's even a Donkey Kong homage with a barrel-throwing gorilla!
Otherwise there's some nice touches in here, like not having a life counter, widescreen support (not a guarantee in 2003), and the collectibles unlocking clips from The Wrong Trousers to view (as well as a short behind-the-scenes documentary). Sure the camera is janky but that's to be expected from games of this vintage. And because it's a 3D platformer from the early 2000s, there is of course a slide section. I think these were mandated by the government in this era. After this game, Frontier got brought back to do the tie-in game for Curse of the Were-Rabbit, but this one interested me more for its unique story and I wasn't disappointed. Like the Wallace & Gromit shorts and films themselves, it was a nice pleasant experience.
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Miscellaneous DA:TV impressions so far
Just some thoughts on the game so far, no spoilers (or extremely light spoilers i guess?). I'm writing this particularly for @apostaterevolutionary who's super anxious and worried about DA:TV being bad :)
Keep in mind that I'm still stuck in Act 1 for now because I'm going veeeeery slowly to see everything I can. So at the moment this is just a very messy and 100% temporary list of pros (+) and cons (-) that I found until now.
STORY
+ it's good, I really liked some parts (the darkest parts, because it's me) that reminded me of Origins. For the rest the atmosphere is more similar to Trespasser, I think. I like Trespasser, so that's ok. I'm not particularly engrossed for now, but I have hope that I will be!
- it's just "eh", as story intros go. mostly because there are no origins, and Rook needed those more than other protagonists of the series, imo. since their leadership is justified by their heroic actions before the start of the game. It would have been more immersing being able to see them first hand
COMPANIONS (I still miss a couple of them though)
+ those I already in the team are lovely
- for now not enough rough edges or conflicts between them, I hope there will be more later. at the moment the atmosphere is too polite and friendly
GRAPHICS
+ beautiful, stunning environments, I love Treviso, I love Minrathous
- companions designs are ok with some really good ideas, but all the characters look too... smooth and colorful, almost cartoony in a Pixar/Fortnite kind of way, which i don't particularly like. Also the heads are slightly too big compared with the rest of the bodies? I'm not sure what's going on there but it's weird
+ facial expression are good, though kind of generic. no Andromeda situation thankfully
COMBAT (I'm playing as a mage)
the combat system is just... Mass effect. It's Mass Effect. I mean, ok, I love Mass Effect. But. Why.
- I started playing as I've always done as a mage in the Dragon Age series, staying out of range and attacking from a distance. Turns out that in DATV the devs have decided that the player character should constantly be at the center of the action. Enemies will literally ignore the companions that are already attacking them, and just go for Rook specifically. Thats... not a good situation for a mage. So in the first few hours I just kept dying and dying. Now I'm starting to understand how the game wants me to play it and I'm getting a lot better, but still I don't understand why this choice was made in the first place. I imagine this works better for rogues and warriors, but a mage is not equipped to deal with so much damage
+ I like finishing enemies, it's fun
- my Rook is constantly out of mana and at that point she can only run in circles and give orders to the companions. It's the fight with the Arishok all over again, but this time you get to do it again every 5 minutes!
+ progression is fast, so things do get better eventually
EXPLORATION
+ the way the game is designed reminds me of Origins and DA2, with those "corridors", branching paths, and some wider areas to explore. It's much more focused than Inquisition
- too many doors, magical barriers of many kinds, blocked paths that you have to unlock using a key, or a magical elven contraption, or a companion ability or whatever. It gets annoying really fast imo. It could be just me though.
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These are my main thoughts up until now. There are others but they are minor, or spoilery, or both, so I'm keeping those to myself for now. In general I'm enjoying DATV well enough, with some really, really good moments here and there, and I hope there will be more going on with the story. We are nowhere near Origins or DAII in terms of story and immersion, but it's a good experience all in all! :)
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