#but I think I captured the essence of them pretty well

[benjamikaela]

In honour of Halloween, here’s some sketches of what I wore to a party this weekend, plus a self-portrait. The outfit consists of a pirate shirt and waistcoat I made (not intended as a Halloween costume, but this seemed like the occasion to wear them) and the improvised addition of a Snufkin hat made by @wannabi-bridge.

The self-portrait is traced from a photo taken by @aksudaisy. Definitely my new favourite picture of myself!

[glittergoats]

My bf has been playing Bug Fables for the first time which has been a GREAT excuse to draw more art hehe

[iiboronii]

MOONMEL I'M CRYING REAL GENUINE TEARS THANK YOU FOR DRAWING THEM <3 THEY'RE SO CUTE AND YOU DRAW SOOO WELL AAAAAH

HEYYYYYYYY…..@articskele AND @iiboronii.....!!!!! C'MERE GIRLIESSSSSSSSS I HAVE FOOD FOR YOU

TEEHEE YEP I DREW YOUR BIGGERLER BALL OC'S!!!! <3 IM SORRY IT COULDVE BEEN BETTER BUT I WAS IN A RUSH 😭

THEYRE SO PRETTY AGHH 🤩💞

YOU GUYS I LOVE HOW YOU GUYS MET THROUGH ME TEEHEEE!!

ENJOYYYYY!!!! <3

((I wanna draw @naiacs next!! Sorry I didn't have time!!))

[starry-bi-sky]

This is very inspired by @minnesota-fats post about Danny being Bruce Wayne's clone (which has been rotting in my brain for two days) but an au where danny isn't just Bruce Wayne's clone, but also not fully a ghost.

both ideas can be used separately honestly, the idea just came to me while thinking about the bruce wayne clone idea, and a lot of this idea is just "danny without his ghost powers. i might probably make a part two that delves into him being bruce wayne's clone.

Hear me out.

A Danny Fenton who has the ghost sense and the fangs and the pointed ears and the scary eyes and an increase ecto-essence, but does not have the ability to "go ghost". His accident occurred when he pressed the "on" button on the outside of the portal, and the button electrocuted him due to faulty wiring. He ends up miraculously surviving but not without some new additional abilities (and electricity-based trauma).

Since Danny no longer has a built-in alter ego with the invert wardrobe to match, he doesn't see the point to take ghosts back to the ghost zone. What the hell can he do anyways? All he has is a cosmetic add-in, a lower body-temperature with an impressive ability to hold his breath longer than a human realistically should, and a built-in ghost detector. Not very helpful if you ask him.

That is, up until he goes into the lab after his parents catch a relatively harmless ghost and sees them vivisecting it. He's horrified. He thought his parents were using hyperbole when he said they'd tear them apart molecule by molecule.

(Granted, he also believed that ghosts were unfeeling up until he saw this random ghost being absolutely terrified for its existence on the table.)

After an argument over his parents harming the ghost, Danny goes back up to his room and refuses to leave, not even for dinner. Later that night after his parents went to sleep, Danny steels his resolve and sneaks back down into the lab and releases the ghost back into the ghost zone.

This happens a handful of times, until, finally, frustrated, Danny tells the latest captured ghost to tell anyone inside that if they even think about coming through, he'll capture them and bring them back to the zone himself. It's for their own safety.

The ghost agrees, and goes back inside. Danny steals a "failed" thermos from his parents' stash of weapons. The next time that a ghost shows up, its the lunch lady from episode one. Danny manages to defeat her without being seen, but knows that if there's gonna be consistent daytime ghost attacks then he can't base his luck around fighting without witnesses.

So he fashions himself with a makeshift outfit. This really only consists of an old, nondescript hoodie and a plain black face mask. Its the best thing he can do at short notice, however. Later, for his nighttime ghost fighting, his outfit is only slightly better.

He considered using one of his parents' lab suits. But white sticks out at night and the material doesn't protect you from road burn. His outfit is pretty homemade, with knee and elbow pads under his clothes and multiple layers. A long sleeve shirt over a hoodie over a black denim vest he found on sale. He later on manages to make brass knuckles ghost-proof and manages to stitch them into his gloves. (he gets very good at sewing).

His favorite part of the entire outfit, is a Casey Jones-style full-face mask he found while thrifting. It allows him better breathability than the face mask he was using (calling Rule Of Cool law here), and he can use his scary eyes to make him look more intimidating. His gloves, his mask, and his thermos are the things he carries around with him constantly, and, later on, wears baggier clothing to hide the fact that he's wearing knee and elbow gear under his clothes.

Did I mention he has long hair? Danny has long hair (because GNC danny ftw, it goes past his shoulders) that he braids back. it's a bit sloppy but it keeps his hair out of his face well enough. He takes the fenton creep stick with him.

(He and Bruce have, ultimately, a more lean build than a bulky one. It helped Bruce with his Brucie Wayne persona big time when he had to look like a pretty skinny boy, he uses body language, optical illusion, and body armor to make himself look bulkier as batman)

He still goes by the name Phantom. He still has a bitter rivalry with his parents, who have no idea that its him. They think he's probably some other ghost with beef with the other ghosts (he still triggers their ghost sensors), and still want to capture him.

He doesn't talk around the living. He doesn't have any fancy voice changer and dropping his voice hurts and ultimately, he just uses ASL if he ever has to talk in front of people. The ghosts know his voice at night, but not during the day.

He hardly talks to the living. He avoids them like the plague actually. When he defeats a ghost and there's an audience, he barely sticks around to have a nice friendly chat. He tries to get away as soon as possible. He's paranoid over people finding out who he is. He doesn't have that ghost form to fall back on here.

Oh god this is getting so long, so i'll post another part soon.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 4.5 (Dani interlude) Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 7.5 (Dan Interlude) Part 8

[missingnightwingsmullet]

top 5 Dan mora nightwing drawings?

hi!! thanks for asking!!!!!

soo first of all i really adore dick as robin in his art style even if it’s not him as nightwing 🫣

just love love love it

i think he captures the essence of dick grayson as batman’s robin really ridiculously well, at least in my opinion

like look at his sassy little face!!

ANYWAYS here’s him as nightwing..

i like this one because it feels very

Wow I Wonder Who His Mentor Was ™️

like he’s embodying the vigilante who goes bump in the night..criminals running at the thought of him busting them..you get it

and then this one is pretty recent

i just find it absolutely so so funny because it’s very teenager learning how to drive with dad and bruce just looks So Unamused while dick is having the absolute time of his life

anyways!!!! thanks for asking anon ❤️❤️

you know me so well

lots of love

missingnightwingsmullet

[chaos-in-deepspace]

L&DS Rafayel: Pouty Portraits | Drabble

So @la-spooky ended up inspiring me to make this little drabble of the fish on accident. You know, when inspiration hits, you go with it. Now personally I can't draw at all, my artistic talents ends at being able to string words into pretty stories, but I hope you artists out there enjoy this. Even if you don't consider yourself an artist and just doodle, this is for you.

Pairing: Rafayel x Reader Warning: N/A Disclaimer: This is an original fan work for “Love and Deepspace”. Do not repost on other platforms or plagiarize. All characters shown in this fic is 18+.

Blog Information | Masterlist

Rafayel

Art was something of a guilty pleasure. You wouldn’t say you were an expert at it, especially not when compared to your boyfriend, Rafayel, but you certainly weren’t bad at it by any means. It was just something you couldn’t do often; you had your career to think about, which would always come first. It was something you had to sacrifice in order to stay focused on your mission, even if it was painful.

Still, as you relaxed in the studio, bored out of your mind, you couldn’t help but want to go back to those days where you’d laze about your room with a sketchpad and some music to keep you company. You looked over at your boyfriend who was promptly passed out on the couch after having pulled another all nighter. He had invited you over for a date, but by the time you arrived exhaustion had already taken him.

You hadn’t the heart to wake him up, so you did your best to entertain yourself until he woke up. Originally you had taken to playing on your phone, a few mobile apps and social media was enough to catch your attention for a while. The longer you sat around though, the more tempted you had gotten.

Rafayel had his studio littered with sketchbooks in every corner so he’d never have to worry about looking for one when inspiration hit. You were certain he wouldn’t notice a few pages going missing after you ripped them out.

With that in mind, you grabbed hold of one of the sketchbooks that had been teasing you, and some pencils to sketch with. You flipped open the pages, your heart blooming with affection at the gorgeous sketches that were in the book. You finally found a blank page and sighed. It almost felt like you were committing a crime, drawing in a sketchbook like this. His artwork was flawless, and you…well you could draw at least.

You sighed and grabbed your phone, popping in some headphones and listening to music. You took one more glance at your sleeping boyfriend before deciding to just draw him. So you did, mainly just several headshots to help you get into the groove of making art.

You didn’t even know how much time had passed as you moved to the third page, ready to draw your sleeping boyfriend since he was right there. Your eyes went upwards to where he was…or had been. You blinked in confusion, noticing Rafayel was noticeably not on the couch anymore.

Your head swiveled for a moment before suddenly you were staring directly into those sunset eyes. Your own widened in surprise and your brain buffered before you let out a shrill scream. You clutched the book close to your chest as you backed up. You could hear Rafayel's jovial laughing through your headphones, which you promptly ripped out to scold him.

“Raf, what the fuck, when did you wake up?” You said, glaring at him. Amusement swam in those beautiful eyes of his as he reached over and took the sketchbook out of your hands.

“Were you drawing me?” He said, looking at the pages of headshot sketches you had done. You felt a small blush creeping up your cheeks as you tried to be stern with him.

“Answering my question with a totally off topic question isn’t what I wanted, you know.” You huffed, going to take the book back, but he pulled it closer to him.

“These are really good, you captured my essence perfectly…why didn’t you ever tell me you could draw?” Rafayel said, never looking up from the sketches. You groaned and looked away, feeling bashful as a true, recognized artist looked at your crude warm up pieces.

“It’s just an old pastime of mine, nothing more.” You said, “Sorry I used your stuff, I should’ve asked.” You admitted.

“What’s mine is yours.” He said offhandedly, “Still, can I keep these? I really like them.” He said and you looked confused for a moment before nodding.

“If you really want to, I guess you can. They’re in your sketchbook after all.” You shrugged, “Why would you want them anyway? You could do a way better self portrait.”

“I don’t want a self portrait made by me…although I have to ask why did you draw this expression on me?” He said, pointing at all of your sketches having a similar theme.

“Your pouting face was…inspiring.” You settled on; Rafayel didn’t look amused by this, in turn showing you that adorable pout. He looked away for a moment before getting an idea. A smile gracing his pretty face.

“Well how about you do a proper drawing of me.” He started, leaning close with a sly grin, “You can draw me from reference. I’ll sit however you want, just make sure to get my good angle…wait never mind, that would be all my angles.”

You bit the inside of your cheek as you fought your inner emotional turmoil, “Okay, but it won’t look good, you know?” You pointed out. Rafayel's eyes furrowed in a confused expression, his hand cupping your chin to make you look at him.

“Anything you make is breathtaking.” He said, “I wouldn’t ask anyone to draw me. I’m very selective. Consider yourself lucky.”

“Cocky bastard.” You said, but didn’t bother to slap his hand away, “But fine…I’ll sketch you but on one condition.”

Rafayel smirked, “And what would that be?”

“Later you…need to give me a drawing lesson or two.” You said and his eyes widened in surprise before taking a soft turn.

“Sure, but why are you suddenly so interested in drawing when you said it was just a pastime…unless you deceived me earlier.” He said, trying to lighten the mood. He could see the unsure expression on your face as you stared off to the side.

“Because drawing like this again reminded me how much I enjoyed it.” Even though you knew you needed to focus on being a good hunter and a steller bodyguard…perhaps you can give yourself some enjoyment in your life again. Art was freeing and you had dearly missed it.

Rafayel's hand was still on your chin as he forced your eyes back on him. He pressed his forehead against your own and stared into your eyes, “Anytime you want to relax and draw, just let me know.” He said, clearly realizing just how stressed you had been.

You smiled, relaxing into his touch, “Fine…shall we get started? Things are getting a bit too depressing in here.” You joked. Rafayel's grin seemed to spread once more.

“Sure…so did you want to do a nude sketch ooooor?”

“Oh my god Raf, just lay on the damn couch…clothes on.”

Hope y'all enjoyed this one! It was fun to write, and honestly I think formatting this took longer than the actual writing lol.

[bunnyreaper]

more gross perv soap hc's (mostly to share the brainrot with @ceilidho !!)

(18+/mdni, disgusting perv soap, dubcon/noncon elements)

absolutely has a folder on his phone where he screenshots every. single. photo that you post. ashamedly saves your snaps in the chat even before you get together, and you think it's just for fun or jokes, but it's so much more than that. (he knows how to screenshot your stories or close friends posts too so he can keep them forever, as that's where you might post something more revealing or intimate that gets him going) 

absolutely uses the photos as reference material as he draws insane smutty drawings in a little notebook he has. the best part of his little talent is that he can put pencil to paper and make all of his perverted thoughts tangible. makes little doodles of you bound, covered in his cum, pussy all puffy and swollen. when he's feeling particularly unhinged he might draw himself there alongside you, cock stuffed inside you. any scenario he can imagine, he can just draw you like that, just for him.

tries to subtly steer conversations with the guys in your direction, so they'll share in his objectification of you (but then he might get a little jealous if he thinks they're going too far). asks gaz if he's noticed how form fitting your workout clothes are, or if he saw your midriff in that latest photo you posted. none of them ever say anything as gross as the thoughts in johnny's head, and he finds himself spiraling as he posts pictures of you online to certain forums, encouraging strangers to leave the nastiest comments imaginable that he also reads and jerks off to.

has you saved in his phone as cumrag, but really it's just a joke, and not at all a reference to the numerous times he's spilled over photos of you--your smiling face stained with pearly drops of cum as he imagines what it would look like for real.  

of course he has a pair of your panties he uses to get off, often in rotation as he soils new pairs thinking about how you're wearing something that's been rubbed against his cock. 

sometimes he'll purposefully come find you after he's wanked to pictures of you, his hands still stained with the slightest amount of cum as he just wiped off his hands instead of washing them. makes sure to get extra touchy feely with you, giving you a hug, resting his hands on your shoulders, maybe caressing your cheek as he tells you a dumb joke--just leaving a trace of his essence on your skin. 

and if you're together? oh he definitely hides his perversions at first, slowly but surely introducing you to them as he creeps over boundaries and conditions you into loving the attention. asking for you to indulge him with his perfectly begging eyes in a way you can't help but comply. 

if the two of you are going drinking he'll finish your outfit by cumming in your panties and leaving you with the squelch between your lips as the two of you go about your night--making sure you're properly claimed by him. 

gets you drunk and a little loose so he can encourage you to tell the guys about how good he fucks you, how big his dick is, how much he makes you cum and how you love the filthy shit he does to you. you'll blush furiously the entire time but he just coaxed you into saying more. 

really does use you as a cumrag now he has you. will just find you on the couch watching tv or sleeping in bed and will jerk off until he paints your pretty face, doesn't even bother to clean it up. if you're awake, he'll make you wear it for as long as he can, maybe even answer the door to the food delivery guy with it still on your cheeks--even if you're mortified by the idea. 

takes so many photos and videos of you fucking he might as well just have a camera permanently pointed at your bed. he's addicted to capturing every dirty little thing he does to you, to having proof of the moments when you give in and beg him to do something filthier. his phone is full of videos of him using your mouth until your face is covered in drool, spitting in your mouth and making you swallow it like a tasty treat, smearing his cum all over your body like its fucking lotion. (or that one time you'd pissed him off by getting grossed out at him that he came on the floor and made you lick up every single drop.) 

makes you watch back the videos as he rubs you, only letting you come at the most disgusting parts so he can really solidify his conditioning of you as his perfect, depraved little girlfriend.

[vminizzle]

Body chain

pairing : husband idol!jungkook x f.reader

genre : smut, fluff

warnings : making out, oral (f. receiving), teasing, penetration, unprotected sex, pet names, praising, marking, size kink, creampie

words count : 1.3k

A/N : honestly, I think it’s the worst thing I ever wrote 💀. BUT DAMN, my obsession with body chains ughh,, Jungkook looks so good with body chain gosh. I want him. And I really need some help for sure. OH BEFORE I FORGOT! thank you so much for 1k 😭 I LOVE Y’ALL!! -sunny

M RATED

Jungkook took his shirt off, throwing it on the carpeted floor revealing his well-built body.

Bending down to capture your lips in a loving kiss, he caressing your cheek gently before looking down at your flustered face.

“you’re so pretty like that, under me.” he whispered, a smile decorating his lips.

Jungkook just came back from his performance practice feeling a bit needy. He missed you all day and he couldn’t wait to come home to you.

He kneeled between your bare legs, about to take off the shiny body chain adorning his body as you gripped his wrist stopping him.

He looked down at you confused. “keep the chain.” you said, lust already fogging your mind.

"please?”

"If that’s what you want. ” he smirked.

The silver accessory complimented his smooth skin so damn well, he was just breathtaking.

Just something so simple could turn you on.

You grazed your fingertips over it slowly as Jungkook observed your fascinated face.

"do you want one?” he grinned wiggling his eyebrows to tease you.

“oh shut up.” you slapped his chest playfully.

He laughed before holding your hands.

“I’ll let you wear it later, I’m sure it’ll suit you so well.” he bit his lip picturing your bare body with the chain on.

You sat up, wrapping your arms around his neck pulling him closer, “c’mere.” you kissed his cheek.

His arms encircled you immediately as he laid you down hovering above you.

He caressed your sides, fingers playing with the waistband of you panties looking at you for consent.

“go on.”

His soft lips wandered on your neck, goosebumps raising as he kissed his way down your body, his hands worked on pulling your panties off your legs.

He sucked lightly on the skin of your lower stomach leaving a pretty mark there making you bite your bottom lip, the sensation down there waking butterflies up inside you.

Jungkook spread your legs, laying down on his stomach as he stared at your glistening lips.

“all of this because of me.” he left a light kiss on your core making you whimper.

“so sensitive.”

Jungkook placed one of your leg over his broad shoulder, hand gripping it tightly.

He bit on the inside of your thigh slightly leaving love bites, pecking them gently as he got closer to where you needed him the most.

He looked up at you one last time before diving in, head disappearing in between your legs.

He kitten licked your throbbing clit making you moan, his name leaving your mouth as sweet as honey.

His tongue flat on your fold as he inserted the tip inside you making you gripped the sheet as he push in deeper before pulling out to suck on your clit making you cry out his name.

“Jungkook oh my- it feels so good! Don’t stop fu-”

He did as told making you feel dizzy your climax so near.

Nibbling gently on your clit, it was the last straw as you came, moaning his name loudly chest heaving up and down.

Jungkook pulled away watching you in awe, his chin covered with your essence.

He caressed your thigh softly to soother you down a bit.

“you good baby?” you nodded before pulling on his loose chain gently to get him down on you.

“you like it that much, huh?” he looked down at your fingers still on the bright accessory.

“yes a lot.” you admitted.

Jungkook impatiently stripped off quickly, boxer discarded somewhere on the floor, making you get rid of your bra, before he positioned himself between your legs.

He teased your entrance with the tip of his cock making you whined “Jungkook please”.

He looked down at you, tilting his head to the side smirking.

“you’re ready pretty?” he rubbed his erection teasingly between your glistening fold.

Hand gripping the back of his neck, you pulled him down for an another slow kiss.

"i want you..hurry!”

Jungkook hooked your leg around his hip as he slowly entered you. The stretch painful yet pleasurable.

"can I move darling?” you nodded, your hands going up to his broad shoulders.

He started thrusting into you carefully, slowly enjoying the sensual moment.

The atmosphere was so warm, your surroundings gradually disappearing more and more as you both focus on each other.

Jungkook groaned as he felt your warm velvety walls clench around him.

“you feel so good around me love. so warm fuck.. you’re taking me so well, such a good girl.” he moaned into your ear, his voice low yet so sweet turning you on even more.

You could feel a tickling sensation, the cold silver accessory stroking the soft skin of you stomach everytime Jungkook’s hips snap into yours.

You moaned at the new sensation clenching around him involuntary.

Your body was really sensitive and reactive.

One of your hand flew to his hair, the other one travelling to his lower back, fingers fumbling with the chain.

Jungkook hummed against your throat.

You bit his earlobe a bit hard as the chain grazed over your nipple making you clench around him.

“you weren’t lying when you said you liked it huh. You give it more attention than me.” he teased, eyebrows furrowed the pleasure consuming him more and more.

"stop saying nonsense.” you sucked on his jawline softly making him groan at the warm feeling of your tongue caressing the skin.

You chuckled as he kiss his way down your chest, sucking little marks on the valley of your breasts.

You pulled at his black hair when he suddenly hit your sweet spot.

"yes right there!” you threw your head back.

Jungkook shifted himself a bit so he could hit deeper.

“shit baby you’re so- so tight.” he moaned as you tightened around him again.

He looked deeply into your eyes.

"you feel so good baby.. so fucking good.” he kissed your lips, sucking on your bottom lip making you scratched his back when you felt his hand on your stomach pressing on the bulge in your lower stomach.

"look at you.. so small we can see my cock.” he said with a deep voice, making you looked down between your bodies.

His words made goosebumps raised on your skin.

“Jungkook.. I’m so close.” you said breathless.

He gave gentle thrusts, abusing your g-spot, tears forming in your eyes.

“Me too. I’m gonna- fuck!" Jungkook cursed his face twisting into pleasure.

His nose scrunched up in pleasure, a sensual groan left his throat as he came inside you, the feeling of his hot cum filling you up to the brim pushing you to the edge of your own release.

"cum for me princess.” he said rubbing little circles on your throbbing clit making your walls convulsed around him.

You threw your head back deep into the pillows moaning his name loudly, a tear sliding down your cheek the pleasure too hard to handle, as you came around him.

Jungkook rocked his hips slowly, riding out your highs, before finally pulling out, his warm cum slowly oozing out of you.

“I love you.” Jungkook kissed your temple, laying next to you.

“I love you.” you said softly.

He pulled you closer to him and place your head on his chest.

He caressed your hair gently, your hand sliding down his stomach to the body chain toying with it.

Jungkook chuckled before sitting up.

"what is it?” you asked confused.

He took off the accessory turning you to the side so he could put it on you.

“so ..pretty.” he licked his lips, eyes twinkling.

“it suits you better tho.” you pouted.

He shook his head in disapproval before hugging you tightly.

"shh.” he put the blanket over the both of you.

“you should wear it more often.. you’re so sexy with it.” you cuddled him kissing his cheek.

“if it turns you on that much ..then I’ll wear it everyday.” he smirked making you roll your eyes.

—

A/N : i feel like this fic was weird written 💀

[undersprite]

2024 Comic Contest Results

Before we get started, I would like to extend a personal thank you to everyone who created an entry for the contest this year. Although we only got four entries this year, those four entries' dedication to telling stories that are novel and interesting for this community to enjoy is worthy of commendation in itself. For a while, I was scared we wouldn't even get enough entries to fill the podium; thanks to your efforts, this has not come to pass.

Since we have very few entries this time around, I'll be providing a link to each comic, with accompanying scores and excerpts from reviews. Now, catch the results under the cut:

Runner-Up: "The Undertale Game Comic" by FutureGamer25

(Average score: 15.5/50)

"As the submitter says, this was made in a day. I can’t be too hard on this out of principle..." - Soufon

"[...it] succeeded at making me laugh multiple times, thanks in no small part to how it deliberately wields nothing looking like it fits together." - CHAOS_FANTAZY

"You know, honestly for being made in less than a day and being posted 5 minutes before the deadline, I gotta give you a lot of credit for that. I don’t even think I could have made that in a day [...]" - Mufeet

"The freaking car and the ending got me a good chuckle. I'll give you that. I congratulate you for tossing your coin." - Subna

3rd: "Frisk Visits the Store and Nothing Happens" by Trooper3

(Average score: 34/50)

"I thought Sans and ESPECIALLY Papyrus were super funny [...] I think we’ve finally reached a point where the skele-bros are just consistently characterized properly now, and I love to see it." - Mufeet

"The FunMart[TM] makes an earnest effort to capture the feeling of exploring an area in an actual Toby Fox game, and [...] captures at least a bit of that shine." - CHAOS_FANTAZY

"I honestly like your idea, is funny and it works perfectly to show these OCs of yours in this format. I wish there was more content to see about them, I wish to know them [...]" - Subna

"As light as it is, I like having this kind of slice of life look into UT’s world, the comedy focus helping to make the comic feel more breezy than insubstantial." - Soufon

2nd: "Undertale: Pushing On" by Mouse

(Average score: 34.75/50)

"Of all the entries we got, this is the only one that really felt like it captured the essence of telling a story as if it were still part of a game—something I have sorely missed." - CHAOS_FANTAZY

"Great story and great teaching from it. Can add up greatly to UNDERTALE’s world and...tbh I’d LOVE to play a full game with Alvia." - Subna

"[...] I like having who [Gerson] is in UT be because of Alvia’s actions, like how the orange soul kid is framed as responsible for the bunny family in Snowdin’s success - having all the soul humans impact the underground like that helps all of them feel real to UT’s world[...]" -Soufon

"I was captivated from beginning to end, and god, the ending [...] it actually made me a bit teary-eyed." - Mufeet

1st: "Knock Knock" by StarlightShores and ToMoChao

(Average score: 47/50)

"I was not expecting something like this out of this contest. Knock Knock is a substantial storyline, not a peek into an adventure, or a silly reprieve." - Soufon

"Even if it’s pretty lengthy, it keeps you engaged, to know where this is all going, all the way to the end." - Subna

"Flowey and Sans pair-ups are so rare, but when done it is ALWAYS such a fun time. They both play off each other so well, and it is no exception in this comic, especially towards the end where they start to bond over dealing with the loss of someone important to them." - Mufeet

"You created a story going on a thousand panels where, while reading it, my attention never flagged [...] You created a webcomic the Undertale fanbase will, if there’s any justice left around here, be obsessed with for years to come. It’s art, I’m afraid." - CHAOS_FANTAZY

Our full score card for the event can be seen here. The full reviews will be available in the Discord server on request.

With regards to prizes: the judge whom was contributing to our prize pool has begun college for the year, and unfortunately they were unable to set aside the money they had originally promised for the cash prize. The illustration prize is still available; winners, please reach out to fmsdraws on Discord to claim your prize.

And that leaves me...with this blog.

I'd like to write up a proper postmortem for this experience, but that can come in another week or two. For now, please enjoy the comics and celebrate the victors!

[columboscreens]

columbo is so gender to me but i dont think i could ever look like him</3

i think it's totally possible for anyone to embody his essence. you can even manage to rock something directly inspired by columbo without looking like you're cosplaying.

hair

if you have columbo's hair type, it's actually pretty easy to emulate his styles. i even know people who show pictures of columbo to hair stylists to get his look. my partner's hair in its natural state is very similar to columbo's--dark, wavy, tending to grow in spite of gravity rather than with it. whenever he gets his hair cut, he shows the stylist photos of late 60s/pilot episode peter falk, whose look is actually pretty on-trend for the current era. it works out pretty well.

your swag may have aged well pilot columbo but you can't beat floof

failing that, getting any haircut that is natural, low-maintenance, and not too attention-grabbing captures the visual language all the same. for reference, natasha lyonne in poker face has her hair in natural-looking, messy waves that to me just exude columbo.

clothing

how you present yourself to the world is up to you, but if you want to invoke columbo, there's a lot more you can do than buy a tan raincoat.

in an era of sharply-cut, wide-lapelled constructions, fat tie tuesdays, and gucci loafers, columbo stands out as classic comfort personified.

his collar, tie, and lapels are slim, proportional, and unassuming; they'd look good in almost any era. his pants fit closely to his leg but not too wide or slim, and sit at or near the natural waist. though his suits, shirts, ties, shoes, socks, and even coats rotate, there is a consistent color palette keeping him "on model". he embraces earth tones: creams, forest greens, light browns, dark browns, stony grays, rusts, and roses. his clothing seems like an afterthought, but it's an extension of his personality--rumpled and unassuming at first, yet sharp and deliberate upon further inspection.

amid the 1970s explosion of synthetic popularity, it says something that every stitch of textile on columbo's person is natural (aside from the raincoat, which is probably nylon or poly--he wears it without a lining and uses it as essentially an oversized windbreaker). his boots are leather with crepe latex soles; his tie is silk. his shirt is cotton, a bit boxy but comfortable and properly fitted. because the construction of his suits is roomy and unstructured, and because they're made of linen, they wrinkle easily.

this is easily confused for appearing slovenly. actually, all things considered, his clothes fit him pretty damn well, it's just hard to avoid wrinkling natural fibers like linen and cotton, especially in hot weather. he's running around los angeles sweating up a storm, the man needs loose, breathable fabric.

point is, columbo dresses very thoughtfully. since these clothes are workwear for him and he works a hell of a lot, it's imperative that he factors in the weather, his comfort, and proper fit when picking clothes. he wants to like and be comfortable in them while looking unassuming. so even though he sometimes ends up looking like an unmade bed, his choices are deliberate.

you could invoke these principles in your own appearance by picking earthy colors/jewel tones and comfortable, natural fabrics that you enjoy wearing, which has the added benefit of being better for you and the environment. consider also taking a few garments in to be altered. it's usually not that expensive, supports your local needlefolk, and makes even cheap clothes fit great.

as a last little aside, i think having a "signature" clothing item akin to columbo's raincoat would be a nice touch. a jacket, a pair of shoes, even a watch or necklace. something you always wear. if you really do want a raincoat like his, just make sure you're not buying a trench coat, because, repeat after me: columbo does not wear a trench coat.

[katerinaaqu]

Okay so that people will not think that I am an unecessary hater here are some things that I actually liked or loved about Epic the Musical:

So everyone who knows me, I openly express my dislike on the changes of Epic the Musical (although as I say many times the music is really good, the production very passionate and I congratulate the creator for getting so much love despite the fact that I personally dislike his artistic choice on the matter)

However here's a small list of things that I actually liked very much about the musical (sorry if it gets long!)

The first two sagas:

Honestly the two sagas (Troy and Storm) were masterpieces not only song-wise but also plot-wise. The adaptation remained loose with many things being adapted for modern audiences but it was still generic to the Epic Cycle in general and Odyssey in particular. The pace of the plot was quick like the fall of Troy was, the heroes speak as if they are on the right ("tonight we shall make the Trojans pay") to encourage each other even though then the reality check falls on them. Amazing fast pace songs give their turn to a slow and dramatic one

Odysseus and Astyanax:

More specifically as a sequence on the above I really liked the way the myth was depicted and again very loosely adapted off Iliou Persis version which is the one version we know where Odysseus clearly kills the baby with his own hands by "throwing it off the walls". Even if generally I am more aligned with the version of the myth that has Neoptolemous doing it, the fact that we have the actual protagonist do the brutal act was a very good touch and I love it how he uses only that small and so under-analyzed concept and he created a very beautiful moral dilemma. The setting stone of "monster vs man" was a promising thing too (although I personally got disappointed at the actual execution of it because of the changes in storyline). The way that Odysseus knows it is the logical choice to kill the heir of Troy and it tears him apart inside is not just amazingly executed but also very much IC with Homer's Odysseus.

Full Speed Ahead:

No need for explanations here. The song was great, was keeping in touch with the original Odyssey, spirit of Odysseus on-point and the essence of it great! Although it was way too happy after the darkness of the "Just a Man" one can understand that the tension created should be released and somehow it did point out the coping mechanism of Odysseus at some parts of the Odyssey which also lead to many emotional breakdowns for Odysseus (ironically the most infamous was the one that got him to offend Poseidon in the first place)

Giving Eurylochus and Polites more lines:

Eurylochus is known for questioning the authority of Odysseus and Polites for being his best friend but in general we do not see too much of them in the Odyssey (especially Polites who only appears once as mentioned at Circe's island). Even if making Polites a bubbly token character to balance the whole emotional burden of the war was a bit too overused theme for me I didn't dislike it per se. And it was good that he plays a good balancing role there. Also generally speaking Eurylochus's character development was not bad either (daresay I liked his character development more than Epic!Odysseus! XD) because it starts from a strong but opinionated man to a basic arch-rival figure to the end part.

Which is why I was kinda disappointed that Polites was killed off at Polyphemus's cave because it seemed to me that he was there for the drama (even future scholiasts of the Odyssey do not think that Polites was in the cave at all yet alone killed in it) but again given that Polites is pretty much a clean slate character if that was like the major change of it I wouldn't necessarily mind it.

Warrior of the Mind:

The song was beautiful and it captured Athena's essence very well (minus the very much overused mind vs heart content of hers which is good that it was somehow rectified a bit with God Games given that Athena was never against emotions neither did she try to stop her champions from having them and she doesn't make separation of logic vs emotions. In fact she fires up emotions to her champions many times knowing what a helpful thing emotion is. I think he overplayed the fact that Athena encourages logic to make her "cold logic material" but that wasn't really my issue so much I mean it is just an over-used trope but it is not completely inaccurate).

It was interesting to connect the boar of Parnassus to Athena (which is again a common trope in greek mythology that gods send random tests for whoever is worthy) and how ellegedly Athena and Odysseus meet in this context. Again it has nothing to do with the original Odyssey and yet this loose adaptation of their meeting was an interesting interraction with a lot of potential and emotional connection. I also like how Athena appears more cold in her speech like "change from the way I designed you" or "don't disappoint me" which is basically a genuine trope of Athena's. Like every champion of hers that disappointed her (for example Tydeus) didn't really end up well! Which is a change I adored for the Musical adaptation

About 2.5/3 of "Remember Them"

Okay the part with the dialog with Athena had me cringing a bit but the rest of the song was a masterpiece. Odysseus saying that there is no time to bury or mourn but have time only to save themselves and remember their fallen friends afterwards is EXACTLY what Odysseus would say and encourage his men to work their backs on something to save themselves and get out of their nasty situation. Also the final 45 seconds of it with his name reveal was probably what hyped me and wanted to get into the musical in the first place (before I started disliking the changes) because it was EXACTLY how it would go down! Also the choice for Odysseus's name officially be revealed on that song was incredibly clever and very nicely chosen

So basically I would only remove the dialog with Athena there given how it just didn't do justice in my head to the extremely complicated situation that led to him revealing himself. I also felt that the line "let's grab the sheep and away we go" was a bit too hasty to show their escape given how much complicated it was but I also understand the way to keep the song going and that wouldn't be done by adding a dramatic angst in the middle. That would mean that there should be a song in-between with their escape and that the second half of "remember them" would turn into a reprise of some kind. So yeah I understand that.

How Much Longer:

That song was also amazing and again not an event that happens to Odyssey but something that perfectly aligns with the spirit of it. Having Eurylochus openly disagreeing here and Odysseus taking him to the side to talk to him, the way that Odysseus comes up with a crazy plan before to groppel upon the castle that floats in the sky etc. It was a great foreshadowing on the actual events that follow which again seem to align greatly with the Odyssey and the events of it even if that itself is not linked to the material itself.

Done For:

Again one more song that I hyped over was "Done For". Harmonies were perfect, the way that the two of them have a duet, which is something that doesn't happen before in order to signify their aligning was amazing and the way Odysseus acts like a cheeky bastard there was something I adored. (Of course got crushed with "Other Ways" hehehe but the build up till there was great. To be fair "Other Ways" till that freaking "I can't!" or the whole "seduce so you can kill him" theme which also kinda ruined it fo4 me, was also a masterpiece to me, like I mention to another post of mine it would be great if the song was to signify their intercourse). The song was a perfect adaptation of the homeric poem for modern audiences (for it doesn't include everything like Odysseus drinking the potion, Circe being terrified and in wonder that her spell doesn't work on him etc) and it keeps the essential part of their interraction making it into a great choreography (with the exceptions of the "I have to protect my nymphs!" thing but again if that was the only change they made on it I wouldn't mind it so much at all in fact it is interesting that the nymph servants of the goddess mentioned in the Odyssey make a cameo here. Would i have liked that we wouldn't get a toned down Circe and instead we got her in her gray glory? Absolutely. But like I said if that was the only thing added here i wouldn't have minded it so much. Unfortunately though it was the whole Circe misadventure that was changed so yeah for me it was potential lost but i hyped at Done For).

Chorus of the Underworld:

Like you know I am one of the exceptions that wasn't impressed by the Underworld Saga and found it brushed off however the idea to add the dead men singing and bringing more guilt to Odysseus was an idea I knew Jorge would go with and he did and it was interesting. Not only the melody of that part was really beautiful and haunting but also the impact was great (I will just choose to ignore the part of "ruthlessness is mercy" and the "klling of cyclops" because of thesame reason that I didn't like the dialog between Athena and Odysseus before the revelation of his name). I also liked the parts of Odysseus's solos but for the rest of it again I think it would be more impactful to me if the original plot was followed more faithfully.

Tiresias song was good, very good actually, as a song but as I mentioned to another post of mine, too vague, too not answering anything.

The rest felt scrapped off. I would love to see at least one or two of the interractions of Odysseus with the dead especially his mother because as I mentioned before it is of outmost importance that Odysseus knew beyond doubt that his mother didn't just die waiting, she died BECAUSE she was waiting. And that has a big difference for me. But again that is just my opinion.

Aphrodite speaking of other types of love:

Gods Games is just a not for me for many reasons but the detail of Aphrodite mentioning a mother's love intead of romantic love was a great touch and amazingly changed from the usual reoccuring pattern of romantic love or passion. It was good that her arguement was based on a mother's love and pain and ironically Aphrodite herself is a mother who has children to protect

The final part of Love in Paradise:

The rest of the song was ak-ok for me (and thank the old gods and the new that at least THIS experience of Odysseus was kept faithful to the original up to one point. I mean the sexual abuse is not touched there directly but given the leap of time and the condition Odysseus is to the final part one can expect that it did happen maybe? I am talkng only on the perspective of the listener since I do not know the background info on it). In my mind it happens and the song just dodges to addrsss it like it happened before but as I said that is only me hearing THIS specific song not any other around it or the background info of it.

But the final part where Odysseus stands at the edge ready to throw himself at the sea to his death is definitely having me "FUCKING FINALLY!" and be so happy that they kept that dark theme at least! Because I simply loved that essence of the myth in the Odyssey and it was something I can absolutely see happening myself and contemplating it as a scene when reading the Odyssey; how Odysseus might possibly make more than one attempt against his life and Calypso stopping him somehow.

The rest of the song was okay as I said before and thankfully it was touching the homeric thing (I lso liked how Jorge chose to get there by having us hear the small portions of other songs as Athena "scans" although as I said the chole concept of "my goodbye" or something just didn't align to me) but the choice was really good but as I said before it was the final part that truly got me! With the final prayer to Athena which again would be something I would SO imagine myself Odysseus would do! In fact I myself imagining him doing it many times over!

That part was probably my favorite so far and is just a few seconds! Which again makes me wish more things were like that...

~*~*~*~

Anyways I believe that concludes it so far. Generally as you know I am not a fan and no I do not have problem seeing this as "different media" or "loose adaptation" or "retelling" or whatever. It just is not my cup of tea and I it doesn't need to be (and the fact that it is so changed beyond recognition of the original is what makes me think of it of yet another average "loosely based on" holywood film material and we have had enough f those already in my opinion of course). I still adore the harmonies the music the singers and such are amazing and the passion is apparent

Is just that I just cannot stand the butchering of the story to the point of literally being easy to replace the characters names and still with the proper background buildup the story can still be told! Because it is not the Odyssey anymore.

HOWEVER

No one said that I disliked every single bit of it. This is a small sample of things that I liked and a small reasoning why. I hope that helps

[thornsnvultures]

blessing

demon!eddie munson x nun!reader

summary: your personal demon needs to be taught a lesson for interrupting your nightly prayers again.

cw: 18+ nsft, smut, general sacrilege, liberties taken with catholic/religious practices, masturbation (reader), bondage (eddie in chains), degradation, sub!eddie, & squirting (if there's anything I missed lmk) <800 words

"What do you think will happen, demon? Will fucking me bring you salvation? Is that what you're hoping for?"

The demon you've captured writhes under you in your bed. He's already been weakened, his powers subdued by being on hallowed ground. He doesn't have the strength to overpower you, nor the magics to play tricks on your mind.

It didn't mean you were immune to his... other charms. His teasing touches, whispers in your ear, late night meetings in your quarters.

He shouldn't be here, you should be on your knees in prayer. Instead your knees bracket his slim hips, your habit bunched up around your thighs. You were sworn to a life of celibacy, a life long marriage to God and no one else. But you found no wrongs in pleasuring yourself.

"This is what you want, yes?" You lift your habit further, exposing the patch of hair at the junction of your spread thighs. The demon below you groans, tugging at his restraints at the head of your bed. "Do you think you can tempt me so easily, demon? This is a holy place," your fingers dip into your heat, spreading your folds open, drawing back the curtain for him to see your most sacred place. "This is no place for the likes of you. With your foul words, trying to lead me to temptation," you scoff.

You lean back on one hand, the other making quick circles around your clit. Your head falls back and you let yourself feel it, feel the powerful blessing of pleasure ratcheting up between your thighs. The demon under your thrashed and begged, pleaded for a touch, a taste.

"You're a tease, a whore," he spits venom but his eyes tell a different story, so full of awe, wonder... hunger.

"When I touch myself I honor him. He made me in his image, in his glory. I was made to cherish my body, to carry myself to ecstasy until I saw his light, his face," your words came in gasping, shuddering breaths. You could feel yourself inching closer to the edge. His election below you as well, the way it nudged and searched and longed to enter you, to plow its way past your holy gates, to fill you with its sulfurous seed. He could yearn for your blessing all he wanted, but a doomed soul would not be allowed entry, no matter how he pleaded.

"Your cunt is too pretty to not be filled, o' holy one," the demon smirked even as he gasped, watching your fingers get sloppier, sticky in your juices.

"Then I shall fill it," you slide two fingers in and instantly your pleasure ratchets higher. "And I shall coax out his blessing until you are awash with it."

The demon's curly head lifts, like he's trying to get a closer look at the way your hole flutters around your fingers. Your groans turn to shouts of leg shaking pleasure and you can see it, golden sparks at the edge of your vision. You reach your peak then, pulling your fingers free from your spasming clutch and with them releasing a torrent of your holy waters.

The demon shouts, his deep red skin sizzling as your fingers continue to work at your nub, splashing his chest with the spray of your ecstasy, the essence of your God. His blessing pouring through you and scarring the beast below you.

He roars, bucking under you and you can feel his release splash against your back, a sizzling heat that shoots all the way up to the back of your head coverings.

"Such a bad boy, making a mess," you slip your habit up over your head, dropping it on the floor to be washed later. The demon takes in your naked form, his fingers curling, claws digging into his palms until they bleed.

"It's time to send you back, Edward," you caress his cheek, his protruding horns, down to the mess you left on his chest. He's already healing, his eternal form bouncing back so he can live another eternity in hell.

"Let me stay, let me have you," he begs, rattling his chains.

You press a kiss to his forehead, your bare breasts hanging achingly close to his hungry mouth. But you pull away before he can latch on and taste your flesh for himself.

"You have to go back, Edward. I can't fuck your spirit whole."

The demon growls and before you can anger him further you close your eyes and will him away. His rattling chains fall silent and you know he's gone.

[booquip]

Hiii uhmm im still super new to tumblr so sorry if the format is wonky. This is kind of my first dabble into fan fiction but I had this idea for quite a while so enjoy!! ( feed back & constructive criticism is always appreciated 😋)

Pairing: Gojo Satoru x fem!Reader x Geto Suguru

Summary: (Set in Highschool) Although looking back on it they realize both had fallen for you the moment they had met you. ( ik this seems pretty Suguru centric right now but trust me we get our moment with Satoru during the hangout)

Word Count: 710

The boys had fallen for you ever since you walked… well ran into the classroom doors.

The fast paced stomping of your feet could be heard from a mile away as you slammed the door open and ever so rudely interrupted Yaga Sensei’s class. “Excuse me, young la-!” You huffed each word you spoke trying and failing to catch your breath. “ Ahh… my.. a-apologies Yaga Sensei.. Ah sir! You see I was …initially going to arrive early but saw a stray cat and I … just had to feed it. Again apologies sir! ”You bow while still huffing. Yaga sensei sighs before speaking “The least you could do is introduce yourself before so rudely barging in.” You smile before going on your breath finally stabilizing “Oh my apologies sir! My name is L/N Y/N pleasure to meet you all!” As you look back at the three pairs of eyes before you, it’s only then you feel utterly embarrassed blood streaming right up to your face as you notice a boy with sparkling blue eyes and hair that rivaled the color of the clouds (not the ones you’d see on a thunder storm but those that appear biggest and brightest on a beautiful sunny day), along with a beautiful brunette woman.

Both were laughing making no attempts at all to mask their amusement at the spectacle bestowed upon them. While the raven haired boy tried to spare you some dignity by hiding his horrible kept chuckles in his hand ( it had no effect but you appreciated the effort nonetheless).

You sit in the farthest seat possible trying to make yourself unnoticeable for the duration of the class, you look outside the widow and get lost in the breathtaking view of the trees blowing in the beautiful summer wind. The months had just begun to get warmer and the world was looking so bright.

As you were so engrossed in the view Suguru however couldn’t help but spare glances at you all throughout the duration of class. He noticed your lack of attention to the lesson but also the way the sun had hugged your face, highlighting you in such a sensational way, you had looked so peaceful as if the world was crafted with you and you alone in mind. Suguru felt like you were drawing him in, he just had to talk to you, get to know you. So when the bell rang he all but sprinted to your desk, leaving Satoru a bit dazed. He felt bad for interrupting your thoughts but class did end so maybe he was doing you a favor, he tried to reason with himself.

Captivated by the view you didn’t hear the ring of the bell and were nudged by someone. Turning to look you noticed it was the raven haired man, he was much more handsome up close it’s difficult to describe as you think not even the highest quality camera could begin to compose the essence of his beauty. You notice his lips move to speak but your to engrossed in his presence to really notice that he had said something. It’s not until he nudges you again that you finally come back to earth. “ oh my apologies is there something you needed…” It’s only then when you realize you hadn’t captured his- He cuts your thought off.

“ Suguru. Suguru Geto.”

The name suits him you think as beautiful and elegant as the setting sun, ending the day and welcoming the next. He continues his sentence with a hearty chuckle “ I just wanted to inform you class ended about 10 minutes ago, what is it that you are so intensely thinking about?” He hadn’t realized what he blurted out before he quickly tried to save himself. Heat rose to your cheeks once again. How did you not notice? You don’t have time to internally beat yourself up for your lack of awareness before he goes on. “ If you’re not doing anything would you like to come have lunch with us? It’s not everyday we get a transfer student especially so late.”

Who would have thought that a simple invitation such as this one would lead to such a strong and beautiful bond amongst you four…

[cilil]

𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓞𝓷𝓮 𝓡𝓲𝓷𝓰 vs 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕊𝕚𝕝𝕞𝕒𝕣𝕚𝕝𝕤

Over the years I've encountered a few discussions around the question of which work was "greater", the One Ring or the Silmarils. Unfortunately, these discussions were often framed as a sort of "character competition" with the goal to determine that either Fëanor or Mairon is the "better" smith and I don't think that's particularly fun or doing either work justice. So... here are my two cents regarding the comparison between our favorite pieces of jewelry.

⟡ Their natures and purposes.

Firstly, the One Ring and the Silmarils are two different kinds of objects, and by that I don't just mean shape, materials or design.

The One Ring is a tool. It was created to dominate the wearers of the other Rings of Power to aid in Mairon's quest to subjugate and control other rulers in Middle-earth (and not to show everyone what a cool smith he is). Aside from this purpose, the One Ring functions as a sort of amplifier, working with and strengthening whatever abilities its current wearer has. It's impervious to damage and can only be destroyed in the fires of Mount Doom where it was made, though it's possible such a feat could have also been achieved by the Valar, particularly Aulë.

The Silmarils are more akin to a science experiment or passion project. Fëanor was inspired to capture the light of the Two Trees after seeing Galadriel's hair and proceeded to research and experiment how such a feat might be achieved. They were hallowed so no mortal or evil hands could touch them and, after the death of the Two Trees, were the only way to restore them. Like the One Ring, they couldn't be simply broken or unmade and only Fëanor knew the exact process, though it's once again not impossible that the Valar could have done so, particularly Aulë.

⟡ Who was involved.

While the One Ring and the Silmarils were created by Mairon and Fëanor respectively, there was also some involvement from other parties.

As far as the One Ring is concerned, Mairon learned how to make a "ring" like this (his ring is obviously a ring and we've also heard of Morgoth's Ring which is not, so read "ring" as a metaphor/umbrella term here), or an "object infused with someone's power", from Melkor and his process of placing his spiritual essence within Arda. Being a former Maia of Aulë, we can also assume that Mairon learned the craft itself as well as potentially special techniques from Aulë.

As far as the Silmarils are concerned, the light came from the Two Trees of Valinor which were created by Yavanna and the hallowing was performed by Varda.

Thus, we can conclude that in both cases outside influences were involved, namely various Valar, and given how the Valar made the basic components of Arda (the planet itself, water, air, etc), it's pretty much impossible to create anything in Arda that you couldn't argue against being related to some Vala's domain in some way. That is not to take away from anyone's creative abilities or craftsmanship, it's simply a consequence of existing in a world that has demiurgic angels its architects.

⟡ Their historical impacts.

To say that the One Ring and the Silmarils were important artifacts within the history of Arda would be an understatement and to narrate their entire arcs would be beyond the scope of this post, as well as not very interesting.

I believe it suffices to say that both the One Ring and the Silmarils triggered arcs that spanned centuries and essentially dictated at least an entire age and were the main driving force of the plot, with many other events being chain reactions of the original conflicts sparked by the existence of these artifacts. They have influenced countless lives and ultimately led to the final defeat and downfall of a dark lord. Their historical impact was immense.

⟡ Their raw power/potential.

This is a bit of an iffy point of comparison, since power in the Tolkien universe is deliberately designed not to be a clearly quantifiable and comparable thing. Because of this, I'll also stay clear of commenting on the individual power of the creators and focus on power in terms of potency and potential of the artifact.

The One Ring acts, as previously mentioned, as an amplifier and is thus dependent on its wearer. Aside from being unable to be unmade outside of Mount Doom, it also appears to be able to expand and shrink to fit its wearer. When worn by mortals, it has the side effect of making them invisible. A powerful individual who successfully claims the One Ring, as in bending it to their will, could gain full access to its powers and attempt to control the bearers of the other rings; though in order to do that, they would have to overcome the will of Mairon whose essence is contained within the One Ring, a feat that Tolkien has stated to be impossible inside Mount Doom (unless maybe they're a Vala, and I personally think even a more powerful Maia would at least be at a high risk of succumbing).

The Silmarils are, due to their light and their hallowing, effective against evil and can ward off evil creatures or cause them grievous harm, even to Melkor. They're also the only way to restore the Two Trees of Valinor, a feat the Valar were unable to accomplish without them, and Yavanna herself cannot reproduce them in their entirety. Like the One Ring, they're pretty much indestructible and, while they don't seem to have a will of their own or one stemming from any of the parties involved, they have the tendency to influence the fates of those who own them, simply by way of being critically important to various parties and being lusted after. If one wants to take the (discarded) Second Prophecy as part of their personal canon, the Silmarils will also be used to restore the Trees at the end and thus aid in the healing of Arda.

⟡ Their allegiance.

I've touched on this aspect somewhat before, but for this point I'm going to take a quick look at how exactly these objects appear to have allegiances and how these may change or be turned.

The One Ring's true allegiance is Mairon, whose spiritual essence it holds. It serves its other wearers with the purpose of hopefully making its way back to him and will occasionally betray them, showing what could be a will of its own, though so far it's tied to Mairon's. It could be turned to serve another, if one individual possesses the power to do so, but this possibility has remained theoretical in the story and would, even if Mairon was defeated or even (partially) enslaved, still end in his favor insofar as that the new master of the One Ring would inevitably be corrupted by performing such an act. Thus, we can conclude that his safeguards were mostly sufficient and the ring remained faithful.

The Silmarils don't appear to have a will on their own on the same level and don't really have allegiances either. However, thanks to the hallowing certain parties are unable to touch them without being burned and withered; whether the hallowing, as far as the notion of evil is concerned, is tied to some abstract, objective moral standard or is connected in some way, shape or form to the will of Varda is unclear, but fact is that Eönwë's warning turned out to be accurate when Maedhros and Maglor were burned by the Silmarils. I would speculate that, if Fëanor had survived and been around at that time, he too would have been burned and go as far to suspect that this would have happened even if his first attack on Angband had been successful and led to a swift reclamation of the Silmarils, since he was already a kinslayer by that point. Thus, the Silmarils were no longer "faithful" to their original maker and his heirs.

⟡ Conclusion.

So where do we stand after considering all of the above points? I think that the One Ring and the Silmarils are on the same level regarding various aspects. As far as allegiance is concerned, I would say the One Ring has a bit of an edge as it never turned on or became unusable for Mairon; but as far as raw power/potential is concerned, I would say the Silmarils have the edge there because of their global importance in regards to the Two Trees and due to them holding the light of one of, if not a Vala's greatest work.

In my opinion, it really comes down to what you personally find more impressive - a tool for domination or the jewels of fate.

Nevertheless, comparing these two from various angles is fascinating and I frankly find it sad that such an interesting topic is more often than not reduced to some sort of character bashing or gotcha moment; which, in case that wasn't clear already, is NOT the purpose of this post. I'd be curious to hear what other aspects you would highlight and other comparisons you would draw, though would humbly request you respect the aforementioned purpose of this post (and what it's not).

As for the creators, let's say just this: Fëanor has made several great works and Mairon, while we know less about him overall due to the limited narrators of the Silmarillion, is a highly capable and intelligent individual too; one doesn't stay respected within the household of Aulë even after betraying him or become a teacher of Celebrimbor and the Gwaith-i-Mírdain for nothing. Neither of them is "stupid" or "trash" (as far as craftsmanship is concerned, what you think about their morals and personalities is a different story...).

Thanks for reading and I hope you found this post interesting and/or entertaining. I kept it more on the casual side since I thought it sufficient to get the point across and lots of people here know the lore required and don't need extra quotes.

taglist: @asianbutnotjapanese @a-world-of-whimsy-5 @blauerregen @destinyeternity1 @elanna-elrondiel

@just-little-human @urwendii @wandererindreams

[positivelybeastly]

I'm new to comics and love beast. Is there any comics with beast that you'd recommend? There's so many xmen comics and idk where to start.

Hello there, friend! Getting into comic books is damned hard, but, thankfully, resources like Reddit, Tumblr, and Marvel Unlimited (or your pirating site of choice) all make it a lot easier to get into them these days without having to worry about being confused.

Well. You'll still be a little confused. Comic books are convoluted. But at least you'll be able to engage with them on your own terms. :) And, it's worth it. Mostly.

I'll tell you straight out that if you want some good entry points, like, this is my first X-Men comic, what do I read, I'd recommend the following:

X-Men: First Class (2006)

X-Men vol. 2 (1991)

New X-Men vol. 1 (2001)

Astonishing X-Men vol. 3 (2004)

X-Men vol. 6 (2024)

As for Beast specific recommendations? I have a ton!

For Beast as a character, being examined in his own right, I would recommend the following:

X-Men Origins: Beast - a retelling of his origin, updated with modern art and writing. Written by Mike Carey, whose work you should generally look into if you like X-Men - he focuses a lot on characters like Rogue and Xavier, but also on Beast, which is handy for our purposes!

X-Men: Unlimited vol. 1 #10 and vol. 2 #10 - so, this may be somewhat confusing to a new comic reader, but comics have volumes. This is when a comic of a certain title ends, and it's then relaunched with a new creative team, usually with a very different story.

So, X-Men: Unlimited is an anthology series that tells unconnected stories that fit in other places, between other comics, and there were two different volumes of it, one in the 90s, and one in the 00s. Both volumes have an issue #10 that focuses on Beast, and I'd recommend them both! Vol. 1 #10 especially would be, in my opinion, required reading if you really want to get into Beast.

Amazing Adventures vol. 2 #11 through #17 - the first stab at giving Hank his own solo series, from back in the 70s! Don't let the age get you down, I find this series to be actually fairly modern and easy to get into, and it's a nice sort of superhero/horror blend of tones that I find really effective.

X-Men: Endangered Species - this is a Beast solo story dealing with the aftermath of the Decimation, the event where Scarlet Witch removed the powers of 99% of the world's mutants. It's quite dark, but I think it's probably one of the best examinations of the character in the medium, and it works as an excellent sequel to Unlimited vol. 1 #10. Most of the context you need is given to you in the comic, which is handy. :)

X-Men: S.W.O.R.D vol. 1 - this is kind of a team-up comic, kind of not? The context for this is reliant on reading another run that I'll be recommending, but trust me, it's worth it. This is an outrageously funny book with a good emotional core, and it really captures Beast's essence, as a dual sided goofball jokester with a heart of gold and the intellectual moralistic do-gooder who can't leave well enough alone. One of my favourite comics of all time.

For Beast as part of a team, I would recommend the following:

X-Men: First Class - a prequel book set during the days of the Original X-Men, this series bounces between Cyclops, Angel, Iceman, Marvel Girl and Beast a fair bit, but even in issues that don't focus on Beast, he's still a part of the story and quite well written. Very slice-of-lifey, with a lot of charm to it.

X-Men: Season One - a retelling of certain stories from the original 60s run of X-Men, this is a pretty good one-and-done graphic novel that does change a few things, but keeps the spirit intact and tells you a lot about these characters and how they relate to one another. Just watch out for Iceman's Bieber hair.

Avengers vol. 1 #137-211 - this is a pretty long run of comics that features Hank's initial tenure on the Avengers, and will occasionally require a bit of reading around to make sure that you're reading the Annuals in the right place - usually, the comic will tell you to go read Annual #6 or whatever, but if you find a lot of stuff has happened and the story jumped ahead without you, chances are, it's in an Annual. Very variable in quality, but if you want to see classic Beast in all his glory, there's some really good stuff here, especially the foundation of his lifelong friendship with Wonder Man.

The Defenders/New Defenders vol. 1 #96-152 - probably one of my actual favourite run of comics ever. Beast joins the team a little later than #96, but if you jump in when Hank does, you'll be just a little confused, so it's best to start at #96 and go from there. Especially once Hank reforms the team to the New Defenders in #125, he basically becomes one of the very main characters and gets a lot of focus. Absolutely love this comic.

X-Factor vol. 1 #1-70 - the first six or seven issues of this are pretty bad, but it really comes into its own once it starts being written by Louise Simonson, who makes it much more soap opera, more character driven, gives all the characters a lot to do. There's a lot of crossover with other books, but usually it'll just tell you what to read if you want to know more about a part of a story in little editor's notes!

X-Men vol. 2 #1-95 - the classic 90s run; not my personal favourite, because it's pretty confusingly plotted, but if you want something that hews extremely close to the 90s cartoon, this is that to a tee, to the point where a lot of stories and characters were adapted to and from the comics directly!

New X-Men vol. 1 #114-156 - a landmark run on X-Men by Grant Morrison, this evolves Beast into a new form and changes up his character in a new, tragic manner that, personally, is my favourite iteration of the character. Very high concept sci-fi, occasionally quite confusing and problematic, but extremely good stuff, imo, and essential for getting into modern X-Men.

Astonishing X-Men vol. 3 #1-35 - a sort of sequel to New X-Men, this is again an extremely good entry point into modern X-Men, and it's very, very classic while still progressing the story. Just a note - when you read issue #24, do NOT go to issue #25, you need to go and read Giant Size Astonishing X-Men instead, THEN go to #25. I know, it's confusing, I'm so, so, so sorry, comics are just like this. This is the comic that leads straight into S.W.O.R.D pretty much.

Wolverine and the X-Men vol. 1 #1-42 - a more zany, school focused book, Hank is part of the wider cast here, but he does get some spotlight issues, and I do enjoy him here, especially his relationship with Broo. There are crossovers with Avengers vs. X-Men and other events in here, but those events are kinda sort skippable because they're bad. If you feel confused, you can read them, but I don't necessarily recommend them.

X-Men vol. 6 #1-ongoing - the current run of X-Men, written by Jed MacKay! To put it very bluntly, Beast went through about a decade of being quite badly written and slowly turned into a scummy villain through the recent Krakoa era, which I was not a fan of. There are individual issues between 2013 and 2024 that I can recommend, but if you like Beast, I would not recommend reading them, because I think that they are pretty bad and not fun to read. This is me being kind. But the new series picks up after that's all fixed, and Beast is getting a lot to do in this series, so I'd recommend it!

X-Men: From the Ashes Infinity Comics #15-18 - a supplementary comic that focuses on Beast, best read alongside the above X-Men run I recommended; it can give you all the context you need for where Beast is at, and why he's feeling the way that he is. A very, very good read, way exceeded my expectations, and I'm really pleased I can actually recommend modern comics for Beast again!

These are the main runs I would recommend! There's a lot more, if we want to get esoteric, and I'm sure I'm missing out on a lot of material - Beast has been around for 60 years, he's been in a LOT of stories - but if you want to get stuck into X-Men comics and really immerse yourself into the world and the stories, there's a lot of really good material here!

Welcome to the X-Men comics, friend! Hope you survive the experience!

[watcherwingedcat]

I remember having a huge special interest in highschool on a book called Idhun's memories. It was about a teen, named Jack, whose parents get murdered by an assasin from another world, so he has to live with a magician and a warrior in a tiny world in order of the assasin not to find him. Well, i this book, the assasin, named Kirtash, worked with another magician, called Elrion. And this Elrion guy wanted to become a nigromant, so he captured humans and turned them into beasts.

I used to have dreams (lucid, where I can control them) in which I had a self insert and Elrion captured them and turned into an animal. Usually it was a fox, for some reason, but also birds, so that I could have wings and fly in my dreams. Now that I think about it, all of my dreams involved myself traveling into the history of a book and getting turn into an animal. Hm.

Anyways, this book is so otherkin-coded is insane. Jack, the protagonist, is literally a dragon and a boy at the same time. He has dragon instincts and eventually can turn into the dragon. He feels great when he's in the body of a dragon, flying and doing dragon stuff. There's another girl, called Victoria, who's also nonhuman and is actually an unicorn. She makes magicians, her powers can heal people, and has a connection to the forest. Kirtash is half shek, huge snakes with wings, he's actually cold-bloded and can talk telepathically with others. There's a point in the book where Kirtash almost loses his shek-part (soul, essence, whatever) and it almost kills him.

The great thing about these books it's that like, the dragon, unicorn, and shek are not different entities, they are instead a part of who the protagonists are. Therefore, Jack is always a dragon, Victoria is always an unicorn, Kirtash is always a shek. They have instincts, have "shifts" and everything. The books are spanish, but there's actually a netflix series about the first book. It's not very good in comparison with the books, but it's pretty cool