#for all the character creator's limitations

[the-slumberparty]

Year of the Snake

2025 is the year of the snake. The year is seen as one of rebirth and resurrection, and so your challenge is to reawaken a piece of writing. For this challenge, you can submit any of the following:

An alternative version of a story you've done before (be it in a new setting, with a different character, or a change in a key plot point)

A complete rewrite of a story you want to refine.

A sequel to a piece you want to give new life to.

🐍Rules🐍

💚This challenge is open to all fandoms and characters.

💚Dark creations are accepted but we will not accept underage, incest, or bestiality. Please don’t forget to add warnings to your works appropriately.

💚There are no word count limits, but we do ask that you add a “read more” beyond 500 words.

💚We hope that creators can create an inclusive work and encourage writers and creators to use appropriate tagging, ie, f!reader, etc..

💚Please be sure to link the original work in your submission.

💚Be kind to yourself and to others. We are here to support and include each other.

🎁this will be a year long challenge. It will close December 31, 2025. There will be smaller "flash challenges" and sleepover events throughout the year".

!Tag this blog in your submission so we see it!

[whencyclopedia]

How Death Came into the World (Modoc Legend)

How Death Came into the World is a legend of the Modoc nation whose ancestral lands once covered the region of modern-day northeastern California and southern Oregon, USA. Their story of the origin of death shares many similarities with those of other Native peoples of North America as well as with the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice.

Pit River Valley, Modoc County, California

Robert F. Ettner (Public Domain)

The Modoc were 'discovered' by Euro-Americans c. 1820 in their ancestral lands of what is now southern Oregon and northern California. They are described by the American ethnographer James Mooney (l. 1861-1921) as a small band who were culturally isolated, which makes the similarities between How Death Came into the World and the Orpheus/Eurydice myth all the more interesting.

The Modoc had been living in the region for approximately 14,000 years before the arrival of the Euro-Americans but, by 1864, had been forcibly relocated to reservations, eventually two separate ones in the territories of modern Oklahoma and Oregon. They retained their stories, however, including How Death Came into the World, which is still told today.

The main character of the tale, Kumokums, is the Creator God of the Modoc (also known as Kemush, Kumokum, Kumush, Koomookumpts, Gmukamps) and his name is translated as "Old Man of the Ancients" or "Primeval Old Man", suggesting his existence from the beginning of time. In one version of the Modoc Creation Story, Kumokums travels to the Land of the Dead to select the spirits that would animate the people of four tribes of the region: the Shasta, the Warm Springs, the Klamath, and the Modoc. In How Death Came into the World, he again travels to the Land of the Dead but, this time, to bring back the spirit of his recently deceased daughter.

Native American Death Origin Myths

Native American origin myths concerning death are remarkably similar, even when the nations have had no known contact with each other prior to Euro-American contact and efforts to synthesize cultural beliefs as expressed in Native American literature. Scholar Larry J. Zimmerman writes:

Most accounts of the origin of death accept the logic that space is limited on Earth and room needs to be made for new life. On the whole, the afterlife is regarded as a place much like this one but with more game, corn, or whatever was prized…Almost all Indian peoples believed in some plane of existence beyond the realm of the living, but descriptions of the afterlife differed greatly, and the issue of what happens to the soul after death was a highly complex one for many tribes.

(246)

As Zimmerman notes, there was no doubt – for many, if not all Native American nations – that the soul survived physical death and went on to another realm, but that did very little to help a survivor deal with the grief of their loss. Native American origin myths concerning death tried to assist with that by explaining how death came to be and how even those responsible for the decision suffered the same grief at their loss.

The basic paradigm involves a figure of some degree of authority who makes a decision concerning mortality, then loses someone close to them, and wishes to reverse their earlier judgment – but, once the choice has been spoken into existence, it cannot be taken back.

Modoc Harvest Diorama

Michael Barera (CC BY-SA)

The Kiowa of the Plains Indians culture have a similar tale, sometimes given as How Death Came into the World and sometimes as Why the Ant is Almost Cut in Two, which follows this same model. In that story, the trickster figure Saynday (well-known from the Saynday tales) interacts with Red Ant as they discuss mortality and Saynday's concept of resurrecting the dead after four days. Red Ant rejects his proposal, claiming there are already too many living things on the earth and death is necessary to make room for those yet to be born or already living. Saynday agrees with her and decrees death as the final chapter of life on earth but, when Red Ant's son is killed, her grief is so intense she tries to kill herself, wishing she could have back what she had lost.

The Shoshone (Shoshoni) nation has a similar tale in which the central characters are Wolf and Coyote. Wolf suggests that death should be only a temporary state, which one could return from if the living enact a certain ritual that includes shooting an arrow beneath the deceased. Coyote rejects this plan, noting that there would then be too many of the living and resources would be spread too thinly. Wolf accepts Coyote's suggestion and decrees death as a permanent state, but when Coyote's son is killed, he comes to Wolf and asks that the decision be reversed. Wolf then reminds him that it was Coyote himself who insisted on death as a permanent state and that decision cannot now be altered.

Other Native American nations have similar origin stories for death, but the Modoc tale is unique in that it also provides an explanation of why the people had winter and summer camps, how their calendar was devised, and a detailed description of the Land of the Dead.

The story is also of interest to anthropologists, historians, and literary scholars for its similarity to the story of Orpheus and Eurydice from Greek mythology, which makes it stand out; as scholar Alice Marriott phrases it, "the Orpheus-Eurydice theme is unusual in North American Indian mythology" (190). There is no known record of interaction between the Modoc and anyone who would have known the Orpheus/Eurydice tale prior to contact between the Modoc nation and Euro-Americans, and How Death Came into the World is understood to pre-date that time as it seems to have already long been a part of the Modoc oral literary tradition.

Continue reading...

[deus-sema]

Having read these thought provoking posts in a row by @neyafromfrance95 and @anetherealpoetess , I racked my brain to remember when and how exactly did this drama over villain/heroine pairings start and how did it aggravate to such an extent?

But, before I begin, I want to get this out of the way: The intent of this post is not to generalize. Haters who hate everything fun without discrimination, those who aren't hypocrites, this post is not for you. You are the real deal. Hate and vent away and unless this hatred affects creators and fans adversely, which is when we would need to have serious conversations, we are good to go.

Where were we again? Yes. The heroine and the villain. The good girl and the bad guy. The M/F ship where the male character is not 100% morally upstanding and/or age appropriate. This dynamic goes by many names. Call it whatever you wish to.

Why this dynamic is enjoyed by many has been discussed often. Why it is disliked is also known. To each their own. Anyway, let's get straight to the point. This particular dynamic can result in the female character getting hurt at some point. Be it physically, mentally, or emotionally. It isn't mandatory but the possibility is always there. The villain/adversary with whom she shares a complicated entanglement that may or may not be 'officially' romantic is a challenge she must overcome. Be it by beating him, killing him, fixing him, smooching him or screwing him.

Preferences are one thing. But this vehement pushback specifically against stories that explore such a dynamic as well as against those who enjoy them is rather strange.

Now, why is it easier for some to separate fiction from reality when it comes to toxic m/m pairs as compared to similar m/f pairs? Aren't all these characters fake anyway? Maybe the belief that women are inherently fragile and, thus need to be protected and sheltered from any and all harm, genuine or perceived, still prevails. They aren't allowed to face so much as the slightest adversity or discomfort. They must be kept safe within the boundaries of propriety. If they are to have a partner then he must be a properly vetted 'green flag' who is safe for them in every aspect. Chemistry be damned. While it often stems from genuine, albeit misplaced, concern, it leaves the arcs of these female characters with limited scope.

Strangely enough, the characters in question can belong to any background: Human, demon, alien, witch, elf, warrior, zombie. Their natures might differ. They can all have different backstories, undergo varying experiences, follow rules and belief systems distinct from one another. But, when placed in an equation with a man who has been dubbed 'unsafe', they are all clubbed under one umbrella of victimhood. As long as the link between them and the unsafe male character exists, victims they must remain. Until that connection is severed and they are taken back to safety, all other identities cease to exist. Any conversation with respect to that equation must abritrarily categorize them as victim and the men as their victimizers and there should be nothing more to it. Not even if the narrative wills it. Fans who have different readings of the relationship are to be silenced with slutshaming, accusations of romanticizing abuse, not getting the plot, yada, yada. And, in certain cases, when the female character happens to be a WoC, her entire existence gets overlooked.

As a side effect of this approach, the  commercial creatives who are in the business for the paycheck and want to avoid unnecessary hassle, do not bother to put in effort or  undertake risks while creating female characters, let alone put them in a relationship with the bad guy. They know all it will take to calm the online pearl clutchers with pitchforks is to keep the female characters secure on the sidelines to play a supportive role leaving them free to focus and work hard on male characters who move the plot. The female characters are remembered only when the men have to be depicted in a better or worse light. Afterall, someone needs to be the scapegoat to help move the male character's arc forward.

The general audience, most of whom are in for the entertainment, must definitely notice the difference in importance that female characters hold as compared to their male counterparts but do not give it much thought. Meanwhile, in the online realm, puritantis and incels pat each other on the back after belittling real people who disagree with them for female characters in 'safe' and, possibly, passive roles is what both parties ultimately seek, albeit with different intentions. If a fictional woman doesn't toe the line, then the narrative is expected to set her right by 'humbling' her. As for the real ones deemed 'improper', the Internet is always ready with their pitchforks like we see here in this case highlighted by @problematic-faves-appreciation) concerning the Brontës.

Patriarchy truly is no different from the Hydra. Cut one head off and two more appear in its place wearing faux progressive hoodies.

[ao3feed-brucewayne]

Dont Pick Up Children From the Trash Can

by lemonlimemadness From where Tim’s buried his head in his hands, he nearly misses his phone buzzing on the table, lying face down. He flips it back over absentmindedly, and is greeted with a text from Jason. [Lmaooo Bruce fucked ur mom] He’s at his limit. Tim is three seconds away from animorphing into the fucking Joker. This calls for one singular, rational, measured response. Tim sits down before the batcomputer heavily, stretches his shoulders, cracks his neck and his fingers. In the end, he doesn't even need to fake a genetic relation. [JASON TODD ||| BRUCE WAYNE] [1ST DEGREE GENETIC MATCH. INDICATES DIRECT RELATION.] Tim laughs himself sick.   (Or; Batkids are Bruce’s biological kids AU) Words: 9749, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Series: Part 4 of fueled by coffee, spite and kirby music Fandoms: Batman - All Media Types Rating: General Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Categories: Gen Characters: Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, Cassandra Cain, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Damian Wayne, Stephanie Brown, Oliver Queen, Hal Jordan, Barry Allen, Clark Kent, Diana Prince Relationships: Bruce Wayne & Dick Grayson, Bruce Wayne & Cassandra Cain, Bruce Wayne & Jason Todd, Bruce Wayne & Tim Drake, Bruce Wayne & Damian Wayne, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson, Jason Todd & Dick Grayson, Tim Drake & Jason Todd, Jason Todd & Cassandra Cain, Bruce Wayne & Oliver Queen, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Jason Todd Additional Tags: Crack, Humor, POV Outsider, POV Multiple, Bruce Wayne is Brucie Wayne, Jason Todd Meets the Justice League, Timeline What Timeline, DC stands for Disregard Canon, Daddy Issues: The Musical, Sibling Bonding, this has been in my drafts for MONTHS, Running title was ‘batkids are biokids’ au, all you need to know really, Crack Treated Seriously, Biological Parent Bruce Wayne, Bruce Wayne is Dick Grayson's Biological Parent, Bruce Wayne is Cassandra Cain's Biological Parent, Bruce Wayne is Jason Todd's Biological Parent, Bruce Wayne is Tim Drake's Biological Parent, Wayne Gala (DCU), Weird Gotham City, Batfamily (DCU) Feels, Batfamily Shenanigans (DCU) via https://ift.tt/pgYO3qW

[tickly-trashcan]

Hear Me Out!! Stage!

Hello everyone! Welcome to the first stage of the Hear Me Out Cake Event!! :D

In this stage of the event, everyone has the opportunity to send in a character for the cake! You can be on anonymous or not, whatever is more comfortable for you! To submit a character, please send an ask to my inbox (linked here!) and list the character(s) you'd like to add to the cake. Please be sure to specify the fandom for the character as well! You are also welcome to submit OCs or sonas just make sure to specify that they're an OC or sona!! And if they aren't your own, make sure to mention who the original creator is! There isn't a limit on how many characters you can submit and I'll filter through duplicates for the final list so no worries there! :D

If you'd like to go above and beyond, talk about the character you're putting on the cake!! Why did you pick them? What kind of scenario are you hoping to see? Feel free to talk about anything, go crazy!! And even if someone else has suggested a character you'd like, feel free to mention them again if you'd like to talk about them! Like I said above, I'll filter through duplicates for the final list, but every ask I get will be posted so please take this as your opportunity to gush about your faves! :)))

This portion of the event will be open from January 12 until January 18!! During this period, you can send as many characters as you'd like into my inbox and I'll get them compiled into a list for the second stage of the event! I hope we all get some really fun characters on this cake! Look forward to it everyone!!! :D

[jupitermelichios]

a really underrated feature of bg3 i don't see enough people talk about is that it's the only game i've ever played that lets you fully play a gender-fluid character.

as long as you're playing custom character or durge, rather than one of the pre-made origin characters who have their own gender identity independant of the player's preferences, then at any point after the tutorial, you can use the magic mirror in your camp to change your appearance, or your gender identity. (and these are completely sepperate options, i'm obsessed with the fact that identity, overall body shape, voice, and genitals are 4 sepperate options which can be mixed and matched)

changing your gender identity doesn't change anything except how characters adress you, the game never gender-locks anything, which means you can just change it at any point, and your adventure continues on as normal except all the npcs and companions will address you according to your newly chosen gender. also there are 3 gender options, male female or non-binary, and the enby-ness is handled really well. the couple of moments i thought felt a bit odd, i've since played with other genders, and discovered no, it's not the writers being odd, it's a deliberate characterisation choice. Volo calls everyone 'my good fellow' regardless of gender. he's not being transphobic, he's just Like That (TM).

i've played games that let me be enby before, and i've played games that sepperated out appearance and identity, but never one where you could just decide at any point you want to be adressed differently without needing to roll up a new character, and I love it so much.

[fl00mie]

something i did when i saw a post of joku talking about this topic: it's an interesting concept but practically impossible because nothing stops artists from continuing to create (this is convenient for ink), based on this i tried to adjust the words of the creator of dreamtale herself to her characters under an objective truth— there is no limit to the multiverse

here's the post and the translation

[aroace-poly-show]

people who complain about fandom gender and sexuality hcs annoy me tbh. “if the creators wanted more queer characters they would have said so” have you considered that’s not the point the point is it’s just fun!! it’s fun to assign your own traits to characters so you can see yourself in them!! it’s fun to come up with gender headcanons and play around with how the character would present themselves!! it’s fun to assign characters orientations and come up with how they define themselves!! it’s fun to not even come up with context and story around it and just say they’re trans or gay or lesbian or non-binary or a xenogender or aroace or whatever!!! it can be fun!!! live a little!! goddamn!!

[unimaginativebepisenjoyer99]

the satrinyavas

[vampirian]

dnd life would be a whole lot easier if i could draw the blorbos in my head instead of having to rely on character creators online/in games but unfortunately i have the artistic skills of a high schooler struggling to make it through art class which means you will be able to tell what i WANT to draw if it's just about me simply drawing sth like in gartic phone or activity or other drawing related games and i can like make birthday and christmas cards for my friends with a lot of help like tracing and collage type of things but anything more elaborate and drawing ideas from my mind is simply not feasible

[shivunin]

To put a face to a name c: This is Tav

[silent-partner-412]

it’s sort of beautiful how stardew valley, a game made by a straight/cis man that is fairly heteronormative in a lot of ways, has become so beloved by queer people because of the few ways concerned ape chose to be inclusive. the fact that you can marry any marriage candidate as either gender was huge for me as a kid. the fact that several marriage candidates get special dialogue depending on if you’re a male or female farmer is really great, ca didn’t have to do that but he did. also, ca has completely embraced the modding scene, stating that one of the main goals of 1.6 was to make modding easier, which is an implicit acknowledgment that if there are parts of the game’s content that you wish were different, he himself supports you with open arms.

yeah, most of the writing itself is fairly hetero focused (and white, for that matter). all the pairs at the flower dance are hetero whether it makes sense or not, there’s no in game gay couples unless you yourself choose to marry the same gender, and any references to relationships in the game not focused on your farmer are almost always heterosexual, not to mention there’s really not a lot of genderqueerness period in the game. but honestly, i’m not too beaten up over it. i imagine ca probably wanted to stay in his lane while being as inclusive as possible, which i think he more or less succeeded at. i mean, no matter which way you slice it, this game is so meaningful to me as a gay boy and it probably always will be. the slight blemishes on the queerness of the game certainly don’t outweigh that for me.

[sonknuxadow]

i love matilda the armadillo. forever sad that she only got to be in like 2 issues before the reboot happened and she was wiped from existence

[calligeneias]

How many different dress up dolls/avatars do you guys have? I have 8 🙈

[creatorj-meow]

Redraws i did yesterday. It's been what 4-5 years since the original drawing. And i decided to get back to redrawing a few of them.

Even tho not all of it fitted on this post

Next ->

[simplestoryteller]

I’m kinda glad it’s ended cause I have no clue what I’d pick

Going off that one poll, I'd like to test a theory.

More reblogs = bigger sample size.

Also, I think follow up polls would be a good idea but tbh i might need input from actual disabled people for those ^^"