#have a really good rest of the day

[kuro4thegays]

so hey, honey. it's kind of hard to explain because things just happened and i heard the bell rang in my mind. xD yk when i read it i went from "oh hey i need to be serious to appreciate this" and put down my cup of milk. there's a process of thinking whenever i reach sth ethereal which connects to my soul. words flow in, images show up, and lovers get together. ^^) i feel the love you try to deliver, that's it. they're so real i can touch it and take a bite honestly.

i also saw your tags. and yes, i totally understand. maybe writing for whatever ship which has fame will draw attention and they will flood in and leave comments, same goes to the fem reader community. but its not what you really yearn, is it? i also think a lot. instrusive but yep, "i did so awesome with this piece, it'll get appreciated more if it was about their ships". i still stood true to myself since 2017, sometimes i couldn't believe it. still writing and getting not so much attention. i don't know will i quit it soon. i just want to do what i what with the person i love. its okay if you feel lonely. wanna say that you literally saved me the moment i found your place. because every male reader (especially bottom reader) is a warrior. it's so rare to see any of you. and i got so happy, your works are so good, i knew that your blog was safe for me to process. i wouldn't get attacked suddenly by some fem terms or to reader haha...

im here with you and thanks for being here with me, with us. even though it's nothing much, but keep moving in your own pace. you shine in the eyes of admirers. pat hug kiss. 🐰

Just... wow.

I have been avoiding responding to this because, honestly, I didn't know how to and still don't. But I can't avoid it forever, can I?

I just wrote what I felt, which might be why the love resonated so strongly with you. I guess since I don't get it often human touch is quite fascinating to me. The only one I think I ever actively wanted cuddles from was my cat, so that's my base line, warm and fuzzy.

It's not really about fame, more about recognition. Like I do get notes here and kudos on ao3, but I don't really get other forms of interaction like comments, asks and requests. This might sound harsh, but until I got this ask I felt useless, like all my writing is going to waist because it's for a very niche audience. I knew that people didn't hate me because I was getting notes, but never anything deeper, so it made me think that people only read it to get a quick kick out of it. I thought that maybe my work would impact much more people if it was made for a ship and that maybe it would inspire someone, then I wouldn't feel like I'm screaming into a void. Before I started getting asks sent in my inbox writing for this community felt really lonely. Not to mention that I would feel much more comfortable showing people my work if it was for a ship, currently I'm really only keeping it on this blog and that will probably never change.

So you could imagine how happy reading your comments made me. It flipped my whole perspective upside down. Just knowing that it meant something deeper to someone is enough to make it all seem a little more worth it, you know? And even if I don't know you, please don't stop writing. I'm sure that something you wrote made someone out there feel like I made you feel when you first discovered me. I can't describe how happy it makes me that you found your safe space in something I made.

Stay safe and take care of yourself.

[egophiliac]

do skully have pokemon?

Pumpkaboo is the obvious one, but y'know, sometimes the obvious one is the right one! (we'll say SUPER SIZE Pumpkaboo, just for fun. big pumpkin for big skeleton boy.) and another person actually also suggested Greavard, which I somehow hadn't considered, but feels so perfect that I feel like I should have. dangit.

(they can also have little Nightmare Suit costumes :D)

[cream-and-tea]

must a book have ‘plot’ and ‘structure’ and ‘progression.’ is it not enough for characters to be in a place. and for that place to be really fucking weird.

[bonefall]

Hey, what makes a character a 'plot device but not a character'? And how do you not do that? I'm trying to do it on purpose but also I need to still make them interesting because it's on purpose, yknow?

A good skill to pick up is to learn to criticise criticism itself. A "plot device" is simply a thing that moves the plot along, it's a neutral literary analysis term! Usually, when people are angry that "a character has been used as a plot device," it doesn't mean they hate plot devices. It means they're gesturing at something deeper.

Runningwind and Bumble are equally plot devices in their deaths. They are both killed by the antagonist to escalate political tension. Runningwind is rarely "accused" of just being a plot device, and yet, we're talking about Bumble for the same thing.

So, why?

Well, Runningwind is just a background character, but in life, he was a part of the community. He was characterized as impatient but responsible. Yet, he wasn't SO important that he died with a bunch of unresolved plot threads.

He is mostly an extension of the entity of ThunderClan. His killing by Tigerstar, and the fear and paranoia that settles on the group after this, feel like a progression of the story insteas of something forced.

Bumble, on the other hand...

Is hated immediately by Gray Wing, when she's established as Turtle Tail's friend. Bumble's abuse at Tom the Wifebeater's hands invites even MORE investment. The rejection is shocking and upsetting. There's a story there about our main characters being imperfect; jealous, bigoted, and judgemental.

But, she is simply killed off. Everything they set up for this character is gone with little personalized fanfare. It's not a tragedy with a lesson about cruelty, or something anyone regrets.

It's just... plot. Gray Wing whinging that no one will like his shitty brother now that his body count is 2.

More than that, in the discussion of women in particular, "Fridging" was coined to give a name to the way women characters often don't get their stories told at all. There is a CULTURAL trend of female characters facing disproportionate violence, for the sake of advancing male plots.

Bumble has a lot going for her. Petal had a lot going for her. Turtle Tail had a lot going for her. Bright Stream had a lot going for her. When they died, they took their potential with them.

It's not always wrong to kill off a character of high potential, mind you. In Gurren Lagann, Kamina's death is sudden and shocking, leaving a massive hole in the hearts of the cast that never heals. Grappling with that loss, but also letting his memory fuel them, is a major theme of that story.

All that to say... there's no formula for avoiding it. You've gotta identify what the deeper issue is, in your specific narrative.

I can't say for certain what that will look like for your story, but here's some things I keep in mind;

When you make characters who exist to die, make sure they're people before you axe them.

Ask yourself; what about them does the cast miss?

If they just miss them because they were (pre-existing relationship), go back to the drawing board.

Fluttering Bird as an example. Who was she? Dead sister. Why do they miss her? Dead sister. No traits until after her death.

Runningwind was short-tempered and helpful. Kamina was a valuable leader who made people believe in a brighter future. Swiftpaw was fiesty and desperate to prove himself. The better characterized, the more profound the loss usually is.

If this is a female character who is dying just to serve the plot, be aware of cultural bias and tropes. How is the gender ratio looking in your cast? Is this happening disproportionately with your girls?

Note how Quiet Rain's litter had both a boy and a girl, but the girl was chosen to be "weaker" and wither away.

And how most of the time in DOTC, whenever a man had to be upset, a girl would get killed for it.

If you ever feel like the character on the chopping block is NOT a full character, ask yourself why it needs to be a character at all. You don't need to spend narrative time building out someone when a literal object of high value might suffice.

"My sister died when I swore to protect her and I can't face my family" = Old. Tired. Ive seen this.

"I lost my heirloom sword when I swore to protect it and I can't face my family." = Fascinating. Why was the sword so valuable? Will they really not take you back? How did you lose it?

When you do kill off "high value" characters, try to make sure you're not leaving too many plot threads hanging. Or at least make a point of how they will never get closure.

[embrace-your-illithid]

The Emperor would be so good at giving boops

A flurry of boops

I'm going to have to partially and respectfully disagree, anon. The Emperor would be the type to do one single, unnecessarily dramatic, powerful boop.

[mossy-paws]

Mangograft! (PHIGHTING!)

Would one care for a mango? (It’s a bomb /j)

ANYWAYS I forgot to post this so here it is! Live laugh Mangograft this was a suggestion from a friend since I was bored :3

Also here’s this gem too no im not giving context

[synth-ab]

Zelink is taking over my brain again

[ratislatis]

I'll find you. Wait for me.

hee hee hoo hoo AUUUUGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH PAIN PAIN SUFFERING PAIN IN ALL DIRECTIONS!!!! TO HELL WITH IT (LITERALLY)!!!!!!!!!

[cadere-art]

I've been struggling to draw recently so I'm attempting to warm up by doing dumb fursona scribbles. This one is titled "What the hell is wrong with my tendons"

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

King the silly guys, Lupin III!

(for @dying-suffering-french-stalkers)

[tangledinink]

For the Swanatello fam: what does everyone miss most about Donnie during his lake-induced absences?

for donnie, leo will gladly give every scrap of patience and grace and gentleness he has. he doesn't mind explaining things. he doesn't mind telling his brother the same things over and over. he doesn't mind it when donnie forgets or doesn't understand or needs his help to remember or process things.

but he misses the banter. the back-and-forth. the stupid fights and pranks and 'you said's' and 'i told you so's.' and, perhaps a bit selfishly, he misses when he didn't always feel like he had to be the bigger person for him. he misses when he still had the space to be childish and immature and petty towards his twin, and it wouldn't hurt either of them the way it tends to now.

[ swanatello ]

[mishidefresa]

Sketches

[jasperyourmutt]

zonked out on the dog bed snoring up a storm. you come over and rub the soft spot on the top of my nose. i let out the most contented sigh

[expelliarmus]

[b4kuch1n]

about ready

[they-didnt-last]

anyone interested in talking about the iconic 2000's middle-grade-bordering-on-ya book series gallagher girls??