#hopefully the first of a series of illustrations… i hopee

[khorazir]

Lineart of a second illustration for my upcoming new Payneland fic Octopus Pillow. The first illustration (and inspiration for the fic) I posted a while ago. I had the faint hope that someone might write a fic inspired by it, but since nobody did and the idea persisted, I decided to do it myself. The new fic will hopefully be finished this weekend and posted some time next week.

It won’t be part of my other series of DBDA fics. The next chapter of The Case of the Stolen Barrow (which will have the boys and Crystal travel to the Neitherlands to recover Niko) is also in the works.

[mossdrawn]

« Because he doesn’t want to be too loud he doesn’t use his hairdryer. Instead he drapes his towel around his shoulders and lets his hair drip and drip and drip. »

from dragonfly year by @c-kiddo. this image really gets to me every time… the lonely quiet of trying to not get in the way. it really resonates. beautiful story.

(i hope it is ok to tag you in fanart!)

[callsignseagull]

all you had to do was stay ✪ part 1

Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin x fem!reader

Summary: Six years ago Jake hit your life like a hurricane. In and out in a matter of weeks. You thought after you get over the disappointment of him leaving without saying a word you’d never think of him again. But then two pink lines change your life forever. Now he’s back and still has no idea that the little girl by your side is his daughter. 

Words: 2.1k

Warnings: Not much, honestly. maybe just a little angsty 

A/N: Here’s part one!! I hope you like it! It's a little on the short side but hopefully there'll be more soon :))

feedback is always appreciated :)

series masterlist

You’re sitting at the dining table, scrolling through your emails with one hand while holding your toast in the other. You’ve become a pro at multitasking.

“Mommy? Do you think they have churros at that market Penny is taking me?” Your daughter is munching on a toast of her own, crumbs sticking to her cheeks. 

“I’m sure.” You smile. “And I’m sure if you ask nicely, Penny will get some for you.” 

She grins before taking another bite of her toast and you can’t help but reach over and give her a kiss. You can’t believe how fast she’s growing up. At now five years old, Josie is your entire world. As shocked and scared as you were when you found out about her, she’s the best thing that ever happened to you.   

Turning back to your laptop, you flag the most important mails so you don’t forget to follow up on them later. The time before one of your books releases is always the most stressful, but you wouldn’t change it for the world. You got so lucky. 

You wrote and illustrated your first children’s book while being pregnant with Josie, it gave you something to distract yourself from all the changes you were going through. And then you posted about it online, it went sort of viral and then a publisher reached out to you. The book was an immediate success. It’s been translated in several different languages and they even make stuffed toys and board games based on your characters now.

And now you’re about to release the fifth book in the series. It’s hard to churn one out every year, but you’re scared that if you drop the ball, all you’ve worked for will be ripped from you. You want to give Josie the best life possible, so you work your ass off. 

When both of you are finished with breakfast, you clean up the table and tell Josie to put her shoes on. As you slip into your own shoes, you whistle for Muffin, the four year old poodle mix you adopted from a rescue last year, and he comes trotting around the corner moments later. 

After checking you’ve got everything you lock the front for behind you, hold your free hand out for Josie to take, the other holding Muffin’s leash. Then, the three of you take on the short walk towards the Hard Deck. 

Penny Benjamin has been a life saver these last few years, throughout your pregnancy and beyond. She’s been there for you whenever you needed her, day or night. You don’t know what you would’ve done without her. And now she’s somewhat of a grandma figure for Josie, and she’s probably the hottest grandma ever. Her and Amelia are the closest thing you and Josie have to a family, besides each other.

Today, Penny is taking Josie to a Food Market while you look after the bar for a couple hours. It’s still early and not many people will be there, but you’re glad you can help Penny out while still getting some work done for yourself.

“There’s my favourite little family!” Penny greets, as you enter the Hard Deck, her arms wide and Josie immediately runs towards her and into her arms. 

“Hi Penny! I’m so excited! Are you excited? Do you think they’ll have churros?” Josie rambles with glistening eyes, her dimples on show and for a moment you’re reminded of how much she looks like her father. You manage to push thoughts of him to the back of your mind most days but sometimes you just look at her and all you can see is him. 

You haven’t tried reaching out to him again. You know you should’ve. But it felt wrong sending him a text telling him he’ll be a father. And you doubted that he even wanted to be a father. So you decided you’d spare yourself, and your daughter, the heartache. Josie hasn’t asked about her father much, but when she did you told her that he’s a pilot in the Navy and that he loves her. You never want her to feel like she’s not wanted.  

✩̿✪̿✩̿

Jake knew he’d come back eventually. He just didn’t know it would take him so long. But if he was being honest with himself he knew that if it wasn’t for him being called back to Top Gun for some top secret mission he still wouldn’t have had the guts to come back here. Hell, he’s been living only a few hours north from here for the past couple of years. He easily could’ve made the drive down. But he’d always been good at coming up with excuses. But now he couldn’t. Not when he’s in the same city for the next few months. He’d constantly be looking for you. Seeing you in every face that just slightly resembled yours. He didn’t even know if you still lived in San Diego, though. But going to the Hard Deck seemed like the logical thing to do. Even if you weren’t working there anymore, Penny Benjamin might know where to find you.

As soon as he enters the bar he’s hit with nostalgia. Nothing has changed. He takes a look around and pretends he’s the six years younger version of himself, still naive enough to think that nothing will ever rattle him.

Since it’s still the early afternoon it’s not busy and there seems to be no one behind the bar right now. With a deep sigh he sits down in one of the barstools, then notices someone crouched down behind the bar, looking for something in a cabinet. 

His breath catches in his throat. It can’t be.

He hasn’t seen you in six years, and even though he can’t see your face right now, he knows it’s you. He can feel it. 

Now he really feels like he’s been transported back six years in time. You haven’t noticed him yet and he can’t hold back the words that are going through his head.

“Can you pinch me? Because I can’t believe you’re real. I thought I was dreaming.” He knows it’s a bit of a dick move, throwing his first thing he ever said to you at you now. But maybe you’re not as mad at him as he thinks? What if you don’t even remember him? He hadn’t thought about that. Fuck. 

✩̿✪̿✩̿

You almost hit your head when you spin around towards him.  This can’t be real.

“What are you doing here?” You must look like you’ve seen a ghost, but it honestly feels like that. He looks the same but he doesn’t. He’s filled out more, even though you never thought it possible. And he just looks overall more mature. It suits him. 

“What am I doing here in San Diego or what am I doing here at the Hard Deck?” He tilts his head, a small smile on his face. You don’t grace that with an answer, he knows what you mean. The smile slowly drops from his face, and there’s a seriousness in his eyes that makes it impossible for you to look away. “I was hoping to find you here.”

“Why?”

“I want to apologise.” 

That makes you straighten up. Apologise? After six years? 

“I was an absolute asshole to you and you didn’t deserve that. I was going through a rough time and I took all that out on you. I’m sorry. And I’m sorry I just left without saying goodbye. I got called on a mission right after graduation and when I got back I figured you didn’t wanna talk to me ever again.”

His words take your breath away for a moment. Never in a million years did you think you’d get an apology from Jake. 

“I-,” you stop, wringing your hands together. At a loss for words.

“You don’t have to say anything.” He smiles softly. “I’m in town for a while. Maybe we could … I don’t know … hang out sometime? Catch up?”

As much as you want to protect your heart and tell him no, you know you have to catch him up on what happened after he left. It’s not right to keep him in the dark now that he’s here. You know that.

“You don’t have to answer me now. Take some time to think about it. I’m sure you’re busy, with your books being such a success. And you’re still working at the bar?” He looks curious and you’re a little shocked.

“I’m just helping Penny out for a couple hours. You know about my books?”

“My nieces love them.” He grins. “I have to read them to them before bed every time I’ve got time to visit them down in Texas.”

“You’ve got nieces?” 

“Yeah, they’re two and four. Love them to death. My Mom’s been begging for grandkids for years and she’s so happy to dote on them every chance she gets.”

Your heart constricts. Two and four. They’re younger than Josie. Not only does she have cousins somewhere in Texas, she’s also the first grandchild to a woman who’s never met her. Who doesn’t even know about her. But you don’t know much about Jake’s parents. Maybe she wouldn’t be the biggest fan of a child out of wedlock. 

You glance at Jakes hand. No ring. 

You muster up the courage to your next question. You know the answer might hurt, but you have to ask him.

“Any kids of your own?” 

Jake shakes his head with a laugh, “No, not that I know of.” 

It’s just a joke but you feel like it makes your heart stop before it starts beating rapidly in your chest. This is it. There’s no better moment than now. Just get it over with.

“Jake, I-“ 

“Mommy!” Josie comes barreling through the door, Penny a few steps behind her. “Penny let me have Churros and they were delicious!” She wraps her arms around you and looks up at you with her sparkling green eyes.

Maybe you don’t even have to tell him. You glance at Jake and he looks a bit taken aback.

“Yeah, honey? Did you have fun?”

“So much fun!” She grins, showing off her deep dimples, and you run a hand over her head before giving her a kiss. You manage to look at Penny, who’s glaring at Jake. It takes all your courage to look at him. He doesn’t even seem to notice Penny, his eyes focused on the girl in your arms. You can’t read the expression on his face, has he already realised how much she looks like him? 

“Well, I guess I don’t have to ask you if you have any.” He smiles, his lips tight, then looks at your daughter and his smile turns more genuine. “What’s your name, sweetheart?” Hearing the term of endearment again makes goosebumps raise on your skin. 

“Josie.” She’s not a shy kid, so you’re not surprised when she looks at him curiously and asks, “Who are you?” 

Your grip tightens around her but before you can say anything he replies, “I’m an old friend of your Mom.” 

You shoot him a really? look but he just shrugs his shoulders. Well, you guess it is inappropriate to tell your five-year-old daughter that he used to fuck your brains out. 

“Thanks for helping out.” Penny says, “Both of you.” She winks at Josie. 

Muffin comes trotting around the corner and Josie let’s go of you to throw her arms around the poodle mix. “I missed you!” While Muffin covers your daughter’s face in slobber, Jake huffs out a laugh. 

“A dog, too, huh?” 

You shrug your shoulders, not sure what to say to that. 

“Does the house have a picket fence?” It’s a bit of a loaded question, you think, but you don’t read too much into it and reply truthfully, thinking about the little house you put a down payment on a couple years ago. 

“It does.” 

Jake rubs his chest and gives you that tight lipped smile again. “I’m happy for you.” 

He means it, you can tell. “Thanks, Jake.”

He gets up from his seat at the bar, knocks on the wood a couple times then says. “Your husband is one lucky guy.” Another tight lipped smile.

“My wha-?” 

“I’ll see you around.” He nods then turns on his heel and before you can comprehend what just happened he’s gone.

“Mommy, why did he say your husband? You don’t have one of those.” 

“I don’t know, honey.” 

You watch him cross the parking lot to his car and it dawns on you that he thinks that all your dreams came true:  become a full time illustrator, fall in love, get married, adopt a dog, buy a little house, have kids.

Little does he know that you fell in love with him, had his kid, and did all of the rest on your own. 

taglist: @annathesillyfriend ✪ @lovebittenbyevans ✪ @heyhihellowhatsup0 ✪ @one-sweet-gubler ✪ @emorychase ✪ @wooya1224 ✪ @novagreen04 ✪ @iammirrorball ✪ @lolcaca ✪ @caitsymichelle13 ✪ @soulmates8 ✪ @soleilgrec ✪ @lilylilyyyyyy ✪ @winters-queen ✪ @i0veless ✪ @the-romanian-is-bae ✪ @mandyppp ✪ @dempy ✪ @mizuki80 ✪ @lumpypoll ✪ @averyhotchner ✪ @babyice1274 ✪ @captain-fandomwriter58 ✪ @hangmanscoming ✪ @caidi-paris ✪ @linkpk88 ✪ @djs8891 ✪ @xomrsalliej4787xo ✪ @lnmp89 ✪ @startrekfangirl2233 ✪ @gigisimsonmars ✪ @merishfit ✪ @clancycucumber230 ✪ @sky0401 ✪ @emilyoflanternhill ✪ @roostersforevergirl ✪ @celestialeviereads ✪ @blackwidownat2814 ✪ @impossiblebagelcowboyfreak ✪ @grxcisxhy-wp ✪ @atarmychick007 ✪ @dakotakazansky ✪ @fulla02 ✪ @alana4610 ✪ @callsignwidow ✪ @memoriesat30 ✪ @ebonyhogan24

[dwindlinghaze]

Hi :)) im wondering if you could write a Remus fic with a suuuuper shy!reader? Reader loves him but poor baby can't even look at him omg. Love your fics darling🌙

hi lovelyyy,, thanks for requesting !! yes ofc i could :) i hope you like this !! ☁️🪽🫧🫧

one spoon for two

(remus lupin x reader)

contents : fluffy, shy reader, mentions of twoz book series bcs my ozian ass is obsessed with them😭🙏, not proofread

　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

it wasn't a secret that you were shy.

you don't talk much. you usually let the others do the talking and you listen. despite your lack of voice, your ears are fully open. which is not so much of a convenience really.

sometimes you worried that your friends get bored of you because you have nothing to say. it's not like you don't care, you do. you just don't quite know the right words to express what you think.

you only talk when it's necessary. when people talk to you first. that's why you've been getting frustrated lately.

sitting on the grass with a book open on your lap, you were focused on the neatly printed pages and illustrations on your book along with the sound of soft winds and dried leaves. well- that was until you saw the infamous marauder, james and sirius trotting on the ground while throwing a snitch at each other to catch.

you don't want to look at them. although every part of you wanted to steal a glance towards the kindhearted marauder, remus lupin.

he's the perfect combination of every good things in the world.

he is smart, funny, witty, caring, and so much more.

it takes everything in you to keep your little pupils away from his face. if you look at him, you were sure you'd blush and that would be embarrassing.

you got up slowly, escaping whatever you're feeling right now.

there he goes, averting his eyes to your moving figure. he frowns a little, knowing that you were quite shy in front of people and prefer being in the company of your own.

"whatcha looking there moony? your girl?" sirius quipped.

"she wouldn't even look at me," he shook his head. he wondered if you knew his feelings and were terrified.

"she's just shy, moony," james said, almost missing the snitch sirius threw.

the next time you were in the same room with him was in potions. you noticed how his hair flops in the prettiest way possible with the perfect shade of golden.

then the next second, he turned his head so you reluctantly look away immediately. thankful that he was turning to look at james and not you.

and god does the universe loves seeing you nervous!

your were partnered up with remus and james to brew a potion together.

the two boys walked towards your table. james skipping like a child while remus tried to keep his cool.

"hey darlin' i will be getting the ingredients yeah, and you and remus can set up the table," james grinned a friendly grin.

you nodded, whispering a 'yeah'. it wasn't loud, but remus heard it just as clear.

as you set up the table, remus tried talking to you, to hopefully get you comfortable and to show that he is a good person.

you didn't need him to do things just to prove he is a good person. you already knew that of course. he is nice to everyone. he's selfless and caring.

"hey, you alright?" he noticed your timid movements.

"yeah, m'fine," you said to him in such a quiet voice. you couldn't look at him, you're too shy to do so.

it was the middle of brewing when your hand brushed his while you were crushing pearls. "sorry," you mumbled.

"no need to apologise..." he frowned, confused as to why you were so... away from here yet you were in the same room. "you sure you're alright?" he continued, reaching for your palms.

he was shocked at himself. he just touched your hand? he's never done that to anyone except his marauders. but he didn't regret it though, your skin was so much softer than his. he felt like he's holding a ball of cotton.

your cheeks turned red when his hand grasped yours. your heart beating twice as fast. "remus, i'm promise im okay...," you answered.

remus squeezed your knuckles, sending a confused look to james in which he returned with a teasing grin that made remus rolled his eyes.

maybe he liked you. well- who's he kidding, of course he does! he saw you almost everyday, and you look so enchanting the entire time.

he thinks your hair is perfect. you styled it in the way that makes your pretty face prettier. your energy (or lack of energy) is cute too. you fumble with your words when people talk to you. and he thinks it's adorable and attractive at the same time.

the way you pushed your hair away from your eyes as you crushed those pearls. it was absolutely angelic.

"i think y/n likes you moons," james said when they were all sprawled on their dorm at the end of the day.

"i think so too" sirius agreed, chuckling as he threw a piece of crumpled up paper.

"me too." he said.

everyone stayed silent after that. mouth wide open. they never thought remus would be so confident saying that someone likes him (although it's not a bad thing, just out of remus' usual self deprecation).

"wha- no!" remus shook his head in disbelief. "i mean i like her too," he corrected shyly, his cheeks flushing.

"we know," the three of them said at the same time and bursted into laughter the next moment.

"it's quite obvious moony!" james said, "especially this morning when you held her hand. you never do that! let alone let us touch your little shoulder."

"it's different!"

"oh we know! you never look at me like you want to kiss my face off but you do look at y/n that way," james said.

"she always steals a millisecond to look at you y'know?" sirius snickered. enjoying the embarrassment his best friend is experiencing currently.

"don't lie, pads. she didn't even look at me the whole potions class," remus sighed.

"she's just shy, moony," sirius rolled his eyes. "if you really really and i mean really feel like you two can work out together, my advice is that you should reach out and talk to her. slowly but surely she'll be less nervous with you!"

and remus took sirius' advice. usually his advices are absurd and obnoxious but sirius has girls and boys falling for him left and right. surely he knows how to treat a girl right?

he saw you sitting at the library one evening. nose buried in your book. the only features he can see are your hair, forehead, and eyebrows.

and they all look pretty. your brows would furrow when you read something weird in the book.

it's hard to compose himself when you were there. just sitting peacefully with no care about the things surrounding you. you weren't even doing anything and he is smitten.

you heard shuffling besides you and you look up almost instantly, meeting a pair of honey green eyes in the colour like a comet in the sky.

you look away immediately, focusing on your book, growing nervous under his stare.

he smiled, "is it okay f'me to sit here?"

"yeah," you replied. you cringed at how short it was. you don't want to come off as rude or cold or anything but it's hard to speak a sentence.

"what're you reading there?" he asked, his voice sweet like candy.

"uh," you flipped your book around, to read off the title. "the road to emerald city of oz," you replied, tilting your chin towards him as you smile gently but still keeping your eyes firmly on the page.

"is it like a series? i heard about the wonderful wizard of oz somewhere," remus replied.

"it is," you nodded. it's hard to read when he's beside you like this. when you're the only thing in his view right now. when you're the only one in his head.

"do you have all the books?" he asked, just wanting to hear voice.

"i do," you finally flickered your eyes at him for a good two seconds before returning them back to your book. you blushed when you look at him. he was radiating comfort and care but you were too much in your feelings. eye contact is your weakness.

"can i borrow them?"

"you want to read them?" you looked at him again, this time a little longer and a little more confused. confused as to why anyone would be interested in what you like.

"why not? don't you like it?" he asked.

"i do," you replied. "i'm on the seventh book," you looked down again.

remus let out a soft chuckle, gazing at you like you're the most precious human being ever.

"huh?" you furrowed your brows. looking at his sweater instead of his face.

"you're so dear you know," he smiled.

your cheeks flushed red at his compliment. you didn't reply. didn't know how to.

"i'll get the book for you," you scrambled out of the library, heading to your dorm to give remus the first book in the series.

while being away from him, you collected yourself, taking deep breaths because he's so breathtaking that close. you've never been this close to him. he smells so good.

you were back in a jiffy, only to find out that remus has scooted more in the middle, making your legs touch when you sit down.

"oh yeah! just like what i heard "the wonderful wizard of oz," he nodded.

"sorry, it's a children's book," you replied in embarrassment, just realising that you were reading a book for children!

"oh i don't mind! i read cringy werewolf romance books and that makes you so much better than me," he laughed, seeing the small smile that appeared on your pretty lips.

the next time he was talking to you this close again was when he finished the first copy of your book. he had finished it in just two days, leaving you in surprise.

he read it so fast so he can find an excuse to spend time with you again. the story was quite alright, but he would not tell that to you.

"hi," he plopped down next to you in the library. same exact spot as last time. "i finished it!" he held up the book.

"oh that's great," you replied, surprised he was sitting here again next to you "did you like it?"

"i loved it! i can't believe the wizard of oz is just an old basic man! not even magic," he huffed childishly, making you giggle.

the sound is simply spa music to his ears.

"what's your favourite character?" remus asked.

"glinda."

"oh the witch... from the south?"

"yeah," you replied.

"next book?" he questioned.

you had it in your bag, ready to give it to him anytime. "i've got it here," you pulled it out.

remus smiled as your fingertips brushed past his in a quick incandescent touch.

this routine continued so and so until he noticed a few changes within yourself. you weren't that shy nor timid anymore. you still couldn't hold eye contact with him for more than five seconds but that's alright for him.

during those five seconds he is sure he has fallen in love. he couldn't help it. you're his crush since forever, it's bound to happen.

"hey, i finished glinda of oz!" remus cheered, putting down the book on his lap as he took in your appearance.

this was not at the dark library that shadows off your features. you were sitting on grass in the afternoon, making your skin glow under the golden rays of sunshine. he can see your pretty face clear now.

you smiled at him as he took a seat beside you, you actually feels secure enough around him to look at his face.

"that means you finished the whole series, rem," you let out a soft and proud but light chuckle.

"i now know why you love it so much!" remus smiled. he realised he always smiles when he's with you. you must have super powers.

"do you like glinda?" you asked.

"my favourite character is the tin wood man. he's funny, but yeah. since you like glinda so much then i guess she can be a favourite of mine too!" remus replied, rubbing circles in your knuckles.

just that little gesture he did made you shy all over again, unable to look at him like the first time you two were talking.

remus smiled again, gently taking your other hand with his other. "i want to ask you something, lovie," remus looked into your beautiful eyes.

your head is fuzzy. he called you 'lovie'. a nickname. you're sure you were warm in the face.

remus brushed his fingers on your left cheek with the softest touch known to men. "love..."

"yes...?"

"the next hogsmeade trip is this saturday.... do you want to er- like share the trip together- i mean as a date?" he looked at you with such fondness in his eyes.

"me?"

"yes you, lovie, look at me yeah?" remus gently cupped your cheeks.

you two were so close to the point that you can feel remus warmth radiating off of him.

"what do you say?"

"yeah," you nodded. embarrassment washing you again when all you said was just a 'yeah'.

"yeah yes or yeah no?" remus asked, a smile playing on his lips.

"yes i'll go with you," you were a blushing mess, trying to look away from his eyes but his soft hands kept tugging you back.

remus felt the heat from your cheeks in his palm. it was absolutely a fuzzy feeling knowing that you were showing likeness towards him.

he wanted to kiss you. doesn't have to be on the lips. he'd love to plant small kisses on your red cheeks. but he didn't of course. boundaries.

"settled then yeah? i'll be waiting at our common room, darling," he smiled.

[yumeka-sxf]

There were two panels related to Spy x Family at Anime Expo this year, with the first on Day 1 being Toho Animation's panel featuring both Spy x Family and Kaiju No.8.

The panel started with the SxF portion, with the special guests being the series director, Kazuhiro Furuhashi, and the CODE: White director, Takashi Katagiri. They also had the six SxF ThreeZero figures on the stage with them 😀

The MC asked them some questions, like what their favorite scenes were from their respective works and who their favorite character is. They also showed behind-the-scenes footage of both the Loid/Fiona tennis match in season 1, and Yor's fight scene against Type F in the movie. We got to see both of these scenes in rough animatic sketch form and then in line art form, which was pretty cool (it wasn't clear if photo/video was prohibited at this panel, but I didn't want to risk it by being caught blatantly recording these exclusive clips, lol). Then they showed off some of Anya's unused outfits from the movie.

At the end, they showed this original illustration by Kyoji Asano, made specifically for this event 😁

And that was it for the SxF part of the panel before they moved on to Kaiju No.8...and to be honest, it kinda overshadowed the SxF part, mostly because it featured two of the main Kaiju No.8 voice actors, one of which was extremely hilarious and charismatic. Plus there were a lot more segments compared to the SxF part. The interview with the guests seemed longer, they did three live voice overs, showed a pre-recorded special message from the band that performs the Kaiju No.8 opening, and then they took a group photo with the audience (and maybe something else that I'm forgetting). It seemed like the SxF part took up about 35% of the panel's time while Kaiju No.8 took up 65%. Not sure why it felt so unbalanced, but it was still fun.

Next was the panel on Day 3 for Production IG and their related studios WIT and Signal MD. Heads of each studio were there, including George Wada from WIT. Photo/video wasn't allowed once the panel started, but it basically consisted of an interview with the different guests, then trailers/teasers for their upcoming projects, then a Q&A session.

WIT is the studio that makes SxF, so I was hoping for any news about season 3, specifically if WIT would be more involved with it than they were with season 2. For those who don't know, season 1 of SxF was made by both WIT Studio and Cloverworks. But when they decided to make both season 2 and the movie in 2023, they split up the work, with WIT focusing on the movie while Cloverworks did pretty much all the work on season 2 (which is why the animation in season 1 and season 2 looks a bit different). According to this tweet, the official staff listing for season 3 is the same as season 2, meaning WIT will once again have little involvement. But despite this, they had a slide during the presentation with the season 3 promo image (preceded by the CODE: White teaser trailer, which made the crowd go wild - glad there were lots of SxF fans in the audience!) George Wada also said in regards to season 3 that they're "working hard on it."

I wanted to confirm during the Q&A if WIT would again take a backseat during season 3's production as well, but unfortunately the panel only had a few minutes left when it was close to my turn, and then they opted to pick a few random people in line for their last questions (which I thought was kind of unfair). Guess we'll just have to wait and see if anything changes with that staff listing once we get closer to season 3's release.

Overall, while Takuya Eguchi's appearance at last year's AX was more fun, it was still cool to attend this year's SxF-related panels as well. Hopefully season 3 will either be airing or close to being released at next year's AX, so we'll have even more SxF events!

[aquamine-amarine]

I really hope that's not the actual cover and it's just a placeholder. A reused illustration for the first cover? Seriously? That's so lazy and disappointing. You have time to draw a new illustration for one of the postcards but not the cover? The cover is more important.

The little black text underneath one of the covers says "The image is of the design in progress". So hopefully this is NOT the final cover. That would just be so bad. Cover illustrations should always be brand new, not reused art! The color title pages have been a little disappointing so far, even the chapter 3 title page wasn't brand new, it was art taken from the actual chapters and just colored. The Nakayoshi covers and black and white title pages have been nice though.

There's two of them and they're only working on one series, yet they still can't draw a new cover illustration for the volume? Back in 2008 they had a psychotic schedule of working on THREE different manga (RM, Z-L, SC!) at the same time (don't do that again, that's bad for your health) and they still managed to make a brand new cover illustration for the SC! volumes every time. Although I did notice that the title page illustrations back then had lineart that wasn't inked, it was left in pencil and just colored...

Also, I'm noticing the art is identical on both the regular edition and special edition, which was not the case for the original series! Amu always had a slightly different facial expression on the special edition covers. You can see them all below. The bigger image on each page is the one used for the regular editions, and the smaller one was used for the special editions. She was also holding up fingers that matched the volume number. The Guardian Characters showed up for volumes 11 and 12 because she ran out of fingers.

Volume 1

Volume 2

Volume 3

Volume 4

Volume 5

Volume 6

Volume 7

Volume 8

Volume 9

Volume 10

Volume 11

Volume 12

As for the postcard selection... the illustrations chosen for the postcards back then were often Nakayoshi covers (recolored to match the color of the volume), title pages, and/or other miscellaneous illustrations. Plus the new illustration. There were always new illustrations on the back cover of the regular editions. The special edition back covers had a back view of Amu (you can see that in the above links).

I scanned all the postcards, but unfortunately I didn't tag them with something unique to make them easier to find. You can find them through the archive though: January 2016 and February 2016.

So my guesses for the included postcards in this new special edition are:

The illustration showing off Arcana's middle school uniform

September 2024 Issue cover of Nakayoshi

October 2024 Issue cover of Nakayoshi

January 2025 Issue cover of Nakayoshi

New illustration

[insertdisc5]

Devlog #14: Big News Incoming and Illustrations

Hello everyone! Welcome to this month’s devlog!

If you just stumbled upon this, I am Adrienne, also known as insertdisc5! I’m the developer, writer, artist, main programmer, etc of the game. The game being In Stars and Time, a timeloop RPG, which is also the next and final game in the START AGAIN series, following START AGAIN: a prologue (available here!).  You can find out more about In Stars and Time here!!! 

LET’S GET TO IT. This month has some Big News about Big News Incoming! And also some illustrations!

The Big News Incoming first: In Stars and Time will be a part of Future of Play Direct on June 10, 8:00am PT | 11:00am ET | 5:00 pm CET! Future of Play is part of the Summer Games Fest and showcases a lot of incredible indie games, so I hope you’ll tune in. There might be a little something for you to see :> And...

In Stars and Time will also be a part of The Mix on June 8th! The Mix is an amazing games showcase over in LA. There will be a lot of press there, so I’m very excited to get some eyes on ISAT! Please stop by the booth and say hi to the lovely people from my publisher, Armor Games Studios, if you get the chance!

Alright! That’s it for the big news. Now for other big news.

Porting the game to Switch seems to be close to done! Currently, the porting team is taking care of optimization thingy things. The game is playable, but tends to drop frames every so often, so the team is optimizing the game to make sure it’s playing smoothly so Switch players can have the best possible experience! And…

The (hopefully) final round of Japanese localization is underway! Last April, the localization team sent back a couple of sentences that should be reworded now that they have further context. Now that those changes are implemented, they are playing it one more time to make sure everything works as intended!

I sadly don’t have a Fun Gamedev Thing to talk about this month (or… last month either…) because I moved elsewhere back in April and have been taking care of many things so my move went smoothly. Did you know that moving and getting used to a new town is hard work? So, here’s some things I posted on social media in the last couple months!

Here’s an illustration I drew a while back but only posted recently! I imagine that during their journey, everyone must’ve shared a bed at least once. This is also an occasion to show everyone’s sleepytimes clothes. Siffrin on that honk shoo honk shoo fit

Like many people, I have seen the Barbie movie trailer. So of course I had to redraw these iconic frames.

And someone over on Tumblr asked me about how I picked everyone’s names! Here it is copy-pasted for your convenience.

Siffrin: i think. i will wait until the game comes out before saying how i picked their name. ask me again later (it’s not a spoiler its just silly)

Mirabelle: her name was actually Prunille for the longest time, but I kept mixing it up and calling her Bonnie… so I went looking for another fruit sounding name (prunille>prune>plum in french) and Mirabelle fit her perfectly :> (Mirabelle is a kind of plum!)

Isabeau: it’s just a nice name. It actually is a girl name but i refuse to accept it because “beau” is the masculine form for “beautiful”, but either way it fits his character pretty well…

Odile: old sounding french name. that’s it. when i was early in preproduction her name was Isabeau actually (and she had a WAY different personality)

Bonnie: it’s a nickname and not their full name. have i said their full name yet? (checks the wiki) i did. Boniface is just a name that I had never heard before, and I could easily imagine Bonnie not liking it because it sounds “old and lame”. i think as they get older they would like it more and more

This is also a reminder that In Stars and Time has a wiki page. I am so grateful that this is a thing someone made. You know you've made it when your game has a wiki page!!!

That’s all I have to say for today! Let me know if you have any questions, or if there’s any aspect of the game development struggle you’d like me to talk about! See you next time!!!

AND DON’T FORGET TO WISHLIST THE GAME ON STEAM ALSO IT REALLY HELPS BECAUSE STEAM’S ALGORITHM IS MORE LIKELY TO SHOW OFF GAMES WITH A HIGH AMOUNT OF WISHLISTS THAT’S THE REASON WHY GAME DEVS ALWAYS ASK TO WISHLIST!!! OKAY BYE!!!!

[houseofsnarry]

💚 HoS Mods Recs ❤️

Cause, why not? photo source

Summer is coming to an end, and autumn will be here soon. Seasons change, years pass us by, but Snarry is here to stay. The following brought us some joy and hopefully it'll bring you guys some joy, too.

Art

🎨 @ofnightsndsongs - Spicy Polaroids Rated E

🎨 @flymetosnarryland - Muggle London Rated E

🎨 @ac1d6urn - The Bravest Man Rated T

🎨 @danipantsu - Tailormade Rated G

Podfic

🎙️Things We Wish For by @avioleta (AO3) Podfic by JocundaSykes Rated E, 2 hours

Harry blinks. Blinks again. It doesn’t make sense. It’s simply not possible. But yet… “Snape?” It’s not the Snape Harry knows or remembers. Not the Snape Harry grieved. But he would know that face, that profile, those eyes anywhere. “What happened?” he manages. “How are you here?”

🎙️ World Enough, and Time by @likelightinglass (AO3) - a Podfic Podfic by Cailynwrites Rated T, 40 minutes

Soulmate clocks start ticking when you first lock eyes, and count down until your time with them is over. Harry’s starts ticking on September 1st, 1991. He has only six years, eight months, and one day.

Fic + Art

🌸 The Curse of Anteros - @danpuff-ao3 (AO3) / @mrviran (AO3) Rated E, Word Count 53k

When Harry is cursed, he seeks out Severus Snape. They have a long history behind them, after all, and they've always had so much between them. Who else would he go to?

🌸 A Step into the Light - @givereadersahug (AO3) / @gullibert (AO3) / @dandelionstars (AO3) Rated NR, Word Count 10k

Severus Snape is now a free man. He fills his time travelling the world, collecting potion ingredients, and helping Luna with her business. The thing is, Severus has a gift. No, not potions or the Dark arts. He can see mushi, creatures that show up from time to time. Severus knows how to help them and the humans that come into contact with them. This time, their travels take them to an island off the coast of Japan, to a man sitting on a log, staring out into the ocean and waiting for his wife to return home. Inspired by the anime Mushishi. A retelling of Season 1, Episode 8. For the Snape Bang 2022.

🌸 The Ugliest Veela - Octroman Rated E, Word Count 60k

Snape is part-veela. It is interfering with his dating life. Post-war, Severus Snape finds himself in a life without purpose. In a desperate bid for the family he always wanted, he subjugates himself to a matchmaking service in hopes to find an acceptable partner. However, it is mandatory to disclose veela status in order to use the premiere matchmaker of the old family houses. Wrinkled, sallow, oily, big-nosed, and bony, Severus shows up for a string of horrific dates where potential partners expect him to be both gorgeous and enchanting. “I thought veelas were supposed to be beautiful!” Cue the jokes. How much humiliation can Severus stand? --------------------------------------- Illustrated chapter titles and crafted with love.

Fic

📚 A Series of Events - @babygray (AO3) Rated M, Word Count 67k

In January, the impossible occurred. It took Severus until April to realize just what that was, and to believe. Snarry Mpreg, takes place during Half-Blood Prince.

📚 A Trick of the Mind - @vulnerasanenturmyprince (AO3) Rated E, Word Count 40k

Ever since the horcrux in his head is gone, Legilimency comes easy to Harry. It’s nearly laughable how easy it is, considering how much he used to struggle with it back in his fifth year. But he reckons half of that had been Snape’s fault anyway. Who on earth would enjoy the nasty git invading their mind? But as life as Harry has known it changes, Harry’s opinion on the matter changes with it ― rather drastically so if he’s being perfectly honest.

📚 Blowing Smoke - DawnOfTomorrow Rated E, Word Count 231k

Harry doesn't care about Snape beyond having to sit detentions with the man despite being of age. He doesn't. He asks him out for a drink just to get out of detention. So what if it's... nice? So what if they become friends? So what if Snape *is* lonely? It's not Harry's problem - at least not until he realises he's accidentally befriended the man, and just how much he cares for Snape. Well, shit.

📚 Close Encounters - @bleedcolor (AO3) & @likelightinglass (AO3) Rated E, Word Count 35k

Years after the war, Harry Potter and Severus Snape meet and fall in lust, then love. Too bad they don’t know who they’ve fallen for.

📚 Curatio - @serenaew (AO3) Rated T, Word Count 12k

curatio, onis, f noun 1. healing/curing 2. object of care 3. treatment, surgical operation, medical care

At the foot of the Whomping Willow, there lay an injured kingfisher. Now with moodboard (chapter 2)!

📚 Date In A Dash - @silvereye5 (AO3) Rated E, Word Count 16k

Harry and Severus accidentally attend the same speed dating event.

📚 Fuck, Marry, Kill - @titconao3 (AO3) Rated T, Word Count 13.2k

After the war, Harry Potter and Severus Snape, er, fuck sometimes. You know, it just happens; it's one of these things. They're not in a relationship, right? They're not like that. ...Until they are, but only one of them can see it.

📚 Gold Like Ichor, Gold Like Magic - @dandelionstars (AO3) Rated M, Word Count 26k

Seven years after Harry James Potter was left unceremoniously on the doorstep to Number Four, Privet Drive, Vernon Dursley was offered a promotion and the whole family had to move to Cokeworth, England. While Dudley is off terrorizing the local children, Harry spends his days in the school library and finds a fast friend in Ms. Eileen Prince. From Cokeworth to Hogwarts and back again, this is a story about the friendship, the magic, and the love that can be found in the unlikeliest of places, if only one bothers to look.

📚 Hawthorn Branches in Spring - zalil Rated T, Word Count 37.5k

Harry returns to Hogwarts to finish school properly and sit for his NEWTs. He doesn't expect Snape to be back teaching, nor their old animosity to resurface. When it is pointed out to him that he is responsible for it, he sets out to change their relationship for the better. The results have more of an impact on him than he expected.

📚 Little Monkeys - Lilian Rated T, Word Count 15.7k

"There might be a chance that maybe, perhaps, Severus went too far this whole ‘exile far away from the Wizarding World’ thing. Because however he tries to frame it, it comes down to this: after nine years of being completely alone, the first time he stays with another person, he’s plotting to steal said person’s children."

📚 Loose Ends - @arrisha-ao3 (AO3) Rated E, Word Count 9.8k

I love you, Severus wants to say. But the timing is never right.

📚 Lovers Reunited - Now with a special buff! - @hereiamwithmyninjaclan (AO3) Rated T, Word Count 10k

MMORPGs are a fun way to pass the time and spend time with your friends- and hey, Harry might just find true love along the way. Beta'd by the lovely @silverdrip

📚 Not Giving In - @hippocrates460 (AO3) Rated E, Word Count 38.7k

Harry comes back from his holiday to a stack of memos on his desk that all say the same thing: "Severus Snape adopted Teddy Lupin." Snape. No one has seen him since the war trials ended, no one knows where he lives, no one knows why he took Teddy. And what happened to Andromeda? Harry is determined to be a good godfather and sort it all out. Even if it means dealing with Snape. Title from Better Son/Daughter, because Nanette.

📚 Professional Strippers - @coconutice22 (AO3) Rated T, Word Count 6k

At Uncle Vernon’s funeral, Aunt Petunia asks Harry for a favour.

📚 Snowed in with Severus - @maraudersaffair (AO3) Rated E, Word Count 32.5k

In eighth year, Harry decides to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas. He sets out to spend the time with Professor Snape, but after a magical accident, they find themselves stranded alone in a snowy cabin with no way out and only one bed.

📚 Sudden Light - @liladiurne (AO3) Rated E, Word Count 48k

Seven years after the war, in the dead of winter, Severus Snape meets a beautiful stranger on a train. Inevitably, he falls in love. Inspired by D.G. Rossetti and Paul Celan and based on the movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

📚 The Beating of This Fragile Heart - @writcraft (AO3) Rated E, Word Count 33k

After the war, the last thing Severus Snape needs is the memory of a fleeting wartime kiss and a very persistent Harry Potter thwarting his plans to live a peaceful and solitary life. It’s only when Harry’s life is endangered that Severus is finally forced to confront his feelings head on.

📚 the Boy Who Lubed - @swoontodeath (AO3) Rated M, Word Count 7k

Desperate to pass his N.E.W.T. in Potions, Harry Potter joins a secretive Discord server run by a Potioneering expert known only as the Half-Blood Prince. What will happen when Severus Snape, full-time Potions Professor and part-time Discord mod, realises that the newest addition to his server is none other than his least favourite student?

📚 The Half-Blood and the Prince - @tax-onomic (AO3) Rated E, Word Count 6.5k

“It’s just a book, Harry.” “Okay. Thanks.” “But… you’ve got a crush on a book, mate. That’s a bit much. You need a girlfriend.” She tapped the name on the first page thoughtfully. “Or perhaps a boyfriend?”

📚 The Measure of a Man - @ac1d6urn (AO3) Rated E, Word Count 50k

Several years after defeating Voldemort, Junior Auror Harry Potter discovers himself and, at the risk of losing his childhood love, follows the truth. Through it all, Snape is an unexpected solace. Will he become more?

📚 The Want of You - @fleetingdesires (AO3) Rated E, Word Count 7.3k

On his night off, Severus unexpectedly realises that Harry has grown into quite an attractive man. He's just not going to think too hard about it. No, he's not going to think about him at all. It's fine. He's fine. Everything is fine.

📚 Thirteen and a half inches - @loneamaryllis (AO3) Rated E, Word Count 8.3k

The Marauder's Map shows a number above some people's head. Harrie investigates what it means.

📚 You Were Myth-Taken - @hokee101 (AO3) Rated T, Word Count 23.8k

When vampire attacks hit Hogsmeade, Severus Snape is the prime suspect. With Harry and Albus not taking these accusations seriously and the students threatening to expose him at every turn, this term was going to be just fangtastic.

Discord || Recs Lists

[hypersomniagame]

HYPERSOMNIA JUNE DEV LOG : “FASHIONABLY LATE”

Hi! I already wrote this entire dev log but I closed the tab by accident, so it's now 10:55pm and I'm going to try and speedrun writing something that took me an hour to write.

For all of you who follow HYPERSOMNIA, you should already know what the gist is here I've been saying this for 6 months.

if you don't know what this is or are confused on what HYPERSOMNIA is read the other dev logs i've said this like every time lol

So, just as a heads up this log isn't going to be super long with new content because I have been insanely busy these last few months! I just graduated High School and the last few months have been me cramming to make sure I pass and could graduate and now I am!!! Yay!!!

I won 2 awards at my grad (One of them being excellence in arts :D) and the other I was given a check for 200$ so I snagged one of these!

Super happy I finally got a display tablet for drawing, I've wanted one of these since I was like 14 and it feels awesome to have one now. I got this thing super cheap too, this thing usually goes for like 300-350 Canadian and I got it for 130! Super super happy about this.

That's all from me personally, but I would like to say just as 1 last thing before the updates, Happy Pride Month to all who identify as LGBTQ+, I myself am queer and just want to remind all of you that you are loved and accepted. Hopefully I can get this out before midnight so it's still pride month LOL

OK! NOW FOR UPDATES! I don't have too much to share today but I do have somethings I want to show off.

First things first, I've been respriting some characters! Ross and Jack are the biggest edits I've made so far so I'd like to show them off.

(Left is old, and right is new!)

Ross' walking sprites were updated! I was kind of dissatisfied with how Ross looks like he's struttin' everywhere so I redid it to give him a more casual walk. I'm very happy with this change and I plan for it to be the base walking animation going forward. I also updated his side profiles slightly to look closer to the key art I illustrated.

Jack also had his idles redone! He I think was the biggest thing I needed to resprite, his old sprite is kind of cluttered and poorly detailed so for his new one I simplified a lot of the shading and reshaped his hair and mask. I think it came out really well.

Also, just earlier I was working on music for the game.

I'm really happy with how this came out, I just got high and made Half-Life music (Which is what I was aiming for LOL)

Hopefully I can get to a point where I can finish off the soundtrack for the demo and post it all. Some friends of mine were a bit sad I delisted the tracks I had up initially so I hope to get those up again soon.

I've also been storyboarding out some early game cutscenes, I can't show a lot because it's all a bit spoiler-y but I will put this in the log.

And one last thing too, THE MOTHER DIRECT!

on July 27 at 6PM ET, MOTHER FOREVER will be hosting the MOTHER Direct, which HYPERSOMNIA is a part of!

There'll be a ton of indie games, fan projects, and other things relating to or inspired by the MOTHER series! Please give it a watch if you can. If you can't make it, the event will remain on MOTHER FOREVER's YouTube channel, and I'll be uploading HYPERSOMNIA's trailer on YouTube, Twitter, Steam, and here. If you do catch the stream or end up watching it after, leave a comment! Tell 'em Ferris sent ya. Do it, or I'll cry. I'm expecting at least 1 "Ferris sent me!" or I'll cry. I swear, I will do it!

If this is your first log you're reading, or even your first time seeing ANYTHING relating to HYPERSOMNIA, I got a whole bunch of links for you to check out if you wanna know more about me and my stupid little game.

TWITTER

YOUTUBE

STEAM

UNIQUE INDIE RPG'S [SHOW US YOUR GAME!]

[PREV] [ABOUT HYPERSOMNIA] [NEXT]

[t-t-tau-me]

Mystic Flour and Cultural Confusion: part 2

I'm going to assume you've already read part 1 and just move on from where I was. How about we start with One of the very first things we see in “The Awakening of White Apathy” update, The Ivory Pagoda itself! (Sorry for the awful image quality, This is the best I could get.)

...Except…What is a pagoda?

Well according to Merriam-Webster it's "a tower in eastern Asia usually with roofs curving upward at the division of each of several stories and erected as a temple or memorial" which is accompanied by this illustration.

Question answered, right? Answered, but not elaborated. There are many cultures in Asia So even though it could be assumed to be Chinese-inspired it doesn't guarantee it.

The next place to look is good old Wikipedia, which actually has a lot more detail for us. It references exact places and even mentions that pagodas aren't always used for Buddhism (didn't know that), But that's not what's important right now.

Have you noticed that many of the Pagoda designs don't really match Cookie Run: Kingdom? Yeah, you could easily say it's for the sake of gameplay, but I think there's actually a purposeful design to it. Looking on the Cookie Run Kingdom fandom wiki and looking up the origins of Buddhism, I found something kind of interesting. Buddhism has been around for a looooong time and seems to originate from India if my research is correct.

But what does this have to do with the design of the ivory pagoda?

Boom! Indian pagoda!

Pagodas in India tend to have a lot more variation with their designs, some being made out of multiple buildings or looking more like castles. Perfect for say…a map for stages.

Okay cool, kind of proved that it's not all chinese-inspired...Now what? The point of this mini post series...thing? It's inspire people to look at other cultures and a discourage those shaming others for looking. A lot of people only see the final product, but they never think about the hours of research put in to make sure a culture is accurately depicted. A lot of people in the West are very quick to just label Eastern culture as "Asian", which dumbs down the complexities of Eastern society.

Another reason why I made this post is simply the prove that Dev sisters there's no ways follow a single culture to the letter, which is why some people make it confused.

Well stranger, I hope You're well rested and enjoyed my rambles, hopefully you learned something new today.

[endlessknights]

I’ve been working on a fun story project over on Twitter for the past few weeks, and I figured I’d share what art I’ve made of it so far here as well!

I don’t have a good story name for it yet, but I’ve been calling it “Dinowar” until I can think of something less dumb lol. It’s about a group of dinosaur prisoners who are forced to fight in ritualistic battles in hopes of appeasing the gods and convincing them to stop a decades long war. That is, until they begin to believe that the gods have abandoned them, and they escape (and learn that they’re less abandoned than they think).

I actually got the idea when I was watching an Elden Ring playthrough and glanced over at my plastic dinosaur collection lol. Anyways without further ado:

Initial protagonist designs - I usually start my character designs with a bust (to more easily come up with a palette for each character) and then work down to the rest of the body from there.

Full protagonist lineup - figuring out outfits and everyone’s build

Armor concepts -

Side characters - family friends, children, traveling merchants, corrupt kings, and distant gods

Concept comic - this was moreso practice for drawing simple comics than worldbuilding. Still, it explores Bones and Fangs’ relationship.

Lastly, Beast’s family - this is the first in what will (hopefully) be a series of illustrations of each protagonist with their loved ones.

Thanks for looking at my silly dino guys :)

[roslynnsommers]

Introducing: The Fallout comic I've been working on for forever! :D A lot to say about this...which is why this is going on my blog. XD First, this 8 page mini comic is a little devotional piece to my husband. Fallout has been a huge part of our relationship since the beginning (in fact, it's pretty much how we started talking to each other lol), so that's why the comic is Fallout based. Second, this comic is currently available to read FOR FREE in greyscale on my website. So if you'd like to check it out, follow this link:

But that's not all I have planned for this comic. It will eventually get printed in full color for my husband once I have the ducks in a row (which will hopefully be soon). But in the meantime, you can sign up as a patron on my Patreon for $1/month (or more if you want other special perks), and get added to the Special Thanks page of the final printed comic (even if you cancel after the first month sign up). Patrons who sign up for the $5+ tiers will get access to the full colored digital version of the comic. ;)

Full picture plan: Based on what I've found so far, the minimum amount of comics I can have printed is 25. I obviously do not need 25 comics lol. One will go to my husband, and I plan to keep one for myself, but that leaves a whole 23 comics left just sitting there. Now... my plan is to host a small Kickstarter for anyone who might also like a printed copy. The cost for the Kickstarter will be set to cover costs for shipping, proper packing material, and all that is necessary for this kind of thing (I'm still figuring it all out). If it's popular enough, I'll set goals for things like stickers and maybe other merchandise. But since this is my first time going print and launching a Kickstarter by myself, I'm going to try to keep this as manageable as possible for wittle ol' me. Now... What's next for the Fallout Adventures series? (Yes, it was intended to be a series. XD A series of small stories of me and my husband's characters going about Fallout related adventures.) Well, when my husband finally saw this comic (he couldn't wait for it to be printed, so he wanted to see the digital version), he wanted to do his own story. How we're going about that is still undetermined, but it's either going to be written, turned into a comic, or both. Beyond that, I would still like to do some mini stories that - maybe one day - I can turn into an entire anthology of sorts. That's the hopes and plans for the future of this series. :) KEEP IN MIND This is a passion project. I'm doing this for fun and for/with my husband. We got full lives, so I'll do what I can, when I can. If y'all have questions or anything, don't hesitate to message me, and I'll get back when I can. Until then, please enjoy. :)

[sorairokakera]

Favorite BL Manhua

This beginning of year I feel like trying to make a list of my favorite BL. I've been reading more these past years, specially manhwa and manhua (I used to read manga only for BL, for several years before I started to read another).

My history of reading BL manhua began with 19 Days. I saw their illustrations popped up pretty often and I was getting more and more interested to read it. I really like 19 Days a lot~!! I was wondering is there another BL manhua I would be interested to read. For some months, after I caught up with 19 Days' latest update (at that time), I saw Mo Dao Zu Shi's illustrations pretty often. It seems to be a very popular danmei (it is), their drama series adaptation also a huge hit. Then, I tried to read its manhua adaptation first, before trying to read its danmei/watch the series. MDZS catches my heart quite deep, after that I checked more BL manhua, specially danmei adaptations. Last year, I couldn't manage my time well to be able to read some danmei >_< I wish I can read more starting this year, there are several danmei that I really want to read as soon as possible.

I tried to pick 17 (+1) titles here~

1. 19天 19 Tian / 19 Days by Old Xian (old先)

I really adore these 4!! He Tian, Mo Guanshan, Zhan Zhengxi, Jian Yi ♥♥♥♥ I love TianShan a lot but, I like it most when four of them are together. They are very endearing, their funny moments always brighten up my night after I read it. He Cheng and Brother Qiu also very exciting to see/read when they're together. It's a long series but I want to reread it whenever I can~!

2. 小蘑菇 Xiǎo Mó Gu / Little Mushroom by Shisi (一十四洲), art by Mao Mao Tou (猫猫头)

This is really an interesting read and the manhua adaptation has beautiful visuals. I really like visuals of Lu Feng and An Ze and their chibis are very cute. I usually not into science fiction and/or apocalyptic stories, but maybe because I really like both main characters (Lu Feng An Ze ♥♥) and their interesting world-building, they make me want to keep reading. At the time I posted this I haven't properly read the novel yet, it's on number one position of BL-novels-that-I-want-to-read-soon list.

3. 撒野 Sā Yě / Run Freely by Wu Zhe (巫哲)

SaYe is precious, it's so heartfelt. I really adore Gu Fei and Jiang Cheng ♥♥ Gu Miao also adorable~ They are lovable and as they grow up, we learn together about their own selves and how they live. Their characters development, their very equal relationship, very nice balance they have between them. I really hope any adaptations of this story would be proper and great.

4. 将进酒 Qiang Jin Jiu / Ballad of Sword and Wine by Tang Jiuqing (唐酒卿)

At the time I posted this I haven't properly read the novel yet (it's on number two position of BL-novels-that-I-want-to-read-soon list), but from some spoilers this sounds like the type I would really like. Their sexual tension, enemy to lovers that have truly exciting dynamic. Both are equally powerful and their interactions make me want more. I also really like their visuals. Hopefully the manhua will adapt the novel very well. Xiao Chiye and Shen Zechuan ♥♥

5. 魔道祖师 Mó Dào Zǔ Shī / Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu (墨香铜臭)

This is the first danmei adaptation I tried to read and the beginning of my interest in danmei. I didn't expect I would be that hooked that I spent hours continuously reading this for days. It's so heart-wrenching yet beautiful, even the side characters' stories also heartbreaking. Wei Ying/ Wei Wuxian's life so tragic I think I cried quite a lot (it's quite a long while ago, my memory's blurry but I remember it hurts). Lan Zhan and Wei Ying ♥♥ Their interactions are so lovable, the dynamic between them is one of a couple/pairing's dynamic types I like a lot.

5. 天官赐福 Tiān Guān Cì Fú / Heaven Official's Blessing by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu (墨香铜臭), art by STARember

TGCF's manhua art/visual is soo pretty, soo beautiful~! I really like Hua Cheng and Xie Lian a lot ♥♥ Their interactions, their heartfelt love story. I haven't read everything (of TGCF) yet I'm not sure which one I like more, I put MDZS first here since I finished that manhua. I have a bit feeling that I might like TGCF more later (for a moment I put them both on number 5 here).

7. 全球高考 Quan Qiu Gao Kao / Global Examination by Mu Su Li (木苏里)

Global Examination is so interesting~ It feels fresh/new for me to read this kind of story, but the biggest force that makes me excited to keep reading is two charming main characters~! Qin Jiu and You Huo ♥♥ I really like their dynamic, feels like my heart jumping in joy and excitement when their romance appears (I want more~~). I like their visuals a lot too.

8. 犬大欺主 Quǎn Dà Qī Zhǔ / The Grown Dog Bullies Its Owner by Ruo Li, art by Zu Zhuan Jiu San

This is very adorable and enjoyable to read, also it's pretty~! Lin Lang and Xia Zhixing are so lovely and the second couple also very cute ♥♥ I equally enjoy reading both couples (which doesn't happen often). This one probably my most favorite in gamer setting BL.

9. 我嗑了对家X我的CP Wo Ke Le Dui Jia x Wo de CP / I Ship My Rival x Me by Pepa, art by Qualia

They're very adorable together~ I usually not that interested in showbiz setting (main couple here are actors) but I like this one. It's a light, fun, and cute read. That Yiliang's Diary part is amusing >w<

10. Jīng Jiǔ 经久 / Salad Days by Jing Shuibian 静水边, art by Tang LiuZang

Salad Days is so wholesome~! It's a great journey reading main couple relationship grows from childhood, teens to adults. They also have supporting side characters around them that makes this story is so heartwarming (there's very sad side chara background story though, I also cried when Song Xin helped Shen at that crucial time ; ; kind pretty soul). Jiang Shen and Bai Jinyi are so lovely together ♥♥

11. 解药 Jie Yao / Antidote by Wu Zhe

This probably the first Chinese BL I read which one of main characters has mental illness. The development of Jiang YuDuo and Cheng Ke relationship is very nice and interesting to see. I enjoy watching pairs that both sides feel equal (physically and character/personality-wise), this is one of them~

12. 貔貅饭馆，只进不出 Pi Xiu Fan Guan, Zhi Jin Bu Chu / Pixiu's Eatery, No Way Out by Hai Jingluo (海鶄落), art by Jiu Aoao

I thought this one would be an adorable fun light read at first, but it also has some touching moments. It's very enjoyable to read, entertaining and lovely. I really like Chinese mythology touch in this story. Pixiu and Wen Xi are so lovely ♥♥

13. 伪装学渣 Wei Zhuang Xue Zha / Fake Slackers by Mu Guahuang (木瓜黄), art by C7

I first attracted with this because of their visuals. Actually I'm not interested in reading high school romance anymore (except the funny one) but as I tried reading this, I like their dynamic a lot~! It's fun, lovely, enjoyable, they're so adorable. He Zhao and Xie Yu ♥♥

14. 这题超纲了 Zhe Ti Chao Gang Le / Beyond The Outline by Mu Guahuang (木瓜黄), art by JiJing Jun

I tried reading this because it's the same author from Fake Slackers (shared universe), it's pretty fun, lovely and enjoyable. Shao Zhan and Xu Sheng are cute~~

15. 迪奥先生 Dí'ào xiānshēng / Mr. Dior by Lu Ye Qian He (绿野千鹤)

This one is very funny light read~! It shows various tropes in BL, while they go through those roles they also learn more about each other and deepen their lovely relationship. I think it's the first BL manhua I read which the main couple is married.

16. 破云 Po Yun / Breaking Through the Clouds by Huai Shang (淮上)

I wish they would have adapted everything in manhua and not cut it a lot like that ;_; But since I like them I put this one on this list too. I usually enjoy reading mystery and this one is interesting. Though I don't enjoy the imposition of hetero dynamic there, Jiang Ting and Yan Xie, both as characters and as a couple, are nice.

破云2吞海 Po Yun 2: Tun Hai / Breaking Through the Clouds 2: Swallowing the Seas by Huai Shang (淮上)

I put this one here too since it's Poyun's sequel and it feels like they are one package (?). I feel that Jiang Ting and Yan Xie are more endearing but Wu Yu and Bu ChongHua are pretty nice too. I like when both couples interact~

17. 二哈和他的白猫师尊 Èr Hā Hé Tā De Bái Māo Shī Zūn / 2ha / The Husky and His White Cat Shizun by Meatbun Doesn't Eat Meat (肉包不吃肉)

I haven't read this danmei yet, from spoilers it seems this one filled with a lot of angst. Though it seems very heart-wrenching, specially the past lifetime (and second timeline?), it's interesting and 2 main characters interactions are fun to see/read. Hopefully they will adapt everything till the end, I enjoy their visuals. I'm excited to enjoy Chu Wanning and Mo Ran moments in manhua.

//1st edition SK-FCBL

[reliul]

Hello all, I call myself Reliul. Should you not be familiar with who I am, allow me to quickly introduce myself. I am a being who has travelled far through the depths of Grand Reality--what you might call the Multiverse. I have been gone from this universe for what may seem an infinity to one like you, but know that this is my home as much as it is yours.

I will describe what Grand Reality is in another post soon, but know that it is by all means infinite and contains just about any universe you could imagine. Even one such as myself, who has travelled the Multiverse for many lifetimes of our universe, has not seen the barest drop of what is out there.

You will hopefully be seeing many of the universes here soon, along with any illustrations Veronica can cobble together.

[Veronica here, that's kinda rude. You could at least introduce me, first.]

You must be patient with me, I like to meander. Veronica is the one doing the physical work of typing these words, for I cannot. She happens to be the only one in this universe who can hear me.

[Thanks. You can continue now.]

Delightful. Below are listed some of my current works (in progress, so far). Ones with pages are linked under their names, but as you can tell, more pages need to be created.

Tunneling (2nd Draft) and the rest of the Seven Forces series.

The Emperor's Fortress (1st Draft)

The New God (1st Draft)

Unnamed Universe of Essences Novel

Below are the universes in which the above stories live, along with other stories I have yet to even start the backbones of. None have links yet, but that will be fixed hopefully soon.

Our Home Universe

The Universe of Elrys (setting of Seven Forces)

The Universe of Gen (setting of Emperor's Fortress and New God)

The Universe of Essences

The Crafted Universe

The Colorful Universe

The Timebent Universe

The Universe of Chance

This post is long enough, I feel. If you, the reader, want more in the meantime, we have a website at reliul.neocities.org. Goodbye.

(full transparency from Uluscri, I am neither a multiversal entity from the far ancient past nor a woman named Veronica--I am but an early 20s human trying to spin up some interesting worlds and stories, and I hope you enjoy your stay here)

[reversemoon255]

SSSS.DYNAZENON THE GATTAI Gridman Universe & Big Goldburn

Thank goodness this one didn't have shipping issues like the last Goldburn set. In fact, I got an email a week out saying exactly when it would ship, and it arrived before the tracking number could even update. That's pretty good service if you ask me, especially compared to last time.

Oh, and I really enjoyed the crossover film. It basically gave us everything you'd want from this type of thing; catching up with the characters post-series, lots of fun character moments between the casts, previous villains playing heroic roles, every single possible robot combination you might want, just a lot of fun overall.

The Good: Gridman Universe is a decent upgrade to its previous incarnations. While it looses a bit of posability, it has ratcheted shoulders to help support the weight of the larger arms. The hands are also easier to swap, and they fixed the issue with the chest gem by giving it a release button on the back of the figure.

Big Goldburn is a bit of a brick, but has a few articulated areas. He's got arms, fingers and toes, wings, a bit of neck and tail, and a mouth (though its on the same joint as the neck, so it clashes). Also, when you spin the shoulders, the internals and tips spin in the opposite direction.

And Rouge Kaiser Gridman is very cool. It feels a lot more solid than its Gridknight counterpart, with the tail also serving to tripod the unit if need be (though it doesn't need it).

The Bad: While Gridman's new shoulders do help hold everything up better than its predecessors, I do find it to be a little under-powered. They hold a pose well, but if you start moving the figure, they will shift around. There are some weird transformation ideas that feel like they're there for longevity's sake, but they do seem and feel a bit odd at first. And this may just be a thing with international shipments, but the instructions seem to imply the chest piece is supposed to come with batteries (it is illustrated with a pulltab), but in practice has none. It required 3 LR44s, but it's important to note that those batteries have multiple names and can vary by brand, so have your phone out while shopping in-store for them.

Overall, while I can try and nitpick this kit, it's a fantastic addition to both the DX Gridman and The Gattai lines. It does a great job trying to adjust to the failings of its predecessors, and gives me high hopes for the Full Power Gridman V2 releasing later this year. I've got my nose to the ground trying to track down Full Power Gridknight (since I missed the preorder window on that one), so hopefully we'll get to talk about that one soon, too.

[dropthedemiurge]

I shouldn't be buying books currently (money!! Books are hella expensive in Korea!!) but I couldn't hold myself back *д* I bought The Vegetarian by Han Kang because I was also curious about Nobel Prize winner and because all books have good english translation, and because my Korean friend told me a lot about Han Kang works and struggles of women in Korea and feminism movement here.

And then I didn't join the book club on tumblr but I saw that people were reading Love in the Big City novel and I think enjoyed it? Anyway, if the book sparks discussion club, I gotta read it and hopefully support author and director (and translator who I heard so much about), even though I only saw 1 episode of the series yet 👀 I'm sure I'll enjoy it and it'd be interesting to dive more into queer literature and culture.

The last novel book by Hwang Boreum I don't know anything about but it's also in English and the reviews all say that it's about healing and mundane life and human stories which I can learn from - and I definitely enjoy cozy stories. Hopefully, it'll contrast the first two heavy books xD

Also I noticed two prominent Kr-Eng translators so it'll be also interesting to check their works since I love translating too but I usually sub videos and not books. I wonder how do you get to that job, I would like to practice and translate some Korean books when I'll be more fluent. (Shall I work on the new epilogue of Love for Love's Sake? Maybe after I learn for sure if my visa is extended or not...)

Anyway, this is why I also hope business Korean will be useful to me! To upgrade my translation skills, I need to get used to more specific terms and to improve my reading skills because I still cannot really read full chapters in one sitting 🥲

I also have Love for Love's Sake script book to practice reading with and illustration manual book for 2d artists to improve my coloring and Korean too...

...I might've overestimated my capabilities but welp. I see a bookstore, I blink and my hands are already full of bought heavy delicious books. Very confusing how that happens. :D