#i don't make fanart super often though so i'm not sure how often i'll be able to reach people

[gababartdump]

wowow thank you so much for all the love on the HQ!! post guys!!! i don't expect much interaction from tumblr since i'm mainly on IG but it's really nice seeing people appreciate my stuff beyond the reaches of the Meta platforms (esp with all the AI drama nowadays...) :'))

I feel more encouraged to post more frequently here!! ヾ(｡･ω･)ｼ

[mammoth-clangen]

Do you like Clangen and Sabertoothed cats? Great, me too!

My name is Pav and this is my clangen blog! <Start reading here>

Important Things

🧓 Im a '99 bby so please don't DM if you're a minor (actually would prefer no unexpected DMs period tbh, im anxious)

⛏️ I work 12hrs 7 days, week on/week off, meaning I will completely vanish 50% of the time and there's nothing I can do about it

🦘 I'm also an Aussie, so my time zone is weird even when I'm not at work (So if I don't reply, im not ignoring u! ;v;-b )

❔️Asks and Anons are turned on! Please read the FAQ below before asking to avoid repeats c:

😻 I read all the tags and replies even if I don't reply. Tysm everyone saying nice things, it makes my day ;v;

😵‍💫 My focus changes like the weather lately, so while I'm Hoping I'll be able to keep this up, please don't get Life Or Death Invested c':

Tags

#mammothmoon -all chapters are tagged with this

#moon (1/2/3/etc) -each moon is tagged by number, and in-character asks from given moons

#mammothask -asks sent to me (will also tag who asks them)

#mammothfanart -art of my silly sabercats by other blogs, tysm!

#mammothref -character references (or possibly species refs if i make them eventually)

#paleo stuff -anything where I'm nerding about paleo biology etc

#ooc/#Pav chatter -Pav updates about Pav! or asks directed to me

#blood/gore/animal death/etc -tagged straight as is if you need to block them!

FAQ

This will be added to as I get more asks and replies to go off!

How often do you post pages?

I try for at least once every 2 weeks, as I spend 50% of my life in the outback with no ability to draw!

Where/ when is Mammothclan set?

In late pleistocene North America, around 12ka ago, during the Younger Dryas!

What species are the cats?

They're Homotherium serum, a scimitar toothed cat.

How paleo accurate is this setting?

Relatively accurate? There's not going to be any species out of their time and place, but I'm not super bothered by, say, exact plant species and how realistic certain story aspects are.

Can I ask the characters' questions?

You can, but I can't promise to answer all of them!

Are we allowed to include characters as cameos/ draw fanart?

Yes definitely absolutely!!!!

You are also welcome to change them to regular cats if that fits better cx (please don't humanise them though, I find that specifically very uncanny)

What mode are you playing on Clangen/ what toggles?

Expanded mode, mass extinctions on, cheating on, "pregnancy ignores biology" off, unknown second parent pregnancies off (bc in my trial run every queen was constantly spawning kittens at lightspeed, no ty)

How far ahead are you from the pages you've drawn?

Currently 40moons ahead, cause I like playing the long game with foreshadowing >:3c

Where do you download Clangen?

Here!

Could you elaborate on/ explain content of (page/panel/speech bubble) that confused me?

Sure! If something is unclear, but it seems like it should be explained, please ask and I'll make sure to clarify c:

Can you tell me about (character backstory/spoilers/ aspect of lore not touched on in comic yet)?

No! I don't want to spoil those kinds of things, I'd rather they come up naturally in the comic than dump them under an ask.

I'm a firm believer that if it doesn't happen in text, it's not cannon.

[the-cat-and-the-birdie]

Character Hyperfixation Talk: Cravings

[I talk about Character Hyperfixation, Maladaptive Daydreaming (potentially fictive??), Neurodivergency, and what it's like for me personally - in terms of Hobie Brown]

(Actual footage of me staring at a picture of Hobie Brown)

One of the things that happens a lot when it comes to Character Hyperfixations are cravings.

Although it's super common to get the compulsion to look into things that trigger your fixations - but with character fixations, it can be so much stronger, and even moreso - emotional when we get these cravings.

Some days its easier, for me at least. Sure, I'll still be thinking about Hobie and how much I appreciate him - but I won't need to see him.

And then there are days like today - where I experience 'cravings' for lack of a better word.

I REALLY wanna see Hobie. Like I can't stress this enough.

It's hard to describe HOW visually and mentally stimulating Hobie is to me during times like this. And although it may sound like a humorous exaggeration, I do genuinely feel the urge to stare at these photos, and to focus on nothing but them.

During these times, pictures of Hobie, or watching his scenes are extra stimulating to me, and they can make me excited or just really happy. Like seeing someone you grew up with come home from the military - literally that mental and physical response.

Sometimes I can feel it in my body, like a light or happy feeling in my chest.

The details draw me in more - even small unnoticable details, or ones that don't matter at all.

For me, this only really works if it's art OF Hobie - as in direct screenshots of the movie. And although I love fanart - only 'Actual' Hobie helps the urge any.

Today, this photo was particularly interesting to me.

For small details like the shading on his ears - the three different shades of brown they use. Or the shading of the tendon in his neck. I wanna touch it. Or the studs on the back of his jacket and how realistically they're placed. Or his eye color which we don't get to see often. The lighting of the orange light so close is GREAT and the earring-

I can go on and on.

It's not like this everyday - though I do have to look at Hobie and set aside time for daydreaming everyday.

But cravings are also really hard to satisfy.

Photos help, and videos too. But, to understand where I'm coming for, I have to explain that there is a fully-formed Hobie in my mind. As in a whole personality, independent of a lot of my control.

He exists in his own detailed space. He tells me what he wants about his character, and if I don't know something, it feels more like not knowing a fact that you know exists (like not knowing how tall a celebrity but knowing they have to have a height) vs a creator who can't think up a detail to give a character.

If I don't know Hobie's favorite color - I can't just decide it's purple. I have to ask him. And if I decide something without asking him, it feels wrong.

Sometimes he may tell me an answer I don't like - too bad. He said what he said, and because he's independent enough in my psyche and daydreams to do that, I have to deal with it.

The photos and videos I watch will never exactly replicate the form of Hobie inside of me, so they'll always be a sense of longing there, so long as I can't be in the same room with him - which NOT POSSIBLE.

So cravings are moreso a feeling of longing that with character hyper-fixations that you kinda have to wait to pass.

If you're lucky, maybe the form or fixation in your head is fully formed enough to comfort you on this front, or if you can daydream them vividly enough that can help. But it's never fully gone until it passes.

A lot of time I can't tell how much of a 'Daydream' it is.

I know what's reality and what's in my head - I just don't know how much of it I'm consciously coming up with.

Because a lot of times I don't feel in control. Sometimes Hobie will do or tell me something that surprises me, or that I kinda feel iffy about. Or Diane will have an emotional response that..I be like 'girl...'

Recently I even had Hobie introduce me to another character, who can talk to me directly. He chose to do this. For a long time I wanted to meet his character - his MJ - but Diane was scared, and Hobie was hesitant. So she wasn't in the picture.

But then yesterday Diane and Hobie rushed through a couple daydreams showing Diane growing emotionally through a dark time, and then boom, Hobie is like okay i think its time and suddenly his MJ is there, basically fully formed, her relationship already pretty solidified and defined.

Without me doing anything. Like I'm just sitting there like I'm sitting in the middle of a room at a party with people talking at me.

Whatever they are, the forms seem to have distinct personalities, wants, emotions, and feelings about each other. And towards me too????

Yesterday Hobie and Diane were extremely quiet. Okay, so I asked them what was up and they showed me all that stuff with Diane that was pretty heavy. Makes sense why they were so quiet.

But then today, Diane is like 'I miss Hobie, I want to see Hobie. Let me be with him-' a.k.a hey go daydream I got stuff to do.

And in doing so - I don't know if it's me craving Hobie so she does as a reflection of my behavior cause she's not independent or real or idk if she wants time with him because yesterday she didn't get a lot of time with him even though I was fine not daydreaming a lot yesterday, only curious - SO I'm???????????? HUH??????

And now MJs here and that's another person 'on the houseboat' where they live AND ITS A LOT

Anyway. That's me ranting and talking about hyperfixation cravings and daydreams and the gang doing things realll suddenly and yeah.

If you relate to any of these experience ID LOVE TO HEAR like if you experience cravings or if you have daydreams, if the people in them are independent/can do things you dont want etc etc

Bye.

[toothpastecanyon]

Hi! I’d like to start with the fact that your writing is PHENOMENAL, the way every first chapter is designed to grab the readers attention, with a mystery or a cozy little opening, establishing where the character is in life and their motives, or a sneak peek at the problem the characters must overcome.

I’m really bad at articulating my thoughts, but ur characters are really well written and I’d like to make more fanart of them, but I’m not quite sure what they look like.

(The only fics of your la that i KNOW you wrote are Unto Dust, and The Comfort of Agony (both of which are really good btw, I also love how you write existing characters, and your portrayal of them(especially Lucy Ann))

Anyway, because there are so many interpretations of species used in TAU, I got a little mixed up on what the non-human characters look like.

Darceus- in Lucy Ann and the Lunch Bunch, there is a Kitsune named Felicity, who is described as “looking a kind of like a human, and kind of like a fox” which my interpretation of is shown below. I forgot that that isn’t typical for kitsune characters in tau (even though she’s the only one since yours) and drew her in a similar way. ( also, are there any distinctive features on her nieces?) btw the LION idea is phenomenal, also do you think she has a mane? They’re fun to draw.

June- how big is she? I assumed she was the size of a human based on her interactions, but then I realized she might be looking down of people because she can fly. But then I remembered that it says she walks around. So then I confused myself. Also, skin tone, hair color/texture, eyes?

Beatrice- SHE IS SO WELL WRITTEN I felt genuinely angry while reading her meeting with Lucy Ann (in a good way) and she seems like someone you would meet in real life, totally obnoxious! Also, I don’t really know how TAU elves usually look so, idk anything about her skin tone or hair or eyes.

Here are pictures of my doodles in case you want to take a look, try to ignore the paper texture please.

Also, an old picture of Felicity:

Sorry if any of this is worded weird, im not that good at talking, but could you please give a solid description of the major/cool characters in Unto Dust?

(And in case I didn’t say it before, the Comfort of Agony is SO WELL WRITTEN there is too much for me to say about it!)

Oh wow, this is all so kind of you to say! Thank you so much - I'm so glad to hear you enjoy my writing, and I love the sketches you've done! You already have a lot of great designs and the characters look super expressive!

It's really exciting to be asked more of what my characters look like and I'll give you the best description I can, but I do want to note I often don't have a clear idea of what my characters look like - I like that writing lets a reader come up with their own spins on what a character looks like! So while I'm adding my own interpretation of my characters here, if you have a different idea you think works better or just looks cooler to you, I say go for it!

I'll organise my thoughts by each character:

Darceus: I was definitely inspired by @feferipeixes' character Felicity to make a kitsune character! I really like the mane idea you have going in your sketches, and female lions do occasionally grow manes! I like the way you've drawn her formal attire, with the nine tails spread out behind her like a sort of cape! You really brought her to life!

I probably still imagine her with a fox's colouration - I liked the lion imagery to evoke the broader facial features and just overall stockier build than an average kitsune.

The nieces: They're probably both young adults of average height. I don't have a clear idea of what they look like, but it might be fun to draw them as a different type or species of fox - silver foxes look really pretty with distinctive markings! They probably have less tails than Darceus, maybe three or so.

June: I definitely had the idea of her being average sized - I think writing it from Lucy Ann's perspective makes her seem taller as a lot of characters have to look down on her (sorry Lucy Ann!). I really like the wings you drew for her! She's a middle-aged lady with a little grey in her red hair, and probably likes wearing a lot of running gear - gotta train for that 10K!

Beatrice: I really like the long ears you've given her, that looks super distinctive! The loose t-shirt is really good. I probably imagine her with more of a pear shaped build with dark brown eyes and hair. If she does magic like in her appearances with Noie I like to think it'd look a lot how Mod V's elf OC Florian does it.

Also I definitely am looking for Lucy Ann to start wearing a glove! I'm not sure whether it would be fun to have it be a red glove to match the rest of her outfit, or if it's black or some other clashing colour to illustrate how she sees it as something unwanted and forced upon her.

That's all I can think of, but if you'd like anything more specific I'd be more than happy to help! Thank you again for this ask and your awesome sketches - if you end up drawing anything else I'd really love to see it!

Have a great day! :D

[cedarbranch]

twenty questions for fic writers!

tagged by @sunriseverse thank you!!

tagging: @figbian @shark-myths @stoplightglow @zipegs and anyone else who wants to participate (with no pressure if you don't!) questions below the cut :-)

1. how many works do you have on ao3?

currently 65! i've orphaned several over the years though. unfortunately i am an Extremely Slow Writer so i always wanna see this number go up and it never goes as fast as i want it to :') we can hit 67 this year... surely....

2. what's your total ao3 word count?

847,778! used to be higher (more in the 950k range) prior to orphaning, i'm not sure if i've actually written over a million words or not at this point? v excited for the day that milestone actually shows up in my stats though! my current wips could tip me over, we'll see how it goes... 👀

3. what fandoms do you write for?

currently hannibal and stranger things! i've bounced around many fandoms in my day, but my most significant contributions thus far have been for mcr/bandom and the magnus archives. really hoping i end up writing enough for my current fandoms that i can consider them part of that shortlist too!! :-)

4. top five fics by kudos

like a moth to light (like a beast to bait) / 2117 kudos, save that heart for me / 1480 kudos, how particular, my fondness of you / 1445 kudos, convicted criminals of thought / 1177 kudos, and questionable decisions / 847 kudos! wow, that last one took me by surprise, it was such a jokey little fic i often forget about it. nice to look back at these and see things with over 1k kudos though, i remember that being an unattainable pipe dream back when i was writing mcr in the dead era that was 2017 :')

5. do you respond to comments?

i often do! i try to respond to every comment i get when a fic is published, and i like to respond much later on as well, it just tends to slip my mind if it's an older fic. stuff gets lost in my inbox. i certainly read every comment though, and the comments left on older fics are often the ones that make me happiest!

6. what is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

hmmm... i mostly write happy endings unless they're character studies. the true angstiest ending i've written is for a fic i haven't posted yet (hint: it's a sequel to a oneshot of mine!) but i do have short fics about both michael and gerry's deaths in tma? i'll go with the gerry death fic, thinking of the sun.

7. what's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

they're mostly happy!!! but the one that ends most on a note of Joy, i think, would be rosemary and thyme, my fae!martin au :-)

8. do you get hate on fics?

nah. i have an extremely vague memory of getting a comment that made me go "omg my first hate comment" but like it's so vague that i can't tell if it's a false memory or not 😭 people have always been quite nice to me, thankfully!

9. do you write smut?

i do! i tried to avoid it whenever i could when i was younger but these days i've actually become super interested in sex as a vehicle for character studies. that tumblr post that's like "the plot of this smut fic is that character A believes himself abandoned by god" is one HUNDRED percent my approach recently, definitely expect some of that upcoming on my ao3 lolll

10. craziest crossover?

i don't really write crossovers! i like them in comic/fanart form, but i tend to be less interested in crossover fic (unless it's HEU, i do quite like spacedogs)... the only times i've ever thought about creating crossover content myself were for a couple pacrim fusion ideas!

11. have you ever had a fic stolen?

eh, not really. a long time ago i did have someone basically rip the worldbuilding from one of my AUs with the serial numbers filed off, but they did ask permission - i said yes because i was like 16 and felt too awkward saying no. so that was weird! but not quite stealing.

12. have you ever had a fic translated?

yes!! to steal a kiss from borrowed lips was translated into russian, such an honor :D

13. have you ever co-written a fic before?

i have, a really long time ago. i don't think i would do it again (unless it was with, like, one of two specific irls) bc i think i'd struggle with figuring out a collaborative workflow. part of me also thinks it could be a fun exercise though...

14. all time favorite ship?

OUGH..... mannnn what a question. it changes every few years and i feel like my response is influenced by not just the source material, but the quality of the fan content and the fandom interactions i've had... you know what? i know i have current-hyperfixation bias, but for now i am gonna say hannigram. it's just too peak.

15. what's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Too Many Of Them - but in particular, my chrissy cunningham-centric longfic. it's an entire treatise on sapphic loneliness and small-town queer isolation and i do think it'd be a fucking masterpiece if i ever managed to commit to it, but it's on the forever back-burner i think.

16. what are your writing strengths?

hmm... characterization through dialogue is the main thing, i'd say. i'm always thinking about how to match a given character's speech patterns and i think i tend to capture their voices pretty well!

17. what are your writing weaknesses?

i'm my own biggest critic so i could list a bunch, but pacing is a big one. i tend to let things run too long and i feel like i've only just managed to balance it better in my current wip... only took a decade of fic-writing to get there 😭

18. thoughts on dialogue in another language?

depends a lot on context. honestly too many thoughts to condense well into an answer for this djglfg but in short: usually nice if it's just a few words, but can get unwieldy otherwise

19. first fandom you wrote in?

kuroshitsuji 💀 self-insert and OC-centric fic. how very unlike me

20. favorite fic you've written?

moth to light has been the reigning champ for a while now, but i think several of my current wips could potentially unseat it!

[bloomburnweepwilt]

Harrier's short guide to drawing

Hi!! My name is Harry and I've been drawing consistently for about 5-6 years. And uh- I wanna show a basic overveiw of my process!!! then here ya go https://www.tumblr.com/bloomburnweepwilt/758926600395980800/oh-look-its-ameliedoree-her-videos-slap-go?source=share

Also go watch Amelie Doree- thats who this drawing is a fanart of.

1- Getting your rough down

The first and most foundational step is getting a basic layout of your drawing, before you do anything you have to make sure you get a good idea of what exactly you're drawing. This is one of the few parts of drawing that you don't just have to ram yourself into the wall with practice to get good at. You just have to play around and have a fun time and look at the art you like to see what compositions they use.

My roughs are relatively clean because I have a lot of experience with this art style I use and I don't need a lot of guidelines. If I was doing furry art, realism, a western comic book style, or even something more simple like a gravity falls or owl house inspired style I would need a lot more guidelines because I'm not used to the parameters of the style. Though if you're just starting out then no matter what you do you're gonna hafta build up a lot no matter what style you go for.

2- Sketching/Lineart

For me my process has evolved to where I carve out my lineart from the sketch directly. But this is where you have to just put in the hard work and time into building your skill. I don't have any particular advice on this end besides follow your bliss, do gesture drawings, and make sure you have measurable goals.

If you want to take inspiration from my artistic inclinations specifically, then keep your lines loose, try to have decently realistic proportions but don't stick too hard to them. Especially if you're drawing a fictional stylized character and not a character or person with a real flesh face where you have more room for conveying likeness. Also sketchy loose lines are pretty much always look better, it allows your art to look more lively!

3- Get background colors down

Nothing much to say here, you just need to do this so you get an idea of what the rest of the colors will feel like. It doesn't have to stay the same color but getting the vibe down is important.

*also normally I wouldn't use bright white for a masking color, but because I want the art to be very bright and colorful so I decided to go with white.

4- Flats

Another thing you kinda just have to learn and get used to. If you feel like your colors are just a bit too disonant, use your programs hue slider and move it just slightly left or right. Its a really good way to get everything feel cohesive while also not loosing the core pallete.

6- Linessssssss~~~~~~

For me this is where all of the life of my art comes from, its where i get to be super loose and impressionistic with my stuff and I get to color up the thing. A lot I'll go with "unexpected colors" in places because those unexpected colors can add a lot of texture and life to your art but this is meant to be pastely and fun so i decided to go wit more conventional colors.

7- Add coloring layers on top for final adjustments

these don't have to be super obvious and noticeable, but often the right mix of overlay and multiply layers can make a piece look better.

And thats basically the whole process. Add and remove what you want, I just wanted to share since Baby artists sometimes don't have a realistic idea of how art gets made and having a step by step can be useful.

[hxhhasmysoul]

4, 8, 40

Thank you for your ask! <3

4. Where do you find inspiration for new ideas?

sometimes it's prompts, like general or fandom events and i just go with that but those are most often shorts.

for the long form stuff it usually is some kind of offshoot of things that are on my mind at the time but it's kinda random. sometimes it's an aesthetic that i'd seen recently or like a lot and had been thinking about like fairy tale kingdom nightmare castle started like that - empire/regency is my favourite european historic fashion area, or levels - thinking of cyberpunk and looking through tsutomu nihei's early work. sometimes it's some kind of real world issue that prompts a story, like there was a lot of talking about some major elections in the usa at the time that prompted why am i like this?, knov's list was also prompted by some christian hypocrisy news related to sexual abuse plus some anti queer stuff, personal work was inspired by the conversations i have with friends about art, especially recently due to the capitalist cyber horror that is ai generated art. sometimes it's a general vibe, like for instance the pandemic and the isolation connected to it inspired conventional wisdom with its ennui, or like the recent chapters of jjk gave me extreme anxiety so i started writing a sugary fic where i specify in the tags that nothing bad is going to happen. sometimes it's because i think something could work and no one is writing it for me, like my beauty and the beast fic. and sometimes its due to the fact that i'm actually an awful person and i start a fic out of pettiness and spite like i click on a fic because the tags feel so exciting and the fic does not deliver and i give in to the baser instincts of i can fucking do this much better.

8. Do you prefer the beginning, middle, or end of a story?

beginning and middle are both fine because i don't really struggle with coming up wit the sequence of events for the story. i struggle with finding the angle for some moments. i hate ends though. i fear ending things, it gives me anxiety.

40. If someone were to make fanart of your work, what fic or scene would you hope to see?

that's a tough one because i feel very bad bothering artists even for exchange events, i feel it's ok if i don't get art XD and like idk what makes a good scene for art so i'll be kinda vague.

aesthetically my two favourite fics are fairy tale kingdom nightmare castle and levels, i also love the outfits killua wears in why am i like this and knov's list - because those are all teen kid having fun outfits.

also i've been talking with my friend how i'm not super sure what exactly aesthetically my recent jjk fics are and it'd be neat if some artist drew it and decided for me XD

because like one in my head is like fantasy attire and like that's not very helpful maybe more terry pratchett, maybe more tolkien or maybe more dnd like fantasy aesthetic XD honestly not super sure.

the other could aesthetically draw from any asian culture, regardless if more to the east or the west of the continent. it's a non specific au, i didn't feel like doing research for it but it has a harem and historically there were harem like structures all over asia so that's the general direction where my brain goes when i think of the aesthetic vibes for it. but also like i don't want to choose favourites because historical asian fashion is so beautiful, like you can pick any region any period and it's just breathtaking.

____________

Get to know your fic writer!

[bloodraven55]

I saw a post recently where someone else analysed how Luz's love language is acts of service and Amity's is physical affection, and it got me thinking so in light of today's incredible episode I want to do some serious digging into Luz's feelings for Amity. This is probably gonna get pretty long but hey, these two are more than worth it.

I'm going to go through three key episodes for Luz and Amity's relationship so that I can properly illustrate my points, starting with Lost in Language.

First, I want to talk about how, despite the fact that Amity had been nothing but objectionable to her so far, literally all it takes for Luz to decide she wants to befriend her anyway is reading about Azura befriending Hecate in her book and seeing Amity reading to kids at the library. This clearly establishes that Luz is intrigued by Amity and willing to go out of her way to connect with her, even when Amity hasn't yet given her any particular reason to do so.

Next, let's talk about the manner in which Luz tries to save Amity from Otabin later in the same episode. This is one of the first times we see Luz attempt to be Amity's hero, as she chooses to make an unnecessarily dramatic entrance dressed as her own version of Azura, playing the role of the dashing knight come to rescue the fair maiden albeit not quite as gracefully as is usual in these stories lol. She even takes the time to doodle Amity being impressed by her performance too, introducing the idea that Amity's perception of her means a lot to Luz.

Finally for this episode, we get another example of both these things: Luz putting in a substantial effort to bond with Amity, and Luz wanting to impress Amity or get specific reactions from her. After impulsive plan to get them away from Otabin works, Luz finds the time to be a good even when they're running for their lives and actually manages to make Amity laugh which was an impressive feat at that point tbh, looking extremely pleased when her comment is received positively.

These next two moments provide a neat link to the next episode I want to discuss, Adventures in the Elements, so I'll cover them in one go. We see Luz's first Act of Service for Amity when she offers her the Azura book she's missing to show that she wants to be friends, and then when she meets Amity to get it back we see how important the gesture was for Luz. She's very eager to hear Amity's thoughts, loves it when she finds the fanart Amity drew, and in general it's just obvious that this was another attempt to impress Amity on Luz's part.

This only continues as Luz proudly proclaims that she's going to join Amity's class at Hexside, even winking at her in the process, and solidifies the significance of her giving Amity the book even more by suggesting they start a club to talk about it further. Like, seriously, this entire episode is pretty much just Luz being adorably excited to share classes with Amity and flat out learning a whole new spell just to make sure it happens.

The interesting thing here, though, is that Luz gets really nervous as soon as the twins suggest they all train together, enough to lie to them in a moment of panic, and then gets super embarrassed when she sees that Amity is also practicing at the Knee. This doesn't seem to make much sense since Amity is being pretty nice by this point and not at all mocking or condescending, and Luz has given up on trying to look cool to the twins by now too. But it actually makes a lot of sense when you consider that this is another instance of Luz wanting to impress Amity and worrying about looking inept in front of her.

There's also the way that Luz is just... so clumsy and awkward around Amity in these episodes. The girl knocks a book to the floor and falls off a rock just trying to say hello, for crying out loud, complete with stammering over her words. Yeah, it's safe to say Luz is lowkey crushing on Amity here.

Don't worry, because I saved the best for last. Enchanting Grom Fright is basically the culmination of everything those two previous episodes set up. Not only do we get two Acts of Service from Luz, with her offering to face her own worst fear for Amity with zero hesitation and then happily offering to go to Grom with her so that Amity wouldn't end up alone, but she also brings out some dramatic flair when she declares herself Amity's “fearless champion,” like a knight in shining armour vowing to protect her princess although she still hasn't got the graceful part down lmao.

Plus, there's the fact that in both of their Lingering Eye Contact in Close Proximity with Romantic Tension™ moments in the episode, Luz's expression is the exact same as Amity's, wide-eyed and curious like she's not quite sure what to make of what she's feeling. And that's even before she just full on starts flirting with Amity later on. I'm sorry, but those smirks and fancy show-off moves while dancing are not remotely heterosexual, Luz.

All of this brings us to their current situation: Amity is aware of her crush on Luz but thinks that Luz only sees her as a friend, and Luz is subconsciously flirting with Amity as well as trying to show off for her and be her hero but remains fairly unaware of her crush on her and thinks that Amity likes someone else. So in conclusion, teenagers are useless, but we been knew. Rather, the point I want to end on is that there's a reason why Luz and Amity were so in sync with such amazing chemistry during their dance when they weren't talking, and it's because they both have different ways of communicating their emotions but when they let their actions speak for them they were finally on the same page albeit briefly.

tl;dr - Luz and Amity are both crushing hard on each other, they just need to realise that the other has a different way of expressing their feelings and find the courage to be honest with each other. Amity's crush is more glaringly blatant, what with all the blushing and gay panicking and wanting to ask Luz to the school dance, but Luz's crush on Amity is also pretty evident in the way she tries so hard to impress her and often steps in to help her out with grand gestures, which she never does to anywhere near the same extent with any of her other friends.

[gay-tanuki-aus]

 Soulmate AU

Setting: School

It is said that the first thing, whatever it may be, said to you by your soulmate, would be imprinted onto your inner forearm like a tattoo. So there may be instances where the first things said might be super vague, something like "hey" or "hi". Then there were also the super-specific ones like "I remember seeing you at the bar last night, you were gorgeous, but I didn't think to say hi- so it's funny how we're meeting here again at a supermarket in the grocery lane." Last but not least, there were ones where it was just plain confusing.

"'Hi, I was wondering what kind of program you used?' I mean, who even asks that the first time they meet?" Ally groans as she stares at her forearm. No matter how much she thought about it, it just seemed impossible. It was always said that your soulmate was who you'd spend the rest of your life with and that you'd be lucky if you ever met your soulmate in your teenage years. Not many meet their soulmate this early on, after all, the world is so big, to make sure the two people meet, would need many variables to align. This made Ally feel slightly better about not meeting her soulmate yet, even though that particular sentence still confused her. It led her to wonder what kind of circumstances she and her soulmate would meet in.

At this time, Donut was also wondering about her soulmate. 'CSP'. That's it. That's all that is written. What baffled her the most, however, wasn't the short 3 lettered word or acronym. It was the fact that she didn't know what CSP meant. It wasn't like she didn't try searching online either, but all she got was "content security policy". Content security policy?? In what world would the first thing your soulmate say to you be content security policy? Did that mean she would have to try and get a job in that? Or maybe she just had to ask her soulmate what the acronym for content security policy was. No, that'd just be plain stupid. Imagine going up to everyone and asking that. Donut laughs a little at the thought, but she can't help but wonder if that's really how she'd find her soulmate?

Thankfully for both, it didn't take long for them to meet. As fandom people, it was only normal to be producing and enjoying fanart and fanfictions. So that's exactly how, and when it happened. It was at lunch, Donut decided to go to the Steven Universe fan club. She always enjoyed walking through the club room looking at the fanart which usually lined the club room walls. As she scanned through them, a certain fanart caught her eye. Intrigued, she had tapped a nearby person to ask them who drew it, and they pointed her to a girl- Ally not far off, sitting at one of the tables scribbling away.

Walking up, Donut decides to start the conversation up different. "Hi, I was wondering what kind of program you used?"

"CSP." Ally answers without looking up. Neither had realized what just happened until a second later Ally looks up almost aggressively. This only confirmed Donut's thoughts as she let out a small gasp.

"You're my soulmate???" Donut asks almost unbelievingly.

"Ok, but why are you taller." Ally seemed conflicted. "No, I mean- un-ask me that- please!"

"WH- I can't just un-ask you something like that!" Donut almost laughs at the absurdity of the request, but also slightly disappointed at her reaction. Did that mean Ally wasn't her soulmate? Or maybe they weren't meant to be soulmates? It is often said that one would feel a spark when they met their soulmate, but none of what was supposed to happen was happening.

"Oh, right, sorry, that was rude." Ally apologizes almost embarrassed but seemingly deflated.

"Oh pfft, don't sweat it, it's good! You see, so many people can ask you the same thing- so it probably isn't even me, I mean there are so many people on earth- y'know?? I'm sure you'll find the right soulmate." Donut says starting to ramble in an attempt to cheer Ally up. "Plus, we can just be soul mates with a space in between. Yes. We will be great friends or mates in this case!"

And that's what they did. They became soul mates. Kind of like when one would say 'Oh, this is my girl friend, with a space in between the girl, and the friend.' They would talk for hours on end about their ocs, and that's when Donut realized something was wrong. Something very wrong indeed, she may or may not be catching some unwanted feelings for her soul mate. Which was wrong. So what does a normal person do when they figure out something is wrong? They deny it.

"Yeah, then there's that boundary between acquaintances and friends." Ally says thoughtfully. The two were currently sitting at lunch talking about different types of relationships.

"I have like- friendship tiers I list everyone in. As you said, there are acquaintances, then there are friends. For me, there are three levels of friends: 'just met', close friends, and best friends. Then there is the slightly different topic of girlfriends. For instance, Theo would be a close friend." Donut starts to list off a few more examples as Ally listens, "And you- y'know you're like a super great friend, but I wouldn't date you. I mean, it's not like we're actually soulmates." She adds shrugging a little.

"Yep." Ally nods and that was the conversation; their attention brought back to fangirling over their ocs. If Donut could give herself a rating on how she did, she'd say she did pretty good, except she didn't.

A few months pass and Donut realizes her feelings were back, or more accurately, never left. So she decided, if Ally was interested in someone already, she'd just be a good friend and her ultimate wingman, but if Ally wasn't, she'd ask her out or something. Or not, since she's an awkward gay.

"So do you have a crush on anyone right now-" Donut had started the conversation, she'd ask every now and then just out of curiosity, except this time, she was going to make a decision afterwards.

"Huh, I mean everyone has one right, so I guess." The two were sitting at lunch again, just talking and enjoying each other's company.

Donut took a bite of her sandwich before looking back at Ally, "Oh?? So you do have one?" Now she was curious about who caught her soul mate's eye. "Who is it?" She asked almost a little too curious.

Ally didn't think much of it, however, and just shook her head. "I'm not telling you."

"Whaaaat- why not??" Donut whines. She really wanted to know now, who the mysterious person was.

"Why do you want to know so badly??" Ally crosses her arms almost defensive, but more flustered.

"Because I'm curious!" Donut exclaims. "I mean, you'd be the same if I said 'Hey Ally, I have a crush too.'" Lunch was almost over by this time, but hopefully, she could figure out who it was before then. Maybe a little push would help.

"You do? Who is it?" It was Ally's turn to be curious. "Y'know you should totally just ask them out, if it were me, I'd just ask my crush out."

"Yeah right." Donut snorts. "Like YOU would actually go up to your crush and just ask them out. That's not something the Ally I know would do." Donut teases Ally nudging her playfully.

"Shut up!" Ally clicks her tongue. "You are underestimating this gay. I would definitely ask them out. Anyways, what's your crush like huh? Since it doesn't seem like you'd be telling me the name."

"You're right I won't," Donut says with a smug look. "And I ain't telling you none of that." She was wrong. They spent the rest of the lunchtime talking about what their crushes were like. Right before the bell rings, Donut decides to go for it. "Wait-"

"Yeah?" Ally asks turning around, she was getting ready to go to class, but she decided that could wait. "What is it?"

"Good- luck in class!" Donut says after hesitating. She was going to ask Ally out, but on second thought, she could wait until later, or just not do so at all. She's pretty good at procrastinating anyways.

"Really now, I saw you hesitate." Ally crosses her arms in front of her chest. School can wait, whatever Donut was going to say had to be way more interesting than spending an entire hour in class listening to the teacher drone on about a random subject.

"IT'S NOTHING OK, GO TO CLASS." Donut was extremely flustered by now, she didn't think Ally would think too much of it, and now it seemed like she would have to tell her what she was going to say. Ally laughs a little and that makes Donut blush even more. "D-don't laugh!"

"Well it's funny watching you struggle for words, it doesn't happen a lot." Ally snickers some more. "So what's up my soul mate?" She had an idea what this was about, but she didn't want to ruin the fun.

"You're enjoying this aren't you- Oh my god. YOU'RE SO MEAN. I'M REALLY STRUGGLING HERE. Alright. I'll tell you, but if you laugh I'm leaving." Donut grumbles as Ally nods and laughs again. "Well uh, I think you're really cute- and like full homo-"

"There you go. Congrats." Ally giggled. "But really, I wasn't expecting this."

"What do you mean?"

"Remember when we had that conversation?"

"Which conversation- we've had many." Donut frowns trying to remember what Ally could be talking about.

"You said and I quote, 'You're like a super great friend, but I wouldn't date.'"

"That was-" Donut stammers completely forgetting they had that conversation, she then lets out an audible groan attempting to cover her face. "And like-"

"Yes?"

"Do you wanna like- go out with me?"

"I don't know hmmm-" Ally pretends to think about it. "What should I do..."

"C'MON ALLY. It's a yes or no question- the ones you're good at?" She then repeats in a slightly mocking but joking tone. "'Hey Ally, cats or dogs?' 'Yes'"

"Wooooow, don't make fun of me." Ally shakes her head in mock disappointment. "So rude. And I can't believe you don't want to be soul mates with a space anymore, I'm hurt."

Donut rolls her eyes a smile tugging at her lips. "So...?"

"Well- I have to go to class right now, so I'll let you know after school ok?? I'll definitely think hard on it." Ally winks as she turns to head to her class. Donut nods and gathers her stuff as well, there wasn't much time left to get to class before she was considered tardy. But that was hardly her concern at the moment. This whole thing had gone way better than Donut thought, and she was glad that Ally didn't flat out reject her which would've been quite devastating. On second thought, she also couldn't help but think maybe they really were soulmates.

TO BE CONTINUED...

(Because I can't write that much in one sitting plus I haven't spell checked anything so-)

[saiharas-world-blog]

Okay, so I have to post something.

Uh, uhm.

OKAY

DRV3 BOYS WITH A S/O THAT ASKS TO TIE RIBBONS ONTO THEIR HAIR

(By Mod Kiibo!)

Gonta Gokuhara

- "hey gonta can i put these on you?"

- this is sweet boy

- so when you walk up to him with alot of tiny ribbons

- and ask if you can place them on his hair

- he'd instantly go with it

- "gonta don't understand why s/o wants to put ribbons in gonta's hair"

- "its okay you dont need to"

- you guys just enjoy some silence for a while, you're probably humming too

- "gonta feels like a christmas tree"

- uh

- okay he didn't have to put it that way

- but by the time you're done he's super happy

- they look so cute! Gonta likes it!

- 50% because you took the liberty to make the ribbons look like butterflies but okay

- oH HE'LL ASK TO DO THE SAME

- YOU CAN'T STOP HIM

- overall happy Gonta though💕💕

- by the end of the day your hair could practically be a mess like his

- plus some (fav. color) ribbons strung onto your hair

- alsO SINCE HE'S PRETTY BIG YOU CAN IMAGINE HOW HE TUGS AT YOUR HAIR

- he's pretty gentle, im not gonna lie

- but there are just those times

- you may or may not have yelled at him

- yeah maybe next time you should teach him how to do it properly

K1-B0

- "wait what"

- he doesn't understand, he'll be reluctant

- "come on, it'll be fun!"

- "but aren't ribbons for girls??"

- he'll probably google boys with ribbons on their hair while you're talking

- soon enough he agrees

- okay so once you start caressing his hair you're just like

- what kind of f_cking conditioner do you use?

- like, holy hell his hair feels like the things you'd see on a L'Oréal commercial.

- he's confused with your reactions because

- what are you talking about?? its just his hair??

- when he tells you it's synthetic you're like OH

- you keep quiet after that, just enjoying the way his hair feels so ugjkhwNKfhlKlwhIHoGj

- he doesn't ask to put ribbons on your hair when you're done, since he's calculated a 78.6% chance of failure

- he actually loves the way it looks though, little electric blue ribbon delicately strung onto his hair.

- oh, then you show him a surprise

- basically you turn off the lights and the ribbons glow

- "OH WOW S/O WHERE DID YOU GET THESE"

- "whY? ARE YOU GOING TO BUY SOME??"

Kaito Momota

- okay you wanna know what you did?

- yeah?

- okay, so you didn't tell him that you were going to put ribbons in his hair

- instead, you went something along the lines of;

- "hey kaito can i put stars in your hair?"

- he's hesitant because where the hell are you going to get stars to put in his hair

- also because it probably isn't masculine

- but i mean

- they're stARS HOW COULD HE NOT--

- so he says yes

- okay his hair is weird and you'd probably have a hard time working with this

- but the end result is worth it

- you practically made his hair a canvas and your ribbons the paint

- you stuck to your word though

- in his hair, laid a freaking galaxy

- kaito's hair color was perfect

- purple, yellow, and white glittery ribbons adorned the man

- and they were shaped into stars

- you have no idea how much this boy's love for you has grown

- "hey maybe i can add some to your goatee too"

- that was a joke

- obviously

- but when he went "Go ahead!"

- you just hAD TO

- so now he's walking around with stars on his hair and one glittery purple star on his goatee

Kokichi Ouma

- let me show you something

- its just ouma with ribbons

- i edited that, i know

- he looks like a girl but don't mind that

- ngl, you probably did this while he was asleep

- so he'd wake up in the morning like he usually does

- then he looks into the mirror and--

- "WOAH I LOOK LIKE A GIRL"

- immediately runs to you

- you'd be making coffee or something

- then you'd look at him and burst out laughing

- "y'know, that look suits you"

- "S/O THIS ISN'T FUNNY"

- pouty boy

- "as the ultimate supreme leader i demand you rid of these immediately!!"

- nah, man

- he tried removing the ribbons

- he failed miserably

- you may or may not have made a bet that he can't survive 24 hours normally with those on

- you may or may not have said you wouldn't remove it if you won

- he may or may not have said he'll style your hair and you'll have to go with it for 24 hours if he won

- at the end of the day he just walks into your room

- with that huge smirk on his face

- and oh sh_t he won the bet

- you just slowly remove the ribbons as it dawns upon you that your supreme overlord boyfriend is going to mess up your hair

- haha good luck

Korekiyo Shinguji

- why bother put ribbons in his hair

- if you can make his hair into a ribbon

- initially, you were just running your fingers through his hair

- the thought of how his hairstyle is so feminine sparked into a conversation

- eventually leading you to suggest styling his hair

- "no"

- "but--"

- "no"

- don't worry though

- he'll reluctantly agree

- that is after you promise not to cut or color his hair

- he tells you stories while you do your thing

- you know tsuyu asui from bnha?

- imagine kork with that hairstyle

- +lucky clover shaped ribbons

- "you're a walking good luck charm now!"

- "no wonder you're here with me"

- SMOOTH 100

- he styles your hair to (somehow) match his

- he doesn't know how to do the clover ribbon thing

- so he just turns them into extensions of sorts

- you and kork should do this more often!

Rantaro Amami

- "okay"

- avocado boi is just so chill and open

- like you don't even have to ask

- slight hassle because his hair is short

- you ended up adding clips too

- so he basically has this one medium sized ribbon on the right side of his head

- and a sh_ton baby ribbons just scattered everywhere

- you just start joking around

- "oh no! Ribbons seem to have invaded your scalp!"

- he goes with it

- "oh no! Am i going to die??"

- "if you can get to the cure, then you won't have to suffer anymore"

- "and the cure is?"

- "hidden after hours of cuddles"

- im sure you can tell where this is going

- so you guys cuddle

- you remove the ribbons from his hair

- and the day goes on like usual

- then tomorrow comes

- and avocado boi sees you with a bunch of ribbons in your hair

- its too early for this

- before he can even speak you look at him and exclaim

- "RANTARO THE RIBBONS HAVE INFECTED ME--"

- "the wHAT??"

- a few minutes later and you're just laughing

- "okay so maybe i wasn't infected. do you like my new hairstyle?"

- "sure, it suits you"

- avocado boi is amused

- yay to s/o!

Ryoma Hoshi

- i

- i just

- im not sure how this'll work

- his hair is super short???

- that doesn't stop you from trying though!

- he goes with it

- he plans on covering them with his hat anyway if ever you insist he keeps them on

- you did a thing

- where uh

- you weaved the ribbons and stuck them to a bunch of clips

- those in which you placed onto his hair

- like amami, ryoma has this "surperior ribbon" on one side of his head

- when you're finished he probably looks like a 2 year old kid with an extra (personality wise) woman for a mom

- ngl he doesn't like how it looks

- of course he won't tell you that

- he won't try to decorate your hair, mostly because he can't reach but--

- he'll ask nicely if he can remove the ribbons

- as nicely as he can at least--

- its a whole different story when you compliment him though

- "maybe i'll keep them on a little longer"

- nice work s/o!

Shuichi Saihara

- "o-oh?"

- he'll give you a minute to wait before he says yes

- atua knows why he took a minute but alright

- in your mind its just;

- "i'm going to make sweetchi look sweeter after this"

- you decided to get some goth ribbons beforehand!

- like those little clips with those tiny glittery skulls

- okay maybe you went with pastel goth

- moving on,

- his hair is so smooth

- it feels like he uses Patene or Treseme even!

- "even hairstylists are impressed"

- "what"

- "nothing, i just thought of mimicking a shampoo commercial"

- you had some fun combing his hair

- so much fun that he had to remind you that you were supposed to put ribbons

- oops, haha

- you start squealing halfway through

- "are you okay?"

- "yes im just imagining how cute you'd look after this"

- cuE INTENSE BLUSHING

- you were practically going to die once you finished

- one look at him and you knew

- Mission: Success

- and he just has this rosy blush and the way his eyelashes flutter--

- rip in peace s/o

- (rest in peace in peace???)

- he decorates your hair as a thanks

- he did amAZINGLY

- oh yeah he also used the pastel goth ribbons

- so now you two match!

- happy sweetchi and happy s/o!

Side note: I'd love to see sprite edits/fanart of these!

-Mod Kiibo