#i guess idk putting it just in case

[spread-the-influence]

[ 4 ]

◀ | ◼ | ▶

the reaction to the last post made me realize there's going to be people reading this comic without knowing what the au is prior and honestly it must be wild being in that perspective

[lettucefather]

BEACH EPISODE

that thing is NOT his size

[once-in-a-half-life]

"so what did you do this summer?"

i. uh. I recreated the ending cutscene of half life alyx as a visual novel in ren'py ....

it was a really cool project through! I learned a lot and am really proud of the result! I even made the G-Man sprites in S2FM (by playing his in-game animations frame by frame and rendering some stills I liked haha)

here's some screeshots!

[iidsch]

also more codelyokoposting but I really really dig XANA as a villain. It's not a person with a complex background that led them down the path of evil, it's not a morally grey character you sympathize with but condemn. It's a powerful AI capable of controlling almost anything in the real world. It doesn't have a face or a body, we only know it for its symbol and for the monsters it controls in the virtual world. It's willing not just to kill people through various methods (poisoning, drowning, car crash, fucking space lasers too?) but also Earth as a whole (it tried to blow up a NUCLEAR PLANT and crash two trains with toxic chemicals in them). And we don't even know why it does this, at least not for now. It may not even have a particular reason, just some sort of virus or malware in the form of an AI that seeks nothing but destruction without any goals in mind. This "pure evil" characteristic doesn't come off as childish, like in some children cartoons, it's just kind of scary to think that such an incomprehensible and destructive force exists, almost feels like a natural disaster

[sysig]

Puts the “plates” in “Fellplates” (Patreon)

[cozymochi]

ok. @ anyone wanting to ask for wardrobe drawing meme crud. I will repeat this AGAIN.

I suppose i will LINK my last post about this boundary. And if nobody wants to click that link, here’s a screenshot of the linked post:

And if that isn’t clear, he’s a screenshot of the boundary tags in the screenshot:

And if that isn’t clear, here’s an Image ID of the boundary tags in said screenshots: [[Screenshot of purple text on a black back background reading: “#Am NOT doing 1 or the last one.” END ID.]]

For the Record: #1 is “Underwear” and #22 is “A Fig Leaf.” I have already said several times that I’m not doing those prompts. Period.

This is the second strike.

I have three strikes. After that I’m closing this up and tossing out the rest in there too.

I am literally begging you guys to please stop testing me and crossing the one single boundary I ask for. Least of all try skirting around it, I’m not dumb. I genuinely have zero obligation to do this and I gain nothing from it.

[sampegger]

do you guys think the writers would have taken it more seriously if it had been alastair around relentlessly tormenting dean in late seasons as opposed to lucifer with sam

[aeternxm]

Hi there! While I love seeing people’s OCs, I feel like some of Edith’s background can be seen as problematic. The Salem Witch Trials wasn’t about actual witches being hunted down—they were innocent people that were massacred. Maybe set her story somewhere else? It just seems a bit insensitive, in light of all the real people that suffered during that time.

Hi hello!

I really appreciate the message, though I'm not gonna lie this is probably something I would have preferred to respond to in private instead of blasting it over the blog.

There doesn't seem like a way I can really respond to this without sounding like a total asshole? Because I'm aware that the Salem Witch Trials were a real thing and actual people were killed. I'd never want to make light of that and take away from it.

But I do just want to preface this by saying that Eddie is, in fact, a fictional character. Her story, though based off true events, is fictional. A more supernatural take on real life events.

I am happy to talk about this more with you off anon, because I'd love to hear your viewpoints and obviously, if I'm in the wrong, I'm always open to changing things up a bit. I don't ever wanna come across as problematic or rude or like I'm trying to romantisice something horrible, if that makes sense.

I suppose what I'm trying to say is I like exploring darker themes, but I understand that it might not be for everyone and that I am human, sometimes I might approach things the wrong way.

If Eddie's backstory really is that much of an issue for everyone I don't mind changing it slightly or just? Removing her from the blog.

[simpingforcys]

Fuck it, King Candy/Turbo movie time stamps (According to Disney+)

First "Going Turbo" mention: 6:06

First King Candy Graffiti: 7:16

Second "Going Turbo" mention: 23:38

First Turbo Graffiti: 32:33

First King Candy appearance: 33:46

Castle Interrogation Scene: 37:38

Third "Going Turbo" mention: 38:27

Fourth "Going Turbo" mention: 45:31

Turbo Flashback: 45:36

Kart Bakery Scene: 52:04

Castle/Manipulating Code: 59:00

Ralph/King Candy Talk: 1:03:15

Deleting Vanellope's Code: 1:12:19

Final Race: 1:16:17

Turbo Reveal: 1:20:57

First Death: 1:21:50

King Candybug: 1:24:00

Second Death: 1:26:52

End Credits Cameo: 1:34:49

[seaofreverie]

Sparkstember Day 11: Angst In My Pants (The Decline And Fall Of Me)

Album two of two in the series of Sparks' immaculate new wave releases! Iconic in every way imaginable from the music to the artwork to ONE music video. I think it's more musically (and lyrically!) varied and mature in tone (besides... a couple exceptions. Yes, an album called Angst In My Pants) than its predecessor, which is a very good development. These songs will leave you chuckling and bopping along and also pondering the intricacies of human existence. Ok, maybe that's a bit of a stretch, but it can't be denied that behind much of the earnestness and theatricality here, there's lots of quite emotional, introspective and thought-provoking stuff to be found.

Thematically, this album goes everywhere. One moment we are in Sextown U.S.A, the next we're visiting Disneyland, California where we make friends among people and animals. On a more serious note though, I think the biggest emotional whiplash one could experience between different songs on an album is between Mickey Mouse and Sherlock Holmes. And yet there's still a very prominent element of humour, even in those songs that are on the more serious or dramatic end of the scale.

I said a few days ago that I'd try to return to the topic of Sparks' brand of humour and how it works, but I don't feel intelligent enough to analyse that today. And I'm pretty sure that from what I've seen, Other People And The Maels Themselves (Said It Better Than Me). So instead, as a little send-off, please remember: if a mouse can be special, well, SO CAN YOU!!! 🫵

Favourite songs (and other highlights):

Angst In My Pants: literally no other song like this one in this world. I can't tell why that is but it's just. So great

I Predict: I had a weird kind of effect where I heard this song in my early days of Sparking and it felt VEEERY familiar to me. I think it was due to the genre / style here, it reminded me of something specific, at first I thought it was very glam rock but I'm pretty sure that this is not it but something else (and I don't know what to call it in that case!). Anyway, banger song

Tarzan And Jane: whoa wait, am I already skipping to the third-to-last song on the tracklist?? I guess I am. This one's great and one of my early favs too (I wonder how long it will take until I run out of things to say about my fav songs and it all just becomes this list of 'it's very good and I like it a lot. next.')

The Decline And Fall Of Me: it's great!! I like it!! And, of course, "check out my pizzas"

Eaten By The Monster Of Love: personal reasons that lead to a printed and framed mini-comic of my making appearing on my desk, which features some of the lyrics of this song, which caused me to have it permanently stuck in my head for a pretty long period of time. And this way I ended up liking it much much more than I did in the beginning, when it still seemed somehow pretty unremarkable to me

[violet-ophelia-boss]

GUYS! I come from Tommy's latest video and I checked the description. He did it again. He's inviting mumbo jumbo. This is going to be chaotic as fuck. But you didn't hear nothing from me. Act like it's going to be a surprise /silly

[mikesoup]

i think making this legitimately did something to my brain

(aka a joblet hot to go edit because. why not i guess)

[emotional-mess-in-distress]

Haven't been able to draw cuz college but I got a little break rn so here's a Nico doodle :>

[frevandrest]

not to be a d*ck, but is it true the king's trial was kind of illegal?

Yes - because the existing laws at the time gave the king more rights and protection than any other person. It was basically impossible to put him on trial for a crime legally.

If anyone else were accused of that crime (high treason), it would've been an easy trial with a clear sentence (not just during frev; we know how treason was addressed in Ancient Régime).

But Louis had special protections in the law. So that was a pickle. And that's why the Convention took so long to figure out what to do (if he could be tried legally at all). It was an example of "it can't really be done legally, but it's because the law is bad". Yet they (majority at least) didn't want to go "fuck the laws, it's unfair for him to have privileges over other people, especially for that type of crime". So they struggled to find a loophole that would make it non-illegal and in the process some important things were said about the nature of rulership, the divine right of kings, equality, democracy etc. But yeah, there was no way to do it legally because the law was bad. (Edit: And I think rulers generally still enjoy these protections around the world, so it wasn't unusual. Still bad.)

[lostconductor]

really longwinded fuckass trans oc essay

despite being trans myself i don't really think any of my trans characters actually satisfyingly explore the trans experience to me, which is fine because a trans character can just Exist, but also i do wish i had more characters who's lives and identities are affected by being trans. because my experience so far is that being transgender has affected me in a way where i feel proud to wear the label on my lapel because i've come this far. but i find that in most of my trans ocs' stories, being transgender is either a: destigmatized and/or b: not a problem (hormones and medical transition readily available, taken care of). there's that line between "do i really want to write transphobia into a world where everyone can just be happy?" and "i want a character that's had one of the genuine modern trans experiences" (i say one of and not "the" because there is no The Trans Experience).

then theres project moon world. where gender is and isn't important because gendered bodies and traits do exist, it's literally just the names that are subverted. but (at least as far as i personally know, i dont know anything beyond lobcorp, half of ruina, and everything up to like the lab half of yi sang's canto) we don't actually see or hear any discussion of gender or gender issues, or anything implying that a gender inequality or trans people even exist. which is fine i guess. not the main focus when people are turning into giant monsters and killing each other with giant swords. but it makes it hard to picture any sort of modern experience and relationship with gender in that world that'd match up with anything we relate to. body modification is a commodity and normalized there. you can get surgery to transfer your body into a robot body as long as your brain is intact. you can replace your head now. top and bottom surgery is ancient news, that's just normal. you can replace your head with a triangle now. do people still come out of the closet? does gender even come into play with sexuality anymore? does anyone give a fuck when people are turning into monsters and shit? it sounds like a nice world, where you don't have to constantly be on defense because someone might kill you for being a little too queer, but it also makes it really hard to visualize anything you can relate to without it seeming a little old-fashioned or silly for it to even exist

in my salem world buggy / skuggy being trans was me slapping it on them because i was trans and i wanted to connect with my ocs. i honestly havent revisited them in a while so i forgot a lot but i tried to work it into their stories but mostly ended up thinking longer on it for skuggy as kind of just him crawling out of a bad home situation and him being able to transition finally being his foot down on earth away from that old life. like shedding a shell into a new one. yeah things still suck and i'm heading for a town that's going to kill me, but i finally am on t and i can start saving up for top surgery. but after that point in his life it fades to the background and it's just normal. i think my salem folks are the closest ill get to being able to explore a genuine transgender experience

farrow is weird because the entirety of his life he's been kind of accustomed to playing this certain role and sticking with it, and losing himself in the tough guy facade of uncaring manipulative loner that he just becomes it and doesn't see another way until he's literally killed for being a prick and reduced to a speck that can't hold that facade anymore after being put into his place. as a child he was androgynous and didn't care about it but was still a boy. but the moment he's forced to stop revolving his life around the sole purpose of survival (in fact probably now the opposite) and has to be forced to face what actually lies beneath that facade he's implanted into himself , that nonbinary elephant in the room suddenly gets very very big and loud and he's forced to stare it straight down. i explored his very disorienting confused tiptoes into gender expression and identity mostly in private because i got shy being anything less than funniejokes about my ocs, but it was really just "i think i might be nonbinary but i have a job so i cant think abt that rn" "oh shit im unemployed im fighting these fucking demons" "why did being called this term awaken something in me" "oh god help me". i think i explored and pushed it the absolute most in band au where it's the most similar to modern day reality and just got to make him a little thing. but it's kind of the same thing where while i did get to explore his gender presentation and his thoughts on it and how other people close to him reacted to it or affirm it it i don't ttthink it has a lot of bearing on his character. which is fine i guess. i dont know how i feel about characters who's entire basis is being trans. but i guess that is literally just how it is irl being a stigmatized group you are just Defined by it bc it affects Everything In Your Gd Life. idk where im going with this

idk the thing that prompted this is just thinking about my lobcorp ocs because it is so. HARD. to relate to any of their trans experiences or write anything resembling a modern trans experience with them. they live in a hyperdeveloped future, why Wouldn't they have access to hrt and gender affirming surgeries. why Would it have any bearing on them what gender they are, they have to go die in a Nest or smtng tomorrow. i think a lot about eva and griffin and even like myukeu or roger/mags. i'm trying to go back and think about how it might've been for eva growing up but the most i can think is that he probably just stayed in the closet until he built up the courage and his parents were just "oh okay cool i guess. maybe you wont be limited by the glass ceiling now. finish your damn homework" like just such a anticlimatic end. (but even that response implies any sort of gender imbalance or acknowledgement of gender in this world and honestly, with all the women taking leadership and even mastermind roles in this world there is no way that's anything close to canon. also i dont want to write in fuckin misogyny. but thats the thing in a modern au His Parents Would Fucking THink Like That his identity gender and all takes a backseat to his Purpose. but its hard to write that when Everyone Is Just Like That with gender). like yeah i can write this character juggling work and arranging pharmacy prescriptions and fitting in a daily t shot into his routine and having to recover after top surgery but once he's socially transitioned even if he doesn't pass it doesn't have a bearing or effect on him because It Doesn't Matter Here You're An Employee All The Same. his identity is an afterthought in the corporation. the only time it comes up is when he befriends other trans people and has that "oh hey" feeling of solidarity or when years down the line he's getting freaky with julian and has to explain no an abnormality did not scar me those are surgery scars. im trans. and then it's fine

idk this is a very looseform ramble because in the end i don't know what my actual thoughts are. i guess i yearn for just a mundane trans experience. which is why i'm so drawn to band au / modern aus of any kind because it lets me write these people being Very Mundane Normal People. sure writing them in doomed time loops and turning into giant monsters and harnessing powers beyond comprehension is fun but also i really like writing mundane shit even if its boring to read. why do you think i spamdraw post-lobcorp so much. theyre normal. anyways time to brainrot more over band au than the actual canon

also if there have been any mentions/discussions of gender in projmoon games i would 100% be down to read an analysis or whatever. this isnt a projmoon haterpost believe it or not it's just me thrashing within the nonexistent box i've put myself in.

i like mundane modern trans characters. i like trans characters that look like people i would meet irl and just Exist the way we do irl. i dont care if there is no transphobia in the world i just need to see them being mildly inconvenienced by having to do advanced aerobics to take off their binder or experience gender euphoria after wearing a tank top and jeans. i wanna see them having a sleepover and getting their nails painted for the first time and just going "oh my god i can actually be pretty thats just something i can do". idk. i think i just want to write more trans joy into my stories it's just hard when there's a more prevalent ongoing plot going on (hell timeloop and melting away of identity)

[soft-flourish]

reverence of the sun ☀️