#i love this comic a lot i would like to share it somehow.... even if in sharing my english translation that might not be great.

[misterradio]

pretty brutal huh. well, im insane

[zan0tix]

Any general thoughts on/relating to the Brobot?

Have my half awake scrawlings...

I really love the brobot!!!! People really misconstrue it and also leave it out in a lot of dirkjake talk? Its a big player in not only how dirk expresses his affection/desire towards jake but also in their multi year spanning unspoken game of gay chicken 😭😭(all of dirks splinters are but Not about them rn)

It was sent yknow under the pretense that jake loves wrestling and wished so bad to have somebody he could wrestle with. But at the same time it protects jake from the horrors of hellmurder island (seen before they strife), pushing jake into the Damsel in distress role he wasnt expecting to play even before all the shit in the game, with Dirk being his hero.

Jake says he keeps it on a high difficulty because apparently in the Novice mode he says their interactions become "too tender" and doesnt want to elaborate, Friendly reminder! His convo with jane on the SAME DAY dirk pulled off that big romantic overture and the kiss happens and him and dirk begin "dating".. is the same day he asked jane if it didnt make him weird for wanting to date dirk. And he also says hed joke around with dirk about how theyd soo make a great couple if dirk were a girl haha.

I imagine the brobot and well. Getting physical like that with a robot that supposedly looks like dirk probably gave jake his internal gay awakening at 13 but he just never wanted to actually confront it and instead just wanted to brush past everything 😭😭 (See: every single time sexuality or romance comes up in relation to jake he is literally always thinking about dirk somehow and he never directly talks about his attraction to men or how that reflects/contradicts on his self image of the Movie Star Hero guy)

and jake doesnt actually hate the thing either, he tells jane he thinks it genuinely did improve his fighting capabilities (Which we see it did in collide! he beat basically the whole felt with guns and fisticuffs alone, no hope powers.) Which serves as a pretty evident parallel to dave who also is good at fighting, even if he doesnt want to be. (see dirk + dave convo)

This one comes from hussies authors notes in the aradiabot and equius scene (which equius imagery being invoked with dirk. something i could totally rant about another time haha) but yeah. Jake was being selfish asshat in that log forcing jane into a corner and wringing what he wanted to hear out of her, and also not giving a shit about the brobot (Which served as his protector and only other semblance of human connection since he was 13 and was a BIRTHDAY GIFT FROM DIRK) KILLING ITSELF? But hes so preoccupied talking about dirk. THE REAL DIRK. And immediately after jake loses the dirk splinter that protected him, HE (AND DIRK) CREATE A NEW ONE FOR HIMSELF USING THEIR COMBINED POWERS/?

Hussie is lying.. somebody Does care about dirks feelings. a whole lot to the point they activate their powers unwittingly Because of it. and its jake. but jake just cant admit that himself. (He cannot admit his real feelings until given permission to, dirk would have to concede the game of gay chicken first using his words and not just actions)

ANYWAY. hussie is so right its so easy to get sidetracked times one million talking about this comic. BUT AHH!! BROBOT. his existence.. tragic.. Jakes really smart in knowing that all of dirks splinters enlighten aspects of himself he doesnt oft share, and the brobot served as another dirk action on the pile of dirk actions he engineers to signify his deep immense care for jake, where he lets these grand gestures and implications sit out in the open without ever actually saying what they mean and where his feelings lay.

EVEN IF ITS SUPER OBVIOUS. The d man cant use his big boy words to actually describe his feelings despite how much a yaps! so jake doesnt know if hes even allowed to say anything about his own. Fellas: Is it gay if you labour for supposedly an extended period of time to create a custom robot in your own image to ship in pieces to your best bro guy crush who is HUNDREDS OF YEARS IN THE PAST because you cant be there yourself?

I think this hal message says enough about how bad dirk wished he could visit jake 💀💀

[gendercomsumer]

hiii ^^ I would like some headcanons for riddle, malleus, vil and rook with a fem mc that accidentally ends up making them laugh (because what she says or does is very random xd maybe an example would be like jennifer lawrence sjjs she is very funny ) well that's all, thanks and take care <3

Riddle, Malleus, Vil, and Rook with an S/O who can make them laugh with the most random things

A/N: Hello to you too Anon! I know this has been in my inbox for gods knows how long- But thank you still for sending this in! I hope this is to your liking! I actually did watch some Jennifer Lawrence videos for inspiration and I have to agree the comedic timing she has is perfect!! I also used some google translate in Rooks part so it may not be accurate ^^;

Characters: Riddle, Malleus, Vil, and Rook

Warnings: Cursing to a mild degree, playful mention of stalking in Rooks (I love him I swear!!!), lightly proof read

Fem!Reader

Riddle Rosehearts

Riddle is a bit difficult to get a good genuine laugh out of, at least in my opinion.

Like sure you have a small chuckle when he finds something amusing, but i feel like it'd be a bit of a challenge to get a good genuine laugh out of.

Then you came in, saying the strangest things at the most unrelated times!

And Ace and Deuce find this absolutely hilarious

You'll say the most out of pocket shit with the straightest face and somehow half the people around you start to laugh some others breaking out in giggles

Ace and Deuce have definitely talked about this 'talent' of yours, at least in their words.

You had said some of these strange comments around Riddle and he found them strange a bit endearing as well

I'd think the time you got a good laugh out of him was when you had come with him to take care of some of the hedgehogs

The two of you were sitting in the grass some of the hedgehogs were playing while a few had decided that climbing on the two of you was a good way to pass the time

One had wandered up onto your head and almost fell off but luckily you were able to save the little guy before he fully hit the ground

After Riddle worriedly checked the little guy over you while looking over his shoulder at the small animal said:

"Well at least we know this one has no self preservation"

Unwillingly, or maybe subconsciously, a small laugh makes it's way through Riddles chest to his lips.

Well, now maybe he saw what those two were blabbering on about

Your little comments were always appreciated with Riddle

Even if they didn't cause him to laugh they did brighten his mood at least somewhat

"Yes, this one does tend to be a bit of a handful. Reminds me of a certain rose I know"

He teased before you two fell back into the pattern of caring for the small animals

More chuckles and comments to come no doubt

Malleus Draconia

At first Malleus didn't understand why the rest of Diasomnia found your remarks so comical

Yes his child of man did tend to bring a certain warmth where ever she walked

But he didn't see this as an excuse for the amount of laughter you cause people around you

Most of the remarks you make will fly over his head

I'm sorry but he seems like the kind of guy to not get the joke until you explain it to him-

Now the Thorn Prince does share a few chuckles with those around him when he finds something amusing, similar to Riddle

But it's even more difficult to get a laugh out of him considering he doesn't get a lot of the play on words type of jokes

but something abrupt and slightly out of context?

I feel like that would get some sort of laugh out of him

One day you were talking with Malleus about some of the things you did in your old world

The topic of amusement parks came up and you started listing the rides you used to go on as a child

Roller coasters, bumper cars, lazy rides where you could relax, until you blanked on the name of a ride

It was frustrating considering it was probably something simple and you would remember it after their conversation, but you wanted to keep the ball rolling

Malleus mean while was partly enjoying seeing how frustrated you got over a simple word

You really were a strange thing weren't you Child of man?

"I'm sorry Mal- I know what I'm thinking of! It's on the tip of my tongue- It's like one of those horse tornado things!"

Horse.. tornado..?

Now that got Malleus attention

he understood the other rides you described, favoring the lazy rides

but what ever this horse tornado was... it sounded.. strange, yet curious at the same time

"CAROUSELS!! FUCKING CAROUSELS, THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE CALLED!"

Malleus let out a small puff of air before he started chuckling under his breath

You truly were a strange one weren't you child of man, just like the world you came from

Malleus pressed a kiss to your forehead letting out one more chuckle before speaking

"Truly fascinating, maybe one day you could bring me to one of these 'horse tornados' you have me interested"

Sure jokes your fly over his head, but he would tease you some what for your small skips in memory

Vil Schoenheit

Now Vil, having acted in a lot of movies, (If I'm correct) Would have probably had a few good laughs in that line of work

Weather that be on set or behind the cameras

But he doesn't often let out a good laugh in public, it's not really part of the proper image he'd want to put out there

As for behind closed doors or with close friends he's definitely willing to have a laugh

And who better to bring a smile to his face than his lovely sweet potato?

Though one good moment always stuck out to him that caused him to have one of the most genuine laughs in awhile

The two of you were getting ready to go out to a fancy restaurant, courtesy of Vil of course, hair, makeup, shoes things like that

While Vil was sitting at his vanity working on his eyes when you came out of the bathroom in a stunning dress hand picked by Vil

It brought out all your best features while still being enough coverage to where it wasn't uncomfortable to wear into a public area

The two of you made idle conversation as you sat on a near by chair to slip on a matching set of heels for the dress

As you stood up in the heels to work on your own makeup you lost your balance thanks to the new height the heels provided

Although Vil was quick to catch you making sure you came no where near the floor he still was concerned

"Oh sweet potato are you alright? What happened?"

Yes looking back on it the question seemed dumb but he was concerned

but you just let out a giggle while regaining your balance before saying:

"Well I'm not sure what happened, but I remember wanting to yell 'fuck' as my last words before I embarrassed myself"

Vil took a moment while looking at you

then a chuckle escaped his lips which soon turned into the two of you sharing a small laugh

Now Vil doesn't know why he laughs at your antics, in hindsight they're just normal phrases

But maybe it's the delivery?

Or the way you smile at him?

What ever it may be it always causes a smile to grace his lips or a chuckle to be drawn from him

Sure Vil maybe all about preserving beauty and making sure he looks flawless

But if he happens to get a few smile lines because of your antics, he will never hold it against you

"Well my darling, I'm glad to hear you're alright. It would be a shame if you or your lovely dress got roughed up before we left. Now come, you still want to do your makeup don't you? Allow me to help"

Rook Hunt

Now Rook has plenty of laughs in his life

Weather that be from stalking some poor soul or a genuine laugh among friends

Rook out of the four is probably the easiest to get a laugh from

He's a joyful guy wanting to see all nature and the world has to offer! Can you blame him?

Then enters you who some how can't help but leave Rook giggling when ever you do something!

You put your tie on wrong? Oh silly Trickster aren't you just the sweetest thing!

Then comes your words which to Rook is a whole new ball park

Rook tends to hold onto every word meant for him, weather that be written or spoken out loud

His darling Tricksters words are so elegant and so sweet how could he not treasure everyone!

What really gets him chuckling and laughing is the moments when your words aren't as sweet and graceful

Cut to one day when you and Rook were in the fields often used for flying class

Rook had a desire to teach you archery so he happened to drag you along with a quiver and bow to some targets set by his hand

After the first few moments of Rook teaching you how to properly hold and aim the bow and making sure your arm guard was secure (He wouldn't want his darling trickster to get rope burn!) He let you shoot

All was going well as you hit targets in an... acceptable way

But all that seemed to end when a large gust of wind sent your best shot yet off course and into the ground

And just as Rook was about to offer some encouragement to keep going and try once more

some colorful language came from you to say the least

"Wind!? Really!?! Could you not wait two fucking minuets!! Nooooo! You just had to thro my best shot off course you-!"

Now don't get Rook wrong he hold the sweet words you two share close to his heart

But there was just something about you yelling at the wind of all things that caused him to start laughing

As he laid on the grass of the field eyes closed as he laughed

Oh? It seems your colorful language is directed towards him now? Even better!

"Trickster- reine de mon coeur! Please I believe- I believe you have shared plenty enough words with the wind today!"

A/N: This is actually the first time I've taken a good look at the name of Malleus' dorm. Dia = Dragon. Somnia = Sleep

Diasomnia = Dragon of sleep

just a ting i found silly :)

[yelenasdiary]

I had a random idea for a fic and just wanted the share! Basically Florence meets R at a meet and greet type thing and notices the cuts on her arm and reaches out after the meet and greet? Just an idea 💕 Sending love and if your not comfortable with this request that’s okay!

A Little Change

Pairing: Florence Pugh x Reader 

Summary: Meeting Florence at a comic con was a dream come true & being so caught up in the moment, you weren’t aware that Florence saw how much you were struggling. 

Angst, Comfort

Warnings: Mentions of self-harm & cuts, Depression | 1.4K

AC: Please only read this if you are comfortable! My asks/dms are always open for anybody who needs somebody to talk too, even if you just need to scream! I’m sending everybody love and hugs! I used reference from another message Flo sent to a lucky fan and tweaked it a little! I hope you enjoy x 

Nerves filled your body as you waited patiently in line to be the next person to meet one of your idols. You've been counting down to this moment since your local comic con announced the guest line up. 'Florence Pugh'in black bold letters making your heart skip a beat as you make sure to set a timer on your phone for when the tickets went on sale. It was no doubt one of the most stressful 20 minutes of your life when they went on sale, but luck was on your side, and you were able to buy a meet and greet token as well as an autograph token. 

"Please place your phone in the basket" the security spoke kindly to you. Professional photos were being taken and mobile phones weren't allowed in the room, you didn't care though. You were meeting Florence Pugh in a matter or seconds. You placed your phone in the small basket and smiled softly at the security guard. 

"Don't be nervous" he said, catching you slightly off guard. "She's lovely, you'll love every second of it" he added. 

"Thank you" you replied with another soft smile just as the photographer called for the next person, you. 

The security guard spread open the curtain for you as your eyes saw the first glimpse of Florence who was wearing a pink tank cropped tee with denim jeans finished with a white and light pink striped shirt. She smiled warmly at you as you nervously walked up to her. 

"Hi! What's your name?" she asked in her thick, raspy British accent. 

"Hi!" you smiled, "I'm Y/n" you added. 

"I'm Florence! It's lovely to meet you, Y/n" she smiled before embracing you in a welcoming hug. She smelt of vanilla hint of floral citrus, no doubt it was probably one of the many Valentino perfumes. The hug lasted longer than you thought, going into these events you knew the interactions would be short and sweet, two minutes at the most. 

"I just wanna say how much I love you in Little Women, but I will always love Black Widow!" you said once you were both looking at one another again, Florence's hands on your biceps as she smiled softly. 

"Thank you so much, I'm glad you love them" she replied, "I love your necklace, it's beautiful!" she added while eyeing off the gold necklace that had a heart pendant with the first letter of your name on it. "Oh this? it's just an old necklace I've had since forever" you chuckled, "but thank you!" you quickly added so you didn't sound rude.

"Shall we take a picture?" Florence asked, her smile never leaving her lips. Somehow Florence was able to make you forget that you were meeting somebody you looked up to a lot and more like you were just having out with a friend. Your nervous had disappeared and your smile only grew bigger knowing you'd never forget this event. 

The two of you turned to face the photographer, "Do you mind if I put my arm around you?" you asked out of respect. Florence nodded, "you're so kind for asking" she said before looking back towards the camera. "Do you mind if we pull a silly face?" you asked. Again, Florence nodded before the two of you pulled a goofy face as the photography's camera flashed it's bright light. 

Once the photo was taken, you turned to face Florence once more, accidentally dropping your paper token on the floor. As you reach down to grab it, Florence noticed the red cuts on your wrist. Out of respect she didn't say anything, but she couldn't understand why somebody as sweet as you was hurting so much. 

"Thank you so much for coming today, it was an honour to meet you" Florence smiled soft at you once more. "I should be thanking you! Coming all this way, it means a lot and I will remember this for the rest of my life" you replied.

"Oh, stop it! You're too kind!" Florence chuckled before embracing you in one last hug, "have a wonderful rest of your day!" she added. 

"I will! I'll see you again at the autograph table!" you smiled as you were being rushed out for the next person. 

----

Later that night after checking the comic con's website over and over for the uploads of the meet and greet photos, your photo was finally uploaded. Saving it to your phone and making it your new wallpaper, you decided to post it to Instagram. 

"yourusername: It was a dream meeting you today! Thank you so much!! @florencepugh" 

A smile tugged at your lips as you stared at the image on your phone before falling asleep. 

The morning sun warmly kissed your face as it crept into your bedroom through the crack in your curtain, waking you softly with its warmth. You groaned softly before stretching and reaching over to see what the time was. 10:45am in bold stare back at you until your eyes dropped to the notification that made your heart skip a beat. 

You read the notification to yourself a million times thinking you were just dreaming before you unlocked your phone and punched in your passcode. Your thumb hovered over the Instagram app for a moment before opening it. Your mind was racing as to why Florence would be messaging you, or how she even found your Instagram. There it was, 1 message notification and over 20 notifications from people liking and commenting on your meet & greet photo with Florence.

The blue tick next to Florence's name only made your heart beat faster knowing it was actually Florence and not just some poser or a fan page with a similar username. You took a moment to calm yourself before opening the message, curious as to why she was reaching out to you, it just felt like a dream.

-Florence Pugh:

Hey lovely! I hope it's okay I reach out like this…it was lovely meeting you yesterday, you're a very sweet and funny person! I hope to meet you again someday soon! 

I don't mean to overstep anything, but I noticed something that worried me when we met yesterday, and I just wanted to make sure you're okay and that you're not alone. 

I can understand how feeling low and broken can feel. It's so hard pulling yourself out of a pit when you feel like you're sat at the bottom of the pit. I just want to say I'm so sorry you feel this way and that you feel the need to self-harm. 

Sometimes I feel the same as you, I feel weak and broken and I don't know how to look up but I have learnt that the moment you sense yourself falling, you HAVE to kick your mind and body into a different gear. Moving your body will automatically release serotonin and will help your mood!

Make a happy playlist, add music from all around the world that makes you happy. Add to it daily, I do this when I am sad. 

You're human and sometimes we feel extremely happy and sometimes we feel extremely low. Learn to acknowledge that this happens and be kind to yourself. You're amazing, you deserve happiness, you deserve to love yourself, you deserve good friends, and you deserve to be a good friend. All these skills take years to learn about yourself, so I'm not expecting you to turn it around tomorrow! Just do a little bit a day. 

A little change here and there and most importantly, don't think of yourself as a screw up or that you're worthless! The world is at your fingertips! 

Can you promise me something? No matter how low and broken and weak you feel, always try and find something that you know will make you get up and move. Whether its doing a stupid dance to a song in your bedroom or walk around a park and see all the colours around you, cook something colourful, fresh and tasty! 

You're amazing, never forget that! 

All my love, 

Florence xx-

Her message brought tears to your eyes, leaving you speechless. You took a mental note on some of the tips that Florence mentioned. You promised not only Florence but yourself to try them when your thoughts got dark again, when you felt low and alone. You wanted the cuts on your arm would fade to scars, you wanted to be happy and overcome the darkness that had a hold over you. You wanted the next time you'd meet Florence you'd be able to tell her how far you've come and just how much you needed her message without even knowing it. 

All these things you mentioned in your reply, promising her that next time you both share a hug that you'll hug her a little tighter and thank her for being the inspiration and role model she is too you.

Taglist:  @marvelfan98 | @boredandneedfanfics | @marvelwomen-simp | @swaqcenix | @scarlettbitchx | @mallyka-blog | 

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[weird-is-life]

hey! i hope you’re doing well

i have a request for christmas/ winter.

aaron’s hotchner x reader where they’re either on a walk or on case/with the team and aaron can see the readers cold so tucks their hand into one of his pockets and gives them his spare glove for the other one.

i just think this would be so cute 💗

Hii lovely, ty for the request🥰! Hope this is okay, warnings: fluff, use of pet names, mentions of dinner, cold weather, (0.5k)

Aaron always thinks your dates through perfectly. But he wasn't prepared for the weather to be so bad.

As you are enjoying you lovely dinner date at your favourite restaurant, the temperature outside drops by a lot. But that isn't the only weather change, it also, surprisingly, starts to snow.

So as you step outside, done with your meals, you need to pull your coat tightly around yourself.

"What is this weather?" you ask yourself, frowning as the snow snows into your face. It's not like you don't like the winter, but you didn't dress for it tonight. It's especially worse, because you have to walk home, you didn't come by a car.

"I know," Aaron has a similar expression on his face," c'mon, let's quickly go home, yeah?"

Aaron takes your hand in his and both of you start to walk. While you walk as quickly as you can, you try to take your mind off of the fact, that you are cold and your hand is basically freezing. But Aaron notices your discomfort right away.

"Sweetheart, are you too cold?" Should I call an uber?" he asks a bit concerned, he doesn't want you to get sick, even if he doesn't mind taking care of you.

"No, no, it's okay, Aaron, we are almost home. I'll survive ten more minutes," you reassure him, but it's not very convincing. Not with your chattering teeth and ice like hands.

"Are you sure? Because I'll gladly call an uber," he questions with a worried face.

"Yes, I'm sure, you just need to walk faster, old man," you tease him, your humor not leaving you even if you are freezing to death.

Aaron rolls his eyes at you, he knows you are just poking fun, " you are so rude," he chuckles, "you are almost just as old as me, woman."Well, almost. He is a bit older than you, but it isn't a big deal.

You laugh at that with him, but your smile is gone soon enough, when the cold wind hits you right in the face.

So Aaron takes both of your hands and tries to somehow fit them and also one of his into his coat pocket.

"Aaron, what are you doing? It's too small," you giggle at his attempt.

"Yeah, you are right," he sighs, he's amused as well at his stupid thought. Though he still doesn't want you to be so cold, so he comes up with a new idea.

He puts one of your hands into his pocket and covers it with his. You automatically put your other one into your pocket, even if it doesn't help much. Somehow, your coat pocket is completely useless, when it comes to storing the heat inside of it.

"Is this better?" Aaron looks you over, taking in the flushed cheeks from the cold wind and everything. His first thought is that you look freaking adorable.

"Yes, handsome, thank you. It's much better," you smile at him softly.

For the rest of the walk to your shared apartment, he keeps switching sides to keep both of your hands as warm as he can. It's a quite comical look.

But Aaron doesn't care, he will always do everything he can to keep you safe, even if it's just from the cold weather.

[buffyfan145]

Hello! I've seen a lot of your takes about the relationship between Sauron and Galadriel, so I decided to ask you. Some people keep saying that the kiss that so much is being talked about will be between Gal and Cel, but like why? There's not a single hint that he's going to appear this season, no one even mentions his name, not to mention that he wasn't even cast. Usually in shows somehow try to prepare the viewer to the appearance of a new character or something. I mean it will be somehow out of nowhere, plus it's too early for him. And I think when they actually cast Cel actor, it won't be hidden and they'll say it directly. Anyway I'm Haladriel shipper, but I don't think the kiss will be between them, at least in the classical sense. Maybe Sauron kiss her hand or something like that? Also, I want to add about the kiss between Gal and Cel, let's say it's true, but why is the kiss described as shocking? Like they're husband and wife. And I also saw a couple of opinions that a kiss is possible between Gal and Elrond, which seems even more improbable to me. Like she put her hand on Elrond's chest and some considered it a romantic gesture… but she was literally thinking about Halbrand at that moment! And I have one more question for you, what do you think about the shot where Galadriel is wearing a hood at night and someone is standing behind her, maybe a random orc or Halbrand or someone else? I hope my message didn't scare you with its long :D

No worries about the ask being long. I've actually gotten longer. LOL 😀 I have posted about the kiss before and who it could be with her and it's not Celeborn. I think it's people hoping it's him but he hasn't been cast. The writers confirmed it at SD Comic Con but did say both him and Glorfindel will eventually be in the show. I agree with you when he is cast it will be announced separately as he will be a series regular. There is a chance he could show up in the finale as a surprise but I still kind of doubt it. They're going to have to choose the right actor too, especially with how Haladriel has been and the chemistry between Morfydd and Charlie, which makes me think it could be someone well known that already has a fanbase. I'm hoping for that too as we know she ends up with him and I want him to be likable (also would be great if it's someone I'm already a fan of LOL) and show that she loves him too. But again I'm certain he's not in season 2 at all.

Then I highly doubt it's Elrond, despite some "leaks" on 4Chan and Reddit saying it is, since Morfydd gave an interview at the s2 premiere in London back on the 20th that she loved filming their non-romantic friendship. Her saying that implying there's no kissing like that at all between them, and knowing he's her future son-in-law I can't see the show going there.

So that brings me back to Sauron. I can't see it being anyone else besides maybe Celebrimbor as he was in love with Galadriel in some 1st Age stories before she married Celeborn, but the show would have to get permission to use that from the estate and it seems a bit strange now to do that.

I agree too it could be a hand/ring kiss and I've thought this since the filming video came out for the music in the s2 finale. However, now the show in ep 2.2 showed she's in love with Halbrand/Sauron. Then yesterday we got confirmation from their main director in a podcast interview that by the end of the season she said the show will show that Sauron actually loves Galadriel too. So it's more of a tragic love story as they both are in love but they are enemies and we know it ends tragically and they can't be together. So it's starting to seem possible they do actually share a kiss. I don't want to get my hopes up too high but it does seem to be leaning that way, especially with it being "shocking" as me being a fan since the movies came out when I was in high school I never thought I'd ship them and some still don't see it as romantic, but this would actually prove it is.

So we'll see what happens and I'm sure we'll get more clues each week with the new episodes. And about that scene with the hood I think it's either an arc or Adar. We know she gets captured by them but also ends up working with him. So it could be when that happens.

[ezdotjpg]

I have a silly little question about your silly little comic!! I love your versions of the Links so much. Loft is such a mood FOR REAL!!

anywho,

How did you come up with the original concept? If this is somewhat spoilery- then don’t answer it. But i’m more so wondering what let you to go

“i want to make a comic about the silly links accidentally breaking and fucking everything up. also trauma lots of trauma”

Did you come to the understanding of, looking at other peoples AU’s? Or was it something in the games itself? I’m just curious on what your thought process was when brainstorming originally yk?

Also, small bonus question/comment thingy

when making backgrounds- like Zelda and Wilds house or Lofts home with Zelda and Groose- did you base the backgrounds on your own ideas of what the characters would live in? Like if they’d have clutter or silly little notes in the background. I love how your backgrounds are just- chefs kiss- so simple but shows us a glimpse into the characters mental state (as all good rooms do *stares at my messy one*)

that is all, i very much so enjoy your comic. it’s gotten me through the bad Wednesdays of highschool. Keep going!!! i am excited to see it’s conclusion.

waugh thank you so much!!!!!

And I guess the answer to that first question is all of them above? Bonus Links is, of course, an extremely derivative work. LU was my first introduction to the links-meet-au format, so I’d be remiss not to give credit where credit is due! Probably many ideas I’ve absorbed from fics I’ve read, and headcanons I vibe with that come from the wider fandom. The idea for Bonus Link’s actual plot though originally started from my fascination with Skyward Sword’s lore. I know not everyone’s a huge fan of how much that game retconned, Demise’s “curse” in particular, but there’s a lot of ideas in that game that I find REALLY interesting, especially in ways that the game doesn’t really acknowledge at all. How would Skyward Sword Link feel, if he found out he truly didn’t finish the job? That the cycle continues on and on beyond him? That was the jumping off point.

Because it’s a cycle, I get a lot of ideas from like, which Links have experienced similar events, and how their experiences compare and contrast. What becomes history, and what actually happened? And I also use a lot of my own experiences playing the games as inspiration! I’d played as many as I had access to when I started the au in 2021, but I’ve made it my mission to play every single game a Link is featured in before they get introduced in the comic lol. Still got a few more to go, but I’m almost there!

As for the second question, absolutely! If I’m showing someone’s home in the comic, I try really hard to add details that tell you something about them. At the very least, I want them to look lived in lol

like, Slate still having the champion’s weapons on display in his house. Zelda’s mostly taken over the first floor as her workshop, even adding a Sheikah tech furnace somehow. She’s filled her room with pictures she’s taken on the walls. She’s got a sand seal plush from Riju, a Sheikah jacket from Impa. Her workspace is a little cluttered!

On the other hand, Slate’s room upstairs looks a little less personal. He’s got some pictures on the wall, and some plants growing from around hyrule (that Zelda has kind of commandeered for research lol) but otherwise he’s left it how Bolson and co furnished it. If anything, it’s mostly just for storage. He doesn’t actually spend much time sleeping here, but Zelda still doesn’t want to take it from him.

Loft, Groose and Zelda’s room is very cozy ( I should have added more blankets. Imagine like 4 times the amount of pillows and blankets) and tidy, but there’s still a little mess— shoes left out, basket of poorly folded clothes, etc. Cute knickknacks, mostly made by loft and groose! It’s not in this sc but groose’s comb is somewhere I think lol

Idk if iced shared this detail before, but Loft put a lot of effort into designing and carving (probably with some assistance) these columns for the house! Even though carving’s hard for him these days. It was his biggest contribution.

anyway, those are some of my thoughts!! I’m so happy to hear you’ve been enjoying the comic! Thanks for reading!!

[minas-linkverse]

Ngl I was going to ask about Breath of the Wild but I’d thought you’d get a million of those asks lol. I was also torn between asking about Wind Waker, so whichever one you want to answer more is chill!!

haha yea I thought I'd get a million asks too! Somehow even now this remains the only botw ask, I guess people just figured it must've been sent already 😅

Now to actually share my thoughts on botw... Man I hope people don't get mad at me.

I did not like it!. The first play through I had was mildly exciting simply due to there being a whole unknown world to see, but after a while that gimmick wore off. I knew that if I made my way to the cool looking mountain or interesting abandoned building I'd just find a bokoblin and/or a chest with a gem. Whats the point of a gorgeous expansive world when all I find is the same...! 😫

Oh wow! A town with a whole new atmosphere and culture I sure wonder what I'll get up to h- Ok they have the same shops with slightly different items. Ok cool. There's like a few small quests for more inventory filler I don't really need. Cool cool.

I understand that the game is really fun for some people, they'll do quests just to get to play more of the game. They want all that extra stuff to upgrade armour and really get into the nitty gritty mechanics of the game... But I did not. It was not for me.

Also ouugh the puzzles...! My favourite part of Zelda games is the puzzle solving, but these were in no way satisfying and often more fun to just break. Why would I bother even trying to get into the devs heads when A) I could just break it and B) I have too many options to consider! I can't possibly get a clean eureka moment when everything from monster guts to just climbing could be the solution...! Where's the engaging simplicity of knowing exactly what you have and following the devs' clues to reach the solution!! Waaaaaaaaaaaaa--

I also disliked the story, all the interesting bits in it happened a 100 years ago and I feel like I arrived late with a starbucks. I also will not get over the weird ending cutscene!! After countless fascinating memories of Zelda having very complex emotions at Link... What do you mean you're just going to have a vaguely romantic "Do you still remember me?" YEAH I DO, I thought u disliked me! Which is a fascinating story direction I would've loved continued but OK! I guess we're ignoring that! Women cant be angry that makes them less cute and marketable, I guess!!!!

I... Sorry this is so ranty, I've been holding it in a long time. I think there's a lot to love in botw and I wish I wasn't so sour about it. Other people's love and excitement for it is wonderful and I hope they keep making the art they love. If its your first game in the series and got you into it, that's nothing to be ashamed about. I'm just a grumpy old man waving at cloud /ref.

Honestly I think botw could've been wonderful if it was a new IP. It feels all the Zelda stuff was sort of glued onto a concept that wasn't prepared to carry that mantle. It would've been better off with a new exciting world and cast of characters. It still wouldn't be a game I much care for, but the freedom that could've granted the developers would've been a treat to see.

It's worth adding that even though I dislike botw, I want to treat the characters of that game with respect and care in my comic. I may not love them in game but I can see the passion others have and I am committed to make something worth their time. Your special guys are safe with me. I have 0 desire to dunk on them, and instead wish to honour the love you all have. In a way I'm learning to love them myself through that.

[yuseirra]

I really love your kamiai comics. The warm stories about their communication and interaction completely make up for my regret of not being able to see how they get along in the original work. btw, your analysis is also very good. I like it very much.Can't wait for your next update!❤️

(A small something before I start typing)

Thank you so, so much dear anon!! This really lifts my spirits up so much, you're very kind to expend your time to send me positivity. I appreciate it because I'm the shy type. I know how hard it can be to muster up the courage to talk to someone sometimes. So when I receive messages like this, I get really happy... it'd be nice if the people who were able to send me some kindness felt it was paid back :) I may not be able to reply fast but I try to get back so please be patient with me 'v')9!

HHngh thanks! I'm rereading your ask every word and savoring it! These two don't get that much screen time but what's been shown is really significant, they did have their moments! I'm so glad you feel the way you do after reading my comics and interpretations of them, that's the best reaction I could ever want from someone!! There are still things that are left ambiguous and are yet to be unfolded(I hope it does get explained more) so I'm worried as I draw them out sometimes... but reading this makes me feel empowered!! I feel like I've been doing pretty well, that's what your comment does for me. I'll do my best to think up something good to share with you, thanks for sharing your feelings with me!

Speaking of which, I have another analysis!! I'd like to share it with you here, I'd been writing it up earlier and it's not entirely unrelated to the hikaai situation:

I think it might have been Nino who's sent Ryosuke to Ai. Based on the behavioral patterns, Nino is the type who'd impulsively do something extreme in a fit of anger and later regret it. Even Nino might not have anticipated things would unfold this way, however. The phrase, "I only meant to scare them, I never thought they'd actually die," seems more like how Nino would feel about the situation, rather than Kamiki to be honest? That's a very absurd thing to say, but considering Nino's relationship with Ai, Nino might have been in a blinded, irrational state because she almost worships Ai. So, it's possible that she genuinely didn't think it would turn out this way somehow... she's a teenage girl with a lot of mood swings.

There’s a common scenario in horror movies where a second-place person, driven by jealousy, does something reckless, thinking, "If only the top person were gone, I could..." but not truly realizing the consequences. (It happens a lot as an east-asian trope) Jealousy has the power to paralyze rational thinking. Nino not only hated Ai, but she likely had a twisted affection for her as well. When Ai disappeared, she probably fell apart.

It's hard to imagine Kamiki acting this way, right? He wouldn’t have been unaware of the danger of sending someone like Ryosuke to his girlfriend. If this character did something like that, it would have to be out of serious malice or murderous intent, but Kamiki doesn't seem like the type to harbor such cruel emotions toward Ai. (Or just anyone at all, actually; we never really see him lashing out towards people. Even when he brings Ryosuke, or Airi up... he.. actually talks in a pretty soft sense despite they're absolutely horrible individuals. Even adds a -san and -kun to their names; I was surprised.) In Nino's case, on the other hand, it might have been something done without much thought, as her actions suggest she has that kind of streak. She’s the type who can say, "I wish you'd just die!" to someone but then cry if it actually happens. Her emotions fluctuate a lot.

We also have to note that Hikaru is just as good of a liar as Ai is. He's really used to lying, and that's what's brought him and Ai to relate to each other, bring them together and a crucial characteristic that's had Ai deem "he's the same as her". When he says he's the one who sent Ryosuke as he mentions "he wanted Ai to feel the same despair he's felt", we don't see his face and we only see him from the back. This is similar to the panel where Ai says "I can't love you", which was a well-meant but a really hurtful lie. Hikaru believed Ai and Aqua wants revenge on him. I think he may have tried to save Aqua of feeling even a slight sense of pity towards him as a person, making sure he really isn't worth feeling that way about. In fact, we don't see his expressions at all in that entire sequence, and what he says feels so off and ridiculous for a person with common sense to say. I feel like a lot of it could be a lie. AND I feel like he was putting on a facade for most of the scenes he's been in before the final arc- before he came to meet the twins. He's probably always been pretending to be okay with a smile on his face but he probably was pretty despairing and dead inside (his eyes turn black when he's in despair, you know)

At least so far in the story, Kamiki has never shown much interest in Ai's idol activities in the scenes he's been in. Instead, it was Ai who learned something from Kamiki. The fact that Ai is an idol, a star who attracts attention, was never portrayed as particularly important to Kamiki during their relationship. Ryosuke is a big fan of Ai as an idol, but there’s no clear reason why Kamiki would connect with someone related to Ai in that way. To Kamiki, Ai was like a light—a single, unique person he deeply depended on and loved, as if he could live with just her by his side, yeah, but it's a little different from viewing her as a idol. He probably depended on her a lot, but it seems he loved her not because she was an idol or someone shiny and valuable, but because she was someone who could understand and care for him. He doesn’t have the mentality of "I can't forgive an imperfect Ai." That kind of anger, resentment, or desire to make Ai suffer seems more likely to come from Nino. Kamiki even seems to think it’s natural that Ai wouldn’t like him back. He’s too accustomed to that feeling.

Kamiki’s actions suggest a certain helplessness. He seems to accept everything without resistance, always at a loss for words. This has been consistent from the moment he was introduced. When he asked Ai, "You love me, right? You won’t leave me, right?" and her response was something like, "I don’t know," he ended up going outside and crying in the rain. When he was gaslit by Airi in an absurd way, he despaired and stood there, frozen in panic. Even when Ai said something harsh and broke up with him, he couldn’t say anything back. Even 15 years later, he watches a video and is rendered speechless, reaches out to Ai, and curls up. This sort of behavior is so consistent that I realize this character doesn’t have any self-defense. He just accepts everything as his fault and internalizes it. It’s like he’s been so used to terrible things happening to him from a very young age that he doesn’t even think "I hate this" but rather, "People like it when I do this, so this must be right." With that kind of mentality, he gets pushed around. He seems to accept every negative judgment about himself and engages in self-destructive behavior.

The likelihood of this character doing something aggressive like sending Ryosuke to Ai is, in my opinion, less than 2%. Suddenly lashing out four whole years after the breakup? He probably went to cry after he got the phone call. Didn't he just reach his drinking age? Maybe he went to drink for the first time because he was so distressed after receiving the call… and somehow, in that state, he met Ryosuke and accidentally let the address slip, which led to Ai’s death, and now he feels like he has to save her with all he's got. Ai's the one who saved him, and it's kind of natural for him to feel like "Now I should save her in return, I don't care what happens to me!" That would make sense, right? The lyrics, the character’s personality—it all fits if you take it this way. And his personality doesn’t seem to have changed all so much actually. While reading the manga, I thought, "What’s with his way of speaking? He has such low self-esteem." Now, reading it again, it feels like he’s deeply immersed in self-blame.

The song Fatal starts with the lyrics being:

Waking up from another dream, I open my wet eyelids I curse my helplessness from those far days which dreadfully remain Will this despair that burns my body feed me someday? I keep burning myself from it as I crave adoration

This is totally how Kamiki would feel after he learns about Ai's death, if that's not what he's ever expected to happen. He'd be in utter despair and feel so helpless about not having been able to do anything as the only love of his life die like that. That's why he's so desperate in the entire song,

Without you, I cannot live anymore I would sacrifice anything for you I can’t get enough of your love What should I use to fill in what’s missing?

These sets of lyric's too intense for it to be Aqua's, but it fits his dad's mentality perfectly. Kamiki's life's been so miserable.

Ai is an exceptionally well-crafted character. When you consider the details, like the story of her trauma from the glass shards in her white rice (which broke my heart when I read it), you can see how much thought the author put into crafting her psychology.

Why write a story where she asks a favor to her own dear children to help out the person who's the very cause of her death? How could that character be portrayed as if they truly, desperately loved Ai? Isn’t that incredibly cruel to Ai, the victim? If it were me, I wouldn’t write the story that way. I don't think the writer would have either. I really feel that Hikaru isn’t the type of character who would do something like that. And since Ai’s affection for that character aligns with that sort of interpretation, with it being really consistent, I think… it's a lie and a misunderstanding.

I think that, unable to forgive himself for unintentionally leaking the address and thus contributing to Ai’s death, Hikaru wanted to be punished and ended up telling Aqua a ridiculous lie. If someone could open Ai’s heart to that extent, it could only mean that this person was genuinely beloved by her. For someone as wounded as Ai, finding a person she wanted to love that deeply isn’t easy. But if that character had committed such a terrible act, what would it mean? It would feel so unsettling. It would conclude that Ai failed to find someone to love, that she trusted the wrong person, and that the protagonists’ father was someone who harmed their mother. When you consider what the manga is ultimately trying to say, the less responsible the character Ai loved is for her death, and the more genuine their feelings for Ai, the greater the impact would be. It would also make sense in the context of Ai, who wanted to give love, finally finding someone deserving of it.

I couldn’t form a solid opinion until Chapter 154 and Fatal came out. I wasn’t sure how things would turn out and just watched. But after those chapters, I felt that this interpretation was correct. When you interpret it this way, it aligns with the psychological depictions throughout the story. It’s not that I deliberately interpreted it favorably because I liked this couple, but rather that as I analyzed it, this interpretation made sense, which made me more favorable towards them. There's certainly a difference between the two.

I was really happy when I received your message and a few other ones saying that my interpretation was warm, persuasive, and made you appreciate this ship ;v;.. Oh, I really want to get this right too... thanks guys, I very appreciate your kind words, sorry if what I say turns out to be wrong but I am trying my best!!

I take psychology very seriously, so if this turns out to be right, I’d be thrilled! This is what makes the most sense for me at this point, so I'll hold onto it until things clear up~

Again, super long reply! I hope you're okay with it, anon! Lots of love, thanks for the cheers and kind words!!

[hanawrites404]

So @pinguwrites mentioned about the backstories of Cillianverse characters and I am gonna give some of my insight on them lol.

Also, disclaimer. In this post I'm only gonna include the characters whose movies I have completed. But as I see more movies, I'll add their characters in the next post like this. I won't include Jonathan Crane (because I strongly stick to the backstory that DC comics has provided) and Oppenheimer (it's obvious why).

Now that I have established this, let's gets started ✨

Neil Lewis

Watching The Detectives

Neil was born in a family containing a single soccer mum and a big sister who is at least seven years older than him. Neil was shy as a toddler but would be very invested into something once you give him a chance.

He didn't change much when he got to his school days. He had his fair share of friends and answered in the class like an average student. But what was special about him was that he had the most unique stories. When it came to show and tell or small story writing, no one could beat Neil in terms of creativity (but somehow he never got a prize because his grammar used to be horrible).

At highschool, he was definitely a target for bullying, but luckily his friends always defended him. I believe he met Lucien and Jonathan during highschool too. Neil was a comic + movie nerd and he would randomly start to speak out facts about it whenever he finds someone to talk to, and many didn't appreciate that so he was also sort of an outcast. But he didn't mind that because he had his small circle of friends.

Neil was again, average in his studies. But he was such a theatre kid. He never got the main role but he used to steal the show, even if this mf is acting as a tree. He was THAT talented. He has also participated in sports events but ends up chickening out in most of it. Until one day he practised hard with his sister for a match against the rival school and 'accidentally' won his school the baseball trophy. Neil's mom has a photo of him crying with a red face and holding the well-deserved trophy high in his arms. We love our crybaby.

Neil graduated from high school and went into a decent university where he took film studies as his major, despite his mom and sister wanting him to join something that would make him 'rich and popular' like sports or music.

College Neil was an absolute blast. He had his own style, and he had a second-hand guitar from one of his seniors. He used to drive his sister's old motorcycle to college and he also learnt driving a car from her. Neil met Denise during his final year and after graduation, Neil with help of his sister and his friends opened the famous Gumshoe video store.

Jackson Rippner

Red Eye

Okay, for this. I really want to thank @/pinguwrites Jackson Rippner bot. It literally provided a very cool backstory that makes so much sense for someone like our thin-eyebrowed assassin. So I'm gonna copy paste some of it here + add some lines of my own.

Jack's parents were drug addicts and he used to live in a slum filled with junkies and small-scale criminals where no one had any honor or sympathy for one another. So the neighbourhood was always filthy and toxic. He has seen murders and robberies at such a young age. And poor boy had no choice but to learn how to fight and protect himself.

Things only got worse as he grew older. He had to join a gang because a child living alone in slums was as a good as dead. The gang would provide him food, clothes and shelter in exchange of stealing, killing and burning houses. He hated everything he did but he had to do it for surviving.

After years of being a criminal for his whole teenhood, he decided to quit it and do something good for once. So he joined the military. But nothing was good there either. With strict routine and rules, and the other recruits bullying him for his past. He used to get into a lot of fights with his peers and he had developed quite a temper there.

Everywhere was war and destruction. Never once that he was spared from witnessing violence and gore that Jack had gone numb from all of it. From feeling disgust and anger, he now loves watching people suffer, especially if he is causing their pain.

He left the military to start everything again, but he couldn't get any ordinary job because he didn't have any formal education. However, he was noticed by a secret association of assassins and contract killers. The agency took Jack in and taught him all and everything which is needed to become a spy.

Also, I highly believe Jackson Rippner is not even his real name. It would be something else that his parents used to call him but he would rather have someone use his alias than his birth name (it brings bad memories).

Jim

28 Days Later

Jim didn't have anything crazy going on with him (at least before the apocalypse lol). He has had a loving family who supported him throughout his life. But what's mysterious and wierd about him is that he was an ordinary bicycle courier man, *yet* he managed to sabotage what, 10-12 soldiers single-handedly?! That ain't male hormones dude, that's something else 😭

So, I at least think that he used to do something more before becoming a delivery man. Perhaps something like a sports player, or a security guard of some complex or maybe he was still a courier man! But of more heavier objects like crates of fruits or something. But one thing is for sure is that he was a guy who would rather do odd jobs than a 9-5.

Also, canonically the director of the movie has described him to be a soft-looking man with a body strong as an iron, and that's so real y'all. Jim throughout the movie was underestimated until the end where he ended up becoming the hero of the whole show. And you know what, we love that.

Also, I don't think he ever had a girlfriend before. And Jim gives strong virgin vibes yet knows where the clit is.

Jim

The Delinquent Season

Jim was a simple boy. He also didn't have much crazy going on with his childhood too. He was quite a smart student and a straight-A kid. His parents were strict regarding his grades and behaviour but they raised him normally. He had his fair share of playing around, partying etc. But nothing hardcore, and Jim doesn't like it that way anyway.

He got into a reputed college away from home and must have studied something sophisticated like law or psychology. Jim in college only focused on his studies and didn't have many friends. He was quiet and light academia student who spent most of his time in library or alone in his desk at his dorm. He calls his parents once a week and that was it.

He has worked from home since the start and met Danielle after two years. Then a year after he married her and had kids.

Raymond Leon

In Time

Ray is almost similar to Jackson in this case. He was born in timezone 12, also known as the ghetto. Where one minute is like a year for the people who live there. Ray's parents worked at the factory and had died quite early in his life due to a hazard that occured in their workplace. So he was adopted by his uncle who ran a pawn shop. He was a great role model and a second father to Ray. His uncle's dream was to see the world outside timezone 12. And naturally, Ray took on that.

He helped his uncle to run the shop and he used to venture out and doing odd jobs to bring some time. He also learnt how to do trade and gamble as it was one of the main sources of income in timezone 12. Ray was given basic education by his uncle and other skills such as cooking, driving. His uncle had made Ray into a fine and independent man, and for his 25th birthday, his uncle gave him a handgun.

Until one day when Ray was coming back from his work, he finds his uncle dead and bleeding on the floor. Not only his hard-earned time was stolen, the thieves had stabbed him in the chest five times. Ray was devastated and mourned for his only guardian's death. He blamed himself for not being there for him when he needed him the most. But what burnt inside him more was anger and revenge.

With all the skills he had gained while being under his uncle, he was able to track down the thieves. They were not some ordinary robbers but an infamous gang who like to steal from people with a lot of time. He has seen them in the gambling bars many times and it was time to end their reign. Ray had managed to outsmart and kill everyone in the group. He genuinely felt disgusted but also satisfied murdering them.

A few days later, Ray was approached by the head of the Timekeepers who had tracked him. They detected time being lost but not stolen. Ray had not stolen even one second after killing the group. It made the timekeeper intrigued by the young man. Ray was offered to work under him, and that's how Ray got out of the timezone 12 forever.

Robert Capa

Sunshine

The sun god™ himself. Our beloved Robert was a prodigy in science. Since his childhood, he had always wanted to see a proper sunrise from the horizon of Sydney. He helped his family with the winter while also planning out ways that he can bring out sunny days like it used to.

His room was filled with posters of Icarus I and its crew members. He wanted to be like them but also didn't want to be like them. He wanted to be the reason humanity would feel pure sunshine on their skin but he also didn't want to fail and just disappear when they were *this* close to revive the sun. He opted physics as his passion and had dreams of how earth used to be before it went into the phase of eternal winter.

During his training for venturing into space and fulfilling their mission, Robert was quite determined too. He got acquainted with the rest of the crew members but he usually kept everything to himself. He was only focused on bringing the sun back and returning to see his parents and sister.

I also think Robert has synesthesia. He has a vivid imagination and can sense colours and sounds at the same time. That would really explain his last scene.

Anyways, that's all for my rant. Thank you for listening. Part 2 will come soon once I have watched enough movies.

[monsieuroverlord]

Some of the Pride Allies Variants are up

General housekeeping before I proceed with the Roast Fest

I want to make this explicitly clear: it is not my intention to hate on the artists themselves nor their art skills or anything along those lines.

Betsy Cola and Davi Go are both extremely talented and skilled artists. Support their work. Art is fucking hard and its even harder to actually get paid for it.

Betsy Cola is a queer Filipina and has an Instagram Page (but no online shop for prints). Lots of fun retro style (think 50s-60s-70s Pop Art)

Davi Go does have an INPRNT with lots of Marvel and DC Characters. Like nine different Emma Frost prints alone. A couple of lovely Laura Kinney and much more. For fine Art Prints, artists earn like 50% of the sale, I'm pretty sure.

I personally have no idea what goes into getting contracted to do any cover by Marvel, but I'm sure it was absolutely thrilling to get to do ANY work by a big company such as Marvel, where so many would get to see something I had made. I also have no idea how much an artist is told when they are contracted to make something. (Do they get told what it's for, or are they just given a generalized prompt? I truly have no idea)

I do know, that personally for me, doing ANYTHING of that caliber would be a dream come true. I've been reading comic books since I was five/six years old. While I only make shitty little fans arts and the occasional fanfic, if by some astronomical chance, I was offered to write or do a cover, I would absolutely jump on the chance. Or at least strongly consider it.

I am specifically critiquing Marvel's decisions as corporation to even come up with and sign off on something as obnoxious (and frankly, insulting) as "Pride Allies" for a variant series. Especially considering the overarching fact that historically Marvel has had its fair share of issues regarding its treatment of its queer characters -- lack of consistent appearances/storytelling, questionable treatment/writing choices, and blatant rainbow washing during Pride month to give a few generalizations (pick your favorite example, there's a lot). Sometimes its enjoyable to poke fun at company's ridiculous marketing ideas.

Much like the fact last winter they did a "Ski Chalet" variant series with skiing and snow activities, yet somehow didn't find an artist to do a variant of their ONE CANON OLYMPIC SKIIER.

But I digress.

In Summary: the act of creation is beautiful, don't be a douche canoe. Being punk is anti-establishment, not anti-people.

Thank you.

Now, ladies, gentlemen, and everyone in-between and outside thereof, first up we have:

Amazing Spider-man #52 by Davi Go

Davi Go does a pretty Northstar, I'll give him that.

But why is Spider-man here? What are they even doing? I know JP has canonically crushed on chatty dumbasses *cough cough* Iceman *cough cough* but I don't see the point of this pairing.

What are they even doing? Did Parker get lost on his way to the Pride Parade? Lmao.

Next:

Daredevil #10 by Davi Go

Rachel is very pretty. Looks very powerful here.

They both wear red, I'll give them that.

(I don't have much more to say on this one. I think my brain broke a little)

I genuinely do NOT see the point in pairing up a queer character with a random more popular Marvel hero. I repeat my question, who the hell signed off on this?

In my personal opinion, its just new lows in performative allyship and rainbow washing and whatever kind of marketing you wanna call it.

Source here for first two (directly from Marvel site)

[weaselmcdiesel]

i find your "katnep wouldnt work in canon" claim extremely incorrect!!!! they have shared interests and a themetaic connection. its just a shame that their dynamic wasnt explored much but their contrasting personalities are suuuch fanfic bait to me

You're definitely right about fanfic bait i think, i'm not the most clever when it comes to literary analysis so im listening to the podcast "homestuck made this world" and one topic it discusses is how the introduction of the trolls helped the comic breach YA novel status and how the fandom at the time was slowly shifting to accepting more shipping due to the new emphasis on character's interpersonal relations right. nepeta the character is also literally a representation of the shipping population of the fandom too so it's not unrealistic to think hussie wanted to push that ship (not to mention the disciple x signless haha)

unfortunately, i consider the ship near impossible due to the fact that karkat would have to go though a completely different char. development route to 1. learn how to reject/respond to nepeta's crushing instead of just ignoring her, and 2. somehow start liking her back? which idk it would require nepeta to be alive and i just dont know how that would look XD (thus why i draw them... in a completely different universe pahaha...)

but you ARE correct! not only do they share the interest in romance n would love reading romances together, but just like karkat nepeta really does care about the rest of their friends. even when she knew some sorta considered her weird or werent treating her nicely she would still be concerned for them. she WOULD support karkat when he felt like no one's listening to him when he just wants to help everyone. idk theres a lot there. imagine if nep survived after gam killed equius? and then saw karkat pacify gamzee like i wonder how she'd react to that

sorry for writing a lot im in love with them you must understand asdjf

[ferronickel]

Hail, flatter! This one, who is a layperson of the arts and comixcraft, has a query for you:

So like, what is flatting?

I've seen your flats in Wifwulf, and I've read about the flats in Looking Glasses, and generally get that it results in an image with similarly coloured areas sharing the same false-colour.

But like, how is it then used? The final images seem to contain more colours and shading, so why not just go straight to this? Why do false colours get used instead of the real ones? How do you pick the colours and how many get used?

How come this is a thing that a whole other person can do separately? I guess that's because it's time consuming - so it saves time somehow?

Thank you! I come in the spirit of humility wishing to relieve my ignorance of your noble craft!

OHOHOHO!!! You've activated my trap card and now I get to ramble about comics craft! And in my area of professional expertise, too! Be prepared for a long post

I'm going to start with the last part of your question:

How come this is a thing that a whole other person can do separately? I guess that's because it's time consuming - so it saves time somehow?

So the thing about comics is that it is one of the most intensely time consuming mediums to create. One person can make comics on their own fairly easily, but it takes forever to produce. Consider that I've been working on Looking Glasses for 18-19 months and have drawn about 87 pages. Now, the western comics industry expects issues to be produced monthly, generally 24 pages in length. It's very difficult for a single person to work at this rate, so the labor of producing comics has been divided. Generally these jobs become:

Writer (writes the script)

Editor (edits the script)

Artist (draws the lineart)

Colorist (colors and renders the art)

Letterer (adds balloons, dialog, and sfx)

Flatter (sometimes 'color assistant' they take the art and prepare it for coloring)

This isn't comprehensive though, there are a bunch of other jobs, like designers and layout artists. Occasionally the artist job gets broken into Pencilers (who sketch the art) and Inkers (who ink the sketch). Basically, by splitting the work amongst a number of people you can produce comics much faster. Not all of these jobs are required, and creator-owed books might have artists do their own coloring and lettering, while big work-for-hire books might have twice as many people working so they can pump out a spider-man book every other week.

Okay, so why Flatters?

Flatting at it's most basic level is just coloring inside the lines. You take a black and white page of art, and you have to fill in every part of the page that will eventually be colored. It's a pretty time consuming task depending on how involved your lineart is.

Flatting a page of Looking Glasses doesn't take me all that long, usually less than a half hour, which is pretty quick. Looking Glasses pages tend to be... optimized for flatting though. There are only ever a few characters and there aren't a ton of background details.

You mentioned Wifwulf (created by my longtime friend and collaborator Dailen Ogden), here's one of it's pages:

Basically everything that's a different base color, (every tree, plant, bit of moss, character, etc.) needed to be picked out separately. Each page of Wifwulf took me a few hours to flat. If Dailen had been doing that themself, those hours would have really added up, but instead they could spend that time drawing and coloring. Now, that said, these pages have a lot of texture, so it's hard to see exactly what I did.

Here's an example from a comic I worked on early in my career. (Lineart by Patrick Custodio)

The writer for this comic loved to put in these incredibly complex crowd scenes, which is something the artist excelled at drawing. I was coloring and flatting at this point on the book, and before I could even start coloring properly, I would need to flat for like eight hours. (I have a much more efficient method these days) It was frustrating because I just wanted to work on the actually creative part, but the majority of my time was spent on something monotonous. As soon as I got the writer to hire a flatter for me, coloring a page would take me only one or two hours, not nine or ten.

So that's why flatters exist, mainly to ease the workload on colorists.

But like, how is it then used? The final images seem to contain more colours and shading, so why not just go straight to this?

Flatting serves a couple of purposes. It's main function, like I said above, is just coloring in the lines. After finishing your lineart it has to get colored in, so in a layer below the lines, you add colors.

The secondary function is preservation. I like to work in a way that is non-destructive, basically, at any point in the process I can restore an earlier version of the drawing if I make a mistake or don't like something. Flats are integral to this.

In digital art, there's this thing called anti-aliasing, where the edges of a line or shape have a drop off of pixel color or opacity. It makes the edges look smoother or blurrier. The three dots on the left are Anti-Aliased, while the one on the right is Aliased, there's no drop off, just hard pixels.

Anti-aliasing is fine until you need to change the color using the paint bucket, or select using the magic wand...

See how the anti-aliased art doesn't play well with these tools, but the aliased art does? So with something like Wifwulf, the final art is going to be full of texture that makes it impossible to select anything again once it's painted. By having a dedicated aliased flats layer under the rest of the artwork, you can always re-select any part of the image you want.

I always leave my flats layer alone, and do any detail work in layers above. For example when I was painting this, it really helped to be able to select just the titan so I could work on those paints without worrying about brushstrokes overlapping the rest of the characters.

One of the other things you can do with flats is quickly selecting certain elements. On most pages, I flat my panels, figures, and background elements separately. Later, with a single button press, I can select just the characters in the scene, or entire panels at a time, which makes things like shading a whole lot easier.

Why do false colours get used instead of the real ones?

If you're flatting for other people you often don't know what the final colors are going to be, so you just pick random ones. Garish colors can be helpful because it makes it obvious that they're not the final colors. Why don't I use the correct colors on my own pages when I'm flatting? Habit, mostly. It's also faster to grab random colors than to track down the correct ones. Sometimes two different things will have the same final color but I like to flat them with different colors so I can select them individually if I need to.

You can see the process a bit here. In my flats, Lancer's spade (eye? eyes? thing) is a different color from his tongue, even if they end up being the same white in the final image. This would help if I ever needed to select just his eyes for some reason. You can also see how I select his body fur color and then add details on top, like his colored fingers and the grey on his arm. Those elements have blurry anti-aliased edges, and it would be impossible to re-select them without flats.

How do you pick the colours and how many get used?

I use the default "additional color set" palette in clip studio and just work my way through it. I pick row and work my way down (for a change of pace I vary which row I start with). How many is mostly dependent on the artwork. You just keep going until you run out of individual objects to color. I have worked on pages where I've run out of colors on this palette and had to start making up more. Typically a page of Looking Glasses only needs around 20-30, though.

So! That's flatting! It's a little known job, and it's how I got started with my comics career, so I have a lot of thoughts on it. I was trying to be concise (lol), so I hope this all makes sense, but I'd be happy to clarify or answer any other questions about this process. I know I didn't really go into how I flat my work, so I can make that post if anyone is interested.

[cas-readsandwrites]

Welcome

Setting: TLOU, right after S1 finale, back in Jackson

Characters: Joel x OC reader, Ellie

(I started a whole thing with like 6 pages of back story and decided nope none of this was what I actually wanted to revel in for now, so a few helpful things to know are that OC is one of the original Jackson settlers, has a social work/psychology background, and Linda and Bruce are the people who lived in her house Before Cordyceps)

Length: 2.5k

Rating: This one is all-ages fluff (...for now?)

I stood in the middle of one of the greenhouses, looking around me and to my flower garden. I didn't know anything about this man and the new girl, other than that they had somehow made it across the country alone, willingly left Jackson, and came back again. My platitudes of nice flowers and silly games seemed insufficient. They more likely needed… tetanus shots. Vitamins. A very soft pillow. 

Well, I am who I am, I decided, and things like this are what make our town thrive. I clipped some lavender - everybody loves lavender, it's nice and calming. Sunflowers. They were a little garish next to the lavender, so something to tie it together. Hydrangeas? Sure. We actually had a lot of hydrangea bushes around town, they were an easy perennial plant for the retirement and time-share crowd who lived here before, but most needed to be cut back whereas mine were regularly maintained and now different colors and sizes thanks to my experiments with soil additives. I added some ornamental greenery and wrapped it in an old feed bag, and placed it in a basket from the stash on the shelf. Soft purple, vibrant yellow, light blue… suddenly it felt fitting, the colors of the sky.

I had already poked around at school and even in my basement, but Linda and Bruce didn't seem to do much as far as entertainment for their grandkids. At school I found a box that a patrol team had brought back full of items I wasn't sure what to do with yet, and had brought home some comic books and Monopoly Deal. Joel definitely didn't seem like a man who would care about flowers, but I wondered if Ellie just might enjoy an adventure and a competitive game. 

Well, here we go. I picked up their basket and left the greenhouse, cutting back across the main street where I had laid eyes on Ellie and Joel all of two times from a distance, and down the residential streets that led back to the neighborhood. Maria and Tommy had offered up the house across the street from theirs, and it felt different, good, knowing that there was a growing family on this street, not another empty house that was a reminder of who used to be there or should be there. 

The sun was starting to set in that dazzling way it does along the spring equinox, fading periwinkle blue split with fiery streaks of pink and orange. Birds flew overhead or rested in the small tended yards, quiet noises came from open windows around me and my favorite boots meeting the pebbled drive. I felt the bittersweet grief that tinged moments like this, heart aching with guilt for my mother, my friends, the people I left behind outside who didn't get to see this through, but the joy that at least some of us did. I marched resolutely up to the door of the blue house, and knocked. 

I had the wherewithal to step back down the porch stairs, knowing from experience that most people didn't recently live in places where their front doors received polite knocks. I was glad I did, because the front door cracked in and, lit by the setting sun behind me, I saw the glint of a dark, wary set of eyes, and a pistol held at ready. Though at least it was pointed down.

I moved very slowly backwards and down another step to the walk, talking another step back once my foot found the ground. “Hi there. You won't need that, it's just me.” 

The only sign he heard me was the quickening of his chest, like his breath was catching up after being left behind, and the tensing of his jaw and slight flare of his nose. 

There was a sudden thumping behind him and the door flung the rest of the way open, the girl I knew was Ellie shouldering her way past the man who I could see now was Joel. He tensed his jaw and closed his eyes, and for a moment I really was afraid he was going to freeze up or faint. 

“Hey! I saw you earlier,” Ellie said, “are you on that council with Maria?” Behind her, Joel seemed to make a strong effort to take a deep breath and holstered the pistol on his belt. 

“Jesus, Ellie-” he said, but she cut him off already. I suppressed a smile, wondering how in the world he kept his patience for months out in the open with her. 

“Ooh, neat!” she said, going for the basket. “This one's new,” she grabbed the game and held it up over her shoulder for Joel to see behind her. “What the fuck, where did you find these?!” She grabbed the comics, leaving the basket and the flowers, turning to him. “At least it's not Volume 3 of Will Livingston.” 

He shook his head at her, finally crossing his arms and looking more at ease as he leaned against the doorway. Perhaps it was because I was already standing down three steps, but now that he was standing in the open much closer than the distance Maria had pointed him out from earlier, and seeing where Ellie pushed past him, I realized how tall he was. Not just tall, but broad across the doorway, her small frame not even reaching his shoulder. Well, that intimidation factor and reaction time probably helped them on the outside. 

“You can't just barge past me like that,” he said to her. “We don't know people here yet.”

I opened my mouth again. “You don't have to worry about that, you're safe here, really. People actually do just knock on doors because they want to see their neighbors.” 

I watched, interested, as they both looked at each other, some sort of quick, invisible communication with minute changes in expression as Joel pursed his lips and cocked his head at her and she shook her head back in an exasperated way. He ticked his head again, before turning back to me.

“And it's not polite, Ellie,” he said, a southern accent softening “polite”. “I'm uh, sorry about that,” he acknowledged, fiddling with the handle on the gun and dropping it back in the holster. “Just not used to seeing a whole lot of other people around.”

“That's alright, really,” I said again, reaching out to pick up the basket to hand to him. “You must be Ellie,” I said to her, stepping past her to hand the basket to Joel. “I see she got the good stuff already,” as she triumphantly held up the books and card games with a grin, “but Maria told me you were back and staying, and I know it's not much but I try to drop off a few things to everyone new, just something nice to brighten up the house, I know how gloomy it can be even if we try to check on the unoccupied houses.” 

Joel tentatively reached out, and I dropped the handle into his palm - a hand and fist that matched the size of the rest of him. Ellie peered over the edge. “OH, I like those, we saw a lot of those,” she said, pointing to the sunflowers. 

I smiled. “I bet you did, they do pretty well with no one looking after them, especially in a field, the birds just take the seeds and more and more spread.” 

“Yeah,” she nodded. “We-” she suddenly cut off and looked at Joel, a question across her face and a closed expression from him. As an almost-officially-trained clinician, their interactions were really something to watch. 

“Yeah, we did see some farms and stuff,” he acknowledged still looking at her.

“Do you know this game?” She asked, holding up the Monopoly Deal. “I know Skip-bo, and Boggle, and some poker and stuff-” Joel's stern, cautious demeanor broke and he rolled his eyes in a recognizable heaven help me expression of a parent - “do you want to play?” 

I realized she was asking me and that my eyes were caught on Joel. “Oh- sure! Well, I'd love to, but it's getting kind of late, we should ask, um…” my voice trailed off as I looked over her at Joel and realized Maria didn't give me a straight answer. Father? Uncle? I had met some people in really terrible situations, what we had blatantly called human trafficking before and now accepted as just terrible captive situations, and they didn't strike me as such, but I still realized I didn't actually know what they were to each other. 

He cleared his throat and pushed off the doorframe. “Just Joel,” he said. “One game, Ellie, you'll have plenty of time to meet more people soon.” 

She rolled her eyes. “Fine, sheesh. Hope it's a really long game.” She grinned mischievously at me. “Come on. It's not as dusty here as I thought it would be.” She held the door open for me as she walked through. I had to sort of slide past Joel as he turned to make room in the doorway, my basket in his hand, sunflower petals and hydrangea bunches absurdly small and delicate in his grasp. I glanced up at him with a shrug meant as both permission and apology. This was his home now, after all. The gravity of his presence somehow made me stop as my eyes caught his, the purple-blue light of the sky casting his profile into a jagged relief echoing the mountains behind him. His eyes seemed to search mine for a minute, soft and light in contrast to the strong lines of his brow and jaw. 

“There's enough room at the table, I think,” Ellie yelled, and I about fell over across the threshold. I caught myself and stumbled toward her voice in the kitchen. “It says we have to have a draw pile and a bunch of discard piles and ooh cool fake money and stuff-” I made my way towards her and as I looked back at Joel, standing in the doorway of his own home. I swear he chuckled, though at myself or at Ellie, I wasn't sure.

Later, after I had thoroughly schooled Ellie in Monopoly Deal - which I felt slightly bad about, more due to her impatience in reading the directions and her ruthless strategy to buy and sell everything and take chances on the draw pile - and she repaid me by rattling on about comic book characters that I couldn't keep straight, Joel intervened from the corner he was sitting in. He had spent the evening sitting off to the side watching Ellie, or pacing around the house and poking in drawers or shelves he probably had not had a chance to take inventory of yet. I noticed throughout the game that Ellie's eyes often flicked to him, as if she was keeping stock of how far away he was and what obstacles she might have to run through to get to him. He didn't look towards her quite as much but I noticed he often kept his left side to her and even when elsewhere in the room kept his head tilted to her, attuned to her voice and sounds of.her hands on the cards and feet kicking the chair or stomping the ground. 

“All right, it's full dark, come on Ellie. You've eaten, you've played, you gotta sleep.” She only mildly protested, and he leaned towards her. “You've seen the whole house. I got it, it's ok,” he added softly, and I pretended to look away in interest at the shelves in the kitchen. 

“Only because it's a real bed,” she pointed at him. “If it's full dark, old man, you better go, too. You don't have to take watch tonight.” 

Out of my peripheral vision focused on the 21-year-old calendar likely melted to the side of the refrigerator at this point, I saw traces of another one of their invisible exchanges, dubious, questioning, acquiescing, before Ellie gave an exaggerated sigh bounced up from the table. “‘Night, Rosie!” She said to me. I looked back from someone's dentist appointment reminder in September 2003 to wave to Ellie as she walked through the kitchen to the living room and up the stairs. 

Joel leaned back and sighed, rocking his chair on the back two legs. “Thank you for that. We've met a few people on the way, but it's been a while since she had a chance to just be a kid like that again.” He rubbed his hands over his face

I nodded, my sensibilities barely keeping my curiosity at bay. 

“There are plenty more games in the mess hall,” I said, “and most houses have some too, seems like the kind of place a lot of families went on vacation, there's a surprising amount of useful stuff left. Or we repurpose the stuff that doesn't seem useful.”

Joel nodded this time. “Rosie, was it?” He asked gruffly, the fatigue of whatever their journey had been clearly pressing on him.

“Or just Rose. It's something Maria's called me for a while, probably because roses were the first things I tried to grow here. Or maybe it refers to the whole rose-colored glasses idea.” I waved my hand around at the game, the house. “I know it's not easy getting here, believe me, and I work with a lot of families and kids at the school who are still processing it, but I think we have it really good here, and I'm happy with it.”

Joel made a noise low in his throat, and the hair on my arms goosebumps and my stomach made an unfamiliar swoop. “We've seen a lot, maybe a bit too much to see it like that,” he said, almost too quietly. He added, more directly this time, “that your real name? What people call you?”

I decided to challenge his mumbled comment. “Does it matter?” I looked straight at him, at those soft warm eyes so in contrast with the rest of him. 

He tilted his head to one side and shook it once slowly. “No, don't s’pose it does,” he answered, either about my name or the comment. He stood up, balancing his instincts with likely some long-dormant attempt to remember manners and hospitality, and I made it easy for him, knowing this was only their second night back.  

“Goodnight, Joel. Tell Ellie she can come visit whenever she wants, as long you're OK with it,” I added. “I work at the school and run a group at the greenhouse too, the families know the kids are pretty much welcome at any time. I have a literal open door policy, even at home.” If my door is open, everyone knows they can come in and find me.

I paused, my hand on the door as his eyes followed me through the dim light of the kitchen, basket of flowers in shadow next to him on a counter. “Welcome to Jackson.”

[cacaodrawzstuff]

Demoman Headcanons for him and ONLY him because he's underrated as hell and because I love him dearly... <3

This man falls asleep ANYWHERE...Where you'd find him mostly? Sleeping in the closet, in a crate, or anywhere that looks extremely uncomfortable to sleep. Hell, even Demoman doesn't know how he woke up there! But he just does and it became a daily everyday thing for Demoman and the other mercenaries.

AMAZING with Piano. Seriously, he has been learning how to play Piano since he was a wee lil lad. He mostly plays scottish piano songs though. But you could give him a song request and he'll try to play it if he's in the mood !!! :)

RED Demoman and RED Soldier arent best friends, but they're still friends. They just dont talk as much as RED Demoman does with BLU Soldier.

Ohohoho...Speaking of RED Demoman and BLU Soldier, they're gossiping besties fr. They both gossip about their teammates in secret and somehow none found out about it!

Demoman is a cat and dog person!!! ^_^ If he was able to he would've got a little kitty and lil puppy as a child! Scottish Fold and Cairn Terrier are his favourite :3

Despite already having a whole ass mansion, he still turned his workshop into a small dorm for himself !!! He doesn't have a bed there buut he has a comfy couch to sleep on!!! And maybe a small old tv that Engie fixed for him as well!

A lot of times when he's sober his team doesn't know, so that's why most assume that he has never been sober before. When he's sober he's actually extremely calm and a polite man. (unlike when he's drunk...He has a foul mouth...)

Despite his drunkness, he's actually extremely smart and experienced in chemistry! He can even be a scientist with his knowledge but he decided not to do that. If you have difficulity with chemistry stuff? Call Demoman to help!

I refuse to believe this man isn't autistic fr...He's good at masking and got lil used to eye contact! His special interest is chemistry (especially explosives) ofc and his vocal stim is def "Kaboom!" or "Kablooey!" ^_^ (No this isn't me projecting on Demoman wymmmm)

RED Demoman has a strong platonic bromance with BLU Soldier...BLU Demoman and RED Soldier on the other hand...They're SWORE ENEMIES. Will rip each other apart the moment they spot each other..

Speaking of enemies...RED Demoman and BLU Demoman are definetely rival enemies! Both dual a lot just to see who's the best Demoman and WILL rub it on the other Demoman if they win. They don't get along...Only times they actually get along is when they're partnerings trying to get out of a situation that requires working together, other than that? They go back to being rival enemies.

He's a extremely flirty man when drunk fr...If he likes anyone? He /will/ show it...Then end up embarrassed when he wakes up.

THIS MAN HAS AMAZING RIZZ !!!! HE EVEN GOT MEDIC'S WIFE AND GOT SOME BITCHES IN WAR! COMIC W SOLDIER???? He's so pretty so I'm not surprised fr,,,,

Demoman has atleast some fatness in him there's NO way he drinks so much and still remains ripped, he def has a beer belly and I REFUSE to believe that Demoman would be slim...Prob has almost same body as Soldier for sure!!! He prob has some ripness in his arms tho...

RED Demoman and BLU Soldier treat each other like they're brothers, pretty close to each other and both know each other so well. (Sorry Boots N Bombs fans... :pensive:)

I dont care what you say HE'S TRANSGENDER AND PANSEXUAL GAHHHHH !!!!!!! HE GOT TOP AND BOTTOM SURGERY FROM MEDIC (AND MEDIC PROB PUT SMTH THERE W/O DEMO KNOWING) !!!!!!!!!!!

I'VE GOT MORE THAT I CAN SHARE LATER !!!!! ^_^

[waterdeepp]

In regards to Gale being manipulative…

I do not believe Gale is perfect, for starters. I believe he’s human. It absoutely grinds my gears to see people pull every excuse in the book as to why he’s somehow evil or toxic. So, join me in this comically long post on why i disagree.

On Gale’s Relationship Manipulation In Act I

I’ve seen so many posts saying his first romance scene (where he is teaching the player magic) the start of his manipulation and i Just Have To Laugh. Are you for real? Guys. Come on

For those unaware, Gale begins to teach the player magic, hoping to share a special or intimate moment with them. You can begin his romance or keep it platonic at this point. Make the call. I’ll be using direct quotes from a game article to draw debunk points from.

NOTE: I AM NOT PUTTING THIS WRITER ON BLAST!! I am simply using points from their article that i see others use!

[Gale’s Manipulative Tendencies Are Stronger Towards Someone He Is Romantically Involved With]

I don’t believe Gale is being manipulative in his romance introduction. I believe he’s wanting to share a moment with the Player. If the Player is a magic user Warlock/Wizard/Sorcerer, it remains the same. Gale is a Wizard, he would understand the technicalities of magic better than a Sorcerer or Warlock. Sorcerers are born magic users, but it doesn’t inherently mean they’re as skilled as a Wizard. Wizards understand the finer points simply because they STUDY. He asked if you are studied in magic - namely a wizard on the beach. He doesn’t dismiss you for being a non wizard, he’s just SEEKING a wizard. I’m getting off topic. Back to the romance scene

[One of the earlier scenes in which the player can form a relationship with the wizard involves him “teaching” them a bit of magic (even if they are also a spellcaster and ostensibly don’t need any teaching), which entails him guiding their hands as they perform a rudimentary spell.]

It was a romance scene. Gale is a teacher, of course he’s going to help guide the player. He doesn’t dismiss your ability if you’re a natural magic user, the scene remains the same.

[it can come off as creepy or opportunistic, like he’s trying to use magic to subtly seduce you.]

You don’t have to agree to it. You can very easily tell him no or stop at any point! He used something he’s good at to get closer to you, this is not manipulation! If the player imagines kissing him, he doesn’t make a move or push the issue. He drops it. He’s not seducing you, you are seducing him.

Is showing romantic interest in someone manipulation these days?

Act II

The Orb

The thing that can kill him and everyone around him. Yes, he talks about it a lot

[brings up the doom he faces due to the volatile magic in his chest as an excuse to become intimate, insinuating that he might die soon and it might be the last chance. While other characters in the player’s camp may straightforwardly ask to have a romantic or sexual relationship with the player, Gale seems almost like he is trying to coax them into it.]

That is simply not what happened. He is sharing his emotions and the severity of the situation. He expresses his fear. He does the same if you are platonic with him, just no sex scene of course.

He uses this time to tell you he’s in love with you. He’s been tasked to kill himself, OF COURSE he wants to confess his love before he fucking dies!! You can very easily turn him down before you get to this point. Even if you are romantic with him. He never pressured you into sex. Period. He did not manipulate you into having sex with him. He confessed his emotions during a time of hardship and fear. This is not manipulation. It’s honesty.

Gale is faced with a great choice. This could be his last chance to experience the human emotion of love. He loves the player and won’t let it go to waste. Coaxing you, yes. He’s trying to court you but he doesn’t have enough time. He’s afraid. He respects your choice of saying no early on .

Confessing how you feel is not manipulation. He did not use sex to manipulate the player. He had sex with the player because he’s in love with them. If you want to be very technical, Astarion used sex to manipulate the player. His own words.

I’ll end this here.

TLDR: Gale is not the male manipulator people say