#i mean obviously lots but I mean from my box of ships

[bardicious]

Ships that are variations on the same thing:

Gabrielle/Xena

Will/Hannibal

Charles/Erik

Aziraphale/Crowley

Bashir/Garak

And I love them for that.

[clockwayswrites]

Cozytober Day 3: Hot Chocolate

masterpost

“You just had to make a mess on your way, didn’t you?” Jason asked as he stepped over Danny’s shed clothing.

“Yes,” Danny said, just to be cheeky.

He could be cheeky with Jason. Jason might huff and puff or snark back, but it was always in good fun with each other. Somethings were off limits, but they’d both made a deal to be honest about what those were. So far it had worked out.

Jason sighed. “Leave me to clean up your mess after you, carry you around, make you hot chocolate…”

“Hot chocolate?” Danny asked, sitting up in Jason’s arms. Jason’s hot chocolate was a thing of the divine.

“Mhum,” Jason agreed with a hum as he dropped Danny carefully onto the couch.

Danny let himself lay there like a dead fish as he tried to give Jason his best puppy dog eyes.

“Put those eyes away,” Jason said with a chuckle. He leaned down and pressed a kiss right between Danny’s eyes. “I already said I’d make it. Do you want the works?”

“Yes,” Danny said. He shifted a little on the couch so that he could still watch Jason as he moved over to the kitchen area of the open plan space. “Your day?”

“Oh. It was okay,” Jason said as he gathered what he needed and put a pot on the stove. “I think that we’re finally making some real progress on the plans for the affordable housing. There’s a place in German that does a lot of what we want and need in their prefab walls. Obviously shipping that far would make it cost prohibitive, but they seem interested in maybe setting up a workshop here as long as Gotham helps with the initial costs. It might be a good deal in the end for both them and the city.”

“That’s great!” Danny knew how hard Jason had been working at this project, and how many times there had been insurmountable seeming roadblocks.

“It really is. And a new industry means new jobs. We might be able to tie it in with the workforce alternative we’ve got started with the court system too. I might also be counting my chickens before they hatch but…”

“Hope.”

“Yeah, but hope,” Jason agreed softly.

“Proud of you,” Danny said.

He could see Jason’s ears flush all he way from the couch. Danny tried to tell Jason he was as proud of him as often a he could, both because of the cute response but because Danny didn’t think Jason knew how good he was.

“Nothings don’t yet,” Jason said.

“Proud. Of. You,” Danny said with pointed enunciation.

Jason muttered an adorable grumble as he fussed with breaking up the real chocolate bar that he used in the hot chocolate. Danny closed his eyes and just listened to Jason moving around, out of words the moment. One of the reasons he liked being at Jason’s more than his tiny shoe box was the noise of someone else moving around him.

“Up we go, boo,” Jason urged softly some time later.

Danny cracked a wide yawn and used the moment of swinging his legs off the couch to get himself somewhat sitting up. Jason slotted into place beside Danny and helped prop him up before he tipped back over again. Danny happily burrowed in against Jason’s broad shoulder.

“Eyes open,” Jason said.

Resisting a grumble, Danny opened his eyes and took the large mug in front of his face. He cradled it for a moment, just enjoying the warmth, before he took a long, slow sip. The richness of chocolate and warmth of spice bloomed over his tongue. Danny let out a happy sigh.

“The best.”

Jason chuckled. “You just like me for my hot chocolate.”

“Lies. Also have a very nice co—”

“Danny!” Jason admonished between a bout of startled laughter.

Danny grinned to himself, proud as always to make Jason laugh like that, free and bright. He rewarded himself with another sip of his drink.

[imaybe5tupid]

On the hidden repressed suburban white emo boy darkness in Laios’ heart

LET ME BE CLEAR: i like Laios, this is not a hate post, his flaws and darker parts of who he is round out his character and make him the character I love. Also this isn’t proper meta or analysis just my literal sleepy off the cuff rambling

I think Laios can be very comfortably summed up as someone who feels he was never indulged and the person he is in the series grew over those scars. I really enjoy how much Laios genuinely has a lot of darkness in his heart his emo-boy ness is really underrated. He canonically thought of (and is implied to sometimes still think of) his bullies (and sometimes people in general) like this

Aside being autistic, well into his 20s Laios really inhabits this very imo teenage mindset/outlook thats a combination of outsider and contrarian (the latter secretly). And the Winged Lion sees this immediately for what it is, this idea of being an alienated outsider due to your unique understanding of the world (I don’t mean Laios thinks hes like a nobel prize winner but more that he has a lot of resentment for how the things he’s interested in are not valued in the way he values them) and the percieved dull conformism of others (eg. his father), and how these feelings of his come from a deliberate (as in i feel hes actively trying to make himself think this as a coping mechanism) lack of intellectual and emotional curiosity about people or things that he’s unable to box into this Different category i.e the grass is always greener (of course in addition to his Traumas). For example monsters obviously, but also his fascination with Toshiro’s foreignness, like the island was probably full of strong cool warrior types but they weren’t so distinctly “exotic” (unfortunate but true 😔, many such cases see Japanism and also ironically cause thats how i hc the toudens, the way scandinavia is weirdly idolised by a great deal of the world, or even the way people will see an indie movie set in like small town absolutely anywhere else in the world from where they are and be like waow so cool and different unlike my LAME hometown imagine that meme of the ships thats like their barbaric practices etc.) and an emblem of this cool different world that he could idealise and escape into.  Shuro represents a kind of escapist fantasy for Laios, like in addition to just being (to Laios) This Super Nice Guy Who Always Saves Me And Says Yes To Me And Never Gets Mad, he’s also Nothing Like Those Boors from the village/school/ the military. And he probably dgaf about Rin or like Eastern diaspora in Melini and would say offensive things to them running along the lines of what he said to Lycion (“so you only look different on the outside, nothing is different internally , how disappointing”). Like you can compare Kabru’s curiosity towards people which is driven by a genuine passion for humanity, to Laios’ at times objectifying curiosity toward Shuro which is shaped by the pain of the past and immediately see the sickness in the head Laios has lol. Unconsciously, Laios I think can also be a deeply self-centred guy at his core (evidenced by the nature of his curse at the end of the story too haha).

[votive-candle]

So I've been considering a rebrand on this blog for a long time for "professional" reasons... like changing my username, making an official portfolio with my name to it elsewhere, etc.

This idea has been mostly motivated by this deep insecurity I have surrounding what I would say is either NSFW work, suggestive art, "fangirl" energy, all that. And it's... frustrating, to say the least. And difficult express in a way that's coherent. Because my personal feelings are that art, even art that within the sphere of industry that I want to approach (ie. game art & story design, character writing and so on), should not have to be confined within this box of "sensibilities" that I'm told it should be.

If I was doing fine art like painting, or making installations, or sculpture, I get a sense that this puritanical ideology of self-censorship would not be expected of me. I also get a sense that if I was born male and lived as a man, there would be different industry expectations of me also. If I was a cis dude I don't think a game director would mind if I had a portfolio full to the brim with borderline naked, hypersexualised women and girls with big swords and huge racks (no shade, big boobs and big swords are fun and cool). But -- and again I don't have evidence of this, it's just a hunch -- I somehow get this idea that the way I approach drawing masculine figures? The way I write and express myself through, and speak about characters? The sexually explicit artwork I've drawn over the years, which majoritively does not even show genitalia? I get this gut feeling that this would be much less... palatable (?) in the industry for commercial, media focused art.

I've been drawing sexual content since I was a teen fangirl and I think it's really strange that somehow, as I get older and more mature (and I'm serious here, like really, let that sink in? I was told directly "you're not a kid anymore, potential employers won't like this" in response to shipping art an old tutor saw me post online a few years back?), it's considered in many ways less appropriate for me to produce explicit or sexually themed artwork. Particularly when that art has that air of "fangirl" (or "fan-person" in regards to myself) around it. Because "fangirls" aren't professional, are they? They're vapid, of course. They don't consume art meaningfully, not like strong, stoic men do. No, they just want their shipping and their coffeeshop AU's and their moodboards, and there's nothing creative in that, is there? No "professional practice" there.

I just find that... baffling

I'm speaking from the perspective of someone who is borderline asexual on that spectrum, and always has been. Somehow, professionalism is partly hinged on making your art less exploratory of adult themes, once you become an adult, once you're old enough to understand and properly illustrate the importance of adult themes. Isn't that strange to anyone else? Because to me it feels wrong.

Like I said, I'm borderline asexual. I don't draw sexual content to get my rocks off. I draw it because I find physical intimacy to be one of the most multifascited expressions of humanity between people. Sex and sexuality are so dynamic in their capacity for storytelling. With it (and safely so through fiction, if you're careful about it), you can express and explore so much; passion obviously, love, but also sadness and grief and condolence, malice and rage, heartbreak, self-destruction, self-improvement, excitement, fun, even just friendship.

Sex is beautifully dynamic from a humanistic standpoint. It shouldn't need to be considered this looming force of demonitisation, or an industry blockade. And I understand I have drawings that are too graphic, too NSFW to put in a professional portfolio, to leave online for employers to see. But I'm not even talking about smut here.

Majoritively, I really don't want to distance myself from a lot of this work I've created. It means something to me dude, because these characters and stories mean something to me. Sometimes the drawing itself is just... a technically well executed drawing. I don't want to revoke that because there's an implication of "ooh, someone's touching ass, breast and dick in there!"

Yet by expressing my excitement over that, I do feel cornered. Like I'll never get hired anywhere. Which isn't easy given the struggles I already have with disability, mental health, etc. So I feel a need to sort of give in and retcon a lot of my posts.

I don't like that finding work in the fields I'm interested in kind of hinges on a lack of self-expression, I suppose. I find it bitterly ironic since I want to work in creative fields. It feels like a betrayal of the self and of the purpose of art and good media for grown individuals.

But hey, I guess that's capitalism, baby.

This blog might change a bit in the near or semi-near future. Maybe a new username or profile pic, I'm not sure yet. Maybe a second blog will pop up somewhere. I just wanted to vent a bit on my disdain in having to make these decisions. Beg your pardon.

[musicalmoritz]

Hey uh ,,, do you have any songs that reminds you of tbhk? Like specific characters or relationships ?? (Also I plan on updating my mitsukou playlist I have for coping reasons so some recommendations on that would be nice) ( little cat ^. . ^ / )

OKAY so a little bit embarrassing but the way I listen to music 99% of the time is by imagining my hyperfixations with whatever I’m listening to so I am the perfect person to ask this question. Fair warning tho my music taste does dabble in basic territory. This is gonna be looooooong so fasten your seatbelts

• Using You by Mars Ago is such an AoiAoi song to me. There’s always one specific ship in a fandom that fits this song perfectly and for TBHK that is 100% AoiAoi

• Heart-Shaped Box by Nirvana gives me HakuSumi and Sakuhiko vibes. I lean more towards HakuSumi tho bcuz…well…those of you who know the meaning of this song will get it LOL

• Soooooo many Beetlejuice musical songs remind me of TBHK. I started to make like a whole playlist that told the plot of TBHK through musical theatre songs but I gave up after the Mitsuba arc and it never made it to Spotify. Maybe someday…

• Say My Name from Beetlejuice is obviously very HanaNene coded. And The Whole “Being Dead” Thing is giving Hanako coded. Dead Mom is very Kouded

• I Know It’s Today from the Shrek musical always makes me think of Nene

• Drift Away from Steven Universe…very Yako. Her waiting for Misaki every day before learning he died…oof

• Dear Theodosia from Hamilton Remind’s me of the Minamoto Siblings. With Teru as Burr singing abt Kou and then Kou as Hamilton singing abt Tiara

• Beautiful Boy by John Lennon reminds me of Teru and Kou

• On a similar note, I Wanna Hold Your Hand by The Beatles is soooooooo NeneMei coded. Yes I’m talking abt that scene where Nene asked Mei to hold her hand to trick her in an escape attempt. I think about it often

• Townie by Mitski makes me think of Teru. “I am not gonna be what my daddy wants me to be” yeah…

• Ever since I heard HISS by Megan Thee Stallion it has made me think of Teru. I feel like he would be her biggest fan

• Mine by Taylor Swift works so well for any Aoi ship but specifically Aoinene or AoiAoi. “You made a rebel of a careless man’s careful daughter” I mean c’mon her fears surrounding love all stem from her father abandoning her so yeah

• Okay you specifically asked for Mitsukou so I should probably talk abt them

• To me they are so Lana Del Rey core…Video Games…Ultraviolence…the Diet Mountain Dew demo…Summertime Sadness…Yes I know I’m making her most popular songs, hush

• Line Without A Hook by Ricky Montgomery. It’s extra gut-wrenching when it’s from Mitsuba’s pov imo but it works both ways

• Waving Through A Window from Dear Evan Hansen is so Sousuke core

• All of Taylor Swift’s Red album reminds me of them but specifically All Too Well (both versions), Red, Sad Beautiful Tragic, Stay Stay Stay, Begin Again, Better Man, Come Back…Be Here, The Very First Night, and…yeah basically all of Red (Taylor’s Version)

• Northern Downpour by Panic! At the Disco also makes me think of them, this is embarrassingly my favorite song of all time I can’t lie

• Lacy by Olivia Rodrigo is so Aoinene core, yes I have written a fic abt them with that title (a lot of these come from my fic titles ngl)

• Tainted Love by Soft Cell gives me strong Terukane vibes from Akane’s pov

• I Wanna Dance With Somebody and So Emotional by Whitney Houston both remind me of Aoinene as well, basically all of her album Whitney does ngl

• Edge of Seventeen by Stevie Nicks makes me think of Natsuhiko

• Bernadette by IAMX reminds me of Sakuhiko

• She Liked A Boy by Nxdia is very Aoinene coded

• Stupid With Love from the Mean Girls musical makes me think of MeiAoi, specifically the version with No.4 Mei

• Music of the Night from Phantom of the Opera is canonically Hanako coded like c’mon we have a whole au for this

• In addition, Think Of Mei is very Nene coded, All I Ask Of You is Mitsukouded, Notes is v Terukane coded, and the title song is so HanaNene

• Valley Of The Dolls by Marina is lowkey Aoi core with the whole “pick a personality” line and the concept of losing your identity as a woman due to the boxes society puts us in

• Gemini Moon by Reneé Rapp reminds me of Kou or Akane (mainly bcuz of the “I could never pick a side” line…bi kings)

• Fly Me To The Moon by Frank Sinatra makes me think of HanaNene (any old music does tbh, I have a whole playlist for it)

• Me and My Husband by Mitski is, like, THE Hakusumi song

• There Is A Light And It Never Goes Out by The Smiths is so Mitsukou like “to die by your side is such a heavenly way to die” ?? C’mon

• Violently shaking trying not to name every Fall Out Boy song in existence

• The Pros and Cons of Breathing is SO Aoinene guys (“wish that I was as invisible as you make me feel”)

• Hum Hallelujah could theoretically be Kou

• HOT TO GO! by Chappell Roan is the vibe I have assigned to Minami and Himari

• Stacy’s Mom for Mitsuba’s mother. No elaboration needed.

• You’re On Your Own, Kid by Taylor Swift makes me think of Teru :(

• Lithium by Nirvana reminds me of Akane but also every Nirvana song ever reminds me of Akane, I have assigned Akane to Nirvana

• Whitney Houston’s iconic cover of I Will Always Love You for HanaNene…yes indeed

• Taste by Sabrina Carpenter with Terukaneaoi (Teru sings it to Akane so instead it’s “you’ll just have to taste me while SHE’S kissing you”)

• I have assigned Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts album to HanaNene and Sour to Mitsukou

• Bcuz c’mon, Deja Vu is such a Mitsukou/Soukou song

• Maneater by Daryl Hall & John Oates is Ghost Hotel au Kou and then Maneater by Nelly Furtado is main universe Mitsuba (get it? bcuz cannibalism but also they’re gay-)

• I like the concept of a “maneater” being a gay man and a “womanizer” being a lesbian. Therefore Womanizer by Britney Spears is Mei’s song

• Oops! I Did It Again by Britney Spears is Aoi with AoiAoi

• Espresso by Sabrina Carpenter is Aoimei with OG Mei, Bad Chem is HakuSumi, and Please Please Please is Sakuhiko

• Holding Out For A Hero by Bonnie Tyler is a Natsuteru song I have dubbed it that way

• Landslide by Stevie Nicks is so Aoinene it hurts… “well I’ve been afraid of changing ‘cuz I built my life around you”

• Every Breath You Take by The Police reminds me of Mitsukou from Kou’s pov…my boy can get a little obsessive

• Obsessed by Olivia Rodrigo is THE Sakunene song, especially since Nene thought Sakura was Hanako’s girlfriend when they first met

• Honorable Mention by Fall Out Boy is lowkey Mitsuba like hear me out…or maybe more-so Sousuke

• Their song Pretty In Punk reminds me of both Mitsukou and Hanamitsu

• Two Player Game from Be More Chill is HanaKou and then A Guy That I’d Kinda Be Into is Mitsukou

• Part Of Your World from The Little Mermaid makes me think of Nene and then Poor Unfortunate Souls is Sakura (or Tsukasa). Kiss The Girl is HanaNene or Aoinene

• Kiss Me by Sixpence None The Richer is Terunene, I’m sorry Ik a lot of ppl hate it but I adore them

• On that note of overhated ships I love, Jessie’s Girl by Rick Springfield reminds me of TeruAoi

• Ooooh and Uptown Girl by Billy Joel is a MeiAoi song

• My Girlfriend Is A Witch by October Country is so Aoimei and Sakuhiko core

• I Fall In Love Too Easily by Chet Baker makes me think of Nene

• I could make a whole separate post abt TBHK and Taylor Swift songs so I’m trying not to yap abt her too much but When Emma Falls In Love also reminds me of Nene. And The Archer is Hanako. And Mirrorball is Akane. And The Lucky One is Aoi. And-

• The Masochism Tango by Tom Lehrer is so Mitsukou but specifically the way I write them, you guys have to see the vision (Natsuteru as well)

• Miss You Much by Janet Jackson is lowkey AoiAoi core, ngl I just wanted an excuse to bring up Janet Jackson

• And Escapade by Janet Jackson is Aoinene so real so true

• I have seen ppl attribute Picture You by Chappell Roan to Meinene and I agree. I will add that Casual is Sakuhiko core from Natsuhiko’s pov

• Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide by David Bowie reminds me of Terukane, both as individual characters and as a ship

• I Know You by Faye Webster is like THE AoiAoi/Terukaneaoi song to me

• Paper Bag by Fiona Apple is Mitsuba to me, trust I will be writing a fic that uses a line from this song as the title (unless it’s already been done before…it’s a very popular song so like that’s possible…)

• Lonely Hearts Club by Marina makes me think of TeruAoi

• Animal Cannibal from Possibly in Michigan fits both Sumire and Mitsuba imo

• No Surprises by Radiohead makes me think of both Teru and Kou

• Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want by The Smiths also makes me think of Kou

• Our Last Summer by ABBA reminds me of the Severance arc in a very bittersweet way, specifically the ending

• Silver Springs by Fleetwood Mac fits like so many ships. Hakusumi, Mitsukou, HanaNene…

• Killing Me Softly With His Song by Fugees and Ms. Lauryn Hill makes me think of Sumire/Hakusumi

• I Put A Spell On You by Nina Simone is very Sakura core to me

• Heart Of Glass by Blondie with Mitsuba hear me out hear me out

• Smooth Criminal by Micheal Jackson with Aoi and the amount of times she’s almost died lol

• The Boys Of Summer by Don Henley with Hanako and Kou, or Kou/Yokoo/Satou

• Moon River with HanaNene. Now cry.

• Romeo And Juliet by the Indigo Girls with Aoimei

• Psycho Killer by the Talking Heads with Tsukasa

• And circling back to the musical songs. A Lovely Night from La La Land with MeiAoi

• Fight For Me from Heathers with Mitsukou. Candy Store with Terukaneaoi. Seventeen with HanaNene. Meant To Be Yours with any ship tbh these guys are all insane. Lifeboat with Aoi. Much to think about

• Stars from Les Misérables with Teru. Let me repeat. STARS FROM LES MISÉRABLES WITH TERU. He is so Javert coded Javert my babygirl from my favorite piece of media of all time that literally shaped who I am as a person

• Right Where You Left Me by Taylor Swift with Sumire

• Also all of the Sweeney Todd musical gives me TBHK vibes with all the cannibalism, I could make a whole au

• Camisado by Panic! At the Disco with Teru

• No Good Deed from Wicked with Hakubo snapping after Sumire’s death…Hakubo my beloved

• Popular from Wicked with Aoinene, What Is This Feeling? with Terukane

• The Confrontation from Jekyll & Hyde with the Yugi twins

• Don’t Rain On My Parade from Funny Girl with Nene

• Suddenly Seymour from Little Shop Of Horrors with Aoinene, AoiAoi, Mitsukou, or HanaNene

• I like to imagine Unlikely Lovers from Falsettos with Aoinene and Terukane

• Two Wuv by Tally Hall with Teruaoinene

• American Beauty/American Psycho by Fall Out Boy with AoiAoi

Okay I’m cutting myself off because the music + hyperfixation brainrot will never end. I hope this was somewhat enjoyable to ya’ll lol ty for giving me the chance to yap abt this

[aquaticwolfkuri]

Y HATE Me, But I Hate YOU More: Ch.9

(sorry this took so long. A lot was happening)

Stranding before the great and mighty Tallest was invader Zim, with Minimoose and Gir by his side.

There was no one else in the room of the ship other than the pilots and such.

“Zim, we’re most grateful for your service” Red says, and Zim feels nothing but honored by this.

“Now this mission is going to be very, very VERY dangerous. But we know you can do it” Purple says, keeping close to Red.

“Yes my Tallest! I am ready to handle any mission you give to Zim!”

“Good. Now Zim, this mission is simple. We're going to give you the most dangerous and catastrophic bomb imaginable, and your going to carry it into the core of a very large and dangerous ship from an annoying group called the Resisty.” Red explains, while Purple seemed to be trying his best to stay quiet.

“The Resisty??? I've never-”

“-It doesn't matter who they are Zim. They're annoying and they're becoming a threat to the Irken empire.” Red says, leaving now room for anymore questions.

“Yes sirs! I will not fail you.” Zim says before being handed the small black box. Before returning to his ship, he's told the bomb will automatically begin the countdown to detonate once it gets into close proximity with the enemy's ship power core. Once activated, he would only have 10 minutes to escape the ship before the whole thing would explode.

Inside the Voot Cruiser, Zim navigates towards the Resisty’s ship, feeling oh so proud that the Tallest recognized his greatness for such an important mission.

The Resisty's ship seemed to be swarming with patrol units, so getting in wouldn't be easy and there weren't many floating asteroids to hide behind to get close enough. He would need some kind of divergence.

He looks towards the large and squirming sack that he had Gir retrieve for him, grinning clinically at it.

“Yes, you will make for the perfect tool…. Gir! I'm going to take out new friend to the enemy ship,  you stay in the Voot Cruiser with Minmose and cause a minor disturbance until I call for you.” Zim says, and the small robot obays.

Zim gets into his space gear and grabs the sack before flying off, and Gir launches a mass of weenies as the surrounding enemy ships before flying off as they pursue him.

Aboard the Risity’s ship, Zim empties the sack, reveleaving the ginger haired girl from earth, Plotty Dev. She looked scared, frightened… but almost amazed by her surroundings. She was bound by her arms and left, her mouth covered by some device.

“Hello Plotty” Zim says, grinning.

“....!!!” Plotty couldn't believe it, she had been kidnapped by an alien who oddly sounded like her classmate Zim! obviously that must just be a coincidence, because she knew Zim was still back on earth at Prom with Dib.

“Yes, yes, I'm an alien. Now, you're going to make it up to me for all the times you STOLE the-Dib from me…! And no one steals from the GREAT ZIM!” Zim's face and tone quickly become grim. He pulls out some kind of remote control, pushing one of the buttons. The metal rope binding her legs came undone before shrinking and turning into a collar around her neck.

“You're going to be a good little human and run around this ship, and keep the enemy off my trail, and if you don't keep running, that collar will explode. “ Zim says, amused and disgusted by the girl's tears.

“Now GOOO! ZIM commands you!” Zim says, shoving her before activating the device. The girl panics and just keeps running.

Zim!? That alien was ACTUALLY Zim??? So Dib wasn't actually racist?? and what did Zim mean by taking Dib from him??? All these questions race through her mind as she continues to run.

Zim watches for a moment, feeling victorious, and ever so pleased that she would never be able to mind control Dib again.

“That's right, no one will be allowed to steal Dib from Zim, because the Dib-human belongs to me and only me! B-But that has absolutely nothing to do with being in love with the Dib-beast!!” Zim shouts out loud, feeling his face heat up. But he quickly begins running off, hoping he hadn't been noticed. 

He quietly tries to navigate towards the ship's core, using his pack legs to his advantage to maneuver around through the ship.

He can hear the guards quickly become alerted to an intruder, watching some of the guards run off, clearing Zim’s path. They must have noticed the human girl.

But just ahead was the ship's power core. Zim pulls out the small black box and brings it closer, activating it, but he panics when he realizes the timer on it wasn't set for 10 minutes, but was actually set for 10 seconds. He tossed the box and quickly makes a run for it, calling Gir to hopefully pick him up in the Vootcrusier.

He runs past a few of the guards, but just as Gir and Minimoose blast a hole through the ship to meet up with their master, the bomb goes off.

Zim jumps into the Vootcrusier before the bomb goes off, but instead of just blowing up, it begins to suck them and everything in before imploding, leaving a black hole behind.

Every Irken from the armada cheered, as the great and mighty Tallest had finally rid them of the dangerous and defensive invader Zim, once and for all…

[seat-safety-switch]

Tires cost a fortune. You can buy a car for $200, or at least you used to be able to, and easily spend double that on a set of rock-hard ditch-finders from the local tire shop. When I asked a tire company executive about it, they weasel-worded some mouth grease about tires being “expensive to ship.” Obviously, the only way I was going to get through this was to open a tire factory of my own.

This isn’t unusual. Tire factories used to dot this proud nation in a time before AliExpress and Amazon Secondus. Folks just like you and I would go to work and eke out a reasonable, middle-class existence – with a pension – putting high-quality tires under our neighbours’ cars, for cheap. Eventually, some spreadsheet said this was no longer cost-effective, and now we have to order our tires from another country.

I’m sure they have lots of good reasons for this. Tires are a lot better since the sixties and seventies: for instance, when it starts to snow, not everyone within a 50 mile radius of your car is instantly killed. You can brake harder into corners and also take them at greater speed, without them getting all greasy and knobbly as they heat up. You would expect this improved technology to cost more money, which means that the big tire executives needed to outsource it in order to make the final price more affordable.

Of course, this is patented bullshit. If you’re not interested in profit, you can make inexpensive, good tires all day long. Switch Tire Company, being technically a subsidiary of Switch Investment Corporation, is run entirely at a loss. We simply bet against ourselves every day, shorting our stock on the open market. People take the other side of it, maybe because we keep renaming our company to things like “Switch Blockchain Expressions” or “Switch Artificially Intelligent Hookerbots,” the sort of names that make the casual Wall Street Tier 1 investment bank think that we’re up-and-comers. Then we pour the money we made off their backs into running off a new set of race tires.

Sure, I could have used this kind of business acumen to do something other than lose money making tires for shit-box cars. How else was I going to be able to find 13-inch tires that are 10 inches wide?

[chaifootsteps]

You know I want to love Fizzmodeus/Fizzarozzie They're the ship that lead to me creating two OCs of mine that I really love dearly However... idk what it is about the state of the shipping now but outside of certain scenes it... irks me I feel like it went from "two snide mean assholes with the more aggressive/meaner "smaller" partner finally being seen as an equal by someone larger and technically more powerful individual that he can be more honest around"

To basically a glorified sugar daddy/sugary baby relationship that adheres to the stereotypical gay effeminate man is a small nice uwu baby bean that is sometimes sassy needs to be to be protected by his big stronk pan/bi manly man that calls him babydoll and buys expensive shit for him And idk It just sucks out what little magic this ship had for me Its the only ship that actually made me feel giddy and happy like a stereotypical tumblr shipper But now... it feels void, empty, meaningless, and really artificial now Is it normal that I feel this way or am I misunderstanding this ship?

It's extremely normal. You're not the first one to express disappointment in this...lord knows I'm bitter about it, because I absolutely fucking loved Fizz and Ozzie back in the day. One of my favorite HB fics featured them. My most popular fic on AO3 stars them. There were the cunty kings of my heart, one of the few things about HB I still wholly enjoyed at the time. They obviously adored one another, and by every indication, absolutely no one else.

Their support for one another was so mutual, both physical and emotional, and so equal! They were sappy, cuddly, assholes and they had one another's backs no matter what.

Now? They love each other lots and lots and always give each other the last candy in the box, and Fizz is vulnerable and small and needs Ozzie's protection instead of just having it, they're both nice to everyone because Viv likes them and is physically incapable of writing a character she likes that's also rude to Stolas.

It's just such a waste, and such a loss.

[elvenbeard]

Maybe the biggest gift is the friends we made along the way 🎂

Happy Birthday, V!

Was staying up way too late and getting way too emotional over these fictional gonks last night, but yes... I've wanted to do a bigger scene like this for so long, and what better occasion than male V's canon birthday today!

These aren't all my favourites from the game (the sofa wouldn't be big enough for it xD), but the people Vince would like to invite over for the occasion for sure, let it be a year or two down the line when they all actually are in the same area at the right time and come together like this (and uuuhhh... obvious problems with one certain ex-bodyguard set aside and solved because I said so!). It would really be a special thing to have everyone there that's been with him during one of the worst times of his life. Thanks to them (amongst many others) he even gets the chance to celebrate another birthday.

Some more ramblings about some of the interactions I'm picturing here and why I placed everyone the way I did under the cut xD And some more pics to come in a separate post later :3

Front and center obviously Vince and Kerry and Judy, my faves, my loves <3 I think this would probably be one of only a handful of times Kerry ever meets Judy in person. He only ever hears her over the holo and knows her from what V told him, because she left Night City before they got a chance to meet prior to the game's endings. I think they would go along so well though, and besides Kerry, Judy is the person Vince feels closest to out of the group pictured here, and he'd be so excited to know Kerry and her get along as well.

Then Judy and Panam... I lowkey ship it so hard, and I mean, they would make one power couple, but at the very least I think they'd become good friends, maybe Judy even travels with the Aldecaldos for a while or joins them, like in the Star ending when she's romanced.

I put River in the back and center cause he's the biggest of the bunch and I think he'd love being there, watching over everyone in a way (and keeping an eye on Takemura, cause he doesn't trust him xD). I'd like to think him and Viktor get talking about boxing, workouts, maybe make plans for a friendly sparring match. Maybe they've even met before on some occasion, only just realizing it now. Viktor is btw out of the whole bunch the person Vince has know the longest, almost as long as he knew Jackie in my background story for him.

Goro keeps himself in the back because he definitely is the odd one out of the bunch (probably didn't wanna come in the first place), but maybe he's starting to realize this moment that a life without Arasaka is not the end of the world after all. That there's always room for new beginnings, no matter how unlikely it seems (but he's still gonna give V shit, and V is gonna give him shit, obviously XD they're bickering like an old couple probably, much to Judy's and Panam's amusement who previously were rather wary of Goro).

Then a pair I only really got thinking about when I set this up were Misty and Kerry because... It does kinda make sense, and I think they'd get along really well? Like, Vince and Misty have known each other for a few years, and he likes her a lot, but he's not as close to her as he was to Jackie for example. She was definitely a positive guidance throughout the whole mess in 2077, and he really appreciates her for always seeing the good in everything. And I think Kerry would be a bit confused about her in the beginning, but since he also has spiritual leanings I think they'd find a lot of common ground. I also think Misty would just treat him as Vince's partner, some guy, not be all in awe about him being famous - aware of it, but ignoring it, because it does not matter in the grand scheme of things how rich and famous you are but whether or not you're a decent human being.

And Nibbles is there because she lives there, obviously, this is her penthouse, her sofa xD Needs to make sure everyone behaves!

I had been thinking about including Rogue in the scene, but then I also thought... she probably wouldn't come xD Be like "nah kid, thanks, but you do you", and she's not that close with Vince on a personal level. Same goes for Claire, I love her so much, and while I think she and Vince get along very well, they're not as close (or maybe she just didn't have time).

I was pondering also if I wanted to include Jackie and Johnny in some way, because they can't be there physically for known reasons (and even though Vince wouldn't have invited Johnny just to annoy him, Johny would have come anyway to annoy him back, so there's that XD). Decided against it in the end because the ideas I had would have meant more editing than what I was ready to do just now, but I have some more ideas with Vince and Jackie and Johnny that work better in a different setting anyway.

if you've read this far, here's a piece of birthday cake 🍰

[reverieblondie]

Cal x Lae'zel

The Beginning: Meeting in the Grove

Part 1

A/N: This ship just popped into my mind one day and at first I was like, oh that was random…then I started to think about it more… and now I can’t stop… Thank you to @drizztdohurtin for letting me ramble about them in your ask box! You are such a kind soul! This will be a multi part HCs because I have lots of thoughts about this couple! Also hug shout out to @dark-and-kawaii Thank you so much for the pictures you sent me! You deserve all the smooches! Also if you want to read amazingly spicy fics go check them out! (this was supposed to be in bullet points but Tumblr didn't like that)

(I mean look at these two!)

Now let's go to the beginning of this couple's relationship, and of course, it all starts back at the grove because obviously~

I imagine that Cal is at least slightly aware of who Lae'zel is because: One, she is in Tavs party and everyone seems to know who Tav is by this point. Two, she is a githyanki walking around the grove; of course, people will take note of her. Three, all the teiflings have heard about what Zorru saw and what happened to his friend Yul, so of course they keep a close eye on her… Including Cal, Lia, and Rolan. Though they are watching all the new adventures in the grove, Cal has found himself staring at the silver-clad warrior fairly often. She's just unlike anything he's seen before. 

Lae'zel, on the other hand, was unaware of Cal's existence. Until one day… when she decided to do some training… 

While the rest would spend time relaxing at camp when they were on pause with their adventure, Lae'zel is not one for relaxing; she needs to keep busy. So, while everyone else was doing their thing, she slipped away to a secluded spot to do some training. 

Lae'zel heard him before she saw him, fumbling around and lamenting his problems, something about him being treated like a baby. Rolling her eyes, she finally looks towards the noisy intruder. She doesn't bother to hide that she's staring daggers into him when he makes it through the thicket. Lae'zel does a quick assessment of him. Tall with apparent bulk, strong, sure, but from how he holds that spear, not fit for his build, she could outmaneuver him from the amount of training she has had, but he could possibly put up a bit of a fight…

Of course, Cal is getting nervous by the second as she keeps her keen eyes on him. Lae'zel's silver armor glimmers brightly on her olive skin, and her strong arms effortlessly hold her sword like it weighs nothing. She's altogether imposing, and he can't seem to look away.

Lae'zel, never one for subtlety ends the stare off with a command, immediately pulling dominance. A skill that has always served her well. "Teeth-ling, raise your spear and spar with me. I need a moving target for better training. Unless these words you speak of being compared to a baby are true?" 

Cal feels his tail flick widely behind him. Is she…taunting him? The short answer is yes, in a way. Lae'zel knows how to get under people's skin, so she wants to test Cal. "Fine," Cals says somewhat irritatedly, "But don't kill me…or seriously mame me…" Lae'zel tries to keep from rolling her eyes; she guesses she will hold back a little then…

It turns out Lae'zels holding back means she still is whooping Cal's ass. Not only is she strong, but she's swift, too. Completely overwhelming him, but Cal can't seem to keep his eyes off her and her immaculate form. However, Cal isn't the only one being impressed. Lae'zel watches the tall tiefling; she watches how he keeps falling and failing, but he keeps getting up, and when she goes for the same hit, he moves…A hidden resolve and a quick learner. Maybe he has some potential to be a decent fighter…

Cal sees something in her eyes, and he takes the opportunity to prove himself and make a hit. With his found spear ready, he charges forward to at least knock her down. Of course, Lae'zel simply side steps out of the way. Silly Tiefling putting all his weight into an attack without having a counterpla —Thwack!

She's unsure what has just transpired, but all she knows is that her cheek is stinging…Looking towards him, she sees that he looks completely mortified. "I'm…" she points her sword to his neck. "Don't apologize, just tell me how you did that!" Cal swallows before slowly lifting his tail to view. "It was an accident…" Lowering her sword, she looks at it quizzically, approaching closely; she almost wants to touch it but holds herself back as she watches him tense up. "What else can it do?" 

Cals is not exactly sure why, but images of debauchery and his tail twisting against some intimate places pop into his mind…" stuff…lots of different, nice…huh c-cool…stuff.." Her eyes narrow before she puts her sword away, heading to grab her things and leave. Cal guessed this must be the end of the training, so he also went to gather his things when his ears perked up at her voice. "Tiefling…you have potential; you just need practice. He feels his smile curl up, and excitement fills his chest; before he knows it, he's rushing out his next response, "You think I have potential! Maybe we can train again together…sometime… if you-" "Perhaps you could use the guidance…and I need something to batter at most days." Cal's tail starts to swish around wildly now; he hopes she doesn't notice. -wait…what does she mean by batter?   

Lae'zel heads back to camp, but before she's gone into the thicket, she calls over her shoulder. "Name," Cal is caught off guard by the demand, but he manages to stumble out his name. She hums, says her name, and leaves. Of course, he already knew it, but now, at least, she will stop calling him teeth-ling. 

From that moment, Cal was learning to become a better fighter from someone who had been doing it all her life. But it was also the start of a new friendship?

Friendships are not a familiar concept for Lae'zel, but Cal seems determined to teach her. He starts small with conversion and jokes, but those seem to fly over Lae'zel's head most of the time. So then Cal began to do the next thing he could think of to build a conversation; he started to ask questions about her and her people. First, Lae'zel gave only short answers, but as the days went on, she would begin to elaborate more and then start asking questions of her own; the questions ranged from about Faerun and tieflings in general to more about Cal and how he ended up at the grove. Soon, she found that Cal was sharing all sorts of stories ranging from old legends to stories of his youth. 

It was odd, but Lae'zel found herself enjoying the stories. His life had been so different from her own. There was also just this way he spoke…such enthusiasm. 

On the other hand, Cal was excited to have someone to talk to, a new friend…then he heard her laugh. He told the story of when Rolan accidentally conjured a fire cat, and that's when he heard her laugh, and he was hooked…How could such a fierce warrior have such a beautiful laugh? It was infectious, and he wanted to hear more of it, to watch her full lips curl into a smile and hear that rare sound…

As Lae'zel finds herself in her laughing fit, she looks over to see Cal watching her with the warmest smile she has ever received from a person. It gives her a slight pause, and she feels the tips of her ears warm as she continues to watch him; how long have they sat here? And do his eyes always look…so soft and gentle… Lae'zel averts her gaze and swings his spear back into his hands, catching him off guard and kind of winding him a bit. "No more ideal chatting, let's get to training…" Cal watches her get set for training, but he can't stop smiling. 

When you get closer to someone, it's natural that you get them things…right? So it wouldn't be weird if he brought her one of the muffins he made, right? Does she even like muffins? There blueberry… Rolan likes them and he's not exactly a sweets person, but he enjoys them… Cal continues to agonize over the idea before telling himself to do it! 

As he packs away a few things, Cal fails to notice that Rolan and Lia are watching him…Rolan turns to Lia. "Where is Cal going?" Lia looks over and shrugs. "Said something about training." "He's been doing that a lot lately…" Rolan watches as Cal runs off with a wide, excited smile on his face, "Do you think he's training with someone?"  

Lae'zel looks at the baked good with suspicion. It smells sweet and is sure to weigh her down, definitely not the proper nutrients that her diet usually consists of. Cal watches her with anticipation; he apparently made the sugar-sprinkled treat…. It doesn't seem like she can toss it, so she takes a bite, and that's when the sweetness coats her tongue; it's delicious… Lae'zel scarves it down and looks at him with wide, pleading eyes. Cal laughs, turns out Lae'zel is a sweets person, wait till she learns about cupcakes. Maybe he could bake her something again…to say thanks for training him.

Since the day Cal gifted Lae'zel the muffin, she figured she should return the favor and give Cal something in return… As she walked with Tav through an abandoned village, she spotted it… the thing he desperately needed.

Cal couldn't help but smile when Lea'zel brought him the spear. It was a vast improvement from the one he had been using, and it was fit for his size! He no longer had to slouch so much he could stand to his full height! As Cal studied the spear, he could tell from how the silver end shinned Lae'zel had spent a lot of time sharpening and polishing it. "I grew tired of you using that old one, this shou-" Before she can finish, Cal is scooping her into a warm embrace, a soft thank you whispered in her ear. Lae'zel feels her body lean into him, her arms on instinct lifting to almost wrap around his back ...no..she doesn't…they can't… Lae'zel pushes Cal off, her ears red and eyes avoiding his surprised gaze. "No need for thank yous…just make sure you use it properly…" Cals is happy she doesn't seem to notice his cheeks slightly redder than usual. "Ha, ha…of course…" or the slight hurt in his voice. 

They…did it… Tav and her companions did it, they saved Halsin and defeated the camp of goblins, and Lae'zel looks unscaved…tired and covered in blood but she's okay! Her adorable ears are still intact, her striking face free from fresh scares…Wait? What is he thinking? Does he…sure they have grown close, but does he…

Through the crowd of faces, her large yellow eyes fall to him. For a moment, they soften, and Cal swears he sees her full lips slightly smile before giving a small nod to him. She's safe…and as he etches every feature of her face to his mind, he feels his heart stir further. 

Lae'zel has seen a fair share of battle celebrations…this one is far more tame than the ones she has experienced, but there is something surprisingly pleasant about it. Though she could use some people not being so loud… the camp is in full swing as everyone gets pissed on wine, though Lae'zel holds off on indulging; come morning, they must leave this place for the creche. Her journey ends soon… she is filled with relief and also… something else. As she thinks about the slight aching feeling, she looks up to see Cal approaching with a subtle sway and a drunken flush. 

He practically stumbles over himself, offering her a drink, but she declines. They sit together outside her tent as she talks about the battle and share their plans for where they are going next. Cal lets his thoughts fly in drunken bravery, "You know…in your armor, you're magnificent…But seeing you like this… makes you seem more real…" Lae'zel looks at him confused, "Of course, I'm real…how odd…" Cal feels his face flush, "Well, not real…but you know. Softer…less guarded…m-more exposed…” Lae'zel feels like she knows where this is going, and she would be lying if she said she wasn't intrigued…" exposed?"  Cal swallows and nods as he stares at her. "Y-yeah..like your neck…you have a lovely neck…" 

Lae'zel feels that familiar heat on the tips of her ears. If he likes her neck, she could let him taste it. But as she looks at him, she sees his shy smile as he fidgets with his hands. He's not used to this. Sure, she is used to the carless passion, but… she doesn't want his last memory of her being where he wakes up to an empty bedside. She's not sure why, but she wants him to be left with only pleasant memories, not hurt…

As Cal goes to grab her hand she nonchalantly moves it, faking not paying attention as she looks up at the stars. "This is probably the last time we will see each other…" Cal retreats his hand back into his lap and looks up as well, "Ha…yeah, so it will seem… Lae'zel…thank you…because of you, I'm stronger; I feel like I can better protect the people I love, and though I know it's foolish to hope…but I hope I get to see you again…" 

Lae'zel feels herself smile as she keeps her eyes on the vast sky…" So do I…"

(Part 2 we are heading to Last Light inn!)

[oneangstymotherfucker]

Another thing that bothers me is the way antis will use the word "coded". Coded is a word for groups that aren't allowed to have explicit representation to use for when authors make something that's obviously for them under the radar. Like queer coded. In kids shows there can also be stuff with coding for neurodivergent characters, and race coding can also be a thing. The idea is authors can't directly do what they want because society is being a dick (like they want to make x and x characters gay or have a Black main character) and so they code it so that people of those groups can still see themselves in it and Understand What They Mean.

So "child-coded" and "family-coded" are not things that even make sense. If the author wanted a character to be read as related or a child they would have simply written them that way! Nothing was stopping them! I respect all headcannons, but you headcannoning someone as a child or related and seeing your own evidence for it is not the same as coding.

Do you know what is coded though? Sebaciel. That ship is so heavily queer coded- in everything from the way the characters are drawn to the age gap to the campiness to the contract, the relationship-that-isn't-a-relationship-because-taboo!

These are classic queer tropes. They are all over the place in queer fiction, especially older queer fiction, to illustrate and emotionally navigate relationships that are considered by society predatory and taboo. Queers have always been painted as predatory. Because when you kicked out your teenage kid for being queer, guess where they went? They found some older queers to take them in. And support them in ways you never could, and see their strengths. And then people would say little Johnny was "seduced" or "taken advantage of" by some "degenerates" and "perverts" because they didn't want to take the blame of putting little Johnny on the streets. (Ofc sometimes im sure there were predators doing this maliciously, but that doesn't mean it was always the case. Not everyone wants to take advantage of people.)

Queer people also tend to have overlapping relationships because of social ostricization. For example, your dating history is your friend group and back in the days of Houses and mentors, your dating history might also have them in it too.

Age gaps are also a very quintessential trope in queer fiction. It makes a lot of sense when you think of how someone whose family life was suddenly cut short (or never really there in the first place) would end up wanting the sort of dynamic where someone was there to take care of them. And again- I'm sure that this was sometimes abused by a handful of people, but it as a fiction and as a desire is part of queer history and has been for hundreds of years. Most people whose parents pushed them aside or actively hurt them end up with daddy/mommy issues! Not everyone of course but a good amount! I want a daddy! I feel so much younger than I am because I am only just now getting to live my life as me!!! So of course i project myself onto and want to read stories about some little victorian boy and his op demon butler!!

Do you understand what I'm saying?

Ciel is very heavily queer coded. He was ignored by his family and then forcibly removed from it (because they died here, ofc) and the fact that he is essentially rescued from his powerlessness, aloneness, from being abused and taken advantage of by Sebastian, who is also very queer coded, ticks a lot of boxes. Then there's the whole messaging of Sebastian being seen as an abusive monster (when he is really quite caring of Ciel) and Ciel being seen as some perverted, broken, godless freak (ey what queers haven't heard those?), the religious implications of "making a pact with a demon" ("you can't be holy because of this relationship! Satan made u gay!!!!"), the victorian setting, the costume choices, the idea of being eaten, hell even the kinky undertones of the power dynamics- there are too many queer tropes to count. Even Ciel's age, when taken metaphorically- someone who hasn't been given the chance to have much experience, who isn't taken seriously, who does not have the social standing of someone who can hold their own against "grownups"- can all be read as coding for someone being descriminated against. Raise your hand if you're queer and have been called 'boy' or 'girl' derogatory/been treated like a kid for no reason!

I'd go so far as to say that most of the reason Black Butler squicks so many people is because the coding is so overt and obvious, but people still take it literally and think it just means "p3dO!1!!!1!". Probably because ya'll stay away from queer history because the Elders reclaimed slurs and that makes u angry lol.

The fact is even if Sebastian and Ciel never "get together", their relationship is still inherently queer and always will be. And quite frankly if it was cannon then it wouldn't be coded anymore it would just be gay. :)

Anyways thats how i feel about coding thanks for comin to my ted talk. x

[kewpidity]

kewpie's slapdash tips and tricks for making moodboards

ive been asked a few times about how i make my moodboards and my MethodTM so here it is!

this is an image heavy post and as detailed and comprehensive as i can possible make it, if you have any questions let me know and i'll help if i can!

also, this is made with sites and apps for desktop- i have no experience editing on mobile so if that's what you're looking for im afraid i cant help you, sorry! ↷↷↷

Choose Your Fighter

let's get right into it- first thing first choose a character, or a ship or a series or whatever! i'll be doing a ship because it's a teeny bit more involved than just a single character or series

the ship will be grim x mandy from the one show

Picking Pictures

obviously the most important part of a moodboard is the Pictures

i use pinterest personally, and finding them on there is usually pretty easy, especially if i have an idea of things i want to include. a lot of people already have boards made up for characters as well, so just searching the character names under the 'board' option will usually get you where you need to go!

but i know some people prefer sources with free to use, royalty free type images, so i included those as well:

pixabay unsplash

you can have as many or as little as you'd like, but personally i prefer the classic 9x9 grid style moodboards, so im obviously gathering 9 photos

as for what pictures to choose, here are some things to ask yourself:

do you have a color scheme you associate with this character/ship? are there any themes that are relevant?

these are the pics i choose for my board- they're raw, unedited, and uncropped, which we'll be changing here in a bit

notice that ive chosen the color scheme of pink, black, and white because that suits them and is also the colors in their actual character palettes

ive also picked some things that feel relevant to the ship and its vibes- mandy is associated with daisies, so i got a picture with a girl with a daisy in her eye, which i also paired with a skull with a flower in its eye socket, bringing them together with a common theme. there are also little black shoes and a bloody knee for mandy, a psythe and what could work for cerberus for grim, and since their ship is kind of gruesome and mean spirited (affectionate) as well as the show having pulpy vibes, i got a heart shaped steak, a pulpy romance/horror cover, and an old horror movie card with their VibesTM

Formatting

now that we have our pictures, its time to figure out the formatting! i went ahead and already did that with the pictures above using a site ipiccy, specifically the 'collage' options

ipiccy

once you press 'collage', you'll open up to this menue, where im choosing the 9x9 grid, but as you can see there are other options there if you wanna use them! then you're gonna press 'add images'

then you add images here (mine are already loaded in):

afterwards, you play around with the placement of the images- its okay if they clip or dont properly fit in the box, this is Only figuring out where you want the pictures to go, we'll place them properly later in a different program

when im placing them i like to consider patterns and shapes- top left square is a 'mandy' square, so bottom right should be a 'grim square', as well as echo each other- in this case the flowers in the eyes thing, and so on, even down to the pointy little shoes and the pointy little sythe this part can be v subjective, so i encourage you to play around until it clicks for you

i hope my scribbles kinda help explain visually what i mean:

also as a small personal tip: when i make moodboards i want to capture the feeling of a character/ship/what have you Without just Saying it. because of that i lean more heavily on the pictures themselves and Only ever use One that has text on it. again this is subjective, but to me its a 'telling vs showing' thing and too many words makes the whole thing feel v cluttered with little room for the actual characters involved

once you're satisfied with your placement, take a screenshot to reference your placement, and then we move on to

PS/Photopea, Templates, Adjustments, and PSDs

this is where we get really into it

firstly, i know most people either dont have PS or are nervous about downloading a cracked version (def do not click this because it is def not a link to older ps files you can dl for free) but luckily there's an extremely comprehensive in-browser option that is totally free called Photopea, which can be found HERE

its basically a 1 to 1 rebuild of the real thing, and since its more accessible i'll be using that to finish up my board!

first, you'll wanna throw your template in there, here's the one im using

once you open it, you also need to open the pics you chose to use- i suggest doing this one at a time to not overcrowd the program

once the pic is open, copy it and paste it over onto the moodboard, and then right click the layer and set it to 'clipping mask' which will keep the pic within the bounds of just the template:

then go over the toolbar on the right, press the 'rectangle select', then right click the board and select 'free transform' to move the picture around freely:

now is where you look at the screenshot you took of the ipiccy placement, and then you simply move the picture in the proper place in the moodboard! you might need to select and cut off the part that doesnt fit neatly into the square

continue doing this until you have it all filled out, and take some time to properly fit the pics (for example, the pic with the text needed to be (to does this is photopea drag around the corners while in 'free transform, and if you dont want it to scale at the same dimensions press 'shift' on the keyboard while you drag, which is what i had to do with the text or the flower-in-the-skull to make it fit properly))

its important that All your layers are properly set to clipping mask, otherwise it'll be all messed up! so it should look like like this when you're done, and hopefully everything will be layered on the board properly, and we end up with this:

you could stop here and be done with it, the entire moodboard can be finished now, but i like to tweak things like contrast and value and levels, which are found here in the 'image' section at the top- ive been as tutorial-esque as i can be so far, but this one really comes down to playing around with it and making adjustments until you like the outcome (each layer can be changed individually)

i try to make it so everything feels even- the blacks match and the whites match and none of them feel particularly lighter or darker or more saturated than the others

so we go from this:

to this (if you cant tell the difference i didnt do it well ljksdf, its helped further along and made more obvious by the next step) :

and Finally the secret sauce: PSDs!

these are premade colors/effects that you drop on top of board to help even things out, maybe make some colors Pop

there are a Ton of them free to use on tumblr and deviantart, and Here is a tutorial on how to use them! (its done on mobile but works functionally the same as on desktop)

feel free to make adjustments to the photos more under the psd until it looks right to you

once ive selected and used the psd i wanted, i export it as a png, and this is the result!

i hope this is helpful and not Too confusing, if anybody has any questions let me know and i'll try to help!

[girl4music]

What do you reckon guys? Just a makeout scene or a full-on sex scene? It’s a streaming service remember. There’s nowhere near the restrictions of the TV show.

I think they went for a full-on sex scene but obviously you won’t see anything like in 4x02 not just because they don’t want to play to the male gaze but obviously, Kat was pregnant and slightly showing. So I think it will be a full-on sex scene but either under a bed sheet or they’ll likely have Waverly on top for the whole thing to cover Kat up. That’s what they did in 4x02 - which absolutely floored me because that really is so clever. I mean I don’t know if you’ve read all my meta about the 4x02 on-screen sex scene but I affectionately gushed about the beauty and cleverness of it a lot.

And I reckon they’ll do something like that again but obviously - they’ll be very careful not to expose any intimate body parts just as they were in 4x02. 😆

I’m very excited to see this scene. Whatever it is. Because even if it’s just a makeout scene, I think it’s going to be a lot more visually graphic than anything we saw in the TV show. Meaning there may be tongue.

But I’m just very interested and excited to see how DomKat being both settled into their queerness affects how they go about portraying their physical intimacy and how that’s going to translate as WayHaught being settled into their queerness too and obviously the safety and comfort of their marriage.

How the context of all of that is going to provide incredibly solid foundation for how well it is done because the one thing that separates WayHaught’s physical chemistry and physical intimacy from many other WLW ships I can mention is how much they have a set up and build up for how much you see them engage in physical intimacy. Always a reason for it. It always make sense and doesn’t feel like ticking boxes because that’s what’s really annoying about so many other WLW ships in TV art/entertainment. Because they’re not treated like main or significant characters all the “representation” just comes out of nowhere. It doesn’t feel earned. It doesn’t feel real and authentic.

So with 4x02 the whole sex scene happens because of the emotional journey for the characters and the fact that one of those characters experiences a separation from the other character for a really long ass time. And like - you just don’t get that foundation for other WLW ships because - as I said - they’re not significant enough as characters to even have that foundation or maybe it’s that they do have it but you never see it so you don’t feel yourself the context or consequences. And the way WayHaught is written and portrayed is completely the opposite end of the spectrum of that. I mean - especially in Season 4 - they ARE the narrative so they don’t have to be written into or around it. ITS written into and around them. Which is how you do it!

Like I say this all the time with any TV art/entertainment storytelling. You never make the mistake of wrapping the characters around the narrative. Wrap the narrative around the characters. Then - for example - sex scenes or any kind of physical or emotional intimacy scenes don’t look so forced and contrived. Why? Because the narrative wraps around the characters instead of the other way around. It really does make a massive difference. Especially in character-driven and character-focussed TV shows.

So with ‘Wynonna Earp’, WayHaught are main characters. Both of them. Therefore the storytelling follows them and wraps around them naturally. So you don’t ever need to justify why you’re even seeing them be intimate as much as they are. It’s just the way it is because the foundation is already there for all of that. And it really does make a huge difference to my engagement and enjoyment out of seeing a WLW ship.

So yes, I’m very excited. Not just for this scene - whatever it may be - but just WayHaught everything because they always have priority as queer characters. They’re not a side story or a representation quota to fill in. At least they don’t feel that way to me personally. They might feel that way to others but I wouldn’t agree. I think they’re a really well done ship and I think the care and conscientiousness Andras and Co shows them makes all the damn difference for me.

[avichor]

SHIPPING INFO — ANSWER THE FOLLOWING FOR YOUR MUSE(S).

WHAT'S YOUR OTP FOR YOUR MUSES(S)?

it's hard to say because i don't necessarily have otps from a writing standpoint, they kind of evolve depending on the pairing and who i'm writing with, and sometimes my otps become notps depending on the dynamic / plot. tl;dr i just don't default - ship. i write waaaaay too many muses to list them all but from a die - hard, canon brainrot perspective, most of my otps include: naksu / jang uk, katherine / stefan, chuuya / dazai, gojo / geto, katara / zuko, juliette / roma, orion / rosalind, zoya / nikolai, inej / kaz, zero two / hiro, raven / bellamy, catra / adora, malia / stiles, harrowhark / gideon.

WHAT ARE YOU WILLING TO RP WHEN IT COMES TO SHIPPING?

i think i'm down for most things so long as it isn't obviously something that's atrocious ( adult / minor ) or like, a poorly executed oppressor / oppressed. i genuinely like exploring toxic dynamics when it's detached from a romanticized lens, and it's for that reason why i ensure it's a topic i can trust my wps with. this may be an unpopular opinion, but i'm fine with writing cheating. i'm fine with writing unequal distributions of power ( to a certain extent ), i'm fine exploring variations of abuse. it's just that if it's toxic, i tend to keep it toxic. if it veers into actual abuse ( best example i can think of is alina / darkling, i don't write nor ship it but sklsdkldskldskl ), it's not so much a ship but just a subset of an complex one, and won't be resolved to a point of genuine romanticism.

HOW LARGE DOES THE AGE GAP HAVE TO BE TO MAKE IT UNCOMFORTABLE?

uhhhhhhh, if they're under 18, i think two years? the age gap widens the older the muses are in a bracket, but i'm generally not an age - gap fan. + / - five - 10 years feels accurate? maximum five if it's like, a muse that's under 25. immortal muses are different and vary based on circumstances.

ARE YOU SELECTIVE WHEN SHIPPING?

yeaaaahhhh. yeah. i usually figure out through writing or plotting if there's chemistry to even think about shipping, and i tend to ship with my circle of friends / exclusive shipping partners just because it's always been easier that way. doesn't mean i'm not open! just very chemistry - oriented. we could plot the best thing but if we're not vibing as writing partners when we chat, it won't work.

HOW FAR DO STEAMY MOMENTS HAVE TO GO BEFORE THEY'RE CONSIDERED NSFW?

anything past like a full make - out session or questionable touching. i don't smut on dash across any of my blogs, and if i do venture into that territory, it's always suggestive and with my utmost closest wp. but as it stands, i typically don't write anything further than making out or allusions.

WHO ARE OTHER MUSES YOU SHIP YOUR MUSE(S) WITH?

refer to the first question, but i really like cross - fandom shipping. i think it's fun and forces people to think outside of the box. i also looooove oc / canon. i'll use this opportunity to say i'm always intrigued with these dynamics: chuuya / yosano, atsushi / lucy, yosano / dazai, lottie / nat, gin / higuchi, malia / kira, nobara / megumi, nobara / yuuji, higuchi / akutagawa. there's more but i'm blanking.

DOES ONE HAVE TO ASK TO SHIP WITH YOU?

yes and no! sometimes it happens naturally, but you can alwayyyyysssss ask to ship. just need to approach with an open mind and understand that i will likely ask that we write first or sus out vibes! if we chat a lot or obviously get along, that makes it a little easier for me to envision a romantic ship!

ARE YOU MULTISHIP?

yes! unless stated otherwise, i'm multi - ship by default.

ARE YOU SHIP - OBSESSED OR SHIP MORE - OR - LESS?

ship more - or - less by default sdlkfjgsdlgkdskl. with my partner and close friends, i tend to be more ship - obsessed because we rot more consistently. but i don't really look to ship romantically at first! i've become more preferential to non - romantic dynamics over the years just because i feel like they get pushed aside or under - appreciated in favor of romantic shipping.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SHIP IN YOUR CURRENT FANDOM(S) ?

for canons, it's naksu / jang uk, chuuya / dazai, gojo / geto, juliette / roma, orion / rosalind, yosano / dazai, gin / tachihara. for ocs, it's less favoritism but just what occupies my brain currently, fallon / noemi, ushi / mizaru, fumi / seiko, tommy / jay.

FINALLY, HOW DOES ONE SHIP WITH YOU?

you need to be insane <3

tagging. @qismet , @memuntos , @ephamerel , @starspurn , @omonzuru , @ownlore , @rottedfigs , @ategod , @fatedriven , @yaburnae , and whoeverrrrrrr wants to <3

[musicalmoritz]

Whose your favorite tbhk character?

Ahhhhhhh I’m so glad you asked this!! It’s easily Teru, no competition. I decided he was going to be my favorite before I even read the manga and I have stood by that decision, everything I read about him only makes me love him more. Since this is a primarily ship account, a femslash account at that, I don’t get to talk about him as much as I would like to but I absolutely LOVE Teru he is my son

It’s so refreshing to see an older sibling in anime that isn’t abusive, I’m so used to seeing ones that absolutely suck ass. Don’t get me wrong, I love a lot of those characters too, but it’s nice to see an older sibling character that actually acts like an oldest sibling. Everything he does is for Kou and Tiara, he adores both of them. He always looks at and talks to them so fondly but we still catch scenes of him teasing them like siblings do (the donut scene with Kou). He acts very parental with both of them which is sweet, Minamoto dad who?? I only know Teru

I also like that he falls into the Gandalf archetype of “strong character that everyone else relies on to save the day”. Part of me hopes he dies just so we can see what the characters would do without him lol, but there are other ways to write him out for that development. Put him in a box like Gojo, or have him get arrested like Dazai. Tbh anything would be more interesting than him ending the series staring sadly at Akane and Aoi as they walk into the sunset without him. Best case scenario, let him quit his job!! Let him be somebody’s malewife, I don’t care who just give that boy a break. Let him pull a Maki Zenin on the Minamoto Clan

And yeah speaking of the clan, Teru’s angst is obviously a large part of why I like him. He didn’t get a childhood, and he’s forced to continue with a job he hates so that his siblings don’t have to. I love those type of characters tbh, they make me so sad. He’s morally gray and I love that but I also find his reasons for doing what he does to be very admirable, I would do the same if I were in his shoes. He sacrifices all his free time to protect the city from supernaturals, bro is just casually the Batman of the TBHK universe. And he does it mainly for his siblings, which circles back to the “good big brother” thing. It’s not a reach to assume he has trauma from fighting supernaturals at such a young age (and for so long), so I understand why he has a hard time seeing the good in them. That makes it extra interesting when he decides Akane is an exception

I love his personality, he’s the embodiment of the word “silly.” I like his sadistic side, sadist characters are so fun to me (Minamoto Typical Sadism mention). I like that he’s charming to his classmates and generally kind to all humans, despite all the cruel things he’s been through. He doesn’t want any other humans to suffer like he has so he treats them with kindness and vows to protect them. And most of all I like the way he acts around his friends and siblings, particularly Akane!! He acts like a normal teenager around him and we get to see just how socially awkward he actually is when he’s being himself. But he also doesn’t hold back with Akane, he doesn’t feel the need to show him the same respect he shows others so his sadist side really comes out when they’re together. Many fans seem to assume that Teru ONLY acts his age around Akane but that’s not true, he acts that way around Nene and Aoi too!! And with Aoi he shows a bit of his darker side, though he’s not mean to her the way he is with Akane

I love his atrocious sense of fashion, I love his terrible cooking skills, I love how scheming and shady he can be, I love how caring he is towards others, I love his speech patterns. It’s the exact opposite of Kendrick and Drake, I love everything about this man. He’s my silly little guy, my gay best friend, my skrunkly dude. He’s clearly under a lot of pressure and he’s still super young so I cut him way more slack than most fans do, my little sister is also 17 and she’s a baby in my eyes so Teru is too

Oh, what are my favorite scenes of his? I like when he agreed to help Kou catch bugs without knowing the context, I like when he randomly started venting to Akane, him taking out the roof of that train, what he did with the pepperonis, the entire sequence of his first day off, the zombie chapter…ugh I love this guy. I love writing him. I need to write Teru again

Thank you so much for this ask, I love whenever I have an excuse to infodump about my favorite characters lol. And for those of you that were wondering, my second favorite is Kou. Ty ty

[stick-by-me]

you got any good recommendations for good little stickers that aren't too expensive? I'm wanting to decorate a Bunch of toploader cards if that helps give an idea for what I mean

I'll admit, I had to google toploader cards (and even then, I'm not completely sure what you're looking for, vibes-wise?) Regardless, I tried to assemble some of my picks for things I thought would work.

Of course, if you are able, my first suggestion will always be to go to craft/toy stores near you and see what they have. It's almost always better to see your project materials in person, just to make sure they work for your vision. Even generic stores like Target sometimes have hidden gems, often found near the greeting cards, the arts-and-crafts section, or by the register.

Of course, the internet is obviously a wonderful place full of stickers.

When I think small, cheap stickers, my first thought is usually Korean stationary. If you want wholly decorative stickers, such as hearts or ribbons, that would certainly be my recommendation, though they are often a very distinctive style that could clash with the vibe you're going for. I know Sunset Studio DIY is doing a clearance sale right now, but frankly if you just google "Korean stickers" you should find a bunch of cute stuff for pretty cheap :]

I think I'm biased in recommending them, but I really do love Mrs. Grossman's micro stickers. They're just... so cute. I have the bugs. And the dessert. And the shoes. And the discontinued weather...

If you want a more vintage look, or even just more variety, I'd take a look at Sticker Magic. I have not bought from their website, so I unfortunately don't know if shipping would rack the price up. If it does, and you're US-based, I know Sticker Planet has some of their stuff for pretty cheap, too. Though, a lot of them are a bit thicker than your average sticker. So if you need your cards to lay flat they may not be the best option.

If you want to focus on a particular animal and just buy in bulk, I think I'd recommend Beyond the Box Creations. I admittedly haven't bought from them myself, but I've had my eye on their dragon set for a While. Might be a bit large for what you want, though?

I wouldn't consider Pipsticks minis super cheap, but I don't think they're super expensive either. You get a decent amount for the price you pay, and Pipsticks is pretty good quality all around. And some of them are just. Really cute 😭.

And, if you truly, honest-to-all do not care about consistency or cohesion, sometimes it's fun to just buy a sticker (flake) grab bag! In the past, I've gotten some from CandySweetDesignShop, TakeASipCo, BookishStickerClub, ArtfulLynnz, KawaiiPackrat, and probably more. (I have a problem.) The risk you take with these, of course, is that some of what you get might not work. Still, they're fun! And you can almost always find one in your desired genre for decently cheap. You can find them on almost any multi-hosting shopping site (like eBay, Etsy, Mercari, etc.) If you want small stickers, it might help to clarify "sticker flake grab bag" or "sticker mod grab bag".

As an expansion on that last suggestion, I'll let you in on a little secret. This is the best vintage sticker mod mystery pack I've found, as of now. AND it's in stock!

I hope these were helpful! If you want more specific advice, feel free to send another ask to help me narrow it down :D