#i mostly just sorted them in my head but may make a post depending on others’ interpretations | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

lemonjestercoffee · 7 months ago

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so i said something about alicorns being funky in my last mlp redesign post yeah? well before i get into that-

the beautiful bride and the ugly ass groom

okay okay jokes aside here's Shining's real sheets and Cadance on her own

starting off with design choice notes

Shining Armor - his was like- really hard to figure out and i didn't really know what i was doing, but i did like the concept of him having lost a leg in some sorts of battle. one thing i did know what i was doing with tho was his armor, i never really liked the canon armor so i decided to take my own stab at it. decided to make it cover the more important areas better, added gambeson underneath, put a royal crest on it, and gave them a head weapon. yes the metal horns are on all species armor, it's there not only to protect real horns from oncoming attacks but also give all soldiers an emergency weapon if they get disarmed. the tassels would be colored differently depending on rank

Cadance - the only through i really had going into her design was i wanted her to have a cloud and heart motif, but i'm unsure if the way i handled it is the best. her cutiemark is meant to resemble a Mexican sacred heart because deity of love- like come on. i also wanna kinda change the color of the carnation in her hair to stand out more, but white carnations have a different meaning so it's fiiiinee

okay now what we really wanna hear about, what the fuck did i do to the alicorns?

i decided to tamper with their lore quite a bit, as i was inspired to by the Skyscraper Gods Au by Shirecorn. now mine is no were near as drastic as that au, obviously, but it did inspire me to come up with my own quirks for them.

i went more "alicorns are more like the elves of ponies but because they can only be made by some unexplained rare mystical intervention and live for fuck off long, normal ponies see them as demigods of sorts". i've even given them things like groups or locations that they act as patrons of and prioritize above other things, but that stuff gets a little rambley so imma not do that on this post

for the anatomy tho, i can talk. i'll be using Twilight as a visual example because she's the one i've drawn in all stages

so basically the concept here is pretty similar to the canon, but with some funky add-ons.

first up- when an alicorn ascends, not only do they gain the wings/horn combo and grow an inch, they also gain some other unique anatomy from the other species.

Unicorn- along with the horn, they also receive the ear tip tufts i gave unicorns. these actually have a purpose, they're sensitive to magic energy and allow unicorns to tell where magic is coming from. depending on the unicorn they vary in sensitivity but alicorns are by far the most sensitive Pegasus- along with the wings, the get some of the extra feathers pegasai have on their bodies, namely the ones on their ankles that are used for finer trajectory adjustments in flight. they also receive the sensitivity of their hooves that's used to pick up changes in cloud texture and sense their stability Earth Pony- earth ponies may seem like they don't add shit, but they actually give two very important things. the first thing is a strength boost, as they're stronger than the other two pony species by nature. the other thing is dense as fuck hooves. that sounds kinda lame but they have rock hard hooves that allow for them to dig into dense materials and have a kick with some real bite in it that the others just can't replicate and might tear their own hooves up trying. they also add the visible fluff in the ear canal. but that's just a dust filter and if isn't cleaned properly might actually be more of hindrance

it's worth noting- if you look at Cadance and Twilight side by side- that despite being given extra anatomical traits from the other species they will always look more like the species they were before ascension. this is mostly visible in the ears, tails, and hoof shapes -unicorns have long tails with hair only growing from the underside, basic ears, narrower hooves, and usually have long fetlocks as part of their culture. -pegasai have short tails that are completely covered with hair and have rudder feathers at the base, pinned back feathery ears with restricted movement, and really shallow hooves with no fur around them -earth ponies have medium tails with even hair growth around a third of the way down, basic ears, and slightly taller hooves with varying fetlock sizes.

second up- the only uniquely alicorn physical traits that they really have (aside from height) are their hair and beards. unlike normal pony beards that are made of the same hair as their manes, alicorn beards are made of coat fur and will grow a specific length each year that marks how old they are kinda like tree rings. due to this the alicorns don't try to cut them. the manes are kinda funky cause they start out at the roots as normal hair, but then become more "ethereal" after a few inches or so. they tend to start to become ethereal roughly 10 years after ascension

they do have one more weird trait but it's less noticeable and that's the thing with the patterns. when an alicorn is first ascended they gain an extra pattern on their legs, and that pattern gains a second layer around the time they start to get their ethereal manes. you can see it happening on Twilight's lineup.

there's also a bonus thing here that has nothing to do with alicorns as much as it does unicorns- but i like the idea of Unicorn tails (flesh/bone, not hair) getting longer with age. it's usually not too noticeable because they don't normally live long enough for it to be really noticeable compared to younger unicorns, but alicorns do- so former unicorns can end up with some long ass tails in their 1000's

that's all i really got now- if i added in magic and social stuff this would have been way longer. i'm done with my rambles

#my little pony #mlp fim #mlp redesign #mlp headcanons #princess cadance #shining armor #twilight sparkle #kai doodles

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madschiavelique · 4 months ago

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Hello! May I request a drabble or headcanons for a poly romance with Astarion x Fem!Reader x Shadowheart? Perhaps taking place post-game or late Act 3? I’d love to see them trying to navigate their new lives together. It can be fluff or hurt/comfort, whatever fits best to you. Thank you! :)

hey there sweet anon !! okay so it wasn’t specified if Astarion was ascended in this or not so i’ll go the route where he is not ascended !

─ . 𝜗𝜚‧ pairing : astarion x fem!reader x shadowheart

─ . 𝜗𝜚‧ content warning : some hurt/comfort, mostly fluff (i am so soft for them), fem!reader (although i think it could be read as a gn!reader), no use of y/n

─ . 𝜗𝜚‧ words : 1.5k + bonus 400 words (around 1,9k)

( not proofread, english is not my first language ☆)

Shadowheart, depending on if her parents are still alive or not by the end of Act 3, would definitely want to visit them more with you and Astarion by her side. Not only because she wants them to meet you both, but definitely because she is frightened.

Frightened ? yes, because she has lost so many of her memories, and she fears that she might never recover them no matter how hard she tries. Yet somehow, you and astarion being by her side reminds her that the best memories are the ones to come, the one she will create with the both of you.

As for Astarion, he has never been much out of Baldur’s Gate during his life, being tied to Cazador and trying to escape wouldn’t have made it possible for him to get his freedom in any case.

He had tried to escape, failed several attempts, and never managed to let his mind fully take in that he could taste freedom someday. He has probably dreamed about it though, this need for liberty, for a change of scenery, which he got from travelling all this time with you and defeating his master.

So one word would reunite you three on the matter : travelling.

Now that you had the title of heroes of the nation, or actually, heroes for saving the entire world, you had no worries for anything. You couldn’t wait to travel, just the three of you and see all the places you had only seen on maps, but you had to stick with a few activities in Baldur’s Gate.

Posing for hours on end for painters to make sure your heroicness would live through history, inaugurating monuments to your memory, and all sorts of reunions with bards and writers with each and everyone of you reciting your versions of your adventures.

Some receptions took place in Cazador’s now empty manor, Astarion having inherited the place, and some rings that would allow him to be constantly exposed to the sun if he wished.

You were not accustomed much to big events like these. The last months had been made of exploring in various armours and dirty clothes, fighting and eating whatever you could find or steal along the way.

And here you now were, all three of you in expensive clothing, a corset tightening your waist till you felt like breathing was the hardest fight of your life, buffet so full you thought the tables would crack under so much food at any moment, a flute of golden champagne in your hand as you had to boringly listen to whatever aristocrat lady was rambling about before you.

“I’m starting to feel like I miss wearing armour,” you huffed as you tried battling with the laces of your corset, struggling to untie them.

The evening was over, you had all retired to your quarters, undressing for the night.

Astarion’s cold hands came to stop your fingers from any more tie wars, taking the reins to undo them.

“I thought that woman would never stop talking, she could make Gale look like a debutant in the art of monologuing.” laughed the vampire, softly unlacing your cage and allowing you to breathe again, placing a soft kiss to the back of your neck as his fingers came to massage your soft skin.

No matter how many times he did that, you always shivered. Your head fell back on his shoulder, sighing with contempt in his embrace.

“When will we finally be off of here?”

“Soon enough,” smiled Shadowheart with her hair down, wavy from her braid. “Pity you have to remove that dress though, I could get used to seeing you wearing more of those.”

Her smile was contagious, and you allowed it to place itself on your own lips. She came to help with your hair, removing the assortment of pins, pearls and other ribbons in them, kissing your temple and face from time to time as you giggled.

She was right, soon enough you three had gathered everything proper for a good trip. You didn’t have many belongings, moving from one region to the other during your adventures had taught you to not get too materialistic.

This hero's-pass was however useful in many aspects. You were given goods for your travel, scrolls, alchemy necessities, and big fancy tents with comfortable futons. But the most interesting and probably useful gift were the three horses and the donkey given to you, the latter given to carry your belongings.

“Tell me this isn’t some sort of bad joke made by Halsin,” asked Astarion as he arched a brow, eyeing the dapple grey stallion that was about to be his new road companion.

“Scared of a different ride than us ?” you chuckled as you lifted yourself on the stirrup and pushed yourself on your mount.

“You’re hilarious,” sighed the rogue, biting the inside of his cheek as he seemed unsure as to the way he was supposed to handle this thing.

“Have you never been on horseback, Astarion ?” Shadowheart ended up asking.

“I think your clarity of judgement must’ve understood by now that during the last couple of centuries, I didn’t have the best scenery to ride those kinds of things.”

After convincing him numerous times that the horse would not stomp on him or do a rodeo as soon as he went on top of it, he finally accepted to get on it.

Thus, your trip began. It had no end in sight, just the beginning of something new with your two loves, and that was all you needed to know.

As you were about to take a path leading you to another region, Astarion stopped, turning towards the silhouette of the city for just a moment before following you and Shadowheart.

“Is everything alright ?” you asked after a few minutes, Astarion lost in thought.

“Hmm ?” he asked as he raised his eyes to yours. “Oh yes, I’m fine it’s just… Odd.”

“Odd ? What do you mean ?” asked the Shadowheart.

“Well,” Astarion started, “I thought that some sort of magical invisible rope would tie me back again to the city and forsake me to leave. But the further we are from it, the more this feels… normal ?”

“I feel the same way,” she seconded, “my purpose was pulling me to it, and now I don’t feel anything.”

“Exactly, but it doesn’t make me feel empty, more like…”

“Liberated ?” she smiled.

“Yes, liberated...” he hummed as he repeated the word with a satisfaction.

The journey went smoothly, the familiar sensation of resuming the adventure in a certain way taking hold of your heart, but the firmness of your saddle leather reminding you of the discomfort it could cause.

It took Astarion barely an hour to start complaining, two before he finally decided to get off his mount and walk, and three to convince you to take your first break.

It was a pattern ready to be repeated for all the days to come. There were no itineraries, only discovery.

Passing through new areas meant that a few villagers and other locals would recognise you. You were offered food, asked to touch the heads of new-born babies as if you were saints, and children crowned you with daisy tiaras.

Some of the smells of the food revived in Shadowheart the ghosts of a past that was gradually revealing itself to her. You stayed overnight in villages, and she always listened to the stories told to children before going to sleep, hoping to recognise a character from one of the stories, or the feeling of the petals she pressed tenderly between her fingers, reminding her of such distant fragments of fields coloured by all sorts of flowers.

You could see it in her eyes, every time the past pressed its fingertips to her temple and squeezed its hands across her throat when her voice broke, that glimmer of hope glistening in her eyes.

You took her hand every time, encouraging her to go back to her memories as far as she possibly could. She looked at you with such tenderness, each time.

Every morning, without missing a beat, Astarion would wake to see the sun rise from its slumber. The feel of it on his skin was an embrace he loved and cherished every single moment.

When the three of you shared the same bed, and he didn't want to wake you up by moving around, he'd just sit there, upright, waiting for the rays to pass through the curtains.

The first joy of the day was a ribbon of sunlight that wrapped itself around your hand and caressed your shoulder, and Astarion traced it with his fingertips without waking you up. He would never dare disturb your peace.

It was after visiting everything there was to see that you finally decided to settle in a pretty, dilapidated stone house that you renovated with your own resources. To this day, you receive your friends when they would be able to afford to come and see you, and you bask in your freedoms.

Bonus content for this :

Several months into your travels, you had already received Gale's invitation to meet him in Waterdeep, so that he could find out more about your new life and see you all again.

You set off, and soon enough the realisation that you would have to take the boat to shorten the journey seemed to displease your two companions.

‘Are you sure we can't make some better use of the horses ?’ interrogated Astarion.

‘We have mostly made them walk and trot a bit, we could surely make them galop just a little?’ Shadowheart rejoined.

But they finally gave in when the entire length of the journey by horse was compared to that by boat.

The two of them tried as best they could to stuff themselves with anti-seasickness potions, but as the effects of the latter were short-lived, they remained cloistered in the holds of the boat for the duration of the journey.

Back on dry land, you took the horses that had travelled with you for the last little stretch of the journey. Having finally reached Waterdeep, you asked the first passer-by where Gale Dekarios was staying.

You almost expected someone to look at you with round eyes of incomprehension as to whom you were searching for, but with a broad smile the passer-by gave you a precise indication of where he was staying.

Gale welcomed you with open arms, his new mage robes modest yet exuding nobility.

‘I wish I could say otherwise but sincerely, the beauty of a cloth doesn't equal the kind of comfortability I had when we were in the middle of the Absolute's schemes. I sometimes grieve for these times, I never thought I would admit to it one day but I have got to say that ending the day with mud and whatever creature's blood we'd encountered on my robes sounds more thrilling than some of the books I now own.’

When Gale started a sentence, it was hard to stop him in his flow of words, and although it may have made you huff and puff at times, you had missed it.

It was while discussing Shadowheart's memory that Gale suggested a spell that he had been trying to master recently, allowing you to reopen memories buried deep in your brain.

During your stay in Waterdeep, Gale helped you to piece together Shadowheart's memory and restore as much of her past as possible.

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uhavebeengalaxyd · 3 months ago

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This might be my first real like, original thought. Like, this may be entirely new to tumblr. IDK. idk if anyone else in the miraculous ladybug fandom on here has ever put any thought into it. if they have i NEED to see it. I was thinking about which characters would and wouldn't shave their armpits, and I think I have a faairly comprehensive list? Marinette: No. She doesn't have the time, and does not care enough to. Adrien: I fear he may be contractually obligated to. Perhaps S6+ he won't because oops his dad is dead, but he CERTAINLY has to s1-s5. Alya: She does, but she isn't super picky about it. She just shaves when she feels like it. Nino: He wouldn't even think to shave his armpits. Kagami: She does. Probably on scheduled days in the week. Felix: He could go either way, I fear. If he does, it's probably only when he's gearing up for some sort of theatre thing. Luka: He doesn't, and goes out of his way to make it clear that he doesn't care if anyone does or does not. Juleka: She doesn't, but used to pretty religiously when it started growing out. Rose: She does, but only for special occasions. Alix: If someone told her to shave her armpits, she'd get PISSED! I imagine her older brother teases her about it enough at home. (She doesn't shave her armpits as a STATEMENT. And because she is lazy.) Max: no.... Kim: oK SO. Here's the thing. He's a swimmer, and swimmers tend to shave for like, swimming reasons (??) but he's also the most dudebro person I've ever seen, and I feel like he'd think that shaving was gay (and that it was a bad thing). lmk what you think. Marc: Yes, but it really depends on how they're feeling that week. Nathaniel: No, but it's more of a sensory thing than anything else. Ivan: Ivan trims his armpit hair when it gets too long, but doesn't shave it. Mylene: No, she doesn't really like using disposable razors and environmentally friendly shaving creams/soaps are more expensive.. Sabrina: Yes, and it's fairly regularly maintained. Chloe: She's a little obsessive about her whole routine in my head, so she is VERY on top of shaving her armpits. Zoe: She did, but upon coming to France, she mostly stopped. When her mom comes to visit, on those ever rare occasions, she picks it back up. Lila: Yes, because of ~presentation~ BONUS ROUND: Fu: I don't know why anyone would think he would. Natalie: Yes. Now that she's an assistant to a millionaire and in her 40s at least, I imagine that's kinda protocol. Gabriel: LOL. no <3

if anyone has anything else, PLEASE post them. idk. this may be too out there even for me.

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wolfjackle-creates · 9 months ago

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1000 Follower Celebration!

I'm blown away, honestly. The last time I had any notoriety in a fandom was back in, like 2007 or 2008 when I was on the Dibbuns Against Bedtime fan forums for Redwall. I was made the head of my dorm as the site started dying because I was the most active member in said dorm.

But you all? You're here because you like something I'm making? It's so wild to me. I appreciate every single one of you. Every like, every reblog, every comment. They warm me up.

I've been thinking over the last few days what I want to do. The obvious answers—prompt fills, polls to determine what I write, story snippets—I do all that with too much regularity. And I'm trying to avoid taking on more fics as I focus on the ones I've already got going.

So we're gonna do something a bit different this week.

Over the next week (From Wed 2/21 to Wed 2/28) send me the title of one of my WIPs (listed below) and I will respond with a few paragraphs. Not my usual 1.2-1.6k that I like to do for WIP Wednesday, but a few paragraphs. At the end of the week, I'll compile them all and post everything in a single post.

I won't be adding all the links like I usually do with each addition to a story until I post that final draft, but I'll tag everything with "[story name] 1000" so you can click that and follow along with the fic in some sort of order.

There are six WIPs eligible for the game! Please limit yourself to one fic per ask, but you may send in multiple asks. I will request that, for now, you limit yourself to one request per fic (aka a max of 6 requests per person). If I find that I'm able to keep up, I may waive that request in the upcoming days. But it will depend on how busy my inbox (and life) get.

Bring Me Home

Ghost!Robin

Answer My Call

I'll Carry Your Heart (Until I Find You Again)

Want to Hold On and Feel I Belong/Bad Reveal AU

Empathy!Verse

I totally forgot about the Empathy!Verse when I did my last ask game. Mostly because that has been entirely written on Tumblr and I...kinda forgot to transfer it to a Scrivener document. Ooops. 😅

Something to Feel isn't on this list because I want to dedicate my time to it today. I'm close to the end, I think, and already have one ask in my inbox about it that I totally meant to get to before now (if it's your ask, I promise I haven't forgotten you!).

Brief Story Summaries

Bring Me Home: Tim and Danny are online friends and know each other's secrets. Currently in the arc where the Young Justice and Team Phantom help Danny escape after a reveal gone wrong.

Ghost!Robin: Jason is haunted by the ghost of the Robin he used to be. Danny finds out when Jazz introduces him to Jason over a meet-the-in-laws dinner. Currently, Jason and Robin are meeting with Frostbite to learn what may have happened.

Answer My Call: Jazz is sending texts to Danny after he escaped a GIW facility and they can't talk. But it turns out Jason is the one who's actually been getting them.

Carry Your Heart: Jason and Danny meet in the Ghost Zone while Jason is dead. They become friends. But Jason runs to Desiree to wish for his life back. A wish she fulfills. Danny goes to visit him, only to find his core left behind in a lair that's in ruin.

Bad Reveal AU: Danny is living with the Waynes when he finds out they're also the Bats. He freaks out because he believes the bats are working with the government (aka the GIW). So he shoots Bruce and runs away. The bats are now trying to convince him it's safe to come home.

Empathy!Verse: Liminal!Jazz is studying in Gotham and feeling the lack of other liminals to interact with. After getting used to the undercurrent of emotion that follows all interactions with ghosts/liminals, humans just feel...flat. Then one day, she literally runs into another liminal as she's going to the library. Jason Todd. Only... he doesn't know what it means to be liminal. So Jazz is there to show him.

#1000 follower celebration #ask game #name a wip #send an ask #and I'll write you a little something #hope you all have fun with this!

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ankles-be-bitten · 9 months ago

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i may have fallen victim to the curse of the Bad Aziraphale Take with this post, so i'd like to right my wrongs:

i still agree with this, however i would like to add some insight: the metatron is definitely orchestrating their falling out. he knows exactly what he's doing & he knows that he can't control aziraphale as long as he has crowley on their side--that's emotional abuse 101. the victim is isolated from their real support systems, and the only place they have left to turn is their abuser. i believe that aziraphale knows what he's doing, and that he's just going along with heaven as far as he can in order to protect his demon, but from the metatron's perspective things have to look like they're going according to plan.

i think... maybe this is only half true? not sure what i was thinking when i wrote this; it was late. whatever.

crowley is an optimist, but he clearly had his doubts about how aziraphale would respond, which is indeed based in reality. aziraphale doesn't have a great track record as far as assuming the best of him in the moment (which, i must add, isn't his fault. it is one of his flaws, however). i think the important thing is that he trusts aziraphale to do the right thing in the end.

i still agree with this. however, i want to acknowledge that i felt this was unfair at the time, but in retrospect i was ignoring aziraphale's dependency on external validation that crowley does not have. crowley is far more independent than aziraphale, and i acknowledged this, but i framed it originally as "crowley has an unfulfilled need," rather than what i now think it really is, which is that AZI has an unfulfilled need.

yeah, there it is. different people, different needs.

as far as it being strange that aziraphale didn't pick up on what crowley needed in that moment right away, i do still feel that way--sort of. i honestly at this point just want to pin it down to him being excited.

whatever you have to say can wait--we have all of eternity to say whatever we want, in complete security. we won't have to hide. we can be together. and he wants so badly to be together. that's literally all he wants. he wasn't even a little interested in returning to heaven until the metatron told him that crowley could tag along. this is manipulation 101, people! the metatron knows, or at least can intuit, that crowley wouldn't want to become an angel again. he knows exactly what he's doing to them. this is not a good faith offer.

most of the rest of that post is me rambling about my interpretation of aziraphale's actions and the reasoning behind them. feel free to read the full take if you'd like, but i don't believe it's necessary to break down the whole thing. it mostly boils down to aziraphale needs to see people as people before he can respond properly to their needs. i may or may not still agree with that, i'm on the fence, but if that is the case, it's 100% because heaven has conditioned him to be that way. you need to earn salvation, you need to earn love, you need to earn humanity.

i originally used job as a counter example, but he may actually be a paragon of this interpretation. if anyone deserves salvation, it was job--righteous job, level-headed job, job who lost everything but never, ever lost faith in the Almighty. if anyone has earned aziraphale's sympathy, it's him.

this is just a wonky take. he does care, or else he wouldn't be making the offer. interrupting crowley might have been selfish in the short-term, but to aziraphale, the long-term result is eternity together unhindered. they will have all the time in the world to be an us if they can only get out from under the watchful, dangerous, probing eye of heaven.

i think i was getting close to the point here, but i was still framing it from the perspective that aziraphale had woefully wronged crowley, and that he's not also a victim of the system here. i was in far less certain terms falling into the "aziraphale is naive" trap, when in reality he just wanted to be safe. as archangel, he can do as he pleases without fear of retribution. he has never, ever felt safe before--not safe to ask questions, not safe to be seen with crowley, not safe to run off to alpha centauri with him. blaming him for prioritizing crowley's safety is more than a little silly.

this is just... the ick. it feels like a whole other person wrote this. i am trying so hard to give myself grace for this absolutely rot-gut take.

yikes. yikes yikes yikes. i'm not sure anymore if crowley has ever expressed a pointed distaste for being an angel again; that may just be misguided on my part. somehow i'm victim-blaming both of them here, while also completely misrepresenting aziraphale's intentions. i'm falling into the "he doesn't love crowley enough/the way he deserves" trap, painting him once again as naive, blind, and selfish. oopsie daisy.

i still believe the kiss was an offer akin to the ox rib, extremely alcoholic breakfasts, what have you. it's possible crowley doesn't feel seen--i might even go so far as to say that that's likely--but not in the way i stated originally. he's heartbroken. he's devastated. he might even feel betrayed. but just because he feels that way doesn't make it the truth, and i think a mistake i've made throughout this particular text is mistaking how aziraphale's actions look from the outside for his actual intentions.

i think this was mostly right up until the part about azi being selfish. he's far from selfish, he's not even close to naive. assuming he made a mistake in the f15 at all, he absolutely knows it now. he will do anything it takes to be with crowley.

at the time of this addendum i think he's made a Plan™ and is trying to convince himself he's made the right choice. all will make sense in the end. or maybe it won't. we'll figure it out--some things take time, and we don't have all the information.

i do believe that about covers it. in summary, they are both victims and treating either of them like they're naive or stupid for making the choices they did is unfair because they're both doing the best they can with the information they have available to them. it's heartbreaking, gut-wrenching, and really, really unfortunate. but it's neither of their fault. it's literally all the metatron. if heaven and hell were out of the picture, crowley would've been free to confess and aziraphale free to reciprocate--but that's just not their reality. everything aziraphale does is in order to keep crowley safe, in the interest of us long-term. crowley knows he has a hard time expressing himself, and so he wants to get it out fast, and that's valid; aziraphale having reservations due to safety concerns is just as valid.

it's neither of their fault.

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whiteboardartstudios · 5 months ago

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Goodbye, Gendaen

fan art for @mtqcomic

Thoughts and LONG ramble under the cut! (includes spoilers!!!)

A while ago (like last week maybe?) I realized that I've been following this comic for almost a year, and I still haven't drawn Mysta yet! I figured that with the recent end of Chapter 3 and that *huge* lore drop (I was NOT expecting that oh my goodness the theory wheels are turning in the void that is my brain) now would be a pretty good time to draw her! So that's where this came from! :D

I thought that it would be fun to draw Mysta looking sort of like a knight? Partially because it makes for cool posing and composition but also because I think that if she was in D&D she would be a paladin due to the whole "Hero sent by Destiny" thing (I considered sorcerer or warlock as well, but her moveset is mostly melee at the moment so I thought that paladin fits better. Plus this opens up the possibility of Gendaen being an Oathbreaker paladin, depending on how that whole situation with the Crimson went. (also now I kind of want to put the main cast of mtq in D&D even though I don't actually know a lot about D&D ToT. I think Eth would be a ranger maybe multiclassed into something magic-related, because rangers have a favored enemy mechanic that gives them advantages on fighting a certain type of enemy, which could be Crimson enemies for D&D Eth. Yele is (kind of obviously) a druid because of the whole dryad thing, and Zaïl is definitely giving rogue energy to me.)) Anyways, D&D-related sidetrack aside – hello??? End-of-chapter-3 lore drop? (/positive) I have SO many questions. First of all, what happened to convince Gendaen to switch sides? For someone who allegedly spent his entire life trying to cleanse the Crimson, it would've taken one heck of a worldview-upending revelation to get him to join it. With the information we currently have, it seems pretty clear that Gendaen isn't mind-controlled or corrupted or anything – not just because of the reasons Eth gave in page #169, but also because from all the interactions we've had with Nelun Soma'o/Gendaen, he seemed to be pretty chill? I pointed out in my first fan art post that it doesn't seem as if Nelun Soma'o is being built up to be a villain character and is instead more of an antagonist with a slight mentor role, and I think that still kind of holds up now. Gendaen definitely wants Mysta to help him and/or the Crimson with something, and as Yele said in that recent comic, things aren't really adding up. I'm still slightly suspicious of the Order of Learning as well (insert person pointing at conspiracy theory board meme here lol), since you would think that if Gendaen and Eth are really close then Gendaen might have told Eth about the whole Crimson situation, right? On Page #250 (which is marked as 150??? probably a typo but idk) Gendaen says that he didn't want Eth to be roped into this whole situation, which could be a reason for keeping him in the dark – though if he knew Eth really well then he might have suspected that Eth wouldn't just let him disappear and would go searching for him. Another possible reason (in my theory) if the Order is evil or something and Gendaen learned something that he shouldn't have learned, maybe he knew that Eth wouldn't believe him because of his loyalty to the Order? I may just be connecting random dots and calling it a picture here but *something* is going on and until we get more clues on what that may be, I'm sticking with this theory lol :P EDIT, I was rereading Gendaen's character sheet and it says there that he has a strong code of honor and fights for the underdogs (not the exact phrasing but it's close). 👀 does that mean the Crimson is in some sort of underdog position? 👀

Anyways back to the drawing a little, I gave both Gendaen and Mysta a sort of braid-like element in their designs to sort of tie them together a bit visually (Mysta's is on the sides of her head, which is kind of hard to see so I added a little ribbon to show that parts of her hair is tied back, and Gendaen's is in his golden hair accessory thingy). I think that there's definitely some sort of correlation between Gendaen's disappearance/switching to the Crimson and Mysta being sent to Sol Ybberia, and I also think that both of them are going to play an important role in whatever happens in the future, hence the braids (to show that their destinies are kind of intertwined, as the two Heroes of Sol Ybberia). I also thought that it would be fun to put Gendaen in a stained glass window instead of actually physically being present, because up until the Nelun Soma'o reveal, all the things we know about Gendaen are basically all from Eth's recollections of him, which for me definitely paints a bit of a "Character haunting the narrative" kind of vibe. I also think that with the Nelun Soma'o reveal, the somewhat glorified (for a lack of a better word – I think Eth might be a little biased when it comes to Gendaen, considering that Gendaen has been missing for about 5 years, if my math is correct? 5 years feels like a long time to me and I think that if a person important to me has been missing for that long then my impression of them would definitely start warping to how I want to remember them/who I wanted them to be and I might start unintentionally ignoring the things that doesn't quite match that image in my head. Speaking of/case in point, Eth's reaction to the Nelun Soma'o reveal!) image of Gendaen that we had got thrown in a metaphorical blender with our idea of the Crimson at the time, and it just makes things a whole lot more complicated in a very interesting way. (If you look at the bottom right of the image you can see Nelun Soma'o's cloak coming out of stained-glass Gendaen's cloak, which I thought would be a fun little detail to include). Hence, the stained glass is kind of the "perfect Hero who disappeared to advance the plot" Gendaen and we can see Mysta kind of splitting the glass with her Rotted Fork from a composition point of view, referencing that huge lore bomb she dropped a couple of pages ago and how that changes our (or at least my) perception of Gendaen as a character entirely. I really do like the plot twist, as I think it makes Gendaen a more 3-dimensional character with more complicated motivations and narrative significance, as before I mainly knew him as "predecessor to Mysta" and "one of Eth's sources of motivation", but now he my understanding of Gendaen also extends to things about Gendaen himself and not just about his role in relation to other characters (for example, "Gendaen is helping the Crimson for reasons currently unknown" or "Gendaen is planning something that involves Mysta??? and he's in the Void??? And apparently Mysta is supposed to jailbreak him out at some point in the future?" He definitely has something planned behind the scenes, I don't know what it is and I want to find out).

MORE THINGS about Gendaen (can you tell that he's my favorite character at the moment ToT), what's up with those last words? If I'm correct (and I think I am, I scrolled all the way back to the page where the gods were introduced just to check this ToT), Nomù is Compassion? How is compassion related to Gendaen's alliance with the Crimson? I mean, when you think of the Crimson, compassion definitely is NOT the first value that comes to mind. Right now it seems that to me, Gendaen's plan with Mysta and the Crimson and the Void is connected to Nomù somehow? (the "I won't disappoint you" is definitely interesting). I don't have a lot of thoughts or theories on where this might be going, I just thought that it was something interesting to metaphorically chew on for the next while. It definitely seems like it has some sort of narrative significance, at least.

There might be more things that I wanted to talk about, but I can't really think of them off the top of my head right now (it might be due to the fact that it's currently quite late in my time zone ToT I am sleepy) so that's all from me for now :D (Also dropping the version of the drawing with just the lineart here because I think it looks really cool)

I hope you have a really nice day and/or night! :D

*a starry rift in space opens up in front of me and I faceplant into it like it is a mattress* (gotta make that dramatic exit!) [Image ID: The first image is a colored and rendered image of Mysta from the Mysta's Terrarian Quest webcomic standing in front of a stained glass window of Gendaen. She is holding the Rotted Fork spear from Terraria, and she has a determined expression on her face. The stained glass shows Gendaen with his back turned to the audience, and one closed eye is visible. His cloak is flowing to the right of the image, where it emerges out of the stained glass as it fades from green to dark grey. Crimson vines, green trees, and white clouds surrounds Gendaen in the stained glass. Outside of the glass portrait, real crimson vines are creeping along the stone walls that the portrait is on, framing the portrait and Mysta in the middle. A red light source is shining down from the upper right corner of the drawing. End ID.] [Image ID: The second image is a work-in-progress version of the first image without any color and only some minimal shading, with all shades being in monochrome. Mysta's lineart is noticeably darker compared to the line art of the background. End ID.]

EDIT: Forgot to add image ids, they're here now TwT

#mtqcomic #fan art #my art #whiteboardartstudios #art #also drawing fan art for people is really funny because you'll see them going about their life as usual-#-and then you're there hiding in the corner going “ehehehehehehe they don't know I'm about to hit them with the dodgeball of appreciation”#it's a very >:3 kind of feeling lol (at least for me)#also I had SO much fun drawing that Rotted Fork #I took some creative liberties with its design (aka the weird spine-shaped thingy-#-that was only slightly inspired by Acheron's (Honkai Star Rail) weird spine-shaped accessory. I thought it would be cool for Crimson-#-weapons to have more body parts in their visual design compared to just in the name and color scheme lol. Shading all that dark metal-#-was super fun :D the shiny red bits were great too :D)#also I was SO incredibly excited when I realized that Mysta's armor is reflective and thus I can make it glow #fun art things I guess :)#I really do need to go to sleep now tho #byeeeeee

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randomshyperson · 2 years ago

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New Romantics - Chapter Five - Wanda Maximoff Series

Summary: Trapped in a loveless relationship that has cost her friendships, Wanda watches her senior year of school turn upside down after a party. She will make new friends and may end up learning that not every relationship is doomed to failure.

Warnings: (+16), straight and toxic relationships, making out, underage drinking, language, co-dependency, conversations about insecurity and self-worth, attempted romantic comedy, unrequited love at first, friends to lovers. | Words: 4.606k

Skamverse Collection | Series Masterlist | AO3 | Wattpad |

--//--

Chapter Five - The First Apologies

Novi Grad, Tuesday 07:35 pm

"Looks like someone had a fun night." That was the first thing Wanda heard entering the house. It was her own fault, of course, she had spent the whole way back with a silly smile on her face and even as she took off her shoes and coat at the door, her murmur of Good Night to her father in the kitchen was more content than usual.

Erik was chopping vegetables and offered a wink to his daughter who tried to disguise being caught.

"Yeah, I was with my friends." She commented, and Erik let out a soft exclamation, tossing some tomatoes into a pot.

"And how is Jean, and Eve, and what was the name of the other one, Anna, right?"

Wanda swallowed dryly, and took courage, approaching the opposite countertop. "I don't hang out with those girls anymore, papa." Erik was surprised, but it was more curiosity than anything. He continued cooking but hummed in signaling that he was listening. Wanda sighed. "We had a fight, and we stopped being friends."

He wiped his hands on a dishcloth, looking at his daughter. "Oh, honey, I'm sorry. You guys were so close. No chance for reconciliation?"

Wanda shrugged. "I fucked things up-sorry." She regrets the swearing with a look from her father, who shakes his head in a short laugh saying it's okay. Wanda sighs again. "I made a bad mistake, and I hurt them. And they hurt me back. So I don't think I have any chance of making things right."

Erik nodded, reaching up to kiss his daughter's forehead. "Young people fight all the time, friends mostly. If time doesn't heal the wounds you have, it's okay to move on. You just need to know that you can always talk to me, okay? I miss that." He says, and Wanda smiles, briefly hugging him by the waist before leaving the kitchen to take a shower.

Pietro, who is lying on the bed with the door open, gets up in a jump as soon as he sees her pass in the hallway, and calls her quietly. Wanda turns to her brother with curiosity.

"You're having dinner with us tonight right?"

She laughs confusedly. "Yes?"

He nods eagerly. "Great, I have to talk to you two about something."

"Pietro, you are acting so weird, is everything okay?"

"Yeah, but it's important. I'll talk to you at dinner." He insists, and she frowns but eventually gives in on not bothering him.

As she is sorting clean clothes for the shower, her cell phone rings. Her face lights up immediately when she unlocks her phone and there is a picture on Instagram marked with her name. It is one of the doodles you made of her playing the guitar, and you posted it on the stories.

She replies to you with "When will I be able to take the painting home?"

And she feels her heart miss a beat when you respond with "The painter is coming with it, sorry."

She sighs as she flirts back, "I don't see the problem."

You send a shy emoji and a heart, and Wanda thinks it best to get in the shower before her family notices the color of her cheeks.

Novi Grad, Tuesday 08:24 pm

The pasta was delicious, and Wanda never ceased to be amazed at what a good cook her father was. A few minutes into dinner, chatting away, she almost forgot about Pietro's earlier anxiety, but he sure was growing tense by the minute.

When Erik finished telling them about the mid-year event the Hospital was thinking of doing, his eldest son cleared his throat and put down his fork.

"There's something I need to say." He announced half-pale. Erik frowned and took a sip of the red wine.

"What is it, boy?"

Pietro swallowed dryly, exchanged a look with his sister, and replied:

"I'm quitting the track team."

Erik gave a confused laugh, "Pietro, don't be ridiculous. How do you plan to get a sports scholarship if you're not on the team?"

Pietro stares at his father, "I'm not going to college anymore."

Erik laughs again, thinking it is some kind of joke. He exchanges a look with Wanda, but the girl is equally surprised by the whole thing. Erik stops laughing.

"What is this, huh? Some kind of teenage crisis? If you wish to change your major, let's talk about it. But you are going to college. I made sure that you, both of you, got a good education and opportunities-"

"Crystal is pregnant."

The table falls completely silent for a full minute. Wanda moves first, and it is to pick up the bottle of wine and take a whole sip. Erik is in such shock that he doesn't even react to it.

"I beg your pardon?" The man then asks, as pale as his son.

Pietro looks like he might start crying at any moment. "She, we want to keep the baby. Take responsibility. We're not going to college, we're going to raise this child together, our families have some structure after all, and if one day either of us wants to go back to school, it will be at another time."

Pietro continues listing the reasons why this is a great idea, and about getting a job and living in the beach apartment, but Erik starts coughing. He puts his hand to his chest, and Wanda is screaming just as he starts to fall over onto his side.

"Pietro, for the love of god, call an ambulance!" She holds her father up before he hits the ground, but he is clearly having a heart attack. "Daddy, hey, look at me, try to calm down."

"Too young... to be... a grandfather..." He manages to gasp beyond the pain.

Novi Grad, Wednesday 09:45 am

"Slow down, watch your step..."

Erik laughed weakly, patting his daughter on the shoulder. "Wanda, I'm fine, it was just a scare." He assures her, but she grimaces, adjusting her grip around his waist to help him into the house.

"A preinfarction is not a scare, Papa, it's a warning. You need to take it easy."

"I can get into the house on my own, thank you." He frees himself from his daughter's help, and she sighs at the stubbornness, looking back to get some support from her twin brother, but Pietro - who is carrying the hospital bag - just shrugs. "I should get back to work soon, my patients need me."

"Absolutely not!" Wanda declares following him around the house. "The doctor said you have to rest. We've already called Dr. Palmer to let her know about your absence."

Erik sighs in frustration and sits down on one of the couches. "But-"

"No but, papa. You will rest, and that is final." She declares seriously, and Pietro closes the door as he enters. He takes the suitcase to the laundry room, and Wanda goes to help her father with his boots.

Erik thanks her with a smile, but when Wanda gets up, he holds her hand. "Honey, you should be in school."

She makes a soft grimace. "I can't think about school with you like this."

He gives her a sad smile, "But you need to. Wanda, I know about your grades, you can't afford missing classes."

The girl flinches in surprise and takes a moment to face her father again. "You're not.... angry?"

He sighs. "No, dear." He assures. "I was a little upset that you didn't come to talk to me about it when I got the call from the principal, but with work, I ended up leaving it on the back burner and for that, I apologize. Is there anything I can do to help you, maybe finding you a tutor?"

She shakes her head immediately. "I'm studying already. My new friends are helping me."

He smiles, stroking her hand. "So I still have a kid who's going to college?"

Wanda laughs, leaning over to kiss her father's cheek. "I'll think about it." She jokes, placing a hand on his chest. "Get some rest papa. I don't want to bury another parent, okay?"

Erik swallows dryly, but nods in understanding, resting his forehead on Wanda's for a moment before adjusting himself against the armchair.

Wanda only left the house after separating some snacks for Erik and checking to see if he was asleep.

Novi Grad, Wednesday 10:00 am

Wanda is surprised that she managed to make it in time for history class, but she has to admit that she wasn't going to absorb much - She was too worried about what happened to her father to care about the Sokovia Revolution.

T'Challa was surprised to see her enter the room. "Maximoff, the guidance counselor told me about the incident with your father. You didn't have to come today."

"I kind of need the grade, professor." She clarifies clumsily, but he is anything but sympathetic.

"I would accept the activity another day. Are you sure you don't want to return home?"

She looks away, at the curious stares of some, but sees the described 'Mid-Year Assignment in the corner of the blackboard and sighs. "It's okay, Professor, really. My father insisted that I not skip school on his behalf, and he is needing to avoid any concerns."

T'Challa did not insist further, waving for her to sit then after giving her an assuring smile.

The committee girls' Facebook group was boiling with messages - Pietro had told someone about Erik's condition, and the news flew at such a speed that by the time Wanda left history class, the whole school knew about it.

She was approached by the girls with hugs and messages of support as soon as she stepped into the yard, and she giggled awkwardly at the gesture.

Natasha was talking about being there for her when you left the French classroom and came into the courtyard to join the group. Wanda tried to disguise her anxiety, but you simply hugged her and she almost had an actual heart attack.

"Hey, I heard about your father. How are you, and him?" You are asking worriedly, and Wanda is repeating the same things she said to the girls, but she holds you back much tighter. You release her a moment later, smiling as you say it was good news that nothing terrible had happened, and Wanda is very aware of the audience as you stroke her cheeks.

Someone clears his throat behind you, suddenly, and the circle opens to another group that has approached. Vision doesn't seem at all pleased by the closeness between you, and grimaces.

"Do I get a chance to hug my girlfriend too?" He sneers, and Wanda resists the urge to pull you back as you step away from her. Vision wastes no time in taking her by the hand to lead her further away from the group, asking about Erik and she wants to run off, suffocating with his attention. "So? I imagine the party won't be happening now that your father almost died."

She blinks in confusion and indignation. "What are you talking about?"

He chuckles shortly. "Baby, your foolish committee party." He clarifies with his hands in his pockets. "A surprise you forgot, you haven't shut your mouth about these girls since you met them."

Wanda adjusts her backpack uncomfortably. "Yeah, sorry if I forgot about a party while my dad was in the hospital. Why are you bringing this up now anyway?"

He hesitates, but then sighs. "There are some kids from NYU working at Dad's summer club. I invited them, wanted to create a friendship for you know, have some contact in case I choose New York." Vision explains meekly, but when he raises his hand to her face, Wanda pulls away at once.

"New York? What the hell are you talking about?"

Vision sighs impatiently, glancing quickly at the group a few feet away from them. "Don't make a scene now, okay? Remember the dinner I had with the guys from Novi Grad? Well, that didn't work out. They rejected my letter of admission, saying I lacked authenticity. They gave me another chance to speak, the day we arranged that lunch with your dad, that's why I couldn't show up. But I didn't do well in that either. I decided NYU was a great second plan."

Wanda gasps indignantly. "Vision, I wanted to go to NYU." She recalls with angry tears in her eyes. "You told me not to try, that we should study together in Sokovia. You manipulated me-"

"Jesus, what is this now?" He cuts her off angrily. "Manipulated you? What are you, five? I made a suggestion, which matched our plans before. And now it doesn't match anymore, it's no big thing."

"It was my thing!" She shouts indignantly, and he flinches, not because of her outburst, but because of the curious looks at the fight. "I wanted to go to New York to study music! You know that! You said it was stupid and childish. That Dad would never let me do something like that. You insisted until I missed the deadline!”

"Wanda, calm down-"

"I'm so fucking sick of you! Of your little games. It's been like this since we met, I can't take it anymore!"

"Stop it, will you? You're embarrassing yourself."

She sniffles angrily, taking a deep breath. "I don't want to be with you anymore. Go to New York, and go by yourself."

He chuckles incredulously, hesitating again. "Wanda, come on. Are you really going to be mad at me for choosing a decent future? A career?"

"Do what you want with your life, Vision. I've had enough of you."

She turns around, but he grabs her by the wrist. "Enough of this, you are clearly shaken by what happened to your father. Let's talk another time." He insists, trying to hold her face, but she pushes him away, to the point where she starts to cry.

"Let go of me, I don't want this anymore!"

The confusion makes the group react. Stark pulls his brother by the arm, and Wanda moves away to hug you and hides her face in your collarbone before she can even think about it.

"Come on Vison, let's go, you guys talk later..." Tony tries to appease things, but the taller blonde is looking at the scene and gives a wry laugh.

"Oh, I see what's going on here." He declares bitterly. "You're fucking her, aren't you darling?" He spits out the accusation, and Wanda can feel you tense up; your grip loosening. She tries to hold you tighter. Natasha and Yelena look ready to start fighting, and Tony's friends are watching for any movement.

"Vision, this isn't the time-" Tony starts but its Vision frees herself from the grip.

"I'm not even surprised, nor am I the first one you've cheated on!"

Wanda sobs indignantly, but it is she who releases you and turns to him with anger. "Don't you dare, you bastard! You know damn well what happened!"

"What I know is that you have no opinion of your own! You're doing what everyone else thinks is cool because you're a goddamn freak!

You move forward, but Natasha holds you back and Wanda gasps indignantly. Tony is in shock at the aggressiveness, and Vision takes the opportunity to continue spitting his venoms.

"You know I'm right. You seduced me to get out of the shadow of your friends and try to be popular but that backfired. And now you're dating a girl to make yourself look cool, but I have news for you Maximoff. You will always be a weirdo and a freak. Never smart enough, or pretty enough, for me or anyone else. The worst part is that you are an opportunistic slut!"

Wanda doesn't know when she left the courtyard - Everything was half blurred by her tears. But she saw the confusion, she felt herself being pushed away from the fight when you escaped Nat's grip.

She didn't see when you hit Vision, not the first time, not the fourth time. She didn't see the blood on his face, or your broken ring on the ground.

Novi Grad, Wednesday 10:27 am

Sitting in the waiting chair in the boardroom are Yelena and Natasha on either side, Pietro and Clint on the opposite, and Wanda, all trying not to be so anxious.

From the people who walked around during the entire time you were in there with Tony Stark, Wanda heard at least a dozen whispers about the fight. She wasn't so much surprised that someone recorded the whole mess, she was genuinely worried about the penalties.

Vision was in the infirmary, getting stitches, and she was considering storming into the office when you left with Tony.

The girls stood up along with her, and you were not smiling.

Tony sighed upset. "They were both suspended." He spoke up, seeing the way you were crestfallen. The reaction was immediate, but Tony assured everybody that they tried everything they could to get the Principal's decision changed and that this was better than an official report of assault. He left the scene with the boys, exchanging a quick look of apology with Wanda, before going to the infirmary after his brother.

Wanda approached you, well aware of the dried blood on your hand and shirt, but you shied away from the touch she tried.

"Sorry." She said.

You forced a smile at her, sighing slightly as you stole a quick glance at Yelena and Natasha approached the principal who had just left the room in an attempt to convince him of how unfair the whole thing was.

"Don't be, I'm just in over my head right now." You clarify upset. "I think I'm going to lose my scholarship because of the suspension. And if I'm not in school, my student visa has no validity." Wanda almost despairs, ready to join Nat and Yelena, but you hold her hand, keeping her with you. "I have a bunch of phone calls to make right now, but I need you to remember that nothing that idiot said is true."

"I don't give a damn about Vision. I care about you, what can I do-"

You chuckle lightly and must have decided to make her more of a mess, because you simply move closer to her face, losing the courage at the last second. Taking a deep breath that Wanda can feel on her cheek, you merely rub your nose against hers, making her blush very profoundly. "Don't worry sweet girl, I'll figure something out. I'll be busy for a while, but I'll call you when I can, alright?"

Wanda doesn't have time to overcome her shyness and react much - Soon the principal is calling you to take you outside the school grounds and you are offering her a parting smile before following the man.

Novi Grad, Thursday 01:12 pm

Wanda did not have a good day. With the whole school calling her a backstabbing bitch, you and Vision - who had a broken nose and a cut stitched in the middle of his forehead - suspended, she wondered how she was going to survive the rest of the year.

The mid-year vacations weren't that far away, but she felt she might suffer some sort of attack by then when she found a 'Die, heartless witch' note inside her locker.

Yelena was ready to start a revolution, but she assured her friends that she didn't give a damn about this story. She just missed you and wanted to know how things were going.

You hadn't called yet, and this only increased her anxiety. Nat and Yelena mentioned that you were under a lot of stress right now and that you were sleeping late at night because of phone calls with the scholarship people and your parents.

When school ended on Thursday, Wanda just wanted to go home and be left alone, but when she went to the bathroom and bumped into Eve, she couldn't miss the opportunity.

"Can we talk?"

The girl continued adjusting her makeup in the mirror, but to Wanda's surprise, she didn't treat her aggressively, humming in agreement.

Wanda took a deep breath. "I am so sorry for what happened between us, Eve, I really am." She then started trying to control the emotion in her voice. "But we still have a senior year ahead of us, and it doesn't have to be hell. I fucked up, and I regret it. I remember how it was before when we were friends. How lucky I felt to have such nice girls wanting to hang out with me. I tried, always, to take care of you the same way you took care of me because you were the best friends I ever made." By now, Eve was also having trouble holding back tears, but Wanda smiled sadly and continued. "There isn't a day that I don't regret destroying that. Thinking about what I did makes me feel bad as a person. But I can't keep living with those regrets poisoning me, Eve."

"Wanda..."

"Please let me finish." The smaller one says, and the other nods softly. Wanda swallows dryly. "It doesn't matter if things were terrible between you and Vision, how you talked about dumping him every day, and about how it was just sex. It doesn't matter that I was in love. You were my friend, and if I had the chance to change things, I would never have broken your trust. I'm just really sorry. For lying to you, for ruining our friendship. You didn't deserve any of this." Wanda sniffles softly. "I don't need you to like me again, or for us to be friends I just wanted you to know how sorry I am for all of this, and I want this tension between all of us to cease to exist."

Eve sniffles slightly, and nods. "Okay, Wanda. No more fighting." She says, and Wanda breathes a relieved breath. "And while we're being honest, I have to confess that I wasn't angry with you for very long. I guess I was just being spiteful for no reason. You're right. Vision was, and still is, a complete asshole, and I think I failed to warn you that you deserved much more than someone like him."

Wanda nods tearfully, and Eve smiles, reaching up to wipe away her former friend's tears for a moment with the bar of her sleeve. "Thank you for forgiving me." She murmurs, and Eve nods, offering her a tight hug for a brief moment. Wanda sighs deeply in relief, and before she lets go of Eve, she jokes, "Do you think Jean can forgive me too?"

Eve laughs, breaking the grip. "Of course, make a speech like that and she'll be all over you again." Teases the girl, but Wanda frowns in confusion.

"What? What are you talking about, and what do you mean, again?"

It's Eve's turn to chuckle with confusion and then look at Wanda in utter surprise. "Oh my god, Maximoff, you have no idea, do you?" She declares, and Wanda shrugs her shoulders cluelessly. Eve shakes her head in disbelief. "Wanda, for heaven's sake. Why do you think Jean was so enraged by the theft of another girl's boyfriend? It wasn't for my honor or sisterhood codes, or whatever weak excuse she's made in the last few months. She can't accept that you started a secret relationship with someone who wasn't her."

“W-what…?”

Eve chuckled, finding amusement in the other's cluelessness. "Wanda, she was in love with you. For a long time, I thought you knew."

"No, I had no idea..."

Eve sighs, patting the other's shoulder. "Well, there it is then. She had to get over it the hard way, and she has all this bitterness because she thinks it's unfair that you like girls but never looked at her." Eve confesses casually. "Maybe she just needs a little more time. Or therapy. Or both."

Wanda chuckled weakly, running a hand through her hair and trying to understand how she never realized this before. Eve goes back to putting on her makeup, and Wanda sighs. "I have to go home. See you around?"

"Sure, sweetie. Good luck with your Romeo."

Wanda giggles, her cheeks warming. "What?"

Eve stares at her through the mirror reflection, a small smile on her lips. "Everyone's seen the video of the fight, it's on Instagram. She's pretty, your friend. And having someone to defend you like that without hesitation? Super hot."

"Okay, I'm leaving." Wanda leaves the bathroom laughing shyly.

She is in the exit hallway when her cell phone vibrates, and it doesn't help to change the color of her cheeks when it is you calling.

Wanda takes a deep breath and answers on the third ring.

"H-Hi, hello." She says clumsily, receiving a short laugh from you that makes her legs wobbly. She stops walking, leaning on the hallway wall.

"Hey, Wands, are you busy?" You ask, and it's her turn to chuckle softly.

"I'm the one who should ask." She jokes. "How are things?" She asks and can imagine you shrugging casually as you always do in person. You are smiling on the other end of the line.

"Messy I guess." You mutter. "Don't worry, I think I'm working it out. My parents will contact the school, and try to put up a good image for me with the principal or whatever... But that's not why I called." You say taking a deep breath. "I miss you."

Wanda feels her heart miss two beats in a row, and her face warms deeply. She bites back a smile and gives an embarrassed little laugh. She feels so stupidly in love that it's almost silly.

"Yeah?" she manages to retort. "I missed you too."

You mimic the sound, grinning softly and probably blushing as much as she does even though Wanda has no way of seeing it. "Good to know." You murmur shyly before clearing your throat. "So... I know things are a bit of a mess right now, and the chance of me being deported is pretty high, but..." Wanda complains softly about your joke, but you just laugh softly without apology. "We could hang out if you have some time. Maybe at your place or mine, whatever works for you…"

Wanda shifts the weight of her feet, one hand brushing her hair out of the front of her eyes. "I don't want you to leave, Y/N."

"Yeah, I don't want to leave either. Especially now that..." But you shut up, swallowing dryly and part of Wanda knows why and it makes her heart speed up all at once. She bites her lip and there is a moment of silence between you until she sighs.

“I know technically you can't be at school, but could you walk me home? I shouldn't go across town with Dad recovering alone..."

"Oh, of course, Wands, don't worry, I'll walk you home." You assure her tenderly. "And maybe I could stay for dinner?"

Wanda smiles shyly, nodding even though you can't see it. "Yeah, that sounds nice." She confirms with her heart racing and her stomach full of butterflies. Not much different from the state you are in.

You smile, and she hears noises in the background of things being knocked over, probably you getting ready to pick her up. "See you soon then. Bye."

"Bye." She says meekly, and there is a moment that you just stay on the line before you share giggles at the same time before hanging up.

#wanda maximoff x reader #wanda x reader #new romantics #skamverse collection #alt er love series #elizabeth olsen x reader

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endogenicredstar · 6 months ago

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The Ultimate Guide to the Red Star System! (AKA: What the Fuck are We Doing?)

Hello, everyone! It’s been quite some time since we’ve made something ourselves, and we figured that it’s high time we try to do that. Today, we saw a post about how someone should post a thing about how their system works, how their headspace looks, etc.. So I, the host, wanted to do just that. It may be mostly me typing this up, but the others may chime in from time to time. I’ll have to color the paragraphs accordingly whenever we reach the final stages of editing this massive wall of text.

(Note: There may be a new face appearing in this document-- I’m not sure if he’s ready to talk yet, but he is here as we type this.)

So, where should we start? Ah, I know!

System Structure

The structure of this system is somewhat based on a sci-fi space crew; think Star Trek. Internally, there are only two sets of ranks so far, but there may be more in the future. These ranks include: Medical Officers, and Security Officers. These rank sets divide further, depending on the headmate’s purpose. For example: if someone has the rank of Chief Medical Officer, it means that their primary job is to make sure that my physical needs, medical or otherwise, are met. They can also ask other Medical Officers, or Security Officers to check in on me whenever need be. Now, let’s look at who’s in what rank in the system!

Members & Ranks

• Knockout is, as stated in our pinned introduction, the Chief Medical Officer. As I said above, his job is to make sure my body’s needs are met. And, he also counsels me on what actions to take in regards to my health.

(Note: Since he isn’t human, he can’t truly discern what the human body requires to function; aside from organs. So, he always tells me to contact my doctor.)

• Breakdown is simply a normal Medical Officer. This basically means that he’s a nurse of sorts. His job, like Knockout, is to monitor my physical state, and help me do things to better my health-- mostly through suggestion. He also doubles as a Security Officer, meaning that he protects me from certain things; mostly emotional stressors.

• Starscream is a Security Officer. However, unlike Breakdown, he protects me from confrontation. If there’s any sign of aggression, he steps up to the front to handle it. Or, he advises me through it while he’s co-conscious. He’s also a Boundary Enforcer, meaning he helps me set hard boundaries on whatever makes me uncomfortable.

• Nanaki is a Councilor, meaning that he offers advice in times of turmoil or distress. He aids mostly in helping me deal with my anxiety.

• Cloud is, like Starscream, a Security Officer. However, his duty is to protect me whenever I’m in social situations that involve crowds. So, think crowd control. Whenever I start getting nervous in crowds, he fronts.

• Miguel is Head of Security. Whenever there is a perceived threat, physical or otherwise, it’s his job to handle it. He’s a lot more aggressive than the other Security Officers, so he may come off as nasty to some.

• ???: Given what he does in his universe, I’m willing to say he’s a Security officer. (That’s me! Heyyo! :3c)

Are There Any Differences Between Your System Members & Their Canon Selves?

For some, yes. Others, no.

Knockout, Breakdown, and Starscream aren’t all that different from what’s seen in Transformers Prime. However, the one difference with them is that they joined the Autobots’ side some time after the events started.

Cloud and Nanaki are the same as their canon depictions.

Miguel, on the other hand, is a stark contrast to what we see in ATSV. He has a ton of differences, both physically and in regards to personality. For starters, his defining physical characteristics are that he has gray hair on the back of his neck. On his face, are two scars. One over his left eyebrow, and one going kitty corner-- left to right, across his lips. His eyes are red, and he wears a black, white, and red suit. Personality wise, he’s a lot calmer, and a lot sweeter when you get to know him. He’s also not as willing to resort to violence (So no, he didn’t hurt Miles.). He’ll only get aggressive if he has to. He’s also very accommodating to others’ needs (See the Headspace section!).

??? is very similar to what we see in his canon depiction. However, he still has his wings in their entirety.

System Type

Our system is Endogenic in origin, meaning we do not stem from trauma. However, that doesn’t mean we aren’t disordered. As you’re about to read, Shane has some disorders of his own that may have resulted in our arrival here.

The Host

Hi there! I’m the host-- you know, the one typing all this up! You can call me Shane or Sylum. I’m physically disabled-- Muscular Dystrophy, to be specific. I’ve had it since I was born, meaning I can’t do any physical activities without assistance; aside from typing, of course. Aside from that, I also have diabetes. On the mental side of things, I have both anxiety and depression. And, on the developmental side, I have Inattentive Type ADHD, formerly known as ADD. So, as Knockout said up there, I’m disordered. Fun stuff, huh?

So...What’s it Like?

Well, as someone who’s usually really bad at descriptions as it is, I find it really hard to describe my experiences. Compared to able-bodied system hosts, there are so many differences. If I were to list them all out, we’d likely be here forever. Overall though, I think I can say it’s fairly boring.

For able-bodied system members, like me, and well...Everyone else here, it’s kinda unnerving whenever we front sometimes. Knowing what Shane’s body needs, and not being able to physically meet those needs can be upsetting. So, we usually just give him a mental poke when something’s off. Or, we’ll co-front until he does what he needs to. Like now! Most of us are up here, adding our two cents, or watching him work.

Literally everyone’s up here, and it’s making my brain fuzz out like an old, overused VHS tape.

(You’re showing your age, baby! <3)

So, you kinda know what my experience is like, but there’s another question to ask:

What Does Your Headspace Look Like?

Ah, the headspace. The place where you and your headmates/system mates go to hang out and do whatever the hell they do when they’re not busy. For some folks, the headspace either doesn’t exist, or they’re hyper specific and detailed to the Nth degree. For me, it’s somewhere in the middle; it’s there, it might be a tad specific, and it’s somewhat detailed.

Due to my tendency to hyperfixate on certain pieces of media, it tends to change from time to time. Most of the time, however, it stays in one form. If you’ve seen the movie Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, then you may be familiar with Miguel’s gargantuan base. The tower that’s several miles high, and hella expansive. Well, imagine that, but slightly different. And I mean slightly. The only key difference is that the corridors are painted different colors so that I can find my way around. (I get lost easily in a Walmart for fuck’s sake. Don’t @ me. Lol) The main space, where I tend to hang at, is Miguel’s lab. And yes: He has that raising platform you see in the movie. And yes: It’s as hilariously dramatic as depicted.

The base itself acts as a hub of sorts, where the others can come and go as they please.

So, How Does All of This Work?

Well, there isn’t really a set method to how we do things here. Usually, whoever’s free gets to look after me. It goes down the chain:

Is Knockout busy? Breakdown watches me. Is Breakdown busy? Then, Starscream watches me. Etc. Etc. on down the list.

Who’s the Most Active?

Sometimes, it’s hard to gauge who’s active on any given day; especially when I’m not feeling well. However, going off the short time we used Simply Plural, I’d say both Nanaki and Miguel are the most active. Nanaki’s always free, so he’s usually up front with me. Whereas Miguel briefly fronts to check in and make sure I’m okay. He sometimes sticks around if something triggers my fear response. His presence is very soothing for me.

Recently, the new guy’s been very active, so he’s definitely on par with Nanaki and Miguel already.

Do You Have A Relationship Beyond Systemhood?

Shane’s a little nervous about writing this bit, so I’m taking it from here. He has a relationship with me, Knockout, Breakdown, Starscream, and the new guy. The mechanics of it are complicated–too complicated to really go into here. What I can say is that it’s a very close relationship.

That’s all, Folks! (...For Now!)

Thank you all for reading this, quite frankly, large wall of text! Your patience is greatly appreciated! We hope you enjoyed this little guide to our system, and we hope to see you later! Buh-bye!

( Since you're done here, why don'tcha drop by the pinned post? You'll find my intro down near the bottom a little while after this gets submitted.)

#System Guide #Red Star System #Red Star System Guide #endogenic system #endo safe #pro endo #endo friendly #plural system #sysblr

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faejilly · 8 months ago

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20 questions for fic writers

tagged by @shadoedseptmbr ages and ages ago

tagging uh... i have no fucking clue. anyone who writes! no pressure! please blame me! @fancytrinkets @la-muerta @leahazel @jadesabre301 & ?!?!?

1: How many works do you have on AO3?

178 fics, since this is a fic writer meme.

2: What's your total AO3 wordcount?

1,193,590, with the caveat that that includes a collab fic of 190,409 words of which I was primarily writing only one of three POV characters. (And also one other shorter collab and the minimal amount of words required to describe the podfic/fanmixes.)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Mostly Shadowhunters (TV) atm, a lot of BioWare Games (especially Dragon Age 2) and then a truly random smattering of smaller games and tiny!fandom prompts back when askbox games were more common here plus Yuletide/Fic Exchange Matches On Unexpected Things. (I think I've broken 20 fandoms on AO3, depending on how one counts the various DA sub-fandoms.)

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

These are all Shadowhunters and Malec fics. The first three are complete, the last two are WIPs.

two are halves of one

My only posted 5+1 fic, a series of outsider perspectives on Alec & Magnus & their very long day of denied cuddles/alone time. 😅

i cannot touch because they are too near

Parabatai Feels & Magic Lore! I wrote this for a Season 3B countdown event, and it's Magnus Being A Nerd and trying to figure out how this parabatai thing works. I snuck Jace and Michael Wayland feels in there kind of sideways too. I do think it's one of the most self-indulgent things I've ever written (epistolary! melancholy comfort! No Plot!) with many thanks to @rutherinahobbit because she helped me land the ending.

with an if in its soul

So I killed Alec off-screen right before the fic starts, and proceeded to keep poor Magnus very upset about it for the following 22k words. (It gets better! I promise! No one stays dead!) I got many angry and wailing comments, I have never been so proud. (This one suffered from very dramatic scope creep while I was trying to write it, which amused tumblr a lot, and this time I have to thank @poemsfromthealley for helping to make it work. And also the blurb, because I just could not figure out how to post it for ages.)

i am for you

Epistolary!Fluff Fic that was supposed to be a bit of a missed connection thing for @pameluke but Alec instead proposed to Magnus on first sight and I just kind of went with that instead. /I am not in charge of the voices in my head

It is the first fic I ever had really break containment and get a lot of engagement/comments/subs/etc. It has been out-kudosed now, obviously as it's #4 on this list, but that's only because I killed the momentum and never finished it. 😅😅😅 ISTFG I am going to finish it some day though!

if broken hearts were whole

From a soulmates/massage combined prompt meme thing ALSO for @pameluke. I got stuck on this one largely because I had three different prequel/s1 retellings in my head at the same time and I kind of tangled them all up too much to get any of them done. I will eventually figure this one out too, but I may have to finish one of the other things to sort of clean my brain out, and I haven't managed that either.

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

In theory? I got hung up on a comment from an FTH bidder the year I failed to finish my FTH fic, and didn't want to reply to their comment 'til I wrote their fic?

which doesn't make much sense, but brains are weird, so there we are

someday I'll answer the backlong. it's only like two or three years at this point? 😅😭🤣

6. What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

so about uh... five years ago? there was a really popular gifset format from an Elizabeth Hewer poem called in one timeline and I haven't the faintest idea how to gifset so I wrote a fic for Malec instead. [ao3]

I have written other things which Have Angst, but for me I tend to ease the ending... this is one of the few where I didn't.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Everything Else! (Almost)

I think, as an exercise in the true form of Happily Ever After, I'd have to go with Fine Feathers, which is an epilogue to a Georgette Heyer Regency Romance novel I did for Yuletide 2016.

8. Do you get hate on your fic?

Not usually. I don't even get people yelling at me to update on my WIPs, which may be hateful but isn't the same thing 😅

/and I'm certainly not complaining about either of these things, but I wish I knew how I avoided The Discourse™️so I could do it on purpose

9. Do you write smut?

I used to pretty regularly. I was even known as a smut!fic writer when Dragon Age Fandom and I were mutually more active together. Not so much (on either the writing quantity or the requests for more smut) for Shadowhunters.

10. Do you write crossovers?

Mostly no? I did two very short ficlets for Bingo Squares. I do still believe that Leverage is the Fix-It Fandom that fits everywhere and thus only kind-of counts as a crossover, plus I wrote a Shadowhunters / Inception bit with Ariadne as a Warlock.

I do also enjoy a good fusion fic, aka using a different canon as an AU setting, rather than combining characters from two settings.

For example: Shadowhunters Characters as BAU Agents from Criminal Minds!

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I'm aware of? I've seen it happen to co-authors though, and other friends

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! I am still stunned and amazed and delighted by this!

Batty_Blue translated several of my Shadowhunters fics into Russian:

a flower of always i cannot touch because they are too near trust your heart ashes of angels / ashes of roses

And Pomyluna translated 'First Choice' into Polish

13. Have you ever co-written a fic?

Yes!

Only once successfully (aka one and done and finished and posted), and that was entirely thanks to my co-author Raph. 😅 (Against All Odds for @galedekarios back when I knew her as Chignon on an actual forum prior to tumblr. She's who got me onto tumblr, so if you met me here? That's her fault. 🥰)

I have started things with people a few times that never got posted, and there's a massive Mass Effect retelling on potentially permanent hiatus, though all three of us do hold out hope that someday our lives will align again. (Persephone Rising)

14. What‘s your all-time favourite ship?

Me & Sleep

(Sorry, can't do it, can't choose. Beware My Armada. With a couple ancient ship leviathans which can raise themselves from the deep with the slightest provocation.)

15. What’s the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Every thing I have ever posted (except for 12 Moons) is something that I do in fact hold out hope I will eventually finish.

Things I have not started posting are too numerous to count and/or list. Sometimes they come back. Sometimes they are fertilizer for other things that will be written later.

16. What’s your writing strengths?

Dialogue and hopeful melancholy? I get a lot of compliments on emotion/mood, and I do feel like I am usually pleased with the, idk, vibes of most of what I write.

17. What’s your writing weaknesses?

Plot & structure! What is? How do? What do you mean I have to have things happen rather than just reacting all the time?!?

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I have done it with mixed success and there are definitely ways to do it more accessibly than I did. It can add a lot, but you do have to think about the execution.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Uh. I think Lois & Clark back when I was a teen!jilly. Either that or Sailormoon when I was a slightly older teen!jilly?

In terms of posting in public, it was Bioware something, either Mass Effect or Dragon Age: Origins back around when Thing 2 was born. And he's 14 now, so... 😅

Orion's Belt, I think? I didn't originally post it on AO3, and then I deleted myself off the internet for awhile, and then I re-uploaded everything, and I'm bad at time in the best of circumstances, which that clearly was not, so it might not have been that one specifically but it was close.

20. Favourite fic you’ve ever written?

I CAN'T CHOSE JUST ONE WTF

As a formative event/process, I have a certain enduring fondness for Lost for Words, which was like the first fic I really wrote while in fandom... I was social about it and posted while I was writing and finished (eventually) and it is still the longest single story I have ever written. (Tho I am for you will beat it out when I finish that.)

It's not particuarly good from the perspective of who I am as a writer some dozen years later, but it's sincerely meant cotton candy, at least. 🤣

#jilly spam #on writing #writing memery

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trickstarbrave · 2 years ago

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heyyyy im making a pinned post as that is a feature and seems good to keep info all in one place esp for ppl on mobile

❤️im brave!! or rua works if u want to but brave is by far the most popular name i go by. he/him pronouns

❤️art commissions/art trades are NOT on the table rn sadly. i used to offer commissions and did art trades with friends but for the most part im really busy with work/health conditions. if i have a bit of free time i may change this or make a few exceptions on a case by case basis depending on my schedule. for the most part tho i just want my art to be a stress relief activity

❤️art requests i do take from time to time now, but there is no guaranty i will take it. please do not spam requests hoping i’ll do it and please do not get mad if i don’t do it. they’re requests for a reason. if i am particularly inspired i’ll be happy to get around to it if life lets me

❤️technically multifandom blog i would say, mostly i have been focused on the elder scrolls series lately. you will probably see me rb stuff from like, a bunch of series. if this changes i’ll prob edit this post LMAO (i do not control the special interest)

❤️not just an art blog but also personal. my art can be found in my #my art tag. wips can sometimes be found scattered on my twitter if they arent on here. and writing that i publish can be found on my ao3 (though i have like a million wips that dont get published and be warned much of my ao3 is rated E and not for everyone)

❤️ been doing a lot of oc posting so i can do a run down of them currently for anyone that wants to follow along/know the lore:

/// OCS ///

(under cut)

🌟 Eyja: skyrim oc, nord dragonborn, she/her. past life incarnation was konahrik, alduin’s head priest, murdered by miraak. uses a bow and magic primarily. story can be found here

🌟 Senna: skyrim oc, nord dragonborn, she/her. proud two handed weapon user and leader of the companions. fought and lost to the world eater who took her back to his den and make her his partner. proof prophecy can be a complicated thing. story can be found here.

🌟 Baldur: skyrim oc, nord dragonborn, he/him. grew up on the streets stealing to survive, and certified trans of gender. fought and lost to the world eater who decided to force baldur to be his champion. helps him take over skyrim. story not yet published but will prob contain a lot of mentions of transphobia as a cw :(

🌟 Ansa: skyrim oc, nord dragonborn, she/her. orphaned at a young age, and just a weird, feral child. learned to steal, and ended up joining the thieves guild. killed mercer and turned the guild over to karliah and is helping rebuild it when she finds a weird rock that turns out to be a dragon egg. story not yet published

🌟 Ahkrinaak: general elder scrolls oc, he/him/any pronouns. he is based off me as a sort of self insert/persona character purely for comedy, not a serious au. dragon/god who was corrupted in the war with lorkhan/shor and became more so an agent of lorkhan. he spends most of his time pretending to be a mortal and causing problems. he’s just sillay. looks like a falmer/snow elf and nord hybrid making pretty much everyone just in general uncomfortable. dragons dont have gender he just likes tits. divorced with alduin

🌟 Lyre: not a skyrim oc (yet) but my beloved dnd character i have made a million aus for, including one that has turned into a full on novel lmao. will update everyone when i start uploading the novel (its not gonna be too serious just a fun lil webnovel that is pg rate) and you can see me post illustrations for. depending on the AU uses either he/him or she/her. i just think theyre neat

🌟 Anthial: nerevarine bosmer, tired, angry, nb spellsword. he/them pronouns. just wants to cover their entire body until you cant tell what gender they are. vivec never got them the drink he owed them. was convinced as nerevar that voryn never liked them back all that much. had an open marriage with almalexia. this incarnation was emotionless and lacked a moral compass due to the betrayal in their past life.

🌟 Steren: nerevarine, technically. not actually the reincarnation of nerevar, but the reincarnation of nerevar’s son. nerevar never reincarnated bc he was too busy haunting his descendants, too upset to move on. steren has a couple of aus but mostly its him with vivienne the dragonborn who belongs to @mulberrycafe. calls voryn “ata” and nerevar “dad” because he technically grew up in cyrodiil but remembers his first lifetime in bits and pieces where voryn raised him for the first few years.

feel free to send asks abt my ocs i love answering them

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ne0nwithazero · 11 months ago

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I have an idea that might solve your whole 'Host being part of final boss but also secret boss' problem.

Being that if and how you fight Omega Host is what decides whether or not Mike ends up in Castletown.

Mostly because I just couldn't get behind the post about how with no secret boss fight he just heads to the town and just leaves without knowing where Host is. They're too close for Mike to just go 'oh well you musta left them behind u suck'.

So what if instead; by the end, when you face him and whatever boss mooks he whips up to fight you at the fountain, he seems distracted. When you beat him and are about to go close the fountain, his main concern is that Host is awol.(at this point character development lets him let you close the fountain so that's settled) so he goes off to find them while you finish up business in Home before closing it off.

And this is where Omega comes in. All secret bosses so far have partially tested toby's whole 'how far will you go to find every secret' deal. First by making you find key fragments then by doing the key-basement fetchquest. This one tests how much you've actually been listening to the npc's. Throughout the chapter there are various hints about where to go and what to do("host's being hanging out at X lately", the signal is strongest at X",etc.). Rather than being told what to get and where to go, you use such info to figure out where to find the boss arena.

Mike going looking is the prompt to put all that info together, but of course plenty of players will find Omega way before then. If you do, then at the fountain fight, you tell Mike what happened(Susie does it despite Ralsei's objections). He refuses to believe you, and once you show him Host's item, he's enraged that you hurt his beloved and a much harder form of the final fight ensues. On losing, he either despairs and lets you take him to Castletown or bitterly storms off to wait to be turned to stone depending on your relationship with him(like how Birdly may or may not hurt his arm depending on previous choices).

If you do wait to do the fight until Mike goes to find Host, then you walk in on him and about-to-transform Host. Tragic dialog ensues, Host goes nightmare tower, and the fun gang jumps into the ring. Mike keeps begging Host to stop, and once again based on previous choices, will eventually either help you vie support magic or help Host the same way(fight's much much harder if Mike helps Host). If he helped you, the ending in the room video happens. If he helped Mike, he begs you to kill him to(you can't, Ralsei stops you) and then runs off to await stone-oblivion.

And if you never fight Omega at all, then that's the last time anyone sees Mike. No one ever knows what happened to either of the Home leaders.

I appreciate the determination to write your own take on it LOL :B But the Omega Host fight is something I'm trying to keep under wraps for now until I'm able to properly show it :) So I can't fully explain some of the decisions that went into it as they fall into spoiler territory

Mike doesn't know that Host went to do secret boss things nor are you given a chance to tell him, he just figures that Host will tag along when they're moved to Castle Town, in a "We'll meet there" sort of deal.

He's busy because [Spoilers] and he figures Host is multitasking as much as he is.

But Mike and Host get separated in every route except for Voltrage (My AU's weird route), which is the worst ending they can have

I also have a much different idea for how the quest for Host goes, but like I mentioned, it's spoilers so I don't want to speak much of it as of yet ^^ Mike can't come along because he wouldn't want Host to do it, and Host knows he'd be able to talk them out of it.

They also know it's dangerous for a darkner as fragile as Mike is. He could never join them in Omega form, I'm almost certain it would kill him and Host is not taking that risk.

I can say something though. Host does not want to be followed. And they do not want you to interfere with their plans. This applies to Mike as well, though their priority is making sure he does not get hurt.

But yeah, Mike always ends up alone in Castle Town unless it's the Voltrage route. He puts up a happy front to Fun Gang because he does not want them to see the grief he's going through because of Host being gone.

At the end of the chapter, he does care about them too, and as much as he loves Host, he understands that the kids had no choice but to defend themselves.

#Jay Asks #Aniverous #Omega Host #Host #Mike #Narratively speaking I'm happy with how both of them end up after the chapter #I like the pattern of secret bosses having some form of unresolved conflict or situation that happened with a character close to them #I find it compelling and the Lack of Closure is something I personally find that I really connect with in stories

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midnightshard06 · 1 year ago

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Flufftober Day 24

AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/50489362/chapters/129097132

Summary: Sonic comes to visit Tails on a particularly hot day. The two have a nice chat.

Pairing: None

Warnings: None

Word Count: ~1000 words

AN: Based in the same au as these doodles from this post- https://www.tumblr.com/midnightshard06/730864248738217984/so-my-brain-decided-to-oh-so-helpfully-have-me?source=share

I am getting so close to just officially making this au a thing I swear

@flufftober

"Why must it be so hot?" Sonic sighed as he put his head down on the table. It was summer at the moment, and honestly it was probably his least favorite season. Even when not in werehog form he’d always had thicker fur than the average hedgehog. It did a great job at keeping him warm in the colder months, and a great job at overheating him in the warmer ones.

Tails walked over and pat his back before putting a glass of water in front of him. He happily took it and drained the glass. "Well, you've always done better in the cold. Thicker fur and all."

"Like you?" Sonic grinned.

"Let's just say you're not the only one who doesn't like this heat." Tails sat down across from him after grabbing Sonic another glass.

"So besides suffering in the heat how have you been buddy?" Sonic took a sip of the second glass of water.

"I've been pretty good. Thanks to you mostly." Tails took a sip of his own water with a smile.

"Hey I wasn't about to stand by when the fox that saved my life was getting picked on." Sonic reached over the table to ruffle the top of Tails' head. “Plus that happened like forever ago dude.”

Tails playfully batted his hand away. "Still." He fixed his misplaced fur. "I would have been a lot worse off if you hadn't stepped in and gotten people to see the worth in my inventions… and me."

"Well it helped that I had the chance to save your town from those bandits. Gave me a lot of sway with the people." Sonic took another sip. "I would have tried anyway though."

"And that's why you're my best friend." Tails' smile widened.

Sonic sighed as he put his head against the slightly cooler table again. "You're my best friend too bud."

"Maybe I should try and make something to help with the heat." Tails hummed. "How long are you going to be in town for?"

Sonic hummed. "Not sure. A couple weeks maybe? Depends on how careful I am."

"You don't know how to avoid everyone here at night by now? You've been visiting me for over a year." Tails chuckled.

“Look, you have some pretty persistent hunters in this town.” Sonic moved his head so he could look at Tails. “Even though I’m not here all the time, some of those guys are crazy about trying to find me and ‘finish the job’.” He gave an exaggerated shiver. “Have you ever talked to one of those guys?”

“Who? That guy who calls himself Infinite and those other jackals? Can’t say I really care to have any sort of conversation with them.” Tails shrugged. “Have you?”

“Unfortunately. Good to know your enemy and all that. They’re very… passionate about tracking me down. Even tried to convince me to join them on a hunt once since I was acting like I didn’t believe them.” Sonic reluctantly peeled his face off the table. Honestly it was already too warm.

“Imagine the shock on their faces if they realized it was you.” Tails chuckled. “How’d you get out of it anyway? I suspect the only reason they haven’t tried to get me to go on one with them is because I actively avoid them.”

“Well you know me, I’m good at slipping away.” Sonic cleared his throat as Tails gestured for him to elaborate. “I may have gotten their leader to go off on some passionate rant so I could run off.” He shrugged. “It worked at least but now I have to make sure they don’t spot me at night or during the day.”

“I know you’ll manage.” Tails glanced out the window. “Looks like the sun is going to be setting soon. What’s the plan for tonight?”

Sonic frowned and pinned his ears down. “Can’t say I really like the idea of going out for a run in this heat.” He sighed through his nose. “How bout I stick around tonight and help you out. I know you’re not going to bed any time soon. Even if you should.” Sonic gave him a knowing smile.

Tails rubbed the back of his head and looked away. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Suuuuure you don’t.” Sonic sped over to him and once again ruffled the fur on his head. “Hope your workshop is still werehog proof.” He smirked.

“I always make sure it is. Never know when you’ll be dropping by.” Tails chuckled. “Maybe I could experiment with helping you get rid of that extra energy again. I really think we were getting somewhere last time you were here.”

“So long as those experiments don’t literally blow up in my face as they tend to do I’m all for it.” Sonic paused outside the door to Tails’s workshop. “I’ll pop in once I’ve transformed. You go ahead and get whatever you need ready.”

“Got it!” Tails hesitated at the door before wrapping Sonic in a hug. “It really is good to see you.”

Despite the uncomfortable amount of warmth an extra body gave Sonic wrapped his arms around Tails. It was also in that moment that he felt the jolt through his body that signaled the start of his transformation. Well it looked like Tails was getting an extra warm hug then. It didn’t take long for Sonic to change and for Tails to feel smaller than before. The fox playfully struggled in his grip for a moment before Sonic let him go. “Heh, I’ll try and come around more often to see ya bud. Now let’s get to work.” Tails beamed at him and nodded. They were in for a long night, one filled with the same oppressive heat of the day, but Sonic wouldn’t wanna spend it with anyone else.

#flufftober2023 #day 24 #sonic the hedgehog #sonic fandom #tails the fox #sonic the werehog #sonic au #ao3 link #bound by fate au

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braveclementine · 5 months ago

Text

Chapter 14

Warnings: 18+ readers only, None

Copyright: I do not own any Marvel characters or locations. However, I do own my OC: Elizabeth Y/L/N (created so you don't get Y/N and Y/S/N consistently mixed up. I do not condone any copying of this.

ELIZABETH WAS DISGUSTED WITH THE LACK of food in the tower.

Actually, let's rephrase that.

Elizabeth was disgusted with the lack of good food in the tower.

There were boxes and boxes of poptarts and mac and cheese, ramen, hostess pastries, and carton orange juice. But there was a lack of fresh fruit, eggs, and milk.

She slammed the refrigerator door closed in disgust. "Does nobody eat properly in this tower?"

"No, they really don't." The female Irish AI that she'd forgotten the name of answered her. "They mostly run on caffeine and sugar. I'd say last night was the first real meal they've had in months."

Elizabeth nearly shuddered. "Great, so grocery shopping first thing. Where do I do that?"

"There's a H market down the street, but if you would prefer real food, there is an Amish kitchen about fifteen minutes from here." The AI answered.

"Thank you. . . what was your name again?" Elizabeth asked.

"F.R.I.D.A.Y." F.R.I.D.A.Y. answered.

"Right, thank you F.R.I.D.A.Y." Elizabeth said gratefully. She thought about writing out a list of what she needed, but taking a look around, it looked like they needed everything.

"You're welcome. Also, Mr. Stark has a card for you in your room that you can use to buy groceries, clothing, and accessories with." F.R.I.D.A.Y. said. "You may use this if you need to or want to."

"A card?" Elizabeth asked curiously as she headed back to the elevator and up to her room to grab a jacket.

"A credit card. It has unlimited payments on it." F.R.I.D.A.Y. replied.

"Oh." Elizabeth replied. She knew, of course, what a credit card was, but had never used one. Where she had lived, you either paid in cash, or you traded in food depending on who you were dealing with. "I don't think I need it."

She made a mental note to take it along just in case, however.

"F.R.I.D.A.Y., do you have map directions of how to get to this Amish market?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yes. I just printed them out. They'll be in the main room downstairs before you leave the tower." F.R.I.D.A.Y. replied. "Mr. Stark left the card in the top drawer of the bedside table."

"Thanks a lot." Elizabeth said. "I don't know if you do this sort of thing, but if anyone is wondering where I am, can you just tell them where I went?"

"Of course. Have a pleasant shopping trip." the AI responded.

"Well," Elizabeth muttered. "That might've been the nicest conversation I've had with anyone since I've gotten here."

She shrugged on a black leather jacket to combat the northern fall weather. It would not have been nearly this cold on the farm. She grabbed her purse, checking to make sure that she had at least $400 on her before she also grabbed the card, putting it in the bottom of her purse.

She headed downstairs, finding the printed instructions in the printer, still warm. And then she headed outside into the weather.

ₓ˚. ୭ ˚○◦˚.˚◦○˚ ୧ .˚ₓ

YOU MANAGED TO MAKE YOUR WAY DOWN to the kitchen, your legs and thighs still sore from last nights exercises. You had woken up in only Bucky's embrace and you knew both Steve and Sam had taken off on their run.

Hogun was down in the kitchen already with Loki, Nat, and Wanda. Vision was there as well, though he was in the room conjoined to the kitchen since he didn't eat. No one else was around. You suspected Tony and Bruce were in the lab, Clint was most likely still sleeping, and Stephen was either at the Sanctorum or in the library.

You had no idea where Rhodey, your sister, or Thor was.

"Morning," you yawned, heading over to the cupboards and opening them up. Careful not to touch any of the poptarts posted with sticky notes that said 'Thor's tarts of pop', you grabbed the strawberry poptarts and sat down with them.

"Morning." Nat yawned. "Why are we up early again?"

"Fury wants to meet Elizabeth to do an analysis of whether or not she's allowed to be around the team." Loki rolled his eyes. "Wanda has the analysis for her already. She's fine. Your sister has nothing to worry about."

"I didn't think she did." You shrugged. "The only thing dangerous about her are her conspiracy theories."

Nat laughed but Hogun looked confused. "It's a joke." You reassured him.

"When is Fury showing up?" Bucky grumbled as he came into the kitchen. He poured the coffee into a cup, grabbing the creamer and putting as much as possible in. He stirred it with a spoon before sitting at the table, eyes half-glazed with sleep.

"In an hour or two." Wanda replied softly.

"You know how he is." Nat said, waving a knife with grape jelly around on it before she put it down on her toast. Of course, because it was Natasha, it wasn't a normal butter knife, but a throwing dagger. And she was using it to jelly her toast. . . "He shows up whenever he wants and we better not be busy when he does."

"Tony, Bruce, and Stephen better drag themselves from their hidey holes to meet him." Loki grumbled. "Or they'll get into trouble again."

"Tony doesn't care. Neither does Stephen." You replied. "Bruce will definitely be there though. But Tony, well you know he doesn't care what Fury says one way or another. Stephen isn't under Fury's league."

"True." Nat replied. "But in this case, Tony and Stephen are Elizabeth's soulmates so they have to be there."

Hogun cut glaring eyes at Bucky when Nat said this and then changed his expression over mildly and replied. "I guess the soldiers don't have to be there?"

Bucky narrowed his eyes at Hogun now. "What's that supposed to mean?"

You could feel the tension between them on the air. It was a static, electric charge and you were sure that they were going to leap for each others throats. Wanda leaned forward a little, feeding off the energy while Nat simply rolled her eyes and continued to eat her toast like there wasn't a fight brewing a few feet away from her. Loki checked his nails uncaringly.

"Nothing." Hogun said mildly. "Just that you and Rogers clearly haven't even touched her, much less decided to accept her. The bond has even emptied yet between the two of you."

Bucky was clearly agitated but said nothing, glaring at his coffee instead. Hogun huffed.

"I would like to announce that Mr. Fury will be arriving in T-minus 45 minutes." F.R.I.D.A.Y. suddenly announced from the ceiling.

"Fantastic." You said cheerfully, mostly to disperse the tension, clapping your hands together once.

"You're excited to see him?" Loki asked with a raised eyebrow.

You laughed. "He almost likes me."

"Almost." Nat replied with a smirk.

"Anyways, where is Elizabeth? She should be done here soon in order to meet him." Loki said.

"Miss Y/L/N actually left the Tower about an hour ago in order to do some grocery shopping." F.R.I.D.A.Y. replied just as Tony, Stephen, Bruce, Rhodey, and Thor all walked into the kitchen.

"Grocery shopping, why?" Tony asked.

"She said, and I will quote 'There is no good food in this place.'" F.R.I.D.A.Y. sounded almost amused. "So she asked me for a map to the Amish store and left to do some shopping."

"Wait. You let a girl whose never been to any city before in her entire life, go out by herself? Did she even bring a phone with her?" You asked, freaking out. It would be just fantastic if Elizabeth went out and got herself kidnapped because she thought the city was just like the farm.

"No. She did not bring her phone with her. Does she have a phone?" F.R.I.D.A.Y. sounded genuinely interested.

"Yes!" You exclaimed. The idiot! Of course she didn't bring her phone with her! She never brought her phone with her anywhere! She always left it in her bedroom. "Did anyone go with her?"

"Nope." F.R.I.D.A.Y. said. "She was completely and utterly alone."

At this point, you were pretty sure she was mocking you.

"Well, this is fantastic." Tony replied sarcastically. "F.R.I.D.A.Y., can you please run facial recognition-"

At that moment, the elevator doors opened and everyone looked over to see a pink cheeked Elizabeth walk out, laden down with grocery bags. Next to her, carrying the other half of the bags was Sam. Both of them were talking in rapid fire conversation so that neither of them even notice that you were all staring. An annoyed looking Steve walked out after them, hands in his pockets.

"Morning." Elizabeth said cheerfully as you all just stared at the bags that were thrown on the counters and tables.

"Jeez, what all did you buy?" You asked, riffling through the bags.

"Fruits, vegetables, eggs, cheese, fresh meat, lots of spices, actual real milk. Basically everything you guys didn't have." Elizabeth replied. Hogun got up to help put everything away as well and you and Wanda pitched in as well.

"Anyhow." Elizabeth said. "Who hasn't eaten yet? I'll make eggs, bacon, and sausage."

Basically everyone raised their hands.

About fifteen or twenty minutes later, everyone had what seemed like a hotel breakfast meal in front of them, steaming hot and smelled delicious. Holy shit, why had you moved away from the farm?

"By the way," You said, deciding it would be best if you warned Elizabeth ahead of time. "Nick Fury is coming to meet you."

To Elizabeth's credit, she didn't spit her food out. She did choke on it though. "W-what?!"

"To analyze you." Steve replied without looking up from his plate. You frowned a little. It was weird that neither he nor Bucky seemed rather inclined to meet your sister. You would have thought they'd be ecstatic, her life views were more in line with theirs than yours was. Or at least, the views they had when they were growing up in the 40s.

Christian, Patriotic, the no sex before marriage bit.

You wondered why they weren't accepting her. You'd have to talk to them later. They might be your soulmates, but she was your sister.

"Mr. Fury is here Mr. Stark." F.R.I.D.A.Y. said.

"Send him up to this floor F.R.I.D.A.Y." Tony said.

A moment later, a somewhat familiar dark skinned man wearing all black with an eyepatch across his eye and a pistol in his holster came through the doors. He raised a singular eyebrow when he took in the sight.

"Since when do you guys eat breakfast?" He asked.

"Since Elizabeth moved in." Clint said, stuffing another sausage in his mouth. "Want some?"

Fury gave a thoughtful look and gave a shrug motion with his head and shoulder. Elizabeth rose and Fury watched as she danced to the stove and put a plate together for him.

"Well?" Fury asked as he sat down, looking towards Wanda and Loki.

"I like her." Loki and Wanda said together.

Elizabeth blushed slightly.

And that was all the confirmation that Fury needed before he dug into his meal. He didn't stay with us long, mostly conversing with Elizabeth. He did seem to like her, at least as much as he had liked you, and everything was left on a good note when he was gone.

Now that everyone had relaxed, you could finally ask Elizabeth's thoughts on the entire place. She was in conversation with Hogun who seemed just a little upset. "I just wish I'd known. . . if something had happened to you-"

"But why would something have happened to me?" Elizabeth asked in genuine confusion. "I just went down the block to get groceries."

You got up, sitting down next to her, "So Elizabeth, what do you think of the tower?"

"I like it." Elizabeth said quietly. "It's. . . different though."

"Yeah, it really is. I like it better though." You admitted. "I love everything about the city. I can't wait to introduce you to Ivy and Kaylee. I think you'll really like them."

Elizabeth nodded. "Yeah, that'd be cool. Whenever they want to meet me."

"Great!" Natasha said, joining in. "And we can all go shopping together!"

"For what?" Elizabeth asked with a slight confused frown.

"Clothes of course!" Nat exclaimed.

Elizabeth actually looked down at her clothes- the standard flannel shirt with blue jeans and cowboy boots- and then looked at Hogun. He just shrugged.

"You'll love it." You promised.

"If you say so." Elizabeth said.

"Can I come with you guys?" Sam asked with a grin.

"Of cou-"

"Absolutely not." Natasha exclaimed over Elizabeth. "it's a girls night out for a reason."

"If I change my name to Samantha, then can I come?" Sam asked.

"No." Nat rolled his eyes. "How are we supposed to spend a majority of our time in the dressing rooms if you're there?"

Elizabeth paled. "Hours? For clothes?"

"Dearest sister," You teased, "No offense, but you have no sense of style. You'll see. Once we find your style, it'll go quickly."

Elizabeth looked so lost. Even back home, you had gone out with friends nearly an hour away to the city mall. But nope, not your sister.

Elizabeth looked at Hogun again, this time for help. Hogun just gave her a sheepish look. He couldn't help her here.

"Make sure to take my card." Tony said, barely looking up from his project. You were surprised he hadn't headed back down to his lab.

"Well duh, what else would I use?" Nat teased, "Wanda want to come?"

"Clothes shopping? No thanks." Wanda said. Then she paused, "Well actually, yes I will come to act as a buffer between Elizabeth and your craziness."

"I'm not that bad." Nat said grinning.

"Yes, you are." Clint and Wanda said at the same time.

Elizabeth smiled a little. "Um, Tony?"

"Yes sweetheart?"

"You have a pool?"

"Yeah." Tony said with a grin as he looked up. "You want to visit it?"

"Yes, please?"

"Come on." Tony said, standing up. Elizabeth hurried after him.

"I'll come too." Sam said, shooting to his feet, running after them as they stepped into the elevator.

Hogun smiled, standing up to go over and talk to Thor.

"Hey Buck, can I talk to you?" You asked softly.

"Yeah." Bucky said, looking surprised. "Like in private?"

"It shouldn't take long." You said gently.

"Yeah, lead the way."

The two of you headed over to the kitchen and you sat down on one of the chairs. It seemed like such an awkward question to breach. But you had to. Just rip the band aid off Y/N, you thought.

Bucky leaned forward, nuzzling into you. "So, was this private talking a meaning for something else."

You allowed yourself to get distracted for a moment, kissing Bucky passionately. But before the two of you could get to carried away, you pulled back and attempted to focus. "I actually did have a real question."

"Ask away doll."

You looked into his eyes and then said. "Elizabeth. . ."

⬅️➡️

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thisisntapainting · 2 years ago

Text

How the Cogs of Toontown Online Are An Anti Capitalist Metaphor

autism be upon ye

foreword: this was written as a "fuck it, we ball, pick whatever topic you so desire" research paper for a creative writing class, with a pre-determined format to follow. as a result, my writing style may seem off here. hope you enjoy.

READ ON MY WEBSITE HERE

What I Knew and What I Want to Know

While I was both too young and didn’t have the money to fully play the game while it was still under a subscription service, Toontown Online has always been one of my more intense interests, mostly due to the charity that is several private servers that keep the game running, sticking to the original, or branching out into a modernized experience, but for now, sticking to the original game. Toontown Online was a kids’ aimed MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game) started by Disney in 2003 and shutting down a decade later, with a pretty lively presence in the genre during this time. The plot was basically that you played as, well, a cartoon anthropomorphic animal, and kept the world cheery and fun against the ongoing invasion of “Cogs”, which are these businessmen robots, heavy emphasis on businessmen, with all the boredom and drab that comes with such. You fight against them using stereotyped cartoon gags, because, well, Cogs can’t take a joke. Rinse and repeat this basic basis with variations of the fighting format all throughout the game as you progress, as well as other stuff to do (grinding gets boring, and Toontown Online was notorious for grinding), and you have what remained successful until it was pushed off to the side for Club Penguin.

I’ve always been much more interested in the Cogs than the toons when it came to this game. Their origins, which elaborated on with a simple flash animation within older installers for the game, are mostly unexplained. And, of course, the unified designs of just average, uncanny office workers with little variation except for head design and suit color dependent on department, are a specific, stylized sort of cool. There’s also probably something to say about my own personal experiences with work and neurodivergency and the want to be one, but that’s not the point.

The point now will turn political – despite the game being aimed at kids who could afford ten dollars a month to play, there are some specifics parts that addle to my now an adult brain, that make it think of the further lore implications, and what it means in the greater scheme of things. What do the Cogs represent? What does the war between the Toons and them mean? Of course, it’s also very easy to compare such a thing to the workforce in our own daily lives, and how big corporations play a role, reaching in, making evil decisions, and yet, giving us no choice but to consume their product. And what would I use any of this information for, to look into the implications of Cogs as a symbolism for real-life capitalism and its evils? Probably just rewording this entire paper into an essay to be posted on my website, but also, for my own fan-writings for the game, because, well, making fan content is fun.

My Search Process

The main treasure chest of information when it comes to Toontown Online nowadays is the Toontown Preservation Project, a website hosting game design documents, concept art, and much more, donated from the developers of Toontown Online while it was still active, such as Bruce Woodside. There’s also, of course, the many still-standing videos and posts on old forums about Toontown Online, as well as the gameplay that remains in private servers (mostly relevant to Toontown Rewritten, which is actually the group that runs the Toontown Preservation Project as well). The documentation is vast, encompassing things never implemented into the game, removed early or in beta testing, but for almost all of the conception, there is no use of the word Cogs to describe the Cogs. Instead, they are called Suits, and no discussion into the robotics parts, either.

However, these are not decisions that made it into the final game, and thus, could mean nothing at all in the long run. What was in the game, however, was Unites, a reward for completing a certain boss that replenished either your gags or your Laff (the toon equivilent of health), which were considered the most useful of boss rewards for obvious reasons. When a Unite was used, your Toon also shouts “Toons of the World,” and then a slightly varied prose based on the type of Unite. In addition, if you went a little bit out of your way, you could get a Speedchat (pre-picked) phrase of just “Toons of the world, Unite!”.

While if you had any clue of the book or the man behind it, you probably could’ve seen this coming, but there is something to be said of Toontown Online’s central themes and including a rip from “Workers of the world, unite” (Marx), which is straight from The Communist Manifesto. While it has never been confirmed, nor probably ever will, if the recycling from such a fundamental source of socialist theory was on purpose or merely a coincidence, it sure does work for my point here.

In addition, take into account the setting of the game, and how Toontown’s economy seems to hinge upon a plethora of small businesses, there is the obvious comparison one could make to themes of anti-monopolization. Toontown is defending itself against what the fate of plenty of smaller towns has become, which is depending on one or two companies to carry the entire area in terms of business, and while the Toon’s shops all serve all sorts of purposes (but being boiled down in gameplay to just throwing quests at you), the Cogs only have one overbearing one, so at least there’s one major reason to keep them out of sticking their stick into the ground.

What I Have Learned

What I can gather from all of this is actually pretty interesting into the accidental symbolism the Cogs have become over the years, as, in my own eyes, the unavoidable evils of a society that hinges on capitalism and the selfishness of product become more obvious. They are a stereotype, sure, but also a stripped-down truth to the place of most workers in the eyes of company – in the truest form of the word – just another cog in the machine. The robotism of Cogs can also be taken as a symbol of automation, as more of the bottom-line, repetitive work becomes shelved out by machinery and AI to replace humans, at the cost of jobs for those who do not have a specialization in anything at all, or who’s specialization has become the menial labor needed for these, such as factory work.

There’s little variation compared to the colorful forms of toonery you play as, having to fit into these molds, and perhaps, business stereotypes as the Cog types are most often named after. There is no deviation. You serve a purpose, serve it well, and that’s all there is to it. That’s your life purpose. Have fun doing that until you die.

I’m also not the only one who’s attempted to co-relate their own life to the satire situation of Cogs. During the research part, I was stumbling over some less than reliable sources of social media, and plenty of older Toontown Online players had ended up in office positions themselves, and mentioned how, in a way, they had become what they once fought against. Sometimes, this was more obviously aligned with the office positions shown in-game, with one user stating “When I was having an early 20s life crisis when the song Suit and Jacket by Judah and the Lion came out and I have a vivid memory of standing in the shower hating working at a bank and being pushed to ‘sell’ checking accounts and that’s when I had the sleeper memory of toontown cogs awaken in me” (goddessbotanic). In the system of modern life, where one has to almost kill themselves, emotionally or otherwise, just to be able to keep up with the frivalities of modern life, to keep a roof on their head, the best you can do is try and keep your tooniness alive, though only at the side.

What This Means to Me, and How I’ll Use It

I’ve always cared about little silly niche topics to try and explore like this. Though there is probably no true intention to any of the evidence brought upon the table except for really in-line coincidences, it all seems to add up to a more mature way of seeing a game I’ve cared about since my first years using a computer. I’m all too big on nostalgia – most of my best memories of technology were with the early 2010s net, which encompasses the later years of Toontown Online, as well as the earlier years of some of my other favorite games, as well as an era of content that wasn’t as dopamine-trapping and headache-causing as the modern internet feeds. Something like this is a bright, fresh light, and makes it all too easy to keep caring about Toontown Online.

Fortunately, I am not trying to embrace a grave. The spirit of Toontown Online still lives on in the form of private servers that keep the game running and available to play, and, in both spite of what made Toontown Online shut down in the first place and to avoid copyright troubles, entirely for free. The two most popular are Toontown Rewritten, which keeps to the base game for the most part for nostalgia reasons, and Toontown Corporate Clash, which adds new content and quality of life changes to change Toontown and modernize it into an all-new, exciting experience. I’ve invested a lot more hours than I would like to admit on a few renditions of these servers, but time having fun is not time wasted, despite what the Cogs think.

Works Cited

Marx, Karl, 1818-1883. The Communist Manifesto. London ; Chicago, Ill. :Pluto Press, 1996.

“r/Toontown - Ever Realise We Grew up to Be the Cogs?” Reddit, Dec. 2022, https://www.reddit.com/r/Toontown/comments/zmwjtm/ever_realise_we_grew_up_to_be_the_cogs/.

Luthin, Stefanie. “The Unique Anti-Capitalist Journey of Toontown Online.” VGA Gallery, VGA Gallery, 24 Mar. 2022, https://vgagallery.org/vga-zine/toontown-anti-capitalism.

Woodside, Bruce. “Toontown Preservation Project.” Finalized Suit Turnaround -- Toontown Preservation Project, Toontown Rewritten, 28 Aug. 2022, https://toontown.online/Finalized- Suit-Turnaround-4393ef3db89341638e8a55242b79ee0a

Toontown Preservation Project, Toontown Rewritten, https://toontown.online/

#toontown #toontown online #i have no idea how tumblr will take this but. hope you guys like big ol textposts at 8 in the fucking morning bc i have to go get ready #for class after posting this ^_^#nephro.txt #nephro.pdf

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