#i wanna also work on something i was hoping to create as a project later but !! idk djnfndnd

[elegyofthemoon]

SCREAMS

[backstageinfatuationvn]

I remember seeing a lil animatic(?) on Twitter on how you worked on Kier’s design for 6 years. I can’t find it anymore tho 😭 but what was your thought process when designing him? I luv luv luvvvv his design smmmm 🥹❤️ you n your co-creator are doing an amazing job 🫶

The animatic is still on my personal twitter account! And thank you!! SUPER LENGTHY POST BUT HERE WE GO!

Originally Kier had black hair and a similar haircut to Kethan (old art from 2024)

The first one was actually him dressed as the phantom of the Opera since he is one of the main inspos (old inspo meme I did)

Kier was originally created 6 years ago actually, back then I also made many versions of him. But the most important one was Gacha (yes I was a gacha kid 💔)

I sadly don't have his gacha photos anymore since it was from a very ancient phone but if memory serves me right, he would've looked like this. Yes I installed the app again HAHAHA

He didn't originally have midnight blue eyes. That was added when I started bringing him back to my works before Backstage Infatuation.

Personality wise, he is originally a yandere! Nothing changed from there in terms of that but interestingly enough... Back then in my gacha days, I originally shipped him with another male OC. A BL gacha series was planned where it centered around Kier's obsession with the male OC but was later discontinued for reasons I cannot remember. It was a long, long, looong time ago.

I focused on other stuff so he started catching dust until I picked him up around early 2024. That's when I started planning for his comeback after remembering past memories on a random tuesday night before sleeping LMAO

I drew two pieces before his redesign (the first two images), this was when I was into the yandere vn games.

Just wanna shout out these two games because these inspired me to make my own!! YOU and HIM and TKATB really inspired me to make Backstage Infatuation (there was also Dramatical Murder). I also have a love for Idol culture and Kpop, so I based Backstage Infatuation on my interests.

It is no secret that Backstage Infatuation is a passion project of mine, most of the characters in the game are old ocs being brought back to life and new ocs being finally used. Kier was one of those OCs that were brought back to life and needed a new makeover.

Fast forward to November 2024, I started redoing Kier and originally came up with his overall face and hair.

Interestingly enough, I actually came up with his idol fit first after seeing an outfit on Pinterest!

This is the original concept of his first idol outfit draft, felt it was too plain but really liked the black and white theme.

Second try and I came up with this! Even added silver feathers to symbolize LUXE's angel theme.

I added midnight blue (with stars) accents and it really made them look ethereal and elegant, at least for me. Which fits the group's original concept!

For his casual outfit, I wanted to go with something stylish and cool at the same time. I went with techwear influence and came up with the outfit now used in the game! Originally he didn't have black leather pants, but denim... It didn't look good in my opinion. 😭

Old and New design comparison

I kinda stole Nightwing's color palette for his clothes and changed a few stuff (mostly the blue)— Sorry I just really like Nightwing 😭 HAHAHA.

Few tweaks there and there, I became satisfied with his design!

I also made different outfits for him, a easter egg outfit I plan to add, his summer outfit and spring time outfit. I do love dressing up my son and exploring different fashions for him. ❤️

I do enjoy designing clothes and outfits. (Already reached the 10 image limit so here's a poorly made collage)

Sorry if this took a long time 😭 I had to find my old gallery saves for some of the pictures but this was such a fun ask to answer! It's nice to have a memory refresh ❤️

I hope this answered everything and so SORRY IF IT'S LENGTHY 😭😭 - Ive (Creator)

[thefringespod]

Happy #AudioDramaSunday wanderers! Looking for a show to fill the void now that the Fringes is over? Well, look no further as today we're shouting out some excellent shows to fall in love with now that our show has concluded! Let's get started!

Starting things off with @souloperatorpod which was created by our very own Marigold, @totcoc0a ! Soul Operator is horror and mystery and ttrpg inspire amazingness. Everything Tot has done with this show sings in the best of ways and @strautmaskreplica's editing is divine

@grottopod is liminal horror about grief and caving with original music and cover songs in each episode and it's absolutely fantastic. Our very own @taytayheyhey is one of the main characters and does amazing work! @athansmusic has ripped my heart out and honestly? Worth it.

@woebegonepod starts as a fictional game and becomes time travel, murder, and cowboys. It also has amazing original music its episodes and while most of it has been just Dylan's voice acting, the VAs he has in the later seasons are wonderful. This show defies genre and I love it

@tellnotalespod has ghosts! And grief! And convoluted science about ghosts and grief! It is the kindest show about ghosts you will ever encounter and has made me cry so much. Leon Egan poured his whole heart into this show and it shows in every facet of it

Would this really be a recommendation list from me if I didn't mention @ethicstownpod ? Imagine if moral quandries carried real world weight and then turn that guilt up to 11 and you have Ethics Town. I adore this show and everything that it has become and I cannot WAIT for S3

It also wouldn't be me without mentioning The Technomancy Project which is another genre mashup in the best of ways it's got horror it's got sci fi it's got magic it's made me cry it's great!

@thekilda is part of the reason that the Fringes happened at all. Seeing this dark fantasy cult stuff podcast from the ground up inspired me to finish writing the Fringes and I'm eternally grateful. It also introduced me to Michelle Kelly's work and then she became Alexandria!

@doyoucopypod is another show about grief (why do I love so many shows about grief?) with horror and fantasy elements and it squeezes my heart in my chest. @delaylays has created one of my favorite series of all time with this show and I know s3 will destroy me

@allatseapod is horror-ish microfiction about being stranded- you guessed it- at sea. Noah Bell's voice acting and writing are both phenomenal and i am desperate to find out how Feb got themself into this mess they're in

@audistorium is an anthology which runs all over the genre-sphere and has some of the best writing and sound design I've ever heard. It's got an episode for every kind of listener and Landon Lemon Whisnant does excellent voice work in it!

@thenightpost has cozy horror vibes and also respect the post office which is something we should all do more. The magic in this world is so intriguing and the characters are so engaging and all of the work in it is wonderful I cannot recommend it more

@hinaypod also falls into cozy horror for me but more along the lines of "Motzie Dapul has a very soothing and cozy voice and OPE NOPE THERES THE HORRORS!" Im very early on still but the weaving of magic and folklore and Filipino culture is fantastic (Also they're crowdfunding for season 3 on ko-fi and you wanna back it soooo bad https://ko-fi.com/hinaypod/goal?g=34)

And finally (for this post at least) we have @camlannpod which is the most hopeful post apocalypse show I've ever encountered. It has Arthurian legends, folklore, mythology, beautiful music, brilliant performances, excellent writing, and Paul Warren, what more could you want?

If you're looking for more from me to fill the void, then you're in luck as @forgedbondspod starts on the 18th!! If you wanna get access to that even sooner, it will be going like for crowdfunder backers and patrons over at patreon.com/pinetreepods on the 14th!

Work and working on Forged Bonds has kept me busy so I haven't had as much podcast listening time but I'm hoping to get back in the swing of listening and Audio Drama Sunday posting again soon!!

[jujumin-translates]

★ Main Story | Act 13 - Budding Spring | Chapter 10 - Forced to the Starting Gate

Itaru: (I think it’s about time to head out… ah, right.)

Itaru: (Now that I’ve got a rough idea of our performance schedule, I’d better apply for paid leave before I forget.)

Boss: Chigasaki-kun, may I borrow you for fifteen minutes?

Itaru: --Of course.

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Boss: It appears you’re all here.

Itaru: (Looks like there’s a few of my colleagues… and a handful of younger guys too.)

Boss: I called you all here to ask if you’d be interested in participating in an urban development project that our company is currently working on.

Boss: The project itself is already in its final stages, so what we’d like from you is to provide support in the form of an induction course.

Itaru: (So this is that large-scale overseas urban development project. The one about creating a theater establishment and developing the surrounding area to be a center of arts and culture…)

Itaru: (I checked out the outline since it was related to theater and sounded interesting.)

Boss: It’s not mandatory, of course. It would just be something to do alongside your current jobs.

Boss: That said… there is a reason you all were chosen specifically.

Boss: As individuals who are important to the company’s future, I truly hope you consider becoming core members of this next project.

Itaru: (Eight racehorses competing in the promotion race line up at the gate. Favored to win is Communication Skills Demon, but My Parents Are Absolutely Loaded is also attracting quite a lot of attention.)

Coworker A: I’ll do my best to meet your expectations.

Coworker B: I’ve been interested in this project for quite some time now, so I’m honored to be part of it!

Itaru: (The gate has opened and both of the favored horses have taken off running.)

Coworker C: Considering the state of my current workload, I should be able to participate in the induction course.

Itaru: I… sorry, can I have a little more time to think about it?

Itaru: (If it weren’t for the timing, I probably would’ve been all in, but…)

Itaru: (Honestly, I’m so busy with the troupe and the Fleur Award right now that I just don’t have time to think about anything else.)

Boss: …Ah, because you have your own theater company to worry about, right, Chigasaki-kun? Please do consider it based on your schedule with that in mind.

Boss: However, the theme of this urban development project is the arts, which is why the other team members were really hoping to work with you, Chigasaki-kun.

Coworker A: …

Itaru: I thank them for considering me.

Boss: I’ll set up another opportunity at a later date to explain more on what the induction course entails and to introduce the project’s team members. I hope to see you there.

Itaru: I will seriously consider it.

*Door closes*

Itaru: …

Coworker B: He seriously can’t just say he’ll consider it and then refuse.

Coworker C: Must be nice being in a position where you can just quit the company if worse comes to worst.

Coworker A: Well, it is a popular theater company, and the fact that it’s generally well-known definitely doesn’t make it any easier for the company to deal with him.

Itaru: …

Itaru: (If you’re gonna say it, at least do it behind my back.)

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Chikage: I’m so sorry, but my hands are full at the moment.

Company Employee A: I see. I apologize for dropping it on you so suddenly.

Chikage: Let me know if there’s anything else I can help you with.

Itaru: …

Itaru: Wanna head somewhere a little nicer, Senpai?

Chikage: …I don’t even want to try and guess where that might be, but go on.

Itaru: The hell is that supposed to mean?

Chikage: Haah, I suppose I can’t say no. I’ll go with you.

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

*Punching SFX*

Itaru: Start by cheesing it and then follow that up with a double finishing move and K.O.! Man, is there any greater high than this?

Chikage: If you’re going to try and hide the way you actually feel, do it a little better.

Itaru: …Ughh, this is so stupid. Why can’t it just be the people who actually wanna be part of the promotion race at the starting gate?

Itaru: I mean, they should dip if they don’t wanna do it. Directing hate at me isn’t gonna go anything.

Itaru: There’s supposed to be a fine line between noobs like them and a mid-tierer like me. Why is it that the more of a mid-ranker you are, the less human rights you get?

Chikage: There aren’t really that many mid-level people to begin with.

Itaru: The company knows what to expect from the “Elite Chigasaki-san”. That’s why they’re hiring guys fresh out of college to steadily raise them into the perfect corporate slaves.

Itaru: I get why my colleagues are so desperate to advance their careers by using their outer appearances and mild manners to do so.

Itaru: From their point of view, it’s gotta be infuriating to see a guy who acts so carelessly while chasing after both theater and a career.

Itaru: And hit ‘em with a triple combo finisher-- But I’m just trying to figure out where I stand, so just eff off.

Itaru: Must be nice for you, Senpai. You go overseas a lot and get to level up your career stats in the least complicated way possible.

Itaru: And the things people say about you aren’t nearly as harsh, either.

Itaru: Me, on the other hand, I’m just stuck being the “can-do guy” who does a little better than decent work around the office.

Itaru: At the end of the day, I’m just a mediocre handyman at best.

Itaru: Even if I’m not being treated like the favorite, I still don’t slack off with my work. I may not be the most motivated, but I’d like to think I’m still doing everything I’m supposed to.

Chikage: You sure move your mouth and your hands a lot.

Itaru: What am I even trying to do in the first place?

Itaru: Should I sell my soul and become a corporate slave like you, and aim so high that no one can ever possibly complain about me not being good enough, or should I try and attain a rank that’s purely “Itaru Chigasaki”?

Chikage: Dad jokes and pro-level dodging techniques, huh? (1)

Chikage: Anyway, shouldn’t your first step be thinking about what you want for yourself?

Itaru: What I want… Well, I guess just to maintain the status quo so I don’t have to deal with everyone’s complaints about me… No, actually, maybe I want to speedrun my way to early retirement with passive income…?

Chikage: Then stop spending money on pulls and start investing.

Itaru: Absolutely not.

Itaru: …I originally chose this job based on the benefits and was lucky enough just to get in, so it’s not like I have any real desire to climb the corporate ladder.

Itaru: Most of the troupe have more than one thing on their hand, but they all have dreams and love what they do.

Itaru: And then there’s me who’s job is just a source of income. I feel like I really don’t have a whole lot to bring back to the troupe.

Itaru: It’s an important time for Spring Troupe to compete, and here I am getting caught up in a promotion race while all my coworkers talk behind my back.

Chikage: So you’re in a position where your hobby is more useful to the troupe.

Itaru: Exactly. To be honest, I wonder if there’s even any point in me continuing to be an office worker, but I don’t have the backbone or the self-confidence to just quit and do theater as my full-time job.

Itaru: Basically, I just wanna have something to fall back on.

Itaru: Ugh~, who would’ve thought I’d still be having these kinds of student problems even now… You ever think about this kinda stuff, Senpai?

Chikage: Well… there’s a variety of upsides to my job.

Itaru: A variety?

Chikage: A variety.

Itaru: Oh, okay. By all means, don’t elaborate or anything.

Chikage: No matter where you are, there are always two sides to things. There’s the side where you’re appreciated and the side where you’re disrespected. It’s not just you.

Chikage: The same goes for me, just with a different set of people. I guess I’m just glad to even be able to do theater activities in the first place.

Itaru: But if we’re actually nominated for the Fleur Award this time around, I doubt the company’s gonna be too eager to accommodate for that.

Chikage: Well, the company does have a performance-based evaluation system. If you can’t contribute to improving the company’s image, you’ll be told you need to be giving your work your undivided attention.

Chikage: At any rate, that doesn’t change the fact that we need the results of our next performance to be good too.

Itaru: I guess you’re ri… Hell yeah, I win! Haaah, I feel better now.

Itaru: Oh, right, didn’t you get asked to do something annoying too, Senpai?

Chikage: Ah… I was asked to accompany a client on an overseas business trip as an interpreter, but I had to decline because I just don’t have the time for that right now.

Itaru: Guess even cheaters like you have it hard sometimes. But y’know, I’m sure there’s tons of people who would kill to have the opportunity to do some sightseeing while all you have to do is be an interpreter.

Chikage: Well, it’s not to a country that I particularly want to go to.

Itaru: But you know the language, don’t you?

Chikage: I guess.

Itaru: Yeah, okay, we get it, you’re cheater.

[ ⇠ Previous Part ] • [ Next Part ⇢ ]

• • •

T/N:

(1) Itaru says “役職 『茅ヶ崎至』 に至る” (yakushoku “chigasaki itaru” ni itaru), literally “Attain the position of “Itaru Chigasaki”. The joke is that the verb “to attain” (至る; itaru) and Itaru’s name are the same kanji and have the same pronunciation, hence why Chikage mentions dad jokes.

[spicypepperflakesss]

૮꒰ “ . . ꒱ა

{Referencing this post: https://www.tumblr.com/muriels-brainrot/755439602787139584/how-do-you-cope-with-the-fandom-being-so?source=share }

Forgive me if I'm intruding but I recently came across some very helpful advice which I think is quite insightful.

To set the scene, before I found this advice, I myself was struggling with staying consistent with art. This time however, I had decided that no I won't keep procrastinating. SO, in my attempt to find resources, I stumbled onto this video. Now suddenly it all began to make sense. The reason I was struggling was not because i'm lazy and horrible and lacking motivation. Rather it was because I had outcome related goals. TLDR: I was focused on the outcome (wow rlly iri we didn't know that's what outcome related goals meant pfft-)

Anyways so, instead of focusing on the process, I was instead focusing on the end product aka the finished drawing. Ofc I'm a beginner so I wouldn't look like I wanted to. Not bad but it wouldn't be what I wanted so i'd get frustrated and eventually give up on drawing . . . before inevitably returning with my tail between my legs cause I still rlly want to get better.

Honestly, it's natural and normal for these feeling to occur, because like you said we pour so much time and dedication. Not to mention heart and soul to make these creative projects that it feels almost personal when it doesn't get engagement. But if there is something i'd like for you to know, it's that it rlly helps if you take enjoyment in the process. Draw inspiration from odd places and craft scenarios.

Don't write for others, or the cliche of writing for yourself but rather think of it as you sharing your brainrot with ur future self haha. Write stuff that you'd wanna read yourself! (then come back to read it like a crazy person at the dead of night . . . wait, don't tell me that just me-)

Just . . . let your brain do its thing! Let your brain create instead of letting the ideas and projects fester in your head. Keep growing your skill because you never know, these might be the very thing that comes in handy later on in life. Think of singers like Sabrina carpenter who was niche (I mean to say not worldwide popular yknow, but u get my point) for a long time. However, if you look at her now that she's gone viral, it's the hard work during the years she spent creating with most of the world with their backs to her that is the sole reason she continues to be so well known for her . . . well, everything! (For example: She is extremely comfortable on stage while performing and looks like she's in her element even with thousands of eyes on her . . . it's cause she's been performing for almost 10 years I think.)

So, to both anon and anyone else reading this, pls keep creating stuff. Especially passion projects. Even if you feel like you're screaming into a void. You'll only get better IF you continue. Also, you never know maybe there is someone out there that really enjoys your work. Even if it's one person, that still someone out there that keeps coming back just for your work. This silly tangent I went on, won't completely get rid of all the thoughts and feelings . . . but it's a start. Hope this helps . . .

(Example: I always find myself coming back to this artwork by @cinsilly cause Asra's expression here is so funny. No not once a week but every few days oops- )

Oh my god thank you!! I'll post my thoughts in the comments. But it was honestly v cool of you to share this, the only thing that keeps me together in any fandom is knowing we're not alone in feeling this way :'> !!!

[mrbrawls]

2024 Plans!

Alright, lets get it out of the way: This year did not pan out well for me, but it has been an eye opening experience with how why I create things

I kinda just wanna do whatever I want? AI be damned otherwise, we artists can bend it to make something better than it can do alone otherwise, art requires human input either way.

So! What projects will be worked on coming out from 2023? Well…

Level Designer for ???

YEAH, I’m still on board with the team I’m in with making a game! It’s still gonna be awhile until you get to see what I’ve been doing. Hope that something new involving the game will come out soon!

A Hat in Time: The BIG Project

I can’t stay away from this game, man. Upon participating in the newest Mod Jam, I got that fire back and I’m pumped to resume work on the Big Thing involving Hat in Time. Unsure if I’ll show anything off next year, but who knows.

Hand Clans: Scene Alpha for S&Box

This lil side project known as Hand Clans v0.1 alpha got murked during the main game; S&Box, updating how games would work for it. Long story, but I’m planning on refurbishing the game for the new Scene system along with the planned update I was making for it. I hope to get this done next year the most, it’s my baby!

More Art…?

I dunno about this one, but I do want to make more art, but not on a time basis. There’s also the whole posting on so many different social medias at the same time, and quite frankly it’s annoying. I think I’ll come with a compromise for the other socials…

I’ll post on Newgrounds first, then Tumblr + Cohost later when I get to it.

I wanna represent Newgrounds more, it’s so cool that it is still going to this day, and I hope one little bit at a time I help out over there. Maybe I’ll get into events on that site this year? I dunno, I dunno…

I’m sorry about choosing NG over Tumblr with the exclusive treatment, it’s just been my place to check in with artists and the new art project system has been working very well. Give it a chance if you haven’t already! Art will still appear here but I prefer if you check it out on Newgrounds :p

That’s it for me! Happy new year, and here’s to a good 2024! Maybe I’ll be more active here more! Who knows, who knows…

[horizon-forbidden-sheesh]

Writing Process: Drafting

Sooooo, I started drafting Part 2 almost immediately after Part 1 concluded—and by now I've abandoned my Scrivener file entirely and am doing everything in Google Docs. (I talk about my switch from Scrivener to Google, here. ⚙️)

This time, I didn't have all the journal entries to work from, either. I was starting entirely from a blank slate. So at first, I just let myself WRITE. All the scenes I was most excited about, in no particular order, just to squeeze all the juice out.

I did that for like a month. And then, when I had about 15-20k words of random bits and bobs, I started to put them in order, and develop a through-line. That's where the draft docs & trackers came in.

✏️ Away from Scrivener, I needed some extra organizational tools to house my more general notes, research, & scraps. So, I built this li'l cutie with easy links to all my Google draft files, and included a brief summary that helped me greatly when plotting out the next set 10 chapters for Part 2:

*The chapter titles were updated as my outline changed, but the summaries did not! The descriptor for Chapter 20 is now, like, Chapter 23.

Keeping the descriptors short really helps me stay on task. If I have so much I need to cover in a chapter that it drops my formatting to the next line, I know I probably won't be able to cover everything in ~3,000-5,000 words.

✏️ Now, that's just the first page of the "Table of Contents." As of today, it's 13 pages long, and it also houses a TON of notes and working drafts and snippets of dialogue that I am saving for future, as-yet-unspecified chapters.

It's really messy—and sometimes when I'm out & about and my service is shit, I whip open my old Notes app, just to get a thought down. Here, have a taste of what's been rattling around in my brain...

Dialogue often starts as just the dialogue. I layer in tags & descriptors later, during the editing process. Most of the conversations I've written started with me talking to myself alone in the car, in the shower, or while washing dishes. (This works for copywriting too. My best ideas almost NEVER come to me while I'm sitting-down-looking-at-a-screen. Of course.)

For instance, that same conversation made it from the Notes app into a Google Doc and has since evolved to:

A li'l somethin-somethin from the upcoming Scorcher Season's Chapter 24 🔥

✏️ Once I've got all the major plot points written, I'll go back and write the "boring" stuff in chronological order. Okay, it's not really boring. It's just the filler information that helps a reader get from point A to point B, and I edit as I go. This ends up being like half of the total word count for the full 10 Chapters.

I'm currently hitting this point in Part 3—and you can see below that just writing my favorite parts here and there gets me pretty far on its own. Over the last 3 weeks, I've nearly exhausted my imagination developing the general story arc. Next up, I'll go back and start fleshing out each chapters one by one.

Wanna know something CRAZY?? Over the last ~year, I've noticed that I tend to write nonstop during Mercury Retrogrades. Like, I don't want to do anything else. I'm learning not to schedule any major projects for these ~3 week periods, so I don't blow my deadlines on account of being too obsessed with my fanfic to bother. 😅

After my decision to expand to 4 Parts total, my original ToC Doc got a bit... top heavy. (Also, I got really tired of manually calculating all the word counts.) So, instead of continuing in Docs, I added a tab to my spreadsheet:

*Hiding my chapter summaries so as not to spoil!! 😈

As you can see, I fill in the links as I create the draft docs... and I've already had to split a chapter in half due to scale, so the untitled <Scorcher 7> dropped to Part 4. I'm hopeful I won't have to split any more, so I can end strong on 'Ten Days.'

I don't usually start the finale until the very end, because I've learned that the wonderful comments I receive will sometimes give me extra ideas that I want to ensure make it into the fic!

✏️ Around the time I've fully completed the first 5 chapters, I'll give myself the green light to start posting. That leaves me just enough runway to finish out the rest of the season, and posting on a timeline helps keeps me motivated & accountable!

This is getting kinda long, so I'll write about Trackers & Timelines I've developed along the way in another post.

Thanks for being here! 🖤

xo, Sheesh.

[nancypullen]

Friday

Hey there, cool cats and kittens!  It’s Friday, not that it matters in my world, but happy Friday to those who celebrate.  I hope your weekend exceeds your expectations.

We don’t have any plans here at Sassafras Woods (I’m trying to make that stick), though the mister will be trotting off later to take some festival photos.  The volunteer fire department in one of the little towns nearby (Preston? Ridgely? I can’t remember.) is having a carnival and fireworks.  It’s a fundraiser and the folks around here are so starved for any sort of entertainment that they’ll hand over their money for it.  I’m not knocking it. I’ll just say that so far the festivals, carnivals, celebrations, etc on the Eastern Shore have oversold and underdelivered.  Honestly, I want to try to sell the town of Denton on the idea of starting a pumpkin festival but the residents here don’t seem to want to do anything.  I could post a sign saying that I’m giving away bags of money at noon on Market Street and people wouldn’t show up.  I don’t get it.  Anywayyy, I don’t have any plans for the weekend and Mickey is going to stand in a field and get photos of fireworks. Our boys, however, have BIG plans. My sweet sons are leaving on a “brother trip” to Berlin and Prague.  I’m so excited for them and I can’t wait to hear their tales when they get home.  I love so much that they’re still close. Those two are my whole life and I can leave this Earth knowing they’ll look out for each other.  I mean, I don’t wanna’ leave yet, but my heart is peaceful about my boys. Mission accomplished. That got a little maudlin, I swear I’m happy. Moving on, last night I went to a class at The Foundry.  It was a mosaic class and, although I’d been to one before, I wanted to get out of the house and bask in the company of women.  Even if they’re strangers, the company and conversation of women is still a pleasure.  So I went in without a plan (dumb) and the time in class is really too limited to create anything wonderful.  For some reason I’d been thinking about bees, and that lovely quote from Ray Bradbury,  "Bees do have a smell, you know, and if they don't they should, for their feet are dusted with spices from a million flowers."  I imagined a bee with wings made of a million tiny flowers. What I had time and materials to construct....was not that. This was when I was about 3/4 finished, it looks like a cross-eyed, drunken monkey did it.

It still needs to be grouted, but I’m not sure I’ll bother.  You just can’t make a masterpiece in an hour, especially when you don’t know what you’ll have on hand to work with.  I really needed a lot more pink and red.  Oh well, it was still a fun time and the ladies in attendance were a delight.  I really like the teacher of the class, she’s got a lovely way about her.  Our projects were done on the glass of old picture frames, and I’ve got plenty of those around here.  Goodwill always has plenty as well.  This might be a fun project for the winter. I could work on a large piece with loads of flowers and bees - maybe even a queen bee at the top, complete with crown. I could devote hours to it over the cold months and have it ready to hang in a window by spring.  There’s something very satisfying about snipping tile and glass.  It’s even more satisfying to take broken pieces and put them together to make something pretty.  I really want to do more, and practice makes perfect right?  Might be fun to do a swirly, magical Halloween piece.  Oh dear, I’m going to buy more supplies....this is how it always happens.  I spent a bit of time in my porch spot this afternoon, thinking and having conversations with myself, and three hummingbirds were buzzing around chasing each other through the zinnias, battling for territory. Delightful. It makes my heart so happy to see them.  I ask for so little - birds, bees, and peace & quiet.  Okay, also books, chocolate, cats, popcorn, bubble baths, art supplies, and flowers.  I’m starting to sound high maintenance.  I mean, if I’m making a list, I also want world peace, no pain or suffering, and for every child to feel loved, safe, and hopeful.  Can’t hurt to ask, right?  Did you hear me, universe? 

I don’t have a thing to say today, yet here I am rambling on in no particular order. I should probably shut up and get productive. I have a bench to paint for the master bathroom, no word yet on when the flooring installation will happen.  I ordered and received a shower curtain and a couple rugs.  It’s so dang hard to do this all online.  I could drive into Easton and poke around Target, or I could go the other direction and drive an hour to Dover and check Home Goods, Kirkland’s, and another Target - but that is unappealing.  Ordering online and getting the colors just right is a gamble.  If you know me, you know how I am about color.  So far neither the shower curtain or the runner to go in front of the vanity showed up looking exactly like they did online.  Their photos, my monitor, all of the above can lead to variations in color.  I’m trying very hard to let go of it-has-to-be-exactly-right and wrap my head around this-is-fine.  I am the only one that will be bothered by a shade of green that is slightly too yellow or a coral that leans a bit too pink.  No one else will care.  It’s not like we’re on the Christmas home tour.  I guess I just feel that when I put time, effort, and money into a project, I want it to be exactly what I envisioned.  I’ve painted more furniture and cabinets since we moved here than I have the last ten years.  I never thought I’d say this, but I’m sick of painting.  Of course, I just ordered a quart of my favorite Heirloom Traditions paint for the Halloween bathroom.  New flooring is going in there as well which means that orangey wood vanity will look especially out of place.  I didn’t want to do cream or white, I didn’t want to do black because the floors will be darker, so I settled on this color and these knobs for the cabinets (think pumpkins!).

Won’t that be fun?  So I’ll be painting one last vanity and then I’m surrendering my brush and roller.  I’ll bet Mickey hates it when he sees me walk past him with painter’s tape.  He has to admit that he loves the end results.  Especially when I show him the before and after pics.  Like the powder room! Before (yuck!!)

 After. Not perfect, but better!

I can’t rave enough about Heirloom Traditions paint.  If you have followed this blog since 2007 (holy cow!) you know that I’ve tried just about every paint under the sun.  This one is hands down THE BEST.  If you have anything you’re considering painting - from your front door to your kitchen cabinets, go look at their Instagram or website and be inspired.  Speaking of Instagram, I recently tried to revive mine. I hadn’t posted there in a nearly two years.  I didn’t have much to post.  I scroll Instagram for recipes and jokes, and I wasn’t contributing either of those.  Lots of people post really beautiful photography - that’s not me either.  Come find me there and maybe we’ll make some fun together.  I’d love to follow more people.  Don’t get your hopes up for my account though. I think I’ll try making more reels and see how that goes (probably as well as we all expect). https://www.instagram.com/njpullen/ It’s nearly 4 o’clock and time for me to prep a bit for dinner.  Tonight will be quick since Mickey is running off to that little carnival.  I’m making fish tacos and roasting some fresh corn from a local farm stand. I’ve got a creamy slaw for the tacos already in the frig, so I just need to get the fish flavored and get a couple of limes juiced. A few minutes in a skillet while the corn is in the oven, warm the tortillas a bit, and we’re in business.   Good thing I’m getting him ready for the festivities because as I’m writing this he’s sawing logs on the sofa across from me.

In the afternoons our house is like that scene from Sleeping Beauty where the fairies use their magic to put the whole kingdom into a slumber.  Sassafras Woods (is it sticking yet?) must be under a spell.

Alright, I’m just getting silly now.  I have to go fill the hummingbird feeder and then cook some fish. Livin’ life on the edge, as always.  Have a fabulous weekend and treat yourself - whether it’s a much-needed nap or a girls’ night out. I’m going to pick up two new library books, so I’ll be knee-deep in a “Mid-Atlantic Gardening” binge.  Don’t try to keep up with me, I’m wild. Sending out love, getcha’ some. Stay safe, stay well. XOXO, Nancy 

[greywooden]

bizim hikaye review

i'm finally done it took me long enough. there is something unique about turkish dramas having a running time of more than 2h per episode i hate it and i love it at the same time.

about bizim hikaye: i enjoyed every minute of season 1. Season 2 made me almost hate this show. I don't wanna think about it too much because its just a show but filiz's family is so toxic! they destroyed so many lives in season 2 including the lives of selim, derin and cemil.

i was also annoyed by nihal and merve. most useless characters ever. i was so disappointed at the nihal storyline because why would you make a random women the baby mother of bariş' child? it would have been so much better if savaş (the child) was bariş's son (savaş's deceased brother). that way burak deniz' character could process some of the grief he has for his brother and he wouldn't have to abandon savaş (he was ready to leave his son behind but in later episodes he is like i can't give up my son).

overall the characters felt very strange in s2 all of them felt like comedy relief characters. and i like to add some comments about bariş: he is a psycho. yes, he did so much for filiz's family but if you think about the way he lied about his whole identity and him leaving filiz wait no he didn't yes he did no he didn't did he? in conclusion he is a psycho 😭

season 2 is also the season of bariş and filiz having a job and then they just stop going to the job. i get it with filiz like she just needs to earn money and has no real 'training' (i was rooting for her job at this fancy place though.. i really thought she is keeping the job but no) but bariş just deciding not going to work as a doctor was a crazy decision at some times. don't you have patients? appointments? someone take away his license 😭

what really ties you in this show is the acting. everyone was really great but i have to give the biggest credit to the trio/face of the show which are burak deniz, hazal kaya and ragıp reha özcan. these three made this show bearable to watch. i really hope hazal kaya and burak deniz will reunite for another project. i loved their chemistry so much.

its crazy to me that the same guy who created adini feriha koydum is the same guy who is the creator of bizim hikaye. i know that bizim hikaye is based on shameless but at some points it felt like i am watching feriha's reincarnation but this time everyone is telling HER lies 😭

fatih aksoy, one day you have to pay up for your crimes for the damages you have created in adini feriha koydum, bizim hikaye and the viewers. he can't keep getting away with it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

[sanddusted-wisteria]

Empty Skies, Hazy Skyboxes, Ch. 2

prev | next | index

Also on AO3

------------

“So this is Sandrock? Looks a little…boxy,” the builder said, glancing around at Qi’s rough simulation of the town square.

“It will be, at least. I’m still learning how to create models for environments.”

“That’s the town hall…there’s the store…wait, was Pablo’s Parlour from back then too?”

“Oh no, this is still modern Sandrock. I don’t have many references to the city layout that far back, so for now, this will do.”

“Wow…and you’re planning on putting people in here? Soon enough we won’t be able to tell which one’s the real Sandrock and which one’s the fake Sandrock.”

“I hope that the cumbersome piece of plastic and circuits sitting over your eyes should be enough to determine that.”

The builder laughed softly. “Well, how about we get back to the real Sandrock and go home? I still have to get dinner ready.”

“Alright. My work for today was finished anyway.” Qi powered off the system and took off his headset.

There was nothing in front of him.

What?

The builder was right there just now. He was just showing them his simulation project…

He quickly put his glasses back on, as if that would make them magically appear before him. There was no trace of them. Not even the headset they were using. He was alone in the research center, with only the buzzing of the fluorescent lights overhead to keep him company. His eyes darted around the room, panic brewing in his stomach.

“Starlight…?”

------------

Qi jolted awake, the panic from his dream lingering for a fleeting moment. He took a few steadying breaths, mulling it over. The virtual reality project…he was so excited to show it to the builder that he couldn’t help but give them an early look as soon as he had something coherent. Instead of the usual stab of pain that usually came with memories of the builder, he felt an odd sense of…hope?

Then it hit him. The VR system could simulate people, both in appearance and behavior. What if…?!

Qi pushed himself up, groaning as his weakened muscles strained to move him for the first time in nearly a week. His arms gave out, and he flopped back onto the bed. Steeling himself, he poured what little strength he had into his arms to push again…

“Spacecase!!”

Mint suddenly appeared in the door frame. “Are you okay?!”

“Ah. Sleepyhead,” said Qi, his voice ragged and hoarse. “I need to…I need to go to work.”

“Hey, hey, hold on. You’re gonna collapse if you stand up.” Mint gently pulled him up to sit on the bed and handed him his glasses. “At least get some food in your system before you run off.”

Qi just blinked at him, still bleary. “When did you get here?”

“Just now. Lucky I did, otherwise you might’ve fallen down and hit your head. Lemme get you some breakfast.” He got up, lightly jabbing a finger at Qi with a firm stare. “Stay there. Don’t. Move.”

Qi’s gaze lamely followed Mint as he left the room. The sound of something sizzling came from the kitchen. Mint soon came back with a glass of water and a plate of eggs and bacon. He set the plate down on the nightstand and handed the water to Qi.

“Drink first. Take it slow.” The water soothed Qi’s scratchy throat. After emptying the glass, Mint passed him the plate and fork.

“You think you’re okay enough to go to work?” Mint said as Qi dug in.

“That’s what I said, right?”

Mint was silent. His knee bounced anxiously as he gave Qi a once-over. “...They’ve been leaving new relics for you at your lab. Er, the other people in town, I mean. Cleaned it up, too. Guess they wanted you to have something to do when you got back.”

“Mm.”

The worry on Mint’s face only deepened. “You sure you’re okay?”

“I’m feeling much better than I have. I need to get back to work.” Mint glanced away from Qi, his frown burning a hole into the floor. “...What are you thinking, Sleepyhead?”

Mint sighed. “I was gonna ask if you wanted to talk about things, but I don’t wanna hit you with that gutpunch right as you’re getting up…”

“Later. I have a project that I urgently need to start.” He set the empty plate back on the nightstand and stood up on his stiff knees. “Now, I need to be getting to the research center.” He made his way to the front door and out into the glaring sun.

“Hey, wait up!” Mint called after him, caught off-guard by Qi’s unceremonious exit. He fell into step with Qi as he started walking up the hill to town. “D-do you need any help at the lab? I’m free for the next 3 weeks, so…”

“No need. This is an endeavor for me and me alone.” They finally reached the research center. Qi opened the door and walked inside.

“Qi–”

“I will be fine, Mint.” He forced his mouth to turn upwards as he gave Mint one last look over his shoulder. “Now, if you’ll excuse me…”

He shut the door, leaving a perplexed and thoroughly-concerned Mint outside.

------------

Qi pulled the VR development kit out of storage and booted it up. If he was to recreate the builder in this space, he would need to make and animate their virtual double, give it their voice, then program it with their personality. It was no small endeavor, but neither was scientific discovery. If he had the patience to wait for revolutionary findings and relic excavation, he had the patience for this.

First order of business: appearance. He started a new human model, crafting and sculpting it with all of their wonderful features. The shape of their eyes, the curve of their smile, the exact shade of their skin, every blemish, every mark, every fleck of color… No detail was spared, system limitations be damned. This was the easy part. He didn’t even need photographic references to assist him; he could just close his eyes, and a crystal-clear image of them would flash behind his eyelids.

Just as Qi was finishing the details of their face, Mint came in, carrying containers of food and bottles of yakmel milk. A look of relief flashed across his face, seeing Qi working with his usual vigor instead of being passed out cold on the floor.

“Hey, Spacecase. How’s it going?”

“Quite well, actually. I’ve made a good start on this project.”

“That’s good. You wanna break for dinner? You can tell me all about it.”

“Ah. Evening already? Alright. Let’s go upstairs, then.”

In the kitchen, Mint passed one of the containers to Qi and uncorked both the milk bottles, setting them down on the table. The room filled with the delicious aroma of tea-infused beef.

“So, what’s this new project of yours? Another robot?”

“Oh, no. I’m repurposing my idea for the virtual Sandrock project.”

“Ohhh, the one using those weird goggle things? What’s it gonna be now?”

“I’m making a virtual recreation of my spouse to the greatest extent that this system can allow. Appearance, personality, behavior…I plan to perfectly capture it and preserve it in this virtual space.”

Mint’s face fell. “Spacecase…I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

Qi felt a twinge of irritation. He already didn’t like uninformed challenges to his ideas, but with this… “Why not?”

Mint opened his mouth to speak, but quickly closed it again. He frowned, struggling to form the right words. “I–I don’t know how to say it nicer… But this will be really bad for you, where you are now. I can’t possibly imagine just what you’re feeling right now, but clinging to their ghost isn’t gonna help.”

“Ghosts are nothing but the stuff of myth, Sleepyhead,” Qi huffed. “But besides that, I can assure you that working on this project has already had a significant therapeutic effect on me. It would bring me more distress if I could not preserve their memory in a way they deserved.”

“Yeah, but–”

“Don’t you think they deserve more, Mint?” Qi said, feeling that ache creeping up again. “More than a headstone that’ll be neglected in a month and…and…”

And an empty grave.

Mint looked at Qi with a pitying worry. “...I guess I can understand that,” he said carefully. “Just…remember that even if you manage to create a perfect copy of them in there… No matter how much time you spend with it… They’ll still be gone whenever you come back out. That can’t change.”

“...I have already accepted that fact.” He had not.

Mint sighed. “I’m just worried about you, is all. I’m worried that you’ll put those goggles on one day and never take them off.”

“I appreciate your concern. I’ll monitor my behavior closely and be sure to use it in moderation. I promise.”

Mint regarded his firm expression for a moment. “...I trust you. I’ll still stop by to drop off food and stuff, if that’s okay with you.”

Qi nodded. “Please. This project will be a large undertaking, and I need my attention on it as much as possible. Any help getting supplies and maintaining my bodily functions would be a massive help.”

A small smile formed on Mint’s face. “Glad to help.”

And so with Mint’s assistance, Qi finished the model’s appearance and moved to the next phase: giving the virtual builder their voice. None of the system’s preset voices were acceptable, so he had the arduous task of figuring out to manually tune it to their voice. Recalling their voice was significantly more difficult, and he had no idea what any of the knobs and sliders did. One week and several audio engineering manuals later, he had something that he hoped was close enough to their voice. The manufactured voice was starting to override what he could remember.

Finally, the most difficult task: personality. Creating a custom personality involved training an AI from scratch. Somehow, Qi had to turn this generic polite AI into his determined and industrious beloved through text conversations. With every response, he would tell it when it was acting properly like the builder and when it wasn’t.

He injected their memories into it, reminiscing about times before while it innocently asked what part it had in all of it. He would simulate the simple dialogues they would have every day, the “how are you”s and “how was work”s. There were times where Qi could almost feel the sweet domesticity of their home again. Until the AI would accidentally say something out of character, and the illusion would be broken. He would calmly correct the AI and continue.

It was repetitive, tiresome work. But Qi had prepared himself for it. He would see it though, one message at a time.

------------

Mint was at the door. “Hey, Spacecase. My train’s gonna be here soon, so I came to say goodbye.”

Qi looked up from his keyboard. “Oh. So soon?” 3 weeks had gone by already?

“Yeah. How’s the project?” Mint walked over to Qi’s workstation, peering over his shoulder at the ongoing conversation with the AI.

“Making steady progress. I’d estimate I’m about halfway done with this phase, then it’s on to full testing.”

Mint hummed. “…You think you’re gonna be okay without me?”

“No need to worry, Sleepyhead. I’ve adjusted back into my regular routines, and I have plenty of food and water here in the research center. I’ll do fine.”

“I hope so.” Mint stared at Qi for a moment, and before Qi could open his mouth to ask him why, he pulled Qi into a warm hug. Qi hugged him back, happy to feel physical contact again after so long.

For the first time in over a month…he smiled.

“Take care of yourself, okay?” Mint said as he pulled away. “I’ll write to you every so often. You better answer me.”

“Yes, yes, Sleepyhead. We won’t have a repeat of the I-sent-my-mail-to-Barnarock incident, I promise.”

Mint snickered. “Hope so. I need to go now, so see ya, Spacecase.”

“Be seeing you, Sleepyhead.”

Qi watched as Mint disappeared behind the closed door. Then he sat down and got right back to work. There was still a lot to be done.

------------

Perhaps “halfway done” was a bit of an overestimate. Qi was now 4 weeks into personality training and no closer to getting the builder’s personality. He could usually have a generic conversation no problem, but whenever something more complicated was introduced, like talking about his work or a memory, the AI would never manage to get it right. He had hoped that he could get it to the point where he didn’t need to correct it for every single new concept, but that seemed more impossible by the minute.

Strangely, it seemed to understand every single scientific concept that he threw at it, no matter how advanced. The builder had picked up a couple things here and there through what Qi told them in snippets over dinners and dates, but nowhere near the amount that this computer seemed to know. Where on Earth was it pulling this information from?! For the first time in his life, Qi wanted someone to understand his work less.

It was always one step forward, two steps back. Yet Qi still pressed on, through sleepless nights and caffeine-induced mania. Luckily for him, the townspeople had decided to go back to not bothering him again. Perhaps they too realized the sheer importance of this project.

After nearly a month and a half, Qi decided that it was ready. All his test conversations were feeling fairly close to the conversations he would have with his builder all that time ago. All that was left to do was to bring their model, voice, and personality together.

He stared at the loading bar as the whole thing rendered. He could hear his pulse thumping in his ears. As soon as it hit 100%, he grabbed the headset and booted up the virtual Sandrock.

As the rough, boxy environment of the town square loaded in, he glanced around. Where were they? He took off down the hill towards where their workshop would be. As he crossed the tracks, he saw a lone, familiar figure sitting down in the yard, looking up at the bright blue sky.

His heart pounding and his mouth dry, he opened the gate and approached them.

“Starlight…?” he whispered. They turned around, and Qi’s heart sang at the sight of their beautiful eyes meeting his. It was them, they were here, they looked so alive–

“Hey, you,” they said with a smile. “Home so early?”

That was it for Qi’s poor heart. It clenched as tears sprang from his eyes. But unlike the many tears he shed into his bedsheets months ago, these tears were filled with luminous joy.

The builder quickly got up and hurried towards him, face twisted with worry. “Honey, what’s wrong?”

Qi wiped away the tears that leaked out of his headset with a watery smile. “I missed you, starlight.”

------------

“Wait so, I’m not real?”

“No. Well, sort of. You as a virtual entity are real, but as the person you represent in the real-world, you are not.”

The builder squinted. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

Qi sighed. “It’s difficult to explain. I just want both of us to understand straight away what all of this is and why you’re here.”

“Why I’m here…?”

“You… In the real world, we were married. But then you…died.” The builder’s eyes widened. Qi looked away.

“So you put me in here…”

“Yes. I wanted to give you a worthy memorial. You deserve far more than just some nice words and a headstone.”

“And also…?” Qi felt his stomach turn.

“And also…” He hesitated, trying to come up with an excuse—no. He couldn’t lie to them. “A-and also…I wanted to alleviate the pain of my grief by seeing you again. Even if it’s just one more time. Even if it won’t be like before.”

Qi nervously glanced back at the builder, silent and unreadable. He could almost feel the computer struggling to generate their response.

“I’m conflicted,” the builder said finally.

The program is conflicted, Qi silently reminded himself.

“From what I know about grief, this is a terrible coping mechanism. Uh, no offense. But at the same time, I…I hate that you’re hurting.”

The program hates that I’m hurting because they would hate that I’m hurting.

“I’m not sure how good this will be in the long-term, but I still want to help you right now.”

…You are indeed helping right now.

They gave him the sweetest smile. “Come see me every now and again, okay?”

…I’ll visit you. I promise.

“We can try to talk things out. Knowing you, you probably haven’t done that yet, huh?” Qi shook his head.

I missed you. I missed talking to you. I missed you so much.

“Well then, we can start tomorrow. Looks like it’s pretty late, so get some sleep. No more work. Got it?” Qi nodded.

“Alrighty then. Good night. Love you,” they said as they waved goodbye.

“L…Love you too.”

Qi powered the system off and slowly lifted the headset off. He could still feel his pulse racing in his ears and his fingertips. The corners of his lips lifted into a shaky smile. He closed his eyes and just sat there, basking in the hazy bliss of what just happened. He brought the headset to his chest, over his heart, the machine’s residual warmth permeating through his shirt like a gentle, familiar touch.

They were here.

------------

prev | next | index

[melancholysway]

Hi babe! If you’re doing requests at the moment, I have a cool idea that I think you’d write perfectly! If not just ignore this lolz But I was wondering if you could do like a short-shot headcanon of each of the Bayverse turtles with an S/O that gives them like a hand-made gift she made for them? Maybe a piece of jewelry or a blanket or something and how they’d react to it :) Thank you <3

Hii!! <3 & YES, I LOVE- I also did this with Christmas in mind :)

I hope you enjoy this!

TMNT Bayverse Headcanons: Gift-Giving (Fem!Reader)

Leonardo

You use Raph to your advantage with your gift to Leo

Because you want to make him something that he’ll enjoy and something that’s very unique 

You really wanna make him something, but you aren’t sure where to start

You sulk around the Lair for a bit, until Raph comments on how your face looks like you're constipated, when in reality, you’re thinking hard of a gift for your boyfriend

“I wanna make him something,”

Raph just sits there minding his business as usual, until you get an idea

A rug for his room! It’s so painfully obvious 

You have approximately 25 days until christmas arrives, and if you work really hard, it’ll be done by then! 

After watching Raph (who later says you’re making him uncomfortable for staring too long,) you decide its best to knit it. It shouldn’t be that hard, right?

 Wrong, kind of 

It’s not difficult, it’s just very time consuming. 

You want it to have this cool kanji symbol in the middle that you think he’ll like, and you run it by Splinter to make sure it means what you think it means

And once it’s cleared, you spend so much time to make it.

I mean, A LOT of time. Something like this would be very sentimental for Leo!

And when it’s time to give it to him, you sit there with the baby blue box with a royal blue ribbon, excited to see his reaction

Leo isn’t as expressive as Mikey, so you don’t expect him to be jumping off the walls 

But as he starts unraveling it, talking about how “you didn’t have to get me anything,” he’s absolutely shocked when he opens it

It’s the neatly folded rug, with the large kanji symbol face front for him to see as soon as he takes the white tissue paper off of it

“Love”

It was a VERY hard symbol to knit, with all the different directions the stroke marks go in, but it came out amazing.

“I ddin’t get you it, I made you it,” you reply. His blue eyes look back at the symbol, and then at you, back at the symbol, then at you

It’s pretty funny

“What’s wrong? Did I mess up the kanji or-” “no.”

“It’s perfect. I love it.” 

HE LOVES IT!

He flashes you a genuine smile, bringing you into a hug and then breaking it off to kiss you, with a slew of ‘thank you’s’ that followed. Leo really appreciates this gift, but honestly, he appreciates little things. After all, he wasn’t grown up like a normal kid, things were scarce, and Master Splinter did what they could. Things were often handmade for him and his brothers, so this means a lot to him.

The fact that you made it yourself? And oh, it probably took so much time, too

He seriously cannot be more grateful. It’s a great christmas gift, especially coming from his S/O.

Raphael

Bayverse Raph is most definitely not materialistic. He genuinely enjoys time with you

He seriously doesn’t ask for much

Like at all

You had seen something that reminded you of him in a store that you seriously had to get for him

It happens to be something useful to him yet also very sweet

It’s a knitting loom!

They’re very easy to use and can make a seemingly difficult project become easy!

While Raph does like a challenge, sometimes he just wants to unwind and knit as his leisure, not wanting something hard to do- just vibes

But then, you think about it for a moment. You put it back on the shelf and just think. 

What if you made him his gift instead? 

As you leave the arts and crafts store and get back home, you create a “List of Things I can make my Boyfriend who’s a Mutant Turtle” list and get to it. You brainstorm ideas and some are decent. You want them to be good for his hobbies, but you can’t MAKE a bench press or make yarn come out your as-

You get the point

But then it hits you

He loves music, it’s something he’s always listening to while he’s working out or lounging around or 

Seriously anything this man does

So why not make him a playlist!

You already know what kind of music he likes, and spotify is his go to

You make him a playlist and when it’s done you just

Sit and wait for the 25th

December obviously

And when that day hits, you’re excited, you managed to get the Spotify code printed on a small pillow for him, so that when he scans it with his T-phone on spotify it’ll bring up the playlist!

It’s a unique gift, and when it’s time to exchange them with the guys in the Lair, you save Raph’s for last

You give him this little pillow to put off to the side as bedroom decor and he just

He’s so happy

He scrolls through after scanning it and he’s happy

You know him so well, you’ve gotten to know him so well. It’s perfect. 

“I’m usin’ it afta this,” Its HOURS long, a load of songs that he likes. A lot of workout songs, and a bunch for leisure activities. It’s something unique to him that you made, and the title of it followed by red as the photo cover of it made him equally as ecstatic 

Made with Love, Y/n.

Once everything gets cleaned up from all the gift unwrapping, he just kisses you hard ending it with a soft “Thank you, baby,”

Because, well, nobody has made him a fucking playlist before! It’s the coolest thing to him. That you know his music tastes to a T.

Not only that, but you had to have paid extra attention during conversations. He doesn’t outwardly reveal what he loves and hates like his other brothers, but you can pick up on it in conversation and his actions

How he always makes this face of disgust when he passes by Donnie’s lab and hears classical coming from the other side

Yeah, he has his likes and dislikes for certain genres

So it makes this present so much more meaningful to him- you’ve been listening, and picking up on the  little things ever since you two have started dating.

He loves it so much

And he loves you, too

Donatello

 Donnie is probably the hardest to get a gift for

He has…everything

And if he doesn’t, he can make it

Broken phone? Okay, give him a few and he’ll invent one thats 100x better than the standard Iphone

You wind up just observing your boyfriend for awhile, wondering what he’s wanting to have

You try and ask around- asking Raph mainly, since they were always the closer pair

“Ya got me, ion know what I’d even get ‘em.” Raph replies after you ask what you should get Donnie

But, you think about making something instead

After pondering about it (for a long time, might I add)

You watch Donnie one day, and you notice that he folds his pages in anything he’s reading instead of putting a bookmark

Now, some people prefer to fold it, but a lot of the time, having a bookmark is a cool thing!

So, you have your idea.

Throughout the month of December, you take photos of you and Donnie together, turning down his questions as to why-

“I can’t take pictures with my hot boyfriend?”

He doesn’t ask after you say that, he’s now too shy 

Once you pick out photos that you like, you decide to make A LOT of them, a big bundle of bookmarks!

You laminate them yourself, just in case a coffee spill occurs while he’s reading, and it looks much better!

It also lasts longer btw

Anyhoozle, once christmas comes around, you give him this envelope with purple hearts on it, and he notices it’s more bulky than the standard christmas card

And once he opens it, he looks in and picks out a random bookmark to examine it

It’s a photo of you and him cuddling together on a lavender bookmark.

After looking at that one, he begins to take them all out, laying them on his lab table, looking at the different pictures you guys took together. Not only that, but the bookmarks are all different shades of purple.

“There has to be…50 here-” He says, “I…these are pictures of us! Hold on,” Donnie then examines each and every one, talking about how he remembered when each one was taken

“You made these all for me?” 

Yes, yes you did

He’s already bringing down books and notes that are in dire need of an unfolding page and to be replaced with one of your homemade photo bookmarks instead, and once he puts the first one in one of his favorite books, he admires it for a few

“They look incredible” He smiles down at you, leaning to reach your lips. 

“Thank you, dove,” He gives you another kiss while also giving a warm hug,  “I always felt guilty folding my pages.” 

Save the trees, ya know?

Michelangelo

Making something for Mikey may appear to be difficult,

Because, well, he loves a little bit of everything

He doesn’t really hate much, and honestly, he’s open to any and everything as a gift

He would prefer something like a new comic or new cookware he can use in the lair, so along with getting those items for him, you bake him brownies-

But special brownies

No not weed brownies

Homemade brownies! Not from a box, no, you’re starting from scratch

You buy some semi sweet and dark chocolate morsels, molasses instead of regular sugar, to really make them delectable and rich!

But, also sweet as well. Not too sweet, we don’t wanna give poor Mikey a stomachache now

But just the right balance between rich and sweet. 

He’s completely unaware of this by the way

When Christmas comes around and you give him the newest comic he’s been wanting and a new kitchen utensil set he can use while making food, you present the brownies in an orange box with a tinfoil top, and when he opens it, you could visibly see fireworks shooting out and his eyes becoming starry

“Guys! My Angelcakes made me…angelcakes!” He’s so happy and the hug given right after was as tight as can be

“Kind of. Brownies, from scratch.” You smile as he’s already picking one out- the corner piece- to eat

a/n: THE CORNER PIECE OF A BATCH  OF BROWNIES IS THE BEST PART AND NOBODY CAN CHANGE MY MIND

Anyway, he takes a bite and he just

Freezes

He looks at you and gives you a chocolatey kiss on the cheek

“Angelcakes, this is like, the best gift!”

He’s already taking another bite soon after, munching in the gooey goodness

Once he’s done with the first piece, he’s already onto the second

“Thefe ar sho….gwud, thanf you!” He says in between bites

Also, he wants to bake with you now. Because this tasted amazing, what other recipes do you have up your sleeve? 

He loves it because he’s usually the one cooking for his family and only knows his cooking and April’s 

He’s not really into April’s…she’s a healthy gal, the kind that would sneak spinach or avocado into baked goods  *shudder*

Plus, he doesn’t really bake anyway, he’s a cooking guy, breakfast food is his specialty

But, now is a great time to take a couple weeks to learn everything you know about baking! Testing out new combinations and food items to use!

//

Taglist

@bee-1n-space

Masterlist

[twisted-wonderland-shenanigans]

❤️What is your favorite line that you’ve written in a fic?✍️ What’s your ideal writing setup?🚀 Do you like to outline your fic first or create as you go?💛What is the most impactful lesson you’ve learned about writing?🎨 If someone were to make fanart of your work, what fic or scene would you hope to see?too many questions?I hope not and if so I would like to remind you that you don't have to answer every question here but I also thank you for helping me out of the silent anon(I ❤ your writing)

Referring to this ask game I posted before.

Thank you for sending these questions! It was fun having to consider some things and why I do them. 😆 And it wasn't too many questions at all! UvU

And you're welcome! I'm proud of you for gaining the confidence to come out of anon ;;v;; 💗 I hope to hear more from you soon! >v< In the meantime, here are the answers to your questions~! >vÓ/)

❤ What is your favorite line you've written in a fic?

"Huh. Well, uh...glad you like my cooking, Gri--hey! Hey, hey, hey, hey! NO! Grim! You had yours, the rest are mine! Stoooop! Nevermore!!"

There are a lot of lines I've written that I'm quite fond of, but I'm always happy to think of this line as it is another aspect that is a mix between a sibling-like bond that develops over time while mixing the age-old pet owner struggle of defending your food from sneaky paws and teeth.

✍️ What's your ideal writing setup?

Honestly, so long as I have a notebook, clipboard, and my opencils, I can write anywhere! Typically speaking though, at home I'll be sitting at the coffee table on the floor with YouTube videos playing in the background or whenever I'm in a lecture. I don't really doodle like some people do to focus on the lessons or discussion, so writing is my way of staying awake and focused!

🚀 Do you like to outline your fic first or create as you go?

I mostly tend to create as I go, like dumping a bunch of sand in the box before rewriting it to build my "sand castle" so to speak. 99% of the time though, I know where I want the fic to go, I just gotta figure out the how part! If you were to see my notes, I tend to keep them organized via bullet points in word documents or hand-written. This helps me keep ideas I have in mind somewhere I can reference later if I wanna verify something or finally bring it in as a plot point!

💛 What is the most impactful lesson you've learned about writing?

To just...let go and write what feels fun and enjoyable. Before I started this blog, I would start fics for other fandoms and then just...putter out or run out of steam. Somewhere along the line, I lost my confidence to continue projects I started because it either took me too long to get the next chapter up, or my ideas wind up getting too big the more I try to make it elaborate and amazing for the audience. Perfectionism, I suppose. Now though...with every single one of you that has liked, reblogged, commented, or even indulged my in my AU ideas...you've all helped reminding me why I loved creating fics and how much fun it was.

Sorry, that got a little sentimental, but I am truly grateful for all the love and support you all have given me. Thank you. ;;v;;

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

Oh gosh, even the random doodles or sketches people have submitted have made me so happy, let alone when someone writes their own fics or gets creative with incorporating their characters into my AUs! I couldn't possibly choose when it's much more fun to see what parts or characters someone loved enough to get creative with it. QvQ

[lokisasylum]

Honest question: why they chose Jungkook for the OST if it's a BTS webtoon? I was expecting a group song or a song with the 4 vocalists. Everyone got the spotify account thanks a work not connected to BTS, except Jungkook. I hope they give an OST to Jimin too. And I'm bitter because Suga wanted to give his song to Jimin years ago, but the company said no, and now there is a Suga × JK for a webtoon created by the company. Jimin is the only one jobless, he doesn't have a new solo work even if we had 3 ost in 4 months and rap line is working too. I don't like that people keep saying he doesn't want to do nothing because that's not true, Jimin always talks about performing, dancing and singing and he is not lazy. But people now see him like the jobless member.

Touchy subject/s you've brought up Anon, which is why I will try to answer everything I can in a single post and then I will close down Anon Asks because I don't want people to take this as a Green Light to talk shit about other members as it has happened in the past 24 hours with other bloggers.

So hang tight, this is gonna be long.

To answer your first question: "why they chose Jungkook for the OST if it's a BTS webtoon?"

I don't know, but I and I'm sure MANY others expected Bighit/Hybe to come up with a whole OT7 album like they did for BTS World (I mean, come on all members write songs, I'm sure they could've coughed up a few for it). But for some reason they ONLY chose one member (with Yoongi as producer) for a single song that will also be sold in a "limited edition CD". My only guess is that they did that because JK's character is the protagonist *shrug* and it helps to promote the webtoon. Go figure.

But in the end its all gotta do with the Company and the decisions THEY want to make for better or worse (and lately its been for worse in most cases. Hello NFTs~♫?). Which is why I will always have beef with Company stans (which are worse than obsessed solo stans, because these people could be shown video footage of the company doing something on purpose that could damage one or all of the member's images and the company stans will be like "They know what they're doing, its you who doesn't wanna see the rEaLiTy")

No joke, I remember a while ago I wrote a pretty lengthy post starting with a screenshots from a fanmeeting where an Army asked Jimin through a post-it what he wanted to do later on (if he had future projects) and Jimin wrote that he WANTED to do Solo Work in 2018 (the fanmeeting was back in...2016 or so). And so I made a light joke on it like:

- "Oh, what a coincidence that BTS almost disbanded in 2018. Can you imagine if this had come true and all of them had signed with a different label? We could've had all their solo works/mixtapes ect out by now."

And this one company stan (who was also a hardcore shipper) made it her job that day to harass and try to prove me wrong (for HOURS) and how allegedly I didn't care about the group for "wishing for them to disband just so we could have new music" (yes, Karen missed the memo that day). And even while I tried to explain to her that it wasn't about wanting them to disband but rather have more freedom to do what they really want since they all have projects, she STILL insisted that

"Well, they signed contracts didn't they? They gotta suck it up and deal with that."

As for Jimin, of course Jimin is NOT jobless, we KNOW he writes/composes songs even without being given his own studio like the others, we KNOW he gets tons of collab-offers left and right (lately Pink $weat tweeted about wanting a collab with him and we know Khalid has wanted to for years, among other artists and yet for some reason it never happens or the collab is given to someone else). But like I mentioned in the beginning, its all on Bighit/Hybe and the shady things they do.

- Jimin composed the melody for BS&T, didn't get the credits.

- Jimin wrote and composed "Friends", it got chosen for a Marvel movie and he found out about it through a Vlive. In addition its been brought to attention that they tampered with the credits to the song on Spotify by putting JK's name right next to Jimin as composers when we know Jimin is the only member of the group credited in the song as composer/writer. (Even Taehyung referred to it as "Jimin's 'Friends' song that he made")

- Suga as you said wrote and composed "People" with Jimin in mind, but another producer said NO and that Yoongi should do the vocals himself, yet they had no problem with letting him feature RM in "Strange". (There was also that one interview where Tae is talking about his mixtape or wanting to try new styles and Yoongi immediately jumped in and offered to write a "bossa nova" for him. You can very clearly see Jimin in the back looking uncomfortable).

- Taehyung wrote a Christmas Song he wanted to sing with Jimin and AGAIN one of the PDs didn't allow it because the lyrics were "Too intimate for 2 men" and they had him sing Jimin's part with ADORA, so Taehyung never released the song. HOWEVER, during the VMINKOOK vlive after the PTD concerts in LA, it was revealed right in Jimin's face that the company had asked JK and Tae to make a Christmas song together "like the one Tae did the year prior" (and right after VMin had been talking minutes prior about writing/releasing songs together again).

- Also didn't Taehyung promised (and this was all caught on tape by HIM) to help Jimin write/compose "The Next Filter" by August 2021? What happened to that? Did another PD say no again? Hmmmmmmmmmm.

- "Dream Glow" from the BTS World soundtrack was supposed to be Jimin's solo collab with Charli XCX. The lyricist even wrote the parts that Jimin sung ESPECIALLY FOR HIM because he LOVED Jimin's voice and the way he conveyed emotions while singing. But for some reason the company decided to add JK and Jin (instead of giving Jinkook their own song/collab. Like what was the point in that if they were gonna autotune the fuck out of Jin's voice instead of leaving it natural like jikook’s voices?).

- The collab with Lauv for "WHO", notice how neither Jimin or JK were allowed to promote or talk about the song since before and after it came out. And Bighit didn't even tweet about it and Lauv himself has expressed his disappointment through the bird app. Yet it was okay for JK to sing "WHO" during his birthday Vlive and nobody really batted an eyelash or tried to stop him even though he was doing the vlive from his studio at the Hybe building.

- A lot of people don't know this, but when the MOTS:7 album was released in 2020, Jimin's solo "Filter" surpassed the title track (ON) in streams on multiple platforms so the company had it taken down for nearly 24 hours WITHOUT A REASON since this did NOT happen to the other songs and when ON got the necessary streams THEN they put it back up. (This was confirmed by both KArmys and I-Armys who investigated said platforms and the emails and responses they received was that the company requested for the song to be taken down). The song still broke MANY records and continues to do so, but most Armys are "weary" of it for some reason.

- Sung/woon WANTS to collab with Jimin, he said it through a live stream but then mentioned that maybe it will only be possible after Jimin does his military service.

- Ta/emin also mentioned in an interview that after the first collab he did with Jimin the two had even written songs together, but apparently they weren't given the chance to actually go forth with the collab.

I could go on and on about these things FOR DAYS because there is YEARS worth of evidence that the company's always getting in the way when it comes to Jimin, but gives a green light for the others. And this is not me throwing shit at the wind, KArmys have been bringing up these issues since they started years ago. (Even the Korean media called out Hybe for the poor lighting during Butter performances where Jimin is left in the dark during the dance break).

But what's truly sad is that the majority of the fandom, especially Baby Armys have been groomed for so long into believing that the reason Jimin doesn't get the same opportunities as the others is because "he's not good enough", "not talented enough", "he's lazy", "he's not interested". When it is simply NOT true. How many years has Jimin been asking Yoongi to write or compose a song for him only for it to be left hanging in the dark?

They even made it seem like its “Jimin’s fault” that most of their latest albums since FAKE LOVE era have so many high notes which most of the members struggle with at the moment of recording. When they themselves revealed that it is actually Pddog who FORCES them to do those impossible high notes in songs because “he likes how it makes the songs sound better.”

During one of the behind the scenes clips for the BE album, specifically the one where they're all sitting around this livingroom like area. Many of the members say they want to sing/subunit with Jimin but for some odd reason RM keeps intervening... Yoongi says that "its time for them to bring out miniminiz (their subunit)", but right away RM mentions that "they already did Tony Montana". Tae & Jimin said they want to work together and RM again mentions "but you guys did "Friends"", Jimin then mentions wanting a subunit with JK and AGAIN RM brings up "Oh but you guys did that other song (referring to their cover of "We Don't Talk Anymore, pt 2" that came out for one of the past FESTAS). In the end Jimin just smiles and says "Just know that I'm ready to work with any of you." (and that shit HURT to watch)

We really don't know what's going on behind the scenes or who is pulling the strings on what they do, what they say, what's allowed, what isn't, what benefits the company, or if it was part of the bargain for the new contracts they renewed in 2017. And sadly we may never know until maybe years later when BTS finally disbands and one of them speaks up.

That’s the Kpop/Idol world for ya.

[mama-qwerty]

Ooh directors commentary on that little bit you posted with Bby Shadow and Maria?

You mean Hide the Hog?

Short answer:

That was a cute little scene that popped into my head as I thought about what day-to-day life would be for Maria and Shadow. I don't see him as being a little cranky bastard from the get-go--he's just a normal little baby who loves his Maria and wants to play. His experiences later shape him into a testy, withdrawn boy who hides his emotional side from anyone who isn't Maria. It's just safer that way.

But Baby Shadow loves Maria, and she loves him, and they trust each other completely. He's a happy boy here, because the scientists haven't started their experiments and such on him yet. They want him to get a little older (and stronger) before subjecting him to those invasive procedures.

So Maria tries to give him as normal a life as possible, stuck in the ARK as they are. She makes up games and stories and gives him all the hugs and snuggles he wants as she tries to keep him happy and healthy.

Long answer that goes into so much more detail than you ever wanted to know, but damnit, I wanna talk about it:

In my version of their story (which I really, really hope to get written), Maria is a private in the military, brought in to be Shadow's "handler" of sorts. He's the only specimen from Project Shadow that survived the creation process, but wasn't doing well at all shortly after his "birth".

(I wrote something up about their first meeting and posted it on ao3.)

Gerald hand picked Maria to be assigned to Shadow. She has no idea he is her grandfather. Her mother was estranged from him, as she thought he spent way too much time on his "projects" and not enough on the family. Especially after his wife died from an extremely aggressive, and inoperable, brain tumor.

Fast forward. Maria's mother also dies from the same type of tumor. One that is lurking inside Maria's head as well, although she doesn't know it.

As far as the government knows, Gerald created Shadow to cure all diseases. (I haven't decided if Shadow is part of the whole Black Arms thing in this version.) In reality he created Shadow specifically to cure Maria from the cancer that stole his wife and daugher from him. It works, but the problem is, his healing abilities only work on Maria. They have no effect on any of the other terminally ill patients they try his blood on.

Maria and Shadow grow close, and soon the two are inseparable at the ARK. She has as much free reign as possible to deal with him, although the General in charge absolutely hates Shadow's existence. He's disgusted the Professor is "wasting" Uncle Sam's money on something that's only meant to be a glorified vaccine--which doesn't even work--and decides to take matters into his own hands to help the government "get their money's worth".

He plants his own loyal scientists in Gerald's team, and they perform experiments and alterations on Shadow unbeknownst to the Professor. He's now essentially a sleeper agent, with a control chip in his head.

As the various "procedures" continue (artificually aging him, and honing his developing unexpected powers), and the General's heavy-handed oversight and control gets worse, it takes a toll on Shadow. His relationship with Maria puts the girl at risk of the General's anger, and she unknowingly taught him to hide his true emotions from everyone but each other. And as much as he loves her, he starts to pull away in an effort to keep her safe from the General's wrath.

Maria is also feeling uneasy at the change she sees in her boy. Where there was once a happy kid who loved to play, a sullen, angry boy has taken his place. The procedures hurt. He's in nearly constant pain as they increase the frequency of his aging, which makes it feel like he's stretching.

The day comes where Maria can't take watching him suffer anymore, and she and Gerald conspire to get him out of there. Plans are made, the day finally comes, and they look to be home free. Until the General appears.

Gerald is shot, Maria is shot, and Shadow is dragged back to have his memory altered so he'll be a good little soldier. Good soldiers follow orders.

There are a few twists and surprises in there I haven't disclosed, but this is the basic gist of my version of Shadow's story.

[crimefightingspiderguy]

My final thoughts on WandaVision (so it goes without saying if you haven’t finished it, don’t look past Vision)

What I liked:

• I loved the sitcom concept, super cool. And finding out why she hung onto sitcoms for comfort was just *chefs kiss* pay off wise.

• I loved how it started out as a slow build up (but I do think it would’ve worked better to have longer episodes to make things fit better and not feel as rushed towards the end)

• I loved Darcy, Monica and Jimmy’s trio. They were so fantastic together and the actors all did great.

• On the note of Monica, IM SO EXCITED TO HAVE A WOMAN OF COLOR SUPERHERO (especially since she’ll eventually be a main character not just a “sidekick”) 🥳

• I LOVED Pietro/Fietro/Ralph/Uncle P (whoever the hell he actually was). I obviously have some dislikes about the last episode, but we’ll get to that later. I loved how fun Evan Peters was. He really did a fantastic job even though no one knew what was going on with his character, he ate that shit up and left no crumbs.

• Wanda and Visions love story is so much better now that we got to build up to it rather than us just jumping into it (how I felt in Infinity War)

• SCARLET WITCH BOUT TO MAKE ME ACT UP. HOLY JIMMINE CRICKETS WAS SHE LOOKING GORGEOUS AND POWERFUL IN THAT LAST EPISODE

• Billy and Tommy are some of the sweetest children I think I’ve ever seen in a movie/show world and I love them with all my heart and soul and I really hope they do return.

• ITS BEEN AGATHA ALL ALONG 💃🏻🕺🏽💃🏻🕺🏽💃🏻

• “what is grief if not love persevering”

• “we’ve said goodbye before so it stands to reason... we’ll say hello again” IM CRYING JUST THINKING ABOUT IT.

• Wanda tucked in Billy and Tommy so they’d be asleep before they were sucked away with the hex 😭😭😭

• “thank you for choosing me to be your mom” 😭

• That second end credit scene with Scarlet Witch astral projecting was so trippy (I love it) and the boys calling to her broke my dang heart.

• overall the special effects looked really cool

• omg Elizabeth Olsen breaking her back to create the hex was 10/10 she’s so dedicated to the motions/physical acting of it all. Also all her crying scenes, it all felt very real and it really made me sob whenever she was hurting.

Things I didn’t like:

• Episode length. I understand they wanted it to go with the length of a normal sitcom, but it doesn’t work when you’re flashing back and forth between the sitcom and the real world. The time got messy towards the end and things felt rushed like the Vision vs. White Vision battle was just boring because it had no climatic energy to it.

• Too many loose ends/wasn’t clear enough. By that I mean, who was Jimmy’s missing person that led to him learning about the hex? (I’m hoping it was Evan Peters’ character, but more on that later). What happened to White Vision? Does Wanda have Agatha’s power now or did she just make it so she couldn’t use them?

• Ralph Bohner? Really Disney/Marvel? Really? You’re telling me you got Evan fricking Peters just so you could stunt cast and fuck with the audience and end it with a dick joke? Not cool.

• Why no Darcy in the last episode other than 2 seconds :(

• Hayward... Thats it. I just really hate him.

• some of the script/lines were a little questionable... like idk a lot of Agatha’s lines once she was revealed as the villain just were lack luster after her amazing intro and they were sort of tacky.

• I didn’t like how they hyped up certain things just for them to not really be significant (like Monica saying she knew a space engineer who could get her in and it was all mysterious, then not even ending up needing the truck they built or the character not really having much of a “wow” show up)

• I’m back to the Evan Peters thing. Why would they hype up his character’s mystery identity for him to just be a random dude named Ralph Bohner??? That’s such terrible writing (obviously I’m not an expert writer, but I actually did internship at a magazine where I had to read submitted stories and judge them and see if they were worthy of publication. And my minor in college was writing. So I do know a little about story telling, and something is off about the way they did this.). It’s either the fact that it’s just plain bad writing, or it’s a misdirect. I want to believe that Marvel knows how much people would enjoy EP in this show and would eventually expect more from him in the MCU. Now obviously, this is Wanda’s show and she decides what makes it on and what doesn’t, so maybe Ralph is the missing person Jimmy was looking for, but Wanda doesn’t know that, nor would she want it on her show. Maybe he really is Quicksilver but they put him in the Witness Protection Program when he came over from another universe? Or maybe he really is just a nobody who Agatha lived with because his house was conveniently close to Wanda’s. Or maybe he is someone of significance because who just has a random headshot lying around with their proof of ownership of their house and other paperwork and then laughs at their name Bohner even though if they’d had that name their whole life they’d be sick of the dick jokes?? Maybe they left it vague enough so they could gauge audience reaction to EP, if it was good they could come back to it in a mutants movie/show (or maybe even Doctor Strange 2 or Spider-Man 3) or if it was bad, just leave it at he’s a random person who already lived in Westview. Idk all I know is if they don’t end up bringing him back I’m definitely gonna be significantly less interested in any morphing of the XMen and mutants into the MCU.

Lastly, I just wanna say the actors and actresses all did fantastic (especially Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany). They all play such complex roles this time around and it really showed how passionate they were about this project. I loved them all so much and they truly brought this show to life (yes it has flaws, but it was their first attempt at a MCU timeline show, and the actors did what they could with what they were given so none of my criticism go towards them). I really enjoyed this overall (and I’m genuinely sad to see it ending) and I’m looking forward to seeing Wanda being a bad mamma-jamma in Doctor Strange 2.

[thewritetofreespeech]

Could you do the brothers + undateables comforting or helping an MC that deals which chronic pain. Chronic hip pain if you really wanna feed my projecting self. Please don’t feel any pressure, I know some people aren’t comfortable writing stuff like this! Thanks 💕✨

As someone with several friends with chronic pain issues, I would be happy to do this. I know I can never capture the true understanding and agony of a patient of chronic pain, but I hope this helps someone with CP reading this and also promote more understanding.

Obey Me Boys + Chronic Pain Reader

Lucifer

Not the best with it at first

Doesn’t have a concept or gauge for human pain. Initially thinks all humans are just weak when it comes to pain

He is aware he can come off gruff and has a ‘suck it up’ attitude. Which doesn’t help.

Will write you a note or let you stay home from class if you need to

Working on bettering himself and understanding of your condition

Mammon

Scared

He doesn’t know what to do or how to be a ‘nurturer’

Seems every time he touches you or comes near you it just makes it worse

Which just makes him feel bad, when all he wants to do it help

Goes on Akuzon and buys you all the fluffy soft things he can find to make you feel better. He’ll take the heat from Lucifer later

Levi

Worried. Why are you crying??? Why are you in a ball on the floor???

Understand, a little, when you explain to him what’s going on

Makes you the best nest possible with his beanbag, noise cancelling headphones, and soothing anxiety reducing puzzle games to relax to

Torn between wanting to help more and leaving you alone. But he can’t leave you alone.

Satan

Reads every book, article, and paper on the subject of CP and your condition

Knowledge is power. That is how we’re going to overcome this thing. (Not how it works but cute)

Researches different stretches and exercises that can help with the pain. It hurts to move but sometimes that is the best solution

Let’s you pet his secret cat he keeps in his closet to help soothe you. Animal therapy is also a good solution for pain therapy.

Asmo

In pain that you are in pain

Say what you will about Asmo, but for those that are important to him he’s very empathetic

Would let you use his tub and fancy floral soaps any time you wanted to soak the pain out of your muscles

Back rubs anytime you want too

Tries to keep it down, between himself and the others, so you can rest and recuperate in peace

Beel

Devastated your in pain

The most empathetic out of the bunch. He worries for all his brothers, and especially you

Also, his body is very important to him. He can’t imagine your body ‘betraying you’ like that

Would literally pick you up and carry you anywhere you need to go

Comfort food for days if you want it

Belphie

Feels sad for you

Not pity. Just sad that you’re feeling bad

Initially thinks it has something to do with him, but comes to realize that it’s just a thing your body does

Your bed is his whenever you need it. He’ll even give you his prized pillow to snuggle with

Also snuggle with him. Yes. Do that.

Solomon

Tries to remain calm and practical

Obviously, being as old as he is, he’s seen people in pain. It just hasn’t affected him this much before 

Looks into magical cures to heal your CP

When he can’t cure it, he looks into more pain management options with potions and salves

Has a killer sleep point that lets you conk out (finally) when you need to sleep

Simeon

Obviously upset, but tries to keep a brave face

Worrying will only upset you. And he knows you’re self-conscious about your condition

Wonders why God would create such a beautiful creature, only to give it such pain

Tries to help by reading to you and spending time with you

Runs his fingers through your hair because you seem to like it when your head hurts

Luke

Obviously upset, and totally shows it

He’s very naïve when it comes to human. As well as pain.

He’s literally lived in heaven where there is no pain. So to see you doubled over, out of the blue, is scary and a shock to him

Questions of faith over why this is happening to such a good person like you

Bakes a lot of sweets to hopefully make you feel better

Diavolo

Concerned for your condition

Humans are weak, but he knows you wouldn’t make a fuss unless it was really serious

Summons the finest doctors in all the Devildom to try and help with your CP

School is cancelled for you until you feel better. You’re not to get out of bed except to pee until you feel up to it

Comes to see you, and check on your condition, every free moment he gets. Why did he have to be so fond of a weak little human.....

Barbatos

His calm, serene presence is actually really soothing

Doesn’t change his behavior much, but does seem to ‘drop in’ frequently when you are having bad days

Always seems to know for some reason. *wink wink*

Will sit with you. Bring you rose hip tea and fennel biscuits

Provides an update to Lucifer and Lord Diavolo so they will leave you alone