#i will be getting art of that specific scene. once i start my new job and have income again.

[lemotmo]

You can tell it's her job 😅. I love it! And yes please god give this to us. I love the idea with the Tommy question.

Q. I guess Ryan and Oliver just aren't going to do joint interviews anymore?

A. This shouldn't feel like a complaint but this kind of feels like a complaint and I have no idea why anyone would be complaining about this after two interviews. For me mixing up the interview teams is further proof that Buddie is indeed coming. There's no need to jointly push them to the foreground now when they're going to be the focal point once the Buddie stuff kicks off. There's no need to overuse them right now (I understand that there's no such thing as too much of them, but for some of the other fans there is ☺️). Once that happens there will be joint interviews and most likely a photoshoot, possibly more than one. You can see the fire puns coming already, lol -'Bringing the Heat: 911's Oliver Stark and Ryan Guzman and the Art of the Television Slow Burn', haha. Keeping those joint interviews for that point is the right call, and again, for me at least, it's another sign that Buddie is the plan. The problem with several of the current interviews is not the pairings. It's the people conducting the interview. Obviously they cannot control what writer within an organization will get the interview, but they can request one who actually watches the show. And they should start doing that because you can see Oliver mentally check out of these interviews the minute he realizes he's talking to someone who doesn't really know anything about the actual show. The difference between an Oliver interview when he's talking to someone who is obviously a fan and consistent viewer, think the Pink News interview, is night and day compared to the interviews when he realizes he's talking to someone who really couldn't care less. They're not going to put a stop to the Tommy question at this time because the Eddie/Buddie stuff will erase that from the narrative once it's official, but I would have Oliver, politely, and he can be very polite, turn that question back onto the interviewer. I would have him ask them what scene or scenes specifically made them feel that way about Tommy and his relationship with Buck. The Tommy questions would stop at that point because there are no canon scenes to justify him being their 'favorite' Buck relationship. They like him because he's a man and none of them will want to admit that. That's how I would instruct him to answer that question going forward. His polite, canned answer isn't enough for some of these people. He's allowed to put them on the spot a bit about it. He doesn't because he doesn't want to talk about it, and I absolutely understand that, but he has the right to push back a little against the made up narrative, and I would have him do that. It would put a stop to the question for the most part. It was obvious to anyone paying any attention at all to the show what was going to happen with Tommy. He was a clear plot device from day one. I would even allow Oliver to use that term. Yes, he will always have been Buck's first, but he was still a plot device. Anyway, anon, this response got away from me a bit, sorry about that. Basically though no joint interviews at this time is the right call because they will basically get their own PR campaign when the build up becomes official.

Thank you Nonny! Much appreciated!

We got a lot of joint interviews (with lots of Buddie mentions) at the beginning of season 7 and it was lovely, but I'd rather have no joint interviews for a while as they develop the Buddie storyline onscreen, than them doing interviews and spoiling half of the storyline. Because they would have such a hard time keeping it all to themselves. 🤣🤣🤣

Anyway, everyone should read Ali's answer and relax already. We're fine. We're right on track. Final Buddie destination is in sight. 🤗

IMPORTANT! Please don't repost this ask and/or a link that leads straight to my Tumblr account on Twitter or any other social media. Thank you!

Heads up! For anyone who is giving me the shifty eyes for reposting Ali's updates instead of reblogging. Read this.

Remember, no hate in comments, reblogs or inboxes. Let's keep it civil and respectful. Thank you.

If you are interested in more of Ali’s posts, you can find all of her posts so far under the tag: anonymous blog I love.

[vultures-and-scavengers]

Get to know the fic writer questions! 💖 If someone were to make fanart of your work, what fic or scenes would you hope to see?

How would you describe your style? (Character/emotion/action-driven, etc)

What do you think makes your writing stand out from other works?

:D thank you for the ask! <3 some of this got WAY lengthier than i planned, though, my bad

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

I haven't posted this bit yet, but the scene that's probably nearest and dearest to my heart-- my Inquisitor, Annette Trevelyan, was besties with Lorette Callier, and three of the four Callier children called her godmother. She was very, very close with them. Revelations, thus, is the worst of the questlines for her.

And after judging Rainier, she retreats to her quarters and grieves. Cullen comes to find her and eventually it turns into Annette pulling out a box of mementos from the Callier family: stones collected from a riverbed, pressed flowers, a child's first attempt at writing a song for their favorite godmother.

And like... Annette is very much Of The Nobility. She worries over fashion, over keeping up appearances, she stresses over wearing the right mask and saying the right thing and she's all about Orlesian politics and she is often classist and haughty, and there's a reason for her to be That Way on top of just being raised a member of the nobility, and she gets a lot better over the course of the game.

And so you have this gilded, fancy noblewoman pulling out some rocks and flowers and saying, these are my most priceless possessions, when anyone would think she would value gems and gold and heirloom paintings and artisan crafts, showing them to the person she loves and saying these valueless things are what I care for most because someone I loved gave them to me.

And its a really rare glimpse underneath all the masks she clings to so tightly, this look into those she loves and those she grieves, and I have the CLEAREST mental image of cullen's hands helping her cradle some of those mementos as he sits with her and listens and i will finish this longfic if it kills me, just for that scene. and ill probably commission art of it myself at some point, too. Because they're an enemies to lovers ship, so its also someone she wrote off and snarled at now let in to help her protect what matters most.

How would you describe your style?

Character driven, world building driven, and emotional driven, and generally dialogue heavy. I want to see characters interacting with the world and the setting, and especially in DAI where i don't always feel we got to truly interact and sink our teeth into the setting with our inquisitors.

What do you think makes your writing stand out from other works?

Jokingly: my Inquisitor likes Orlais and Orlesian politics and that feels pretty stand-out, sometimes.

More seriously, I honestly have no idea. I don't *feel* like I have a particularly unique writing style. I tend to stick to third person, past tense. I probably overuse the term "rather". So I've got nothing, really, for this question.

[allieebobo]

Monsoon Games: Roadmap

I'll continue to tweak this rough roadmap according to the responses I get from the google form, but here's the plan (ideal-case) for the next 1-2 years!

If you haven't filled out the form yet, please do, as answers would be super valuable in helping me better gauge, prioritize, and budget my next steps as well as tweak the pricing for the tiers!

Phase 1: Now till end-2025

Full-time urban planner

Part-time game dev.

Likely to be mostly solo-work and choice-script based

Phase 2: Beginning 2026 till end 2026

Part/Full-time game dev

Likely to involve / bring in an artist/coder, depending on eventual decision on game format (ren'py, Godot or choicescript)

Phase 3: Beginning 2027

Launch phase 2 game

Re-evaluate what to do next, likely back to my full-time job, but to KIV this based on what happens in Phase 2

Details below the cut!

Again, if you have comments, suggestions, preferences, do leave a message or email (allieebobo@gmail.com). If you're interested to collaborate, or to find out about what games I'm thinking of, click here.

Phase 1a

Timeframe: now till end 2025

Scope: Keep rolling out choicescript updates for CT:OS and Merry Crisis. This will form the base of content for ko-fi/patreon (with subscribers continuing to get early-releases until these games are complete).

Phase 1b 

Timeframe: start sometime 2nd half of 2025, run concurrently till end 2025)

Scope: Write a choicescript 'concept demo' for 2 new games I've been haunted by over the past couple of years. (I'll release more info on this if I think they're viable). Whether or not they become more complex games, I'll at least have the choicescript demo. 

Phase 1c 

Timeframe: optional, but to start as soon as funding is obtained

Scope: Depending on interest, I want to consider doing a port to ren'py for Merry Crisis (or CT:OS, but likely MC) for a more visual-style game. This would involve either hiring a coder to help with the port, or doing it myself. More importantly, will need to commission art for this.

_____

Monthly-subscriptions for both Phase 1a and 1b would include the following tiers: 

$3/month (existing): Just to support me :) 

$6/month (existing): Early-access links to CT:OS and Merry Crisis

$9/month (new tier): Same as above + Early-content (e.g. lore, character snippets & art, non-interactive stories, dev logs) for new game(s)

$12/month (might not go for this tier, but including just as a concept): Same as above + Expanded early-content (e.g. interactive choice-script based demo access)

Phase 2a

Timeframe: Beginning 2026, probably 6-9 months or more depending on scope

Scope: With CT:OS and Merry Crisis completed, I hope to then turn my sights to converting the choicescript demo created in phase 1b into actual complete games. This could either take the form of: 

A full choicescript game

A full ren'py (visual) game

A full Godot (2D) game

About 2-3 months into Phase 2a, I will also have enough content to launch a kickstarter, which would hopefully bring new backers on board and funds to speed-up production of the game(s). For folks who prefer supporting once-off instead, they'll also come in at this stage :) 

Phase 2b: 

Timeframe: Probably 6-9 months into 2026

Scope: Once there's a playable beta version of the game, I'll then do testing with subscribers and other beta-testers, and do de-bugging.

_____

Monthly-subscriptions for both Phase 2a and 2b would include the following tiers: 

$4/month: Just to support me :) 

$8/month: Subscriber-only content for all new games in development (e.g. character snippets & art, dev logs)

$12/month: Same as above + Little interactive patches/expansion packs for CT:OS and Merry Crisis 

$16/month: Same as above + Expanded early-content for all new games (e.g. non-interactive stories, scene peaks/teasers, interactive twine or choicescript based playable content, access to beta version of the game when ready in phase 2b)

Kickstarter tiers: 

$12 once-off for a specific project (a selection of content from the pool of characer snippets & art, dev-logs that $8/month subscribers get) 

$25 once-off for a specific project (same as above + a selection of content from the pool of expanded early-content) 

$35 once-off for a specific project (same as above + special perks e.g. ability to design a character or item or request chapter) 

Phase 3

Timeframe: Start of 2027 onwards 

Scope: When at least 1 game is launched, hopefully by start of 2027, I'll re-evaluate and see what to set my sights on next! This probably also means going back to full-time urban planning :)

[hulloitsdani]

Um. So. I may have gotten stressed and started transcribing FEH’s story mode. Might currently have all of book 1 written down. Perhaps a third of the way into book 2.

This started as a way to have the preface chapters handy since they’re not replayable. But then I looked on the FE wiki and saw that they only have a small fraction of the chapters written down. And that scared me, because means that my hyperfixation has a nonzero chance of becoming lost media if the app were to go down one day. So now I have all of book 1 in my back pocket, including the preface, two intermissions, and the two relevant xenologues. Once I’m further along and have a few more books accounted for, I have no problem making the document public. But until then I encourage others to also write some of its content down. Just in case, you know? Especially those prologues and Tempest Trials.

With that PSA out of the way, omg book 1 hi!!!! It’s been forever!!!!

Apparently, I haven’t reread book 1 in its entirety since I first played Heroes! I’ve gone back to look for specific scenes and replayed the levels on harder difficulties (self inflicted or otherwise), but I haven’t done a thorough second pass before. Which was news to me, because that meant I was consistently blindsided by scenes and characterization that I completely forgot about! Did any of you remember that Zacharias was apparently Alfonse and Sharena’s childhood friend? I didn’t! But there it is, chapter 7 part 5 after battle cutscene, Anna specifies that aspect of their relationship. That’s crazy! How does the timeline even line up on that??? If he spent his childhood in Askr, how did he manage to have a strong relationship with his significantly younger sister? How did he find himself rubbing shoulders with enemy royalty? Could he have inadvertently met Peony? I’m not changing my takes on his character, but I would love to know.

Speaking of character, apparently seven years spent writing a character naturally changes how they sound! Who would have thought. It made seeing the book 1 versions of our Askr trio a little jarring, but in an oddly nostalgic way! This was a phase of the game where the story, its characters, and its world existed with the singular purpose of introducing new players to what Heroes was trying to do. Which was, at the time, being a cute yet unobtrusive gacha app tie in with simplified FE mechanics to give you that gameplay fix on the go. And to its credit, it does do a good job of this! It ain’t a masterpiece, but I was charmed by its emphasis on showing off all these cool characters you could go summon. Ryoma gets to talk for a few lines and you are going to look at his very pretty art! But that meant that the world and characters of Zenith take a bit of a backseat. They’re not here to be too complicated. The Order of Heroes are the friendly faces that go on adventures and meet these heroes that you can summon for only $19.99. But we all know where the game and its story is going to go from here. That emphasis is going to wane as FEH grows into its own identity (and also earn IntSys over $1 billion worldwide).

But that’s a later development. Before that fundamental shift is where book 1 sits. It’s in this fascinating position where these characters have yet to solidify into their recognizable forms. And if you don’t believe me, chapter 9 part 4 has a scene where Sharena and Alfonse’s roles have reversed. For once, Sharena is posing the cautionary “what if the information we are getting from this total stranger is a trap?”, to which Alfonse responds “nah I’m getting a vibe that it’s fine and that we should believe him whole heartedly.” Like??? Huh???? It’s Bruno, but still, that’s hilarious! Alfonse’s pragmatism bordering on paranoia hasn’t established itself as a massive driver of his character yet. Nor has Sharena’s role as trusting emotional core and moral compass of the group. It was very easy to borderline Mandela Effect it into being there, but it isn’t. Not quite. There are hints, sure, but once again these characters were initially made to be simple at the time. The depth doesn’t quite exist yet.

It wasn’t until I was writing this very paragraph that it finally dawned on me why the Askr trio voice lines, especially Alfonse’s lines, are such a big deal. That's where Alfonse’s character arc with trusting Kiran resides. There's the pragmatism we know and love! It’s not super present in the text of book 1, but the depth of these characters can be found in the voice lines you unlock from building them and earning the crown jewel level 40 conversation. That’s where Alfonse’s arc with his self isolating behaviors crumbles at that sight of one silly tactician. That’s where Sharena finally wins a fight against her own loneliness by forming genuine friendship with this stranger form a strange land, who is appreciative of her loud eccentricities. That’s where Anna apologizes about her initial underestimation of Kiran, thanks them for being more reliable than she could have ever hoped for, and swears that whatever hell may come their way, they’re in this together. The books themselves don’t seem to reflect this characterization until book 2, where they overall act more in accordance with the rest of the narrative. It’s as if they're taking from the voiced lines’ example and extrapolating more on the story they imply.

The one standing in slight contrast to all this is Bruno, as he's the most interesting character in book 1. It's blaringly obvious he's Zacharias, but it's genuinely amusing how deep he is in his own gaslighting. He can't manipulate, mansplain, manwhore his way out of this one folks, but he's certainly going to try! His lies aren't even that good, but it honestly contributes to how at wits end he is. Like, sure honey, I totally believe you that you just killed Zacharias. I bet he has an eight-pack too. Just take a nap for two minutes. But then everyone believes him because our protagonists have yet meld their group braincell. Overall, an amusing time.

I don't have a particular point I'm trying to make with this one. Just having a fun and pointing out the things I've noticed. Might give a little update for every book I complete. However many that will be.

[writingquestionsanswered]

Finding Details to Go with a Basic Plot

Anonymous asked: Do you have any posts or new tips on creating the "fill" in stories?

I want to start here, because it's super important that we don't think of anything in stories as "fill" or "filler" because that implies it's "empty calories" there to take up unfilled space, and we never want to do that in stories. In stories, every scene--every event and moment--needs to be in service of the plot, characters, or world.

For example, I get an idea for a novel, like forbidden romance. My problem lies in figuring out other details, specifically in figuring out what would work for the plot (and what doesn't really matter). What would their jobs be? How can they meet? What interests/hobbies do they have? If someone has trauma, what was the traumatic event? My brain automatically looks for the links between everything, so it's hard to find a point of attack. I feel like everything has to interconnect to make sense - things can't be random or "because I say so." So when I have more of a plot idea rather than story, what approaches do you recommend?

If you have a general plot idea (like forbidden love) but you don't know how to flesh it out, it's probably because you haven't yet mastered an understanding of how stories generally work.

Stories are either character-driven, plot-driven, or a combination of both. Character-driven stories center around internal conflict, meaning a conflict within the protagonist's heart and mind. Plot-driven stories center around external conflict, meaning a problem in the protagonist's world. Stories that are both character-driven and plot-driven are centered around an external conflict while also exploring the protagonist's internal conflict. (And often that of the other main characters.) Plot Driven vs Character Driven Stories

Your protagonist's goal is always to resolve the conflict. In a character-driven story, that may not always be straightforward. Sometimes characters don't really understand their internal problem and so they sort of fumble their way through potential solutions as they try to fix whatever isn't quite right in them. In a plot-driven story, the resolution of the problem (the goal) is usually straight forward... take the ring to Mordor, survive the Hunger Games, pull off a heist to steal back the stolen art piece. Your character's pursuit of the goal, and the overcoming of obstacles placed in their path by the antagonistic force, is what makes up the action of the story. Then they finally face off against the antagonistic force in the climax, solving the problem once and for all. Understanding Goals and Conflict, How to Move a Story Forward, Basic Story Structure.

Here are some other posts that should help:

Guide: Filling in the Story Between Known Events Guide: How to Outline a Plot Beginning a New Story Finding a Story in Characters and Setting Finding a Plot to Go with Characters/Setting Turning a Barrage of Ideas into a Plot How to Turn Ideas into a Story

I hope that helps you start to pull your story into focus!

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

Learn more about WQA

See my ask policies

Visit my Master List of Top Posts

Go to ko-fi.com/wqa to buy me coffee or see my commissions

[lilbeanz]

Hello! Not an ask, just wanted to say I adore your content; you're so skilled. I came across your art first, and the drama of even the smallest panel; I'd been eyeing JoDT & sequels for awhile because it was a WIP, but I caved and binged bks1-4 in about three days. I reread the "Eat your heart out Pureblood society" scene at least once a day, thank you for that, superb execution. I also really liked, in the first book, the interactions between Malfoy & Harry, and the very gradual "well, he's our friend now." The development of their friendship has done a great job of re-defining the characters and their relationships. The series feels like its own thing, and the fact that Ginny never even had the diary in book 2 only cemented that. I've really appreciated the deviation from Draco-the-tortured-hero/Draco-making-amends (which I also love to read). Horrors of the Heir was a great twist and really put the whole series in another tier, tbh. CoS was like, my least favorite of the series as a kid (alongside GoF, which has grown on me as I read fanfic) and your version of bk 2 easily established the micro-obsession of your series for me. Also, Crabbe & Goyle?? "They're actually really good friends"?? "Just to see if we feel anything"?? Adorable. Obsessed.

tldr; Your rewrite of the series is incredibly unique, and I admire how you've really taken the series and made it something completely fun and new and modern 💜💜💜

Looking forward to the rest. Thank you for sharing!

AaaAaaAaaHhhHhhHh?!??!?!

This is such a lovely comment, I can't even -- I -- I'm --

Thank you so much! I'm so glad you're enjoying the series so far! It really has been such a challenging, fun project!

I adored writing the "Eat Your Heart Out" scene. People tend to forget that Draco Malfoy is canonically *very* dramatic when he wants to be. Yes, he can be sulky and scheming, but he also shouts taunts across the courtyard, and puts on scenes to make older students laugh at Harry’s expense, even going so far as to dress up as a Dementor to make his "rival" lose in Quidditch.

The Horror of the Heir was such an experience for me as the author, because CoS is my favourite book from the series (weird, ik) and looking back, I sort of realise I could’ve squeezed in so much more. But last May, 45k was a HUGE amount of words for me! And now I'm churning out 100k like nobody's business 💀

✨️Growth✨️

And speaking of growth, the reason I had Draco take Tom Riddle’s diary was purely because of growth. It would've taken him far longer to change as a person if he hadn't taken Ginny's place. A pivotal character development moment, as he reflects on his upbringing etc...

Crabbe and Goyle generally get overlooked in the fandom, and it really bugs me. Vince dies canonically, yes, but I absolutely love it when fic writers incorporate Greg as an actual character in post-war fics, and acknowledge that Vince was Draco’s friend.

It's always Blaise, Pansy, and Theo because they're intelligent and societies definition of "attractive." I mean, each to their own of course, but I could write an entire essay on the injustice I feel for Crabbe and Goyle!

And then, of course, the development of Draco’s relationship with the Golden Trio, specifically Harry. Just -- Ugh-- these silly kids make me so unhinged!😂

It wouldn't be all sunshine and rainbows to begin with. Of course it wouldn't. It's a rocky start, with bumps along the way (and more big bumps to come), but I really do love the way I have progressed their relationship, and I'm not even gonna be humble about it! I really do love my own fic!!!

All this to say, thank you so much!!! I realise fix-its are a very popular type of fic to write, but I really do try to keep it as fresh and unique as possible, so the fact that I really am able to give my readers an experience means the world to me💖

[the-greek-mythos-project]

The Greek Mythos Project

Hello everybody, my name is Camila and I am the creator of The Greek Mythos Project. My pronouns are They/Them and I can otherwise be found on Tumblr as @ixhkor-and-ambrosxa. Any and all questions can either be directed here or there and I'd be happy to help any of you :).

So... What Is This Project And Blog About? Well, it's about The Greek Mythos Project. The Greek Mythos Project is a new thing I've created here on Tumblr in order to showcase smaller artists waiting to get out there, feel like their audience is too niche, and to ultimately learn more about Greek Mythology. It originally stemmed from a smaller, more personal project where I intended to 'rewrite' all of mythology in order to learn more about it and to generally get back into writing, but as I thought more about the specifics, I realized how time consuming and burnt-out I would be. That thought lead to another and another... and then I was like: what if I release this idea into the world and allow others to participate in it? Then I'd still be able to learn more about all of it, but I could also meet new writers and see more writing styles. So, here we are, with a blog & all.

What Is The Project's Main Goal? The ultimate main goal of this project is to showcase others' work. I myself--as a writer of lesser-known characters--know how hard it is to get that niche audience or even gain the courage to let loose those 'weird' headcanons so I wanted to provide an easy way to get that. I want to know those niche writers and characters and 'weird' headcanons--one of my general hyperfixations is worldbuilding! So, even if nobody else wants to read it, I want to. I want to know, I want to learn, and I want to be. So, the ultimate goal is getting out there, but there are some lesser and more personal goals such as networking, learning to work with wider and more diverse audiences (knowledge, headcanons, and otherwise), and having something bigger than myself to work on so I don't end up spiraling. It lets me know, as someone who struggles with mental health, that there's always going to be something to fall back on, such as this project :).

What Is This Project Exactly? The Greek Mythos Project will hopefully be a long AO3/Wattpad fic made up of the POVs and Stories of various characters in Greek Mythology. The end project will hopefully be arranged in chronological order and include as many stories and versions of the stories as they can. The possibilities and submissions can be endless but the only restriction this project asks for is that it keeps to one POV only. I ask this because this is the vision I am hoping to pursue but there will be a companion-fic set that you can submit to if you want a Multiple POV submission. Each chapter that we post will include your socials, how to find you, how to find your other works, the submission-fic notes, personal notes on the fic, and anything else you or we decide is best to put. Of course, you can opt out of any and all of this and I can just put anonymous <3. This project is essentially a mass Character Study/Introspection, if you'd like it in more simple and fandom-based terms :).

What Are The Project's Requirements? Other than having only one POV... there aren't really any. Of course, there's a level of trust and respect required on both sides once we all start working with each other, but that's just the basics. The word count can be anything, Spicy & More Graphic scenes can be taken once we have a coordinator for that and/or get further into it, and hopefully we'll have editors and beta-ers if you, as a writer, want or require them. If anything, I can help edit and work with you. This is a pretty formless job; it can be writing, it can be art, it can be mood boards, it can be collabs. As long as everything's communicated effectively, nothing should be a problem.

How Do I Submit? Currently, the best way to submit things is through the Ask Box on this page. I'll also be opening up the submissions tab/thing but I have zero experience on my part with it so the safest bet's through the ask box. Same thing with private posts, they don't always work so, when in doubt, go to the ask box :). Feel free, whenever you submit via the ask box, to put a little line at the bottom or top with your information, any notes, etc for me to put in when I eventually post this. Also, please check in on this blog every once in a while in case we need to ask to clarify something <3.

Can I Participate Even Without Socials? Yes, you absolutely can! Our ask box will always have an anonymous option and even if you have something or another and just want this to be separate, feel free to tell us you want to be anonymous! I and those who I may be working with will completely get and respect your privacy! /pos /gen

What Is The Project's Deadline? As of now, there isn't one. This project is supposed to be long term, which means it should still be going five or so years from now (depending on how the world's going at that time, at least) and so there is no deadline going on for the submissions-end. On my end, I plan to start picking it up and publishing around Late-August or July because I hope by that point, we'll have some submissions or at least be working a lot more on this as it picks up and also I know this month is really stressful for a lot of people with final projects, exams, etc and getting ready for Summer so hopefully that'll be a decent amount of time to really get things going.

Can I Help Out? Yes, you absolutely may! I'd love some editors to help back me up on things, beta-ers, Spicy-Scene coordinators (because that's just not my editing cup of tea) and other people that's going to be crucial to bringing this to light. Again, this project is based on community and I love people so feel free to reach out so we can work together to see what's the right fit, aka schedules, genres, etc! I might even create a discord server if we get large enough!

Any Other Comments? Feel free to ask questions. This and my main account are always free to pop in if you'd like, just know that it might take me a while to get back to you... it's a bad habit :(. Also, fandom-based characters and chapters are completely on the table! I personally find it much easier to write in a fandom-based setting so if that's your jam, feel free and make sure to tell us where you're comin' from so we showcase it! At some point, too, I'd love to make a little 'spreadsheet' thing on here to show who's working on who to maybe get people out of their shell or introduce others or maybe even collab on stuff!

Anyway, I think that should all be it :). Feel free to ask questions, interact with us, or even share the #The Greek Mythos Project on other platforms if you'd like or with friends! Also keep up with us on the same tag for updates, questions, or even maybe prompts/challenges if ya'll would like :). See you at some point and have fun!

Edit: Below Are Little Clarification Posts Along With Updates & Stuff That Seem Important <3

The Greek Mythos Project: What We Accept Within Submissions [7/28/24 - Updated Post]

The Greek Mythos Project: The Submission Process

The Greek Mythos Project: Meet Our (Currently Small) Team!

[midnighttrain-project]

Hello everyone! It’s time for another development blog!

Thank you very much for the support I received in the previous post! This time, the focus will be pixel art! In particular, we will talk about the creative process behind the new sprites of the remake.

As some of you may already know, MerúM is the artist in charge of the pixel art in Midnight Train. Let’s ask him some questions about it!

🌙🚂 Interview with MerúM 🚂🌙

Lydia: First of all, could you introduce yourself?

MerúM: I call myself MerúM. I am the pixel artist of Midnight Train: New Moon, and I am in charge of the sprites and animations of the characters. I also worked on Aria's Story and the previous version of Midnight Train doing the same job.

Lydia: The character sprites in Midnight Train: New Moon look quite different from the original version. Is there any reason for this change?

MerúM: Well, before the switch to RPG Maker MV, I was already working on the new sprites and animations for the Midnight Train remake. However, once we changed programs, I noticed that the character sprites were very small compared to the current screen dimensions. I decided that this was a perfect opportunity to redo the sprites from scratch as well, increasing their dimensions and detailing them more than the previous version allowed me, without wanting to move them too far away from the previous chibi style.

Lydia: Right now, you already completed all the characters sprites for chapter 1. Was there any challenge or something you’re really proud about? 

MerúM: After changing the sprites, the expressiveness of the characters has improved a lot. Characters now have many more unique animations and expressions, solidifying their personalities. I think this new style works very well with the aesthetic of Midnight Train’s world and makes them look quite unique from character to character.

Lydia: Could you describe your workflow and what programs you use to create your work?

MerúM: For my sprites, I use Aseprite. Before starting with a specific character, I tend to draw their base sprites and their walking animations. After this, I receive a list of events that will occur in the game related to those characters, and then I create the sprites and animations that fit into said scenes using the base sprites as a reference. Usually, I am in charge of designing how these scenes will look in pixel art, but with some more specific or complicated scenes I have received a quick sketch of how the sprite/animation should look like as a visual aid, and thus arrive at the version that best suits the scene.

Lydia: I’m just curious about something… Who is your favorite character from Midnight Train?

MerúM: I think all the characters are fantastic, maybe I could consider Neil Lawton my favorite. I think, in the end, we should all be a little like Neil. Even if you are afraid at first to move forward, just do it. This is what Neil does, he may be afraid, but he faces this fear to survive.

Lydia: Is there anything else you would like to tell us?

MerúM: What else could I say? I think Midnight Train: New Moon brings a story that will appeal to anyone who is passionate about mystery stories. By the way, it's fun to mention that in addition to Justice, Purity and some secondary characters, I have been the main designer of Larissa, one of the new characters in this remake. I hope you play Midnight Train: New Moon and get to know her!

🌙🚂 Progress 🚂🌙

I hope you liked the interview with MerúM! I wouldn't have been able to create my games without his help, as I'm pretty bad at pixel art. I'm excited to see all the sprites he will create for chapter 2! I personally can't wait to see Apollo's animations. Now, I want to report about the development of the game. I’m almost finished with the maps of chapter 2, so I expect to start programming this chapter very soon! Literally, there is only one map left…! I wanted to add a new puzzle to this map, so I’ve been stuck brainstorming ideas… Ahh, it feels like facing a final boss before proceeding to the next step.

Thank you a lot for your support and patience! See you next time~

[rovingotter]

My Wish Rewrite

Everyone under the sun has done a Wish rewrite at this point so I thought I’d try my hand at it.  I’m going to try to keep both Magnifico's and Asha’s characterizations relatively intact while giving Asha a more compelling motivation, and also keep the structure fairly similar to what we got in the movie.

Note:  I use he/him to refer to Star for the sake of clarity, though Star has no official pronouns.

Much of the setup is the same:  Asha giving a tour, going to her interview, etc, with the major difference being that rather than Saba and his wish, the focus is on Simon.  Why?  Because he’s the only person we see in the movie who’s suffering some kind of negative repercussion from losing his wish (aside from just disappointment at it not being granted).  And in this version it’s made clear, in the scene with all the friends gathered in the kitchen, that Simon isn’t just sleepy:  he’s depressed.  He’s lost interest in most things, even the cookies he used to love.  Asha is troubled by this.  Dahlia says something like, “I’m sure things will be back to normal once he has his wish granted.”

Gabo replies, “You mean if he ever has his wish granted.”

“Gabo…”

“You don’t really think everyone’s wish gets granted, do you?  Asha, your saba is one hundred and he’s still waiting.  There’s only a ceremony once every month. How many people do you think live in Rosas?  Do the math.”

Asha:  “Right, but…the good and worthy wishes get granted.”

“And?  We don’t know what Simon’s wish is.  Even he doesn’t know, now.  Maybe he wants to rule the world.”

“Gabo!”

Simon:  “It’s true.  I don’t know. It could be something awful.”

The scene with meeting Magnifico and seeing the wishes goes much the same, but then after “At All Costs,” Asha asks for Simon’s wish to be granted.  And when Magnifico is obviously disappointed that she would ask for favors when they just met, she clarifies:  “Oh, I wouldn’t ask, except…since he gave up his wish, he just hasn’t been himself.  He seems so…sad.”

Magnifico softens visibly.  “All right.  Let me take a look.”

I’m also changing Simon’s wish:  he’s the one who wants to inspire people through music (or art or writing or whatever) but specifically, he wants to inspire a great change and to create a new dawn for Rosas.  As Magnifico examines the wish we can see that this hunger for change is what disturbs him.  He flinches back, quickly sends the wish back to the ceiling, and gives Asha the speech about how some wishes are too vague to grant:  there’s no telling what could happen.

“…then can’t you just give it back?”

“Excuse me?”

“His wish.  You could just give it back.  Then if it’s dangerous, it could be stopped, but if not—”

“That's not how it works. The wishes stay here until they are granted.  The system only works if everyone follows the same rules.  That’s the only way I can keep us all safe.  Look at this kingdom.  I’ve drawn together people from all over the world, and they live here in harmony, wanting for nothing.  Where else do you think that happens?  Do you believe that’s a coincidence?  I don’t just grant the good wishes.  I keep the bad ones from hurting anyone.”

“But Simon is hurting now.  Surely, in this case, you could make an exception—”

“If I make one exception, then everyone will start demanding their wishes back, and the whole system will crumble.”

“That’s ridiculous!”

The argument keeps escalating to the “I decide what everyone deserves” line.  And this is what causes Asha to start questioning the system she’s believed in her whole life.  She’s always seen Rosas as a paradise—and it is, for most.  But now that same system is harming her friend and Magnifico is unwilling to rectify this due to vague fears about the potential consequences of Simon's wish. 

She doesn’t get the job. Magnifico grants someone else’s wish at the ceremony.  Asha’s not just sad, though:  she’s pissed.  When Magnifico takes the newcomers’ wishes and gives her that little smirk over his shoulder, we see her eyes narrow, we see her maintain eye contact with him until he looks away, a hint of something like confusion or regret in his expression.

That night, she talks to her family about what happened, and they urge her to trust the king’s judgment.  It escalates to a furious argument and she storms out.

Asha doesn’t just wish upon a star, though.  She summons Star, deliberately.  How?  Her dad was a philosopher, but also secretly studied magic, specifically star magic, and Asha alone knows where he kept his books of spells.  Before his death, her dad also cautioned her to never to use the magic unless there’s no other choice:  it’s too difficult to control, and it can have unforeseen consequences.  Asha decides that desperate times call for desperate measures; she’s going to steal back Simon’s wish from the vault, using this power…which is still not a great plan, and she hasn’t even talked to Simon about this yet.  But here, her recklessness is driven by anger and desperation, not a vague sense of unfairness.  Her “I want” song also becomes a spellcasting song.  And—somewhat to her surprise—it works.

This gives Asha more agency in her own story, but also, I think it better reflects the attempted theme of Wish:  self-determination.  If you’re going to write a story about the importance of people pursuing their own desires and being in charge of their own destiny rather than waiting around hoping for someone else to give them what they want, I think it’s kind of hypocritical to have the main character get a necessary power boost by essentially praying and receive divine aid because the heavens judge her to be good and worthy. Here, Asha makes the decision to cross a line for the sake of her friend.

Star is still a cute little glowing bob who doesn’t talk, and he’s still whimsical, but in this version he’s got a bit more of a mischievous edge.  He’s a chaotic little gremlin.  He does things that are a bit more bizarre than just giving animals and plants the power of speech:  maybe he starts swapping body parts, giving a rabbit’s head to a bear and vice versa.  Maybe he gives consciousness to a mushroom and it starts experiencing existential confusion ("Who am I? What am I? Why am I stuck in the ground?") and asking about its purpose, only for Star to giggle and kick his stubby little appendages in the air. 

“You’re a Star” wouldn’t work in this context, since it’s too straightforwardly empowering, and in this moment, Asha is experiencing some genuine anxiety over what she’s unleashed.  Maybe she can sing about that. The song is called, "What Have I Done?" Some of the animals can chime in.  The mushrooms sing about their existential angst.  The song wraps up, Asha decides that, now that Star is here, she’s going to go ahead with her plan, despite her many questions.

“Star.  Listen to me.  I need your help to…”  She takes a breath.  “To commit a crime.”

Star squeals in delight.

“But it’s a good crime.  We’re helping my friend.  We have to retrieve one of these bubbly ball things from inside a locked room in King Magnifico’s castle.  Okay?  Can you help me?”

Star produces a small flame.

“No, we’re not setting anything on fire.”

Star’s little face droops in sadness.

“I’m serious.  No arson.  Okay?  Just some light breaking and entering, and then we’re done.  And once King Magnifico realizes the wish is gone…well, that’s a problem for future Asha.”

Star nods in agreement and winks.

* * *

Meanwhile, King Magnifico has seen the burst of light in the sky.  He’s tearing his study apart looking for answers.  Amaya asks him what’s going on.  And he tells her.

He recognizes that light:  he’s heard of this.  It’s star magic.  Very powerful, very rare, and most of all, unpredictable.  Such magic has brought down entire kingdoms, in the past.  Who in Rosas could possibly have the knowledge to summon such a thing?  Who would dare to so brazenly break his law against unauthorized sorcery?  He thinks of the interview earlier.  “Asha?  No.  No, surely not.  She’s just a child.”  But the suspicion has been planted.

The scene of him almost turning to the book, then being talked down by Amaya, would play out similarly.  But here it parallels the scene of Asha finding and using her father’s book.  Both Asha and Magnifico have flirted with a kind of Faustian bargain, but so far only Asha’s actually taken the plunge.

Asha introduces Star to her friends, including Simon.  Star causes some more mayhem, including briefly transforming Dario into a donkey and Hal into a wooden marionette. (There's some Disney Easter eggs for you.) Star cures Safi's allergies and then gives them back. One of the chickens now constantly sings opera solos and cannot be stopped.

Asha promises to get Simon's wish back.  He’s troubled.  “Asha…I never asked for this.  I don’t want you getting hurt for my sake. I don't want to cause trouble.  I can wait—”

“Simon, you don’t understand.  He’s never going to grant your wish.  He thinks it’s dangerous.  But I know that it’s not.  What he’s doing—it isn’t right.  Please.  Let me help you.”

They argue back and forth a bit, with Simon ultimately agreeing, though still obviously nervous about the whole thing.  Dahlia helps Asha get into the study, and here, Star starts setting things on fire and creating havoc…not accidentally, but because Star really likes fire.  Asha manages to put the fire out and distract Star from what he’s doing (turning Magnifico’s collection of rare books into squalling, pointy-toothed purple blobs).  Star then helps her get into the wish room, where she locates and retrieves Simon’s wish.

While this is happening, Magnifico—heeding Amaya’s advice to look to his people—calls the gathering, and things play out pretty similarly to how they do in the movie, with him becoming increasingly agitated when his citizens start questioning the system.  He storms back into the castle, telling Amaya he’ll be with the wishes. 

And here, now, we see an unexpected side to the king, who has (up to this point) always appeared as dignified and serious:  to unwind, he plays with a set of toy people and does a cute little dance to his “villain song,” acting childlike and rather silly as he sings about wanting more respect, embracing his own personal chaos as an escape from the pressures of leadership…similar to the movie, but it’s more obvious that the song’s silliness is a deliberate stylistic choice.  We’re seeing an aspect of himself he normally hides from people, and even from his wife.  (The vibe of the song remains the same, just imagine the lyrics are better-written and reflect this theme.)  At some point, Amaya comes to check on him—because she doesn’t like the way he’s been eyeing that book lately—and catches him in the midst of his goofy dance.  He freezes.  The music stops.  They’re both embarrassed, and she makes an excuse and quickly leaves.  Kind of like that scene in Spaceballs where Dark Helmet is playing with his dolls and Colonel Sandurz walks in on him.

The song resumes, the lyrics now shifting to King Magnifico being self-critical—why is he messing around with these stupid toys?  There is a traitor in Rosas!  A dangerous magic is afoot! He needs to Get Serious.  It is at this point that he starts working himself back into a panic, with his reflections in the mirrors (which previously praised him) now chiding him, yelling at him and egging him on.  He turns to the book.  Like Asha, he’s now been driven to the breaking point of using a power he’s been cautioned against using.  Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Asha, meanwhile, has successfully stolen back Simon’s wish.  She gives it to him, and we see him healed.  We see the spark of life come back into his eyes.  We see him smile for the very first time.

Then Magnifico bursts in, and it’s clear something has changed.  He’s not acting like himself.  He tells Asha that he knows what she did.  In this version, see, it’s not Simon who tells Magnifico the truth about her:  it’s her family.  Except they didn’t even see it as a betrayal.  They have total trust in Magnifico, and Asha’s been acting “strange” lately, so when the king comes to their house asking about her, they tell him about the forbidden book of star magic they found in Asha’s room, hidden beneath the bed.  They’re so embarrassed and shocked that their daughter/granddaughter would experiment with such dangerous magic.  Magnifico reassured them that he didn’t blame Asha—she’s just a child, after all—and that once the star was destroyed, their daughter would go back to normal.  (Of course, the irony being that Magnifico’s made his own bargain with the devil at this point, and they have no idea.)

Magnifico, Asha, and Simon—who’s got his spark back now—have a heated argument.  Magnifico demands that they turn over Star, and they refuse.  He becomes more and more enraged as they hurl accusations at him, telling him that the entire system is rotten and they’re not going to take it anymore.  When his fury reaches its peak, he growls, “You gave this to me…and I’m taking it back.”  He wrenches Simon’s wish out of his chest again and crushes it…and then he gets the unexpected rush of power from the magic.

Star emerges from hiding.  He grants life to a table, which goes ballistic and attacks Magnifico.  They flee.  Simon’s depression has returned, even worse than before. He's practically catatonic.  They search for a safe place to hide him and go to Bazeema’s sanctuary (let’s just say they already know where it is—no need for them to conveniently stumble across it by chance). 

Much like in the movie, Magnifico starts putting up wanted posters for Asha, he creates his wish-powered staff, Amaya stumbles across him and is horrified.

Asha and co. sing “Knowing What I Know Now.”  Amaya bursts in to tell them about the forbidden magic.  She asks for their help in finding a way to break its hold on her husband.

The main difference here is that when she’s introduced to Star and learns that Asha summoned him, Amaya isn’t charmed and delighted, she’s appalled that Asha’s first action was to start experimenting with a magic she didn’t understand.  “If you had come to me, if I had known, I could have done something.” 

We then get the story of Magnifico’s past, from Amaya:  we see it on the wall in the form of shadows and light.  His family was not killed by thieves or invaders, but by revolutionaries.  In his homeland, there was a bloody and chaotic uprising.  The rulers were overthrown, but countless ordinary people were killed as well.  And it all started with a seemingly benign wish for change, with songs and poems about freedom.  This is why Magnifico finds Simon’s wish so threatening and why, when he saw Star's light, he interpreted it as a threat.

Dahlia starts to defend Asha, to say that it wasn’t her fault, it was Magnifico's, but Asha speaks up—“No, Dahlia.  Amaya’s right.  I should have talked to you, first—to all of you—instead of taking things into my own hands.  I was just so…so angry.  And scared.”  (Look, see, I gave her an arch.  This also emphasizes the thematic parallels between her and Magnifico.) "I need to fix this.  But I can’t do it alone."

Cut to Magnifico, who’s now having a conversation with his reflection—a reflection clearly meant to represent the forbidden magic and its influence.  He’s rattled by his own actions, asking himself whether he went too far, but the magic shows him the horrors of his past in the mirror, reminding him of what happens when order is not maintained…though again, we see only vague shadows and light, hear distant echoes of screams.  “Look at Simon as a sacrifice for the greater good,” the mirror said.  “Nothing is achieved without sacrifice.  You called upon me.  Put your trust in me, now, and I promise—you will never feel that despair again.  I will protect you…at all costs.”

Amaya and Dahlia, meanwhile, are looking through the book of forbidden magic and find the passage saying that there’s no way to break its hold.  Once someone embraces it once, they commit for eternity:  it’s a rule of nature.  But Asha interjects:  “That only means no one has found a way yet.  And we have a star.  Star magic is all about breaking the rules.  So let’s break some rules.”

Asha and her friends infiltrate the castle to free the wishes so Magnifico can’t crush and absorb them. Amaya, meanwhile, goes looking for Magnifico, hoping she can still reason with him, but when she finds him, he says, "You're too late." He uses a blast of magic to put her to sleep.

Magnifico—who now fully under the magic’s sway—ascends to the top of the castle, absorbs all the wishes, pulls Star into his staff, and uses its power to block the sky.  He hauls Asha to the top of the tower with his magic and tells her that he’s going to add her wish to the collection.  When he pulls the wish from her chest, it’s an image of Asha sitting quietly with her father in the tree.  His rage falters.  His own wish emerges, unbidden, from his chest—the family he lost so long ago.  He stuffs it back inside his chest, but the reminder of the shared loss between them pierces his armor.

His breathing speeds up.  His eyes shift from green to blue, green to blue.

It is at this point we get the Reprise of “This Wish,” but this time, Amaya (who reappears at the last minute, having woken from her sleep) is the one spearheading it, and they’re singing to break the magic’s hold, using the combined power of their wishes.  The staff glows, Star and the wishes burst free. 

In a spasm of panic and horror, Magnifico throws himself off the tower.  Asha cries out to Star to save him.  Star shoots straight into Magnifico’s chest and slows his fall, and he drifts down like a leaf, landing in the midst of his people.  There’s a burst of green and gold shimmers from within him, spreading outward, mingling and then winking out like fireflies.  The forbidden magic’s hold is broken, but the cost—as he soon finds—is that he can no longer use magic at all.  He’s powerless.  He stares at his hands and laughs until he weeps.  Amaya comforts him and gives him one of the toy people she found in his study.

The freed wishes return to their owners…including Simon’s now-restored wish, which has become a self-fulfilling prophecy, having inspired Asha to bring great change to the land.  And Simon finds to his surprise that his wish, too, has changed:  he no longer wants to be a revolutionary, but a healer.  Star returns just long enough to say goodbye.

There’s no magic wand.  Some of the animals can still talk, the mushrooms are still questioning their existence, but Rosas can no longer rely on magic:  its gods have departed, and the people are left with themselves and their own choices, their own fragile wills and hearts. 

[landwriter]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Tagged by @tiltingheartand <3 thank you!

How many works do you have on Ao3?

11!

What's your total Ao3 word count?

129,874. Brevity evidently is not my strong suit! Which is also why the rest of this is under a cut.

What fandoms do you write for?

The Sandman! I also just watched Dead Boy Detectives and think I might write a couple little things for it too.

Top five fics by kudos:

Saint Morpheus (11,882 words) - My first fic! Saints and worship

The Death of Translation (10,968 words) - the Language fic

Oaths (60,443 words) - Tam Lin AU and my precious baby. I'm so proud of this one. It's got so much of me in it. Def the first fic I would consider a full send

Border Country (6,100 words) - Clothing, the inherent body horror of being alive, and self-denial. Have always meant to do a sequel for this and may do for S2

Black Shore (3,962 words) - Monsterfucking :-) Weird little beast of a story that came out of nowhere fully formed

All Sandman, all Dream & Hob, haha. Doubt that will change with new fics unless I find a more popular pairing in a more popular fandom to write for

Do you respond to comments?

I do! I love discussing characters and theeeeemes and sharing enthusiasm with people. I love hearing what I've inflicted and I'll thank you for telling me <3 Once I started getting busier I found it a lot harder to keep up, but I treasure all my comments so if you suddenly get a reply like, a year later, you know why!

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

It's for sure The Many Lives of Hob Gadling. Everything else I've written except Border Country has ended, like, tooth-rottingly kind and optimistic and love-filled. But lbr Dream is a man of tragedies. There'll be more

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

It's such a personal thing, but Oaths has the happy ending I would consider most wonderful sort of happiness. It's not the fluffiest or most fairy-tale (having written just that also), but this specific flavour of joy and peace in terms of experiencing the beauty of the world around you and being just shot full of love. The happiness of growing things and sunrises. Or Just Like Love. From the Corinthian's perspective. He's so happy with the state of things at the end.

Do you get hate on fics?

Only the once! Fortunately everybody else who has hated a fic of mine has been able to find the back button and gone off to read something else or grouse about it in private, which is the correct way of things. There's no reason, ever, to tell an author you disliked their story. They will not be grateful for it no matter how certain and correct you feel in your criticisms. Nobody wins! Sorry! Go tell a friend instead.

Do you write smut?

You betcha I do! The first time I wrote it for Saint Morpheus it felt so unnatural and I was just making a :| face the whole time but now sex scenes are among my favourite things to write. I feel like I've really cum come into my own with them more than any other kind of scene.

Craziest crossover:

I've never done a crossover! I love reading them though.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I don't think so! I mean, not great, etc., but personally I also deeply don't care. I imagine having a job where what I am actually creating & selling for money gets stolen often sort of skews my perspective on my fic getting stolen. It's not a commercial product. It isn't paying my mortgage. I give these words for free and with love. If they end up places I never put them, so be it! Such is the internet.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! 【授權翻譯】翻譯之死 The Death of Translation by Ethiseth. Legitimately one of the highest honours I think a fanfic writer can ever receive <3

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No!

All time favourite ship?

Hob / the world :-)

What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

My very first WIP for Sandman! I started writing it then joined tumblr the next day, saw some of @messmonte's art, and was off writing Saint Morpheus in short order. Sorry 1989 canon divergence fic! Maybe one day.

What are your writing strengths?

Five dollar words. Long sentences. Big sweeping feelings. Instilling my personal values, i.e. love is real, you are surrounded by beauty at every turn, you deserve the things you want, monologues are a normal and practical form of communication, etc.

What are your writing weaknesses?

God, actually finishing and sharing things, I think. I haven't had enough time in my life lately and it kills me! But it's also such a me problem because I love to worry at and chew on WIPs forever. Writing fast would be so cool. Pew pew pew! New fics left and right. You guys would be buried in them. Man, I wish.

Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

Can run gimmicky but also I love multiple languages in one conversation as subtext so much - I'm torn. Same as accents in that I suspect it's most cases better to just note it in the speech tags, unless you're willing to go through the trouble of inline/hovertext translations, and then at that point it's a bit If You Give A Mouse A Cookie for me where I'll want translator's notes too, maybe some metatextual payoff, etc.

First fandom you wrote in?

Technically FMA, but that's a story for another day hahaha. Sandman, really.

Favourite fic you've written?

Oh golly. Oaths. I did so much for the first time with that story. But it's hard to choose, which is such a nice problem to have. I think it's easy when you've never written fic before for each new thing to mean something different to you!

No-presh tagging @wordsinhaled, @moorishflower, @tj-dragonblade and anyone who wants to do this too - just tag me so I can be nosy <3

[kirikiri1]

Surprise Tumblr round of commissions!

OPEN SLOTS: 2

New opening for "commissions"! I say that with quotation marks because I'm not looking to monetize this hobby (I want to have fun! Also, that wouldn't work under their license!), so the process won't be standard.

1) What can you get? One hoop, 10cm diameter (as in the pictures), depicting something from an episode of The Magnus Archives (check episode availability at link in my bio!). I don't do full color portraiture, so it'll have to be more abstract or else line art only. 

2) How does this work? You message me on this app with the episode in question, and, if there's a specific scene or imagery you're interested in or a preference for straight up embroidery versus the mixed fluffy stuff I do, that as well. We discuss if that works, and if we agree, you donate 50 US dollars to The Okra Project (food for black trans folx), your local Food Not Bombs (food for people in need), Palestine Children Relief Fund, Donbas SOS (Ukrainian civilians), RAICES (legal services for immigrants), or ActBlue (abortion funds) and I make you a hoop. There won't be revisions, because a) that's hard to do with embroidery and b) like I said, I want to have fun, so you'll have to trust that you'll like what I make. I will give you process updates though if you'd like, so you can have some input then. Please only do this if you are confident you won't regret it. When the hoop is done, you PayPal me the cost of shipping (typically between 7 and 15 Euros, ships from Germany), and then I mail it out to you.

3) How long will this take? Well, once I start stitching your hoop, it should take about a week or two. But since I'll do these in the order that they come in in and have a day job, it may take a few weeks for me to get started. Figure in another month for it to arrive outside of Europe.

4) Will more slots open up? Maybe! So long as it's fun, I will do more.

5) 50 dollars?? Really?? Yes really, and that's actually very, very cheap given that these take me up to 20 hours depending on the level of detail and techniques used. Plus material costs. Plus it goes to a good cause, so there will be no negotiating on this point.

[ravenwolf1132]

EMERGENCY COMMISSIONS!!!

Alright guys! You like my art? You want some for your own? Well, today's your lucky day!

I'm starting commissions!

I really need your help. I need to start doing commissions between finding a new job and my current one that pays Jack Shit™. As it is already, I'm struggling to make my part of the rent, not including utilities. 

So without further adieu~

(It was difficult to find pieces I was actually proud of.)

Things I will do:

Dungeons and Dragons (Player characters, scenes you want immortalized, concepts, you name it. I just need the details of what you want)

Fan Art

Transformers 

Jojo

Steven Universe 

The Owl House

My Hero Academia

Etc. (these are all Fandoms I'm a part of)

OCs (Once again, you need to provide details, how tall/old they are, hair color, eye color, skin color, etc.) - Including Furry Art

Various P/0rn* (I will veto anything that squicks me out) - Best to keep it Vanilla, but what I will allow is;

Bondage (Leather, Shibari, Machines, Etc. )

Double-penetration

Tentacles

Breeding 

Anything else will have to be negotiated

*I warn you, while I’m willing to do p/0rn, I don’t draw it very often. If at all. Quality and Time may vary (In other words; this option will most likely get expensive. If you have the money and patience, go for it)

What I will NOT do:

Various p/0rn

R/ape/non-con (dub-con is on thin fucking ice so its best to just not)

Watersports/Scat/Farting (no kink-shaming, but I have to be in a VERY specific mood to even remotely enjoy watersports alone. If that’s your thing, you do you, boo, but for me… ew.)

Anything with feet being the focus (can't draw feet, especially in the detail most of these clients want)

Zoo-philia (furry art is ok because the characters are perceived to be sentient and of age)

NO PEDO - I will fucking report you

Landscapes, Cityscapes, Room Design, Machines/Mecha - This type of art is difficult for me and not one I have a lot of confidence in. If this is the art you’re looking for, I suggest looking for someone specializing in Landscape Art. Because I assure you, it will not be as good as you think and you will most likely be wasting your money on me. If you have the money to spare, don’t mind a long wait or the quality, and would like to humor me, then by all means go for it. (Transformers gets a pass because I’m in that fandom)

Prices:

$10 initial labor cost and $10 per every extra hour standard - this is how much I make at my current job and, as you can see, that ain't enough! So yes, this charge is non-negotiable. 

10% p/0rn charge of the total price - I don't usually draw p/0rn. Period.

50% of the total price for each additional character

There will be a down payment upfront at half the estimated value of the piece, adjustments can be negotiated upon full payment.

We can negotiate prices based on my schedule and your budget. This means the longer I take to make the piece might not affect the price as I am only charging by hour not day. BE WARNED: the quality of the art piece may vary. This is the first time I'm doing commissions. 

Sketch

Bust: $5

Half-body: $10

Full body: $15

Lineart

Bust: $10

Half-body: $15

Full body: $20

Flat color

Bust: $15

Half-body: $20

Full body: $30

Full color 

Bust: $20

Half-body: $35

Full-body: $50

How to contact me:

Email: rw1132com@gmail.com <- This Email will ONLY be used for commissions. Anything else will be deleted.

Yes, you may use Tumblr. I will redirect to my email for further communication, but if you would like to message me or send in an ask, feel free.

Payment Options* - I will send a link through email when payment is due, please select the payment method you will be using

Zelle

Cashapp

Venmo

PayPal

*For now, Zelle and Cashapp are my main forms of payment options, but I'm open to others as well.

[theoryfan205]

Words aren't my specialty so prepare for word soup spider-sona post, you have been warned

I have no idea how to start this so let's get the basics I have down! This spider-sona is British because you know I am, sticking to what I know, and so the big city they usually protect is London, have I only been there like twice? Yes! Am I doing this anyway? Also yes! Anyway- this spiderman becomes spider man in more of a freak accident, they're visiting London for a week to check out this new science exhibit put on for a limited time only for people to showcase their research, like art fairs for science! Something like that, working on the details but they're interested and manage to get in to see all the cool things and hear how they work, one of these showcases is showcasing a new experiment on spiders... The scientist working on it plans to induce super speed into a silk web spinning spider, the plan is basically if the spider goes really fast it'll make webs really fast and thus you've got a quick supply of spider silk! You'll basically never run out!

Now they've already done it once successfully on a spider they're showcasing as well and they plan to demonstrate the process live today with another spider, as they're already convinced it'll go well with the experience of having done it successfully before, our spiderman here gets an interest in practically everything, even the spider, leaning in to look at the little fella while listening to the explanation of the experiment. When the time comes for the spider fast experiment it ends up going horribly wrong because the equipment explodes, just.. boom! People knocked everywhere and the spiders get out, our soon to be spiderman is knocked down too and while trying to escape the rubble after the explosion they come across a tiny little spider, they crouch down and look at the little fellow, recognizing it as one of the spider experiments but not remembering what one it was, as it crawls on their finger and they think out loud they get interrupted by a fast bite to their palm, slapping the spider away and accidentally killing it.

They are not going to admit they just killed the spider, and entirely decide to blame it on the explosion as they leave the scene of the spider murder and soon after get rescued, it's a whole disaster and it's quite a mess. Something something spider powers! The explosion from the tech plus the experiments made relatively harmless (uk spiders aren't quite poisonous) radioactive fast spiders, and thus after getting bit they get the usual Spidey powers, sticky hands and feet, Spidey sense, super strength and a new one thanks to the experiments specific to that spider, super speed, that's right I'm fixing the heights problem by giving them super speed! Don't need to swing really high up and risk sobbing as spiderman if you can just run real fast and use the webs to help propel yourself forward!

The inspiration for speedy spider over here is spiders that just fucking bolt when you try to kill them and I had a dream where I was spiderman in a spiderverse and my power was speed so clearly my subconscious agrees with me! For the costume it's green because that's my favorite colour, also yellow because green and yellow go great together! I got nothing else for the design just ideas on them

I don't have a name either, in costume or out of costume, there is a green spider in the UK but it's got a lame ass name I ain't using that, my only ideas are like green widow or something leaning more into the speed side like I dunno the speedy spidster? (Pronounce it like Spidey) it's a work in progress! I am working on it, but basically my spider-sona is the flash spiderman, having to run all the way to London when their vacation Is over to save the day is just a part of their job! I'd imagine something might pop up to get them in London more full time but thats the basics! Also no spoilers for anyone reading but they would so socially awkward in the spiderverse, someone says hi and they blue screen, they aren't prepared for this many spideys

[mattdeeryradio-blog]

To the Beat of a Different Drum MAWSB 9 MSD

According to Petru Moiseev, the author of the article The Specific Treatment of Percussion Instruments in Jazz Music from the 1950s, the style of hard-bop was created on the east-coast jazz scene (Moiseev, 2024). This type of jazz style was popularized by Philadelphian Philly Joe Jones, and Pennsylvanian/jazz legend Art Blakely (Moiseev, 2024). According to researcher/author David Rosenthal, what hard bop was, was an evolution of bebop Jazz that was informed by such artists as Lee Morgan and John Coltrane (Panetta, 1993). The music of hardbop, at least according to Rosenthal, was influenced by the harsh ghettos that the artists inhabited at the time, which resulted in more “sinister” and “darker” moods within its song structure and genre (Panetta, 1993). Rosenthal states that once these artists got popular, and could afford living in middle-class suburbs, that is when the genre started to die out in the 1960s (Panetta, 1993). Continuing on the themes of playing by ear and being self-taught from my previous blog, Philly Joe Jones, not to be confused with Count Basie’s accompanist Jo Jones, was largely self-taught (Gale, 2016). To not lead to confusion, Joe Jones took the moniker from his hometown to separate himself from the other Jo Jones (Gale, 2016). The drumming styles of these then up and coming percussionists would give way to modern jazz. This perhaps can be noted that both Pennsylvania and Philadelphia held a strong influence in the evolution of jazz.

The knowledge of the genre of both bebop and hardbop jazz, how they culminated both on the east coast and Philadelphia as a whole, will inform my project. It is a epiphany that Philadelphia, and the artists that it fostered, were directly responsible for what we know as modern jazz today. It is eye-opening on how the Philadelphian neighborhoods influenced the moods and stylistic choices of playing within these artists. I guess one could surmise that the environment at the time, as well as the artists emotional resonance within their confines, could shape musically what they were feeling, and vice versa. I have seen this before with Detroit, Michigan shaping the sounds of Motor-city rock and roll with Bob Seger, MC5, The Stooges, Alice Cooper, and Ted Nugent, with its rough and tumble blue collar atmosphere at the time. I guess a guess a similar gestation occurred, albeit in a different form of music, in the 1950’s within Philadelphia’s sleepy ghettos. Perhaps a sense of pain, mixed with melancholia shaped the sounds of what we know now as hardbop and modern Philadelphian Jazz. Though I assume jazz-fusion has now been the new kid on the block, as far as where jazz is headed. I think these feelings will always be felt.

I was not able to get feedback from classmates this past Tuesday, as I had problems with my project. I did get feedback from Professor Zaylea, and while the cheap Amazon Headphone microphone did not seem to be the best, the Blue Snowball mic seemed to do a better job than expected. I also took away that maybe a podcast could be possible, in that I saw David Nevil’s podcast performance for initial media. David had great phrasing, used an Audio Technica mic, and produced some great results. David is blessed with a great voice tonality and phrasing. In order to step my game up. I might have to work on my voice tonality, and phrasing. Since David and I are doing different subject matter, as well as presenting in different formats, something needs to be considered. I may have to figure out the appropriateness of presentation regarding to subject matter, and how to exactly shape a voice and persona when it comes to the subject of Philly Jazz, and or a reflection/biography on an up-and-coming Philadelphian Jazz artist. It also might be wise to practice at home some read throughs, but then eventually find a set to produce some good results with the podcast going forth. That being said, it seems achievable and possible to produce good results from within my apartment.

                                                           Works Cited

Jazz: Modern Jazz, Be-Bop, Hard Bop, West Coast, Vols. 1-6. (1995). Notes, 51(3), 865. https://link-gale-com.libproxy.temple.edu/apps/doc/A34393566/AONE?u=temple_main&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=ca006928

Moiseev, P. (2024). The specifics of percussion instruments treatment in the jazz music from the 1950s. Studiul Artelor Şi Culturologie: Istorie, Teorie, Practică, 2(45), 41–44. https://doi.org/10.55383/amtap.2023.2.07

Shibboleth Authentication Request. (2024). Temple.edu. https://go-gale-com.libproxy.temple.edu/ps/i.do?p=BIC&u=temple_main&id=GALE%7CK1606006694&v=2.1&it=r&sid=summon

[brothermoth]

"If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle."

—My man Sun Tzu, Art of War

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I don't think you guys understand how the US government works. I'm not straight up defending anyone here, I just think that folks need to understand how many gears are all working at once.

First of all the president really can't do shit. Very few presidents have maintained enough social and political power to actually pass their own ideas. FDR was a powerhouse of PR. He was popular. He was charismatic and the people loved him and he was president at the right time to actually force his bills through. Kennedy had quite a bit of sway that helped him start Civil Rights bills rolling through, and LBJ was riding off years of civil unrest, and he made a lot of compromises in 1964 to get those bills passed.

If Congress doesn't like you, you're fucked. It's stupid as hell for candidates to make so many promises because so much of that stuff is simply out of their control. They are surrounded by Senators and Representatives and aids and staffers and secretaries, and often their every idea is put to some sort of vote. The Democrats are not do-nothings. Neither are the Republicans. The Democrats are a very diverse party of very diverse people, which makes it so much harder for them to get things done. For every lukewarm liberal there's someone who genuinely cares for the people in this country.

Picture this: you're a Dem senator from a teeny blue state like fucking Maryland or something. You're a speck. You've got the senator from New York (a state with a pretty even red/blue split if you look at the numbers) who has to appease the rural voters and the city voters. These tiny blue states? Those are the ones who say the stuff you like. The problem is, they're outmatched by the huge states who know they can't swing too far left or right because they need those votes. A hard-line red or blue politician would have a super hard time getting in office in a big blue state. Hell, they have trouble in big red states too.

Those are the people making the decisions. A bunch of shitheads arguing and nobody has enough actual power to get their specific issues legislated on. You compromise. You have to compromise because you DO have to make everyone at least somewhat satisfied. The president just puts a stamp on it and a little bow and kisses it goodnight. Sometimes he says "hey guys why don't we—" and nobody can hear because everyone is yelling already. Some presidents shout louder than others. Trump is a facade. The president is the guy you yell at so the actual shitballs can keep typing away behind the scenes. Trump himself had no fucking power. You think they let his ass do anything? Fuck no. That is how every president works. The president is just the guy you look at. Don't fucking forget that.

Joe Biden himself is not rawdogging Lockheed Martin and playing catch with Israel like his son in the backyard. Congress sways red. Congress has always trended toward right of center, and if the president doesn't like that he can't do Jack shit about it. We should absolutely stop sending weapons to little baby Genocider, don't get me wrong, but it's far more complex than you think. We can't do a single thing for Palestinians if we don't play politics. There's no option not to. You protest, you hound your reps, you threaten and you VOTE. Vote for people who are at least willing to be swayed. You want candidates willing to fold under pressure and give the people what they want.

We do not know Kamala Harris. We don't know her own personal beliefs, we don't know her as a person or a voter. We know what she wants us to know, and it is her job to play both sides. One woman tug of war.

She needs the lukewarm liberals. She needs to tow the line as much as she possibly can because she cannot win if she doesn't. It's not what you want to hear and it's upsetting but it's politics. Kamala is as far left as a presidential candidate could possibly outwardly express.

Jimmy Carter ran as a segregationist in Dixie Georgia. If you saw him campaign, you'd never want to vote for him in a million years. You know what he did when he got into office? Goddamn integration, baby. Because he knew how to play the game. You tow the line, get your votes. Don't say anything to crazy and don't make any outlandish promises.

Leftists are not nearly a big enough voter base to cater to. It's unfortunate, but it's true. Kamala likely supports cutting most, if not all ties with Israel (based on released private comments) but she could never say that AND win the election. You know who is more important? Lukewarm blues. Fucking old people, man. They suck but they are the largest voter turnout.

I'm a history student. I've studied so many fucking political trends it would make your head spin. The side that wins is the patient one. You think the Civil Rights act was the result of a few years of boycotts? Fuck no. It was hundreds, thousands of activists over decades whittling away at the barricades to progress. It's so easy to put barricades up but they're a lot harder to take down.

No genocide in history has ever been stopped by government action. Government is woefully inefficient, riddled with bureaucracy and puzzles like an ISpy book. It's really disheartening to hear and I'm sorry. The Rwandan genocide fizzled out after millions were massacred. The Holocaust didn't stop because it was a genocide, it stopped because WW2 was a land dispute and Germany lost. This is not to say that politicians didn't care—many many of them did—but the people who want progress are blocked at every turn.

You know what you do? You help people. Donate! Work with humanitarian orgs, spread awareness, lend an ear to folks who have escaped and are traumatized by what they've been through. You do what you can for the people who you can do something for, and you vote. It's the only say you have over your government and it's frustrating, but revolution fucking sucks. Even if you think it's for a good cause, trust me. The right people never ever get into power after a revolution and the instability makes things so much worse.

The one big rule of airplane safety is put on your mask before you help others. I'm telling you right now, if you don't keep whittling at the fucking American government you are not going to have a voice to shout with.

Understand how your fucking government functions. You're not doing anyone any favors if you don't. Learn what actually works. Learn from the past and the people who have succeeded because others before them whittled at the barricades. Progress is slow and demoralization makes it slower.

Any leftist worth their salt is the sort of person who can take a step back and look at things. You HAVE to understand why things happen, how they happen. Why do you think fascist governments go for education first?

Please please please learn how to learn. It makes you effective and it makes you dangerous. If you don't know your enemy you might as well fight naked.

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[asphodelical]

The Great Anime Rewatch of 2024 - Part IV

Lucky Star

First watched: Circa 2008? Rewatched: January 2024

Original rating: 5 New rating: 5

The weird shit about Lucky Star is that even though the show is essentially about nothing, the episodes go by very quickly for me. (Compared to other slice of life shows in this rewatch round that were mind numbingly slow, but actually had a plot, or something resembling a story arc: Aoi Hana, Aria, and Kimi ni Todoke.) Its quick switching between scenes due to its nature as a 4-koma adaptation is actually doing wonders for my shitty attention span. With that said, it was wearing out its welcome very quickly, and motivation to watch more was low. The second half starts focusing on the expanded cast that I don’t give a shit about, and I don’t think other fans do either. Lucky Star is definitely not a show to be binged, and I also don’t see myself revisiting it again. 

__________________________________

Blood Blockade Battlefront 1 & 2

First watched: Fall 2015, Fall 2017, original airdates Rewatched: January 2024

Original rating: 7, 7 New rating: 4, 6

I’ve been on a weird streak of watching anime featuring blonde twins: Migi & Dali, Trigun Stampede, and now BBB. As soon as I started watching, I remembered the original story was written by the same author as Trigun. Rewatching Trigun did not go well for me. But wait! Matsumoto Rie directed the first season. Maybe this won’t be so bad. 

First off, I’m not wild about the art style—specifically the way people are drawn. There are stunning visuals elsewhere: the not-chess match in episode three, the giant tree train station, etc. The ending sequence is fun and joyous. BBB’s tone reminds me more of Baccano or Space Dandy than Trigun, which is definitely a good thing. What I don’t think is a good thing is how BBB starts with a large cast, and primarily focuses on what they can do, rather than who they are. The problem is exacerbated as new characters are introduced every episode. Space Dandy was similar, but that show did a much better job of establishing its core cast. Then the story shifted to anime original material which was so poorly done and…maybe Matsumoto Rie isn’t as good of a director as I once thought. (Although I do love King of Despair, he just wasn’t in the right anime.)

The second season’s change in director was noticeable immediately. The first thing that felt different was the music—we started off with a rap song. The visuals also look cleaner. And, oh? What’s this? We’re finally spending time on the Libra members? I’m finally getting a feel for who they are as people now? Amazing. This is what I was looking for last season. But of course, I’m impossible to please, whatever. And now my problem is that the entire season is episodic, and no overarching goal for the heroes to be working towards. The seasons should’ve aired in reverse: season one should’ve been character-centric episodic, and give an overarching story to season two. There were some fun moments, but BBB just didn’t do it for me the second time around. 

__________________________________

Rideback

First watched: June 2011 Rewatched: January 2024

Original rating: 7 New rating: 4

Here’s an anime no one else remembers. Taking place in the year 2025, and with the original story starting publication in 2003, it’s interesting to see how people depicted the future without the presence of social media and over-reliance of cell phones. Other than that, there’s not much to say about Rideback. I think the premise of a retired dancer trying to find a new purpose could’ve been really lovely in the hands of a better writer. Too bad the writing and characters are dull, but the mechs themselves are cool. More pirouetting mechs please. Moving on. 

__________________________________

Full Metal Panic! & Fumoffu

First watched: June 2012 Rewatched: January 2024

Original rating: 8, 8

New rating: 5, 7

This is such an anime anime: teenage mercs piloting mechs, high school romcom, terrorists, man Full Metal Panic! sure does have it all. When I first watched it, I liked it enough to watch the sequel, the comedy spinoff, and the OVAs/specials. There is something about it that is timeless, yet it has aged strangely. The first few episodes in particular were very bad. Barring the lackluster animation, it did get better, or at least more tolerable. I’m thankful that Sosuke’s secret was out to Kaname by episode five. But every time I finished an episode, I asked myself, ‘what actually happened?’ Things are happening, but it never feels like the plot is advancing, or the characters are growing. I lasted twelve episodes. 

Crunchyroll doesn’t have the second season, but it does have Fumoffu. I had a much better time here. Because the jokes are so specific to the characters and the bits actually have a plot, the comedy has aged surprisingly well. 

I didn't realize how big of a franchise Full Metal Panic! actually is until now. With a a ridiculous number of light novels and manga, and anime adaptations as recent as 2018, I can’t fathom this story going on for as long as it has. 

__________________________________

Fruits Basket

First watched: Circa 2006 Rewatched: January 2024

Original rating: 7 New rating: 7

Fruits Basket and I go waaaaaay back. Both the English and Japanese versions, as well as the manga, I couldn’t get enough of this shit when I was in middle school. I’ve been wondering whether to watch the remake for a while now, but wanted to revisit the original first. 

Barring the mispronunciations of the character’s names, the dub's core cast still rocks. I alternated between English and Japanese depending on what characters were present. Also this is funny as hell. 

The main issues I have with this adaptation are: the soundtrack sounds like it only has ten songs, and constantly reuses the same song each episode, the lackluster art style and animation (Deen 2001 at your service), and some of the English voice actors. Aside form that, this story still holds up. And I am more emotionally attached to it than I thought I was going to be. I still like these characters, I still like this story, and I still love that gentle opening song. I had a good time revisiting this. 

Dear fucking god please let the remake still keep the humor. Don’t let it succumb to the melodrama.