#i'll probably work on mytho instead ;)

[sleepgarden]

new headdress I'm working on for my shop. Lambkin, the pet name varré gives us in elden ring, is such a cute word. The pink yarn is very light against the cream, it's hard to capture but it "blushes" in light, almost disappearing under certain angles and light! Accented with antique lace, and it'll have a gorgeous matching ribbon and bows.

I haven't posted any personal work in a while so here's something I'm taking time on for myself ^-^

[tagidearte]

"Pongo, the Imp Clown. Some say he used to be a Star, others say that's just his delusional ramblings." -Original Character for a (so far) unnamed Original Story.

I'm still in the early stages of designing him and his "friend" Pinga. However, I decided to share these initial drafts regardless! This way someone other than me can join in on the character design journey! Let's see how much he changes until the final design! Thoughts below.

Concept Log #1 - Pongo

Aka I want to ramble and my friends don't care robot clowns. Really big rambly rant below.

Also no, this is not a d/ca oc. Trust me, making a robot clown/jester is like walking into a laser trap when you've been obsessing over those two for the past three years. The only d/ca inspiration here was making Pongo warm coloured and Pinga cool coloured. If anything, this was more inspired by the Funtimes.

For now, I hate all the outfits. They don't fit his vibe, his personality, his whole persona. He's an imp clown, but he has... Delusions of grandeur. I need to make him more princely, perhaps? I'll attempt that next time. I already have the chibi base, so it'll be relatively quick.

I also want to make his casing... Different. Either paler with pink shadows, or a darker, more solid pink. He's meant to have only warm colours, contrasting with Pinga (you'll see him some other time) who only has cold ones, so no blues or greens... But I must say. Darker pink will probably win. When I painted his face white it looked too much like a Slay Button En/nard. In fact, I added all that eye and lip makeup to make him look less like En/nard.

The coil torso is the most important part. On a final drawing I'll make it have more loops, which should give the impression the thing is stronger and capable of more powerful bounces (which can hurt you if he decides to launch) - but for these concepts I merely half assed it. The star shaped hat with the back cone coming out is my favourite part!

Hope you enjoy his star shaped nipple coverings as much as I did coming up with them! Originally (not pictured here) he was going to have a big star on his chest, to mimic what I see in a lot of jack in a box's boxes. But the nipple coverings were so raunchy and funny, yet still appropriate for younger audiences (in world), that I left them in. Him being a reformed villain (in the media he's built after, inside the world) allows for messing around with the makeup and eccentricity, but we can't go to far - he needs to look PG while being predominantly adult/teen entertainment as an amusement park bot.

For context... Ever since I got into FN4F I've wanted to do something similar - with a location and mascots -, but instead of an USA animal band, I wanted it to be based on a cartoon set in a magical forest (like Noddy from my childhood - with a city of living toys and two imps that lived in the eViL wOoDs-, but funny for all ages rather than so 5 year old centric). Overtime, the thought of sentient robots forced to work - objects that were given a soul, trapped in a synthetic shell that is their body, dependent on humanity and property to it despite technically being alive, easy to manipulate via some changes in code - wormed itself in.

But I never really had the proper setting or characters for it. That, and I have another original story that has plagued my dreams ever since I was 12/13.

Until now.

I won't go into setting details yet. Let me just say Pinga and Pongo are a ping pong pun, because they both bob up and down with coils - Pongo on his torso, which makes him kind of like a jack in a box; and Pinga on his legs, which allows him to jump really high. They are based on cartoon characters that exist in world, from a movies series that ended up with a cartoon too, sort of like disney stuff but... Not disney. The entire mythos of that company's content takes place in one single world/franchise, it just explores different parts of it with each new series/movie/game.

Pongo is an egomaniac, programmed the be flirty to adults, who struggles on the line between property and self. He used to give a lot of trouble to the park, because his AI allowed him to learn new tricks rather quickly... and most weren't really all that safe or appropriate. So, time and time again, he got sent back to fix it. Having his "brain" messed with has made him deeply afraid of not behaving like a machine, which clashes with how self pleasing he is - you just don't realize it at first, because he's programmed to be a flirty little demon with an attitude. It's just that his real attitude is much more... intense.

Let's see if posting this online makes me not put the project aside too quickly lmao.

[professoruber]

Flamebird Analysis: The odd treatment of Bette Kane and her history/experience

Batwoman (2011-2016) #1

Okay so first of all, Kate; rude much?

Second of all... was Flamebird's costume really that impractical? Especaially when compared to Kate's costume.

While admittedly Flamebird's original costume was not exactly the height of practicality...

(Although she still seemed quite capable of holding her own in it)

Beast Boy (2000) #2

However she later does in fact get a more practical outfit which she also kickass ass in.

Beast Boy (2000) #4

And we do know that its Flamebird's second (more practical-looking costume) which Kate burns, as Bette ends up suiting up in her aforementioned spare after Kate fires her...

Batwoman (2011-2016) #3

While I am admittedly not an expert on combat outfits; Flamebird's second costume to me seems like it walks a good line between aesthetic and practicality. It has plenty of flair and style to it, but also appears quite flexible and overall not really too drastically different from Kate's Batwoman costume in this regard (rather hypocritical of Kate to say "you need a uniform" while she wears a long wig for no apparent reason apart from style).

If anything...

The "uniform" which Kate gives Bette kinda strikes me as being less practical for the situation compared to the Flamebird costume which she burned. Like Bette's mask seems to be just a piece of fabric tied around her face, which certainly feels like it should be looser and not be as sleek and flexible as the Flamebird costume.

Building off this, from what I've seen and looked over so far, the treatment of Bette kinda feels like it has a weird... juxtaposition at times between what's getting told and what's being shown, I guess.

Like on one hand...

It's shown by both Bette's comments here and the existence of her old Flamebird costumes that she has been experience vigilante for sometime. Longer than Kate I think, if I'm understanding the timeline all correctly.

There seems to be this odd case of both having Kate and the narrative treat Bette as an inexperienced rookie... while also having Bette and the narrative establish Bette as having been a Teen Titan, who has fought Deathstroke and presumably has years of experience.

Even Kate's codename for Bette indicates a rookie status...

However despite the references to Bette's past career and capabilities, and Bette's protests of being more capable than Kate gives her credit for, and Kate also immediately feeling quite shitty at how harsh she was when firing Bette...

The narrative still, from what I understand, kinda vindicates Kate entirely by having Bette get brutalised to the point of falling into a coma immediately after she defies Kate by heading out as Flamebird after getting fired... so I guess Kate was right? I don't know.

Like I said, I just find all of this quite of a weird portrayal. I've been curious about Bette lately on account of her being the original Batgirl (or rather, Bat-Girl), which is a very iconic mantle to the general "Bat-Mythos" even if Bette herself is far less remembered.

I guess one thing I find especially strange is how this is from the first issues of Batwoman 2011... meaning that this was right at the start of the whole New 52 Reboot stuff and so they could've presumably just retconned Bette's experience to make her an actual rookie sidekick instead of this weird half-measure where they both establish her past experience as canon while also otherwise ignoring it.

There's other stuff which I could go over; such as Bette's coma, her stint as Hawkfire, her enrolling in West Point... all of which probably has room for more detailed specific analysis by someone more familiar with both Bette and also the Batwoman comics (I've only fairly recently started looking into this stuff out of curiosity as I work my way through learning more comic history).

So I'll skip to a more recent appearance by Bette in 2017...

Detective Comics (1937—Present) #967

This whole exchange feels once again like Kate ignoring Bette's history, experience and capabilities. Especially the whole "pass second year in the top 99th percentile of your class and maybe I'll put in a good word with you to Batman" thing. No one else needed be top of their class at West Point, or attend West Point at all, to be a superhero. And it just seems strange to have Bette getting forced down that specific road.

Like; going by publication history, Bette was considered part of the original Teen Titans team due to debuting in the 1960s-1970s period. In fact she joined the team before the likes of Beast Boy, Raven, Starfire and Cyborg (at least in terms of publication anyway).

While I'm not entirely certain how her current age placement in the roster, they did still at least establish her as being a Teen Titan who fought Deathstroke and so presumably in the same generation as Nightwing (even if possibly a bit younger) and other core members. The from what I understand the Titans are currently considered senior and experienced enough to be the current "top team" of the hero scene in canon.

So all together this adds up to, as I keep saying, a strange contrast between Bette's stated/implied history and how she gets treated by the narrative.

DC's Legion of Bloom (2023) #1

Last year Bette did make a return as Flamebird (not Hawkfire). Which could mean one of two things...

Kate finally acknowledged Bette as ready/worthy/experienced enough to go out on her own

Bette went screw it and decided she didn't need Bette's permission

Honestly kinda hopping the later cause it brings to mind a bit of the Beast Boy comic which I quite liked...

Beast Boy (2000) #3

Better gets a very stern reprimand from Nightwing (some she admires), and is told she's not cut out for this world and quits. This comes after she's spent most of her appearance in this run being kinda a comedic relief in the form of her repeated failures to bail Beast Boy outta jail (since she's never posted bail before and didn't know how)

But after this..?

Beast Boy (2000) #4

She comes back, with a new (more practical-looking, as I discussed before) costume and beats up several bad guys to help out Gar (who in turn really appreciates her arrival and assistance).

Batwoman (2011) #3

Making this post I've noticed an interesting similarity and contrast between Beast Boy and Batwoman comics in regards to Bette. Both times, Bette gets very sternly reprimanded and told she's not cut out to be a hero and ordered not to be one by someone she admires/values the opinion of.

Both times she defies them and goes out anyway, putting on the same costume both times in fact.

But while the Beast Boy comic portrays her as competent and capable, even having her involvement appreciated by Gar...

Meanwhile in Batwoman?

Batwoman (2011-2016) #4

Bette's defiance almost immediately ends with her horribly injured, and in turn accidentally helps the DEO work out Batwoman's identity.

Two events regarding the same character which that character reacts to in a similar manner but one ends with her vindicated and the other... very much not.

DC's Legion of Bloom (2023) #1

Moving back to Bette's recent appearance in DC's Legion of Bloom. West Point is 4-years in total, and when we last saw Bette she was on her second year at the latest. So with the nature of comic book time, I find it unlikely she'd already graduated.

Her return to Flamebird could also have something to do with Infinite Frontier (I don't fully understand how it works, but apparently everything's canon now again sort of?) re-canonising Bette's competence? That sounds like kinda an amusing thought tbh; multiverse shenanigans happen and Bette wakes up one morning feeling suddenly competent again. Good for her.

Anyway I hope this is a good sign for Bette's character. Even if she's unlikely to be a major player, would still be nice for her appearance to at least depict her as capable. Plus as I said, comic book time means if she does actually stick to West Point, then she'd unlikely to be graduating (and get allowed to be a vigilante) anytime soon. So at that point you might as well just let her go be rich and play tennis since its not like that's a route to her actually doing anything.

Bette seems pretty neat from what I've seen of her, so I wish her the best. Even if Legion of Bloom continues the running joke of her trying and failing to recreate Titans West.

[artist-issues]

I know you have kind of commented on this topic in one of your posts, but what do you think of the fact that Tolkien hated Disney and thought of Walt as a "con-artist" (if I remember correctly) because of how much would be changed? Even though I very much love Disney movies, considering how Tolkien studied mythology, folklore and history from other cultures in-depth, particularly those of European background, I do understand why he was not fond Walt's work at all if we view it from his perspective. Other people seem to share a similar sentiment. I ask you because you often analyze Disney movies and their themes quite in-depth. This whole thing is interesting.

Well, I'll preface by saying I'm not much of a Tolkien apologist. I don't connect with him or his mentality as well as I might flatter myself by saying I do C.S. Lewis' mentality. C. S. Lewis had this beautiful way of blending genuine good-faith enjoyment of something and careful, intentional critical thinking. He could be a reasonable analyzer of media, and a childlike consumer of media, at the same time. Don't know if I've mastered that myself, or if I ever will, but I really admire it.

Which is besides the point, sorry! 😂

But Tolkien was different. First off, Tolkien said some things about interpreting the meaning of his own stories that I don't agree with. He keeps insisting he wasn't trying to "say" anything with Lord of the Rings, or infuse it with any particular "meaning." Truth of the matter is, though, that is not true of any good storyteller. What they believe about the world bleeds into what they create, if they're creating genuinely. So Lord of the Rings is about how small decisions matter, doing what you can with what you're given instead of trying to control everything matters—whether Tolkien likes it or not, whether he was always conscious of it or not, that's what his story says.

He also criticized weird things to criticize about Lewis' works. For someone who was Lewis' friend, I don't know how he could've looked at what Lewis was writing and been surprised, or disgruntled, at the hodgepodge of mythology in works like Narnia. I don't know what made him think a "children's story" would feel like anything other than...made for children.

But anyway. All that to say, I don't always agree with Tolkien, or feel like I understand him. His response to Disney movies is just one of those things I don't get. I can speculate, but I don't know.

Like I said, I think he was so used to thinking of fairy tales and literature in a way that is much...higher, and more layered, than how the everyday layman thought of them, that when a Kansas cartoonist started retelling fairytales without any apparent grasp of that layering, it really rubbed him the wrong way.

I guess it would be like if someone came along twenty years from now, pointed at Disney's The Little Mermaid, and said, "look! A cartoon about fish! I'm going to make an TikTok dance about fish and call it 'The Little Mermaid,' and retell it that way!"

First of all we'd be like "IT'S ABOUT SO MUCH MORE THAN FISH, it's not just an CARTOON, are you BLIND?!" And then secondly we'd probably go, "and what? A TikTok dance?! Are you kidding me? You want to take this beautiful pillar of traditional animation and living color and musical mastery and drag it down to the level of middle school girls flapping their hands around cringily??"

That's probably how Tolkien felt Disney was treating Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Because back then, the medium (TikTok dances, animation) was just associated with sort of lowbrow humor and silliness. Walt was still inventing the whole "animated film to be taken seriously" thing. And back then, Tolkien would've seen the comedy characters of the Dwarfs and their character development as very shallow in comparison to the mythos of Dwarfs in literary and oral-tradition history. He had the most background knowledge. So what he was comparing Walt's movies to was, for him, like comparing grape Gatorade to aged Italian Wine.

As far as Disney being a "con artist..." yeah, I think that's a little bit of a stretch. He was definitely selling something, but if you can look at Walt Disney's life and see dollar bill signs, instead of a guy who genuinely made what he liked because he liked it, you don't know much about Walt Disney. He didn't adapt fairy tales because he thought they could make him money. He adapted fairy tales because he adored them, just like he had a train in his backyard because he adored them. Ask his brother Roy how much Walter "Let's Invent Smell-O-Vision and Drop Flowers on the Audience of Fantasia" Disney was thinking about exploiting the public for financial gain.

Like I said, Tolkien was responding to Walt Disney because he was Tolkien, and it would've been like asking a Bird to relate to a Krill. They were way too different to ever understand each other on the level that either of them preferred being understood at.

[the-greek-mythos-project]

The Greek Mythos Project: What We Accept Within Submissions

Hello everyone, it is once again Camila here and I am writing this post because I decided I should probably clarify things sooner than later. I know I and quite a few other lovely people can struggle with open barriers within things, especially in such a large and "imposing" project, so I decided to write down the general specifics of things to lessen everyone's anxiety. This can and will definitely be improved if we are given more information/questions/asked for clarification so feel free to check every once in a while or reach out if you don't see a specific question you have answered. This is once again here to promote better communication within things and break down this large project to more manageable things. So, let's get into it!

[Note: This post will go from the broader, more unspecific, topics to the smaller, more specific ones so feel free to scroll down or up as you please :)]

The Biggest Thing First! One Singular POV. This is something that I, Camila, want for the project and therefore, it will be the most enforced thing within here. Don't worry, though! We will be releasing a Second Work alongside this main project consisting of things that didn't quite fit into the original project, such as works that aren't exactly (or at all) one POV but still want to be recognized or OC pieces that are like reincarnations of various gods/mortals/characters which I'll get into later. So you work has a place with us, I promise you <3.

Anyway, back to the One Singular POV thing. It genuinely does not matter whether the piece is First Person, Second Person, Third Person, or something within those parameters as long as the setting, scene, thoughts, and work are being described in that one character's thoughts/experiences. A great example of this in Third Person is in the Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan, a popular YA Book Series centering around Greek Mythology in a Modern Setting told by their Demigod Children, where the narrative is in Third Person POV but it only ever follows whoever's POV it's in. Such as we do see the character's actual name and "he/she/they" instead of "I" but we're not privy to anything other than what the character is experiencing.

That is what I am asking for, and I am asking for this mostly for myself!) As we all may know by now, this project was created because I--Camila--took one look at my goal to rewrite the entirety of Greek Mythology in my search to learn more about the Greek Myths, was like "yeah... no," and then proceeded to make this public with the intent to bring out those niche writers, gain a community, make friends, and generally learn more about the various communities and ideas surrounding such a vast and deep thing such as Greek Mythology (remember, people not only know this across the globe, but across centuries. It's not just our ideas and the original texts, it's the Roman Empire's thoughts, the Rise of Christianity, all of our forefathers, and even those who we have read dissecting these things and creating academic papers or other works. It's just so interesting how much character and change and even how much influence various things have had on our modern perceptions). But, this is also a Project, this is also mine, and so I am very politely asking for it to be One POV of a Greek Mythological Character--However Niche They May Be--Only.

Thank you so much for understanding and, again, I will be hosting a Secondary Fic for all the things that don't quite fit under this Main Project but may still want to have the recognition/community that this comes with <3.

Note!! Because this post ended up being a little long and would be hard to properly organize going further, the rest of it will be comprised in reblogs <33

[procyonloser]

I want to give writers a chance to talk about their process and influences in their writing.

The media we enjoy (or even hate) help make us who we are. We might share opinions with the media, consider the media of having a bad take, or inspire us to branch off from that idea.

So, when you write stories with more fleshed out themes or ideas, stories where there is character development, has any other media (books/tv/mythos/etc) and their topics influenced it?

For example if you enjoyed how the book ABC tackled the subject of XYZ when writing fanfiction for tv show LMNO (or orignal works) have you included your own takes from ABC? Whether on purpose or incidentally?

Have you started writing a story with the idea of a theme already in mind or would you say (if there is a theme) that it grew more organically as you wrote?

Which of your stories is your favourite? Do you have a particular reason it’s a favourite or is it just neat and you like it for an intangible reason? Any favourite scenes that you’re written?

So, I'm probably a bad person to ask about this because I do not think about my own writing process at all. That's not a bragging thing, like, you should absolutely think about your own writing process, and just in general reflect on the things you do and why you do them.

I just... don't really.

I didn't finish highschool and I haven't taken a English college level class in a good long time, (I'll have to do so probably in the nearish future though) so I feel like I don't really have the tools to describe what I'm doing. I also haven't read many books in recent years, I should but I don't. I've mentioned before that if I'm reading, my brain says I should be writing instead.

In regards to media impact, I do often read/watch breakdowns, debates, story analysis, character analysis for the things I like, just to get a sense of what makes a good character and story. I enjoy how george rr martin describes writing as planting a garden, rather than being an architect.

In regards to themes, sort of, sort of not. Eve of Adam, yes, I had the general theme set up from the beginning of the idea. I'm not personally someone who takes any issue with "gender benders", I've written them before, I'm not going to talk about my old HP fics lmao, but yes the main theme in Eve of Adam was absolutely intentional from before I started writing, but other themes arose more organically as I was writing it.

Meanwhile, Maybe This Time absolutely 0 planning, only thought it'd be a one shot. Any themes are accidental at best lmao.

As for my favorite story? I don't know, honestly. Depends on my mood. Eve of Adam is kind of like my baby, as imperfect as it is, I think MTT is pretty well written generally speaking, and I'm actually really eager to get back to Below Eden lol

[koritea]

DON'T MIND IF I DO ASK HEHEHEEE. what's the inspo behind some of the main characters (aria, icarus, whoever else you wanna talk abt i don't quite have everyone's names down) ???

I've had this in my ask box for a long while cause I wanted to properly collect my thoughts and then when I DID have my notes together shit hit the fan for a month BUT!

I've got two days off of work and a writing itch so here we go.

I'll start with Aria! She's the main character, the star of the show, my favorite chew toy! Born and raise in Wyoming working at a coffee shop to fund her hobby of DMing Dungeons and Dragons, Ari is a spitfire at heart but years of turmoil have led her to be a little timid. She's doing her best but sometimes she needs a little nudge in the right direction to get going. She collects friends like pokemon cards with the downside of never really being close to any of them.

A lot of her inspiration comes from my own experiences and aspirations, but also a good heavy chunk comes from my favorite characters in a lot of the games I play!

Noctis from FFXV for his sacrificial mindset, Samwise Gamgee from LotR for his endless loyalty and heart to just be a good person no matter the circumstances, Wheatly from Portal 2 for his silly attempts at being funny which, generally, fall flat.

I have yet to actually settle on a design for her! I know she has short coppery-blond hair and green eyes, but that's about it XD

In short, Aria is a culmination of my favorite aspects of my favorite characters :)

Icarus!! Ica!!! My baby boy my beloved the love of my life the stars in my sky!!!!

As you can probably guess, Icarus is derived from the greek mythos character of the same name. Basically the idea was what if instead of falling out of the sky because of his own foolishness, he was martyred for his devotion to the Sun God, who loved him so much in return they stepped off the throne of godhood to give it to him?

Design wise he didn't really have a whole lot of inspiration beyond "All of my character designs are simple and easy to draw, what if I just went apeshit" and I!!!!!!!!! Love him.

My undead gaslight-gatekeep-girlboss Empress is another one of my favorites. Once a privileged brat princess named Aura, she got the reality check of a lifetime when her father was assassinated and left her to rule his kingdom and fight his war.

One thing led to another and in the middle of battle a Sorcerer killed her. Her husband Ianu tried to revive her by offering the gods his own soul, but when he received no answer, he turned to demons and performed a ritual that exchanged his Merfolk heritage for her life.

Only it didn't work the way he wanted.

Ignorant of her past life and obsessed with bloodshed and revenge, Aura not only won the war, but proceeded to conquer kingdom after kingdom after it until she ruled the majority of the continent. After deeming the rest of it "not worth the trouble", she turned to gladiatorial combat to fulfill her bloodlust and rage.

Most of her inspiration actually comes from music! Barns Courtney's album "The Attractions Of Youth" is a good chunk of my mental playlist for her.

Additionally, that phrase that's like "resurrected but came back wrong"? I don't remember the exact wording anymore but that whole idea is. Basically Empress.

Anyway yeah those are some of my ocs :>

[mochinomnoms]

OH PLEASE TALK ABOUT COCO AND THE BOOK OF LIFE my favorite topic tbh

I prefer the book of life i find the whole "these people that look like wooden dolls are meant to be the ones from the history while real people outside of the history don't have the wood look" amazing and a great detail and LA CATRINAAA??? gorgeous woman (also I should say that idia could be the xibalba in the Catarina and Xibalba dynamic there is just this vibe yk yk)

Book of life came before Coco (plus Disney didn't own the century whatever company that book of life originally was from) and when Disney did make their own Dia de los muertos themed movie they tried to TRADEMARK EL DIA DE LOS MUERTOS TO MAKE MERCH? Insane.

(Making Pastel de choclo and other chilean dishes like pebre but it just isn't the same with regular ingredients instead of your country ingredients yk? LIKE HARVESTED ON YOUR MOTHER COUNTRY it doesn't taste the same I would include that as a step in the recipe that I am giving Azul totally knowing my country doesn't exist in twst and Azul is taking that step seriously lmao)

-Vaquita

Oooh so I didn't have time to answer this yesterday since I was busy at work. But my general thoughts are that while I enjoy both movies and their portrayal of Día de Muertos, the book of life feels (and is) a story made for and by Mexicans for other Mexicans. You can tell from the music styling, the humor, and the artistic style itself! There are for sure some liberties taken (Xibalba is not a god in mythos it's the name of the underworld roughly) but it feels very true and faithful as an experience. Coco, while I enjoy it, feels more like a group of well intending white Americans wanting to make a movie about Día de Muertos, though I'll give credit they did have Latino artists and cultural workers involved. The style of the movie just also feels more American and, as part of a study I did in undergrad, most Mexicans and other Latinos in general feel that it was made with a very general audience in mind rather than Mexicans or Latinos at all.

La Muerte in the book of life is a very interesting version of her and her design is beautiful! Los muertos in general in the first movie have a more fun, varied design to them, while the second movie just looks and feels like another Pixar film. I don't think it's a bad movie, I loved it and the music is wonderful, but it doesn't feel as genuine, especially watching as a Mexican.

If you like the book of life, the creator also has Maya and the Three (set in the same universe) but also created the nickelodeon show Le Tigre and the CN show Victor and Valentino. He's a Mexican animator, so all his shows are set with that background in mind, but it's very enjoyable for anyone to watch! If you're a fan of the music the composer is Gustavo Alfredo Santaolalla, who also did the music for the Last of Us games and show, Brokeback Mountain, and also Maya and the Three.

As for the Disney trademark thing, I know their request was either revoked by Disney themselves or denied due to the backlash. For anyone not super familiar with Latin holidays and stuff, Disney trademarking Día de Muertos is the equivalent of Hallmark trying to trademark Christmas. The only thing they can trademark now is their specific characters and imagery associated with their film, but there's a lot of drama surrounding that and using the likeness of real people and their art in the film without permission.

(I feel you about the food tho, I can't make certain dishes without a very specific brands and items sometimes. I would actually refuse to cause it won't turn out right, and I'm not damning myself or my cooking abilities lmao. Azul would probably get so stressed out with both of us aslkjdalkj)

[helix-enterprises117]

Batman Begin...ners Guide.

Okay, so I do talk about other things beyond sci-fi and Halo. Like my Halo Guide, this is meant to be a list of recommendations for folks who want to get into Batman, but have zero clue where to begin because it's an 85-yo franchise with decades of lore and works.

Movies & TV: Both animated and live-action, this is probably the easiest and most accessable way to get into the character and his mythos.

The Dark Knight Trilogy - Watch this first, starting from Batman Begins and ending with Rises. This is a super-distilled film saga that tells Batman's story in the most straight-forward way imaginable; I kid you not, these movies were made for non-comic fans.

The Batman - This is the second most recent film to come out, but Edward Cullen finally does what most vampires can do and transforms into a bat, man. It's a gothic, neo-noir, mystery thriller that shines a light on Batman's detective skills; so while it's not the film I'd recommend you watch first, it is still a very good start.

Mask Of The Phantasm - What else can I say that hasn't already been said? While I personally don't love this film the same way a lot of other folks do, it is the best Batman film in a more objective sense.

Merry Little Batman - This is THE most recent Batman film to come out, it's a christmas kids' film that came out the tail end of last year. It's a funny, cute and very charming flick that focuses on Batman's young son becoming a superhero for the first time while some of Batman's Rogues come to terrorize Gotham on Christmas. Lightning McQueen's brother is Batman in this movie.

Gotham - It's a charming 5 season-long show that I can only describe as "Smallville, but with Batman." It's also got some of the best versions of the fanchise's characters I've ever seen... and some of the worst. That's the beauty of the show to me, it's both 'so bad it's good' AND genuinely good. It's stupid and cheesey just like the comics it's based on and I appreciate and respect how the show embraces the wackiness of the comics that EVERY live-action film is so afraid to capture.

Batman: The Animated Series - Need I say more?

Video Games: As far as these go, there are quite a few really good options; but there's only two that stand out.

The Arkham Saga - I recommend playing through this series TWICE; start in release-date order (Arkham Asylum, City, Origins and Knight), then play the series again in chronological order (Origins, Asylum, City and Knight).

The Telltale Series - This game basically allows you to control the entire story right from the get go. Instead of it being an action-game where you beat up bad guys; it's an interactive film that allows you to customize your own version of Batman himself.

Finally...

Comics: Probably why you're here to begin with. This is where I can have the most fun, since there's so much to pick from that you can't go wrong. I won't talk about these comics, I'll just list them because I'd for you all to read these yourselves.

Batman: Earth One, Volumes 1 through 3.

The White Knight Trilogy - From Batman: White Knight to Beyond The White Knight.

Batman: Creature Of The Night.

Robin & Batman.

Batman: The Imposter.

Wayne Family Adventures.

Burnside Batgirl.

Batman: Universe.

Batman: Black & White.

Batman: Year One, Batman: Year Two, Batman: Full Circle, and finally, Batman: Son Of The Demon.

The Dark Knight Returns.

Batman: Ego.

And finally... Batman: War On Crime.

You don't have to read ALL of them, they're just places to start. This is a a set of guidelines, not mandatory homework.

[point-pine]

Welcome to Point Pine

Hi, you can call me P.

An introduction to Point Pine, inspirations, an explanation of this blog, an explanation of tags, and links to released chapters are all below. Explanation and inspirations

Point Pine is a fiction project I've been working on since Mid 2021, pulling inspiration from a myriad of stories such as Tales from the Gas Station (and other internet horror stories), Silent Hill, Piranesi, folklore, mythology, and paranormal experiences I was told as a child yet only half remember. On a more personal note, Point Pine draws from countless experiences and observations I've had while wandering forests, living / working in a small town, and spending hours staring out of a window instead of sleeping as a child.

This weird queer horror (probably) comedy (maybe?) takes place in "Point Pine", a small forest-bordered town in south eastern Australia. Once a steadily growing town which welcomed plenty of tourists every year, it has remained stagnant since a series of disappearances in the 1980s. Just beyond the turn-off to the local radio station is the Point Pine General Store, the only essential shop within an hour's drive. One of few employees (and the only one not working a casual job through high school), Nat Otus, tends to the store alone most days, still broken by his boyfriend's disappearance three years prior which many townsfolk blame him for. This is a story about choices. This is a story about change. The wind is starting to shift. People begin to disappear again, Nat's dreams are growing hostile, two new friendly faces appear in town (one of them painfully persistent and jovial around Nat, to his annoyance), and long-time friend + local radio host Angela Borea begins to investigate what's happening in Point Pine.

I hope this story can garner at least a little bit of interest from you. Built in a universe which holds mysticism and music in it's structure, I've got plenty planned here, from explorations into the mythos of the universe, distortion of life, to exploring the society of Point Pine.

This blog

Here I'll be posting chapters (whenever I manage to finish them), updates, and any other related materials I might think to create. Additionally, you can use the ask feature to ask a Point Pine character questions, or you could ask me, personally, literally anything (criticism and other miscellaneous things are also welcome in asks, this is a passion project I'd love to get any sort of feedback on!). Chapter notes (if present) will be under the cut at the end of the post.

Tags Point Pine responds = Response to an ask from a Point Pine Character P responds = Response to an ask from me Point Pine chapter = A chapter of Point Pine Point Pine update = An update regarding the series.

Thanks for stopping by! - P

Chapters

Chapter 1

[semi-imaginary-place]

more ffxvi

Torgal really is more Jill's dog than Clives. Torgal and Jill are both from the Northern Territories, it was Jill that was carries Torgal around all the time in the prologue, The legend of the Northern Queen who was a Dominant of Shiva and who had a magic frost wolf like Torgal named Fenrir. Only thing is that Torgal had lightning powers not ice ones.

If Clive is going to Drake's Head might as well have a shot at the mothercrystal. just saying getting in will be hard enough and the chaos from one will make the other easier. although that would mean back to back boss fights without ifrit.

oh joshua is in dhalmek too, clive really does just keep missing him.

for the biggest merchant in rosaria, uncle hasn't been as plot important as he could have been.

I do like benedikta and hugo's relationship. his genuine love for her is probably his most humanizing characteristic and i like the ambiguity that we don't know how benedikta felt about him, did she actually love him, did she love his power, or was she manipulating him, a mixture of all three?

Harbard is great already and he's maybe spoken 5 lines. peak visual character design up there with clive for best design in the game. at least in english very interesting accent. he know clive as mythos so established as a mysterious character that knows more than we do. he is coming off as really evil right now and it works well. question is if your majesty refers to barnabas or ultima.

seriously clive since hugo is camped out like 200 ft away from the mothercrystal heart you might as well destroy it now instead of having to break in a second time.

clive headache sufferer representation. the classic magic headache.

what is this. asura's wrath subway surfer.

ffxvi is gay! happy pride! a finger on the monkey's paw curls and all the major characters are men and the writing for the women is a mixed bag. at the cost of women we got an on screen gay kiss. they're going to die.

damn quinten fomenting rebellion and putting a militia together. but i still dont get why the black shields are serving the lord chief justice. i thought we wiped them out is rosaria and if any the order survived i dont see why anabella would let go of useful pawns. the problem is that the lord chief justice is one corrupt man in a system of corrupt men, even if you take him down his successor might be just as bad.

really you give your old imperial assassin name to the rich noble and not a more useful name like clive or cid. clive should set his uncle up with his weapons collecting rival.

... ffxvi is torgal's origin story. when clive dies at the end to save the world or whatever torgal's going to be supped up on every eikon's power.

if crystaline dominion is so well fortified, armed and ready for a seige, why not go for waloed first its farther sure but also less expected.

so sylvestre believes olivier a god reborn. just what is anabella's tie to all of this.

oooh that repeated flower symbolism for sabreque. sylvestre likes it but it exists for him not the other way around, served to him on a silver platter. he places it twice in dion's lapel when bidding his obedience "for the good of the empire". for olivier its a plaything carelessly and easily discarded and forgotten on the floor. anabella steps on it as she passes by.

oh shit dion is starting his rebellion immediately. if dion was smart about this he could have had a military coup. he's been leading the frontlines for years, he's a national symbol, the military might choose to back him over olivier. I'll be sad when he dies.

dion attacking the city is out of character. ooooh he's trying to destroy the mothercrystal's heart but the shots are getting deflected. goetz what are you going to do in an eikon fight you are going to get killed and be a liability, go home. there's something wrong with dion.

yup yup ok ifrit and phoenix are two parts of the same fire eikon that was seen on the fallen mural.

ZETTAFLARE!

the bahamut fight has been the first one to seriously impress me. the others were cool but they didn't blow me away like this one. the combination of aerial battle at the edge of space, cool dragon, the two brothers finally reuniting, the lore confirmation about phoenix and ifrit, that dion doesn't seem that bad a guy, the giant crystal flower???? love this stuff.

oh yeah another battle where the devs forgot about jill. this is becoming a recurring theme. i mean its appropriate here but joshuas on death's door.

ah so emotional trauma and ultima command. yeah the fallen/ultima totally made the eikons. well there goes my theory that anabella was orchestrating things. turns out it was olivier or ultima in olivier.

joshua are you sure you're ok to be priming so soon again. shiva can fly too.

ah the sky is falling. that is how you know we're in world destruction end game now. huh its almost like destroying the mothercrystals is unleashing the end of the world. really should have researched this more cid. oh so now in addition to deadlands we also have aetherfloods everywhere. standard setup would be to break ultima's last seal and then beat up ultima, we'll see what ffxvi does. yeah good job clive you sacked storm and made it nice and easy for waloed.

joshua came back to the hideout, why the hell didn't you do this 5 years earlier.

l'ubor has jill pose as the mercenary captain and clive the noble merchant? jill sure clive is not believable.

Joshua really should have reunited with his brother earlier. the Undying... Rosaria has a secret service, it wasn't that big. I was wondering why Jote was serving Joshua. must be nice to be a prince heir.

back to quinten. this storyline is a bit odd. both sabreque's old and new capital have been... exploded. you'd think the lord chief justice would have other problems than a personal vendetta.

I've spoken about my problems with the timeskips already and I'm going to do it again. If you aren't going to show how the passage of time has affected people don't bother writing a timeskip into your story. For example with Clive 18? 20? years have passed since the beginning of the game, that's almost a generation. Many of the elderly he knew have probably died not of violence or external factors but from old age. The one line we do get is from the guardians of the flame section about how there's only old shields left. or what about all the rosarian children and young adults now that have never known a a rosaria without sabreque. We meet a lot of older characters and mentors for Clive but what about those younger than him that are also fully capable adults now but do not/barely remember the pivotal events that shaped his life like phoenix gate. I think Mid is the only one and I'm not sure how old she is.

I know sidequests have to be kept msq ambiguous but its very funny running around rosaria and talking to sir wade with joshua 5 feet behind clive.

taking the kanver survivors to the hideaway is a bad idea. the hideaway is suppose to be secret for a reason: protecting bearers. its not an all purpose refuge and if too many know the location, its security is compromised. 80% of the hiddeways' security is from being in a place no one would think to look. Not to mention it isn't that big, certainly not big enough to take on a city's population. A better idea would be to bring them to eloise in dhalmek, closer to their old home, doesn't threaten the hiddeway, but out of akashic danger.

Seiphnir(?) was a cool fight. too bad he's dead which means i won't get to see it again. the scene with barnabas and clive was funto watch but cowards i want even more swordplay choreography.

I think should have been reunited with Clive already before the timeskip, the game never gives a good reason why he stayed away for 5 years. (64% SPOILERS! or well mission 38 technically) and Joshua joins just like that without any problem. Sure he was busy researching and countering Ultima but he's still doing that now with the party. He might have even gotten more done with Clive's help and a chocobo to ride on. I don't think Joshua would just sit there and let his dear brother be abused as an imperial slave for 13 years. Like 8-10 years I can buy because he's just a traumatized kid and the last time he saw Clive, Clive went berserk and tried to murder him. But Joshua seems to have come to terms with Ifrit already by the time we meet him again so why didn't he come and save Clive? (real reason of course is that Clive is the main character).

hmm. in hindsight they shouldn't have pulled out zettaflare. powercreeep real. should have kept it at exaflare

[eevee-gen]

Project devlog 9/24/24

Things I researched

Pokemon death

Ghosts in the world

(vs ghost-type pokemon)

Spirituality and religion

How healing works

Healing moves & items

Healing centers

Pokeballs -- ultimately decided we probably won't use them, though I might do a bit with Apricorns

Bit about eggs

Guardian deities, briefly

Dynamax and Gigantamax -- another thing I probably won't use much. I may give them a natural Power Spot to play with one moon, we'll see.

Things I worldbuilt

Development on the leader-shapeshifting concept. It's a lot firmer now, but I'll keep the new details to myself :)

This morphology drives battle culture! These guys are gonna do it way differently from Warrior Cats

I DO finally know how I want the leader to look most of the time! Which means I can start drawing Redstar. That was the big thing holding me back from starting arting! Now I can GO🏃‍➡️

After learning about death in this world, I've decided AnticipaClan's StarClan will work differently! if it exists at all. I may just have dead eevees be spirits that roam around and sometimes zhoop into Ghost Pokemon. Might even have the Clan intentionally "herd" Ghostymons specifically to collect their spirits. Will see, pending more thought and research.

As for spirituality, I don't love the idea of these guys worshiping specific Pokemon unless a compelling reason emerges. And the ghost phenomenon precludes star-spirit belief. Instead, I think they would have a great reverence for the base elements of the world (especially as the single species with ties to the greatest number of elements). If they have any great religious practices, they will probably be tied to this magic.

(Tentatively considering running with the new Warriors lore that faded spirits get Good Placed and saying the afterlife has everything to do with element magic. very Circle Of Life)

I've also been thinking about how most eevees are found in cities. I think I want this to play into AntClan's story. For reasons, the (LIVING) founders decided they would have better lives in the wild.

THIS is what motivates the creation of the Clan, rather than the Star Ghosts Clan Mythos, and it will have huge influence on the shape of the warrior code.

Finally, I've determined we'll have a lot of specializations within the Doctor role

Basically separate jobs for Pokemon Battle Damage and Regular Mundane Damage

And one job about dealing with magic, which will be equal parts Geologist and Spiritualist

Miscellaneous notes

Got 2 likes on the Icekit post today! First interactions \^.^/

[ravennanightcrown]

Lost in Mythos: behind the fic

So! I've decided that this fic ➡️ (Lost in Mythos) is the first one I'll be rambling about. Especially because I haven't really used the author's notes section to ramble about what the fic is about.

Well. First of all. It was born from me having sooo many thoughts about the moon/creation/god lore of granblue, which was then midwifed by me watching so many sci-fi movies wehehehehe.

As to my understanding of granblue timeline, my friend and I drafted some vague chronology which we plugged with theories about almost all of the storylines. (But this isn't THAT important to the fic).

Okay, might be spoiler-y (or even contradictory with canon, who knows! It's deliciously hard to track everything, and we can always make theories) but info/decoded stuff about the fic below the cut!

Well, the 2 major timestamps I used for this fic is "70,000 years ago" and "7,000 years ago."

And if you haven't worked it out yet, the timestamps for the "logs" in the fic are in t-minus hours hehe.

Meaning T-613,620,000H and T-61,362,000H were the equivalents!

I actually had half a mind to set a time zero, but I just delegated that bit to the Log #s instead.

Going back, the timestamps I picked were referenced from the Robomi storyline and the 10th anni Bahamut lore.

As for the in-betweens, I personally didn't think That Much about what happened. (Although i kept a spreadsheet with formulas to have some "systematic" pairing of timestamps and log numbers, and also the chronology milestones). My intention with choosing the timestamps is roughly to make the milestone events be the 1) Destruction of the old world, and 2) Creation of the new world.

And the blackboxes, the zalgo-ed text at the moment of the "apocalypse"? Aliens.

I'm joking. Not. (I mixed the Lucio uncap lore with my personal pet theory of "The One Who Covets The Blue". Who may or may not be also the one who sits beyond the boundary. That's a theory or a fic for another time).

As for the characters in the fic....my friend and I have taken to calling them Lucio Prime and Shalem Prime teehee. (Completely did not expect to find this OC of sorts with Feru's expression, Lucio's whimsical personality my interpretation, and Faasan's science-y side to be hot. HELP. My friend was laughing at me with my foot halfway into lucifucker hell)

I made them married because [vague hand gestures] smth smth pairs, a set, a match. They are the source code from which the imitations The Speakers were patterned from, albeit imperfectly. I wanted to look at them like myth, a foregone conclusion, or a role set in stone. Unlike The Speakers which! exist in the present, and can change. The Helel primes are already engraved in the past, almost forgotten, and whatever their story was has already ended. Their connections with the Speakers are just superficial. Smth smth clones smth smth. I have so many other thoughts about the Speakers which miiiight make it to another post. Maybe.

Aaaaand. Yeah. I had to add one more named character in here, but I had only a few choices to pick from. Pretty difficult choice tho. It was Kamuzumi that won over Austras, Gaokerena, and [wheezing] Nereus.

anywho. With sci-fi stuff I'm just really somft for the romantic aspect of it (is that even the word im looking for? Maybe not). I am so obssessed with referring to the planet as something blue (or a star, or a jewel), and so I wrote that. And also as a reference to Vaseraga's line in 7th anni.

Lastly, I think.... so, the stuff I wrote about Bahamut's roles? That was part me going insane over Nereus, astronomy stuff that I'm delusionally connecting to granblue, and going feral over Zero Escape (yeah, the games).

Okay, this rlly is the last thing. Probably the most important one lmao. For this fic specifically, I was going with the hc that Bahamut is a terraforming instrument, loaded with the database of all of mankind's knowledge and history for the past.... [checks notes] 6,000 years and more.

Yeah, my theory was that the old world (Robomi's world) is our world. (I dont think this is a new theory tho) And then I took heavy inspo from the Evillious Chronicles when writing/theorizing about how the new world was created.

So, hm, that's it for now! Maybe I'll post another of these things again, or something about the many many WIPs i'm sitting on. [headholds]

[doctorstrangereview]

Strange Tales #121

Cover Date: June 1964 On-Sale Date: March 10, 1964

And, the streak ends. Malicious Mordo returns with another cliché situation: a wax museum. Well, Vincent Price starred in House of Wax and Doc's look was originally based on Price. I suppose it was inevitable. The mythos does advance a bit with some new concepts introduced. Also, Doc's collar is near it's ultimate height.

Doctor Strange is on patrol, in a virtual sense. He's using his yet-to-be-named Orb of Agamotto to detect supernatural shenanigans. He doesn't find any, but something doesn't feel right. As if on cue, Doc gets a desperate phone call. The distressed caller even gives an address (not recorded in the story.) Doc immediately sits down! This doesn't appear to be the same funky chair he contemplated a big diamond in the Purple Veil story. For one thing, it's got a really cool dragon head that looks down on the occupant's head. Before you can say "shouldn't you be doing something instead of sitting on your ass" Doc changes to his ectoplasmic self. Ectoplasmic is this story's word of astral.

He speeds to the address and finds... nothing, really. We see a phone attached to what looks like a robotic arm. "It's a trap!" says Admiral Ackbar, eh, Doctor Strange. The consumer side of telephone technology was still relatively primitive when this was written. The phone company (there was only one back then) wouldn't even let you connect anything they didn't manufacture to their lines. To average contemporary reader this probably looked cool.

Doc flies back home, only to discover his body isn't where he remembers it should be! Damn it, I hate when I forget where I left my physical form. The missing body does give us an unobstructed, front view of the really cool chair.

With more incredibly convenient timing, Mordo's head appears floating in the air, huge and in the center of a big red something-or-other. The two have a long-winded exchange. We find out for the first time that you can only be in your ectoplasmic form for 24-hours before your body is destroyed. Your ghost follows soon after. Blah, blah, blah, you'll never find your body. Blah, blah, blah, I've beaten you before and I'll do it again. Mordo's giant head vanishes and Doc gets to work literally finding himself.

Mordo lays a bunch of traps that delay Doc. He finds where he believes Mordo left him, but he's still not there. And, the beastly Baron has managed to erase his tracks. Is Doc doomed? Nah. He uses his amulet to replay the action of Mordo taking his body and follows it.

(I find Mordo's use of technology to lure Doc interesting, but not consistent. First, Mordo comes from a bass-ackward region of Germany and lives in a dark and creepy castle lit by tons of candles. It doesn't seem likely he would come up with this plan. I thought it might be so Doc can't detect the evil magic in use, but later on we discover he can basically erase this. Ah well, it serves the plot so it must be okay.)

We finally arrive at the promised wax museum and Doc finds his body. Mordo has given Doc an interesting pose.

"I'm saved!" Uh, no. Mordo shielded it, of course. "You only got 10 minutes, ghost dude!" says Mordo as he steps out of the shadow. We learn something else that's been hinted at, but finally confirmed. Ghost and physical magicians can't fight each other. What's Doc to do? Why run away, of course!

Well, not really. He possesses a wax figure, grabs Mordo, covering his mouth so he can't say any spells and forces the Baron into his ghost form so they can properly battle. Mordo arrogantly assumes Doc is at his weakest and spends nearly an entire page magically pummeling the crap out of Doc (perhaps.) Doc seems to disappear.

But, as the Baron attempts to return to his body he finds himself stuck inside a banded globby thing. Really. I don't know how else to describe it.

"Tricked ya, dude!" Doc projected an image of himself (a bit like the story in ST #114) and forced Mordo to waste his strength on it. "I'm gonna teach you a lessen and keep you from your body for 23 hours. After that you'll be free to attack me again, because I really never learn to clean up these messes." "You betcha, Doc! Look how I'm waving my fist! I'll be back!" Doc leaves the museum and once again demonstrates his cloak's great flow!

What's that? Doc is gonna visit the Fantastic Four? Yes, Doc will officially join the larger Marvel Universe and every story from now on in contemporaneous with those of his fellow heroes. (There is speculation that the earliest stories may actually precede Fantastic Four #1.)

So, not a spectacularly original story. We get some more magical rules and more magical battles. We do get a sense of how merciless the Baron can be. He does expend a huge amount of effort and energy just beating up Doc when he's down. It's fun. We get a great new piece of furniture in the Sanctum Sanctorum. But the series would be no worse for the wear if it didn't happen.

[dailycass-cain]

Speaking as one of them. Being part of that WHOLE era. Why the waterworks started when holding a physical copy Shadow of the Batgirl and then the damn opening when reading that introduction by writer Sarah Kuhn.

I never thought IN A MILLION years. That Cassandra Cain would ever be given ANYTHING like that again. All the stuff that happened from 2006-2020. I'll fully admit I was beaten and trained by what DC did. Always waiting for them to change their mind, and pull the rug out from under me. Like they did when they walked back on her being EVIL. When they brought her back as Batgirl. When they said they had "big plans". And so on... and so forth with this little dance they gave... dangling that possibility. Then yanking it and we're given limbo.

Just the complete mismanagement by DC Comics. Because simply put, the character ages Bruce and Babs, and they saw NOTHING in the character.

While fans did see things. So many of us did. We did our best with what we had. Writing. Drawing. So many years trying to keep the character afloat. Showing others what we saw.

But that period broke so many. Many gave up with the New 52 being the final straw. Just the absolute. But I didn't. I saw what "they saw" and said, "NO!" I kept that fire burning best I could via anything social media, via my secondary job (at the time) being a part of theOuthousers (which I worked for during the New 52 era until the site's closure).

I tried my very best to just hope for that happy ending.

And... we got Shadow of the Batgirl.

Like... holding that copy. Opening to that introduction reading that graphic novel awakens all the emotions of what was endured. And.. I'm actually holding a solo graphic novel that stars Cassandra Cain. Not only that. Stars her as Batgirl. That treats her and Babs. Adds things to the mythos. Kuhn was much a fan as me. She did it. She got it. Nailed everything.

That's why I cry. A grown-ass old fan just crying his eyes out over a fictional character because a creative team understands them and delivers a banger story too.

Part of me wants to meet Kuhn one day. But another part of me doesn't. Because I'll be a balling mess.I already met artist Nicole Goux and thanked her to the heavens for what she drew in that book. I even got a commission to her drawing Cass for me:

Why I'm more mellow when it comes most when something happens to Cass (say the way she acts or was drawn in Batgirls), the cameos in Tom Taylor's Nightwing (fun stuff). Or Tynion's stuff. But I will criticize when it needs to be critical (i.e. "Gotham War" or the lack of positive exposure in the current Batman run). In truth, I'd probably shake James Tynion IV's hand and thank him repeatedly if he wasn't impossibly hot right now in the comic book world. That and Jessica Chen.

I've been through it all. I'll admit I raged in '06. Those who know me I threw A FIT. Probably wrote the worst Cass Toon because of it (though I still enjoy the "Doctor" joke in it and the other one with the Master taking over DC Comics). But I realized something with age. You have a favorite character? Just keep fighting with instead on WHY you love this character. WHY this character means the world to you. Do it via what you can. Find your method. But never give into the heat. Never target the creatives behind it. Because sometimes its not by their choice they do these things. Even the editorial who might or might not. I'm just tired of being angry. I just want to read a story where a creative team gets this character at the very least.

Why at my older age. I'm chilling and enjoying every second of this. IT IS A GIFT TO ME. A GIFT I'm cherishing every month since 2020. I'll keep doing this till either I just can't or just real life does something. But I just hope I did my job. Just showing WHY I loved this character Cassandra Cain, and just forever grateful we've gotten this period.

From so many glorious Detective Comic runs that had her. DCeased franchise. Dark Knights of Steel. DC Festival of Heroes: The Asian Superhero Celebration #1. Batman: One Bad Day- Two-Face. Batman: Urban Legends. Batgirls (every issue even THE BAD TWO) I bought all covers save FOUR variant covers. I ADORED the gift that was #14 too. Spirit World. Birds of Prey.

I'm just gonna keep enjoying the ride and if there's an end. At the very least a much better one than ANYTHING from 2006-2011 or the choices from 2016-2020.

BIG shoutout to Cass fans who endured her evil era, her New 52 erasure, and countless other editorial mandates - like you guys really pulled through for her so that newer fans (like me!) can enjoy her in all her glory. Seriously big thank you to older Cass fans <3333.

[mr-snailman]

Fanfic Writer Questions

yo thanks for the tag @fruitysalamander1398

tbh I feel a little weird answering these cause I am really NOT much of a writer lmao... but I'll give it my best shot

How many works do you have on AO3?

4

(and less if you're only counting the finished ones ;-;)

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

37,236

3. What fandoms do you write for?

generally speaking if I'm gonna write fic for something I just take one google doc and exorcise all my thoughts and feelings in there... so far I've published fic for the Philip Marlowe novels, Footloose, Cabin in the Woods, and the Outsiders. I've got unfinished scraps lying around for Watching the Detectives, the Monument Mythos, Class... and probably a few others.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

uh. well.

Fortunate Sons

2. an honest-to-god star in the age of airplanes

3. Heaven Helps the Man

4. Love is the Thing With Fins

5. Do you respond to comments?

YES. If you leave me a comment I will a) get back to you b) reread it every now and then and c) treasure your kind words forever.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

haha... well.. my track record would indicate that I'm pretty bad at writing endings, period -_- but it's probably The Derivatives of Affection, an unfinished work for Class (1983), a shitty sex comedy in which Rob Lowe runs around in bright-red lace. It's a bunch of sad reflections on falling for your best friend while encouraging him to get laid elsewhere, only for a terrible coincidence to create a rift between you that you'll never be able to close.

7. What is the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Fortunate Sons, hands down.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Never. The whole idea seems really strange to me... like I'm sure it does happen but I can't imagine why someone would bother to leave a hate comment instead of just... clicking the back button?

9. Do you write smut, and if so, what kind?

Not successfully LMAO. I've made a few... attempts... but circumstances always seem to get in the way.

10. Do you write crossovers, and what's the craziest one you've ever written?

Not in a long time. I was... 10 or so? and my best friend and I were coming up with a comic book series that borrowed characters from the edges of a whole bunch of completely unrelated books and movies. Lil bro if you're out there I look back on that fondly + wish you well.

Kind of tempted to do something with The Martian X Good Will Hunting... but that'll probably end up as art if it hits the page at all. Oh, and the unnamed nurse in Fortunate Sons is absolutely supposed to be Margaret Houlihan, but that's never explicitly stated XD

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

no, thank god.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope! I have done some anonymous translation for other people's work though.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

...yes? I heavily edited aforementioned childhood best friend's Wings of Fire fanfic, which turned into him writing the action and me frantically trying to insert descriptions. good times.

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

ah, that's hard. all-time? well... you know what, I'm gonna go with Philip Marlowe/Red Norgaard. first fic I ever published, and I've read everything else in the tag... all five of them XD. It's the tenderness, found in the most unexpected places, it's the jaded private detective finally letting himself fall into the arms of the kindest man he knows, it's a chance meeting turning into the luckiest accident you've ever had.

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

Heaven Helps the Man... I love you and I'm so sorry ;-; maybe someday! maybe someday I'll finally have the time to do you justice

16. What are your writing strengths?

I think I'm good with imagery that feels alive. It's definitely my favorite part of writing. The trick is that I don't invent everything from whole-cloth. It's a boardwalk I've stood on, whispering sharp-edged tallgrass I remember from a childhood trip to the beach, a neon sign I glimpsed through the rain once, the IHOP where I had a panic attack XD ... the rest just sort of builds from there.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

finishing things... I call it the thirty-two page curse :(

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fics?

Never had occasion to do it but it'd be fun for sure! I do think it's fun when the author gives you a thread to follow, something to google in another tab, so you can come back and go ahhhh. It would really be interesting to do something with Spanish, cause I do speak it pretty well. I had an original story about a road trip down the Chilean coastline with spies and mathematicians that unfortunately fell victim to the curse, but maybe I'll dig it out again sometime and see how bad my grammar was XD

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Like, ever? Stan Lee's Zodiac Legacy trilogy. Handwritten in a pocket-size black sketchbook, sometimes in the dark after lights-out, so it's practically illegible in places. My mom read it and said "you should publish this" which is how I discovered ff.net... and the rest is history

20. Favorite fic you've written?

Hmmm... I am really, really proud of Fortunate Sons, don't get me wrong, but an honest-to-god star will always have a special place in my heart. Phil Marlowe as a character is really important to me, and it was so exciting to get to play with Chandler's style.

I... just tagged a bunch of you for something else and I'm kind of shy to do it again so soon. Consider this an open call! If any of you write, go ahead and tag me so I can see your answers <3