#i'm running out. i need to go buy more but the kickstarter...

[biblicallyaccuratepigeons]

Hahaha. Gold candle.

[thebibliosphere]

I saw your post about ingram, and out of curiosity, is there some advantage to going through the whole self-publishing thing with retailers when you're just starting out? like I mean the way that fandom zines work is that they don't even bother going through ingram or amazon or whatever. they just set up a social media site (usually twitter) to gain followers, open preorders (usually 1-2 months in length) to generate the costs of printing upfront, and then sell anywhere from a few dozen to several hundred copies of their books (usually artbooks, but anthologies exist too). I've seen some zines generate over a thousand orders. they're kind of like pop-up shops, except for books. maybe the sales numbers aren't so impressive to a real author, but the profit generated is typically waaaay more than the $75+ apparently needed for Ingram Spark, so I still feel like new authors could benefit from this method too, especially if they just need some start-up cash to eventually move to ingram if they want to for subsequent runs of their book. I think authors would also have to set aside some of the pre-order money to buy an ISBN number to have printed on their book, and I'm not really sure what other differences there are, but I just wanted to ask about it in case there's some huge disadvantage I'm missing!

So, popup zines work well for some people, and I know some authors who kickstart their work successfully. But for a lot, it's just not feasible as a long-term stratedy. Or even as a means to get off the ground.

Fanzines succeed primarily because an existing fanbase is willing and ready to throw money at something they love. They’ve got a favorite writer or artist they want to support. Supporting all the others is just a happy by-product. They also take a HUGE amount of short-term but intense planning that just doesn’t always jive with how some of us work.

I, for one, would never offer to organize a fanzine. I’ll take part in them as a creator, but I’d rather throw myself off a cliff than subject myself to wrangling that many people and dealing with the legal logistics.

When it comes to authors doing anthologies, it'svery much the same. The success of the funding often hinges on having other big-name authors involved whose existing fans will prop up the project. Or having a huge marketing budget.

Most self-pub authors have zero marketing budget. I’m one of them, and I’m under no illusions that my work would not be as popular and self-sustaining as it is if I didn’t have a large Tumblr blog.

When I thank Tumblr in my forewards, I am utterly sincere. Tumblr brought fandom levels of enthusiasm to an unknown work and broke the Amazon algorithm so hard, that Amazon thought I was bot sniping my way to multiple #1 spots and froze my sales rankings.

That’s not the norm. And while I could probably kickstart my own work as an indie creator, that’s because I’ve put literal decades into building up a readership. I’ve been doing this since I was 16 and realized people thought I was funny. I didn’t know what to do with it or if I’d ever actually write anything, but it meant the groundwork was already there (thank you, past-me). I basically fell upward into my success by virtue of never being able to shut the fuck up and wanting to make people laugh. Clown instincts too strong.

New or first-time authors trying to sell their work without that will find it infinitely harder.

All of that aside, even if an unknown author somehow gets lucky and manages to fund their work, there’s still the question of shipping and distribution logistics. Are you shipping everything yourself? Better hope you’re able-bodied and have the time for it. (for reference, it took me months to ship out 300 patreon hardbacks because of my disabilites. It damaged my back and hands. I couldn’t type for several weeks after I was done.)

Are you going to sell primarily at conventions? Better hope you’re able-bodied, have the time and don’t have cripling anxiety about being in large groups...

Also, will selling a dozen to a few thousand copies in one burst be sustainable in the long run as a career? Not for me. Doing things via Ingram and Amazon means I earn a steady trickle of sales for the rest of my life provided the platforms remain and so long as I keep working and can generate interest in the series, not just when I have funds to pay for physical copies to sell. The one-time (in theory) cost of $75 to distribute through Ingram gets paid off pretty quick that way. And it doesn't require the same logistics as doing the popup/crowdfund.

Ultimately, it comes down to what you are capable of but also the type of work you’re doing. If you’ve got an extended network of fellow creatives who will back you or you’ve got a large following elsewhere, doing it like a popup might work for you.

If you’re an exhausted burnout who can’t fathom the short but intense amount of organization that sort of thing requires, not to mention doing it over and over and over... Ehhhhh. No thank you.

[bogleech]

Mortasheen

Given that I think your Mortasheen page has over 700 monsters while the latest Kickstarter update said you'd have 100 included, what should we think of those not included? Are they still 'canon' to the setting? Will the whole website page need to be revamped?

The book was never meant to be a one-off project but was always planned as the introduction to an entire tabletop gaming brand meant to keep adding content every year, at least in smaller batches. Like Pokemon the goal is to release playable monsters as "generations," and they'll always be a mix of old, new, or reinvented concepts, though @gutsygills who took over a lot of essential work doesn't want to leave a single one behind and stops me from completely scrapping any unless they truly just won't work. The Mortasheen archive on bogleech.com is just there for posterity now and might never be modified again, except to add links to where people will eventually be able to buy the books or visit a more dedicated official website. I guess you could say the release of the RPG will be a "reboot," especially since a lot of aspects of its world had to evolve a little to make more cohesive sense as a game setting. I'll still share my own new monster art and concepts as I go along but some will be book exclusives while some might get released with their gameplay stats for free, it'll vary with the monster. This is supposed to be basically my new job from here on out, it may be an independent project but it's being run as a serious business endeavor in partnership with the gameplay devs.

Here's one new monster I did for this first book though, its name is Pestode and it was designed to be the most basic common Wormbrain class monster, the Rattata of Wormbrains, just a large deadly parasitic worm whose "host" is reduced to barely more than a second skin it can contract into. Every monster also has a "retro sprite" from an imaginary nonexistent gameboy game and in many cases I'm using that to show a monster's other possible poses or configurations; Pestode can scrunch up like a frog if it wants

[cassimothwin]

So you're looking for a system other than D&D...

Have you tried solo RPGs? Because it's not just "how can I play D&D alone" there's a whole world of cool stuff out there….And I want to tell you about it.

(I'm quite sick today so please forgive any incoherence or typos.)

First off, it's totally fine if you're more of a party person over a solo person. I just know a lot of people aren't aware of solo games, how they work, or the breadth of diversity you find among them.

If you ask about solo games, the first one mentioned is almost always Ironsworn. It's freeeee and comes with a lot of resources. The PDF is over 200 pages, so I understand if you don't want to dive in with Ironsworn quite yet.

Ironsworn has a large community, including support for Foundry and Roll20, along with many derivative works. It offers a gritty default fantasy setting, but encourages you to ignore that if you prefer another world… maybe one from another RPG you enjoy the lore from…?

BUT maybe you want something that isn't as much of a commitment (and maybe a little sad)?

Many Wretched and Alone games use a tumbling block tower to simulate a random ticking clock. It might represent your failing mental health, the barricade crumbling, the ship sinking…

One of the creators of the system has a great thread highlighting their favorite games. Just search Wretched an Alone on Itch.io to find even more.

And if you don't want to go buy a Jenga tower, there are some great random simulators out there. I've been able to play W&A games on road trips, using a deck simulator, a dice simulator, and a tumbling tower simulator. Here's tower replacement I like. It replicates the odds of a tumbling tower falling without being too complicated.

Carta is another cool system where you use a standard deck of playing cards to create a map that you explore. As you explore, you usually have to manage resourses to avoid something bad, but not always.

Here's a collection of several games made using Carta.

Dead Belt takes this concept and RUNS with it. You have a few things to track as you explore abandoned randomized ship decks, searching for a good payload. Upgrade your gear and do it again.

Does the thought of managing your character sound exciting? Do you enjoy soulslike games, like Elden Ring and Bloodborne?

Rune is a fresh release with a lot of third-party support already. It's pretty easy to pick up and play too.

Apothecaria and Apawthecaria have you making potions for the local village. Go out exploring, collect ingredients, and see if you can solve the greater mysteries of the land.

Interested in horror, but want a more narrative-driven experience? In Dwelling, you'll spend the night sleepless and alone in a haunted house. This is a very neat game.

Songs of the City is a delightful tarot game that you play once a day for a week. It's another narrative-driven game where you draw cards and cast magic to see small neat changes in the city you reside in.

Anamnesis, Anamnesis, Anamnesis. I talk about this game a lot because it's magical in its simplicity. There's nothing to track and it's an incredible way to generate character ideas or tell a story.

And now there are more Anamnesis games coming out (including mine) You don't need the original games to play any of the games you see here.

There are so many more games I want to talk about, but alas, this cold is making me stop there.

If you've written a solo game, streamed one, reviewed one, or have one you really like, I invite you to share it!

[hackedmotionsensors]

i didn't reblog the post but I do agree that the terminology for zines has gotten completely twisted.

ON THE OTHER HAND I don't think that selling them for say 20$ (which is what i sell my sketchbooks for) is unreasonable or unfair to still call a zine. I need to cover my costs of printing and the time I put into putting them together. yeah I can TECHNICALLY get a printer and print them myself but with the cost of printer ink and the lack of space its easier for me to just pay for someone to do it professionally but I'm also NOT making them at like....the HIGHEST QUALITY, LIBRARY BOUND, HARD COVER, IT COMES WITH A THOUSAND DOO DADS AND GIFTS. its just sketchbooks ofpreviously existing doodles and a few new sketches or sketches that I had before and colored in. Its essentially like selling a full print but in carryable size with some notes from me.

Its a zine but I call it a sketchbook because the idea of zines has changed for a lot of consumers. Thats not their fault bc those zines or anthologies DID start out in the "lets make a big ol book together because we are all horny for Reigen" kind of thing. A lot of times they're projects made from passion. I HAVE noticed that there's been a turn in the whole process of making them that both stresses out artists, requires kickstarters, and all sorts of shit that should be considered Artbooks. ARTBOOKS have always been on the higher end of things. There's nothing wrong with considering an anthology thats proper bound, and for a certain amount on a kickstarter you get extra things like stickers, charms, whatever.

But zines SHOULD go back to being simple little things. The cost to buy them shouldn't be lost UNLESS the artist wants it to be. If you print at home or using a schools printer and just print a bunch of cute little zines yourself then that should also exist and you can set your price point for whatever you want.

Its all semantics and personal preference at the end of the day but I do think that...yknow it wouldn't hurt if we could start calling the big project 50$ range books that often get run into the ground from bad leadership (or fun stuff like the organizer of the thing runs off with the money to play genshin) ...something other than zine. Like Artbook or Anthology. Or even Collection lol

Zine should be a small thing that you collect for fun and doesn't require a committee, a new discord channel, and a contract to make sure your organizer doesn't run off to play gacha (I'm sorry it still makes me laugh)

ALSO another thing about zines is that often times they were originally made to be alternatives to really closed minded book sellers. Like...its where a lot of the OG star trek fanfic/porn came from. Its a place to have your ideas put down. To explore narratives. Essentially Doujinshi can also be considered A TYPE of zine in that it literally means self published (not NECCESSARILY that its...yknow...bl or waifu porn lol Sometimes its just manga that artists put out before they can get published)

But lately there are a lot of zine projects (again...more actually like anthologies or art collections) that are REALLY REALLY closed minded even when the subject is SHIPPING.

So even the nature of CREATING the zines has changed a lot.

So yeah I agree with that post that I forgot to reblog. My only REAL gripe is that it doesn't mean that you should undercharge your work because you didn't print your zine at home or hand craft it like a youtube diy video. I did enough of that at art school I am not gonna bind a book or try to cut pages ever again if i don't have to lmao. CSP even has a zine preview so I can see the pages in 3d as if they were bound before printing lol

[merelymatt]

To get my upcoming audio drama I Need A Miracle off the page and into the airwaves, I decided against the indie production scramble where everyone donates their time, and against crowdfunding – and instead I basically sent the scripts to @wirelesstheatre and said "What'll it cost to make this happen?", then compared that number to my savings and said "Ok, let's do this".

(It was obviously more businesslike than that, but that was the basic maths of it on my side.)

Here's why I didn't do it those other ways this time:

Why not the indie production scramble?

Scraping it together on a shoestring. Buttonholing friends to perform, using whatever recording equipment I already have to hand, doing as much of the production as possible myself and begging favours for the parts I can't.

In some ways this would have been the easiest option. It doesn't rely on anyone else's approval, or involve putting any new infrastructure together.

But! For me, for I Need A Miracle specifically, this was the option of absolute last resort, for various reasons.

First and foremost, I already have one podcast (@merelyroleplayers) that I run on this basis. I already ask a lot of my friends to perform on that show for nothing, on the promise it'll be fun and I'll buy everyone a pint afterwards. I think you only get one of those, or you should only get one. If you run every project like this, especially if you're calling on the same people each time, it starts getting exploitative.

Second, I'm trying not to exploit myself either, by which I mean, I've put work into writing this series (admittedly on spec), I think it's worthwhile, and I'd like to see if I can make some money in return for that work. And if one person involved in a project is getting paid, everyone should be getting paid.

Why not crowdfund?

There are sub-options within this option: subscriptions and patronage-style funding (like Patreon, Ko-Fi or Gumroad) and up-front project-based funding (like Kickstarter, Indiegogo or Seed & Spark).

I actually have been weighing up the idea of a Patreon or Ko-Fi for a while, not for I Need A Miracle specifically, but for @foggyoutline in general. At the beginning it would effectively be a Merely Roleplayers subscription, because that's currently the only Foggy Outline show. But if enough people pay a bit a month for bonuses like uncut episodes, that could help fund new projects like I Need A Miracle, which could bring in more listeners and more patrons, whose contributions could help fund the next thing, and so on.

But the problem I would have with any kind of crowdfunding model is, right now I'm only pulling a small crowd! I'm an unknown writer, Foggy Outline is an unknown player at least in audio drama. And it seems like to succeed with a crowdfunding campaign, you really need your audience already built and poised to give you money.

If I Need A Miracle takes off and finds its audience, the kudos off that might make crowdfunding an option for the next thing. But I just wasn't confident it would succeed for this show, at least without a load of spend on a consultant and advertising (which then eats into the campaign proceeds).

So go on then, where is the money actually coming from

Me! Supplemented by my Foggy Outline business partners, who are also my Mum and Dad. But the majority of the production costs for I Need A Miracle are coming out of my savings.

This is one of the reasons I prioritised I Need A Miracle over other audio drama projects I'm working on: because it's simple enough that I felt confident I could cover the costs myself if I needed to. There's no dialogue (only monologues), so it's not a complex edit. Most of the episodes take place in one location, with little action beyond the character speaking, so it doesn't call for elaborate sound design. All the episodes are under 20 minutes. For a more complicated production, I would have had to bring in some funding from somewhere, or convinced a producer to take on the production costs themselves. This one was, to some extent, designed (by me) to be more affordable.

It's worth saying that getting started wasn't just a case of getting a quote from Wireless and agreeing to pay it. Producer Sarah Golding read the scripts and wouldn't have taken on the project if she didn't think it was worthwhile. So it's not pure pay-for-play.

So the plan now is:

Sell ads and subscriptions and see how much of the production cost I can get back that way after the fact (I expect not all of it, but that's ok, because...)

Also think of that money I've spent as an investment in both this and future projects – by spending money on an amazing production company that's making the show brilliant, I'm getting something that's hopefully going to make this whole process easier next time. Because next time I can point to Wireless' confidence in my writing, and the quality of I Need A Miracle, (and hopefully its success and acclaim and awards and all its fans), to get someone else to put their hand in their pocket instead, whether that's listeners, producers or sponsors.

[eneiryu]

I think the skinwalker prison played a big part in Theo's evolution as a character but to me what really kickstarted his redemption arc was Liam saving his life at the hospital.

Because getting him out of the skinwalker prison was initially only to use his stolen powers, but when Liam shot that ghostrider that was choking Theo in the hospital there was no ulterior motive, just saving Theo's life even when Theo still didn't do anything to deserve it. And you can see in Theo's face in that moment how shocked he is that someone would choose to save him and I think that's what madevhim go in less than a hour from "you're going first, I'm only here because while they take you I'll be running the other direction" to "being the bait".

Like he's been on his own for years and no one has ever done something for him knowing who he really was, not when he was playing an act. But then Liam did, knowing every horrible thing Theo did he still chose to save him. I think this is what rocked Theo's world upside down and immediately made him want to do something good as well, maybe to show that he deserved what Liam just did for him.

So going back to the ask I think I can still see Theo changing if Liam saved him from his sister dragging him down, but it would be very different than what we saw in the show, less trauma obviously and maybe more similiar to what you did in the season 5 AU where Theo's redemption is more Liam focused than the show.

Agreed! I think the skinwalker prison made Theo’s redemption possible, but it was Liam who actually made Theo want to walk that path in any real way.

Yeah, I could see that argument. I think the trouble I have, and the difference between the S5 AU as I wrote it, and a last-minute S5 AU, where everything up to Theo getting sent to the prison happens, is Tracy and Josh. Granted, this is my own interpretation and we have no actual information about what Theo did or didn’t do prior to coming to BH with the Dread Doctors, but I tend to go towards the interpretation that prior to the Beast’s resurrection, when Theo acted, he did so either implicitly or explicitly on the Doctors’ orders. He wasn’t choosing his targets, and he wasn’t killing for his own purposes. To be clear, I think he probably was still killing, but there’s something really distinct for me about him choosing to kill Tracy and Josh. That was a betrayal of the highest order, with nothing justifiable about it—he didn’t need to do it at all, except to feed his thirst for more power—and in my head at least, I’m not sure he would have killed like that before (though honestly? Who the hell knows).

So I think that’s what makes it really hard for me, and for the way I understand Liam, Scott, and the rest of the pack, to be able to somehow accept a non-skinwalker-prison’ed Theo. There’s a line I think he crossed killing Tracy and Josh, and without something pretty extreme like the skinwalker prison, a more lukewarm or low-key redemption to me doesn’t seem likely, and also doesn’t seem like something the McCall pack would buy or accept being a part of.

But this is just my own perspective on it. 😊

[makerofmadness]

@umbrarkzoo felt like you'd wanna be tagged in this so you can see dndnndndnd ('cus I know you like these)

Anyway I felt like posting incorrect FNAF quotes again here ya go (under the cut)

may accidentally repeat a quote from a past post 'cus I've made too many to keep track of and it's been a while ok-

quotes taken from the Perchance generator, I just insert the characters in manually if I find something I can work with

One quote features my hc version of the FNAF 3 guard (maybe I'll post more about that someday I just wanted to use her for one quote).

Toy Freddy: I need a long word.  Toy Bonnie: T-rex but the long one.

-

Jeremy Fitzgerald: How do you do that?  Michael Afton: I'm fearless.  Fritz Smith: I saw you run from bees yesterday. You flailed around and tripped over a chair. It was both hysterical and sad.  Michael Afton: I'm mostly fearless. 

-

Golden Freddy: Slash gamemode creative.  Freddy: Dude, this isn't Min-  Golden Freddy: *starts levitating* 

-

Funtime Freddy: Okay, two person huddle.  Bon-Bon: You can't huddle with two people. This is just a hug.  -

Toy Chica: You're pathetic!  Toy Bonnie: You're pathetic-er!  The Puppet: You're both losers.

-

Michael Afton: Can you name a single city in Oklahoma?  Ennard: Oklahoma City, bitch! 

-

Jeremy Fitzgerald: Let’s watch Sharkboy and Lavagirl.  Fritz Smith: Okay.  Jeremy Fitzgerald: And make out during the scary parts.  Fritz Smith: Th-  Fritz Smith: The scary parts.  Fritz Smith: Of Sharkboy and Lavagirl. 

-

Monty, tearing up the room: Where are they?  Monty looking under a pillow: Who moved them? Who moved my children?  Monty: Somebody moved my M&M's, and now I am going to start killing.

-

Michael Afton: We've got to find a way to cut down our expenses. What can we live without?  Helpy: Lefty, probably.  (insert lawsuit joke here)

-

Roxy: If I'm extra sarcastic with you it probably means I'm flirting with you or you really annoy me and I can't handle your crap... have fun figuring out which one. 

-

Funtime Freddy in a horrible German accent: Bill Nye is on break, I'm Bill Nein.  Michael Afton: Can I go to the bathroom?  Funtime Freddy, in the same horrible German accent: Nein! 

-

Roxy: Now, if I may speak for good-looking people everywhere...  Gregory: Only as their rodeo clown. 

-

Michael Afton: WHO THE FUCK-  Helpy: Whoa, language!  Michael Afton: I speak fucking English!  Henry Emily: ... 

-

Crying Child: I wanna sleep for 40 hours.  Michael Afton: You know that's called a coma, right?  Crying Child:  Crying Child: That sounds so refreshing, I could totally go for a light coma right now. 

-

Michael Afton: I only have 6 weeks left to live.  Jeremy Fitzgerald: Oh my god, really?!  Michael Afton: It's just a guesstimate based on the choices I've made.

-

Circus Baby: You use humor to deflect your trauma.  Michael Afton: Awww, thanks-  Circus Baby: That’s not a good thing.  Michael Afton: All I’m hearing is that you think I’m funny.

-

Michael Afton: Susie, you're my best friend.  FNAF 3 Guard: Best friend? BEST friend?! Bitch, I'm your only friend.  FNAF 3 Guard: I'M THE ONLY ONE CAPABLE OF TOLERATING YOUR DUMB ASS!

-

Michael Afton: Hey guys, today my brother pushed me, so I'm starting a kickstarter to put him down.  Michael Afton: The benefits of killing him are that I would get pushed way less. 

-

Michael Afton, making coffee: This is going to fix everything. 

-

Daycare Attendant: Do you guys ever have a civilized conversation that doesn't require insulting each other every time you get a chance?  Roxy: No.  Gregory: No.  Daycare Attendant: Didn't think so. 

-

Jeremy Fitzgerald, talking about Ennard: Is this a friend of yours, Mike?  Michael Afton: Kind of? Not really. They're in my life and there's nothing I can do about it. 

-

Michael Afton: *trying to buy a Father's Day card at Hallmark*  Michael Afton: Excuse me, do you have any that just say "You are my dad?"  Associate: Well, I-  Michael Afton: How about "You banged my mom?"  Associate: No...  Michael Afton: You know what, I'll just get a blank one.  Michael Afton: *writes* You are a father. This is a day. Here is a card. 

-

Sun: Hopefully Roxanne has learned a lesson about respecting other people's feelings.  Roxy: Oh, shut up and die Sun.

-

Fritz Smith: My future partner must be brave, strong, intelligent, successful and organized.  Jeremy Fitzgerald: *steps on a caterpillar and proceeds to drop to his knees and sob while apologizing profusely*  Fritz Smith: That one. I want that one.

-

Glamrock Freddy: Vanessa, is that legal?  Vanessa: When there's no cops around, anything's legal!

-

Toy Chica: I sort of did something and I need some advice, but I don't want a lot of judgment and criticism.  The Puppet: And you came to me? 

-

William Afton: What goes up but never comes down?  Michael Afton: The amount of stress you're bringing this family. 

-

Gregory: I wish I could control wasps and bees to sting my enemies.  Glamrock Freddy: You’re too young to have enemies.  Gregory: You don’t even know. 

-

Vanessa: Here are two pictures. one of them is your room, and the other is the garbage dump.  Monty: *points at a picture* That one is the dump.  Vanessa: tHEY'RE BOTH YOUR ROOM!  -

Funtime Freddy: The time to act is now.  Funtime Freddy: Wink, wink.  Circus Baby: Don't say "wink wink". Just wink.  Funtime Freddy: Oh, sorry.  Funtime Freddy: Wink. 

-

Vanessa: Where are my fucking keys?  Glamrock Freddy: Officer Vanessa, Gregory is around, can you say it a little nicer?  Vanessa: May I ascertain the whereabouts of my FUCKING KEYS?! 

-

Gregory: Good morning. As you begin your day, remember that violence is always an option and often the answer.  Glamrock Freddy:  Gregory:  Glamrock Freddy: ...Please, go back to bed. 

-

Michael Afton: Hey Mr. Emily, do you have any hobbies?  Henry Emily: Swimming..  Michael Afton: Really? That’s cool. I never expected you to-  Henry Emily: In a pool of self hatred and regret. 

-

Michael Afton: So I have made the decision to trust you.  Circus Baby: A horrible decision, really. 

-

Ennard: You should have realised, Eggs Benedict, if the scooper didn't kill you, we would.

[micahdraws]

What Micah's been up to

It's been about four years since Tumblr put up that ill-advised NSFW ban and led me to leave "forever." I honestly didn't think I'd come back. I started gaining a lot of momentum on Twitter and I'd been growing dissatisfied with Tumblr on the whole. At the time I was looking for a reason to leave and the carte-blanche NSFW ban was the nail in the coffin. I still don't fully trust Tumblr's admin, but they're allowing the kind of art I do again and my past frustrations with Tumblr don't need to be covered here.

So here are some of the things I've done the last few years!

Calendar projects!

Since 2018, I have produced four illustrated calendars that funded on Kickstarter! I started with the 2019 Hunks & Myth Calendar, which featured shirtless men from around the world carrying cute baby versions of mythological creatures!

I followed that up with the 2020 Hunks & Myth Calendar, which had mythological men and baby animals. That one was successful but not as big as the prior year. Fortunately, it was pre-covid, so I can tell it was less about the life circumstances and more about the subject itself. Just wasn't as in-demand, which is okay! Live and learn.

I took a year off from calendars and then put together the 2022 Coffeehouse Hunks Calendar! This one featured twelve coffee recipes you can make at home, all accompanied by a sort of "gijinka" hunk of that coffee drink! This one did VERY well and it was very encouraging to see it go so hard.

The Coffeehouse Hunks' success led me to create this year's calendar project, the 2023 Cocktail Hunks Calendar! The Cocktail Hunks followed the Coffeehouse theme -- a series of cocktail recipes accompanied by a "gijinka" of that drink. This was even more fun and it's been great to see how my art has evolved since the first calendar -- since the 2022 calendar, even! The Cocktail Hunks far surpassed my expectations and it feels really, really good to see so many people interested in my work like this!

If any of you are interested in the Cocktail Hunks Calendar, or recipe cards for either the Cocktails or Coffeehouse Hunks, I do have copies that I'll be posting for sale soon. So please keep an eye out for that!

The Sparrow

The year 2021 marked another big, big, big spike in my artistic career. It's when I ran and funded the Kickstarter for the Sparrow!

Some of you may remember I was still working on the Sparrow even before I left Tumblr. A lot has changed, a lot has grown out of it, a lot has happened, and thanks to Kickstarter support, I was able to fund the Sparrow's very first print run! A whole 70 pages of comics plus some bonus content like character interviews, RPG character sheets and profiles, and more.

I'm in the midst of making Book 2 right now. It'll be a while before I finish that, but you wouldn't believe how amazing it was to see so many people back the Sparrow, a book many of them had never heard of. Honestly, it was a little overwhelming, and it's amazing that I still get people interested in buying at cons and the like.

You can get a PDF version of the Sparrow on my Gumroad shop or read the whole thing on my Sparrow website. It's like Percy Jackson meets the X-Men but more gay :D

Other things

The Sparrow and the Calendars have been my biggest projects the last few years. But some other things I've worked on include:

Soldier/Sailor: A gay superhero oneshot -- This 20-page one-shot was written by Andrew Wheeler (Sins of Black Flamingo, Marvel Voices: Pride, etc.) and drawn by me. It follows the story of Jacob, aka Warrior One, as he reunites with his old lover Armon, Prince of Atlantis.

The Strapping Lads: A D&D Supplement - Twelve classes, twelve men, all ready for your D&D campaign. I put this together for FlameCon 2019 and it went over pretty well >:]

Mutants and Masterminds: Parade Route - I got hired to do the cover art for this Mutants and Masterminds RPG supplement! This illustration features the gay man Johnny Rocket supporting teammate and trans woman Lady Liberty as she attends her first Pride as both an openly queer person and a superhero!

I think there's more that's happened but those are some of my big highlights for the last few years. I'll also post some of my backlog here over the next while, once I have a chance to schedule in some posting. I hope you enjoy, and thank you to everyone that is still here and remembers lil ol' me!

[svrvinissvn]

Can I pull my backing? You seem not to be very professional with your communication unless someone asks you to. It’s sketchy and not mature for all the people that have backed you, you not having your shit together or caring to

kickstarter explains the expectations of backing projects very well in their faqs but I'll copy & paste here:

"What happens if a project is delayed?

We know that backing a project, and the anticipation of receiving your reward, can be exciting. It’s important to remember, however, that when you decide to pledge towards a project on Kickstarter you are not purchasing, or pre-ordering, an existing item—you are helping to create something new.

The estimated delivery date has passed

When a creator is building their project on Kickstarter, they are required to set an estimated delivery date. This date is intended as a goal for when the creator hopes to start shipping rewards, and should not be treated as a guarantee of when backers can expect to start receiving rewards. Remember, this date is an estimate.

Project delays can happen for a number of reasons and are to be expected when something new is being created. 

Many projects on Kickstarter are in the early stages of development, which means as a backer you get to be a part of the creative process. It also means that a project can shift along the way, and unanticipated challenges may arise that delay the initial timeline laid out by the creator. This may be just a few weeks, but it is not uncommon for delays to go over six months. A delayed project does not mean it’s a failed project.

Typically, a creator is running a project from beginning to end all by themselves, or with just a small team. It’s also possible that they underestimated how long it would take to actually produce the rewards and get everything finished within a certain timeframe. They may have encountered an unavoidable bump in the road that means more time is needed.

Remember: backing is not buying, and delays do not mean a project is over.

I no longer want the reward, can I have a refund?

It is up to each creator to decide whether they are in a position to offer refunds. If the funds have already been used to pay for production, materials, postage, or a person’s time, then a refund may not be possible.

Kickstarter is not a store and creators are responsible for the final delivery of their rewards, including deciding what their refund policy will be.

It’s important to keep in mind that requesting a refund while the project is still progressing could seriously impact a creator's effort to bring their project to life."

Please note: This is literally the first time I have ever done a Kickstarter campaign, I am still learning the process and backer expectations, not to mention I also have a full-time job. I'm doing the best I can. Also, this campaign was a pre-sale price, if you decide to pull you will have to pay more when they are available on my website.

That being said, thank you to everyone whose helped & stuck around so far, this past year has been *rough* for me, i literally couldn’t do it without you. 🖤

[regarding-jon-egress]

Weight gain in my fantasies is never a lack of something, its never because of laziness or waisting potential or even overeating unconsciously. It's a choice, and it's a choice of celebration. Its an accomplishment. It is something to be praised for by friends and lovers alike, not because of sexual flirtation, nor for trying to reverse psychology me into losing it. It's sheer impressiveness. It's that they're healthier and stronger and better in all regards. And its not because of being better that they are fat, but because they are fat they are better.

Its a friend going off to college for a semester, leaving when my medical issues are about to be fully sorted, and coming back over the summer, having heard of how much I've changed, having heard me talk of buying new clothes, but also talking of promotion after promotion, seeing pictures of my newfound wealth, having CEOs of tech companies fawning over the chance to hire me once I'm out of college, and seeing me at double what I used to weigh, a fine looking 280, but with clothes that fit me better than any of the ones I used to have, tailored button ups and pressed suits and polished shoes, some wealthy investor even pitching in on top surgery and starting me on T and that kickstarted the growth hormone in my blood too putting me at a healthy 6'4". Barely a speck of sweat on me despite the burning summer heat. Nor dirt on my shoes. Clean and polished and neat. And it's finding out that in between study sessions with our mutual friend I've been plowing him like a mac truck, and somehow my stamina gets that much better with every pound I pack on. And him realizing just what he could have had.

(Pf2e campaign below, kinda sad, and not as horny)

Its Joules, getting to experience the town hes been forced to call home like never before. Reveling in how the rich of this city eat and gorging himself whenever he gets the chance. Its him realizing that these people eat like kings, and these are the people who are rewarded from the massive food economy in this town. And the cultists in town who worship The Midnight Lord, and being fearful, turning away, and revolted by the building which seeks to hurt the occupant at every turn, making his architectural sensibilities run haywire. And meeting the man at the helm, a portly priest who gorges himself much like how Joules has been, speaking words of forgiveness that Joules has needed for a long time. That pain is inevitable, so the purveyors of the pain are not to be faulted for their untimely suffering. Unknowing that Joules, blood on his hands from a murder committed for the good of his colleagues years ago, has taken those words to heart quickly. And its him realizing he can tread a path towards healing through pain, his own and others, and that feast on the table looks that much better than before. And the archetecture looking that much more facinating. And envying those rings on the priests wide fingers, hoping sometime later that those rings will fit him too. Once he's a Bloodlord.

[obislittleone]

House Of Memories (45/?)

Obi-Wan Kenobi x Padawan!reader

Warnings: fluff n stuff

Summary: One lazy morning meets an unexpected visit from the beloved senator Amidala, who has a luxurious offer for You, General Kenobi, and the entire 212th battalion.

A/n: anyways, this is short and sweet. good night

also y'all if you like the story, maybe consider buying me a coffee :)

Words: 2.1k

You were tired, you were run down, and you were very much overworked. Obi-Wan, as seasoned in war as he was, felt the same way, his body wasn't as quick and spry as it had been when he was young, and having so much take place in a short span took a heavy toll on him physically. There were no days off for the Jedi, but he was going to take one, nonetheless. He was exhausted, and slept till noon, and though you would have loved to join him in this restful endeavor, you felt you needed to get up and be practical. You were quite tired as well, but sleeping all day wasn't going to make it any better for you. Oversleeping had become a habit in one point of your life, and when it did, you were in a perpetual state of grogginess throughout the time when you were awake and active.

It was about an hour after you left the bed, when you heard Obi-Wan shuffling through the apartment, bare feet padding across the floor and into the kitchenette. You stood at the counter, watching a kettle come to a boil so you could prepare him and yourself a cup of tea. Perhaps it could help you both to wake up more. It certainly would help to kickstart the day, though you were unsure of what was on the agenda. After returning home, everything seemed to have gotten back to normal, or at least a similar variation of it. You hoped that the most you'd do today was train, and there wouldn't be any surprise missions to uphold.

"Good morning, my love," he came up behind you, just like every morning, and perched his chin on your shoulder, dipping his head to kiss the skin once while your face turned a bright pink.

"Morning?" you asked quizzically, turning your head to look at him from an angle. "Do you know what time it is?"

"Hush," he said in a whisper tone, and you couldn't help but giggle at the tickling sensation it left against your neck.

You shook your head, and returned your gaze to the kettle, which didn't even seem to be warm, yet. He wrapped both arms around your waist, momentarily forgetting you were still healing from two well hit blaster shots. You tensed, clenching your eyes shut with a face of minor pain, trying to ease through it so he could hold you, but of course, he noticed, and it did not go past his attention.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know it still hurt," he apologized, turning you around and letting his hand fall to the hem of your shirt. He hesitated, and looked back to your eyes, pleading with you for permission before you gave him a curt nod.

He lifted up the fabric enough to see that the bandaging pads that had been applied were far worn out and needed to be replaced as to not get infected.

"Come here," he said, tugging you by the hand and not giving you much of a chance to respond, before he hauled you back into his room and pointed at the bed, making you to lay down.

He left to the refresher, grabbing the supplies he remembered were under the sinks, then came back to sit beside you on the foot of his bed.

"When was the last time you changed these?" he asked in curiosity, peeling the barely stuck on medical pads that had helped to heal your wound so much over the past days.

"I don't remember," you scoffed, trying to avoid the slight sting when he cleaned the areas around the nicely forming scars.

"Well then, it's a good thing you probably won't need to change them again, I doubt you'd remember then, either."

"To be fair, I was stuck underground and lost most of my oxygen supply, making that two near death experiences in a week. I can hardly keep up with the number of ways I almost die," you joked, though he only thought it to be half amusing. Perhaps you were not so worried, but he constantly was. Worried sick over your safety, and if your survival would be ensured in most situations. It didn't help that you also ran into the face of danger, but he could only blame himself for that. as your master, he was to lead by example, and the example he set was to run into the face of danger, head on, without even thinking about the consequences sometimes.

"It looks much better than it did, I suppose it will be back to normal within a day or so, assuming you rest properly."

"Rest? Obi, I can't just sit around, my trials will be coming up, soon," you informed him, even though there wasn't even a set date or even a discussed idea of when those trials might take place. It wasn't going to be hard for you, he knew that, but he took into consideration how well you liked to prepare for these sort of things.

"Little one, you could take the trials when you are at your worst and still succeed. You are far beyond any other Padawan in this temple and had the rest of the council not held you back, you would probably be a grand master by now," he laughed lightly, and you smiled up at his gaze, waiting for him to finish reapplying the pads to your nearly healed wound.

He inspected his job of the application, smoothing it over one more time, before lowering himself to kiss over the areas left uncovered. When he sat back, he looked at you with the upmost adoration on his features.

This is love, at its purest form. This is sweet domesticity, and a commonplace interaction, but it was precious to you both.

-

"Senator Amidala, it's lovely to see you, as always," you commented, walking into the room and bowing. You and Obi-Wan, along with Commander Cody had been summoned to meet with her to talk about something, though you had not been aware of the subject.

"I'm glad you all could meet with me, I hope you are well," the pleasantries, though not necessary, were always a lovely break from the regular, more intense interactions you held with other people on the daily.

"As well as we can be," Obi-Wan told her, and she could see the evidence of exhaustion in his face. She knew how hard he drove himself to work, and that he never complained, only complied whenever anything was asked of him.

"Perhaps better when we arrive on Naboo," she replied, and the three of your expressions changed at once, eyebrows knit together and eyes narrowed in confusion, with heads tilted to the side. She almost laughed at your synchronized movements but figured she should probably explain her meaning. "The congress people of my planet have discussed and decided that there is a celebration to be held in honor of the 212th clone battalion and its leaders. This past attack on Naboo by the separatists was a vicious battle, and because of you and your men, thousands of lives were saved. It's the least we can do to show our gratitude."

"A celebration?"

"Yes, if you would be so kind as to indulge us, we would be obliged by your presence," she explained, and you saw a twinkle of mischief behind her eyes. Surely, she couldn't be hiding anything from you, because you would have sensed it, but that little sparkle in the deep brown of her pupils gave her away that something was up.

"I would have to deliberate with the council, malady. Though we are truly honored, I'm unsure if leaving Coruscant is wise during this time."

"There is no need for the council's permission, I have spoken with them prior to this meeting, and they have agreed to my terms," she had met with them already? She wanted to ensure that this was going to be a possible occasion, which meant she was definitely up to something. "All that is left is for you to agree as well."

You looked to your Master with pleading eyes. Naboo, of every planet in this galaxy, was your very favorite. The calmness, the serenity, and the romantic atmosphere. It was the most beautiful, enrapturing planet you'd ever seen, and you'd seen quite a few planets in your life.

Once his eyes met yours, he knew he had no choice but to accept this wonderful offer. It would be nice to take a break from everything and just simply relax for once. No missions, no meetings, no stress. Only time with you and his troops in a lovely place, where he could be himself and enjoy the sweetest things that life had to offer.

"I am very grateful for such an offer, malady, of which I can do nothing but accept. I suppose I can speak for my Padawan and Commander when I say we are very excited to see all you have planned."

You sent a small 'thank you for this,' into his head, and he mindlessly grabbed your knee in reply. No one noticed, although if they had, it probably wouldn't be a big deal. Padme knew of your feelings for him long ago and given that Anakin spills to her all the drama he can come home with, she also knew of his feelings for you. She wondered if any confessions had been made, or if you both were still just oblivious to the other's helpless pining.

Cody, who paid attention to everything, had found out about your relationship long ago, pretty much when it first formed. He hadn't said anything, because he knew it made his General happy, and that was a rare sight these days. When the Commander saw Kenobi's face change as you walked into a room, it lit up the entire atmosphere, and made the long trips and endless missions more bearable. To know that the one who worked the hardest was getting something in return, even if he wasn't supposed to.

"I will arrange a cruiser to board your battalion onto, and if you should like to join me on my ship, I would be happy to have the company," she added, standing to her feet, as did you.

"I will ride along with my men, but thank you, malady," Cody replied. Padme nodded, admiring how much he stood by his troopers. They were all brothers, made from one man, and they did everything by each other's side.

"I will take the cruiser along with my commander, but I'm sure my Padawan would be very happy to accompany you."

"How wonderful, I've been missing her presence."

You looked at Obi-Wan, a look on your face asking, 'why aren't you coming with me?' but he just put a hand at the small of your back, ushering you along to follow the senator. It wasn't until you were out of the room and in the hallway that he responded into your mind 'I will meet you there, my love. Don't worry.'

That was all you needed to be sure, and you followed Padme down a pathway that Obi-Wan and Cody did not join you on. You supposed it wouldn't be so bad. You had missed your time with Padme dearly, and taking a nice relaxing flight with her, away from all the men in your life, even the good ones, would be a nice change of pace.

-

@spencerrxids @sawendel @fandomstanner24 @i-shall-abide @officialjellydoughnut @whatshxrname @darkened-writer @superavengerpotter @cutiepoo16 @hypnoash @softlymellow @howlerwolfmax @mephistominion @honestlywtfisgoingon @anakinskywalkerog @mandiiellen @je--a-n @guyinachair27 @avenger5-a55emble @amelia-song-pond @kaminanii @the-abyss-of-fandoms @queenofnightdreamland @world-dominating-kitty @mandowhatnow @ella-error505 @annahalo @infinity-witch @beetlejuice-stuff @liueski @solarbxby @sirianisrock @lxdyred @endless-warrior-always-fighter @iloveinej @msjb2002 @shoochi @itsilvermorny @gingerrosecosplay @sebschicken @loversjoy @argentinemango @1-800-vader @house-of-kolchek @marierg @graciexmarvel @ttzamara @truly-madly-nerdy @molieux @majahu @dyzlks @pancakefancake

[little-smartass]

THE VAMPIRE LESTAT COVER ALBUM - the legendary Vampire Lestat is back and bigger and badder than ever, this time bringing a whole album of song covers ranging from classic bangers to newer fresh takes on chart hits! get your copy now, complete with a transcript of the artist's commentary on each song!

(songs I think Lestat would cover and release as an album in an attempt to re-kickstart his career and/or make some sort of dramatic statement to Louis. tracklist and "artist commentary" under the cut)

Survival - Muse

“And I’ll reveal my strength, to the whole human race, yes I am prepared, to stay alive, and I won’t forgive, and vengeance is mine, and I won’t give in, because I choose to thrive! Yeah I’m gonna win!”

Oh, I wish this song had been around back on that opening night at the Cow Palace - how apt that would have been! What a fucking anthem! They would have been rioting all night. I mean, they already were, but, like, because of the music. Not because vampires were being immolated in the middle of the crowd. Different kind of riot.

The Bitch Is Back - Elton John

“I’m a bitch, I’m a bitch, oh the bitch is back, stone cold sober as a matter of fact, I can bitch, I can bitch, ‘cause I’m better than you, it’s the way that I move, the things that I do!”

One day I want to have this play as I walk into Night Island. I’ll time it perfectly so that I throw off my coat - my denim jacket, or- oh, no, a fur! Maximum drama! - just as the chorus starts. Armand will know that I’m coming of course, but I think that’ll just make it even better. And I have good memories to this song... [muffled question] Sorry, gentlemen don’t kiss and tell, bébé. [laughter]

Everybody Loves Me - OneRepublic

"Oh my, feels just like I don’t try, look so good I might die, all I know is everybody loves me, head down, swaying to my own sound, flashes in my face now, all I know is everybody loves me”

Look, do I even need to explain this one? Didn’t think so.

Bad Reputation - Joan Jett

"I don't give a damn ‘bout my reputation, I've never been afraid of any deviation, and I don't really care if you think I'm strange, I ain't gonna change - and I'm never gonna care bout my bad reputation"

This one's fairly self-explanatory again. It could have been my personal anthem when I was mortal quite honestly. And it's an awful lot of fun to jump about and headbang to, don't you think? That's a new thing I've found out about, headbanging. People have been hopping about to music looking like fools for centuries but now there's a name for it. Fantastic.

bad guy - Billie Eilish

"I’m that bad type, make your mama sad time, make your girlfriend mad type, might seduce your dad time… I’m the bad guy. Duh.”

Creepy? Check. Sexy? Check. Tongue-in-cheek? Check check. This song was great and a lot of fun to cover.

Lover to Lover - Florence + the Machine

“I believe there’s no salvation for me now, no space among the clouds, and I feel I’m heading down, but that’s alright, that’s alright, that’s alright”

I don’t know, this one just felt very relevant. Also the piano was great to do. You might have noticed that I’ve picked a lot of songs with piano, and that’s because I bullied the studio into getting me a goooooorgeous grand piano for the recording space and I wanted to use it as much as possible!

Feeling Good - Muse

“Stars when you shine, you know how I feel, scent of the pine, you know how I feel, oh freedom is mine, and I know how I feel”

I just really like this song - I’ve done a cover of an excellent cover! Can- can you put emojis in this? Do people still use emojis? Well imagine I’ve put the shrug one. Wait, isn’t there- Daniel, Daniel, come here, isn’t there a shrug emoji made up of keyboard- [muffled words] yes! The shrug one! Yes, put that in the transcription. [ ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ] I just like this song.

The Man - The Killers

“I got gas in the tank, I got money in the bank, I got news for you baby, you're looking at the man, I got skin in the game, I got a household name, I got news for you baby, you're looking at the man”

I feel like this one speaks for itself too. Can you put that shrug emoji thing in here again? [ ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ] Yes!

J'ai Pas Envie - MIKA

J'ai pas envie, de faire comme si, comme les maris, qui disent oui, j'ai pas envie, j'ai pas envie, j'ai pas envie d'te faire plaisir, j'ai pas envie, j'ai pas envie, si tu m'aimes viens me le dire"

Look, I'm not going to translate the whole song for you, because it has all this clever wordplay you just totally lose in english… but the gist of it is that these two lovers are… at odds a lot. It's… it's maybe a little spiteful [laughter] but in a fun way! It's a fun song! Louis won't even be mad about it, it's MIKA.

Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy - Queen

"When I'm not with you, think of you always (I miss those long hot summer nights), when I'm not with you, think of me always, always"

[Long pause] God, I miss Freddie.

Let 'Em Talk - Kesha

Ah, full disclosure - I put this song in purely because of the expression Louis made when I played it in the car and it got to the line “can suck my dick” and she did that popping noise… it was incredible, and I just knew I had to cover it so I could see his expression when I said that. I can’t wait to play it to him. [laughter]

So What - P!nk

"So so what, I'm still a rockstar, I got my rock moves, and I don't need you, and guess what? I'm having more fun, and now that we're done, I'm gonna show you tonight, I'm alright, I'm just fine, (and you're a tool, so)"

I'm actually a big fan of nineties and noughties female stars - all that grrrrrrrl power, it's great fun, you know? I'd say this one is fairly self-explanatory, because I am still a rockstar! This is my new album! Fuck you EMP and your sniffy little article calling me "washed up"!

Little Lion Man - Mumford & Sons

"But it was not your fault but mine, and it was your heart on the line, I really fucked it up this time, didn't I my dear?"

This one could be self-deprecating, but it's also very vindictively angry at the same time, and that's a combination I definitely get. Like, oh, it's my fault, isn't it? It's my fucking fault again, what a surprise. Perhaps "learn from your mother or you'll spend your days biting your own neck" is a little on the nose… [muffled words] you've read my books, right? [muffled words] Good, good.

Missy - The Airbourne Toxic Event

"But I swear there's still some good in me, I think if you'd stuck around you'd see, all the botched attempts at integrity I once had"

Oh, I was feeling philosophical when I picked this one. No, philosophical isn't the right word… melancholy? Do people still use that word? "I swear I swear I swear I'll never get sad" is both furiously defiant and yet so self-defeatingly ironic. [Exasperated noise] Enough of that. Next!

Please Don't Leave Me - P!nk

"I don't know if I can yell any louder, how many times have I kicked you out of here, or said something insulting? I can be so mean when I wanna be, I am capable of nearly anything, when my heart is broken… (please, please don't leave me)"

Oh, we’re… we’re getting to this section now. [clearing throat] Well, I have to make up for that sucking dick line, don’t I? Get a bit vulnerable. Oh God, why did I decide to do this bit? [muffled words] [bad chicago accent] But why buy the cow? Because you love him, you really do. [sigh, laughter]

Next To Me - Imagine Dragons

"Oh, I always let you down, shattered on the ground, still I find you there, next to me, and oh, the stupid things I do, I'm far from good it's true, still I find you, next to me"

Why did I- I don’t remember putting so many of these ones in.

Run To You - Pentatonix

"I've been settling scores, I've been fighting so long, but I've lost your war, and our kingdom is gone... how shall I win back your heart which was mine? I have broken bones and tattered clothes, I've run out of time"

[Sigh] [clears throat] Yeah. I think we can move onto the next one.

Love of My Life - Queen

“Love of my life, don't leave me, you've stolen my love, you now desert me, love of my life, can't you see? Bring it back, bring it back, don't take it away from me, because you don't know, what it means to me”

I play this one sometimes on my baby grand when we've had a fight, and it's impossible for him to stay angry. He's a sucker for this sort of… formality in romance. God, I wish I'd realised that earlier. If I'd written him a letter in fancy copperplate script with scented paper and enclosed rose petals politely requesting him to bend me over his desk back in the day, it might not have taken two centuries of mutual blue balls for us to figure our shit out. Ah well, live and learn… as it were. [muffled words] Look, I did a whole bunch of vulnerable songs! Now I get to make sex jokes! [laughter] oh fuck off.

[angelofthequeers]

How is Zoe's comic racist? (sorry don't mean to question you, genuinely curious) Also, I admit I was also sucked into the salt fic whirlpool, but quickly left after I realized how toxic it was being. Could you also elaborate on GalahadWilder, if it isn't too uncomfortable for you? I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude, or ask uncomfortable questions.

I can’t point out everything off the top of my head but the racism (along with everything else but that’s not the focus) is a large part of what made me throw my hands up and write this. And I won’t be answering any more asks about any of this because I just want to get it out there so people know (because of how many people genuinely don’t see it) and then go back to trying to forget that this shit ever existed, rather than dragging out some new fandom drama. Also keep in mind that while I’m West Asian/Arab, I’m also white-passing so if I get anything wrong, I appreciate call-outs. (Also I finally got my laptop charger today so I can snip my posts again 😭)

Her treatment of Max in ‘Gamer’.

It’s not unique to her; it’s a very common salter thing to utterly tear into Max for being a “sexist jerk” and daring to underestimate princess Marinette because she’s a girl. Never mind that they canonically aren’t close friends because of Chloé’s bullying, so Max probably had no idea that Marinette’s liked video games all this time, where Adrien is the new boy so it’s just one more thing to learn about him.

It’s especially heinous compared to how the other classmates are treated far more leniently for their own mistakes - they still get salted on but Max, aka the Black boy, always seems to get singled out and held to higher standards. Just look at ‘Chameleon’ and how the other classmates are mildly to moderately attacked by salters but Max gets utterly ripped to shreds because he “should know better”. (Never mind that just because he’s smart doesn’t mean he’s good at human interaction. They just want to attack him).

It also angers me because people like Nathaniel and Ivan are absolved of what they do as akumas (like kidnapping others and literally forcing someone to go on a date with them) because they couldn’t help it, yet Max is literally held responsible for what he did when akumatised (because he dared to go after Princess Marinette) and even for daring to get akumatised in the first place. Both these things just make him a sore loser, apparently.

So SL ‘Gamer’ was the final straw for me, especially with how she characterised Max as a smug arsehole, and it made me so angry that I just exploded to my friends, but I didn’t know how to directly call it out without looking like a petty bitch.

Here’s a post I made about salters and ‘Gamer’ if you’re interested in a more coherent and in-depth thing about it.

Alya’s treatment throughout the whole thing.

In canon, she’s an enthusiastic and passionate girl who sometimes gets carried away and goes too far and who idolises Ladybug because Ladybug stands against evil. Here? She’s treated as the butt of the joke for being so starry-eyed over superheroes that she idolises Scarlet Lady while Marinette mocks her behind her back. Never mind her iconic line of “all that is needed for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing” and this is why she loves Majestia in the first place. Never mind that she loves Ladybug because Ladybug is kind and passionate and strong and creative. Canon Alya wouldn’t want a bar of Scarlet Lady, who just sits around complaining, and yet SL!Alya worships her because...why? Running joke? The only Black girl in the series is treated as a gag to be made fun of by someone who’s supposed to be her best friend, just for the audience’s amusement. Marinette’s probably meant to look funny and relatable here, but she just looks like a major bitch to her new friend. Alya’s flaws are basically blown up and exaggerated for comedic effect, while Marinette in contrast is airbrushed to perfection, with no flaws and no anxiety that was only alleviated in canon by - guess what - being Ladybug.

It’s like Zoe wants to stick to canon while adding her own little “fun” twists for humour, like making Marinette snarky and perfect (which just makes her look like an utter bitch) and in the case of Alya, it does her so dirty that even Lila is more sympathetic. LILA. After SL humiliates Lila, Alya looks doubtful but buys some bullshit excuse so that she can continue to be the Scar-worshipping idiot. And then in the aftermath, her concern isn’t for Lila, the girl who was humiliated and bullied by a literal superhero and then ended up sick. No, she’s angry because...Lila lied on her blog. The blog that doesn’t have nearly as much recognition as in canon because SL would never validate her, unlike Ladybug. So her passion for her blog is exaggerated to imply that she’d say that a girl deserves to be bullied and sick because she told a few lies (since at this point, Alya doesn’t know about any possible malice on Lila’s part, just as in canon. All that’s known is the lying for attention).

It’s horrible hypocrisy, where Alya is held to higher standards than the other (white) characters and when she fails to meet those standards, she’s torn into. She’s not afforded any sympathy for being hurt that Lila lied to her; in fact, she’s demonised for feeling hurt, especially because of the running joke that her blog is focused on someone so horrible and she doesn’t see that. Lila is presented as the sympathetic one here. LILA. Just because Alya dared to believe her in canon.

Also, how she’s constantly trying to either tease Marinette for having a crush or insist that Marinette’s only doing what she does because of a crush...even though according to this ‘verse’s canon, Marinette is too good to make mistakes and do obsessive stuff over a crush, which is why canon Alya thinks this about her in the first place. That didn’t just come out of nowhere in the show purely for “woe is Marinette, her best friend doubts her”.

Like in the first part of ‘Gamer’, where she’s accusing Marinette of only entering the tournament to flirt with Adrien while Marinette so “coolly and calmly” rebuts her...why? By the ‘verse’s own logic, Marinette isn’t a flustered mess around Adrien. The only purpose of this scene is to glorify Marinette and her amazing calmness while making Alya look like a nosy idiot who dares to doubt her best friend. The logic of the ‘verse and of canon clash really jarringly in moments like this, and it becomes clear that the only purpose of these moments is to make Marinette look better at the expense of others. Most often her best friend, who’s an utter idiot for not seeing Scarlet Lady’s true nature and just can’t keep her nose out of Marinette’s business and so comes to wrong conclusions. Why are Marinette and Alya even friends in this ‘verse? SL!Marinette’s been nothing but condescending towards Alya most of the time.

Uh, and also the way she occasionally whitewashes Alya. Just look at the SL headers. She literally made Alya, aka a Black girl who’s one of the good guys, lighter than Lila, aka a white girl who’s one of the bad guys and not even that tanned in canon. Why do people make one of the villains darker and often whitewash one of the heroes? It’s not that hard to figure out.

(Also the way she really played into the aggressive Black girl stereotype in ‘Horrificator’ over a minor argument, even physically threatening Nino. Why? Literally why did she have to go full-on aggressive instead of just looking angry and scolding him or something?)

This all might not be conscious on Zoe’s part but the way Alya is treated is still disgusting, especially if you’re operating on internalised salt from other aspects of the salty fandom. I’ve seen her claims that she’s trying to help Alya improve and she’s not being salty but...even if she’s not being consciously salty, her salt is definitely still leaking over it and part of that salt includes racism. I also don’t see how making Alya a joke and exaggerating her flaws is helping her to improve when there was plenty to go off in canon but, well, that might just be me.

Even Marinette, who’s pretty much treated as white for 99% of it.

Marinette, aka the girl who’s only made visibly “Asian/Other” in SL ‘Reflekta’ with her Chinese-inspired Black Cat suit and name which is a one-off, while her permanent Bee outfit is just the bland tight suit that salters criticise Ladybug for having and her name is just Marigold. It comes across as using “Asianness” as a costume and it really didn’t sit right with me at first, but it took me a while to tease out why exactly this made me feel ick.

There’s nothing wrong with touching more on Marinette’s heritage and expanding on it in ways that the show doesn’t, especially because this is a big sticking point for salters, but again...it’s only a one-off. A costume. There aren’t casual hints sprinkled throughout the comic that just normally establish Marinette as half-Chinese, aside from like a page or two in ‘Timebreaker’ showing Sabine’s outfit. It’s another ‘Kung Food’ where it’s slammed into one episode and shoved into our faces that Marinette Is Chinese and it’s really jarring and unpleasant.

It just comes across as fetishising, is all. I don’t think it’s something most people would pick up on unless they’re used to being able to see this kind of thing.

Master Fu. Oh, Master Fu.

From an old man who made mistakes but tried as best as he could with the limited knowledge he had, he’s now a bumbling idiot who...put the earrings in Marinette’s bag instead of her room for some reason? To kickstart the plot? Especially because the ring was still in Adrien’s room. It’s very, very contrived.

And then in one of the most recent updates, Zoe has Adrien - a white boy - physically threaten Fu, aka an elderly Asian man. It’s disgusting. I was gobsmacked when I first saw it. And that’s the thing with salters: they tear into Adrien for being a white boy so they can look Enlightened when he hasn’t actually done anything racist, yet they then turn around and perpetuate actual racism in trying to “fix” him

There’s probably more but those are the examples that jump out at me of the racism in SL. There are plenty more problems but...whatever. I’ll be here all day if I try and cover those.

As for the Galahad thing...it’s personal. That original post was as much as I was comfortable revealing.

[moonloredraws]

Hello! New fan here :33 love your art and I'm very intrigued by your comics!! How would one go about reading them? Are they independent of each other or is there a certain order they should go in? Also, where can people find your comics o.o Thank you!

Hello Hello! And welcome, I’m so glad that you like my content!I’m going to take this moment to essentially create a big huge post of all the places where one can go and find my various works.

Most of my works are fully independent and do not need to be read in any order to understand what’s going on. I may have several stories in any given universe, but generally they follow characters that aren’t related, it’s simply the setting that is the same.So starting off with my SFW comics and where you can read them:

I have “It’s an Odd Kind of Fairytale”, a modern fantasy adventure following two girls who get powers by gods, and subsequently go on a quest to prove that they are worthy of these powers. Currently has 5 complete chapters, around 150 or so pages, and has been on hiatus for a while but it is my SFW comic project over on my Patreon, and Chapter 6 has 4 complete pages which you can read ahead. I won’t be updating this until I have Chapter 6 complete. 

You can read for free over at https://tapas.io/series/Its-an-Odd-Kind-Of-Fairytale and you can read ahead on my Patreon if you pledge to at least the $3 Mystic Library Tier. If you REALLY Like this comic, you can buy the 5 single issues in my store over at https://moonlore.storenvy.com/ (Be aware that I will not have the store open in the beginning of January!) “Usurped” is a short fantasy adventure about a princess who gets exiled following a coup that saw her kicked out of her kingdom and her father murdered. She makes the decision to get to the Holy Grail to get her wish granted to bring her back to her throne after she meets a strange individual who is willing to help her. You can read for free at: https://tapas.io/series/Usurped 

You can find some other older comics in my Tapas, though they’re not that great since I’ve improved a ton from when I made them.

“The Wizard’s Shadow” is a current comic I’m sort of kind of working on, though “It’s an Odd Kind of Fairytale” takes precedence as my SFW Patreon project. It follows the story of Essie Woodseer and Kinji Moritaka as they go to Kinji’s homeland to try and avenge his master. The first four pages can be found publicly over at https://twitter.com/MoonloreDraws/status/1197845228583096321 with the 12 first pages of the 48 accessible through my Patreon.Now... the comics that you’re probably most interested in are the NSFW ones from my Aberrant Tendencies project, and unfortunately there’s not much yet since the project is very new, I started it back in November. The comic that is most closest to completion is “Hex Over Heels”, and 8 page long Patreon Only comic! 6 of the 8 pages have been completed and the last 2 will be posted in January to the “Forbidden Archives” $5 tier! 

Stellar Jewels is the next comic that’s going to be made, I have the script and thumbnails done for this 20 page comic and that can also be accessed via the $5 tier on Patreon. Since I currently work at a pace of 2 NSFW pages and 1 SFW page a month, if I start in February, then this comic will be done by November ish, though if more people support me I can double my page output and maybe get two whole Aberrant Tendency Comics finished per year?

Unfortunately, as it stands, these NSFW comics are not anywhere publicly, though when I do get to posting them (after I’ve got about 3 or 4 comics completed) the SFW pages will be posted to Tapas, and the full comics will probably be posted to either Twitter (Haven’t decided if my SFW or NSFW) as well as pillowfort. The SFW pages will also be posted here to tumblr! 

Here are some other links to places I post:

https://twitter.com/MoonloreDraws

https://twitter.com/DarkMoonlore

https://www.pillowfort.social/Moonlore

A few years down the line, if I have several Aberrant Tendencies comics completed, I WILL be making a physical anthology of at least 100+ pages because I think books are neat. Will probably run a kickstarter for it? Maybe? Or just open pre-orders. Kickstarters can be really overwhelming and I don’t have a huge apartment in case this entire project becomes bigger than I can handle.

Also please be aware that I recently overexerted my arm and pinched a nerve in my wrist, so I WILL be going on a little vacation for the first half of January. I gotta rest up the Art Machine or else I won’t be able to make comics at all, so January miiiight be a bit bare, though I’ll try to compensate by getting the scripts of the other comics done so that by the time the next voting period comes around there’s a more accurate idea of the comic’s contents!

Phew, this turned into a much bigger post than anticipated!

[skittidyne]

Okay. So. I just saw your post and the asks. And I am Emotionally Vulnerable right now. I started reading bbac back when the chapters were still (relatively) short. And now? It's? Over?? I'll admit my blood ran cold when I saw the most recent ask and I was shaking looking for your original post about it. Now I am. Losing my mind. But if I had to corral and put a label the shitstorm of emotions I'm feeling, I think it'd be Happy. It seems a small word, but it's vague, so it works. For now. 1/?

I’m sure that will change an impossible number of times between now and the time I finish reading the finale, but it’s not like you’ve never done That to me before. Now let’s talk about you. I am. So amazed that you’ve changed my life through a story. Over the course of Years. You managed to craft a beautiful narrative with an immeasurably deep story. I’ve (Grandine) said nearly this same thing before in a comment on the previous chapter, 2/?

but you’ve weaved So Much into an impeccable narrative and created such a beautiful and in-depth universe that makes me Literally Die when I think about it. Your writing is Really Really Good. I’m running out of big words. I really hope you keep writing and become something More because I can keep reading your works for the rest of my life. And you bet I’m buying all 5(?) of your original bbac when it’s out. I’d also love to help in any way I can in the process of all that. 3/?

All that said, I’m just… captivated by what you’ve managed to do to me through all these years through bbac (Not To Mention blood will have blood) and Honestly I really love you, Skitt, and I hope you have a good cry and come out of this whole “Is this really happening?” shebang in a better light. I know I won’t (probably? for now?). But I’m excited and I Will leave a comment as soon as I finish reading the finale, so I’ll see you then? Thank you. For everything. 4/4

hoo boy

it’s taken me awhile obv to tackle some of the wonderful asks i’ve gotten like this - Emotionally Vulnerable is a good term for it, hahaha. (Still Hasn’t Hit Me) 

i know it’s a lot to have something, especially something big and/or long-running, come to an end. any kind of ending is an ending and that’s… yeah. i know you’ve read the finale by now, and i’ve cherished that comment too, but yeah! wanted to address these too :> 

at the risk of always sounding deflective, a lot of my worldbuilding across any/all of my projects has been pretty haphazard and as-i-go type deals. bbac was no exception. it’s not something i feel i should get credit for, even though academically i know that i’m still the creator and managed to write it and blah blah blah. rest assured that i’ll always keep writing. i’d love to make a career out of it - novels or video games - but even if i have to have a day job until i’m 70, i’ll be writing. and screaming about it. 

i have a patreon (and i have a ko-fi) so people can support me financially and get sweet things out of it. it’s a constant wiggle to figure out rewards i can manage and that are needed and semi-frequent, but it’s a system that mostly works, and i love my patrons a lot. (yes, work excerpts will eventually contain originale things, and there’s already been some polls/plot talks in that vein.) 

i know some authors kickstart living costs while they write novels, but i know that’d fail horribly for me, haha. 

honestly though, while i’m waiting for the day when capitalism falls and my rent and loans don’t gut me, The Best way you can support me is exactly as you and many others have done - comments, asks, any kind of interaction. i THRIVE off of that! it is 100% factual that more feedback/verbal support = faster writing on a project. there is a reason mj has been able to talk me into three different novel projects

i still haven’t had that good cry, but then again, it hasn’t fully hit me. i have a weekend to myself and a bottle of champagne (i’m sorry sparkling wine though there are bottles of actual champagne in the house) so we’ll see how that goes. 

thank you for all the support you’ve already given me. i sincerely hope i can look forward to more on future projects.