#i've been thinking about this au for literal years

[paintedscales]

8 A 8 aaaaa, thank you!!

um!! i have some lovelies that i would love to share!!!

@blossomblade -- i have to show off my partner of fifteen years. other than just being the best person i know (totally not biased), elika is a bombastic character i think more people should get to know! he's been stepping out into doing more stuff with his character, and a lot of his gposes are honestly really good, too.

@nicholerose92 -- one of the sweetest people i have had the absolute pleasure of meeting here on tumblr since i joined. host of the glitter and story halls, it has been an absolute blast getting back into rp and storytelling. likewise, the stories that have been made about all her characters are so well done -- if you have time to read them, you should!

@ainyan -- has such evocative writings involving her ship with thancred; each piece i've read it such a delight. not to mention that kali is just absolutely gorgeous, and the poses that are made are so lovely and tender and great all around.

@sasslett -- also an amazing writer, and has such dedication to it to have an amazing series of events and histories to reference in regards to jess and her partner, varrus. plus, there are so many soft and sweet gposes that are really worth checking out! and! i can't forget about the fact that she literally organizes one of the neatest little ffxiv swap events that allows ffxiv creatives of any passion and skill level to make stuff for one another in the spirit of making stuff for one another!

@sylaurin -- if you haven't seen kab, iskra, or thiago yet, you should! there are so many awesome gposes that sylaurin makes -- many humorous, and many also just rich with storytelling that i'm always happy to see more of.

@naejlas-axe -- an amazing writer with a fun viera to bully. i have thoroughly enjoyed being able to read and learn about lejo, not to mention also having rp'd with him in the past. did you know they're also drawing now, too? \ o w o / sketchies and drawings to get into the swing of things, and i'm enjoying getting to see that work get done and put out there! :D

@shadesofblades -- art friend \ o w o / !! has awesome art with bold lines and puts such attention to detail -- especially in au ra scales (my weakness when it comes to people that draw au ra)! but also, you should learn about baatu or aoki! they're the ones i see -- or at least notice -- the most! and i enjoy learning more about them the times i see them!

@mimble-sparklepudding -- another one of the sweetest people i've had the pleasure of meeting here on tumblr. the poetry and limericks he has made -- some just spur of the moment -- have all been so uplifting and have been a needed laugh whenever i come across them. plus, all the surprise poems and limericks made for others? absolute sweetheart for doing that. ; ;

@finishing-touch -- i mean... look, if you haven't seen finishing-touch's gifs just yet, you really should. i mean, they are so well done in the fact that a lot of them are rich with characterization, are shot well, and there are ones that you can tell a lot of work and love go into. genuinely an inspiration when it comes to me shooting for gifs and getting them set up on my end. and not just gifs! i've also used that inspiration to make little movies on my own time!

@icehearts -- esca is gorgeous and the gposes that come from icehearts are so lovely when it comes to getting everything set up. i enjoy greatly getting to see esca any time she shows up, and just how the shots are often taken care of to really make such awesome pieces.

@valdiis -- has amazing writing that i've gotten to chip away at as i work on getting through all the entries i have left of ffxiv write 2024. i've enjoyed aeluan for a while, and getting to see more characters written and detailed are just...so...!!! well done. i love the mixing of humor into the writing i've gotten to consume, but also the contrast when it comes to the more serious stuff as well.

also, shoutout to my fellow estinien enjoyers!

@janzoo -- the first wolstinien shipper that reached out to me, and has such a cute polycule between drakyr, aymeric, and estinien. i love that there's just a lot of sweet indulgences in the gposes that have been made -- especially just setting up aymeric and estinien in gpose to be sole focuses in new outfits, or outfits that just look nice.

@humblemooncat -- ki'to and u'lohi are absolute amazing sweethearts with their polycules. plus, i've seen an amazing evolution of gposing since i first joined and met humblemooncat, and have been so happy to see the growth.

@vasheden -- another person i've been glad to see the visible improvement of when it comes to gposing! i've seen so many good gposes over time, and i love how i've just seen them get better and better, especially when it comes to the tender moments between kaia and aymeric (and estinien whenever he decides to stick around :9)

@amalthea-felsblood -- makes wonderful little vignettes and stories of amalthea and estinien that make them look so sweet and tender between one another. there's a lot of care and attention that goes into setting up those poses and stories.

@mrlarkstin -- has amazing gposes! not to mention has a cute polycule with their wol, estinien, and vrtra who have a cute little bean of a daughter. seriously the composition of the gposes that are made are so good and i strongly recommend looking at them.

SHAMELESS PLUGGING - FFXIV STYLE!

It's that time of year again! Here are just a FEW of the amazing blogs available to follow in the FFXIV community here on Tumblr! (A lot of them can also be found on Bluesky--two for one shot!) If you're not following them, YOU SHOULD BE!

@lynxden -- gorgeous shots, amazing information on lion dancing and the history of it, even some goddamn STOP MOTION ANIMATION with FFXIV screenshots, that is astounding.

@coldshrugs -- a gorgeous WoL and some absolutely amazing screenshots, I am just... *sigh*

@darcar -- a Viera as pretty as Anna (and I rarely say that...)

@cerbaros -- the GPose just gets better and better and BETTER...!

@zylphiacrowley -- ever wanted to go through the MSQ in graphic novel format? Zyl's got you covered.

@mist-touchedxiv -- come get you some Viera lore theorizing and some really interesting backstory!

@abyssalmermaiden -- legit I wonder what people drink to come up with such absolutely fucking cool character ideas...

@iron-sparrow -- why are you not following them? Why are you not following them? YOU'RE MISSING YEIN!

@ink-dreams-ffxiv -- the fishercatte is so CUTE!

@oneiroy -- not only do they put up some hella good mods, they take AMAZING shots.

@verysmallcyborg -- and if you follow Ryss, you have to follow Fornax so you can get the complete "butches in love" package!

@nolanel-corbeaux -- you will meet the skink and you will thank me for directing you to this one.

@ser-corviknight -- Avery has such FUN characters and one of the most unique WoLs I've ever seen.

@ahollowgrave -- I will always and forever push more people to follow Odette.

@feralkwe -- watching Feral get into GPose crimes is almost as delightful as reading their fanfic.

@arty-ffxiv -- when you meet Kupa, you'll wonder why it took so long to follow.

@drownedlight - this is really just a gateway to their AO3 page, but I know the fanfic will lure in just... OH so many...

@sezja -- a violet Hrothgal is the first beauty to greet you, isn't that a delight???

DO YOU KNOW MORE??? ADD MORE!!! GIVE ME MORE WONDERFUL, TALENTED PEOPLE TO FOLLOW!!!

(Like you @luck-and-larceny I see you posting more Malika lately...!)

[starry-bi-sky]

Blood Blossom Au: Baby's First Commissioner Meeting :)

TL:DR This Post: Danny (orphan) gets poisoned with blood blossom extract by Vlad. He runs away from him and ends up under the care of one Pre-Robin Battinson Batman! Starry is loudly pushing her batdad agenda.

(Also known as "Late At Night, When The Nightingale Sings" on my ao3!)

This was a fun rough idea I've been sitting on for weeks, thinking about how Commissioner Gordon and Nightingale's first meeting might go.

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

Commissioner Gordon likes to think that he's adjusting to the new normal of Gotham very well, -- the new normal being grown men running around dressed like bats, in military-grade strength body armor, committing acts of vigilantism, -- and slowly, little by little, he was no longer being surprised when this new normal pops up out of the shadows like the world's most terrifying daisy. His shaving lifespan thanks him for it.

....

The kid is a surprise though.

Granted, he seemed to be a surprise to the Bat too.

There's been a string of murders lately, -- which, in Gotham, is kind of like saying there's been another storm during monsoon season. And there's just been another; in some dilapidated building down in south Gotham, with the broken, boarded-up windows and mildew-crawling walls to match. The victim is a man in his thirties, multiple gunshot wounds to the chest, left in the center of the room for the blood to pool out around him.

The place is already secured when he arrives, the building swarmed with officers and the forensic detectives. The Bat emerges shortly after he does -- or, he might've been here the whole time, hiding someplace dark and shadowy. For his own sanity, Gordon doesn't think about it too hard.

The kid is a surprise, and he appears like a bolt of lightning.

He shows up in the middle of a conversation Gordon is having with the Bat.

A whistle, sharp and loud, slicing through the air, meant for open air rather than a confined space. Gordon's ears pierce and protest the sound, and the solemn, murmured chatter floating through the room abruptly cuts off like the swing of a gavel. As he turns towards the sound -- as they all do -- he swears, up and down, that he sees Batman's shoulders jump, just slightly.

At the source, perched on the window, is a boy. A boy in a gray-blue scarf and an oversized black hoodie, one that hangs off his frame and has ace bandages wrapped around the wrists in some attempt to cinch the sleeves. The hood is up, big like the rest of it, and threatens to swallow the upper half of the boy's face whole in the fabric. What upper half Gordon can see, is smeared with some kind of opaque, black face paint. He's holding onto the side of the frame with one hand, on his hip is a grappling hook. A familiar grappling hook.

Gordon has multiple questions, and his officers tense up.

Martinez puffs up, brows furrowing as his face shapes into a frown. Shoulders rolling back. "You can't be here, kid--"

The reaction is immediate, like a spark to gunpowder, the boy yanks his fingers from his mouth and his mouth twists into a scowl. Head snapping over to Officer Martinez, his hood manages to stay on but Gordon swears that as he bares his teeth, the glint makes them look sharper than they should be. His voice is rasp and quiet and harsh; snappish in its hissing; "Put a fuckin sock in it, Martinez. I'm not stayin."

Martinez reels back, and the boy immediately veers his attention off him. Like a switch, his demeanor drops. Despite half his face being covered, his mouth twists into a cringing, apologetic smile. Slanted and off-beat, embarrassed. It'd be disarming if this wasn't Gotham, and if he didn't just hiss at Martinez like he was about to bite his head off.

"Sorry." He whispers, voice deceptively polite and softer now. Gordon has to strain his ears to hear him. "I was looking for him."

He points his finger towards-- Gordon? No, Gordon follows the direction, and finds himself looking at -- the Bat.

The Bat, who always looks stiff as a pole, now looks even stiffer. Somehow. Well, the explains the grappling hook attached to the boy's waist.

"What are you doing here?" The Bat says, gruff and unable to completely smother the stumble of surprise in his tone.

The boy still holds a sheepish smile, and slips off the window ledge. His feet hit the creaky boards with a near-silent thud, the Batman finds his feet and rapidly begins crossing the room.

Gordon notes the slight tremble in the boy's legs as he straightens. He adjusts his scarf, which droops close to his knees now that he's standing, and slings a backpack -- how long has had that? -- off his shoulders. When the Bat reaches his side, he does as he always does, and looms over the boy like a spectre. A threatening mass of shadows cloaked in all-consuming black. Standing next to him, the boy looks teeny in comparison.

The Bat is a man who terrifies even the most hardened criminals, Gordon has seen grown men shiver in fear at the mention of his name. And yet when the boy looks up at him, he doesn't even flinch.

Instead, his sheepish smile melts away like ice under the sun, holding only traces of his previous embarrassment. It remains as a shadow on his face, a small upturn at the corners of his mouth. The boy pushes his hood back just enough to reveal glinting, ice-flint eyes surrounded in tar-black face paint. He holds the backpack up with one arm. "You forgot this."

[captainkirkk]

I know ML canon massively contradicts this, but I just cannot stop thinking about Chat Noirs being chosen not just for their kindness/ good heart, but specifically for their natural bad luck. Ladybugs are naturally luckier than the average person, and they need a partner to balance that out. That bad luck is converted into power by the black cat miraculous, which then attracts more and more bad luck - until it eventually crescendos into a catastrophe like the Great Fire of London.

This is how Plagg loses most of his Chat Noirs. All that bad luck that they were weaponising into power eventually ruins them. He calls it "breaching the event horizon." Going beyond the point of no return.

So Adrien has always known he had a metaphorical sword hanging over him. He knew there were consequences to being Chat Noir. But he figured he wouldn't breach the event horizon until wayyyy into the future when he was an adult. And it would be worth it if he got to keep Paris and Ladybug safe.

......And then he finds out his father's secret identity.

[slurpyboii]

Some doodles I didn't feel like making individual posts for

[jayyydez]

@istadris

I have been given permission to ramble lol

So, three different ideas. One of them is honestly very small and I hope to post it by the end of the month. It's meant to be a Valentine's day oneshot with "Secret Admirer" as the prompt. Nothing super crazy, so not much to talk about

Second idea was inspired by a random video I stumbled across on YouTube where a contractor was going through the original Luigi's Mansion and discussing what he would do if he were tasked with renovating tbe building. I've just been toying with the idea that Luigi probably renovates it in his spare time, because he at least has some of the skills to do so himself and it gives him something to stay occupied with. I also toyed with the idea of him making it a Bed and Breakfast or an inn, or even being hired to do some renovations on one of Bowser's older castles/ forts and that's how it turns into a Bowuigi fic. I also have a random note about it maybe taking place not long after SPM and it being him trying to ignore that trauma and just keep chugging along.

However, looking back on it now, the handful of ideas I had could easily fit into the Koopa Valley AU that @darkwingsnark and I talked about a while back. Which was roughly a Harvest Moon/ Stardew Valley AU in which someone that the Mario Bros saves ends up leaving their house/land and property to them after they pass away. Said person that passed is a Koopa that lives on a farm on the fringes of the Darklands. Mario isn't really about it, he's got a million things going in already, but Luigi is absolutely up for moving away and looking after the farm the way the old man wanted. Luigi basically integrates into the community little by little and strikes up a deal with Bowser using the farm. Ans it was basically a bit of discovering things about koopas and their culture, integrating with the village, falling in love with Bowser, and learning more about the old koopa that passed away through his old belongings. Said idea is currently forbidden because I know Snark has a million things going on and I have a literal dozen ideas chewing on my brain at the moment, on top of having my own plate full of things irl. So it's a very fun idea and I'd like to revisit it one day and collab with Snark, but I know there's a lot going on at the moment. Even for myself, I know I probably cannot commit to that kind of project right now.

Third idea is inspired by my all time favorite Mario political intrigue fic, which was Firebird by LightningLaveau. It also takes some influence from a very old fic idea I had started back when I was working on stuff like The Failed Pixl but never got far on, as well as @shapeshiftinterest saying there is not nearly enough fics and art exploring the Mr. L and Rookie dynamics of Luigi and Bowser. Said fic idea is basically that MarioKart is translated into underground/ illegal street racing, which leads racers to take on alter egos/ ways of concealing their identities. Daisy and Bowser are close friends and Daisy somehow convinces Bowser to give it one singular chance and to race with the group she's with. Bowser, not expecting it to stick, does a semi-basic disguise to dress up as Rookie. Meets Mr. L and the rest of the group and kind of can't help but stick around for the shenanigans.

I don't know how political I'd make it, especially considering how that Firebird was the inspo for it. (And really, truly, I can ramble about Firebird all day. I LOVE that fic and I think about it every month, I swear. I hope the author is doing well, especially since they took the fic down a couple of years back. If anyone can find it on Wayback Machine or internet archive, I will love you forever.)

Firebird is honest to god my gold standard for writing political intrigue and suspense with the Marioverse, and I loved the way the author weaved both things they plucked from canon and things they riffed off of for the story. As far as my own fic, it's not a very fleshed out idea yet, but it's definitely there. Which is why it's going in the vault for the moment

Instead of a swear jar, I need a WIP idea jar, for every random fic idea that I know either is not going to be written, will take a million years for me to write, or is probably not going to be completed. Double points if I'm already eyeball deep in one, if not more, other projects.

On an unrelated note, I feel the need to drop 3 coins into a jar

[vaguely-concerned]

I've been trying to figure out a dynamic between neve and rye that I find more compelling, because right now there's not much of anything there for me to sink my little teeth into. but I think I've landed on something delicious with the idea that especially after minrathous gets fucked, rye looks at neve and sees myrna -- someone he feels he keeps letting down horribly no matter how hard he tries not to and can't quite achieve the approval of/connection with that he wishes so it's better to just pull away completely and disengage rather than stay in that unshifting shame. neve is (very understandably) measured and distant with him after what happened, and he's flashing back to his student days of myrna gazing at the perpetually hungover heartbroken heap of a person of him on the other side of her desk every time he missed the deadline of a paper or project like '...can we at least both agree that this is. a bit disappointing. especially considering your potential.' (and him all smudged black eyeshadow and numb ruefulness being like 'sure that's a very kind way to put it myrna thank you'.)

aside from the 'if I let him get too deeply into this he'll go the way of brom and it'll be all my fault (again)' element, neve thinks rye is dismissing her and her city/being a bit callous in the same way he was after varric's death (listen. how fucking wild must rook's reaction to losing a beloved mentor seem to the rest of the crew who aren't seeing the blood magic paper doll ghost varric the whole time, especially those who got to see them interact. you WOULD think 'there's something wrong with this guy. putting the job first is one thing just not seeming to react at all is another this is fucking freaky', wouldn't you, especially after seeing the warmth in that dynamic in action beforehand.) perfect storm of two people who grit their teeth and turn inwards in pain deciding that not talking about it is their best bet (NEWSFLASH: IT ISN'T) lmao

(rye spent his last year of watcher training on a mostly joyless bender and then got it together enough to finish the eternal orb project last moment in a fevered near-sleepless week instead of the half a year that was intended. emmrich is both astounded and distressed to hear this. "a week? but -- but that is an astounding accomplishment rook!! and also why in the maker's good light would you ever do that to yourself?" ("well you see there was no one to stop me from doing it like that but me. and under those conditions these things tend to happen".) rye was working through/looking up stuff around transitioning and doing every kind of OTHER high level watcher research through that whole time, but ultimately he's an excellent watcher and a terrible student, at least under traditional methods. adhd from here to the fucking moon. touched by something akin to divine inspiration in moments of high tension that pulls all the threads into one coherent unbreakable cord, a bit of a frayed mess in most other settings. in our world he'd be dropping out of a masters program at the very last hurdle in this moment maker bless and protect him)

[sundial-bee-scribbles]

I've been looking for this one au where Len basically becomes a mad scientist and turns his friends into robots one by one for a while now, and I'm beginning to realize that I just read through your blog while half asleep a few months back and mixed together my memories of your flower hivemind and composite au

this is very funny to me. i'm absolutely honored this blog's posts were enough to evil-farming-game an entire vocaloid au into your memories 😂

i can give you this doodle; it's composite au but i'm sure it'd fit very well with this theoretical mad scientist len au lololl

[pelicanpig]

Chapter Name Asks

Rules: Post a list of chapter names in as many fics as you'd like. WIP, completed stories, unwritten chapters, whatever, it doesn't matter! Tag people or just whoever sees the post and wants to play! Send an ask and the author will tell you about the chapter, how they arrived at the name, some behind the pages details, maybe even a snippet or all of the above. (If you want, you can even tag as many people as you have chapters, but that's completely optional.)

Tagged by @amelias-zelda-calamity-quintet :) All these chapter titles come from the original legend of zelda fic I'm working on called On My Honor. The first seven are already posted and available to read on AO3! Given my current posting schedule on this story, the last two will come out within three to five business days years... Anyway, here's some chapter titles!

Complete:

O Youth, Chosen by the Goddess

Of Noble Birth and Humble Beginnings

Weapons of Heroes Long Past

Little Princess, Golden Power

The Knife's Edge

The Traditions of the Sheikah

A Ball Fit for a King

In Progress

8. Shadows Protect Us 9. Night Be Our Guide

A lot of the people I know working on long fics have already been tagged... but anyone should feel invited to play along! I love hearing about WIPs in my favorite fandoms!

[subway-boss-jericho]

This post goes out to hammer anon only because it's probably going to take me an intense amount of time to answer both of these asks and I want you to know that this is basically the best thing that's ever happened to me so write that down. If anyone else following me is curious: If you have ever or ever plan to send me an ask about my AUs, I would go to war on your behalf

[originallymarysue]

I've just realised Peach probably has amnesia due to the guardian pod incident (the guardian pod incident is basically just why Mario in SMG4 is silly but instead of Mario touching it, it was Peach)

[sugarsweetvirgo]

How do they feel about kids?<

Adoption.

Both of them are pretty pro adoption, and considering they can't have kids themselves and Kaiba himself is an adopted child, it's the best option for the two of them.

Obviously it takes a While for them to get that far into their relationship, especially because Eve is slightly apprehensive about having any due to her size, but two children sound like the perfect fit for them.

[blujayonthewing]

it's kind of weird to think about dnd modern AUs with the gnomes specifically, because they're all ~young adults, physically and developmentally around my age or a little younger, and in a dnd setting that's the strongest angle I have to work with for roleplaying them, but also if my vague idea of a modern au takes place [handwaves] now, more or less, then felix and mel would have both been kids in the 60s and 70s and have a bunch of cultural life experiences I cannot relate to at all

[spotaus]

A wip of The Silly (Dream from my Dream × Fresh thing I'm trying to do)

[miabrown007]

a minute of silence to my skills to estimate how long a project is ever going to take

[bookwyrminspiration]

changed my ao3 username shaking and crying and weak in the knees

[scarlettfevor]

Writing klance fics is so hard when I haven't watched the show since it aired and like many other klance fans I am determined to forget everything about the show and the fandom circa 2016-2018