#in the tags just because I want to compare

[manicpixiedreamedwins]

GINGERWREN'S PAYNELAND RECS 2024!

I can't believe we have had Charles and Edwin for less than a year. Even still, we've had a lot of fun! I wanted to share some fics, art, and gifs that made this year worth it for me personally. I was talking to a friend recently, and we noticed recent rec lists seem to be short, tag based lists with no real input from the list writer. Many of them also seem to rec the same few fics. Sometimes I feel left out as a smaller writer, and I know my favorite fics also don't always make it onto these lists either.

So, gentle reader, I will not be making a list of tags and summaries. You can read the tags on the fics and the art work, should you choose to view. I will be telling you why I love the works themselves. This is the best way I can think to recommend work to you.

Without further ado: the list is below.

WRITING

sweeter than honey from the rock - @dearheartdont

This lives rent free in my head. Literally in my mind this is like a lost episode or something. I do not want to spoil it or anything, but some of my favorite things in it are the world building (there are delightfully sympathetic clients, and witty antagonists), Charles does... exactly what one would expect Charles to do in order to help the client and protect everyone, and he makes things temporarily worse for himself. Rest assured though, there is a very, very satisfying resolution. Really, this is such a wonderful fic.

Winter Bloom - @skinnybritishdudes

PINK!!! EDWIN!!!! NOW!!!! This was my request for our server's Christmas exchange and it blew me out of the water. Genuinely, the magical mischief PLUS the subtle horror PLUS the absolute tenderness at the end?? Was everything I wanted, and more than I expected. Friendship ended with my own pink Edwin origin story. THIS is Pink Edwin now. Run don't walk for this one (as you can see, I still have not calmed down I am so excited about this one).

Nothing Left to Hide - @roseganymede95

I know I need to say more than "spider jar" but there's a point where I just start crying softly and going "spider jar" while I am reading. Honestly I'm sure if I said that to you, you would probably know which fic I'm referring to. It's this one. It's brilliant. It rewired my brain early on and I haven't been the same since. I found a spider jar pin because it may as well be canon in my mind. They call each other mine in the fic what more do I need to tell you to get you to read this? Join the spider jar cult with me.

right. never finished it.- taableclofh

A classic. Charles tries to save Edwin from Hell. He figures some things out in the process. (This is canon divergent in the best possible way and was a real balm on the soul, somehow).

molliculi (soft little things)- @williamvapespeare

This was made in a lab to make me cry specifically. The first time I finished reading it, it was two in the morning. I stared at my bedroom wall for like twenty minutes, bleary eyed, and then finally managed to type something to @williamvapespeare (who was really gracious about whatever mess I sent, lol). God fuck. It's a character study on Edwin. It's a history of living and dying in 1916. It's wondering what it means to continue on existing, but never have lived on with your peers. It's an outsider's perspective on Charles' trying to figure things out. Go. Go now. Suffer with me.

All Rights Reserved- @phoenix-soar

Do you like possessive Charles? (There's one right answer and it's yes). This fic is the fic. This also lives rent free in my brain. I wish I could say something more coherent but honestly I do not know how much I can say- well there is this lovely description where Charles compares Edwin's eyes to the sea on a stormy day (ao3 is sadly down, I cannot pull the full quote, but it was gorgeous). The rest... 🌶️🌶️🌶️

The Case of the Omegaverse Portal - miraworos

Omegaverse, as specified in the title. Also a very well written casefic, and some really satisfying feelings revelations. Once again: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

ART

Kiss (Blue) - @ent-is-indecisive

Genuinely A I am just amazed by how lovely all the kisses you draw are. Like they come out stunningly, over and over. I have no idea how you pull off this wizardry but it is amazing. Anyway I picked the first picture we ever talked about but I am also genuinely blown away whenever you drop something in LOMA

Collab Gifset For Payneland Week- @mellxncollie

I know you have all seen Olly's gifs. If you haven't, what are you even doing? (Maybe you're new here. That's okay). It's something special when Olly makes a gifset for your fic. Genuinely, sometimes I just go back and stare at this one because WOW THOSE ARE MY WORDS. BUT ON A GIF. Genuinely thanks for making my first year in the fandom special Olly.

Pink Slip- @arisprite

Ari was super great during the flash sketch commissions and we had a blast. Now this reminds me of ongoing convos that @majorlb @deadboyslullaby and I have (and perhaps one day we will do something more with those) but the point here is Ari is great. You all should go and appreciate the wide range of payneland she has made. Her fem!payneland is dazzling, and so is her sad boy Charles (which I think is the first piece I ever fell in love with).

RITUALS - @deadboyslullaby

THE RITUALS ARE INTRICATE. This was a collaboration with @likemmmcookies . @deadboyslullaby worked really hard on the inscription around the edges for this one and I am forever in awe of all the little details here. I want more of them doing strange, arcane stuff together always.

ORBWIN IN CHARLES’ RIBS- @jube-art

This is absolutely what I think is going on when one of them is orbing and the other isn't. No I am not taking feedback. Once more, this was a piece of art that re-wired my brain early on. Ribs are for lovers.

BONUS:

Feathers and Fur - merle_p

Super secret rare pair that rewired how my brain works forever. I love you catcrow. I love you Monty that's a little bit depressed a little bit of a masochist. I love you Thomas who can't help but take in strays but still has teeth and hasn't been declawed in this fic. This fic is just... so... gorgeous*chef's kiss*. I won't spoil it for you, but I implore you to read it so I have more people to talk about this pairing with.

These were all my recs for now. Thank you Dead Boy Detective fandom 2024! We may have had some bumps in the road, but here's to a strong and healthy 2025!

[elliewiltarwyn]

Then vs. Now

tagged by @ubejamjar, thank you <3

i'll pass it along to... @verysmallcyborg @idalenn @ahollowgrave @selnyam @sylaurin @sasslett

I think I had poked around at a couple of the settings before, but this was the first time I took a Proper Gpose, in March 2020.

Compared with tonight in December 2024:

...gods, where do I even start for the differences lol.

switched jobs, going from wanting to heal to bulking up and taking on martial jobs like dark knight, monk, and viper

like actually bulking up, her customize+ scaling looks so natural to me now that skinny peeled Ellie looks so off lol. it's not a huge difference but it's noticeable.

found out how to give her muscle, those arm dragon tattoos, an Archon mark, and arm/leg hair. the tattoos were a joke at first because it's year of the dragon and i'm a dragon in the chinese zodiac, but errrr oops i'm too used to them now. and they look sick.

her highlights changed to black (with a swerve into white for ShB), her facemark changed to match her hair color, and some of her face shapes were different, but she was always face 2 with this skintone and hair color. really nailed that right off the bat.

she was just my avatar in this online RPG back then. it'd take a year or two, probably after beating 5.3, when I'd start thinking about her as an actual character. And now I have an idea of how much she's grown, how much she's lost, what she's gained, how many women she's managed to smooch--

she's on tumblr now, which has also been a great way to meet so many cool wols and their amazing players and i'll forever be grateful for those opportunities and the friends i've made. <3

...if any of y'all ever want to play with ellie i've got mare files i can lend >.>

[icarusredwings]

Ugghh maaann idk if its just me or what but I just read a fic where Logan lowkey sneaks around with Vanessa without Wade knowing and while no none of them are technically together in this fic it made me feel all icky but not because like "oh V seduced him" or "oh Logan seduced her" nothing like that. They literally were just talking about how much of a dick Wade is and how much they both love him and hate him for not talking to them about it and now theyre fuckin in Vanessa's kitchen.

This is definitely something that is not for me, maybe if youre a big drama fan this would be perfect for you but 100% not me.

Im sure it ends happily too and its all sorted out, etc but I had to quit chapter 2/6.

Like I know- I get it, I know. Its gonna probably end fine and theres gonna be a bunch of consentual kinky stuff but man. I just cant.

And no this isnt about logan and vanessa being together either, I have an entire thing about that and multiple posts, The thing for me is the secretcy I think. And no, technically they dont HAVE to tell him anything cause no one is together but it feels so weird and so just... fucked.

Logan knows how much he cares about V and instead of telling him they should all sleep together and do kinky stuff he goes to V, who literally was just crying on logan about how much she misses her old wade and how she wants him to get his shit together cause shes so deeply in love with him and sex with other dudes suck, and now just... this.

Like yaaayyy let logan be happy and get to be a sub but nooooo youre not gonna tell your best friend and team mate that your gonna bang like the love of his life? Yaaaayyy vanessa is happy. But nooooo cause shes comparing logan to wade like every couple minutes :(

Why bondfuck over a guy when you can tag team his ass? Or hell, Nessy you want two puppies?? That could work. ANYWAY

Uuugghhh I cant pin point whats making me feel icckkkyyy and i hateee ittt. But GOD its so well written. Its SOOOO well written. Like im mad that its so well written. And the plot? Theres 61k words and its way more then just smut. Theres many other charaters, and theyre charaterized amazingly. All of it is great.

But AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH

Idk I just had to tell someone before I explode.

Anyway, it's called Where is your boy tonight?

*runs back to my safe circle of ethical non monogamy polypool/poolcule thanks*

This is the LAST time I try to read outside my comfort zone 😭

Also NO hate to the author!! This is beautiful and different and unique and- and!! (Its just not for me and thats fine. Ive never been into dramas like this so its my own fault)

[whatwooshkai]

Gonna put in my lucky number; 4!

Heatwave can't sleep.

It's not his roommates, no, he's long gotten used to their various recharge quirks. And it's not the homesickness either, that was the worst in the beginning and he was sleeping just fine.

But he just can't sleep. No particular reason.

And that's the annoying part- if there's no discernible problem, there can't really be a solution. That's something Chase would say.

Heatwave considering waking one of them up to entertain him. That'd probably only go over well with Boulder, who's too soft sparked to get angry at him. But then again, Heatwave has never woken them up in the middle of the night, so how is he supposed to know anything?

I'm not a sparkling anymore, he tells himself as he gets down from his bunk, optics trained on Chase's doorwings. They don't flick. I need other ways of dealing with this than bothering my friends.

Their door opens quietly enough to not alert any of the others, and Heatwave is slipping out into the hallway.

He's never been out here in the middle of the night. The hallway is empty, cold and unwelcoming, even with the little personalized name tags on every door. Heatwave's steps barely make a sound on the floor-

-nothing compared to the footsteps pounding down the hall behind him. Shit.

"Hey!"

Heatwave whirls around to see a- a security guard? Why do they have security guards?

"Back in your room, now!" the guard orders, coming up on Heatwave too quickly, grabbing him by the collar plating and lifting him a little off the ground. "Designation. Then room number. You're getting written up for this-"

Heatwave panics, sinking his fangs into the guard's hand.

He yelps and drops him, and Heatwave dives out the nearest open window.

Bailout training kicks in not a second too soon, Heatwave just managing to get his hook into the wall before his weight drops onto the system. He lets himself down faster than he normally would, because there's too high of a chance that guard could fuck with his system.

As soon as he's on the ground he disengages himself from the bailout system, leaving it dangling from the window. He can go steal another one from the supply closet tomorrow, probably.

Right now, he has to try not to think about how much trouble he's in.

It was really dark and there's a lot of firetrucks at the Academy. And Heatwave didn't speak, either... no proper identifying marks beyond a standard bailout system. He's fine.

He's fine.

Heatwave takes a deep vent and looks out in front of him. Several bots mill around, many drunk, others looking like they just want to go home.

He's never actually been out in Iacon by himself, he realizes. Especially not at night.

Heatwave can take care of himself.

He'll just make sure to use the window in his room, next time.

[wen-kexing-apologist]

QL 2024: Favorite Friendships

Tagged by @lurkingshan, I love my friends so much so naturally I love watching portrayals of incredible friendships on screen as well. So here are my top ten friendships of 2024 in no particular order (did I cheat a little bit? Yes, yes I did and I’m not sorry about it): 

Yako, Nomoto, Kasuga, and Nagumo - She Loves to Cook and She Loves to Eat 

gif by @musicdramalove

As someone with a metric fuck ton of friendships that started on the internet and moved to meeting in person, I really love that Nomoto met Professional Baby Lesbian Mentor Yako online and that they maintained that friendship for awhile. It was so wonderful getting to meet Yako this season and to see the friendship between her and Nomoto blossom first with online movie nights and then meeting and cooking together in person with Kasuga and Nagumo as well.  I also really loved Kasuga, Nomoto and eventually Yako adopting my beloved Nagumo in to their little found family and being so accepting and accommodating with Nagumo’s relationship to food. I love that while it was Kasuga and Nomoto that Nagumo first confides in, we see a genuine friendship between Yako and Nagumo start growing outside of their ties to Kasuga and Nomoto. 

Latte, Almond, Thanwa, and Peak- Knock Knock, Boys!

One does not watch all these boys collapsed and sleeping together in the living room of their home without appreciating the bonds of male friendship in all its messy glory. I love the ways they show up for each other, I love how distinctive their personalities and their functions in their friendship are. I love that Thanwa kind of mothers all of them, that he’s encouraged to follow his dreams, that they all come together to figure out what is happening with the recorded videos, etc. I love that the romantic relationships between Latte and Almond and also Thanwa and Peak come after a very strong and genuine friendship, so that them getting together is believable. Also, I want to give a special shout out to Jane for how much she cares about Peak and how often she pushes him to stop running and take accountability, that’s love, bitch!

Go Yeong and The T-aras- Love in the Big City

My absolute favorite change from the book to the television show was the inclusion of the T-aras as the bridge between each part of Go Yeong’s life. They work as a litmus test for Yeong’s romantic relationships, who he does and does not introduce them to, how they interact with is partners. They work as a point of comparison between Go Yeong’s ease and joy with them compared to his (brief) experiences trying to maintain het male friendships with people in college. They may not be able to see so strongly through Go Yeong’s mask as people like Gyu Ho but they are there for Go Yeong through all the hardest parts of his life, they are there fighting hospital security to make sure Go Yeong knows he is loved when he wakes up from his suicide attempt, they help Yeong carry his mother’s coffin, and they are there to spread love and joy to Yeong after his breakup with Gyu Ho. 

The Sea Creatures- Marahuyo Project

I had to include them all together because there are a number of beautiful friendships between these kids. Lili and Lorena, and the feelings and protectiveness between them. King and Venice and the solace and support they find in one another as visible, loud, proud queer people. Of all the ways they show up for each other, for the Pride parade they have despite not getting permission to start their club. This handful of queer kids in this small little town are so important to each other and also so important to me.

Wei Qian and San Pang- Unknown 

San Pang has been there for Wei Qian through thick and thin, he’s been the relief support when Wei Qian was struggling as a teenager, and he has been the bridge between Wei Qian and Zhi Yuan as they navigated their growing feelings towards one another. It’s not just the relationship between San Pang and Wei Qian that I love, it’s the way he is important to the whole family. Like the way he looks at Wei Li Li is so important to me, and the conversation that he has with Zhi Yuan when trying to tell Yuan he cannot have romantic feelings for Qian is one of my favorite scenes of 2024. He has been family to them for so long, and I am very glad that even though dating Wei Li Li confirms he has a death wish, I am very glad that he is officially a part of the family. 

The Three Must-Eat-Eers - Cooking Crush 

gif by @save-the-data

These boys love each other so much, and I really appreciated both the teamwork that they exhibit and also the fact that even though they are the best of friends and have been through hell together in school, that the narrative still allows them to fail Unky as a friend and that Unky is not only allowed to be mad about it, but it’s not seen as dramatic or unfair by Prem or Dynamite. They feel really bad about it, and they do what they need to do to make it up to him. I love that their friendship extends beyond school, that they aren’t just friends because they are in the same classes, but that they match each other’s freak, that they have sleepovers, and get together outside of school to watch their favorite show in their matching outfits. 

Makoto and Daichi- No One Cares for an Old Man’s Underwear

An important part of any relationship is reciprocity and I do believe that Daichi and Makoto have one of the best examples of reciprocity in their friendship. I love that their friendship starts with Makoto making a homophobic comment and Daichi literally laughing in his face. He is so patient and kind with Makoto as he navigates this brave new world he is uncovering, and yet he does get annoyed and angry and upset. Neither Daichi nor Makoto are perfect people and they do not have to be. Daichi is there to help Makoto when he stumbles, and Makoto is there to help Daichi when he’s upset about his dad’s homophobia. I also just think it is really important to see friendships with big age gaps like this one, because people can be friends at any age and it feels important to remind people of that. 

Kakeru and Hasegawa + Kakeru and Karina- No One Cares for an Old Man’s Underwear

Just as I think it is important to demonstrate conflict in friendships like Unky, Dy, and Prem’s, I think it is vitally important for Kakeru to learn that having conflicts with people does not mean that people hate you or do not want to be your friend. I love that Kakeru’s reasons for not going to school have nothing to do with him being bullied and have everything to do with him feeling uncomfortable with the way his teammates talk about/treat women. Karine is an intense and passionate person who really loves what she does, and when Kakeru is first introduced to her, he avoids her like the plague because he doesn’t want to be in conflict with her. But once she corners him and forces him to talk with her, she speaks her mind about Kakeru giving away his makeup advice for free and cutting her out of her little in-school business. Their friendship begins with conflict and quickly moves past that in to a genuine connection over a shared interest. Karina helps teach Kakeru that not only can he speak his mind to his friends, but that he has a literal obligation to do so. 

Meanwhile, Hasegawa is a really wonderful example of Kakeru making assumptions about the people he is around and how that can negatively impact his ability to maintain friendships with them. Yeah Hasegawa was a part of that conversation around women that caused Kakeru to leave school for awhile, but he also see’s Kakeru’s interest in makeup and looking cute and immediately goes to him for skincare advice. He tells Kakeru when he thinks something is cool and later on in their friendship he tells Kakeru when he thinks something Kakeru is doing is lame. So while Karina and Kakeru’s friendship started with conflict and moved on. Hasegawa and Kakeru’s friendship started with connection and had conflict, but that did not implode their relationship with one another and Kakeru did speak his mind with the baseball team when they started talking about girls in a way he didn’t like and the world kept turning and his teammates did some self reflection and immediately agreed that what they were saying was kinda shitty. I believe it is a profound act of love from a friend to hold the people you love accountable and to help them become better people, to love themselves, and to learn and grow in general and I think Kakeru’s friendships with Karina and Hasegawa are really beautiful examples of that. 

___

For the last two on the list, I want to talk about some complicated friendships that I absolutely loved this year: 

Lee Do Hoe and Ha Hyeon Ho- Let Free the Curse of Taekwondo

I really enjoyed Ha Hyeon Ho’s relationship with Lee Do Hoe. It makes perfect sense in a town like they grew up in, in the time that they grew up in that Heyon Ho would be present for and engage in physical conflict with Do Hoe. And, it also makes perfect sense that Hyeon Ho would do what he could to protect Do Hoe from getting seriously hurt or injured. I think one of the most important tiny moments to me in Let Free the Curse of Taekwondo was when Hyeon Ho’s other friends shoved Do Hoe to the ground and Hyeon Ho stuck his foot out to catch Do Hoe’s head before it could hit asphalt. 

There is something so beautiful and so tragic about Hyeon Ho sticking around Do Hoe in adulthood with some hope that Do Hoe might one day reciprocate his feelings. I love that he keeps all of these secrets for Do Hoe because he loves him and believes that he is helping, but all it has done is hurt Do Hoe. I love that Do Hoe knows why Hyeon Ho sticks around and strings him along. I love that they are friends for this long and that they hurt each other, and that they know it and that they can’t stop. I really appreciate how sympathetic they made Hyeon Ho, and that Hwang Da Seul really demonstrated that Ju Yeong was the right person for Do Hoe because Ju Yeong knew how much it was eating Do Hoe alive to live in this lie, even if Hyeon Ho believed he was doing the right thing. 

Venice and Archie- Marahuyo Project 

God talk about a complicated fucking friendship. This is such a raw and real representation of the ways in which love, care, grief, and fear can hurt ourselves and the people we care about. Venice and Archie’s friendship is also a beautiful example of what radical empathy looks like. Archie undoubtedly, repeatedly, and somewhat unremorsefully hurts Venice. He misgenders her, he deadnames her, he deadnames Christina. He pushes himself further and further into the folds of religion, internalizing his homophobia so deeply that it literally makes him so uncomfortable in his skin. But the hurt that Archie causes Venice is borne from a place of love and fear for her and her life and her safety. And despite how terrible Archie treats her throughout the show, Venice takes it in stride, and she talks with him, and laughs with him, and cries with him over a monumental loss. I do not believe for a second that Venice would tolerate the way Archie treats her from anyone else, but she knows exactly what is causing Archie to react this way towards her, and so she tolerates it, and she treats him with kindness and compassion and patience. She knows that Archie is scared and alone, and trying to run from the feelings he has.

Honestly I really need to watch this show again because I want to sit with their friendship more, and it means so much to me that though Archie is likely going to go down the path of priesthood for longer than he really should given how terrible it has been for his mental and physical wellbeing, to see this change in Archie that allowed him to help with the Pride parade in a way that felt comfortable and safe for him was incredibly important, and a truly beautiful moment of love towards his friend Venice and the community he is a part of, even if he cannot be loud and proud with them.

tagging @so-much-yet-to-learn, @shortpplfedup, @emotionallychargedtowel, and @neuroticbookworm

[wildstar25]

Then vs Now

tagged by @improvised-finish - Thank you <3

tagging: @nhaneh @eriyu @nivienne-grovant @yukupo-lalapo @astraveil and anyone else who wants to do this but has yet to been tagged :D

My first screenshot of Arsay taken from the intro cutscene in limsa.

Gpose from September 2024 in Solution 9.

It's funny comparing Arsay because she really hasn't changed that much in the almost three years since creating her. Most visual changes were done to make her match the idea I already had of her in my head. The biggest differences are things that can't be captured in a single gpose: her character. Arsay was initially based on a pirate oc I had in middle school, but when I started the game and it became clear that a lot of the goons she was fighting were also pirates I decided to drop her potential former pirate backstory. Then came the long journey of trying to figure out a character for this beautiful cat I've created. I had a few epiphanies here and there while going through the msq but it took me until stormblood to fully conceptualize her backstory: Her parents, how they left her with Emrara, how her psyche developed, etc. It was only until the greatwoods section of Shadowbringers that I felt the urge to write a character interaction between her and Y'shtola to ease some of the tension in their reunion. Arsay's "voice" just kinda came to me at that point and it hasn't gone away since. Arsay is not a static character to me, she's grown with the msq and I really love that about her. I really appreciate all the love she's gotten on this site too. Knowing something I made brings joy to others is one of the greatest feelings to get as an artist, and it motivates me to keep building her story here instead of keeping it all to myself. 💙

[casualya]

FUN FACTS ABOUT YOUR TAV

Thank you for the tag @yennefer-of-vengerbergs ❤️!

ohhh, I'm very, very slow, I know. I just don't have a very good imagination for it 😅.

I use google translator, so I apologize for my mistakes.

Is your character good, evil, or neutral (makes some good decisions, some bad ones)? - My character is initially neutral-good, however later on, she becomes more of a chaotic-good. She isn't evil, that's for sure. She doesn't know how to be truly evil.

What hobbies do they partake in? - She's very, very mediocre at playing, but she likes it (and everyone in the camp tolerates it while she strums whatever musical instrument she can get her hands on), but she sings beautifully and has an enchanting voice. Also her voice – it’s power from her patron, she can charm, persuade, deceive with using it. Or intimidate. - She loves to read and tries to do so at any free moment when she's not busy solving various problems of their little troop or she reads when they take a break. She likes to collect, read and memorize different stories, legends and then put them together into songs. She likes that Astarion is often busy reading as well.

(But she likes to do more than anything else in the world is this: She loves it when Astarion comes to her tent or she comes to him, and then she likes to lie down and stroke Astarion's hair. She has small thin fingers, she traces the contours of his face with them, wrinkles and small scars on his skin, she likes to stroke his hands. Falling asleep, she takes his hand and puts it under her cheek.)

Do they own any heirlooms from their family or ancestors? - No, alas, and she doesn't remember her parents or her family.

Can your character cook? - Oh, yes, she can cook, she doesn't cook culinary delights, but she's good enough to feed the whole squad in the parking lot. However, she would rather do something more useful (like go to Astarion's tent and read or cuddle with him) if someone offered to do it for her.

Does your character have a best friend? - Astarion is her love interest… but about best friends - probably Wyll and Karlach. She really bonded with Karlach and Wyll because she wants to help Karlach, and with Wyll because he too has a patron who gives him power and asks for something in return.

Their biggest fear? - Her biggest fear is losing the Astarion. She's afraid that something will happen to him, that they might not be able to deal with his master (my Tav and her squad are at the beginning of Act 3, somewhere near Baldur's Gate or Rivington, their story isn't finished for me yet). She's also learned something about the Ritual, maybe more than Astarion himself, and she's worried that she won't be able to convince Astarion not to perform the ritual. She's afraid that something will happen and Astarion will be different, not the way he was, not the way he is now. She hasn't told him everything in words but she understands her feelings for him, she is very much attached and in love with him. No doubt she will try to convince him to stop and not do the ritual, but first she needs to eliminate Cazador somehow. She also worries that her patron may for some reason interfere with her relationship with Astarion or demand an exorbitant fee for the magical power.

Name one of their red flags - (I don't think I'm getting this right, but so be it) - When she is compared to someone else clearly not in her favor

[quibbs126]

So I also ended up making this this afternoon

So basically the story behind this is that I decided “eh screw it, I said I’d try making that megop kid idea, might as well try making some helm designs to start out with”. And I made a bit of one for TF One, though specifically inspired by their cogless designs since I’ve drawn them a fair bit

But then it dawned on me that outside of TF One, I haven’t actually drawn that many Megatron and Optimus designs. Like I drew Animated Optimus like a couple times when I was starting out, but that’s it. And also the idea itself doesn’t really work with TF One, since as it stands the war hasn’t technically even broke out yet. It works far more in a series where it’s actually been happening

So I figured, I should start at the basics and get myself some practice on g1 Megatron and Optimus, since you know, they’re the classic designs

Also side note on g1 that isn’t really related but I wanted to add in anyways, today I got the complete set of the g1 cartoon (minus the movie but that’s okay). It was a Christmas present that was supposed to come earlier but finally came in today. And I learned my PS4 can play Blu-Rays (which really shouldn’t be a surprise, I’m aware that’s what made the PS2 sell so well, but I didn’t realize they kept doing it), so that means I am now able to watch g1 on an actual TV, legally, with presumably higher quality, and possibly even subtitles

So you know, I’m doing pretty good right now. I’m glad my dad is supporting my Transformers fixation and the fact that I’m insisting on using a DVD player (for the movies at the library, but still), which means actual DVDs

Anyways, side tangent aside, back to the drawings

I think they turned out fairly decent, they don’t really bother me. I do kind of wish I added shading/lighting so the drawings weren’t so flat, but regardless

Admittedly I think I do need to work on actually doing poses and things with these designs, I’m doing a whole lot of nothing with them right now. I need to pose those cubes

Also there’s some colors shared between the two. I don’t know if this is something actually done in the show, and maybe it makes the colors look inaccurate, but I think it’s neat to use the same colors elsewhere

Now on to random things about the characters’ designs I just wanted to mention

First off, this isn’t really a character design thing, but these were the pictures I used for references, outside of some concept art I have for full body basic anatomy (getting screenshots from the show is my preferred form of reference), and I gotta say, it took a fair bit longer to find a picture online with a proper look at Optimus’ head than Megatron’s

Like it didn’t take that long, like 1-2 minutes, but I just noticed how a lot of screenshots don’t really focus on his face, unlike Megatron. I assume because in g1, he doesn’t really have much of one, given his mask covers half of it

Also while Megatron’s helm itself is relatively basic looking and doesn’t really have a lot going on, the rest of his face has got a fair amount of details

Like he’s got defined cheek bone lines (I think), but he’s also one of the few (again I think) characters to have the shadow around his eyes that becomes more common later on

Then there’s also that whatever he’s got going on above his eyes. I’d say it’s eyebrows but I don’t think that’s what it’s supposed to be, given these characters don’t really have those yet

I saw someone, aka the person who makes Transformers Until One, granatu888 (idk if I should tag them here or not), turn the thing into a battle mask that drops down onto his face, and frankly I think that’s really cool, and that’s what I now choose to believe it is. Hasbro, make that what it is

Anyways, moving on. I don’t really have a lot to say on Optimus other than his helm being a lot more simplistic in its shapes than I’m used to, as well as very triangular. Like compared to TF One Optimus, who’s got a lot of details going on, his is super simple. I also didn’t make his antenna full triangles going down because I thought it looked weird, now they’re more like TFA Optimus

Also one last thing, but I swear the way I drew him looks just like that how one artist does, the one who draws Sparkplug (sorry, unlike the last mention I don’t actually remember the artist’s name, probably because I don’t follow them. Which tbh I should probably rectify, I like their Sparkplug stuff). Sorry it was just something I noticed afterwards and can’t unsee it. This also applies specifically to the face, they draw the actual rest character much better than me

Anyways, back to Megatron. Random thing, but he’s got a whole control panel on his torso. I’ve known he has it, because he has it in TF One, but why does he have it?

This kind of goes hand in hand, but random other thought I had today that connects, his design in general is a bit off compared to other characters because in g1, he doesn’t transform into a vehicle, he turns into a gun. Like that’s not to say he looks out of place (I mean I still think his helmet looks weird), but like, he doesn’t have a lot of kibble because of it. Like he’s one of the characters with no glass on his body because guns don’t have glass

Also does he have two guns? One on his shoulder, another on his back? I don’t know, I’m only now realizing that. They probably combine together when he transforms. Also I think his fusion cannon is just supposed to be his scope in gun mode, which ironically I’m pretty sure aren’t actually involved with the damage part of shooting. I don’t know, random observation

And uh, I think that’s it. It was mostly just random design details, and honestly not as many as I was expecting. I didn’t really have much to say on the art itself, mostly since it was just me trying to draw the g1 designs

But yeah, it was neat, I think I have a better understanding of their general designs, at least here. Now to actually use them in any way

[lucianinsanity]

Every time some science fact is mentioned and it's something that was discovered thanks to the help or invention of your country and you die a little for the lack of acknowledgment

Anyway if you’re from the US and you ever wanted to know what tumblr feels like from a non-USAmerican perspective (please note that the rest of the world is not a monolith either and none of these apply without exception):

Everybody’s talking about brands and stores you’ve never seen in real life. You generally assume they exist, but they might as well be one giant prank the rest of the internet is in on.

You find a post that just sounds wrong. It makes no sense. It’s like OP lives in a weird alternate reality. 9/10 times, it’s just some USAmerican Thing.

You’re still not entirely sure how much an inch is. Or a foot. Or even how many of the former there are in the latter. You maybe know your height in feet and inches.

You have no idea how much a pound is. You’d also like to know how the fuck pound shortens to lbs.

What the fuck is “military time”

Somebody talks about some legal process or something similar. They don’t mention which country’s legal system this pertains to. You know anyway.

People talk about politics. None of it pertains to you. Many posts contain guilt tripping. “How can you not care about this?? Why won’t you reblog this?? People need to know this about x candidate for y position!” You’re busy trying to stay on top of the political landscape in your own country.

You pick up some random slang from the internet. Monkey see monkey do. You’re called racist. You didn’t know it was AAVE. You learnt it from black letters on white background, not from the mouths of people whose faces you could see. How would you have known? You try to unlearn it.

People tell you that you must publicly denounce Chick-fil-A or you’re homophobic. You don’t even know what a Chick-fil-A is.

People say you don’t know LGBTQ+ history. What they mean is you don’t know USAmerican LGBTQ+ history. Nobody cares about your country’s history.

You’re “called out” on using an “offensive” term. It’s (a direct translation of) a completely harmless word where you live.

People expect you to have an idea of how far apart 2 USAmerican states are. You barely know geography past your country’s immediate neighbors.

You randomly switch between British and American spellings. Nothing’s real and there are no rules.

People talk about multiple hour car rides and you get twitchy just thinking about it. You suddenly understand why USAmerican cars are so big.

Somebody talks about school shooting drills. You only ever had fire alarm drills.

You see a cool statistic. The study’s only about the US. It’s unfortunately of no use to you.

People misuse/misspell words and names from your native language. It’s tiring.

(You feel sorry for the French. Nobody should be allowed to mangle the word déjà vu like that.)

You’re still not over the fact that USAmerican school children are supposed to say that pledge thing every morning. You’re never getting over that.

You still don’t know why the men are fresh or what the fuck a sophomore is.

Who the fuck pays up first and then fills up gas??? That’s made up, right??

Everybody has a weird obsession with some comfort food you’d never even heard of before you signed up here.

Fellow non-USAmericans, please add anything else you can think of.

[secriden]

Honestly, we, as a fandom have been so unfair to Kant about his lying/acting when this whole time, Mr "has my whole life planned out and I have a contingency plan for everything and also I am fully in control of all of my emotions" Fadel has been like:

Fadel, at 10am, pretending he wasn't missing Style: Sorry we're closed. Ignore the sign that says we've been open for the past 3 hours.

Fadel: I'm fine.

Also Fadel: Are you actually. 🥺 Not interested in dating? 🥺 Anymore?? 😭

Fadel, after he accidentally was too honest: OH shit, oh shit, oh shit!!!

Fadel: I'm a struggling business owner!

Fadel (under his breath): Nailed it.

[impactrueno]

(i got this comment on my comic over at twitter and i thought i'd repost my response here too, because i've gotten similar comments on my other socials)

these are very kind words and i accept the compliment, it makes me happy to see people are enjoying reading through it! but i have to disagree with a couple of things. i think we need to give more credit to the source material here

i am borrowing elements from the sequel. lydia's daugther, beetlejuice and lydia not seeing each other in 30 years, lydia forgetting somewhere along the way what it means to be your strange and unusual self, all of these are parallels i made to the sequel.

i strongly disagree this is how the sequel should've been done. i try to stick to canon as much as i possibly can, but the tone of this comic isn't really beetlejuice. the movie is a dark comedy first and foremost, and the sequel ticked almost every box of what it should be about

beetlejuice's character is gross and weird of course, but every iteration has depth to them. i wouldn't have been able to write this comic otherwise! i'm not really making up BJ's personality here, i'm doing a character study of what is already there, set to a different tone.

i'm saying all this because knowing this is important in order to really appreciate the story i'm presenting. there's no need to praise things i didn't actually do, haha.

i'm aware that there's many people enjoying it without knowing anything about beetlejuice, so i'm not saying you HAVE to be connoisseur or anything. but if you are, you'd notice the callbacks to the show, including the one episode a lot of this conversation is built around.

sorry this got longwinded; i want to say once again that i appreciate the comment! i mean absolutely no offense to Timmy here, it was a sweet thing to say and i hope it's okay that i used this comment as a springboard to say some stuff that's been on my mind

[fearandhatred]

i was thinking about this line from my fic:

But the fall had hurt, too. Because the wind had cut into his useless wings like knives, his skin and grace peeling away under the friction, and he had been looking right up at the multicoloured and unreachable expanse of sky just to see it fade from his eyes into dull greys.

and i came up with this. i hope the vision came through

[wen-kexing-apologist]

QL 2024: Favorite Pairs

Tagged by @abstractelysium in their QL 2024: Favorite Couples Tag Game, and while I have been breaking the Top Five rule (and all the other rules) with the other Favorites I’ve been tagged in, because they are the engineer of this whole thing I will be good and stick to my Top Five couples of 2024, again in no particular order:

Kasuga and Nomoto- She Loves to Cook and She Loves to Eat

I LOVE THEM! I mean, that will be a trend with every one of these pairs so I should maybe not start with that. BUT, they are such good compliments of each other, it’s literally in the name of the show. Nomoto and Kasuga are just the nicest, kindest people who do nothing but care for each other and the people they love. They are so bright and warm, and I know they will be together for a very long time. I want to be in their friend group so badly. 

Karan and Achi- Cherry Magic: Thailand

I love these boys in every universe. But I especially love these boys when they are actually allowed to engage in physical intimacy in the try to lose your virginity show. If you look up the definition of “simp” there would just be a photo of Karan sitting there waiting for you. I really enjoyed the take that Cherry Magic: Thailand had on Karan learning about Achi’s powers. Newwie did such an incredible job performing Achi’s awkward energy and obviously there is no better couple on earth than the one that whale screams the second his crush rests his head on his shoulder. 

Latte and Almond- Knock Knock, Boys!

Sex scene of the year if you ask me. I love how much these two love each other, and I love how much Latte tolerates Almond continuously trying to get a look at that dick for a birth mark. I know I’m really hung up on the sex scene between them, but I think it’s a really good manifestation of their relationship. Like truly I love the fact that Latte is sexually experienced and Almond is very much not and yet their first time is still incredibly awkward because of course it would be. In my mind, it is a sign of a good relationship when people challenge themselves for the sake of their partner. Latte being hesitant to go to the beach because of past experiences but knowing that it would make Almond happy and deciding to go and having a much better time than he expected was one of my favorite moments of the entire show. I look forward to Almond turning off the blaring alarm Latte will sleep through foe as long as they are together. 

Lee Do Hoe and Sin Ju Yeong- Let Free the Curse of Taekwondo

Okay I know compared to the others on this list Do Hoe and Ju Yeong’s relationship is a little bit of a harder sell because of what Do Hoe put Ju Yeong through for all those years. But. I do genuinely believe they are really good for each other and life and trauma got in the way. It is so important to me that the first real and genuine smile we see from Do Hoe is because of Ju Yeong. I am so glad they had each other, for however brief a time as kids, and I am thrilled they found each other again as adults, the Ju Yeong called Do Hoe on his bullshit, and that they both stood together to destroy the fucking dojo that caused both of them so much pain. I really love that we end this show with Do Hoe and Ju Yeong jobless, in a small apartment, with Do Hoe studying for the college entrance exam he’s failed multiple times. But they are together, and they are happy, and they are free. 

Shiba Ryoma and Haruto- Love is Like a Poison

THIS IS WHAT I WANT IN A BATTLE COUPLE!!! Ryo and Haruto love and support each other and it is not hard at all to find that in the evidence. Ryo has been enamored with Haruto from the moment they met, they will literally fight for each other both in court and in warehouses where they have been kidnapped by evil doers. I love that their love is so secure that there was no concern about Haruto pulling a noble idiocy. He immediately starts talking to Ryo’s plants, they can actually read each other’s minds, and most importantly to me, Haruto’s little group of homeless children immediately adopting Ryo into the fold as a person they can trust and go to when they and/or Haruto need help. I love how staunchly Ryo stands up for and trusts Haruto, and how uncompromising he is in making sure everyone knows where he stands when it comes to his job versus his lover. If you have not watched Love is Like Poison, please take this as a sign to do so.

tagging: @lurkingshan, @troubled-mind, @bengiyo, @avorbl

[xenomorphicdna]

On the string propaganda

Heeellll yeah

Bestie is an entire PLACE

I look at those guys and let me tell you the soul of that thing ain't just in the puppet, it's in all the neurons carrying the thoughts and emotions, it's in the power rails that serve as the heart. All the memories in the memory conflux and all the numbers we see flicker across displays, the flux condensers, the puppet; a little avatar.

No way these massive machines see life the same way we do. They have their own experiences and senses and things they hold dear. A world we can't imagine, a way of living we couldn't even comprehend.

I could never tear an iterator apart to be just a puppet. Who am I to decide how's life supposed to be enjoyed or perceived?

You treat your creechurs however you want- I ain't gonna dictate that. But damn, hearing the thrums and buzzes of the linear systems rail? They are alive with so much power, these mechanical beasts are exactly what they should be.

[slavhew]

fun fact the word "dirk" sounds exactly like the root of the croatian verb "drkati" which means to jack off

get the dirk brush here

[canisalbus]

I'm sure you get this a lot but because my cousin and I love that one Danny Trejo action comedy, I always have to snap my brain into the right position when I read Machete's name. Maybe I should draw them both chilling

.