#in which getting to know me means getting to know...that i ramble a lot

[stockyardsyndrome]

I was gonna put this in the tags, but it was getting long, so fuck it, here we go. Just my semi-relevant rambling.

When people ask for languages that are easy to learn, a lot of the time they're looking for a language that is "simple". And yeah, that makes sense, because the idea that some languages are "more simple" (or "more ugly") than others is still such a widespread thing. But the only way that works is if language supremacy and bigotry (racism, ableism, etc) are also still a fundamental part of the public consciousness. So that's upsetting.

I'm about to finish undergrad with a major in linguistics, and the number of times these arguments have apparently had to play out in respected academic spheres is also legitimately distressing. Like, you come into a linguistics class and on day one they tell you: Rule #1: be descriptive, not prescriptive and Rule #2: every natural language is equally complex and valid and no language is better or worse than any other. Because keep in mind, historically people calling another language simpler or less complex than their own were trying to say that the people who spoke that language were less intelligent or civilized (though sometimes they went the opposite way and tried to portray another language as being unnecessarily complicated, but still with the same goal of proving their own language was superior).

So then you read the historical documents of (attempted) linguistics and find some racist nonsense and you think okay, glad we got rid of all that.

And then you read some more modern stuff and find out that no, it's all still here.

Here's a list of shockingly recent bad takes I've come across, from published experts and respected professionals (and some of my classmates), in no particular order (and please if someone who knows more could correct me on stuff I get wrong, that would be great because I'm not digging any of these documents back up just to make sure my nonsense Tumblr rant is 100% accurate)

1. "Creoles (languages that are usually a mix of a European colonizer's language and the languages of the locals or slaves they ruled over) are simpler than the languages they came from" No they really aren't

2. "Creoles are just a version of the lexifier language (usually the European language) than has been simplified enough that the speakers of the substrate languages (usually the non-European languages) can understand it" sir are you perhaps a time traveler from 17th century Europe

3. "Okay maybe creoles aren't simpler, but pidgins are" again, no, also I'm gonna need you to define "pidgin" in a way that doesn't assume unequal levels of complexity and also doesn't rely on "data" collected by slave traders

4. "Sign languages are less-" NO.

5. "-complex because they're just gestures-" who tf do you know that is able to have entire arguments about complex topics like philosophy or biology or whatever entirely through gesture

6. "-and are more basic and universal because they're mostly iconic"  if signs were actually mostly iconic, you would be able to understand sign languages without being taught. Also, being iconic doesn't mean it's not complex, and doesn't mean it's universal. See also: onomatopoeia

7. "That whole idea about all natural languages having equal complexity is just a truism" if that were the case, we wouldn't have to keep having this argument

8. "Equality of language isn't proven" well it sure as shit hasn't been disproven. We have tons of evidence for it, and the only evidence against it comes from racists and religious fanatics, which makes it about as well-proven as the theory of evolution at this point

9. "Certain phonemes are objectively too difficult for an entire population to waste time learning to produce" yes, and those are the phonemes that no language uses. If it's in a natural language, then it's not too hard to produce, it's just hard for you because you didn't learn it as a kid

10. "Certain languages (or aspects of them) are just objectively ugly" so are you, but apparently your mama didn't think you were ugly enough to eradicate. For real though, you might have a couple phonemes or rhythms you just personally find less attractive, but none of them are universal. The rest you've been culturally conditioned to dislike

11. "Information density is potentially a good measure of efficiency" information density is a good measure of information density. Hope this helps

12. "All languages are valid... Except French, hahaha!" *Heavy sigh*

Idk man. I just wish people would stop trying to be bigots about language, because I study language because it's beautiful and intricate (but yes also terrible and will kick you in the nuts) and I love them all.

Also, I would like to join the very-large-fish brigade. Minority languages are cool. Be nice to them. Learn them if you're lucky enough to get a chance.

Here’s how to tell if a language is easy to learn

None of them are easy

They’re all stupid and terrible and will kick you in the nuts

That being said

Languages similar to ones you already speak

Languages you have a lot of motivation to learn

Languages that have a lot of resources and media to watch and/or listen to and/or read

So, if you’re reading this with relative ease (aka you speak English fluently) probably French or Spanish

Do whatever you want though idk

Don’t just choose a language based on how easy it is

Unless that’s what it takes to keep you motivated idk

Go learn Frisian or something

[yulin-pop]

i just saw your headcanon of Ace + Deuce w the same crush, but what if reader ended up w another person? (u can choose who you prefer to write)

⤷ ✧ 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭

order 91 | headcanons | Heartslabyul+Malleus|Gender Neutral

❀ NOTE: I chose the most ironic candidates, They never stood a chance against them

Of course they would know you had a crush, they both feigned surprise and begged for names and how and when this crush started. I mean, seriously, who could’ve caught your eye? You wouldn’t tell them which gave them both at least a little hope it could’ve been one of them.

Though as you dropped more hints, they learned they were an upperclassmen.

Well, sucks for them but just because you have a crush doesn’t mean it will be reciprocated— but they were proven wrong.

You would gush about the interactions you shared with your crush to the two, leading to some snooping. But they would never seem to catch you talking to whoever this mysterious yet charming guy was.

That was until you came forward with some news at lunch, with glimmering eyes and flushed cheeks you announced…

➺ Riddle Rosehearts

“Me and Riddle are official.”

Neither of them are happy, far from it. They hide their true opinion of it. Yeah, they would be upset no matter who it was but Riddle? He was a psycho when they first met, caused a lot of trouble for all of them and somehow you caught feelings for him.

But you have a rebuttal towards Ace, he was your first bully when you came to Night Raven but you’re still friends. One can argue he’s still your bully actually.

But then they find it hard to imagine Riddle in all those rants you went on about. Before you and Riddle began dating, you freaked out when you went on a study and brunch date with him.

He wiped your face and leaned in close enough you could feel his breath against your ear. Good for you (I guess) but it’s hard to see Riddle doing that.

Their first reaction is to go to Grim and just unleash every thought they had on the matter at him.

“I mean seriously Riddle? He’s shorter than both of us! Isn’t it crazy since I was always the closest. I walked [Name] to class multiple times but it’s special when Riddle does it. It’s so dumb. I bet they’re both too shy to do anything to the point where they just look into each other’s eyes. That’s so awkward!!” Ace rambled.

“Yeah!” The only thing Deuce could do was agree since Ace was already saying everything on his mind.

I think the first week they’re in disbelief and just go silent whenever you mention Riddle. The second week is when the teasing starts. By teasing they’re actually helping you since when you see Riddle, they push you into him. Which always leads to Riddle catching you and both of you getting flustered.

As much as they did like you, as said by Grim, they need to accept it. Deuce seemed to be the most crushed out of the two but that’s just because Ace hid it behind indifference.

They’re both the people who will always be on your side when you and Riddle have a fight. They don’t just blindly agree though, if you did something wrong they’re going to tell you.

It’s hard to say if they will lose feelings for you after you started dating someone else. I think they won’t ever lose the affection they had for you but the crush and the potential you had together will be pushed to the back of the brain for as long as you were happy with someone else. That’s what mattered more.

➺ Cater Diamond

You shoved your phone screen in their faces and showed a video recording of Cater confessing to you with a poster and flowers. The video ending with you hugging Cater and his arms wrapped around you.

Okay with Cater it’s not as big of a surprise. He wasn’t clueless in dating but not what you would call “experienced”. Looking back at everything you gushed about it did sound like Cater.

All the mentions of selfies and how he would always take pictures of you, remarking how cute and photogenic you were. It checked out seeing how often he posted you in the past few weeks, they’re kinda mad they didn’t realize it sooner. Of course there was a whole post on his MagiCam announcing your relationship. Just to be expected of Cater.

Deuce asked if you were okay with your relationship being out there like that and surprisingly you were, not caring how embarrassing it could be.

Ace is the one who makes you feel embarrassed about it though. He points out and laughs at all the photos Cater posts of you two. And yeah he left some satire hate comments.

The first week is almost unbearable, especially because Cater is pretty open about how his happy-go-lucky mood is because of you.

“After months of constant rizzing and going out on dates, they said yes.” He would proudly proclaim to whoever asked.

Ace accidentally cut him off mid sentence to tell him to shut up and then Deuce has to apologize. Ace is slightly hostile to Cater while Deuce is just short with him but that eventually goes away.

Whenever Cater is anywhere near by. Ace says “Oh look it’s your boyfriend go kiss him!” But before you could react Cater is already walking over and steals you for whatever reason.

➺ Trey Clover

“I managed to confess to him… Trey said yes.”

They were surprised, Trey was a wild card but it’s not like he was the worst out of the upperclassmen. But it all made more sense how when you would come over to Heartslabyul, you’d always go to the kitchen saying you’re hungry and wait around until you found Trey. Not only that you wouldn’t even eat. Same with how you randomly took an interest in baking and started taking lessons from Trey.

Deuce is awkward and Ace is slightly irritated but both congratulate you but Ace mentioned how it was weird you had to confess. Though that led to you going into a strained retell of how you confessed and how Trey reacted and how wonderful it all was.

Trey did seem sort of distant when with you but that really didn’t seem to affect how you were with him. Ace and Deuce got the slight impression Trey was inexperienced. Deuce wasn’t one to judge but Ace was the one to scoff at it.

Trey wouldn’t mention it unless anyone asked, more importantly when you saw him at lunch or during school Ace would try to push you over to him but you insisted you wanted to leave him alone. Why is that? You two didn’t seem to interact much even though you were dating.

Ace and Deuce mentioned this to Grim, just because they were nosey and all. “Seriously you think they’re distant? Man if only you KNEW… [Name] is almost never here because they’re out with Trey and when they are home they’re talking about how much they want Trey to come over.”

So that’s how it was, they’re the more hidden couples but in private they act completely differently. Additionally, that explains why you’ve been texting them less after school. They don’t have a lot to say besides the normal anguish that comes with unrequited love.

-ˋˏ Malleus Draconia

“I think me and Horton are dating?”

Oh yeah that’s pretty normal, just you announcing your possible relationship with the most powerful fae in school and the future king of Briar Valley. Now what’s with that vague wording?! It’s either you are or you aren’t.

They shake you and demand answers out of you. But you can’t answer some of them. The truth is you confessed but you received a vague answer back. “How cute… I admit somehow my heart aches with approval.” That’s all you got back.

Now Ace, you and Deuce began theorizing what it meant. You hoped it to be acceptance but the other two prayed you’d be rejected. You’ve told them everything about this “Horton” which was later to be discovered as Malleus Draconia… Despite the discovery, you still had feelings for him.

They knew who they were up against though. But they weren’t even sure if it was a competition since you’d had an interest in him and he may like you back. But they’ve never been the types to back down.

You raved about it over and over to them, though they would talk down your excitement. You were really happy and it’s not like they don’t want you to be happy but… you’re not even dating so just hold your horses. They tried to make so points like Malleus is the heir to Briar Valley so there’s issue with that and his emotions can cause devastating storms so leaving him on read may or may not tear down Ramshackle.

Regardless, you planned to meet with him again to confirm the status of your relationship and Deuce and Ace turned to Grim once they realized they couldn’t stop you.

They were trying to force Grim to go along with their plan of talking you down from dating Malleus, then to stop you from meeting with him at night by any means necessary but Grim could only do so much.

The next morning, you had small bags under your eyes but were brimming with joy, talking about how you love Horton. Besides how politically crazy your relationship is for Malleus, they’re supportive as long as you’re happy. Nothing changed much besides the fact you always want to talk about your boyfriend.

[callme-holly]

Heyooo I love ur writing! I saw your inbox was open I was wondering if you could do a johnny cade x soc fem reader who's shy and anti social but a chatterbox when they get close,maybe they can have their first meeting at school?

𝐣𝐨𝐡𝐧𝐧𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐱 𝐬𝐡𝐲!𝐬𝐨𝐜

a/n: i've been really enjoying writing headcanons and then an imagine. lmk if y'all like it too bc i might carry this style on. tysm for the request!!

You might be a soc, but to Johnny you’re incredibly different from the others—you’re not loudmouthed, you don’t brag about your privileges and you just tend to keep to yourself, which he respects. You tend to just stay in the back of the classroom, following along with whatever you have to do.

A lot of people assume you’re snobbish (especially greasers) and won’t really talk to you because you’re so quiet. If you don’t make an effort, why should they? However, if anyone was to dig any deeper, they’d realise that you are, in fact, just shy and incredibly bad at striking up conversation with new people.

  Johnny always noticed you in class, mainly because you were the only one who never really spoke up, much like him. You were just this quiet, comforting presence amongst the chaos, and he found himself drawn to that. You noticed him too, and while you thought he was you, you never really made the move to talk to him. Not only was he a greaser and you were a soc, but your anxiety also held you back immediately.

The first time y’all actually talk is when you’re both paired up for a project. You’re absolutely mortified at first and stumble over your words, but Johnny is just as awkward, and you both find yourself laughing about it, which brings you two close.

You tend to ramble when you’re nervous, but Johnny never minds; he just sits there with an encouraging smile. The moment you realise he isn’t there to laugh at you or judge you, you really open up.

He loves how comfortable you feel around him, and you two slowly begin to hang out more and more, and your classmates definitely notice the change, especially since they’re seeing you actually talk and interact with someone.

You stared blankly down at the paper that had been placed on your desk, chest tight, and as much as you tried to school your anxiety, you couldn’t help the nerves that slowly began to churn in your stomach.

The print was clear— Partner Project: Assigned Pairs.

Your name, and scrawled next to it, Johnny Cade.

You glanced up, scanning the room quickly, watching as everyone were slowly starting to shuffle to join their partners. And then your eyes landed on him, still sitting in his seat, watching you with a polite, expectant smile. 

You two had never spoken; sure, you’d met each other’s gaze before, and there was silent, mutual respect that had risen between you both, but you’d never engaged in any true interaction other than that. 

Holding your books close to your chest and taking a deep breath, you pushed your way through the throng of people moving between desks, standing awkwardly before him, shuffling like you weren't sure what to do with yourself.

“Uh.. Hey.” His voice was soft, quieter than you’d expect from a greaser, and the smile he gave you was gentle and genuine.

You opened your mouth to respond and promptly forgot how to speak, not a single sound leaving your mouth. You just blinked at him, and Johnny gave a soft chuckle, scratching the back of his neck.

“Guess we’re partners, huh?”

“Yeah… Yeah.” You stammered, sitting down across from him, setting yor books down in front of you clumsily and offering him an apologetic look.

“It’s fine,” he shrugged, and you couldn’t help but jolt in surprise. “You haven’t gotta be nervous. I ain’t gonna judge ya.”

And something shifted in you then, some small part of you relaxing in a way you’d never relaxed around strangers. 

“Im not the best at this type of things---like talking, i mean. Especially with people I dont know and group projects make me super nervous because I dont want to mess it up for somebody else, but i also dont wanna do bad and... oh im sorry im rambling.”

Johnny laughed inr response, shaking his head and waving you off with a casualness that made your heart flutter.

“It’s okay, really. I like listenin’ to ya talk.” 

And, yeah… Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad at all. 

[half-bloodorange]

THE RING SHOUT IN SINNERS

I haven’t seen many people talk about the Ring Shout in Sinners so I wanna bring up a few points. Ring Shouts , or Plantation Shouts (sidenote: I grew up hearing it called Cake Walk Shout [ side note to the side note: cake walk is also an African American Carnival Game and also a style of dance that mocked white people “fancy dancing” back in the day]). The ring shout is an affirmation of black life, a declaration of the sanctity of it. I’ve read that in days of share croppers and plantation workers (slaves) we used to bless ourselves, our work , and our land.

“You got a right to the Tree of Life.”

I was raised with a song similar but in the early 2000’s in the region of the south I grew up in our cry had/has morphed into “You got a right to stay alive.” This change is likely due to the prevalence and impacts of police brutality on our men, women and children. Our realities have changed yet our need to affirm to ourselves that our lives matter have not.

Here’s where Sinner comes in. When they are outside of the Juke Joint the fledgling vampires and Remmick were doing a Ring Shout. Remmick imbued it with some of his Irish culture (which was not uncommon at the time black and immigrant and native traditions were in constant conversation with each other) but it was an AA Ring Shout all the same. Like I said multiple times before this Ring Shout was an Affirmation of Life and all of them motherfuckers was dead, ironic lol. Not only were they dead but their “right to the tree of life” (joining the ancestors and being venerated) and their “right to stay alive” was cruelly and brutally stolen from them.

There’s also this comparison of the vampires being culty that struck me as odd. I know it was one of their tactics to be let in/ to get Sammi but why this specifically. I consume a lot of vampire media and the way Remmick and Cornbread and them were trying to reel the humans in with the sixties hippy ‘love will heal us all’ is so unique to the vampire genre. I at least haven’t seen that before. The temptation is always immortality, strength, power yada yada ya. I’ve done a Cake Walk Shout before and it is an overwhelmingly lovely experience, and you do feel love all around you but it’s not cult-y like that. Lmao I am rambling but it definitely means something. I just don’t know what yet.

Some one smarter than me could probably make some deeper points (please do!) but I thought this was all worthy of noting.

Additional Information 🤎

it was serious, but also it was also fun. we can always have fun. i really love my people. 🥺♥️✨

• those of us that attend church still shout just not in a circle 🤍

• also if you grew up playing “Little Sally Walker” you’ll find that it is likely inspired by all of this this.

[misterbenzadrine]

demetri ships as my fav spiderman ships

me procrastinating everything and anything: you know what tumblr really needs? more of my ck x spiderman bs...

but actually this really is just me rambling

also these don't necessarily take place in the same universe, bc the dynamics wouldn't make sense together, so definitely don't think too hard about it like i am, this is just fun

parksborn - hawkmetri

childhood bffs to enemies to lovers

huge identity changes they both have to adjust to

original recipe, i mean does a spiderman/demetri queer ship get more classic than this?

also already covered this whole au so yeah, i've thought a lot about this one in particular

eli found out about his secret identity after trying to kill spider-man the first time, he tried three times before realizing his childhood best friend was more important than getting revenge on spider-man

interwebs - sametri (platonic)

demetri would be more like ned but shhhhh

basically just a really strong sibling dynamic, sam is his guy in the chair

"okay don't go near mason ave, it's crawling with vulture's goons...DEMETRI WHY ARE YOU HEADING IN THAT DIRECTION?"

"wha- you said to go to mason ave!"

"I SAID DON'T-"

she worries about him a lot but she can't do much since she doesn't have powers. what she can do is help demetri by clearing away civilians when he's in the middle of a fight and help him do research on his enemies (which he constantly worries about bc he knows it could put a target on her back but he does as much as he can to keep her away from danger)

she found out his secret identity early on when she went to his house to check on him after a fight with kyler (that he shockingly won) and he entered his bedroom in his full spidey suit without seeing her

his mom walked in after he took off the suit, which led to a really awkward conversation and an even more awkward running joke ("people like spiderman can only do so much to protect us if we aren't careful ourselves...like a condom. which i hope is a familiar friend between you and that samantha girl." "oh my god mom, i've told you A MILLION TIMES nothing is going on between me and sam!" "i'm just saying, you can do what you want, as long as you don't make me a young grandmother-" "MOM STOP-")

being spiderman's best friend isn't something sam thinks about too much, he's still just demetri, her awkwardly tall and skinny younger brother

spideypool - robmetri

coworkers to lovers

opposites attract dynamic

"i don't agree with ur methods but we're working together against a common enemy"

not really enemies, not really friends, but a secret third thing (LOVERS)

tbh demetri would be more deadpool than robby but for pairings sake, this works

imagining robby being like a lone rebel, more vigilante/anti-hero than spiderman (obvi) and meeting demetri and being like "woah ur so silly, i like you, have a cupcake" and demetri stressing like "no you can't just kill these guys, they have families- PUT HIM DOWN! NO, I MEANT GENTLY!"

robby does know his secret identity but he prefers to interact with him in the suit (it's due to both of their slight insecurities in how they look, despite the other very much not caring what they look like)

spideytorch - migmetri

friends to lovers

miguel/johnny having that ladies' man swagger and demetri/peter being a flustered mess over it

miguel helping demetri in a few battles and flying away with a heart fire trail behind him every time

just an overall really sweet flirty ship

miguel doesn't know his secret identity at first. one day, demetri loses his suit and needs to borrow a fantastic four suit until he can get his own suit back. miguel finds his spider suit and brings it to him but holds it back to flirtingly ask what he looks like with nothing on. demetri rolls his eyes and takes off his makeshift mask (a paper bag).

"there, that's all you're getting, fire boy, can you give me my suit back now?...why are you staring at me like that?"

"...you're really cute."

"no i'm not- look, just give me my suit. i have to get back on patrol."

"i think i'm just gonna burn this suit actually. i don't want you covering that pretty little face again."

"miguel don't you DARE-"

petermj/spidercat - yasmetri

petermj bc this is the classic classic, i will find you in every universe, strings of fate soulmate deal

spidercat bc yas 100% is a vigilante/anti-hero that likes to mess with demetri's head by committing crimes and then helping him solve some

either she's his forever soulmate or she's a little menace that wreaks havoc on his life, there's no in-between

she doesn't know his secret identity, nor does he know hers, she prefers it that way, makes it more exciting. he doesn't though.

"you're always around this neighborhood, is this where you live?"

"nice try, spider-boy. i'm not that dumb."

"do you at least go to school around here?"

"focus up, arachnid. we're supposed to be keeping an eye out for kravinoff."

"maybe i can tell you some of my favorite stores and you can tell me if you like them too, even if you robbed them."

"i've robbed stores all across the coast, that won't tell you anything."

"a favorite restaurant then?"

spideymoon - axelmetri

I just think it'd be funny for demetri and axel's dynamic to carry over into spiderman universe, just demetri being like "how and why is this guy shifting suits mid-fight? and why does he always switch his accent?" and just wanting to know what his origin story could possibly be, what his powers are related to, what his superhero name is, what his motives are, etc.

he just has a really gross curiosity about what any of what he does even means and axel is just like "idk i'm on my own mission rn lol"

they don't know each other's secret identities

(also unrelated but THE HEADBAND MATCHING MOONKNIGHT'S LOGO DKJKJKKLS)

spiderelsa - kwonmetri

star-crossed lovers, meant to be and doomed to never interact in canon

made by someone who was probably insanely psychotic and sleep-deprived (i wonder who that could be...)

who's making the pregnant elsa/kwon fanart fr

kwon doesn't know his secret identity

[linkbetweenlinksau]

I noticed the slight style change in Wars' scarf (from before you actually started LBL and then where we are currently) and so I was wondering.......

What was the og design for your Links? And then how did it change to how it is right now?

I thought that would be an interesting ask, so here you go!

I hope you ready for a big load of yapping Anon cuz I have many things to say about their older designs 🙏

So we’ll start with Sky!

Old design on the left and new design on the right. He had a cape LU style, baggier clothes, and had the loftwing feather attached to his earring. I have the skyloftians wear their loftwing’s feathers because it lets them feel closer to them when they’re separated from them on the surface! The thing about this design was that not only was it impractical, but it was also suuuuper annoying to draw and color. Idk if you read the old comic from before but that helped me know that his loftwing feather was driving me insane haha. The cape as well was super annoying and while baggy clothes fits Sky, it didn’t seem smart for him to have that. He was also 5’0” because I wanted him to be older than twi but shorter than him. When I redid Lbl I thought about what I hated about his design while drawing it and changed it around

I made him 5’5” so I wouldn’t have to make his Zelda super short (she’s 5’3”) and he’s definitely one of the “taller” Links. I put the sailcloth and loftwing feather at his belt so they were out of the way. I also gave him bracers that kept his baggier sleeves out of the way and yeah! Still not the most practical thing ever but this is fiction and idc 🙃I’m a little sad about the loftwing feather tho cuz I always wanted him to have a long feather on his earring since I first designed him but oh well. It’s for my own sanity haha. I still kept his more “comfier” clothes and his lightning scars hehe 😈 so yeah!

The rest of the ramblings are under here:

Minish also underwent a lot of changes:

Older design on the left and newer one on the right.

The old design not bad but it’s kinda plain to me. Being a blacksmith he has an apron and gloves, and I always imagines mc Link with curly hair. I do love his headband and I think it’s super neat, but that’s really it. It’s just plain and when he has no apron it’s even more plain. So I changed it to the newer one!

He still has curly hair and his headband but he has no more apron. His tunic is meant to resemble a Minish but I kept the golden outline for some pizzazz. I gave him back his blue eyes which are very integral to his sprite in mc imo and I changed his nose shape to match his grandpa’s and that’s probably my favorite change about him. I love his nose very much and it makes him look very unique. I kept his gloves but I also added some iron-toed boots just so metal doesn’t break his toes lol. And I always had the square belt buckle on him. It’s very fun exploring different ways to do that swirly belt buckle! I also made his tunic dark green so it’d look better. Overall I love his newer design!

Old on the left, new on the right. Time didn’t change too much but he did enough for me to talk about it! His shirt darkened to match his old tunic, gave him the gauntlets for something interesting to look at, changed his collar shape, and I changed his eye color! This actually happened after I made the newer drawing XD I changed his eye color to match Twi’s :) also I untucked his shirt. Idk why. I thought it’d look better so we’ll see lol.

Twi changed a LOT, and by a lot I mean his colors lol. I had a plan where he was going to be pale with dark brown hair to show that he isolated himself and stayed inside after tp, and lbl helped him heal and he was able to look like he went outside again. Buuuuut I changed it for my own sanity cuz that would’ve been so hard to do well lol. So the newer design has the colors he was going to get in the old lbl. Truthfully the old backstory doesn’t fit what I have in mind anymore anyways so it makes sense for him to be tan in the new one. I also added more battle stuff for him including bracers, that sleeve thing, and actual clothes that match ordon lol. I did keep the Ordona symbol tho cuz it’s cool. But yeah, other than that there wasn’t too much of a change in his actual clothes! I did give him dimples tho :> you just can’t see it

Four changed quiet a bit as well. As least when he’s merged. He used to have armor but I thought giving him a full thing of armor when he was only 14 was kind of odd so I instead took out most of the armor. I also made his colors more neutral cuz I loved the idea that Four’s colors were more white and brown to show the colors merging. But honestly i don’t like the look of it haha 😅 it makes more sense for all of the colors to be on Four anyways since it resembles the colors never fully merging so honestly I miiiight switch the colors… but anyways. I did keep the braid flower thing cuz many liked that as did I, and I changed his eye color to match the actual eye color of the colors. They will change depending on who’s in control! But yeah, change in colors 🙃 might change it again idk. I just don’t like the tan and brown haha.

I went through a whole thing with windy because he was originally gonna be 17 or 18. He was gonna be an adult. But I didn’t like that and changed him to being 14! The issue with that tho was that he looked too old in his old design. The blue lobster and coat that resembled Linebeck’s just didn’t fit him anymore so I decided to lean more into his green tunic and played with colors to get him his new design! Which I love a lot! It’s just a little more boyish with nice colors of sea foam green that I like, and it definitely fits his younger aura. That could easily have something to do with how I drew his face tho haha. The old design had the blue lobster cuz that’s what everyone else was doing and I thought the coat would be a cut homage to Linebeck. Including a gossip stone. Also no boots cuz idk, I like it. Makes it easier on me haha. And his scar is a little less healed in the new design than the old one :) it’s very clear that I decided to do what I wanted to do with his design instead of doing what I thought people wanted, and I love his newer design now. Should be easier to draw too!

Left drawing was the first design of Age, and there’s some things I do kinda like. For starters the cape is very neat and would definitely mark him as a champion, but that’s about all I like haha. His short hair is fine but it doesn’t make sense for him to cut it, the armored pieces are a pain to draw and the colors were hard to work with. So I got rid of the cape cuz I figured it’d be harder to draw and wasn’t super practical, changed the tunic color and his hair color to match canon, and gave him more simple bracers and boots. The thing about Age tho is that I don’t like his design. Same issue with Four honestly. It’s not satisfying and I wish I took the time to play with his design more instead of jumping in, so I might play with his design a bit more, might do something with the cape. But I did add Mipha’s scale to show that they’re a thing <3 and lastly he used to be 5’5” but I didn’t like that so I moved him down to 5’0”. He’s taller than Wild to show that the shrine of resurrection stunted Wild’s height (but honestly my Age did technically use the shrine of resurrection so) but he’s not absurdly taller than him haha. but yeah, i don’t like either of his designs 😔

Wild’s overall design didn’t change too much cuz I did like the champion’s tunic with the Hateno clothes on top of it, but something that I do wish I kept was that his hair can’t grow back on some parts of his head, leaving him bald. I might still keep it but it’ll be very well hidden under that mane of hair haha. I dropped the braid and let his hair flow beautifully in the wind, and smae with Age, changed the hair and tunic color! I wanted him and Age to both have the champion’s tunic so that they know that they’re technically the same :) luckily Wild has a lot of outfits so I can honestly play with the clothes whenever I want hehe.

And as you mentioned, Wars went through a lot of change too! Just like Wind I played with some ideas for him cuz I wasn’t vibing with his design. He and Sky are the only ones I had in the older lbl comic so I was able to know what I did and didn’t like about his design! I liked his tunic design for sure, and it’s still there, but the cape was kinda lame to me. It wasn’t fancy, had a bad color, and I hated the overall shape. He has his hat here but he was always going to lose it. So keeping everything else I decided to try to explore the scarf again and tried to find a style I liked. I didn’t want it to be like the game, and I wanted it to look unique to him, and eventually I settled on the big triangle shaped scarf! Makes him look more dynamic and I changed the colors so they’d look better, and I do really like his newer design! He didn’t go through much change, but it was enough to keep me satisfied! I do wish his Diamond clip was on his back like how it is in the game but oh well, I wanted it to look like some sort of Medal of Honor 🤷‍♀️ my beloved

And that’s about all the big changes! I didn’t include everyone cuz they either didn’t change much or they didn’t have old designs. Like Hyrule did change a bit with his design now having a turtleneck rather than a V-neck, but that’s about it. I don’t think Legend’s design changed at all (I love his design) and Totem and Rift weren’t in the older era of lbl :) I do need to draw refs for them tho augh. Spirit too didn’t change all that much and I don’t have room to include everyone haha. But yeah that’s what changed about them! I like the changes a lot (kind of) and I hope they won’t kill me when I draw the comic :’D I know wolf Link is giving me grief, mostly his colors.

But yeah, thank you for this ask! I love rambling about this stuff!! XD especially comparing old lbl to new lbl :)

[irlnorthshaw]

supa strikas scenarios: LETS HIT THE STRIP CLUB 🪩🍸

was thinking abt what i should post on this blog and recently ive been on a rambling kick. whenever i obsess over a group-centric media, i ALWAYS think of random scenarios. so i will post more of these!! just lemme know if u guys enjoy it hehe 😎

despite the setting, none of the things i wrote are suggestive!!!

also disclaimer that due to the NATURE of this setting, dancing rasta and big bo wont be participating!!!

they win against cosmos and want to explore what vegas has to offer. BUUUT their captain and goalie is alr mentally checked out (smth abt “being too old for this”)

so where do they go? club maybe?? or the casino??? no. they all go to a strip club for the shits and giggles

VIP BOOTH. CHECK. BOTTLE SERVICE. CHECK. NOW TO HAVE FUN!!!

shakes would spend 10 minutes enjoying the vibe and music… and then pull out his switch to play games bc he cant be assed

he does get a lot of the dancers attention bc he’s “cute” and dont get me wrong. he is flattered and flustered

but also at one point he cant stand it when they keep nudging him for service, he goes: “LISTEN LADY I’M IN THE MIDDLE OF SOMETHING!!”

cj is inspecting the place like he’s taking notes for his own club’s improvement but occasionally gets distracted. i mean hot ladies all around? who wouldnt be!

but most of the time he’s just relaxing with a drink in hand, chatting w the other guys while bopping to the music

tips well. respectfully

him and tiger?? huddled up together in the booth just judging other people’s lack of decorum

cj: five minutes and that guy’s getting thrown out

tiger checking his watch: im giving it three

tiger may be reserved but with good music and good drinks? he’s living it up!!!

treats it more like a regular club, so he tries his best to avoid any offers. he’s just there to enjoy time with friends

el matador… well. he might just hop on the stage and start stripping himself

they’d lose him in the crowd and somehow find him fighting w a dancer claiming he can do her job better— cue blok picking him up and dragging him away from the scene he caused

speaking of blok. everyone keeps mistaking him for a bouncer bc he’s just a silent, stiff brick wall. arms crossed and everything

when he’s offered something, he politely declines (they don’t understand brislovian but they get the hint)

spends most of the night trying to stop el matador

WHEN SOMEONE OFFERS KLAUS BOTTLE SERVICE? GIVE HIM WATER WITH EXTRA WATER. THAT MAN IS SOOOO NERVOUS AND OUT OF HIS ELEMENT

extremely apologetic, which the dancers find super endearing

klaus: “wow! you’re doing a great job, you should be very proud of yourself!”

this unfortunately makes him extremely susceptible to scams so he, for some reason, ends up buying the most expensive champagne (he doesnt even drink it)

north pretends he’s very chill but he’s soooo awkward and antsy buuut its nothing a couple shots cant solve

idk. he somehow ends up gathering a lot of dancers to… lore drop?? he goes on and on abt that one giant octopus story

he also goes on another tangent abt his himalayan crystal necklace… THEY ALL LOVE IT!!!

[seeingteacupsindragons]

Do you have some more Stanxeno headcanons to share?

Sure, let's do another grab bag.

Stan tried out a whole bunch of lipstick colors in high school before settling on liking purple best. He probably had a couple colors floating around as an adult, but only purple got remade in the immediate term because it was his favorite. There was a lot of black.

You can date pictures of Stan if he's wearing a particularly unfortunate color, because he only tried orange for that one October in sophomore year, etc.

I mentioned the thing about Stan helping design and place the castle for military purposes, but I stand by that.

I don't know if this fully extends into headcanon territory, but it's really funny to me that Xeno's like half the age of most of his coworkers, so they probably tried to set him up not believing the boyfriend in Canada on deployment story and/or didn't want him settling down with a man, and tried to set him up with a woman that looked like Stan because that's his type, right? Anyway, he and this random lesbian spent a night drinking at a gay bar and commiserating about being queer in Texas.

Well, that didn't work out, what about a group date to get burgers and see that sci-fi movie he mentioned. This girl shows up in her Southern Belle best and he's wearing eyeliner and a black coat and dog collars with a shirtless picture of his boyfriend on his phone lock screen because this can't possibly be a date, they just wanted him to make friends, and she has honestly no idea what to do with any of this.

They continue trying this even to the point of some family BBQ for NASA employees and Xeno brings Stan and Drama Ensues.

The way in which Stan gets Xeno to shut up about whatever science he's rambling about without Xeno getting upset is incredibly cute to me and also makes me wonder if they set up some kind of code as kids for Stan to let Xeno know he's losing people/upsetting people so Xeno can pivot.

These two overdressed assholes have the most crowded bathroom counter known to man but also refuse to get a pair sink because jabbing elbows in each other's side when they're fighting over mirror space in the morning and grabbing for eyeliner and hair mousse is an integral part of their flirting. Everyone else in the American colony keeps offering to build them a bigger bathroom sink and they keep refusing.

One of them grabs the wrong eyeliner and gets complaints about how that's unhygenic and the response comes in the form of a raised eyebrow and like. We share spit. And other. Fluids. I think the eyeliner will be fine.

The cheeseburgers and burritos thing just makes me realize they spent far too much time at awful, cheap fast food places as teenagers. Which, I mean. In middle school a friend and I would ride our bikes to the library and stop at BK on the way home, so, y'know. I get it.

The shared tobacco company thing also sort of confirms my opinion that Xeno doesn't actually mind the smoking that much. It's just an easy thing to pick at and who would they be if they didn't do that.

Xeno would absolutely refuse to have a lowkey wedding or elopement or courthouse shindig. This man lives for spectacle. Please. Everyone they know would be invited and he would be ordering them both custom suits. I want Stan's squad to come to this wedding and do a double take when they see him in lipstick and mascara. And do another when Xeno appears wearing eyeliner and silver acrylics because ??? I thought Stan said he was marrying a NASA nerd? There would be articles in the paper about it.

Stan comes home from every deployment to like three different guns Xeno has been working on with all his extra free time.

Stop putting Xeno in sweater vests. Viva la black t-shirts and skinny bondage cargo pants and Vans. Much more practical for weapons testing, more in line with his aesthetic choices, and lots of pockets. Also I spent way too much time in this exact uniform growing up.

Xeno has to do all the car maintenance because he's a rocket engineer I think he can change some brake pads on a Prius. Stan gets asked if he works on theirs car because they're modded to hell and back and Stan's just like, Hell No, that's the Husband's job. A big strong knight is not required to change car oil and they're both so gender fucky it's important to me not to recreate gender roles here.

[mysticaltora8276]

. That’s why I couldn’t really stand the ending of the 60th anniversary. I mean in principal I can get the idea but it just felt like a blatant smack in the face to me personally. See I’m neurodivergent. And I associated a lot with the doctor because the doctor I got introduced to was 11. 11 was an alien. He was an awkward doofus That thought he was cool but wasn’t. And it’s sort of like it was almost like a feedback loop like he thought he was cool. But he wasn’t. It somehow rebounded back to him being cool because he did what he thought was cool regardless of what the people said. Then 12 came. Who was cool and wasn’t afraid to show you it. But you know what the two of them did? Reveled in their alienness. Both of them acted like aliens. And you know what? I asked someone who constantly was on the outs because I didn’t understand or I had issues understanding, social norms. I liked that it felt like they were speaking to me. Then I went back and watched 90 which was pretty good cause Christopher Eccleston is awesome and he actually you know watched an episode of the fourth doctor and got the right impression that the doctor is an alien and therefore acts like an alien But David Tennant’s doctor? With respect to the actor the way he was written makes him so seem like one of those outcast that desperately wants to be one of the cool kids and goes out of their way to do so including discarding anything that used to make them unique in a desperate attempt to fit in. That is not to say he was completely devoid of eccentric tendencies, which I liked, but the writing kept making me get the impression that they didn’t like the fact that doctor stood out. In fact, human nature/family of blood sort of confirmed when the doctor went into hiding and what was he? A crusader of rights or an eccentric professor going around studying things and having a sense of wonder with the world? Nope. History teacher in the middle of rural England, fully in line with the classes, racist, and sexist tendencies of the time. Yeah. That rubbed me the wrong way. The fact that entire season with how they treated Martha Jones a woman of color rubbed me the wrong way. I couldn’t fully articulate why, but it wasn’t until later that I started reading other people’s takes on it who were people of color that I realize why it just rubbed me the wrong way. I mean another reason would be because I couldn’t really stand Rose because after nine left she became less of the every man and more of the idealized stereotype that the plot literally bent over backwards to show how “wonderful” she was despite the fact that quite a few actions were incredibly selfish shortsighted And downright mean spirited.

But getting back to the doctor after 12 like 13? Oh, she reveled and being an alien and wasn’t afraid to show it off. I like to that then came David tenant again. David Tennant acting talent is probably the thing that saved both 10 and 14 for me. Because again it wasn’t the writing. Because again they kept harping on how he needed to “live a normal life.“ Just really pissed me off they took Donna who I expected her to use her lottery money to maybe fund a charity or start a new career or business opportunity. She who was always concerned with being seen and doing something extraordinary and now suddenly she just gave it away. It just felt like a smack in the face. You’re telling me that somebody who got part of the Doctor’s intellect didn’t use it to find something to help people or go out of her way to do stuff again help out just sat on her hands and donated to various charities . Something anybody can do.  Which would be fine I guess, but it just felt so anticlimactic and just a smack in the face for me. I’ve been compare that to say Joe Grant or Sarah, Jane or Ace. People who took the opportunity that the doctor gave them and help helped others.

Anyway, what does rambling paragraph is trying to say is not Russell despite his protestation to the contrary doesn’t seem to like the fact the doctor is unique or special. And I’m not talking about their God complex because I don’t mind them getting taken down a pig because they need to be taken down a pig otherwise they do incredibly stupid or in moral things. No, I’m talking about the fact that Russell just doesn’t like the fact that the doctor is a unique alien Russell wants the doctor to be “one of us.“ Which is funny because the doctor stands in for outcast and people who don’t fit in for whatever reason. It feels like he’s telling all the outcast be neurodivergent, disabled or the different race or religion that basically the way to fit in and feel comfortable with yourself is to “become normal.“ The whole idea of the doctor just settling down and living out his life on earth and doing jackal to help the Earth in all of its many mechanicals that happen in the universe just feels like an entirely big smack in the face and just a screw you. And yes, this is a bit rambling but when I’m trying to get bad, is that Russell just doesn’t like the doctor being a unique alien. He doesn’t like him standing up for the outcast or even being an outcast. Because every time the doctor settles into what is considered “a normal life” you don’t see them standing up to social wars that are wrong or anything like that.

Edit: I would also like to point out that human nature the book that the two-parter is based off of it was about the seventh doctor, and when he hid as a human, he was a conscientious objector. Meaning he took a personable stance against something and didn’t back down from it. and he also hated discipline in his kids so much so they only put a half effort into it just to give the impression while hating himself for doing it. That’s compared to John Smith who’s perfectly fine with the classes, racism and sexism and yes, I am rather bitter that the Doctor the so-called Crusader for truth and justice who’s supposedly the essence of John Smith is perfectly fine with injustice is going around as long as it doesn’t affect them personally.

And that’s not getting into the fact that Russell seems to be fine with ignoring things as “inconveniences.” Like racism.

What was the point of casting Ncuti if you're just gonna see/write the Doctor as a white character anyway? What's the point of using Black Brit, Black American & Rwandan aesthetics if you're writing/seeing them as a character w/ 0 understanding of racism & the Black experience?

Writing/seeing the Doctor as an inherently white human character who can't help but support racists & be ignorant about racism instead of an *alien* who can change appearance from a society without Earth's racial hierarchy is a choice. A real shitty one.

For a while I've been thinking how the need to characterise the Doctor as a romantic/sexual being to "humanise" them holds them back & this is the same but in terms of race.

For a character that can be anything & anyone, u lot *really* want them to fit 'normal' human ideals.

[cagedchoices]

GET TO KNOW THE AUTHOR.

name:  mel 

pronouns:  they/them/theirs

preference of communication:  mainly tumblr IMs these days, but i have discord and wire and occasionally i will drop my info on tumblr, give it out privately if asked, or add if someone else is looking to add. it can take me a while to work up the courage to message someone in the first place and i'm really... not good at the usual social cues of "hey how are you/good how are you?/what have you been up to?" but i'm usually game to chat about other stuff

most active muse:  Caleb. i've had a lot of other muses but he's been the one i've been most consistently able to write in the slightly over 3 years since i first started writing him.

experience/how many years:  i had a couple false starts trying to set up rp blogs for Samwise Gamgee from the Lord of the Rings trilogy and Wirt from Over the Garden Wall back in 2014 and 2015? but i just never really managed to get off the ground and start writing in-character for them because i was super heavily intimidated by the rpc and too nervous to approach anyone. finally in january 2017 i stumbled across a parody of Portal 2 on youtube called the Unauthorized Musical and discovered that there were already a handful of muns on tumblr who had picked up characters specifically based on that production and regularly hosted rabbit streams where they'd watch the video again together and welcomed anyone who wanted to join to do so. i noticed nobody was really writing any antagonistic characters against them so i wound up setting up a blog for GLaDOS and following everybody i met during the stream and that was essentially how i became hooked on tumblr rp. i've been kicking around on and off for about 7 years now.

best experience: there's so many to choose from, but i think i'd have to say my best experience was when i started writing Caleb. i was just fresh off watching Westworld season 3, i was actually feeling more compelled at the time to try and write either Dolores, Maeve, Clementine or Teddy but i felt like i wouldn't do any of 'em justice. i ended up making a sideblog to my old multimuse after deciding i would try writing Caleb, and that's where i almost immediately connected with melody/aworldofyou/copiesofme and was enthusiastically introduced to a bunch of other muns residing in the tiny but mighty westworld rpc. 🥰

rp pet peeves: one is pretty much the same as Sandra said; making a new main blog in the spur of the moment. exhausting all energy on curating a distinct aesthetic for icons/banners/promos/custom themes/etc, and then completely losing interest in a week or 2 without ever getting to write that character. and then more often than not the process gets repeated down the line until that person either becomes overwhelmed from having too many blogs to manage or too many memes to answer or too many starters to write.

i also don't particularly love memes that promote making rp into a popularity contest or seeking an almost constant stream of validation from other people. things like "send a _ and i'll rate your blog on a scale of 1 to 10/using a scale template" i try to stay far away from. arguably every notification you get on tumblr is an instant dopamine hit just like all social media is but. idk there was just something about those blog rating/character rating memes that made them feel more addictive to send and receive than like, taking the time to give someone your honest opinion on how you feel about them as a person or on their writing and characters and such.

another similar thing is reblog chains to the effect of 'reblog this if you actually like following me/seeing me on the dash.' i really don't like these. there's a level of self-deprecation and guilt-tripping involved and when people already feel awfully low and vulnerable to negative self image this just makes it worse. especially when people post with side commentary like 'oh nobody will reblog this from me lol.' and i don't think they're always necessarily aware that this is manipulative behavior, but...it is. even just the way the source post is typically phrased, it preys on insecurity and it makes me sad when i do see mutuals reblogging posts written like this because then i'm like. just sitting there thinking "i'm not a spambot so...if i didn't like following you or seeing you on my dash i would not be following you??"

other forms of reblog chains like 'reblog to give the person you're reblogging from a hug' or 'reblog this and say something nice about the person you reblogged from' are far better in my opinion because they don't inherently contain that same level of insecurity. they put the focus on lifting up and supporting the person you're reblogging from instead of centering on yourself.

plots or memes: i like both but i am very much a memes person because i feel like i'm not very good at plotting.

long or short replies: i don't really have a preference! but lately my thing generally seems to be letting the length creep up so my replies just get longer and longer over time. i never expect anyone to match me, but like. the one thing that would crush my soul is me posting like. 5-7 paragraphs and getting back a one sentence or one word response 😭

are you like your muses: i have a few things in common with caleb, one of them being that we're both neurodivergent and just trying to exist in a society where it is typically seen as undesirable to be classed as such. i stumbled across a venn diagram a while back comparing and contrasting common traits associated with ptsd and autism and it has given me a lot to take into consideration in the way that i portray caleb

tagged by: @k4ndall

tagging: @gunslingcr @paddyfuck @weirdwonderful @killjoysanonymous @prettydead & you (not labeled)

[welcometogrouchland]

my Stephanie Brown hot take is that she should get mad bitches now that she's single in comics. Yes yes shipping BUT the one time she had sex she was punished by the narrative via teen pregnancy. I think she should be allowed to have as much sex as she wants with zero consequences. Could be a lot of sex, could be a little. Point is she should get to do it without getting narratively baby trapped this time. she should get them pregnant, actually.

[babacontainsmultitudes]

AH. So that's why they put that content warning. I see!

[thatsmellofrain]

to the people saying jinx could never reciprocate ekko's love in the main timeline because of everything she's been going through... i need you to examine your unconscious biases against mentally ill characters

[dreamsy990]

YAY I GOT THIS DONE ON HIS BIRTHDAY. HAPPY BIRTHDAY HAJIMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE YOU RUINED MY LIFE AND ALSO MAYBE SAVED MY LIFE. WHO THE FUCK KNOWS I DO LIKE YOU A LOT THOUGH

[candyheartedchy]

It must be nice not having to bottle everything up.

[cankersoregirl]

I was afraid I’d lose him. So I got there late. And… as I entered, I saw him about to take pictures by himself. The first thing that I felt was… I wanted to hug him. No matter how bad I was to him, he’s still there for me. Every time that I’ve fallen or torn apart, he always runs up to me. He’ll come running and hug me. The same goes for this time, where he shows up. Am I happy? I’m really delighted. I really am. I’d like to thank Save for always being by my side till this very day.

DMD Friendship the Reality: It Takes Two EP. 5