#it’s such a interesting balance to have in a character so I’m glad I can show it off well!

[chloesimaginationthings]

i absolutely love your characterization of movie vanessa,, like she is so mentally unwell but also she is full of whimsy!

The duality of Vanessa Shelly,,

[starheavenly]

hiii!!! loving your locket comics!!!!!! just wanted to ask a few questions about your process, if you dont mind :D

whats your general process like?

do you do thumbnails, how do they look like?

roughly how long does it take you to complete a comic panel or page?

how detailed are your sketches? do you do multiple?

do you have any specific techniques for lineart?

do you typically use references for your comics?

generally, how much effort and focus do you put into your comics?

do you have any advice for drawing comics?

sorry for for the absolute bombardment of questions, lmao. just really enjoy your art and comics and very interested in the behind the scenes!! feel free to skip any questions (or this whole ask) well wishes and salutations!!! :D

Hello! I'm so glad you enjoy my comics, and I totally don't mind breaking down the process!

For a normal comic page, I would likely actually write a script since it's much easier to keep track of dialogue and actions. But since these are short, I just write it into my thumbnails.

Step 1: Thumbnails. Easily one of my favorite parts, since I get to throw all my ideas down. I do these comics on a 2-panel grid, so I don't have to worry about actual paneling, and it allows me to focus more on the setup of each shot. Think of it like storyboarding!

Step 2: Add cleaner thumbs if needed. I actually made 3D models of Deadlock and Ratchet's chest in Blockbench, so I often trace them to save myself some time! (It might look insane, but I promise, for me, it's not.)

Step 3: Lettering! I actually like to get the lettering out of the way right away since it can take a while. Ever since I started treating lettering as its own form of art, my skills have gotten better, but it also takes much longer.

Step 4: Clean sketch! I'm just now finding out that people think I’m doing lineart for these? I am not… these are all just clean sketches. Maybe doing the blackwork gives the illusion of lineart?

Step 5: Color! Most of these comics are in black and white to save time, but it also lets me focus on values and shot framing again. I add my glow overlay to the eyes, and boom, done!

Roughly how long does it take you to complete a comic panel or page?

It really depends on how complicated the panels are. I like to step out of my comfort zone. I know the Grimlock and Misfire one took longer because of how many panels there were and the fact that I was drawing characters I’d never drawn before, but I’d say it usually takes around 5-8 hours for a whole page.

Do you typically use references for your comics?

I'm literally the reference GOD- we all know this. But yes, I love using references and doing character studies. I have yet to do a study on LL Drift, but I have a few references of him that I’ve made.

Generally, how much effort and focus do you put into your comics?

I mean, I wouldn't say I don't put in a lot of effort? I put in enough. I don't know… there's a point in the clean sketch process where you can kind of just turn off your brain. I'm passionate about comics, but we can all agree there's a point in a drawing where you just zone out.

Do you have any advice for drawing comics?

I think being able to balance dialogue and visuals is super important. I don't know if you guys have picked up a graphic novel from Barnes & Noble recently, but if you open a page, you'll see a character sitting with the biggest bubble you've ever seen, filled with paragraphs of text. While I get it—being a novel as much as it's graphic—I personally like to visualize emotions more. If it means adding two more panels to make an interesting dialogue setup, I don't mind doing it. Another thing to remember is that not all panels need to have details or 100% effort. Sometimes you need to simplify and move on, and that's okay! Those two extra panels that are giving you a better stage setup might be the ones that need fewer details and less time. I would consider my comic page work and my 4-panel work very different. One is about paneling, setup, and visuals, while the other is very much like storyboarding. Both are skills you learn with practice and study.

[welcometohellfilm]

Hi! I recently saw W2H2 part 1 and I must say it’s pretty amazing! Even better then the first one (which I loved btw), I know you anticipated that it wouldn’t have been full done, but I still wished the animation and the coloring were completed, like the first short. Nevertheless It has its charm anyway so good job, still amazing as always ! I just wanted to ask a few questions about Mephistopheles:

1) Is Mephistopheles actually capable of being evil and doing evil things as well ? Is he the type of guy that is usually pretty chill but can get REALLY angry if you piss him off? At the end of the first act, he said to Sock that he would fired him if he didn’t complete the job… did he mean literally “to fire him” (like burn or hurt him), or just meant “fired from the job” without causing him any harm? I am very curious about this character, I find him pretty charming and interesting! (I also love his character design)

2) How long will it be before the second and third parts of W2H2 release more or less (Months, years…)? And how long each part will be? Don’t wanna put preassure on you ofc , I’m just curious but I will be patient if that’s the case!

Thank you for this amazing little cartoon! I really love the plot and the characters and I look foward to see more! I hope you’ll reply soon and thank u again <33 (also sorry for my bad english but I am Italian eheh)

haha... yeah I'm getting that comment from a lot of people. But idk, when I look at the first short it looks pretty incomplete to me! Like to me, I think having better animation and less color is a decent trade-off, but I guess for a lot of people the color really did a lot of heavy-lifting. Anyway, I know it's a little disappointing, but my options were "call it good enough and post it", or "drive myself crazy working on it until I die", I know that sounds dramatic, and maybe I could've forced myself to finish at least throwing color on it, but I don't know, I didn't want to start resenting the thing I'm supposed to be passionate about. I kinda put myself between a rock and a hard place, didn't I? Sorry for the rant! I'm glad you enjoyed it anyway, haha. UHHH on to questions! 1. Mephistopheles is complicated. Or at least, I think he is, and I'm trying to figure out what that balance is. (I have an entire wordpad file full of notes/thoughts on Mephistopheles from one of my friends who's given a surprising amount of thought to the morality of the character that I'm gonna have to reference moving forward, haha). But as for my original thoughts on the character--- I don't consider him evil, but I think he's capable of doing things we would call 'evil', just like any human is. And like humans, he can be motivated by flawed, negative thoughts and feelings; spite, revenge, jealousy, whatever. But unlike humans he exists outside of space and time, and he's not a human himself, so his perception of morality is just different. The "you're fired" comment is meant to be a little confusing... like, you come to expect these stupid hell jokes from him, but then he clarifies "that wasn't a pun". And he's the devil, so maybe he's not joking. He COULD condemn Sock to hell. So that's the stakes of the story! If Meph is serious, Sock could be in a lot of trouble. We're not sure exactly how lenient he's going to be, or how trust-worthy he is. He's the devil! Toying with people is kind of his whole thing! haha. 2. It's not gonna' be another 10 years, that's for sure!!! Most of Part 2 is already rough animated (at least as much as Part 1 has been). There's still... one or two scenes that need more animation, and pretty much every shot of Shadow!Jonathan still needs to be done. It also needs more backgrounds, but there's FEWER backgrounds in Part 2 (Hell is just a re-usable Shadow-Realmy-y void), and a lot of the stuff from Jonathan's house can be re-used with different lighting. I'll have a better idea of the timeline once I sit down and crack it open again... and it's about to get kind of busy with the holidays and all, but it should be finished some time next year! Hopefully in the first half of 2025! I'll try to keep everyone posted. Anyway thanks for your questions! Hope this helped!

[shutupineedtothink]

AAA final thoughts + praise 🙌🏼

Ok now that I’ve had a few days to sit with the finale and let go of my preconceived ideas of what it should be, yeah it really was brilliant. I still don’t Iove ghost Agatha, but I get it. And now I’m really pulling for Wanda to come back so that she can bring Agatha back (this happens in the comics apparently) and we can do a MCU witch movie. Sign Jac Schaeffer IMMEDIATELY, Feige. Lock her down, we all want more of this shit.

As to where the show ranks overall in the MCU, I feel like at this point it has to be #1. Even above WandaVision, and certainly above Loki, as much as I love both of them. This show just does… more. Like I can’t believe how much they packed into these 9 episodes. This is what… a true six hander? Six fully defined characters with fully developed arcs and satisfying journeys? With the possible exception of Agatha and Billy’s journey not being over yet, which doesn’t take away from their arcs and development along the show. (Again, had to let go of my own theories there.) WandaVision at most had 3… Wanda, Vision, and Monica, and I don’t feel like Vision had much of an arc tbh.

And then all the little witchy horror movie references throughout, the incredible seeding of the Billy’s Road reveal, building up and breaking down the coven, Agatha’s incredible complexity as a character and not being able to neatly put her in any category, hero, villain, anti-hero, whatever. You really can’t pin her down and I don’t think I’ve seen that in the MCU ever. I guess the last character like that was sort of Loki, but he had more of a true redemption arc. Agatha just… exists in the gray at all times. You just never know what she’s gonna do. And it’s amazing.

Then there’s the Ballad and truly weaving that throughout the whole show in such a way that it’s instrumental (pun intended) to the plot… who does that? Plus the amazing score that feels just as present throughout. The only comp I can kind of make is Clara’s theme in DW, but the Ballad is way more intentional throughout.

I can’t possibly go into it all but the sheer amount of setup and pay off is incredible. And yet we leave with more mysteries to solve and more questions to ask, which is also incredible!

Not to mention the production design, the practical effects, costumes, makeup — every visual was stunning.

And I’m not even going to get into AgathaRio (and Nicky) and all the tragic complexity there. I get wanting a happy ending but… also what ever made you think this would be as simple as a happy ending? They are a. Capital S. STORY. They’re practically mythological. Who cares about happily ever after when you can have Epic, Fated, Complex Romance that literally transcends this Earth. Like what more do you want?? That is the top echelon of epic romance. Disconnect the “happy ever after” = “good romance” link in your brain, you know? Judge by complexity and emotionality and dynamic range rather than something as simple and boring as do they end up together or not. They’re so wildly interesting and I’m so glad we could get more of them in the future. (Ok I did get into it oops)

And the humor?? I don’t think I even need to say anything. But what comedic excellence from everyone across the board, with Kathryn Hahn leading the charge of course. And to balance that with the drama without undercutting either of them is not easy, but they all did it flawlessly.

I could go on and on but I just hope this show, and Jac, and Kathryn, and everyone involved gets their flowers for this work of art. There’s just so much love and care and intentionality here. It really feels like a standout not just in the MCU but in contemporary TV in general. Easily my top show of 2024, it’s not even a contest. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[mapoeggplant]

skip to loafer chapter 58 analyze // spoilers

takamatsu-sensei continues with her beautiful and delicate writing, respecting her characters so that they themselves come into their own at the right moments — extending even to the secondary characters.

when i first opened the chapter and saw kazakami, i confess i was a little surprise. on one hand, exploring more of his character was something i was waiting for so long. on the other, it surprises me how she chose such moment to explore him a little further, but now I understand why she did it.

while we see the ending of the summer trip and mitsumi opening up to her friends as a closure to a long storyline, we do have to keep in mind that it only opened another door, way more tricky to explore. to dive deep into that right away would give her little to no time to explore the other characters that englobes the narrative and makes it function. it’s such an intelligent way to keep the plot flowing and adding more details to it.

well anyways, i digress. let’s focus on kazakami for now:

i’ve seen a lot of people often calling him a little selfish or self centered before, since the little scenes we had with him, his posture were always nonchalant. for me, it always felt like something was off, something he was hiding. not that i was sure about it, it just felt like “hm…this comes from a place of defense”. giving up soccer and focusing on being the president, for exemple, gave me an impression of him trying to find a distraction and a way to keep boosting his curriculum. and now, with more information, i have my doubts.

for kazakami’s backstory, sensei uses a plot she’s been using for a while: the “show not tell”, where she explicit give us a little of said character as a way to keep us going — for shima, the scandal; yasaka, her bedroom; now for kazakami, it was dive. opening the chapter with him pretending to be the main character was a very smart idea. that instantly broke the image we had of him, as this serious, ironical guy, specially after how ch 57 ended. now, we clearly see he’s just a boy with his own story and interests.

that brings the reader closer to kazakami (specially since us, the readers, also love anime and such lol). and she keeps on “showing, not telling” when she choses to show how kazakami is on school first to later expose his life at home.

that wall he build, that nonchalant attitude, it’s all a result of strict parents. it’s not that kazakami doesn’t want to be a normal teenager with interests: he was raised with the mindset of productive rather than pleasure. he was repressed into this box and feels guilty to break from it — by doing that, he’s afraid to sound ungrateful and selfish; that’s why he just swallows his food and accept his fate. the next day, a little more gasoline is added to the fuel. kanechika is the exact opposite of him, the perfect description of “freedom”.

but he also is someone who’s fighting for his dreams, someone who have his parents approval, someone who never let go of his interests and still have a bright future ahead of him. it’s frustrating for kazakami. he had to let go of everything in order to have the same future of the the “authentic” guy who never let go of anything. it’s a slap on the face, specially when kanechika holds dear the same thing as him: dive. the contrast between both characters is amazing and

i’m glad sensei chose to explore both at the same time. yes, we do focus more on kazakami, but we know a little about kanechika’s future and we also know a little more of his personality (i mean, he ran after kazakami just to talk about anime. he is observant, he can see that there is something more there). it’s a balance between narratives to maintain the equilibrium and use kanechika’s kindness as a way to tell more of kazakami’s backstory. but this is a conversation we will only continue when the next chapter is out…

thank you for reading it!! i’m sooo excited with what sensei have in store for us and can’t wait to discuss more with you guys

[confirmeddead]

Hello!

Can I ask you how you feel about the DM of it all following the season finale and the time that has passed since? If I recall correctly I think you expressed some disappointment at first, and honestly, I am really feeling a bit put off by it all right now… I would honestly be thrilled to be convinced to view it all in a more positive light

I’m just frustrated with a lot of the writing of the last few episodes and with what it may mean for the upcoming seasons. Like, the build up to s2e5 and s2e8 was incredibly but then s2e6 and s2e8 were both really anticlimactic. First the DM of it all, with Armand’s and Daniel’s interactions of s2e5 being basically only about other characters - clearly the DM of it all (their first meeting in the books etc.) was merely rewritten and adapted to provide Daniel with the motivation and clues to expose Armand for Louis’ sake. Don’t take me wrong, I loved the writing of most of Louis’ story this season (his complicated relationship with Claudia being the best part), but reducing another secondary character’s plot to only serve the main plot and characters really made me sad. As someone who really enjoys these secondary characters as well.

A lot of fans seemed okay with it after the episode (and I was too), given that it could be a good adaptation of their first meeting if and only if, DM did happened in the past following this event (or if a DM would have kicked off now in the present, but Armand turning Daniel arguably changes everything about this too much to make it a good prelude).

And now that it has become clear that there probably isn’t a past DM of which that event was a prelude I just feel empty about it. I might have felt more okay if the psychological consequences for Daniel wasn’t treated as a quick afterthought. I mean Daniel has basically one scene of being upset about the consequences of the psychological trauma before it all becomes about Armand’s deception of Louis. I literally rewatched the episode the other day and the turn is jarring. The scene of Armand “apologising” to Daniel being the only interaction explicitly about that event in the show afterwards, before Daniel fuelled by anger exposes Armand was just really strange. I do hope that Daniel’s anger at Armand for San Francisco is still a thing next season, cause otherwise this will all just fall really flat psychologically. And I just fear that it won’t be taken seriously given the writing of it in s2e6. Do you know what I mean? Am I making any sense here? I am glad that Louis’ and Daniel’s relationship was given some more depth though, so I guess there’s that.

I just really don’t know where they are going with Daniel, given how much they have changed everything now that Daniel’s already a vampire. Armand I’m not as worried about because there’s a whole long book to take inspiration from and adapt. I know it’s been said they won’t do the TVA book, but I’m pretty sure I’ve read before that they mean to tell Armand’s story as well - though probably not as it’s own season. Pretty sure AZ leaked it would be a big thing in s4.

Daniel however, only really has that one really intense DM chapter about him. And now that they’ve already turned him, a lot of what happens in it is off the table. There can’t be a Daniel who teaches and drags Armand into the human world, nor a fascinating and thrilling human-vampire relationship, nor intense fights between Daniel and Armand about immortality. Even their f*cked up and intense uneven power balance is pretty much gone now. Rolin saying they are going to do a somewhat Talk Radio version of Daniel just leaves me cold. Talk Radio already exists on screen, we don’t need another version of it. But I dunno, maybe there’s something interesting there? What do you think?

I was really intrigued to see that Daniel will make an appearance in the Talamasca show, but given the awful writing of Mayfair I’m just worried he will become a really dull Phil Coulson-esque character. Someone who exists to bind the shows together.

Regarding s2e8 I just felt it was very anticlimactic with the books falling over Daniel, after it had been hyped in probably all of the trailers - leading to absolutely nothing. And deciding they will never show Daniel’s turning, and just revealing it in a cheap horror movie twist manner, is just a decision I will probably always be upset about. I don’t knew, I just don’t have a good feeling about the upcoming seasons given the writing decisions here. Am I too worried? Hopefully so, I just feel really disappointed. Sorry for the downer ask, I just really enjoy reading your thoughts and feelings, so I just really want to hear what you think of it all. Thank you!

Hi!

Sorry for the delay in my response but let’s get into it~

First and foremost, let me answer your question- yes, initially I was disappointed with how they handled Armandaniel, but moreso Daniel’s turning and the “spite” comment. I’m sure if I were to look back at my post I’d disagree with a lot of what I said or find myself overdramatic haha

The truth is, my feelings on it have indeed changed. My understanding of them as characters and this newfound dynamic have helped with a lot of the apprehension you’re feeling. I’ll get into that in a bit.

For the writing, I understand your feelings. It’s not the first time they’ve done this. The whole Claudia and Madeleine murders were overshadowed with LESTAT SAVED LOUIS and ARMAND BETRAYED LOUIS and LOUSTAT REUNION with Claudia being almost an afterthought. Not for Louis, of course, but for the viewer and Claudia’s memory. Louis still felt it all and mourned Claudia deeply. I’m getting off track but my point is, DM was never going to be a focal point for anyone- characters or writers (I mean, they can prove me wrong!). I didn’t want to view it like this because of my love for DM and I don’t like saying that but I genuinely think it’s a fact. At least there’s Assad! DM is an afterthought.

This isn’t my critiquing of Louis or Daniel or even Lestat but of the writing that overshadowed poor Claudia. I’m not alone in this feeling.

So, my thing with Daniel is the absolute moment they cast Eric, everything for Daniel changed. It was all thrown out the window (I mean, the very few things we did have).

Them changing DM as a whole almost seems par for the course. They started from the ground up with him and for Louis, as well. But with that, I think the same level of care they gave Louis’ characterization will be given to Daniel because of this- and this is why I think they turned Daniel when they did.

Sure, it made Eric happy (I know what you are, Rolin), but they’re building the foundation for Daniel now (while Louis’ roof is being fixed (pun not intended))

Daniel’s vampirism is a stepping stone to everything he will be- and everything he and Armand will and could be. He’s gonna go into it with rockstar sunglasses and a middle finger up but it’s never that easy. I want him to need Armand and find themselves together. I think this is where their adaption of The Devil’s Minion could come.

Maybe the tender and weird past DM stuff happened, I couldn’t tell you. But if it didn’t, their story started incredibly fucked up and continues to be that (foundation, foundation). I don’t think Daniel is over what happened to him, I think he’s very much like Armand and he bottled that up and will Molotov cocktail it through Armand’s figurative window.

In all honesty, I haven’t seen Talk Radio so I can’t comment on that. But I think the weird stuff is still on the table, but it’s gonna be a little different. Armand hasn’t changed drastically, and his… mannerisms… are here to stay and use against Daniel. I’m interested to see what fucked up little relationship they do have.

And the power balance… physically, of course it’s still there but there’s a new dynamic. There’s a taut rope between them and they are tugging for the win, but it’s never that easy (and is it breaking clean in half?)

I’m excited for the Talamasca show! I’m confident Rolin and co gave them some notes or at the very least OK’d the script haha. I’d like to give some chance to the poor writers of the Talamasca show since they only have a few peas and carrots on their plate- they can do a lot at this TVC buffet (I don’t know why I’m talking like this).

Don’t feel bad about being disappointed, especially about the transformation. That I’m still bitter about… how did they fuck up the one unselfish, beautiful moment between Armand and his only fledgling, scrap it and laugh it off and and andkdfklansalknf

Okay, so maybe I’m a lotta sore about it all.

It’s OK to critique or have issues with a tv show and you’re not sounding unreasonable for wanting something of your favorite pairing. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I do wholeheartedly believe they have something good up their sleeves for DM but are waiting to chuck it at the general audience who maybe has no clue what’s in store.

I did see your second ask and will respond later today

We’ll see what happens but until then…

[interactivefictionramblings]

[Spoilers for And The Haze Will Take Us.]

I’ve said this in another post, but since that one was focused on characters and not the story as a whole, I’m making a separate post for it now.

I like that the story presents us with one truth - Lada doesn’t care about others’ opinion of her - only to give us little hints, leading to a reveal, that this truth was never actually one at all. And I want to reflect on this, in regards to the plot.

The story presents to us the truth: the gods are good and the Haze is a cursed fog, it is just evil.

I wonder if that will prove a lie?

In the opening of the story, the narration says no-one knows what the gods did to deserve such punishment. If we choose to dance at the celebration, the narration talks about the cycle of life and death, blessing and punishment. It makes me wonder if these gods are a part of a cycle, but, refusing to die, they searched for a way to take the sun’s power, violating the cycle of life and death, resulting in their punishment—the creation of a cursed fog, which crashed over them, killing them where they stood. And Perun, the supreme god, the one who thought of stealing the sun’s power, received the worst punishment, as with the others most involved: a slow death, their spirits trapped in the bones of their bodies, unable to stop nature’s claim.

But they used the last of their power before the fog reached them to claim the nearest village, so that they can continue to get their worship.

Meanwhile, the sun was reborn, as it was ever meant to, because it had never done anything to earn punishment. The villagers suffer death because they are prolonging the lives of gods who are meant to be dead, taking the lives of other creatures to do so—violating the cycles.

It was one thing when the gods were allowed to be alive, but now, as they were to return to the earth, to nature, it was theft, a disrespect to it—the balance of things. All life must end, right?

And yet the gods refuse to die, making others die in their place: feeding the fear of the Haze.

Well, it’s just an idea.

Although, if the gods are being merged with nature, with Earth, in death, it makes sense that Ozar hears them best the closer he is to it.

Anyway, I find it interesting that throughout the story, the choices between Reality & Haze have the Haze as focusing on the truth. First is with finding out what happened to Vereya, iirc. Reality says Lada wants to forget the pain and move on, and Haze says she wants to find out what happened. But that’s a vague example of what I mean. There’s also before Lada has the hut cemetery vision, where Reality says Lada’s imagining Vereya’s spirit, and Haze says she’s glad to be haunted (as now, Lada can help her twin). The thing is that both times, Reality isn’t about what’s true. And I think there were more examples, like going to Quietwater with Ozar. But I’m just going to leave some relevant pics.

[fruitageoforanges]

Hello, I read your aegond fic series recently and wow, it’s kind of crazy how so many small details you added to it actually ended up happening in the show 😭 the little sunfyre boops, theory going around fandom rn that helaena sometimes mends Aegon’s clothing when she’s embroidering. MOST of Aegon’s characterization this season. Even Aegon listening to petitions kind of felt like the scene with Helaena doing the same. And I think you captured the vibes I get from all 3 of them based on the show perfectly. Aemond’s temper and overall pragmatic attitude is so spot on, the scene of him dressing down larys reminded me of him talking to the substitute Lannister hand in your fic.

It’s like my fix it for all the wasted potential of season 2. Im so sad bc i’m loving the actors’ portrayals but i hate so much of what they’re making them do?? So thank you for writing it!! You took everything i liked from the show and made smth very lovely and emotionally cathartic from it

Also would love to hear your thoughts on season 2 bc I think your characterization for the siblings and Alicent is so spot on. Anything you liked or disliked from what they’ve been doing so far?

thank you so much! i’m glad you enjoyed the series, and that it can make up for a bit of the stupidity of s2! as you can probably tell from the way i wrote the yellow dress series, i’m not best pleased with a lot of the writing choices for s2. i’ll go through each of the characters and tell you what i think:

alicent: i’m torn, because while i feel like show!alicent (and show!rhaenyra) does a massive disservice to book!alicent, because the showrunners seem to have got it in their heads that a sympathetic woman is one who is constantly the victim of those around her and that sympathy is more important than making a character interesting, i also think her characterisation in this season is pretty coherent for the way they set her up in s1, and i do enjoy it. ironically what i really enjoy is her and aemond’s relationship falling apart — i saw a very good post talking about the driftmark incident, and how aemond idolises her for her expression of protective fury while she hates that she lost control like that, and him realising she’s never going to stand up for him instead of rhaenyra like that again is an excellent way to fracture their relationship.

helaena: i really like her characterisation! aside from the fact that maelor not existing really diminishes b&c, i think they’ve struck a good balance between showing her being heavily affected but not reducing all of her agency like in the book. the fact that they’re giving her and aegon’s relationship more weight than they did in s1 pleases me greatly.

aegon: i mostly enjoy his characterisation this season — i really enjoyed the second brothel scene as it showed he hasn’t really stopped being a bit of a shit to aemond over the years, and let’s be honest, he’s never going to stop, that’s just how their relationship is. what i don’t like is the ways the showrunners have deliberately exaggerated his incompetence, like him being shut out of the plan for rook’s rest, going into battle drunk and not even knowing high valyrian. i feel like this is partially because the showrunners really want us to know this is the rhaenyra show, and partially what i said above with regards to alicent — because it’s the rhaenyra show, they seem to have it in their head that characters can only be sympathetic if they’re victimised by others to some degree and not directly involved in prosecuting the war. so if they want some degree of sympathy for aegon, they feel like they have to diminish his involvement, and make him a victim of his own team, which leads me on to…

aemond: of all the greens, i’m most annoyed at how aemond has been characterised this season. the writers seem to have decided he’s the character they can make an unequivocal villain even to his own side in order to make alicent and aegon “more sympathetic”. this when they did such a good job in his 13 minutes of screen time in s1 of making him more than the one-dimensional psycho he was in the book. and even in the book, he didn’t betray aegon at rook’s rest!! that was the lazy way out of the aegond relationship — though i might’ve hated it less if it was given any emotional weight. ewan mitchell is wasted on this writing; he does so well with simple facial expressions, but the writers seem to have decided that aside from the first brothel scene, aemond doesn’t get to have emotions. or, you know, a coherent character arc — with aegon’s comments about him being a loyal hound in ep 1, i thought he was being set up to have to choose between his own ambitions and loyalty, or that he might have a scrap of complicated feelings about rook’s rest, but no, the evil switch has been flipped, so bye bye character arc. that said, i love how he’s demolishing the small council at the moment and cackled out loud when he put larys down. get his ass, babygirl. he’s also the only targtower at the moment to be actually focusing on winning the war, so well done my pragmatic wife.

daeron: he exists! at last! stupid to not even mention him in s1, but i’m so fucking excited to meet him and deeply tickled to think of him as a mini-gwayne.

i don’t have too many thoughts about team black other than that the show has done unforgivable things to baela the brave… but i must admit that jace has wormed his way into my heart by being a) the prettiest, most fashionable princess of the season and b) constantly done with rhaenyra’s bullshit. he and aemond need to get together and commiserate over having to deal with their mothers’ nonsense.

[paris-in-space]

Hey, I was wondering how you chose colors for the Dracula cast! (I love Arthur's red jacket.)

Hi! I am so sorry I only just saw this ask today, but I’ll answer it now, hopefully it was worth the wait (at least with the drawing asks I have the excuse of not having had time to draw things).

Okay so, a lot of the decisions I made when it comes to the colours was on instinct, but I can still try and explain.

Jonathan wears brown, with a hint of red in his tie, and has brown hair and eyes, I wanted his colours to be relatively unassuming, the little bit of red is for visual interest but also maybe hints that he’s not just an average guy, but his design is intentionally quite plain.

When I first designed Mina it was actually for an English Lit A Level class where I had to make a character sheet about her, so I actually googled her for inspiration and took some from her look in the 1992 film (I now hate that film although it does have gorgeous visuals) and I think the green from her outfits in that film stuck in my head. Initially in my mind I didn’t imagine her as a redhead however when it came to actually putting colour on her it felt like a good decision to make, and offers some nice contrast to the green. Her earrings are meant to be like drops of blood because symbolism.

Lucy wears pink because I think of her as being pretty and feminine, the choice to have multiple shades of pink in her outfit was just to make it more interesting although the ribbon she wears in her hair matches with Arthur’s tie. Her hair is a warm blonde because of the sunny ripples line in the book, and her eyes are brown to keep things warm.

Arthur is the character whose design has changed the most since the first time I ever drew him, and I’m glad of it. (My original design of him was incredibly boring) although since first adding colour it has changed very little. The choice of red both looks nice next to Lucy and fits in with the other suitors whilst still being distinctly different. Choosing Arthur’s colours was very much a case of seeing what felt right rather than thinking too much about it in depth. (Also thank you for the compliment on his jacket.)

Jack spends a lot of time being sad so a cold colour palette made sense for him, I think the green has some medical connotations, and still allows for him to have some colour in his design without being too bright. Aside from brown shoes which sort of balance out his hair, any other clothing than his waistcoat and tie are grey because I don’t think he’s the sort to wear much colour. He also has the palest skin of the lot because he spends a lot of time inside.

Quincey on the other hand has such a warm presence as a character that his colour palette is full of warm tones. His mustard yellow waistcoat is the most memorable thing to me but it isn’t his only defining colour, I mostly just wanted him to have a very warm presence without venturing too close to Arthur’s red. I am also fully on board with the idea of Quincey being a person of colour.

Renfield is very grey all around with almost purple undertones. His clothes are very much inspired by the 1931 film which was of course black and white, and are also simple enough that many other colour choices wouldn’t make much sense for him. His hair reflects his age, and his complexion is somewhat unnatural (definitely unhealthy) to sort of separate him as a link between Dracula and the human world whilst also not really being a part of either.

I have barely drawn Van Helsing in colour so I don’t think I can really do a colour analysis on him yet, I need to get into the habit of drawing him and actually design him an everyday outfit, I’m pretty sure the only time I’ve done him in colour he was wearing black because of Lucy’s death.

Dracula himself is a mysterious black shadow with red eyes, mostly because I like the idea of depicting his menacing presence and dangerous vibe without specific details, I also really like the idea of a Dracula adaptation where you don’t actually see Dracula, and just have the mystery that the characters face and whilst drawing him this way isn’t exactly doing that, I think knowing this might make the design make more sense.

I hope this makes sense and was worth waiting so long.

(I had to re type a bunch of this a few times because I accidentally clicked off without saving more than once, having typed out multiple paragraphs)

[tomhardystories]

Part 7

Over the next few months, Tom and Jules fell into a friendship so easy it was almost suspicious. No forced niceties, no awkward silences - just a steady stream of sarcasm, late-night texts, and the occasional coffee that somehow lasted three hours. It was a dynamic that felt less like meeting someone new and more like finding an old friend who’d been stuck in traffic for thirty years.

It started with their late-night texts, which became a near-daily ritual. Jules would tease Tom mercilessly about his terrible texting habits, and he would fire back with equally sharp comebacks.

Jules: Still typing with one finger? I can practically hear the hunt-and-peck method from here. Tom: Mocking my process doesn’t make it faster. Jules: It’s character-building. You should thank me.

Their banter became the cornerstone of their friendship - quick, playful, and refreshingly straightforward. Jules relished having someone who could match her sharp wit without missing a beat, and Tom found it freeing to be around someone who treated him like an ordinary guy rather than a Hollywood figure. Their conversations felt effortless, an even exchange of humor and honesty that neither of them had realized they were missing.

When Tom wasn’t busy being a Hollywood star or a dedicated dad, they’d meet up. Their in-person meetups were equally chaotic. Tom was subjected to Jules’ self-declared “World Tour of Mediocre Coffee Shops” where she made him try suspiciously named drinks like the “Mocha Explosion Deluxe.” 

“This tastes like someone melted a chocolate bar in dishwater” Tom grumbled. 

“Yes” Jules said. “That’s the signature flavor.”

In return, Tom dragged Jules to a hidden bookstore in the West Village, claiming it was his “happy place.” Jules rolled her eyes but secretly loved it. She spent an hour mocking the over-the-top book titles in the self-help section before Tom caught her buying a collection of terrible poetry. 

“Is this for ironic purposes?” he asked

Of course, Tom’s celebrity life came with its own brand of nonsense, which Jules delighted in hearing about, and mocking.

“So this fan asked me to autograph her forehead” Tom said one afternoon as they sat on a park bench with lattes in hand.

Jules nearly dropped her coffee. “Her forehead? Were her arms broken?”

“She said it was going to be her next tattoo” Tom replied, looking both amused and horrified.

Jules wheezed with laughter. “Oh, this is excellent. I’m never letting you forget this. From now on, your brand is forehead tattoos.”

“Glad I could provide material for your stand-up routine” Tom deadpanned.

Moments like these became the norm: effortless, filled with humor, and surprisingly grounding. When Jules had a rough day at work, Tom became her go-to sounding board. He’d text her just to check in:

Tom: You still alive? Or do I need to send coffee and moral support? Jules: Alive. Barely. Coffee would help, though...

One afternoon, he showed up at her office unannounced, balancing two cups of coffee and a box of pastries for her team. Jules was quietly touched, though she deflected with her usual wit. 

Likewise, when Tom needed someone to vent to - whether about co-parenting frustrations or the grind of his work - Jules was always there, listening with genuine interest (and the occasional sharp comment to keep things from getting too serious).

“Why do people assume actors have it so easy?” he mused over tea one evening. “Because they don’t see you signing foreheads” Jules quipped, making him laugh despite himself.

Their connection wasn’t just about jokes, though. Over time, they began sharing more personal parts of their lives. Tom introduced Jules to his son, Louis, during a casual outing. To his surprise, Louis and Jules hit it off immediately, bonding over shared love of a specific animated series. Jules, in turn, brought Tom into her circle of friends, who were both intrigued and amused by his easy going nature.

“She doesn’t even roll her eyes at you that much” Samantha noted, impressed. “That’s progress.”

As their friendship grew, it became clear how much they valued each other’s presence. Jules appreciated having someone who genuinely listened without judgment, while Tom enjoyed the simplicity of being around someone who didn’t treat him like a celebrity.

There was no big declaration or dramatic shift - just a natural, comfortable rhythm. They weren’t just pals anymore; they were the kind of best friends who could count on each other for anything, whether it was a laugh, a coffee delivery, or a quiet moment of understanding. For both Jules and Tom, it was exactly what they hadn’t realized they needed.

Jules didn’t know what to expect when Tom invited her out. “Just a casual thing” he’d said over coffee, which, in Tom-speak, meant “I’ve planned something potentially life-altering, and I’m not telling you the details because I enjoy watching you squirm.”

When she walked into the bar, her first thought was that it seemed... normal. Warm lighting, low music, people laughing over drinks. Her second thought, upon spotting Leonardo DiCaprio and Cillian Murphy sitting with Tom at a corner table, was: Oh. Of course.

Tom waved her over, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. “Jules, meet Leo and Cillian. Guys, this is Jules - my friend, occasional critic, and partner in crime.”

Leo stood first, extending his hand with a mischievous smile. “Ah, so you’re the legendary Jules. Tom’s mentioned you.”

Jules shook his hand, her brain immediately short-circuiting. What had Tom mentioned? That she was sarcastic? Prone to saying the wrong thing? Once compared him to a disgruntled sloth when he was grumpy?

“Good things, I hope” she said, recovering slightly.

Cillian, quieter but no less magnetic, stood next. He gave her a polite nod and extended his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise” Jules managed, trying not to be unnerved by the sheer intensity of his gaze.

“Alright” Tom said, gesturing to the empty seat beside him. “Sit down before Leo tries to recruit you for one of his climate documentaries.”

Leo feigned offense. “Excuse me, I don’t recruit people. I inspire them.”

“Is that what we’re calling it now?” Cillian deadpanned, earning a laugh from Jules.

The night started out easy enough. Jules was sipping her sparkling water, grateful Tom wasn’t drinking either - it made her feel less like a social pariah. She was trying to cut down on drinking, mostly out of solidarity with Tom, though she hadn’t quite mastered it yet. Leo, meanwhile, was holding court, effortlessly recounting stories about his environmental projects, dodgy fan encounters, and the time he accidentally bought a 20-foot yacht instead of a 10-foot one.

“It was an honest mistake” he insisted, taking a sip of his drink.

“Was it, though?” Cillian asked, raising an eyebrow.

Jules leaned toward Tom. “Do normal people accidentally buy yachts, or is that strictly a rich-people problem?”

Tom chuckled. “Depends. Do normal people accidentally buy a ridiculously overpriced bottle of olive oil just because it had a cute label?”

Jules sighed dramatically. “That happened once. Let it go.”

Cillian was clearly loving the banter. “So, Jules” he said, leaning in conspiratorially. “How’s Tom as a friend? Be honest. We won’t tell him.”

Jules didn’t miss a beat. “Oh, he’s great. Super dependable. He only cancels plans at the last minute like... half the time.”

Tom groaned. “That happened twice, and one of those was because my kid was sick.”

“Excuses” Jules quipped. “Also, he sends unsolicited playlists. Did you know there are entire albums of rain sounds accompanied by melancholy acoustic guitar? Because I do.”

Leo laughed so hard he nearly spilled his drink. “That is Tom. I love it.”

Cillian raised an eyebrow at Tom. “Still inflicting your playlists on innocent people, I see.”

“They’re curated” Tom defended. “Curated is different.”

As the night wore on, Jules found herself relaxing - helped along by the fact that Tom wasn’t drinking, which made her feel less self-conscious about her sparkling water.

“Honestly” Jules said at one point, “not drinking is harder than I thought. I mean, what do you do when everyone else is tipsy and you’re just... here?”

“You people-watch” Cillian said matter-of-factly, gesturing subtly toward a man at the bar who was gesticulating wildly with a cocktail umbrella stuck in his hair.

Leo grinned. “Or you start making up backstories for them. Like him - definitely a rogue spy trying to blend in but failing miserably.”

“Or he’s auditioning for the role of ‘drunk uncle’ at a wedding” Jules added, earning a rare chuckle from Cillian.

Tom, who was watching all this with a bemused expression, leaned closer to Jules. “See? You’re fitting right in.”

“Am I?” she whispered. “Because I feel like I’m one awkward comment away from becoming a meme.”

Leo overheard and laughed. “Don’t worry, Jules. If anyone makes you a meme, I’ll make sure it’s a flattering one.”

As the group shifted into smaller conversations, Jules found herself next to Cillian, who was nursing what looked like the world’s smallest glass of whiskey.

“So” Jules began, leaning her chin on her hand, “what’s the strangest place you’ve ever been?”

Cillian tilted his head, considering. “Strangest? Hmm. I’d say it was this tiny Irish village we filmed in once. Population of about twenty. The pub doubled as the post office, and the bartender was also the priest. It was like a sitcom waiting to happen.”

Jules laughed, picturing the scene. “That’s amazing. Did you have to confess your sins before getting a pint?”

Cillian smirked. “Not quite, but he did try to save my soul after I ordered a second whiskey.”

“Well” Jules said, straightening up, “I think I can top that. I once got locked in the janitor’s closet at the Museum of Modern Art.”

Cillian blinked, a flicker of surprise crossing his face. “You’re joking.”

“I wish I were” she said, already giggling at the memory. “I was trying to leave, but instead of pushing the exit door, I yanked open a closet. I stepped inside, realized it wasn’t the way out, and somehow the door slammed shut behind me.”

“And no one noticed?” Cillian asked, his brows lifting in amused disbelief.

“Apparently not” Jules replied, her voice rising as she relived the absurdity. “I was stuck in there for an hour, sitting on a bucket, surrounded by mops and the faint smell of lemon disinfectant.”

Cillian chuckled, shaking his head. “What did you do for an hour? Contemplate life among the cleaning supplies?”

“Oh, I went full panic mode” Jules admitted, gesturing animatedly. “At first, I banged on the door like I was auditioning for a horror movie. When that didn’t work, I texted a friend, but of course, she thought I was joking. So I ended up Googling ‘how to pick a lock with a bobby pin.’ Spoiler alert: it doesn’t work if you have no idea what you’re doing.”

Cillian laughed, the sound low and warm. “And how did you finally escape?”

“A janitor eventually came by and found me” Jules said, shaking her head. “The worst part was, he didn’t even look surprised. Just said, ‘Again?’ Like this was a regular occurrence.”

Cillian leaned back, clearly enjoying her story. “You must’ve made his week.”

“Probably” Jules agreed, grinning. “But I can’t step foot in that museum without feeling like the mops are judging me.”

“Well, that’s one for the memoir” Cillian said with a faint smile. “Locked in a closet at the MoMA. I’d call it performance art.”

“Oh, don’t encourage me” Jules quipped. “I’m already considering titling my autobiography Bucket Seats and Bad Decisions.”

Cillian chuckled again, and for a moment, the noise of the bar faded as they shared a quiet laugh, the conversation settling into that rare, effortless ease.

As they left the bar, Jules fell into step beside Tom, her heart light.

“Thanks for tonight” she said, her tone more sincere now. “Your friends are… surprisingly ordinary. For Hollywood, anyway.”

“They like you” Tom said, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Leo told me you’re funnier than me, which, honestly, I’m not sure I’m okay with.”

“Don’t worry” Jules teased. “Your ego will recover.”

Tom laughed, shaking his head.

As her cab pulled up, Jules hesitated. “Really, they are… not what I expected.”

“Yeah?” Tom asked, tilting his head.

“Yeah” she said with a smile. “They’re weirdly normal.”

“Don’t let Leo hear you say that” Tom said, smirking. “He’ll take it as an insult.”

And with that, she hopped into the cab, leaving Tom to wonder, not for the first time, how someone like Jules had become such an important part of his life.

Tom was sitting on his balcony, nursing a cup of coffee and basking in the rare glory of a peaceful morning. No script rewrites. No co-parenting emergencies. Just him, a slightly overcast sky, and the knowledge that he didn’t have to pretend to like kale today. Then his phone buzzed.

He glanced at the screen. Leo.

Tom smirked and answered, already bracing himself. Leo never called without an agenda. “Morning, DiCaprio. To what do I owe this honor? Did a yacht spring a leak?”

Leo’s laugh came through the line. “Funny. No, I wanted to talk about something, or, rather, someone.”

Tom took a sip of his coffee, narrowing his eyes. “If this is about me joining another climate fundraiser where I have to dress like a tree, I...”

“No, no” Leo interrupted, his tone suspiciously casual. “It’s about Jules.”

Tom froze, the cup halfway to his mouth. “Jules?” He cleared his throat, aiming for nonchalance but hitting more of a confused parrot. “What about her?”

“I like her” Leo said simply, as though he were announcing he’d found a new favorite oat milk. “She’s smart, funny, doesn’t take any of your crap, and let’s face it, Tom, that’s a short list.”

Tom squinted at the horizon, trying to process. “Wait, you like her? As in, you want to...” He gestured vaguely at the air, even though Leo couldn’t see him. “....ask her out?”

“Why not?” Leo said, like he’d just suggested ordering takeout. “She’s got a great vibe. And let’s be honest - she’s too cool to just hang out with you.”

Tom blinked. “Charming. Thanks.”

“Look, man, I’m serious. I think I’d like to take her out for a drink, get to know her a bit more. Do you think she’d go for it?”

For a moment, Tom said nothing. His brain was playing some sort of emotional pinball, bouncing between.... Jules? And Leo? And wait, why does this bother me? It didn’t make sense. Jules was Jules, his sharp-tongued, no-nonsense friend who once threatened to start a rumor that Tom was secretly writing a one-man musical about the life of a middle-aged goldfish who dreams of becoming a Broadway star.

“She’s… not really the dating-for-sport type” Tom said finally. “But hey, what do I know? You should probably just ask her yourself.”

Leo chuckled. “Fair enough. But maybe slip me her number? Just to break the ice?”

Tom hesitated, his thumb hovering over the send button like it was a detonator. Was this a good idea? Probably not. Was he going to stop Leo? Also probably not.

“Fine” he said with a sigh. “But if she stabs you with a cocktail stick, that’s on you.”

“Noted” Leo said, his grin practically audible. “Thanks, man. I owe you.  I'd like to call right away, but I don't want it to seem like I care too much. Do you think I should wait, like, a few days?”

“Yeah, whatever.” 

Leo. Of all people.

[cfr749]

Thoughts on Chenford in 6x01?

**Spoilers below**

What I Loved:

I can never get enough of substantive emotional Chenford scenes, so I am here for that last scene (angst and all). Melissa and Eric are so damn good in those intense moments. 

I liked that they made the issue super clear at the end and didn’t make us guess at what the problem was or what either of them was thinking. 

Though I think they went a little too hard with Lucy being borderline hysterical as she spiraled (this isn’t commentary or judgement on anxiety, but rather commentary on how Tim and the other characters were interacting with her as a result), overall, I didn’t feel like either one of them was more right than the other.  (Balance - you are my favorite thing at the moment!)

IMO, Tim wasn’t particularly supportive, and he obviously did try and get in her head a bit (which is what I think she meant by undermine? that was a weird word choice for me, but maybe I missed something?). But he also wasn’t an OTT jerk. 

I am so, so glad the issue wasn’t that Tim had told everyone about her ‘clown show’ screw up. That would have been incredibly shitty, and I was terrified that was the direction they were going with the word undermine. 

What I Was Meh On: I’m not a huge fan of Lucy being portrayed as the one who screwed up, but she redeemed herself and I also don’t need her to be perfect, so I’ll let them have a free pass on this one. If it’s the theme for the season, I’m gonna have something else to say about it 😂

I’m also so ready for this dumb five-player trade storyline to be over. Truly there were so many reasons Lucy could have had a hard time making detective, the most obvious one being the consequences of her dating her former T.O. This could have been super interesting to explore. It drives me nuts that instead of using anything realistic, they made Lucy the villain in her own story and incredibly difficult to empathize with, which just makes no sense since obviously women do have a much more uphill battle progressing their careers in male dominated fields.

Final thoughts:

I am SO ready to see Lucy be a badass detective! 

I really hope they have a clear through-line and resolution planned for this UC conflict between them. I need a clear narrative for them this season and am excited about the possibilities.

What’d y’all think??

[thaltro]

saw you were getting alot of nice asks so i wanted to tack on my 2 cents

nightwatch is genuinely such an inspiration to me and my characterisations and everytime you post about it i am always excited to read and learn about it. psych too is such an incredible character and your interpretations and changes make so much sense..

not only nightwatch but your art style and the way you draw influences my own artstyle so much id dare say youre one of my biggest inspirations. of course, take as many breaks and time as you need, balancing social media and mental health (ESPECIALLY with sys suff) can be really draining, but know your followers will love the content. no matter how often you pump it out or what you make.

Such a nice compliment

I’m unsure how you can think psych is an interesting character when I barely have anything out about him. I’m actually pretty insecure of how psych looks on a surface level, I think he comes off like a generic asshole doctor. I don’t expect people to like him because of that, so it’s weird to me when people send asks like this. Weird in a good way it cheers me up.

As for characterizations I’m more proud of that, I hope my characterizations can shine well through my writing (hopefully).

Being someone’s main inspiration is odd. I’m not particularly sure whats so special about my art that it deserves such high ranking, but regardless I do appreciate your kindness. I’m glad it inspires you, it means a lot that you say that.

Thank you for your concerns on my mental health. I’m not too sure how to balance my online life and irl life yet. To say the least real life for us isn’t good, never has been- but social media being our only escape and something we heavily rely on isn’t healthy either. I’m not too sure how to take a break from our only break (if that makes any sense) but I’m sure I’ll find a way some day.

I am trying to work on not pressuring myself to post- I freak out when I don’t post for certain amounts of time, it does help knowing you all are patient and caring (When you really shouldn’t be, but I’m so thankful)

Im not sure if the last statement is true, people are here for utmv and specifically ship art of utmv. posting something outside the fandom is scary to me as no one would enjoy it. I do make fanart of other fandoms, mostly Roblox pressure or regretavator I just don’t post it. Perhaps the statement is true for you however, it’s sweet you’d enjoy my content regardless of what I make. Thank you 🙂

A very sweet message, have a good night

[sufferu]

Hi! I read some of your fics, I was really impressed by them (haven't gotten to RTZ yet but after reading the posts about it here I'm glad I haven't yet lol. I think I'll wait until we get some of the comfort in the hurt/comfort tags). The characterization is especially well done!

I noticed you chose to place your Dogshow react fic in Arc 5. Aside from having all the characters in one place for No Refunds, did you have any other reasons for having it take place at that point? Post-Arc 3 I see as having potential for interesting character development with his hero complex, but without having the connections he built in Arc 4 plus the timeskip it loses some sincerity.

I'm surprised more people haven't chosen to use Post-Arc 5/6 as the setting, as everyone's expectations of Subaru at that point are sky high. The realization that all of their victories were bought with Subaru's blood and mental health would bring it all crashing down, and with the improved personal relations with Emilia, Ram, Julius and others it brings a fresh dynamic that hasn't been used often. While Subaru's mental state is arguably the best it's ever been, it's still balancing on the house of cards that is "Good job me for having been able to successfully use RbD to save my friends!"

Not using Arc 7/8 makes sense to me though, that's honestly a mess to sort through.

Keep up the good work! I'd also recommend Turacoverdin's Stars Aligned on AO3 if you haven't read it yet. Definitely feels in line with what you're writing here, and it has a focus on Beatrice and Julius's relationships with Subaru.

I’ve read that fic actually, it’s really good! Honestly all of Turacoverdin’s stuff is kinda incredible lmao, one of my fav authors in this fandom tbh

And yeah, this question has come up before lol — basically it’s because there’s no status quo to reflect back FROM, past Arc 5. Arcs 6-9 (so far) have all been one insane ride with very little time for rest, the Pleiades Watchtower thing went right into Vollachia, Natchuki Subawu is this whole ordeal that hasn’t Really gotten resolved yet, everything’s kinda up in the air regarding the Royal Selection thanks to Priscilla’s fate — it’s just a lot, and it hasn’t really settled into something I can have the characters reflect FROM yet. So I’m sticking with Arc 5 for now.

(For those of you who know about BTZ: you’ll notice that I’m very carefully avoiding the specifics of what events the characters have come back from, specifically to avoid…all that.)

[totaltrauma]

Congrats on total trauma's 5-year anniversary! If it's ok, i have been wondering about your writing technique. Ive read a lot of stories where you can tell the creator is too attached to the characters, and it makes for a very weird reading experience. theres this one webtoon in particular that tries to mash in edgy grimdark with lolrandom humor and it gives me whiplash but they act like their writing is god's gift to the world. However, ive noticed with total trauma that you (in my opinion) are able to achieve what so many creators seem to yearn for in terms of balance between humor vs some really heavy topics. In particular, the scene where Duncan gets hospitalized and everyone's getting phone calls, even Lindsay, but when she picks up the phone in the phone booth shes like "how did you get this number?" that made me snort so hard my throat ached for days afterward. You have many scenes like this where i giggle as i remember them, yet it doesnt take away from the sensitivity and respect with which you treat the heavy topics. Ive also noticed you seem to break the expectation i had in my mind in regard to your level of attachment to the characters; ive been following you since dA and so i've seen how important characters like Heather are to you. My experience, my own writing included, is that usually when creators write about a character they are very attached to, the bias is very obvious to the audience, and so weird writing decisions are made in favor of propping up that character. But again, this wasnt the impression i got from reading Heather in your work. So i guess my question is, how tf do you balance all this? Were there jokes you had to cut out, aspects of Heather's character you had to shave, in order to make your writing more appealing to a wider audience? What is your technique for blending humor and heavy topics in a way that enhances both? Ive wondered this for awhile and im really interested in hearing your journey of how you got to such a compelling storytelling style

First of all, this is so incredibly flattering, so thank you so much.

Not everyone agrees with you though, I must say! I’ve caught a lot of flack for my use of humor during dark moments. Specifically I saw a tweet about the comic where Noah and Owen are gawking over Justin stretching at the hospital, and the person was like “Duncan is literally dying.” Which, fair, HAHA. I thought it was a nice moment of levity, but not everyone sees it the way I do— I’m glad that you do!

At the risk of sounding full of myself, I think I’ve just always had a good natural sense of where to put comedy beats. There aren’t really any rules or guidelines I follow, I just feel it out. I’ve been writing comedy since I was a little kid. As a child I had a YouTube channel with two thousand followers (which felt like a million to a child.) I had a narrative comedy series that I made by dubbing over clips of The Sims 2, which I still think is very funny to this day. I learned a lot about writing jokes from spending 10 years making that series.

Still, some jokes don’t land the way I hoped. I thought it would be really funny if, during a very melodramatic serious scene, Cody was wearing an anime hoodie the whole time. If I knew just how much hatred and cruelty would be lobbed my direction because of that anime hoodie, I would’ve second guessed that decision.

I’m happy you think my obsession with Heather hasn’t tainted the way I write her! That I chalk up mostly to the fact that I’ve had distance from her. My real Heather obsessed years were around 2016 when I was in community college. By the time I was writing TT, I had moved on from my Heather obsession to an obsession with a different character (shout out to DDADDS, you were there for me when no one else was.) I think the fact that I had that space away from my obsessed years allowed me to write her with more fairness and clarity. Heather still, clearly, means the world to me, but it’s not like it was. I used to cry about her on the daily. Let’s be glad it’s not like that anymore.

Also, I’ve honestly never really been concerned with making my work appeal to a wide audience — at least, that wasn’t my concern in V1.

(My original plan for V2 was centered around a lawsuit against Chris for sexual assault against a certain Pahkitew character. THAT I deemed too dark and removed to make my work more appealing to a wider audience.)

I can’t think of an example of a joke that I’ve been like “I can’t do that, not here, not now.” But I’m sure there has been a couple.

Sorry if this answer wasn’t extremely informative. I’ll think on it some more and reblog this ask with more information if I think of some!

[harmionesworld]

Because those who like Harry Potter movies are less than those who love books, I would like to say a few words in defense of the movies.

First, I’m "amused" eternal complaining on actors, especially in relation to Emma and Dan. It’s just funny to read over and over again how Emma overact or don not act at all, and Dan " the worst child actor and can`t act ".

In my subjective opinion, they did a great job. Both Emma and Dan have played their parts beautifully, and they’ve given us Harry and Hermione, who I don’t think any actor or actress can ever overshadow anymore.

The second claim to movies is to remove scenes and transfer quotes from one character to another.

To be honest, when I read the books I was even glad that they were removed from the film because in my opinion they were so caricaturally ridiculous or had no sense of narrative at all that it would only spoil the film. And I don’t see anything criminal about giving a quote to another character unless it ruins the narrative.

Third, they cut the identities of Ginny, Ron and Weasley.

Books Weasleys? No, God! Just no! Family where one is worse than the other, and more like the cult you’re supposed to be in. I prefer movie ones without book shit. Book Ron is a jerk ass who humiliated Hermione and Harry with or without cause, who was always jealous and insecure. The movies softened his personality a little and gave him some sympathy. In HBP i hate so much this storyline in HBP with Lavender, Ron and Hermione. In movies its not that bad as in books.

In movies and books, Ginny is very similar. And if in the movies she was softened and made even a little bit nice, added courage, loyalty to her friends and family, in the books she is more spoiled and rude to everyone, especially Ron. I don’t want to write here why I don’t like the movie or book version because it’s a conversation for another topic, but it’s funny to read that Ginny is in movies without personality.

Harry and Hermione in the films are characterless and cartoonish.

Harry. Well, it’s just funny. I love them in books and movies, but they’re very well written in the movies. Harry in the movies is more balanced, smarter and I would even say stronger than his book prototype. Magically and as a person. He is imperfect, he makes mistakes and act on nerve like his book version, but he has more humanity, gentleness and kindness than in the books. He goes through what his book version has gone through, but he manages to keep that warmth and love for everyone when the book version just closes in itself and becomes a more alienated version of himself. Also i like how beautifully they revealed the PTSD topic to Harry.

Hermione. Many people hate the movie Hermione, and they exalt the book when I think the movie Hermione is more interesting and layered than in books. Film Hermione is not afraid to be smart, successful and beautiful. Book Hermione sometimes reminds me of the grandmother with cats who sees nothing but books. Film Hermione is true, smart and beautiful, but she is also supportive and selfless and she can also be afraid, angry and alive, more open and friendly imperfect teenager when the book version just performs the role of sometimes walking encyclopedia.

I also love how they’ve exposed Harry’s relationship with Sirius, Luna and Neville in more detail in the films.

In general, the films have created a more vivid, sometimes darker ( greetings from the Order of the Phoenix, Half-Blood Prince and The Deathly Hallows) and more interesting interpretations than books.

[writefullyrobin]

No spoilers past 1x10 folks!

1x01 – Pilot thoughts

Plots

My friend said that I needed to watch the “firefighter show” she’s just finished and I always see it on my Disney account so I thought I’d give it a try. I’m trying to avoid spoilers by just not looking up anything 9-1-1 related on here until I’ve finished, so let’s see how far I can get!

This was such a fun opening episode! It had me hooked from the get go! I loved the energy and pace it moved and we got loads of different emergencies all in one. This is a first responder drama so I was nervous about the baby in the pipe and the little kid in the house break in actually being OK but this ep at least, no sad deaths! Yay! Buck’s future career came close to termination but he managed to save that too. Happy start, happy ending!

I’ve decided to break it down by character for my thoughts for this opening since it’s a well-rounded ensemble.

Bobby

Tough but fair, I guess? He was well within his rights to fire Buck like he did. I’m glad he gave him another change though all the same. I like his leadership. He has good chemistry with the rest of the crew and he feels like the leader. Sometimes with main characters who are meant to be in charge, their actors take a while to settle into that authority but not a problem here.  I really liked his explanation to Buck that their relationship with patients end at the glass doors of hospitals.

Chimney

Not convinced I’ve actually seen the real Chimney yet so I will reserve judgment for now. I do admit I feel a bit sorry for him for feeling the need to take other people’s rescues for his own to impress a girl(friend?).

Hen

I’m going out on a limb here and going to guess she’s probably one of the more level-headed members of the team? She feels very big sister-y to me in how she interacted with Buck in particular.

Buck

Obviously the baby of the team in terms of age and job. I won’t lie, I honestly thought after his first few scenes he would be the cocky jock who didn’t think they could do any wrong but by the end of the ep, I realised he was just a loveable goof who wears his heart on his sleeve. He recognised Abby as the hero of that break in rescue and acknowledged it, rather than claiming the glory. He can also think on his feet! That trick with the water gun from the engine to help Athena was clever.

Athena

I’m pretty sure it's actually illegal to dislike any character played by Angela Basset. I adore her, she’s a brilliant actor in everything I've see her in previously and she didn’t disappoint me here either. Athena had that great balance of being tough cop but you can obviously see how much her family mean to her. She’s had her world rocked recently with her husband coming out as gay after I don’t know how many years of marriage. Interested to see how she copes with that particular change.

Abby

As the one who literally can only listen to these emergencies, I have full admiration for her. My RL friend once worked as a 999 dispatcher and it’s a very tough job. She looks like she’s got it rough juggling both a hard job and a sick mother at home. I’m not sure if that’s a sustainable situation so I sense something is going to give with that at some point.  

Michael

I’m happy he’s finally getting to really be himself. I think it might take the rest of his family a little while to catch up to him though. He’s obviously had time to adjust to being a gay man as I guess he’s been thinking about it for forever but the rest family just been told so probably need a minute to catch up.