#learn! grow! have fun! go forth and create!!

[snarkspawn]

Hi, I absolutely adore your art! I love how diverse all your faces are in particular! I'm a beginner artist myself and I was wondering if you have any resources that you think might be particularly useful for a beginner? Any drawing book recommendations? Thank you so much for your time!

Hey, and thank you so much! I do love drawing all kinds of faces so I'm glad you think so ♥

I'll admit I don't really have any resources like that on hand, I'd have to go and google for something like 'beginner art tutorials' and I think you can probably do that yourself haha you also know better where you're at right now and what exactly you're looking for. But!! the advice I can give you is to not give up even if art can (and will) seem like an uphill battle sometimes, and to just keep drawing. As much and as often as you can! It's worth it to keep at it (if it's something you enjoy doing anyway). And whenever you find an artist you like, try to take a closer look at their art. What exactly do you like about it? How do you think they did it? Is it something you can maybe try to incorporate into your own process? Experiment a lot, and have fun with it! :D

Also, there is a really great twitter thread making the rounds at the moment with artists of all stages sharing tips and tricks that helped them a lot in their own development. There's honestly a lot of amazing resources there that can make any artists' life easier if you want to scroll throgh the replies and quote retweets

[cupcakeslushie]

Do you have any tips on for people starting a comic and wanting to post to tumblr? Like pacing ect. Or well any experience you’ve had with your comics? Love your content as well ❤️

If it’s simply for fun, and you’re just trying to gain experience, my biggest advice would be to just START. Don’t worry about it looking perfect. Don’t worry about comparing it to other’s comics. Just try something, and if you find it’s not working, you can always change things up. I have gone through several styles and page layouts since starting. Do I wish those first pages of EW looked just like what I’m doing now? Yes, but if I’d waited around for perfection I would have never started. And I wouldn’t have had nearly as much fun creating it! If people like it, that’s great, but your art is for you. If you’re growing and learning and having fun, then you’ve accomplished something!

Now for some less preachy advice 😂…

—If your comic is gonna be hosted on Tumblr specifically, I would say, make sure you keep the 10 image limit in the back of your mind when you’re pacing things. That can definitely cause some headaches down the line. If you don’t plan ahead, and end up hitting it, you’ll have a sudden cut in your flow. This last update I knew it was gonna be long, so while I did plan, but I could’ve planned better.

—Variety is key!!!!!

Composition changes keep your viewers from getting bored. Sometimes I’ll find myself falling back into the bad habit of just doing the simple back and forth with two characters talking straight on, but changing the camera angle, making establishing shots when you change locations, and over the shoulder shots, etc etc…All these will make for a more interesting viewing. You may think a character needs to be in every single panel to make it interesting, but if you have a lot of dialogue, a simple plain shot—either in top of a solid background, or just over something boring, like a glance at the set, etc—this will let people focus on the words rather than splitting their focus.

Variety applies to shading as well—whether you’re using color or black/white. Variety in values are SO important for comics. You’re shoving a ton of information in a limited space, so try to keep your values different for items that are close together….it can make things very confusing and turn your line work into indistinguishable blobs if you shade without this in mind.

(Using this panel as an example….)

The top two panels have a variety of darker values and a halftone background—so the next two with Venus, I kept rather simple. I could’ve colored the buildings behind her, but then, she might’ve gotten lost amidst all the grey. There’s not really any trick or solid rule to this, but once you develop your creative eye, you’ll make these choices without even thinking about it.

A few links to helpful tools (they’re all procreate centered I’m afraid 😅)

Outline brush — a free tutorial for Procreate users. This brush kinda mimics the CPS feature that lets you create panels with a nice black outline. I used this brush very often, and it really gives your panels a professional look. Fair warning, it can be glitchy, but it’s free…

Manero Comic Bubbles and sfx — These brushes are not free, so I would recommend maybe getting in your groove before you try them out. They’re by no means necessary, but I’ve just started using them, and they save me so much time. There’s a HUGE selection of shapes, and they go on with a solid white background, so you don’t have to worry about coloring around your dialogue balloons.

[forgingtheblade]

DID YOU KNOW THAT MINECRAFT HAS LOOMS???, aka, THE WEAVING WRITEUP

part 1: prep work—did you know how much you have to do before even touching a loom? me either

part 2 part 3

all the way back in october of last year, I was in a weaving class and was tasked with conceptualizing a project for my final using some of the techniques we had been learning through the semester. being the person i am, my immediate first thought was what if i recreated a minecraft banner on a real floor loom? wouldn’t that be fucking cool?

thus was borne what eventually spiraled into this project!

i figured out how wide i wanted it to be, what weight of yarn i wanted to use, and did all of the weaving math to figure out exactly how much yardage i’d need. i took that to a local weaver’s studio who was selling yarn, and came looking for just about any undyed wool she had to offer.

i specifically wanted wool because, well, that’s what the minecraft weavings are made of!

i remember digging through stacks upon stacks of old cones of yarn before finding a couple bags of a caked wool yarn that was, admittedly pretty rough. after using a tool not unlike this one, we figured it was roughly 3000 yards of yarn, and i bought the lot for about 30 bucks.

photo courtesy of Miekle’s Fiber Arts

this thing is so nifty btw, you cut a specific length of yarn and figure out where it balances which is then multiplied by something to figure out the yardage—i’ve only used one this one time, but i think they’re cool!

after getting this yarn came the question of getting the colors i wanted. i’m very lucky to be studying at an institution that grows our own indigo plants, and ferments those plants into our own living indigo vats, so I thought it would be a travesty to not take advantage of the utterly beautiful blues that vat produces.

i divided up my yarns based on how long i needed each of my warp sections to be using a yarn winder measuring to roughly one yard per rotation to make skeins of the right length.

after running some test swatches i figured out how long to dip each skein into the indigo vat for to achieve the colors i wanted, and i wish i knew exactly how i did it but i don’t think i wrote it down anywhere, and its been , yknow, almost a year.

afterwards i had to turn those skeins back into cakes and let me just tell you.

i forgot to use a swift on the first one. i did not forget again.

untangling that first dark blue skein was a multi hour endeavor.

photo courtesy of . an amazon listing

this is a swift and a ball winder. the swift holds the big loop of yarn that is the skein taut and spins freely while you crank the ball winder to make those super orderly and useable cakes. without the swift, trying to wind a cake turns a nice skein of yarn into a nightmare tangle. it was not fun

ALL THAT ASIDE. after successfully detangling and caking my yarn, it was time to wind my warp on a warping board!

a warping board is used to measure out how long your threads running vertically through the loom are going to be. your warp, as it were. because i knew i wanted to weave two banners, and i wanted them to be about a yard long each, plus accounting for tying on to the loom, waste material at the start and end, and leaving a long enough gap between them to create tassels, i started with a three and a half yard long warp. each cross back and forth the board is about a yard of length.

only once i had used the warping board to measure out all 200 threads of width i was putting on the loom was i able to actually start tying the yarn on to the loom and threading it—but this post is already long enough as is, so that will be the next thing I post about!

stay tuned for prepping the loom and weaving the banners :3 here’s a little sneak peek

[jasper-pagan-witch]

hi! sorry to bother you, but i would like to get into pop culture paganism and am intimidated by all the.. everything people are talking about that i dont understand. do you have the most basic, "explain it like im four" crash course for learning PCP? [i feel the need to specify, i dont think im interested in being a witch at this time, i just have a pop culture deity id like to venerate] [i think thats the right word? worship? work with? idk]

thank you very much!

I'll happily help, anon.

WARNING! This post is a very, very basic introduction to Pop Culture Paganism, and I'm writing from my own perspective. There's no way I can cover everything. Please let me rest.

Let's start with some abbreviations:

PCM = Pop Culture Magic, the usage of elements of pop culture in one's magical or spiritual practice

PCP = Pop Culture Paganism, the usage of elements of pop culture (including but not limited to pop culture deities or characters-as-deities) in or as one's religious practice

PCD = Pop Culture Deity, an entity who is worshiped as or is a deity in their source material

PCE = Pop Culture Entity, any entity from a pop culture source (any PCD is a PCE, but not all PCEs are PCDs)

And some of my own definitions (yours may not be the same!):

Veneration/worship = including a figure in your religious practice

Work = creating an agreement with a figure in a magical or spiritual practice, which may or may not be religious in nature

Devotion = worshiping one deity above all others, that deity becoming your patron

All of these have been greatly simplified for ease of use in this guide.

PCP can be done in addition to or in place of other religions. Due to the nature of the phrase "paganism", a polytheist approach is implied but ultimately isn't necessary - there are plenty of pop culture pagans who only worship one PCD/PCE. I practice both PCP and """mainstream""" polytheism.

PCP can be done in addition to PCM, but the two can also be mutually exclusive. I, personally, practice both PCP and PCM.

The primary appeal of PCP is that it is deeply personal. Many people who engage in PCP find that starting their religious practice from the ground up, or in using familiar religious practices from their culture that they're used to, is a lot of fun. Others love the source material(s) that they're drawing from so much that practicing PCP is just a natural way to continue expressing their love for it. There are a thousand reasons to practice PCP.

Some of the """mainstream""" polytheism issues appear in PCP, too. Gatekeeping, cliques, the insistence that deities have to "choose" you...a lot of toxic ideas tend to show up, just because of how online spaces work nowadays.

"That's great, Jasper, but how do we actually do this?" I'm getting there, dear readers, I promise.

Decide your approach. What pop culture source are you drawing from? A video game? Music? A book series, or even a standalone book?

Outreach. Do you build an altar or shrine? Make an offering? Write a poem or invitation? Pray? Wait for the PCD/PCE to reach out first? Do you create them yourself?

Set expectations. What are you going to do? What do you expect? Do you want to communicate back and forth, or just pray and not expect a direct answer? Figure out what you want.

Continue developing. Your PCP practice will likely not remain the same as time goes on. Let it grow, and let yourself grow with it.

Hopefully this is a very beginner-friendly 101 style post! For further resources, please check out my Pop Culture Magic/Paganism Resources Masterpost.

~Jasper

[sozzledjuja]

me ranting about what i need to see in season 3

(yeah, it's pretty long)

The important/plot twists/character development

Iris and Praxina being the focal points of the season

Remember, Praxina was created to be an anti-Iris, so there’s no better season than this one to explore that. 

Main conflict: Praxina is convinced Iris is responsible for Mephisto’s death (Iris didn’t kill Mephisto, it was a culmination of events that led to it, but Praxina needs a scapegoat, someone to dump her anger and grief on, because she can’t cope with loss in a healthy, non-destructive way). So, she is set on making Iris lose the people she cares about (Nathaniel, and also probably her friends), to make her feel the way she does.

The vision I have for these two in season 3 is that their actions will be correlated, each making the other do unspeakable things over accumulated resentment and hurt and grief, in a vicious cycle. Then somewhat meet in the middle at the end. Maybe…

Iris becoming more and more paranoid

Iris getting nervous everytime she sees a butterfly, for example. Very worried that she’s going to lose Nathaniel, her friends, her parents, or Ellira, at any moment. Makes her sometimes not be very rational. 

Maybe it will affect her relationship with Nathaniel too. Maybe she’ll think that in order to keep him safe from Praxina, she has to distance herself from him.

BECAUSE I WANT THIS GIRL TO GET SOME ARC TOO. Allow her to be angry, do questionable things, be flawed, be scared.

Guilt over Mephisto’s death

This one is for both Iris and Praxina. 

Because while Iris doesn’t have much to do with Mephisto’s death, I don’t doubt that part of her will start doubting it, wondering if everything that’s happening is, in fact, her fault. 

And Praxina, who didn’t appreciate her brother while he was right there next to her, finally realizing how much she actually needed him. You know what they say, you only truly appreciate someone after you lose them. AND THE GUILT-

More interactions between Iris and her parents

I just really really want this. And to learn more about the King and Queen of Ephedia. Because it has so much potential for added inner conflict inside Iris’ head. 

Because if you really think about it, the King and Queen of Ephedia are just strangers to her, who just so happened to be her birth parents. But weren’t the ones who raised her, who were there for her her whole life. Ellira was.

Not that it’s their fault. Not at all. They made a sacrifice to keep her safe. I know they would’ve done anything to see their little girl grow up. And Iris knows this, and I think, for a while, she’s going to feel a bit guilty for seeing Ellira as more of a parental figure than them. 

Also, I feel like Iris’ parents would never resent Ellira for this, but I do think they will be a little hurt. 

Iris attempting and failing to balance her Earth life with her Ephidean one

Because she will definitely be going back and forth between the two worlds, trying to keep everything balanced. Her social life with her friends on Earth, her relationship with Nathaniel, the band, her princess duties, the rebuilding of Ephedia, royal ceremonies, etc…

And if she had trouble before, I can’t imagine now.

Iris not being sure if she wants to become the future queen of Ephidea

Let’s face it. It was all really pretty and fun while they had the goal to defeat Gramorr and free Ephidea. No need to think about what would happen next, because even that was a big “if”. 

Now, Iris is finally gonna have to come to terms with the fact that she is THE future heir to the throne, But is she even fit to lead a whole kingdom? Does she even want to? Won’t that mean she’ll have to leave her Earth life behind? Nathaniel?

The King and Queen not approving of Iris’ relationship with Nathaniel

Not because they dislike him, or simply because he is human (they don’t seem like that kind of people), but because they want to protect their daughter from getting hurt. Not from him. But from having to inevitably let him go eventually. Again, she is the future queen. She has responsibilities on Ephidea, not on Earth.

Also, there’s this whole question line of “do ephideans live longer than earthlings?”. Because I feel like that's also relevant to this point.

Praxina slowly descending into madness (bonus points if physical corruption)

Her madness trip should be a linear thing, getting worse and worse each episode. 

More towards the end PLEASE fuck up her face a bit. Not necessarily permanently but like- I wanna see this girl with one side of her face corrupted with dark magic (we saw Gramorr underneath the mask), eyes red, going full eldritch abomination mode.

Her crying while laughing hysterically and maniacally AT LEAST ONCE please please.

Also, not to be that person, but she’s gonna be so hot that season, istg I’m not prepared.

What the fuck is up with those butterflies?????

Imma be real rn. I’m begging for the creators NOT to pull a Hawkmoth on Praxina. Let the butterflies be spies only, there’s no need for much else. If they make the butterflies mind control people, I'm gonna lose it. This isn’t miraculous 2.0.

Iris’ Shanilla form going batshit on Praxina/Big Final Battle

Because if Praxina does manage to kill someone or several people Iris loves, even if only temporarily (yall know this show is for kids, no one's dying permanently - though it would be cool to see a darker narrative), Iris is gonna lose it, and I expect a full dark shanilla mode. Going absolutely off the rails on Praxina, and then having an “oh shit, what am I doing?” moment.

Banes being shady and the true mastermind aka Final Boss

I want to see the build up to this, how he stays in Praxina’s shadow and “helps” her, making her feel like she’s in control, when she’s not.

And I fully believe Banes had his eye on her even before Gramorr was defeated. Not long before, but when there was only one gem left to complete the crown of Ephedia, and he started to suspect Gramorr’s chances at winning were slim, he definitely started to plot his next “puppet”.

Zenavion/Banes?????

Zenavion was mentioned once, but whyyyy??? My guess is that Banes is Zenavion. Or belonged to Zenavion/was his creation. But I’m leaning more towards the first one. Maybe he got himself turned into an entity of dark magic after years of meddling with power he shouldn’t have, leaving him stuck in that feline form with only a fraction of the power he once had? Sounds super interesting and would make for a great Final Boss.

What is his goal? Maybe to return to his full power and autonomy? Maybe he needed the power of the crown of Ephedia for that. 

That would explain why he picked Gramorr, who was in the same circles as the royal family, at the time.

Also Praxina blaming Iris, the princess of Ephedia, and future heir to the throne, for her brother’s death, and blaming her for it? Also very convenient that she was a young girl who had just lost her only support, and was completely alone and vulnerable. Easy to manipulate.

Gramorr’s backstory

I need it. For someone who was the main villain for two whole seasons, he sure got no depth at all. Which was kinda disappointing. Hope this season clears everything up. 

Perhaps Banes manipulated him and he never realized it? What were his initial motivations? His past? Also what was the deal with him and the royal family? With Morgane? I bet all those people have a lot to say and explain about him.

The mask

I’m sure Zenavion created it, centuries ago. I want to know how it works, how much it controls the user, how fast it corrupts them, why it was created in the first place, and how it ended up in Gramorr’s hands in the first place.

Also wouldn’t it be so cool if the current user of the mask had access to the memories of the previous users??? That way we could get Gramorr’s backstory through Praxina, like YES.

The yellow gem thingie????

The gem in Gramorr’s hand that was pierced by Iris in the finale, is now on Praxina’s chest. Do with that information what you will.

Big Betrayal moment between Banes and Praxina

Gramorr/Praxina parallels

Cause it’s inevitably gonna happen. Maybe he promises her a way to bring Mephisto back. But it’s all a ploy to get her to do horrible things for him, to allow him to return to his true form, and has nothing to do with Mephisto.

Girl is gonna be played big time. 

Because now they’re kinda connected, with Praxina being manipulated by Banes the same way Gramorr probably was, in the past. And both ultimately got betrayed by him.

Praxina getting a long deserved reality-check

Because as much as I love her, she needs someone to spew some hard truths on her. It IS her fault. She IS a bad person, and a bad sister. And in order to get redeemed, she needs to confront that.

Izira’s medallion????

Anyone remember how the one object with immense power and the ability to TURN BACK TIME literally fell down a cliff during the final battle with Gramorr? Because I sure do. 

And this could be a super irrelevant thing, but I do think it’s interesting that it fell in roughly the same place where Mephisto would have (hypothetically wink wink). 

Don’t know what they’d do with this necessarily, but it has the potential to be a very important plot point.

Mephisto being alive (duhhhh)

As long as it’s not shown from the beginning. I feel like Praxina’s whole arc would be much more satisfactory if he was only revealed to be alive, halfway through the season or later, in the very end. Note that when I say “revealed to be alive”, I mean, to us, the people watching the show, not to Praxina. She should only know this at the end of the season. For the plot.

Mephisto donning the scars and maybe some type of disfiguration on the side of his body that took the blast. It would make sense for him to be able to teleport, but the half of his body that was leaning more towards the energy source took most of the blow).

Mephisto having his own mini character arc, away from the main conflict

He probably needs to heal from the blast, and that would be hard for him, both physically and mentally. If part of his face/body gets “burned” by the blast, my boy is definitely not gonna take it like a champ at first.

Also, I’ve said this before, but I don’t think he’d go look for Praxina immediately after he’s doing better. Not because he doesn’t care about her, or doesn’t miss her, but because he thinks she doesn’t need him and is better off without him.

Iris (finally) telling Nathaniel the truth

I’d like to see him struggle with something like this, maybe meet some new characters and form connections with other people. It’s a great opportunity for him to mature and learn who he really is, outside of Gramorr’s or his sister’s shadow. An opportunity to atone for his mistakes, and make up for it. He was, and a lot of people forget, a war criminal.

Sibling reunion

I want tears and a proper hug, and Praxina completely falling apart. Bonus points if she doesnt want to believe it's actually him at first, because that would be too good to be true. They're both fucked up, both physically and mentally, but they're together at last.

And him NOT forgetting it right afterwards.

Everything that is important but isn’t necessary for the plot

THE TWINS’ BACKSTORY

We all know this is the one thing that actually matters. And I will lose my shit when it does. 

Gimme them happy flashbacks followed by the deadly pain.

And this needs to be a WHOLE episode worth of flashbacks. Like a whole flashback episode. They deserve that much.

Also who the hell is Pappy?

Mephisto’s staff!!!

Unimportant but uhh, if it’s so powerful, a lot could be done with it. And it’s probably still in the cave hideout. Praxina could get her hands on it.

Also how did he get it in the first place?

Explanation of the magic system

Worldbuilding/Ephidea lore

I want this so badly. I wanna meet more kingdoms, see how they look, what other colors represent them, the cultures, the people, etc…

I’m a sucker for this, and no one can deny that they got confused as fuck when the supposed “voice-based” powers, only actually matter in the first episode and then got dropped completely. Yeah, I know, the writers probably forgot. But please just make up a convenient connection to fill in that plot hole. This show needs to fix these damn plot holes.

Ephidea still very much being in shambles, and in need of rebuilding

Cause it can’t be that easy to put a whole planet back on track after a 15+ year old war, neither physically nor politically.

I wanna see meetings between all kingdom leaders, discussions on how to proceed, the release of war prisoners, etc… 

Oh, and the imprisonment and persecution of any of Gramorr’s former associates.

Backstory on how Talia and Auriana first met

I need it. And also an explanation on why they were the ones chosen to go to Earth, and find and train Iris, and WHO chose them for that mission exactly. 

Also, how did they even know Iris was on Earth? Fix these plot holes fr.

More of Auriana’s family

HELL YEAH 32 SISTERS. GOOD LUCK WITH THAT, CHARACTER DESIGNERS. 

No, because I really need to meet them, and see what their dynamic is like. Also more of Jodan please. And their parents.

Also, the 34 children cannot be all fully blood related, can they? CAN THEY?

What happened to Talia’s parents? 

We haven’t seen them ever, so I’m assuming they’re dead.

More Izira

I just need more of her in general.

Also, she’s the heir to the throne of Xeris, and if her parents are dead, she is gonna have to fill it.

I fully expect an Izira coronation episode. Just imagine, new outfits for everyone.

The less important/cameos/things i wanna see just for funsies

New daily outfits

And I mean this in a “completely drop the old ones” kinda way. Not because I don’t like them, but because I feel that, with all that’s changing in the show, now that the same formulaic plot has finally broken, the outfits should also change. To indicate a new era of sorts.

New songs/new concert outfits, etc…

Me like it.

Talia’s ghost powers

They just dropped this plot point like; whatt????

I just want a little more light in this. Some Talia backstory as well, because we know she was bullied for it when she was a kid.

Also, I wanna meet the only other princess with this ability.

Have Talia and Praxina met before the start of the show???

It’s been pointed out several times that Praxina seems to know an awful lot about Xeris, and even possesses some Xerian artifacts and scrolls. Why and how did she get her hands on it? And it would make sense if Mephisto also seemed to know these things, but he doesn’t.

Also, they seem to have some underlying tension. Which could be simply because- well, they’re on opposite sides and hate each other?? Would be perfectly plausible. Or maybe they’ve met each other before. How and when? I wouldn’t know.

A musical episode???

Because wdym you have all these talented voice actors that sang in My Little Pony, and fucking BARBIE (don’t forget Praxina IS Barbie. They have the same voice actress), and never once have we heard ANY of them sing with their actual voices. 

Also it would be so fun for a change. Please, just one, I’m begging you.

A little more of Carissa and Lyna

Hear me? A little. Not a lot. 

I know a lot of people love them, and so do I, but I really don’t want them to join the gang permanently. Definitely not join the band. This ain’t winx club.

Jk, but actually I’m not.

Still, I do want to learn a bit more about them, some backstory insights, their families, how they met each other, etc…

What happened to Lev?

Is he actually dead? Or did he manage to escape and joined the resistance? I just need some confirmation.

Because if he is alive, he’s gonna be helping rebuild Ephidea for sure. It's gonna be interesting to see the dynamic he’s gonna have with Iris, in this scenario.

But just like with Lyna and Carissa, to me, personally, he is not a priority.

I would love for these characters to be explored more if there was a fourth season, but I just feel like, in season 3, there are just so many more important things to touch upon, and so many new things happening, that too many unnecessary details would make it lose impact.

A “Raffle Daffle” twins’ cameo

Just a small one. For funsies. They kinda just disappeared after that one episode (and thank god for that, because I hated them)

Kyle (blergh)

Please make him disappear. Or at least end things between them. Or end whatever there is between them. I’m not even asking for a big dramatic moment, just a “oh, this isn’t gonna work out” blah blah blah.

Or, you know, just him not showing up at all and everyone forgetting about him.

[jade-parcels]

Fatherly Instincts 2

Back by popular demand, one year later, we’ll once again look into how genshin men would be as dads! Since classes and projects are taking up a majority of my time, I haven’t been very active…but this was so fun to write in the time I have during break! Thank you for your patience! 🐦

Fatherly Instincts <3 With: Albedo, Tighnari, Neuvillette, and Itto <3

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Albedo isn’t the best at showing emotion in his facial expressions. He keeps a blank face most of the time but for his child, he’ll smile more frequently- though this ‘smile’ is just the slightest upturn of his lips. Your kiddo quickly took a liking to your special kamera from Fontaine and has loved posing for pictures! Bedo has become a victim to the camera phase himself because his sweet little baby has learned ‘cheese’. He hears “Pa! Cheese!” about ten times a day and every time, he’ll smile for his kid. Does he like smiling with his teeth? Not really. Does he think he looks silly in the photos? For sure. However, he knows that imaginative play and loving, parental interaction is integral for his child’s development. So if that means he has to smile, he will smile. And when he finds his kiddo’s stash of photos of you and him… he can’t help but get sentimental. He sees himself from his kid’s perspective :’)

-..-..-..-..-..-..-..

“See? I told you not to run ahead. This is what happens when you don’t look where you’re going” Tighnari shakes his head, kneeling down in the dirt with his bawling toddler. His ears twitch with the loud screeches but he isn’t bothered. Before he gets to work dressing the wound (it’s hardly a scratch at all) he holds his kiddo close until they stop crying. Tighnari’s dad senses kicked in when he started caring for Collei and he uses that prior experience now. He’s a natural at healing wounds and caring for those in need. Before his kiddo was able to SPRINT ahead of him in the woods, he was able to prevent accidents by baby proofing your shared home. All corners are covered with foam, all dangerous objects locked away, all hunting gear kept on high shelves. His quick, fox reflexes helped him catch his baby when they first where learning to walk! But now that they’re extremely mobile, he has to kiss a lot of scraped knees and make a lot of ‘healing pudding’ aka, a simple sweet treat to help them forget about their boo-boo :) oldest trick in the book.

-..-..-..-..-..-..-..

Though he has dozens of daughters already, he still finds parenthood difficult at times. Neuvillette felt out of his depth when he held your baby for the first time. Melusines are not born this small, this fragile… This…. Fussy. The two of you quickly found out that this baby simply does not want to sleep at night. Neuvillette, the gentleman that he is, insists that you stay in bed while he tends to the baby during these late nights. One night, He felt a sense of sadness, it flowed slowly into his chest like a rising tide. Perhaps he felt bad for you, felt inadequate as a father, he couldn’t really place the emotion. In his own restlessness, it began to rain. While any other time he would worry about creating a storm, it seems that this one was a blessing in disguise. After hours of fussing and crying, the baby stopped. The low rumble of thunder, soft patter of rain on the windows… it soothes his child. Since that day, he will bring forth light rain during the night to ensure a peaceful rest for his family. And when the newspapers start to report on this strange weather phenomenon? He pretends he doesn’t know a thing about it. One day they will grow out of needing the rain but for now, he enjoys being able to provide for the child he loves so dearly.

-..-..-..-..-..-..-..

Itto is known for his loud laughter and goofy personality. He can be forgetful at times or too-over the-top but he knows when to be calm. His poor children, half oni as they are, start to grow their horns at a young age. Their horns start out as bumps on their foreheads and as they get older, the horns break through the skin much like teeth do when they grow in for the first time. You don’t have any experience in this field, all you can do is ice their heads and offer warm hugs. During days where their horns hurt, Itto steps in to cheer them up. With ice packs in hand, he wraps their heads with colorful ribbons and bandages, making a crown of sorts. He compliments their new headgear, telling them how royal they look! Soon enough, the horn pain is forgotten and the kiddos toddle off to play once again as their headaches dissipate. You don’t miss the look of fondness in your oni husband’s eyes. He hesitates before wrapping the remaining ribbon around your head “Well… Gotta deck you out in some sick headgear too right babe?” what a dork oh jeeeez.

-..-..-..-..-..-..-..

🐦You can find part one here <3

-..-..-..-..-..-..-..

[be-compromised]

Promptathon 2024 Masterlist

Promptathon 2024 has come to an end! With an impressive grand total of 35 fills, and 535 comments at last check. Thank you to everyone who prompted, created, beta read, commented, cheered, and took part. We hope you had fun! Watch this space for Secret Santa 2o24 sign ups coming VERY soon and maybe a little fun for Halloween…

A promptathon masterlist is now available below and on dreamwidth. If there’s any incorrect or missing information please let me know in a comment to the dreamwidth post and I'll make sure it gets updated. (Our Username Database is a handy way to keep us up to date with your online handles for crossposted masterlists.)

The main links for the masterlist go to the original dreamwidth promptathon comments for archiving, but I've tried my best to also include links to AO3 where I've spotted crossposting. Please feel free to post/share your fills elsewhere! If you're using AO3 we have a handy Be_Compromised Promptathon Collection and you can tag works as be_compromised promptathon and community: be_compromised.

If you still have prompt fills that you’re working on, or feel inspired by prompts now or in the future from any of our community events, please do keep creating. Now that promptathon is over they won’t be included as part of the event or masterlist, but they will always be appreciated :)

And on to the main event…

5 Times Clint and Natasha Cursed the Rain and 1 Time They Didn't | AO3 by @cassiesinsanity (PG; no warnings) Prompt: Tokyo wasn't their first time together in an alley in the rain

After The Threesome | AO3 by @inkvoices (Mature; sex) Prompt: After The Threesome They Both Take You Home by Sue Hyon Bae (poem here)

ain't that the worst thing you've ever heard? | AO3 by @quidnunc-life (Teen; no warnings apply) Prompt: Outsider POV or threesome: Woken up 3:45 by voices yelling outside my window. Turned out to be a couple in formal wear, literally standing in the road, who continued to yell back and forth at each other for quite some time, including [one] with, 'I love you!' and [the other] going back with, 'No, you don't!' Very sad that they can't make it work, but could they please have that conversation not outside our open windows at 4am?!

a masterpiece of a mess | AO3 by @cassiesinsanity (Mature; no warnings apply; Clint/Bucky with past Natasha/Clint and Natasha/Bucky) Prompt:Maybe if he was a little less fuckable we wouldn’t be in this mess.

a masterpiece of a mess (remix edition) | AO3 by @cassiesinsanity (Mature; no warnings apply; Clint/Darcy/Natasha) Prompt:Maybe if he was a little less fuckable we wouldn’t be in this mess.

Another String To Her Bow | AO3 by ultra_fic (G/K; no warnings apply) Prompt: Clint learns Natasha can shoot a bow.

Blank Slate | AO3 by @firlalaith (Teen; a little angsty but nothing bad) Prompt: One of them is de-aged. They can't be turned back, so they're going to have to grow up again the long way. (Your choice as to if they still have their memories or are completely de-aged as in they can’t remember any of their past.) The other has to choose whether to also be de-aged and grow up with them, be their friend (and maybe more if history repeats), or stay an adult and protect them (which might have to be from a distance?). Because they both know all too well how vulnerable children are, and had shitty childhoods, and want better for the person they love this time around.

Blindside | AO3 by @cloud--atlas (Teen; no warnings) Prompt: I'm so obsessed with your ex

Butterflies in Iowa | AO3 by @firlalaith (Teen; Character Death, Depiction of a Suicide, Vormir) Prompt: Lila sees Clint during the test run and the consequences

Daughter of Goose by @alphaflyer (G; no warnings apply) Prompt: In which Liho (or Lucky) turns out to be a Flerken.

desirable (and other adjectives) | AO3 by @cassiesinsanity (G; weight gain) Prompt: Clint refers to it as a bulk cycle. Natasha simply calls it getting fat.

Don't Touch Lola | AO3 by @firlalaith (Teen; no warnings apply) Prompt: Endgame AU/fix-it: when Clint and Natasha show up to fetch the Soul Stone it's not there, it turns out at this point in time that someone else already has it.

Every Hawkeye has a Widow | AO3 by @firlalaith (G) Prompt: (615): Your sister reminds me of me at her age. Stop her while you can.

Get by with a little from our friends by @quietlyimplode (Teen/PG13; no warnings apply) Prompt: I can do it with a broken heart

history be rhyming | AO3 by @firlalaith (Teen; no warnings apply) Prompt: “He’s dead. Again.”

Hope in the Rain | AO3 by @quietlyimplode (Teen/PG13; Angst(?)/ Canonical Violence?) Prompt: Tokyo wasn't their first time together in an alley in the rain

I Get By… | AO3 by ultra_fic (G/K; no warnings necessary) Prompt: Kate notices the Black Widow tattoo on Clint's arm

I must have turned bright red (I liked what I saw) | AO3 by @icantopenwaterbottlecaps (Teen; no warnings) Prompt:An adult Natasha signs up to work at a summer camp, as part of her own healing and to give back. Enter Clint Barton, who's been a volunteer there already for a while (or may have similarly been originally ordered to work there like Nat). Everyone knows him, everyone gets on with him, he trains kids in archery and teaches them how to swim and grow in confidence, and he’s just. too. damn. Nice.

In Our Professional Opinion | AO3 by @alphaflyer (Mature; no warnings apply) Prompt: Rating SHIELD safehouses

It Might Be Worth It | AO3 by ultra_fic (Teen; no warnings apply) Prompt: In a world of boys, he's a gentleman

lingering doubts | AO3 by fadedwings (Teen; swearing, nightmares, insomnia, and some angst with a side of cuddling) Prompt: Clint never actually broke entirely free from Loki's control / still had lingering issues until Loki died. Or until the stone that powered the tesseract was destroyed.

Not Another Moment to Waste | AO3 by ultra_fic (Teen; no warnings apply) Prompt: You took the words right out of my mouth (it must’ve been while you were kissing me).

not just another mission | AO3 by fadedwings (Teen; adult language) Prompt: You squeeze my hand three times in the back of the taxi

Out On the Moonlit Floor | AO3 by ultra_fic (G/K; no warnings necessary) Prompt: This is a love story. It must be; it's got kissing in it.

"Paradise Lost" | AO3 by chaed (T; no warnings) Prompt: Superior Iron Man enlists the services of nefarious assassin duo Black Widow and Hawkeye (dark!Clintasha).

Progress | AO3 by @inkvoices (Teen; a character having some anxiety in crowds and being the centre of attention) Prompt: our mutual friend has been talking us up to the other and when we finally meet, we have to tell them that we’ve been in a feud for the last six years

red light | AO3 by @quidnunc-life (Teen) Prompt: Sex work AU

(REMIX: Red Light / Little Red Lies | AO3 by @icantopenwaterbottlecaps  (Teen; no warnings) Prompt: Sex work AU

REMIX: red light / Little Red Lies / ran the red | AO3 by @asterarchers (G; no warnings) Prompt: Sex work AU

she’s gone by @quietlyimplode (Teen; angst) Prompt: When you hold me, it holds me together And you kiss me in a way that's gonna screw me up forever

The Ties That Bind by @alphaflyer (Teen; no warnings) Prompt: Clint and Natasha are having the most incredible, amazing first date - what could go wrong?

the words of another | AO3 by @quietlyimplode (Teen/PG13; discussion of mental states) Prompt: Early SHIELD. Natasha hacks into the system and reads what is in her evaluation (Psychologists, Fury, Clint, etc.)

Untitled Fill (100 Word Drabble) by @quietlyimplode  (Teen; angst) Prompt: Non sexual (physical) intimacy

what we do to each other by @poppypickle (T; beginningsofcomplicatedfeelings!fic) Prompt: Don't know what to call this situation, but I know I can't call you mine

you've been calling my bluff on all my usual tricks | AO3 by @asterarchers  (Teen and Up; no warnings apply) Prompt: Gentle Ways To Let Him Know You're Dating Each Other

[skeedelvee]

Carry On Countdown Day 2 - Chosen

For this year's COC I've decided to put together daily fic rec lists! Let me know if you find any new favorite reads from these <3

For todays prompt I've gone with fics that involve Simon being the chosen one

Not Really by @sorbriquette

Rated T, 67,592 words

Enemies to friends to lovers. This is a really extensive and excellent take on it

After learning of the growing distance between the Mage and his heir, the Families decide that they'd rather make an ally of Simon Snow than kill him. Snow is nothing if not loyal though, so turning him is going to need a little more than a good deal. New loyalties must be created and who better to do that than Snow's roommate and soon to be ex-archnemesis, Baz Pitch. Basically, an AU where the Families get Baz to befriend Simon and try to flip him. Then it develops into something more.

Hang the Moon by @captain-aralias

Rated T, 29,171 words

Arranged marriage as a way to end the war with the old families. Oh so good!

Fighting one war is bad enough; three is almost impossible. That’s why, when the Old Families offer the Mage a deal that will put an end to their conflict, he accepts. Simon hates everything about the deal. (And his life. And he definitely hates Baz.) He’s only going along with his part in it because he’s the Mage’s Heir and he has to. There definitely aren’t any other reasons. Or at least, if there are, Simon doesn’t know them. Yet.

Your Fragile Bones Are Mine by @artsyunderstudy

Rated E, 40,581 words

Great use of time in its storytelling, I love the way the story goes back and forth in its timeline. Excellent angst and going off scenes

The grounds around the gates of Watford are burnt. The dining hall stinks of magick. It's three months since the tumultuous end of seventh year—one lonely summer, and six more weeks in a lonelier room—and Baz is finally back. And Simon needs to know why.

Keep Calm by @captain-aralias

Rated T, 68,943 words

What would happen if the Mage actually shepherded Simon away for eighth year. Great humdrum attack scenes

The kidnapping attempt fails, but it’s not the Mage’s only scheme. Eighth year begins. Tyrannus Basilton Pitch returns for the start of term – and finds his roommate missing.

Magic in the Midnight Sun by Coldskin

Rated T, 9,279 words

Baz has to save Simon with a true love’s kiss after he gets cursed by the humdrum. Great getting together story

Simon is struck with a fairytale curse.

There's No Place Like Home by @annabellelux

Rated E, 15,650 words

Simon’s magic teleports him to Baz when he’s in danger. Really fun, lots of barging in at in opportune times

Simon got away from the Humdrum at the end of 7th year by teleporting back to Watford—which Simon thought was all well and good, until he started teleporting to Baz over the summer at the most awkward possible times.

✨Gratuitous self rec✨

Masquerade by me! @skeedelvee

Rated E, 4,191 words

Simon and Baz work together to fight off a Humdrum attack at the end of this one!

Watford is throwing a masquerade ball for its students. With everyone in disguise, who knows what will happen?

If you have any recs that fit the prompt that I've missed, feel free to leave them in the comments! There's plenty of gaps in my reading so there's a good chance I may not have read it.

Also I've had a hard time finding if some people are here on Tumblr, so if you know someone who hasn't been tagged, feel free to leave that in the comments as well <3

@carryon-countdown

[amynchan]

How is a show for babies and toddlers so popular with people that are much older?

Gonna take this question in good faith and answer in good faith.

My instinctual answer is because the show is made with the parents who are minding the children in mind.  A lot of children’s shows do exactly what’s on the tin and no more:  show children how to begin to integrate into a world that is much bigger than themselves.  Share, act kindly, think about what you want to say, be good, sometimes rules are there for a reason, etc, etc.  However, Bluey has stuff that’s just for the adults that goes a little beyond crude humor (which, this isn’t a dig.  It’s just that it’s been done so much that I think a lot of people either expect it as a given or are tired of it).

People will point to episodes like Sleepytime, and Cricket is becoming a fan favorite, but I personally enjoy Chest and Stickbird.  Those resonate with me.

For kids, Chest is about Bandit being silly when it comes to trying to teach Bluey how to play chess.  It ends in a victory for the kids because they do not want to play chess, and they end up playing on the floor with their newfound pieces who are “not dead” because they’re in charge of the rules now.

For adults, Chest is about Bandit trying to teach Bluey--and by extension, Bingo--a game that should help them grow more intelligent as they grow older.  This action, which is taken by many fathers (including my own when he taught me how to navigate a computer and how to begin looking into code when I was 11 or so back in 2006?) is called out and analyzed by his wife, Chili.  Chili goes into a monologue about why Bandit wants to teach the girls chess, how he’s doing it because he is actually a good father who wants his children to be able to take care of themselves once he can’t do it anymore, and about how it’s not necessary when Bluey and Bingo are 6 and 4 respectively.  “Work on their heads later.  For now, just hearts.”

Chest is a sneaky rule-bending fun time for the kids, and it’s a lesson in parenting for the adults.  There’s even something for young adults with the line “[I’m] a lousy chess player.” “And you turned out fine” between Chili and Bandit.  It’s a bit of a gentle reassurance that I think a lot of people need sometimes, and it made me feel a little better about myself.  It even helps me a little bit in my role as an instructor since I teach at a transitional part of my students’ lives and I have to remember that while the content I teach would be easy in isolation, I do have to also take care of what they consider important to them.  It’s important to me as a person given where I’m at in life.

Stickbird is different in that it gives the same lesson to children and adults alike because it’s timeless, and we adults tend to forget it as we grow up.

For kids, stickbird is a fun day at the beach where Bluey and Bingo learn to throw.  Chili, their mom, teaches them, and Bandit, their dad, is in a funk.  It’s not really important.  What’s important to kids is that Bingo, the youngest, wants to throw more sticks and so drags Bandit along with her.  Along the way, they find a Really Neat Stick and create a sand bird out of it.  Fun times!  Then they go get more sticks.  Then--uh oh!--some other kids at the beach take the stickbird’s head, which upsets Bingo.  Bingo spends some time upset and angry, which she states very firmly when Bluey succeeds in learning how to throw and is excited to show Bingo.  When Bluey learns that Bingo is upset--not really why, just that she is--she offers a trick shown to her by her friend.  Bluey, in true kid fashion, “gathers the upset and angry...from your neck...and your belly...and behind your ears” and then asks Bingo if she wants to keep it.  Bingo thinks about it, as all kids do, and says “no.”  There’s a funny back-and-forth about giving the angry and upset to either Bluey or Bandit, and neither of them want it, so Bingo asks what to do with it, and Bluey tells her to “throw it away...really far” using the lesson that Chili gave them both.  So, Bingo does, and she feels better, and there’s a hooray moment before the girls race each other on the beach, giggling.  And that’s where it ends for the kids.

For adults, our focus is immediately drawn by Bandit, the typically excitable and playful father who is in a serious funk.  Chili draws attention to it towards the beginning by saying “let it go, babe.  You’re missing it.”  Throughout the episode, while the kids are watching Bingo and her lack of emotional regulation, we’re watching Bandit and how he, an adult who has learned how to compartmentalize and regulate emotions, is dealing with his own upset.  He’s too quiet, and it’s honestly a bit unsettling if you know him as a character.  He stands off to the side and interacts a little bit while Bluey explains to Bingo how to deal with her “angry and upset,” and after the girls run off and the kids celebrate, the camera stays with Bandit.  He doesn’t say anything.  He just starts miming what his children just did, takes a deep breath, and throws the camera itself far into the ocean.  Before the perspective plops in the water (in a shot that is honestly gorgeous and made me beam with a joy only being thrown as a kid can elicit), we see a return of normal Bandit, loud and excitable and ready to play with his kids.

Stickbird is about handling life’s shit, and that’s a timeless lesson.  The lesson is outlined boldly for the kids, but there’s a reminder that we as adults sometimes need to throw the little problems away in order to live our best lives.

To me, it’s kind of like how Phineas and Ferb was jam-packed with so many good things despite each episode being 15 minutes.  PnF has 3 simultaneous storylines (the boys and their adventures, Candace and her adventures, and Perry and Doofenshmirtz), and Bluey has 2 (something kid-centric and something adult-centric) jam-packed into 7 minutes a pop.  Bluey also has a tendency of bringing back childlike wonder without being condescending or demeaning to the audience, which can be an unintended side effect for many children’s shows when they’re trying to explain big concepts to minds that want to absorb things but have a difficult time parsing fact from fiction.  (Seriously, it’s just a developmental stage that those shows are trying to cater to.)

So, yeah, I’m 27, childless, and enjoy Bluey.  There are so many teenagers who enjoy it as well.  And, of course, parents and their babies enjoy it, too.  Some like the healing aspect of it, some enjoy the silly games, and some just enjoy it for being what it is.  I can’t tell anyone to love it or anything.  All I can say is that it’s a good idea to give some of the episodes a chance and judge for yourself whether you, as a person, like it or not.  If you do, then welcome!  I hope you find an episode that you really, REALLY enjoy!  If you don’t, then I hope you enjoy the fandoms that you, as a person, enjoy while I do the same.

[scoundrels-in-love]

30 Years Old Achievement Unlocked!

Usually, I had a Follow Forever post ready for my birthday, as a thank you for filling my dash and heart with blorbos and fun this year, but today I decided to have a bit more introspective one, looking over the last decade offline and almost same time that I've had on Tumblr. As a reminder for myself and maybe it can give some encouragement to others that are going through the slog of their twenties.

But first, yes, a thank you to people that have deeply shaped this decade, with their presence and sometimes, their absence. I can't ping the person I miss the most, it doesn't reach across the fog that clouds the way beyond the final goodbye, the parting that cannot be spoken, but I can ping the people who helped me stay on this side of the mist, in the aftermath. (In vague alphabetic order.) Thank you for everything, for being there for me through thick and thin, however you're capable, thank you for being you.

@aviss @bienchanter @binary5tar @carrot--cube @cup-ah-jho @deenakahara @fiovske @firesign23 @it-may-be-dull-but-im-determined @justdontevenknow @kdramaxoxo @lostindramas @mesoperi @sdwolfpup @spacepandar @tazzmanien @youholdthewater @zigackly

Also a special thank you, you are amazing and have done for me more than I can explain, to wonderful people of Trigun fandom. You made this year bearable, you pushed me to create more than I have in ages not with violence, but your love for what I had to share. And many of you have become friends I hope to keep for the forthcoming decade!

@aluvian @cosmixseerart @chickiefoo @dingusttmax @fionnrose @ladymaliwan @needle-noggins @noaafishfieldguide @kiaraalazulu @koontyme @madnessmadness @tardisready @zeearts @zillychu

I am definitely forgetting someone in these pings and I will blame it on my old age (just 3% of my entire lifespan, though!) and I am sending all the lovely people I talk with, who interact with my posts and so forth, people I follow, so much love (and Irish coffee cream cake).

Now, onto some loving achievements of the decade:

Survived and accepted my neurodivergence, began to start to accomodate for it and seek help for doing so.

Began participating in fandom.

Published over 170k words for various fandoms.

Learned to gif.

Realized I have checked the box 'No' on sexual & romantic attraction and gender starter package slip.

Conceptualized designs for my tattoos.

Dyed and bleached my hair for the first time. Figured out I like it short.

Continued to develop my style and grow more comfortable with my body and appearance.

Got Wolverine arm implants after I broke it badly.

Left my country and saw a band I love live.

Saw my internet friends in person for the first time.

Sailed on a boat and stood on the edge of sea at midnight, crying from happiness.

Finished education and kept job despite health issues.

Started playing DnD and even DMd a little.

Made my friends laugh so often I lost count.

Laughed often myself.

Took so many photos of things I love.

Learned so many cool animal facts.

Heard new favorite songs and continued to love old ones.

Read things that changed something in my very soul.

Wrote something that inspired a fanart and podfic.

And more and more and more. There is always more, more things that you and I can ever predict, more sorrows, yes, but more joys as well. And I think, looking back at 20 year old me, I'd say... It was worth sticking around for.

So, for the next life year and decade I want to say I'll try to:

Continue learning being kinder to myself, accept my limitations and accomodate them.

Write, write, write.

Take so much more photos.

Laugh until I cry more often.

Make people wheeze.

Travel more and especially to the seaside.

There always will be more to do, but I like these goals.

Thank you again, for everything, and here's to the next year, next decade and next lifetime.

[rudycomics]

Rudy Recs: Witch Watch (and its bittersweet love story)

I've written in the past before about some of the things I've been reading in shonen jump, You and I are Polar Opposites as an example, and the current generation of manga in their lineup right now has some interesting stuff going on. Somehow, Witch Watch is not one of the manga I hear other people talking about as often as the others and I think that's a real shame!

Kenta Shinohara has 2 award winning manga under his belt and even though his concepts don't have this really intense fantastical hook and his art isn't clamoring for attention in the ways things like Chainsaw Man or Dandadan do, I think Witch Watch has incredible range. It's part romance, part slapstick comedy/gag manga, and part shonen battle manga all together, bouncing back and forth between these different styles each chapter.

I always felt like it was just really solidly put together and consistently entertaining (except for when the story focuses on some side characters writing fan doujinshi which bores me to DEATH), but the thing that made me feel like I needed to write about it was the way the series handles the romance between the two main characters, Nico, the witch given a prophesized control over every type of magic, and Morihito, her childhood friend and chosen protector because he happens to be one of the last Ogres in the world.

I'm going to be talking spoilers for things that happened in recent chapters, so be warned!

I will put a warning when I get to it, but I like writing about these things because I personally think getting someone to gush about specific instances of well executed craft gets me more interested in checking out new things than anything else.

The basic setup to their romance is that Nico has a crush on Morihito (which she calls Moi and I'll use this nickname for convenience) and she begins living with him as her mother received a prophecy that some evil force will try to use Nico and her unnatural powers for evil purposes that will ultimately bring her harm in the process. Moi is chosen to be Nico's familiar to protect her from whatever this vague danger may end up being, but we see their personalities clash right away. She's very aware of him and he seems very stone-walled and closed off, despite their being some sort of connection between them from childhood.

The two get into a lot of wacky situations as Nico attends school and continuously uses her powers to try to help classmates with their personal troubles and they make some new friends along the way with their own special powers. The household of just the two of them grows into a house of 4 boys and Nico, with two other girls making frequent appearances. We learn about all these characters and their quirks and see how they are all invested in helping Nico try to form a relationship with Moi. It's not until a good handful of chapters later that we learn that in typical Nico fashion, she had somehow ended up putting a curse on Moi when they were children that locked Moi into being "best friends forever" with Nico, essentially kneecapping any romantic growth from sprouting from Moi.

It's not that important to what I wanted to talk about, but I do think this is such a fun story device because it completely fits in line with everything we've learned about Nico and what every wacky situation stems from in this series: Nico somehow uses her magic in ways that challenge the intuitive way the powers would seem to work and creating unintended effects on top of what the power is supposed to do. Nico's bond with Moi ever since they were children has also become the reason that nothing will ever happen between them.

EXCEPT... All of their new friends have sussed the situation out and form a plan to break through the curse and free Moi to accept the feelings that are actually blocked off inside his heart that they all know are there. They even have this fun visual metaphor of a heart with a valve leaking romantic feelings that gets repeated all through this arc.

They try some things to get Moi to over flow with feelings faster than the curse can repress them which is fun but ultimately fruitless, only for Moi to accidentally being able to listen in to Nico tell everyone that she loves him because of all his flaws that are center to his insecurities that make him close up. It's a beautiful moment that caps it off with using that visual metaphor again to really push emotion to the reader and I thought this was so effective!

From here on, I think what I want to talk about is spoilery enough that I should put a marker here for people that don't want to see anymore before reading:

**SPOILER WARNING!!**

The two both have feelings for each other at this point and Moi wants to confess to Nico now, but tragedy strikes as the big bad makes his move to attack Nico and friends which ends up costing Moi his life as he gets shot in the chest with a gun. Nico uses her powers to heal him at the cost of something of her own and what she ends up giving up is her time, which includes her memories, and turns back into a 5 year old.

The group find out that Nico can be restored to her natural state by collecting these magic butterflies that escaped from her body during her spell, and here is where I think this series does something that really grabbed me.

I read a LOT of manga. Like, scouring for new stuff to read every day. Comics are my primary source of entertainment and I read a LOT of romance stories. One of the things that I feel like authors have to consider when writing compelling romance is how to get readers to connect with characters enough to also want to see those characters get into a relationship. In general, I think a lot of this connection buildup happens AFTER characters get together and you have to just get accept the weak initial romantic beginning (like Galaxy Next Door for example), OR the story spends its whole lifetime creating their bonds slowly and ends right as they get together which annoys me, personally (hoping this one doesn't do that, but we will have to see).

What I think Witch Watch does here is so striking and unique; Nico and the gang put in so much effort in between their escapades to get these two characters together so that they can be happy. Right when things lock into place, it all comes to a halt and resets, but what doesn't get reset is the readers' understanding and connections to these characters. We're already invested in Nico and Moi and we get a second chance to see these characters form a loving connection in a really unique way that feels unpredictable as Nico slowly regains her age and memories back. It's got a bittersweet tone to it as Moi doesn't get to express his love in the way that he wants to, but we get to see such a complex form of love develop as he takes the role of a caretaker for little Nico. Love is more than romance or attraction and getting a chance to put that trope away for a bit to do something different is so refreshing. It really builds out something so much more complete and more befitting of a seinen maybe, rather than a shonen with fight scenes and mythical characters.

This current arc is the beginning of part 2 of Witch Watch, with the big bad leaving the group alone because Nico is useless to him as a child with no control over magic. We know this peace will come to an end when Nico is restored to her proper age, but we get to see the characters all get up to their silly antics again with child Nico in the mix now. It's a really cool shakeup that adds new life to the slapstick comedy bits that make up most of the story, putting the action in the back seat again for now. This is the most recent chapter at the time of me writing this (chapter 133), and seeing Moi's perspective as the point of view in contrast to Nico's experiences so far is really gripping to me. This final page of the chapter is what did it for me:

It hurts, but it's love. The pain is temporary, all for the goal of being together when it's all over, with a connection deeper than anything that they would have formed otherwise.

Please go give Witch Watch a read! It's really fun!!

[richincolor]

Book Review: True Love and Other Impossible Odds by Christina Li

Summary: College freshman Grace Tang never meant to rewrite the rules of love. She came to college to move on from a grief-stricken senior year and to start anew. So she follows a predictable routine: Attend class, study, go home and visit her dad every weekend. She doesn’t leave any room in her life for outliers or anomalies.

Then, Grace comes up with an algorithm for her statistics class to pair students with their perfect romantic partners. Though some people are skeptical, like Julia, Grace’s prickly coworker, Grace is confident that her program will take all the drama out of relationships. That’s why she keeps trying to make things work with her match, a guy named Jamie. But as the semester goes on and she grows closer to Julia, Grace starts to question who she’s really attracted to.

In award-winning author Christina Li’s YA debut, Grace will have to make a choice between the tidy equations she knows will protect her from heartbreak or the possibility that true love doesn’t follow any formula.

My Thoughts: Can love be predicted with logic and numbers? It's an interesting question that Grace and her fellow math classmates are wrestling with for their project. Science and math can do a lot of things for us so why not finding matches for people? It's a fun topic to explore or at least watch characters attempt to do so.

Grace learns a lot about herself as she and her math partners implement their program. Why some people click and others don't has them questioning their algorithm, but also themselves. The friends and other students that Grace is interacting with have opinions about the project, but the farther they get into it, the more questions arise. 

The story bounces back and forth between her college freshman year and the time when her mother was still alive and before a rift with Grace's best friend. She's grieving both losses and is only beginning to venture into new relationships both romantic and otherwise. She stumbles around a bit, but the book feels like a hug as she finds some connections, learns about herself, and begins to heal.

Seeing her muddle her way through new relationships was a little like watching a young horse start walking. It's a lovely coming of age story as Grace really delve into her feelings and discovers more about herself. She creates new bonds and takes a good look at how she has interacted with her father and her previous best friend. 

I loved the snowy ski excursions and it made me realize I haven't seen skiing in many young adult books. Grace and Julia have that common interest which really helps them get to know each other and it adds to the cozy feeling of the book. This book would be great with a cup of hot cocoa and a blanket.  

Recommendation: Get it soon especially if you enjoy seeing characters discover more about themselves and like a sweet bit of romance. 

Publisher: Quill Tree Books

Pages: 389

Review Copy: Final copy via publisher

Availability: On sale May 14, 2024

[desceros]

How do you feel so motivated to write all the time? I have a fic of my own that I’ve been working on for a few months and have been posting but I’ve lost all the momentum I once had for it and only have 3 chapters left that I need to write. Whenever I sit down to write it I can never seem to put more than a few words down before I either work on something newer or just give up for the day. Sorry for the small vent I’m just trying to find ways to get back to it 💜💜💜💜

oh, that's easy—i don't! i have really, really bad adhd. motivation isn't something i can count on for, uh, literally anything lmao. which is bad for, like, eating and sleeping with any sense of regularity, but good in terms of me having learned how to do stuff i wanna do without motivation!

the first thing is consistency. i try really really hard to write every day, even if it's only a little. i have a folder in my icloud for daily exercises, and that's where i write little 500-1000 word snippets if i don't have a proper fic or novel that i'm working on. it's just a single scenario, single blip kind of thing. This has made it so that my brain expects me to write, every day, even when i'm not particularly motivated by one plot or another. though don't beat yourself up if you don't write in a day. that's pretty hard for me, but it's very important!

second, kind of part of the first, is that i have a time set aside every day to write. it's actually first thing in the morning when i wake up, because i'm super excited to do it and it gets me out of bed like nothing else!! i don't check my phone, i don't think about work, none of that. i just roll out of bed and sit down at my computer and start writing. because i have a specific time for it, it's very easy for me to go oh. well this is my writing time. the time for writing. i shall go and write now.

third is to have lots of different things that you're very excited about. i'll usually have three or four ideas bouncing around in my head at one time, because it makes me think 'oh i need to finish x so i can get to y', just in case x ever gets too boring for me. but also—don't be afraid to switch projects! if something isn't meshing, don't force it. you'll grow to resent it, and yourself for not being able to create, and that negativity isn't conducive to a fun time. i like to have at least two things that i'm actively working on that are very different in tone. this way, i can bounce back and forth as needed if something isn't vibing one day for whatever reason.

fourth is to kinda... trick yourself a little. if i'm working on a long project and i need to stop for anything longer than getting another cup of coffee, i stop in the middle of a scene—but, very specifically, a scene in which i know what the next step is going to be. sometimes, i'll even go down a line and put what the next action is, if it's really gonna be a while. that way, the next time i come back to it, i reread the scene, and by the time i get to the place where i'm supposed to start writing again, the flow is there. it's much easier to pick up in media res vs having to start a new section.

so yeah. motivation is fake, don't ever trust it, come up with a system that makes it so you never have to count on it ever again!

[popentertainment-interviews]

Sasha Lane

Riding the Storm Out in Twisters

by Jay S. Jacobs

“Don’t let me go! Don’t let me go!” That cry came from Sasha Lane as Lily, one of the storm hunters in the summer blockbuster Twisters, as a tornado nearly pulled her out of a collapsing movie theater.

Who says that acting isn’t an adventure?

A native Texan, Lane plays the group’s tech, who uses drones and VR goggles to help save the people of her neighboring state of Oklahoma. Riding around in a van across the plains, with the likes of Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Tunde Adebimpe, Katy O'Brian and Harry Hadden-Paton – chasing storms and saving lives.  

Starring in Twisters is sort of a childhood fantasy for Lane, but then again, her career has been taking off so much in recent years that she is living out lots of fantasies. The role of Lily comes hard on the heels of a head-turning gig in the acclaimed Apple+ series The Crowded Room with Tom Holland and Amanda Seyfried. She’s also played significant roles in series like Utopia and Loki, as well as films like Hellboy and The Miseducation of Cameron Post.

As Twisters was being released for streaming and on demand, we caught up with Lane to find out about her life chasing Twisters.

You were basically a toddler when the original Twister movie came out. Were you familiar with it before getting involved with Twisters? Were you excited to be a part of the reboot?

Yeah, legit I grew up on Twister. We used to watch it all the time. Growing up in Texas too, it just felt like, “Oh yeah, we have tornadoes, too.” It was something that felt like you're from here, then you know about Twister. Then to be a part of Twisters… My own sisters are like, “No, I've never seen Twister” and I’m like, “Welcome to us. Welcome to our version.” So, it's cool yeah. It's super exciting to be a part of.

When originally reading the script for Twisters, what most intrigued you about the story and specifically about Lily?

The fact that she flies drones. That was this updated version of being able to collect data and the fact that it just felt like this like sick way to be like, “All right, yeah, we're going to get out there but I’m going to go around it and circle it and dive in.” I thought it was just super innovative. Even learning that that's what people do now and that they've just created so many different ways to essentially get information back to the centers and the stations and just for their own data. I just thought it was cool, and I'm so not tech savvy. I love the idea that I got to pretend for a moment that I knew.

Did you get to learn anything about the tech side of things?

Yeah, I watched a lot of videos. Watching Alex fly his drones and essentially telling about everything. It made me understand why people get so excited about them because at first, I just thought like “oh, those annoying things in the sky,” but now I'm like that's kind of cool. Especially to use it for something like what the storm chasers are doing with it, I think it's really dope.

Since this film is so much about the tornadoes and weather of Oklahoma, did you all run across any real twisters or weird weather that affected shooting?

We definitely had some crazy weather. There were so many times where our trailers were rocking and we're sending videos back and forth, like, “you feel this?” One time we were filming the scene where the entire town gets destroyed and lo and behold the entire street got destroyed seconds before filming, so it was like, “well, I guess that just saved everyone the trouble of having to go destroy everything themselves.” Tons of lightning, just a lot of good old Oklahoma weather.

Twisters is so much about special effects. As an actor, what was the toughest scene to film? Which one was the most fun?

I think the toughest scene to film, I guess for me, (chuckles) personally, when we're in the theater and we're yelling for everyone to come in and get down, get to the side. I am extremely uncomfortable in crowded spaces and all of the doors are closed. Everyone's screaming, and it just made me want to crawl into my own skin. But I'm supposed to be the one who's like, “get out, everyone!” I was begging to get flown out of that theater by that point. (laughs) I was like, “just put me on the ground and send me out, guys.”

Yeah, that was a crazy scene…

Or working outside in the pool scene – the empty pool and the tornado was coming. We were filming that in, like, December and so we're just freezing in these tiny little tank tops and shorts. It's just freezing. But, you know, it is what it is.

True…

I think the most fun for me, honestly, probably was flying. Just being on the harness and Tyler (Glen Powell’s character) having to reach out and get me. I like anything with stunts or anything that shakes it up a little bit. That was cool.

Glen is suddenly one of the biggest names in Hollywood. What were he and Daisy and the rest of the cast like to work with? You guys all looked like you were having a lot of fun there.

It was super easy to work with everyone. We're like the most well-mannered, good, light-hearted, spirited, down for the creative group of people I've ever been around. Everyone just had their own vibe, but also, we all clicked. There was no pressure to hang out but we all naturally found ourselves hanging out. Everyone was respectful, not like secretly side-eyeing [someone] being like, “we're kind of being mean to the PAs.” Everyone's mama, or dad, or grandparent – whoever raised them – raised them all just so well. They're great people.

Have you ever experienced a twister or any other natural disaster? I think you just said in Texas that you hadn't run across a twister, but have you ever been in anything like that?

Yeah. There's been times out here – hurricanes and all kinds of stuff. Hailstorms. It's so weird because I just go to sleep. There are a few times that you get woken up and you have to go hide for cover. Or I've been caught out – I'm at the park with friends and I'm booking it home and trees are flying in my face. It's a little scary but something about the intense weather just makes me mosey on up.

You grew up in neighboring Texas, so filming in Oklahoma must have been like going home almost. What was it like to film there?

I say this joke, sometimes you'll be driving in Texas, and you'll end up in Oklahoma by accident because you just went a little too far. That's really what it was. It was great because it felt familiar to me, which I really like. I was able to drive back and forth to see my daughter or meet her in the middle at a park somewhere. It felt like I didn't have to disrupt her world, but I could constantly just go back and forth not a lot of miles in. I love [the fact that] their bars have so many games. I started getting really good at darts for some random reason. Just hanging out. I was in the middle of a storm at a bar and it's just probably only three people there and they're like, “eh, it'll pass.” And I'm like, “all right, might as well go out with a gin if I'm going to go out.” It was good.

You play a very different role in The Crowded Room. Is it fun as an actor to play with all these different shades? What was that show like to be a part of?

Playing different roles is definitely something I find appealing, especially because in doing so it helps me tap into different parts of myself but with a filter, I guess. It feels like playtime… or like getting permission to daydream all day. But then you get roles like Arianna, and that’s definitely a different level of tapping in. It was terrifying at times having to be so vulnerable, having to dig so deep, but also, I found it very releasing. It made me fall in love with my work all over again. I felt truly proud to be a part of something that a lot of people put so much effort, heart, and time into creating and protecting. I’m very thankful for the Crowded Room experience. 

Copyright ©2024 PopEntertainment.com. All rights reserved. Posted: August 28, 2024.

Photo 1 © 2024. Courtesy of Mandy Kay Marketing. All rights reserved.

Photos 2-4 © 2024. Courtesy of Universal Pictures. All rights reserved.

[l-sincline]

Cybernetics - Chapter 27

Amy Rose is a mechanic, plain and simple. But aside from that, she feels utterly alone in a cruel world where she makes just enough to scrape by. One night she’s visited by a mysterious Cyborg that needs his arm fixed, little does she know this repair will change her life.

Flung from the confines of her normal life, Amy finds herself working with Anarchists set on creating a new life for themselves and the poor people of Mobius. The only downside? Seeing who she thought was her best friend fight against her.

AO3 Tags:  Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Amy Rose/Shadow the Hedgehog, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Amy Rose (Sonic the Hedgehog), Shadow the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles “Tails” Prower, Dr. Eggman | Dr. Robotnik, Rouge the Bat, Whisper the Wolf, Cream the Rabbit, Knuckles the Echidna, Badnik (Sonic the Hedgehog), E-123 Omega, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Cyberpunk, Angst, Slow Burn, Partners in Crime

AO3 Link

Previous/Next

Amy had taken a precarious seat on the back of one of the offroaders, hoverboard clutched in hand and hammer-turned-bag slung over her shoulder. She could hear Rouge and Omega flying a little behind them. Shadow had disappeared as soon as they had all started to move out- despite his begrudging going along with the plan- it was clear he was upset. 

She found herself worried- though it wasn’t completely out of character for him to just up and disappear, she’d felt that previous times he’d been at least a bit more neutral mentally. Now that he was clearly stewing in some anger she worried they’d touch base in the inner ring and he’d still be nowhere to be found. 

Regardless of her worries, the offroader trudged on, kicking up dirt as it turned corners. At the front of the pack Blaze seemed to have her focus on the Blue Blur and his crew. The echidna android- Knuckles as she’d learned- had also opted to hitch a ride on one of the offroaders, while Sonic ran ahead with Tails flying overhead. 

Despite her heart somewhat yearning for her friendship with Tails, this whole interaction had shown her some colors she wasn't ready for. Maybe a part of her had hoped that Tails would see her and return to taking her side, to being her friend. But the other part of her remembered the initial attack on her; how Tails had lured her away for Sonic to grab, and finally she came to terms with the fact that their relationship could never quite be the same. 

He was so different now. In a way she felt like Tails had died and been reborn- reborn as someone much more confident and loud and unabashed. Sonic had changed him. No longer was he her quiet friend, her smart little confidant. Sonic had helped him grow- she wondered suddenly if he felt the same way about her. 

Amy realized she was no longer as timid as she used to be. She looked up to Rouge- there was a part of her that wanted to be like the android. Confident and fun, but smart and calculated. Even more than that; she wanted to be friends. When it came to Shadow… she wasn’t sure she’d ever been able to put this much trust in someone before. The amount of times that Shadow had saved her- perhaps physically and metaphorically- had caused her to understand that she could rely on others again after Tails. She hoped- wished- that he felt the same way, she knew this now as the anxiety over his disappearance sat heavy in her stomach. 

Amy looked back to Tails- she didn’t want to chase his friendship anymore. Maybe they would work together for as long as this lasted, but he wasn’t home to her. Not anymore. When all this was over she would wave goodbye and go back to Rouge and Shadow and Omega, because those were the Mobians that had been there for her, the ones that had helped her grow. 

In that moment she smiled slightly. She never would’ve imagined doing this, and yet here she was. And she felt better for it. 

-

You could hear a pin drop in the resistance headquarters as Blaze paced back and forth, planning their next move. Shadow was still nowhere to be seen, Amy chewed her bottom lip. Omega sat idly in a corner- Knuckles sat next to him, staring up at the large bot in wonder. Tails and Sonic had disappeared as well as Rouge. Amy chose to follow suit just then, realizing that Blaze’s pacing was stressing her out even more. 

The door creaked open and shut behind her. The halls were just as quiet as the room had been, but she let out a sigh of relief anyways and moved on. The lights flickered dimly and the floorboards creaked beneath her feet. This was the kind of situation she remembered before the base. 

Just then, she jumped. A door next to her opened quietly. 

“Oh,” She breathed out, “Rouge.” 

The bat stared at her.

“I haven’t heard anything from Shadow.” She said promptly.

“I figured.” Amy chuckled nervously, silence fell on them. After a moment she looked back to Rouge, “How are you?” 

Rouge looked surprised, she leaned on the doorway.

“I feel like I should be asking you that. A few hours ago we were using you as bait.” 

“Ah- I’m fine. Everything worked out.”

“But if it didn’t you…” Rouge stopped, looking to the ground, “I don’t know what I’d have done if I did that to you.” 

“You didn’t do anything, Rouge.” Amy spoke as softly as she could, “It was a group decision and I agreed to it. Nothing that could’ve happened would’ve been your fault.” 

“I know I just-” Rouge stopped herself and looked up again, “After we got kidnapped, and you were hurt up there, I felt so bad that I didn’t do more. You can handle yourself but you’re not like me or Shadow or Omega. You’re…” 

“A plain ole’ Mobian?” Amy cut in with a slight laugh. Then, a sigh, “I know.”

They looked at each other for a moment. 

“Sometimes I wish I was like you guys. It seems like I could be more helpful if I was.” A pause, “But at the same time, I think maybe you guys needed someone like me- and you didn’t even realize it.” 

Rouge stepped out of the doorframe.

“Come in.” 

So she stepped in.

The room seemed to be a random, unused one that Rouge had opted to step into. There was a dusty couch and coffee table by the center and some bookshelves lining the walls. Cobwebs littered the corners and an unused broom leaned against the wall next to the door. Rouge sat down in the dusty armchair diagonal to the couch- Amy took her seat on said couch, coughing slightly when the dust kicked up. 

“I was the one who found you, you know.” 

“Really?” Amy asked, she’d always assumed Shadow had done it on his own.

“He walked around with that broken arm for a week. It was a bad run in with Sonic after a heist. We didn’t have Omega to tank all those kicks, so Shadow took the front to let me get away. He tried that entire week to fix it himself while I looked for underground mechanics that would be easy to not get tangled up with. I actually thought it would be you and Tails looking at it, so we were kind of reluctant at first. Two people is a crowd, you know.” 

“But he went anyways?” 

“No.” Rouge shook her head, “I did some reconnaissance on the building and figured out it was just you. So we decided you were the best option.” 

Amy was silent. She had no idea she’d been watched. Would she be smarter now? She hoped so. 

“So you guys really didn’t mean for all this to happen to me?” 

“No way.” Rouge let out a breathy laugh, “It was a weird sweet spot we found you in. We didn’t know Sonic had a sidekick at that point, so there was no way for us to know it was Tails- let alone the same one you were friends with.” 

“Were is a pretty key word there.” Amy scoffed. 

“Figured you weren’t friends anymore.”

Amy was silent for a moment, wringing her hands. 

“I don’t know. Every day he was gone I missed him. His ignoring me affected me so much, it made me feel so awful. I thought that meant I just really missed him and his company but… I think it was always one sided. He was never as close to me as I was to him. He always had bigger and better things going for him and I was the alley girl without any parents he took pity on. I’m grateful for everything he taught me but…” 

“But?”

“... I’m much happier where I am now. With you guys.” She smiled. 

Rouge nodded proudly and leaned back in her seat. 

“Can I ask you something?” Amy started.

“Shoot.” 

“How did you get involved with all of this?” 

Rouge was silent, her grin faded into a frown and her brows furrowed.  

“There's a red light district in the middle ring.” Rouge glanced up to see the shock on Amy’s face and laughed bitterly, “Yeah. I figured you didn’t know. Most people outside of the inner ring don’t. Even the middle ring was pretty deaf to it. It was just populated with rich people with too much time on their hands, poor people that were at their last straw, and androids like me.” 

“Like you?”

“I was made specifically for… that line of work. Some genius scumbag wanted to make some more money and he figured modifying androids was the perfect way to do it. He poured some of his own cash in to start the business with some new models, but then he would take donations from his customers to modify.”

“Then do you know…?”

“No. I have no clue which group I’m a part of. He would wipe the memories of the donated models. I could be either. I don’t think I’d want to know, anyways.” 

“Eventually I managed to get out of that building. I hightailed it down those streets, but I stood out like a sore thumb. Half naked white bat android with heavy makeup- everyone knew where I was from. It was like every hand on that street was reaching for me, and I couldn’t be sure if they wanted to take me back or if they just wanted me for themselves. Eventually someone pulled me around a corner and just… kept pulling. Until I’d gotten away from the hoard of mobians chasing me.” 

“Shadow?” Amy asked.

“Yeah.” Rouge responded, “He gave me his cloak and asked what was going on. I told him I’d broken out and begged and pleaded for him not to send me back. He didn’t send me back, and when I told him I had nowhere to go he took me with him. Back then the base was just a skeleton of an old building. He was sleeping on a ratty blanket on the ground in some bushes. Certainly needed a woman’s touch.” 

“But Rouge,” Amy stopped her, “Are you… okay? After all that?” 

Rouge smiled- it was bittersweet. 

“Okay as I’ll ever be. Now that I’ve been out for a few years all I see is myself. It used to be like an out of body experience when I’d look in the mirror. Like that couldn’t possibly be me. But now I really do love myself- even if that sounds cheesy. I’m powerful and I’m doing something good with my time. And eventually I’ll break all those other Mobians out of there, too. I’ll burn that district to the ground. After all this is over… I want to make a program for them, to help get them all on their feet. To find homes for them.”

Amy smiled. 

“I hope you’ll let me help with that, too.”

Rouge smiled back, genuine, bright, a shining star.

“I’m sure a mechanic’s touch will be needed.” 

AUTHORS NOTE FROM AO3 CHAPTER:

Haha okay hello. Sorry, its been a second. TLDR: Updates every other week for now, might switch to once a month

So hi, life has been hectic lol. I graduated from College earlier this year and meant to get back to Cybernetics so I could keep in line with my previous hiatus pattern but... life got me. Generally my idea was that I'd finish writing the story and then go back to updating but I just couldn't quite get there. I kept hitting walls, writing other things instead (hence Girlish Whimsy... shout out to my new longfic lol) but at the end of the day I do really want to finish this- so I'm pushing on! I asked on tumblr what the general consensus was for how I should keep going with this and the feedback I got was that people wanted stuff now so: here it is! Some of these chapters were written at the beginning of this year, others were written closer to now, but they've all generally been in safe keeping waiting for the hiatus to end. So for now I'm going to do updates every other week, but if I start to catch up with myself again I'll switch to once a month.

Anyways, sorry for leaving you all in the dust for so long! just for some updates if you're interested in my (sonic) writing: I was recently a part of a Shadow the Hedgehog zine called 'Never Turn Back' which is available to you until January 15th on the @ neverturnbackzine tumblr! I recommend checking it out, there's a lot of cool stuff in there from a lot of cool people! I also wrote a prequel short story to Cybernetics earlier this year (specifically to apply for that zine, actually lol) and you can find it on my AO3 under the title 'Reluctant Hero'! Not necessary to understand Cybernetics at all, but it is a kind of nice character exploration of Shadow, who admittedly gets less screen time in comparison to Amy here lol.

Long winded author's note aside, thank you to everyone who stuck around (and hello if there happens to be anyone new). Thanks for not losing faith and I promise that I will chip away at this story even if it kills me lol- you WILL see the end of Cybernetics, promise!

[dumb-phone-diaries]

So Friday morning my phone shit itself. I'd been considering moving to a dumb phone but wasn't really expecting to have to make a decision quite so quickly, but here we are. Since I'm still chronically online though, I've made this blog to document my experiences and see how I go and how long I hold out before I cave and just get another smartphone I guess.

I've just been becoming more and more tired of finding myself scrolling mindlessly down apps I don't care about, that are feeding me content I don't want to see, and more adverts than posts by people I care about. I've become tired of constant software updates, planned obsolescence, and my battery running flat by 3pm every day. And now the introduction of AI generated content. If no one can be bothered to create it why would I bother to look at it, y'know?

So yesterday I went and bought this beauty. She's a Nokia 325 4G in "Future Dusk" (that's dark purple) and she cost $89.

This was the most up-spec phone I could find that didn't run android (or ios). She has a 2mp camera! I'm thrilled with how grainy and creepy the photos look, but i am going to need to get a proper camera, which is not a bad thing. I've been sussing out some options and I think I've found a cool Canon compact on Marketplace.

I've gotta tell you though, this feels like it has less personalisation options than my old 3315. It probably doesn't though. although what ever happened to a little hook on the corner so i could attach a wrist strap or a little flashing hello kitty charm or whatever? rude.

The predictive text feels very clunky, there doesn't appear to be a way to save custom words in the dictionary, which i definitely feel like the old T9 did. There's no emojis so we're back to texting ascii art, which is fun tbh.

Ring tones are limited but you can set MP3's as ring tones so that's fine. The standard text tone I've set is actually very cute, it sounds very magical, and receiving text messages is suddenly very exciting. especially since I've become so used to messenger.

Oh wait! I've just figured out how to add words. Great. So like, even as someone who's used this kind of tech before, there's still a little bit of a learning curve as I reacquaint myself with it.

There's no way to move menu options around to suit my preference as far as I can tell but there aren't that many of them so it's not that much of an issue.

The big challenge I'm facing is how to listen to audiobooks. I've become rather reliant on listening to audiobooks in order to get tedious tasks done. It's honestly something I dreamed about as a kid and audible basically saved my life, I'm not even exaggerating (much). This little phone can play mp3s, and there are ways to convert audible files to mp3 but having a 30 hour long mp3 with no way to skip back and forth on the track is not especially useful, and there's also no way that i've found so far to change the play speed.

There are MP3 players capable of running audible, but that also means they're capable of running all the other apps that I don't want to be able to have access to. I don't feel that I'm addicted to my phone precisely but I also don't have a lot of self control as regards the bad habit I've developed of reaching for my phone any time my hands are not otherwise engaged. If anyone out there knows of some ways around that please let me know!

Anyway

Please appreciate these grainy-ass photos I took with the phone's camera of my dog Tillie, and some Daffodils growing in my garden.