#might be a bit early to post it since we're only like a little over halfway through this month

[goldiipond]

ohhhhh igotta to do my art summary soon

[ghost-in-the-hall]

Fall For Me (Poly! Sleep Token x Fem! Reader) - Part VI

Why hello there! I am finally back with an Eepy Boi update!! Sorry it took me so long to get around to posting this, between the holidays and my work schedule being all over the place and a heap of other junk it took me a bit, lol. We're taking a little jump back? Forward? In time this chapter, the Fall Festival is finally upon us... Maybe a little bit of tension starts to occur? This is going to be a very fun chapter hehe. Thank all of you so so much for your continued support during my hiatus, I see every single note, reblog, and kudos on this fic, I read every single comment I get, all of you are absolutely wonderful, again, thank you. If you would like to be added to my tag list for this fic, please let me know! If you ever want to come be crazy over the Sleep Token boys with me, shoot me an ask or a message! Now onto the good stuff, I hope you enjoy!

WARNINGS: None, fluff, not proofread

My Masterlist! ~ A03 Link!

Part V - Part VII

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“Absolutely not.” Vessel responds blankly as he flips through one of the magazines by the register.

“Ves, come on.” You groan. “It's one night.”

“Yeah, one night with a whole group of people that want to run us out of town.” He retaliates in the same bored tone as he turns another page.

“Everyone's going to be wearing costumes, no one will know it's you.” You offer as you start bagging his purchase.

“They've seen pictures of us, love.”

“What? Those blurry, grainy sasquatch looking photos from the paper?” You sigh, handing him the bags. “Listen, I know you're worried. I know you just want to keep everyone safe, but you hiding yourselves away is only going to make people more suspicious.” You could feel his eyes studying your face.

“I get the slightest feeling that something is wrong we leave, do we have a deal?” He sticks out his hand to you, you clap your own into his without hesitation, giving it a firm shake. “I agree that people might be more comfortable with us being in town if we can exist in the same space without an issue… I just hope you're right about this.” 

“I'll be right by your side the whole time.” You exchange a soft smile.

“Are you closing early that day?” He asks.

“Of course, I have to get into costume myself.” You giggle. “I'll be closing at noon that day, but I can always reopen if you guys want to stock up afterwards.” You offer.

“It’s not that, I wouldn't want to trouble you.” He chuckles. “I was thinking maybe we could meet here before the festival.” 

“I'd like that.” 

“Then it's a date.” He bows his head slightly in dismissal before pushing out the door.

The next day the store was abuzz with excited children picking out glow sticks, mother's buying ingredients for their bake sale items, and last minute costume necessities for all the town's residents. “Miss (Y/N)!” You can't help but smile as a young boy with messy brown hair and a gapped tooth smile rushes up to the counter.

“Daclan, she's busy-” his mother starts, a bubbly school teacher you had gotten to know quite well since she had moved to town.

“Don't worry about it, Siobhan.” You chuckle, pulling the bucket of candy out from behind the counter and discreetly offering it to him. You lean down slightly, “if you don't tell the other kids I'll let you take two.” You whisper with a wink. He shoves his hand into the bucket before quickly and triumphantly retrieving his candy.

“Miss (Y/N), are you coming to the Fall festival?” He asks excitedly.

“Of course I am, I wouldn't miss it for the world.” You smile. “What's your costume going to be this year?” He starts rambling on about his skeleton costume as you ring the two of them up.

“Woah! Mom, look at him!” Your attention flashes over to the door to see Vessel frozen in place as every pair of eyes in the store land on him. As quickly as he caught their attention it was gone, the bustling energy returning once more as everyone continued their shopping. You motion him closer with a wave of your hand. Declan stared up at the large masked man in amazement. “What are you supposed to be?”

Vessel gives you the briefest of looks, not exactly sure how to respond at first. But, seeing the boy's bright smile and lack of fear, it warmed his heart. He leans down, resting his elbows on the counter to bring himself closer to eye level. “The Grim Reaper, pretty scary, right?” He says with a grin.

“Awesome!�� Declan exclaims in response. “Mom, can we make a costume like his next year?” Vessel chuckles at the young boy’s excitement.

“Sure thing, honey.” She ruffles Declan’s hair. “Come on, let’s let Miss (Y/N) close up so she can get ready.” You exchange goodbye’s with her, Declan telling you that he hopes you get to see his costume before hurrying out the door.

“So far so good.” You remark as you lean against the counter, you and Vessel shifting to more easily face each other. “I promise tonight will be fun.” You reach out, grabbing his shoulder and giving it a reassuring squeeze.

“Well, if you talk so highly about this festival, I can't see any harm in giving it a shot.” You wait for your last few customers to file out of the store before locking up.

“Where's everyone else?” You ask, looking out in the empty lot for their truck.

“They're in back, I hope you don't mind.”

“Not at all.” You click off your open sign with a smile, motioning with a nod for Vessel to follow you out the front door. Your keys jingled in your hand as you struggled with the lock. “You'd think after all this time I wouldn't mess this up.” You sigh. The front door had a tendency to not shut fully unless things were maneuvered a certain way; the keys had to be slid into the lock a certain way, you had to push the door fully shut with your shoulder, you felt your cheeks start to burn as you struggled with something so simple in Vessel’s presence.

“Mind if I give it a try?” He offers quietly. You shuffle out of his way, the heat of his body noticeable against yours as he slid a little too close behind you. He jiggles the key slightly, slamming his shoulder into the glass pane’s metal frame, managing to slide the deadbolt into place. He pulls on the handle a couple times, making sure it's fully secure, before turning to you with a proud smile. “There, that should do it. He follows you out back, the other three members of the usual group lounging in the cab of the truck. IV was the first to notice you, perking up in his seat when his eyes landed on your approaching form. He nudges II, who looks up immediately from the book he was reading at the mention of your name.

“Where's your costume?” III asks in mock annoyance. He hops down from his place situated in the bed of the truck, his long strides allowing him to approach you quickly and pull you into his arms. He pulls back slightly, his blue eyes finding yours and making you freeze under their warm gaze. “Promise me I'll get you to myself for at least a little while tonight.” You could hear the smile he was wearing under his mask lace it's way through his words. Before you had a chance to respond the passenger door of the truck was kicked open, IV practically falling to the ground as he scrambled out. Your eyes darted up to three, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he gazed down at you. He gives you a quick wink before he steps back, satisfied with your flustered state. 

IV bounds up to you, excitedly taking your hands in his. “I can't wait to see your costume.” You jump slightly as a warm hand if placed against your lower back, you caught the sight of II in your peripheral.

“Well we have to let her go get changed into it first.” He chuckles. “It's good to see you, love.”

“Come on guys.” You chuckle, motioning for the four of them to follow you. “You can hang out upstairs while I get ready.”

It always made your heart swell every time they were all together in one place. The warm, me jovial energy that filled your apartment had you practically skipping to your room to get changed. You could hear the four of them continue to talk in the living room, just quiet enough to make it so you couldn't hear. You opened your closet, pulling out the neatly packaged bag that contained your costume. You shimmied into the tight dress, the stretchy fabric hugging all of your curves just right. Was this the most original costume in the world? Absolutely not. But, considering you were hoping to catch the attention of some masked men in particular this evening, you figured it wouldn't hurt to be a little cliche. You did your makeup as quickly as you could, a dark smokey eye that was finished off by you drawing a little black nose at the tip of your own with eyeliner. You grabbed the headband from your vanity, adjusting it perfectly atop your head before giving yourself one final once over in the mirror and heading back out to your waiting guests. The room fell silent the second you stepped through your door, four pairs of eyes locked on your small form. All of the sudden attention made you feel self conscious about your costume choice, maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. You wrapped your arms around your torso, your cheeks warming as you looked between the four. “Does it look ba-”

You didn't have a chance to finish your question before they were all scrambling out of their various seats towards you. All of them reassuring you that you looked fantastic and apologizing for staring. Your small group prepared to head out, III hung back to wait for you, his monstrous form taking up most of the doorway. You smile up at him as you straighten up from pulling on your shoes. “You look beautiful.” He compliments you softly, making your cheeks warm.

“Thank you.” He slips his hands into yours, his lips warm through his mask as he places a soft kiss to your knuckles.

“Ready to get going?” You nod, letting your hand reluctantly fall from his.

You piled into their truck, you were currently squished in between Vessel and II, III and IV curled up in the bed. “So, you're all excited about this festival, what are we even going to be doing?” Vessel asks suddenly, breaking the silence in the truck.

“Well,” you start, “there's going to be a lot of food, hay rides, a costume contest, lots of vendors from around the town, a few rides, a haunted house. It's nothing spectacular, but I’m hoping it will make you guys feel more at home here.” You noticed him and II exchange a look over your head. It wasn't long before you pulled into the bumpy dirt parking lot of the fair grounds. III vaulted out of the truck, his heavy boots landing on the ground with a loud thud. You notice II shove him back slightly as he holds out his hand to help you out of the truck. He gives your hand a soft squeeze before dropping it, you were quickly surrounded by the four men, all of you chatting happily as you made your way up to the festival. The four froze, taking in the chaotic sight before then. IV reached out, slipping his hand into yours.

“There's a lot of people, huh?” He asks, startling back slightly as a child rushes past his legs.

“The whole town’s probably going to show up.” You explain. You lean on closer to him, “you alright big guy? We can always turn around and go back to my place if this is too much.” You squeeze his hand reassuringly.

“I think I can handle it if you're by my side.” You noticed his features soften as he smiles under his mask. Your cheeks warm, your eyes darting to the ground in an attempt to try and hide your flustered expression.

“Where should we start?” III slips an arm around your shoulder, you instinctually lean into his side.

“You're the expert, love, lead the way.” Vessel shoots you a sharp grin. The group stayed close to your side, forming a buffer between you and the rest of the crowd. You wandered from booth to booth, letting the boy's childlike wonder take over as they excitedly showed you small trinkets and hand made gifts they stumbled across. The booth of old ladies selling goat milk soap cooed over how adorable all your costumes were, slipping sweets into all your hands as you made your way out. You paused in front of a vendor selling handmade jewelry, you jumped slightly as a hand came to rest on your waist.

“That would look very pretty on you.” II’s gentle voice meets your ears.

“You think so?” You ask through a flustered giggle. II asked to see the necklace in question, the beautifully wire wrapped crystal sparkling in the gradually setting sun. “It is really pretty.”

“How much?” He asks without hesitation. The young woman running the stand told him the price, to which II shocked you by immediately purchasing the necklace. He steps behind you, your hand raising to the unfamiliar weight as it falls around your neck. “A beautiful necklace for the most beautiful woman in the world.” His warm breath bounces off your cheek as he speaks, sending a shiver down your spine. You glance over your shoulder, your eyes immediately finding his bright blue ones.

“You know you didn't have to buy me anything.” You see the corners of his eyes crinkle as he smiles.

“What if I wanted to?” You didn't miss the teasing tone that had laced its way into his words. You traced a finger along the cool metal wire, fully turning yourself to face him. You glance up at him through your lashes, struggling to find the right words to say to thank him. You pushed yourself up onto your toes, quickly pressing a kiss to his cheek.

“Well, I think that’s very sweet. Thank you, II.” You perk up at the sound of one of the others calling your name, III appearing at your side and slipping his hand into yours.

“Mind if I steal her from you?” He quickly asks II.

“Not at all.” He holds up his hands with a soft chuckle. “I'm sure I'll manage to snag her back later.” He winks at you, making your cheeks grow warm.

“What a shame,” III leans down to murmur quietly in your ear, “looks like I'm going to have to beat them off with a stick to get you to myself.”

“Careful, you're all going to make me think you have a crush on me or something.” You tease in response, shooting him a playful smile of your own.

“Only a pretty little thing like you could handle something like that.” He winks. “I want to make sure you eat before IV gets over excited and drags you off to the rides.” He jokes with a smile. He tucks you safely into his side, helping you avoid the bustling crowd that surrounded you.

“Are you having a good time?” You ask him softly. He glances down at you, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he smiles.

“Yeah, I’m spending time with you, of course I’m having a good time.” You let out a bashful giggle, quickly turning away as you feel your cheeks grow warm. 

As the evening carried on you couldn't help but notice II grow more fidgety with every passing hour, occasionally leaning into Vessel to whisper something only for the taller man to clap him on the shoulder and give him a reassuring grin. You were currently sat in a circle on the ground, finding a nice place in the open field to settle down and have some good together. You laughed as IV expertly stole a bite of your corn dog faster than you could comprehend what had happened. “What's your favorite ride?” II suddenly chimes in from his position sitting across from you.

“I'm personally a big fan of the haunted house, I think all the cheap jump scares are fun.” You respond with a laugh.

IV makes an intrigued noise. “We should all go on!”

“Only two people can ride together, unfortunately.”

“Well, how about you ride with me then?” II winks at you, making you blush.

“If you think you can handle it.” You tease in response. II stands, offering you his hand which you eagerly accept. He hoists you from the ground, pulling you into his side and slinging his arm across your shoulders. Vessel tagged along with IV, knowing it would be the only way to stop him from complaining about how he wanted to go too, III elected to stay back to save your spot. You all chatted happily as you stood in line, the slow creeping pace allowing them to see a little of what the ride had in store for them.

Brown metal buggies horribly painted to look like wood creaked along the track, bat shaped hood ornaments were barely recognizable after years of dings and chipped paint.A repeating track of over dramatic screams and ghoulish moaning looped from the speakers. “Next in line, please!” The ticket collector barked, IV and Vessel stepped up first, IV practically vibrating with excitement as he waited for the all clear to get on. II’s arm slid around your waist as you stepped forward, waiting patiently for the next cart to wheel itself into place. “Y’all have fun.” He waves you on. II helps you step into the cart, your body thudding against the thin, leather covered padding on the seat.

“You’re not going to get all scared on me now, are you?” You ask in a playful tone.

“Oh, don’t worry sweetheart, I’ll be right here to protect you.” He returns with a smirk. Your body lurched slightly as the buggy started to move. You were hit with a blast of cold air as you crept into the dark space, II’s arm wrapping around your shoulders, you found yourself instinctually snuggling into his side. You jumped slightly, giggling over being startled by the second air cannon you had rolled past.

You rolled past a growling werewolf, “Look, you can see the wires.” You nudge him slightly, pointing upwards.

“I personally think it adds to the experience.” He chuckles, you can’t help but laugh yourself. “You’re so beautiful.” You feel your breath freeze in your lungs at his compliment. You clung to him as something shot out of the darkness at you, it took you a moment to recognize the plastic skeleton’s limbs rattling at you. Your eyes are drawn back to him as you feel a warm hand slip over your cheek. “And you thought I was going to be the one getting scared.” He chuckles, his eyes flashing briefly to your lips. “Cute.” He fidgets with the edge of his mask for a moment, stretching the black fabric away from his neck. “Can- can I, um…” He swallows thickly, his confidence immediately crumbling as you continue to cling to him for comfort. “Can I kiss you?” You nodded, your wide eyes glimmering in the dim light. Without hesitation II lifts his mask, his lips slotting perfectly against your own. Your hand slides over his chest, you could feel his heart pounding under your palm. As quickly as the kiss had started it was over, II’s mask already neatly back in place by the time your eyes fluttered open. You hide your face against his neck, hoping he hadn’t noticed your flustered appearance. “That was nice.” He suddenly chimes in, making you giggle. You both reluctantly shuffle away from each other as the exit opens in front of you, squinting under the bright lights. II offers you his hand to help you from the cart, your eyes meeting his as he smiles. Your pinky wraps around his as he lets his hand slip out of your grasp. You hear him laugh softly at your actions, allowing your fingers to stay linked.

“That wasn’t even scary.” IV groans as you approach.

“I never said it was scary, I just said I liked it.” You respond. Vessel smiles down at you.

“How was riding with II?” He asks with a chuckle. Your cheeks immediately warm at the question.

“We had fun.” You get out through a nervous giggle. 

“Well, look who’s back.” You can’t help but smile at III’s cheerful tone. He hoists himself up from his position on the ground with a soft groan. “How was it beautiful?” Your eyes trailed after the people that were starting to gather in the open field.

“It was fun.” You felt a pang of guilt in your chest as you thought about kissing II. “See anything interesting while we were gone?”

“There’s a pretty good band playing over there.” He nods somewhere behind you. “Want to go check it out?”

“Sure.” You can’t help but smile as you feel the warmth of III’s hand brush against yours. The two of you lazily strolled in the direction of the music that floated through the air. A local folk group was currently performing under a gazebo, a small dance floor set up in front of the stage. You laughed as III took your hand and spun you around in time with the music, pulling you to him and swaying you in his arms.

“Do you know how to dance?” He asks with a grin.

“Not very well,” you giggle in response, “but I feel like with you that won’t matter too much.” You found yourself easily falling into a rhythm with him, every small misstep and teasing comment from him made you both crumble into fits of laughter. You both paused, looking up at the sky with the rest of the crowd as fireworks started going off overhead. III continues to hold you close, your arms sliding over his shoulders as the two of you watch the display. He fully encircles your waist with one arm, his hand sliding over your cheek, turning your face in order for his warm lips to find yours. Unlike the kiss with II, III took his time letting the sensation of kissing you sink in. You felt so small in his arms, the gentle dominance he had over the kiss allowing your body to fully relax into his embrace as your eyes fluttered shut. He traces a thumb along your jaw before hesitantly pulling away.

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t help myself.” He rushes to apologize, his body relaxing at the sight of the soft smile that had laced its way across your lips. Your eyes meet his, bright blue irises scanned your features with an adoration you had never seen. “I really like you.”

“III-”

“There you guys are!” He jolts back from you, the sudden lack of warmth making you shiver. “We’ve been looking all over the place for you!” It was IV, he jogged up to you. “Vessel wants to get going.”

You found yourself in the cab of the truck between Vessel and IV, II and III electing to sit in the bed for the ride back to your place. Your mind raced as you played over both men kissing you over and over again in your head. You didn’t know what to do. On one hand there was II, his silent charm and the undeniable intimacy the two of you have has drawn you in from the beginning. But then there was III, who made your heart race and dominated every aspect of your senses whenever you were with him. Who, despite his monstrous size, was always so gentle with you. You were absolutely torn. You rumbled into the store’s parking lot, Vessel parking the truck around back. You stood at the bottom of your stairs in a small circle. “Well, I hate to admit it, but that was pretty fun.” Vessel grins at you, there were murmurs of agreement amongst the group.

“Do you guys want to come up for a bit? There’s, um, there’s kind of something I need to talk to you about.” You fidget with your hands as you nervously put the statement out there. You were going to deal with feeling conflicted the only way you knew how, by facing the problem head on.

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[yurisorcerer]

I'm not gonna pretend I have anything super new or innovative to say about Mobile Suit Gundam. It's one of the most-analyzed anime ever, and I pale in comparison to some of the people who *have* analyzed it, but here I am, thinking about it regardless.

For context, I am watching this as part of a---as she called it---"comet swap" with my good friend @charaznablespeteevee, where I watch a mecha anime she is obsessed with (Gundam) and she watches one I am obsessed with (Code Geass). I'm not sure if I'm going to write a big long post like this about every episode (since I'm going to *try* to watch at least one per day, that would get quite exhausting), but I am liveblogging it more informally over on the worst website on Earth, if you're willing to put up with that Nazi-infested hellhole long enough to read some posts from yours truly.

In any case, Gundam and Code Geass. are many differences between these, the main ones being that Code Geass is more recent and also not widely hailed as a masterpiece of its form. It does *draw* notably from Gundam though despite having very different artistic aims and a different tone, so watching this makes sense in a way. I spent way too much of my teenagerhood obsessed with Lelouch, and now I'm watching the anime that his archetypal grandfather came from. (Goddess have mercy on my soul.)

My experience with Gundam as a franchise prior to this is very limited, but I do have some. For reference, I have seen all of:

Gundam 00, back when it aired on the SyFy channel when they had an anime block many years ago. I really liked this as a teenager but I don't remember it super well.

The Witch From Mercury, lesbian space combat, with a notable Code Geass staff connection. WFM was not perfect or anything but I loved it a lot and Suletta is very dear to me. I actually bought an Aerial gunpla a few months ago that is currently sitting unassembled in my closet.

the first Gundam 0079 compilation movie. Now, it might seem weird that I've seen this and am now going back to watch the TV series. But, while I remember the general outline of what happened, I was SUPER sick when I watched it, and I only remember what happened really, really vaguely. While I have some idea of the general outline of what's to come, I'm mostly going in genuinely blind.

like 4 or 5 episodes of Victory Gundam, which I liked but kind of fell off of. So we're giving the franchise a proper second go here.

I'm a mecha fan more generally, and I'll get into some of that as I write these, but for now that's the relevant stuff.

Anyway, my main impression of 0079's first episode is actually a structural one. It's REALLY well put together. We introduce the setting, we introduce our main characters, and we introduce the main conflict, all very economically and with a lot of style---more style than some shows with significantly less room to work with manage, in fact---and I'm immediately invested in the fate of our main character, Amuro Ray.

From what I gather here (and a little bit from outside information), my impression is that of a kid who loses his innocence very, very rapidly over the course of this story. Here, the space-hab-thing he lives on is attacked, and he ends up in the cockpit of an experimental superweapon called a Gundam (maybe you've heard of them?). I LOVE how the Gundam is framed here, like some kind of genuinely scary war machine. It's an intentionally othering effect i mostly associate with later mecha anime, especially those with outright monstrous mecha like Evangelion or even The Big O, so to see it here in such a comparatively early series in the genre is impressive.

The episode's climax sees him kill two soldiers from the enemy nation of Zeon, but it's not a triumphant thing, really. He's portrayed as kind of not really knowing what he's doing, flailing around inside this gigantic walking tank / mechanical war god. But then when he *does* figure things out, well, he has to deal with the fact that he just killed two dudes. Going by the cliffhangery ending here, it doesn't seem like his troubles are over, either.

[luimagines]

HI PINKY ! 🎻 Anon here ✧⁠◝⁠(⁠⁰⁠▿⁠⁰⁠)⁠◜⁠✧

My finals went overall quite well! (Except for one final but my overall grade was still fine so we're all good) I did end up having my ceiling of my room collapse though! (⁠ノ⁠｀⁠Д⁠´⁠)⁠ノ⁠彡⁠┻⁠━⁠┻ Gotta love landlords that refuse to do proper house maintenance on century old homes. So right before finals had my ceilings collapse, then had finals while stuck sleeping in the living room (to be fair the couch was comfy but the whole setup is less than ideal), and then literally the evening after my last final flew out to literal other side of the planet for college visits. So needless to say I've been rather tired recently! It's been fun though and I also got to see some family that I rarely see again so that was nice. BUT! I finally have the mental bandwidth to send in an ask again. So enough with the dramatic rambling about my life I have more ideas about the human hero reader I thought of!

So! I learned just the other day that an army captain is actually kinda low rank. (At least in the US military, can't speak to other systems) And you usually get there within like 4 years of your career as an officer. And if Wars is around 24-26ish (at least that's how old I usually imagine him since he's one of the older members of the group but not like OLD) and he would have started his time in the military as like a 17-18 year old, buddy boy would actually be behind on his career. (Stick with me this will all come together I swear!)

So I imagine human hero reader (I'm calling them hh!reader for my sanity to specify from here on out for my sanity) ended up getting pulled into the military after saving Hyrule. They really don't like being there, but the royal family of that time doesn't really give reader a choice. I'd imagine them most likely being a very low rank enlisted soldier. (If you require explanations for anything just let me know. I am more than happy to explain and understand most people haven't been raised around this stuff) But because reader didn't want to join the military in the first place and Warriors is one of the MOST wary member of the chain they would probably butt heads quite a bit. I imagine reader with an attitude of while they're usually a very nice person to be around they can hold a strong grudge and aren't afraid to tell someone if they're being an idiot. Not something that goes over well in the military. So reader probably targets at least some of that frustration to the resident military man. And something that would be rather easy to go for is that fact that he still hasn't been promoted. This would probably devolve into him telling them that they suck as a soldier until reader snaps and said they never had any choice in the matter and they storm off. Probably one of the their merry little band would go after reader. I think Sky might be best since he's a knight himself so he'd have a better idea what they were going through. Wind would also be an interesting option especially if it's after the whole "We're the same since we both made the active decision to save Hyrule!" moment. Both are good chances at bonding. Oh yeah I guess it's relevant that I see reader at an older teen age, like 16-17. Yay sibling dynamics (I say this like my only younger sibling doesn't drive me up a wall). I'll prolly add more later but I am tired. And I have a relatively early morning tomorrow.

Hope this was coherent but I actually had motivation for once so I went for it. If any clarification is needed just ask. Make sure to drink water and eat a snack! Self care is important to help prevent burnout. Have a lovely week. Good day/evening) ┌⁠|⁠o⁠^⁠▽⁠^⁠o⁠|⁠┘⁠♪ See you maybe once I've slept and ate. Bye!!

Oh, I thought you going to go the path of Reader outranking Warrior and him not being able to do anything about it. ^.^*

It reminded me of that one post for Marvel where Tony got excited because Rhodey, being Colonel, outranked Steve and could tell him what to do.

I'd imagine if Warrior pulled out the whole "you suck as a soldier" Wild would have to push back a bit because if they suck, what does that make him? He died! Hello? At least Reader had something going for them. They still won in the end with minimal loses on their side.

Wild lost everyone.

So what does Warrior actually think of him then?

[the-mandawhor1an]

6 months later...

TLDR: it's Zaddy's and my RP 'anniversary'; artworks; Wolke being emotional about her Tumblr experience; and a fluffy one shot/drabble at the end of the WAY TOO LONG POST

I've alluded to it before, I've commissioned some artwork of the two lovebirbs and they just so happened to get finished this week. Huge thanks to @kenobiwanx for making the two come alive 😭 I can NOT stop staring at them.

LOOK AT THEM 😭😭😭

Yes these are spoilers for upcoming events but I just 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

@zaddymandalorian Überraschung!

Back to the actual point *wipes tears off her face*

Let's set the scene...

My dearest Zaddy and I reconnected in November of 2023 as I had been on a work trip at that time and I needed someone to talk to. We'd been talking on and off for the last months, mostly smalltalk and sometimes me complaining about stuff. Worth mentioning is also that I sent her my Maia fanfic back in June. First person to read it besides myself. I've known Zaddy since spring of 2016 ish (which also means I've known her longer than my husband – fun fact) so I felt comfortable with her reading my extremely self-indulgent shit. Everyone needs friends like that ♥

We mused about the roleplays we lost to forum admins being ruthless in their inactive-thread-deletion efforts every 4 months. We had barely started a Witcher RP and I'm sure it would've been awesome if we had continued. We literally stopped 7 ish posts in so nothing had happened really. – Why was it inactive? Well I took a 14 month roleplay hiatus due to me being chronically fatigued. The joys of working a stressful job and being severly anemic. Oops.

I tested the waters and made an offhand comment about maybe giving in and asking her to plot something with me.

This is a very convincing re-enactment of what happened: (translated because we're German potaters)

Well... and that's when the fun began

I, being a total Pedro fangirlie, asked if we wanted to just take the synopsis of my fic and run with that. She agreed, I was happy, she was happy.

So it's been 6 months.

OH. MY. GOD.

I did not think I had it in me to be consistently posting daily for 6 months. We've laughed, we've cried, we've lost sleep over it. We've grinned into our phone screens like maniacs at work and luckily no one asked

And now, 260k words later, I'm still in love with the babies. In fact I'd say I love the little blorbs even more now. Maia has a face, she has outfits (multiple!) she has a family and a story (that's only about 1/3 written so whew we might make it to a million)

Of course I also love Zaddy very much (and I will keep lovebombing your ass, bitch 🖤💜)

You know what, fuck it, I'm mentioning more people. Buckle up! Wolke spreads some love!

@immarocketman for being the first person on Tumblr that I kind of clicked with because we share a love for Pedro and the color purple 💜

@roughdaysandart for 1) allowing me insight in her creative process making a Fanfic comic and b) doodling Maia basically as soon as she made an appearance in text form 💜

The moots: @thefrogdalorian @djarins-cyare @djarins-wife @pedroswife69 for interacting with me, commenting on my posts and being real cute in general 💜

Everyone that ever interacted with me on here has been nothing but friendly, I feel extremely welcome over here. Everyone who liked/reblogged or commented on my posts, thank you so much. 💕💕💕💕💕💕

Now that the sappy whining is over, who wants to read something actually interesting?

In spirit of me being overbearingly loving, I've typed up a bit of fluff from the lovesick fools™ of Clan Mudhorn. Unbeta'd.

It was early in the morning, the sun barely over the horizon and engulfing the room in warm orange light, when Din awoke, a soft and warm body nestled into his side. She let out the softest little hum when he buried his face in her hair, wrapping his arms around her to hold her close.

"Sleep," he purred into her hair, placing a kiss on her forehead when her face turned towards him. Again, with a quiet hum, she buried her face in the crook of his neck. "How am I supposed to sleep when my husband has his hands all over me?"

"I'm sorry," he apologized and gently stroked her hair. "Why are you awake anyway?" she asked, finally raising her head so her sleepy, green eyes looked into his. "Hey mesh'la," he greeted her with a smile, placing a gentle kiss on her lips. "I don't know. I guess the sun woke me up, it's too bright in here." He sighed. "I miss the hut on Nevarro, it was always dark in there." "Come on, it's not that bad here. We needed more space anyway."

She pulled away from him, rolling over so she was on her stomach, hugging the pillow underneath her to get a better look at her everything. "Is the sun too strong, my warrior king?" a grin crept onto her lips as her eyes blinked slowly. Clearly this was way too early for her liking. To be fair, last night went on for longer than anticipated. "Are the little troublemakers awake yet?" She raised her head and turned to face the door. For now it seemed peaceful and quiet in the adjacent rooms.

Knowing well she would rise from the bed to check if he didn't stop her, Din hoisted himself over her body, practically pressing her into the mattress with his body weight. "You're not getting up to check on the kids now, cyar'ika," he muttered, peppering kisses along her shoulder. A chuckle escaped her lips as she rotated her head so she could see him in her peripheral.

She was so glad the mattress was soft enough to just give in under the weight, forming a perfectly human-shaped dent to make way for her body. "Whatever you say, great Mand'alor." For just a second she could feel him grind his pelvis into her butt.

He kept on pressing kisses on her neck, her shoulders, slowly crawling down her spine, kissing every little scar he found on his descent. "You really have to stop saying it like that." "Like what?" "With the bedroom-voice." He stopped to crawl back up to her head and leaned forward, giving her the chance to look into his face. His eyes were darkened, one of his eyebrows twitching upward.

"You're insatiable," she laughed, shaking her head. He slowly lifted off of her, immediately wrapped both arms around her and pulled her onto his chest. "That's your fault, my love." His voice was warm and silky, the vibration in his chest making her shudder. "My fault?" "You're just too beautiful so I can't keep my eyes or my hands off of you for long." "Di'kut" "Gar di'kut, forever." "Forever is a long time," she said softly and ran her fingers through his hair.

"And I'll be happy to spend every minute with you. I love you so much" he took her hand in his and softly kissed her knuckles. She sighed and watched him kiss every finger, eyeing her intently. She was mesmerized by his eyes, almost hypnotized by the dark brown, with the orange light surrounding them it reminded her of embers, glowing and warm.

Forever was a long time and although it didn't feel like it, time was progressing, evident by the threads of silver that sparkled in his dark brown curls. And although she felt like she herself was showing signs of ageing, he always told her she was as beautiful as the day he met her. "I love you more, mesh'la," she replied and rested her hand on his cheek.

"You and the kids are everything to me. I would die for you," he mused, closing his eyes as her finger brushed over his beard toward his lips. Her movements halted and the dark brown eyes reopened, scanning her features for signs of her sudden stop. The small crease on her forehead was enough for him to know exactly what was troubling her.

"Look at me," he pleaded with her, cupping her cheek in one of his hands now. "I know that look on your face. I would doesn't mean I will. Stop thinking about it. I'm here and so are you." Her hand slowly retreated to rest atop of his, thumb brushing over his warm and tanned skin. "Thanks to you, I am. You've saved my life once, I hope you don't have to do it a second time." She smiled warmly and nestled her face further into his hand.

Din grumbled and pulled her face closer, peppering it with kisses wherever he could reach. "I've saved your life twice. But it doesn't matter, you've given me more than I could ever imagine. I have a family now. And the most amazing wife in the galaxy." "I love you." "Until the end of space and time."

Both flinched when they heard a noise outside the bedroom. Instantly both heads were turned to the door, listening for more noises. One of the kids must've woken up, maybe their voices were too loud.

"Any guesses?" Din asked his wife, once again burying his face in her hair. "My gut tells me it's your mini-version," she suapected, turning her head to kiss him gently. "Your gut? Or your Jedi magic?"

Din rose from the bed, stretching his muscles in the morning sun, stared at by his better half. "And you say I'm insatiable." A sly grin appeared on his lips as he put on a shirt, his shoulders and bicep stretching the fabric just enough to make her hum. "The faster you check on the troublemakers the sooner you can come back to bed. Hurry, I'm not done with you."

She didn't have to tell him twice.

Translations:

mesh'la - beautiful

cyar'ika - darling

di'kut - idiot

gar di'kut - your idiot

[animenostalgia]

Happy 11 years of The Anime Nostalgia Podcast! Introducing: Memberships & a new exclusive side podcast!

Today marks the 11th birthday of The Anime Nostalgia Podcast! Thank you all so much for joining me for 11 years of delving into anime, manga, and fandom. And over the years, I've had people come to me, asking me what the best way is to help support the podcast and my work. Well, I'm happy to announce that I've officially set up membership tiers on my ko-fi!

As you all probably know, the landscape of anime & manga companies has changed QUITE a bit since I started the podcast over 11 years ago. For a while, I was able to justify all the work I put into the podcast with the modest amount I'd receive from affiliate links I was able to use. But over the years, the amount of what I receive from those has gone down dramatically: from some affiliate programs changing their payout percentages, to some programs closing entirely. The tips I get on ko-fi have been a huge help, but I know that it can be a hassle to remember to send them in every month. So now, you can support me and the podcast monthly with just a few clicks, and get some cool perks in return!

Tier 1: Tip Jar

For those who want to show their support on a budget, the monthly Tip Jar tier is for you! $1 a month might not seem like a lot, but it adds up. Those who sub to Tier will get my undying gratitude for their support.

Tier 2: Anime Club Member

For those who take a more active part in supporting the podcast, and get some fun perks! As an Anime Club Member, you'll not only get some behind the scenes posts, but you'll get access to a brand-new side podcast called The Secret Anime Club! A bi-monthly (that's every 2 months) podcast, it will come out the same months as my short ReView podcast eps. So if you were missing having extra-long podcast episodes on the months when those go up, now you can have DOUBLE the podcast every 2 months!

So what's The Secret Anime Club, you might ask?

The Secret Anime Club podcast will be a chill place where I talk to friends about various things--maybe more modern anime we're enjoying, manga we're loving lately, maybe even video games and toku/dramas! And since it's a subscriber-only podcast, we just might do some reviews on some of the vintage trashy "mature" anime titles that wouldn't fly on the regular podcast. A little more relaxed and laid-back, but still a lot of fun. And all delivered exclusively to subscribers for a mere $5 a month!

Tier 3: Anime Club Producer

Want even MORE perks? Than the Anime Club Producer tier is for you! You get all the perks of an Anime Club Member, PLUS: the option to suggest the topic of a podcast episode, early access to the main podcast episodes, AND! If the main podcast episode has a sponsor for that ep, you'll get the ep delivered to you with NO promotional ad reads. Folks at the producer tier will also get their names read in the special thanks of every episode they're subscribed for!

In the future, I'd also like to do special giveaways for ALL tier members, too, just to show my appreciation for your support. 

You may have some questions about this new membership set-up. Here's some answers!

Q: Will this effect the main podcast? Will it be changing??  A: NO. The Anime Nostalgia Podcast will not be changing at all! The only thing changing is that there will be another podcast you can potentially listen to if you want to become a paid subscriber! I want The Anime Nostalgia Podcast to be free to everyone, no matter what, and that will never change!

Q: Why ko-fi for memberships? Why not Patreon? A: I've already been using ko-fi for tips, so it's the easiest way to go! Also, ko-fi doesn't charge per member for memberships like Patreon does--ko-fi just charges a flat fee every month, which seems a LOT cheaper and easier. I know for some, this will mean signing up for another platform, which I know is a little annoying. But I've also noticed ko-fi tends to have less technical problems than Patreon does, too, so in the long run, it sounded like the best choice!

Q: Does this mean no more sponsored ad reads? A: Not YET. Long-time listeners will know that I don't always have sponsored ad-reads for the podcast. I'm extremely picky when it comes to accepting paid ad-reads. To date, I've only ever accepted sponsored ads for 1. a small, lesbian-owned vintage anime/toy store, 2. a shoujo-focused podcast, and 3. a Japanese snack subscription box. I've been offered others, but turned them down because while I could have easily made money with them, I didn't think they'd be a good fit for the podcast. My hope with opening memberships is that once my current partnership with the Japanese snack box has ended, I won't need to accept more sponsored ad-reads to make extra money. Finger's crossed this will happen with your help!

Q: Are you going to stop giving shout-outs to people who tip you? A: Of course not! If you don't have the means to get a membership right now and just want to occasionally tip me, that's totally understandable! I'll still be doing shout-outs for people who tip 2 or more coffees at my ko-fi page. 

Thank you all so, so much for your ongoing support over these 11 years, and here's hoping that with your help I can continue on improving it! If you have any questions about the memberships, please don't hesitate to comment or email me at AnimeNostalgiaPodcast@gmail.com !

[maribatserver]

Tag Team Tournament 2024 - Prompt List

Have you decided which teams you'll be playing for this year? You've still got time to figure it out, but with only a few weeks to go there's much less. If you haven't listened to our Team Playlists, we hope that you will, and if you haven't read our Event Guide Document make sure to check that out too. If you've done both of those things and still need some inspiration, well, we've got something that might help.

Now, as we mentioned in our initial announcement for this year's Tag Team Tournament, we're going to be releasing our prompts early this year! This means that using prompts will earn fewer bonus points, however, it also means that you guys have more time to actually use these prompts in your creations. Since we encourage creation over point generating, that seemed like a prudent change to make.

We also made several of our prompts a little bit more complicated this year, so it may take a little more creativity to work them into creations and have them make sense.

That said, we also know that many of you really enjoyed the surprise prompts from years past, so if you'd like to stay in the dark until the week of, go ahead an scroll on by this post, maybe go listen to one of our playlists. However, if you want to know the prompts now so you can start using them, our prompt list can be found under the cut!

As a reminder, whether you look at the prompts early or not, they're worth fewer points this year, and they can only be stacked for extra bonuses on Day 7.

Prompts: July 28th: "Start at the beginning, and tell me how we got to this." July 29th: "Shut up, I'm trying to tell you how much I like you!" July 30th: "I left them alone for five minutes," July 31st: "I'm not saying he's evil, but I am saying that all rich people are trash." August 1st: "You made me a mixtape?" August 2nd: "If I tell you how badly these heels hurt, will you carry me?" August 3rd: "Trust me—I won't let you fall."

We wish you the best with your creations this year, and we hope that this extra time helps you prepare! We have three more playlists to release before our event begins on July 28th, so be sure to keep an eye on our blog in the coming weeks.

[carica-ficus]

"Harrow the Ninth"

13/02/2024

Reading progress: 100/507 (20%) Read through since last update: 100

*in the singing voice of Mariah Carey* It's tiiiimeeeee~!!!! I've got my hands on Harrow a few weeks ago and now I finally have the time to start reading it! I've been looking forward to this book ever since I read through Gideon and all my friends are already anxious for me to continue with the series! :D For those of you who stumble upon this little reading journal and have not seen me do it before, I just want to highlight that this is a public expression of my own thoughts while I read through the book. I like to speculate over the text. Since Muir loves to hide bits and pieces of information throughout her books, I like to try piecing them together on my own. It's fun and I feel like I'm conversing with her work in a way, like I'm a participant in the story. I know some people might find that annoying, but just let me do my thing. ^u^' (Just skip this post if you don't like it.)

----------------------------Spoiler warning!!!----------------------------

And now, without further ado, my thoughts and notes:

Who else needed an embarrassing amount of time to realize Ianthe was referring to Harrow when she said Harry? (Hate hate hate that nickname)

Yer a bone wizard, Harry.

The Noniad? Really? Really?

Well Harrow just took body dismorphia to another level. Painting a skull on her face with her own blood to feel some comfort? To regain just a little bit of control? Love her. Love love love her! She's such a mess. 🖤

Hold on. The Emperor says he hasn't resurrected anyone in 10 000 years. Didn't he... Become Emperor 10 000 years ago? Hm hm hm.

I'm managing to follow up on the time changes and the POV changes. As best as I can, of course. Obviously, I'm still a little confused at some times, but I'm glad some questions are slowly getting answered. Well... There's even more questions being asked, but I'm glad we get further insight to the lore.

I really missed Muir's writing. There's such a profound poetry in her style. I love it so much. 🖤

UGHHH!!! THE WRITING IS SO BEAUTIFUL!!!!!

The way Muir writes about Harrow and her life, especially about her childhood, feels so gritty, so powerful, and so incredibly raw. There's no possible way to connect to Harrow's experience. She went through so much. But the grief, the responsibility, the connection she has to her culture, to her planet, to her family and to her duty is just so masterfully written, I can't help but feel so drawn to her character. And her story. Man, I missed this series and it's only been 3 months since I've read Gideon.

It's way to early on to know who's the person narrating behind Harrow in "the future", but after the scene with Ianthe and the letters, I wouldn't be surprised if it was Harrow herself. Just from the past. I can't remember whether or not Harrow wrote letters to herself and I just forgot about them... Maybe she did. I don't know. In any case, I'm just speculating, but the way the narrator talks and offers up part of their own personality and parts of their own knowledge, I wouldn't be surprised if it turns out it's Harrow. (Well, she did write letters to herself as is revealed in some later chapter, but I think she did the same in Gt9.)

There's so much that is not said yet, but my go to reaction is to just accept it, not fight it. I am wondering where Gideon is, but at the same time I don't currently care about her whereabouts because it's obviously none of my concern. I am also a bit confused over why Ortus is being mentioned so much when he wasn't even involved at the whole Lyctor thing. Again, just speculating and throwing my 2 cents out there. I have full trust in Muir. Everything she writes is with a good reason. I'm presented with all of this information and tangled up timelines and conversations because I need to be. They'll add up to something more. I know it.

Speaking of weird timelines, I wonder where we're at this point in time. I feel like we're actually somewhere unspecified, that these chapters I went through were just a collection of memories, from the past and the future. So I'm wondering what is actually happening right now, but then again, as I already said, this doesn't matter yet and will be revealed later.

Excuse my philosophy. I might be entirely wrong. Don't take it personally, I just like to ramble in these little reading journals of mine, mostly because I like to look back at them and see how much I was wrong/right about my speculations. 😊 What I'll say is that I find Muir very clever as a writer. I like how she plays around with the narrative and makes the reader keep guessing. And I love to guess. I love to participate in her writing. It's very fun! It makes me feel like I'm a part of the story, not just an observer. If that makes any sense. 😅

OKAY! SCRAP EVERYTHING I SAID!!! The part about traveling through the River, the part where Mercy says that something can get inside the Lyctors body when their soul is separated from their physical form, that's the one!! I'm not saying anything more about my speculation, but I hope I have the right hunch about this.

(It will be SO fucking funny if I'm wrong about this, but I don't care.)

(Oh, on another note. That's such a super cool concept!!!! Love the idea. Love how much there's at stake!!!!!)

They're already in the River??? Nah, I'd die instantly. From stress alone.

Also, a little detail I liked is how The Emperor's eyes are described in detail. They're mostly black, but then there's a line where Harrow notices a little silver circle around them. I'm wouldn't outright say he's probably a Lyctor, but I'd say he might have also sacrificed/killed someone he cares about or his cavalier. I don't know, I just found it really interesting that his eyes are often mentioned as something strange.

BTW I love the heterochromia part. Such a beautiful way to portray the cavaliers have become a part of the Lyctors.

[tophattrio]

TOP HAT TRIO ARCHIVES: Part 1

Warden: Look at all this lovely art of us! We could fill a museum! Professor: There's so much it seems like we can't keep up... Once-ler: ..... Y'kno what guys? I'm gonna take a break...

((A small fraction of my old old old trio art, most of which has never seen the light of tumblr (under the cut)! None of this is colored. Some of this is pre-blog or just... REALLY early-era Trio art, so some of it is... dated. Also, as indicated by the top, this is part 1. Meaning there will probably be more, LOL...))

((I hope it's okay if I ramble some fun facts in the middle of this!))

We're gonna start off with this silly lil doodle of the lads! This was drawn during the era where I did my silly crossover drawings, before I mustered the courage to turn them into an askblog.

Based on the date, I must've drawn this next one while I was in the process of actually making the blog... potentially their original "profile" images? Or just a doodle I did to get me hyped...

As you can see, all the drawings so far are pencil and ink... that's because (if I remember correctly) this is when I was VERY new to computer tablets! I felt more confident in my traditional art so I would slap quick colors onto the back of a bunch of ink-drawn replies and make minor adjustments with the tablet. I remember being hesitant to switch to a fully digital style since I felt the sketchiness was almost part of the style of trio? But I've come to accept change is good! Everything post-Greed M!A is all (or mostly) digitally lined (with the occasional trad sketch), but if you look closely at the trio in this (and many other) early-day responses, you can definitely see the pencil marks!

Unposted Thneedville High Trio!!! I was SO obsessed with the Once-ler Askblog AU's back in the Once-ler Fandom's hayday... they were a lot of fun to observe on the side and I wanted to be part of that in my small way, but unfortunately, I was a coward so I never did LOL... I'm thinking this was drawn in February or March 2013...

And, something I drew on the same page, Truffula Flu Trio!!!! I think I briefly thought about making it (and thneedville high) a sideblog but I felt like I couldn't commit for multiple reasons: (1) AU hype was dying down a little, (2) It was a bit too serious a concept for Trio; I wanted to keep them lighthearted and silly (covers bad end with a hand). And (3) I was still doubting whether or not my blog counted as a Once-ler blog (being only 1/3 once-ler) and whether I was valid to participate in events. Eventually I got over that fear when I joined Camp Weehawken and participated in the fandom revival of 2015, but the fear was definitely there at the very beginning and I hesitated to jump in on some stuff because of it!!

These were some of my earliest (unanswered) asks! I think for a while I thought I accidentally deleted the Pinkie Pie one, but it mysteriously came back one day?? I don't plan to finish these but might as well get some closure since I already drew them. I had to look up which troll typing was the one being used here so I might be wrong, I know nothing about homestuck except chapter 1 and 2 and whatever I osmosis from my mutuals LOL...

Peacock was drawn before I knew anything about Skullgirls...... within the past few years I recently watched her gameplay/storyline! She's defs a fun character. Trio are probs neutral about her. I'm not confident enough to do anything major with her, but I would love to cameo her more!

I got a few asks / M!A's about genderbent versions of the trio back in early 2013 and these were my doodles for that. The designs were based off of different designs floating around tumblr at the time that I liked. I'm not interested in doing this M!A anymore, but the dresses are cute!

Some glasses shenanigans I never posted for some reason?? (For reference: (1) (2) (3) (4).) It's silly stuff like this that make me realize Trio!Professor is a little bit like "Cheerful Mystery" Professor but like... waaaaay more tame HAHA (I never read the manga back then because I was upset they made Layton OOC, but from what I've seen he's... a lot more chaotic there). Which, ykno, good chance explains why Trio!Professor stays sane around Once-ler and Warden and their wacky selves.

Some wardlers and layclaires!! Also a few super old things I doodled out for Lovestruck M!A part 2 (including warden being a perv and oncie being flustered and confused, LMAO) but... idk if I have the energy to commit to it at the moment... partially bc thinking about getting an influx of shippy-type asks gets me overwhelmed and idk if I can commit to another magic anon all my magic anons manage to kill the blog somehow 😭, but ykno... saving the anons in my inbox in case I change my mind... Love these guys dearly regardless,,, <3

Some doodles of Layton and his rivals!! I think someone sent a small "Descole takes over the blog" M!A (hence the itty bitty chibi head LMAOO) but (again) I don't have the energy to commit to anything but vanilla THT right now. I still thought the idea was fun enough to draw out and anticipate in advance! If I change my mind y'all will know about it...

My first drawing of Wilson from Don't Starve!! I didn't even play Don't Starve at the time, but I wanted to do research if I was going to properly execute the magic anon and I fell in love with him immediately. Unfortunately he (and his game) became my new brainrot and I still feel really bad about that LAUGHS, but hey! Was worth it! Maybe someday I'll redo trio mods for DST...

I may have him cameo again, but potentially after his character update in Don't Starve Together eventually drops, of course, :3 chants give us lore lore loRE LORE-

Aaaaaand that's all I'm gonna show for now... until next time everyone!

PART 1 (you are here!) || PART 2 (TBA) || PART 3 (TBA) || …

[philcoulsonismyhero]

Tag Game: Writing Patterns

I got tagged by @astriiformes (thanks, Nate!) in a thing, so here goes:

Rules: List the first line of your last 10 (posted) fics and see if there’s a pattern.

1 - I've always suspected that Nightingale suffers from nightmares, what with his age and all he's experienced, and that’s not even mentioning the fact that he didn't just fight in the Second World War but also lost nearly every friend he'd ever had to it. ('Don't Carry It All, Don't Carry It All', Rivers of London)

2 - It has been six months precisely since the world ended, in a paroxysm of rage and violence and brutal death. ('A Ghost In The Garden, Scaring The Crows', Rivers of London)

3 - I’ve got a lot of positive feelings towards Movember as a fundraising initiative, even if I’ve never taken part myself. ('I Moustache You A Question', Rivers of London)

4 - “You’re joking,” said Harry, flatly. ('Not-So Silent Witnesses', Silent Witness)

5 - It was finally over. ('Pull My Heart Out, Reconstruct', RWBY)

6 - Johnny didn’t even have to think about where LaRusso might have gone; he just knew. ('Dig Them Up (Let's Finish What We Started)', Cobra Kai/The Karate Kid)

7 - Knocking the last drone’s head clean off with a single heavy blow from the butt of his gun, James spun around in search of his next target. ('With Zero Reservations', RWBY)

8 - As they emerged from the elevator shaft and into the open air of the cavernous Vault, Winter spotted the General immediately. ('Corner Me And Make Me Something', RWBY)

9 - Ruby couldn’t sleep. ('Trust', RWBY)

10 - “Penny,” said James, as she turned to follow Winter and Oscar into the elevator. “Can I have a word?” ('Mechanical Hearts', RWBY)

If we're looking for trends, I do seem to like opening with quite short sentences, and also dropping right into the middle of a scene/conversation. And it's interesting to see the switch from all 3rd person limited (and past tense) all the time to first person with the RoL fics and even one that's written in present tense. The obvious thing there is that I discovered that when I'm writing fanfic for a book series with such a strong POV, I like to imitate it rather than using my own usual style. Also you can see a little bit that I like to lean into whoever's perspective I'm writing from and only refer to other characters in the way that they would, and I tend to do that pretty early as an establishing thing. (Like Winter referring to Ironwood as 'the General' and Johnny calling Daniel 'LaRusso'.)

Neat! This was fun. (Also this is a hilariously eclectic mix of fandoms. Rivers of London and Silent Witness are at least both crime dramas, even if one is also urban fantasy, but Cobra Kai and RWBY couldn't be more different from those and each other. Fandom fixations are wild.) Thanks again, Nate!!

Oops, forgot to tag people - @squireofgeekdom, @catgirlalchemist, @altschmerzes, @johnbly, consider yourselves tagged if you're interested!

[alexissara]

Card Games Fail Women

I've played card games since I was a little girl. As a trans woman at first I blended in, I didn't really get as much direct aggression for my femineity. However, I've always had problems with the TCG community from how they talked about women to how they threated them to many other issues that make these kind of games less welcoming to the marginalized. Many card game players ask why women aren't playing their games and today I want to explore the reasons why less women play TCGs, a little bit of what is changing and the barriers that exist.

Card Art

Before anything else, before you step into a shop when your buying a game, the card art is the very first thing you'll see before you even learn rules for a card game. When you see a card like the one I posted above, which is a core card to a fairly good deck in Cardfight! Vanguard, do you really think that this card was design to make a woman feel like they could be the hero of the story? I love a big tiddy woman but they are so massive and in focus that they become the focal point of the card. The design is consumed by them. When the game itself is sexualizing women it is also socializing the audience to see women as something to sexualize. It's also giving the cosplay scene less options on the kind of cool women they can dress as if they don't want to display a lot of their bodies [I don't personally mind but a lot of people are uncomfortable with showing too much skin].

It goes beyond tiddy art though and goes into general art design, the kinds of cards made, the styles of art put down. We're all massively diverse with diverse taste but it is also true that we are socialized to enjoy different kinds of aesthetics and to appreciate different kinds of power depending on our gender. If all the best cards in your game are very cool masculine dragons even if the women who are depicted are depicted respectively it may be that this game simply glides past women or the adults who buy products for their kids in the case of the early entry ages for many TCGs. Allowing cute designs or cool women or very pretty designs be top level cards can work towards bringing in those audiences. It is actually easy to make characters people are horny for without having to make them over the top.

Even when it's feminine coding on a card sometimes it can be clear that it is not for women though the thematic positioning. Like if you make a bunch of decks about women all the decks about men are warriors with swords or guns or big monster dudes and all the women are pop idols going to a school with no drama or stakes, just cute girls doing cute things. Some of that diversity is good but doing too much is going to speak to the kind of thing they either think women only like or say "these are here to pander to a particular kind of man". The art should be diversely spread around, a character with big giant boobs in a smutty little outfit isn't a big deal if the game has women in armor and shit leading decks as well.

Marketing

What you might see before you even see your first card is marketing for a card game. Marketing is a massive concept to dig into so we're keeping it basic here. The art on a pack, the commercials that are run, the other media made about the IP, all of these add to an impression of what a game is. When all the pack art features a man looking angry while playing cards it says "This is a dude game for dudes." When the ads center the male characters of the story or focus on boys playing the game then we're running into a problem.

The reality is that the majority of card game animes are targeting boys and this is reflected in that the main protagonist of almost every card game anime is a man and most the active players of the games in those animes are men. These are a primary means of marketing, very few Japanese TCGs that aren't tied to a license refuse to take a swing at making an anime. We have a more recent card game anime with groups of women as the protagonists but that's 1 anime and many would argue that despite all the card game players being women they are also sexualized in ways that clearly are intending to bring in adult men to play the game.

This marketing trickles down into the online space where the content creators these people chose to work with very often don't include very many or any women. The companies don't want to build up anyone and since the communities are already sexist they further the issue by instead of highlighting women just focusing on popular men. This varies with game to game but on average even the best companies are choosing more men then women to be the people making sponsored opening content or exclusive card reveals and shit.

Narrative Positioning

Most card games have some kind of story or lore they are covering. Sometimes the story is just in some anime, sometimes there is several story lines being told through multiple series of cards, sometimes there is a bigger narrative being told in every set, sometimes it's fairly simple but builds over time. Whatever the case may be it is true that in any non licensed TCG people do get invested in the stories of the card games they love. These stories are wonderful places to make a card exciting even if it's effect sucks because the moment depicted on the card is so special or the character on the card is so special.

So, when we are telling these stories how important are the women in these stories and where are they at in terms of screen time and do they do anything other then talk about men or support men or motivate men? Women in these stories should matter, they should be able to be top level players in the animes and not just defeated to prove some boy is very strong but be able to be the hero of these stories. In world lore characters should be able to be saviors of their realm, unitors of the multiverse, queer, radical, evil, heroic, every flavor whatever it is they leave a mark on their worlds and the events that happen with those characters aren't things that you can just brush over.

When a new set is coming around what is happening with the women characters should be on people's mind not just what is happening with main boy and main evil boy. Magic The Gathering has done a relatively good job of late pushing women forward in their plots but it's still got room for improvement too. Still it's tragically probably the top TCG in terms of narrative positioning for women that isn't like Pokemon or some other license.

Community

The gathering of players is one of the most important part of card games for TCG players but it can also be one of the most alienating elements to others. It is common to have men instantly think of women as potential girlfriends as opposed to opponents. This happens in person and online so long as communication. Way back in the day when I would play on Ygopro I would have men hitting on me just for my name online being Sara, asking for my number, to add them online when I was just trying to jam out some games of yugioh and at the comic shop when I was there with my partner multiple was hitting on them even though their understanding of us was that we were monogamous and happy in our relationship because they perceived them as a woman. We were teens and adult ass men were trying to hit them up to get them to fuck them in private texts.

I have no idea if this is still dominant at local scenes but what I can say is I feel pretty unwelcome by a lot of card games at the floor of it whenever I see youtube videos of people talking about new cards that have a woman on them as "new Wafius". It makes me feel like the cards aren't for me but for some horny guy on the internet and it diminishes that feminine cards might be designed actually to get women into the game. It doesn't create an environment that I think I'll be respected when I know many men see a woman and think "new waifu".

In the Japanese side we've seen several companies try to actively build community for women by running women only events which is a model that can build community and solidarity between women playing the game and lead to them feeling more comfortable. However, it's not the only thing that companies can do to help women feel more respected and cherished in the spaces. Improving any of the other sections here should trickle down on the community. Also just reaching out to women who play the game, helping highlight them, helping build up platforms of up incoming women playing games.

LGS Model

Local Comic and Game Shops can be amazing spaces of community, friendship, engaging in hobbies and more but they can also be places full of sexual harassment and toxic gatekeeping. Most money is owned by cis het white men there for most stores are. Comics and games are thought of as male dominated hobbies and have been in the nerd deep end side mostly dominated by them over the years. That means we have a top level issue with these spaces while some very good shops exist even the best operation is going to struggle with cultivating a space if they don't have experience with that community.

On the LGS side obviously we can support diversly run shops and the ones already owned by allies can work to make their spaces more inclusive by hiring diversly. The shop can run events that particularly promote women coming in with solid prize pools or events that are just social that include community building. Outside of special time though something very important is weeding out bad eggs from the spaces, taking seriously people who are being sexist or homophobic or racist and telling them they aren't welcome will make the space more welcoming and improve the LGS's ability to host women.

On the card game side I believe the games can actually expand outwards and look to find new audiences in new spaces. There is no reason an indie book shop couldn't host a game night or a little small run queer coffee shop couldn't sell cards. The main thing is giving them the prices and incentives to get them to give your a game a shot. There can be more direct to consumer attempts and digital card games. A lot of women play yugioh but they mostly play on Master Duel and Dueling book, digital planforms one of which is unoffical so Konami won't even talk about it but it is the one that has a social element and therefore women can actually make friends. Fostering these digital approaches is a great way to get women to be able to feel more comfortable and safe. especially given the present danger to disabled women that is Covid.

Historic Context

Even if we can move past these issues the fact that these things have been happening over all this time. There will still be a public perception of these things being the case and there will be a reactionary move against any improvements made outside of the local level because people hate when things get better for people who aren't them even when it's not affecting them in any real way.

Beyond this though we have the very real thing called Nostalgia that exists. I think at this point we are all aware of the concept. The longer that games go on ignoring women or unminding them or whatever then the less we can bring back elements from parts of a games history without also bringing back harmful elements. Much like comics want to increase diversity while putting marginalized people in new roles we all know that things go back to the status quo to appeal to people who want the version of the hero to be there from when they were a kid.

To get over the history we need to see long term investment, people need time to know their not going to get stabbed in the back. So a lot of it is not giving up on something because it's not working right away and giving it more time then you would normally give other projects. Like you need time for word of mouth and trust that these things are good and consistent.

The Core Of The Games

The final hurdles for card games to get past is core the the way TCGs work. TCGs so long as the random pack format exist will be dangerous for people who have gambling additions to play. LCGS are a model that can be a viable alternative but there is types of play that an LCG can't provide and other models can exist TCGs have only existed for around 30 years this is a very very new concept. Literally as old as I am.

Competitive games while very fun aren't for everyone and that kind of gameplay has a harder time foster collaboration unless they can work on alterative formats that move away from the grind to be number one like Magic's move to have Commander as the star format as opposed to designing focused mostly on the competitive formats.

These two things effect everyone who plays TCGs we are seeing people take approaches to shift them so it will be interesting to see where we see things go.

[sburbian-sage]

Ugh, I knew I should have just waited to send that, rather than trying to rush it off before fighting the ohgodwhat...

It did actually break my computer, but I have spares of course. Anyway, I'm really sorry that I upset you, let me try and explain myself...

Firstly, you know that old adage, "never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity"? Well... that's what was going on with the Dream thing. I didn't re-read the Dream section of the SBURB Glitch FAQ before sending, and the ONE Dream player I've ever met didn't have transparent clothes.

Still, I really do believe it's something that's been mostly version drifted away (which I REFUSE to budge on being real). I've not seen the memes! I think the memes you speak of are dead memes, buried in 7-year-old threads! And in my defense, Dream as an aspect has been getting rarer and rarer (or so I've heard) (which I also attribute to version drift).

Anyway, I wasn't trying to say that your writing is "obsolete", I'm saying parts of it might be for most modern sessions. And if we assume that you fell out of sync recently, or over a period of time, and not early on- which you seems likely as many of the asks you've gotten make reference to things I'd say have long since version-drifted into obscurity- then many of your postings were probably helpful at the time.

All I'm saying is that in more recent asks, you seem to be operating on a slightly outdated understanding, not that your entire blog was always worthless, or that nothing your saying has any application at all to the game as it is...

Finally, I'll say that it's a bit hard to notice when a post is a submission, vs just one you made. I have to scroll down past the actual post and check in the notes section to see that... at least, the way I was reading them. Check out the difference between these posts depending on the link you use:

https://www.tumblr.com/sburbian-sage/163102151042/please-tell-us-more-about-cuter-carapaces-this-is

https://sburbian-sage.tumblr.com/post/163102151042/please-tell-us-more-about-cuter-carapaces-this-is

I had been using the bottom link, which doesn't display the "submitted by" in the actual post.

You keeping a stockpile of multiple computers because they explode at the drop of a hat instantly disproves any spurious SBOOB accusations I've made. The only other thing I'll be apologizing for is me laughing at the "I saw a Dream player once and their clothes weren't transparent" line, because it's extremely funny. I wonder why your friend instantly went to get their outfit changed when they realized how little it leaves to the imagination. Unless you ascended at the same time, in which case I will be laughing harder (and conceding that yeah maybe there was some weird stuff going on there).

But either way, I think we're at an unsquarable circle. This is the first time I'm being accused of being massively out of sync, it's only coming from one source, and your accounts are massively out of whack with what I know and am keeping up with. I know this sounds like a "no u", but I think the only one version drifted in the room right now is you. This is at least vaguely similar to a Time player messaging you from the future, to the past, and acting like you know what the fuck he's talking about. I could be outdated, but I think with my current understanding that you might be forward-dated.

In any case, I acknowledge the "your advice is still good if working off of slightly off information" line, and will resolve to hit the books some more. And in turn, I apologize for accusing you of being a phantom from the internet come to rob me of my mental faculties and ability to relate to reality. I was originally going to post the image of the anime girl saying "let's agree to disagree" while she imagines the other person being hit by a car, but I'm not going to post it anymore, because I don't want you to be hit by a car. Also because I can't find it, but that's beside the point.

[ace-the-fox]

Hey, could you do cis Yoshikage Kira Mpreg headcanons??? If you want to that is. Pre or post Kosaku body swap, idc, can be any point in the part 4 storyline, if not multiple points in the story. Can include dark or angsty stuff like how he’d react to pregnancy loss. Thank you so much and I love your Kira fics btw!

Hi!! Sorry I took longer than even I expected lol

I ended up just going over most of the points you gave me, bc it just gave me more to talk about. And, given that I've written a LOT of Kira mpreg, I don't wanna sound like a broken record lol. That kind of made this more of a series of ideas rather than strict storylined hcs. I hope that's okay lol. It's still not too different from my usual headcanons, dw.

Cis Yoshikage Kira Mpreg Headcanons

So, how did it happen?? Cis mpreg is interesting because you gotta think a lil bit more about how babby is made (unless we're going abo/"it just works" here lol). Most understandable but also most interesting way it could work here is just a stand attack. I remember seeing a (vv likely now deleted :( ) fic where Kira killed a girl who was actually a stand user and got preggers which I think is 👀

HOWEVER it happens Kira... isn't happy that it did. Sure, he's a little less suspicious now – no-one would ever accuse a pregnant father of anything. But he's likely either a single father-to-be or, at least, got pregnant out of wedlock, which makes him stick out and not even for good reasons. And he can't STAND children. This is not a good time for him.

His obsession with his fitness and health means he is obsessed with "glowing" and staying fit during his pregnancy... It doesn't work. He is cranky, tired and large. Don't bother him, he does bite (and cries sometimes).

He says he's making an early start on the nursery and folding up baby clothes and all because he likes to be organised, which is true... but there is an odd tinge of ecstacy to it too, that he prefers not to think about.

He also started keeping an ultrasound picture in his wallet, simply because it was an easy go-to for small talk he didn't want to go through but had to. But, sometimes he will catch himself staring at it.

He does that thing that most pregnant people do where he talks to the baby in utero, and it sounds really sweet because he says it in the typical lovey-dovey tone... until you actually listen to him.

"You have made me pee three times today and I'm only four hours into the work day. You better not be even more of a bother when you come out, because you have ruined my life and body ENOUGH... Aren't I so lucky to have you? ^_^"

To kind of continue this plotline, and since I've already made a post about Kira getting pregnant after the faceswap, what if he got pregnant before the faceswap and had to pretend he wasn't to avoid suspicion. Obviously, Shinobu is oblivious at ever and thinks he's a bit under the weather at most. Hayato might pick up on it, though I'm not sure if he'd fully piece it together or not. Especially if we're going the "Kira gets pregnant from a stand attack" route and cis pregnancies aren't normal, because how could his DAD be pregnant??

Obvious pregnancy loss/miscarriage/stillbirth warning

As for the pregnancy loss... his actual reaction and feelings towards it depends on how early the loss is in the pregnancy. As discussed before, he's not thrilled at being pregnant, especially not at first. So, if it's an early miscarriage, it's pretty much just a relief for him. Luck being on his side yet again. A later miscarriage, or worse, a loss that results in an actual stillbirth... He's a little torn. He still somewhat believes it's for the best, that it makes his life easier and he'd probably not be the best parent anyways. But, perhaps, he didn't mind being pregnant as much as he thought he did. And he does miss having his little one more than he'd like to admit. He finds himself muttering to his stomach for months afterwards still, for a start...

[starboundsingularity]

Um- hello there! Nice to see you guys stopping by my blog.

So uh- I've got some unfortunate news......

You see, as I'm writing this post, asks that I have yet to answer are slowly piling up in my inbox. And I'm starting to lose the motivation to write the prompts out. For awhile now, actually. I seemingly have no more ideas and don't have enough creativity juice in this noggin o' mine to actually produce anything else.

So, it is with great displeasure that I must announce that this au might be- discontinued. Which is really sad to me, because new people that are expecting *new* stuff are piling in! But I truly don't have the energy to continue this little project.

Well, now that it's kind of...over, for this. What happens next?

I figured that since I'll most likely not use the leftover concepts that's been cookin' in my head for this au- I might aswell share it with you all right now! So buckle up, buttercup. We're going out with a bang.

(WARNING: EXTREME RAMBLINGS INBOUND)

Okay! So, one of the more prominent concepts that I was planning on expanding involved mask and the rest of Team Cyan! For those who saw the post involving his headshot, you would have noticed that he was a bit...melty. And that's cause he is! And the rest of his team too!

Managing to survive the Nils Statue that started it all, Team Cyan stayed in inkopolis since day one. Surviving off of scraps and scavenging resources from abandoned apartments, they found no reason to leave. They were sneaky after all. Falling into whatever slime coated the city was the least of their problems. (And since the early stages of the ooze were relatively harmless, they were almost completely unscathed.)

Of course, the ooze slowly started to develop over time. And so did its potency. So without realizing- (or maybe they just didn't care) Team Cyan were exposed to the effects of the hive in an extremely slow process. By the time the hive reached a point where it could actually move around and "hunt", Mask and Co. Weren't even considered potential targets. To the hive, they were so close to the edge of joining that it cant even tell them apart from itself.

So yea! They're slowly yet surely becoming one with the hivemind. Woopsies.

Second major concept!!!

One of my favorite perspectives during the blog was with Prince and N-Pacer, and that was mainly because I was planning a huge story thing even before I started the whole blog!

For those who remember, they weren't able to recover Emperor and the rest of Team Monarch when the Nils Statue hit- as they were the only two together during the massive event. Prince is in denial, while N-Pacer assumed the worst. (Which played into her overprotective nature of his brother.)

So the thing is- Emperor is actually dead. Just gone. One with the cephalopod smoothie. And I wanted a moment where Prince snuck away from N-Pacer in the middle of the night to try and scavenge for himself, leading him to be isolated in the woods of Mt. Nantai.

And guess who's there with him!!!! That's right baby!!! The ooze is there!!!! And what can mimic voices????? THE OOZE!!!!

So using emperor's voice, the sentient Mt. Dew slushie almost lures Prince into an ambush- before N-Pacer manages to scare it away at the last second! She scoops up Prince, and a chase ensues.

They would escape, and would leave Mt. Nantai due to the fact that their safe space was now infiltrated. The duo would eventually meet up with Aloha's group, but that's about it.

And the last concept that I kinda scrapped rather quickly but I thought it was cool enough to include it anyways- there was a point where there would be a major twist in the blog where you guys: the askers- were the ooze all along!!! Trying to gather information about our protagonists to hunt them down! But unfortunately, it didn't make that much sense to me. How would they connect to the character's communication line? What would happen once they figure out the truth? Stuff like that. Alas, it was neat.

So! That's the end of it!

You all were an absolutely amazing audience, and I had a blast with the little time we had together. There's no end to the amount of thanks I need to give, truly! But this story needs to come to an end.

(Unless someone wants to continue it *cough*)

So, yeah. It's been fun everybody! I'll see you on the flipside.

-The Author

[librathefangirl]

Love your fics btw 🥺❤️

But 🦈 and 🍬 for the ask game ❤️

Thank you!! 🥺❤️ And thank you for the ask too :)

(Also can I say that I'm impressed that I've gotten 7 emojis for this ask game now, but none have been duplicates)

🦈 Which character is the toughest to write?

Ooh. For nnt I gotta go with daytime Escanor and Diane. I just... don't really know how to handle those two.

I much more prefer writing wimpy night Escanor than arrogant day Escanor. Although both will show up in an upcoming fic of mine (day 21 of my Febuwhump series, whenever I get to that one). So, we'll see how that works out.

As for Diane, I don't know, I just struggle a lot with her character. Which is probably why I have never actually written from her perspective yet.

🍬 Do you write for multiple fandoms? If yes, what is your favorite fic of yours for each fandom?

I mean, technically yes? If we're looking at both my early fanfic days over on FF.net and my current ones on ao3, I've got 60 fics across 12 fandoms. Although, this year I've only posted fics for nnt. Which I don't mind actually, I haven't been this inspired to write since I started writing fanfic (for Lab Rats) back in 2016.

Only 5 of my written fandoms have more than 1 fic posted, so let's look at them, shall we? Going oldest to newest:

Lab Rats - Betrayal

I guess it would be cheating saying my entire A for Always fic, since it's my advent calendar fic and is thereby a collections of 24 fics? (Actually that advent calendar was fun to write, maybe I should do something like that for nnt this year?). So let's go with chapter 2: Betrayal. This one's actually a bit different from my usual stories. It's more of an introspection and deals with Chase's (canon) experiences of betrayal and the emotional impact these had (that was't explored in canon). Over 6 years later I'm still proud of this one.

Lab Rats: Elite Force - Her Baby Brother

This one's a set of three drabbles, showcasing Bree's relationship with her little brother during different stages of their lives. I like this one because writing drabbles is not always that easy, plus at the same time I managed to make them feel like three parts of the same story with a similar structure. (Not a story for people who don't like main character deaths.)

Glee - The Boy with the Christmas Sweaters

Okay, looking back at my Glee fics was actually kinda hard, because the ship I loved back then I can't stand anymore. But I do like this fic! It's a Samcedes fic based on a Christmas prompt. Just some fluff and humor (a rarity for me).

Stranger Things - Trust and Needles

I have a total of 3 ST fics. All of which less than 700 words. All of which Stoncy. This one's just fluffy ot3 shenanigans combined with Steve whump. It might leave a smile on your face (unless you don't like needles or stitching, then you won't like this fic).

The Seven Deadly Sins / Nanatsu no Taizai - Who'll Hug the Prince of Hell?

This one wasn't easy to choose. They're all so new and all so loved. I think I'll have to go with this one though. For starters, it's my first nnt fic, the start of a new era and all that. It also includes a lot of things I love to write about; Meliodas angst, the relationships between the Sins and Meliodas, Meliodas getting the love he deserves, Merlin knowing his whole story, Meliodas and Ban being Meliodas and Ban, King dealing with his feelings and actions towards Meliodas after the reveal. Also, who doesn't love a story where Meliodas gets hugged repeatedly? (I should make Mel get hugged more often)

Anyway. Here's the list for the ask game, if anyone else wanna send me something :)

[wellofhavoc]

Christmas Shopping for Young Traditional 2-D Artists

Hey there! I know it's early, but I'm already starting to see some posts about the common experience of being a kid artist with parents wanting to get something a little nice, and so they got a kit like these as a gift:

And one thing I never see under these is what a young artist might actually prefer to get.

These kits can range from $20-$50 depending on the quality of the material, company, and location. This kit was actually 18.6 OMR (46.76 USD) but I will be using a prince range of about $30 assuming you're going for something NICE but something they can USE.

This list is primarily of categories and things to consider getting YOUNG artists (4-12) but I don't see any reason you can't tweak some of these to be for older artists!

I'm also going to focus generally: Quality over Quantity. A good, nice set of art materials (whichever you choose) will always last longer, be more useful, be more fun, and be more loved than a cheaper set with more. I don't want to mock people who buy these sets, because I know they're purchased out of love and the want to make someone happy and tell them "I love that you're being creative," and I treasure every memory with them. I treasure less the memories of markers like those short ones in their either breaking in my hand because the plastic was too thin, or the tip snapped off, and the water colors never working- the set is just bad. It's a scam made to make you buy it.

So instead, let's find some products you can get as a nice present with the same intent. Let's be real, almost no kid ever used EVERYTHING in these sets, at least not all at the same time. Think about if your artist has ever said they wanted to try something specifically, or maybe they just have a favorite medium.

If not and you think "my young artist already has that, they use it all the time!" maybe the way to go here is by choosing an "upgrade." Type and quality of materials don't make the artist, but this is about getting something that looks or feels really nice for a special occasion, so that's what we're talking about today.

Paints:

I would not get a child of any age paint as a primary gift. I will explain more about what that means in a moment. For now, though, let's entertain different paint types- skipping past "finger paints," as any non-toxic paint really can serve as a finger paint, and into the main three types.

Watercolor- Paints activated with water! Easiest to clean, and if your artist tends to only want to paint some of the time and not every day, you're never in danger of them drying out and going bad. You can just went them and reuse them each time. Can be stored in almost any dry space, like a closet or shelf- even a tote if they seal well. Very easy to find non-toxic variants. For 10+ artists, though, watercolors can be a bit anticlimactic. They've used them before, and you might want to get them something new. In that case, go with gouache. They're like an acrylic/watercolor hybrid that can dry and layer easily unlike watercolors that usually come out transparent no matter how much of a pigment you layer on. They can be used on the same paper and even thinner paper since they're not so wet they'll warp any material. Can also go onto cardboard for school projects, which watercolors won't really work on.

Acrylic: Rubbery when it dries, easy to pick out of fibers if it gets stuck in your carpet- let it dry in chunks, do not wipe- dab if wet. It's very possible though with the right cleaning product and a little time. It dries somewhat quickly so older artists can work on projects faster rather than having to wait until layers dry to continue. Most commonly non-toxic.

Oil: Stays wet a long time. This can slow an artist down and give another artist a longer time to work and blend colors for a smoother look. Almost impossible to clean fabric without some heavy product, untreated wood is ACTUALLY impossible. Can stain clothes, lighter paint on your walls and cabinets, and even leather. I would definitely save this for an 10+ kid. Non-toxic variants DO exist, but look very carefully and closely so as to make sure this refers to accidental EATING and not just BREATHING if you're brave enough to give this to a toddler.

These are not all the paints out there, but they're usually what people are deciding between at the store. As for "primary gift," I would get a cheap set of paints for any new painters and then get some nice brushes. This means five year olds who just started and 12 year olds who only painted in art class twice a year. Expensive products can be fun surprises, but I know I was intimidated by some "nice" supplies I got as a kid. I wanted to make sure that I didn't waste it- that I used it f-or the "right thing"- because I didn't want to use nice material on something that looked bad.

Also, if you're a parent looking for this to be a long time thing, you probably also don't want to see your child mixing all of the tubes from that $80 paint set into a nice brown mess. Let them explore and be artists, but I'm sure they'd be just as intrigued by the mixing of colors and experimenting with which colors do what if you got a respectable $5-$10 set of primaries from Walmart.

Why I recommend brushes: As long as they're not the kind to pluck out the hairs, a nice set of hair brushes will last years. I still have some from my first set, and they're still my favorite. Take the time to look up how to care for them (rinsing them at the end of every session, using soap and sometimes conditioner to keep them healthy) and they'll serve you for a long time. I would stay away from bristled brushes and find something soft. In reviews, look for things like bristles falling out and the tips falling off entirely. Then look for texture. Soft brushes are better at picking up pigment and bristled brushes are better at creating texture. Even if your watercolor set comes with a brush, at least get a couple soft ones from the store.

Markers:

I'm assuming you want to go up a bit from Crayola, but stay away from Copic. They're cheaply made, overpriced, and are suspected by some users to have actually stopped filling their markers with as much ink as they used to.

I use Prismacolor personally, and they're essentially the same concept: A marker you can blend like paint using a blending tool. You can color a whole picture and then go in and blur two colors together. It works better if the color is still wet, but the alcohol in the blender reactivates it. Just like watercolor- great for those who might leave a project in the middle. If you have a child you're worried about putting them in their mouth, they use non-toxic ink, but it's probably still a risk if they were to do it continuously.

I would also suggest looking into brush markers, which act a bit more like water color pens. They do make a bit of a mess, but are easier to clean than paint pens, which just have paint in them. Paint pens are better for artists who want to draw on non-paper. They're usually used on car windows for graduations and weddings. Some brands are translucent, so look through the reviews to make sure they're opaque for an easier time for your artist. Non-toxic variants are available for both.

Crayons:

People are going to be mad at me, but pastels are just grown up crayons. Oil pastels or softer pastels can make a mess, but normal or chalk pastels are really easy to clean up and almost never make a mess in the first place. Would probably be easier to wipe off than your average wax crayon, actually. Most are non-toxic, but read the labels and do your research beforehand, as they might be harder to find from stores and brands you trust due to them not being as popular as the previously listed categories.

I suggest pastels because they're a fancier crayon-type-material and you can find pretty much any kind for any age of artist. They blend easy at any time, don't dry out, and you can replace a set pretty easily if your artist gets hooked. All of the joy and ease of oil paint with none of the sacrifice. If you're looking for accessories: get a brush or a cheap sponge set so they can play with textures.

Colored Pencils:

Gotta give it to Prismacolor again. This time, I'll even tell you they're okay for younger users AS WELL AS non-toxic. They're wax based, so don't store them in a warm place, and you can ALSO blend with these! You can buy a big or small set, and with the layering and blending abilities, they can still make any color they can think of. If your artist has SENSORY ISSUES and hates the chalky texture of pencils, the wax centers are super smooth, so they won't have to worry about that.

If you're not into Prisma, I would stay away from sets of short but plentiful sets. If a pencil is shorter than a few inches, it could be hard to grab at all, much less after many uses. You've literally cut how long that pencil could be used comfortably in half.

Paper:

I'm not going to get into paper (as that's a whole bag in its own and is unique to each medium) but if you are determined to get some nice paper for a specific thing, try asking "What kind of paper is good for 'brush markers/acrylics/pastels/ect'?" at your local art store or an online sales associate. Youtube artists also cover this a lot.

If you're getting canvases, I would also pick up a can of white gesso so your artist can prep that canvas and maybe some sealant. Canvases that are hung can fall hard and chip paint or get gouged easier while being moved, so store them properly- especially if they have something on them. Of course, this CAN happen to paper, but since it's usually in a book or stack or box.

Get a thick ringed sketchbook for the most ease of use- you can flip it over without bending the binding, you can rip out pages more easily, you can leave it in a hot car or drop it in a puddle and unless the paper's really thin most of the book will probably be fine.

Get a bound sketchbook (one with glue or string binding the pages like a normal book) for style and the ability to do "spreads' (art that uses two pages next to each other.) There are really no other benefits, and this is the worst one for any kind of paint because you have to prop it open to let the paint dry.