#not intended to be ship art but interpret it however you like

[rejectedartist]

She's everything. He's just Kaito.

[birrdies]

you awake?

some art for a boat boys au im working on… its hard to describe what exactly it is, but its based on the show ‘WAYNE’ if any of you have seen it.

Joel lost count of the days once they passed D.C. He should’ve kept a book or something—hell, he could’ve found a sharpie and scrawled some tallies on his palm— but it was hard track of time when all you really wanted was to outrun it. But as the sun set, slivers of a dreary dusk streaming in the windows, Joel was trapped in it. But this time, he didn’t mind so much.

Etho’s head was a dead weight on his shoulder. The rumble of the car engine kept lulling the both of them to sleep, but Joel fought. Just in case. Just to count the breaths against his collarbone. Those, he could count. Passing days didn’t matter anymore— this did. Here and now, the road ahead of them, did.

[dailyhatchetfield]

day 135 - pre-game

[sleepyskydraws]

❄️📸 Smile for the picture! 📸❄️

[linkcharacter]

Do you ship anything from Mouthwashing or do you just not care

Relationships in Mouthwashing supersede the need for earthly relationship labels. I am most invested in Anya and Curly, and Jimmy and Curly's dynamics from a narrative standpoint. I see them as not definable by labels in a way people would understand. But if you're just asking if I think any of them would kiss or do things typical of exclusively romantic relationships or something, then no, I'm not enthusiastic about that. I do depict their relationships as I see them and don't intend any of them to be "ship art" but whatever people interpret from looking at my art is out of my jurisdiction. I just love the dynamics and don't think about labels.

I also dislike the notion that romantic relationships are somehow more special and sacred like they're the pinnacle of any human bond. Platonic relationships can be just as deep and as impactful as romance, there isn't a power scaling, it's just a different type of relationship with different means and norms to display meaningful connection. Basically I hate the phrase "more than friends" and I never understood the big deal about "shipping".

But of course I love Mouthwashing for managing to have such variety and impressively real portrayals of non-romantic relationships. It's really rare we get to see the type of friendship Jimmy and Curly have depicted so true and accurate, and all the other ones too for that matter. I do however actively support Curlya enthusiasts' efforts but don't see their dynamic as romantic personally.

Tldr I don't really care.

[impactrueno]

Do you ship beetlebabes?

anon you're one of the three people i woke up to this morning asking if i ship beetlebabes LMAO. so i guess i better address it as thoroughly as i can.

shortest answer i can give you: no. but there's a lot more to it than just that. please read on

as long as it's not kid lydia, i don't care. i'm perfectly at peace with the ship and accept it as an integral part of the fandom (i'll get to that in a second) because this isn't like other ships of its kind. there's a small sector of the shipper side of the fandom that's cuckoo bananas and i don't fuck with that but that's more about those shippers in particular and not the ship itself. and yes, i'm okay with you reblogging my art and tagging it as "beetlebabes" on your blog for your own organization purposes.

i've been lurking the beetlejuice fandom for like 20 years now, so the ship doesn't faze me in the least. especially since i shipped them myself when i was younger, and this isn't a secret or anything i'm ashamed about, because i just never thought that deeply about it back then you know?? i just knew i enjoyed their dynamic in the cartoon a lot. and i'm pretty sure this is the case for most veteran beetlejuice fans because back then 90% of the fan content was beetlebabes. the ship pretty much carried the fandom all throughout the 90s and the 2000s, and the bulk of these shippers was always goth/goth-adjacent women into gothic romances who had crushes on BJ and projected onto lydia. NOT pedophiles or groomers or anything of the sort (and i need to reiterate this every time this stuff comes up because it's really important: do not ever judge whether or not someone is a groomer based only on what they ship because that's only going to put you at risk of being groomed by a "non-problematic" shipper. a groomer can use anything to groom you, even if you're not a minor. please always stay alert no matter what circles you're in. sorry for the PSA i've just seen some stuff and i worry)

the shift in the demographics of the fandom happened when the musical came out in 2019, which brought in a new beetlejuice canon with TONS of new fans who were more attuned to what makes a ship creepy and inappropriate (again, literally no one ever thought about this stuff before the 2010s.) so obviously this new wave of fans were horrified that the ship even existed in the first place. this created a pretty big split in the fandom between shippers and non-shippers. i've been referring to the topic as a hornets nest ever since and it's the reason why i largely keep to myself in my own little corner of the fandom.

as for my feelings about the ship...that shifted a lot through the years. shipped them, then i didn't. then i thought about them again, then i was like nah. eventually i realized that i'm very picky and particular about them and i was never going to feel at home on either side of the fandom so i had to figure out what kind of content i wanted to see, how i see their relationship and if i could create something with that myself since it seemed like no one else was doing it.

so here i am now. the stuff i'm making right now with adult lydia and beej from the cartoon is intended to be "platonic soulmates" since this is what i found to be the closest thing to what i always wanted to see more of, i find it comforting and beautiful and tragically underrated. people are free to interpret it however they wish though, as long as they don't expect me to meet their expectations, because i'll be doing my own thing regardless. i'm not stupid though, i know i managed to put them in a position where they probably could organically develop feelings for each other, and people are inevitably going to be drawn to that potential. so i can't blame the people commenting with "when will they kiss, i hope they get married, etc," i just hope they don't feel to disappointed to learn that i have no plans to explore that far lol (if that's all you were here for then uhhh sorry i guess)

if i ever choose to make something that is actually beetlebabes, i would tag it as such so people know and so people who don't want to see it can block it. maybe i'd even give ample warning beforehand because i wouldn't want to spring that on my followers who are uncomfortable with the ship out of the blue like that.

if you've read my beetleposts you probably already know that i like character studies and analyzing their dynamics, so i don't mind discussing the ship and how or why i think things would be one way or the other. perhaps i'm a bit too lax about it for some people, because i've been asked to tag a couple of analyses that seemingly dipped into beetlebabes territory without me even noticing. that made me realize that what qualifies as beetlebabes varies from person to person, which makes "do you ship beetlebabes" even harder to answer, because people see what they want to see in art. you can ask my non-shipper followers and most will say they don't see anything romantic in my art, but then you ask the shippers and it can be the total opposite. just as everyone does when they watch the source material.

so in conclusion

i don't ship them (any of the canon iterations) romantically but i'm chill with the whole thing as long as people aren't rude to each other in my comments (or to me for that matter) because i'm frankly way too old to give a fuck about these things or all the proship/anti/whatever nonsense

[bucktommykinkweek]

This event will take place October 13-19, 2024. There will be three prompts every day. You can write one, combine two or all three, or interpret them however you like! There is no minimum or maximum word count for fics, and art, graphics, or any other creative work are more than welcome!

This event is for 18+ participants only. If your age is not in your bio, your post will not be reblogged or added to the ao3 collection.

PROMPTS | AO3 COLLECTION | FAQS

Please include your prompt(s) and the fic rating at the top of your post, as well as any content warnings as you see fit.

Submissions can include other characters, but bucktommy should be the primary pairing. 

We do expect that most fics will be rated M or E, but note that non-sexual kink is also fully allowed and encouraged! Please ensure that if your works include sexual content it is rated appropriately. 

Please tag @bucktommykinkweek and #bucktommykinkweek so we can see your post! All posts will be vetted before being reblogged or added to the AO3 collection. Vetted posts will be reblogged into the queue, and a mod will comment a "⛓️" when your post has been added. If a mod has not replied to your post within 2 days, please message @bucktommykinkweek or @aringofsalt!

If your work is posted on AO3, there will be a collection on ao3 that you can add to. The collection will be moderated and all fics that appear there will have been vetted by a mod.

Late submissions will be accepted!

Artists: please put any explicit acts or nudity under a cut. Due to the way tumblr handles nsfw art, if you are more comfortable posting the full art elsewhere and linking a preview, please do so!

Once the event is complete, all submissions will be added to masterlists for each day.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to reach out!

This is first and foremost an event meant to celebrate bucktommy. We are looking forward to seeing and celebrating everyone’s work!

Please do not use this event to kinkshame or be negative towards other people’s kinks and headcanons. We are sex- and kink-positive, and this event is all in good fun! While we are focused on bucktommy, we will not be supporting nor endorsing any bashing of other ships or characters.

No content endorsing the following will be allowed to participate:

Homophobia

Transphobia

Ace/arophobia

Racism

Harassment of any kind

You may depict these things in your works if they are warned for, but work that is intended to be bigoted or harmful to others will not be included.

This event is moderated by @aringofsalt, @beefcakekinard, @kinkleydiaz, and @theweewooshow

[lacryem]

— A surprisingly long and in depth look about symbolism in the recent G-Fantasy cover by Yana Toboso ✦

Including references, flower language, how to decode the meaning of flowers, and a little too much brainrot. As well my personal interpretation drawn from all the sources I looked at. And of course what all of means (and maybe hints at?) for Sebastian and Ciel… and maybe even Sebaciel? 

Originally posted as a twitter thread, but threads suck and I forgot a couple things. so here now.

Disclaimer :

I don’t know FOR SURE that all these things were directly referenced by Yana when creating this art. But being a fan of her work for over a decade I've become familiar with her use of symbolism and reference, and believe myself to have a good eye for it at this point!   I'm also pretty familiar with the use of flower language, including different languages, due to having been involved in a project about it and having to read wayyy too much about this. 

Some of it also includes my own personal interpretation, but the meanings and info I based myself off of ARE factual. I think I made it pretty clear when referencing my personal interpretation. You're welcome to reach your own interpretation based off of the stuff provided!

And lastly, I'm not a sebaciel shipper. I'm not an anti (the complete opposite, actually) and have nothing against the ship, I like the narrative around them and how they're written but I don’t actively ship them romantically or sexually. So I'd say this is actually a pretty unbiased interpretation. Personal taste is one thing, but I don’t deny the author's intention and whats written in front of me! That is what this post is about.

Kuroshitsuji takes place in the Victorian period (1837~1901) in 1889.

The following are both important Victorian books on the language of flowers that I will be basing myself off of.

Language of Flowers by Greenaway Kate (1884), and The Language of flowers: An Alphabet of Floral Emblems (1857).

(Also, I’m treating Ciel’s rose as a deep red rose. Which is a bit different than red roses. But I am adding some relevant information about roses in general, anyway.

Now, on what they say about these flowers.

Deep rose, meaning "bashful shame". White lily, meaning "Purity and sweetness."

— The White Lily

Most people assume that the lily refers to Ciel's purity, and that’s a fair assumption. But I disagree. 

Firstly, the one holding the lily is Sebastian. Holding it on his right hand, tilted towards the right. However what's relevant here is the VIEWER. From the viewer's POV he's holding it to the left. Note he also holds the scissors on his left hand, where he bears HIS contract seal.

How you hold a flower, what position you give it to someone in, changes the meaning of the flower. These context clues are very important. It tells us that 'purity and sweetness' doesn’t refer to Ciel, but actually refers to Sebastian (…sorta).

This may be a little confusing. Purity and sweetness, Sebastian?! I know, I know. bear with me.

These books provide poems to help us understand how you may interpret the intended meaning. The lily poem is about enduring trials out of love because of the purity and sweetness he sees in his lover's eyes and soul. I believe Yana directly references the poems I will include in this post in her new artwork.

— My Interpretation

the meaning of Sebastian's lily is:

"I do all out of love for the sweetness and purity within you."

Him holding it to the contact seal and cutting the flower could stand for him destroying this sentiment (affection within himself) that has arisen in him as a result of their contract by destroying the sweetness and purity—the source of it—within Ciel (consuming his soul).

Note: This is debatable, as 'reversed' almost always means upside down. But if you consider the lily facing away from the viewer as reversed then it could mean "impurity and bitterness" which fits pretty well with Ciel, and it being held against the contract seal which is a physical representation of his impurity, brought on by his bitterness.

— The Deep Red Rose

There something I find very interesting. The rose is in a teacup, standing in for tea (I think there's even tea alongside it in the cup.) From Yana herself we know that Sebastian's eyes are a reference to the reddish brown colour of tea.

Like I said, I believe this rose to be a deep red rose, which is a bit more specific than the meaning given to red roses. However I think the poem included for roses in general very much applies here.

I was going to add my thoughts but I found this interpretation that sums it up pretty well if you replace the carpe diem theme with a more "running out of time" or "impending death" theme, which seems to be a more accurate reading for this artwork.

Looking at the rose itself, it has no thorns or leaves.

It is not a youthful rose as its already fully open and losing petals. "No hope, and no fear" fits with the poem, the rose is basically an hourglass referring to Ciel. His fate is unavoidable, but this isn't a deterrent. He's dancing on the ledge.

The deep red rose means 'bashful shame'.

When you compare it to the lily, which is a direct proclamation, the deep red rose is a quiet confession one cannot verbalize.

Debatable, to be fair but given the tie in to Sebastian's eye colour and the fact that he is always the one pouring tea for Ciel, I believe the Sebastian to be the speaker here too, but this time speaking on Ciel's feelings (Hence why he's the one holding it) rather than Sebastian's own. 

— My Interpretation

The meaning of the deep red rose Ciel holds, speaking about Ciel's feelings of guardedness, and in response saying:

"Abandon your bashful shame, and let yourself be admired without expectations (hope) or fear"

Sebastian speaks about Ciel's feelings, the deep red rose acknowledges his feelings but they remain unspoken.

The Waller poem is a plead for his beloved to seize the day, for time is short, and allow herself to be loved completely. 

Her beauty is one to be appreciated, she is not meant to be a rose unacknowledged (unloved) in the desert.

Regarding 'expectations', I think this is more about rigid ideas of how 'appreciation' or 'admiration, might be shown or received. Sebastian and Ciel's relationship defies normality or 'expectations'. So this, too, would defy expectations a young boy like Ciel, or a traumatised boy like Ciel, may have.

From Yana herself, we know Sebastian's dedication and how highly he holds 'beauty', specifically Ciel's beauty.

The author of the poem proclaims that beauty not appreciated is not beautiful indeeed, and so he calls his beloved to come to him and be appreciated wholly during the invaluable, limited time they have.

We see the deep red rose's petals fall away, in my opinion not only symbolising the withering away of time, but also the crumbling away of this "bashful shame" that Sebastian ascribes to Ciel.

How Sebastian wishes to "appreciate" this beauty is debatable. How he wants to "admire" and "desire" (per the poem) Ciel is rather open ended. Wether it be in a romantic way, a sexual way or by consuming his soul.

However, I don’t think these are mutually exclusive. And consuming Ciel can easily be a metaphor for the former two. 

— The Lily and The Rose

The Greeneaway book has this poem which im sure was directly referenced. This poem speaks about the lily and the rose in a direct power struggle and fight for dominance, until they eventually unite and reign as one.

Now when speaking about this "union", you could say it refers to their contract, but I don’t think so.

The contract ties them to each other, but it doesn’t necessarily unite them. So I believe 'unity' to be about the appreciation Sebastian speaks of Ciel opening up to. 

"The Lily" and "The Rose" might be interpreted as directly representing Sebastian and Ciel, and the unity that would come from them joining and becoming a truly complimentary pair. I think a power struggle and fight for being the one in control is very accurate way to describe their current dynamic in canon.

It may also be interpreted as "The Lily" and "The Rose" as being representations of their feelings and ideals previously. And then it would represent these two conflicting expressions—a loud  unrelenting and destructive devotion, and a guarded, bashful, unspoken reluctance— coming together and turning from conflicting to complimentary. 

Or as it tends to be with these things, both!

Either way all of this is expressed under the sense of impending doom created by their circumstances and the contract. So there's a sense of urgency permeating all of it.

Also clear to me is a sense of internal conflictedness coming from Sebastian's message that is usually only hinted at like this, and some people end up overlooking.

Sebastian desires Ciel deeply, but having him would also mean not being able to have him anymore.

Sebastian is torn and that’s why he attempts to cut the root of his wavering feelings represented by the lily. 

All of this makes me wonder about what's next, and if we will see these things said more blatantly. Foreshadowing with flower language and references like this, isn't exactly rare for Yana. I wonder if we will see this 'unity' come to be, and what necessary development Sebastian and Ciel will need to undergo to make it possible. As well as what shape it will take.

I also wonder very much about Ciel's perspective in all of this, as this was almost entirely from Sebastian's POV, but I think that's intentional. Ciel has his own goals and a lot on his mind. Sebastian's goal IS Ciel. So I assume he spends a lot more time thinking about Ciel and this kind of thing.

Thank you if you read the whole way through. Like I said before, even though the sources defending it are, my interpretation is not law and you're welcome to reach your own with the things presented.

Links for sources, including free public domain PDFs of the books mentioned are found at the end of my twitter thread.

— Thanks for reading! —

[calamaroo]

OctoDads my beloved (I will make more drawings of them in future, school is just keeping me busy)

To start, I'd like to say that this drawing WAS intended as ship art, as I do like the idea of all three of them (Calico Jack, Natquik, and Marsh) as silly old man yaoi

BUT, I also like the idea of them as just pals, so take it however you want :))

HOWEVER, DO NOT GIVE HATE TO ANYONE WHO DOES OR DOES NOT THINK OF THEM AS A SHIP OR OTHERWISE, people can have opinions and heacanons, regardless of whether that hurts your feelings or not 🙄

Excuse my rant lol, I've just seen this ship/not ship start a lot of arguments, and if one is started on my blog/over my art, I will not tolerate it.

Headcanon dump now ~~~~~~

Natquik :

1.) I imagine his time in the Antarctic messed him up a good deal, so he's very on the fence about being alone for extended periods of time (sure he had the penguins, but I imagine they weren't shifters/humanoid in interpretation of my human-styled art)

So, he's very clingy when it comes to people he likes. Having had not to share a living space with anyone for YEARS, he has ZERO sense of personal space, and along with being naturally quiet/sneaky when moving around fot biological reasons, he seems to just appear out of nowhere all up in anyone's grill (Barnacles secretly loves it)

--- Arctic foxes (and foxes in general) are very cuddly crestures, and it is a form of affection, so I imagine Natquik is just as cuddly, even if he doesn't mean to be

2.) It is a VERY rare occasion that Natquik leaves the Antarctic and/or Arctic, as any not 0° is uncomfortable to him (he doesn't like hot places). However, he will make an exception when he is feeling particularly lonely (mostly to hang out with his the other OctoDads + Barnacles, Bianca, and Tracker)

Marsh :

1.) Uuuuhhhhhhh... Florida man

Jk, jk, 🤭

2.) Marsh is a lonely man, but in a different sense than Natquik or Calico Jack. He has all his animal friends in the Everglades (which he is very close to and sees as family) but they aren't the same as other people. So, when anyone offers to help out or just visit, he is OVERJOYED, and does NOT hide it very well

--- in short, he loves having company

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That's all for now, but don't be surprised when my love for the old man goobers surges and suddenly they're all I think about

[fullmindsemptynotebooks]

My Incredibly Tired And Defensive Rant On Why I Choose To Interpret Jayvik As Queer

I literally do not use tumblr at all but I feel like I need to scream into the void about this so bear with me.

So Arcane is over, and jayvik is creeping up to be one of the most popular ships of the year already. Nice. The amount of hostility I've seen directed towards shippers, however, is not nice. So let's address it.

"They were confirmed not to be canon by the co-creator!"

A concerning pattern that I've noticed in recent years when it comes to media consumption is that we are becoming extremely reliant on post-release (twitter) statements when it comes to what's canon and what's not.

And I find this very counter-productive; a very fundamental aspect of interacting with art is having the freedom of interpretation.

While yes, I do understand that there always is an intended meaning, that intended meaning should be supported by the art itself, and the consumer should be able to find evidence of it in the art itself.

Same goes for things that are not in the show, or left ambigous -- if it isn't supported by the art itself, then making it canon or denying it's canon-possibility by a twitter statement is redundant.**

I feel like this trend of creators responding to every little thing later on somewhat ruins this ambiguity of interpretations, which ultimately leads to shutting down the possibility of having nuanced discussions on the art.

"Why can't they just be friends?"

They can be friends! They can also be more. That's that, moving on.

"Why can't we have strong male frienships in shows?"

I see this brought up very often, so I am just going to say it, interpreting two male characters as being romantically involved does not support toxic masculinity.

Strong, affectionate male friendships do not lack representation; they're the norm. And if you desire to interpret one of these ambigous friendships as more than a friendship, that is totally fine, because what actually lacks representation in mainstream media is queer relationships between men.

I'd like to remind everyone here that most of the film industry is still cishet men making content with other cishet men in mind. And the sad truth is that a big part of these men refuse to interact with media that has explicit mlm romance. (And then lesbian relationships often get fetishized, which is another can of worms for another day)

I couldn't count on one hand just how many examples I have of shows with queer subtext just subtle enough for the "anti-woke" viewers to be able to shut down the sheer possibility of it being queer subtext. But let's call a spade a spade; if a (queer) person chooses to interpret a relationship as queer subtext, then they have every right to do so.

"Jayvik shippers are just women who fetishize gay relationships"

This one especially irks me the wrong way. First of all, it is a very reductive statement. This might be dramatic on my part but generalizing the entire fanbase is queerphobic and misogynistic.

First of all, based on my observations, an incredible amount of jayvik shippers are queer, if not the majority. Specifically, trans men who relate to either of these characters, but also people who are otherwise queer or genderqueer.

The misogynistic part is going to be a bit more nuanced and possibly even controversial, so bear with me, but I feel like engaging with mlm content for many women is just a safe way to explore sexuality and romance, a way to detach from the reality of "womanhood" and whatever comes with it.

Women being criticized and ridiculed based on the way they interact with fandom/media is a tale as old as time.

It is important to acknowledge that straight women making mlm content does often lead to bad representation, but as far as my experiences with jayvik go, this isn't the norm here.

**Ace Viktor Mini Segment

This Twitter-confirmation-point is why I have a bone to pick with the ace Viktor canon as well, also later on confirmed by Christian Linke to be "the intended interpretation".

As an asexual person, I honestly feel very tired when I see creators "add" ace representation by randomly stating on Twitter that X character is asexual, even though it is never explicitly stated in the show itself.

I am also very tired of the stereotypical introverted workaholic intellect being the ace rep we are getting. Making a character that would not be very into relationships/sex/romance in the first place/was never planned to have a romance arc be your ace rep isn't ace representation. It's a cop-out.

And then also the fact that he is disabled, which adds to another harmful stereotype surrounding the fact that disabled people are often depected as being desexualized.

In conclusion

we have every right to interpret jayvik (or any other fictional characters, for that matter) with a queer viewpoint in mind. Queer people exist. Shows can have multiple queer relationships and multiple kinds of queer relationships.

And you can freely interpret any characters as being queer, even if they're not explicitly stated as such. That's literally it. This one statement could've been the entire post, lol.

There are many other issues that I could address here, but this is already way too long, so thank you, tumblr void.

[sunny-superstar]

it’s not that spirk just “Went Canon” (although it’s fun to say) it’s that Unification gave fans a chance to see a conclusion to their story together… in a way that suits their relationship as it has Always been portrayed—Those guys are literally famous for being Together. it’s just nice to see it.

Spirk itself is schrodinger’s ship. it was designed to be ambiguous! since 1979 their relationship to each other has canonically been T’hy’la—friend, brother, lover—it is intended to be interpreted as any of those three definitions. as a trekkie, you have the choice to view it however you want!!!

also, Star Trek, as an IP, has had nearly 6 decades to be modified and molded by numerous writers and producers. there are countless events and characters that are “canon,” but what does that even mean? Like, for example, Paramount can wheel out an entire new series 50 years after the original material was released, and retroactively establish that Spock “canonically” had an adopted sister all along. Just because a soulless corporation wants to milk the property for all it’s worth, doesn’t mean You have to change Your understanding of the story. It’s fiction. It’s art. Its value and meaning as a whole is entirely subjective. That is, if I chose to Only consume original series content, then that is all that is canon to me! Retroactive changes cannot fundamentally alter what was put forth in the original material! Maybe that means putting blinders on (“that’s not canon TO ME”) but you do in fact have the ability to pick and choose what you want to accept in the narrative!

All that to say, spirk has been roddenberry-canon for 45 years already… for those with eyes to see. Maybe this is a radical/purist stance, but Unification doesn’t need to be accepted as canon, nor does the Generations film, or even any of the AOS films. As far as I’m concerned, it’s all fanfiction of the source material. So, if the roddenberry archives want to drop a deepfake short film where these old guys hold hands and stare lovingly into each other’s eyes, uh, cheers to that bro. i’ll add it to my personal canon it as i see fit lol

[dailycharacteroption]

Class Feature Friday: Dimension of Time Anchor (Precog Anchor)

(art by ryky on DeviantArt)

We’re back with another precog anchor, and while last time we covered those that learned from beings that manipulate time and fate itself, now we’re looking at those that are empowered by time itself.

The Dimension of Time is an enigma. Very few beings even understand that it is a plane at all, and fewer still have ever come close to visiting. Non-natives that have actually visited, let alone actually use the power of the plane to affect the timestream at best number in the double digits, and that’s highballing it.

Heck, the Dimension of Time probably predates The Great Beyond, given that a time before the cosmology formed exists, making it a multiversal constant, like a law of physics that transcends even the borders between realities where fundamental laws may vary. Such planes may interpret time in different ways, but never do they fully get rid of it.

In any case, today, we are looking at precogs that draw their power directly from it. They might have had a chance encounter with a siktempora, hound of Tindalos or even a/the time dimensional, or due to some fated circumstance they might have been among the lucky few to even glimpse the dimension itself.

Either way, they were changed by the experience, able to see the threads of fate and possibility and tug them as other precogs do. However, these mystics are more capable of altering their personal flow of time as well as that of nearby objects than others, as we will see below.

Like all anchors, the Dimension of Time grants an additional way to use their power of paradox, in this case on perceiving incoming threats and dodging them, bolstering their reflexes.

With a touch, these mystics can arrest the temporal forces around small objects, putting them into stasis. Food does not spoil, metal does not rust, and so on, preventing the effects of time from being an issue for important items.

Finally, their power allows them to travel unfettered, briefly entering a state where they can move freely along perfect moments in time. Effectively, they become immune to difficult terrain, can move much further, and are incredibly resistant to effects which would hinder them. I imagine this visually looks like they are teleporting about as they accelerate themselves to their intended destinations.

While not exactly flashy, being able to preserve items is a bit niche but surprisingly useful in the right situation. Their later ability to boost their speed and avoid hinderance more than makes up for the narrow focus of their lesser ability, however, letting them control the shape of the battle with their mobility. I personally recommend building for battlefield control, able to maneuver around as they please in short bursts while foes are left struggling.

A lot of precogs have their origins in witnessing beautiful and terrible things, but few can match these individuals in scope. After all, they witnessed, either directly or through powerful beings as proxy, the entirety of all events ever. Such a thing can’t help but change a person. It’s up to you as the player to decide how.

A survivor of a world consumed by a black hole, Fijina the ferran has long studied time itself in some vain hope of being able to reverse the events that consumed her home. When her efforts caused her to be exposed to raw chronal energies, she looks much older, but acts as one half her age, her determination all the more implacable now that she has glimpsed the power of time itself.

Always something of an eccentric, the planetary governor has made an effort to popularize the rodent-like symbiotes known as zernivians as pets, to the point some wonder if it is interfering with his duties… that is until a year later, an entire ship of new colonists are suddenly attacked by the pets all at once, revealing them to all be infested by the mind-controlling parasitic dycepskian fungus. It was almost as if he knew this would happen all along.

Many test subjects died in the fateful Mobius Chamber Incident, but those who survived don’t talk much about it. However, they have all developed a keen magical awareness of time, as well as a shared vision of the “Empty Space” in the time stream’s future.

[saint-vagrant]

wooooof. i don't keep up with "anti/pro" "shipping" business so when i see it broadcasted or there's an uptick in people finding my work who have some variant on suicide-baiting in their bios, i just gotta say, for my part, it's totally alienating. fandom terms for a fandom lens and i'm not in that scene or writing/reading/curating my interests with that framework in mind at all. i don't want it explained to me. particularly not as (for example) libraries and schools are gutted by budget cuts and under fire from fascist "think of the children" TERFs. the big companies would be doing it regardless, but i don't want to lend credence to reactionary behaviour during the ongoing, full-scale crackdown on sex work that's jointly helped destroy the livelihoods of performers, artists, in turn public transness and queerness. i certainly don't care about this when exploitative opportunist publishers big and small can't say one word about Palestine, and actively punish anyone who does, while signing deals with zionists. among other things.

do you think that when i call myself a "transsexual leather faggot and pervert" that i'm joking? this is hard-won and i'm reasonably proud of it. why would i joke about that? or is following me a guilty secret that only you and i know about? i can accept that someone else's attachment to Concepts and Ideas, sexuality, symbols, reality, might still be developing (i think it develops forever!) or even comfortably shallow or anxiously tenuous, but i actually want to be treated with the consideration, seriousness, and respect that i deserve. i don't think anyone ought to automatically trust my art and stories are designed for them and therefor "safe" solely because they like the presentation (though they should still try 🖤) BUT, IF the presentation is all that matters, then the content, context, experiences and ideas within or which motivate them, should be of no major concern. right?

i began SUPERPOSE in my 20s and now i'm in my 30s. my art is a safe place for me, but i'll always invite people in— and it's not like i can stop anyone from seeing it, really— because it's a means of communication. i am moved to express something that only art, comics, in their multifaceted format, can accomplish. i'm driven to share it. this is an act of trust. i know in my narratives i don't do a tonne of hand-holding, and unless prompted (which is welcome) i usually don't explain in a footnote how a given moment or action should be taken, because it's a story, driven by the characters. interpret "mature" however you'd like but i do intend my stories be for "mature readers" and i'd like my art to be treated that same way. thank you!

[abbenai]

why are you trying to metoo nosferatu

normally i just delete asks that annoy me but idk something is in me today.

im not trying to cancel the fictional character of count orlock or whatever youre implying. i liked the movie i want people to watch it clearly. to me this movie spoke to experiences i've had and that's how i interpret it though, your experiences will inform a different analysis. this is my personal blog where i talk about things i struggle with often. recently i've been reliving difficult things and found it mirrored in this film. i won't deny that there is an explicit link between ellen and orlock in the text, but it's always tinged with disgust and shame, not entirely because of the victorian sensibilities of the time (but it doesnt help) but also because ellen feels betrayed by her body and desire for connection with someone, even with someone repulsive who is a literal predator (as in he eats people). to me those feelings remind me of the perverse desire to be abused again when i feel low and hypersexual relapse. read it however you like, but that's where i am because that's where my head's been at frankly. there are a lot of interpretations one can have. thats the fun with art.

all that being said i think its reductive to go into a robert eggers movie with fandom shipping at the front of your mind above all else. that's where my frustration mainly is.

i'd suggest not reading my personal blog for your film reviews because that's not what its intended for. have your fun but rethink sending this kind of thing to survivors + stop visiting my blog. thanks

[stormshipping]

Memoir - a low-effort SFW stormshipping zine!

Let's spend time from Valentine's day thinking about our favourite master and student of love!

Create a new fanwork involving Jun/Chazz and Fubuki/Atticus.

Submit it via one of the methods below by 30 June 2025.

Mod will compile into a single pdf and publish (intended to be on Internet Archive) on 30 July 2025 (international day of friendship)!

Download, read, enjoy!

FAQ:

How do I apply?

No application needed, just create a work and submit as set out below. Anything made by the deadline will go in subject to content as below.

There will be no "background checks" or automatic exclusions of participants, however the zine is intended to build community within the ship scene: if any participant harrasses any other, their work may be removed from the zine.

What content is allowed?

Fanfiction, fanart, recipes, cosplay, meta... Any medium as long as it can be flattened into a PDF eventually. The work should be new and not published anywhere else until the zine's release (though you may create a teaser / preview during July if you wish).

The work should focus on the relationship between Atticus/Fubuki and Chazz/Jun. This relationship can be however you interpret it and both characters do not necessarily need to be present (e.g. a sketch of Jun writing a love letter to Atticus would be fine; so would a drabble about an OC's fly-on-the-wall description of the two together). However, please do not include romantic side pairings.

This is a low effort zine so there is no minimum requirement. I am bravely setting no maximum but this is a LOW EFFORT zine so probably not the place for your 400k epic. The long creation period is to reduce stress not increase it!

This will be a SFW zine so please no sexually explicit material, graphic depictions of violence, abuse, or major criminal activity. This is for practical reasons and creatives who may make works containing darker themes are welcome.

How do I submit?

Save your work as any common file format and either:

Email to stormshipping at pm dot me

Submit to this blog on tumblr @stormshipping

Add to the AO3 collection Memoir

on or before the deadline of 30 June including the information below.

Make sure to include how you would like to be credited (anonymous is OK too). Exclude any personally identifying info - don't send from your school email address for instance.

You must include a permission statement along the lines of "I request this work be included in the Memoir stormshipping zine and grant the right to non-commercial modification, publication and distribution of the work with attribution as part of said zine".

(modification - I need to add your work to the pdf; publication - the zine needs to be displayed; distribution - the zine needs to be available publicly; attribution - your credit will be included as requested)

Optionally, include some words about how you got into stormshipping, what you love about it, your headcanons...

You may submit more than one item but please send each separately with all the above.

Who are the mods?

There is one mod - Sixy, who runs this blog, also known as harinezumiko on AO3.

This zine has no finance or shipping (other than stormshipping!) and graphic design will be minimal to non-existent.

Who gets the covers?

You want a low-effort zine to have a cover?

Oh, alright then... If you are making art, let me know in your submission if you'd like to be considered for front or back cover. I will pick one that fits the size and looks ok with text over it (textless version will be included inside) and if there's still a choice there will be a difficult judging process (mod will post a poll with text descriptions).

What about...

Drop an ask, mod will answer.

[grievedifferent]

CHRIS 4 JOSH? let's talk about it ... and let's be honest.

read more for length only, it's all pretty sfw and non-triggering content.

speaking with otter first and foremost, here are her thoughts on the matter:

for context, she has a degree in video game art & design, so she knows the entire pipeline for how video games were and are made currently. she actually graduated like right around when UD came out, so this is perfect because she also helped me understand some of the modeling and why the original game is just honestly more fluid in mechanics versus the remake, so i've been giving the remake a pass in a lot of big ways and just sort of accepting everything else as is in conjunction with the original game (and in our case, the 2013 prototype).

basically, she said it originally looked like this is what likely happened: a texture artist was given permission to do a heart, someone else or that same artist put in CHRIS + JOSH and basically whoever was in charge of them (i have no names for this) likely said "you absolutely cannot confirm a fan ship, it's not happening" which is why it became CHRIS 4 JOSH. otter was explaining how the 4 looks a little off like it wasn't there originally but more of something to replace what was underneath. like a 4 covering a +.

still likely meant to be a joke, maybe it could go so far as to that texture artist shipping it, but either way, it was never going to make it into the official game as a way to be interpreted as josh and chris are canon. i know the app contradicts one major thing for chris and ash because the game itself literally confirms they both like each other in various scenes and context clues and all of that content we get in-game for them.

based on my own time being in school for video games, this makes a lot of sense. i might not have finished, but i did learn this lol. so, what she's saying is pretty on point. that's how companies are, even if it's "supermassive" ... they are working under sony.

so, does it mean anything? not really. i know this was probably huge for the other side of the UD fandom (i see it being two sides: rpc and non-rpc, which can be similar but are generally very different ... in-between those spaces are typically the fanfic writers and then the sub-genre of reader insert fanfic writers if that makes sense? anyways). but it really means nothing.

it's just a little easter egg. if we want to look into it at all? it was likely done by chris (otherwise it would say josh 4 chris if it was from josh), and also ... i know this sounds probably so lame, but that's just how guys are. they act like that, especially if you're super comfortable with a long-term friend. people have probably wondered about it based on how close and jokey they can act, they don't seem like the type to "shy away" from any sort of intimacy, especially for a joke, and idk, they're just like that? that's pretty normal.

HOWEVER ... where this gets even more interesting for me is this part: bringing in the 2011-2013 prototype, the game that was being pumped out for demos and such before supermassive did an entire rehaul of the original 2010 game (so, this is not london studio's project anymore, it hasn't been for a while, and their original iteration actually had hannah and josh as a couple named hannah and clayton).

why is this interesting? i've mentioned before several things about that prototype specifically: a) mike and chris never changed from design to actor, they were always solid (so it's weird to not even consider using their old voice banks for new content for the 2024 remake but okay??), b) this had originally intended (all the way back to london studio) to really be a "couples game" that "couples play together", giving the controller back and forth, and c) the fact that sam clearly liked josh in the original iteration, josh did not feel the same, but he had basically the same relationship with chris, who seemed to still like ash and vice versa, but josh also had a pretty high energy by comparison both in general to rami's josh and also to specifically chris in comparison to (that verison of) sam.

let's dig into 'c' a bit more. the sam and josh problem. it's not really a "problem" but i think there's somewhat of a general misunderstanding as to what their relationship is realistically like based on their connections and affiliations over what is sort of "expected of them".

here's what we know for facts:

sam and josh know each other, we can maybe assume from childhood or middle school era, but long enough for sam to be considered hannah's best friend.

which brings me to my next point: sam is hannah's best friend, not josh's. not even "hannah and beth's best friend". she is hannah's best friend. this is josh's little sister's best friend. i have to reiterate this because i see this huge sort of blackhole when it comes to this fact about sam and hannah. this is literally sam's entire tagline! even the game sort of forgets that sometimes? sam actually somewhat harshly criticizes hannah in her bedroom, something that is only open to sam and no one else. i'm not sure where this idea that sam is there for josh when she should be there for hannah. you can also tell sam and josh weren't that close over that year because she needs chris to confirm that a) this entire getting back together is a good idea and b) if josh is doing okay. if they were close, wouldn't she know? also, josh wasn't that close to anyone besides seemingly chris? which sort of makes sense but even he only lets chris see certain sides of himself. so, they aren't as close as people i think mistake them to be.

they were supposed to have something one-sided in the prototype before the finalized release. in the protoype, sam likes josh, but josh seems to not reciprocate. it's heavily hinted at when she flirts with him in the scene at the lodge door, which is very different but also somewhat the same as the version we get.

the finalized verison of sam (ie "hayden-sam") doesn't seem to have a crush on josh ("rami-josh") ... at least, from what i can tell. i think she actually feels somewhat uncomfortable around him, if we're being honest. maybe not before the prank, we can see they are comfortable together briefly in the new snapshots on the camera, but after? definitely so. this makes sense. they are somewhat avoiding each other. why would she go back there? both hannah and beth are dead, leaving josh.

finally: josh is hannah's older brother, thus acts as an older brother to the group ... sam included. this is literally in josh's characterization.

so, delving into probably headcanon territory here, and i'm not even going into my own sam headcanons ... basically, i think sam sees josh as an older brother and josh sees sam as a little sister figure. ik ik it's boring.

hear me out here: i think this was done simply because there are so many couples in the game already, which is so funny because it was supposed to be a couple's game but then got changed to a sort of "play alone or pass the controller".

now? UD is meant to be played either on your own or between multiple people, you can assign one person to each person you're playing with or just split the cast up the way otter and i do. it's more liberal and intentional to be that way versus its original intention. think about it: when you really start actually playing, there are two for sure couples, one maybe "will they won't they", and then two that aren't dating. that does feel more realistic just in general in a friend group, doesn't it? people date each other, break up, bring new members in, etc, but not everyone always dates everyone all the time.

also, i think just blanketed, supermassive wasn't even considering that likely at least one of those characters is probably gay or bisexual. until dawn is only so deep because it can only go so deep, and if they were going to go deep? it was going down the mental illness rabbit hole along with the background story they were trying to flesh together coupled with the mo-cap technology they were working with.

also, not to be that person, but life is strange came out in 2013 and kind of nailed it, right? they had their own set of issues they tackled incredibly well, whereas it doesn't really fit into UD. UD is about being a true "classic horror" story with the heavy use of intentional character tropes. so, give UD some grace here, i'd say.

cause let's get real for a second: there were so many last-minute changes while holding onto the threads of what they wanted. some stuff from the prototype for example is pretty shot-for-shot or word-for-word and some is super different. like ... im sorry, but the wolves aren't in the prototype (just as an example), so you can see how fast they decided to put those in because those wolves are literally broken animals.

back to sam and josh: taking my own headcanons aside, i don't think it's impossible to headcanon sam having a crush on josh at any point in her life that she knew him pre-UD. it's not uncommon, of course. he's classic older brother, he's fun, he's cute, he's friendly, and he's always around. again, while i think at least narratively they took that aspect of sam's character out when they cast hayden (she gives a much different, honestly better vibe for sam from the original actress, whereas ashley is like the same ngl), there is something to be said about not saying anything, i suppose. i just don't see it as something that was meant to be noticed, if that makes sense. not that it's not fitting? i guess?

but it's how josh feels, more the position he's in, that i sort of get caught up in why i'm sometimes hesitant with outright sam/josh with no plotting beforehand (as if it's canon). josh is the older brother. for him, there's sort of some lines he feels he isn't supposed to cross, trust he isn't supposed to break, and just sort of general boundaries? like, age isn't necessarily his factor here, it's literally how they met and how they know each other. it would be likely hurtful to hannah, probably awkward? i imagine?

so, is josh willing to cross his sister's comfort like that? yes, he lies to her ... about his mental health. it's never implied anywhere else that josh lies to hannah or beth about anything else. also, we can argue it's the parents hiding it from his sister's, wanting them to have a certain view of their brother.

then, post-death, we know there's a huge change in their relationship. josh and sam become distant, as i've discussed above.

with a lot of plotting and specifics, i could do it. just blanketed? or like ... how i see these characters without anyone else's interpretations in consideration? like just playing the game as is without even considering rpc? i don't see it.

so, what about josh and chris then? i'm not going to lie, i've only even recently come around to the idea, and even that comes off to me as still one-sided if it were ever even considered. likely? it would have been chris like ash, ash like chris, josh maybe likes chris? but that's so pushing it to assume supermassive would imply, though it's actually more sound for inferences in the prototype.

the chemistry josh and chris have is very natural. we can give that partially to the actors, of course, and partially to the writing. they have known each other a long time, and i've talked about it above how that's just how these types of guys are sometimes. they're just comfortable with each other.

so, even i'm just writing general headcanons without taking anyone else's specific interpretation in mind? i see it like this:

josh and chris? best friends from childhood.

chris and ash? the intended "will they / won't they" of the game.

josh and sam? older brother figure to younger sister figure (ie the friendship that can form with this type of bond, but likely nothing else).

but josh flirts with sam, remember? he infers he'd help her with the bath. he also calls mike and jess pornstars, says he wants to get friendly with ashley in the snow (and calls her a sleeper hit), etc. he's pretty mouthy about that sort of thing. it's just how he is. i guarantee if that were jessica in the bath, he'd say the same thing, and might even be more persistent about it (given that jessica is more playful than sam in that regard). however, were that emily in the bath? not a chance, he probably wouldn't have said anything tbh. i also write sam as a lesbian.

okay, so this is all "canon and great" and everything ... but what about me? what are my personal ships?

i can see so many with josh. i think that he's probably more gay than straight. he sees himself as open-minded.

does he lean more towards men or women? privately: sexually and romantically speaking, men. socially: women.

i have it that he chooses the "women make me uncomfortable" option when i play. i think this makes sense for josh.

why do women make him uncomfortable, but he socially pursues them? is he actually attracted to women? what is his sexuality for real? so, why women: it's socially understandable and acceptable. it's what he's relied on since puberty / actively encouraged to pursue since dating was on the table. he's with such a "bro" crowd — and so bro-coded both in being written that way narratively speaking while also just self-imposing that sort of role to himself ... while also naturally filling that role. his sexuality with labels: bisexual with a heavier male leaning preference, would be considered more demisexual when it comes to women. he is attracted to men romantically and sexually, and he is attracted to women, but there has to be a relationship fostered for it to be more romantic than sexual. i think he's fooled around with girls, but never had penetrative sex with them. he's likely never been with a guy, as he's very closeted, despite this being his active preference. women intimidate josh and make him uncomfortable.

further on him being more closeted despite being in the industry: josh has his family's reputation to consider. the world doesn't always agree that being bisexual is natural and non-offensive. he would be outright just called and labeled gay (which isn't entirely inaccurate but is not accurate). it could hurt his family. this isn't 2024, this is the 2010s, and yes it was getting "big" in the way we see acceptance now, but it wasn't so seen. people were (and still are) hiding. think of it like this: if josh has to hide his mental illness the way he does, he's likely having to hide his sexuality.

i think that's why the traits we do see in josh are so exacerbated because he has to stifle so much of himself down that the parts he's allowed to express become the loudest to hear.

all of that to get us here: my ships for josh.

personally? again, no other interpretations are considered necessarily, just ships i like based on various things from simply aesthetics to actual connections i can see them having.

what about chris/josh? honestly? i never even considered it until recently, and now that i have, it seems more obviously (if anything) one-sided by josh (the giver) to chris (the receiver). i don't think chris has ever consciously thought about it. josh (probably) has. as a default, however, i write them as bros. i do genuinely love their friendship. that being said, i do like it as a ship. i don't write my main plotlines with that in mind, though.

quickly: if anything, i think chris is the most compatible for josh (and vice versa). there is a lot of game evidence to support this, but that's for its own post.

josh/ashley -> this had always been my previous top ship for josh, but as more context becomes available via the remake and data mining the game, my opinions have swayed a bit, but i will always love joshley. it's a demi thing with them, i think. i also think josh is kind of jealous of ashley's relationship with chris (chapter 2 is called jealousy, and yes, that refers to the matt-mike-em-jess stuff but could be inferred to the trio), yet actively supports his bro, so doesn't really "get in the way". in fact, he encourages it.

josh/ashley/chris -> i see this as mostly ashley dating both chris and josh, maybe josh having some feelings for chris? from there, it's open-ended, but it's mostly "ashley has two boyfriends", and i am here for that. i love her.

additionally, i do ship chris/ashley. i like that josh is actively trying to get them together, and i think while it's for "nefarious reasons" or whatever you want to say when we see it in-game, josh is acting as a direct reflection to how he always has been ... so we can assume he's always been trying to get chris to make the move on ash.

josh/jess -> this is primarily aesthetically speaking, i think they just would look good together? opposites attract? pre-prank of hannah, it's definitely that ... opposites attract. he's not really her type, lbr, but she's probably his type in the way she's pretty ... but she is also intimidating to him. it's funny because, ultimately, that sort of confession to mike that jess gives about her insecurities would be very understood by josh (and actually matt, who i see as insecure), and i like all three of those boys with jess. yes, i hold jess accountable for the prank, but just character traits and such? i can see some vibes here. also! a lot of my fondness for this ship probably comes from post!verse stuff, like retribution, etc. honestly, i just like these two together not even romantically? i just want to see more of them interacting idk josh and jess are very contrasting characters that could go really well or horribly wrong together. also, i just have to say that i feel like there was some genuine interest when jess suggested that josh might be flirting with her and mike (jokingly) asked to basically have a threesome together, like she was kind of into it ngl.

why none of the other UD boys with josh? like mike and matt? we don't really see too much matt and josh unfortunately. i'm also a huge matt/jess shipper idk but i just don't see matt and josh being compatible, and i also write matt ... and i also write matt as straight, so. there's that aspect. but generally? i don't see it.

so, no em and josh? i literally do not have enough canonically to go by to even say what their default dynamic is like! they never talk!! like ever. so ... once i can establish with an emily writer what that is, i'd be more down to clown.

i can't with mike, either. i love mike btw, literally no shade to him, i don't think josh is the right fit for mike either by any means. mike is great at "handling" josh at his worst in a crisis (kind of? idk it depends sort of on the choices you make, but i get his vibe, i do get it) to get him from points a to b, but that's about it. mike also just comes off as very straight (to me).

all of that to say this: i generally write things as they are from the game unless there's a pretty good clue, inference, or some sort of thread i can unravel to make something make sense. it has to make sense for me, i'm just that type of person.

but ... with the right chemistry, plotting, and a bit of time? anything can happen. just because i default see something one way doesn't mean that i cannot be convinced otherwise ... or still hold that belief for the game itself but write enough development that i love something else in an rp sense. i'm a very "this is game, this is rp" and then from there, i take from the game to make the rp experience more game-like. does that make sense? did any of this make sense?