#obviously stuff will have to be tweaked if this ever becomes a thing

[marvelobsessed134]

Need you, love you

A/n: Loosely inspired by Ptolemaea by Ethel Cain one of the best songs to ever exist. The plot doesn’t really have anything to do with it but you should listen while you read 🤭

Pairings: Dwayne x Fem!human!reader

Warnings: smut, dub/non con, dom!dwayne, sub!reader, cannon au takes place in the 80s and he’s a vampire obviously, dark!dwayne but is that really a warning?, knife play, blood, possessiveness, vampire stuff idfk, kidnapping, mentions of a toxic household, loss of virginity, and I think that’s it let me know if I missed anything.

A young pretty girl like you should not be out at this time of night, walking on the now closed boardwalk. The lights turned off, the only thing illuminating the wooden boardwalk being the dim street lights and the lights from the rides that are still kept on.

You ran away from home again, hating how your parents would scream and fight all night while you were trying to sleep. It’s become so unbearable that you sneak out at night just to escape the house. It’s peaceful and quiet out here on the boardwalk after it’s closed for the night, so you come here often.

Little did you know, you were not alone. A tall man with long dark brown hair had hidden himself in the shadows as he followed you carefully. He loved the way the little white night gown hugged your body, the way your fuzzy white slippers adorned your felt delicately. Your hair cascading down your back. He’s been watching you for a while now, ever since the first time he saw you on the boardwalk with your family. Quiet, shy, young, meek. It’s become routine for him to stay out here late at night even though there’s no humans around for him to feed from. His senses, his mind, his body, has been filled with you. And you didn’t even know it.

He stood in the shadow of the alleyway as you walked past, his breathing getting heavier and more aggressive. His cock pressing up against his leather pants. He couldn’t take it anymore, he needed you.

So right when you walked past he grabbed your arm and dragged you in the dark alleyway. You tried to scream but he covered your mouth with his rough, large, hand. He leaned down to whisper in your ear, “don’t scream. Or else this will be a lot more painful than it needs to be.” You gulped and nodded, tears forming in your eyes.

He backed you against the brick wall and uncovered your mouth, taking your chin in between his thumb and index finger to tilt your head up looking into your tear filled eyes.

“You’re so fucking pretty you know that? I’ve been waiting to get to you for weeks now.” He husked causing your panties dampen. You tried to mentally cut yourself out of the feeling, you should not be liking this. But getting a closer look at the man in the pale moonlight, you saw how beautiful he is. Strong jawline, beautiful bottomless brown eyes, long brown majestic hair, plump lips, muscles for days.

“Who are you? What do you want from me?” You asked once you snapped yourself out of your thirsting.

“Dwayne. And I know your name is Y/n. Very pretty name for a very pretty girl. And all I want is you, that’s all.” Your brows furrowed in confusion. And he chuckled a bit, “I think you’d be the perfect girl for me. You’re everything I want in a woman.” That made you blush a little bit. No one has ever said something like that to you.

You gasped when he pressed his large bulge against your front and opened his switchblade knife. Your eyes widened in fear, “Shh…it’s not gonna hurt that bad trust me baby.” He put his knife under the strap of your nightgown and sliced it easily, making it fall and expose your breast. You quickly tried to cover yourself but he was quick at holding your hand down.

He did the same to the other side, now your nightgown pools at your feet and you’re left in just your panties and slippers.

The brunette groped your breasts, tweaking your nipples and toying with them, putting them in his mouth one by one making you gasp and moan at the new feeling. “So soft, so sweet.” He murmured against your skin.

Dwayne pressed a kiss to the valley of your breasts before moving his hand down to your wet panties. “So wet already? Such a good girl.” He sliced your panties off with his knife and now you’re bare, slightly chilled from the night air.

He worked you with his fingers, rubbing your clit making your knees buckle, then entering two digits inside your cunt, pumping them in and out and curling them to rub that sweet spot. You moaned and cried out, gripping his shoulder as he made you feel this brand new feeling of euphoria. “I know you’re close, cum for me.” The man growled and you clenched around his fingers, releasing your juices all over his hand.

“Holy fuck, so good.” He moaned, licking his fingers clean before making quick work of undoing his pants pulling his large cock out. It had to be about ten inches, it was huge. Your eyes widened and you tried to run away but he roughly grabbed your arm and pulled you back against the brick wall holding your shoulder firmly not letting you get away. He rubbed his leaking tip against your entrance before thrusting inside of you.

You gripped his shoulders as tears ran down your face, looking up at him through your blurry vision. Dwayne continued to thrust into you, hitting your spot every time, gripping your hips so tight there would definitely be bruises in the morning. “So fucking tight oh my god.” He growled getting more and more aggressive.

“Wait- Dwayne- too rough please stop!” But he didn’t even slow down, continued to fuck into you as if you were a silicone sex doll from the adult store a couple doors down. The brunette growled as fangs emerged from his mouth and his face vamped out. You screamed in both pleasure and fear, trying to get away, but he was so much stronger than you. He quickly leaned down to your neck and bit you, causing you to scream out as blood dripped from the broken flesh. He drank you like you were his last meal, until you became unconscious, but still alive. He would never kill you. Dwayne came inside you not long after and transformed back into his normal state, putting his leather jacket on you, zipping his pants back up, and carrying you to his bike. Leaving your discarded garments behind.

You poor thing,

Sweet mourning lamb

There’s nothing you can do

It’s already been done.

[mimiyewaffles]

A FEW INTERESTING THINGS

I guess I need help

So if y'all dont know, I'm trying to revise my boyfriend's d3ath.

It's been two months since I have been affirming and a few days since I got into the concept of void. Now, I'm trying to get into the void.

I've noticed a few crazy things, that I would love to share.

I've always affirmed that “everyone will forget about my boyfriend's demise because it was just my nightmare and no such thing ever happened. He's all alive and healthy” So I guess my affirmations are kinda playing out.

1.

When I got to know about his demise, I sent him like 100 texts that day, I was so emotional and poured down everything to him. He not only is my boyfriend, but also is my best friend. The bestest friend ever and it was the worst day of my life. I was never ready to lose him.

I sent those 100 texts to him on Snapchat and obviously, my texts were just delivered. Nobody read them because that "nobody" Was long gone. I'm talking about feb, 2024. So I checked his snapchat after a few days of emotional ranting, and those texts didn't show up. I thought it might be a glitch and now after like 3 months, I went back to check on him because I missed him and guess what? ALL OF THOSE TEXTS ARE GONE!

Now idk if I'm tweaking but wtf? Snapchat has this feature where messages get deleted after 24 hours of being seen. But nobody saw my messages to begin with, where are those texts????

Like... All the snaps, that were sent before those texts and even after those texts are still in delivered, not seen.

Can anyone tell me if this is a glitch? This couldn't be, right? It's been 3 months to that incident, if it were glitch, it would have been fixed by now but idk-

2.

My bf would post about his travelling and stuffs in Instagram reels and I often visit his account to look at him all alive once again and one day, I noticed one of his reels cover has changed 💀 and I even showed it to my sister and friend and they were shocked too. I thought it might be a glitch too. But it stayed like that for 3 days and then switched back to what it was before.

This might be a glitch idk honestly but my friend said it might be a "timeline/dimensions overlapping"

3.

Two of my close friends are really logical minded and I never told them about my manifestation/shifting to a reality where my bf never got into an accident, because they wouldn't believe me. They don't even believe in multiple realities... So, not worth it.

A week ago, I texted one of these friends, saying that I feel like my bf is alive (emotional ranting) and all she told me was to hold up and move on, I'm thinking way too much 😮‍💨

And that's that. We didn't talk much about it.

After a few days of that, she texted me herself telling me that she feels the same. She feels as if my bf is alive too and maybe faking a death. We didn't get into the conclusion but yeah, we are still in doubt.

Also I would daydream about meeting my bf once again and i would make infinite possibilities to proof my reasoning mind that he's alive. So one of my imagination was my friend texting my bf's brother (they have nothing in common, they don't even know each other yet I imagined them talking) and his brother would say that my boyfriend is actually alive. And that scene exactly happened, except for the alive part. my friend talked to his brother to get his "last" Pics and guess what? They don't have that. Which is super weird because that accident just happened this year and those photos are gone. I texted one of his other brother who always replies to my texts and always give me updates about how their family is grieving but when I asked about pics, he left me on seen— again very weird.

Moreover, all of them (his family members) have moved on completely. They are enjoying and travelling. Idk how but like in a month of my bf's demise, they started partying a stuff which is super weird to me.

.....

I guess my affirmations are kinda becoming true. My 3D is maybe conforming slowly (?) Idk 😭

Lemme know what y'all think. Any tips on revising such thing would be appreciated. Thanks for reading 🎐

I'm sorry if I don't make any sense, I'm probably being delusional. Sorry for the rant 🥲🤌

[kurenai-works]

Hello everyone, today is my 29th birthday.

With that in mind, I figured it would be the best time to talk about this, so I'm proud to present to all of you 東方雷秘儀 ～ Strike in the Holy Apex, my very first Touhou Project fangame!

The game's story will be centered around a mysterious thunderstorm that's raiding the entirety of Gensokyo, so it's up to a group of heroines to investigate the situation and save the day.

As some of you may know, around November of last year, GameMaker has become free to use for everyone, which prompted me to take the opportunity to create an engine that looks roughly similar to ZUN's original Touhou Project games. I showcased it in greater detail on YouTube sometime around late February and I was very pleased by the generally positive feedback it got.

Taking that into account, I continued to expand the work I've done and it has grown a lot during the past four months; menus function properly, game settings can be modified, controller support has been added, several gameplay tweaks have been implemented, and so on. There's still a number of things that need to be ironed out by the time I'm writing this post, but considering the progress I have done on it so far, I have faith that a trial version for the game will be ready for release soon. This has to be the biggest project I've worked on... by a country mile. Speaking of the trial version's release date, that will be disclosed at the very end of this post.

GameMaker being free to use has given me a joy I genuinely can't describe, and I bet my inner child would’ve been happy too by hearing those news. After all, I've had experiences with GameMaker for well over 15 years, basically almost half of my entire life!

So, what should you expect by the time the trial version is released? First things first, it'll obviously consist of only three stages.

Secondly, you'll be able to play this adventure as the usual duo; Reimu and Marisa. More playable characters will be available in the full version.

Thirdly, the game's main mechanic. It's called the Brave Gauge, and it has functionality almost similar to the Season Gauge found in Touhou 16: Hidden Star in Four Seasons. It's not the most original idea I've had, but for the record, and coming back to my familiarity with GameMaker ever since my teenage years, this system was taken from a very old draft which dates all the way back to 2014, while making some adjustments to it. Here's a little bit of proof:

I'm going a bit off tangent here, but seeing these filenames kinda makes me feel embarrassed. The game has "Ascii" on the name because all of the graphics in there were made using ASCII characters, which was done during a time when my artistic talents were non-existent, so they looked quite messy and overall made the game have a goofy aura to it, haha.

And lastly, considering that I'd like this game to be played by a wider demographic, it's gonna be available in three different languages: English, Spanish (my native language, hooray!) and Japanese. These can be selected anytime via the options menu.

I don't know any people who are fluent in Japanese, and the few friends that I have don't seem to know much about the language either, so that translation is gonna be handled 100% by myself using tools like DeepL. I know that translating all the stuff in one go can lead to heavily mistranslated results, so I'll be making sure to convert my game's text as meticulously as I can. If there's anyone out there who understands Japanese fluently and is willing to translate the text for me, please hit me up because that'd be really appreciated. In case that happens, I won't be able to reward the translation financially, but I will be adding your name to my game's end credits.

So yeah, I don't have much else to say. The game's trial version will be available on Itch.io this August 30th.

The game has a long way ahead from being completed, so anticipating a release date for the full version is not feasible, at the moment. Regardless, I'll make sure to update on that once I have made abundant progress on it.

Both versions of the game will be released as pay-what-you-want. In simpler words, they'll be available free of charge with the optional choice of depositing a sum, in case you're feeling generous. After all, not to brag, but it goes without saying that I'm handling every detail in the game; not just the programming, but also the art, music and writing. While I have used some code libraries to facilitate the inclusion of certain aspects in my game, most of the heavy lifting is carried out by me, so it'd be really appreciated to have some compensation for the work I have been doing for almost half a year. It's not by any means mandatory, so it's fine if you can't for whatever reason, hahaha.

Anyway, I hope you look forward to this game of mine as much as I do! See you then!!

[playroom-sekaii]

i recall you once mentioning Little tourpe and CG danchou so i was wondering, are your hcs of littles from different aus different? And what are ur hcs of danchou and tourpe :)

Depending on the au, yeah! Obviously aus where personalities are tweaked a bit would lead to changes (Dazzling Light, Hidden Circus, etc) as would ones with drastically different settings (White Day/Fantasy, Anni/Lily), I could probably think of agere stuff for almost any au and that's concerning-

Anyways,

Regressor Torpe and CG Danchou headcanons!

Gif credit - au info from my main if you'd like

♪ Torpe regresses relatively young, probably ~2-3 years old. He hadn't intended for the orchestra to know, but Danchou found him asleep at his piano one day after rehearsal and gently woke him up and he was so very small as he helped him get home. Torpe was mortified at first and tried avoiding the band for a while, but with help from Miku and Kaito (workers at the tavern he used to perform at that may or not also be able to shapeshift into his animal friends) he eventually got the courage to explain everything to Danchou, who agreed to be his caregiver without a second thought.

♪ For Danchou, the signs that Torpe is slipping are quite easy for him to see. Either side of his personality ends up amplified, be it the more shy and nervous part of him or the part that's more irritable and passionate. He fiddles more with his jacket and is somehow even more clingy towards him (dantoru is real in my aus for this I don't make the rules-). However, they are musicians through and through, so if they're practicing and Torpe starts to feel small Danchou can always tell through if his playing starts becoming a bit less refined than it usually is. Torpe tries to hide that he's regressed sometimes, but Danchou always tries to assure him that it's okay, his darling pianist can be small whenever he pleases <3

♪ Torpe still loves playing piano while small, even if he's not the best at it. He mostly plays simpler songs, but he's still incredibly talented for such a little guy. Danchou is always happy to hear his little one's music, and he even got him a toy piano that he absolutely loves while tiny. (Torpe's favorite song to play while small is Twinkle Twinkle Little Star)

♪ Torpe also adores reading picture books and going on walks while small, which Danchou is always willing to provide. Torpe usually doesn't like public places when he's little, but outings to the town's library to read books while snuggled up close with his papa makes him happier than almost anything.

♪ Torpe loves cats, even more so when he's small. Whenever he's out with Danchou and he sees one, the baby always tries to go running to say hi to it, his caregiver having to remind him to not startle the animals. He carries a stuffed kitten he's had since he was a kid almost everywhere with him when he's small; when he first showed it to Danchou it was in pretty rough shape, so he quickly patched and cleaned it up food as new for his little one ♡

♪ Danchou rarely calls Torpe by his first name, and the times it happens is either during really personal and lovey moments or when he's small, and when it happens it always makes him feel incredibly special and loved (and smaller during the latter). Other nicknames he has for tiny Torpe are "little pianist", "little star", and other things along those lines. Danchou is a bit hard for the baby to pronounce, so he usually calls him Rui when he's little, which similarly to Torpe, always makes Danchou melt. The only ones who usually call Torpe Tsukasa are his siblings and Shizuku, and the only ones who call Danchou Rui are Nene and Mizuki, so these moments show a closeness with each other the two rarely get with others. (Also Torpe may or may not have called Danchou Papa a few times, he gets mortified afterwards but Danchou feels honored whenever it happens.)

♪ If Torpe is ever small and Danchou isn't available to look after him, Nene and Emu are always happy to look after their orchestra's little one! Torpe even while big was initially nervous around them but was able to feel more relaxed within a few weeks of joining the band, but he still feels a bit cautious around them while small. Thankfully, the two of them are really good at helping him feel better and more comfortable with them, performing music for him or playing simple games with him make him instantly feel better, Torpe loves "Mumu" and Nene (seeing as he usually just calls them Otori and Kusanagi while big they melt at the titles). Torpe lives with his two younger siblings, and he's still nervous to tell them about this side of himself, but Danchou is slowly helping him get the courage to someday.

[whoiwanttoday]

The world is often full of some inherent contradictions that make it hard to navigate. Experience is really the only compass we have, which is why in theory we should listen to our elders but in reality a lot of them have dementia and the truth is an experienced dipshit is still a dipshit, so if you are young you don't really have the experience to tell which else is wizened and which one is just old and bitter. Like drugs are a good example. I grew up in an era where we sure were told a lot about how bad drugs were. I remember this one PSA where it was a guy in profile and he started talking aobut trying pot and the top of his head turned to ash, then he did more drugs and more of him turned to ash and eventually he like died in a gutter and all ash and got blown away at the end. It's scary stuff but as you get older you see other people do drugs and they don't choke on their own vomit at all. Instead Jessica Miles makes out with them. It's not at all what the PSAs warned us about and you start to feel a little lied to when you realize drugs actually make you feel good and if you do them then people think that you're cool. Obviously, it takes time to know there are degrees to all of this. You can do all the lines of coke you want off of a computer desk at 7 AM while sitting in your underwear and writing about who you want to fuck today and pretty much no one will think that you're cool, so context still matters but it is one of those inherent things that meant I saw a lot of people swing too far one way and then the other in response to this sort of thing.

Anyway, I was thinking about this and how we can really vacillate too far one way or another and Anne Hathaway and Christopher Nolan. Nolan recently said he didn't know what the line meant, "You either die a hero or live long enough to become a villain" meant when he put it in the movie and I am with him there, like I kind of got it but it felt like a cumbersome line and no one had ever said that before so why did they act like it was a common saying. People say it now though and boy does it resonate as we as a culture turn on things and people. Anne Hathaway said in an interview about how hard it was when the internet turned on her. I remember that. I never quite got it but I was told it was because I wanted to fuck her so I was blinded to what a monster she is I guess. I'd love to counter this claim but my dating history makes it pretty clear that this is entirely possible. Anyway, I don't want to discount the possibility that Anne Hathaway is a monster but the truth is none of us know. She's certainly not our friend and I am willing to believe I would find most celebrities unbearable in person. This is just because they live in a world where they are surrounded by people who makes sure they know they are the center of the universe and I don't really know how that doesn't turn someone into an asshole. Like I have a ZZ Plant in my kitchen named Spencer. He's named Spencer because someone once told me plants are supposed to have names so I named him Spencer. Then they told me that's a stupid name and I said, "You're mom's stupid". We both laughed like it was a joke but I kept the name Spencer just to tweak her and I hope deep down my witty comeback still haunts her when she can't sleep. Anyway, my point is I don't particularly care about Spencer's feelings or if he even thinks Spencer is a good name. I water him when the notification comes up on my phone and otherwise kind of ignore him. What I am saying is lots of plants might think I am an asshole because I consider myself to be far above them and they might be right but Spencer is the only plant here so those other plants are just guessing. So Anne Hathaway might treat people like garbage or just sort of not think about them because she is supporting them and watering them but I don't know. So the idea that celebrities are someone to lionize or vilify is kind of weird but I think about my friends now who give their kids lectures on drugs when I fucking saw you rolling at foam parties and pretty much groping anyone who would let you. We aren't great at inbetweens. So like, sorry Anne Hathaway went through that but it's kind of just how people work. I had a point here but I lost it, I was too caught up laughing about how much it probably burns that I named my plant Spencer and got off a sick Mom joke on someone 4 years ago. I guess my core point is today I want to fuck Anne Hathaway.

[trashcanwithsprinkles]

hii! i am in love with your works. i've read itysg(ainly) several times and cyanide twice T.T you deserve all the love, you've become one of my top 3 comfort authors <3

i have a quick question. do you have a compilation of your abyss lore somewhere? like how you can't cry in the abyss because the salt attracts the enemies (i sincerely hope that is from you and i'm not confusing it with someone else's T.T) uhh, cause i intend to base my research on it :) no issue tho if not

oh! no i don't think i have it anywhere, but it's no trouble to me to just- dump it all here, so-

i'll leave it under the cut, but tysm!! good luck writing and obviously feel free to tweak and change stuff to better fit whatever you're going for!

ok so- this is going to be about canon-genshin's abyss. the only difference between that one and cyanide's abyss is a lack of rhinedottir creatures, so.

landscape

i've always been torn between if the abyss is like- just a small area, like within a huge cave; or if it's its own entire realm altogether. like a whole other world, with its own continents and all that. it feels so limiting to make it only a cave, but it also feels a bit too strange to make it just- mirror teyvat. idk anyway,

under the assumption that it's not as big as teyvat but larger than just a cave, we could look at it like one large landmass surrounded by ocean

the moon spire is off one of the coasts, around the rainforest area

the easiest way to think about it is probably like minecraft's nether. like the overworld is all open sky and lots of biomes while the nether is all claustrophobic and with only a handful of biomes

i think it'd be cool if it's rainforest and badlands/savanna/desert. but not like sumeru- to me sumeru's rainforest is very much like the jungle in madagascar and the desert is like the sandbanks in africa. i think the abyss could be more like the amazon's rainforest, tighter, a lot less giant fantastical trees and more- 'where the fuck am i, i can hardly see thru the vegetation' sort of place. and the desert more like the usa's stereotypical cacti and tumbleweed all dry land and rocky cliffs.

since irminsul's roots have to be down there and i think the abyss is whacky enough to meld with whatever dimension irminsul resides in, then i think we could literally have massive petrified roots in the middle of the continent. like just- sprouting out of the ground and making this gigantic thing that you could theoretically see from everywhere if it wasn't so fucking dark. in cyanide here would be where the primordial one would've been sealed to in the original abyss, right in the center.

the rainforest area would be full of winding, impossibly deep rivers- like all of them deep like the mariana trench. wet mist hollows and just- general amazon rainforest inconveniences. if you've ever been there you know what i mean. i think it'd be even more fucked up if it doesn't rain, though.

the desert part would be a death sentence, hence why skirk sticks to the rainforest most times, esp while with childe

the area with irminsul's roots would be like a giant haunted forest/cave system, full of the only sources of natural light down there (some glowing moss and insects)

climate

damp and wet-feeling but it's not water, it's abyssal miasma. like it all feels like a sauna. the temperatures would go from uncomfortably kinda-hot in the day to fucking freezing at nigth.

the rainforest feels even wetter but again, not water. everytime you breathe it feels like you have to force your lungs to take in the air. again, if you've ever been to a jungle or rainforest, you know what i mean.

the desert parts would be unbearably hot, but the heat would come from the ground itself, so you'd feel feverish the entire time - it'd be cool if the sands were obnoxiously red from high iron oxides to make it even worse. the more bearable places would be up on the rock cliffs and outcrops, but since they're the more livable places, that means most of the creatures are also up there. speaking of,

creatures

the rifthounds are in the higher areas of the rainforest, almost a tundra, bordering the roots, where the wolflord has its lair and territory. not edible bc they contain aluminum and other not-safe-for-humans metals, and also there's hardly any meat in them lmao.

the giant clay worm(s) lives underground in the lowland rainforest and nobody has really seen it, so it's a non-issue. it's massive, and the reason why the marshlands on a different side of the rainforest exist. i think it'd be interesting if nobody knew whether it's one giant one or multiple giants. also this would be the cause of quakes in the abyss, it's just whenever the thing moves there would be a tremble in the ground

steelclaw harpies are out in the rocky outcrops of the dessert, hence why you'd be forced to walk the superheated base ground instead of going up. if you've ever seen a harpy eagle, just think that but like- the size of a person, and a bit more dinosaur-esque.

the glass rain whale. kinda like the giant clay worm in that hardly anyone sees it, only when it rains glass over the sea (not the land) you can see it come out of the ocean and fly around. the meagre light of the moon makes it seem almost transluscent, like a ghost whale. it couldn't be the all-devouring narwhal bc it wouldn't make sense lore-wise, but it could be similar-looking.

pillar rats are- well, giant rats that live in the canyons and desert. they call them pillar rats because they climb up sheer cliffaces like it's nothing. also they can scratch through pretty much anything, and have very thick hides, so if you need warm clothes that's what you want to hunt

stonetusk hogs are the easiest animal to catch in the rainforest marshlands, but the meat isn't all that tasty. they're blind, like most other creatures. not that big. like- fucked up versions of genshin's boars.

praying goliaths are giant mantis-like mutant bugs that live in the rainforest. they're big big, like twice the size of a person big, and they're best avoided. you can tell where one passed through by the path of cut down vegetation they leave behind as they move, using their front legs as sharp scythes.

canyon rhinos live in both the canyons and the fog hollows. they're practically bulletproof, fuck-off ugly, and very dangerous. blind from overuse of moping ferns (that grow in the hollows) to hide the salt in their eyes. good food if you can catch them

wraith butterflies are around the water deposits and clay banks of the rainforest and always in the hunt for salt. they have sharp legs to perch on hosts and poisonous powder between their wings. yes they're the ones that make crying a bad idea.

stalkwalkers are the kings of the fog hollows and the reason why you don't go there if you're smart. i have mentioned plenty that they're physically inspired by made in abyss' turbinid-dragon (ryuuzazai?). basically a giant six-legged giraffe/seahorse looking thing. the stalkwalkers would have retractable harpoon-like stalks (stillettos) that they use to walk through the forest and to hunt. massive and blind, see through echolocation.

misc

the concentration of abyssal miasma would be a lot more forgiving around irminsul's roots. basically everything is just better around irminsul's roots, but because it's so nice there, most creatures also go there, so no. the wolflord has set up camp nearby also.

it's dark. like there's no light besides the lackustre light of the moon and the glowing moss in irminsul's roots, so all creatures see through either abyssal miasmic sight or a form of echolocation.

you can't plant foreign crops, the soil won't accept it

most root vegetables aren't safe to eat. rooties are though

there's bugs that fuck with your sleep cycles to weaken you

the sand is black

there's almost no fish in the ocean, so it's not worth it to stay on the shores

it's also not worth it to stay generally uncovered from the moon's light bc it has a weird-ass radiation, like the sun.

i think that's all i had? there's probably some bits and pieces of other things about how the abyss filters the miasma and how all creatures evolved to use it since it's the only available energy down there, but i think that's been repeated enough in the fics hahah

anyway yeah! hope that's what you meant. if not oh well, it was probably about time i compiled it all,,

[yrrtyrrtwhenihrrthrrt]

Hey, it’s my first time writing a fanfic and I was just wondering if you had any tips or tricks? And I was also wondering how you go about writing it, when you have an idea for a fic do you just start writing or do you map it out in a way?

Omg! First of all this is so sweet and I'm honored that you would ask me for advice lol

So one thing about me is I don't really write long-form stuff ever, but on the rare occasions I attempt to, I will typically have a very vague general timeline of events to keep the story on track, but sometimes it can develop into different directions.

For the shorter fics I write that are the ones that get published, typically I have an idea for a scene or interaction that I think would be interesting to explore and then I just think of a good place to start, and I start writing it. If I have a hard time coming up with a starting point, I'll just cut to the most intense moment I really wanted to write, then fill in the rest later. When I don't have an idea for a specific scene and more just a concept (ex: "Blorbo proposes to Scrimbly") I sometimes like letting the fic just develop from a random starting point and become itself.

Some tips that I use to avoid going OOC when writing fanfic is to, after the scene is written, read through and picture a character saying/doing the thing you have written (apologies to my aphantasia folks), and if it looks weird then you know to tweak the dialogue/action. I find that even slightly adjusting wording can make the difference between a character being in character or OOC

As many people will tell you, reading other works and practice are the best ways to define your writing (and art, and any skill I think). Reading helps you notice new styles and patterns of writing that you can adapt to your own stories, and practice just obviously helps make it work.

Personally, I write EVERYTHING that comes into my head. Every little silly scene or dialogue or drabble I think of. It doesn't have to be good, it doesn't have to hold to scrutiny, you don't have to publish it (my published work is maybe 10% of what I have written) basically just don't be afraid to be "cringe" or whatever, and if you are afraid to be cringe (I understand) then you don't have to publish the works you're not comfortable sharing

Basically keep writing and getting inspired and do whatever you want forever 🩷 thank you for the ask!

[a-tale-of-legends]

What's your friendship/ship hcs for the Johto crew! (Ethan, Silver, Kris, Lyra, + ocs too if you want!)

My Johto crew ( Kenji, Aiko, Beryl and Silver) pretty much reflect how I see canon/fanon Johto crew, though there are some differences.

To start off with the personal funniest to me, Lyra and Silver is basically Aiko and Silver in my au. Lyra can and will punch Silver in the face, cuteness be damned. Much like Gold, she likes pushing his buttons, but not in the " playful banter kind of way" but in the " I'm genuinely a happy go lucky optimistic person and I know this annoys you so I'ma crank it up to the max just to spite you" type of way. They are good friends tho. Silver really needs someone like Lyra in his life, who's a general optimist and tries to see the best in people. Even when said people are people she has fist fought before ( Silver). While Lyra always had an edge to her, I like to think Silver let's her show that edge more? I hope that makes sense. Basically I can see Lyra catching onto Silver's sense of humor. Lyra is the only one that Silver trusts to do his makeup.

I ship Silver and Gold and it's how you expect it to go. Enemies to friends to lovers, sun and moon all that good stuff. While Lyra does allow Silver to be more softer than he usually is, Gold actually matches Silver's wavelength and thinking. Not all the time, obviously. They have different ways of going about things that cause arguments but overall, Silver doesn't feel like he has to try so hard to be this upstanding person around Gold, imo. A lot of their banter pretty much boils down to Gold trying to encourage Silver to take his own steps forward and strive to be the person he wants to be. That. And Gold just annoys the hell out of Silver lol. This is Gold we're talking about, he can and will mess with Silver for fun.

Much like Beryl, I see Kris as the big sis of the group. Or, if we're having them all be close in age, the mom friend. She's pretty lax about everything, though still hard working and acts as the voice of reason within the group. That, or she just lets the chaos happen and work on her pokedex. Her sporty nature makes her close to Gold, who's just as sporty. To divert more from my au, I can see a possibility where Kris and Gold knew each other when they were younger, and back then, Gold used to be the broody, serious kid and Kris was the one who was more outgoing. Things have changed since then, but Kris loves bringing it up to tease Gold. She's admittedly a little envious of Lyra with how quickly her and Gold just became latched to the hip, where it took Gold a while to open up to her. But she adores Lyra all the same, thinks of her as a little sister, and is so glad that Gold has come a long way since they were kids. As for Silver, like Beryl, did not take him seriously at first. Until she learned he stole a pokemon, and even then, she was very neutral towards him. I think she saw straight through him. Maybe not at first, but definitely before Gold and Lyra learned more about him. Because of that, she would try to form small talk with him if she ever sees him ( which is usually by accident). Eventually, the two bonded a lot,becoming close friends. Kris is chill, so I can see Silver having an easier time opening up to her.

Since this is long, I won't add my ocs, but this is pretty much the basis for them anyway, with some tweaks here and there.

Anyway, thanks for the ask!

[maliciousspirit]

Re-do - Modern Baseball

A shitty analysis of Davesprite through it

I wanna start from the top, maybe like a do-over

(Obviously him going back to save John, maybe just speculating abt whether he’ll do it/when)

replace the voices in my head with blind innocence

(Could be extra voices he gets once he sprites himself- he gets knowledge of the game but he is still Decidedly Human and probably can’t take the sheer amount of *INFORMATION* sprites have; it’s probably broke up into chunks to not overwhelm him)

I wanna complete re-do, maybe change my name

(Pretty self explanatory, I see it more so as like. Him *before* John dies, bein like “I wish we never played this game”)

Report the loses grab the claim, it’s a shame it's such a shame

(Either rose or Dave saying that they think John & jade is dead, “reporting” the losses to eachother)

We’re pissing away our time cause we’re pissing away these beers

(They kind of have unlimited time? Like as long as they don’t die they’re pretty much set in their timeline. They’re kind of wasting the excess, along with grinding and stuff, and it’s already established that rose has alcoholic tendencies; so when you have two siblings, one who’s established to become addicted, and kill two of their friends? I’d be genuinely shocked if they didn’t get fucked Up at least once)

No monumental moment ever came from saying

(Sarcasm!)

“Come on dude, just take one more shot”

(From monumental moment to here it feels like. Davesprite being like “oh, nothing bad has EVER happened from killing John in a timeline!

So the dialogue would be “COM3 ON DUD3, JUST T4KE ON3 MOR3 SHOT”)

(Also technically the chorus is that same later in the song but I’m gonna tweak it just a Bit, only a tad little bit)

Try to, try to forget, that your bones will dismantle

(I don’t think sprites have bones?? And while he’s keeping his general Shape he’s still sacrificing his body and autonomy to a certain extent)

And the dreams you had they’ll collide with time

(YES. This. The dream that Dave has *literally* collides with how the timeline is supposed to go, forcing him to become something he isn’t)

Your unrequited love for life will surely….

(First of all. The absolute banger like that is “your unrequited love for life”. And second, it’s very literal! Davesprite *wants* to exist, he wants to be Dave, he wants to survive, but life dealt him literally one of the worst hands)

Halt that I’m thinking way too much at night

(Him being like “if I’m gonna do this I’m gonna have to stop thinking abt it)

Maybe I could just move away or go extinct like triceratops

(You can’t convince me that Dave n rose didn’t consider just. Letting the game end. Everything happened during one day, at least up to act 5, but I can’t imagen how tired the strilondes especially must be)

But I love loving, watching movies, sitting back and also breathing

(These are all such. Domestic, human things. He wants to disappear to a certain extent, but he holds onto what he loves so tightly, even when he pushes them away like we see on the battleship)

My family and friends would be crushed, but is it enough

[No, it's not enough]

(Hence why he begins to push everyone away. I don’t know if it’s entirely intentional, but davesprite is a dick to them. I think part of it is him subconsciously protecting himself; he’s already witnessed their deaths, and if he just keeps them at an arms’ distance, the inevitable death will hurt less)

The future freaks me out but I guess I could just

Curl up in a ball and think

(Sad bird man)

(Again; I’m tweaking this chorus just a lil)

Try to, try to forget, that your bones *were dismantled

And the dreams you had they *all collide with time

Your unrequited love for life will surely….

Halt that I’m thinking way too much at night

(I already went over this, but now it’s more reminiscing/thinking abt him getting sprited and his timeline)

I won’t be breaking any barriers

(“I’m no longer a main character”)

So I’ll keep thinking the "future freaks me out"

(Davesprite lost his time powers. He’s lost a lot of the knowledge of time he’d had as Dave, along with the fact that he *knew* his future; but now they’re on a brand new timeline where he doesn’t know nearly as much as to what’s happening, and not only that, but he also doesn’t have a whole lot of control over it)

I won’t judge you if you think the same

So let’s keep thinking:

“Well the future, the future freaks us out!”

(Dave and davesprite, also just. All the kids being scared for the end of their journey)

[thedisneychef]

Coconut Lime Icebox Fudge: A Disney-Inspired Treat

Here it is, the first recipe in the “They Should Serve This at Disney” series.  Woo hoo!  Though it very nearly ended up in recipe bloopers… When making it, I accidentally forgot to add 6 ounces of chocolate… I don’t know what I was thinking, obviously math just isn’t my strong suit. It was still entirely edible, just a little goopier than I’d have liked. When I remade it correctly, it came out perfectly, though I forgot to take pictures. Again. Anyway, this week, I picked a somewhat unique and unconventional candy… Coconut and lime icebox fudge. The recipe is loosely based off of a recipe that was shared with me by a friend which I tweaked here and there. The final product ended up being just about the most amazing fudge I’ve ever had. THEY SHOULD SERVE THIS AT DISNEY! COCONUT AND LIME ICEBOX FUDGE Now, icebox fudge is kind of a regional thing, so for those who’re not quite familiar with what it is, allow me to explain.  Unlike most fudge, which is solid and sets up to a harder, though slightly creamy, melt-in-your-mouth candy that will not melt if left at room temperature, icebox fudge is best kept, and served, chilled. The texture is much more creamy, without being runny, but if left at room temperature it will not keep its shape.  In the 30 seconds of research I did on the subject, I found that icebox fudge really became the in vogue treat back in the era when electric refrigerators that didn’t require defrosting were becoming a common household appliance. The American housewife would use icebox fudge as a treat during the ever-so-popular cocktail, appetizer, or “finger food” parties as a subtle way to show off to her guests that she owned one of these fantastic new devices, as traditional iceboxes that required defrosting were too moist and would not allow icebox fudge to set properly. The original recipe for icebox fudge actually came from a recipe book devoted to cooking using only your fridge and because finger foods were all the rage, this chilled chocolate was the very modern finger food-friendly substitute to ice cream and was quite popular for awhile in the south. Now, I think this sweet fudge is a wonderful addition to the dessert menu of the more tropical bakeries and candy shops at Disney, maybe even dressed up as a full dessert (or as part of a dessert sampler) at places like Shutters and Coral Reef. I can see it being served somewhere on the Boardwalk as its really sweet and refreshing taste just screams summertime at someplace tropical and relaxing.  It really is quite addicting. I did fully intend on preparing this fudge in a 8×8 square baking dish, but as you can see, I used a rather large loaf pan.  I actually forgot that my only square baking dish met with an unfortunate, gravity-related accident and this was the best substitute I could find.  I fully suggest that, for best results, a 8×8 pan should be used, though keep in mind that the fudge will not be as thick as what I’m showing. I actually think that thinner fudge bites actually tastes a little better as the big bites has a sweetness factor that is somewhat overwhelming for some. For those who end up using the loaf pan, as I did, just be aware you won’t use all of the graham cracker crumbs. I should also say, I really like the crust super thick, first of all because it’s delicious, but also because it provides an interesting texture and contrast to the sweet fudge. So what do we think?  Good enough to be served at Disney, or is it best left back in the 50’s? And for those who’re still scratching their heads as to how fudge made in the fridge could have possibly been a poshy-posh treat to impress people with your fantastic fridge… I actually have a cookbook from the 80’s that shared recipes that highlighted another increasingly popular appliance… The microwave. Included is a recipe for cooking a Thanksgiving Turkey. Not how to reheat a cooked turkey, but how to clean, stuff, tie, and microwave a small, raw bird until it is cooked through. Other gems include cooking a ham, hamburgers, roaster chickens, meatloaf, and pork chops, even a cake, all using just the microwave. Apparently the need to impress people with our appliances has spanned decades, though I have to say if somebody presents me with a microwave-cooked turkey, I’ll pass. Read the full article

[victorluvsalice]

AU Thursday: Lovecraft Jazz, Meet Deadly Premonition

All right -- I brought this up twice last week, both in a regular AU Thursday post and as part of a discussion of Hope's role in the Lovecraft Jazz AU (Hope, for those not in the know, is the Queen Wins!Victor's Pomeranian. He first appeared in an ask on my first Secundus!Victor RP account (I'd started Queen Wins as a separate universe there) as the Annoying Dog from Undertale, crashing through the window of Richard's shop; QW!Victor promptly adopted the pup, and he's stuck around doing weird things in anon asks ever since. I made him a Pom when I recreated the Valice pets in Sims 4 since that seemed to best mimic what the Annoying Dog looked like), so let's have some expansion on this crossover idea already.

First, for context: Deadly Premonition is a video game where you play as FBI agent Francis York Morgan (call him York, that's what everyone calls him), who goes to small town Greenvale to investigate the murder of a young waitress, and how it ties into some other murders he's been investigating, all linked by red seeds. Simple enough premise, right?

Trust me, this game is so much more. It's a flawed classic along the lines of Vampire: the Masquerade -- Bloodlines -- the game itself is janky and glitchy as all hell, but the story and characters are absolutely fantastic. My main LPer Helloween4545 did a LP of it recently, and you can watch it here if you want the experience without having to fight with the controls/deal with the game crashing on you. If you like the show Twin Peaks, or just really quirky and dramatic stuff with super inappropriate music at times, you'll probably enjoy it!

As for the crossover -- well, basically, beyond shifting the time period to the late 1920s, I'd be using my gang to fix some of the more depressing parts of the narrative. The details are going under a cut, because MAJOR SPOILERS. Seriously, huge ones. Tweaked for the time period a bit, but still. Read on only if you don't mind that. (Or watch the LP and save this post for later.)

-->The group first meets York as part of the Innsmouth mess -- he's one of the BoI agents investigating the "smuggling operation" going on there. They get along pretty well, since York is considered kind of a weirdo by his other agents, and he's the only one not particularly phased by Siren. (He's a little surprised, but gets over it quickly.)

-->Later on, while exploring the Dreamlands, Alice stumbles across one of York's dreams and says hello. York tells her he's on his way to Greenvale to investigate the murder of a young girl named Anna Graham -- Alice, upon realizing Greenvale isn't too far from where they are currently, says they'll meet up with him there and they can do a bit of reconnecting when he isn't busy with his case.

-->And then the group gets pulled into said case, thanks to a few key events:

A) Emily meeting the local policewoman, Emily Wyatt, and the two bonding a bit over having the same first name

B) Victor meeting Forrest Kaysen, and his dog Willie hating Victor's dog Hope on sight -- the feeling is mutual, and the two men just barely avoid a dog fight. Victor is baffled, as Hope seemed to like everybody before now

C) Lizzie visiting the club of Carol Maclaine, the sister of local policeman Thomas, and stumbling upon the weird sex dungeon downstairs -- and then being hidden in a closet by Thomas (dressed in a wig and red dress) before she can escape, letting her see that Thomas and the local sheriff, George Woodman, have kind of a -- fucked-up sexual relationship. Thomas apologizes after George leaves, and Lizzie, feeling really bad for him, says he can talk if he needs to and that "Thomas, just remember -- you really CAN do better"

D) Victor starting to have strange dreams of following Hope through a bright white forest -- and then, suddenly, coming across the murder victim! Anna tells him she's become a Goddess of the Forest and to pass along to her mother that she's okay now and she's sorry for getting involved with George.

-->That, plus a little more encouragement on Lizzie's part, gets Thomas to confess the truth -- GEORGE killed Anna as the first part of a ritual to make him into a "god," inspired by the legend of an old serial killer in the town, The Red Cape Killer. He also says local girl Becky was part of their little group and she's likely to be the next victim -- there's a race to her house, and they manage to catch George in the act of cutting her open. Some hasty field medicine from Bonejangles keeps her alive long enough to get her to the local hospital, and George is taken into custody.

-->However, while everyone's relieved that they've caught the killer, York isn't so sure his case is over. He reveals that the reason he's in Greenvale is because Anna's death is only the latest in dozens of murders he's investigating, all linked by the same strange upside-down symbol and red seeds. While he's willing to accept George committed the Greenvale murder, there's obviously more to this story. The gang do some digging, and eventually get help from Harry Stewart, the richest and most powerful man in town, who informs them of a dark incident in the town's past where someone covered Greenvale in a sinister purple fog that drove the local inhabitants to attack and kill each other. The Red Cape Killer was one of the affected (Harry's own father, in fact), and simply the most successful. The incident was buried in town memory, and the Red Cape Killer lived on as an urban legend.

-->While all this is going on, they also learn more about York's friend Zach -- a mysterious invisible figure who apparently came to York shortly after York's father murdered his mother, then himself. Alice wonders if Zach is like her Wonderland friends and offers to help him traverse the Dreamlands if he wants to get out more -- this leads to a rather interesting situation where they end up in one of Thomas's dreams, and Zach proves that, while York's into Emily W, he quite likes Thomas. Thomas, still a little raw from the situation with George, is thrilled by this turn of events, even if he's not sure how the heck any relationship between them would work.

-->And then Kaysen tries to kidnap the two Emilys, Victoria, Alice, and Lizzie. They manage to fight him off (though poor Emily W gets a mouthful of red seeds in the process and has to be taken to the hospital). Turns out he's the one behind the red seed killings, murdering innocent women by literally planting trees in them -- all for fun too! He's also the one behind the purple fog incident -- oh, and turns out he's the one who actually killed York's, or rather Zach's, mother, and his father killed himself out of grief. Yes, Zach is actually the original owner of the body, and York the Dreamland presence who came along to help him. Everyone's rather stunned by this revelation, as you might expect.

-->Oh, also, Kaysen's not human. He's in fact a minor eldritch creature from the Red Forest, an evil realm in the Dreamlands. Willie is his partner and handler, relaying orders from the Red Tree that "rules" the forest. When they're confronted, they warp into more horrific forms -- in Willie's case, a demonic Doberman-like creature.

And then Hope becomes a frigging wolf.

Yup, turns out in this world, Hope is a representative of the White Forest, the good counterpart to the Red Forest (and the place Victor's been ending up in his dreams lately) -- and he is eager to kick Willie's ass. Zach takes care of Kaysen while Hope defeats Willie, with some help from the other members of the group.

-->Afterwards, Hope brings everyone to the White Forest, where they receive some information on how to cleanse the town of the Red Tree's taint -- and, ideally, as a boon, Zach and York each get their own body so they don't have to work out some sort of weird timeshare arrangement for their respective relationships.

-->York reunites with Emily W, Zach and Thomas get together, and the group helps the townsfolk clean the soil and uproot every red tree they can find before planting some white trees in their place and taking their leave to help the next unfortunate place beseiged by abominations.

-->Basically, the whole point of this is to stop every main character besides Zach dying (although I guess York doesn't so much die as ascend to the same plane as the Goddesses), and to get my police boyfriends because damn it I shipped Thomas and York so freaking hard before the revelation that Thomas had been so broken by the murders and George's abuse he was willing to kill Emily W.

...Anybody else find it weird I'm resorting to a Lovecraft-inspired universe to get happy endings?

[kj-munch]

!! actno POLEASE! Why wont backspace worjk

DR CHARLES ACTON-DOLLO my bestie. its been a while since ive posted any legit lore with him and some stuff has been tweaked so im gonna do a pretty hefty recap, so forewarning this is gonna be long as fuck

starting in pre-canon, he used to be a high school bio teacher! he has a degree in biotechnology so he was a bit overqualified for the job, but he struggled to find work closer to what he studied for. he felt a little disappointed with himself for that, but he DID love his job as a teacher a lot, plus he had his husband murphy at his side! things werent perfect but they were damn close, and the two of them planned to have a child together in the very near future.

UNTIL the madness hit nevada full swing. plans for a child went out the window with the hellscape nevada was devolving into with no sign of improving. acton lost his job as a teacher, but was quickly picked up by the newly forming AAHW due to his expertise in biotechnology. things were shitty, but he was able to find excitement in finally becoming a respected scientist! one of the leading figures in the development of the MAG program in fact!

some time later, following a close call incident in which acton was nearly a casualty, his husband murphy convinced him that he needed to be there to help protect him. the two of them agreed that the best course of action would be for murphy to become MAG, as those are powerful enough that the risk of murphy being seriously injured or even killed on the job was very low. additionally they agreed to it because it was intended to be temporary (murphy signs a contract to agree to work for the AAHW in year long stints, at the end of each year long period he would be able to either renew the contract or quit and be cloned back into a regular grunt body)

but only around a month after murphy was magnified, he began showing signs of something having gone wrong. acton could do nothing but watch from the sidelines as the man he married rapidly devolved into a bitter, cruel and work-obsessed MAG agent who answered onto to law and snapped at anybody who dared try to compare him to his old self.

obviously watching this happen and not knowing how to help in the slightest, actons own mental state began to deteriorate. being completely loathed by the man who’s still your husband on paper does things to a guy! especially when youre the head of the department dedicated to monitoring him and youre forced to interact with him almost daily! acton began to avoid law in face to face interactions the best he could, but his job position and his own desperate attachment never let him go too far

this went on for months, the tension on both ends only continuing to build until eventually it finally all came to a head. during a standard monitored training session, law snapped and attempted to murder acton. as a heat of the moment decision it was poorly planned. law shatters and reaches through the observation window and manages to kill several other scientists in the project law team in his attempt to reach acton. (important side tangent i shoulda mentioned earlier probably but w/e, when murphy was magnified they implanted a remotely controlled detonator in the back of his neck. as a powerful and dangerous MAG, this was intended as a safety measure in the case he ever turned on his fellow agents. as the head of the project law team, acton was entrusted with the controller)

actons remaining attachment made him hesitate to resort to the detonator, along with a mix of shock at what he was seeing. he hesitated long enough for several other people in the room to die, in which acton finally activated the controller and killed law.

despite everything, acton cant bear to lose law. hes beat down by months of open hatred from him, but he’s still desperately hopeful that murphy has to be in there somewhere. he goes back and forth with AAHW higher-ups to negotiate laws revival, which is eventually granted. learning this news, the remaining members of the project law team (many of which actually good friends of acton) turn on him and are hurt and shocked that he could STILL be defending law after EVERYTHING. many refuse to work with him and demand to be moved to a different department.

when law is revived approximately a week after his death, acton is the one to greet him. the conversation goes south fast and law lets loose how deeply his loathing runs, for acton AND himself. law doesnt attempt to physically harm him again, and i want to depict this scene in art one day so i wont go too in depth now, but actons still left deeply wounded.

with his social circles now COMPLETELY destroyed and having no one to talk to, acton finally just relents under the pressure. barely a week after laws revival, acton quietly dissents and goes completely off the grid. hes working under his own contract and cant simply quit, as a higher ranking scientist he has too much insider knowledge to risk trying to escape to another city where he could still live in some sort of comfort. he’s forced to completely go it alone.

actons time after his dissent is 90% spent feeling miserable and sorry for himself, and 10% scavenging for the bare minimum resources to keep himself alive. hes a weak scientist, he’s not built for surviving on his own out in the wastes, and he only manages to scrape by by laying low and hiding from any passerby. this doesnt always work, a few times he is found by bandits who rob him for what little belongings he has, and beat the shit out of him for the fun of it.

its a fucking miserable existence. but hes afraid to die, so he spends his last days thinking about what he couldve done different. how he couldve saved murphy, or not let it happen in the first place. he reminisces on the good old days quite a bit too. ultimately hes just wasting away out there, a far cry from the bright-eyed respected top scientist he once was.

[vyl3tpwny]

volume sliders

my need for a tumblr volume slider feels like an edge case, because of the two facts of a.) i make music and usually require my monitoring to be at a certain level, and b.) i am forgetful and if that monitoring level gets changed i will often forget to change it back and then have a biased perspective of whatever im working on; ��� I never change any of the volume knobs on my system's end. i always rely on volume sliders for media like on youtube and twitter, especially because i tend to share my screen+audio frequently in calls & streams, so my monitoring levels wont even be parallel to what everyone else hears. i do have soundsource as a monitoring aggregate (this allows me to calibrate my headphones passively), but i dont really touch those either. occasionally i'll use it to double or triple my browser's volume so i dont have to change anything else, but i usually end up not remembering to change that a lot of the time. at the least, my browser's audio does not have to be super accurate for me to be doing my work.

at the same time though, playback controls for media seem to be really really poorly done a lot of the time. i obsess over these things and the smallest inconvenience usually pisses me off so much. recently ive been falling exhausted and upset by the issues that twitter has with its media playback. the timeline playhead is obviously very janky and rounds off to weird points. watching content longer than 20 seconds becomes a pain to scroll through if you want to. but the most damning thing is the volume slider.

i've shown this video several times on my own twitter, but this shit is unacceptably bad. this will happen to me so frequently and it will piss me off so much. lack of controls and optimization in any case just upset me, and i mean that genuinely. it's not slight annoyance, it's not light frustration; it pisses me off. my eyesight is relatively okay. my hearing is relatively okay. but if this stuff can hurt my brain this much, i can only imagine what kind of disappointment this yields in people with other accessibility needs. i shouldnt have to install some sort of app or plugin to make something work the way it's supposed to.

that said with tumblr. it really is awful theres not even the option for a volume slider. it would not be even remotely difficult to implement. but i suppose the issues are dispersed and decentralized.

now, i have a lot of problems with soundcloud's ui/ux, maybe i'll break that down sometime. but what i can appreciate is their volume slider. it really only shows up when you definitely actually want it there. it hides when you probably aren't actually tweaking it anymore. and you dont have to be super precise in order to change volume for stuff. you can see that you can kind of click anywhere nearby or slide anywhere nearby and it'll just understand what you're wanting to actually do. the fact that its so compact but also does not require precision is what makes it actually intuitive to use. another thing is the fact that it allows you to move your mouse horizontally, with great distance, means that it feels less cramped too. when dynamic controls like this force you into a narrow operating range, it feels kind of upsetting to use and a lot of people just end up opting to not use it.

ui/ux that makes you feel cramped is the worst shit ever. whats funny about this is that soundcloud's design actually feels cramped otherwise,,, but the idea is that their volume slider is at least intuitive and goes against the grain of the rest of that stuff.

anyway. i cannot adjust the volume controls from my system. it's too important for me to keep things the way they are at all times for my type of work, especially when im so forgetful. but i feel like there are lots of other people with particular use cases where a volume slider with general media is important to them too. and i feel like im not the only person that feels like they shouldnt be installing proprietary software in order to make something work the way it probably should. you know?

thanks

[pan-ick]

Hiiiiiiii! Can I get some headcannons of Technoblade, Phil, and Ranboo with an S/O (preferably she/her) that dresses with a steampunk aesthetic and her house is all steampunk too?

 Omg, I love the Steampunk aesthetic so much, if I was able to buy stuff to look like that I absolutely would :0 Anyways, enjoy!

(I assume that you mean an S/O for only Techno and Philza and a platonic friend for Rabnoo :>)

~~Technoblade, Philza, and Ranboo with a S/O that dresses in Steampunk~~

Warnings: Mentions of suffocation.

Technoblade

  He doesn't often admit it, but he loves the way you dress.

  It looks like his outfit, but more stylish (he'll never admit that part)

  He might try to wear steampunk to match you, but finds it to be too uncomfortable for him and slows him down a bit too much so he just leaves the beauty of steampunk to you.

  And if you're able to fight while wearing that kind of clothes? He has so much more respect for you (and confusion on how you do it.)

  Other than that he doesn't really care much about it. When he sees your house for the first time he isn't exactly shocked by the way it looks since it does perfectly match your aesthetic, but he just didn't expect your aesthetic to reach your house (to this extent, at least.)

  He isn't very good at showing his love, but he sometimes tries in the form of gifts! He often makes accessories for you that you could wear to match your outfits (He eventually gives you so many that you can wear at least two in each different outfit, but you still appreciate it.)

  Corset Techno is a big headcanon of mine, so he totally knows how to help tighten and loosen your corset for you if you need help.

  He trusts you to take care of yourself so he doesn't bring stuff around with him in case something goes wrong, but he also has been wearing a corset long enough to tell when you haven't eaten or drank enough, or just straight up can't breathe.

  But hoh boy if anyone tries to take advantage of any part of your clothes (specifically your corset) he will become even MORE protective and will be actually concerned about the way you dress.

  But he just wants you to be safe, he doesn’t want to lose you to anyone.

Philza

  He doesn't really notice at first?

  The first thing that he ever saw you in looked similar to Techno's clothes, so he saw nothing different about it.

  But when you got more comfortable around him and started wearing more obviously steampunk clothes and accessories, he became more interested in it.

  He does appreciate his ability to fly, so he doesn't go full steampunk with you, maybe just stealing wearing one or two of your accessories every once in a while. And if you have cool weapons? He'll totally use them (with a bit of tweaking from Techno to make them more effective.)

  And if you let him help redesign your house? Oml not only will it be a gorgeous aesthetic, but also be just gorgeous in general.

  Also, he taught Techno how to use a corset so I don't doubt he can help you with yours if it's giving you trouble.

  He has so much respect for you and Techno for being able to wear those things in battle.

  He's still Dadza though and is still very concerned about if your corset is hurting you in any way. He is always ready to give you food and water if you forgot to have any which would affect how the corset feels. He is also ready to help you take it off too (but not in a sus way, just a concerned way.)

Ranboo

  Oh my God,,,,,  Steampunk aesthetic + aj Enderman????

  Yes, please.

  He will try to dress up with you but he honestly can't find the motivation to put on so many clothes and get through the heat of it every day so he just sticks to his suit.

  But he will still completely support you

  You need materials to make new clothes/accessories? He's gotcha.

  Need help making your clothes? He'll try his best!

  Need material to make your house look even cooler? He will get some for you and try to not misplace it!

  Oh, you only need help with tightening your corset? He's very worried about stopping your airflow, breaking a rib, or some other thing that can go wrong, but he'll help tighten it a bit!

  On the topic of tight corsets, he will also always check to make sure that your corset is never too tight. He'll make sure to always have anything needed for it you just try to push through having a corset that's too tight and wrote down what to do in case of that situation in his memory book.

  Sweet, sweet boy.

If you can’t tell I like talking about corsets, they’re really pretty.

[fostersffff]

The Big Gundam Watch, Part 8: Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway

As mentioned back in my post on Unicorn, my whole reason for skipping ahead in the Gundam production order was to arrive here, at the most recently released story (as of this write-up), Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway. After watching Char’s Counterattack, my most pressing question was about what winds up happening with Hathaway, son of MY MAN BRIGHT NOA, considering there’s no real resolution to his story. It seems that Yoshiyuki Tomino had that on his mind as well, as the original light novel series that this movie was based on, Hathaway’s Flash, was actually the first thing he wrote following Beltorchika’s Children, way back in 1989. Evidently, this adaptation has been a long time coming! Unfortunately- and I should’ve anticipated this- I didn’t quite get all the answers I was looking for, since this is only the first of three adaptations of Hathaway’s Flash, and the next one seems to be slated for 2024 at the earliest. What I did get, however, was the best Gundam movie I’ve seen so far.

THE STUFF I LIKED:

It’s kind of unbelievable how much better this movie looks than Narrative. In fact, I’d go so far as to say this is one of the best looking anime movies I’ve ever seen! The animation quality is consistently excellent, and has some real standout direction for its action setpieces, including the non-mecha stuff.

Because the original Hathaway’s Flash light novels were made back in the late 80’s/early 90’s, it has that era’s mecha design sensibilities, resulting in FUCKING YUGE mobile suits. I already knew exactly how tremendously gigantic the Xi Gundam was thanks to the model kit, but this also extends out to the grunt suits, resulting in designs that are, in essence, Zakus and Jegans on steroids.

Having an entire action sequence dedicated to having to navigate a mobile suit battle in an urban area on foot was really good. It’s happened in previous stories, but this one feels different, I think because Hathaway is focused solely on survival, and not getting to his own mobile suit to join in the fight.

This movie also does a very good job of highlighting how significant it is that the Xi and Penelope can actually fly on their own without needing a base jabber or a transformation (like the Zeta’s Waverider Mode) that compromises their ability to fight. This results in a really tight blend of dogfighting and regular mobile suit close combat for the finale.

It’s difficult to pass judgment on any of the characters at this time, on account of the fact that this is just the first of three installment. That being said, I do like the core cast that we’ve established so far, and I’m looking forward to learning more about them:

After “loser sociopath from Twilight Axis” and “loser sociopath(s) from Narrative”, Kenneth Sleg and Lane Aim are breaths of fresh air. Sleg comes across like a guy prepared to start the second coming of the Titans because he’s such a cop, and Aim is a delightful villain-aligned boy scout. I’m half expecting Sleg to shoot Aim in the back of the head in a later installment, because of Aim’s staunch refusal to fight dirty.

Gigi Andalucia feels like a “what if” version of Quess, if she was was slightly more emotionally mature and worldly. She has the same childish approach to big problems that Quess had- Quess believed Char should kill everyone on Earth because people are bad, Gigi believes the less violent alternative to Mafty’s terrorist activities is to simply become a perfect, benevolent dictator- and obviously they share the same incredibly strong Newtype intuition, but she’s a much more enjoyable character on account of those personality tweaks.

Hathaway is the most mysterious of the core cast, on account of the fact that we just don’t get a lot about his personal motivations (more on that later) or what he’s done in-between Char’s Counterattack and now. There’s plenty to be inferred- more than enough to explain why he’s doing what he’s doing- but I’m definitely hoping for more in-depth looks at him over the course of the next two movies.

The dub is also really great, and I think the core trio is cast perfectly.

Caleb Yen nails down a very neutral, aloof tone of voice that suits Hathaway perfectly in this story, but he also has a very slight lisp that keeps the character from sounding too gruff or old.

Aaron Philips’s performance as Kenneth is dripping with a Chris Parnell-esque smarm (Cyril from Archer, Jerry from Rick and Morty), so that no matter what he’s saying or doing, you know that deep down inside this dude is a fucking asshole.

Megan Shipman rounds it out as Gigi, and keeps the character sounding as dynamic as she needs to be for how many different faces the character wears, whether it be totally self-assured flirty empath or completely falling apart and vulnerable.

The opening theme for the movie, Möbius, is a hell of a composition, and further enhanced by cohesive English lyrics that serve as a mission statement for Mafty Navue Erin. In particular, I’m really fond of the lines “I’ll do it for the better, for all of us / I’ll tear apart the dark möbius”, which is a cool way to refer to the endlessly repeating state of the Universal Century. It’s also apparently also a callback to the ending song of Char’s Counterattack, Beyond The Time, the full title of which is actually Beyond The Time ~Beyond the Möbius Universe~.

THE STUFF I LIKED LESS:

Listen, I know, I understand, Char Aznable Is Important. He is without a doubt one of the most important people in the Universal Century, both in-universe and in a meta sense. Of the original four stories that make up the foundation of the setting, he was heavily involved in three of them, and even completely orchestrated one of them. Hathaway is literally picking up where Char left off, so the comparisons are absolutely warranted. But I think I’m tapped out on people being compared to Char. Maybe I’d feel less negative about this if the villain of Narrative wasn’t the lamest possible version of Char, but both times Mafty was compared to Char, I just felt exhausted.

Other than that, this part is going to be pretty sparse, on account of the fact that most of the things I have issues with are things that are likely to be addressed in future installments (and if they aren’t, I’ll address them then).

For example: The entire reason I skipped ahead to Unicorn after Char’s Counterattack was to see how Hathaway processed what happened sooner rather than later. We get an answer to that: he’s started a terrorist sect dedicated to bringing down the Federation, who have staunchly refused to do literally anything in the wake of... well, everything that’s happened over the past 25 years. But I was more interested in him, personally, and how he’s dealt with the fact that he murdered Chan. That isn’t answered, but when his participation in the fighting is brought up, he’s visibly uncomfortable discussing it. What’s more, the story goes that he stole a mobile suit and “shot down an enemy”. Does that mean Hathaway lied about who killed who between himself, Quess, and Chan? Did the Federation cover up Hathaway killing a friendly, possibly at the request of Bright? Or does the light novel that this is based on use the Beltorchika’s Children version of events, where Hathaway actually did kill Quess?

The only other thing that jumped out to me that doesn’t fit that “they’ll cover it in the sequels” territory is Hathaway’s bizarre response to walking in on Gigi changing. Like, he busts into her part of the room, basically unannounced, and then criticizes her for “running around naked” when it seemed to me like she had just gotten out of the shower? I thought maybe it would be followed up on later, with Hathaway just being uncomfortable with women in general as a result of trauma from Quess’s death, but he doesn’t really have any issues with the women of Mafty. Just a strange scene.

There is one nitpick I have about the design of the Xi Gundam, and it’s something I mentioned back when I was gushing about the Unicorn Gundam: I really do not like the trend of going for one solid color with a few accents over the traditional Gundam color scheme. Looking up pictures of the Xi as it appeared in the light novels, where the chest piece is a really rich blue and the white is really bright, and then comparing it to the movie version where it’s all a much duller shade of white except for the dark navy leg pieces made me real sad. Let Gundams be colored like Gundams, realism be damned!

I will give the movie version this, however: the tweaks they made to make the head’s “sideburns”, the v-fin, and the flight unit’s wings longer are very nice.

Oh and also boohiss Hathaway remembering Quess fondly. Of course he does, but boohiss.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS:

This lady just running full-tilt into the wall completely shatters the dramatic tension of this scene. I get it, in the same way that I get that her husband, as a Dipshit Scumbag Federation Official, would start mouthing off to the armed terrorist, but it’s just so comical. It’s not a negative thing, though, because this makes Hathaway turning into Jason Bourne a few minutes later way more intense.

This isn’t really a negative either, but it is sort of a bummer to me, personally, that after Unicorn reconciled Bright’s original design with a more grounded style, that they still present Hathaway with normal eyes. I suppose you can’t really give your main protagonist Tintin eyes in 2021 if they’re meant to be an emotional cornerstone, but eh. 

“Mafty Navue Erin” is such an insane name, even by Gundam standards. Gigi explaining it’s a combination of words from three completely unrelated languages helps it make sense for why it sounds so bizarre, but that’s a pretty impenetrable (and non-threatening) name for a terrorist sect.

Speaking of Gigi, there was a thing I noticed early on in the movie, when she shows her tablet to the hijacker and the screen rotates like an iPad. I noted back during the original series how funny it was that despite taking place in the space colony future, they still had wired receivers and cameras with film, and now we’ve hit the opposite end of that spectrum, where modern tech is now popping up in the series after so many years.

A lot of city names get tossed around, and I continue to be terrible at geography, but the scene where Hathaway and his Mafty allies eat at a Jollibee made me go “oh, this movie takes place in the Philippines”. I’m not even Filipino myself, I just know from cultural osmosis that Jollibee is Filipino McDonalds.

Huge shoutout to Random Cab Driver for addressing something that seems to go critically unexamined in the setting: most people don’t give a shit about the state of the Earth or Newtype philosophy or other big picture concepts because they are just trying to fuckin' live. We should all strive to ensure that we make things better for future generations, but it’s hard to care about what’s going to happen a thousand, a hundred, or even just ten years from now when it’s a struggle to live today.

BOY SPOTTED!!! Which actually brings up an interesting point: Hathaway’s Flash was written like 15 years before the Unicorn light novels, and Unicorn chronologically takes place before Hathaway’s Flash, so I wonder if anything that happens in Unicorn will come up in the next two movies. Maybe not, since the two stories are operating on much different scales- Hathaway takes place almost entirely in one city in the Philippines and Unicorn happens across the entire Earth Sphere- but it was kind of weird to see Amuro again after he and his girlfriend and his girlfriend’s boyfriend/his boyfriend fucked off to the afterlife.

IN CONCLUSION:

Like I said way at the top, Hathaway is easily the best of the Gundam movies I’ve watched. Maybe because it only had to be one-third of a whole story, it never felt like it was rushing to get where it needed to go in the way Char’s Counterattack and Narrative did. It does feel primarily like the setup for what comes next, but it stands on its own well enough as an action thriller that I can heartily recommend it, even knowing how long it’ll be before we get the continuation and resolution to this storyline.

Now that I’ve seen Hathaway and have thus achieved as much closure as I’ll get for Char’s Counterattack for the forseeable future, I’m going to be taking another break from Gundam to watch some other stuff. But when I come back...

Next up: Mobile Suit Gundam Wing! I’m finally getting around to the Western entry-level Gundam series, and the timing of this decision coincided nicely with the 25th anniversary of Toonami. They even reassembled their legendary promo narrated by Peter Cullen with HD footage!

[lokiondisneyplus]

Loki director Kate Herron’s heart was beating fast. She’d already had some surreal experiences during her short time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so a simple phone call shouldn’t make her nervous. But on the other end of the line was Owen Wilson, an actor and writer she admired and hoped would join her on a time-jumping journey through the MCU.

“It was the most detailed pitch I’ve ever done, to an actor, ever. I pretty much spoke through the entire first episode with him,” Herron recalls of wooing Wilson, who wasn’t too familiar with Marvel before being cast as Mobius, an agent for the mysterious Time Variance Authority central to the series.

Wilson instantly put Herron at ease with his laid-back charm as she walked the actor through 10 years of onscreen lore for Loki, the god of mischief played by Tom Hiddleston. She answered his questions about Avengers: Endgame, about time travel, about how this version of Loki was not the one fans knew from films like Thor: Ragnarok, but rather one plucked from an alternate timeline from 2012’s The Avengers.

It was all part of a whirlwind few years for Herron, who not that long ago was temping at a fire extinguisher company and struggling to land directing work even though she’d already helmed a BBC project with Idris Elba. Then Herron finally achieved breakthrough success directing episodes of the Netflix hit Sex Education and soon was hounding her agents for a Marvel meeting.

When Herron finally landed one, the Loki superfan cleared her schedule and spent two weeks putting together a 60-page document, even though her agents tempered her expectations by noting it was just a meet-and-greet.

“I knew I’d be up against some really big directors, and I knew I wouldn’t be the most experienced in the room, so I [said], ‘OK. I’ll just be the most passionate,'” recalls Herron.

Just a few days after officially landing the job, Herron found herself on a five-hour walk through New York with Hiddleston discussing Loki and flying to D23 in Anaheim to be greeted by thousands of screaming fans alongside Loki head writer Michael Waldron.

Herron is now working long days finishing up Loki in Marvel’s production hub in Atlanta, where the British filmmaker has largely lived since getting the job in 2019. Over Zoom from her freezing Atlanta apartment (she still hasn’t figured out the quirks of the air conditioner), Herron dives into Loki ahead of its June 9 debut on Disney+.

What was your process of sitting down with Marvel for this?

I was just so overexcited. [My agents] were like, “Look, it’s just a casual conversation, they just want to get a sense of you,” and basically I was like, “OK, I’m just going to pitch them.” Because I thought, they might not meet me again. So I got as much information as I could, and they sent me a little bit about the show. And I just prepared a massive pitch for it. I canceled everything for two weeks. I made a 60-page document full of references, story ideas, music. I knew I’d be up against some really big directors, and I knew I wouldn’t be the most experienced in the room, so I [said], “OK. I’ll just be the most passionate.”

Was that first meeting in Burbank?

That was in England, in southeast London on Zoom. I had a few stages where I did that. Then after a few interviews with Kevin Wright and Stephen Broussard, two of the Marvel executives who got me ready for the big match, I went in to pitch to Kevin Feige, Victoria [Alonso], Lou [Louis D’Esposito], the whole team there. That was very surreal because they flew me to Burbank and I pitched at Marvel Studios. I didn’t have the job, but I found out they were interested and then I remember Kevin Feige called me, and when he was in London, we had coffee. He was like, “Look, we want you to direct it.” Oh my God. They flew me to D23 and that was crazy because I think I found out I got the job 48 hours before, and then I was onstage. The Lady and the Tramp dogs were in front of me and Michael [Waldron] on the red carpet. “What is going on?” (Laughs.) I met Tom that week as well, so it was a bit of a whirlwind kind of thing.

📷Herron, Waldron and Feige at D23 in 2019.

Where did you first meet Tom?

I had a two-stop trip. I flew first to New York to meet Tom. He was in Betrayal at the time, on Broadway, so we basically went on this amazing walk around New York. I’d never met him before. We just spoke about Loki and what was really important to us about the character and where we thought it would be fun to take him, as well. It was this intense, five-hour conversation with him basically. I met him and then flew straight from meeting him to D23. So it was a lot. (Laughs.)

When did you finally get the scripts? How did that change your thoughts on what you want to do?

They sent me the outline, so I knew the overall story. I also was pitching stuff. “Oh, we could do this with this character.” The pilot was really well written by Michael and I really liked what they were doing with the character and the story. Then it was building upon that and throwing in ideas for where he could go later in the show. It reminded me a bit of improv where you’re always building, always trying to push the story to the best place. So we were always adapting and shifting the story. Our lockdown, during COVID, was a chance for us to go back in. I was cutting what we’d done, so I was like, “OK, this is tonally what is really working for the story.” Then we went back into what we hadn’t filmed and started adapting that stuff to fit more where we were heading.

The Marvel movies have a writer on set to help tweak things. Was that the case with Loki?

Michael [Waldron] was with us at the start, and then he went on to Doctor Strange [in the Multiverse of Madness]. We had a really wonderful writer called Eric Martin from our writers room, and he was our production writer on set. It was between me, him and my creative producer Kevin Wright. We would kind of brainstorm and adapt. I’ve always loved talking to the cast. We had such a smart cast. Owen is a writer as well. If you have that amazing resource, why not talk to them? We were always adapting. Obviously paying respect to the story we wanted to tell from the start, but always trying to make it better.

📷Herron on the set of ‘Loki’ with Hiddleston and Wilson.

Kevin Feige has said Owen Wilson, like his character, is nonplussed by the MCU. Since Owen isn’t necessarily dazzled by Marvel, does that make him all the more perfect for this role?

He is playing a Loki expert, so at the beginning of production, Tom and I were talking. He devised this thing called Loki School. He did a big lecture to the cast and crew. I love the character. This is a decade of fans loving this character and where that character has been. It was talking everyone through that, but through Tom and his own experiences. Stunts that Tom liked or costumes. He ended up doing that same Loki school for Owen. Owen absolutely loved it. Owen has such a writer’s brain. I remember I had to pitch him down the phone. My heart rate [was up].

Was this the pitch to get him to get Owen on board?

Yeah. I love his work. “Oh my God, I’m going to talk to Owen Wilson.” He’s so laid back and nice, it immediately puts you at ease. It was the most detailed pitch I’ve ever done, to an actor, ever. I think I pretty much spoke through the entire first episode with him. You can tell he’s a writer, just by the way he attacks story. His questions about the world and the structure and the arc of the character. It was really fun to work with him.

Was it the most detailed pitch you’ve ever done because you really wanted Owen, or because you knew you needed to woo him a bit to get him to sign on?

It was the questions he asked, and the way he attacked story, in that sense. And also probably because he was newer to the Marvel world, he was like, “OK, how does this work?” I also pitched him Loki’s arc over the past 10 years, where that character has gone, but also explaining our Loki and what happened in Endgame and time travel. There’s a lot to unpack in that conversation.

Sometimes Marvel will give writers or directors a supercut of all the scenes of a specific character. Did you get one of those?

They didn’t actually give me a supercut, but I’m a big Loki nerd. I think his is one of the best [arcs] in the MCU. I really wanted to make sure we were paying respect to that. At the same time, something Tom spoke about a lot was you have to go back for a reason. Let’s be united on what that reason is and feel that it’s worth it.

The reason can’t be, “Well that’s what happened in Endgame,” so the question becomes, “What is the point of revisiting him at this era of his life?”

Yeah. He’s only had — I don’t want to get this wrong — I think 112 minutes of screen time in total if you cut all his scenes together. And he steals the show. We have six hours to really delve into this character and talk about him and go on this completely new story with him. For me, it was making sure that [we’re] paying respect to what has come before — I know as a fan if there is a character I really loved and I found out they are making a show about him, I obviously would be so excited and so happy. I felt lucky to have the responsibility, and I took it very seriously.

Those who have worked with Kevin Feige say he’s someone who can stress test an idea and push things in new directions. What have you found working with him?

Something I always found was we would sometimes pitch something, and it would be at a good place, but he’d always be like, “OK, that’s great, but push it further.” Sometimes I’d pitch stuff and be like, “This is too weird,” and he’d say, “No, go weirder.” He wants to tell the best story and I found it really helpful having his eye across everything and the fact that he does challenge everything. Tom as well, on set. He brings this amazing energy and this great A-game that causes everyone to rise to the occasion.

How do you know when you’ve got the perfect Hiddleston take? Is he asking you for one more, are you pushing him to do one more take?

By the end, it was almost telepathic. We would kind of know. We would look at each other. “We could go again,” or, “We’ve got it.” It’s different with every actor. There are some actors who will come in firing and they just want to go for it. But they don’t want to do a million takes. There are other actors I work with who are very meticulous and they want quite a few to warm up and get into it. It’s actor-dependent. The way me and Tom are similar is we are both very perfectionist. We are both very studious. (Laughs.) We definitely connected in that sense. He’s a very generous actor. I remember one day, we had quite a few of our actors coming in as day players. It was really important for him to be there for them, to read lines offscreen. He would have to be 50 places at once, because he is the lead actor. The most amazing thing about him was his generosity. Not just to the other actors, but also to the crew, to be filming in a time like COVID.

When you make an Avengers movie, you get a big board with every character that’s available, and whether the actor’s deals will allow them to appear or if that would need to be renegotiated. Loki is smaller, but was there any equivalent for you? Was everything on the table? Was only some stuff on the table? I imagine if Chris Hemsworth has his own new Thor movie coming up, he’s not going to be on the table, necessarily.

I felt like everything was on the table if it meant it was good for story, and Marvel would be like, “We’ll work it out.” Me and the writers, we never felt restrained in that sense. Honestly, it always comes back to story.

What is your relationship with your editor as you finish this up?

We have three editors, Paul Zucker, Emma McCleave and Calum Ross. My relationship with all three of them is very different. Emma and me are very close because she was also in Atlanta away from home. I got to know her very well. I love working with the editors because it’s a fresh pair of eyes. You get so deep into something when you are filming, it’s almost like writing it again when you are in the edit. Stuff does change. Even some episodes, we’ve reordered the structure. Or we moved scenes from one episode to another episode. I’ve always loved the editing process. The best thing is someone honest who can be like, “Hey, this doesn’t quite make sense to me,” or, “This isn’t working.”

What are you going to do on premiere day? Will you be on the internet at all to see the reaction?

I’m actually working. I’m still finishing the show. My last day is the day the second episode airs. I’m going to be working that day. Sadly, I’ll probably check in on the internet a little bit, but I’ll probably go to bed when I finish because I think I’ll do a 12- or 13-hour day or something. I can’t remember. I’m really excited for people to see it and just to bring it out in the world, really.

Everyone wants to know about spoilers, but what’s something you wish you were asked about more when it comes to Loki?

Kevin Feige said, “We make movies. We want to run it like a movie.” So unlike a lot of television shows that are showrunner-led, this was run like a six-hour film. As a director, you don’t often get to do that in a television-structure show. I really enjoyed it, having a hand in story and just how collaborative it was. Also, just beyond that, directing the equivalent of a six-hour Marvel movie was incredible for me. That’s something I found interesting about it. Making something the Marvel way.

In terms of the themes, I love gray areas. The show is really about what makes someone truly good or what makes someone truly bad, and are we either of those things? Loki is in that gray area. It’s exciting to be able to tell a story like that. As a director and a writer, you don’t necessarily understand why you are making these stories. Something I keep getting drawn back into is identity. Sex Education, we spoke a lot about identity and feeling like an outsider but actually finding your people. I feel the same with Loki. It’s a show about identity and self-acceptance and for me, that’s also what drew me in.

Gray is a good way to describe Loki. Your version of Loki just tried to take over the Earth not long ago.

Exactly. This isn’t the Loki we’ve seen. How do we take a character that people love, but from a lot earlier, and send him on a different path? That for me was interesting, getting to unpack that. Alongside that, getting to set up a whole new corner of the MCU with TVA. That to me was so exciting.

What about the Teletubbies? You referenced that recently and it made quite a splash. Are you going to leave people in suspense on that?

I referenced the Teletubbies once and people were like, “What, Teletubbies? What does this mean?” Maybe I should leave people in the air with it. One thing I would say is the show for me, stylistically — I wanted it to be a love letter to sci-fi because I love sci-fi. Brazil, Metropolis, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Alien. If people love sci-fi, they will definitely see the little nods we’ve got across the show.  People will know what it was a reference for when they see the show. It was a visual reference to something in the show.

Interview has been edited for length and clarity. Loki debuts on Disney+ on June 9.