#older art but it’s my most popular 😂

[cinnibelle]

[elitadream]

I have a quite a few questions to ask X3

like firstly, Bowser’s inside story is a pretty popular mario and luigi rpg but what would change in your version? would Bowser be disgusted seeing this more evilier bowser created by the dark star (which i randomly imagined would be an artefact created by Bowser’s ancestors and hidden under Peaches castle which only the Toads know about) and the whole “Mario and Luigi inside bowser’s body” thing i’m really curious about your Bowser’s anatomy cause game bowsers body anatomy was pretty silly for the most part

secondly, another random thing which i thought would be silly is that Game bowser’s design would be like a cartoony version of your bowser (basically being a mascot cartoon character) the toads would find this version funny and Peach would definitely find it amusing too, although i definitely think it wouldn’t happen in your version 😫

thirdly (and finally, for now at least) how would your versions of Mario, Luigi and Peach would react to their game versions? :0

sorry if this long 🙇‍♂️ i’m just fascinated by your version of the mario characters and i love your lord and world building!

Hello!^^

I talked a little bit in this older post about how I imagine these events would go in my version; IF the bros and Bowser were to ever collaborate, that is! As for his general anatomy: no, his shell is not detachable in my version. 😆🐢 He can't go inside of it either. I think of him more as an ankylosaurus! A walking tank whose whole back is like an impenetrable armor, making it nearly impossible to attack or wound him from behind.

Omg, Game!Bowser's design being a somewhat simplified/cartoonish representation of mine that the citizens would come up with is genius! 😂👏 I have to include this idea in my art somewhere. Love it!

I'm fairly certain that my main trio would get along quite well with their canon counterparts. 😊 Both Luigis would enthusiastically talk about their beloved bro and sympathize about the things they're each terrified of. >< My Peach would note a certain peacefulness and spontaneity about her game self that she has a little more trouble assimilating (being quite concerned about her royal duties and her level of competence as a ruler), but would otherwise find her delightful and inspiring. And Mario? Mine would wish he can be as unfiltered and silly around the princess as his original self is! 🥺😅 Game!Mario would give him a warm smile and a thumbs up in encouragement to help his confidence, and they'd enjoy doing parkour together in various areas across town.^^

And no worries!! I don't mind longer asks. 😁✨️ I'm glad you enjoy my portrayal of these characters. 🤗💕

[sesshy380]

Time for my breakdown of the four main characters for my WereKat AU! (Forewarning: This is going to be a long post and there will be a lot of images)

Throwing a tag to @resuri-art! You are the reason this AU appeared in my brain, therefor you must suffer the consequences! 😂

I'm going to start with Bakura, since he's kinda the most 'normal' out of the four (I use the word 'normal' very loosely)

(Click each image for better viewing)

Bakura is the only Human in the group. He's not like most Human's however, as he was found and raised by Naga when he was very young. He knows he obviously had a human family once, but he doesn't remember them.

His Naga family had to learn a lot when it came to raising a Human child ('They eat HOW many times EVERY DAY???'). Can you picture little Bakura trying his hardest to unhinge his jaw like his Naga sister, Dia, so he can eat a rat whole? He developed some rather unique eating habits due to this, which is how he first met Ryou.

Being that he's Human, walking into a butcher shop that specializes in Therian meats got him some very unpleasant looks. The proprietor wasn't very thrilled either, and was giving him a hard time. Cue Ryou's entrance.

Ryou is a Vampire (despite his very not-vampire aesthetic). But he's not just any Vampire, he's from one of the most highly respected Ancient lines: Necrophades. Despite his elevated status, he’s never felt like he belonged among Vampire society. He’s viewed as an outcast since he doesn’t share their hierarchical standpoint on things, but because of his status there is nothing the other Ancient lines can do about it.

Ryou doesn't follow the typical Vampire tradition of feeding off thralls, but instead prefers other, more ethical sources. His meeting with Bakura came about when he went to visit his regular butcher, who he pays well to save the blood of the animals he harvests.

Ryou found Bakura to be quite intriguing, and after some time the two began dating and moved in together.

Humans are notoriously monogamous, while the other races (due to their longer lifespans) are known for having polygamous relationships whenever it suits them. Being that Bakura was raised by Naga, his views when it comes to relationships is similar to Ryou's. Which is why he eventually found himself with not one, but two partners.

Say hello to the little spitball of energy and attitude that is Kat.

(Second image is to show off her markings when in her standard appearance)

Kat is a Felidae, which is a feline Therian (were-beast). She's pretty secretive about her background, only mentioning that she is the illegitimate offspring to a Kemati noble.

Bakura met her at the very popular casino/popular hotspot, Geal'drache, where she works as a cocktail waitress serving drinks to the patrons. She didn't treat him with the same disdain most people treat Humans with. They started talking, and as soon as he mentioned his boyfriend being into tabletop RPG's, her inner nerd flooded out.

No one really knows when it happened, but it started out with Kat coming over for campaign nights, to coming over to plot new campaigns, eventually staying the night on occasion because of how late she and Ryou stayed up plotting new nightmare mode campaigns, to her just suddenly living there. Somewhere along the way, Bakura acquired himself a Therian girlfriend. He's not really complaining. Everyone's cool with it, so why should he?

Then Ryou's old boyfriend, Amir, came back into the picture.

(Yay! Amir has markings too! He was my fave to design! His hair so floof!)

Amir is a Leona, which is a lion Therian. His brother, Marik, is the current King of the Kemati nation, and their older sister, Ishizu, is Marik's advisor to the crown. The three also have an older adopted Pantera (panther) sibling, Rishid, who is Marik's personal guard.

Long before Ryou met Bakura, he and Amir spent some time together as a secretive couple. Due to the politics involved in Amir's life, he couldn't be openly seen with Ryou. When Marik ascended the throne (due to a very unfortunate 'accident' that befell his father one night), Amir felt stuck between his duties and his secret lover. Ryou made the decision for him and told him if and when things changed, to come seek him out.

It's been ten years, but Amir hasn't forgotten what Ryou said...though, ten years isn't much when you live for centuries.

Amir found Ryou again, but was a bit shocked to see who he was now living with...and openly in a relationship with. He always knew Ryou to be a bit...eccentric...when it came to who he dated, but Amir never could have imagined Ryou with a Human.

Amir, like most everyone else, sees Humans as less than the dirt beneath his feet, and tolerates them simply because that was what one did. The idea of being in a relationship with one? Disgusting.

But, he hates the idea of losing the person he cares about most due to his own prejudices, so he simply tolerates Bakura's presence for Ryou's sake. The fact that same Human is also dating his childhood friend/devils advocate has nothing to do with it.

Seriously...his old flame and his childhood friend??? What's so special about that human?????

And there you have it! Four crazy people that are now living together and have their own weird relationships with one another!

Oh, bonus! Forgot to add that Therians like Amir and Kat have TOE BEANS (which is why their shoes are designed the way they are, so that not only is there room for toe claws, but also so there is room if they shift into a full beast).

(I cheated, because I can't draw feet any more than I can draw hands. Pinterest image that I used as a base trace here)

[otomiyaa]

Top 23 of 2023

Top 23 of 2023 on Tumblr is out and it made me remember something....!!! For those who also remember, I started this game last year and I just thought it would be nice to do it again. For reference, my post is ofc long gone, but here's Mia's~~

Tagging: @ticklygiggles & Everyone who wants to do it lol

Part 1: Fandom Faves 

01. Favorite new fandoms of the year: Red, White & Royal Blue, Honkai Star Rail

02. Favorite new ships since this year: Henry x Alex (RWRB) Sampo x Gepard (HSR), Ballister x Ambrosius (Nimona)

03. Favorite anime/TV shows of the year: Atarashii Joushi wa Do Tennen, Our Flag Means Death Season 2, Niehime to Kemono no Ou

04. Favorite movies of the year: Red White and Royal Blue, Nimona

05. Favorite characters of the year: Furina!!!! (Genshin Impact), also Gepard Landau (Honkai Star Rail), Miguel O'Hara (Across the Spiderverse), and a big honorable mention to the Fontaine gang in Genshin Impact (especially Freminet and Neuvillette)!

06. Favorite soundtrack of the year: Genshin Impact - Fontaine soundtrack and the Our Flag Means Death Season 2 soundtrack

07. Favorite book/manga/comic of the year: The Work Love Balance manhwa, and RWRB which is older but I discovered it thanks to the movie coming out.

08. Favorite games of the year: Genshin Impact, still my fav^^

09. Highlight of this year to remember: Bowuigi trending as a ship.

Part 2: Community Review

10. Favorite Tumblr moments of 2023: Tickletober with the very own list Mia and I created, and even though it was a negative thing at first - getting swarmed with kind words from you guys after I lost my blog. I'm a mere humble person but you guys seriously made me feel a little important for a moment there ^///^

11. Favorite fan art of the year: Hard to say, but I'll say this sampard piece I got from Val baby for my bday, and this Ukatake commission by @dokidoki-muffin, this spiderdads commission by @giulscomix, and this Ittorou commission by @chibimochii have also stolen my heart!

And ofc all other commissions of this year (the bowuigi one fs;ijogij; and miguel one omggg, the pokemon commission so CUTE). And *wiggles fingers* I have more on the way....

12. Favorite fic of the year: Hard to say but I've been enjoying a lot of the Tickletober works specifically by @lovelynim and @ticklygiggles, and also this Nimona fic by @bambinella has become a fav, and all RWRB fics by @kourtniwritesagain!!!!! I still need to reblog them here.

13. Favorite ask game of the year: I can't remember which ones I played, but I remember there was a time I had reblogged "post your anonymous confessions" or something, and it resulted in the most interesting asks and conversations with you guys^^ I liked that.

14. My top achievements as a writer/artist/creator/blogger: If I'll be around in a year, this won't be 'writer' but 'blogger', but for this one as a writer, it'll again be completing all 31 days of tickletober right on schedule despite a minor intervention.. :"D

15. My own best fic/post of the year: I have no idea! But if I ask AO3, it answers that my best fic of this year is my bowuigi fic mahahaha (based on kudos btw).

16. My most underappreciated fic/post of the year: Let's give that award to these 2 poor Tickletober fics (which I enjoyed writing a lot) that were not reblogged by anyone meaning they are no longer on Tumblr since my account loss:

Day 21: Horns/Fangs | Sariphi x Leonhart, King of Beasts (Niehime to Kemono no Ou) 

Day 23: Party | Momose x Shirosaki (Atarashii Joushi wa Do Tennen) 

17. A post of mine that got more popularity than expected: My comeback post! The comments, likes and even reblogs, I couldn't have ever imagined.

18. Something I changed on my blog since this year: You tell me 😂 No but besides the whole blog change, another change is that I got over my embarrassment and was brave enough to commission a couple of artists this year. Me and my money are now in a happy place!

Part 3: Next Year

19. Something I didn’t post this year but would like to do next year: A fic recommendations/faves post (from other writers). Wonder if I'll ever get to it, since my reading and fic reblogging is already not what I like it to be, meaning that every fic I reblog would probably belong on that list lol. But alright, I'd like to make a faves of the faves list then.

20. Goals for next year: Read more...!!! Read more books, more manga, more webtoons, more tickle fics. I love them, so I should read more! My truest ambition.

21. 2024 releases I look forward to the most: Every single update for Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail, and also: Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, Inside Out 2, Deadpool 3, Venom 3, Kimi ni Todoke S3, and Beastars Final Season!

22. Something else I look forward to next year: Traveling to Japan with my boyfriend! Also: receiving more tickles cuz why not. And last but not least, seeing Taylor Swift live at the Eras Tour in Amsterdam!

Part 4: Spreading Love

23. Shoutouts to people who made my 2023 a better year: I know, and you might know, I didn't do so well last time since I tagged a bunch of friends but also forgot to mention some... not because I didn't care about them but because I am a flopper. So to prevent this embarrassment I won't mention any names this time.

I especially would like to thank everyone who is still around, who is reading this, who followed my new blog. To be honest, on my old blog I felt flattered to have so many followers but I was also aware it was the effect of being active for 7 years in a ton of fandoms, and that it didn't say anything about the accurate number of people appreciating what I was posting.

But to be at already almost 500 followers on this blog? Where I only post shit? Now that's a compliment I will gladly accept. Thank you to all of you for the support!

Last but not least, special shoutout to the friends I talk to on Discord sooo much now, you know who you are!

Question list for copy paste below!

Part 1: Fandom Faves 

01. Favorite new fandoms of the year

02. Favorite new ships since this year 

03. Favorite anime/TV shows of the year 

04. Favorite movies of the year

05. Favorite characters of the year

06. Favorite soundtrack of the year

07. Favorite book/manga/comic of the year

08. Favorite games of the year

09. Highlight of this year to remember

Part 2: Community Review

10. Favorite Tumblr moments of 2023

11. Favorite fan art of the year

12. Favorite fic of the year

13. Favorite ask game of the year

14. My top achievements as a writer/artist/creator/blogger

15. My own best fic/post of the year

16. My most underappreciated fic/post of the year

17. A post of mine that got more popularity than expected

18. Something I changed on my blog since this year

Part 3: Next Year

19. Something I didn’t post this year but would like to do next year

20. Goals for next year

21. 2024 releases I look forward to the most

22. Something else I look forward to next year

Part 4: Spreading Love

23. Shoutouts to people who made my 2023 a better year

[erasurecloud]

Anon really be like "cry and cope I will say as I hide behind my mask while crying tears of anger over a differentiating opinion on pixels" like I'm sorry it's not that I find you being harassed funny, I just find it absolutely hilarious when peeps hide being anon and say shit like that when they can't even be brave enough to face the music without anonymity 😂 I'm not going to lie, I definitely interpret the situation a lot differently to you, but to me it's cool to see other's views on it even if I don't 100% agree but I do actually come to your blog for Kacchako art that I see you reblogging now and then! To take your mind of this todofam discourse, I would love to hear your Kacchako headcanons? or Katsuki headcanons? or Ochako headcanons?

FR ITS RIDICULOUS LIKE IM NOT THE ONE WHO NEEDS TO COPE HERE.

And anyway- omg another Kacchako fan!! I’ve got plenty of HCs of them (although fewer independent ones).

Shippy:

1. Ochako fell first but Katsuki fell harder

2. Ochako’s very messy compared to Katsuki’s cleanliness. Katsuki hates mess but leaves the mess she leaves around his room (or apartment, when they’re older) because he likes seeing her around his home

3. Katsuki was very nervous to meet Ochako’s parents. Ochako was not as nervous to meet Katsuki’s.

4. Katsuki is the n1 hero, Ochako’s ranked within the teens-20s. They’re both very popular as a hero couple and constantly brag about each other in interviews.

5. They have 2 kids, a son and a daughter. Their daughter is 2 years older.

Katsuki:

1. It’s popular but I do like the idea of him reading Shoujo manga

2. He has a stuffed turtle he’s slept with since he was a child (no one knows it exists)

3. He and Shouto are best friends (Deku & Kirishima who)

4. He’s a happy, flirty drunk

I don’t have as many for Ochako I can think of off the top of my head rn unfortunately since most of them are more so kacchako-centered but:

1. She’s best friends with Tsu

2. This is more of a theory but idt she had a ‘crush’ on Deku until after Aoyama put the idea in her head

3. She’s terrible at games (video, board, etc) and always loses

4. She’s a sleepy drunk

Bonus nsfw HC:

Katsuki’s the submissive one & Ochako’s much more dominate in the bedroom

[lostcauses-noregrets]

ASDFDSADF I am sorry for showing up uninvited but oh my god that other asks speaks to me! I joined Eruri fandom in January and the whole "you are a fake Eruri if you love Levi more than Erwin" thing (someone posted several screenshots of Eruri shippers and blamed them for liking Levi more????) happened back in the first or second day of February so I was pretty new to Eruri and its fandom and it ruined my entire vibe because I'm not interested in fandom dramas I just want calm and nice fandom interactions. You probably understand me considering how I have never seen you involved in any shipping or fandom drama. Anyway, that really made me feel :/ about this ship and 2-3 days later I saw someone mocking OC shippers and L*vihan shippers "oh he's a gay man he'd not fuck you you can't call yourself a Levi stan if you don't ship him with Erwin" and I was only a baby Eruri, only for a month and I thought no matter how amazing the ship is the fandom was terrible but luckily I saw how the fandom reacted to that first tweet they were all joking about how they are fake eruris for random reasons and thank god I stayed around to see that because for me honestly Eruri is the best ship ever and I really enjoy all the fan arts and fanfics but that tweet still haunts me SDFGdsadf some people need to realize that Erwin's position didn't allow him to get close to anyone else and his deepest bond was with Levi so a huuuuge majority of Erwin stans ship Eruri while Levi is extremely popular especially in Japan and he interacts with other characters more and he's "shipping shaped"/perfect for shipping so I think his stans are often multishippers and that's why it seems like Eruri is an Erwin ship to that other person, there is no consipracy theory or anything, it's simple as that. I know some Eruri fans pick fights or argue with other Levi ships but my experience after that tweet was very calm and wholesome, I think it's because Eruri is a mature ship? Most Eruri shippers I see are adults. (Sorry if I sent this twice I am drunkish but I got excited because lol that was my first Eruri drama and I never saw anyone else mention it before) love your blog by the way lots of love <3

Ooh....right! This is actually starting to ring a bell now! I do remember seeing people posting the most hilarious shit about being fake Eruris, but I missed the original tweets that caused the whole drama in the first place. This is invariably what happens, I miss the actual drama and end up catching the tail end of the fall out which leaves me completely confused. Literally me when there is drama on the timeline 😂

Fandom, by its nature, attracts people who tend to be...a little obsessive (to put it mildly) and no fandom is immune to drama, no matter how old or supposedly mature the fans are. The Eruri fandom is no exception. However I do think that with an older fanbase there is a better chance that drama will be viewed more dimly and shut down more rapidly when it inevitably arises. This is a case in point. I have no idea if anyone took the original posts serious or not (I hope not) but the fandom was pretty quick to turn the whole thing into a joke and pour ridicule on the idea that you were a "fake Eruri" if blah blah blah.

Anyway, I'm so glad you didn't let this nonsense put you off the Eruri fandom Anon and I'm glad you stuck around to enjoy all the amazing fic and art that we've been blessed with over the years.

[writethelifeyouwant]

2022 Writing Wrapped

Wow. What a year.

2022 has been a fucking ride, honestly more bumpy than smooth for me, but it’s had some amazing high points and almost all of them are connected to this website and my amazing community of readers. I’m lucky to call so many of you my friends and please know that I wouldn’t be here or be the person I am today without the love and support of each and every one of you. I’ve gained a whopping 300 more followers on Tumblr this year, putting me at over 1,300, and the number of my amazing website members has held steady and picked up a few new faces as well, so thank you all for sticking through this year with me, and thank you to all the new faces!

On my website, the most popular story was:

This was a surprise! Despite this being an older story (posted in May 2021), this page was the 4th most viewed on my website in 2022! It only got beat by the Homepage, the M&C page, and the Post Library 🤯 I guess we all needed to fantasise about Sam making us blackout orgasm high this year! (Honestly, same).

Your favourite new story was:

I’m so so glad that I got to write this series this year. I’ve had the idea for ages and it was great to finally get it down on paper. The twists and turns made it so fun to drip feed to all of you week over week, and I hope you didn’t hate me by the end of it 😆 I also owe a massive thank you to my beta, Jen @jld71, who was a fantastic resource and friend throughout this whole process, and the story wouldn’t be what it became without her!

My favourite thing I wrote was:

This mini series was so much fun to write! I had a great time exploring these characters and writing for Walker / Duke was a really interesting challenge. I also loved the Reader character in this fic, she’s the kind of woman I wish I could be. Total badass, confident in herself and her goals, but still completely susceptible to the charms of one Jared Padalecki – had to keep it realistic 😂 This story was a member exclusive, so if you'd like to read it, go visit my website!

2023 - What's Next?

I’ve got some really exciting stories I’m working on for 2023 that I think you’re all going to love! My posting schedule over the past few months has been pretty erratic–I’m sure you’ve noticed–and it’s one of my aims to set more achievable targets for myself this year so I don’t stress myself out and create problems where there are none. I obviously did not hit the target I set for myself in January of writing 50,000 words a month. Unfortunately, life and my mental health got in the way, as they always have a habit of doing, but I’m still really proud of how much I did manage to write this year! I still managed to write 70,000 more words than I did last year, and 370,000 words is basically 4 whole novels!

The other reason I am reducing my posting schedule in 2023 is that I officially launched my new small business–Bite Me Nail Art–in October this year and I am working on growing this dream full-time! Now that I’m balancing two small businesses that I run entirely by myself, I need to work smarter and put a lot of effort in behind the scenes doing planning, site maintenance, and promotion on top of the actual content creation and product production, which is the part that all of you see. So, this year I’m planning to keep my posting to twice a week so I can make sure the content you’re getting is still of the quality you’re expecting and something I’m happy to be putting my name on.

Tuesdays will remain my series update days, and mini-series and one-shots will post on Saturdays. The next series coming up will be:

There are going to be a few changes to my website tiers as well but I'll make a separate post about that!

And with that… Happy New Year! I hope everyone has a great night and next year gives you a chance to write the life you want to live.

[lady-of-pain]

*BONK!*

HEYO!! I bring asks!

4. Fav character/subject that's a bitch to draw

6. Anything that might inspire you subconsciously (i.e. this horse wasn't supposed to look like the Last Unicorn but I see it)

8. What's an old project idea that you've lost interest in

30. What piece of yours do you think is underrated

( and ty for the nice words on my ebby post! means a ton!!!)

Have a good one!

O SHIT ITS THE MAN!!!!! hello bimbom how are you!!!!! thank you for the asks! Your Ebrietas kicks so much ass you did a great job with her!!!

4. fave character/subject that’s a bitch to draw

- oh my god I hATE lineart. I struggled for a while when I first REALLY got into digital painting because I thought I had to do lineart. Turns out I can to whatever tf I want so I stopped doing lineart all together. I can do it if I have to but overall lineart and I are not friends 😂

6. Anything that might inspire you subconsciously (i.e. this horse wasn't supposed to look like the Last Unicorn but I see it)

- everyone already knows I’m inspired a lot by souls (not just as in fanart but with my own personal art too) LMAO I made a post the other day about how even before I played the games I was a fromsoft concept art hoe for years. I just love the gesture work and painterly style they’ve got going on. I fuck heavy w/ it. A lot of people have told me that my older art (ex. 2017ish) reminds them of Brian Froud and Toni DiTerlizzi though and I used to lean heavily into that same whimsical dark fantasy feel too. Here’s some old pieces from 2016-17!

8. What's an old project idea that you've lost interest in

- two years ago I painted a few tarot-inspired pieces for my senior gallery exhibition for art school. I was going to do a whole major arcana but lost interest. Not sure if I’ll pick it up again or not, I think my style has changed quite a bit! Here they are, though

30. What piece of yours do you think is underrated

- oh lord this is a hard one because of the imposter syndrome 🤣🤣 but I love all of my Vyke pieces. He’s just not the most popular character ever so that’s why they don’t get as much love I’m sure lol.

Thank you again, I hope you have a good rest of your evening/morning/day!!!

[airadam]

Episode 183 : The Natural

"Posthumous ain't the wave..."

- Mega Ran

For this month's cover art, I couldn't resist calling back to one of the most unexpectedly popular stars of the Olympics I was glued to earlier in the month, and going a little Griselda with it 😁 Music-wise, we're almost entirely Hip-Hop this episode, but visiting a lot of different chambers - got some brand new stuff, some tracks that are older than I realised, and we open up with a gem that never got a commercial release...

Mastodon : @airadam@mastodon.me.uk

Twitch : @airadam13

Playlist/Notes

Warzone : Take It Or Leave It

I left the drop on the front of this track to respect the blog DubCNN, from where I got this track way back - one I've never heard anywhere else! Warzone was a supergroup made up of Kam, Goldie Loc, and MC Eiht of CMW, who drop unapologetically gangsta lyrics through all three verses of this fire tune. Sadly, even though they did record a full album, the world never got to hear it due to them being unable to get a distribution deal - if anyone somehow has a copy, I would love to hear the whole thing! I think Mr. Porter is on production, which makes sense, with the drums having a distinctly Detroit timefeel which really adds to the overall flavour.

Sndtrak : Inhuman

The Detroit stalwart House Shoes was recently playing some beat flips by Oakland producer Sndtrack on a Twitch stream, and before he was done I'd already bought two of his albums, including "FLIPS V2: FLIP​-​TUCK" from which this is drawn. He deconstructs Michael Jackson's "Human Nature" on his Maschine and turns it into a dark, gothic, booming track which lives up to its title! This is an artist well worthy of your support.

Layfullstop : Did I Stutter

Brand new single from a double-threat MC/singer you might know from her work in the Manchester scene over the last few years - she posted a clip on Instagram and I immediately had to buy myself a copy! Layfullstop kills it in less than three minutes with flows and bars galore over a wicked self-produced beat that features smooth keys under an irresistible rhythm track. An artist to always keep an ear out for!

Mega Ran ft. The Outlawz : In The Game

It was great to see Mega Ran return to play in Manchester this month, and while it would have been easy to just reach for his most recent release, we're going back to a personal favourite, the "Live '95" LP. As someone who grew up loving Hip-Hop, hoops - and of course gaming - in the magical time of the 90s, this album explores the intersections of them all. Edi Mean and Young Noble of The Outlawz, best known as 2Pac's crew guest here with a couple of short and positive verses over Yon Li's production, but it's the headliner who really shines here with an excellent first verse. His lines about "anybody I ain’t rock with,��don’t put them on my projects" ring truer than ever in a world where some are excusing the use of AI deepfake tech to put words in the mouths of the deceased. We don't support that necromancy over here.

Zion I : We Got It

Accidentally deleted my notes for this - let's try again 😂 This was a nice B-side on the flip of "Here We Come" by Skhool Yard, both taken from the 2001 compilation "The Funky Precedent Vol. 2". The production by 418Hz is sparse enough to allow the straight-ahead dopeness on the mic from the late Zumbi to breathe.

Diamond D ft. Torae and Bishop Lamont : MERK

Jo-Jo on the low pro, the Forest Projects and DITC legend Diamond has returned to bless us with a new release this month, the nine-track "The Diam Piece 3 : Initium", loaded with featured guests all doing their thing over his top-shelf production. The crispy drums and guitar sample with a subtle bass backing create a clean but still grimy backdrop for all the MCs - Bishop Lamont from Cali and Brooklyn's Torae, both true insiders' choices - to bring quality bars. Well under three minutes long, this is concentrated dopeness.

[Jay Dee] Slum Village : Fall In Love (Remix Instrumental)

The original version of "Fall In Love" was at least at some point removed from retail copies of "Fantastic Volume II" due to sample clearance problems, but this remixed version is an underground classic in its own way. I recently picked this up as a 45, though I'd expect that there are some 12"  and digital releases containing this excellent J Dilla beat as well.

DJ Premier & Bumpy Knuckles ft. Flavor Flav : Shake The Room

He may only be on the hook, but I thought we needed the Public Enemy legend, US Women's water polo team sponsor Flav, and general US Olympic hypeman on the episode somewhere this month! As he has done so often for Chuck D, he brings a different tone and change of energy to this track to contrast the gravelly-voiced and aggressive style of Bumpy Knuckles, with DJ Premier switching up the beat in those sections to match. The first single from the "Kolexxxion" LP, this one has a beat that Busta Rhymes apparently rejected, but Bumpy and Flav have made it what it needed to be.

Black Milk ft T3 and Phat Kat : Danger

Into the crates for a Phat Kat feature after getting the chance to play an all-Detroit warmup set before he performed in Manchester earlier this month! This cut from fellow 313 native and beast producer Black Milk's debut LP "Sound Of The City, Volume 1" has him taking the mic for the opening verse, before T3 of Slum Village takes the baton for the second, and finally Phat Kat burns it down on the close with pure aggression. Some of those that Kat said should "stop rapping and drive a cab" might well prefer to look into rideshare options if they were on the receiving end of this torching 🔥

Jel : Delete Sound

Just a short instrumental bridge courtesy of Jel, co-founder of the Anticon label as well as, of course, a producer in his own right. This is a great drum workout entirely done on the legendary SP-1200, from the 2002 "10 Seconds" album, named after the total sampling time the SP has available!

O.C. : The Inventor

I have to credit DJ Rolling Adam for introducing me to this track after playing it on one of his Twitch streams! It's a bit of an O.C. obscurity that had passed me by, with Ogee cleverly using the intro of a much loved jazz track that has been sampled on some classics - none of which made much of this part of the original. On the mic...standard solid performance from O.C., who can always be relied on to hold up his part of proceedings. You can find this on the 2006 "Hidden Gems" collection, or on 12" if you're willing to buy one of the relatively few copies that seem to be available on the used market.

Kev Brown : The Cause (Instrumental)

Absolutely fire beat! Not a crazy number of elements, just the basics done flawlessly, which is a real strength of Landover's Kev Brown, one of the most respected producers of his generation by those in the know. Of all the tracks from his "Selective Hearing" project with LMNO, this was by far my favourite, and the instrumental works well in a standard DJ set, an MC cipher, as a scratch backdrop - it has a quality and restraint that give it ultimate versatility.

Verb T ft. Malek Winter and Da Flyy Hooligan : Mere Mortal

Heavy UK business. The "Restoration" project is a collaboration between the veteran MC Verb T (who may be best known to many as one quarter of The Four Owls) and Malek Winter, who comes through with the 21st century lo-fi boom-bap styles on production. North-West London "gourmet rap" purveyor Da Flyy Hooligan features here, as one of the very few guests on the LP, as the MCs speak on how no matter how bulletproof you may feel, it's never quite so.

Sean Price : Title Track

Ok - in a total inversion of Ronseal naming conventions, this tune is called "Title Track" but the album it comes on is entitled "Mic Tyson", meaning that this is actually not the title track in literal sense! Classic merry rulebreaking from the late great Sean P, whose brutal bars on this 2012 release jockey for position against Eric G's slow, grinding, dramatic beat for sheer aggression. As always, R.I...P!

DJ Quik ft. David Blake II : Shine

There are all kinds of things I've seen in Hip-Hop as time has gone on that remind me of my (thankfully) advancing years, but this one is up there - DJ Quik, who I first heard as a nineteen-year-old MC on  the 1990-recorded "Tonite", being in the game long enough that on this track his son is the featured guest! Quik's production is low-tempo with the double-time hi-hats doing work to add a feeling of extra pace as son and then father get on the mic for each of the two verses. This pick from 2014's "The Midnight Life" is certainly not "Just The Two Of Us", but it's an interesting union all the same.

Trae Tha Truth : Trunk Gone Glow

We go deep and dark sonically as we approach the end of the show, taking it down to Houston, Texas, for a track from a true legend of the scene. This comes from the "Another 48 Hours" mixtape, the second of two albums released by Trae that were recorded in a mere two days each! Trademark Houston lyrical content, talking about the famous SLAB cars and the light-up trunk kits that make them extra-personalised. MOXIII and Watson The Great are credited with production over the whole LP, and this track is a spaced-out, screwed-up synthy soundscape with quality drum machine work over the top.

[El-P] Run The Jewels : Job Well Done (Instrumental)

If I see the instrumentals for a good album available for sale, I make a point of picking them up, so this month I was glad to notice that the beats for the first Run The Jewels LP had been released as a standalone collection. If you already know the album, then you know that it was packed with raw beats and this one is no exception - no crossover style, no chill, just banging, menacing production from El-P.

Justice & Thundercat : The End

This played during the closing ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics and sent me - and a lot of other people - scrambling to Shazam it before they switched to something else! The combination of the French electronic duo Justice and Los Angeles bass force of nature Thundercat (although he's primarily on vocal duties here) is sonic bliss, and makes this year's "Hyperdrama" album one to seek out if this is anything to go by. If you have a nice, clean, tuned sound system...this is going to sound spectacular.

Please remember to support the artists you like! The purpose of putting the podcast out and providing the full tracklist is to try and give some light, so do use the songs on each episode as a starting point to search out more material. If you have Spotify in your country it's a great way to explore, but otherwise there's always Youtube and the like. Seeing your favourite artists live is the best way to put money in their pockets, and buy the vinyl/CDs/downloads of the stuff you like the most!

Check out this episode!

[dreadfutures]

Felassan? 👀

My first impression was through fandom, that he was much more of a trickster/mischievous figure than he turned out to be, and that there was more canon content than there actually was lol.

My first impression in Masked Empire was: he is much more suave than fandom gives him credit for. Yeah he chewed on some bark and has some quips but he's clearly operating in a calculating way, and is very consciously acting as a MENTOR and shaping Briala. They're not friends or family or allies, he is trying to nurture her as a revolutionary, as one experienced agent to another, and that was what came across very clearly to me personally.

of course I posted this on mobile before I finished lol EXCUSE ME

My favorite moment is when Felassan I think is pressing Briala on her convictions, I think it's after the burning of Halamshiral maybe?

Well I had thought my unpopular opinion would be that Felassan is very brown, and older, but apparently that's actually quite popular because it is my most popular art to date l o l

Hmmm my favorite headcanon is that Felassan's vallaslin in Wicked Empire is actually painted/fake and that's why it keeps changing in every drawing of him 😂

[negans-savior-complex]

Mountain Dew, Banana Milkshake, Latte, Cappuccino, White Tea, Schweppes, Grapefruit Juice

Drinks Ask Game

Mountain Dew - Have your ever disliked something and then changed your mind?

- Yeah, back when I was 10 or 11 when Pokemon was the Big New Popular Thing here, my grandma bought me this Pokemon magazine and in it was a two page article on another anime (Dragonball Z) that was scheduled to air on TV soon. And just looking at that article and seeing the screenshots used to fill me with so much hatred 😂 It was the art style, I thought it was so incredibly fucking stupid looking and I hated it so much. It got even worse when the commercials started airing.

Joke's on me though, I ended up giving it a go out of morbid curiosity and got hooked so bad after only watching one episode, and now 25 years later I still like it. I could talk about Saiyans and all of my headcanon on them aaaallllll day!!!

Banana Milkshake - What “Old Person” things do you do?

- I have no idea if this counts as an old person thing, but when I go to bed and get comfy, I read a book for about 30 minutes. You couldn't catch me doing this 6 years ago.

Latte - What did you think was cool then, when you were a kid but isn’t cool now?

- This is super cringe: my RP buddy, way back in the mid 2000s when I only wrote OCs, we had this story that took place in hell, with demons and such and copious amounts of 'yaoi' and 'bishonen characters'. The world was pretty fleshed out and one of my main characters was the devil... so we joked with each other that we - because our devil character looked like a hot anime dude with wings and he was our favorite - were devil worshipers. Yeah I know. Stupid. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Either way, one day she visited me and we went to this small bookstore in town, run by this old lady, and we went in to ask if she had any books about, you guessed it, satanism. We meant it as a joke, dumb as shit as we were, but of course she didn't think it was funny and chased us out. And that's when I kinda realized that it really wasn't funny at all.

I lost contact with that friend about a year later for different reasons, and while I don't want to put all the blame on her because the devil character was my design and idea and was mostly written by me, she was very anti-Christianity and I think I was pretty influenced by her at the time because I looked up to her a lot (she was like 7 years older than me and super cool in my eyes).

So yeah. Big Yikes. I feel like a dodged a bullet when we stopped being friends.

Cappuccino – You only get 3 words to describe yourself �� what are they?

- Creative, loyal, shy

White Tea - What’s one thing that can instantly make your day better?

- Getting to sit down, relax and finally talk to my friends, especially after a long day T^T

Schweppes – What do you wish you were really good at?

- Being naturally confident. Most of the time my confidence is completely faked but I wish I could just... go and do the things I wanna do, meet people and go places I've never been before without my own anxiety-ridden brain holding me back all the time.

Grapefruit Juice - When you have 30 minutes of free-time, how do you pass the time?

- Youtube and Reddit

@wrathfulmercy thanks bae <3

[ishipallthings]

4, 7, 13, 23, 29, 37, 38 And 40 for Just Keep Your Eyes on Me

This is a very helpful distraction 🤗

4. How many fic ideas are you nurturing right now? Care to share one of them?

My To Write list is officially way too long for me to begin counting my plot bunnies. Right now I have 3 WIPs that I am actively working on, not including my MTH 2019 and RBB fics. 

One of them involves a lot of “accidental” kissing and has this as a working summary: 

Steve and Tony accidentally kiss after a mission. 

It becomes a Thing, but that doesn’t mean anything. It doesn’t mean they’re dating. It certainly doesn’t mean Tony’s in love with Steve.

The working title is: Don’t Pretend (You Don’t Wanna Kiss Me) 😂

7. Share a snippet from one of your favorite pieces of prose you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

It’s slow but steady progress as they try and learn what being a team means outside of saving each other’s lives and stopping super-villains. Their habits start to make room for one another; Natasha and Steve spar together in the gym when their schedules match up, and Thor tries out meditation with Bruce, taking a shine to it. Once, Steve watches Tony sparring with Natasha, and though he’s no match for her, he’s surprisingly good for someone who spends most of his time on the field encased in a suit of armour, moving much faster and landing quite a few more blows than Steve expects.

It’s not perfect of course. Steve knows his teammates are hiding more scars than they’ll allow themselves to show, and he’s no exception, but there’s something tying them together now, beyond working together when the world needs them to. It’s not six pieces coming together to create something whole, but an affinity between them, similarity in broken places.

This is from I’ll Be (Good To You), my very first Steve/Tony fic. I like how this snippet shows the team coming together as they slow learn what it means to be more than a team. I unabashedly indulged in found family feels for this fic :D

13. What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever come across?

 Feed your imagination from different sources (movies, art, games, etc), not just the genre/subject you’re writing about. 

23. If you were to revise one of your older fics from start to finish, which would it be and why?

No Control (Now You Know). It was the very first thing I ever wrote for the Steve/Tony fandom, and while I’m fond of it (and it’s my second most popular fic, kudos-wise), I think I would do a better job executing the concept if I were to write it now.

29. If you could write the sequel (or prequel) to any fic out there not written by yourself, which would you choose?

Probably a sequel/prequel to never thought, but knew by @navaan (one of my favorite CA:CW fix-its) focused on how Steve/Tony end up together before the time travel and True Love’s Kiss. 

37. Talk about your current wips.

Aside from the accidental kiss fic and RBB, I’m also working on:

1) EG fix-it inspired by Lover Come Hold Me by @thegertie, which is a phenomenal fic. 

2) Fluffy established relationship femslash Steve/Tony

3) My MTH 2019 fic, which involves retired Steve/Tony post EG and a lot of pining.

38. Talk about a review that made your day.

Someone mentioned that they really loved how I wrote Sharon and her relationship with Tony in Won’t You Say Love. I love Sharon, so I was over the moon to hear that they liked how I wrote her.

40. Write an alternative ending to Just Keep Your Eyes On Me. 

It would have been fun to write about Tasha and Steve going on their first proper date, though that’s more of an added scene than an alternative ending. 

l guess another way to go would be to write about Steve not reacting well to the revelation that Natasha Stark is also Iron Woman, and how they work past that.

[jeanmoreaux]

Friend, thank you for your kind replies regarding my grisha rants 😂 I wish to be like you, and calmly approach differences in reading between fellow readers. I agree with you completely that a lot of the time the entire reading experience is so subjective, depending on your own POV.

However! I am too villainous ψ(｀∇´)ψ! And this is another chest of worms to get into another day but, while I grew up reading YA, it has made me become an extremely picky reader because of the oceans of disappointment over the years and kind of growing up and seeing the flaws of it through a new lens that keeps changing as we grow older. And at some point I realized it’s because I can’t relate to most of them (and that’s ok!! I still enjoyed them) but when I did find books in my adulthood I connected with, it…was such a surreal experience

And I believe I definitely am very much older in age as it shows 😭 because just a last little chip, but the part where you mentioned being too harsh to the grisha trilogy when it helped establish these tropes and plot lines—I disagree :<

I have come across many stories/books/media that were repeating these same plot lines and character tropes long before it was published in 2012+. I do however, believe that it was one of the fantasy YA books that helped popularize these said tropes further to a new hype! (Kind of like how Twilight or 50 Shades acted as a type of rebirth/hype trigger in their respective genres)

In fact I do believe these overused/overfamiliar plot lines and stereotypes aren’t necessarily bad!! Its been around forever after all, it’s just a matter of how it gets changed up depending on how writers use them, how the story is being told

It’s more of how the author will utilize it in the long run, and how well the character development happens throughout the story, going deeper than the surface level we initially meet them at. Like how well peeling back the layers is (I’m terrible at doing this, I still cry when I peel onions 🧅)

And now this was again too long ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ

Forgive me, it’s been a tough couple of years I haven’t been able to meet w friends to discuss books 📖

hahaha yeah i mean art and our experience with it is so subjective and in most instances i would never dare to invalidate someone's experience with a piece of media! i love to hear people's opinions on stories bc it's so interesting to me to see who resonates with what and what kind of things don't work for some people. i think hearing different opinions just broadens your own understanding of the different ways you can approach and look at media.

ofc you're absolutely right about the tropes/plot line thing!! these tropes and plot lines did exist well before the grishaverse! i think you said it much better than i did (and properly put into words what i meant)—it popularised these tropes/plot lines and kind of established them as *a thing* in the (back then relatively new or newly popularised) genre of YA fantasy.

and i also wholeheartedly agree with "overused" tropes/plot lines not having to be bad at all! i mean, they're wildly used and popular for a reason. there are so many different ways you can change up little things or add something to them—and sometimes even adhering to the well tested formula without changing anything can work for a story. it's really all about what a story *needs* to reach it's potential. and what the goal of the narrative actually is.

pls don't apologise for long-ish asks! i know how it feels. sometimes you just need to get it out of your system, especially when you didn't have time to talk about it a lot with others!