#otherwise though - people have been putting nice comments :3

[brazen-art]

Hey bud, I think you got a lil somethin on your leg…

[kissesazula]

BACK TO THE OLD HOUSE

— g.satoru

| sum: satorus never liked being home. he hates the word home and everything to do with it. so what are the chances that he meets a soft, warm girl who feels like the home he’s dreamt of having.

an: hi guys! this is my first ever post! wooooo!!! any tips and recommendations on how to look more aesthetically pleasing and writing would help great! i think this is what people call a one shot?? idk :( enjoy<3

finding himself at the dawn of the day, sweeping tides brushing against his ears as he walked barefoot in the chilly water of the ocean, finding himself bored as he had escaped the estate.

they weren’t living his life, as a teenage he should be careless and free, right? wrong. his elders thought otherwise and forced him to train to be the next heir to the family name, having a huge name in japan and a reputation to behold. it didn’t help how he was an only child with no cousins so they couldn’t take the position of heir because they were nonexistent. oh how he prayed to anyone everyday that he wishes that he could escape this heinous family, wondering what horrible thing he did in his past life to get set up with a family this bad.

strolling down the beach in only a white tee and shorts, airpods plugged into his ears and blasting ‘heaven knows im miserable now’ by the smiths. sand getting in between his toes while the water tried cleaning it away, his pearly white hair drooping down his forehead as he looked down.

i would rather not go

he simply mumbled along with the song, looking up and seeing the sunrise, seeing how long he’s been out for, wondering if his ‘family’ were already out looking for him.

back to the old house

“augh!” he slightly jumped as his chest had bumped into someone’s head, feeling the cold contact of their hair brushing against his thin t-shirt. groaning in slight pain but more of annoyance as he looked down. “hey look where you’re-“ and meeting the set of 2 wide eyes starring back at him, scared.

“ oh my gosh— im so sorry!” the person underneath him panicked, immediately taking some steps back and bowing in front of him. a girl, young and frail, big deer eyes and plump lips, slight freckles, long hair with and oversized jacket, t-shirt and pj pants. “o-oh it’s fine! it was my fault anyways..”

he slowly turned shy as she raised herself from bowing before him. noticing the glasses on his face even though it was sunrise and the sun was barely out. “sunglasses? this early?” she questioned confused and innocently, tilting her head as he looked in between his eyes.

“fashion statement.” he cracked a joke, expecting a slight chuckle out of her, but instead he got a high pitched giggle, that eventually turned into a laughter burst. putting her hand on her stomach as she bent her back over in laughter. satoru was confused, was the joke that funny? no he was just a funny guy. “oh you’re so funny!” the girl slowed her laughter down, wiping the small tears that ran down her face.

“im (name)! nice to meet you!” she smiled softly as she extended a hand out for a shake. satoru chuckling at her bubbly personality as he took her hand and bent down, bringing her hand to his pink cold lips as he planted soft kisses on her hand. “satoru. glad to meet you.” now satoru was certain that she would start blushing into a total mess, but instead she giggled at him and questioned his gesture. "youre so old!" she laughed as she put her hand back to her side.

satoru looked at her in disbelief, like he was actually insulted. “what?! im only 17!” he pouted, lips turning into a frown as he crossed his arms and looked to the side, seeing that the sun was almost fully up. hearing her coo from right beside him. “17?! no way! you look at least 22! im 17 too” she said surprised as she covered her mouth with her hands. satorus neck quickly turning to her at her comment, with a stunned expression, did she just call him old?

there’s too many memories

he looks offended by her comment, scoffing as he rolls his eyes playfully under his sunglasses. “thanks sweet heart but im not. got a mouth on ya.” chuckling, her pupil only grow larger with every word that comes out of his mouth, mesmerized by his face, laughter, personality, smile— just everything in general had her on a tight rope.

“well, what are you doing out so early?” he ponders, even though it’s none of his business nor that he should care, but he does, he does care because there’s something about her that’s just so… warm.

“shouldn’t i be asking you that as well?” she giggles, bringing her hand to cover her smile. “im joking, i just needed time away from my boyfriend….. a lot of time. being a real-“ stopping her sentence midway as she looks around her, scouting her surroundings. “asshole..” she mumbles the last part out, afraid that her boyfriend would be nearby looking for her. satoru can’t help but laugh. painfully laughing and happily laughing, she has a boyfriend and she was funny.

“needed my personal time.” he looks to the ocean, seeing the full risen sun as she panics in place. “o-oh! im so sorry for disturbing you then! i-ill get going..!” she quickly spits out, words confusing satoru, she wasn’t being a bother? he knew he couldn’t stop her, her boyfriend was probably looking for her by now, but he wanted her so bad, to be friends with.

“wait! could i get your number? n-no not like that! to be friends.” embarrassed by the thought, he clarifies himself before anything else could be said. she smiles briefly before pulling her phone out and handing it to satoru, who gladly puts email, phone number, birthday, and a contact photo and name. handing back the phone to her, watching her lips curl into a cute

and you never knew

“well, I’ll see you soon, satoru.” she says her goodbyes before quickly running off back to the parking lot, watching her hop onto her pink bike and ride away. he smiled as she turned her head around and waved back to satoru, waving back to her.

there was something so alluring about her, she was so… interesting. maybe it was the way she smelled, her voice? personality? face? he doesn’t know. wether it was one of those, he wanted to grow closer to her and build a bond. maybe even be her boyfriend— no that was a stretch, she already had one, but he seemed like a total dick with the tiny bit of information she told. loving how it didn’t bother her to keep smiling through, he craved that as a person. yes, he could smile too, but it wouldn’t be a genuine smile like hers, no hers was real, it felt real. she felt like something he’s craved for a long time, home.

how much i really liked you.

[ppnuggie]

　　　　　　TRAILCUTTER x female reader

　　　　『　trailcutter ,, female reader 』

　　-> pt . 1 / teebs w/ a reader that works for cybertronian/human relations

　　— fluff ,, sfw ,, comfort ,, reassurance <3

　　— just a little series of mine ill work on :3 feel free to request any of them <33 ive got a few short series in mind ,, one w/ drift in a fast n furious sorta au w/ undercover cop reader ,, one w/ tracks n a cop reader ,, theres another short series im doing w/ the minibots (including rung + minimus) w/ the reader on the lost light :D

— feel free to reblog or give any comments / feedback ! <3 i enjoy reading them and seeing my work spread !

        fixing the bowtie to your suit ,, you heard trailcutter sigh in the background . fixing any stray strands of hair left out ,, you turned around to your lover . " you doing okay ?" you asked with a head tilt ,, eyes staring into his own visor as he flashes a small smile . "alls good ,," he brushed it off . though you kept your stare fixated on him ,, frowning . " nervous ,, maybe ,," he casted his helm to the side . he couldnt keep his troubles hidden ,, you knew him too well for that .

        " it'll be alright teebs ,," you reassure the bot ,, walking over and placing your hand against his leg . he would have to mass displace for the interview . as the liason for earth ,, people on the planet were curious about your new relationship with one of the crew members . the government didnt say much ,, but you knew they didn't approve of it . though people on earth were thrilled ,, an interspecies relationship ! the first of it ,, with humans that is .

        and so one of the few famous reporters were interested in doing an interview with you both . saying they want to know about life in space ,, how it was aboard the lost light ,, and what its like to be with a cybertronian . trailcutter ,, lord bless his spark ,, he was all for it ,, but now that he started to think it through ,, he was nervous about their reactions .

        it wouldnt be his first ,, or last ,, time around humans . hes been to earth ,, met the residents and seen the sightings ,, but now that he was in a relationship with a human ,, and about to be interviewed ,, he couldnt help but worry about what might happen . what if says something wrong ? or does something to make people think otherwise of interspecies relationships ? especially his with you ? his spark hummed loudly ,, visor dimming as he worried more and more . " hey ,, look at me ." your voice broke his worried thoughts .

he crouched down to your height ,, or as best as he could . " you'll do fine ,, i know it ." your hands wrapped around his digit ,, a smile settled upon your lips as you eased his nerves . " if they go overboard or say something that makes you uncomfortable ,, just tell me and we can leave immediately . i promise trailcutter ,, i wont put you in a situation you dont want to be in ." you reassured the bot ,, hands petting his digit . " if you dont want to do this we can call it off ,, and ill message the interviewer . they'll understand ,, im sure ." primus bless you ,, trailcutter really felt like he didnt deserve you . he wouldnt say that out loud though ,, knowing you'd get upset and tell him he shouldnt think that way . but he knows ,, he knows deep down that you mean the world to him ,, that he doesnt really deserve someone as nice and understanding as you . he's lucky to be with you ,, still awestruck at the fact you chose him over any other bot .

you could've chosen rodimus ,, with his bright and flashy paintjob and outgoing personality . you couldve chosen ratchet ,, who could help you with anything and was quite a handsome mech in a way . there was also skids ,, who was more the nice to you and made you laugh often . or even the minibots aboard the ship ; swerve — who knew more about earth than trailcutter did — would be a good match for you . even that little guy tailgate hes seen around . they were better suited for your height ,, and wouldnt have to worry so much about accidentally squishing you underfoot like he does everyday . hell ,, you even could've chosen cyclonus . he had shanix ,, and knew a lot more than he did about anything in the universe .

but you didnt . you chose him ,, a mech with a drinking problem and many insecurities . a mech known as a little horsey to be used for his force fields only . though it was due to those very force fields that had attracted you to strike a conversation with him . giving him more compliments he'd ever receive in his whole life . that little conversation would lead into a friendship ,, and those little moments between you two would blossom into your relationship . you had taken the mech a long way ,, his insecurities started to become something he was starting to feel confident in . while he still drank ,, he didnt do it as often or enough to get overloaded like he usually did .

" thank you ,," was all he could muster . servos wrapped themselves gently around your body ,, lifting you up to his facial plates so he could plant a kiss to your head . " i'm good ,, i'm ready ." he said ,, derma curling into a smile . " you look good with that suit on ,," he commented ,, digit moving up to play with your little bowtie . you raised a brow at that ,, " is that so ?" your lips formed a smirk . " should i wear this more then ?" trailcutter nodded ,, letting out a chuckle . " please ,," he pleaded gently .

[fangirlstorycreator]

Hi!!! I do like you're stories about new characters. Like daryl. I liked that one. But I do really miss a good old terry story. Is there any chance you could do a story about old terry where your engaged? But he meets your mum who's an almond mum. If you know what that is? I'd love to read about how he would be around the mum and if he would do anything to give a little payback? Thanks in advance XxX

Of course I can do that for you anon, I do miss getting requests for Thomas's characters 🤗 I hope you enjoy 💚

Contains: rude and overbearing mother, spiteful comments about body image

P.S. Anyone reading this, no matter what size you are, your all beautiful. And don't let anyone tell you otherwise 🤗

It had been 3 months since Terry has proposed to you, it was the most romantic moment. He used his private jet to fly you to Paris at sunset, walked you to the Ifle Tower and had an enormous heart shape on the ground made of candles and rose bouquets.

He even got down on one knee! It was perfect. And what was even more wonderful, when you said yes (OBVIOUSLY! It's Terry!) He pulled you in for a kiss as fireworks were set off in the sky above you both, it was better than perfect. So, in these past 3 months, you had been so lovely dovey together, and wrapped up in eachother that you had forgotten to let certain family members know about the news. To be fair, there was only one blood relative you needed to tell......and you weren't looking forward to it. You were sat on the floor against the sofa one evening, with Terry sat on the sofa right behind you, rubbing your shoulders as you flicked through pictures in a wedding cake collection magazine. "Oooh! That one looks nice" "I think so too Te-oh wait babe, this one is made with walnuts" "Yuck! Ok scratch that one" He chuckled. "Is there any flavour hear that takes your interest Terry?" "Hmmm? How about one of these on page 44?" "That is the...triple chocolate, or the raspberry and white chocolate. Both good choices" "They look almost as tasty as you sweetheart" "Terry!" "I'm just saying"

You giggle a little as you look over those two options, loving each one and enjoying the freedom to choose. It wasn't always that way growing up, and this freedom was wonderful. "I know we're deciding on the cake, but have you managed to ask everyone you wanted weather they would like to come or not sweetheart?" "Yes...all but one" "Huh? Why did you say it like that?....Oh....It's your mum isn't it?" "Yep. I don't have any idea if I even want her there, you remember what I've told you about her?" "I do, and it's safe to say I'm not really wanting to meet her any time soon. But she is your mum. I mean, how long has it been? 12 years?" "It has, yeh. I couldn't get out of there quick enough when I turned 18, and she wondered why I wanted to move out the day after my birthday" "Was it her not wanting to think she was in the wrong?" "Oh she knew she was in the wrong, but she's one of those people who, no matter what they've said or done, want to play the victim" "I can understand why you haven't spoken to her yet. I do have an idea though" "Yeh? Let's hear it" "So your not sure if you want her to come, and I completely understand that. But I think she should have a chance to at least apologise for what she put you through. Maybe, don't invite her to the wedding just yet, but invite her to meet up and try and patch things up"

"You think she'd do it?" "I think she'd be mad not to try and work things out with you. She's missing out on one of the greatest things a mother can experience with her only child. So maybe, give this idea a try before you decided on what to do in regards to inviting her to the wedding" "I think it's a good idea babe....it will be difficult though. I wouldn't even know what to say" "If it will make you feel better, I can come with you" "You'd do that for me?" "Of course I will sweetheart, I love you, and I want to support you anyway I can" "Thank you Terry, I love you too" The next day you found your mothers contact details and sent her a text message asking if she would like to meet up for a coffee. She agreed, but you were still a little cautious, you knew your mum could be a really nasty woman when she wanted to, and would resort to even trying to get into your home when your not there. That's what she did when you first moved out, you had to change the locks twice , and when she refused to stop banging on your door all the time, you had to move again and cut all contact. You weren't going to make the same mistake again, and told your mum to meet in a coffee shop two towns away from where you and Terry lived. Terry was fine with it, his priority was you and your feeling of safety.

The day had come, and you were sat in the coffee shop with Terry he held your shaking hand whilst it was on the table. "It will be fine sweetheart, why don't I get us a drink?" "That sounds lovely Terry, thank you" He smiles and gives you a sweet peck on the lips before he makes his way over to the counter. As he's up there, the figure of a medium hight and very slim woman walks through the door. She has a pointed nose, which she seemed to look down on other people with, like she thought she was the most important person in the room. She wore heels, a tight and stylish dress, like something you'd wear to a posh office. She looked around like this place wasn't good enough, like she wanted to be in a 5 start restaurant instead. Typical of her....Sandra....Your mother. "Over hear mum" You wave to her, she looks at you, no smile, just walks over. You stand to offer her a handshake, but she simply takes a seat infront of you instead, making you feel awkward as you sit back down too. "So....mum....how have you been?" "Fine....I've been fine since you left me all on my own" "You know why I left mum, let's not bring it up again please" "(mutters under her breath) you brought it up" You hear footsteps behind you, and thank goodness it's Terry. "Hear we go sweetheart, your favourite. Oh hello, you must be Sandra?" "Who are you? One of the people who work hear?"

Terry takes a seat and holds your hand once more, he can tell you needed it. "No mum, Terry doesn't work hear. Mum, this is my partner Terry. Terry, this is my mother" "It's a pleasure to meet you" he lies. He offers her his hand, but again, she just looks down her nose at him. "Are you serious Y/N?" "What?" "This man is old enough to be your father!" "Seriously mum?!" "What? It's the truth" Terry and you are both taken aback by her response, but Terry knows how to act in this kind of situation, he knows he only wants to make sure your comfortable. Frankly, he couldn't give a sh#t what people thought of him, he was in love, and you were all that mattered. "Age is just a number mum! I love him, Terry is my partner and bestfriend" "You were incapable of finding someone of your own age, so you pluck someone from the retirement home?" "MUM!" Terry clears his throat. "I think you'll find your daughter is the most beautiful and wonderful woman I have ever met, and she could have any man she wanted with just a click of her fingers. I feel honoured she loves me the same way I love her"

You can't help but smile warmly when he says that, he always knew what to say to make you feel loved. "I see, so this is the reason you asked me along hear today Y/N? To show off your 'apparent' success and 'love life'?"

"No mum...I wanted to meet up to see if there was anyway we could....maybe talk about the past? And maybe work out a way we could mend our relationship?" "(Huff) All you needed to do was call me and apologise" "Excuse me?! What?!" "You heard me! If you want any kind of relationship with me, you earn it!" "ME EARN IT?! Your the one who needs to apologise to me!" "I don't know what you mean" "Oh don't play dumb! I remember everything you said to me growing up. It destroyed me" "Is this the silly business you complained about with the diet you were on?" "That wasn't a diet mum! I've seen children in starving countries fed better than you fed me" "It wasn't my fault you were fat" "I never was fat mum! I was never told by a healthcare professional that I was overweight. And when they said I wasn't overweight, you told them they were BLIND! And that they couldn't do their jobs!" "Of course the couldn't do their jobs! A porky child infront of them and they don't be honest about it!" "I was never over weight or fat mother" "In your mind Y/N. That diet was for your own good" "Are you kidding me?! You wouldn't let me eat anything real! It was ALL raw vegetables! A child cannot survive on that, when your growing up you need nutrients, vitamins, sugars, minerals, healthy fats-" "The last thing YOU needed was fats!" "Healthy fats mother! You wouldn't even let me eat pasta! I was sick, I was sleepy and I couldn't even focus on my school work at the time because I was starved" "That's your problem, not mine" "And on top of that! You made me run with you before and after school on an empty stomach!"

"You needed to slim down, you were still too fat for me" "......that's it, isn't it? It's not about my health....it's about image. You never wanted me to be healthy, you just wanted to make yourself look better with a skinny child" "Excuse me?" "You've never been concerned with MY wellbeing, all you've ever thought about is is yourself and how others will see you, and me" "Your wrong, your just jealous because you've clearly not been able to keep the slim body I helped you achieve" "Don't you dare talk about my body now! I am healthy! I am not over or underweight. I could have damaged my organs due to what you did to me" "It made you look skinny didn't it?" "What is wrong with you?!" Terry was slowly growing more and more angry at your mother, and he was trying very hard to keep his mouth shut. As you were still arguing with your mother, he looked over to the man who was making your mothers coffee, and winked at him. The barista nodded to him, and pulled something out of his pocket, putting it discreetly into the coffee.

"Mum enough! I hoped today was a day we could put things behind us, I hoped you had changed. But it's very clear your never going to, and it's truly heartbreaking to see that is the case" The barista walks over and hands your mother her coffee, which she snatches away from him. "It's about time! Don't expect a tip from me young man" The barista however, just smirks and walks away. "I don't know why you choose to put up with my daughter Jerry" "My name is Terry"

"Whatever, anyway. You can find someone far better, someone who isn't such a cry baby and so sensitive about little things. Plus, it's pretty obvious she has put on a lot of weight since I last-" "Enough! That's enough! I've heard enough of your poison you've spat out about your daughter! You don't deserve any kind of chance!" "I beg your pardon?! You can't talk to me like that! Who do you think your talking too?!" "Oh I know exactly who I'm talking too! A poor excuse of a mother who holds more poison in her words than a cobra does in it's fangs. Your a cruel and evil woman, and the fact that such a sweet, kind and beautiful soul could come from someone as nasty as you, has well and truly shocked me" "How dare you?!" "Oh I dare!" "Why can't you find someone your own age? She's far to young for you! And she should get back on a diet before she goes hunting for a man to live off of!"

"A. She has never been or never will be fat. Y/N is a size 14, there is nothing wrong with that size, or any size come to think of it! She could be a size 40 and I'd still love her with all my heart. B. She hasn't hunted me down at all, infact, Y/N had her own successful career before we both decided to work together and own our own company. We now own, run and teach at one of the best karate schools in the country, and the reason it's so successful was due to your daughter and her incredible skills as a sensei" "Y/N! You let your partner talk to me like this? I'm your mother!" "You never have, and never will be my mother. A mother is supposed to love, cherish, support and care for their child, not treat them like a project, refuse to feed them, verbally berate them and make them feel like their all alone, and the only way they are deserving of love, is if they are skin and bone! Well....I have had enough. You've clearly never changed, you expect me to apologise when it's you who's clearly in the wrong, you've insulted me and Terry, and not once have you shown a little ounce of remorse.....this is the final time you'll see me mum, I'm done" "What do you mean your done? You can't just walk away from me!"

"I can and I will. I really hoped today had gone differently, but there was a part of me that knew this was going to be the outcome. And seeing as your not going to be a part of my life, it means your not going to be a part of our wedding either" "Your wedding?" You hold up your hand, showing her the beautiful engagement ring Terry gave you. "Well....I'm suprised you managed to find one that fits her sausage fingers" "Right! Terry, let's go" He stands up with you, holding your hand and ready to take you home, but your mother stands up too. "When is the wedding? I could go dress shopping with you" "Are you serious right now?" "I could help you find the perfect dress! You know, one that would hide your rolls...or your bingo wings" "Come on, let's go sweetheart" Terry says as he guides you towards the foor, hand in hand. But your mother stands infront of the door, trying to barricade it. "No! I want to come to the wedding!" "I said no" "You can't cut me out completely! I mean, are you both thinking about having children? I want to be a grandmother! I'd be a wonderful grandmother!" "You've not been a good mother, what makes you think you'd be a good grandmother?" "Well, if you had a daughter, I could take care of her, raise her even! I could raise her to be better than you! Maybe she'd listen to me and actually stick to a diet like you never did!" Terry angrily chimes in. "If you think I'd even let you near any of our future children, your surly mistaken. No daughter of mine will be treated like Y/N was!"

"Like hell you can't! I have grandparents rights! And I.......I.....oh....oh good lord...." Your mothers face has suddenly gone pale, like a white sheet. She looks sweaty and in pain, what's wrong with her? I'm going to be at your wedding......oh.....and I want to wear white too.....oh no!" Without a second thought, she runs straight past you both and into the customer bathrooms. "What the hell? What's wrong with my mother?" Terry just snickers with a smirk on his face, what did he know? "Babe? Why did my mum run into the bathroom? And why is she in that state?" "Ahh....well, I may have had something to do with that" "Terry, what did you do?" "I may have asked the barista to slip something into your mother's coffee" "You what?!" "Don't worry, it wasn't anything like illegal drugs....just some....rather strong laxatives" "You....spiked her drink with laxatives?" "It wasn't going to happen if she was going to be nice to you today, I swear. When I got our drinks, I spoke to the barista, and told him I'd give him a signal on weather to do it or not. The way she was speaking to you, it was making my blood boil. So I signalled to him, and he put it in her coffee. And considering the kind of laxative she took.....she's going to be in there for quite a while" "Why did you do that?" "Honestly? She is a nasty woman who deserves no more of your time or words, she's utterly toxic. So this was kind of....payback in a way. Plus! She's not baricading the door anymore, and she won't know where we go or live either.....your not mad, are you?"

"Mad? Of course not. I'm glad she isn't going to be a part of my life, or the wedding" "Or any future children" "Yes....so about that...." "Yes?" "......Do you want children in our future?" "Of course I do, more than anything" "I do too, however! Our wedding is booked for a certain date, and if I was to get pregnant soon, I wouldn't be able to fit in a dress" "That's true" "But....maybe we can go home now and....do a little practice?"

"Oooh, you read my mind" He pulls you in by the waist and kisses you deeply, making you feel lighter than a cloud "I'm sorry for making you meet her again" "Don't be, I'm glad I can put that chapter of my life to rest. Come on, let's go home" Hand in hand, you both walk out of the cafe and head home for some....alone time....About an hour later, your mother wobbles out of the bathroom with a drained expression on her face. "Are you alright madam?" The barista asked. "I'm fine! Where's my daughter?" "She left ages ago" "What?! Where did she go? She's supposed to take me with her to buy a wedding dress! And a white gown for me!" "I think she said something about New York being the venue?" "Aha! Then I'll go there and find her" She says in a cruel tone, waddling out of the cafe. The barista just smiles, happy that a nasty lady got what she deserved, and happy looking in his pockets at the wodded up handful of hundred dollar bills that Terry gave him, in exchange for him leading your mother in the opposite direction of LA. Everyone was happy, well....maybe not everyone....as your mother, once again, runs back into the coffee shop and straight back to the bathroom. That laxative was some strong stuff.

[purity-town]

Ask responses are typed up & under the cut!

I'm happy I was able to work in some more of the NPCs even if it was just into the background, so I'm glad you're liking seeing them. And yes! I don't have specific measurements on anyone's heights beyond a vague “X is taller than Y,” but she's the tallest member of the cast, all divinity and ancient magics and humanoid-but-not-human. And thanks for reading; I'm glad you're excited for the next chapter!

Andrew much prefers to deflect over lying outright, but if pressed claims to be 26 with a summer birthday (putting him as “29” in the comic now as he's lived in town for 3 years). Mid-twenties roughly aligns with his physical age, as he slowed and eventually stopped aging around that point, so people don't have any obvious reason not to believe it.

In the past, Andrew usually just moved around every long while, assuming things were otherwise peaceful. The jump from “this guy is weird and aging gracefully” to “this is an immortal being inextricably tied to this world and its fate” is quite large, especially since Andrew mostly kept to himself.

Living in Purity Town is a first in many ways for him, particularly in that he's serving an actual purpose to the town and has to both interact with people and stick around for the foreseeable future. Under normal circumstances he would absolutely gracefully arrange his leave, but then once you throw the hero being present into the mix things just get messy.

Honestly, with enough time he probably would come clean to the townsfolk. If he explained it to Chris delicately enough initially, Chris (and Alalia!) would eventually back him up and that'd likely do a lot to sway folks. Between their input and him having just…been around town long enough to show that he’s not a bad person and actually form some relationships, I think it would go okay.

Thank you!!! I'm glad you're liking the comic so much!

Honestly, I have no idea! It's probably a combination of factors in my art style (like my tendency to use solid/clean lines and keep painted portions to the background) playing nice with however Tumblr crunches images. I know that Webtoons struggles a good bit more with my pages due to color/resolution limitations, but Tumblr’s always been pretty good with it. That's all just a rough guess though; I couldn't find your art on your blog to examine so I'm just throwing out ideas!

Possibly relevant, each page is 2320x3587 pixels (350 dpi) after I trim the edges and export it as a .png. Downloading pages from Tumblr saves them as a 1987x3072 (72 dpi) jpeg, but preserves the fine details pretty well. So that’s what we’re working with here!

(Interestingly, after some testing I found that Reddit preserves the higher resolution of pages, but crunches their colors around areas of shading, while Tumblr smoothly fuzzes them when it downscales.)

I'm happy to see more folks caught what I was going for there! I didn't draw much of her shimmered design since she's mostly covered and under some heavy effects, but it was cool to work with. Here's a snippet of her shimmered design in that panel without the effects, since I had it on hand already from a comment a while back.

Thank you!! It feels crazy to me that it's been going on so long, but I'm really happy to have continued with the comic for so long. I'm also happy to be done with college, haha -- I’m liking my new job a lot more than the school grind!

Thank you so much for this!! It’s super touching that you’ve stuck around so long -- I definitely recognize the folks I’ve seen popping up in my notifications over the years, and I’m really glad that people are liking being along for the ride. I’ve learned so much through working on this comic and I’m really really happy that other people are enjoying it too, because I love these characters and this world and this game so so much.

I’m not articulating this well but- thank you for this! I hope that whoever you are, you’re doing well, too :)

Go right ahead! Though this serves as a reminder to myself to make sure that all of the pages on the various sites are all updated, since I usually go back through after a chapter is done to correct little errors, haha.

I totally understand if you want to remain anonymous, but if you need files or anything give a shout here or on Discord (@ariibees)! Purity Town is somewhat formatted for print by virtue of having pages instead of vertical-scrolling but I know that the chapters are kinda short and pages would probably need to be re-formatted around the edges to fit book binding.

All that said -- if you end up going through with it it'd be insanely cool to see how it turns out, if you're comfortable with sharing!

Chapter titles are done in Albertus Medium (with the exception of the "Purity Town" text and character intro bubbles, which is in the Terraria font Andy Bold). Speech bubbles use Segoe Print. There's not really any concrete reasoning behind the fonts I picked (beyond the obvious choice to use the Terraria font), I just chose ones that looked good enough, haha.

[contritecactite]

Thanks for the tag, @quoththemaiden! I saw this one milling around and dreaded/eagerly awaited it reaching me in alternating 6-hour shifts (OK, I didn't think about it that much). No-pressure tags for... @frogs-in3-hills @rage-against-the-dying-of-light @franzizka @monimolimnion @dgcakes @nemaliwrites @kristimoon @mirjam-writes @thelocalmuffin

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 90, accounting for one in a currently unrevealed collection.

2. What's your total AO3 word count? 394,715. Ambitiously, I hope to hit half a million this year. We Shall See.

3. What fandoms do you write for? Ace Attorney, Good Omens, and a smattering of Final Fantasy titles.

4. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? Yes! One of the first places I landed when I finally got internet access was Livejournal, and I had a great many conversations in the comments there that led to long-lasting friendships. AO3 currently doesn't seem to have quite the same culture of keeping a conversation going, but every now and then, someone catches on (hi Quoth), and I'm always grateful. I also love getting responses when I'm the person who left a comment, so I like to assume that others feel the same way.

5. Have you ever had a fic stolen? Ooh, not to my knowledge. I think I've always been safely enough under the radar.

6. Have you ever co-written a fic before? Yep, plenty of times with a variety of people. Mostly RP-style with alternating forum posts or instant messages, but once or twice via something like google docs, which I like because there's a comment functionality rather than [putting the part you're saying in brackets to tell your partner(s) it's not part of the body message]. I miss it pretty often, but I'm also nervous about trying again.

7. What's your all-time favourite ship? Ooh. Hmm. Frog and Toad. Those were formative works for me. Tell me that doesn't explain my insistence on Softe(tm) vibes. I'll also give a shout to Klapollo for getting me back into writing after roughly a decade, but tbh my multishipping heart sees other fun options for them too.

8. What are your writing strengths? Warm and cozy vibes, close character focus, wrapping things up nicely. I also like to think my heavy-handed metaphors and parallels are strengths since they're consistently part of my style, though I know they're an acquired taste.

9. What are your writing weaknesses? Physical description. Get that outta here. I don't know what she's wearing. I don't know how it looks in the room. I don't know what the room looks like or if they're even in a room! All written scenes take place in The Void until plot mandates otherwise. I think I also still struggle with consistent characterization, particularly over the course of longer works, but I'm getting better.

10. First fandom you wrote for? Wrote for casually? Monster Rancher. Actually officially wrote for and let others read? FFVII.

[adobe-outdesign]

What are your thoughts on the Finizen line? I like the concept and the gimmick (Palafin gets a second form that only comes out during battle to relate to superheroes and secret identities), but Palafin’s “civilian” mode just looks too similar to Finizen. I mean, I still love them because they’re adorable, but Gamefreak couldn’t have made a few more changes to Palafin’s “civilian” mode?

It's hard to believe it took us this long to get a dolphin Pokemon. It was never something I was personally all that excited for, but I actually have a major soft spot for this line thanks to the silly superhero gimmick.

Finizen itself is incredibly cute (I once heard someone describe it as a "littlest pet shop character" and have never been unable to unsee that since). I'm not much of an IRL dolphin person, but even I'll admit that I find it adorable.

nothing spectacular but nice looking, and a good "safe" design that won't disappoint those who wanted a traditional dolphin. Little details like the wave patterns alone the side and dorsal fine, the ring on the tail, the pink in the eyes and blowhole, and the counter shading going up over the eye add a bit of flavor to an otherwise plain design.

My only tiny visual nitpick is that the countershading on the eye creates this weird little tension point right at the beak where it flares out instead of just seamlessly merging with the underbelly. It's obviously very minor, but it's just a weird enough choice to bug me.

GameFreak I don't think you tried at all with this artwork

I actually think Palafin's zero-form design works. If this was the evolution and there was nothing else to it, that would be incredibly lazy and underwhelming; but we have an entirely different form to accompany it that looks drastically different, so it's more like the "evolution" is hidden behind its ability.

More importantly, it plays into the superhero theme; it secretly gains powers, with this form being its secret identity. You even have to recall it in battle in order for it to switch to its other form, with the pokeball acting as a metaphorical phone booth. The red spot even kind of resembles the Superman logo.

I do wish they went into the lore of this a bit more though; like, why does it refuse to transform in front of people? It's not like it literally has a secret identity or family it needs to protect or something. Saying something like "Transforming leaves it open to attack, so it doesn't like to change its appearance in front of others" would add a lot to the concept.

Speaking of the alternate form, I have... mixed feelings on it. On the one hand, I love fun gimmick Pokemon, and Palafin is no exception—I like it enough that I actually use a Palafin on my main team in SV. But the other hand, the design is a bit... questionable.

Don't get me wrong; theme-wise, it's great. A superhero motif is maybe a little questionable to be put on a dolphin (given that they're basically Ocean Fratboys), but it probably references how they sometimes save people from drowning. Regardless, we haven't really had a proper classic superhero Pokemon before, so it's very much a niche that's nice to fill.

However, in terms of design, I will never forget how leaks were coming out before the release on Reddit at like 3 AM, and the topmost upvoted comment when Palafin dropped was just "am I still awake?", which I think pretty accurately sums it up.

First, the design is weirdly humanoid in a bad way. It's mildly distressing that it sports human fingers and pectoral muscles for no reason; was it that hard to make a top-heavy dolphin with normal flippers for arms?

I also feel like the water (mucus?) accents on the body are a bit too much, and feel pretty forced compared to everything else. The gloves, for example, could've just been white wave-like markings over the lower flipper, similar to Finizen's dorsal fin. I don't think it needed to be this literal to work. I also find the eyes particularly weird; I though initially they were just big ol' bushy eyebrows with squinty eyes, but instead they're these weird goggle things that end up looking somewhat uncanny.

I also think that it has a weird lack of visual connection to its zero-form design; to the point where I'm pretty sure they were designed by two completely separate people. The only visual similarities are the rings on the tail, the chest marking, and the dorsal fin marking (both of which have changed shape). Everything else, from body shape to markings to colors, are completely different. Ideally, you would be able to look at it and see the connection between the two, but when you send Palafin out to battle in its hero form, it feels like you just sent out a completely different Pokemon entirely.

Overall, as a whole, I do really like this line, and it might be one of my personal favorites from Paldea; Finizen is cute and Palafin has a fun gimmick and unique theme. I just wish the hero design was a bit less uncanny and a bit more in-line with the zero form. (I also wish that you didn't need multi-player to evolve it—but that's beside the point.)

[thebladeblaster]

Vanguard Divine Z episode 6 reaction Ooh this one was kinda fire

Sorry for the late reaction I was busy yesterday

I think the masked person is someone from Overdress who Akina will meet later. Mostly because Taizo recognizes them and it seems that they told Taizo about Akina’s sister. I feel like it has to be a character we would recognize otherwise why the mask? The only ones short enough that I can think of is Yu-yu, Urara, and the gremlin (but I don’t think they met). I’m pretty sure the masked person is a guy so that leaves Yu-yu or the gremlin. Those are my guesses for now. They could be putting on a voice or something.

Taizo is so nice 😊

I love these dorks. It’s interesting that Akina already knows to aim for a winning image though he has a very experienced friend teaching him so it makes sense.

Haha, I LOVE this man🤣! He really said “fuck it we ball”. Okay, I feel like Akina is already my second favorite Vanguard protag behind Aichi. He’s just so funny and likeable. I like the way he won was through catching his opponent off guard with a crazy and unique strategy. I was thinking that I didn’t want him to win because it would feel like he has plot armor but the explanation is actually pretty satisfying. I was EXTREMELY worried that Akina would become Chrono 2.0 but I was wrong. This man isn’t trigger sacking he actually has some skill. Specifically this man pulled a Jotaro and bluffed like hell to win🤣. It was a real cool mind game strat. Like I don’t blame Taizo for getting sucker punched by his mad strategy. So it’s…

Favorite Vanguard Protagonists:

1. Aichi

2. Akina

3. Shinemon

4. Yu-yu

5.Emi

6. Kai (This is as a protagonist not a rival. I just don’t think he works well as the protagonist. He’s best as a rival.)

7. Chrono

Of course Masanori can smell the bs. This plushie is definitely secretly evil I’m calling it. Though, who knows maybe Vanguard will try to subvert our expectations with that as they do often. Otherwise I’m thinking the plushie is linked to Gyze somehow.

Hello, the gremlin is returning in the next episode 👀!

I’ve definitely been appreciating a return to tradition with Vanguard focusing back on character strategies and connecting to Cray.

Also I’ve been reading the comments and the haters seriously boggle my mind. It feels like they’re trying to hate it for the sake of it. Geez, they’re making og fans look bad. Like I am THE og Vanguard fan. I talk about it leagues more than the rest of the franchise but these people are seriously acting like this is the most boring and predictable series. Like dude this is not G or V series calm down. If anything those two were predictable af. The most unpredictable series have been og, Shinemon, and the D era. They’re like “oh Akina is so perfect that he isn’t a person” as if Akina didn’t lose his first fight and lose a bunch during his training 😅. The writers also went out of their way to actually justify his crazy win. Like it’s not like he trigger sacked to victory. He did a crazy aggressive and unorthodox strategy to catch his opponent off guard and win that’s actually good writing and reminds me of og. For instance when Aichi blindsided Goki with Soul Saver Dragon and it’s skill. Much like this win it didn’t come out of nowhere and was foreshadowed before and during the fight. That’s why I like the D era it reminds me of og in spirit. The characters actually have strategies to win that are explained like og. Honestly, I just really don’t get the hate. Some won’t be satisfied by anything.

[quillkiller]

so this isn’t hate. but my relative genuinely said it’s so cool that i’m gay, but then she asked me what was up with those “butch man-hating dykes” (literally). first of all i wish i was more butch and second of all i do hate men, sorry. i couldn’t really tell her all of that though.. so i just smiled awkwardly and changed the subject lol… but like. do you have any advice on what you’d do in that situation?

i don’t think she’s actually homophobic tbh and it was meant as a compliment to me ig… but it’s a bit like saying “you’re smart for a girl” or something. sorry i just have to talk about this with someone lmao. she was really nice otherwise so i didn’t want to ruin the mood yk. i just wish i had something witty to say when people say things like that.

dont ever apologize for being a man-hating butch dyke in my askbox…. this is a safe space.. 🤍

it’s hard when people are homophobic but they don’t mean it in a ’homophobic way’ because you just end up feeling like you’re the annoying one for taking offense :/ i have homophobic grandparents who always called my girlfriends ’really close friends’ and my dad also called my mom once to yell at her for letting me walk around in public in shorts when i dont shave my legs <- i was 24 lmao. ive also been in situations where people just think im ugly or strange or ask why i dont want to be pretty

sometimes, in a situation like that, i’ve purposefully stayed quiet out of ’safety reasons’. mostly if it’s strangers acting weird and strange in bars. it sucks, but sometimes it’s necessary. in situations with my dad i would just argue and get upset because it was a safe space to do that, and it did get a little bit better after a while. with my grandparents i’d mostly just stay quiet because it just didnt feel worth it. i dont see them very often anyway and i don’t really care about what they think about me <3

if it does happen around people that i care about i tend to. talk back. shfjrjjsk. like not necessarily in a rude way, but simply just putting down my own boundaries ? sometimes something as simple as not smiling or laughing in response helps. showing that you’re not ’in on the joke’ basically ? <- also a trick i use if i have to spend time with men ahdhfjsj. im not a naturally confrontational person so im very bad at like taking the fight :( but ive learned that it helps a lot more than you’d think by just not playing into their ideas. like you said, she sort of meant it as a compliment, maybe even trying to bond with you, and trying to show you didn’t appreciate it will probably (hopefully) make her stop making similar comments in the future… 🤍

and if it’s someone you do feel comfortable with, like i did with my dad, then take the fight !! tell them off and to back off from how you present yourself. it’s never too late to learn that you simply shouldnt comment on how people look <3

[hannahssimblr]

I'm curious what the drama was about with part 2 of your story? What were people getting annoyed about?

Haha i'll put this under the cut for anyone who doesn't want to be spoiled

it was all about DEAN!!!

Some people clocked almost instantly that he was playing games with Evie and trying to mess with her head, and others thought he was a nice hard working man who didn't deserve skepticism from others.

It really kicked off on chapter 9 - it's the one where Evie waits outside his place of work to ask him why he's blocked her and he insists on walking her all the way home even though she's not totally cool with him knowing where she lives.

People were fighting in the comments because some felt he was right to accompany her because it's unsafe for a woman to walk alone at night, and others pointed out that it's unsafe because of men like him. Then it became a bit more like 'well if Dean is a creep then Evie is a creep for waiting outside his work for him'. It was a whole big thing where some of the women were saying 'well she said no! and he pushed her anyway!' (which is Dean's MO) and some confused men were saying 'but she's drunk! she doesn't know what's best for her - sometimes you have to act in a person's best interests even if they insist otherwise' it was really about a woman's right to choose for herself versus a man's perceived responsibility to take care of her. It was interesting but it was also a bit much for me hahaha - i just wanted people to read the story, not for them to make it controversial. It wasn't really supposed to be a commentary on women vs men, it was supposed to be Evie just doing what Evie would do, and Dean doing the same.

The other thing was that some people were annoyed because Evie was being a bitch - there were comments about her unkind thoughts about her college friends, and questions about why she hung out with them if she didn't like them, and I honestly felt the reasons for this were clear enough, but I guess if you don't get it and you'd never personally behave like that then it might seem a bit weird. I was surprised by the absence of empathy towards her, as though she should have somehow developed a rock steady sense of self and been able to resist peer pressure despite never showing signs of being able to do so before. Evie is mean about the other girls and Dean because she is rewarded socially by the others for doing so, and she does drugs in the final chapter despite being against them for the whole story because she's given up the last shreds of herself, she doesn't care anymore and nothing matters, so neither do her personal rules and boundaries. Everything has been bulldozed over already by these people, so what's one more thing?

Obviously Jude got flack too, because he always does hahaha. He's definitely not his most wonderful self in part 2, he's avoidant of the hurt he's caused, but he's also like, 20 years old. It always bothered me that very adult expectations were placed on him when all he ever did was act like a normal young man. In my opinion he's in the right in chapter 19 during the conversation at Jen's flat, but I remember commenters were annoyed by him coming in and trying to tell Evie what to do - interesting, seeing as the same people argued for Dean to be allowed to overrule Evie's explicit desires in the interest of her safety, but Jude was not. I just never really got why Jude should be held to a higher standard than Dean, but anyway, it was all interesting, if not slightly stressful to experience.

I don't really get any drama with part 3 - I think mainly people are reading silently, and if they hate it and they're fuming about what's happening they don't really let me know, which is fine with me hahaha I just wanted to write a little story at the end of the day.

[onyxsboxes]

𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬!

Tagged by @sig-nifier and @darkimpala1897 thank you 🥰

.

1. How many works do you have on ao3?

I've got 9

2. What's your total ao3 word count?

37,367

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Top gun and Masters of the Air

4. Top five fics by kudos

Wait, WHAT? - Clegan (Masters of the Air) 350 kudos

The secret list of very serious (and sober) 100th’s rules - gen and clegan (Masters of the Air) 232 kudos

Navy’s sad day - gen and icemav relation (Top gun) 207 kudos

Omg, they were switching - gen and icemav relation (Top gun) 120 kudos

100th founds out - Clegan (Masters of the Air) 108 kudos

5. Do you respond to comments?

I try, sometimes it can take a bit of time (a lot, even) but I try to answer each and every one of them. I'm trying to reply more quickly now

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

My Wingmen’s Daemons series and especially Navy's sad day (it's a bittersweet series)

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I prefer happy endings, so all my mota fic. If I had to say just one, I'd pick The secret list of very serious (and sober) 100th’s rules because everyone lives and it's all just funny little thoughts.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I don't, people are very kind in their comments and they make my days everytime 🥰

9. Do you write smut?

No, but mota is also the first fandom where I've written characters who are affectionate towards each other (not counting family-ish relation), so one small step at a time. We never know what the future will bring.

10. Craziest crossover?

The only crossover I've written is a Top Gun x His Dark Materials one. And even then, it was mainly for one aspect only.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I hope no

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes, one. Thank you to the lovely person who did it

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Nope, never

14. All time favorite ship?

That's a tough one. I've been in so many fandoms over the years that I have just as many, if not more, favorite ships. Generally, my favorites are those of the fandom I'm in at the time. So I'm going to say Clegan because MOTA has taken over my brain recently.

15. What's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I don't know if this counts, but I have a Top Gun series that I started in 2022. I really hope to finish it, but I don't know when.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Based on people's feedback, I'd say it's fluff and humor.... (readers of my Top Gun fics might disagree though).

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Description, definitely description. I want to get on with the plot without describing enough what's going on. It's well-planned and full of images in my head, but I'm rushing things a bit.

English as a language, I check it, double-check it and triple-check it every time, but when I reread I always find mistakes and errors.

And write what I tell myself I'm going to write. That's also partly why I don't talk much about my wip until I have something on it. Otherwise, I don't have the motivation to write it anymore (it's so annoying guys, I want so much to share them with you but I have to restrain myself to be able to write them 🥺).

18. Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

I think it's nice when it stays in characters. It's even better if the author puts the translation after or at the bottom of the page.

19. First fandom you wrote in?

The first time I posted was for Top Gun, but I think back then I wrote for Warriors Cat or Kateikyoushi Hitman Reborn too.

20. Favorite fic you've written?

I'll opt for Wait, what? (and the whole werewolf!gale au) because I never thought I'd be able to do it. And that pushed me to dig deeper into this au. But I have a few wip's that might take that place later.

.

It was fun to think about this questions.

Tagging @defnotanarc @alienoresimagines and @roseszirnheld if they want to do it 😊

[theresawritesstuff]

20 questions for fic writers

tagged by @wonderlandleighleigh ❤️

1. how many works do you have on Ao3? 19

2. what's your total Ao3 word count? As of right now 270,105

3. what fandoms do you write for? So far Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, BBC Sherlock, Beauty and the Beast, and a little bit for Gilmore Girls but I'm open to others if the inspiration strikes. I had an idea for a Only Murders in the Building fic at one point but I haven't gotten around to it yet.

4. what are your top five fics by kudos?

Guess Who's Coming to Yom Kippur

Reflected Through Time 

When the Villains Fall

My Sherlolly one shots collection 

Saving Lenny Bruce

5. do you respond to comments?

Almost always! I love comments and engaging with readers. Comments bring me so much joy. It still blows my mind sometimes that people actually read the silly things I put out there.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? 

Probably When the Villains Fall? It wasn't exactly a sad ending but it wasn't overly happy either.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Most of my fics end pretty happily (although more of them are still WIPs than not 😅) A Love Most Improbable was sunshine and rainbows amounts of happy ending.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I don't think I have gotten any hate yet. Hopefully it stays that way.

I dunno the fandoms/ships I've written for so far have been pretty chill in the little pockets I hang out in. Like we're all just here writing for a good time sharing stories for free. Let's just be nice to each other.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I haven't.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I enjoy crossovers but haven't written many. None come to mind right now.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge. That would suck though.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Again not to my knowledge but that would be pretty awesome.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Not yet but I'm open to it! I always feel like I'm really slow, trying to juggle writing and #Life. I'd need a patient writing partner.

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

Every ship has its own unique wonderfulness for us to enjoy and explore. I'm mostly writing Midgelenny at the moment but every ship has its season.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Probably A Change in the Winds? That's one of my older ones. It's been a long while. Never say never though.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue and wacky ensemble casts. 

17. What are your writing weaknesses? 

Descriptions. I dunno sometimes it all feels hard.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I mean if the characters/story calls for it? Sure? That's one I personally would want to try to be careful with if it's not a language I speak just because it's easy to get things wrong.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

I might have written something for the Tortall books fandom as a kid? Maybe? Otherwise Beauty and the Beast

20. Favorite fic you’ve written? 

Guess Who's Coming to Yom Kippur has been such a fun ride so far. I can't get enough of it. I feel like it's some of my best work.

Tagging: @markwatneyandenesemble @simplyshelbs16xoxo @mizjoely

[pipermca]

Very Quick TFCon 2023 Recap!

This past weekend I attended TCCon 2023 in Toronto! This is the first convention I've attended since the start of the pandemic (aside from a couple of very local ones) and it was so good. I love being among my people, the geeks. :) Spouse also attended with me; he is only a TF fan by osmosis (seeing how enthusiastic I am about stuff makes him happy about it too), but he enjoys the vibe of sci-fi and adjacent cons. He also claims to have had a good time.

Before we left, I was concerned about a few things: catching Covid again, boarding the cat, dealing with the disaster that flying in Canada has become lately, etc. We masked up anytime we were in con space, and I remain hopeful that our recent infections acted like a booster against catching it again. If we make it to this Sunday without coming down with it, I'll consider it a success.

Before I have to go to work tomorrow, I wanted to get my thoughts down about how the con went: the amazing, the good, and the disappointing.

The Amazing

Friends. Being able to catch up with (and in some cases meet!) other TF fans who I've chatted with online over the years is always amazing. I honestly don't want to start naming names because then I'll forget someone and feel bad. There is something special about being able to put a face to an online name.

If you were there and I missed you, I am so sorry. I tried, I honestly did. But I am an incredibly awkwardly shy potato in person, and I could only shove myself out of my introvert shell so much to message people and say "LET'S MEET NOW." Sometimes I depend on other people to say "PIPER! LET'S MEET NOW" because otherwise I dither and dither until the weekend is over and the chance is gone. :(

Thank you to everyone who put up with me; I love you guys. <3

The Pros. I steeled myself and went to the three pros who I wanted to talk to: Alex Milne, James Roberts, and Jack Lawrence. Alex was selling copies of Hot Motor Oil (omg book number two is INSANE and I cackled over it repeatedly), so while he was sketching in my copy I was able to thank him for the commission he did for me a while back. He said some very nice things about my choice! but it's important for me to thank people in person for the commissions they do for me. :3 Same thing with Jack; I got a commission from him just a little while ago, and I LOVE it. He was also very nice, even though I was only at his table to thank him and not buy anything. >.> (Next time I need to bring larger print protectors; his prints were GORGEOUS but there was no way I'd be able to get them home safely.)

And I bought some scripts from James; I've been dying to read the annotated ones because I am interested in writing my own scripts, and I wanted to see how he put his together and the thoughts behind them. I was able to tell him about how it was fanfic that led me to MTMTE which led me back into the TF fandom after a 25+ year absence, and he was really happy to hear that. (And commented about how the message that fanfic can bring in new fans needs to get back to the IP holders...)

The Costumes. Briefly, AMAZING costumes this year. I got some good pictures of some of them, but the creativity out there is fantastic.

The Good.

The Loot. I got a decent amount of stuff this year, and thanks to Spouse tagging along I was able to bring back a bit more than usual. And some of the stuff was for him, so he got something out of it too. :3

Non-TF Meetups. By happenstance, a coworker of mine lives in the area, as does some WoW guildies that Spouse knows. We'd never met any of these people in person, so we made time for that and I'm happy we did. Also, not having to go downtown? Priceless. XD

Cat Boarding. We boarded our new cat while we were away, and it went well! She is very adaptable, and I'm glad that they liked her. This was sort of a test run for longer vacations, and now I feel comfortable leaving her there for longer periods of time.

The Disappointing

The Pros I Didn't Meet. See: awkward potato. I did want to say hello Frank Todaro (he has a very good moustache by the way) and tell him in person how much I enjoyed his work on WFC (as Starscream and Rattrap - but Starscream specifically was great), but there was always someone at his table when I went by, and I'm an awkward potato, and I (?) didn't really want an autograph but felt bad just going and talking to him without buying something like I did to Jack, so I didn't talk to him. And David Kaye ALWAYS had a huge lineup so that was totally out.

No Toyhax? I was hoping that Toyhax would be there so I could buy some decals for the car (ones I ALMOST bought in 2019 but didn't, and I've regretted it ever since.) But they were not at the con. (I also kind of wanted some other sticker sets.) I've checked their website and I think the car decals in 2019 were being sold by someone just sharing their table but I can't remember who, so - blah. Too bad.

Travel Shenanigans. It all worked out in the end, but our trip to Toronto was a little... interesting thanks to some computer glitches with the airline. It added stress to me that I didn't need. 

Writing. Hahhahahaaa! No writing was done over the weekend. Zero words written. I was either too busy, or too tired. :/

Health Issues. I won't get into it much here, but attending the convention made me realize that I am still suffering some effects from the Covid infection I had at the end of May. I have a doctor's appointment in a few weeks so I can let her know about it, but we'll see if there's anything they can actually do. -.-;

And that was TFCon 2023! I hope I can attend again next year; this really was a great experience.

[nonbinarv]

3 linked universe characters of your choosing + 2, 12, 21, 22, 24? (for the ask game) :3c

under the cut bc these got kinda long!!!

wind

2: i love his dynamic with the others in general tbh!!! he goes from being the older of two siblings to the youngest in a large group of them and there is somewhat of a struggle with the transition especially with the others' protectiveness but it's so obvious how much they care for each other- special shoutout to his dynamics with time (timeline talk 1) and wild (kings of hyrule)

12: i don't personally adopt the hc that he's four's descendant but all the fanwork i've read/seen incorporating it has been adorable so i do want to give it a nod here!!! otherwise i think he and wild would have a good cathartic conversation about their sisters if wild ever remembers his own

21: i haven't tried writing any of these three actually oops. if i were to write wind i think it'd be interesting getting into his perspective :o he's a very optimistic character but it's also important to consider all the trauma he's gone through both before and during lu and i think that'd be interesting to explore, though it may be difficult getting his age down in my writing

22: age swaps or de-aging aren't usually my thing in fics but lu is a fandom i make an exception for because of how different characterization is during their adventures vs the one shared with the others in the comic. ones where wind ends up not being the youngest anymore are interesting bc he can tap back into his older brother role and it can be fun to explore the what-if. i do think people overdo it on his swearing sometimes though; i do think he would (he's a pirate come on) but i don't think anyone would get onto him for it and i don't think it'd be every other sentence

24: bonnie!!! bonbon is a little younger than him but they share in being the kiddos of the group who hate being infantilized and are more capable than they may seem at first glance and have sisters they love dearly and would go through hell and back for

hyrule

2: his fairy form is so cool!!! the design is so pretty :o but regarding his actual character can i just say his sheer determination. there are so many little moments this is expressed in but probably the most prominent is his words to twilight, on the verge of death, encouraging him to not give up… it breaks my heart in all the right ways

12: i haven't actually played either of his games yet!!! except for the first the tiniest bit as a kid- so i'm not really sure… maybe. actually. just bc i think it'd be funny he's a really good cook it's just that he can't make stew which is the complete opposite of most of the cast where there's some sort of soup or stew they've made in their adventures. imagine it

21: i think it'd be harder getting a grasp on his personality without the exposure to his games; i wouldn't feel very confident and would be referring to the comic itself constantly- but i'd be interested in exploring his era more through writing centered around him :o the events that happen between legend's time and his own, his relationship with legend as his successor, how his era shapes him and his behavior with its inherent roughness yet his deep and inherent love for it

22: i love his dynamics with legend especially in fics!!! but i don't like how he's reduced to just the healer of the group sometimes. the fandom isn't always bad about it (thunder is pretty common with occasional fire from the ones i've read- outside of his fairy form of course) but he has other spells and a sword too!!!

24: hmm maybe emma (mikhaylov not woods). idk how to put it into words but there's the same drive there, the same passion, a shared dedication to the land and the people around them

legend

2: his little subtle moments of vulnerability… his reaction to twilight being alright ;w; but also when he's turned into a bunny and he's thanking twilight and sky (only to be interrupted by sky's "nice hair" comment sgfdkhlj); there's so much depth to his character and so much he hides. there's a reason he turns into a bunny

12: ough i have so many palace of the four sword thoughts. not sure how in-depth timeline talk is gonna get (life spoilers and all) but he would struggle so much with the realization that he killed four since all records would most likely have vanished or be extremely obscured by his era (after all there's like. no more mentions of the minish or vaati or the four sword or anything about four save for a couple of references on wild's map). he already deals with nightmares but they would get so much worse starting the adventure with the chain after meeting four

21: there are so many good potfs fics out there already and i want to add to that. but also i want to give him a fucking break bc please this man deserves it. hurt/comfort perhaps for a nice even mix of both. i think it might be difficult keeping track of his inventory though in anything i write; between all his adventures he has so much gear and so many items

22: i love when people acknowledge his own special relationship with the master sword!!! especially when he gets to know fi; i always find those so sweet- it's clear he holds the sword in high regard and people mostly focus on sky's relationship with fi instead (not that that's bad, it's completely understandable, but legend deserves some too imo). but i feel people do go a bit overboard with his behavior sometimes compared to canon y'know; he teases but there's no real malice behind his words and he loves his family

24: okay this is gonna be mean of me and maybe a bit hypocritical since i just talked about him not being as mean as some people make him out to be in fanwork but. jax gave me legend vibes. like jax is significantly meaner towards the people around him but two bunnies coping unhealthily with their respective traumatic experiences…

[egirlgarak]

this is Quite late, but @kulliare tagged me in this so i am now putting my responses under a read more, approximately 23 years later.

tagging @vexedandperplexed @spectraling @gingerteaonthetardis @chaotictomtom and @breaddo only if y’all want!

Were you named after anyone?

My birth names are a variant of a name that has been passed down on my mom’s side of the family for several generations. basil, though, was just a name i gathered one day, tried it out, and it stuck.

When was the last time you cried?

this morning, with my mom in the bedroom. (grandma has severe dementia and it’s Just Rough)

Do you have kids?

FUCK no <3

Do you use sarcasm a lot?

define: a lot. i am a silly guy, so it’s not above me to make sarcastic comments, but not more or less than my fellow citizens methinks

What sports do you play/have you played?

last time i played a sport i was genuinely like 7 years old. i took dance/was on the drill team in high school, but once i got into college, most of my time was dedicated to course work. being a music major really does not let you do too much else.

What's the first thing you notice about someone?

if they’re tall(er than me), especially if they’re fem presenting. otherwise, i guess i’d say wether or not a smile reaches their eyes.

Eye color?

brown

Scary movies or happy endings?

i can do both, but i usually lean towards thrillers/horror

Any special talents?

when i’m not around other classical musicians, I say I’m an opera singer. when I’m around other classical musicians, I tell them i’m really good at saying no <3

Where were you born?

texas. yeehaw etc etc

What are your hobbies?

media consumption. language study. day dreaming about being a little bird who’s sunning his feathers by a nice lake

Do you have any pets?

two black cats! one is my brother’s, her name is magpie. the other, my little baby girl, my princess, my plumberry sweetie pie darling angel, albatross. behold. magpie (left) albatross (right):

How tall are you?

6 ft. still remember the first time i met one of my online friends and she looked up at me with awe and just says something along the lines of: “wow….you’re huge” honestly best possible feedback to receive from another trans person u like and trust. also gave me Gender, which? still not sure what to do with that aside from thank the universe for giving huge guy genes to the dude with silly little guy neural circuits

Favorite subject in school?

high school doesn’t apply here, just because i felt stupid the entire time that i never got to enjoy anything. but that being said, in university, i looooved taking italian. i have Some Scraps of knowledge left, but i remember loving it immensely, at least. i also really enjoyed the few semesters i sang in my uni’s early music vocal ensemble. that shit changed my life, genuinely. there’s so much nuance to that style of music. i think a lot of people can’t hear the appeal but man. give me some medieval recorder. a fuckin. cantiga or two. maybe we even pull out some baroque instrumentation; a funky little continuo line w a little portative organ action. i love it, man. my work as a professional opera singer has been mostly early music, and i’ve loved every fucken second.

Dream job?

despite pro opera exp, i’m not entirely sold on following that as a career option?? i’ve been floundering since 2020, honestly. but just as long as i have a flexible job that lets me enjoy being alive both in and out of the workspace, i’m good. my last few jobs were Not That, but meh. there’s still time to figure it out.

[pandanscafanfiction]

Hi! 3, 10, 35? 🌿😊

3: are there any specific themes you enjoy exploring in your fics?

Hmmmm.... usually the theme is always surrounding a romance or a conflict of romance. A lot of people dislike the romanticization of love or they find people who write homosexual romance are "sexualizing" it but I find that I love the "thought" or the "romanticization" of love and physical affection and it is what i really focus on and becomes the center of all my fics. The real me in real life is very uncomfortable and unwanting of physical intimacy and physical affection due to things that have happened to me years ago, not too long after i graduated high school. To put it shortly, i was put in multiple sexual situations by two different men at my old place of work that I could not escape from. I haven't been the same since then and though i do go to therapy now, it is a slow-going process. It is why all of my fics are only m/m or m/m/m pairings. I can't bear the thought of writing a heterosexual romance and even today I can't really read them either, mostly... Nowadays I'm attempting. I'm only just now starting to try thanks to a few other lovely HL writers who write MCs as gender nuetral as possible and that's nice because I can picture the genetals MC has to my desires or mental health capacity at each individual moment. Sorry- this one was a long one and probably not what you were expecting... 😅 Basically, I write mostly centered all around love and physical romance to make up for the lack thereof in my real life and (and I don't like putting it like this but it's true) feel normal since none of these things bring me pleasure anymore.

10: what's your favorite part about the fic writing process?

Oh, DEFFINITELY the diologue! Every draft of a fic I write, I only write diologue. I go in with some desire of where I want it to go overall, but otherwise these characters really do just write themselves. I love how they interact with one another whether it be angsty or silly. ❤️ Then all I do is fill out the scene around them or their feelings/actions to go along with their words 😊 I REALLY love dialogue.

35: what do you enjoy most about being a fic writer?

The lovely comments!!! I read and respond to each and every one because I am so thankful that people take the time to read my work and it really encourages me to keep writing when I know they are also having just as good of a time with the fic as me (most of the time they are having even more fun than me lol)! It also helps me judge/scale whether i'm doing a good job making the physical intimacy sound good and realistic/believable since i have no range of my own for a base. But I also love the community in general. I rarely get into something as deeply as I am with HL. The only others in life were FFXV a few years back and Naruto when I was in middle/high school 😅 but when I do, I love all the memes/content from the other creators and getting to know them as well.

Thanks for the asks! @silasbug ❤️ it made my day ❤️