#really excited to get working on lore stuff again but i gotta finish projects for that

[linkedin-offficial]

various gaolers + lore art (hi flight rising tumblr)

[shera-dnd]

The Princess of Power - Part 1 Being She-ra

Y’all asked for some GM lore and here you have some GM lore. Featuring some Mara lore for some good measure (I did tell you most important NPCs were based on real people)

Now how about a little blast from the past, looking through the early stages of “The Princesses of Power RPG”

~~~

The Moon Opal was a calm place in the earlier hours of the day, most of its customers were the nocturnal type, leaving the store mostly empty and the perfect place to get some work done. It was at this serene time of day that a tired figure toiled once again at a task that had been bothering them for over a week now: Balancing She-ra

Project Etheria - a placeholder name - was supposed to be about collaboration and teamwork, yet someone decided that giving a player an extremely overpowered form, with insane martial and magical skills was a good idea and now it was their job to get that mess to work somehow.

Sure, it made sense for She-ra to be this strong, she is supposed to be the protector of the world, the key to the world’s magic, every princess had an element, but She-ra, the Princess of Power, was supposed to be the center of...the center of everything.

They grabbed a piece of paper and quickly began scribbling notes, there was an obvious solution staring them right in the face all this time and they finally got it. Oh they couldn’t wait to see Mara’s face when they showed her this.

“Hey, someone is feeling productive today” Mara greeted, apparently summoned by that errant thought.

“Mhm” they agreed distractedly, not even taking their gaze away from their work.

“Earth to GM” She joked, the mention of their name stealing their attention “You there, GM?”

GM, Game Master, they had been called that most of their life, but when Mara did it felt different. It was not a simple title or description of function, it was a name, their name, at least one they identified with more than they ever did with the one they were given at birth. She truly felt like she was greeting a friend and that made them happy.

���Sorry” They apologized, putting their work aside “Hey, Mara”

“Hi” She greeted again, cheerfully “What got you so excited today?”

“Rebalancing She-ra for the sixth, and hopefully last, time” They explained handing her their work “I removed most of the new Traits from She-ra itself and made it so she granted those to nearby princesses”

“I’m gonna have to rewrite my whole character sheet again, aren't I?” She asked, reading over their notes “Oh, I almost forgot!” She exclaimed,  handing them her own notes “I finished some more Lore on Etherian magic and the First Ones”

GM took the notes titled ‘Heart of Etheria’ and skimmed over them. They sat there silently reading each others notes. This too felt nice, Mara wasn’t a very energy demanding friend, even though she could be very loud and energetic when she wanted to, she also did not mind sharing moments of silence, they appreciated that. Unfortunately they were the ones to break the silence this time.

“The planet is a what!?” GM loudly blurted.

“A weapon of mass destruction” Mara stated, as if saying it out loud suddenly made it make sense “I thought the setting needed bigger stakes”

“We already have an invading alien empire, giant monsters and evil sorcerers” GM declared, but all they got from her was a shrug “I guess Mara, Princess of World Building would know better than me”

“I like that one, let’s use it in the book” Mara exclaimed “You got anything we could play while I change up my traits?” She asked, picking up her character sheet. It was her third one, the last two had been severely damaged from constant rewriting.

“Preferably nothing combat heavy then” GM pondered for a moment “Well, you had just finished a mission last time, so we could maybe have a chill scene in the Crystal Castle?” They proposed

“Perfect!” She declared, full of glee “I wanna flirt with Light Hope”

“Excuse me?” They asked “She is an AI”

“So…?” She didn’t seem to understand their point

“She is not programed for romance” They explained, a little exasperated

“Nothing a little love can’t fix” She said, with a shrug

“You’re not teaching a robot to love, Mara” They declared

“Hey, look at it this way: I’m preparing you for all the players who will absolutely try to romance everything and everyone in this setting” She explained herself “Also Light Hope is really cute”

“Miss me with that allo shit, Mara” GM groaned.

They played out a couple more scenes, testing out the new and rebalanced She-ra, along with some NPC princesses, against the Crystal Castle’s robot spiders and for the first time Mara seemed satisfied with the combat.

“Yes!” She exclaimed, as the last spider fell “You’re the best”

“I...hmmm...thanks” GM mumbled, not used to receiving compliments “You’re the one making the world, I just turn stuff into rules text”

“But that is the important part” Mara assured them “I can say what it means to be She-ra all I want, but it’s all pointless if the rules say something different”

“And what did the rules say?” GM asked, a little surprised. They were so focused on making She-ra balanced that they didn’t even consider that aspect of things.

“That She-ra is not meant to make people feel weaker, you shouldn’t feel like you’re less than them, you should feel stronger by being with them” She explained, her voice loud and full of excitement “Helping other be their best selves, that is what it should mean to be She-ra!”

_____

The Moon Opal bustled with people in the late hours of the night, its more nocturnal customers taking up the tables with games of all kinds, but if you got there early you could still grab a table for yourself and get some work done. GM was finishing up their notes on the new version of The Princesses of Power, when someone unceremoniously crumbled on the chair in front of them.

“Long day?” GM greeted, not taking their eyes away from their work.

“Long day” Adora responded. She opened up her back and began looking for something inside it “Sorry for jumping right to the point, but I still gotta pick up dinner” She explained herself, handing them a few sheets of paper.

“Oh right, your backstories” They remarked, taking them both and skimming over them “Why is Catra’s six pages long?”

“Because my girlfriend is the most competitive person in the planet” Adora groaned. Of course Catra would consider this a competition

“You two want to call dibs on any of the homebrew powers?” GM asked

“Nah, I’m good with whatever you send my way” She waved it off “and Catra doesn’t want any powers, because she wants to prove she can kick everyone’s ass without any”

“I’m not surprised in the slightest” They commented, reading through Adora’s story a second time, they couldn’t avoid the strange sense of nostalgia that came from it “What it means to be She-ra” they mumbled without really thinking.

“You said something?” Adora asked, perkin up on her chair

“Nothing” They deflected “Just had a few ideas for your character. Do you mind if I keep these?”

“Sure sure, we don’t mind” She handed it to them “If that is all, I should probably get going”

“I’ll text you if I need any more details” They stated “Have a good night, Adora”

“You too, GM!” She said, waving at them as she left.

They smiled and gave the papers in their hand one last read through. Oh Mara, you would’ve loved this one.

[bookenders]

11/11/11 Tag Game: 16/17/18?

Back again to spill the tea about myself for all you lovely people.Thanks @cataclysmic-writer, @maybeillwriteit and @aurisadventure for the tags!

My answers are under the cut. 😊

Rules: Answer the 11 questions of the person who tagged you, make up 11 questions, then tag 11 people to answer them. 

Bilbo Taggins: @brittanyisart, @quilloftheclouds, @brittanyisart, @brynwrites, @creatvrae, @elisabethrosewrites, @elizabethsyson, @ren-c-leyn, @yetmorestories, @pinespittinink, @timefire25

My Questions:

What are your thoughts on throw pillows?

Do you have any podcast recommendations? How about TV shows?

What month would you be on a calendar, and what would the picture be?

What is one book that you absolutely love, no matter what anyone else has to say about it? 

What’s your favorite kind of scented candle?

What’s your favorite urban legend?

Would you ever go on an arctic expedition?

What’s the furthest from home you’ve ever been?

What is the best snack?

How purple do you allow your prose to be/get? What’s your purple limit? Is there one?

What’s one word/line/scene/character that you want to put in a story, but you haven’t found the right place for yet?

@cataclysmic-writer‘s questions:

What do you eat or drink while writing? It varies depending on how I’m feelin’. Usually a big giant glass of water. I used to have coffee and/or tea, but it always got cold because I forgot about it. That’s actually how I used to measure my progress, by how cold the drink was.  And coffee got me too jazzed to sit still, so I stopped drinking while writing. Good for academic papers, though.

Best piece of advice you ever received? Like... ever? Okay. People are more interested in themselves/absorbed with themselves to really care what you’re doing. Very empowering for someone with real bad social anxiety (like myself heyooo).

Which book inspired you to write the most? I’ve talked about Laurie Halse Anderson’s Wintergirls before, and I’m gonna mention it again. And that I went to a signing for her new book Shout and I got to thank her and my life has been enriched a thousand-fold.

Which author do you try to emulate when you write? Oh, man, I do not do this at all. Okay, well, not at all, because I find it to be a valuable writing exercise to practice with. But I super don’t. I’ve done projects where I’ve emulated Walt Whitman, Philip Levine, Tolkien, Dostoevsky, Poe (eugh), and Anne Valente. Those were super fun. I like imitating styles and I’ve gotten pretty darn good at it. Sometimes I tell myself to put a Gaiman-like twist on a section, though, or describe something like another author if it fits the tone for funsies. But I like writing like me! 

Where did you get the idea for your current wip? I’ve already talked about Heart to Heart, so I’ll talk about “Fish Food!” This one happened when I was pondering superheroes, James Bond, tropes, evil monologues, and the like. I had the image of a hero tied up and dangling over a pit of piranhas while the villain detailed his evil plan. But the hero didn’t follow the script. And then, like every one of my short stories, it spun way out of control. I started to think of what heroes would inhabit this world that erupted from the fertile soil of my brain and suddenly I had a big complicated story that I was excited about. And it was funny, which is a change for me.

Do you have a go-to beta reader/writing buddy you bounce ideas off of? I do! One of my goodest friends is a fellow writer and she’s my spaghetti wall if I need assistance. We went through the same creative writing program one year apart and had different teachers, so we offer each other pretty different advice, and it’s great. She’s super into fae lore, too, which is ridiculously helpful for me, a nerd who is writing a light fantasy story with fae in it. We operate in different styles and genres, though, so sometimes idea-bouncing is a little tricky.

Which of your WIPs is your favorite? Of the ones I’m working on right now? Probably “Incarnate.” Partly because it’s closer to my usual writing fare, partly because it’s weird and disturbing in my favorite ways, partly because the ending is really cool and surprising in a way that hits you long after you finish it. I also like it because it’s hard for me to write. Yay, challenges!

Tea, coffee, or soda? Tea for chillin’, coffee for workin’, soda for pizza times.

If you could have any fantasy creature as a pet, which would you have? A brownie to clean my house, or a domovoi to act as a weird home security system would be neat. For non-practical purposes, I’d also say a pegasus. I can ride pretty well and it’d be so convenient to just fly everywhere on my awesome horse buddy.

Do you like creepy/scary movies? NOPE. I am a big chicken shit when it comes to spooky things. As a kid, I was terrified of E.T. That’s how bad it was. 

What genre do you have yet to write in, but want to write soon? Hm. Maybe historical fiction? I already play with it a little bit without actually going into the history part of it too deeply. Maybe I’ll give it a shot in the future.  I’ve always wanted to give magical realism a good try, though. It’s always been hard for me to write. 

________________________________________

@aurisadventure​‘s questions:

1. Who is your favorite oc? Why?

Right now, it’s Lithium from “Fish Food.” She’s just so fun. I also just figured out a big part of Jill’s character that I’m excited to add to H2H!

2. What is your favorite thing to do when you’re not writing?

I got into cooking a while ago, and that’s pretty fun. I do yoga sometimes. I read a bunch. I also like putting things together. Honestly, I’m a big giant nerd who likes learning in their spare time.

3. What is your least favoured genre?

Hard sci-fi is really hard for me to get into. And some contemporary stuff, but it’s not as bad as hard sci-fi.

4. Top three favorite video games? (Any console)

DRAGON AGE: ORIGINS (with Awakening DLC, obvs) (except for the goddamn Mage Circle Fade part I hate it and it deserves to burn in hell)

Ori and the Blind Forest (I’m stuck on the last stupid fire volcano level and I’m so mad because it’s hard but this game is beautiful)

To The Moon (so many tears, such good story)

Honorable mention to Assassin’s Creed 2. 

(I love RPGs.)

5. What’s the craziest thing you’ve done for inspiration?

Hm. I don’t really go out and seek inspiration like this. I just consume a whole lot of art in varying mediums. 

I went to a poetry slam one time. Does that count?

6. Buggy or Cart?

Horses, buggy. Oxen, cart. As much as I’d like to be Gandalf...

7. Have you finished any of your wips?

I am so goddamn close to finishing “When Your Song is Over and Done” I can taste it. I’m hoping to write that last stupid scene this week. It’s been the one WIP that’s been kicking my ass lately. How rude.

I’m a short story writer, so I finish a lot of my WIPs. It’s kinda nice. That’s also why longer projects scare me.

8. But like… can I read it?

😉

In the meantime, you can read these!

9. What is your favorite animal? Why?

Highland Cows! Just look at them. 

I’m sure I have a more interesting answer for this, but honestly, cows are all I can think of. I love cows. 

10. Name one place you want to visit more than anything.

Norway! Not sure why. Seems like a really cool place to be.

(I lied I love space and want to go to the observatories.)

11. What is your most cherished childhood memory?

Saturday mornings curled up in my grandfather’s armchair watching TV and eating Burger King before we go visit the animals at the farm.

________________________________________

@maybeillwriteit‘s questions:

1. Which oc would you most like to go for a drink with?

I don’t drink, but I think Treena would be an excellent conversation partner. 

2. Where do you like to write? Bed? Desk? Cafe? etc etc

I have a desk in my room. Not that I usually write at it. I’m good anywhere I can sit up straight and rest my arms.

3. Which of your ocs do you think people are most likely to make fanart for?

Eventually, I hope Mel. I love her character design. Or the superheroes and villains from “Fish Food.” They all have really distinct appearances and cool costumes/uniforms.

4. Favourite piece of writing advice you’ve received?

Probably the time my mentor also admitted he hated writing dialogue, but that sometimes you just gotta. 

5. Which place in your stories would you like to live? (i’ve read this sentence ten times and i ain’t convinced it’s grammatically correct lol)

(maybe: In which place/where in your stories would you most like to live? I dunno this one’s freaking my brain.)

Linsay would be the best place to live, I think. A very chill small town that has everything you need, very supportive soon-to-be friends, an apothecary on stand-by, and lovely weather. Its residents are fiercely protective and are very willing to look the other way where the law is concerned if it helps someone.

6. Do any authors/books influence your writing? Which ones?

Oh, tons. Jim Butcher, Laurie Halse Anderson, George Saunders, Anne Valente, Tolkien, Gaiman, Matt Bell, Aimee Bender, and a whole bunch more authors. And, if you wanna get all heartfelt about it, every single book I’ve read has influenced my writing, whether it’s learning how to do something, learning how not to do something, or finding a new technique that jives with my style.

7. Pick one song that represents your wip.

I’ve done a bunch of song stuff with H2H, so this is for “Fish Food:”

Honestly, my first instinct is “Superboy and the Invisible Girl” from Next to Normal. But it’s not quite right.

I also wanna say “Super Friends” from Holy Musical B@man. 

But in my heart, I know the true answer is “Under Pressure.” How could it not be?

8. Favourite thing about being a writer?

The feels! I love writing things and getting my own feels out, then making other people feel things. It’s so satisfying. 

9. Characters or plot, what came first?

Characters! Oh my God, always characters. And before characters, concept and theme(s). Sometimes a scene just pops into my head and I have to figure out who these people are and why they’re there.

10. Do you like writing prompts?

I do indeedy. They’re pretty helpful when I’m stuck. I only write for the ones that instantly spark an idea in my brain, though. All the ones I’m getting for my 800 followers celebration are insanely good. 

11. Part of your wip that you’re most excited to write?

Oh, man! So many!

H2H: The climax! Well, one of them. The one of the magic incidents and Mel and Gemma’s relationship, to be specific.

Fish Food: When my main two dudes meet Lithium! And figure out what’s going on with her. Or anything about Lithium’s real life. Her story is wild.

WYSiOaD: The goddamn rooftop scene that’s been kicking my ass for a month. It’s gonna be so emotional and poignant and great and I can’t wait for it to be over.

[overly-obsessed-fangirl1]

Immortal Heart- A New Beginning

Characters: Reader, Dean, Sam, John

Warnings: Character Death

Word Count: 1955

A/N: No beta. Feedback, please :)

“4 weeks ago, a family was killed in a fire. Reports say that there were 4 charred corpses, adult male and female, female in her late teens-mid 20s, and a teenage boy. Later, only the parents and son were recovered. Then this girl was killed in a hit-and-run. Witnesses say she flew 20 feet in the air, landing on her head and breaking her neck. On the way to the hospital, she gets up, knocks out the EMTs, and escapes. 2 weeks later, a girl matching her description is stabbed in a bar fight. Assumed dead, again leaves the scene. Then last night, the same girl gets shot in the head during a misfire. Again she walks away.” John dropped another newspaper on the table with each story.

“Zombie?” Dean asked eagerly.

“Could be,” John replied.

“Or it could be a vampire, or a werewolf, or a million other things,” Sam grumbled irritably.

“What’s up with you?”

“We’ve been on the road for 10 days straight. Can’t we stay in one place for a while?” Sam snapped at his brother.

“Well, Sam, now that we have a case, we will,” Dean shot back.

“Enough!” John scolded. “Sam, quit whining. Dean, Sam’s right. We don’t know what we’re dealing with. Which means…”

“Research,” the boys responded together.

You couldn’t believe your luck. You’d been killed 4 times in as many weeks. Granted, you couldn’t die, but still. Not only that, you had just settled in with a new family when the stupid stove blew up. Now, on top of all that, the only road out of town was under construction. Thankfully, you hadn’t interacted with many people before you “died,” so you didn’t really have to flee, but you knew it was only a matter of time before someone recognized you.

Since you were stuck, you figured you might as well study up. You thought that you had learned everything about everything by now, but new monsters just kept popping up. Jogging up the library steps, you almost collided with 2 boys coming out.

“Sorry!” you said, stepping out of the way.

“No, no, sweetheart, we should watch where we’re going,” the older one drawled, running his hand through his hair. He looked about 16. With a start, you realized he was checking you out.

Before you could do anything more than smile, the younger boy (maybe 12?) tugged on his friend’s sleeve.

“Dean, we gotta go meet Dad,” he said.

“Hang on, Sammy,” Dean hissed.

“Dean, we have to go.”

You thought you heard a hidden meaning in the boy’s words. Your suspicions were confirmed when you saw something click in Dean’s eyes.

“Go on,” you said, taking a step back towards the doors. “I don’t want to get you in trouble.”

You turned and entered the building before he could say anything, silently laughing. The poor kid thought his brother just ruined his chance of hooking up with you.

A few minutes later found you seated at a table in the back with a stack of lore books. You were so invested you didn’t notice the person approaching until he plopped down in the chair across from you.

“Hi again,” Dean said, making you jump. He chuckled. “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.”

His eyes widened roamed as they roamed over the books spread out around you.

“What’s a pretty girl like you doing with stuff like all this?” he asked carefully.

“Oh, just research for a school project,” you lied.

“It’s summer.”

“I’m dual enrolled, and taking a class at the community college.”

“Miss Smarty Pants, huh?” he teased.

“Can I help you with something?” you asked.

“Just trying to make conversation.”

“I thought you had to go meet your dad.”

“The road is closed, so Sammy went with him to find a motel, and I decided to try to get to know the girl we almost ran over.”

“That’s sweet, but I really need to get through this,” you said, turning your attention back to the books.

“So what’s this class on?”

Inwardly sighing, you looked back up.

“Mythical monsters. I need to identify them based on a data set I’m given.”

“Sounds interesting. Can I help?”

Resigning yourself to the fact that you weren’t going to get rid of him any time soon, you pull out the file you had put together.

“People who have no history of depression, anxiety, or suicidal tendencies are killing themselves one after the other. All of them said shortly before that a loved one had told them to go to them. All the loved ones are dead. So, I need to figure out which monster is responsible.”

Dean reached for the file, but you moved it out of his way. Your tale would fall apart if he saw the newspaper clippings.

Suspicion flickered in his eyes, but was quickly replaced with thought.

“A loved one calling out to them, luring them to their deaths,” he mused. Suddenly he sat up straight. “What were the exact words that the people heard?”

“Um, ‘Come to me,’ I think,” you replied, flipping through your notes. “Yeah.”

“It sounds like a crocotta,” Dean said. “They used to hide in the woods and call unsuspecting people to them by using the voice of a loved one. It would then eat their soul.”

Excitement building, you opened the lore book in front of you to the section on crocottas. Dean was right. Scanning your notes, you saw everything matched up. The best part? It said how to kill them. Somehow, a 16-year-old had solved a problem you’ve been wrestling with for a month.

“You got it!” You gathered up all your stuff and half-ran to the door, mentally running through a list of supplies you’ll need to catch the crocotta. You were out the door before you realized you had left Dean inside. Hesitating, you decided that preparing was more important than manners, and you continued to the place where you were squatting.

“I’m telling you, I don’t think she’s a monster,” Dean said again.

“You’re only saying that because you like her,” Sam snapped.

“She’s been in 4 situations in which she should have died, and she’s still walking,” John insisted. “She’s not human! We’re killing her, and that’s final.”

“How?” Sam asked. “I mean, if we don’t know what she is-”

“Then we try everything,” John stated. “We know she’s not a ghoul because she survived a headshot. So we either need to cut off her head or use silver. So we’ll cut off her head with a silver blade.”

Turning to Dean, he asked, “Are you going to be able to do this?”

After a brief moment, Dean lowered his eyes. “Yes, sir.”

“Good. Go find her and tail her. We’ll call you when we’re ready.”

Going back over the file, you were able to find the person who linked all the victims. They all employed the same handyman shortly before their deaths. Certain this was the crocotta, you set to working a pipe out from under the sink. Soon you had a crocotta-killer. It only took a few tries to figure out how to best create a point with an old rotary saw that you had found. Glancing at the clock, you hid the pipe under your jacket and head out to watch the suspect. You didn’t notice the boy following you.

Killing the thing went a lot smoother than you anticipated. He really wasn’t that bright. You simply walked in the door he conveniently left open and stabbed him from behind. You found his shovel, dug up his back garden, dumped him and covered him with his flowers. You were looking for bleach when you heard the snick of the front door. Slowly you stood up, hand going for your knife.

“Don’t move,” a deep voice said. A gun cocked. “What are you?”

“I’m the maid,” you lied. “And if you don’t tell me why you broke in-”

“Stop bluffing,” the man ordered.

You shut up.

“You’ve died four times in the past month, yet here you are. So, what are you? Vampire? Werewolf?”

A sinking feeling began to build in you stomach. “I don’t know what-”

“Dad, I don’t think she is a monster,” a familiar voice said.

“Dean?” you asked in surprise as he came around the corner.

Dean’s eyes flickered over the scene, and you saw the moment he put everything together.

“That assignment wasn’t for school, was it? It was a case. You’re a hunter.”

Shocked, you just stared at him. This sixteen-year-old was a hunter? What kind of parent raised his kid in this life?

“I’m guessing whoever lives here was the crocotta, and you killed him. Judging by the stain on the floor, you were clearing up when we interrupted you.”

Dumbly, you nodded.

“Dean, enough,” the man said. “She’s something and it’s not a hunter. She should be dead but she’s not, and now she’s just killed a man!”

“But, Dad-”

“No, Dean. She dies.”

With that, a silver blade swung from behind and separated your head from your shoulders. Suddenly you couldn’t feel anything but falling, and then a sharp pain as your head hit the floor. 

After the family stuffed your body in their trunk (kindly putting your head next to your neck), you began reassembling yourself. The pain from the nerves, muscles, and bones reknitting caused you to black out. When you came to, back in one piece, the car was driving down what felt like a gravel road. Wincing, you reached up to the bobby pin you always kept in your hair only to find it had fallen out. Groaning, you settled down to wait.

After an hour or so, the car rolled to a stop. Tensing, you leapt out when the trunk opened, colliding with a very startled Sam. You both tumbled to the ground, and your stiff muscles made you slow in getting back up. The cold barrel of a gun against the back of your neck caused you to freeze in a crouch.

“What are you?” asked Dean from in front of you, eyes wide.

“Human!” you insisted.

“No human I’ve ever met is immortal,” his dad said, but he removed the gun.

“You’re hunters, right?” They nodded. “So you know witches.” Another nod.

“I was cursed,” you explained, sitting with a hmph. “My lover died and her ma blamed me for it. She cursed me to live forever, experiencing loss for eternity.”

“So every time you die…” Dean said, realization dawning.

“I get put back together,” you finished. “And it bloody hurts, so don’t kill me again.”

“Dad,” Dean added, “it could be useful to have someone who can’t die with us.”

“Not now, Dean.”

“And I’ve wanted a sister,” Sam chimed in.

Their father looked from one pair of pleading eyes to the other, sighing.

“I’m John,” he said, putting his gun away and offering you his hand. “You’ve met Sam and Dean. How would you like a family that understands your world?”

Elated, you took it. Some forged paperwork later, and you became the eldest child of the Winchesters, and after a few years, and new forged documents, the middle, and then again a few years later, the youngest, as the boys aged but you didn’t.

The three of you were thick as thieves, until the night of the fight, when Sam stormed off and went to Stanford. Though you would visit, you were never as close with him after that as you were with Dean. You stayed through the whole mess with Azazel, and the Apocalypse, and everything else that came your way, grateful for your new beginning.

[comicteaparty]

November 1st, 2018 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party chat that occurred on November 1st, 2018, from 5PM - 7PM PDT.  The chat focused on Littlelight Asylum by Julian Dominguez (Writer), Esther Pimentel (Artist), and Toben Racicot (Letterer).

Featured Comment:

Chat:

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- THURSDAY BOOK CLUB START!

Good evening, everyone~! This week’s Thursday Book Club is officially beginning! Today we are discussing Littlelight Asylum by Julian Dominguez (Writer), Esther Pimentel (Artist), and Toben Racicot (Letterer)~! (http://littlelightasylum.spiderforest.com/)

Remember that Thursday discussions are completely freeform! However, every 30 minutes I will drop in OPTIONAL discussion questions in case you’d like a bit of a prompt. If you miss out on one of these prompts, you can find them pinned for the chat’s duration. Additionally, remember that while constructive criticism is allowed, our focus is fun and respectfully appreciating the comic. All that said, let’s begin!

QUESTION 1. What is your favorite scene in the comic so far and why?

i think for me, my favorite scene is hands down when cthulhu shows up and lays the smack down. this might be biased from really liking to see cthulhu get around. but i also just kept being like "this squid kid reminds me of cthulhu" and then my assumptions were vindicated

keii4ii

Yup XD

I also liked seeing Eve get excited for the Crimson Archer

mathtans

That was pretty cool. I also liked just earlier when Eternal Flame was still the dork.(edited)

Yup, gotta imagine Eve squee face.

RebelVampire

yeah i liked the timing for it too. cause eve stonewalled for so long but then gotta have that little quieter squee when the actual hero showed up.

although i also liked when lilith was all squee but then immediately turned on the tsundere "its not like i like this at all" XD

mathtans

I like her personality. Vaguely Spock-like. She's sensible.

Eve, that is.

Also, MASSIVE bonus points for "drum roll". That was too good.

keii4ii

On a more subtle note though, I also liked that Eve hid the video games, AND that her gaming stash had both of the other characters' favorite games. Sometimes you wonder why/how some characters get along, and it's subtle details like that that grounds the relationship for me, by showing that they have more in common than it may seem.

mathtans

keii: That's an excellent point. She's a good friend.

Though how could you not get along with Hollow.

RebelVampire

i liked that moment too because i think it demonstrates both eve's intelligence and that for monster kids, taking away their stuff is really not that easy. so it was a moment that kind of did some subtle and excellent world building as well.

mathtans

I think Eve is the only one who can portal though.

keii4ii

Yeah

the person who took the stuff wasn't expecting it at all

mathtans

(And there's just this dude living in there, that was funny...)

RebelVampire

true but i dont doubt the others could find a way to hide their games. like lilith seems like shes 100% use magic....that would ultimately mess up in some fashion. hollow might be screwed unless he decides to bury his games in the backyard.

granted i wouldve thought headmistress light wouldve realized eve kind of has some op powers for someone her age

mathtans

Fair. I do think Light is happy so long as there's no destruction of property going on.

keii4ii

Though if the average monster kid is good at sneaking stuff around, I would think others would be more aware/skeptical

mathtans

I'm still trying to figure out my feelings about Lilith. She seems pretty self-absorbed.

keii4ii

She kinda seems like the meanie who hangs out with the good kids because she does get lonely, and no one else will tolerate her

RebelVampire

tbf tho their tolerance isnt the highest. since the first scenario they basically said "nope lilith has to clean up her own mess" until it wasnt possible for them to leave it alone

im interested in what shaped lilith's personality to be as it is

keii4ii

I found it interesting that she seemed to genuinely like Sona as a character, as opposed to just "I like her because her game is fun." Sona seemed like she had a decent personality (or maybe that's just my assumption based on "typical video game main characters" )

RebelVampire

nah sona had a nice personality cause she was all positive in the brief moment we see her. very opposite of lilith. so it makes me wonder if lilith has had a bit of a troubled childhood. like i mean dont get me wrong, shes mean. but given shes also a kid you always have to wonder how genuine it is and how much of it is putting on airs and acting in a way she thinks is expected of her.

cause i know her profile even mentions shes half demon or something. so she could be thinking "no im a demon gotta do the evil"

Superjustinbros

Hey there, just popping in to say hello since I'm a bit occupied with something else atm

if I can make it later I'll jump into the chat proper

(I do want to say briefly that this story has some appealing character designs)

keii4ii

It could be something like, she doesn't get along with the Less Evil of her parents (could be the demon, could be the other one), so she's latching onto evil being desirable. But that's a total stab in the dark at this point in time

RebelVampire

true. could be opposite in that the witch parent is more evil. or they could both be evil

QUESTION 2. The cast of the comic is colorful to say the least. Did any of the characters in particular strike you as interesting? If so, who and why? Why do you think Lilith is at the orphanage when she implies she has parents? Who are her parents and where are they? What about Eve and Hollow? Do you think they’re actually orphans or are there mitigating circumstances to why they’re at the orphanage? What do you think Eve’s implied connection to Cthulhu is? What about Hollow? Any theories that turn what we believe about Hollow on their head? Do you think the three main children will manage to stay friends despite their differences, or will one of them cause a rift?

keii4ii

I do think an "the friends have a fight, but realize it was silly and reunite to defeat a foe that they could not have defeated individually" episode is likely, though it's still early on and can't really say what might cause such a scenario

RebelVampire

i could argue thats sort of their whole relationship tho. the whole friends fight but reunite

cause even the first issue basically kind of does this

keii4ii

Yeah

But I mean something more... extreme

The first one seemed like a daily occurrence kinda thing

But like, something that makes them think, "great, I'll never talk to the other two again"

RebelVampire

actually what i hope happens is that lilith is the great ill never talk to the other two again

has a solo adventure but comes back

and eve and hollow are were like "what do you mean our fight and friendship breakup? we thought you were just being you"

keii4ii

If that happens, I would like to see it contribute to Lilith's character growth long term, even if very subtle

mathtans

Sorry, had to deal with little one here. Just to finish my earlier thought...

Lilith seems to have this need to prove herself to someone, so there's that, but she's not great at considering the consequences. Like even being forced to clean up the kitchen. It's an interesting counterpoint to Eve... and I guess since my personality's more like Eve, I have little issues.

I think Lilith was probably left at the orphanage by a relative who just couldn't deal any more... her parents were maybe going to come back to said relative's place at some time. Now Lil's trying to get their attention, maybe?

RebelVampire

maybe. i feel like something deeper is going on. cause normally if you couldn't deal with a child youre watching you just ship them back to their parents. not send them to an orphanage.

not to mention lilith is a bag of trouble

and if i was the headmistress and knew lilith had parents who didnt abandon her forever, i wouldve been like "oh whoops back to your parents you go"

although nobody might know where the parents are

maybe lilith's witch parent is as bad as magic

are trapped in a video game

mathtans

Yeah, I figured maybe it was a "no forwarding address" kind of thing. Possibly because one of them is wanted, and they don't want their ties to the kids to be an issue.

Heh, that'd be amusing, if Lilith's witch parent had the same trouble with spells. Came by it honestly.

As to parent/kid ties, I feel like Eve is maybe a reincarnation of Cthulu or something. Which is why she can channel subconsciously?

RebelVampire

or the secret child. cause i mean of course cthulhu would abandon a kid. not out of evil but cthulhu has evil cthulhu stuff to do. no time to be raising kids. but ya know, can make time to show up and say "dont you tocuh my kid weird demon fellow"

but reincarnation works too

never considered that

or maybe eve just is cthulhu

the only one

and that was just an astral projection of her power or something fancy like that

mathtans

Yeah, monster adults be busy and all. Speaking of, I wonder if the other beings are kind of in their own dimension somewhere? Or if there are pockets in the real world? I mean, seemed like a normal town not too far away.

Eve is a chibi-cthulhu.

RebelVampire

it could just be both cause this seems like one of them tricky magic worlds where every answer is probably plausible O_O

i want to know why hollow can breathe fire on a side note. like is this werewolf lore i dont know about XD

mathtans

They live in video games.

Hollow eats a lot of spicy peppers.

keii4ii

I'm not aware of fire-breathing werewolf lores, but now that I think about it, it'd be really cool(edited)

to see a howling wolf exhale a long stream of fire into the moon

mathtans

Maybe it comes from the human side. Born of one of those fire eaters in the carnivals and a werewolf.

keii4ii

Unlikely but not impossible: could be a loose reference to the eclipse dog that tried to eat the sun (and failed)

mathtans

Hm, not one I know of.

RebelVampire

QUESTION 3. The world of the comic is interesting to say the least. How do you think Littlelight Asylum manages to stay under the radar given its unique composition of occupants? Do you think we’ll see Mel again? Further, do you think Mel will manage to expose Littlelight Asylum for what it is, or will Mel’s efforts wind up in vain? How abundant do you think monsters are compared to humans anyway? What do you think would happen if normal humans found out about the orphanage? Will it turn out okay, badly, or do you think they have safety nets in place? Lastly, why do you think Headmistress Light continues the orphanage when it causes her many headaches and risks a lot?

RebelVampire

ive never heard of that one either but i dont mark it off as impossible either. it was just a weird detail that made me curious about hollow. granted tbf hes a wolf all the time so this def is a diff sort of werewolf

mathtans

Different rules and all... demons live in hats.

I think calling the place an "Asylum" is a good way to keep random visitors from showing up. Just saying.

Monsters must be more prevalent than one thinks though, if they're having relationships with humans? And if Mel has enough data to identify them as such?

I'm not sure about safety nets, btw. The best solution they had seemed to be get on the bus.

RebelVampire

well that orphanage alone was pretty populated from what it seemed. and having an orphanage implies that either 1) the population is large because generally you only have an orphanage that community raising isnt a viable option or 2) orphans in the monster world are extremely, extremely common and probably more orphans than kids with parents

thats a great point about asylum tho

that its used as a detterent

thats brilliant and i never considered that

mathtans

True, about the implications. It could also be that it's the only place on the entire Earth for them.

I wonder if anyone tries to send an actual human orphan to the place. Are they listed in the yellow pages?

RebelVampire

if they are actually using the asylum thing as a deterrent for humans, probably not

mathtans

About Headmistress Light... she may have inherited the place? It is sort of named after her.

RebelVampire

yeah her profile says as much

mathtans

Probably not. Unless you get a tax writeoff or something.

RebelVampire

that the place was her father's

mathtans

Ahh, I didn't recall the profiles.

RebelVampire

i assume she actually just cares about kids and knows that as monsters its not like they have anywhere else to go. cause you cant exactly send them to regular orphanages cause they might not understand the concept of not getting caught by a human lynch mob that well

mathtans

Yeah, I kinda feel the same. She also checked out the costumes before going into the town.

RebelVampire

i do think were inevitably going to see mel again. mel had too much potential as an antagonist

and i also think mel would be a good character way to show the human side of things

and how the humans might perceive monsters

and maybe actually show those preventitive measures

mathtans

Yeah, that does seem likely. I wonder what her damage is? Like, just give the weird monsters a chocolate and they'll leave you alone. You can then do all your plotting in secret.

Mel has her own issues, basically. ^^

I liked the explanation for why they went to her house even though they knew she was annoyed with them, btw.

Also, very topical for this time of year.

RebelVampire

yes. not even purposely timed XD

tbh tho i kind of also hope they turn mel into an ally

like show mel look we can go into the video games

and mel is like "ok this is cool i will help you now"

mathtans

Help them what though? Hide out? They've been pretty good at that.

Though it could be funny if Mel can cast spells properly, so Lilith gets advice from her.

RebelVampire

if not mel i do hope we get to see a more competent spell caster that can mentor lilith a bit. although i kind of hope all the kids get mentors. learn to become well-rounded ppl

QUESTION 4. The story is formatted in a way to offer lots of room for interesting scenarios. Are there any sorts of supernatural based scenarios you think might be interesting to see? Alternatively, is there something non-supernatural that you think it’d be interesting to watch the kids go through? Do you think we’ll see any of the antagonists from the previous scenarios again? If so, what do you think will happen? How many of the future scenarios do you think will be caused by Lilith’s magic going awry? Speaking of the supernatural though, what other sorts of cryptids or similar are you hoping to see character wise? Alternatively, is there a character you’ve seen already that you want to see more of based on their cryptid base?

RebelVampire

to answer one of those questions, id really like to see monster schooling. cause that must be a crazy mess

mathtans

I'm just trying to think of who'd be the mentors... might mix things up, have the wolves try to mentor Lilith...

I'm wondering if ghosts are a thing. Or contacting dead people. Particularly if parents are dead.

I hope the Lilith's magic going weird doesn't become a crutch... I liked how it was subverted a bit in the most recent one, where they were able to defeat the enemies.

RebelVampire

yeah. i do hope to see some character and skill growth

cause i really want lilith's magic to be useful at points

and for her to learn to maybe read the whole thing

and not invoke curses

mathtans

I feel like her learning might be a bit of a stretch. Could be interesting if they end up in classes though.

Like, are there spell casting classes?

RebelVampire

maybe

oh you know what i could forsee as a scenario

another witch joining the orphanage

that is way better at magic

mathtans

Ohh, that could be an interesting point.

Or even worse, like, gives Lilith a superiority complex.

RebelVampire

yeah that could happen to

unless the orphanage has that already, another witch. tbf id really like to see more of the kids in general. cause there were a lot of interesting and great designs already(edited)

and it could add to the kid's dynamic as well. like seeing how they interact with the others. cause lilith might not be the only one who's kind of outcasted from the other groups

mathtans

It's true. Maybe all three of the mains are kind of seen as the troublemakers by other kids too. So they end up by themselves.

Just looking at the character page again. It mentions that headmistress light has a power. Maybe she'll end up as a mentor?

Also, I wonder about Annabel there too.

RebelVampire

yeah. annabel i hope we get to see of more too. cause she looks sort of puppet or frankenstein like perhaps? so i want to know what her story is

granted i also want to know about bel too

i especially want to know how eve and hollow feel about bel

cause i assume they know bel exists

mathtans

Yeah, that would make sense.

Like, I would assume they figure he can't control Lilith any more than they can... so hmmm, what use is he?(edited)

RebelVampire

on the opposite end they might feel hes a bad influence on lilith

mathtans

Annabel could be a puppet, that might explain the pose after she fell off the ceiling, I hadn't considered that.

Maybe. Particularly if Bel's, like, reporting back to a witches council or something.

RebelVampire

he might just be a bad influence via not always discouraging lilith's crazy. you could make that argument at least

mathtans

Maybe he's really Lilith's dad in disguise.

RebelVampire

before the chat closes out, i want to add that i agree with super in that the character designs are really fantastic. theres a real great balance of detail and simplicity and i feel like all the designs really match the character theyre for.

mathtans

Dad's kind of a bumbling goof, doesn't want anyone to know. ^.^

Yeah, and I think the characters complement each other really well. Like, the more reserved sensible one, the off the wall random one, and the guy who's prone to excitement and is happy to be doing his best.

Even that second antagonist (if the ones at the start with the vines were the first), the Flame guy, he had some good motivations and things... and "eternal" wasn't just a catchphrase.

Btw, Hollow and Eve seem to share a room... does Lilith have a roommate, you think?

RebelVampire

well bel could technically be considered her roommate

probably just bel

lilith might spell another roommate into accident death

i liked eternal flame guy. he had the kind of over the top personality that is really fun

mathtans

There is always that danger.

RebelVampire

and i also liked that until cthulhu showed up he was op and able to beat children

mathtans

Extreme traits are interesting. Yeah, I liked the line "Oh, uh, are you with them" or whatever it was.

I suppose he could come back too, from the pocket dimension. Maybe he'll help to mentor them.

Anyway, should prove interesting to see what the next storyline is.

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- THURSDAY BOOK CLUB END!

Sadly, this wraps up this week’s Thursday Book Club chat for now. Thank you so much to everyone for reading and joining us! We want to give a special thank you to Julian Dominguez, Esther Pimentel, and Toben Racicot, as well, for making Littlelight Asylum. If you liked the comic, make sure to support Julian Dominguez, Esther Pimentel, and Toben Racicot’s efforts however you’re able to~!

Read and Comment: http://littlelightasylum.spiderforest.com/

Julian’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/Boxboycomics

Esther’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/Gilly_thesilly

Toben’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/TobenRacicot

Comic Tea Party- Thursday Book Club

Next week’s Thursday Book Club will be about Anacrine Complex by Sae. For participants, you have the next week to read as much of the comic as you would like~! We hope to see you on Thursday, November 8th, from 5PM to 7PM PST for the chat in #thursday_bookclub!

Comic’s Main Site: http://pigeoncomic.com/