#slightly different obviously but vibe wise

[spittyfishy]

I hope someone sees my vision with this one lol

[and-i-said-fewer]

@narcissistcookbook !!

Fellow TAD fans, I need to supplement my spotify with something other than the amazing devil. Any recommendations of bands that have a similar vibe?

[an-indecisive-nerd]

Alright so for some reason the world y'all were most interested in... was Earth???

Don't get me wrong, I'm actually pretty happy about it. Getting to talk about how my world differs from our Earth is pretty fun. It's also the most developed of the worlds (since I didn’t technically have to do anything), so it's the easiest for me to talk about.

So, history and culture were tied for the subject most people wanted me to talk about, so we'll start with history.

As far as world history goes, like the stuff you'd learn in class, not much differs other than the fact that I added a war that started in 1786 and ended around 1793.

Why did I add a war there?

Vibes mostly.

Also because I'm ever so slightly illiterate.

Anyway, that's it for the known/common history, now on to the stuff you have to be some brand of special to learn about.

Let's start with why Earth was created.

Little bit of background that I've mentioned but not gone into detail about: Each world was created by a specific god. The other gods helped, but the concept and breath of life that went into the world belongs to one god and one god alone.

Earth was created by Darkness. It was created shortly after Eorianor was destroyed. Ordinarily Darkness would have been last in line to create a new world, but since Eorianor was created by Sun, and Darkness is seen as Sun's opposite (shocker), it seemed natural that he try. Because obviously Eorianor didn't go well.

In actuality Eorianor was not at all Sun's fault, and Darkness and Sun are quite similar, at least personality wise. Their perceived differences were enough to reassure people that things will go better this time though, so they went with it.

Now then, last but not least, the history of the Order of the Universe, the group that's mainly being focused on on earth.

The Order of the Universe was created by Melantha Tollemache when the gods asked her to get them more followers on Earth. (The reason they didn't have many will be mentioned in the religion post for earth)

So Mel created the Order of the Universe, also known simply as the Order. It's pretty much a cult, but don't tell her that (she gets it enough from her little sister).

I'll admit I'm still a little hazy on my timelines, but the Order began sometime in the 1810-20s, and has slowly grown since then. It's founder drops by every few decades or so to check in, take over again, stamp out any corruption, make important adjustments, etc. But over all it's pretty self sufficient.

Nowadays the Order of the Universe exists as a town with a population of 8,577. It rests on the edge of a forest in the middle of nowhere. It's a very peaceful town, you wouldn't know it's in the middle of a war by looking at it.

Did I say war? It seems I did.

The Order is currently engaged in a war against the Organization. The town is their safe haven, a place the Organization can't reach.

Yet.

@thelovelymachinery @unforgettable-sensations @littleladymab @megamijadeheart @my-bright-legacy

@ominous-feychild @thecomfywriter @wyked-ao3 @anamelessfacelessnerd @differentnighttale

@mysticstarlightduck @leahnardo-da-veggie @the-letterbox-archives @paeliae-occasionally @tr4sh-p4nd4-404

@lovey-dovey-wovey @sidon0isnt0here @damonk13 @aalinaaaaaa @sm-writes-chaos

[feeling--pink]

Hi 🥺 what if they- 👉👈 what if they got mawwied???? 💕💕💕

Okay hi I’ve been working on these on and off all month (mostly off I got really busy whoops) and I have A LOT of thoughts about a Legbone wedding (ft. the drawtectives cause they really are my blorbos) 

Anyways here’s a list of headcannons that I didn’t get to draw:

So right off the bat let’s talk OUTFITS

To me Legzi and Ryjinah had gone looking for dresses but Legzi wasn’t really pumped about any of them 

So maybe they went on a road trip (because ladies bookclub road trips my beloved) to either go look in a different boutique or to do other wedding related shenanigans 

And on the side of the road Legzi spots this rag 

And of course it’s a torn up wedding dress and suddenly she has a Vision^TM

Just Legzi being more excited about fixing up this dress than anything she could have just bought up to that point 

Because to me Legzi is someone who loves to feel like a part of the process and having all her random skills she picked up from Darkmouth 

Then design wise I wanted something puffy so I could hide how much taller I made her 

Because personally I think her using the leg stilts on her wedding day is not only very Legzi^TM but I also made myself laugh with the concept :) 

And florals because those are fun, green, and easy to make by hand (as someone who’s made a lot of ribbon flowers)!! The vines were places where the dress was really torn and needed more structural stitching 

Ryjinahs dress on the other hand I wanted to take some inspiration from her season 1 design (even though I haven’t seen it) 

Also I love a chance to draw some boob 

so anyways York’s invitation

I’ve said it before but “artists draw fan art of each other’s art” where Karina drew Ryjinah, York, Rowan, and Jacob horse all hanging out is CANON TO ME

Which is why all of those characters were invited!! :)

Anyways I imagine all the invitations had your standard stuff- names, dates, rsvp section

But where it would’ve said +1 I think Ryjinah scribbled that out and hand wrote “+2 ;)” 

Which of course Grandma would be slightly flustered by meanwhile York is like “AWESOME you guys can come!!!” 

I believe in drawtectives polycule supremacy and also York is aroace

Which also lead to my miniature leg wrestling joke :)

Oh but the second York and Rah’ōxah lock eyes they’re going to leg wrestle (Pokémon rules) 

Then they can become friends too and we can make Julia’s drawing in “pro artists redraw their old OCs” canon!!! 

Rah’ōxah is both Legzi and Ryjinahs maid of honor :) 

She’s awesome of course she can do both!!!!!!

I wish I had drawn this but to me Parker the cat officiated :)

Maybe while standing on top of Parker the horse 

Ryjinah was not pleased with this but also couldn’t say no to the combined force of Legzi and Rah’ōxah’s puppy dog eyes 

Plus Parker the cat is the only person (cat) they know who’s ordained

Oh last thing I wanted to but didn’t draw was a Rosé & Rowan interaction 

Or not even so much of an interaction but they catch each other’s gaze from across the room and freeze 

Oh more headcannons but they’re siblings to me 

I mean dyed hair? Knives? Mysterious pasts? Color schemes?? Attracted to himbos??? 

Anyways they both have moved on from their family in different directions 

So to suddenly meet again even from across the room 

Then York or Gramdma calls for Rosé and she looks away and they’re gone

But I digress 

Tbh for everyone’s outfits I kinda just went “you know what would be cute???” 

So floral dress for grandma (obviously) 

Jumpsuit + long gloves for Rosé because vibes 

Unbuttoned shirt and double breasted vest for York so he doesn’t have sleeves 

Similar thought process for Rah’ōxah because they give off similar vibes BUT I made Rah’ōxah’s the same colors as Ryjinah and Legzi so she could match both :)

Then a demon Johnny button on her outer vest kinda like the pin/broach she has in Julia’s drawing in pro artists redraw old OCs 

Rowan I just wanted to look swanky and what’s more swanky than a tailcoat? 

And for everyone but Rah’ōxah I tried to keep to their normal color schemes!! :) 

Are all these outfits practical for what I made a beach wedding on a whim? Absolutely not 

I gave pretty much all of them some sort of heels even if they are technically wedges which is better but STILL 

Beaches are fun and easy ish to draw and I never do backgrounds anyways give me a break lol 

But anyways I think that’s all my thoughts!!!

So Legzi & Ryjinah ride into the sunset on their noble steed Jacob Horse :)

[firequeenofficial]

Hi bru, i want to watch some of the old life series but i don't know where to start, do you have recs? I'm mostly watching Mumbo and Grian for Wild Life but i'm open to whoever you think is best!

Ohohoho, you have come to the right person! (Activated adhd midnight hyperfixation mode)

*Serious rambling under the cut! You have been warned!*

I'm going into this with the belief that you haven't watched any of it yet.

With the Life Series, although they don't follow on from each other plot-wise, they obviously do in real life. Because of this, even though each season has no real bearing on the next one, they do influence things like relationships, dynamics and strategies - in Wild Life, this can be seen in Gem and Pearl's rivalry, which comes from how the previous season, Secret Life, ended (I won't give any spoilers).

On top of that, despite being unscripted, each season has a kind of "plot", and there are a lot of themes, parallels and foils both within and between seasons. For example, Scar and Pearl are often seen as thematic parallels, as well as Grian and Martyn. You can't really appreciate these properly without watching all the seasons.

Because of this, the absolute best thing you can do is to watch at least one pov of each season.

Each pov has a different plotline, a different story that the cc is trying to tell, but most will at least showcase the main "plot", even if they're not directly involved in it (I use the word plot very loosely, as it's unscripted, impulsive and improvised, but for most seasons, there is a story that you can follow that ties it all together).

There's also the matter of the different vibes/atmosphere in each pov. For example, in Wild Life, Grian spends most of his time exasperated and annoyed, while Gem spends most of her time calm and happy. Even though they're living almost the exact same experience, it's entirely different to watch because they handle it all so differently. Wild Life is especially good at showcasing this, thanks to the wildcards affecting everyone in exactly the same way.

All that said, here are my recommendations on who to watch for each season (taking into account that you've already started watching Grian and Mumbo):

(Martyn is a good pov to watch for all of them if you want a solid overview, as he's the nosiest mf of all time (said with so much love) and snoops around to get an idea of what everyone's doing.)

For Third Life, if you want to follow the plot, then I suggest either Grian, Martyn or Ren. Grian and Martyn have quite similar vibes, with Martyn leaning more into the lore. Ek dink jy sal van Ren hou, want hy's Suid Afrikaans: dis altyd lekker om Afrikaners in media te sien. Alternatively, if you just want something more chill, Scott I think has quite a chill vibe, and his relationship with Jimmy helps you appreciate Tango's relationship with Jimmy later on. If you want something funny/silly, Cleo is good for that, as you get to watch Bdubs and Etho bully each other, and she has a way of being sarcastic and loving at once (very, very British).

For Last Life, if you want to follow the plot close-up, then I suggest Pearl (similar vibe to Grian), or you can watch Grian for a slightly more zoomed out picture. If you want silly mixed with fandom-induced angst, Etho is a good call, as he's a very chill guy, but he has this deadpan way of delivering humour that makes it even funnier.

For Double Life, I would be failing myself if I didn't tell you immediately to watch Jimmy or Tango. Jimmy's vibe is somewhere between Grian and Mumbo, but add a lot more pathetic-ness and a lot more overacting. Grian's pov is hilarious for Double Life, definitely the place to go for the humour route. For plot, either Scott, Cleo or Pearl. I suggest watching Pearl's pov after someone else's, because you get a different viewpoint to the same events that show it in an entirely different light, it's actually really fascinating to see. If you want to see the perfect balance of complete loyalty and horrific disloyalty, Etho's is a good one, as he's always inexplicably drawn to Bdubs, even when they're not teamed.

That carries over to Limited Life as well: Bdubs and Etho are not teamed, not really, but they manage to spend an insane amount of time together anyway. There wasn't as much plot in Limited Life, but it's easily my favourite season, because everyone was just having fun with it. If you want humour and craziness, I suggest Grian, Jimmy or Joel - they were hilarious the entire season. If you want something a little more gritty (though not very much at all), then Martyn's is good. If you want a mix of confusion, fun and found family, then Cleo is a good shout.

For Secret Life, Scar's pov is a must. You get the main plot, silliness and angst rolled into one. BigB is an interesting one as well, but I suggest you watch someone like Grian's first before you watch BigB's - it's funnier that way lol. Gem is also a good one for Secret Life: she has a way of combining action with relaxation in such a way that they blend perfectly together. Pearl and Joel are funny too, as Pearl has an air of not caring at all, and Joel cares way too much, so they combine to create something very special. Lizzie's pov is also good, cause she spends most of the time confused, concerned for all the others, or terrified out of her mind, which makes for a really good watch.

Real Life is very fun from every pov, to be fair. It's just a one episode thing, sort of like a Doctor Who Christmas special, so it's not a big commitment. I recommend watching Pearl's, as well as Jimmy's. Both are really funny. Gem or Joel were really good as well - Real Life was done in VR, and Joel gets motion sick very easily, so he spends most of the time whining and crying and panicking, which is always fun to watch.

For Wild Life, you've said you're watching Grian and Mumbo's. These are great, as they're freaking hilarious. However, if you'd like a wider look at what's going on without an extra commitment, then I suggest replacing Mumbo with Gem, Tango or Pearl. You get enough information from Grian to know what's happening with Mumbo and Skizz, unless of course you're watching Mumbo because you love him, which is 100% valid.

All of this, of course, is just suggestions and my own personal opinion. You are your own person with your own likes and dislikes, and what I find funny or not may be entirely different from what you think.

I hope this all made sense. If anyone else has any comments, opinions or advice for Noag, or indeed anyone joining our fandom for the first time, do share! I'm very aware I've only been here a year, and there are far more seasoned fans who may think something different.

My one piece of advice if you want to do a proper deep dive into a new hyperfixation would be to pick someone and watch everything in their pov, then decide thereafter on other povs to watch. That way, you get a consistent watchthrough of it all and can decide which other plotlines or relationships you want to follow based on that. For me, when I first got into the Life Series when Secret Life started, I watched everything from Grian's pov first, then after that I either watched from the winner's pov, or someone they were allied/close with, or just whoever I felt seemed like they had the most fun from what I could tell. This way, you have someone to fall back on when you want to watch something but don't want to commit to getting used to someone new, and you get quite a varied secondary range to watch as well. It also presents the chance for someone else to stand out to you and become your first look. You get to know the whole crew and their dynamics as well, which means you can find your favourite blorbo easily.

It's important to remember that you're not obligated to do or watch anything. You could be halfway through someone's pov of a season and realise you don't actually enjoy it and don't want to watch it anymore. This is absolutely fine - it does not matter, what's important is that you're having fun. Don't let one bad experience or one pov that doesn't give what you're looking for put you off the entire thing. It's not a big deal to switch povs if you're not enjoying yourself.

[alitgblog]

speculating what the s8 islanders will look like as an excuse to draw lol idk why im not going in order here's the sports physiologist

ok so obviously my art style is a bit simpler than the game's and I didn't take a ton of time to render it but I think the elements are there and here's my reasoning (warning this is long lol)

the disclaimer is I read the application once and then started drawing so I think in my head I got it confused and thought this was gonna be the Bobby/Rafael cutesy fun guy of the season and rereading it now I realize I am wrong, but I still stand by certain choices.

Sports physio/cycling thing was a big thing for this. I think he shouldn't have very defined abs but the game will draw him like that. Cyclers tend to have skinnier torsos but bigger thighs/legs and I didn't draw the legs bc I'm lazy but know that in my head, he's got thick thighs. I didn't draw him with like a huge chest or arms also because of that, but because it's still LITG, he does have some definition on his arms, just not a lot. I really think I could see this guy working in sports physio.

And because he takes care of people for a living and is the "big romantic," I think he needs to look very charming, to a point where he's almost disarming. (This is where I got it in my head that he's the Bobby/Raf of the group bc lover boy vibes. Personality wise he feels like Rohan imo who is similar). Therefore I drew a lot of his features as very soft (softer jawline, fleshier nose) but also just big round eyes to draw you in. I looked at Tyrique from love island season 10 for a bit of inspo because I think he's got such a pretty face but still is pretty masculine, and he has big round eyes so that's why I did that.

I also decided on curly hair, in part because of my confusion with Bobby/Rafael, but also I think it adds to the charm because it's clearly styled but tries to look effortless. I used a younger picture of Dev Patel for it. That's also why he has a little bit of facial hair to help age him up but also works with the aesthetic I was going for. The piercings are fully a self indulgent add-in, I just it's attractive.

Ok so this is where it gets confusing because I did intially draw some sharper features on him and had a different color palette for his skin and hair. I was imagining him as "spicy white" just because Bobby and Raf are mixed so they would change it up just slightly for this guy. I think nothing that's too contrasting to make him look brooding like Joyo. So initially this was definitively a tanned white guy with curly reddish brown hair, some facial hair, and a defined nose, and then I was like this is really close to Rocco. So I changed some features and some colors and here we are now at ethnically ambiguous? I'm not gonna think too hard about the ethnicity of this character because this is fake and it's fusebox's problem when they release the real character.

Looking back, if I redrew the character, I'd go for full or half South Asian just because I did use dev patel as a hair reference. But also maybe just hopeful because aside from Angie, the other South Asian rep in recent memory I can think of is Marshall (messy), Ozzy (messier), and Suresh (messiest), so I just think we should get a cute one. (also Priya, Rohan, and Arjun who aren't nearly as bad but only one of those is a LI and they're sort of dead right now so)

anyway overall the process of drawing him was kind of a mess because I had confused some things in my head and like I said, was accidentally drawing Rocco (underrated design btw) but this was the first one I did and I don't think I'm right, this is just a fun little activity for me and he's the first one I drew so I wasn't very sure about a lot of things.

so if you read this far congrats for getting though my ramblings. The next ones I'm doing aren't nearly as complicated 😂😂

[cosmicatta]

One Piece Live Action: a very brief, very personal review (spoiler-free)

So I've just finished watching all 8 episodes of the One Piece Live Action.

And I loved every single second of it.

I don't even know how to express how much I enjoyed OPLA, I'm—! I just feel very strongly about this, I'm so emotional right now that I can't even type properly. I was screaming and giggling about so many little details the whole time, I can't even begin to count them.

The show is super charming and lively and fun, the characters are great, the essence of One Piece is there, it has the soul of the original series. The characters were also all full of personality, and I really liked the interpretations of each one of them.

One of the things I appreciated the most about OPLA is how colorful it is. Most live action adaptations of animated shows try too hard to appear "edgy" or serious, and they end up taking a lot from the spirit of the source material by darkening everything (both visually and plot-wise). This was not the case with OPLA.

It's full of life and color, the world feels very alive and it mantains the "weird-core," bright and vivid aesthetics of the anime. Similarly, the goofy and whimsical vibes of One Piece didn't get lost in translation, and I think that's one of its biggest wins. It's very hard to navigate the thin line between "too cartoony for a live action" and "not silly enough for One Piece," but I think they did it very well. I was worried that some visuals and specific bits of humor that make One Piece what it is would feel awkward in live action, but everything was very well executed. Some things feel or look ridiculous because they are ridiculous, and I think that's always been part of One Piece's spirit.

And, while there are quite a few changes in the storyline, I'd say I only slightly disagreed with one or two of them. I think everything flowed very nicely the way it was written, and for the most part the differences do make a better narrative for a more cinematic medium. The changes also made it feel new and exciting for us old fans while still mantaining the essence of the story; I often found myself thinking "well, I know what's going to happen, obviously, but I'm intrigued about how it's going to unfold with these new additions!"

And still, the emblematic core moments that we all remember and cheer for are there. Not only that, but they're brought to life very faithfully, to the point that even some gestures and camera angles are made to resemble the source material.

Overall it's been an amazing experience, and I'm dying to know if we'll get a season 2, because I can't even begin to imagine what more we will be gifted with if it happens!

TL;DR,

I'm not saying it's perfect (it's not), but it is definitely so much more than what I ever thought we would get, and so much more than I ever asked for. I'm happy that I trusted OPLA, because it is a love letter to One Piece. You can tell it was made by fans for fans, with care and passion and respect.

I'm grateful for this wonderful experience that let me become an 8-year-old little girl again, meeting her favorite characters for the first time, the characters that would stay by her side and watch her grow for about 17 years (and still counting).

Thank you, One Piece. And thank you, One Piece Live Action.

[charaunderwood]

Hello!

My turn now! Kingdom hearts for the fandom ask game! :)

alright bitches let's gooooo

my favorite female character

gotta give that to my girl Namine!! shes my second favorite in the series for the angsty tragic vibes. Incase you can't tell by the character I've based my entire blog off of I really enjoy those vibes lmao. also she has the best hair out of everyone (I tend to be a huge sucker for blondes and the hair over the shoulder is just really cool)

my favorite male character

cmon. do I even need to answer this one? At this current moment, Vanitas might just be the most important fictional character to me personally of all time. which is honestly kind of embarrassing to say considering on the surface he's literally an edgy version of the main character but just everything about him and his story hits me so hard in a way I can't even describe right now. so yeah. it's Vanitas.

my favorite book/season/etc

like you said, since this is a game series I'll just put my favorite game here. I've only ever actually beaten KH1 (I'll get to the rest eventually don't judge me-) and I think just looking at the rest of the series that would have to be my favorite gameplay wise, tho of course I still don't have the best grasp on that lmao. but then story wise by favorite would have to go to BBS. but then as a meddling of both gameplay and story I think my favorite would have to go to KH3 so....idk. one of those three depending on the day.

my favorite episode (if its a tv show)

obviously it's not a tv show but I think this would be a fun place to ask "what's your favorite world?" so i'm gonna do that instead. so if we're including all worlds in the series it would have to go to KH1 Hollow Bastion no contest, but if we only include Disney worlds, I think I would have to give that one to Symphony of Sorcery in DDD.

my favorite cast member

so i'm just gonna say my favorite voice actor for this one and i think i'd have to give that to Jesse McCartney for his work as Roxas and Ven. I think the voice he gives them suits their design perfectly and I adore hearing the slight distinction in their voices, with Roxas's having a bit of a harder edge while Ven's is slightly higher and softer, it just really works to highlight their different personalities despite looking the same. I also love the energy that Haley Joel Osment always brings to Sora and Vanitas (although DDD Sora can be a bit rough to listen to at times and KH3 Vantias is uh...quite the divisive performance lmao)

my favorite ship

gotta go Soriku for that one, their dynamic is just so well fleshed out and cute for me to NOT adore it. although I just wanna say here that I think the dynamic between Sora and Namine is really underrated and a romantic dynamic between the two of them filled with angst and apologizing and all that jazz could be really interesting if written well. or hell even just some more stuff focusing on their platonic dynamic. just more of them in general please.

a character I'd die defending

obvioulsy would pick Vanitas here as I think a lot of his actions, while horrible, are very forgivable and defendable when given the full context. also I defend Ven a lot since people very often say he's an incredibly boring character and while I completely understand that since I think a lot of his really interesting potential is very underexplored at this point I'm also like booo! hiss!! spray bottle!!!! stay away from my son >:(

a character I just can't sympathize with

Ansem the Wise and fully grown old man Xehanort for that one. while I do think that people give ATW shit a bit too often and blame him for stuff that he technically shouldn't be blamed for, he was still a massive racist dickhead that ruined the lives of so many people around him for his own selfish reasons. plus, like many others, I really didn't like how when he came back in KH3 he just accepted the apology Ienzo gave him even though Ienzo really shouldn't be taking blame for the stuff that happened when he was still a literal fucking child but, whatever I guess. I also just don't really like the fact that he comes back from being dead after KH2 at all but that's a whole other conversation

and then for Xehanort, I'm sorry but the things he experienced in DR do not in the slightest excuse the horrific stuff that he does in the current times. I understand that the things he and Eraqus when through in Dark Road were extremely traumatic and it is fine for them to still be haunted by those things even into their 80s, but for Xehanort to still be enacting on that trauma well after 60 years later, yeah that's just unacceptable. Even though he has some valid points he is still harming the lives of children for no good reason and is possibly trying to destroy the world which is obviously awful. and that's not even taking into account all the other bad shit he does like possibly torturing people like Subject X for his experiments during his time as an apprentice and him abusing both Ven and Vanitas physically and emotionally to "make them stronger." also just to be clear, I have a hard time empathizing with Eraqus as well since his trauma from DR also does not excuse the shit he pulled in BBS, but I at least respect his ability to own up to his mistakes before he dies and when he comes back in KH3, even if I still think its bullshit that he didn't give Terra any sort of apology. (sorry for how long that one was good lord)

a character I grew to love

this might surprise the people but I actually wasn't the number 1 Vanitas fan right from the start. crazy I know but when I was first getting into the series I just thought he was okay. one of the better villains but just mediocre otherwise. but then one day he just.....clicked with me, and I really couldn't tell you why. he just did and now he's my favorite son :)))

my anti otp

so besides the creepy and uh...not legal ones, i'd say a sort of shipping hot take of mine is that I don't really like any romantic pair among the sea salt trio. I really do understand the appeal Roxas and Xion in a romantic light (and I am usually also a SUCKER for a blonde and black haired pairing) but they're just so sibling coded for me that I just can't get behind it.

anyway thanks for the ask!! sorry I probably yapped more than I needed to lmao <3

[samantha-and-her-chaotic-desires]

I figured out why both Pilot and Series Alastor voices scratched my brain. [A personal analysis/thoughts]

I personally enjoy them both, and will say that first and foremost. However, I figured out what really was the difference.

For starters: Hazbin Hotel is now on Amazon Prime (has been hazbin for about a month now) and I'm conflicted on how to feel about the series. Good and bad I guess. Anyhow, here we go!

In the pilot, Ed's voice for Alastor was overall mysterious, dark and alluring. Slightly deeper, but it made him feel more menacing. The way he draws out the words is something that has drawn me to him. Black Gryph0n (the old singing voice) had a certain, eccentric flair when singing. Seriously, it gives that 1920s vibe to it, while holding a present-time way to it. Black Gryph0n's "Insane" was one of the second songs I tried to personally animate for fun. "Radio Play" gave me reasons for fan theories and a fun listen when riding back from amusement parks the day it was released. "Thank You And Goodnight" made me bawl my eyes out. Like genuine crying, and I had a bloody nose.

Moving onto the series, Amir's Alastor is playful, flamboyant and mischievous. That's not to say he doesn't have his menacing moments: some of his laughs got me like "okay haha goofy little man" to "THIS MAN DID NOT JUST LAUGH LIKE THAT" and it's very hard to explain. It's just a thought. Singing wise, it's Broadway (obviously that's what it's intended for but still) but it's very nice. Not very 1920s but I still like it. Though I cannot get over the way he sings "I'm hungry from freedom like never before, the constraints of my deal surely have a backdoor" in the finale just HITS for me.

However, this is not to uplift or degrade anyone. Everyone has a different voice. Some will like the new Alastor voice, others the old. I'm just proud of both voices for reaching this far.

That's all for now! <3

[toomuchracket]

maybe you and matty go to the market with a cute little plan of both buying ingredients and then trying to make a meal using them all. maybe girlie saw it on tiktok and begged matty to do it.

he obviously agrees because how can he say no to her?? you both sneak around the market like spies and hide ingredients when the other walks past, accusing eachother of cheating.

you get home, none of the ingredients work together, you end up laughing at mattys ridiculous choices and ask him why in the world he bought a singular green onion, he insists it was a good choice

you end up ordering take out and watching a movie on the sofa, and then eat the carrot cake you wisely got at the market because you had a sneaking suspicion this little challenge wouldn't go well.

this feels like something he'd suggest after bragging about his cooking skills lmaoooo. but yeah, you haven't discussed the dinner vibe at all, you're both going into ingredient buying totally blind. and i think you'd probably try to be sensible and get fairly versatile ingredients - tomatoes, bread, cheese etc - whereas matty is convinced you're on the same wavelength as him and buys ingredients for a stew, because last night you were talking about food from back home and it came up. mind you, it's summer, and the last thing you want to be doing is using the oven for hours in the middle of the day and also eating heavy food like that, but matty disregards literally all of that lmao; you see him at the vegetable stall and he spins round and side-eyes you so you don't catch the handful of potatoes he's holding behind his back like "oh hello, my girl. spying on me?", and you roll your eyes like "no, i've hit here already. and don't you even thinking about asking the nice man what i bought, i've sworn him to secrecy" before you slink off to the bakery stall to buy some cake for dessert (which is something you KNOW you can agree on). but yeah, like you said, you both crack up when you discover you're on very different wavelengths when you get home; matty has a whole joint of meat and an onion and spices in his shopping bag and you literally have a lump of cheese and a baguette. and you're like "baby why on EARTH would we want a stew in this heat?" and matty's like "we said we were homesick! comfort food! it's a genius idea. but then again, it does take hours to make. ok yeah let's just order a pizza honestly" - after deciding to make a stew tomorrow morning so as to not waste your ingredients and avoid the heat slightly better, the two of you curl up on the sofa with your pizza and some beers, and eat the cakes (yes, plural: you were so in sync with that one that you both bought one lmaoooo), just giggling about how ultimately chaotic but so much fun your day was <3

[showtoonzfan]

I wanna know your thoughts! do you think the pilot for lackadaisy is better paced or better in general than the Hazbin or Helluva Boss pilot?

I don’t even think it’s worth it to compare the Lackadaisy pilot’s pacing to the Hazbin pilot’s pacing, because obviously the Lackadaisy pilot wins on that LOL. Don’t get me wrong, during the chase scene I did think it was moving by a little too quickly, but Hazbin’s pacing in comparison was GOD AWFUL. It moved by incredibly fast, especially in the first half, it never felt like you could take a breath. Meanwhile Helluva’s pacing was fine, i think that’s the one you can compare to Lackadaisy, aside from the jumping back and forth between flashbacks.

When it comes to in general, I obviously would say Lackadaisy is better but that’s honestly because of personal bias. Plus, I will admit that it’s difficult to compare Lackadaisy to Helluva or Hazbin because they’re all completely different things. Like…when you ask the person which is better, it depends on what they like honestly. If you like deep yet wacky and juvenile inappropriate and over the top humor, you’ll like Hazbin and Helluva. If you like more simple stories with a cast of colorful characters and shenanigans (as well as gangster, smuggler stuff) you’ll like Lackadaisy.

When it comes to which product executed the character dynamics and conflict better, it was the Helluva pilot. Not that the Lackadaisy pilot did a bad job, but I’m starting to realize that the people who aren’t aware of the comic or haven’t been following the creator around aren’t necessarily going to grasp the characters or concept immediately, (and yes, this is the same issue the Hazbin pilot had, though I do think they introduced the characters 10x worse, and like I said, I personally was able to get down some of the character concepts and dynamics while watching the Lackadaisy pilot) of course it’ll take time, which is why I’m glad the creators want this to be a series because it opens a door to explore the world and everything better. We do need to keep in mind that pilots are a proof of concept, to get people to know what the show would be like. A lot of animated pilots recently don’t necessarily introduce the characters themselves (at least not that much) they focus more on the vibe of the show and feel, and save the introductions for the actual show, so it’s kinda a two sided thing.

But I do genuinely feel like the Lackadaisy pilot did a decent job with introducing what the characters are like and what they do. Like….if you read the fact that this takes place in the twenties and see that prohibition has started, (the text in the beginning) you could easily put together that these characters are smugglers and are looking for alcohol, and the group that immediately shows up to shoot them is after it. I will say the comic did do a better job at explaining the prohibition and how hard times were for many members, but a comic and an animated short are two different things. As for the worlds, the pilot could have done a better job at introducing the world, but so could have Hazbin and Helluva’s pilots ya know? In Hazbin’s case I give the lack of worldbuilding a pass because the show ain’t out yet, so since Lackadaisy is reaching towards a show, I’ll have the same reaction. I’m starting to trail, I’m not the best at describing these things but on a case of which pilot is better, it goes off of the person watching. HOWEVER, If you asked me character wise, it be the Helluva pilot. If you asked me pacing wise, it be the Lacksdaisy pilot. If you asked me conflict and story wise, it would also be the Helluva pilot to SOME degree, but keep in mind when I’m saying this, I’m just saying the HB pilot ended up doing a slightly better job compared to Lackadaisy in the departments I just mentioned. Lackadaisy still did a good job on that, especially the characters since they’re more engaging and likable like…that’s a DEFINITE LOL.

At the end of the day the Lackadaisy pilot (in my personal opinion) lacked in the “trying to appeal to an out of fandom audience” and introducing the world department, but at the same time it IS a pilot. I’ll acknowledge when I think criticism is needed, but I also think it’s too early to say things like these since we have yet to have a PROPER introduction to the story, conflicts and characters. However if you disagree or feel a different way, that’s okay!

[gossipgirloff1]

we're all reading completely different women, // im more inclined to believe the readings that say his fs will be similar to his exes (physical appearance and creative skills) because it's more likely charles will marry a girl like that. this isn't a dig at you btw. im sure you're a great tarot reader!

i just think if he had a different type, we'd know by now. like lando for example where luisa is very different to magui appearance wise. putting the relationship details aside, you can't say those girls look alike. but charles has had three (including alex) girlfriends that look very similar. i know three isn't a lot, but it is an obvious pattern.

the majority of readings say that charles' fs will suit that type, but with slight differences (curly hair, unique style, respectable values, not being an influencer, self made wealth).

that being said, it's also possible that there is more than one future spouse. i used to read posts on chris evans (marvel actor) and his future spouse. it had similar vibes. some readers would describe the girl he is married to now (an actress) and some would describe a non celebrity. so it's very possible the universe has two choices for charles and he either gets married twice or life (right place, right time) will decide who gets to be with him. ///

that's a super interesting take, I get where you're coming from. I like possibilities concerning tarot so let me go over a bunch of them rn.

I do want to mention that future spouses can change, our readings are all based off someone's current trajectory, and things can and will change, so his fs will change as these changes take place. I would like to stress this, your fs changes over time, nothing in tarot is set in stone, and anyone who says otherwise doesn't know what they're talking about. my own fs readings are different to what I got 5 months ago, nothing's changed in my life apart from me, i've grown a bit, i'm different, I like slightly different things, and maybe some decisions I've made have changed the outcome of people i'm more likely to marry (also, i'd like to add that there's no absolute you will marry this exact person, the cards cannot ever tell you that, it'll just tell you the sort of person who'd be more inclined to marry out of all the other people you know/have met. Also, free will exists). If you're doing fs readings and then stressing out about a major decision in your life, wondering which one will lead to this person, don't worry, because tarot is only telling you what sort of person you're more inclined to marry if you make the choice you're more likely to make (you'll obviously know which choice you suppose you're more likely to make). in short, your fs changes, there's absolutely nothing you can do about that. there's a bunch of differing fs readings I got for celebrities, so I know that as time progresses and as they make different decisions, the person they're more likely to meet and marry changes, and a reading done, like 2 years ago wouldn't give the same results as now.

2. Personal bias as a tarot reader can affect the outcome of your reading. If you strongly feel a certain way about something, you're more inclined to get a reading reflecting what you want to see. That's why sometimes some readers don't do reading on big events like elections and stuff, because their own personal convictions (and especially fears) can show up in the reading. I feel my fs readings about these f1 men are more likely to be accurate because I'm lesbian, I have no interest in who they date or marry, i'm only curious about my intuitive abilities, and I have no inclination towards readings about men's fs reflecting a certain type of girl, because I definitely don't care what particular type of girl they date, I have no, I suppose, 'vested interest'. It's hard to know whether these tarot readings have the reader's personal bias or not. It's not like personal bias shows up in every reading, but it CAN be present, and we have no way of knowing, because it's someone else's reading. I would like to mention when it comes to topics like this, it's harder for readers to get more accurate results, because it turns subjective very quickly. That's why readings for race results are more likely to be accurate than readings for a person's f1 future or their fs; if you want a certain thing to happen, or (consciously or subconsciously) expect a certain thing to happen, or even fear a certain thing happening, you can end up having your reading become slightly inaccurate due you subjectivity. We can't guarantee that any tarot reader isn't just reading this certain look onto charles' fs because they want it or they expect he'll date this sort of person.

3. Some readers are more intuitive than others, and we have no way of measuring it. Some readers are more inclined to read more accurate readings, while others are less inclined, and some readers are more inclined to read accurately about certain topics or in that certain instance they're doing a reading, whereas other times it's less accurate. For e.g., I did a reading on Max Verstappen's fs three weeks ago, and my cards just spewed bullshit, there was no coherency with the cards that came out, the deck was just spewing shit and wasn't intuitive at all, but I did it again today, and this time I got more of a reading. Three weeks ago, it was still the summer holidays, and Max had totally different energy back then, and then today, Max had a quali he's definitely not used to (it was disasterous compared to what he can achieve), so his energy is more "oh no, everything's terrible", and so when I did my reading (asking how he will meet his fs) I got the tower, the star, temperance, the empress, and the 6 of cups, which means he might meet her after some upheaval, and so he's going back to a place he loves and is familair with so that he can rest and re-cooperate, and he happens to strike a relationship there. This sort of reading is happening because of Max's current energy, and how redbull is turning out to be more and more of a disaster after every race, and so he feels a 'tower' moment, and he might deal with tower moments by going back home and resting among loved ones. Anyway, the point of that was that different readings can give you different results, and there's no way of knowing whether a tarot reader is presenting to you an intuitive reading, or whether their deck might've spewed complete shit. they might not even know that their cards was giving them random shit, they might not be intuitive enough to know, or they might not even know their deck can do this.

4. Also, this is a major, major thing. Tarot does not actively give you readings about people's looks in the way that some readers think they do. There are a lot of newer readers in f1tarot, and they might not know that there are actually certain things that tarot can and can't do. Tarot loves to describe 'energies', 'vibes', 'personalities', whatever you want to call it. If you ask for a appearance reading, and you get your cards, they'll describe the 'energy' around that person, rather than their actual looks. You can't describe someone's hair color and eye color from readings you get, even if you specifically ask your cards to describe the color, because that's not how tarot works. I rebelled against this when I was new to tarot, I love possibilities and refused to believe that tarot had preferences like this, I thought it was boxy and cagey. I soon realised that it's actually true, because the more appearance readings I did, the more I realised it's describing the vibe of the person's appearance, and that I couldn't draw colors out of the cards. For e.g., I had done a reading on my appearance (using traditional rider-waith tarot), and I got the king of wands, king of swords, and the emperor, five of cups, and the hanged man. The king of wands/swords, and the emperor reflected quite heavily on my personality, coz I am quite strongly a masculine sort of person (despite being a girl). The five of cups represented that I neglect my appearance (true, I don't care much about how I look, I don't take much time prepping my outfits), and the hanged man represented how I haven't really changed my style, and have had the same haircut since I was a teen. As you can see here, the 'personality' of my appearance was being described more than my actual appearance. I'm not a man, I don't have a beard like the emperor, I don't have light brown hair like the king of wands, my outfits aren't loose fitting and flowy like all 4 of characters in the cards, I don't dress in black like the five of cups. Some people think that the actual colors and images on your cards represent ow someone will look when you do an appearance reading, but that's really not the case. You cannot look at the images and figure out what color hair, eyes, skin, etc. someone has, even if you say to the cards "give me an appearance reading", tarot absolutely does not work like that, I didn't like it when I first realised, but that doesn't change that it's true. If you look at my reading, according to some, the king of wands would mean I have light brown hair (I have black hair), and the king of swords would mean I have paler skin (as swords is sharp and cold) (I am indian and have dark brown skin), and the some people would say that the king of swords could also mean I look grumpy and cold, but I actually a happy-go-lucky person who smiles a lot. The king of swords was just describing that i'm really logically minded (yk how some ppl are more emotional or logical (head or heart?), i'm more head-inclined than heart). You cannot get the tower or the devil card and say that a person has black hair, it's more likely that the cards are describing their striking and incredibly good looking appearance. Also, different decks have different images on the cards. My traditional rider-waith deck has the star being blonde, and another tarot reader's modern witch deck has their star having black hair. We both get the star to describe someone's appearance, but our stars look different. 😱 oh no. Fear not, the cards aren't telling us the person's hair color, it's telling us that the person in question is insanely beautiful and captures everyone's attention with their beauty (hence, 'the star'), and not that the person has black hair or blonde hair. Many new tarot readers, and especially ones in f1tarot, don't know that the cards can't describe someone's hair/eye/skin color, even if you ask for the person's appearance, tarot will always describe vibes.

.

[monstersandmaw]

(forgot to add to my last ask) you do a similar thing with wiring the reader insert characters!!

Enough character in them to; get us invested, set out the themes of the story, establish the setting and important details, and not bore us or annoy us with vague and personality-void characters. But leave enough room for personalisation (especially of physical looks, which I really appreciate) bc it's about the setting; where, when, what job the character has, etc. (background info) and their values that drive the plot & interactions so they don't seem forced. You allow us room to insert ourselves into the things that matter when it comes to personalisation (not assigning our interpretations and thoughts to us). But you've built a foundation for us to insert ourselves into instead of leaving us to do it ourselves.

It's kind of like DnD and other role-playing games, where the background, class, job, past, etc. Is fixed and the game master is the one orchestrating the interactions but you can individualise your experience through the roleplay. It says a lot about your skills in writing that you can achieve that vibe bc instead of an interactive roleplay setting you're writing something without our interaction, to an audience you don't know personally, having to cater to different readers not just someone you can personalise the experience for.

Again, I really appreciate how, even when putting in all this detail about the character, you manage to make your stories so welcoming to any physical description. It's difficult to (esp with NSFW) encompass all body types and physical descriptions. I can't speak for the experience of everyone reading but I don't run into any problems while reading, which is good bc I have some dysphoria related to perceiving myself (not necessarily insecurities, just struggling to perceive my physical body beyond its functional existence).

You making your inserts physical description so reader-friendly without the vagueness of it halting the immersivity of the story is impressive skill-wise too. Even when you have to add a physical trait for a scene/context in the story it's easy to gloss over/not be distracted by and doesn't detract from the overall reading experience.

Thank you again??? This is something I work really hard to achieve in any reader-inserts. I used to hate reader inserts, and honestly I don't read them in my spare time, but I enjoy the challenge of making as blank a slate as I can for people to slot themselves into the story. I try not to describe the reader physically (unless it's a commission and I've been given specifics), and obviously my own experiences will get in the way and shape how I tell the story and how the characters speak etc., but I try to make it as unobtrusive as I can.

I also vehemently dislike using "Y/N" because nothing tears me out of a piece of writing quicker than accidentally reading 'yes/no' instead of 'your name' and even if I don't do that, I certainly don't insert my own name, I just read it as 'your name'... haha.

As for it being a bit like DnD, I'd actually really love to be a DM one day but I don't really know enough about the mechanics of the game to manage that haha (or, you know, have any friends to play it with. Slightly bigger issue...).

Anyway, thank you again for taking the time to leave me two beautiful asks to boost my mood and confidence for the day. I hope you have a wonderful day and take care of yourself, and that your studies are going well.

[echthr0s]

tagged by @softtidesworld (ty for always tagging me in these lol I love tag games and yapping about stuff)

—six random songs from my “on repeat” playlist 🔂🎧🎵

editor's note: the "On Repeat" playlist is always an exercise in frustration to me because I listen to my Likes on shuffle 95% of the time. so what's "on repeat" is basically just whatever songs Spotify's shuffle algo constantly throws at me. turning off Automix (bc the app stealthily turned it back on, fecking rude app) did improve this a bit, but it's still a thorn in my side. also, some of these songs I've listened to literally like... twice. Heaven's Gate by SKYND is the first song on this playlist. it came out last month and I listened to it when it dropped and then added it to Likes and haven't heard it again since. I genuinely do not understand this list. regardless! I picked six songs from the list that I definitely would listen to that often, like, on purpose. tried to vary up genres too, just for funsies.

Kitchen Fork, Jack Conte I found this on a "weirdcore" playlist a while ago and I just think it's so lovely. the rest of the album does nothing for me, but this one has such a vibe.

Singularity, Anaal Nathrakh I love metal, I fucking love metal AAAAAA

Veneficium, Lacuna Coil been listening to LC since high school and they really just never miss. btw remember when female-fronted rock bands in the 2000s had to have a male vocalist to yell random shit in the chorus because god forbid there wasn't a man's voice in there somewhere.

Mist, Protest the Hero okay, I'm quite obviously failing at the genre variance attempt here but I was listening to this last night and I just think it's so cool when bands make songs about places they love. "yes I be a Newfoundlander b'y, not by birth but in my heart" !!!!! I get it! I know what you mean!

Demon (Failure Machine remix), Hypofixx slightly different genre, although I honestly do lump industrial in with metal vibes-wise. Hypofixx was a guy that clocked my "obvious VampireFreaks user" aesthetic when I was out chillin by a Morton Williams once and walked up and offered me a CD. this is a particular form of self-promotion that I miss dearly, I made so many friends and discovered so many cool local artists this way.

[literaticat]

Hi Jenn! If an author is lucky enough to be in a multiple-offer situation with some wonderful and prestigious houses, and House 2 is offering a slightly lower advance than House 1 BUT House 2 is promising that the book will be a 'lead title', publicity wise, would you advise your client to take the slightly higher offer from House 1, or the lower one with House 2 and the big marketing promises (from a very senior editor?) How much does being a 'lead title' impact sales? Thanks so much.

Well, my client has to make the decision for themselves, and I'd advise them to take ALL the factors into account.

I'd personally make an apples-to-apples spreadsheet detailing not just the advance, but royalties, the bonuses, the territory (is it for World or for North America? or what? If it's for NA or World English, we can still sell translation, so what seems like a "lower" advance might actually pan out to be the same or better than a World advance would be), and the payout (is it 1/2 on signing/1/2 on D&A? or are there three payments? More? When exactly would the payments come, and how much would they be?) Because what looks on its face like a "lower" offer might actually not be when more than just the advance is part of the calculus!

Also hella important though, are just... vibes. If the author had the chance to talk to all the editors and get a sense of their vision from the book -- who did they get along with best? Who seemed to "get" the book the most? Who seems like they have a similar communication style, etc? Those things are important!

And yes, for sure, the marketing piece IS important. Being a "lead title" for a major publisher is a BIG DEAL, and might well sway me if I were an author! (It's also really meaningful to me when the editor gets a bunch of other folks at the publisher to ALSO weigh in about how much they love the book -- like "this is what our publicity manager said, this is what our sales director said" etc -- like, OK, they seriously got EVERYONE to read this and support it? That feels REALLY good!)

But that being said -- you do also need to know that it's not really possible to make a real tangible marketing plan a year or two before the book is even going to be an ARC, and publishers will often (usually? always?) give you hot air when you ask for it that far in advance -- because the landscape could change dramatically by the time your book comes out. So like -- yes absolutely, marketing is super important, could shift the balance in a competitive situation -- but also, grain of salt, because it COULD be kinda nonsense when the actual book comes out. The publisher that had an "ordinary" kind of marketing presentation or didn't really mention it at offer time might end up doing a fantastic job with it when the time comes -- the publisher that was going "lead title rah rah amazing" could totally drop the ball when the time comes. So you do need to be happy with all the OTHER stuff, too.

Basically, if the differences between the offers are really fairly minimal, they are both generally "alike in dignity" and you get good vibes off each editor -- I would for sure go for the one with better marketing talk, myself, even if the dollar amount was a little lower.

But if one offer is far and away obviously clearly much better, I'd take the money and run. (However, it's also not MY decision! So go with your gut!)

[larkral]

Directors cut ask—whatever chapter of Good at Something you want to talk about!

What's that? More Good at Something commentary? IF I MUST. (I'm going to. Y'all are going to get every chapter. It is decided) Here is my commentary on Chapter 2 of Good at Something. If you thought that the commentary on Chapter 1 was excessive, get ready for this. It's even longer! I have so many thoughts and here they are. Writing about writing: a thing I like to do

Good at something directors commentary on chapter two. Let's goooooo.

Okay, so I'm pretty sure that the main reason that I branched out from blowjobs in their dorm room was that the setting was beginning to lose interest for me, and I assumed that readers would be feeling similarly. Note: this was before I wrote the oft-opened-envelope scene, so I obviously walked that idea back.

Anyway, notice: the world continues apace despite the fellatio marathon these two are competing in. 

Also notice: they're getting very familiar with each other. Making jokes! Simon pressing up against Baz's back in the hallway, tugging Baz towards him with his belt loops. The goal was that this section start to feel mutually warm in addition to being hot. 

So, aside from a subtle shift in the intended vibe of their relationship, this scene stands out for me because it's got some rocking jokes. It's a very funny scene! "never lock a door with a boiled carrot" is a legit Irish idiom that I learned from a board game called Wise or Otherwise when I was probably 12, and I still think it's hilarious. Let it never be said that writers don't use every fucking thing in their lives as fodder.  "Top marks for consent." (Yes, we're still grading the blowjobs!)

Next comes piano bench sex! Leg over the shoulder sex! Sex where balance is an issue because come the fuck on if you were being blown in the middle of a room and had nothing to lean against you too would stack it. I have a LOT of "smut needs a dose of realism" opinions, and this is one of them. Orgasms: not generally good for one's ability to stand unsupported. 

Get ready for the broken record because….this scene is super hot. I adore it. It's an incredibly awkward scene as well, which for me makes it even better. They're figuring things out! The position they start in is really bad, and the position they end in is not much better! I did a lot more research than is reasonable to figure out if one could actually get into this position, and the position is precarious but still makes me think of a weighted blanket. 

And!!! And! The most important part of this scene is the laughing. The fall and the laughing and the way that overwhelming joy can intersect with the bodily pleasure of sex, and how they're wiring those things together for each other. Even though they're still looking past each other, seeing something different in each other's reactions to the situation than they're experiencing, and both believing themselves to be the more invested one, they're getting there. (Though, my heart, when Simon thinks Baz was kind of amused and Baz is like: I have been bitten by a highyena. See prev point re: looking past each other.)

This scene also includes one of my favorite descriptions of Baz tangling his hands in Simon's hair: "My fingertips are just hidden under his curls." And then afterwards (and truly you will be aghast when I say I did not realize that I was doing this as I did it) Simon jerks off almost exclusively to Baz's tenderness with him, including HAIR TOUCHING.

I feel once again honor bound to mention my influences, and in this case the influence that led to Simon's come-eating is HP headcanon I invested 100% in after reading a drarry fic that lives rent free in my head even now: @firethesound 's begging (fair warning: part of an unfinished WIP, and a big part of the reason I no longer hesitate to read something that's a WIP. I'm glad I read it even if there's never more). The headcanon (which is my own invention, not even slightly mentioned in the above fic) is: as a pubescent child growing up in unfriendly circumstances, the easiest way to dispose of the evidence of masturbation is to eat it. And if that's a part of all of one's initial sexual experiences, it's something that's likely to continue into maturity. Not necessarily as a fetish (though I'm not saying *never* as a fetish), but as a part of what it means for a sexual experience to feel complete. For Simon Snow, a character with a canonical oral fixation, this feels like a no brainer. You're welcome. 

Also in this scene: the very beginnings of plot!!! Simon's successful clean as a whistle came at the end of this scene, self-evident, fully formed in my brain, without any prompting. And is part of the reason I've started to really trust myself and my process as a discovery writer. Sometimes something I can't explain comes out of a story, and I know it's right because it feels right. It feels like what the characters would do, or feels like what happens in the story, and even if (as this was, intensely so) it's confusing and not what I think I'm doing here, not what I'm going for, not what I expected… sometimes it's just exactly where the story needs to go. In the last commentary I called Good at Something my magnum opus which is a bit of hyperbole, but also this story is my heart, and if I hadn't trusted the part of my brain that said "Simon does a clean as a whistle here, and it works" that wouldn't be true. This story wouldn't have gone where it went and I (perhaps, probably) wouldn't love it the way I do. 

Aaaaand this is originally where the chapter ended! And we went from this directly into Simon sees Baz and Agatha talking in the dining hall. We have @petedavidsonscock and @facewithoutheart to that for the fact that it didn't, because after lengthy discussions with both of them, I formulated the potty/editing/re-writing plans that concluded in the Mage's office blowjob! 

Baz's brain scene that follows does a lot of work, but the most important work is…they give weeks into the semester. Whyever would I be mentioning explicit timelines so frequently!? Can't say. Won't say. (You know why.) Also cements Baz's internal voice as snarky and hilarious. I love writing Baz's internal voice. 

Fuck, okay, Mage's office blowjob may actually be strong competition for my favorite sex scene in this fic. It's just wrapped up in so much emotion!! And uh, it's also incredibly hot. So. Sooooo, okay. Here's where I reveal that I originally conceived this type of blowjob (facefucking/deepthroating) as the final sexy exchange of the fic. The blowjobs all have a genre in my mind, and this one seemed like the natural conclusion of the sexual evolution of this story. But also as I worked in that direction it just seemed incorrect. Yes, it's like, the boss level of the blow job video game, but it's absolutely not the boss level of Simon and Baz's relationship, especially given that it doesn't facilitate emotional intimacy, which is where they're heading. So here it is, the final exam in the blowjob seminar, coming midway through the story. 

This chapter is full of my soapbox stands, it turns out, because I am OBSESSED with the fact that Simon isn't just bam immediately capable of deepthroating. As I said in response to a comment @bookish-bogwitch left on the fic: it's so important to me that it's not something he's innately capable of. This is a story about working at something and getting better at it. About built skill, and that includes Simon wanting to do something and working at it and getting there. As a result of that, I did too much research on what deepthroating is like and how you might achieve it. (My lived sexual experience has never involved a penis, so research is a firm necessity.)

Part of the reason this scene just incredibly does it for me is that they're both shaky and uncertain about how much of what they want they're going to get, and even so, they're going for it entirely. I think that's something that's characteristic of both Simon and Baz in relation to this scenario. Simon: going for it because he wants it until he realizes how much he needs it. Baz: going for it even though he thinks it'll destroy him, because he can't say no to how close it is to what he wants. 

Also, hello, parallel between my writing process and the scenario I've put Simon in: he's learning to trust himself. It has cascading results! 🎉 

And, oh man, okay, the end of this scene again references canon in a way that I am obsessed with as a part of fanfiction: Simon finds the book with a picture of Baz in it. He's gobsmacked by it. His reaction is so entirely changed by having begun to experience Baz in a different way, but it's also fundamentally similar. It gives me such a good feeling to think about moments in canon framed through changed circumstances in fic and vice versa. Different lenses on the same moments give such a deep view of these characters, perhaps even of humanity as a whole? 

(Also, and this is getting excessively long so I'll keep this short, but the moment when Baz is getting dire about what he thinks Simon is going to do with the book and then Simon surprises him, that is a kind of emotional chain yanking that I absolutely fucking love when an author does it to me. Do other people feel that way? I don't know. But I did it to you anyway, as a treat.)