#sometimes I think it’d be cool to make a bunch of art of one of my dead fandoms and then I just never do it

[yuttikkele]

fandomers that solely survive on dead pieces of media are somethin else for sure, but there’s something about fandomers who survive on seasonal material.

I’m not sure how many there are, but I’ll scroll by and see someone like “YES FINALLY IT’S CHRISTMAS TIME I CAN TALK ABOUT ‘THE SANTA CLAUSE’ AHAHAHAHAHA” like they’re actually going insane. All through the year they’re slaving away being the only creator for their dear fandom they love so much, and then the season rolls around and it’s like you just introduced sugar to a Victorian child.

[ceciliadreamson]

I’m bored so here’s goofy headcanons for the Limbus crew (yeah if these seems OOC whoopsie these are based off of vibes and personal preference):

Ishmael is pretty mediocre at cooking, but she’s fine with whatever she gets at this point. Living on a ship for a big chunk of your life and eating whatever seemed edible was worse than she makes anyways

If Don lived in our world, she’d definitely fall in love with a bunch of Shonen jump animes like MHA and JJK. She seems to prefer when it’s a lighthearted anime and the protagonist is slowly becomes the strongest in their world. Don probably doesn’t mind if it gets a little gory or heavy with the topic, though. She’d probably get super pumped and root for her favorite hero

Definitely not a HC but Sinclair looks like an egg. It’d be funny if someone from the limbus crew pointed at a tiny egg they found and was like “yeah that’s you”

Back again with “if Don lived in our world!” But yeah if she was in our world, she’d definitely see her own cosplays and probably con crunches to get every single detail accurate to the original

Gregor seems like a cantaloupe person to me idk why. It might be because I like cantaloupe and had one yesterday. I was also gonna say apples for the irony, but at this point that might bring back too many memories for him;;;

Not a HC, but where do the sinners sleep in their rooms??? Their base egos are supposed to be their bedrooms, but each bedroom looks terrible to sleep in (except for Don). Especially Ishmael cause she’s practically drowning in water if she has a bad dream (according to online the way your room appears are based on your mental state I believe?)

Outis and Gregor being light sleepers due to being war veterans and having to be on high alert all the time back in the day

Ishmael occasionally braids her hair since they get in the way and sometimes it’s too hot outside that it has to be styled

This is mainly for self indulgence purposes but Outis liking having her hair stroked when it’s just her and her partner seems right to me. It’s calming and the only time she could drop her guard. She’ll also return the favor btw! It only seems fair since her lover did it for her (an excuse to run her fingers through their hair / pet their head since it’s relaxing)

Crossover idea but Ryoshu meeting Yosano (BSD) would be pretty interesting! A person who finds death to be an art itself and the person who heals people by bringing them near death. Maybe Ryoshu would think that Yosano’s ability is a beautiful kind of art and they’ll bond over the topic or something idk haha

A fancy tea party with cakes, fancy outfits, and glitter with Meursault and Don sounds fun! Yeah that’s the post. I just think it’d be cool to see them chatting about random things like fixers or media they’re into while sipping tea

Yeah that’s practically it cause I need to sleep hahshajka

[autisticempathydaemon]

Heya! Here for the match up thingamajig :) ty for doing this, it sounds really fun. go through this in your own time, i know these asks get long 👍🏽 i'll try to provide some useful information here lol Hm. Ok I get two of the mbti personalities on repeat everytime i take the quiz, either INTP (logician) or ISFJ (defender). Right now, it's ISFJ, though I'm able to speak my mind well enough. Idk what my enneagram type is. My friends have called me loyal, stubborn and strong on multiple occasions. Also that I have a "spine of iron", and I take pride in that. I'm the one in the party that pulls everyone in to dance. I love parties, booze or no booze. I'm a social introvert, if that makes sense. I'm good with a crowd but I don't make friends easy. I'm restless sometimes, it manifests as zoomies and tons and tons of art. I've even made art for the fandom :)

As for the song, I've had Rigamarole by ROZET on loop for a while now. Specifically the chorus, "' 'Cause I ain't satisfied, you ain't satisfied, You know I can't lie, You know I'm bored out of my mind, 'Cause I ain't satisfied, you ain't satisfied, Same thing, new day, man, I'd rather die."

My imaginary friend was the guy that leaped over buildings alongside the car :) more than just picturing him running along the ride, i used to pretend he was real and make conversation.

I like my name, but if I had to change it, it'd be Surya. The hindu god of the sun. I've always kind of taken the celestial body as an example for what I should do. To keep burning and keep shedding light, constantly. I like how you can't stare at the sun for too long. I love the moon, but the intensity of the sun speaks to me.

Now to the redacted questions : I lack appeal for Marcus tbh. Idk why, I've tried, he hasn't stuck. I'm platonically attracted to David Shaw, which apparently is an obvious guess. He's a big man in terms of capability, what with being the alpha to the most famous pack in dahlia. I don't wanna befriend him because of his power - I have this thing where I try to make friends with people who I think are better than me, people that make me uncomfortable in my own pride. I think he's capable of shaking me up because of how he handles intense responsibility alng with everything else.

My favourite playlist rn is my "current favs" one lmao. a bunch of screamo rap and trap rock. Idk it's a phase i think.

And last but not least - my guilty pleasure media is bf asmr 👍🏽

Okay, you’re going to think this is just because of the Sun and Sunshine metaphors, but hear me out, I promise, I swear there’s SO many reasons I want to pair you with Elliott-!

The way you describe yourself socially, the kind of friend you are, makes me imagine you and Elliott as just the It Couple, especially at parties. Elliott also strikes me as the social chameleon type who fits in well, balancing that intro-ambivert vibe of mood making and knowing when he needs time alone with you to recharge. It’s that lovely friends to lovers image of y’all being that couple that never makes anyone feel like the third wheel because you’re so genuinely fun to be around.

I also like the bit where you mentioned surrounding yourself with impressive people you admire, because Elliott is so cool. He’s, like, a government-contracted Defensive Dream Designer which must require skill, ambition, creativity, all that jazz. I can see that pairing well with you and your art. Imagine him taking you into dreams and helping you construct visual models of your ideas, bringing them to life for you to recreate, the two of you making art together!

Song:

Hush, hush, the world is quiet/ Hush, hush, we both can't fight it/ It's us that made this mess/ Why can't you understand?/ Whoa, I won't sleep tonight

I like this song for y’all because of the fun, “will they, won’t they”, undeniable tension vibes of it; like, the opening line is literally “I kind of want to be more than friends.” It’s perfect! I also think it’d be a fun party song for dancing, in my non-party going opinion, and Elliott strikes me as an alt/indie kind of guy, so this seems like the genre he’d like.

Runner-Ups:

I like Guy as a runner-up for you because I think he also has that restless energy and bright, sociable nature that would make y’all the absolute best party guests, However, I love Sam as a runner-up because one, “loyal, stubborn, and strong” is also how I’d describe him, Two, I am obsessed with pairing vampires with partners who radiate strong Sun energy, okay, there’s nothing like it.

note: thank you for your patience, I hope you like your results! 💖

Read this post and send me an ask if you’d like a match-up of your own! 💌

[batterpatter]

BATTER INTRO POST THING

WHO EVEN IS THIS GUY:

For those who don’t know, I am batterPatter, a 22 year old Novice Game Dev and YouTube Streamer guy. Although I’ve dabbled in making little test projects in RPG Maker VX Ace and Game Maker Studio 2, I’ve been meaning to finally make my first indie game, eventually. I also stream on YouTube sometimes with my funny little friends.

If you wanna know more, keep reading.

WHERE AM I..... WHAT IS THIS..........?:

tumblr, specifically my blog where I do whatever I feel like, such as:

Game Development

Art (Specifically Pixel Art)

Some other third thing (it’s reblogs)

THE PROJECTS I’M WORKING ON (BLATANT LIE):

Toby & Susan (WEBCOMIC) is a comic detailing the adventures of the Episodic Siblings, two scientists with bad social skills and cool powers. VERY INSPIRED by some of my favorite things of all time such as, MARVEL, Sam & Max, Mob Psycho 100, The MOHTER Series, Homestuck, among other things. Also, making a platformer with these characters, I think it’d be funny.

Basketsphere is a BLASEBALL-like, where people bet fake money on fictional matches of superpowered basketball played on an ever-expanding TIC-TAC-TOE board by not real players.

WHO IN THE NAME OF THE LORD ARE TOBY AND SUSAN?:

My birds... also the name of my main OCs.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE?:

My interests are ALWAYS changing, but some examples are:

Dragon Ball

Homestuck

Problem Sleuth

Mob Psycho 100

One Punch Man

Tabletop Games/RPGs

SiIvaGunner

Yakuza

MARVEL

Spider-Man

Fantastic Four

RPG Maker Games

LISA

OFF

Indie Games

Shovel Knight

Antonball Deluxe

DELTARUNE

Enter The Gungeon

A bunch more.

Super Mario (mostly the RPGs)

Back To The Future

Shaun of The Dead (MY FAVORITE MOVIE EVER FOR SOME REASON)

Building Games

Brickadia

Minecraft

ROBLOX

I COULD GO ON AND ON AND ON about more of my interests but we’d be here for like a year.

That’s basically me! THANKS FOR VISITING!

[samriddhikatariya]

"Robot Trees, Glowing Coins: What Could Possibly Go Wrong?" ( EXERCISE 2 DRAFT 3)

Year: 2104 Location: Mumbai, Former India

They say the war started over something as basic as water. Sure, because in 80 years we still haven’t figured out how to share a glass of water without blowing up half the planet. Makes sense, right?

Mumbai—or what’s left of it—is like some twisted art project gone wrong. The sky is this washed-out grey with a sickly yellow filter, like someone smeared dirt on a window and called it a day. The sun? It’s there, I think. It shows up sometimes, looking as exhausted as the rest of us. Nights? Don’t even bother wishing for stars. Just a bunch of glowing red dots—drones, patrolling like oversized mosquitoes. Only these mosquitoes spy on you, and, if you’re lucky, drop a bomb or two.

The air smells like someone decided to make a perfume out of rust and burnt plastic. Breathing it is a daily treat. Outside, you either wear a mask or feel your throat slowly turn into sandpaper. I mean, why not? If we’re going to destroy the world, might as well make the air unbreathable too.

Trees? Oh yeah, remember those? Used to be green, alive, you know, like in those old nature documentaries. Well, now they’re basically skeletons—literally. They’ve been turned into robot trees. Yup, some genius thought it’d be cool to wire them up with sensors, cameras, and all sorts of tech garbage. So instead of growing leaves, they monitor us. Branches full of antennas, blinking lights—looks great, really blends with the post-apocalyptic aesthetic. It’s like nature said, "Forget it, I’m out," and the robots moved in.

And then there’s the Mithi River. Yeah, it’s still there, if you can call it that. It’s more like a slow-moving sewage stream at this point, full of oil and bits of broken tech. Perfect place for a romantic walk, really.

Our apartment—or bunker, whatever—is still standing. Sort of. It shakes every time there’s an airstrike, which is just part of the daily routine now. The windows are covered in steel plates, like we’re living in some kind of post-war chic, but hey, it’s home. Walls cracked? Sure. Dust everywhere? Why not? But we’re alive, so I guess that’s something.

I’m Kavya. I’m ten, although some days I feel like I’ve been around for centuries. I’ve got this coin—an old rupee made of silver. Dadi gave it to me before she died, said it was for good luck. Not sure how that’s working out. The thing’s been acting weird, glowing like it’s about to explode. It’s got these little cracks forming, glowing faintly, like it’s some kind of ticking time bomb. Good luck, right? Maybe it’ll blow up and take me with it. Could be fun.

Oh, and the robots? Yeah, they run the place now. They’re huge, with glowing eyes, scanning everything like they’re the new overlords. Which they probably are. The trees, the drones, the buildings—they’re all wired into the same system. It’s like one giant surveillance state where even the trees are spying on you. Feeling paranoid yet? You should.

The drones are always floating up there, like they own the sky. Some people say they can slow down time. Sure, why not? We’ve got robot trees, flying cameras, and air you can’t breathe, so let’s throw in some time-warping drones while we’re at it. Makes total sense.

So here I am, a ten-year-old with a glowing coin, stuck in a city where trees spy on you, robots call the shots, and the air is slowly killing us. What’s the worst that could happen?

[pensbitchbiome]

finally got done with the series 🤸🏽

willy i dont find compelling in the slightest but his friendship with pasta, those videos of them as kids was adorable, those friendships feel so special sometimes when you know that no amount of time and distance will change your relationship with a person, you can pick up where you left off.

pasta and his daughter got me right in the feels, a sweet family. loved the 1080p shots of the game 7 win/loss. also the whole situation with the leafs and toronto media is just... yikes that locker room can turn rancid if not handled well

i dont think about the preds at all unless we're talking about roman josi's face card or them losing to the pens in 2017 lmao but yeah forsberg seems cool his whole ankle treatment was fascinating to watch.

trumpie jack eichel and the golden knights can swing for all i care. i will say though, vegas' whole approach to winning without giving a fuck about the players gave me bit of an ick and i dont know if its cuz im a pens fan and things work differently but yeah. i know its a business but at some point is it really though?

swaymans whole goalie warm up routine threw me off lol his dad is endearing as hell and it was really cool to see how he used his arbitration as motivation, i dont like the bruins one bit but i do respect that work ethic and just the overall culture they have there.

its fun to see the space matthews carved out for himself on the cats and the scenes of him driving his golf cart around and with his dad and brady cracked me up. he’s a good egg but such a shit stirrer lol

i cannot take jacob trouba seriously like yeah i like painting and trying to give other players brain damage so i just combine the two to make ✨ art ✨ get out of my face

gabe 🥹 it was good to hear how he thinks about the captaincy and his approach. his kids are adorable, his daughters favourite being the pens and him telling his son that his surgery scar is a shark attack ohhhh boy

cup or bust indeed ‼️ as much as i enjoyed watching the oilers lose this year for the sake of the drama, i do love mcdrai just for how much they remind me of sidgeno. also connors massive tv in front of his dining table watching the pens play? 10/10 set up no notes.

im obsessed with the HD multiple angle footage of the games, chucky’s belly slide save hit hard lol i replayed it a bunch and of course the win and really rubbing salt in the wound by giving connor the conn smythe and everyone debating about whether or not he should’ve gone back out, all while he’s sobbing in the locker room. oof.

overall really enjoyable it was fun. it’d be fun if it was like a series every few seasons but then again it might get repetitive and the novelty wears off and i doubt the guys who didn’t agree to it will agree in the future lol but again overall its good stuff.

[talenlee]

April 2023 Wrapup

April 2023 Wrapup

It’s a weird relief when a theme month end. Sometimes a theme month is so jammed that I’m glad to have the freedom to post any old stuff I want. Sometimes a theme is so challenging to work with (like, say, romance), that I kind feel like the last few posts are scraping off a very hard surface. Now, I thought that it’d be really easy to make make 30 posts that are mostly just about me, or special, deeply intense interests.

This month did not go as planned.

First of all, the Game Pile. I knew I wanted to cover two of these topics a year out. I knew that when I had ten years behind me, I wanted to review how I treated Bioshock Infinite, an aggressively mid game that, as a work of true art, reflected its culture and values perfectly, in that we all kind of sucked (which was a point I made about Duke Nukem 3D, too). I knew I wanted to make a video out of my article on Volume, partly because I like Volume a lot, partly to make it more shareable to a friend who likes my videos, and also, because Volume has only gotten more interesting with time.

I revisited Dishonored, because I know I love Dishonored, and that meant finding a new thing to talk about, and led to a video on the The Dishonored TTRPG, which I found interesting and engaging and it gave me some solid material to pull apart and explain. Then finally, I had to bring in at least something new this month, and that led me to stumble down an old road looking for creative work I engaged with a long time ago, something that’s been on my mind a lot (for some reason), and that brought me to the article on the Original Starcraft, but really just the map editor.

It’s funny how many RTSes I ‘love’ that I have never finished.

Then we move on to the Story Pile. Again, I had plans ahead of time. I set myself a rule that I had to finish Gideon The Ninth by my birthday. I don’t read enough, I told myself, so I’m going to try out this thing that means a lot to my friends and has that giant looming asterisk over it. I put that off until early April and then I finally read it and man it was great, and then I had to grapple with that asterisk. I’d also set out ahead how I wanted to talk about Lycoris Recoil, as how even a fairly modest fun anime has deep stuff to crunch away on that I find interesting. I also wanted to talk about Unseen Academicals, because it’s an old favourite of mine and it’s about games and about queers taking care of one another and it’s also about being a wonked up monster who has to learn how to be a person.

And I thought I’d have another slot, maybe for a movie I liked or a TV show that I’d enjoy and Summer Time Rendering came out of nearly nowhere and poleaxed me and the anime with a hot lady with a big hammer made me go ‘oh yeah I’ll check that out’ and then I blew through it in three days because it’s so good and well okay, now I had to fill in a slot there in April.

Basically, I had two things I’d never seen before April that became two of my favourite things in April. That’s pretty rare for me!

What about other articles that you might wanna check out, built on my particular interests? I talked about the Confederacy’s currency, and how much a bunch of awful people who sucked ass were bad at even making themselves look cool. I wrote two pieces on the Beastfolk of Cobrin’Seil, because we love furry animal people and we love spaces where they get to hang out and it doesn’t have to be weird. I also did another D&D-based two-parter, on the idea of the Warlock and the Paladin’s relationships to power, and while on the topic of D&D, I wrote about the Epic Level Handbook’s monsters, trying to dig into those interesting ideas that were executed just dreadfully. When reviewing my old work on a horror nation, I struck on something I really liked, which is the folding chair fluorescent tube lighting brain-rotted evangelical magical thinking.

The special the ongoing examination of an OC universe and the connected lore that reminds me of my beloved friends by talking about Ironworks, which means a lot to me because it’s basically treating fanfic my friends and I write together like it’s important. Because it is.

And I guess I should direct attention to the archive dive I did on PC Format magazine, and A Software Pirate Looks At 40. Because I think I’m okay, but man those articles don’t make it seem like I am.

Hey, this is this month’s t-shirt design! I’m happy with it, as someone who seems to just want to recreate the DOOM logo aesthetic in dozens of different ways. I had a little period this month where I just pumped out a few different designs and they went up on Redbubble and will get blog posts later, and haha, then at the end of April, Redbubble may? have screwed me? Oh well. The design is there for now, but I’m definitely thinking about alternate places to put my stickers and shirts.

Man, this month, this month. We dogsat a little dachsund. The weather turned rainy for the first time in a while. I got to play Wingspan with the really neat new expansion that added nectar. I watched a bunch of anime that turns out to be really great, like, 2022 was absurd. I hit a backlog of 40 posts on the blog. I did a bunch of graphic design, I got to play and finish Lunark (more on that later), I marked my students, and I managed to finally get one of those early nights I have been trying to get.

It hasn’t been great. Like, one day this month, Fox said to me ‘I missed you yesterday.’ Like I was in such an isolated, unconnected mood that she felt like I was absent. And that’s, you know, probably not good? And reading back on my writing at the tail of the month I’m kinda struggling with something.

What’s weirder is that I’m writing this as the last thing in the month…

… and like…

I feel pretty okay?

I want to spend the rest of today working on games. I don’t play enough.

Check it out on PRESS.exe to see it with images and links!

#Diary #Meta

[astaroth1357]

Brothers React to a Demigod MC 

So, I've gotten some interest to do a Brothers follow-up to a previous request of mine (Undateables React to a Cute, Badass MC), however, I've thus far refused to write one. Honestly, this HC actually plays on a trope I personally dislike and had it not been a request I would have never done it to start with. I just can't see any reasonable way a non-magic human can beat a bunch of demons, I just can't, and that hinders my imagination quite a bit. …But someone who’s not so human? That I can get behind. Fair warning, I grew up with the Percy Jackson series so that’s going to paint quite a bit of how I see modern demigods. Ready for things to get super-ultra fanfic-y for a bit?

Intro:

The day to kidnap bring the exchange students to the Devildom has finally come and the demons have all gathered in the Council Room to open their portal to the human world. Really, things started without a hitch - the portal opened with and their future student dropped down out of it and landed on the floor… before they suddenly leapt up, pulled out a weapon, and lunged at them!

… This isn’t your normal human, it is?

Lucifer

Oh Devil, this couldn’t have been any farther than what they wanted… They were looking for a human and they managed to pull out a halfling! A divine halfling no less!! Why wasn’t this in their file?!

Look, Lucifer might not be on good terms with his father, but even he knows he had it better than any children of the pagan gods… The levels of petty vindictiveness that run through that bunch are literally the stuff of legends...

After he and Barbatos were able to restrain the MC before they hurt themselves or anyone else, Diavolo explained everything to them and gave them a pardon for attacking the Demon Prince on sight… After they identified themselves and their parentage, Lucifer knew they were in for some shit…

He and Diavolo had to iron out an apology letter to their godly parent for days just to keep from saying anything that could accidentally cause a second Troy or worse... It was a mess...

But on the bright side, the “human” came pre-prepared for fighting monsters and demons, which honestly took a bit of a load off his shoulders. That’s less responsibility for Mammon - and in his experience, the less responsibility Mammon has, the better things usually turn out.

… Though their ability to actually hold their own in a fight did make things complicated sometimes - like whenever he was their perceived opponent... 

He wasn’t expecting to have to manage a being that was actually capable of meeting him toe-to-toe on the battlefield and it did hinder his intimidation factor to some degree…It was hard to be threatening to someone who’s likely faced worse than you could ever offer.

In the end it probably worked out for the best, as a live exchange student is better for Diavolo than a dead one - but man did it get on his nerves until they made their pact together… Be scared of him, dammit!

Mammon

The first time he tried to threaten the human, they straight up pulled out a weapon and looked like they were ready to whip his ass!! Didn’t they know he wasn’t being serious?? 😫

He really didn’t know why he had to be on babysitting duty, anymore... This huma-er demigod could handle themselves just fine!

When he first ditched them with Levi, he later found out they managed to cleanly toss his brother over their head and make a break for it all by themselves! And Levi’s no pushover either!!

Later, he saw them getting ambushed on their way back from school and they soundly knocked out about five demons before he even caught up to them… and he’s, like, fast and stuff… 

Their strength is kind of unreal at times, but he could tell they were still far from a mindless killing machine. They were more or less a normal person, they had wants and dreams like anybody else, but they just happened to be a long stronger than the average mortals around them. 🤷‍♀️

After he eventually got to know them and a bit about how their life worked, he felt a little bad for them... Who wants to be hunted down just for being born?

After learning about their struggles, Mammon ended up resolving to help keep them safe (even if a part of him knew they didn’t need him that much).

I mean, if the whole world’s against you, then you can use all the help you can get... right?

Leviathan 

Levi found out exactly one thing about them within the first two minutes of meeting them… their reflexes were killer.

After Mammon ditched them on Day One, he tried to drag the human to his room to tell them his genius plan but they broke out of his grip and threw him flat on his back like was just second nature! 

He was stuck on the ground for a full minute, trying to process what just happened, while they ran off into the House all alone…

Did he just get tossed around… by a human?? Was he really that pathetic!?!

Finding out later that they were actually half-god certainly helped out his self-esteem because, man, if he had lost so easily to a human of all things... He might have just never left his room again…

Levi pretty much kept his distance from them until they finally made a pact together and then he discovered that the MC wasn’t so scary after all. If he’s being honest, being in the same house as a demigod was actually kind of cool...! 

Like, it was almost exactly the plot of the show: “Wait, I Thought I Was the Son of a Pagan God So What Am I Doing in a Christian Hell??” but their MC seemed to know a lot more about fighting than the protagonist of that show ever did…

Plus, because he never had to worry about their safety, he had even more excuse to never leave his room. Win-win!

Satan

A demigod, eh…? He had done plenty of research into human world mythologies in his spare time, frankly he thought the old gods had died out - but it seems they were still up and kicking… and making babies for whatever reason? Horny bastards...

Satan's original interest in the MC was purely academic. It’s not everyday that you get to meet someone of such a unique heritage and he fully intended to learn if all the legends about their greatness were true… and well...

He could say that the MC was certainly different than how he pictured humans being. He’d never met very many before, but from what he could gather they were a weak race that really got by on wit and persistence… However, nothing about the MC was weak.

Their aptitude for combat was surprisingly sharp, both in skill and reflexes. He had once blown up at them in anger and not only did they dodge his swipes but they got in a good few hits themselves with a nearby lamp… He never once thought a mortal could give him a black-eye but, somehow, they pulled it off. 🤷‍♀️

Combine their physical skill with what magical gifts were granted to them by their godly-half and they were a force to be reckoned with… Even Solomon seemed to hesitate and think more about his actions around them (which is saying something for a sorcerer of his strength).

It’d be fair to say a part of him grew to respect the MC long before they ever made their pact and that respect only grew afterwards. If he had to be bound to any master, human or otherwise, he’d rather it be one that he could right about consider an equal not only as a friend, but in strength as well.

Asmodeus 

A demigod…? Oooo, he hadn’t come across one of those since he bedded Aeneas all those centuries ago… Such a gorgeous man, got all his looks from his mother~! 🤭

Asmo was probably the most interested in their godly heritage, but it felt like he was treating them like a zoo exhibit for a while… Something pretty and new to look at, but not exactly someone he wanted to know personally...

He openly and readily admitted that watching their little demigod in action got him hot and bothered (or well, more hot and bothered than usual ) but it didn’t take him to see they weren’t interested at the time…

He decided that he just had to have a pact with them after they saved him from Henry 1.0! It was before he noticed the giant snake and he was lurching back to strike, but the human swept in to knock him out of the way. They probably could have made mince meat of the creature themselves if Levi weren’t begging for them to spare his former pet...

Post-pact Asmo treated them with a lot more respect… but also still fanboyed over their fighting skills hardcore. 

Like, their body had to be fit to keep up with all those monsters, right?? What was their training routine? Could he watch?? Oh please say he can watch!! He just can’t get enough of that fighter’s physique…! 😍

Beelzebub 

So… the human isn’t a human but only part human? And the other part is a god? Does that make them any sturdier than normal humans…? Call him curious…

Beel was probably one of the few brothers who was legitimately weary of the MC from the beginning… He can get a certain feel for a person pretty quickly and something about them just felt…frankly, kind of dangerous.

But they also intrigued him a little… Beel’s used to being one of the strongest demons in any room he walks into (not a boast, just a fact) so for him to get that feel from a mortal was pretty impressive. A part of him just wanted to test them… you know?

So. He did. He asked them to help him train his martial arts one day and even with his awareness, he was not expecting the results that he got.

The MC was strong. Very strong. They were not only able to keep up with him and dodge his blows, but they were able to predict his moves and counterattack in kind. They didn’t even need to tell him that they had actually been fighting for their life for years, he could tell. They had a skill you don’t get from practice matches...

After that point, the two would go to each other to train and keep their skills sharp… but also just to spar for fun. Their fighting styles made a pretty good match and they bonded pretty damn quick because of it. 

If anime tells us anything, when you find a good fight buddy, you stick with them. Even if one’s part god and the other is a demon. 🤷‍♀️ 

Belphegor 

A demigod is still human enough to hate, sorry MC. Not that he knew about their godly heritage at first…

Really, he should have been a little more suspicious of how easily they seemed to take to life in the Devildom... Weren’t demons supposed to scare humans? Why did they seem so comfortable down here...?

His confirmation only came when he tried to enact the final part of “Use the MC to Escape the Attic!” plan and take their life to seal the deal… but oh boy, was he outclassed real quick… 

The MC had already socked him in the jaw by the time he got his full demon form out and then they threw him across the room by the tail… the TAIL!! And it hurt like a bitch, too!! Even during the full blown fight that followed, he could tell they were holding back and it pissed him off something fierce...!

Why was the MC so strong?!? Humans weren’t supposed to be strong!!!

His brothers heard all the commotion and the Lilith confrontation ended up happening up in the attic between a somewhat beat-up Belphie and a barely-scratched MC. Had Beel not come to his defense on instinct, it might have turned out worse for him in all honesty… Something about that human just wasn’t right…

He only found out about their god-half after everything settled down and he promised not to try killing them again (not that anyone thought he could...) and that put some things into perspective. So the Lastborn Ruler of Hell isn’t as strong as one mortal demigod…? Ouch. Okay, fine then... Whatever...

He does think it’s too bad he missed them beating the crap out of the rest of his brothers, though (minus Beel)... That would have been fun to see. 😔

So I tried to keep this one God-parent neutral, but I’ve upgraded this to its own series! Check it out if you’re interested! 😊

Demigod MC Series: Intro, Aphrodite, Hermes

[felassan]

Jon Renish (Foundation Technical Director @ BioWare, working on DA4) recently did a Twitch stream where he played through some DAO. Although he works on DA, this is his first time playing through DAO. He’s playing through it looking at random details from a dev perspective as he’s currently working on DA4 and therefore wants to know more about the previous games.

On the stream he mentioned some tidbits on the development of DA4. There were also some insights and anecdotes about the development of DAO and similar. It’s a 3 hour stream so I collected them here in case that’s of use to anyone (for example not everyone can watch streams which don’t have subtitles/captions). The stream is a fun/interesting watch though, so if you’re curious or able to watch I recc doing so. 😊 The rest of this post is under a cut for length.

Please note that there’s some paraphrasing on my part, this is not a transcript.  There are also some additions from another dev who featured on the stream to give some commentary. The stream also contains more snippets that at times I couldn’t make out (I tried my best!).

(There is a mention of Cullen’s VA in the text below.)

DA4

Jon said he can talk about things about DA4 that aren’t “consumer-facing”, but he can’t say anything about the game that would be consumer-facing but which isn’t already publicly available. There are several reasons for this. One, that’s not his job, there are people whose job this is and they let each other do their respective roles. Two, BW are a publicly-traded company, so if he said something that could affect that that would be insider trading. Three, they’re not done making DA4 yet, so if he said that they have added [x] to the game and people got all excited about that or pre-ordered on that basis, but [x] ended up being cut, people would be like ‘BioWare lied to us’, when it’s just that things changed during the course of development, as is often the case

He’s glad that fans are excited for the game but notes that fan expectations are always double-edged. It can be really tough as some people started ‘playing’ the game in their heads as soon as they heard of it. That’s fine, he loves that, but he hopes that peoples’ expectations don’t turn into requirements. Clearly BW have alluded to certain characters, like Solas, being in the game, but some fans say things like “If [say] Morrigan isn’t in the game, then, rahhh!” Y’know, there’s a lot of talk about how certain characters have to be in the game, and yeah.

On characters which are quantum (i.e. characters which can die or which can have similar end-states as death in previous games): their being quantum makes it really hard for the devs to work with those characters in subsequent games. The devs naturally aren’t going to put as much effort into characters which could have died previously. A character can have had an amazing appearance throughout/role in a previous game, but if there is a risk of something happening to them and of them being removed [effectively] from the plot, it just doesn’t make sense to have them as a major character in a subsequent game. If a character can, say, sacrifice themselves in some glorious ending, the devs have to make sure that if they use them again, in worldstates where the character didn’t do that, the character is kind of ‘muted’, as the devs don’t want to disrespect the players who made a different choice

A comment in chat expressed a wish for Shale in DA4. Jon’s response is that he has no idea on that front

Bugs don’t come out of crunch, they come out of development in general. Crunch does impact on the quality of a game though. In recent years BW are always really trying to reduce crunch, they’re currently working really hard to bring it down. The best way of doing that is by controlling scope. As creatives it’s tough to balance wanting to make great stuff and be industry-leading with the desire to constantly do extra passes over things they’ve created like the audio, art etc. Their biggest enemy is time, other ways of reducing crunch or time spent in general include iterating tools to make often-repeated processes as time-efficient as possible

I think the following was an observation on the industry in general as opposed to a BW-specific/-exclusive comment: he thinks that as a result of this sort of thing [working to reduce crunch], a lot of games are going to have to be smaller and a lot more focused in scope i.e. the devs will have to focus on hitting the key selling points of that particular game/series as hard as they can, and cut down on branching out sideways/wide on a bunch of random other stuff

Jon doesn’t personally engage in character creators in games, but he knows that for some players that expression is worth a lot of time and focus. BW want to be industry-leading in this kind of stuff as it’s something which is interesting/key/integral to their games

In a way BW have made their own nest of problems what with every DA game being so different to the previous one. Still, he notes that each game has a staunch fanbase that says that their particular favorite game is the best one in the series

He doesn’t want people who think that DA4 isn’t what they want to buy it and be upset - there are so many other great games out there! BW are going to make the game they’re going to make - if some people like it, that’s great, and if some people don’t, that’s cool. Sometimes waiting until reviews are out and/or really seeing beforehand if a game is something that you want [has things/features in it that you want] prior to getting it - as opposed to jumping right in or pre-ordering - is a good idea. Fans don’t always know what they want, but they do know what they like - these are 2 different things

He hopes that whatever they ship for DA4, people go “I enjoyed this experience”, and that then, if there’s additional content for it down the road, people can decide, “do I want this further content?”

On hair: BW are using the new hair technology in the latest version of the Frostbite engine, so they’ll see what they can do! This was said in response to a comment about the hair in the latest FIFA games (as EA make FIFA)

A comment in chat asked about a flying mechanic (griffons). Jon’s response is that flying is such a heavy gameplay mechanic that you can’t put it in a game without everything in the game being built about it (see Anthem)

Relating to the above comment, in DA4 mounted combat would be cool but then they’d have to make the game ‘around’ mounted combat and make the mounted combat feature meaningful

On the underwater concept art: it should not be interpreted as a promise of gameplay. BW have amazing artists who sit down for a couple weeks while they’re in early production and just draw loads and loads of all kinds of stuff. Concept art is like a moodboard or Pinterest board. Elsewhere in the stream he advised, take all the concept art together like a mosaic and ask, ‘what is the overall theme[s] here?’, and to zoom out from individual details. [This stuff echoes PW’s word on concept art]

BW don’t generally write things or the choices as bleak as the choices in DAO were anymore. This is a conscious choice on their part, they want their game to be fun [note: this was said when the side quest in Orzammar where the Warden has the option of convincing a dwarven mother to abandon her young baby to die was being played through. It seems to refer to intensively grimdark choices/beats of this kind]

I think this was more of a general comment on games: SSDs (solid state drives) mean that players will see shorter elevator rides (Mass Effect - was this a reference to the remaster?) and fewer switchback corridors (those are actually loading zones). Generally, these are going to change mechanically the time it takes to do stuff in games

The devs have lots of features on their backlog that they’d like to offer players but each will ofc involve implementation and subsequent maintenance, and each one that is chosen to add is being chosen over something else. And sometimes, it’s hard for them to tell if [x] feature or [y] feature would be better to add to the game

They’re about to work on a giant feature (a pure tooling feature, something that isn’t consumer-facing) that is probably going to take ~2 staff years of effort [I think “staff effort” includes multiple staff working concurrently, so 2 years of staff effort doesn’t = 2 years of time chronologically] to get done in the next few months. They’re investing all this effort across the people working on it because they don’t want their artists and designers etc to have to deal with the problem that it’s going to solve anymore. I’m not sure what this feature is but elsewhere in the stream they referred to tooling and automation and gave the example of, the better your tooling is, the fewer times you have to manually set the camera for a human vs elf vs dwarf position, for dynamically-generated [cinematic?] content and for the first pass to be automated (if this is the case, less time is spent/wasted on redoing it and manually touching it up) [see last bullet point in this section]

He doesn’t know how big DA4 is going to be but said “let’s ballpark and say like most games it’ll be somewhere between 70 and 100 GB”

If we kept our Wardens as the PC throughout all 3 games, at the end they would be so powerful that it’d be a bit like “Let’s just do [thing], I’ve killed gods before, whatever”. He thinks it’s good that they have fresh characters each time in DA in order to reset that power level. Some people want more Commander Shepard in the next Mass Effect and he feels like, ‘what else could you possibly want / what else could that character possibly do after 3 games?’

When asked how much freedom he/they have now to focus on next gen, he said that there’s actually almost no difference on that front. The problems never change. They now have better renderers, better ray-tracing, better graphics cards etc, but they have always made DA games for high- and low-spec PCs, so it’s actually about gameplay systems. The freedom isn’t power-based and them getting access to more cores and more RAM generally isn’t going to change how the games are played. The games still have to be made for hard drives on PC. Dev creativity matters more than power here. The challenge of building a BW game is more about/from managing loads of different plotstates, loads of different art pieces, etc

On the title situation (two): names are the last thing they worry about because names have to go through legal before being approved. Every name, including character names, has to be checked in case it’s a famous person, or associated with something bad, or offensive in a different language due to localization etc

They don’t do face scans of people with big beards

There was also a bit about changes/developments to/in the cinematic design process and associated tooling [?] but I found it too hard to follow sorry >< This bit of commentary begins at timestamp ~ 1:52:45 and continues til ~ 2:00:05 [keep listening through the bit where they pause for a cutscene]

General BW

There’s currently ~350 staff in Edmonton, ~200 in Austin and more elsewhere

He notes that DA games sell pretty well, but relative to EA games in general, they’re a drop in the bucket compared to FIFA

DAI

5% of players of DAI never created a character [Q: does this refer to people who just used the default appearances/presets with no editing, or people who only played multiplayer?]

The mounts don’t actually go faster than running, this is an illusion

I think they said it has 55,000 lines of dialogue. [I’m pretty sure I remember devs elsewhere saying it has 80,000 lines of dialogue]

One of the companions had to have their name changed during development because of legal/translation reasons. It sounds like the original name sounded too close to something offensive

DA2

Back when DA2 was internally code-named “Nug Storm”: this was at the beginning when it was pitched to the team on a set of slides. The image on the slide for that pitch had devil horns, a metal hand and no flesh, it was just made out of fire and flames

DAO

The engine DAO is made on is the third engine that they tried for it during development. [David Gaider has gone into the DAO engine stuff some on Summerfall’s series of DAO playthrough streams]

The cracks on the cracked eluvian asset are modelled after the crack on the Tardis in Doctor Who from around that time, as at the time some devs had been talking about Doctor Who a lot. A dev actually added this factoid to DAO’s entry on TV Tropes but someone else (evidently not a DA dev) came by and deleted it saying that it was too much of a stretch x)

Before the game had its name there was an HTML script that randomly generated possible titles for consideration, it adds verbs and nouns together e.g. “Grim Dark”. One of the craziest possibilities that it once generated that the devs always remember is "Bone Wind”

One of the portraits that’s used for decoration around the world in-game (it’s of a bearded human man) is actually of a specific BW staff member

He played through Stone Prisoner, where Wilhelm’s son Matthias gives exposition in the cellar. Matthias is voiced by GE and this had been pointed out to Jon earlier on. Jon: “I don’t think that character’s voice acting was super strong there”

On the in-game area towards the end of Stone Prisoner: Outdoor areas in games are large and one of the things needed for them is streaming, so different chunks can be ‘streamed in’. There’s a tower [?], and technically the top of the tower was made an outdoor level so that sky stuff could be there, though it didn’t really need to be. The person that made it an outdoor level chose the very smallest chunk size for the terrain mesh, which determines how fine of a streaming they do. So when playing, every time you moved like 4 meters, the game would stream out 50-100 chunks behind you and the same in front of you (this is the bubble around the player of what actually exists). Because it was so small, it was constantly thrashing the CPU and disc to do all the loading. The devs were like “this isn’t going to work”, but they barely had any time. The solution: they made a new level that was outdoor and copied all the sunlight and other settings, but with the largest chunk size. They copy-pasted the entire level from one to the other. The problem with that many chunks then is that there was a giant expanse of flat terrain sticking out of the middle of the tower. They didn’t know if the story was going to involve shots of the outside of the tower for this sequence or not, so they took the terrain deformation tool and bundled all the terrain vertices at the bottom of the tower in a giant clump. So to this day there’s a mess of vertices and twisted terrain at the bottom of the final level that probably no-one has ever seen [not sure though if this anecdote is in reference to a place in that DLC or somewhere elsewhere in the game?]

There were also some tidbits on Anthem, however I didn’t note them down (sorry).

If you think I misheard or misunderstood anything from this stream please let me know and I will edit/fix it. :) 

(Thankyou to some of my friends who explained a tech detail from this to me.)

[source]  <-- current rewatch link

[ectonurites]

Honestly I wish scars and such in general were more of a thing with the Bats! Sometimes they’ll be drawn with scars ig, but it seems like they’re always just like generic if that makes sense? Nothing specific that we’ve actually seen happen in the comics. Especially when they’ve been hurt severely multiple times! Tim should have his burns! Dick should have bullet scars! I’m not a fan at all of the autopsy scar headcanon/fanon, but I 100% believe Jason should have a Batarang scar on his throat! Heck, Stephanie should have a bunch of scars from Bl*ck M*sk! These are just the stuff I can think of off the top of my head, I’m sure there’s more! @DC give it to me Now

Grouping all this scar talk together: but YEAH MANNN. Like, in general as someone who Does Art and reads a ton of comics I do understand the logistical nightmare it would be to try to accurately and consistently depict that many scars on that many characters, but it'd be cool as hell even if only for like bigger panels that put a focus on them occasionally, or just picking one or two per character to maintain.

Also like not to say good things about Three Jokers but the opening sequence of Bruce's scars being matched to who caused them was SO... CHEFS KISS... I love shit like this and wish we saw it more

(Batman: Three Jokers #1)

[blue-fidelity]

~ “Smile In The Face of Tragedy”

Chapter One: Beer Run

Pairings: Billy Hargrove x Henderson!reader, Steve Harrington x best friend! reader

Chapter Summary:

(Y/N) reminisces the events of the summer before senior year. It’s her last year of High School, and she wants to start fresh, the pretty newcomer with shiny blue eyes is willing to help with that.

Warnings: Fluff, angst, abuse (could be trigger warning, reader has a hard past)

The year of 1984 had come into full swing, and (Y/N) had tried to make the rest of her junior year somewhat enjoyable. After the incident with the demogorgon around Christmas, she wanted to focus on the lighter side of life. Which was mainly dicking around with her best friend, and crush, Steve Harrington. Things were going great, till the summer. 

‘Summer of ‘84. She dubbed it, “The Summer of Steve & Nancy”. Months usually consisted of Steve and Nancy trying to fix the shattered fragment of what their relationship was, whilst (Y/N) and Jonathan watched on the sidelines. Steve would come to (Y/N)’s house at ungodly hours of the night, usually sneaking through her window. 

She’s just been so distant, I don’t know what I’m doing wrong- he’d whimper, laying his head on her lap. She tried to contain her tears, for him. If only she could tell Steve that there was someone better for him, someone that could make him happy. There was one problem with that, though. Steve loved Nancy. It’s not like (Y/N) could change that, and it killed her. Seeing her best friend in this state though, it was another level. She wanted to scream at Nancy, scream at her for stringing Steve on a loose thread that she could’ve easily cut. Instead Nancy hid her feelings for Jonathan and carried on this dance with Steve. 

It just wasn’t fair, though, nothing really seemed fair at this point. Everything would eventually come crashing down and it’d leave a trail of broken hearts in the process, but atlast, (Y/N) would keep her head up high. She’d try her best not to fall into the deep end of emotions she wasn’t able to handle. If anything turned down hill, she knew she’d have one thing. Her brother, Dustin. 

Dustin was the ray of happiness that (Y/N) projected off of, to his charismatic personality and bright smile, she was like him in many ways. Moments spent with her brother we’re always great, they had a surprisingly better relationship then most siblings did. It was probably because (Y/N) was secretly a nerd, and even though she wouldn’t admit it, she probably liked D&D even more than her brother did. That’s why she absolutely loved joining Dustin and his friends on their sessions. 

This made the party worship her in a way, and she couldn’t help but find it adorable. It’s not everyday you get a bunch of middle schoolers fawn after you. So despite the never ending months of trying to mend Steve’s broken heart, the summer wasn’t a total bust. In fact, she loved the days she spent with those boys (even though it was a little hard to carpool when she drove a Harley Davidson, Mike was always willing to lend his family’s station wagon). 

Now, she was nearly two months into her senior year, and she decided to make it count. After all, it was her last year of high school before college. It was the day before Halloween, and she couldn’t be more excited. Dustin and the rest of the party were pretty hyped about spending their first night trick or treating unchaperoned, if  (Y/N) remembered correctly he stated, “(Y/N)! We are 13, practically men! As men we fetch our own candy”. To this she giggled, ruffling her brother’s curls, “Well young man, you must save your sister some Kit-Kats”.

- 

(Y/N) knew Tina, the only popular girl that really tolerated her was going to throw a party at her place. She had called her last night all excited about her, “Halloween Bash”, and how she wanted (Y/N) to help plan it. “The guys at the liquor store won’t say no to a hot chic on a motorcycle!”, of course Tina wanted her to get the beer. (Y/N) didn’t even drink that much! Only on occasions, but Tina was her friend. So after school today, she was going to head to ‘Hawkins local liquor store, and PRAY TO GOD she could hide the kegs from her mother. It was moments like these she wished she had a car to stash things in.

She pulled up into Hawkins High’s parking lot, “Toys in The Attic”  by Aerosmith playing loudly on her stereo. Spending a whole summer with middle schooler’s kind of made her forget about her social status. If it made sense, (Y/N) wasn’t in the “popular clique”, being Steve’s best friend just gave her a title. Those who didn’t like her called her, “Steve’s Wannabe Queen”, which was partially true, whilst others who liked her didn’t name her anything. She was just, “(Y/N) Henderson”. A face that simply stood out in the crowd because of sheer confidence, kindness, and a vibe that screamed cool. Guys wanted to fuck her, girls wanted to be her. It was a classic High School cliché.

Tina waved at her as she parked her ‘Harley beside her car. She was with Carol and another girl who she couldn’t name. “Hey (Y/N/N), I was just telling the ladies you’ll be supplying the beer for tomorrow?”, she said, to which (Y/N) rolled her eyes. “Only because you know the creeps down there won’t turn me down, come on Tina I feel used”, she fake pouted. The girls all laughed, continuing to talk about the party. 

As the girls continued their conversation, (Y/N)’s Aerosmith seemed to be drowned out by the familiar sound of The Scorpions, “Rock You Like A Hurricane”. A fellow metal head such as herself in Hawkins Indiana? ‘This couldn’t be possible. About everyone in this town had shitty taste in music, besides her and Jonathan. She turned down her stereo and directed her view to the sound, eyes being met with an ocean blue Camaro, with a California license plate. How fitting. Whoever the driver was, had sped into the parking spot beside hers. 

The group of girls behind her stared eagerly to see who this suspicious newcomer was, and if (Y/N) was being honest, she was kind of curious as well. The driver door swung open, and the driver’s combat boots grounded him to the concrete. That’s when she saw him, and he saw her, too. 

Something radiated off him, almost a confidence higher than hers. It was cockiness, and at first glance, she could see right through him. Denim jacket, cuffed jeans, and a cigarette hanging loosely from his lips. That was her first impression, and damn was he definitely good looking. For a moment, Steve had been wiped from her brain. Replaced with blonde curls and pretty blue eyes that bore into hers. “Whatcha looking at, princess?”, he smirked- eyeing her up and down like an animal staring down its prey. (Y/N) tried to contain herself, she wasn’t about to be wooed by the new playboy. 

“I’m simply looking at your car, 1979 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28, right?”, her car knowledge would get her out of this one. “Right you are sweetheart, pleasure to see one of the girls in this town has common sense”, he grinned, showing his pearly whites. “Well if you're ‘lookin for that trait in the rest of the girls here, I think you’d sadly be disappointed”, she smiled, gesturing to her “friends”. Tina and the other’s let out gasps. The newcomer shook his head, plucking his cigarette from his lips. “Well I guess I’ll see you and your senseless friends around then, huh?”, “I guess so”. He strutted to the school. 

“You whore! Way to throw us under the bus like that”, Tina scowled, slapping (Y/N) on the shoulder. She only laughed, “Well, couldn’t lie to the guy now could I?”. Well wasn’t (Y/N) feeling pretty proud about herself right now? She could really be a sarcastic fuck sometimes, huh? 

-

In a way, (Y/N) loved school. Her place made her feel validated, and she got pretty good grades. What was there not to love? As she was at her locker, her peachy attitude soon turned to discomfort. The happy squeals of Nancy could be heard from a few lockers away as Steve spun her around. She smiled at the couple, yet it still made her heart ache. (Y/N) couldn’t help but notice Jonathan awkwardly walking away from them, passing by her. Steve looked at his girlfriend with sparkles in his eyes. He genuinely seemed joyful, and in a way she was happy for him. Still, that aching feeling was there, and at this point it seemed nothing could replace it. 

Later that day, during art class (which was last period), she found out the new guy's name was Billy Hargrove.  Fresh out from sunny California a week ago. She questioned why someone like him would choose art out of all things for his creative credit, but, maybe he’d surprise her. The class was filled with a very “out of the box”, group of people. They might’ve been (Y/N)’s favorite out of the student body. The art room was a space for open opinions, and creativity. Everyone was interesting in their own individual way, but somehow, Billy managed to stand out. 

When he entered the class, everyone was already working on their current pieces. Mr. Axworthy, who insisted everyone called him “Mr. Ax”, had assigned a new project about a week ago. Every year he gave students an assignment to represent themselves, this year it was painting your favorite album cover. Though (Y/N) had many favorites, she chose The Clash’s “London Calling”, and was currently working on the shading. She was calmly sitting at her easel when she heard the teacher speak, “Mr. Hargrove! Pleasure to have you in our art class, there’s a free spot beside Mrs. Henderson, she’ll explain the current project to you!”. (Y/N) gave “Mr. Hargrove” a slight smile as he walked towards her.

“So, Henderson, huh? Got a first name?”, he questioned, showing that cocky smirk. “It’s, (Y/N), yours?”, “Billy. Billy Hargrove”.  Now she knew his name- and it somehow added to his intoxicating aura. Call it fascination- but, Billy’s presence overwhelmed her in a way, and she didn’t even know him that well! It’s not like her feelings for Steve disappeared, just anytime those shimmering blue eyes glanced her way, her heart raced. Maybe Billy was the void waiting to fill that aching feeling, and she just hadn’t realized it yet. Everyone was telling her to move on, that it wasn’t worth it, but- to her, Steve was worth it. The one thing that wasn’t worth it though, was chasing a dream that wasn’t going to come true. 

As (Y/N) was explaining the project to Billy, she was surprised by how attentive he was. If he could get excited about one thing, it was music. “So how are your art skills?”, she asked, “A little rusty, but nothing you can’t show me”, he grinned, taking one of his paint brushes and dipping it into some red paint. (Y/N) thought he’d go for the canvas, but he surprisingly smeared the paint onto her cheeks. She stared at him in shock- “Wha-what the hell did you do that for?!”, she exclaimed. “Just thought I could add to the flush on your cheeks!”, he laughed, of course he’d notice her blushing.  Two could play at this game. “Well, you know what I think your face could use?”, “Oh yeah? What’s that?”, “Some green!”, she shouted, painting a big green line on his face. Before their paint war could continue, Mr. Axworthy had noticed.

“I hate to interrupt, but shouldn’t the paint go on your canvas?”, he motioned to our easels. “Well of course Mr. Ax, but when it comes to the concept of art, isn’t everything a canvas?” she giggled, leaving Mr. Axworthy speechless. “Well, yes- but I’d prefer you’d not interrupt the class and actually help Billy start his project”, he states. “Definitely, he had just finished telling me he wanted to do Metallica’s ‘Kill ‘em All, isn’t that correct, Mr. Hargrove?”, “Yes that is correct!”. “Well then, carry on, you can wash the paint off your faces at the end of class”. 

By the time class finished, Billy had at least finished the base coat of his painting whilst (Y/N) had time to finish her shading. Now, they needed to step into the halls with paint all over their faces-how embarrassing. It was as if Mr. Axworthy wanted them to be publicly humiliated! In a way, (Y/N) didn’t blame him, it was a good form of punishment. When the pair walked the halls, they received awkward glances. Billy simply rolled his eyes, who were they to judge him? He wrapped an arm around (Y/N)’s shoulders, giving her a reassuring smile, “Let them stare, I know you got rep around this joint, they have no reason to give you dirty looks, aight?”. It was nice to have reassurance from Billy, but from getting to know him, he generally had that ‘don’t give a fuck attitude’. She wasn’t worried about the paint. She was worried what people would think if they saw her, the girl who had been pining for Steve forever, under another guy's arms. The new hotshot nonetheless. 

Luckily Billy was called over by Tommy, of course he had already been recruited by that group. Despite her very much fun art class with him, she was feeling uneasy with all the looks she was getting from people, and to make matters worse, Steve was standing at her locker. He waved her over with a smile, to which she headed over to him. 

“Hey Stevie”, she beamed at him. Damn she still couldn’t resist that adorable face. “Hiya (Y/N/N), saw you walking with ‘Hargrove”, he smirked. “Oh yeah, that- we just have art together, nothing big”, she blushed, I guess Billy really was getting to her. “That explains the paint on your cheeks?”, he pointed at the red coated on her face. “Just a small mishap I guess”, she chuckled. “So what brings Steve ‘The Hair’ Harrington to my locker?” she inquired. “Just wanted to see my bestie, it’s been a while”, he smiled softly, poking her side. It really had been a while, (Y/N) really couldn’t remember the last time Steve looked at her happily. It gave her a sense of comfort to see him so cheerful. “It really has- I’d hate to cut this short, but I really have to get some errands done, but I’ll see you at the party tomorrow?”, “Definitely! I’ll see you then”, he bid her goodbye, kissing her on the cheek. Her hands grazed her cheek, touching where he just kissed. “Oh and Henderson! Let’s hangout sometime, yeah?”, he shouted to her, “That’d be great!”. 

Before heading to the parking lot, she stopped at the bathroom to wash the paint off. She checked to see if anyone was there, luckily there wasn’t. The girl really didn’t need anymore dirty looks. She grabbed some paper towels, running them under warm water. While she whipped the paper towel over her face, she took the time to look at herself. What was she doing? Was she really going to let Steve slip away that easily?  Billy had just entered her life, and had obviously taken an interest in her. What was the risk of jumping into things too quickly? She couldn’t wait forever. That’s when she decided. (Y/N) was going to allow herself to get lost in the new overwhelming feeling of Billy Hargrove. 

-

(Y/N) drove down the quiet back roads of Hawkins, making her way to the liquor store. If the town wasn’t sketchy enough, having the liquor store away from civilization made it even sketchier. She really didn’t like coming here, the last time (Y/N) came here was for another one of Tina’s parties. It was for the end of the summer, at Lover’s Lake. It was quite the blowout, till Hopper came to shut it down. Fortunately she didn’t get caught that night, her mother would’ve killed her, and she wasn’t about to spend the night in jail. 

Now, (Y/N) wanted to give the cashier an offer he couldn’t refuse. The process was simple, bat her eyelashes, show plenty of cleavage, talk innocently, and then figure out how to put two fucking kegs in the side car of her motorcycle! She glanced down at the outfit she was wearing, a simple low-cut red t-shirt with some high rise acid wash jeans, and a leather jacket. The leather jacket could go. She strutted to the counter of the store, knowing they held the kegs in the back storage, it was time to turn on the charm. Borris, the regular cashier, was in his late 60’s, and she absolutely hated the way he looked at her. It made her feel grose, but she wasn’t about to let Tina down. 

Boris contentedly stared her down, obviously checking her out. On the inside, she shivered, but she kept on a smile. “Anything I can do for you pretty lady?”, he asked, grinning. “Yes, I was wondering if you can hook me up with a few kegs? ‘You see I got this party tomorrow, up in Indianapolis! It’s a big college thing, ‘can’t have a good time without alcohol”, that oughta convince him. “Sure thing sweets, I’ll grab some for you, how many shall it be?”. He didn’t even ask her for her ID! “Two will be just fine! Thank you so much!”. He brought them up to the counter, shit those look heavy, she thought. “How much does it come to?”, (Y/N) asked. “Oh, on the house, anything for a pretty girl looking to have a good time”, score! He almost offered to help bring them out- till a familiar voice cut in. 

“It’s no problem Boris, I’ll help her out, just grab me a pack of cigs mhm?”, Billy Hargrove, of course. “Your usual William?”, questioned Boris. “That’ll be just fine”. (Y/N) was stunned. Did it just happen to be a coincidence that he walked through the door? More like a sign. He took hold of one of the kegs, while she grabbed the other. They both headed outside. 

“Stalking me, Hargrove?”, she smirked. “Absolutely not! I just happened to need more cigarettes, and I noticed a familiar Harley Davidson, don’t flatter yourself”, he placed the keg down, lighting a cigarette. “Sure...and you deliberately wanted to help me with the kegs?”, “The guys a creep! I’m sure you didn’t want to be around him any longer”, he huffed, blowing smoke from his lips. “Aww, you protecting me Hargrove? That’s cute!”, she giggled.

Even though Billy hated to admit it, he loved when she laughed. She ignited this glow that was hard to describe- though, it made him feel warm. It made him feel good. When he arrived here, his goal was to sleep with nearly every girl who made eyes at him, he’d make a list, and then he’d check it off one by one. That all changed when he saw her. She was different, she had this spark that came with her quick wit that left him wanting more. Was he going to tell her that? No, not yet, but it seems his “friendship” with her was growing quicker than he expected. 

“I’m not protecting you..just-shut up”, why was he getting so flustered? This was so unlike him. “Whatever Hargrove, just help me load these into my sidecar will yah?”, she struggled to hold the keg. “Sweetheart, are you sure those will fit in there?’, he questions, looking at her struggling. “You got any better ideas?”,  she groaned impatiently. In fact- Hargrove did have an idea, whether she’d agree, he really didn’t know. 

“Here me out- you and I both know those aren’t going to hold in there, and I know why you need them, so why don’t I stash them in the Camaro, and you and I can go to the party together?”, he offered, waiting eagerly for her response. She hesitantly looked down at the kegs, and then back up at him. “Billy- are you sure? I don’t want you going through all that trouble, what if your parent’s found them?”, she questioned worriedly, biting her lip. “My parents won’t notice a damn thing, if they even touch my car- it’s their dead body on my hands”, he laughed, though she could see his shoulders tense up, the question had obviously bothered him. “Well alright then...let’s load them into your trunk”. 

Once the kegs were in, Billy closed his car trunk tightly. Smiling at (Y/N) he took another puff of his cigarette, leaning against the back of his car. “So what are you going as?”, he wondered, staring at her. (Y/N) had spaced out, not really getting what he meant. “What do you mean?”, she asked. “For the Halloween party, what’s your costume?”, “Oh! I'm going as Sarah Connor from the new Terminator movie?”, she explained, wondering if he’d heard of it. “Nice, I was told that movie was supposed to be good”. Why did this conversation feel so awkward? “It really was, I went to go see it with my little brother”, she grinned. 

“You got a little sibling- me too, well step sister, but that doesn’t matter”, he muttered the last bit, inhaling more of his cigarette. “Do you two get along?”, she questioned, “No-not really-just, can we change the subject?!”, he raised his voice slightly, startling her a bit. He really didn’t want to talk about his family. ‘I’m sorry, I really didn’t mean to pry- I should go-”, she whispered, heading back to her motorcycle. (Y/N) turned on her heel, flinching when she felt Billy take a slight hold on her wrist. “Wait- I didn’t mean- I didn’t mean to startle you”, his words were shaky, as he kept his grip on her wrist. She slipped his hand off her wrist, staring at him blankly. (Y/N) wasn’t exactly sure what she was supposed to say at this moment. “It’s just- when I moved here, I wanted to start fresh and the idea of my family just-it makes it hard”, he says sharply. “I just don’t like talking about it”. 

(Y/N) nodded her head slightly, she didn’t really know what Billy went through when he moved to Hawkins, and whatever it was, seemed to trigger him. In a way, (Y/N) knew what it felt like. She and her family moved to Indiana in 1979, when she just started middle school. It was hard to adjust, and Hawkins was a lot different from her last home. They left because her father had walked out on them. Though it was traumatic, it wasn’t like he was a very good dad. He’d come home late from work, usually drunk and angry. (Y/N) still had scars from when he beat her. It made her insides twitch, shivering at the thought of the still present stitches on her back. The night she got them, her father had been particularly cheesed off,  luckily her mom and Dustin weren’t home. Her mother was having a well deserved ‘ladies night’ while her brother was at a sleepover. 

The night started off calmly, (Y/N) had been contently listening to records in her room while her father was watching football down the hall. She knew he had been drinking, she never saw him without alcohol in his hands. That’s why she didn’t drink that much, she’d hate to turn out like him. Her door was locked, to make sure he wouldn’t come in. She cringed when she heard glass shatter in the other room, footsteps slowly approaching her door. She hopped out of her bed, muttering ‘fuck-fuck-fuck’, under her breath. At this point she had gotten scared. Her dad knocked harshly on her door, “(Y/N), you better fucking open this door, or I’ll knock it down myself”- he yelled, voice booming. That’s when she realized. I’ll go out the window. (Y/N) quietly opened the window latch, slipping through the frame. Luckily her house was only one story, so there was no risk of falling. 

She thought she had been safe, till her father noticed she escaped from the window. (Y/N) barely had a chance to leave the driveway till her father spotted her, tackling her to the ground. Her chest hit the cold pavement, groaning in pain as her father pinned her wrists to the asphalt. Not getting a chance to notice the kitchen knife in his left hand, he unexpectedly slashed the blade against her back. She wailed as the knife dented her skin, begging for her dad to stop as tears filled her eyes. By chance her mother had entered the driveway before her father could do anymore damage.  (Y/N) never understood why her mom didn’t call 9-1-1, just simply drove her to the hospital to get stitches. It was probably out of fear, and it was only a few nights after the incident that he disappeared. When Dustin found out what happened, even with only being eight years old at the time, she swore he was ready to kill him. 

- 

When she stared back at him, she had a sympathetic look in her eyes.  “It’s okay B, just- if you ever need anyone to talk to, I’m here”.  He smiled slightly at the small nickname, looking at her softly, “Thanks, no one’s really offered that before”. He scratched his neck nervously, lighting out his cigarette. “Hug it out?”, she extended her arms out cheekily. Hug it out? Billy Hargrove didn’t hug it out- but she seemed so sincere-  he pulled her into his arms, kissing her forehead. He couldn’t resist smelling her hair, it smelled almost tropical- like the salty scent of the ocean breeze that reminded him of home. For the first time, Billy felt at peace in this new town. He knew that if she stocked around, he could bring himself to be happy, and as luck would have it, she was planning to. 

Next Chapter: smile-in-the-face-of-tragedy

Authors Note: The time has come and the first chapter is here! I hope you guys enjoyed, feedback is greatly appreciated 😊! If anyone else wants to be in the tag-list, feel free to comment below!

Tag-list: @holychocopie

[spacegoatart]

Hi! I've seen your post about Treasure planet headcanons, soo here is a bunch of mine:

• Silver speaks multiple languages; sometimes he mixes them up as he goes, especially when he's tired, and ends up with "wait what" moments. Some of those become inside jokes between him and Jim.

• Silver hums space shanties when he's working; sometimes he isn't really aware that he's doing that, and if someone (Jim or maybe Sarah Hawkins) asks him what song he is humming, he may not be able to answer right away. He taught Jim a bunch of them, and Morph learned them by constantly overhearing; sometimes the little shapeshifter would either copy Silver's humming or morph into a musical instrument(tin whistle, harmony, maybe a really small lute/guitar) and literally play itself, or morph into whatever lyrics say–tiny ships, aetherium sea monsters, you name it.

• The eye in the bonzabeast stew isn't an actual eye plucked from someone – its actually a fruit from Silver's homeworld, basically a really freaky looking space cherry tomato; it is tricky to industrially grow and harvest even in its natural range, so there is little export and not many people know about it. It is tasty, though, especially pickled, and Silver likes it. They are legally required to be sold in opaque glassware on some worlds, though.

• Jim really likes the texture of solar sails(I hc it to be similar to a really tough, but smooth synthetic, like an outer layer of clothes for winter sports–not stretchy and making nice crinkly/hissy sounds when rubbed against itself) also, solar sails are ironed together rather than sewn when repairs are needed, and when Jim gets his hands onto a real sail iron press for the first time and gets a feel of patching up a sail, he nearly cries with happiness(he put the sails on his solar surf together with homemade instruments, and it was a lot of trial, error and burned fingers)

• Jim has either inattentive or combined type ADHD(a good bit of projecting here, gotta admit); it added a lot of stress for him, both during his sailing on RLS Legacy and in the Academy; Silver is mildly confused, but supportive dad.

• Jim learned some really fancy cooking skills from Silver–he knew how to cook before, but had a pretty utilitarian attitude towards it, not a passion for it. Sometimes he stress cooks or stress cleans, and Silver has to remind him to drink water/stretch/take a break, kid, seriously, you've spent literally hours pacing around, you'll have blisters on your feet if you won't stop

I have more, but I feel like I shared a lot for the first time. Hope you're having a good time ^_^

yess thank u for these, i love all of these :D i wanted to talk about each one so it gets kind of wordy, i really enjoyed seeing these (sorry it took me a few days to finally answer, i meant to answer earlier but i got busy)

1. i love this one, this could be canon lol. its very resourceful to know multiple languages as a pirate so i’m sure he does know many, as well as mix them up. Jim would immediately tease him about it, Silver would laugh about it too.

2. UGH YES he totally sings, i was kind of disappointed that we don't hear him sing in the movie but whatever. morph loves his singing and would totally join along or find a pocket and fall asleep. Silver probably has a great voice making his humming/singing even more enchanting to listen to.

3. this one is really interesting, i hadn't thought about the fact that it may not be a real eye but that would make sense. it wouldn't be the first time nature has adapted visual defense mechanisms to stop things from eating them. the glass jar idea is really cool because yeah, you don't want to buy a jar of something and see eyeballs, as well as someone might put actual ones in, that's a hazard.

4. yess love Jim with sensory issues, he would totally just go up on the mast and touch them and loose his mind. Silver would tell him to get down, etc but he kind of gets it. solar sails are probably hard to care for, especially if they're supposed to soak up energy (i think at least, they're supposed to be solar panels but thinner and flexible) so they would need a special set of tools, ones i’m sure Jim couldn't afford at the time. i wonder if he bought his own or if Sarah and Silver got him one for a birthday or something

5. YES i hadn't even thought about mentally ill Jim but yes he 100% has ADHD (i also have ADHD so don't worry about projecting xD). he probably couldn't focus as well in school and with the stress of the inn and Leland leaving him, he got so frustrated and kind of gave up. while that sucks, he found something to entertain himself, solar surfing and it absolutely became his special interest. when he gets to the academy, he starts to struggle again but this time hes not as put off by it, since he really did want to go. he probably doesn't find out that he has ADHD until either a year or few months in, mainly because it isn't his behavior causing him to fall back. Sarah probably feels so guilty but Jim lets her know that its ok, even he wasn't aware. he starts using his diagnosis to learn what he can do to help himself and he starts getting motivated to keep learning. i was thinking about Jim in the academy, i think he’d become super interested in math, maybe it'd even become a special interest! i just think he’d love to know the way numbers make up the world and how you can determine events based on calculations

6. Jim probably knew how to cook before from his mom but Silver definitely sparked an interest in him. cooking became less of a known skill and became an art, watching Silver garnish dishes, make special sauces and create something delicious out of just the few things on the ship. i bet he’d come home and start stress cleaning, confusing the heck out of Sarah. she knew he was stressed but couldn't help but be a little grateful that her kitchen was completely clean. when Silver is around, he doesn’t really understand that Jim is stressed out, he just thinks he’s cleaning. once he DOES catch on however, he hangs around while Jim is scrubbing, handing him water, convincing him that he can talk about it if he wants and keeping an eye on him in general. it ends up stressing Silver out, watching Jim get so worried over a grade or an assignment, so Silver tries to get Jim to go on walks with him and relax a little. however, Silver knows he can’t make Jim do anything so when Jim insists he just wants to clean and think for a bit, Silver leaves him be. not that he doesn’t immediately go to Sarah to talk about how worried he is about Jim. i wonder if Sarah stress cleans to, maybe Jim gets it from her?

[ranboocore-moved]

ok so theres been conversation about how the dream smp is homestuck, just a decade later, and even if you hate homestuck, it’s literally the truth.

you can probably find plenty of posts about their similarities, and if you want I can make one, but i want to focus on the potential of the fandom moving to tumblrso the tumblr fandom is on the smaller side right now, but i’m going to paint you a picture and it’s going to be of homestuck’s golden age (which may have been cringe, but they were fun)

so here r cool things from homestuck’s tumblr fandom i miss that could be so easily recreated:

 upd8 tag!

this tag was used whenever the comic got an update, and everyone would liveblog or post about the update like IMMEDIATELY. it was SUPER cool, and i personally really liked it!! it felt like such a neat sense of community to go thru the tag and also refresh every few seconds because everyone was posting so frequently!!

speedy cosplays

the homestuck fandom had a lot of talented cosplayers, including people who would make a 5 minute cosplay immediately after the update of a new character or a characters new form or outfit. they were just REALLY cool and ridiculous sometimes and they would also be in the upd8 tag! i know there are talented cosplayers in the fandom, but they post more on tiktok because it is such a visual app! it’s literally a video app. however, tumblr is a jack of all trades and i just.. it would be cool lmfao

speedy fanart

this goes along with the speedy cosplays in the upd8 tag but dude seeing fanart of an upd8 that JUST happened that day was SO cool. it was so fucking awesome and it jsut made me like so happy sometimes??

 themes & the whistles

ok so themes were so important on tumblr they were like THE COOLEST thing and they used to be my FAVORITE thing because theyre so fun and customizable! i miss like going HAM on my theme and giving it all the bells and whistles like fandom scarves, the little sparkly cursor, finding a neat background and cool pixel art for the sidebar image, and also pixel families!!

fandom scarves

this is brief, and i’m working on making my own dsmpblr scarves, but they were images that would just hang down from your blog! for homestuck there were scalemates (dragon plushies), and banners of your classpects or moon orientation. that may not make sense, but they were personal and cool identity things! i really liked them and it’s why im trying to make some dsmp flag banners!

pixel families

these have gone out of style i guess because no one really has a big central fandom anymore who someone has made pixels of? but in homestuck there was a user @/feastings who made a BUNCH of homestuck pixels and everyone would use them to make a pixel family! essentially, you would make a page on your blog for your pixel family, ask your friends what character they wanted to be, and then hyperlink their blog through the pixel image!!! they were my FAVORITE dude and i miss them SO much because they were just so silly and fun!

 ask blogs!

now ik a lot of people make think these are or were cringe but personally i loved them. ask blogs where when you would make a blog for a character and essentially roleplay as them and have people ask you questions! a lot of artists did this and made funny or angsty comics with other ask blogs! they were super cute and i think it’d be fun to have like a dsmp ask blog community!

community au projects

we already have these and theyre definitely no “new thing” but i feel like it was such a cool community thing in the homestuck fandom. im sure your aware of the song “karkalicious” but it came from a community au called “broadwaystuck” and like, i don’t necessarily know if it was open, but a lot of people in the fandom knew about it and there were a lot of notable fandom members at the helm of it! im pretty sure the end of it was kind of messy, but i still think it was a really interesting thing! there was more than just “broadwaystuck” but im genuinely drawing a blank as broadwaystuck was one of the biggest

big meta

a lot of homestuck meta is... on tumblr. it’s lost to tumblr, because... no one made an archive really and unless you can remember urls it’s not necessarily easy to search for. something cool that the dsmp fandom has that homestuck didn’t though is... we already have an archive! imma self promote here, but @dsmpanalysis (s/o to @appleflavoredkitkats for being the head of it all!) is a whole archive of a lot of our meta! and i think it would be really cool to see how much more we could add! i just... really would like more analysis and theories because theyre SO fun

TLDR; more of the fandom moving to tumblr would be really fun, despite what a lot may think! i know it may be messy but big fandoms like this will always be messy. there are a lot of fun trends i would a) like to see brought back (big theme customizing, fandom scarves, pixel families, ask blogs, and community au projects) and b) could start on tumblr.

im really excited for the communities future and i’m for sure welcoming new tumblr users with open arms. tumblr is a really nice website in terms of functions and it gives communities tons of potential.

[askkrenko]

Krenko’s Guide to Pokemon: Aerodactyl

Do you think original Aerodactyl was a rock type, or is that part of the revival process?

DESIGN:

Aerodactyl is a Pterodactyl with… uhh… a longer tail? While at first Aerodactyl just seems like a Pterodactyl with minimum alterations, its stone typing and coloration, spaded tail, head horns, and back spikes remind me of gargoyles. I’m not sure if this was intentional or just the result of making it look ‘cooler,’ but I can absolutely see an Aerodactyl perched on an old stone building, blending in, and then diving down to attack its prey just as easily as I can see it flying down on prehistoric creatures.

Also, real Pterodactyls didn’t actually look like that. The image comes from fossil recreations back when people thought Pterosaurs were flying lizards, but the real creature was more like a bird.

Mega Aerodactyl looks like crap. It just has a bunch of stone spikes added on haphazardly, seemingly without thought as to what might be useful or even cool. It no longer has hands, and the dark stone against its face looks like facial hair, making it look less ferocious and more like it desperately needs to shave.

What’s interesting to me about Mega Aerodactyl, though, is how at odds its Pokedex entries are. Its Sun, Ultra Moon, and Let’s Go Pokedex entries suggest that Mega Aerodactyl is the ‘correct’ Aerodactyl, and that the fossil revived Aerodactyl is a weakened shadow of what it’s supposed to be. On the other hand, its Moon and Ultra Sun entries suggest that Mega Evolution is a painful burden on its body that’s driving it mad. Considering a lot of Mega Evolution entries are like this, I’m going to assume that Mega Aerodactyl is an abomination, and not how Aerodactyl ‘should’ be. Especially because Mega Aerodactyl doesn’t have hands, and hands are super useful. I’m actually using my hands right now.

TYPING: 

Aerodactyl is a Flying Rock which is frankly pretty impressive just in concept. Defensively, it winds up pretty well, with equal weaknesses and resistances, plus an immunity to Ground, though it does have the disadvantage of some of its weaknesses being more common. 

Offensively, this gives Aerodactyl super effective STAB options against six types, with the usual culprit of Steel being the only type to resist both Flying and Rock. 

Art by LindseyWArt

STATS: 

130 Speed, 105 Attack.

That’s enough. And Aerodactyl’s not even total glass canon territory. Its physical defense is a bit low at 65, but HP and Special Defense are comfortably average.  Its Special Attack is low, which is to be expected, and while normally I’d say the secondary attack stat doesn’t matter, Aerodactyl’s flying type attacks are pretty lacking, and its inability to make full use of Hurricane is an issue only because it can’t learn Brave Bird.

Mega Aerodactyl just takes these stats to the peak. 150 speed is only outsped by a handful of Pokemon, and 135 Attack is generally speaking plenty. Its defenses still aren’t anything special, but both jump 20 points on Mega Evolution which is certainly helpful.

Art by BonnyJohn

ABILITIES:

 Aerodactyl gets Rock Head, making it immune to recoil damage… but doesn’t get Brave Bird. Or Head Smash. Sure, it gets Double Edge, but 120 Normal power is the same as 80 Rock or Flying, so who cares?

Pressure is basically a dead ability in most games. It can be a pain in dungeons, but actual battles generally start with all moves at full PP, and in competitive matches both players have gotten their PP Maxes. Unless a Pokemon is absurdly tanky, Pressure is a waste of space.

So Aerodactyl uses its Hidden Ability, Unnerve. Unnerver prevents opponents from eating berries. I’m not going to say this never matters, because of course it can, but it’s hardly what I’d call impressive.

Mega Aerodactyl trades whatever ability it had for Tough Claws, which is just outright absurdly powerful. Tough Claws increases the damage of Contact moves by 30% which is most physical attacks. And Mega Aerodactyl is a Physical Attacker. … But you know what doesn’t make contact? Stone Edge. So here we have Mega Aerodactyl with a 100 Power STAB attack, and an ability that, while good, doesn’t work on it. In fact, Tough Claws doesn’t work on ANY of Aerodactyl’s Rock attacks. It is helpful for some of its flying attacks, and of course some of its other attacks, but the fact is that Mega Aerodactyl’s primary attack form is Stone Edge, and Tough Claws doesn’t help there.

Art by nganlamsong

MOVES:

Stone Edge is 100 Power STAB, and even though it doesn’t benefit from Tough Claws, nothing else Aerodactyl has can beat that without taking two turns.I simply cannot comprehend the thought process of an Aerodactyl build without Stone Edge.

For Flying, Aerodactyl has a few options. Dual Wingbeat, available as of Sword and Shield, is easily the strongest option for Aerodactyl in its base form… But it doesn’t benefit from Tough Claws, so as Mega Aerodactyl, Aerial Ace winds up being almost as powerful with the benefit of perfect accuracy. But even then, Aerial Ace is 60 base x 1.5 STAB, for a total of 90 power before Tough Claws… meaning a Mega Aerodactyl build is likely to eschew Flying attacks entirely in favor of an off-type attack with comparable base damage that DOES benefit from Tough Claws.

And then there’s Earthquake. It’s not getting Tough Claws either, but base 100 power with 100 accuracy just makes it one of the strongest attacks. It also has the benefit of being super effective against Steel types.

Aerodactyl has a wide variety of type coverage depending on what you want to fight. Crunch, Pursuit, Fire Fang, Ice Fang, Thunder Fang, Iron Head, Psychic Fang, and Dragon Claw all provide additional coverage options to help round out your team, and all of them make contact to benefit from Tough Claws. 

With Aerodactyl’s high speed, it’s entirely reasonable to just pick four attacks and hope to be able to go first and hit the opponent with something super-effective.

But Aerodactyl DOES have some decent non-attacking moves. Stealth Rock is a classic, for plenty of good reasons,  Roost allows Aerodactyl to heal, Tailwind helps the rest of your party, and sometimes you just want something with high speed and Defog.  These moves, combined with abilities like Taunt and Wide Guard, give it reasonable options in 2v2 battles or when used as a support Pokemon.

Art by Hemmerson

OVERALL:

Aerodactyl is great. I like the way it looks (until it goes Mega,) it has solid stats, its moveset is really wide, and it’s strong enough to be competitive. It does have a serious ability issue, though, and I’d love to see that remedied. Honestly, I think Unnerve needs a buff overall, or Berries need a buff. They’re just not competitive with other held items most of the time, and NPCs never use them. I don’t need Aerodactyl to get some super powerful ability- it’s mostly fine as is-  but it can’t make full use of Rock Head, Unnerve and Pressure are useless, and Tough Claws doesn’t work with its best attacks. 

Two of those abilities could be fixed by giving it Head Smash, but honestly that might be too much of a buff. Of course, Mega Aerodactyl probably couldn’t survive delivering more than one Tough Claws Head Smashes anyway… So it’d probably be fine.

Art by Methusalah-Alchemist

[aaviav]

🎄HAPPY HOLIDAYS, GUYS!! 🎄 2020 was quite a year for everyone, man. i'm so glad i decided to rejoin tumblr and because of that, i got to meet some super cool people. and i drew a fair amount of handsome 2D boys!! things slowed down in the last few months but i hope i'll learn to juggle uni and personal drawing better soon. fingers crossed 🤞

there was this post where people mentioned the ones they’re thankful for in 2020 and well... i thought it’d be nice to give a couple of shoutouts myself. “you”, you ask, “the one who is terrible at words and also expressing their feelings?” yes, absolutely. (also aaa thank u to @/otonymous @/scummy-writes  for tagging me back then ; ; )

TIME TO TEST THE LIMITS OF HOW MANY PEOPLE I CAN TAG?

@op-peccatori nanaaaaaaaaaa ;__; 💖 i'm so so glad i got to start talking to you this past year. i feel like we can relate on a lot of things, and somehow a few short sentences always evolve into walls of text???? like. bruh. how. 💀 💀 i know i take a while to respond sometimes but getting to read your replies is a joy every time. hope you're doing ok and please give Theo lots of kisses from me HAHA  💖

@beni-draw-ikemen-please BENIIII you're The Sweetest Ever™ 🥺 i mean it!! you're also so genuine and v v fun to talk to, i hope we get to do that more often in the future! ; v ; thank you for sharing your thirst and wonderful art with us all. ALSO ALSO: don't forget to take care of yourself. OR ELSE 😤 sending lots of virtual hugs your way! 💖 💖

@scummy-writes we're both shy beans but whenever i see you around or on on the occasional messages to eachother, you're The Sweetest Ever™ #2 🥺 for 2021 (and beyond) i wish you more confidence in yourself and your writing, because you're amazing! sometimes u just gotta channel ur inner Shea LaBeouf and Just Do It! i believe in u!!!! 💖

@littlegrrl7 hi! i appreciate you and the things you make!!! a lot!!!! you're a fic writing machine, haha. yours were the first longfics that i read and honestly, your writing is so engaging in that you keep it interesting and it's also fun and easy to read and with a healthy dose of smut cough cough. thank you for sharing! 🥰

@dear-mrs-otome Mrs O! i might or might not have been slightly intimidated at first hahah orz ANYWAY our Best Boi venn diagram might have the thinnest overlap ever but thank you for the support all the same, and i'll also always BE thankful for Drained Dry which feels like a sorta ikevamp themed discord home for me 🥺 🥺

@maanawa HELLO U!! thank u for becoming my first penpal in years!! 🥰 for some reason u always seem like such a unique person to me?? if u put a gun to my head and asked why, i wouldn't be able to answer bc i have no idea, but like. i mean it in the best way 0: 👌  

@hideoutpastel HI PASTEL, i'm glad i get to interact with u a bit more bc of twitter! u are a delight!! 😤 also i think u already know but like. ur art is so ✨ sparkly ✨ and bright and beautiful ok. kthx #bless 

@yenanng i might not always reply or interact, but seeing your twt updates is somehow v cool haha. i hope you get to rest and work on personal art soon! i'm cheering u on!!! \o/ 💖

@nan-chi @weird-profiterole HI HI! 🥰 we haven't talked to eachoter much but you guys seem super genuine and fun, i hope we get to interact more in the future!! also your art is so cute i cri 😭💖

@mikotomizuki LEO HOES UNITE 🤝 🤝 thank you for being hilarious and bringing your tiddy memes everywhere you go LMAO. let's keep our fingers crossed for more amazing Leo content in 2021 🤞💖

@pseudofaux you are delightful!! thank you for all the support always. you're an angel and we don't deserve you 😭💖 (also hello ur writing skills? y e s)

@pickle-scribbles Faa, I LIVE FOR YOUR THIRST COMMENTS. SERIOUSLY HAHA. and i die bc of your masterful smut 😭 just,, thank you 🥺💖

@otonymous i've probably mentioned this before but your fics were one of the first ones i read when i got back into tumblr, and honestly? what an amazing author to start with. #thepowerofthirst 💀 i kinda stopped consuming MLQC content so i haven't kept up w everything you put out but i know that you're still AMAZING and also so funny and just. 10/10 man 

@tacogawa @savourthelittlethings u guys are just. so cool!!!!! that's all thank u for coming to my ted talk 🥰

@akirafanarts ​ hi!! i haven’t forgotten u!! hope you’ve been doing ok!! 💖

@meowlayn-art you are v sweet! your art is gorgeous! and your OCs are amazing!! 🥺 i'm cheering for you! 💖

@incorrect-ikevamp-quotes​ a lil random but like. thank you for your insights on a bunch of idiots under one roof aka the ikevamp boys!! 💖 and also for the Top Notch 11/10 memes. bless  🙏 🙏

special shout out to everyone on Drained Dry that i haven't yet mentioned, u guys are v cool ; v ; 💖

and lastly, thank you to everyone who liked, reblogged or interacted with my posts or just took a second to appreciate my art, really. drawing 2D boys is a joy, and i'm glad if it brings even the tiniest bit of happiness into other people's lives too! you guys are the best 💖💖💖

[lightsupinthenorth]

Harringrove teachers AU part 3

Part 1 - Part 2 

Thank you to everyone who read, liked and/or reblogged the previous parts. Also, the people who said something nice in the tags or in reactions own my heart. Just thought you should know ;) <3 

Tag list: @twoprettyboys, @inkedplume​, @marianaosborne​, @liglitterbug​, @hmg621 @spreckle @goldenweatherharringrove @yikesharringrove @yogurtfordinner @wingedbears @charlotte-frey @hargrovesharrington​

If anyone wants to be added to or taken off the tag list for the future posts of this AU, let me know ;)

I hope the tags are working because I recently had some trouble with them (ah, Tumblr is a mess). 

I was planning on keeping the chapters short but every part has been longer than the last so far ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (then again, it’s still pretty short so I guess it’s fine ^^). 

I’ll stop rambling now.

*

Billy didn’t know how he had ended up in this situation, this situation being Steve and he making out in the otherwise empty teachers’ lounge, but he certainly wasn’t complaining. He wanted to keep Steve’s soft lips on his forever. Sadly, he didn’t get his way: there was a loud bang, and suddenly Steve’s lips were gone. Steve was gone too, as well as the teachers’ lounge. Billy woke up at home, in his bed, hard as a rock in the basket-ball shorts he was wearing as pajamas.

Great, he got an erection just from dreaming he and Steve were kissing. What was he? A teenager? That was pathetic.

Billy was considering rubbing one out, despite the embarrassment, but there was another loud bang that made him remember why he had woken up in the first place.

What the fuck was happening this early on a Saturday?

Billy instantly worried Max had fallen or, worse, that someone had broken into the flat and would hurt her (highly improbable in such a small town, but Billy wasn’t alert enough to be logical). The concern killed his arousal in two seconds tops. He shot up from bed and exited his bedroom in a hurry.

He found Max in their open kitchen, mixing what appeared to be pancakes ingredients.

“What was that noise?” He asked, in lieu of a greeting.  

“I dropped the pan. Sorry.”

“There were two noises.”

“I dropped the mixing bowl too. Let me live! It’s your fault, you stored both these things on the highest shelf” Max complained.

“Hey, no need for a defense, I’m not accusing you. I was just worried, shitbird.”

“Oh… well, I’m okay.”

“And you’re making pancakes, so I’m certainly not going to complain.” Billy added.

“Who told you I was making some for you?”

Billy pouted, even though he knew Max was bluffing. He could see the amount of batter in the mixing bowl. She had quite an appetite, but there was no way she’d be able to eat all of that on her own.

“So mean, so early in the morning.”

“What can I say, I love messing with you.”  

Paradoxically, Billy was happy that she did. When they had first met, he’d been a perpetually angry teenager, and teeny tiny Max had done everything she could to stay out of his way. Once Susan had announced she was ill, though, Billy had tried his hardest to be the brother Max deserved. After Susan’s death, Billy had looked after Max and kept her safe from his father until he had turned legal. He had then fought to get Max away from Neil and had obtained full custody of her.  

It had been hard to balance getting his degree, working part-time jobs, and taking care of Max. Even more so with Neil trying to steer trouble every now and again. But they had made it out alright, in the hand, and Billy didn’t regret a second of it.

“Sit your ass down.” Max said as she turned the stove on.

“Oh no, no way. You ‘sit your ass down’. I’ll take it from here.”

Max was good at finding the best recipes and at mixing ingredients, but the cooking process was another thing entirely: she had nearly burned the kitchen down almost every time she had tried using the oven or the stove. Her cooking privileges had been revoked after the fifth time.

“Ugh, fine.”

Billy had two plates full on pancakes in no time. He put one in front of Max and went to sit down with his own on the other side of the table. The second his ass touched his chair, Max asked:

“So, you have plans with Steve and Robin this afternoon?”

Billy frowned.

“First of all, it’s Mrs. Buckley and Mr. Harrington for you”, he started, just to get on her nerves (he didn’t give a fuck how she called her teachers), “and second, how do you know that?”

Max arched an eyebrow.

“You literally talked about it with Steve right in front of me yesterday”, she said, ignoring Billy’s reprimand (no surprise, there).

“Oh… right… I did.”

Truthfully, Billy had stopped paying attention to Max and El the second he had laid eyes on Steve and the dumb spot of blue paint that had been resting on his cheek as if it had any right to.

“So, what are you guys going to do?”

“Not that it’s any of your business, but we’re going to grade papers.”

“Well, that’s exciting.”

Her sarcasm was off the charts.

“Tell me about it”, Billy mumbled, around a mouthful of pancake.

“Ew, gross.”

Billy stuffed even more pancake into his mouth, in defiance, before he spoke again:

“So, Art club, uh? What’s up with that?”

They hadn’t had an opportunity to talk about it the day before, because Friday night was movie night, and they had eaten dinner in front of the tv. Plus, Billy would have been too distracted to hold a conversation (Steve hadn’t left his mind).

“Steve said I should come. He noticed I haven’t been speaking to a lot of people, and he said it might help to do an activity in a smaller group…” Max wasn’t looking at Billy as she explained.

“Anyway, I think he was right. He’s the best!” She beamed as she said it, finally looking up from her slowly but surely diminishing pile of pancakes.

“That’s good. I’m glad.”

Billy was glad, really. He was also a bit frustrated that Steve had managed to talk to Max about making friends, when Billy hadn’t known how to bring it up without offending her, but he wasn’t petty enough to show he had a problem with it. Even if Max calling Steve “the best” was treason of the highest order, Billy just wanted her to be happy. If Steve’s intervention helped more than Billy himself could, then so be it.

They finished breakfast, got ready for the day and then went grocery shopping. As they got back to the flat, Max went to her room to chill, and Billy read for a while before he started preparing lunch. Keeping busy distracted him from thinking about seeing Steve in the afternoon. Well, he didn’t think about it too much, at least.

-

When Billy made his way into the coffee shop, Steve and Robin were already seated, talking animatedly… in another language.

“Hi. Was that Italian?”

They must not have noticed him approaching, because as soon as he greeted them, they stopped talking, and Steve looked up at him like a deer caught in the headlights.

“Hey Billy”, Robin said, “as a matter of fact, it was.”

“Don’t you teach French and Spanish?”

Billy was perplexed.

“I do. Doesn’t mean I don’t speak Italian.”

“It figures”, Billy shrugged.

He wanted to ask Steve where he had learnt Italian, because it intrigued him. However, he chose not to. He didn’t want to talk to him unless it was necessary. It’d be better for everyone if they had the bare minimum of interactions together, surely.

“Are these new piercings?” Robin asked, gesturing toward his ears.

“Uh, no. I’ve had them for a long time. I just don’t wear them at school.”

“Well, you should. They look really cool, and I’m sure no one would have anything to say about it.”

Billy stared at Steve pointedly, but Steve looked away as soon as he caught his gaze.

“I’ll think about it.” Billy finally said.

Steve and Robin already had their orders, so Billy took his wallet from his bag and went to the counter. He glanced at the display case and eyed the cherry pie with envy, but decided against it. After this morning’s pancakes, it wouldn’t be reasonable. Plus, he hadn’t hit the gym in a few days. He had to start indulging less if he wanted to stay in shape. He went for a simple black coffee. As the burly man behind the counter, whom Billy guessed to be Benny, asked him if he wanted anything else, Billy nearly surrendered, but he powered through. He handed Benny a ten-dollar bill and put the change he was given in one of his pockets.

When Billy went back to their table with his cup of coffee, Steve was blowing on his cup of steaming hot tea. Billy’s eyes caught on the ‘o’ shape of Steve’s lips, which reminded him of his dream. He averted his eyes, praying to God he wasn’t blushing, now that he couldn’t hide it behind his tan anymore (screw Hawkins, Indiana).

As Billy sat down, he noticed Steve had a piece of the pie he’d been eyeing. Not fair. He nearly started pouting but caught himself. After all, his pie-less state was his own fault. Why did he have to be reasonable?

Billy took his pen and the essays he had to grade out of his backpack to give himself something to focus on. But then Steve started eating. And he moaned. Quite obscenely.

“Mh, this is so good. Benny is a magician. You guys want a bite?”

Billy really wanted to say yes, not only because he wanted pie, but because Steve was the one offering. It would have been weird, though? Right?

“No thanks” he ended up saying. What a hard thing to say.

Robin had no such qualms. She needn’t have, since she and Steve were actually friends. Not only did she get to experience Steve warmth and kindness, she also got a bite of his pie. Did she even know how lucky she was?

Billy got into his grading. And he was already past the no-pouting stage of the afternoon. It sucked to be him, sometimes.

“You should probably wait for Steve to finish eating… and drinking too, to be honest, before you put your students’ paper on the table. That man is a disaster.”

Billy had to admit Robin was right. He ate lunch with Steve on a regular basis, and had therefore seen him spill a bunch of things on himself. Thankfully, nothing he had ever spilled had reached Billy, so they were probably safe.

“Oh come on! We’re on opposite ends of the table.” Steve objected.

“I know, but I’m sure you’d find a way.”

Steve scoffed but didn’t try to argue his case any further. He looked adorably ruffled when Robin laughed at his expanse.

They didn’t say anything more for a while, as they were finally doing what they had come here to do. At some point, though, Robin brought up a point one of her students had made about the French translation of “Newspeak” in George Orwell’s 1984, which led her and Billy to launch a discussion about the novel.

Steve offered no input whatsoever, but he had stopped grading and had been staring at them for five minutes straight.

It was making Billy’s skin itch.

At some point, he couldn’t take it anymore and asked:

“What’s your opinion Steve?”

“Uh… I… I don’t really have one.” He stammered, caught off guard.

“How come?”

“I, uh, I haven’t actually read the book.”

“Oh. Well, you should. It’s an amazing book.”

Steve fidgeted with his red pen, repeatedly taking the cap off and then putting it back on.

“Uh… I don’t know about that. It’s not really my thing.”

“How can you know it’s not your thing if you haven’t read it?” Billy asked, a tad defensively.

“I didn’t mean the book… I meant, reading.”

Steve bit his lower lip.

“Why not? Is that beneath a math buff such as yourself, or something?” Billy’s tone had become hostile.

And, by pulling accusations out of his ass like that, he had gone from defensive to straight up aggressive.

“No. ‘course not… It’s just… reading is hard for me… I’m, uh… I’m dyslexic, so…” Steve trailed off, looking down at the pen he was seemingly holding in a vice grip.

Billy was speechless with shame and regret, as Steve offered a wobbly smile and said: “I’m gonna… go get some more tea”, before leaving the table.

Billy stared at his retreating form before he turned to Robin and found her glaring at him. If he could have felt worse than he already did, he would have.

“So… should I go apologize right now or should I leave him alone and apologize later?”

Teenage Billy would have probably not apologized at all, but present-time Billy knew better. He felt like the biggest jerk.

“I’d say, go for it.”

Billy followed Robin’s advice and, with knots in his stomach, he went to Steve, who was waiting for his tea behind the counter.

“Steve, man… I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay…” Steve said, but his eyes didn’t leave his own shoes.

That wouldn’t do. Billy had made Steve feel shitty, and he would make it better if it were the last thing he did.

“No, it’s not. I shouldn’t have pushed.”

Billy had let his frustration with Steve get the better of him, and that was unacceptable. Steve was not particularly nice to him, so what? It wasn’t a reason to be outright mean to the guy.

“Really, it’s no big deal… It’s not like it’s a secret… my dyslexia, I mean.”

“Yeah, but you obviously didn’t want to share this piece of info with me, and I should have dropped it.”

“I just… I was afraid you’d find me stupid… But you probably thought I was stupid already, anyway… what with me never having anything interesting to say when Robin and you talk about literature.”

“Hey, I don’t…”

Benny placed Steve’s cup of tea on the counter, cutting Billy mid-sentence.

“It’s on me”, Billy said, fishing his five-dollar bill of change out of his jean’s back pocket and handing it to Benny.

“You didn’t have to.”

Was Steve blushing or was it a trick of the light?

“I want to make it up to you.”

“There’s nothing to make up for, but thanks.”

Steve grabbed his cup of tea and was going to go back to their table, but Billy held him back.

“Wait… I want you to know I don’t find you stupid, okay? I know I’m kind of a jackass, but not enough of one to actually think dyslexic people are stupid.”

“Good to know”, Steve replied.

“So, are we good?”

“I told you, we are.” Steve assured, smiling brighter than he had ever smiled at Billy before.

The knots in Billy’s stomach loosened, and his heart filled with warmth. So that was how it felt, when Steve’s sunshine fell upon you? Billy couldn’t wait to experience that feeling again.

“We should get back to Robin.”

“We should” Billy echoed, before following Steve, awestruck.