#sorry these are not perfectly accurate i just really wanted to draw them!!

[meanbossart]

Ask compilation: DU drow, Orin, Astarion, lore things and little fun facts.

Trying to make a dent in this dang inbox. As always, thank you so much everyone for your patience and curiosity! Sorry that it is straight up no longer possible for me to reply to everyone, but I will keep doing my best within reason. Enjoy!

Absolutely! I had a lot of requests for bottom Astarion on my patreon which is why I was kind of on a roll there for a minute.

Though, for the record - I am really not very invested in strict bedroom roles at all. Or clear and distinct dominant/submissive dynamics. So please don't overthink it whenever there's a switch, no pun intended.

You wanna know how often they smash? Man, I don't know, I guess fairly often considering their lifestyle post-game (very active, often on the road).

Assuming that everyone agrees that sex doesn't have to involve penetration, I'd say once every other day or less, really depends on the circumstances though. DU drow's libido is much higher than Astarion's, but he's not an animal and can hold off fine. Astarion is likely to be pickier in regards to location and how-recently-have-we-bathed status as well.

I keep meaning to draw him, but I have like... A million things I want to do 😂 so its rough!

BUT you will at least continue to see him in ANE! And I'm sure i'm bound to draw him again in the future.

[MORE UNDER THE CUT]

If you mean in his bhaalist "AU", where he has the red robe and the extra scars, I imagine he would have gotten it through killing Isobel.

I think as a changeling she probably has the ability to just... Transform her hair however she likes at will, right? And based on her attitude plus some lines we get from Sceleritas about her own former-butler, it sounds like she would be really opposed to being serviced in that way, to me at least.

I see her as pretty aggressively independent with the way she operates, which is another factor that sets her apart from DU drow, who really enjoyed lording over the other Bhaalists and making an errand boy out of Sceleritas, to the point where he practically depended on their help to function.

Neither! I wasn't willing to let anyone take either of my eyes in my first playthrough, LOL.

I have since always given the Volo eye to SOMEONE, usually Gale, but I don't consider that canonical. I don't think anyone was desperate enough to let mister frumpy-hat over there ice-pick their eyes out.

He did do them himself. It was a profoundly stupid display he got caught up in because of Gortash. Also, de-handment is kind of a theme in his life, at least inside his head.

I have a comic about it planned for the future ;)

What do you mean, that's canonical to the game and everything! He loves the cuck chair!

He is an angsty 29-year old in denial. Your interpretation is still perfectly accurate.

Hates the guy. Hates when Shadowheart Astarion people joke about him being the Drizzt of his generation. Hates the guy like literally any countercultural weirdo hates Taylor Swift or the Weeknd. If he saw him at the line in the grocery store DU drow would find a way to roll his eyes loudly just so he could notice being an asshole.

Stay tuned, I'm cooking 🧑‍🍳

If you're asking about game strats, badly, LOL. Pretty sure I died twice to her in my first run and it was a rough way of being thrown into "serious" DnD combat.

With the exception of a couple of encounters that just so happened to turn out SURPRISINGLY cinematic, I'm just realizing that I actually don't think too often about how most of the fights went in real-time! I imagine Autie Ethel's in particular wasn't one that DU drow went into of his own accord, probably rather at a companion's insistence. That's as deep as I've thought about that personally.

Now... Back to game strats. I personally try to get a surprise round on her however I can by sneaking and shooting an arrow or AOE in her general location, since she always stands on roughly the same spot while invisible. I have my companions spread about the arena so we can take her clones down as fast as possible, and as soon as I identify who the real Ethel is I just have the strongest martial characters wail on her until she begs to be let go. Hers is one of the few fights that is actually pretty dang easy at this point for me - and I SUCK at this game.

That would certainly take a while! But, Bhaalist DU drow does kind of have an end goal, actually.

That might also turn into a comic eventually, but it would a rough one.

He pretty swiftly disposed of her, DU drow doesn't like being talked down to, which Minthara very promptly does. Him (and I, by extension) had very limited exposure to her and she was just kind of a speck of dust in his story in particular. Though I have since grown to adore her character in my proceeding runs where I do recruit her!

I guess if he got an invitation and it wasn't particularly painful to arrive at the venue, sure! He would specially love to take Astarion to Gale's wedding ceremony and purposely upstage him at every at every opportunity, LOL.

Yes. He got pretty freaky with the pain-priest. This is gonna sound like a lie but I made him get naked for it without even knowing there was a buff to be gained (I didn't get it, unfortunately, I don't remember whether I failed a check or if I had camp clothes toggled on, so it didn't count as being truly nude). I wasn't taking the game very seriously and just doing dumb roleplay things to see what would happen, LOL.

And I consider that canonical. I think DU drow saw the opportunity to show off his physique And had a strange inkling that this was a practice he was... Somehow familiar with.

Imagine my joy when Astarion and Shadowheart start having a back-and-forth about my absurd display. That's when i knew those were my people, to be honest.

[tainted-liquor]

'Make it Awkward...⋆｡°✩

E1610!Miles Morales x BlackFem!Reader Ingredients: Sugar, Kisses, n a lil bit of smiles! TWs: Awkward teen love like rlly rlly awkward W/C: 1.8k A/N: SZA Inspired fic ❤︎!! another cute lil req from my 100 special!

You and Miles had developed a sturdy friendship in middle school, with you always being hyped up as the "art kid" in each of your classes. Initially, he was a little bit bitter because he didn't really understand what the hype was all about. He could draw, and he could do it just as good as you. Which, granted was indeed true, but your work felt like something out of a Van Gogh discography. Each and every one of your paintings and drawings almost looked like there was a filter over them, like something out of a flurry dream that evoked nostalgia and warmth in whoever seemed to view them. To say he was inspired by you was an understatement, he wanted to drown himself in everything that was your talent.

But as time passed and spiders bit, you two grew apart from each other on account of him semi-blowing you off for Gwen. You stopped hanging out slowly, he began to drop art and pick up a sudden interest in physics and inter-dimensional travel, and even got...meaner? The kind and innocent kid that once was Miles suddenly became jumpy and antsy. You thought that you two had something worth way more than any other friendship you had, but one day shit just shifted into complete, and total, awkward silence. But as time heals all wounds, you slowly began talking again at the top of this month, right before your summer came to its close.

Miles quietly hummed along to the steady bump of the music in his headphones, nodding to the rhythm as he began illustrating a head in his sketchbook. As 'Les' By Childish Gambino slowly fizzed out and the electronic chords of 'Awkward' By SZA became known, his sketch started to warp a little. He didn't necessarily remember how or when, but he noticed his sketch become a lot less androgynous and more familiar, with twinkling brown eyes and thick curly hair becoming more detailed with each pencil stroke. It took him a while to realize, but eventually, he had drawn...you. Down to the finest details as well, your smile lines and your perfectly sculpted Nubian nose.

What he hadn't anticipated was filling up the next 2 pages of his sketchbook with both your face and the signature crochet fingerless gloves you wore during the winter. What initially was just a warmup while waiting for you to arrive at his house turned into a full-blown drawing session with you as the muse. You weren't even there and he still had drawn you 100% accurately from memory. He sighed as his playlist continued to play out a steady stream of nothing but SZA, leaning back in his chair as he stared up at the ceiling before he heard a knock on his room door. "Ah-Come in!" he yelped as he quickly put away his sketchbook, swapping out the pencils and paint markers for paintbrushes and canvases.

You gently pushed open the door, showing Miles your painted tote bag full of art supplies, such as watercolors, charcoal, oil paints, three palettes, and various paintbrushes. "Hey, Miles! Sorry, it took me a lil bit...that fuckin' line in the art store was INSANE" you chirped as you slowly entered Miles's room and set down your bag. You placed your shoes in the corner of his room before walking over to sit on his bed. He pulled off his headphones, gently placing them on their stand before spinning around in his indigo desk chair. "That's fine! Don't even worry about it I know how full them stores get" he shrugs as he grabs his Bluetooth speaker from off his shelf, motioning for you to follow him as he stacks the canvases and art supplies in his hands.

"C'mon, there's not enough space in my room for two people to paint," he explains as he climbs the stairs up to his apartment roof. You followed closely behind him, setting up the art supplies as he fidgeted with his speaker. You lean back against the wall as you sit on the concrete roof, taking in the pretty sky as you sketch out some buildings and a landscape on your canvas. "So how's summer for you, huh? What's her name...Gwen was it? How'd things go over with her?" You ask as you begin to add minor details to your sketch. Truth be told it ate you up every single time he would mention her in your past conversations, with you having a small...thing for him that grew over time.

"Oh! Uh, Gwen...yeah. Things went south, we don't really talk anymore..." He shrugs as he rips the plastic off of a rather large canvas. You nodded slowly, indicating that you were hanging on to his every word as you cracked open a fresh bottle of paint thinner, pouring it into a small glass cup before coating your brush in the clear mineral spirit. You slather a couple of shades of deep blue, rusty orange, bright magenta, and off-white on your paint palette as you work to form that beautiful 'sunset gradient' on your canvas. He connects his phone to the small black speaker, his playlist resuming quietly in the background. "But how's your summer been?" he asks as he mirrors the process of sitting beside you and leaning against the wall.

"My summer's been fine actually. Nothing too eventful, no trips or nothing, just taking a couple...ahem...adventures!" You explain as you recall how you nearly got in trouble with the police for trespassing in various abandoned locations for funsies. Miles gives you a playful side-eye, looking you up and down. "You sound a lil sketchy...what did YOU do this summer?" he chuckled as he began sketching out some scenery and what looked like the early stages of a body on his canvas. "Shhhh, your dad's a cop" you giggled as you picked up a smaller brush, filling in the buildings and scenery in your painting. You both chuckled at the slight confession, looking ahead of you so you could get an accurate view of what you were currently painting.

You took a small glance at what Miles was currently sketching, getting a good look at the faceless humanoid figure sitting cross-legged, with an unidentified object that vaguely resembled a pencil in her hand as she drew on her...face? Eyeliner maybe? You hummed along to 'Supermodel' By SZA. You held up your canvas closer to Miles's canvas, analyzing the difference in art styles. Yours was much more realistic, and heavily influenced by the world around you with your unique play on your color palette. whereas Miles was more stylized and thought out, the colors remaining true to their actual hue.

"What do you think this needs more of?" you ask as you tilt your canvas towards Miles. He thought for a moment, tilting his head slightly so he could thoroughly analyze the painting. "More shine to the light sources maybe? Like a soft glow!" he beamed as he pointed towards the canvas with the opposite end of his paintbrush. You nod with your signature full smile, smile leans indicating your raw and unfiltered joy. Miles's eyes lingered on you for a couple of seconds before he madly swiped away at his canvas, seemingly blocking out more details with darker shades of watercolor.

You spent the next four hours, yes, four hours giggling like children as Miles sang along terribly to some of the songs on his playlist, starting a mini karaoke session on his roof with the both of you. It began to get cold and dark, so you decided you would pick up the canvases again after going inside to get something to eat. He grabbed his speaker and supplies, leaving his large canvas on the roof of his building before disappearing through the door to his apartment complex. You stuffed most of what you wanted to bring back down into your bag, before deciding to look over at Miles's painting. It looked exactly like you, but you were younger.

You remembered that damn scrunchie you had locked on your wrist, your favorite dark red satin scrunchie that went perfectly with your uniform. You shifted slightly to get a better angle of the canvas, watching as 8th grade you sprung to life in the form of doing your eyeliner on the bathroom sink. Miles had been there with you, watching as you painfully kneeled on the edge of the sink and leaned hazardously close to the mirror. You smiled softly to yourself as you noticed each beauty mark you had perfectly positioned on your face, from each scar to every minor indent in your smile. You chuckled quietly before swinging open the door and bolting down the stairs, straight to Miles's room.

And there he was, viciously fucking up a cup of noodles like someone would take it from him at any moment. "Damn, is it good? it ain't goin' nowhere now..." you joked with wide eyes as he gestured to an identical cup cooling off by his mini desk fan. You ate alongside him in silence, not really knowing what to say to each other. "I see you're still painting like in middle school...?" he states, referring to your distinct blurred style of painting. "Huh...Oh! Yeah, haha. I miss middle school kinda." You shrug as you sit the cup down on the side of his desk.

"Really? I always thought you thought I was a lil annoying back in middle school. I think you were my quietest friend ever" he joked as he finished his cup, dunking it in his trash can. "Huh? I literally thought you were the cutest thing ever! If I thought you were annoying I would've told you!" you stated with a small chuckle. Miles seemed to think for a moment, pausing as he processed the first half of your sentence. "Wait, you thought I was cute this whole time?" He asked with wide eyes. "Yeah! I was quiet cuz I didn't wanna fuck anything up! I think I had the fattest crush on you!" you laughed as you realized he thought that YOU thought he was annoying this whole time.

He gawked for a minute, his jaw slacked and eyes even wider than before. "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?" he semi-shouted as he began pacing around his room. You could only laugh, saying "We were like 10 and I didn't know if you would've liked me back." He looked at you as if you had 2 heads, going on some long rant about how he always thought you just weren't interested or thought he was annoying. You silently got up from his bed, walking over to him and stopping him entirely.

Miles looked at you with a rather confused and amused expression, probably still processing the fact that you openly admitted to liking him in middle school. But nothing in the world could have prepared him for the delicate kiss that you placed on his lips. He eagerly closed the space between the two of you, wrapping one arm around your waist almost by instinct. You pulled away from him after what felt like years, muttering a small "Who taught you that?"

[pompomnium]

Please read from right to left. This is BartNat. 'Bartimaeus attends Nathaniel's funeral after his body is found' This manga was drawn in line with such requests. For me this was a so difficult request, consider this as one possible AU story among many.

The following is my fantasy. I couldn't explain it just within the manga...... Although Bart is sorry for Nat's death, they understood each other perfectly in their parting. Therefore, for Bart, Nat's death is not just sad. I think there is also the joy of having a heart-to-heart with Nat, whom he had hated for so many years. That is why the end of PG is sad but has a somewhat refreshing aftertaste. So Bart often reflects on Nat's death. Not because it is a memory of pain, but because it is a memory of his strong friendship with him. Well, even if that is the case, Bart's split on Nat's death is because he feels ‘that we did everything we could’, so if the possibility that there really was a way to save them both came into Bart's mind, he would feel bitter. I can't think that Bart actually believes that Nathaniel will be reborn (because Ptolemy doesn't come to see Bart after two thousand years), but he can live with the hope that he will see him somewhere down the road. I hope that through Nat, Bart has also healed the memory of his separation from Ptolemy. It would be nice to have a grave for Nathaniel and a grave for John Mandrake, respectively. In Bart's mind, the two are not similar. Even as Bart, he would not want to go near Mandrake's grave, even though Nathaniel's death deserves to be mourned. Probably.

Also, in my mind, the relationship between Bart and Kitty is similar to that of a father and daughter. I think that protecting Kitty, whom Nat wanted to protect, is what Bart can do for Nat. There's too much to write about when I'm trying to describe Nat's death. I hope to draw the same subject again at some point. Thank you for taking a look. PS Not sure if Latin is accurate. If you have a better translation suggestion, please let me know.

[vbecker10]

Hey first sorry if it written weirdly, english isn't ny first lenguage, I saw you had your requests open and wanted to ask of course loki x reader where reader is some broke artist painting/drawing people on the streets and meets loki while he passed by or something like that, thats all, pretty vague, I like your writting, and hope you enjoy your day/evening/night

I'm sorry this took so long, I've been really really behind in my asks but I'm trying to catch up so I can open them again soon. Please, never apologize for your English, I'm always impressed by people who know more than one language! 😊 I honestly love this request, hope you like it cause it sorta ran away from me lol! 💚

The Gift

Pairing: Loki x female reader

Warnings: none... literally not a single one lol, I'm in a fluffy mood so enjoy

Summary: You are an artist who paints portraits for tourists in the park near Stark Tower, the same park Loki has started to frequent during his free time. Loki and you begin talking one day after he catches you drawing him when you are between customers. A few days later, he surprises you with a gift and you decide to return the favor.

Dividers by: @harlequin-hangout

You sift through the colored pencils in your case for the right type of green before looking back at the open field in front of you. His coat is a deeper green than the grass he is resting on and the leaves above him have started to turn various shades of red and orange. You pause before putting the sharpened tip to the canvas, you had already sketched the God of Mischief into your drawing but you could easily color over him. You had never included a person in one of your private drawings before, even when the park was full of people you would leave them out of the final images.

Loki sits with his back against one of the trees lining the open field, his long legs stretched out in front of him. His thick coat is open, revealing a black dress shirt with the top two buttons left undone. He licks one of his fingers before flipping the page of his book, his eyes never looking away from the pages. Over the last month, you've seen Loki come to that spot every afternoon for an hour or two with a different book each time.

You shake your head lightly then decide to shade in Loki's dark green peacoat before adding more detail to his face, trying to capture his sharp features accurately. He came here so often he was practically a part of the park, you reasoned with yourself. Besides, he would never know, you think as you reach for another color.

You continue to work, looking up occasionally to check your reference. Loki sits almost perfectly still, as if he knows you are trying to capture his likeness but you hope your brief glances are not noticeable to the god. You put the black pencil down and gently blow any loose dust from the canvas before reviewing the finished piece with a self-satisfied grin. A breeze sweeps through the park and you lift your head from your work, looking across the field to see that Loki is suddenly gone. You lean back on your stool, turning your attention to cleaning your supplies when a deep voice behind you makes you jump.

"That's quite impressive," he says as he looks over your shoulder.

You turn quickly to face him, nearly knocking over your easel in the process. "Oh, I- I'm sorry. This is really weird right?" you ask but you continue, giving him no chance to answer. "I was just trying to keep myself occupied since there aren't many tourists around here today. I only meant to draw the field and trees but... I added you because you're always here. Not that I'm watching you, I just notice who is around cause I'm here all the time, too. I'm sorry, I know I should have asked you if it was ok before I started to draw you but you looked so lost in your book, I didn't want to bother you."

Loki chuckles at your rambling apology and says, "It's fine, no harm done."

You swallow nervously as he reaches into his coat pocket then you realize he is taking out his wallet. He gestures towards the sign in front of the easel and asks, "I only see prices for your portraits. How much for this one?"

"Uh..." you think for a moment, surprised by his offer. You typically charged $20 for a painting of one person and $10 for every additional person but you never sold your landscapes. They weren't for the tourists, they were for you.

"Your portraits are usually far smaller than this so I assume it might be a bit higher in price," he says. He wasn't wrong, the canvas you had been working on was roughly twice the size of what you typically sold. You felt a bit surprised that he knew so much about the paintings you created but you had been watching him so you assumed it was only fair he had kept an eye on you as well.

"I don't know, I never intended to sell this but..." you pause then smile at him. "You can have it," you tell him and he tilts his head slightly. "As a gift, I mean," you add quickly.

He shakes his head, "I appreciate the offer but I couldn't do that. It's clear you have a talent for landscapes and put a great deal of effort into this. The coloring and details are extremely well done for having been finished in such a short amount of time."

A wave of pride washes over you, no one has ever complimented your artwork to this extent before. You start to thank him but his phone begins to ring and you stifle a laugh when he groans in annoyance. He excuses himself, taking a few steps away from you to answer it privately. He runs his fingers through his long black hair and you can't help but wonder if he would be willing to sit for a portrait. It was easy to admit Loki was extraordinarily handsome and you wouldn't pass up the opportunity to observe him closely for an extended period of time.

He hangs up several minutes later, his smile gone but it quickly reappears when you ask if he is ok. He nods, "There is a meeting I need to attend shortly, apologies for not being able to stay for much longer. I would really love to have this for my study, though. Do you think $50 would be fair?" He takes the cash out of his leather wallet before waiting for an answer.

"I- that's too much, Loki," you tell him but he hands you the money.

"I insist," he says, not allowing you any space to argue. He then says, "Although I do seem to be at a slight disadvantage." You look at him curiously as you tuck the money into your small lock box. "You know my name, but I don't know yours," he says with a smirk.

"Oh, I'm Y/N," you answer, putting out your hand as if expecting a handshake, internally cringing.

He chuckles and takes your hand, instead of shaking it however, he brings the back of your hand to his lips and kisses it lightly. "It was a pleasure to finally speak with you Y/N. I will see you tomorrow," he says and you can't help but blush intensely as a giggle escapes you.

The next afternoon you look up from your easel as Loki walks down the path towards you, a book in his left hand. You wave a bit more enthusiastically then you meant to and he smiled broadly, waving in response before heading towards his usual spot. Your attention shifts back to the two children sitting across from you and the painting you had started. You find yourself having to resist the urge to glance over at Loki while you try to focus on the task at hand.

After finally completing the painting, the father of the two children pays you and the family walks off into the park. You begin to clean your brushes, lost in thought when a now familiar voice causes you to look up.

"Hello again," Loki says as he sets himself down on one of the unoccupied stools.

"Hi," you reply, putting your brushes back in the case until you need them again. "I'm glad you came over, I wanted to thank you again for yesterday. You really didn't have to buy it."

"Nonsense," he waves off your concern. "I told you, it was an exquisite piece and I honestly can not stand the blank walls in my study."

You can barely believe he called your work exquisite. Most people were happy enough with your portraits to give you a few dollars extra as a tip but you rarely received any real compliments.

"I have a question for you," he says and you look up from the supplies you are organizing. "I am curious, would I be able to see some of your work?"

You think for a moment, biting your lip before you answer. If it had been anyone else you would have instantly said no but Loki seemed to genuinely be interested in your work. "Sure if you want to but... most of the pieces I've painted are at my apartment. I only have my sketch pad with me," you tell him, hoping he won't be too disappointed.

Instead of answering, he simply picks up the stool he was sitting on and places it next to you with a smile. You swallow nervously and hand him your sketch book, not sure if you want to watch him look through your work or not. He opens it to the first page and you hold your breath as you watch his fingers run along the edge of the paper. Loki examines the first page for a few moments then turns the page wordlessly, you can barely read the expression on his face. You bite your lip again, crossing your arms in anticipation of him saying something, anything.

When Loki is halfway through the book, he comes to a sketch you made of Stark Tower looming over the trees of the park at dusk. "These are amazing, Y/N," he says, not taking his eyes off the page and you feel like bursting with delight. He turns to the next page and says, "This one-" but he is cut off by his phone ringing. "I'm so sorry, please excuse me," he hands you the sketch book and answers his phone.

You watch him pace back and forth along the path, his head down as he kicks a small rock lightly. A few minutes later he walks back to where you are sitting and you can tell he had bad news. "Do you have to leave already?" you ask, the disappointment more obvious in your voice than you expected.

He gives you a half smile, "I do unfortunately but thank you for sharing these with me. You truly are quite talented, Y/N."

"Thanks Loki," you look down, running your hand over the cover of your book.

"I will see you tomorrow," he says hopefully and you nod with a smile.

The next day Loki arrives at the park just as a large group of tourists make their way over to you. Normally you would be thrilled by the crowd since it means a large pay day but all you want to do is have them leave so you can talk to Loki. When you finish painting the first couple, you glance briefly towards Loki's spot and blush when you realize he is watching you. You look back to your canvas quickly and greet your next customers with a smile as they sit down.

After what feels like forever, you finally finish the last painting and the group leaves. You instantly look for Loki and see him getting up. You get to work cleaning your brushes and closing up your paints while he walks over to you. "Hello darling," Loki says.

"Hi," you reply, unable to contain a short giggle at the new pet name. Before you can overthink why he would call you that, he sits across from you just as he had yesterday but this time you notice he is holding two books.

"I have something for you," he says.

"Really?" you ask surprised. He chuckles and nods, holding out the larger of the two books for you to take. "Loki, what...?" you look down at the cover, unable to read the title.

He picks up the stool and sits next to you, much closer then the day before. "I'm sorry it's written in Asgardian but the drawings are what I wanted you to see," he tells you. He opens the book, holding it between the both of you. He flips past the first few pages of text and without looking at you says, "I was looking through this yesterday and it reminded me of you."

Your heart nearly stops when he tells you that and you quickly cover your face to hide the blush that is spreading across your cheeks. He turns one more page then stops and you can see why Loki wanted to show you this. "It's beautiful," you say quietly as you look at the colored drawing.

"This is a book about the palace gardens on Asgard," he explains without looking up. "This was one of my favorite places to read when I was younger." You can see why Loki chose this spot in the park, it looked similar to the small field lined with tall trees. Viney plants grew up the trucks of the trees and wildflowers were scattered through the grass.

He flips to the next page and shakes his head as he laughs, "This maze would rearrange itself. Thor and I spent quite a lot of time lost here."

He continues to show you page after page of the various sections of the gardens, pointing out things he missed or thought you would find interesting. You were in awe of the beauty and vastness of the gardens but you couldn't stop looking at Loki when he spoke. He never looked up from the pages, grinning and laughing at the numerous memories until he turned to the last image.

He looks away for a moment and you aren't sure what expression he is hiding. When he looks back at you, he smiles but you can see his eyes are slightly red. He clears his throat and touches the page lightly, bringing your attention back to the book. "This was my mother's favorite part of the gardens," he says just above a whisper.

You place your hand over his, squeezing it lightly and he continues to force a smile. "She's been gone for a few years now but..." he stops himself.

"You still miss her?" you ask him.

He nods, "Every day." You raise your hand to his cheek and wipe away a stray tear that falls. "I'm sorry, I- this was supposed to be a fun gift," he tries to joke.

"I love it, Loki," you tell him honestly. "Thank you so much."

He smiles a bit wider and just as he begins to say something his phone rings. "I should snap this ridiculous thing in half," he groans and you laugh.

"If you break it, I can't give you my number," you say without thinking and his face changes in an instant.

"You, my dear, make an excellent point," he smirks. "Excuse me a moment." He gets up and wanders a few steps away while you go back to the book. You flip slowly through it again but stop when you reach the last page. The garden was incredible, a rough stone path wound around multicolored rose bushes and a single stone bench sat across from a small pond in the center. You could see why Loki's mother would have loved it.

Loki walks back towards you and you close the book, holding it tightly. "Is something wrong?" you ask him.

His smile is gone and he looks at you with a serious expression. "I need to leave for a few days, four at the most I'm told," he tells you and you feel your stomach drop. You stand up, setting the book carefully on your stool.

"Promise me you'll be careful," you insist, suddenly filled with worry.

"I will, darling," he replies. He offers you his phone, "I most likely won't be able to text while I am on the mission but I can let you know when I'm back if... if you would like that?" He sounds hesitant but you quickly take his phone and add your information.

"I want to know the minute you're back safe," you say, handing him back his phone.

He smiles, "I promise."

"Good," you nod before you find yourself hugging him tightly. Your brain freezes for a moment in panic but then he wraps his arms around you and your body relaxes.

"I will be back as soon as I can," he promises you as he lets go slowly.

You take a seat at your easel and busy yourself with organizing your supplies as you force yourself to not watch him walk away.

You hang your keys on the hook and place your supplies on the small end table, closing the door as your phone beeps. You take it out of your pocket and answer it quickly.

"Hi Loki," you say excitedly, it had been four days since Loki left and you missed him more then you thought you would. You couldn't help but wonder if he missed you too.

"Hello, Y/N," he replies, you can hear other people taking loudly in the background. "I just wanted to let you know I'm on my way back. We should be landing in about half an hour."

"Oh good," you say in response, not quite ready to tell him you had been hoping every call and text you received over the last few days was him. "I imagine you must be ready to get home and rest."

He chuckles, "Honestly, I'm more hungry then anything else. The food SHIELD provides during missions is... describing it as miserable would be being kind."

You laugh then suggest, "You should come over, I'm just getting ready to cook dinner." Your heart jumps into your throat, did you really just invite him over, your brain yells.

"I would love to," he answers without any hesitation.

You laugh a bit nervously then give Loki your address. He tells you he can be there in an hour. "Great, I'm going to go so I can get everything ready. I'll see you soon," you tell him, hoping he can't hear how nervous you feel.

You run into the kitchen thankful you had bought groceries yesterday. You open the fridge and freezer then decide to cook something simple, now might not be the best time to take risks and get fancy you think to yourself. After settling on a meal that will only take half an hour, you quickly get to work tidying up your apartment. It was by no means messy but you want to make a good impression. Especially if this is a date, you think, but it's not a date.

You turn around in the middle of your small apartment and sigh, it's as good as it's going to get. Now time to make it look like you haven't been sitting in the park all day, which is the only way he had ever seen you. You toss your paint covered pants and shirt into the hamper and take the fastest shower of your life. After drying off you realize you need to start cooking.

You throw on your favorite jeans and put your hair up. Standing in front of your closest you slide the hangers back and forth, knowing you need to just pick a shirt. You reach in and grab one, pulling it on as you walk into the hallway. You finish prepping everything and place the food in the oven, setting the timer for twenty minutes. Opening the cabinet next to the fridge, you pull out the dishes and glasses so you can begin setting the table.

You should put out candles, you think, but you don't because that's for a date and this is not a date. The doorbell rings, interrupting your internal debate and your heart races. You take a quick glance at yourself in the mirror by the door and freeze when you see the shirt you picked out. No, you realize, without thinking you had put on literally the only green shirt you owned. And it wasn't just any green, it was the same deep emerald green that Loki wore all the time.

You cringe, knowing you don't have enough time to change so you take a deep breath and hope he doesn't think it's weird. You open the door and he smiles warmly at you. "Hello darling," he says as you take a step back to let him him.

"Hi Loki, I'm glad you could come over," you say as he takes off his coat. He was wearing a dark gray button up shirt with the first few buttons open.

"Thank you for inviting me," he says as he unbuttons his shirt cuffs and rolls up his sleeves. "I must say, that color looks lovely on you."

You blush at the compliment and before you can reply the timer goes off. "Dinner will be ready in a few minutes, I just need to finish up one more thing," you tell him as you head towards the kitchen.

"Do you need help?" he asks.

"No, I've got it, but if you want..." you walk back to him. "I um... most of my paintings are in there," you point down the hall towards your living area.

After you set the food on the table you go into the living area to tell Loki it was ready. He is standing in front of your favorite painting, it was the first piece you did when you moved to New York City. His arms are crossed but you see a slight smile on his lips, he looks as if he is studying a famous painting at a museum.

"Dinners ready," you tell him, interrupting his thoughts. The two of you talk and joke all throughout dinner. You still weren't sure if he would consider this a date but you didn't care anymore. You had never had this much fun just talking to someone.

After dinner Loki says, "Thank you Y/N, that was the best meal I've had in months." You smile as you get up to clear the plates. "Let me take care of this," he insists, taking your plate from you.

"Are you sure? You don't have to do that," you tell him.

"Don't worry," he smirks, "It'll only take a minute." You look at him curiously and then with a flick of his wrist a green glow surrounds all your dishes, pans and utensils. In an instant they are all clean and stacked neatly on the counter.

You look at him, blinking slowly then say, "You are invited for dinner all the time."

He laughs, "I hope that is because you find me charming and not because I can clean efficiently."

"Is it ok if it's because of both reasons?" you joke. "Oh... I have something for you. I was going to bring it by the Tower after you got back but you're here so..." you say as you walk quickly down the hall to your bedroom.

"Am I supposed to follow you?" he asks clearly confused.

"No, I'll be right back," you tell from your room. You wall excitedly back to the dining area with a large, flat box in your arms.

"What is this?" he asks when you set it on the table and take a step back.

"Open it," you respond nervously. You can feel your heart pounding in your chest, hoping that he will like it.

He opens the side of the box and slides out the canvas slowly, you bite you lip as you watch his expression change. His smile vanishes and his eyes widen as you holds the painting out in front of him. You suddenly fear you've made a mistake but then he turns to face you.

"Y/N," he says quietly, "This is... this is my mother's garden."

You nod, "Is it ok?"

"Ok?" he repeats and you shrug. "Y/N, this is beautiful. I have never received a gift this thoughtful. I- I cannot thank you enough for this," he says.

You smile, thrilled by his reaction. "I'm glad you like it," you tell him as he sets it carefully on the table.

He walks over to you, "I love it Y/N."

He puts one arm around your waist, pulling you close to him and you look up, your eyes meeting his. He touches your cheek lightly with his other hand and you wrap your arms around him. You are sure he can feel your heart beating out of your chest as he smiles at you. He leans down slowly, closing the distance between your lips and his.

When he pulls back a few moments later he says, "I wasn't sure if you meant for tonight to be a date or not but, I would love to take you out Friday night."

You giggle, "I wasn't sure either but I think I'm going to count it now."

He laughs, "Very well, then I would like to take you out on our second date, maybe to one of my favorite museums."

"I would really like," you tell him and he leans down to kiss you again.

Please let me know if you want to be added or taken off the tag list 💚💚

@michelleleewise @soubi001 @ace-of-gay @misunderstoodself @coldnique @lokiprompts @thomase1 @mochie85 @fi-recs-fics @huntress-artemiss @sititran @xorpsbane @kkdvkyya @lokisgoodgirl @harlequin-hangout @muddyorbs @holdmytesseract @kats72 @avoliax @peaches1958 @peachyjinx @loopsisloops @unabashed-lover-of-fictional-men @high-functioning-lokipath @psychospore @dukes2581 @buttercupcookies-blog @animnerd @lokiswife-dark-fox-queen @laufeyson-16 @loki-laufeyson-1054 @pics-and-fanfics @coffeeorsomething-irl @crimson25 @simping-for-marvel @slytherclaw1227 @lokixryss @lokidokieokie @unlucky-number-13 @asuni921 @currish-rosewolfe @elizabethmidnight2017 @ijuststareatstuffhereok89 @sunshineangel-reads @eleniblue

Likes, comments and reblogs are always appreciated 💚💚

[antimony-medusa]

hi ur a tumblr blog that i like a lot who's really good with wording things when it comes to discussing fandom stuff. i'm wondering what ur thoughts are on fandom being really obsesssed with writing characters exactly "right". whether it's in character or writers only writing this character with other characters they like, etc. i've seen people feel self conscious about their writing and even stop because fandom will just go "why are you guys writing them like this/i'm so tired of seeing this trope/so repetitive." Fanfic writing should be fun. it shouldn't feel like the end of the world if they're writing the same things several times over. even if a character isn't 100% accurate, or they don't include that character's other lore or relationships or background or whatever. and i'm saying this as a sbi fan who got so tired of all the typical sbi tropes back in the day! sorry for this long tangent, i'm just wondering what your thoughts on this kind of stuff?

*finally escapes from my homework and life exploding enough to get to this ask*

HELLO. Okay, so.

First of all, I absolutely am tracking with the paralyzing fear that you're writing someone or a trope Wrong, and people are going to get mad at you, they're posting right now, ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh... maybe I just don't write it. I have put story ideas on the back burner because I'm scared of writing specific people in the idea. I noticed it especially in QSMP, you can come up against the issue of depicting people from languages you don't speak and with disabilities you don't share, and the fear that a) people will be mad at me, b) I will write something Actually Bad And Harmful— that's a vivid fear. If you decide that writing a specific character or specific read on a character is not worth the risk of blowback if you do it wrong, that's fair and I can't fault you.

But on the other hand, if you find joy in a character and you're afraid to depict them, and you step away from them, that's kind of a tiny tragedy. I understand the fear, but if your fandom participation is driven by fear, I would say that's a good sign that you need to step back from the fandom— find a new way to participate or find a new place to belong. I have a lot of anxiety and I have had to take a step back from keeping up with fandom several times, I go "okay I leaned into this a little too hard, time to unfollow some people" cause I can track in myself if my fandom creation is being modivated by fear rather than joy. And there's enough fear in my normal life, I want this to be a place of joy.

Because the thing is, if the way someone's love of a character plays out is that they post impassioned posts about characterization in the character tag, that's also fair. They get to do that. They love the character, and this is a guesture of love. If they are specifically calling out other fics that they think "did it wrong", there's a sliding scale there from "pointing out egregious racism/sexism" to "straight up being an asshole to baby writers" and that could be anywhere on there, but someone dropping an impassioned two thousand word guide to how best to write their favourite character is not hurting me or anyone else, they're also following their joy in fandom. That's not my joy, but it's a valid one.

Cause I think there's something that draws us to the characters (or the plotlines) and it's perfectly fair if someone wants to go "okay here is point by point how to depict the character that we all love", and you're running the risk of being an asshole if you go too far into it but there's also nothing wrong with going "I do not know why everyone writes this character as a humourless fighter, guy could not go more than two seconds without cracking a joke, did we even watch the same streams", as long as you're not being actively rude. Especially with people pointing out ableism, racism, sexism, etc— I can see why they would not want those tropes to continue unchallenged, and I think much of the fandom would not want to be accidentally doing a racism. I see those posts and I go Good To Know and I sock that information away.

But also, on the other hand, like, if the fandom police show up at my door/in my comments, they can come back with a warrant. If I want to take two characters who never met in fandom and have them passionately make out, that is my god-given right, no matter if it's butchering the characterization. Maybe I am the True Knower Of The Character and I know that their real true love is somebody who they never met. Maybe I just think it's funny. That's perfectly fine. This is a space where we do work for free, for fun. This is about having fun, no matter if it's cringe or cliche. If I want to write a trope that has five thousand hits on the archive about those characters already, just try and stop me. I will be writing superhero aus till they have to pry me out of this fandom with a crowbar, I think. Overdone trope? Insert "You've told this story before" "AND YOU"LL HEAR IT AGAIN" gif. My Ao3 is my little yell hole for writing things that please me, and by god am I going to write the same two characters over again in the same series of situations. This is for fun, I'm doing what's fun.

I think you just have to do a check on yourself and go "is this hurting anybody", and if it's not, straight up do what you want forever. Other people can go "I only want to see this character written as a bear" and I can go "I respect that but this fic is not for you" and write them as a nerd, and they're not hurting anyone to say that, but I'm also not hurting anyone to do it my way. I do care about depicting the character as in canon, cause that's the character I fell in love with, but also if I write a story in which I turned up the dials on his anxiety and made him adorably worried about social misteps so I can reassure him that he's fine— I also get to do that. It's not hurting anyone to be silly or cliche or cringe or make the blorbos kiss or have them be friends with different people or ignore all aspects of lore that do not bring you joy or what have you. Our fandom now, do what you want.

I think that there are a lot of different ways to do fandom, and a lot of learning to exist in fandom is letting other people do their own thing over there, and then you follow your bliss over there, and you can be as aware of them or not as you wish, but you don't have to cater to what other people like. In MCYT we do sometimes worry about creators who are only doing things because their fans/twitter want them to, and how that will lead to fear and creative burnout, and the same applies to fandom people. I think it's not a bad thing if you personally are concerned about writing the canon character and you keep going back to canon to check that, but it's also not a bad thing if you are four generations down in fandom characterization just having fun with it. And in both cases I think it's fair if the person who really likes canon doesn't read the fanon one, and the fanon person goes "but where is the [fandom tropes I like]" and doesn't read the canon one. Not everything you write or draw is going to be for everybody, and that's fine. I even have friends who love unhappy endings and I do not, and we're still friends, I just do not click through on their unhappy ending fics.

Mostly I just think you have to check yourself and go "is this actually bad or did I see someone post a rant about how tired they were of it" and if it's like "this is sexist" maybe consider if you agree with that person or not, and if it's "this trope is overdone" then do whatever you want forever.

[wrongcaitlyn]

hello there, i come here on very important, very SERIOUS business. do you have any specific ideas on what nico and will look like in your fic? ive been wanting to draw fanart (at a later date im busier than ever this week) but i dont want to get how they look wrong c:

OHMYGOD OKAY OKAY IM SO SORRY FOR BEING LATE TO THIS BUT I WANTED TO PROPERLY RESPOND TO IT LIKE WITH FULL THOUGHTS AND EVERYTHING BECAUSE YOU ARE RIGHT THIS IS VERY VERY VERY IMPORTANT AND SERIOUS BUSINESS

okay so. my issue is that like i have a vague blur of them in my head that's kinda a mix of a bunch of fanart. i'm gonna tag a few artists that i think just capture the exact idea i have of them perfectly (in talk your talk, but also just like, in general, because i do picture them both pretty similarly in any au/fic):

@delicate-sketch is the first one and i think the most accurate (in my opinion and my brain because obviously there are a million ways to picture these charactersjsdf) of them all, i just- THEY ARE NICO AND WILL. LIKE. IT'S LITERALLY. PERFECTION. so i'd say that's the closest to the blurry images of people i have in my head, and also just the style of nico, i absolutely am obsessed with their art style!! most specifically nico. like. that. IS. nico.

@/aqua.en.llamas on insta also has the most incrediblee solangelo art, but even more specifically will. ive been the hugest fan of her for ages, have edited her fanart a few times - i think she was one of the first pjo artists that i followed back when i was getting into the fandom, so that may have definitely influenced my vision of will in my head!!

@svetalmeow 's will and nico is also. just. heart eyes. in an appreciating the art and the literally perfectly accurate depiction of the character way. I LITERALLY LOVE IT LIKSEJSDAF i would repost specific pieces of art but don't wanna do that without permission and also don't want to just choose one piece of art so like scroll through their entire page for wonderful wonderful solangelo

and then here's my brief and sort of bad description of how they look because honestly the only things i know how to describe are hair and clothes (and even the clothes bit is questionable)

will has curly short blond hair, but i imagine that it gets very frizzy a lot of the time and turns out looking more fluffy some of the time - but yeah okay here are some pics i just downloaded off pinterestSLKJDF

i'd say this is pretty close to how i imagine will's hair but again it's literally all blurry and also i suck at picturing faces in my head so like just go on vibes i trust that you'll do it well (and also, if it doesn't match my picture of them, that LITERALLY doesn't matter this is your art and feel free to draw them however you like!!)

then onto nico, i think the best way to describe it is just

conan gray-

KSDFJSDFS YEAH SORRY THAT'S IT. THAT'S REALLY IT I JUST. I PICTURE CONAN GRAYSLKDF but like maybe slightlyyyy shorter hair. his hair got super long during superache era (which was absolutely GORGEOUS AND ICONIC AND I LOVED IT) but yeah i think nico's was a bit shorter. just above the shoulder and lots of layers i'd say

as for clothing style, i think they're both pretty lazy dressers. like will's go-to is just any kind of tee-shirt (he has a lot of tour merch and that's like a good majority of his closet) or college merch like an nyu hoodie and baggy jeans or cargo pants, and nico is either wearing his own merch (literally just because there are, i imagine, a lot of messed up ones or like misprints and stuff and so he just takes whatever is messed up and shoves it in his own closet-) and lots of will's clothes. and then black jeans or sweatpans). the other portion of nico is if you're doing smth that he was styled for, in which it could be either smth super fancy (again, your best bet is prob looking up conan gray red carpet looksDSFLKJ) or like a leather jacket and a tee-shirt with some sort of skull or skeleton

as for features, i have absolutely zero clue, so there's no way to mess that up. there's no way to mess up at all, actually, and im SO EXCITED TO SEE WHAT YOU MAKE AHHGSDKF ILY <33

[panda-puma]

I'm a little baffled by your post about the one piece anime, because while I would also recommend people read the manga instead, it still is a vastly more accurate adaption than the opla? like, opla is lovely for what it is, but oda being involved in it doesn't change the fact that they took huuuge liberties that the anime just... doesn't? which is perfectly fine for an adaption, I'm just mentioning it because it sounded like you were focused on the character dynamics, which are just... vastly, vastly different in the manga AND anime vs the live action. I'm thinking about Nami and Sanji in particular (and Usopp as well to a degree), who all kind of feel like watered-down versions of their actual selves (Nami isn't greedy enough, Usopp not cowardly enough, Sanji... well, I'm not saying Sanji being different is a bad thing asdf). Again, perfectly fine for an adaption that doesn't mean to adapt its source material beat for beat, but it just leaves me really confused over how the opla is possibly a more faithful/a better adaption than the anime? Which, as far as I can recall, has severe pacing issues, annoying fillers and leaves out things like the cover stories, but still sticks waaaay closer to the actual story and dynamics as they are in the manga.

(First of all: you can like the Anime. As I said before, I've watched the entire Anime 3 times this last year. But you can enjoy something and still know it's flawed. Very flawed, even.)

Uf, I will try to make this as short as possible xD If i sound dry or "angy", sorry, English is not my first language ^^

What baffles me is that most people really think the Anime of One Piece is a faithful 1 to 1 adaptation, or that everything on it is canon (except the fillers), or that Oda approves the changes they make. For context: it was very common in the 90s/2000s to just take a manga that was doing good and make an animation that took the characters and story and did whatever they wanted with it. One Piece is not the only victim of this treatment.

I respect the animators and Seiyuus, they do their jobs good and are what makes the Anime enjoyable. But I really can not understand the Directors and the changes they decided to make to the characters (and this applies to the whole series, not only 20 years ago).

The changes you see in OPLA are necessary to translate a drawing (Manga) to a series acted by real people. Also, condensing 95 chapters of Manga in 8 episodes and trying to bring the essence of the characters to the screen, translating Japanese funny gags to an International Audience and also having the input of 25 years of Oda thinking "huh, maybe this could have been explained better" it's obviously going to make things change.

The Anime has none of those excuses. It's also a drawing so no need to tone down, supposed to have the same Audience (even tho they really tried to make it for little kids and it shows), they clearly don't have an issue with the length of the series and they don't ask Oda for nearly any of the changes they make!

Pretending Oda being involved or not doesn't matter is just so weird to me. You know all One Piece characters are Oda's OCs, right? He is the original creator of the characters. He knows them better than anyone else. He knows where the story is going, what is acceptable, what is on character and what is not. Just because they are very famous characters it doesn't mean they are not someones Original Characters. He loves them and cares for them. Not respecting him as the only one that can say something is canon or not is completely disrespectful and dehumanizing.

About watering down characters in OPLA: again, they are real people acting the characters. In the Manga they are exaggerated to a comical effect that wouldn't translate as comical if it's real people who do it, it'd just be weird. That's because it's different mediums and different audience. But the core of the characters is very present, just less cartoony. On the other hand, the Anime reduces the characters to just this comical effect, taking away nearly everything else of the characters, making them just gags.

Answering to the specific points you make about OPLA:

Nami not being greedy enough: Nami's greed before Arlong Park Arc is just her trying to save enough to free her people. We don't really see her greed until after she is free. We haven't reached this point yet in OPLA, apart of her wanting to dress nice and enjoy a bath.

Usopp not being cowardly enough: they can not spend 5 minutes of an 50 minute episode showing him screaming around or running away. But they did show him running as first reaction in Kaya's Mansion, twice. They showed him wanting to go back home after encountering Garp. He does say cowardly things all the time, like wanting to leave, stay on the Merry, not fight the Fish Men, running away the second Chu payed attention to him… It's just less cartoony. They are also not showing inner dialogue of the characters, it's just shown by their acting.

Sanji not being a pervert: Not only is Sanji's perversion waaaay exaggerated in the Anime, to an unpalatable degree, it's also a very Japanese Funny Gag that wouldn't translate good to an International Audience. Sanji in the Manga has, on top of everything else, a friendly relationship with Nami. He can talk to her like a human being. They are friends that can agree or disagree without drama, that join forces to fix things very often and act very calm around each other unless something "special" happens and Sanji is lovestruck, but even so, he usually comes back to being normal pretty fast. Of course he likes her and he is attracted to her, but he also sees her as a person... unlike the Anime. This translated to into the Live Action to a man that tries to flirt and has no success, but that can take a no as an answer without being offended. Also, Oda probably wanted to show on the Live Action that the real reason Sanji is on the crew is no other than him following Luffy (that is also a thing that the Anime waters down: Sanji's dedication to Luffy)

The main point is: yes, OPLA is an Alternative Universe where things are shown a bit differently, but the core of the characters is the same. You see them and you see real people, just like in the Manga.

And let's see about the faithfulness of the Anime... just because the Arcs are called the same and things kind of happen the same, it doesn't mean it's a faithful adaptation. The most important thing in a story is the characters and how they interact and react to the world. These are just some differences between the Anime and the Manga that I can think of off the top of my head, just from the East Blue Saga. (without any particular order)

-- Zoro's real backstory (Manga) is that he had been in the Shimotsuki Dojo probably since birth, practicing his 2 Sword Style and only starting the 3 Sword Style to carry Kuina's Soul with him. [((spoilers from Wano: now we know Zoro is also a Shimotsuki, so he was training in his family's Dojo. It also explains why Koushirou gave Kuina's sword to Zoro so easily: they are family, and Zoro would carry the Shimotsuki name to the top of Swordmanship))].

Zoro's backstory in the Anime is completely changed to make it look like he is a random funny kid that came out of nowhere and one day appeared in the Dojo. His signature 3 sword style is also made like he just "wanted to use as many swords as possible".

I don't think it's very necessary to explain why this changes are just... terrible for the character and continuity.

[Edit: the following is not correct! Check the reblog for the correction :D] The Anime also makes Zoro's departure from Shimotsuki Village like something he planned to do, saying goodbye to Kuina's Grave and Koushiro… when in the Manga he literally tells Luffy he was kicking pirates out of his village and he got lost and didn't know how to get back. [/end of incorrect part]

Changing Zoro's character at every turn is something they love to do in the Anime.

--

Usopp in the Manga wants Luffy&co. to meet Kaya, because he cares about her well being. He wants her to make new friends, to be able help them and feel useful doing it. Usopp knows what Kaya needs is contact with the world and tries to bring it to her.

Usopp in the Anime is jealous and secretive of her. He doesn't want the others to go meet her, even knowing they are good people. He'd rather have her to himself.

This is a fatal change to the character of Usopp. He is a kind hearted lovely man that wants what's best for his friend... but the Anime just shows a jealous asshole.

--

In the battle against Cabaji, Zoro cuts his own wound, so his opponent can't use it as an advantage anymore.

In the Anime, he lowers his defense on purpose and lets Cabaji cut his wound.

The first one shows how far he can go to prove himself, also shows he is not at all worried because he doesn't consider Cabaji up to his level. I'm not sure what the second one is supposed to show apart from "children can not see self-harm".

--

Also in Orange Town in Manga, Luffy is fighting as much as possible against the cage he is trapped in, biting the bars. And afterwards he is very worried asking Zoro to leave him and not carry him or he will get worse from his wounds. In the Anime he is just surprised that Zoro can carry him like that. He doesn't really fight his predicament.

The Anime usually shows Luffy as an uncaring friend, which is sad when he is a character that cares so much and has so much empathy.

--

In the Manga, Zeff cuts his own leg and eats it to survive after giving all the food they have to Sanji.

In the Anime, Zeff lost his leg because it got caught in the ships broken pieces, and he had to cut it to survive. (i guess he survived 80 days thanks to the Holy Spirit or something) (again with being palatable to children)

--

In the Manga, the first encounter between Tashigi and Zoro is brief, Zoro gives her back the glasses and carries on (even tho tilted by her looking so similar to Kuina).

In the Anime, Zoro breaks Tashigi's glasses with the shock and she proceeds to be the meanest person ever insulting him in many ways (isn't she supposed to be a good person?) and forcing him to work for her to pay her glasses back, even tho she has no need for the money.

The Anime shows Zoro as a pushover, when in reality he is not. He was "pushed over" by Luffy out of the blue because it is Luffy, not because Zoro would let someone random do that to him. This type of "Zoro gets messed up easily by anyone" is very repeated through the Anime, taking away the importance of his relationship with Luffy and the other few he pays really attention to.

--

In the Manga, Sanji wants to be famous and have his face seen in the Newspaper. That's why he gets mad when Usopp is in Luffy's Wanted Poster and he isn't.

In the Anime, he is already a famous cook. We can see it in one of the many filler in Loguetown, where another cook has been wanting to surpass him for a long time.

[((spoiler of Whole Cake Island: This collides directly with how his Wanted Poster makes his bio Family looks for him to use him, after knowing he is still alive.))]

--

Also in Loguetown, in the Manga Luffy goes directly to the place Roger was executed.

In the Anime they make him get lost a hundred times for comical effect. He also meets Smoker, Buggy and others on the way… taking away all the surprise.

--

In the Manga, Zoro and Luffy are pretty confused with Sanji's romantic reaction to Nami. They don't get why she's getting special treatment. Zoro even wonders if she bewitched him somehow.

In the Anime, as soon as Sanji starts flirting with Nami, Zoro gets irritated and Luffy gets uncomfortable.

In the Anime they try hard to make Zoro have a romance with any girl that shows up, adding reactions that are never present in the Manga.

--

And well, a huge one that needs more elaboration, because it is the core of the Manga: Luffy is shown observing and judging situations and people constantly. Every time something is happening that shows the true nature of people, he is specifically shown paying attention.

In the Anime this is translated as him being an empty headed kid that barely thinks or cares about anyone. He is a shell of a man, who only repeats that he wants to be King of the Pirates...

--

This is a very tiny list of examples that explain themselves without going into extensive detail…

I can go on and on about more changes that make no sense or change characters personalities, but if I do, I will dedicate its own blog to it to not clutter this one. I need bigger posts to explain the changes I see in dynamics between the characters xD

And as I said: if all of these changes were approved by Oda, I would be happy to accept them. But sadly they are not.

So to me, the One Piece Anime is just a fan-made adaptation that takes too many liberties. Or, as Animes are really considered in Japan: just advertisement for the Mangas.

On the other hand, OPLA changes were approved after negotiations and struggles and years of back and forth. Oda was very invested in it, trying to really show his vision and his world as good as possible. That's why i consider the Live Action as a faithful adaptation of the story.

Of course you may not consider these things important, but they are for me. In the end, you are free to enjoy One Piece as you wish! ^^

Anyways, thanks for reading so much! xD This ended up not being short at all, but i controlled myself as much as possible, i swear uvuU

[renee-writer]

The Heart Don't Lie Chapter 70

AO3

She is terrified. Each day that passes makes her more so. She would go to Rose but she is so happy finally. No, she won’t disturb that. Not for something that may be nothing.

 

Mama Claire. She is the one who can handle this perfectly. With a nod to herself and a quick breath for courage, she walks into the kitchen where she seats. The twins and her are playing with modeling clay.

 

“Will, Will! Play?” her baby sister holds up the sticky clay.

 

She smiles at her. “Sure Em.” She knows their naptime is soon.

 

As she joins them, Mama Claire gives her a quizzical look. She is able to hide her concern from Em and Tom but not from her. Her smile says they will talk later.

 

After a half hour of rolling and pounding the clay with Thomas and rolling and shaping it with Emily, they are rubbing their eyes.

 

“I shall place them down and we shall talk, eh?”

 

“Aye please.”

 

Claire leads the eighteen months off for a much needed nap and Willa gathers up the clay, placing it back in the containers.

 

“They went down easy. Now, what is wrong?”

 

She rejoins her at the table.

 

No reason to mince words. “I think I may be pregnant.”

 

Whatever Claire was expecting to hear, it wasn’t that. Her mouth hangs partially apart as her mind struggles on how to respond.

 

“Pregnant? But you haven’t a lad,” she shakes her head, “sorry, of course you must, just… help me out here.”

 

“He is in my classes. One day, a month ago, I was feeling really bad about Anna and everything. We went out for a brew. It turned into several. His place and ah…”

 

“Indeed. Okay, how late are you? Any nausea, other changes?”

 

“Ten days, aye just recently, and my bra’s are getting tighter.”

 

Her stepmom closes her eyes, her lips move. Willa wonders if she is praying. She herself has been. The first time, a barely recalled experience, could completely change her life.

 

“I shall let Jenny know the twins are napping. She can keep an eye on them while we go find out.”

 

They head to hospital. “Wouldn’t one of those where I pee on a stick work?”

 

“Yes but this is more accurate.”

 

One of Claire’s  favorite nurses is working in the A&E.

 

“Dr. Fraser, are you finally rejoining us?” She greets her.

 

“Not until the twins are school age, I am afraid. We have a delicate matter,” she explains what is needed.

 

A blood draw and the two head to the cafeteria to wait on the results.

 

“I am terrified,” Willa plays with the straw on her drink, “I am not ready to be a mam! What will I do?”

 

“First things first. We find out. Then, well…”

 

“I could give it away. There are couples out there who would love to adopt, right?”

 

“There are. It is a beautiful unselfish choice.”

 

“After nine months and giving birth though, I don’t know that I will be able too hand it over to a stranger.”

 

“Willa, you know we will support you in whatever decision you make.”

 

“Daddy is going to want to kill me.” She bemoans, her head down.

 

“No,” She reaches across the table and lifts her head, “no. He will be disappointed and angry, more at the lad then you, I imagine. He adores you and will help and support you any way he can.”

 

Claire ‘s phone chimes. “Is that?”

 

“Yes. The results are back. Come, let’s find out.”

 

She takes the paper from the nurse. Her arm tightens around her step daughter.

 

“Mama Claire?”

 

“You are pregnant.”

[southaway]

Hi! I just found your corrupted elven ringbearers and just wanted to say how much I love them! The Círdan and Elrond designs are giving me life, I want to eat them<3

Do you have any more info on that au you're willing to share? Perfectly fine if not, I'm just curious and your art scratches my brain in the best way<3

Hey, thanks for the ask, I'm always happy to answer questions about my art!

( I realized after I wrote this up how long this ended up being, sorry in advance)

I wish I had an interesting answer here, but honestly, I haven't thought it out too much. I was rereading the books last year and the idea of the Elven Ring bearers having to keep the rings hidden so they didn't fall under Sauron's thrall kind of stuck with me. I thought it'd be fun to play with what that could look like.

I'm not much of a writer, unfortunately, and I haven't thought too much about it besides some of the aesthetic choices I made. I can talk about the design decisions I made, if that's worth anything.

Galadriel is probably the most basic in concept for me, I wanted to play visually with being underwater and being kind of distant and above everything. The eyes were an attempt to play with idea of foresight

For Olorin I was thinking that everything that was Gandalf was burned away and kind of playing with a Balrog theme. I think as a Maia he's the most dangerous and the most powerful of the group. We see in the books Gandalf is definitely very proud, he knows how powerful and intelligent he is, you could potentially end up with another Sauron

For Cirdan I just had this thought of burning from inside. He's put up with so much, accepted so much pain and grief and disappointment that I feel like that would be the source of the flame, that it would just burst out. And then I kind of went with a dragon theme to match the Balrog theme (Olorin was drawn first)

Elrond was the first I conceptualized and the first I drew. The idea of the wings were what sparked everything. His mother got wings so he gets them, but more. Biblically accurate Elrond. I just wanted to kind of mess with the themes I always do with him so stars, and blues. But now instead of being a show of his lineage it's the void consuming him. Really wanted to play into the Eldritch Peredhel concept I've seen bounce around tumblr

And this final one is a bit of a spoiler. It's going up tomorrow, but I'm sure with the inclusion of Cirdan, Gil Galad isn't a suprise.

For Gil-Galad I wanted to play with the concept of air in a different way. He's dead, he's barely there. Just a memory of what was, twisted.

This ended up being WAY longer than I meant! I think a lot about design choices when I'm drawing, but don't usually end up saying much about them when I post. It was fun to talk about it!

If anyone has any other thoughts or additions to the AU I'd love to hear or see it!

[focsle]

dearest creator of a comic that includes a lot of ships. how draw sailing vessel???? (do you have any advice beyond Look At Reference Picture And Cry. because that is my current strategy)

thanks sorry

I'm afraid the best way to learn how to draw something is Look At Reference (and hopefully not cry too much!)

I'm not sure what kind of vessel you're interested in--an ocean liner is different from a man o war is different from a caravel is different from all the whaleships I draw, but whatever sort you're interested in, get a lot of references.

Tracing is a really good learning tool! Take your refs and just trace the basic shapes. Ultimately ships are...basically cylinders/rectangles with various edges shaved off or flared in certain ways. But tracing the basic shape can help you internalize an understanding of the Bones of the thing. And can also help with drawing them in different perspectives if you're thinking 'it's just a rectangle with some edges shaved off and some pointy bits'.

Sailing, as an activity, also has a lot of diagrams that can be referred to. The information on them can be overwhelming, but it's good to be able to identify basic parts of the ship (such as the different masts, different sailing rigs, the names and locations of the sails themselves)

Not every ship is going to carry that much sail nor all at once, and it'll change depending on weather conditions, sailing objectives, etc. I'd also say that if you were planning on including all of those lines in the first diagram in your own art that would probably be...excessive. But it's helpful again to have something broken down to better understand your own references / how you want to draw the ship in various conditions. Books like the Young Officer's Sheet Anchor by Darcy Lever are good too--it has really nice diagrams of a lot of different components of a vessel, if you wanna get granular.

This isn't the most accessible piece of advice, but if you have the opportunity to dabble in actually sailing, try it! I don't sail professionally; I am the most seasonal of hobbyists and I'm feeling particularly rusty right about now, but I found that when I started sailing I gained an understanding of how things worked when otherwise just reading about it or looking at images was pretty inscrutable to me. Being able to actually see how something works and feel it and handle it was enlightening. In lieu of that, while it's harder to find video tutorials for tall ships compared to sailboats, those exist too! Here's one.

Granted my sailing experience is exclusively on schooners and I still have no idea how square riggers really work. If I ever get the chance to learn on one and look back at my comic I'm sure SO many things will be wrong. There are absolutely issues with my ships in that comic. Sometimes I forget what sails I set from one page to the next. Yadda yadda yadda. That's why I'm always whispering 'don't look too closely at my ships' @ any sailor-inclined person who's reading said comic.

Which ultimately brings me tooooo--I don't know what your aims are in drawing sailing vessels, but my aims are not to draw a perfectly accurate depiction of a ship. I'm not making diagrams. I'm trying to get the spirit of the thing, and hopefully in a way that looks......not completely incorrect. Sometimes photo references or sailing diagrams can be really challenging to parse. What's helpful to me is identifying what's Most Essential to getting my point across. And one way to find out what's most essential is through a sailor's simplification of a ship.

I love model ships for instance! I love being able to see and handle something in a three dimensional space, and look at how things connect even if it's not an exact replica. Here's mine that I pull out sometimes when I'm trying to figure out how to lead rigging:

I also like collaborating with my deceased whalers of whom I am so fond. They have a lot to teach me, including--with those who were more artistically inclined--how to condense the visual information of a ship. If you can find the historical art done by sailors (such as in logbooks or diaries), especially amateur art, it gets to the heart of the thing without being too much. These men were intimately familiar with the ship and how it functioned, so I look to them to better get a sense of what they felt was most important to include. Here's a couple from 19th century whaler journals that have absolutely been helpful to me.

I hope some part of this was helpful! Good luck drawin boats!

[builtlikeastickofcelery]

quick read

using shape language (?) to establish character dynamics (and sorta prove that donnie is the older twin) just for fun!!

rise has very shape-focused designs for the brothers, so it’s very easy to apply shape language to each of them. For example, mikey: He is a very round and circular character, from his markings to his weapon (in season one especially) to the literal shape of his head compared to his brother’s. When it comes to shape language, a circle is a symbol of community, friendship and unity, very similar to what mikey appears to value (at least with his family and separate from dr. delicate touch). Circles can also symbolize power, infinity, and balance, which I think hints at mikey’s future potential in the mystic arts (and also that he’s like freakishly strong for his size). and as a nice extra touch, the hamato clan crest is also very circular! (yes I know it’s supposed to look like a pizza leave me alone I’m having a Time) OH AND circles also serve as symbols of perfection :] This is in contrast to leo, who is very triangular, with his markings, weapon and head shape. Triangles symbolize adrenaline, speed, conflict, and sometimes danger, which is on par with leo’s more reckless tendencies, internal issues and spontaneity (it’s also the strongest shape!) However, all his markings are not perfect triangles and are instead curved, which symbolizes (if you unnecessarily over-read into character design choices) him still valuing community and family. (And yes I know there has to be curved elements in pretty much all art so gentle reminder that you’re the one reading this and I can over-analyze this if I want to). Another note is that all of leo’s markings point slightly down, which in relation to triangles is a sign of imbalance or instability.

And then you have a character like raph, who is very square-like, again with his head shape and (specifically season one) weapons. Raph is also meant to be the oldest and most responsible brother, which lines up perfectly with the shape language in his character design. Squares tend to be used to convey solidity, reliability, familiarity, and strength, which is very accurate to how raph’s character as the eldest child is presented. It’s important to know, however, that the square is not (structurally) the strongest shape, despite the way it looks, which often contrasts with the way raph presents himself as the rock or leader.

Similarly, donnie’s design is almost entirely rectangular, from his weapon, to his head shape, to his markings, to his armor. And because rectangles and squares are very similar shapes, they convey similar themes. Similar, not the same. The more abnormal shape of the rectangle adds a less solid feeling to it, as well as the fact that most of the rectangles in donnie’s design are upright and long, which can often be a sign of instability or (structural) insecurity.  This also applies to 2012 to an extent, since they’re also reasonably stylized, however it’s wayyyy less present, especially in Leo and donnie’s designs since all of them are more round (it’s STILL THERE THOUGH)

ANYWAY donnie is the older twin because he is made of older brother shapes and also we’d know if leo was older because he’d probably say something about it in the show. ANOTHER THING THOUGH because a lot of raph’s design isn’t really square-oriented; you have his head and sort of his silhouette, but if you look at the details, for example his plastron, you’ll find that he’s surprisingly triangular! I think this shows that a) he took on the mantle of responsibility at a young age which permanently shaped him as a person despite that not really being his whole identity, and b) that he is very structurally sound because triangles are the most structurally sound shape.

Sorry if this was incoherent I’m having a hard time drawing rn so take my awful analysis!

[grokebaby]

Hey for no particular reason.....do Mewmew and Evillicus have reference sheets ? No particular reason......

👀

I will say upfront that despite me having notes and details on the designs of these two, my main advise is to just make them recognizable, and not to forget scars! You're welcome (and encouraged!) to stylize them to your liking or get funky with it! Their designs are simple for the purpose of me drawing them over and over (comic format...) and in the case of Evilicus: to be easily read as a villainous character. Lol.

Now thinking about it I myself would love to draw more "Out there" interpretations of these two but I try to keep it consistent for easiness' sake. Just noting that there's room for flexibility

With all that said here's references

This would be the closest thing I have to a reference of Evie, it's one of the more detailed drawings of them overall

Extra on the feet, if desired (Ev wears heels. Don't tell them I said this but it's true)

Here's one of my earliest Mewmew drawings, I admit I've shaped up some parts better since then, but you're free to look at any recent drawing of Mewmew I've done, should be very accurate! Only reason I put this up bc it's fullbody and also...

.. Regrettably I've forgotten the existence of Mewmews back scar. Oops. Oh well, m has long fur so it can be hidden I guess..

I also consider these pretty good references for both.

Oh, and here's Mews robot form! You're welcome to also tweak it or adjust it to your liking (damn, I should've drawn the whiskers as antennae..) I mostly just turn any round shapes into blocky shapes.

(It's approximately as tall as Evilicus. Could be shorter. Or taller if you want. If you're feeling adventurous.)

As for colors? Take your pick.

For Mewmew you've probably already seen all the alternative color schemes I have for m, you're free to use any

Here's one option^

Only points of consistency are the scars and eyewhites (scleras), which are always dark (black, or just a really dark color. This is bc mews blood aka fuel is also dark). If applicable, blush also tends to be dark.

For Evilicus, you can either draw them entirely in greyscale, or entirely in purples. So long as there's different greys and different purples for visual clarity (ykno, readability so it doesn't blend into one mass). You're free to do that half/half coloring shown in one of the pictures, or you can do a solid color helmet. Like with Mewmew, only points of consistency are eyes and scars, which on Evie, are always white (and tend to glow situationally). If applicable, blush is purple

Hope this helped? Sorry if the post is messy ^^"

Detail notes under the cut for curious people

- Evie's helmet can open up this sort of "mouth"

It can work as The™ mouth, or open up to show glimpses of Evie's actual, on the face mouth (like seen here)

- You're free to draw Mewmew as Anthro or feral, since m can change between body structures at will (there's certain limb mechanics that allow this, I've mentioned before). You're also free to play around with how mechanic or organic you make mew

- The armor literally melds itself to suit Evie's body shape so it's like. Always perfectly fitted to them

[starkiller-009]

Hello!! I love love love your arts. I feel like a lot of them have a sense of 'movement' which contrasts a lot of very polished artworks.

I love works with meticulously planned composition, layers, highlights, etc. I love works with a certain kind of loose yet purposeful application of value and colors. (The Two Cakes thing in the fandom). And I noticed that your arts belong to the latter category which I can rarely find!

If you don't mind me asking, do you have any artists or artworks that you're heavily inspired from? Do you draw on a pen-tablet, IPad, or other media? What application are you using? I feel like three questions are already too much for one ask so you don't need to answer them if you don't want to. I enjoy scrolling through your blog either way!

Hiiiiiiiiii dear anon!!! thank you soo much for sending this message! it made my day 🧡🧡🧡 Loose but thoughtful art is what im striving for so its really make me happy to hear that i have some success in that Answering your question i draw using some cheap old model of genius pen-tablet. Bought it 10 years ago as my first device. Still running. Heard a lot of shitty comments about quality of genius tablets at that time, but even more only about Wacom in recent years i think (fuck them. Wtf with pen's tips that are constanty erasing. For who this product is made for. Ew). as for the apps, i use clip paint studio, for studies - heavypaint (great thing). There are AMAZING artists on tumblr who inspire me heavily with their works. like. i follow ~400 ppl here. because i like to stare at art. so. im gonna talk about my favorites! @crowthis - king. queen. i dont know the pronounces sorry. they draw magnificent things i love their style SO much, its such an inspiration. sometimes i just visit their blog to go through art tag and experience all that beauty. (half of their wrks i have downloaded on my desktop) It's loose, quite 'chaotic', but SO atmospheric. The mood, composition, texture, everything. Themes. I like black and white drawings as much as the ones with colours, it so bright and blatant\bold in a way, but it works perfectly, it gives your the right sense of the work. Even tho usually i prefer more calm colours, it makes me go 'wow!' And their works looks really simple and intuitive but as an artist you know that haha no its fcking hard to do things like that. it takes skill and knowledge. loose work is tricky

@frozensoba - idk how much time i could stare at their recent fish drawings like jesus christ. i wish i could do that. i want to be able to do that. my ass is ready to work every time i see it and drawings like these really inspire me to draw simple things and non-humans bc i feel like you can draw beautifully everything that exists. you just need to know how. Colours, texture, rhytm, lines... everything on its place. I love colours especially. Its very gentle kind of harmony going on there, and the palette is huge, intricate.

@nerdyhideoutphilosopher-2 - going crazy over their works. honesty dont know what to say. go look and see. unique voice Artists id like to mention as well: @dynasoar5 - i mean. just go and look at that. i love how loose and messy kind of rendering is but it looks amazing. and overall. simply amazing drawings fuck yes @jadenvargen - just go and look at his works. i see no point in talking. simply beautiful. looks easy but also hard as fuck. the colours are so bright and rich and very bold but somehow everything is right on its place. it leads you where it should. just wow. the skill i respect @snippit-crickit - once again. beautiful. i really love their studies and how they render things, the colours. @sen-art-acc - LINE WORK. LINE WORK. go check it out. LINE WORK!!!! and i simply like how tidy and clean the drawings look like with colours. i cant do stuff like this. i have zero patience to be this accurate and precise. Also if you love loose artwork i should recommend you those artists for sure @shican, @dude-standin i love as well @wuntrum and @cordspaghetti works a lot. I followed both of them because mcr fanart i guess? tho never was into mcr and stayed for the drawings alone Also, if we're speaking about more "pro" (dont like this term either, forgive me) kind of artists i have some huge inspirations as well (tho my art not in any way reminds of them im afraid lmao. but i hope maybe in ten or ok 30 years or more ill be somewhere). There are a ton of artists i like, but its for another post i guess. To much talk. So here we go Sergio Toppi - he's an amazing at working with lines and composition. I have his comic books on my bookshelf. I open it everytime i want to get energy to draw. You cant look at his drawings and NOT to get inspired. He's incredible. The rhytm, the shapes... damn. i can look at his drawings for hours. And he was the main inspiration to work with lines and composition more, to play with it more. I dont have a lot of line-work on this acc (last quiobi drawing, some year\two-old dghda drawings, eugene one) but i actually exercise it a lot. Lines are extremely powerful tool. And as for composition... The shapes, negative spaces, love it. And he's extremely good at working with colour too.

Francis Vallejo - he's illustrations are so good... he's incredible with composition and rhytm his drawings have. Negative spaces, one again.

Anders Zorn - i adore his black and white graphic drawings. Angles, framing, line work. Spent a lot of time looking at his works. Cant get enough of it. The way he draws people, the plot, themes. What he chooses to portray, the way people look, what they do. There is such a special mood to his drawings, there is something extremely psychological about it, isn't there? he's a master im mesmerized by

Bernie Fuchs - composition, rhytm, once again. I love it when you want to look at something for more then 2 seconds, because the rhytm of the drawings leads you into different places and opens its plot in parts. No matter where you look u'll find something interesting and even though there is lot of going on its still not a mess and looks and feels fucking awesome. And i love his colour palettes too. He's very good at setting the mood (check out his less commercial works)

As for the colour here's a few i love. (Though they're still extremely good with everything else)

Hovsep Pushman - the man is a mystery. His work with colours, light and texture is beyond me. Also it has disco elysium vibe to it. I dream of being capable of something like this when im sixty or so (im not gonna be)

Mead Schaeffer - simple but powerful. Looking at his works like eating a tasty ice cream.

same goes to Dean Cornwell - though its a bit more complex, his composing. You need to pay more attention

I'd like to mention one other artist - Jamie Wyeth. his works are something else entirely, i dream of drawing like this one day. Loosiness, themes, mood. Ill probably cry if i see those ones in real life one day, somehow special to my heart, relates

He has these series - "Seven deadly sins". Ive been in love for some time

As for the inspiration drawings on itself - thinking about it im coming back to dragon age tarot cards. Not all of them, but i still go 'jesus i want to draw like this' at some, through years. This one especially.

Soooo Thats it i guess! I mean. I love to talk and talk about art especially. I probably could write ten more posts like this no problem. I actually heavily into landscape painters since... Well. Nature. Ice, oceans, sky. I sadly havent really tried to get into the genre myself, i do not draw lots of backgrounds as you can see. Should work on this probably, life's short. But im always happy to share my fav artists! So hit me up whenever. dm or send an ask! And a beautiful work for the ending

[goatsgomoo]

No tinfoil hat needed to explain the situation.

But first, on AI as a concept:

Artificial intelligence is when a machine makes decisions and/or performs actions in order to achieve goals.

AI as a field is so much older than the latest boom and broader than what the current big names are doing. There are a few AI developments (such as the chess-playing mechanical automaton El Ajedrecista (1912) and the electro-mechanical Nimatron (1940)) which predate programmable (as opposed to hard-wired) electronic computers. Once we had programmable computers, we got systems like Logic Theorist (1956) and General Problem Solver (1958).

We had ELIZA in the 60s, the rise of Expert Systems in the 60s through the 80s (until they became so commonplace that the name fell out of use), and once the Internet became public and the Web was invented, all sorts of AI systems that leveraged access to large data sets to make decisions, such as Google's search engine and Netflix's recommendation algorithm.

So yes, of course people are going to describe things older than the current boom as AI; that's an accurate description!

Translation algorithm? Nope. AI translation.

This is basically the ultimate example of a piece of software that is incontrovertibly AI! It's not just some lookup table where you find the passage of text you want to translate then grab the translated text in your target language; translation software has to handle text it's never seen before. It needs to "understand" grammar rules of different languages, it needs to "know" vocabulary, and it needs to make decisions on ambiguous text. Whether this is done through a large corpus of rules programmed into the software or through statistical modeling is irrelevant; it's AI either way. And if you think that the rise of machine translation didn't impact a whole lot of jobs, you're dead wrong.

My point here is twofold:

What you are calling "AI" is artificially narrow and doesn't really match with accepted definitions

The current boom didn't come out of nowhere, it's just the latest iterative improvements in a field older than you. So calling things that AI researchers in the 90s and 00s worked on "AI" is perfectly reasonable.

Second, on the explosion in the popularity of the term "AI" to describe software:

(And here's where I stop citing Wikipedia because I'm drawing more on my own observations and personal experience)

Sorry to say, but this trend is pretty much entirely consumer driven. People want the latest and greatest, people want the top of the line, people want things marketed as AI. And most of these people don't know enough to have a solid idea of exactly what functionality or performance they want; they just see "AI" and are impressed. The tech companies slapping the term on their products are mostly just meeting a demand and get rewarded immensely for doing so.

Now, of course, investors in tech companies are also exerting pressure to market themselves as AI or integrate AI into their products to capitalize on this trend. And a lot of companies who had been just quietly creating products with AI and/or ML (whether the AI is in the product or just used as part of its creation) are realizing that being louder about that fact will get them money. Because yeah, a red eye removal tool is absolutely AI, and if you can increase your sales figures by 10% by telling people that, you'd be a fool not to. And like everything else, this trend is older than the current big boom; when I worked at IBM my division got renamed to include the term "Watson" back around 2017-2018 despite nothing changing about the products we were making.

Now, all that leads up to my main point, which is not in fact about nit-picking language use. First, from your post:

my tinfoil hat theory is that they're trying to get the term "AI" to replace the term "software" to make the people who are opposed to the labor-rights-violating, job-stealing, "boss threatens to replace you with it if your wages and benefits prove too expensive" AI seem like backwards luddites who hate technology

Look, this has been going on forever, the "AI" term is irrelevant. The original Luddites were laborers who were seeing their ways of life destroyed by mechanization. The introduction of automation into manufacturing processes also impacted jobs. More recently, grocery stores and fast food restaurants have been replacing cashiers with touchscreens. And every step of the way, there's been a whole lot of ink spilled by people complaining about losing their jobs to more and more advanced tools, and by people telling the folks losing their jobs to shut up and get out of the way of "progress".

Zero jobs are stolen, zero creativity lost, zero labor issues at play, just VFX professionals paid to apply a digital effect.

So why decide that these latest developments is your cutoff for what is and isn't acceptable? Why is digital VFX, eliminating the jobs of people who would hand-paint individual frames of film, acceptable?

I ask because I want to encourage people to think about what exactly they take issue with here. If everything before you started paying attention is normal and fine and isn't a labor issue, but changes to the current situation are obviously serious problems, then you're going to sometimes find yourself on the side of people who've been making things worse for decades because their success is now "normal". And (this part isn't directed at you but more towards the people whose takes you were mentioning) if your opposition to things is based on what buzzwords are being used, that leaves you wide open to being manipulated quite easily into getting angry at something rather innocuous. While in this case that's a pretty minor impact, this is the exact same trap I see people falling into (or setting for others) when calling for online censorship or harassment.

Latest tech pet peeve is the use of the term "AI" to refer to basically anything that does any amount of automation or uses computers in any way

[aseriesofunfortunatejan]

Rewriting this but whatever. So you know I like me some commentary YouTube to watch while I drink my tea, try my mightiest to survive or whatever. Well, I'm starting to be worried about the amount of time these people allegedly spend on Twitter and/or Tik Tok.

You'll often hear them bring up how much time they spend just scrolling on social media, or talk about events through the lens of only having learned about them from Twitter arguments or memes. I always thought "thank God that isn't me", but I'm starting to be worried, like... how many people also live like this? I always sort of thought I was in a similar place to these YouTubers who allegedly have a lot of free time, because oftentimes, so do I.

And I certainly don't think I have some sort of moral high ground because tumblr, of all sites, is my go-to social media. Most people would be embarrassed to admit that tumblr is important to them. I actually think I spend too much time on this webbed site/app, it's just... the only other option while I'm sitting on the toilet in this house is to re-re-re-read the two same Garfield comics, so like,

Still. They present doom-scrolling, giving a lot of importance to Twitter drama, thinking Tik Tok shapes the world as this normal thing that everyone does or think. And by virtue of not being in these circles at all, I just can't tell how accurate or inaccurate that is.

It seems that everyone agrees that Twitter makes them miserable, that Twitter users are dicks to each other, and the character limit makes it hard to grasp what someone actually means - and yet they keep using it. All the time. So much of the time. Because they think it's normal, that everybody does it, that this is our lives now.

Due to my personal circumstances, I spend a lot more time online than I wish I did. So what is it that helps me escape thinking Twitter (on which I have an account) is normal socialisation? Don't I spend my free time on the compooter? There are probably many reasons, ways that I am, that cause that. I don't tend to be where the people are. I'm not good at following trends. I'm a contrarian. Still, what do I do with all of my free time?

...Everyday, I make sure I do something creative. Outside of my other obligations and hobbies, of course. Everyday, with few exceptions when needed, I either write, draw, make vocal synth covers. Other times, I busy myself with Wiki editing. Not that that has always been healthy for me, but it's a hobby that's not passive. Sure, I too need to do two things at the same time when one of my activities is passive, like watching a commentary YouTube video. ADHD? Well, I already do everything very fast, I speak too fast, I type too fast, I think too fast, I hate slow-paced anything, I type perfectly coherent sentences at the same time as I listen to you tell me about your day. Tik Tok didn't create that for me - I think I already had something going on, and I've never made a Tik Tok account. Maybe you're just bored.

A lot of my day is spent exercising. Or eating, too. Admiring my dogs. Thinking about my life. Thinking about the stories I make up and wish I could project to other people's brains. Not to mention reading traditional news and learning from political associations I trust. At this point in the post I'm not just thinking about YouTubers anymore, I'm appreciating how I behave myself and why it works for me. I'm sorry, it doesn't matter how much you think "everyone probably knows" about this new Tik Tok drama, I don't want to make an account, people seem really mean on there. Some people also don't have an account because they have demanding jobs or home lives. In my case, I think I have better hobbies, even though some of them are not much. I'm not one of these visual artists who will wow you, I can't write my own music... I just want to do these things nonetheless.

[kneworder]

I literally can’t get over how adorable @themetaphorgirl​‘s boarding school AU, Patron Saint of Lost Causes is, so here’s my three faves as boarding school babes!! plus a lil scene inspired by the insanely fluffy pillow fort drabble!!