#the best thing about fanfic is you can ignore all the stupid parts of an episode

[zan0tix]

I yap so much about the comic and the importance i find in its contents but i hope when i write dirk or jake or rlly any of them it doesnt come off as me dumbing them down😭

I know the core internal mechanisms at which they all operate from otherwise i wouldnt understand why they even do what they do and why they speak how they do since that is so crucial to analysis of their behaviour and Why they were written.

But i mostly write silly scenarios so the deeper messier parts dont get to show much😭 working on deeper things tho rest assured i am locking in🫡🫡🫡

I try to match the tones of how i believe the characters would act continuing off the ending of homestuck. With dirk and jake specifically i try to write them to where they still both kinda dont say everything they need to but they dont have the weight of narrative destiny on their shoulders anymore so they can admit they like spending time together and have actually confessed like normal people and got out those apologies they kept yammering on about in the last half of act 6

I try to reinvoke the ridiculous nature of the one time we really see the real dirk and jake talk (which was actually a dreambubble memory. jake is so gay.) but i try to make it feel how that did, they really do love spending time together and just being weird and cringe and bantering about stupid shit ❤️(the most we see dirk type laugh in the comic)

(Always Highly recommend reading this log if you havent in a while. Its just such good writing theyre so funny) https://www.homestuck.com/story/4844

I feel like the Best Bros part of dirkjake kinda gets lost alot of the time considering THEY NEVER SPEAK DIRECTLY (which is insane that hussie could craft this universe bending gender norm shattering yaoi with no fucking interactions wtf anyway) but there is alot you can gleam from jakes interactions with hal and this one log to tell us how they usually speak

Dirk always veers into making homoerotic comments because.. i dunno he might have feelings for jake or something whos to say. and when jake presses him dirk immediately diverts. I think from being around dave and everything daves realised thats bullshit about masculine standards and heroism that let him have a healthier relationship to masculinity, hearing abt that would loosen dirk up about Actually being affectionate to jake

But hes still somehow trying to no homo his way out of things that are incredibly homo just in a subtler way, not immediately going “Haha, what? I never said that. Anyway.” (Its both out of his fear for what his true identity means about him as a man but also because he doesnt think he deserves to get such affections cough thinks himself an evil)

And jake was always going with the flow. If his friends socially decreed something as okay to talk about then the fucking damn burst open and he couldnt keep it in anymore but they had to Very Clearly Clarify with him about it. So i think dirk going down a more positive road would lead jake there too seeing that if its okay for dirk to be less restrictive with his feelings jake can be too.

The Epilogues has a highly specific premise and was being manned by caliborn and calliope 2.0 cranked to the max in the deranged fanfic behaviour so. Of course it would not be a healthy environment for characters to grow💀 anyone who takes it as full confirmation about how theyd act or become as adults and ignores the fact of its premise Being “Homestuck but Sick and Twisted; The Fanfiction” is kind of stupid its like saying homosuck was in character. Ofc everybodys lives goes to shit because the two running the show dont know how the hell to be good puppeteers 😭

Said it on twitter but you can tell how much a dirk hates himself based on his relationship to a jake. Because tho ult dirk wouldnt ever admit it jake is dirks anchor of self worth just as dirk is jakes. When they show compassion and kindness to one another its a step closer to self acceptance because Jake is quite frankly a living embodiment of EVERYTHING that is “wrong” (queer, cringe, sincere, feminine) about Dirk to himself in his saviour complex surrounding manhood. (See Everything caliborn says about jake) jakes always waiting for dirk. If dirk were to step down and admit his own humanity itd mean hed have to accept he is capable of growing and isnt inherently evil, and jake would be ready to embrace that about himself too

Anyway all that to say. Even in my simple silly writing i at least do try to retain dirk and jakes strange emotional dodging olympics but also its just on a smaller level since theyve inching their way to fully internalising that Its Okay to be Cringe and Gay Together❤️ because the World isnt Ending anymore. Its in the little things they dont say because haha im the one who makes them say words.

Dirk and jake hate themselves because theyre not men in the right way but their love is because of them not being men in the right way so.. nerm.. Whos flying the plane?

[tmnt-doomsday-au]

This stupid green thing is my fursona, Skrill, ignore him-

Hi my name is Rodrick, but feel free to call me Ronnie or Skrill. I'm the main creator of the TMNT Dooms Day au, my brother @xxandyleedoomsdayxx is my co-writer! He helped me with the character designs and ofc he is helping me with writing as well since I'm not the best at it.

I'm a guy so refer to me with He/Him. I'm 19, and I've been a part of the TMNT12 fandom since I was about 11(I think) but obviously, I have been watching the tmnt series since I was like 6.

All my other socials and commission info can be found on My Carrd!

Here are just some things about my au and the links to all the refsheets!

The Dooms Day au was originally supposed to be another 2012 re-write, but I decided against that since I really just wanted to do my own thing with the au. So the designs and the story layout is now just really inspired by the 2012 series since that's unfortunately the one I'm most familiar with😅

The au will contain ocs and Oc X Canon stuff, along with a whole lot of other stuff.

I'm in the process of redesigning my au designs, sorry!

Character Refsheets

Leonardo

Donatello

Raphael

Michelangelo

Human Raph & Donnie

Human Mikey & Leo

April O'Neil

Karai

Casey Jones

Mona Lisa

Mondo Gecko

Venus De Milo

Irma & Vernon

Splinter

My oc/Lucius

Brother's oc/Andy

The foot clan

AU FanFic & Comic Links

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Lucius(Non-au designs)

KAT(Tottmnt oc)

Dni list, my boundaries, and commission info down below-

DNI LIST!

TCEST MFs GTFO

Proshippers/Toxic shippers, Zoophiles,

Homophobes, Transphobes, Ableists,

Fujoshis,Racists, Really any kind of bigotry,

Dreamsmp & Hazbin Hotel/Helluva Boss fans,

Fetish artists, 2012 Leo X Karai shippers and lastly Ai Supporters.

If I notice that you have any of this shit on your Tumblr I'll block you

MY BOUNDARIES-

Do not repost my art without my permission or without credit(reblogs are fine obviously)

Do not spam like my posts, seriously it's annoying and I'll probably block you

No random criticism please it's rude and if I want criticism I'll ask for it(this goes for my art and my writing)

Please don't randomly make sexual comments towards me or my art, just because I'm over 18 does not mean I'm comfortable with it. I'm aroace and it genuinely weirds me out especially if I don't know you

And don't randomly vent in my comments or on my posts

Please don't kin or RP as my versions of the characters it seriously makes me uncomfortable(Same goes for my ocs)

ALSO YOU DON'T HAVE TO ASK TO DRAW MY DESIGNS GO AHEAD! But be sure to tag me so that I can see if you posted it!

There are certain ships that are "canon" in my au but overall I don't want to see ocxcanon or ships I don't like with my au designs

Art requests and questions are always open as long as they are related to my au(unless I specify otherwise) so go wild! Just don't be weird

Also feel free to message me! I don't bite XD

Here is my Commission sheets!(Will add them later)

But yeah that's it XD

[skullunter]

I have been tagged once again by @celestialboundx so… you know the drill 🫶

What’s the origin of your blog title?

well the user ‘skull’ is derived from my disc user ‘skullmaster’ which was one of my main ocs in 2020 still don’t know where the ‘unter’ part came from but… oh well lmao

• OTP(s) + ship names

… ahaaaa you know.

• Favorite color

anything pastel idk what to tell you i love em all

• Favorite game

a game called Shadow of The Colossus it’s been my favorite ever since my dad introduced me to it when i was young really emotional charged narrative and the music still brings me to tears <33

• Song stuck in your head

ah. a ton… but right now it’s the slowed version of hexxedlove by karmadiesz 😭

• Weirdest habit/trait?

UHH SO MANY I’ll say prancing around the house with a drink in hand though just for now

• Hobbies

listening to the same playlist on spotify and drawing.. and writing now ig 😭

• If you work, what’s your profession?

unemployed individual. shocking ik

• If you could have any job you wish, what would it be?

I’ve never been super ambitious with my job goals but it has always been and still is a professional artist

• Something you’re good at

ehhh. art?? wouldn’t call myself good at it but it’s fun so hey

• Something you’re bad at

everything in regards to sports or a field where i have to physically exert myself

• Something you love

drawing ig, talking to people online about crazy plot lines and theories

• Something you could talk about for hours off the cuff

THE STUPID FUCKING NARRATIVE I’VE CREATED

• Something you hate

being ignored I don’t mean that as like in the clingy ‘text me back immediately’ nice guy kinda way but more like my presence has gone unacknowledged and underappreciated for too long kinda way

• Something you collect

i used to collect toys and plushies but i’ve kinda stopped here recently on that grind yeah yeah ik I’m too old but hey it’s fun to look at and remember my youth

• Something you forget

TO CHECK MY DISCORD NOTIFICATIONS LMAOOO

• What’s your love language?

ehhhhhh probably quality time idk i like when people decide out of their own volition that I’m somebody who’s worth talking to

• Favorite movie/show?

not sure about this one… sorry 💔

• Favorite food

idk man never really thought about it

• Favorite animals

polar bears because I’ve done a school project on them years ago and maybe horses too < used to be obsessed lol

• What were you like as a child?

very reserved and polite especially with adults I was always super polite to whoever I interacted with and would be this off the walls batshit insane lunatic at home… as my parents say

• Favorite subject in school

none lmao…. probably art again it used to be social studies

• Least favorite subject in school

MATH AND GYM LIKE PREV SAID

• What’s your best character trait?

i don’t appreciate this game’s need for any good qualities i have because you ain’t gonna find none probably patience i wanna hear different views and opinions on things without making a baseless assumption

• What’s your worst character trait?

jealousy/ envy it’s gotten the best of me in the past and it makes me physically grimace at old messages because of it

• If you could change any detail about your day, what would it be?

CAN IT PLEASE STOP BEING WINTER SO I CAN RUN OUTSIDE. PLEASE.

• If you could travel in time, who would you like to meet?

anybody from the distant past (heh) who hasn’t committed the worst act known to man seems really cool to interact with tbh

• Recommend one of your favorite fanfics (spread the love!)

oh there’s this one fic called ‘nearly ninety thousand feet’ on ao3 really really recommend it if you love gay stupid men <33

thank you celestial for the tag 🥳 I’m tagging @pitchforkhead, @thatfoxdog, @qwertyfingers, @hellkitepriest and anyone who sees this

[mikaya07]

À little teaser of my Karma x Reader x Asano x Nagisa fantasy au fanfic

Thus, you both found yourselves in a completely new world—a fresh start, a new chapter. You couldn't contain your excitement. No longer would you live as an introverted shut-in, drowning in monotony and hiding from the world. This was your rebirth—a chance to become the hero of your own story.

But of course, there was him.

That insufferable redheaded god sat squatting nearby, clutching his head dramatically as if the world was about to end. Karma Akabane—that god—was mumbling incoherent curses under his breath while random buckets kept falling on his head out of nowhere. He was probably cursing you under his breath but you decided to ignore him and focus on the dazzling world around you.

Everywhere you turned, there was something extraordinary—humanoid creatures of all sizes, semi-crowded streets filled with adventurers, and a sense of magic that made the air feel alive. Your animated expressions and reactions spoke volumes for how amazed you were. "Woah! An elf!" you squealed, pointing at a tall, pointy-eared figure in the distance. "Oh wow, is that a witch? This feels exactly like a video game, a fantasy world!" Your wide, sparkling eyes darted around with childlike wonder, taking in every detail of the world.

Then came the obnoxiously loud groan.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrghhhhhhhhhh!"

It was Karma, naturally. You turned to find him throwing yet another tantrum. His expression was equal parts frustration and despair as he glared daggers at you.

"Stop being so loud!" you scolded. "We're in public, and people are staring. Do you want them to think you're crazy?"

He froze for a second but quickly grabbed your shoulders, shaking you back and forth like a madman. "YOU WITCH! LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE! I'M STUCK IN THIS STUPID, INSIGNIFICANT WORLD BECAUSE OF YOU!" he shouted, comical tears streaming down his face. "YOU—YOU LITTLE—" a bucket dropped down on his head.

You rolled your eyes and pried his hands off your shoulders. "Chill out. You can go home if it's such a big deal." you said, shrugging nonchalantly.

Karma's face darkened as he stared at you, deadpan. "That's the problem, you idiot. I can't go home until you beat the Demon King. Thanks to your brilliant idea, I'm trapped here," he muttered, crossing his arms and sulking.

"Oh well, I guess you're stuck with me!" you said cheerfully, clapping your hands together like it was the best news ever.

Karma's golden eyes narrowed at you. "Yeah, yeah. But don't forget—If I'm miserable, I'll make sure you're twice as miserable." His tone was calm, but had a menacing edge to it that made you shiver.

"Whatever." You dismissed, brushing him off. "Come on, let's find the adventurers guild or something. That's how all these king of things start, right?"

With an exaggerated sigh, Karma dragged himself behind you. "Sure. Lead the way oh fearless leader," He said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

❤️

Several minutes later....

Karma had stopped walking and was staring at you with a look of smug amusement. His arms were crossed, and a small smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.

"You're lost, aren't you?" he asked, his voice annoyingly smug.

You froze, lowering your head in embarrassment. "...Maybe."

Suddenly, you brightened up with an idea. "Hey God," you said, spinning on your heel to face him. "Do you know the whereabouts of the adventurers guild?" 

"First of all, call me Karma. We don't wanna attract unwanted attention now," He said, raising an eyebrow. "And second, no, I don't magically know the layout of this place. This world is just one out of millions, and honestly, it's not even worth memorizing." he stretched his arms behind his back. As if on cue, another bucket dropped out of nowhere and landed squarely on his head. He sighed, pushing it off without flinching.

Damn he's useless.

With no other choice, you approached a shopkeeper and asked for directions to the adventurers guild. After convincing him that you were hopelessly lost, he gave you clear directions.

Feeling confident now, you turned to Karma with a smug grin. "See? I got it. Follow me."

Karma raised an eyebrow, trailing behind you as you led the way. "Congratulations. You can ask for directions. Truly a hero in the making," he said dryly, though there was a faint glimmer of amusement in his eyes.

❤️

The lively buzz of the adventurers' tavern hit you as soon as you stepped inside. Warriors, mages and rogues filled the room, boasting of their exploits or nursing tankards of ale. You couldn't help but feel a spark of excitement. This was it, the start of your new journey. You felt like you had finally fit in.

Karma trailed behind you, looking distinctly unimpressed as his amber orbs scanned the room. He noticed many staring towards his direction, mainly at him and most were women, admiring his appearance. You had noticed it too. Couldn't blame them though. After all he was really handsome. Well when his mouth was shut.

Ignoring the stares, your gaze landed on a beautiful young women with deep chestnut brown hair that was tied up in a ponytail with her red coloured scrunchie. She had a professional smile and an air of grace that immediately caught your attention. Her figure further emphasised her matured look. You marched towards her.

"Excuse me! We'd like to sign up as adventurers please!" you said, practically bouncing on your heels.

The woman, who's name tag read as Toka Yada offered you a friendly smile. "Of course! Welcome to the Adventures' Guild. You'll need to pay a small registration fee to get started."

Your enthusiasm dimmed. "Oh we need money?" You asked, sheepishly, glancing at Karma, who was now leaning casually against the counter with his usual smirk.

"Don't worry, I've got this." Karma said, pushing himself off the counter and sauntering toward a random table. You had no idea what he was planning, but knowing him, it couldn't be good.

He had stepped in front of an elderly man dressed in priestly robes and cleared his throat. "Greetings, mortal," Karma said, his voice taking on a pompous tone. "Behold, for you are in the presence of a god." He struck a dramatic pose, one hand raised as if he were blessing the room.

You slapped a hand on your face.

Oh no.

The old man blinked, then gave Karma a warm smile. "A god, you say? Well then, tell me what deity you serve?"

"Heh, I am the God Of Chaos, Karma Akabane!" he replies, confidently. The priest's eyes narrow slightly. "I see. As it happens, I am a devoted follower of Yuuma Isogai. The God Of Preservasion and Abundance." he raises a necklace showing him the symbolic pendant. "And while I respect all divine beings, I find it quite improper to boast blatantly about your supposed status."

Karma's cheeks turned faintly pink, a rare sight that immediately committed to your memory. Before he could dig himself deeper, the old man sighed and handed over a small pouch of coins.

"Here, take this and use it wisely. I wish you the best, Follower of the God of Chaos." He flashes him a close-eyed smile. Karma snatches the pouch, muttering something under his breath, and stalked back to you.

"Here." He shoved the coins in your hands. "Go pay before I change my mind." you stared at him. Half shocked, half trying not to laugh. You then turned towards Yada who was carefully avoiding both of your gaze, her polite smile strained. It seemed she felt second-hand embarrassement as her cheeks were tainted of a pink hue. That suddenly made you blush, feeling embarrassed. However you handed the registration fee anyway.

"Thank you." Yada said, handing you both shiny new cards that looked like IDs. Your name, age and stats were displayed neatly on the surface. "Please fill in these forms and I'll analyse your stats to determine your recommended class."

You eagerly filled in the form and handed it back. The brunette placed it in the Crystal device and a holographic projection of your stats appeared in mid air. She scanned it briefly before her smile faltered.

"Ah..." she began hesitantly. "Your luck stat is quite high..."

"Awesome!" you grinned. "Soo, what kind of adventurer does that make me?" you asked.

Yada hesitated, her eyes darted toward Karma, who wore a knowing smirk, seeing right threw her. She then looked back at you. "Well high luck is um not particularly useful in combat. I would recommend perhaps a merchant? Luck is quite handy for bargaining and trade."

You froze. "A merchant? You're saying I'm not good enough to be an adventurer?"

"N-Not at all!" Yada said quickly, waving her hands. "It's just that—"

"A merchant, huh?" Karma interrupted, chuckling under his breath. "Yeah that suits you perfectly. You can sell healing potions while I take out the Demon King." A bin cap drops on his head.

You shot him a glare, your face burning with embarrassment and indignation. "Oh, shut up!"

Yada coughed, awkwardly, trying to maintain her composure. "You can still choose any class you want of course," Yada said. "It's just a suggestion based on your stats."

You huffed and crossed your arms. "Fine. I'll show you. I'll be the greatest adventurer this world has ever seen—even with luck as my highest stat!"

Karma snickered. "Sure. Let's see how far 'luck' takes you." Another bin cap drops on his head but he barely flinches anymore as he's used to it.

It took all your power not to smack that annoying, obnoxious asshole.

"Alright, your turn," Yada said, turning to Karma with a polite smile as she handed him a form.

He filled it out lazily, clearly disinterested by the whole process. "Do I really need to do this? I'm already perfect in every way that matters," he muttered, handing the form back.

Yada placed his form on the glowing crystal and the holographic projection of Karma's stats materialized.

"W-What the..." Yada's eyes widened as she leaned in for a closer look. "These stats are... incredible!"

She stares at his stats in awe "Your strength and intelligence are off the charts! However your luck is 'quite' abysmal." She says.

The murmurs started immediately, rippling through the room like wildfire.

Karma smirked, basking in the attention. He casually flipped his red hair out of his eyes, his cocky demeanor dialed up to eleven."Well, of course. I am amazing, after all. Did you expect anything less from me?" he said, his voice dripping with self-satisfaction while a bin cap dropped on his head.

You crossed your arms, glaring daggers at him. "Oh, give me a break," you muttered under your breath.

Karma noticed your sour expression and leaned closer, his smirk widening. "Jealous, are we?"

"Jealous? Of you? Please," you scoffed, even though the truth was written all over your face.

"Don't worry," he said, patting your head condescendingly. "With my stats and your... uh, Luck, we'll balance each other out. Teamwork makes the dream work, right?"

You slapped his hand away. "I don't need you to carry me!"

Meanwhile, Yada cleared her throat, clearly trying to remain professional despite the chaos. "Your stats are remarkable, Karma. With numbers like these, you're qualified to choose nearly any class you like."

"Hear that?" Karma said smugly, glancing around the room as if expecting a standing ovation. "I'm what they call a natural-born legend." A bin cap falls on his head.

"Don't let it go to your head," you muttered, trying to shrink under the weight of everyone's stares.

Despite your best efforts to ignore him, Karma's smug aura was impossible to escape. The tavern continued to buzz with murmurs, and you couldn't help but feel like your thunder had been thoroughly stolen.

"Let's go," you snapped, grabbing his arm and dragging him away from the counter.

"Aw, don't be so grumpy," Karma teased, leaning down to whisper in your ear. "I'll make sure to save you a spot in my shadow when I become the greatest hero in this world." a bin cap drops on his head.

"You're insufferable," you muttered.

This dick stole my thunder.

With that, Karma had decided to be an Advanced Arch-priest while you were a lower class adventurer.

❤️

Work

The days had blended into a monotonous cycle of hard labor. Both of you had taken up jobs as day laborers—menial work, but it kept you afloat. Dressed in white loose tank tops and scruffy trousers, Karma painted buildings with a nonchalant ease while you stacked bricks in the scorching sun. His exposed arms were well toned along with parts of his semi-exposed skin. The tank top he wore further accentuated his toned body, which you couldn't help but admire.

You worked alongside large, muscular men whose skin glistened with sweat. Their loud laughs echoed through the site, but they barely noticed you, too busy with their own tasks. Karma, however, seemed to revel in the absurdity of it all, humming obnoxiously as he painted, occasionally flicking paint at you when he thought you weren't looking.

Cleansing

After grueling work, the public hot tub was a luxury you couldn't resist. Despite the expense, soaking in the steaming water felt like heaven. You relished the warmth enveloping your sore muscles, letting the day's grime melt away.

Karma had finished his bath earlier and was waiting for you, outside, grumbling about the cost and how he'd rather spend the money on food. Meanwhile, you stayed a little longer, savoring the rare moment of peace.

Tavern

Evenings were for indulgence. You both splurged on hearty meals: steak, roasted chicken, fresh bread, and savory sides you couldn't name but devoured anyway. The highlight, however, was the tavern's famous drink, Bubbly.

Karma, ever the connoisseur of trouble, developed a dangerous obsession with the fizzy, intoxicating brew. "This is the nectar of the gods," he declared, slamming his mug down as the room erupted into laughter.

The night often ended with both of you tipsy, surrounded by other adventurers swapping exaggerated tales of glory and danger. For a brief moment, you felt like you belonged—until the reality of your situation hit again.

Nighttime

The harsh truth was waiting for you in the cold stable you called home. With only two thin blankets—one to shield the hay beneath you, the other to keep you warm—you tried to find comfort in a place that reeked of manure. Every so often, you'd wake to find it disturbingly close to your face, reminding you just how far from luxury you were.

This cycle continued for days until one night, you woke up in the middle of the night, groaning in frustration.

"Ughhhhhh, this sucks," you whined, sitting up and rubbing your temples.

Karma stirred beside you, his voice groggy. "What? Do you need to pee?"

You shot him a glare in the dim light. "There's no toilet, Karma. Or did you forget we're dirt poor and sleeping in a stable?"

He chuckled, resting his head on his hand, staring at you with his half lidded eyes and his signature smirk. "Just pee outside. What, you scared of the dark? Need me to come with?"

"I'm not scared of the dark! And I don't need to pee!" You screamed, drawing a muffled groan from one of the other stables.

Karma smirked. "Then what's the problem?"

You clenched your fists. "The problem is, I didn't come here to stack bricks and make pennies. I came here to be an adventurer. I want to be rich!"

"Right." Karma yawned and stretched. "Well, sweetheart, that involves fighting monsters, and with my crappy Luck and your incredibly low stats, we'd get annihilated in five minutes. You're dreaming if you think we're surviving that."

"THATS BECAUSE WE'RE STUCK IN THE SAFEST PART OF THE TOWN!" you shot back. "WE CANT JUDT SIT HERE FOREVER. I REFUSE TO WASTE ANOTHER DAY WAKING UP TO LITERAL SHIT NEAR MY FACE! AND ARENT YOU LIKE A GOD? YOU'RE LIKE INSANELY POWERFUL!! YOU CAN FIGHT ALL THE MONSTERS THAT COME OUR WAY?"

One of your neighbors shouted, "WILL YOU TWO SHUT UP?!"

"Sorry!" you yelled back, shrinking under the blanket.

Karma sighed and lay back down, facing you. "If you're dead set on it, fine. Tomorrow, we'll try this adventuring thing. Just don't get yourself killed."

You locked eyes with him in the dark. "We're not just going to try. We're going to do it. I'm not living like this anymore."

Karma rolled his eyes but smirked. "Alright, boss. Let's see what you've got."

And with that, the two of you drifted back to sleep, ready to face the next chapter of your journey.

❤️

You and Karma had ventured into the open fields for your first-ever quest as adventurers. The task was simple or so you thought: kill five toads. Completing it would earn you 20 experience points, level you up, and reward you with 300 Yuumas. (Yuumas was the currency of this world.)

Killing toads was considered the easiest quest for experienced adventurers. After all, they had low health points, were too focused on eating their prey to notice much else, and actively avoided armored adventurers since they were too heavy to carry.

But that was for experienced adventurers. For you and Karma, it was pure hell.

Armed with nothing but a tiny dagger, you had little hope of surviving. And Karma? Forget him. He had arrogantly refused a weapon, claiming, "A god as powerful as me doesn't need such mortal trinkets."

Yeah, useless.

The disaster began almost immediately.

"AHHHHHHH! KARMA, SAVE ME!" you screeched, sprinting across the field as a gigantic toad bounded after you, its slimy tongue flicking inches from your back.

Behind you, Karma was doubled over, clutching his stomach as he laughed hysterically.

"Pfft—HAHAHA! Look at you! A red-faced, desperate, screaming mess! This is priceless!" he cackled, his voice dripping with sadistic glee.

"KARMA! HELP ME!" you wailed, tears streaming down your cheeks as you ran for your life.

He smirked, clearly savoring your misery. "Well, that depends. Are you ready to grovel? Say, 'Oh, my handsome, righteous god—'"

"OH, MY HANDSOME, RIGHTEOUS GOD, PLEASE HELP ME!" you interrupted, desperation overriding your pride.

I'm going to BURY him after this.

Karma grinned. "Good start. Now, promise to worship me, pray to me three times a day, think about me constantly, sing my praises—"

Before he could finish, a slimy tongue whipped around his torso and yanked him backward.

"What the—?" His smugness evaporated as the toad opened its massive jaws and gulped him whole.

The toad that had been chasing you suddenly forgot about you, now busy with its new meal. You froze, screaming, "KARMA! DON'T YOU DARE GET SWALLOWED!"

Fueled by a mix of terror and fury, you lunged at the frog, dagger in hand. With one swift slice, you tore through its slimy flesh.

❤️

Karma sat on the grass, coughing and spitting out mucus. After that, he puked. It wasn't normal puke, it had a rainbow like colour and it didn't smell of anything. From head to toe, he was drenched in the toad's white, gooey slime. The stench was so unbearable that even the air around him seemed offended.

He wiped his face, avoiding your gaze. "Thanks," he muttered, humiliated.

"No problem," you replied.

Silence stretched between you as Karma simmered in his embarrassment. But his anger soon bubbled over.

"That's IT!" he snarled, leaping to his feet. He charged at another toad with reckless abandon, his fist glowing faintly with a yellow aura.

"KARMA, WAIT—DON'T GO!" you shouted, panic rising.

He ignored you, yelling like a lunatic. "THIS is what happens when you defile a god!" His fist connected with the frog, sending a powerful shockwave that stripped its slimy skin clean off.

You stared, stunned. "What the—how did you—?"

Karma smirked smugly, basking in his own glory. "Told you I didn't need a weapon. Who's the useless one now, huh?"

But before he could continue gloating, a chorus of ribbits sounded around him. Four massive toads emerged from the shadows, their tongues lashing out mercilessly, wrapping him up like a mummy.

"W-WAIT! NOT AGAIN!" Karma yelped, flailing as he was tossed around like a rag doll.

Groaning, you charged in with your dagger, slicing through the swarm of frogs to rescue him—again.

"Forget the stupid mission. Let's head back to the tavern. We'll figure things out." you say. He nods in agreement but first things first, he needs to take a shower.

❤️

Back at the tavern, you slumped at the table while Karma devoured yet another serving of roasted frog legs, a smug grin plastered across his face.

"We need allies if we want any chance at defeating the Demon King," you said, frustration lacing your tone.

Karma nodded between bites. "Exactly. That’s why we’ll form a party. Don’t worry—I know just what to do."

You didn’t like the confidence in his voice.

🕒

Hours later, Karma triumphantly pinned up a freshly written poster on the town’s central board.

🕛

Four days passed, and the two of you were back in the tavern, staring at the same untouched poster.

"Ugh, why isn’t anyone joining?" Karma groaned, slouching over the table.

You crossed your arms, glaring at him. "Gee, I don’t know, maybe because YOU MADE IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR ANYONE TO QUALIFY?"

"What are you talking about?" he asked, genuinely puzzled.

You pointed to the poster. "'Only the ELITE of each individual class need apply—no mediocres or low-class adventurers allowed.' Karma, this town is literally full of beginner and low-class adventurers!"

Karma scoffed. "Well, excuse me for wanting quality over quantity. We need the best if we’re going to take down the Demon King. A bunch of amateurs won’t do."

You rolled your eyes. "Look, with you already being an advanced Arch Priest, we don’t need a team full of elites. Besides, being surrounded by overpowered adventurers would just make me feel like a loser."

Karma replied with a straight face. "But you are a loser."

Kill yourself

Before you could retort, the sound of approaching footsteps cut through the air. They grew louder, stopping just behind Karma. He immediately stiffened and turned around. You followed his gaze.

Standing there was a blue-haired boy with a soft but confident presence. His cloak was modest, and his staff had a practical design—clearly well-used but carefully maintained. He wore a black wizard hat.

"Excuse me," he said politely, his voice calm and measured, "are you still looking for party members?"

Both you and Karma stared, blinking in surprise, before nodding slowly.

The boy cleared his throat, preparing himself for a dramatic introduction. "I am Nagisa Shiota, an advanced upper class mage and I want to join your team!"

--------

If you want to read the full story, find it on Quotev. It's called Eternal

Link:

[iris-sistibly]

The Targ Talk: House of the Dragon S2

Episode 2 commentary:

I have to say, this is by far the best performance I have seen from the cast members! Everyone was so good, I was blown away by their acting. The actors have gotten so much better in season 1, looking forward for more of these in the next episodes.

Aegon is distraught, angry, and broken understandably because he lost his own son, him declaring war against the blacks was a bit late though because it has already begun the moment Otto and Alicent usurped Rhaenyra's throne. Again, Aegon is just a pawn in this game, and that the children--his and Rhaenyra's are the collateral damages. I do like that part of him of still trying to protect Jaehaerys even in death (him not wanting to parade his dead son's body), and his guts to remove Otto as hand. I'm not exactly sure however if Aegon resents Helaena or if the reason why he ignored her was that he couldn't face her after failing to protect her and the babies. I mean, when he went berserk and started accusing and questioning everyone else, but perhaps deep inside he too felt guilty because he was drinking his ass off that night. Maybe a bit of both? But my delulu self is leaning towards the latter just because I have read too many Helaegon fanfics. Too many.

I must say though that it was incredibly stupid to choose Crispy Cole as the new hand. This motherfucker doesn't give a shit about anything else other than killing Rhaenyra for killing his ego...I mean, can this dude get any more pathetic? He has the audacity to call out Ser Arryk for his filthy cloak and lecture him about all these bullshit that I didn't even listen to (at least not that much), yet he's way filthier than the whores of the brothels. But, y'all should seriously stop posting hate comments on Fabien's ig.

I cannot stand Otto's bullshits this episode. Upon Lucerys' death, I'm guessing that the commonfolk probably felt bad for Nyra and to make sure that they earn their sympathy, he took the opportunity to make Rhaenyra look like a murderer, and by forcing a funeral procession, let everyone see Jaehaerys' dead body despite his parents' disapproval thus gaining support from the public. He doesn't care about the boy, or any of his family members really.

The confrontation scene between Daemon and Rhaenyra was intense. Love every bit of Matt and Emma's performances, in the book it states that they were targeting Aegon (some say), but the dude had kingsguards with him wherever he goes, so Blood and Cheese went for the "easier target" aka Helaena and her three young children. Daemon wanted to inflict the worst pain to the Greens in retaliation, but I don't think Rhaenyra ever confronted her husband with the death of Jaehaerys because she was blinded by her grief and anger (so did Aegon).

I still refuse to believe that it wasn't Aemond's intention to kill Luke. All those years of pent up anger just exploded, oh and he was never bullied by the Velaryon/Strong brothers in the book, Alicent's boys resented their nephews because they stole what they believed was their birthright, the iron throne. Hence they have always been rivals, and Aemond has always hated the boys even before this chaos began. Aegon even praised Aemond for what he did to Luke.

Ser Erryk being loyal to Rhaenyra until the end 😭

Helaena is grieving for her son's death, and Alicent is more concerned about her getting caught by the former banging her bodyguard. Then she sees Aegon being miserable, and she feels bad for him but she needs some Crispy Creme that night so she just let her kids mourn on their own (I mean I know hugging isn't really a thing in their family, but at least be there you know). She also feels bad and guilty for what happened but, she has other ✨priorities✨.

Hoping for more Jacaela moments [at least] before Jace dies, I wish they also showed more of Rhaena grieving for Luke. Also, it's about time they introduce Daeron Targaryen.

I missed seeing Seasmoke, in contrast with the book, Laenor didn't actually die so some are speculating that he might return this season. What do you think?

Oh, and hello to Alyn and Addam of Hull ❤️❤️

[aveline-amelia]

This might get me cancelled, but idc, so...

Fanfiction is supposed to be transgressive. It is supposed to be about looking at something and saying "I could go somewhere interesting with that", "That was stupid, I could fix that", "I can make that better", "I can make that happen", "I can make them fall in love", "I can make them happy".

It's why one of my fandoms had about 30% more works shipping the main character with her (male) best friend as opposed to the guy she marries in the show. People looked at it and said "That isn't right. This is better". So they made it themselves.

But guess what? Shipping her or just liking her more with her love interest was still more popular amongst more casual audiences. And the fanon shippers were surprised by this!

It's why I am baffled by the things I see stated online.

People thinking that there being more fanfiction about a particular ship means more people ship it, as if one fan writes a fic each and then leaves and as if there are no people who ship it and just don't write fic? Because they are not writers?

People being surprised that main characters are shipped with other main characters more as opposed to a character that appears in one episode.

People being surprised that people can believe a character is straight in canon and still enjoy fanon slash ships where he's shipped with other men.

Of course there will always be more M/M works than M/F works. We have enough heterosexuality in media already and as for F/F, while queer women do write F/F fanfic, there aren't that many queer women in the world statistically as opposed to straight women and even if fandom has a larger number of queer women than average, queer women write M/M works too.

You can believe this is Problematic, but guess what, back then, we were all freaks and weirdos. People would share links on obscure websites because they were scared of being sued. Professional writers would purge all their fanfiction and pray to god no one ever finds out. And if you wrote gay fanfiction? Good luck being taken seriously anywhere.

We went from "ship and let ship" and "don't like don't read" to "supporting this platonic surrogate father-son bond makes you a bigot because the father figure once made an ignorant comment" and "it's problematic to ship the hero with the villain because the hero is scared of him".

Fandom stopped being about Liking and Enjoying things and started being about Fighting People and Proving You're Right and Your Ship is Better. Because if you don't become canon, if you don't Win, what is even the point?

Of course it will be like that, when you tell people shipping something is Activism and not shipping something makes them a Bad Person and shipping something you morally disagree with makes them a Bad Person and more importantly makes you a Good Person for fighting the important battle of stopping people from imagining two imaginary people kissing in their heads.

Shipping is a feeling. Sometimes it's "I ship this, hehehe." Sometimes its "Oh no, I ship this and I wish I didn't." Sometimes it's "I wish I shipped this but I can't." It's supposed to be fun and not a form of mental torture.

It's not a choice. It's not writing fanfiction or making fanart, that comes later, but it's not even a requirement. You can write fanfiction for something you don't even ship! You can write fanfiction for shows you didn't even watch!

And shipping something doesn't make you Better or Worse.

Ship shaming doesn't stop people from shipping something, it only has the potential to make them feel worse for something they, for the most part, can't control. And when the person in question is a literal teenager who also self-harms, it certainly has no potential to do anyone any good.

And it's why when the proshippers see a person like that, a person like them, they welcome them in. "You're with us now. It's your ship. Own it. Come join us." Because they have experienced the same thing and they know they would want someone to stand up for them, too. They won't let you feel as if you're alone. Because you're not and you never will be. You have a community, you just need to look for it and find it.

It's what made me realize that the antis were the bullies. Also, the antis were a bunch of teenagers too, who thought they were doing important activism by yelling at people in caps lock.

So get off your high horse. It's not that serious. Stop talking about it like it's life or death and maybe you will feel better.

It worked for me.

I want the same for you.

And I swear, if someone here starts with "But what about-" No. Let me stop you right there.

[lavenderwhirls]

Winner Chapter 1

(No, Dr. Keh doesn't know the ovenist's name)

__________________

Dr. Keh ___________________

There was a lot of things Dr. Keh shouldn't have done that day. He shouldn't have driven his sister to a party at 1 AM while suffering from four hours of sleep and a headache. He shouldn't have gone to get one of those terrible at best pizzas (he was hungry) and he shouldn't have eavesdropped. He also shouldn't have gotten riled up, especially considering how tired he was.

Memories of getting upset at the wrong person. His name dragged through the mud, and his sister's too. Calm. Go back to the table and eat this garbage pizza and pretend you never heard anything-

And then the pretty girl-the new ovenist in town-started joining in on the conversation and Dr. Keh's resolve to keep quiet died. Everyone backed away when he approached except the new girl and one of her friends-who was trying to get the pretty girl to leave. The pretty girl ignored her friend.

"You don't know what you're talking about, especially when it comes to making pizzas" was a horrible opening, especially from one ovenist to another-of course she knew what she was talking about, she made her own pizzas-but Dr. Keh used it anyway.

The pretty girl was willing to fight back, and there was something in Dr. Keh that welcomed the challenge. He must be more tired than he realized.

"What in the world are you talking about? I own my own pizza restaurant, buttface." The pretty girl said.

"Pfft. Everyone in this pizza-obsessed does. Them, their friend, their grandmother. That doesn't mean they know what they're doing." Dr. Keh said. Which is true, for the most part. He's only exaggerating slightly.

"What's your criteria, then?" The pretty girl asked. There's a light in her eyes, like she wants to know so she can say she already fits the criteria.

Dr. Keh doesn't want to let her fit it, doesn't want her to have this victory. So he talks about fame and trophies-which he has plenty of. And she doesn't.

"Your criteria is stupid." The pretty girl says.

This girl was testing his patience. Thankfully, however, she'd also given him a great opportunity for a clever comeback.

"You're just jealous." Dr. Keh smirks.

"Jealous! Why'd I be jealous of you?" There's something in the pretty girl's tone that implies that she thinks it's utterly ludicrous to be jealous of him, and Dr. Keh doesn't know how it makes him feel.

Before he knows it he's ranting, about all the competitions he's won and his experience and-

The pretty girl looks bored.

"Oh, shut up and go to the questionare competition with me." The pretty girl interrupts.

"What?" Dr. Keh hadn't expected that response.

"Prove that you're as skilled as you claim. You've spent a whole ten minutes talking about all the competitions you've won-surely it'd be easy to beat me in a game of pizza questionare."

Dr. Keh did a double take.

It'd been years since anyone played pizza questionare with him. Or even wanted to. His sister would play with him, sometimes, but it wasn't something she enjoyed and he'd always had to bribe her.

It almost felt like dream come true, having someone willingly challenge him-

The pretty girl's friends had pulled her aside (Dr. Keh could still hear them fine, though) and were trying to convince her not to play with him, because he always won. No point in playing.

Guess he wasn't going to play, then. But then the pretty girl was pushing her friends away and demanding an answer. Would he play pizza questionare with her? "Yes."

Looks like it wasn't a mistake to come to the party this time. (Author's note: Pizza questionare is a game I made up for the sake of the fanfic. It's only played at the place where Dr. Keh and the ovenist currently are at. The rules are that each person answers a question about pizza. First person who can't answer the question is out).

(Alani is the person in charge of the pizza questionare)

------------

Time skip-the ovenist and Dr. Keh have signed up for the pizza questionare

-------------

It'd been a long while since Dr. Keh had played Pizza questionare, yet clearly Alani still remembered the competitions he'd been in. She'd looked exhausted.

She'd also started immediately with the really hard questions, instead of doing the easy ones. Dr. Keh knew she did that so his competitor would answer wrong early so Alani didn't have to keep the competition going for a long time.

Surprisingly, the pretty girl hadn't looked phased, even when Alani started asking questions from exclusive rare pizza books. And the pretty girl just kept on answering the questions correctly. Each and every single one.

It was rare that Dr. Keh ever played against someone this good. It was invigorating, having to strain to remember the answer to the next question. Remembering pieces of trivia he'd never used.

It wasn't supposed to feel this good. He loved pizza questionare, but the fun was knowing he'd crush his opponent easily. The one time it'd been a challenge it'd been stressful, and that person had been in the business for years, unlike the pretty girl-

Dr. Keh couldn't loose to an ovenist who'd been in the business for two months. He couldn't. The pretty girl answered another question correctly with a bored look on her face.

Suddenly the fun was gone.

Alani looked more and more miserable the longer the competition went on. Eventually her face twisted up, and she asked the most ludicrous question Dr. Keh had ever heard. What happened to poop if someone ate a radioactive pizza with fungus on it? What kind of question was that?

Dr. Keh didn't know the answer, and he'd expected the pretty girl to not know it either. But then the pretty girl started talking-Dr. Keh admired her ability to tell several long stories about poop with a straight face. Alani was still for a few seconds. Then she said 'correct' and started all but throwing the trophy at the pretty girl.

He'd lost. He'd lost pizza questionare. Dr. Keh was more surprised at the fact that he lost because of a question about radioactive poop of all things than the fact that he lost.

Is it worth it to start studying poop just so he can win next time? No.

Dr. Keh really should do something other than stare, or say something to the pretty girl who was the first one to beat him. But then Alani started kicking them both out of the store, saying it was closing time.

Dr. Keh was positive that Alani was just trying to not deal with another competition, and was surprised to see that it actually was 6 AM.

Dr. Keh heard a voice behind him-his sister, asking him to drive. The fact that Dr Keh hadn't slept for over 24 hours suddenly him and he demanded that his sister drive instead.

____________________

It's only after Dr. Keh has slept for a few hours that a few facts really hit him.

(A) he'd lost pizza questionare for the first time

(B) he'd lost to an ovenist who was open for only two months

(C) the pretty girl had an accent from his former hometown, Winner City.

The final question😭

[beanghostprincess]

I think the reason people ignore Usopp is because he is unconventionally looking (like you said) but also just because he is black. You can see that in a lot of fandoms. People think of the worst excuses to justify not having to ship or think about certain characters. Their favorite one is the „token straight“ excuse. Fandoms will say „Oh this character is straight and I don’t really care about straight ships“ or they’ll use a canon love interest as a shield and say „But this character is already together with someone, you could never break them up!“ (they pretend to like that ship but will only talk about it when they see other ships with that character).

For Usopp it’s Kaya. People use her to claim Usopp is straight and in a relationship, but when has that stopped shippers before?

I actually like Usopp and Kaya together but it’s the best example I could think of. It just annoys me that Usopp has a great dynamic with almost all of the strawhats but is pushed into the little brother/bestfriend role when better looking characters would have hundreds of fanfics written about them.

(Sorry if this is incoherent, I just wanted to know your thoughts but you can ignore this if you want)

I agree wholeheartedly with you. I wrote this post a few minutes ago about this in case you're interested:

And yeah, I agree that a big part of the reason why he's underrated is because he's black. And the whole thing about him and Kaya is so stupid because, as you said, that has never stopped people before. They just use it as an excuse.

[madame-fear]

Amira! i'm so sorry to hear about the anon hate you received, they can go fuck themselves and their stupid worthless life!! 🫂 This also reminded me that i saw someone that had copied one of your fics and had a very similar format/style to it and at the moment i didn't realise it reminded me of one of your fics until now, but if i find it i'll tell you. Again, please take care of yourself and ignore all the hate comments, you deserve the best and i hope ure okay🙏😿

~ 🎃 spice anon

Hellooooo Pumpkin nonnie! Thank you so so much for all your kind words and message, seriously 🥺💗

I'm luckily alright! It really doesn't affect me all those hateful anons, but I think they should be less cowards and tell me all they think about me without being on anonymous mode, no? 😅

Anyways, thank you for telling me about the copying fanfic thing. I wasn't really aware though I am only aware about some plagiarism issues that has been lately going on! Unfortunately these people lack creativity. 😩🔫 I will try to find it myself but if you find it beforehand I'll be grateful if you sent it to me!

Once again: Thank you thank you thank youuu for all the sweet things you guys wish to me, I'm trult happy to have you be all part of my community 🫂🥰💕💕💖💖💕💕💟💗💝💞💕

[highschoolgirl-diaries]

thursday 27 feb 2025

dear diary,

i feel like i have fake friends.

a bit of background story to help you understand: for the past few weeks avocado has left us for ping pong. PING PONG! how could he leave us, his best friends for a stupid ball game? i forgot to mention, sunflower likes avocado. she's liked him for a while now. maybe since july last year? whenever avocado leaves us for ping pong, sunflower complains to me, shark and peppermint about how much she misses him so to avoid the daily rant, peppermint and i always try to get avocado to sit with us at breaks.

today, sunflower stopped sitting with shark, peppermint, and our other friends at breaktimes.

i felt like i did something wrong. but honestly i always feel like that whenever someone distances themselves away from me.

anyways, sunflower told me that she'd only sit somewhere else if avocado was there since she felt that avocado was ignoring her and she wanted to test if he'd notice her distance and talk to her again.

i think it's pretty dumb, since we just started highschool this year and dont they say "make the most of your highschool years!" or "make memories!" or some bs? sunflower always does this to herself, she always tests avocado to see if he truly cares (since he just thinks they're besties) its lowk giving angst fanfics

so today after morning tea, we had 3rd period - fashion class. my personal favourite!

when i went to put my bag away, i saw sunflower with coconut, and she looked like she had just been crying. i asked what happened and coconut told me that sunflower's friend saw avocado and his girl bsf hugging. although every time she rants to me about avocado's girl bsf who we'll call pepperoni i just say "she's his friend, they have no romantic means with eachother", i immediately felt bad for her. i hugged her, hoping she'd feel better.

we went into fashion and we stood up for the opening orientation for class. we were just talking, since our teacher hadn't arrived yet. peppermint was laughing a bit, since he laughs at everything in every situation. i told him it wasnt funny but sunflower didn't hear me. she said "this is exactly why i don't want to sit with you guys anymore". i went quiet. i knew i had done something wrong. then, the annoyiny boy named lego came along and decided to go "what's wrong with her?" like an idiot. if he couldnt tell, she was upset. i got mad at him (the apple doesnt fall far from the tree) and i snapped. sure, sunflower was mad at me but i wasnt going to let that little piece of bs bother her especially in this mood. i immediately went "can you not? you cant tell that she's not feeling your bs right now?" luckily, i got him to shut that blabbering mouth of his. for the rest of the lesson, the only thing on my mind was overthinking what i had done. i didn't even watch the video on sewing machines, which is my favourite part of fashion class :( when we had to get into pairs to practice sewing again, i knew sunflower probably didnt want to be with me so i waited for her to pair up with coconut then i went with one of my friends who we will call tennisball.

in 4th period, we had maths. i hate maths, and i hated it especially today, since i sit with sunflower and peppermint. usually if i was in a fight with someone (and in this case i thought i was), i would give them time to calm down and not talk to me. that's why i didnt want to sit beside them. however, sunflower was talking to me like her normal self. i was confused, but i went with it. she explained that she doesnt want to sit there because it's noisy due to all the new kids sitting in the area we hang out. i knew there was something deeper to it, but i decided not to go there and just enjoy that she wasn't actually angry at me.

but that's not it about my fake friend theory.

at lunch, i decided to tell my friend who glasses was. this friend is a year younger than me. her name on here will be kitty she's had maybe 2 crushes in the time i've known her and i never judged her. once again, i was shy and anxious to tell her. she promised she wouldnt judge. when i told her, her jaw literally dropped to the floor. she told me she was shocked and disappointed in me. i told her i had liked him since 2021 and she just got more grossed out. i was sad since i had supported her even in the times she was in the wrong and this is how she repays me? she literally. promised. PROMISED! she promised she wouldnt judge. oh my actual goodness. i couldnt believe her.

the world absolutely LOVES me because in that moment that i was making a really contained rage sound at her, glasses came walking by. when i saw him, i walked away and she followed me. she asked "is that him?" and i went "yeah" and she face-palmed her mouth and walked away. i literally was about to lose my cool at the end, i gave her some of my cookie but she's still shocked. tomorrow i plan on bringing it up and telling her that her reaction was why i was scared to tell her so maybe she'll be supportive of me for once?

she really is a nice girl but i just hope she can be more understanding.

sending hugs and kisses,

julia <3

[kimdokjaslefttoe]

Tea vs Coffee | Southsdale (≧▽≦)

Part I, Chapter 1

“You again? You old lump of fossil. You’re so lazy, you just give them random youtube videos to watch and call them ‘audiovisual treats’. That was MY thing I’ll have you know.” Mr Paul was bickering with the Latin teacher- Mr Richard- once again. The whole school was aware of their drama with each other, and so it was common to see them fight rather than not. The children chatted amongst themselves when Mr Richard had to ‘finish off this useless argument’ over the A.C controller outside with Mr. Paul.

“Paul.. You have to stop acting like you’re the boss of me. It’s absolutely infuriating.” Richard glowered at Paul. Paul smiled aloofly back at him. “You’re so easy to rile up. It’s quite amusing to watch really.”

Ugh. There he goes again with his stupid accent and his stupid glasses and his stupid grin and his stupid suit and the stupid way his eyes crinkled up at the corner and sparkled with radiance whenever he’s around him. Richard really can’t stand him! 

“Just stop it, I got a class to teach-” Paul’s eyebrows raised at that and Richard could’ve sworn he muttered something along the lines of “It’s not like you teach them anyways’ and ‘what teaching?’ but Richard decided to ignore that for his own wellbeing. 

“Wait.” Paul said firmly, and grabbed his sleeves.

“What?” Richard tutted and put on an annoyed expression. 

“I.. I..” Paul seemed to have caught something in his throat. “Nevermind, Mr L. I shall tell you at a later time.”

Crazy old man, Richard mumbled (despite them being only a few months apart in age) and entered the classroom. But really, if he hadn’t known it was a school classroom, Richard would’ve mistook it for a wildlife habitat exhibition. Papers were being thrown everywhere, children daring each other to touch the molding banana in the corner, and someone’s shoe was about to get thrown out of the window.

Richard did not get paid enough for this.

In front of the school, Paul leaned against the bicycle shed as he crossed his arms; he checked his watch once, twice, thrice. Then looked around the campus as if he was committing a crime. Richard had been watching him through the window upstairs, and he was eager to avoid him; why was he thinking about Paul again?! Richard shook his head. He hated this odd feeling in his chest whenever he encountered the man, and he definitely didn’t want to imagine what it could possibly be. Just as Richard exited the building, Paul grabbed his arm and pulled him aside.

“Argh, you silly man! What are you doing?!” Richard exclaimed, taken aback. He tried to free himself from Paul’s grasp, but he was too strong. Couldn’t tell from the way he’s built, Richard snickered in his head, before realising the situation he was in. Just why is he so strong?!

“Richard, I-”

He was cut off as Richard finally managed to writhe away from his iron grip and ran off with his work bag hitting against his back as he ran. “Richard, wait!” Paul’s voice was tight and high-pitched. This would’ve been obvious to Richard, who spends more time with him than his own wife, had he not been sprinting away from said man. 

“Go away Paul!” he shoved him hard on the chest. “I’ve had enough of this tomfoolery!”

Paul opened his mouth as if to reply, but all of a sudden, a truck sped right into him. Richard could only stare in horror at what he had done as Paul’s warm blood pooled beneath his shoes. 

“W-wait. Paul… Y-you can’t just leave me like this!” Richard kneeled on the ground. He stared with wide eyes at Paul’s dying face. This couldn’t be real! What kind of crappy, cliché plot was this!? And it had to be truck-kun as well. This almost feels like a shitty fanfic written by a 13 year old girl. But no matter, his best friend was dying and he was thinking about some unhinged webnovels. 

“Paul, c-can you hear me?” Richard couldn’t keep his voice from trembling as he held Paul’s head in his hands.

“H-hey. Just… don’t cry. I-I’ll be fine.” Salty tears dripped onto Paul’s face. The ground was shaking and someone couldn’t stop sobbing and Richard just wished they would stop and. Oh wait. That’s just him.

“You’re such a silly man, Mr S. U-ugh.” Paul grabbed the sides of his face with his blood stained hands. 

“I-I love you.”

And so, as soon as these words leave Paul’s lips, his eyes, so dazzling and bright before, fell empty and lifeless. Richard knew he was dead; he could feel it too - his pulse gone and motionless. Yet, he still cradled Paul into his arms and weep silently into Paul’s cold shoulder.

***

Richard could not sleep later that night.

Paul’s mangled body haunted his vision as he gulped down the cool water his wife begrudgingly handed him; it felt as if his brain hadn’t caught up to time yet and Richard was so far, far away, detached from everyone else. He didn’t look at the report; he didn’t need to. Paul’s dead. And it was all his fault. 

Richard gazed into the mirror in the sterile hospital bathroom. The reflection showed him a middle-aged man with a disheveled head in a Boris-Johnson style. This wasn’t him. Because the reflection also showed a murderer. This wasn’t him. This isn’t his face. These aren’t his eyes. But then who is he, if not a murderer? Richard L has slaughtered a man. And for the first time in his life, he didn’t know what to do without his best friend.

***

At night, Richard laid conflicted in his bed. He’d never imagined a life without Paul. Next morning, he wouldn’t be able to walk with Paul to work anymore. He wouldn’t be able to race him on their scooters anymore. Or play the games they had made since childhood. Or watch Death Note with Richard’s complete DVD collector’s edition at his house. It was as if a dark, dark hole was swallowing him up, and there was no escape…

***

“C’mon sleepy Richard, wakey wakey~”

When Richard opened his eyes, Paul was there. 

Except… he was a lot younger.

A LOT younger.

DId Richard just travel back in time?!!

Thank you for reading the first chapter of my new fic~  ( ╹▽╹ )人

[toonlegion]

I don't always agree with Nerdrotic, he can tend to just hate things instantly but I have been monitoring how works in Hollywood are going lately and this pretty much tracks from following reports I've heard. This D.E.I mess is getting out of hand. It should be a choice to include diversity in your works, not an obligation, and you sure as heck shouldn't be hired just based solely on your skin color, gender and sexuality.

Yes it nice you wanna give others a fair shake, but extremely unwise to shun writers with plenty of experience with people who've yet to prove themselves. Theres a reason writers use a round-robin system for this. Plus like Tyrone said, this is feeling very smothering to boot. In fact, I told a friend of mine it reminded me of that old South Park ep with Nurse Gollum where the town tried to celebrate her, but got the point of being very uncomfortable with it since they keep focusing on the dead fetus on her head that she eventually told them off when she couldn't take it anymore. This feels very similar but on a larger scale. Wanting to be sympathetic but eventually going overboard. Goes without saying, but people want to be entertained, not lectured.

And these practices feel so...cartoony it 's hard to believe. I legit fell ill at the part of "not reading the source material to make something for modern audiences". Okay just ALL THE NO on that. I don't mind a different interpretation but you do your work a disservice by not at least getting a grasp on what the story or how a character should be portrayed, if nothing else to at least give you a general idea TO make it your own. Yes going blind can work sometime, but that's a very narrow 50/50 chance. Heck I want to do a version of Dracula down the line for a comic that'll be different from the source material. It'll make some changes, but it'll still respect what came before and use what was written to expand on certain things. The main reason being graphic novels have done the comic justice so that can afford a different interpretation. But otherwise the story will still be similar AND respectful to the source. And I will have the novel on hand to help that along the way.

From what I'm hearing these idiots act all proud became "Oh it was my version and not what came before". People would KILL for the chance to do a film or TV adaptation of certain works and these people are squandering it for fanfic versions of these stories without even knowing the full context when they could make timeless definitive versions. Hey fun fact, did you know the director of the second Star Trek movie didn't know a thing about the franchise going in? You know what he did, WATCHED THE SERIES OVER A WEEKEND TO GET AN IDEA FOR THE CHARACTERS! And what happened? One of the best Star Trek films in the franchise. So no that is nothing to be proud of, its just laziness.

And then there's this "Male and Pale is Stale" creed. I was taught to just make good characters in general regardless of gender. But this is what they're peddling to potential writers these days (at the time of this writing)? Why? No one was oppressing anyone up to this point concerning that, if anything it's healthy to have variety on both genders (hell even moreso with non-binaries) take the lead. But these social media nuts (particularly around Twitter) decided we need more of an influx of females and ethnicities all of a sudden? Also ignoring that many people are still white skin regardless of nationality making that ceed extra stupid. I don't get it, we had a good thing before that was balanced and focused with your own choice how the character should be, now it just this messy blob of forced templates that can't tell its left from its right and the stories and characters suffer because of it. It's just frustrating to view.

Again I'm not against diversity but I'm not foreign to it either, I grew up on plenty of shows that had it and did it in a much more tactful and graceful way that was by the creator design, not forced, and were still very entertaining. That era had plenty of fairness to it, so I don't know why that same curtesy can't be used for today. If it's to right some slight in the past, then sure but there's the saying "Two wrongs don't make a right". From where I'm seeing in this current age, the so called "oppressed" have become the the oppressors themselves and don't even realize it and media is suffering for it. And as a creative myself who would love to get his work to that mainstream someday, that's just disappointing to see.

[chillenby]

Okay. I'll try to explain it as best as I can without spoiling it and while covering everything you might need to now. (If you want me to explain everything else in detail just ask, I'll be more then happy to do so, but I certainly recomend for you to watch or play the game because it's great and has amazing retro graphics and soundtrack)

Since it's a bit longer post I'll just title the segment so that you can skip if you're not interested in something

Intro

It's a psychological horror with darker themes. Rape, murder, suicide and even canibalism. It's a game you can purchise on steam for like 12 bucks or watch a playthrough on youtube (most of them are about 2 hours).

It's about a crew in space. That's all I can say without spoiling it too much. It has a pot of metaphoric meanings and delves into a lot of different deeper topics (which is great if you're into more phylosophic type things and it can cause you to think about it a lot, from their catchy lines to just it over all) and they have a few characters that are very well written and really human.

Daisuke

For characters, Daisuke is the fan favorite, he's the youngest (18-20 years old) and he's the intern. People gravitate to him because of 2 things, 1) they see him as a silly guy (which compared to other characters he is because he jokes the most and is practically a lighthearted character) and 2) they find him relatable because he doesn't know what he wants from his life or his strengths.

Anya

Then Anya is also the fan favorite, she's a polite nurse that in the game doesn't actually have a lot of personality. Which in a nerative way makes a lot of sense. People gravitate to her because some of them have been in similiar situations and she makes them feel seen, while others feel bad for her and from a lot of different ao3 tags say that they think she deserves a hug

Sweansea

Sweansea is that typical old grumpy character you have in a lot of media and he's the engineer of the crew. He's Daisuke's mentor and a lot of people like to think of him as Daisuke's father figure. He's gruff, a bit blunt and in the end has one of the better monologs and opinions of the whole game.

Jimmy and Curly

Jimmy (co-pilot) and Curly (captain) are my favorites and the plot focuses a lot on them because we play as them, switching between their neratives. They're surtainly complex characters and most of the plot is built around them. Jimmy is that assholish character, mean, rude, greedy and selfish, while Curly is that guy people rely on and concider a nice guy. Polar oposites, but they are close friends.

Polle

And then Polle, the lovable mascot of Pony Express (aka the company they work for). She's also used as a metaphore and an amazing one at that. (Can't say anything else so I don't spoil anything and because I fucking hate that pony. Scared me shitless the first game thtough, literally friend had to be on call with me for the last 20 minutes of the game because that stupid Pony was practically haunting my ass).

For the plot, it's not too complex, but I personally find it impactful and as disturbing it is, I hold it close to my heart. It's dark and heavy and simple and complex at the same time. Though, the way the plot is handled through narative gives it that specific charm.

Fandom

For the fandom I'll just say this. Enjoy at your own risk and always check trigger warnings if you're sensitive to something. If you don't like something, just ignore it or go talk with your friend about it. Mouthwashing fandom has a lot of amazing stuff, like from psycho analysis, fanart and certain fanfics, while some miss the point intierly (which is fine, it's not, but if it makes a person happy who cares, I'm not gonna ruin it for them) and some which I personally consider that they go too far. Also, the fandom is perfectly split between people who want to enjoy the dark parts of the game and those who like the silly stuff (memes, jokes, fluff, and they probably do it to 'cope' with the game).

I'm not gonna go too deep into the shipping because everyone has their personal opinions on it, but it's a bit contreversial. At times diving into the proship vs the other side debate.

Music

Last thing, 'Headlock' by Imogen Heap is convidered the mouthwashing song. It's like about how you wanna persue your hobbies and interests, but you're stuck in place unable to actually do it. Which I personally think perfectly fits the game, atleast a very specific scene in the game that actually is one of my favorites and a bit not comforting, but it makes me feel a bit seen. But I think a lot of people actually just like it cuz it's a catchy song with a very nice and specific beat. Also, receantly JT music released the mouthwashing rap which actually covers a lot of the plot, meaning and other parts of mouthwashing. It's also a bop and in the intro they sampled actual sounds from the game which is very cool if you ask me

..

So yea. Sorry for rambling, I covered a few things, I thought would be important without revealing too much if you actually decide to play/watch the game.

WHAT THE FUCK IS "MOUTHWASHING"????

can someone tell me about what Mouthwashing is

my friend is obsessed with it and i wanna learn more about it for her, and i also saw it was a psych thriller and i love those.

lowkey i thought it was the sally face sequel so if anyone could rb and help me out itd be much appreciated

also whos that gay fuck daisueke or whatev

[zumpietoo]

Gee, Snorty....that IS petty, but not “delightfully” so....just snidely, juvenilely and pathetically soo....seriously, that embodies “dog in the manger”......

And, LBR, the reason is supremely simple (and immature) selfish, “If I can’t get my way, nobody can”, etc....

And, again, I hate Barfie, I’m quite confident they won’t be endgame....but I’m similarly confident Jabi will be....and Jizzy definitely won’t be....

Ummm.....so, again, you actually have no issue with Jabi, even think we’re fine, etc....buuuut....you still want them split because it would piss off Barfies? Who we hate, too? Gross.

Also, not like they’re Jughead fans or ever were.....they, like you in shipping VD, only support it cuz they think if the person is “taken care of” and ignore that still doesn’t remotely guarantee their ship.....

No, dude, even with the trailer flipping them off, all you Jizzy/VD stans have been completely delusional and endlessly insisting you’d get your way.....oh when you are screaming raged fueled rants at RAS. etc....

Bottom line: Barfies are assholes, so are you. But at least Barfies do currently have a canon ship. You do not and never will again....

Oh good lord, again, “save the writing”----dude, it’s a fucking goofy TeeVee show, in its final season. Irrelevant....and completely incorrect. Actually, that isn’t remotely Barfie, nor is either “safe”, considering what they actually are together are icky, fascist elitists....

Jug doesn’t “use”Tabitha, the entire reason they work is because she actually gets him and loves him....and doesn’t take credit for his accomplishments or him for granted. And you could maybe argue this was Tabs in mid season five (tho I’d moar say she simply saw in him what he really was and looked past the booze, inspiring him to become that person again)....and NONE of these things are remotely bad things, anyway....or, actually, “safe”. Jizzy, in fact, were toxic and her “love” nearly destroyed him.

Being your best selves isn’t the “safe” choice, it’s the positive choice....

Sense to YOU, a biased shipper who seems to not actually watch the show....

A) Douchie doesn’t have a “hero complex”, he’s a dick who likes attention/again, credit for the accomplishments of others (it’s actually something he shares with Slizzy)....and, again, a fascist thug.

B) Slizzy seemingly has and has moved past that. Also, turns out her “darkness” is a combo of sexual impulsivity and, again, a fascist, jackbooted thug.

C) Jug’s already “grappled” with that.....Slizzy’s and Douchie’s betrayal was why and he’s been clean and sober for quite some time. Part of what helped was somebody actually caring about him and putting him first for once.

D) Tabi has that, as well....and her plot was never, exclusively about being Jughead’s GF.....tho, at least you’re a Slizzystan who actually admits that was why Erinn was cast. However, the one defining her thusly is your racist ass.

Ummm....this is YOUR version and what you’re saying is, “anything but my fanfic”, which is bullshit....and typical GG bullshit at that.

And, again, you clearly don’t actually watch, noobie sock....

Ummm.....

Love how you’re not only a stupid, lying, noobie sock, STILL, Snorty....buuutttm you’re, once again, a disgustingly racist one. At least your juvenile anon is only somewhat so, versus your raging version....

Also....

Ummm....no, they aren’t....other than the actors want to work again. And only Cole’s being classy about shit, per usual. And you’ve already been outed as a Cole hater (and hating Erinn, cuz racist cuntbag)----also, then that should apply to the showrunners, even if you disagree....and, maybe accept you aren’t getting your fucking way.

[datawyrms]

Prove it with one hand behind your back

Dannymay day 12: Gloves There is reference to the events in Hypothesis, but can be read stand alone. Now Ao3′d “Uhhh, Danny?” Jazz called up the stairs, laundry basket under her arm.

“What? I’ll get my stuff when it’s dry!” Her brother yelled back down, apparently not interested in leaving his room so they could speak semi-normally.

“Normally it would be my duty as your sister to throw your wash on the floor. Were you aware your laundry is glowing?”

Her frazzled brother appeared at the stairs then, taking them two at a time. “Geeze Jazz, tell the whole neighborhood why don’t ya?” he hissed as he passed.

“Mom and Dad aren’t here, and you’re welcome.”

“Obviously. Jerk.” he made an exaggerated frown at her before ducking into the washer, dragging out handfuls of the expected tee-shirts and jeans followed by an impressive amount of mismatched lightly glowing gloves.

“You’re taking trophies now?” she raised an eyebrow, unsure what to make of it. Not a single one had a pair, and none of them were even his ghost form’s hazmat gloves. Quite a few of them looked rather elaborate, some very interesting embroidered patterns making it obviously not something of her brother’s making. Delicacy was not his strong suit.

“Huh? No! These are-” he paused, taking a breath as he covered the glowing handwear with several shirts. “You remember that whole Sam got dragged to the ghost zone because Aragon’s an idiot thing?”

“The self important dragon shapeshifter with some serious hangups and anger issues?”

“Yeah, that one.” he nodded, rubbing at his chin. “Did I mention Dora sort of knighted us for helping drive him out of power?”

“No, but I’m pretty used to you leaving out important details by now.” Jazz smirked as her little brother rolled his eyes.

“It was nice of her and all but apparently they have a sort of tradition in her Kingdom? Where to show you’re worthy of joining the Queen’s guard you challenge one of the newest knights to a duel.” Danny paused to fish out one of the gloves. “Giving over a glove is basically how they ask for that duel. All very formal, I’d write it down if I could explain how I know without completely blowing my cover.”

“So you’ve got a bunch of medieval ghosts throwing gloves at you and wanting to duel...and you decided to wash them. At home.” Jazz crossed her arms. “Seriously?’

“Where else was I gonna do it? I thought they’d make decent proof so show Dad ghosts have society and rules.” He paused, throwing the glowing thing back under his regular clothes. “Then I remembered there’s no way I could explain how I got these. So now they’ll just smell nice in Sam’s closet or something.”

“Your closet a little too risky this time?”

“Nope. All of these belong to Sam. She’s the one getting all the challenges, not me.” he glanced down at his basket. “I think she named some of these.”

“It’s it a little unfair for a ghost to fight a human? That goes against the whole honourable and fair thing it seems to be going for.”

The half ghost grinned. “That’s what they think! Challenged gets to set the rules, and it turns out ghost knights are really, really bad at adjusting to ground only combat.”

Jazz blinked, the part that had been bothering her clicking into place. “Wait, so there’s that many because you’re still the newest knights?”

“Wasted every single challenger. I keep trying to convince them they’ll have a better shot against me, but noooo, they insist on trying to best the ‘breathing banshee’.” he shrugs. “Most of em would absolutely wreck me in a proper fight, I don’t usually need to fight ‘fair’ or anything.”

“So why don’t they go after Tucker? Getting all the way out here for a tradition can’t be easy.”

“He still insists he’s Friar Tuck. You don’t swordfight the clergy. None of them have actually called him on it, so maybe he is?” his brow furrowed, thinking on that. “Maybe I should ask Dora that sometime. Find out if we need to worry about some ghost pope later. Would not want to be the guy who punched the dragon queen’s ghost pope.”

Jazz couldn’t suppress a snort, easily able to picture such a mishap. “A year ago if you said that I’d say you should be committed. Now I’m just nodding along.”

“Even if you were saying it now, I’d get out.” A wicked grin accompanied a flash of green eyes.

“Very funny, dork.” Still, the idea was worth thinking about. “Well I can see why you wanted to try using them as proof.” The project was rather important to Danny, seeing as it was his best shot to get their parents to re-evaluate their ‘ghosts are mindless’ stance. “Maybe you could get Tucker to film a fight? Sam keeping ‘contaminated’ gloves wouldn’t seem that weird, and the variety can prove it’s not just one ghost mindlessly repeating the same behaviour.”

“I’d still be stuck explaining how Sam became ‘Sir Manson’ in the ghost zone. Which seems like a disaster waiting to happen.” his shoulders sagged. “They’ll think I made it up or Tucker did some video editing.”

“I still think it’s worth trying. Sam’s got a rich family, you could probably think up an excuse that she’s practically ‘royalty’ and that’s why they come.”

“Eh. Maybe. Don’t tell Sam but I’m giving the challengers tips now. The sooner they stop coming, the sooner I can stop getting all antsy about a ghost attack where I find out it’s another steel welding glove thrower.”

Jazz set her shoulders, determined to get some of that humour back in her dispirited sibling. “Use that. They owe you if you help them out, don’t they?”

“Well, I guess they do. Like I’ve had them tell me stories about what it’s like for them, if they remember stuff or have always been ghosts, they’re pretty chatty to a ‘fellow of the sword’...but it’s all stuff I write down. I can’t prove a ghost told me. I can’t film it, or have Dad listen in. The second they call me ‘Sir Phantom’ I’m toast.”

“He said he’d at least listen to what you found, right? It can be a starting point, and if you have some really specific detail it’s less likely that you made the whole thing up.” she stopped to ruffle his hair. “That, and if you were going to make something up, you’d have some star ghosts or ecto-aliens.”

“I would not!”

“Yes you would. And you’d draw them little space ships and everything.”

“...Okay maybe I’d make up some ships.”

“A lot of ships. With long complicated names. With scientific reasons for those names. Cus your my dorky little brother.”

“Well you’re my nagging big sister. You get to be the black hole equivalent.” 

“Just don’t give up on the idea so quickly, okay? It’s a good one, and it really can’t hurt too much to try.”

A small smile returned as he elbowed her “Careful, or they’ll think you’re being influenced by ghosts too.”

“It’s not like their theories can have any more concrete proof than yours does. What are they?”

“Dad thinks ectoplasm naturally ‘homes in’ on stuff over here, and that’s how they’re finding the portal.” he closes his eyes, foot kicking at the floor. “He’s got this box thing? A lot of box things with different kinds of ectoplasm to see if they move towards ‘our world’ over time. I keep forgetting it’s floating right next to the portal and almost kick it.” his face turns into a grimace. “Dad thinks ‘that ghost kid’ is messing with his experiment on purpose now, so that sucks.”

“Well you could mess with it on purpose, that would be intelligent.”

“Nope. That would be the ‘natural aggressive action’ towards human materials. Tried it.”

“What’s mom’s hypothesis then?”

“That the portal always being here makes this part of Earth more ectoplasm rich so they’re drawn to enter here instead.” he waves a hand. “She’s half right? I don’t think strong ghosts can go all that long without ducking back home to recharge. She’s using the frequency of ‘higher level’ ghosts as proof that they ‘need’ a certain level to function outside of the ghost zone.”

“Another theory you’re accidentally stomping all over.”

“Since they almost never spot ‘Phantom’ going back to the Zone, yeah. I apparently account for ninety four percent of all ghost sightings. Yet only three percent of that is being spotted outside of a fight. Which sounds really bad! No wonder they think I only think about fighting other ghosts.” he rubbed at the back of his head. “I think she plans to test that by uh. Sticking a ghost in a place with no ectoplasm to see how long they hold out, if at all. So I’ve kinda been...making sure she can’t do that.” he swallows, his glance towards his sister more timid than anything. “It'd be a really, really nasty way to die. From what I heard.”

“Good for you. She’ll thank you once you prove that sort of thing would be unethical.”

His frown didn’t move. “If I prove it. So far I’ve just proven they really don’t like that ghost kid.”

“From what I’ve heard you’re the one with the most solid proof. Once you’ve shown everything you’ve collected, then you could try convincing them to see for themselves you aren’t making it up.” Jazz urged, not wanting to watch her little brother give up again.

“Even if I could convince Dad to come in the specter speeder with me we’d scare most ghosts off. The ones we don’t might want to beat me up, or not use a name I can’t explain away.”

“Sam gets to set when one of those challenges happens right? Invite him to one of those.”

He blinked. “...I guess that might work. If Sam made it clear that they couldn’t say my name under any circumstances. There’s one lady who keeps coming, insists she’s going to be the one to get to succeed after ‘Slapping Sir Manson with her glove’, she might be down for that…” he caught the weird look Jazz was giving him. “Oh. Apparently if you’re rivals hitting the person with your glove is ‘provoking your betters’ into a fight? So it’s a respect thing? I don’t really get it. Sam thinks it’s great, which I didn’t see coming but I didn’t think we’d still be having ghost knight fights either.” he let out a breath. “I’m rambling again.”

“You know, if Mom and Dad could see how you talk about this stuff they’d know you aren’t making it up. Looks like ghost research does run in the family.”

Danny rolled his eyes. “I’m a ghost hunter if anything. It’s just nice being able to chat instead of fight sometimes. The ghost zone is pretty neat. If you know, half the stuff in there wasn’t trying to skin me alive.”

“I still think you have a good shot. You know it’s true, so they’ll have to see it given enough time.”

“Maybe. Can’t really talk about this stuff to them though. Gee dad, how do I know about Frostbite? Well when I stole the Ecto-Skeleton and shoved back Pariah Dark this whole tribe of yetis decided I was their Great One. So now we’re pals. Oh what’s that dad, you say the ghost kid did that? Funny thing!” he dropped his arms with a scowl. “That’d go over like a lead balloon.”

“Maybe stick to the dragon queen society for now. It’s not like anyone over here saw that. Then you can expand into the rest of the friendly areas.” she put a hand on his shoulder. “One step at a time Danny, you’ll get there.”

“I hope so. If it doesn’t, I blame you if I’m torn molecule by molecule.”

“Ew Danny! Don’t be so morbid, it’s not good for your development.”

“Is it morbid if I’m dead?” he winced from his sister’s whack to the head. “Ow! Half!”

“Better. Now scram with all those gloves before someone thinks you robbed a ghost antique boutique.”

“You’re such a busybody Jazz.” the half ghost teased before darting off with his half spectral laundry. It wouldn’t be an easy thing to convince their parents, but he did seem to be on the right track. So of course it was her job to make sure he stuck to it. Siblings had to look out for each other, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

[twisted-tales-told]

how does one go about binding books? it sems so interesting and im just wondering if i ever want to prints fics yk

also picturess

FINALLY SOMEONE ASKING ME ABOUT BOOKBINDING. I have all this knowledge and no one ever asks. I LIVE for bookbinding. I picked up my phone to see this after bookbinding for the past hour.

So: here you go:)  A guide.

*This is specifically for fanfiction, if anyone has any questions about making journals etc. I can answer those too :) 

Before we start, here’s a start to finish actually binding it tutorial This Man Must Be Protected At All Costs. We don’t deserve him. He talks you through putting the book together really well.

I’m putting the rest below the cut because I’m nice. (there’s pretty + useful pictures there) 

Some Bookbinding language: 

Signatures. Signatures are the lil groups of paper u bind with. They’re usually grouped into four UNLESS you’re using water colour paper or cardstock. (Just in case someone reading this knows absolutely nothing about paper, don’t use either of those for your fanfic pages you’ll hate yourself and the final product.) (ignore the ice cube tray in the background, its my paint pallet. Don’t judge me. 

Book Press: A thing used to press the signatures. Mine is so gross and destroyed I refuse to show it, you can make one out of cutting boards.

Bone Folder: yes, it is made out of bone. Yes you can choose to find a plastic or wooden one. I personally have terrible sensory issues when it comes to paper so I need to use one made out of bone. They’re used to fold the signatures. 

*You don’t actually need one if you have a book press, cuz the signatures get flattened in there anyways, but your hands will hurt a bit after all the folding if you don’t use one. Or, at least mine do.They look like this.

Kettle Stitch :This is, in my opinion, the superior binding method for fanfiction. It’s simple, it’s easy to learn, and its great for actually reading cuz the spine is strong but the pages like flip well? That’s hard to describe. The link at the start of this is my favourite tutorial.

Materials & some tips.

Paper: You can use anything. But, beware of the thickness, I use eco recycled paper, which is better for the environment, but you need to be a bit more gentle when actually binding so it doesn’t rip. 

A) NYLON thread. Don't come in here with your cotton or polyester thread. Nylon. Is. Superior. It won't break and it's easier to untangle (waxed thread is kind of overrated and expensive)

B) a bone folder and book press: you can really use either or, but if you’re only going to use one, it should be the book press.

C) Board. It’s for the cover. I am begging you, if you are still learning, do not attempt a paperback. You will get severely frustrated. Get yourself some Davey Board or any thick(ish) board of any kind and use that. The tutorial guy will help you with sizing. The trickiest part is the spine, getting it the right size just takes practice. 

D) Fabrics: Repeat After Me: Book Cloth Is Stupid. Some book binders hate me rn, but its true and I’ll die there. And then, I show them This:

Do you see this shit? Not one is book cloth. Look How Pretty Your Books Could Be. The purple one is drapery cloth, theres some cork board ones, and the top two are just thickish cotton. The book industry is just boring and they don’t know how to have fun. Also yes, I know the cork board two look kinda awful, they were the first ones I ever made. Leave them alone they’re doing their best. 

E) Glue. PVA Acid Free bookbinding glue is the best option, I recommend getting a one of the really soft paintbrushes from Walmart or whatever cheap and big softer one you can, it just makes spreading it easier. I’m really picky about the glue I use because I’m paranoid. This is the one I get, but It’s expensive, you can honestly use tacky glue and you’ll be fine

D) Curved Needle Please splurge on one. They’re like an extra dollar than one of the straight needles, and you will save yourself so many injuries. Every single tutorial will say “oh, you don’t need one” and they’re Idiots for it. Well I don’t like the feeling of stabbing myself repeatedly, and I’m willing to spend 10 dollars on a Set of 36  so that I’m not just in pain all the time. 

Ah, Typesetting. Hell on Earth

You want pretty chapter titles? Get Canva. There’s a free version and she’s lovely.

I, personally, will die before I print from a PDF. That being said, I wish with all my heart and soul that I had microsoft word. Because I use Literal Pages (if you don’t have a mac, you’re confused as fuck. If you do and you’ve had the pleasure of attempting to use pages, yeah. I know. It’s not great but it’s what I have)

Get rid of all your margins. Make sure your title images, if you’re gonna be a fancy canva title bitch like me, are moving with your text. I wish I could help you with a table of contents but I do it by hand aka, insert a table & tracking the pages as I copy paste + “fix up” chapters. *by fix up I mean correct colouring, add the indents, change the font size & type etc. Add italics. 

Indents should be 0.5 inches or it looks weird. You can do the pages so they’re the professional wall to wall text, but I cannot stress how much work it is to make sure it copies properly. 

Now, if you’re stupid and use pages like me...you have to redo all the italics. Good Luck. 

If you want to risk seeing if a PDF works---which it really can go badly if your margins aren’t literally Zero (and even then sometimes PDF adds them which is rude of them) you can, and you won’t have to redo all the italics. It’s your choice and if you find a better way Tell Me. 

Specifics:

You want Chapter One to be on Page 7 of the typeset. Again, this might change if you’re not using Pages, but that took me so long to figure out that I need to include it here. Before that there’s the, what I call, The Blank gluing page, another blank for the back of that page, the pretty Image + quote page you open up to, a blank one, Table of contents, Blank, Then, Finally, Chapter one. 

You can also do some weird settings for changing the page numbers so Chapter one, aka page one, you “Start a new section” and “start at 1″ Then you can delete the page numbers from the previous 6 pages and you’ll get page one on the actual first page of the book.

Font Size: There’s going to be two pages on one paper, so your font size is going to be 16/17. I prefer 17 because I’m blind. 

Here’s a Muse In Secret Typeset as an example that I made one day because I was bored. I don’t know if the Author gave permission for us to print it out or not so I haven’t but I made the type set so I could learn with a decent sized project. 

So that’s kinda what it looks like. 

You print it using the “layout--> Booklet” feature. Print in groups of “16″ which is 4 pages, 2 sided. 

Now for: Mistakes I’ve Made That You Won’t Have To Make Now

1.You need to use Thick Cardstock or something stronger to do the interior pages. 

It needs to be strong enough that it won’t rip. Don’t be me and think, oh I can use pretty paper, because this happens

*ALSO, and this is a weird one, A03 for some reason....the text is not black. And hey, you have to highlight everything to change the font size, type, and add indents anyways so you might as well change it to black as well. It makes a big difference. 

Other than these basics, the fun is the creativity and figuring it out. It’s okay to switch up fonts & design elaborate chapter titles, and add art and fanart you love. Make it personal to you. It’s why I don’t share my typesets. I put so much work into them and I can appreciate every little detail because of that.

Good Luck Amon!! It’s a really fun hobby, and it doesn’t have to be super expensive. Except for printer ink. I have no solutions for that one.