#they're my favorite they have a simple storyline but it makes me happy

[askfallenroyalty]

Raine throughout the comic (sketches)

their character arc goes as follows:

Chapter 3 and onward. Raine, newly resurrected, wants revenge on Asgore for their (and the other kids) murders. They don't wish war against monsterkind, only for Asgore to receive punishment.

After coming to a compromise, Raine is now a Dreemurr by being adopted by Toriel. They wish to become the next Monster ruler after Asriel... but no one trusts them, nor believes in them. They wish to prove themselves.

Settling into their family, Raine is now certain that Asriel will help them with their goal. They study hard, confident that they'll succeed. They have a rocky relationship with Franky. Trouble is brewing.

Darkworld. Raine works with Ruler in order to live out their fantasy of being the one in charge. They're based on Odette, the swan lake princess. They must realize being a ruler is a lot harder than they expected, and that they'll need to fight the system itself to keep their integrity. (They also finally confront Franky over their underground baggage.)

Epilogue: They've got their plan and are finally fulfilled. Sure, they have squabbles with Asriel, and they're rapidly turning more and more into a monster, but hey! They got the life they've always dreamed of.

Now Ruler, Raine works to keep monsters safe and humanity satisfied enough not to cause international conflict. Things are difficult, but they're up for the challenge. They don't rule for a sense of control but rather to uplift those who aren't in power.

[canonicallyobserving911]

Eddie Diaz - Season 8A

This post is all about my favorite character Eddie Diaz and HE IS THE MAIN AND ONLY FOCUS OF IT. Therefore, if someone doesn't want to read about how I'm pissed off at the lack of character growth for him, keep scrolling. It's just that simple.

I'm NOT HAPPY about the LACK of development in his storylines and I'm tired of him being put on THE WHEEL OF MISFORTUNE.

I've been quiet long enough about this and I'm tired of the way Eddie Diaz is treated on this show. He's always sidelined and his arcs are pushed back in favor of Buck's which is interesting especially since they're both main characters. Don't get this twisted because I like Buck too but Eddie's my favorite and I would like it if he got the ATTENTION HE DESERVES FOR A CHANGE. Also, guest stars have received more character development than him and that's asinine as hell (Brad and Taylor come to mind).

Before I get started, I'll admit it's unlikely that I'll do a review of 8x8 because like 8x7, there was a lot going on but nothing major happened in it for the mains but they sure did a number on Eddie and regressed him. Therefore, this post is about my favorite character Eddie Diaz since the show and a lot of the fandom treat him like he's a side character. He's a main and I'm f~cking sick of the way his story continues to be sidelined so he can orbit around Buck.

BE CLEAR, I FULLY UNDERSTAND THE IMPLICATIONS OF LAST NIGHT'S EPISODE AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR BUDDIE! I ALREADY KNOW BUCK AND EDDIE WILL BE TOGETHER BUT MY ISSUE IS THE LACK OF DEVELOPMENT FOR EDDIE.

No shade to anyone but I'm not looking for clues that point to Buddie anymore because they've ALWAYS been there and doing that doesn't excite me. I WANT TO SEE REAL CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT and I've been wanting that for all the mains for 7 damn seasons. But the issue is every time Eddie's about to experience some growth, he's regressed back to a point of no return. He takes one step forward and 80,000 steps backward and this is exhausting.

Last night's ending was not for Eddie's benefit, it was done for shock value and for Buck's growth even though Eddie's been haunting Buck's love triangle f~ckery since 7x4. Eddie was ALL ALONE and NO ONE was there for him when he needed to talk. Therefore, Eddie choosing to move back to Texas DID NOT HAVE TO HAPPEN and IMO, it was lazy writing. Do the writers from LS have any idea who Eddie is at all? It sure as hell doesn't seem like it. What happened to the Eddie who said, "I'll always fight to come home to my family?" Or the one who said, "After Shannon died, they wanted me to give Christopher to them but that's not what I wanted then and it's not what I want now." He's practically nonexistent anymore and that's just sad.

Since RG's not leaving the show, what was the point of any of this? Oh, that's right to further Buck's arc while Eddie remains stagnate. Furthermore, TM (showrunner) said Eddie was wearing a mustache and when he shaved it off, he would find out who he is outside of being a father but...

NEWSFLASH!

THOSE TWO THINGS ARE NOT MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE.

The fact is Eddie is a father! He has been since he found out Shannon was pregnant, he always will be and it doesn't matter if he wears a mustache or not and/or whether he lives in L.A., El Paso or Antarctica. Therefore, TM saying that was an oxymoronic statement because since Eddie is a father whatever decision he makes will and should be for the benefit of him and his son. That's been one of the main issues for him since he's used Chris as a shield for his own heart while ignoring what he wants. Him deciding to return to Texas IS NOT doing what's best for either of them.

Additionally, for the entirety of 8A, all he was shown doing was being a dad. He spent all that time in 8x4 trying to help Mike reconnect with Weston but NOT ONCE did we see Eddie going above and beyond to visit Chris. It's like the showrunner put more effort into that than Eddie's on storyline and it's ridiculous. So, it doesn't matter if Eddie's married to Shannon (I know she's deceased but I'm making a point) or if he dates Ana, Marisol or Buck, HE WILL ALWAYS BE CHRIS' FATHER! THAT'S NEVER GOING TO CHANGE and whatever decisions he makes, until Chris becomes an adult, it always will be true.

Be clear, Eddie choosing to move back to Texas is NOT HIM CHOOSING JOY, it's him regressing and doing the same things he did in previous seasons. In season 5, instead of talking to Chris about how he was feeling, he up and quit the 118 but HE WAS MISERABLE because he didn't want to leave. Granted he needed the break and he also needed to go to therapy but since that time, it's been nothing but crickets on the therapy front for him. When he finally did talk to his son, Chris SAID HE DIDN'T TELL EDDIE TO QUIT. So, why wasn't he allowed to talk to Chris this time and ask him what he wanted? Or better yet why aren't they doing family therapy or something? Chris is talking to him now but we didn't get to see how they got there from 8x1. It all happened off-screen and the last time Eddie said something about Helena was 8x5 so he's been out of the loop on his own child for weeks.

Chris is a child which means Eddie has the final say. His parents don't have any legal rights to Chris but NOT ONCE has Eddie been allowed to tell them about the legal guardianship. After he told Buck about it, it's never been mentioned again and I don't want Eddie to have an NDE for Chris to come back and I don't want Buck to have that conversation with Helena and Ramon. It's good for fanfic writing (I've written several with the narrative) but in real life it gets messy and it's possible Chris doesn't even know Buck's his guardian.

This situation is a cluster f~ck of epic proportions and it needs to be resolved like NOW. It's been more than 5 years since Eddie changed his will and they haven't talked about it.

Another issue is Eddie IS ALWAYS TOLD WHAT TO DO and the one or two times he's made a decision on his own, he was happy about it but it was short lived since the showrunner always regresses him back into the Terror Dome. His dad told him to be the man of the house at 10 years old, they and those busybodies at church told him to marry Shannon because she was pregnant, he went to the Army and all they did was tell him what to do (it's the military so that's what they do) and when he was honorably discharged Shannon tried to tell him to move to California. Then his parents tried to coerce him into leaving Chris with them when he applied to work at the LAFD and Helena told him to move back to El Paso after Shannon died. His parents and Bobby told him it was time to move on from his dead wife in season 4 so he dated Ana. Buck told him to break up with her in season 5 and he did. Pepa told him he needed to put himself back out there in season 6 and she pressured him into going on a blind date with Vanessa. In season 7, Bobby asked him about the time he was married and his commitment issues, Father Brian had to tell him to find joy and Brad had to tell him not to let the gap widen in his relationship with his son. Also, instead of talking to his raggedy parents, he's making another decision that he won't be happy with. He'll be miserable because it's not what he wants. He established a whole life for him and Chris in L.A. and instead of fighting for it and telling his parents to get the hell on, he's surrendering.

That's not the Eddie Diaz from previous seasons. Seasons 2, 3 and 4 Eddie didn't want his parents raising his son. What happened to him? Where is he? He's missing and he has been for a while. I need him to come back and stand up to his parents. I'm sure there won't be a good resolution to this storyline and it's unlikely that Eddie will tell his parents off especially since the show is handing out undeserved and unearned parent redemption arcs like they're lollipops or some shit.

Eddie has A MOUNTAIN of things he needs to work through like his grief over Shannon dying, that whack ass doppelgänger Kim, his inability to tell his parents where to go, addressing the issues that are in front of him and all the pain and grief he's been carrying around for years regarding his failed marriage. He needs to have an open and honest conversation with Chris about Shannon and instead of asking Buck to talk to him in 7x1, he should have done it.

What I want to see is Eddie choose Eddie for a change instead of this hamster wheel of doom he's constantly being put on. Seeing him dance around in his underwear was cute and nice but that's not growth. He did something that brought him joy but the only reason he did it was because the priest told him to. When is he going to do something for himself? When will Eddie Diaz decide that's enough of this shit and tell himself he deserves better? He deserves to be happy just like everyone else and it's time for Eddie's FULL STORY TO BE TOLD.

I'm tired of waiting and I'm sure there will be some who'll read this post and say, "The second half of the season is supposed to be Eddie's." LOL 🤪. Haven't we been here before? Like five times actually and three of them were due to the F*X network's interference. Eddie's arc keeps getting delayed and it's possible there will be something else that causes TM to delay it again.

The fact is there is something else that could hinder Eddie's growth and the path to Buddie CANON but since I don't talk politics on my blog, I'll just say IYKYK and January is only 9 weeks away. This should have happened in season 7 but TM delayed it yet again so he can write it the way he wants to and if he keeps on, he might not get the chance.

Eddie and Buck both need to show growth because there are two people in the Buddie ship. It's unfair for Eddie to be sidelined while Buck gets to date and do whatever the f~ck he wants while Eddie sits at home and blows up his life yet again. I don't want Eddie to have another mental breakdown, an NDE or anything else that will cause him to be in the hospital or have him struggling. I want to see him go back to therapy so he can finally unpack all the shit from his childhood and his young adult life. Change takes work and him dancing around in his "tighty whites" like Tom Cruise is not the same thing.

Where is the consistency and the continuity?

Hopefully, 8B will happen without any hiccups so Eddie can finally be happy.

[divorcedwife]

hope this ask isn’t too much of a bother but I really enjoyed that rite of spring perf you posted the link to and was wondering whether you had any other favorite performances (of whatever ballet you like, I know very little about it). Your art is absolutely gorgeous btw and I love seeing all your posts!! Hope you’re having a good day❤️

oh im glad!! <33 i think it's just so good, it's probably my favorite ballet because i enjoy everything about it. the music, the dancing, the storyline that's very simple and conveyed so well. i just love way the music will grow insanely dissonant and scary and pull back just before it gets too much, and alternate between that and moments that are beautiful and mysterious

anyway. to answer your actual question. yes absolutely! i don't have links to other full performances (sadly </3) but i definitely have some dancing clips that i've been watching lately, and maybe you'll find interesting

giselle - death of hilarion (link 1 - link 2) : the willis are vengeful ghosts who use magic to make men dance to death. i love how his dancing mirrors the girls, like a puppet! and the dancer who plays the queen, i never get tired of the way she turns him away. i really like giselle in general, though act 1 is a bit boring. it gets good when she dies

romeo and juliet - juliet's variation : the dancing is so fun and delightful. really does feel like a young girl who is having fun at a party and doesn't care what anyone thinks!

romeo and juliet - dance of the knights : love love love this choreography. it's so simple in a way that's so bold and so good at conveying who these people are. pure power

swan lake - act III pas de deux : now this is a famous one. i just love evil dancing. the way she calls the prince to her and wrenches her hand away from him at the end - so good

the young girls of rochefort - opening : now this isn't ballet anymore, but this movie has some of my favorite dancing ever. it looks spontaneous and natural, it looks fun. i want to be there with them

the young girls of rochefort - andy in love : i just love how the choreography is written to look like they're making it up on the fly, it's very cute. same point as above but everyone in this movie seems so happy just to be alive and the dancing is so good at conveying that

i hope these will be interesting to you! thank you for sending me this and for your kind words <333333

[catherine-the-doll-ballerina]

I'm sending this to three T70s blogs! What are your very most controversial/unpopular That 70s Show opinions? To get the ball rolling, I'll confess a few of mine since I'm on anon and can't be attacked :) 1. I always shipped Jackie/Eric to the point where they're a true OTP of mine. I have no idea why. Usually when I ship non-canon couples, it's because they're very close friends whose personalities seem incredibly compatible to me...but Jackie and Eric aren't especially close (despite being in the same general group), and they don't seem very compatible or even to care about and respect each other that much. (Though Jackie's "hero" line melts me!) Tbh, it probably just comes down to the fact that Jackie and Eric are by far my two favorite characters. I love analyzing, writing about them, and envisioning how they might have worked if I conveniently ignore 97% of canon. I'm pathetic :) 2. I wouldn't really like Hyde in real life and don't think he was a particularly good romantic partner at all. (*ducks*) I mean, he was an improvement over Kelso, but who isn't?! I just think fandom idealizes him a bit too much. It's a matter of taste, though---the super 'edgy, rebel, proudly rude, 'duuude, I shoplift and smoke a lot of weed and would rather set myself on fire than eat in a mainstream chain restaurant' kind of guys just aren't my personal type :) 3. Sort of related to the first two confessions: I don't think Jackie and Hyde would make each other happy long term. They had some wonderful moments on the show, but I really just don't think they'd give each other what they want. 4. I don't really get how some newer fans turn Laurie into this root-worthy 'girlboss' who's just misunderstood- she's supposed to be unrepentantly, hilariously terrible, and she is! Sometimes it really is as simple as that :) 5. (*whispers*) More often than not, I enjoy Kelso. Obviously as a boyfriend to Jackie, but as a character who - for me - really does add a lot of humor and energy to the show. i can't wait to read yours, and please don't hate me for mine!

I agree with everything you said. Jackie & Eric are my true otp. And I don't really care for Hyde. He's actually my least favourite character.

Now for Laurie. Yeah, it boogles my mind how younger fans see her as a girlboss. She's not. Laurie is a horrible example of how a human being should behave. People can blame Kitty all they want. But even if she didn't slut shame her. Laurie would still have low self esteem. That's what happens when you live a destructive lifestyle.

Now here's my unpopular opinions

Making Hyde biracial was fucking stupid. The boys clearly Irish and that's why he has curly hair.

I don't like Brooke and Kelso as a couple

Fez is over hated

I would have preferred the storyline where Eric's a single dad

Eric had every right to punch David.

Jackie & Fez are not as bad as fans make them out to be

Most Jackie & Hyde stans are borderline psychotic. They didn't end up together. Get the fuck over it.

[theconstitutionisgayculture]

Sorry the comic anon again

I know we mostly focus the woke shit but comics also fall apart because

1. Rampant big events that cause more damage than good

2. Rampant character assassination and development erasure that cause serve damage (don’t get me fucking started on Dan Didio 5G plans and how that effect a character I was invested in)

3. PAINFULLY obvious writers who don’t check the characters they are writing past unless it’s a certain run.

4. And keeping the same godawful status quo that keep a endless cycle of the same shit again and again.

There more, but marvel and dc purposely put them into the landmines and refuse to properly adapt their stories and money making ways to modern era. I can’t blame just the wokies, I have to blame th embodiment of a strawman manchild like Dan didio

I know this long, but hear what the head of dc comics from the early 2010’s to 2020 said

https://www.omega-level.net/2013/09/09/frown-dcs-dan-didio-says-heroes-shouldnt-happy-lives/

Oh, absolutely mainstream comics have been shit for decades. I love that you made a numbered list because I have things to say and this makes it easy to organize, XD

FUCK EVENT COMICS. God, I used to love these things when they were rare. They felt meaningful and they were the only time you got to see some characters interact with each other, and it felt special because it was unique. Secret War, Crisis on Infinite Earths, No Man's Land, and Age of Apocalypse are some of my favorite comic stories ever. Reading the No Man's Land novelization was actually what got me into Batman comics in the first place, and from there into DC itself (eventually). Until then, the only comics I'd read were Marvel staples like X-Men and Spider-Man (which, believe it or not, used to be the only two Marvel characters 90% of mainstream fans liked) and Spawn. But event comics also completely killed my interest in DC and Marvel. Civil War ruined pretty much every character I liked, along with everything I enjoyed about the Marvel universe. And Flashpoint killed DC for me, while the New 52 dug up its grave and did unmentionable things to the corpse. Now, event comics happen all the time. Hell, DC rebooted its main universe I think three times in a 10 year span. And dear God don't get me started on multiverses. They used to be an interesting concept, but now they're just a receptacle for every idea that was too shitty for even modern Marvel/DC editors to green light for the main continuity.

Yeah, way too many comics these days are written by people who hate the character they're writing for. It's vandalism, pure and simple. Taste, quality, respect for the character and its history, satisfying the fans, all gleefully thrown into the fire. It makes it impossible to get into any character, because the moment the writer changes so will everything good about the character. Even new characters aren't immune. The moment Bendis took over writing Jon Kent he artificially aged him up, completely changed his character, and basically did everything he could to ruin the magic of Tomasi's Super Sons run. Pissed me off to no end, because I was actually considering dipping my toes back into DC just to read more Super Sons than the stuff I saw on tumblr until that happened. Still makes me mad thinking about it.

I know this is kind of similar to the last point, but Batman writers constantly do this with Damian Wayne. It seems like every new writer has to throw out all his character development and reset him back to being a barely functioning murder baby. Though, that's also a problem with Batman, too. How many times has he cut himself off from his family and friends because "he works better alone" only to realize that he needs other people? 20, by now? 30? I mean, fuck, they did the "Batman needs to be a loner oh wait actually he needs his family" storyline twice in three years. No Man's Land in 1999 and Bruce Wayne: Murderer/Fugitive in 2002. I get that long running serials are going to repeat storylines, but fuck try to keep things consistent for a decade, at least. I don't think that's asking too much. Aside from the vandalism and wokeness, I think the major problem with American comics is that they have no idea how to write a character or a story long term. They just do whatever they think will boost sales or get people talking, find out they wrote themselves into a corner because they didn't think further than, at best, a year out, and then reboot their entire continuity again because they can't figure out any other way to get out of the whole they dug themselves into. Why would anyone get invested in a product like that?

This is where I'm going to disagree partly. I don't think the status quo is necessarily a bad thing. I think about it a lot when people won't shut up about how killing the Joker would prevent countless deaths, and actually Batman is an idiot for prioritizing his own morality over the lives of others by not killing him. In real life, that might be true. "Do the ends justify the means" is a moral problem humanity has been wrestling with since we invented morality. But comics aren't real life, and they're not supposed to be. In comics, there are good guys and bad guys. The good guys stop the bad guys from doing bad things, usually by fighting them, and then arrest them. Good guys follow a moral code, one that usually includes a no killing rule. They do this because if Batman kills off his rogues, or Superman rips Lex Luthor's heart out, you can't tell anymore stories with those characters. Heroes are defined, in many ways, by their villains. Batman without a Joker, or Two-Face, or Riddler, or Scarecrow, is less of a character. Not to say that he can never face any other bad guys, or that they can't be cycled in and out now and then, but you can't just kill them off. You can't have Batman kill them off. Especially when comic book deaths are meaningless anyway. Once you break one of the central pillars of Batman's morality, he is immediately a different character. Less of a character, in my opinion. Especially these days, where morals are more about whether or not a character supports the popular new slacktivist cause and less about the fundamental questions of universal human morality. So, I very much advocate for good status quos to stick around as long as possible. But you also need to recognize when the thing you're doing needs to change. It's a delicate balance, and one that's completely beyond most comic writers today.

Ugh, don't even get me started on that "characters can't be happy" bullshit. I'll be here all day. Suffice to say, it's a garbage line that only exists to excuse bad writing and the most shallow interpretation of drama. Super heroes can be happy and still be entertaining and have personal strife. Reading constant misery and knowing that every bit of happiness a character does find will be temporary is what's boring.

[llycaons]

final ch lb reposted bc it's not showing up in the tags???

AUGH THE CHAPTER IS CALLED DUNGEON MESHI. it's simple but I love it when they do that. perfect for dm, which is pared-down in themes but applies itself perfectly to what it wants to say

wow, damn, guess that makes sense, it's so amazing that laios brought so many people together with the simple promise of something that unites all living things - nourishment - and they in turn brought their own food to add to the communal pot. I would have liked to see more exploration of this community-building through food, but this is literally one of the only things I would change about dm it's so impeccable crafted

damn marcille

JESUS LAIOS

aw man, that's genuinely an awful thing to live with. this might be a happy ending, but laios lives with the consequences of his defeat of the demon

this is an actual medical condition too...people can get really sick

celebratory panel!!! ofc senshi is stoic (though without ever being unkind! he's unruffled without being cold) and izu doesn't rly care

sorry but 👀

THIS IS SO FUNNY. senshi being like 'I'm politely staying out of this' and everyone else being like 'yeah there's no way he's that selfless'

damn, what a step for marcille, who was so terrified of losing the people close to her

she's so hot here ugh

OHHH this visual is so cool

mmm tasty! her face says hehe she's so cute I missed her so bad. real babygirl material

yayy!!! and standing up suddenly able to walk, and TAKING the dragon with her??? that's so cute like a little plush

it would have been an interesting ending for her to maybe not recover the use of her legs? ending the story with a disability wouldn't have been a tragedy, and it's been done really well in other stories. like, I'm still me, this is a change that happened because of something I've been through, and it's something to adjust to and keep moving forward with. sorry to bring up tgcf here but sqx's storyline is truly so compelling like she DID that

SHES SO CUTE I CAN'T STAND IT. farlyn are you free friday I can take you to a movie and buy you dinner

really incredible how she's hot in one panel then charming in another then ravenous in the third. her range...

this is such lover behavior <3

AHHH SIBLING LOVE!!

marcille love!!! her legs lmao

😭😭😭 not many stories end this straightforwardly satisfyingly and honestly it's really really nice. a more bittersweet ending or a more 'mature' one might have had farlyn not come back at all a lesson abt death or w/e but fuck that!!

ohhhh sexy

STOP THIS IS SO FUCKING CUTE!!! LOOK HOW HE'S SMILING. CRYING OVER THIS!!! character who barely know each other and have met like once before but will absolutely be friends for life. this might be my favorite panel in the chapter and maybe even series

PEACE AND LOVE ON THE PLANET EARTH

aww she's trying to reach out to izu. she's not someone who warms up to people easily but farlyn is just so lovable and sincere and weird that I can def see a friendship potentially for them

STOP STOP THIS IS SO CUTE. im so glad farlyn didn't get paired off or even god forbid MARRIED to that guy who likes her can you fucking imagine. maybe farcille isn't confirmed but they're real in our hearts and nothing disproves them

damn, pizza? I don't remember that

of course she does!!! she's outgoing and adventurous and loves to eat!

you know this story wouldn't have worked half as well if farlyn wasn't legitimately a charming and lovable character who was easy to get attached to and root for. if they tried going the jerk with a heart of gold route, it would have taken a lot longer and been harder to create sympathy for her. like how cql's appeal rests disproportionately on you liking and rooting for wwx, dungeon meshi's driving plot relied on you WANTING this woman to come back to life, to eat and see her friends and do her magic and get into her weird hobbies. and she's perfect! the writing doesn't rely on one cliched line or scene to get you to realize 'oh they're a good person despite their harsh exterior' to get you to root for her (even tho that's an underutilized technique for writing women), it just presents this oddball and lets you love her. rk is so good at writing women who feel like real people, it's a reason adore marcille - for her awkwardness, her judgement, her readiness to blow things up without thought. she's just a deeply uncool person who's very endearing

not to be a monarchist or anything but this is probably the best they could have gotten given the situation so I'm not going to complain too much. it's not like I read dm for in-depth and realistic political engagement

and this is like the easiest way to be a good leader. just care about your people getting the food they need. that's enough, really. I don't think laios is capable of much more anyway. it's not like he's a politican

also what does the succession line look like? I know he's not having a kid. omg kabru!! his face is so ajshdksad. and yayy marcille and farlyn staying to advise him together!!

oHHH SHIT. thesis statement of the series! also these babies are so fucking cute I can't deal. ik that one of them is a dog person but the other one??? is that an orc??? well take back what I said about just food being important. integration is happening here too - it's clear that laios's kingdom is welcoming of people like orcs who have historically been expelled from other places and violently targeted by other races. idk how he managed that but like, well done, laios!

you know I adore cql but it's such a relief to step into other stories that aren't quite so much about Good (TM ) in a vague and all-encompassing sense and also have characters who aren't laserfocused on one person and who you can envision making connections to and becoming close with other characters 😭 loving lwj is so hard sometimes loving farlyn is so easy always

[something-tofightfor]

HELLO AND HAPPY THURSDAY! 4 for Root Pearl, 11 for Buried, and one of your choice for IDTFIL from the ask list please!!

Hey, Alyssa! Happy Thursday to you too! Thank you for asking these.

Answers about Buried, Root Pearl and It's Dangerous to Fall In Love beneath the cut!

Ask me quesrions about my writing

4. What’s your favorite line of dialogue? (Root Pearl)

From Root Pearl, because it's Ezra and I love writing dialogue for him as much as it terrifies me ... it was hard to choose. But I think that one of the passages from the most recent chapter really sticks with me the most:

“It’s that simple? You’d want to know a broken man like me?” “You aren’t broken.” Shaking your head back and forth, you shrugged. “You got hurt. You’re alive, and you saved Cee, and that’s all that matters.”

Because Ezra's view is that without the use of both arms, he's less than - since he cannot as eaily perform the job that he's been relying on as a source of income. He feels inadequate in terms of his career and his personal life because of what he's been through - and more than with the physical disability, he's upset by the fact that a small part of him feels like even though he did something good by saving Cee, he also caused the accident because of the choices he made in the past.

But Reader's right there telling him that in her mind, none of those things are true. It only matters that he's there, he's alive and he did what he could to make a terrible situation less terrible. She's willing to follow his lead and let him do and say what he feels comfortable with, but she's also going to tell him the truth as she - someone on the outside - sees it.

11. What do you like best about this fic?

I like that in Buried, I've been able to tell the bulk of the story through flashbacks and memories. I wanted readers to feel the same kinds of things that Cider and Jack were feeling - but with a more clearer understanding of the situation through his eyes (at least in the beginning.) I'm really proud of the way that I was able to use environmental clues to trigger Cider's memories, and how Jack is there - not only to push her when she needs it, but to toe the line between what we know he really wants, and what is actually best for her based on prior experience and medical input.

The story has always been about what's just beneath the surface, and I really wanted readers to always be questioning what they know and what they think they know.

I miss writing for them - and want to wrap things up, because it's so close to being complete (at least the main part of the story) and they deserve their ending. I've left them alone for far too long.

And then a question of my choice for It's Dangerous To Fall In Love?

10: Why did you choose this pairing for this particular story?

So we had a character that had very limited screen time in a very specific storyline in the Fire Meet Gasoline video ... but when I watched it, it always felt to me like that wasn't the man's whole life. It felt like that was a very small portion of it and that it was all a whirlwind that if he'd just stopped to consider ... would have happened differently.

BUT.

We've all been a part of that relationship or friendship that swept us up too quickly and led to consequences we couldn't have expected. And for Nick, the relationsip with Elena was just that.

I chose the Calabaza/Nick relationship for this because I wanted to look at grief, heartbreak, misunderstanding and what happens when people let themselves get overwhelmed by emotion, no matter what it is.

Calabaza still loves Nick, even after what he did to her - and to them - and what he did with/for Elena. And she shouldn't. They both know it. But that pull - the love between them - is always going to exist, even though it may be difficult to pinpoint just how it will manifest.

They're both stubborn. They're both willful. They care deeply about the people in their lives - especially each other. This pairing is proof that even though people might get carried away in the short term, and let themselves be overwhelmed by the right now ... the important thing and the strongest connections are always going to be the ones based on deeper and lengthier understanding of the people in your life. Nick and Calbaza are perfect for each other and they knew it at one time, but they just have to get back there.

[scripted-downfall]

Which roles would you like to see Jensen in?

Hello, and thanks for the ask!

That’s a very interesting question, and I’m afraid you’ll have to forgive me the delay in responding because I’ve never really thought about it!  I tend to be a bit of a see-what-happens-and-make-peace-with-whatever-it-is kinda person, so following celebrities in real time is kinda new for me; thinking about future roles is, I suppose, the next step, but I just hadn’t made the leap, you know?

That being said, thinking about it now that you’ve asked… If I'm honest --- as I'm pretty sure everyone to whom I talk about this kinda thing could tell you --- I think I'd be happy with pretty much any role he might take on. And, in terms of specifics...

I’d absolutely love to see a revival of Dark Angel with a more Alec-centric storyline, especially since he wasn't in the video game, the books --- from what I have heard, though I haven't read them myself --- didn't do the character justice, and the television just kinda cut off, so a reboot would be pretty simple to organize. (I recognize, though, that this might not be feasible/pleasant/enjoyable/etc, given all the stuff that went on during the initial filming.)

My Bloody Valentine ended with a cliffhanger --- and his character ominously surviving --- that could also be picked up and continued. The movie was... very much not the best horror movie. But I enjoyed it, to some degree, and his part was really good, so a sequel could be pulled off really well.

It's probably a common answer, but a role as Batman seems like it wouldn't go amiss.

I've always loved The Poseidon Adventure by Paul Gallico, and it's been adapted about... three times? To my knowledge? But I feel like Jensen could pull off the protagonist --- an ex-sportsman minister who believes "God helps those who helps themselves" who, when the ship flips over, leads a group of survivors up through the tragedy to safety... with some losses that hit him hard --- really well.

Another book that has been adapted a couple of times but he'd do well in: The Count of Monte Cristo... It's probably my favorite book --- or at least one of them --- and I definitely think he could pull it off. Shattered naivete, traumatic past, a decade-plus of hardship, revenge-quest-but-with-a-happy-ending (e.g. Dantes learns to forgive to some degree, moves on from living his life in anger about the past, and works for a future with someone who understands him and his motives instead of relying on who he used to be), etc.

I've never seen an adaptation of this, but I'd absolutely love it to be done, and I think he'd pull it off well: the poem The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes is one of my absolute favorites. It's tragic --- for those who don't know, it tells the story of the eponymous highwayman who, obviously, spends his day making a living by robbing passers-by, and spends a great number of nights visiting his beloved at the inn run by her father. There's a lot that goes on, and I highly recommend reading it, but it ends with his love killing herself in an attempt to save him, and him going out in a blaze of glory because he can't live without her (and then they're reunited in the afterlife). --- but I love it, and I can't help but feel as though he could do it incredible justice.

Thank you so much for the ask, and for the question I hadn't considered! Those probably aren't all my possible answers, but they're what sprang to mind... All the best to you, and thanks to everyone who helped me come up with an answer!

[carniferous]

Helloooooo I already flopped around a bit in ur comment section on ao3 but i just wanted to pop here and say hiiii because i just read ur ruin it all over fic and 😞😞😞😞😞😞😞im not doing good haahahhahahahhahahah

I saw that the title came from the alcott(which honestly felt like a personal attack, my fave song with my fave couple but just completely heartbreaking:((() and wanted to ask if u were inspired by any other songs or any other songs remind u of those sad sad boys

hi!! thank you SO much i'm so happy you enjoyed it!!! (i'd say sorry but.... i'm not <3)

i actually have a playlist for ruin it all over that is a bunch of songs that i felt applied to the fic so give that a listen to know what other songs inspired me while i was writing ^_^

but bc i love talking about music i'm gonna talk some more about some of my top jegulus songs/lyrics

square - mitski

You know, you made me happy Here, shake my hand You make such a good man Never once did you know me

I tried my hardest, for how do you learn God's very simple and love doesn't burn And maybe you'd offered me all that I yearned for But I was still waiting for something to earn Silly me, waiting

mitski is my favorite artist and i've been a fan for awhile and when i first got into jegulus i was literally INSANE over how much this song screamed them. like... please listen to this song and imagine it from regulus's pov it will break your heart. "you'd offered me all that i yearned for" -> you gave me the love i'd never been given before. "but i was still waiting for something to earn" -> but i was still trying to earn it from the people who'd never given it to me

my tears ricochet - taylor swift

I didn't have it in myself to go with grace And you're the hero flying around, saving face And if I'm dead to you, why are you at the wake? Cursing my name, wishing I stayed Look at how my tears ricochet

i feel like i don't even need to explain this one like we all see the vision right? regulus didn't have it in himself to go with grace. james is the hero flying around saving face! they're so doomed <3

please stay - lucy dacus

You tell me you love me, like it'll be the last time Like you're playing out, the end of a storyline I say I love you too, because it's true What else am I supposed to do? Maybe bar the door when you move to leave

I think you mean what you say When you say you wanna die I think you mean what you say When you say you want to stay alive

this is the THE canon compliant jegulus from james's pov song imo. like... "you tell me you love me like it'll be the last time"??? the whole song really reflects james's anxiety over losing regulus, knowing that regulus loves him but knowing that it might not be enough

star - mitski

That love is like a star, it's gone We just see it shining It's traveled very far, I'll Keep a leftover light burning So you can keep looking up Isn't that worth holding on

You know I'd always been alone Till you taught me To live for somebody

once again. do i even need to elaborate

honorable mentions to georgia by phoebe bridgers, cool about it by boygenius, and fade into you by mazzy star

[malachiexists13]

Would I Date This Character?: MeChat Edition [2]

Here's the first post for a better explanation of what this is. All images belong to the creators of MeChat. Also- I'm very sorry if I get any pronouns wrong :( They don't tell you the characters' pronouns until you go on a first date and so when I wrote these last night, I misgendered one of them 😅 But don't worry! I fixed it.

So if any pronouns in this post are wrong, I sincerely apologize. I'll fix it if I notice. But I'm pretty sure all of them are correct since I've done the first date with all of these characters on this post.

Key:

❤ - Would Date Them

💔 - Wouldn't Date Them

❓ - Unsure

1.) Scott McNamara

- I'm really iffy on this one. Like- he's attractive and he has money.. But he literally accuses MC of eavesdropping and treats them like an inconvience ON THE FIRST DATE. LIKE BRO- IT'S A GLASS DOOR AND I'M AUTISTIC, I STARE AT MOVEMENT. IT'S NOT LIKE I COULD HEAR ANYTHING YOU DUMB BITCH. Scott does seem sweet and at least he can admit his mistakes. I'm just not gonna take that. ❓

2.) William Black

- If you want to live like Anatasia Steel and date a great value Christian Gray wannabe, here you go. The walmart version is here. I'm not into BDSM, or any sort of dominance shit. I know Lucifer is my favorite OM character, but I won't get on my knees for any man 🙄 Especially this ugly ass 💔

3.) Case Harper

- I haven't done much of his story, but Case seems like such an interesting character. The story is exciting and seems to have some good action going. Case also seems to be a genuinely caring guy ❤

4.) Erik Larsen

- I'm very much in between on this guy. I love me a pretty artist, mad respect that he's a painter because all I can paint is simple ass watercolor landscapes. Not sure if I'm into the drama tho❓

5.) Damon Hemlock

- I LOVE THEM??? Their entire look is absolutely gorgeous and I love someone with confidence 😉 They're also a drag queen so mad respect there. After all, I'm all about living how you want to and doing what makes you happy. Damon also gives me gender envy. Like, I want to have their confidence and look like them as a trans non binary person ❤

6.) Seong On

- Seong is kind of a pain in the ass but in a good way? Like, he's a pretty troublemaker type. And the type to seduce you into sex on the first date apparently. I can't say much about his personality right now, but he does seem really sweet ❤

7.) Zander Delgado

- HIS STORY IS SO INTRIGUING SO FAR?? LIKE OMG- Zander is a nerdy one, he likes books and knitting. But there's actually something darker going on beneath. Zander has amnesia and absolutely no clue as to what happened to him. And I'll be honest, I think its cute whenever he gets excited about getting to experience things as if its the first time, and rediscovering his previous passions. I'm loving him so far ❤

8.) Diego Garza

- I can respect a man who knows his own worth. Not one who does shit just to make their ex jealous. I'm sorry, but I'm not gonna be a tool to get your ex back. I have some self worth, you know? 💔

9.) Tomas Ward

- Love a guy who's wild and adventrous in more ways than one 😉 It's hilarious when he complains about his job as a bodyguard being boring, especially since some celebrities are total dumbasses. I originally wrote here that he doesn't seem to move too quick. But then I was proven wrong by him kissing MC on the first date. Im still enjoying his storyline ❤

10.) Akio Fujimori

- I can respect an artist, but Akio is a bit... too much for me. He seems a bit like a workaholic, like the type to be invested in his work that he'll bail on you without warning. Like he's in a relationship with his job instead of you. And I'm just not into that 💔

[undertheknightwing]

Hi Cody! I really like your blog and now I officially ship Gar/Jon! Would their ship name be GarJon or JonGar?

And your pfp is so cool! I haven't seen any bisexual representation for S&L's Jon, so seeing it automatically made me happy!!

I also adore Gar and Jon as characters! I definitely relate to Gar a lot (I hope something cool happens to him in season 4, same thing with Jon) ((although I haven't seen season 2 of Superman & Lois, yet)). Jon is my favorite because he seemed like the nice popular kid (which reminded me of the popular girls I went to high school with), plus he seems so sweet and fun to hang around! (((I adore it when characters are close to their parents)))

(I wanna be their lesbian aunt, like, I'd be Jon's adopted lesbian aunt, then when Jon and Gar get together, I could be his lesbian aunt-in-law) i have no idea if that's an actual thing or what

Oh and one more thing, I'm gonna start reading Escapism soon! I love the premise so much!

Hi!! I'm so glad you like my blog!! 😁❤❤

I've called their ship many things.. sunshineshipping, multiverse boyfriends, green kryptonite, but I stuck with the simple GarJon just because it sounded the best in my head. But you’re allowed to call their ship JonGar, GarJon, whatever you want!

Thank you! I made a bi Jon icon and a bi/trans Gar icon for pride month since those are my headcanons. (Bi Gar is canon though,, thank you Ryan!) I wish Jon was bi like he is in the comics but this is The CW we're talking about, making Jon bi would mean they'd have to write him a proper storyline and they would never do that 🙄

Jon and Gar are the definitions of "best boys". Jordan and Ryan do an incredible job bringing the characters to life despite having barely anything to work with. Their acting always leaves me with stars in my eyes because it's just so full of emotion and has a powerful impact especially if they're angry and get a rare chance to express that anger.

Gar yelling at Dick in the batcave after being shot and Jon yelling at Jordan for spying on him with super hearing are scenes that will permanently live rent free in my brain. There's something satisfying about seeing the character who's expected to be a doormat and apologize for everything finally explode and say what's on their mind. Because if any characters in both shows deserve to blow up, it's Gar and Jon. Gar's treatment wasn't good from the beginning, no spoilers since you haven't watched the season yet but Jon's treatment has gotten so much worse in season 2.

Honestly, they both need to take a long vacation together to a beach to relax and forget about all the shit they’re put through. Let them go on evening walks on the beach, play mini golf, get a nice dinner, and crash in a comfy condo.

I hope you like Escapism!! It's my pride and joy!! 🧡💚🧡💚

Thank you for the lovely ask! It made my day!

[fansofvow]

Interview with Eve Golden Woods!

Many of you know who is Eve is. She's a writer and artist, a part of Dreamfeel studios whose beautiful game If Found won Best LGBTQ Narrative and Best LGBTQ Indie game at the first ever Gayming Awards presented by EA games. I am really excited I had the chance to ask Eve some questions about herself, her time at Lovestruck and her creative process.

Congratulations on the two Gayming Awards (Best LGBTQ Narrative, Best LGBTQ Indie Game) for "If Found" from your game studio, Dreamfeel. What was the inspiration behind making the game?

If Found... was a game that emerged out of a collaboration between Llaura McGee, the founder of Dreamfeel, and artist Liadh Young. Liadh's background is as a comic artist, and so when they started working together Llaura had the idea of showing off Liadh's art by making a diary game, and using an erasing mechanic she had previously developed to let the player move through the diary in a fun way. By the time I came on board at the start of 2019, the game had already been in development for a while, so in some ways my work on that game was similar to the work I did for Voltage, because it was taking existing characters and concepts and writing a lot of scripts for them. Unlike Voltage, though, my work for Dreamfeel was a lot more collaborative and I had a lot more creative input. I really enjoy taking something and helping to make it the best version of itself that it can possibly be, but I was also really happy that I got to reflect a lot of my own experiences in If Found. Llaura and I both grew up on the west coast of Ireland, and although If Found... isn't autobiographical for either of us, it was definitely really meaningful to be able to tell a story that reflected our own experiences of growing up as queer teens in a similar kind of environment. Since the game came out we've had fans reach out to us and tell us that they also connected to the experiences of the main characters, and as far as I'm concerned, that makes me feel like I achieved everything I wanted to.

You are a writer and a visual artist. Does one come easier to you than the other?

I used to think of art and writing as talents, and I always felt like my art was at a very mediocre level (that's probably still true, lol). So when I was younger I focused a lot more on writing. It was only later that I started genuinely trying to improve as an artist, but when I did, I think I had a much healthier mindset, and approached it as a skill I could learn with patience and effort. Because of that, even though I still have a lot more confidence in my writing, I find art more fun and relaxing, and I don't stress about it as much.

Did you always know you would follow a creative path?

Kind of? Both my parents are artists, and I grew up surrounded by artists and writers, so it was something that was always very familiar and accessible to me. On the other hand, I didn't exactly have a clear idea of how to make it into a career, or what kind of work would be involved. But there's never been a point in my life where I wasn't doing something creative, even if it was only writing fanfiction.

What did your path to working professionally as a writer/artist look like?

I did a creative writing masters in college, but after that I spent years teaching English as a second language. That was really fun and I got to live abroad, but it was so busy and tiring that I didn't have time to do any writing outside of the occasional fanfic. I only started to take art seriously again when I became interested in games and comics as ways of telling stories. I did some critical writing, which led me to speak at a few local events and get involved in zine fairs. That was how I met Llaura, the director and lead of the Dreamfeel studio, and it's also what gave me the confidence to start applying for actual writing jobs.

Is there any work of art, visual or written, that you look to for inspiration?

So many! I try to read and watch as widely as I can, although there are touchstones I always return to, like the works of Ursula Le Guin and Terry Pratchett. Right now I feel very passionate about the actual play podcast Friends at the Table, which manages to combine really thoughtful worldbuilding and storytelling with cool, fun characters and great action scenes. I'm also reading a book called The Memory Police by Youko Ogawa, which has extremely beautiful prose.

Do you have a favorite piece of your own art, whether it is something you’ve drawn, a screenshot of something you’ve written or something else?

My favourite piece of art is usually whatever I finished most recently (I think that's true for a lot of people). Especially with visual art, once a bit of time has gone by you look back on it and start to notice all your mistakes, which is very annoying. But actually I do still really like the first piece of Fiona fanart I did last year. I managed to use some effects to give it a kind of nineties anime quality that I find really fun, and I think it conveys an emotion pretty effectively. That's always one of the hardest things to predict with visual art, whether the different parts will come together to create the exact mood you're looking for.

I also really like the compass I did for Bycatch. Krissy (@xekstrin) was the one who suggested filling it with fingernails, which was such a good, gross idea! As soon as I heard that I knew it was perfect and that I had to try and draw it.

Many people who read this blog know you as a writer for Lovestruck. When you look back on your time there, what stands out in your mind?

Lovestruck was very important to me when I first started because it was my first ongoing, regular, paid writing work. It gave me a lot of confidence and helped me to get into the habit of writing consistently and rapidly, which is a really useful skill to have. I know I was right to leave when I did, though, because I am just brimming with energy to work on my own projects, and channeling that power into something that you can't control will always end up disappointing you. Also, I made a ton of incredible friends, through Lovestruck itself but then even more so through VOW (@vowtogether), and that is more than worth all the difficult parts.

Is there any character that you would have liked a crack at writing?

Oh gosh, what a fun question! There are so many, but one I do sometimes think about is Axia, just because I know there are a bunch of fans who want her route, and because I had fun writing her as a villain in Zain's route. I can see in my head the shadow of a storyline that takes place after Zain's route is over, where she's in prison and trying to understand how she lost the battle with Zain and MC. I think there's, like, a gap there, where you could see her downfall forcing her to reconsider her assumptions about power, and that could build into a very interesting redemption story. But maybe it's for the best I never got to do that, because I would have wanted full creative control over it, and also I think the story in my head is very different to the sexy, in control, menacing version of Axia that her fans enjoy.

Do you have any upcoming projects you can talk about?

Most of my current work is under NDA, but I will say that I'm doing something very exciting with other VOW members that we should be able to talk about soon(ish). Maybe I can even give a little teaser... It's not a game, but it is something you can read, and my part involves cakes, swamps, and a museum.

Do you have a favorite quote or song lyric?

It's a big long, but there's a section from The Dispossessed by Ursula le Guin that has stayed with me ever since I read it:

"For we each of us deserve everything, every luxury that was ever piled in the tombs of the dead kings, and we each of us deserve nothing, not a mouthful of bread in hunger. Have we not eaten while another starved? Will you punish us for that? Will you reward us for the virtue of starving while others ate? No man earns punishment, no man earns reward. Free your mind of the idea of deserving, the idea of earning, and you will begin to be able to think."

It's such a profoundly radical way of imagining the world, so different to everything I was raised with, but whenever I think about it I feel like I can see something very beautiful and powerful that I hope to come closer to understanding some day.

And of course, "Solidarity forever, the union makes us strong."

I was a big fan of the show Inside the Actor’s Studio. Host James Lipton asked every single guest the same 10 concluding questions. I’ve picked 3 of them:

-What is your favorite word?

My favourite word: for sound, I like words you can really roll around on your tongue. Chthonic, alabaster, insinuation. For meaning, I think simple words that encapsulate big concepts have a kind of power to them. We use them so often we forget how big they are, how much weight they really have, but they give us the space to imagine new possibilities. Love. Freedom. Revolution.

-What is your least favorite word?

I've heard that "moist" is a lot of people's least favourite word but it doesn't actually bother me. My least favourite word is probably one where I feel like the sound doesn't match the meaning. One of the Irish words for rain is báisteach, which I feel has a much weightier and more onomatopoeic sound than rain. Rain is just very flat and uninteresting.

-What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?

Oh, so many! I love history, and I think being a historian/archaeologist would be fascinating. Or something that had a physical component to it, like being a potter or a carpenter. I don't think I'd be any good, but I'd love to take the time to learn.

What would be your advice to anyone who wants to pursue a creative career?

All the work you do matters. Even the failed experiments, the things you hate when they're finished. It all helps to make you better. Also, creative career paths are often really unexpected, so chase any opportunity that seems remotely interesting. Don't work for free for anyone who can afford to pay, but work for yourself and put it somewhere. On a blog, twitter, whatever. You'd be amazed how many people get noticed and get offered opportunities because of something they made in their spare time. You'll probably have to work another job for a long time, so don't be hard on yourself if you're too tired to devote much energy to creative work. Try to make art consistently, but don't feel like that has to mean every day. Don't chase after celebrities. Make friends with your peers.

[queen-of-my-goofball-army]

"I don't think there are any memories that are okay to forget. None. I think I want to live with my memories. Even if they're sad memories. Even if their memories only hurt me." (Momiji Sohma, Fruits Basket.)

Me and Fruits Basket as most people know have some major history. It's a show that has seen me through the darkest times and has helped me to come out the other side into a more happy and upbeat person. My favorite character overall is one that has a huge amount of relatability but is also one of the deepest and most fleshed out supporting characters in any series that I have ever watched, Momiji Sohma, the bunny of the Chinese zodiac that we have throughout the show.

When I was 12 my best friend flat out demanded that I watch this show the summer of 12-13. I went home, bought the show, and binged it within three days. At first I was irritated by Momiji. He was just *too* happy. My favorite was Kyo until I reached high school. When I rewatched the series at 14 I saw something different inside of him. This comfort and relatability of somebody who had been through something traumatic but still wanted to retain those memories because they helped to make us stronger.

Momiji is the personification of sunshine. He's somebody that would protect whoever he loved with his life no matter what. If somebody in his inner circle isn't happy he'll do anything to make them smile or laugh. There's something about that energy that just makes me want to give him the biggest hug. He's such an upbeat and energetic persona that it continually makes me invested in his storyline and what he goes through all throughout the series.

The older I get the more I see myself in the bunny of the zodiac. We would both do anything for our friends, we're both naturally upbeat people usually the only ones smiling and making jokes to liven a situation, I've always preferred the cuter things in life obviously and that's how I'd describe younger Momiji's fashion "cute". He's always there right when the show needs him to be for a moment either filled with emotion or with comedy.

Momiji is a darling. It's just that plain and simple. He lightens a show that seems to be fraught with sadness. He brightens a room with his smile and with his voice. His voice actor in the dub, Mikaela Krantz, while the German did take me a hot minute to get used to I eventually came to love. It's very light and airy almost like a dance and it's perfectly suited for my bunny baby.

Whenever I think about Momiji, it's always followed by this warmth. It's followed by nostalgia of my early high school days and early elementary school of loving this show. There are so many relationships with him that I love but my favorite has to be his platonic relationship with Kyo. I just love them together so much. I wish that they had more screen time together than they actually do but what we got I'm still a big fan of.

(I also love Tohru here like I'm sure that this happens way too much and Momiji is used to the half hearted abuse Tohru baby he's fine.)

Fruits Basket is a show full of outstanding and beautiful characters with fleshed out personalities but my favorite will always be my local rabbit baby. While when I was younger, much like my favorite adult in the show Ayame, I was irritated with them at first but I grew to love them once I got older and learned more about the world. Momiji will forever be one of my favorite anime characters and one of my favorite comfort characters.

[vios-blanket-fort]

((Long post ahead!!))

Oh! I meant to do this post AGES ago!

So, as a little kid, I've always loved video games. I've been playing video games since I was three, and that doesn't even count the computer games I would play when I was even younger than that. So naturally, when I regress, I'm drawn to video games. I'm way more tech-bound than anything else; I'm usually playing phone games (I'll make a separate post about those!), watching youtube, listening to music, or playing on my 3ds! I wanted to share the games I play when I'm feelin smol, and here they are!

Top row (left to right):

-Animal Crossing New Leaf: this one's a given. You live in (and are the mayor of) a fun little town with friendly animals and happy music. You get to decorate your house inside and out and set Public Works Projects around the town to make it nice!

-Nintendogs + Cats: This is the second game I ever bought for my 3ds! You get to have dogs and cats as pets! The cats sadly don't do much (though something good happens if you leave your 3ds open and unattended for a while!), but you can walk the dogs and enter them in competitions to earn money! They're so cute and you can get lots of accessories for them, as well as change the interior and furniture for your room :D

-Tomodachi Life: This game I like to play cuz it's super silly. It's funny and entertaining to watch your Miis do hilarious stuff and say crazy things and dress em up in rediculous outfits. Plus, it doesn't take a whole lot of mental energy to play! So that's a plus!

-Cooking Mama 4: Kitchen Magic: I've always loved cooking games, and Cooking Mama was a big part of my childhood since my first ds. It's really fun to play and I love making all sorts of foods. It's actually how I learned about lots of different types of foods from different countries, too! I'm also really good at the dishwashing minigame hehehe

Style Savvy: Trendsetters: This game is a LOT more fun than it looks (and sounds, I'm bad at explaining). You run a boutique and buy all sorts of clothes for it, and then design outfits for your customers. You can dress yourself up, too, and customize your character with makeup and hairstyles. And you can customize your apartment and buy furniture and wallpapers! Then there's the competitions, where you dress a model up to a set theme and try to make the best outfit! It's very addicting and fun and I've been playing it lots recently!

Second row:

Ontamarama: this game is a rhythm game, and the first ds game I ever got (Ah, I'll remember that Christmas fondly)! Normally I don't like rhythm games, but this one is super fun and adorable. All the characters are named after musical terms, and there's a storyline to it! It uses the stylus and microphone, so it's super engaging

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks: I mainly play this for nostalgia reasons, but it's one of the more cutesy Zelda games! It's funny, it's entertaining, it's adorable, it can be challenging, and I really like the hand flute! It sounds pretty!

Club Penguin: Elite Penguin Force: I got this back during my Club Penguin days :') This game is very funny and simple and I love the music! It's super duper nostalgic and it's just really nice to play.

Petz Catz 2: another animal game, this one focusing on cats! I had a different version of this game for the PC ages ago, and I wanted the DS version too! It's wildly different, but not in a bad way! You get to pick your cat, name them, and play with them! You get to find out their favorite food and toys and help them through obstacle courses. I love this game a lot! Also, the music is very nice to listen to, and it changes depending on if it's day or night in real time!

Littlest Pet Shop Friends: Country: Ah, this is a waaay older game. I haven't played it in a good while, but I remember loving all the minigames and experiencing the story, as well as customizing clothes for the little animals :D

MySims: This game reminds me of Animal Crossing before I got Animal Crossing. You go to an island to live there and help the Mayor make it the popular resort spot it used to be by restoring it to its former glory (I believe, anyway! Haven't played in so long)

And last, but CERTAINLY not least...

-Kirby Super Star Ultra: this game is one of my all time favorites! It's one of the few I 100% completed, I've got an unofficial world record in, and I played it all throughout my childhood! I replayed the stories over and over and loved to play the minigames too! Kirby is so so cute and it's just a really fun game to play :D

[llycaons]

and with a lb ofc whee

AUGH THE CHAPTER IS CALLED DUNGEON MESHI. it's simple but I love it when they do that. perfect for dm, which is pared-down in themes but applies itself perfectly to what it wants to say

wow, damn, guess that makes sense, it's so amazing that laios brought so many people together with the simple promise of something that unites all living things - nourishment - and they in turn brought their own food to add to the communal pot. I would have liked to see more exploration of this community-building through food, but this is literally one of the only things I would change about dm it's so impeccable crafted

damn marcille

JESUS LAIOS

aw man, that's genuinely an awful thing to live with. this might be a happy ending, but laios lives with the consequences of his defeat of the demon

this is an actual medical condition too...people can get really sick

celebratory panel!!! ofc senshi is stoic (though without ever being unkind! he's unruffled without being cold) and izu doesn't rly care

sorry but 👀

THIS IS SO FUNNY. senshi being like 'I'm politely staying out of this' and everyone else being like 'yeah there's no way he's that selfless'

damn, what a step for marcille, who was so terrified of losing the people close to her

she's so hot here ugh

OHHH this visual is so cool

mmm tasty! her face says hehe she's so cute I missed her so bad. real babygirl material

yayy!!! and standing up suddenly able to walk, and TAKING the dragon with her??? that's so cute like a little plush

it would have been an interesting ending for her to maybe not recover the use of her legs? ending the story with a disability wouldn't have been a tragedy, and it's been done really well in other stories. like, I'm still me, this is a change that happened because of something I've been through, and it's something to adjust to and keep moving forward with. sorry to bring up tgcf here but sqx's storyline is truly so compelling like she DID that

SHES SO CUTE I CAN'T STAND IT. farlyn are you free friday I can take you to a movie and buy you dinner

really incredible how she's hot in one panel then charming in another then ravenous in the third. her range...

this is such lover behavior <3

AHHH SIBLING LOVE!!

marcille love!!! her legs lmao

😭😭😭 not many stories wend this straightforwardly satisfyingly and honestly it's really really nice. a more bittersweet ending or a more 'mature' one might have had farlyn not come back at all a lesson abt death or w/e but fuck that!!

ohhhh sexy

STOP THIS IS SO FUCKING CUTE!!! LOOK HOW HE'S SMILING. CRYING OVER THIS!!! character who barely know each other and have met like once before but will absolutely be friends for life. this might be my favorite panel in the chapter and maybe even series

PEACE AND LOVE ON THE PLANET EARTH

aww she's trying to reach out to izu. she's not someone who warms up to people easily but farlyn is just so lovable and sincere and weird that I can def see a friendship potentially for them

STOP STOP THIS IS SO CUTE. im so glad farlyn didn't get paired off or even god forbid MARRIED to that guy who likes her can you fucking imagine. maybe farcille isn't confirmed but they're real in our hearts and nothing disproves them

damn, pizza? I don't remember that

of course she does!!! she's outgoing and adventurous and loves to eat!

you know this story wouldn't have worked half as well if farlyn wasn't legitimately a charming and lovable character who was easy to get attached to and root for. if they tried going the jerk with a heart of gold route, it would have taken a lot longer and been harder to create sympathy for her. like how cql's appeal rests disproportionately on you liking and rooting for wwx, dungeon meshi's driving plot relied on you WANTING this woman to come back to life, to eat and see her friends and do her magic and get into her weird hobbies. and she's perfect! the writing doesn't rely on one cliched line or scene to get you to realize 'oh they're a good person despite their harsh exterior' to get you to root for her (even tho that's an underutilized technique for writing women), it just presents this oddball and lets you love her. rk is so good at writing women who feel like real people, it's a reason adore marcille - for her awkwardness, her judgement, her readiness to blow things up without thought. she's just a deeply uncool person who's very endearing

not to be a monarchist or anything but this is probably the best they could have gotten given the situation so I'm not going to complain too much. it's not like I read dm for in-depth and realistic political engagement

and this is like the easiest way to be a good leader. just care about your people getting the food they need. that's enough, really. I don't think laios is capable of much more anyway. it's not like he's a politican

also what does the succession line look like? I know he's not having a kid. omg kabru!! his face is so ajshdksad. and yayy marcille and farlyn staying to advise him together!!

oHHH SHIT. thesis statement of the series! also these babies are so fucking cute I can't deal. ik that one of them is a dog person but the other one??? is that an ogre??? well take back what I said about just food being important. integration is happening here too - it's clear that laios's kingdom is welcoming of people like ogres who have historically been expelled from other places and violently targeted by other races. idk how he managed that but like, well done, laios!

you know I adore cql but it's such a relief to step into other stories that aren't quite so much about Good (TM ) in a vague and all-encompassing sense and also have characters who aren't laserfocused on one person and who you can envision making connections to and becoming close with other characters 😭 loving lwj is so hard sometimes loving farlyn is so easy always

I mean I'm going to be thinking about cloud recesses etiquette lessons for submissives for like the rest of the week obviously but now that I'm more awake it's dungeon meshi time babey

[something-tofightfor]

Hi!! 4, 7, 9, 28 + a question of your choice for the end of year asks!!

(This got sent to my drafts instead of posting to my page - oops)

4: What piece of writing are you most proud of?

I'm really proud of We'll Feel It All Tonight and Baby It's Cold Outside because Ithink that those two challenged me in a lot of ways. BICO wasn't the typical slow burn that I love writing so much, and trying to keep Frankie in character while also showing the progress he's made was really difficult.

WFIAT was a challenge because it dropped you as a reader into the middle of an established relationship 20 years after the world basically ends. Not only did I have to make their connection believable (in terms of what Joel would want and need) but tell their backstory in very simple terms without spoiling too much of the 'previous' parts which still need to be written.

7: What's the story or fic that you're most excited to work on or share next year?

I'm really excited to get into the good parts of Aphelion. You and I have a ton of great things coming for that one, so knowing that pretty soon they're going to be seeing the light of day (and not just living in a google doc) makes me happy.

But since that doesn't technically count since we're already posting it:

- Baseball Jack (Caught On series)

- Untitled horror series with Javi ... that's also a soulmate AU.

9: What's a scene you wrote this year that you're particularly proud of?

This is a tough one, becaue I think my writing has improved a lot in 2021, and I've written a lot that I'm proud of.

HOWEVER.

In Buried, the scenes where Cider's remembering in the tank felt like a massive weight was lifted off my shoulders as I got them down. I was so worried I wouldn't be able to find a believable trigger for her to finally remember - and I like that not only did it call back to the situation that got her so injured in the first place, but it also incorporated a little bit of the way Kingsman agents are tested with the water and the forced immersion.

28: What is your favorite story or chapter title you came up with this year?

I'm really happy with the way I was able to pull relevant titles from the lyrics in my Joel playlist for the different parts of that story. I know that many terrible things have changed for him / the people in that storyline, but tying them back to the songs that they would have listened to / appreciated / taken meaning from before the world ended and showing that people are always going to have the same types of emotions and scenarios no matter what's happened to them is really exciting for me.

Also, naming the chapters of Magnetic is a challenge and a half, but it's been a lot of fun.

And a question of my choice:

34. What's the weirdest thing you researched for a fic?

I'm truly shocked that I haven't had an FBI agent beating down my door with some of the stuff I've looked up, especially recently.

- I looked up so many things pertaining to the FBI HQ and DC in general when I was writing Just Be-Claus

- Star Wars animal/creature species

- Colombia during the 90's

- i've been doing some casual research about murders and unique methods for killing for something that's coming next year (see above)

Thank you for asking these, Alyssa!!!