#this is what i have on in the background while organizing orders and getting stuff ready for my bf to pack

[shopwitchvamp]

Currently mildly obsessed with this youtube man that reviews canned fish and opens every video by saying "What are we even doing here?"

Like, yeah dude. What ARE we even doing here 🤔

[erinwantstowrite]

if you're stuck on a chapter there are a few reasons:

-your set up to the scene you're writing is not working. go back and check it

-you are not in the right POV. think about who would be the most interesting or the most entertaining or the most informative in that scene, depending on what impact you want the scene to have

-you're at the beginning of the chapter and the words aren't coming to you even though you have it planned out already? the solution is simple: you don't like what you have planned out as much as you think you do. do not force it

-solution to a lot of problems comes from a single question I ask myself: Do I choose the kind option, or the mean option? (Your readers will eat up either one)

-You find the dialogue lacking? Act it out

-Your scene feels boring or something just "ain't right" but you can't tell what it is? Try making yourself feel the emotion you want your readers to feel. If you didn't cry while writing a scene meant to make your readers bawl their eyes out, then you might not have connected to your character as well as you wanted to. Put yourself in their shoes, pretend you ARE them.

(And afterwards, please practice putting yourself back in your own shoes and taking care of your mental health. Sometimes the fucked up stuff might get to you. Healthy minds create healthy lives, and in turn, you get to keep creating.)

-Your environment might be bothering you. Take a look around you and see what's nagging you. Is your workspace not clean? Are your notes out of order? A clean/orderly workspace can help you organize your thoughts or get you into a more productive mood. (Trust me, I get it, sometimes it's really hard to keep it tidy.)

-Try white/brown/pink noise. Try listening to music, or to videos that create background noise you feel most productive with.

-Jumping jacks. Squats. Stretches. Wiggle around your room. That one scene in High School Musical where Sharpay and Ryan are warming up. It sounds ridiculous, but this is good for you, your body, and your mind. Release pent up energy, get yourself awake and focused. If you aren't able to do this, try something silly to wake your brain up. Do some puzzles, sing some songs, etc.

-Most importantly:

Did you do your laundry? Did you get enough sun? Did you drink enough water? Did you eat enough today? Did you get your favorite snack? Did you smile? Did you run in your yard like you did as a kid? Did you laugh with your friend? Did you see the way their eyes crinkle when they smile at you? Did you play with your dog? Your cat? Did you look at the flowers in the field near your house? Did you meet someone new? Did you learn something you didn't before? Did you try something you were scared of? Did it go well? Did you enjoy being yourself? Did you explore the world today? Did you live? Did you love? Did you feel? Did you breathe, and relax, and feel that everything is gonna be okay?

It might seem insignificant, but we write from the heart, not just the mind. Let your story sit in the back of your mind when you truly feel stuck. Take care of yourself, try getting out of your head. Notice the details around you, commit them to memory. Your story will wait for you. It might take a day, or days, or a week, or a month, months, or a year or years. But the story sits with you and you'll be thinking about it without actually thinking about it. When you come to your story again, it will be happy that you've grown, no matter how big or small

[hyenafu]

Hey Hyena, you have years of experience when it comes to making a webcomic. Do you have any tips or advice for someone who has been thinking of starting their own with their original characters? That someone is me.

Though I do have a lot of advice to share, I will preface this by saying that general advice can only take you so far. I'm not familiar with you, your work, or your goals. It feels a bit like trying to tell someone how to play video games well when you don't know what game they're playing. But I'll try to share some practical wisdom that I hope will help folks who are just starting out.

Research: I've been recommending Scott McCloud's "Making Comics" to new creators for years, and I stand by that recommendation. It contains a ton of useful information about how the language of comics works while being a comic itself. McCloud talks about character design, the balance of words and images, pacing, backgrounds, and all sorts of subjects while pulling examples from many different types of comics, including European graphic novels, webcomics, manga, and American newspaper stripes. Whether you're just starting to appreciate comics or you've been making them for a while, I think it's a great source of inspiration.

Planning: I would do some research into how other webcomic artists plan. You're going to find a plethora of answers. Some people are really organized, others fly by the seat of their pants, and there's all sorts of valid approaches somewhere in between.

Slightly Damned is a mix of planning and improv. It's a very slow-moving story, and I've literally changed as a person with the passage of time. I have very clear goals with only a vague idea of how I'm going to get there or how long it's going to take. I just point myself and my characters in the direction I want to go and procedurally generate art and dialog along the way. This way, I'm able to set up story beats that actually (eventually) pay off, while keeping things fresh and interesting enough that I actually want to keep making it.

My usual process involves maintaining an outline in a text document. The advantage of keeping the outline in a digital text document is that I can edit and rearrange things as needed. It's a jumble of notes and snippets of dialog in rough chronological order.

When I need to make more Slightly Damned pages (usually a few weeks in advance), I adapt my notes into sketches of comic pages called thumbnails that I keep in a small notebook. Then the thumbnails are what I base the actual comic pages on when I start penciling them.

A warning against too much planning: Planning only works up to a point. At some point, you just gotta get started and gain some experience.

I think the most common problem people have when planning to make comics is that they're planning too much. It makes sense to want to be prepared, and it makes sense to be afraid of messing up. But there's a lot that you can ONLY learn from putting your art-making tool* to use and seeing where you end up.

(*Just to make sure we're all on the same page here: GenAI is not an art-making tool, it's a plagarism tool. If you rely on it, you'll only be robbing yourself of learning anything or discovering your style.)

For example: do you even like making comics? I feel like you can't really know this unless you've spent some time making them. Comics are excrutiatingly labor intensive and notoriously bad for making money.

If you don't enjoy the work of making comics, I don't think there's any reason to force yourself to make them. There are so many awesome ways to express yourself: visual novels, animatics, prose, video games, modeling, music, cosplay, concept artist, etc. I don't want anyone committing themselves to an art form because they think they have to; I want them to commit themselves to an art form because gosh dang it it's just SO rewarding to do it!

And when you start making stuff, you can look at what you've done and start asking questions about how to do it better next time. You can show the stuff you've done to others, and their reactions can help you find your direction. You can do all sorts of research based on what you think you want, and what you think you can do, only for all of that to be thrown out the window once you get started.

It'll also help you find what you're good at, which is usually whatever you think is the most fun to make.

Practice: Everything gets easier with practice. And I mean everything. If you want to get better at doing something, then you have to actually do it. Suck at drawing elbows? Draw some elbows. Bikes are impossible? Draw some bikes. Wanna write fantasy? Write some fantasy. Wanna write sci fi? Write some sci fi.

Do it bad, do it scared, and it will become easier. I can't guarantee that you'll be able to, say, freehand the skyline of San Francisco with total confidence after trying it a couple times. But you may stop giving a shit about doing it badly, and then the attempt can be fun regardless of the result! Doesn't that sound powerful?

Art is hard, and we can all be hard on ourselves. Try not to overly focus on the results. Practice mindfulness and enjoy the process of making things. Others will be able to see the spark that fuels your creations even if you feel your technical skills aren't exactly where you want them to be.

Putting it online: Don't rely on social media to be around forever. Being online since the 90s, I can tell you that it's been a long process of jumping from one sinking ship to the next. You want people to be able to reliably find you and your work.

I've know people whose layouts were destroyed when tumblr pushed an update. Creators had to scramble to make new sites for their webcomics when SmackJeeves suddenly went under. Who knows when the next billionaire or hedge fund will threaten the livelihoods of thousands for the sake of filling their already-bursting bank accounts?

If you know how to make your own website: look into Wordpress, which has several plug-ins that work with it, such ComicEasel and Toocheke, for making websites specifically for webcomics.

But if you don't know how to make your own website: use ComicFury. I've heard nothing but good things through the grapevine about how good it is and how passionate the owner is about webcomics. I've heard it's very easy to set up and I'm strongly considering making a Slightly Damned mirror on it myself.

What about Webtoon? Well… ymmv, I guess. They definitely have shady business practices and encourage unhealthy, overly demanding amounts of work from their creators. Their rating system was also another point of contention (I think ratings systems encourage a narrow-minded view of art), but they recently got rid of it, I think?

Other problems include limited control over comments section, no ability to flesh out your account with interesting side content for your comic, how much the site pushes people to jump from comic to comic, ads, content restrictions…

I do have friends who use Webtoon with the attitude of "being where the people are". That makes total sense to me. Ultimately, it's a decision you just have to make for yourself based on your values and comfort levels.

If you're a furry, then FurAffinity is a good place for your first archive. You can make (a) folder(s) for your comic, then set up navigation links in the description to help people read comic pages in order.

Places like tumblr and Bluesky are good for sharing stuff regularly, but they make terrible archives. Social media is very much about being "in the moment" and sharing new things regularly. It has its uses, but it's not the best for reading through a comic archive.

I'm not going to pretend that FA is perfect, but it is independently owned and anti-AI, and that's something to celebrate.

===

I feel like I could go on forever, but I hope that's a helpful start. If you or anyone else would like some more specific advice, shoot me a question in my inbox. It can be hard to know what to talk about when giving general advice because there is SO much talk about.

[harrington-stevie]

"Sugar thing" - Steve Harrington x f!Reader

Summary: You got cheated on and one of your ways to deal with pain is to eat too much ice cream. The perfect spot for that is Scoop's Ahoy and you meet the charming Steve Harrington, who's willing to make you feel better introducing you to his friends.

Warnings: Sex, unprotected sex, cursing, fluffiness overload. 18+ MINORS DNI

Word count: 6k+ (I lost count honestly)

🍦🍦🍦

"Ahoy! I'm Steve Harrington and what can I do for you today?", he sounded pretty much content. And you were about to cry if that didn't actually made you want to laugh.

He would do that all day and he would never get tired of it, apparently. You tapped your fingers against the counter and looked at the ice cream flavors.

You just wanted to eat the entire thing, so why not ask for one scoop of each? And you literally went for it.

"Hi, uhm... can I get one scoop of each flavor?", you asked. You'd probably be laughed at internally, he thought you were just kidding.

But your face was holding a serious expression.

"All of them?", he asked just to make sure and you nodded. "O-kay.."

He let out a soft side smile at you before scooping the whole fridge. He didn't question you, though. He didn't ask about it.

You were looking blankly at some point, your eyes burning from the tears threatening to fall off.

"There you go", he says as he hands you the ice cream. "That'll be 20 dollars".

You give him the money and he gives you the change. You walk away from the counter and sit at a table close to Scoop's Ahoy. Steve just stands there watching you enjoy your dessert.

He couldn't deny he was wondering how the hell you're going to eat all of that. Maybe you were just used to eating that amount of ice cream.

"Holy Jesus, she just high-key ordered the entire fridge. Girl is brave!", Robin whispers close to him by the counter.

Harrington lets out a giggle as he stares at you. You don't seem to be enjoying yourself, though. You look miserable, and the way you retract yourself automatically from your sadness.

You have been feeling like that for days, how could you not be when your former boyfriend cheated on you? You were nothing but loyal to him, you took care of him and you were devoted.

But he found a way to not care about all of that when he decided to get into someone else's pants and not care about you. Now you were there, sitting by yourself, eating like 398 pounds of ice cream.

While Steve was scooping with Robin, he would look at you once or twice, trying to figure out why you would ask for all the flavors. Maybe you were pregnant and had a craving?

Maybe you were just too fond of ice cream? Or maybe you were upset with something but he would never know.

At some point you left and Harrington didn't see you anymore. You were using your shift break to try new stuff at the mall. You're probably going to pull some weight at some point, but you didn't fucking care.

The next day you were once again at the Scoop's Ahoy, Steve was on his back organizing some things, too distracted to notice you there.

As soon as you rang the little bell on the counter, he turned to you as he was about to say the same words as always.

"Ahoy! I'm St- oh, hi!", he cut himself off as he saw it was you. "Hey, are you?".

You looked miserable, for instance. He could see that from a distance, but he tried to be nice to you.

"I'm good, thanks. Can I get the same from yesterday?", you were actually embarrassed to ask for that again.

Too much ice cream was never actually too much for you. And you were barely eating food recently.

He softly whispered "sure" as he began scooping your dessert. Again you were tapping against the counter as you looked at the way his hair was perfectly sat on his head.

His arms, neck and face had too many moles and you found it adorable. The way he would hum the music playing in the background.

"There you go!", he gave you the dessert and you gave him the money.

You gave him a slight smile and sat at the same table. You've made a schedule already, if anything you'd sit at the same table and eat the same flavors.

Almost the entire week you went there on your break and Steve would just say hi to you, ask how you were and make your order.

He would give you a nice smile and get back to his work. The entire time you were sat there, just eating and looking blankly at a fixed point, he would look at you.

It started to kind of bother him, because you were definitely having personal issues. He was urging to ask what the hell was going on with your life. He would like to know what happened to you and why you looked so sad.

This time you put on your headphones and started to listen to Bon Jovi. His music never failed to make you feel warm, but at the same time it reminds you of your old relationship.

It was still hurting, probably not that much like before, after it happened. But it was. It was a pain that might consume you from the inside. You were trying to not think too much about it, but it was too hard.

Before you leave, you waved at Harrington and Robin, who were distracted having a conversation. They waved back at you and Steve looked at you a warm smile.

It was Friday night, you had just left work and made your way to Scoop's Ahoy. Steve and Robin were probably already bored by seeing your face the entire week, they were wondering if you're ever going to feel sick of the ice cream.

It might even give you diabetes from eating too much sugar, but you didn't want to think about it now anyway.

"Hey, how are you?", he made sure he would be the one to serve you. This time he didn't even introduced himself because there was no need for it anymore. Steve immediately started scooping and he worked so fast on it, it impressed you.

"I'm fine", you smile at him. You were so tired of telling people you were fine when you weren't. But he was being so nice, it was too hard to not even respond to him.

He didn't say anything else. It's not like he was going to keep a conversation when he didn't even know your name. "And you?", you ask as you watch him grab a plastic spoon for you.

The way he looked down and a stray of his hair fell over his forehead looked hot, you thought to yourself. When Steve looked back at you, he had a different look in his eyes.

"I'm drained, honestly. I couldn't even get into Tech and my douchebag dad is trying to teach me a lesson, I make three bucks an hour, and I have no future", he spilled.

It caught you off guard the way he was sarcastically smiling at you as you gave him your money.

"That's half the price for you today. Courtesy of the house", Harrington said. You were trying to gather all the information in such short time.

Then you gave him ten bucks and gave him a sympathy look. "I'm sorry about your situation. If it makes you feel better, I work at McDonald's. And I'm also trying to get into college, so".

You shrug your shoulders as you try to smile, but it comes off as a terrible disguise. He knows it already, you're going through some shitty stuff.

"At least you get to eat something different every day", he makes you laugh genuinely.

"I actually got sick of the burgers and the fries. The ice cream is terrible", you're being honest. It isn't for nothing you decided to go to Scoop's Ahoy instead.

He giggles at your affirmation and you raise your hand to shake his. All this time and he still didn't know your name. "I'm (Y/N)".

He grabs your hand firmly, it's soft and it's cold from the scoop. "I'm Steve."

"Steve", you both say it at the same time. "I know. Your tag name kinda gives it away", you're playful.

It kinda makes you feel warm at the interaction. It's honestly what you really needed after spending so much time being in deep shit. He laughs as he looks at his tag.

"I'm gonna have a bottle of water as well, in fact". You give him another bill and he nods.

"I'll go grab it inside. Have a seat, I'll be right back". You do as he says. He's usually pretty gentle with every girl that buys ice cream, to be honest.

It's not like you've never seen him serving people, he just holds this longing kindness towards people all the time. As you sat there eating your ice cream you felt a little lighter. You were holding this weight the entire time when you clearly didn't have to.

Steve showed up holding the water bottle and gave you another side smile as he put it on the table. You nod as a thank you and watch him take a seat next to you.

"I have ten minutes to spare", he explained. "I, uh..", he tried to speak up as he reached his hair. He looked kind of embarrassed. "Whatever happened to you, I hope you feel better".

He definitely figured you out, you can't hide your plain face when you're eating. You're always eating there alone. You're always looking sad, you're not wearing any makeup and you have darker circles under your eyes.

It just made you realize how miserable you must have been looking lately. If he noticed, everyone around do it too. It's only up to you to decide if you're holding your head up, or if you're going to care about what people think.

And you say to yourself, you don't care. You didn't care before.

You didn't know what to say other than "thank you". "You and I, we're gonna be thriving soon". You giggle at the way he says it so harmoniously.

"I hope so too. Thanks, Steve", you automatically rest one of your hands on his arm and he rests a hand on your hand for a slight second.

Robin called out his name before his break was over, because there were more people there now. It's Friday, every place is crowded. And then he leaves the table and you sit there watching him yell "Ahoy", trying scared the shit out of the kids as they laugh.

You were watching the agitation of the shop and eating peacefully. You wonder how Steve never feels his throat aching from shouting "ahoy" too many times every day and you can't help but laugh.

The ice cream suddenly burned your throat as soon as you see your ex approaching the same spot as you are. He's holding someone's hand as you stare at them both in slow motion as they get to the counter.

Steve is too busy scooping ice creams but he's occasionally looking your way. And then as Robin is getting the money and giving the changes, he watches as your face falls and you freeze. You become stiff and your face is as white as a paper towel.

You try to look away but you're too impressed to see the man you used to love standing there with another woman. They're sharing their feelings, they're smiling at each other.

He watches as you try to swallow the lump you're holding off and your dessert is already melting. The plastic spoon is being held tightly in your hand as you almost squeeze it. The couple leaves the shop and you look down.

You wait for them to get past you so he doesn't see you, and when they're a few feet your way you look at their direction. Harrington's got it all figured out now. It's somebody. You like him, don't you? You used to.

You tell yourself you're disgusted by him, but you were together for too long for your love to just fade away. You can't like him anymore, you need to move on. If you stay there at the same spot, you'll only burn yourself. You need to leave the train station and keep moving.

You can't hold the tears back and they fall relentlessly fast, you hold a napkin to your face and try to diguise it in front of people. It might work for the others, but Steve can't help but notice how broken and fragile you are.

That's why you're always there, you're trying to eat away your feelings, you're supressing your emotions through that damn dessert and it doesn't help at all. You eat, eat, eat, and it's still there. Fuck, when is this ever going to end?

If it was the other way around he might have been trying to move on already. He would be going out with millions of girls to get back at you, he would be trying to forget you. Why can't you?

You leave the table, you leave the ice cream behind. You're holding the napkin as you try to dry those damn tears that keep falling. You're walking too fast because you don't want to spend a minute there anymore.

You stop as soon as a hand grabs your forearm carefully and pulls you back. Steve is looking at you with some sort of compassion, he's trying to say he's sorry but he doesn't even know what you've been through. He's trying to be kind but he barely knows you.

The moment he offers a hug you don't hesitate, you just crash against his chest and starts breaking down. You don't care you're in the middle of a crowded mall, because people don't care to look at you, they don't care you're crying.

You wash over his costume and he just stays there holding you, stroking your hair while resting his other hand on your back. You're so miserable you're not even embarrassed you're sobbing.

You spent several minutes that way, until you realized you're missing the exact opportunity in front of you. As you stop crying, you try to clean your face with what there's left of the napkin. You're thankful you're not wearing makeup now, but you might look hideous.

He doesn't care how you look, honestly. He's being supportive right now and that's all.

"Hey, me and Robin are meeting a few friends later. Do you wanna join? It's just a small gathering by Nancy's house". He souds too soft, he's still holding your back, trying to wipe away a few small tears from your cheek.

God, you look ridiculous from this point of view. But there's nothing you can't do about.

"If you're feeling ok with this, you can tell me what happened. Or you can tell the girls, they're really supportive. I noticed there's a guy, they might even team up to kick his ass".

You laugh too hard at his statement and he chuckles. There's no way this guy is real. But you can't be too impressed by him like that, you trusted your ex too much and then shit happened. What if it happened again?

"Okay", you say simply. He nods and stares at his watch, it feels like he needs to go back.

"I'll pick up Robin and be by your house at 10", Steve breaks the contact before handing you a small paper and a pen. You write your address and give it to him. "Stop crying over a douchebag!". He demands as he vanishes among the people.

You're not feeling too comfortable but you can't stay home forever. You put on a t-shirt, jeans and sneakers. If it's a small gathering then it's probably not a party. You could be hanging out with your friends but they like to do things you don't.

Sometimes you liked being by yourself but it's been too hard to be alone, at the same time it was too hard to go out.

Steve drops by your house exactly at 10 and you think how slow you are, because you're honestly almost always late for things. Except for work. You've only talked to Robin once as he was always trying to be the one to serve you for some reason.

You were quiet almost the entire drive, while Robin and Harrington tried cheering you up talking about work. They would always laugh too much and too loud. You wonder why they get along so well and not date. Only a while then you find out she likes the same species he likes and she's comfortable telling you that.

You start getting nervous being around people you don't actually know. But if they're as nice as both people standing next to you, then you won't have to worry about it. Nancy gets the door and greets the three of you, being too kind when getting to know you.

There aren't many people at her house, you meet her boyfriend Jonathan, her young brother Mike, who's talking about some board games with his friend Dustin. You meet Max, who's arguing over skateboard with this exotic guy who smells like weed, he's Eddie Munson.

It's very hard to catch up with all of them, because they're too comfortable around each other. But Robin makes you sit next to her and you end up between her and Steve, who's complaining about the music to Nancy.

Buckley manages to introduce you to their conversations, she asks if you like playing fantasy games since Mike, Dustin, Max and Eddie play Dungeons and Dragons. You start talking about your favorite movies, your favorite music, they bring you beer but you're only fond of cocktails.

Steve claims he knows how to be a great bartender and guides you to the kitchen, where you see there's a few bottles of somethings and some fruits. You end up asking him to make you a Piña Colada and he tries to look too cool in front of you as he shakes all the ingredients together.

"So, are they always too loud?", you ask with a grin on your face. He shakes his head as he rolls his eyes.

"God, yes. We are always too loud. That's what makes it more fun". He pours the content in a glass and grabs a straw. He tries to make a decoration but fails as the pineapple falls off of his fingers. He hands you the glass and you try it.

Jesus, that's a lot of rum in there. It burns down your throat and your stomach. Then you taste the pineapple. When you cough a little bit, he notices he overdid the shots.

"Sorry, I promise I'll make it low on alcohol next time", he sticks his hands together as he keeps apologizing. You offer it to him so he can have a taste as well.

It barely reached his stomach as his reaction is to jump back and open his mouth with an "O". "Fuck, that's one hell of a drink. You sure you don't want me to make you another one?".

You shake your head no and you walk back to the couch. They're trying to decide which pizza you're gonna order. They can't seem to decide without being extremely loud but you think it's really funny.

Steve feels lightheaded every time your arms touch, he feels you're becoming a little soft from the alcohol and blames himself.

When he asks you if you're doing okay you're already giving him slow responses, but you make sure you're fine. Probably for the best drinking something too strong, but the hit made you feel too comfortable around them already.

You offered yourself to make company to Eddie when he was about to smoke. You never smoked before, but the metalhead told you it wasn't safe to mix a drink and smoke at the same time so you just stood there while he blew his joint.

He was nice and funny, like messy funny. You share your interests in music and he invites you to watch his band play. He wears too many rings but you think he's cute as well.

When you got back inside they were listening to The Police, a few of them were dancing in pairs and Buckley literally shoved Steve at you so you would dance together. You snorted at her action and she winked at you.

You don't realize there's a purpose, but hold his hands anyway as he twirls you around. He's making some weird moves as he swings his body close to you. When "Every Breath You Take" starts playing most of them are already sat down.

Dustin is disgusted by how Jonathan and Nancy are kissing while they dance, Eddie jokes as he pulls Robin close and she flinches. Harrington grabbed your waist and made you rest your head against his chest. You're trying not to freak out as it's probably too weird to dance with him like that, but he feels his heart race a little.

"God, get a fucking room!", Henderson complained and changed the vinyl to something more exciting.

You were finishing your pizza, drinking your third glass of Piña Colada, which Harrington made sure he wasn't even adding too much of rum on it anymore. You were drunk already and he didn't want to feel guilty for making you hammered on your first gathering with them.

You offered to play Monopoly and everyone agreed, but there were too many people so you sorted the game with rounds first. You were still sitting next to Steve and he helped you get up when you had to pee.

You almost tripped over him, because he still had his legs crossed, and you had to hold yourself against his shoulders, your head hit against his chest.

It might be the damn alcohol but he smelled something like musk and it went straight up to your brain. You shortcircuited with the smell, you were so slow you took your time to get yourself up, still laughing.

"You okay?", he asks as he holds your hand, helping you walk between the people. You nod as you let yourself out of the living room. Your head is spinning and you feel like you're gonna throw up from the smell.

Not in a bad way, it just felt intoxicating. You heard Robin complaining about how strong he was making your drinks and he said he barely added rum in your third glass. You were just too weak to drink alcohol and you knew it.

You walk back as you watch them waiting for your turn and you almost trip over their heads again this time. Jonathan's hair is all messy and Nancy can't stop laughing when your now bare foot almost hits his chin.

"Alright, no more alcohol for you honey", Buckley grabs your drink and chugs it entirely. You pout as you look at Steve, who denies making you another drink.

"Fine", you proclaim. With a frown, you roll the dice and gets to own another apartment. You don't know how but you're really good at Monopoly when you're drunk.

"Do you mind sharing a room with me in one of those condos?", Harrington asks as he fails to get at least a six with the dice. You laugh at the way he just tries to drop your pins from the board game.

"I can share a room with you right now", you're too close to him as you try flirting. He notices his cheeks are burning and it makes him speechless. "No?", you try again and he just cleans his throat.

Robin is watching it front row as you see him clearly battling inside his head and she scoffs. "Jesus, Steve. Just say yes to the woman".

You watch him throw a cushion against her face and she grabs it in time. Your head is a little light but you're completely sane. You got cheated on, it's not like you're going back home to your ex.

"Steve is in a coma right now and I'm pretty sure he would say he would like to, but you're drunk", she manages to explain. Everyone is paying attention to the game, it's just the three of you having that conversation.

He takes his time but he comes back from his trance and still looks at you. You're not disappointed, though you're still drunk you keep paying attention to the game, giving him time to gather what you said.

You feel his hand softly grabbing your arm and you look at him closely. God, his eyes are intoxicating and his hair smells good as well. "Are you for real about what you said?".

You have nothing to lose anymore. You're having so much fun, you're around people you realized you already cherished a lot. You didn't give a shit about anything else, you wanted to enjoy the moment honestly. And the man next to you is so hot and adorable.

"I got cheated on, why can't I enjoy myself more than my ex?", you say it abruptly and he freezes again. This time, he grabs your hand and pulls you into the kitchen.

"Are you serious? Jesus, (Y/N), why didn't you tell me about it before?", he sounds like he's too shocked, you're acting like nothing happened. But the rum running through your veins is numbing the pain.

"Is that why you were ordering a huge amount of ice cream?", his tone is now caring. He looked at you as you just nodded.

"I'm telling you now! And yeah, I thought I would be able to drown myself in pain, but it didn't help", you try to stay calm and relaxed, but now it feels like you're about to cry again.

"I'm really sorry. God, what a fucking dickhead", he says as he holds his waist and look over you. "Look, you got us okay? Whenever you feel like you wanna cry or even just talk, we're here".

He's too soft on you, you can't really be mad he's bringing this over right now when you're drunk and having fun. But he makes sure to not step over your personal life more than he can. He gives you a sufocating hug, wrapping his arms around your neck.

You hold his back and pull his shirt against your fingers to make sure you won't cry again. He pulls away only a few inches just to look at you and his nose scratches the tip of your nose.

"It's his loss, you know?", he whispers and it makes you shiver. "Too bad for him". He's about to scrape his lips against yours, it smells like beer and mint from the gum he was chewing. God, it was distressing and so inviting.

Dustin yells "shit" so loud you break contact from the sudden action. You're both now really embarrassed and the moment just slips away. You try to laugh at the kid because he's always so loud and says shit too often.

You grab Steve by the hand and make your way back to the couch. Robin was watching you both the entire time and the look she gives Steve has so many meanings. She knows you just had a little cute moment and Henderson ruined it for good.

You were slowly recovering from the alcohol and you noticed how quieter you've become since then. Harrington kept making jokes you were still laughing about, but again, being around them was too intimidating.

When the game was over Nancy made sure everyone would sleep over and demanded you all to stay. She would make sure Mike's clothes would fit the older guys and offered hers to the girls. Everyone said yes and you thought why not?

It was already 2 am when the kids decided to play videogame and you were too tired to watch them play. So you stayed in the living room, you borrowed a book from Nancy and laid down on another couch. You fell asleep a while later, a faint sound was coming out of the TV.

The kids were whispering while sharing blankets and pillows, laughing about something inaudibly. You felt a warm hand wrap around the book you were holding, removing it from your hand. It was when you slowly woke up. You peeked Steve watching you, probably calling you.

"Hey, let's get in bed. It's pretty much more comfortable and warm", his voice was husky as he spoke quietly. You softly chuckled as you sat up and started making your way upstairs with Steve behind you.

As you approached the guest room, you suddenly stopped moving and turned to face him. He raised his eyebrows waiting for you to speak. "I wasn't lying about sharing a room before. Can you make me company?".

He felt his stomatch sink, but he knew you were only asking him to stay next to you and maybe spoon you if you asked.

"Sure", he agreed as he opened the door to another guest room. It was empty. You close the door behind you, you don't have time to really collect yourself but you feel like you really wanna jump on him right now.

You watch him getting the bed ready as you stand behind him and just holds his chest, resting your head against his back. God he smells so good, it's really hard to breathe that close to him. He holds your hand as he turns around and you slowly push him against the bed.

He sits down, watching while you start to climb on him, both legs around his hips. This time, you make sure to kiss him before anything or anyone ruins the moment again and it's soft, it tastes like toothpaste and it feels too fresh. He's slow when he touches his tongue against yours, savoring you.

He spread his palms against your back as you keep your hands cupping his neck full of moles. He deepens the kiss and slides one hand down to your thigh. You're fully clothed, he thinks. It's a shame he can't feel your skin right away.

You undress him first, taking his shirt off as you take your time staring at his hairy chest, also full of moles spread around. His nipples already too hard and you felt like you could suck on them for hours, because you loved men nipples. You start making a trail of kisses along his neck until you grab him by his mouth again.

This time, it's fast and lustful, his tongue is making circles around yours and you feel something under your core light up. His reaction sends shockwaves through your whole body and you feel your own nipples harden. He uses both hands to help you get rid of your own shirt and gasps at his view.

You're not wearing a bra anymore since you changed clothes. Your bare chest sends shivers to his body and his blood starts pumping faster down his pants and it's already pressing against the fabric.

He gently grabs both breasts and give them both a soft and moist kiss, making sure he's sucking on your had nipples. You hiss against his touch and he starts growing faster under you.

He licks your skin until he reaches your mouth, grasping your lower lip against his teeth. He groans against you and you pull his hair, making a mess. He likes rough hair grabbing, noted.

He clenches his jaw every time you give him a lustful look. Your eyes barely open as he rubs his thumbs against your nipple.

You have to get up to take your pants off and you watch him to the same. He takes his time, though, not fully undressing himself, but he expects you to climb on him again. When you do, you feel how huge his crotch feels now with your thin underwear against his.

It twitches when you kiss him faster, it twitches when you pull his tongue with your teeth. When you start moving around his lap he moans in your ear and you moan back. He's trying not to dig his nails against the skin on your back.

He wanders his hands across your body and lands his palms on your thighs, squeezing them so tightly you start to ride him again. Your kisses are feral and he gathered his strenght to pull you up only to throw you against the mattress.

He spreads kisses all over your skin, making sure he left soft left bites against it. Steve wasn't in a rush, he was enjoying every little inch of your body, but his cock was aching already.

You removed your underwear and helped him with his fabric, watching as his dick slapped against his stomach, his tip was already moist and red. It made you feel dizzy for a second before he went back to kissing you.

His cock was softly scraping against your folds and you were whining against his lips, your kisses became sloppy and he managed to rub it against your core.

Harrington wondered if it was fine to not wear protection and you assured him it wasn't an issue. Usually you would use one, but now you just couldn't be bothered about it.

He placed his tip into your hole and breathed heavily, his forehead leaned against yours. He pushed inside you carefully because he didn't know if it would fit, or even if you were wet enough for him.

But God you were soaking. And he made sure you knew that. "Jesus, so wet for me", he chuckled. One of his hands gripping your waist as the other one was resting on your chin.

You felt his entire length inside you and you tried not to moan too loud, you squeezed your hands holding the sheets under your body and he pumped you.

He didn't stop looking at you for a single moment, Steve just kept thrusting inside you a little faster while giving you sloppy kisses. His heavy breathing hitting your face as you started to make muffle sounds against his lips.

He hit your spot perfectly, his tip rubbing against your walls as you started to roll your hips and he gasped.

You could hear his skin slapping against yours every time he pumped you harder, your hands almost pulling his hair out as you were trying, unsuccessfully, to hold your moans.

"Oh, Steve", you cried and he growled, hitting you harder. His tip was hitting your cervix and you knew if you kept rolling your hips you wouldn't last longer.

"God. You", he started as he planted a kiss on your neck. "Are", Harrington kissed your chest. "Fucking", he pumped you and kissed your nipple. "Delicious", he hit you harder and sucked on your skin.

You almost let out a scream and he laughed at the way you were looking at him, your eyes were flickering with desire. He shifted your legs, holding one above his shoulder and your walls clenched around his dick. "Shhh, we don't wanna wake the whole house", he whispered.

He was honestly just mocking you and teasing you now that he was holding your leg. He spread kisses on your skin as he started to rub your clit with his large thumb with the other hand.

You rolled against him and he couldn't hold it any longer. "Fuck, you're eating me out here. I'm gonna fucking cum", he moaned.

You noticed you liked it when he cursed while fucking, the way his chest was all sweaty and his hair was glued to his face made you flinch on his touch.

His finger was soft on you, too slow to say the least, you started digging your nails on his skin when you grabbed his hand, forcing him to stop masturbating you. But he didn't.

"OhgodSteve", you whined, short on breath. He pumped against you and you started shuddering. You hissed and your body trembled under him. He leaned forward and kissed you, his tongue caressing your lips as you were still releasing from your climax.

"Fuck, you're so good", he groaned on your lips and he let out a grunt as he started to soak you from the inside. He fell on his arms and hit your chest. His cock was twitching so hard in your core, you almost had another orgasm. Steve laid on you for a while until he was done with his cum.

He gasped when he left you empy and you felt his warm liquid dripping off of you. He quickly managed to get you cleaned up first, thanks to the suite Nancy had.

After both of you got in on your clothes, you laid down next to him as he cuddled you, resting his face on the crook of your neck. He inhaled your skin, smelling you.

"You are amazing", he said before planting another kiss on you.

"You are wonderful", you rub your fingers while holding his hand.

You think through your day, how it began and how it ended. You weren't sure if what just happened was a single fuck or just a fling. Or something else. But you made a mental note to yourself that you weren't going to make yourself feel bad for being cheated on.

Like Harrington said, it was his loss. He made the mistake, he messed things up. You have every right and you deserve to be happy as well. You didn't notice how Steve looked at you the entire week. You didn't see how he stared at you the whole time.

You didn't know that, when the morning comes, he's still going to be the lying next to you. Steve was sleeping on you, glued to your skin, inhaling your scent, he wouldn't move a finger to break the contact. Maybe you wouldn't want that either.

The birds were already chirping outside, it was still pretty early but you had to pee. You couldn't even move as you saw his arm spread over you, his soft hand almost touching your stomach. It gave you chills. You tried to get up quietly as you placed his arm gently on the mattress.

You barely took a step as you feel his hand grab your forearm desperately. "Are you leaving?", his hair looks like a bird nest, his mouth has dry drool and he looks too sleepy. You find him incredibly adorable like that and you giggle at his tought.

"I have to pee, Steve". He loosens his grip and nods, his head falls back again into the pillow and you make your way to the bathroom.

"Don't take too long, I miss you here already", his voice barely comes out but you can hear him. Jesus, he's that needy? You think it's cute. Robin will be going to be a pain in the ass about you two for the next century, he just knows it.

[luvdalkxdlk]

Loyalty To

One of the craziest things for me about crownwolf, now that we saw the entirety of 1.6 follows back to the 'cheesy as all hell lines' creed Lycaon spouted out to Hugo in the past during his agent story. Going to the very end here... Heck, I realized what the whole creed is and I'm going to write it word for word, because imagine...

'I offer this supreme honor to you. In this land of sin and virtue, solemnly do I swear: Humility, courage, integrity, compassion, fairness, self-sacrifice, devotion, honor. I shall never compromise in my fight against evil. I shall never back down in my goal to uplift the downtrodden. I shall never betray my loyalty to my companions-' 'It's loyalty to justice.'

THIS. If we think back to this Mockingbird creed, said by both because while we don't get footage of Hugo saying it as Lycaon was like 'why am I the only one who has to recite these cheesy as all hell lines'. I sincerely believe that Hugo said those to Lycaon to recite for himself and feel no shame. Vamp has thick skin and thrives under delusions of grandeur like that. This singular creed, that defines Mockingbird, that they uphold on missions because Hugo used this as punishment to Lycaon for making mistakes in their missions...

And honestly, even with what little we have I believe the duo had Mockingbird as an organization follow this creed spectacularly as the modern day Robin Hood. From backgrounds that hold contempt for the rich and the powerful, of the very 'evil', who can relate and care for those 'downtrodden', why wouldn't they uphold these values. I will admit its a little sketchy for Hugo because he has stated not to believe in 'asinine' stuff like justice, dreams or friendship but yeah right Hugo who created the whole Mockingbird wanting fairness, who did the whole Robin Hood style, who hated the innocent being accussed...

Well, I don't find myself very smart in unravelling all the 5D chess moves of falsehoods Hugo has presented to us so I will take what I will of him. So they have this entire creed, entirely the same, entirely what they believe and the path they would take together to the very end. Except for one little part.

Their loyalties. One to their companions, one to justice. And somehow that made all the difference. Also finding it very ironic, because they can uphold everything, in the paths they tread even when Lycaon left Mockingbird for the Mayflowers, except for the very last part.

People could say Lycaon is loyal to his companions, considering how much he cherishes Victoria Housekeeping and how he treats us as the Proxy well. But why then, would you turn your back to your one companion? Is it fear, cowardice, pain? How could you consider the very person you turn your back onto a friend, giving one last piece of advice but not stick around? Is it for the very principles upheld, to never take lives, to refuse a partner who 'tramples on lives', who found murder the only answer at the worst case scenario, that leaving before you fell with him was your only answer? To the hypocritical enemy that only you yourself believe is different but your partner refutes otherwise with all the experiences your shared realities encounter? Shouldn't you have tried, to choke out that hatred and ambition? To stick around a little longer? Or were you worried about any mistakes you would have made if you stayed, if you could no longer trust, if it was too much? How could you say to have unwavering loyalty to your companions, when you turned your back on the very one companion that you have swore as such a long time ago, letting broken oaths and distrust overcome loyalty as unconditional as it should be when never betrayed? Did you somehow believe that in going to the Mayflowers, that being a sworn enemy to a once friend and partner, in opposition of your companion that something can be set right? Did you believe in order to keep one in check, you stand in opposition? That you tried against, and the last unspoken thing among former friends? For oaths no longer broken, for paths no longer wrong and wrought in pain? But where are you now presently, with so much bitterness and anguish and wonder? How can you not call an oath broken, of a traitor your companion always calls you, when there is some justification to such statement?

People could say Hugo is loyal to justice, as asinine as he claims to be, but what his past has pushed into pursuing going for the chivalrous of crimes in phantom thievery, of going against the powerful, the rich and the evil for the poor, downtrodden and good. Against the obviously guilty for the innocent. And yet, where is the justice, when it has an extremely thin line with vengeance? Where is the justice when your emotions blind you, when it is not zero to make the mistake of harming innocents along the way to stop the guilty? Where is the justice, for the victims your thorny path of vengeance may lead to. As even vengeance can be a form of justice, its hatred and darkness only leads to more injustices for the mistakes that you insist you will never make. For the consequences you cannot bear to handle. Is it justice, that even after the consequence you bear with your once former partner, that you walk a path of pain and spreading injustices, that you have concluded to beat evil, one must be evil but what if your evil causes the injustices you so despise. What if you get back the consequences that had once broke you, even a little? There is no moral high ground, only selfish belief, and a path of loneliness. Justice can take many forms and impure as some may think, your justice has tread the path you taken every step of the way, your loyalty absolute. And yet cracks, when you spiral. Cracks when your justice turns bloody and leads crossfire to the innocents. Cracks, that you let spread, when truth or not, you stop believing a little about what Mockingbird is and can be, or the creed strongly upheld a little meaningless in the face of reality you sought...

SERIOUSLY, THOSE TWO IDIOTS/AFFECTIONATE. THEY ARE INSANE. WHY ARE THERE SO MANY PARALLELS TO THEM, ISTG. Also ironically, I see Lycaon being more fit to loyalty to justice in his steadfastness about his own oaths, against injustices when refusing to trample on lives etc etc. While Hugo can be more fit to loyalty to companions because he wasn't the one to leave Lycaon, he has done his best with Vivian and throughout 1.6... he really knows how to be there for us... uh... ending aside.

It might not be completely accurate but sometimes they are just... insane. Also, fun little Ted Talk to wrap this up about 1.6 ending... do you ever think that Hoyo just loves putting all those foreshadowing references that are just there to trip us up because I realized the ending for Hugo and Lycaon at 1.6 can be some insane reference to Akechi and Kurusu (P5 protag) with Akechi shooting Kurusu, having Kurusu 'dead' but he's alive because they pulled 5D chess move with the Metaverse. Ofc Hugo doesn't have anything that convenient but at the same time Hugo can certainly pull off the equivalent because he's a phantom thief for nothing. Seriously, that will be insane. We can all scream together. Please.

End TED talk.

Really, love crownwolf. Please I need to rant until it's all out of my system. Thank you.

[mitraoki]

Hi hi! I'd like to rq a Ken Sato x Gundam pilot (pilot of a giant war robot, similar to a transformer) reader, fem or gen if possible!

She's slightly older and used to work with the KDF but quit due to realising the problems KDF has caused.

OR! She could have worked for the Japanese army but due to a horrible accident during a mission she could've been injured badly and was forced to retire early.

Possibly low-key sassy and stoic personality that she acquired after years of working for the army, that undermine her politeness and sweet personality.

And if possible, can she wear an eye patch?

If you don't like this feel free to ignore :( But I really like this concept and your writing style so it'd be really nice to see it written out :)

Don't tire yourself out!

😧🪒😦 - Anon

hot and cold. (ken sato x gn! reader)

note; HELLO anon!! thank you soo much for requesting. this is a REALLY good background you've given me, i just hope i've done it enough justice for you🥹🥹please let me know of your thoughts about this! i always welcome feedback <33

as usual, requests are open!! refer to my rules for a better view on what i write (✿◕‿◕✿)

masterlist.

i would say that after ken's experiences with emi and bonding with his dad, he becomes more open to various possibilities. yes he's happy he's slowly recovering what he'd lost long ago, but there's definitely something in particular that's missing in his life.

he hasn't thought about love in a long, long time. back in america it was always crushes, or simple dates but nothing ever lasted longer than he wanted it to. ken sato hates cliffhangers.

you, on the other hand, weren't hoping for much. all your life you've worked - very obviously - as a tool for the KDF, but what good did it bring you except to push yourself away from people?? so you did, not wanting to be around people quite often, so much as to even isolating yourself.

after learning of your boss' potential demise, what good is there staying in an organization that left you completely shallow? gone was the need to remain in KDF, signing the very last paper regarding your resignation.

"i should get an eye patch," you muttered, staring into the mirror with a dull look. it was no news for the frontliners to experience heavy injuries, but you definitely did not expect one of your eyes to become completely dysfunctional.

it had only been a few days since your departure from the shackles when you just had to bump into the well-known, ecstatic baseball player, ken sato in a convenience store. purely out of coincidence, of course. squinting your eyes, you sent a nod his way.

"heard of you," you uttered, stretching your lips into a thin line as you headed towards the counter, paying for the stuff you'd picked out for dinner later.

....leaving the man himself completely speechless.

who were you? why didn't you say anything else about his plays? have you attended any of them? were you pissed that he wasn't playing to his full potential? and what was with the eye patch?

he needed to know more of you.

i'd like to think he'd ask more about you from mina, gaining as much information as he could about you. if you had any specific history, some kind of secret that he was yet to uncover. lo and behold, he dug far enough to find out you once worked with his enemy. emphasis on worked.

a shiver ran down his spine when he read those words. he didn't need to see it, but he could tell there was more to than what meets the eye.

"something the matter, ken?" mina questioned, her holographic screen dissipating.

"oh- how difficult do you think this is gonna be?"

"....i cannot give you a definitive answer, ken. i would depend on the way you'd choose to approach her."

and approached you he did. not exactly, but again. it was purely out of coincidence when he saw you sitting by the window of a quaint cafe, sipping on your favorite beverage.

"baseball boy?" you called out behind him while he was "trying his best to order his favorite drink." his words, not yours.

"fancy seeing you 'round here."

"yeah! well. you know me - super down to earth," he chuckled nervously, clearing his throat after.

but you can see just how bad he was suppressing himself from throwing the biggest questions he had for you. out of respect, you had hoped. nodding, you walked back to your seat after grabbing your long-awaited dessert.

that was - until - the same baseball boy practically begged to sit at the same table as you. there it was. one would expect the fan to do most of the questioning towards their idol, but in this case it was different.

you were no fan, and ken surely wasn't one himself. the KDF doesn't really have a good image going on, after all. it was the slight glimmer of hope in your heart that this man had a pure heart, just wanting to explore what he hasn't in this big, cruel world.

heaving a huge sigh, you gave in. this can go on. what's the worst that could happen?

and it did. for hours. hours turning into days. days turning into weeks. months. suddenly a year had passed, and you were now in his arms, being the little spoon you had desired for so long.

he hears story after story of yours. all the secret missions you'd gone through before resigning. the eye that you'd lost a long time ago.

ken sato was careful with your heart, soul and you. he cares for you like the world's most fragile glass, holds you in his arms like he might lose you the moment he lets go. he kisses every single scar of yours like he was silently acknowledging the sacrifices you'd made through the years.

and for the first time, you felt like there was some meaning. you needed to see this through. you wanted ken sato more than ever now. the way he smiles, the way his eyes glimmer when you tell him something new. the way he cups your face and reminds you of your worth.

it's mind boggling to know someone slightly younger than you has such a vast and mature mind, ready to accept you when no one else has. life had always been stagnant. you wake up, you face the days ahead. some conversations with or without you. unwanted noises that bothered you to the core.

it was just something about ken, his voice perhaps. or it could be the way he wants to listen. he chooses to listen even when he doesn't understand, because this man would do anything in the world to be in yours.

"i don't know what the others have told you, y/n. but in my eyes, i can keep them on you forever and i'd never grow tired."

and those were the words that left you speechless, the fresh warm streak of tears flowing down your cheeks. it was such a rare sight to see someone so stoic, so persistent break down. but even then, ken sato was there to hold you tight, whisper soothing words into your ear and pepper you with endless kisses.

you'd grown absolutely smitten for this man, and i would say you'd never regret a single moment with him.

all created content belongs to mitraoki. reposts/remakes are not allowed.

[trees-be-drawing]

Okay… so I started reading @annzy-bananzys-corner ‘s “Snettles” as I was scrolling through Snufmin fanfics to read on AO3 back in early December, and… holy cow is it good!!!

Not only did the art cover from one of my favorite artists drew me in, but the writing was just 👌✨ GORGEOUS!!

All the characters written had such good chemistry towards each other, and Snorkmaiden ended up being the funniest to me. I couldn’t stop laughing so hard at her trying to be the voice of reason to the two lovable idiots that are Moomin and Snufkin in the early chapters.

So as typical fashion, I felt a great need to draw it. Cuz honestly, long-haired Snufkin was not something I thought was going to make me go feral but hot damn does he look so pretty in long hair!

Okay so…

SPOILERS TO THE FIC!!!

It’s pretty blurry but 1. I don’t have the best camera quality, and 2. It’s a bit faded since it took me a whole month to do this. (Update: I got a clearer picture. Sorry, I was rushing to get this out for a whole month)

But anyway, I had absolute gender envy every time I drew Snufkin with long hair. And there was definitely a lot more I wanted to draw, and felt bad I didn’t draw Little My especially.

I’m actually glad for the cover art too, it acted as a perfect reference to use but unfortunately I’m not very good at drawing Moomin and I’m envious at how @hanekdrawsmoomins draws them! They’re so fluffy and pretty!!

I definitely had to draw Snorkmaiden calling Snufkin a twink. I couldn’t resist. What I didn’t intend was for it to be right next to Snufkin having a breakdown over the overpowering song in his ears 😅 I also decided in order to differentiate Moomin and Snorkmaiden, I gave Snorkmaiden more rounder and fluffier features like her tail and ears. It’s subtle but I was pretty happy with it.

I get giddy every time I drew Moomin and Snufkin, but Snorkmaiden and Alicia needed some love too. I wanted to try some perspective which… I’ll admit I’m not very good at, but I did my best. I normally don’t draw backgrounds but I wanted to give the scenes more character and it was pretty fun, even if it’s not perfect.

I also thought to myself “maybe the reason Moomin didn’t recognize Snufkin was because he’s never seen Snufkin’s hair deflate in the water” so I drew the comparison to Snufkin and “Snettles” for that one scene where Moomin realized how similar they were. I also imagined his hair gets longer in mermaid form.. hehe! :3

I was also very excited to do my interpretation of the Lady of the Sea but I’ll be honest… I did procrastinate on it for a while which is why it took so long. I know the description said “seaweed green hair” and not the fact it’s actual seaweed but… I hope you don’t mind but I gave her seaweed hair. Made of different types of seaweed too :3 I actually want to colour it at some point but if there’s any changes I should do to her design, you can let me know. I’ve loved to get an accurate idea on her :3 I also used the mermaids from the 90’s as reference to give her fins on her head, although Snufkin doesn’t have any but I’d argue it’s cuz he’s only half mermaid.

It’s a very scattered looking comic kind of page but man! There was so many moments that were genuinely so good I felt tempted to even draw a full comic book on this!!

But no… unfortunately I am very easy to lose motivation and I’ve been and will be pretty busy for the majority of my current life cuz of college and stuff so I’m afraid I can’t draw often.

Good thing I’m on break at the moment :3

But anyway, it was super duper fun drawing these!! I’m actually super duper proud of them :3

Actually…. You wanna know how much I loved my sketch of Moomin and Snufkin on their midnight swim?

I COLOURED IT!! GONE BACK TO MY DIGITAL ART ROOTS FOR THIS!!!

Honestly I don’t think I did that great but I did this on iBisPaint, and there was a version where he had brown hair… until I read a section saying he has red hair so I quickly changed it to how it looks currently.

I also realized too late that the scales on his cheeks weren’t actually scales but freckles… which…. You know what? Fuck it. His freckles turn to fish scales. And they’re shiny :3

I also decided to make his scales glow but then remembered that doesn’t happen till Chapter 13. But hey, I think it gave it a calm feeling with how warm it must feel to be snuggled up like that on the water. Heck even my sister agreed.

Overall, Moomin fanfics have really helped with my art block.

And sorry for the really long yapping session. I like talking about my thought process on these things, and I genuinely can’t wait for the next chapter whenever or if it ever comes. I understand you’re busy so I don’t blame you but… damn you really left it on a cliffhanger huh? Still love it though! :3

Also I’m not sure why the link for the fic isn’t working properly cuz normally it would be automatic but… I’ll see if I can fix it at some point (update, I fixed it!)

[catgrassplantdad]

weekly tag wednesday (thursday!) ⚡

i was tagged by so many pals! thank you @deedala @sgtmickeyslaughter @jrooc @mmmichyyy @sam-loves-seb @heymrspatel @gardenerian @gallawitchxx 🖤

name: jessie

age: 35

today we're going to be doing our very own Day in the Life! what's the very first thing you do when you wake up? grab my phone and check the time, then check my notifications

what are we having for breakfast? black coffee, and usually i toast a couple of frozen protein waffles and have those with cream cheese

your caffeine order, if that's your thing: light roast black coffee

today we're wearing our favorite outfit! describe it to me: i have so many outfits that are favorites! hmmm but lately i've been wearing black turtlenecks and black jeans and black boots a lot

no work today! what's the first thing you're doing on your day off? omg hell yeah. sleeping until at least 7, then ngl i'm gonna fuck around on my phone in bed for like an hour

you need to run your most frequent errand, where are you headed? grocery store!

are you driving, walking, or taking public transit? driving, because this town is not walkable and there is no public transit. american suburbs, baybee. i do like driving, though

it's lunch time and you're out and about! where are you going and what's on the menu? oh okay so there's this little deli near me that makes the best sandwiches, and i am obsessed with their roast beef sandwich and i have to stop myself from going there all the time. so, maybe that haha

while heading home, you pass the mall and decide to stop in. what's the first store you're hitting up? hmmmmm bookstore

it's time for a Little Treat, what are you getting? ice cream at one of the farms/creameries near me

you're finally home! what show are you turning on for background noise? i don't like tv for background noise, i find it really distracting if i'm trying to do stuff

you decide to do a few chores. what are your favorite and least favorite ones? i love organizing/decluttering the house, i loathe doing the dishes

it's Hobby Time! what are you doing to flex your creative muscles? i'm gonna write

time for dinner! what are we having, and what are you listening to while you make it/wait for it to arrive? i'm gonna make some veggie fried rice and probably dance around the kitchen to ted leo and the pharmacists because that's usually what my husband puts on while we cook

you're getting comfy for the evening, describe your favorite cozy outfit: sweatpants that say "slut trek" down the side in the star trek font, mastodon hoodie, slippers

time to turn on something you'll actually watch, what is it? right now we are watching andor, anthony bourdain parts unknown, and unbreakable kimmy schmidt, depending on our mood that night lmao. what a mix

it's bedtime! tell me about your wind-down routine: make my sleepy time tea and hang out with that for a bit, then when i'm ready for sleep i wash my face, brush my teeth, and read fic on my phone in bed until i actually fall asleep

what time do you usually go to bed? 10-ish

and finally, was it a good day? yeah, it was really nice!

tagging just a few sweethearts @whatthebodygraspsnot @whatwouldmickeydo @howlinchickhowl @iansfreckles ✨

[pampanope]

Graves Headcanons from Shadows’ POV (Part 1):

((Or, i wanna share some silly hc in this format in between all the art stuff • 3•))

Every Shadow, from the grizzled Spec Ops operator to the fresh faced civilian, no matter what background or experience, always had Graves as that one topic of gossip they turned to when things got too slow.

It’s become both habit and sport to catalog every detail of their Commander and then discuss their findings in a twisted peer review, preferably with alcohol involved, as if gathering intel on a high value target before the op.

Through the years it had been tradition for Elder Shadows to pass on Graves ‘lore’ to the newest Shadows and encourage them to take up the hobby of Graves Watching (it’s effective observation training, you see…if you happen to catch feelings for the boss, well, it’s par for the course)

There’s a ‘published’ (a fat binder of loose leaf) Graves Manual floating around,(bland cover and backing and with dick doodles all over for extra camouflage, pockets full of photos of the Commander from various angles) on base with multiple entries:

- first notable observation: Graves is fucking pretty. Too pretty (and relatively young) to be head of a band of mercenaries. And he knows he’s pretty (been seen smirking at tongue tied, blushing baby Shadows and civilians alike). Rival PMCs and militaries, on the rare chance SC has to cooperate with them, would ogle in envy as the Commander strutted around and barked orders in his tight preferred BDUs (the Shadows preen with pride at this. Every. Damn. Time)

- Graves is every bit the outspoken Texas stereotype. He’s loud, worships at the alter of Texas Barbecue, an avid Dallas Cowboys fan (staff found a jersey in his closet), had been winning gun competitions since he was old enough to compete (off-hand boast from the man himself) and blasts country music both out of love for the genre and out of sadistic spite (Every cookout. The trick is to get a stealthy Shadow to switch playlists while Graves is busy grilling)

- but he’s also been observed waiting for his Shadows to finish speaking, listening intently with full on eye contact (a bit overwhelming for the newbies). He prefers to workout in the evenings, alone, when everyone else would be in the rec rooms or asleep. He’ll take his tablet up to the roof and work in solitude drafting tedious emails or planning a difficult op. There are days, when nothing of note is scheduled, when he’ll almost retreat into himself and bask in the Company’s presence instead of engage.

- it’s this duality that started the Shadows’ fixation on Graves: a pretty loudmouth with Depth (the Shadows chuckled over this description but it was true dammit)

-the man is tight lipped about his childhood and family; braver Shadows have asked but were diverted to other topics or out right shut down (Note: more data needed on this!)

-his personal quarters are spotless and put together (bed made with sheets tightly tucked in, boots shined and neatly placed, everything in its place), his meeting room where he entertains clients is pristine and posh in furnishings, and yet his work office is an utter disaster, organized chaos is a charitable descriptor.

-the Shadows conclude each room represents a facet of the man; the orderly quarters is habit driven from years as a Marine, the opulent meeting room is the face of a successful CEO he wants to present to the world, and his work room, the one filled with binders, reports, coffee stains, knick knacks from his Shadows, is the realest representation of Graves out of the three, the Graves only they were privy to (high fives were exchanged over this big brain discovery, the Shadow who posited this theory was promptly dog piled)

((More to come, just wanted to vomit out these ✨t h o u g h t s✨))

[hiwelcometothemonstersancturary]

In your AU, if a toy ever had a wedding, what would it be like and what kind of chaos would likely ensue?

Dogday and Catnap's wedding would be an event that would go down in history with how chaotic it was (affectionate).

Skipping the arc in which Dogday and Catnap fall in love (again) and start dating, some years down the line they just look at each other and go "you know what would be fun? A wedding! In practice it wouldnt change a thing except some legal stuff but it would be so much fun to call you my husband AND also have it be on paper!", and, after talking with Angel + Prototype about it, it's wedding preparations!

I think Catnap would like it to be in the church he goes to, or at least have some catholic elements due to him being religious. Dogday doesn't mind (they talked about it since they started dating) but would like Angel to also add elements from their religion bc it just feels right. In the end, they pick a big wedding venue in order to host all the toys + human friends they would like to invite.

I know there would be – inevitably – a lot of media attention, despite Angel's best efforts in keeping the family away from any unecessary attention. I think at this point there's rumors of one of the "toys" Angel rescued being actually a monster, so when Prototype shows up the only surprise is that the media rumors are indeed true. Everyone who was invited already knew he existed and were used to him by this point so it's all okay!

Speaking of people: Dogday and Catnap invite their neighbors and the parents of the kids they help babysit with the other Smiling Critters. Catnap also invites his friends from the church and the old ladies are SO excited about it (they helped him talk to Dogday before they started dating)! Plus there's also the entire family there.

Craftycorn helps Dogday make his and Catnap's wedding dresses. She's literally vibrating when Dogday asks her for help, she was BORN for this. They make a trillion designs and settling in on one takes months – yes even Catnap has trouble picking a design. Also yes, Catnap's dress is black, he's a goth king.

Mommy Long Legs helps with the decoration. Picky is the one who took care of all the flowers used and also helped with the food. Kickin is helping everyone out with their tasks, and helps the couple pick the music. Bubba and Poppy meanwhile are helping with overall organization, but he and Delight go overboard with helping MLL with the lights so Poppy ends up doing most of the organization work. Speaking of which!

Poppy is there 24/7 next to Catnap and Dogday, making sure all the preparing is more fun than tiring, and eventually she and Kissy help Picky with the flowers and Crafty with the outfits. She's the one that made Catnap and Dogday FINALLY settle on a dress choice. They're glad to have at least one person who can help them settle on a final choice.

When the wedding happens, it's even more chaotic than planned, but in a good way. Everyone is crying, the single reporter allowed to record anything is also crying because she also became a family friend as the years went on, etc etc.

Prototype is trying not to cry, cries anyways because he never thought the kids would ever be able to live this much, Angel is crying because it's their kids getting married and they look so happy. They both get drunk and Angel is recorded dancing on a table, Dogday is laughing so much he's crying.

Mommy Long Legs sings karaoke and her voice is surprisingly good. She, Crafty and Dogday are all singing together while Bunzo is playing a clarinet in the background, and then Catnap joins them and it becomes a whole musical.

What no one expects, however, is Hoppy showing a video showcasing the couple's journey, and the video has OOOOLD recordings of when everyone was back at Playtime Co. pre-HoJ. Prototype found the recordings and gave to her. There's also lots of family videos from the years since the rescue, all in chronological order, featuring plenty of shenanigans and funny moments as well. Catnap and Dogday keep the video after the event, of course.

I dont know who they would pick as best man/woman but I am 100÷ sure this led to an argument. Not between them but between the other toys, because for Catnap and Dogday all Smiling Critters + Delight, Poppy and MLL should be best men and women, but Poppy is like "nononono that's too much!", but in the end they're all picked to be that.

Things that also happened:

Mommy Long Legs and Bobby playfully fighting each other over the flower bouquet. MLL doesn't even plan on marrying, she just wants to show off, and Bobby joined her because she's just excited.

Angel ended up catching the bouquet by pure accident. They were just chilling on the sidelines and then BAM, bouquet on their face. Dogday pretended it wasn't intentional on his part.

The humans kids + the mini critters making a nice surprise for Dogday and Catnap by making nice little drawings and folding them in paper airplanes.

Kickin was completely oblivious to one of the family's human friends flirting with him and genuinely thought the lady was just being nice.

Huggy ended up trapping himself on a tree and Catnap had to rescue him.

Bunzo, who had just hit 21, drinking for the fist time and proudly proclaiming "EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU HYPED ME SO MUCH FOR THIS?", cue to Angel drinking their 5th glass of alcohol and Bunzo staring at them in dissapointment.

Catnap and Dogday dancing forró and piseiro.

Dogday, a bit drunk, starting to cry upon realizing that yes, he just got married.

Prototype and Dogday having to drag Angel to a quieter area because they drank too much.

The following day news showcasing that Dogday and Catnap had their wedding ceremony. Wish I could know what the internet would think about it but I'm 100% sure the fandom for the Smiling Critters cartoon show will never let anyone not know that in real life, DayNap exists.

I think way more shenanigans happened, but on the top of my head, these were the main ones!

[ss-shitstorm]

Hey I know you’ve probably already been asked this but what type of chemistry do you use for breaking bread like biochem and where did you learn this or have any book recommendations to pick it up? Also ty in advance I love your writing!!💕💕

oh my fucking god. oh my god. buddy. buddy you have made my fucking LIFE ASKING THIS OH GOD

So like, most of the chemistry I've used so far has just been Genchem and O Chem(with a wee few modifications to make it believable as a Cybertronian discipline, like Transformium being able to hold 4 bonds like Carbon but preferentially forming bonds w metals and needing an EMP pulse to interact w more electronegative atoms) I may wind up needing to get into a bit of Inorganic chemistry, but that's probably fewer and further in between. If you want a better handle on the stuff I'm writing or if you just want to learn more in general, then I'd recommend giving yourself a lil crash course in Genchem and then delving into O chem a bit more extensively (protip : you need WAY less Genchem then you'd think to fully understand O chem. God I wish someone had told me this 5 years ago. If you search "Genchem for non majors", you'll probably learn enough that way.)

THAT SAID : here's a chaotic, not really in any order list of the books/youtube channels/etc that I've directly used/am using for this fic.

Books :

Caveman Chemistry, Kevin R Dunn - Alot of hands-on old timey historical chemistry lessons w detailed instructions on how to complete them.(YOU GET TO MAKE YOUR OWN ASPIRIN AND DRAIN CLEANER!) Delivered with a delightfully occult bend.

Back To basics,(Reader's Digest) - Survivalist homesteading bible. Not strictly chemistry but has alot of earthy hippy ways of generating energy( biofuels my beloved)

An Introduction to Fire Dynamics, Dougal Drysdale - Honestly this, and any other firefighting manuals are worth their weight in gold for figuring out how to not set yourself and your neighborhood on fire while playing with, well, fire. Trying to look this info up online is like playing russian roulette with intentional misinformation and your fbi guy.

(there's another book I have that's even more detailed but I can't find it right now or remember the name. I'll update this list when I can!)

Organic Chemistry, John Mcmurray 8th edition : generic but good college O chem textbook. You can search around and find free versions to download relatively easily.

The Organic Chem Lab Survival Manual, James W Zubrick - Also a very good way to learn how to not set yourself and your neighborhood on fire when playing with glassware/gases. Very in-depth instructions on setting up and using lab equipment without breaking anything or your brain. Has a fuckton of pictures. Author has a massive sense of humor and makes this heavy subject easy to read. Again, easy to download/find in archives

Unfortunately I do not have any recommendations for Genchem books. I mostly used free online courses like Khan Academy to learn what I did.(I would def. recommend them though)

Youtube Channels :

The Organic Chemistry Tutor : Dude puts everything from reaction mechanisms to retrosynth problems down in the simplest possible terms. Does not beat around the bush with euphemisms or stories, gets right to business. If you have trouble paying attention, or lose your mind when a professor goes off on a tangent, this man is your savior. I have crippling unmedicated ADHD and no STEM background whatesoever and this man still managed to teach me 2 separate ways to execute a Gabriel Synthesis

Nile Red : World's most inefficient and most powerful wizard. I am not entirely convinced he's human. Does shit like turning plastic gloves into drinkable grape soda or making sweeteners out of his own piss and somehow makes it explainable to trash goblins like me who only need the science for warlord pussy.

again, anon, holy shit thank you so much. Like you wouldn't believe the amount of damage you've just undone. i have been beating myself into a pulp and spiraling into anxiety about this fic an trying to do everything right and you've given me enough moxie to fuel me for at least the next 10 chapters. If you have any more questions or more specific questions, please do not hesitate to ask! I can't guarantee I can answer them, but damnit I'll try. Take care and happy learning you funky lil moonbean.

[steddieunderdogfics]

This week’s writer spotlight feature is:  @rookosom! rookosom has 11 fics posted to AO3 in the Stranger Things fandom and 10 of them are in the Stranger Things Fandom!

Our anonymous nominator recommends the following works by @rookosom:

I knew you'd haunt all of my what-ifs

I wonder if I ever cross your mind (For me it happens all the time)

For your love (I'll do whatever you want)

Under my skin

I could never (He can't be mine to hold)

"They are an amazing writer. I have nearly all their fics in my bookmarks, so I just had to nominate them. They deserve all the love." -- anonymous

Below the cut, rookosom answered some questions about their writing process and some of their recommended work!

Why do you write Steddie?

They’re the usual brand of golden retriever + black cat boyfriends I usually hyperfixate on (Stucky, I’m looking at you), but what I think is the most interesting thing regarding Steddie is they both have the look of one and the personality of the other. I also love how moldable they are. You can put them in all kinds of AUs and different dynamics and they work! All time favorite set of blorbos. 11/10 will ship again.

What’s your favorite trope to READ?

My favorite is fake/pretend relationships. I love them being all soft and yearning while at the same time being non-stop stupid, thinking the other one is suddenly an award-winning actor who’s faking it all. I also love every iteration of idiot4idiot.

What’s your favorite trope to WRITE?

I love adding a bit of a misdirect or a plot twist, just for a dash of angst, where it seems everything is lost just so I can find a way to fix it. Everything I write has to have a happy ending. As much as I love angst and misunderstandings, I can’t do hurt/no comfort. Not even read it. I also love coming up with new ways for them to confess their love in a million different ways.

What’s your favorite Steddie fic?

My all-time favorite is “Someone Else’s Favorite Song” by fastcardotmp3. It’s the one that has given me THE BIGGEST FEELINGS and makes me cry every time I reread it. I’ll never get tired of recommending it. I think it’s an absolute fandom staple and everyone should read it at least once. 

Is there a trope you’re excited to explore in a future work but haven’t yet?

The one I’m the excited for the most are in the piece I’m working on for this year's Big Bang. I’m so excited to share that one with all of you! There’s also this fic I’ve been wanting to flesh out for the past 6 months. Hopefully, I’ll find some time in between the BB and finishing the Musical. All I’m going to say it’s that includes trans!Steve on his period + a starving Kas!Eddie who just discovered he needs blood to live + they’re not dating + “I will come back” by Hozier. Make with that what you will.

What is your writing process like?

It’s very chaotic. It starts as a simple idea, a line, a very basic prompt or even just a song and some vibes. Then I write out a rough list of bullet points of the main plot points/scenes in order, and try to combine some of them if possible. I have SO MANY NOTES in my phone plus a separate document with 50 pages of retconned dialogue, lyrics, and random ideas that I go over it once in a while to move stuff to my open WIPs if I believe it can be used there.Once I’ve finalized the rough plot and organized the notes, I start fleshing out each scene in chronological order.

Do you have any writing quirks?

I’m heavily influenced by music. While I write I always need something playing in the background for vibes alone. I often sprinkle in Hozier, Noah Kahan, and Lewis Capaldi for a dash of angst. Then as the fic takes shape, I end up with a small playlist that matches the story and overall vibe. I often play it in repeat as I write, to get in the right mood. That’s why all my titles are song lyrics and there’s at least a song attached to all of my fics. I can’t even count the amount of times a song has given me an idea for a fic.

Do you prefer posting when you’ve finished writing or on a schedule?

I don’t have a beta reader, so I don’t have people to bounce things off with. I try to compensate for that by being overly critical. This means working on things for months on end until I’m happy enough to publish them (even then, sometimes I still edit stuff after). For all of that, I struggle to stick to a schedule, especially if no one is rushing me. I also my free time varies from week to week, and sometimes I spend a lot of time organizing notes and rearranging scenes, so I don’t make as much visible progress as if I just wrote the whole time. I’m looking forward to this year’s Big Bang so I can challenge myself to keep up with the event’s schedule. I also would love the possibility of working with other people and seeing what comes of it. I’m already working on my piece, trying to stay ahead of schedule.

Which fic are you most proud of?

It has to be The Musical Fic (Look both ways (Before you cross my mind)! It’s my baby and I’m very proud of it. ❤️ I barely dabbled in fanfic before it, and then one day I started a list of my headcanons. I avoid having too many WIPs at once, something I learned from having a thousand different hobbies, so I poured everything into it for a while and it soon became this massive project. It has 2 long playlists, a long list of tropes, funny dialogue, flirty banter, and lots and lots of fluff and comfort. I’ve been working on it for over two years and it’s finally just 3 chapters away from the end. At 277k published words, it’s already longer than Moby Dick!

How did you get the idea for I knew you'd haunt all of my what-ifs?

I remember reading a Supernatural series (Curse Metaphors by Sobsicle a few years back where Castiel came back post-canon and had to live with the consequences of confessing his feelings around bisexual-disaster-Dean being his usual self.I started having Steddie thoughts, wondering what would happen if Eddie’s feelings were out in the open all of a sudden. I loved the idea of Eddie being all “get loved, idiot!” to a self-deprecating Steve. It ended up very different from the source material but I love the result, and according to the general reception, so did everyone else! ❤️

When writing I wonder if I ever cross your mind (For me it happens all the time), what was something you didn’t expect?

It started with a tweet along the lines of “Steddie finally dating but Steve doesn’t want to move too fast and Eddie thinks he doesn’t want him” (If anyone remembers it, please send me the link so I can credit it because I deleted my Twitter!). I loved that idea and then I added them being friends with benefits at first, just to confuse Eddie some more. Sometimes the characters just do their own thing! It ended up being a lot longer than originally intended, and I also didn’t expect the warm reception it got! It surprised me by being amongst my most liked fics.

What inspired For your love (I'll do whatever you want)?

I can’t pinpoint just one fic… I’m a big reader so I’ve read at least two million words on the “there was only one bed” trope just on Steddie. I decided to give it my own spin and try a fast-burn one for a change. I went for a dash of somno because I think it’s hot, and added my usual misdirect with Steve apologizing so Eddie would think he’s regretting it.

What was your favorite part to write from Under my skin?

The bouncer! He has two lines but always cracks me up. I also have a lot of fun with all the flirty banter and dirty jokes. I love when a story starts as something very simple and it grows into its own thing. This one was just a list of things I wanted to include like a virgin Eddie, a jealous Steve, the lines “I never thought I had a shot” + “Do you want one?”, and the lyrics “girls like him don't happen to guys like me” from “Outta my head” from a Bronx Tale.

How do/did you feel writing Under my skin?

I agonized over it for almost two months. It was the first sorta proper fic I finished and was hoping it would give me better feedback about my writing style or if people liked my stories since most readers don’t even bother with works in progress. Fortunately, the response was great, and it inspired me to keep working on Steddie and to avoid ending up with massive projects that take me years to complete.

What was the most difficult part of writing I could never (He can't be mine to hold)?

After having written so many smutty scenes between them it’s always a challenge to keep them from feeling repetitive, especially in fast burns. This was supposed to be a quick smutty one-shot that came from my own prompt but I ended up constructing so much around it to make it work that it took me almost 4 months until I deemed it good enough to publish.

Do you have a favorite scene and/or line from any of your fics?

I think my favorite one is the love confession scene from the Musical fic. It took over 80k of construction around it to get there, so I won’t spoil it. One of my readers liked it so much that they made it into a comic! Find it here but beware of *SPOILERS* Otherwise, I think what I like the most is the whole misdirect in “I knew you'd haunt all of my what-ifs” when Eddie is talking about their relationship getting hard but Steve thinks he’s talking about his dick. Actually, that’s a good analogy for me. I try to be profound and poetic but at my core, what defines me best are the dick jokes. 

Do you have any upcoming projects or fics you’d like to share/promote?

Besides the Musical fic I mentioned and the two upcoming works from point 5, I have two fics that I think are really fun and underrated. I would also love to read someone else’s take on them!: Nancy crashes Steddie’s Valentine’s date, making Eddie think they’re back together but it’s just a misunderstanding: “I waited all my life just to fall for someone like you” Steve asks Eddie out, only to show up at his door with 2 random girls in what ends up being a surprise double date and the stuff of Eddie’s nightmares: “It’s not like I’m in love with you”

Outside of these questions, Is there anything YOU would like to add?

I wanted to thank everyone who nominated me, gave me good feedback, left kudos and/or nice comments. You’ve all kept me going forward. To all the mods that make this Tumblr possible, and everyone who creates events and does their part to keep this fandom alive: Thank you! I wouldn’t be here without you. ❤️

Thank you to our author @rookosom, and our nominator! See more of rookosom's works featured on our page throughout the day!

Writer’s Spotlight is every Wednesday! Want to nominate an author? You can nominate them here!

[islandtarochips]

Question! Villain Au? Like how would the WTF team be as bad guys and what song matches them?

Hey there Anon! SO so sorry for making this as a late reply! And must I say, THIS is a very interesting question! I haven’t thought about it! And also, I don't know if you wanted the MAIN WTF members (which are just Kanoa, Tiala, Agnes and Nigel) or the WHOLE team. But I'll do the whole team though!

First up, TIALA in a Villain AU. I have created a Cartel AU for her there! Where she runs a business which used to belong to a man who kidnapped her and her team. Just like her regular background story in her bio. But it’s different because in THAT AU, Tiala had started to plan on taking over the business instead of waiting for the rescue. Believing that they will NEVER come. She already lost her team and her two best friends. So she’s not gonna wait for them to come. You can read the rest of it through here if you would like to know more about this AU that I had planned! There’s also a song that I already posted from there too! Which is this one!

Now for KANOA, I could see him being a leader of some drug dealing. Can also be a Cartel. Smart guy, makes good offers with the other Cartels leaders and will send it off into the Pacific Region. Kanoa is a chill man, would always give a smile to his customers and would most likely PERSUADE them to accept the offer he gives them. So yeah, another Cartel leader just like Tiala. These siblings are gonna make good money. Lol. And I was JUST thinking this song fits for our handsome fellow~

Next up, AGNES. If Agnes is in this Villain AU, she would be the most CHAOTIC and PLAYFUL gal in this AU. Agnes really does love playing with people even with BOMBS. The most favorite weapons that she adores. You could imagine that if ANY human being would try to catch her, she’ll be sending you a very nice gift. It’ll  BLOW you out of this WORLD! Lol. So maybe she’s a Villain who usually robs banks and other places that have cash. And so, this is the song that I’ve been thinking of for her. It’s…childish but I couldn’t help it when this song fits SO good for her! So please…don’t judge me😅

Next up we're going for NIGEL! Now, for Nigel in this AU. He would be a….HITMAN! A guy who is skilled with a sniper gun and also working for his dad. Who is part of a Mafia organization to take down any enemies that stand in their way. Nigel’s father also let other good friends hire him in order to get paid. Which he doesn’t mind as long he gets the money for their family. And I’ve been trying to find a good song that fits him. So I don’t know if you agreed with this one.

⚠️TW: Might be GOREY to read about it. You can skip this one if you are sensitive to reading it.⚠️

Going up for the LOVELY doctor! Dr. AELAN Kalani! This woman is a tough one to think about. But after some research. I have decided that Aelan would be a woman who works for the Cartel. Since I know that they need someone who can stuff some drugs into a person’s body in order for them to take it. And since Aelan is a DOCTOR. She knows how to put it in safely for both the drugs and the person. Not only that, she also works for them to do Organ trading. For their kidneys, eyeballs, any parts that the Cartel are asking for. She would do it without a problem. So yeah, that’s Aelan in this Villain AU! And I’m trying to find a related song for her but this is all I could get it out from.

And lastly, the old woman who is still strong and has that traumatic past. ALANA! It took me a while to find her part in this Villain AU! So, I was thinking that Alana is a boss woman. Running a terrorist organization who would do anything to take over the U.S.A. After THEY have taken her home and family. It’s…still a work in progress though. BUt this is all I could think of. If I DO have a good idea for her, I would gladly share it with you and everyone here! Now, for this song. I have found this one that will fit her Villain aura!

And that's about it! I have other OCs for the WTF but I'm just gonna use these guys for now. Oh! And also, if these guys are working together! I also have their song for the WHOLE time! Here it is!

I hope this answers your questions, Anon! And I apologize for taking SO long though. IRL has been really busy and tough lately but everything is okay now! Thank you for sending this asks! Love ya, pele! 😘💖

[nonuel]

so, mass effect galaxy ends with the big bad telling jacob that they are more alike than he thinks - that jacob would also go to great lengths to protect his own people. you know, standard villain stock phrases and stuff. there are a few options jacob can say here, but as the game is defunct and there's only one existing playthrough left of it that i can find, i have no way of knowing what all the variances are. the playthrough has jacob say "we are nothing alike" - you know, standard hero stock phrases and stuff - and that's really it, the game ends, jacob saved the day, and we never hear anything about this ever again

this bothers me, because i can't help feeling this was the perfect set up for what jacob's loyalty should have been about. while the lines exchanged were cliché, they're cliché for a reason: the villain is often a foil to the hero in any given story, and while mass effect galaxy is a mobile game of limited storytelling, it is Still A Story where the writers were making conscious decisions to include the dialogue and story beats that they did

when you combine this with the fact that (1) jacob is introduced to us as a counterpart to miranda's staunch support of cerberus, someone who is far more critical and doubtful of cerberus; (2) yet he is in cerberus anyway because of the freedom it allows for him to get the job done in a way he was unable to in the alliance; (3) then when you ask jack's opinion of him, she says "jacob doesn't know who he is"; (4) and when you ask samara's opinion of him, she says "events will either forge him into a great man, or utterly destroy him"...

all of these provide a proper set up for a loyalty that would have jacob reckoning with the idea he is, in fact, willing to go to certain and possibly dubious lengths to do what he think is right for humanity. he is already on this path by willingly being in cerberus, instead of staying within the tried and true but often utterly ineffective method (as evidenced in me2) of being in the alliance

note here that this is not a criticism of the alliance per se so much as an observation of the obvious. the alliance is an organization that cannot afford to do what it pleases regardless of the cost, because if it did, then it would have no allies and various wars. these are the sacrifices that have to be made to Exist In Society. this naturally means that the alliance is not always effective at its stated goals

jacob is an action-oriented character concerned with doing good, but he didn't have to join cerberus to keep doing good, because one's standard for "doing good" is subjective. let's contrast him with another action-oriented character concerned with doing good who doesn't join cerberus, and in fact is utterly hostile toward the idea of doing so: kaidan. this post is not about kaidan and i have no desire to derail it by spending much time on him, but i want to illustrate a point

kaidan, much like jacob with cerberus, is willing to criticize the alliance but overall defends them as being the best option. unlike jacob, he is unwilling to meaningfully consider alternatives due to his own personal hangups that relate to his story and background. despite his own misgivings, kaidan will stay with the alliance because he believes it will always be better than joining cerberus, even if cerberus is objectively doing a better job in the moment of handling a dire situation. this is all to say: kaidan already has a hard limit of what he is personally willing to do in order to "do good" like he wants

we never see this hard limit for jacob, hence my saying he is already on the path of doing whatever it takes by merely joining cerberus. my personal feelings of cerberus aside (as that would really derail this post), they are known for the dubious methods they are willing to take to get what they want and are, canonically, classified as a terrorist organization

it would have made a lot more sense to actually explore this hard limit in jacob for his loyalty, rather than we got. what is jacob's limit? what lengths is he actually willing to go in order to do what he feels is right? what effect does this have on him? and this is where jack and samara's statements about him materialize. like most of the loyalties, there would've been a paragon and a renegade route, and samara's prediction would correlate with whichever route was done. and at the end of it, jacob would grapple with his identity in a way a lot of the squadmates do at the end of theirs, and this is where jack's assessment would be answered. jacob would know who he is at the end of his loyalty, for better or for worse

the details of whatever it is jacob does isn't really the point of this post, because it could really be anything as long as the dilemma within the loyalty was sufficiently complex enough. i personally think something involving cerberus, the alliance, and characters from mass effect galaxy would be best, because these are all things that already relate to jacob's character and the main plot (or significant b plots)

[eriisaam]

Would it be a bit much to just... want to make a VN (kinetic novel or otherwise) of OC things, even fandom ones?

It's been something in the back of my mind a lot. Moreso now than before, since making a VN start to finish had been a dream in general, and I struggle with practicing properly.

The goal I kept having is I had a heavy interest in VNs, especially choose-your-owns, dating-sims, raising sims, stuff of the sort. But I keep running into problems time and time again (especially every time I made it a reoccurring new year's resolution of sorts) where time and personal-background-noise aside, I tend to get motivation for an idea, see it through to an extent, and then panic and talk myself out of it for, among other things, not being experienced enough to do that particular now-out-of-scope idea, second-guessing the idea as dumb, or second-guessing how to approach an idea to the point after it goes all over the place between combining other ideas or rotating several approaches, it just ends up dying anyways.

Some ideas, even while not 'dead', are still in limbo because I doubt I had the experience for it (case in point the project Enoli came from), and others I keep hitting that catch-22 of wanting an idea to be simple to practice with (cuz getting too big otherwise risks being 'too ambitious/big/complex/whatever' to be 'allowed' to do right then), but then at the same time worrying when ideas become too simple/plain/grounded (that then it comes off as too boring or generic or whatever).

It's... not been a fun cycle to keep hitting...

On one hand: I know people practice with the OCs they're comfortable with to explore new territory with someone familiar. Even without VN practice, I still do it even with the summoner OCs in general in other ways, one of the big ones being things like learning how to make a proper ref sheet now. (And before that, an older OC with how to make a commission sheet.)

It's a lot less about really wanting a VN about, say, World of a Golden Fate that badly, so much as thinking it combines a lot of purposes and gives me a lot of experiences in areas I desperately need it in for other things, and at the same time it's with characters and lore I've worked on for a long time (not-so-much organized chronologically, or set to stone on paper, however...), has the most familiarity or sheer stuff figured out as it is, and if people do things like animations, to vtuber models out of their treasured OCs, then surely this isn't that far off from that thought either?

I've also, for the long time, been made especially aware a lot through past experience and otherwise how much people seem to react better to art than to writing, and I guess a part of me keeps thinking (in a not-so-positive way) that maybe World of a Golden Fate would be easier to digest if it went hard-visuals, since any time I dumped it in the past in the form of either fics or word dumps, I get told off for it a lot. (Not with any of you, all of you have been amazing, it's just... past memories of past encounters can bite like that still, is all.)

On the otherhand: It's a game. I'm still making a whole ass game. Visual Novels might be an easier medium to get into and make for than a whole MMORPG gacha, sure, but... that's still a whole ass game. Even a kinetic novel, let alone a visual novel that lets you do things, is still a pretty tall order as it is.

I always get selfconscious whenever I put the summoner OCs in particular out there in a grand way. Why invest so much time and effort in these OCs in particular? These OCs who had a history of not... always having the most pleasant moments attached to them in their development time and again...? Why would I be dumb enough to dedicate an entire game to them, and not put the same effort into a completely different game, a new plot, and with better worth put into that effort of what I can do with said game after? These summoners had a history of annoying and aggravating people, so why not focus on fresher faces instead? And how selfish and arrogant is it to make an entire game dedicated to a bunch of self-inserts you've been made aware time and again nobody cares about, let alone to that degree, right? You really think so full and so high and mighty of them and yourself?

And I don't even know if this is worth a poll, to be honest. I do have ideas, but, again, I worry the not-related-to-fandom, this-is-to-practice-and-learn-with-as-a-first-time-please-be-gentle ideas would be too 'nothing' to matter, and then in turn, miss the point of being a toe-dip in how to even do this kind of thing in the first place. The summoners, meanwhile, feel more familiar, but that's a lot of effort to go into them that just drawing loose art and writing couldn't also accomplish.

I'm not even sure if I'm making coherent sense airing this out. But it's been gnawing at me for a while and I'm not even sure what I'm asking about this. Advice? Thoughts? Just proverbially taking my brain out and shaking it like shaking loose whatevers out of a boot? I dunno, I'm still kind of waking up...

[quantumripple]

Figured it might be neat to give post-mortems of fics I’ve written (in no particular order)

Gonna call this Quantum’s Post-Moretem Mondays even though I’m almost certain I’m never going to post this again on a Monday (work was just suuuuper slow)

So to start off we’ve got Pen Pals: https://archiveofourown.org/works/51609454

Premise: in early 2010 Taylor and Sveta become pen pals (hence the name).

Very much the definition of a rarepair since there’s only one other Taylor/Sveta fic that I’m aware of and it’s not even tagged.

And honestly hot take: the reason it’s a rarepair is that it lowkey just does not work as a ship. Taylor and Sveta are just not compatible, Taylor is far too… her. Sveta deserves better honestly.

What I like about the fic:

The bits of humour always blindside me when I do a reread. This one definitely leans on the sort of online humour you sometimes get with lesbians. Particularly the meme of two girls commiserating you each other that they “wish they could get a gf frfr”

I also just stole some funny bits from worm and adapted them but idk if I should count those bc they were just yoinked from worm.

I’m pretty proud of the background plot that’s happening in the fic. It’s pretty fun to explore those through only the lens of texts between two people. Things diverge a little bit and we end up with Echidna happening early, but the fight goes a lot differently. Ends up being a much longer fight/conflict but upside is case 53 stuff didn’t get leaked. Taylor eventually ended it by tag-teaming with a few heroes, getting the right power combo. S9 shows up after and a while after they’re there Amy takes Victoria. Taylor, thinking the s9 did it went on the warpath, she broke into the prt hq and stole the Bakuda bombs which she used to take out a few members before she found Amy and Victoria, made Amy fix her, then just fully executed her.

What I don’t like:

Taylor is extremely out of character. She’s too like… it’s hard to explain but she’s too cutesy, or dorky in a way that doesn’t really fit with how she is in canon. Triple especially anytime they’re discussing feelings. Honestly the only parts of her that feels in character is latter on in the fic when it starts getting into the broader hero plot stuff.

Sveta is also pretty ooc but not quite as bad as Taylor. She’s a hard character to write because while yea she’s got a lot going on at the end of the day she’s just a really nice person and that’s hard to write out unless you want something super fluffy.

And speaking of: the fic is just way too fluffy for my tastes these days. Like I had to skim the final scene where they’re being all sappy and confessional bc it made me feel ill lmao.

What I would do if I were to redo/re-explore:

Honestly this might be one of my few fics where I’d just cop it and say that it kinda doesn’t work conceptually. Taylor and Sveta just aren’t really compatible without changing one or the other.

Honestly if I were returning to it I’d probably drop Sveta (sorry) and actually just focus on the Brockton Bay plot stuff. So it’d be Taylor joining the wards, getting frustrated and then leaving and teaming up w Victoria and the focus is more in them becoming friends. And the other changes with Echidna and the s9 could be fun to explore.

Or alternatively I keep Sveta and lean into the doomed nature of the relationship, have it be a much more deep exploration of their characters and how they could interact. Follow Sveta as she makes an online friend but slowly realise that this friend of hers is weirdly violent as a cape. Have that introduce a lot more friction with Sveta judging Taylors methods more and more and Taylor just getting really defensive etc. and like…. It wouldn’t even need to have a bad ending per se. It would just be them realising that they’re really not compatible and that getting this invested in each other was a bad idea. Or the super good ending where Sveta comes around to Taylor’s way of thinking and they wage bloody war against evil, that could also be p fun. And not entirely impossible especially if Taylor is literally Svetas only friend.

Final thoughts:

This is one of those fics that still gets the odd random comment on ao3 which makes me remember it more often than other fics despite the fact that I don’t really have much to say/think about the fic beyond what I’ve already thrown up. It sits in my mind as a firm “basically ok, has its moments”

Curious to know what others think of it because honestly I barely do. I think I just picked it bc it was one of my shorter fics and sfw so I could read it between waiting for stuff to happen at work.