#this was super inspired by time woods comics

[teadrop-12]

hiii u guyss finalllyy finished a comic that i made up with @arabella-pink !!!!! literally XOXO to her, her ideas and headcanons are godsent

the story is that they have 2 go on a mission n they have to be in a formal wear setting, it was a suit and tie event but rudy didnt get the memo, alicia has sapphic thoughts, i might continue this later

[marthawrites]

Harrenhal Butterflies

Modern Harwin Strong x fem reader

Word count: 3.7k+

About: Sparks flew between you and Harwin before slinking off together during a work dinner, and they continue to fly afterwards. Unprompted, you both slink off together once again during an elective work trip to Harrenhal. Tension ends up breaking in a most unexpected place.

Includes: Smut featuring reader receiving oral, light/playful degradation, some praise, some dirty talk, vaginal fingering, and unprotected protected vaginal sex

Note: Hello lovely reader! This story was inspired by the request "may I request revenge sex in someone else’s car with harwin strong?" from angsti who's no longer on tumblr. She probably won't see this but I still wanted to write and dedicate it to her! As always, reader is non-descript. Please, enjoy!

Working as a dispatcher for the City Watch had its perks. Three times a year, for "team building exercises", fellow employees would plan a day trip for those who wanted to participate. Luckily you were able to take the day off, which, for you, led into a long weekend – perfect! You were equally excited and nervous for this trip: a hike in Harrenhal amongst the lovely fall colors.

"Isn't Harrenhal one of the most haunted places in all of Westeros?" You asked one of your favorite co-workers, Sara Stark, as you both killed some time in the break room. 

"It's said to be," she said excitedly. "Supposedly there's blood mixed in the mortar," she added with curious delight. Sara had been living in King's Landing for a year or so, and worked for the City Watch maybe half that time. Having lived in Winterfell her whole life she had a soft spot for dark folktales of the world.

You came to realize, affectionately, that people from the north were built differently.

You laughed, half nervous. "The woods are probably filled with ghosts! My time off request is already accepted, but maybe I'll skip going on this trip…"

Sara snorted and rolled her eyes. "Oh come on! Ghosts can't hurt you, scaredy cat!"

"What's this I hear about someone skipping out on the best hike of the year?" Harwin asked after overhearing the conversation. He refilled his coffee mug and leaned against the counter, mischievous brown eyes panning curiously between you and Sara.

It was stupid – absolutely stupid – how good Harwin looked in his uniform. Big, tall, broad… his dark curls mussed in a way that made you want to push your fingers through them. After yours and Erryk’s break up, you and Harwin were known to banter. Some office teasing was innocent, right? At least… that’s what you told yourself before the workplace dinner last month where you both had a steady buzz and ended up making out in the bathroom. In hindsight, making out in a bathroom was super gross. He looked so fucking handsome in his blue suit, though! Encouraged by alcohol, you couldn't stop your flirting tongue once it started. And, next thing you knew, he had you pressed against the hallway’s wall kissing you with no care of smearing your lipstick. Giggling, you dragged him into the nearest bathroom and locked the door. Aside from smeared lipstick and kiss swollen lips, nothing else happened that night. The flirting continued, however. 

"The veil is thinnest right now and we're going to Harrenhal of all places!?" You asked, expression – comically – equally bright and uneasy.

"Oh please," he scoffed. "I grew up there and know the whole land like the back of my hand. It's not that bad," he winked. "You gotta come. It's gorgeous this time of the year."

"Yeah, scaredy cat!"

You groaned. "The peer pressure is suffocating!"

"Come on," Harwin drawled. "I'll stick close to you. Throw you over my shoulder and run from any ghosts if I have to."

Sara snorted. Harwin smirked. You blushed. "Fine. Fine! I'll go."

"Aye! There's my strong girl."

-

Whether it due to the location, time of year, or general disinterest, only a quarter of the City Watch's employees participated. You were surprised to see a couple of the higher elite squad, too. Targaryen's had to take their royal safety very seriously, and King Viserys – as well as any and all members of his family whom he deemed needed protection – always had a member of the Kingsgard near. 

Harwin had spoken the truth: Harrenhal was beautiful in the chilly fall glow. Oranges, reds, and yellows contrasted starkly against gray clouds. Despite tales of hauntings, ghosts, and monsters, the surrounding land was deeply fertile. Native plants of all colors and sizes were on fiery autumn display. Trees, shrubs, and even mushrooms decorated the land in a fairy-tale fashion.

People naturally gathered in smaller groups while everyone waited to hear the day’s game plan. You, Sara, and Harwin were nearest the front. Sara happily chatted with you about mycelium and how excited she was to photograph and harvest fungi for her collection. Harwin and another man of the City Watch went over the plan one more time to make sure they were both on the same page.

All the while, you and Harwin made (perhaps not so subtle) flirty eyes at each other. You’d never seen him in casual hiking clothes, and doing so now made butterflies twirl in your belly. 

“Alright, folks!” Harwin said with a clap of his big hands. A smile warmed his face as people turned their attention to him. “It’s about a three mile hike to the Rushing Falls. There’s a nice trail to the top of the waterfall, and from up there you can look across the God’s Eye to the Isle of Faces. Hopefully the fog will lift by then so we can get a proper view. It’s stunning this time of the year. After we’re done, we’ll all come back here and head over to Raventree Hall to share a meal together. That’s the overall plan! Any questions?”

Excitement buzzed in eagerness to start. “I have extra water and granola if anyone needs some!” Someone said. That was enough to break the ice. Sara, and others, began walking ahead – so much for her info dump about mycelium!

“Ah shit,” you groaned, running a hand down the side of your face.

“What’s up?” Asked Harwin, dark eyes soft and concerned as he looked you over.

“I forgot my spare lens in my car. I brought it so I could take some wide shots,” you admitted, half annoyed with yourself. Leave it to you to forget something even though you triple checked that you had everything! “I’m gonna double back and get it. I’ll catch up.”

He chuckled. “I’ll go with you. Don’t want any ghosties scaring you along the way,” he teased.

You rolled your eyes and bit the inside of your cheek in an attempt to hide your smirk. “Pfft. I can handle myself.”

But, it was already too late. Harwin hollered ahead that he and you would be back in a few. If you could see Sara you knew she’d be giving you finger guns and a shit eating grin. She knew of your little crush on Strong and wasn’t above pestering you about it. 

It was only the two of you, now. You peered up at him just in time to watch him point. “There’s a shortcut around this way,” he said, gesturing in the direction. “It goes through a small parking lot that leads to the main one.”

Nodding, you said, “sure! This is only my second time here. And it’s been a long time since then.” Alone with him, now, your mind drifted to the bathroom makeout session. It drifted even further as you remembered how his hands felt on your…

He smiled in a way that made you feel like he knew exactly what you were thinking; brown eyes twinkling with boyish amusement. He led the way and you followed close behind. The pathway wasn’t very wide, and you’d have to be tucked under his arm for the both of you to fit across it. If it were colder, or you bolder… you could probably get away with it. But, those same butterflies from before still twirled around in your belly making you feel more self-conscious than you cared to admit.

Right as you were about to walk out of the smaller parking lot and into the larger one, something unexpected caught your attention. You gasped. “What! No way. I didn’t even see Erryk. When did he get here!?”

“What?” Asked Harwin, looking between you and what stole your attention.

“There’s his Bronco! God I love that thing. I only got to ride in it a couple times before we broke up.” You two had been broken up for awhile now, and since then he’d done some work on his four door black Bronco. It had a lift, larger wheels and tires than what came as stock, and it was all blacked out. It looked good. And mean. You wanted to take the top off and drive it! “I’m gonna go look at it,” you said with mischievous delight.

Strong whistled beneath his breath. “Damn. That thing is nice.”

You b-lined it and tipped up on your toes to get a peek inside. “I want one of these so bad! This is pretty much my dream car. Truck. Whatever you call this thing.”

Cargyll really did have good taste. Harwin slowly walked around it and checked it out the whole time, taking notes of this and that as he did. Once he saw you looking through all the windows realizing that it hadn’t sounded any alarm yet, his dark eyes glinted with impishness. He pulled one of the back doors open. “That idiot didn’t even lock it!”

You squealed. “What! Oh my god,” you said as you swung the other backdoor open. “Holy shit. He’s lucky he took the keys otherwise you’d have to chase me down, a newly offended car stealer, on foot!” You sighed dreamily as you flopped on your back in the backseat. Your legs still hung out the car but you didn’t mind. It felt good – and fun – to be laying in someone else’s car without their knowledge. You giggled behind your hand; the risk of it gave you a rush.

“Bad girl,” he said as he leaned against the edge of the doorway your legs hung out of. You didn't even hear him walk around! “I'd expect better from you,” he added with an easy curve of lip.

“Are you scolding me?” You asked as you sat up.

“I am. A good, smart girl like you, threatening to steal a car like any petty thief?”

Something flexed in your abdomen as boldness took hold of you. Perhaps it was the risk that egged you on, or the way Harwin's mouth looked as his lips pouted in the slightest manner, or the way his brow furrowed beneath a wayward curl. Whatever it might have been, a thrill danced up and down your spine. “And what are you going to do about it, Strong?” You asked daringly, gaze lingering on his mouth before slowly flickering up to his regard.

“Tell me, pretty girl, did Erryk play these games with you in here?” He leaned forward to deliberately invade what little remained of your personal space, voice dropping lower the closer he came to you. That same easy curve of lip decorated his mouth while his gaze remained on yours, the blackness of his pupils beginning to widen in those deep brown irises.

The width of his shoulders took up all the space in the door and you swore you could feel heat coming off his solid bulk. “Not as much as I wanted…,” you answered, lower and slyer than his own tone. You looked up at him through your eyelashes before glancing to his mouth again, leaning closer into him as he did you.

“What a shame.”

In the next breath your mouths collided in an instantly searing kiss. Nothing about it was shy, or tentative, or reserved. The distant familiarity of his lips had you sighing in bliss against them. You grabbed at the front of his jacket – that odd water resistant material that somehow felt smooth and rough alike – and pulled him further into you. And, as if they’d suddenly gained a mind of their own, your legs spilled open to accept his wide hips between them. “I like this much more than a bathroom,” you mumbled through the kiss, grinning. Blood warmed your cheeks and fuzzed your mind; low muscles in your belly tightening with eager anticipation.

Harwin answered by holding the back of your head with one large hand, the size of it allowing him to graze his thumb along your cheek in a way that deepened your kiss. A pleased groan sounded from somewhere in his chest. “You have no idea what you do to me,” he drawled, dragging his tongue against yours before biting on your bottom lip. “At your desk… in the break room… anytime I see you walking around the office. God. You have the perfect mouth for kissing.”

Heat thrummed beneath your skin and you were full on dizzy, now, drunk on Harwin’s words. “I haven’t stopped thinking about this since the last time we did it,” you admitted as you pressed your legs tight against him, wrapping your arms atop his shoulders.

He groaned again, louder this time. “If you wrap those pretty legs around me I won’t be able to help myself,” he said huskily as he kissed and bit all along your neck. 

You wrapped your legs around him, then, pulling him fully against the heat of your body. Daring. Tauting. Needing.

“Mmm that’s what you want, isn’t it?” He growled. “Driving me crazy all on purpose now? You really are a bad girl.” He pushed his wide hands up the front of your body – over your hips, along your sides, up beneath your breasts to feel their weight upon his touch – all while leaving tiny love bites on your shoulder. “Will you let me make you feel good this time?” He asked, finally pulling away from you long enough to look at your pretty face and parted mouth.

Before you could stop yourself, you answered, “yes,” in a hot breathy tone. “Shit, yes. Please, Harwin.”

“Right here in your ex’s rig?” He asked as he slowly slid down the front of your body, thick fingers hooking into the waistband of your leggings.

“Yes,” you squeaked, watching him. You lifted your hips in time with his hooking, and he wasted no time in pulling your bottoms down your legs until it caught on your shoes. Somehow it felt more lewd than having them fully removed.

Those big, calloused, warm hands felt over the smooth skin of your thighs. His fingers splayed as he felt down the full length of your legs, and then up again, fingertips denting into your soft flesh. “So pretty all sprawled out,” he whispered, shamelessly trailing the pad of one thumb up the center of your underwear covered center. Much to his delight it coaxed a little sound from you. “And so sensitive…”

“...please don’t make me wait,” you begged with soft doe eyes.

He smirked. “I don’t plan to,” he said as he pulled your underwear down. Instead of leaving them balled around your feet, however, he tore one of your shoes off and tugged your bottoms and panties off in the same motion. They still remained bunched up and hanging off one foot.

If you thought it lewd before, this felt dirty.

With Harwin’s palms holding your thighs open both his thumbs gently parted your folds, opening your pussy for his greedy eyes. “You’re such a good girl for getting all wet for me. Do you think you can stay quiet?” He asked cheekily with an arch of brow before kissing the front of your hip. He kissed the other side, too, and dipped his head low. 

Just as you started to say something Harwin dragged his hot tongue up through your soaken folds. Your lungs swelled with excitement and the breath you gasped came out in a broken moan. “Oh my god…!,” you whispered when he lapped again and again, relaxed tongue sliding over your clit in a way that sent goosebumps tingling all over your body. One of your hands lowered to his hair and you shamelessly sprawled your fingers through his brown curls, tugging appreciatively when he lavished all his attention to your bud. “Mm fuck..! Just like that…!”

He moaned a satisfied rumble against your cunt. Turning his gaze back up to you, he said, “poor baby. Your little clit is so achy and needy, isn’t it?” While still looking at you he worked his tongue in deliberate motions, learning your body more and more by the second. He circled, and flicked, and kissed, and ‘mmm’d’ his approval into you. “What a sweet treat you are,” he said barely above a rumble. He didn’t stop lavishing your clit until your thighs were trembling beneath his hands.

“You’re gonna make me come like that. I’m close… ‘m so close,” you whimpered as you ground your pussy against his mouth, seeking more and more of him even as he was giving you all his mouth could. 

“Shh… shh, quiet, princess. I know it feels good, but we can’t have someone hearing you,” he said, eyes dark and dancing, as he slipped a finger into you. He worked it in time with his tongue, then, curling and testing your walls. It didn’t take him long to find what he was looking for. As soon as he found that wonderful patch of nerves inside you, he squeezed a second finger into you and pumped them in and out, hitting that spot every time without fail. He latched onto your clit, licking and sucking in tandem with his fingers.

Bliss, and electricity, and fire blazed through your body as Harwin pushed you to peak. Orgasm flooded your muscles with pleasure and you barely covered your mouth in time to muffle all those lovely sounds of release. Harwin pushed you through it steadily; prolonging without overstimulating. Once you stopped trembling he gradually pulled away from you, grinning. “I could do that all fucking day,” he whispered against your mouth before stealing your satisfied moans in a kiss. 

You could still taste yourself on him. You needed more.

“I need more,” you purred, one hand grazing over the bulge at the front of his bottoms.

“Not here, princess. I don’t have a condom,” he replied with an edge of mournfulness – wanting nothing more than to bury himself in you and fuck you silly on his cock.

Butterflies filled your belly again as you answered, “I’m clean… and on birth control. If you are too..? Then fuck a condom.”

He twitched and somehow grew even harder against your palm with your words. “Fuck… gonna let me have all of your pretty pussy?” He fumbled with the front of his bottoms and you helped him pull them down. Lust overtook you and you were unable to answer, only able to help free his cock. He sighed in relief as it was freed. You gasped, too. It was like the rest of him; thick, solid, hot. He bit your lip as your hand wrapped around him, smaller and cooler than the rigid desire of his length. “Open your legs. You can take it, I know you can.”

You did as told, propping up on your elbows so you could look down the front of your body to watch as he pushed into you. He guided himself to your entrance and pressed forward, easing into you, slowly stretching you out around him. You mumbled something incoherent at the sight and gasped in a mix of pain and pleasure as he filled you to your body’s end. When he began to pull out your arousal gleamed on his cock. Your head buzzed and your desire soared. “More. Harder… faster.. Fuck me like you mean it,” you pleaded, spilling your thighs open as far as they comfortably could in the confides of your ex’s backseat.

Something changed in Harwin, then, and his gentleness began to crumble away. He held tightly onto one of your thighs and one side of your hip, driving into you firmer and quicker. “This pussy just needs to be filled so bad, huh? Don’t wanna take this big cock slow… no, you need it slamming in and out of you,” he growled lowly, accentuating his words with drives of his strong hips. 

Wordlessly, you nodded at him with desperate eyes. You moaned behind a hand as he speared in and out of you; full, so full of him. The pressure, the stretch, the thrill of finally having him sent a second orgasm creeping along your spine. You wrapped your legs around him and drew him further into you.

“My poor needy girl. Should’ve came to me sooner if you needed fucked this bad,” he said, grinning, before sliding his gaze down to where your bodies joined. “This little cunt is starving, baby, you’re taking me so well.” He changed his angle slightly and picked up his pace, pounding into you with added vigor. If your moans weren’t muffled enough then the sounds of skin slapping on skin would be more than enough to give you both away. The Bronco, despite its size, began to rock with the motion of Harwin’s fucking. 

If heaven was real, surely it was here.

Your legs flexed around him as your back arched, body tightening as Harwin pushed you to peak again. Your eyelids fluttered before they rolled closed, wholly blissed out. Climax washed over you and your walls convulsed round him – squeezing – urging him to join you.

And he did.

With one final thrust he buried himself as deep as he could be and unloaded into you. The warmth of his cum filled you in a way that had you sighing in relief. He panted, spent and deeply satisfied. “I’ll buy you your own Bronco. Whatever color you want,” he said as he pressed his forehead to yours, basking in the sensation of post-climax bliss.

You laughed. “You don’t mean that! Shut up.”

“I mean it. I saw a pretty blue one driving down the road the other day. You’d look so good driving one.”

Slowly you unwrapped your legs from around him and giggled. “Who knew Strong got so pussystruck?,” you teased.

Laughing, he carefully pulled out of you. “Ah, hell. You’re gonna have to sacrifice your panties to clean yourself up. Hiking with no underwear? You really are a dirty girl,” he quipped back.

Both of you took a minute to wipe clean and fix your clothes before walking away from Erryk’s rig as innocently as you could. Which, more than likely, wasn’t innocent at all. “You’re not buying me a car. But… maybe dinner?”

“Of course I’ll buy you dinner. And a beer?”

“As long as you promise we don’t end up in a bathroom or backseat of someone else’s car.”

“Ha! Last I remember it was you who egged both of those things on,” he taunted, glaring at you playfully.

Well, he wasn't wrong. 

You snerked and slapped his backside before finally retrieving your lens from your car.

Now to come up with an excuse as to why you two took so long. Maybe no one would notice?

-

Thank you so much for reading! If you enjoyed, please consider a follow, and/or reblog, and/or letting me know as it all makes me vvvery happy! ♥

To be added or removed from the taglist, hit me up!

Masterlist

Main Taglist: @watercolorskyy @melsunshine @girlwith-thepearlearring @arcielee @barbiedragon @aemondtarqaryens @chompchompluke @fan-goddess @schniiipsel

[beethovenus]

TS!UNDERSWAP Dev Diary: Koffin-K Party Member

The area progression for Starlight Isles was much different during the initial concept stages than what was finalized. Originally, you would defeat Crossbones in the village -- and if spared, the two of you would team up against Koffin-K, infiltrating his base of operations.

With this idea, Crossbones would have been a party member -- except he would have been completely useless, and serving purely as comic relief. In battles with Koffin-K's minions, he would have done nothing besides crack jokes.

This would have gone on briefly until the two of you got separated. You would have discovered that Koffin-K (who used to have hypnosis magic) would have "hypnotized" Crossbones, with him becoming the supervillain minion "Mr. S" (inspired by Mr. L from Super Paper Mario.)

(These are the only sprites I could find.)

Some of the finer details are missing -- either you would have "snapped him out of it," or he wasn't actually hypnotized the whole time, just messing with you both.

Eventually, you and the non-hypnotized Crossbones would corner Koffin-K together -- and in a last-ditch effort, Koffin-K would try hypnotizing Crossbones a second time. This time, it'd be complete with a whole transformation into a Darkwing Duck-esque design, with Crossbones wearing Koffin-K. Sadly, I wasn't able to find these sprites.

The Koffin-K battle would have been with a "hypnotized Crossbones" wearing Koffin-K. At the end, Crossbones would reveal that he was never actually hypnotized, and just messing with you both. Koffin-K would have figured that this meant he could only control bats.

Suffice to say, this was a LOT in terms of scope -- an entire major area devoted to Koffin-K with multiple sections, minion battles, and an entire "hypnotized Crossbones" antagonist plot. This just wasn't going to be feasible in the long term, and would be going way too overboard in terms of original content versus the rest of the game.

We ended up making the following simplifications:

"Koffin-K Island" was reworked to "Koffin Keep," and made a smaller, self-contained, nonlinear area -- as opposed to a larger linear area.

Koffin Keep was placed between Stardust Woods and Starstruck Village to better integrate it within the overall area progression, and make it less of an afterthought or something "tacked on."

Koffin-K having hypnosis magic was scrapped, as was "antagonist Crossbones," because it made no sense.

The "useless party member" role was given to Koffin-K -- with Chara wearing him to conceal his presence during the festival, and giving him a great deal of unique interactions and cutscenes / cutscene variants.

It's sad we ended up having to scrap some of these ideas, but ultimately I'm really happy with what we accomplished with Koffin Keep -- laying a lot more into a Saturday morning cartoon villain feeling than a more serious superhero/supervillain conflict.

[superfan44]

Why Sora Should be Treated the Same as Superman (An Opinion Piece)

As I get older, I'm able to look at various fictional characters more closely, understanding more about why they're so iconic. A few years ago, I gained a renewed interest in the Kingdom Hearts franchise, seeing why so many people love its story, characters, and of course, its crossover element with Disney and Final Fantasy. I want to take a little look at the franchise's main protagonist, Sora, shed a light on him if you will. I feel you could draw some similarities between him and the DC Comics hero Superman (aka Kal-El, aka Clark Kent).

Now, I know this may seem like an odd comparison to some of you, but personally, I think it does kind of make sense when you think about it. Obviously these two have very different personalities, backstories, powers, and motivations that drive them. However, both are kindhearted, optimistic heroes from humble beginnings, with a strong sense of justice and morality. Not to mention a desire to help others and do the right thing.

Their respective actions certainly speak for themselves on that front, as they each go about it in their own unique way. In the comic book All-Star Superman, one issue sees him fighting a group of lizard men invading from the Earth's core. Then, in another issue, we see him stop a depressed teenage girl from stepping off a building, giving her comfort and support. Yes, he's got super strength and godlike powers, but he's also considerate, compassionate, and gentle enough to offer a helping hand whenever needed. Superman is a hero who inspires the best in all of us. He is, as filmmaker James Gunn once put it, kindness in a world that sees kindness as old fashioned. Even though he lives on a planet he wasn't born on, he still aspires to bring hope to that planet, providing them a light to show the way. Krypton made him the man of steel, but Earth made him human.

There are moments in the Kingdom Hearts series where we see a bit of that kindness mirrored in Sora as well. One minute he would be cutting down Heartless with his keyblade, the next he'll be enjoying good times with his friends, old and new. Whether it's dancing around with Rapunzel in the Kingdom of Corona, visiting Winnie the Pooh and his pals in the 100 Acre Wood, or helping to make Boo laugh in Monstropolis. He protects the world order and fights against the forces of evil, but he's also having fun along the way. There's a playfulness to Sora, a big smile on his face that warms people up inside. He's a brave young man who can easily form connections with anyone he comes across. There are still hardships to face, but he perseveres through it, showing that deep down, there is a light that never goes out. Even when it seems like he's on the verge of giving up, his friends are there to inspire him and lift him back up, just as he had done for them. He follows his heart, which is, and has always been, his guiding key.

You could say that these similarities are due to the fact that Sora and Superman are very much archetypal heroes. Joseph Cambel's hero's journey cycle (which also heavily influenced Star Wars) can be seen in both of their respective journeys. Individuals from humble beginnings who venture out into the wide world ahead of them, encountering various allies, enemies, and obstacles along the way. The journey ultimately leads to the heroes gaining greater powers and becoming more than who they were before.

It's also worth noting that another thing Superman and Sora have in common is that sometimes they are both willing to take great risks in order to save the people that they love. In Superman: The Movie, the man of steel himself flies around the Earth at great speed, turning back time to save Lois Lane from an earthquake. In Kingdom Hearts 3, Sora uses the power of waking to bring back Kairi after her body was destroyed by Xehanort, sacrificing his own life in the process.

So, why do I bring all of this up? Because I believe that this is something that writers should keep in mind when tackling Sora, whether it's for fan fiction, comics, novels, etc. I've noticed this trend on the internet of people deconstructing the psychology of Sora and delving into the negative effects that his adventures have had on him. A few of them have even declared his optimism and playful smile as a form of "toxic positivity". While it does seem like an interesting idea, I feel like it's causing people to forget about why they love him in the first place. In some cases, there are those who end up going too far with that notion.

Not long ago, I stumbled upon a Kingdom Hearts fan fiction story titled Keys to the Kingdom. Basically, it reads as an alternate universe reimagining of the events of Kingdom Hearts 3. Even though it was well written, this version of the story gets extremely dark, depressing, and cynical. Not only that, but it also mistreats Sora in a somewhat disturbing way, portraying him as a tortured and tormented soul. While his arc in this does prove to be compelling at times, it was still very jarring, making for an overall unpleasant experience. The fic seemed to be so focused on beating this character down, so intent on having him suffer throughout, that it ends up losing sight of what makes him so endearing and likable. Or, to borrow a quote from the young keyblade wielder himself:

"You're so caught up in finding the shadows, you forgot about the light that cast them."

This doesn't feel too out of place with the "evil Superman" trend that was around for a period of time. The video game Injustice is a prime example of this, as it depicts Superman as a merciless dictator of a fascist regime, who rules with an iron fist and shows no compassion towards crime or his enemies. Even other creations like Homelander from The Boys and Omni-Man from Invincible are representations of this idea since they are basically evil Superman-types. Admittedly, I do give those two a little more leeway since they were made specifically for the stories they came from. They are not directly related to Superman other than having similar powers. Although this concept can be fun to tackle with an original character, I don't think it feels right to try to do it with the genuine article himself. That's not really who he is.

When making the first Superman movie back in 1978, director Richard Donner took it upon himself to do the big blue boy scout justice. He didn’t want the material to be treated with disrespect, nor to be seen as a joke. There's a word he used to emphasize this as a top priority: "verisimilitude". For those unfamiliar, the basic definition of it is the appearance of being true and real. Not only was that word hung up on the wall above Donner's office (which it was), but it also established the mission statement that many of the great superhero movies made in the years since then have followed:

Be truthful, honor the source material, believe in it, take it seriously.

This is the type of mindset that should be adopted by anyone who adapts any kind of preexisting work, especially when it comes to something like Kingdom Hearts. If you want a good example of how to write Sora in a way that showcases how great he is while also being faithful to who he is, there's another fan fiction story titled Starbound, created by my friend @skygent. An anthology with an overarching narrative mixed in, it uses the setup of Sora's disappearance at the end of Kingdom Hearts 3 as a way to examine the impact that he's had on all of his friends and allies. In a deeper, meta sense, it offers an analysis of the connection that fans of the franchise itself have formed with him.

The stuff that has been written so far for this fic is absolutely amazing. In fact, it's what led to my renewed interest in Kingdom Hearts in the first place. It has pretty much what you would want in a story like this one. Balancing a sense of scale, mystery, and adventure, but also quiet reflection. Offering some fun little twists, but still retaining the core essence of what the source material is all about. Through this story, we see various characters (including some not featured in the games) learning of and reacting to Sora's disappearance, remembering their encounters with him in the past. Some of them are even inspired to try and figure out where he is, willing to doing whatever it takes to help find him and bring him back home. Here, they demonstrate just how much he means to them, just as they all do to him.

To be clear, I'm not saying that Sora should stay exactly the same. In a series like Kingdom Hearts, we want to see those characters grow and evolve. With the things that Sora has experienced throughout the series, and with where we will find him at in Kingdom Hearts 4, it'll be interesting to see where he goes next. At the same time though, we also should remind ourselves that people love this character for a reason. As this young hero embarks on his newest adventure, he shouldn't lose what makes him who he is as a person. Instead of pulling him apart, I think Sora is someone who deserves to be celebrated. To be treated with dignity and respect, just as Donner did for the last son of Krypton. In the same way we've celebrated Superman over the years for what he stands for and represents, Sora should also be recognized in an equally similar way. Their respective core values and good morals, all the stuff that makes them heroes. It's these things that turned them into pop culture icons who remain with us to this day. It's why they will continue to be icons in the foreseeable future.

Two beacons, shining bright in the darkness. Never forget that.

[owmylasagna-blog]

Hey Garfield Lasagna! I was looking at some old posts and I remembered you mentioning a "school teachers AU" at some point! But I can't remember if you ever expanded on it... were there any particular ideas you had in mind for the characters? If you don't mind my curiosity hehe, just thought I'd ask for fun 👀

Aw hey MB what’s up?? It’s been a minute, hasn’t it. Thanks for the ask and sorry it’s taken so long to reply to it. As you’ll see it took a while to respond because I wrote a lot. Lol.

For context, this extremely hypothetical school teacher AU was inspired by @doubledyke ‘s post about Edd being a school choir director and @mar-saturn ‘s fabulous drawing. The AU exists as a few comments there and some deep part of my memory. But I’ll try to remember what I can and it will be fun to fill in the rest! https://www.tumblr.com/mar-saturn/730274033161125888/i-had-to-take-this-out-of-my-system-thanks

Generally the premise of the AU is to take the cast of Ed Edd n Eddy, age them up, and turn them all into employees at Peach Creek Jr. High. I’d only fleshed out the Eds and Kevin so everyone beyond that I’m spitballing.

Edd - Music teacher and choir director

In any AU I have to make Edd a grad school burnout, so let’s assume that. Our little Renaissance Man maintained an affinity for music even as his dreams of curing mosquito bites were dashed by his declining mental health. As a teacher he’s a real stickler and can be a pompous pain in the ass, so most of the kids don’t like him. Despite that he loves to teach and revels in breakthrough connections with the band geeks and aspiring Broadway singers who see his vision.

Eddy - PE, Health, Sub

@gettingfrilly had suggested a coach McGuirk type gym teacher and that’s. Yes. And also a smattering of Coach Fredricks from Freaks and Geeks and Jack Black in School of Rock (again, fans like @hermes-running have made these parallels). Also only a little inspired by his cute little coaching outfit in One Size Fits Ed. The kids genuinely like him because he lets them do whatever during PE. Eddy is both super down to earth and honest with the kids and they respect that. When he subs they know it’s movie time.

Kevin - PE, Football Coach

Kevin on the other hand is a bit more of a hardass with the kids and will blow the whistle to shake the lead out of their sneakers when running laps. He and Eddy have a bit of a rivalry and often butt heads. Their beef runs deep: in this AU I imagine both Kevin and Eddy grew up in PC and went to school together where they were friends until they weren’t. Kevin got popular and stopped hanging out with Eddy. Eddy became the class clown and pranked Kevin and his in-crowd friends every change he got. The cycle continues to comical effect.

Ed - Janitor

Originally I thought art teacher would be a good fit (as did gettingfrilly) but I changed my mind. Instead, Ed gets the janitor job through his sister Sarah who already works for the school. Ed is sort of a mythical creature in the school, and the kids make up lots of lore and rumors about him. Mysterious, whimsical, pretty rubbish at his job, but genuinely friendly and sweet when you do run into him. He makes sculptures in the woods behind the school from the trash he collects which gets him some attention from other teachers…

Nazz - Guidance counselor

Nazz always knew she wanted to help kids. She has multiple degrees and certifications in children's psychology, social work, and counseling. She’s way too qualified for her position at PC but wouldn't change it for the world because damn do these kids really need her! She is genuinely liked by pretty much all the staff and kids, the cool and hip guidance counselor with great style and a laid back, approachable attitude. But don’t be fooled - she is also a fierce advocate for better teacher wages which can make her a thorn in the administration’s side. You can find her every Thursday night at the local watering hole organizing workers for labor unions.

Rolf - Science teacher

Before immigrating to the US, Rolf was a renowned surgeon in his home country. But as soon as he set foot into the Land of Opportunity all his credentials went out the window and that, along with his remedial English, left him with few options. For a few years he works as a butcher - it's what he did on his family farm growing up, afterall, and he knew his way around cutting flesh. But then an opportunity to teach science at PC gave him more time to care for his aging great Nano so he takes it. Despite improving his English, the students have no clue what he is saying because of his thick accent and foreign analogies. For the Rolf the job is just… fine. The football coach hits it off with him as does the nice blonde regardless of their cultural differences which makes it a bit more tolerable.

Jonny - Wood shop

Need I say more? Just imagine your classic stoner type, Bob Ross energy guy. His favorite song to play at the start of every year is “Everything That’s Made of Wood Once Was a Tree”. Plank is his teaching assistant and will come and give the most scathing critiques of the students’ birdhouses. Not Jonny. Plank. “What’s that, Plank? Not even a rabid ferret would crawl up and die in there… Gee, buddy. Go easy on poor Nelson, would ya?”

Jimmy - Art teacher

Freshly graduated with a shiny MFA in hand, the Chelsea galleries weren’t clamoring to represent Jimmy. This job is just a way for him to start paying off the debt until he makes it big, and he means BIG - he’s the next Warhol as far as he’s concerned. The rest of the art world just needs to catch up. His daring art projects and student shows scandalize the school admin and the parents. They don’t know that good art is evocative. One lunch on his smoke break he stumbles upon the most evocative artwork he’s ever seen in the woods behind the football field. And he just must - MUST - find the artist behind them.

Sarah - Assistant principal

Sarah is the right-hand-man to Principal Antonucci, keeping the chaos of PC in check. Without her, the whole school would have fallen apart at this stage. Young and ambitious Sarah isn’t afraid to run a tight ship to improve the reputation of the school. She quickly latches onto the new art teacher who also loves a good gossip session at lunch time - and boy does Sarah have plenty of opinions, and Jimmy is the best fly on the wall she could ask for. The worst trouble isn't even the students - it’s the drama between the PE teachers.

The Kankers

Lee and May Kanker are both single moms whose kids go to the school. Lee has a monopoly on the PC real estate and May is training to be a dental hygienist. Marie is the local mechanic who is often called in to repair the boiler at the school when a pipe inevitably bursts every January, and will also pick up her little nieces when either of her sisters are working overtime or studying for a big exam. The anklebiters love it when she rolls up in her hotrod, top down. And so does a certain guidance counselor.

That covers everyone!

In this AU the Eds aren’t childhood friends, but become friends from working at the school. The general sort of plotline I imagined was that the school musical sort of brings these three loner staff members together. Edd is directing the production and realizes that Eddy is actually a gifted dancer (lol I’m so cringe - indulge with me) and quite musically inclined, and that Ed has a real talent for making stage props and backdrops. And while this is happening, Edd and Eddy probably strike up a secret little romance because, if you know me, you know I can’t help myself. And the rest is history!

Wow okay that was a long winded answer but it was really fun to come up with! Thanks again for asking (:

[genericpuff]

Sorry but I think you’re being super negative about the whole “Rachel Presents” announcement.

Rick Riordan is a white author who is passionate about mythology. After Greek mythology and briefly going into egyptology, he used his influence to give People of color a chance to write modern mythology stories from their own culture and experiences—and most importantly he stayed in his lane.

I think Rachel choosing to step back and give other people a voice is a great outcome, considering you guys all joked about how horrific it would be if she tried to appropriate another culture in her next series.

You also said she should have given LO to another creator who had the passion and dicipline to finish for her. That’s ESSENTIALLY what she’s going to be doing with RP. Maybe her true calling is just…being an Idea guy. She has wonderful concepts and cool ideas, but lacks commitment. In this scenario, we could end up with super amazing stories, with proper editing from Random house and proper commitment from new creators. I don’t really see the issue here, everyone wins.

(And lots of authors do the whole “___ presents” format. I don’t think she deliberately copied RR. Most likely her books sales did well and Penguin House approached her with this offer.)

lmao what? I was against the folks saying she should give it to another creator. I don't think not liking the series should mean she's obligated to "give it to someone else." The series is hers and so it's her responsibility to finish it. I do think she should have ended it a long time ago or if she was really miserable making it then she should step away, but she shouldn't be giving it to someone else to finish for her just because "boo you suck at writing your own comic". She started this, she should finish it.

And this is literally her doing exactly that - appropriating other cultures - with extra steps. Just instead of being on the front lines with her own work, she's sponsoring other works based on her own bar for quality (which we know is EXTREMELY low) and slapping her name on them so she can take a "backseat". It's really icky to see from a creator who practically failed upwards and is now using "herself" as a selling point, when she has no real legitimacy outside of LO, which was only as successful as it was because of WT constantly sinking money into it and advertising it over other series on the platform (and because it's based off a story that was VERY popular to romanticize at the time, the H x P myth. Like it was literally what was popular on Tumblr when it started as a hobby comic on Tumblr.)

I'm outlining all of these posts with "speculation" because obviously I don't know what's really going on behind the scenes here, but I think it's really disingenuous of Rachel to sell herself as some top tier brand name for mythological works as a whole when she's caused so much actual harm to the Greek myth community and its sources. It's furthering the notion that she has any credibility as a "folklorist" when really she just pulls whatever comes off the front page of Google. And the similarities between herself and Rick Riordan do matter here because of how commonplace it is these days for Rachel to rip off other works rather than take inspiration and make it into something that's organically her own.

That's my two cents. It's not me trying to be "negative", it's me being genuinely concerned over the blatant appropriation from a white woman gaining even more control over the depictions of cultures and mythologies that she claims she's educated on and isn't. Unlike Rick Riordan, Rachel does not have any formal education in the subject she's claiming to be educated about. Unlike Rick Riordan, Rachel allows her fanbase to use her work as a source on Greek myth and she obfuscates the line between "fiction" and "fact". Rick Riordan started Rick Riordan Presents after he had multiple hits under his belt that were celebrated and loved. Rachel is starting Rachel Smythe Presents after a one hit wonder that could be chalked up to a total fluke that wasn't even able to go out with a bang.

Rick Riordan writes fictional stories inspired by Greek myth for children. Rachel is writing fictional stories claiming to be "retellings" of Greek myth - and now other mythologies if the implications of this project follow through - for adults. It's disingenuous and it frankly deserves to be paid attention to and called out.

I do genuinely want to see creators given an avenue to monetize their work and that's why I think the thought of it is nice, but any amount of further digging just makes this feel like a grift that will lead young and inexperienced creators down a path that won't benefit them (or take advantage of them) due to the blatant lack of care and management exhibited by Rachel over the past 5 years. Just because Rachel had one massive hit that lined her pockets for years does NOT qualify her to be a titan of the industry. Not by a long shot.

To quote Super Eyepatch Wolf,

"Let's say you decide you want to become a carpenter, and particularly, how to build a nice chair. Think about the kind of person you'd want to learn that skill from - would it be from someone who's built nice chairs every day for 30 years, or would it be the guy who built ONE nice chair 5 years ago out of a special kind of wood that doesn't exist anymore, who has NO experience with the kind of wood available to you now?"

EDIT to add: it was more likely Rachel's representative, Britt Seiss who landed this deal for her, not Penguin House themselves. That's what agents are for.

EDIT EDIT: this is ALL assuming she even FOLLOWS THROUGH with this project, because god knows the only reason LO has even gone on as long as it has was because she was being held responsible via a contract, she's NOTORIOUSLY bad for committing to things and has even admitted to it in interviews. She barely even works on LO as it is. Spring of 2024 could roll around and this project could entirely fizzle out. Again, not me trying to be a negative nancy here, I'm just stating my own concerns based on what we all know about Rachel at this point and how she operates.

[donatellowiththebookinhishand]

Donatello Brainworm AU

Hey everyone- I originally posted this to ao3, but I wanted to cross-post here so I could actually tag the inspiration for the fic. My tag on ao3 however is SCREAM_ing, if you want to know where faster updates will be!

Summary:

-Based off the Brainworm Donnie AU comic by @cupcakeslushie on tumbler. I highly recommend checking their comic out, it’s pretty great! Here’s their description:

“Karai lures Donnie into her trap first in the Fourfold Trap, but what if she used the extra time to implant him with a brainworm? The brothers have to try to race against a ticking clock to save a brother who now hates them.

Warnings: brainwashing, neglect/abuse (not real, but perceived as the truth)“

Disclaimer!!! In case you missed it in the super long description- Please read this before.. reading.

This AU is NOT my idea, it comes from a comic creator on tumbler by the name @cupcakeslushie. I implore you to check their comic out before reading, their art is incredible. It’s also the basis of this entire work, and I will try to keep dialogue the same from comic to here.

This is also my first time writing a fanfic, so this pilot chapter is like a draft of a draft. Hopefully it will get better as I write 😅

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

Chapter 1

----

“I know you have tried, Donatello; some things are simply not meant to be. At least I have four wonderful sons.”

If that wasn’t the nail in the coffin. Donnie’s heart sank as the black goop in the beaker—a hopeful attempt at a cure—oozed mockingly at him. His brothers, who’d been crowded around him to witness this latest attempt at a cure, began to solemnly walk out of the lab. Donnie didn't know what to do anymore, and he was running out of ideas.

His failure weighed heavily on his shoulders. He’d come up empty-handed again, his ideas to develop the cure were running thin. It’s been weeks of sleepless nights and many, many, coffee pots later, and his latest idea hadn't even come close to fruition.

It also doesn't help that he can't even focus on his brothers’ and master’s disappointment through the massive headache he’s been nursing for weeks. It’s back at full throttle now as he chokes back tears of frustration.

His family had taken it upon themselves to stop into the lab after each supper to check on his progress toward the cure. Donnie really thinks it's just their way of subtly asking, "Aren’t you done yet?" It’s that, or it’s them checking if he’s still standing after missing yet another mealtime.

The brothers left, all disappointed—except for Leo, who turned to Donnie with hardened eyes and a mouth twisted in frustration. To distract himself, Donatello doesn't meet his brothers' eyes as they leave, instead opting to grab a clipboard and take notes on what he could actually fix around the lair. Leo stalked angrily behind him, unnoticed by the genius.

“Donnie, you know how much this means to Sensei.”

“Leo, I’m trying as hard as I can.” He could barely believe Leo had just said that to him; the words cut through him like a dagger. His face fell, the weariness and hurt momentarily slipping through before he clenched his jaw and tried to steady himself. After all the sleep he’d lost and sacrifices he’d made, he couldn’t take the thought of being asked to give even more.

Couldn't he see that Donnie was giving everything he had to Karai’s brainworm problem? He hadn't had a full night’s sleep in almost a month. Tears of frustration begin to well in his eyes; in a last-ditch effort to quell his rising temper, he grips the sides of the clipboard tighter, digging his fingers into the smooth wood almost painfully.

“Well, try harder.”

White-hot indignation shoots down his shell, sudden anger at his older brother is sharp and undeniable. The clipboard left his hands, skidding across the lab with a loud crash, not bothering to look in the direction it goes. His hurt is quickly masked by anger, and his focus is completely on Leo, fists tightly balled. “Try harder? I always have to find the solution! You’re the leader, Leo! You find the answer! Or what about Raph?”

“I got the answer for you—Karai’s a lost cause!”

“Don’t say that, dude.”

All four brothers began arguing incessantly with each other, weeks of pent-up anger and frustration pouring out of each of them. Donnie fired back quickly, gesticulating wildly as he channeled weeks of exhaustion into his voice—when his T-phone began to ring from across the room. Still furious and hurting, Donnie stomped across the room, almost happy for the excuse to walk away from Leo.

“Donnie, I need to talk with you alone. It’s important. I need you to meet me.”

It was April, and while this wasn't the best time for a heart-to-heart, she said it was an emergency. And who was Donnie to deny her? Besides, it's not like he was doing anything more productive at the lair—he glanced at his brothers, who genuinely seemed like dogs about to pounce on each other, and his mind was made up.

“Shizukani,” Splinter’s voice rang through the lair, effectively silencing their quarrel. He stalked out, hands clasped behind his back. All the turtles froze like they were children caught in the act; they guiltily turned to face their master with wide eyes. “What is the meaning of this?” Splinter said sternly, not bothering to hide his disdain for the quarreling, his eyebrows drawn together tightly.

“Nothing, Sensei, I’m heading out. April needs me,” Donnie said and angrily walked out of the lair, palms still tightly balled up. Leo, who took great offense to this, demanded Donnie come back. “You’re needed here now, Donnie!” He stepped forward, toward his taller brother, but otherwise made no move to actually stop Donatello from leaving the lair.

“Donnie! .. Donnie!”

Donnie mentally scoffed. Yeah, because you guys are always such reliable sources of positivity and gratitude, he thought wryly. His youngest brother’s words resurfaced in his mind.

“Donnie, you tried your best, brah... even if it totally sucked.”

He kept his back to his family, continuing to stride toward the Shellraiser, refusing to acknowledge Leo’s calls. The Shellraiser roared to life, and he sped out of the sewer tunnels.

---

Donnie was a speed demon as he drove recklessly toward the location April sent him. He didn't bother stopping for streetlights or at intersections, forcing himself to have tunnel vision on April’s problem to avoid dealing with his own. The large van skidded to a stop as he reached the GPS pinpoint, a random alleyway with a large weathered garage door at the end of it. Donnie double-checked his T-phone, wondering why April would want to meet him in a place like this. Maybe she’d discovered something that could help Karai?

He didn't put too much thought into it. Donnie placed his head against the cool leather of the custom steering wheel he’d created, still attempting to cool off from his earlier altercation with his stupid brothers. Why couldn't they see he gave them his all, and they still had the audacity to ask him to do more? He was dying out here, for shell’s sake!

While all they had to worry about was training and what monstrosity of a combination they were going to eat that night, courtesy of Michelangelo, Donnie was slaving away in the lab, barely taking breaks to give them even a chance at saving their half-sister. Donatello shook the thoughts from his head; it wasn't important right now how he felt. He wiped away the hot, angry tears that had unknowingly begun to fall from his eyes.

God, he felt even more stupid right now, letting his emotions get to him while April needed him—and that wasn't even a word! He shook his head again and refocused, hopping out of the Shellraiser and walking into the dark alleyway. The smell of oil hung heavy in the air, and he absently hoped it wasn’t from the Shellraiser. He hadn’t spent much time on his 'baby' lately, he mused with a pang of guilt. Karai’s condition was much more important, though, and he feared they didn’t have much time left before the damage to her brain would become permanent. He pushed the thought aside and fixed his attention back on reaching the end of the alley.

The garage opened quickly, as if she’d heard him coming. April’s figure was illuminated by a strange purple light. All thoughts of how weird that was went away when she called out. “Donnie,” April spoke in a gravelly voice, “the Kraang are back.” Donnie’s mood improved so much just from her voice that he almost didn't register what she’d said. He shook himself back in order for the third time that night. “What? We've got to tell the guys.” Donnie's eyes widened, and he pulled out his phone, immediately sliding past Leo’s contact to dial Michelangelo instead. No way was he going to call Fearless first thing after the night he's had—he'd make Mikey do all the explaining.

“There’s no time. They’re about to get away; we’ve got to move,” April rushed and leapt further into the seemingly abandoned warehouse. It was pretty hard to tell with that blinding purple light beaming out at him. Donnie scrambled after her, calling her name so she’d wait up. He supposed he’d just call the guys when they stopped the first round of Kraang—not so hard, right?

It was only after he stepped through the garage doors that he realized his mistake. It was a trap, and he’d fallen for it, hook, line, and sinker. The heavy garage door slammed shut. He had no time to react before he was shot—a red-tipped dart and a bag roughly shoved over his head, forcing his neck back at an unnatural angle. Donnie cried out, but it was in vain; he was at Karai’s mercy now, and her scaly smirk was the last thing he saw.

“Sweet dreams, Donatello.”

After Donatello stormed out, Splinter sighed and strode back into the dojo, likely to resume his meditation. The lingering tension filled the room, and Leo stood rooted in place for a beat, Splinter’s words on unity echoing in his mind. Arms crossed, he clenched his jaw at Donnie’s blatant disregard. Didn't being the leader mean anything anymore? He couldn’t help but feel the sting of Donnie’s dismissal, and his eyes narrowed with a mix of hurt and frustration as he watched his brother disappear down the tunnel.

Raph and Mikey exchanged a look before slinking away, each to their own devices. Raph muttered something about "always being drama in this place" as he slipped off toward the training room, while Michelangelo, not too rattled by the clash, eagerly bounced back to his own mission: a game of cards with Ice Cream Kitty.

"Sorry for the wait, Kitty," he said, petting her between her cold, strangely furry ears. “Leo was being a total jerk, but we’re back at it! Now, where were we?” Ice Cream Kitty purred contentedly, her pinkish ears twitching as she smugly waited for her next move.

They played for a while, Mikey easily distracted by the cold little creature in front of him. Somehow, Ice Cream Kitty managed to take full advantage of Mikey’s earlier distraction and swept through his cards with ease, sealing her victory. He couldn’t believe it.

“No way, Kitty, you totally cheated, cheater, cheater, frozen yogurt eater! Give me that card!” Mikey cried, feigning shock as she meowed back at him triumphantly. But before he could demand a rematch, his T-phone buzzed on the table beside him. Glancing down, he saw Donnie’s name flash across the screen and picked it up eagerly.

“Hey, Mikey! You’re not gonna believe it—Murakami whipped up something new. Get this: pizza gyozas!” Donnie’s excitement came through loud and clear, and that was all Mikey needed to hear.

The thought of gooey, cheesy, bite-sized pizza pockets made his mouth water. It was as though all the tension of the evening melted away. “Aw yeah! That sounds totally awesome D. I'll be there faster than a turtle can say pepperoni!” Mikey’s eyes went wide, practically sparkling with anticipation. He knew this was something he couldn’t miss, his head already exploding at the thought of Murakami’s latest delicacy.

Quickly, he gathered his cards and placed Ice Cream Kitty back in her freezer, laughing as she let out a playful hiss. “Sorry, girl, but duty calls! Donnie’s got something totally sweet lined up!” He shut the freezer with a wink and dashed out of the lair, visions of pizza gyozas dancing in his head as he bounded through the tunnels with pure unrestrained enthusiasm.

Upon reaching Murakami’s noodle shop, Mikey burst through the door, calling out, “Mr. Murakami, what up?” The smell of delicious food enveloped him, heightening his excitement.

“Greetings, Michelangelo,” Murakami said, a twinkle in his eye as he presented a tray. “These are for you. Each has a unique mixture of cheeses and delicate flavors.”

Without hesitation, Mikey snatched one and stuffed it into his mouth, the warm, cheesy filling melting perfectly against his tongue. “Oh yeah! This is awesome—” His voice trailed off as he savored the explosion of flavors, the world around him fading into bliss. He gobbled down another gyoza, hardly able to contain his delight.

But as he reached for a third, a sudden wave of nausea crashed over him. Mikey’s stomach growled ominously, and he felt a sharp pain coursing through him. “Oh...what’s happening?” he gasped, eyes wide with confusion. “Poison?”

“Do not worry, Michelangelo,” a shadowed figure responded, stepping forward. “It is not poison, simply chemicals to give you a nice little nap.”

Mikey’s vision blurred as the deliciousness of the gyozas twisted into a haze of betrayal. “Evil. Delicious, but evil...” he murmured, swaying on his feet before collapsing to the ground. In those final moments of consciousness, he managed to hit the panic button on his T-phone, sending out an SOS before everything went dark.

------

The silence in the lair was heavy, filled only with the distant sounds of the city above. Leo paced back and forth, his mind racing with the tension from earlier. "Where’s Donnie? He should have been back by now," he muttered, glancing at Raph, who was leaned against the wall with his arms crossed.

Raph shrugged, the unease palpable in the air. “You know Donnie. He probably got caught up in his experiments again. He always does.”

Leo stopped, his brow furrowing with concern. “But he was so upset. He stormed out. I just... I don’t like this.” The weight of their earlier argument hung over him, a nagging feeling that he should have done more to support his brother settled in his chest.

Just then, a frantic buzz interrupted their thoughts. Leo’s T-phone lit up on the table. “It’s Mikey!” he said, snatching it up. “Mikey- What’s going on?” But as Leo answered, his heart sank. The only sound on the other end was garbled static—no voice, no explanation, just the unsettling sound of a struggle. Panic surged through him. “Mikey! What’s happening?! Say something, anything!”

“Mikey pressed the SOS button!” Raph leaned closer, his eyes wide with alarm. “This isn’t good. Shell for brains wouldn’t do that unless things were serious.” He ran his fingers along his Sai, the familiar weight grounding him.

Leo’s fingers flew across the screen as he accessed the tracking app. “Where is he?” His heart pounded as the location pin appeared on the map, revealing Mikey’s last known position: an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city. “He’s at an old warehouse!”

“Of course he is,” Raph grumbled, frustration creeping into his voice. “Why does he always have to go chasing after trouble?”

“Forget that! We need to focus!” Leo snapped, pushing the rising irritation aside. “Mikey must have seen something. If he hit that button, he could be in serious danger!” He felt his pulse quicken, adrenaline pumping through his veins. “We need to move!”

“Great, but how are we getting there?” Raph asked, raising an eyebrow. “Donnie took the Shellraiser for his ‘important research.’”

“Of course he did.” Leo sighed, running a hand through his bandana. “Looks like we’re taking the Stealth Bike. It’s not as fast, but we’ll have to make it work.”

“Perfect,” Raph replied, rolling his eyes. “Just what I wanted: a scenic tour through the sewers before racing into a potential ambush.”

“Complaining won’t help Mikey,” Leo shot back, already heading toward the exit. “Let’s go!”

---------

Leo and Raph approached the warehouse with a sense of trepidation, their eyes scanning the area for any signs of danger. As they crept closer, they couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. The entrance was unguarded, the rusty door slightly ajar as if inviting them in.

“Doesn’t this seem a bit too easy fearless?” Raph murmured, glancing at Leo with a furrowed brow. “Yeah, it’s like they wanted us to find this place,” Leo replied, his instincts tingling. “But we don’t have time to second-guess ourselves. We need to find Mikey.”

They exchanged a determined glance before Leo pushed the door open, the hinges creaking ominously as they stepped into the dimly lit space. Leo’s heart raced, the adrenaline surging through him as he scanned the room, muscles tensed and ready for action.

“Where’s Mikey?” Raph hissed, his grip tightening around his sai, his eyes narrowing as he swept the shadows for any signs of movement.

In the center of the empty warehouse, they spotted him—Mikey lying face down on the ground, his shell scratched and dirty. Panic surged through Leo, and without hesitation, he sprinted toward his brother. “Mikey!” he shouted, fear clawing at his throat.

They reached Mikey, Leo kneeling beside him while Raph crouched down, both brothers desperate to check for any signs of life. Relief washed over them as they found him breathing, albeit with a few scrapes on his arms and a deepening bruise on his cheek. “Hey, Mikey! Wake up!” Leo shook him gently, worry etched on his face.

Mikey blinked awake, groggy and disoriented. “Yo, dudes! I just had the craziest dream. I totally tore up some pizza gyozas and got totally faked out by Murakami—so not cool!”, he groaned dramatically. Raph rolled his eyes, his expression a mix of relief and irritation. “Mikey, that’s probably what happened. Look around you, shell for brains.”

Just then, a voice rang out from above, they had company. “Well, well, well. Look who finally decided to show up.” Leo and Raph’s heads snapped up, their eyes narrowing as they spotted Karai on the balcony of the second floor. She leaned casually against the railing, a smug grin plastered across her face, her dark eyes glinting with triumph.

“What are you doing here?” Raph growled, his instincts flaring as he took a defensive stance, ready for whatever trick she had up her sleeve. “Honestly? I thought this would be more difficult,” Karai replied with a laugh, her tone mocking. “But it seems you turtles are even dumber than I thought. I only needed to use one of my holograms to distract you.

At her words, the holograms of Mikey and April flickered and vanished, leaving only the real Mikey on the ground. The tension in the air thickened as Leo’s gaze shifted back to his brother, confusion knotting his stomach. Suddenly, they noticed Donatello, not a hologram they realized, standing beside Karai. A disturbingly wide smile stretched across his face, his posture unnaturally rigid. His pupils were dilated, giving him a wild, manic look that sent shivers down Leo’s spine.

“Well, I was only expecting Leonardo, but…” Donatello said, his tone unnaturally smooth, sending a jolt of alarm through Leo. He clicked a button on a device in his hand, and suddenly the brothers found themselves surrounded by a swarm of Foot Soldiers, their black uniforms blending into the dim shadows of the warehouse.

“Having the rest of you here makes it so much easier,” Donnie finished, the hint of delight in his voice sending chills down Leo’s spine.

“Donnie, snap out of it man!” Mikey called out, pushing himself off the ground, his voice wavering between concern and disbelief. “This isn’t you bro, it’s Shredder totally hijacking your brain!”, he made a face like a strangely dizzy zombie to prove his point.

Leo’s heart raced as he assessed the scene—his brother, usually so awkward and slightly slew-footed, now stood like a puppet, a smile that felt more sinister than genuine plastered across his face.

“What have they done to you?” Leo whispered, fists clenching around his swords. Anguish mixed with anger surged through him, knowing they were once again up against something that could twist their own brother into a weapon against them.

Raph’s face darkened, his jaw tight as he scanned the area, eyes narrowing at the encroaching Foot Soldiers. “Another brain worm?” he growled, the fury building inside him. “Great. Just what we need.”, he tightened his grip on his sai and bared his teeth at the offending ninjas.

Mikey, still shaken, pointed at the advancing Foot Soldiers. “We can’t just stand here! Donnie wouldn’t want this, right? He’d want us to fight back!” “Yeah, well I don’t think he’s in charge right now Mikey,” Raph shot back, his fists clenching tighter. “But if we don’t take these guys out, we’ll never get to him.”

With a collective surge of determination, the brothers charged at the advancing Foot Soldiers. Leo led the way, his swords slicing through the air with precision, while Raph followed suit, his sai stabbing into the nearest ninja. Mikey stayed close, using his agility to dodge blows, but he could feel the tension mounting. It was an all-out brawl, the warehouse echoing with the sound of clashing weapons and grunts of exertion.

“Come on, you overgrown tin cans!” Raph yelled, launching himself into a spin kick that sent one Foot Soldier crashing to the ground. Mikey mimicked his brother’s movements, throwing punches and kicks, but every time they took one down, two more seemed to take its place.

“Hey, Donnie, how about a little help here?” Mikey shouted, hoping against all odds that some part of their brother was still inside. But Donatello remained unmoved, standing rigidly by Karai, an unsettling grin on his face, as if he were enjoying the chaos around him.

The battle raged on, but it quickly became apparent that the brothers were severely outnumbered. Just as Leo and Raph fought off another wave of attackers, they felt the weight of heavy chains being forced around them. The cold metal bit into their skin, and with a sickening sense of dread, they realized they were being captured.

“Mikey!” Leo yelled, straining against the chains, but Raph was already being dragged back by two Foot Soldiers. The ninja’s grip was unyielding as they pulled him away, the sharp clinking of metal echoing in the warehouse. Raph struggled, kicking out wildly, but the sheer force of the Foot Soldiers overwhelmed him.

“No! Let him go!” Mikey shouted, but he too was soon restrained, strong arms pinning him to the ground. He writhed and kicked, his heart pounding with desperation. “Donnie, help us!” he pleaded, eyes wide with fear.

As the last of their resistance faded, Donatello moved down from the balcony with a slow, deliberate gait. His movements were unnaturally fluid, a predator stalking its prey. The manic glint in his eyes was unsettling, pupils blown wide, giving him a wild, deranged look. The smile that had once conveyed warmth now seemed twisted, devoid of the love and camaraderie that had defined him.

“Ah, the glorious moment has finally arrived!” Donnie exclaimed, his voice dripping with unsettling delight. “All of you in one place, now here’s where it starts to get really interesting.” he spat, malice overtaking the previous happiness in his voice.

Leo felt a cold chill settle in his stomach. “Donnie, Shredder has you and Karai under the control of a brain worm!” He called out, desperation coloring his words.

Raph, breathing heavily and straining against the chains, interjected, “You gotta resist it, Don! Use that big brain of yours! If I was able to fight it off, then you can too!”

But Donnie only laughed, an unnatural high-pitched sound that echoed through the warehouse, making the hairs on Leo's neck stand on end. “Oh, but this is so much fun! And truly Leo, I’ve never felt better!”

“Donnie, you don’t wanna hurt Mikey! I’m the one you should be mad at!” Leo pleaded, hoping to reach his brother through the haze of control that clouded his mind.

Donatello's grin widened, a jarring contrast to the familiar warmth that usually filled his expressions, as he stared at his oldest brother.

His eyes, wide and gleaming with an unsettling light, were devoid of recognition. The usual spark of intelligence was gone, replaced by something manic and chaotic. His fingers trembled slightly, as if he could hardly contain the excitement bubbling beneath his surface.

“~Aw, don’t worry, Leo,” he said, voice dripping with mock cheerfulness as he grabbed Leo’s face roughly, forcing him to meet his gaze. “Karai and I came up with fun activities for everyone!”

The chill that had settled in Leo’s stomach transformed into a wave of nausea. He could hardly process the twisted words spilling from Donnie's mouth. Fear surged through him, tightening his chest and twisting his expression into one of anguish.

“Donnie, please…” he whispered, desperation lacing his voice. His brows furrowed deeply, and his eyes widened, reflecting both disbelief and a flicker of hope that somehow, someway, he could reach his brother.

But the face that stared back at him was not the Donatello he knew—the warm, goofy brother with a penchant for invention and a heart full of loyalty. Instead, he saw a hollow shell, his brother was not with them at the moment.

“Donnie!” Raph’s voice cut through the air, furious and filled with disbelief. The sound was raw, almost primal, as if he was attempting to shake their brother awake from a nightmare.

Suddenly, the grip of the Foot Soldiers tightened around each of the brothers, yanking them backward into their respective traps. Raph thrashed violently, trying to break free, but it was no use. The chains clanked loudly on the concrete, but otherwise didnt budge.

Mikey too started to get dragged away, as he struggled against the grip of the Foot Soldiers, his heart raced, a sense of panic creeping into his chest. He watched his older brother, completely not in control for once, and felt a cold sweat break out across his brow. “Leo! Raph!”, he gulped “Dudes, I’m like, freaking out over here!” he shouted, desperation lacing his voice.

“Mikey!” Leo shouted again, fear morphing into determination as he struggled against his own restraints. The reality of their predicament began to set in, a cold weight anchoring him down.

He desperately sought to make eye contact with Donnie, hoping for a flicker of recognition, a glimmer of his true brother buried beneath the layers of madness.

As they were dragged away, Donatello stood there, a twisted smile stretching across his face, looking pleased with the chaos unfolding before him.

“This is just the beginning, my dear brothers,” he called out, his voice echoing with a sinister glee that made Leo's blood run cold.

[sunshinechildskywalker]

CHALLENGE ANSWER EVERY QUESTION

Hey, friend! Oh boy, buckle up! I'm a writer so prepare for a long ass answer lol. Here we go...

For most controversial character, if we're referencing all of Star Wars, I would say Kylo Ren (this blog focuses on pretty much everything other than the sequel trilogy- in my mind, they don't exist lol). My personal opinion is he's kind of a little bitch lol, but I appreciate the idea that he's sort of a reverse Luke and Vader situation. In L&V's case, it's the son turning the father back from the dark side, and in Ben Solo's case, it's the father (I wished) turning the son from the dark. *Ask me about my Kylo Ren potential rant lol.

My most unpopular opinion I would say is I actually really love Jar Jar Binks lol😅 I see why people dislike him, but I think he's sweet (and quite possibly a Sith Lord🤪)

Tumblr is my fav fandom pocket for sure!

Endor! It's funny, I actually live in a very wooded area irl, so when I would watch ROTJ on summer nights with the windows open and listen to the crickets chirping, it felt like I was really there🥰

I love me some good Luke and Vader father & son hurt/comfort, and anything Skysolo! If anyone reading this writes these kinds of fics, feel free to message me links to your work!

Favorite story element is hands down Luke's character arc and him saving Vader through compassion and forgiveness. I could go on, but then this would be a REALLY long post lol😆

Sure do! I won't link just for sake of it being kind of confusing- some of the songs take some explaining and some are just from my own fics lol, but some tops songs include "Spectrum" by Muzzy, "Isle of Flightless Birds" by Twenty One Pilots, and "illicit affairs" by Taylor Swift (bonus: see my fanvids for some of these here!)

Favorite Star Wars meme is the "and your pal friendpatine"- that one still makes me giggle snort after all these years🤣

Favorite piece of content is and probably always will be Return of the Jedi!

I get a lot of merch from a local comic book store and some from Comic-Con! I have a few Pops, some figurines, and an Ewok backpack, among many other things😁

I relate to Luke the most- I consider myself a compassionate person who leads with my heart, and I tend to be quick to forgive (sometimes to a fault). But hey, maybe I'll save someone from the Dark Side someday😆

My comfort character is 100% Luke. His compassion and willingness to see the good in others inspires me to do the same irl. He's seen me through the good, bad, and ugly in my life, and I don't know where I'd be had I not clung to him. In other words, he's my son😆

Sequel trilogy? Garbage. Absolutely not canon and never will be to me. Basically it boils down to mischaracterization and trying to undo essential parts of the Originals. I've shed actual tears of disappointment and anger over those movies. I'm happy for the people who can enjoy them, but I will never be able to.

I love the Luke & Vader community! I love being a part of something so inclusive, wacky, and fun! I know I can always reach out if I need something fandom-related or just want to pal around with like-minded people. Shoutout to all my L&V fans! A part of the fandom I don't enjoy is the incest between Luke and Vader that somehow seems to creep up in my AO3 from time to time.

A Star Wars blog I hope will follow me is @kaelinaloveslomaris if she ever followed me back or read my work, I would actually shit my pants.

The short version of why I fell in love with Star Wars is Luke's character arc and him saving Vader, and in turn, Vader saving Luke. The long version? Well, I'll post that another time when I'm feeling sappy����

Yes! I went to opening night for TLJ (unfortunately lol) and TROS (also unfortunate lol). I was thoroughly disappointed by both, but I also got to see Solo on opening night and that was a blast! I will say, the energy at all three was unmatched, and it was fun to be around other Star Wars super fans irl😁

I sure do write fanfic! My AO3 is here 😁 You will find a lot of L&V hurt/comfort, angst, etc, and a little Skysolo!

I absolutely loved the Obi-Wan series- seeing Obi-Wan duel Vader ("Anakin is gone. I am what remains."😭), everything about little Leia, Reva, Hayden Christensen's return, just EVERYTHING! I especially loved when Obi-Wan told Leia in what ways she was like her parents. I've seen this series at least four times and that part gets me every time😭

Yes!

Thank you SO much if you read through all this chaos- I hope you learned more about me and got a better look into my perspective of everything!

Want to answer these questions yourself? Find the original post here!

[khaicrafts]

emilio sakraya, homosexual, male + he/him, mage «—◦—→ well meet, khairi dior! the godling born child of hephaestus. it’s been 27 years and now they have answered the song in their veins. can he change the course of history with their ambition, wit, + intellect or will their frivolousness, impulsiveness, and overthinking hinder them? only time will tell before this godling’s name is sung into myth and legend!

name: Khairi Dior

nicknames: Khai

date of birth: October 30

age: 27

face claim: Emilio Sakraya 

 godly parent: Hephaestus 

height: 5'10”

dominant hand: Left

education level: University Grad Student

Occupation: Mechanical Engineer Intern; GameStop employee and Insta Cart delivery driver

parents: Hephaestus (Biological father)

siblings: Pretty much all the other kids at the Children's Home he grew up in.

pets: Merryweather (Giga Pet Pixie); maybe he'll get an actual pet!

astrological sign: Scorpio

positive traits: Ambitious, Intuitive, Optimistic, Intelligent, Loyal

negative traits: Awkward at times, Sarcastic, Slightly Argumentative, Brutal 

habits: judging stare; primarily since his brain is always switched on analytical mode.

quirks: Several things he likes to almost always carry on his person: His pocket sized PC, Airpods, His Gigapet and a bag of Teddy Grams.

pet peeves: People not putting his things back after moving them. People messing with certain items in his space. Don't touch his lego sets without permission. Don't open his collectibles still boxed. Don't turn him down if he suggests getting ramen & boba. ;)

hobbies: Tinkering and building. Sketching. Gaming. Comics. Anime & Manga. Reading Novels. Legos. Collecting Funko pops and statues. Cosplay. Strength Training & Mixed Martial Arts; gotta stay fit.

sexual orientation. Homosexual. Homoromantic 

sexual position. Vers

clothing style: He always goes for comfort so typically athletic and casual wear. He loves his graphic tees and hoodies. Every now and then, if you can convince him to go somewhere for the evening, he can clean up super nice too.

prominent features: birth/beauty mark 

what were they doing when they hear the song of their godling blood?

Was in the lab on campus working on a supercapacitor.

class: mage. 

Inspirations: Princess Shuri & Riri Williams from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Elle Woods from Legally Blonde, Belle from Beauty & the Beast (1992), Kronk from Emperor's New Groove; Jimmy Neutron from Jimmy Newtron.

biography: Khairi's biological mother was far from the ideal parent. She was abusive; mainly due to her labeling him 'odd' since he was completely introverted and uninterested in whats she assumed he should. Her alcoholism and attitude escalated the situation and around age 9, he ended up with him being taken away via protective services and placed in a group home.

While there are many horror stories involving youth in the group home setting, Khai was spared heavy damage. He actually lived in a solid operated home with several others around his age. The staff there were super supportive. Although he never had an actual real family, none of the relatives on his mother's side wanted to commit. The one foster family he stayed with when he was finally taken in at the age of 14 wasn't completely hurtful and but they weren't invested in him either. They laid down basic rules, which he did abide by to keep a roof over his head along with whatever luxuries they did provide for him; or rather that they kept up to date on for whenever they got a new kid when he aged out and had to go.

His bonds were mainly formed at school as through his classmates and friends, he discovered his hobbies. What he enjoyed. Life didn't suck too much when he could dive into his fantasy worlds. In school, his teachers also realized his brilliance and they aided in accelerating him into taking AP courses. By the time he finished high school, he had already achieved his Associates of Science in Engineering.

At the age of 18, he was made to leave his foster home since he was no longer a minor. He crashed from friends to friends place until one of his former physics teacher decided to give him a leg up. Khai was offered a spare room while he looked for work. Taking a brief break from school, he found two gigs; one working part-time at GameStop & also making deliveries in the area for Insta Cart. While he stacked up his personal funds, his teacher helped him apply for grans and scholarships while Khai still furthered his education by returning to community college.

He had a goal of going to MIT, which a lot of people who knew scoffed at since it was such a prestigious school. His intellect and diligence worked in his favor, along with programs and projects he participated in with the engineering program at his community college.

He took his courses left for undergrad part-time to balance his schedule. Though when the acceptance for MIT finally came, life was truly on the upswing. He moved to Massachusetts and began his new life. His last year and a half of undergrad courses, he began the graduate program while nabbing an paid internship.

And then he was told that he's a demigod. Let the adventure begin.

[lynx-polls]

Here’s something I’ve been wondering about lately…

Clarification:

Local animal applies to any place you live, you’ve lived in, or spent a significant amount of time in. I’m also extending this option to include animals from your country of origin even if you’ve never been there, and also local animals that you haven’t seen in person.

This applies to any pet you, a family member, or a close friend have owned. This option also applies to any pet you’ve worked with, wether you worked with this animal for your main job, or just babysat it as an odd job.

This one can mean either traits the animal actually has (for example, capybaras being mainly peaceful or antelopes being fast) or traits the animal has been given in popular media or by people (for example, bats being evil or owls being smart)

This one’s basically just an animal you thought just seemed cool, wether you liked it’s looks or think there’s something it can do that’s really cool. This option also applies to animals you think look cute, pretty, or creepy. It just generally is meant to mean you found it appealing looking.

This one’s pretty self explanatory, if you have fun drawing an animal and chose your fursona to be that animal because of it then that’s what this option is.

This one’s a little vague, but what I meant is this is an animal you’re super interested in, not for any of the other reasons. It could be a special internet or hyperfixation, or it could be your longtime favorite animal.

It’s if you’ve ever been compared to another animal by people (could be based on physical appearance, personality, inside jokes, or anything else) and decided to make that your fursona. For example, being called a golden retriever because you have a cheery and excited personality, or being compared to an owl because you have big eyes.

This one is for if you don’t really have any special reason for picking it, but just connect with it regardless, or if you just can’t figure out the reason why you feel a connection to that animal in particular.

This one is for if you made a random character, not for the intent of being a fursona or anything, but you ended up liking it enough or being attached enough to it, to the point where you decided to make it your fursona. This could be any character, from the edgy warrior cats oc you made when you were twelve, or the werewolf chars get your made for a DnD campaign last year, to just a little animal character you consistently doodle everywhere. This option also applies if the character was originally human, but you made it into an animal.

This one is for an animal you wish you were or feel like you should have been. Though this option mainly applies to therians or otherkin/animalkin, anyone else could feel the same thing and choose that option. If you made a fursona because you found yourself wishing you could live in the woods or have fur or something along those lines, this one’s for you.

This one’s for if you just made your fursona a random thing without thinking it out. Like if you just randomly thought “hm I wonder what my fursona should be, I guess I’ll go with this”, or if you spent a lot of time thinking about it, but ultimately ended up picking something random for the hell of it, or something similar to that.

This one’s for if your fursona is inspired by a book, game, movie, comic, show, song, etc. This could mean that you were inspired by a character (for example, making a cat fursona based off of Salem the cat). It could also mean that your fursona started off as a self insert for one of these things (like making an animal character to fit into Avatar). Additionally, it could also mean you made a fursona based off of the vibe of your favorite media (like making a machinelike fursona based off of the song cabinet man). This definition is pretty loose, if your fursona was in some way inspired by any kind of media this one’s for you.

If two or more of these options apply to you, pick the strongest or most prominent reason!

If two or more of these options apply and have equal prominence, or your fursona was inspired by something else, add it in the reblogs or comments!

As always, if you want, please reblog with the option you picked and any other fun details, it’s nice to see everyone’s reasonings and it gives me a larger sample size!

[kartoon12]

I finally hopped on the bandwagon and created a Spider-Sona. Ever since "Into the Spider-Verse" came out, there's been an explosion of people creating their own spider themed characters, and all of them have been so creative and diverse. And now with the recent sequel, "Across the Spider-Verse" having come out, and having loved it so much, I finally broke down and made a spider character of my own.

I decided to pull from my own life, and made her themed around being an artist. She hails from Earth 20-1-11-5-15-14-13-5, which, if you break down the numbers, they each correspond to a letter of the alphabet. So it spells out "T-A-K-E -O-N-M-E"....yeah, it's a reference to the Aha music video for "Take on Me", which is what this universe would look like stylistically---very sketchy, with surfaces looking like crinkled paper and cardboard and such.

Her backstory is that she lives in the suburbs with her parents ('cause money's tight and all that), and works as a freelance artist. Her parents know she's a superhero and were the first to know about her powers. (And didn't take her to any doctor in fear of their kid being taken away and experimented on) So yeah, this spider doesn't keep too many secrets from her friends and family. She takes daily walks through the woods behind her neighborhood to get exercise (since her job has her sitting down a lot).   One day, she came home to discover a bite mark on her ankle. She was sick for a few days, but didn't make any connection with it, until she discovered her spider powers. Prior to the bite, a truck from a science lab went off road and crashed; dumping all sorts of chemicals and other hazardous material in the woods by her house, so she theorizes that's how the spider bite gave her powers.   This is also where some of her rogues gallery comes from, like the Scorpion and the Lizard, who were normal animals that mutated into monsters (ala TMNT). She was inspired by comic book superheroes to put on a costume and fight crime.

Though honestly, she tends to stick to the suburbs more often than not, stopping normal crime most of the time and doing community service. But she's not afraid to fight the occasional monster or super villain if it comes up. She has both organic and synthetic webbing. The organic webbing shoots from all of her fingertips. She's able to sew and draw all sorts of designs and patterns with the webbing that way. This is also the webbing she uses to web-sling around, but since she tends to patrol neighborhoods,  she uses roller skate shoes and tons of parkour to get around.

The synthetic webbing is where her different color "paints" come in that do different stuff.  She'll web something first, then splatter it with her special paint to turn it into what she needs.   She took more of an interest in science after she gained powers, but she's no super genius. So most of her gadgets she jury-rigged thanks to watching all sorts of science and tech videos on the internet.  As for her special paints, each color has a different effect on her webbing.

white: basic organic webbing used as the base

red: fire/plasma webbing

orange: turns webbing into plastic explosives

yellow: gives webs electric charge

green:  acid webbing

blue: ice/freeze webbing

purple: turns webbing into water-like oil slick

brown: turns webbing rock hard like stone

pink: has anti-bacterial elements to clean and seal wounds

and black, well.....it's the only other organic webbing, and she only obtains this when possessed by the Venom symbiote of her universe. Shoot this stuff at someone, and they become infected or taken over by a part of the symbiote

Other odd colors like teal, magenta, silver, gold, etc: would occasionally show up for very specific missions. But all those other colors are the standard part of her arsenal.

As I was trying to design her, the first thing I thought of was a standard Spider-Man suit, but with blue painter's overalls that have plenty of pockets to store tracers, extra paint pellets, and other gadgets. And while I loved the overalls idea, the rest needed a more unique spin. So I went with a T-shirt underneath, as this girl's gonna' get messy, like, a LOT. And I tend to like costume designs that include a person's hair. So, inspired by the original Spider-Woman, I wanted this girl to show off her hair....but not her real hair. Her real hair is tucked away underneath. (Gotta' preserve identities and all that.) So I went with long, neon-blue hair that helps her stand out more. It's just a wig that she built into the mask.

I also added fingerless gloves. It made sense to me, as her fingers would have to be at least partially exposed to shoot webs, but still protect her palms from being scraped up. And as I was sketching, I kept feeling like something was missing. And so, I added the beret at the last minute to complete her artist look. The other last minute addition was the color wheels on her wrists that store and shoot out the different colored pellets to make the different web effects.

And thanks to a suggestion from my friend, DarkNeon of deviantArt, she finally gained a name. Say hello.....to Silk Sketcher.

[longboxd]

2022 comics reading log

In the early days of last year, I was inspired by some twitter mutuals to post my comics reading in the new year and kept it up from Jan 1 2022 till just about the bitter end. Something about it really helped keep me invigorated by the medium even in some pretty bleak times, so I’m going to keep it going this year, but here at Longboxd instead of on twitter, which I’m trying to spend less time at. Before I can do that though, I want to archive the 2022 entries in a spot that’s more permanent/less twitter-iffic, so here we go—pretty much every comic I read in 2022! (As transcribed from here)

Part 4: 84-101 (of 387)  

(I can “only” post 30 images at a time here, so that’ll dictate the length of these catch-up posts)

84) X-Force #11 - Not great, pretty nonsensical—you don’t even get the dubious pleasures of Rob L’s art from this era, it’s just some dude aping him. 

85) ROM #67 - However, Ditko inked by P. Craig Russell is delightful!

86) Detective Comics: The Neighborhood tpb

87) The Grande Odalesque - Very nice cartooning and coloring elevates what is essentially a dumb, fun, trifle.

88) HELLBOY: Buster Oakley Gets His Wish - Kevin Nowlan pencils inks colors and letters 😍

89) MARVEL SUPER HEROES Featuring The Incredible Hulk #91 - This coulda been 4 whole issues. I really like the Trimpe/Grainger art—has an almost cut paper quality to the brushwork, like a Nikki McClure illo

90) Jungle Action Featuring The Black Panther #16 - Wonky primal 70s superhero comics. As beautiful as it is wildly verbose, thanks to artist Billy Graham and colorist Glynis Wein.

91) Star Wars Annual #1 - This pre-Empire SW comic reads like a Heavy Metal backup (both in terms of the incest quotient and the Moebius influence)

92) Conan #152 - Buscema & Chan 

93) Swords Of Texas #1 - well, it’s no SCOUT😏

94) The Thing #5 - hat on a hat

95) X-Men #9 - Some people are apparently hating this run, but I a simple man who loves hijinx (and Nimrod)

96) Nice House On The Lake #7 -

97) Step By Bloody Step #1 - Green Knight by Joe Mad & Moebius, chock full of great drawings. 

98) One-Star Squadron #4 - I legit lol’d at that panel.

99) Human Target #5 - This didn't sit well on first read.

100) Love & Rockets #11 - talk about twists and turns!

101) 7174 Annual 2022 - I will be honest, I stopped reading the words about halfway through, but I’m always stoked to get a new one of Wood’s vibes-first comics and graphic design packages.

To be continued! Read Part 1 here

[kilowogcore]

Y'know what I ain't never done? Read the first Green Lantern story in All-American Comics #16 from 1940! So I fixed that, an' I'm gonna talk about it. There'll be spoilers, so you been warned!

Ya prob'ly know the basic story. Alan Scott has a green railroad lantern made outta a meteor that fell ta' China long ago. He makes a ring outta part a' the lantern, an' so long as he charges the ring every 24 hours, he has the power of the Green Lantern!

What surprised me is how much a' the later Hal Jordan lore wasn't a retcon a' Alan Scott, but wuz there from the beginnin'. His oath is different, but it's there. The 24-hour charge is there. Bein' able ta' fly, phase through walls, an' be shielded against attack is all there. Even the weakness is there, though, in Scott's case, he's weak against wood, not yellow. The connection ta' Willpower is also there from the first story. The Green Flame a' Life inside the lantern warns Alan that his confidence must not waver cuz the magic is powered by his will.

Unlike Hal, who wuz inspired by sci-fi, Alan wuz inspired by myths an' legends, like Aladdin from the 1001 Arabian Nights. The lantern an' the Green Flame are much more mysterious, as befits a myth, includin' the sorta little details that ya' find in myths. Fer instance, when the Green Flame was first found in China, it said it'll light three times. Once ta' bring death, once ta' bring life, an' once ta' bring power. That's a very mythology way fer things ta' play out. An' so it brings death by strikin' down its original owner's attackers, it brings life by restorin' sanity to a man in an asylum, an' it brings power with Alan Scott. That's three prophecies, an' sets of three are also standard in old myths.

Alan himself has got depth. His heroism is born out of tragedy, like most heroes. His tragedy wuz his employees an' friends at his engineering firm bein' blown up by a rival who wanted his contract. I found Alan's reaction realistic. He doesn't have a breakdown or nothin', he's too strong-willed fer that, but his personality starts swingin' from hero who only wants peace an' justice, ta' pretty scary guy out fer cold-blooded revenge. Eventually, the hero wins out, but his rival dies anyway from a narratively-convenient heart attack. He can get intense ta' the point a' being a little scary. He intentionally chooses garish colors fer his costume cuz he doesn't want evil-doers ta' be able ta' forget him. That slight edge makes him more excitin' ta' read than most Golden Age heroes, at least fer me.

As far as powers go, there ain't no constructs yet. In fact, the ring don't give him any offensive powers. When he punches a baddie, it's just a regular human punch, no super-strength or nothin'. That's fine with Alan, who clearly has a lotta anger an' grief over his dead employees ta' work through.

Of course, it's Golden Age, so some stuff is gonna seem clunky ta' a modern reader. The polish an ' standardization that we're used to hadn't been developed yet. But all in all, I liked it a lot! I might keep readin' some a' Alan's original adventures.

[floofyhobbit]

Alright I was asked to talk about my OCS :3

Anyways this is the little bastard I’ve been writing for 2 years? He started as a WW1 era character actually but I decided I wanted to make a fantasy character again so here he is. The fantasy world he lives in is most similar to 50’s America with tech, but the fashion is more modern. Though I dress him like a traditional fantasy character. He’s supposed to be a sort of wood elf but I don’t have a name for the fantasy races yet (I need to worldbuild). He looks serious af here but do not let that fool you he is a silly little man most the time. Whenever he’s doing mage duties he tries to be serious. He’s a mage for hire, so if someone has a problem (usually magical) he gets paid to take care of it. The ribbon he wears is kinda like a uniform. Other mages for hire don’t really wear them anymore but he does when he’s on quests so he can look professional.

Also was raised by fae for most of his childhood, and I’m probably gonna write about that in a wholesome little prequel comic. He first starts using magic at 9 or so but it’s super weak, once he’s a teenager to cast better spells.

He left at 17 or 18 so he could become a certified mage and see the world. Before the main story starts he looses his eye but I haven’t decided where or when. It always happens in every draft, the idea stuck with me I guess. I guess the “magical character that doesn’t rely on their vision” trope spoke to me. Uhh what else

he has a bunch of familiars, but the main one that follows him around most the time is his crow named Basil, who’s the son of the crow he befriended as a child. His main magic is nature/Druid? Magic, basically he’s like Bulbasaur. Also talks to animals, and can summon his familiars. He can also shapeshift into animals but only a select few (right now he can only shapeshift into a kestrel, rat, wolf).

I made him into a glass cannon pretty much. Worlds most eepy magic guy. I didn’t want to make him super powerful because I found magic characters like that kinda boring. But it’s also fun to give characters cool powers 👀.

Though he is trying to learn a spell from each type of mage magic. Jack of all trades stuff.

Also his staff is kinda inspired by Sakura’s staff in Cardcaptor Sakura, idk something about wing motiffs…

He’s trans also! I kinda based that aspect on me haha… he was a pretty tomboyish child so when he realized he was trans he was like “oh I see now” and his family was like alright :D. Perks of being raised in the woods by fae, gender roles are kinda non existent ig. He named himself after a character from his favorite childhood book. Also gay aspec (me when I project).

Other stuff! He’s a pretty good dancer and likes fashion which are traits I took from when he was a historical OC.

Basically uhh I just wanted to write a little goober who went through a lot of shit but still looks at life positively and wants to help people. A friend. A little goober even.

I’ll try to get a good drawing of his boyfriend Oswald who is a bard and also a silly goober. Also hopefully Isaac’s familiars and his family members.

uh idk what else to say

[lynn-the-lynn]

To anyone who had their hopes way up about this, there's still different gravity falls content you can eat up!

If you haven't read journal #3 yet, I would so recommend. The ending made me sob uncontrollably the other day and I've been reading that book for the past 4 years. If you have read it, reread it! I've read it 3 times and have got different things out of it every time!

Lost Legends is great as well! It's so cute and charming, and elaborates on Pacifica, the Stan twins childhood, and finally uses the damn president's key...

Gravity Falls: Deep Woods is 3 fan-made episodes that are super high quality. It uses the og soundtrack and is a great time. It's super underrated and I'm shocked that not more people have heard of it.

Speaking of fan projects, we're on Tumblr so I'm assuming everyone knows all of this, but engage in fan stuff! Fanfic, fan comics, fanart, fan animations, all of it! Can't write? Can't draw? Take a crack at it! Gravity falls is what inspired me to draw more and now I'm trying to go into animation as a career. It doesn't matter if its "bad" if it makes you happy.

There's so many more shows, too. Amphibia, The Owl House, Kid Cosmic, Over the Garden Wall, The Dragon Prince, and Hilda are just a fraction of them. Alex Hircsh even worked on Inside Job (which I'm yet to watch, but I've heard amazing things.)

Finally, we have the Book of Bill dropping very, very soon. I'm so excited for this. We don't know what we'll get. And I know that there will be codes and cyphers galore in this book. And from this book will come plenty of fanworks. We don't need a new season or a revival, we have all we need right here. A cult following of weirdos!!

I really did not wanna talk about this stupid topic, but with so many people falling for it, I figured I should; THE DIRECT ARTICLE ABOUT A GRAVITY FALLS REVIVAL IS A FUCKING LIE!! Lemme explain below why!!

Ever since this article by The Direct was published, way too many people are thinking Gravity Falls is really coming back and the usual season 3 belief is spreading yet again. And of course, YouTubers who should know better made videos on it and other "journalists" are spreading this lie. Here's the real facts! The executive in the article NEVER alluded to a revival. All they said is that Alex is publishing a book (The Book of Bill) and there's some shorts being made. All this article is basing its claim on is the phrase, "Never say Never!" Alex has had a deal with Netflix since 2018. Under that deal, he cannot make new cartoons for other networks, including Disney and Gravity Falls. He can voice on non Netflix shows and help in small ways like he did on TOH, but he cannot make a new show outside Netflix.

The shorts they are alluding to are confirmed to be likely stuff like the Broken Karaoke series on Disney Channel's YouTube page or theme song takeover stuff. Disney TVA News, while not 100% the most reliable source, has suggested that as the case and given Alex was at DTVA in April recording something per an Instagram story he made, it makes the most sense. What's more, there is a rumoured short being made for The Book of Bill which this could be meaning. Notice how it has no indication of a revival? Alex Hirsch has said he has ideas for GF stories, but they are more book centric. Heck, in me and Hana's interview alone he alluded to Stan and Ford stories he'd wanna do if given the chance to make another graphic novel. That is all!

And speaking of Alex…he's not said shit on this! He's not tweeted about it or liked any tweet about it. And Alex has said in the past to not believe anyone claiming Gravity Falls is coming back unless he says so himself on Twitter. So, take a guess what I did? I messaged him!! I was in talks with Alex recently for another video I'm making later in the future and asked him about this article during it. Without leaking our DM's, Alex said straight up, this article is all "just talk!" It's clickbait! Alex Hirsch confirmed it is clickbait!!

Direct is lying to you and so is anyone else saying this is real or that Gravity Falls is coming back! It just isn't. The only person who you should believe about this stuff is Alex Hirsch himself and he clearly has said it's not. And even supposing Direct is telling the truth about this executive saying something is possible, it's just gonna be book or small shorts stuff…NOT a season 3 or reboot, or revival or spin off series. I know that stuff is pretty popular to talk about, hell, I'd kill for a Gravity Falls prequel story myself. But it's not happening.

But with that said, I hope this post helped you better understand what is up. This article is a sham and a joke to the field of journalism. Do your damn job and tell the truth instead of making clickbait shit that will get you ad revenue! People who write articles like this are a joke and I feel bad for anyone who falls for their BS! These articles will never stop being made, so it's up to you all to be smart and not fall for them.

Remember, if Alex Hirsch doesn't say anything about it, it's not legit!!

Stay informed properly out there! New videos coming soon :)

[jaykeybloggz]

Evaluation

In this project I have taken my work in slightly different directions depending on which artists and topics I have been researching and looking into each week.

Initially I looked Into Sherlock Holmes and the victorian era, especially around London. I figured out that i especially liked how the characters of Conan Doyles stories were drawn in the Disney film "The Great Mouse Detective"

I have always enjoyed drawing animal characters, as they are easy to design distinctively, so I decided to for this project.

With the knowledge that we would be designing a cult and a sacred object I took inspiration from one of my own interests, 1930s animation. In the great depression era cartoon "Bimbo's Initiation" comical looking cult leaders are seen.

As these cartoons are rather macabre and gothic looking i thought it would fit with the grittiness of the victorian tone. Especially the backgrounds. (notice the broken windows and knocked over trash can, indication of the great depression) The hard times these cartoons were made in affected their visual design, just like how dark and gloomy victorian illustrations were.

I decided To make a rough design for my cult leader, with somewhat comical robes. as well as design my logo.

The name of puddle gang was a completely off the spot thing, however I thought this could mean a puddle of blood. The name is inconspicuous enough to fly under someones radar as anything suspicious.

At this point in the project we were looking into pixel art and experimenting with how that would look. It was then that I Designed my detective on the spot. Somewhat taking inspiration from Paul Robertson by using black continuous outlines.

Then in the same week as my pixel art experiments we moved onto practical sculpting. first using clay and plaster to create a large logo and then moving down a scale to using super sculpy and resin to cast a wax seal.

This wax seal would be used to seal any letters my cult sent out to its members. I have always been fascinated by wax seals, so i wanted to make this as good as i could. Here is a fairly nice initial mockup.

I also played around with some basic anatomy by using tracing paper to create a skull from an already designed creature and by sculpting an ear, a very complicated shape which i am very happy i replicated as well as i did.

At this time i also toyed with some basic pixel art animation and reseached the voxel art style. looking at paul robertsons amazing composition and the voxels 3d nature made me realsie i would like to add depth to my work when i can. Even if i am not the best at pixel art.

I was able to do just that when i had a rather frustrating session with the program magicavoxel. while i can see the potential it has i found the controls unweildy.

adding depth became less frustrating when i added it to text using phtotoshop. this i had fun with.

I then designed my trading card, improving on an earlier design which is quite ugly. this is on paper and is just a rough sketch, however i liked it so much i vitualy traced over it.

The next week I was able to complete my letter. i used coffee grounds and graphite to make my letter look aged which was a new process for me. when i was little i used teabags ro stain my own little treasure maps of our garden.

I then was able to sculpt on top of the resin seal i had made. making a blade from thin wood and combing that with sculpy to make a hilt and a mound for the balde to stick out from.

the next day we went to the EGX gaming convention in london whcih was good fun, however the most relevent thing to my work was seeing all the indipendeent creators set up shop and gain an audience in person. it was quite inspiring and gave me a little insight into the creative industry.

Overall I am very happy with the outcomes of this project and I think I have given clearly explained how my project developed in this evaluation. I think to improve this project I really could show a more detailed record of my progression with more pictures of my semi complete work. I also think I could plan a bit better. I think the most fun I had was sculpting for the first time, it was really enjoyable.