#with other people.. bc kindness is something she's learning how to do and developing

[swordmaid]

1, 4 and 5 for the oc asks?

1. On a scale of “is occasionally forced to bathe” to “Instagram model with sponsors to hoe for” how involved is your OC’s Skincare routine?

involved as in she takes a great deal in looking after her appearance but not finicky to the point that she's extra strict with the ingredients going on her face or the kind of diet she has so she can look better. her appearance is definitely one of the things she takes great pride on, so maintenance is def something she does as part of her nightly routine -and shri'iia is def a creature of habit so she has her own skincare routine that she does, then as the creams are settling in her face she's gonna polish her armour, her weapon, prepare her poisons, etc. she likes to keep herself busy!

4. What’s your OC’s response to being asked for money by a homeless person?

probably laugh 😭 listen. shri'iia is NOT the kindest nor the most generous, and she really does not believe in charity. she def still has that drow victim blaming mindset and she believes more if someone gets up and helps themselves rather than beg for it, so in a chance that someone asks for her coins, she would just laugh at them and say no. the only time she'll be charitable is when it comes to something regarding her oath - so if someone is in need to break away from their master - THAT'S when she will come running, free of charge, but in general, she really won't help.

5. Does your OC get lost easily? What do they do when they do get lost?

frequently, especially in the surface world where she is still so very unfamiliar with the terrains and landscape both in cities and in the wild. i imagine she navigates through the underdark much more comfortably since the dark is her home and she is more comfortable with seeing things with her darkvision rather than seeing them in the light. if she is lost, she will try to act like she isn't while trying to figure out how to navigate herself. shri'iia will try to avoid asking for directions especially if she's in some small town since she's not sure how they'll react to seeing a drow in the surface, and imagine her paranoia is flaring and she's trying her best to calm her nerves. like in the first 30 mins she'll probably be fine but as the longer it goes, that's when she'll start getting bewildered and anxious and she feels like she's gonna get hunted for sport and everyone will be out to kill her but she's FINE btw she's not gonna ask for your help...!! she can work this out.......!!

also a hag romance thought i really do like the idea that he just ends up holding her hand when they visited baldur's gate for the first time (in my head it's more crowded than what it is in game lmfao) bc she was just standing there like 🧍‼️ looking very bewildered and overwhelmed. not it's become a thing that they do where he'll just hold her hand if they're in some crowded space so she doesn't get lost.

oc questions that helped me with characterization

[chocostrwberry]

Sentimaggedon!!

Sentimonster designs I came up with bc I was thinking about Argos’s debut in my AU! Bc I’m dumb and I haven’t thought too deep about him as a character to the story yet-

They were originally suppose to all be based on the seven deadly sins, especially Gasumptious (gluttony) and Elvy (envy). But I also wanted to branch into maybe Felix’s other hidden emotions, like his deep love for Kagami and his fear of being replaced by Adrien (Bride and Athazagora).

Argos becomes an official enemy when Dragonbug tells him they need to be destroyed. He defends them, saying they’re just “infants” and can learn how to behave properly with time. But a frustrated and exhausted Dragonbug she tells him they aren’t like humans and are created for one purpose: to serve and destroy. This hits home with Argos, and he develops a fear and hatred for Ladybug and swears his loyalty to Madame Morphisa afterwards in order to take her down and prove just how monstrous he can be.

I’m still kinda trying to find a way to make this concept work in my au. He promised to serve her in exchange for the peacock miraculous, and she wants him to use it to take Ladybug’s miraculous. In a novice attempt, he might have just starting creating multiple sentimonsters that he thought were harmless enough (something she did NOT expect), but they quickly spiraled out of control. It’s much easier to make sentimonsters based on others emotions, because you can predict which one you will create it off of. But instead, he chose his own, which makes it more difficult to tell how the sentimonster will act. I think it would show the aspect that these creatures do have a mind of their own, compared to previous Mayura sentimonsters who were easily controlled by their akumas!!

Red Moon

Red Moon is obviously already canon, but her power is instead hypnosis. If you get caught in her light, you stop whatever you are doing to stare at her. The streets of Paris become like a statue exhibit: countless of unlucky citizens are bathing in her glow, staring at the beauty of the red moon.

Gasumptious

As he devours, Gasumptious grows bigger and bigger. He’ll eat anything, so beware! After finishing most of the city, Gasumptious sits atop the Eiffel Tower and gnaws on its metal posts.

Elvy

Elvy lives in the sewers. She can control water and uses it to drain you of happy memories, which she keeps in floating green orbs and guards for herself.

It’s so silly to me how the manifestation of Felix’s jealousy of Adrien is fought and defeated by Chat Noir, who is Adrien ehehehheeh.

She also sounds like a Pok��mon!! Probably like a Lapras, or the one that trills really pretty

Athazagora

A timid creature, Athazagora took over the catacombs, and hides in the shadows. You can hear the creaking and rattling of its wooden limbs in the dark as it stalk you. If you can’t escape, it envelops you in its cloak of darkness, never to be seen again.

Bride

The supposed advisor of Argos. She never leaves his side, and is always whispering something in his ear. To protect Argos, she showcases her ability to turn her arm into a long spear/sword, incredible strength and mobility, and that her body is made of an indestructible crystal.

Plus, he can make multiple sentimonsters bc he’s a sentihuman himself (Other people can’t. You can only make one, kind of like how the Butterfly miraculous can only Akumatize one person at a time, unless they share an object. Current excuse I’m going with that makes semi-sense HEHEHE) . So Lila totally wants to use that to her own advantage!

Ofc he fails, but she’s impressed with his resolve (and the lengths he was willing to go, albeit unintentionally), especially after sharing her goal of destroying Ladybug. Lila was feeling the effects of unification and now has a willing minion to do her bidding whenever she pleases.

If I decide to go with this plot, Lila has to end up forgetting Felix because of the curse. But she doesn’t care: all she really needs is Argos. I might need to retcon her revenge against Felix because of this but idm! It wasn’t very important to the plot anyways!

I was considering having Dragonbug in this episode, since she could use Perfection to snipe Red Moon out of the sky! The lucky charm would be like a wand that creates a sticky translucent web to keep the sentimonsters secure so they can go find their amoks.

And a sentimonster I never ended up including, Ava. I just didn’t have a reason to put her in there but I liked the yin and yang style of her design!!

[arthenaa]

Could i ask for HCs of Mizu with a mommy kink? Like her liking to be called that? Thank you!

Mizu with a Mommy Kink (18+ mdni after the line) gender neutral! reader

ALRIGHT

Honestly, the kink stemmed from the fact that she's a natural protector

She may have a contradicting personality with regards to socialization but overall, it's probably because it's influenced by the values and mindset that she learned from when she was young

Violence had never been the right answer and while the world continues to change influenced by the bloodbath in its history, why can't she make use of it as a way to save others?

yeahh getting philosophical in a fucking nsfw post YEAHHH

anyways, you and Mizu had been acquainted for a while now and she respects you enough to be somewhat vulnerable with you

It's the same with you as well, you regard Mizu as a close confidant of your life stories

It's safe to say that you know each other well enough despite how it looks

There have also been quite close calls that made your relationship with Mizu border something more than acquaintances slash friends with a question mark in bold (its for the emphasis)

So imagine to your surprise how worked up she gets over a joke you made after commenting on her natural need to protect

"Y'know," You lick your lips, eyes squinting as you assessed the woman before you quietly drinking her tea. "You have a natural sense of protecting. Kinda like a mommy."

The blue-eyed samurai freezes in her place

It was a look of horror at first and you were quite tipsy during that time (you two were lounging at your home)

So your thought process was, heyyy why not make fun of this mf while I have no shame

so you did

The look of horror, turned into being uncomfortable until her cheeks flushed to a deep shade of red

You've never seen someone change emotions in just a few seconds

You were enjoying this clearly

Mizu was having none of it and while the term did fluster and invoke horrors worthy enough of the judgment of Izanami no Mikoto

Fueled by her emotions, her secret-not-so-secret attraction towards you, and her need to shut you up, Mizu moved towards you

And now you're where you are now

NSFW

Soft dom with a hint of sadistic tendencies

She likes making you beg and plead for her to do something, then turn a 180 and praise you for your work

loves loves loves overstimulating you

I think its because she hasn't gotten any action over the past few years that all she's doing is take take take from you

You're writhing and shaking in the sheets with just her mouth and she hasn't even gone to her fingers yet

She loves looking down at you, reveling in the superiority that your submission to her brings

It makes her menacing tbh but its hot okay

This mf eats you up like a champ

Fast learner

Has a good stamina but her refractory period can take some time

so yeah it ultimately ends up with you overstimulating a dozen times before she finally gets to have her own release (also probs bc she prioritizes your pleasure over her own)

she loves it

She gives you reigns at first, just to let her know what to do and a few seconds later, your eyes are rolling in the back of your head

Quite manipulative in bed

Says a lot of things like, "you're mine right?", "say you want me", "tell mommy that she's all you need"

you indulge her manipulative tendencies tho

all of this is making you develop a praise kink omf

Sometimes gets overwhelmed by the pleasure and pushes you too far but thats okay cuz its mizu

Stops completely and stares you down when you stop saying mommy

That completely just puts you in your spot

Then her voice drops to a chill and calm tone and suddenly you're shivering and flushing at her stare

Know how people's eyes get duller when they're in the state of lust or smn

Hers get brighter for some reason

She likes positions that allow her to wrap her arms around you or where her body is either on top or covering you

yeahhh stems from the need to protect

After you and Mizu establish this kind of relationship, she begins to act more mischievous around you

MIZU IS MISCHIEVOUS damn, that mf will tease you like its nothing

she will eye you up with no shame, whisper in your ear like its not bothering you, and then act like she hasn't done anything at all

Esp when she gets joke gifts from the brothel like sex toys and what not

She will use them on you and you will limp for a week

More of a service-top rather than receiving

She likes the reactions she's pulling out of you and when you return the favor, she pampers you with so much love and affection and you just flush in shyness

yeaaaaa, its okay to be a red flag in bed as long as it's mizu

[jeeyunspetrat]

People get so mad about Maddie telling Buck to learn how to be alone bc ‘Buck’s been alone for most of his life’ but like. I just don’t think that’s true. Buck was *lonely* for a huge portion of his childhood and early 20s, definitely. But we see that the way he deals with this is through recklessly dangerous behavior and developing an unhealthy relationship with sex. I think Buck spent his time before the 118 surrounded by a lot of people, actually, but unable to form the deep and meaningful relationships he craved. When he’s following some frat bros to LA on a whim and stealing a fire truck to hook up with a stranger, he is demonstrably not alone, he’s chasing whatever companionship he can get to ignore how lonely he is. And then once Eddie leaves we see him doing this same exact thing again. It’s less reckless bc he has grown and matured, but he’s latching on to Ravi to fill the Eddie-shaped hole in his life, and then hooking up with his ex to again try and chase that companionship and forget how much he misses Eddie. And Maddie’s saying you have to learn to actually deal with and process your loneliness instead of trying to run away from it, which is good advice. Anyway people hating on Maddie die by my sword.

whats really interesting to me is like. maddie's advice at first is to make new friends. she's like, well there's an obvious solution to your best friend moving away and that's to make some new local friends. not to REPLACE eddie but just so you have someone else you can hit up and hang out with on a day to day basis. solid advice!

but THEN. she sees just how intensely buck is affected by eddie's absence. that's it's not just about not having a buddy to hang out with, it's about missing Eddie and Chris so much he's trying to fill that emptiness with unhealthy choices--he's literally using his ex to try to distract himself from it. and at that point, with the addition of Maddie's obvious suspicion that there's more to Buck missing Eddie than just missing a friend, she changes tacks. because she realizes oh, this ISNT about being lonely because you dont have a friend to hang with. this is about EDDIE and the unique space he took up in your life, which you CANT just replace with a Ravi or some other rando.

at that point her advice turns from "what to do when your friend moves out of town" to "what to do after, essentially, going through a kind of break up." the last couple times Buck had to "learn to be alone" was after Abby and after Taylor. Maddie realizes the issue is not going to be resolved by Buck making new friends. he has friends! what he doesn't have is Eddie (and Chris) and that's not something he can solve. it's something he just has to figure out how to deal with

[rosecrystal]

do you think feminism is still needed in 2025? like the word has completely lost its meaning. now it is toxic and all about hating men instead of doing something for women who are truly suffering. i am also a woman who knows how terrible the world is, both men and women are horrible. tbh we can't make our world a better place by hating men, this new wave of feminism is just misandry. ive been listening to candace owens lately and she's absolutely correct about how women's victimisation is harming our society. she talked about how women have taken advantage of the me too movement and put false allegations against men to make tons of money. these women are actually harming real victims who suffer in real life because these women don't care about having morals or anything. this radfem believe all women & kill all men nonsense is whats truly radicalising men to hate all women. most women don't even take accountability for their actions bc modern feminism and girls girl nonsense are influencing them in a very wrong way.

Do we need feminism in 2025? I don’t know in what kind of world you live in, but in mine every woman I know including me has been sexually harassed by a man at least once in their lifetime, according to the statistics around 91% of sexual assault victims are female with nearly 99% of the perpetrators being male, and this is just keeping in consideration victims who have actually come forward with it, because the majority of women who experience sexual assault do not report it to the police (about up to 20% of them do) . As a matter of fact, sexual assault is considered an underreported crime, even though there is a widely held belief that false rape accusations are common. An Irish prevalence study found that 40% of people believed rape allegations were often false, even though international research shows false rape accusations are very rare (with only about 2% of allegations being proven false).

Do we need feminism in 2025? When child brides still exist and women are still lacking basic rights throughout the world? When it’s going to take up to 134 years to fully close the gender pay gap in the most “developed” countries? When women in the U.S. who are pregnant or who have recently given birth are more likely to be murdered than to die from obstetric causes? What about medicine, where historically, medical studies have excluded female participants and research data have been collected from males and generalized to females? (And I’m not even getting into gender + racial bias when it comes to medical malpractice, or obstetric violence, which would need a whole chapter) Where most vaccines and medicines that are in circulation today have only been tested on the average white male? Where even pads, a female product, were tested on with water instead of menstrual blood and only recently were tested with it, revealing they’re not as effective as thought to be? When trans women face disproportionate violence and “honor” killings in the streets and their homes, and even at the hands of healthcare providers?

Do we need feminism in 2025, when a lot of people, you included, think that women speaking out against the mistreatment we have historically received and having higher standards, whether romantically or socially, means hating men? When even women “hating” men means avoiding men altogether or making online jokes, but men hating women translates in sexual and domestic violence and murder? Do we need feminism in 2025 when men getting radicalized by other men & the patriarchy to hate women is still blamed on the women?

While I’m not about “girls girl” privileged woman tiktok feminism, I will never discredit the war women fought and are still fighting all around the world in order to reach liberation and gender equality. I also ask you to look beyond superficial stereotypes and form your own opinions through studying and learning, it is never too late. The women who fought and got killed in fighting for their (our) rights, it is thanks to them that you and me can vote or study or work or have our own bank accounts today. At the very least we should do the same for future generations and keep the movement alive through activism today instead of falling into these superficial thought patterns. I agree about not agreeing with a lot of mainstream tiktok bullshit, then get educated and do something about it, join or create a club or movement instead of staying online philosophizing whether the type of feminism you see around is good or not. Do better. At the end of the day, none of us is free until all of us are free (and I mean every woman from every corner of the world, regardless of race, sexual orientation etc)! And that’s what I stand for and will always keep believing in.

[unicornachos2]

After finishing ROTE I'm trying to sort out my feelings about Robin Hobb as an author and it's sO hard. I've never had such a complicated relationship with an author while reading a series I don't think.

I think it comes down to her being... Kind of erratic and very contradictory in her work?

Like, she often seems to have amnesia about what she's built up in a character and then writes them differently like... Fitz learns and says things and then a book later he's back flipped or forgotten completely (perhaps bc RH herself forgets how he feels or what he's said in previous books? Which leads to inconsistent characterisation?) Some of how Beloved is written at the end of Ass Fate.... Idk if it's just BC it's from Bee's perspective, but there's stuff there narratively that makes no sense... Or maybe it does after all the trauma Beloved experienced? The way she wrote Nettle in tawny man vs how differently she's written in F&F....the way characters are inconsistently written bc the plot needs them to do certain things at certain moments.....

The way she has Beloved seriously question comphet gender stereotyping in ass quest and then.... Proceeds to nonstop write comphet gender stereotyping nonsense everywhere you look throughout the entire fucking series

Her writing of women and the way she pairs up any two cis characters of opposite sex who will stand next to each other just to make them reproduce as if she's Burrich forcing two horses together pisses me the fuck off, and I've already talked about that. P.S. on this. wHY did we need Lant/Spark? Insane.

Ass apprentice and royal assassin were absolute slogs for me, where I wasn't actually enjoying what I was reading and actively did not enjoy most of those books, but felt a very strong need to keep reading just to see what would happen?

Killing Chade offscreen after being with him for 16 entire books, never seeing Mercor again, Wintrow's weird fade-out in the series despite having so much focus in liveships

The way she wrote about ableism and disability with the dragons and rain Wilders was suuuuper flawed and I wish she hadn't gone there bc of how badly it was done. Thick could have literally been called anything else and nothing would have changed in the story

The way the story tries to be realistic in some areas and wildly unrealistic in others and how often it feels like whiplash

The way so many important things just go unfinished or skimmed over at the end of her books BC she seems to run into her word limit or something

And the magic systems just straight up make zero sense if you think about any of it too hard- whatever happens happens bc it serves the plot

And I think finally, this weird idea that I've never come across in any other series, about needing to choose between the people you love that permeates throughout ROTE. The way the author fabricates this false choice, where you have to choose who you love most and stay with them and them only. Burrich's "a horse can't wear two saddles". How Robin Hobb underscores the beauty of the stone wolf scene by needing to have Fitz remark to Bee that she lied well (indicating that he does in fact love Bee more than Beloved). How Molly would have spurned Nighteyes. How Burrich for some reason had to choose between Patience and Chivalry. Fitz, and countless other characters are always made to clarify or choose between who of their loved ones they "love the most". Again, absolute nonsense.

And then like. Somehow she manages to write the most beautiful prose and the most insane fucking queerbait of all time? (With a big No Homo stamped over all of it). And develops such loveable, flawed, interesting characters, and such engaging world building. Patience's entire existence, and the humour in the series and how insanely funny some moments are. Fitz's friendships with Riddle and Thick. Nighteyes. Bee and Fitz coming to know one another. The edge of your seat moments when you have to keep reading despite the horrible hour just so you can find out what happens. How Beloved and Fitz ultimately do change the world for the better. The life lessons given, and some of the clearest insights into trauma I've ever read. The tiny details that keep you fed to allow you to theorise and speculate. The way she's able to thread one theme throughout narrative, character, and dialogue.

I've never been so conflicted tbh. Like. I can understand why people are obsessed with this series (clearly I'm here in this camp), but I can also totally understand why people would never be able to get into this series, too. Like. I don't think I can ever rec it to anyone I know, just purely based on the final 10 chapters of Ship of Destiny. The fucking weird shit Verity did to Fitz and Kettricken. Like I think there are so many valid reasons why this series isn't as popular as other fantasy series, why it's never been turned into some big GOT style tv show (not that that is in any way a marker of quality, I'm just saying), etc. Like I love it, and I will always love it and I'm going to be thinking about it for the rest of my life, but I also. Did not enjoy or like a lot of ROTE, too. Anyway, two things can simultaneously be true and exist!

So I'm just. I'm processing. Anyway FitzLoved forever peace out

[cephalon-celaeno]

update i REALLY didn’t like this quest. it’s just that usually i consider warframe to be a game with extremely competent writing and this is… hmm. not.

huh! I already knew I wouldn’t like this quest so my opinion doesn’t count but I don’t like this quest!

[vanderbilt-draws]

pleaseee...draw devwinn interacting... plssss

ok sorry it took forever for me to answer i may have gone slightly overboard with the doodles but I REALLY LIKE DEVWINN AND MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE A WHOLE UNWRITTEN FIC ABOUT THEM IN HIGH SCHOOL AND LIKE 7 MILLION HCS ABOUT HOW THEY MET AND THEIR FUTURES AND UHH UHH hcs/all the stuff leading up to my unwritten fic are all below the cut if youre interested ✨✨

winn moved to dimmadelphia in the fourth grade

pretty much instantly dev "befriended" them and started being really clingy with them. he had a MASSIVE crush on them right from the start

winn wasnt actually all that big a fan of dev at first because yk he was mean to most of the other kids, but they didnt want to hurt his feelings so kind of went along with him

(side note i hc that dev has literally been wearing pretty much the same outfit since forever. hes so autism)

dev and winn only got to being real friends once hazel and dev became friends (bc yk shes got the balls to actually tell dev when hes doing something mean, so thats rlly when dev started improving as a person)

winn and dev had the same homeroom in sixth grade and ended up sitting right next to each other, which was when they really started becoming a Duo

winn broke their arm in a skating accident during the winter break of their sixth grade year, dev was the first one they got to sign the cast :] winn never stopped skating but they did do it a lot less + more carefully after that (by order of their parents)

dev started growing his hair into a mullet in the seventh grade because he "thought it looked cool" (<< started noticing his gender dysphoria and wanted longer hair in an attempt to quell it)

winn thought they were bi for all of seventh grade and most of eighth grade bc they had a crush on dev

SPOILER ALERT dev is a trans girl, she comes out in the eighth grade and her chosen name is devine. she still goes by dev but all her friends know what its short for

dev doesnt want to come out to her dad bc she doesnt know how hell react. (tbh if she did come out, her dad would be super supportive and good with prns and names and terms in public, but slip up a ton in private bc he doesnt care as much when people arent watching)

obv winn told jasmine and hazel about their crush right when it started developing, so it became kind of an inside joke between the three that winn has "transbian senses" after dev came out

just before ninth grade, winn decided to get a buzzcut, and theyve been growing it out ever since (this is mostly bc as much as i love dyed hair undercut enby/trans characters THERES TOO MANY PLEASE CHOOSE A DIFFERENT HAIRSTYLE FOR YOUR FICTIONAL TRANSES AND ENBIES SOBBING)

they bleached it blonde when it was about two inches long, and never bothered to cut off the blonde so now they just have blonde tips

winn ended up being 6'5" and joined varsity basketball in the tenth grade because they didnt wanna waste that height

dev stole their original varsity jacket because it was comfy (and because it was winns and it brings her comfort) and then paid for their replacement jacket

jasmine started learning how to sew and embroider clothes over the summer between ninth and tenth grade and so helped devine sew on her own name tag (dev just told her dad jasmine was a bad speller and tbh dale didnt care and was like ok son whatever)

dev ended up stuck at the spectacular height of a middle schooler (5'2") and winn thinks its adorable. theyre strong enough to pick her up whenever they hug her. sometimes when they get excited they spin her around

dev also started wearing her hair curly occasionally in the tenth grade bc winn told her she looked pretty with it like that. her dad doesnt like it when she doesnt slick it back and gets passive aggressive about it whenever he sees her like that

winn started getting panic attacks from all the pressure of high school after joining the basketball team, and dev usually ends up talking them through it, although jasmine and hazel are also good at helping them

they dont think their anxiety is bad enough to be a disorder so they never get a diagnosis/help (until Things Happen in my fic :]]] )

hazel and jasmine are both aroace (in this timeline at least, ive got a few other fic ideas where hazel is bi) and in a qpr. they are also fandom girlies and fic writers, so when dev finally tells them in the middle of tenth grade that she has a crush on winn (and has for a while) theyre both like OOOOOOOHHHHHH I SHIP IT and they, along with cosmo and wanda, start trying really hard to get them together

unfortunately hazmine and coswan have literally no idea how human teenage romance works irl SO. shenanigans ensue :]]]]]]]

anyways yeah thats my buildup to my fic/my personal hcs, no peri mention because hes ✨elsewhere✨ when all this is happening

[canmom]

Comics mini-Comints: Dungeon Meshi

reread dungeon meshi through to the end. still such a great manga. here are immediate thoughts - if I end up having time and energy I hope I can write something that goes deeper!

ironically i was only a few chapters from the end when I stopped keeping up, but I was struggling to remember all the characters and context, so reading it through in one go was definitely an ideal way to achieve maximum impact there.

ryoko kui does a very elegant job of handling a transition from 'silly antics' to 'big dramatic fantasy' while still keeping the central thematic throughline - eating and being eaten, belonging to an ecosystem, the significance of sacrificing others to achieve your own desires. a lot of setups pay off in a way that feels meticulously planned - and of course the crux of the final showdown revolves around characters attempting to eat each other, of course the big payoff is a huge feast that symbolically unites all the conflicting factions. it is maybe a bit too neat and happy for my taste, but it's undeniably tightly executed - it never loses sight of what it's about. especially compared to something like Frieren, it's an incredibly coherent serialisation, up there with e.g. Fullmetal Alchemist.

kui's art style deserves all kinds of praise - it feels effortlessly simple, but it clearly communicates all sorts of different shapes and body types and it's really fun to see her play around with remixing the different visual elements when she switches the races around. in general Laius's autistic monster loving ways clearly reflect kui's own deeply felt appreciation for all the ways people and animals live (accentuated further by all the extra sketches the scanlators tuck in). in a way you could kinda call it like Parts Unknown the fantasy manga.

the stakes of the final conflict are interesting - there is much to be said about the framing of 'desire' and its fulfilment, of this occult idea of 'the infinite'. lots you could put in relation to other manga, and also buddhism. (in particular I really want to develop a comparison to Made In Abyss, there are so many parallels, it just might be too spicy for tumblr lmao).

one thing I really like about it is how much its fantasy dungeon-exploring setting owes to D&D and other TTRPGs, rather than videogames. monster ecology has been a fascination of that game since the early days of Dragon magazine, and Kui sharply zeroes in on some of the intrinsic conflicts baked in to that fantasy milieu, notably the lifespan thing, while smartly avoiding the traps of 'evil races'. there's some really fun nods to the weirder monster manual entries. and in a story with so many characters and factions, it does a genuinely incredible job of furnishing everyone with understandable, reasonable motivations, conflicts drawn from their context just like the monsters are explained by their ecology.

and one thing that I particularly appreciate is like... how much it is able to simultaneously understand and sympathise with a character and also show us how and why they'd rub others the wrong way. it's impossible not to like our main group, they're all such charming dorks and the manga leads you along with all the crazy rpg party shit they do, but at the same time you definitely find yourself thinking 'guy's got a point' in the kabru chapters lmao. I'm projecting hard bc i don't really know a thing about ryōko kui but laius def feels like the sort of depiction of having an autism that you can only do if you've lived it.

but yeah, it's a fuzzy ending where it all turns out well. but what's the deeper thrust of it all? there's a funny moment where marcille is like 'maybe in the end our journey is about learning to accept death' and the grouchy old gnome guy completely laughs this off as naive, because death doesn't mean anything. and indeed their big plan pays off, and falin does indeed come back just fine. but still, through all of this it asks you to bite the bullet that being a living creature means eating to survive, at the cost of other creatures, with the other side being that one day you too will be eaten. in contrast to this honest way of being is the beguiling fantasy of infinity, where all your desires are immediately fulfilled - this is shown as a dangerous path of corruption that produces madness and manipulability. having limits and rubbing up against the wishes of others, or 'doing things you don't want to do' as izutsumi's arc puts it, becomes necessary for having some kind of definition as a subject. the thing that makes the demon concrete as an entity is a desire, or appetite, that can't immediately be fulfilled.

of course we can connect this to the idea of narrative conflict. a standard advice for putting together a plot is to ask what each character wants and why they can't get it. wanting something implies movement. and indeed over the course of this story, we see that while having too many desires fulfilled too readily leads to incoherence and callousness, equally a character who is left catatonic as their desires have been eaten by the demon must be reawakened to activity by finding a new desire.

it's kinda Buddhist innit. neither the opulence of the palace nor asceticism. desires are what tie you to the world. but mixed with ecology: what a creature does to find the energy to live is what defines its lifestyle, its form.

this is probably where I'd start talking about entropy gradients and shit if i wasn't typing this on a phone at 1:30am lmao.

but yeah - it's a powerful move to go from 'D&D monster recipe show sendup' to 'living with the inherently violent nature of being an organism fated to live in a finite sum game' and yet Dungeon Meshi makes it feel natural and convincing, while remaining tremendously charming and funny throughout. ryōko kui is definitely some kind of genius, and I can't wait to see what her next act is gonna be. it's all definitely making me appreciate the act of eating a lot more.

next story on my plate is probably The Flower That Bloomed Nowhere, which sounds like it will present a very gnarly thematic contrast.

[toorurii]

asking again becuz i love this dude… i would love to know more about basil (basile??) basil. ANY facts ANY info

HELP I actually saw ur first ask but I wanted to make his TH first before I went all in on answering 😭 I’m in the middle of revamping him rn but I can tell u some bits and pieces that are probably gonna stay w/ him!! Super happy that u like him bc I adore that guy and he’s one of my oldest OCs (since I was like 15 I think..)

- Name is pronounced buh-seal!

- he’s 6’9” (I know)(it was a joke and now I’m committing to the bit) and polar bear themed! So he’s very tanky and hits really hard if he’s pushed to doing that… his grip strength is nuts

-He’s a VERY powerful sorcerer, and actually classified as a mortal that has the ability to actually kill an angel or demon in my universe canon if he puts his mind to it

- A healer, but it stems from black magic, specifically in the necromancy ballpark. He doesn’t have heinous intentions though and only learned it to bring someone dear back to him (they didn’t come back right but we don’t gotta worry abt that). He does still have a very keen interest in the dark arts though even if it’s to just be extremely knowledgeable on the subject as opposed to actually practicing it

-… He’s only smart in the magic arts… in any other category he’s very air headed / in his own little world… he’s very sweet though if you can ignore his bluntness!!! (And ominous remarks about how brittle he thinks neck bones are)

- He’s at least 100 years old but no one in his universe knows for sure 🤔 it shows in his hair, though his eyebrows stayed his natural color despite it all! It’s his magic keeping him alive 🤷

-he has three ‘kids’…… Or really three homunculi he made because he was lonely. they’re all ice magic/ bear-themed too! Rosette is his eldest (they’re triplets..) if you know her! (I’ll tag her so u can see her on my blog, I think there’s like 2 pics of her tho so 😅)

-branching off of rosette she knows powerful magic bc of Bas! She also disowned him bc she thinks he’s weird so she’s like someone else’s kid now but once again we ain’t gotta worry abt that

-Final point is that Bas IS weird… He’s developed into the ‘freaky gentle giant’ kind of trope for me so he’s supposed to be a little scary and off putting.. he’s CRAZY charismatic though and has a very flowery/romantic way of speaking (one of his main character points is that he usually gets flustered after saying something super corny) 🫡 he’s also a hardcore people pleaser!

I nabbed some pics of him too! His designs gonna change a little but he’s still my beloved old man

[nalonzooo]

do you have any tips and/or techniques on not making your poses stiff? I've been trying to improve for so long 😓

yes! i touched up on dynamic poses a bit here and i’ll go into more detail here (sorry omg i ramble on and on when it comes to art) >>

so along with pushing and exaggerating your poses, i’ve learned from many many art videos that a good way to un-stiffen and add some rhythm in your drawing is to vary your line weight. alternate between thick lines and thin lines - thicker lines for where you want to put more definition, weight, shadow. also make use of combining straight and curved lines (this is easily seen in limbs and clothes). take a look at Ami Thompson’s (i’m gonna keep referencing her bc she is one of my art gods) drawings and you’ll see there’s a sense of movement and texture and it’s done with lines. (you can try what i do and pick one of the simpler pieces and do a study of it - you’ll see how the lines just flow really well together).

but i think the most important thing i can advise to achieve more fluid poses is to (constantly) practice gesture drawing. it’s my favorite kind of drawing—it’s fun, fast, intuitive, and the results are very satisfying. once you get used to gesture drawing, i think that sense of rhythm and fluidity and implementation of concepts (line of action, c- and s-curves, etc) will be second nature to you as an artist and will help with how you think about poses.

one more thing - a practice i personally do - i’ve been referring to this artwork of kung fu sequences by Oscar Vargas for years now as a source of gesture drawing inspiration. i pick a sequence anywhere from the piece and draw like 9 images in a row in my sketchbook. the stylization and movement are sooo good, and i find it so fun to study and draw. so the general tip is that you can pick a favorite, drawable piece to constantly reference until you develop a sense and visual library and muscle memory of it, and it will bleed over into your other art.

again! you don’t have to take my advice and you should do what you like to do best 🤍 i’m not by any means a pro and even with the way i prioritize gesture and movement, i’m still very prone to wonky and confusing poses and mistakes - and people online have commented on how “off” they found some of my drawings so 😅 i took it on the chin as a technical critique—i need to get better at drawing.

and don’t worry—you will improve—the fact you’re seeing something you feel you need to change in your art means you’re “seeing” your art better. the next part is to work on this area with deliberate adjustments and practice.

ik artists are familiar with this graph but it bears constant reminding. if i feel my art’s really shitty it just means i’m able to see mistakes better and i can work on it.

good luck, anon!

[dors-ee]

I know I said I wasn't gonna talk about this anymore... but this, what i'm gonna develop, just hit me. And I want to get it out too. I've been trying to articulate why the whole "glorify", "sanctify", etc. nis bothering me so much, and how exactly it was contradicting what have been established with timebomb, and it hit me.

-I do think I'll be able to let it go and really this time not speak of it anymore after that.-

The whole "glorify you" and "sanctify you"" for me really cheapens and dismisses the whole "he accepts her as she is now" (that the MV confirmed).

It also I think kind of re introduces the fact/idea that he is hung up on Powder, and would only love Jinx in how similar to Powder she is instead of for who she truly is.

It really goes against him taking her as she is in the main universe, with her dark side and past actions. In particular the "glorifies".

does he sees her as she is and truly accepts her? Truly gives her love and acceptance?

Or does he only see the glorified version he wants? loves her only as she could become this glorified version he sees/wants?

I don't like that. The whole "he accepts her as she is and offers her love for who she is and gets down on her level and welcomes her and loves her and meets her where she is at right now" was dear to me. Very dear. It is a pillar of timebomb in Main Universe for me this side of "Ok. I fully accept you for you are now. I will try to forgive you. And we will build something new together yes and find the good in you yes but I accept you as you are. You are not just the monster I thought you were." Like he isn't only into "she can be super good" it isn't "I only love this super good ideal she could become".

like... what's the point if he actually only loves her for a glorified version of her?

... for what she could become only?

So if she fails to meet his glorified version... what happens?

like I'm not saying if she becomes super violent and all again he should be with her, I know it's a hard line for him. But there's a world in between "glorified super good version" and "bloodthirsty killer that does not care about people at all".

and if what he cares about is only the glorified version then, if she falls short of that (without going into the other extreme) what happens?

That's interesting for angst, and interesting to explore in stories yes, but shit for the ship as a whole. Cheapens it a lot imo.

(Also the other reason it bothers me is really bc for me it leans into the reduction of Ekko's character as only being all for Jinx. Only as a love interest.

He has more to do with his life, more things he care about. And I speak as a shipper.

Also, following the idea that it kind of reintroduces him being so hung up on Powder, it would go against his development in being the person that learns to let go of the past.

Vi is the one still super hunged up on Powder and a glorified version of her and the past as it was.

And Ekko supposedly learns to let go of the past. His whole thing is learning to let go of it and things holding him back amd that he gave up on stuff etc. That Powder is still in Jinx yes, but that he has to take her as she is. Powder or Jinx, just her, his "meilleure ennemie" and that he does love her as she is. And to go forward with her as she is.)

Like...for my entertainment and pleasure, in fanfiction I have read and wrote about him being super devoted like in the verse, being super hung up on her, etc.

Like I do not dislike the trope in itself and playing with it, exploring it, how it could work, etc. in fan work...

But I dislike it in canon. I dislike it for what it does to Ekko's character, and how it goes against the established stuff for timebomb going as far seriously cheapening the ship, in my opinion.

Oooook now I'm fully done I think.

(same as yesterday tho, I'm basing myself only on the verse I read. The one with scylla and sanctify and cie.)

now... maybe i am stupid and/or needs to relearn english and how to read and I misunderstood and the verse actually basically says "man you shouldn't glorify her". But that's not what I understood reading it.

i really understood it as him well currently rn saying he sanctifies and glorifies her and all. Not as a warning "do not do that.". But as a "this is what I am doing.".

[floridian-vigilante]

Some misc (accidentally domestic) wayne and or del thoughts to round out the day. (Sorry if any of these are ooc it's because the worms in my brain come out at night and they tell me things and I can get confused)

Wayne and Del running errands as 20-somethings is like if those kind of rude teenage couples who swear very loudly in front of toddlers and then talk shit about parents giving them nasty looks for it never grew up and had to get groceries or some shit,, the people hate them,,

Del very very secretly likes being able to tell people she wants to fuck off that her boyfriend's gonna beat the shit out of them, it just never comes up because she also really likes telling them that she's gonna beat the shit out of them herself, and then starting a fight in the middle of whatever unseasonable place this is happening in

Neither Del nor Wayne watch heaps and heaps of movies or TV shows so they kinda of just see what's on but in any case Del's favourite show is Daria it's so Daria she loves Daria, and Wayne's favourite is Malcolm in the Middle, if you don't believe me you just don't get it!!

Wayne would so learn how to make the most high level trained barista with 3 PhDs in coffee making and a bachelor's in latte art level coffee because he wakes up every morning at like 6 and needed something to do for the 1-5 hours he had before Del would wake up other than sitting around watching her sleep so now he makes good coffee.

This one isn't very silly fun and one day when I'm awake I want to actually go into it but I think Del has, or, rather, develops major depressive disorder. And something they do during her particularly bad moments during episodes once they're used to them is, when Del tolerates it, Wayne will find whatever piece of media she was really into before going into the episode and engage in it with her. Mostly it means just watching some tv show together on his laptop in bed, but sometimes he'll read to her. He always asks little, mostly rhetorical because she rarely responds, questions about whatever it is. And sometimes she might even answer the question, sometimes they might even talk and he has to try so hard to be normal about it bc it usually means she's starting to feel a little better. As an activity itself she wouldn't say that it lightens her mood, sometimes it even pisses her off a little, but for the most part it makes her feel more or less functional when she otherwise can't bring herself to lift her head off the pillow, and for that she's grateful.

While I'm being all domestic, if they had a cat they'd name him shitstick.

[quietlyblooms]

on a separate but related note, i wanna point out that part of chiyo’s journey is supposed to be finding love. it’s that thing of loving someone else is easier than loving herself, but in that love, she grows. she learns to not be so hard on herself. she learns that where she sees an ugly, overgrown garden, others see flourishing flowers. now!! that isn’t to say that platonic and familial love isn’t super important — it is!! so very much!! that’s why i want to try and build up the people around her so that i can think about how those relationships help her grow too. if not for them, chiyo would be so much worse off. there’s a lot about herself that she would always hide and stress about if not for her friends and family. she would hide away from the world itself if not for them.

but i just wanted to explain why sometimes i focus so much on romance as a concept with chiyo. i mean, i do just really enjoy shipping bc of the build up of that relationship. the development and journey is very rewarding bc it isn’t a smooth ride with chiyo 90% of the time. but pls know you are never obligated to ship with me, nor do i go in thinking you will automatically want to ship together. if i feel chemistry? yeah i may eventually say something or test the waters with a meme. but just as there’s no pressure if you want to ship, there’s no pressure if you don’t want to ship. i’m excited to write together no matter the kind of dynamic we decide on 💜

[idkjustletmescroll]

Warning: if you liked the dragon prince as it is, go right ahead and scroll on by :) this is basically what I would have done differently/liked to see, even if I did really like the show overall

We're just going to get right into it. This pretty much only pertains to act 2. I liked act 1. Anyways!

1: Ezran stays in katolis in season four; sunfire elf plotline rewrite

It's no secret that most people dislike the sunfire elf sideplot, and, despite the fact that janai and amaya are both my fav characters and my fav ship, it doesn't fit in to act 2's overall story. I'd have liked for them to continue the human/elf plotline both through sunfire politics and katolis', as well; there's no way ezran's speech in the graveyard in season 4 just made it a non-issue. Tbh, I didn't feel like ezran contributed much to the gang's journey in season 4, and, considering that act 1 had it be such a major plot point that the kingdom needs its king, I'd have liked for him to stay in katolis and, along with the sunfire plot, develop a plotline about humans and elves not only needing to reconcile, but come together to defeat aaravos (elf magic + human creativity and resourcefulness).

Also, the show mentions janai's grandma, queen Aditi, ALL THE TIME, and then never really does anything with her character--or the orphan queen. Since lux aurea canonically has a massive and ultra-important library ("bookery"), time could've been devoted to research there, too. It would have been a way to work in plenty of exposition.

2: The Terry issue

My issue with Terry is that he's just not important. I don't care about this guy. I spent most of act 2 dreading when he was on screen because I just don't care. Sure, he's sweet, but...why is an elf involved with a dark mage? How does he even get involved with claudia? How does he justify all the terrible things they're doing? I think it would've been interesting to see an elf who not only doesn't mind dark magic but defends it, presenting more issues for the main cast (i.e. callum) to think about. In my opinion, he should have either died or abandoned claudia fully in either seasons 5 or 6. He would have been the last person who loved and supported her unconditionally leaving her, one way or the other, and therefore leaving her fully vulernable to aaravos' manipulations. I'm sorry, but most of what he did in season 7 was centered around getting the gang not to hurt claudia, and it was pissing me off. No, you don't have to agree, this is just an opinion.

3: Rayllum

Yes, I know, I know, it's just a kid's show. Yes, I know rayllum is an audience fav, and even if it's not mine, I understand why people like it so much. It's cute, it's fun. My issue with act 2 rayllum is that it feels like the show focuses a lot more on their relationship than on the individual characters. I'd like rayla to actually explain to callum why she left: she was paranoid, she wanted to make sure viren was gone for good. Could she have finished him off herself, if it came down to it, looking him dead in the eyes and using her swords? There's a question that keeps coming back to haunt her: is she able to end a life? Why couldn't she have let callum and ezran help her? She's failed at everything else (in her eyes). She can't go home, her own adopted fathers either banished her or tried to kill her. She couldn't fail at this, too. She had to do something. That's interesting.

And on callum's side, I think it would have been cool to see him connecting with the ocean arcanum...without the finnegrin plot, bc I didn't like it. He sees ezran growing up, and that's kind of scary, not always knowing what his little brother's thinking or feeling anymore. Callum's growing up, too, and, as much as he loves being high mage, he still wants to explore the world and learn new things outside of katolis; he's getting political marriage offers; his life is going to change soon, one way or the other, and that's scary, and he doesn't really have a parental figure to talk to, with Amaya being away. He can't always control or predict rayla, and he can't control or predict or prevent all of his losses, either. Since that's the ocean arcanum's whole deal, I think it would have been a neat way for him to get it.

There we go, plotlines for individual characters instead of the whole relationship, that still include and effect that relationship. Also, I would somewhat tweak callum's decision to help rayla in s7. First, he would also have his own conflicting feelings about runaan. He agrees runaan should be allowed to go to his home and husband, but insists that ezran will be easily convinced as soon as things settle down, "in a few weeks." Rayla goes through with the breakout anyways, callum's hurt but decides to go along with it, and--and this is very important--HE DOES NOT LIKE RUNAAN. He does not FORGIVE Runaan. Maybe they talk it out, but either way, runaan being the one to have killed harrow effects callum in some way. S7 made it more of an ezran thing. Callum also feels a lot more torn up about betraying ezran, maybe seeing some sibling pairs in the silvergrove that make him think back on his brother.

4: The key of aaravos

Just some resolution to the key, guys. It's been emphasized CONSTANTLY in the show since s1 episode 4. Idk what it would be, I just want it to be SOMETHING.

[harlequinoccult]

i am back w more rants this time abt one of my other characters (hopefully this one will be shorter, ik you say you dont mind but i feel bad every time i go to check in on your blog and i have to scroll past the multiple bibles i sent you... so im sending even more bibles to you-)

her name is Willow "Heartbreak" Bark. she wears a pink, white and gold venetian mask and her weapon of choice is brass knuckles. her specialty is bait and she thought that going out to the middle of the forest wearing a mini skirt and a crop top was a good idea. i am starting by listing her in-game characteristics because i truly don't know how to properly introduce Willow and all the shitshow that goes on with her-

unlike Ariel, Wills actually fits perfectly well in the slsq universe and i think that should say smth abt her character right away. honestly adapting her to fit into the story was the easiest thing ever because this is exactly the kind of shit she would get herself into.

she's a trans woman who grew up on the US somewhere south (i am not american and know just as much abt american geography as i do abt british geography), which is only important bc she has a subtle southern american accent, and despite Newcreed not having a set location i am going to say for plot purposes it is not located on the south in Willow's timeline. anyway

she's a country girl! born to a middle-to-high class family that owned a big estate with all the things a farm usually has (cattle, horses, fields, crops, etc). they had workers to help take care of everything, but the kids were encouraged to help with chores and learn some husbandry as a way to "build character". her parents were an extremely conservative bunch, and their parenting mainly consisted of being distant and pretending their kids didn't exist until they were useful for them, which for Willow specifically meant that she started developing people pleasing tendencies and a never ending quest for approval pretty early on in life.

Wills learns that she's beautiful at quite the young age. she also learns that using that beauty for her benefit is quite easy to do, that flattery and emotional bonds, no matter how fake, would get her far. and if she can play the victim well enough when she does something wrong, she'll be able to get away with it.

personality-wise, Willow has always been charismatic. a bit of a flatterer, a bit of a jokester, a lot of confidence and an extreme flirt. seriously, this woman will flirt w anything that has the ability to consent. if you have pants, she's trying to get in them. and sometimes it's even genuine! ...she mostly uses it as a manipulation tactic tho. i mean, there's no reason it can't be both! (im always so excited for playing as Willow bc she always ends up w the MESSIEST relationship stat screens. i can't wait to see how that translates into slsq)

in her teen years, she was picked on a lot for being "feminine" and having mostly girl friends (at the time, she still thought she was cis), despite being a jock and considered quite popular. she was also the one "guy" who had gone out w the most girls of the entire school. even back then, Wills was already considered a heartbreaker, someone who couldn't stay in a relationship for more than 2 months (spoilers: that doesn't change and probably only gets worse as she gets older).

it's not until her late teens that she starts really questioning her gender, and the reason it happens is because she gets drunk and finally sleeps w "another" man for the first time. from there, everything starts going downhill. she goes through a difficult period of self-discovery and coming to therms w her gender and her sexuality. when she finally begins to transition, her parents become suddenly extremely invested in her personal life in a way they hadn't ever been before. 

they threaten to disown her if she starts HRT. so she hangs her head, cries, and promises she would  never do smth like that.

one day her parents wake up to the fire alarm going off. Willow's bedroom had catched on fire, with her most important belongings missing, one of their best trucks gone from the garage and their bank account sucked dry.

they never saw Willow again.

running away like that was... maybe not the best idea Wills ever had. like every major decision she makes in her life, it was done on impulse, driven by pure rage, with no backup plan and a half baked, somehow extremely well executed idea, that sustained her on pure luck and adrenaline for the years that followed. 

her parents were pissed. maybe setting the house on fire was overkill, maybe they actually loved her after all and didn't want her gone, but it most likely was because of the thousands of dollars that suddenly went missing that made them so invested in trying to catch her and bring her back.

how did she get her hands on that much money so suddenly without anyone noticing until it was too late? great question! short answer: not important, what matters is she did. long non-answer: Willow's major skill has always been networking. she's very good at meeting people and charming people and getting them on her side, asking favors and having them do what she wants. would she have known how to transfer so much money without getting caught? hell no! but she definitely knows someone who would.

for a few years, life was a bit of a struggle. a lot of running away until she finally managed to change her name and appearance to something that would fit her best, and throw off the cops at the same time. honestly, her ending up in Newcreed is no coincidence. she knew she wouldn't be bothered there.

her meeting Carter is also not a surprise in the least. remember when i said one of her major skills is networking? someone like Carter could turn out to be very useful at some point. that makes him worthy of adding to her never ending contact list.

she worked as a stripper and sex worker for a while, when her parent's stolen money started to run dry. a very important thing to know abt Willow is that she's a party girl. she likes to have fun. she loves sex and drugs and alcohol, she's not squeamish and she knows "fun" can be made up of many different things, but it's always better when there's a little risk involved, isn't it? until one day she parties a little too close to the sun.

gambling is very fun, you see, and also happens to give her a chance to earn even more money if she gets lucky, and Willow has always been quite lucky. she's not afraid to take risks, she's not afraid to jump into things headfirst, she's definitely not afraid to commit to things with no backup plan and deal with the consequences later.

and that's how she ends up in crippling debt.

(1/2)

-🦊

(pt 1)