#Link Building Help

[jamesmwagner]

What are the definitive resource for organic link building?

Link building refers to obtaining high-quality in-content links from other websites relevant to your industry. The more links you get, the more your links will get popular, which results in higher rankings.

[genericpuff]

Tbh at this point you should just make your own webcomic app/website because it would probably be 100 times better than whatever going on with webtoon right now.

hahaha it wouldn't tho, sorry 💀

Here's the fundamental issue with webcomic platforms that a lot of people just don't realize (and why they're so difficult to run successfully):

Storage costs are incredibly expensive, it's why so many sites have limitations on file sizes / page sizes / etc. because all of those images and site info have to be stored somewhere, which costs $$$.

Maintenance costs are expensive and get more so as you grow, you need people who are capable of fixing bugs ASAP and managing the servers and site itself

Financially speaking, webcomics are in a state of high supply, low demand. Loads of artists are willing to create their passion projects, but getting people to read them and pay for them is a whole other issue. Demand is high in the general sense that once people get attached to a webtoon they'll demand more, but many people aren't actually willing to go looking for new stuff to read and depend more on what sites feed them (and what they already like). There are a lot of comics to go around and thus a lot of competition with a limited audience of people willing to actually pay for them.

Trying to build a new platform from the ground up is incredibly difficult and a majority of sites fail within their first year. Not only do you have to convince artists to take a chance on your platform, you have to convince readers to come. Readers won't come if there isn't work on the platform to read, but artists won't come if they don't think the site will be worth it due to low traffic numbers. This is why the artists with large followings who are willing to take chances on the smaller sites are crucial, but that's only if you can convince them to use the site in favor of (or alongside) whatever platform they're using already where the majority of their audience lies. For many creators it's just not worth the time, energy, or risk.

Even if you find short-term success, in the long-term there are always going to be profit margins to maintain. The more users you pull in, the more storage is used by incoming artists, the more you have to spend on storage and server maintenance costs, and that means either taking the risk at crowdfunding (ex. ComicFury) or having to resort to outsider investments (ex. Tapas). Look at SmackJeeves, it used to be a titan in the independent webcomic hosting community, until it folded over to a buyout by NHN and then was pretty much immediately shuttered due to NHN basically turning it into a manwha scanlation site and driving away its entire userbase. And if you don't get bought out and try your hand at crowdfunding, you may just wind up living on a lifeline that could cut out at any moment, like what happened to Inkblazers (fun fact, the death of Inkblazers was what kicked off the cultural shift in Tapas around 2015-16 when all of IB's users migrated over and brought their work with them which was more aimed towards the BL and romancee drama community, rather than the comedy / gag-a-day culture that Tapas had made itself known for... now you deadass can't tell Tapas apart from a lot of scanlation sites because it got bought out by Kakao and kept putting all of its eggs into the isekai/romance drama basket.)

Right now the mindset in which artists and readers are operating is that they're trying way, way too hard to find a "one size fits all" site. Readers want a place where they can find all their favorite webtoons without much effort, artists wants a place where they can post to an audience of thousands, and both sides want a community that will feel tight-knit. But the reality is that you can't really have all three of those things, not on one site. Something always winds up having to be sacrificed - if a site grows big enough, it'll have to start seeking more funding while also cutting costs which will result in features becoming paywall'd, intrusive ads, creators losing their freedom, and/or outsider support which often results in the platform losing its core identity and alienating its tight-knit community.

If I had to describe what I'm talking about in a "pick one" graphic, it would look something like this:

(*note: this is mostly based on my own observations from using all of these sites at some point or another, they're not necessarily entirely accurate to the statistical performance of each site, I can only glean so much from experience and traffic trackers LMAO that said I did ask some comic pals for input and they were very helpful in helping me adjust it with their own takes <3).

The homogenization of the Internet has really whipped people into submission for the "big sites" that offer "everything", but that's never been the Internet, it relies on being multi-faceted and offering different spaces for different purposes. And we're seeing that ideology falter through the enshittification of sites like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. where users are at odds with the platforms because the platforms are gutting features in an attempt to satisfy shareholders whom without the platforms would not exist. Like, most of us aren't paying money to use social media sites / comic platform sites, so where else are they gonna make the necessary funds to keep these sites running? Selling ad space and locking features behind paywalls.

And this is especially true for a lot of budding sites that don't have the audience to support them via crowdfunding but also don't have the leverage to ask for investments - so unless they get really REALLY lucky in EITHER of those departments, they're gonna be operating at a loss, and even once they do achieve either of those things there are gonna be issues in the site's longevity, whether it be dying from lack of growing crowdfunding support or dying from shareholder meddling.

So what can we do?

We can learn how to take our independence back. We don't have to stop using these big platforms altogether as they do have things to offer in their own way, particularly their large audience sizes and dipping into other demographics that might not be reachable from certain sites - but we gotta learn that no single site is going to satisfy every wish we have and we have to be willing to learn the skills necessary to running our own spaces again. Pick up HTML/CSS, get to know other people who know HTML/CSS if you can't grasp it (it's me, I can't grasp it LOL), be willing to take a chance on those "smaller sites" and don't write them off entirely as spaces that can be beneficial to you just because they don't have large numbers or because they don't offer rewards programs. And if you have a really polished piece of work in your hands, look into agencies and publishing houses that specialize in indie comics / graphic novels, don't settle for the first Originals contract that gets sent your way.

For the last decade corporations have been convincing us that our worth is tied to the eyes we can bring to them. Instead of serving ourselves, we've begun serving the big guys, insisting that it has to be worth something eventually and that it'll "payoff" simply by the virtue of gambler's fallacy. Ask yourself what site is right for you and your work rather than asking yourself if your work is good enough for them. Most of us are broke trying to make it work on these sites anyways, may as well be broke and fulfilled by posting in places that actually suit us and our work if we can. Don't define your success by what sites like Webtoons are enforcing - that definition only benefits them, not you.

[aurorangen]

The following day, Bryce decided to go boxing at the gym with Robbie and release all the pent up frustration at his former company. He didn't expect to meet his good old friend Leif Pollock there!

[mirthfulmoonshine]

LoZ: Ternary Ages △ World of Hyrule

⚔ Hyrule Overworld

Hyrule is broken into 9 major regions: Central Hyrule, Faron, Necluda, Lanayru, Eldin, Woodlands, Hebra, Tabantha, and Gerudo. Smaller regions such as Lost Woods, Akalla, Lurelin, Ridgelands, and the Barren Basins fill the gaps.

The colored map highlights the territories of the existing nations. The Sheikah of Necluda and Hylians os Faron/Lurelin are considered in Hyrule proper but are still unique nations.

The Rito have not unified and the Kokiri do not consider themselves a 'nation.'

❇ Central Hyrule

Leader: Hylian Royal Family (King Rhoam, Queen Zirda, Princess/Queen Zelda)

Allies: Zora, Goron, Kokiri, Sheikah, Lurelins

Adversaries: Gerudo, Hebra Rito

Neutral: Tabantha Rito

Sage of Light - Zirda | Triforce of Wisdom - Zelda

Central Hyrule is the land of Hylia, filled with sloping plains, green grass, gentle winds, and elegant mountains reaching for the heavens. The land is rich with grains, fruit, lumber, cattle, and fresh water bodies. Dotting the plains, hills, and forests are small towns, surviving on cattle and the land, harvesting and trading to stay afloat in their prosperity. On an inselberg, north of the nation, sits Hyrule Castle and its town. Bustling with trade, music, and wealth, the town and castle are architectural beauties, densely populated and only silent at night. Cathedral structures, cool cobalt stone, and glorious red banners lined with golden embroidery loudly announce abundance. Nothing beats the Temple of Time, a huge ancient structure said to protect the gate to the Sacred Realm, where Hylia rests. Gardens with archways, marble altars, and murals are scattered throughout. Castle Town is known for its grand festivals and parties, adoring their king, queen, and princess and praying for the Hero. It' people worship the primordial goddess Hylia and the Three Golden Goddesses: Farore, Din, and Nayru. Their sovereign leader is the reigning royal family, a monarchy known for their generosity to their people, divine powers, and a desire to unify the land at large.

𑁍 Lurelin/Faron

Leader: N/A

Vassal nation to Hyrule

Hero of Courage/Triforce of Courage - Link

South of Central Hyrule, Faron is a wet and coastal region, littered with some dense woodlands abundant with rain. Its people are all former pirates and seafarers, having settled in this coastal region after the Great Sea pulled away, revealing its lush, fertile soils. Trades of fishing, butchery, woven mercantile, glorious fabrics and tapestries, and ivory/shell material have earned the area a name for itself. The region is a vassal to Hyrule, serving its royal family and has no internal governmental structure. While they worship Hylia, the land is said to be Farore's birthplace so her divinity is highly respected here, thus, so is the Hero. The Hero is worshipped and all children are prayed to be the Hero. The Earth Temple is here.

𓁿 Necluda

Leader: Sheikah Elder, Diya

Vassal state to Hyrule.

Sage of Shadow - Parrane

Necluda is the mountainous valley home to the Sheikah tribe, a collection of white-haired people who have long served the Hylian royal family and institution. Often called the 'Shadow People,' the Sheikah are very secretive in their valley, keeping close, barred watch on its eastern border with Lurelin. Kakariko Village, if reached, is friendly and sacred. Legend says that dragons are born from their neighboring lake, swirling into the sky and cutting through the famous, notably Dual Peaks. The Sheikah are masters in stealth, potions and oils, balms, chicken byproducts, and metallurgy. The people are led by the Sheikah Elder, Diya. Her niece, Impa, serves as Hyrule's princess' guard. The Sheikah nobody Parrane would eventually awaken as the Sage of Shadow, the tenant of the Shadow Temple - a dense system of caves and wells all connected, eventually turned into a torture chamber for the royal family.

⏾ Lanayru

Leaders: Zora Royal Family (King Inogo, Queen Lala, Princess Ruti)

Allies: Hyrule, Gorons

Adversaries: Gerudo

Neutral: Ritos

Sage of Water - Malan

The Zora live in the rainy, dark, mountainous, and luminescent Lanayru. A watery paradise filled with glowing stones, ancient ruins half-buried in lakes, and dense evergreens, Lanayru is a heavenly place. Soaked, the land thrives in an industry of trading metals, crabs, fish, flora such as honeysuckles, nightshades, and evergreen saps. With a rich history in monument building, the Zora's have impeccable craftsmanship with stone, metal, and ice, trading statues and polished stone and gem talismans. King Inogo and Queen Lala run the Zora with a benevolent but iron fist, being pompous and pretentious much of the time. Jabu-Jabu is the god of the Zora, a turbulent and finicky water creature that lives in Lake Ruta, believed to bring floods, rains, droughts, and ice storms with a simple bellow. To keep Jabu-Jabu pleased, the Zora employ a royal musician to soothe the god.

ঌ Eldin

Leader: Goron Chief Amato

Allies: Hyrule, Zora

Adversaries: Gerudo

Neutral: Hebra Rito

Sage of Fire - Dobras

At the mercy of Death Mountain, the Gorons populate the region of Eldin. Eldin is mountainous, jagged, hot, and overflowing with lava and hidden hot springs. Abundant in the mountain is ores and metals, making fine armor, weapons, and armaments/artillery. With the lava of the mountain, Gorons make ointments, religious and brotherly souvenirs, towering monuments/statues, and deadly catapults. Death Mountain is seen as the Golden Goddess Din's throne, where she sits and bestows either blessing or destruction on the denizens of Hyrule - earning the mountain a godlike reverence from the Gorons. Born from the stone, Gorons are a peaceful but powerful race, led by a chief Amato. The Gorons are expert blacksmiths, strategists, and musicians - being friendly above all else. Their rock roast and spring-boiled eggs are to die for!

𖤓 Gerudo

Leader: King/Lord Ganondorf Dragmire

Allies: Tabantha Rito

Adversaries: Hyrule, Zora, Goron, Kokiri

Neutral: Hebra Rito

Triforce of Power/Vessel of Malice - Ganondorf | Sage of Spirit - Riar'svah

Locked in by towering mountains, the Gerudo desert is a harsh, near unlivable area. Despite this, a rich array of creatures, flora, and people dwell in the desert. Amidst Molduga, saffina, juicy melons, oases, and tangy fruits, the Gerudo people have amassed an empire. The Gerudo Fortress is a feat: built jutting out of the mountain at the foot of the Desert Colossus, with windcatchers using the winds from the Highlands to cool the fortress, the underground reservoir waters are pumped upwards to flow through the fortress. Mosaics, walls of glass and gems, and tapestries ordain the fortress with beauty. Their matrilineal and matriarchal society worship the Sand Goddess and spiritually venerate their ancestors through colossal statues, colosseums, and underground sanctuaries. Trading fabrics, gems, dyes, Molduga parts, and gold, the Gerudo are wealthy and sovereign. A male is born once every 100 years, the current one on the throne, overseeing their three part government: king/chief, spiritual priestess, and magic elders.

𐦍 Rito

Tabantha:

Leader: Komilli & Needeema

Allies: Gerudo

Adversaries: Hebra Rito

Neutral: Hyrule

Sage of Wind | Komilli

Tabantha is a rich area of sloping plains, tall grass, and a gradual fade into cold, windy mountains, dense with snow. The Tabantha Rito tribe live in the northwest pocket of the region, specifically on the bird-shaped island in Medhoh Lake. There, they thrive in the towering ivory and stone structure, creating expert bows, arrows, wheat and grain products, and woven/braided material. They trade little with Hyrule, usually in exchange for foodstuffs. These Rito are tactical archers and woodwind musicians, famous for their lullabies and melodies heard echoing across Tabantha's frontier. In the Rito divide, the Tabantha coveted the Wind Temple, a towering structure nestled away in the mountains where the wind howls relentlessly, buffeting all who come near. This temple is their sacred place, challenging young Rito to brave the tormenting winds to reach it and leave offerings to the mysterious half-Rito, half-Hylian there, simply named Wind Player. The Sage of Wind, Komilli, turns his back on Hyrule when the war starts and his fellow leader, Needeema agrees, making the Tabantha Rito a neutral party...mostly. Komilli receives a vision and flies into the Gerudo Highlands where he meets with the Gerudo Sage... a deal was struck, that's all many know.

Hebra:

Leader: Edeeri

Perilous drops, slick ice, and thick snow loom over the dry, windy tundras of Hebra. Isolated, adversarial, and unwelcome, the Hebra Rito tribe are hostile to all who cross their lands, flying high above to spot and dive bomb intruders. Their hostility is unknown in origin but their callousness is not out of a violent inclination rather a desire to be left alone, safe, and separate from the divine back and forth in Hyrule proper. Since they engage in no trade or official communications, not much is known about the Hebra Rito save for a few stories and ideas. Their arrows are crafted of stone and lumber, with feathers plucked from the tail feathers of their user. They worship no god or goddess and their leader, seen in glimpses so brief many wonder is she is real, is Edeeri, an all-black Rito near twice the size of her companions.

𖧧 Woodlands / Lost Woods

The Kokiri and the Lost Woods inhabitants are non affiliated, choosing to remain in their shrouded depths of gnarled roots, misty meadows, endless lakes, and the shade of the Great Deku Tree. Tatu, the keeper of the Master Sword, is the only Kokiri who graces Hyrule, citing a divine calling to reach out and aid in the incoming rise of the Demon King.

[indigos-stardust]

their autism clashes so hard (so do their traumas <3)

[zeldalizzy]

Hi! Me again! Figured I would send this one out so by the time I finish Legend, I'm ready to start on Hyrule! I know I want to do either Rapunzel, Pocahontas, or Moana, but I can't decide which!! Thus, I have enlisted the help of all of you. Thank you for helping me conquer my indecisiveness 😂🩵

[fantasy-anatomy-analyst]

Sorry if I ask too many elf questiins but at what traits I should think making elves that are evolved to be pseudo mammal synapsids that are equally good at climbing and swimining and live in "waterly wet forests " ? Sorry for so many elf questions

How would elves based on early synapsids wuth ears and hair that are as flexibles as snakes and as fast as cheetach could possibly work?

I'm not sure what you mean by ears and hair being as flexible as snakes? flexible ears are easy enough, external ears are made of thin cartilage, which is quite flexible, and many animals can turn their ears in a lot of different directions thanks to all the small muscles around their ears. hair doesn't generally move on its own, though they could have whiskers and the whiskers could be attached to facial muscles that allow them to be moved.

being able to swim, climb, and also run fast like a cheetah should be doable. they'd probably have a long torso, flexible limb joints, and sleek bodies. Perhaps a tail that's a bit flat on the sides so it's useful for swimming. slight webbing between the fingers and toes, short claws. ears that can close out the water by folding back on the head. a flexible neck attached closer to the back of the skull so they can look straight ahead while swimming, running on all fours, or climbing vertical tree trunks.

elves in something like a swamp/bayou forest or a coastal mangrove would be pretty cool!

here's some quick sketches to kinda help explain things better:

(image description: sketches of an elf-like figure with a long torso and a flat tail. it's shown standing, running on all fours, and climbing a tree. there are close up sketches of its hand and foot to show the short claws and slight webbing. end description.)

[frog-chemicals]

hi did you finish the fic about the bad kids and their various autistic traits? I'd love to read it

Oh! It is nowhere near finished! (I’ve been doing SO many Other Things)

But! That does not mean I will not be informing you of my Many Elaborate Headcanons and Why I Have Them!

I think either Gorgug or Adaine would be the first to get diagnosed with anything.

Adaine, obviously, gets diagnosed with anxiety first. I think from there on out she gets Actual Therapy, which then leads to her getting diagnosed as autistic. I think she really struggles with learning how to unmask and actually be comfortable in her own skin, in being her own person.

A lot of the autistic traits she does not hide could be explained by her being a High-Elf Wizard.

She’s very blunt, she’s very fixated on things making sense, she hyper focuses on Her Specific Field of Interest, she’s peculiar about how her things are organized. She only likes when a select few people touch her and that’s not even all the time.

When she does allow herself to unmask, I think most of her stims involve swaying and repeating phrases, spell names, spell ingredients, those sorts of things.

Gorgug’s parents care about him so much. However, I don’t think he actually gets diagnosed until he’s in his teens. There’s probably a few reasons for it ranging from his parents simply not realizing due to gnome culture being incredibly autism friendly to it being really hard to get a half-orc kid diagnosed with anything that won’t end up with the stigmas of said diagnoses causing them more difficulty in life.

That being said, Gorgug’s autistic and probably deals with a lot of body dysmorphia.

He’s one of the people who adapts most easily to learning that What He Experiences Has A Name. He probably does have a brief moment of “Oh. So I am different.” only to once again realize that everyone he’s surrounded himself with are also different and they’re awesome, so him being different is, if not also awesome, completely okay.

He generally struggles socially (bad at social cues, doesn’t know how to make friends, awkward around strangers), he likes listening to Brain Explosion Music, he doesn’t pick up on a lot of things at the same speed that most other people seem to.

I think that when he stims, it’s usually not something very obvious. It’s a lot of playing games it’s his hoodie strings, drumming on things (picked up from Fig), humming a song to himself. That sort of stuff.

I think it takes until after Ayda discovers she’s autistic for the rest of The Bad Kids to Figure It Out.

In my mind, at least, it starts with her asking Fig and Adaine for help making a presentation so she can explain Herself better to her friend.

Adaine already knows a thing or two, having also been diagnosed (probably pretty recently) but it takes her reading Jawbones books for things to fully click that “Oh. We’re all like this”

She still helps Ayda with her presentation, of course. She is her best friend, after all. But it does very much result in a secondary presentation in which Adaine thinks all The Bad Kids are autistic, which several of them had already started to suspect during Ayda’s presentation about herself and her autism.

Riz is most obvious. The only reason he’s not diagnosed is the fact it’s expensive and there’s not a lot of mental health professionals who know anything about goblins in the area.

He’s autistic and has both anxiety and insomnia as a direct result of it.

Initially, he tries to deny it and goes to his mom basically trying to convince her to agree that it’s just goblin stuff, right??? She tells him that not only is he a Remarkably Autistic Goblin, he gets it from Pok.

I think his stimming involve a lot of, for lack of better words, instinctive behaviors? He chews on things, he chitters, he taps his claws on things, he takes cover in small, comfortable places (like his friends backpacks or jackets, especially while they’re wearing them).

But a lot of it is also very,,,, Detectively. Yeah. That’s a word. Why not.

He repeats words and phrases regarding his cases, he scribbles down notes even if he already has the information, even if he knows he will remember, he clicks his pen and probably does some pretty sweet tricks with them too. His clue board making should absolutely be considered a form of stimming, in my opinion.

(Also, him joking about Shooting People being a stim is Very Funny to me)

Kristen I think is pretty chill about it initially, only to have a breakdown about her entire worldview being changed again at a later point.

She has a pretty blatant special interest in religion to me.

She also has adhd and dyspraxia.

Most of her stimming involves a lot of movement. She picks up on hand flapping from Ayda, sways a lot, brunches her legs, taps her feet, taps her hands on things, stretches out and flexes her body a lot. She probably used to play with her hair a lot when it was longer. While she still does, she’s mostly moved on to using the frankly absurd amount of stim toys she’s keeping stored somewhere. Most of them end up getting “borrowed” and lost in the pockets of her party at some point.

Sometimes she sings old hymns.

Fig tries to act cool about it. Fig is not cool about it. She already struggles with Being Herself and Wearing Masks enough as it is. Finding about the ADHD makes sense, really. Finding out about the autism is a slightly higher hurdle to get over.

For a lot of her life, she was so incredibly focused on fitting in, on making the pretty popular girls like her enough to include her, on making sure no one noticed just how much she felt like there was something different about her.

And then it turned out she is different. She’s a tiefling. She’s bisexual. She’s autistic. She is so little like the girl she used to be, like the girl she pretended to be.

It’s difficult, for a while, I think.

But, one thing about being nothing like the kid others expected you to be, is that it’s supper fucking punk.

It still takes a good long while to discover who Fig truly is, but she’s finally starting to feel true confidence that she doesn’t need to know just yet. That she’s allowed to be figuring herself out. That she’s allowed to be complicated and messy.

I think the way she stims is pretty similar to Kristen. There’s a lot of movement to it. She drums on things, bounces her legs, shifts her weight around a lot when she’s standing, plays with her hair, generally likes keeping her hands busy with something. But she also has a pretty big oral fixation. While her chewing habits aren’t quite as intense as Riz, I do think she tends to chew on stuff like pens when they happen to get near her mouth. I think her smoking habit is also pretty strongly influenced by this.

Fabian is the one who struggles most. While it’s fine for his friends to all be a little odd in all their different ways, he cannot have anything wrong with him. I think it takes a lot of talking before he even accepts that maybe it’s okay for something to be strange about him as well. Even if he is becoming his own man, that boy still has so many insecurities about who he is as a person.

I think he has a similar social struggle to Fig. He seems like someone who fits in. He feels like someone who’s supposed fit in. He adapts so easily whatever situation he’s put in, hoping that maybe if he’ll bend himself the right way, he’ll actually fit somewhere.

But he’s never actually had friends his own age. Sure, part of that is because he’s been on pirate ships up until he was, like, 16 but part is also the fact that, for so long, he’s been trying to be who his father wants him to be that he barely knows how to be his own person.

He struggles socially the same way Fig does. He doesn’t know how to fit in with people that actually like him, so he puts on his rich boy jock persona and he fakes it until, well, something happens. He uses humor in an attempt to deflect the fact he doesn't understand when talk about things in roundabout ways. He acts like he doesn't care when people talk about things that he struggles to understand. He barrels through a team sport solo because he figured it would be more effective that was.

And unlike Fig, who could have probably continued to be that sweet little cheerleader for years to come hadn’t it been for her horns, people realize he’s different, realize he does not fit in.

Fabian struggles with accepting it the most but he does have somewhere he fits in, even if he spent so long trying to deny it. He fits in with this party of weirdo misfits that love him just as much as he’s realized he loves them.

I think, when he finally allows himself to unmask enough to stim, it’s a lot of dancy movement and a lot of vocal stims. He bounces on his feet, he sways on his legs, he hoot-growls to himself a lot. Also, because I love projecting onto Fabian, I think he gets a "Kipperlilly Copperkettle" vocal stim at some point. I also like to think of him as dylsexic but that is a purely self indulgent headcanon

[kheprriverse]

I caved and decided yk what... dragon Ares au. -> Dragon AU lore-dump

Slightly different story? but its like mostly the same except Ares (and Apollo) were seemingly abandoned eggs found by a squad in the hyrulean army and raised by Artemis(Zelda) and Athena(Impa). Everything dragon-lore-related that I've been (not so subtly) sprinkling is also all the same, including Volga, but the effects of being raised by hylians makes itself clear in Ares and his sister.

The rest of Hyrule Warriors still plays out somewhat similarly except that yk... Ares is a dragon. I mean who wouldn't want to steal a dragon for your own army?

Also since he was raised by hylians who have 0 idea how dragons actually work, especially fire dragons (because of how sparse they are), he probably has no idea he could have a hylian form like Volga.

Oh. Also he knows how to use a sword.

[variousqueerthings]

@syrupmap my QUESTION is. and it's a question that may never be answered/exists as a choose yer own adventure + i acknowledge the limitations of spoilers

how much does ray kowalski know about fraser?

in the sense of his past. it's interesting because obviously the show won't rehash all the information we got in s1-2, but it does give clues that ray knows some things (moose jaw was mentioned, as you pointed out, also i make an assumption he knows that fraser was raised by his grandparents, obvs some of the things related to his relationship with quinn -- also it's brain dead time, but im sure s3-4 brought up other things anyway, requires a rewatch with this thought in my head)

there are other things i don't think he does know. i cannot imagine fraser told him about victoria, or gerrard, but maybe he could've found out some of this by osmosis. does he know about eric, and details about fraser's upbringing? mark smithbauer?

my current thinking is that ray doesn't know most of these things outside of the broadest strokes, because fraser hasn't let any of them be a big deal (he was sort of forced to in s1-2, although he did try to open up to rayv about victoria in you must remember... but there's also someone somewhere who headcanoned he might've known ray was asleep, and so it's just another way of not sharing while sharing, which is also a fun read. but there was a lot of "ray vecchio asks him questions" and him being compelled to answer/sometimes rayv demanding answers)

in s3 (as one big 26ep thing), the first big fraser lore episode we've had has been the episode with quinn and that was also the episode in which ray asked him if he was ok/was worried about him throughout, so the cracks are showing. ALSO one spoiler i have had from eaaarlyish on was that fraser's mother was killed (altho no other details than that) and since that hasn't come up yet, i assume ray's gonna learn about that!

but, it returns to my first question: what does ray kowalski know about this man who keeps things very close to the chest?

[build-a-pokemon]

Wanted to stop by and thank you for the first pack we requested! :3 Mesmerizer is able to fully form now!! /gen , excited!!! I was wondering if itd be ok to request another? ^^ ( we have so many pokemon ehre who need help fully forming BGFHJ ) We have a Luxray here who would like to flesh himself out some more! All we really know is that one of his names is Annex, masc-aligned, and very protective. If its ok, we'd like the shiny level pack again w/ accessories! ( front triggers, source things, songs ) and maaaybe a pfp or banner if you have the energy when you get to this!! :3c - 🧧🥮

So happy we could help, it's absolutely okay and encouraged, send as many rqs as you need!

The Professor has answered! Thank you& for the ask.

Packs can be edited as needed; and Headmates might not turn out exactly as described!!

Headmate Pack For: 🧧🥮 Anon!

Level: Shiny {5}

Add-Ons: Front Triggers, Source Info, Songs, Pfp & Banner!

[⛰️]

Name/s: Annex! Lyn, Tempest, Bolt

Pronouns: he/him, hey/hem, hx/hxm, ve/vir, ne/nim, ae/aer

Term/s: masculine! + neutral

Gender/s: paramaac, pocket gender, nonbinary, bxy, demiboy

Orientation/s: gay, homoromantic, demisexual, AroAce

Species: Pokémon - Luxray | #0405

Role/s: Protector, Guardian, System Protector, Battery, Guard Dog, Creature Carer

Face Claim/s:

Nickname/s: Tem/p, Ann, Nex, Nexi, Nexus

Noun Pronouns: light/lightning, storm/storms, dark/darks, moon/moons, cat/cats, paw/paws, claw/claws, bolt/bolts, ni/night, lux/ray

Xenogender/s: luxrayic, electrictypic, stormcoric, electrocattic

Age/s: 25-27, mid twenties, 29-32, late twenties-early thirties

Likes: thunder storms, rain, warm coffee, sour candies (ex. Sour Patch Kids)

Dislikes: mean ppl, unreasonable aggression, being cold

Sign-Off/s: ⚡🐾, ⚡🐅, ⚫⚡, 🌩️🐾

Emoji Pronouns: 🌩️/🌩️self, ⛈️/⛈️self, ⚡/⚡self, ⚫/⚫self, 🖤/🖤, 🌆/🌆self, 🌑/🌓s/🌕self, 🌙/🌙self, 🐾/🐾self, 🐅/🐅self

Typing Quirk/s: s = z, may uppercase pre-existing z's!

Ex. " Thiz iz how Annex typez, he likez ztormz! " {/normal text/ " This is how Annex types, he likes storms! " }

Kin/Theriotype/s: Luxraykin, lightningkith, thunder hearted, panther theriotype, lionkin

Personality: A little unpredictable but friendly! Annex is very protective of the ones he holds dear to hxm and will go out of ⚡s way to keep them safe!

Aesthetic/s: Goth, Emo, Dark Academia

Moodboard/s: [9]

Positive Front Triggers: rainstorms, incents (specifically vanilla & lavender), rain ambiance

Neutral Front Triggers: thunder/lightning, flashing lights

Song/s: Thunder - Imagine Dragons, Some Nights - Fun, Faster Car - Loving Caliber, Try - Pink

Banner/Pfp:

[We couldn't find one in the style we were looking for so we made it, this is our first time making a banner!]

Here are some others:

Source Information: was a protector for a group of wild Pokémon (as a Luxleo) prior to being caught by a trainer.

Extra Things as a gift! - (could be added to Source Info!)

[tomato-greens]

did my student...think...because I wrote (text) after a document as opposed to (video) or (audio)...that it was an RTF or TXT file....

[baileyboo2016]

Something for you :)

Lanayru yawned. He was getting more tired these days, but work still needed to be done out in the mines. Though it seemed he could procrastinate a bit longer, as he heard very familiar voices echo in the distance. “Ah, we’ve made it!” Link’s voice sounded ever closer and Lanayru saw both Link and the little one, Hyrule standing near.

“ZINGA-DINGDING! You’re back!” Lanayru called, chuckling deeply. “Come closer, we have much to talk about.”

Hyrule’s face visibly lit up and he rushed over, before he stopped. The size difference between the two was almost laughable but it didn’t matter to either of them. “Lanayru! It’s been awhile!” 

“Indeed it has, tiny one. Time passes by me, but not much has changed other than the tiny Hylians’ progress here on the Surface.” 

“How have you been though?” 

“Hmm…” Lanayru thought for a moment, trying to come up with a supple answer. “Well, I suppose. Ever since Link here—or Sky I think you call him—rescued me from a mighty bout of illness, I’ve never felt better.” 

Link beamed with the heart that could only belong to a kind, selfless hero. Hyrule sent a grateful and happy look to his friend before turning back to the old dragon. “And the mining and robots?” 

“All is well and good, tiny hero. You mustn’t worry about us. Now, tell me how you are faring. Is your quest being fulfilled?” 

“We’re still trying to chase down the Shadow. It  keeps fleeing from us when we get close to defeating it…but all of us are alive so, that has to count for something,”

“This Shadow you keep mentioning…” Lanayru brushed his large white beard. “How much do you know about it?” 

“It can take more than one form, it can be rather cowardly and its blade has some sort of effect that causes potions and fairies to have no effect on the victim.”

“Hmm…If I hear anything that could be of use to you I will tell you. Ah, but I have something rather unrelated.” 

“And that is?” 

“A gift, tiny one,” Lanayru laughed, the sound boisterous enough to shake the ground. “After all you’ve done I figured it would only be necessary. I cannot let your great deeds go unrewarded, hm?” 

Hyrule’s eyes widened and he shook his head vigorously. “No, I can’t accept anything…My great deeds aren’t as great as you make them out to be.”

“Nonsense. Can’t you let a dragon have his fun? You should at least be rewarded for your kindness. You have given me company that I could never have hoped for, and I want to properly thank you. So please, do not refuse my gift,” Lanayru hummed softly.

“…Alright.” 

Lanayru smiled and hurried off, scouring the desert for his gift and he found it. The device glowed as it touched his scaly hand and he hummed to himself, satisfied. Flying back in a rush he stooped down to the tiny hero and held out the device. “What is it?” Hyrule asked timidly.

“It’s a device I created for you, with the help of my robots of course. The device is imbued with a Time-shift Stone, and if you hold it up to something, it sends the area back in time to whatever state it was in originally. I figured since, you liked exploring, this was a way for you to find more entertainment out of such a task. 

But that is not its only purpose!! It can also act as a weapon if you’re in a pinch. If you press a certain button, it can act as a laser! Truly one of my best works I must say. Now, take it please.”

Hyrule took the device gingerly, an awed look in his brown eyes and he seemed quite grateful as he examined the small device. “I-thank you, Lanayru. Truly.”

“It is my pleasure. Now, I do believe that I should not be keeping you from your current mission. Though…if you have any spare time…”

Link smirked knowingly and Hyrule shook his head. “I have plenty of time! We’re taking a break before we start looking for black-blooded monsters to defeat and if there’s no time left to spare, Sky would tell us.”

“Well, then I will not encourage you to leave, tiny hero. In fact, I have something to show both of you.”

The two heroes climbed onto the palm of his hand and he flew slowly to a specific spot in the desert. There, a foundation had been built for a building. A project the dragon had commandeered. “What? What’s this?” Link asked.

“This is something I’ve been working on well you’ve been gone, with the guidance of the tiny girl one—Zelda I think she was named, though LD-568-09 would’ve suited her greatly.  She had the brilliant idea to make shelter for those who are brave enough to venture through the desert. The Hylian creatures have been ever so curious, wanting to explore the vast land and if they’re anything like you guys, I am happy to provide them any assistance they seek.”

“…Lanayru that’s amazing,” Link beamed as Hyrule gasped with awe and wonder lighting up his eyes.

“Ah, this wouldn’t have been possible without the tiny girl. She had the idea.”

“If we can help let us know!” Hyrule hummed. 

It amazed the old dragon how selfless these Hylian creatures are. It made the project feel all the more special. He grinned at the creatures on his palm and flew back to the entrance of the Lanayru Mining Facility. “Now, please, I have shared enough of myself and my doings. Inform me of yours, ZINGA-DINGDING!” 

He listened to the little Hylians chatter, describing their chase through dungeons and time to find the shapeshifting Shadow, and a close-encounter with death. He was content, even though the other dragons would probably tease him for it. 

I-

……

EEEEEEEEE OMG OMG OMG ITS LANAYRU AND RULIE OMG IM SCREAMING CRYING KICKIMG MY FEET RN THANK YOU SO MUCH SISJSJSJSJSJSSS 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺 I THINK….*MALFUNCTION*…I THINK YOU BROKE BAILEY UM-

[animegoil-vnc]

Imagining Cheng Xiaoshi making all those cardboard obstacle courses for Elizabeth and Lu Guang diligently recording the results

[victorluvsalice]

Valicer Not-Incorrect Quotes, Valentine's Day Edition

Alice: [seeing a Valentine's Day display in a store a couple of days after New Year's] Ugh, really?

Victor: [looking over] Oh -- uh, that is a bit soon, isn't it?

Smiler: [also looking over] Hey, it's not as bad as it could be -- Valentine's is only a month away! It's not like they're promoting St. Patrick's, or Easter.

Alice: True, but still -- you'd think they'd give us some sort of a break between holidays. [rolling her eyes] Of course, Valentine's Day is just an excuse to sell people terrible chocolate and useless tat anyway. Do we really need a whole holiday that says "oh, if you don't bury your partner in flowers or drag them out for an expensive dinner, you don't really love them and you should--"

Alice: [stops as she notes Smiler and Victor both looking very awkward]

Alice: ...you two like Valentine's Day, don't you?

Victor: [weak smile] I -- uh -- well -- i-it's nice to have an excuse to make a bit of a fuss over you two?

Smiler: I have an ugly sweater and everything.

Alice: ...you know, I really should have guessed.

--

Smiler: [dressed in a black sweater covered in bands of yellow and purple hearts, presenting a pink-wrapped box to Victor with a big grin] Happy Valentine's Day, Victor! I come bearing gift!

Victor: [dressed more soberly in a blue sweater, smiling and offering Smiler a yellow-wrapped box in return] Happy Valentine's Day, Smiler. Here's your present.

Smiler: Thanks! [takes their box and nods to the one they gave Victor] Go on, open it! It's a weird little novelty item, but I'm sure you'll like it!

Victor: [chuckling at their enthusiasm] All right, all right. [opens the box and blinks] What -- is this --

Smiler: A phone shaped like a piano? Yup! Found it online -- I know nobody uses landlines anymore, but I figured you could put it on your desk, maybe use it as a paperweight.

Victor: [grinning, pressing the keys] Oh, this is fun -- thank you so much! [a little shyly as he nods at Smiler's present] I-I hope you like yours -- I found it online as well, and t-thought it would be perfect for you!

Smiler: Hey, I'm sure it's great! [opens up the box -- and stops dead, staring]

Victor: [leaning over] So, ah, this is an antique alchemy set -- it's got all the original bottles, though I'm pretty sure none of the ingredients are any good anymore, and all the original measuring tools and such. And a really tiny grater, which I thought you'd think was funny. I just -- I know i-it's probably too expensive, but I really wanted you to have it, and --

Victor: [suddenly noticing Smiler's face] Are you crying?!

Smiler: [hastily wiping their eyes] No?

--

Victor: [with Alice now, handing over a smaller, thinner blue-wrapped box a touch awkwardly] Happy Valentine's Day, Alice. I, uh, I got you something.

Alice: [wearing a red sweater because she's not totally immune to dressing up a bit for the day, smiles and reaches into a bright red bag] Happy Valentine's Day! I got you something too. [pulls out a navy plush dragon with a turquoise underbelly and gold-colored head fringe, ear fins, and claws] Taa-daa.

Victor: [eyes light up as he sees the dragon, accepting it with a bright smile] Oh! Alice, this is lovely! Do they have a name?

Alice: Well, the Douglas Toys website called them Aragon, but you can call them whatever you want. I remembered you liked dragons from those stories you told us about imagining having "Blue Ben" from Klive as your friend as a child, and stuffed animals are the one traditional Valentine's Day gift that I myself like, so... [little shrug]

Victor: [hugs the dragon] It's wonderful. Thank you. [shoots a slightly-nervous look at his box] I-I hope you like mine just as much.

Alice: I'm sure I will. You know better than to get me something ridiculous. [opens up her box...and just stares for a moment]

Victor: [shyly, still hugging his dragon] So, um, I found out about this blacksmith who recreates all sorts of weapons, and I commissioned them to do your Vorpal Blade. T-that's why I was so intent on drawing it before -- I w-wanted to make sure I had it just right when I sent it on. I -- I know i-it's probably a bit m-much, but -- I know how much W-Wonderland, and that blade, m-means to you, and when I realized I could g-get you a real one, I just --

Alice: [leans over to silence him with a finger on his lips, a little teary-eyed but smiling] You have absolutely no sense of proportion and I love you.

Victor: [blushes]

--

Alice: Hey, Smiler?

Smiler: What's up?

Alice: I had a question -- is it usual for metamours to exchange gifts on Valentine's Day?

Smiler: Depends on the relationship, I'd say! I don't think there's any hard and fast rules -- some people might consider it too much, some people wouldn't. It's all about the vibes!

Alice: I see.

Alice & Smiler: [look at each other in silence for a moment]

Alice: [produces a yellow gift bag]

Smiler: [produces a heart-paper-wrapped box]

Alice: [snorts] Right, I don't know why I was worried... Anyway, happy Valentine's Day! [offers the bag]

Smiler: Happy Valentine's Day! [trades the box for the bag and looks inside] What -- oh! [pulls out a little plush yellow-banded poison dart frog] Where'd you get this little guy?

Alice: Found it online -- I very much wanted to get you a plush frog, but as you might imagine, most of them are green. So I started looking for someone who did them in more unusual colors, and happened to stumble across that. Very lucky accident, that.

Smiler: [petting it with a couple of fingers] Very lucky indeed -- thanks! Now open yours!

Alice: [does just that, pulling the paper off the box to reveal] A checkerboard cake kit?

Smiler: Yup! I know you like cake, so I was going to get you a basket of cake mix and frosting mix and sprinkles -- but then I happened to see this while in the store and thought it was definitely your thing! After all, you've got a chess-themed land up there to go with all the card stuff!

Alice: [smiles] I do -- and I've seen checkerboard cakes before, and always thought they looked amazing. Could never figure out how they did them, though -- now I guess I've got the chance to find out!

Smiler: Exactly! [winks] See, it's not all useless tat.

Alice: [sticks her tongue out at them] Yes, yes...

--

Alice: [walking to Victor's bedroom with Smiler] So -- an entire antique alchemy set?

Smiler: Yes, it's fucking amazing, I really gotta show you later. And he seriously got you the Vorpal Blade?

Alice: Commissioned it from an actual blacksmith -- I'll have to show you later. [shakes her head] Just -- it's incredible, and I love him so much, but -- it does make me feel a little bit bad for spending under forty dollars US on his present.

Smiler: Hey, no, don't be like that. I didn't spend that much on his either, but I'm sure he liked it. This isn't a contest we have to win. [small smile] Which is good, because he's the one with money and would win easily.

Alice: [laughs] I know, I know. But -- well, it would be nice to have a little extra reassurance that he liked mine too, you know?

Smiler: Yeah, I suppose I wouldn't mind that my --

Smiler: [stops as they come to the open door of Victor's bedroom]

Alice: [raises an eyebrow] What?

Smiler: [beckons her to stand next to them]

Alice: [does so, looking inside]

Victor: [is sitting at his desk, setting up his new dragon so their front claws are resting on the keys of their new piano phone, beaming]

Victor: [feels eyes upon him and turns around] Oh! [blushes a little, rubbing the back of his neck] I -- B-Benny wants to play the piano too.

Alice: [smiling warmly] So I see.

Smiler: [also smiling warmly] Good for Benny. [smile turns a little -- predatory] Though it's a good thing he's looking away, because I don't think we're quite done giving you presents yet...

[chetungwan]

I wish I could reliably find goddamn His Dark Materials fics. But unfortunately, someone, somewhere made daemons in a fucking trope and now everyone fucking tags their little AUs with it and most of them don't even so much as Dust, much less multiple universes