#again. sorry for the long answer

[nehezt]

What are the intervals when you release episodes, I can't wait!

Usually a chapter takes a month/a month and a half to make.

However these are estimates for the chapters in act 1, that had 32 pages maximum. From now on, in act 2, the chapters will get longer, with the next one (chapter 9) totaling 39 pages. Chapter 11 is 41 pages long. Will I still be able to make it in the same amount of time? I don't know. Hopefully! But I don't know.

If I can make it on the same amount of time, it should be out in the end of January or beggining of February. I frequently take a lot longer than I think I will though, maybe I get caught up on a particular environment (even the small ones that readers don't pay attention to take me hours) or maybe the character lighting takes longer. Chapter 8 was only 24 or so pages but the medical research and the specific aspects of the surgery took at least a week to settle, on top of the several hours I spent trying (and failing, I imagine) to draw the surgery scene correctly, on top of me having to completely re-do the paneling from scratch because of a decision I made in regards to where Tai Lung's character was going.

Anyways, sorry for this long answer to what is a very simple question, but the actual answer is: I don't know! I want to do it in a month, but I very frequently run into things that turn out to be complicated. Art's hard!

Overall, my biggest goals are to: 1) Be happy with the work I put out. I want a comic that will still be readable 5 or maybe 10 years from now. I want to look back and know I did the best I could with the abilities I have today and 2) Not allow myself to be burnt out. Getting burned out is quite literally the worst case scenario here, as I would associate this comic with negative feelings, which I don't want to do for obvious reasons.

I hope it doesn't feel like I'm scolding you! It's fine to ask, but I guess all this has been swirling in my brain lately. I won't rush updates and I won't stress myself too much about setting specific dates to release chapters. All I can give are estimates, in this case, if it all goes to plan: late January, early February. But don't trust this too much!

[lilac-cat-draws]

How I feel after the DLC without context

[aimer-arts]

Is everyone talking about how cool you and your stuff is? Cause it's true. Your stuff is incredible and every time I see Piper and clementine I smile. You're super cool and I hope you keep making more stuff!

WAHHHHH THANK YOU 💖💖💖

[returntosunder]

I'd hate to bother you, and I'd hate even more to request something, but I was wondering if you could maybe draw Ink hugging Trajan. (He's the Mystery Man of my AU, UnderTear)

Here's a reference:

You don't have to, it would just be nice.

I apologize that it took a long time to answer this. I hope u still like it ^^

[sakasakiii]

Every time I see your art it makes my day brighter. Glad to hear you're doing well!

hi hi hello!!!! thanks for checking in, anons, and for the kind words!!! im doing great, though im predicting ill be a bit busy in the weeks to come, so i hope you wont mind me if i slowly slink back into posting less and less OTL I've still got a few proper pieces to be posted per my usual time, but im gonna do my best to answer more asks in-between!! anon 1, i hope your day is even brighter than how you made mine when you sent in that ask <333

here's a quick sketch of tyelpe and annatar as requested :D anon 2, im so sorry for taking so long to get to this but im absolutely flattered to hear you like my art!! most of my gallery is filled with the works of artists i study, but its a foreign concept for me to consider that my art is potentially saved in someone else's?!... im not quite sure how to put it to words.... 😭😭thank you again aaarrghhh;;;;;

its been too long since i drew these two so.... redesigned buffer tyelpe finally gets his own piece :D thank you again anons!!! i hope you both have a wonderful rest of your week! ❤️

[starmieknight]

Omg i love 17 again Stan! I wonder if Ford tried to Ask him how on earth that happened and if Ford would treat him like a small kiddo (protective big brother style). And how would Stan feel about it?

I think… it could go two ways.

One, Ford turns into the most protective big brother ever and is always making sure he returns the effort and dedication Stan put into getting him back. It’s all rainbows and sunshine.

Two… it’s another opportunity for a Stan Twins misunderstanding. Ford thinks he’s showing how much he cares when he tells Stan they’ll find a way to fix this. Stan is only hearing his own insecurities being voiced by his brother. Mainly that there’s something inherently “wrong” with him that needs to be fixed. He just wouldn’t be able to accept that Ford actually cares about him and wants to help him with his deaging situation since it seems to be affecting his mind and has definitely affected his life and relationships. Stan feels like he just found another way to mess things up and has left Ford to figure out how to clean it up. And when all of that finally bubbles to the surface and overflows, Ford is left feeling like the scum of the earth because his brother doesn’t seem to believe that he actually loves him and wants to help. And they’ll be stuck in that feedback loop until they actually start communicating better and learning to trust each other again. And THEN they get to have that brotherly relationship again. And it’s all rainbows and sunshine 🌈 ☀️

[illuminatedferret]

About TGCF Canon: I just realized that the missions Jun Wu gives to Xie Lian are very disadvantageous for Xie Lian.

He immediately butted heads with Pei Ming on Mt. Yu Jun (PM's own territory) and on Ban Yue missions, both striking where it's most personal: PM's ex-lovers and family matters.

Next is Ghost City, and I'm certain it's to sour the relationship between him and Hua Cheng with LQQ's loud righteousness right in the middle of Ghost City, infamous for its inhumane atmosphere. Additionally, "Ming Yi" was already 'a spy for the heavens' in Ghost City, so the risk of offending HC and/or Ghost City is very, very high.

I think JW's refusal to banish XL (Fangxin Guoshi) was also partially to stoke more fire between XL and LQQ (or, potentially, with everyone else as this puts distinction between XL and other gods by this point; LQQ already thought it doesn't matter if XL was banished again or not anyway)

And then Brocade Immortal; JW told XL to go with Quan Yizhen, infamous for not playing well with other gods / not sociable / fights even his own followers. I also don't doubt that this is to have XL and Ling Wen's "good coworkers" relationship go downhill.

Which means, JW tried to pit XL against literally all the major martial gods (other than FX and MQ who, logically from outside PoV, already have a strained relationship with XL), The major civil goddess, and the most powerful ghost king/supreme.

...Insane.

(Bonus: if Shi Wudu's impending heavenly calamity timing was also by Jun Wu's design, JW also managed to pit XL against SQX (friends) and SWD, both major elemental gods and also Black Water (the other calamity) in one fell swoop...

I count this separately bc we don't know if the timing is actually by JW's design. Plus HX has nothing against XL, and SQX/SWD has no prior connection to XL. In short: if Black Water Arc had happened before XL's third ascension, it'd just happen the exact same way without XL... which makes the timing suspicious, especially the closeness to Mt Tonglu's reopening. I have a headcanon about this but that's kind of a different topic)

-🍁

Yes to all of this! Jun Wu was definitely angling to create conflict between Xie Lian and his peers in the heavens, and I think he had two goals in doing so. The first was to isolate him by sabotaging his relationships, and the second was, I believe, to show Xie Lian the worst of the heavens and to encourage resentment towards them.

I don't think the /timing/ of Shi Wudu's Heavenly Tribulation is suspect, just because we're never given any suggestions in-novel that it's possible to manipulate the timing of Tribulations like that (and I think it would have come up), but He Xuan finding out about the fate swap was definitely Jun Wu's machinations! Hualian talk with Mei Nianqing a little about this- holding onto that piece of information until he wanted to get rid of Shi Wudu, then letting He Xuan discover it. In the end it's getting rid of two birds with one stone- remove the Water Tyrant, who was getting a bit too big for his britches, and Shi Qingxuan, who was Xie Lian's only friend in the heavens.

Also, you may not want to go into the opening of Mount Tonglu, but I do! Jun Wu absolutely timed that. I don't care how bad of luck Xie Lian has, that the ghost rut started right when Xie Lian was alone with a Supreme ghost?? He was definitely hoping Xie Lian would get hurt in some way, and his relationship with Hua Cheng would be ruined. No way that wasn't him. There's this ongoing reflection I have with TGCF after reading it for the first time where I look back and realize how much of Xie Lian's 'bad luck' is actually Jun Wu. When you learn about the second shackle, you think it's just that, but no, it's the all-powerful man in the sky who's obsessed with you and wants you to suffer and be his Junior. It's fucked up.

[cheatingtime]

Opinions/ head-canons on the main 3?!

SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG TO ANSWER omg. i was trying to think if i had anything interesting to say and im not sure i do lol but heres a couple drawings n a few things under the cut u_u

i enjoy all of the main 3 a lot though on my first playthrough i sort of ignored petey lol… ive since grown to really like him. i think he can be pretty interesting if u remember hes bitchy and weird and a loser

small headcanons i have off the top of my head: 

jimmy probably needs glasses but its not too bad.… hes probably squinting so much bc hes Tough but i like to think part of it is that he cant see very well

i think garys interest in torment is mostly psychological… therefore its person-based. i dont think he cares about like hurting animals and whatever personally… especially if he thinks of himself as like Above others and as a Genius, like… “human prey” type nastiness seems more fitting than generic “is a dick to all living things” if that makes sense. not that hes particularly nice to animals though LOL just that he doesnt really seek it out. idk

i think peteys shirt is pink either bc of gary or bc of a series of mishaps also involving gary. like maybe it was an accident the first time and other peoples laundry got affected even, but then all of peteys shirts specifically kept turning pink and who could possibly be doing that……

ages are all like up in the air i believe save for jimmy who states it ingame…. i hc gary and petey as being in the same year though. ive seen people try to say that pete seems younger but i just dont see it… age order i would probably say is oldest to youngest gary petey jimmy… and i think jimmy has a summer birthday u_u petey and gary somewhere in autumn/winter

[thesadpuffin]

If I may postulate, the ancient armor set is going to have Zelda just nerding the geek out.

I do love this idea! again a lot of ppl have requested Ancient Armour so I may try get to it - I kinda wanna throw something in there about how ridiculous the headpiece is though, cause like... what is going on there lmao

[njere]

Hello! Same Blurr anon (not really??) here YES THE STARSCREAM SUFFICES

It looks so cool!! 😭 I totally get the whole colour based partially on what you listen to nods nods! Anyone you want drawn? :D

- @corvus-divum

THERE ARE TOO MANY CHARACTERS I ADORE AAAAAGH - but if you ever feel like it, I'd love to see skyfire from you :3

may I offer you this quick skywarp doodle in these trying times?

also let me know who you'd want to see as a little art trade and I'll do my best to make a sketch when I have time ♡♡

[lucabyte]

hello

is this how your peopls work. i am obsessed with your comics and the panel layout and the way they react to eachother and sdgafkhgfdhsagfha s i very desperately need to have a grasp on how you see them in their dynamic and interacting and i feel like i don't know as much about how isabeau and loop be interacting but i am so so so so SO curious as to how that goes and how they feel about eachother pre-"i'm a former siffrin" and post-"ok you know who i am"

oh hell yeah a diagram we love a diagram

but yeah i'd say you've gotten my interpretation of the dynamic down pretty solid??

in general i think my instinct with loop-isabeau interactions is a lot tamer/calmer than others ive seen, my reasoning for why being hmm... i think i can note my core 'things im keeping in mind from the text' here

isabeau's line in act 6 remarking that loop seemed 'shy'. for all of loop's bravado @ siffrin (and thus the player's pov), they are still siffrin, so while it can be easy to percieve them as this loud bombastic personality-- there is this textual reminder that them acting this way is probably due in part to being up against siffrin, someone who won't speak unless spoken to (and thus loop takes the initiative, and is also presumably reveling a bit in making them uncomfortable and annoyed, inkeeping with their self-hatred and self-flaggellation) this to me reads as a reminder that they'd probably retreat into their shell hard when presented with other people- the party included. so even if i can see them trying to undermine their relationships with others, i think it's probably more on the insidious 'insulting siffrin to make the party protective of them' side, because that also feeds into 'proving' that the party only cares about one siffrin and that loop can be replaced. meanwhile isabeau has shown that, even with a vicious jealous streak, he can mostly keep a lid on it. he's the most emotionally intelligent of the group, and would probably be able to suss out loop's self-harm-via-getting-people-pissed-off-at-them gambit relatively simply given how obvious it is. also isabeau is not immune to insecurity-- and would probably let loop take some precidence over their relationship with siffrin because 'well i cant compete with the guy who actually went through All Of The Timeloop With Them.' because like... damn how are you supposed to do that. loop understands their pain better than isa ever could, and it would show in their fucked up unspoken understanding of each other (because how is Isa to know thats because theyre the same guy, and not just because the timeloop traumabonded the fuckers baddddly. which it also did.).

timeloop stressful as fuck. absolutely has both of them on tenterhooks the whole time. we visibly see how it affects siffrin (despondance & mania & aggression), and we see SAPfrin be very. very very despondant. so it would seem to me that loop is basically in a perpetual state of mania, given how sif's internal monologue begins to resemble their way of speaking (with the tee hees and such) when they are clearly broaching into manic states. one can assume that if you take loop out of the Torment Nexus, while they probably wouldn't faire well, all of the tension and pressure that's holding them up would collapse, likely putting them more depressive again by default? Of note, whenever i write loop's dialogue (which im told i do well? i will be honest i kind of feel like that's far too high praise.) i initially write it as very blunt and pissed off-- and will afterwards go back in and Maybe change wording to be more 'silly', but mostly i just add tildes~, italics, exclamation points and laughter to the pissed off dialogue without changing the actual content of it?

loop likes their friends! They are fucked up in the head about it (badly!!!) but they like their friends! They still care a lot, and can barely even hide it a little bit with their aloofness in game. it feels redundant to even try pointing out where they slip up because its everywhereee. They de-person their Actors because theyre the same lines over and over and over, but you see in SAP alone how any break from the script makes them overwhelmed with emotion, and how devastated they are if that deviation occurs a second time and becomes predictable (dying to the king after triggering the requisites for the true end, forcing you to go through it again). BUT!! You take their friends out of the timeloop and let them be New Unpredictable People again? I genuinely find it hard to believe mx siffrin "i love my friends so much id explode the world about it" nolastname would be able to see that and just go "nope im emotionally disconnected i can keep being a bitch to these guys forever". like no theyre gonna slip into being at least neutral no matter what. even if it's in a quiet depressive state when the mania wears off.

my biggest deviation from frequently observed fandom things here i think: i think loop doesn't actually believe that ISAT!Party are 'replacements'. they rarely if ever word a sentiment like this. this is something the fandom goes for because the horror of being replaced wholesale probably WOULD make it easier to cope if you considered those people to Not Be Your Real Friends. But loops WHOLE act 6 spiel? 'THEY WERE MINE FIRST. I LOVED THEM'? (paraphrased) they obviously desperately want to be with them again, and know they're the same people. The Fighter/Defender discrepancy clue is mostly metatext here-- since Loop never acknowledges the defender title-- just calling ISAT!Isa Fighter-- because they are the same guy. Your Fighter. They even call them Fighter in the "You got memory of X, your Fighter will now..." dialogues! Which are practically system dialogues! So. they see these isabeaus as the same. And while I would not put it past them to come up with the "they are different, my party is Dead" thing to Cope... I do think it is a delusion, plain and simple, and that I think any post-knowing-the-truth party would probably shut down weird rituals ive seen the fandom propose (often in a cute way??? it makes me feel insane?? like the concept of loop 'memorialising' their 'dead' family is not cute its nuts. they are being nuts. its like actively feeding into an extremely maladaptive coping mechanism. sorry this is like a massive sidebar but like. Yes i do think this is something loop might do if left unchecked. but it should not be presented as sane or rational? it outright undermines the themes of the game to treat the concept of 'Loop's party' being 'dead' as 'True'?? There's like several points in the game where Loop and Siffrin express that things that happened in the loops Still Happened even if the party dont recall it-- which is why their actions-- being cruel or doing 'experiments' still hold weight and can be Wrong. That it's tragic that the party will never remember but that their forgetting is NOT a pass to do whatever with no consequnce (experiment, bad touch, etc). It follows that by Nixing all of "loop's party", treating them as seperate, in some way implies loop's memories are Lesser and what they did "doesn't matter as much", which is antithetical on account of being contradictory to however you take the stated theme. PLUS... The game and Paratext are clear that there is One Timeline. SAP is in the same contiguous space as ISAT-- it is effectively just that on the loop between SAP and ISAT that we the audience dont see-- loop ate that star and when the loop restarted there were two of them. for all intents and purposes one can intuit that Loop 0 of isat and SAPfrin's first loop are legitimately identical from sif's POV, as Loop does not reveal themselves until Loop 1. BUT YEAH GIANT SIDEBAR OVER. THIS WHOLE READ OF THE TEXT INFORMS MY THOUGHTS RE: ISALOOP AND RELATED CONCEPTS VERY GREATLY)

jesus christ i wrote a lot in the above um. sorry. i dont know if its intelligable. uh. good luck?

im also on team 'orrery book and sif's thoughts about it belie a real deep-seated brainworm' re: their response to a Cautionary Tale About How You Will Inevitably Kill Your Double seemingly being "Nah, we'd be besties."... like. i do think it is. funny. and not particularly Unbased. Given how they are. For siffrin and loop to specifically be compelled by how they are the same guy. And i think that there's a lot to be mined from 'Both of them are convinced that the party knowing who loop is would fuck up everything badly, so they're going to great lengths to conseal this' played in tandem with '... they are like. very much explicitly doing things together that are directly related to a feeling of shared ownership over siffrin's body and form & the fact they are The Same Guy'. like it is a hysterical setup to me and i think is only added to when you have to put Isabeau in the middle of this polycule also. With the few exceptions of times ive drawn stuff specifically hinging on characters Knowing Who Loop Is (which is like. all bonnie-centric stuff so far? i think?), i take a lot of care to try and make their exchanges Vague as if they are worried about being overheard or saying something that's too much of a smoking gun. But also it's really god damn funny to think about how concerning some of those things could sound the vaguer you make them. Remember that above all i live and die by The Bit. (... as do they.) ie basically because im powered by The Bit thats why i focus more on the sloop side because its like. actively Funnier and more drama filled. or at least presents oppertunities for such. i feel like on isabeaus side here its kinda frequently like

yknow ? (oh god my formatting is broken now) . i DO very much think it can become like. niceys. of course. i think they can just be normal fucking throuple eventually (though if i'm going that goddamn far into the future u may as well partycule the fuckers 2 me. by the time theyve solved whatever the fuck you call pre-reveal isiloops i think odile has gotten involved at the very least. but this is why i mostly keep myself to the realm of 'the mostly immediate post-game conflict' stuff since i think all these characters leave off the end of the game with such solid springboards for arcs set up (clearly intentionally) that the infinite realm of possibilities opens up too wide for me to be comfortable with.) anyway i keep thinking about the tragicomedy of isabeau finally finding an "in" to nurture a friendly bond with loop by comisserating and steeling themselves for changing again even though it feels like a betrayal of their previous actions/beliefs and how fucking funny the idea of 'loop reveal but theyre like 2 weeks into using she/they' is. just like you get all the way through the horrors of 'oh jesus christ the timeloop was even worse than we thought it was' but now '.. d. do you still . what pronouns do you want?' is tacked onto the end. Sorry did you hear something . must've been the wind. anyway . this ask is a fucking mess i hope its readable like at all . can you tell ive been brainscramblied for six weeks

TL;DR:

yeaghj you got it. its not like im doing anything revolutionary im just trying to stick as close as i can do what i percieve the characterisation is in canon & thus generally dont tie down any of my fanwork to specific post-canon-plot-concepts. its all just nebulous extrapolation set 'pretty close to the end of the game because i think these characters are going to grow and change extremely rapidly once the game is over given how they're all intentionally poised for character arcs when the game ends'. but also you should put isabeau in the worst social bind of all time with two of the most mentally unwell BPD OCD havers youve ever seen and let him try to figure out the balance of 'be gentle' and 'treat them like the almost-30-year-old adult they literally are' while he also balances his own set of entire life changes it'll be fine he'll be fine (someone should probably check on him)

[doomedclockworkdotmp3]

heeyyy gaaanggg

the pose and the background of the album version (left) are based on oingo boingos only a lad album art. not cause i think he has anything to do with it but just cause ive been wantin to draw that pose for like. weeks and i didnt know who to put there. so why not my latest bug man.

[callizinc]

so how do you interpret the significance of the themes in ena overall. like potential messaging. and how does dream bbq interact with the themes established in the youtube series.

i’ve seen people say they interpret it as anything from commentary on immigration (particularly how immigrants are treated poorly) to like, internet culture, or autism, or whatever really. i noticed a lot of people relate their own experiences to it. it’s cool how many different interpretations people get out of it (even if folks get a little in the weeds about the symbolism sometimes, and personally i’m not as focused on potential symbolism as the worldbuilding in itself)

This is an absolutely diabolical (/positive) ask to send me . This is like opening the floodgates to world's largest and most dangerous dam. Oh my goodness gracious

WELL!! That is of course such a good and cool question!! to be honest, i hope i can answer it sufficiently, since i've spent the most time thinking about Specific things in dbbq so far as opposed to the bigger and greater picture—But here's the thoughts i have about all that at present!

I guess, for one, i think interpreting the series to be commentaries on immigration, internet culture, and/or neurodivergence and the like are all completely fair and valid. I don't have much to say about those interpretations at the moment myself, but still, I think they're all interesting in their own right! I also agree 100% that it's super cool how many interpretations people have; even if i. Don't vibe with all of them LOL, i genuinely really like how much thought it inspires!

Right now, i can't help but interpret the game as a commentary on unhealthy work/life balances and abusive work dynamics. Which feels like the most obvious interpretation possible but... still LOL.

Ena's literal only moods are "smooth talking salesperson obsessed with work" and "pissed at everyone because of her stupid job she doesn't even like". There's her line where she goes "Oh, I am no longer the boss of myself" with extreme nonchalance, Not to mention she goes to The Club one single time and has a breakdown and starts like. turning into branches or something ("I need to get back to my deplorable job... I can't afford another moment of joy.." LIKE GIRL...).

We don't even know what her job... Is? like obviously she's a salesperson but, What is she supposed to be selling? and i know they have the slot machines and everything, but what does her Business even Do? The fact that none of this is clear IS amusing, but i also feel like it represents how her job, ultimately, is Not of importance. Nothing she's doing is of true value to herself, nor to others, but she commits her entire life to her shitty job anyway, leaving no room to even consider breaks or ANY life Outside of work ("any good business should be open all hours" ...).

Not to mention how. you know. Everybody hates her 😭 WHICH IS A WHOLE CAN OF WORMS ON ITS OWN, But i feel it also fits into this interpretation; She, for whatever reason, commits her life to work, the thing you're Supposed to do to be a valuable member of society, so to say, yet it gains her no respect, no benefits, seemingly nothing good at all. Maybe she works so hard to try to gain the respect of others, even though, just like how our capitalistic workplaces will chew you up and spit you back out, and no matter how hard you work, those people will never truly care about you.

However, the references to violence in regards to Ena are also important, i think, with the "I'm not doing ANYTHING!" scene, and the fact that the game trailer shows two accounts of Ena wielding a gun, and also.. A shot of Ena as an armless crumbling green zombie in the same desolate landscape full of raining bullets.

I'm unsure where to go with that as of right now—mostly because I don't think the game would draw parallels between Specific real life events, I'd still want to ensure i'm being respectful if i am to start talking about something like war/soldier theming. Still, i think this has to be significant, there's two separate depictions of Ena wielding a gun in the game's trailer, and I truly don't know how to else you're meant to interpret the scenes of distressed and desolate Enas around giant knives and raining bullets LOL

...I also just remembered you also asked how DBBQ's themes interact with the youtube series's themes, But. i feel embarrassed enough already having written this much. and also I don't know. About that one. I don't knowwwww. So um. I'm gonna stop here 😭

[irrevocablecondition]

You’re starting to act just like your fascist Reggie—censoring others and trying to dictate what can and cannot be discussed in fandom. Telling people they can’t talk about politics because you, living in a first-world country, can’t handle it? You’re the one using real-world politics to justify a fictional ship with a fascist. Have you thought about how people who are genuinely anti-fascist might also dislike it in fiction? You can’t control fandom. If you want to like fascist characters, then just own it. While fiction might not feel like reality to you, for many, it is reality. Have you considered that the characters and headcanons you enjoy might reflect deeply personal experiences for others? Not everyone has the privilege to separate fiction from reality like you do.

hi feed, this message was brought to you by someone who has clearly never interacted with me ever !

WDYMMM "telling people they can't talk about politics" 😭😭 i fear that's my ENTIRE niche across two social media platforms. i fear my entire thing is politics in a fandom space + the real world. i fear that's literally what i'm known for. what 😖

i was gonna ignore this but i have so many receipts that i thought okay ! finna answer ! why not, let's entertain this <3 (below the cut because it's long)

assuming that this is a response to this post where, after watching elon perform two nazi salutes on stage, i said "hey! maybe you should stop calling people in fandom nazis for reading about a fictional character!"

what i alsooo said on that post is that it's important to discuss politics in literature (see here: doing a masters degree in english literature + politics <3). because absolutely! the DEs are crafted in a way that reflects historic events and absolutely, that's something we can discuss!

what we should also discuss is that whilst art imitiates life and life imitates art, the two do not directly reflect one another - if i read about wizards, i am not a wizard. if i read a crime book, i am not a detective. and if i read fanfic about regulus black? i am not a facist.

in regards to the censorship comment: this here is an entireeee video i made about censorship and puritanical views in fandom spaces and why this is a Bad Thing To Do (though i fear you will disagree with it because i am saying that people can read and write whatever but alas, no censorship here x)

using real world politics to justify a ship? no, not at all. i do not think ships in fandom need to be "justified" because, again, they are fiction. can they be discussed? absolutely! my tiktok is @/messrsrobyn and you will find countless videos where i dissect fandom, characters and ships. again, this is kind of my whole thing <33 nice to meet you <33 but rather for me? that post was made as a building up of (1) the mass of people in fandom during the tiktok ban saying that words have meaning when american writers say british words "wrong", but throw buzzwords around like it's nothing and (2) this is a place for escapism and safety, which is needed now more than ever and whilst discussions about politics are important, this? this ask? this is not a discussion. this is hostility, much like people just commenting "nazi" with nothing else on a jegulus post.

discussions can be had! absolutely! my entire thing is discussions in fandom. but right now i'm trying to discuss this when you have given me nothing to work with but false claims and hostility - see how this doesn't work? but alas, i'll try :)

do people read jegulus and think "wow i love voldemort and the death eaters!!! i agree with what the did here :D" or do they read jegulus and enjoy the complexity that comes with a character like him? do they enjoy how, with a character with such little canon lore, people explore things? or yk what, do they sometimes read him as a muggle where none of this matter because there's do DEs? yeah, because it's fiction. and liking a fictional character does not have repercussions on the real world.

calling someone a facist/nazi only for teading about fictional characters does - it is so incredibly important that we read immoral literature. i'm rambling now but i'm not even talking just about fandom. we NEED books that discuss these topics and we need to explore the characters within them. we NEED politics and immorality and everything like that in books because that is how we learn, understand, and prevent. reading them does make you immoral - see here: queer books being banned in the us for containing "immoral themes" and main characters doing things they deem had and awful alongside INCREDIBLYYYY important books like the handmaids tale, to kill a mockingbird, 1984, fahrenheit 451 etc etc.

we need to read these. we need to engage with them.

but in a fandom space, we also need to acknowledge that these are not real people. these are fictional characters and there's a big difference between engaging with a character because you are justifying their actions, and engaging with a character because you enjoy Exploring their character and Understanding them in as many ways as possible 🙂↕️

but we agree!! whilst fiction may not feel like reality to some people, to many it is! so have we considered that when people come to escape from the real world for a bit, or people have family members lost to past regimes; are about to enter 4 years of another regime or are holding their breath waiting for european elections to see if another far-right populist party gets in, it might sucklk to have this thrown around?

imagine dealing with alllll of that in reality, not knowing what on earth is going to happen tomorrow or what the future holds for you and the people you love, and then being called a facist online because you read about Fictional Character Regulus Black. whilst your life literally crumbles apart because of it. you are now being called the same thing that the man oppressing you and everyone you love is, because you read FanFiction.

and then finally ahem:

"not everyone has the privilege to separate fiction from reality like you do"

if you click here, you will find a tumblr post i made about this exact thing :D about how we can't separate fiction from reality

see here also: a post about the books jkr publishes under the robert galbraith pseudonym and about how we, again, cannot separate fiction from reality.

if you click here you will find my jkr playlist on tiktok which has videos in about how, again, we cannot separate fiction from reality.

what we also can't do, mind you is call someone a facist for reading a fictional character.

there is big difference between "hey! this character has facist undertones if applied irl, we could discuss this!" and "You Are A Facist For Reading It"

instead of coming and ranting to someone who has spoken extensivelyyyy about politics in this fandom space - both with fandom material and with elections, gaza, the uk riots etc etc - and is a huge advocate of dicussions and debates, put this energy into something productive.

like actual facists. real world politics and what you could be doing at a local level to help reduce the harm of Actual Facists that are in power right now. not people taking a break from Actual Facism to read fanfiction.

ta x

(p.s i'm a homeless, chronically-ill, gay, trans man. what privilege do i have in THISSS fandom space of JK ROWLINGSSSSS worlds, to separate reality from fiction? 😭)

[temeyes]

too lazy to work on wips and answer my inbox, but have this dood for now!!

[aritsukemo]

“If you ever need me, call my name. I will be there.”

That was Xiao’s promise. You weren’t the only person he’d offered it to, far from the first or last, but you were the only one who had it whispered against their lips, in between stolen kisses that lingered on your skin long after he’d vanished into the moonlight.

“Always. For whatever reason.”

You hadn’t had much need for it prior, beyond the occasional sticky situation or sudden bout of loneliness, but the reassurance was always there. One word was all it took, and he would be at your side. Always with a spear in his hands, and a serious expression, scanning you up and down to check for injuries. Only when he was satisfied you were in one piece, unharmed, he’d speak.

“What do you need?” He asks, putting down his weapon once he realized there was nothing to vanquish. With his free hand, he grasps your chin, turning your face to the left, then to the right. “You aren’t hurt. There aren’t any demons around, yet you called me anyway. Why?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” You blink, nudging something with your foot. He looks down, frowning at the sight of… a picnic blanket. There were pastries, and fresh fruit, and a box of almond tofu laid out across the ground. When he looks up again, you’re grinning. “I thought you could use a break.”

“A… break?” He says slowly, tasting the words like they were unfamiliar. You roll your eyes, giving his hand a gentle tug and pulling him down to a sitting position.

“Yes, a break. You’ve been working non-stop. This is long overdue.”

Xiao continues to stare at the lavish spread of food, not saying a word. The picnic is carefully arranged, each item selected to match his tastes perfectly. Even the location—a quiet, shady spot underneath the shelter of a tree—was thoughtfully chosen; not too far from Liyue Harbour, but far enough that there was no one around to disturb them. You’d thought through everything, that was obvious enough.

“You…” He swallows, the words caught up in his throat. There’s a dull ache in his chest, but somehow, the feeling isn’t unpleasant. “Thank you. Truly.”

You smile at him, offering him the box of tofu. “No problem. Eat up.”

The pair of you eat in silence, interspersed with the occasional observation about the weather, or your day, or what Xiao has been doing during his absence. It’s quiet, it’s mellow; nothing like what he was faced with before you called on him. He spares you the details, keeping it to a simple “I was purging evil, as usual.” He knows to omit the most brutal parts of his life, keeping them held close to his chest, so as to not worry you even more than you do.

“You look tired.” You hum. “Do you want to take a nap?”

Your suggestion is met with protest of course, but he never could resist your whims for long. Somehow, despite his objections, he finds himself with his head laid in your lap anyway, the tree branches above casting shade over his face, and you smiling down at him.

Xiao can’t even bring himself to feel displeased with the situation. Your hands in his hair is heavenly, a soft, comforting feeling that has his eyes sliding shut, and all of the tension in his shoulders melting away. He doesn’t know how you manage it, unravelling him with the slightest touch, but he voices no complaints. Any reservations or doubts are swept away as your nails gently rake across his scalp, brushing his hair out of his eyes.

“Sleep,” You murmur, kissing his forehead. It’s an odd reversal of your positions; typically, he is the one standing guard as you slumber, but he strangely doesn’t mind as much as he typically would. Perhaps it is because it is you that is caring for him, treating him so tenderly like he’s something worth cherishing. You, who remains the only one he will let see his guard fall completely, the one who has seen his shadows, and his regrets, and loved him through all.

When he wakes, he will return to his role as guardian, but as he sleeps, he is content to have you watching over him.

- 🕸️

OMGOSH I AM SOOOO INCREDIBLY SORRY THAT IT TOOK ME SO LONG TO REAPOND TO THIS!!! I SWEAR I HAD A GOOD REASON!! 😓

THIS WAS SOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSO GOOD!! YOUR WRITING STYLE IS AMAZING!!!

I've always adored the fact that Xiao is willing to drop everything if we called his name like that always made me feel so loved 🥹 AND FOR READER TO USE THAT IN ORDER TO GET HIM TO RELAX??? UGH I ADORE IT SM

The domesticity in this drabble is top notch like I love how comfortable they are with each other and just imagining it makes me kick my feet!! 😖

Whomever you are 🕸 anon, you're an amazing writer and I promise to pay you back for this gift 💞 TYSM THIS MADE MY WHOLE MONTH!!