#i'll answer what i can without spoiling the main things

[tblsomedoodles]

Donnie vs the world Ask Masterpost

/ 1 /

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Since you've mentioned Scarlet Lady in one of your posts, what's your opinion on it?

I've mentioned before that I'm a big Scarlet Lady fan, which is the only reason that I'm comfortable answering asks like this one. I don't publicly criticize the content of hobby creators. That's wildly inappropriate! Punch up, not down.

The linked post was a general discussion of the adaptation process and how @zoe-oneesama did a fantastic job, so for this one, I'm just going to do some general gushing because I do actually like praising and enjoying things!

Scarlet Lady's chosen format (comic) allows it to have this wonderful conversation with canon where it can rely on the framework of canon to tell it's own story while also using canon for jokes and meta commentary. This means that Scarlet Lady is about as close as fan content can get to a direct reboot because it's able to have moments like this one from the comic's first post:

[Image description: Adrien standing in his room after transforming into Chat Noir for the first time. He is beaming and his eyes are shining with excitement as he exclaims, "This is gonna be awesome!"]

A single picture that communicates everything we need to know about Adrien getting his miraculous. When I've done this same thing in fanfic, I had to write out the full scene because that's how novels work. You have to give the full picture. With a comic, you can just quickly acknowledge this thing that we all already know and then move on to the new stuff. A picture really is worth a thousand words! (Or, in my case, more like two thousand...)

This allows Zoe to keep the same akumas that we get in canon without her story feeling like a boring rehash because she can focus on what's different in her version. A novelization of the same content would have to show both the stuff that stays the same and the stuff that changes for it to be coherent. That's a lot less fun to read and write. It's why I basically never revisit canon akumas in my own stuff. It's just too derivative for the written word.

This is one of the big reasons that I loved Scarlet Lady. Because it was able to have that more directly conversation with canon, it was able to take canon and say, "hey, why don't we embrace the tone that you established in season one and retell the story with that vibe?" That's something that I desperately wanted to see, but that is totally unsuited to my chosen artistic form. It couldn't be a novel. It had to be a comic.

If you want to know what a true formula show version of Miraculous would look like, Scarlet Lady is it. It does everything that Miraculous should have done:

Sticks to a lighthearted tone where nothing is ever super serious

Keeps Gabriel entirely unsympathetic

Has slow character development and background hints at a bigger plot as the only serial elements, allowing the individual episodes to be their own story while never feeling incomplete or rushed

Allows characters other than Marinette to shine while keeping Marinette as the clear main character

Makes Adrien narratively important

MAKES THE LOVE SQUARE CUTE SO I CAN ACTUALLY SHIP IT

Understands that Lila and Chloe can't coexist as antagonists

Reverses the love square, which is the best way to tell their story. Yes, I will die on my "love diamond" hill. It's a good hill. Come join me. I'll bring cookies.

I could keep going, but you hopefully get my point. While Scarlet Lady is certainly not the only way to do a formula version of canon, it's proof that a formula version does work! You don't have to go the serious route for Miraculous to be successful.

I want to take some time to gush about the ending, but I don't want to spoil it, so I'll put that gushing under a "read more" in case anyone hasn't seen it. I'll finish out this less spoilerish section with this:

I feel like some people are surprised when they learn that I love Scarlet Lady because - as some of you have probably picked up - it is quite different from my ideal version of canon. I'm not sure why that would stop me from enjoying a thing, though. It's important to remember that our personal ideals are not the only way to tell a good story. There are lots of ways to take what canon gave us and make something wonderful! It's part of the reason that I enjoy being in a fandom.

If I only wanted to see my ideal take on canon, then I'd stick to writing/imagining my own stories. But I don't want that! I like seeing alternate takes, too. Scarlet Lady is one of my personal favorites. It's completely different from anything that I'd ever think to write and that's why I'm so glad that it exists! I like being entertained just as much as I like creating my own entertainment and I don't want to only read stories that look like something I'd write. That's boring!

Spoilers below:

I've mentioned before that there are many, many ways to properly handle Chloe's character and Zoe did such a good job with her take on that! Chloe isn't absolved of all the things she did wrong, but she's also treated as a young woman with the ability to change.

While the comic bares the name of Chloe's alter ego, she was the never the main character. She never went on a journey. The story kept her to her shallow season-one self: a petty brat who just wanted attention. It did this because that's who Chloe was in canon and who Chloe needed to be for the comic to work.

The first time we see any complexity from Chloe is in the comic's final few episodes, which was absolutely the right call for Zoe to make! In a recent post, I talked about how the end of a formula show is the only time when you can break the formula in catastrophic ways and that's what Zoe did. She kept Chloe static until it was time to end the story and that's when the formula breaks. That's when Chloe gets depth because, once she has depth, the formula doesn't work.

That depth is not used to redeem Chloe, but to show us that there's hope for Chloe. That this petty brat who we've been dealing with has some serious issues and needs help. Help that she's going to get far away from the people that she's hurt because her issues aren't an excuse for what she's done. They don't erase the harm that she caused. At the same time, understanding her issues makes us hope that she can be better now and Scarlet Lady took a moment to give us that hope. To show us the START of Chloe's true story.

That is the kind of ending that I have wanted to see in so many properties!!! It was so wonderful to finally get one that did this right. A story that understood that full redemption to the team and damnation to death/suffering are extremes on a scale of possibilities. You don't have to go to extremes! You can fall in the middle and the middle is a perfect, natural place for Chloe to land in this kind of story. Fully redeeming or even fully damning Chloe simply doesn't work in lighthearted formula content. It's too big a lift as canon has already demonstrated.

I also loved Zoe's take on Emilie. I've mentioned that I don't like evil Emilie in part because it makes her revival feel like the start of a new story. She's back and she'd bad, so we have to take her down now! But I don't want that. I want the story to end when Gabriel is stopped. Zoe does this by giving us an Emilie that is another perfect middle ground. She matches canon's uncomfortable implications without feeling like a true villain who is a threat to society.

[pennyold]

car wash | j.m

summary: how good feels when Joel is looking at you when you wash your Daddy’s car, with that shirt all wet, sure there’s was something more wet, isn’t it?

warnings: dilf!joel, vulgar language, dirty talk, p n v and pervert!joel

w.c: 1,793

a/n: well, well, it’s a long one (sorry) I got so inspired last night thinking about him in this situation, and it was so hot, so here is it, I hope you like it like I do!! Enjoy and leave your comment down below in this fic!! Not proofreading, sorry for any grammatical errors!!

main masterlist ↲

peace and love, penny ★

You were punished, of course you were, you have been a spoiled and unruly little girl, answering back to your dad about why you arrived so late. You have no limits with your words, you told him you were with a boy instead of having a sleepover with your friend, you lied to him, and he was so disappointed with you. So, for your good, he punished you by making you clean the car he used the most, it was so dirty that he did it on purpose to keep you busy. He gave you all the things you would need to clean the car. You were ready, but you had completely forgotten about your old stereo. You took it out of the garage among dust and storage boxes and put in the oldest CDs you have. Taking the bucket with soap and water, you walked towards the car, observing what to do first, you chose the front, it seemed easy, right? You thought that, but it wasn't, it was much worse than you thought, you are so small that some spots remained dry because you couldn't reach them. Weakly, you cleaned it with a clean and torn rag that your father gave you.

Your shirt was completely soaked with water and car soap, you whispered curses, looking at how dirty your clothes were, you lifted your head, felt eyes on you, and turned around, looking at your neighbor Joel Miller, sitting on his porch with a beer in hand. You always thought he was a bit attractive, but just that, now he's watching you while you clean and with your clothes sticking to your body from the wetness; of course, you don't mind that he's watching you. The sun continued to shine with its scorching light; it was very hot. You looked at Joel from time to time, he drank from his beer while watching you and occasionally disappeared. Almost done, your dad gently touched your shoulder "Holy hell, you scared me, Dad." You felt your heart racing a thousand miles an hour. "I'm sorry, I just wanted to tell you that I have to go, work needs me." he kissed your forehead and used the other car parked near the one you were washing. You only had the rear part of the car left, so you did it faster; your forehead was as sweaty as your chest, also your back, the sweat was dripping. You needed a shower, and immediately, when you finished, you cleaned the torn rag, drying the wet spots on the rear bumper of the car, before entering your house, someone called you, and you already knew who it was.

Are you done?" You nodded. "Can you wash my car too? I'll pay you." he said without further ado. You thought he was trying to take advantage of you, but you decided to be kind and accept the deal. Grabbing the same things you used to clean, you watched Joel's car. Minutes later, your whole body was aching; you were so exhausted, but you wanted that payment, right? While you were cleaning the passenger door, you looked at Joel. He was fixing some things in the engine, and the battery in the car, his stomach peeked out from under his slightly lifted shirt, and his pants were a bit low, he looked more attractive than he was. Biting your lip and holding back laughter, you finish cleaning and approach Joel, a bit embarrassed to interrupt him, "I-I finished." He comes out from under the car and looks at you while wiping his dirty hands, "Really? You're very quick, darling.” You nodded: "I should go, my dad will be back in an hour." Before you could leave, he grabbed your arm. "Wait, I haven't given you your pay." Your eyebrows furrowed. “It’s fine,” you said, trying not to annoy him. "I can see your exhausted body, just take the money so you can leave." You nodded, taking his money. "And... if you're not busy, can you come and help me later?" You had to convince your father that, you are still grounded. "Sure," you nodded, "I have to go." Joel nodded, returning to his work.

The clock struck 8 pm, and you were getting out of the shower, you didn't want Joel to see you in the same dirty and damp clothes. You took your phone and mentioned to your dad that you would be back soon, walking towards Joel's house, you rang the doorbell, and a call came from the garage, "Joel?" "I'm here," he was once again under the car, fixing something, and he came out looking at you from the ground. "Hi," you said, and he smiled. "Thanks for coming, could you pick up those things and bring them closer to you?" You nodded, grabbing some tools he had there. You brought the tools closer to you so you could hand them to him at any moment. You felt uncomfortable; you had been standing for the past hour. "We're almost done, honey. Take it easy," he noticed your uncomfortable position, you had been standing for a long time and your feet were hurting a lot. You turned around, looking for a place where you could sit for a while, there was an old table there, so you sat down, waiting for his call. "Hugh, thank God I'm done," he said, getting out of the car. "Really?" That's good to hear,” you said, swinging your legs, and watching him as he cleaned the utensils he used.

Seeing him, you notice that his broad back, his big arms, and how he looked so big were the only things your eyes were on. "Damn," you whispered to yourself, Joel didn't hear you because his stereo was playing songs at high volume, then he touched the stereo to lower the volume. "Have you had dinner?" shaking your head, you said: "Not really, I just ate an apple in the afternoon." he turned his whole body, looking at you, "Do you want to eat something else?" you think of something else when he says that, you have a little dirty mind. Your face flushed with the nervousness of that thought. "Um, yeah, sure," he nodded, then opened his mouth to say something but closed it again, unconvinced. "Could you...?" "Never mind," he said, moving closer to you. You squeezed your legs, and you stopped the movement, he was looking for something behind you; his eyes went everywhere but to you, yet you still felt his closeness.

You looked at him, and when he looked at you, his eyes met yours, then you looked away. "I'm sorry," you apologize, Joel smiled and took your chin. "Don't be sorry, am I bothering you, darling?" You shook your head, looking at him again. "Alright, pretty.” You bite your lip, holding back a gasp in your filthy mouth "Oh... are you okay?" you nod, he has caught you, still holding your lower lip. He got closer, and your pussy started to contract from the evident pain of the attention it needed, so you tightened more inside. "And why are you so tense and red?" huh?" he caught you, sure he did, he noticed. "I'm not." you barely said "I don't believe that darling, look at your legs, squeezing your crotch. I want to know if you're clenching anything else inside you." That was the last straw, you let out a moan on your lips, Joel grabbed you, taking your legs and your back in his large, strong arms, and carrying your body to his kitchen. Now, you were in a vulnerable position, and Joel took advantage of it.

He took you to the kitchen, sitting you on the counter. "Are you hot?" you nod. "A lot," Joel joked, touching your bare legs and slowly running his fingers near your crotch. "Joel..." he nods. "I know, you're so needy, aren't you?" “So much.” Touching his chest, you felt his sweaty skin and slowly moved your hand to his crotch. "Do you need that? Needy girl?" you bite my lip "Yes, Daddy," you whisper the last word, holding your breath. Joel smiled with pride; he loved being called 'Daddy.’ "Oh, does this pretty girl need her Daddy to take her and fuck her on the counter?” he talked dirty, he loved it. "Yes, yes." Joel took the helm of your shorts and pulled them down, almost taking your panties with them, he touched the thin fabric and tugged them slowly. He wanted to torture you until you started to whimper. "What a beautiful pussy, darling," he brushed his fingers over your clit. "Daddy... I'm very sensitive," you moaned, touching his chest. "Oh, darling, I want to make a complete mess of you, just for me," you couldn't form a word, so you squeezed his bulge. You unbuttoned his pants, and he grabbed the end of your shirt, finishing taking off his pants, he whispered, "Let me take off your shirt, I want to see those lovely breasts you have, darling." Now completely naked for him, he took a condom and rolled it onto his dick. Lifting your body to get closer to him, Joel grabbed you by the hips, stopping you. "Please," you plead. “Easy, darling, let me touch you more," he says, rubbing your poor, wet clit. "So wet and ready for Daddy to fuck you, right? Do you love it that much?” "Please, I beg you, I want it," you pouted, spreading your short legs, your pussy fully exposed to him. "Dirty girl, a pretty little slut, right?" he said, inserting the tip of his cock into your entrance, causing your poor hole to stretch.

With a slow rhythm, he hit your cervix. You arched your back and moaned in Joel's ear, and he began to whisper dirty things that made you more horny. You scratched his back while wrapping your legs around his hips, pulling him deeper inside you. He quickened his pace, sending shivers down your spine. You couldn't even breathe; you were squeezing him from the inside. You were so close, and he groaned, "Are you going to cum, darling?" "Fuck, yes!" you shouted, lightly tugging at the roots of his hair. "Do it, cum for Daddy," digging your nails into his back, your legs contracted, feeling your arousal dripping from your pussy. "Oh... oh..." you moaned, still squeezing it. "I'm going to cum too, darling. Can you hold me?" You nodded, and then he cum, his pace slowed, and his breathing returned to a normal rhythm. "Damn, what a tight pussy, darling, I barely fit," he kissed you on the cheek and neck while taking off the condom. "Do you still want to eat?" he smiled at you, a pretty smile.

divider: @/enchanthings-a

[astridthevalkyrie]

me getting into a new character: how neurodivergent am i allowed to go

cw: fluff + a few mild horny thoughts

Rafayel has this little quirk where he's practically incapable of acting like a normal boyfriend. Or a normal person, honestly. Where other people would just take your hand walking down the street, he holds it out with a too-happy, beaming grin so that he can see you take it yourself. Where other people would just sit down at a fancy restaurant, he makes mock offended noises if you try to sit before he can make a big show of pulling your chair out for you.

Where other people would kiss you, he likes biting.

"I'm thinking," he muses, nibbling on your earlobe, "what about a diamond necklace?"

You sigh, burrowing yourself further into him, back against his chest. You're quite comfortable, and you could even fall asleep if it wasn't for his constant yammering. "No."

"Come on," he complains, sinking his teeth into your cheek this time. You let out a brief sound of exasperation, trying to bat at him, but he remains steadfast, tongue poking out to soothe the minor indent he leaves into your skin. "How'm I supposed to prove myself if you won't let me?"

"How would you buying me a diamond necklace prove anything?"

One of his hands slips under your shirt, resting right under your chest. His fingers knead whatever they get in contact with—it's not painful, actually it feels pretty good, not that you'd ever admit it to him. Though you suppose, turning around in his hold and silently indicating to him to pull you closer may just be admitting exactly that.

"It'd prove I'm not cheap, for one thing. I'd be able to tell everyone, whatever my girlfriend wants, she gets! You're so strange, not wanting anything. Do you even know how rich I am?"

"Tell you what," you mumble, burying your face in his neck and completely melting in his arms as soon as his comforting scent fills your senses, "you buy me a quesadilla tomorrow and I'll tell everyone you're practically my sugar daddy."

Rafayel scoffs. "Like anyone would ever believe you were a sugar baby. You don't have the constitution for it."

That might be a new lead in the top ten strangest insults you've ever heard from him. Shooting a small glare up his way, you bite back, "Are you going to let me sleep or are you gonna keep talking?"

"Keep talking," he answers without hesitation, then barrels forward before you can protest. "Hmm, maybe I should just fill my place up with amenities for you. Cheese plates in the kitchen. Exfoliators in the bathroom. A butler to take your coat."

The ridiculous idea of him hiring a butler just so someone could occasionally take your coat from you when you come over makes you laugh, which in turn puts a pleased smile on his face and accidentally encourages him to continue.

"What's that kids' movie you like? Twelve Dancing Princesses? What if I just repaint this room with the floor design from that?"

Now hang on. This one actually interests you, the idea of playing out your childhood fantasies out by dancing around in Rafayel's room. If you asked, you're sure he'd hire someone to replicate the same dress the main character from that movie wears too. "Wouldn't that be embarrassing? Anyone who comes here would see it."

"Yeah, something tells Thomas won't care. And if anyone else does come here, they'll probably write a boringly long article meant to flatter me. Renowned artist is super nice and generous to his childish girlfriend—"

"Says the guy who cried during Island Princess," you fire back, "also, it's nice to know you're only trying to spoil me for acclaim."

"Hello? Did you miss the part where I said boringly long? I'm trying to spoil you because I want you to spend my money."

"Why? It turns you on or something?"

"Maybe," he grins, pretending to lean in to kiss you, then sinking his teeth into your cheek once more the second you purse your lips to meet him halfway. With a quiet growl, you kick at his feet, and he only laughs against your skin. "Come oooon, I'm serious. Tell me at least one expensive thing I can get you."

Finally, you open your eyes, looking up at him with all your sincerest conviction. "Raf. If you wanna ruin your reputation and renovate your floor into the Twelve Dancing Princesses one just to prove a point, go for it. But I'm warning you, I'm gonna have to give you the best head of your life if you do that."

Rafayel groans, the hand that's not up your shirt tangling into your hair. "Don't tell me that, you're gonna force me to be selfless and turn it down. This isn't transactional. I give you my card and tell you to go wild, and then you just do it. Nothing in return."

Ah, yes, the Raf classic. Say the sweetest possible thing in the most irritating way he possibly can. Well, two can play at that game.

"If you give me your card and expect nothing in return, I'm going to strictly buy paint supplies in all your favorite brands, all your favorite colors—"

"I don't have favorite colors—"

Clamping a hand over his mouth, you press on. "And your weak attempt to spoil me will fall flat because not only will I only buy things you like, but I'll wire you the entire amount of what I spend the next day."

He lets out a dramatic half-whine, shaking you a little. "Man, you're so embarrassing!" Tugging you closer, he drowns out your complaints with his own protests. "So clingy, stop getting so close to me! Oh my god," he moans, holding your hand tighter the more you try to fight him and pull back, "get away from me, stalker. Let go!"

"Holy shit, you're so annoying—"

"And you're so obsessed with me, it's concerning."

For once, you're the one pouting at him. "I'm trying to sleep. You're really warm. Can you please push my limits later?"

An affectionate smile lights up his face. "Yeah, okay. As long as you agree tomebuyingyouapradabag."

"No."

Rafayel snorts, tucking his face into your hair. "And you think you could handle being a sugar baby."

[goldenshrikecomic]

FAQ

Please read these before sending asks! It's also good to check the tags listed on the pinned post to see if it's already answered. Where can I read GS? On Comicfury or DeviantArt. Two pages ahead on both Patreon and Ko-fi.

Who works on this comic? Only me, ratt/doeprince. You can call me either, I usually refer to myself as doeprince when it's more official, otherwise ratt or some secret third thing. I'm an amateur artist and I draw these comics for fun without much ambition to gain greatness. I want to make enough money to be able to keep working on more comics, and buy trinkets.

How can I support what you do? Why thank you for asking! All my income comes from making comics, so the support on either Patreon or Ko-fi is literally making my comic endeavours possible.

Do you have other projects? I work on some secondary comics. Jet and Harley and Honey are currently updating, Corpse is finished. You can find my other art on doe-prince.

How long will Golden Shrike be? I don't know how many pages. I hope it's less than 1000.

What programs do you use? SAI for lineart, CSP for coloring and bubbles, PS for text and backgrounds. Hoooow do you draw the antlers from different perspectives? I've made 3D models for each recurring antlered character.

Is GS going to have physical merch? Will it be printed? Consider this a no, but I won't say never.

Does GS have a map, official wiki or dub or something like that? No. There's a fan wiki out there full of inaccurate information so take everything in there with tons of grains of salt. There's no map. The dub on YT is separate from me, I've had no hand in it.

Can I make a fan character? Can they interact with yours? You can absolutely make a fan character! I just ask you not to make them interact with mine, at least not in any kind of heavy way. It's a slippery slope and I've seen people treat my characters very rudely to make them suit their needs.

Can I make fanart/writing? Yes! All sfw and well-meaning works are welcome. Just tag me so I can see them! Why are the borders black and sometimes white? White borders means it's a flashback.

Deer don't do that!!!!! Or birds!! Or plants! The moon shouldn't be that shape right now. Everything in GS is fictional for this very reason. I shall not be shackled by the chains of realism when there's entire new worlds in my fingertips. I aim to make things believeable in its context, not realistic. Are other animals sentient, can they talk? Sure they are and can, but not outside their own species. A frog can't hold a conversation with a deer, but a deer and antelope could possibly make it work. There's exceptions though.

How old are main characters? They're fawns right? No they are not, they'd all be in their early 20s if they were humans.

What does sire mean? It keeps popping up in different contexts. You can liken this term to 'father', as in your dad but also something like a priest. The priest isn't your dad but "father forgive me for I've sinned". So sire is a) respected stag, b) very formal way to address your father. Dame is the female counterpart. Why are the does so small compared to stags.... are you a freak... do you just hate women..... Listen when I started GS I had been dwelling in a place where monster deer characters had insane size differences and it became some kind of norm to me and of course it found its way into my comic. Now I just have to keep drawing those tiny women to keep up the consistency. I've created bigger ladies nowadays because I too think it's a little silly now.

Please please will this character ever get a mate? Will this pairing be canon? Will you please make this pairing canon? I won't spoil any pairings, I think it'd be the most boring thing to do to my own work! I'll only confirm the ones already established in the comic.

Is this a speck of ember? Is it snow? What is that floating thing, is it relevant to the plot? IT'S JUST MY DUST BRUSH LEAVE ME ALONE.

[emsylcatac]

is ML awakening good/worth a watch? I never watched it because ppl kept putting down the show to prop it up as being better at the time so I didnt want any weird biases to cloud my judgment. On the other hand, I remember ppl criticized s5's finale for not having adrien being relevant but then praise the movie's finale despite it not having marinette be relevant (correct me if im wrong, but sounds like things wouldve solved faster if she gave up and didnt believe in herself )

Hey! 😊

I think it depends on your tastes: if you really love the show and the characters, you probably won't like the movie. But if you're salty about the show (especially if you've been salty about it for a long time) then from what I've seen, people tend to like the movie more. Though you might also end up liking both the movie and the show, recognize each their flaws and qualities and have a fun time without feeling like you have to compare them!

So my advice would be :

If you love the show and the characters (and especially Adrien's characterization in the show), I don't think watching the movie is really worth it. But if you have friends who love the show to watch the movie with, it can be a fun experience to watch it together and laugh at it.

If you like the show but aren't necessarily too invested in it or even if you're invested in the show but are a casual watcher who doesn't analyze everything, I'd say you can give the movie a try and you'll probably have a good time at best, or quickly forget about it at worst.

If you are salty about the show and were especially disappointed in the S5 finale (or more about Adrien's non-involvement in the finale fight) and are looking for more Chat Noir / Hawkmoth confrontation than what we got in the show's finale, and if you aren't too attached to Adrien's characterization in the show, I would say you'll probably love the movie and should watch it!

I'll share more of my personal opinions / experience undercut that also answer some of your questions about the finale regarding Marinette and Adrien's involvement without spoiling the plot too much, but beware because I'm not a fan of the movie so it's up to you to read my biased opinion 😆

So even though I was disappointed in a few things in S5 (namely Adrinette dating pre-reveal), I would take that over the movie any day 😅 The characters were ooc to me (especially Adrien, I really didn't like their take on him), the writing is pretty basic imo, the musics aren't "bad" per say but they're cheesy and not at all memorable (and they sing wayyy too much imo - take a Disney and make it worse in terms of musical interruptions). And you're right, the movie finale has more Adrien in it - in fact, it feels a lot like fanservice in terms of Hawkmoth & Chat Noir type of content, but to the expanse of their main character: Marinette. Which is kinda disappointing for a story with a female lead imo. So to me, the movie finale wasn't satisfying to watch - more frustrating than anything because of the conclusion of it (I don't wanna spoil it in case you decide to watch it). We also don't really get to see the characters develop their relationship a lot (which makes sense because you can't have the same development in 1h45 than in 5 seasons), so it also doesn't help in making the finale satisfying to me. And I will say those who were satisfied probably were because they have seen the characters interact in the show and are watching the movie as if Adrien & Marinette had the same development, which they don't have.

I've watched the movie 2 times, one with the ML French culture gang at the theatre and we honestly had a great time laughing at how bad we thought the movie was, but our opinions were the same. And another time with @yeet-noir & @amimons because they hadn't watched it and wanted to see what I meant when I said it was bad. Again, we had fun making fun of it but they also didn't like the movie and I think we were overall frustrated with the fact that we think that it's not depicting a good image of the show, especially for people who only watched the movie (and we were frustrated at people saying it's tooooons better than the show hahahaha). But that's our personal opinion, and someone who loved the movie would tell you a different story for sure!

I hope it helped, sorry I'm def not the best person to be neutral because of my opinion on the movie hahaha 😅 but no matter what you decide to do and how you personally end up feeling about the movie, the most important is that it brings you enjoyment 😄

[transistor-rhythm-909]

The Dope One - I Dream of Depth (Despair Decibel: Avex vs. The Dope One)

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This initially started out purely as a "test" composition for Despair Decibel- my main "big" Splatoon related project- to help really zero in how I would want music for the project to sound, or at least one example of its soundscape, based on the reference material I've been compiling. As I worked on it though, I found it actually suited the confrontation between Avex and The Dope One- the project's main antagonist- that Rake Your Inside was the tail-end of. In an actual playable version of the campaign, that fight would take the form of a scripted boss battle- one that you cannot win. To that end, I aimed to give the track a particularly dangerous and harsh edge, something to sell the feeling of hopelessness that comes with facing off against someone so phenomenally powerful.

Which, to give the barest of context without spoiling too much, The Dope One very much is; he's a being that until the events of the story, was imprisoned at the bottom of the sea outside Inkopolis (roused from his slumber by the end of Octo Expansion) for 6000 years. His inprisonment was the result of his involvement in a global war between the various species, though he didn't fight for any particular side or cause- he fought and decimated entire armies seemingly for the pleasure of sowing as much discord as possible, and he did so primarily through the use of extremely advanced and intricate sound manipulation, both physically and mentally manipulating and destroying his opponents using the very concept of audio in any form it takes. His origins are shrouded in mystery; he's an evolved blue whale, but that species went completely extinct long before the rapid evolution of sea life following the end of humanity. There are, of course, answers to this, but again, spoilers in it. I can at least say the events of Despair Decibel chronicle his ongoing goal to, as he puts it, "spit in the face of existence, of living and being alive", the general chaos that ensues as a result, and the intersecting philosophical points of life and death, song and dance, conflict and peace, love and hate. Or something like that.

I'm fairly pleased with the track, especially given it was an off-the-cuff "test" song. Sort of; a couple of the samples/general arrangement ideas where ones I'd had for a little while, but hadn't fully committed to or finagled into something I liked until now. It is extremely external sample heavy- there are entire portions where there's like, maybe one or two of Music 2000's built in samples at most, and everything else is external, both from sample packs and from other sources. A lot of loops, too. There's also a couple of things I reused from other tracks I've done- again, a consequence of it initially starting out as a "test", but I like to think there's enough unique material here/clever manipulation of the sampled loops to keep it fresh. As with my other Splatoon related work, the music is diegetic- this would actually be playing during the fight "in-universe"- and is such credited to a character in the setting, in this case The Dope One himself.

I also wrote a little prelude story to go along with the track- effectively the "pre-fight" cutscene for the battle the song is for, were DD actually playable. I'll include that below.

***

“Three, do you copy?”

“Loud and clear, Two. What's occurring?”

“He's found the shelter.”

“Fuck.”

“We need to mount a counterattack. Return to ba-”

“There's no time for that, Two, and you know that. I'm going in.”

“You're alone out there, Three, you can't-”

“People will get HURT, Marie.”

“Gods damnit Three, I'm giving you a direct order-”

“Put some coffee on, Two. This won't take long.”

“No, you list-”

KRRSH

“Three?”

“Three?!”

“AVEX!!!”

-

The setting sun cast sickly rays of a hazy orange light between the rusty metal beams of the upturned tower buried in the sand, dimmed and refracted by the gale that whipped up sand. Though it was a small distance from the city proper, it was one of Splatsville's most iconic landmarks- even those who had never been to the Bankara prefecture had heard of it, or seen photos.

The Dope One's smile widened as he effortlessly strode through the storm, sliding down into a small, cracked marble ruin situated at the base of a dune. He had to admit, it was quite brilliant, making use of the buildings at the base as a shelter; hiding civilians in plain sight. He'd almost considered overlooking it, due to its standout nature as a clear landmark.

Or, perhaps his foes were simply too stupid to plan better. Inkfish were never the brightest of species'.

He chuckled to himself dryly, even as a shape descended into the opposite end of the dune.

“My my, how noble.” The Dope One sneered, tone dripping with sarcasm. “Meeting me all by your lonesome, Avex?”

“I don't need backup to deal with you, you smug prick.” the Inkling responded, frowning as he stopped through the sandy haze. His hand was resting around the grip of his heavily modified Flingza Roller, still strapped to his back.

The Dope One laughed uproariously. “Such tenacity! Such vigour! I do like prey that will put up a fight.”

Avex snarled, his beak bared. “Could've fooled me.”

“Your concern for the meek and the innocent is heartening, truly.” The Dope One's eyes narrowed, though the smile remained on his face. He held his hands out to his sides, as an array of mechanical parts began to flow out from underneath his jacket, forming into turntables with built in amplifiers. As they finished constructing themselves, he flicked his wrists, producing a pair of vinyls, placing one on each deck.

Avex pulled the roller out of its holder, flicking it 'open'. “I'm going to enjoy wiping that shit-eating grin off of your face.”

The Dope One laughed again, clutching his stomach with both hands.

Avex cocked an eyebrow. “Something funny?”

“I've heard tens of thousands of men utter something to that effect when opposing me, Avex. Warriors, Councillors, the common man, people of every stature and standing. They, and you, do all share something in common, however.”

Avex grit his beak. “And what would that be?”

The Dope One's eyes widened, his smile widening in malice as he spun both records, the sound of distorted guitar snippets and glitchy synthesizers filling the arena. “Failing to understand that I am the ultimate weapon of despair; a perfect being of discord and malice; the very enemy of life itself. Nothing with a beating heart can kill me.”

As the beat kicked in, Avex leapt forward with a roar.

[distant--shadow]

Yeah, it's 100% an issue of question curation, not an issue with questions being asked. There's literally no way that you could know that without specifically seeking out questions that were submitted but not answered, but I guess some people are expecting you to be clairvoyant...

It's a shame because it's probably the only fireside chat Laura'll do for at least a year. I think the quesitons that get the most repeat submissions are always going to be the memey ones, which is why they really need a dedicated person to pick out the most interesting questions during fireside chats, otherwise we're just gonna keep getting shallow questions.

Also, I was just thinking the other day about how girlfailure is kinda like the new bimbo and it bothers me. Like, yeah, it means ditzy and klutzy and we can say it affectionately all we like, we're still kinda trivialising feminity. It's also a really clunky word that sounds bad to say. If you wanna talk more about it, I'd like to hear it

I feel you here, but as I keep tryna say I don't think it's 100% an issue on curation, because those silly questions had to be submitted in the first place, and the person curating them has to have some sort of belief or knowledge that it is what the audience wants to hear. I can take an argument for lightheartedness, but as I said, it's within the context of all of the grievances people have had with this campaign, I guess paired maybe with underlying concerns I could have about them tryna appeal to a certain crowd, and how that could effect the main campaign format eventually. I don't know the current time line for recording, so there's all chance that the latest episode was filmed an amount of time before the fireside chat, so that added to wanting to steer from too current questions as it would maybe spoil. but then again I say, the show didn't have to be this week. and you're very right, it is so frustrating because we have a lot less of a look behind the curtain with this campaign than we did c2, and yes they're so busy, but it's frustrating because we (or at least I) don't want any of the bells and whistles in this extra content. I'm not looking to fulfil a social need watching them hang out, I want to get a grasp of what is going on, or at least not have it replaced by the goofing.

of course part of why I was posting initially with pretty heavy words is because I was feeling pissed off about it, you wait a long time for something to come round and it just feels like the same information rehashed to you, or yeah as I said in other posts, it feels like an obvious infiltration of fandom and like you're getting pandered to. and hey, maybe that's the fault of this campaign, maybe the majority feel it's so lacking they'd rather say fuck it, I'd rather AU to everyone's face.

I'll say a little bit on the girl failure thing, because I am almost certain people have written good and thought out essays and pieces on this stuff, but what I will say is what my gut says. firstly, there has been a huge up tick in the use of girl by women in general in recent years, and as a simple quick note on that: I don't like it. it shows a denial of aging, a wish to not be associated with what is woman, as well as literally the word for a child. yes, I understand the complexities of a society where getting houses and a lot of these other classic age associated milestones are really hard if not impossible, and that language evolves and definitions change, but what a denial of the experiences you do get to have instead. there's a lot of freedoms we have that prior generations haven't. to go through all of that and still call other women girls is just. it's not it. I can understand an argument for preference, but as I said, to use it for others is infantilising. showing my age here, I'm sure, but it's the way girl has become like an identity vs woman. why are you so scared of being a woman? what is it about if that you dislike? how does that play into-

girlfailure, and people using it so casually for everything and it becoming a meme.

language is important. and I shoudlnt be allowed to say that because I haven't proof read a post in my life and I've got a sieve brain from years of drug use. but the language you use plants seeds. when you make jokes and belittle yourself, do you know what kind of people see that and think, huh, well if they're saying it it's fine for me to say it too, and who goes on to repeat it the loudest? how, genuinely, I genuinely believe this, yknow, you watch those videos and read those pieces on how people basically become fascists without realising, from the wildest paths. that it's often a long chain of events. behaviour starts somewhere. and yeah, this is a huge dumbing down and simplification of that and I'm sure a lot of people will argue I'm being delusional and dramatique', but associating a negative trait with a gender or a sex or a race or ability, making it a meme, using that meme, even if it's initially only used by the people it applies to, it gets co-opted by those it doesn't, and in time is used as ammunition against them. do I think that every person saying girlfailure or girlmath is using it with vicious intent? no. but I'm old enough to have grown up with changing vocabulary and words that are derogatory and thought of as totally fine to use in every day language and were in reality dehumanising and or belittling the people they were used against. basically? girlfailure gives me the ick. sure, girlfail all over yourself if you have to. don't use it for other women. don't put it out there.

it's never made sense for me for Imogen. yeah, she's a goof at times, but her failures are literally dice rolls, why is no one else a girlfailure? she's been rediculously perceptive (lol not visually) so many fucking times. what do you mean all you've wanted is for Imogen to be a girlfailure? you want her to flunk everything she attempts? doesn't seem to line up with the Imogen I very much enjoy seeing and people claim is what they love to see.

finally, and this might be huge news to some people, I can think girlfailure is a shitty term and propagating misogyny, and that doesn't take away from how much of my concerns are focused in areas that need more attention, doesn't mean it's all I care about. as I'm always saying, change happens locally, within communities. change starts with small actions as well as big ones. language is important. if you don't see how small things play into the big things then I'm sorry, the world isn't that simple. dehumanising and the like starts at micro levels. and before u know it it's law.

[marytunno]

- play Jacob and the stone -

I felt inspired by this quote from the writer Lena Karla, in its heartbreaking simplicity it made me think about a lot of stuff...

But since in here I post mostly about Arya Stark and Gendrya I'll use my emotions to write about that.

No one asked me in particular but I am a yapper anyways... I wanted to answer, mostly for myself, about two questions about this paring.

1 Why do I personally ship Gendrya

2 Do I think they'll be endgame (spoiler I'm losing hope on twow ever being published yey)

I can count on one, ok maybe both, hands the ships in books and general media that I care about. I like most canon ships and the ones I dislike don't interfere much with my viewing experience, but I rarely feel a connection. Gendrya is an exception, I really, really care about these two. Without getting too personal... I love Arya's character so deeply, I started reading the books ( and watching the show) when I was very young, too young heheh, and so, the characters I could relate to and really understand were few, Arya being the main one. I can't say I have been through the same traumatic shit she has, but I know too well what it means to watch your family slowly die, suffer, disappear without being able to do anything about it, feeling just like the helpless kid I was. I know really well the anger, the self doubt, the fear, the numbness, the confusion that Martin was able to write in Arya's and other young character's chapters. I wasn't drawn to Asoiaf as the "wine and tits" thing, or for the over the top violence, I still feel like it's kinda well balanced and never too much btw, but because I saw deeply human characters experiencing loss like I was and I couldn't look away. What I always looked for in these pages, in this story, were the moments of light, of warmth, the moments that proved that even in the middle of the horrors of war and hate and manipulations some people care, some people get up every time they fall, some people come back for you, always. This to say that Gendrya, as a friendship mainly, is one of those moments of light in these books. I relate so deeply to the feeling of being alone, on the run, angry... and the way these characters find in each other a safe place, the way they trust each other, they fight, they speak the same words at the same time, they come back to each other... has me truly invested. They work very well together, have opposite upbringings and yet similar ideals, different personalities and yet the same temper... They have a way to challenge and bring out the best in each other. He is always there in her chapters, a presence almost given for granted until the harsh world they live in pulls them apart. I feel like the only stronger relationships Arya has are the ones with her family, mainly Jon, and I can't wait for her to be reunited to those who are still alive (or half alive hehe)... but I feel that there is still space for Gendry in her life, Arya had so so so much love to give, not per se in a romantic way, and we know our boy definitely needs some. All this to say I once was an angry and lost kid ( kinda still am haha) and I love seeing two lost and angry kids, in spite of everything, taking care of each other.

Yey so it's time for answer n2. As I have spoiled before... I kinda don't believe in Asoiaf to be ever finished, I sure hope, but ya know... So to me we will never know and Gendrya will stay as a great connection and friendship that could have turned romantic in some future... to me not knowing if they will ever be endgame doesn't spoil what we already have... I sure hope, if the books ever get published, that Arya gets to meet again most people she has left in westeros... From a narrative stand point it makes sense for her to cross paths again with the brotherhood (LSH yey) and having someone she can trust on her side wouldn't hurt. I don't rule out a romantic development, rebuilding their friendship to me would be more than enough, because I feel like Grrm could really easily go that way and most experiences Arya is having in essos are about her growing up into a woman. I mean we have to face it she won't be a child forever and I feel like she would love having her own family, her own pak to love fiercely. Even if one of them dies or they part ( I don't see them doing that easily after meeting again but who knows) I feel like the end of a relationship/friendship doesn't make it less beautiful and meaningful. For sure Arya could have other love interests but, I'm not into incest and actually having a brother that I love so so much, incest is kind of unthinkable to me (not sorry hehe) and in general most men in Asoiaf are not that great ( at least as partners let's be honest) and I want Arya to be with someone that loves and respects her for who she is and doesn't want to force her into standards that shouldn't even exist.

ok... I feel like nothing I said was coherent but who cares haha... at least the edit is kinda nice... in my mind it takes place while they are separated and think they'll never meet again... but if someone ( cough cough George) decides to write maybe that separation won't have to last forever.

An update: I'm writing something right now that I would define as a "what if" in the og asoiaf universe... I hope I'll be able to post it soon...

Byeee <3

[celevrian]

You can answer or ignore these as you like.

Have you ever developed a ship based on writing with a certain other character / mun? Have you ever started to ship a rare-pair? What are rare-pairs that you’re passionate about? Do you ship someone’s muses on your dash? What people make you happy when you see them on the dash? What are things you wish people would tag so you can block it?

MUNDAY QUESTIONS

ignore these? Never.

Have you ever developed a ship based on writing with a certain other character / mun?

Yes. All the time. Specifically I'd say @sorrowssinger 's Maglor, who spoiled me very early on by doing me the honor of falling in love with Aredhel ( and still is in love with her as of the other night.) Since then we've developed so many dang ships. we had an armada at one point. Crossovers, canon characters--i think we only have like two canon ships which are turgon/elenwe & hades/persephone ... right, Andy? 👀👀👀

Have you ever started to ship a rare-pair?

babes i got news for you. ALL I SHIP ARE RAREPAIRS. LITERALLY. ALL I SHIP. I AM NOT A FAN OF POPULAR SHIPS FOR ABOUT 99 REASONS. *breathes* okay okay I'm okay. Always and forever though. Rarepairs are my bread and butter. I love them. I hate that no one ships it but me tho.

What are rare-pairs that you’re passionate about?

... buckle up, bitches, you're about to go for a ride.

first and foremost is thranduil/aredhel that i shipped a very very long time ago with @elvxnkingthranduil ... who is sadly no longer in the fandom ( and i mourn their absence regularly ). I can't say they were the first trigger to my shipping it because I shipped it before they came along, hence why they're here instead of up above. But this pairing in my mind is absolute gold. There's a meeting of spirits and minds i cannot ever get over. The forest lord Aredhel should've actually met in the first age. You will pry this ship from my cold, dead hands. Thranduil is literally her dream guy I'm not even kidding. Why? I think it's the... wildness, the danger without harm, the staying power, the fact he's so 'you're all idiots' it makes her want to bite him , and hug him, and steal his clothes and braid his hair. It's very hard to describe in a blurb but fucking hell am I on my knees for it, and miss the dynamic. It was literal perfection.

Another one is Celebrían/Gil-Galad which I found while looking for Celrond fics ( and being so terribly disappointed ), the dynamic I already knew was fantastic but there's this one author that ships it and there's like 3 fics and they're just simply sublime. Literally didn't know I needed it until that set of reading, it's lovely, like if I had to pick another elf for Celebrían that wasn't Elrond, it would be Gil-Galad, that's how awesome these fics were. Though even unromanced version, they're such great friends, in my mind, and the dynamic is still utterly superb. The balance of dutiful king and in the shadows lady is just *chefs kiss* love it.

Third I found randomly one day while looking for Finduilas fics was Finduilas/Maeglin. That one was out of left field but honestly I dig it. You've got sun/night going on. She's golden af he's shadows. You have the angst of the fact that she's the Idril of her own story but she was also Maeglin in her own story. Involved but pining after someone she couldn't have. I think they could both learn a lot about each other and work very well together, that she'd notice more about him than everyone else. As a result actually, I've internally shipped them with my muses for when Maeglin is referring to a wife in later verses with characters like Elrond ( because my Maeglins main ship is @sungsilver so given he and Elrond cannot both be with Celebrían, Finduilas has filled in ).

Fourth rarepair I'd say is Aredhel/happiness. "Wait what?" You say. I SAY AREDHEL/HAPPINESS BECAUSE FUCKING HELL DO YOU REALIZE HOW SAD SHE IS??? I'll be a little more normal and say AREDHEL/GONDOLINDRIM. Why? Because SOMEHOW SHE'S NEVER SHIPPED WITH ONE OF THE 9 DUDES WHO ARE AROUND HER THE MOST. ( I'm excluding Maeglin, salgant & tuor for obvious reasons). Like I don't understand that, how are her only ships in this fandom Eöl, Elenwë & Celegorm? We could have Aredhel/Glorfindel, Aredhel/Ecthelion, Aredhel/Egalmoth, Aredhel/Rog--- ARE YOU CATCHING MY DRIFT??? SOMEHOW IT DOESN'T EXIST and that's a tragedy in my opinion. Seriously. Not one. NOT ONE. How? Fandom you've failed her honestly. You can only ship her with her abusive husband, her sister in law, or the guy who burned the boats, abandoned her, and never went looking for her when he found out she visited and didn't come back. Y'all are nuts. I'm disappointed in you.

Another one: Luthien/Maedhros. Another one you'll pry from my cold dead hands. Not only is he totally her type, but you could fix half the silmarillion with this pairing. Luthien helps him steal the silmarils from angband through subterfuge. Solved. No more silm problems. Mae and luthien having the most adorable babies known to elvendom aaand the most terrifying. They got together to end sindarin/noldor conflict. Thingol didn't like it but she married him anyway. He never jumps because why would he. She never dies because he's not mortal. Another variation with Maedhros is Maedhros/Aredhel ( less power couple more comfort ) and if you want a write up on that I'll dm you.

last one: Finrod/Amarië. "But that's canon!' You say. Bitch do you realize how RARE CANON PAIRINGS ARE????? Good luck getting a guy to love and fuck his canon lover in this economy. Finrod is mostly paired with Curufin, Turgon, Bëor etc BUT AMARIE IS LITERALLY RIGHT THERE ( @ofthevanyar *smooches* ) AAAND Y'ALL JUST SLEEPING ON IT. you know who else? FINDUILAS/GWINDOR. ELROND/CELEBRÍAN. GALADRIEL/CELEBORN. ETC ETC ETC. this fandom would do anything other than ship the actual couples. Heaven forfend! How dare we?? And oh by the way, oc versions of wives are also abhorred for some reason. Y'all be hamlet with ophelia and the "get thee to a nunnery" shit. Absolutely killing me. 😳😳😳 a'ight I'll shut up now.

Do you ship someone’s muses on your dash?

... no... actually. It sounds awful but I just don't ship anybody, I'm happy y'all are having fun tho.

What people make you happy when you see them on the dash?

Ohhhhhh boy here we go. LET THE TAGS BEGIN. @tidalhaired ( darliiing ❤❤❤ ) @saltuary ( kissing you on the cheeks ) @sungsilver ( again babes I'm tagging you forevaaah😘 ), @scion-of-kings ( on my knees. On MY FUCKING KNEES ) @putrefacerem ( *waggly brows* ) @worthyheir ( we have really gotta work on a verse hon ) @gatheringrust ( and gwindor of course ) @pxnxply ( what did you think I forgot you? ) @lvscinvs ( *goes to my inbox to write up those memes ) @dcviline ( we really need to find some characters who click, this is intolerable ) @springsdawn ( moth vc: wifeeeeeeeeee ) @heirtoharrenhal (who I've never said hi to but still like seeing on my dash they're like a staple) @quentafeanorians (darliiiinggg *mwah mwah mwah*) @sorrowssinger ( who isn't around as much so it's like seeing a rare bird ) @fallensmith ( i have GOT to start poking toby again ) @ofthevanyar ( finrod says 'WIFEEEY' even louder ) @ienemy ( *on my knees* dolllllll come baackkk 😭😭😭 ) & @realmsdelite ( again i don't interact much but love seeing them. I really need to get a got verse gosh )

whew

What are things you wish people would tag so you can block it?

Nothing. I'm good. I just wish tumblr would LET ME FUCKING NOT SEE THE SHIT THAT *IS* BLOCKED LIKE PLS TUMBLR I'M BEGGING. I DON'T WANNA SEE CERTAIN THINGS LET ME NOT.

[authorjoeypaul]

5 FACTS ON MY CURRENT WORKING PROJECTS

It's been a while since I did a five facts piece, but since I've not been drafting for over six months, it's just not been something I could do. I thought that I would give you five facts about the projects I'm currently working on. But before I get into that, lemme tell you about those projects.

I am revising four projects currently. I'll See You Thru is a YA paranormal/romance standalone. It's about witches and curses and falling in love. This Is How It Ends is a YA thriller standalone. It's about friendship, death, loss, secrets, and hunting for the truth. Visible is the third in the Invisible quartet which is a YA dystopian series. It's all about viruses and disability, adaptation and resilience. And Cramping Chronicles: The Fourth Torment is the fourth in the Cramping Chronicles series, which is YA urban fantasy. It's about empaths, disability, and saving the world whether you want to or not.

So those are my four projects. I'm also doing line edits for Translucent which is the second in the Invisible quartet and due out later this year. I'm gonna focus on the revision projects though since I feel like I can give some facts on those without falling into spoilers. So here we go!

FACT #1: ALYA & FREYA HAVE NO IDEA THE THINGS THEY'LL GO THROUGH

So these two are from I'll See You Thru and both of them are about to sit their first year A-level exams, so about seventeen. Both of them wake up as see thru, wraiths in other words, and they both have to work together to find out who cursed them, why, and how to undo it all. While Ayla has no experience of the witches in their world, Freya does, even if she's not a fan of them. Both of them have to overcome their own worries and try and stay together to find answers. It's not easy, there's a lot keeping them apart, and also Ayla isn't fond of lying, and she's in a position of having to do a lot of that which she is not happy about. But hopefully, at the end, all will turn out right.

FACT #2: MAGGIE HAS NO IDEA THE SECRETS SHE WILL UNCOVER

Maggie is the main character of This Is How It Ends. She's been sure that when Delia died, she knew everything that happened, but a random photo on Facebook has her questioning everything. She wants to believe that Paula and Juliet will tell her the truth, but it soon becomes clear that both are hiding something, and with the mysterious DJ demanding Maggie uncover the truth, she's in a position of having to question everything. Would her friends lie? Did they have something to do with Delia's death? And if they did, how did they get away with it? Along the way she's going to uncover a whole bunch of secrets, some of them she kinda isn't sure what to do about.

FACT #3: ZYA ISN'T SURE ABOUT THE SAFETY OF WHERE THEY ARE

Zya is one of the main characters from the Invisible quartet and while I can't go into details of where they are because that would spoil book two, I will say that Zya is sure that while they've all been told one thing about the people in charge of the country, she's not completely sold on it being the whole truth. She's lost a lot, faced countless dangers, and she's not sure that this is the end of it all, and she has no idea who to trust.

FACT #4: JONAH WILL FIGHT FOR WHAT'S RIGHT

Jonah is the other main character from the Invisible quartet and the same applies here in that I can't go into major details because of book two not being out yet. I will say that Jonah is pretty solid on his use at the end of that book, and things happen in Visible that allow him to see for himself that he has something he can do to save the people he cares about. Betrayal and violence lay ahead, but he's going to get through it, if he can.

FACT #5: JESSIE WAS NEVER PREPARED FOR THIS

Jessie is the main character in the Cramping Chronicles series, and I need to be somewhat careful with spoilers because of how Third Ache, the third book, ended. Jessie has a battle on her hands and she is woefully unprepared for what lay ahead. She doesn't have much time, but enough to maybe come out of it and save everyone, even if she loses herself in the process.

So there we go, those are five facts about my current projects. I should be handing over Fourth Torment to the editor in April, so that's in the later stages, and the first two will be done with revisions, for now, in March/April time so it's gonna be different projects I work on then.

Any questions? Lemme know in the comments!

Follow Joey to be kept up to date with the latest news regarding Joey and her books.

[otherworldseekers]

My Thoughts on 7.1 MSQ

Major Spoilers ahead!

I'll start by saying that as far as x.1 msq goes, I found this one a lot more interesting and satisfying than either 5.1 or 6.1. (I don't really remember how I felt about earlier ones anymore.) Overall, I think it had excellent narrative pacing, some really good character development and fantastic thematic resonance.

The Funeral and the Alexandrians' feelings

As someone who has always loved to learn about other cultures and ways of viewing the world, personally I really enjoyed them digging into the distress of the Alexandrians in the wake of Sphene's death. It's not something we can relate to because it is so far off from the way our own lives work, but it is fascinating to see them failing to deal with their grief.

The contrast between what we the players felt as we discovered how Alexandria erases their memories of the dead, that it is wrong and messed up, with how the Alexandrians feel about now having those memories when they never have before. The boy who says "But even though I remember her, I'll never see her again? That doesn't make sense!" really struck me. We see all this as messed up because it's contrary to the way humans work and how we have always lived. But they see having to deal with those memories as strange and messed up, because it's not how they've ever lived. And who's to say which is right? Is having those memories an inherent moral good? We the players tend to think so. But why? As long as the memories are removed with consent, what is really wrong with it? Isn't it just a different way to live?

Wuk Lamat of course brings up the beliefs of the Yok Huy. (Which by the way remind me of the beliefs of the Ancient Egyptians. One lives as long as one's name is spoken.) But the plain fact of the matter is that remembering someone does not make them any less dead. You'll still never see them or speak to them or touch them again. Memories of a loved one may be comforting to some people, but may also simply be painful.

I feel like we the playerbase are quick to balk at the way the Alexandrians live simply because it's so different from how we live. And I think we should all be wary of such knee jerk reactions. There's a lot more I could say on this subject but I will refrain for now.

Gulool Ja and his Parentage

Possibly the most disturbing thing about the Alexandrians' response to the plot is that they don't really seem to care that they are now ruled by default by Zoraal Ja's mystery child and that his cabinet is a bunch of nominal terrorists. They are truly lucky that Gulool Ja is a precious angel instead of a spoiled brat.

That said, I love that little blue guy to pieces and I'm glad he got some screen time and some tentative answers. I was also thrilled to have Zoraal Ja appear voiced and all. Ono Daisuke does just a brilliant job voicing him. I really enjoy listening to him.

It's hardly surprising that Zoraal Ja had a fangirl/stalker. But it's a shame Gulool Ja's mom was such a creep. Considering how shocked and angry Zoraal Ja was at the sight of his baby, the whole situation seems really messed up. And that's not even getting into the human experimentation that Zoraal Ja was responsible for and the mom (whose name I forget) was deeply involved in. I hope Gulool Ja can process it all with the help of his new family.

Koana

The disturbing revelations about Gulool Ja are a direct contrast to the positive development Koana experiences. While the interlude in Shaaloani might seem like it has little to do with the overall plot, I found it an enjoyable side adventure.

The main themes of Dawntrail are about learning to appreciate different cultures and here we have another example. Koana reconecting with his roots and learning about his parents but realizing that even though he grew up without those things, he wasn't truly lacking anything was super wholesome. Also it was fun watching him get to be a badass.

Oh hey, before I move on, how about that Erenville glow up? Bringing the guns out and everything. SE knows their fans.

Sphene

Well, that was unexpected. Considering the technology that Alexandria posesses, this could go any number of ways.

Given the Sinister Smile at the end, it certainly seems there's a Plot Afoot. On the other hand, what what that final bit in Living Memory? Perhaps we're going to get two Sphenes next patch. The fake? one and the real? one. Though of course considering the nature of Sphene who can truly say what would be a fake and what would be real. Does it matter? If the terminals are all shut down, what can Sphene (or whoever is behind her) actually do? Doesn't Gulool Ja have control of everything? Or has the ruler being in control always been an illusion? Are we ever going to do anything about the dome? Is this the first time Sphene has woken up this way?

So many questions and not even any real basis for speculation yet. Suffice to say, the story still has me hooked. I'm going to have a hard time waiting for the next patch!

[skysometric]

my 2nd favorite game that i played in 2023 is...

In Stars and Time

i'm not much one for rpgs. i love their deep and complex stories! but i often find when playing them that the fights are either overwhelmingly complex, or too much of a grindy slog. it takes a very special kind of rpg to catch my attention, and In Stars and Time was one of them.

the core concept of the game is that you're stuck in a time loop at the final dungeon of a greater adventure. my first thought was that, surely, having to replay the same few sections of the dungeon, fight the same few enemies, would exacerbate my usual rpg exhaustion. paradoxically, this did not turn out to be the case; the time loop has checkpoints that allow you to rewind further back and then skip forward to where you were, using your number of defeated enemies as a resource. this alone was a godsend and allowed me to skip around as much as i needed to without any of the adventure getting stale.

the rpg system itself is dead simple. there's no mana or MP to keep track of; special attacks simply need to recharge over X amount of turns. the three elements are rock, paper, and scissors – that's not even an allegory, they are literally rock / paper / scissors. each character specializes in using certain types effectively, and if you can use the same type of attack 5 times in a row as a party, it activates a party super that both heals and deals tons of damage. it's an incredibly fun and deep system for how simple it is to keep track of, especially as your party members grow and learn new moves!

all of these smartly designed systems helped to ease my usual rpg hangups and get into the story… and Oh My God. The Story.

i will not spoil a goddamn thing. but i will tell you what i most loved: the characters, and the setting.

once in a while i'll see a writing-advice post going around tumblr that says to think of the little details when you're writing a larger story. what religions does your world have? what other countries are there, and how do they get along? how are the people in your world reacting to the major story beats? how does your main cast get along? how do they get on each others' nerves? what's the cringiest trait each one of them has? do they keep secrets? what are their memories of growing up? it's clear that the author took this direction to heart, creating a rich setting full of life and history!

and this is exactly where the timeloop concept SHINES. each loop you get to try something different, explore other options, to see how your party and the world around you react differently. if you check that bookcase you missed before, it has a whole conversation about life in one of the other countries. if you try the mean dialog option (perish the thought), you learn about a character's trauma in more detail. sometimes even the same actions have something new when you do them a second time… a third time… a fourth time. each loop enriches the characters and their history, deepens their humanity.

and then you begin to wonder. what else are you curious about… and how do you find the answers? how can you help your party members with their problems? what do the people outside of your party think of you? why DOES the main character hate croissants? it's a depth first dive into this wonderful world and its inhabitants; each new thread you dig up is rewarding in its own way.

long story short, i took a risk on this game, and i'm SO happy i did. if you play games for the story, In Stars and Time is your sleeper hit for 2023. jump on this!

[invinciblerodent]

YEAH i instantly knew that you didn't get to that point yet and didn't explain further as to not spoil anything! First my condolences its a fucking hard decision i dont think i'll be able to handle it when i get the game, secondly my question: Do you meet dorian regardless of the choice made here?? And does the game say anything about sacrificing minrathous means hes dies or something like that? Thank you and sorry (lol hahaha 😵‍💫)

Okay!!! Now that I'm thorough THAT shitshow, I'll do my best to answer lol!

So, few things-

You meet Dorian in Minrathous before you would get the quest to recruit Davrin from Varric, which is what triggers this decision. I don't think Dorian dies if you sacrifice Minrathous (he's a powerful mage who can take care of himself, a Magister, AND a returning character- if the Crows in Treviso all survive the attack there, I don't think they would put such a big stake on the other choice), but I could be wrong. I don't see a very big chance of it happening, I think he, Mae, and Viper all probably survive.

I think choosing Minrathous might cut you off from Lucanis' romance altogether, though. I used one flirty line with him before (immediately post-recruitment, it was honestly just the one that sounded the most correct, I don't even think the prompt read as flirty but it definitely was delivered as such), and as I rushed to Treviso after saving Minrathous, I got a strange piece of dialogue from him that I feel implied that he's too heartbroken.

I noticed when taking them out together before that Neve and Lucanis sounded like they were flirting a little bit (I wish I had the line, but she at least definitely implied that she was attracted to him, something about the demon having "good taste"), and after getting to Treviso, he very specifically asked if she was alright- he didn't name any other companion, so that felt significant. I think that if you go long enough with them before doing this quest, the implication of them being kind-of-together becomes more explicit. (They did say in the promo stuff at one point that there will be an NPC romance that makes a choice in the game more difficult, I didn't think it would be this one, but yeah, it definitely came earlier than I had expected.

I don't know if they will reconcile after this- it would be weird if they did, when she had all of the same exact reasons to choose Minrathous as a Shadow Dragon Rook. if they reconcile, it might be possible for Rook to still romance him too, but I wouldn't bet on it.

The choice didn't cut me off from the Treviso area, but I DID get a prompt that said that the waypoints will need to be rediscovered, and it DID remove Lucanis' personal quest from my journal, so I think I'll be reloading to just before recruiting Davrin, and doing that part all again.

Overall I think I lost like a good, idk, 2 hours of progress and Davrin for the time being, but that's with my slow, exploratory playstyle- now that I know what I'm doing, it'll probably go faster.

I won't lie and say that I'm not a little bit bitter about this, but I'm not exempt from "you can deal" when applicable either, lol.

I just wish it had at least, like, another "progress with the main quest?" prompt or something, because I gotta say, I really didn't like that the recruitment quest of the first warrior character tossed me immediately into this. Feels like Mass Effect 2, but at least there you could choose the order in which you recruit the first batch of available companions...

If you're not playing a warrior yourself (which I know most people aren't, it's definitely my preference though), three out of the four companions you get before this part are ranged (two mages, two rogues), and you're basically going the whole game until now without a tank- I think many are likely to rush into recruiting Davrin asap, and that decision fucking things up for them like this, it's... kind of weird. I don't like this aspect.

So, yeah. Might be useful to finish the Treviso and Minrathous quests before recruiting Davrin.

They are keeping me away from my Warden husband, damn it, i don't WANNA go to Treviso, I wanna smooch. :c

[a-caterpillars-world]

So. I finished Homestuck.

Reading Homestuck in 2024, over a decade since it started, was definitely an experience. There was a lot that i was spoiled for, but a lot that took me by surprise, even though "spoilers" are just about everywhere. I'm glad I was able to go in blind, there's a lot that wouldn't have felt nearly as impactful had i known about it beforehand. I'm not great at just directionless rambling, so I'll organize it in the form of an FAQ of a sort, under a read more since I'm expecting this to be a longer post.

Did you enjoy yourself?

Honestly, yes. I know Homestuck has a kind of negative reputation, and now that I've finished I can certainly see where it comes from, but even considering all of that I can't say I had a bad time. I think Homestuck has a lot to love, even if there's also a lot to hate. Personally I think there's several elements and characters of Homestuck that deserve a better rep, there was a lot I read that was very funny or very narratively compelling even through all the obvious flaws. I had a good time, I don't regret picking up Homestuck.

Do you plan to read anything else related to Homestuck (eg Homestuck 2)?

Maybe! I'm not entirely sure how much I'm missing out on, or how much the various side stories impact the main canon. If one of them seems particularly interesting to me, I'll look into it, but right now I'm good. I'm not even entirely sure how deep the Homestuck rabbit hole goes, though I suppose I could look it up and find out for myself.

Do you have any favorites/what do you think about [character]?

This is a hard question to answer, as Homestuck is a series with a loooot of characters to talk about. If you want to know a more in-depth opinion on your favorites, send me an ask! I love conversation and even since I started my liveblog I've been open to asks being sent in even if we've never spoken. Maybe I'll make a tierlist to organize my favorites, that could be fun.

Should I read Homestuck?

It depends. Homestuck can be a very good and interesting story at times, but a lot of what makes it a great story is hidden behind layers of questionable-at-best humor and casual ableism. I think if you can approach it as it is and understand the flaws inherent to it, it's definitely worth at least checking out. And then if it isn't for you, then it isn't for you, but it did end up being for me so take it as you will. Even if you're just looking at it as a part of internet and webcomic history, I think it's not a waste of time to give it a read. Via the downloadable archive though, not the browser version. Homestuck suffered greatly from the death of Flash, so it's best to read on a version that can better support all the unique elements it utilized without much risk of it crapping out on you (like it did to me, in several key points including the finale.) I also recommend reading with a friend, preferably one who's read Homestuck before so you can talk about things as they come up naturally.

Final thoughts

Homestuck is a fascinating piece of internet history. It's a near-perfect capture of the humor and culture of the late 2000s and early 2010s, largely dependent on a web service that is now entirely defunct. Were it not for the actions of archivists and fans, it's entirely likely we could've lost massive chunks of an incredible piece of webcomic and fandom history. It certainly isn't for everyone, its flaws have been talked about with regularity by essayists and internet historians with the whole spectrum of opinions on it. Even with its flaws, though, it still puts together a quite lovely story, with several compelling characters and scenes that grab your attention and hold it tight. Not only do I not regret reading it, but I completely understand how Homestuck created such a storm of a fandom especially when it was being actively updated. I'm glad I read it, in the end. It brought me a lot of joy in the best moments, and even at the times when I was most frustrated with the story I can't say there was ever a point where it was too much for me. Thank you to everyone who stopped by to check on the liveblog, whether you're one of my friends or a stranger checking in from the Homestuck fandom. It has certainly been an interesting ride, and I'm glad that I got to take it, even if I am in fact several years late to the party. Until next time, everyone!

[thomas-jefferson-miku-binder]

caitvi zombie au you say 👀that sounds interesting af i wanna know more!!

ok omg so. the official synopsis i wrote for it is currently this one:

Six years after a deadly virus took over humanity, Vi and Powder do all they can to survive when the younger of two sisters falls sick to a lesser evil. With supplies in Zaun running low, they venture towards the next refuge in search of medicine: Piltover, a militarized powerhouse that may be their last hope—although the journey proves difficult and their chances low. As ghosts of the past resurface, the infected are not the only things the sisters will have to worry about. or An Arcane/League of Legends Caitvi zombie AU that also focuses heavily on Powder and Vi's dynamic

The fic will probably be 3 chapters long and I have most of it planned out already. The three main characters are Vi, Powder, and Cait, but it does feature other League/Arcane cameos and mentions (hehe)

As for the ages, Vi is a bit older than she is in the second act of Arcane, and Powder is as old as her First Act self, with Cait being one year older than Vi. This roughly leaves our main cast as Vi (24), Cait (25), and Powder (13).

The gist of it is based on Standard Zombie World, and although the infection is viral, it does share some tropes with The Last of Us.

And Caitlyn and Vi actually know each other from before the apocalypse...

Either way, the current not so official name is What Moves the Dead (blatantly stolen from a book). I'd love to share more snipets here and if anyone else has any questions I'll do my best to answer them without spoiling it too much hehehe

tysm for the ask <3