#so I should get some posts lined up >:3c

[octoooo]

New Splatoon season dropped but I’m away from home so I can’t even play it 😭

Shipshape Cargo Co looks like fun, I need to fall off that stage that’ll be fun too

BUT GUESS WHOS GOING HOME NEXT WEEKEND >:D

This weekend though I’ll busy myself with drawing & hopefully some writing. I haven’t forgotten how I was supposed to write something for the final day of Sanegiyuu week <3)

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

“Also because I want [Nino] to be more narratively important but that is a rant for another day.” And will that day be someday soon? Wink wink nudge nudge :3c

I am happy to give Nino some love, but before we do, we need to talk about how badly canon has failed him. The reason we need to have that talk is that the love I'm going to give is far more headcanon-y than I usually go in these analysis posts. For most characters, I can give a strong canon-based argument for a core characterization. For Nino? Well, I am pulling this stuff from canon, but I wouldn't exactly label it a "strong" argument. There are even elements of my take on Nino that you could label "grasping at straws".

And I'm happy to own that! I delight in giving Nino all the love he deserves even if it doesn't perfectly match canon, but that means that my Nino is less me leaning into the best parts of canon and more me shifting through canon, grabbing a few shinny bits, and weaving them into something that you may not agree with because my vision for Nino is to elevate him to match Alya in terms of narrative importance because I want the team show season two promised me even if I have to make it myself!

And if you don't want that? Then that's fine! I'm not arguing that everyone should adopt this take. My version of Nino is about as close to an OC as I get when writing fanfic. So let's get into it and talk about why I had to do that. (Also note that I have nothing against OCs. It's just that, when it comes to my own writing, I try to reserve them for original fiction or for very minor roles that no canon character could fill. Totally a matter of personal preference and not some sort of judgement.)

The Many Ways that Canon has Done Nino Dirty

If we look at what is arguably the main group of friends - Alya, Marinette, Adrien, and Nino - then we can see a clear base concept for the first three. Alya is the plucky reporter. Marinette is the headstrong leader. Adrien is the sweet goofball. Nino is... Alya's boyfriend? Adrien's best friend? Chris' older brother?

This is the problem that I was referring to above. Alya, Adrien, and Marinette have clear roles that you could pick out by just watching Origins. Nino doesn't. He doesn't even speak in part one and part two gives him all of six lines. These lines establish him as a nice guy since they're all about him being kind to Adrien, but that's about it. Here's one of them as an example:

Miss Bustier: Agreste, Adrien? Nino: (quietly to Adrien) You say "present". Adrien: (jumps up with his hand raised) Uh, present!

This is a cute moment for sure, but when I look at it, I can't tell you who Nino is supposed to be other than a nice guy, which isn't much to go on. Nice guys can fit a lot of roles.

This isn't necessarily a flaw. Some characters have roles that are immediately obvious and some characters don't. This second class of character usually just has a more complex role that will be discovered and defined based on their actions as the story goes on. However, because Miraculous' writing is all over the place, Nino gets screwed. Instead of his actions defining his nebulous role, his actions make his role impossible to pin down! Here are a few examples:

Nino the Protector:

Season two was big on the idea that miraculous had to be suited to their holders. That's why Chloe kept getting the bee as we saw in Malediktator:

Marinette: I must choose someone who's not impressed by people in power. Who can help me trap Malediktator. Huh?! Of course! That's it. (reaches for the Miraculous of the Bee)

And why did Nino get the turtle in Anansi?

Marinette: I need a protective Miraculous. (gasps, and points at the Turtle Miraculous Master Fu is wearing) That's the one I need, Master! (Master Fu gasps) Uh, if it's okay with you. Master Fu: (smiles at Wayzz, who nods to him) Do you have someone in mind, Marinette?  Marinette: Actually, I think I found just the right person.

Okay, cool, we finally have a strong defining trait for Nino! He's a protector! Or, at least, he was here. Other episodes go directly against this role such as this nonsense from Illusion:

Nino: What's up is Ladybug and Cat Noir don't have us to help them anymore. Alya: (nervously) Um, um— uh— what do you mean, "us"? Nino: Well, us, you Rena Rouge, me Carapace! (Alya kicks his leg underneath the table) Ouch! What's the big deal? We can tell Marinette and Adrien we used to be superheroes.

This first issue with this episode is that we see Nino out his and Alya's secret identities without her permission even though the resistance did NOT require an identity reveal to be a thing. In other words, our supposed protector is taking a big risk for no reason. Then he goes and does this:

Nino: Hence my plan. We're gonna film an akumatization. Alya: And how are you, Comrade Ketchup, gonna be in the know when and where this akumatization takes place? Nino: Easy, Comrade Beurre Maître d'Hôtel. I'm gonna make it happen.

Which leads to the four friends antagonizing Gabriel even though Nino knows how complex Adrien and Gabriel's relationship is. A move that makes no sense for a supposed protector because Gabriel was far from their only option. Nino could have picked anyone, but he went with the riskiest candidate possible, exposing his best friend to a potentially massive backlash.

Nino also doesn't even try to contact Ladybug and Chat Noir prior to this insane plan, thereby putting the whole city at unnecessary risk! What kind of protector purposely causes an akuma without also coming up with mitigation strategies to minimize the resulting damage?

Everything Nino does in this episode should disqualify him from ever holding the turtle again or, at the very least, he should have to redeem himself before holding the turtle again. This is especially true since he never apologizes for anything he did in Illusion and this is just one example of the issue. It's actually kind of hard to find moments where Nino acts as a protector even though he holds the miraculous of Protection. So is he supposed to be a protector? Who knows!

Nino, The Empath:

That first example was long, so we'll pick two quicker ones to flesh this out. The first one is how Nino and Adrien's relationship is defined. In Origins and the New York Special Nino is written as a kind and sensitive guy who is acting as Adrien's guide to dating and other elements of the real world:

Nino: Yup. I love Adrien, but he's like a baby chick that's just started cracking out of his egg. He has a hard time understanding the signals people send him. Alya: What signals? Marinette isn't exactly sending them clearly. I mean, look! What is she doing with her arms? Telling him what to do in case of an emergency landing or something? Nino:(sighs) If only this trip could help Adrien finally come out of his shell.

But then you have episodes like Animan where Adrien is Nino's guide to dating:

Nino: Shhh! You know I'm no good with the ladies, especially this one all of a sudden. I mean, dude, do I go up to her and crack her a joke? Shoot her a compliment? Invite her to the zoo? Play it serious? Adrien: Nino, you're way over-thinking this. "Invite her to the zoo", you serious? Nino: Well, they have this really cool new exhibit there. Adrien: Listen, just be yourself, man.

And episodes like Illusion (discussed above) and Psycomedian (see below) where Adrien is deeply uncomfortable and Nino doesn't notice:

Nino: See, dude? I told you! Hilarious, right? Adrien: Uh... (laughs nervously) Right! Really funny, Nino. Nino: I gotta show you his other sketches. It's insane that you don't know Harry Clown! (laughs)

Which might work if these episodes were about Nino learning a lesson, but they're not. Nino learns nothing, so is he generally in tune with others or is he kind of oblivious to other peoples' feelings? And why did Nino ever think that Adrien was a good source of romantic advice if he also thinks that Adrien is "a baby chick"? Pick a lane people!

Nino's Hobbies

Our final source of confusion is trying to define what Nino even enjoys doing. Horrificator and Queen Banana have him playing around as an amature film maker, but we also see him acting as an amature DJ with the wiki even claiming that he's the head of the school's radio station. So which of these things is his passion? Movies or music?

To be clear, I think it's fine to have multiple passions, but this is a story. You want to keep your characters' non-story-relevant hobbies kind of simple, especially when the character in question is a relatively minor side character who rarely gets much screen time. It's why Alix is only really into roller skating and why Nathaniel is only really into art. You don't want them to be more complex than that.

Even the main characters get this "keep it simple" treatment with Marinette only really being into fashion and Alya only really being into her blog. The girls don't need two demanding passions that would eat up all of their free time, but that's what Nino gets! Film and music are both incredibly demanding passions and it's hard to balance a character who is into both who is also an active superhero. That's a lot for one dude to do well!

I've actually seen fics that cast Nino as wanting to be a director and fics that make him want to be a professional DJ because canon really isn't clear about this pretty basic aspect of his character, but you do need to pick a lane when writing anything that gives Nino a career and so people seem to pick a passion at random.

My Version of Nino

By now, we're hopefully in agreement that canon has made a mess of Nino's character to the point where it's near impossible to say "this is who Nino is supposed to be." However, if you want to write Nino, then you do kind of have to pick a characterization to go with, so here's what I've come up with. Feel free to embrace it or reject it, but know that you will pry my version of Nino out of my cold dead hands because I utterly adore him.

Since Nino is Carapace, I base everything about him around the concept of "protect and defend" because he needs to feel like he deserves his heroic alter ego. I do not want to make canon's mistake of giving him a miraculous that massively contradicts his writing. Especially when that writing makes him feel interchangeable with other characters. At this point, no one from canon screams "turtle miraculous" unless you want to give it to Adrien since he's Ladybug's defender.

I also designed Nino around Alya and Adrien as those will arguably be his most important relationships. He should feel like a perfect fit for boyfriend and best friend respectively. I also took Marinette into consideration because he's going to be part of her team/friend group, so he should work with her, too.

What all that means is that I basically said "okay, this is where Nino is supposed to fit in the story and this is the dumpster fire that canon gave us, how do I pull pieces from the fire and paste them together to make a character that fits who Nino should have been?"

To really get into my version of Nino, I'd almost have to give you a fic to read, but that's way too much for a Tumblr post, so let's keep this high-level and just look at some of my notes on Nino from my lore Bible:

Nino is a major audiophile. He loves listening to music and watching movies/TV shows to study how they play with sound. He wants to be an audio engineer when he's older, but he also has a general passion for all things music and film. He’ll listen to any genre and watch almost any movie or show. He loves to take charge of the music at events so that the music really fits the crowd (and so it sounds good). It isn’t unheard of for him to go see an unknown band or an odd indie film on his own. This will become a major bonding point for Nino and Adrien because of the influence of Adrien's mother. Nino has seen all of Emilie's films and loves them. It will also bond him and Alya as his knowledge of film making will allow him to help her learn the art of filming now that she's doing complex things like actions shots and editing together multiple recordings.

Nino is generally pretty laid back and likes to hear people out. His reaction to confrontation is to try to calm everyone down so that they can get to the heart of the issue. He wants everyone to get along, but he's also not going to let someone take the blame when they shouldn't. Nino protects the innocent.

Nino is incredibly protective of the people he loves. If someone he cares about is in danger, his peaceful nature goes straight out the window. He’s the kind of person who would happily take a bullet for his friends and family. This will lead to him following Alya around once the hero stuff starts because he wants to keep her safe. Never let Alya go out alone if Nino is around or even just aware that a fight is happening. Alya thinks "scoop" and Nino thinks "my Alya sense is tingling." He's NOT there to stop her from doing what she loves, he's just there to be her spotter who lets her focus on filming while he watches for danger, though that will initially be a struggle for him. Treat this as his audition/training for Carapace where he learns to balance protective instincts with getting the job done so that he's ready to perfectly take on his miraculous.

When Nino’s folks split up, his mother insisted that the kids should go to therapy to help process things. They had individual and family counseling. Nino was actually pretty cool with the divorce as he’d seen it coming, but his brother was really affected by it, so Nino spent his time working on ways to help Chris (and being told that he was a brother, not a parent, but he still wanted to help). He learned a lot from going through it and it’s why he’s so good at dealing with emotional issues. He’s also good at not taking those burdens on himself. He wants to help, but knows that it's your battle. Marinette often looks to Nino for guidance on emotional issues because she knows that she's terrible at navigating them. She has given him full permission to stop her when she's too focused on solutions over support. All of the friends will help Adrien figure out social situations, but Nino will be the main guide as he's the one with the strongest skills in that area. Plus Adrien makes Nino's protective big brother instincts go crazy.

Nino’s a bit of a loner by choice. He has "weird" hobbies that easily lend themselves to being done alone and he doesn't have any interest in "forcing" his hobbies on someone who doesn't actually enjoy them, so he spends a lot of time by himself and rarely invites others to share in his interests. He only does that when he thinks that they'll actually enjoy what he's sharing. He doesn’t mind this, but he’s also a very welcoming individual who doesn’t like to see people left out, so he’ll come out of his shell when he sees someone who needs a friend. This usually leads to him making friends who soon become closer with others, but still view him as a casual friend. He’s cool with that. He's just happy that they found their people. Adrien will be the first friend who really stays Nino’s due to an understanding of Nino’s “weird” hobbies. After all, Adrien’s the son of an actress. He’s used to weird indie films and discussions of cinematography. I'd even say that he revels in it and realizes that he has missed it desperately since his mom got too sick to do that kind of thing. Basically, Nino will fill a spot in Adrien's heart that Adrien didn't even know was empty. Adrien can listen to Nino talk about cinematography for hours and never get bored. Before Adrien, no one knew that Nino was this talkative!

If anyone wants more insights into this topic, feel free to send an ask, but I think we'll call this post done now because it's SUPER long.

[spider-gets-artsy]

Weird Art Trade Opportunity

So um. Still obsessing over my Alternian botany stuff. If you're interested in doing a little trade...

More info below the cut :3

Specifications:

-Looking for an originally designed plant, flower, fungus, moss, etc.

-(It can be as weird and alien as you want, or something more realistic : > )

-IMG Size: 590x590

-Transparent background (PNG)

-White outline (optional)

-Color

-Does not need to be a masterpiece or super complex! Simplicity is a-okay <3

Additional Tidbits:

-You can look at what I have so far here on Toyhouse (should be viewable to everyone, even if you don't have an account*~)

-If you want, I'll add a researcher credit for one of your fantrolls :3

-If you have some facts you think up for your plant while you draw it, cool! Tell me all about it! (No thoughts, head empty? Also cool, I'll be delighted to come up with lore!)

-Your art will of course be credited on my botany page on Toyhouse

Offering:

-Two sketchy bust doodles (no color)

-A bust in my signature style (lined, full color)

-A mystery custom (you choose gender, caste, species (fankid, fantroll, fancherub)) and the rest is a surprise. (Value of $15, can be resold or traded if you don't like the design!)

-A mystery custom but make it bust style (same rules as the mystery custom, but you get it in my bust style instead of my adopt base)

-*I have some TH invite codes I'd defs be willing to trade, but I think most people here already have an account lolol

-I don't have a lot of spending money rn, but if you want $5 on Paypal or Kofi, I can make that happen XD

-I like drawing Homestuck OCs, and I love having options to pick from! I feel like my art comes out better if I'm vibing with the design :3c

-Art examples below!

Thanks for looking through my long ass post, if this is something you're interested in you can shoot me a DM here or on Discord. (And if you'd prefer Discord but don't have my handle, I can DM it to you :3 )

[nights-at-crystarium]

Fragments - episodes 36-40 author notes

You can find similar breakdown posts on older episodes in my pinned!

I didn’t need to spend so much screentime on Titania fight, yet it was a fun personal challenge. I’d never written/drawn a cohesive fight scene before. The scripted ingame instances don’t leave much room for imagination, I wanted to stay away from the fourth wall, and make up a more immersive scene. How do you even make it look mildly interesting? You’d think, well, characters will just flail at each other until one of them dies, right?

So yeah the biggest challenge was creating the ebb and flow. What affects Vivi’s actions? Why wouldn’t he just murder Titania like any other opponent, and be done with it? I threw in a generous amount of inner pov (that I previously used very sparingly) and some silly tricks. The stakes are high, yes, it’s a Lightwarden vs WoD encounter, but Titania still retains their playful personality above all else. Vivi's here just to do his job, but he also knows that he's dealing with a fae.

The msq makes Titania stand out among other wardens, I capitalized on that and hc’d that they’re important to Feo Ul, and, by proxy, to Vivi. That instantly provided some emotional stakes, and an answer to why he doesn’t rush to kill them out of the door.

Vivi enters the castle in episode 35, and mostly runs in circles, analyzing his enemy, and even falls victim to illusions. This could’ve been it for him, but I daresay it worried none of us because we’re just at the beginning of a story about this guy, he’s THE guy in this universe not for no reason, he’ll manage.

No deep meaning behind "grasshopper", I just thought it's a bizarrely precise descriptor of both Vivi's long legs and dragoon jumps, and it fits the natural theme of the fight.

Vivi didn’t go in unprepared.

This line will be relevant again in like, 5-7 years from now :’>

More under the cut~

He always, always doubts everything, especially when it comes to his level of power. Self-nerfing. A light (heh) case of an impostor syndrome.

Everyone loved the bonk for meme reasons, Vivi simply bought himself some time to cast.

The Rainbow Sparkles of Believing in Yourself! And of something else, perhaps. I’m planting quite a bit of stuff for future, this one should take a mere year or so to pay off.

I hope this pose’s enough of a hint that you shouldn't be taking episode 37 too seriously.

Yes, he used his spear to ~cast~. And took a sailormoon pose. This's his, monoclass dragoon’s, interpretation of what the caster magic’s probably like.

Offscreen, Titania comes to their senses and shrills “so you wanna play rough?!”, Vivi ignores them, concerned with only one thing: did he succeed? How did the test of his custom spell go?

It only worked out because the both of them are idiots.

I like to emphasize that Fragments isn’t about retelling the msq, or big epic battles, but here, where I actually put my heart into it, I feel like I managed to pull off at least one epic beat you’d typically see in an action-focused comic. Super proud of this panel ;w;

This’s a standard panel divider I’ve used multiple times before, but it couldn’t be more visually appropriate here :3c

So, to recap. Vivi asks Titania if they miss the night sky. They do. Vivi brings the night sky to them, and lo, something actually happens. I illustrated this “something” as one of their eyes getting sort of cleansed here. This story suddenly takes a mahou shoujo (shounen, heh) turn, I appreciate that it may cause some eyebrows to raise, but I think it’s okay to take creative liberties like this in a story themed around identity, agency, and believing in yourself. If Titania’s so strong as to retain a tiny bit of their old self, to cohesively partake in a simple convo, then why can’t they return, even if for a brief moment, given the proper assistance.

An appropriate reaction to the wild bs that’s going on. Imagine inventing the tale of WoD in the First, only to witness THIS.

As about Vivi, he can save a soul when he genuinely cares for it. We haven’t seen him do this before. He does it for Feo Ul explicitly, implicitly as a self-reflection. He’s projecting so hard after realizing that Titania looks like him. He wishes for them what he'd wish for himself: to rest, to be treated with care and consideration. They don't only look like him, they're also unfree, tortured by something. Empathy or not, this’s the kindest fight Vivi’s ever fought.

I’m iffy about the canon talents that come with the Echo. You can understand any sentient creature, okay. What happens when you speak, does the other party feel the difference between that soulspeak and their native tongue? Does it feel off? Does it offend? I incorporated my own misgivings into Vivi’s thoughts about his Echo. He doesn't use soulspeak here out of respect and concern that Titania might not react well to it, throwing the entire plan out of the window. Thus he memorized quite a bit of fae words before the fight. This’s his way to mark himself as one of their people, or at least to show that he truly cares.

STAY TUNED FOR EPISODE 41

Vivien Doubter Rell. Also yay first nod!

Embracing his new duty, and possibly giving Titania the hug they deserve.

Look HE’S OKAY. For now. I just thought the hiccup would be a cute way to acknowledge the terrible power he’s just absorbed. The canon cutscene moves on unblinking, but here’s different.

Bracing himself for confrontation. Things might go awry. Or might not. Vivi doesn't know. Worst case scenario: this’s the end of his sweet lil friendship with Feo Ul. Do they like him, or a Titania-lookalike in him?

“Oh bugger...” big pets come with big responsibilities, my dear Feo Ul.

Just to reinforce his fae-ness.

Vivi had full control in this fight. Analyzed the enemy, successfully tested some crazy tricks, managed to have a heart-to-heart that resulted in getting a permission to kill Titania not with violence, but with mercy. So much could’ve gone wrong, but just didn’t. Vivi’s used to this, even if he constantly doubts everything, this’s how it always goes. He’s being flung at tasks with abysmal odds, somehow he emerges victorious.

I just like this panel so much okay.

This arc may feel slow, but it gives depth to Vivi and Feo Ul's relationship, and seeing them together in later episodes will spark even more joy.

Even after a warm moment they’d just shared, Vivi’s still wary. I broke out an analysis of what external influence, pressure to change means to him, please read this post if you missed it. YEAH TAGS AS WELL.

His expression here is an attempt to downplay the anxiety and swing the odds in his favor. What if Feo Ul insists and throws a tantrum? What if he has to become Titania right now, and there’s no way around this? Let’s make puppy eyes just incase, maybe that helps.

One more personal fav panel. There’s SO MUCH in this look. They’re on a threshold, about to become something else on Vivi’s behalf. Because they love him so much. They’ve instantly become friends because they don’t want anything from each other, just the company. Feo Ul’s such a breath of fresh air for Vivi, a new hope in a new world, where he’s (comparatively) a nobody, where people still have the potential to love him for who he is as a person. This’s why our crimson pixie gets so much screentime.

Vivi really said XD

The next few episodes wrap up the Il Mheg arc, and focus on good vibes and celebration. ShB follows a rollercoaster formula where it makes you smile at something nice and sweet only to whack you in the face right after, and I’m trying to do the same :3c

As always, thanks for reading~

[fighter-spirits]

watching promare again. gonna note down new things i notice under the cut. so. spoilers! (post will be continuously edited)

taking a break after galo storms off and right before lio gets to be awesome, ill reblog this and continue when im ready - i got tired of analyzing so i might not continue for a while lol

never noticed them before but the square lens flares in the establishing shots of promepolis, driving home that shape language.

our heroic burning rescue unit is unit 3, there's a LOT of 3s around the location. i never processed it despite it being on galo's PANTS too...

The map of promepolis also looks very new york

also you can see lucia ACTIVELY WORKING ON MATOI TECH

i can barely read the calendar but does anyone else think it says "uno" on the 14th?

aina's friends?

lucia has a full on vending machine and also solo cups for some reason in her locker (she grabs the lollipop too)

remi's locker. (sorry for the frame its so quick)

also i struggled to get a shot but i did know before hand, if you didnt know, galo was sleeping in the truck. maybe because it's dark? anyways, remi almost steps on him

also i JUST realized lucia is basically in a bra and labcoat. girl where's your shirt.

also varys should have the most severe whiplash in the world but ill forgive it because anime.

the cube seems hardly safe for transportation

also. burnish lightning? is this ever even relevant after the aina introduction.

what ever happened to seatbelts btw.

also i cant help but wonder how the solid flames works. (and why lio chose that foot shape.........)

ohhhh ignis is audio only because he's using his ear piece + not in a mech like aina and varys. nice attention to detail there.

is it fair to assume galo didn't bother remembering lio's name because he assumed he'd never have to see him again?

the square lens flare returns for the reveal of the freeze force :3c

vulcan has the same heel piece as kray

you also can hear so many hydraulics and shit when vulcan turns which is a hint at him being more than meets the eye (or less?)

also i feel silly for just now only processed that promare uses a colored line style. better get to reflecting that in my art (i love colored lines)

cant help but get a stupid silly smile when kray speaks for the first time tbh

also im dying to know about the prison location. are they in canada now or something. where is this that its constantly snowing. are they controlling the external climate there??

anyways. tiny

a look into the average promepolis citizen

also kray is actually not that freakishly tall bc galo is only like a few inches shorter (not including his hair)

also kray is smiling while galo talks but his fists are clenched. :3c

also it seems implied that ALL galo remembers from the fire was kray carrying him away from it. so no wonder kray feels like a hero to him. but i think kray probably only carried him because galo wouldn't let go.

i never even processed galo changed outfits from medal to pizza time. didn't even realize he was in uniform originally

also the foreshadowing of "i'm sure some of those burnish guys are pretty decent" while showing secret burnish pizza man makes a pizza

and this is the worst image of kray ive seen in this movie i think. what happened to his limbs pft

something tells me promepolis used to be new york city

not really a story thing but here's my evidence on why he can have a child /j

ALSO WHO LET HIM WEAR WHITE TO A FUNERAL. IS THE ARMBAND THE BEST HE COULD DO.

also the fact that they also seem to freeze people's throats is incredibly fucked up. too scared of someone looking to their left???

the sound effects kind of imply aina puts this chair down specifically to do this help

i dont have words just take this

[mavuitano]

Tagged by @asterinthewritten to post a WIP snippet

I was very much tempted to post the smut fic steps (literal steps, a plan, a beat by beat, not actual written sentences and story), but that would be too crude

So why not share the Modern AU (technically Miraculous AU) fic where Mavuika drags Thrain to a bar with the one purpose of getting him absolutely hammered and relax for once?

And a friendly reminded that this isn't the smut fic :3c

This fic snippet does sound kind of weird out of context, but just roll it with >:)

(and yes I know it's the first post in a WHILE but breaking my silence to respond to the tag by Aster)

Thrain still hasn't moved from his spot on the couch, his head fully resting in the back of the couch, his eyes fluttering shut.

"Hey, sleepyhead, don't go off into dreamland just yet."

Like an alarm, he looks awake again, looking in her direction.

"I wasn't sleeping."

"Yet. Now stand up, I got you some clothes to change into."

He does as he's told, immediately fiddling with the tie he is still wearing, after all these hours.

He doesn't get very far, however, his hand-eye coordination thrown for a loop.

"Let me help you."

Stashing the bundle on the far end of the couch, Mavuika reaches towards the tie.

In response, Thrain drops his arms to the side, content with her direction.

Loosening the knot in the tie, she unbuttons the uppermost one of his dress shirt, giving him more space to move around in.

Trailing her hands lower down his torso, she ends at the waistcoat, and starts unbuttoning each one slowly, fidgeting with the mechanics of it all.

Releasing the last button, the heavy fabrics fall open, folding outwards, the peak lapel becoming undone thanks to gravity.

Her hands find his shoulders next, and she slides the waistcoat off of them, her hands guiding the way down his arms.

The navy blue fabric falls to the floor with a fwump, already long forgotten now.

Staring ahead at the barely loosened tie knot, she can feel his stare, unmoved from when they started, a gaze she refuses to meet.

Lightly opening the knot, she hooks into it and starts to unloop it, pulling the wide end out slowly but surely.

The tie, now undone, falls to the ground next to the waistcoat.

Mavuika knows the next step should be to remove the shirt.

And, obviously, dress him into a new one.

That is the logical course of action, one they both decided on.

So her heart should stop stuttering her movements, and follow her rational brain and focus on the task at hand.

Shaking her head slightly, in a fool's attempt to regain control, she spots what has kept Thrain busy.

Clenching and unclenching his hand, again and again, no goal in sight.

Reaching for his right hand instead, she holds his wrist up, and undoes the watch he has worn the entire evening.

"There. Must've been uncomfortable for you, wasn't it?"

No response.

Laying the watch on top of the blankets, she moves to the delayed goal: the uppermost part of the buttoned dress shirt.

Undoing just one, her heart thunders in her chest, blood rushing through her body.

Leading to the second one, the mistake of looking up costs her dearly.

"So, Thrain-"

Her words choke in her throat, absolutely unprepared.

She isn't sure how long he has followed her every movement, but she has no doubt it has been since the start.

She also isn't sure if anybody has ever looked at her the same way he does now, with his slightly parted lips, a flush through his cheeks, and the softness in his half-lidded eyes.

Biting the inside of her cheek, she tries to summon some dormant courage, while her hands go to work on their own.

"What are you looking embarrassed for? It's not so strange a pretty lady is undressing you, is it?"

At that, his mouth is closed shut and thinned into a line, his eyes looking to the side now.

She stops unbuttoning his shirt, the third one just undone.

"…is it?"

He refuses to look at her again, his eyebrows furrowed the slightest bit.

Now Kaeya's words from earlier make sense.

Nah, I got this. Not my first rodeo.

Might be his.

…oh.

That's not something she expected.

Sensing the dots she's connecting in her mind, he combs a hand through his hair, out of place in this situation.

Still holding on to the plackets of his dress shirt, she shakes her head once again, and continues working.

"Well, I'm surprised, that's for sure. You were so popular back in school, so to learn you're still…"

Pop

"Hmph. I was less popular you thought."

"You absolutely were not."

Pop

"I know for a fact you had girls lining up to ask you out, too nervous to actually try."

"That is only because of the people I was with, thanks to their reputation."

Pop

"Nonsense. I know for a fact that is not true. Enough classmates wanted you for who you are."

"How are you so sure?"

Pop

"How am I so sure that you had classmates waiting and hoping to go out with you, who had to keep their affections close to them for whatever childish reason?"

"Don't say this to make me feel better or make up a name-"

Pop

"Because I'm one of those girls."

With the last button released, his shirt hangs open, his hidden scars and wounds not noticed by Mavuika, too occupied in staring him down, daring him to challenge her.

He doesn't.

Instead, he furrows his brows, confusion laced in his expression.

"Given that you'll forget this in the morning anyway, and after all the things said and done tonight, why not get this off my chest."

Breaking away from the eye contact, she hurriedly takes his shirt off, done with everything for the night, forcing herself not to take her time and properly examine him, to look but not touch.

Throwing the cotton-based shirt on the couch, her movements are intercepted out of nowhere.

Two cold hands return to hold her, cradling her face once again.

Even in his attempts to tilt her head upwards, her eyes are fixated right ahead of her, watching the muscles in his throat work, his Adam's apple moving up and down once.

"Look at me."

She can't help but comply, her emotional walls already broken down more than once today, not finding any fight within her.

Did she offend him? Worse than that, did she insult him instead? Will he not look at her the same way he always did, forever ruining what they had-

Oh.

Shit.

That's an expression she never expected him to make.

Shit.

"Why did you never tell me?"

All those years ago, back in school, he always had a certain glint in his eyes, always determined, always looking forward, always hopeful.

Ever since his accident, the one he refuses to talk about to this day, the one that has left him hospitalised for months on end, he has lost that glint, flitting through society as if he were a spectator in his own life, the people he once regarded his trusted comrades never to be seen again.

By some miracle, the two became neighbours years ago, but a chill rested between them, as if they were strangers once again, Thrain never allowing himself to open up and reconnect.

She has never seen him happy ever since, not until a few months ago, where his life made a sudden turn, but still didn't bring him happiness.

And tonight, that spark is back again, hope and wishful thinking shining through his eyes.

Almost looking relieved.

She truly is in trouble now.

Anchoring herself in the here and now, Mavuika holds onto his wrists with her own hands.

"Because I was afraid."

A huff escapes him, smiling all the while.

"You, afraid? I didn't expect that from the woman I love."

How can she fight the frantic blush spreading through her face, lighting up in the darkness?

Oh, right. Because he isn't talking about you.

"We should get you to bed. You're talking nonsense, Thrain."

He doesn't reply.

Instead, he brings her closer, and presses a kiss to the top of her head, right next to the plume of hair always floating with the wind.

"Don't you know?"

Tilting her head slightly upwards, he presses another kiss, right on the roots of her hairline.

"Have I not been obvious enough?"

One hand of his slides downwards, settling on her waist, under the opening of her jacket, just as he presses a kiss in-between her brows, which were pulled together but melt under his touch.

He's glad she's so close by him now, the drunken filter not able to fade away her precious reaction.

How her eyes are not simple blots of colour anymore, but flustered beyond belief, her pupils blown open, not focusing on any one part of his but darting around, looking at every detail of his face. Always returning to look at his lips, before moving away.

It's unfortunate no lights are turned on, the moonlight his only guide to the one thing he truly desires.

"All these years, I have been waiting for you."

[vodid]

building upon an upcoming au with a spark color scale for.. reasons... in which the closer a descendant of primus you are, the golder your spark. pure gold is an immediate child of god. while the farther your lineage goes, the bluer it becomes

(spark range not drawn to scale. i'm sure it'd take a LOT of generations to get through it like that. but id think its easy to get through the gold; its the blue that has a wider range)

both are positive in their own ways. child of god? you are cherished. have a deep cool blue spark? you have impressive ancestry.

most cybertronians are in the far blue range as cybertron has a lot of history to it, and it could be in such a way that gold has become entirely obscure, only known through word of mouth and could have even ended up a myth to many. religion would uphold this legend (ugh y'all know i LOVE me some gold halo iconography and this would be SO fun to play with) but we all know how deep a religion runs through someone can vary, from entirely atheist to devout.

i can also see more extremist religions twisting it a little bit, in a sort of "the bluer your spark is, the farther from primus you are and thus the more of a sinner you are" and potentially to a point where your bloodline "should be removed from the world." or if you have a gold spark, you MUST have some religious duty to fulfill. primus sent you for a reason. the closer to gold it is, the more expectation there is for you to become a religious figure. this could lead to an actual pattern in differences of religious devotion between those with golder and bluer sparks, which in turn could affirm zealots even more (your spark is blue? no wonder you're not a follower of primus. shameful!)

the thing that really ruins that perspective though is the matrix. it doesn't discriminate against spark color when choosing its prime (have a gold spark? you're closer to primus. have a blue spark? your lineage has made you strong. have a spark in between? you have the past and the future with you.) even if the matrix might not be the will of primus himself, it is the will of his direct children, the original primes with sparks of the purest, untouched gold.

perhaps, despite how private sparks are (unless you are a religious figure), some may decorate their spark casing in a way that stained glass could give their sparks the appearance of a golder or bluer spark, depending on what they want. it can be easy to balance it to a silver, which can really hide which color they are

but don't be fooled, most do not care as they generally have a similar blue in the current day and age. your spark could be cyan, it could be pushing the lines of indigo, but at the end of the day, it's not gold. maybe you'll see a silver in the temple, maybe you'll see a priest with the barest hint of a gold tinge, but not many who have yellower sparks are left. (not to say NO religious figures have blue sparks. many, many do and even a prime may have the deepest blue anyone's seen)

it really doesn't mean anything in the grand scheme of things unless you're the purest of gold, which nobody is ...at least, not for a while.

now the super fun issue is: cybertronians, in a post-apocalyptic world, would have no idea if gold means a child of primus. or a child of unicron. ;3c

[skyyguy]

Angst and post angst sentences:

“ hey, everything okay? [Buck]? [Buck]! ”

( ͡ʘ ͜ʖ ͡ʘ)

This took me way too long, I'm sorry. 😅 But it's my werewolf au when they're in the Stalag, so it's a fun time :3c

The Nazi’s had kept Gale all night. John knew because he hadn’t slept, waiting for them to bring the wolf back. They hadn’t, not till after the prisoners had all eaten breakfast, not till after everyone was starting their boring days. They didn’t have the grace to actually bring him back, instead letting Gale stumble, exhausted and pained, across the mud and ice, towards the boys. DeMarco was the first one up, crossing the few feet to grab Gale’s arms, helping him to the step and seating him where he’d been. Gale rubbed his face, biting down on a yawn. 

“Welcome back,” John said, humourless, barely looking at the blond. Gale didn’t look back, but DeMarco saw the way he jaw twitched, as if angry with John. DeMarco and Brady exchanged a glance. 

“Major, we were wondering what you thought we should do today,” Brady asked carefully, arching an eyebrow at John, directing his words to Gale. Gale’s eyes were unfocused for a moment before he seemed to snap back in to himself. 

“We should try to patch up some of the holes in the roof,” Gale replied, voice soft but distant. Hambone glanced over from where he leaned against the wall. 

“We’ll need materials for that,” Hambone stated flatly, shrugging his shoulders. 

“I’ll get them for you,” Gale promised. DeMarco frowned, his brow pulling together, at something in Gale’s tone. 

“We’ll get ready,” DeMarco replied, shooting Brady a look before he opened his mouth. Both of them could tell something was wrong with Gale, but it had been the full moon the night before and he’d spent all of it with the Nazi’s. That alone was enough to make things seem wrong. Hambone stepped around Gale, between John and the blond, padding away into the bunk room to take stock of how many holes needed patching. 

“I’ll go check and see if anyone has anything to help us,” Brady muttered, grabbing DeMarco by the arm and dragging him away, leaving John and Gale alone. 

“John,” Gale muttered softly, glancing at the man. John unfolded his spine, leaning back on the steps and thumping his heels to the muddy ground. 

“Buck,” John replied, voice tight. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t come back last night,” Gale explained, as if he had just stayed out and not been kept away. 

“You’re not the one who should be apologizin’ Buck.” John growled. Gale went silent with a small hum. John rose to his feet after a long moment, swiping at his nose with his wrist, taking a few steps in the suctioning mud. 

“Well, Buck, you promised the boys,” John’s voice was deceptively light, “You promised you’d get them the materials. Let’s go get ‘em.” John didn’t look at the blond. Gale sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. 

“You don’t have to come,” Gale told him, arching an eyebrow as John stretched his arms over his head, his spine popping. 

“I’m comin’. You can’t stop me,” John replied, turning to look at Gale, hands on his hips, a frown tugging at the edges of his lips. Gale rolled his eyes. 

“Stone in my shoe,” he said, voice lacking any humour or emotion. John smiled thinly, it didn’t reach his eyes. After a long few seconds, Gale stood up– it looked excruciating and difficult– and took a few steps toward John. His footsteps wavered, not walking a straight line, legs shaking with effort. 

“Hey, everything okay?” John asked, suddenly consumed with worry, ”Buck?” as John said his nickname, Gale’s eyes rolled back in his head and his body pitched forward, crumbling to the mud, “Buck!” John shouted, falling to his knees beside his friend and grabbing his shoulders, pulling his head into his lap and shoving his hair out of his face. 

John was quick to scoop the blond up in his arms– alarmed at how light he was– ignoring the mud on the both of them as he rushed into the bunk house with him. 

“Hambone,” John barked at the other. Hambone jerked around, eyes wide. It barely took him a few seconds to jump into action, dragging extra blankets off of other bunks, setting up a nest of sorts on the floor, pillows and threadbare blankets not much of a cushion to the hard wood. Yet John didn’t hesitate in putting the man down in it, pulling his jacket off and throwing it over the werewolf, concern etched in his face. 

“What happened?” Hambone asked, cautiously, aware that John was at his limits. 

“Not a clue,” John ground out, pushing the hair off of Gale’s face, eyes searching for any sign of what was ailing the man. Hambone huffed but took a step back, dropping it, nonetheless. 

John sat there, unmoving, until Gale stirred 10 minutes later. He breathed a sigh of relief when Gale’s eyes blinked open, hazy with the remnants of unconsciousness. 

“Buck,” John greeted him. Gale blinked up at him, curling into a tighter ball, pulling the blankets and jacket tighter around him, making the nest smaller. 

“John,” he croaked out. 

“Do you need some water?” John offered, holding up the cup Hambone had bought a few minutes ago. Gale nodded and started to try to push himself up. John hushed him and adjusted himself so he could pull Gale’s head into his lap, letting him lay against his stomach, and bringing the cup to his lips. 

“They gave me… something…” Gale said after he drank the cupful, barely above a whisper. 

“What?” 

“I don’t know,” Gale muttered sadly, “I can’t turn.” 

“... Can’t… What?” John asked, not following. 

“Whatever they gave me,” Gale cleared his throat letting his eyes close, “it blocked me from turnin’.” 

“H-how is that even possible…?” John stared down at Gale, confused. 

“Dunno,” Gale muttered, shifting to roll onto his side, nuzzling against John’s thigh.

“What does that mean?” John tried to pry information out Gale. 

“I didn’t turn last night,” Gale bit out, frustration tinging his voice, “I dunno when I can turn, again,” Gale continued, eyes screwed shut to avoid looking at John. John processed this quietly– for once– and let his hand stroke through Gale’s dirty hair, scratching gently behind his ear. Gale tilted his head slightly, tension easing out of his shoulders at the familiar, soothing feeling. John knew he liked it more as a wolf, of course, but that he still enjoyed the soft affections as a human. 

Neither of them spoke, then, just letting the truth wash over them, the silence comfortable. John was aware the moment Gale’s breaths slowed and deepened, turning into the easy breathing of sleep, and John was relieved. He shuffled the other, carefully, and curled up in the nest of threadbare blankets around the other, tucking the blond’s head under his chin. It didn’t take him long, not with Buck’s scent in his nose, for sleep to claim him too.

[double--hh]

Oh! One more pro tip from me.

If you’re going by the timeline where Nacha and Anastacha escapes Francis when they had the chance, I just need to tell you that Francis wasn’t physically abusive towards them. (That’ll be elaborated more in a different post where I talk about what he’s like as a husband/father)

Sure he never hit them. BUT! His methods of keeping his family with him are questionable. In Francis’s eyes, he sees love and obsession as the same thing. His views on love in general are so warped that he doesn’t want to lose the only family he has left in his world. That’s why he needs to protect them, in his own messed up way.

He still loves his wife and daughter as he should have but it’s the most twisted, lovesick way like restricting their social circle and getting mad when Nacha/Anastacha made plans to go out with their friends when he already made plans to spend time with instead. Francis believes everyone is taking away his wife and daughter away from him so he’s the type to monopolise their time together. The neighbours are aware of Francis’s possessive nature because he glared at them a few times when they take up too much of their time. He would even go as far as to kill any exes Nacha has. That was when Nacha and Anastacha drew the line so they escaped. By the time he snaps, that’s when Francis gets more aggressive and controlling over his family. Had the police not arrived in time, Francis would’ve chopped off Nacha’s legs and Anastacha had to bear the trauma of it all.

Just a little bit of info before you start writing. I know fans portray Francis as some manhwa dom daddy or wet cat but personally I love the idea of Francis being secretly batshit insane. You never know what’s behind those tired eyes of him. This is just an AU but I actually want story mode to show Francis being this fucked up person. I wish for that but that’s just my opinion. We’ll just wait and see.

~ SK Francis anon 🔪

Yerrr

I'm going off both Ana killing Francis for my main story and Francis getting detained and put on death row in the spin off when Ana visits him. :3c

I'm so interested in exploring how both Nacha and Anastacha are mentally after finally getting away from ol' Franny boy,,,

So far, I definitely beleive Nacha has GAD and PTSD from the whole ordeal, she's more open than Ana, she expresses her deepest fear to Angus that Francis will one day come back and be even worse than before. :(

Anastacha also has PTSD and becomes so closed/reserved as a person that it takes her well into her 20's to finally open up about how it all affected her... oh boy and does she let Francis have it. :)

Hrm,,, I wonder how much my headcanons will change when story mode comes out,,, (if they do any fuck shit with Izaack, Mia, and/or Angus I will sob and cry) ((it will be ugly))

[respheal]

Thanks for the tag, @nopenototdaysatan!!

1.How many works on AO3? Eight! Soon to be nine ᵍᵒᵒᵈ ˡᵒʳᵈ ʰᵒʷ ᵈᶦᵈ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ʰᵃᵖᵖᵉⁿ

2. Total word Count on AO3: Currently 115,231 ᵃᵍᵃᶦⁿ ʷᵗᶠ

3. Top 3 pics by Kudos:

"The Princess and the Spirit" (227) — it's a short, sweet lil fic I put up like two days after Echoes of Wisdom released so xD

Shards of the Hero (103) — I'm glad this one is still up there! :D

Fallen Fae (92) — ʰᵒˡʸ ˢʰᶦᵗ my little wunderkind of a fic. I think I hit on a really interesting and original concept with this one (Hyrule as an anti-fairy). I hope more people use the idea >:3c

4. What Fandoms do you write for? Just Legend of Zelda (any game) and Linked Universe so far. Strangely I haven't really felt the need to write fanfic in FFXIV, outside of this one crossover (and other than the occasional WoL diary entry).

5. Do you respond to comments? Usually! I had a period where I wasn't but I try to respond to all of the initial comments now (and threads if I have more to say).

6. Fic with the angstiest ending: *squints* Probably "Hiraeth"? Although it's not suuuper angsty. It's more about homesickness. There's also "Greedy Rabbit", which ends on an open-ended note that implies future angst.

7. Fic with the happiest ending: Happiest? "The Princess and the Spirit" is downright fluffy so probably that one, but Shards of the Hero ends on a really satisfying note :3c (When I finally get to it, Unbroken should end on a similarly satisfying conclusion. I already know what the very last line will be and it's going to be so good.)

8. Do you get hate? You hate Res?? Jail for reader!! Jail for ten thousand years!!! (Not that I'm aware of)

9. Do you write Smut? Nah, but I'm a sex-repulsed ace like 98% of the time. I'll very rarely read some if there's also substantial plot, but not write.

10. Do you write crossovers? I am now! I'm writing a FFXIV/LU crossover now where the Chain gets roped into the Omega raids (kind of). I've got a WIP post for that coming tomorrow and I'm hoping to have the first chapter out soon.

11. Ever had a fic stolen? Nah but like, I'm pretty new on the scene? And there's much bigger fish.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? Nah but that'd be interesting!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic? I haven't! I'm actually not sure how that works.

14. All Time Favorite Ship? I'm a sucker for Ravio/Link but also Four/Shadow and no I will not choose between them Dx Honorable mentions are Wild/Flora, and Sky/Sun/Groose.

15. WIPs you want to finish but doubt you will? *grabs you by the face* I will finish them.

Actually though I keep sitting down to write Her Sword and Shield (Skyward Sword novelization) and then a more fun idea comes along. So maybe that one. I'll get back to you someday.

16.Writing Strengths? I can do a hella twist ✨ Also really digging into a character's emotional baggage. I also do some interesting and creative worldbuilding, I think. "A Field Guide to Fairies" is a pretty good worldbuilding example.

17. Writing Weaknesses: I'm not really poetic? If I try to be abstract it comes off a bit confusing. Also I really struggle with getting words down without worrying about them being exactly right in the first draft, so I'm slow.

18. Thoughts on Mixed Language Dialogue: Eh? No strong opinions I guess.

19. First Fandom you wrote for? Silly answer is Inspector Gadget back in like '97 (I was baby). I know I was writing a Wind Waker novelization shortly after it came out ('03), but the oldest thing I can find still online is a Pokemon fic from '05 (no, I am not sharing my old ff.net handles lmao)

20. Favorite Fic you've ever written: When it's finished it might be Unbroken, but right now it's Shards of the Hero. SotH let me weave some Fierce Deity lore (and FD yoinks Link into a therapy session so that's fun).

I'm not sure who to tag (brain is still scrambly eggs after the write-a-thon) but if we're mutuals please go for it and tag me so I can read your answers! 😊

[puffyducks]

DCRC Week #7

All right you guys buckle the fuck up cause it's time for absolute peak. Yeah that's right I'm talkin PKNA #4: Earthquake bitch!!! Which also happens to be the EXACT VOLUME THEY STOPPED PRINTING IN ENGLISH FOR, come on man we were so close 😭

(Long and image-heavy post heehoo)

Giant money symbol on the floor..... I wonder who this oil rig belongs to

Donald stop doing some kind of ritualistic sacrifice with your little cookie men and drink ur fuckin coffee. Also Unooo hiiii :3c

A tectonic emergency has occurred on the west coast and these two bitches are busy arguing like an old married couple GET IT TOGETHER!!!!

Raw asf introduction panel for Flagstarr

Do you guys think Everett Ducklair paid his taxes

Most logical you say? I'm sure that's not a trait that will come up later-

BRO IS JUST BAILING 😭

Lmfaooo I love framing Angus Fangus for federal crimes get rekt bozo (also really good looking panels hii Flagstarr hiiiii)

Donald being held at gunpoint like a week after the whole nuclear blast thing, he really can't catch a break can he?

Btw I am CHEWING on the colors in these pages. Who knew purple and green gradients could be so menacing?

Looove the background of this page being made up of the X-transformer.... mwah 👌

sorry

(Spam don't read this part) OK listen I know that losing the west coast is bad and all, but also like, do we really need California? I'm just saying like-

PK: "IF WE DON'T STOP THOSE EARTHQUAKE MACHINES IT'S GONNA UNEARTH A SUPERCONTINENT AND MILLIONS OF PEOPLE WILL DIE" Uno: "Uuuuh idk that actually sounds kinda dope haha. Like a new continent sounds sick as fuck. Maybe we should just let the entire western US die idk lol"

THEY'RE GETTING DIVOOOOORCED 💔💔💔

btw guys I'm getting a playlist set up for this issue send me song recs

let go of him PK

I mean WOAH who said that that's crazy. heroes don't kill people umm do the right thing... also we need him for the code I guess that's important too-

I was explaining the plot of this comic to a friend (one who knows literally nothing about the duckverse) and she was like "oh Fairfax's motivations sound exactly like Team Magma from Pokemon Ruby" and like... yeah... I GUESS

It doesn't help that his design lowkey looks like Maxie in ORAS- like if you squint really hard-

I don't have any riveting commentary here I just adore the entire way this page is set up

Raw asf line coming from Donald Fauntleroy Duck

Yeah it really DIDN'T work out. You're telling me he wanted to keep the keys apart and his master plan was to give the second key to the only other person on the plane with him? Just huck it in the ocean or something cmon Fairfax use that big brain of yours-

I said before in my last post but I just love this issue. I'm sure someone better at literary analysis could explain better than me, but the artwork, the COLORS, the story is all just sooo good and I'm putting it all in my MOUTH. I especially love the messaging between doing what's logical and doing what's right, cause at the end of the day morality is a subjective human trait, and who's to say that killing millions of people for the potential benefit of billions isn't a noble thing to do? Also a rare Uno L in this issue but he's LEARNING okay. He's just a little guy he's just a little hyperintelligent sentient building ok.... leaf him alone........

Btw in case you haven't noticed by now this issue also happens to be what the blog description of @duckblr-book-club is based on and no I'm not the one that wrote that. It is true though, the Pangea Project will be real in 24 hours if certain people don't catch up on reading these comics. SEE YOU NEXT WEEK FOR ODIN TIME!!!!!!

[applestorms]

11, 12, 16, and 25 for the dn ask meme!

yayay ok :3c original game here + 25 answered here

11. What moment surprised you the most?

honestly? probably L dying. in the manga particularly his death happens So Fast, it really caught me off guard the first time i read it. i think that's why my first DN essay revolved entirely around me trying to figure out why his death was so unsatisfying initially, despite the fact that i could still kinda logically follow why it had to happen. i've come to terms with it more since, and the fact that i Love the ending (and the wammy's kids uwu) has certainly smoothed some of those earlier annoyances over, but that moment is always gonna stick with me. it's one of the few places where i'm Very grateful for the anime, actually, since that at least tries to ease the transition up to such a significant moment a bit more instead of being like "damn :P see ya' L. anyways lookit these totally new dudes we've had absolutely no foreshadowing for LOL."

12. What is a fanwork (edit, fic, art, etc.) that you still think about to this day? (Pls link to the original!)

there's a Lot of stuff i could put here (fics in particular-- maybe i should make a rec list??) but to pick out one in particular... one of my absolute favorite's of all time is (Not) According to Plan by FlamesRise. i think this was fundamental in forming my fanon image of light tbh, this is like. my ideal fic characterization for him. idk sometimes you've just gotta read 12k words of dubious smut to really get a feel for your blorbo, y'know ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

16. A line from the series that stuck with you.

GOD ok i already put a bunch of my favorite panels over on this post, but a favorite line specifically hmm hmm... maybe i'll pick stuff from other adaptations for this question?

in the anime, it obviously has to be: "Tell me, Light, from the moment you were born, has there ever been a point when you've actually told the truth?" or really any other hard-hitting L line from that whole episode, we all know the classics by now.

in the musical, i'm a big fan of any line from Requiem, but especially: "sleep now / here among your choices," and, "gone, who was right or wrong / who was weak or strong / nothing left to learn." the ending to the musical is somewhat unique to me in that it really hammers in just how Pointless all of this was, how meaningless light's violent attempt at justice ended up becoming, which i feel is a very notable point that gets somewhat lost in both the manga canon (esp w/ C-KIRA and A-KIRA) and in particular the anime (which ofc ends up much more sympathetic to light). idk i just really like the emphasis on the cyclical tragedy of it all, i've said this spiel before lolol ✌️

[eldritchmochi]

since shit continues to be wild, as evidenced by the oingo boingo voice WEIRD CANCER posts, heres.....

mochi, what the fuck is up with that?? (guts edition) 3.0

1.0 ; 2.0

i apparently have not seen enough specialists so i have an oncologist now. gotta catch 'em all and shit

tl;dr mystery mass did turn out to be technically cancerous. i do not remember the specific type off the top of my head yet but its a weird rare one, because of course it is. luckily its a kind that stays very localized, so it's not gonna pop up anywhere else in my body, and my surgeons did manage to remove all of it with good margins. i am now down the 3rd and 4th part of my duodenum and my gallbladder (which, fun fact, did have signs of chronic gallbladder disease, so i guess i didn't escape that family trend lmao). like all cancers, theres a chance it'll grow back, but if it does, it should be in roughly the same place and is unlikely to be fatal, just annoying

i've got a fuck off big scar building down the centerline of my abdomen, from sternum to groin. it is gnarly as fuck and i am excited to see how it heals. i already have some ideas on how to incorporate it into my tattoos. you can see pictures of it here if you're a morbid freak like me. be sure to look at my reblogs for updates, there will probably be several contained there down the line, for posterity :>

the first like 18hrs post surgery were uh. not fun since it took A WHILE to find some sort of non oral pain management that would actually work for me, so thats great, but sans ng tube, i'm getting by pretty okay with ibuprofen and tylenol with the occasional non-standard opioid. i've been home since tuesday, oct 10th; had a check in with a gp yesterday, oct 13th, and i'm healing well. staples will be removed on the 18th and theoretically i'll be able to keep them >:3c

i'm back to eating semi-normally. still on bowel rest, but it's not as strict as it was before and it's mostly because i am paranoid vs anything required by my doctors. i haven't been nauseous since i went under on oct 4th which is absolutely wild, and i've been experiencing hunger at normal, regular intervals including being able to eat breakfast shortly after i wake up, which i haven't been able to do without a high chance of barfing it back up immediately since i was a teenager

first oncology appt is on oct 23rd. sounds like itll be mostly setting up a plan and schedule for things like regular scans to watch for regrowth and possibly referrals for genetic testing

my pfml back pay came innnnn god only last week holy shit, and my wife got their big chunk of school loans for living expenses so we are mostly fine there. i am arranging with a local queer to come a couple times a week to help with regular chores and stuff at 40 bucks a pop. if anyone would like to sponsor one of those visits or some take out for us, i'm @/sumomomochi on both pp and vnm0

at this point the sort of stuff that would serve us best is GEEFTS. not like, physical things you pay money for necessarily, though if you're a custom dice maker and wanna send us clacky math rocks, i would not say no. things like comments on our fics (mochi's ao3 ; cherry's ao3) or fanart for em, should you be so inclined, would be incredible. cherry is very low key on the internet but i'm chronically online, so other stuff like asks about worldbuilding or fic process or fashion opinions or whatever would be fantastic for me. i am...... incredibly bored after sitting in the same spot for four months now, and i've got another 4-5 weeks of it (:

but! i have a good support system, personally, professionally, and medically, so i'll be alright in the end, just hmm. sure has been a fucking year jesus christ

[goldenteaset]

lol I saw your tags on that toxic boyfriend post and (I apologize deeply if this may be uncomfy at all) *would* Belial ever cheat on Cammy or is he too smitten with her to even do that?

I ask because I also have a yume/self-ship thing going on and like...it is angsty and would hella hurt but at the same time my mind thinks of it like faulting a viper for having fangs. I see this dynamic a lot in Belial/Lucilius fics, where even though he is still devoted to his Faa-san...he still seeks out others on the side. BUT then idk if this is a result of it being an only onesided love VS how he would be in a mutual, requited love.

Aww, thanks for thinking of my comfort, anon. Agreed about it feeling like "blaming the viper" (good line)! Sometimes I like the idea of Belial sleeping around too, if only in a very unrealistic "miserable wives find pleasure and solace in his dark embrace" sort of way. He definitely did that while in hiding... :3c

But to answer your question! Normally I would say "Yes, the relationship is still new and Belial expected to be out of Cammy's life in a month tops". The catch, though, is that in this setting he and Lucilius have had a nightmarish, cataclysmic breakup, and now as you say, he has a "mutual, requited love" with Cammy. So yes, he could cheat on this woman who genuinely appreciates his company (they’ve been having less sex than he expected, yet he’s still pleased), is happy with even the smallest gift, gets at least halfway to matching his freak*, and would hug him every day no strings attached…but the perks are too good to pass up. Unless she asks him to, I guess? But that’s a whole other story.

And also on some level Cammy expected him to cheat at the start, she called him a “wagtail” (very archaic term for a manwhore) when they first met, which in retrospect I really should have led with, huh… XD

*Considering how wide-ranging Belial’s sexual appetites are, halfway is pretty good I think :D

[rhapsodyred-writes]

Thanks for tagging me @rhodophoria! I hope you're okay if I answer this on my writing blog!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

Currently, ten.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

115,657 and good lord that's so much higher than I thought it would be.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Right now, just Undertale. It's been a long time since the hyperfixation has grabbed me hard enough to inspire me to write fic for anything but Undertale.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Across Enemy Lines (256)

When corporate doesn't understand family (35)

this is personal (23)

the Joy in the Slow (21)

Stars and Scars (15)

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Not really? I probably should, for more interaction. I just get a little hidey sometimes, and I never really know what to say back.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Probably When corporate doesn't understand family, but since it's a collaborative work, I can't really take credit for the ending. I don't even think I was expecting it.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Hmm, hard to say. Tempted to say Neutral Evil with a Protective Streak.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Nope.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

On occasion. I have a strange relationship with writing my own smut, so most of what I write will never be posted for others to read. For those following AEL, though... >:3c

If I'm writing smut solo I try to keep it short and sweet. I have a tendency to gloss over details because I get very embarrassed writing intimate details. With a good writing partner I can be a bit braver though!

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

In high school I started (and never finished) a crossover-self-insert fic of myself and some friends, with all the fictional boys we were collectively hyperfixating on. If I finished it, it would have been a disorganized mess. /lh

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not that I'm aware of, but I don't think I'd be against it.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes! I'm co-writing a fic currently! Also, everything on my AO3 is co-written lol. A lot of my solo writing is here on this blog! (Most of it doesn't count as fic though, because it circles mainly around my OCs.)

14. What’s your all time favourite ship?

These days, it's almost all character x self. I don't ship characters together as much as I used to, and have been finding much more satisfaction in selfshipping lately!

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

There are any number of abandoned WIPs I'd like to pick back up, but know I won't or can't, for any number of reasons. Sometimes it's hard to do collaborative work on something when the hyperfixation yanks your writing partner in a different direction.

16. What are your writing strengths?

When I get in the groove, the words flow like spilled ink. Sometimes that translates to beautiful flowery prose, or contemplative introspection. I can write paragraphs of introspection and observation and not realize how much I've written where nothing has actually happened.

Also dialogue! I once had a school teacher tell me I was really good at dialogue, and that has stuck with me since.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Most of it boils down to making myself sit down and actually write. If I look at writing as a chore, my brain will refuse to do it, and while this isn't technically a writing weakness, it is something that very often keeps me from writing.

Timing is another thing. Remembering how much time has passed in universe, or what is a reasonable amount of Things to do in one in-universe day.

Also commas. I tend to write like an 18th century poet in that I use way more commas than are strictly necessary.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I have conflicting feelings on this. On one hand, I love for people to be able to showcase that a fic is taking place in a certain part of the world based on language. On the other hand it reminds me a little of flipping to the back of a classic novel for end notes that give historical context to what I'm reading. It's good to have that context, but flipping to the back of the book to understand something takes me out of the experience.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

The very first? That would probably have been Harry Potter, and I would have been about 12.

But the first fanfic I wrote was about my kindergarten best friend's imaginary friend, who was an anthropomorphic cat who wore his hat backwards, and I thought he was sooooo cool. (Technically I dictated it to my mom, who then wrote it, but it still counts.)

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

Across Enemy Lines, and not only because I'm dating my co-writer. Our writing styles flow together so well, and it's been so much fun to work on!

Tagging @lady-of-disdain and @feral-fantic, but no pressure! Only if you want to do it!

[excadrill]

tagged by @yj-98 ilyyy 🫶🫶🤍

RULES: Reveal the titles of the documents in your WIP folder and tag as many people as there are documents. Let others ask questions about the ones that interest them and post snippets or explain the contents as you see fit!

tag as many people as their are wips.. eep.. sorry i'd put this under a cut but it's not working on mobile 😭

ankhgiveaway.sai [i held an art giveaway in february and havent finished the prizes even tho i keep looking at them and going 'i need to and Want to finish this..']

yuukigiveaway.sai [same as above but the person who requested this one deactivated so i. don't know if i'm still gonna finish it]

sonomomo.sai [my current priority 'For Me' wip.. ive shared this wip w some people but ive never done a proper piece for the 'cycle of life and death' thing for them so that's what this one is..💙❤️]

exozinewip5.sai [pokemon zine oc piece, not supposed to share zine wips so idk if i should say more but it's of my beloved gymsona.. this zine will be free + digital and i'll ofc be promoting it more when it's done but it's soooo cute keep your eyes out for this one :3c '5' not bc im contributing multiple pieces but bc this piece is big and slightly intimidating for me so i keep saving different versions when i do major merges]

pocketzine-nymble.sai [another pokemon zine piece, so i can't really say more But it's not the only thing im contributing to this zine, ive just finished all my other stuff already]

oczine-thumbs.sai [thumbs for an oc zine i signed up for that i'll probably drop out of bc im not feeling like a vibe w everyone else there >w>;;; ]

philip.sai [philip piece ive had sitting around basically since i finished W.. about a year ago now i think ? but i transferred it to my '23 wips folder bc i still wanna finish it..it was supposed to be a 'this one will be quick and easy so i'll have smthn i Finished this month outside of zine stuff' but. zine stuff took up all my time and energy oops]

mrtourism.sai [this one's a silly post-canon kirihiko art i've Also had sitting around for like a year. i chip away at this one sometimes but then keep restarting bc im unsatisfied with the lines i wish i could just sit down and finish it bc i Love Him]

platform.sai [ummm silly ryotaro thing i drew after watching the den-o final stage ^__^ not a high priority one but it's cute so like. maybe one day]

punkjackhelmet.sai [file name was bc i was originally doing helmet studies before it turned into a full sketch. punkjack with the beat buckle bc i was doing this right after his special came out 🎃🫶]

colourwheel.sai [ummm well. yeah im not good at finishing art memes when theyre still on trend. i did all the sketches for these but i probably won't finish at this point..]

poppyangel.sai [poppy ex-aid i sketched as a break between big stuff the other day that i like a lot so. maybe will finish but might just post unfinished if i cant find the energy to get to this one sooner. feel bad that i like ex-aid so much but don't have any clean art done for it..]

millirider.sai [toku oc planning :3 i was saying last night i finally figured the helmet out which ive been struggling with for ages so hopefullyyyy i get around to doing a proper ref sheet]

im not at my laptop rn so im doing this off the top of my head but i THINK that's everything.. tagging umm @ankhisms @heartvisor @madaraki @circeancity @horrorcomedies @yu3s @pleuvoire @kosukeiichi @danothan @seashrine @asticassia @eclipse-song @kirider only if you guys wanna 🤍🤍