#so like any good insane fan i made up an entire story in my head :)

[weaverofink]

Danny Temple you will always be famous to me. also your unnamed twin brother that showed up in exactly 3 panels

[bbgsaja]

⳽ωɩtᥴᖾ ᥙρ (ᙖᥲᑲყ ᔑᥲʝᥲ x ᖴ!ᕼᥙᥒtᥱɾ!ᖇᥱᥲᑯᥱɾ) ρt ㇆

summary - you devise a plan to beat a demon that can't be touched, let alone killed, and is ancient. but you're not as stable as you seem, and sometimes you just need to lean on Baby a little warnings - mentions of suicide (not anyone in this story though), i say 'supposedly older' and 'probably older' because i'm leaving it up to you guys to decide if you think Kwan is older than Gwi-Ma, little bit angsty but nothing crazy part one • part two • part three • part four • part five • part six • part seven • part eight • part nine • part ten

"He's getting desperate."

Everyone looked up at Jinu as he spoke, seven confused faces staring back at him (again, no one was sure about Mystery).

"Gwi-Ma," he clarified. "To summon this guy..."

"You know him?" You asked.

"Unfortunately," Jinu nodded. "He's older than any demon I know. Probably older than Gwi-Ma himself, which is why he's not necessarily under Gwi-Ma's just control. Just fulfilling a bargain to be free, I guess. He does Gwi-Ma's dirty work, he gets to cause chaos."

"So why didn't Gwi-Ma summon him before?" Zoey asked, frowning.

"Because summoning him takes a lot of power, and Gwi-Ma's already weakened," Jinu explained.

"But couldn't Kwan just come here by himself?" You had a feeling you didn't want to know the answer, but knowing more about him meant you could find a way to kick him back to the demon world.

That's where Jinu's eyes darkened, "He was chained in an isolated part of the demon world, because even regular demons were afraid to go near him. Long before even my time," he pointedly ignored your snickers, "he drove an entire village so deep into depression that all of them...well..."

The air turned heavy, his words sending chills down your spine.

"This is good though!" Zoey broke the tense silence.

You all looked at her like she was insane.

"No, I mean good because if Gwi-Ma sent someone like him, that means he's afraid our plan will actually work!"

"So how do you fight something that's supposedly older than our most ancient enemy?" Mira leaned back against the couch, crossing her arms.

"You don't," Rumi and Jinu spoke simultaneously, then blushed. Jinu finished, "We have to trap and chain him again."

"How?" You asked, "With him around we can't turn the Honmoon gold."

"You don't need the Honmoon," Jinu shook his head, "You need a demon spell book."

As soon as those words had left his lips, there was a heavy thud. Everyone turned to see that Mystery had dropped a thick, evil-looking book with teeth - actual teeth - onto the table. No one had even seen him leave. Yet he now stood there, looking at the rest of you, like he'd been waiting for this exact moment.

"Do we even want to know why Mystery has a spell book?" You asked, eyeing the vibrating book warily.

"No," Baby answered immediately.

Romance shivered, and Abby had this haunted look in his eyes that alluded to some past trauma involving this very book, and he was reliving it.

"Okay...so what spell?" You looked back at the book, which was now glowing. You scooted away, Baby's arm sliding around your waist.

Mystery flipped the book open, on the exact page he needed. This was nowhere near comforting for you and only made you more concerned about - and afraid of - the quiet Saja boy.

You looked at the page and sighed, "Really? A pentagram?"

"Believe it or not," Jinu leaned forward, "Your human horror films are not very far off. Though in this case, simply drawing the pentagram and chanting an incantation is not going to work."

"Will you stop being so dramatically cryptic!" Mira snapped, causing Jinu to yelp and jump behind Rumi. "Tell us what we need to do!"

You realised it before they did, "We have to sing and dance."

"Yes," Jinu confirmed, his eyes constantly flicking back to Mira, his body alert now. "As hunters, your powers lie in your voices and the connections you have with your fans. So in order to seal him away, he has to be part of our performance."

"Oh, wonderful," you groaned.

"So our entire choreography has to change?" Mira's eye twitched.

"Not all of it," Jinu shifted further away, putting Rumi and Abby between him and the pink-haired hunter. "Just the beginning. Once we seal him away, making the Honmoon gold will be easier, and faster."

She groaned.

"And who is going to convince him to collaborate with us?" You made the mistake of asking.

All eyes turned to you.

"Oh, absolutely not!" You protested.

"Yeah, that's gonna be a no from me," Baby agreed, a low rumble in his chest indicating that he was now growling at everyone. "Pick someone else." And then he latched onto you like a koala.

"He's gonna be at the Idol Awards show anyway, right?" You started.

"We can interrupt his performance," Baby suggested, "Come on halfway through, or better yet, at the end so we can transition into our song."

"Very good use of the word transition," you teased, earning a bite - yes, his teeth closed down on the fat of your cheek.

Jinu blinked, "That's...actually a good idea."

"Baby's smart when he's trying to find ways for other people to not touch (Name)," Romance teased the rapper.

Baby threw a cushion at him, with inhuman force.

When that plan was set, you retired to your room. Exhausted, stressed out, anxious...just a few words to describe how you were feeling. You flopped down onto your bed, face-first into a pillow, and just laid there.

A few minutes later, you felt a weight on top of you. Heavy enough to be a person, but light enough not to crush you entirely.

"Baby!" You protested, voice muffled by the pillow.

"What?" Kwan's voice filled your ears. "You're comfortable."

You shot up, shoving the person that spoke off you. You whipped around with wide eyes, chest heaving, and stared at Kwan. Who suddenly became a very hurt-looking Baby.

"Sorry," he mumbled, a bit awkwardly.

"No!" You grabbed his hand, "Oh, god." Pulling him close, you buried your face in his neck. "I think the stress is getting to me."

He wrapped his arms around you, listening.

"I heard Kwan," you told him, "And then when I turned...I thought you were him. I'm so sorry, Baby, I just..." Tears welled up in your eyes, and spilled down your cheeks before you could stop them.

Baby held you as you broke down. His arms tightened around you when your knees buckled, holding you steady against him. He rested his chin on top of your head as you sobbed into his shoulder, confiding in him about how much this was really affecting you.

"It's okay," he murmured into your hair, kissing the top of your head gently. He rubbed your back in slow, soothing circles, his thumb brushing over your spine, "I'm here."

You calmed down eventually, letting it out until there was nothing left. Your body trembled against his, hands fisting his sweater so tightly that if he moved it would rip. He was the only thing grounding you in this moment, keeping you from losing it completely. He was your anchor.

"Let's go," he spoke after a while, leading you out of the Huntrix penthouse.

He took you to where you had your first date.

You choked out a laugh when you saw the dance machine, your face heating up, "Oh no. No way."

He grinned mischievously, "Let me show you how it's done."

"Please," you laughed, "By all means."

He did not show you how it's done.

He was fine initially, better than you had been. But once the beat dropped and the sequence sped up, he struggled to keep up and clumsily stepped on his own foot and tumbled over. Becoming a heap of pink sweater and teal hair on the floor.

You burst out laughing, "If that's how it's done, then we're all in trouble."

He glared up at you, though his expression softened when he realised you were now laughing, smiling, genuinely happy again. Your stress and sorrow momentarily forgotten.

"What do you mean?" He picked himself up, grinning at you cheekily, "That's how everyone's doing it."

"Oh? Uh huh," you laughed again, smoothing out his shirt collar.

As you laughed at him, Baby felt content. His grin widened as you continued to tease him, though he didn't listen to half of it because he was watching you so intently. Satisfied that he could cheer you up.

"Feeling better, my soda pop?" He teased you, poking your cheeks with the dopiest smile on his face.

You snorted at that, face burning again, "Much better. Thank you, my idol." Then, when he stiffened, jaw dropped, you laughed even harder. "I saw Jinu's lyrics. What a song to steal souls, huh? Definitely would have gotten mine."

He grabbed you by the waist and tugged you forward, "No. Your soul is mine, not Gwi-Ma's, not anyone's. Mine. Mine to keep, mine to protect, mine to love. And I love you, more than I ever thought I could or would."

Your heart skipped a beat, and finally your smile reached your ears again, "I love you too, Baby."

He engulfed you in his arms again, soft sweater tickling the skin of your cheek as he did his favourite thing in the world - smush you against his chest.

"Thank you for letting a demon like me love you," he said quietly as the world stilled around the two of you, freezing you in this intimate moment. "Thank you for giving me purpose. And thank you...for loving me back."

You teared up again, though this time for a different reason.

tag list - @tenaciouskittenpuff @tiger-lilee-5 @seavnz @haru-reto @redkitsu03 @pearthesimp @arieslucy @matsugumisou @lonelyminh @justanindiangirl12 @anonymousewrites @nyanyanihao

[koneko48]

The Queer Reading of HxH

I’ve read and re-read Hunter x Hunter at least 46 times, and I always come back to the same conclusion: HxH is a queer manga.

First of all, this post is just the first part of my analysis, so I’ll be posting the rest on my account later ;P

1. fan service in shonen manga ૮꒰◞ ˕ ◟ ྀི꒱ა

1. Fan service in shonen manga

In the shonen industry, fan service is super common — and it's usually aimed at straight guys. You know the drill: women and girls with boobs bigger than my future, who serve no purpose other than being love interests, random nude scenes for no reason, super sexualized outfits… The thing is, these manga are traditionally made for an exclusively straight male audience, so they often end up being sexist or ignoring the existence of complex female characters altogether.

2. Fan service in hxh ? ¯_(- > -)_/¯

So, is there fan service in HxH? The answer is yes. Like most other shonen series, Hunter x Hunter does include fan service — but in a very… unique way.

While reading Yoshihiro Togashi’s work (the mastermind behind the manga), I realized something wild: the fan service is almost entirely male. Nope, not a joke!

There are tons of shirtless dudes in HxH — really, it’s everywhere. But if you’re looking for even one nude woman? Good luck. I haven’t found a single one. And when I say fan service, I’m not kidding!

Hisoka, for example, (besides wearing heels) is very "provocative" — that's what people would say about him if he were a woman.

Hisoka at his prime.

And don’t even get me started on Killua, who made me so jealous because when I was 12, I didn’t have a six-pack… (╥﹏╥)

Bro’s supposed to be younger than me, help!

Besides the sexualization, female characters are actually quite well represented in the manga, as well as in both anime adaptations (1999 and 2011). Take Biscuit Krueger for example, Gon and Killua’s Nen teacher. At first, we’re led to believe she’s a cute little girl — very kawaii (probably a nod to Togashi’s wife’s manga, Sailor Moon). But a few episodes later, we see her true form: she’s actually 57 years old and can transform into a bodybuilder whenever she wants. Biscuit is known to be very strong and uses Nen like no one else, since she even taught it to her students. Remember after her transformation in front of one of the three Boomers, Boomer #3 asked her why she hid her true form from people, to which she replied that she was very self-conscious about her body (I’ve never seen that in any other manga in my life) and that it wouldn’t be a secret technique otherwise.

Anyway, besides Biscuit, I have plenty of other female characters in mind, like Morena Prudo, who is insolent, mean, wants to kill everyone, very intelligent and doesn’t hide it, and scares men, etc. Or Senritsu / Melody (I really like Melody), who literally has baldness and works as a bodyguard in the mafia. And then there’s Teta, who has a square-shaped head (I cried when I saw her design ✧｡٩(ˊᗜˋ )و✧*｡) and teaches Nen to the biggest antagonist in the story, which requires great mental strength, and who doesn’t hesitate to shoot him dead cold in the head.

3. Oh I almost fgt ! Kurapika ! ‧₊˚🕷‧₊˚

His case is quite funny since we don’t actually know if Kurapika is a girl or a boy. At first glance, if you watched the English version or any non-Japanese one, you’d be sure he’s a boy... But if, like me, you have the IQ of a rock and when you first read about Kurapika, you thought she was a girl because he wears a dress and has long hair, then concluded he was a boy after googling… well, Google lied to us! In reality, we DO NOT know Kurapika’s gender. In the manga, he uses "watashi wa," a very rare pronoun in everyday language because it’s gender-neutral. On top of that, Togashi (he’s insanely talented) has never stated anything about it. Conclusion: I have no freaking idea and honestly, I don’t care. Maybe he's non-binary...

Ultimate conclusion of my whole post: It’s clear that Togashi didn’t create HxH for a straight male gaze (no one will talk about the reactions me and my friends had when we saw Hisoka half-naked).

ദ്ദി ˉ͈̀꒳ˉ͈́ )✧

Coming soon: "LGBT Characters in HxH" 🌈 (yeah, I put a rainbow)

[self-indulgent-paw-patrol]

New pipeline analysis no one asked for

And that definitely no one needed either but when did I ever care tbh. And I still have no idea why it's even called "pipeline". In Portuguese we just call these things "new design" and that's about it.

CHASE

I always found his shade of brown too dark most times so I won't go about it, but the light reflections on his fur are now a very welcome touch, giving him some depth and shine to his coat. It looks so much better now. I like how he's been emoting a little more too. He was already expressive before, but now they're using more his ears to complete his expressions. It's very subtle actually so many people probably didn't notice that. I also like it that they worked a little more on his ears, they always felt extremely unnatural to me. Now they got little tufts of fur and some shape to them, instead of looking completely flat sheets of cardboard with some pink painted on what should be the inside of them. His tail looks more natural now too (despite the extremely thin base), I like that.

MARSHALL

While I like the shine on Chase's fur... Marshall is maybe a different story. In the attempt to make it clear he's got fur, they MAY have made it look a bit too... Fuzzy. Idk the word, sorry. You can only see it from up close, but it looks like some short and HARD fur, not soft and smooth. It only looks smooth if you see from afar, from a normal distance. Any up close shot makes it look rough. And then, there's a small issue with his spots: The shine on them seems unnatural when it doesn't match the shading on his white fur. It's weird, sometimes he looks just perfect (middle pic), some other times it's weird to look at him - first pic Idek what happened with the lighting there all over him, while the last pic is like they cranked up the contrast to the max again. But other than that, I didn't feel too much of a difference on his movements, expressions or etc, he's always been expressive and his ears always moved along with him. He looks a lot better with his uniform on, though, I can't deny that, it's just perfect.

SKYE

She looks like burnt toast. Not sorry. You know it's the truth. The only compliment I have on her is that I like how her fur (ears) look actually fluffy now, though her head bangs are animated in an extremely weird way - when they need them to move due to wind, they just... Clip in and out of her head. I wish I was exaggerating just as much as they exaggerated on cranking up the saturation and contrast on her colors. I feel bad for her fans, she just looks so... Idk. It literally hurts my eyes to look at her, definitely not visually pleasing. I'm really legitimately sad for what they did to her. I'll stay with her cinematic version any day.

ROCKY

I WISH I could say he looks more natural - at least partially he does, anatomy-wise. But his tail still looks off and he's having the exact same issue as Skye with her fur tufts. His tufts are just a completely different texture they didn't bother to "blend" into the body/head texture, so it causes a very unpleasant visual clash when you see his head from very up close, at least most times. Some other times he looks actually fine. Sometimes the fur on his eyelids are clearly a different piece from his head too and it looks insanely unnatural (first pic). Sometimes you can't notice that all that much (second pic). Thankfully, these issues are only visible from very up close, so, aside from his tail, he looks good enough when seeing from a regular/normal distance.

Important to note, I tend to notice these things bc I always look at EVERY SINGLE TINY DETAIL when watching something. I've always been like this, so most of these issues are things most people probably never even noticed at all (like how in the first episode of Fire Rescue, Rocky's cheeks are entirely grey when he's wearing the Fire Rescue uniform. Coloring error *Sigh*).

RUBBLE

I find it funny how he barely changed anything, except for when they cranked up the saturation of his colors too, just like how they did with Skye and Marshall. It's so random, though??? Sometimes he looks alright (left pic), some other times his "orange" fur gets a lot darker, with a very strong contrast against the white fur. If you put him side by side with his Rubble & Crew version, you'll say they're two totally different dogs, given how lighter colored he is in R&C. One good point though, his fangs finally look natural, coming from INSIDE his mouth, along with his jaw's teeth, instead of just... Popping out of his lower lip. He doesn't look bad here, I just still prefer his look in the movies too.

ZUMA

He looks good if you look from afar (first and second pics). Once you get up close shots, though... It makes you wonder wtf is up with his nose (where the fur meets the nose) and his fur texture. Same issue as Marshall's, it looks HARD. I compared him to a dried coconut once. It really doesn't look like something I'd like to put my hand on and give rubs and scratches - it feels like it would be very rough to the touch. I gave up on finding his color odd most of the times too (though it looks alright to me in these specific pics), I still like more his cinematic version on that aspect. Other than his fur seeming rough from up close and his nose seeming like it was punched in, he really does look good from a normal distance. The shine on his fur is nice and I'll forever love how they kept his ears and tail on the thicker side.

RYDER

I'll admit it took me a long time to get used to his new look. It's like some kind of mix between mostly the previous design and a little bit of the movies' design. Could be better for sure, but now that I've watched a few random episodes, I'm convinced it's not as bad as I initially thought and he's being pretty expressive too - I mean, I've gone through several episodes in the old animation, looking for screenshots showing Ryder with different expressions to make icons for his askblog, and let me tell you... It's HARD. He didn't show many expressions constantly, I feel like I was looking for a few toothpicks in a barn full of hay. I think I have seen quite more expressions on this kid's face now in the few episodes I've seen in the new animation than ever before (not counting the movies).

There's something about him that's still bothering me and I don't know what it is exactly, but it's not much of a big deal to the point I'd say I don't like his look here. Anyway, same as Skye and Zuma... I'll stay with his cinematic version, that's the best one imo, though this one manages to be a good second. Except for his hands. The fact he has 5 fingers on the movies will always win me over any day. My perfectionist ass is pleased there, not here.

OTHER CHARACTERS I'm actually pleased with most other characters. Sweetie looks good. Liberty... There's something bothering me but I still don't know what it is. Maybe it's because they made her ears the same color as her body fur, when they should be darker. They never added the darker spots/patches on her ears in the show anyway so I won't even go there. I like how the Mayors are looking, and the other people too. No complaints on any of them, surprisingly. Everest is the only one I'm still weirded out about - same issue as Skye and Rocky, her face looks extremely off with the different fur textures clashing.

ADVENTURE BAY Just... The same trees over and over again everywhere. Nothing unusual, it's always been like that, we rarely get to see a different tree model lol But the buildings are cool, the details on stuff, I like how the town's looking like now. I still need to catch more episodes to see how the sea water is behaving - one thing that always bothered me TO NO END was how the sea is always so STILL. I get it, animation budget, but dude. Come on.

Anyway, have a gifset to see what I mean about Skye's bangs clipping in and out...

Aaaaand their improved body language! You can clearly notice they're emoting with their entire bodies and it's fluid. You can even see when Marshall has his ears down and when he perks them back up as he's got his attention on Rubble! Chase turns his ears back too, but he's still alert, while Marshall and Skye completely shrink down with the jumpscare, and Rocky looks like he's about to jump and run the hell away, until he relaxes and lays down again.

[physalian]

On Fight Scenes (Or, getting creative with your magic system)

This is coming from a reader’s perspective, not a writer’s, in what I like to see and what my thought process was when writing my fight scenes—I hate these things and can’t call myself any authority on the matter. They’re tedious and translating what’s in my head onto page is always frustrating.

This is also for fantasy and sci-fi: Fight scenes that have some magical or technological element to them, not a straight-up action story with two dudes punching each other. This includes anything from fights in Harry Potter to battling a Xenomorph to bending in ATLA to a throwdown between superheroes.

Side note: I really, truly hate “two dudes punching each other”.

—

I have a friend who loves comics, specifically DC Comics, and watches all the DCAU films. When we lived together, I often watched a lot with them. My favorite remains Constantine: City of Demons because unlike literally every other DCAU movie, it doesn’t drop the ball in the third act and devolve into a stakes-less fistfight. This dude faces *consequences*.

I’m not a comics (like actual, paper comic books) fan, but without fail, every time the setup is good, the characters are good, the first 2/3s are good with pacing and usually a mystery and passable character development like Batman: Under the Red Hood…. The last 15 minutes or so always abandon what had been a good plot for just superheroes punching each other and I get so bored. I’m invested and then they rarely deliver any payoff.

But I do like Constantine. Dude needs a nap.

Point is: On top of those fight scenes not really mattering, by the nature of what comic books are in that they can never stray too far from the status quo, or if they do, it doesn’t stay that way for long, the people who made these characters don’t get all that creative with their powers.

I think, actually, I liked Constantine so much because his stuff is rated R and it doesn’t shy away from the more realistic effects of living in a superhero society… without being gratuitous like The Boys.

I just get bored. The fight stops when the plot says so. Knockouts are arbitrary, power scaling is arbitrary. Someone can get thrown through a wall and walk it off but the villain or their buddy can come up behind them and hit them really hard on the head and that’s enough.

Anime is its own thing and would take far too much time to address here but I do want to talk about My Hero Academia real quick, following up on a previous post about tournament arcs.

Season 2 of the show has three main arcs: The tournament in the first half, and the Stain fight/final exams in the second.

For a while, the show actually seemed to take injuries rather seriously (for shonen, at least), and got insanely creative with characters’ very niche powers. In season 1, their teacher, Aizawa, gets pretty brutally beaten by a horde of villains and his powers are permanently impacted by his recovery—he can’t use them for as long as he used to, and he has a new scar.

Midoriya, too, whose powers break his bones on the regular, has consequences for overusing them, like his hands and forearms not healing properly despite superpowered medical intervention.

Power scaling, too, was fantastic…. Until the Stain fight.

I will never understand the thought process behind this logic:

“Hey let’s show how powerful Todoroki is by having him manifest an entire glacier in about 3 seconds!” *9 episodes later* “Hey let’s make this fight with a dude who only has various blades to work with super tense by making Todoroki completely nerfed in a legit life or death situation!”

Buddy couldn’t take two seconds to yell at his friends to get the fuck out of the way? Was he worried about damage to the buildings? I feel like nepotism could have spared him from some consequences if breaking a few windows meant him not getting murdered. It wasn’t like he had daddy issues over his ice powers.

The rest of the show (until I DNFed) had similar issues. Powers were as competent as the plot allowed at any given moment, which I guess is the nature of shonen, but if you’re going to go out of your way to establish realistic rules and consequences really early on, breaking them willy-nilly because it looks cool later is annoying.

Which is applicable across all fantasy sub-genres: Consistency.

I might not be the best at writing the step-by-step choreography, but damn it if I don’t know how to make sure I’m not opening up plot holes in how much damage my characters take and dish out.

—

So. How I approach fight scenes as told by Eternal Night and my sci-fi WIP.

Before anything else, establish a reason that this has to be a fight, that it has to happen now, and what’s happening beneath the combat to keep the story progressing. The plot will not stop just for fisticuffs.

A magic system is only as cool as what its characters cannot do with it, and breaking those limits ruins the magic system.

Make sure this is a fight that can only happen in this story, taking full advantage of the various powers/abilities/magic system rules, if this is meant to be flashy and grand.

Eternal Night is about vampires, thus my vampires, being immortal, can take a lot of hits and not suffer long-term consequences compared to a mortal. I adhere to a lot of classic vampire lore while also making up my own rules. They don’t have super speed, super strength, or compulsion, they just have a lot of experience and know how to use their weapons well, and can essentially go at 100% without mortal limitations of fatigue.

Basically: My vampires are only as strong as a mortal in absolute life-or-death situations, but that’s also dependent on how strong they were in life. Somebody who was a couch potato isn’t going to be as strong as a bodybuilder, and that carries over. I don’t have “younger/older vampires are supernaturally stronger” rules.

They have the same immortality risks as most versions: Stakes, beheadings, sunlight. Anything else is survivable.

Simple magic systems tend to be the most robust because there’s less rules available to risk breaking or forgetting (why ATLA's bending feels so real).

So when I was writing ENNS’s big fight, on top of making sure they weren’t all gods with their weapons—they missed shots, got tired, made bad calls—priority one was making sure I kept killing blows consistent, and when they’re temporarily “dead,” that the timing of when they revive isn’t determined by the plot.

Meaning: If I have a vampire who, idk, gets stabbed by a regular sword and it “kills” them, they have to stay “dead” for whatever amount of time I’d previously established and not wake them up early to participate in the plot again. Those are my rules and I have to work with them.

And in that way, yes the choreography is frustrating, but even if it’s an average description of a fight, I will appreciate that the writer respects their own rules and still be entertained.

With that, in the sci-fi WIP I had incredibly complex and diverse magic systems, 3 complete and unique practices split between two characters. One of which was incredibly OP.

This was a very reluctant OP character who wouldn’t use the full extent of his powers even to save his own life, often to the ire of his team who suffers the consequences of unnecessarily complicated battles when he could one-shot the enemy but chooses not to.

Internal limits tend to be stronger than external ones if you have an OP character, because they’re more believably toggled on and off without breaking the lore.

Even with OP character stubbornly making life harder for himself, he was still OP. He had two different magic systems at his disposal, and beyond his internal limits, they had two very easily exploitable external limits.

Magic system A was tied to a physical artifact he had on his person. If he got separated from it, he couldn’t use it. A is also a lot harder to use if B is also busted.

Magic system B was counteracted easily by users of Magic system A, and by the enemy military who’d developed weapons specifically to nullify those powers, and that weapon was everywhere.

Which meant my fights concerning OP character were rarely “why doesn’t he insta-kill them” it was “oh shit, he can’t insta-kill them, now he has to be clever to get out of this alive”.

One of my favorite fights was at the tail end of Book 2 where he was stuck with two of his non-powered teammates, on a ship dead in the water being overrun by the enemy. The ship had no power, the radios were dead, and the engines were fried.

He had already been sick for half the book and physically and mentally exhausted, and when the enemy arrived, they nullified the rest of his powers. All he had was Magic System A, but in his condition, it was like being asked to do long division on paper by hand, because his calculator was broken.

Dude was not having a good time.

Which meant he was basically useless, with two of his basically useless teammates, who all had to work together to get creative and clever with the tools that they had, on a ship they all knew like the backs of their hands.

So many things they would not have had to do in any other situation, with stakes so much higher because OP was powerless. The characters came first, not their powers, which I think is the most crucial ingredient to any fight you want people to keep talking about for years to come.

—

I can’t tell you how to choreograph your scenes, but I do think that why they’re fighting matters far more than what they’re fighting about, and especially in fantasy: What’s the point of writing magic if you don’t take full advantage of your magical characters?

[xinnamonbun]

Got Nostalgic

So I decided to look at some old Inanimate Insanity humanizations I did a couple years back. I'm pretty sure I did these RIGHT when season 3 released. Good times-

(Looks)

...

AAAAAAAAÆ-

Below will be humanizations of: Soap, Bow, Paintbrush, Blueberry, Goo, Cabby, Test Tube, Cherries, Taco, Apple, Fan, Lightbulb, Suitcase, Balloon, Lifering, Microphone, Marshmallow, Nickel, and Yin-Yang

⚠️ WARNING OLD ART ⚠️

Off to a great start...the soap hair tie is almost cute...almost. (also I'd like to mention that I only knew like three types of shoes so you're going to be seeing these once or twice)

It's... Okay. This is one of the better ones we're going to see. Why does she have ballerina shoes???

I was really really bad at drawing guys and was much better at drawing girls (not that that was very good either). Paintbrush being an entirely different thing made me nervous that I was going to make them too masculine or too feminine. I remember being SO proud of myself... And like this one isn't terrible... But why are they wearing ice skates- (they're not supposed to be ice skates but that is NOT lined up)

Not terrible. I think that this still gives Blueberry vibes it's mainly the shoes that are bugging me. But other than that it's not BAD.

I remember one of my cousins called him Caillou, I sobbed... I hate that they were right- I MADE HIM BALD

Did not know how to draw a wheelchairs (still don't but I hope I could do better than THIS) THIS DOESN'T LOOK LIKE CABBY. END OF STORY. I also don't want to talk about the dress- it's bad

I guess I don't hate this one. I don't love it either. This one is pretty much just "I could believe that's test tube" BUT THERE'S NO SPICE

I had this headcannon that one of the cherries was trans which is why they never spoke because they were self-conscious of their voice. Not the worst head Cannon but I just can't see it anymore. These outfits also just suck. And the return of the ice skates-

This is season 1 Taco specifically and the idea was upon show to hide the hands while having her fancy spy outfit underneath. With the little that you can see of the spy outfit it sucks. The top doesn't look super bad I guess. I also gave her little fangs that I decided to make gray for some reason so they blended into her skin.

I remember this one was my absolute FAVORITE like I thought this was peak character design. It's not that good but at the very least it's definitely the most okay one here... Except for the fact that APPLE'S KNEES ARE LIKE 5/8 DOWN HER LEG- WHO BROKE YOUR LEG?!? Also are those green jeans? Also return of the ice skates.

RONALD MCDONALD!!! IVE FOUND YOUR COUSIN- in case it wasn't clear (it isn't) this is Fan... Excuse me while I bash my head into the wall- WHAT IS THIS ABOMINATION?!? AND ON TOP OF THAT WE HAVE ANOTHER CASE OF ICE SKATES- I swear if I see one more ice skate I'm going to lose it-

This is...kinda adorable??? The hair doesn't fit though. I still like the socks.

This one isn't THAT bad, it's just...the nose. The idea of her having a backpack to carry stuff is still cute. And-... Are those. Ice. Skates. (Inhale) AAAAAAAAÆ---

Burn it with fire. I didn't even like this one when I first drew it! I always had plans of redrawing it but I never did. In case you need clarification this is Balloon... In my slight justification for why he's wearing... that. I was originally going to give all of the returning season 3 contestants vacation clothes because they thought they were going on a vacation but I didn't really do this with any of the others so it just looks out of place and ugly.

I saw an ad around the time I drew this that showed a child missing their upper lip. I thought that that would be an interesting design choice for Lifering to to represent the hole in his face. I was correct that it's interesting. It being a good design choice before this art style is a different topic- still like the earring I gave him though.

I hate those fingers. They're so small. I hate it. I remember this was my favorite outfit, and now I don't like it that much. But I guess it's not THAT bad. It's still kinda bad.

This is Marshmallow. I needed to lead with that otherwise you wouldn't know who this is. This is straight up isn't marshmallow. That is some random girl that should not be trusted with hair dye.

This one is just...okay. at least compared to the other ones on this list. It's not the worst. It's DEFINITELY not the best. His hair is... Something. Also the return of the ice skates

This one is honestly just funny to me now. Yin just looks done (I feel you buddy) I really played around with a vitiligo (the reason why they have both pale and dark skin; look it up) and I do like the concept I had of this I just don't think I have the skills at the time to properly pull it off.

Wait...is that it? IM FREEEEEEE-

Bonus: (this was made before season 3 and I only found this because it was one of the reference images for my Bow humanization shown above)

You know what I said about Balloon? I take it back. Burn THIS with fire.

Ok NOW I'm free.

(for the record I give you full permission to bash me in the replies, in fact I encourage it. I'm planning on making redo's of these humanizations with my (hopefully better) art skills. So pointing out things that you didn't like in the previous designs or things that you think would be nice to add are greatly appreciated feedback)

[mla0]

28 on weirdly specific: last meal on earth? 6 and 7 on fandom? least and favorite headcanon(s)?

SOMEONE ALREADY ASKED THAT. 3 on specific instead : a specific color that gives you the ick?

--

For a color that gives me "the ick" the most... probably yellow. I do like yellow, but I think if I had to pin down which color can easily look the ugliest to me if used incorrectly or in a slightly bad shade, it's yellow

For favorite headcanons I loooove all manner of trans headcanons so much. They just bring me joy. I also love love love any kind of time-fuckery, time-loops, resurrections, and also canon alterations, just little different decisions that entirely shift the story. For least favorite hrmmm.... VERY personal for me but I can't handle "fates worse than death" in a lot of stories. I get really overly attached to characters so I think the very idea of them being in some kind of eternal, never-ending state of suffering can really fuck with me. Not that it's BAD it's just something that makes there be an anchor in my stomach for the next hour or so. Good example of a "fate worse than death" that sticks in my head and disturbs me is what ends up happening to Porky in Mother 3. If you know you know. And also a lot of character fates in Junji Ito manga fucks me up. Again, these are GOOD. These are INTERESTING. I just have an insane amount of empathy for fictional characters and I get way too disturbed by certain sorts of fates they are confined to. It makes me sad and I wish it was in a fun way but I am #lame like that. And also autistic .

Other than that... hmmm... I guess I've never been the biggest fan ever of [literal] soulmate AUs. Don't get me wrong, I think characters can view each other as soulmates, I think you can play with the theme that characters will always find each other across lives, I think it's really sweet, I moreso mean when it is a universal, almost forced trait like with birthmarks and stuff. Again, they're not like, inherently bad? I just find the concept of choosing that type of relationship/bond with someone infinitely more interesting than "it was meant to be, so just accept it," it makes the relationship (TO ME!) feel a little cheap honestly. Like oh, it works because... it just does. The birthmark/universe/whatnot said so. Like noooo characters should put in effort and struggle and go through long periods of bonding for that sort of relationship to occur. They should make the choice to find each other and care about each other, not because it's easy, in fact I much prefer when it's made hard, but because they want to. I ALSO HATE THAT ITS SUCH A ROMANCE-SPECIFIC TROPE. Where is the trope of friends who will always find each other across lives. Where is the trope of siblings or cousins or whatever who have been that way for many lifetimes, who will always be there alongside you no matter how much you both change. And where are the PLAYS on this concept. What if people are meant to be soulmates but they intentionally choose not to be, to go against the whole universe because it's NOT what they want. What if people are constantly being pushed apart by forces out of their control and they FIGHT and they LOSE over and over again to be at each others side. Do you get me? Do I make sense.

[technicalknockout]

What were some of your favourite pages in the book?

god thats a hard one jsnfjksdk the entire book is so good but i do have my favorites. heres an entire list

silly straws page - i read in 'dipper and mabel's guide to mystery and nonstop fun' that bill likes silly straws and thought it was a silly random tidbit, imagine how surprised i was when i realized there was LORE behind it.. im still figuring out some codes bc i dont wanna look them up and im having so much fun !!

stanford trying to keep me from reading the book page - "you cant hear the disappointed sigh im making rn, but i assure you it's devastating" i mean he failed to stop me from reading the entire thing in one sitting but i was just very happy to see ford's cursive again. It was really funny seeing him trying to guess what the reader would be convinced by (i saw the moth picture and thought 'whats that called, a goth moth?' I laughed out loud when it turned out that was actually its name)

urban legends page - as a long time fan of creepypasta the references in this page absolutely delighted me. Also the art is so realistically horrifying, whoever drew these i love you

the one true intelligence test - idk this page just made me laugh a lot

Entire anti-cipher society part - i love how instead of telling the story in just plain text, they made us follow the story with newspapers and journal pages. What was that called. I swear there was a name for that kind of storytelling if anyone knows pls pls tell me

every page with ford and fiddleford - BEAUTIFUL. SUBLIME. BEST THING TO EVER EXIST IN THE WORLD. I HECKING LOVE FRIENDS BEING WHOLESOME TOGETHER AND I LOVE IT MORE WHEN THEYRE MY FAVORITE CHARACTERS FROM MY FAVORITE SHOW. THEY MAD SNOWMEN OF EACH OTHER THATS SO CUTE

"but my aim is getting better" - do i need to explain this one

whatever this page is called;

I hated reading this (i loved reading this). i kinda got spoiled before i bought the book with an analysis post, had to literally put my phone down and think about what id just read. i think this page really puts bill and ford's relationship into perspective. ford's a person and bill's a multidimensional semi-god creature, bill will do and say anything in his power to get ford to do what he wants. this relationship cannot even begin to resemble normal. and also the forgetting your own name part horrified me, thats some good horror right there.. love it when books make me have a visceral reaction to tiny words on paper

call transcript from the police - OH the LORE and CHARACTER ANALYSIS FOOD RIGHT HERE. i could talk for hours about how bill straight up sucks at relationships and he's SO unwilling to admit he was upset about falling out with ford that he's lying to himself MULTIPLE TIMES OVER AND OVER and how a lack of genuine connection with people is eating him up - but if i talked about all that this post would spiral into insanity real quick. Also drunk bill talking into the phone was very very sad and very very on character and i could hear hirsch's bill voice inside my head it was really good aghjgnkhhh

stan's page - I ALMOST CRIED AND I KNOW THATS KIND OF A WEIRD REACTION BUT I SAW THE STAN PAGE IN THISISNOTAWEBSITEDOTCOM OKAY AND IT WAS MAKING ME VERY UNWELL I WAS EXTREMELY RELIEVED TO JUST HEAR THIS MAN SO HAPPY AGAIN STANLEY PINES I LOVE YOU YOU DESERVE EVERYTHING

yee that turned out longer than id anticipated jdndjs

overall this was amazing. an entire book written in my favorite character's voice is something i've only ever dreamed of and it's genuinely a frickin honour to have a copy in my house. my bookshelf is 2% more cursed now and i would not have it any other way.

one of these days im gonna black out and there will be a twenty-pages long essay on bill's social life on your feed. i advise you to gently scroll past it without looking.

[tllancaster]

To have a beginning, One must start

I am writing, but I do not know what. I want to write, but nothing comes to mind. So, I write to write. To get my fingers moving and used to the keyboard of an underused laptop. I know I will never see this again. Likely, I will be embarrassed to have written it if I ever see it again. But it must be written. Why, because I want to write and to have a beginning, one must start.

I do not LIKE to write. I like having ideas and want them down in a semi-permanent location. They should feel more real than, or so I tell myself. In reality, the thing in my head rarely makes it to the page. What I end up writing seems, if anything, less real. It does not fit in the space of what I wanted. It is a Frankenstein’s monster of the Story I wanted, a monstrosity of the idea. A bacterization of the true original still in my head claiming, “It’s not me!”. I hate writing. It never feels great but if I do not write, the stories will kill me.

I must write. Why? Heck if I know. It’s a compulsion. A need. I need to make the ideas in my head real. I must show the world what I smile stupidly at while I’m on my walks. The things I quote randomly need context, so I do not look completely insane. I am still off my rocker, but less so if what I’m quoting is something others can reference. “There it is, the things Tim’s been talking about for years. It’s a thing.”.

It's all madness. I have nothing to show for it. But then again, I do. I have a binder filled with my writing. Pages of me screaming into the void, “I was here. I made things. I thought thoughts!”.

I need to come to terms with knowing that only a few people, if any, will enjoy my work. The best I can hope for is in 60 years one of my grandchildren finds the binders of my writing and they sit down and read it, like I did with my grandmother's writing. Little notes of who I was. Who I wanted to be. I need to be comfortable with knowing that Likely, only I will be a fan of my stories. I just wish the synopsis of my stories were not better than the whole text.

I hate writing. I hate having to cram entire worlds through a hole 26 letters wide. But it is that or they never see the light outside my mind. I hate that I am the only one who knows what Aleir Berries taste like. That has felt the dry cold of the Brunold halls on my shoulders. Smelled the Fields of North Corico and the dusts of the Blasted waste. I must write them, so others might go where I go, feel what I feel. I want to introduce others to the voices in my head calling themselves Wellem, Lamnad, and Adamant. I want them to meet my friends.

I have no more idea how to end this than I did how to begin it. I feel like I should leave this with something that will leave it with a feeling of closure. It is what a good writer would do. I am not a good writer.

[goldensunset]

i’m not about to draw a minimum of twelve entire pictures but i wanna do this anyway (i guess i could just edit the images in there but that’s lame lol)

•my favorite gym leader is probably either tulip or clay! something about tulip i just always found very endearing and respectable and i love clay’s no-nonsense attitude and sheer strength. plus he gets bonus points for his daughter being lacey

•fav champion is clearly volo. like how could you not classify that as a champion fight. that was so freaking hard man. runner up goes to kieran though bc he was also really hard for me. but of course if we’re talking official true pokémon league champions then cynthia

•fav elite four member has gotta be lacey. i adore her. first time i’ve ever lost to the same opponent multiple times in a fair fight (aka being prepared and on-level). she’s sooo cute and fun! she also terrifies me severely

•favorite protagonist is akari no surprise there. la does such a good job of making it clearly important why the protag is the protag. it offers a legitimate in-universe explanation as to why this one child in particular is so much more powerful than all the others. out of place in time and space, literally chosen by a god… the way certain characters question her humanity, both in a good and evil way… it’s so good

•favorite rival… well pokémon fans use the term rival really loosely. it can mean any friend character that you battle for funsies even once. it can mean literal arch nemesis. idk. arven stole my heart with his story but i don’t consider him a rival like most people do so that goes to cheren. i love his story and he has also mopped the floor with me several times

•favorite antagonist is also volo next question. i’m sick in the head about him. n is a strong and clear second place obviously though. i’ve done enough rambling on here about them

•professor laventon is the guy ever he feels like he actually personally cares about akari so much. that’s her dad. the way he’s actively involved in plot stuff, he accompanies the team on field missions even when he really doesn’t need to… he’s always there. you see him a lot. and he’s clearly writing the pokédex entries himself and they’re absolute gold. but seeing as professor is also a broad term because they’ve been really breaking up the older tradition in recent games, i nominate director clavell as second place bc i respect the guy a lot. that old man (tm) enjoyer here

•fav battle facility leader… well. i don’t really have one bc i’ve done very little with the battle facilities in the two games i’ve played that had them lol. so i guess throwaway answer is ingo but mostly for pla reasons. actually i think he counts as a battle facility leader in pla with the daybreak update and i’ve done some of his stuff so he does in fact count for me

•for fav clan member i’m gonna say arezu i like her a lot. she tried doing the right thing in a very chaotic way and i respect her for her efforts. plus her design is cute and she gives great haircuts and her noble is adorable

•character from other media… well i’m obsessed with the way n is portrayed in pokespe. perfect blend between sad prettyboy and freak behavior. they just made everything so intense. and i love oshawott from poképark 2 with the way he’s trying so hard to be serious and cool but snivy keeps getting on his nerves lol. that’s the reason i chose oshawott in pla bc that was the only of those pokémon i recognized

•i’m classifying arven as miscellaneous bc like i said i don’t consider him a rival but MAN!! man… this guy just got shortchanged so many times but i’m glad he was able to get closure for his parents’ disappearance and death and that he can move on and just live his own life. also certified dog lover moment

•top fav character… yeah you all know it’s volo LOL. completely shrimp fried my brain. the absolute hyperactive high i was on when he revealed himself. made even more insane bc i had literally been spoiled that he was a twist villain but i had no other context so i was just waiting the whole game for him to be evil. imagine the sinking in my gut when the credits rolled and it didn’t happen i thought i’d been embarrassing myself the whole time but then the postgame punched me in the gut HARD. i thought he’d end up being like the sad sympathetic frenemy guy where you don’t really want to fight him but NOPE full on evil full on he was just using you. made even better by the context that he had been your biggest fan throughout the whole game while everyone else had been suspicious of you. i lost my entire mind. once again second place to n though

[liliallowed]

Weird how even though I love Dust sans, I don't like his Canon and hate the fanon versions of him. I try to ignore it most of the time because I know I won't be able to enjoy anything, but I feel so conflicted. I have see Dust sans so differently from everyone else it makes it so hard to enjoy any type of fan creation ;-;

(I feel bad most of the interpretations you share I mostly disagree- but I can't do anything because it's the majority)

Not sure why I'm ranting about this, I guess it's been on my mind too much-

lol it's fine!

I personally related to certain aspects of dusts mentality. a bit... too much. as a kid I wasn't in a best head space.

I clinged onto dust for a sense of understanding. a sense of comfort. something in me felt understood. aknowledged.

not sure if it was the self sabotage or the irony of yourself becoming your own worst self fulfilling prophecy with your doubts clouding your judgment...

or if it was his choice to take fate by the neck and say FUCK YOU I QUIT to the script, turning the timeline on it's head to what's got to be the coolest uno reverse moment.

something clicked with that. I don't know why dust specifically. I'm not like that with killer or horror or insanity. it was just DUST that I felt a small kinship towards.

I knew how he hated himself. that he purposefully sabotaged his own life just to be right about the shitty person he is and that irony would only feed itself.

he is stuck in a cycle. I to this day still feel like I'm stuck in my own cycle of improvement then I fall back to my worst then back up then worse goes on and on and onnnn it's never going to stop.

I'm not GOING to wait for it to stop I'm grabbing life by the neck and DEMANDING it to shit the hell up while I pull myself together.

like... I basically grew up with this au.

I was there when ask dusttales ask box was open. I read the entire thing like a deranged fan hoping to unravel secrets of the universe or stuff like that...

if we're comparing personal feelings and obsessions with dusttale... I've had A LOT of it.

but I've learnt that this projection onto fictional characters while therapeutic and helpful can actually harm others or make you sound like an egotistical jackass who thinks they know said character better than anyone.

it's parasocial... and I don't want to be mean to anyone I disagree with. when I don't enjoy others interpretations I try to focus on their positive side.

like, the fic I was ranting about?

that one legit had good grammar and the pacing was great. I liked the world building and the side characters! it wasn't bad! and I don't hate them. just a bit annoyed.

pick certain aspects you enjoy and put it into your own work! if you hate what others do? explain why and reason it IN YOUR STORY/ART/AU.

one of my fics was literally made out of spite to a dust x y/n soulmate au! (Thornbound souls)

just do what you like bud.

I like both canon AND fanon dust. but the plot has to make sense and he has to act in character accordingly in both situations.

my inmate au has a canon and fanon side! fanon side is for shipping shenanigans while canon inmate dust sans doesn't even MEET other humans or monsters.

I think you're allowed to enjoy both. in the end everything is just inspration for more things.

checking canon dusttale lore can be quite bland, mix it up with a bunch of head canons like... having dust occasionally spend time reading when he waits for resets.

as for fanon? do whatever you like just make sure you don't stray too far from dust being... well you know. dust.

classic ship of Theseus dilemma. though I won't ramble much further. just look for things you like!

and if it's under appreciated? CREATE IT YOURSELF!

I'm sure there are others who will gravitate to your head canons!

[zincbot]

ALICE

Whole thang

🔫🔫🔫🔫🔫

ALICE EXPLOSION

1. are they associated with a certain color? what color do they wear the most?

I associate her with maroon, gunmetal, navy blue. She wears mostly blues and greys, some black. She has a yellow tank top that used to be white. None of her white clothes are white anymore, tinged pink by blood or grey by oil.

2. what sort of music would they like? have you thought about what genres or bands do they lean towards? do they have a favorite song?

She likes heavy metal. A silent enjoyer of dad rock. She doesn't usually put on music while she works because she likes to be able to hear her surroundings, but you can sometimes find her whistling or humming. She doesn't know the names of songs but i think her favourite is the entire Rush album "Moving Pictures" which she might think is just one really long song.

3. weapon of choice? any particular reason they chose their weapon?

Already Answered!

4. how crafty/resourceful are they?

Possible the most in the world. If you're looking for weapons. Alice excells at stripping things down to useful parts, at repurposing. Duct tape is her best friend. She makes things that work. For how long, it doesn't matter. She'll just keep fixing.

5. how do they typically dress? does their wardrobe lean more towards practicality or aesthetics?

100% practicality. Pockets. Durability. Warmth. Her three tenets. The first time she acquired her own clothes she looked insane.

6. how do they wear their hair? do they care a lot how their hair looks?

shorn. she shaves it down every so often and cuts it again once it starts bugging her. she doesn't like it long enough to grab, and she's annoyed by hair tickling her neck when she's working. other than that the appearance couldn't matter less to her. (at least, not anymore)

7. favorite animal? why?

Already Answered!

8. do they have a nickname? who gave it to them? if it's not derived from their real name, what's the story behind it?

i. really don't think so? nicknames just slide off alice like water. she doesn't respond to them. her name is alice.

9. favorite food? least favorite? are they a picky eater? do they have any dietary restrictions?

she's partial to meat and potatoes. mac n cheese. she loves pie. diner food is always a hit. not a big raw veggie enjoyer, also not a fan of "complicated" foods. if she can't figure out how it's put together she's not inclined to eat it. she is picky but not a complainer. she doesn't have any food allergies.

10. if they wear jewelry, what kind? do they prefer silver or gold? do they have a favorite gem?

she doesn't wear any. she doesn't like how it feels. gemstones as decoration don't interest her. certain minerals are good for specific reactions though.

11. what do they have in common with you? how are they different? would you get along with them?

we're both butch- no, but i think alice has a lot of my struggles with understanding people. she's different from me in that she's not introspective about it At All. i would be so desperate for alice to be impressed with me. she wouldn't be impressed with me.

12. how long have they been around? do you know their birthday? is their birthday the day you made them or another day? what do they think of celebrating birthdays?

as a character? around a year. in canon she's 49 years old. she doesn't know her birthday and neither do i. she doesn't mind celebrating someone else's birthday but won't do anything unless specifically told it's coming up so she has time to get something. her gifts are usually pretty middling.

13. what languages do they speak? how fluently?

english only. fluent enough. when she was younger she remembers learning a lot of big words. she doesn't like using them much.

14. are they any good with numbers?

better then she lets on. she's the type to let a calculation run in her head, spew out a perfect number, and then say "eh, around 50 or so". she doesn't see the point in getting bogged down with nitty gritty. her measurements are always accurate to the millimeter.

15. how big or small is their family? who did they live with growing up? do they live with anyone now?

if she had a family, she never knew them. those records were erased long before her fake identity was forged. growing up, she knew there were others, but rarely if ever saw them. she learned from overhearing conversation that it wasn't uncommon for them to die. nowdays, she lives "alone", but her house is rarely empty.

16. do they have any pets? what do they call their pets?

never. a potted plant is enough work already.

17. how did they spend their summers/free time as a child?

the first time alice experienced a summer outdoors, she was nineteen years old. the constant heat was new. and not enjoyed. she got very badly sunburnt. it was after her first winter, and she found it less dangerous than winter, with more resources available. they sent her on a job to take out a great wooden construct. she blew it to splinters.

18. their opinion on lying, stealing, and killing?

lying's necessary sometimes. it's usually not her style. stealing was something she didn't understand for a while. she still does it sometimes, but now she understands that money can buy goods and services. killing isn't something she's ever taken lightly, but it's something she does without flinching, these days.

19. are they quick to anger? what sets them off?

quick to be annoyed? sure. quick to anger? not anymore. when alice was younger she would hiss and spit and display fury as quick as anything. nowadays she's pretty immoveable.

20. if applicable, can they drive? if they have their own, what color is their vehicle? is the inside neat and tidy, or a mess?

YES. it's one of the things alice picked up the quickest in the outside world. the first car she called her own was a 1993 jeep wrangler, purchased close-to-new, with a newly acquired "transportation budget", "Ellie", she maintains like clockwork, and its still running to this day, a near 30 years later. paint job is usually a soft black, but she's redone it before. the inside is tidy at first glance, but stuffed full with weapons and tools.

21. their favorite place to be?

the garage. of all the rooms in her house this is the space that is uniquivocably alice. it's where she goes to unwind, where she goes when she's stressed, where she goes when she gets an idea. it's her place.

23. do they sleep well at night?

"well enough" - alice. she still has bad nights every so often, but nowadays she'll just get up and head to the garage.

24. how would you describe their voice? can they sing?

pretty deep, pretty casual. she doesn't tend to speak in long sentences. she doesn't sing, really, but she's a surprisingly talented whistler. you'll catch her humming from time-to-time and it's nice.

25. do they have any creative hobbies? (art, writing, music, etc)

none so standard. she draws up blueprints on occasion with a rock-steady hand, but her main art is her metalworking and electrical skill. her inventions and creations are where her creativity lives.

26. how good/bad is their hearing? what about their eyesight?

her hearing is incredibly sharp. she hasn't lost a bit of it so far. her far eyesight too, is still sharp as anything. i like the idea of her needing reading glasses, but i haven't decided if that's true or not yet.

27. how do they move? are they clumsy? light on their feet? do they use mobility aids?

alice moves steady and sure. she doesn't often trip or stumble. her footfalls are generally pretty heavy around her house, but she still remembers how to step light. she doesn't use any mobility aids, she's always healed up really well with home-made splints and wraps.

28. if applicable, do they have a favorite sport? do they play any sports or prefer to watch?

she's not really into sports. whenever she's zoning out in front of the tv occasionally some football or soccer will stay on for a bit. she's not caught up with the teams. i'm not sure alice 100% knows the rules to any sports, and you'd really have to do some convincing to get her to see the poing of playing em. she'd be a beast at rugby.

29. how do they show that they care about someone? how do they express that they don't like someone?

when alice cares, she'll pick you up whenever you need. she'll drop everything and bring the car around with no complaint. she'll fix things that break for you, she'll keep her door open. she'll notice little flinches, she'll start softening edges around them. it's all action, never words. conversely, when alice doesn't like you, she says "i don't think i like you very much."

30. are they associated with any particular element (air, earth, fire, water)?

earth, to me. and metal. sturdy, solid, alice is foundation, brick and wall.

31. do they smell like anything notable?

machine oil, 100%. alice smells like a mechanic no matter what she does.

32. do they like receiving gifts? giving gifts? what is their ideal gift?

she's not great at receiving gifts. she'll get something useless and grunt about it and keep it on a shelf forever and instantly notice if anyone moves it. she's not a great gift giver either, some of her gifts are inexplicable, and she's not gonna explain why she got you a full silverwear set where each item can flip open to hide something inside. her ideal gift is something she can use.

33. do they have any habits that aren't particularly self-destructive, just maybe odd?

she's governed at times by a strange flow of thinking. she gets caught in loops of repetition, of taking apart and repairing. sometimes she has to whistle. sometimes she can't. she doesn't know why. it's easier to follow the impulse. most of the time.

34. if applicable, how would your other characters describe them? i mean specifically the people around them.

i kind of want b. to meet alice. he'd describe her as "not that scary". (lying)

35. how would your character describe themselves? it doesn't have to line up with how they really are.

"i've got work to do."

36. do they ever return home?

almost every day, these days!

[shadowshrike]

for the ask meme, 30, 7, and 39

30. Have you ever written something that was out of your comfort zone? If so, what was it, and how did it affect your approach to writing fic thereafter?

I pretty regularly write outside my comfort zone if for no other reason than writing is extremely uncomfortable to me. To answer less literally - almost anything I've written for Ace of Diamond is outside my comfort zone due to the setting. I'm a very casual baseball fan, have never had the opportunity to go to Japan, and very rarely write anything set in non-fantasy settings.

Probably the furthest I've reached outside my comfort zone was Unspoken, which is a fic with no dialogue. Do I love it? Not really, but I'm glad I tried it. As someone who hears and sees the characters in my head first, anything spoken is a huge crutch for me while writing. I regularly write entire fics of just conversations and then have to build prose around it, trying to get the rhythm of words to evoke the mood I'm going for while still carrying enough information to tell what's going on. Also, Endless Song was a huge departure. It is both the only thing I've ever written in 1st person, and is inspired by Xianxia; a truly crazy combination for a fic about baseball kids.

As far as how this writing has impacted me - it's made me more okay with following inspiration rather than factual nuance when writing. I'm a detailed world builder, so playing in a place where I'm not 100% confident I know what things are 'really like' has been freeing. I still research to anchor the space, of course. I just spend less time freaking out about leaning on the occasional literary shorthand of stereotypes to keep things moving in casual, small fics where the world is not the focus.

7. Any worldbuilding you’re particularly proud of?

Veridian Sky is no doubt the king of this for me. I had so much fun researching to piece together an Almyran culture, and I still think about it (and the final two missing chapters...) regularly.

Honorable mentions for other fandoms to: Endless Song (Ace of Diamond) - unfortunately not very visible in the fic due to it being unfinished and in 1st person, but I have a crazy amount of notes for it since it's completely fantasy and therefore needed an entire world built. Asylum Obscura (Fire Emblem: Fates) - also unfinished, and being years old it's something where I don't love all the writing. However, deeply exploring the commoner cultures of a world you barely see in game, especially how it clashes across national and class borders, was really fun. Life, Loss, and Bearfaced Lies (Baldur's Gate 3) - just finished this, so it's fresh in my mind. The worldbuilding is so insanely complex for this one, and it makes me a little sad that it's tied to a premise which almost no one but me would find interesting in that fandom. I may end up writing some other things that are more accessible to play with this world some more.

39. Is any aspect of your writing process inspired by other writers or people? If so, who?

I honestly am not involved enough in the writing community to get a ton of inspiration from others' processes. That said, I do borrow quite a lot from fic writers I admire stylistically. Ones like you (mareza) or now OAKtoONT in the Daiya space have me re-reading what you write from time to time and trying to identify what feels so good about the words or stories you've chosen. It has me often adjusting my own flow or trying to come at a fic idea from an angle I hadn't considered before.

[creativecuteness]

One of a Kind Vamp Chapter 1: Multi-fandom Madness

Summary: A Rainy day at White Chapel is perfect for a lazy day of watching TV and indulging in hobbies with a good friend. Or Dakota wants to know what other interests Rory has other than Sci-fi.

(I know nothing about Star Wars and Star Trek so that's why this chapter doesn't follow the full prompt.)

“Hey, Rory, what are you into?”

Rory’s focus on the TV was shattered as he turned his attention to his best friend, Dakota Natalie. It was a mundane afternoon, a calming rainy day where Rory didn’t feel like leaving the house; not even Benny or Ethan felt like leaving the comfort of their warm beds. deciding today was a perfect lazy Saturday, and for once, Rory agreed peace and quiet was a rarity in Whitechapel. It was insane that the supernatural was living under their noses this entire time, and now that they got a taste of it, it seems it’s became unable to leave them alone—not that he minded. Becoming a vampire was one of the best things that has ever happened to him; however, that doesn’t mean he’s forgotten what it’s like to be normal like today.

Watching TV mindlessly: Check.

Popcorn and other snacks nearby: Check.

A best friend by his side who loves him more than anything: Check.

Dakota recently moved into town a few weeks ago and has become glued to Rory’s side since day one. He was very well aware of the younger girl’s crush on him, and if he was being honest with himself, he was thrilled to finally capture a girl’s heart with his irresistible personality, even if there was a ton the two didn’t know about each other yet.

“Sorry, I didn’t hear you. What did you say?”

Dakota, who was lying upside down, righted herself and looked at him. “I asked, What are you into?”

“Oh, that’s easy. I’m a huge Star Trek fan, though Star Wars is pretty cool too.”

“Well, that I know, you and Benny debate about it all the time; I rarely hear you talk about anything else. Surely you have other things you’re into.”

Rory smiled; he knew Dakota wasn’t a sci-fi fan or a Marvel or DC Comics fan. (To be fair, she always gave the blond Magical Girl vibes. He had to ask if she’s a fan of that genre.) But the fact she was interested in knowing what he was into made him grin ear to ear. It felt amazing having a friend who generally cared about his interests, even if she didn’t hold the same opinion.

Sure, Ethan and Benny did care; they’re best friends for a reason; however, they’ve known each other for so long that they know the ins and outs about their hobbies, favorite games, favorite shows, and even music tastes. So, it was nice to indulge in his latest obsessions with someone new, plus he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t interested in the things that caught Dakota’s eye.

“Well, you already know some of my top picks. I love sci-fi, superheroes, comic books, and video games. What else do you want to know?”

“What type of video games are you into? Shoot ‘em ups, RPG’s, racing games?”

“All of the above, really.” Rory replied, “Depends on the theme and controls, and I guess an engaging story helps too. But I’m normally cool with anything that catches my eye. What about you?”

“Well, as you know, I am a huge Kingdom Hearts fan, but I also love the classics like Mario, Kirby, and Pokémon. I never really got into Zelda and don’t like shoot-em-ups. However, I guess I’m like you; I like whatever catches my eye, regardless of genre.”

“What about TV shows? Have you ever engaged in any fandoms?” Rory wondered,

Dakota shook her head. “I lurk around at times and have dabbled in the fanfiction side of things, but I’ve never actively engaged in conversation over it. In fact, I tend to stay away from shows that have toxic fanbases. It ruins the show to the point where I can’t even touch it. As for the types of shows I like, it depends, but I prefer comedies. I hate crying in front of people, so I tend to stay away from anything that might be sad. The same goes for movies.”

“I feel you on the toxic fanbase thing; I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten into arguments online over the stupidest things. It’s gotten to the point where I don’t chat on those sites anymore.”

“What about fanfiction?”

Rory tilted his head side to side, “Sort of, I wrote a few self-insert fic’s when I was younger, but I’ve never posted anything. You should see my old stuff; it’s pretty cringe I don’t think I have the skills to write anything better. Plus, all my energy is focused on school right now.” The teenage vampire looked around to make sure his mother wasn’t in earshot and leaned close to whisper, “Not to mention keeping my vampire ninja identity a secret.”

Dakota burst out laughing. She knew how much Rory loved his new quote on quote superpowers; it was fun seeing all the creative ways he could take advantage of them. Not to mention, extremely adorable.

“Hey, do you know what cosplay is?” Rory questioned, forcing Dakota to calm her laughing fit.

“Yeah, I think I’ve heard of it; it’s like dress up but more detailed and expensive; do you do it?”

“No,” he stated simply, “I wish, but money for the material is way too expensive. Plus, with the DIY aspect of it, I could never I can’t even sew.”

“Emily or Cindy could help you with that. Emily’s really good at making clothes, and Cindy’s been known to dabble with it too; she’s great at the finer details, like smaller stitches.”

“Doesn’t Emily hate me?”

“She doesn’t hate you; she just hates the fact I have a crush on you."

“That doesn’t really help, but good to know.”

“Sorry.” She smiled sheepishly.

“Don’t worry about it; hey want to head up to my room and rock out to some music?”

“Sure! Whatchu got?” Dakota sang with a wink,

“Have you heard of the band Single Tear? They’re a heavy metal band I’m super into.”

Dakota grimaced, “Oh, I know them. Emily accidentally blasted one of their songs at three a.m. She was editing her vlog when the headphone wire fell out of the jack. Scared the living daylight out of us. Can’t say I’m a fan.”

And Rory couldn’t blame her in the slightest. “Yeah, their stuff isn’t for everyone. Do you have an artist in mind? I mean, aside from Alvin and the Chipmunks, which I’ll totally listen to if it means I can see more of your dance routines.”

Dakota blushed, feeling touched that Rory was becoming their biggest fan, but there was a different band she had in mind. “There is one band I wouldn’t mind listening to. You ever heard of the band Gorillaz? Emily and I stumbled upon them a while ago, and I’m obsessed. I cannot stop listening to them; they’re so good, man!”

Rory’s eyes lit up. How could he not know them? they were a favorite of his too. “Yeah, I know them; I didn’t think you’d be into that style of music.”

“Honestly, I didn’t either. But they’re so addictive, I can’t stop drumming on my knees whenever I listen to them.”

“Well, what are we doing sitting around here for? Ready to rock?” Rory asked, holding his hand out,

“Am I?! I’m ready to rock roll and lose control, my beloved.” She grinned, taking Rory’s hand, and he led her upstairs.

Sure, the two had different interests and may not have had the most in common, but Dakota never judged him for his geeky hobbies or brushed them off as weird or a waste of time. And for that, Rory was grateful to have such a chill and easy-going bestie.

Not to mention, knowing him better gives Dakota more reasons to add to her ever-growing list as to why she loves him.

[loopy777]

Actually the shonen genre is infamous for the vast majority of it's series NOT killing off its hero character no matter how much sense it makes, and as such one of the big reasons why so many fans are pissed off about Bakugo surviving is that MHA, which is a series that has prided itself on not breaking away from exploring and deconstructing the various shonen tropes, is not able or willing to break away from "Almost none of the heroes ever dies no matter how much sense it makes storyvise" trope that has plagued Shonen manga for over 20 years now.

There are exceptions, but as a whole Shonen Manga are terrifying of ever allowing Heroes to die, no matter what.

It wasn't always this way, but ever since July 22, 1997, when One Piece was first published, the Shonen genre has been plagued with a very, very specific formula of "Heroes has something horrible happen to them and will most definitely die, no actually they survived, rinse repeat, over and over again, until any tension is dead."

The exception is flashbacks, where Oda realized he could get away with the absolute most horrific and terrible things happening to characters, without having to deal with the consequences of stuff like Genocide, mass death toll, maimings, etc, and not have to deal with it happening in the present, and thus directly affect the main cast and have them deal with it.

Meanwhile in the present oda has demolished the messages of entire, multi-arc storylines just so that none of the named good guys died.

He once devoted an entire arc to the rather simple but effective message "people die in war", and wrapped up that entire arc's emotional climax with one character making the ultimate sacrifice for the greater good, going out in a blaze with the force of a small nuke, only to have him survive afterwards with no explanation.

He once had a character with sensory power explicitly state that she could sense that lives all across her homeland was snuffed out one by one... only for everyone to be revealed to be fine once it was all over.

And im not even going to go into every single time characters make far, far more seemingly decisive character sacrifices than bakugo ever made, only to turn up fine in the end.

Because if i did, i would find literarily dozens of examples, though few are as INFURRIATING as the one i listed off first with the nuke. Oda really obliterated the emotional development he had built up for 4 consecutive arcs, just so that a character that never did anything of note, ever again didn't die.

In the most recent arc of one Piece, there was a guy who was shot through the head, and left to lie in a pool of his own blood and brian matter, and i shit you not, the fans reactions was not "holy shit he just died!" It was(mine included), "eh i wonder how he's gonna be revealed to still be alive."

The fact he actually did die in the end, was ultimately a way bigger shock than the sudden and brutal manner he died from. And that speaks volumes.

Oda has abused the same storytelling method that Hori used with bakugo(Which Oda himself popularized) so many times that those tiny, insanely rare moments good guy characters does die, you can literarily count a hundred named characters who SHOULD be dead as well.

So that is one reason so many manga fans have NO CHILL about Bakugo pulling through. My Hero Academia is a series that before it reached a certain point was generally very clear that actual damage was for keeps... So seeing Bakugo(A character a lot of fans DESPISE) survive not one, but two instances of this trope that everyone is sick to death from, from One Piece popularizing it far and wide(and OP STILL being around a continuing to use it every chance it gets), in a manga that was supposed to be better than this, is infuriating.

Addmitingly thats not my main reason for being annoyed(I just genuinely think Bakugo dying as "his body moved on its own" was the single most poetic and fitting way for his story to end) about it all, as i do still love one piece despite this giant, gaping flaw.

I do however, as a shonen reader who saw this trope development happen in real time, understand perfectly why so many people have just had enough of it.

So what I'm hearing is that I made the right choice in watching a shonen once a decade so that I can enjoy them or not on their own merits. Good to know.

I'd also make a quip about Once Piece, but you noted that you like it despite this nonsense, and it was for a completely different kind of nonsense that I happily gave up my own attempt to read it.

[random-arcane-fan]

unfiltered musing: season meta

2025-01-15; had yet to start watching s2, but was deep in the spoiler-reading sauce anyway

-

it's so interesting reading #takes on s2 and then… going back to the actual show lmao. like FUNNY ENOUGH despite my yelling, rn as for The Show Itself, caitlyn is like… the (not-)white savior narrative, almost. like she's set up as The Good Cop and has a conscience so now she's gonna help the undercity, yay. kind of standard…? would not call her A Favorite™ based on what I've actually seen; that's gotta go to vi. SO LIKE… maybe I'll also find s2 lackluster, maybe it'll be like madoka rebellion and Everyone Else Is Wrong Actually. I am keenly aware that the gap between season makes for plennnnnnty of time for people to build up Versions Of The Character inside their own heads, only to be disappointed when stuff they made up… is stuff they made up. arcane is an ensemble cast if there ever was one but it's still got The Sisters at the heart imo, and everyone else is secondary.

see like > -what was the point of the enforcer that looked like vander? this is the kind of thing that has me Squinting at s2 flack; "why does random side character look like a major one? WRITERS #EXPLAIN" like… well, what was that side character doing, narratively? does it parallel anything that the main guy does? key in to some facet of the main guy? like the vi-lookalike vs jinx is super upfront about it but it's the same idea. you gotta look at The Big Picture of Hte Everything, not just these minute little details and conversations that didn't happen. what would it have added (or taken away from) The Narrative if there was like, a (predictable? tbh???) "hey sorry about that time I did the dickwad thing" conversation. idk man I have a lot to chew on but it's feeling so very… eh

I think this is priming me to be more ~defensive of s2 than anything lmao

it is actually kind of astounding how generally unimpressed I was about caitlyn when actually watching the show (first season, mainly; obviously by the second I'd spoiled myself silly), and now here I am a little over a month later and... 90% of the links I'm scrounging from the hoard are Caitlyn Posts. I sure did spend my birthday pulling an all-nighter to go Insane About The Character, all right...!

besides that batshit hyperfocus, though, I have many #thoughts about storytelling and the techniques Arcane has used as an overall narrative. I'll get to those when I get there, but an important primer re:how I've approached S2 (and reception to it) is the thing I've mentioned here, about the season gaps.

Before Arcane, the last series I watched was Attack on Titan; and, years ago, Puella Magi Madoka Magica & the Rebellion movie. These are both serial stories with substantial gaps between installments—and the parts of the story released post-gap tend to be controversial to longtime fans.

I watched both of these series in one go. I thought they were both entirely cohesive on a thematic level, and told (or, in PMMM's case, have thus far told; the series' broader narrative is ongoing) the stories they originally set out to tell. I didn't get particularly attached to any one or two characters, because I was more focused on the roles they were playing in the larger story.

This isn't to say the retrospective-bingewatch method is the #correct way to experience serial media, mind. I have very much gotten overly attached to the versions of characters inside my head, and been disappointed when canon went differently! (As a side note, I don't tend to get into ongoing media until after it's over, for this very reason!) Psychologically, it just makes sense: a hiatus or other substantial break means, in the interim, fans have to feed on official crumbs (if anything) and their own output. And sometimes the writer's room changes over that break, and the resulting continuation is ~objectively worse (insofar as narrative quality is objective).

ALL OF WHICH is to say, previous longform media experience led to this...

I think this is priming me to be more ~defensive of s2 than anything lmao

...and I'd say, in retrospect, that is basically what happened.

I liked S2. I think it feels like a different show in a lot of ways, but in ways that also struck me as intentional, and it worked for me. But as a caveat, I'll be able to evaluate the whole show better on a rewatch.

Which, uh, I considered starting earlier today. And then I remembered I wanted to jot down all the links and rambling I've collected up to present, before rewatching (and inevitably commenting along the way), and so, here we are.