#{ my entire life is D&D map making these days }

[dis--parity]

『🔧』 "... we got this manga in stock recently, I- I can't remember the exact title, but it's, like... it's about this girl who's a complete loser, cringe, fail girl, but- but all the hot men dote on her and she doesn't have any idea why."

"Kinda reminds me of someone I know!"

[dayseedrawz2]

This is gonna be a Looooooong post.

I wrote so much-

This is practically a retelling of the entire episode so...

IF YOU STILL HAVENT SEEN EPISODE 2, PLEASE WATCH IT FIRST. UNLESS YOU ARE FINE WITH SPOILERS THAT IS.

Well, now that that's outta the way...

This was a CRAAAAAAAAAAAZY EPISODE!!!

I can't express ENOUGH how much I enjoyed this!!

Here are some highlights/thoughts I had during my first watch:

The new GLITCH intro looked pretty cool!!

The dream sequence at the beginning was really good!

We kinda get to see how Pomni really felt through the first day in her dream. And her fist impression on the others...

#PoorPomni

I wasn't expecting this to take place the day right after episode 1, but it makes a whole lotta sense.

We already saw this in the trailer, but the part where Pomni glitches through that block lol

Ragatha tried to comfort Pomni even when she was abandoned by her <33 ALSO-

#RaggapomREAL🤨

I got so hyped when Caine came on screen

I am so normal about him

Caine ominously stands for a few frames before starting the explanation of the adventure... hmm...

The maple syrup thing got me thinking (forgive me if I'm incorrect, but-) Isn't Caine's VA Canadian? If so it makes sense to have Caine and Maple syrup in the same room. (That was the first thing I thought of BEFORE the episode, btw)

"Sounds like alot of [BLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP]."

"..."

"Bubble, you can't say that..."

Mmm, very good delivery 👌

Caine seemed kinda in a rush to get them out also...

"Hmm?" "No thanks, I'm trying to quit."

Oh.

Also another great line delivery

WAIT HOLD THE FUCKING PHONE-

CAINE IS THEIR GOD!?!?!?

"Look!! The princess is already friends with us, Pomni!!"

"Im not a child. You don't have to hype me up."

THE UNDER THE MAP SCENE.

MMMM ANOTHER VERY GOOD LINE-

Jax needs a life sentence for Gangle abuse >:(

Auzzie gators go brrr

"Do it, or I'll tell Ragatha about the figurine thing."

I'm sorry, WHAT-

GANGLE WHAT DID YOU DO-

(Fast forward a teensy bit)

HOLY FUCK.

Gummigoo coming across his own model...

Realizing that he never actually had a mom...

It was all just elaborate programming to give him a backstory...

ANYWAY

Fudge monster go brr

Wait-

He did what-

Aww, pomni trying to comfort Gummi was so cute...

She offered to take him back to the circus...

I'm sure he'll have a great time :)

Pomni, knowing how to break the game to get them out, was not what I was expecting.

But this whole episode is not what I expected, so here we are-

(One cool truck flying scene later...)

Blah blah blah, they end the adventure, Jax causes some chaos, and they finally take Gummigoo to his new home!

I'm sure he's gonna love it here in the c-

...

...

CAINE WHAT THE FUCK WE TRUSTED YOU-

*Sreams at my computer for 5 minutes*

*highlights this as if I wasn't screaming the entire episode*

#PoorPomni

...again

Oh wow, Zooble didn't abstract yippee :D

And then, the end scene...

HOLY FUCK, THE END SCENE...

The little funeral for Kaufmo oh my word-

And Pomni realizing that the others actually care...

They all got her back...

Daww...

I-I'M NOT CRYING YOU'RE CRYING-

*The end card begins*

...

THAT'S IT!?!?

No, you can't just leave us with this!! Wh-

Aaaaaand that was my experience! :>

I... am not okay rn...

What are yall's thoughts???

[aetherdoesthings]

Hey! 👋🏽 Can we get some slow dancing in the kitchen on a rain day with Sanji? Sanji seems like the type of romantic to like that. I'm sorry I don't have more to the ask, I've just been thinking about it all day lol

hey :)! sorry this took a while. i had quite the busy week.

forethoughts: okay a lot of things is happening in my life rn so i tried to finish a request. my work, social, romantic (somehow) life started to culminate in one but it's fine :D. a little rushed imo, so rlly sorry if it isn't good.

notes: gn!reader, fluff, slow dancing?

On some days of the Sunny, it wouldn’t be as bright and shiny. Whenever the ship traversed through harsher seas and rougher terrains, terrible storms would alway ensue. Some days you’d be lucky, and it would only be a drizzle and you were just confined inside. Some days you weren’t, and it would turn into an all hands on deck type of scenario. Thankfully, Nami had reported it was just a light rain, and the Sunny would pass the rainy patch in a day or two. That meant the entire crew was stuck inside. Robin and Nami would be in their respective offices; Robin in the library researching poneglyphs and Nami busy drawing maps. Zoro was probably asleep or training. Luffy, Usopp and Chopper would be trying to find some type of game they could play without wrecking the place. Franky was somewhere in his workshop building something new. 

You laid down on the dining table, arms out as you stared at the ceiling. Your boyfriend was busy in the kitchen cooking up a snack for you to eat, humming a nonexistent tune. You would be lying if you said you were happy with your current condition. You hated rainy days; everyone hated rainy days. As much as you all respected Franky for building the Sunny and decorating the inside, it was not stimulating enough to cure your boredom. 

Sanji seemed to take notice, letting out a little chuckle. “Why the frown, dear?”

“I’m bored.” You replied flatly.

“Do you plan on staying like this the entire day? Lying down in the center of the dining table like a sacrifice?”

“Yes. I would very much rather be a sacrifice than be stuck inside.”

"Surely you wouldn't occupy the table for the rest of the day. "

"Try me."

Sanji chuckled. “But I need to serve dinner eventually.”

“I’ll move.” You shifted your body, gazing at your blonde haired personal chef as he walked towards you, one of his hands carrying your favorite snack. He set it in front of your face, a warm and comforting smile on his.

“Don’t frown, okay, dear? As much as I love how cute you look when you pout, I don’t like seeing you sad. It makes me sad.” Sanji’s hand ran through your hair, ruffling it up a bit. You instinctively let out a chuckle at his action, reluctantly sitting up and taking the plate. Sanji got onto the table next to you, staying by your side as you ate the food. He watched you devour the plate without leaving a single crumb. You set the plate by your side, prompting Sanji to jump off the table, offering a hand towards you. With his ‘help’, your feet made contact with the ground again, your hand resting in Sanji’s. In a single motion, he pulled your body close to yours, wrapping his arms around your shoulder. 

Suddenly, music started to play from nowhere, serene jazz music filling the empty kitchen. You figured Brook was lurking somewhere on the rafters, just hanging by a bone and playing his violin. Or maybe it was a tone dial. Nevertheless, music filled your ears, blocking out the sound of the pouring rain. Sanji’s footwork was light as ever, making you unable to sense where he was or what his next move was. You could only tell by his breathing where he was, feeling the wind brush against your neck and graze your cheek. The chef held you close to his body, perfectly aligning it with his like two puzzle pieces fitting together. Sanji’s touch was gentle and reassuring, as if to convey all his love and affection through the warmth of his embrace. You rested your head on Sanji’s chest, hearing the steady rhythm of his heartbeat, feeling the rise and fall of his breath. With every step Sanji led, your worries and troubles faded away, love and affection filling the space. All your focus was on the man in front of you. The kitchen slowly transformed into your little oasis, a place of love and solace, rid of anxiety or stress.

Maybe some rainy days weren’t that bad after all. 

[griffther]

there’s so many ppl enabling me in the notes of this post, so here enjoy some Thoughts i’ve had about the nurseydex maine road trip so far:

they do a road trip up the coast of maine over fall break their senior year so that nursey can see acadia national park while the leaves are changing

william “acts of service” poindexter decides that it is his Responsibility as nursey’s captain and fellow d-man to become maine’s official tour guide barbie. he plans the entire thing out and even prints them little itineraries and maps and shit because this boy is nothing is not Efficient

nursey makes them stop to see every single lighthouse they go anywhere near just to be a little shit (there are 65 lighthouses in maine, this would take So Long even if you just stopped at like a quarter of them)

the only canonical reference i could find for any actual locations in maine in the comic is that dex said his uncle who owned the lobster fishing boat he worked on over the summers lived in portland

(a side note to the above, i find this hilarious. portland is an pretty solidly liberal urban city - imagine a very small boston - and not somewhere you’re very likely to find small family-owned lobster fishing boats, at least in my experience. it would make way more sense for his uncle to live somewhere like rockland but i digress)

dex is 100% positive that nursey would Love portland so he carves out two whole days of their trip for them to stay with his uncle and explore. they go to the art museum and old port and the port head lighthouse and the top of the world lookout at fort sumner park and all the little shops and hidden places dex had found from living there every summer for years

nursey does end up loving portland but it might be more about the boy that shows it to him

even though his uncle lives in portland, i am still personally convinced that dex’s family mostly lives around the rockland area. i will go on a rant about nursey meeting dex’s close family another time, but while they’re in rockland, nursey continues his dedication to seeing all the lighthouses he can by forcing dex to make the almost mile long trek out to the breakwater lighthouse with him (don’t think about them standing alone next to this little building almost a mile out from land. the wind is chilly and strong and it makes dex’s hair look ridiculous and his cheeks flush and nursey definitely doesn’t want to kiss him ITS FINE ITS CHILL)

dex has them make a detour up to bangor and surprises nursey with going to see stephen king’s house. he doesnt understand why people are interested in looking at some dudes house At All but he does know nursey would love it so he does it anyways. the fence is cool and nursey gets so excited he almost face plants jumping out of the car, so dex counts it as a success

some random places i feel like dex would make them stop at along the way: freeport (nursey is both so confused and so delighted by just Everything about that place, but he loses his mind over the mcdonald’s and the ll bean outlet), ogunquit (dex purposefully takes highway 1 instead of the maine turnpike going towards portland so that they drive through ogunquit and he can see nursey’s face when he realizes they’re driving through the single gayest town he’s ever seen in his life and it’s in southern maine), moose point state park (there are a billion lil state parks in maine but i just randomly like this one in particular idk i think it’s cute), camden hills state park (it’s too foggy when they get there to drive up to the top so nursey makes them go on a hike instead so they didn’t “waste their time.” they get lost within like 10 minutes and are wet from the fog by the time they make it back to the car like 2 hours later), the desert of maine (it’s kinda boring to dex bc he’s seen it a dozen times since he was a kid, but nursey gets enthralled by the science behind it so it’s worth it), cushing (this is where the famous painter andrew wyeth lived at the olson house and was the subject of a lot of his work and i just feel like nursey would have fun seeing this place)

when they eventually make it to acadia, nursey ends up spending like two solid hours just sitting at sargent peak staring out over everything and desperately scrawling out lines of poetry into his notebook (dex spends most of those 2 hours staring at nursey but somehow doesn’t notice that nursey definitely isn’t writing about the scenery)

[writing-frenzy]

Isekai with the Kurosaki fam; now with some UraIchi spice

So, my brain has been dumping even more ideas for a fandom I can't write for, so I guess I'll dump all the ideas on the ground and sees what happens; also, partly inspired because of DevinePhoenix's Glass Body, Steal Wings and slightly be Cannon Ichigo in AU series by Williamcipher, especially the third of the series, because ye.

Anyways, so for me, I can never imagine Ichigo would part from his sisters and Goat-face easily, even in a normal au, because it's Ichigo's family, his friends, his lost, his life experiences that makes him who he is as a person; if he died and then transferred, a part of me wonders if he would ever try and get back home somehow. So my brain went-

Brain: hey, how about we have a thing that makes the entire family get into an accident :D

Brain: And, like, maybe a day before or when Ichigo was younger, he ended up saving a godly being's most beloved person, so the god is like; hey, I owe you, I'll reincarnate your family into my world; thing is, the world the god has is maybe connected in a way to an anime/webnovel/comic one of the girls or Ichigo's friends were reading, and Ichigo knows it because he was convinced to watch/read it as bonding.

It's a world of magic and fantasy, where words and names have power and things go bump in the night ever so easily. Ichigo and his Family find themselves in a cozy little hideaway, all confused but happy and relieved to be alive and with each other. Isshin in this au will be an awkward, not the best father but he loves and he tries, and he just wants the best for all of his children. (He is the unsarcastic B+ parent, because with all the shit in this au coming, Ichigo deserves this).

Isshin in their original world is descended from a sword wielding samurai family, and he's had the forms and everything beaten into him since he was young, and the reason why he never taught Ichigo was because he didn't know how to be a gentle teacher and he never wanted to hurt his boy. (it's why he's always given his children freedom and choice of what they want.) And coming into this new world, this new place, everyone can feel a change in their bodies, can feel power in their veins even if they don't know what to do with it. See, Ichigo's mom had a little something funky with her blood but didn't know it and Isshin is actually a human with spiritual powers but with their original world it never came out, and with the God giving them a boost/perks, everyone is learning how to control themselves first and foremost.

It's after a bit of convincing and Isshin making Ichigo promise to tell him if he's going too hard that he starts teaching him the family style, along with others in scrolls with phantom teachers to guide them along. It is rough, it is harsh, but it's Ichigo so he pushes on through and becomes better for it. (The two do agree to see if they can find better teachers for the girls though, as Karin wouldn't suit this style even if she would be good with a sword, and Yuzu seems like she would be better with magic then a blade.)

The family of four spends like three years here, learning all they can, devouring every book and all they can remember of the OG!Story of this place before they all have exhausted all the sources and knowledge of the cottage, can no longer progress in their skills as they have been, and had enough cabin fever to drive any sane person down the river. But they're not stupid, so first things first, Isshin scouting at first, then with his son, before him and Ichigo take turns exploring and scouting the area because they don't like leaving the twins alone. But as they're getting a lay of the land and comparing maps and such to reality, even getting a feel for their new magic gadgets and all, they come across monsters and such here and there Once Isshin is sure that Ichigo can handle himself, its only then they spilt so one can stay with the girls while the other explores for a few days, even if Ichigo is only allowed to do it for two days to his father's week.

After that, packing everything they need into magic bags and hammer space, the family takes one last look to their home of all these years, bows in thanks before they are off. It's not long till they join a trade caravan, Isshin trading his skills as a doctor to do so. They travel around for a bit, before in the end, they settle down in a bustling, safe city that never fell in the story, even if the story's protagonist and gang lives here with all their wacky and troubling hijinxs.

So, now that backstory and such is out of the way, let's get to some of the fun stuff. :3

Ichigo does not realize just how strong he actually is; see, in this world of magic and stuff, swords are... technically considered obsolete; of sure, in the story there is a Magic Swordman who is part of the Protagonist's party, but even there they mostly use the sword as fancy focus then to actually fight with it. But with the way Ichigo was trained, as well as both his and his father's lack of common sense for this world, for them it is as easy to cut down a monster as it is to cut down spells themselves. Neither Ichigo or Isshin understand how insane that is, because once a spell is out, you usually have to dodge it or hope it hits someone else if you can't counterspell it.

The Kurosaki's also avoid the Protag and his crew; lets not get involved in your drama, please and thank you (lol, just had the thought of how protective Isshin and Ichigo would get if the story was with a Harem Protag; both would be protective as heck over the twins because with either reverse or regular harem, girls usually get the shit end of the stick). Ichigo is just fine how he is, even if he keeps getting into fights because of random assholes, his charm flowing out and getting his own loyal friends without his knowing. Karin is way too interested in magical sports to care not to mention her age while Yuzu is getting fascinated by potions, alchemy, and cooking to care.

One day, after Ichigo has been feeding some tidbits to some strays, he finds what seems to be a tea and candy shop, with books to read. it doesn't have much business, being out of the way like it is, but there is the occasional regular coming out. Ichigo shrugs, he has time and so he enters this Urahara Shoten.

Somehow, someway, he ends up making friends with Geta-boshi, who as frustrating as he is, recommends good books and a listening ear. Things lead to one things, stuff happens, and Ichigo finds out this guy also has sword.

Sparring partner acquired, though it takes some convincing, a bit of bribing, but Ichigo is able to get the other to agree; he gets his ass beat easily, but Urahara is a harsh, but good teacher, and so Ichigo just thrives in the challenge.

As for Urahara, this guy is so fucking terrifying, just like in canon, how he is assassin sharp and quick with his blade even as he can spellcast at the same time, just watching Ichigo cut through his spells to meet his blade.

Kisuke: this is the most fun I've had in ages :D I wonder what else he can do if I don't tell him what's impossible.

These two end up getting involved in some harsh canon event disasters, Ichigo fighting with Kisuke, knowing the other man won't let him down. Kisuke, having someone he can trust lead the way, knowing, having faith the other can survive alongside him...

Just, these two bonding, getting closer, Ichigo introducing his sisters and Goat-Face who is giving that weird stare.

(On Isshin's part, he recognizes what's going on, and for all that he is not going to be a hypocrite, is not going to kick this Urahara guy as hard as he can and hide Ichigo away, he suddenly... completely understands Misaki's family's cold and hard stares as he had gotten, watching how the elder blond stares at his 20 year old son like he is sun, like he can't believe there is any light in his life again after being shadowed so long. He's pretty sure that is the same stare he had given Misaki as well, just as how Ichigo looks softer, warmer, happier the minute that Urahara guy stays by his side, just how his mother would melt around him despite her expression never changing.

So, Isshin won't say anything, especially since he can tell neither has a clue... but he will be doing the protective, embarrassing Father as much as he wants.)

So yeah, this is the idea :3 I also have another idea with a Mob Protagonist!Ichigo, where he comes to be a character never even mentioned in a story, and ends up charming local shop owner Urahara Kisuke, who is secretly the terrible, scary Puppet Master Benihime without knowing it. maybe I'll note it out when I feel like it, though if people want, they can ask questions about it.

[sunsetsands]

Almud Masterpost

Seemed like a good idea to create a place to compile information about the main planet project I have going.

Most of the pictures here are hand-drawn. I have slowly been improving at digital art, so I do intend on gradually replacing them with procreate recreations, but until then, have these messy pencil illustrations.

The planet’s name is Almud (pronounced “awl-MOO-duh” (yes, the D at the end is its own syllable)). It is the second planet from its star, an orange dwarf. Conditionswise, Almud is very similar to Earth, just a lot warmer and wetter, and without a single large moon. Instead, it has a somewhat recently-formed system of rings. These rings are made of the debris from the planet’s former moon, which floated in past the Roche limit a few dozen million years ago and got torn apart. Almud may or may not also have a smaller moon or two somewhere further out. I haven’t decided on that yet.

This is a map of Almud’s entire geography, which is slightly outdated. I’ll probably make an updated version at some point eventually possibly maybe. If you’re curious, those numbers on the continents were so I could keep track of continental drift to make sure everything made sense. I care way too much about tiny details.

This is a rough (and I mean very rough. Not proud of my craftsmanship on the outlines here) approximation of what Almud’s surface looks like. The foliage uses a teal pigment to photosynthesize, and the sky appears pink during the day. Obviously, not all of the planet is wetlands, but there are definitely more wetlands than there are on Earth thanks to the much higher humidity.

I have spent a lot of time trying to figure out what Almud’s animal-equivalent life should be like. After several failed attempts, however, I think I have gotten it to a point I am satisfied with. Below is a phylogenetic tree of all of the “animal” phyla present on Almud, and an overview of what each phylum has going on. I tried not to rip off Earth's phylogeny too much, but there are some notable parallels.

Vaxistoma (roughly "vaccine mouth"): Small fishlike creatures that feed through a proboscis with an extendible needle-tooth-thing inside of it. The rest of their body is covered in thick, hard scales. They mainly inhabit deeper waters where aquatic duossei are less common.

Duosseus ("two skeletons"): The closest equivalent to vertebrates. First members were fishlike, with calcified plates covering the outside of their bodies and rod-shaped bones supporting the inside. The outer skeleton atrophied mostly in the terrestrial members, but most classes do still have notable remnants, as shown in the small drawing above.

Limosus ("muddy, slimy things"): Soft, squishy creatures without much in terms of an internal skeleton, but most groups do have some external armor like their relatives listed above. Can be accurately summarized as "molluscs, but more alieny", though a few members are more like worms or sea stars.

Jocomodivirae (very roughly "funny little guys"): Small velvet worm-esque invertebrates with a thick, leathery pad over their back. A very diverse phylum with many, many members. Definitely not just insects with no exoskeletons.

Planagelattae ("flat jellies"): What if flatworms had three eyes?

Xenigmalus ("strange, mysterious things"): I can't think of a good way of describing these, which is pretty fitting for what they are. Body plans vary wildly here, but are almost always some combination of fins, tentacles, and a big translucent sack. Like the vaxistomans, they usually inhabit deeper waters.

Cornivermia ("horned worms"): Pretty self-explanatory. The flat, hard bits at the fronts of their heads help them dig through softer areas of soil. Some groups use these growths instead as something more akin to pincers, fins, hooks, or shells.

Carniherbae ("meat plants"): You know those animal-fern things from the Ediacaran era? These are just those, but not extinct.

Vivitria ("living glass"): Soft, feathery insides protected by a crystalline silicate shell. Many species in this phylum are colonial, which tend to look like colorful, floating geodes. These colonies often have surprisingly complex sensory capabilities, and some have been found to be about as intelligent as Earth cats.

Xylovitria ("wood glass"): Terrestrial relatives of the vivitrians, almost all of which are colonial. The defining feature of this phylum, besides their terrestriality, is their symbiotic relationship with a wide range of plant-equivalent species. The xylovitrian colony forms a protective, glassy wall around the plants' branches, as well as a system of feathery roots beneath the soil which serve to both gather nutrients for their plant partner and exchange gametes with other colonies to create new, empty xylovitrians for the plants' seeds to land in. In return, the plant gives the colony some of the byproducts of its photosynthesis.

Chiforma ("X-shaped"): Four-sided radially symmetrical creatures. Contains such captivatingly creative groups such as "squids, but four", "clams, but four", "eels, but four", and, most creataculiciously of all, "coral, but four". A shining example of the innovation that specbio nerds are capable of.

Nodovellis ("tangled hair"): Formless, sessile filter feeders. Basically a slime mold trying really hard to be a sponge, but the closest it could get was becoming a loofah.

(Feel free to give critiques or advice on the scientific names I made. All I really did here was mess around with google translate. I know there are guidelines and policies for what is and isn't an acceptable phylum title, but I've never been able to understand what any of them mean. If anything immediately makes you go "That's not how that works!", let me know)

For some additional information, I imagine that life on Almud began in freshwater rather than saltwater. This made the transition to land pretty easy for most of the animals, since they could afford to just flop around in muddy wetlands without any risk of drying out. This does mean that their skin is very, very sensitive to salt, however.

There is one sapient species on Almud: These slug things. Their actual species name is Akada, if that's important. Akada are descended from a social burrowing species that learned how to cultivate the many plants and molds that thrived in the dark, wet conditions of their tunnels. They are herbivorous, have a herd animal-like social structure, and currently have a level of technological advancement similar to ours. For more miscellaneous and mostly jokey info on them, please look here.

I will expand on all of this when/if I find the time and motivation.

[margindoodles2407]

heyyy margin I was wondering

for the sw high fantasy au, how are you planning to make the story go down? Will it be pretty similar to the movies, or will you be making any changes? Also, are you gonna be doing anything with all the crazy creatures found on every planet connect? Like, some of them are dragons and so on? Or there being different families all the creatures fit into? and finally, are you gonna include any ships that aren’t canon?

Ok that’s it XD

HI EVIE THANKS FOR CHECKING IN ON ME!!!

Okay SO. Let me answer these one at a time :D

(this is over a thousand words so it's going to be below the cut)

In terms of story, everything from the Prequels through the Original Trilogy is going to be pretty much the same. What I can tell you is that although I haven’t actually put that much thought into the Sequels yet, they are going to be markedly different from the current Disney canon in that they will combine elements from both the Disney canon and Legends, including Mara Jade and the other Organa-Solo kids (Jacen, Jaina, and Anakin as well as Ben) because they live rent-free in my mind. 

However, a few things in the Prequels especially are going to be markedly different because the way they are executed in canon doesn’t fit into a High Fantasy world, and I’ll put these as bulletpoints:

Kamino is going to be introduced very differently. While Dooku destroying all evidence of its existence works in canon, because it’s in the outer rim and canon Star Wars is a digital, data-based world, in a fantasy setting it would be extremely difficult to cover up all the evidence of an entire island- especially in regards to its references (or lack thereof) in the Jedi Archives, because these would obviously now be a paper-and-pen, books and scrolls and tapestries library, instead of a digital archive where data can just be erased. (Though, the mental image of Dooku checking out all the books on Kamino and then burning them is very funny to me. Especially if Jocasta Nu walked in on him. “Master Dooku… what are you doing?” “Oh, nothing, dear Jocasta.” *book makes a FWOOSH sound as it goes up in flames*) Instead, in the AU Kamino is an Atlantis-esque legend to the people of the Galactic Archipelago: in the days of the Old Republic, it was sunk in divine retribution for the unnatural genetic alchemy practiced by the Kaminoans. After leaving the Jedi, Dooku discovers that Kamino is, in fact, real, and that the Kaminoans preserved their ancient fortress undersea by way of a magic barrier. When Obi-Wan learns about the Kaminoan dart from Dex, his problem in looking for Kamino is now that no one takes him seriously because at every turn, it’s dismissed as just a children’s tale.

This isn’t necessarily a story thing, but the map is slightly different; the most obvious example of this is the changing of Mustafar’s location, because it and Coruscant are part of the same chain of volcanic islands- Coruscant just happens to be dormant. In fact, Coruscant’s underworld is built into the caldera of the volcano, because it hasn’t erupted since the early days of the Old Republic and is widely thought to be extinct.

C-3PO has his own new lore now. He’s the ghost of a knight- Sir Anthony Threepio, so I can keep it phonetically similar (C-3PO = Sir Threepio) and also give a little reference to Anthony Daniels- who died in a surprise pirate ambush on Tatooine centuries ago, and the stress he retains from the events surrounding his death has made him neurotically obsessed with being prepared for absolutely every possible situation. In life, he was also incredibly intelligent, and spoke almost every language in the Galactic Archipelago. When Anakin is a little boy, he meets and befriends Threepio’s ghost, and, being the kind soul he is, offers to build him a suit of armor so Threepio can be in the world again. In gratitude, Threepio swears a knightly oath to serve Anakin’s family for as long as he is able.

R2-D2 (and, actually, all astromechs) ALSO has his own lore. Astromech Gnomes are a race that lives far below the surface of the Galactic Archipelago, and have for so long that sunlight is actually toxic to them. They are gifted with a masterful knowledge of machinery- an art lost to the rest of the Archipelago- and can build and/or fix almost anything, including ships. In addition, because they live in near-total darkness, they have an excellent internal compass, so they often work as navigators. However, because they can only ply their trades on the surface, and sunlight will kill them, they use their mechanical genius to build themselves small dome-like suits from which they can safely practice their craft without endangering themselves. In addition, they can understand but cannot speak basic, due to the fact that they have avian-like mouth structures and can only speak in whistles and chirps. 

On a similar note, let’s talk about Battle Droids. I’ll try to breeze through this pretty quickly. Regular Battle Droids are necromanced skeletons (General Grievous is an ancient, undead Lich Warlord and necromances all of them), Super Battle Droids are centaur-esque automatons (in the classic sense, like in Greek and Roman mythology), and Droidekas I… haven’t actually figured out yet (if you have any ideas let me know!). 

Creatures! Well, obviously I just talked about Astromechs and Battle Droids. But yes, I have thought about this! I have a few ideas which I actually came up with while I was designing Padme’s area outfit from Attack of the Clones, and then obviously I’ve been thinking about the alien races that are too bizarre to just put into my system of “There Are Many And Diverse Human Cultures In The Galactic Archipelago”. And anyway, this is a fantasy world, we need fantasy creatures. I’ll put these in bulletpoints, too. In regards to all of these, I’m trying to keep their in-canon appearances as much as possible while just amping up the fantasy vibe, so- for example- Admiral Ackbar will still look like Admiral Ackbar, but with lobster legs. And such.

Nexu are manticore-esque

Acklays are something like a Cockatrice

The Rhino Thing whose name I can never remember? The thing Anakin fights? That’s a Tarasque now.

The Aquatic races are all types of merfolk: Nautolans are your classic mermaids, and still have their head tentacles (for reference, I’ll upload a picture of Heroforge!Kit Fisto at the end of this list); Mon Calamari are crustacean-legged; Quarren are squid-people; and the other fish-people (like the one who steals Ahsoka’s lightsabers in that one episode) are. Well. They’re fish mermaids. 

Heroforge!Kit Fisto:

Thisspiasians are like Nagas, but with four arms. 

Besalisks are centaurs. But with four arms. (There’s a lot of four-armed creatures in star wars.)

Yoda is a delightful little imp-creature. 

Kaminoans are. Well. Kaminoans. I think they’re weird enough to just leave alone.

Geonosians are malicious insect-like pixies (in the classic sense)

Darth Maul specifically is a Drider- a spider-legs person. The Clone Wars writers were cowards (affectionate), but I am not, so he keeps the spider legs.

If you have any more ideas for creatures to fantasy-ify, I’d LOVE to hear them!

Ships. Both in the boat sense and the romance sense. But I suspect you’re talking about the romance sense here :) So here’s the thing, most of my Star Wars ships are. Already canon. (A few I think might just be widely-accepted fanon, but that could just be because I’m not quite done with TCW and I haven’t started TBB yet, so that remains to be seen). HOWEVER. There is, in fact, Mara Jade, and as she is no longer Disney canon, I think it’s safe to say that she and Luke are no longer canon, so yes, there will be at least ONE non-canonical ship in this AU- that being the aforementioned Luke and Mara Jade. There might be others, which I will get back to you on upon completion of TCW and TBB. (Oh, and there’s also pre-Sith Dooku and Jocasta Nu, because old people in love is near and dear to my heart, and I don’t know if this counts as non-canon or not, but that will be at least briefly touched upon.)

I hope you found this enjoyable and enlightening. And also, you know me, if you have any follow-ups, I will be DELIGHTED to scream about those with you :D

[thegamingcatmom]

Carrot anon👋🏻

Hii mom, i saw your recent post, it was good. I was curious to know how Deadite Ellie would act if I noticed another Deadite eye on the Drama Queen, I can imagine a little, but your explanation will make everything clear.

I hope you are well.👋🏻

HELLAW CARROT ANON

Thank youuuu, so glad you liked it. 🥰

Ohhh the jealousy trope eh? I can see why my recent post has inspired that way of thinking, poor boy. 😅

May he rest in pieces.

EDIT on 18th June:

AIGHT GUYS I MADE IT IT´S FINALLY FINISHED.

We´re covering quite a bit in this one (meaning: the batshittery going on here is on another level entirely) and I couldn´t be prouder to finally present to you the next installment of what-the-actual-fuck aka:

Lions

Enjoy (cause I sure as hell did). ❤️

(@gaym0m ATTENTION NOW ❤️)

AIGHT so, if a mere boy who´s really no match for her - because look at that scrawny thing - no claws or fangs or ANYTHING that could be considered useful or, more importantly, make for a worthy mate - has managed to evoke that fierce of a reaction in Momma then just imagine the utter carnage if another Undead was caught red-handed after Momma returned from a rather successful patrol and she´s been gone a mere 10 minutes for god´s sake but-

When the cat's away, the mice will play.

Maggot Momma didn´t even have to look because - head lifting to take one, two, three whiffs - she could smell it. Fear lies in the air - almost pungent - and while it´s an aroma that´d drive her absolutely wild - get her going - under normal circumstances, right in this moment it does anything but because no one but her gets to evoke this type (or ANY type) of reaction in her Drama Queen, her mate.

She´s off, skipping the elevator and collapsed stairs altogether because not fast enough and claws are digging into the wall and going up up up until she reaches the air shaft, nose first always first although she doesn´t even need it because she can sense you, is pulled towards you like a magnet, it´s instinct-

Meanwhile (somewhere else in this (cursed) building):

Is one quiet, peaceful moment of sanity really too much to ask for?

When you woke up this morning you didn´t think much of the claws digging into your side or the cold nose pressed into your neck or even the long tongue that feels like sandpaper that´s come out to join the rest of It. You´ve become used to that being your alarm clock which you find quite the depressing development but it is what it is and at least you´re still alive and kicking (unlike boy) so yknow, the glas is always half full and yadda yadda.

Although, it has to be said, maybe things wouldn´t take such a toll on your sanity (unlikely) if it wasn´t for that stench that truly does make your eyes water and now that you think about it you can´t help but notice today´s...different. Its odor is even more unpleasant than usual because now it´s got this foul note to it whereas before you´d have described it as rather spicy, almost sharp and seeming to burn itself into your very core.

But that´s not the only thing that irritates you because even the way It´s touching you seems off today. You´ve become used to clawed hands raking and brushing and encasing you almost feverishly, like they´re trying to map out every inch of your body before you vanish (which, sadly, it doesn´t look like that´s about to happen anytime soon).

Now though? Clawed hands are rough and almost sloppy like they don´t quite know how to be hands. Gripping you way too tight and you´re sure that´s gonna leave a nasty bruise, more rubbing than brushing along your leg like It´s trying to pull the skin clean off and that gets you moving because it is not pleasant, at all and what the hell´s even going on-

As soon as It´s noticed there´s movement the grip on you tightens like a boa constrictor squeezing all life out of you and that´s exactly what it feels like actually and now´s the moment you really start to panic because you knew this day would come sooner or later when It finally gets tired of you but you´d hoped for (much) later and It´s started to snarl now which is most unpleasant because it´s so deep you can feel it reverberating through your whole body.

Its maw has opened now and you know this because you can feel Its breath puffing out against your neck, tongue running up and down again and there´s something cold dropping down on you and even that feels different - thicker, more viscous, almost like syrup and you manage to move your head just enough to be able to take a look at what´s going on and-

It doesn´t just feel different.

You see black, literally. It´s everywhere - on you, on the bedsheets, on the floor and - that´s new. And you have a sneaking suspicion which you hope against all hope will turn out to be just that but when you manage to turn your head a bit further to actually take a look at who...what has taken a hold of you-

Have you become deaf?

You´re asking because, all of a sudden, the world around you goes silent save for the ringing in your ears and you realize it´s because you are screaming at the top of your lungs and it´s a wonder the windows in this cursed building haven´t shattered yet but that really is the least of your worries right now because-

This Undead doesn´t appreciate you trying to obliberate Its hearing, at all and so you´re pushed onto your back and into the mattress, clawed hand coming up to grip your throat and squeeze and, immediately, the room falls silent again.

(Aside from the sounds of you being strangled and literally fighting for your life.)

There are tears in your eyes now because of course it ends like this, just your luck, and death by suffocating is just as unpleasant as you´d imagined it would be (not that there´s been many occasions which would´ve encouraged this sort of thinking...until your sorry ass got itself stuck in this cursed building) and just when you thought-

Well, good thing is: it can´t get worse from here, can it?

Its maw opens again and those teeth look very sharp indeed and they´re getting closer, inch by inch, and you get the feeling It´s doing it on purpose - messing with you - because It thrives on seeing the sheer terror that must be written all over your face right now and jaws opening wider and wider and you´re certain one single bite could take off half your face-

Your eyes close tightly because knowing your untimely demise is near is one thing, seeing it is another thing entirely and why would you need to anyway? It doesn´t matter, it´s not like that´ll change anything, change the fact you´re gonna end up as food for that thing any moment now and-

You don´t know what happened because your eyes remain firmly closed and you´re not planning on changing that anytime soon, but-

There´s a ripping sound and you can feel something splattering all over your face and there´s gurgling and then there´s nothing.

And all of that does pique your interest because, just a second ago, you were preparing for certain death so you should be a goner by now but you´re not so you finally find the courage to open your eyes to see what happened instead is-

Well, that doesn´t look normal...or pleasant.

Its jaws are still way too close for comfort, still as wide as they were seconds ago when It was preparing to swallow you whole. But what´s different now is that there´s a hand sticking out between them and there´s this urge to wave at it and this is the type of stuff nightmares are made of but this whole situation is so ridiculous that all you can seem to think of right now is to lift your hand and shake it-

You don´t get the chance however, because that hand closes abruptly, balled into a tight fist, and it´s pulling to the side with an alarming force and right through the head, tearing everything on its way out.

But damn, that thing´s tough. Didn´t even flinch through it all, just slowly turning around, head completely sunken in on one side, to face the force of nature that is It.

("Helheim" - Rok Nardin starts playing in the background)

To say Maggot Momma is livid would be the understatement of the century. She´s shaking, vibrating with a rage that´s rare even for her. Her usually glowing eyes have turned so black one can see their own reflection in them. Teeth seem to have grown in length and become even sharper and there are black veins criss crossing all over her neck, her face and all the way to her eyes.

In other words: It looks every bit the demon you´ve always suspected (and feared) It to be.

And ever since It has crashed the (slaughter) party thank god there´s been an eery silence - heavy breathing from everyone involved is the only thing that can be heard for a while.

So, imagine your almost heart attack when, suddenly, there´s screeching and roaring and it sounds like war is about to start which doesn´t seem too far off because-

Maggot Momma has had enough of this disrespect - looking at what is hers, touching what is hers, harming what is hers (that Deadite´s dead). And now even going so far as to rebel against her? Openly questioning her authority - challenging her - in front of her mate no less? Hoping to impress her Drama Queen and snatch her up for itself?

Ridiculous. Laughable. Pathetic.

And so you can only watch all-out war indeed breaking out and ffs, is one quiet, peaceful, sane moment really too much to ask for?

fuckfuckfuckfuckFUCK-

It´s ON now.

Bodies smashing together with a dull thump! and there´s snarling and growling and hissing, clawed hands are digging in to find purchase but also to grip and tear and rip limbs straight out of their sockets-

One arm is sent flying, catapulting in your direction and almost hitting you hadn´t you managed to duck just in time and when you realize which one it belongs to you feel utter relief and you can´t believe you´re actually rooting for It - your It - but considering what the other It was about to do...who can blame you?

Bodies are warped to the point you can´t tell where one begins and the other ends and there´s horrible, horrible sounds coming out of them and this brawl is getting way too close for comfort now and one of your hands is digging into the bedsheets, getting a good grip on them so you can push yourself closer to the head of the bed and away from whatever is going on at the foot of it and your other hand comes up in an attempt to shield your face in case more limbs (or worse) come flying and you truly are pathetic, aren´t you? Like THAT would make a difference when you´re nothing more than a disoriented lamb, stupid enough to wander right into the lion´s den and get caught in the crossfire when two of them decide to battle it out over a piece of meat.

And they´re fast. Everything seems blurred to you because one moment they´re in front of you - way too close - and next thing you know there´s a horrible screeching sound and one of them is smashing against the opposite wall, the force of it leaving a rather big dent and this is the first time since war has started that you´re able to make out more than a moving mass of limbs.

And you wish you hadn´t because the It that got smashed against the wall is your It and It´s missing half Its face - true to the motto tit for tat - which means the other It is no longer being held back from-

It´s rounding on you so fast, recognizing that now or never and It´s off, racing towards you like possessed, feet leaving the ground to take one massive leap in your direction and the sight of it is horrifying because all you see is teeth heading straight for you so you close your eyes again, tightly, because what else can you do but wait for certain death to finally claim you-

So you wait.

And wait.

...And wait some more.

Until you muster up the courage to open your eyes again to see what´s taking so fucking long and you realize-

Is this a joke? Are you a joke to them?

There´s only so many amost heart attacks one can endure and you swear to god you´re done with this shitshow-

Because the other It has made it onto the bed and those claws are way too close to your feet right now but they have a hard time reaching their target because-

It - your It - has a very tight grip on that leg indeed. So tight you can see it starting to cave in but that does nothing to deter the thing from trying to reach you - snapping Its jaws at you like a rabid dog and sending blood and other fluids flying everywhere, the arm It still got left trashing about in an attempt to reach you - any part of you - but-

Maggot Momma has had it.

She´s kneeled on the floor in front of the bed, upper body propped up against it and a clawed hand having a rather crushing grip on that scum indeed. She´s gonna obliterate it - hack and bite and claw and rip until there´s nothing left. How dare it look at what is hers and touch what is hers and harm what is HERS and never before has she felt outrage when looking at her precious Drama Queen because how could she when you´re perfection and you´re her perfect mate, meant for her only her but-

She´s failed.

And someone´s gotta pay.

A sharp tug sends the other It tumbling down onto the floor and there´s no way anyone could´ve missed the pop! that´s accompanied Its fall and a leg goes flying next, landing right next to you and you´re about to puke-

Finally, after what seemed like hours when it´s been a mere 5 minutes since carnage´s started you manage to snap out of whatever the fuck´s just happened and you can´t get off that bed fast enough. Literally tripping over yourself in your haste to get away from that - your body just sort of collapsing to the side, letting yourself fall over and down onto the floor and yknow what-

Hasting under the bed because fuck that shit.

...Which puts you in the direct line of sight of It - Its hollow eyes staring right through you it seems, not an ounce of life in them and, for the very first time since "residing" in this hellhole, this does make you wonder - what the hell happened? These must´ve been normal people with normal lifes at some point. What went down in this cursed building that´s caused all this?

You´re brought back to the present when It lets out a pitiful wail and you realize it´s because your It has started to relieve the other It of Its remaining extremities. And you get the feeling It thoroughly enjoys doing so, if the sounds are anything to go by - teeth are chittering and there´s a low humming that almost sounds like moaning and then there´s a hiss before-

The other arm is sent flying.

And, poor fucker - flopping around like a fish because having only one appendage left is bound to make things rather difficult and you can only imagine what a blow this must be to ones ego because how can you ever come back from that? And It seems to have come to the same realization because-

It´s trashing about with everything It´s got now (which is one leg), literally fighting for Its (undead) life, fight or flight mode fully kicking in now and choosing the latter because wouldn´t you?

It´s kicking and kicking and kicking - over and over - to prevent your It from taking away Its only chance to, somehow, turn this situation around and make it out (un)alive and for a horrifying moment you fear It´s actually managed because-

"Mmph-!"

A foot collides with Its face - the side that´s already demolished at that - causing It to falter and stagger and lose Its grip for a moment-

But a moment is all the other It needs.

Another solid kick! - this time right into the middle of the chest - sends your It flying, crashing against the dresser - wood shattering on impact and the other It has managed to prop Itself up, using the stump that used to be Its other leg for support and gaining enough momentum to actually get up and hop around - rather awkwardly - and make Its way to the door and you gotta admit-

That was quite impressive.

It doesn´t get very far however because your It is on the move again - covered in dust and wood pieces, some of them having impaled It - leaping up and clinging onto Its back like a deranged koala, sending both of them stumbling against the door and your position under the bed doesn´t really make for the best lookout (which you don´t mind in the least) so you can only assume what must be going on right now, which-

There´s a disturbing crunch! that sounds strangely wet at the same time and there´s gurgling like someone´s suffocating on something thick and viscous - like syrup - and then there´s a ripping sound and, suddenly, your It is on Its feet again, a clawed hand holding what seems to be a sogged rag that´s dripping onto the floor and-

What is that?

It´s eerily silent save for the ragged breathing which you´re sure is coming from your It because It looks to be trembling, whatever It´s got in Its hand shaking, making it drip even more and it feels like an eternity has passed when, at last, there´s movement. The other It using Its foot to rotate and turn to face your It - slowly - and you feel like you´re the one suffocating now and you realize it´s because you´ve actually stopped breathing because-

Now what?

You´re ripped out of your near panic attack - literally - when the other It suddenly comes crashing down and Its fall is so unexpected that it takes you a moment to realize it´s actually happened.

And it takes you another moment to realize just what you´re staring at.

There´s black, so much of it, it´s everywhere and oozing out of It and pooling on the floor and - squinting your eyes - is that a tongue?

You have your answer when what you thought was a sogged rag lands right next to It - lifeless eyes staring back at you, making you retch - and it´s a wonder you haven´t puked your guts out yet because it´s not like someone´s head getting ripped in half is an every day occurence and-

It´s not done yet. Casually walking (more stumbling like It's the walking dead, feet dragging behind a bit) to the other side of the room to pick up what looks to be a leg and just as casually walking (stumbling) back - leg dragged lazily behind, leaving smears of black on the worn out carpet. It´s coming to a stop right next to...what remains of It and you see the leg starting to leave the floor, going up up up only to-

The leg´s brought down again and again and again, the force behind it making flesh and bones burst, sending black everywhere and it sounds just as horrible as it looks - a squelching sound that´s reverberating through the whole room and your hands are coming up to cover your ears because you just want this madness to stop-

Please stop it!

It´s not until all that´s left is black goo that It relents, letting the leg - what´s left of it - drop onto the floor with a dull thud!, still breathing quite heavily indeed and then-

("Closing In" - Michel F. April starts playing in the background)

Silence

You wait.

And you wait.

...And wait some more.

Until you´re absolutely certain you´re no longer in danger of witnessing utter carnage. Only then do you slowly lower your hands, letting them rest on the floor - digging into the worn out carpet to brace yourself in case you gotta run for your life.

After what felt like hours It´s on the move again. Bare feet slowly making their way to the side of the bed that´s closest to the door because of course - your eyes following every step, head turning to never break gaze - and you´re stuck, nearly starting to panic again because you don´t know what to do, there´s nowhere to go because even if you managed to crawl out from under the bed before It got a hold of you there´s just no way you´d make it to that door. You know this because you literally just witnessed another It getting ripped apart and if a mighty lion didn´t stand a chance then what could you - a disoriented lamb - possibly achieve here?

It doesn´t matter anymore because it´s too late, your habit of getting lost in thought has sealed your fate and now there´s no more time to do fuck all because-

It´s reached the side of the bed and is starting to bend down, hands coming to join the feet on the floor - claws, then fingers, then palms - and lowering down down down and face starting to come into view now - chin, then mouth, then nose - until bright, glowing eyes are staring back at you and you can´t believe you´re actually starting to feel something that could resemble relief because finally you no longer see black.

Its demon-like appearance gone, save for the black veins still criss crossing along Its face - their visibility reduced to a slight black hue though - and teeth are back to their usual length and oh, oh my-

Only now do you remember that It´s missing half Its face - teeth on the right side fully visible, skin and flesh torn off almost all the way up to Its ear - and you can see remains of the other It stuck between those teeth - must´ve bitten that head clean off - and it is not a pleasant sight but you can´t help but think that-

Didn´t it look worse before?

You´re brought back to the present moment rather quickly because-

It has started crawling towards you and fuckfuckfuckfuckFUCK-

Never in your life have you crawled backwards this fast (you´ve literally never crawled backwards in your life ever because who does that?), fingers digging into the carpet, nearly scraping your knees in your haste to get away from that and you´ve actually managed to fully emerge from under the bed and you keep crawling backwards because what else can you do there´s no time and fuck! your feet are touching the wall now, hands pushing against the ground to straighten up only to stumble and plonk! onto your butt, back against the wall now and-

It´s still crawling towards you and it looks like something straight out of a horror movie and you really start to panic now, one leg shooting up to use your foot as a (pathetic) shield which probably isn´t the best idea considering what is crawling towards you right now because It could easily take off that foot with one bite and-

Really?

Must you be difficult right in this moment? Usually, Maggot Momma would be more than happy to have you squirming and struggling against her, trying to defy her - her perfect, rebellious Drama Queen - but Maggot Momma has had more than enough of that today. That scum is finally rotting in hell for what it did - looking at and touching and harming what is HERS and if that creature has wounded you-

Your ankle is grabbed and It´s going absolutely crazy - sniffing like a hound that´s picked up on a scent, starting with the foot It has a very tight grip on and going up up up your leg before descending again to do the same with your other leg, coming to a stop right where the other It has manhandled you before, letting out a low growl, tongue slipping out and running up up up almost all the way to where your leg meets your pelvis - making you squirm - and the only thing stopping It from going even further being your rather short shorts-

And continuing to climb up your body - Its other hand digging into the floor to keep Itself grounded - and nose coming to rest there now which seems to slow things down for a moment-

...and another moment-

-before It´s on the move again, sniffing up your stomach and - oh, oh my - in between your breasts, nose stopping right where you can feel your heart beating out of your chest and lingering there for quite a while before the hand that´s been gripping your ankle moves up to take a hold of your wrist, pulling your arm towards It and you let It because you quite like breathing and Its nose is continuing its journey, sniffing your hand and up up up your arm, across your collarbones - pushing your head up and out of the way - and down your other arm until It reaches your hand, pressing the side of Its face - the torn side - against it and you swear It´s started to purr-

It seems calmer now, more relaxed, and you can´t seem to take your eyes off It - almost mesmerized - and you blame the utter carnage that went down minutes ago because that´s surely fried most (if not all) of your nerves along with some of your braincells it seems but it´s like being witness to a horrible accident where one doesn´t want to look but, at the same time, just can´t bring themselves not to look and you´ve just never seen It so...tame before and you´re actually touching It in what might seem an affectionate way to anyone witnessing except your hand is literally touching sinew and bones and there´s blood and saliva and other fluids (you don´t wanna know) all over your hand now and that does make your stomach churn a bit, reminding you of the situation at hand which is-

Save save save you´re save and whole and hers and whole she´s made sure of that - that scum is with the maggots now - and only seconds later and she doesn´t know what she´d have done because you were meant for her now and forever and if anyone, anything tries to prevent what was foretold by the dark gods - that you belong to her and with her until the end of time and-

Torn face finally leaving your hand but remaining pressed against you, sinew and bones sliding up up up your arm and leaving smears of black and other fluids behind and you think It looks absolutely deranged - like It´s trying to get high on you - and It has reached your neck now and seems to deflate, eyes nearly falling shut, pressing you against the wall and that purring is back for all of two seconds before-

Eyebrows furrowing, hands coming up to rest on either side of your head, claws digging into the wall, nose going crazy once more, running up and down your neck before wandering along your throat to the other side and you almost, almost muster up the courage to ask if It´s-

Looking for something?

But then, suddenly, It freezes. Nose coming to a stop again right where It has left Its slobber before and even you can smell that foul stench now that must be all over you from It licking you, tasting you and-

Defiling you, soiling you, marking what is hers and-

Are these...?

Maggot Momma´s been so busy fretting over you - smelling you all over, desperate, to be absolutely certain no harm has come to you - that she completely neglected getting a good look at you.

But once she does-

She wishes she hadn´t.

Maggot Momma is shaking, vibrating with rage and anguish because she´s reminded yet again that she´s failed - by a hair's breadth - and just a few seconds sooner and she wouldn´t be looking at the proof of her failure which is-

A clawed hand wrenches out of the wall - taking bits and pieces with it - and moves to hover over your neck and for the first time since you´ve found your way into her territory - your home - Momma doesn´t dare touch you because It has left Its trace clear as day because she´s failed and she´s trembling with rage, afraid she´s gonna snap your neck if she so much as lays a finger on you because-

There´s blue that´s turning more and more black as time goes on and it´s all over your neck and it´s agony because Maggot Momma can make out every single one of that scum´s greedy fingers, can see exactly where they´ve been placed to squeeze and choke and just the thought of one of those claws pricking delicate skin makes her want to scalp herself, gouge her eyes out because a small nick would be enough to-

Has It died on you? Because It sure looks the part - frozen, completely rigid, breathing has ceased to exist - and there´s been total silence for quite a while now and you´re completely on edge, expecting something to happen any moment now and maybe you should start trusting your gut instinct more because-

BAM!

Clawed hand shooting up from where it´s been waiting, hovering over your throat - to do god knows what - to embed itself into the wall, the force of it sending cracks running in every direction, dust and wall fragments raining down on you and this must´ve been your third almost heart attack in 20 minutes you swear to god-

There´s ragged breathing and It´s trembling and twitching, seems to mumble and mutter something - sounding completely deranged - and Its teeth are chittering again - that clicking sound combined with the crazed chanting driving you mad - before Its head finally peels itself off your neck to rise rise rise, legs pulling up from where they´ve been entwined with yours to plant Its feet firmly onto the ground on either side of you, legs bending, knees nearly touching the wall - crouching over you now and you´re reminded yet again just how utterly long and tall It is - and Its forehead is resting against yours now, eyes closed tightly and that unhinged murmuring is still going, still twitching now and then and if someone was to walk in on you right now you wouldn´t blame them if they made a swift U-turn and legged it because you can only imagine what all of this must look like to anyone witnessing-

Black and red splattered across every surface - the floor, the furniture, the walls - and there´s limbs scattered everywhere like someone´s decided that Yes - a heap of somewhat human remains would really make this room shine and then there´s It, curving and bending around you like It´s trying to merge with you, become a part of you and that crazed chanting has toned down to a low rumbling now, its vibrations so violent you can feel them down to your very core and, suddenly, your vision is filled with bright, almost glowing yellow and a dull blue that almost looks like gray and there´s red everywhere - a ring of fire in front of an inferno - because-

Piercing eyes have opened to lock onto yours so intently it feels like they´re looking straight into your soul, like It´s trying to bewitch you, cast a spell on you because you can´t move, can´t breathe and your insides are constricting and you are powerless to do anything about it because there´s nowhere else to go, nowhere else to look because It has you cornered, demanding your full attention and-

Beautiful, mesmerizing, otherwordly you´re so perfect and so delicate and so hers but today all of that - all of you - was nearly lost because she´s let you out of her sight a mere 10 minutes. Foolish, utterly ridiculous of her to believe that bunch of misfits capable of carrying out simple orders-

～Watch, guard, don´t touch.～

But not again, never again she´s gonna be with you every second, every step, never gonna take her eyes off you ever again because now you´re whole but you were this close to being broken all because that lower creature couldn´t keep its greedy hands off you - touching and licking and befouling you - and your smell, heavens! used to be so wonderful, so mouthwatering, so her but now it´s-

...Gone, not a trace of it left because you reek of that parasite and it makes her want to puke her rotted guts out and she´s actually considering because anything, everything to wash away that stench that´s all over you, encasing you and it drives her mad, must do something, anything to-

("Lion" - Saint Mesa starts playing in the background)

Clawed hands wandering almost feverishly across your whole body, like they´re searching for something and you can´t help but be reminded of other hands almost instantly. Those hands were harsh and rough and not quite behaving like hands, feeling like they´re possessed - someone else pulling the strings - whereas these hands-

These hands are fast yet mindful - gripping with a strength that can be unpleasant at times but it feels like they´re aware of that, doing it on purpose because It seems to enjoy the sounds they evoke, which means-

These hands know how to be hands.

And one of these hands has already found that familiar place against the wall, claws digging in, preparing for-

Well, you know where this is going.

Another clawed hand closing abruptly around the soft, round flesh it´s found while roaming up and down your legs, giving it a good squeeze and it catches you so off guard that you almost, almost swat at it because - Excuse you? - and that same hand lifting you UP UP UP - jesus! - and you actually have to brace yourself against the wall, against It - just anywhere - because Its movements are so sudden, almost jerky like It doesn´t know where to start, doesn´t have any control over what It´s doing right now but now It´s got you up and at eye level - forehead pressing against yours - and these are some crazy eyes alright, looking utterly manic and Its hips are already going, wasting no time at all and not at all caring that It´s missing the target, actually rutting against the wall now and-

That crazed murmuring is back as well but this time you can actually make out some of it and it sounds more like a mantra, like chanting as one word seems to be repeated over and over and over and-

～Mine mine m-mine -ine mine m- mmh- ine mah-～

Sounding out so distorted, voice seemingly unable to stick with one pitch - going up down up down from almost chittering to demonic in seconds - and sometimes swallowing words completely - all that´s coming out then a sharp hiss or low grunt - and it feels like breathing becomes more and more difficult because It´s leaning rather heavily on you now, eyes becoming unfocused, head seemingly too heavy to hold up because it just slides off to the side and forward, pressing Its face flush against the side of your neck and fuck, teeth teeth teeth! you can feel something wet pooling there until it´s slowly running down over your collarbone and into your shirt - staining it - and you can tell this is gonna be a fast one because It seems dangerously close to being there already and-

HersHersHersHersHers you´re hers gonna make sure of it gonna make you reek of her only her now and forever and you´re never gonna be without her again, it was meant to be, was foretold she´s never gonna let you out of her sight ever again, keeping you close and by her side where you belong and if anyone anything tries to steal you from her again - challenge her - she´s gonna make it abundantly clear who´s in charge, who´s entitled to lay claim to the human that stumbled into her territory all these months ago, seemingly pulled to her like a moth to a flame, waiting for her, enticing her, yearning for her to claim you as her mate and-

Whole body tensing - becoming stiff as a board - and claws sinking into the wall like it´s butter as Its other hand clings to you for dear life - that buttock´s gonna bruise - and head thrown back to-

...That was a rather fast one and you reckon the only thing keeping the both of you from collapsing right now is the fact Its hand is still firmly lodged in the wall.

Well, that and the fact It´s nearly suffocating you because Its whole weight just collapsed forward and - Oof! - right into you, the side of Its face - the side that´s not torn thank god - coming to rest on top of your head like It´s completely overexerted Itself. So now you just kind of hang in there - face squished against Its neck - as It seems to struggle quite a bit to get Itself back under control - hips still twitching now and then, incoherent murmuring back in full force and today has been a very long day and just one moment of peace, of sanity, is that really too much to ask for?

It feels like an eternity has passed and just as you actually consider doing...something to move things along like...well, maybe wriggle about or lift a hand to very carefully swat at It or maybe you´re just gonna throw caution to the wind and bite that neck in hopes to catch It off guard, to startle It so thoroughly It´s just gonna drop you like a sack of potatoes and-

Finally, there´s movement. Head lifting from the pillow that is your head and It seems to become increasingly more aware of Its surroundings - eyes searching, zoning in on yours immediately, now as wild and piercing as ever, like a ring of fire in front of an inferno, staring into your very soul and-

...What? Do you have something on your face or-?

It´s looking at you rather expectantly - calculating yet hopeful at the same time - like It´s waiting for...something. It´s a look you haven´t seen on Its face before - almost like It´s actually, fully there and conscious and not seconds away from tearing into you and-

It´s still looking and has It even blinked at all yet? and it´s getting increasingly more uncomfortable because what does It want you´ll do anything to make It stop doing that and Its eyes can´t seem to decide which part of your face they want to rest on all of a sudden - flitting up and down, up and down, up down, up down your face and you´re brought back to the moment those eyes clapped onto you for the very first time - sizing you up, examining you, looking at you like It´s never seen a human being before, like you´re the oddity - and you really gotta stop spacing out because It seems much closer than before and keeps getting closer, eyes having found a place to rest on after all which seems to be-

Hold on, wha-

No fucking way-!

Maggot Momma can´t help herself, absolutely bewitched, mesmerized, drawn to you because - look at you, good heavens! - so perfect and whole and hers and whole she´s made sure of that and now that she´s reclaimed you, reconquered you as any worthy mate should she feels absolutely intoxicated, overcome with a need to do...something, anything to further strengthen and solidify the bond you two share and-

She knows it - she knows she does - it´s on the tip of her tongue, can almost taste what needs to be done, what is usually done in moments like this and she never thought that human facade worthy of her time - serving as bait more than anything else - so useless, so pathetic like the soul previously inhabitating this human shell and she hopes Ellie rots in hell where she belongs-

But right in this moment she can recognize the value of it, can see the use of a mind wired quite differently - plain, simple, ordinary - and it pains her to admit because she´s so much more than that, far superior to that, but what she wouldn´t give for a simple, ordinary mind right now because she´d know what to do in a heartbeat, so sure of it, even her eyes seem to know because it´s instinct-

Her body urges her to do something, anything - eyes locked onto the part of you that sings for her so sweetly, making the most wonderful sounds just for her and she´s close so close can almost taste it, taste you and it´s on the tip of her tongue, she´s this close to remembering she can feel it - something to do with saliva, of that she is certain and-

Oh...Oh!-

Yes, of course-!

You don´t know what you were expecting (you know exactly what you were expecting) but it surely wasn´t for that maw to open (you fear you´ll never get used to that aroma) and it surely wasn´t for a long, long tongue to come lolling out and what you sure as hell were not expecting was for that long, long tongue to glue itself to you - starting at the underside of your chin and - very slowly, almost in slow motion - going up up up over your chin, your lips and - thank god you remembered to close your mouth that´s been standing open from the sheer insanity of it all - reaching your nose and trying to wander into it only to come to the seemingly devastating realization - if the sounds are anything to go by - that not all holes are meant for tongues and, having to accept defeat (for now), the slippery muscle continues its way up and over your nose and-

...Going back a bit because Momma´s sure so sure it´s something to do with that part - prodding and poking at it like she´s trying to find the hidden lever that´ll open the treasury - only to have to accept defeat again because-

Nope, no way, hell to the no-

...Wet muscle reluctantly continuing its journey - over your nose again, between your eyebrows and all the way up to your hairline where It seems to pause for a moment, taking a deep breath and-

Almost sneezing in disgust because you still reek of that creature, that filthy rat and this will not do Maggot Momma won´t tolerate it because you´re hers alone she´s gonna make sure of it, gonna let everyone everything in and out of this cursed building know-

More, you need more of her-

Its tongue is going crazy now - running all over your face like you´re a popsicle and It´s burning alive - and It´s back to making the most unhinged sounds - clicking and hissing and rumbling that seems to reverberate through your whole body - and no matter how hard you try there´s no escaping that ridiculously long tongue because it simply follows wherever you go and-

Today has been a long day with way too many different bodily fluids when all you wanted was a moment of peace, of sanity and you don´t know how you´re gonna manage, don´t know how to distract It long enough to actually make it but you´re determined and even if you die trying you´re gonna risk it all because one thing´s for certain-

You need a bath.

(And you swear that face looked worse before.)

[bandtrees]

for the warriors ask game :D

🗺 : first map you ever watched?

🖼 : first amv/pmv you ever watched?

(I used to watch MAPs religiously those are my jam)

yay thank you! warriors ask game except the questions are all weird and niche as hell!

know: my memory is bad. i've been into wc for... well over a decade now, so these are probably not accurate xP my first warriors video was i believe a spoof video about ashfur and squirrelflight, but my first map and amv? uhhh unsure!

🗺 : first map you ever watched? - i didn't actively watch maps as a small kid, or at least i don't think i did? the first map that i entirely remember watching was during my second major warriors phase by the time i was closer to... 15 maybe?? as opposed to my earliest memories of wc which are from when i was 10 or younger lol. little fang, which is making me genuinely super misty eyed to rewatch, it's just so so good, from the style to the designs to how well it gets into jayfeather and his family with only animation and music, the composition of every part is so good, the designs, all of it. the sole reason little fang is one of my favorite songs to this day it might, miiight, have also been evelyn evelyn? that one was certainly one of the first maps i ever watched that stuck with me. the dovewing kinnie has entered chat

🖼 : first amv/pmv you ever watched? - i cannot remember. i watched sooo many amvs as a kid. not my FIRST amv, probably, but one of the earliest i recall is ashfur's revenge, which is delighting me so much to rewatch. this one was formative for me, i miss the style of flash-animated warriors amvs that (obviously:() aren't around anymore. i also have such a soft spot for tigerclaw is not one of thunderclan, one i was thinking about the Entire Time i was writing the exile scene in spottedfur's pride lol. i still love it so much, this is my first time rewatching it in like... a decade, im sure. its so good. im kind of blown away as i rewatch these that they ARE as good as they are, cuz i feel like it's common in the warriors fandom to treat old amvs as some cringeworthy lost art (in general i have strong opinions on how (unintentionally)cruel the internet starts being to things as soon as they enter "nostalgia" territory) - but there's still, like, genuine talent in these. there's a reason these amvs were as popular as they were, and not because we were all cringe 10 year olds who didn't know better, lol. also reminds me of tigerstar and the dog pack(be prepared) - which is one i have the most vivid memory of watching on my family computer, hehe. in general i love corvus katana's stuff, past and current oh my god i will never get this ask posted because i keep remembering ones that helped, like, form a lobe of my brain growing up. HOW TO SAVE BLUESTAR'S LIFE YOU WILL ALWAYS BE FAMOUS!!!! I AM TOTALLY NOT CRYING REWATCHING IT. YOU ARE. YOU ARE. cant believe i had a phase where i hated bluestar - i think everyone did because they spontaneously realized she was imperfect, immoral even at times, and made mistakes but hadn't developed the media comprehension to realize she was... actually meant to be complex and troubled and not just a perfect leader. god. bluestar. god. god. g (im also gonna use this question as a chance to gush about old amvs that i remember that are unfortunately lost to time: a hollyleaf one to hurricane by thirty seconds to mars (!!!! THIS ONE WAS SO FORMATIVE BUT IM LIKE 80% SURE ITS LOST MEDIA), bluestar heart heart head (PLEASE tell me im not the only one who remembers this one!!! i was devastated to learn it wasn't iconic or reuploaded anywhere (as much as i also think, again, in the nostalgia-sense, people act entitled to things like old amvs or people's art or whatever else)), NIGHTCLOUD GIRL WITH ONE EYE CHANGED MY LIFE?and... probably more of course that aren't coming to me now xP

i. didnt expect to ramble as much as i did with this? i just can't put into enough words how formative warriors amvs and the like were for me growing up :'DD they were my major start for digital art and animation (something i did a lot when i was younger but fell out of over time, but god i'd love to animate again, maybe do a classic wc amv to spottedfur's pride or something lol)

thank you for the question! I am so incredibly normal about warrior cats.

[indignantlemur]

Writing process question: With a story as long and involved as Emigre, do you have a master plot plan with an idea of where things will go all the way till the end, or are you sort of making it up in sections as you go? Or somewhere in between?

Hello! I started out, some 12 years ago, with a nebulous plot idea and a bunch of characters with a broad idea for an actual story in the background. I knew where I wanted my characters to go, the big scenes I wanted to write, and I had only a vague notion about the ending.

That worked for me for the first little while, but then my computer died and I lost my vague guideline notes. After that I was completely lost and totally disheartened. Regrettably, this coincided with some very unpleasant happenings in my personal life, and ultimately I ended up stopping my writing entirely.

Since returning to writing, I've salvaged all of the plot points I can recall and I've actually sat down and written out a point-for-point roadmap. I've patched as many plot holes as I can with this roadmap, tried to account for all of the characters that have been mentioned even once, and have a very thorough accounting of what happens from now until the end of the story. This has actually been hugely helpful, and I find it a lot more productive than my old, off the cuff method of writing.

So, for example, I'll usually set up something like this:

Bulreeng Taal: Dagmar and Thelen go to the local festival. Mixed results. INCLUDE:

A. First Vrath-Thelen encounter, goes poorly ; "I just wanted to talk to her and walk her home -because I thought she was in danger- and I was an idiot. I forgot how words worked and came off like an ass." B. Differing reactions to Dagmar, nice positive feels and disappointing negative reaction C. Draw from [inspiration 1] and [inspiration 2] for the festival but keep it alien! Figure out colours/themes, traditions, lore! D. Themes of healing and moving on/letting go throughout E. Enemies-to-loves starting vibes? See if it fits. F. Dagmar and Thelen have a conversation about boundaries, Tha’an/Sannev politics, and making an effort. Establish bestie-dom! IMPORTANT SUBPLOT INFO: Plant seeds for Dagmar/Thelen, maybe Vrath/Thelen where applicable but don't break the chapter for it

2. Date with Shral! (NOTE: Same day as BULREENG TAAL.)

A. Shral and Dagmar chat; expand upon dynamic, emphasize themes of calming and settling each other. B. SHRAL LAUGHS. Great maple syrup heist, ridiculousness. C. Constellations and lore! Write up a draft of a creation story, figure out themes and tidbits. Contrast the Star Thief with the Great Maple Syrup heist? Skip if it breaks the flow. D. Dagmar's gear failure - look up details for hypothermia, cold shock, and reactions to sudden, extreme temperature drops. Make it realistic. Gear fails gradually, a little at a time, before abruptly cutting out. E. If it fits, revisit intimacy between Dagmar and Shral. Consider realistic hesitation and reasons for caution - for Dagmar especially. Work with limitations from that perspective. F. Character development point: Shral is more open during intimacy, versus closed off and stoic otherwise. Contrast important! G. Ruin an arbiter's day, drop hints about Shral, make Dagmar oblivious. INCLUDE: yellow flash, identification cards, autopilot. “What’s wrong, Esheth? You look like you’ve seen a sea spirit.” / “I think I pulled over an Am Tal operative for speeding today.” / “...Oh shit.” / “It gets worse.”

The important thing about setting up my notes this way is not to hold them up as hard and fast rules but as guidelines. Sometimes the dialogue I'd like to include doesn't quite work, or the scene progresses more organically if I skip a bit here or leave some exposition for later on.

Currently, I have the entire story mapped out until the end, with two story arcs to complete and a bunch of additional chapters as well for various bits of lead-up, lore, exposition, and development. I also have about a dozen side stories tentatively mapped out in a similar fashion, too!

Cheers, and thanks for the ask! <3

[lacklusterhero747]

Into the Perilous Wilds

I can clearly remember when I took my first, tentative steps into the hobby that would ultimately become my lifelong obsession. Sitting in a Walden Books on the floor, flipping through one of the Monster Manuals for Advanced Dungeons and Dragons and marveling at the artwork while I read the bits of lore written on the page to accompany it. After that, the first Table Top RPGs I ever played were, first, Shadowrun and that black book AD&D with the Barbarian on the cover.

This was an era where the Gamemaster was considered like unto a god. Prevailing Gygaxian advice was that players should defer to the GM's judgement and that the GM themselves should deeply understand the lore of their world, have answers for everything, be able to make harsh but impartial decisions on the spot. It was a point of view that had a huge impact on what I thought it meant to play TTRPGs and especially what it meant to be a GM for a very long time and would not change until much later in life when I encountered the indie revolution that swept through the space around the end of 3.5e/beginning of 4e when Powered by the Apocalypse games had their day in the sun.

PBtA games were the first games I really encountered that called out the idea of collaborative storytelling to an extent that caught my attention. They told you to ask your players their opinion, and featured moves with advice to ask the player themselves where they might have learned the information they new in character. These were questions that had implications on the lore of the world. In a heartbeat your players, rather than you as the godhead of the game, could shift the entire world in tone, or even turn the whole thing on its head. You might still control the Fronts, and the world itself might still be your character to play, but suddenly everyone had the creative freedom to change things in new and interesting ways baked into the mechanics of the very game.

I loved it.

Fast forward a few years and I would encounter a funny little book called The Perilous Wilds, a supplement for the PBtA game Dungeon World.

This little book is 76, digest-size pages, and had such a simple pitch:

The Perilous Wilds combines Dungeon World's approach to collaborative world-building with the old-school RPG reliance on random tables to generate content on the fly, woven together by modifications to the original Dungeon World travel moves. The main differences between the use of tables in The Perilous Wilds and their use in older RPGs is an emphasis on exploration and discovery over combat encounters, and the baked-in methodology of using randomized results as prompts rather than facts, to be interpreted during play. The collaborative map-making guidelines and all of the tables are system-neutral (usable with any RPG rules). Although the tables are structured to tie directly into the rewritten travel moves, they can be used in any game in which a fantastical landscape is explored. 

It was in this little book where I found a concept that was, perhaps not new, but one that I was incredibly taken with. Letting the players draw the map, and by extension, the world.

Starting from a discussion of the fiction of your world, be it a village on the frontier or even en media res as you emerge from a ruin temple into the wilds, you had your players a blank sheet of paper with a simple X on the map that says you are here. From there, you start with the youngest character in the party and proceed clockwise around the table. Each player is given the opportunity to add a region to the map, be they a swath of land or a sea, defined by either their prevailing terrain type or political boundaries, and then give that region a name. This step can be repeated as many times around the table as you like, but eventually you have to move on.

From there, each player is asked to places to the map. Areas, Steadings, and Sites get injected into the map, starting from the Fiction of which character is the most well traveled. Areas are like sub-regions, calling out interesting exceptions to a Region's overall theme. Steadings label the settlements of the territory, its villages, towns, keeps, or cities. Sites meanwhile, create your points of interest and landmarks. Each of these is meant to be given a brief description and name, the process continuing until everyone is satisfied with the amount.

After this the Oldest Character steps up and begins adding personal places. The book asks them to name two things: The place the character calls home and a place the character finds significant to them. These can be places already on the map, or newly named and added details like in the previous step, but the question must be answered of each: why? Why does your character choose to dwell where they do? What important thing happened to you at the point you've marked on the map? It tells you to shape the fiction of both the world and the character by considering such a simple but necessary detail.

After that, each player gets the chance to add connectors to the map in the form of roads, rivers, paths, or leylines. Anything that can be reasonably considered to connect to places within the world. Name it now, or name it later, but they must be drawn on the map as you further define the territory.

Finally, the book asks the most knowledgeable character to begin the process of sharing rumors and legends. Something the character has heard about any place on the map, but something that no one in the party can be sure to be true or false. The rumors must be noteworthy and provocative, the book advises, but each player has the chance to add to the depth of the fiction. Cutely, the book even offers the following advice:

This conversation might happen in character, or not. Ask clarifying questions; chide the speaker for giving any credence whatever to such malarkey; whistle in awe at the very idea.

And meanwhile the book itself speaks directly to the Game Master and asks you consider which of these rumors is really true, and what does that mean for the world?

All of this is excellent advice, and the procedure itself has been fun and engaging to work with every time I have put it to use in one of my games. It's also one of the primary reasons that I took to Fabula Ultima with such gusto, after reading that game's own advice and procedure on how to build a world. The two products are aligned in their ideals of what it means to create a world for cooperative storytelling, and the similarities in their process was striking.

But it goes beyond merely that.

The book is filled to the brim with interesting mechanics for the game Dungeon World, including new rules for followers and overland travel, Moves for handling the weather and compendium classes for your players to level into, but even past the mechanics built specifically for one game in particular, there are so many tables and system agnostic little details.

There's a Monster maker, a Discovery generator, Steading creator, and so much more. There are tables for creating quirks and details for people, places, and things, and a section that provides a whole array of rules for generating dungeons on the fly who's details can be fleshed out as you go and it's layout can be easily represented by a flowchart rather than meticulous lines drawn on graph paper.

And most importantly, the book simply tells you to trust your gut.

Yes, it offers you advice on how to prep between sessions, but it advises that a little bit of prep can go a long way. You don't need to worry about having all of the answers. Your campaign bible need not be so thick that you could bludgeon someone to death with it. All you really need is a sense of what is happening in the world and your gut instinct as a storyteller. You really only have to take a step back think more deeply on the game, its Fronts and its people and places, if you begin to sense instability in the world's fabric that you or your players find intolerable. With practice, the book says, you shouldn't need more than an hour or so between sessions to make the minimal, necessary notes for what comes next.

It's an excellent little tome, and one which I still use to this day, even though we're not currently playing any Dungeon World games. The tables provide me with rich inspiration and quick in-game answers to the question of what comes up during exploration. Its dungeon generation system has taught me that in theater of the mind play, a node map can be just as useful as a real one.

And when I feel my dedication to the ideal of collaborative world building and storytelling slipping because I want more answers or more control, I flip through its pages and read its advice as a reminder that we don't have to live in the castles that Gygax built any longer.

[brandtner]

Hi Bruzi!! I loved your post about kosovo and his relationships and I was wondering if you would be willing to do something simmilar with srpska??

Hello yaox :D Thanks, it's really fun to apply my knowledge of their politics/history to the creation of these headcanons.

ILIJA:

It is hard to describe what kind of "stupid" Ilija really is. But I think this (REAL) event from 1991 explains it really well: First day the war begins, he kidnaps Bosnia's boss at the airport, because he gets too excited to fight his first war ever. Then EU people come, surround him, and he simply lets him go… no ransom or whatever… just… jesus christ

Snorts cedevita

Blind patriot who will probably grow out of it. His strong "politically incorrect" beliefs are a revolt against his parents. He tends to over do it and be against literally anything that his parents stand for. Something like:

Enis: These grapes are so good. I love grapes. Ilija: I will sacrifice my entire life in order to destroy every grape plant on this planet.

Hates his parents, but Idriza is definitely not as bad as Enis. Enis doesn't even know how old is he, but he still tries.

He hits his dad. His dad beats him back with a belt or with a slipper.

"Independence? Yeah you know I may not be on the map but structure-wise I'm basically a real country. I have these two big trading partners, too. No, not like China or Germany, I trade CS go skins."

He hasn't got a lot of friends. He pushes normal people away with his obsessions - one for warfare, other one for Serbia.

I wouldn't say he is as nationalistic to push away any Bosniak friends. But when I look at their politics… He might. (The life of a nationalist is bound to contain some level of isolation. Problems of closed social circles: one can be safe in them, but then terribly sensitive to the open world)

Has shown his Minecraft world to Idriza. It was titled "Markale 1994". Since then Idriza has stopped taking interest in Ilija's free time.

Has successfully nicked hand grenades from his dad many times before. He keeps them under his bed "for emergencies".

There is a strict firearm, fireworks, explosive or ANYTHING that makes an explosive sound/may harm someone/may scare someone prohibition for him. The clerks don't sell none of these to him in request of Enis.

Especially BANG SNAPS. He keeps getting them from somewhere and startling his parents all the time. Enis searches him and his room repeatedly but never finds anything.

All his neighbours have been warned to NEVER give him any fireworks.

Also those mini dynamite sticks (noisemaker firework) you light up and throw at someone. (I used both of these back in the day they were awesome)

If you've seen Trailer park boys: remember when Trinity gets addicted to cigarettes because her dad smokes next to her so often? Then she gets caught smoking cigs, at like, 9 years old. Ricky (her dad) then decides to quit smoking with her and they wear the nicotine patches together and stuff and it's just so cute and definitely a thing that would happen with Enis and Ilija.

Nicotine HC: Idriza HATES the nicotine smell. Ilija is 16, he is allowed to smoke, but he doesn't - just because Enis does and he doesn't want to be like him.

RELATIONS

Literally no one in the whole world has ever heard of him or know who he is, but he thinks everyone does know him and that they think he is "cool and badass".

He loves Russia but Russia treats him like a flea (he has no idea who he is).

Serbia tries to lie himself into thinking Srpska is just a product of Alcohol Withdrawal Delirium. Srpska is not real and only appears when he has been sober for too long.

Herzegovina cares for him (as in feeds, dresses) but is otherwise cold and bland to him. Enis balances that out, bringing some fatherly fun in, some sleaze.

MORE HCs:

Most definitely a seljacina (villager mindset). There is no way he can compete with the level of Belgrade for example, he embarrasses himself often.

Probably a jannie on 4chan

I know everyone despises Srpska and thinks he is an idiot, but I think every self-respecting yugotalia fan should always remember that it was none other than HIS army that accomplished the longest siege of a capital city in the history of modern warfare.

So when he might be really flawed, he has a lot of potential when he puts his mind into it. He has "ancient warrior" in his genes. It's just that his environment doesn't let him to fully flourish.

He was surprisingly cool back in the day, for example during Ottoman Empire and AHE, he had important strategic hubs and a couple of military fortifications (of same importance).

Keep in mind his capital is the 2nd largest city in Bosnia, not Herzegovina's.

Under his moron facade he is actually capable of achieving great things, proving he takes some great traits after his real dad. Unfortunately, though, bad traits tend to dominate over them...

Has met Osama bin Laden. (unironically, Bosnia's boss was friends with him)

Whenever he gets in a fight with Enis he whips out that fact, or just shouts random, made-up things and presumptions containing words like mujahideen or jihadist.

90s war HCs? It's a very important topic for the existence of Srpska, but I'm not sure anyone is interested in that kind of thing so I will leave it be.

(srpska is so relatable)

[binart]

Hey, absolutely LOVE your art and I enjoy seeing your comics! Small question, how long does it take for you to make one page? And what is your process?

thank you!!!

THANK U!!!!!!!

it's a decidedly long-ish process and i'M KIND OF WONDERING HOW I MANAGED TO CHURN OUT TWO PER WEEK FOR A WHILE... (it was bad for my mental health i think is how). some artists can do like THREE OR EVEN FOUR PER WEEK!! but i am slow and so it takes me like 4-5 days to make one dfkjhgfdkjg

anyway first step is thumbnailing! that's when you make a tiny comic page and map out where you will have the panels, and what you want in them. also very good to figure out where your text bubbles will be at this stage.

NEXT!! transferring the thumbnail to a regular comic canvas! i like to thumbnail on paper with pencil because i eRASE STUFF A LOT (paneling is hard and i'm still learning), so i take a picture of it and then paste it onto the canvas >w>

NEXT!!! rough sketch phase. the picture quality tends to be jank as hell b/c i'm lazy & refuse to take more than one picture EVEN IF IT'S BLURRY, so i go over everything with a VERY QUICK SKETCH to lay out the same ideas. then I go in with a vector tool to make the panels!!

NEXT!!! Sometimes skipped depending on the page, is any 3D background work if I feel like i need it! which is usually always, because my perspective skills are uh. LACKING. (aND YES IT'LL TAKE LONGER TO LEARN PROPERLY IF I RELY ON 3D TOOLS BUT I DON'T CARE!! I JUST WANT TO TELL STORIES RIGHT NOW!)

this also involves MAKING the 3-d structure which i try to do if i know the scene i want to make is in a moderately complex looking area. it takes.......... so long............................ 3D modelling is hard....

NEXT!! Actual Sketch. This is me figuring out what the characters will look like Proper instead of throwing vague blobs on the page. i have to turn my brain on a higher setting for this part so it's usually a harder step for me. i also like to finish the background lineart by this stage.

NEXT!!! THE DREADED PEOPLE LINEART........ hardest stage. VERY BORING. lack the attention span for this to not be a horrific slog. HAVE TO HAVE SOME FORM OF ENTERTAINING NOISE ON OR ELSE CAN'T COMPLETE.

NEXT!! FLAT COLORS AND SHADOWS! self explanatory! i usually do the background first since it's cooler to watch characters come to life on an already completed BG.

NEXT!!!! Text stuff. Drawing out proper text bubbles, adding in text, changing the colors of the bubbles to match the characters.. this is also where i attempt to add SFX if there are any, and this is extremely difficult for me for whatever reason. STILL LEARNING LMAO.. i also blur stuff if i'm trying to show like... depth at this stage. like making one character blurry so you know they're closer to the "camera" so to speak

NEXT!!!!!!! AND FINALLY!!!! THE BEST PART!!!! Gradients. MAKES EVERYTHING BETTER. FUN TO APPLY. PULLS THE ENTIRE PAGE TOGETHER.

....................hm that's actually quite an involved & difficult process. i am only now realizing that

HM.

[the-broken-pen]

Alright, I’ve seen this introduction game for writblr bouncing around, started by @iloveyou-writers , and thought I’d give it a go, because I know like. Nobody else on here lol.

Hi! I’m Archangel, or Arch, and I use she/her pronouns. I tend to traverse writing genres pretty freely, but my favorites (and most common) are fantasy, sci-fi, dystopia, heroes and villains, and horror. I’ll write anything though, so be warned. As far as tropes I love, it’s a lot of Hero Villain stuff, that one “Oh. Oh.”, hurt/comfort, anything to do with fae(is that a trope?), and of course, enemies to lovers. Also one bed. Sue me.

I would say I’m SFW, but everyday I am dragged towards NSFW, and it is entirely my friend’s fault. So uh. I may not stay SFW for long? I do tend to write a lot of mental health stuff, (including self harm, but more so healing from it/getting help), kidnapping, and hurt comfort, as of now. I don’t know what tropes I won’t write, but if someone ever asks for one (if one day, I am blessed with an ask 🕊️) and I realize I won’t write it, I’ll let you all know.

In my opinion, the best work I’ve ever written is either my half written, totally not mildly abandoned book The Edge of Truth, or my other book that is slightly close to being done and has no title, the poor thing. The Edge of Truth is entirely serial killer based and I love that the main point is to not only trick the characters, but the audience too, while leaving clues the whole time. Haha, foreshadowing. Also it’s lesbians so like. My no name book is superpowers based and has been a war to write, but I love the character dynamics and also my demon character. On here, though, my favorites are likely my Map of Fae story, or the one with the hero who can steal powers. I will not link them because tumblr hates me and I can’t make it work for the life of me :(

My favorite characters I’ve written are probably Riven, Mercy, Lucy, Melody, and Aletheia(but sometimes she actively fights me as I try to write her, which sounds over dramatic, but of course it does, I’m a writer.) (All of those are book characters that I’ve written so you likely won’t find them on here, at least for a bit)

One last thing is that I go absolutely feral for anything to do with fae, or other supernatural creatures. Also hurt/comfort. I’m lgbtqia+, and my writing is too, so check the homophobia at the door, and if you can’t part with it, then kindly find the nearest exit.

I’m also obsessed with the All For The Game series (It’s rather unhealthy, really), and my friend is relentlessly trying to get me to write megamind fanfiction. Sometimes my writing sounds British, but I’m not British, and I have no explanation.

Thanks for reading that horrifying essay, and I challenge these people to fill this out (I have very few writer friends and I’m very lonely so here are the few I know): @ettawritesnstudies @jtl-fics @save-the-villainous-cat @epiclamer @megreads22 @d-cs @lektricfergus @meadowofbluebells

[kenyizsuartblog]

The Rainbow Serpent's Herald

Grayscale version (x)

Kenyizsu's First Law: Everything that receives my undivided attention shall be redesigned into a fantasy setting sooner or later.

---

It is rare the Rainbow Serpent crosses the veil to the mortal realm from the Dreamtime, even rarer for her to choose a champion among penguins. Once chosen, the champion must face all manners of supernatural foes and challenges to keep the Dreamtime eternal, the worlds in balance and their fellow penguins safe. Given the Dreamtime's timeless nature, peeking into the past, other parts of the present, or into the future, or even temporary time-traveling can indeed happen, usually in the most inopportune moments possible. Whether or not the champion experiences this sudden shift in life duties as a blessing or a curse, is entirely up to the penguin himself.

Personally, Rory absolutely loves the ride!

---

So! Once again a fantasy redesign! Because why not? :D I have literally zero plans with this idea beyond this picture, but by all that is holy, I researched the heck out of it as much as I could.

This is also the first picture I have colored with the Gradient Map technique, and a bit of a paintover as the final touch. Please let me know how it turned out, the good and the bad! Thank you! :blowkiss:

Trivia

Rory is from Bells Beach, Australia, which used to belong to the Wathaurong nation, as I have found out. In their art they don't really use dots, mostly crosshatching and circles, hence I opted to leave out dot-like decoration off the weapons entirely (Rory's design has them already, I'm not changing that).

The beaked boomerang (looking like a big 7) was one type of non-returning boomerang mostly used for melee fighting, acting as a hooked weapon. They also used it for cutting meat and digging, and should the beak break off, they just chiselled it down and used it as a regular non-returning boomerang. Originally Rory had a spear, but once I found this type of boomerang, I knew this would be his main weapon, certainly. The spear still made it onto the picture because I found a hella awesome looking aboriginal spear in a museum on Google! :D

The Rainbow Serpent's head shape and darker coloring compared to the rest of her body is based on the inland taipan. The design would have been either that, or the largest snake in Australia, the scrub python. But given how the inland taipan has the most potent venom in the entire goddamn world (cuz it's Australia, babyyy!), the choice became obvious. Her frills on her head come from some interpretations of the Serpent where it is drawn with horns or some kind of feathers (?) growing out of the two sides of his head, behind the eyes.

I haven't actually found any Rainbow Serpent-related myths within the Wathaurong or the Kulin alliance circles, they mostly believed in a creator spirit called Bundjil in the form of a wedge-tailed eagle. I guess the Serpent wasn't worshiped around those parts of Australia. Still, the general composition of Rory standing with a Rainbow Serpent was very strong in my mind, so I did not let that one go.

Originally the Serpent would have been absolutely massive, but I struggled to come up with a composition that would feel right to me. I probably could have done so eventually, but by pulling away from that and making it a more personal composition helped me progress finally. Maybe one day I will do the other idea!

I love my hobbies, honestly. I learn about so many awesome things. Hope you guys like the picture, let me know! ^^ Take care!

2023.08.29.

[bartibit]

Introductory Post

Uhhhh... Hello! Greetings! and Salutations! random person of Tumblr! You've stumbled either on this post, or you decided to check on my Blog in whichever case, Hi, make yourself at home.

I am Bartibit, or Barti - A random internet person who wanders around the interweb, trying to find the place that suits them. Shy in person, Introverted from hell and back, trying to find non-toxic side of the internet. I've only recently stumbled on here, quietly watching to see if this site is to my liking after... whatever the fuck is happening on Twitter / "Nobody will call it 'X' Musk". Yes, I'm a Twitter Refugee (woe me). And from so far I've observed, I really like it here, so this post is more for me, finally breaking ice.

I actually have a lot of interests, so follow me at your own discression, I will be unapologetically me, I will vent, I will post about my interests, I will make typos, I will share my accomplishments, I will post random sketch once in blue moon. I will randomly fixate on some series, I will post about my thoughts. Maybe you'll find something new, I don't know. I will be fucking random because my mind does not know how to segue naturally. I will probably have reflex on liking instead of reposting which I'm sorry about, I will fight the demons of not reposting.

I am a digital artist, mainly doing some silly doodles and seldom full pieces. I drawed comics in my addolecense instead of studding, making me also interested in storytelling. I dabbled in flash cs6 animation, video editing, writing reviews/video essays (i'm kinda bad at them) and making source maps for TF2 and CSGO.

I also play a lot video games, like I am obsessed with this medium; I love it, it's my entire personality because it carried me through a lot of hardships. I mainly play on PC, as I find it the most comfortable, most flexible and I already have most of my hobbies be tied to computers.

Some of the games I'm obsessed over, in non specific order, more will be added probably:

Disco Elysium

Undertale & Deltarune

Hollow Knight

The Binding of Isaac

Ultrakill

Doom

Omori

OneShot

Bloodborne

Sekiro

Hi-Fi Rush

Persona 4 Golden

Lisa the Painful

Metal Gear Solid

Half Life 1 & 2

Silent Hill 2

Darkest Dungeon

Portal

Hotline Miami

Fallout New Vegas

Celeste

Wandersong

Pyre

Risk of Rain 2

I also have interest in computers and coding (I can do basic C/C++ stuff), currently studing computer science, I like math. Maybe want to make games one day; I am interested in game design, design decissions and discussion - I just find it neat!

I like stories, like everybody else lol Movies, Series, Animation, Anime, Webcomics, I even look after good unique stories in video games.

Movies or series I'm obssesed over? here they are, again, in non specific order:

Mob Psycho 100

JoJo Bizzare Adventure

Dungeon Meshi

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

One Piece

Saiki K.

The Good Place

Arcane

Breaking Bad

Bojack Horseman

Adventure Time (currently watching)

Infinity Train

Amphibia

The Owl House

Over the Garden Wall

Captain Laserhawk

Knifes Out & Glass Onion

Spiderverse

Everything Everywhere all at Once

D&D: Honor Among Theives

John Wick

Atlantis: The Lost Empire

Emperor's New Groove

Hope you will find the stuff I do here at least interesting Here, have random sketch be upon yee:

Oh also, LGBTQ+ rights are cool. Queerness is cool as fuck and you're welcome here - bigots, get lost to the void >:)