#...there are also alternate types of explosion. and explosive things. and such

[alex-wizard-413]

...look id say anything but my creator genuinely thinks 9/11 is A Funny Day.

Also, you may need to actually get that checked out. Boss has record of basically any of you thats important (yes that includes you <3) and apparently you have IMMENSE mana reserves and overall decent stats. Like yeah you have a glass cannon build but you can also switch from "slow load literal nukes" to "what if i made .50 bullets... with c4!"

Like fr it sounds bad in general. Plz stay safe

the magic economy is in fucking shambles. I haven't been able to afford a single explosion since 9/11!

all because of woke

[crystalandrose]

Bill breaks out of theraprism and unleashes all the alt. reality pines kids that are desperate to replace the once that lived, but Also this includes Evil!Ford, which- excited to see bill is alive in this reality when bill died in his- makes a deal with bill and now its possessed evil ford vs canon ford and both think the other is an idiot that threw away their chance at true happiness/fulfillment.

(More ideas on this below)

Evil Ford thinks that Canon Ford is stupid because he 1) spent so much time in the portal and wasted most of his time (if he was gonna go against bill, why also push everyone else away, all his other relationships were worsened cause of bill so why go against him if hes already suffering consequences) 2) threw away a chance to be happy AND be recognized for his talents/heroism/etc.

Canon Ford thinks Evil Ford is stupid because 1) cannot fathom a world where he is happy with what Bill's plan was 2) Doesn't think Bill genuinely cares about him, is just using him.

"Can't you tell, you're being used!"

"What's so wrong with feeling- no- BEING useful?" *continues fighting*

An issue is that 1) people cant tell the two apart enough visually when not possessed and 2) mabel/dipper/others feel bad about beating up a guy that looks just like their uncle. Stan, not so much.

I also thought itd be interesting if Bill and Evil Ford are so in-sync that their voices both speak at times when Bill is possessing him (similar to how certain fusions in SU overlay voices, would also have similar lines like "It feels so great to be back!"). They may be evil- but they have a more stable relationship so maybe possession is more of an equal control deal.

Along with the regular journals, Evil!Ford has a golden journal with an eye on the cover that he always holds close. Its cursed so only Ford's eyes can read it (this includes canon ford!) and inside it has details about cipher, communications between the two, and more personal diary-type entries. While Evil Ford still had Bill in his mind (in his universe bill still "died" after/before/during weirdmaggedon) so they could communicate that way, Ford still let Bill take over while he slept sometimes (so that he could get more work done) and Bill would spend time looking at other realities (explaining his absences). So the book was a way to jot down communications without forgetting. So Canon ford gets his hands on it somehow (maybe they imprisoned evil ford in order to trap bill or something) and is reading trying to find a way to get leverage with Evil Ford but its like a teenage girls diary or like a note being passed in forth and its just a bunch of flirting 💀.

(An idea I had is Evil Ford put something in the book saying "to allow other eyes to see, recite this aloud" and ford- sleep deprived staying up trying to find answers in the book- gives in and recites it so others can help. But upon reading it a glitter explosion happens and the words "LOL YOU THOUGHT STEALING MY EYES WOULD WORK?" either pop up or are said. Evil ford in the cell laughs and said that was a trap for eye-thieves and he never even thought alternate fords eyes would be a problem.)

Last thing: Given that the canon universe is the only one where Dipper and Mabel survived maybe?, Evil Ford's Dipper and Mabel died while Ford was away. Evil Ford feels guilt, worrying if it was somehow his fault for not returning to GF sooner or prioritizing protecting his family (he believes/did make a deal with Bill that his family would be spared). So when he sees the Canon twins, he stumbles and stutters a bit in his resolve. He can't bring himself to go against them, only when he is possessed by Bill is his body able to not hold punches. (Maybe canon bill and evil ford's bill are a bit different, and during possession evil ford realizes this and is worried).

[cvtyvvitch]

💗💐✨Pick-A-Card: What Is Next for You in Love?✨💐

💕 Pick an emoji (⚡️, 🌸, or 🌊) for a reading on what is coming next for you in love.

✨ Focus your intention and remain open — if none of the images light up for you, there may not be a message for you in this reading! Alternatively, more than one image might connect with you. As always, trust your intuition and take what resonates, leaving the rest.

⚡️⚡️⚡️

#1 ⚡️ Lightning ⚡️

In French, love at first sight is called ‘coup de foudre’ — a lightning strike. This picture makes my eyes water, and I get a few different impressions off it. First, someone sees you and is completely taken back. This could be someone you have met already and they felt this, but for some it’s happening soon. Someone who literally stops in their tracks and is dazed by you. It’s a frenetic energy, hard to pin down. A bit of the madness that comes with a really intense new crush.

The second option I get is that someone reenters your life very suddenly, a bit of a Tower experience. It feels that things were left unresolved between you, and it’s a situation/feelings that still keeps you up some nights. It’s a feeling like horses straining under a harness and energy built up to the point of explosion. Not a bad feeling per se, but definitely volatile and shocking.

Key words: fire, volcano, out of control, thunder, chewed straws, bitten nails, knock on the door, feet on pavement, midnight, nokia cell phone, unknown caller ID, broken glass, be not afraid, late night gas/petrol station, buzzing silence

PS If you have any feedback, please let me know! Also if you save this reading and notice it being accurate for you, I’d love to hear about it!

🌸🌸🌸

#2 🌸 Pink Flower 🌸

For this group, I get the image of someone picking flowers from the garden for their grandmother. Someone very sweet on the periphery of your life who you know or may get the opportunity to get to know soon. They feel like someone with a lot of responsibility with maybe their family or community, but always find the time for you. Sweet, somewhat shy or quiet energy. Feels like a neighbor, maybe, or a neighbor to someone in your family.

There’s hesitation here, maybe on both ends? I don’t feel major turmoil but just the uncertainty mixed with curiosity that comes with a new person who isn’t obviously mutually interested in you. Friendly without being over flirtatious. The type of person who gives you a bucket of lemons because they’ve had a bunch extra in their backyard.

Keywords: bicycle, farmer’s market, pharmacy, picket fence, down the hall, shy, hedge, grandmother, dahlias, peonies, tuna can, plum

PS If you have any feedback, please let me know! Also if you save this reading and notice it being accurate for you, I’d love to hear about it!

🌊🌊🌊

#3 🌊 Waves 🌊

This connection coming in has a feeling of longing. It feels like a period of missing someone or a time in your life that you know you can’t return to. Grief that feels a little bit difficult to place because it feels like wanting something that even if you got it, things wouldn’t feel the same because you have also changed.

I know that’s not a super happy sounding message, but this is a period where you are asked to deeply reflect on what you loved and feel you’ve lost. Allow yourself to move past the surface of yearning to the deeper questions: why did I have this experience? Where did I learn what I wanted, and what does not truly help me grow and feel safe? It may feel very confusing right now in the face of perceived loss. It’s a murky time you must allow yourself to experience and pass through, but take care not to become trapped by the siren’s song of nostalgia. There is more for you to experience on the other side of this lesson, and a version of yourself waiting to embrace new joy based on a profound understanding of these past disappointing experiences.

Keywords: sighs, mirror, fingers along water, long hair, loneliness, emptiness, nostalgia, despair. Salt, tears, egg yolk, relearning, color, passion, glorious comeback and rebirth

[superkirbylover]

FINALLY!!! the VERY final refs for the ponified cast of pizza tower. everypony has the same name except for pizzahead, who's called pizzahoof. pizzahoof was also designed by @c0met-dr01d!! go check them out :]

under the cut is me rambling about their cutiemarks (or lack thereof) and other design choices

gustavo's cutiemark is a pizza with three mushroom toppings, because he's a chef, and earlier in pizza tower development, he was a gnome! this isn't the case anymore though, but i still like to think he is. that, and i just associate him with gnome forest, so it felt fitting. plus, i suppose it adds to the mario comparisons lmao

peppino's cutiemark is a pepperoni pizza alongside a pizzacutter. i know people are raising eyebrows at the pepperoni, but my excuse is... uhh, they're not actually pepperoni. it's like, some vegetarian alternative. probably made of flowers or some shit. the pizza is obvious, he's a chef and he cooka-da-pizza. the pizza cutter isn't just to hammer that in, but it's also a callback to the various times throughout pizza tower development where he used to have a pizza cutter buzz-saw! especially in pizza massacre

noise's cutiemark is a bomb with its fuse lit, because it represents his explosive personality and he often uses bombs. dude is wacky, unpredictable and can be a feral fucking thing. also something about acting, being a mascot or being in the showbiz somewhere in the mix. he has a tail, but it's just... in his suit. he's a dumbass

noisette's cutiemark is a ruby chocolate bar. she runs a cafe, and while she presumably has Really Weird Taste, i figured it would be a really cute fit for her. it's sweet, just like her! and pink. just like her!

fake peppino deliberately does not have a cutiemark. it's to add to the sense of "failed clone," where many aspects of peppino have been successfully recreated (body type, hair color, coat color, outfit, facial hair) but other small things have been muddled or changed by mistake (height, eyes not staying in their sockets, hair being more smooth looking, face shape). not to mention, he's made of dough, like his original clone counterpart. in the show, it's established that only ponies can have cutiemarks. while he looks like a pony, who's to say he really is one?

stick's cutiemark is that television hud you see when you have enough money to buy a boss gate in pizza tower. i chose this cause on top of being a tv, a reoccurring object throughout the game, it also has some modifications to make it more... stick-y. it has his hat and a propeller coming from the top, and if you know stick, that man likes to make shit, specifically to sell and make money. that's also why there's a money sign in the tv. stick has a tail stub but i never really draw it myself. he's completely bald. mind you, he still has his coat, but no mane, no tail. zilch. he's a bald motherfucker. also stick's magic color is green

pizzahoof also does not have a cutiemark. he's a fucking cheese pony, why would he need one? dude just exists to be silly and whimsical. giving him one i feel would go against his character of just being clownish, doing what he wants when he wants, regardless if it means others suffer because of him or not. also, he's MADE of CHEESE!!!

[direwolfrules]

I get that this is kinda over shadowed by the, well, everything going on in the book, but why is no one talking about how District 12 was a fucking Company Town. The miners were paid in scrip. Scrip was only supposed to be redeemable in the Capitol Store, but luckily some of the merchants in town would accept it as an alternative form of payment.

Keep in mind I’m American so my knowledge of the subject is very USA history centered, if anyone with knowledge of similar systems in other nations wants to jump in I encourage it.

For those who aren’t aware, in the 19th and early 20th centuries, companies would build entire communities, Company Towns, to house their workers. In the United States this often happened in remote areas where resource extraction jobs such as mining and logging/lumber milling were occurring. These towns would often be the only place to live for miles near these work sites, so even in the locations where it wasn’t required by the company that owned the site for their employees to live in the company town, many had no choice but to do so.

Most company towns were exploitative. You HAD to live in the company town most times, and in many cases the company would charge you rent. Then comes the Company Stores and scrip. The company owned and ran the store in town. So you needed to buy your groceries and toiletries and basic articles for living from the company. Thing was, they’d charge an excessive mark up for these products. So your pay would never quite be enough to afford everything you were buying, leaving you forced to put in on credit. Leaving you in debt to the company. But say you were in a company town just close enough to another community that you’d be able to make the trek to buy stuff from their shops. Surely, in that case, you’d be able to avoid the debt to the company that employs you? This is where scrip comes in. Scrip was an alternative type of currency that was only really good in the company town that issued it. Miners and loggers would be paid in scrip instead of actual money, and the exchange rate was practically worthless. Even if that neighboring community existed, the likelihood it would have a shop that would accept pieces of paper that were only useful as tinder outside of a company town were slim to none.

Company towns were designed to keep workers in debt to the company, and therefore trapped in their employment with the company. They were often lacking in what we would today consider to be basic municipal services, were full of poverty and lacking conditions, and the general awfulness of the practice and environment was one of the factors that lead to the unionization of mine workers.

Which leads me to a bit of Appalachian Coal Mining specific history and another few things I don’t see people talking about in the books. For around a decade in the 1910s-1920s the West Virginia coal wars, also known as the mine wars, raged as part of the dispute between unionizing miners and the mining companies/their union busting mercenaries/the U.S. government. The history is too long for this post, but I encourage everyone to at least read the Wikipedia article. Anyway, the Coal Wars culminated in the Battle of Blair Mountain. During the Battle of Blair Mountain, which was the largest labor uprising in US history and the largest armed uprising since the American Civil War, about 10,000 miners rose up against the companies and corrupt sheriff’s department that were literally murdering murdering them on courthouse steps for unionizing. The companies and the US Army had bomber planes drop gas and explosive bombs left over from WWI on them.

Anyway, I find it incredibly interesting with this historical context that one of Haymitch’s friends is named Blair. Whether or not Blair Mountain is still known as Blair Mountain during the series is unknown, the only in universe reference we have to what placed used to be named is when Katniss mentions District 12 is in what used to be known as Appalachia. It’s just interesting to me, that a name so tied to Appalachian coal miners rebelling against exploitative companies and corrupt law enforcement, lived on.

I also want to point out that while the miners were bombed and routed at Blair Mountain, though it was technically a win for the companies-government coalition, even though it led to lower numbers of UMW members for the next few years, the fight continued on. And in the 1930s the union won most of what the miners had been fighting for. Something something, District 12 parallel.

Anyway, I leave you with some music to listen to:

[simply-simplid]

can u please tell me ur thoughts on the yj characters superhero thing u wrote about a while ago

Okay so I'm going to definitely word vomit here but I'm going to do my best to contain it (spoiler alert from present Lid: I did not contain it) because I may actually end up writing something like this once PMF is done (i have a back burner of like four different fic ideas for after PMF that I will probably put some feelers out for to see what people are most interested)

YellowJackets Superhero AU Ideas below cut

General Headcanons + Thoughts

Set Up:

Takes place in a world similar to the Yellowjackets canon- with a superhero twist. Supepowered individuals are not at all the norm in this world and there is a lot of public discourse over the correlation between the emergence of superheroes and the emergence of all the new threats that superheroes face.

I've got more ideas for world building and stuff but I'll save that for when/if I actually write this

The story itself would, like the show, be split across two timelines- teen and adult.

TEEN TIMELINE:

This period would take place in the 90s and sees the teenage sidekicks of the most elite national superheroes, join up to form their own youth team to take on some of the smaller threats that their mentors don't have time for (Think Teen Titans, Young Avengers, etc).

The team is as follows:

Jackie Taylor: (Star Blitz "Star")

Power(s): Jackie can create sparks of light as miniscule as harmless sparkles to as impactful as explosive bursts with enough energy. While this power does not allow her to fly naturally like her mentor, she has over time learned to use them in a way that allows her to use their force to propel herself in a certain direction. Her powers are very popular with children because of how dazzling it looks. Team Role: Team Leader Flexible Member: primarily serves as a strike member, but can also serve mobility or support Aliases: "Star" - by the general population "Little Miss Sunshine", "Golden Girl", "Sparkles", "Twinkle Toes" - sarcastically by her teammates "Starshine" - by Solaris Mentor: Solaris (name not final) - one of the most globally popular superheroes. Powers of flight, enhanced strength, enhanced durability, energy projection (think Captain Marvel). Aspirations: Jackie's primary goal is to establish the teen superhero team as a reputable and trustworthy powerhouse team that can be depended on just as much as the big name heroes if not more. She idolizes Solaris and wants to follow in her footsteps as a hero and leader. On a more internal level, Jackie seeks a sense of belonging, understanding, and to feel known and accepted General Background: Jackie's powers came about when she was a child, and has been successfully hiding them from her parents ever since. Somehow it gets around to Solaris who takes an interest in Jackie and decides to take her in as a protege. (Maybe its moreso Jackie seeking out Solaris and pestering the shit out of her by being relentlessly stubborn until she gives in so the little twerp doesn't do something dumb like go off and try to be a superhero on her own without training.) Jackie trains under Solaris for around four or five years before the hero has less and less time for her due to increased threats. Jackie decides to establish a team of sidekick heroes to combat some of the lower level threats while their teachers fight the bigger guys.

Shauna Shipman (The Fury)

Power(s): Shauna has a transformation type of power that allows her to shift into an alternate form known as "The Fury". This form has hardened, nearly impenetrable skin, enhanced durability, strength, agility, and senses, as well as sharp retractable claws and spines. She is also able to selectively change only part of her form which she does more often than not due to being insecure about the appearance of her fully shifted form. Team Role: Primarily serves as a tank role, but can also function in plans that require more mobility Aliases: "The Red Terror", "Hellspawn" "Killer" - affectionately by teammates Mentor: Chimera (Name not final) - not a chart topping hero but one that is frequently brought onto famous teams due to their utility and likeability. Chimera can physically alter their body to take on attributes of other creatures at will, often multiple at the same time. Aspirations: Figure out what she wants for herself outside of Jackie's shadow General Background: Shauna and Jackie have been best friends since kindergarten. She was there when Jackie's powers came in and was dazzled. Aside from Solaris, she was the only one to know Jackie's identity until the team came together. Shauna's powers came in at the end of middle school, which was already a difficult time for her as Jackie started getting attention both in hero life and real life, and now Shauna felt constantly overshadowed and insecure. Shauna's mom was much more supportive of Shauna's powers and helped connect her with Chimera.

Van Palmer (SlingRay- picked herself, she's very proud of it)

Power(s): Van can manipulate the charged energy cells in her body generate energy whips from hands. These whips are highly elastic and can be used for mobility, attacks, and utility. (She's definitely tried to pull the spider-man kiss pose before). The whips are harmless unless Van chooses to charge them with excess energy which can cause a static shock to those trapped by them. Team Role: Primarily serves as utility or support. Highly mobile and extremely adept in rescue + capture situations Also serves as the team heart + comedic relief Aliases: "Clown", "Slinging Fool" - by villains and some members of the public. (She's the quippy one, she pisses people off with her jokes) Mentor: Some kind of ice powered superhero I think. Comic relief character that's both considered widely loved and annoying. Was a teenage superhero and is more like a big brother figure to Van, seeing a lot of himself in them and not wanting the superhero life to take the joy away from them. Aspirations: Keep shady organizations in check and look out for the little guys General Background: Van's powers came about due to a radiation leak from a plant set up and poorly regulated in Van's neighborhood. Most people there got sick or worse but the scandal was covered up. Van's powers started developing early freshman year and she started working as a teenage vigilante trying to take down the company behind the leak. It's during this time that she has a run in with Jackie who is trying to take down the same villain as Van. They get into a disagreement over it and the villain almost escapes. Jackie reacts impulsively and her powers accidentally go rogue and cause the scar on Van's face. Because it burned off part of Van's mask, Jackie discovered her identity and decided to cover for her by making some excuse when she brought her unconscious to the hospital. When van woke up in the hospital, heavily bandaged, the doctors had no clue of her secret identity, but a visitor (the ice powered superhero) was clued in by his proximity to Solaris and took Van under his wing so the other superheroes wouldn't try to stop her from performing heroics on her own.

Taissa Turner (Echo/Blue Buzz)

Power(s): Taissa has vibration based powers that allow her cells to vibrate rapidly. This can be used for a number of applications. She can vibrate her cells fast enough to phase through objects or people in short doses. Movement allows her to store up kinetic energy which can be released to launch herself in a direction, or release a concussive burst with a clap. Her powerset is a highly technical one that requires extensive practical thought and applications. Team Role: Primarily serves as strike + mobility but can be used as utility/support/recon Aliases: "Blue Buzz" - The media started calling her this after her debut despite the fact that she had already picked a hero name. She has been actively fighting the use of this name since she started but many people still call her this. "Buzz Kill" - Derogatory diminutive from Blue Buzz. Mostly used by villains or her teammates. Mentor: Peregrine (name not final) - Super speed hero with wing attachments. Aspirations: Become one of the top renowned heroes General Background: Taissa's powers emerged at a very early age when she had trouble sitting still, which quickly turned more upsetting when her body would straight up start vibrating in place until she phased through her bed. Her parents had decent connections and wealth and were able to get her examined. She was given a power dampening bracelet as a child and throughout the years has worked on harnessing her power rather than letting it overwhelm her. This has turned her into somewhat of a teenage prodigy. She easily could achieve her ambitions as a hero if it weren't for her difficulty working with others and attitude towards public opinion. She's VERY bitter about Jackie being picked as team leader.

Natalie Scatorccio (The Whisper)

Power(s): Natalie has an extremely enhanced intuition and senses that make her an adept hunter. Her prey drive gives her an alertness towards incoming danger and allows her to avoid or deflect attacks before they hit, making it nearly impossible to get the drop on her. Her predator drive gives her a keen awareness of enemy weaknesses and enhances her stealth and tracking skills. Additionally, she has training in hand to hand combat and dexterity. The public isn't actually aware of her powers because they don't appear visibly and she more seems to have a supernatural awareness. Her tendency to remain unseen in the shadows and get the drop on opponents is what owed her the name Whisper. Team Role: Primarily serves as utility, recon, and strike. Aliases: "Little Shadow" - by villains and other heroes. (refers to her predecessor) Mentor: Coach Ben in this universe was not a widely popular hero and was actually more of a controversial figure as he often clashed with police and government officials. He never joined a hero team and was largely a solo vigilante who was involved in street justice. Maybe some shadow based powers? Aspirations: Help the people who actually need it and make sure that no kid like her ever has to feel like they have no one looking out for them :( General Background: It is unclear if Natalie's powers were always there dormant or if they only arose when her life began to turn upside down. Her dad got involved with some villains and it was Natalie that ended up turning him in. Her mom became a shell of a human after her dad died so she largely raised herself until some of the same associates of her dad tracked her down. Ben saved her and decided to take her in and she became a vigilante under his wing. About 6 months before the team was formed, Ben was killed mysteriously and Natalie believes it to be a type of conspiracy. She was actively investigating it and getting herself into trouble and raising the wrong type of attention when Jackie decided to bring her on to the team to refocus her.

Lottie Matthews (The Witch)

Power(s): Lottie was born with a highly empathic mind and a deep connection with spirits. She can sense spirits, powerful emotions, and some level of life+death force. She can lay disturbed spirits to rest, look into the memories of a location or person's experiences and trauma, and impact the emotions and thoughts of others to a degree. Her powers are very taxing so she is often tired, anxious, or nauseous. Team Role: Almost entirely support. Sometimes she tries to get too involved in direct conflict and the others have to cover for her because she's not very adept in combat. Aliases: "Witch", "Psycho Bitch" - villains and some members of the public :( Mentor: A world renowned telepath Aspirations: Help heal a damaged world and protect her friends General Background: Lottie went through a series of therapists as a child until finally being introduced to a world renowned telepath and psychologist who was hired by the Matthews to "fix" their daughter. Instead she assured her that her powers were a gift that could help others and decided to teach her. This was the first adult in her life who seemed to be genuinely encouraging towards her rather than fearful of her. She may have unintentionally given Lottie a savior complex though :(

Misty Quigley (The Overseer)

Power(s): Misty can absorb the knowledge of someone she touches. This has allowed her to build up a mental database of skills she has almost entirely mastered. This also makes her quite distractible and scatter brained but extremely useful. Team Role: Strictly support. The others don't let her in the field if they can help it. She's the guy in the chair. Aliases: "Quiggles", "Doc", "Brainiac", "Quigs" - the team "That freaky kid" - some of the team's mentors who are vaguely aware of her Mentor: None. She's stalked dozens of them though. Aspirations: Become invaluable to the team and help make them the next strongest and more renowned superhero team. General Background: Misty has been obsessed with superhero culture since she was a child and witnessed one in action. She dedicated herself to becoming the most informed fan of all things happening in the superhero world- which became pretty easy once her powers came in and she could literally absorb knowledge. She knows many secret identities and lots of the inner workings of the superhero world. She has every resource to become one of the biggest threats to society but is only interested in pushing the teen superhero team she is obsessed with to the top of the world's leaderboards. She definitely was not supposed to be on the team but found out about their secret base and set up there when Jackie tried to bring the others over for the first time. She insistently made her pitch to them and Jackie accepted under the condition that she not involve herself in direct conflict and serve only as support. The other team members did not like this choice. Misty decided Jackie was her favorite person ever because of this choice. Most of Misty's technology that she uses was built herself from scraps or different resources that Lottie provided with her father's funding.

Teen Timeline Story:

As stated, this timeline would cover the stories of the new team as teenage heroes. Probably involves them discovering some kind of conspiracy while they are trying to figure out how to work together. Ends in some kind of disaster that leads directly to the adult timeline...

Adult Timeline Setup: Takes place around ten years after teen timeline.

The premier superheroes of the world are dead and gone. The teen superheroes from the 90s either retired or attempted to restart their lives after some mysterious tragedy.

Misty who never had an active role in the public eye during the teen timeline lives relatively unimpacted. She works during the day and stalks the superhero forums and keeps track of the team.

Taissa tries to get involved in government and actively shuts down conversations about her past

Van and Natalie both attempt to drop off the face of the earth. Van tries to start a civilian life in the middle of no where running a video store. Natalie goes through a number of fake identities moving around, never staying in one place for long.

Lottie was still institutionalized but disappeared one day years ago and has not been seen since. Her dad got the media to imply she died :(

Shauna put up her cape and has tried to build a normal boring life for herself.

And Jackie Taylor, golden girl of the sidekick team, once predicted to be the next big number one superhero-

Has lost her powers :(

For years the others lost contact with her. When she makes another public reappearance, it's as a spokesperson for an organization that is promoting a registration of all superpowered individuals and secretly has ties to a more sinister plot to depower or control superpowered individuals. Her parents are on the board of this organization.

Adult Timeline Story:

After the mysterious tragedy ten years ago that left the teen heroes broken apart, they each live in their adult lives trying to pretend they aren't still dealing with the repercussions of the event. Many of them have their powers impacted or destabilized in some way or new side effects when trying to use them.

Misty gets the team back together to tie up an old loose end and they find themselves involved in another larger conspiracy.

Story would largely cover their coming back together, dealing with this new problem, and discovering a number of mysteries such as what caused so many superpowers to go wrong, why people are going missing, what the goals are of this shadow organization, and who is this mysterious team of villains killing heroes and provoking fear into the public?

I've got some more ideas for this but again I will probably end up doing something with this idea so I'll keep the bigger details to myself B)

If anyone would be interested in this lmk because I do have a lot of fun thinking about it (i was a very big x-men and marvel comics kid)

[reallyhardydraws]

2023.

i hope any of you reading this will forgive the essay. i started posting to this art blog ten years ago in 2013 when i was just at the very end of high school, uploading short animations i'd made for one of my final projects, preparing myself for art school where i was gearing up to become an illustration/animation student.

i went into my art foundation course in 2014, still thinking i was going to be going into storybook illustration or with faint hopes of becoming like a concept artist for game/animation, although even then i'd started thinking about patterns...

and then in 2015 i did go into my BA, going in for that illustration with animation degree that... usually when i talk about it in real life, i say didn't really feel like the best place for me. if i think back, the best things i got out of it were two of my best friends, one of whom is now my partner. looking back on my BA era, there's some bits of sketchbook stuff...

and while i was at university my main fandoms were thunderbirds are go and x-men for a bit... these are from the end of 2015 into the beginning of 2016...

then for a little while i was doing this still sort of pastel-ish lineless situation:

and i alternated between that and this thin fineliner type work (pretty sure all of the linearted pieces were done on paper and scanned, and all the lineless were graphics-tablet-only) - it was in this style that i started to offer commissions for the first time too.

and i also had fineliner-lined work in sketchbooks that i coloured with marker and posca pens, the colours of which were generally a bit more intense just based on not being able to slide the hue/saturation around on paper:

also 2016 was when i discovered the spongebob musical just after it's trial run in chicago (which ended in july of 2016) and i started making fanart at that point... which would have the biggest effect on the way i drew (and i did end up handing in a piece of spongebob musical fanart as one of my art school homeworks lmao)

from summer 2016 until early 2017 things were still quite soft and pastelly in my digital art, colour-wise:

and then suddenly everything got whacked up to 100% on saturation. also i was using the binary tool to give everything really thin pixel lineart for some reason.

then i went on vacation in summer 2017 and didn't draw for maybe a month? just short of? and when i came back i decided to change everything up again... giving characters blobbier, more ugly-cute faces with large squinting eyes and big nostrils and i was worrying a lot less about making anything look smooth, lineart-wise. i turned off the pen stabiliser in SAI and let it wiggle.

then... the spongebob musical opened on broadway in late 2017, i went to see it live in person for the first time... and my whole brain was ENTIRELY consumed by my love of it. i was putting that david zinn inspired pattern explosion into everything, even if it wasn't sbm fanart.

as we go into 2018, i started colouring my lineart. my biggest interest was still broadway musicals (with spongebob at the top of the list)

i think summer 2017 - early 2018 is probably my favourite art era, i was at my most bright and colourful and exciting... although i know in my actual real life i was struggling a lot with my home situation and i had been for some time. art was definitely my escapism back then, and i think a lot of the time i drew really bright, joyful stuff to try and inject that feeling into myself.

as for my university work, i was putting my focus into 3D paper-mache puppets:

and i was also starting to do more repeat patterns, mostly inspired by things around me. i'd learned how to make patterns actually tile and repeat in 2017, so made a few during my time at uni just to accompany some of my projects, but never as the focus of them. one of my university tutors told me that maybe i should put more focus on doing surface pattern, and maybe applying it to textiles, but i said i wasn't interested.

i graduated from my BA in the summer of 2018, and immediately began volunteering at the whitworth art gallery doing anything i could - stewarding, helping with arts and crafts, dancing with families...

in 2019 i was still very colourful... i was trying out more chunky colouring on characters skintones that i think was def inspired by tumblr artist jadenvargen:

but the blobbyness and ugly-cute style of drawing faces was gone by here, and i think... the way i drew characters probably had better *anatomy*, proportions were maybe a bit more realistic...

in 2020 i started adding the black shading to under the chins and some other places on characters' bodies because i started watching the anime my hero academia with my brother, lmao (and i was starting to pastelise colours a bit again, these are the most pastel-ish examples) my lineart has really smoothed back out too, though i never turned my pen stabiliser back on in SAI. i think my hand just adjusted. probably seems a bit insane to miss that, but i do.

by the end of 2020, the almost-year of lockdown over cobid had... made me a bit insane, i think, and i moved out of my mother's house and into a flat with a friend from university.

in 2021 i think things were much the same... i think from this point on is where things have sort of settled. i don't want to say stagnated, but i do think things have been very... like this for a while.

2022 - got the most exciting examples out...

also i was very into these little frames in 2022.

and then on to 2023! in 2022, i did begin trying to shift gears a bit -- hoping to put more energy into sewing and making products (like my tutor has suggested back in uni, even though i'd really resisted the idea.) i sold at a few in-person markets during winter of 2022, but got disheartened by the amount of money i had to sink in up front to sign up for a spot...

which has made me VERY grateful for the people who have supported me via online sales. it has really helped me stay afloat in 2023 - AND it has felt more wonderful than i can describe that there have been people interested in my work... especially when a lot of it has been my original designs, rather than the fanart that i expect a lot of people initially followed me for.

i've also... in the past 2 years... branched out a bit more when it comes to 'being an artist' - and have had the opportunity to deliver arts & crafts workshops with local refugee & asylum seeker support charity, afrocats. it's taken me to their home base in a church to hotels across the city where asylum seekers were temporarily placed while waiting on their new homes, and of course to my beloved whitworth art gallery, where we welcomed visitors from all backgrounds: from the typical white middle class visitors the gallery usually expects, to all the refugee visitors coming into the space for the first time.

and through my volunteering at the whitworth, i showed up so often they decided they might as well pay me. so i've also become a facilitator of... creative play sessions, my favourites of which have been outdoors. monthly, year-round, we have 'outdoor art club', where i get to paint with mud and make potions from leaves with kids & families - here you can see me tell you a little bit about it in this video below with 'crempog' a puppet character that makes videos about activities for kids and families around manchester (my bit starts at 01:10 although i am in the intro and thumbnail haha)

and then of course the summer 'PLAYTIME' activities we've had the past two years: scrap studio in 2022, and play market in 2023. it's the best freelance gig ever -- just to hang out and encourage families to be creative and have fun.

in working more in these new avenues... outside of being - as i've called myself for a long time - "an internet artist"... i've found myself more interested in this sort of thing. in being a "real world artist" too. in doing surface pattern design, and being a workshop facilitator, i find myself wanting to put more energy into these sorts of projects.

in 2023 i've also dabbled a little bit more in youtube videos! i have had a channel for a while and have made videos in previous years, but 2023 has been the year i've done the most in. admittedly most of them haven't been about my art, and more just like... random things that interest me (the spongebob musical in particular) but i've really been enjoying video editing. that's kind of an art form too, so i'm including it here!

moving forward, want to keep putting even more of my energy into other things. my shop, with a bigger range of products to offer. workshops in real life, where i can make a difference.

as for my art blog... i feel like i've done the least drawing in many years in 2023, and... well, things have been weird and complicated for a bit in my real life. i hope to draw for fun a bit more again very soon, and to return to doing things in more of a wild and crazy way, to be more creative and exciting with the way i draw things. still, here's some of my favourites from 2023:

thank you so much to everyone who has borne witness to my art journey this past decade!!! i hope you will stick with me, who knows, maybe for another 10 years if tumblr holds out. especially a big thank you to everyone who has ever commissioned me, or bought anything from my store, you literally keep me able to make art at all and i cannot, cannot, cannot overstate how much it means to me.

i'm moving homes soon, possibly into very cramped temporary conditions for a little while before HOPEFULLY starting my real life with my partner. if i can take one more moment to plug my work, then [here is a link to my online shop] and [here is my ko-fi page too.]

cheers, cheers, cheers!

- LOREN 🌈🍍🎉

[gaylorvader]

Agatha All Along:Teen Identity Theory

Spoilers for episodes 1-3 and multiverse of madness

Disclaimer:Sorry if I repeat myself or ramble I'm writing this as I think of it. Also feel free to correct me on anything I get wrong or add to it.

Ok so this theory is very-

-but hear me out. So we don't know Teen's name, or his background. Either the sigil on him stopped Agatha from hearing it or something else did idk(the scene in the car). But my theory about him is that he might be Wiccan aka Billy Maximoff.

Now I know that there are hints that he's Agatha's lost son but I feel like that's too obvious and might be a misdirect. My dad watched it with me and he also agrees that it seems to obvious.

I don't know Wiccan's story exactly so I might get some shit wrong, please correct me if I do. But from just quickly looking it up it says that Wiccan(Billy) and Speed(Tommy) are reincarnations of Wanda's sons.

They both had different families before reuniting and realizing they're twins. So Teen having a dad at least doesn't disprove him being Wiccan.

Wiccan also didn't know that Wanda was his bio mother.

Knowing Wanda she's very protective of those she cares for, very much a "the world can burn as long as those I love are safe" type person. So I think maybe subconsciously or an alternate Wanda(though I'm leaning towards the 1st)put that sigil on him to protect him from other witches *cough*Agatha*cough* cause The Scarlet Witch's kids would obviously be a target for people like Agatha, so Wanda would want to protect them.

And I know you might be thinking "but Wanda's dead" but I don't think she is. We never see her body and in media there's a thing of "if you don't see a body they're not dead" and we haven't seen hers.

Yes in Agatha's magic prison thing there was "Wanda's" body but one:we never see the face, and two:that wasn't real it was an illusion.

My dad is also a big Marvel fan and has seen MoM with me as well as this show and he also doesn't think she's dead. Didn't after MoM and still doesn't. And unlike me he's not a Wanda simp

Yes we saw an explosion of her magic in MoM but again we haven't seen her body. We've seen Tony's, we've seen Natasha's, and we've seen Vision's, but no Wanda.

And if Teen really did break Agatha out of Wanda's spell, Wanda The Scarlett Witch Maximoff who's basically a GOD, who else could do that besides her son.

And I mean he has the same fashion sense, so clearly they're related /j

Also when looking for a good photo of him it seems like some other people have this theory so maybe it's not as crazy as I thought.

That's all I can think of for now, but if I think of anything else, either when the next episode comes out or whatever, I'll probably reblog this to add to it.

Thanks for coming to my TED Talk :)

[imagination-overreaction]

More tf2 ships lets go

Soldier x Demoman / Boots n Bombs

Starting off with a Demoman ship cause this man does not get enough love I think. These two enable each other's stupidity to an incredible degree. They're both geniuses in the art of reckless stupidity, and with their brains and hearts combined they could be making new inventions like "ultra turbo sticky-nade launcherator" and it flings them 8 miles in the air and they die instantly (but they both cheer and think it's awesome once they're revived and they do it again. Medic doesn't care, but he's getting a bit bored of piecing together the same two bodies over and over again). These two would become masters of destruction. I also can imagine them passed out on the couch on top of each other, or Soldier waking up to do drills at 4 am and Demo telling him to fuck off (Soldier can't help it, his love language is explosives and boot camp </3). I like them a lot.

Scout x Sniper / Speeding Bullet

I will admit, I am a bit of a Scout hater when it comes to ships... Actually I'm just a Scout hater in general. However, I do think the dynamic of "annoying little shit" plus "gruff weird guy" works. Scout is the type to press his partner's buttons for the funnies (although he does this with his friends as well) but given how he was in Expiration Date as well as the Cold Day In Hell comic (if I remember right), then he would be genuinely caring and considerate toward his partner's feelings. Scout would push his buttons, but an hour later he'd be splayed out on top of Sniper and rambling about his day. Sniper is more blunt and to-the-point with affection, I think. He'd bother Scout right back, of course, and he'd just as happily sit there and nod along to whatever the hell Scout is talking about. These two would stay up until 5 am together several nights in a row.

Heavy x Pyro / Bear Grill

Since it's such a rare pair, there's some debate on what the ship name actually is. "Russian Wildfire," and "Heavy Fire" are the alternatives I've seen after scouring the tags. I'd like to toss my own suggestion in with "Firing Squad," although that could probably work for other ships too. I personally really like the hc that Pyro is (maybe aro?)ace, and I think that works well with Heavy (I also hc it/they Pyro but any pronouns work for this lil guy tbh). Heavy would support his little maniac's vested interest in fiery homicide just ignore the fact that he says he's scared of them in Meet The Pyro that's not important right now, and I think Pyro would really like watching Heavy use Sasha (the muzzle flash would be really neat in Pyro Vision). Outside of battle, I can imagine Heavy taking care of his guns while Pyro talks to him and tells a (very muffled) story. Heavy would listen to it when it talks about all the wonderful things it sees during their battles, and Heavy would maybe defend it when the other mercs start talking about how terrifying it is... Maybe. They're still very concerning.

Engineer x Heavy

There is no damn posts about this. "Heavy Metal" is a slightly popular one but "More Gun" has been suggested a lot, as well as "Mechanical Literature." I personally like More Gun(s), and I honestly really like this ship, and I feel like it works really well for the same reason that they both work well with Medic--they're both relatively calm and amicable compared to the rest of the team. I feel like Engie and Heavy would be the parents of the team, telling people to go to bed before 3 am and not to explode things in the house (it doesn't work but they can try) (and Engie probably has been the source of one or two fires but not necessarily on purpose). These two would be sickly together. Engie'd be going "good morning Misha 🥰✨" and tap Heavy's shoulder until he leans down far enough to let Engie kiss him on the cheek, and Heavy would give a quiet happy hum as Engie whistles away and they make me sick. I love them so much.

I also think that Engineer would give Heavy some absolutely monstrous artillery as a gift. They absolutely enable each other's horrific acts of bloodshed. More Gun <3

Part 1 - - Part 3

[superman86to99]

Superman #93 (September 1994)

ZERO HOUR CROSSOVER! Due to the time-related shenanigans going on around the DC Universe, Superman meets his Kryptonian parents again -- and this time, his mom doesn't want to puke when she sees him! In fact, she even gives him a motherly kiss. Aww.

We start with Supergirl fighting some 68th century aliens who found themselves transported to present-day Earth and apparently figured they might as well invade it. Superman drops by and deals with the aliens via his usual approach to problem-solving: he just chucks their ship back into space.

As the heroes land back in Metropolis, Lois Lane hands Superman her cellular telephone because he has a call from Ma Kent, who sounds pretty panicked. The call abruptly cuts off, and there's a dramatic moment where Superman wonders if he can really leave the whole "the universe is in danger" thing aside for a while...

...before deciding that, yes, his mom is more important, obviously.

So, Superman flies to Smallville to check on his parents, only to find two surprise characters in their home: freaking' Psi-Phon and Dreadnaught. Wait, no, it's his other parents, Jor-El and Lara, just standing in the Kent's kitchen. Jor-El explains that, after sending little baby Kal-El's rocket to Earth all those years ago, they realized Krypton wasn't exploding after all, whoops. A scientist called Jen-Em had figured out how to stall the explosion, and then, after years of work, they managed to cure Krypton of its explosive tendencies for good.

Superman quickly figures out that this must be the result of the weirdness caused by Zero Hour (after all, he's been to Krypton and saw that there's nothing but a big ball of green gas there), but he agrees to put on a Cyclops-esque visor that will show him Jor-El's story in more detail.

Through the futuristic Viewmaster, Superman learns that in this timeline, Krypton's near-death experience caused the Kryptonians to re-evaluate their priorities and abandon their cold, emotionless ways (hence this Lara not being repulsed by her son). In fact, Lara became the first modern Kryptonian to get pregnant and have a child the old fashioned way -- meaning that, yes, Superman has a brother, Zan-El. Zan not only grew up to become "prefect over the entire planet" (so, world president) but, more importantly, he also brought back the shorter togas and fashionable headbands of Krypton's ancient, Mike Mignola-designed past.

Meanwhile, Jor-El had spent all those decades working on a cure to the genetic defect that kills Kryptonians if they try to leave the planet. He finally came up with a serum that temporarily allowed him and Lara to visit Earth, but it's already wearing off. So, Superman has to decide quickly: will he go live in alternate, non-exploded Krypton with his biological family? Or will he stay with his adoptive one that actually raised him and made him who he is?

Superman agonizes over the choice for a moment, but then he's like "hey, wait a minute, I can just go visit!" He informs the Els of his decision and they're overjoyed -- until a poorly-timed thunderbolt full of chronal energy strikes their spaceship and erases them from reality.

"The last son of Krypton is orphaned once again." Damn, Jurgens.

Metron of the New Gods comes to remind the grieving Superman that all the other superheroes are waiting for him at Zero Hour #3 (now on sale!), but Superman says they can wait a little longer because he has something important to do: hug his Earth parents and tell them he loves them.

CONTINUED IN ZERO HOUR!

Plotline-Watch:

This is a classic issue, obviously, but my problem with it is that one of the "next issue" blurbs in another Super-Title had teased it as "Guess who's coming to dinner?" -- and yet there's no scene of the Kents and the Els enjoying any type of meal. I haven't read the recent Zero Hour 30th Anniversary Special by Jurgens (I will once we're done covering the event), but this scene better be in it.

At the start of the issue, as she fights the aliens, Supergirl sees the Superman hologram that he and Metron created with Green Lantern's help in Zero Hour #4. We'll go over every DC comic that got spammed with green holo-Superman in another post.

It greatly pleases me that Superman specifically mentions the time, exactly 75 issues ago, when Hawkman took him to see Krypton's remains (at which point Superman hallucinated a timeline where the Kryptonians survived by becoming even bigger assholes). Sure, it later turned out that this was an evil Hawkman impostor who inexplicably helped save Superman's life, but Superman probably doesn't know about that whole mess, plus I think Zero Hour is about to delete it from continuity anyway.

The reason for that genetic link to Krypton that Jor-El mentions was the Eradicator, as revealed in Action Annual #2, but Jurgens also refrains from opening that particular can of worms in this comic (especially since the Eradicator is currently running around with a superhero team and even appears in Zero Hour).

Metropolis Mailbag:

Imagine our delight (and our embarrassment) when we opened the newsletter archive page for Man of Steel #37 last week and saw there was a comment there from Mr. Jon Bogdanove himself, which had been sitting there unanswered for over a month! Agh! Here it is in full:

"Don—Outstanding job identifying all the Batmen ( You even got Walt!!). The only one you didn’t get reflects my failure. What you guessed was Marshall Rogers was meant to be Bernie Wrightson. However I deeply regret NOT including Marshall. I really should have. I also left out Norm, mainly because I didn’t think I could do him justice. I tried a few sketches and was able to identify a number of tropes we took a similar approach to—but I just wasn’t satisfied that I could really nail Norm—at least in the time I had left. Teaching myself all these different styles really pushed the drop-dead deadline to the limit. I really put poor Dennis and Whitty under the gun on this one. I did learn a hell of a lot drawing this issue though. Nothing like studying the masters to help you learn!! BTW: Weezie and I love that everyone hated Jeb so very much. One gets to draw many villains in one’s career, but rarely does one get to create so dislikeable a douchebag! I consider Jeb a genuine achievement. I know 90’s Jimmy annoys some people, but to me Jimmy was always meant to be comic relief. I liked playing Jimmy as this doofus kid with a middle-aged dad’s sense of cool. He still cracks me up. I would love to do a Retro look at Zero Hour—perhaps a vignette from that same night— in which 90s Jimmy meets himself from various other timelines—Golden Age office boy Jimmy, Silver-Age drag queen Jimmy, Kirby-era Jimmy, etc. I’d dedicate it to Max!"

And my shamefully late response (gonna go ahead and blame the time disturbances for it):

"I am mortified that we hadn't seen this comment until now! (Didn't realize the newsletter wouldn't alert us, argh) Sir, if you don't draw that Jimmy idea, I swear I will commission it from you one day. I would add Turtle Boy Jimmy, My Adventures with Superman Jimmy, and of course bald, Superman-hating Jerry Ordway Jimmy. Just no Jebs, please."

(I now check the newsletter archive pages for comments 75 times a day, unless I forget.)

Shout Outs-Watch:

Time-displaced shout outs to our SUPporters, Aaron, Chris “Ace” Hendrix, britneyspearsatemyshorts, Patrick D. Ryall, Mark Syp, Ryan Bush, Raphael Fischer, Kit, Dave Shevlin, and Dave Blosser! Join them (and get extra non-continuity articles; the latest one was about Superman fighting a guy called BONECHILL in the 1989 cartoon) via Patreon or our newsletter’s “pay what you want” mode!

And now: more from Don Sparrow, who sent me his section weeks ago but it also got lost in time (actually, I decided to cover Zero Hour #4 first). Keep reading:

Art-Watch (by @donsparrow):

We open with the cover, and while it’s a bit broad, it’s certainly accurate for the story within.  I kinda dig that “DC Universe” trade dress, though it didn’t seem to last very long.  Inside the issue, we’re met with a lovely full-page splash of Supergirl amidst a LOT going on—thunderclouds, lightning, a firing spacecraft and a Star Wars style holographic projection of Superman.

I wasn’t sure which review to tackle first, Zero Hour #4, or this one, but since they seem to take place more or less at the same time (with the holographic message coming early into issue 4, but the New York meeting coming in Zero Hour #3), I flipped a coin and went with this one as happening first.  As the story progresses, Supergirl gets an assist from the Man of Steel in dealing with the timelost aliens, brusquely tossing them into space.  This issue exemplifies a trend I’ve noticed with Jurgens’ layouts since the Death and Return storyline—he uses a lot fewer panels per page than he once did, often with a near full page splash and then two or three panels laid overtop.  Visually, it’s very arresting, and Jurgens knocks the background splashes out of the park—on pages 4 and 5, despite being nearly identical scenarios (Superman and Supergirl flying in a stormy sky), they’re both so well handled, you don’t even mind the repetition.  But from a storytelling standpoint, it really does feel like a little less to read each issue, so the Superman issues seem a little thinner in terms of what actually happens.  Anyone else notice this? [Max: For me at the time, the shorter plots were balanced out by the fact that I spent more time looking at the big, awesome pictures, as opposed to the smaller, lamers ones in the backissues I was buying, with all that wasted white space between panels. I'm paying for the full page to be used, dammit!!!] 

Back to the art, page 7 has a great drawing of a pensive Superman. Page 9 is a great image, but a bit of a missed opportunity—the last panel would have been more impactful had Jor-El REALLY looked identical to Kal-El (which I’ve mocked up). [Max: I also made a small change to the panel, see if you can spot it...]

I do appreciate Jurgens’ and Rubinstein’s effort to still give the Els expressive faces, without eyebrows.

As Jor-El shares the alternate history of Krypton, Superman in the VR visor is pretty reminiscent of Cyclops from X-Men.  It’s compelling to see the flowing outfits that Zan-El and his bride wear, in opposition to the robes of Jor and Lara—much more like the early more Roman look shown in the first issue of the World of Krypton series.  My guess is the group that attend Zan’s nuptials are all members of the El family--I had thought that the different Kryptonian houses would wear different colours rather than everyone in green, but aside from the odd panel from Action Annual #2, I can’t seem to find much corroboration of that assumption.  The sweet image of Lara giving her son a peck on the cheek is quietly powerful, with a great expression on Superman’s face on page 17.  Lastly, the tragic page of chronal discharge (which sounds like a rap metal band name) and electrical storms is well drawn.

SPEEDING BULLETS:

When Superman is hemming and hawing over whether to focus on the extinction level event the superheroes are facing, or head to the farm to help his parents, Supergirl posits “There’s only one choice and you know it.”  I completely thought that it was setting up for him to focus on saving all of humanity rather than popping home for a visit.

Perhaps it’s because they were trying to have the Zero Hour books serve as a jumping on point for new readers (particularly the zero issues, which are coming soon) but some of the dialogue in this issue feels clunkily expository, like when Superman reminds his fiancée Lois and quasi-family member Supergirl that the Kents “may not have been {his} genetic parents, but they’re real as they come”, or later when Superman explains to Jor-El and Lara (and the reader) about Krypton’s explosion, and the Matrix chamber rocketship.

They kinda gloss over whether there was any fallout about being wrong about Krypton exploding, though I suppose it was more about Jen-Em stabilizing the core rather than Jor being wrong. [Max: "Krypton is gonna blow up, guys" is definitely a meme among the current Kryptonian generation because the scientists did such a great job stopping it, like Y2K or the hole in the ozone layer here.]

Have we ever seen a post-Crisis Kryptonian depicted as having anything but black hair? [Max: I'm pretty sure there were some non-black haired ones in World of Krypton, but it's hard to tell with the eyebrow-less, nun habit-wearing ones. It's possible they made other hair colors go away once they got all into eugenics, though.]

It’s interesting that this alternate Krypton goes one step further than Byrne’s origin, regarding the Els.  In Byrne’s history, Jor-El was a rebel in his society because he had actual affection for his lifemate, Lara.  The notion of natural conception and birth goes even further than that, and was explored in the Man of Steel film, where (spoiler alert?) Kal himself was the first child naturally conceived in love in generations.

This issue also reveals that the familiar robes and headpieces worn by Jor-El and Lara aren’t simply traditional garb, they’re referred to as life support suits.

Though the Kents are worried about losing Clark to his Kryptonian parents, Jonathan is all man, which explains why he picks this particular moment to go to second base with his elderly wife. [Max: He instinctively wanted to get working on a replacement son, forgetting he's been shooting blanks since youth...]

While Superman cries in anguish at seeing his biological parents detonate, Metron simply refers to them as “unfortunates”.  All heart, that one.

Missed an issue? Looking for an old storyline? Check out our new chronological issue index!

[pjsk-hot-takes]

I think as an autistic person the idea of autistic Rui isn’t like. Inherently Bad or anything. I think there’s other characters that have more stuff supporting it (Kanade, Nene, Kohane) but it’s not like inherently a bad headcanon or interpretation

but the way people *handle* it is….. weird……

Like it’s used a lot as a justification for his behavior. Which like I’ve BEEN ostracized for being autistic so I know what it feels like. And I don’t think he deserves to be ostracized. But why are we acting like him literally using bombs on school campus with absolutely zero qualifications is a normal thing that needs to be defended.

Like that’s still extremely dangerous to the other students and just completely disregarding of other peoples safety. I don’t care how much Rui claims he “has it under control” he’s a teenager!!!! He doesn’t have a degree in pyrotechnics!!!!! He should not be doing that especially not at a public school where people could get hurt!!!!

And like if for whatever reason he genuinely needed to do something with explosions. Like if it’s a stim or a special interest or whatever. There’s a lot of safer alternatives you could try?

stim boards are a thing! Video games are a thing! Fanfic is a thing! If it’s the science process of it I’m sure you can simulate something similar in real life that is far safer. I’m sure if he has a psychologist they could help come up with other options. Literally if he needs to do these dangerous stunts there are safe!!! Alternatives!!!!! It doesn’t need to be the real thing!

Also, like, if it does need to be the real thing - one, keep it to shows maybe??? Where everyone is consenting??? Two, there are actual pyro technicians that you can hire for that exact purpose. Rui has no reason to mess with dangerous explosives unless it’s for budget reasons which like I THINK omitting real explosions or going for a safer alternative that mimics explosions is a better idea than messing with dangerous ones and having little to no clue what you’re doing. Sure maybe Rui has read up on it but he’s still a teenager and still isn’t a professional and shouldn’t be trusted with dangerous equipment that could hurt others in public.

Rui doing this type of stuff around Tsukasa and himself is one thing, because at least they’re consenting, but in public is a whole different story.

I feel like the fandom babies and infantilizes Rui. Like “oh noooo he’s just autistic it’s not his fault he puts people in mortal danger :((((( look at him!!! He’s so sweet!!!!!” I just. I don’t like it. I think autistic people SHOULD be allowed to point out the ableist undertones here without like, being shot down.

And yeah it’s true some autistic people might not know when they’re doing things wrong, but that’s still not a justification to defend his right to put people in mortal danger??????

Like, if Rui doesn’t understand that, he still. Shouldn’t be doing it. Like he should still be given safer alternatives that could maybe work instead and be safer for everybody involved. Not given free rein to cause as much damage as he wants that’s. Idk I don’t like that and I don’t like how much people fervently defend it.

Giving him alternatives isn’t, like, a Bad Thing. He can engage with dangerous stunts in safer ways or at least do it in a way that doesn’t endanger other non-consenting people.

And also, like, Rui and other characters doing this type of stuff for the sake of comedy isn’t actually a bad thing imo I still think it can be funny so I’m not saying it should be erased or toned down in the actual story. I just think people trying to defend it from a moral stand point is weird. Like you can acknowledge it’s not. A good thing to do in real life???? And maybe not glorify it????? And still enjoy/find it funny in the story like it’s just a comedy thing.

Maybe this doesn’t make sense I’m tired but. Idk I don’t like how people treat Rui being autistic as a justification for anything he does wrong ever. It feels infantilizing.

.

[thatpinkpandabear]

HI PANDA ILYSM!!! Would you write a KeithxLance fluff where they’re just cuddling after a long day and talking to each other :3

KLANCE COMING RIGHT UP BESTIE So sorry for the wait!

🌸My Flower Filled Sanctuary🌸

Lance McClain x Keith Kogane (Klance)

Gif was created by me

//DO NOT REUSE//

Summary: Lance spends his morning planting flowers and reminiscing about life. And ultimately decides that the beauty lying next to him in bed is the best medal he could have ever been given.

TW for: nothing! This is pure fluff!

Alternate universe, canon divergent, post war, Klance has been a thing for awhile, Shiro mention, Adam is alive, implied proposal.

The first shy rays of light crept over the edge of the horizon, painting delicate pastels of rose and gold across the morning sky. The morning air was cool and fresh, pure with the sweet perfume of flowers. Lance found himself standing in a vast field covered with blooms. Varying in type, color, and space. The petals softly rustling in the wind, the smell of sweet pollen hitting his nose. His fingers were smeared black with rich mother earth, for one last handful of flower-seeds had been struck into the ground. A contented sigh escaped his lips. Smiling as he straightened back up, wiping sweat from his brow. 

Now, the seeds, little signs of life, were tucked away under the earth, patiently awaiting the sun and rain to entice them into an explosion of vibrant colour. A living testament to rebirth, the already charming meadow would soon be transformed into a kaleidoscope of blooms, including sunflowers, marigolds, poppies, and violets.

His fingertips brushed over the unkempt stubble that had started to grow across his jaw like wild undergrowth reclaiming untamed land, and he rubbed his chin thoughtfully, almost surprised. Considering the advantages and disadvantages of shaving versus allowing it to grow-- perhaps into a bold, rakish moustache. He frowned slightly. Could he pull it off? Could he exude the kind of charm that came with such distinguished facial hair? A mustache could be cool… a boyish smirk curved his lips at the thought. The same smirk that once won him admirers in the Garrison—and a few exasperated groans from a certain black haired paladin. Yeah, a mustache would be cool. 

Though life had a way of taking unexpected turns, he never thought he would exchange starry battlefields for lovely flowers and mud smearing his clothes. Ultimately now residing in the cosy countryside, embraced by his loving family. He wouldn't change that for any price. He helped his mamá tend the chickens and clean up around the farm, laughed as his papá complained over broken tractor engines, just as he had done when he was a child. 

It was a life built not on glory, but on gratitude.

As he strolled back toward the modest little home, a flicker of white darting onto the pouch caught his vision. Azul. His cat. Their cat. A graceful, silken-furred creature with a coat as luminous as freshly fallen snow, her wide eyes shimmering with the same hue of sapphire as the Blue Lion he had once piloted. Her tail stood up proudly, the appendage waving about as she weaved affectionately around his legs once he’d gotten up the steps. Releasing soft, melodious purrs.

He knelt to stroke her silken fur, his calloused hands welcoming the softness of her fur. “Good morning, Azul,” he whispered, his voice thick with affection. “You hungry, girl?” She meowed in response, insistently pressing her head up against his palm in a demanding answer. Following him inside the house expectantly as he goes to the kitchen to fill her dish with kibble. After watching her eat with contentment for a few moments, he walks back out towards the living room and turns down the hallway, escaping the sunlight windows for a brief moment. 

He was still the boy who once flew through galaxies with reckless courage, still the man who bore the memories of war and the weight of what was lost. But he was also the child who stumbled after his mamá with a basket full of eggs, finding joy in the simple things that he’d once forgotten about with his dreams of becoming famous, being known. 

He was Lance Mcclain. A paladin of peace, and an enjoyer of the quiet life. 

Lance slipped back into the bedroom on quiet feet, sighing quietly in relief as the bright sun outside was blanketed by the curtain. Blue eyes soften as they make out the figure lying peacefully in their bed. It’s almost comedic how he clumsily steps across the floor as if to avoid any sort of creaky spot. Limbs sprawled out as if he were a spider trying to avoid water. It was hilarious. Someone did find it hilarious. The sound of a light chuckle made Lance freeze in place. Cheeks flushing as red as a rose as he poutily looked up to meet the violet eyes looking at him in amusement. “What the heck are you doing?”

“Being stealthy. What does it look like I’m doing?”

“It looks like you're doing some sort of  interpretive dance.” Keith taunted playfully, the smirk on his face making the poor brunette’s face burn brighter. Lance’s eyes narrowed in mock offence. Taking a long, threatening step towards the bed.

“Yeah? Well, be crushed, you handsome traitor!” His body flopped down with the grace of a rag doll. Crushing his boyfriend under his weight, invoking an unflattering squeak from pale lips.

“Ugh, you dick.” Keith groaned, entrapping his dirt and flower-scented lover in his arms in retaliation. Uncaring of any soil that may have smeared into his clothes, rolling them over to their sides, the sweet sound of Lance’s giggling music to his ears. Sighing as he took the opportunity to bury his face into his chest. Savouring his scent. It didn’t take long for nimble fingers to entangle themselves in his hair in return. Lance silently marveled at how soft those beautiful, dark locks were, as if they were silk-like fur. He snorted slightly at the irony of the thought, considering Keith’s Galarian heritage. His hair had gotten so long… sometimes he missed that stupid mullet.

“Shiro called.” Keith’s tired voice broke the calm silence. “Adam’s family dropped a dinner invite on them. They’re dropping the chicks off later.”

“Oh?” Lance answers, his lips tugging up into a smile as he gently places a kiss upon his head. “Babysitting again, are we?”

“I am their favorite uncle…”

“Shhhh… then sleep, mi amor. You’ll need your rest to handle those two ankle biters.”

The bedroom falls into a peaceful quiet once more. Lance listened to Keith’s soft breaths, blue eyes softening at the expression on his face. Carefully, he turns to glance back toward the nightstand. Where a small surprise was hidden in the drawer, a perfectly shaped box. He’d have to wait. He doesn’t mind, though. Everything in this moment was perfect. More amazing than any sort of fancy lifestyle they could have gained with their found fame.

Keith was his golden medal. His prize. His sanctuary.

[ride-sgt-rodeo]

DOSSIER AND MEDICAL INFORMATION FORM.

First name: [REDACTED]

Middle name: [REDACTED]

Surname: O’Malley

DOB: 08/05/1990

Age: 34

Height: 6’3”

Weight: 250LBS

Blood Type: AB-

Nationality: American

Ethnicity: Irish and Native American

Birthplace: San Antonio, TX

Callsign: Rodeo

YOS: Fourteen (14)

DOE: 08/13/2011

Rank: Gunnery Sergeant (E-7)

“While primarily working in direct action and counter-terrorism defense, O’Malley is most skilled in bomb defusal and explosive breaching techniques.”

Appearance: O’Malley dons a slightly tan complexion, with freckles littering his torso and arms. His eyes are a grayish-blue, and his hair is blond. He alternates between a buzz cut and a mullet, despite being yelled at for his mullet being OOR. He’s very broad, very stocky.

Tattoos/Scars/Piercings: O’Malley has many tattoos. Many inappropriate. He has a tattoo of his mother’s name. He has a singular left ear piercing that he keeps hidden under his usual plain black balaclava. He has a snake-eyes tongue piercing, and his top canines are silver.

Sexuality: Bisexual, polyamorous

Personality: Cocky, assertive, flirty, stubborn, loyal, protective, impulsive, competitive, hot-headed, charming, guarded, stoic

Hobbies: Off-base, he returns home to Texas and helps his mother and father on their ranch. On-base, he enjoys rock-climbing and running.

“O’Malley, also known as Rodeo, has been repeatedly caught calling himself… ‘Command’s Favorite Cowboy’, or ‘Frontline’s Poster Fuckboy’…”

MRS. BETH — MOD

# Hi! I’m Mrs. Beth. (18). This blog is MDNI! Anyone is allowed to send RPs/RP starters, but please do be patient. I have many other things going on. Implied NSFW is fine! BUT…

ERPs are not allowed and will result in an immediate block.

I am married, and a lesbian.

Mod likes from @mysticjunkiie !!

[ostrichmonkey-games]

FitD Settings and Unnamed Furry Crime Game and You

Alrighty, as promised, time to talk about Setting Stuff.

This is a post both about what the setting for (the still!) Unnamed Furry Crime Game is going to generally be like, and also a bit about settings in Forged in the Dark games in general. 

Okay so, let’s define Forged in the Dark games as ttrpgs that cover Blades in the Dark and any game that uses the same general engine and setup. Blades is the progenitor, and a lot of FitD stick relatively close to its formula (but not all, there’s plenty of room to poke around and rearrange things), and one of the more important elements, I think, is the “powder keg sandbox” setup.

In Blades, the players are underdog criminals doing underdog criminal things like causing problems on purpose. Those problems cascade, intersecting with the different factions/characters present in the setting, and usually then creating more and more problems for the players to deal with. That’s the powder keg sandbox — a relatively open setting, filled with kindling (factions/characters with conflicting and interesting goals and motivations), and then the players are dropped in the middle of it, and positioned in a way that no matter they do, they are going to be conflicting with at least some of those characters/factions, thereby igniting the kindling and making the whole thing explode in a blaze of fun. It’s great.  

So, in short, the purpose of a setting in a FitD game is to create that powder keg sandbox. It has to be filled with interesting characters/factions that are both compelling (to encourage players to interact with them) and conflicting with each other and players (so that when players interact with them, explosions happen!), while still providing enough purposeful space so that there’s room to be flexible as players start interacting with everything and changing the world around them. A good sandbox has plenty of room to play and dig around in, and then to make it a powder keg, just bury some sticks of dynamite in there and hand the players a bunch of lit matches. Boom.  

Now let’s talk about Unnamed Furry Crime Game (UFCG because I’m done typing all that out and I don’t want to think about coming up with an actual title right now). I don’t mind wearing my influences on my sleeves, and the biggest one here is Lackadaisy. I mean, the whole concept of the game was sparked when the animated pilot first released and I did a reread of the webcomic (pretty sure I first found it around 2009, which is wild to think about), and what’s more fun than a bunch of anthropomorphic animals doing crime things in a period setting? So, the initial spark for the game was Prohibition era Crime Time, but with furries (not just limited to cats, as a way to distance the game more from the initial inspiration and also because it’s fun). However, this was never going to be a purely historical game, it was (and still is!) going to be set in a fictional city in a fictional world — so more historically inspired than truly set. 

This was done to free myself from doing too much research (there’s still necessary research though), and also to give myself more creative freedom. From there, the premise started to turn into “What if the Prohibition hadn’t ended? What would that look like?”. And that’s still part of the core premise. So I guess, it’s a speculative alternate fictional history thing?

Freed from any truly historical restraints, I started tossing in other extras that could be fun. Like, what if airships/dirigibles were still in major use? Yeah, let's go for it. What if the city the game takes place in draws from classic Hollywood and noir? Yeah, let’s go for it (also at this time I had watched Babylon, which, not going to say was good, but the vibes are fun). What if I also pulled aesthetically from Gotham, specifically the Batman: The Animated Series version? Yes! Now we’ve got a setting of glitz and glamor and shady hard-boiled grit. Which is a great setup for Crime Time. 

Being less historically strict, also gives me more room for exaggeration and over-the-top-ness. I want UFCG to be characterful. I want there to be an emphasis on larger-than-life elements, both player characters and all the factions and NPCs. Especially in the case of the factions/NPCs, they need to be chunky and discrete blocks that are easy to instantly grab onto and pick up and play with. This loops back to filling your sandbox with cool things, and if the sandbox itself is cool, then that’s going to rub off on the stuff buried in the sand. More exaggerated components make for more flammable kindling. 

This is another reason having just a singular city-setting tends to work well for a FitD sandbox powder keg — a city is just naturally densely packed with stuff (now, the hard work will be writing all that stuff, but I’ll get to that bridge eventually). In a densely packed space, it’s also very easy to make everything connected to each other. Which means it’s going to be very difficult for players to make a move without impacting someone or something else! Again, boom. 

So then, why furries? Well like I already said, it’s fun. That in and of itself is enough reason, but also, I think it creates a useful level of abstraction that makes creating exaggerated characterful characters more easily. It’s easier to be a little more goofy without breaking things when you have a bunch of animal people running around. 

That’s the general gist and thought process behind the setting I’m assembling. There’s still most of it to actually write, but you do need a fun concept to make a fun setting, so it’ll get done as it needs to get done. 

I am still a little unsure of what I want to do for something weirder within the setting. Should magic be real? There’s plenty going on that it doesn’t feel super necessary. Or, what if magic is not real, but that doesn’t stop the existence of various occult-y factions/organizations from springing up, and maybe they think magic is real (or even leave it ambiguous). On the opposite end of the spectrum, what if I tossed in some dashes of retro-future-y superscience? Atomic Robo style maybe. Basically, I’m still exploring what the line is for pushing things too far. 

With all of that said, what is the text of the game going to provide in terms of setting? What I’m picturing is probably pretty similar to Blades, but maybe with less overall exposition and pulling the most useful setting-building stuff from various N/OSR stuff I like. You can convey a lot of setting information in relatively compact ways that also double as tools to use at the table (i.e. random tables, my best friends). The city will have various breakdowns on districts, notable locations, individuals, etc etc. Factions will have clear goals, conflicting with each other so as to create a web of Problems. Plenty of little miscellaneous details on “life in the city” to function as small nuggets of information and flavor. 

The hardest part will be striking the correct balance of information. You’ll need enough to feel comfortable playing in the setting, but not too much that it starts to feel like homework to run it. Figuring out what’s the correct amount of sand and all that. 

[nogu-d-reamers]

WELCOME TO PLAYTOWN/POPPY PLAYTOWN- CHARACTER REFERENCE #5.

CRAFTYCORN VAN CREATI - DESIGN AND DATA.

INFORMATION AND DATA.

Name: CraftyCorn Van Creati.

Age: 22.

Height: 3'0 mts/9'8 fts.

Species: Smiling critter creature. Unicorn.

Occupation: half-time teacher/artist.

Genre: female (she, they).

Sexuality: pan.

Magical usser type: Witcher.

Birth place: Skylands (Elliot's Heights).

Birth day: april 2nd.

Personality:

The newly titled young witcher DeColorina, is a somewhat shy but enthusiastic lady. A person who usually looks at the beauty of things and can find charm and inspiration in the most common things; Unlike Dogday who grew up surrounded by the typical culture of witchers, Crafty grew up in a family that disowned them to the point that she ran away from home as a child just because she couldn't adapt to what they demanded of her.

She even finds it difficult to admit or carry the attitudes of a witcher such as using her magic so sporadically or the ability to cope with her treatment, which causes her to accidentally manifest her magic in a somewhat explosive way, but not harmful.

She is someone quite cultured, sometimes being a voice of information, translation or presentation in a complementary or alternative way to Bubba; and when she gains trust with someone she can talk about her love of art and plants, feeling freer to be able to use them without problems in the comfort of her studio or talking with people she truly trusts. She's Not only is she good at painting, but she is very skilled at creating sculptures and acting (although she is terrible at sewing)..

Although she is an affable and calm person, she has moments where she usually makes me very emotional, aggressive or explosive. Especially when it comes to things like duels or conflicts(being a recurring gag how he gets too involved in a situation like a sports game or a chase that he ends up helping one of her friends.).

about her work and daily life.

Around half year before the events, the newly titled Witcher DeColorina, trained by the Witcher of "Crow" (Dogday's mother) in everything she could, went to Main City in search of repaying the kindness of the Sunnyhowl family to her.

Since she arrived in Main city, she works in a local kindergarten (because she cannot live on art alone, yet) where she works as a teacher with a group of 10 sisters who each work teaching a different subject; getting along better with the only one of the sisters who is also a witch, Poma Delight.

Depending on the situation, she works 5 days a week from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and on Saturday mornings.

In her free time she will spend it at her house (which she uses as a workshop) or at the restaurant. the piggyA recurring joke is that if it comes suddenly it is full of paint or leaves.

Magic data (and other skills):

Unlike Dogday, she has good combat skills, in addition to that she can defend herself in these ways:

- Quite fast analysis of situations.

- persuasion in difficult situations.

- if things get tense, a stick is also a good option to defend yourself.

- also be careful with his kicks; They are literally hard hats.

as a witcher, she has good handling; but not perfect of it. She still often has the habit of losing control in small ways.

Her title in magic is based on the 'orchidae die Decolorina' or 'Decolorina flower', a variant of the 'Salvae Terrae' or 'plant of salvation' from witcher mythology.

The 'orchidae di decolorina' is also called "royal bloom" because in ancient times it was considered the opposite of poppies and due to its rarity in its color palette it was considered more valuable than diamonds.

The uses that she gives to it are=

#1 plant flowering: this is the most common use you can give to your magic. but it can only give growth to plants that have flowers and fruits; Sometimes it is usually bigger than I expected or it is the wrong plant.

#2 tracking with flowers: she can perceive people through flowers; She can't see them literally, it works more like a radar for "presences."

#3 manipulating and giving life to plants by giving them small commands: similar to Dogday and probably learned from Mrs. Sunnyhowl; Crafty can give life and small commands to plants, although her command is "can you help crafty with...?"

#4 give life to the paintings: as an extra skill with his love of art and his somewhat tight economic situation, he realized that by using crushed flowers and fruits, his paintings have a more striking finish, and sometimes when they continue cool ones react to your mood (scaring someone once you made them angry or scary)

(funfact: For Picky's birthday he decided to take a portrait for her; However, while painting her, she had been scared after watching a movie by a certain "Tomie" and the painting of her unconsciously took on a similar appearance. Bubba thought her gift was in bad taste, but Picky was so delighted with it that she insisted on paying her a miniature version of theyself.)

Unlike Dogday, she has not yet mastered the voluntary form of overflowing, so she never resorts to that form... yet.

other random data:

favorite food: margarita pizza «especially the restaurant version of picky that includes real daisys *jiggles*»

Favorite dessert: Pavlova «creamy and delicious!!! especially with confided flowers!!»

hated food:haute cuisine, especially tenderloin Wellington «I have bad memories of haute cuisine in my biological home, it didn't help that most of my relatives were carnivores and it was disgusting»

smell: Jazmin.

strength: creativity, thinking outside the house, kindness

weakness: explosive, shy, low confidence

favorite physical appearance: long hair «At home they would have hated me for having it so long, but I love it and I can customize it however I want»

hated physical appearance: height and horn «I don't hate them per se, but it's very difficult for me to find clothes and especially hats without having problems»

person you respect most: Mr. Sunnyhowl's pack «I can't choose anyone from Didi's family over another! everyone was so sweet and kind to me that they treated me like part of her family! *ugly crying*»

person you don't want as an enemy: Bobby «I had bad sleeping habits, but the mere idea of her chasing me like she does Catnap terrifies me so much that I prefer to perform less but sleep well»

hobby:visit art galleries, gardening, participate in duels

Some crush?:«When I was younger I quite liked Dogday, but now I see him as an older brother. Now... I have seen a strange bounty hunter who... is cute... I would like to know more about him...»

[raptorfae53]

Ever After High Reimagined: Raven Queen Character Bio/Redesign:

Raven Queen

Daughter of the Evil Queen (Punjabi)

Bisexual (she/her)

The Evil Queen was at one point the terror of the whole world, a matchless sorceress and conquerer, her daughter Raven on the other hand…isn't. Growing up in isolated poverty in her mothers scorched,crumbling fortress across the sea, Raven despite her gothic sensibilities is a kind, artsy optimist who believes in the inherent good of everybody, and is wholly new to (and feverently dislikes) Ever Afters way of doing things. Small wonder she's ended up the unassuming leader of a rebellion against the destiny system after eschewing her mother's destiny at thronecoming…

Likes: playing bass,gothic and punky fashion and music,writing, kaiju movies and having friends like the Rebels.

Dislikes: headmaster grimm, her destiny ,unnecessary conflict, silly or unjust rules and mirrors.

Spellbinding Style: gothy and alternative with plenty of handmade,hand-repaired and personalised patches and flourishes added by Raven for the people and things she loves best. Raven is a dab hand with a needle and thread after a whole childhood of nessecary practice mending and modifying her and her mother’s clothes.

Companion creature: Nevermore the crow, a friendly corvid that befriended raven in her early teens through gifts of crumbs, and who followed her boat across the ocean to ever after high.

Hexworthy vex: that people would stop assuming she's evil. Anything and everything raven enjoys has been used against her as “proof” that she's as wicked as her mother and having to explain that every aspect of your personality is really just something you do or enjoy really gets on raven's nerves sometimes.

“Oh Curses” moment: inability to control her powers. It's hard to seem non-threatening to your peers when every other week you cause an involuntary explosion. It also doesn't help that the faculty at ever after high have essentially left her to figure it out herself (or don't know what to do with her, as raven suspects)

Storied Secret: To have known her mother better. Despite her understandably negative reputation, Raven is sure there was a better side,even if it was never on show, to her mother than everyone says, after all nobody's truly evil deep down,right?

Deepest wish: to create and live her own future,to sing and write and be nice and good to people, destiny be damned!

5 Fantastical Facts:

Raven plays bass and sings as the lead of the band “Raven and the Rebels” with her friends Maddie,Cerise,Hunter and Cedar, though playing for years at this point (the instrument a treasured 10th birthday gift) Raven has never had the friends to form a band, so it's a new and exciting experience.

Raven is an avid reader of scifi and horror books and in turn an avid writer of her own original work, one of her favourite things to do in her alone time is to sit and type up her latest tale in the back of the Hatters Tea Shoppe, posting them under a pseudonym on Ao3…

Raven has an odd resentment with mirrors, she's never liked looking in them (she and her mother have a very similar face, Raven having a more forlorn resting face to her mothers scowl) but beyond that raven knew her mother spent more time talking with her magic mirror than her and her dad, and while she knows it's silly,Raven still wants to know what they could hold that enticed her mother so much…

Raven has enjoyed watching giant monster movies since she was a kid, her and her dad watching one from his well-loved collection together on Friday nights, a tradition raven has continued with her friends at ever after high. One of the things she loves about them is that the monsters themselves aren't characterised one way or another, some being scary,silly,heroic and villainous in kind, she finds them relatable, in a sense…

Raven finds the “high society” she is supposedly a part of really very confusing. There's a million and one rules that don't make sense to her and and her very grounded,compassionate sensibilities clash with what is expected of her as a princess, causing no manner of scandal and gossip from the upper-class,well…more scandal and gossip from the upper class. (Her dad has a lot of stories like that from his own youth that always made raven laugh as a kid,raven's comforted by the fact it seemingly runs in the family…)

Hello again everyone, welcome to the first of several pairs of character bio's I'll be releasing on here as a part of a new project, Ever After High Reimagined!

Like my MH writing this is the base for a ground up rewrite of Ever After High, and like those rewrites these will be released weekly on Fridays throughout March and April, I've seven pairs of profiles each with a Royal and a Rebel and this week's rebel is Raven Queen.

Extra thoughts down below:

Raven Queen is one of those characters that I've been rattling around my brain for ages now, mostly because I find her whole deal really compelling from the multiple perspectives it can be read from.

My idea for raven's backstory is that she's basically been living in her mothers shadow her whole life and hasn't really had a chance to be or do anything else because of those consequences. In my rewrite, the evil queen essentially tried to conquer the world whilst messing with as many destinies as possible to really get to her adversaries (ie,basically everyone but particularly grimm,snow white and king charming, who fought against her with military means), the result of the "Queen war" was basically the Evil queen being seemingly destroyed along with her kingdom, which whilst never the nicest place was reduced to a scorched,lifeless wreck by the powers that be, Raven having to grow up here as not only did the royals not exactly know what to do with her (a running theme as we'll see...) but we're also kinda terrified of this wholly innocent 6-7 year old due to what her mother achieved with similar powers. (Another tidbit I think could be interesting is Raven being magically modified by her mother to look more like her, the aforementioned similar looking faces being intentional on her mothers end and spooking the royals further...)

The kicker is that Raven never really knew her mother that well in the first place anyways, the Evil queen being so busy with her aforementioned plans for world domination and the like raven kinda got pushed to one side, to be raised almost exclusively by her dad, himself neglected by his spouse and terrified to say anything on either count for fear of being turned into a carrot should he do so,or worse... So if it wasn't obvious, raven's had it rough basically her whole life, but she presses on despite all her classmates and sometimes teachers assume or expect of her. Idk I just like having a character who despite going through a lot of terrible stuff and wearing dark and gothic clothing is actually pretty optimistic regarding people, it makes her a good contrast towards some of the more jaded or nihilistic characters wearing bright or saturated colours. (I see you Briar and Duchess...)

Finally, speaking of dark and gothic clothing, the bio's header is a selection of pictures and outfits I imagine raven's patchwork, tradgoth style draws inspiration from, as well as some desi goths since my version of Raven is south asian and I think that they're criminally underrepresented in the alt scene.