#BUT THE ART IS ALWAYS SO GOOD TO SO I FEEL BAD

[merrily-radiant]

This post isn't about writing but I think it shows very clearly the difference between art that is done by a person and AI generated content in a way that is difficult to grasp when it comes to writing.

Like, this:

This is the draft. You can see that hours have been spent on creating this. The architecture, the colors, the puppets, the size, the positioning, the lightning. You can see it's a lot of work and dedication. And you can see that not all of it appears on the final piece; multiple elements here have been constructed just to appear on a small portion of the background.

Nevertheless, they had to be created, modeled, so the art feels composed, structured, grounded on something. And it is that grounding that gets lost when you depend on AI to generate something for you.

With writing, we work with words. We either use our own or someone (something) else's. In the beginning, just like every other activity in life, it is new. You don't know what you're doing, you might feel some unpleasant feelings about your performance, and the action itself is truncate, awkward. There is always something missing and you don't know what that is. But when you write down your thoughts as they appear to you, you are doing just as the 3D artist does with their puppets. You are giving your thoughts space to stretch out in words; you are getting to know your thoughts (the good, the bad, the funny, the sad, the angry, the shameful). As you word them out (and that in itself requires time and effort) and you decide to write a story, you realize that much of what comes through speaks to you. My, who hasn't projected on their stories? Headcanons, OCs, fanon, ships, blorblos; there's a piece of you in every one of the things that you like and enjoy. So, when it comes to writing, you are what grounds your story; you story is grounded on you.

Still, there's margin for people who use AI to create to lay claim to being artists or craftsman. (It wasn't once or twice I heard the arguments that "it is I who enters the prompt", "entering the right prompt actually requires a lot of effort", and "you actually have to spend a lot of time to edit the prompt and generate another more-right thing"). So what I am going to say is this: when you generate something through AI, you can only see the "final form" of what you want to create. The words you choose for your prompt will not be used as you intend them to, because AI works through comparison, and not interpretation. That's why you only get the something that is close-enough, good-enough, and when you look at the text you generated, you only see this:

And never this:

[jordiemeow]

Thinking about being Dilf!Art's free use girlfriend🤤🤤

no bc this is sooo. yeah to me like him just coming home after getting his ass chewed out at practice n you're just so willing to let him do whatever agrhedffjkdsjf

warnings: 18+ smut (p in v), dom!art, f!receiving oral/fingering, free use mentions/mild degradation but not much dialogue

When Art is tense, there's only one thing that really calms him down: sex.

Any form of it, really—whether it's just heavy petting that ends with his boxers warm and damp, a blowjob, or him having you bent right over the kitchen counter in the middle of cooking dinner. At first, he used to whine and groan about it until you relented, but over time you've realised it's just not worth it. It's why you don't even bother wearing panties at home any more; he'll always find an excuse to get them off.

"Hi, baby," you coo as the door clicks shut behind him. You catch a glimpse of his tense shoulders through the open door, his bag dumped alongside a racket that looks like it's seen better days. Frayed strings, the head of the racket crumpled in on itself. You can practically hear the way it must have rang out against the court.

Rough day. Your thighs give an anticipatory clench.

He mutters a cursory greeting under his breath, shoes kicked off before he pads across the living room to join you. Not on the sofa, though—on his knees, palms resting on your own to part them.

In one breath he's kissing up one thigh, then the other, a little rougher each time. It feels like he's getting some frustration out, as if he can work the tension right out of his arms while he holds you open. To fill the hole where his sour mood used to be with just the taste of your sweet cunt.

Impatient fingers hook into the waistband of your shorts, shimmying them down your thighs until they fall to the floor. He has the grace to help your ankles out of them, at least.

Art’s breath fans out over you in soft, warm bursts before he's even made contact. "So fuckin' pretty, babe. Waiting around like this just for me." You'd laugh about the first words he's said to you since 6am this morning being about how beautiful your pussy is if your breathing hadn't quickened in excitement.

His tongue presses flat against you, lapping up whatever mess it finds. You’ve been wet since you saw that battered racket upon his entry. He makes a low groan of satisfaction when you sigh softly at the feeling of his warm tongue. By the time the tip of his tongue flicks over your clit, you know his mood is already shifting. He always starts so desperate, licking messy and deep like he's trying to prove a point (if there's one thing that can absolve the feeling of self-loathing after a bad practice, it's making you feel good), but his hands slowly ease on your thighs as he settles into it. His mouth gets a little softer, a little more determined.

The tip flicks over your clit, coaxing it to swell. Just like that, he's relaxing into it.

You reach down and start to scratch at his scalp, fingernails dragging across it. It's just long enough to grip in your fist, and you pull on it to earn an approving hum. His shoulders relax, tension seeping out of him—you can feel it in the way he grips your legs, the way he runs his tongue around your clit with relish.

"Taste so good," he tells you, words breathed into your heat. "You always taste so good."

When he pauses to take a breath, his fingers push between his own lips to coat with a layer of saliva. He runs the two of them over your swollen bud, just enough to make you inhale sharply. If you weren't already worked up, that would have done the trick. His eyes flick up to catch your own, pools of blue studying the way your jaw slackens and your brows peak when his fingers slide into you.

You clench instinctively, and he tuts in warning, fingers crooking cruelly in a way that has you whimpering out apologies. Your eyes are too heavy to catch the way the corner of his mouth quirks up at that reaction. Bingo, you're in for it now.

The first few slow slides of his digits in and out of your tight cunt seem to be perfunctory. After that, he's really going at it. Fingers scissoring and thrusting, curling up against that spot that has your eyes rolling back and moans of his name spilling past your pretty lips. One hand still nestled in his cropped blonde hair while the other grips at the cushion next to you for dear life as he drinks in the way you fall apart around his fingers.

He's clearly enjoying himself at this point, chipping in with the occasional low "right there?" or "someone's desperate today." He can play your body like a fiddle at this point—a curve of his fingers here, a brush of his thumb there. He's even memorised the pitch of your whines to know when you're achingly close, walls fluttering around him as your peak nears.

He pulls away from you, fingers sliding free with a whine of complaint from you, and your hands reach to tangle in his hair to pull him back before he's even had the chance to stand. His knees are burning, but he ignores the pinch of the rug underneath as he pushes himself up.

His hands catch in your hair to yank your head back, forcing you to look right up at him where he's looming over you.

"Need me that bad?"

Your words feel stuck in your throat and he tsks softly at the way your mouth only falls open soundlessly, the grip in your hair preventing you from moving.

"Tongue-tied, huh? All that talk last night just to get you like this." He grins down at you, a flash of white teeth caught between his lips, still shining with your essence. "You know we could just go through the list until you find your voice back."

His hand releases your hair to reach between you. When you can think clearly again, you can't tell if you're grateful, or if you miss the painful prickle of your roots. But you're definitely thankful when his fingers are back between your legs—a reward, of sorts. You let out a low sigh when he brushes against your clit and he groans in acknowledgement, like he's just reminded himself of how wet you are.

"Oh, I think I know where the list should begin."

The pads of his fingers run in a slow circle over your clit, as if the only thing he's interested in the world is how much he can make you squirm. It seems like now, with some of that initial tension drained, he has no qualms with making you suffer. Your fingers dig into the couch instead of reaching for him again, nails digging into the fabric. You can only watch up through your lashes; it’s a lovely sight, his head tilted downwards to look at your body, eyes dark and a look of concentration on his face.

He looks down at you the same way he looks at his opponents' during matches; analysing the way your knees twitch towards each other. Like you're just another opponent to get the upper hand against.

Another hum, like he’s thinking, and then—

Hands on your hips, he turns you around until you’re facing away from him and shoved up onto the couch. You brace yourself on your knees, but he doesn't wait for you to find your footing before one hand is pressing between your shoulder blades, forcing you down with a hand between your shoulder blades—back arched beautifully, cheek pressed into the fabric, cunt dripping with anticipation

Art’s other hand pushes at the waistband of his shorts, boxers dipping down with him to pool at his ankles to free his aching cock. The couch dips under the weight of you both when his knees hit the cushion.

"Fuck. Just like that. I need—" He inhales sharply, hard length pressed against the back of one of your thighs. "I need to be inside you.”

He takes himself in hand and leans over you, free hand on the back of the chair.

"You need this too, right?" He murmurs, low and rough in your ear. His eyes are a little glassy, still hazy with a day's worth of frustration. "Been thinking about you all day."

You moan your affirmation into the cushion.

“Be a good girl and use your words for me.”

“Y-yeah. Need it. Need you.”

Good enough for him. When you finally feel him sink into you—slick, hard, thick—your legs almost buckle beneath you. All you can do is curse out a series of profanities that would make a sailor blush when you feel that familiar stretch as he bottoms out, his hips pressing flush against your ass.

“Say it one more time for me,” he instructs, hand sliding down your clothed spine until it finds your hip again.

You’re barely coherent enough to register that, but you manage a, “I need you, Art.” Breathy and weak, no more than a mewl.

He withdraws then, tip still pressed into you, before sinking in again. A punishing rhythm right from the get go, enough to have your couch rocking dangerously beneath you every time he snaps into you. Skin on skin, your moans reaching new octaves to harmonise with his grunts of effort as his cock drives into you.

Relentless, precise, deliberate.

And you’re content enough to just let him use you like this. An outlet for all that stress.

“You get off on this, huh?” He rasps in your ear. “Just sitting around waiting until I’ve had a bad day?”

You moan something that vaguely resembles a slurred “yes” into the cushion, senses clouding entirely by the brutal onslaught of pleasure when the hand on your hip slides down to rub at your clit.

“There’s my girl. Always so eager to be of use.”

The praise is condescending but it makes you clench around him nonetheless. You love when he gets like this—just a little bit mean, using the way your bodies collide together to relieve his tension.

Everything he moans into your ear blurs together after a while.

“So fucking tight. How’s a man supposed to be angry when he comes home to this?”

“Fuck, you were made for this. Perfect little slut for me.”

“Just you lay there and take it. That’s right. Atta girl.”

You think you reply, but all he can make out is senseless babble into the pillow your face is half-pressed into. He still has a hand between your shoulder blades to hold you in place while his fingers, coated in your slick, continue to circle mercilessly at your aching clit.

He can tell by the way your walls flutter around him that you're close, knuckles curled into a death-white grip on the back of the sofa. He doesn't have it in him to make you beg—not when his own orgasm is so close. His place slows down a little. Slow, deep, tip nudging that spot inside you that has your vision whiting out. The deliberate drag is enough to push you over the edge with a cry of his name.

Art groans in satisfaction. "Fuck. That's what I wanted. That's it."

He fucks you through the intense wave of pleasure, fingers finally stilling to grip your hips again. Another few sloppy thrusts and it's impossibly not to cum with how your cunt is gripping him just right.

His moan is guttural right by your ear. Inhumane, even, as he rocks into you to prolong his pleasure, spilling into you until your thighs are sticky. The pair of you stay there for a while. You still arched forward, panting into the pillow. Art massaging your hips, murmuring words you can't quite make out into the back of your shoulder. It's almost comedic the way his own shoulders have relaxed since he first sunk into you.

"Can you move? My knees are killing me," you manage eventually, tilting your head to catch a glimpse of him pressing a kiss to your shoulder over your shirt.

"Yeah, sorry."

It's the same way he says 'sorry' to the chair umpire when he smashes his racket against the ground—a quick apology, a flash of an almost-there smile. You know there's no remorse behind it at all. Not when he gets to see you so thoroughly wrecked and he's too blissed out to remember why he'd came home in such a mood in the first place.

He pulls out of you (and takes a moment to admire the way you look with your back arched and your cunt dripping with his release), and then helps ease you up.

"Wanna talk about it?" You ask, voice still wrecked as his arms circle around you and a kiss is planted to the top of your head.

"No need. I feel better."

You can feel him smiling against you as he gives your middle a light squeeze. All you can do is roll your eyes fondly and usher him off to fetch something for the mess between your thighs.

—

taglist: @gracelynnx @tacobacoyeet @blastzachilles @cha11engers @magicalmiserybore @newrochellechallenger2019 @coolgrl111 @artspats @peachyparkerr @stanart4clearskin @misswrldd @kaalxpsia @downtwngrl @pittsick @strfallz @dazedandconfusedlvr @turnerrst @m4lodr4ma @artdonaldsonmalewife @challengersism @artstennisracket @elsieblogs @imperishablereverie @lvve-talks @won-every-lottery @fairytrollslut @ellaynaonsaturn @xoxoeviee @voidsuites @cryinginanuncoolway @artaussi @shahabaqsa0310 @ashdaidiot ��� (join here)

[fairyminnie444]

I want to share my honestly thoughts about what happened with WizardLiz because some comments I saw on Twitter bothered me deeply. The irony is that those who agreed were people I had conflicts with and blocked, it just made me feel disgusted. Saying it’s her fault because she supposedly manifested this by subconsciously holding distrust toward men is a toxic, limiting belief and it’s so unfair with her.

It reminds me of that one YouTuber who claimed on Reddit that a girl attracted being mistreated (art) come on, there’s a limit to everything. No, it’s never your fault when something bad happens. It will never be your fault. That mindset only traps you in a cycle of self-blame and self-sabotage. Sharing that on loatwt acc is irresponsible, even worse if you call yourself a coach.

Yes, you have control over your inner power. But that doesn’t mean you have to take blame for everything that happens, or punish yourself. On the contrary: owning your power means embracing that feeling pain or sadness is okay, it’s part of the process. And most importantly: knowing you can always rise above it, that sadness does not define or limit you, is what keeps you free and in command of your vibration and reality. The power has always been within you, and you deserve to remember that every single moment.

So, people need to stop dumping your arrogant limitations in cruel comments about someone who’s suffering and going through a hard time, as if it were their fault. That’s pure cruelty and says far more about the person speaking than the one suffering, because she chose to rise above the pain instead of drowning in blame. How you behave is your responsibility; taking it out on others is ugly, repulsive, and only exposes your own limitations

I also saw people saying to unfollow her because if she attracted this, then she’s not “that good” or doesn’t have a strong enough self-concept. My God, where’s your sisterhood? I’ve seen people point out her limitations before, and that’s okay, but using a trauma she’s going through to justify it is pure cruelty. It only shows a lack of empathy and that’s disgusting

🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮

(Already saw bad review from this boson coach too, ewwwww)

[yuuuraaa]

𝓢𝓲𝓷𝓬𝓮𝓻𝓮𝓵𝔂, 𝓶𝓮

all the penpals! | the gas to the fire!

featured artist!~ @orimuraa @rikimuraaaa @14raeriluv @lonelylandofan @monniemons @deezbutz28 @yangwoniez

Niki Nishimura!

youngest of the friend group, he actually is pretending to be emo. has a secret crush on y/n! he plays genshin impact and mains arlecchino, but doesn't play much. he's also part of the school volleyball team! he may look all dark and scary, but he's a sweet soul. he's really down bad for y/n, did i mention? he enjoys watching her badminton matches and roots for her.

Yang Jungwon!

second youngest, but the leader of the group! he's also the vice president of the supreme student council. calm and collected, until you play volleyball with him. he's really passionate about the sport, which makes his other teammates really scared of him. he's friends with danielle and hanni, so he's kind of mutual with y/n. he's the school's crush, many different girls tried to confess to him, but he rejected.

Kim Sunoo!

middle child of the group, friends with hyein and y/n. has clear skin for days. always happy, he's the sunshine of the group. part of the art club! he's one of y/n's childhood best friends! relationship advisor of niki. he's the only one that's actually normal.

Park Sunghoon!

middle child as well, but is also the orange cat of the group. part of the supreme council too. volleyball player and a ice skater. introvert when you meet him, extrovert when you know him. "what the fuck is a 'genshin impact'?" - sunghoon

Sim Jake!

smartest of the group. friends with hanni and danielle (naurway) because they're fellow aussies. president of the supreme student council. volleyball player, but isn't really attending practices because of his council work. he also likes y/n, but after hearing niki likes her too, he decided to help him instead of trying to compete with him. he's a certified gamer and plays genshin impact with niki.

Park Jay!

second eldest, part of a band and leader of the music club. he's RICH rich, if you ask him gifts, he will give it to you. part of the volleyball team. he's friends with y/n and sees her as a little sister. loves to spoil y/n. "I think something's wrong with y/n... because what is a 'genshin impact mommy'?" -jay

Lee Heeseung!

eldest and captain of the volleyball team! he takes volleyball very seriously, mess with volleyball, you will feel his wrath. a gamer, but doesn't play genshin impact. he sleeps a lot in class and is usually really good at hiding it. he may be the eldest, but he also is the least serious.

I DO NOT APPRECIATE PLAGERISM ALL RIGHTS GO TO ME, @yuuuraaa, FAILURE TO LISTEN WILL RESULT IN BLOCKING.

previous!/all letters!/next!

[zweigish]

she’s always a woman

stanford!art x reader .ᐟ. art donaldson won’t give

up, he truly yearns for you and he wants to be the one to set you free from the walls you’ve built around. He wants to be with you and he’ll do anything to do to prove it.

note .ᐟ - tbh, I don’t have a clue where I was going with this, I just wrote it. lol..🤗

you were willing to admit it, you were somewhat childish and you thought that’s what drove people away. The way you acted, spoke. So you closed yourself off and kept to yourself. You decided you weren’t going to open up for anyone else. That was until you met art. art was relentless when it came to you. Constantly trying to break your walls down.

he reminded you about one thing and one thing only after you’d push him away, it was always..’ I’m not going anywhere,’ and he promised that, he said it like it was a chain that he was sure wasn’t going to be broken. He was devoted to breaking your walls.

he had invited you out for lunch, ‘was it even worth your time?’ was something you muttered to yourself repeatedly as you stared into your mirror.

entering the small cafe, just seeing him sitting there made you tense up. Your walls building stronger than ever before. When you made eye contact with art, he was sure of two things.

you could wound with your eyes and you could kill with a smile, a smile was rare from you but when he first saw you smile..almost killed him.

you nodded as a greeting before you sat across from him, he smiled. “seems like your mind is running alot.” He chuckled before you nodded, “I—it definitely is.” You chuckled awkwardly.

“Yeah? when is it not?” he chuckled before sighing, shaking his head. You raised a small eyebrow at him, “I can’t seem to figure you out.” He huffed out.

“figure..me out?” you asked, your voice filled with confusion. He nodded before biting his lip softly. “I can’t read you but I want too. I want to know what you’re thinking 24/7 and it’s frustrating when I can’t.” He paused

“I don’t understand you,” he continued after, you stared at him with this..look in your eyes and he couldn’t even tell if it was good or bad, resulting a light scowl from him. He just couldn’t read you.

“I don’t want you to understand me.” You mumbled, fidgeting with a loose piece of the table cover. He shook his head,

“look, I—I care about you. What do you want me to do to prove that?” He spoke, trying to look you in the eye but you just kept looking away. He huffed, “look at me, please.” and you did.

you flinched as he reached over, laying his hand over yours. Your hand a bit colder compared to his, his hand giving you warmth. You were breaking his heart, you really were.

he sighed as he stared at you, your eyes wounding him. He softly murmured..”I don’t wanna break your heart.” He paused before continuing with, “I just wanna be here for you, you’re the one I want.”

those words? made you shiver, made you shake and tense up. You weren’t sure if it was good or bad thing, he rubbed the palm of your hand as he whispered these next words..

“you wont lose yourself with me, I promise.”

and those words did it for you, he continued. “You’re like a puzzle that I can’t solve but I feel like I need too. I need to solve it and figure it out. I need you,” he huffed.

your face contorted into a small cringe, though you had no bad intent with that. He sighed and shook his head, “I know what I’m saying is crazy but it’s the truth.”

you clenched your eyes shut before opening them, gently grabbing his face and kissing him from across the table.

His eyes wide as he cupped your face and smiled, mumbling against your lips.

“Let me take care of you, appreciate you like you always should’ve been.”

and well— no matter the distance or the coldness. You were the one who could break his heart while also being the one who could heal it.

despite all this, you are always a woman to him. His woman.

[kainabunny]

Do you have any random trivia about Moonie you really want to share, but nobody’s asked?

Ooo that's a good one! OKAY IM GOING TO GUSH AND IT'S LATE !!!! So apologize in advanced for the word dump

Behind the scene:

As Moonie, to get into the voice properly. I tend to just say "Uhhhhh! THIS SUCKS" like a friend of mines. Another is " I'm too tried,I dont wanna do this. Can't I stay a bed a little longer?" I DONT HATE PLAYING HER I JUST IDK.

Reason why Moonie sounded exhausted after Jaq(I believe was that one) was introduced wasn't because of how much trouble they caused. It was because I was sleeping deprivation that week. I binge watch an anime series and forgot I worked the next day... make matters worse we chose to record at an earlier time... My bestie(Davis) has tried to stop thos but unfortunately some animes are WAY TOO GOOD!!!

Moonie doesn't like swearing that often. It's not because she can't is because I don't wanna cause any issues to the editors (🫠)

Spanish Moonie was decided waaay ahead before the episode she debuted on SAMS. Davis and Reed know I adore my roots and thought it would be a great way to add some variety to her.(Since billugual ) Since then I'm glad people enjoy myself speaking spanish. Even if its not often, add the fact the VA casts on Femme are latinos... it made a wonderful addition to Chico and Sunny.

I never really had an excused to draw the girls. Then a promot changed that. SOTW of rhe girls in new outfit was inspiring but I had noooo time. RUSHED THE HELL OUT OF IT AND HATE THE END RESULT. The harshest critic is yourself. Originally there was an idea for moonie to claim being the artist. But I thought it was funnier to have to be mean about seeing my own artwork. JUST to show off moonie can be mean art critic but most cases she likes the teach.

moonie wasn't going to be her name. But we couldn't find a name that we originally we liked. So we stuck to a name that paralleled Sunny.

STORY HEADCANNON!!!

Ive always headcanon that moonie likes to collect sea glass once they moved to the island. Especially at dusk since she feels more comfortable at night.

Ive had this weird storyboard about how Moonie doesn't sleep unless she knows everyone at the house is asleep. She doesn't like people have a bad dream. Programming or not she worries wayy to much on others. Causing a very sleep deprive moonie.

Moonie has a massive sweet tooth! She is obsessed with pastries and cakes but shy to ask for it. However, she makes sure the fridge is stocked with ice cream all the time.

If she wasn't a daycare attendant, I can see her being an art teacher or get a job at cyber security. Idk why those two but here we are.

sorry for the info dump but I'm attached 😅

[twinsunstars]

thanks for the tag!

I mainly create fanfiction.

Seeing others enjoy my work and hearing how much it makes an impact on them.

I had a lot of ideas for Star Wars fanfiction and wanted to explore those ideas, and here I felt free to create those alternate universes that others in the fandom would enjoy reading and exploring.

When I was younger, I had created some fanart and OCs for MLP and it was really fun doing so.

So far three, I have created fan content for MLP, Star Wars, and Marvel with some of my friends.

Star Wars all the way :D

I'd say my weakness is having so many ideas come to me at once that I just have to write them down and start plotting, and then I hardly come back to them.

I think my creative strength is world and plot building.

Since I love the Bad Batch so much, I'd say found family is my favorite trope to create for, but I also love angst.

I honestly can't really think of one currently, I like reading tropes from other creators and also doing them myself.

Yes I do, but I can get distracted sometimes 😅 I often put on YouTube playlists filled with classical and soft music, or Star Wars scores.

Tea or water

Depends on what I feel like having, usually chips or fruit

Honestly the night time, I tend to feel more productive.

The afternoon time, I think the semesters just make me feel tired sometimes during the days, and Saturdays have become my nap days.

Writing

A lot of my friends and people I engage with on here have inspired my creativity. @merefis18 is one of my favorite fanfic writers, love their Bad Batch fics

All the fandoms and art I engage with have inspired my creativity, and I am always grateful for the opportunities I get from engaging with their content.

Probably at home, it's the place where I get to be myself the most.

I think I would say that everything you create plays an important role in a fandom. As a fandom content creator, your work can either gather a small or a wide audience, and every piece of work leaves an impact. Consider that whenever you create something you personally enjoy. Ask yourself, how does something I enjoy help others who would enjoy it too? How does your work help others enjoy something they like freely? (I have no idea if this is good advice)

no pressure tags: @amalthiaph @kurlyfrii @magicandmundane @whos-starr @bossboudicca @rainwingmarvel7 @merefis18 and anyone else who would like to do this

Help your followers get to know you a little bit better! Answer these 20 fandom creator focused questions and share them to your blog…invite your fandom creator moots and followers to do the same ☺️

Do you create fanfiction, fanart, both, or something else?

What brings you the most joy being a fandom creator?

Why did you become a fandom creator?

What was the first fandom you created for?

How many fandoms have you created for (so far)?

What is your current fandom(s)?

What is your creative weakness?

What is your creative strength?

What is your favorite trope to create for?

What trope do you enjoy from other creators but don’t yourself?

Do you listen to music while you create? If so, what’s your go-to?

What beverage fuels your creativity?

What snack fuels your creativity?

What time of day do you feel most creative?

What time of day do you feel least creative?

What is your favorite medium to create with?

Who has inspired your creativity?

What has inspired your creativity?

Where do you enjoy being creative the most?

What advice do you have for someone becoming a fandom creator for the first time?

[blrecs]

Hi, can I ask your top 10 favorite BL media ever (can be manga, anime, manhwa, manhua, etc)? Why do you love them? Thanks...

Damn, way to ask for an impromptu thesis defense! jk but this is actually a very difficult question for me. There's no reason why you should known this about me, but I’m one of the least decisive people when it comes to answering "what is your favorite ____?" or "what are your top [x]?" So here are ten bl manga that I have loved, in no particular order, which I hope will at least partially scratch your itch.

1. The Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese (manga and movie), by Mizushiro Setona

I've already written about my "Cornered Mouse" feelings twice, most recently almost ten (!) years ago here. There was a period a few years ago where I'd reread both "Cornered Mouse" and "Chopped Carp" on Valentine's Day, and every year I'd keep finding new things to enjoy about it. So fortunately/unfortunately, I don't have much more to say here. Imagase is a classic bl type, a particular fan favorite archetype of the flirtatious and obsessive bottom who has hidden his pure love for so long that it can now only be expressed through sly and manipulative means. Mizushiro Setona has always excelled at portraying desperation (which is related, but not identical to the recent trend of "yearning"), and with Imagase she is truly cooking with gas--every panel of Imagase hurt and lashing out at Kyouichi is a work of art. But what really makes this story excel is Kyouichi, who fits one of my favorite archetypes of "the man who is kind of bad but not for any particular egregious reasons." He lets Imagase bribe him into a bad scenario, lets himself be lulled into complacency and a domestic relationship with Imagase, then too easily capitulates to Imagase's doomspiral tendencies, before finally leaving a very good woman so that he can get back with his gay ex-lover. Put like that, he sounds like a bouquet of red flags, but actually reading the story reveals a man who is by turns considerate and selfish, openly vulnerable and closed off, emotionally intelligent and a dumbass. Perfect catnip for me.

As a bonus for this post, I also want to plug the movie version of "Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese." I haven't watched many live action bl adaptations, but this one is a highlight to me because it really leans into the idea of being an adaptation. It deviates, quite significantly towards the end, from "Cornered Mouse" and especially the events of "Chopped Carp," but in a thoughtful way that highlights how much the screenplay and the director really internalized the story. Instead of simply trying to get the actors to copy and paste the manga panels into real life, this is truly an alternate version of Imagase and Kyouichi, one that highlights how they are both bad people to fall in love with, but maybe bad in just the right way for each other. In some ways the movie version of "Cornered Mouse" is actually the ideal live action adaptation of the Ugetsu/Akihiko/Haruki subplot of "Given," which is a thought I will have to unpack some other day.

2. Old-Fashioned Cupcake, by Sagan Sagan

I recently wrote a whole post on it, so enough said! There's a reason I own both the JP and Eng version of both volumes as well as the Chil-Chil booklet from when they won best series in 2021. This also has a drama adaptation, which is very serviceable! However, one of the best things about the original story is Sagan Sagan's incredible paneling and technical skills, which can only be enjoyed through the manga.

3. The "Pornographer" series, by Marukido Maki

Back when I was still making Futekiya threads, I did a little rudimentary blurb here. Of her stories I've read, "End of the World With You" is the best and most accomplished, but the Pornographer series ("Pornographer," "Mood Indigo," and "Pornographer Playback") is the one that most grabbed me by the heart and throat and shook me to my core. Kijima is an underrated Terrible Man (see above discussion of Kyouichi from "Cornered Mouse"). Yes, his initial gambit with Kuzumi is trolling of the highest order, but the true depths of his personality flaws (his selfishness, his stubbornness, his cowardice) are slowly and expertly revealed through the course of the story in a way that makes me clench my fists, it's so good. I never turn down a story that is about inspiration and writer's block, and the fact that Marukido Maki paired that story arc with a multi-year saga of two men in a kusare-en relationship (Kijima with his editor Kido) is the cherry on top of the most luxurious sundae. A dynamic I love is when two people realize their attraction to one another but mutually realize they are unable to act on that attraction in a meaningful way because of various circumstances, and that is "Mood Indigo" in a nutshell. That these themes (Bad Men, trolling, a relationship that happened at the wrong time) all come back in "End of the World With You" just proved to me that Marukido will always be a bl idol to me.

4. Secrecy, by Haruno Mami

Short Twitter thread about it here. Probably the weirdest entry on this list, but it's a story that has stuck with me for twenty years (!). Upon rereading, it's surprising similar to Pornographer: a golden retriever-coded (literally, based on Haruno Mami's interstitial doodles) younger man falls in love with a beautiful icy older man who takes advantage of him. There's an uneasiness to the relationship of the main couple here as they navigate the age gap and differences in their abilities to be vulnerable/express love and affection. It's rare to see a short-ish bl so readily admit that the main couple struggles to be on the same page and yet is so adamant and convincing that the main couple loves each other and wants to make it work. Hiroki, the older businessman, is cognizant of his issues, even going so far as to say that he is caught up in his own sense of superiority and self-pity, which makes him treat Satoru poorly. But Satoru has main character energy, with an Itadori Yuuji-like capacity to absorb the terrible things that must happen to him, and through sheer force he powers them into a happy ending. A story that is very much of its time (1996) but nevertheless timeless to me.

5. When a Man Loves a Man series, by Nitta Youka

I love to be contrarian, so of course this is my favorite Nitta Youka series and not Harudaki. "When a Man Loves a Man" is IMO the host club story to end all host club bl stories and the original love triangle discourse-bringer, with powerful maneater uke Takaaki at the center being flanked on one side by Iwaki, king of the oily seductive older men semes, and on the other by Shinkawa, one of the most pathetic/delightful "too proud to say I love you / work rivals in the streets and hangdog yearner in the sheets" younger semes. This is a telenovela of a bl, one for the messy bitches, a little ode to exes who keep coming back in your life and fucking it up, more a story about managing pride and ego than falling in love, which makes it kind of like a seinen manga but with sex and hosts instead of cooking or fighting or detective work or mid-life crises. The early volumes take patience as Nitta discovers her style and becomes more comfortable with faces/anatomy, but the later volumes are the stuff of 2000s bl opulence: long legs, suits with big watches, host club backgrounds that look like fancy hotel lobbies, and men with center parted long bangs blowing in the breeze.

6. Illumination, by Yamashita Tomoko

I wrote a full review of the series for my Notion site, so I don't think I have much to add here. Yamashita Tomoko is another one of my manga idols; she can do no wrong as far as I'm concerned, and "Illumination" is one of my favorites. It's a typical one volume bl with a longer title story and several unrelated shorts but shows off Yamashita's skills at quickly sketching out characters and imbuing them with an ordinary, realistic melancholy. I only wish to one day write something with as much grace and punch as "Illumination."

7. Endou-kun no Kansatsu Nikki (and sequel), by Hayakawa Nojiko

The only entry on this list that has the typical "two dudes in high school" plot, which is me accidentally telling on myself. Crudely, this is a story about lust and adolescent passion, but rendered so artistically in Hayakawa's style that it seems more poetic than it has any right to be. In my post recommending "Ima Made Kore Kara" (a collection of doujinshi that are vaguely related to the Endou-kun and Kurayami stories), I wrote that Hayakawa has "a pliant, soft style with her lines and paneling that reminds me of Yamashita Tomoko" and that "she loves using negative space to move you from one side of the page to the other." Her characters are rarely situated in detailed backgrounds, mostly against white space, but that highlights her elliptical style, with panels that are wholly focused on a hand reaching out for someone, the back of a character's head, a silhouette. And very few bl mangaka use sound effect lettering as effectively as she does, like in one of the early chapters of "Kansatsu Nikki" where the sound of a passing train crowds out the characters in a tense moment. All of Hayakawa Nojiko's series feature beautiful art, of course, but the Endou-kun series in particular feels like a descendent of the Year 27 style. The story itself is good as well, with lots of little, well-observed character dynamics and dialogue, but what's life-changing really is what Hayakawa Nojiko can do with a little bit of white space and some lines.

8. Red Blinds the Foolish, by Est Em

One of the most est em of est em collections, as it stars a longer title story on bullfighting (she would later go on to make a whole seinen series about bullfighting called "Golondira"), a shorter unrelated one-shot on shoemaking (she would later go on to make a whole series on shoemaking called "Ippo"), another one-shot on soccer (a throwback to "Ultras"), and finally a story about the stories we tell ourselves about art, starring ballet ("Tableau No. 20" and "Seduce Me After the Show"). Basically you could read this one volume and get the whole est em primer, and that's not even mentioning the fact that one of the chapters of the title story reuses images from her time as a Death Note (!) doujinka.

est em's best stories operate from a place of dream logic, the way a good movie must start from an arresting image. In the title story, everything revolves around penetration: sex of course, but Mauro's work in the slaughterhouse, Rafita's performance as a matador, the horns of the bull piercing through human flesh, a stabbing from Maura's past. It's easy to see why bullfighting appeals to est em, who in the title story braids multiple narratives about living and dying into the doomed figure of the matador. In est em's world, the matador is no different from the bull, which he impales; victory over death is a day-by-day affair, so there is no point crying over the outcome, only the artistry of the present moment. A heady, philosophical theme that seems like it would make for overwrought reading, but est em's skill is translating those things into bold, dramatic images: Rafita's cape which moves like a separate limb, the ribs of a bull echoing blood draining into a grate, the loneliness of the matador in a big empty ring, early morning after a cow gives birth. I don't think "Red Blinds the Foolish" is est em's best work, but among her bl works this is the one that most obviously summons up a mood, a smell, a place, and a theme. One could teach a whole writing workshop on it, if it were still available in print (RIP Deux Press).

9. The "Mainichi Seiten" series, story by Sugano Akira and art by Ninomiya Etsumi

If the Mainichi Seiten series were tagged like an AO3 fic ("raised by brother," "everyone in the family is gay," "picked up off the streets," "found family," "writer/editor"), you'd think it'd be like any number of similar stories, maybe even a "Super Lovers" clone (god help us). But very little I've read in the world of bl has come close to the journey Mainichi Seiten takes us on. The story begins, rather inconceivably, with Obinata Taiga learning that his older sister has married his former high school crush Asuou Shuu before leaving the country. Taiga is the eldest of four brothers and happens to be Shuu's editor at a sci-fi magazine. Shuu, on the other hand, has brought with him an adopted son who is about as thrilled with this setup as Taiga. And we're off to the races.

Mainichi Seiten begins with Taiga and Shuu's story, but its longest arc is actually about the youngest Obinata brother Mayumi and Shuu's adopted son Yuuta. The series as a whole is a startlingly insightful meditation on family. What does it mean to grow up? How much can you take for granted that your family members understand you, and how do we communicate with the people we love? Mayumi is one of my favorite bl characters, a willowy impish bishounen who shamelessly crosses back and forth between "being girly" and "being a man," and he's one of the best fictional representations to me of how we "codeswitch" between interacting with our family and interacting with friends/strangers. And Taiga, Shuu, and Yuuta, both individually and together, are a brilliant rumination on loneliness and acceptance, and show that it is impossible to believe one person can satisfy all your emotional needs. Love comes in all different forms, from all different perspectives, in all different life stages -- it truly takes a family in the case of Mainichi Seiten, even if that family is the most unconventional blended one.

"Clear Skies" is unfortunately another victim of the DMP/June limbo, which published the first installment (volumes 1 and 2 of "Clear Skies") but never got to the rest of the stories in this series. It ruins my day every time I think about it, so I try not to think about it very often. That said, I'm definitely due for a reread of this whole series.

10. Choco Strawberry Vanilla, by Psyche Delico

"Ohhhh my god Cathy do you like a story where there's a chaotic and uneasy love triangle? Where two people have a long and complicated history with each other that cannot quite be labeled as love? And a third party is dragged into the mess and you feel really bad for him? Should we tell Doyak? Shall we reread Love or Hate?"

I'm actually joking in this case because "Choco Strawberry Vanilla" is more than a love triangle, it's a primer on how not to do polyamory. Rarely do you ever see a love triangle that is so balanced (any one member of the triangle feels some sort of way about the other two) in its extreme imbalance (no two people's feelings are fully reciprocal or on the same page). "Canis" this is not; Psyche Delico's specialty is the unhealthy relationship that goes on for too long because the characters are willing, if not actively desiring, to be treated poorly. If the characters of "Choco Strawberry Vanilla" could or wanted to talk about their feelings and set proper expectations and boundaries, they would not be in the situation they are in in the first place, but as it is, one of them is learning to identify jealousy like he's on the world's most psychosexual episode of "Blue's Clues," one of them is willing to be treated as a spitroast conduit so long as he sometimes gets cuddles and a nice smooch on the forehead, and the third is... I seriously don't know what's wrong with Take and I don't want to know. This premise--three outwardly normal but inwardly emotionally fucked up men fall into a polyamorous threesome-- shouldn't work, but it does. It's not pretty, it's not healthy, and you should not try this at home, but damn if Psyche Delico doesn't sell it as an utterly unique entry into the bl genre.

And that's everything! I hope you enjoyed this, even if it may not be exactly what you're looking for. At the very least, well, I hope this gives you a little peek into my aesthetic principles, which seem to consist primarily of ummmm bad men failson-ing their way into uneasy happy endings...!

[lilyrosedeppsforehead]

The Ultimate Lunar Chronicles Fanfic Rec List

Because this fandom is dead and those of us still standing deserve to read the gems.

(art by: @vvivaa)

All Time Fav:

1-800-CAPTAIN (by lovelunarchron) https://archiveofourown.org/works/5347382/chapters/12347996

Desperate to not be alone again for the holidays, Cress hires a man to pose as her boyfriend for her family’s annual Christmas celebration.

Cinder/Kai:

like real people do (by songandsilence) https://archiveofourown.org/works/1472797

The dreams start as soon as she escapes from prison. He doesn’t think much of it at first - she is the most wanted fugitive on earth at the moment, and at least 75% of hisi day is spent in conversation about her, whether it be her motive, her origins (Luna, he has to remind himself), her plans. Her picture follows him everywhere. It is on every screen, every newscast. Just as Torin is his shadow, she is as well.

(Missing moments - mostly during ‘Scarlet’)

against the clock (by nicole_writes) https://archiveofourown.org/works/10547732

Soulmate timers have been helping connect people who belong together for all time and still, Cinder gets the guy who can’t even figure out it’s her. 

Lilac and Gold and You (by au_moins_jessaie) https://archiveofourown.org/works/64832608

Cress thinks she’s pregnant and is freaking out. When she tells Cinder, Cincer offers to take a pregnancy test alongside her. But just for moral support, right?

deja vu (by crescentchat) https://archiveofourown.org/works/39846189

Kai and Princess Winter are set to be married, with the fate of Earth resting in their communion. With newfound access to TVs and devices, which are not available in Luna, she quickly recognizes her long lost cousin. What is an 18 year old Emperor to do?

Cress/Thorne:

Protected (by MadeOfStardustAndOreos) https://archiveofourown.org/works/25658644

Newly reunited with her friends, Cress and the gang finally get the chance to sleep in actual beds - even if they belong to the Lunar Aristocrats whose house they’ve just broken into. Safe once more, Cress can‘t help feeling helpless over always needing rescue from her friends.

Luckily, Captain Carswell Thorne is there to eliminate any fears - including his own. After all, he really can’t be sure of Cress’s safety unless he’s by her side 100% of the time...

A missing moment from Winter.

Someday Soon (by Mistakesweremade/PastyPirate) https://archiveofourown.org/works/18237812

“Are you just going to stare at me all day?” She asked, nerves curling in her stomach as they often did when she flirted with the line they’d set. The sight of him in navy blue boxers didn’t help.

“I figure I should try to desensitize myself so I can protect you better,” he tilted his head as he spoke, warmth curled next to the nerves, “I don’t think it’s working.”

“Come on Captain,” she gestured towards the water, “the longer you stand there ogling at me the more likely someone will come by and ogle the both of us.”

“And it’ll be the best day of their lives.” He announced haughtily, swaggering towards her and taking the hand she stretched out to him.

In which: Cress realizes something during a later afternoon swim.

Safe (by MadeOfStardustAndOreos) https://archiveofourown.org/works/23826835

For their first night after leaving Luna, Cress and Thorne are left to themselves on the Rampion. Struggling to fall asleep, Cress is finding fewer and fewer reasons for why she isn’t sharing a bed with her Captain.

ft. Wolf with tomatoes and Throne returning to his beloved, a.k.a. the Rampion

do it, i dare you (by cresswell) https://archiveofourown.org/works/7225465

“This is a very bad idea,” Cress said.

“No this is a very good idea,” Thorne replied, his voice muffled by Cress’s thigh. “I am just a very bad influence.”

Til Death Dop Us Part (by lovelunarchron https://archiveofourown.org/works/13257282/chapters/30328461

After getting dragged to LAs Vegas by her friends, Cress Darnel wakes up the next morning to find she accidentally married an ex-conman named Carswell Thorne. When their attempt to annul their drunken nuptials takes a turn for the worst, the newlyweds must learn to live with each other... for better or for worse.

pacific ocean eyes (by crescentchat) https://archiveofourown.org/works/61105936/chapters/156126943

A trilogy of unconnected Cresswel oneshots for the 2024 Lunar Chronicles Ship Weeks!

Scarlet/Wolf:

staring (by crescentchat) https://archiveofourown.org/works/62210548

Wolf is staring at another woman. Before Scarlet considers that this is highly unlike him, she does something very much like her, and flies off the handle.

Reaffirming of trust ensues (featuring your friendly neighborhood Cress and Thorne).

his favorite time (by BadOldWest) https://archiveofourown.org/works/1119437

This lazy, sun-tired, sore-muscled time of day was his favorite. When everything was quiet and soft. After work, after dinner, after a nice long bath, where he was warm and fed and clean. 

Questioning Ran (by idon’tnap) https://archiveofourown.org/works/40540767

When Scarlet and Wolf encounter Ran in the woods in the book Scarlet, Wolf says that Scarlet wouldn’t be able to get any answers out of Ran because he was taught to withstand torture.

So Scarlet tries another method of questioning.

Lupus Domesticus (by tonkzart) https://archiveofourown.org/works/20972819/chapters/49869107

Scarlet and Wolf arrive home after months on the Rampion distributing antidotes, ready to settle into their new life together. They haven’t slept together yet. 

Winter/Jacin:

Girl of Seasons (by peanutbutterapple) https://archiveofourown.org/works/11164551

“I know,” Winter said, turning her eyes back to the air, the side of her face still pressed into this shirt. She thought she meant it, I love you.

“Good,” Jacin said. He leaned his head against the top of hers, and Winter thought he meant, I love you too.

touch of snow (by crescentchat) https://archiveofourown.org/works/60908206/chapters/155585212#workskin

A trilogy of unconnected Jacinter oneshots for the 2024 Lunar Chronicles Ship Weeks!

landscape (by shireith) https://archiveofourown.org/works/56645314

‘It’s a curious thing how getting to know someone-or remembering someone, in Winter’s case-doesn’t always turn them into any less of a stranger. Winter would look at Jacin in search of something, and he would look back, but only for an instant, before his whole figure recoiled in itself and the secret moment they’d shared shimmered away like a mirage.’

Glimpse of Winter and Jacin as they readjust to each other.

Set somewhere after the epilogue in Winter.

Iko/Kinney:

To the End of Their Days (by orphan_account) https://archiveofourown.org/works/5256503/chapters/12128636

A collection of one shots set post-Winter, focusing on the four main couples, as well as Iko and Kinney, and the return to normal life after a revolution for some, the adjustment to a brand new life for others, and a bright future for all.

Arguing in Defense of My Humanity (by breadmakesyoufat) https://archiveofourown.org/works/27170632/chapters/66359734

“I love it when you’re confrontational” he whispers softly, and her eyes flutter slightly as she laughs softly in response.

Lava (by MagicAndConstellations) https://archiveofourown.org/works/14086842

Cinder and Kai are in Luna for a diplomatic meeting. While their parents are at meetings, the Imperial prince and princess are babysat by Iko. Kinney receives a comm from Ciner asking to check on the trio as Iko hasn’t been answering her. 

Idiotic Tendencies (by FloraIrmaTylee) https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11993100/1/Idiotic-Tendencies

Iko thinks that Kinney’s only redeeming quality is his attractiveness. Somehow, because she decides to hate him, the universe pushes them together. 

An Android Goes to the Ball (by andypolymetis) https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11983788/1/An-Android-Goes-to-the-Ball

Iko wants to fo to the party, but it comes with a catch.

Multi-ship:

More than the moon (by Kass) https://archiveofourown.org/works/5358704

I wish, more than anything. Four happily ever afters.

Colors of The Heart (by regolithheart) https://archiveofourown.org/works/5589640/chapters/12880513

A collection of post-Winter one-shorts focusing on each of our favorite ships // Blue: Kiko / Yellow: Cresswell / Red: Wolflet / Green: Kaider

Platonic:

Carswell’s Guide to Being Vulnerable (by lionofsounis) https://archiveofourown.org/works/11545311

“What are you doing?”

“I’m giving you a hug, you idiot.”

“Cinder--”

“Shut up, Thorne.”

Thorne visits Cinder in the hospital for a slumber party chat about their crushes. Toenail painting not included. Some H/C, mostly banter. Both of them being sappy idiots and best friends.

Grounds for War (by suchastart) https://archiveofourown.org/works/7632229

“Can’t believe they lost my reservation,” Thorne says, dropping his duffel on the ground and looking around at the room, hands on his lips. ”Wow. Look at this!”

Cinder is looking. She is looking especially closely at the bed sitting in the middle of the room. The problem is not with the bed, but that there’s only one of them, and that it seems like Thorne will be sharing the room with her and Kai, too.

thawing (by moonlitserenades) https://archiveofourown.org/works/6190228

Jacin visits Cress in the hospital. 

How to Freak the Hell out of Carswell Thorne (by midnightsnapdragon) https://archiveofourown.org/works/31304240

Jacin’s acting scarier than usual, and for the life of him, Thorne can’t figure out why.

Throne’s Pyramid (by mxtaryii) https://archiveofourown.org/works/64205821

@captainthorne ranking everyone in the rampion crew from least to most favorite

Or a short social media au where Thorne uses his twitter irresponsibly. 

[kimquatz]

hiii! 1, 4, 7, 12, 17, and 20 for jishen!

Send me an OC name and a number to ask!

#12 has already been answered here!

What was the original thought that led to the creation of this character?

Jishen is actually supposed to be a VERY minor side character for my friend @ozmodai's hvswp-centric fantroll story! The story follows along the events of the unfolding Resistance movement on Alternia and exploring the idea that tealbloods do more than just legislative work but also general law enforcement and criminal justice. The main character, Rorzak, is a detective that comes to realize that trying to make a change from the inside to a corrupt justice system on a dystopian planet is much harder than it seems... I was really into the idea of a burgundy blood that communed with the dead that would help the teals with unresolved cases, and THUS... Jishen was born! heheh.

4. And reverse, which one of the four things did you struggle with the most?

I think what I struggled with the most is his motivation as a character or what he'd do "next." Since he was intended to simply be an "NPC," he was only supposed to serve a singular purpose and then eventually die off into obscurity LOL. But my friends liked him too much, so they wrangled him back into life and relevance ASKLJDA. Which, in a way, is almost appropriate for him how death seems to always follow him, but by mere miraculous chance he manages to still live.

7. What is an aspect of their appearance that you like the most?

I'm obsessed with his little ponytail, his stupid stubble, and his too many moles... it is moe......

17. Are there any motifs or symbols associated with the character? How are they represented, in their design, personality or in some other way?

Jishen is heavily associated with death, goats, and the Devil tarot card -- not in like a gothic or satanic way tho LOL, but in the way it represents temptation and self control. This is apparent in his goat horns and his lusus is also a four-eyed goat! His last name is also supposed to mean "black goat" in Chinese. He is also associated with the number 4, as it represents death/bad luck in most Sinic cultures but also to reference the fangxiangshi he was (very) loosely based on; Chinese exorcists who could "see in all four directions to dispel evil spirits." His glasses allude to this as a dumb "four eyes" joke LMAO.

20. Bonus question: share any additional thoughts, art, favourite scenes, anything you've been waiting for a chance to ramble about

OH MAN... What I really like about Jishen's character is his internal moral quandary whether he believes he's a "good" or "bad" person due to his complacency within the Alternian empire. Too scared to ever push the status quo because he's seen enough punishment of what has happened to others like him, he's witnessed and enabled terrible things to happen. Not that he doesn't feel guilty about it either, but it's ingrained into him to think it's not his place to act; to accept that's just the way of this world on Alternia. He's led to believe he has to prioritize himself if he wants any chance of living within his already short lifespan. "Better them than me."

Anyway, thank you for sending in so many questions!! As an apology for the hugeass text wall, have this old funny sketch of Jishen LOL

[pseudophan]

there’s this one anon in particular who is so fascinating imo bc they seem to go around to a great deal of phannie blogs who are only ever nice people minding their own business. and this anon’s like committed enough to constantly be doing this and has been for months now. yet despite that they’re like… not committed enough to send any sort of unique HATE? it’s only ever the same copy-pasted “ur not funny” “do u ever shut up” “ugly ass art” etc and it’s like all clearly the same guy and it’s like… what do u even get out of this…. what is this for…

low self esteem, poor mental health, bad life situation, pick your poison i suppose. i know it's sooo cliché but most of the time it literally is just people's lives being kinda shitty and feeling the need to take it out on others. doesn't make it okay of course, but i find that keeping that in mind really does make rude comments online a lot less hurtful. hell for me personally i've had a fair few anons reach out and apologise for having been mean to me several years prior, and the reasoning is always some variation of the above, and frankly i don't even blame them. yeah man, shit sucks, and sometimes you're gonna be a dick because of it. like it's giving hollywood movie script but it's unfortunately so real lol. but i think that's also part of why it seems like a lot of very kind people on here get the rudest asks, because if you have a strong urge to be mean to others and have enough self awareness to dislike that about yourself, of course someone who's generally just nice is gonna piss you off further. like as a certified hater and occasional miserable cunt, BOY have i gotten irrationally annoyed at people who appear happy and/or nice all the time lmao, like i might not be sending hate to anyone but i do at least somewhat understand the emotions behind it. you just gotta power through and not take it out on them though, is the thing

but really though. anon hate is sooo embarrassing. i could preach about how it's Mean And Bad cause yeah that too, but let's focus on the most important aspect, which is how incredibly cringe it is..... if you absolutely have be mean, say it with your whole chest! i hate the bullying culture they've got going on over on twitter (as a whole not just the phannies) but at least they're owning it. anon hate is just a pussy move lmao, especially if it's lazy like whoever this person going around is, like you said. cmon lets be creative here. i can appreciate a good insult! it's an art form, really. i think about 'maybe if you didn't use the q slur your dad wouldn't have left you, thank u next' every week of my life and it's been six years or so since i got that ask

ok obligatory disclaimer that you obviously shouldn't be a dick to people even if you're creative about it, but like there's at least tiers here and i would say anonymously going "ur not funny" is at the absolute bottom of the list lol

[lilyluvvsyouu]

looking at fanart of an awkward black hair ed kid trying to figure out if its Danny phantom, Nico di angelo, or William wisp without looking at tags

[bumfuzzled-bee]

! Eight !

[evercelle]

2024 art summary! it sure has been a year

[ganondoodle]

botw2 (totk rewritten) ganondorf design (+some story) post

Mummy version what link and zelda discover beneath hyrule castle when investigating the failing shiekah tech and discover a cave system that leads to several abandoned shiekah research/security sites and ultimately lead to a cave in which ganondorf is still sealed away by the ancient queen of hyrule; after the initial sealing (or capture rather) her descendant and the shiekah, who were rapidly advancing their tech at the time, build around it, both to keep the seal secret and safe (as the actual sealing was a short but intense battle between him and the queen that wasnt intended to happen like that, in the middle of the throne room that got broken and both ended up in the underground, the only survivor being the young princess of hyrule from that time- since all involved parties except for her died little was known as to how and why but the stories were spun regardless and ultimately the final narrative was in hyrules favor) and to use ganondorfs immense spiritual power and magical skill- eventually becoming one of the main power sources for all shiekah technology (ouch)

the chamber is all shiekah built (post sealing) and similarly secured like the monks in shrines (though visibly decaying and failing)- once disturbed the remainder of the ancient queen fused into zeldas hand (with seemingly no effect but temporary pain, perhaps she will hear voices from the past telling her not to explore any further .. still working on that) ganondorfs body falls to the ground but then springs back to life, somewhat clumsily but fiercly attacking zelda and link, the shock from being in this horrendous condition between life and death for thousands and thousands of years and suddendly being thrust back into his decayed and used up body still fresh

the mastersword is broken and links arm destroyed, both link and zelda start to flee from the crumbling cave, zelda dragging link behind her in panic (and as he is hurt)- after which link gets his shiekah tech arm (and the arm stays gone) and the world changes

mid game fight- this game is not as free in progression as botw, you can do alot when you want but some things will remain locked, the mid game fight can only happen once the 4 main regions problems have been dealt with (very different to canon totk, but that is for a different post) and the castle, which fell into the underground shortly after the intro, is made accessible (specific way how still in work) the interior is both broken castle, rooms previously blocked, and shiekah tech- since beneath the castle was a whole, giant array of tech made to secure the castle, including reserves of ancient energy specifically for the royal family and the entire mechanism behind the rising pillars filled with guardians-

at the start of the dungeon link is grabbed by malice/miasma hands and dragged into the castle, seperated from zelda and the mechanics she introduced (crafting/reparing weapons and more), theres no way out, teleports are blocked; after getting further in alone, zelda finds you again, and nothing seems out of the ordinary (unless you have a keen eye, she only uses her left arm and would walk past things she usually wouldnt) after a certain amount of progression, without warning, as soon as zelda is out of the cameras view she will attack you relentlessly, not speaking a word and with changed eye color- after fighting with her/beign chased into the main throne room, the real zelda breaks through a wall, her friends in tow (yunobo, teba+tulin, riju, sidon, which she went to to ask for help, explaining the time gap), and ganondorf drops the disguise, a fight with him (mummy version) ensues, though he is very much back to his senses

at the end of the fight he shows (or forces her to see) zelda his last memory from when he lived, the confrontation with the ancient queen to his sealing (since she doesnt know/is in denial of her families role in both all this and the sonaus (zonais) extinction (as well as the betrayal and persecution of the shiekah later on), and his beef is with her specifically, link is just her guard dog after all) (i wasnt sure to include a direct scene from the past, but this one scene is very self contained and gives alot of context while still letting most of the past be a mystery- as i want to keep it as feeling ... removed and unknown as much as possible from the world you know)

(after which he leaves the scene as zelda tries to understand what she just saw)

post revival Ganondorf (beginning of end fight cutscene and phase 1.) only appears at the end (excluding the possible cutscene in the mid game fight, which shows him in his time, alive, which is a different design than this that i will make for a cutscene/story post)

the end of the game is in/on the forgotten plateau (it ends were botw began :) ) perhaps it rose higher and revealed an entrance after more game progression (at least one more dungeon, master kogas, and the restorations of the master sword via deku tree dungeon and sword quest involving the dragons; how much of the past you cared to explore within caves, which ARE the underground- its in several bigger and smaller, harder to access caves, each being somewhat to very unique and reveal more context, is largely irrelevant, it mostly serves to give YOU more context and make you think)

the dungeon is within the plateau, once to the end there is a longer cutscene of zelda trying to talk with ganondorf, now in his, largely, restored form (largely as in, not exactly as he was in past, clothing difference etc), her having come to understand what her legacy is and wanting to take responsibility for it; he listens calmly and talks to her for a bit (but the tension is very high, he knows what threat he poses and his goals, zelda is visibly trying to keep it together) and for a bit it might look like she can avoid this conflict

but he makes it very clear then, that she cannot undo anything, there is no possible price she could pay, he has suffered at hyrules hands for generations, having seen the world that was his home grow into myth, see his own people forget him, and how the history was remembered, not as it was, but as they wanted it to; he is forever changed, ripped from his time and all he ever held dear (there are clues and a mention of him having had two daughters, a little boar figurine, carved from wood of trees now extinct, hangs from his belt even now)- he wasnt a perfect king, but well liked and kept his country to stay strong against hyrules schemes .. until he fell- he is not truly alive, he is in a strangers world and this world hates him, it is anger and hatred, rage against all that happend, guilt for having failed his own, feeling betrayed by them yet, even if not truly their fault as no one knew what really happened except him, but he was imprisoned, with no breath to speak nor air to scream

he does not care for this world and his only goals now are to disrupt as much as possible, be the unstoppable force that hyrules always been, be the monster they wanted him to be, do as he wants until someone stops him ...and kill zelda to end her rotten family- but even if she gave up her life willingly he wouldnt take it, she will have to fight and make her own hands dirty and she does not want to die.

your friends arrive, and the battle begins.

(rough examples of his weapons are further below; he fights with one arm only in phase 1. then reforms his missing arm with malice, borrowed from the boar appearance, though it is not usable enough to truly replace it, it acts more like beasts claw and to copy some of links abilities, like the hookshot)

Beast Ganon(dorf), normal appearance (phase 3)

at the end of phase 2 he knocks out your friends, changes into beast form and attacks you, zelda using her magic to shield both her and link so he cannot bite through, instead smashes them both through stone and dirt all the way to the surface of the plateau on which the fight continues, this time only link and zelda

(his movement isnt a senseless rage, but a graceful being, he moves and jumps, floats and swims through the air as the ground in an almost dragon like way, he still wields magic, not all malice, but lightning and perhaps even more too, it is still him, just a different form)

Beast Ganon(dorf) while charging magic (phase 3)

Ganondorf phase 2 + Ganondorf phase 4 (slightly out of order but the boar wouldnt fit on one picture with other forms)

at the end of phase 3 (beast) it seems like you have beaten him, he is down and zelda takes charge, ready to do as she did to the dark beast she faced before (dark beast ganon in botw) but as she raises her hand a sword slash cuts off half her right hand- he is not done yet and refuses to be dealt with like that again, not by her hand again-

the final phase is a mix of all, including his appearance, this is the final struggle, to give every last drop of strength, the hole in his chest is open, malice eyes staring from within, it keeps him alive yet still-

zelda is disabled for this fight, she has been taken to safety by your friends, this fight is all on link to finish; while this is his most desperate and vengeful form, he is not senseless either, he summons his sword to attack you with as he did in phase 2, then throws it at you, quickly conducting lighting to it and while you are busy dodging lunges like in beast form (to paint the picture a little), this fight is supposed to be truly challenging.

(heres a rough example for his weapons)

(not fully sure of the ending scene, but there is supposed to be a short view into a timeskip in which zelda also has half a prosthetic hand made from shiekah tech)

[ewwww-what]

friendship so strong it grants you a sixth level spell slot. I have words to say.