#I'm still tweaking the layout anyways

[plushchimera]

this thing took me so long to put together but now I have to disassemble everything cuz it's off center 😐

[sculkapologist]

I finally finished a NEW CUSTOM MAP ART!!! "Visitor," a portrait of an enderman, is extra exciting because it's my first full-palette map painting, meaning I used block height to access all the highlight and shadow colours available!! More on the full process under the cut, but the short version of what this means is:

ITS A VERY COMPLICATED CONSTRUCTION. I created the art, then planned and built this manually, without any mods or schematics for construction. Huge props again to everyone else in the server for helping me gather all the materials to make this absurd thing possible!!!

This was the original art I made for it! I'm a huge fan of the "compressed" look of the vanilla paintings, so I've been starting with a large image and shrinking it down, though there were a lot of pixel tweaks to get it to read well. After shrinking it to 16x32 (for an art made of two maps), I convert it to a limited palette that I've set up to match the colours minecraft actually has available:

The map palette is actually tremendously limited, so figuring out a painting that will still look good with that constraint is a challenge in and of itself!

Anyway, the way minecraft maps work, a block that is Taller than the block to the north of it shows up with a slightly lighter colour, and a block that is Lower than the block north of it shows up on the map with a slightly darker colour. So when making a key for this one, I marked all the squares with a little arrow if it's the lighter or darker version:

Each "pixel" here is a full stack of blocks on the mapped area: 64 blocks, 8 rows of 8. In order to achieve the affect of every block in a given pixel being taller or shorter than the block to the north of it, dark and light shades need to staircase either up or down. Because staircasing downwards in survival sounds even worse than this madness, I did some planning to make sure each of the "downwards" staircases would touch the ground, so I could simply staircase up from south to north instead. This involved figuring out how many up and down movements were in each individual column and planning out 32 little layouts:

It's worth noting that if you look up minecraft map art on Youtube, most of what you'll find is either, the simple realisation that placing blocks allows you to make custom map art, or an explanation of how to use a generator that will let you plug in any picture and then produce a schematic for you. It's very cool that these exist, but I wanted to do full palette art myself, without an auto-generated schematic, and at the time THERE JUST WEREN'T ANY TUTORIALS FOR HOW TO DO ALL THIS?? Now, having the experience of finagling all this, i think perhaps the reason is that this is a mad undertaking.

ANYWAY: PROGRESS SHOTS!!

I actually love how the staircases look..... its like some kind of modern sculpture

Fewer shots of the second half since I did it on call with friends; the last screenshot is one Thren took of me activating the new locked map to use for the gallery.

Once these paintings are done, I lock the finished maps, make copies, and stock them in the art gallery so other friends on our server can also put these paintings in their homes! It's a lot of work, but really rewarding to see my art decorating various buildings around the server. ;u;

I have one more custom full-palette painting I've done the art for and gathered all materials for; I still need to do the full key and plan staircasing for it before I can start, but HOPEFULLY if my resolve doesn't waver there'll be at least one more of these!!

[nikki-de]

You guys! I did a thing! So, I got this idea I wanted to try out with my drawings. I've had some interest generated wondering if I sell prints, which I don't, not yet anyways, but even if I did start selling stuff, I still wanted to have more available than just prints, so I started looking into sublimation. Yesterday I spent all day converting my old printer into a sublimation printer, then got some good scans of my drawings, and, I'm a mug person, so of course my first go to was mugs haha. I'm so excited about how these turned out, especially for my first go (definitely not perfect, need some tweaking, but these were just to test how they would look). And it's brought so many more ideas to me now for drawings that would be made more specifically for certain layouts, whether it's mugs, or maybe canvas bags, or whatever; sublimation opens up a whole bunch of doors to turn my hand drawings into something more tangible (I don't think that's the word I'm looking for, but I'm going to leave it haha). Still got some figuring to do and all that, but I just had to show you guys these because I was too excited, and also, could always use some feedback - what's everybody think, do I need to be talked off the ledge again?? (The stackable mugs at the end; those aren't the drawings I would use for something like that (especially the firework one, that one didn't translate quite as well), but I just wanted a visualization of being able to do specific sets that purposely go together)

[quibbs126]

Oh yeah, I made this last night

I was complaining yesterday about how I can’t draw, and while I tried and failed to draw traditionally (I think I’ve been out of practice too long and I can’t adjust to the layout of it not being right in front of my face at the same angle, if that makes sense), I decided maybe I can try drawing these guys again

I’m pretty happy with how the main trio turned out in this redesign, I think I was able to give them all distinct looks

Cassidy got some changes, Rasmus pretty much stayed the same other than a permanent ponytail, and Rowan's hair got completely changed. Mostly because I wanted to make his hair have a more distinct shape

I still need to come up with new names for them though. Best I got is Rowan becomes Rusty, but I don’t know for the other two. All I know is that in another world, Cassidy would be Peppermint, or some other variation of mint

Anyways, a while ago I was considering changing the setting of the story to be cowboy themed. It was mostly because at the time, a Discord I was on was making a Cookie Run cowboy AU that I really like, but also because the story never had a clear time period setting. It was part modern day, part fantasy, and I never really got it to be consistent

Though the big problem is that I’m pretty unfamiliar with cowboys and how they operate. Which is ironic because I’ve been living in Texas for over a decade. But like, I’ve never been that interested in Westerns or that cowboy stuff, probably in part because I heavily dislike country music. So I don't really know much about the era other than Victorian times were also happening

I would also have to change some things around so that they fit in the time period, most importantly the whole situation with Rasmus and the others. I'm thinking maybe I can turn that from science experiment to witchcraft and have magic be more of a thing, since they are meant to have magic

I've given a little thought into how the story works now, like that these three got hired either to drive cattle to a certain area or keep watch of a ranch. I guess if they got to travel, then the former, but if I just want them to hang out, then the latter. Former's probably better though, since if I want to make an actual plot, there's your overarching goal

I think I need to do more research on the time period though, so I know what I'm doing. Though also this isn't going to be like, completely historically accurate. I mean these guys are fictional goat thing people with magic powers. I don't think something like the Civil War happened recently, and I'm not sure I want sexism to be a prevalent thing in the plot. And I think I also personally I need that reminder since sometimes I forget that I can give myself wiggle room

In that vein, the cattle are probably also semi fictional, or at least maybe they shouldn't be exactly the same as real cows. I don't know, I feel like it'd be really jarring to have normal cows alongside brightly colored goat people

Anyways I trailed off, back to the actual drawings

So because of the cowboy consideration, I tried to sketch out outfits they could wear. As well as body types (though they didn't turn out as varied as I'd like). Cassidy and Rasmus I think are fine, but Rowan might need more tweaking. I also need more cowboy refs, especially ones that aren't just costumes or AI pictures in Google Images

Then afterwards I decided to start sketching some of the other characters I've made up. Which just so happen to be the parents of the main characters. Who also have names because I came up with the naming scheme at that point

Top to bottom is Periwinkle, Basil and Silver

Of those three, I think Periwinkle turned out the best, but for one thing, she's been in my mind much longer than the other two, so I have a much clearer idea of what she's supposed to look like. And on top of that, I've actually drawn her before, so I know what to change. Basil and Silver are very much first drafts, and first drafts are usually not the best when it comes to designing new characters. No wonder redesigns of characters usually end up better than the original, since you have a base design where you already know what works and doesn't, as opposed to working from the ground up

And with Silver, I made it a point that he and his son don't look anything alike other than both having darker hair, so I quite literally had nothing to work with, unlike Basil or Perri

I'm also realizing that I've made a pattern with the parent designs, namely that all three of the main characters pretty much exclusively look similar to their moms. I suppose you can't tell much here, since Rasmus was born green but got changed via the experimentation, while I drew Silver, Rowan's dad that he looks nothing like, with the mom he does look like not being depicted. But yes, Cassidy and her bio mom are blue, Rasmus and Basil are green, and Rowan and his mom are red

Periwinkle and Cassidy are probably the two who look the most distinct from another, in part because they're two different shades of blue. Which is ironic because in my more recent working of this world, I made it a point that Perri's family has crazy strong genes, with everyone in the family (outside of marriage) is blue. I might have to take that out or just change how this works

I mean with Rowan, I don't really know how to change it, since his dad's family is all in the greyscale, so him being red would have to come from his mom. And with Rasmus, his parents are supposed to be green and red, with the idea that it's plausible that he could turn out brown, while in reality he was born green. But I mean I guess I could turn him a more yellow-ish green? I don't know, I'll figure it out

And uh yeah, I guess that's it. Not really anything that remarkable, but at least I drew something

[cursed-40k-thoughts]

Is Armoured Core on the same difficulty level has Dark Souls or is it possible for casual players to play?

Like the gameplay looks fun from a trailer but. Will I need to frame perfect time parries or something awful like that?

I'm generally just looking for mech games with single player modes on console given the abandonment of Titanfall 2

Similar difficulty in a different direction. Familiarity with enemy timing and attack patterns is still a thing, usual FromSoft fight stuff, but you don’t take/parry attacks. The benefit of being a robot with thrusters means that your way of dealing with attacks is to fly/boost out of the way or get out of range. That’s the core of it really. Just move out the way, and return fire with your choice of guns/missiles/lasers. Certain weapons can be more or less effective against certain enemies. All the AC games have that sort of basic deal.

We know from the most recent showcase there are other factors for AC6, too. Enemies have a somewhat pronounced stagger meter. You fill it up by attacking them, and when it’s full they get stunned and you can smack them up for free for a bit. There’s also some sort of checkpoint system. We don’t have the full details regarding it yet, but based on what we saw of it, and based on the way a similar system was utilised in Elden Ring, it seems to let you tweak your loadout and respawn next to an important fight or boss encounter if you die to that encounter.

So yeah. Don’t get me wrong, Armored Core can get pretty fast, and it’s certainly challenging at times, but the premise of combat timing is based more around you just… moving and shooting enemies when ideal. A lot of difficulty honestly did stem from how awkward the some of the button layouts and technical aspects were. For me, anyway.

I do genuinely think that, despite the AC games (particularly the newer ones) being “faster” than Soulsborne games, the actual core of what they ask from you is a lot simpler. Again, a lot of the stuff that I found to be obtuse was a product of tech limitations and questionable design elements, and I think that FromSoft has come a long way since then in both game design and their technological capability.

We still don’t have anything approaching a full picture for all of the finer details of the game yet, so time will tell, but yeah. It’s really not as bad or as mind-blowingly tricky as some people make it seem. I’m very sure that once we get to see more fleshed out gameplay and info that you’ll be able to make a hard decision for yourself. It’s the kind of thing where you’ll be able to tell if you are or aren’t into it.

[reverienne]

self-rec tag game

I saw it making rounds on my dash and you know what? I'm doing it and I'm strongly encouraging @aylaaescar, @bluekaddis / @rainhowls-arts (yes, it's my wink wink nudge nudge for you to fill it twice), @czandziowata, @etoilebinaire, @lavampira - and anyone else who wants to - to also give it a try! 💕

Rules: Share five of your own fanworks (fic, art, etc.). Then, tag five more people to share the things they’ve made.

(Mind that my ao3 fics are currently only available to the logged in users. Sorry for the inconvenience!)

1. something you absolutely adore:

Sierra's ShoH MC, Odelinka! And my ShoH MC, Bogusia!

They were made as a matching set and turned into custom acrylic keychains. Their coming into existence was a turning point in my life and I'm not exaggerating when I'm saying that they made my life so much better. Here's to more chibi keychains in the future! <3

But! I've spent way too much time refreshing the page and marvelling at my coding for Achievement Unlocked not to also count it here. It's a 70-words-long coda for Episode II of Wayfarer and my second attempt at coding. A long break made my return to CSS more challenging than I'd like it to be, but I'm very pleased with the end result and I keep shoving this little fic into the faces of all people who are up to date with the public build of Wayfarer. I think that it's just neat.

2. something that was challenging to create: 

Worst Romance Ever was both my first fic for Dragon Age, first fic published on ao3, first fic shared publically in a veeeery long time and, most importantly, my first venture into CSS coding. It's an account of a dudebro gamer criticising Emerald Aeducan's romance route in the fictional remake of Dragon Age: Origins. (Don't get discouraged by its unfinished status - it's technically finished, I'm just going back and forth on whether I should upload a little extra.) There was so much I had to learn for this project! Frankly, nothing I've made ever since matched it in terms of intensity. The layout is not perfect and I'd like to rework it sometime in the future, but it's a testament of my persistence and I'm proud of it anyway! Also, that's how I discovered that I actually like CSS coding and want to dabble in more ao3 skins in the future! So, small steps. :)

3. something that makes you laugh (or smile, if that fits more comfortably):

Zarya of disapproval! Her judgemental face never fails to crack me up. (Gosh, I really need to draw some more for Mysticons...)

4. something that surprised you (in how it turned out, how much other people liked it, etc.):

spotkania o 8. rano na Zoomie, my ~200-words-long modern AU ficlet for Wayfarer! I wrote it on a whim, published it right after, in a bout of unhinged self-confidence wrote about it on Wayfarer's Discord server... but nothing could prepare me for the warm welcome this ficlet received! It was written entirely in Polish, it was as niche as it could get, and yet! One person actually confessed to reading it with the help of Google Translate. I'm still overjoyed just thinking about it.

I ended up translating it into English the very next day, another record for me, though 8 a.m. Zoom meetings most likely got lost in the notifs and didn't match the Polish version's popularity. Still, I love both! And if you played Episode I of Wayfarer and have a minute to spare, I recommend giving it a chance!

5. something you want other people to see:

I dare to say that my art of my blorbo, Serena Amell, is quite underrated. C'mon, with some tweaks suggested to me by my best friend, I really managed to make her look very cute!

[rabenschwcrz]

Some dashboard stuff

So, I'm a bit bored and still find myself in a massive creative slump at the moment. Anyways, I wanted to make something. Since Tumblr fucked up its layout a while ago here's how I fixed my dashboard to make it still enjoyable. If you're a veteran you can skip this I guess but if you're newer you might wanna have a look at this (long post under the cut).

The dashboard unfucker is outdated and not working anymore!

Basic settings Access tumblr settings from the account manager drop down menu.

Account tab enable show on all community labels if you wish to see all content. disable Hide additional potentially mature content.

Dashboard tab disable Best Stuff First to make the timeline chronological.

Extensions I'm using Firefox (for one particular plug-in, but the rest should work in any browser).

Dashboard Unfucker This little tool saved my life. You'll need a userscript manager like Tampermonkey. Install it to your browser. Then get the Dashboard Unfucker made by this goated person. Reload the dashboard to make the settings appear at the top right (above recommended blogs). Set it up to personal preference.

XKit-Rewritten This is a super useful extension for tweaking the dashboard. Visit this site and scroll down to Installation. After installing the settings can be managed from the extension menu of the browser. Set it up to personal preference.

Firefox Multi-Account Containers Firefox only. Install this extension from here. If you have more than one main blog this tool allows to open multiple accounts in the same browser. Whenever opening a new tab it lets you choose a container for the tab. Set it up to personal preference under Manage Containers. Tick the box Select a container for each new tab.

Palettes for Tumblr Make the dashboard appear in custom colors. Visit this site and scroll down to Installation. After installing the settings can be managed from the extension menu of the browser. Set it up to personal preference.

[petrifact]

Write Your First Adventure Lesson 2: Setting a Project Scope

So the main activity for this day was to write a "scope reflection": a document summarizing the scope of my adventure, my challenges, and my plans for it. Here are the questions and my responses:

What is this project and what is the final deliverable? (Eg. "I'm writing a one-shot adventure set in Ravenloft. It will be a PDF document available on DMs Guild.") I'm writing a one-shot RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha adventure set in Sartar. It will be a PDF document available on the Jonstown Compendium.

When does this project need to be completed?

November 30. Well, wait, no; that's when the workshop ends but maybe I'll do a little tweaking and formatting afterward. I guess the absolute deadline is December 8 if I want my adventure to be included in the RPG Writer Workshop Bundle, which I do.

Do you need to learn a new skill or tool to complete this project?

Well, two of them, actually:

I'm actually not all that familiar with Glorantha and RuneQuest; over the past few weeks I've read the core books and I think I've got a handle on the rules and setting, but I don't have the experience with them that I do with, for instance, D&D. (So why didn't I join the D&D 5E adventure writing workshop instead? Because honestly, I kind of want to do more with other games besides D&D, and although I don't have prior experience with RuneQuest it was something I was interested in.)

I haven't really used layout software before (well, not within the last few decades, anyway), so that'll be new for me, too.

Have you started learning that skill or tool prior to starting this project? (Explain yes or no.)

Yes to the first, no to the second (I did actually pay for a Udemy lesson on Adobe InDesign months ago, but haven't had a chance to complete it).

Have you completed a project of this size and scope before?

No, which is the main reason I joined this workshop. I've started loads of adventures and game supplements, but haven't quite gotten around to finishing any of them; I'm hoping I can change that this month.

How much time can you devote to this project every day, week, or month until it's finished?

Eh… that's the problem. I have a really, really unpredictable and irregular work schedule, so it's hard to know in advance what days I might have time to work on the project, or what times during those days. And that means I can't set aside in advance a specific time of day I plan to work on the project, because I don't know in advance whether or what time I'll be working. But for the rest of the month even on days I'm working I should be able to devote at least an hour before or after work (or possibly even during work; I'm actually typing this at work right now).

What potential obstacles may you encounter during this project?

The main obstacle is… see previous answer.

Oh… also, keeping my adventure under 3500 words will definitely be a challenge. I tend to kind of get carried away. In fact, I'm going to go ahead and say right now that my adventure will almost certainly be longer than 3500 words. Maybe way longer. But I'm still going to try to get it done by the end of the month.

Based on your responses, map out a timeline for this project.

Well, since I didn't know about the countdown activities and didn't sign up for the workshop until the first, and then spent a few days trying to catch up with the countdown activities that I should have done in advance, I'm off to a late start… but I'm going to try to get caught up by tomorrow (November 11) and thereafter stick to the suggested schedule.

[And did that happen? Did I get caught up by November 11? Ha ha ha no of course not I'm way behind gah I'm an idiot.]

[rai-knightshade-art]

"May all your Dreams be Sweet, tonight... Safe upon your bed of Firelight... And know not of sadness, pain, or care... And when I dream I'll fly away and meet you there... Sleep... Sleep... Sleep......."

Lullaby for a Princess, PonyPhonic (lyrics slightly altered)

(artist thoughts and explanations under the cut, image id in alt text) (click for better quality)

Yeah so turns out I'm still not done with the Invincible x Lullaby for a Princess brainrot, who knew. I was never fully happy with the traditional version of this so i bit the bullet and made a digital version so i could finally convey just what I've been seeing in my mind ever since i first relistened to the damn song. (Well. One of several images. Idk don't be surprised if in like a year or something i come out with yet another version but with mini scenes from the rest of the mv im imagining. Maybe.) For the record i still don't actually like Invincible or suggest my particular intake of the EU but the muse has been holding me at lightsaber point on this one guys sorry.

As stated in this post, this is based on a scene from the Legacy of the Force novel Invincible, aka the final book in that particular series and the one that depicts the big Final Showdown between the Solo twins in the Legends timeline. Said epic battle conceptually provides amazing fodder for angst and emotional whump, if you're into that, especially when combined with equally Angsty songs (or songs with the potential to be equally Angsty). ...too bad it's not actually as well written a storyline as it had the potential to be 😑. Character assassination aside (rip Jacen Solo you deserved better), this scene has still lived rent-free in my head since i was, like, 10 or 12, so who really had the last laugh? (Me, it was me, cause none of it's canon anyways now so I've decided it's my city now and I'm giving Jacen the happy ending he deserves, actually, so there!)

For the record, i took some inspiration from the original cover art for Lullaby for a Princess when i fully rendered this piece, mainly with the spotlight and particle effects. I spent literal hours tweaking it to get the layout, text effects and background effects right, but i think it was worth it for this final product.

And here's an alternate version to show off the full lyrics that i hid in the background of the original, featuring a ghostly Jacen and Jaina.

[the-blind-geisha]

im gonna ask this on anon cuz of shy. but... in your opinion or anybodys what is the diff between stolen/inspired? I'm half worried that i might accidentally write something that'll seem stolen from others if not careful. 😅

This isn't to scare anybody off. I just want to offer what insight I can for folks. ♥

Sadly, anon, when it comes to fandom content especially, people do get a bit...aggressive. lol I'm not gonna sit here and say 'what? who? me?? I WOULD NEVER!' Because like I said before: I HAVE been that way. It's been a good 10 or so years since I have, but your 30s tend to chill you out... It did me anyways, can't speak for others. lol

Do know that if anybody acts that way, it's mostly insecurity and or worry their inboxes won't be filled with love and want for more of their content. It's not something you should be ashamed of. Your writing was just so good it rattled them. How they act is not on you and never will be on you. I speak, again, from a place of knowing from being that way and being on the receiving end of it.

Being inspirited by someone: If someone or something inspires you to do something new or unusual, they make you want to do it. If someone or something inspires you, they give you new ideas and a strong feeling of enthusiasm.

So, basically, I've had people tell me they are driven to want to write their own Demiurge stuff thanks to my writings. And dang man, am I beyond ecstatic when I read that.

Now, if they write anything about a Supreme Being having been Isekaied with Ainz and the NPCs, and Demiurge is in love with them? That's inspired and also, to add to the point, a token love story that's often used in the fandom. I cannot take credit for this idea, nor can I claim anybody was inspired by me in particular to write it.

Nobody can who has done this formula layout.

It's basically a layout that's easy enough for first time writers to get their shoes wet in Overlord in my humblest opinion. Same for if they are suddenly in a relationship with Ulbert and then Demiurge merges that idea into the character in question.

If their OC is an angel? Same thing. I cannot take credit for that thought. Besides, as I told a friend: angel/demon relationships are as cliché as you can get. And I LOVE that cliché. I know I'm not alone there. ♥

I am sure there are a lot of people who claim that if you write ideas closely in relation to theirs, you're stealing somehow. If you use the same tropes, tags, ect. But no. As much as those people want to believe that, it's not the case.

So let's move onto my next part.

Stealing: When you take WORD FOR WORD someone else's story or are obviously just coloring on top of someone else's hard work. That the layout has only a slight tweak, basically, and I'll explain.

Now, I've mentioned these things on and off before, but I'll use them as reference again.

A long time ago, I was RPing an erotic story with a friend regarding her character being sold into a harem with a bunch of guys in another fandom who were basically shut-ins. Each new female had to be auctioned between these shut-ins and the highest bidder would get the female.

Now, I wrote a snippet (which I still have and is very much storaged on my DA) where the characters by the name of Thunderhawk and Sojourner were bidding heatedly for her character. The final, winning bid was 200,000. Against my friend's character's will, she was to be pushed off and stripped of her clothing as these two anthro snow leopard like lady twins were to bring the winner, Thunderhawk, his prize. The image I had drawn that used to be up was her character naked with her arms bound behind her back.

It was going to be a graphic novel, but my interests in the fandom was dwindling, and it didn't happen.

Now, I had someone comment on one of my art pieces saying 'oh that Rule 34 website has something up in the works called Spectre's Haven--you might be interested in it'.

And I went to read the pages up and...

The characters are all shut-ins (which is a given with the material we were both writing from, so that's no big), but then you had 2 obvious off screen characters asking for 'what was the starting bid' and having the woman bound naked before the men, going into bidding wars for the women they want for their harems... Sojourner and Thunderhawk were seen bidding heatedly side-by-side. Spectre, however, came out the victor....for 200,000. lol

The woman they got was nervous to be in the harem just like my friend's character was, but was told that it was not so bad. After there was nothing for them to 'grab from' where my snippets and stuff was concerned, it just went into pure on porn.

When I talked to the writer about it nicely and they had this to say to tl;dr it: 'yeah, I had the harem idea in my head for awhile now, read your stuff. Loved it btw, and I decided to make a reference to it as that's what I do. Thunderhawk almost won the bidding war but I decided last minute to make it Spectre instead. We didn't think it was necessary to put in credits, since it was obvious.'

Keep in mind: this is from a website that, while the comic was free, they still get ad revenue on their site. They got money from my work and never bothered to credit the original source because there was 'no point'. lol

It hurt but, I didn't bother to fight it.

Now, again, it's fine to have the same idea as me. But when stuff starts to align really closely like that? It's...alarming. You can easily do a harem idea without a bidding war. There's MANY ways to do that. But they just used mine because it was easier, I suppose. I dunno. They could have even used other characters that they grabbed from. There was like six total I used and that they were referencing too. I still feel there was other ways to do their comic. And besides, if you're going to reference me and admit to that when you work on a mature website that gets money for your work...? CREDIT me.

They had a far bigger follower base, and here I am getting nothing for it other than I loved the artist they had doing the comic, so I guess my idea was in their story and in the art I loved... ^^"

And the winning bid could have been anything. They said it was obvious nobody noticed the wink and nod at my stuff but uh...no. lol My friends/readers saw it and actually got madder than me at it. xD; I told them not to do a thing. As long as my friend's character wasn't used, I wouldn't be upset.

And to be honest? As long as someone takes something of mine like this again but does it for free? I really can't be that upset. Is it disrespectful? Sure. But I won't be heated about it if money isn't obtained from my ideas.

Now, fast-forward to 2020 where I wrote/illustrated to page one of Dancing with the Devil, my erotic/non-con Demiurge/OC comic, and then later the reader insert, Devil's Contract.

I was conversing with somebody at the time who instantly threw down the link to their story saying how similarly it sounded to their fic. Keep in mind, I never read fanfics in any fandom. My ADHD won't allow me to focus on someone else's works I am not close to let alone my own writing. (When it came to their story, I kudos it in a fit of mercy since they kept reblogging 'pity me posts' about their writings.)

As you can guess, we had some similar themes going on: non-con, bad BDSM etiquette, calling Demiurge 'Master', a human character he abuses but turns to love, the works.

But that's it, though. We had similar THEMES. Not similar deliveries.

If you read either of our fics, it's basically night and day.

However, this caused her to be furious and think I was stealing from her. Especially when my kudos, bookmarks, and comments took off. She would vent read my comments and obviously stay on top of my stats more than me, because she's that kinda way, I guess. Noticing that people not in Overlord were reading/loving my story was making her irate, as she had already damaged her reputation in the fandom twice before. She hated she couldn't get that sort of fanbase, so she started to falsify her own through dummies and anons when she 'rebuilt her fic'. (I'll leave this here, because it doesn't need to go beyond this.)

Now, another friend of mine is nervous to write her own version of something like this given the prior hostility in the fandom where this person was concerned. I told her in DMs "I'll support the hell out of your fic. Whether you post it publicly or just snippets to me in private".

And that's the truth.

I don't care if other people write something with similar themes to me. I really don't, and others shouldn't either. It means the world gets two cakes with (hopefully) different deliveries.

Now, if someone were to take some of my snippets here and replace the blank reader with a character of their own choosing? That's theft.

Please, don't ever do that to anybody. lol

If you want to do that, because you want to use it as a backbone for your fic? Ask first and then credit the person. Even if you requested the snippet in question: the person wrote your idea. You still deserve to give that person full credit for the thought they put down for you. ♥

But, I am only one person in a sea of many. And to be honest? As long as you're not making money off of my stuff, then good. I just don't want my ideas being sold is all.

Otherwise, it's our playground, and fanfiction I feel is a great way to learn where to go. ♥

I honestly and truly hope nobody ever feels scared to write to, post their writings.

I hate that some places have become like a warzone, but you can always do your best to curate your experiences. ♥

And, again, while I am ADHD and have a hard time reading, if you link me to your story and ask for my opinion, I'll be happy to read it. ♥ You know I will.

[namelessayakashi]

Heyyyy back with some more asks hehe! (I'm sorry but actually not really) So for the fanfic game: 1, 7, and 33?

Pshh you know I always love getting asks (especially ones with multiple thingys in them) I love doing these games. 

Okayokay so, I’m answering this on my laptop so I’m going to have to come back and like add in tags after I post it, ugh, I hate that. 

A n y w a y agskdhfsdaj

1. From one to five stars, how would you rate your own writing? (No downplaying yourself!)

Okay, so depending on the fic, probably 3-4 because I’m fairly confident in my works and proud of what I write, but know there is still room for improvement in my writing skills, and some fics are definitely better than others so 3 to 4 depending on the fic. 

7. What element of writing do you struggle with most?

This one is hard, tbh, and I’ve been thinking about it really hard, because I don’t know. I mean, not to say I don’t struggle with any elements of writing, because I’m sure I do, I just... I genuinely can’t name one I struggle with most because I don’t know. It’s something I’ll have to pay attention to. I struggle with planning in multi-chapter stories, if that counts? I always used to jump right into them and then 3 chapters in I get stuck because I have no plan, no guide, no chapter layouts, no plot diagram, nothing. So, I used to never get multi-chap fics done. I’m getting better with that, though, and for my latest multi-chap tGoD, I’ve already begun planning properly and creating chapter layouts and plot goals & major plot points. 

33. Is there anything you wish your audience knew about your writing or writing process? 

Okay this is going to be a long one so, buckle up. 

I do have one fun fact about how I write emotions, for example the anxiety and panic and paranoia in Honey & Hemlock or the anger and hurt in Together, or the sadness & pain from Keeping It Together. When writing these scenes, I tend to focus and think about how I am affected by these emotions and how I react to them and how they work with me, and that’s how I write them. For the anxiety/panic/paranoia in H&H, I thought about how I think and feel when I’m having an attack or spiraling, and I thought about the physical and mental affects I show when it’s happening and how I feel when it’s happening, then I tweaked it a bit just to fit the situation better, as obviously my attacks aren’t about getting caught for having magic. For Together & KiT, though, it was a bit different, as I used those to vent my emotions (which, vent-writing is very cathartic to me, it’s helpful for me to get out and understand my emotions), so what Arthur was feeling, was what I was feeling. I took my emotions as I was feeling them and I forced myself to put it into words as a way to process it. Same for Keeping it Together, I was grieving when I wrote it, and I was trying my damn hardest not to break down, so I wrote out how it felt and everything I wished I could say, and as Merlin cried, I cried. His thoughts, his feelings, his words about Kilgharrah, they were all my thoughts, my feelings, my words about my cub. 

A lot of the time when I write strong emotions, I want it to feel realistic and I want the reader to be able to understand how the character is feeling, and so, to do that, I do this. I think about how these strong emotions effect me (if I’ve felt them before) and I write that. Even if it’s a situation I’ve not been in (like being terrified of being murdered for practicing sorcery in Camelot lmao), I still think about how these strong emotions effect me, and I adjust it as needed to fit the scenario. 

Another thing I’d like to say about my writing process is that, I do a lot of research. Mainly for my long fics, but even sometimes on my short ones. On a fic like H&H I will spend hours upon hours researching and translating, and I put my all into writing the fic. Even short ones, I put everything I have into it. 

I am often anxious about if people will like my writing or not, because I put so much work into it, but I second guess myself frequently on whether it’s actually good or not. So, when you comment on my work with even just a short little “i liked this!’ it literally means the world to me and ilysm, because each comment I get sweeps away my insecurity bit by bit, and I’m actually a lot more confident in my work now than I was even just two months ago thanks to the kind words from my readers. 

And finally, my process changes a LOT based on the length and type of fic. A short, self-indulgent, tooth-rotting fluff fic will not be heavily researched or mulled over for weeks at a time, I’ll write that shit in one go, 2k words in 30 minutes or less, let’s go. A fic like H&H or my current longest wip tGoD, though? Months. It will take so much time and effort and research. My process changes so much. And, y’know this also depends on my motivation at the time. My process shifts at least a little for every fic I write. It’s rarely ever the same as a whole for multiple fics.

Anyway, yeah, so that was really long, um, tysm for the ask! I love answering these. 

Sorry the last one is so long, the answer got away from me a little there, and I got carried away. 

Send me a number (or a few) and I’ll answer them! 

[speeps-highway]

If you could please elaborate more on SA2 Steams changed menu graphics. I'm pretty interested in this subject.

Alright, I guess I can squeeze a few more points out of this.

I’ve already mentioned the awful 480p prerendered intro, the missing background text and the scene/story select images being changed. Here’s the full set of those:

I don’t know what’s happening with the question mark, but I gotta laugh at how they included a new image for the unused Hero Sonic vs. Shadow 2 icon.

Anyway - for starters, the title screen’s PRESS START and SEGA icons still use the graphics from the SA2B title screen and the logo has a noticeable black shadow, whereas the original had more of a faded purple one:

The header images of each menu in the Steam version are missing a background gradient that fits in with the colour scheme of the menu:

The round menu buttons had their inner lines and shading tweaked, despite not needing any work done (aside from a smoother outline maybe) as they’re both the same size.

The text for each option on the main menu is missing a certain transparency effect:

The Chao World icon on the stage select uses different artwork and has a thicker outline:

If you look in the files, you’ll find that the stage names for the stage select menu look different between the two versions, but it’s not the case in-game.

This actually due to a bug in the original game where the bottom of the text gets cut off a bit. Top is what gets displayed normally in the Dreamcast version vs. what it should look like:

Needless to say though, the emblem icon is wider and missing an outline:

There’s a notable layering issue in the Kart Race’s course select screen, as well as the shadow below the Kart being a different color (This was done in SA2B - I assume to match its new background)

(Also, the difficulty option bars mistakenly use the same colors from the main menu, instead of the bluer ones that Boss Attack has)

This next one isn’t really a complaint, but the Kart Race Icons are the same ones used for stage select, emblem results etc. in SA2, but SA2B changes them to the same renders used for that version’s 1up boxes.

The life icons were remade (except Eggman, who was just resized):

In the Dreamcast/GameCube version, everyone was facing at about a 3/4 angle. In the PC version, now they’re kinda all over the place - Sonic being sideways for instance. Only Tails has something that resembles the original icon and even that’s missing some shading.

It’s not like they didn’t have bigger icons to work with - the renders used for the 1up boxes are the same size as the remade icons and can easily be cut out.

The pause menu is similarly cluttered much like the main menu:

Most of these options are pretty useless: Achievements loads up Steam’s browser, Help & Options provides quick access to the manual, controls layout, options menu (you can only change the sound) and the game’s credits, and though Leaderboards aren’t entirely useless - they’re incredibly badly moderated.

Design-wise, the “Pause” text has too much of an outline and the colour of the transparent area is too faded.

Well, they’re more about the HUD than the menus but I thought I’d bring it up anyway. It’s the same sort of deal with most of the Item box drops too.

One of the things I’m glad they did was remove the SA2B background when you don’t have it installed: - reimplementing the original menu background colours.

However, I’m not sure if it’s just that the SA2B background overwrote them anyway, because the GameCube version has the original background in each file and theunused menus’ backgrounds still worked fine:

A lot of the graphics aren’t even remade. Even easier things, like the Rank icons and numbers.

I think the stage select map is the piece that stands out the most - despite being simple colours to work with and the DC version already having a higher quality image than what was used in SA2B:

In a lot of cases - if it looks just like the original graphic, it probably either is the original graphic or it’s been resized and as a result looks blurry.