#It all makes me happy :) Art not being a struggle is very nice!

[sysig]

Sleep tight <3 (Patreon)

[fatuismooches]

Imagine the 3.8 Secret Summer Paradise event but with Wanderer and you. Nahida sends Wanderer to investigate something in the desert and you tag along for fun but you two get sucked into a magic bottle somehow?! Klee dubs his title as the “Sorcerer” - her mage sidekick - and yours as the “Soldier” - her protecter! (Or whatever you want, I’m bad at this.)

The rollercoasters are nothing compared to Wanderer’s flights of fright. He will do loops, twists, turns, upside downs in the air all while holding YOU… at least in the rollercoaster there are seats. Klee is amazed by your endurance and wants to try flying too! (Wanderer reluctantly gives her a piggy back ride and flies a safe distance up from the ground… Kaeya’s watching him very carefully, but you vehemently reassure him that Wanderer would never hurt a child. The cavalry captain actually grows to like him!) Though you manage to convince Wanderer to ride a slow rollercoaster with you. There’s no one else in the Choo-Choo Cart, and it’s late at night. Wanderer lays on your lap as you play with his hair, the both of you silent as you stare out the window, taking in the lovely sights of this realm.

Idyia’s quite scared of Wanderer at first but overtime she comes to fawn over and admire how deep your love is, she’s met many people in her little bottle, but no one has ever had a relationship like yours! Not to mention, Zosimos takes inspiration from the two of you for his characters. And speaking of plays, I think despite the fact the one the group acted out had poor plot, Wanderer finds joy in it, because I believe he likes the arts/dance/performances, and also he found Klee’s acting endearing. (When Kaeya runs out of stories for her, Wanderer takes over and tells her Inazuman folktales!)

Collei is extremely nervous speaking to Wanderer, but finds herself liking him more than she expected. She feels like she can… relate to him, for some strange reason? She doesn’t really understand, since she’s never met him before, but she doesn’t question it. Plus, she knows you’re a really nice person, so you wouldn’t date someone who’s mean, anyway. Eula is suspicious of him at first too, but seeing Collei warm up to him makes her tolerate him, while Kokomi finds the stranger very interesting. She has a few chats with Wanderer, and the things he says about Inazuma has her only more curious. The most important part is, Klee wants to be the flower girl at your wedding, whenever that happens.

Moving on, Wanderer has a soft spot for the Hydro Eidolons because they remind him a bit of the Aranara. He acts all annoyed when they want to play hide and seek with him but secretly he enjoys it (and you’re enjoying his fervent denial at being soft.) You two play all of the games together, although Wanderer is less enthusiastic about it than you (as usual of course) but he actually enjoys Bing-Bang Finchball! :3 (He wonders if his creator and that kitsune would like it, too.) Most of all, Wanderer especially enjoys the solitude he gets at certain places of the realm. Sometimes you’re with him, sometimes you’re not, but when you are, during these moments he’s oddly quiet and clingy. Sometimes he still struggles to accept his life and what he’s been through. But making memories like these with you make him happy.

At the end of your stay, when you have to bury a treasure to leave behind, you put in two dolls of Wanderer and you that you quickly made in the mirage! (Wanderer had taught you how to make them that nicely.) You didn’t show your lover at first, a bit embarrassed and scared of his reaction, but he found out anyway and sighed, but pulled down his hat to cover his blush. He flew you to a beautiful spot with the best view, and you two buried it together. You wonder if it would still be there if you ever visited again.

Even after many years pass, Idyia never fails to tell the engrossing tale of the grouchy puppet and his darling lover, an unlikely but loving couple. Maybe if you’re lucky, you could meet them spending their days strolling the streets of Sumeru with the young Archon.

Overall, an unplanned but very necessary vacation that Wanderer needed. Nahida had a blast listening to all of your stories! (And happy he has made some more friends, which he of course denies that accusation.) 

[gentlebeardsbarngrill]

01/15/2024 Crew Recap

Hey all, today has been a very very very long day. I’m typing this with my eyeballs glazed over and half open. However, so much has happened in such a little amount of time I wanted share a few things before I pass out I know a lot of you are in different timezones, are busy with life, and taking a break, so maybe this will help with parsing through some of the crazy stuff the crew has been up to.

The petition hit 50K, and is at 52.5K at the moment

Fundraisers: I didn’t even realize there were two different fundraisers for Palestine/Gaza going on but we blew both out of the water. (Note: the second picture is from a November campaign but I think its just as important to highlight— ty for the correction anon!)

The Emmys hashtag turn out was great tonight. There was some pretty amazing and creative stuff going on across all the platforms. Some can be seen on IG, but if you wanna see the majority of it, check out twitter #SaveOFMD #75thEmmys

---We have new ways of protesting and advocating for our show, see here for the thread on tumblr (from twitter):---

And to support that @saltpepperbeard was kind enough to put together a wonderful guide on how to Call It Through as a Crew: Alleviating Some Phone Anxiety which as someone who is socially anxious and sometimes verbally vomits on people when on the phone, is AMAZING and thank you so much for doing that to help.

-- > There is also this new thread on some new places to call into. Don't quote me on that being an official thing we should do, I'm sure @renewasacrew and others will have more in the AM, I just wanted to share it so people could follow if they wanted to.

------------------

New Articles!

Our Flag Means Death: Here’s why season three deserves to be aired

Petition to save BBC show with rare Rotten Tomatoes score gets 50,000 signatures

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There's so much more that's happened today-- but I can't write it all down because my brain is couscous.

<---So instead, I'm going to use this last part to gush over you all and your amazing contributions in all your unique ways. The community support the last few days has been SO INCREDIBLY UPLIFTING.-->

I saw (and experienced) people reblogging asks where random followers, anons, and mutuals just reached out and sent love because they could tell people were struggling.

I've seen comments all over the place on Tumblr, IG, Twitter, and Facebook where each and every person is encouraging each other to speak their mind, or complimenting their artwork, encouraging them if they were feeling uncomfortable with things outside their comfort zones, coming up with new and exciting ways to fight back, people reaching out to the cast/crew just to say hi and remind them we love them.

I've seen Self-Care checkpoints all over, reminding people to drink water, take a break, block your notifications for a while, not engaging in negative behavior.

I've seen people being so nice on instagram posts that the people who were being dicks about all our comments turned around and decided to watch OFMD!

I saw so many people doing new analysis of scenes and characters, and having really deep and friendly discussions that make everyone think in new ways.

I saw people digging through old tumblrs to bring life back to old posts and artwork.

I saw so much NEW artwork, new FICS! New GIFS! So much new art and love!

I could literally go on and on, but I've just...I had to dump this out of my brain otherwise I'd explode. I've just seen so much today that continues to make me so proud of our little safe space ship and so happy to be apart of this community.

You all continue to be the best of the best of humans, and I am so very grateful to get to witness and be apart of it. Rest up lovelies and have a good day / night, wherever you may be. May you dream of sexy middle-aged gay men kissing, or hugging, or whatever else you want them to be getting into.

[mewguca]

I was thinking about how people should talk more about the parallels between hunter and moon

This is a rather self-indulgent piece...I find it very comforting to be able to express my emotions through a media I love like this...that's probably my favorite thing about art. Being able to express something...being able to connect emotionally with the viewer...is really nice

textless versions and a long rambling under the cut

Hunter is often viewed as a very strong and agile slugcat...they are the "hard mode" after all. Hunter probably has a lot of physical prowess. But, with the rot...they become weaker. At its worst, they struggle to do basic movements...until they eventually die. Of course, in my version of events...Hunter's rot is cured, but it still leaves lasting side-effects. Their scars go beyond simple battle wounds...there's a sort of pervasive sickliness throughout their whole body. Treatment helps, of course...but

You know how that is, right...? You have to keep getting treatments. You have to work for your recovery. And you have to work to prevent your body from getting weaker again...Or y'know, that's how it is if you've ever had any reoccurring or chronic health issues. It's...a struggle I feel like doesn't get expressed very often...so I wanted to express it through my version of Hunter.

Even though Moon isn't anywhere near as organic, I feel like she can relate to similar struggles. She used to be like a god...a powerful supercomputer who could do just about anything! But...she couldn't bring herself to do the one thing that'd preserve her own wellbeing. She delays and delays on forcing Pebbles to stop with her administrative powers until it is far too late...

Maybe she thought she could handle it. That everything would be fine if she just waited for Pebbles to understand...or waited for him to stop. If she just kept sending messages, eventually he would listen.

But he didn't. Things didn't get better. And by the time she finally took action against it, it was too late...her forced communications did nothing but make her brother furious with her...because she "ruined everything." She could only accept her imminent collapse...

When she woke up again, she had only a few neurons left to run on. Her umbilical was broken, her overseers were out of her control, and even the roof over her head was incomplete.

She couldn't do most of the things she used to. She could hardly move. She could hardly even think. She could barely remember who or what she used to be...and she didn't have great ability to remember the present, either.

It must have been really painful...but she keeps doing what she can anyways. She reads the pearls you bring her. She tells you about the items you bring. She gives you information as best as she can. She is kind and hospitable. She encourages you. She could be so bitter and depressed...so resentful and cruel...but she isn't. I'm sure she has plenty of bitterness and resentment, plenty of hopelessness and great sadness, plenty of suffering...

But when she sees the little slugcat, she's still kind to it. She is grateful for what she has. She is happy to see you. And she keeps on living.

She's so strong...she is a huge inspiration for me.

So, I think if anyone could relate to Hunter's struggle...Moon is probably the closest. I think people should talk about their relationship more...after all, Hunter is her "little savior." I think they would be wonderfully close. They could support each other in their struggles to keep living, even if their bodies fight against them. I also think their friendship is just cute! Great potential for angst, for fluff, for comfort...idk. everything, really. It would be wonderful for them to reunite when they're both in better shape...as creatives, we can make a versions of events where that happens. It's really wonderful to me...for a work of art to inspire others to create art because of it.

This game means a lot to me...and it means a lot to me that it resonates so much with other people as well. So, thank you...

[jils-things]

I would never fall in love again until I found her

I said, "I would never fall unless it's you I fall into"

I was lost within the darkness, but then I found her

I found you

[3.25.23]

ouueeehh we're back to my corny love letters like last time 💜 again absolutely NO pressure reading these, because it WILL get lengthy 💜 this also serves as a personal love letter that i can archive!

ahh, steven st.one. a wild card in my f/o list. i never thought i'd find myself to like him... i've always tried my best to avoid the pretty boy design after i've gotten older which is why i was oddly in denial during my early steven days hehe... the earliest memory i have of him is just me battling him in my ruby emulator back in the 4th grade - but i don't think i actually remembered him too well, i only thought he looked like a silly anime version of the classical composer be.ethoven and tbh, i still like to think he does look like him in the rse style lolll 💜

for the whole, actual story - it was just last year - i was reading the r/s arc, of course. it was one of those days in school where i had nothing much to do and snuck my phone to read manga to pass some time. at some point, my classmate joined to read with me - it was at this moment where steven debuts properly and it caught my classmate by Surprise. she thought he looked very handsome! to which i teased her... strangely enough, this exchange impacted me? maybe it's because someone acknowledged what i was doing and even bothered to briefly read along with me - so in a way steven kinda bookmarked that memory.

so after that exchange, i just kept on reading. everytime he had something to say, i couldn't help but just stare at his face? he looked nice, i guess? he's also very gentle and polite... i kept this thought of mine for quite sometime until i was discussing the manga arc with my p.okespe mutual and he mentioned him. i somewhat confessed he looked nice and that was the biggest mistake i've ever done because what my friend did after was absolutely blow me with art after art of the pretty rock collector and i was STRUGGLING. it ultimately came down to this one cute panel in the o.ras chapter where he was blushing and I wasn't the same person since then 🚶🚶🚶and funnily enough, i told myself I wasn't going to fall for anyone because of the manga and whoopedoo p.okespe!steven my beloved the greatest man ever. i mean i love the game counterpart as well, they're nearly identical - it's just the manga that totally swept me... sighhhh

steven is such a nice character to begin with, he's honestly a very humble and nice champion. he's not showy about his identity and would rather be alone by himself to indulge in what he wants. he is willing to give up a very respectable position in the po.kemon league just to pursue his interests and with that i see a man not after power and fame but a man who just wants to find joy in what he does even if it demotes him. on top of that, he's just a sweet gentleman. he was raised well of course, and you can see it clearly in his acts in the story. i love him very much for that and who wouldn't want those traits?

i was really absolutely embarrassed to be all over this guy at first - it took a whole month for me to actually share to my blog about how i liked steven and took awhile to adjust to that fact that i opened up about it 😭 but the community was very kind and supportive about the pairing and if i'm being honest, i think stevaide made a super lasting impact on my blog recently and it's really so comforting to picture them as a young loving married couple with ruby. it made me feel unashamed with what i can do with my silly ships. i'm still very glad for the endless support for steven and jaide.

soo, yes. happy memoryshipping 💜💚 thank you for making my times of struggle more bearable if not perfect and thank you to everyone who enjoys this ship even if it was just a little bit :]

credits to @/cafekitsune <3

[snapscube]

hey big fan of your channel and art!! was wondering if for the midnight snap series what kind of sound design you were doing it rlly sounds nice!! (also smth that could be nice with it is maybe a little bit of like tape saturation or something might be able to make the audio sound "warmer" if youre like not already doing something like that already, but you probably know better than me!!) feel free to ignore that, but wanted to say in general its so well done and sounds so good!!! its really cozy and nice!!

hey thank you!!! yeah i'd.... genuinely LOVE to talk about my thinking and approach behind the sound design, i'm actually so happy you asked me this LOL this is the kind of shit i live for.

you might assume that it's just me recording the game audio and talking quietly with my normal stream settings, and that is kinda how it STARTS, but there's actually a bit more i've been doing behind the scenes :) nothing too crazy just yet but a little goes a long way when it comes to sound! i'm hoping to really nail down the soundscape and increase the quality over time and specifically up the soothing vibes by a lot. as well as get a little better about mic etiquette and my style of speech. BUT in terms of what i'm doing in post:

the first piece of the puzzle and definitely one of the most important sauces in the whole mix is the Hard Limiter. it does what you might imagine it does, basically just places a hard barrier and says "any sounds that exceed this volume.... no you don't", sort of like a much more intense compressor. currently i have a Hard Limiter on both my commentary AND the game audio, commentary i have set to peak at around -15 to -12 db, whereas game audio is more around the -23 to -20 range. in my more polished audio from later in the AC episode it's enough difference that one doesn't drown the other out in most cases, but not a wide enough gulf that people are struggling to pay attention to one in particular or have to frequently change volume (preferably they don't have to change it at all!). i took this screenshot of the episode's complete waveform when rendering out the audio-only version of AC part 1 and it was super satisfying cause like.... yeah. this is exactly the kind of waveform read i was going for. just super even and smooth across the board, save for a couple anomalies i'll buff out over time.

the next thing i do to both my own commentary and the game audio is actually just cutting down on harsher, higher frequencies with an EQ and just upping the bassier, warmer tones. i started with something super small in the first couple of episodes, i'm probably gonna go a bit harder on it for future stuff though. i wanna find a balance that doesn't make the game sound unrecognizable or anything but is noticeably easier on the ears and sounds more like a nice rolling wave rather than beep boop pac-man time.

past this i have a couple more things added to the commentary track:

to intensify the previous effect mentioned and cut down on harsh frequencies in my speech, i actually have a dedicated de-esser on my voice as well as my usual warmer EQ. i have the de-esser going pretty hard too, you might hear the difference from my usual stream commentary if you were to listen closely. really just taking those harsh t's and s's in my speech and making them sound more like a nice "shhhh", this one is super important i think

last thing i have to speak on otherwise is actually a plugin i found and bought specifically for this show and ends up being subtle but i think SUUUPER helpful in the long run, and that's this plugin called "spiff". spiff is a plugin by oeksound and i guess it's referred to as like, a transient editor? i'm actually not sure how it works at all on the nitty gritty level BUT the important thing is that they have a very important preset in the software, and that is a preset specifically designed to lessen and/or remove like... mouth sounds. yknow like lip smacks and the like. just kinda the gross smacks and clicks you don't hear as much in normal speech but can come through really intensely on a recording and kinda make ya uncomfortable. it obviously doesn't remove a lot of the more intense stuff, it's not a magic wand in my experience. but listening to the output of what it's removing on its own makes it REALLY clear there's a lot of little things it picks up and just kinda makes speech more soothing to listen to. not something i'm racing to apply to my normal streams, BUT for a sleep aid series where good audio is key????? 100% worth it, i like it a lot.

anyway yeah that's about it for now! a lot of it is pretty simple in and of itself but it's stuff i've been working at and experimenting with since i first started doing tests for the show and it's gonna be real nice to keep honing this stuff in. also cool suggestion with the tape saturation idea, i might look into something like that! once i nail stuff like leveling and frequency tuning for this show, i wanna look into some fancier ways of making the soundscape unique to this show compared to my normal streams so ideas like that are super helpful!

[bonefall]

What was Leopardstar and Carpwhisker’s relationship like?

You know how in Fire Emblem Awakening how there's that side character whose entire existence is dedicated to a running joke that he's the biggest person in the room... but no one sees him, ever? To the point where they even end up thinking an extra goblet at dinner must belong to a ghost?

Face obscured by Chrom's knee on the box art, Mike Wazowski magazine style?

Carpwhisker.

I'm GUTTING Leopardstar's Haggis. It is in the bottom 5 WC entries for me. Leopardstar's childhood bullying was cheap and brainless. How fucking dare they, actually?

How dare they take their ONE confident, intimidating female character, DEFINED by how she was beloved in RiverClan and by her apprentice generation, had no romance, and wasn't a mother figure, and fuck up ALL THREE THINGS???

So. Anyway.

If anyone gets bullied it's Carpwhisker, still by Skyheart.

Brightsky didn't die; she became a kittypet. There were four kits.

Carp, Oat, Leopard, Water.

Mudfur took Carp and Leopard home, due to their resemblance to their famous ancestor, Volestar.

If Mudfur knew what Leopardstar would become... he would have left her there, with her mother. He regrets bringing her back to RiverClan

He feels he should have known better. He became a Cleric shortly after returning because he came to believe that the constant fighting was wrong, and yet...

What did he expect?

Carpwhisker is a nervous wreck who can't stand up for herself despite being as big as a badger, and Leopardstar eventually booked herself a rock appointment

I feel like at some point, Carpwhisker learned the secret about Brightsky... but keeps it to herself.

She can't imagine Leopardstar taking it well, "and um, she's..." (Carpwhisker grasps for words not wanting to outright say she's terrified of her) "...she's a wee bit intense about bad news."

You know that one post about the kid who got severely bullied in school, the teacher put on Dumbo, and they watched every single one of their bullies cheer for the underdog? All the bullies think they're Dumbo.

That's poor Carp. I feel like she used to really like Aftergatherings until Leopardstar told her about the reputation of those events, and that attending them was making Carp look disloyal.

People often take credit for her achievements. She was the one who made the Bonehill practical-- it's not solid bone, it's a mud facade with a layer of bone around it. Tigerstar said it was TigerClan's achievement, and his by proxy.

When Carpwhisker was struggling for breath to correct him, Leopardstar gave her a sideways glance and killed the thought.

So, Carp's relationship with Leopardstar is not great. But Carp defends her, and loves her, and insist she knows best.

Leopardstar is a better friend of Skyheart than she is a sister of Carp. Leopard's beloved by that whole group, and a natural leader from a young age.

I think when Leopardstar dies, Carp is distraught by it. Inconsolable, and it's really hard to tell her in that moment that it sounds like she's a lot better off without her.

She'd probably end up hanging out with Mothwing a lot, seeking spiritual advice. Moth just gives her normal, mortal, nonspiritual advice, but Carpwhisker thinks it's divine.

After all... they both did just lose very toxic siblings that they still loved very much, and are kinda working through that.

In terms of politics, Carpwhisker is a weak-traditionalist. Really, she just goes along with what's popular at the moment, and doesn't make waves. She's conflict-avoidant, and just tries to make others happy with her hard work.

Most of all she just wants peace, really. What if there were no problems forever and everyone was just nice and well-fed and we all took a big nap in this warm den I made. What then.

SO all that to say... She loved Leopardstar. Leopardstar was awful to her. "We're sisters! It's just like that!" (It Is Not Like That.) She was hidden in her shadow. She thought the shadow was normal. She's destroyed when her sister dies. She can only begin to recover once she's gone.

[jojo-schmo]

A Walk Down my Art Memory Lane!

Now that I’m thinking about my childhood Kirby art, I dug through my storage a bit and thought it’d be fun to share a few! Here are some of Baby Jojo’s drawings!

note: I was not active in any online Kirby art communities at the time and I never posted these anywhere so I made these drawings just for my own enjoyment hehehe.

These are probably among my earliest Kirby drawings. Most likely ~2008!! I must’ve been in fifth grade maybe…? The first picture is a very rare example of pre-2022 Dedede sightings in my art. Around 2010 I became embarrassed and frustrated about not being able to figure his shapes out. So I spent the next 12 years avoiding him at all costs and instead sticking to the safer things to draw, like nice round Bronto Burts or Waddle Dees. Who knew it would take me writing an entire comic about him in 2022 to finally learn to draw him in my style!! :P

The second picture speaks for itself lol. I was the girl who googled “maskless meta knight” back when we had no fancy 3D renderings of his face. Just edits of anime screenshots and fanart of him holding his mask/getting his mask stolen and looking at you with the biggest, pearliest, white eyes. JPEG artifacts littered these images like sprinkles on a cupcake. And I would giggle and squee with every one like the baby fangirl of Meta Knight I was. :3

This one was probably ~2009. Very ambitious piece for me at that age. I struggled with the perfect roundness of Kirby haha. I had just gotten these cool alphabet stencils and couldn’t wait to write “Kirby” everywhere with them. This was probably the complete catalogue of Kirby characters I had the ability to draw at that time. It’s funny to think about how Magolor wouldn’t exist for another two years when I drew this.

Hmm. Maybe I should redraw this one day as a fun honor for my younger self.

Triple Waddle Dees!! A rare but precious Sailor Dee sighting, and of course my sweet Bandana Dee. This was probably around 2011 after Return to Dreamland came out and I came to adore Bandee. :3

This is probably around 2012- some time after Mass Attack came out. I had this AU at the time where each of the 10 Kirbies from Mass Attack had their own personality trait from the original Kirby, and a permanent copy ability assigned to them. Hence the Spark Kirby having wings and a halo like in the game- where you get damaged and have to rescue the poor Angel Kirbies before you lose that life!

Also my Poppy Bro Jr OC that I don’t think I named at the time- but I redrew him recently and named him Allegro the Poppy Bro. I loved drawing his hair and his funny teeth :D

Finally, I redrew just a few of the characters from my old drawings tonight. Just doodling for fun, nothing serious. But it’s something my child self would be happy to know I could do.

Guess I’d better draw all the Dededes that Baby Jojo missed out on drawing!! Thank you to anyone who read to this point. I encourage anyone to draw things that would make their younger, baby self proud of you. ….even though I bet they already are proud of you. <3

Remember, as long as you keep drawing, you’ll improve at your pace! Just keep at it! You’ll notice that difference over the years!

[flightyalrighty]

IDK if this counts as too spoilery to answer, but do they also use this memory altering to control their hosts? You described Sonic as being stuck in a 'prey animal stuck in a corner' mentality due to his parasite, but is that because she's fucking with his fight-or-flight instinct for the adrenaline or because she's literally gone in and messed with his memory to the point where he genuinely thinks something is out to get him and he's struggling to remember it's not supposed to be like this?

I guess another way to ask is is she just hitting the "Panic right now!!!" button over and over or did she go in a rewire him to the point where he's hitting the button himself? And how much is he able to think for himself right now? (Also that parasite must be in heaven rn. She jumped into Sonic? Adrenaline junky running at the speed of sound Sonic??? She is living the dream and I hate that for him 😭)

Also gonna use this ask to gush about how much I love this comic and concept. It's so well drawn and it feels grounded if that makes any sense. It feels like everyone is acting the way real people would act. I'm actually glad to see you say this is gonna have a bittersweet ending because I genuinely can't see how it could have a perfectly happy one you know? Pop off OP and have fun with this 👏 I'll be here for the years it'll take for this comic and the sequel to be made 👌👌

(Also also can I say the panel that really got me hooked was the one where Shadow was looking at Rouge after taking off the heart monitor? God it felt like it wasn't just him looking at her and then there was the foreboding flatline in the same scene and it's just 💗💗💗💗💗 love that feeling it gave 10/10 would love feeling that horrid sense of dread again)

Okay so first of all can i just say

This is both a very insightful and very nice ask -- Thank you for sending it! Genuinely such a sweet thing to wake up to this morning, and I'm happy to hear you'll be sticking around for more!

And y'know, some years back, when I was still in college, I was told by someone that my art was good but my writing "sucks." While I shouldn't have let that bother me, it's a comment that has haunted me to this day. I'm glad you like my writing, Symbio-Ratio. Makes me believe I've improved since my days of suck-fullness.

My favorite comics tend to be the ones that are, like you said, "grounded," at least in tone. Maybe Spider-Man: Blue and Hellboy rubbed off on me, idk 😜

To answer your question: To a degree, the parasites do use memory altering to control their hosts -- Less to manipulate their emotions and more to ensure they don't believe anything is wrong (and therefore seek help before she's settled in). So she targets memories that are points of major stress for the host and attempts to delete them, since getting a bug inside you would, uh, be a very stressful memory. It's trickier to do on people with PTSD, however.

The parasite does, in fact, hit that button over and over, forcing their host to lose their ability to reason while subjecting them to an overload of panic and anger until they furiously lash out at their "attackers" with a strength they can't normally use under non-panicking circumstances.

And yeah, unfortunately, Sonic is basically the parasite's dream host.

Thank you very much for sending this! :]

[peculiarxafternoon]

pile 1 pile 2 pile 3

𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙘𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙗𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙮

paid readings | ko-fi

hello, darlings. before we start anything, i would like to warn you that this reading is not going to be as detailed as my other ones. it will not have any sections, for one, and it will generally be more low energy (not in vibration just,, in effort? i guess?). for the past couple of months ive been struggling with my motivation, mood, and mental state, so i hope for this reading to act as a warm up of sorts, a way to dip my toes into this again and start over. thank you for your patience, and for the people who still like to listen to what i say, i appreciate you lots!

still, i like this question and this concept a lot, and i hope it resonates with you! it was definitely nice for me to do, anyway.

take a deep breath and focus on your ideal life as a celebrity. then, pick a pile intuitively.

! for entertainment purposes only!

! constructive criticism and feedback are welcome!

! decks used: rider waite tarot deck, mermaid tarot, astrological oracle cards!

pile 1

(cards: the sun, the empress, the lovers, nine of cups rx, two of cups rx, the hanged man rx, strength rx, three of pentacles rx, sagittarius)

before i even started shuffling i got major jisoo vibes for you all, and honestly that seems to be the case here. when i think about jisoo, class, femininity and elegance come into my mind, and with the empress and the lovers here, that seems to be the case for you too. you would definitely be extremely famous (like, to a concerning degree for your safety and privacy) since most of your cards are major arcana. i see you doing brand deals left and right for brands like dior, channel, and vivienne westwood, and being really popular for simply knowing how to sell a product, even as an affiliate.

something that's also really interesting is that you would probably get into a lot of dating scandals, or people would try to dig up secrets and end up making things up about you. it would get to the point where you wouldn't even be able to look at people for too long, because everyone would go crazy over a possible spark between you two. that would get you down tbh, like i just see you looking at the headlines with a frown, wondering how on earth people come up with these things.

still, i feel like a major part of your brand would be your ability to be happy on your own and your confidence. even your haters would be amazed at how you carry yourself, and how you manage to always look and feel good. even if that isn't how you would truly feel, you would surely come off as someone who has their shit together, who is determined to achieve whatever they want, and who knows that they can get whatever they set their mind to. it would be so inspiring to see you emerge victorious after being wronged again, especially since i sense you would have an underdog backstory. people would root for you, because they can see themselves and their struggles in you. and if you can achieve so much, then so can they, right?

i see you having a very clear goal in your mind, of where you want to get, but it would often get you to be more stubborn and grumpy than normal. while you would be known as a sunshine of sorts, it could get pretty exhausting for your team when all you can focus on is one specific deal, reward, or result. no matter how much you would achieve, you would have this need to go further, experience more things, create more art, get out there more. that, if you started in a music group or band of sorts, would make you step away quickly after you achieved fame. some would think it's for the best, others would think the opposite. i don't see it affecting you much, though, because you would realise that the support is much greater than the disdain, and that you work much better alone, anyway.

thank you for reading!

pile 2

(cards: the moon, nine of cups rx, seven of pentacles, the hierophant rx, seven of wands, strength rx, king of swords, queen of swords rx, mars)

this pile gives off a very introverted vibe – for a celebrity, at least. you guys may have gotten famous accidentally or under weird circumstances (like taehyung going to the audition to support his friend, or people being casted while walking down the street), so it would take a while for you to get used to the popularity, along with your new lifestyle. it wouldn't be too hectic, though , i don't see you being extremely famous, just enough for you to be recognised on the street but not stalked, you know?

still, it would often feel draining, especially if you surround yourself with others a lot for your job. it would physically tire you out, i see fatigue being a big issue you would have to deal with, and it honestly could show on your face, but you would keep it under control more often than not.

you would come off as very generous, probably doing charity work, volunteering, or raising awareness for special causes. you would also leave the impression of someone witty, who knows how to manage and advertise themselves. you and your team would make very smart moves that would make your popularity skyrocket, and you would play a big part of it too. if your job involves some sort of writing – whether that means you would be an author, lyricist, rapper or poet – you would be extremely well-known for your unique style and smart lyrics.

i also see you being extremely unique in the projects you take on, your style and execution would differ greatly from other people in your field. naturally, that would attract a lot of opposing opinions and impressions, but i don't think you'd care about what others would have to say. like, you got famous by chance, the best you can do is enjoy it while it lasts, right? if you're a woman, or someone who is more feminine in their ways, some people may find you aloof, cold and unapproachable, but they would just be intimidated by you (as people are when they see a successful, decisive woman, heaven forbid) so, again, nothing to really worry about. i also sense that you most likely don't conform to gender norms, anyway, and would ride your own wave, expressing yourself the way you want to and living your life to the fullest.

thank you for reading!

pile 3

(cards: the hermit, seven of pentacles, the lovers rx, two of cups, ace of cups rx, then of pentacles rx, six of pentacles, king of pentacles, jupiter)

you guys would be the type to get. shit. done. no matter your field or experience, you would see projects through and deliver your 110% while you're at it. I'm definitely getting some sort of perfectionism from you, though, like you would often feel dissatisfied with your work because, even if you gave all you had, there is still something you could have done better. it seems that it would be pretty well known, too, that tendency of yours, so people would want to work with you even more because you would never slack off.

you may also go on hiatuses often? like you would take big breaks to isolate yourself from everyone and everything and just,,, focus on bettering yourself? it reminds me of tyler from twenty one pilots, when he literally disappeared off the face of the earth for almost two years and then released a full length album with fully developed lore behind it. or taehyn from txt who admitted to locking himself in the recording booth until he gets some sort of progress. you get the vibe. while behaviours like that may seem a little extreme to some, i get the feeling that you would be completely self made, and kind of an underdog for the first years of your career, so it would make sense that you go to such lengths to achieve good results and somewhat satisfy your perfectionism and survival instincts.

i see you being a very comforting presence for your fans, and sharing your life advice with them. some may even fantasise about being your friend or dating you, because you would seem like such a great person to have around. i keep thinking of suga from bts, so it's likely that you would give off the same aura. also, very ambitious, you would be known as someone with a lot of potential and a bright future ahead of you.

you would also be very well known for your pr management and relationships with people within your field (or just other celebrities). i don't think that your love life specifically would be broadcasted, but people would be very invested in your friendships and the people you hang out with. you left a recording studio with a coworker late at night? headline. you hung out with a director and posted a story about it? headline. you laugh at a friend's joke while walking down the street? headline. you would just have some really good friendships, possibly with other famous people, and maybe some romantic relationships as well. still, people would be mostly supportive of them, since they know that you always prioritise your art and work, and since they want the best for you.

thank you for reading!

! do not copy or repost my work !

[bunnygirllover45]

hi. this is not a question per se but more like a comment. it is completely unrelated to everything, I just wanted to say thank you. this may sound completely stupid, but I am a trans man and I suffer from chest dysphoria. I bought a binder and even though it made me feel a lot better, but I realized that my chest was not completely flat. before, I was always like "I need to have a flat chest or I die." I still have some chest volume, that is very minimal, but it is there. days passed and watching your oc (the batshit male one, I love him) not having a complete flat chest despite being a guy made me feel a lot more secure on myself.

I've seen plenty of guys that were assigned male at birth (and even ones assigned female at birth but with complete confidence even without a completely flat chest), both real life people and fictional characters, and they have made me more confident. you've helped with that, so I wanted to say thanks.

also. your art is pretty and your style is unique. don't ever stop what you're doing.

sorry for the long text. you don't have to answer this, I just wanted you to read it. I hope you have a very nice day, night, or whatever moment of the day you're on. :)

Oh dear,, this is really cute. I understand this issue a lot, I've been dealing with dysphoria too for years, no matter how much I tried I always felt like I would never feel comfortable in my own skin. I don't wanna get too personal, but I still deal with those feelings every day, sometimes I wish I wasn't born like I was. Let me tell you something anon, gender is a fucking excuse to label things for marketing purposes, you can be whoever you want. I know it's hard not to think "I shouldn't have this" or "My body should be like that" ( I deal with those thoughts often too.) just to fit an imaginary list of attributes a gender should have invented by society that doesn't understand your struggles, you feel like a man? then you're one! It's okay if you still don't like some parts about yourself, hell, I hate some of mine too; do anything that makes you feel better, that really makes you feel like you belong there, in your own body. I'm really happy my art helped you. I hope you have a very nice day too, thanks for taking the time to send me this. And remember, you're handsome! you're valid, you're doing your best, and most of all, you're you, the most genuine and beautiful form of you.

[madame-mongoose]

Sun did not like you. You were an insult to his very being. You were clumsy and annoyingly happy all the time and stupidly oblivious to him wanting you out of his daycare. He did not like the way you seemed endlessly eager to please, or the stupid little smile you got when you did something right, or the way you seamlessly interacted with the children.

He did NOT like you. To say otherwise would most definitely be a lie.

He did not like you. But he wasn't heartless. So when you started showing up with progressively darker bags under your eyes after staying late so many shifts, he decided that night he'd talk to Moon about helping with cleaning up the daycare so you could get more sleep.

He did not like you. He just couldn't have his assistant falling asleep on the job. Obviously.

He also saw how exhausted you seemed when you thought nobody was looking, leaning against your mop with a miserable expression. Not just from the lack of sleep, and he refused to acknowledge that he knew perfectly well why that was. He intended to ask you if you were okay, he really did. But there was always something or other that called for his attention.

It was getting to the point where Sun wondered if the world just didn't want him to talk to you that day. Maybe because it knew how stretched thin and close to breaking you were.

As the last child was dropped off, he finally had the time to talk to you. He approached you, watching you struggle to carry a few boxes filled with art supplies from the supply closet. The words to ask if you needed help were on the tip of his metaphorical tongue when your fingers slipped, and the boxes tumbled out of your arms and crashed to the ground, scattering markers and crayons and various other things across the floor.

He didn't think, and before he could swallow them back, the words tumbled out. "Goodness, Sunshine, you really can't seem to do anything right, can you?"

He saw the way your face crumpled in shame, tears flooding your eyes. Guilt flooded him, and before be could apologize, you fled out the Daycare gate, rushing up the stairs and out of the Daycare. Sun wanted to slap himself. He'd made you cry. He kept telling himself he didn't like you, so why did he feel so GUILTY?

He hated the feeling. It squirmed uncomfortably in his chest. He rubbed his faceplate, having a sigh as he stared down at the scattered things. You would come back eventually. You had to. He had to apologize.

You would be back.

In the meantime, it wouldn't hurt to tidy up the place a bit for you... It was the least he could do.

He waited for you to come back, but you didn't. The final hour of your shift came and went, and by that point he'd done everything on your nightly chore list out of guilt stress kindness. You'd be back tomorrow, and then he would apologize.

When the lights turned off and Moon awoke, he was surprised to find the daycare oddly quiet. You were usually stumbling around doing your chores when he woke up. Sun... Where's the assistant?

Sun really didn't want to explain what had happened, but when Moon pushed again, he relented. I... may have said something very insensitive today.

When do you not?

I made them cry. They left and didn't come back for the rest of their shift.

Moon was silent, his own worry starting to seep into his joints. You had been looking rather tired recently, despite his insistence that you sleep and your assurances that you would when you got home. But they could still fix this. When you came back tomorrow, they'd both apologize.

They should make you something. Something nice and genuine. Something appreciative. Moon pulled out a piece of thick, pink-colored paper and carefully selected a crayon from the box on one of the little tables. You would be back tomorrow, Moon told himself as he drew you and him on the card, writing 'I'm sorry' at the top.

Draw me too.

Why should I?

Because they're my assistant! And I want to apologize too.

Make your own card then.

Sun silently fumed. Moon added some glitter glue and gold star stickers, finally seeming satisfied with it after he'd added almost every craft item they had in stock to the thing.

It was messy, but it clearly had a lot of effort put into it, not like Sun would let him know that.

Fine, two could play at that game. He could make a way better card for you than Moon.

When the lights in the Daycare turned on an hour before your shift, Sun wasted no time rushing back to the arts and crafts area to make a card of his own. He also picked the pink construction paper, drawing himself and you smiling side by side. He doodled little flowers in the corners, quietly fretting over his creation as he oh so carefully added glitter glue to it. It still felt too bare, so he added a fake feather, a gold star that he put on drawing-you's chest, and a few mini pom poms. Perfect.

Right on cue, he heard the telltale sounds of the daycare shutter squeaking open fifteen minutes before the start of your shift. He nearly jumped for joy, bounding over to the ball pit and waiting for you to come down. Instead of you sliding down the slide, though, he saw someone else open the gate and go down the stairs.

He resisted the urge to frown at the other staff member as they opened the gates to the daycare, and they did not look thrilled to be here. They were holding a clipboard for some reason, and Sun reluctantly walked over to them. He forced a cheery smile onto his face. "Well heee-llo! My friend, would you happen to know when my dear assistant is coming back?"

They raised a brow, but then shrugged and glanced down at their paper. "That's actually why I'm here. Do you know why they left only partway through their shift?"

"W-well, they, er.... weren't feeling well! So I sent them home early!"

"You don't have authorization to do that."

If he could, his eye would be twitching right now. "Are you saying I should have made them stay here despite them being physically ill?"

"This is their job. They can't just run out when they get a stomach ache."

Irritation flared through Sun. Even though you hadn't been sick, he was appalled Management would make you stay if you were ill. He gritted his teeth, trying to keep his tone light. "Oh, well, I just wanted to make sure Fazbear Co didn't get a lawsuit handed to them for neglecting their workers!"

They frowned a little, but didn't say anything to that. "Well, Management sent me to inform you that you no longer need an assistant and you'll go back to your solo act."

Sun didn't have a heart, but he swore something short circuited for a moment. "What??"

"Yeah, apparently Management got a call yesterday from the assistant that said they'd fallen ill from stress and exhaustion, so they reconsidered making you have an assistant and decided you no longer need one, and they've been let go. That's pretty much all they wanted me to say."

They turned and left out the daycare gate again, muttering about how they weren't paid enough to run errands for Management.

Sun sat down heavily on the floor, an overwhelming wave of guilt washing over him as their words echoed in his mind. You wouldn't be coming back. You didn't even still have a job at the Pizzaplex anymore, they'd fired you. He was never going to see you again. He'd never get the chance to properly apologize and make it up to you. Neither of them would.

As the children started coming in, Sun was grateful for the distraction. Through the whole day, he missed the pleasant buzz of your chatter and seeing your smile when you interacted with the children. The day dragged on for what felt like an impossibly long time, and Sun sat on one of the play structures after they'd all left. He couldn't bring himself to clean up. He wallowed in misery until the lights went off, and Moon came out.

He was silent. He'd watched what had happened, heard everything. His chest felt much tighter than normal. Sun.... They have to come back. They have to.

I don't think they will. Not on their own.

If they won't come back on their own, maybe Management will.

Why would Management bring them back?

Because we are going to pester them until they do. If we have to throw the world's angriest animatronic tantrum to see them again, we'll do it.

... Okay.

They'd get you back. They had to. They had to apologize, to fix what they'd done.

No matter the cost.

Oh my god this is so extremely well written @sycopomp look at thisss

[mostlylurkinbarelypostin]

El’s Letter, Mike’s Mental Health, and Murray’s Ominous Comments:

It’s really no wonder Mike felt like he had to be someone else when he went to Lenora. El’s letter sends the message that her and the Byers are absolutely flourishing in California. All of her issues seem to be resolving and she’s having a great time now. And it’s not just El. Will sounds like he’s also doing great, apparently painting for a girl that he likes. From his perspective, El and Will are doing better without him, and here he is, still in the same place. Things aren’t even getting better for him, they’re getting worse.

According to El’s letter, she’s twice as happy now, she’s adapting, she isn’t missing Hawkins as much, everyone at school is nice to her, her grades are getting better, and she’s made lots of friends.

We’re shown that Mike, in contrast, is having the exact opposite experience. He is becoming more unhappy, he hates high school, he’s not adapting, his grades are suffering, no one is nice to him, he’s not getting used to life without Will and El, and he feels likes he’s losing the few friends that he still has.

A line that always kinda gets me is when El narrates from her letter “You were right, it just takes time,” in reference to adapting. It makes you wonder, when he told her “It just takes time,” was he trying to convince himself of the same thing? And then when he read the response, was he happy for her but also wondering why he can’t do the same? Why can’t things get better for him? Why can’t he adapt?

“I hate high school” might seem like a kind of melodramatic teenagery throw away line but it really reflects how much Mike is struggling in his new environment and how he, unlike El, is not adapting. Of course El wasn’t adapting either, but Mike thought she had.

I feel like that would have been a really difficult letter to read considering he’s very obviously struggling to begin with and now he’s finding out that his girlfriend is doing great without him and his best friend of a decade, who he’s been lost without, has seemingly moved on. In his head it was likely confirmation of what he probably already feared. While he’s been sitting in his basement, surrounded by Will’s art that still covers the walls, Will has been busy moving on, making art for someone else. And not just any someone, a girl that he likes.

It makes sense then why Mike is visibly upset for the rest of the day and why he reacts so strongly to seeing Lucas on the basketball team. There’s literal tears in his eyes when he sees how happy Lucas is with them, and it makes sense. He had already felt left behind by El and Will and now Lucas is slipping through his fingers too. He’s being left behind again. And of course he doesn’t want anyone to see how awful he’s doing or think poorly of him, so when he gets to California he pretends. He tries to hide behind a facade, but he can’t keep hiding when he learns that El lied to him and Will, from his perspective, seems to want nothing to do with him. He’s hurt, and he responds by lashing out at Will. Just like Max, Mike lashes out at others when he’s hurting. He did the same thing to Lucas when he found out that he was skipping Hellfire for the basketball game. He pushed back at Lucas until he insinuated that being “nerds and freaks” was something that they shouldn’t be. He wants them to change. Mike can’t change why he’s been put in that category though. It obviously strikes a nerve with him. After that comment, Mike’s posture changes and he doesn’t say another word for the rest of the conversation. He very visibly deflates and gives up, which is SO unlike Mike.

After that conversation, Mike is essentially back to where he was in 1983 after his failed reconciliation with Lucas. He’s once again operating under the belief that he has lost Will and El and has just lost Lucas too. He thinks he only has Dustin left. At this point in 1983, he was standing on the edge of the quarry and about to step off. While we know that Mike isn’t in a great place mentally, I think he was closer to the edge before he left for California than anyone knew. As many people have pointed out, there’s clear signs that at least Will is noticing his mental deterioration. He sees that Mike’s not eating, he hears Mike talking badly about himself, he sees the anxiety. He also notices when Nancy makes a comment about Mike’s room being unkept. Will is noticing all this.

Mike is obviously now a prime target for Henry given his emotional vulnerability. The ground work has been laid for his mental health to finally be addressed next season.

One of Murray’s comments leads me to believe that the cliff scene in particular will be revisited.

When Joyce can’t get ahold of the kids before the ransom exchange in Alaska, Murray says:

“There are certain things that one can be late to in life. A dentist appointment. A one-year-old’s birthday party, because who cares? That little idiot’s not gonna remember it.”

The thing is though, Mike couldn’t be late to the dentist in 1983. Troy was counting down to when the “dentist’s office” opened, and being late would have led to Dustin being harmed. Mike, who is always late, showed up on time that day and stepped off the cliff. It can’t be a coincidence then that Murray mentions a dentist appointment when the most infamous “dentist appointment” we know of led to Mike almost dying.

What makes Murray’s comments even more suspicious is how the dentist appointment is compared to a 1-year-olds birthday party. Remember that the context for the Murray and Joyce scene was that she couldn’t get through to her house in Lenora. The call wouldn’t go through. This is especially interesting considering all the hints that suggest that Mike was trying to call Will while he was in California. They even made it something that they have to circle back to by having Mike not reveal this to Will when he accuses him of not calling during their fight at Rink-O-Mania. It wouldn’t make sense for him not to tell Will UNLESS they’re planning on addressing it again later. They have to reveal the reason behind Mike keeping his calls a secret.

Given that Mike is represented by the dentist appointment comment, it makes sense that Will is then the birthday party part. Just like with Mike, it can’t be a coincidence that Murray makes a comment about a birthday party given all the weirdness surrounding Will’s birthday. It’s even more suspicious that Murray talks about the child “remembering,” given that it seems like the memory of Will’s birthday is missing for some.

I have no idea what direction they’re gonna take with Will’s birthday, but I do think that it will be an important plot point next season and will somehow be connected to Mike’s actions at the quarry in S1. I think there might be some parallel to the cliff scene, but instead of Troy threatening Dustin, it will likely be Henry threatening Will. I think that Mike will be self-sacrificial as always and try to save him. A lot of people expect Mike to almost die and I could see this being when that happens. Murray’s comments are just way too specific to not be foreshadowing. It would also make logical sense given all the work they’ve put in to hint at Mike’s deteriorating mental health.

[kingsandbastardz]

Sometimes I like comparing actors behavior/personalities outside of their roles to their in character roles, just to see where they are making some of their acting choices.

I don't usually follow actors so the following impressions are based off casual viewing:

All three leads are very confident, physical actors. Aero's dance background definitely helps.

On variety shows, they try to help Cheng Yi bc he struggles more than they do.

Cheng Yi sees variety show games as stressful hellscapes. But on a drama set, he's fully in control and confident. He isn't the type that thinks of snappy responses very quickly when he's put on the spot.

Joseph seems to be a very proactive, take charge personality and has good situational awareness. Friendly arguing and mildly bossing Aero around, including physically moving him. Will be super permissive with Cheng Yi failing at every game but if Aero messes up a single time... 💀 rip Aero. Not a cute personality type. In freeform situations, will direct others or talk/create ideas for group activities to do in front of the cameras. Verbally quick.

Aero is the second person that will take charge if ppl are passive but seems to prefer an active support role. Looks confident but imo he's not always on the same page as everyone, so ends up in situations where he has to mask awkwardness. Is totally ok with Joseph being assertive with him despite the age difference. In freeform situations, defaults to being physically helpful or doing stuff.

Thoughts on acting choices vs the actors naturally in the wild:

No proof, but I'm like 100000% convinced the bamboo holding/walking and the wedding dress hand holding were unscripted additions. Would not be surprised if you told me Aero was helping Cheng Yi maneuver on set or they were goofing off and the director decided to work it into the story.

The cuteness of Fang Doubing is a creation. He's not fluffy like that irl.

Cheng Yi mentioned that his speech is fast bc the director kept telling him to talk faster, so his rapid patter style is a product of him trying to maintain speed without being boring. His natural speaking pace and reaction time is slower than the role

Fang Doubing has a 'young lion' feel, like he is on the cusp of taking charge of everything with just a bit more time and training. I think that's some of Joseph's natural assertiveness at play.

Aero has said he got a nice high when he filmed a particularly dominating scene. He doesn't seem to be naturally like that. Physical stuff being his happy place definitely comes through in his fight scenes.

Cheng Yi's confidence on set shows when LLH/LXY becomes dominating on screen. You can tell he has zero doubts in himself

I don't know what experiences or parts of his personality Aero was channeling during DFS's gender subversive confrontations with Jiao Liqiao but it was fascinating. His (imo atypical and realistic) reactions made his worsening situation far more tense and believable than I expected.

Fang Doubing's yelling/being rowdy at DFS... seems to be a direct mirror of irl behavior, but more often, more prolonged and framed in a more mutually antagonistic, cute manner. Irl Joseph is just goofing and Aero takes it like a champ.

Chen Yi said he first met Aero during martial arts training sessions and that they didn't discuss their roles before they jumped into doing scenes together -- so I guess this means their synergy on screen just came naturally between them? (The director must have been so happy)

all 3 are team players with the way they support each other during variety shows, so I think that contributed to how they maintained their chemistry and push/pull for their characters

Other thoughts:

With Joseph's natural personality, I can see why he's interested in playing a villain. I think he could do something interesting with a bad guy that looks like a good guy. Sort of like DFS who has a lot of heroic qualities but looks like a bad guy? Just in the opposite direction.

[eddathegreat]

I Guess I'll Post About Shipping Mizu

The way I see it, we've got 3 options for Mizu: Akemi, Taigen, and Ringo.

I ship Mizu with Ringo.

Here is my long-winded breakdown of why.

Akemi is probably the worst match for Mizu. Which is really unexpected, I'm frankly almost always gunning for the lesbian option. There are reasons they could work: they could find some solidarity as women in a shared culture, each trying to find their own way. They are both ruthlessly determined and willing to be underhanded. However, they have led very different lives, Mizu of poverty and Akemi of privilege, and we see Akemi often acting very entitled, while Mizu is unlikely to ever give a shit about being 'proper.' Most damning, I think, is that Akemi is resolved to be Great by the end of S1, hence why she and Taigen don't work out. Mizu is very similarly not very interested in being great: she wants to kill some people, and is otherwise lacking in aspirations.

Which leads into me talking about Taigen. They have a shared appreciation for swordplay and martial arts. I'm not so blind I can't see the sexual tension in their fights. And they are both people who could be happy to settle down and live a mundane life, away from everything. However, Taigen is... especially bullheaded. Just kind of a dick all around. He's honorable, sure, but within the bounds of his honor code he is repeatedly an asshole. I cannot possibly imagine him responding well when he finds out that a woman is wielding a sword, and that flavor of constant dickishness really puts a damper on any of his stronger points.

Ringo, in contrast, is nice, in a way that I think complements Mizu very well. There are some issues, of course. Ringo also wants to be Great, like Akemi. There is a pretty big gulf between the two in how comfortable they are with violence, Ringo shying away while Mizu embraces it. However, Ringo is also actively interrogating what he wants out of life, which also reflects Mizu's struggles, and I can see them actually deciding on a life course together. There is also solidarity pretty much from the start of their relationship, Ringo accepting Mizu as a swordswoman and Mizu not dismissing Ringo as worthless, even praising his ability to be stealthy. Mizu is vulnerable with Ringo in a way that she isn't with the other two. Ringo is careful enough to balance Mizu's recklessness, but also willing to roll with her, and I like the dynamic.

The last big comparison I have to make is how each of them responds to Mizu's bullshit. When she hurts Taigen and Akemi, each of them are quick to reverse their positive impressions and start referring to Mizu in racialized terms. Ringo, however, calls her out for more appropriate reasons. And while all three have had their conflicts with Mizu, her conflict with Ringo never became homicidal or even violent. In fact, Ringo is the only one of the three who actually has a positive history at all with Mizu.

[raynavan]

heavy spoilers for chapter 23 of Always by your side by @ingo-ingoing-ingone!! this chapter was so fantastic i. didnt have words for it. ended up doing 6 (nearly 7) drawings for it instead. i think this is my record- it took me roughly 7 hours. a fair warning! this is both art and a comment to the fic in one. so its rather long!

ok i had an Unreasonable amount of fun doing the background on this one. ended up looking up a lot of the celestial bodies mentioned in the fic, man are they cool! it was implied that Emmet didn't really have a body so! stars instead. the colors were fun- i dont often let myself just. color like this haha! this one was... reall amazing. a fantastic opener! i immediately latched onto the visuals and painted a picture in my mind. it was just so... astronomical?

i actually struggled with how i was going to position these two for a while. at first it was just them coloring in a clearing- then i made them watching pokemon, and then. this! idk- there just something sweet in how Ingo turns around to look at Emmet and... lighting was funky for this one- how a forest shades the things beneath it will always hold a special place in my heart. these two interacting is always so wonderful to read. the gentle ribbing and teasing and... just them chilling and talking was so nice. the fact that it was dragons was even better! dragons are the best. i felt a very sweet and gentle moment needed an equally sweet and gentle drawing. if i could, i might have gone for line less on Ingo and Emmet here as well.

right- this was the last one i did. i think its the only one that i didn't get specifically from what was written. i just... wanted to give Emmet cuddles alright? /lh i had another sketch exploring exactly what Emmet might look, but i think ill revisit that when i... haven't been drawing for 7 hours straight hgfireohgope. the one in this is more simplified. the horror of having your face show one emotion- not even the one your most known for... your voice is toneless and the only was you can show even a fraction of what you feel is by copying what you (supposedly) dead brother used to do. there is a quiet horror in that- and yet Emmet still goes on. he cant feel texture and yet... he deserves many nice things.

this one!!! was originally going to be an Entire piece with a more "realistic" drawing of Ingo sitting behind a fire just like this. when i sketched this out (in the middle of reading it) that was the plan. Jedi saved me by making Emmet draw it like this. you saved me probably an hour ghirepoghpeirh. i... still might draw it how i wanted at some point. also the lighting was added last minute! i thought it would look... more messy with the light of the fire shining on it. i think it looks nice. the scene was sweet and, like Emmet mentioned he did, i put emphasis (or uh... thicker more defined lines) around peoples faces to better define their happiness. it made me happy to read them being happy and then draw them being happy <3

them!!!!!! i do not think it is a secret at All how much i love this au. i was More than happy to draw them again. and!!! being happy!!! perfect. i remembered this was a dream, and decided to blur the background quite a bit of this one- lopsided like its not really being thought about. adored this one. them!! teasing each other!! just!! going through a day!! perfect. amazing. it was really fun the way the small details of their routine was captured. from Ingo just. turning to goop so he doesn't have to pick up his clothes to Emmet just. accepting everything that happened from the mental connection to the shared feelings.

DRAMATIC FORESHORTENING!!!! i almost wanted to play it up More but then i might lose Ingo's expression. the background for this was fun to do- emphasis! strong colors!! looks like something broke. like something was torn away. this whole bit is just. exactly what Emmet fears and its just. ough. Ingo would never do this- we know this, Emmet knows this two- he knows how ridiculous Ingo was being here. and then the climax with Emmet just... falling off... amazing. Ingo's horrified expression is what caught my attention here, though i had a few more ideas depicting Ingo leaning over Emmet. i figured a dramatic drawing here would fit.

so! there ya go. i had. so much fun doing this and! thank you so much for writing this and sharing with us Jedi. if you keep this up, ill just have to keep making more drawings!! i don't think words are enough- not even sure if these can properly express how i felt reading it all (i actual had to get up and pace around bc i got so excited) but! i think that your art inspired my own art is a very beautiful thing.

lets all keep making art with one another forever.