#a lot of it is little canon tidbits that help things make more sense. because i dont want to dump a bucket of worldly exposition in the mix

[pyrriax]

hi guys. um. anhedonia au is getting out of hand.

(looking at my list of. 15 potential fics. i guarantee writing absolutely none of them but im thinking about them <3)

[yukidragon]

I'm a bit curious was it ever confirmed that Shaun and Ian interacted with one another or met before the eventual breakup between Ian and MC. If not what are some of your headcanons on this matter would they have gotten along at all?

Actually, yes, it has been confirmed that Shaun and Ian knew each other before Ian and MC broke up in this comic posted over on the official Sunny Day Jack twitter!

Credit as always to Sauce for their awesome artwork and for giving us this hilarious glimpse into college age Ian and Shaun. Consider supporting them and the rest of the SnaccPop Studios team by joining the patreon for even more lore tidbits I can't even mention publicly. Just remember, don't share anything privately posted!

While a lot of teaser/development art should be taken with a grain of salt, if it appears on one of the official pages, it's a pretty safe bet that it's canon to the timeline of the game.

So this comic, also drawn by the awesome Sauce, while hilarious, may or may not be canon.

I think it's a pretty safe bet to say that Ian did not pass Shaun's vibe check.

The first comic certainly makes it clear that Shaun didn't find Ian attractive considering the way he reacted. Maybe it's due to jealousy (I don't think Shaun wants to think about his crush having sex with someone else) or maybe it's because of Ian's bad taste in anime. Who can say?

Content Warnings: This post contains talk of cheating, jealousy, drinking in excess, (unintentional) self-harm, near death experience, SA, issues with sex, and toxic relationships.

I suspect that these two just didn't get along. Between Shaun suffering from jealousy due to his crush and the two of them having different tastes, they were probably only friendly to one another for MC's sake.

I would imagine that Shaun's opinion on Ian took an extreme nosedive when they found out Ian cheated on MC.

Man... can you imagine how much pain Shaun has been through? He had to watch his best friend/crush be happy with someone else... then get devastated by being cheated on. The worst part was if he had bad vibes from Ian from the start, but he ignored his gut feelings for MC's sake.

When it comes to my personal headcanons that I use for Sunshine in Hell... Shaun and Ian had friction since the first day Alice introduced the two of them.

It wasn't just Shaun being jealous of Ian either. Ian was jealous of Shaun too!

Ian has always suffered from a low sense of self-esteem. Shaun, by comparison, is much more well put together, more outgoing, and has this natural charisma that draws people to him. Shaun is just so likable that he gets a lot of attention and friends. For years, Ian was the exact opposite of that, which led to him being bullied and degraded often.

So one day Alice, his childhood friend and partner, is super excited to introduce Ian to her new friend. Shaun and Alice have a lot in common, and it was very visible in the early years of college when Alice was in the middle of her pastel goth phase. Shaun and Alice had a love for horror movies, cats, the goth aesthetic, and a whole bunch of other things. They clicked so quickly, and it scared Ian a little.

It didn't help that Alice had trouble making friends like Ian did. They had that in common, something that gave them a sort of understanding that no one else could intrude on. Now that they were in college they started making more friends, and that was a good thing, really! But Alice clicked with Shaun about as fast as she did with Ian.

In the 1st grade, one day Alice mustered up the courage to talk to Ian in order to cheer him up. After that they started talking every day and they were besties ever since. From there, they started dating. She's never really clicked with anyone else so fast like she did with Ian...

Until Shaun, that is.

Ian kept comparing himself to Shaun, unfavorably. He kept worrying about Alice falling for Shaun instead since, well, clearly Shaun had so much more than Ian had to offer. Why wouldn't she? What didn't help his insecurities was the fact that they had been a couple since high school, but they still hadn't had sex yet.

I integrated the comic into part of Alice and Ian's troubled sex life. The depicted instance was Ian's attempt at making things romantic so that they could finally go all the way.

It took them a while to start being sexually intimate due to their mutual lack of practical knowledge and Alice's SA trauma. She was very cuddly with Ian, not afraid to kiss him or go into a make out session, but she struggled to go further than that for a long time. It left Ian struggling with insecurities, fearing that he wasn't attractive to her despite her constantly reassuring him that wasn't the case.

Really, it was that insecurity and self-blame that pushed Alice to go further than she was ready for, to pretty painful results that she learned to just accept as part of the experience.

Alice is the type of person who can't be comfortable with people touching her unless she trusts them. However, when she gets close to someone, she can get pretty cuddly, even with her friends, giving them hugs often. So, for Ian, seeing his girlfriend get comfortable hugging another guy... someone he might have noticed looking at her a certain way...

Well, getting cockblocked on his rocky road to losing his virginity didn't help Ian see Shaun in a more favorable light.

Really, this was an incident that pushed Ian to be a bit more possessive of Alice. He was already struggling with the fact that his partner was sharing a dorm with someone else, but for Shaun to just casually walk into her bedroom like that without knocking? Ian certainly had permission to come in there without Alice knowing since he's her boyfriend, and he was planning to surprise her with a romantic evening, but how long had Shaun been just letting himself into her private space so casually?

Ian didn't believe that Alice was cheating on him, but what if Shaun decided to take advantage of her? What if this casual blurring of their living space led to feelings blooming?

What if Alice realized that Shaun was so much better than Ian in every way?

This led to Ian asking Alice to move into an apartment with him, even if it cost them money. He was able to feel more secure when they were living together, and he could be the one going into her bedroom at any hour of the day to be with her instead of someone else.

Shaun did try to befriend Ian, but it seemed like every time they hung out, something would rub him the wrong way. He did his best to be happy for Alice and Ian in their relationship, but it wasn't just Ian's shit taste in anime that struck Shaun as a red flag.

It didn't take Shaun long to notice a pattern in Ian and Alice's relationship. Ian would be down on himself, even cry and apologize for being inadequate, and Alice would reassure him. It seemed like every day, he saw this happen at least once. He tried reassuring Ian as well when he could, but after a while it gets tiring to try and lift someone up who keeps dragging himself down. Shaun would suggest Ian try therapy, and Ian would insist it wouldn't work, he was hopeless, and it wasn't worth wasting money on.

It was only when Alice showered Ian with love, and when their mutual friends bent backwards to cheer him up, that Ian would perk up again.

Shaun saw the red flags going up, how Ian was so needy for Alice and it was wearing on her. She went out of her way for Ian all the time, doing so much more because Ian "needed" her.

What made it worse was that Shaun saw how unbalanced their relationship was, how Alice gave Ian so much more than Ian gave back. Because Ian was so clingy, Alice had to often cancel meet ups with friends at the last minute, citing that he was having a bad day and needed her. Yet, on days when Alice was feeling like shit, she just kept powering through, pretending nothing was wrong. It took Shaun a lot of effort to pry her into leaning on him, and he'd even go out of his way to do stuff for her without her asking, like buying her lunch when she was so overworked she forgot to bring any.

Shaun worried for Alice because she was his friend, and she didn't deserve this sort of treatment. It was like she had become Ian's emotional crutch. Regardless of his attraction towards her, regardless if they could ever get together, he wanted her to be happy.

Shaun's opinion of Ian slowly deteriorated over time, but it turned into downright hate when Ian cheated on Alice, especially after she almost died because of it.

It was just a normal night when Shaun got a phone call from Ian. It was about Alice of course. It was the only reason Ian ever called Shaun - to check up on Alice. That night was different because Ian was in a panic. Alice wasn't picking up for him, which was unusual enough, but Ian was insistent that Shaun needed to check on her to make sure she was okay.

It was lucky that Shaun had the spare key to the apartment Alice and Ian shared. The sight of her lying unconscious in a pool of blood in the bathroom is a scar that'll forever be etched in his memory.

Shaun spent an entire night terrified, wondering what had happened. Did Alice try to kill herself? Why? She might have been missing Ian after he moved across the country, but she always reached out to Shaun and others when she wanted company. What happened that night? When he mentioned Alice's state to Ian, he just wailed that it was all his fault and Shaun couldn't reach Ian after that, as Ian was busy trying to book a flight back home to see her at the hospital.

Shaun had to be the one to call Alice's family too, but he had no answers to give them. The doctors would only let family or her legal partner see her for a while. It was only the next day that he learned that it was all because Ian had cheated on Alice, and she drank to dull the pain, only to hurt herself under the influence of alcohol poisoning.

Shaun could've kicked himself. He saw the problems in their relationship, but he didn't think it was his place to say anything. He worried his jealousy was coloring his perspective, seeing things too negatively. Now he wished he pushed harder like his gut told him, got Alice to see that the relationship was no good for her.

When Alice forgave Ian and tried to make it work, Shaun couldn't just sit back and let it happen.

So, yeah, Shaun's opinion of Ian in the present day is very negative. He views Ian as a toxic, manipulative, cheating scumbag who didn't deserve Alice. It was a relief when he managed to help Alice see that too so that she could finally end that toxic relationship. He was there for her so many nights when she cried over Ian and missed him. He saw the pain Ian put Alice through, and it just made his hatred of Ian grow.

Ian is grateful for Shaun being there to help Alice and even getting her to the hospital, but that doesn't get rid of his jealousy. Shaun and Alice are still talking even though she never picks up the phone for Ian anymore. He sees their exchanges online. They're still close. Shaun could one day sweep in and...

Ian can't let that happen. He can't let Shaun steal away the person who means so much to him. He can't let Alice just let him go like this. He just has to apologize to Alice, keep apologizing, and everything will be fine.

Sooooo... yeah, suffice to say, Ian and Shaun do not get along, and I doubt that they ever will... at least in my headcanons.

@channydraws @earthgirlaesthetic @sai-of-the-7-stars @cheriihoney @illary-kore @okamiliqueur @kurokrisps

[kafus]

okay i just talked to every NPC in veilstone because it's been a long time and man sinnoh's NPCs are peak, at least out of the 2D games i feel like they provide the most humor and the most random lore tidbits and stuff. i love this region. i'm going to talk about it

first off sinnoh is full of little things like this. random dialogue/flavor text that ties back to the mythos of the region. i love how widespread the sinnoh myths are

i'm also obsessed with when there's two NPCs that link together like this. you talk to one and you move on and then you talk to another and you're like oh! lmao. by the way the rage candy bars being here is cool because sinnoh is canonically connected to johto through the sinjoh ruins and the rage candy bars are from johto, which means they're imported and sold here. in general i'm obsessed with the locations in pokemon that have special treats associated with them, like the pewter crunchies of pewter city in kanto, or the lava cookies from lavaridge in hoenn. iconic

btw don't worry lady literally everyone sucks at making poffins. unless you have four players it's pretty much impossible to make poffins that are better than the storebought ones. good luck getting four people with rare berries who are good at the minigame to play with you, ESPECIALLY in 2023 jesus christ. the basement poffins are OPTIMAL

anyway in speaking of linking NPCs, these two - i wonder if the dialogue in the french version of this game is turned into english? they did that for lt. surge's french pikachu trade, the french versions of HGSS make the pikachu english instead lol. but anyway as usual it's very fascinating to me how much pokemon loves to drop foreign language in its titles, and fittingly i know a lot of people with english as their second language got interested in learning english from a young age due to wanting to play pokemon. how many kids do you think got interested in french because of dialogue like this. the girl even implies what the meaning of his words is

veilstone isn't short on game hints either, useless to me now as an adult longterm pokemon player who knows all this stuff already but still really cool to see. if sinnoh is your first time playing pokemon, those hints on trade evos and stuff are always appreciated.

of course, funny dialogue too that got a wheeze out of my nose, not uncommon for pokemon NPC dialogue SDKFSFDK some of this shit takes me so offguard it's like extra funny

like GIRL ISN'T THAT WHAT A PARASOL IS FOR????

edit: my DUMB ASS (lighthearted) has been reminded that parasols are for the sun and are NOT an umbrella equivalent. okay she makes more sense now LOOL

also LOOKER JUSTIFYING HIS GAMBLING :skull emoji: this shit is taking me out. see this is useful because it's like oh galactic is really all over this city huh. not only their massive building but they have their logo in the fucking slot machines, they probably have some amount of ownership over this place like team rocket did over the celadon game corner. but also it's funny because SDFSDFK

OH AND MAYLENE'S DAD IS JUST... HERE? generic NPC. generic sprite. no name. he's just here. maylene's dad. you know, one of the gym leaders. help girl

anyways i'm aware i basically just posted most of the dialogue in veilstone city verbatim but I JUST THINK IT'S INTERESTING! I MISS WHEN POKEMON GAMES WERE FULL OF DIALOGUE LIKE THIS AHHHH i have more to say about the galactic lore but i'm running out of image space and i need to use the bathroom and get some food so i'll post about that a little later

[sweetshelluvaau]

World/Lore Building - Redoing the Rings of Hell [Pt 2.1- The Pride Ring]

Already mentioned that the reimagined Rings of Hell series is gonna be in eight parts, the first part can be found and read here which talks about the basics like color change, thoughts on the rings themselves, briefly talking about what I'd change (if none at all) or add on to of general feel and aesthetic, and with travel between rings. In this part, we're gonna talk about The Pride Ring.

This post will be touching on...a lot. So much that I'm dividing Pride into two parts. The first part being about the Ring and places within it, while the second part will talk about citizens and culture.

So, obviously, this will be under read more and likely to be looooong af so...

Okay to reblog, feedback and criticism is welcomed.

Part One: The Pride Ring in Canon

I already said in my last post that I don't mind the city hellscape Pride is going for. Is it the most creative? Not really, but I don't mind it. What I do mind however is all THE GOD DAMN RED! This is a problem with Hellaverse in general (more so Hazbin than Helluva tho) but it's a bit of an eye sore. Everything around it just all blends together. Lets add all kinds of color. In fact let's make the sky less red with more blue, purple and and gray hues the higher the sky goes with the red being more from the lights and pollution of the city below.

But let's put aside the aesthetic for a second and talk about the worldbuilding around it. Like all of Hellaverse, it leaves me with more questions than answers.

Why are Sinners stuck and only in Pride? Is there a reason for this? Why bother having other rings then if sinners of those sins aren't going to be sent to those rings? Why are Hellborn exempt from the Extermination? Wouldn't Heaven be more worried about Hellborn rising up than Sinners considering that Sinners are sent down, or at least suppose to, there to be damned for all eternality while Hellborn are born there and possibility created by the Sins themselves? Wouldn't they fear what Lucifer and the Sins/other powerful demons wanting to start a war being...well they hold the power in Hell and have legions and things? Why are Overlords as powerful as they are? What even are they? How do some of them even have powers to begin with? How did they gain those powers? Am I overthinking all of this? Am I out of touch? Am I out of time? *starts singing* Am I out of my head when you're not around?

...yeah I think I may just be loosing it at this point...

UPDATE: So as I'm writing this, some stuff from Hazbin Hotel's production leaked and we now have a map with the names of those sections:

While this doesn't change too much it has helped me a bit in writing progress.

Part Two: Redoing Pride (Aesthesis and structure)

Found this little tidbit online somewhere (I'd rant about why all this lore shit is behind a patreon paywall suppose to being in the show itself but we're getting a head of ourselves):

Okay I'm kind of curious about these 'nine circles' things and how they're different from the rings. It makes sense for Pride to be the largest and most diverse being not only do you have Hellborn that likely moved from different rings sharing their culture but you also got sinners and their different customs, religions and walks of life. It'd be really interesting to see those sent to Hell regardless if they deserve to be down there or not sharing parts of their past life with hellborn and vice versa but I'll discuss this a little later.

I decided not to incorporate the nine circles thing into my AU because it asks more questions for me than answers but will have nine main areas in my version of Pride. (I guess that is incorporating it but blah!!)

In the center we have Pentagram City, or as I'm gonna rename it The Pentagram, the hub and heart of Pride and likely where you'll land in Hell if your 'crimes' in life were related to the sin of Pride to be processed and start of your new afterlife. I'm getting rid of any other cities in the ring. IMP's office is in one of the neighborhoods in Pentagram while the Happy Hotel is right at the outer edge of it.

Then we have the surrounding areas around Pentagram: The Morningstar Grounds (Lucifer's castle and estate), The Royal Estates (rich and royal demon suburb), various other suburbs made up of Hellborn and other Fallen Angels, and The Bad Lands (basically a Mad Max like wasteland where a lot of biker/punk like gangs make their home.

The Pentagram

Basically it's close to the same idea as it is in the show except I plan to have each section of it having some sort of theme related to sin or/and cultures ruled by different overlords/gang leaders. I talked about Overlords here.

There are eleven major districts:

Red Light/Entertainment District:

Basically a mini Lust Ring but there's a bit of Gluttony in the mix too. Ya know: nightlife, drugs, sex. Basically a hedonist's wetdream. There is various other entertainment options such as bars and shops, but sex and drugs is what sells here! This is also where Voxtec's HQ is. Voxtec owns most, if not ALL of the businesses in the area and is the biggest media conglomerate in Pride (though Vox does want to expand into other rings if he can). Valentino works the sexual industry aspects of it, Vox controlling the mass media of it while Velvet works the social influencer angle while also low key playing PR because as the wise words once spoken by Cassandra Nova from the box office smash movie Deadpool and Wolverine said: Boys are so silly.

(aka Vox and Val can be pretty unhinged at times yet somehow Velvet who died in the late 2010's at the ripe age of 19-20 is more mentally stable, or at the very least no where as unhinged, than the guys that died in the 60's and 70's respectfully).

Look I think I'm funny...

Though there are businesses that have individual owners with no connections to the Vee's, don't expect those to remain independent for long. XDD

As aesthetic go: I wanted to go with the red light district vibe that I hinted at and the first thing that came to mind was Kabukichō in Shinjuku, a part of Tokyo in Japan. The lights, the sneezy bars (not all are in kabumicho obviously but the area is infamous for taking advantage of tourist and ripping them off/drugging them and stealing their money if you're not careful on where you go) plus the love hotels and host clubs.

Cannibal Town:

Basically what it says on the tin. It's basically the same as it is in the show expect it's a mixture of Sinners and Hellborn cannibals. The feel is the same as in the show but the citizens that live there aren't all stuck in the 1800's/1920's or something there's a variety of sick twisted people from different eras, but that side of town does still keeps it's vintage 1910's and small American downtown feel going for it:

Obviously Gluttony is the sin most prevalent here.

No one runs the district presay but Rosie is seen as the de facto leader due to how heavily involve she is in Cannibal Town's politics and her ownership of a few successful business in the area. Of course her personality with her kind, motherly like nature has those looking up to her for guidance also helps. She's also a Hellborn Overlord in this rewrite, granted a small timer compare to many of the others but still powerful enough to be respected. Most of the cannibal's we see in CT in the show are Hellborn as well. They're there own species in Hell that stemmed from Gluttony likely before Hell was established like it is now but eventually made their way all over Hell's rings, with the Pride ring being the biggest community.

The Old Town Historic District (will think of a better name later), REPLACES DOOMSDAY ON THE MAP!!

One of the major Hellborn centric, along with being likely the oldest district in The Pentagram, but Sinners are seen here as well even if its often advised to use caution when entering the area due to Sinners not necessarily looking fondly on. Sinners also aren't able to use most magic themselves.

The Old District is the few areas in the Pentagram that still kept it's otherworldly-ness. It's one of the major hubs for anything magic related. Potions, spell books, tomes, etc. The best, and only, place in Pride for all your magical needs. Sloth and Pride are the themes of sins you'd see here

Zestial is the Overlord (hellborn in this AU) who runs this district due to his major influence and is one, if not THE oldest Overlord to still have power.

As aesthetic go: I really want to make it otherworldly, or at least un recognizable to anything on Earth being it's one of the oldest parts of Hell. The vibe I'm going for:

And of course, book stores. Lots and lots of book stores with spells:

Industrial District

Again, what it says on the tin. Basically a mixture of warehouses, factories, and infrastructure both important to Pride and not so important. Greed is the sin most rapid here along with Sloth due to production and it shouldn't surprise people that some people from the Greed Ring (including Mammon but Ssh don't tell Lucifer xD) have some sake/power in the area due to investment opportunities. The District is also where the delivery and export of goods and services from and to Pride and other rings come and go.

I haven't decided who runs the district (Likely a Hellborn Overlord who may be secretly a proxy under Mammon because c'mon that guy IS GREED if he can get his fingers on it he'll take it.), but this is where Carmilla Carmine stores most of her goods while also producing and experimenting with angelic weapons.

Most powerful people/Overlords who do business in the area don't end up living there. They have homes in surrounding districts. If anything, the living quarters in the District are where those who live inside The Pentagram but don't have the Souls (Hell's currency) to afford anywhere better to live (or if the owner of their 'soul' forces them to live but more Overlords let those under them live wherever they want). Best way to describe these quarters are like the favelas they have in Brazil:

The Five Border Districts:

I don't have names for these sections yet but these areas are made up of both Sinners and Hellborn, but two of them are more Hellborn centric (The ones on the right near the Old District) while the other three is more Sinner territory. I.M.P Offices are in the district in between Uptown and The Red Light districts. There are two Hellborn Overlords who rule both Hellborn centric districts (Zeezi and that blue flame skeleton looking guy in E3 that I'm call Frederick Fumes for now idk he looks like Frederick xD ). I haven't figured out names for the Three Overlords who rule the other areas yet but they'll likely be OCs though I may have one being an Hellborn despite being more Sinner base. Honestly they likely won't play an important role in the stories anyways so kinda doesn't matter in the long run.

aesthetic wise they're basically a mixture of old, otherworldly and modern, closer to earth architecture depending where the lean on who populates these areas the most are.

Uptown:

What is there really to say here? xD it's an uptown area. Mostly Sinners with a mixture of Hellborn. This is where the Happy Hotel resides. The Overlord who runs the district is a good friend of the Morningstar family which is why they let Charlie set up their 'pet project' there along with whatever 'token' resources Lucifer gave her (aka an old warehouse/building no one was using and nothing else 'you're on your own kid have fun' kinda ordeal).

This is also where Alastor's Radio Station broadcasts his show from (along with the screams of souls that he's taken) every morning and when he feels like ruining Vox's day.

Aesthetic wise it's basically similar to what the Five Border Districts have going on, a mixture of old and new. Tons of bigger buildings towards Downtown while slowly turning more into row housing and smaller buildings towards the hotel.

Downtown

And the final and center district of The Pentagram: Downtown! I mean, there's not much to say about it. Tall buildings, bustling businesses, tons of restaurants, etc. This is also where Sinners who land themselves in Pride after they die go to though 'immigration' and begin their start of their new afterlife. Welcome to Hell, Bitch!

However, the most (in)famous landmark is the Heavenly Clock Tower and Embassy, where the leaders of both Hell and Heaven argue and scream at eachother discuss political matters and other issues like insulting Lucifer and some of the Sins while also making sure they understand 'their place' in the system to prevent another uprising and have them bow in submission in regard to keeping the peace. The embassy remains empty about most of the year with the exception of important meetings. If anything, it's main function is the countdown when the next Extermination is.

Aesthetic is basically the same as above with a few more angelic looking buildings closer to the clock tower/embassy, often left vacant incase Heaven chooses to use them for whatever reason in the future (aka never). There's no Overlords who run the district, mostly due to heavy monitoring from Heaven above. They want to protect their little control of Hell after all.

Okay we got The Pentagram out of the way, lets talk about the other eight sections.

The Morningstar Grounds

What it says on the tin (I know I use that saying a lot but there isn't much to describe what it is). East from The Old District, this is where Lucifer and the Morningstar family live. It's basically a huge estate, one fit for a King.

There's not much more so say. Plenty of rooms, many servants and guards (all Hellborn), a huge garden in the center where Lucifer likes to spend a share of time in in filled with exotic plants from though out Hell, as well as some of his favorites back from Heaven (he's a little more nostalgic and homesick that he leads on).

Charlie no longer lives here both due to her work for the Hotel and well...she isn't on the best terms with her father (She's still good with her mother Lilith though). I'll talk about that another day though.

Aesthetic wise I haven't fully decided on one persay but here are some ideas of what I'm possibility aiming at in regard to the castle itself:

As for it's interior: Think a lot of royal colors. Purple is one you'll see though out because, ya know Pride, and various crystal and metal embellishments. It almost has a similar architecture to Heaven but painted in more dark hues. And of course, the Estates garden:

The Royal Estates

What it says- You know, nm you know the the drill by now. A suburb where various powerful and rich clans and families make their home. Stolas' mansion is here, along with a few other established names and Ars Goetia. The most established clan of demons that live here would be The Aerius, which are basically the bird people in canon we got now. Stolas and his family, Andrealphus (who's also an Ars Goetia of course) and Asmodeus are all part of this clan (for Ozzie's sake and sanity though, he wish he wasn't. XDD). All the homes vary from more 'hellish' to looking similar to the way Stolas' home is in the show. While the suburb is mostly made up of homes, there is a little downtown like area in the center and a main street when you first enter the area with shops and restaurants along with whatever else they desire. Who wants to share a space with those sinners and hellborn presents afterall? Disgusting!

The Five other Suburbs

I'm still working this area out but there are five other suburbs to the Estates but no where as posh/not posh and kinda mundane honestly. Not interesting and likely won't be bought up much outside of maybe I.M.P visiting these areas once in a while. The major four are all hellborn being Sinners took over most of the city and they wish to stay far from them when possible, with one suburb being more imp and lower rank demon centric. the fifth one is a small area that's aimed towards Fallen Angels that aren't royalty or higher rank, but Hellborn live here as well.

(Heaven likes to deny it, but more of their ilk are declared Fallen that they claim though it isn't as common now due to cracking down on free thinkers and plenty of propaganda to keep the status quo)

Each area has it's own culture and feel due to Hellborn from around Hell live in these areas, not just those from Pride. Maybe I'll go deeper into these suburbs later on the line but there isn't much more to say right now.

The Bad Lands

And finally, lets talk about the vast lawless (not that there are any LAWS in Pride, let alone much in Hell), dangerous and unpredictable wasteland that those in Pride have titled The Bad Lands. There's no real civilization out here, only wildlife and dangers that made Hell it's home far before Lucifer's Fall, along with some creations that Lucifer himself made himself that he couldn't tame. There are a few fringed groups that made The Bad Lands their home, a lot of punk and biker gangs, mostly Sinners, along with a few hunting guilds. Cherri Bomb is a part (or at least was) of one of these gangs and Barbie may have hanged with a few of them during her party girl/relapse stage.

But why adventure out into The Bad Lands to begin with? Only someone that's either stupid or desperate for a thrill that The Pentagram doesn't offer them would dare to step foot out alone. Perhaps some are looking to build there own little community of likeminded individuals or maybe a cult they can have control over. Maybe some wish to seek out and take on the various creatures there and to sell resources gathered to those within the city, or maybe it really is as simple as taking a risk. It's not like you have anything else to lose now that you live in Hell...

The place is also used by many Overlords as a place to execut and 'dispose' of bodies (Hellborn or Sinners killed by angelic weapons) or restrained to suffer a slow death by being left to the elements/be feasted on by the wildlife there.

As aesthetics go, I wanted to go with an otherworldly feel, something you wouldn't see on Earth, but at the same time also feel familiar. Either way, its a place that screams 'fear' and 'danger'.

Anyways, not sure when I'll get the second part of this out. Hopefully sooner than later but we'll see...

Thanks for reading. Pt2 of the Pride Ring coming soon.

[m1ckeyb3rry]

hii mira !!

i have a question - how do u come up with or find inspiration for events that happen during a war-themed arc (like athyae)? asking cause im having a lot of trouble trying to formulate events during a war arc and im not rlly sure how to go about it in terms of pacing 🤕

(my mc is a nurse in the military and im trying to brainstorm how i can expand upon this but im not rlly sure where to go as of rn and this arc will last a little while, so im also not sure how to pace it)

hihi ray!! omg i’m so honored that you asked hehe i will do my best to help out!! i’m going to use SitH as an example because you mentioned it but if you want any clarification or anything on a finer point then you can ofc lmk 🫡

okayyy so with athyae i knew some basic things going into it since it canonically happens (kind of?? like it’s briefly mentioned in-verse) which helped me build from there. athyae is the only other place where the wine idea was utilized and i knew that i wanted y/n to be the one who came up with it because it would come back to haunt her. i also wanted y/n to battle with the propaganda/brainwashing that we know from canon is used by marley, which is where the idea for the amatas was conceived, and i always knew xanthe was going to die. at first, xanthe’s death was meant to show y/n that marley isn’t all that, but i changed it to be her fault to kickstart her mental deterioration into being fine with suggesting genocide. that is to say — i had a character, and i knew i needed her to eventually do some crazy shit, so i needed to come up with a plausible sequence of events to get her to that point. from there, it was all about guiding her to what i needed from her!!

it’s jarring for readers as well as characters if you thrust them into things with zero warning. that doesn’t mean that you can’t play with tonal shifts and whatnot, but it should be subtle, especially if you’re going from a more lighthearted setting into war. with athyae, i accomplished that via the declaration of war and general magath’s scare tactics abt what the athyaens would do to them if they were captured, as well as the newspaper that friedrich and colt read about the hanged scout. that part of the arc is still mostly lighter (friedrich’s infamous “call him daddy and mean it”, y/n describing how beautiful athyae is, the introduction of cordelia and the little jealousy subplot), but there are inklings of what’s to come being sprinkled in. that’s why, when you get hit with the baby scene, it still feels like things have taken a dramatic turn, but also not in a random way that’s just for shock value?? idk if that makes sense lol

so to sum up the last two points i would say a) know WHY you’re writing a story set in a war. why does your character specifically have to work in the military?? could they be a nurse anywhere else?? if you can firmly say that your story/plot would be completely different if there wasn’t a war happening you’re on a good track. from there, have an idea of one or two key things that you NEED to happen in the arc and that pretty much define it. then go through and think about how you can get your character into a situation where those key events feel plausible, and structure your story so that the buildup feels natural instead of out of the blue.

in terms of coming up with specific events (in athyae: the baby scene, the burning of the village, marek’s torture, etc etc), there really is no greater inspiration than history. now obviously it won’t be word for word — it’s not like there were titans and spinal fluid in wwii, which is mostly what i researched for athyae given the time period, but looking at past examples of wars gives you a feel for how many atrocities humans are capable of, which is much more relevant. there’s no event in history that i could see directly aligns with the fall of the athyaen capital, but assimilating my knowledge of the show with various tidbits about past conflicts helped me come up with something that felt authentic. the same goes for marek’s torture, which tbf we only find out abt post-war but since your character is a nurse they will probably encounter more marek’s than not — i researched various torture methods until i settled on a few that made sense given the attitudes towards eldians and the technology of the time, as well as what they were trying to gain from him. you’ll probably have to put “historical” in front of “torture methods” otherwise you’ll mostly get government websites talking about how torture is no longer legal. also, scrolling through the geneva convention and seeing some of the things that are outlawed in it should also provide ideas (depending on how dark you’re wanting to go).

in terms of pacing, i would suggest splitting a war arc into smaller arcs!! athyae was two, and the mid-east arc (which i never wrote but did plan) was seven, with each smaller arc only lasting about 5 chapters (i average about 5-7k words per chapter, so that puts each smaller arc at roughly 25-35k words each, give or take, ymmv). for athyae, i split it into ‘war on athyae’ and ‘defeat of athyae’. the separation allowed me to focus on the particular goal of the smaller arc super well and made the overall athyae arc feel more cohesive, as each portion of the war was given due attention. each mini arc gets an ‘inciting event’ that it’s named for (with ‘defeat of athyae’ it was the wine idea) and that the rest of the chapters are built around; this event can be at any moment in during the mini arc, but it should really be the focal point that dramatically changes the way the arc goes. for ‘defeat of athyae’ it was the wine idea; for ‘war on athyae’ it was y/n staying with the amatas. by boiling a larger arc down into these very rough mini arcs with focal points, you can ensure you give yourself enough space to handle the events that NEED to happen while also having the freedom to ad-lib as you go along and change things up if your story insists on going in a different direction

i hope this was a little bit helpful!! hehe i think a lot of the times too i’ve looked an outline and been like “yeah this’ll be 3k words max” and then it ends up being twice or thrice that length because i always underestimate how much ‘chapter space’ things like internal monologues and descriptions take up. so honestly pacing might come more naturally than you expect!! but anyways pls lmk if this was what you needed or if you have any other questions you’d like me to answer, i will do my best 💖

[broomsticks]

help needed??? i've been in fandom for 5 years and i still haven't proper *proper* read a femslash fic???? i'm not counting side relationships and established relationships. shame on me, i know, but i'm here requesting for a guide because i thought i could start anywhere, and then realised i didn't know what i wanted - or who i wanted to watch fall in love. which is.... sort of absurd, like i'm a multishipper, and i have female faves too. anyway! would you be so kind as to rec your fav recs, fics, or metas, or fav ships so i could jump aboard one?

many thanks in advance 🤗

ykw i actually think i get what you mean anon. especially in HP fandom, where so many of the main characters are male and so many of the important relationships are het or between two male characters, you do have to make a special effort, go out of your way almost, to consider female characters. and then in that light femslash seems almost - contrived? forced? and not only is that not fun for a lot of people, there’s also the side of ‘am i just rehashing amatonormativity again???!’ you just can’t win, etc

all of which is to say, if you (more so anyone else reading this) don’t feel particularly drawn to femslash, especially in the HP fandom, that’s okay! maybe think about trying out more original media that centers female characters and relationships between them—i’ve recently loved both a league of their own (1940s american girls professional baseball league! so much canon wlw) and house of the dragon (dyke drama with dragons! canon is only het though) for this—but, meh, your fannish brain wants what it wants. ❤️

THAT was a really long way of saying: that’s why i think probably the first fic that really unlocked my femslash brain was this 200k longfic by @hawksquill, Luna Lovegood and the Forgotten Circle. it’s tagged luna/ginny but is really more of a luna centric AU, set parallel to the canon timeline. several canon events happen ‘in the background,’ like the chamber being opened in COS and sirius escaping pre POA, but luna is the main character, with a prophecy centered around her, and the story basically completely diverges from canon by the mid Hogwarts years. the main cast is almost all female characters: luna, her mother, ginny, mrs figg, mcgonagall, gwenog jones - everyone from bellatrix to lavender! really opened my eyes to the potential stories that could be told with the little scraps and tidbits of characterization given to these female characters.

have a little excerpt from chapter 17 that i still think about way too often:

“If you could have magic, like with a snap of your fingers, would you do it?” “You know, I’ve wondered about that for a long time. There will always be a part of me, a large part, that thinks I should say yes in an instant. But there are a lot of scammers trying to prey on us Squibs, and we have to be careful. And we ought to remember that fairy tales teach us to be careful what we wish for, particularly when we are offered something that seems too good to be true,” Mrs. Figg reflected as she added the valerian root and passed some to Luna. “So I suppose that if I were to get magic after all this time, I should want to work for it, so I could truly appreciate it, and be sure it was real. Which is why I keep pottering on at the Circle, and why you all think I’m such a fool.” “I don’t think you’re a fool,” Luna said quickly, but the lie tasted bitter on her tongue, and she was sure Mrs. Figg could sense it too.

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(theres like a million and one things under the read more)

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a couple of shorter femslash recs that hew slightly closer to canon: 

Two Quaffles Pub by @thistlecatfics: postwar, cho and ginny meet at a bar and get to talking about what they have in common. harry. quidditch. michael corner. definitely not war trauma and definitely not unhealthy coping mechanisms!

tags: sometimes you get drunk and trauma dump on your ex's ex at the gay bar, and then make out in the bathroom. messy trauma recovery, Getting Together, not the healthiest of relationships but c'est la vie

“The war impacted me too. Just because I don’t spill my war stories to random girls in bars, doesn’t mean I don’t also have my shit.”  “Tell me, then,” Ginny dared. She leaned across the table, staring at Cho. “I told you about Tom, the man in my body when I was eleven. What have you got?”  Cho knew she shouldn't let this hot woman - no - hot mess of a woman bait her. Not when she was already feeling the alcohol. Not on a date. Well, this wasn’t a date, whatever she had implied earlier. She was not on a date with Harry’s Quidditch star ex who, apparently, had more trauma than anyone knew and a bit of a drinking problem to match.

hermione/ginny: it’s practically canon. they share so much gossip, they share a tent in GOF. here's a sweet untitled vignette series, Ginny is all warmth and strength and movement.

i’m not normally overly one for friends-to-lovers, but i really enjoyed these postwar parvender + werewolf lavender brown fics. again more established relationship than falling in love, but it’s not implausible to imagine given canon basis and there’s plenty more relationship development story to tell! 

beautiful enough for the both of us by dirgewithoutmusic

like the careful undressing of love by comosum

Where Roses Bloom by monetstcroix

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some marauders era: first thing that came to mind was alice/narcissa, actually! pre first war canon compliant is a fun space to play around in, because it’s circumscribed to an extent — you know you’re writing a doomed angsty romance, you know you’re reading a doomed angsty romance, you know where this story is headed but until then, until then, there is room to put your own stamp on things, your own interpretation of “how it might have gone”

Alice, Look at Me by Rollercoasterwords is probably the definitive marauderstok fic for the ship;

Devil's Snare by endocrine was written in 2015 and has several similar story beats/HCs!

Flying Lessons by Phantomato is a postwar andromeda/rolanda hooch i raved about recently that does a great job of pulling from canon and delving into some aspects of postwar trauma not often explored.

some other i never really thought about these!! ships i’m personally very fond of/ very intrigued by: 

myrtle x mcgonagall: their student years at hogwarts overlapped! katie x cho, they were yearmates and both quidditch girls!  

the (cho/)fleur/angelina/tonks “older than golden trio” girls. cho/fleur (delachang) and flonks are the biggest ships (and i have a couple more flonks recs later), but any of these dynamics would be fascinating, imo.

-

there is a limited amount of room to play around if you aren’t open to softening the lightning gen slytherins (in the way a lot of drarry fandom does, queer lightning gen cuddle puddle) (which i do get, i personally have to be in a specific mood for it) - but if you are, there’s a ton more fic! on the longer end too, because the character journeys are typically longer.

i say that and here's a <3k sporty feels cho/pansy, HOT AS FUCK 

absolutely impeccable pansy/ginny double drabble by @nanneramma

delightful post war luna/pansy day at the beach 

if the slytherin x gryffindor dynamic does grab you and you’re okay with that level of ‘canon what canon?’ - there are a number of longer ginny/pansy, pansy/hermione, millicent/hermione, etc. that are as well crafted, plotted, worldbuilt, etc, as any drarry fic of that length - i’m particularly thinking of the largely 25-50k range written for WLWBB! 

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some of hp femslash’s best kept secrets, imo: the incredible inventiveness of some of the rarepair fic - particularly those written around maybe the early-mid 2010s, though there are some in every year. examples: 

Independent Love Song by Writcraft: Millicent Bulstrode is a tailor and Ginny is losing her mind over a woman in a tweed blazer and burgundy brogues.

A swagger, a twinkle, and a fine arse on a broom by Woldy: Tonks lets her eyes linger on Hooch's spiky grey hair, her shining leather boots, and thinks If that woman's straight, then I'm a monkey's uncle.

Stylemagic by Woldy (luna/tonks): Who would have thought that Charing Cross Road was style central?

City Life by holyfant (tonks/ginny): They travel, find each other and themselves.

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& since you mentioned meta, i have to shout out holyfant's essay for @femslashrevolution: Towards A Darker Femslash

I wanted to continue to write smaller pairings and explore female characters, too. And I did, but the point remains that when I look at my story stats now, it’s clear that my f/f stories are shorter in word count and are less varied in their plot and execution than my m/m stories. All this to show that I am 100% part of what I am about to describe: not a problem, per se, but an observation that I think is useful to be aware of and think about. The fact is that femslash, across fandoms, remains a niche category, and that while there are great amounts of people who read and write almost exclusively m/m this is barely ever the case for f/f.

i also really liked this other one On the personal as normal; on the normal as political:

I think one thing that stands out, from a majority of my interactions on this issue through the years, is the perception that the act of writing relationships among women is inherently political, in a way that the act of writing about relationships among men is not. The $64,000 question: do I agree with this? Are electrons particles, or waves?

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going to close this off with one of my self indulgently favorite femslash, both ship and writer: i am in love with the way montparnasse writes second war fleur/tonks and how reminiscent it is of first war wolfstar, the tension of attraction set against the tension of the war. vibe quote included, because either you like her style or it’s not your taste - but if you do, there’s nothing quite like it!!

Six Penny, Seven Stone: Timing is everything. Tonks's was always just a little bit off-kilter.

Fleur accompanied her to exclusive pureblood parties that summer, posing as a personal assistant or dear live-in friend to Tonks’s erectile dysfunction potion heiress while they listened to one of the Yaxleys moan about the dilution of sanctified old blood and got handsy over hors d’oeuvres. Still Fleur seemed disappointingly unaffected by her spectacular breasts in a vicious push-up bra or the Dietrich-esque raised eyebrow/lit cigarette combo: she made advances and spurned Tonks’s and eventually after reporting to the Powers That Be after nights out ruffling robes in enemy territory they ended up at a neon-sleazy diner or got takeout and ate it at one of their flats—Tonks in Southwark, Fleur in Camden—until they fell asleep at opposite ends of the couch after sharing a joint or chamomile tea and watching X-Files and EastEnders reruns. In theory, they kept to their own sides as well as they could, but in practice, their limbs did often wander.

Obscure Topography: Sometimes, Tonks realizes, coming at each other from awkward angles makes you stick, elbows and all.

Sometimes, when she’s either very drunk or feeling particularly soppy, she feels like she can slow time itself down to a sluggish, tipsy trickle, where nothing else matters but her own beating heart and the turn of the world, or—here, now—Fleur’s skin and hips beneath her skin and hips, moving to a rhythm of their own, no time like what your body keeps in its hollows and curves. The brush of a thigh takes hours; the glide of fingers riding over ribs, and she loses track of the day. War and worry and shattered nerves are nothing next to this, meaningless without the strange, humorous patchwork of two hearts beating out of tune, where the radius of the whole world condenses down to the bed and they’re the only women alive in London for a while.

-

OKAY NO VERY LAST ONE

@consistentsquash's:

[lavalampstealer]

YAYAYYY okay ONE (1) person asked so now I can dump about them. I’ll give you guys the condensed story otherwise we’ll be here for days (and this is gonna be a compiled masterpost about them, so I might repeat info I’ve already said)

(Also btw: don’t take this as canon bc its not, its just something that I thought would be cool to explore)

Now, you might’ve seen some of my other drawings of Canary- he’s an existing handler that I have and he’s during the time period of the games (late 1960s). This whole thing sprouted from me wanting to give it a backstory, and it might’ve gotten a little out of hand, which lead to all of this.

Basic setting for this is that it’s the mid 1930s ish (haven’t nailed down an exact year), the Agency is in its early days, and there’s more of a focus on being covert and indirect. In fact, it wasn’t called the Agency at all; it was known as the Roost, as all the agents/handlers/other staff had bird/bird-related codenames. Zoraxis, while maybe being known publicly as that, was known as the Quarry behind the scenes (stone/rock-related names). Two birds with one stone, canary in the coal mine, you can see where I got it from. ANYWAYS.

The story focuses on this agent duo, Canary (he/it (yes he’s a guy, he just likes wearing dresses, so what /lh)) and Cardinal (he/him). Their field is Infiltration, so their job is to go to high class events/places (like parties or something) and yknow. Stop the bad guys. It could be stopping an art heist, investigating a sketchy ‘charity’ that is actually funneling money right back into Zoraxis, interrupting a weapons exchange, etc- you see what I mean.

Small tidbit, they gave each other their accessories. Canary gave Cardinal his watch and Cardinal gave Canary its earrings. Starting to feel cringe now but too late for that, on we go.

More about the two. Their dynamic is pretty much that everyone else in the office can see that they like each other- except for the agents themselves. It’s not gay to have dance lessons with the homie in preparation for an upcoming assignment. Mutually just being like “wow he’s pretty WHAT WHO SAID THAT-”

I mentioned a canary in the coal mines earlier; that’s pretty much Canary’s job. He’s the one who’s constantly surveying the situation and making mental note of near everything so he can relay info to Cardinal, the one acting as the proverbial miner in the coal mines. Cardinal’s there to go into the thick of things and be the closest to danger. And their dynamic usually works out fine! Usually. Except for one time. The one time Canary missed a detail, and things went wrong fast. The bird stopped singing, but it was too late for the miner to get out. Gonna switch gears before I completely spoil what happened-

They have a handler, Jay, but she’s not a handler in the sense that Handler is in the main games. She’s a lot more hands off, she’s more like a superior to hand over assignments and pass along details. She usually doesn’t come along with them on missions, and because of the limited tech in the 30s (and their budget), they don’t have earpieces for her to communicate through. That’s why they’re in a duo in the first place, so that they’re not out alone and have some kind of backup. Her ref sheet will probably be coming next, a friend helped me come up with her design (you know who you are and ty :]).

So. That’s enough out of me for now. I’d be happy to answer any questions you got, so don’t hesitate to ask!

….and I may or may not have been listening to Copacabana while coming up with their story but shhhh its fine.

[noahtally-famous]

something i noticed about dave in canon is that like. part of the reason he gets attached to sky seems to be not only Because she helped him through what seemed like a panic attack but also. it doesn't seem like anyone's done that for him before?

"usually i freak out way more" this has happened before? and worse?

"sky has a surprisingly calming effect on me" <- words of a guy who does not know what it's like to have someone help you calm down

IDK. maybe im wrong but something about this was a little crazy

oh no, anon, you're def right. and it's not just a little crazy, it's VERY crazy lmaoo like no shade on the fandom bc I get it, dave isn't a well-liked character and for valid reasons, but ppl tend to forget or gloss over the questionable things he says that connects to just how shitty his childhood/current life was

but tbh td has a history of popping questionable backstory tidbits; with trent's whole thing, heather getting electrocuted by her own parents, cody's everything, mike, alejandro, duncan, courtney, the list goes on tbh, nearly everyone's got their hand in the shitty backstory jar to some degree ngl, so it kinda makes sense in a way that the fandom glosses over dave bc, like, tdpi isn't as well-watched AND it's become sort of the norm for a contestant to have a shitty backstory or part of one

but like, you're so right, anon, it's WILD, and lemme just discuss that for a sec (bc any opportunity to inspect dave under a microscope, I will never pass up)

(tw for mentions of panic attacks)

dave insinuating that he's had worse panic attacks before and that sky managed to stop him before things got too bad (which is smth not many ppl are able to do to him) def emphasizes my idea of dave's backstory that...obv it was not the best. that with the idealization of "being normal" it could be that his family just...either never got the time to or doesn't feel inclined to help him through his attacks or that he doesn't feel comfortable enough around them to allow them to do so. in schools, I feel like he's the same way--he doesn't strike me as the type to have a lot of friends, and ppl would prob tend to see him as the "weird germaphobe" which doesn't help matters at all.

and even if ppl have tried to help him before, based on his words abt sky and the implications that his attacks get worse, the 'help' from others in his past seems to have not been done sincerely, more so it was just to stop him and get it over with. there was a lack of distinct care for his well-being or just him as a person, rather just a clinical outlook to stop the panic attack. that's what I'm getting from that bit

like it brings the fact that he's had to deal with these panic attacks on his own and with only his own "calming effect" to rely on bc no one else has done it for him (and we all know how great his "calming effect" was given how badly his character deteriorated mentally). so it could be that he was so used to relying on himself, handling his attacks by himself, regardless of how bad or good that self-effect might be on his mental health, that the first person to give him that same--if not better--kind of calming effect, he latched on instantly thinking that since no one else was truly willing to be there for him in the past and present, sky helping him must be bc she cares. it's such a warped mentality that I feel, looking at it psychologically, could have stemmed from prior attachment issues and lack of proper family functioning and friendships

it's disheartening bc in the confessional right after, he looks so stunned and in awe that sky had actually calmed him down. clearly it's not smth he's used to from other ppl, so when it did happen, he reacted overly extreme and that's where things started to spiral

(going off on a tangent here, I also feel like that correlates to my own hc of dave having a distant family. he doesn't fully understand what it's like to be attached to someone, it's not smth he's used to. it's always been himself. so when sky came along, he couldn't function right, and obv I'm not blaming anyone (even though that should be a given considering I love both sky and dave as characters, but y'know, just putting that out there), it's just interesting to pick apart a character's seemingly trivial actions and words and think abt the potential underlying implications behind them)

it's why I love characters like these over the too good ones bc everything is just straightforward with those kinds, it's all laid out on the table, unless you personally make hcs to change it. don't get me wrong, I love characters from both categories, it's just that for characters like dave, it's smth totally different, there's so much going on under the surface, and personally, that's what I find interesting (maybe it's the psych minor in me rearing its head whoops 😭)

anyway, you gave me an excuse to dissect dave mentally, and I legit love dissecting characters actions/words and trying to figure their mentalities out, so tysm for this ask, anon!! (sorry for the long answer, I can get rlly into it when need be 😅)

[kiwibirdlafayette]

(this is so dumb, but your newest art reminded me of this convo. love to hear more about mianite pete if you’ve got more lore bits btw!!)

LMIUDUYDEGFB OMG YES canon now. this is canon it was foreshadowing all along I cannot believe this it is not dumb at all m8 im CACKLING

as for lore tidbits 👀 i gotchu i needed an excuse to infodump hehee

Pete began life as a sentient humanoid slime entity, think like cSlimecicle in DSMP where he just kind of learned from observing the champions around him and he gets pretty damn good at a lot of things

When the peeps go to Ruxomar in S2, Pete sort of emerges from the ground and is found by Mianite, who is impressed with his knowledge of stuff from survival to mechanics/tech, and grants him with a similar power to what FyreUK got from Athar, making him a funky little wizard

so he's sort of a mianitee as well bc from what ive learned from the cPete enjoyers is that he values fairness and rules, or basically the facets of order

His skin is like a combination of human and slime, so hes not like perpetually slimy but he's very bouncy (think like perma jump boost)

I like the idea of all wizards in Mianite drawing their magic from the essence of something out of nature (Firez has magma, KillerTom shadows, Brute maybe the sunlight, Wag is plasma/star matter), so in Pete's case, its the swamp biome, like mushrooms, swampland foliage, etc. Fits bc swamp is overworld, which is Mia's domain

Part of his abilities include the ability to procure slimeballs without his wizard powers, good for redstoners bc boom instant sticky piston

he mostly uses his wizard powers for tech related builds moreso then big structures which is how him and Gaines get along so well

his house is filled with a bunch of little slime cubes, whom are all his helpers (mayhaps the Jerrys jordan saw in mianite S1?)

It feels like it would make the most sense for this Pete and the Pete in VH to exist as separate versions of the character (also because I already like the VHPete backstory and design I made a month or so ago) and that could be even funnier if there was a X33n variant in the S1 Mianite universe as well with another name (as its supposed to be Gaines as the X33n in VH) and he technically befriends two multiversal versions of the same guy because I could see him and Gaines gettin along if they hung out. I could also see him being friends with Rupert, who seemed like he was the weapons/tech expert on Capsize's crew, Pete could find some cool way of reinventing somethin im willin to bet

And kind of on the flip side off my tags in the original post, another interpretation of his character could be to put him exclusively in Aitheaca as Wag and Steve's alt in that universe with the same sort of backstory (where Mianite still gave him his powers, but he'd be closer to William and Merina) and powers, but instead of being a more passive figure who's just here to do his own thing and be a god at stuff, is like a Gaines figure to Mianite helping the cause against Ianite and Flash- idk, nothing's really set it stone of course

But yee that's what I've got so far!

[evilpenguinrika]

So I had a thought about my hosie fankids in the ffxiv AU while talking about them in the FC I'm in.

Hayley and Leo are a little complicated--in terms of how I wrote their stories in TVDU--to translate into FFXIV AU, mostly because of the types of Jobs that you can pick in FFXIV (here's the full post of Hosie and my Hosie fankids with the FFXIV Jobs I have chosen for them)

Since Hayley is a werewolf with vampire blood running inside her and has no affinity with magic whatsoever, like I'm talking her witch side is so dormant that it's practically non-existent. But in FFXIV terms, I think maybe she does have some abilities with magic, but in a way that it doesn't actually work. Like I'm talking FFXIV!Hayley cannot use magic in the way her Mom and Momma Hope and Josie, her older sister Lana, or her twin brother Jay can do. But I think for her, it's okay because Hayley's fight style is--like in that post I linked above--is more "rush into the throws of battle and right in the front lines" rather than staying behind. Also while writing this, I think having her take up Reaper Job would actually be really good and sort of fitting to the "she's a werewolf who also has vampire blood running through her" tidbit. Fuck i have to update that post now lmao. But yeah, she theoretically can do magic in FFXIV world but chooses not to because she would rather be front and centre in battle and taking the enemy's target off of her loved ones and onto her so everyone else can get a chance to get in their shots.

With Leo, however. In TVDU, he's the only human amongst his family of supernatural, and that can lead to a bit of an inferiority complex (maybe?) especially when he wants to be a part of his older sibling's adventures and world but can't because he's just a kid. just a human. So it makes him feel pretty shitty. But in FFXIV AU, that can't really be a thing because for starters, Hosie+Lana+twins are Hyur, which are basically just humans; while Leo is a Miqot'e, which is basically a cat race (now you too can live out your catboy/catgirl dreams). So I would have to focus on abilities, specifically magical abilities. So that means, Hosie+Lana+twins have some sort of affinity to magic (except Hayley's is a bit um, wonky and she doesn't use it like ever so it's fine). I have his main Job be Scholar--so I think the way he can cast spells and magic is through the Carbuncle(/Selene but I glamoured the fairy to a yellow Carbuncle because I thought it fits Leo way better so in canon-lore, Leo has a yellow Carbuncle since he was young!) because the Carbuncle formed a really strong bond with Leo, so the Carbuncle's lending Leo its abilities to allow him to cast magic and spells.

Same reasoning for when Leo picks up Summoner Job because, again, Leo's probably befriended the three main Egis (Titan, Garuda, Ifrit Egis) and Carbuncle is like the middleman kind of to help bring the Egis into battle whenever Leo needs or calls it.

Now, for the Astrologian Job, I'm not entirely sure yet. I'm still refining some semantics, but so far, I think the idea would be Leo's using the magic that's infused in the Astrologian weapon, the Star Globe, to draw cards to cast spells. So, like the magic isn't inherently his, but he's using the magic already in his weapon to channel what he wants to do, if that makes sense. My other idea was still going with Carbuncle route, which actually I might make canon? Because I think it'd be cute for Leo's Carbuncle to stay beside him all the time despite not being Scholar or Summoner (bc I did have Leo pick up Jobs like Astrologian and Machinist and Bard) and lending Leo its aetheric energy for Leo to use. I think that's cute and yeah, I might stick with that actually. Leo's Carbuncle MVP!

//

So that's pretty much all I have. I think this is a solid foundation of how to incorporate Hayley and Leo's TVDU backstory ability lore into FFXIV AU, which is always nice to have and I had a lot of fun figuring this out!

[mushroom-for-art]

M a bit of an amateur, your writing’s great, what are some tips you have?

I'm honored you think my writings great! As for some tips well, I'm not a professional writer by any means but I'll try to explain my writing process.

I know when I start writing I already have a lot of plot thought out in my head I imagine the actions and dialogue and how to word and describe it, I think it's really important to imagine your story as if it were happening like irl animated whatever however you interpret it because that really helps for me making sure nothing feels too stiff.

It also helps because sometimes as you're translating thoughts to writing certain characters take on a life of their own and can make scenes more interesting, at least for me they can but obviously sometimes this spontaneousness does need to be cut out of it muddles the plot it's a lot of adjustment knowing what to keep what to let go ect

With my characters I try to keep them animated, with mewtwo I mention how their tail sways or flicks thumps to relate to emotion and just to show movement content sway, a sharp flick to swipe at someone ect.

As well it's good to work movement in a way that fits a character, May for example she's not a confident character she'll grip her own arm for comfort or fiddle with her hands opening and closing her palms go get thoughts or for self soothing. Also keep track of what a character has done, with my last fic May held Syns face but he had looked away, while I hadn't written it we can infer he's moved away from her touch by moving his head so she had to put her hand back, if that makes sense? Try to imagine cause and effect that way.

I also try to make their dialogue sound like it makes sense, I let my writing program correct some things but other times I just ignore because i don't care if its grammatically incorrect it's real actual speaking. I also like to break up dialogue with movements between speaking because you're often not static when talking either with arm movements head nods ect.

Also like imagining how a character emotes helps, I often find myself pulling faces as I'm writing to capture the vibe of the character at hand to describe their reaction it's why there's a lot of brow movement a lot of blinking ect it might be over exaggerated at times but it makes people more active dynamic ect

And like obviously if you're gonna write with other people's characters get permission and research that character try to understand their behaviour motives ect and if you are stuck message the original creator for help but I personally tend to research a character try and really imagine them and then wing it and pray XD if the original owner goes yo nah then that's okay but so far Ive been okay, and it also helps to wing it because you don't stress too much on perfection like with my written Syn he has a lot of feelings about the weather doesn't like morning sun in his eye or the rain. Is this canon? No clue at all but it's a little spicy extra tidbit I've given him for writing him makes him a bit more interesting with him responding to nature.

And like try to have fun with your writing, do it because you enjoy it or because you wanna evoke feelings write it so you cry write it so a mutual cries because "how DARE right in the feels," write so an owner of a character used goes "THERE MY BOY!!"

I hope this helps? My asks are always open though if you have more questions!! And thanks for the ask!

[dog-bonezzzz]

PART TWO OF THAT THING OH LORD

What am I doing with my life. Honestly I'm getting a bit confused on what I was saying earlier, so if any of you understood it I'd be amazed. As you can see this was more of a loose connection and me throwing things out there, so don't go thinking I believe this is 100% canon (or canon at all) because I'm just a little guy and I have little guy thoughts. (ALSO PLEASE READ THE REPLIES ON THE LAST POST). There is a theme of Toy Chica taking away the things the...crushes like, or value the most for attention. To the point of well, pretty sure burning their goddamn house down? Hello there ma'am? That's not very nice. Almost everything she does paints her as a savior, someone to trust and go to. Huh, I wonder who else does this to someone they may be obsessed with (possibly even in love with HEY HEY HI WILLRY SHIPPERS HEY HI) with the need for their undivided attention. Now, a lot of people have also interpreted part of this cutscene as representing the way William killed the missing kids, which, I agree, that makes sense I suppose? Could it be a double meaning? Could these two things go hand in hand and side by side possibly? Where it references different things in different ways, we all know Scott is a bit- messy with things. FNAF 6 was especially messy with some parts of it's lore (Hey did I tell anybody I think I solved part of candy cadet?? yeah I think I did, fuck yeah!! Hopefully when I post THAT tidbit it's less mind bending and senseless, because it actually make sense, LIKE MAKES SENSE and isn't plain terrifying to think about) bbbbut seriously, what if it DOES reference both? The part referencing...lovers (help/nsrs) WOULD be a bit awkward if William is only referencing the missing children, it's giving lady fiszi and pinky pills /ref (/neg) . If there's also stuff referencing Henry it would be more- fathomable. Now, I admit I have not deciphered FNAF 6 and post-FNAF 6's obsession with collecting parts of things (or people) to put them together, but I am working on it. That is where I face how I do not know how to make sense of the way Chica collects pieces of her crushes. Now, talking about candy cadet and how those stories also reference Henry in a somewhat similar context, these stories also contain the theme of collecting parts of something broken and bringing them all together, my initial idea was that this is in reference to all of the people brought together in FNAF 6, especially the Founding family* and how they were rejoined as "one" though I am unsure (please tell me your thoughts?). This becomes somewhat more confusing when we see how in UCN toy Chica (the character representing William) is the one collecting, and not someone representing Henry like in FNAF 6. Though, this could be more split meanings, and could be an input of Henry's mind. It's all rather complicated. *I call the Afton + Emily family combined this. SO LOVELIES, that's honestly I can get together for this part right now, I'll be going on some more but I'll be talking about the actual willry part of this on a separate post for reasons. All of this multipart theory/ramble is going to be under the "mond explains weird toy chica thing." tag and is very much so available so you can read all of it together. Hope I don't sound too deranged from this haha.

[a-tale-of-legends]

whats gladion’s deal in the legendverse au? ive got him on the brain :P

Given how in the Legendverse, Team Skull is very different from how they are in canon, he's pretty much a freedom fighter. His personality is pretty much the same, but with some added layers.

For one, his taunting of Hau comes from both his self-loathing in not being able to bring Lillie with him, and from Team Skull. See, Hau is a bit of a hot topic around Alola, mainly because he's the grandson of a Kahuna, and as the grandson of the Kahuna a lot of adults project their thoughts and feelings onto him. Some feel like he should uphold tradition and take care of Team Skull and not cause any friction between them and the Aether Foundation. And some believe he should take charge, go against the Aether Foundation since Hala won't. The main reason why Hau is so lax is because he's trying to make everyone smile and have a good time, despite the circumstances, but to a lot of people that come off as him being wishy-washy, or not understanding the situation/ taking it seriously. Gladion is one of these people. He can't possibly understand how someone as important as Hau is so chill about everything, and tells Hau that.

Gladion gets called out for this later, because at the end of the day, he- as the white rich boy who isn't native to Alola- shouldn't be the one to tell Hau- the Alolan boy who already is dealing with so much- how he should or shouldn't't act. Honestly, no one should, but Gladion stings more.

They do end up reaching an understanding ( both will bond about their absent fathers) and eventually become friends! But it does take a while, especially with their clashing personalities. ( Gladion: Someone will die. Hau: Of fun! ). Gladion ( and Guzma )pushes Hau to be who he wants to be and Hau helps Gladion relax more, especially when things are over and Alola gets to rebuild and heal.

Also Gladion doesn't end up taking over the Aether Foundation. Fuck that. It either goes to Wicke or an Alolan native. Let this boy have his youth, he's done enough.

Also! Gladion and Lillie's relationship is really awkward at first. They both love each other, but Gladion still left her with Lusamine for a year. He's very guilty for it, and has apologized for ( which she forgave him for), but their relationship is.... honestly a bit strained. Lillie's arc in the Legendverse is her realizing the reality of Alola's situation, and so at first, she didn't like Team Skull. Finding out her brother was a part of it made her feel betrayed. She didn't know better, again very sheltered and only heard bad things about Team Skull, but yeah.

Now as for stuff post SM,. I have no clue. USUM I'm still blanking on for ideas other than a timeskip and the ultra Recon Squad being the main plot point. I don't think he's a Chosen by my rules of how Chosens work, but there's no denying that him and Silvally are super close. Maybe I can make an exception for Silvally like I did Mewtwo ( since Mewtwo can mega evolve, I thought it would make sense for them to Choose), but I don't know. I could get Arceus involved, but Arceus has done enough tbh( also they were too busy isekaking Kiran to Hisui). So for now, Gladion isn't a Chosen, but he is in the know about it, especially when his partner is technically a legendary Pokemon ( based on Arceus themselves).

Uuuuuh little design tidbits. As he gets older, he grows out his hair, while Lillie cuts hers. He got red and white highlights to complement Lillie's blue. Hau made him a friendship bracelet that he refuses to take off. Him and Ames like to make playful jabs at each other, especially after Ames ends up dating his sister.

And yeah! Legendverse! Gladion :D

[beyondthetemples-ooc]

For my own personal reference re: Dove eventually getting therapy:

The canonical therapist is named Jana. (Pre-boot canon, anyways, but I already cherrypick what I want from comics vs. cartoon, so what harm can a little continuity picking do?)

So according to the comicvine page here:

https://comicvine.gamespot.com/jana-bodie/4005-77183/

Jana appears in: The 2011 Zatanna series, issues 1, 8, and 11, and a Zatanna TPB from 2017. (Which might contain the same issues?)

....I've been wanting to read more about Zatanna for years, anyways.

(Kinda tempted to see what that post is talking about re: Sanctuary in Heroes in Crisis, but I didn't like the way that story handled my favorite characters, so I'm not too keen on reading THAT.)

Note-taking to come below the cut as I skin through to glean some canon tidbits.

From the excerpt I've already seen: I know her office seems to change its appearance (maybe shift its entire reality around?) based on her clients. Probably what they'd be the most comfortable in.

I forgot to remember it, but Jana herself seems to change shape, too!

I wonder if her changing form is a thing she does intentionally? Does she ask each client what they'd be most comfortable talking to her as? Because if she goes on What the Client Is, I think it could be really interesting if she takes a demon form upon meeting Dove, which Greatly Concerns Dove, until she explains that no, no she REALLY identifies more with her (mostly) human half and would very much prefer that form, please.

I just reread the excerpt on the post, and noticed her office seems to be accessible through otherdimensional means. Going there would probably disorient Dove quite a bit. (Which could give them a reason to work on her emet*phobia because traveling like that tends to get her senses and her stomach worked up. I don't think It Would Happen^tm, but she'd still be nervous and unsettled.)

"All are welcome to consult with her"-- that would probably relieve a sticking point for Dove. Trigon is canonically known in mystic circles, so Jana probably knows about him, right? So Dove would have learned He's Well Known and would worry Jana would refuse to treat her for it if she found out who her father is. That might be one of the things that Dove doesn't Specify until after several sessions. (Jana could probably tell Dove isn't keen to talk about it, and would probably ask why. But Dove wouldn't tell her without a lot of trust being built up first.)

Also, "her office is a neutral zone between realities". So maybe Dove wouldn't be AS disoriented as usual when she's traveling between facets of reality, but she could still mention that she was nervous to go there because it USUALLY makes her feel unwell?

(Azarath was described as being "between the dimensions", so maybe it's actually reassuringly EASY for her to get there? Dove physically has Azarathean blood, after all!)

And judging by Zatanna meditating in a circle of candles and the visualization of a ghostly form re-entering her: You need to astral project to get to Dr. Bodie's office? I mean, Dove can DO that but she'd probably need help. (She's much better at meditation as an adult than a teen, but astral projection isn't on her specialty list.) Maybe that's where I can have Raven come in: Helping Dove GET there the first time, but she won't STAY there.

(giggles to myself in Nexus reference that nobody will ever catch, probably.)

Actually? Hell, I've written Dove trying the soul-self thing a couple times! It never goes very well for Dove. Maybe this can be how she learns to do it Her Way, even if she's not as delineated between physical and astral bodies as Raven is.

Srentha could definitely help her Get there, though. Traveling between dimensions is one of HIS Specialties^tm.

[sonwar]

Hellooo! I’ve binge read The Mystery of the Pears for the third time lol and I just wanna say ❤️Remus❤️my beloved, this fic portrays him exactly as I imagine so I was wondering if you could give a bit more information about him in your fic? Like we know he’s a 20 year old but what does he do for a living? What’s his favorite book genre? His favorite color? Just whatever :P anyways hope you have a nice week :)

This is kind of a hard one because Remus is a hard character for me point blank, but also because I feel like I don't necessarily portray him true to canon, but rather a warped version of him sort of skewed by my own perception? Or something, but I'll try my best for you anon <3

Something I did sort of appreciate about canon (if appreciate is the right word) was the fact that it was hard for Remus to find a job, partly because I think it makes sense for the character, and partly because I think it helps reinforce the metaphor of the character, so that's definitely something I carried over to tmotp! It's hard for him to find work, which means he sort of ends up with a lot of time on his hands that he didn't ask for, which is why Dumbledore takes advantage of him and sends him to all sorts of different places as his ear on the underground for the war, or to recruit people or whatever. That's how Sirius ends up in Dartmoor with him at the beginning of the fic (conveniently for me, since I didn't know how James was gonna slip that one by Sirius otherwise..)

But, eventually, after the end of tmotp, I sort of imagined Remus picking up work editing other people's writing, or something akin to that! Something bookish that he could do from home, not only because anything else probably takes up too much energy for him but also because that way he doesn't have to make up excuses about time off and can instead work around deadlines, and something that, because it's Remus, probably wouldn't take up all of his time.

(also, surprise surprise, spoiler spoiler, but I also imagined that, once Harry comes along, James and Regulus enlist Remus to take care of him while the two of them are at work. For Reasons, they don't feel comfortable leaving Harry at a daycare until he's a little older, but Regulus wouldn't trust some random nanny to take care of his baby, and both him and James work. Regulus suggests Narcissa first, but James doesn't budge on that one, so they decide on Remus, since he works from home and he and Sirius are across the street anyway...that's just how I think that would go, but personally I think James should have let Reggie have Narcissa...this is all part of the last instalment in this series, by the by, if I ever get around to finishing it...anyway.)

More miscellaneous(?) tidbits: I always imagine Remus as very tall, definitely the tallest out of the four of them, but also to have terrible posture, because he's tired and achy and his bones pop and creak whenever he stands up, which is why I'm always describing him as "crooked."

I think if he'd had to interact with Regulus under any other circumstances, Remus wouldn't actually care for him very much, but because of James and Sirius, he makes his peace with him. I think the same can be said about Regulus, despite what James' perception of the situation may be. Regulus and Remus sort of end up liking each other eventually. Like, friends by forced proximity, or something. In a way, they're sort of in laws, so, you know.

I also think Remus is snotty about tea. Like, he thinks the tea bags don't taste as well or even the same as loose leaf tea or whatever, and he thinks it's weird that Sirius takes his tea so sweet.

I've seen a lot of people mention him in the comments of tmotp, but I'm not sure that Teddy exists in my version of things...I don't know that I see Remus as a parent, necessarily, and I do resent his canon version for the way he handled things with Tonks. I think he's good with kids as long as he can give them back and doesn't have to be held completely accountable for their upbringing. I don't know if that sounds like a blemish on his character, but I don't mean it that way. Raising kids is hard! It's a huge responsibility and I don't think everyone should be making that choice! That's fine!

I don't know what his favorite book genre is, but I imagine he reads whatever he can get his hands on. Muggle books, magic books, history books, classics, poetry, very suggestive poetry that he hides from Sirius because he thinks Sirius will tease him about it but that Sirius always finds anyway...

I also think he and Sirius are constantly writing to each other. Like, even if Sirius is just at work, they send short notes to each other, when Remus would travel for Order stuff they'd write long letters to each other, they leave scraps of papers with notes or reminders scattered across their home, and they both keep all of them in their own ways, like Remus probably has a shoebox hidden under a bunch of sweaters or something, and Sirius probably has a proper box he keeps tucked away on the highest shelf of their closet. Something like that.

I feel like half of these are my own headcanons and half of this is spoilers for a fic I haven't sat down to write yet, so I'm not sure if it's the sort of thing you wanted, but I hope this is enough for you anon! I'm glad you enjoyed tmotp so much (enough to re read, wow, thank you<3) and that you liked my version of Remus, as far away from canon Remus as he may be. Also, sorry I went on for ages, that warning on my inbox is very real! I hope you’re also having a nice week <3<3<3<3<3

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

in reponse to the last anon: i think its easy to view silver as lacking in personality when he is a pretty lowkey, seemingly well adjusted guy. I get the impression that he really isn't in touch with himself at all and it can come off as a lack of personality, especially compared to the more bombastic members of the cast. Some of his voicelines like “They say that silence is golden. But in my case I just don’t have anything worth talking about…” or “I’m happy. ‘I don’t look like it’? Understood. Next time I’ll try harder.” are good examples of this trait.

i think he is insecure about his humanity, albeit in a very different way from sebek. silver isn't ashamed of his race, but is burdened with the knowledge that one day, he'll die long before lilia and malleus (and potentially sebek? not sure ab his projected lifespan) because of it. this insecurity manifests most clearly in his desperation to fix his sleeping issues. while it's in part just a dislike for it constantly disrupting his everyday life, any time spent unconscious is just another reminder of the limited time he has in comparison to his quasi-immortal loved ones.

his character profile marks his dislike as "being idle", which makes total sense when you think about it in relation to his mortality and not just in relation to his narcolepsy. in this short time he's been blessed with, he should devote his being to giving back to those who raised and cared for him, those who he lives for. not a second should be wasted when he could be improving himself as a son, guard, student etc which feeds into his already lacking sense of his own internal state.

I don't think he's super self-aware of this issue considering his general lack of introspection, or at least doesn't think about it too often unless he's confronted with a change in the status quo (like in his scary monsters ssr). maybe he'll be forced to do so in ep7 given the themes of immortality, time, etc...either way i'm very excited for him to get some spotlight!

(this got way longer than i thought aahhh i'm sorry...i just love silver and his mysteries and subtle complexities a lot)

[Referencing this post!]

Yes, Silver’s one of the more lowkey members of the cast. Stoic, serious, loyal… what some might call the ideal knight or a sleepy fairy tale prince! Definitely out of place at NRC 😂 Well-adjusted guys (well, at least the ones that initially come off that way) like Silver can quickly get lost in the large and zany main students. It also doesn’t help that he’s on the quiet side and doesn’t tend to voice his opinions that strongly or unless explicitly told to share.

I think you make very salient and valid points about Silver’s relationship with his own humanity, especially as it pertains to subtle canon cues which can be easily overlooked. (Again, this plays a lot into Silver’s lowkey/unnoticed vibes; you need to actively be looking for tidbits, analyzing what little information we are given, and critically reading into canon information and not just accepting facts at face value while we wait for more explicit details to be rolled out.) If we really look at the main thing Silver is known for—his narcolepsy—it’s actually quite sad, as you’ve said. His time is limited, and so short, compared to that of fae. He can only do so much to repay his loved ones for the happiness they have granted him. With the life that Silver has, he has to make it count. There’s not a moment to waste, and every second counts even more than it normally should.

All of the Diasomnia boys have such interesting relationships and backgrounds 😭 I hope that episode 7 somehow gets around to addressing each and every one of them!! I’m super interested in seeing how the Diasomnia family’s personal histories and inner struggles intertwine and help them develop as individuals.