articalia

[anotherfandomtrash]

Look! A sick victorian child from the epilogue! *adopts him* 

[littlemissmanga]

Tech & Non-Verbal Reader

Lazy writing because I want to get this down before I lose it.

As much as I love good dialog, it isn't always realistic. I, for example, have a very hard time verbalizing my thoughts when I'm upset, overstimulated, or overstressed.

And for some reason, Tech popped into my head.

So, to that end ...

The mission wasn't a failure. In fact, in Tech's mind, it was a success. The Batch achieved their goal and everyone was safe. That they had to survive a hail of blaster fire was just par for the course. Naturally, he wasn't looking forward to the numerous repairs that the ship now needed, but it was in his opinion not too gross a price to pay.

But he suspected you had a different opinion. Since returning to the Marauder, you had been distant. You didn't initiate conversations with any of the boys, you moved almost like a droid, all halting and rigid. It was unsettling to see you like this. Not just dour - it was like you were operating on nothing but muscle memory while your mind was clearly elsewhere.

Eventually, all the others fell asleep in their various choice locations, leaving just you and Tech in the cockpit. But still, it was like you didn't notice, staring unblinkingly ahead at the blur of hyperspace.

"Is everything alright?" It's concerning, though unsurprising, how it appears you don't hear him. He highly suspects that for all intent and purposes, you don't.

Ensuring all is correct with the autopilot, Tech turns the pilot seat to face you, grabbing onto your hands, squeezing and hoping that the pressure will ground you. Only when your eyes turn to him - too wide and unseeing for his liking - does he repeat his question.

His stomach churns as you nod and smile. It doesn't reach your eyes - a hollow act meant only for the benefit of others. His first reaction is frustration. Did you not trust him? But then he sees how you're twitching now that you're back to yourself - tapping your fingers against his hand, juggling your leg - and he suspects something deeper at play. He may not have Wrecker's intuition or Hunter's senses, but he is skilled at reading basic body language. You weren't turning away or pulling back. You faced him openly, invitingly. So it wasn't about him but something was weighing on you and stopping you from relying on him.

"What is it? I cannot help if I am unaware of the problem." Finally, you look him dead in the eye, connecting if briefly before looking to the ground, your eyes shifting back and forth. The way you purse your lips to the side would be endearing in any other circumstance. Tech notes each of the numerous times you open your mouth slightly only to close it again. Your twitching increases and you begin blinking rapidly.

"Is it difficult for you to express yourself verbally at times like this?"

Being correct, while a common sensation for him, still always gave Tech a sense of satisfaction. But the relief that coursed through him seeing your eyes shine at being understood was sweeter than any "I told you so" he ever said to his brothers. Your nod confirming his assumption was welcome, though unnecessary.

"Come here, then." Physical intimacy was still something Tech was adjusting to. Not that he didn't enjoy it, rather it was never a need for him and just a facet of life he was unaccustomed to adjusting for. But he knew hugs calmed you down normally - though generally Wrecker would beat him to it when you were upset much to his clandestine chagrin. This, though, was something he would happily adjust to for your benefit.

Pulling you to your feet, Tech slips into the chair under you and sets you in sideways in his lap, knees over the armrest. With only minimal effort, he guides your head to his neck and holds you tight, again applying pressure therapy.

You try to speak a few times, the pathetic squawks and squeaks coming from you pulling at his heart at your attempts to apologize. You were strong, vibrant, bubbly without being overbearing. Pathetic was never a trait he would ascribe to you. Whatever it was that brought you so low must be eradicated.

"It's all right, sweetheart. There is no need to rush, and certainly no need for apologies. I'll be here when you're ready." He pauses, feeling the wet of your tears against his neck, soaking into the collar of his blacks. "And if you're not." The addition is a little unsettling - he does not like the thought of leaving this interaction not knowing exactly what's wrong, how to fight it, how to prevent it. He fixes things, that's what he does. And he can't fix this if he's left ignorant. But it's not about him right now. He just needs to help you enough to get you back to baseline, and if that meant not pressuring you to open up, then that's what he's going to do.

Eventually, you both relax - pressure therapy working on him as well. Tech is objectively impressed how much stress he retained in his body that physical stimulation was able to release.

"Thank you, Tech." Small, but unshaking, your voice is a delight to him. You borrow impossibly deeper into him, warming him from the inside out at the way you find comfort in him. "Can we talk about the rest tomorrow?"

"Of course, my dear. Of course. For now, get some rest."

[how-very-salty]

How do I make my characters have more depth or like a spark yk? How do I make them feel alive and like actual people. (Also I need general tips on writing please)

Hi…I'll try to give some advice, although I don't think I'm that skilled at it :3

Always read your writing out loud, especially dialog. With intonation, as if you were an actor.This will help you see the mistakes and correct them.

Characters shouldn't have only black and white sides. People are usually gray and often very contradictory. For example, the way I write Ronnie in one of the fics. Outer layer: On the outside, she seems very confident. Flirts a lot, knows how to keep a face. Inner layer: She is vulnerable and dependent on other people's opinions. She needs approval. Digging deeper: Veronica believes that she's actually a good person and that she's just underestimated. So she tries to live up to her self-image, but… And a little deeper: …but she fails, and this striving drains her. Her parents loved her, but expressed love only as a reward. She never received unconditional love, it always seemed to her that she had to work hard to get it. And this is where you get motivation that you can use later. Of course, you don't have to say it directly, but leave clues: the resentment of being underestimated, the feeling of butterflies in her stomach when JD taked her side without question or reproach. Motivation is important. It may not be shown, it may not be mentioned, but the most important thing is to know it when you write. That way, the character's actions will be smooth and believable.

Accidents happen, impulsive decisions are made. If you want a character to suddenly decide to do something out of character, why not? Just lead up to it. Add fatigue from routine, thoughts of "I'm tired of thinking things through," and so on. And then the reader will believe that this is not a god from the machine, and that the character has just gone over the edge.

You have to play "yes, but" with the characters. For example, there is Martha. Martha is kind and naive. She's naive. Yes, but naivety is a childish trait. With naivety often comes selfishness, not from evil, but from a black-and-white view of the world. Even if you look at the canon, Martha didn't really think about Veronica's feelings when she suggested going into her boyfriend's locker, or when she assumed he was a murderer. It didn't occur to her that if Veronica hadn't known it was really him, she would have been hurt by the situation. That she would have had to choose between an old friend and love. Or no longer about canon, but about fanon. Martha is kind - what dark side could there be? Simple, she is good, but her goodness can be suffocating. Veronica is sarcastic by nature, she has an innate adaptability, black humor and gray morals. And she can feel bad around Martha, not just because she compares herself to her, but because Martha, for all her goodness, may not accept all of Veronica's darker sides. And Veronica will have to work harder to hide her bad sides and earn Martha's friendship. Which brings us back to Veronica's inner conflict.

Well, probably the last thing on my mind is rereading and correcting it until it comes together in the right way. Sometimes you've already written a chapter, and you reread earlier chapters and see that there was a situation that could be the reason for the characters' actions now. Because you have the motivation in your head, all the events follow each other, even if you didn't think them through. They just fit into that character's vision. And rereading helps to connect and flesh that out, to make the story even more coherent.

I hope I've been helpful. Have a good day!

[cgcgs43046]

Bartering for a Co-Writer

Hello Tumblr users...

I'm looking for a full-time co-writer: 

Helluva Boss: Chaos Reborn/Omniversal Mix-Up! on AO3

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/series/3900844

Check out my other work/series as well

Fandoms I Write For

These can be found on my user page. MAINLY FOCUSED on the Hellaverse (Helluva and Hazbin). There are other shows I have tagged on my fics, but serve as references or are blended into the lore of Hazbin/re-written versions of themselves and are minor in the storyline, or certain characters from that universe are referenced or just appear it is not full-blown crossover between the entire cast of every single show, I don't do those crossovers... so I'd consider it "world-expansion" or "lore-building".

Pretty much, as long as they follow my supplementary lore that I give them or they can read my works... my story is pretty convoluted with lots of twists so... but if they know most of the fandoms after visiting my user page, then they could make sense of it

Genres - Genres are varied for me, I just try to follow the style of the show/movie I would be writing about, but I'd consider being a big writer on horror/scary stuff, gory stuff, smut (explicit), fluff (try my best), romance, adventure etc. (idk)

What I'm Looking For:

Knows Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss or any other fandoms well enough so you understand the characters and their personalities/lore and little details and stuff and would want to make suggestions

Is a chill person, and nice (Idk why I put this here, but this is a requirement)

Has good ideas and suggestions

Can write well (with good grammar/punctuation/dialog format, good formatting NO spacing, textual styles for emphasis, advanced vocabulary/writing/dialog techniques. I know I'm asking a lot, but I believe in creating quality content)

Is not a hardcore shipper and chooses to annoy me with my ideas and hates what I do with the characters, and their stories (cough, cough Stoliz cough, cough)

DNI with Viv stans/strong Stoliz shippers who refuse to see reason... keener on HB/HH critics (sorry) 

Willing to write explicit sex

My ideas can be a bit outlandish, so bear with me, please! 

Has a light schedule and can keep up with my writing/ideas

Can interpret ideas well enough/create ideas off the top of their head, and can think creatively 

Is open to constructive criticism and can provide it as well.

Enjoys collaborative writing and can actively contribute to plot development.

Is flexible and can adapt to changing storylines or character arcs.

Has experience with or is willing to learn about the specific lore and nuances of the other fandoms mentioned.

Is reliable and can commit to regular writing sessions.

Can communicate effectively and promptly, ensuring smooth collaboration.

Is passionate about storytelling and dedicated to creating engaging high-quality content.

Good story planner and a great plot idea-giver

Projected word count may vary depending on the tone of the chapter (the more serious, the longer it could be)

I am willing to help you in turn with anything like improving grammar/writing style and bouncing off ideas as long as I know the fandom

If you think this is you, comment down below and just list me any terms you are okay with/message me or ask, any terms you need more information on, and any specific topics or themes you want to avoid. Let's make sure we're all on the same page moving forward! 📘 

Hope this doesn't sound intimidating...

If you're confused:

Beta reader - A fan who looks over fanworks for errors is called a beta reader (or simply a beta). They help the creator improve their work before it's shared publicly.

Co-writer - Actively contributes to the writing process: Brainstorming ideas, writing scenes, and shaping the overall story. Shares creative control and responsibility for the final product. Should have strong writing skills and be compatible with writing style. Ideally, understands vision for the story and can contribute ideas that enhance it.

Difference - A beta reader acts like the test audience, giving honest feedback on how engaging the story is without directly adding their own creative touch. In contrast, a co-writer dives into the creation process with you, brainstorming ideas, crafting scenes, and shaping the story into a collaborative effort.

[redux-iterum]

Do you have any advice to help or prevent writer's block? I have a terrible habit of starting but never completing what I write. Also really excited for the Charred Legacy!

Hello and thank you! My advice splits into two categories of writer's block, which I'll call here Classic Block and Progression Block. Classic Block refers to the block people usually mean, especially when drawing: that you can barely write three sentences before erasing it all because it's awful and you hate it, leading you to sit around stewing in frustration that your skill level is so low. Progression Block, meanwhile, is the block where the actual work of writing something to completion is a Herculean task, even if you don't hate your writing style. The distinction DOES matter, as you’ll see.

To start off, Classic Block sources from your standards of writing not matching what you perceive to be your level of ability. Maybe you used to like how you write, but now all you see is the flaws. Your skills have leveled out or lowered instead of steadily increasing in quality – at least, that’s how it feels. This leads to you not writing at all, or only getting a bit done and then abandoning it because it sucks and what’s even the point and you’ll never make anything good anyway and so on. It’s the same thing as artist’s block, just with typing.

This brand of block has similar advice in every medium of art that it appears in, which is “study and practice”. The only way to get better is to examine where your faults are at and work to fix them. If you find how you write dialog unnatural, for example, you take a look at books or scripts you enjoy the dialog of and pay close attention to how the characters talk, or you find as many advice posts on the web as possible about how to create natural-sounding conversations, or even just listen in to people chatting in the real world. Like an artist studies anatomy and feels more confident about their improving work, a writer studies all the advice they can get and applies it to their story, and continues writing for practice until they get somewhere they’re okay with. It may not be as easy as artist’s block to conquer, depending on who you are, but it is doable.

Progression Block is a different beast, and I’ve certainly felt it before on my comics and writing. This is when you’re at the beginning or starting the middle of your project and you find yourself unable to continue on to the end. Maybe you’ve lost the adrenaline that the start gave you; maybe the prospect of a long-term story is too daunting; maybe you ran out of ideas or passion; maybe you don’t like the start now and you want to rewrite it before you continue; maybe (and this is the most common one) you’ve found yourself at a part of the story you’re not that excited about and it’s difficult to get through it. Whatever the case is, you’re good at starting ideas, just not finishing them. This is extremely common, so don’t feel bad about it. I can’t count how many webcomics or fics I’ve seen left to rot after about a month of work on them. I’ve done it myself, multiple times! We’re all at risk of it.

The biggest thing to address here is that, sadly, writing is not always going to be exciting. That’s just a fact. You are not going to be riding a high the entire process. You WILL get to something that feels more like homework than fun. This is a guarantee for every single project that goes on longer than a couple pages, and sometimes even the short stuff isn’t safe. This is not a horrible thing, it’s just something you need to develop methods to overcome. Discipline is important if you want to take writing seriously. There are ways to get through this: dinner-before-desert (the promise of “I have to write this dull chapter and I’ll get to write the scene I’m really excited about”), setting small goals to get the unfun part done a bit at a time (writing 200 words a day, or a couple paragraphs, etc), finding things to appreciate (like that joke you threw in or how pretty this scenery is), and having something occupying the senses to keep flow going (listening to music, mainly) are all tools I use myself to get past potentially weeks of writing that I’m not excited about. You do need to be a little stern with yourself, but the reward of getting to the thing you’ve been dreaming of since the start is completely worth it, I can promise that. You just gotta eat your dinner first, and then we’ll get you some ice cream. One carrot at a time. You can do this.

Something that can get to people is the prospect of being “stuck” with something for months or potentially years. The size of a project can be intimidating, I understand that. You’re doing this particular thing for god knows how long, and you have to do it on a regular basis if you ever want to get anywhere with it? That’s a little scary! I get it! But that does not mean you won’t have fun, or won’t ever be finished. It took me six years to complete a comic you can read through in one day, I’ve started one I know will take me at least ten, and Iterum itself is going to be a long fucking ride I don’t dare to guess the length of. I have had the occasional sensation of leaning on a table, bracing myself on my arms, staring down at a drink and thinking “Jesus Chirst” about how long all this shit will take me.

With that issue, I’ve personally found that taking joy in the process is the best solution. “Well, I do love writing these particular characters, I’m excited to see how they’ll grow over time!” “Planning chapters is a very chill way to spend my evenings while still giving me something to think about.” “It’s so exciting to have all these secret plot developments no one but me knows yet!” And so on. Like in life, you should appreciate the Now, not constantly be fretting about Later or Before. Learn to love typing out dialog and prose! It’s doable.

Of course, you should have a few thoughts about the future. That’s where planning comes in. Some people can make up shit on the fly and write a complete, excellent novel. I am not one of those people, and not many are. Some architecture is generally necessary. When I don’t have a set general path ahead of time for me to take as I write, I give up on things because I don’t know where to go next. Create your path, however vague or exact it needs to be! My advice on planning is to start with only the most major of story beats, arrange them in the order you want or need them to happen, and add smaller connecting lines to them, then connecting even smaller lines to those lines, slowly getting more and more specific and detailed as you zoom in on the story beat-by-beat.

Another thing that might help you keep at it is finding an audience – at least, it worked for me. When I started writing for real, I was doing choose-your-own-adventure threads in forums, and then a choose-your-own-adventure webcomic, where people got to send in commands to move the story forward. I could not get anything completed on my own to save my life, but having people participating and actively waiting for me to continue the story helped me develop the discipline and work ethic required to do the projects I’m doing now (and taught me how to improvise extremely well, as a side benefit). Your audience could be one person, or ten, or a hundred. Even if they don’t comment or regularly engage with the story, just knowing that someone is there waiting to see what happens next can be a good motivator.

One final thing: you may fall into the trap many do of looking at the small bit of stuff you’ve completed, not liking it, and wanting to go back and rewrite it, because this time you’ve got the skills to do it right.

DO NOT FUCKING DO THAT.

All that’s going to do is trap you in an endless cycle of “improving” what’s already there at best, and wear you out from going over the same old ground over and over and drain your love for the story at worst. You will not be fixing anything. Put it out and move on. Don’t keep trying to rescrub the same plate until you put a hole through it. You’re going to look back and think it’s shit. That’s normal. Doesn’t mean it’s true, or that you should waste time “fixing” it. Learn to go “well, I don’t like it, but I gotta keep going”. Get it done. It will never be perfect, and the sooner you understand that, the sooner you can get this project done.

That’s about all the advice I can think of for now. I hope this prattling helped you, at least a little bit!

[the-badger-mole]

Avatar: The Final Conflict

This story was originally posted on FFN in 2012. At this point, I had been writing fic for a few years, and I was beginning to figure out my style. I think it shows here. This story was the first time I remember making a conscious effort to balance my dialog with action and description. It's the sequel to A Word Between Friends, but I actually started writing this story first. I had been drafting parts of this story since the finale in 2008, which probably accounts for this fic being among the few where I don't steer Aang into his worst traits. It didn't occur to me to connect it with Word until I wrote a particular scene in chapter three that references a scene at the end of chapter 3 of Word. Both stories can be read independently, but I do hope that if you haven't read Word, you will.

Excerpt:

Iroh poured another cup of tea for himself and offered some to Pakku. The elderly water bender shook his head and politely declined.

"I’ve had quite enough, thank you,” he said. “Does she know I’m here?”

“I didn’t tell anyone I was expecting you,” Iroh assured him. “Although I don’t know why you don’t want her to know. After all, this is her future.” Pakku sighed and sat back in his seat.

“I realize that,” he said, suddenly feeling drained. “But I didn’t want to offer this to her until I was certain it would be there.”             Iroh stroked his beard thoughtfully and set his tea cup down.

“This is a great opportunity for Katara,” he said. “I would never stand in her way, and I’m sure Zuko will support her, when the time comes.”

“The time is now,” Pakku reminded him. He closed his eyes wearily.  “All this governing and politics business- it’s a game for the young. Old men like you and I are getting pushed aside, and I’m not complaining, but I wish I could have prepared her more.”

“I’m sure you’ve done your best,” Iroh said confidently. “Katara is one of the finest water benders it has ever been my pleasure to encounter. And I’ve seen you in action.”

“Katara is my best student.” Pakku smiled proudly. “I’ve never had anyone catch on so quickly. She’s creative and she has a stubbornness about her that I rarely see in water benders. She won’t allow herself to do anything but succeed. It has served her well, and I’m sure it will continue to serve her well as she continues to grow into her abilities. However, her abilities as a bender are not what I’m worried about. She is young. There are some who won’t like this.”

“Yes,” Iroh agreed. “But as you said, this is a young person’s game. The Council  and the leaders of the Water Tribes may have some objections to it at first, but Katara has proven herself not only a skilled warrior, but a stirring leader. As a diplomat, admittedly she has some learning to do, but she’s still more qualified for this than just about anyone.”

“Do you really think this will work?” Pakku asked, opening his eyes to look at Iroh.

“Do you really think Katara can handle this?” Iroh countered, taking another sip of tea. Pakku didn’t answer him for a long time. Then a smile slowly spread across his face.

“I think Katara could bring nations to their knees if she set her mind to it,” Pakku said. “But don’t let her know I said that. I have a reputation to uphold.” 

“It seems we have our decision

[episims]

Tutorial for adding translations

Which might be the ugliest tutorial ever. Oh well. Maybe this helps someone.

I'm sharing this because if you have a non-English game and see something you'd want to use, but it's not translated yet, adding the translation really isn't hard. You'll need SimPe but not any content-creating skills whatsoever.

I used my Biotech Station mod as an example. It's a bit scary looking but you can just ignore the majority of the stuff there. Most things don't have this many resources.

The things that need translating are under Catalog Descriptions, Pie Menu Strings, and Text lists. There might be only some of them there, that's completely normal.

You can only view certain types of resources by clicking them from the resource tree on the left. To edit an individual resource, click it on the resource list view.

Make sure you have the plugin view tab selected.

On the plugin view, you can see a drop-down menu from which you can browse the translations.

Now it's just writing! Go through the text strings on the list and write a fitting translation for each.

Not highlighted in the picture, but ticking that 'reveal default language for comparison' box helps as you'll then see the English version while editing the translation.

Click that commit file before leaving the resource, otherwise your translation won't save.

You might notice that under Text Lists there's sometimes quite a lot of stuff.

Most often it's only '[Text Lists]' and 'Dialog Primitive Strings' that need translations. But you can double-check by reading that description box there.

For every resource that needs translating, proceed the same way that I showed for the catalog description. Don't forget to check Pie Menu Strings, too!

After all the text strings are translated, save the file (File -> Save).

Now you have the content you desire translated, yay! But what if you want to send your translation to someone?

You do this. It'll export the text strings you're viewing in text format. I recommend saving the file in a way that makes it easy to connect which resource it belongs to, in this case for example 'Catalog Description Finnish' would work very well.

If you have resources with identical text strings and translations (that happens sometimes), exporting only one of them will be enough.

Translations exported this way need to be imported back to get them to work, but it's a handy way to move them around.

That's all! Let me know if I wasn't clear enough or if you notice I forgot to mention something :)

[blazehedgehog]

Have any favorite retranslation hacks?

This will get me in trouble, but I don't think I've ever played a good retranslation hack. Never ever.

Translation patches for games that don't have translations I'm less picky about because they are the only option. Like there's a translation hack for Dragon Ball Z Hyper Dimension on SNES. Is all the dialog super stiff and stilted? Yeah, at least in the one I played! Does it matter? No! Because at least it's in English now.

But, like, I've looked at retranslation hacks for different RPGs and stuff and it's always the most nitpicky people on earth trying to right some wrong because they think the translated text veers too far from the original meaning.

And I'll straight up say it, but the retranslation is almost always worse. Because even if the official translation isn't accurate, it often (not always, but often) flows better. It reads better. It sounds more natural. Decisions were made as to why it was translated (or more specifically, localized) like that and accuracy to the original text was probably priority #2 under "make it sound like native English." Balancing readability with accuracy is extremely difficult and to some degree I think people who get picky enough to produce retranslations are setting things back.

Because now we're starting to get producers at big game developers who are starting to claim that ChatGPT and AI text engines can automatically localize games into English without the need for translators or localizers.

You want accurate translations? You're going to start getting things that are accurate to a fault. You are going to get the flattest, least interesting, least energetic translations on earth because a robot is not a human and, especially for a context-heavy language like Japanese, is not going to understand anything beyond the most literal interpretation of the text.

Good localization is an art. Translating meaning instead of raw text takes creative writing skills beyond the binary of "this means that." Frankly, I'm in awe at good localizations. Translations that are too raw shake me out of the experience really hard because I get obsessed with whether or not something sounds natural. When I don't have to think about it like that, it's akin to magic.

It'd be a huge undertaking, but I've often fantasized about being called in as a "fixer" for particularly bland localizations. Like, getting to punch up a script, make it read better, so on and so forth. I'm not, like, the juiciest or best writer on earth, but I think I could do okay. I've often thought about things just within my periphery I could "clean up" somebody else's translation, but that's often a tricky, prickly thing to consider. I'd need express permission before I could release any of it.

[wookofwallst]

(Article) Going back to Cyberpunks Night City never felt so great.

Alright. I had my reservations about Cyberpunk 2077s Update 2.0. But after completing Act 1 in one sitting last night, I can honestly say that this is the best time to hop back in and play through it all again. If you haven't played it, then NOW is the time.

It's been 2 years, 10 months, and 12 days since this game first cursed our screens with a disappointing buggy mess of a game. From top to bottom, exploits and balance issues were terrible. From item duplication to infinite money glitches, from terrain pop in and out to litteral skyscrapers disappearing. You name it, Cyberpunk had it.

However, even with all the issues it had, the foundation was there. But the house needed a remodel, an interior decorator, and time for them to fix it. As in every remodel, it will never have a straight line to completion. You start with the big stuff first as they make the game playable, then move on to the smaller things like the combat, skill trees and everything else.

When this game was at its best and running smoothly, it was stunning, graphically insane. The writing and the voice acting were equally as impeccable. It all came down to how it ran. At launch, I couldn't recommend this game to anyone. Now, with this update, I can recommend this game to everyone.

With fresh eyes on it and expectations lowered by a lot right from the jump, the game somehow looks better than I remember, which I didn't think would be entirely possible. The dialog, as outlandish as it is, was delivered excellently. The details in their face match perfectly to their tone when they are happy or sad, they are hiding contempt or malice it all matches.

The combat has also been a spot of large improvement. Whether you're going in guns blazing, stealth around and pick your enemies one by one, or just be a futuristic tech ninja using hacking and a katana to slice through your foes it all works and is a viable strategy. Sure, some enemies can feel like bullet sponges, but the improved feedback, recoil, sound, and muzzle flash all make it feel like you're really the one pulling the trigger.

The police in Night City also increased their budget size. They have been equipped with tactical training and AI to better combat the "Thugs" of Night City. They will also be setting roadblocks, shooting out their windows, and chasing you down all over the city. Even the slightest infraction will set them off, so be careful with the boot licking pigs. However, if you are looking into some car chases and vehicular combat sounds fun, make sure you check out the all new vehicle mounted weapons you can equip to cause maximum mayhem.

Now, let's get to just a couple of things that I still don't like. Vehicles still seem floaty. You'll be going 90 mph, but it still only feels like 20. I also experienced severe frame drops here and there. Usually, it only occurred during maximum load or set circumstances, like when walking up to the mirror to look at yourself or getting into an elevator or two.

My stance hasn't changed. I still think the new Phantom Liberty expansion should be free. But having the game play this good is something that every company whose game released... less than ideally should strive for. I'm proud to say that this game is worth every penny.

Has this article changed your mind? Do you plan on hopping in again? Or the first time? Want to talk anything gaming? Let me know! I stream every weekday, 8pm-12am. The link is below. I'd love to see you there!

[alexbrunn]

You're pretty damn good at making comics. How did you develop such a skill?

As cliché as it sounds, I think it's a matter of practice here. I'm not an avid comic book reader, I always prefer anime to manga (I read manga 2 times when I was eager to know the sequel, but I was well aware that I just couldn't wait for the anime adaptation). I encounter this kind of art only occasionally on the vastness of the internet and never emphasize too much to gain experience or anything like that. And if I learn, it's only from my mistakes. (Maybe that's why I still can't master the dynamics of lines when moving something, because I don't have much exposure and understanding of how it works)

If telling it from the beginning, my journey started with what could be called "art with text". That's a long period from late 2018 to early 2021. I didn't take drawing and drawing comics in particular seriously enough at the time, but as a first step to what I have now it's worth talking about. I just draw the art (at the time I didn't care about the background, which gave me some room to add text) so that it appears to stand alone and without text next to it, and write the text in the remaining space. There was no hint of separate panels or dividing the canvas into multiple parts. The composition and perception suffers from this, but because the character in the picture itself is elaborated I thought that everything looks even good. Also, as for me it is important to say that I always had an incentive. Question format. People ask a question of a character, and artists answer that question by drawing a comic. I had a deadline that I always had to meet, which in a lot of ways kept me evolving and moving forward.

At the beginning of 2021, I'm doing similar things in the same way, but there is some kind of turning point. Perhaps I had grown older and perceived the world around me a little more maturely, perhaps the subject matter of the issues seemed more interesting, because now I wasn't just talking about my favorite character that anyone in the fandom who knew that character could talk about, but about the interaction between two characters close to my heart. The fandom wasn't set up to think about their relationship. Probably half forgot one of the characters existed or turned it into a silly joke. But I found something different about them that no one else saw. I saw in them a very touching father-son relationship that in many ways helped me through some of the moments of this life as well. Faith, help and support was the outlet that I was anxious to develop between them. And it was exactly what I wanted to show the world around me, because it had already happened in the fandom, but with characters who couldn't do that in canon, and people didn't even notice such a great option that I found.

That's why I went from light and non-committal comics to something heavy. There appeared full panels and division into several plans and characters that could go beyond the panel. But the composition was still lame because of the perception of the comic as a set of artwork. The bubbles were inserted anywhere, they were transparent, which made it uncomfortable to read. The pages were also time-consuming, because I wanted to put all my efforts into them and to make the audience feel at ease, if not with high skill, then with dedication and hard work. I almost always drew the background, although I blured it so that it did not stand out in the foreground, drew all the dialog, even those that did not make sense.

I think I did about a hundred pages between early 2021 and mid 2023. That's not a lot, but considering I'm still learning and it's periodically time-consuming, I think I can be understood. However, it's been enough to gradually progress. To learn composition (not to try to make the largest possible portrait of the character, and already in the sketch to lay a place for the text, In general make the text small and leave empty air space for it in the bubble). Then the background started to appear not on all panels, but only on the key ones. I think it’s stylish?

I even tried to make a manga, but it didn't succeed. After all, I've been drawing in color all this time, and the ability to handle screentones is a whole other direction that also needs to be learned. And of course the dynamic strips... That's how it stopped at 5 pages.

I came to what I have now around the fall of 2023 after a bit of a break, moving to a different fandom, switching to an iPad from a computer. I'm just as driven by the desire to show the fandom something it hasn't seen yet, but already talking about Marcoh, Pav and already their interactions. I still have a lot to look forward to and I think this won't be the last post about my milestones.

Thank you so much for this question! I apologize for taking so long to reply. I tried to find some old works to show them, but unfortunately I deleted everything, so I had to tell everything in words.

[sometimeslapine]

It's not about quantity, it's about quality. Even if they arent the same scale, I'm sure I'm not alone in saying they would be appreciated.

And I'll be honest, engaging in a dialog about kink that is just ping ponging ideas back and forth sounds fun. Sometimes you don't need one massive work to lay out like a blanket to cover all the reasons and facets and quirks you like about a certain kink. Sometimes you don't even need a patch work quilt that you build upon. Sometimes you've earned the Worlds Worst Bonus from your job at the Cotton Ball Factory and you're just throwing little ball after ball at the topic, not caring where they land or if you've hit the same aspects again and again, and then you look back and see you've done a pretty good job covering the topic anyway.

Even if you aren't writing a novel, with your art you do a great job of making kink... I hesitate to say Feel Real but you make it Make Sense in a Real Way. Like of course if you lived in a world with Boob Growth Lotion, you can't just rub it in with your hands or else you'll get Boob Hands and that's Fun because Of Course that would happen. And I just kinda wanna see what you can cook up if you didn't have to find a way to visualize and show and make it look good.

bit of a delayed response to this one while turning over possible replies in my head... struggling to explain a few more conceptual blocks. writing's always been a weird subject matter for me, in one way or another. pls bear with me

so like. comparatively, inflation kink fics span back a good two decades, at least. there's an established pool of tropes, visual metaphors, ideal pacing or story beats to hit, tones or themes that set the mood, key phrases that really get at the brain, and points of finality that overall mesh really well for a good story. not to say there's no originalities to be had in this space anymore, but there's a lotta prior work to draw from, were i to need assistance filling a void in a sentence or two.

but the thing is, with the more nonsensical stuff like That Comic Thing You're Referring To, there isn't a lot of pre-existing stuff i can reference! i often find that i completely lack the language framework needed to put those weirder scenarios into words. i'm just making it up as i go, after all! and so drawing it out in some loose manner becomes infinitely easier than trying to capture all the nuances of it in a paragraph or two, because i get to lean a bit heavily on the storytelling mechanic of "Show, Don't Tell" as support.

though these scenarios being physically sketched-out-on-paper may end up leaving them a bit more concise than intended in their delivery, i'd like to think the concept i'm exploring's still getting conveyed effectively (even if i can't put the scenario to art in the way I'm /fully/ hoping to, whether due to the limits of my artistic skill, or just other general constraints of anatomy & form in a physical space) because ironically, despite a "concise" delivery, a drawing still remains open-ended enough to have its blanks filled in by the viewer's own preferences/themes/biases in enjoyment (in the same weird way the sketch of a piece can sometimes look more visually interesting & carry more emotion than that piece's finished lineart would) with the open-ended nature guiding one's thoughts to what potential fun lies outside the final panel. as you experience art, art experiences you, etc. etc. etc.

as for making it feel "real", honestly sometimes it's less about realism and more about exploring the fun and wild "consequences of over-indulgency" (said with as much love and appreciation as possible, just so we're clear!!); it's acknowledging the dangers of going wild with a Topical That Changes You without hesitation, it's of not thinking it through before leaping directly into in the path of that TF raygun beam, it's of playing with dangerous and ancient magicks because the spellbook had funny drawings that poked at the kinky parts of your psyche, it's of getting too lost in the sauce to have an escape plan.

consequences, for lack of any better word, can help ground fantasies into something more tangible! makes it feel more Real, despite very much being weird fantasy nonsense at its heart

anyway. run-on-sentences and streams of consciousness aside, i appreciate that my weird brand of nonsense is enjoyed all the same

[writingwhimsey]

Hello! If you are still doing the Sparring Writing prompts, I'd like to request the whole *not feeling well, but still training and passing out* with the dialogue, "Oh god- I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hit you that hard-".

If that's doable with IkeSen's hardest training warlord, Keiji. 😁

Thank you!! 🧡

Hello and thank you for the request! Here is what I came up with and I hope you enjoy @bestbryn!

Sparring Prompts:

Prompt 9: You aren't well, but you don't want to skip training and make them worry, so you continue on as usual, thinking it's not that serious. But that's proven wrong when you faint right in front of them mid-fight

Dialog 6: "Oh god- I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hit you that hard-"

ikesen: Keiji

Princess Training

Keiji woke up not feeling so hot. His head hurt and his body ached. He let out a groan as the sunlight filtered in the room, intensifying his headache. He knew he should stay in bed…but then he remembered. He had promised the princess he’d give her some extra training today. He knew she would understand if he told her he wasn’t feeling it today…but she seemed so excited about the training. 

Keiji let out a sigh as he slowly sat up in bed. “Can’t let the princess down…” He muttered to himself. “Just need to wash my face…drink some water and I’ll be good as new…maybe get something to eat.” 

Slowly Keiji got up out of bed and began to get ready for the day. He washed his face and filled a cup with cool water. The maids brought him in a tray of breakfast…and his stomach lurched at the sight of the food. “Maybe we’ll skip breakfast today.” He muttered.

He once again thought about just going back to bed and sending a message to the Princess that they would have reschedule. But then he mentally smacked himself at that idea. Training was when he got to spend the most time with her and…just picturing her smile brought a warmth to his chest. “Just another act to put on…that’s all.” He said. “I can do it for her.”

Keiji managed to get himself dressed and drug his weary body to the training room. She was already there and waiting. Her hair was pulled up in a messy bun atop her head and she was wearing hakama for ease of movement. She wore a bright smile as she greeted him.

“Hey Keiji! Thanks for agreeing to the extra training today!”

Her bright smile did funny things to his heart. He was a bitter cynic, but her sunshine… it was genuine and beautiful. It was something he couldn’t get enough of. It honestly made the trip from his manor worth it. Keiji plastered on his own smile, though it was slightly more genuine than normal just because it was her.

“Anything to help our hard-working princess now.” He told her. “You ready?”

“Yup.” She answered, continuing to smile brightly at him.

“Alright, let’s go.” Keiji declared, giving the princess his signature bright smile. He may not have really been all sunshine and rainbows…but seeing her smile always made his more genuine…even if he was straining today from how unwell he felt.

“Did you already start some training?” She asked him, looking at him. “Your face is a bit red and you look like you’ve been sweating…” 

Keiji could detect the note of concern in her voice. “Yup, got going before the sun even came up. Always have to be prepared, you know!” He hoped he could continue to fool her. “Now, let’s get to work.”

“Right.” The princess said with a nod. 

Keiji began leading her through some more stances and swings with the practice spear. It took so much effort for every movement Keiji made, but he really didn’t want to give up this time with the princess. Besides, she was so determined to learn some kind of fighting skill…who was he to turn her down? Clearly she needed this for something personal.

“Alright, now let’s try something new. I think you’re ready to put the moves to use.” He told her. 

“You mean…like actually…spar?” She asked, her eyes widening.

“Best way to learn is to do.” Keiji told her. “Now come on, let’s have a friendly match. I promise to take it easy on ya…but don’t you take it easy on me. I really want you ta give it your all.”

She seemed to be thinking for a moment, processing his words. “Alright, I’ll do my best.” She replied, her face taking on that cute determined look.

“Atta girl!” Keiji whooped before moving to take a fighting stance. “Let’s get this match going. Show me whatcha got, Princess!”

She gave him a determined nod as she took her own fighting stance. “I can do this.” She muttered to herself.

It didn’t take long for the sparring match to begin. Keiji could feel himself moving a little slower and it was taking a bit more effort to block the Princess’s blows than it should have. He was about two or three times her size. The sweat was really starting to pour down his face and coat his body.

The Princess was lifting her staff in an offensive move. He knew she was getting ready to strike and was moving to block, but his arms were moving slower. His body wasn’t responding the way it should, his arms aching and muscles feeling like lead. His ears were ringing and the room was beginning to spin.

The world fell away as darkness engulfed Keiji  just as soon as the Princess brought her practice spear down  on his head. The last thing he heard before passing out was her voice. “OH MY GOD! KEIJI!”

It was sometime later, Keiji was coming to, the Princess’s face hovering above his. Her hand was on his face, gently patting his cheek. “Come on…oh thank goodness. Keiji can you see me? Can you talk?”

“How…long…have I been…out?” Keiji asked. “And you should…probably back up…”

“Oh God-I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to hit you that hard.” She told him as she pulled back, thinking he was probably upset with her. 

Slowly Keiji began to sit up. His head was pounding, but it had nothing to do with the hit. Nothing did. “No…you didn’t hit me that hard. Didn’t even feel it.”

“But…you passed out.” She replied. “You must be delirious. How many fingers am I holding up?” She asked, holding up her hand and three fingers.

“Three.” He answered, grabbing her hand and pulling it down. “It’s my fault. I woke up sick…that’s why I told you to back up.”

The princess blinked. “What…do you mean? You’re sick and you still came to train me? Why didn’t you say you were sick and stay home? This was supposed to be your day off.”

“Didn’t want to let you down.” Keiji answered.

She seemed to be touched by his words. “Well…you wouldn’t have let me down. Now let’s get you some place you can lie down.”

The Princess was then doing her best to help Keiji up. He was unsteady on his feet and she was instantly at his side, letting him wrap an arm around her shoulders as she wrapped one around his waist. “Alright, let’s go…” 

With effort the pair left the training room and were soon coming to a stop. Keiji was surprised to find that the princess had led him to her own room. “I’ll be fine to go home…” He protested.

“Nonsense. You’re in no condition to walk all the way back to your manor.” She told him, “My room is closer and perfectly fine. You just lie down and let me take care of you.”

“I can’t do that…”

“You pushed yourself for training me today. The least I can do is help you in your time of need.” She told him. “Now I won’t take no for an answer.”

“Alright…but only for a little while.”

She helped Keiji get into the futon. She was then leaving for a moment and returning with a small basin of cool water, a rag, and what looked like rice porridge. “Alright, let’s get you feeling better.” She declared as she sat down by his head, wetting the rag and placing it on his forehead.

“Y-you don’t have to do that…” Keiji said, thankful for his fever since it hid the blush he felt.

“If that’s how you feel about me putting a cool cloth on your head, you’re in for it when you realize I’m going to feed you the rice porridge.” She told him with a smile.

“You really don’t have to…”

“Just let me take care of you.” She told him. “You’ve already done a lot for me since you came back. Let me do something for you…besides we’re friends. Friends take care of each other and help each other out.”

“Yeah…alright.” Keiji replied, for some reason the word friends not quite setting right with him.

She was picking up the rice porridge and spoon and began feeding him. “Come on you have to eat to keep your strength up.” She encouraged him as he opened his mouth to accept the food.

After finishing the rice porridge, she continued to stay with Keiji, allowing him to rest in her bed. At one point, she was humming some tune Keiji didn’t know and stroking his hair as he slowly drifted to sleep. He had never been happy to feel so terrible. Being sick and passing out didn’t seem like such a bad thing now.

[asena-graywolf]

Click here for previous part

Italic texts mean “sign language” dialogs and “texting”

————————————————————————————————————————

Unfaithful II

Kuro had practiced quite a bit in sign language in front of the mirror for his speech to you.

She had worked long and hard on how to express that she had finished the song she had prepared for your duet, and that she would always like to sing with you from now on.

The lyrics he made up for the song were actually describing his love for you. Even though you may never hear this song, he wanted more than anything to sing it for you.

Chaine-des-coeurs… you were expressing your feelings that you could not express by speaking to Kuro at that moment, by playing that song with your guitar.

That song you never heard while playing, every time you touched your strings, you had your love for Kuro. You were touching the strings of your guitar as if you were touching Kuro's heart.

You were so excited to spend time after school tomorrow. There was also a music lesson tomorrow. You could also talk about a duet with Kuro.

Kuro volleyball team brought the subject to you while texting in Whatsapp group

"Guys, don't you think we need a manager?"

Yamamoto was the first to answer this question.

“If you're going to bring up that deaf girl again, don't even go there. That girl is just trouble for us. Lemme tell you"

“Y/n may be deaf, we may have difficulty communicating with her, but do you think the whole problem is communicating? She is a good girl and I think she will help us a lot.

I gonna talk with Nekomata coach for this”

“I don't think the coach would take kindly to this situation. We don't have any issues with y/n, we would like to have a manager, but…sorry but Yamamoto is right Kuro,” replied Yaku

“Even though, i gonna talk with him. Let Nekomata coach and y/n decide for the best”

Kuro knew you could be a good manager and wouldn't see your hearing impairment as an obstacle. He believed in you and had full confidence in you

The next day, in music class, you saw Kuro talking to the teacher while you continued to play your guitar in a corner. When he came back to you, you asked him what he was talking to the teacher in sign language.

Kuro replied to you by writing on a piece of paper

I talked to you about the duet we wanted to do. We can give a little concert together. It would be a great activity for other students in the school as well. I want everyone to see your skill

You took out your notebook and wrote the answer to him.

Really? Oh Kuro-kun! You are so sweet. So what did the teacher say?

He wrote it back and showed you

The teacher also supports us. He will set the day for us and let us know. He asked us to find a few songs to sing. Let's work hard together for our concert y/n-chan. I'm sure we will do a great job

You replied by writing it back in your notebook

I believe we can succeed. Did you finish the lyrics of the song?

He showed you the answer he wrote

Yes. It's a special cut for us. I think we should play it as the final cut. We'll meet at the exit. i show you

You wrote your answer on paper

I wonder what you have wrotten.

I'm excited already. Also do you know? My doctor hearing aid. He said I can use it. My father also ordered the best device from abroad. Coming soon and I can hear you lip-reading

Kuro was overjoyed at this news. The possibility that you could hear him, even as a hum, excited him.

You both met after school. Kuro bought you your favorite strawberry sandwich from the grocery store. After getting yourself a snack with two drinks, you went to a place where you can talk comfortably. A place that can be considered a rural area was suitable for you

You started eating the snacks you bought at the grocery store. You thanked him for getting it in sign language.

After eating your meal, Kuro came to the issue he wanted to talk about. He took the piece of paper with the lyrics he finished from his bag and handed it to you.

Look at it. How many nights did I spend on this? How do you think it happened? he said to you in sign language

You studied the words and even though you understood what he really wanted to tell you, you still wanted to hear it clearly from him.

Words…I can't believe it. You wrote it perfectly, Kuro-kun. You're almost like a songwriter

So who made me a songwriter? Or rather, my inspiration?

The gestures he made with his hands while talking to you had changed the rhythm of his heart. Your heart almost stopped with excitement. Your palms were starting to sweat. You felt your face flushing hot.

Why?

My feelings for you are written in that song y/n. I've wanted to tell you for a long time. I thought day and night about how I can express this to you in the most correct way. I finally gathered my courage. i love you y/n

Kuro's sign language rehearsals in front of the mirror had worked. You couldn't remember ever being this happy in your life. While your heart was beating and the feeling of happiness was rushing to all your veins, you couldn't stop a few drops of tears flowing from your eyes.

Kuro's face suddenly changed when he saw you cry

What happened? Why are you crying? Did I say something wrong?

Ever since you were little, you hadn't dared to open your mouth and say a word. Because whenever you talked, you could see people laughing at you. You thought the way he spoke sounded strange to them because he couldn't hear his own voice. Since then, instead of speaking, you have decided to express yourself either in sign language or by writing in a notebook.

"No…! I love you too"

Hearing his voice for the first time, Kuro froze as if he had seen a ghost. But the fact that you said it out loud to him made him fall in love with you even more. Because you showed the courage that every deaf person could not show.

I can't believe y/n! You spoke

You're back in sign language

I guess people find it awkward when I talk. Whenever I spoke they would laugh at me. But because I thought you wouldn't judge me, I wanted to say it out loud.

Kuro took your hand, your fingers intertwined with his. He brought his hand to his lips and placed a kiss on it.

Then you took out the notebook. You were too lazy to express what you were about to say in sign language.

My mother took me to the doctor when I was 5 months old. Worried about the abnormally insensitive formation. So much so that I did not respond to any sound. The doctor did a few tests on me and unfortunately that's when they learned the bitter truth. I had permanent hearing loss due to the medication given to me when I was born. That's how I accepted myself and I'm happy with my life. Being deaf is part of who I am. Although it was difficult, I managed to make peace with him. I have never rebelled. I guess now I'm rewarded for making peace with myself. Because now i have you

Kuro turned the page of your notebook. He gently took the pen from her hand and wrote down his answer.

I will be your ear. I will hear everything you cannot hear, every sound. I will listen to all the songs for you. I'll sing the songs you can't sing, I'll sing the lyrics you can't hear. Now you can hear

You were very impressed with your words. You hugged him tight. You rested your head on his chest. Kuro was stunned for a moment, but he wrapped his arms around you tightly. He put his chin on your head. When you felt his warm breath on the top of your head, you knew you were inhaling the scent of your hair. And you inhaled her scent down his neck. It smelled of fresh mint.

You stayed like that for a while. Later, Kuro talked about being a manager for the volleyball team.

The volleyball team needs a manager. And I thought you might be the best fit. We asked many people but no one cared. I will also talk to the coach. If it's okay with you, come be our manager.

But Kuro…I am not a manager to you, but a hindrance. How good can a deaf manager be?

You don't need to understand or hear us. I'll teach you what to do. I think you can learn in a short time. After the training, we will rehearse our songs together with you. What about?

I dunno…

You think. I'll talk to the coach about it tomorrow. i will let you know

But what if I'm ridiculed of your teammates? What if they make fun of me

If they do something like that, i would mess them up. Okay? don't worry.

Alright. Lemme think then

After having your first moments as lovers, Kuro dropped you off at home. He kissed your forehead and nose as he said goodbye to you.

He waited at the door until she saw him enter the house, and then he with a big grin, walked towards the house.

—————————————————————————

It will be continue Part 3

[selena-smith]

Where do I begin.

In a bid to try to get going in a direction, I have read over some of the scripts I have written before. I have a story that seems very capable of being translated over to a stop motion film which will allow my crew to start Taking up production for this story. It involves 1 main character and three support characters. The support characters would have like less than two minutes of screen time.

I have to really think this story out because as written, yes I need to make changes. As written I have to look at what t diorama do I have to build to bring this story to life.

Victor, being the lesser known character we have, would fill the role as Gene, an ex-mechanical engineer who has run off from the corruption and now has guards after him.

If I keep within the new modified script then I could possibly see a potential for bigger productions. But that isn't the focus as I don't want to lose focus.

Second major thing I did today was sent a message off to some friends in the social media world. In this message I asked them to provide five simple items:

1. Character name (both a male and female version please i.e. Christopher/Christine)

2. A job or hobby this character has

3. A prop (something doable that's not wildy crazy but should be able to fit into a story without being blantly obvious)

4. A line of dialog that must be delivered verbatim

5. A genre of film

I ask them because then I get total randomness which helps me really have to tug at the creative strings to put together a short story scripts. I have gotten two replies back. For the very first time I received a request to write a western film. The other request is your typical action film.

I did this a year ago when I was practicing my writing skills for the 48 hour film project. The faster your able to write a script the faster you can discuss, establish the shots and begin filming. I have already written over 40 pages worth of scripts and today it dawned on me. What if I could have every friend on Facebook provide input on those five items. I could literally write a small book about short story scripts.

Obviously there are some legal matters I would have to research but to be able to sell a book with all these short story scripts that would basically be ready for any film group to pick up and film would be crazy but cool too.

So yeah... that's how I feel.

[cgcgs43046]

Co-writer(s) needed! Copied directly from a fic/a repost:

Hello to anyone who is reading this!

I am proud to announce that I finished Part 1 of my fic and I'm eager to get back to writing the next few parts of AU's and produce as many as I can. I used to have a co-writer, but they don't have much time or can be unresponsive at times.

I really want to improve my writing skills and avoid making my stories/the way I portray characters feel one-dimensional and not emotionally impactful for anyone reading them, then getting a thread of angry comments/harassment for writing something outlandish and "un-creative" 😅

By the way, the fandoms I write for can be found on my user page. Most of them are Hellaverse (Helluva and Hazbin), Owl House, Amphibia, Gravity Falls, SVTFOE (Star vs. the Forces of Evil), Amphibia, ALTLA (Avatar and the Last Airbender and Korra), Ducktales, and some lesser-known ones such as Disenchantment (2018) or Adventure Time and any of its spin-offs, Infinity Train, and so on. It will vary at times. If you can be a co-writer and are willing to put in time and effort to write with me.

I’m looking for someone who (please read, these are high expectations so if you don't want to meet those, then don't read):

Knows Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss or any other fandoms well enough so you understand the characters and their personalities/lore and little details and stuff and would want to make suggestions; also knows the character reaaaaally well to...

Is a chill person, and nice (Idk why I put this here, but this is a requirement)

Has good ideas and suggestions

Can write well (with good grammar/punctuation/dialog format, good formatting NO spacing, Textual Styles for Emphasis, advanced vocabulary/techniques. I know I'm asking a lot, but I believe in creating quality content)

Is not a hardcore shipper and chooses to annoy me with my ideas and hates what I do with the characters, and their stories (cough, cough Stoliz cough, cough)

Willing to write explicit sex/mature stuff, (mostly will be minor but can be referenced or shown in some chapters)

My ideas can be a bit outlandish, so bear with me, please! 

Has a light schedule and can keep up with my plans/ideas (trying to be as polite as I can be here...)

If you think that’s for you, then definitely send me a message, or comment down below! Then we can talk about it, but let me know what your favorite characters or story arcs are in the fandoms we share, how you approach storytelling or character development in your own writing... and some general stuff (not anything specific) and why you would want to be a co-writer, I'll try to let as many people comment as possible before I make the final choice. And please be specific on anything you want me to know (if you want.)

Best,

~Anonymus338 [AO3 Username] (I have Discord, and AO3 in case you want to chat, and how it will work is that we'll write the fic in Google Docs, then copy and paste it into AO3! Or if you have any other ways, please let me know 😊) I'm mainly focusing on Helluva and Hazbin fandoms mixed with some of the fandoms I listed for writing btw, with emphasis on Helluva Boss, so if you watched the show(s) 100 Billion times/know the characters super well, maybe this is for you! ;)

Here are the summaries/links for both of my works for it, if you guys need it:

Part 1 - The Omniversal Mix-Up! (https://archiveofourown.org/works/52360120/chapters/134117518): 

Heaven: An ethereal realm for redeemed souls, filled with angels and marked by divine judgment and virtue, yet harboring deep-seated secrets about its annual Exterminations, coming down each year to cull the population of demons. Earth: The realm of mortals, teeming with diverse life and cultures. Hell: A chaotic realm defined by rampant sin and freedom—created by the first act of sin, where a princess champions the possibility of redemption for all. In an alternate scenario, a group of mischievous imps runs a unique assassination business—thanks to a magical Grimoire from the Ars Goetia, navigating the complexities of Hell while maintaining their operation amidst adversity. It may all seem straightforward, but the story holds deeper secrets unknown. Think you've unraveled it all? Think again. Enter the "Eclipse Queen" who ties into many known stories we've all grown to love, yet her secrets are deeply entrenched within the Omniverse. Who IS this Eclipse Queen? What lies beyond the knowledge we possess? Who exactly kept those big secrets? And just what exactly is the Omniverse? The answer to these questions and more lies in the twists and turns of this story... read to find out!

Part 2 - Chaos Reborn (link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/56033533/chapters/142316074)

Our tale continues as we now focus on the most recent adventures of the members of I.M.P. are thrust into a vortex of conflict, grappling with adversaries both familiar and unforeseen. At the heart of their struggles lies Blitzø, the eccentric and ever-dynamic leader, whose past actions have left a trail of unresolved tensions and emotional debts, that are coming back to haunt him. To make matters worse, or better, his ex from the past, not Verosika or any of the ones you might know. Has begun bleeding into his life begins bleeding into their life and Blitz is MORE than happy to re-start their relationship since it was the only relationship he had a MUTUAL break up with, but the problem is that he has to keep her a secret, because she's none other than the Eclipse Queen of Heaven, and a very powerful figure... and to top it off, he's the reincarnation of Chaos itself. Should he embrace the forbidden love that beckoned him, becoming the thing he was always meant to become and keeping secrets? Or should he forsake his own happiness for the sake of maintaining the fragile peace of those around him? Read to find out...

[theta-mage]

so i was walking the dog today and my stream of consciousness went absolutely wild. i'll give you a small example of how my brain works in an everyday setting. this is ten minutes worth of thinking, written after the fact.

i started thinking about skills and how people view our declaration of our skill levels. about how if i say, "i'm good at english", i'm considered a self-centered asshole by some (and they'll then look for any and all typos and grammatical errors in my writing, as if flawlessness was the prerequisite of being "good"). if i say, "i'm good at deliberately changing my point of view", i'm considered a preachy holier-than-thou kind of person by some (and they'll then do their best to find a situation where i could not see things from someone else's point of view—again, as if flawlessness was the prerequisite of being "good"). but if i say "i cannot wrap my mind around korean writing", some people will interpret that as me being too self-critical. or if i say, "playing the drums is impossible for me, i almost didn't graduate high school because i didn't learn it", they'll think i'm putting myself down and start worrying (which i get, i have a history of depression, and worrying is a form of showing they care).

and i thought about how i can confidently say my english is good—but not in all situations. i wouldn't last five seconds in a room of, i don't know, theoretical physicists speaking scientific english. but that's how life is! our skill levels are relative. always. someone who wins gold in junior high running competitions would probably be a fucking loser in the olympics.

then i started thinking about how we still insist that a finn who hasn't studied english in a university cannot speak good english.

and then i got a bit annoyed because we place so much value on formal education and degrees and so on. we seem to assume that a degree indicates both intelligence and wisdom—and we cannot accept that there isn't one intelligence but many! and we cannot accept that wisdom doesn't come from participating in lectures and writing essays. sure, it'll make it easier to contextualize lived experiences, but formal education alone cannot and will not make anyone wise.

we become wise in a multisensual, dialogical relationship with our surroundings. formal education may play a part in structuring our wisdom in a certain way, but it isn't enough to build wisdom.

knowledge does not translate to intelligence, nor does intelligence translate to knowledge. wisdom does not translate to intelligence nor does intelligence translate to wisdom. and finally, knowledge does not translate to wisdom and wisdom does not translate to knowledge.

and then i thought about contexts in terms of vocabulary. we have so many different contexts and worlds of words. we have kpop slang and app development slang and autism slang and we have slang pertaining to illegal drugs and we have chemistry-related slang and we have "chronically online" political zoomer slang.

so the string of words, "based, but delulu alpha stan, and masking" cannot be read without some kind of understanding of a variety of worlds of words, and the contextual understanding of what "delulu", "alpha" and "stan" might mean. if you don't, you can interpret "based" as a chemistry word (pertaining to bases) or a drug-related word (addicted to crack). and then continue on with the sentence, thinking about a completely wrong context.

we live in a world where we are exposed to a myriad of contexts every day. how does our brain cope with the constant switching from one context to another? i'm not sure.

(also, full disclosure: i consider my view of human nature optimistic, but i do realize some of my avoidant personality disorder traits and social anxiety traits and having been bullied trauma thoughts still surface in situations where i communicate with others. or when i think about a situation where i'll communicate with others.)