#at least 20 multiple choice questions.

[iced-souls]

EXAMS DONE WAHOOO

Now i wonder why my arms feel like jelly.

I wasnt sitting on the same couch doing nothing but look at papers for around 3/4 days straight or anything. How on earth could it be that my muscles feel non-existent—

[bakubunny]

😁 Alphabet for Bakugo or Kirishima, then. Your choice as I can't choose between them myself. 😋 Lol. Thank you for doing this! (I love these things)

nsfw alphabet: katsuki

enjoy! tw: f!reader, bodily fluids other than cum

aftercare -> he’s quiet and cuddly. also unexpectedly sappy and romantic in his own grumpy way. dom!kats follows your aftercare routine to a T and doesn’t deviate unless you ask.

body part -> even i can’t deny that katsuki is an ass man, no question about it (tho i kinda wish it wasn’t true). he’ll use your ass as a pillow any chance he gets. on himself, probably his shoulders or his hair.

cum -> i’m with @callm3senpaii on this one, he cums a lot. he also leaks a lot. he eats clean so it doesn’t taste terrible. he likes to see his cum on and in you.

dirty secret -> yes, he’s possessive as hell, but he’s okay sharing with friends… as long as he fucks you last, and gets to show everyone that he fucks you better than all of them.

experience -> either he’s very experienced because he’s hot and had a fuckboy era in his early 20s (or maybe just a long term partner), or he’s absolutely clueless because he’s been so focused on his career that he didn’t really get into a relationship. no in between.

favorite position -> doggy or modified doggy. anything where you’re bent over and he can fuck you like a ragdoll. special mention to missionary & holding you up to fuck you against a wall bc he’s more intimate than you’d think.

goofy -> he’s very serious in bed. there’s no question.

hair -> he’s cute and blonde all over. 🥺 katsuki likes to keep everything neat or shaved for comfort, but he’ll let his cute lil happy trail & a lil bit of a bush grow if he knows it turns you on.

intimacy -> he’s surprisingly intimate and romantic - at least when he loves the person he’s fucking. he’s almost too intense sometimes. his eyes bore into yours as if you’re the only person that matters, the only other person in existence, and he needs you to know it.

jack off -> he’s the type to fuck a fleshlight like he’s on top of you. he’ll let you watch if you ask nicely and play with yourself for him.

kink -> i actually don’t think he has a lot of kinks. if i had to pick, i’d say anal play/sex (giving) and rimming (giving and receiving) to start bc see above. also probably receiving praise.

location -> literally anywhere but beds/couches are nice. why do you think the couch in his office at the agency is way bigger and comfier than it needs to be?

motivation -> he won’t admit it, but he likes massages (especially his neck and hands) and when you run your hands over his body. loves it when you run your hands through his hair, kiss his neck. and frankly, just looking at you is enough to drive him crazy.

no -> cnc. he’ll rough you up as much as you could ever want, make you a snotty, drooling, fucked out mess, maybe even degrade or humiliate you if he knows without a doubt it’s consensual. but the second there’s any kind of resistance or fear in your eyes, he’s done. it scares the shit out of him to think you’d ever fear him, even if it’s all play.

oral -> katsuki prefers giving. he’ll let you suck his dick as much as you want, though. enjoys it more than he lets on; it makes him feel vulnerable to feel so much at once, so he’d rather give and hear you fall apart.

pace -> it’s katsuki. he’s fast and rough, but not because he means to be. he underestimates his strength and his natural inclination is to rush. slow and sensual is something he has to learn, and he eventually comes to crave it more and more the older he gets.

quickie -> he enjoys them a lot, but his dick size gets in the way. he finds ways to make it work, assuming you’re willing.

risk -> yes, he’ll experiment to a point. he’s not quite as “try anything” as say, kiri, but he’ll try most things.

stamina -> katsuki can last long enough usually, but he goes multiple rounds per session. i’m gonna say 2-4 before he’s done but i might say more if it didn’t seem too unrealistic. his refractory time is a few minutes to almost nonexistent; increases as he gets older.

toys -> he has silicone sleeves for himself and maybe a couple of small backdoor things but he’s also got a high powered wand and might get toys specifically for his s/o that he keeps separate.

unfair -> i eluded to this yesterday; at least in his 20s, i see him as being impatient and having a difficult time slowing down enough to do much teasing, let alone edging. the older he gets though, the more he enjoys it and the easier it is. dilf!bkg can keep teasing for a while - until you’re begging. but i think ultimately he’s probably more into overstim than teasing.

volume -> probably not as loud/vocal as you’d expect given how loud he is in general. he’ll groan some and whatnot but he’s more focused on other things. he talks some as well and likes to hear you respond (or rather your inability to).

wild card -> see below the cut if you so wish. this one’s gonna be truly gross and maybe a little controversial, sorry fam. cw: mention of bodily fluids. bonus hc: he’ll kiss your feet unprompted assuming they’re clean when your ankles are on his shoulders.

x ray -> i’ve gone into specific detail about what’s in his pants before, so i won’t dwell on it much. but katsuki is a fairly big guy - everywhere. including his dick. he’s not so big that it wouldn’t be believable if you’d overheard it or smth, but big enough that he’s gotten turned down because of it.

yearning -> damn near insatiable, at least in his 20s. he could go multiple rounds once or twice a day.

zzz -> it depends. sometimes he’s out like a light, other times, he’ll have more energy after than he did before.

wild card -> he would try piss play at least once or twice if you asked. has probably wondered what it would be like to get peed on, but has spent more time thinking about pissing on his partner… specifically face and tits. and surprisingly, his interest in it doesn’t stem from humiliation or degradation. it’s just a really intimate and vulnerable thing to engage in and that’s the part that interests him.

[writingquestionsanswered]

Hi, do you have any advice for indecisive writers? <3 Anything in general would help, I'd love something specifically for autistic people (whose brains shut down the "decising-making centre") too if possible <3

Tips for Indecisive Writers

My number one tip for indecisive writers is to not be afraid to go "old school" and literally pick something out of a hat or roll some dice. For example, if you're deciding between three different plot ideas, you can write each one on a few folded up pieces of paper, throw them all into a bowl, mix it up, and whatever you draw is the one you go with. Or, you could say 1 and 2 are idea #1, 3 and 4 are idea #2, and 5 and six are idea #3, then roll dice. And, actually, if you type "roll dice" into Google, you can roll digital dice and you can choose up to 20-sided dice or customize your own number of sides. This is particularly helpful if you have a list of items, such as several names you're trying to decide between.

If you Google "online decision maker" you come up with a bunch of different online tools. Easy Decision Maker lets you type in a question... for example, "What should I name my character?" Then you can enter up to 26 options. When you click the "answer" button, it chooses one for you. Picker Wheel lets you put in the various options, then spin a wheel to decide.

The trouble I tend to have is sticking with whatever "fate" decides at that point, but one thing I've learned is that sometimes when my brain plays that game... where I roll a 4 meaning I go with plot idea #2, and then I'm disappointed, I know that is because some part of me knows I want to do either idea #1 or idea #3. So, even though it isn't working exactly as planned, I've still accomplished something... I've eliminated a choice. Now I can roll again, with 1 -3 being idea #1 and 4 - 6 being idea #2, and I know if I'm disappointed again with whatever I get, then the remaining choice is the one I wanted all along. For whatever reason, though, my brain can't just make that decision. It needed to go through that process to get there, and that's okay!

Now, as helpful as decision making tools can be, they're not always helpful in the moment, when you're writing and you're not really stuck between particular choices, but rather you're facing an empty void and aren't sure where to take the story next. For me, this is where pre-writing comes in really handy. I always go into a story with a beginning to end summary at the very least so I know where things are going. There's still often some decision making to be done, but I find it easier to do before I write rather than during.

When it comes to finding things to even decide between... like when you're planning your story and you come up empty on something, I find inspiration sources to be extremely helpful. For example, let's say I want to write a romantasy, and I have no idea what I want the setting to be like. That's the worst kind of indecision, because it's not like I can just type four or five locations into a decision maker and let it pick for me. I don't have a list to even pick from. So, looking at inspiration sources helps. Maybe I saw a travel show about Bavaria which really intrigued me... that could be a great inspiration location for my setting. Or, let's say I'm not sure what I want my character to look like. I might scroll through a list of up and coming actors, through the cast of a random TV show or movie, or think about actors in TV shows or movies I've recently seen. As I scan past thumbnails of head shots, when I see someone who looks like my character, I can stop and note down the name or save the photo. And with any inspiration source, if I find myself unable to decide between multiple inspiration sources... it's back to the ol' decision maker!

I hope that helps!

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

♦ Questions that violate my ask policies will be deleted! ♦ Please see my master list of top posts before asking ♦ Learn more about WQA here

[dawns-beauty]

How to Write Bug Reports for Mods (that are actually helpful for the modder)

I have received a lot of useless bug reports over the years and it sucks big time. So here's a guide on how to write not-sucky reports for mods. Keep in mind this is based on my experience modding Skyrim on the Nexus, so YMMV, but hopefully it's somewhat game-agnostic.

Before you do anything:

Read. Everything. EVERYTHING in the mod's description. Then, when you're done with that, go to the Comments section and read ALL Sticky Posts. Then at least skim the most recent comments.

If you don't find your solution there, then proceed.

What is a bug?

A bug is an error in the mod. Whether it's a bad texture, mesh, or an error in the data package (.esp files for Skyrim.) Bugs will be present even on an otherwise unmodded setup.

What is NOT a bug?

Mod conflicts are when two or mods have conflicting data with another mod. This often presents the same as bugs BUT the key difference is that issues caused by mod conflicts are not present if the other mod(s) is not loaded.

These may need a patch to fix or you may just need to adjust your load order.

Why does it matter?

Bugs are a modder's responsibility and they (and other users) would benefit from knowing about it. If you find a bug after ruling out your other mods, please report it in the Bug Reports section!

Mod conflicts are not a modder's responsibility: there is no way modders can (or want to) test their mod with the millions of mods out there. Conflicts are not inherent to the mod, and should not be reported as bugs. However, it would be beneficial for users and the modder to know about, so I recommend leaving a comment.

What Information Should You Include in a Bug Report?

What version of the mod are you using?

Include the version number. Nexus tacks one onto reports, but it is usually inaccurate.

If there are multiple versions of the mod (whether it be separate files or choices you make while installing with a FOMOD etc.) include your choices. This can make a HUGE difference, as they can contain completely different data and the modder needs to know exactly where to look for the issues.

Are you using any additional patches the modder made?

Include these in your report.

Have you ruled out other mods/tested on a minimal mod load?

If not, please do this. If you don't want to, then don't post as a bug report (as it may or may not be a bug.) Adding a comment about it is fine, though, of course.

Explain your issue.

Give as much information about who/what/where/how you encounter the bug. Give information about how you tested for it, what happens, exactly when the problem happens.

Did you encounter the bug while updating? Say what version your started with and what version your updated to.

Particular NPC(s) affected? Add their names (please.)

An Example of a Report I'd Like to See:

*on the Nexus Bug Report Page: Very Real Cat Mod*

Hi Modder. I'm using version 2.0, the Oops All Bingus option.

While playing, I noticed Bingus (the cat that lives in the Bannered Mare) has solid purple eyes. I tested without any other mods active and it still happens. It only happens to Bingus, all the other cats I've seen have normal eyes.

I am not using any of your other patches for the mod.

Bottom line: modders should not have to play 20 Questions to get to the bottom of the problem.

[fandomwritingbit]

could u do william afton x bratty reader??? this idea mkes me so HAPYYYY EHEHHE!!!! thank u and have an awesome dayy!!

I can sure try! Hope this scratches the itch lmao

william afton x bratty (gn)reader

smut, spanking, degrading and brat taming below the cut ;)

You're sitting on your fling's sofa, waiting for him to put his attention back on you. He's been so caught up with work recently you've hardly seen him and now was supposed to be different. He promised to take care of you today. Then Henry called...

You watch him with his back to you, talking on the phone, feeling your lips automatically pout in response.

He sighs, "Yeah... Okay... I'll have to come in and sort it, won't I?" The second he says that you roll your eyes, how fucking typical of him. You were supposed to get the whole day with him and it's barely been a few hours.

Nodding at something Henry is saying he turns to face you, annoyance written in his expression. "No, it's not really alright, is it? … Fine, yeah, 20 minutes."

"Are you serious?" The words leave you in an instant, your tone whiny enough to make William scowl. He again turns his back on you, not having the patience to deal with two whining dependents at once. This spurs you to stand, and you go over too him and hang off his arm.

Your voice is coated in entitlement, "You can't go. You're spending time with me. Tell him you can't go!" The way you drag out those vowels, your voice pinched and higher than normal, makes the unpleasant expression on your lover's face double. He can't fucking stand when you whinge like this, he’s told you as much multiple times.

He mutes his side of the call, looking down at you, "I don't have a choice. Let go of me." Each word of the last sentence is hissed separately, punctuated by the way he tears you off his arm, making you stumble slightly. "Stop being a brat- I'm not in the mood to put up with you." His reaction to you stings and causes you to double down on him, growing more pissed off at the injustice.

"I can't believe you, you never keep your promises!" Your voice is so shrill it's heard clearly by the man on the other end of the phone, both of them think it's insufferable. You go over to your coat hung on the bannister, shrugging it on and picking up your bag, turning smartly to William, "If you don't have time for me, I'll go and find someone that does."

For a moment your boyfriend doesn't blink and just stares at you in disbelief, more than embarrassed that Henry just heard how petulant you can be. Still staring daggers at you, he speaks to his co-worker, "... I've got to go, Henry... yeah." He hangs up and tosses his phone onto the sofa.

"What are you doing? Put your stuff down." You can tell just by how he's looking at you that he's not asking. It's an order. So you look at him angrily. You're not one of his employees he can boss around, but at least you got his attention.

"No." You scoff, continuing to stand near the door, "Why should I be good for you, when you're not good for me?" He laughs at you incredulously, unable to believe you're really being this pathetic.

Walking over to you he takes the bag and the jacket roughly from your shoulders, letting both drop into a pile on the floor. He then catches your arm and turns you around so your back is pressed to him, his larger frame letting him speak directly to your ear.

"Why are you being such a brat, huh? You never fucking listen." The harshness of his tone is enough to make you regret your ploy for attention. "What do I have to do to teach you some respect?" You hope he's asking rhetorically because you wouldn't dream of answering that question. And so instead, you just lean into him, arching your back to let your behind press against his crotch, a small moan leaving your lips when you feel his cock respond.

He knows you just want his attention, want him to play with you, make you cum for him in that crazy way only he can do for you. But brats don't get rewarded and your arse against him right now is giving him an idea. 

William manoeuvres you towards the arm of the sofa, bending you over against it, making you gasp when your stomach comes in sudden contact with it. You're at his mercy, his intimidating frame looming over you and adding to the growing arousal between your legs. His fingers are rough, digging into your skin when he hooks them under your waistband and pulls your trousers down, your underwear soon following. You feel so exposed, anticipation heavy in your stomach as you wait for what he's about to do to you. 

He grabs a handful of your plush cheek, kneading the flesh and frowning at how you squirm. 

"Look at you arching your back so pretty, I nearly forgot what a needy little brat you are." His tone is mean, and your stomach twists at realisation that this is a punishment. Without warning, he strikes your arse hard, the palm viciously stinging you. You yelp, turning to look at him but quickly being grabbed at the base of your neck and held down.

"Now listen. To make it up to me you're going to count every one of these. Nice and clear. But anything else I hear from you adds more." There's a sinister joy to his words, making you gulp at the knowledge that he isn't going to go easy on you. Not one bit. 

[alohaasaloevera]

KL post-canon sorta fwb/situationship AU where they rile each other up!!!!!!1!1!!1!

—

Lance is so fucking annoying. Keith has decided that his mindset from when he was 18 (and sexually confused—actually, maybe just repressed?) is now superior.

Keith hates how Lance flirts with anything that even remotely looks like a woman. He hates how he jokes around too much. He hates how extensive his skin routine is. He hates how he can’t decide whether he wants to punch Lance or kiss him senseless every single time he wiggles his eyebrows as an attempt to flirt or recites a crappy one-liner at him.

His Things I Hate About Lance list is about to be updated, because they’re at yet another diplomatic party on earth (which is actually more of a “celebrating the fact that the universe didn’t get destroyed” party) and Lance is wearing a navy blue button-down shirt which is very much accentuating his muscles, and it’s causing his brain to malfunction. I guess the constant labor at the farm paid off, Keith thinks.

He’s also flirting with a lady who also seems to be extremely appreciative of Lance’s outfit choice. They look like they’re about to decimate each other in the middle of the room with how their eyes are focused solely on the other. Lance’s eyes flick over to him for a second before he just smirks at Keith—the smug fuck—then he focuses back on the girl in front of him before settling his hand on her hip and leaning closer, his voice a hushed whisper against the shell of her ear.

Keith just rolls his eyes. Not that he cares about who Lance sleeps with anyways.

“You’re drooling.” Shiro says, which earns him a moderately hard slap from Keith on his non-prosthetic arm. “You look mad, too.”

“Shut up.” Keith grumbles, because apparently his 14 year old self’s attitude is now the best way to go, “Go away.”

“Jeez, looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed.”

“I said, shut it! Or else telling Adam you made out with Curtis.”

“Please, they’re probably making out with each other as of this moment.”

“Gross!”

“What are you, 12?”

Keith does not go ahead and answer that question, mostly because he doesn’t want to admit that he’s acting more and more immature as the seconds that he stares at Lance and the woman go by.

Shiro, who has been a spectator of Keith pining over the Red Paladin since the early days of Voltron, sighs, before ruffling Keith’s hair, “Please just try and talk out whatever this weird sexual tension between you and him is. For me, please? I’ve already constructed a customized shovel talk for him if you ever do get with him, and let’s just say updating it over the years—”

“Alright, alright! I’ll do it!”

“Thanks, child.”

“Child? Is that what we’re doing now?”

“Just go!”

—

Keith, both fortunately and unfortunately, does not get to talk to Lance until after the party. He walks around the ballroom, and multiple people tell him Lance was last seen walking out eagerly with a girl, so he waits until the next day to talk to him.

What feels unsettling is that how most of the people who let him know about where Lance has gone were talking in an almost…disappointed manner; like they had expected better from him. Which is ridiculous, because for starters, Lance doesn’t need to be all serious and on guard all of the time, especially since they’re celebrating the fact that they had won the war—in fact, it would be out of character for Loverboy Lance to not flirt with at least one person at a party. Secondly, Lance is basically still a kid. Sure, he’s been through some stuff, but he’s still 20 years old. He wouldn’t even have graduated college by now!

Keith gets that they are the Paladins of Voltron, and their duty is to protect the universe, but sometimes the expectations people have for them make them look like flawless, error-free machines who never make mistakes or miss a beat, when it’s far from that. They’re human too. They mess up plans like half the time (maybe not half, but you get the point)!

When he’s walking to Lance’s house—somewhere about a 5 minute walk away from the city and a 10 minute walk from his own house—he stops in his tracks.

What is he even going to say to him?

He can’t be flat-out, outright straightforward with Lance and say, “Oh, I’m kinda in love with you, and have been for the past 5 or so years, so could we stop this friends-with-benefits situationship we have going on and just cut to the real deal?”, but he also can’t be too vague with it.

Though, if there’s anything that Voltron has taught him, one of the things would be, without a doubt, is that you always have to be prepared to improvise.

He knocks on the cold wood, and just when Keith is about to reconsider even coming here, the door opens.

—

In the course of 5 seconds, Keith goes from knocking on a door to being slammed against that same door. Not that he’s going to complain.

“Sorry—” Lance manages in between kisses, “—about—” a kiss on his forehead, “—yesterday.” He kisses Keith gently on the lips, adding more pressure when the smaller’s arms come to wrap around his neck.

Just as Keith relaxes, he breaks the kiss, genuinely confused, “Wait, what?”

“It’s just that you seemed genuinely sad when I was flirting with her, and—” Lance attempts to explain, only for Keith to cut him off.

“Hey, don’t apologize to me for that.” Keith protests. “I was just jealous that you looked fucking amazing in that dress shirt and she was the one who got to have you. Besides, we aren’t exclusive.”

He expects Lance to loosen up—maybe brag about how he wooed Keith with his dazzling looks, but he sure as Zarkon and Honerva themselves does not expect him say this:

“But what if I want to be exclusive?”

Keith’s heart catches in his throat, eyes widening like saucers, “What?”

“I said,” Lance looks straight at Keith, his gaze piercing,

“What if I want to be exclusive?”

Oh, fuck.

[bunnys-babies]

Talk To You, pt. 2

Megumi Fushiguro x gn!reader

wc: 1.2k

pt. 2 / ?

warning(s): mentions of puke, mentions of taxidermy - so if any of that really icks you out tread lightly :)

a/n: it’s been a while, but if anyone recalls pt. 1 of this, it’s just a continuation 🥰 (feel free to read hehe) but it’s not necessarily required! Could be read as a stand alone :)) just a silly and nervous first date 🤍🤍 reblogs and comments are always appreciated!! I hope you enjoy :3 also, I am very behind on JJK, please do not spoil anything in the tags because I do see them! So if this is “canon divergent”, that’s why LMAO

pt. 1

He’s going to puke. He’s absolutely, 100%, sure of it.

He’s so sweaty that he’s certain he must stink, he hates his outfit, and why is his hair so frizzy? He knew he shouldn’t have listened to Kugisaki and let her “do him up”.

The bus seat vibrates beneath him and emits one of the most brain piercing rattles he thinks he’s ever heard as he impatiently waits for his stop.

Oh god, they aren’t gonna think I’m a loser for taking the bus, are they?

Sighing and picking at the cuticle along his thumb nail, he does his best to focus on keeping track of the colors of the cars passing by. What good would dwelling on your perception of him do when it’s only making him continue to profusely sweat anyways?

It’s been a week since he got your number. Well, since Yuuji got your number for him, sort of.

And over the course of that week, Megumi’s convinced himself he’s done nothing besides behave like a fool.

He’s spelt your name wrong, twice, and then wondered why he even felt the need to address you by name in text. He sent you a list of options for dates, listing location and expected cost, as well as sending them in order of “most to least active”. And then, when you surprisingly agreed and made a choice, he sent you a calendar invite.

Nothing about this even seemed remotely out of the ordinary to him until Kugisaki asked how you both ended up deciding on going through a “local, close up walkthrough” of a taxidermist’s home.

“Huh?” Her eyes widened and her mouth hung open after she spoke, eager, and a little scared, to hear Megumi’s response.

“Well, out of our options, it was the most cost effective and productive choice. Lots of conversation starters. They seemed pretty interested.”

Doubt and embarrassment began to knot his stomach at the lack of response from Kugisaki.

“What? They picked it. So clearly they wanted to go to this thing.”

Still no response.

“Right?”

Crickets.

“Kugisaki.”

Pressing her mouth into a thin line, she stops her relentless fidgeting over Megumi’s hair and clothes and crosses her arms over her chest instead.

“Fushiguro,”, she spoke slowly and softly, “couple questions. One, did you offer this idea? Two, if so, what were the other options?”

Something about the way she spoke only increased his anxiety.

Oh, he messed up.

Unfortunately, after explaining himself, there wasn’t any time left to get some sort of reassurance from her that he hadn’t completely fucked this all up.

And god, why did he have to approach this so… professionally?

He stopped himself from letting out a groan before the brakes squealed at an alarming volume as the bus came to a stop.

Muttering out a nearly silent thanks to the driver, he takes a step out onto the darkened sidewalk. It must have rained earlier.

It takes him about 20 minutes to locate and walk to the house, his shoes covered in a shine from the dew still fresh on the grass.

As he waits, part of him is wishing you just don’t show up. This has just all played out in the worst way, and he’d rather take the embarrassment of being stood up than being around you for an hour, possibly multiple, while you pretend he isn’t a freak and that you aren’t showing up out of anything but pity.

His stomach churns at the sound of a car door shutting, and he’s back to that god forbidden feeling like he’s going to hurl, when he hears a soft “Fushiguro?” being called out to him from his left.

A visibly strained smile is offered to you as Megumi turns to greet you.

God, you knew this sweater was too gaudy.

“How was the drive for yo-“

“Looks like it rain-“

Awkward laughs are exchanged at the sudden silence you both sit in after accidentally interrupting each other.

After, Megumi silently insists you continue to speak with a few hand gestures and nod of his head.

“Yeah, I was just gonna ask how the drive was for you! It rained pretty hard where I was coming from, and I swear my wipers were ready to fly off.”

Damnit.

“Oh, yeah, I didn’t drive.” He turned his body to face the front of the house, hoping his embarrassment was less visible from the side of his face.

“Oh nice idea, I hate driving in the rain. I totally should’ve considered that.” Turning to face the house yourself, you wait for him to take the first steps before walking forward.

A mixture of relief and bashfulness wash over him at your simple response and unexpected, but welcoming, flattery.

Nice idea.

Fighting back the small smile and pride swelling in his chest, he begins to walk forward, doing his best to strike conversation as you make your way to the front door despite the nagging stomach ache he’s gotten.

He’s never been so nervous before.

Kugisaki has no idea what she was talking about, this is going to be simply lovely.

—

The vomit covering the top of your shoes as you rub the spot between Megumi’s shoulder blades is staring at him. And if it could laugh and point it’d probably be doing that, too.

“You okay?” You speak so soft he almost doesn’t hear you ask.

No, he’s not okay.

He just blew chunks all over both of your shoes (and the eclectic man’s maroon carpet), vomited again at the smell, and then nearly tripped his way down the front steps as he continued to puke into the Taxidermist’s front lawn.

“Yeah, ‘m fine.”

Maybe it was a little more than just his nerves making him nauseous.

“Y’know, if I knew you were gonna get this freaked out over the ‘Pope Mouse’, I would’ve gone with the bird watching option instead.”

It takes him a minute to realize you’re joking. You’re actually joking with him and trying to salvage whatever this is.

Whether it was out of shock, sympathy at your mediocre attempt of a joke, or the image of that poor dead rat dressed up as the pope, he let out a low chuckle.

He kept his posture leaned over and his head down, waiting to make sure he truly was all done, when you realized your hand was still rubbing gentle circles into his upper back. Gingerly, you lifted your hand and placed it in your pocket, trying not to focus on the vomit on your shoes.

All things considered, you really were having a great time.

He’s strange, definitely a little shy, maybe even abrasive, not the best at conversation, has interesting ideas of fun, and literally threw up on your shoes, but he was such a sweetheart. It helped he was more than nice to look at sure, but his nervousness and slightly off-putting personality did nothing but attract you even more.

You’ve never been on a more eventful date, that’s for sure. And you’ve never met someone who clearly put so much thought into spending time with you, and his anxiety was more than obvious. Did he really like you that much?

Regardless, you thought he at least deserved another chance at a second date, one where you could actually get to know more about him other than the fact he might have a weak stomach.

“If you promise not to puke in my car, and help me clean off our shoes, we can try again. Probably somewhere we can sit and chat instead of stare at poorly done taxidermy.”

Unfortunately, before you could offer up any good ideas, he was back to busying himself with vomiting.

At least he’s really cute.

——————

taglist: @plutowrites @lunarsap @alonezz @softjaegerhours @onismikasa (if you’d like to be removed/added please let me know!)

[macgyvermedical]

trick or treat! (also I have a question- what situations would warrant ether to be used and not any other anesthetics? OwO)

Oooh really good question-

Ether is actually a really, really common anesthetic- especially in the developing world. There are a few reasons it's a good choice in a lower-resource environment:

1- it's the only drug you need for anesthesia

"Modern" anesthesia is a mix of multiple drugs, usually one to render the person unconscious, at least one to kill pain, and one to paralyze the person.

Ether does all three of those things. While you may want a pre-medication like diphenhydramine or midazolam and medications to manage side effects, you really only need the one.

2- It's cheap

Anesthetics are expensive. Ether is like $5 for the amount needed for a short surgery. And that's the medical stuff. There's industrial-grade ether that works just as well for a fraction of that.

3- It's easy to administer

Again, "modern" anesthesia requires a large, expensive machine to mix the gases for anesthesia. Ether requires a wire mesh mask and some gauze. The anesthetist just has to drip the ether onto the mask at a particular rate in order to cause anesthesia.

4- It doesn't cause respiratory depression

"Modern" anesthesia modalities often involve a strong opioid and a paralytic, which means the person must be intubated and placed on a ventilator for the duration of the procedure because they can't breathe on their own.

With ether, the patient continues breathing pretty much normally throughout the whole procedure, and does not require any artificial respiration.

So why don't developed countries routinely use ether? Well, as anesthetics go, it's unpleasant and fairly inconvenient. It smells bad, takes about 20 minutes to start working (an eternity in knocking-people-out time), is extremely flammable, and causes severe nausea and vomiting after waking up.

So generally when you have the option of something more expensive but also more convenient and pleasant, and you can afford it, you go with that. If you don't, but you have time and anti-emetics, ether's a great choice.

[melverie]

Everyone, please take the Nightbringer survey that the devs have released and make sure to write something--good and bad--for the general feedback question (the last one)

If you need some ideas on what you could give feedback on, under the cut is a short summary on the things I ended up writing about as well as some points others have brought up

AP Recovery Flash Sale

-> the 20 DP price tag just isn't viable; maybe only sell one D-Energy & lower the price to 12 DP instead?

attribute diversity

-> there seems to be a general trend of a character getting same card sins over and over again; Levi has multiple lust cards, all of Satan's URs are wrath cards and so on

Beelzebub

-> his personality is mostly just reduced to "I'm hungry" in NB; would be nice if the game could lean more into the other aspects of his character (caring about his loved ones, love for sport, Devilcat, playing the saxophone...) -> his guilt over the banshee situation was a nice change of pace for his character

Cerberus

-> I just want to be able to pet him, he deserves it :(

character dynamics in general

-> their dynamics are so well written; the game is really good with 'show, don't tell' when it comes to everyone's relationships and opinions of one another and it helps in making the story fun to read

communication

-> criticized the birthday events being dropped but it not being announced in anyway; it's understandable that they would be dropped eventually given the cast size, but a prior announcement would have been great -> communication in general is really good though + it's done in a fun way (i.e. letting the characters make the announcements)

difficulty

-> difficulty curve is way too high which also caused a lot of people to drop the game

event frequency

-> imo the events follow to quickly after one another & I'm starting to get burnt out from them; making the time in between events a little longer by a few days might help

Grimm

-> Azuki-tan Wallet, my beloved <3 They're a literal godsend -> generally it's a lot harder to earn Grimm in NB since the amount of Grimm earned per stage doesn't increase as lessons go on anymore. Would be nice if that could be changed

Nightmare

-> love the first 10x summoning discount -> would be nice if the monthly limit on exchanging Ravens for Demon Vouchers could be at least raised a little

romance

-> events seem to focus a lot less on romance--which is totally fine as not every event needs to be a dripping with romance--but hardly any romance overall in the last several events is a weird choice for a dating game -> some daily chats force the player to go with a romantic option; would be great if we had the choice to turn them down as an alternative

Ruri☆Tunes & accessibility

-> Ruri☆Tunes just isn't accessible, especially not for those with disabilities; I'm not sure what accessibility options can be added, but lowering the score needed to skip a stage would be a good start

[jakowskis]

30 Torchwood Questions!

Can be used as an ask game, or as a 30 Days of Torchwood challenge! I’m doing the latter (more on that later) and created this for that purpose, but then I realized it would work as an ask game as well, so here you go!  Gwen bashers DNI!!! Everybody else, enjoy! 

1. How did you first get into Torchwood?

2. Who’s your favorite Torchwood member? (And if it’s not one of them, who’s your favorite character?) Why are they your favorite? Do you have any secondary favorites (maybe a one-off or minor character that really stuck with you)?

3. What’s your favorite episode(s)?

4. What’s your least favorite episode(s)?

5. What do you think, objectively, is the best episode of the show?

6. Favorite season/series? 

7. Do you have any all-time favorite scenes? You can bring up multiple - a well-written scene, a silly scene that makes you smile, a sad scene that makes you cry, maybe a scene that just sort of stuck with you… your choice!

8. Are there any scenes (or even full episodes) that you can’t stand? If yes, and you could go back in time and rewrite them, how would you fix them?

9. Are there any characters you dislike? Do you legitimately hate them, or do they just kind of irritate you? What would it take to make you like them?

10. Do you have a favorite cast member? If you’ve gotten into the behind the scenes end of the show at all, do you have a favorite cast moment or story (from bloopers, TW Declassified, convention panels, etc)?

11. Do you have a favorite track from the score? Maybe the soundtrack?

12. Favorite location in the Hub? 

13. Favorite ship(s)? Any Torchwood OTPs? Go ahead, gush about them!

14. Favorite friendship(s)?

15. Are there any ships you dislike?

16. Have you read Torchwood fic? If so, any all-time favorites?

17. Favorite kiss in the show? What was so special about it? If kisses don’t do it for you, were there any other scenes that stood out as particularly sexy and/or romantic?

18. Who would you say had the best character development? Who do you wish got more? 

19. Would you recommend the show to people? If you would, would you feel the need to include disclaimers in your pitch? Any particular scenes you’d want to warn them about first? 

20. Discuss Jack. Opinions? Favorite moment? Least favorite moment? Any unpopular opinions? Any fun headcanons?

21. Discuss Gwen. Opinions? Favorite moment? Least favorite moment? Any unpopular opinions? Any fun headcanons? 

22. Discuss Owen. Opinions? Favorite moment? Least favorite moment? Any unpopular opinions? Any fun headcanons?

23. Discuss Tosh. Opinions? Favorite moment? Least favorite moment? Any unpopular opinions? Any fun headcanons?

24. Discuss Ianto. Opinions? Favorite moment? Least favorite moment? Any unpopular opinions? Any fun headcanons?

25. Now that we know how you feel; shag, marry, cliff / fuck, marry, kill the team! (If you feel comfortable doing so, of course.)

26. Do you have a favorite antagonist? 

27. This is a sci-fi show, after all… any favorite aliens? Favorite gadgets, maybe? 

28. Do you like how tragic Torchwood is, or do you wish it was more light-hearted? Do you think the ‘dark and adult themes’ were explored sufficiently? 

29. Do you have a favorite quote? Serious or silly, or both! Maybe a favorite quip / exchange?

30. Why, overall, do you love Torchwood?

[apomaro-mellow]

A good friend of mine @spectrum-spectre had a plot bunny and I had to write a lil sumthin

If it was anyone else, Steve would've questioned why they were going all the way to New Jersey for an amusement park. But he figured Eddie had his reasons. Maybe he wanted some distance. Or maybe there was some sort of nerd lore with the park or something in the area. Either way....

"It was really nice of you to plan out this whole getaway", Steve said. "And responsible....Who are you and what have you done with my man-child bitch of a boyfriend?"

"Careful, I might revert back to my bitchiness and leave you in this hotel room."

"I'm just saying, I don't see this side of you often. This side that makes plans and takes care of things."

Eddie looked to his Stevie, who was lounging on the mattress of a less-than-luxurious hotel bed. "You'd know if you ever let me be your dungeon master." He kneeled onto the bed, hovering above Steve. "You like when I take care of you?"

Steve nodded. "Yeah."

Eddie leaned in for a little mornin' love when someone knocked on their door.

"Dudes, let's go. You had time to christen your honeymoon suite last night", Argyle said from the other side of the door.

"He's right." Steve had mercy and gave him a quick peck before pushing him off.

Summer of 87 and Eddie had taken it upon himself to plan a short vacation for him, Steve, Jonathan, and Argyle. A no chicks or kids holiday. A few dissenting voices complained, but here they were. No responsibilities other than themselves.

They arrived to the park and Eddie was practically buzzing as they got in the moving line to get in to Action Park. Now that was the boyfriend Steve knew.

"Ohhh, it's this park. Interesting choice dude", Argyle said.

"Why?", Jonathan asked.

"You didn't hear? Like a bunch of people have died here, man."

Steve's eyes slid over to Eddie. He was about to ask if he knew about this but already knew the answer. Knew his boyfriend was already intimately familiar with the morbid details.

"Stevie, before you say anything, this is to celebrate our survival-"

Steve cut him off with just a raised brow. "By coming to a park where people have died? Explain that logic."

"We're just doing the waterpark today, right?", Jonathan clarified. "How bad could it be?"

They got inside and Steve watched in horror as Eddie jumped off a 20 foot cliff with multiple other people and a single, slightly frazzled lifeguard on duty.

"Five jumps is enough", Steve pulled Eddie out of the water, determined to get him somewhere with a bit more supervision.

The four of them went to the wave pool, which Steve had a fine time with. Until he saw Eddie's head go under one too many times and he was reminded of Lover's Lake and dragged him out of that too.

"Steve, you don't need to smother me. I'm not one of your lil chickadees."

"No, you're just gonna be my chicken kabob when you get skewered on a ride."

"You guys are making me hungry", Argyle said.

"One more thing, then lunch?", Eddie suggested.

Eddie led the group over to something that made Steve's heart stop right in its tracks. Even Jonathan had sobered up enough to give it a quizzical look.

"Is that a water slide....with a loop?"

"Nope! Nope, no way. No way you're breaking your back on that thing", Steve started to push Eddie away.

"I'm not gonna break my back", Eddie rolled his eyes.

Argyle nodded sagely. "Ride like that is more likely to take your head off. Or get you stuck."

"I rest my case", Steve said.

Eddie pouted but allowed himself to be pulled along. He'd just have to do something more convincing than puppy dog eyes. Meanwhile, Steve tried to keep Eddie occupied with the other, seemingly less dangerous attractions, trying not to get a heart attack any time something seemed off.

At least it was normal kind of off and not Upside Down type. Eventually, Steve knew what he had to do to get Eddie's mind off that death trap of a ride known as Cannonball Loop.

It took very little persuasion to lead Eddie away from Jonathan and Argyle. It took even less convincing to get him into an Employees Only area. And it took nothing to get him on board once he removed his wet t-shirt.

When they finished, Eddie was properly dazed and distracted. They met back up with the others, one now much tanner than when they'd left, all parked out for the day.

Eddie gave a wistful sigh as they walked out of the park. "I guess I should be happy I have someone who cares soooo much about my wellbeing."

"You're damn right", Steve grinned.

Argyle put an arm around Steve and Jonathan's shoulders on the way to the rental car. "This was a perfectly packaged day, my friends. Sun, water, corndogs, a bit of danger. Somebody got laid."

"Wait, what?", Jonathan choked out.

"That's where they went while you were nappin'", Argyle jerked his head towards Eddie and Steve.

"How can you nap in an amusement park?", Eddie cackled as he unlocked the car.

Jonathan shrugged. "I'm just lucky Argyle put the lotion on me before I conked out."

Eddie started the car before a realization came to him and his head whipped to Steve. "You told Argyle what we were doing?"

"Always let people know your whereabouts", Steve said.

"We gotta bring the kiddos some time", Argyle said.

"Not in this lifetime, Cali", Steve pointed a very stern finger at him. It was hard enough corralling Eddie. He couldn't imagine having to deal with the kids too. Never mind the thrill junkie Max, or the always experimental Dustin. All of them were just different enough to pull in different directions and drive him insane.

"Maybe Disneyland, then", Eddie suggested. "We've got plenty of government hush money left. And there's this one ride-"

"I'm gonna take a page out of Nancy's book and actually do some research before I let you plan the next trip", Steve decided.

[lokiinmediasideblog]

I Intentionally Start Shit in the Loki Tag

If you complain about Sylvie being "harmful queer rep" BUT want "Lady Loki" in the MCU, which was Loki possessing Sif's body just to torment Sif, I need you to sit down and shut up. a. Genderfluid people don't go by "Lady " when they're femme or women. b. If you don't see the transphobic dogwhistles in the comics possession subplot, I don't know what to tell you... But let's say that hag that wrote those crappy books would love it. c. If you weren't aware about this, maybe you should read the wiki at least before giving uninformed opinions.

I definitely agree that they should not have led people on with the promise of genderfluid rep during the promotion of the series. But get mad at Disney/Marvel for that. Not at the writers or Sophia Di Martino that had to cave in to Feige's demands. That's literally what they have to do.

I really don't give a damn about the "autogynephilia" allegations, which again, is ALSO PRESENT IN CIS WOMEN. Like why the fuck should I care about someone finding themselves hot? There's fascists out there. AGP even if it was a trans-specific thing harms no one. The only harm said to come from it is DUE TO FASCISM because it plays into RESPECTABILITY POLITICS.

If you use AI to create a "proper" Lady Loki or love interest for Loki, you can't complain about the blatant product placement in S2. I am not a fan of product placement either and won't defend it, but those are the rules. Show some integrity. And before you ask, I have not given a cent to Disney since they pissed me off with attempts to trademark Dia de los Muertos for Coco.

If you complain about how being a "Loki" is not a role (unlike Spiderman) and how it should have been all 100% Tom Hiddleston, you don't get to call it selfcest as a gotcha, because you're already differentiating between the variants with different DNA. Like do y'all hate selfcest or not? Make up your mind. The series treats a Loki as an archetype of sorts, so it can be a role. Also, having the same name does not make you related because we don't know what Sylvie's parents are? And we don't even know if Sylvie is also a Jotun, a prop claims she isn't.

If you say you want Sylvie dead but claim to not be misogynistic, because you'd love if a specific love interest from the comics or mythology replaced her, STFU. You only like those because you can project whatever the fuck you want onto them.

If you claim Sylvie is a misogynistic depiction of women but salivate over characters written by cishet white men in the 1960s-1980s that made wanting to fuck Thor or being in a monogamous marriage with Loki their entire personality (there's so MANY OF THESE), STFU. Do you hear yourself? And no, it's not misogynistic of me, a woman, to criticize offensive depictions of women by cishet white men. They're not real.

Our MCU!Loki is not the young adult Ikol reincarnation currently. Of course 20-something Verity is not going to be there! The Loki show should be praise for having multiple female cast members around the same age as the protagonist and pragmatic clothing choices that allowed SdM to nurse her baby.

Selfcest isn't real and I cry tears of boredom whenever someone clutches their pearls over it.

The comics aren't perfect. As much as I loved the recent Dan Watters run (and German Peralta's art), the comics art has some very questionable tendencies, especially regarding Loki's nose when she's femme. It's associated with how some kinds of facial features are considered masculine or feminine (and racialized). Noses have no gender, ffs! Women with nose bumps exist! For some reason Loki always has a tiny button nose when she's a woman or femme. There's also the BLATANT physiognomy that has ALWAYS PLAGUED Thor comics since their inception, and Loki's facial features as they've become more "grey" and less evil is an interesting study. Peralta's far from being the only artist with this problem, and is far from being the most problematic. For comparison from Loki (2023) run:

Loki from ye olden days:

[look-at-the-stars-tonight]

I have more thoughts about Chalice of the Gods

When I was getting through the first hundred pages or so I was a little :/ prob because I’m getting back into the books over a decade later and I had Expectations that I didn’t have as a kid. You could have thrown anything at me and I would have been DELIGHTED just to hear more of Percy’s story. I think the nostalgia factor was actually kind of a negative for me because I kept getting mad at the modern references and how low the stakes seemed to be. I did see a post about how it was good that Rick kept the books at whatever time he wrote them (in terms of references) because it’s literally just like the olympians growing and modernizing. You can’t stay stuck in the past. And I think keeping that perspective in mind will make rereads a lot more fun.

The low stakes seemed to bother me just because we’re so used to seeing Percy in horrible world ending situations and we just got out of HOO. But he really did deserve a break and it was helpful with developing his characterization

I didn’t expect the books to make me feel so emotional! I’ve been out of the horrifying college admissions process for a while now. But the questions he was wrestling with were very universal. At this point he’s accepted that the gods are what they are. There’s not much he can do to change them. He has to focus on himself and his future. And I am a little disappointed that his goals all seem to be around Annabeth. Like I love them but also he’s going to new Rome JUST for her it seems. But also when I was in high school I decided to go to college because that’s what Everyone Does right. I didn’t know trade school was an option. Feeling a little bit like ur life is on a set path and your choices are controlled by other people a bit was at least part of my high school experience. But also from a story perspective it does make sense that he wants to stick with Annabeth! They’ve been through a ridiculous amount together.

Sally having a kid and the emotions that it brought up was also a good way to show that transitional period between leaving home and starting a new life. Your parents are going to move on and do their own thing and their lives won’t revolve around you anymore. Also in general the whole Paul/sally/percy/annabeth dynamic was fucking amazing. The way Paul and sally accepted Annabeth into their lives and how happy they all are is what she fucking deserves!!

I think the end is what really got me. Some of it felt really silly and I did absolutely roll my eyes when Percy told the god he loved him and hugged him. But also him ACCEPTING that he would likely get old was so cathartic. This is a boy who was supposed to die at 16. And barely escaped death again after having his memories wiped and falling into fucking Tartarus. Hes never gotten a break and hes said, in multiple books, that he expects to die very young. This is the first time he says ‘wait I might survive this. I might get old and if I do it’ll be by Annabeth and Grover’s side.’ Percy fucking Jackson who has been the subject of COUNTLESS prophecies, who is reminded time and time again that he isn’t supposed to exist, even by people that he loves, (that was a lil mean of u in the intro Poseidon) CHOOSES to accept that he might get old. Like of course this boy doesn’t have much of a plan for his life yet other than ?? Follow Annabeth?? When has he gotten a chance to think about it!

This is something I did project upon a bit because I didn’t except to live to 18! Or 20! Or 22! And it’s only now at 24 that I’m starting to Accept that I might be here a little longer than I expected and now I have to Plan Accordingly. Like I have to learn these stupid life skills and figure out what I Want from my life now. And unlike Percy, I’m a little angry about it lol because I never expected to have this problem!! But, I too, am slowly accepting that time on earth is a gift or whatever. At the very least I’m stuck here for the foreseeable future so I might as well use it to learn who I am. I GUESS. In my life, Death has always been this ever-present choice I could take if things got a little too tough and I don’t know if that door will ever fully close but I have been dragged away from it kicking and screaming so. Might as well stick around. I’m still a little bitter about it honestly but I’ll get over it. I have to learn how to COOK guys. How fucked up is that. To care about the mundane all of a sudden??

Anyways. I doubt that’s the metaphor Rick was going for, it was probably more of a ‘your childhood ends! You’re gonna get older and that’s a good thing’ instead of a ‘one day you might not have killed yourself and you’ll realize that you’re actually stuck living this life and you gotta learn to fucking deal with it.’

Ok I could go on for hours so this is the last thing. Percy’s conversation with Poseidon, about how small waves are the ones that matter the most, REALLY resonated with me. Like I think I teared up at two parts of this book, the old age part and the conversation with between them at the end. It’s really easy to convince yourself that the way you alter your life is through Sweeping All-Consuming Change where you move to a different continent and begin anew. Unfortunately, through bitter experience, I’ve learned that’s not how things fucking work. Changing your surroundings does lead to new experiences but it doesn’t make ur problems go away! I moved halfway across the state and got what I genuinely believe is the best job on earth and I. Still have the same issues?? And then I thought ok maybe I was wrong this Wasn’t the best job I just need to find one that’s Better but that’s. Not how things work.

This is getting away from me but basically what I’m trying to say is u can make grand changes and it might fix u for a little while but unfortunately you have to put in the work and do the stupid boring mundane things like go on walks and journal and exercise and do things that scare the fuck out of u to actually change and grow and it’s so goddamn annoying. I should be able to become a different person just by being somewhere else but I can’t.

Wait I’m supposed to be relating this to Percy Jackson. So Percy can go on these life altering world defining quests right. And make all the right choices. But who he is at his core is defined by the choices that he makes when the stakes aren’t that high. When it would be So Easy to walk away from Ganymede and go live his life. And I know some people didn’t like that Poseidon was like ‘this is when I knew you were a hero’ of fucking COURSE he knows Percy has been this hero his whole life. But he’s also this person when there isn’t some prophecy, when he doesn’t have to be, when it’s just a mild inconvenience. It’s easy to talk about changing the world. It’s harder to go out there and take those little baby steps that don’t feel like they matter all that much. He has actually changed the world and just not talked about it but hopefully u get what I’m saying. I just liked that thing about small waves being able to sweep you off your feet when you didn’t expect it ok!! Most change is incremental!!

Ok that’s it. Loved Chalice, will probably enjoy it more on a reread and it resonated with me in ways I didn’t expect.

[zkbigbang]

ZKBB 2024 Artist Guidelines

Art Requirements:

Art in any medium is welcome in the Big Bang.

Artists must create at least one completed (whatever that means for your specific medium) piece of art for each of their projects.

Artists should stay in communication with their team(s) and share their progress on their piece(s) with their teammates throughout the event.

Since all Big Bang fics will be posted anonymously for two weeks at the end of the event, please do not discuss details of your project(s) outside of the event server until your piece is posted, and do not discuss your writers’ identity outside the event server until the reveal date.

Use of any AI text or image generators is not welcome in the Big Bang.

Bidding:

After all of the writers’ summary forms have been submitted, the mod team will share a list of all the submitted projects (minus the writers’ names) with the artists and betas. A list of sample summaries (from current mods' past Big Bang projects) can be found here. Once that information is available, you’ll have a few days to read through the summaries and decide which projects you’d like to work on before bidding. On bidding day, the information that you’ll need to provide is:

The minimum and maximum number of projects you’re willing to take on: These numbers can be the same, but if you’re willing to take up to 4 projects (for example), the mods will use that information to determine whether each project can have multiple artists or not.

A list of the projects that you would like to work on: Even if you’re only willing to take one project, you’ll be asked to provide at least your top 3 choices. If you’re interested in taking more than one project, please have a list of your top 5-10 projects ready in advance (at least 2-3 more choices than the number of projects you want to take is a good baseline to plan for).

If some projects are left unfilled after the first round of bidding, or if some artists are left unassigned, then additional bidding rounds will be scheduled. In that case, the mods will share an updated project list (projects with no remaining spots for artists will be removed) and an assigned project count for each artist (just the number of projects each person is assigned to, not the specific projects they’re assigned to) before bidding opens again.

Artist Check-ins:

At each formal artists’ check-in, you’ll be asked to share your progess for each of your projects. Suggested milestones on artists’ checkins are:

Saturday, May 18: Concept due

Saturday, June 8: Sketch (or equivalent) due

Saturday, June 29: Lineart (or equivalent) due

Saturday, July 20: Color (or equivalent) due

Saturday, August 10: Background/Details (or equivalent due

Saturday, August 24: Finished piece due

Since we are accepting multiple types of art, and some types may be difficult or impossible to complete until later in the event, these check-in milestones are flexible. If you have any questions or concerns about how your medium will fit into the Big Bang, feel free to reach out to the mod team for help!

[0046incognito]

how do you do lining so nice? i don't know how to describe it.. what pen do you use? :D your work is so nice btw

thank you!! i love doing lineart it's one of my favorite aspects of drawing [it's why i'm so relieved to finally be on my cleanpass for this student film cuz all i really have to do now is lineart+color^_^] but geez all these questions out of nowhere lately about how i do art is almost gonna make me paranoid someone's trying to impersonate me LOL

OK basically i just use a modified version of clipstudiopaint's default lineart pen? i don't even remember the exact changes i made plus i don't know/don't want to bother with exporting a brush to put on the CSP asset store but here are the most most important:

plus i always do all my lineart on a vector layer cuz i have weak+shaky hands so the additional Ease Of Correction is nice^_^ i don't Exactly have a concise rule for brush sizes, but i always set the number to a multiple of eight, and generally use the thickest brush for the outline with the lightest weight going inwards, then all the details are a size About four times thinner. do not use the same brush size for detail as you do thick outlines, i used to do this when i was younger because i didn't get that thick lineart looks best when it's CONTRASTED by thinner lines

in toonboom though for animation since it's a different software i gotta use a totally different brush, and toonboom's brush settings are pretty good though not As robust as i'd like for example solid vector brushes are locked off from any of the textured brush settings, and what they Call "textured vector" actually seems to just be a raster brush because it's all pixelated and sucks. anyway here's my toonboom settings

my advice for good lineart is generally:

A) USE THE STRONGEST STABILIZER YOUR PROGRAM OF CHOICE WILL ALLOW FOR IT WILL MAKE YOUR LIFE SO MUCH EASIER

B) if your software also has an option for vectors that lets you easily modify control points, USE IT! CSP;s vector layers also let you set it so that any line you erase you just have to swipe across a line Once and it'll delete the whole thing up to where it intersects, it makes illustration Way more efficient cuz otherwise i start to obsess over erasing imperfectly pixel by pixel

C) have a zen-like patience about it you gotta treat it as a relaxing meditative thing it's probably The most boring and tedious part of the art process because the focus [for me at least] is making it Clean and Sharp without any rough edges, i REALLY like excessively clean weighted thick lineart such as in 90s rave flyers like this:

and since i have such shaky hands that is near Impossible to achieve without the help of a heavy stabilizer, which REALLY slows the process down, so you gotta enjoy it, listen to something that'll occupy 80% of your brain in the background and only use the other 20% for cautiously tracing over your sketch

D) you also kinda gotta get Really good at manipulating pen pressure cuz i only do everything in mostly just a single stroke, i don't like going over shit again to thicken it or fix the weight, i prefer starting the line where it's gonna be the thinnest, with the lightest pressure my hand can manage, and then pressing down harder the thicker it should be

OK happy lining^_^ [<-says guy who intended to start lining this shot an hour ago but got Mega distracted]

[all-seeing-ifer]

Audio Drama Recs for Buffyverse Fans

Hey there, dear listeners! Are you a Buffy fan who’s been listening to Slayers and it’s got you interested in learning more about this whole audio drama malarkey? Are you a Buffy fan who’s not been listening to Slayers but are always interested in recommendations for new media to check out? Are you maybe even a Buffy fan who’s already listened to some audio dramas but want some ideas for others to check out? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then this is the list for you!

The world of audio drama is a weird and wonderful place where niche independent art can flourish. If you look close enough, there’s something there for everyone! It’s my hope that the release of Slayers can help bring this wonderful medium to more people’s attention, so I’ve compiled a list of a bunch of different audio dramas that I think will appeal to Buffy fans, whether that’s because they have a similar genre, similar tone, similar characters, or something else entirely. 

No matter what it is you like about Buffy, I can almost guarantee there’s an audio drama out there where you can also find those same qualities. And the best part? All of the following audio dramas are absolutely free. An important part of the culture that’s emerged around indie audio dramas is that these shows are pretty much always free to listen to - funded instead by ads and patreon support. So you can just hop on to spotify, apple podcasts, pocket casts, or your other platform of choice, and get some beautiful narratives written by (and I do sincerely believe this) some of the most talented and visionary creative voices of the past couple decades beamed directly into your ears for the low low price of nothing at all. You literally have nothing to lose except time!

So without further ado, on to the recommendations:

Wolf 359 

Listen if you like: Episodic/monster-of-the-week storytelling with an overarching plot, a tone that mixes comedy and drama, pastiches of popular genres (with heart), anti-authoritarian themes, stories about bands of deeply flawed misfits with interpersonal issues

Plot summary: Life's not easy for Doug Eiffel, the communications officer for the U.S.S. Hephaestus Research Station, currently on Day 448 of its orbit around red dwarf star Wolf 359. The Hephaestus is an odd place, and life in extremely isolated, zero gravity conditions has a way of doing funny things to people's minds. Even the simplest of tasks can turn into a gargantuan struggle, and the most ordinary-seeming things have a way of turning into anything but that.

Status: Finished

Episode count: 61 + minisodes and specials

Average episode length: 20-40 minutes

Why you should listen: I’m gonna say something that may be mildly controversial and say that Wolf 359 comes closer to capturing the Buffyverse’s tone and spirit than just about any other piece of media. A child of that mostly unfortunate period of time when every nerd creator on the planet wanted to imitate Joss Whedon’s style and it really does show (not least in the multiple direct references to Buffy the show makes). But while basically every other product of this writing style (including Whedon’s own later work) fell flat on its face into insincerity, Wolf, in a truly cosmically unlikely moment of lightning actually striking twice, just fucking nails it. It’s at once an ironic pastiche of science fiction serials from the golden age of radio while also being a serious and dramatic science fiction serial in its own right, and strikes the perfect balance between the two. While it starts out as more of a workplace comedy set in space, as the show goes on and the characters learn more about the company that sent them on their mission, the tone becomes increasingly serious and dramatic, without ever feeling like too much tonal whiplash. When it’s funny, it’s really funny, and when it’s serious and emotional, it hits depths of devastation few other shows can. While it may be science fiction and not fantasy, it shares the Buffyverse’s anti-authoritarian themes, as well as those shows’ large casts of flawed characters whose problems come just as much from interpersonal drama as from the speculative fiction elements of the story. If you ask me, it’s one of the greatest stories the 2010s ever gave us. But don’t just take my word for it, go check it out for yourself! Go meet Doug Eiffel, Renee Minkowski, Dr Alexander Hilbert, Hera, and a bunch more characters I can’t talk about without getting into spoilers. You can thank me later.

Ars Paradoxica

Listen if you like: A tone that mixes comedy and drama, anti-authoritarian themes, female-led shows, stories about bands of deeply flawed misfits with interpersonal issues

Plot summary: When an experiment in a time much like our own goes horribly awry, Dr. Sally Grissom finds herself stranded in the past and entrenched in the activities of a clandestine branch of the US government. Grissom and her team quickly learn that there's no safety net when toying with the fundamental logic of the universe.

Status: Finished

Episode count: 36 + specials

Average episode length: 20-40 minutes

Why you should listen: Ok, let’s say Wolf 359 appeals to you, but you’d prefer your semi-ironic semi-serious speculative fiction dramedy show with anti-authoritarian themes to have a female lead. I mean I’d still recommend listening to Wolf because while Eiffel may be the protagonist you still get to meet Renee Minkowski and Hera and [OTHER CHARACTERS REDACTED], but you could also try out Ars Paradoxica! Another child of the Whedon-influenced era that produced Wolf 359 with a similarly Whedon-influenced tone, I think Ars is a lot messier, tone-wise, but it’s worth working through that. While it starts off quite goofy and irreverent, as the show goes on it really matures and grows into itself and becomes something very special. It becomes the rare time travel story that actually engages in a meaningful way with the political dimension of the time period its characters’ travel to. It’s about the paranoia of the final days of WWII and beginning of the Cold War, it’s about the bigotries that shaped mid-20th-century society, it’s about war and scientific ethics and the desire for progress and what we’re willing to sacrifice for that progress. But despite its often dark themes, it’s also not as heavy as I’m making it sound, with all of its lofty ideas and high concept science fiction being anchored by a cast of highly flawed yet endearing characters, including the inimitable Dr Sally Grissom herself. Compared to other 2010s audio dramas, it’s fallen into obscurity into recent years, and I think it’s about time we bring it back into the light!

The Silt Verses 

Listen if you like: Horror/fantasy, episodic/monster of the week storytelling with an overarching plot, anti-authoritarian themes, female-led shows

Plot summary: Carpenter and Faulkner, two worshippers of an outlawed god, travel up the length of their deity’s great black river, searching for holy revelations. As their pilgrimage lengthens and the river’s mysteries deepen, the two acolytes find themselves under threat from a police manhunt, but also come into conflict with the weirder gods that have flourished in these forgotten rural territories.

Status: Ongoing (on its final season)

Episode count: 33+

Average episode length: 40-60 minutes

Why you should listen: It’s my favourite audio drama, hands down. More than that, it’s one of my favourite pieces of art, ever. Do you have even a passing interest in horror as a genre? If you’re a Buffyverse fan, then I assume the answer is ‘yes’. In which case, you should listen to TSV. Of all the horror podcasts I’ve listened to, I think TSV is far and away the most genuinely terrifying (I’d definitely recommend checking out the content warnings before listening) as well as having the most unique, well-thought-out, and generally interesting horror concepts and worldbuilding. It also plays with classic horror tropes in a way that feels vaguely reminiscent of BtVS at times, but its tone and atmosphere and writing style is all entirely its own. Despite this far darker tone and approach to horror, it also shares many of the Buffyverse’s themes. It’s a story about broken systems: living in them, dying in them, striking back against them, trying to fix them, burning them to the ground, all explored through a horror/fantasy lens. If you like how the Buffyverse explores its anti-authoritarian themes, you will probably also enjoy TSV’s approach. If you love the various complex fucked up little guys that make up the casts of the Buffyverse shows, then you’ll probably also love the various complex fucked up little guys that make up the cast of TSV, especially Sister Carpenter, the female lead of the show as well as one of the few characters in existence whose greatness rivals Buffy herself in my mind. And if you love the Buffyverse’s outlandish and often formally-inventive monster-of-the-week style episodes, then TSV’s own experimentations and propensity for bizarre fantasy concepts will likely also appeal to you. Really there’s very little else I can say without you experiencing the show for yourself. Do you like good things? Do you like things that are good? Go listen to TSV. Again, you can thank me later.

The Magnus Archives

Listen if you like: Horror/fantasy, episodic/monster of the week storytelling with an overarching plot, anti-authoritarian themes, stories about bands of deeply flawed misfits with interpersonal issues, fighting the apocalypse

Plot summary: A weekly horror fiction podcast examining what lurks in the archives of the Magnus Institute, an organisation dedicated to researching the esoteric and the weird. Join Jonathan Sims as he explores the archive, but be warned, as he looks into its depths something starts to look back… 

Status: Finished

Episode count: 200

Average episode length: 30 minutes

Why you should listen: One of the more well-known audio drama podcasts, and definitely the most well-known of the recent audio dramas! A lot darker, more depressing, and heavier on the horror than the Buffyverse shows, but there’s still a lot that Buffyverse fans will enjoy, from the anti-authoritarian themes to the multiple apocalypses the characters face. While TMA starts off as an anthology series, with each episode being a self-contained horror story, as the show goes on recurring characters start to appear and an overarching storyline begins to emerge. The later seasons of the show really display a similar ethos to the Buffyverse shows when it comes to taking their characters to very dark places, and the way that the show plays with horror tropes will likely also appeal to Buffy fans! Prepare yourself for some truly creepy storytelling and truly heartbreaking emotional moments and give it a listen.

Janus Descending 

Listen if you like: Horror, female-led shows

Status: Finished (sequel series ongoing)

Episode count: 13

Average episode length: 15-20 minutes

Plot summary: This limited series, science fiction/horror audio drama podcast follows the arrival of two xenoarcheologists on a small world orbiting a binary star. But what starts off as an expedition to survey the planet and the remains of a lost alien civilization, turns into a monstrous game of cat and mouse, as the two scientists are left to face the creatures that killed the planet in the first place.

Why you should listen: While it’s probably the least similar to the Buffyverse shows of any of my recommendations, I think Janus is still worth looking into simply because it’s a really great “starter podcast” for those who’ve never got into audio dramas before. It’s a limited series of just 13 episodes, each episode is only around 15-20 minutes long, and it uses the audio format in a really unique and interesting way. While it does now have a sequel series called Descendants, the original show works very well as a standalone narrative. The horror and tension and tragedy of the story is really well done, and despite how relatively short it is you still get to feel very close to the two protagonists. Another really underappreciated show that deserves more love.

Old Gods of Appalachia 

Listen if you like: Horror/fantasy, female-led shows, anti-authoritarian themes

Plot summary: A horror-anthology podcast set in the shadows of an Alternate Appalachia, a place where digging too deep into the mines was just the first mistake.

Status: Ongoing

Episode count: 54+ (not including specials)

Average episode length: 30-40 minutes

Why you should listen: Another dark and gorgeously atmospheric horror podcast (you may be starting to sense a theme here), this one based around an alternate history version of Appalachia where eldritch gods and monsters inhabit the mountains and hills. Much like TMA, Old Gods is primarily an anthology series, consisting of a wide variety of different horror stories set in the same world. These stories range from one-off episodes to season-long arcs, and cover a broad spectrum of horror sub-genres. While I do find it a little hard at times to follow all the different connections between the different stories and arcs, I think it’s still absolutely worth listening to for its tone, storytelling, social commentary (plenty of “fuck capitalism” stories here), and well-written and complex female characters. Definitely a must-listen for all the horror/fantasy fans out there (and I know for a fact that’s a lot of you).

Hi Nay 

Listen if you like: Horror/fantasy, female-led shows, stories about bands of deeply flawed misfits with interpersonal issues, episodic/monster of the week storytelling with an overarching plot

Status: Ongoing

Episode count: 32+

Average episode length: 30-60 minutes (not including specials and minisodes)

Plot summary: A supernatural horror fictional podcast about Filipina immigrant Mari Datuin, whose babaylan (shaman) family background accidentally gets her involved in stopping dangerous supernatural events in Toronto. 

Why you should listen: A very fun urban fantasy monster-of-the-week style show that pulls from both classic horror tropes and Filipino folklore. While I haven’t listened to much of this one yet, it’s a really engaging and often emotional listen with a very fun framing device that uses the audio medium in a clever way!

Of course, this is only a small fraction of the wealth of audio drama podcasts out there. I'm only one guy and I can't listen to all of them! If any of you have any recommendations for other audio dramas you think Buffy fans will enjoy, feel free to add them on! And if you're interested and have any questions feel free to send me a message - I always love talkin' audio dramas!