#augh i could add more but these are getting so long

[padmestrilogy]

darth maul and padme amidala: discarded pawns

iain mccraig on doing concept art for the phantom menace / wookieepedia / james dillon / star wars tales volume 6 / paul mcdonald

[rochenn]

ohh hello there 🍈+ 🫐

Eyyy thank you! :D

🍈 Who’s your blorbo and what are some of your favorite headcanons/ideas about them that repeatedly show up in your fics? Free pass to rant about blorbo opinions.

Am I supposed to choose just one blorber? Cruel, but also LET'S FUCKING GOOOO

Dooku. Man. To get some technical stuff out of the way, I think he has a castle in the Serennian hills that isn't an egg-shaped chrome dome. A *really* nice one made of painted stones and wood. Old. Full of portraits of his ancestors and with a stupid whimsical garden that has only become more whimsical ever since he stopped hiring people to trim it. I also think he has a room full of traditional swords in there. Steel blades, all types of lengths and edges, and he knows how to wield each and every one of them to perfection. That room has been collecting dust for a while, though. It comes up in Gone with the Light and I'm VERY excited to write that segment! Hehe

And I just love his inner world - or lack thereof. Old fuck in a castle who can't seem to keep anyone around for one reason or another, but he never makes himself acknowledge the pattern that's so obviously there. His internal monologue is so tasty to write, partially because he's his only hypeman, and also because he has no idea who he is unless he forces himself into the Sith grindset. That way, he doesn't have to think about all the painful stuff so much. Between the genuine revolutionary intent of his younger days, his Jedi upbringing of even younger ones and his present holding on to Sith teachings for dear life, he is lost. There is so much MEAT to him and whatever the hell is going on inside that thick skull man <3 The loneliness and denial always comes up in some way

Also, a more basic headcanon: he's a BIG eater. That body needs a lot of energy even in his old age, considering its dimensions and what he does with it. Back when Qui-Gon hit his growth spurt they could hit a pantry the way the locusts hit the fields of Egypt - in contrast, Dooku deliberately under-eats in official company. Diplomatic dinners, long-winded negotiation meetings, the days he inevitably has to spend with Sidious, you name it. The Republic has an abundance of overly indulgent Senators and Count Dooku, leader of the Confederacy, very much does not want a reputation like Orn Free Taa's. Whenever we see him in canon there's a 50/50 chance of him being hungry as fuck (I am convinced of this because it amuses me greatly)

🫐 What’s your favorite underrated thing in your fandom? (A ship that only you seem to write for, a character there’s almost no fics about, a trope that criminally hasn’t been written yet, etc.)

DEFINITELY the Dooku & Asajj dynamic! It's the sort of juicy but under-developed part of canon that you'd expect to have a couple hundred fics, and among them some of those lifechanging longfics. You know the type. But tragedy strikes... we're not getting that for these two. There's barely anything. I am planning to rectify that because they make me insane and I need to drag more people into the insanity pit with me until the numbers add up. I swear I'm already following every single person who has ever been unwell about them in the character tags augh

Thank you for the ask! <3

[vultures-and-scavengers]

okay i have SO many thoughts on the blorbo cullen but my biggest ones are that i wish inquisition showed him In Withdrawal more. like this is terrible but pls make him shaky and unable to eat and like,,, coping with being the leader of the military but physically unable to fight. does this make sense?? 😭

it ENTIRELY makes sense. have you seen his concept art? the bags under his eyes are so big, if he tried to fly on an airline, they'd charge him for each one. he's super gaunt looking. he looks awful. its fantastic.

and then in game he's just pretty boy.

(this got way long, putting the rest under a cut)

and honestly, inquisition did not do a very good job of making the military an actual military? it's very hand-waved, running off the vague pop culture ideas of fantasy militaries, but like. irl, you do not have the #1 boss out on the field. that's not a thing that happens.

and cullen is the equivalent of like. the american joint chiefs of staff. he is in charge of everything. his decisions are going to be bigger than punishing individual soldiers, handling any one units requisitions, etc. he should also definitely have an actual staff. like a small herd of people who can advise and inform and gatekeep anyone who comes to him with questions.

and running the inquisition military alone SHOULD be overwhelming and awful and the sort of stress that ages you by 10 years each week. but nah, he just. is fine. signs some papers. swings a sword around. like, i want to know what your rations look like. what about your supply lines. how are you feeding/outfitting/housing/paying an entire army?

AND THEN they just hand-wave lyrium symptoms, so YEAH, i want to know more. chronic pain, temper, joint issues-- i feel like we can sort of somewhat see those in-game in. you know. the single cutscene we get where he gets into why he's doing this and how its affecting him.

and then he's fine in every other cutscene. and he acts like he's fit to fight and he'll go out into the field, in arbor wilds and shrine of dumat. so whats up, baby girl? whats going on?

so its like this mess of them not reading even a single wikipedia page on militaries (or trebuchets. they have a max effective range of around 350 meters. haven cutscene, i just want to talk.), and then giving us no clear answer on what lyrium does to those trying to get off it, but then since the player might tell him to get back on, permanently or temporarily, the player might not even talk to him, or the player will tell him to stay off it, like, you might have to write four different sets of dialogue afterwards, thinking about how the battles are going?

AUGH.

he's so inconsistent. and some of that is just DAI being a video game, which inherently limits what you can do. but some of it is just like. can we get one or two other people on this story?

and i think his writer was given an impossible task, which ive spoken some with @fenrisisms about: how the hell do you handle emotional fallout from torture, participation in an oppressive system that is encouraged and glorified by the main dominant cultural force in thedas AND was the system that oppressed those that also tortured him, drug addiction and withdrawals, and leading a military that he's 100% not qualified to lead (which i have so many thoughts on) in half a dozen cutscenes? and then add a romance? someone say a prayer for his writer.

and so we get this dude who we're told is suffering from withdrawal because he's trying to quit a substance that has killed or driven mad everyone else that's tried to get off, and he's... fine? outside the one cutscene? while also taking on a monstrously difficult task he's not qualified for (and then succeeds at)?

UGH.

DAI my beloved, you could have been even more.

[fernacular]

pls talk more abt the stupid art trend of only drawing neutral faced white women no matter what its something that has been eating away at me as i see the community of artists growing ever more. it frustrates me so much cause like??? is that really the extent of your creativity? some... nameless attractive woman?

I'm really not an art historian or even an extremely analytical person, so take all I'm about to say with a grain of salt, it truly is just my off-the-cuff assumptions.

First of all I wanna clarify I don't think painting a pretty girl for the sake of painting a pretty girl is inherently creatively bankrupt, I'd be a hypocrite if I said that. Plus there are many many examples of artists having a POINT when choosing that subject matter and I don't wanna be throwing them under the bus. If you know a Pretty Girl(tm) piece of art that you think actually has a message that is enhanced by the usage of that sort of face, assume I'm not talking about them.

What really bugs me is the sheer prevalence of it EVERYWHERE and how incredibly unexamined it often gets from both the artists themselves and the audience observing.

because here's the thing, I'm pretty sure I know why they're choosing a perfume-ad-type woman as their subject. Over a very very long time that specific type of face has become the Neutral Beautiful Subject in art. A: it's a human face, which our monkey brains immediately respond to. Humans see a human face, we instinctual pay attention, that's just kinda how we work. B: it's a young unblemished face with no indications of personality or personal agency or identity that could impact the viewer's attraction, and it is assumed the viewer finds the face attractive. C: It's a white feminine face/form that has an extremely long and complicated history that I won't be able to adequately layout here (again, not a historian) but is firmly entrenched in western society as being, of all the bodies, the most synonymous with beauty and art.

So from the artist's perspective, this is a very very useful subject matter because we, as an audience, have been trained not to read into it as the Neutral Beautiful Subject Matter. The assumption is that we will like looking at it, but it won't distract too much from what else the artist is doing, the technical skill they're putting in or the unusual medium or whatEVER it is they wanna flex. That specific face is visual shorthand for beauty, and we're not intended to read into it beyond that.

But that's, like.... bullshit?

It's BULLshit that we are supposed to just accept that face as the neutral symbol of beauty. It's not neutral!!!! It's EXTREMELY political!!!!!! When you make that face the subject matter of your art with NO indication that we are supposed to take ANYthing else away from it, then you, as an artist, are in fact making a statement that you are seemingly completely unaware that you are making.

All SORTS of very very heavy social things go into that seemingly passive face. The dehumanization, sexualization, and commodification of women. The deification of white femininity. The fear of age, of disability, of injury, of sexuality outside man-attracted-to-woman. The very idea that all of this could in any way, in any universe, be considered neutral.

And I don't think all the artists who create using this kind of face are rubbing their hands together going "nyehehehe, today I will support a lot of heinous cultural bullshit for profit nyehehehehe" Most of them just aren't looking at it past face value. Again, it's a useful device. It's largely popular, it will get you views and attention and as an artist myself I fucking GET IT man. I want money too. I have rent too.

But i'm just... tired. I'm tired of it.

I'm tired of how unquestioned it gets. Of how much it's rewarded.

I don't have anything else to add, I don't know how to fix any of it, just, augh.

[yoinkschief]

What’s your general HCs for the fellas ? (Identity, race, sexuality etc)

Whooaagh, that's gonna be a long list, I have a ton of like small headcanons for them that mean like absolutely nothing, but I'll try to keep it to a simple list

Just quickly though:

I HC them all to be generally around 27/28 and in their late 30's/early 40's during WTFuture/in the future,, there was no real way to put that in a good list with them lol

And they're all best friends - just cause they're a group of people doesn't mean they only get to have one bestie yk, they're all super close

Also Ellsworld is canon alongside Eddsworld, they co-exist with each other

Tom - Mixed Race (Black/Irish from his mom, White/American-Hawaiian from his father - Trans Masc-Nonbinary (AMAB) He/They/(sometimes)It (It/Its depends on who it is) - Bisexual (massive masculine lean) (worst taste in men EVER) - Styles his hair to look like his fathers (otherwise his hair is usually textured around the 3's,,, like 3A/3B) - Very pear shaped like his father, and hairy too lol, the alcohol certainly doesn't help with that - Wears reading glasses (later this turns into him genuinely needing a prescription,, another thing he gets from his father - he looks very similar to his mother in terms of facial features and skin tone, but has a lot of his father's aspects) - Fear of eye contact (has gotten a lot better about it now that he's an adult, but still struggles with it with people he does not like/does not know) - Autistic - 5'5" (the shortest of the ensemble) - Works at a diner while part-timing music independently - "Monster" form is man made and extremely painful to turn into (there is no way he could control it,,, in some iterations of my headcanons like in different stories there are ways that he can have like a pact with it,,, like in my Mattsworld AU (WHICH I NEED TO POST ABOUT AUGH) he's "controlled" it a bit by making a deal with it,,, of what I haven't quite figured out yet oof) - Has quite a few tattoos on him,,, (Polynesian shark teeth on his left upper arm, cyan colored harpoon tattoos on his left side, a pinup mermaid girl on his right side, and the Nordic rune for "Wolf" on his right outer thigh) - Also he inherited his anger issues from his father as well, forgot to add that earlier with the list of things he's inherited from his old man lol - Momma's boy (/affectionately, not like he can't do anything without his mom, moreso like he really loves her a lot and obviously they're very close since they both lost Tom's father that day so for a while they were all the other had to remember him by) - Tamara is his cousin from his mother's side of the family - His first friend was Edd - His mother died when he was in highschool - father when he was in elementary, it really hit him hard (it was just before his senior year and had he not done so well the years prior he would've failed HS because of it) - Diesss ???? It's like the whole "OMG they killed Kenny" bit more than anything - like if I had to describe it, he has the Loony Toons death curse, where he dies on screen but in the next panel he's fine cause no one can actually die on a kid's show, yk ? - Tons of piercings,, mostly on his face but also in other places on his body too, though it's more like two other places other than his face area - Loves Ska music obviously, but also punk and rock, thinks artists like Destroy Boys, GRLWood,

Edd - British,,, and probably has some Italian in him somewhere, y'know like family rumors/talk of like "well I'm 1/4 Italian" or "your some odd greats grandma was Italian" that kinda thing,,, not quite sure, not curious enough to care to get some DNA test kit - Homophobic (/j) Gay, man kisser, masculine hug enjoyer, he holds hands with other boysss - On the AroAce spectrum, not really a hard no on either, just more of something he doesn't think about on a day to day basis nor really care about unless the thought is put in his head - Moles scattered across his body (not many, just one or two here and there - and none that are particularly bad or harmful) - Wears reading glasses (more specifically blue light glasses cause he's looking at a screen all day every day) - The only one of the gang that doesn't have any genuine mental disorder,,, he's got his problems sure but he's neurotypical through and through - His problems being main character and plot armor - More seriously though he has a raging hero/savior complex that gets him into a lot of trouble at times - 6' even, second tallest of the group - Very apple shaped,,, when I draw him I think very round thoughts if that makes sense - Had a major emo phase in highschool,,, he kinda snapped out of it during Senior year, or rather the summer leading up to it, but man it was wretched LOL - A child of divorce (they still made it work for him - it wasn't like they fought or it was a domestic abuse thing, they just fell out of love with each other and couldn't stand being in the same house anymore, but they love Edd so they made it work for him the best they could) - Works as an animator - professionally and freelancing ! Hard fucking order but he LOVES they process of creating art, seeing the end result is so gratifying to him and being able to see all the love and attention he put into it - Has a Youtube channel where sometimes he reviews animated movies/shows/shorts - he doesn't update it a lot, it's like a "if I feel like it" cause he only does Youtube as a hobby and as a place to hold his animation portfolio - His first friend was Matt, they've been friends since like diapers - REALLY really good friends with Tord - doesn't really know why but they are like bound by the hip - He's only got ear gauges - he doesn't try and stretch them a ton like Tom does, he's fine with just normal sized gauges that don't stretch his lobes all that much - Has a VERY BROAD music taste, anything from Lemon Demon to Oingo Boingo, to PinkPantheress, to Joey Valence & Brae, to Weird Al,,, anything under the rainbow of music genres he's probably heard one song from each - PowerEdd is canon still !! Not the superhero, but the powers he and Eduardo now suffer with lol,, but they're not really potent, his body chemistry is just kinda fucky now cause of it,,, bro glows in blacklight and sometimes just in general

Matt - British/French,,, basically he's incredibly white - Pansexual (he used to also be GenderFluid in my headcanons,,, but in the past year or so I've decided against it - he's more of just a guy who likes makeup and to wear dresses more than anything else) - Ginger with freckles, they cover his body in splotches mostly, but he's got a few individual ones here and there on his body as well (they've clustered around his face, hands, elbows, shoulders, hips, knees and like two separate patches on his back) - His hairstyle has changed so much with me over the years and it's my own damn fault lol, I don't draw him enough but that most comes with the "I don't wanna draw him wrong" thing but if I don't ever draw him how will I draw him right ?? It's a cycle is what it is - The only one with prescription glasses since middle school - he just wears contacts instead, he HATES how he looks in glasses - his parents had him get LASIK surgery to correct his vision,,, since then - His personal account where no one (except like the gang) knows it's him is very unhinged, he says some devious shit on there (it's a public Twitter account) - Also Autistic, but in a DRASTICALLY different way than Tom is, they're like opposite sides of the spectrum (Tom doesn't mask often, Matt masks like all day every day, Tom can't make eye contact, Matt makes intense eye contact, that kinda thing yk,,, even despite the fact they both have texture issues they have very different issues with textures - also Tom was very early diagnosed and Matt only got diagnosed after Tom kept pestering him to do so) - He's some kind of narcissist, just haven't been able to really pin point it down yet,, I need to do some more research on it - this could change in the future because of that so this is like a maybe canon - His father left him when he was very young like maybe 5-8 range, and his mother married his step father WAY too soon after, him and Matilda is his step sister (He HATED her at first, she tried to be very kind to him cause they're the same age and everything, and this is the first time she's had a sibling, but every time Matt looked at her all he could see was his father leaving him,,, it took until after college for them to actually grow closer as siblings and friends) -6'1" just an inch above Edd - Edd was his first friend - they've been through thick and thin together, they comforted each other when both their parents divorced, so obviously they've got a bit of a trauma bond through that, and are really the only ones who understand that kind of issue - at least in their eyes - Twink. Through and through. Despite being partially French he's got very back luck with growing hair on his body, and when he does it's thin and very lightly colored - Works as a model and "social media influencer",,, basically he's a walking propaganda poster - Has earrings, mostly wears a lot of gold - Doesn't like listening to music often,,, this hurts me to write as someone who can't NOT listen to music, but he just doesn't have a music taste,, I've mentioned before how he listens to some female rappers and other song artists like Mitski and Girl in Red, but that's only because he's listened to them on like the radio or had someone else recommend them to him, he doesn't actively listen/search for music - Still a vampire,,, er, really just half vampire ?? I'd like to think they lads did a séance of some sort on him and for the most part it worked but like Edd his chemistry is still a little fucked cause of it, y'know ? Like he's still got pointed ears and teeth, can't really do much about that, and a BIG craving for red meat and the like, but he can survive without a constant need for blood, and his skin was already sensitive to the sun anyway so there's nothing really new there

Tord - Just a Norwegian fool - Trans Masculine (AFAB) He/Him - Bisexual (with a MASSIVE fem lean,,, he IS the bad taste in men) - His hair ? Yeah that's natural - he's got some WICKED cowlicks,,, when he was younger his mom would try to brush them back to make him look more normal, but even when his hair was longer it didn't really do much for him - ADHD haver, VERY late diagnosis and still doesn't really believe it, but that's a whole lot to do with misinformation of negative dumb jargon shoved down his throat - Narcissistic Personality TRAITS, not the disorder, but TRAITS of the disorder (as in he doesn't actively have the mind set and intentions of people with NPD, but he does have the mannerisms and habits of one,, but that's because of how he was raised by two Narcissists - it's a damn miracle he doesn't have the disorder, but either way he's gotta go to therapy about it,,, and he will,,,,,, eventually,,,,,,,,, after you drag him there by his hair but I mean he'll be there) - Tattoos on him as well (Left shoulder to a half sleeve of a snake, tramp stamp of Ouroboros, and between his shoulder blades beneath the back of his neck is Jason Voorhees' mask) - Can not regulate or understand his emotions,,, the only way he really knows how to deal with intense emotions of any kind is through very physical and aggressive means,, it's why him and Tom get into so many spats, but mostly cause Tom doesn't put up with his bullshit as someone who is very good at reading and understanding his own and others' emotions - Bro's got a very broad chest,, he's like incredibly male passing, even before having gone on Testosterone - Redditor. Sorry I don't make the rules except I do and he's a Redditor. - Also has an Instagram account and it's all thirst traps,,, and I'm torn between how much interaction he'd get on them,,, like I wanna say he gets none because he's a damn loser weebcell dorklord, but I've also seen how EW fandom craves him and that makes me think that this would be no different, ykwim ?,, sigh,, realistically speaking he would get a lot of interaction with his posts and I hate that for him I hope something bad happens to him - Technically Tom was his first friend (??) in the sense that Tom was the first person he met in highschool and was the one he talked to the most during then,, at least when Tom's life was stable, it gets kinda iffy after Tom's mom died and that's where the first part of their rift really started - But him and Edd and SUPER close, despite Tom being his first friend, Edd and him just click REALLY well - Has a similar death thing like Tom, except his is more of like the anime death curse - if he dies off screen, no the fuck he did not, he is coming back as the villain - LOVES Twenty One Pilots, favorite band of all time, usually he's not a die hard for a lot of things, but TOP is one of them, he also likes poprock/poppunk, things like that, think like Imagine Dragons and Mindless Self Indulgence (YES THEY'RE TERRIBLE I KNOW, LOOK AT WHO'S LISTENING TO THEM AND GET BACK TO ME ABOUT IT) but he also listens to hyperpop like S3RL and Machine Girl, but that's just cause of all the base it usually has - that's like background music for him to work to

That's pretty much all I can think of off the top of my head of just general thoughts for them,,, I'm sure I could think of more specific ones but then we'd be here all day

[cult-of-the-eye]

MAG 86 here we goooo

Ok so I actually listened to this like a few days ago but I never got round to looking at the transcript but HERE I AM

God this is the blanket never did anything one

He says tucked in so fucking menacingly like Jesus Christ man

TIM MY LOVE

I can't get that one post out of my head that says how Tim was the furthest from being taken by the Eye cause he keeps tripping up on pronunciations and stuff in statements that other archival staff wouldnt honestly it's such a genius take

Oh shit this is getting really long I'll add in a read more

God I love how he's rebelling in every sense, he's doing the bare minimum, he's literally warning people away from it

It's kind of interesting the way he always thought the statement stuff was stupid but in the whole of season one and a lot of season two he managed to hide his distaste pretty well, like even when he lashed out at Jon about the Prentiss incident, he still didn't say that the statements were stupid, but he's saying it behind his back - maybe some part of him knew that Jon needed the statements to work and some part of him still felt for him enough to not point that out

He's kinda dramatic with it as well but I feel like in more of a self aware way than jon

You can feel his distaste honestly the statement just sounds wrong coming from him, which is interesting cause I didn't think that about when Martin did it

So he's mad at the fact that he put effort into a job that he wasn't even that comfortable with in the first place and now he's trapped in? Not about the monsters??

Jesus Christ Tim being a bit of a dick to melanie

HE BLAMES MARTIN????? Damn bro you weren't there how could you tell he didn't do it properly??

I think he's mad at himself for not being there and deflecting it on to martin

She likes that it's quiet!!! That's cute

Martin's not big on change AH neurodivergent vibes

All the archival staff are literally queer and neurodivergent you can't change my mind

Also the fact that he thinks that's the biggest reason why martin doesn't want Melanie around, not the Horrors and the same reason as Tim

I think Tim is refusing to think that Martin might see the situation in the same way as him because if he does then it means Tim's way of dealing might not be the best way and that's an unacceptable thought to him

Suspicious and resentful - my man is self aware I think he knows the way his path is going (hurtling towards destruction) but is too stuck shaking his fist at god to try and get out or he's sort of known his whole life that this is where he was supposed to end up, a terrible fate created by his own two hands that dug their own way down to rock bottom and he's just so tired of trying to do anything about it that he's just accepted it

SASHA OH GOD

Wow seeing firsthand the effects of the stranger, the way neither Tim nor Melanie can remember the real Sasha, but Tim has to live with the fact that he didn't notice and Melanie has to live with the fact that she did, but can't prove it

WHO AM I EVEN SAD FOR

AUGH I THOUGHT SOMEONE MADE THAT UP I DIDNT KNOW IT WAS CANON OH GOD

He lost his FRIEND and he DIDN'T REALISE and he STILL DOESN'T KNOW THE WHOLE TRUTH AUGH

Oh I wonder why he left the tape running? I'd think he would've forgotten to turn it off but if so I feel like he'd have that shocked moment of remembering which he didn't

Maybe he wanted proof of the conversation? Maybe it was a warning to anyone listening to the tapes? See firsthand how terrible it is at the Magnus Institute so you don't work here? I dunno

Ha I had to ask my lovely mutual @melandrops to explain what a marker was

Oh god honestly this statement fucked me up I completely understand why people hate it I hate it

I was so scared of the dark as a kid and the idea of being reduced to that state of lack of awareness and vulnerability is actually terrifying

Also the dude dying in the blanket???? Ew ew ew

Love the fact that tma doesn't just go with a oh shit I forgot a torch so it was pitch black kinda horror but the I brought a torch, I even brought spare batteries but it still did nothing which in my opinion is even scarier

Oh god her whispering the blanket never did anything that was horrifying

Melanie was actually so good at giving the statement girl really got into it

I was also talking to @melandrops about archivist!Melanie cause I think that would be really interesting... she'd definitely bring a more proactive vibe to the role...

It's interesting to think that Melanie and Jon hated each other at first sort of because they're so alike? It's like the we are made of the same stuff (derogatory)

Love how she just checks out the dead guy

The way she's denying it even though she's literally had paranormal experiences before that's so Jon core she would be a great archivist

JON????

Oh shit I just realised he's labelled as Archivist...when did that happen??

That's so funny he's like bitch maybe I do have reason to kill you

Hmm nice touch of Melanie being like do you guys not want me cause I'm a girl?? Is this misogyny??? Good guess but unfortunately it's worse

It's quite nice that Jon's trying to save her even though the meetings about helping him and her quitting would mean he'd lose the one informant he might have in the institute

Shot in the leg by a ghost in India????

Ha Tim hates you and Martin's probably being watched

Love how Tim's hatred for Jon is so visceral and known that they don't even bother watching him

I bet Elias would delight in knowing about Martin's little crush on Jon and how Jon actually hated him in season one and then how their relationship progresses he'd thrive on the drama and the angst the little bastard

Ok ok it's good that he's on the right track, he guesses it was elias

Wait the whole murder was on tape... WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT TAPE??? DID ELIAS TAKE IT??? COULD IT BE USED AS EVIDENCE???

YES MELANIE IS BEING CAUGHT UP (info style) BUT ALSO NO MELANIE IS BEING CAUGHT UP (web style)

[chloecherrysip]

Saw your 'Mario has PTSD too' post and I love it. The idea of him trying to pretend that everything is fine for Luigi is just so... augh. I love this trope of a character botteling up their feelings for the sake of others until they can't anymore. May I add a little something? Mario also had a near death experience from getting exploded from the rainbow road and then being eaten by an eel. So I guess he would have PTSD from this too

(Referring to this post!)

Thanks!! It really gets to me too. I just think Mario is very much wrapped up in being The Strong One, The One Who Protects And Makes Things All Right and Can Be Leaned On, and he WANTS to be that post-movie more than anything because goodness knows Luigi needs it (not even just from a mental perspective, but physical too, considering the poor thing hardly slept or got any food/water for what seemed like multiple days!) but there's also his own exhaustion and the dawning realization of how close things were, how his brother could have very easily died if one little thing happened differently, and the guilt, so much GUILT for essentially being the reason all this happened - it's a lot!! And then the guilt would compound once he starts to slip and knows that Luigi can probably tell, and he doesn't want to make him MORE worried when his little brother's already going through his own struggles, so that just makes him try HARDER to seem Totally Normal and Fine and In Control, and it's not a good cycle. :( (But it doesn't take too long before the inevitable breakdown and the brothers getting to cry it out together. Sometimes you just need to do some messy crying and hugging to feel better!!!!)

And yeah, I think that makes sense! Mario didn't have a cakewalk of a time either, that's for sure, even if there were some nice/peaceful moments in his journey. I saw in one fic someone theorize that maybe loud sounds would instantly make him shift into danger mode and being really on edge because of the blue shell for a little while, and I think that makes sense. And man, the eel stuff really does get more disturbing the more you think about it!! DK and Mario sniping at each other is funny, but I still really wish that scene had been given a little more room to breathe and resonate as a stronger, sadder Darkest Moment in the movie. Especially the line "at least your brother's not gonna die because of you!" which is heavy stuff, man! Mario's clearly angry and upset and feels like the situation is all his fault and he's never going to see Luigi again (heck, he'll never see the rest of his family or his home again either) and he tried so hard but he's finally reached a truly hopeless state where he just wants to wallow in how he's let everyone down and be left alone, which is rare for him. It's a brief moment, but a rough one for sure.

(And maybe once it's all over, he closes his eyes and sometimes still sees himself there, wet and cold and broken down, and there's a moment of blind panic where he's convinced he's imagined everything that happened past that point and he's about to be digested and die down here at the bottom of the ocean, with the horrible certainty that Luigi's dead too, that his brother died alone and scared all because of his stupidity, and he can't breathe, he can't BREATHE - and then he wakes up/comes back to the moment and it's all okay, he knows rationally that it's okay now but he still can't fully calm down because what if NEXT TIME.....)

[peppermint-moss]

13, 19, 22, 25, 32! :)

13. talk about a wip you like! wink wonk needletail amv!!!!!!!!! I'm determined to get him done by end of summer before uni starts again AUGH its gonna happen im gonna do it i SWEAR here's some thoughts

I was like 'why is this video taking so long' n then realized most of my amvs are 3 min tops and this one is 5 MINUTES WITH BACKGROUNDS like yea bud its gonna take a while afjskdlhg

I'm trying da vinci resolve again and with a new faster computer it's actually been going alright!! I hate. the gaussian blur it's doing weird things but I don't want to figure out how to use fusion to workaround it and it's not a huge issue so... just gonna leave it be

i hatee backgrounds and they're just kind of. im doing them out of necessity and shortcutting the hell out of them lol dont look at the backgrounds too closely when the video comes out LMAO

video itself is going good!! there's a lotta scenes im v excited to see come into its final stage and im v excited C: !!! sneak peak be upon ye!!

19. where do you find inspiration? I have an 'art ref' tag on my main blog that I usually just kind of scroll through so its mostly a collection of art/photos/colours etc i find on tumblr c:

22. do you have a favorite color palette to work with? I love warmer toned like soft brown-tinted pieces but I've never actually drawn with that i don't think.. Cooler tones I think are trickier for me (I keep ending up with pink in there but I don't think I should be??? idk lol) but i Looove when I can add a pop of like cold piercing cyan to a warm piece hehe

25. what size canvas/paper do you use? I used to draw somewhere in the 3000x2000 px range, BUT my friends were like thats so small!! and they draw on like 5000x5000 px which sounded WILD to me but I gave 5000px a shot and WOW i do like it... i can get more detail in with my lil brush.. yea so I'm transitioning over to using bigger canvases now lol

32. have you done a lot of collabs? No not besides the occasional map part (which I only really stick to doing just my part anyways!) I prefer to work individually waay more which is like a strength and a weakness cause I don't think I'm very receptive to collaborative work lol (i have less patience for it and am less likely to voice my thoughts orz.. I'd like to be better at collaboration but because its smth I avoid my brain's like well no need to improve that then afjdsklgh) BUT im p baller at getting things done on my own

Something i DID do a while back is the art collab meme with some friends which I actually really loved how they all turned out!! C: (Jo is me btw lol) (idk if there's an originator for this meme ? closest i could find was this but lemme know if there's someone else to credit)

ask game questions here

[selfshipgushing]

I have so many silly pictures of my F/Os I just wanna spam my blog like crazy augh!!! Part of me feels bad for spamming but at the same time my blog is a wasteland and I doubt anyone has notifications turned on for it so it's like..👀 I might as well, huh? I sometimes get upset that my blog is so empty, but it can feel kinda nice cause I don't have to worry so much about getting embarrassed(though I still do) cause i know like..no one will be seeing it!

I have this one F/O that I'm just sooook shy about though,, and I don't know why augh!!! It's like maybe my brain is so used to having funky F/Os it doesn't know how to handle just having Normal GuyTM as my F/O!! But he's like just that I swear.. I was in denial for a little bit about liking him but I'm slowly coming around to it now,,, thinmks I'm gonna finally add him to my F/O list even though I said I would ages ago ajd completely forgott...

But i wanted to make a little digital shrine for my F/Os cause I saw someone else mention doing it and I was like!! Ohmigosh!!!! Perfect thing to finally use my strawpage for!! But accckkk that means talking about the F/O I'm super oddly shy about😖😵‍💫wat do I do!!!! And that means probably having to get pictures and screenshots of him and rambling about him a bit waugh,m,, maybe putting things I associate with him even if it's not many cause I haven't F/O's him for super long,, eep!! I have more I could say but I'll leave it at that for now,.,, maybe I'll come back later some time and continue it,,mhmhpg,,

well, idk what tf a strawpage is really but you could make a private one first? or make like. a shine on Google slides or something and then maybe when you get comfortable make another one publicly

[ratcandy]

hi hello hi!! i just finished bingereading cogr and i hope you don't mind if i yell into your inbox about your fic lol

SO FIRST OF ALL. i never expected i would get so attached to zote. but now i am! i will never get the neglect achievement after reading this. but i can't even be mad it's so good

i have to say that it's a really, REALLY good example of how to add depth to a normally unlikable character! like by the end zote is still at least a bit of a bastard, but after knowing how horribly literally everything in his life has gone you can't help but feel bad for him and hope things start looking up.

plus, it provides an explanation for why he's Like That. genuinely if he got therapy to work through his multitude of issues he'd probably be, like, 10x nicer about everything.

also while i did read the tags, i can't say i expected it to be THAT dark, mostly because i was thinking "it's a fic about zote being a nosk it can't be THAT bad." but nope! this man is suicidally depressed and by the end he's barely even trying to hide it. i don't mind though, it's DELICIOUS angst

OH and the format of the fic, where it's presented as zote talking to Someone Else, is absolutely GENIUS for this fic. genuinely this choice makes the fic so much better. i mean ok to start off i normally hate first-person pov in fanfiction but this sort of format i like. HOWEVER that's not my main point here

this structure lets zote's personality really shine through. if it wasn't filtered like this, first of all everything would be revealed way too quickly but also the writing would lose all of its character and emotion. plus the tangents and mid-sentences corrections, the way he corrects and interrupts himself...it's all BECAUSE of how this fic is framed. i just...aaah!! i don't know how to FULLY express how much i love the way cogr is framed. just know that i think it was a perfect choice on every possible level

OH I JUST REMEMBERED!! it makes the ending possible, and holy shit the ending. it's SUCH a gutpunch to realize he's all alone, talking to nobody, and then he just...keeps on talking. i am still reeling from it as i type this ask. bravo i think this is one of the best endings to a fic i've seen, especially for a sad ending

other things i've noticed!! first of all, there is excellent use of zote's unreliable narrating for foreshadowing, as well as wonderful callbacks and parallels!! i don't remember everything 100% since i was admittedly reading pretty quickly but from what i DO remember, i'm pretty sure i could go through cogr and find a TON of good stuff like this.

one thing i noticed in particular, the way he based himself off of vessels...DELICIOUS parallels there. i don't remember everything like i said but i'm pretty sure zote says some stuff about how it was dangerous to express emotions in the nosk den? stuff like that makes the way zote chose to disguise himself as a vessel just...augh. perfection 10/10

i also LIVE for your nosk lore and worldbuilding. i don't have much to say about this i just really like worldbuilding and this is quality

i also decided to read the trivia doc and first of all. the yikes ending would have been...i want to say cruel but honestly i'm more inclined to say tragic? although cogr is already a tragedy...ooh that would be interesting analysis, although i don't really have fully formed thoughts on it yet

ON A LIGHTER NOTE, the au in the trivia doc with zote AND two siblings?? it's one of the only ways that this whole mess could go happily (although that's to be expected of a hollow knight thing tbh), and i am rotating it in my mind.

ANYWAY that's all i have to say!! or well it isn't but it's all i can think of and actually communicate understandably lol. anyway cogr is a 10/10 fic and i will be thinking about it for the rest of my life

I'M SO NORMAL ABOUT THIS ASK <-- SHE'S LYING SHE MIMED PUNCHING A WALL AND YELLED OUT LOUD "YEEEAAAAHHHH!!!!" WHILE SHE READ

I am deVOURING this I . HOUGH. Big long ask about my big long fic I must consume it so vigorously. my TTEEETH are ripping INTO THIS

OK !! 1: GOOD That you're attached to Zote now!!!!! I love hearing that I've dragged people into Hell unimaginable!!!! Fuck yeaH!!!

AND 2: hhoughHHHhhgouh ;s;;;;; hhhhg;sh. This ask is so nice I am smiling so much and giggling and kicking my feet. also the hdgKJH "It can't be THAT dark!" hdgkJH YEAH. IT. Tends to blindside people from what I've heard!!!!!!

Hhoguhhh ;;; I wish I could respond in a more cohesive manner but I am jus. Gushing . Thank youuu thank you so much I'm so normal about getting complimented

ALSO YOU DRAWING THE PARALLEL BETWEEN HIS DIGUISE BEING A VESSEL .... I kid you not I Out Loud just went YES!!! and started clapping and hooting and hollering because i"m so normal especially when my Funny Symbolism gets noticed dhKSHDGKLHG

AS for whether CoGR counts as an honest Tragedy ... obviously I would DEVOUR any analysis on it BUT From My perspective. I go with a Maaaybe ? Since tragedies are like. The downfall is brought about by the protagonist's own actions. And like. Yes! But also ? but also Sort of! I'm not sure!!!!!!

AND SIBLINGS AU YES!!!!!! That one has been developed a bit more since that trivia doc thing!!!!! I'll tag the siblings au tag in the. Tags, an u can go through what we had for it!!!!! It is indeed the only happy version of the story (with some inevitable angst still sprinkled in of course) but!! YEA!! Bronze (Zote's brother) and Silva (Zote's sister) are my beloveds for all time

OK I'm normal now. I'm so normal.Yep. Thumbsup emoji THANK YOU SO much for this ask I .will be returning to it frequently I'm sure. just so I can go EEE and flail my arms around and rip my teeth into it <33333333

[romaritimeharbor]

Hey Addi! If it’s not rude, I’d like to add on to the soft Dottore idea. I was too much of a coward to consider bringing it up myself lol

If we’re going for the Dottore’s creation idea, it could be that after working with Scara, Dottore had a separate breakthrough. He created life, something to fill the loneliness in what remains of his heart, and this new, perfect creation is better than Scaramouche could ever hope to be, he can be kind to them without being reminded of the bitter jealousy and resentment he felt with Scara all those years ago. Reader, in his eyes is his finest masterpiece, the only one he very, very quietly admit he still cares about, he stops distracting himself from his weakness, his humanity and his emotions, by only a, he’s still a monster, of course, but even il Dottore himself can’t let go of that softness entirely.

they’re uncaring as opposed to oblivious when it comes to Dottore’s actions, as why would they ever question their doting Creator’s actions? After all, everything he does is for the greater good of humanity, something neither of them are truly a part of. Their feelings towards Scara are up for discussion, whether it’s indifference spawned from his hostility, sadness that they can’t get along, or something else entirely. And this whole soft spot Dottore has for Rader? Especially in the beginning depending on where you’d like to put Reader on the timeline, fucking *infuriates* Scara, because why does he get tortured and twisted by that cruel bastard when that little thing that was created using blueprints sourced from HIM, get to go through absolutely no experiments, no cruelty. They don’t get death threats or cruel punishments. And not that he would ever admit, but who wouldn’t ask themselves why they’re being treated like that? Maybe it’s his fault, maybe he’s just not good enough, too emotional even after trying his hardest to distance himself from them. He gets to see Reader and be figuratively slapped in the face every time he sees how Dottore could act towards him, all with no real, definite answer. At least not until he becomes Wanderer. And, while Scara does have a soft spot for kids, I doubt that instinct, which is currently being brutally suppressed, would be able to top his resentment and vicious jealousy he feels towards Reader.

Although the last part of what I said lends itself more to the headcanon that I agree with, where Wanderer considered Dottore some kind of father/mentor figure, judging by how much of his personality he picked up and the mimicking among other small details.

I could also give my thoughts on Dottore picking up someone off the streets, but this is already egregiously long.

I know you were mostly going for fluff but I couldn’t resist adding some appropriate angst in regards to two of my favorite characters. I really didn’t mean to be rude to strryskies when they sent that ask, it just got me thinking and gave me the courage to send you my thoughts <3

My apologies for the poorly formatted rambles, I love you and I hope these thoughts of mine weren’t annoying!

hi bug!!!!!! it's not rude at all <3 you're welcome to add onto any thoughts i talk about if they inspire you!

UGH THIS IS SO INSANELY REAL AUGH the reader is so infinitely perfect in ways that scaramouche never was and never could be. there's always a weird, fond tenderness about dottore when he speaks to them, teaches them, instructs them (and something tells me he knows it would piss scaramouche off; i can see dottore purposefully being that way to them in front of scara just to see what happens). and why should they care what happens to scara, to dottore's other subjects? sorry you guys just aren't as good as they are 🤷‍♀️ sucks to be a failure of an experiment. couldn't be them. /hj /lh but really. they have little to no reason to care--it is not their place to question the morality and ethics what their beloved creator, their beloved father, does. anyways, i'm sure they would take on a trait similar to his calculated madness as they learn from him, so the nature of his experiments ultimately wouldn't bother them either way.

(i think there's something to be said about how kindness breeds greater loyalty; scaring people into obedience isn't particularly effective. the reader, who has only ever been treated lovingly and has only ever been doted on by the doctor, wouldn't be keen on disobeying him regardless. how do you betray someone who has only ever loved you? you don't. no appeal to ethics or morality would get through to them, i think. people like scara and collei, who suffered at his hand, would naturally be more willing to act out. but the reader? nah. they don't give a shit. that's their father, their creator. nothing you say will convince them that they should be bothered by his actions.)

dottore has long since lost his humanity, and they are only an imitation of human life. both could perhaps be said to be monsters hiding in human skin. so, what dottore does to humanity... well. there's plenty of reasons why they're uncaring, but they also don't care because they are not a part of humanity. they exist outside of that realm. so it really just doesn't matter to them.

their feelings towards scara, i think, could be some blend of indifference and disappointment, perhaps. because scara also exists outside the realm of humanity, so why does he keep acting like a helpless little human? it's something they can't really fathom, even at a young age. they're indifferent because he seems to downright hate them and their disappointed because he's just like them, but he's so... emotional. so human. it's weird to them. how is a doll so impossibly and so infinitely human? it is so, so strange to them.

i do think that when he becomes the wanderer, he might come to some sort of conclusion as to what makes him and the reader so different, and it may very well just boil down to who they were raised and surrounded by in their youths. scaramouche, who was surrounded by humans and humanity, versus the reader, surrounded by monsters with bared fangs (though never in their direction). doesn't change much about how he feels about them, though. he still hates them so so so much. doesn't matter how young they are; being in the skin of a child does not change what hides underneath.

but i definitely agree with that! i think scaramouche viewed him in that type of way. if you want to send more thoughts, you are more than welcome to do so!!!! i would love to read them <3

again, there is nothing to apologize for!!!!! love you too, and i wasn't, don't worry!!! i love getting these types of asks heheh

[eirian]

p sure i mentioned this in a different ramble post but auuughhh. im wayyyy to impatient with one way dream LOL. i keep expecting it to be like mirrors and just Happen Very Quickly but with mirrors i was so obsessed w making ocs to the point of where the story very easily fell into place. but with owd, my oc creation process is very slow--i havent even DESIGNED some of the MAIN CAST... augh

i just really really really wanna start one way dream's comic. and while i could just go ahead and start it by calling it done irt story length and just make a sequel or something, or add onto it later, im just like. idk. i feel weird not having a Full Story planned out. WHICH IS ALSO A THING I KINDA WANNA GET OVER bc i KNOW sonic's (and a lot of other comics') story was not COMPLETELY planned out from the beginning. its gone on too long for that to be a thing. so i could just, keep the comic perpetually open, honestly

the problem with that though, and the reason why i dont feel like i can do it, is because i have certain character arcs that Do End. like, nocturne's and heolstor's for example. thatd be like if they just ended dr. eggman's and shadow's stories. the series would be over!!!

so i feel like i want to bulk up the story a BIT more before i can make the comic real. but...also...i want to do the comic so bad LOL so i dont know what to do. rahhh rahhhhh

[fishedeyelenz]

*sniffles* the…..*sobbing* the gentle ask…..*wipes nose on sleeve* ugh with Billy I just…*cries into hands*

Hnnnng oh Billy….how I long to be gentle with him!! I’m a very meek person, I’m very slow and cautious….so, I’m very good at being gentle, not to mention I bloody love being gentle and soft! And there’s this thing I want to do with Billy SO SO SO SO BADLY!!! Okay so, growing up and stuff, my mama would hold us or my cousins and she would just gently ever so softly, run her fingers all over our faces to soothe us and to help us fall asleep, she rub her finger up our nose bridge and follow our eyebrows and then barely run her fingers down our face and it’s like a spell lol. And even now, I’m twenty four, but she still does that to me when I’m in the hospital and having a rough go of it (I’m in the hospital a lot lol) and it’s just….TERRIBLY nice.

I desperately long to do that to Billy!!! I just wanna…slowly, and quietly, and warmly, just get cozy in bed with him, I want to make him feel safe, and I would just happily run my fingers in his face, and I would hope it would just, make him melt, like a kitten when you start to pet them and they close their eyes and lean into it and start purring!! I think one of the reasons I would love to do that with him, is cause I love animals terribly, I love being very soft and slow, and winning their trust, and it’s so pure and sweet when they feel safe around you, and Billy reminds me of that, like a feral scared animal used to kids running after him and kicking him for fun, like he didn’t even know it was possibly a human could touch him without hurting him, let alone so sweetly and lovingly and now he’s purring and feels utterly at peace and follows you cause now he’s addicted!! I mean, isn’t that just the sweetest? Isn’t that the most gentle of things? A soul trusting you so, feeling at home with you, unashamed of affection? I mean…..*starts crying again* ooooooooooogghh

(sorry for replying so late, was revising and editing a fic of mine. thank you for your patience anon)

MY MOTHER DID THAT TO ME TOO WHEN I WAS VERY LITTLE, THE FUCK!!!! I think Billy would love having someone doing that to him, to get to be so vulnerable with someone. Of course, it would take a long time for the partner to get to that point, as you said, he never knew such kindness and fear of other people still takes over him frequently... but when he gets to that point, gets in those moods, as you perfectly put it, he would be addicted. He would want nothing more then your touch and your soothing and just augh!!! so soft! and ofc he would purr.... cat boy.

I imagine it would take months of you two knowing each other for you to do this, and in the comfort of your bedroom you would soothe him after a very hard day, his face illuminated by lamplight. And he would start breaking down after a few caresses, but if you tried to pull away, he would grab your hand and put it back to his face, whispering and mumbling and whimpering for more. And like that, till he falls asleep.

There isn't really that much more I can add, you put it perfectly in your ask, and it made me very soft when I read it <3 Sorry to hear about your stints at the hospital, I truly wish you all the luck and health. And truly, human connection as you described, is just what everyone needs, even fucked up attic men </3 I'm glad you have someone to comfort you <3

Thank you for sending in the ask, and good luck to you!!

[ink-flavored]

💖⛈️🙌🎁 for the sex and kink writers questions :3

thank u! <33 after a long day of airplane i am excited to relax and talk about sex. as you do.

💖 What’s your favorite part about writing sex scenes?

I love how much subtle meaning you can pack into sex scenes and teach your audience about the characters without them even realizing it. I guess you could say this about any kind of writing, but writing sex is fun for me because it's often pulling double- or even triple-duty as eroticism, characterization, and/or a theme of the story. It's sexy on the surface, and you can enjoy it like that and nothing else, but (at least the way I write sex) there's always another layer you can peel back to enjoy it on a deeper (haha) level. It rules. And metaphors make sex even more sexy tbh

⛈️ What’s the most difficult part about writing sex for you?

I always get way too in my head about it. I am always over-thinking the positions, or trying to come up with new ways to say "thrust", or counting how many times I say "cock" or something. It's not a big deal, but I make it a big deal.

Really, it's the "how to describe this repetitive action in a sexy way for the 5th time" that slows me down. I'm working on it by not describing everything so closely, but I am unfortunately in love with describing everything very closely.

🙌 What is, in your opinion, the best sex scene you’ve ever written? Best is subjective here—sexiest, most emotional, well-written, etc. It means anything you want it to mean!

Man, this is a tough one. I feel like every time I write a sex scene I get better at it, but there are definitely ones I like better than others. But also I like them for different reasons. augh why did I add this question

At time of writing, I am going to choose the Body Writing prompt from Kinktober 2023. Not only because I was excited to write it, and I think I did a good job, but because I think the things they write on each other, and how they react, are pretty demonstrative of their relationship. But tbh I could have chosen any of the Kinktober prompts, I really enjoyed doing that challenge. I think it's going to help me when I write the plot-relevant sex in the book.

🎁 If you could give one piece of advice about writing sex and/or kink to your fellow writers, what would it be?

A lot of people, I feel, worry that writing sex is something Different from writing other things, or it requires an Inherent Skill. It isn't and it doesn't. You can just write sex. It's just another kind of scene you can write, like fight scenes or compelling character drama. Sure, your first try won't be as good as people who've been writing sex for 10+ years. Maybe it's hard to get across the hotness in your head into words on the page at first. The only way you can improve that is practice.

And! Bonus advice! You can just write things you think are hot! I know I had a whole rant about how sex scenes can be meaningful and metaphorical, but they don't have to be! Do whatever you want forever!

[try out my sex & kink writing ask game]

[brown-little-robin]

Writers Truth & Dare asks:

🪐 ⇢ name three good things going on in your life right now

🔪 ⇢ what's the weirdest topic you researched for a writing project?

❄️ ⇢ what's your dream theme/plot for a fic, and who would write it best?

🏜️ ⇢ what's your favourite type of comment to receive on your work?

🦋 ⇢ share something that has been on your heart and mind lately 

🪲 ⇢ add 50 words to your current wip and share the paragraph here

hi thank you!! nice questions!

❄️ ⇢ what's your dream theme/plot for a fic, and who would write it best?

I consistently adore fics where people who are bad at being functional human beings but (critically) just good enough at functioning that they fly under the radar for a while—have to learn what "living" and even "thriving" look like. Preferably with messy breakdowns and even messier rebuilding processes. Who would write it best? AUGH, I have multiple favorite authors and can't honestly choose just one, BUT. @phantomrose96 is doing like. THE absolute exemplary job of a longfic with a core theme of healing, to me, in A Breach of Trust. (if you're seeing this, sorry for tagging you in a post that's mostly about me. I talk about ABoT regularly and I thought I'd tag you this time. ok love your work bye)

🪐 ⇢ name three good things going on in your life right now

I'm on spring break!! I get to be with my family for five days!

Slowly but surely, I'm learning Japanese, and it's giving me SO much enrichment you have no idea. not only does it make anime and manga way more interesting, it's also just...... such a complex language and culture to try to immerse myself in. I could work on this for a lifetime and never master it. what a gift.

I'm in a creative writing: worldbuilding class and it's fabulous. I get to make powerpoints about the bureaucracy of portal spirit travel as homework. incredible

🔪 ⇢ what's the weirdest topic you researched for a writing project?

Hmmmmm, that's hard...... the most esoteric might be the symbolic meanings of different colors and patterns of koi! Black represents fatherhood + masculinity and red represents motherhood + femininity, in case you were wondering :}

🏜️ ⇢ what's your favourite type of comment to receive on your work?

ohhhhhhhh man ok I must preface this with: I love all of them. But for me, in terms of sheer "yay!!" emotions, it's a three-way tie between:

incoherent screaming and/or emojis

intellectual/thematic analysis of one or more specific moments from the chapter

and the rare but extraordinarily powerful "hey your fic made me go get diagnosed with something so uhhhhh thanks I guess"

🦋 ⇢ share something that has been on your heart and mind lately

well. not to get too personal, but—I've been trying to be nicer to myself by not making every day into a "failure" versus "success" scenario. It's a stupid long, hard process to unlearn that, because that was a coping mechanism that got me through a lot of teenage and young adult years, but I'm working on it. and it feels better, if less clear-cut, to do things out of love or joy or even logic than out of.... the kind of desperate, shameful... survival mentality, of thinking every day HAS to be categorized into a success or a failure.

🪲 ⇢ add 50 words to your current wip and share the paragraph here

I never do these games but for you, Rebekah, I'll do it. here goes.

ok I've written on my current wip but I'm not comfortable sharing because the writing is Not Settled Enough Yet. so you'll just have to trust me <3

Still taking asks from this list! but if I get another rollerblades I make no promises lol

[thewriterowl]

Now for the hard question: in your top 10 movie franchises list add in ALL of the Star Wars and Lord of the Rings movies in order of favorites.

Oh you have to ask the hard questions! Ok, let me see...in order for Star Wars:

Empire Strikes Back -- it is just such a good movie with some iconic Luke looks and Daddy-Son moments. It's so good and him with grandpa-Yoda is so cute. I also love how we see this lead up into Luke's change of perspective with everything.

Return of the Jedi -- Also great Luke and Daddy-Son moments. I think it barely inches over New Hope simply because I got to see it again on the 40th re-release in theaters and I was feral over how Luke looked. Also, loved the fighting scenes and we get Lando. I also happen to love the Ewoks.

New Hope -- May actually be in second place once RoJ-theater release gives me peace (need another few months). But this Luke is just so pure and whiny and I want to put him in my pocket forever and ever and ever. (let me throw this Luke at Din omg)

Revenge of the Sith -- UGH just UGH so god. Anakin is so hot in this and so messed up and this lead up is just fantastic and wonderful and absolutely tragic.

Rogue One -- I mean, how could I not adore this? It is absolutely AMAZING. Just heartbreaking with amazing graphics, awesome characters, and is only getting better thanks to the Andor series.

The Force Awakens -- Honestly, I adored this movie so much. It wasn't perfect, it needed more Luke and the original trio, but it had so much potential. I just thought it was leading up to something amazing and the memes Mark gave us after left me excited and laughing for a long time.

The Phantom Menace -- Part of this is spite-love for young Anakin and Jar Jar Binks; both deserve better. But honestly, I have rewatched this a few times recently and was all "this is actually great? why the hate?"

Attack of the Clones -- Honestly, I need to rewatch this again. It's just here cause I haven't rewatched it in a while and i don't know why. We get Jango! We get the Clones! Baby Boba! The SAND-QUOTE! Obi-Wan's mullet! The lead up to the Clone War series! Badass Yoda! Yeah, gotta do a re-watch.

Solo -- Again, i actually really enjoyed the movie. It wasn't the best but it wasn't bad. Honestly, there were just some weird choices for some story movements and character interactions but other than that? It was good. I need to rewatch it honestly.

The Last Jedi -- I hate, hate, hate what they did to my Luke. If they were going to go this route with him I'd understand 100% because it would make sense for him to to have so much PTSD and just be burnt out and so hurt (still, i think we have enough of this and deserve older heroes that are still full of hope and silly and are kind). But the execution and how he is made to be a loser is just wrong. There were also some other scenes and interactions that were "uh...no?" but the fight scenes were great, Po was great, I loved Rose, I loved Finn's story and realization. It was just really wonky, disjointed from what we were getting before, and I will keep my head-cannon Luke in my claws.

The Rise of Skywalker -- I...didn't like it. I saw it twice and actually checked the time till I could go home often (only have done that with like two other movies). It was so awkward, the dialogue was poor, the actors seemed done, there was so many random new stories thrown in at last second, characters were thrown away, "Palpatine somehow returned?" like...what??? It was just lame. Such a lame, lame ending. The OT-trio and the new trio deserved so much better. It needs a re-do.

Now for the Lord of the Rings!:

The Fellowship of the Ring -- Even though it wasn't the most action packed, what it sparked, how good it was...just AUGH perfection. I adore this movie so much.

The Two Towers -- Incredible, amazing, also perfect. Great action, all the characters are given their due-time (with Legolas making faces). I love it.

Return of the King -- AMAZING ENDING. The wraps up is just...the moments of suffering and the release. The HAPPINESS. How ever gets what they deserve (tho RIP Boromir) just adore it so much.

The Desolation of Smaug -- PERFECT. Except for maybe some off CGI, this movie was amazing. So much Bagginshield, the intense cliffhanger, the Arkenstone....it was so good. I adored this movie so much!

An Unexpected Journey -- I adore Bilbo. I love him so much. And how this opened up Bagginshield just how could I not adore it??

Battle of the Five Armies -- I didn't like it the first time I watched it. But a few more times I was "huh, actually, it's not bad!" It honestly should've been loads better. There were so many wonky decisions and everything that happened did not feel like it met up with the end of a trilogy. But the end....how everyone survived! Can you believe that there was absolutely NO HEARTBREAK WHAT'SO'EVER??