#dia does comics

[pandadrake]

idk some guy and another younger guy from the comics.

I temporarily lost my ability to ink so I decided to try something small and easy. Then ended up scribbling a bunch of other things.

Gabriel's outfit is pretty much a mash of his comic outfit and a jacket taken directly from ATSV concept art of 2099 fashion by Jesus Alonso Inglesias. I don't like coloring, but if I did I would make it really bright and obnoxious.

My impression is that Miguel's civvie fit is really drab and baggy by 2099 standards and is meant to hide his body shape. Either way it's a pretty funny contrast to his other fit which is skin-tight, bright red & blue and has all his muscles drawn in.

Miguel in the comics has organic webs which give him the power of being nasty-ass and leaving gross sticky stuff on everything he touches. I guess this is the inspiration for the top image (it's time stamped)

[marstectomy]

spiderzura for the funsies.

I think yoshiko would be like the friend sidekick that eventually finds out and ruby would be the love interest and dia is the villain born from resentment, and it's all very silly and funny and cliche haha

[findmeabowlofundertale]

I keep doing these I can’t stop

THESE TWO ARE SO STUPID. Absolutely an idiot couple. (I just need to buckle down and GET THERE in the actual FIC.)

text post doodles: [part 1], [part 2], [part 3]

[stevelieber]

Thoughts on giving critiques to comics artists.

Seeing lots of discussion from students about sour experiences with an unhelpful art teacher, so here's a long, long post about giving critiques.

NB: I have no formal training as a teacher, but I was a student, and I've spent decades giving artists feedback on their work.

When someone brings me a portfolio, I like to establish my limitations & clarify my perspective. My work is firmly rooted in traditional US comics storytelling (i.e., not manga or art-comics.) I can give feedback on other approaches but they should know where I’m coming from.

“We've only got a little time for this, so I'm going to spend that time focusing on things to correct. That doesn't mean you're doing everything wrong, or that there’s nothing good here, but it’ll be more helpful if I identify some problems and show you how to fix them.”

Why? Because for many young artists their entire sense of self worth is wrapped up in being good at what they do. (It was for me!) In school they were probably the best artist in their peer group. But now if they're hoping to turn pro, they’re at the bottom.

Sometimes you know what’s up when you see page 1, but try to keep an open mind. Some build their portfolios by sticking new pages at the back & don’t weed out the old stuff up front, so the work gets better as you go. When it’s like that I ask: “Show me your best 8 pages.”

I ask questions: "What's the goal? Do you want to be hired to work on someone else's project, or to get the story you're showing me here published?"

If 1, I steer towards a portfolio that'll showcase hirable skills. If 2, I look for what tweaks will make that particular story more effective.

"Do you have teachers giving you regular feedback? What are they telling you?" Sometimes a student is getting bad advice. In cases like that, I'll do my best to be extra clear WHY I'm giving them advice that's 180 degrees from what they've been hearing.

“What artists are you looking at? Is there someone you admire or try to emulate?” This often helps me understand choices they're making, and I can sometimes incorporate things those artists do into my suggestions.

I ask myself questions about what I’m seeing. First: Is there a narrative? If not, I make it 100% clear I'm not speaking as any sort of expert. I'm good at critiquing storytelling, but don't have anywhere near as much to offer illustrators or designers.

Can I follow the story? Or am I confused about what's going on? Are the characters and settings drawn consistently? If not, is the artist at least making use of tags (distinctive clothing, hair etc.) to keep the characters recognizable?

Does the artist demonstrate a good command of basic academic drawing? If not, Do I think they need it? Do I focus on "how to draw" or on "what to do when you can't draw?" Is the artist putting the viewer’s eye where it needs to be to tell the story effectively?

(At this point I’m usually doing little doodles to go with my instructions. I scribble out ugly little 5 second diagrams that I hope will clarify what I’m talking about. Or they might make me seem demented. Hard to say!)

Is the artist making choices that are creating more work than necessary? Is there a particular weakness? I once spoke to an artist with a portfolio full of great work when he was drawing animals and monsters, but his humans were amateurish in comparison. I spent that critique talking about drawing people.

A crit can be a grab bag. In addition to big-picture advice, I'll point out tangencies, violations of the 180-degree rule, wonky anatomy, weird perspective, places where the artist neglected to do important research, odd choices in how they spotted black, whatever catches my eye.

I also try to make a point of defining the terms, so that jargon like “tangency,” “180-degree rule,” and “spotting black” don't go over their heads. Find simple, concrete ways to talk about these things, & clarify why it's a problem when they aren't done correctly. Draw diagrams!

Recognize that even a perfectly phrased explanation might not sink in. Some lessons can only be learned when a student is ready, and it might take a year or two of work before they can understand what you were saying. It's good to plant seeds.

Are there other artists who are particularly good at solving the problems the student is trying to solve? I steer them towards that artist's work. And I always recommend life drawing & the use of reference to give work variety and authority.

Despite what I said earlier about focusing on what's wrong, I try at the end to find something encouraging to say. And if I’ve really piled on the criticism, I emphasize that I only spent the time and energy to do so because I take their efforts seriously.

If I've done my job right, they'll leave my table with tools to make their work better. And maybe in a few years they'll be looking at some younger artist's work, surprised to discover just how much you can learn when you're asked to teach.

[spiderpussinc]

are the 2099 comics THAT bad in terms of racism plus other weird writing choices??? i'm starved for miguel content and would like to read the original comic run but i keep seeing the debate of the original comics being problematic and/or downright just BAD bad (not to mention miguel is supposed to have mexican heritage but he's straight up a white redhead lol)

Some people may disagree but speaking as a latinx writer; it's bad because it is racist, yes! On multiple fronts!! And beyond that, it's also bad as a complete failure of comics structure and compelling narrative.

Longpost, on readmore;

I say this as a long-time capeshit reader, as politely as possible: Miguel's comics are a *paycheck* book. As in; a series a writer does monthly to be paid for it, but with middling aspirations and downright negative characterization depending on where their mood is.

The first few issues of his 1992 run are relatively complete and well-balanced, may even trick you into thinking this story is going somewhere; but that's only because they're the /character pitch./ Ill skip to the end and tell you upfront. That 1992 series ends with the implosion of the whole "2099" line of comics (an universe that included other books, like ghost rider, doom, etc, by other writers) due to dwindling public interest and mass cancellations. The end of that run is basically meaningless, since the whole thing got retconned - and even before that a guest writer had came in and made mistaken character reveals pdavid wasnt happy with and wanted to erase before the finale. The event book that wrapped up that universe was unironically, literally called -- "2099: Manifest Destiny."

Now, I don't like Peter David's writing. I think he's obsessed with the idea of building harems out of his female characters (when he's not fridging them, or making them act ~crazy~ to further alienate them from the protagonist) and it is the kind of grueling, joyless reading experience I can only describe as making you feel Oily Inside. This goes as far as multiple stalking plotlines, the inclusion of a guest appearance from AU s/x slaver Hulk in later years, Miguel's mother being strongly implied to have been forced into conceiving him by his real dad who's the evil CEO of alchemax, general torture painporn. His broader supporting cast is so interchangeable and disposable that they were literally disposed of.

In terms of the racism; I have mentioned how he uses cultures as tokens and does 0 research whatsoever. The way it feels and the way it is deployed is through a lens of Exoticism - tourism. Miguels suit is allegedly "a dia de los muertos costume" b/c pdavid seems to think that holiday is mexican halloween. In the orig book, you'll see plenty of broken japanese and stereotypical orientalist caricatures - after killing his first love interest, pdavid introduces a japanese girl who is unironically, literally named "Xina" (that pretends to be chinese on occasion) to fill in the vacant role. Miguel himself falls right into all the usual latino stereotypes — short tempered, drug addict, sex magnet "latin lover" (this last one also applied to his brother Gabriel, who for the longest time is characterized by just Going Through A Lot Of Girlfriends). And it's kind of insane bc he's still being drawn as a deeply deeply white man, but not even that takes off the burden of the racial microagressions!!! They're the only times pdavid seems to remember that heritage! Then there's the commemorative hanging page. Since you mention the redheadedness; thats another insane thing to me. He has 0% of irish in him. His dad is Blond. Who is this man?

Most of the info in the 2099 run is either revealed to be a lie midway thru (miguel is not mr o'hara's son, nor addicted to rapture) or completely retconned away to be rewritten in new runs. Different writers have tried to come in and do miguel in other team/event books but frankly nothing stands out and most of them get marked as alternate-miguels. Unfortunately, every time marvel decided to give another shot at spider-man 2099 they also brought pdavid back. The newer books were never a success, and theyre just as filled w/ the garbage i mentioned earlier (wow! Steampunk spider-woman is given to pdavid for *ONE* issue and instantly tonguekisses gabriel before leaving, so novel. More fridging ensues. Stalking. Etc.) 2099 as an *universe* has been retconned so many times Nothing is consistent and Nothing is set on stone and frankly i think they should make it an AU separate from main canon and build a whole new world already.

The art in the 2015 + runs consists mostly of tracing, and more of that oily weird feeling applied to fem chars. Perhaps you have noticed in this entire hate review have never once spoken about Miguel's heroic plots and memorable villains --- he has none. At least nothing I can remember or distinguish. (Interchangeable, disposable, etc) There is a vague inkling of "this is an anti-stabilishment spiderman, he fights against The Public Eye, the Corporation Cops!" at the start but much like his cultural illiteracy pdavid has no real insightful politics commentary, so that dissolves into the background in time. Its all buzzwords. All of his plotlines are solved in circuitous or soap operaish extradrama ways; and while some of this is present in other superhero comics, what stands out to me MOST is how utterly fucking joyless Miguel's comics are. It's like going through a slog on obligation. They genuinely gave me a headache every time.

ATSV does a great job of reinventing Miguel and rebuilding the parts of him that showed real promise. Being a different tone-swapped spiderman, futuristic, being more on the tech-science side of crime fighting. Him being a single dad with a daughter is also new. (And he is single! There is no singular mention of marriage or a wife anywhere, he's a geneticist, multiple spider-men we see in this movie were literal clones made in tubes - i am fond of the idea he's a transmasc dad but even if you think he's cis he could have made that baby himself. Adoption is also always there.) I think its very clear ATSV didn't want to bring any of pdavids major weird shit w fem chars to the big screen on the hopes that miguel gets rebooted eventually. I think he's gay. Nobody can prove me wrong.

On that note, Steve Orlando (queer writer, also wrote for DC's midnighter/apollo) did some of the latest 2022/2023 Miguel miniseries. Another reboot! Those were "2099: Exodus" and "Spider-man 2099: Dark Genesis" - i think its campier/trying to tackle superhero plots more head on and trying to do something wide wacky cast focused at Marvel's personal request, but Miguel's future is very up in the air rn. I do really hope they reboot him into something closer to ATSV with latines at the center soon.

What I always reccomend for people curious abt miguel: read his first 3ish 1992 issues, get a general feel and close the book as soon as you feel annoyed. It won't get better. Remember none of it is canon nor has been relevant in over two decades. If you want to know the wider context of his messy chronology, check out some of the 2099 "all comics" type of youtube videos, theres some pretty easy to digest summarizations if u dont wanna waste ur time reading stuff that just got retconned again lol. Most writers now are operating on vibes and that is a freedom you should also allow yourself in your own fanwork.

Putting his panels out of context can be very funny though. (For further curiosity or tangents, there's always my meta tag)

[phoenix-king-ozai]

The Ozai, Ursa, & Ikem romance debacle…

I truly honestly hope that the Netflix adaptation doesn’t adapt The Search when it comes to Ozai and Ursa’s relationship. Which, thank Agni seems not to fully be the case. It seems that LA Ozai does care for Ursa and his family members, even Zuko. He show respect to Lu Ten and Iroh and even cried when burning Zuko. He even mentioned the “soft” mother Ursa when talking to Zuko and referenced her when saying “don’t talk to me about loss” Showing that he had feeling for her.

The Search is very poorly written and turn Ozai into a very piss-poor caricature of an evil abusive bad man for no good or compelling reason yet even fails to deliver on that interpretation of Ozai and Ursa’s complex and compelling relationship.

This song is basically the Urzai relationship in the ATLA comics!

If The Search wanted to turn Ozai into a compelling, vicious, dangerous, and cruel monstrous villain in Ursa’s and our own eyes. Then why didn’t Yang have Ozai kill Ikem when he THREATENED his father, Fire Lord’s Azulon life in defiance due to his love for Ursa? Yet, for some reason, he had Ozai spare Ikem’s life due to Ursa's “love” for Ozai which Ozai knows is a blatant lie and stupidly desperate!

The realistic and emotionally heart-wrenching scenario would be for Ozai to march towards Ikem, Ursa tries to stop Ozai, however Ozai scarred Ursa’s wrist by burning her via firebending and then backhanded her causing her lip to bleed. Then proceed to execute Ikem by immolation in front of Ursa’s very eyes. This very demented, sinister, vile, and cruel brutal punishment for DARING to raise his hand against Fire Lord Azulon, Fire Prince Ozai, and the Fire Sages wishes would had created a compelling narrative regarding Ursa having complete and justified loathing of her betroth Ozai.

It was extremely foolish, idiotic, unreasonable, and unrealistic to have a no-named peasant like Ikem, who is not a firebender, attack the royal carriage and guards no matter how brave and noble his affection and intentions were regarding the integrity of his childhood love. Fire Lord Azulon and Fire Prince Ozai probably should have immediately immolated Ikem and his familial relations due to his affront against the Fire Lord and his son. Trying to stand up against the authoritarian, oppressive, violent, and vicious absolute monarchical regime of Fire Lord Azulon and Fire Prince Ozai should have come with immense consequences just like the fire nation rebels in Episode 3: Omashu in NATLA.

Zuko mentions that Ozai and Ursa’s along with their family used to be happy, and we saw that in Zuko's flashbacks. Yang, just decided to make Ursa a victim because in his mind: URSA WOMAN, OZAI BAD MAN, SHE MUST BE HELD, HOSTAGE!!! While Ozai and Ursa arrange marriage does make sense and was confirmed by the creators. It doesn't mean that Ozai and Ursa relationship was ALWAYS BAD, or SHE WAS KIDNAPPED! Plus, the Urzai relationship is quite normal in the antiquity of Asian societies that the Fire Nation is based on aka Shogunates of Japan and Imperial Chinese Dynasties!!!

Personally, I am afraid that the ATLA comics are going to screw up the Fire Nation Royal Family Characterization and Dynamics along with making them one-dimensional especially Ozai and Azulon. They might legit have Azulon and Ozai be abusive and beat Ilah and Ursa. I'm so doomer blackpilled regarding ATLA comics considering the Serach. This is probably why the comic writers ignore making a comic Pre-Zuko Alone flashbacks.

Ozai's harshness and ruthless regarding Zuko has nothing to do with Ursa or Ikem forbidden love! Ozai wants Zuko and Azula to both prove themselves. Ozai doesn't favor Zuko or Azula. It is about which child will succeed Sozin, Azulon, and his legacy as future Fire Lord. In fact, Ozai doesn't want Zuko or Azula to think that they are the “favorite” child. He wants Azula and Zuko to improve through competition. Because of the “only the greatest of pressures can forge diamonds” & “steel sharpen steel” mentality. Ozai has the mentality of an imperialist warlord. Ozai isn't trying to be the world's most loving and caring father but rather continue and build upon a powerful and dominant legacy that his forefathers had created before him. He wants Zuko & Azula to be cold, ruthless, heartless, vicious, and brutal imperialistic warmongers like him (Ozai), his father (Azulon), and his grandfather (Sozin).

[moth--blood]

something i might make a comic of or write out is little Satan absolutely hating the castle when they all first got to the devildom. everyone was super depressed and lucifer was in his suck-up arc so he's overworking, no one's really talking to him and the twins won't even look at him

so naturally the little dude decides its the castles fault. and naturally he makes it his mission to destroy literally whatever he can so that the twins wont hate him anymore or so asmo won't look at him so sadly. Lucifer is mortified and diavolo thinks its adorable

theres some point during this little episode where Lucifer brings tan to a dia-meeting with him because the others couldn't watch him, and THAT is the day little tan decides he hates Diavolo too. he's sitting and listening in on the conversation and although he doesn't understand anything that's being said what he does understand are lucifers partially-shared emotions. he does understand his dad is stressed as fuck talking to this random tall man and so naturally he is also now an enemy. and it makes sense, it is his castle

little satan makes a habit of trying to bite diavolo at any given opportunity. think a cat biting and doing that kick thing they do when they're playing, except its satan on diavolos entire arm

lucifer is still mortified, dia still thinks its really sweet

[writteninlunarlight-years]

Hi! can i get a match up for obey me?

Gender: Female

Pronouns: She/her

Sexuality: straight

Appearance: Pretty tall standing at 5’8 or 172 cm. I have brown hair with highlights. I mostly dress and do makeup in the style of trad goth. I have blue eyes

(MBTI &/or Engram if you would like to take the tests and add it) : INTJ

Personality: I’m more reserved. I don’t like to be around people much usually because most people in my area do bad things. I don’t mind social interactions though. I can be extroverted when with the right people. I have a low social battery and can be known to sort of zone out or want to leave places after a bit. I have adhd so if someone does get me talking about one of my interests I will be very excited and talk for a longer period of time. I also tend to be very paranoid due to personal matters.

Likes (at least like three things): Horror movies, cars, baby food, ice skating, sewing, acting, comics (specifically walking dead), reading, learning new things, music (goth music on top), films and tv shows in general, and men (lol)

Dislikes (at least three things): coffee, waking up early, and people who start drama and do bad things

Extra fun fact (this is about whoever you are describing to me): I’m a professional scare actor and I also do theatre acting.

~~~~~ MATCHUP ~~~~~

Obey Me!

Barbatos

~~~~~ HEADCANONS ~~~~~

Barbatos was a quiet man who kept to himself a lot. He preferred to associate himself only with Dia and Lucifer, though the other brothers came and went on that list of people he would deal with.

When you came into his life, he was skeptical. Dia had set you two up on a date since you were both entirely withdrawn.

After the date though he did seek you out again if only to hear you talk about your interests, you had a glow about you when you were enjoying something.

As time passed, Barbatos learned more of your tics and traits; at social gatherings, he would find an excuse for you to leave or help you plan the most direct way to get out of something.

Where you were controlled chaos for Barbatos, he was what kept you organized and sane.

When he visited the House of Lamentation to deliver news to Lucifer, he would stop by your room to talk briefly.

Barbatos really liked your style. It suited you, and he felt he could compliment you.

This man is very analytical and always looks for the best possible outcome.

Once you two were dating, he had even more of an excuse to take care of you and assist you in all manners of life. He even took on learning how to do your makeup for you.

~~~~~ BLURB ~~~~~

One of Dia's balls was in full swing, the music loud, and so many bodies crammed into a room. You were growing tired and restless, not liking all the close contact. As you began to overthink and panic about your escape, your partner appeared next to you. Barbatos extended his arm and helped guide you close to a balcony. The fresh air sounded nice, way nicer than everything in there. "I am sorry, dear, I can't help you escape yet; Dia plans to showcase all exchange students here shortly." You nodded briefly, just happy to know he did care about you.

As the music died into a slow dance, you turned to look at Barbatos, who was already staring off into the distance. He wasn't needed now; Dia was handling the event well, so this extra moment with you could exist. When he felt your eyes on him, he turned and picked up on the music. Extending his hand to you, he gracefully began to walk you around the balcony in a waltz. As you two danced, you felt light and at ease, Barbatos never judged you and always wanted to ensure you were comfortable.

Once the music ended, Barbatos bowed and took his leave, not before reminding you to come in soon for the speech. When you heard Dia speaking, you walked in and immediately found a spot next to Barbatos. Once the ceremony and the speech were done, Barbatos had a hand on the small of your back, helping lead you out of the crowded hall. Once at the entrance of the castel he spoke, "Remember to stick to the lit roads on your way back, as soon as we finish politics with the other demons I will come and visit you at the House of Lamentation." You smiled and decided to grace his cheek with a kiss. Barbatos never let his smile leave his face for the rest of the night.

~~~~~ EXTRA ~~~~~

(It was raining in the Devildom. Everyone was having a big slumber party at the castle. Everyone was in small groups. You and Barbatos were huddled in a corner, looking over your lines for a play that the school would be hosting.)

Barbatos: No, you should say it more like this.

Y/N: I could, but what about here? The character is obviously feeling sad where. If I said it like that, I would sound indifferent.

Barbatos: Why would that matter, love?

Y/N: Well, Barbatos, let's say I was on the verge of death. Would you sound sad and distraught or just indifferent?

Barbatos: Ah, I see, I would sound sad. However, this is a close friend who is dying, not a lover, and I can tell you for sure if any of the brothers were dying, I would be indifferent.

Mammon, Asmodeus, Leviathan, and Satan: HEY!

Lucifer: Dia, when has Barbatos ever been that happy?

Diavolo: I am the best matchmaker, aren't I? Maybe I should do you next.

[hepbaestus]

The light is what guides you home, the warmth is what keeps you there - 03/05/24

Day 3 of Hideduo Kiss Week Event by LazyCat

Day 3 prompt: Smol Peck

1.0k words|stardew valley au| no TW's apply| ao3 link|

Pac's late for work and he doesn't want to leave the warmth of his bed where he and his husband sleep. But he has to. There's a small shake up in the monotonous cycle of his work; a couple visitors pop in to see him and they brighten up his day.

fic underneath the read more

Faint rays of light illuminated the otherwise dark room, two figures lay sleeping on the bed, not disturbed by the light. A harsh sound coming from a phone on the left bedside table causes one of them to rouse slightly, having been jolted out of the comfort of his sleep by the alarm. Shifting on the bed, Pac lifts his head up from Fit’s chest and moves his arm, reaching out to stop the sound, only to realise that he’s late for work. Fit mumbles slightly as the loss of weight on his chest, before rolling over onto his front and falling back into the depths of sleep.

He falls almost comically out of bed and onto the floor, disturbing his husband Fit and newborn child Rosa who were sleeping in the same room. He stays flat on the floor before coming to the same conclusion that he had had just moments ago and rises quickly once more, grabbing his work uniform and rushing to the ensuite bathroom to get ready for his double shift at Joja Mart.

Fit mumbles once more as the warmth of Pac’s body leaves the bed, trying to burrow deeper into the pillow, arm reaching out in an attempt to find Pac. Pac returns to see Fit’s reaction, before sitting on the edge of the bed, putting on his shoes. Fit wakes slightly once more, turns his head towards Pac.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

“Bom dia, Fitch, I’ve got to go to work so I’ll see you later, yeah?” Pac, having checked that he’d buttoned his shirt correctly, kisses Fit quickly on his lips, not lingering for any moment as he knows that if he did, he’d want to call in and feign being sick.

It’s in the middle of his hectic but still monotonous shift when Fit walks into Joja Mart with their Rosita in a baby sling across his chest, being all handsome that it causes Pac to freeze. The baby sling was new. Usually, if Fit were to come to the corporation’s shop he’d have Rosa in her pram.

Fit walks over to where Pac is stocking the shelves, clearly grabbing an item randomly and shows it to Rosa as if asking her opinion on whether they should buy it or not. She babbles slightly before Fit shakes his head, murmuring to himself that it wasn’t the right brand.

“Oi Fitch, is there anything, you know, that I can help you with?” Pac walks over to his family, thankful for the unofficial break.

“Oi Pac, fancy seeing you here,” Fit chuckles, “yes, I was looking for a new pasta sauce to try for dinner tonight but Joja seems to only have the usual brand that Rosa’s gone off.”

“Anyways, maybe Pierre’s has it. He does, after all, have the superior stock.” Fit leans in, closer to where Pac was standing, kisses him quickly before getting Rosa to wave at her Pai and leaving the store. Pac stands there for a moment, still not quite used to Fit showing affection in public, before getting back to work.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

It’s late once Pac finishes work, having to work a double shift as Shane hadn’t been able to make it to his shift due to travelling for therapy in Zuzu City. He didn’t mind it; if it meant that his friend was getting help for his mental wellbeing he’d do it all over again. He leaves, locking the door behind him, and walks home, greeting everyone that he sees heading to the town Saloon Gus owned, wanting to see all of his family before it’s Rosa’s bedtime.

By the time he gets back, having checked the coop and barns for any stray animal products that they can sell, he walks into the house to see Fit and Rosa sitting in the armchair, Rosa cradled in Fit’s arm as if she was something so precious that she would break if dropped. She’s clutching a small, hand-crocheted Saturn. It was a gift from Emily when she had heard that Rosa was fascinated by her planet crib mobile more than her animal one.

Pac smiles to himself, before lifting Rosa out of Fit’s arms, cradling her to his chest so as to not disturb her greatly. He walks to their room, where her crib lies, and places her in her bed. She makes a little sound before settling once more, falling back into dreamland. He stares at his daughter for a moment, wondering just how he managed to succeed in life so much to a point where he has a happy, healthy relationship and a daughter.

If time travel was invented miraculously during his lifetime and he was given an opportunity to tell his past self about his future life, his younger self would not have believed him. Him? An ex-juvie having a husband and child? He had never thought himself worthy enough to even think about getting married. But he was living that life, and he couldn’t be happier. He pecks Rosa’s forehead before heading back to the living room where Fit still sat sleeping.

He pressed a kiss to Fit’s lips, knowing that as soon as he’d taken Rosa out of his arms, he was more awake than previously. Fit stirred, eyelids still heavy, before realising that it was Pac in front of him.

“Oi big boy, you know, your back isn’t what it used to be, Fit,” Pac teases, “let’s go to bed. Yeah?”

Fit nods his head, eyes still closed. He sits there for a minute before realising that he’s being bridal carried to the bedroom. He’s not used to Pac showing his true strength so his face flushes while he burrows his head into the junction of Pac’s neck and shoulder, enjoying the short moment as they get from the living room to the bedroom.

He’s placed gently on the bed and Pac turns around to grab both of them some clothes to sleep in, which they drowsily change into before getting under the duvet covers. With Fit resting his head on Pac’s chest, a not so common sleeping position for the two, they both fall into a dreaming state; of an island far away from the rest of civilisation. Where they have two sons but not a daughter. Where life is much more dangerous and they both smile in their sleep, happy that they’re not living that life.

[drops-of-moonlights]

Do y'all remember Aromatix? I didn't until someone favorited the og piece from 2019 on dA! and that was enough for me to want to revisit it but on the AU bases this time - and also add Roxy, Dia and Daphne to the mix! There's not much to this form - I structured it to be like the comic forms, so it's more gimmicky than anything else, see also: the same wings for everyone. Aromatix is the form of scents, and so they're all based after that! more below: (big thanks to both @emsartwork and @lunar-draws, which helped me brainstorm the three newcomers to this form!)

Bloom keeps her og scent of dragon's blood, the sap from the dragon tree that looks like blood when cut. It gives off a sweet but strong smell, and I felt that fit Bloom pretty well beyond the dragon associations.

Originally just generic spring, Flora has now the more specific cherry blossom scent, mainly because I wanted to work with pastels and plus they do fit Flora's vibe.

Tecna keeps coffee as her scent, because look at me in the eyes and tell me she does not run exclusively on the substance.

Stella also kept her citrus scent, because citrus, much like her, can go wildly between charming and pleasant to downright annoying lol.

Musa also keeps her berries, still mainly focused on blue and black berries, if only because fruitier scents just seem to fit her!

Originally mint, Aisha now has sea salt as her smell! It carries the same feeling of refreshing and invigorating, plus she's water, so it seemed fitting.

Diaspro comes in with the scent of honey rock candy! discussing it with Ems and Lunar helped narrow this down since both sugar and honey tend to crystallize, fitting her powers, plus I can see Dia going for sweet and strong smells on the regular to assert her dominance lol.

Fellow newcomer Daphne takes Aisha's original mint, for similar reasons as her but also because mint is also associated with nymphs and I felt it fitting lol.

Lastly, Roxy comes in with a pistachio scent! because nuts in general seemed fitting for her and because it adds a different tone compared to the rest.

[seraphinesupremacy]

🫧Hi🫧

Name: call me Dia💎

Age: I was born in 2002 and I'm too lazy to update my age every year💅

Nationality: Italian (English is not my first language so I might make some grammatical errors)

🏳️‍🌈: I'm a bisexual and demisexual/demiromantic girl (I use she/they pronouns)

MBTI: ENTJ (Don't stereotype me. I'm just really into doing things right and I like to have a plan for everything. I always try to find a solution to people's problems)

Something about me: I'm autistic 🪐 and I'm very extroverted, I like to socialize and meet new people. So if we have any interests in common, feel free to write to me🌌 (Read the continuation to find out more about me and what I post, it's important. Thank you)

(I made this edit using picsart stickers that represent my interests and something about me)

🎮Favorite video games:

•League of Legends (I play on the European server)

•Wildrift

•Valorant (I don't play it that much because I'm not very good)

•Overwatch

•Team Fortress 2

•Life is strange (this game made me realize I'm not straight)

•Detroit Become Human

•Danganronpa (I discovered this thanks to tik tok during the pandemic. It was very trendy at the time)

•The last of us

•The Sims 3/4 (I never had the chance to play the previous ones)

🍿My favorite TV series are:

•Shameless

•Love, Death & Robots

•Bojack Horseman

•Arcane

•She-Ra and the Princesses of Power

•Hazbin Hotel

•Helluva Boss (I know it's a series that can be found on YouTube but I didn't want to make a separate category)

•South Park

🎼Singers I like:

•Melanie Martinez (my queen)

•Mitski

•Ariana Grande

•Ashnikko

•Kali Uchis

•Madison Beer

•Girl in Red

•Marina and the diamonds

•KDA ("Akali that girl, 'kali go grr 'Kali don't stop, 'kali don't skrt 'Kali got a job, 'kali go to work 뜨거워 언제나 don't get burnt" 🗣🗣🗣)

•Gorillaz

•Queen

•Molchat Doma

•Arctic Monkeys

•Mother Mother

•Jack Stauber

•Cavetown

•TV girl

•Bo Burnham

I actually listen to a lot of artists but I don't remember them all c:

🫧Things I like:

•Lost media

•Liminal space

•Dreamcore

•Nostalgiacore

•History of cinema (especially animated films)

•Psychology (and all other branches of this science. I also love anthropology and sociology)

•Travel and discover new places

•Everything that has to do with creativity (Drawing, writing stories and fanfiction, creating things like accessories for your clothes and such very cute things. I really admire people who can repaint dolls)

•Having fun (going out with my friends, watching films - if they're trashy films it's even better -, sending each other memes and tik tok videos and things like that)

🪷Hobby:

•Cosplay (Especially cosplaying my comfort characters)

•Drawing (I haven't drawn seriously since 2020. I'm waiting for inspiration)

•Collecting dolls (I love Monster High, Ever After High, Rainbow High and L.O.L O.M.G. I also collect Funko pops and figures from other brands. I also have many books and comics -which I have to finish reading because there are too many-)🧸

•Roleplay (Doing roleplay with me means that I have already organized the whole plot. But I also listen to the other person's ideas)

•Find out about the topics that interest me (Most of the time they have to do with culture. I'm a very curious person and I love to inform myself)

💿What I post on Tumblr:

•Things about my fandoms (Mostly I repost cute icons and wallpapers. Sometimes I make some wallpapers. Maybe start writing some headcanons)

•Positivity (Especially mental health or pride posts about being a member of the LGBT community. Be yourself🌈Be unique)

•Random things (I don't know how to explain this category. I could write something like "I'm looking for people who like this song, does anyone remember this movie? etc" or I answer some questions. Sometimes I also reposted something related to when I feel down, but they are old things and I don't think of posting them again because I prefer to think about good things and find the positive side)

•Aesthetics (If I see some nice photo of a sunset or the sky, I immediately repost it because I feel like it. I also post a lot of things related to nostalgia because as I said before I like the "nostalgiacore" aesthetic. And I'm very nostalgic, they were beautiful times when the only worry was "which Winx character am I?")

•My posts are tagged "Dia's post"

🔞If you are a minor, do not interact. I'm a girl from 2002 so I have young adult maturity‼️ For adults (because I know we are not all the same and not everyone likes some things) I would like to point out some things that I could reblog: I might reblog paintings or sculptures with naked people BUT also drawings with people semi-naked or shown in a sexy way. The artists I refer to are: Fumetti Brutti by Josephine Yole Signorelli and EvviArt. They are the only ones I follow but it is to make you understand what type of art I like. I could reblog posts where sexual topics are written: from the classic "use protection when having s3x" or raise awareness about some topics related to this theme. I want people to be informed about some aspects of this topic (I'm not talking about p0rnographic things ) such as the importance of using protection and above all how important consent is. I don't reblog kink-related stuff or explicit porn because it's not a topic of interest to me. And I don't even have kink because s3x isn't a topic that interests me. It doesn't shock me to hear about NSFW things (it disgusts me if disturbing topics are included in this topic). Many of my interests (TV series or video games and things like that) involve adult themes.🔞

🧜‍♀️Comfort characters:

•Jinx (League of legends/Arcane. She is my main and for certain things I see myself in her)

•Seraphine (League of Legends. didn't like her at first but I love her gameplay. And I think she has the best skins -along with Jinx, of course-)

•Evelynn (League of Legends. She's a Goddess)

•Chloe Price (Life is strange. She made me understand that I like women too. I love this punk)

•Sunset Shimmer (Equestria Girls. She is one of the few ENTJs to be a positive character. I really like how her character has evolved)

•Reagan Ridley (Inside Job. We are very similar in certain things)

•Entrapta (She ra. I love this chaotic neutral autistic scientist princess. Again, I see myself in her)

•Kotori Minami (Love Live! When I was in middle school this was my favorite anime)

•Dia Kurosawa (Love Live! Sunshine. Love Live is an anime that accompanied me as I grew up. I'm very fond of it)

❕️I'm looking for young adult people like me (young adult means being over 18 and under 30). I have no problem with NSFW (I prefer artistic nudity) and I have no problem with swearing. I have a certain maturity so I want to interact with people like that.❕️

‼️ This is my safe space🗣 SO DO NOT INTERACT WITH ME IF YOU ARE: racist, homophobic, transphobic and against the LGBT community, do not interact if you are a pedophile and if you harm animals. Don't interact if you are against feminism (which I remind you, means gender equality), don't interact if you are people with ideas of hatred and discrimination. No ignorant people about mental health or what is happening in the world, because we are in 2024 and we need to have a minimum of culture. If you think abortion is murder, I would say you can also go elsewhere because I support women's rights and human rights in general. In general, don't interact if you are a person with bad ideas (that kind of bad ideas. Go away)‼️

🌟Talk to me if you are a normal person (and if you're nice and send funny memes. Or if you want to talk about some fandom in common or something. We can also play some video games together or talk about philosophical things like "what's the point of life?" or things like "do aliens exist?")🌟

[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:

[akanesheep]

Okay so im biased cus Lucifer and Mammon actively occupy the same space at the top of my list. But, I like how your 'how they fall in love with you' posts are perfectly opposite.

Mammon clearly falls fast. I also suspect that were you any other human, he wouldn't just make a pact like that. No I don't even think he truly grasped that making a pact with you was special until you made one with Levi next and it occured to him that he wanted it to stay just the two of you. I think after you made it with Levi it starts hitting him whats happened. That its too late.

He almost entierly skipped being friends and went right to being in love with his best friend. Its fast and happened right in front of him but he's loud and bombastic and didnt realize it until his greed kicked in over you.

Wheras Lucifer is calm. I think its around the chapter he dances with you, and holds your hand tight as he threatens you before Solomon steps in that things begin to come together. Love isn't the word, no. But you stick out in his mind more. You burn at something in him more after that and it isn't until you are in front of him asking for a pact does it come together.

But he doesn't lose control or panic the way Mammon did. No. Lucifer doesn't panic because it all makes sense. It all clicks that this is truly, purely, love and he isn't in the business of so stupidly lying to himself when youre right here. But he's prideful afterall. And he doesn't even belong to the one demon who he pledged loyalty to, so he won't belong to a human. But you will him.

And he has watched you all year. He knows you want it. You want to belong to him and he transforms as a final test of your own love. Hes been in this form in an aggressive hostile manner which more then once could have cost you your life. So he turns now and if you stand your ground? Thats all he needs to know. He can be whatever he wants towards you, and you trust him for it.

In my headcanons you have special relationships with all the brothers but its an unspoken thing amongst all of them that the one between you and Lucifer is the deepest.

Mammon is fun, and falls hard for you and your relationship is surrounded by that ridiculousness that makes you two best friends in the first place. Mammons love is easy. You belong to each other. Despite everything you're still best friends, you're equals.

Lucifer's love is complex, and deep. It's a mature relationship that is extremely rare amongst even the closest of romantic couples between demons. But you're special and he won't accept letting anyone else have you the way he does. He belongs to you yes, but you belong to him more. He can't have you the way his brothers have you. If you belong to him though? It's because you want it just as much as he does.

Mammons love is your heart and Lucifer's is your soul. And the other brothers fill in the gaps between those spaces and makes you complete.

But if theres something they know is special between you and Mammon, its even moreso between you and Lucifer.

But their demons. Which means respecting that without issue is physically impossible because that would require any of them to not be comically selfish to a degree but you love them for it.

Oh my Diavolo, I love you! You literally read my mind.

(I’d typed this out a bit ago and tumblr decided it was a tasty snack and ate it)

Seriously though, this is exactly how I feel. I’m planning to do a post after I finish these ‘How they fell’ posts to talk about the automatic hierarchy of these relationships. How they move and flow together. How each of them have their own difficulties from time to time (especially Levi’s envy and Mammon’s greed), but somehow they all understand the situation without too many problems… and Dia & Barbatos are able to flow in just as well… and the only two that Luci would bow to (metaphorically, as Luci likely doesn’t bow physically to Diavolo, and Dia doesn’t require it as he knows the way the sins work for each brother).

Thanks for enjoying my content, and message me anytime ^_^

[itsguysnightitsironic]

INDEX

Once upon a Witchlight -- THE TITLE OF THE EP.

EXTRA CONTENT: . ILLUSTRATION (🧁) . COMIC (🎃) . VIDEO / ANIMATIC (🦢) . SHITPOST (🧚) If emojis are fuss together it's the two things ---> example: (🧚 / 🧁 ) SHITPOST AND ILLUSTRATION. If it's surrender by stars (⭐) it means it's an official LOA short that I was commissioned to animate.

We need some order in our life, not context, just order in the chaos.

EP. 1 CIRCUS TO CIRCUS

Remy Bonnaire from Tiger, Tiger comic??? In the dnd campaign? (🧚) ⭐Madryck Roslof living room. (🧁/🦢) ⭐

EP. 2 REQUIEM FOR A CLOWN

⭐ A little angry man in the void, what will he do? (🦢/🧚) ⭐

EP. 3 LET THEM EAT CAKE

A very out-of-context Ep 3: Let them Eat Cake (🧚/🎃) ⭐ The Furries and Gideon (🦢/🧚) ⭐

EP. 4 LOSE YOUR ILLUSION

EP. 5 BIG TOP BOP

The Only One (PART 1) (🦢 / 🧁) Gondolas are supposed to be calm and relaxing not.. Whatever this was. (🦢 / 🧚) A little angry man in the void, what will he do? (🦢 / 🧚) The Only One (PART 2) (🦢 / 🧁)

EP. 6 GUY'S NIGHT

Guys night! IT'S IRONIC, WE SWEAR-- (🧁/🧚) The Kremy's crew (🧚) They put a foot into the carnival and the Fae magic when: We need to be gay! Trust me gay is in, gay is hot, I want some gay, gay it's gonna be, NANDOR-- (🧚/🎃)

EP. 7 TAINTED LOVE

Would you blink already?!" (🎃) ⭐ A bright mind makes quicker hands (🦢/🧚) ⭐

EP. 8 AT A SNAIL'S RACE

EP. 9 WHEN THE WAGON'S A ROCKIN'

EP. 10 RAUCOUS REVELRY

EP. 11 THE PIXIE DUST PLOT

EP. 12 SCARY MONSTERS AND SUPER CREEPS

EP. 13 AN ELF FOR ALL SEASONS

EP. 14 SASHAY AWAY

EP. 15 FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL

Payasos de rodeo (🧁) I'm sure the wedding was passed as a business expense. (🎃/🧁)

EP. 16 MONARCH FOR A DAY

Never forget what Prismir took from us. (🦢 / 🧚) "We have been, Carnival Lecroux. I love unicorns, and y'all own me one." (🦢) The Only One (PART 3) (🦢 / 🧁)

EP. 17 WHEN THE HARES GO MARCHING IN

What 24h in a carnival does to a man, ah? (🧚/ 🧁) The Only One (PART 4) (🦢 / 🧁)

EP. 18 SNAKES AND BURROWS

The Only One (PART 5) (🦢 / 🧁) Worse found (kidnapped into) family ever. (🧚 / 🎃) The Only One (PART 6) (🦢 / 🧁)

EP. 19 BUMP IN THE NIGHT

Lost things find their way into Prismir (🧚 / 🎃) Drink your fey milk (🦢 / 🧚) The inn on the end of the Road. (🧚) POV: You're getting adopted into a polycube after trying to murder them while on drugs (🧚)

EP. 20 HOT JONES

Fur coats and pumpkin labyrinths. (🎃)

EP. 21 RUNNING UP THAT HILL

EP. 22 HARE TODAY, GONE TOMORROW

New phone, who diss? (🧁) H E R. (🦢 / 🧚)

EP. 23 STUMPED

EP.24 SLIPPERY WHEN WET

EP.25 THE ONE WHERE FIRE GETS PURGED

EP. 26 DON'T LOSE YOUR HEAD

EP. 27 LORD OF FLIES

EP. 28 A COMEDY OF ERRORS

The cookie of true (🧚 / 🎃) ⭐ An animation is here. (🦢/🧚) ⭐

EP. 29 THE SHOPPING EPISODE

Frankenstein of your own making. (🧁) Give that genasi a stick! A SEXY ONE! (🧚 / 🎃)

EP. 30 PHANTOM OF THE HOPPERA

EP. 31 ELECTRUM CHEF

EP. 32 A FEAST FOR FROGS

EP. 33 UP THE WRONG TREE

EP. 34 A CHANGE OF HEART

"¿Y cuáles deseos me was a dar?" (🧚 / 🎃)

EP. 35 BEWARE THE FOREST MUSHROOMS

"What's your favourite scary movie? Boo, you whore. That's not... That's not a scary movie" (🧁)

EP. 36 THE ROOM WHERE IT HAPPENED

EP. 37 DREAD, BATH AND BEYOND

EP. 38 UNCLOG THE BOG

EP. 39 TOO MANY COOKS

EP. 40 STILL LIFE

EP. 41 THROWING SHADE

"That's life, That's what all the people say, You're riding high in April, shot down in May" (🦢)

EP. 42 ALL DOLLED UP

EP. 43 FUNGI'S NIGHT

EP. 44 MUSHROOM SAMBA

EP. 45 THROUGH THE HOURGLASS

"Eat your young before they eat you." (🎃)

EP. 46 THE JAWS THAT BITE

"Gresca i destrucció, riurem i ens penedirem, el cremarem el dimarts i patirem fins el diumenge." (🎃)

EP. 47 PLOT OF GREED

EP. 48 UP SHADE'S CREEK

EP. 49 THE LAST UNICORN

EP. 50

EP. 51

EP. 52

EP. 53

EP. 54

EP. 55

Born Guilty (🎃 / 🧁 )

🧚🧚🧚OH NO! 🧚🧚🧚🧚

🧚🧚Pixies are covering the way!🧚🧚🧚

OUTSIDE THE LOOP.

It takes two to trust, but only one to bleed. (🧁) Feliç dia de la Mercè, the weird sketchy carnival is in town. (🦢 / 🧚) What crisis are you on? (🧚) Kith and kin. /Aromantic week 2024/ (🎃) ---->ft. 🪻🪻BENEATH DARK WINGS🪻🪻 ---> ft. 💠💠ICEBOUND💠💠 ---> ft. 🥀🥀 EDGE OF MIDNIGHT🥀🥀 ---> ft.🌹CURSE OF STRAHDANYA🌹 ---> ft.✨✨STARDUST RHAPSODY ✨✨ ---> ft. 🌻🌻PRIME 🌻🌻 ⭐ They put the clown in the convention? (🦢 / 🧚) ⭐ If I don't go to hell when I die I might go to heaven (🎃) Te estoy amando locamente, Pero no sé cómo te lo voy a decir - LAS GRECAS (🧁) back to the office, baby (the last shift looks traumatized) (🧚/🎃) ---->ft. 🥀🥀 EDGE OF MIDNIGHT🥀🥀 It's pride month, baby! (2023) (🧚) Just, just don't go shopping, EVER (🧚/🎃) ---->ft. 🥀🥀 EDGE OF MIDNIGHT🥀🥀 Big Cat -- MORNING FROST (🧁) Some very out-of-context shitpost's. (🧚 / 🎃) A saint garden of lies and bones. (🎃 /🧁) Gideon Coal walked so buses would run (🧚) The 87 faces of a wagon. I PART 1I (🧁) Dental hygiene. (🧚 / 🎃) A blaze (🧁) OUT, just get out (🦢/🧚) "You made Uncle Kremy disappear? You took Uncle Kremy from Hootsie and left behind a doppelganger? OH, OH! JAIL FOR FATHER! JAIL FOR FATHER FOR ONE THOUSAND YEARS!" (🧚) Falling into the background. (🧁) THE WAGON AT THE END OF THE ROAD (🧚 / 🎃) ---> ft.🌹CURSE OF STRAHDANYA🌹 Cold-Blooded surrounded by heat lamps (🧚 / 🎃) Some human skin and bone (🧁) Surviving enough to start living again. (🎃) RIP the OUAW gang, they would have loved Eurovision 2023. (🧚 /🧁) There's some video in the funny pictures (🧚 / 🦢) Have more of these charts, but the conflict edition (🧚) My favourite part of Once Upon a Witchlight was when the Witchlight said "Once Upon a Wicthlight!" and Oncing Uponing a Witchlighting all around. (🧚) "Would you so kindly call the accused not guilty?" (🧚/🎃/🦢)

[itsoverfeeling]

Okay I'm having some messy thoughts, but I really need to think aloud here.

Werewolf by Night, to some degree, is about family and the legacies it carries.

First we have Elsa, a member of the Bloodstone family that is essentially an outcast. Originally destined to inherit the bloodstone, she's now forced to compete with the other hunters for it. We don't get full details why she left or how she left (though in most of the movie we have a lot of context missing, for the best in my opinion). We just know she did and she's estranged. No longer worthy enough as a daughter or no longer enough of a daughter to be worthy enough for the stone.

But still she fights for it and claims that it is rightfully hers.

Then we have Jack. Jack arrives to what he likely assumes to be a normal funeral (I say this because while the other hunters appeared in hunting gear, he wore a dark, probably black, suit (EDIT: it's not black, but it's still a suit)) wearing Dia de los Muertos makeup. Makeup that is best described in the scene where he says it's to honor his ancestors. Interestingly, the other hunter he speaks to is a little.. dismissive towards that reasoning, let's say. Jack, based on facial expressions alone, is put off by that, but doesn't say much.

Later when he's stuck with Elsa, he discusses family. Saying that family is like an atmosphere constantly there. Saying that sometimes you think you can do one thing to make yourself different from them. Obviously this is directed towards Elsa who is currently sitting in front of her dead relatives. Who's trying to get the bloodstone herself for... whatever reason. Clearly she's not involved with her father anymore. Maybe this is thing that she'll change? Maybe she'll break the cycle by having the bloodstone and... what? Does she know?

And what about Jack. He's literally saying all this in Dia de los Muertos makeup!! In the comics, the werewolf curse is something he received through lineage. So is that the cycle he's trapped in? To be the monster his family made him? After centuries (?) of living, he's still not at peace with this curse. Maybe he's just given up on trying to fix any of it. Maybe he's trying to get Elsa to see something he thinks he's already figured out.

Oh, and the cage scene. He says "once". Not to bring in comics again But. Do you think that once was his sister? He clearly holds the memory close enough that he immediately tries to use it to protect Elsa. This is something he dwells on constantly. He just knew to try to repeat it the moment he realized the danger.

Elsa gets the bloodstone like she wanted. He doesn't kill Elsa like he feared he would. He frees Ted, the person he references as family and later a friend. Did they get that one change he was talking about? Can they break the cycle? Do the even know what part of the cycle they're trying to break?

... I can't help but think about how his makeup is almost completely faded at the end of the film.

[scifrey]

Cling Fast: Chapter Five

by Losyark

The Sandman (Netflix with some sprinkling of comics canon, and Gaiman Cinematic-Literary Universe canon)

Dreamling (Hob Gadling x Dream of the Endless | Morpheus)

Unfinished (tentatively 10 chapters)

PG-13 (for now)

Unbeta’d

The next week flies by in a flurry of fittings, script meetings, emergency calls from Dennis when he’d janked the ordering list, a daily visit to a stable and archery range so Hob can practice both skills, and late nights with Shami as they walked Hob though the time-consuming and careful process of scanning El’s diary and Robyn’s sketchbook. Hob drops into bed each night sometime after midnight, falling asleep to the sound of The New Inn going through its closing routine, and waking to the harsh jangle of his alarm clock just after dawn.

Either out of pity for his exhaustion or because he had duties of his own to prioritize, Morpheus doesn’t appear to Hob during his sleeping hours in this week. Hob only manages to concentrate enough to relocate himself to the castle only the one night. He finds himself alone in the throne room, and enjoys the opportunity to spend some time with his own company, after so many hours being crowded by the rest of the Historics team.

Hob has more respect for his friend than to sit on his throne, but he does walk to the top of the dias to admire the three arched stained glass windows behind it. The symbolism is lost on Hob, but each window depicts a different object. The first: a fishhook on a ring, held aloft by a rat. The second: A heart in an intricate mirror, leaning against the sleek black flank of a cat. The third: A fish with delicate flowing fins against a swirl of light. Each of the images moves slightly, the animals each turning to look at Hob as he approaches.

“Hello,” he greets them kindly, but they don’t reply, so Hob supposes that these aren’t dreams or denizens.

Hob sits behind the throne, leaning his back against the cool stone, and settles in to admire the artistry. He wishes Morpheus was here to explain it to him. Hob misses Morpheus when he’s away, and the desire to see him rings like a silver bell across his nerves and in every waking breath.

The rat, the cat, and the fish look at one another, and then resume ignoring Hob. Hob, in turn, simply watches the colors in the stained glass shift and kaleidoscope until he wakes up.

*

While television isn’t generally filmed in order, Hob’s first scene of the shooting block is his talking head introduction. The crew hasn’t finished setting up at Gadlen house yet, so Hob is being filmed in the study-cum-meeting room where he’d originally met Harriet, being prompted through questions about his field of study and awareness of his relationship to Robert Gadlen the Third.  

Harinder, the director, keeps reassuring him every time that Hob pauses before answering. He thinks that Hob is camera-shy. What he’s really doing is weighing his answers very, very carefully. Good thing they can edit out his thoughtful pauses.

The other reason Hob keeps pausing is because, while they’re shooting against the bookshelf, they’re asking him to talk and dress at the same time. The wardrobe department has recreated the outfit he wore in his solo the portrait, the heavy black velvet and scarlet number. And once again, it’s the sweltering peak of summer, and the aircon can only do so much to offset the heat of the studio lights, the extra bodies hovering close, the effort of dressing, and weight and number of layers of the clothes themselves.

It doesn’t help that the wardrobe assistant they’ve picked to help him on camera is getting a bit… liberal with their touches. It’s the glamorous one with the amber-brown eyes, the blond pompador, and a smile like they’d like to unhinge their jaw and swallow him whole.

He’s sitting on a chair with his leg up on an ottoman, trying to give Harinder everything he needs to explain why Doc Bob’s never visited Gadlen house before, while the assistant rolls his stockings up his bare calves far slower than is necessary. Hob’s wearing a swanky pair of loose modern-day boxers, but they’re lost under the billow of his shirt tails, and he knows that there’s at least one of the three cameras focussed on his nude thighs right now.

He’s not ashamed of his body, and is actually quite proud of the muscle definition the return to horseback riding has given his legs, but those hands are getting a bit frisky.

"I'm perfectly capable of tying up my own stockings,” Hob says, shooing the assistant away when then kneel beside the ottoman. “I think it’s fine if I–get your hand away from my codpiece!" Hob yelps.

Harinder clears his throat warningly, and the assistant sits back with their hands up, like ‘don’t shoot’.  

“Please don’t SA our presenter on camera.”

“What about off camera?” the assistant asks Hob, flicking a look up at him through their mascaraed eyelashes.

“I recognize and appreciate the, uh, appreciation,” Hob says softly to them. “But let’s keep this strictly professional, yeah?”

“Fie,” the assistant purrs.

Far be it for Hob to play the I have a boyfriend card, especially when the one person he’d like to attach that label to doesn’t seem to be interested in him like that. Still, he says: “I’m taken.”

“Oh, are you?” the assistant asks, sounding genuinely curious. “Is that what you’d call it?”

“Yes,” Hob replies, not entirely sure what they’re asking but certain he wants to draw a line under this whole flirting business.

“Understood,” the assistant says, and something about their whole demeanor changes, like they’ve become an entirely different person. “Why don’t you stand, and we’ll get this doublet on you.”

For the rest of the day, they’re completely professional, not a touch out of place. Hob appreciates their understanding, and the rest of the talking head interview flies by. He feels comfortable enough to focus on what he’s saying, letting the assistant move his limbs and skim in and out of frame to wrangle him into all the remaining layers and accessories.

Working around a valet while simultaneously maintaining a conversation comes back to Hob frighteningly easily, even though it’s been at least eighty years since he’s needed someone to dress him.

“Last touch,” the assistant says, holding up the replica ruff like it’s a serving platter full of champagne glasses.

“Absolutely not,” Hob says, making sure it’s loud enough for the mics to pick up. “You and I both know that that darn thing is too scratchy and too fancy for everyday wear. He would have only worn it for the portrait, or at court. I’ll take that picadil over there, instead.”

“As the Prince Consort commands,” the assistant murmurs with purring good humor, and Hob laughs as they fling the ruff out of the shot like a frisbee.

“Just a knight, if you please,” Hob says, tapping the embroidered badge over his heart. 

As they button the high, stiff band of fabric around Hob’s throat, a precursor to the starched collar and cravat of the later ages, they murmur something. Hob doesn’t quite catch it, but thinks it might have been: “Not for long.”

He doesn’t have time to ask for clarification, though, because then they’re stepping back with a ‘tah-dah’ gesture at his outfit, and Hob has to smile for the camera.

*

Costumed and filled with a hasty lunch, Hob, Glenn and Harriet are packed into the back of an anonymous van with a few other crew members, and driven to Hither Green. It takes just under an hour, and Hob uses the time to learn how to read his call sheet from Harriet, while Glenn takes a nap against the window.

Clover, the sweet-tempered mare that Hob’s been training with, is waiting for him by the front gate to the estate when Hob is kicked out by transpo. The van lingers just long enough for the driver to sign off on the delivery of talent to the first AD Celia, and Hob is grateful that it’s blocking his view of the house.

All he can see right now is the wide, well-manicured lawn of Manor House Park, a rolling brook in the distance, and the golden gravel of the drive. This part of the Park is hemmed in with a wrought-iron fence, which is definitely of a more modern style than it would have originally been, and Hob can’t recall exactly if this boundary has moved at all in the last few centuries. He feels like it’s closer to the house than it used to be, but it could just look shorter because there’s a fleet of trailers, tenths, vehicles, and great metal storage containers filled with equipment between the gate and the entryway fountains.Those are definitely newer. It used to be a lily pond.

Hob takes in the landscaping–the orchard is gone, is the apple tree he’d planted out the back still here–but his gaze skitters off the house itself. He’s not ready yet.

When he sees Gadlen House again–for the first time since he was dragged backwards, literally kicking and screaming out the kitchen door–he wants to do so deliberately, purposefully. 

Lovingly.

Forgivingly.

Clover lips at the replica ostrich plume on his flat-cap beret as the van drives away. Hob turns his face into her tawny-golden neck to give himself a moment to breathe and get his feet under him. He scratches her cheek in thanks for the help and she lays her head on his shoulder, the sweet old thing.

As soft chirrup from the nearby stone fencepost catches his attention. Over Clover’s back he can see Matthew shifting from foot to foot.

“That bird has been hanging around all day,” Celia says, following Hob’s glance, and giving Matthew the stink-eye. “It better not be a bad omen.”

“It’s a raven,” Hob says. “They’re symbols of intelligence, and new experiences. I think it’s a good sign.” Matthew tilts his head at Hob, clearly amused by this description. “So long as they don’t interrupt our takes, and don’t steal anything shiny.”

“Caw,” Matthew sneers at him.

The camerawoman, who is finalizing her shot setup, whips her head around to stare at him. “Did the bird just say ‘caw’? Like, in a human voice?”

“Corvids are excellent mimics,” Celia says. “I bet a lot of people say ‘caw’ at it.”

“Well, whyever it’s here, I appreciate the moral support,” Hob says, staring right at Matthew. “And seeing as I’m about to make a fool of myself, I’m sure it’s going to be very entertained.”

Celia’s walkie-talkie crackles, an order comes from the house, and she says: “Okay, good Sir Gadelin. Mount up. We’re ready for your first exterior shot. When I call action, ride Clover up to the front door, and get off–an extra playing a groom will lead Clover away, and you approach the door. You don’t need to open it, we’re not set up for that shot. Just walk up to it and reach for the handle. Got it?”

“What kind of speed are we looking for here?”

“Uh,” Celia says. “Not slow but not fast?”

“A trot, got it,” Hob chuckles. 

He positions beside Clover, making sure she’s aimed in the right direction without raising his eyes to the house.

“Uh, before we start, um–” he looks over at the camera. “Sorry, I never caught your–”

“Melia,” she interrupts.

“Melia,” Hob repeats. “You can call me Bob. Melia, I um, not to tell Celia how to do her job but I, um, before I start Clover going I’m going to take a second to just… look. Is that okay?”

“Why?” Celia asks.

“Well, I—I’ve never seen the house before,” Hob lies. “I’m not much of an actor and I thought, you know, I thought it might be nice for my real reaction to be–”

“Yeah, yeah!” Celia is saying, “Smart, yeah, hold on let me just let the guys on the other side know there’s going to be a delay before movement starts, yeah,” and then she’s pacing away a bit, relaying this into her walkie.

“Let me try something else then,” Melia says, repositioning the camera on the tripod to capture more of the drive, and shrugging quickly into another one mounted onto a steady-cam contraption that looks nothing so much like a baby carrier.

Coward, Hob tells himself as they scramble to set up the new shot. Matthew caws again, this time distinctly more bird-like, and Hob flashes him a watery smile.

“Alright, everyone good?”

“Good!” Melia confirms.

“Good,” Hob echoes, and gets his hands in place. Clover snorts, busses his arm ribs with her soft nose, and seems to settle into her role as well.

“And… action!”

With one last deep breath, Hob jams his boot into the stirrup, and in a smooth arc, heaves up and swings himself into the saddle. He takes a few long seconds to adjust the reigns. Then he looks up. 

The house is the same, and different at the same time.

He can’t deny that it’s been beautifully preserved. Made of red brick, it stretches three stories up, with matching octagonal turrets on either side of the front door. Each turret is fitted with a door and a stonework Juliet balcony, though they didn’t call them that then, which opens off of one of the bedrooms. His and El’s to the left, the nursery and later Robyn’s chambers to the right. There are small led-mullioned windows to either side of the turrets, four to a side. Intricate overlapping designs in the brickwork gives the frontage the illusion of being made of red lace. And the proliferation of chimneys is a direct nod to Hampton Court palace, and a physical ode to one of Hob’s favorite of humanity’s inventions. 

It’s amazing, but it’s not what he would call elegant. In later years, when glass became a real statement purchase thanks to crafty old Bess and her Hardwick Hall, Hob had added an entire room at the back of the house for El with as little brick as his architect could get away with and still create something that wouldn’t fall in on itself.

It is a braggart’s house, boorish and proud, sturdy and loud. But he knows every capstone, every sill, every smoke-tanned rafter. He knows the size and smell of every room, remembers haggling with the designer late into the night to get the details just right. He remembers how to get to each hidden back stairway, built twice as wide for the serving staff as was common, because Hob’s served table and he remembered what a nightmare it was to clank up and down dark passages with clattering platters.

Beside him, Melia pushes in tight, lens aimed right at his face, but Hob can’t spare a thought for her. He’s too busy swallowing his heart back into his chest.

The front door is a different, a metal thing the deep blue of an aegean sea. It’d been black in his day, built of sturdy oak and iron rivets. A fountain, likely added by some fanciful Victorian, stretches along the frontage, and what was once just a plain gravel dive is now a circular path curving up to the door and dotted with a riot of wildflowers and roses.

Hob’s clutching the reins to his chest, patting the too-full space over his heart, before he’s realized he’s moved.

He loves this house.

He forgives it.

“Got it,” Melia whispers, which Hob takes as permission to go.

He blinks hard, hoping the camera doesn’t pick up the moisture in his eyes, and clicks Clover into motion. Clover trots for the first few paces and then, fizzing with joy at this bizarre homecoming, Hob knees her faster. Clover picks up speed, cantering by the cameras they have set up by the drive, and his hat flies off.

Hob doesn’t care. Even if he has to redo the shot a hundred times because of it, he doesn’t care.

He’s too damn happy to be home.

A sharp kraa! catches his attention, and he glances to the side to see that Matthew has decided to join him. The raven soars along beside Hob’s head, firmly on camera. His eyes sparkle with delight, and Hob breaks into full-body laughter.

It’s going to be a hell of an opening shot.

*

It’s Tuesday, so when Hob has finished scrubbing off the makeup and smell of horse, he ambles downstairs in fresh clothes and damp hair. Dennis has staked out his usual spot on the long banquette, at the tiny two-top closest to the door that leads up to his apartment. 

“Cheers,” Hob says, when the new kid brings him a pint unasked.

He takes a long deep drink, and flops down onto the seat. Did he ever arched this much back when he was riding daily? Surely the inside of his thighs and the small of his back can’t have been this sore on a regular basis.

I mean, sure, half of the reason he hurts like this is because he and Matthew borked the first take so spectacularly. He'd had to do it about a dozen more times, all at varying speeds, and by the time they'd gotten a shot they liked, the'd lost the light for anything more than walking up to the door.

Hob hasn't even been inside the house yet.

The last time these muscles had hurt this much, he’d stumbled–dehydrated and disheveled–from an hours-long lovemaking session with one of the Ladies of the Night who’d frequented the White Horse in the 1890s. Not Lou, no, he'd helped her find stable housing, and employment in something she actually enjoyed.

No, it had been the one who liked sex work. Who'd chosen it for the freedom and control over her own life, and finances and body. She'd been what they'd call trans now, blonde with hilarious fake tits that she'd slapped him around the face with as they both giggled. She'd pegged him better than he’d ever had before (or since) happy to help him drive away the thought of his Stranger and happier still to see gold for it.

Hob frowns a little at the memory. Why on earth has he been so damned horny today?

And not just in the sexual sense, either. Everything had been enticing, and exciting, and gravitationally fascinating. The food at craft services had tasted amazing, he’d gone back for thirds when he rarely does so. He’d caught himself stroking the velvet of his doublet, marveling at how soft and fine it was. He’d run his hands over the textured wallpaper in foyer, and satiated every whim smell the roses, gazing in joy and horror at the way the generations of owners who’d come after Hob had added to the facade. He'd taken Clover on an extended gallop around the park between setups, and begged to brush her down himself before she'd been loaded back into the trailer for the sleepy trip back to her stables. 

He had wanted today, and hadn’t denied himself.

Maybe it was just the excitement of being back at the house again, miraculously and thankfully unshadowed by the grief he expected to encounter in every stone, but it did feel like getting everything he’d never known he’d longed for, all in one afternoon.

Well, not everything, Hob thinks as he catches sight of Morpheus slipping in the front door.

The Endless flows his way through the joyous gatherings between Hob and door.

All the tables gilded with happy people, and shot glasses, and laughter. Maybe Hob's not the only one feeling revved up tonight, because the air practically shimmers with whatever gold dust it is that's been simmering in his veins since he arrived at Broadcasting House.

Hob licks his lips and swears he can taste it.

And Morpheus just looks so good. There's something different about him tonight, something more self assured. He's always moved with liquid grace, completely comfortable being folded up into this corporation of his choosing in the Waking world, and offhandedly aware that the body that everyone sees, no matter how differently they see him, is an undoubtedly attractive one.

But tonight, Morpheus looks satisfied in a way that Hob's never seen before. He looks pleased with himself. Sure of something. Before he's always looked like being the Waking world is vaguely itchy. Now, he looks like he's been slathered in calming skin oil, glistening with relief and damp with…

Christ in his heaven, no daydreams!

Humanity parts before Morpheus like a heaving inhale, and then every single head swivels so people can watch him pass by, blissfully unaware that they are doing so.

And then Morpheus is folding his lanky frame into his usual seat. The heat of a bar full of bodies in summer must be getting to even him, because there are two bright spots of pink high on his cheek.

“Hello, Hob,” he says, voice even more like chocolate and sin than usual.

Get a grip, Gadling! scolds himself. Another image comes to him and he adds, Not like that, and not in public, you dirty old man.

“Hello, my friend. Where’ve you been lately?” Hob asks conversationally.  "I haven't run into you in the Dreaming."

Morpheus’ face twists in displeasure. “I regret that I was forced into negotiations with my siblings over a matter that I would rather not discuss.”

“For a whole week?” Hob clarifies, waving politely at Dennis for service. His co-owner doesn’t even bother sending over a server to ask what they want, just walks over and drops off a fresh beer and the vinosanti himself with a welcoming nod to Morpheus.

Morpheus indulges in a gulp of the sweet wine, which is a greater indicator of his lingering irritation than anything he might say. “Desire has an unfortunate tendency of hostility toward me, and where they lead, their twin would follow. It makes arbitration of this sort tense.”

“Yikes,” Hob says sympathetically. “But did everything turn out the way you wanted to?”

“Death was able to mediate a satisfactory arrangement, yes,” Morpheus says. “I got more than I gave, and I wanted what I got.”

“Don’t think that I don’t notice you’re quoting Lin-Manuel Miranda at me, Prince of Stories,” Hob laughs. “Fine, you don't have to tell me. It'd probably be over my little human head anyway. I’m just happy that you’re happy.”

“I am,” Morpheus concedes. His expression is soft, when he meets Hob’s eyes, pleased and easy.

Hob’s mouth goes dry. His own gaze sinks to land briefly on Morpheus’ parted lips, before jumping back up to more polite territory.

He clears his throat to cover the awkward pause and then says, "So did Matthew tell you what we did today?"

"He did not," Morpheus admits with a self-satisfied smile. "He knows that I prefer to hear it from you directly."

That's all the encouragement Hob needs. "Well!" he starts.

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