#hardlight. need I say more

[vampirebutterflies]

tagged by darling @gremlin-soup for my top five songs Right Now !!

✿ Here with Me by d4vd

❀ Sea of Love by Cat Power

✿ Hardlight by Spacey Jane

❀ Blood cover by Gang of Youths

✿ Running Up That Hill cover by The Wombats

taggin @not-nervous-jester @chupacactus @blackbeardskneebrace @blakbonnet @nofeelingisfinall @eye-scream-girls @couriander @skysofrey @smoothedsmoothie @enbiosaur @turtles-on-turts (won’t let me tag u I hope u see this 🥺) and @creepycute-puppy-gf if y’all wanna play because I am Full Of Love and interaction is!!! scary but fun!!!!

[the-hydroxian-artblog]

Is Beth just always active and like projected or can she turn off the projector and just be a voice inside Kaita's head? Could she go a step further and just not even exist in the physical world and be gooberin around in Kaita's OS or something? Could she villain arc and just possess her?

I have a problem btw

unfortunately you asked a simple question so now you get the needlessly complicated answer

Kaita's artificial brain is designed in such a fashion that'd be hard for Beth to just hack like a normal computer. Her frontal lobe works on artificial neurons that create thoughts, behaviors, and impulses that are then regulated by another component that works like the brain stem and cerebellum. Effectively, every part of her could technically work as a prosthetic version of its organic counterpart, including the brain, so you'd need to know how to "hack" human impulses in order to even begin to say, overwrite who she is.

However, the wolf also has a more mundane smartphone chip installed on her that her brain can directly use at the speed of thought that allows her to interface with other devices, and is easy to replace or upgrade without messing with the brain itself. Think like a simple computer with linux or a stripped down Android OS that your brain is hooked up to that it can mess with in any way it wants, to make calls or save memes or something, while the phone can't do anything to the brain besides sending signals to the optic and audio feeds.

Beth likewise is an AI designed to only exist physically as a chip on her own phone. This phone is installed on Kaita in a similar fashion to the wolf's own on-board smartphone, through which Kaita can talk privately to Beth and see the AI do stupid shit on her HUD. Like, a more bitchy Cortana. Beth doesn't like wasting power or always being seen, so she usually only peeks out when she feels like it in the first place. She very often is just a voice or, if she's feeling nonverbal, a series of dialogue boxes Kaita sees as notifications from her phone's OS.

In terms of possession, there's technically a workaround; her hardlight body can produce electrical signals, and if she was really desperate and persistent could sort of jam her projected form onto Kaita's brain stem that way, but it'd be very very taxing to pull off unless Kaita for some reason allows Beth to do it, usually only as an agreed upon emergency measure if the wolf is incapacitated/deeply unconscious.

The picture above basically only happens because Kaita trusts Beth not to do something stupid. She's probably a bit mentally tired from something, and is letting Beth take control so she can "rest" a little. It only takes a little bit of mental effort on Kaita's part to eject Beth, but Beth lacks a physical body and sometimes Kaita feels a bit bad for the AI, so she lets her have some fun if it also means getting someone else to do a few menial tasks for her for once.

EDIT: forgot to mention; had koboldfactory's drawing of Beth in mind for drawing this one. Beth's design can often be asymmetrical and experimental but I really liked the mix of the sleeved and sleeveless look she came up with

[oblivionbladetd]

Found an old screenshot and I really want to talk about it quick.

This is not sound advice. Where not necessary wrong, it has it's got glaring issues that I must bring up. In short, your main character should be the one best equipped to tell the particular story you are writing. I would even go as far as to say that without some serious introspection, you shouldn't make your favorite the main character.

To explain further, I will be using three examples.

In Steven Universe, the titular character is specifically designed to speak on the struggles of both man and gem and compare and contrast worldviews that are totally alien to hyper advanced hardlight people. The plot of Steven Universe would not work without Steven, as you'd get a show of humans being absolutely shredded by super aliens, or a show about particularly dense crystal people that would have no drive to our pov because they work off humongous timescales.

To use a less cut and dry example, Jujutsu Kaisen creator has gone on record as saying Yuji Itadori isn't his favorite. That title would go (under duress as Gege said he doesn't have a fave) to Nanami or Gojo. For those who don't watch JJK Nanami is characterized by his general of society on both the normal and supernatural sides, and mainly sticking to his life as sorcerer as it's the one he's better at, completing his duties without the sense of passion you'd expect a do or die fighter to have. As for gojo, it is basically actually a plot point that he straight invalidates the plot with his presence, a mechanically interesting character without a doubt, but practical application makes him quite uninteresting.

This brings us to our last example, the sith resurgence. Aliana is the main character and fave, and it shows... The heavy hand of favoritism looms over the story as for the space odyssey that it should be, Aliana comes out about how she went in... at least in terms of personal growth. She doesn't really need to learn or struggle against anything, her past never really gets in the way of what she's doing currently, and even getting mutilated does little more than let her take a very long nap in a grand scheme. It's just her and her unflinching power walk to the end of the story with only a slight wobble from having her leg cut off as it takes her little time to adapt to a cybernetic leg. (Disclaimer: as a fanfiction this is not a problem, but Lily likes to toot her horn about it's quality in comparison to TV shows and movies so i put it to a higher standard accordingly)

To reiterate, if you are looking to improve on your writing, you should be looking far harder at narrative utility of a character than whether or not you adore them. It's better to have a slog in writing something than the very real bullet in the foot that is possibly being willfully blind to the faults caused by writing your fave.

[blazehedgehog]

Amy, Cream, and Rouge are playable in this new game and Blaze isn't LOL so much for the only kickbutt female character

Maybe it's just recent Sonic community discourse talking but I feel like Blaze is in a weird place now after Ian Flynn proposed she would be easier to work with if he could just get rid of the whole "she's from an alternate dimension" angle and just have her exist in Sonic's world.

Sonic Team's answer to that just seems to be "don't worry about it" and will put them in whatever game and never explain it. But we also explicitly don't like it when they do that, so I appreciate it if people are like "we can't touch Blaze the Cat unless we untangle her being from the Sol Dimension."

Which is a roundabout way of saying I'm fine if she's not in the new game? Not everybody needs to be in everything. You're already getting more playable characters than any non-phone Sonic game has had in 15 years and you're seriously getting worked up about missing one more character?

Hardlight also mentioned they're already working on expansion content, too, so it's entirely possible we could see the roster of playables expand in the future, too. That is generally their bread and butter, after all.

Don't be pithy. This kind of thinking benefits no one.

And since it will probably get asked: I'm also fine if Blaze stays in the Sol Dimension overall. She's a cool character, the last great addition to the cast (until Sage), but I'm fine if she stays a "sometimes" character. Yes, even if people really like her. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

[ruinmegently]

— CREATURE

/* Ramattra and Genji have a moment. */

"We are brothers in our oppression, if not in our ideologies."

"Yet you still call him brother."

The creature cants his head, peering at Genji as if the cyborg is a worm struggling in the dirt — dragged up by a heavy rain.

That is what Genji has taken to calling this beast of war. Creature. Not because of Ramattra's machinery or metal parts or rogue coils, but for the tint of the soul simmering wildly beneath those wires. The omnic sits in a meditative pose, bound by tight hardlight restraints that light the dark room with a faint teal glow. Stuck to the cement floor. Yet Genji feels small when pinned by that rough gaze.

"Your point, cyborg."

He could, maybe, pace. Be loose and liquid. Cocky, like Cassidy who'd entered the cell with a cigar and a swagger. Or Dr. Ziegler, stiff and no-nonsense and somehow far more spooky than Genji remembered her. His peers had pressed for knowledge about Null Sector's future plans and found only resistance against metal.

But Genji isn't here to interrogate.

He sits cross-legged in front of the Ravager. Elbows anchored on knees, chin resting between his palms. So small in the shadow of an omnic forced to bend.

"Are you uncomfortable?" Genji asks after a long moment of silence. Ramattra only stares. "I could ... bring you a pillow?"

"I have no need for your supplications."

Genji raises a brow. Supplications — as if, even imprisoned, Ramattra believes he holds a power worthy enough to make his captors grovel. Or, no. Not power.

Conviction.

Speaking of which.

Genji digs into the deep pocket of his hoodie and pulls out a single metallic orb. It hums with yellow light running through its intricately carved veins. The omnic before him tenses, like a widening of eyes.

"He wanted you to have this."

"I have no—"

"No need for it, yes. I told him you would say something like that."

But still, Genji places the orb on the ground and rolls it forward. It crosses the space between them and bops Ramattra on the knee.

The creature can neither accept nor deny the gift, arms restrained. His head tilts down to stare at it instead.

"It is an orb of har—"

"I know what it is."

Where others might see silence in the eerily still way Ramattra holds himself, Genji has spent enough time living with the Shambali monks to recognize the language of despair.

"Why did he not bring it himself?"

"I think you know the answer to that, too."

Genji unfurls, rising with practiced grace. He turns to leave the cell.

"What," Ramattra calls after him, voice a hateful, smooth rumble. "No questions on what I plan to do to you, your friends, your kind?"

The cyborg doesn't pause until he reaches the door, fingers on its handle.

"You would never hurt him, would you?"

"Explain."

"Zenyatta. You stand on opposing sides, but you would never hurt him."

If Genji senses confusion from the predator he's turned his back on, he doesn't speak word of it.

"Of course not," Ramattra says. "He is my brother."

A laugh spills from Genji like a bark. Harsh. Cold. He shakes his head. Tugs on the handle.

"I'll get you a pillow," he says, pulling the door shut behind him.

[cobalt-knave]

TAZ Steeplechase ep 35

Hey, uh, hey Krystak with a K?? How you doing, bud???

“Hey, Dad, this makes up for the 1 you rolled in Ethersea”

Montrose is such a strange little dude. What a guy.

“Hm. A nice metaphor, but if a saw came out and cut up my friend Charles, I would probably chuck it out.”

“I object, your honor.” “To what?” “To being boiled down to my basic components?”

“InnerJew”

“EnerGoo: The Energy Goo”

“Beef removes his shirt.” “Oh wow.” “Yeah, it’s pretty nice. Like, ka-chow.”

BEEF THINKS OF THEM AS FRIENDS AND CARES ABOUT THEM

“Beautiful and touching! But are the elders swayed!”

“I flex a little bit too” “Excellent! They’re loving it!”

“Demonstrate altruism!”

“We have two wigs between the three of us, so we just stack the wigs on top of Emerich.”

“An ardvarcoyote squattles over to you.”

I love this show so much

I see Greg the emperor puma is a real guys guy. You know? Guys who are more guys than him.

I love Emerich XD

Emerich is officially equally as persuasive as Montrose

“Mask man!” “Yes?” “What do you have to say for yourself?”

MONTROSE LORE THAT MIGHT BE LIES???

Las Vegas, Nevada. In a middle school social studies class.

Montrose is such a liar, no way any of this is true.

I need Montrose too fail his sway roll on this

“Stop moving the woodimal.” “It’s listening.”

The Montrose lore is that Montrose is a liar who likes movies :thumbs up: Love him for it.

“That same hunger and boredom exists within all of us.”

“I instead appeal to your wrath.”

This show is WILD and I LOVE it

“All of them joining together. Not all. That would be wild.”

loving this music

“Let’s call him.......uhhhhh Fred. What was the other one?” “Meanie.” “Let’s call this one Jerky.”

Montrose comes to Emerich’s defense!

“Fast like a falcon. Spiky like a pangolin. It’s the perfect weapon.”

“The biggest baddest one. In fact, he’s named Worstie.”

“Yeah, you’re doing judo at this robot is the problem.”

Is that permanent??? The two-tusks for a hand??

I feel very strongly that that was an Emerich hardlight

YEAH BAYBEEE

YEAH BAYBEEEEEE EMERIL’S SPECIAL PROJECT CALLED IT

GOD I love this show so much

[dyrewrites]

Pale Blood - your jealousy is adorable and we're all going to die in this cab

Upstairs, Den was fighting a laugh as he followed Delmas out of the bloodbank and the laugh was winning. “Did you and that,” He glanced behind him to assure those ears weren’t listening, “thrall have a thing?”

“His name is Ron and he’s a ghoul, not a thrall,” Delmas stated, throwing the lock as they passed it.

Den hurried ahead, stopping him outside the door, which filled the alleyway with a reverberated clunk as it dropped shut—a sound that sent the birds nesting in abandoned fire escapes and dusty windows chirping into the smog—but Den didn’t budge. 

“I’m sorry,” he accused, hot eyes glaring, “did I offend your boyfriend?”

Delmas bent to Den’s eye level and pushed his sunglasses up, “are you jealous?”

Dramatic lips and a huff preceded the answer, “Maybe a little, what of it?”

Delmas chuckled, wrapping an arm around Den’s shoulders as he continued toward the waiting cab. “Ron and I are just friends,” he assured him—with a small twinge of guilt, “who couldn’t date even if we wanted to.”

As Den moved to slide into the cab, Delmas stopped him, spun him around and yanked him into a kiss; tender, deep, and altogether breathtaking.

Namely from Den, who gasped when released.

“And I don’t,” Delmas said—those big hazel eyes too warm.

Without a word—lost to the taste of that kiss, the promise—Den took him by the hand and led him into the backseat of the cab, where he promptly curled up against him.

Ron took one look at us and knew, Delmas thought as he laid his head on Den’s, his arm wrapping around him on its own, without being asked but accepted, held, his hand kissed. And here I can’t tell if I’m catchin’ feelings, or just desperate for someone to want more than my ass but, “Gods do you feel good.” It was meant to remain a thought, a silent musing, but it slipped out.

And Den caught it with a smile and nuzzled tighter, “So do you...” 

Their cabby kept quiet—reveling in the sweetness of life, of love—as they turned a little too quickly off of Main Street, and a little too roughly for something not driving so much as flying.

And a new thought occurred to Delmas, one he voiced quietly—through the straw of his gifted bloodbag—to Den alone, “Did we flag this cab?”

He shrugged, “I figured it was the one from the club.”

“No, that one didn’t wait around,” Delmas said, careful to keep his voice low—draining the bag quicker than he ought before pocketing the empty.

“Well if it’s not that one, and you didn’t flag him down, and I didn’t flag him down,” Den asked, scooting to cover as much of Delmas as was possible—which was little, but he tried—while his eyes flared brighter toward the driver, “Where’d he come from?”

There was a pause, an uncomfortable moment of confused silence, that Delmas smiled through—what with a protective wolf on his lap.

Then the squawkbox crackled and the cabby said, “Bosch sent me.”

Staring at the hardlight separator, at the rough-cut hair on the back of the cabby’s head—visible only when he turned—no one moved a muscle.

But a growl grew in Den’s throat.

A growl cut with a gentle tug on his sides as Delmas slid him back into his seat and spoke to the cabby, “Bosch sent you?”

“Yeah,” he repeated, “short guy, looks a bit like a ventriloquist dummy?”

Den fell against the seat and covered a slew of giggles but Delmas sighed and leaned closer to the squawkbox, “When?”

“Half hour ago,” The cabby said, explaining further as the eyes of his fare narrowed, “Well, okay he called half hour ago screechin’ he needs his runner picked up from the bloodbank and I got thirty minutes ‘fore ya split. But, seein’ as I ain’t gotta worry of ID checks or locked streets, I got here in fifteen, right lucky too seein’ as any later and I’d have missed ya.”

Den stared, as did Delmas, but neither had anything to say.

Until Den did, “How’d he know we’d be at the bloodbank?”

“He couldn’t,” Delmas answered, grunting as the cabby took a turn too sharp—an impossible task for cabs programmed to follow specific paths, specific streets, at specific altitudes—and slammed him and Den into the door.

“Okay, that was another fib, or a series rather. There weren’t no time limit, I jus’ wanted to toot my own horn,” The cabby called back, voice travelling too easily over the sounds of real horns, blaring horns. “And he didn’t send me to the bloodbank, he sent me to that club ya’ll were at,” the horns of irritated drivers were fading but in their place rumbled the tell-tale sound of a people mover’s proximity alarm—a vehicle reserved for the airspace a few stories above the street. “But then ya went and got in another cab!” he shouted, swerving again and setting off a horn neither of his fares knew existed, “right rude of ya, by the by, knowin’ a ride’s comin’ and hoppin’ into another. I shoulda left ya.”

Gripping the back of the seat, and bracing against the door, Delmas failed to keep the nervous laugh from his voice, “Didn’t know you were comin’.”

“We’re going to die in this cab,” Den told the inside of Delmas’ coat as they swerved a third time.

The cabby laughed. And Delmas laughed, wrapping an arm around Den—hand firm on that seat—as Dolor blurred by too high off the street to see any other cars, the view of its darkened windows and flashing holos coming at him a little too close.

A sudden drop forced Den’s worry to catch and all of Delmas’ excitement—and a bit of that blood he drank too fast—bubbled out with a snapped, “Shit!”

“Oh, don’t worry ya silly little heads,” the cabby promised, “Ain’t no one dyin’ on my watch.”

Voice echoing through the squawkbox, Delmas looked harder through the separator, harder at the source until he could see the steering wheel through the man holding it. Squinting for the glitch and flicker of hardlight, or a beam leading to a transmitter, he groaned when none came.

Every nerve in Delmas’ face pinched tight as he accepted Den’s tighter grip on his chest. “Our driver’s a ghost,” he told him. 

Tensing with another swerve, Den continued to speak into his coat, “Great, maybe we can have his job after he kills us in this fucking cab.”

Again the cabby laughed, echoing through the squawkbox.

[heliosthegriffin]

Bicycle, Bicycle~, Bicycle!

Jaune sits behind Yang, arms around her stomach, as she drives Bumblebee III, over the dunes of Vacuo, a storm of dust and sand behind as the sun sets across the Kingdom. The blondes are all smiles and cheers as they ride, occasional whooping and yelling as they clear a exceptionally tall dune.

“Wow! I can’t believe I was missing out on this!” Jaune says over the wind blowing into them, they’re aura keeping dust and sand out of they’re mouths.

Yang nods, hair waving in the breeze. “Yeah, it’s the best! I’m surprised you like riding, though! You didn’t strike me as the type! Not that I’m complaining! No one else like this, sorta of stuff!”

Jaune dodges a strand of waving hair. “Well, I guess I got a taste for it back in Atlas! Thanks for bringing me along!” Jaune looked behind them watching the sand spray into the air, noticing a cloud far behind them. “It’s weird though, I thought Ruby would love this type of stuff? She loves having projects, I’m suprised that she hasn’t installed a laser machine gun in the headlights!”

Yang frowned. “Yeah, I thought she would too! But, she always gives me this look, Jaune!”

Jaune raised a eyebrow. “A look? She loves spending time with you, before Beacon she told me she was attached to at the hip! Why would she give you a look?”

Yang peered behind to look at Jaune, barely noticing a dust cloud creeping in behind them. “Well, you see, it’s just this looks she gives, this smug, proud smile that she gives me, when I offer to let her ride with me.”

“Why would she do that?”

“Well, that’s only half of it, she then tells me. ‘Don’t need it!’ Before running off,” Yang sighs, and Jaune has too dodge his head back, to avoid being hair-whipped, seeing a cloud behind them with a figure inside them.

... On a motorcycle?

“Yang, does... Ruby ever race you, while you’re driving?”

“Yeah? How’d you know!?”

“Because, she’s right beside us!”

From the dust-cloud emerges Ruby, on a custom-made bicycle painted ruby-red, as she slows down just enough, to lower her sunglasses and smugly smile at the blondes. “Going a little slow, aren’t ya?” Jaune looked at the speedometer, it was clockign in close to 200mph. “Well, I can’t, wait here all day, later slowpokes! HAHAHA!” Before speeding off.

Jaune turned to Yang, who hung her head in shame, patting her shoulder. “So, she does that every-time?”

Yang sadly smiled, “Only, when she knows I’m riding, honestly? It still kind of stings.”

Jaune nodded, reaching behind him, and grabbing a shield grenade. “Don’t worry, I have a plan.” Yang looked at him curiously. “Go on.” He tossed the Grenade at a angle, going off to create a hardlight ramp. Then put his hand to motor, “This runs on dust right?”

“Yeah?”

“More aura, equals more power right?”

“Yeah, it does!”

“Alright, let me hold you tight, because, I think this going to end badly.” Jaune put both arms around Yang’s stomach, and sent his aura into her, as Yang channeled her own into the engine, amplifying the dust inside up to 11!

The engine purred, then roared, and the wheels spun into blurs, and the speedometer broke, as the two blondes went flying off the hardlight ramp.

Right next to Ruby, who looked in awe, as the two blonde smiled and waved at her as they passed her peddling, her sunglasses falling off.

Then she crashed into a sand dune.

Jaune and Yang slowing down, laughing as they saw her crash, before going over to help her. With her riding behind Jaune, pouting, as they went back to Haven.

[flowroma-town-apiary]

Laz's true nature

[video file plays]

(apiary was in her back yard of hers, as the bug elementbot was caring for Elizabeth's beehouse, humming to herself with Platina in the sides commuting with the male Combee workers. behind 02 was laz who was walking up to her with her breath hitched)

Busy bee. Its me Laz We need to talk.

Hm?

(apiary turned around while the now spectating hive of Elizabeth look on in curiosity, with Platina looking on as well, wondering what her trainer's best friend wanted from her)

Oh hey Lazzy! Sure what do ya need?

...I-I want to speak to you about how I really feel about you ... And more.

Wait. Are you-

(Laz holded their arms out with their face being a bright red as they waved their arms a bit)

B-BUT WAIT I WANT TO CONFESS SOMETHING ELSE 1ST!!!

Oh OK! What is it???

(Laz calms themselves as they took a deep breath and spoke)

For a long time I was scared about wanting to show you who i really am, for what you'll think of me despite all this time spending each other... but i- i want to conquer those thoughts inside my soul just so i can get a conclusion to this personal weight.

laz... i never thought that you had this internal struggle all this time despite being so close for this long.

(apiary looks at her best friend with her eyes turning a dark blue showing saddness to her voice, the combee and the alpha Vespiquen looking on with a tinge of saddness to them as well upon getting pheromones that transmitted the beekeeping robot's feelings. 02 got up and walked up to Laz and puts a hand on them)

Lazzy i need you to Listen. whatever is that you're hiding, i wont hold it against you for it. All that matters to me is that i want you to be... well you! and besides, me, Platina and elizabeth's hive will keep it sealed k?

(her eyes turned green upon saying this, leading to laz being stunned by her response before shaking it off and smiling.)

okay... i need you to move back a bit if you can please?

(Apiary does so without another word or question, laz then takes a deep breath and speaks out a command with her eyes glowing a neon green)

Disengage.

(dozen of hardlight particles scattered as hexagons formed all over her body then fade as they all part to reveal the true appearance of herself with her mechanical body being shown to her best friend... as an android. Apairy's eyes turned yellow seeing all of this happening infront of her optics)

Oh bees and swarms you're a-

Yeah. an android, or more specifically a Holoroid. i've been hiding this for years cause i didn't want to be treated lesser than everyone else... less than as a person. i guess there was going to be sometime or later i gotta drop this

(Laz rubbed the back of her head as she chuckled nervously.)

...so what do you think?

...

(apiary only walked up to her with her head down, the pokemon nearby looking in concern in what she'll do or say. apiary simply hugged the now revealed holoroid, before they both were face to face to each other)

What do i think? well... its still same ol' nervous Lazzy i know just similar to me in a way now!

h-hey!

and also something more.

what do you- MMPH?!!-

(Laz's eyes suddenly widened in shock as apiary suddenly tugged her close and despite not having any mouth, made each other kiss. the alpha Pokemon and combee were also surprised to see her trainer/caretaker be this bold before cheering on. the two mechanical beings closed their eyes ((with apiary's lights dimming and pink)) as they embraced this moment without resistance, for a few seconds something within their programming was going into overdrive within their system before both split off from each other)

you have no idea how long i wanted to do and experience that. ...you knew?

eh for a good bit, by that i mean like a few good amount of weeks!

(Laz simply snickered that the casual answer from the beebot)

well now.... i guess that a simple i love you wouldn't do any of this justice huh?

more of a gift bow if anything if that counts!

then busy bee... i love you so damn much right now.

...same here Laz.

(the 2 mechaoids kissed once more this time both were ready and locked each others hands without anymore words. the video feed cuts out after a few seconds of this display)

[end of video file, now publicizing to rotumblr]

[iobartach]

@therapardalis asked; ❝ What did you think I was going to say? 'Oh, come here, I'll kiss you better'? ❞

baldur's gate 3 starters (part 1) prompts

It had only been a year or two since he had stepped away from patrolling the streets of Nueva York as his reality's webslinger, a life spurred by a sense of duty to protect and defend citizens from the machinations of Alchemax and company. And yet, despite the shift in his motivations, he hadn't missed the downsides that came bundled with living such a lifestyle by night.

Although stranded in the world of the past, he'd spent his time revisiting old habits. Throwing his name into an already crowded mix of other Spiders, let alone other heroes that resided within the vicinity of New York, he had restarted the same routine -- and found just as much trouble along the way, today being no exception.

Returning earlier than usual, slung webbing had helped him to land upon the roof of Thera's building, where he had remained until she had found him and offered a hand to help him limb inside, where, with some quick thinking, a small table is covered in towels. Laying his injured leg upon it, a hiss escapes him as he dismisses part of the hardlight suit covering his form from below the knee on his right leg, all the way to the tips of clawed toes, granting them both a close-up view of the wound received.

Something sharp and blade-like had made a crimson mess of the muscle and tendons in the Achilles region, which was made more apparent as, with gritted teeth, he angled the injured limb towards the other for closer inspection. Hardly expecting to be showered with concern, the sharing of her sharp earns a grumbled complaint instead, eyes narrowed and flint-like as he battled to suppress the urge to convulse in pain.

"More like I was half-expecting to be called out for getting caught in the first place." Such a development was cause for concern, for accelerated speed had been one of the aces played from his repertoire of Spider abilities. If he had been slowing down, then it meant he needed to start training some more. "I even saw the attack coming, but I didn't... move out of the way in time."

[arctimon]

Big Hero 6 - On Hallow’s Eve, Watch Over Me

I hope that everyone had a good Halloween, and you got literally all the candy.  I, on the other hand, spent the evening watching three dogs and a sister give out candy as dinosaurs.

No, I will not be giving any further context.

Either way, every time Halloween comes around, it reminds me of the story that I’ve wanted to write every Halloween, but never got around to: the Big Hero 6/Overwatch sort-of crossover.

I say sort-of because it’s not like Mercy and Tracer are going to show up in San Fransokyo.  At least...not physically.

I have made a few references to Overwatch in my stories (mostly in Highway to Hell), and I think it would be a perfect way for the team to get into alternate characters.  Of course, things would never be that easy, especially if they have to do some heroics during Halloween night.

I haven’t gotten around to figuring out what exactly they’d be doing (if I was sadistic, probably pushing a payload or something),   But I do have a pretty good idea of who’d they be going as.

Here’s the big bad list:

Hiro Hamada - Wrecking Ball (Potassium)

Funny story behind this one.  I would imagine that after staying up all night for a few consecutive days (including his costume), he loses his voice and has to have a voice module talk for him, which is where the robot’s voice comes from.  Plus, his grappling hook is the closest thing to the magnetic coils he uses (and he ain’t no Widowmaker, that’s for sure).

Honey Lemon - Mercy (Witch)

Pretty self explanatory.  Plus, you have to go for the Witch one.  It’s her most popular skin.

Baymax - Orisa (Carbon Fiber) Again, I think this one is pretty obvious.  She even has a voice line riffing off of him (”Are you satisfied with your care?”).  She doesn’t have much of a red skin sans the team ones, so I went with the most futuristic one.

Go Go - Lucio (Jazzy)

Now, I know what you’re thinking.  Why would you make Go Go Lucio?  Well, for one, have you seen Go Go’s actual Halloween costume in “Obake Yashiki”?  She doesn’t want to do any work.  All she needs is a set of roller blades and she’s set.

I at least wanted to jazz her up a bit with her skin.  I think even Go Go would appreciate a good fedora/top hat/whatever Lucio’s wearing in this skin.

Fredzilla - Doomfist (Lake)

Fred and a giant blue fist?  Count me in. 

Wasabi - Genji (Blackwatch)

I gave Wasabi Genji because of his affinity for blades, and also because at the time I was doing all of this (which was a while ago), Baptiste hadn’t come out yet.  I suppose that the combat healer would be a better fit for him, but something about him having a giant dragon blade just fills me with glee.

Karmi - Symmetra (Classic)

When I was searching for screenshots for Karmi, I had completely forgotten the gauntlet.  I have no idea how, but it makes her fit in even well.  The hardlight turrets, the giant wall ultimate, the general disregard for things out of order.  It all fits.  And you can’t go wrong with the classic Symmetra look.

Now the question is whether or not she’ll kill Hiro for having leggings that high.  XD

Aunt Cass - Ana (Horus)

Older woman who drinks tea and is the mother of the group?  Pretty obvious.

Megan - Sombra (Talon)

A young Mexican girl that can turn invisible and can turn out the lights with EMPs?  Even more obvious.

I was contemplating the Talon skin and her Glitch one, but this one would probably be the “tamer” one.  Methinks that Chief Cruz wouldn’t like her shaving half of her head to get into character.

Although would that even stop her?

Juniper - Zarya (Totally 80′s)

Yes, June’s not Russian, and has slightly less musculature than Zarya, but the costume is a spitting image.  Maybe give her Gravity Cannon an electrical field so she can carry it?

Someday I’ll get around to writing this story, just like all the other ones.  It’s just that certain events have to happen in order for this story to happen.

Oh well.  Maybe next (spooky) year?

[dude1818]

This weekend I read Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki, and it was super good. It’s about a trans girl (Katrina) running away from home, who stumbles upon the world’s best violin teacher in the park. This teacher (Shizuka) happens to have sold her soul to a devil, and is on the hunt for the seventh violin prodigy she needs to teach and then consign their soul to earn hers back, and thinks this girl is the one. Meanwhile the donut shop down the street is run by a family of alien refugees from the galactic war, but the alien captain (Lan) and the violin teacher fall in love.

It’s an absolutely bonkers premise, but it works really well. All three of the main characters (the runaway, the teacher, and the captain) seem like they belong in totally different genres, but the novel itself stays very grounded most of the time. The A plot is about Katrina’s struggles being trans and abused (so obvious trigger warnings for trans- and homophobia, also sex work and sexual assault), and Shizuka needing to build her back up. But the B plot about Shizuka and Lan is largely about the immigrant experience, so overall the book is an exploration of what it means to be accepted in a community, and also how to accept yourself.

What really sold the story is how it managed to balance the tone. It got dark occasionally, but the overall tone was light, and the humor worked really well. The supernatural and almost-hard science fiction wasn’t overbearing, but worked as icing on the cake. It felt disjoint for most of the story, but I didn’t mind; still, it wrapped everything together at the end in a way that made it obvious why all the pieces were there.

My favorite part was Shirley, the alien’s hardlight hologram machine intelligence. I adore that character archetype (I was going to say “c.f. Viv Vision,” but I guess I saved my gushing over that character for Discord). She also had a compacted version of the trans narrative that Katrina went through, which was not unexpected, but served as a nice foil to Katrina’s story.

I definitely recommend this book if you like queer fantasy or urban fantasy. I was expecting it to be more science fiction based on the recommendation I got, and while I have the physics background to connect the dots and see how it could become a hard SF story, it’s written mostly as set dressing.

[tlacehualli]

"Do... Do you know? What Moira did to her?" Voice low, jaw slightly tensing at the mention at old colleague and partially mentor's name. She is leaning forward, shoulders rigid, fingernails scratching and sinking into the inside of palms — The name SHE now went by felt akin to ash in her mouth, as a matter of fact, doctor had refused to call her by that name; saying 'Lacroix' hurt too, becoming reminiscent of times one had argued with HER, when on occasion calling Amélie by full name. Memory flashed in but a second, but still brought forward an uncomfortable clump in throat and stomach. In this context however, saying that name somehow felt important. "What did she do. To Widowmaker. I need to know. Please."

Her electric purple gaze is always cognizant of behavior and this time it's no different; it is...gentler though. Especially with the set of Angela's shoulders, the strain in her voice, the emotion. Sombra knows who she is before Angela has to even say it. It's a memory that is a constant torment; just as the Eye haunted her, that day did too. Her innocence. Her hubris. Her failure. Her sins.

Appropriate that she should confess her sins to Mercy, though mercy wasn't what she expected.

The hacker sighs and her shoulders slump with the weight of it all, a weight she'd learned to carry imperceptibly over years because of her. A mentor too, briefly. Her eyes are guilty and she blinks furiously, her jaw tensing and relaxing for a few moments.

"Not everything. Some of it, though." She shifts her weight; so uncomfortable, as if every wall she'd built for a decade was collapsing and it was. This was confession. The first in a long time. "I guess I gotta tell you this first. The Widow knows." She hesitates for a moment, but pushes forward. "I joined Talon when I was 20. Just a kid, lonely, scared. Won't get into why but just imagine being younger and wanting so badly to have somebody to look up to 'cause you're so damn alone and that was me. So she asked me to do some stuff for her and it was complicated shit but - it was something I could do. Only me."

Whilst she speaks, the circuit hand is drawing up the same hardlight hologram as before - now with much greater detail, a hypothesis made more intricate and whole through experience and time and her incredible processing power. A microchip, designed to interface with the human brain and modulate hormone levels, to (she'd thought, theoretically) be able to suppress emotion and allow a great degree of control. Alongside it, the visor; not as gorgeous a creation as the microchip but hers all the same and it carries the mark of her work; ingenius, efficient, ahead of it's time.

"Didn't find out what it was for until later." Her voice is strained now and she's looking away but the circuit hand is still extended forward. Those minute changes are still occurring, on a much smaller, finer scale; the one of a handful of tabs in her brain that hadn't stopped processing in years. "There's...a lot of other shit. But she knows better than to leave it somewhere I can find it. I can...give it to you if you want it. A copy of the blueprints. I don't know if it can help or something." She's rambling, shaky.

Confession is hard.

[erigold13261]

Ohhhh how about Robots (The 2005 movie) for the Power Revolution combo? It’s about a group of robot people standing up against an oppressive company

That is a good contender actually! I love that movie a lot, but the characters are not ones I am very connected to. At least not enough for me to want to write them into a story.

I'll try to sleep on this idea and think of it some more. Like character interactions and stuff. Honestly you saying Robots made me think of Overwatch and how Omnics in London (and maybe England in general I think) are treated so horribly.

So kinda like combining the ideas of Omnics in London Overwatch with the whole world of Robots and just sticking that close to the Vandelay Tech. area could work!

I was actually debating on doing something Overwatch related in the story, but if I do that would be a third generation kinda deal. Like farther after the major timeskip and that itself would be more with OCs, kids of canon characters, Homestuck and JJK as adults.

Though most likely I am never going to get to that part of the story (I still might take elements from the game and other media though. Things like hardlight from Overwatch or virtual reality realms from Sword Art Online are things I possibly have plans for).

Okay, back on topic. I am definitely going to think about how Robots could play into the Eriverse. I love the concept of that world (and can definitely make a story about the company), it's just the characters that is the problem for me.

There are plenty of stories that I love, but just have no drive to make content for. I can consume content made for those media forever, but not make my own. And I think Robots is one of those media for me. But that was also Psychonauts and HFR for a bit, so maybe I just need to think more about it (and rewatch the movie), and perhaps I could get a lot more attached to the idea!

[nataliescatorccio]

Hi Becca. I just wanted to say that your gifs are always gorgeous, and to thank you because your colouring and blending tutorials have been a godsend in developing my own skills. Do you mind if I ask, in your Inej episode sets, are you mostly using adjustment layers or hand colouring? Or a mix of both? Because it it's adjustment layers, you must be a wizard, and if it's hand colouring, ooof your poor hands, the time and dedication that must take. They are absolutely stunning, and I look forward to the rest.

hey cleo! let me just start by saying thank you so much, your compliments are so kind and it really means the world that my little tutorials have aided you!

to answer your question, it is essentially a mix of both but with more of a reliance on paint brush colouring. this isn't all frame by frame colouring, i try to avoid doing that only when absolutely necessary for my own sanity, but admittedly on some occasions there's no way around it. but, if we take my latest inej episode set for example, the blues you see there are enhanced via selective colours. there's the slight occasion where i've also used a bit of a paintbrush around the edges set to softlight or hardlight to bring out the colours, but, with the only exception of the last gif because of the level of movement there, there's not a lot of reliance on hand colouring there. however the pink shade is painted, with the third, fifth and seventh done frame-by-frame. i sort of try to balance my sets so that one shade can be easily achieved through manipulation depending on what is overall standing out in the scenes (in this case the blue) but the other takes a bit more work (the pink), i personally find this makes it a little less overwhelming because it's just one colour to worry about painting and therefore focusing on. i also try to balance scenes so that not all of them need frame-by-frame because i can cope with around three needing it, but any more than that becomes exhausting!

i will be the first to put my hands up and admit that i'm a perfectionist though and i put way too much time and effort into making a set. so i guess what i'm trying to summarise here is it's not without effort, but you definitely can achieve some great colours via adjustments if you're working with the right scenes, particularly ones that have a stand out colour to play with! anyway i hope that helps and answers your question :)

[cobalt-knave]

TAZ Steeplechase #38

OH GOD THEY MADE A HARDLIGHT KRYSTAL WITH A K

FREE HER!

FREEEEEEEEEEEEEE HERRRRRRR

"Try it with more downward inflection. We are on EARTH." "We are on EARTH."

"He is our navigator." interesting

"Are any of them bigger than Beef?" "Nobody's bigger than Beef, Trav."

Aggressive page flipping

"I'm not the brightest most scientifically minded guy in even this group--" "I would say you are the least!"

the description of watching your sibling play video games that they never give you a real turn with is real XD

SHOEBOX YES SHLEBETHANY BITCH RIGGINS

"If you're nasty!" "I'm not!"

I love Shoebox

"Oh that old slut? He's pointless." The nanofather... that old slut...

"Porque no los dos?"

"I've got a gun! I'll give you this gun."

"You are the worst, and I literally cannot stop thinking about you."

"It's Shoebox's world. We're just living in it."

"You get it. There's stairs." zoox cameo

"You can tell he's a guard because he has a ... KNIFE." KNIFE JUSTIN YES RETURN OF THE KING WAIT NO HE'S THE OTHER JUSTIN FROM EPHEMERA RETURN OF THE KING

YES EPHEMERA JUSTIN LORE

I love this show so much

Knife gun as used by Justin McElroy's Justin McElroy!

New Boston....very sci fi....

"Oh it's a blog." "A...blog?" "A big log."

"So it's more of a podcast."

"Griffin just gave another picture of a pie." "And did it sweeten the pot for you, Justin?"

"I need to speak with the three of them. Alone." NANOFATHER YOU OLD SLUT IT'S GOOD TO HEAR HIS VOICE HELL YEAH