#i just think it's a pretty interesting concept

[dailymothanon]

PLSPLSPLSPLS

PLEASE do a lore drop on your TFES AU human/ mecha suit Soundwave

The story sounds really interesting>:)

Soo I guess in a short synopsis; Soundwave joined the military pretty young cuz they didn’t really have too many choices to go, but they were then chosen to work for G.H.O.S.T. cuz they were a great candidate to be tested and trained to become a mecha pilot and thus became sort of a spy among cybertronians; and they were fed a ton of lies and stories about them over time so Soundwave thought they all kinda sucked, but much to Ghost’s dismay they actually end up liking them 🙄 dips out pretty much with their mecha so Ghost has a grudge towards them (but that happens later)… that’s what I have so far tho 😛

As for the art it’s mostly concept stuff currently.. top one I was thinking Soundwave likely has a buncha modifications to perfectly synch with his mecha 🤔 meanwhile the second one I was just thinking well. If anyone was to cause them harm if they were found out… probably Shockwave 🙄

[pingintech]

"i like this character" vs "i like how this character is written" = you can like a character who is poorly written because there are interesting themes inherent in how theyre depicted or simply in the way they interact with people

"i like this character" vs "i care about this character" = just because a character is intriguing doesnt mean you necessarily care enough to see them again it doesnt necessarily mean you sympathize with them or want good things for them in fact sometimes you like a character specifically for how much you hate them and want them to die

"i like how this character is written" vs "i care about this character" = well written antagonists for example see above you can be a fan of how well their dialogue is written how their character arc gets resolved nicely you they interact with other characters in a way that seems pretty consistent with their characterization and not inherently like or care about them as a character

for me an example of a character i like who is poorly written who i dont care about is xorn from xmen i think there was a lot of potential there but the final reveal was atrocious and i dont want to see the character even again to the extent im not sure a retcon would even fix it

an example of a character i like but dont care about but who is (generally) written well is pixie shes cool i mostly just havent read much about her and she doesnt really light up my happy neurotransmitters much ya know???

a character i care about who is poorly written and i dont like is wanda maximoff i love the idea of a mutant who was a founding member of the avengers whos magnetos daughter and whos romani i care a LOT about all of that but she is so poorly written she is A. no longer magnetos daughter B. no longer a mutant C. magneto is also??? no longer romani??? which??? uh..... D. she has always been a romani character whos power is shes a witch E. She was responsible for the near extinction of all mutants F. they love to randomly make her a bad guy for all of those reasons i dont really like her either i mean her core concept was already bad tbh barely saved by the fact her brothers powers arent magic so at least theres a romani character whos super power isnt being a literal witch in the story but still

a character i care about and like who is poorly written is monet st croix mutant m shes an awesome autistic baddy whos powers are basically that shes superman with telepathy and telekenesis??? sounds amazing you say why dont people use her more often you ask and the answer is because she was also turned into a (actually genuinely sympathetic) mute diamond skin monster named penance by her brother a bone marrow vampire and then actually it turns out the whole time monet that we knew and loved was actually her twin sisters merged into one being to look like their sister and actually monet isnt autistic one of the two twins was (and it was demonstrated in the comics by monet randomly going catatonic) and in order to free monet from her prison as penance her twin sisters merged into penance freeing monet??? and then she was in a few things for a bit on the sidelines and then her brother merged with her and started killing people and then she was freed because she absorbed the powers of hindsight who sees the past of people he touches and a ton of people touched her making her brother somehow unmerge from her but then!!! she was controlled by mentallo into joining a cult girl cannot get a break

Can’t properly explain it, but “I like this character”, “I like how this character is written” and “I care about this character” are 3 very different things which may or may not overlap.

[adventures-in-mangaland]

Dead Boy Detectives Fic Recs Part 12

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 Part 7 | Part 8 | Xmas | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11

I had a long train journey so lo and behold, it's time for another fic rec list. You guys are all awesome! See here for the full AO3 collection.

what's pasta is present by laiqualaurelote

Charles goes to a drag show and has a bisexual awakening. This is the Barbara Lasagna fic we all needed with bonus Sexy Handyman Charles, tender falling in love feels and fabulous fanart.

this fabulous mess we're in by dearheartdont

Another Alive Boys University AU with Edwin taking care of Drunk!Charles. The yearning is off the charts and I'm pretty sure it's mutual. 😉 So so lovely.

Wedding Vows and Other Lies by ghostinthelibrary

When his beloved uncle dies, Edwin unexpectedly inherits his entire massive fortune, on the condition he marries and stays married within/for a year. Naturally, his best platonic friend Charles is more than ready to make it happen, despite the hostility of Edwin's family and other skulduggery... This is another banger from ghost, this time with Fake Relationship/Marriage, Mutual Pining/Idiots in Love and Knives Out vibes! I also loved Author Edwin accidentally basing his detective hero on Charles and his own traumatic backstory. It happens, I guess.

the night here in the day by Cesare

During a case, the boys run into Sa'al. Who inadvertently plays matchmaker. Love the Hell lore and Edwin gossiping with Sa'al and flirting with Charles.

a world without you (isn't meant for me) by fairest

Simon escapes Hell with Edwin AU with Simon being a massive Third Wheel and Charles being insecure. Love the concept and it's so well done!

deshabille | shieldable by DarkStars (Worlds_Okayest_Goalie)

The boys work through their trauma and protective feelings for each other. And also cases. Also explores Edwin's friendships with the girls and feeling realization for Charles in a really sweet way and has lovely family feels for Charles and his mum towards the end.

if I found my body in chains by Ingi

In which processing his trauma causes Charles to mentally regress to childhood in moments of stress. This is a really interesting take on the de-ageing trope with absolutely peak Protective Edwin and I love it.

Detectives' Day Out by Baby_Spinach

Alive for a day fic! The boys get to have a lovely time and nothing hurts, it's great. I recently rediscovered this story and I can't believe I haven't already recced it, tbh.

Ain't That a Kick in the Head? by DontOffendTheBees

Charles and Edwin negotiate the fate of our beloved office sofa. Underhanded tactics are used. Just cute, funny fluff starring the fandom's real MVP.

the sound of their breath fades with the light by KiaraSayre

The boys wake up corporeal and with amnesia in the Neitherlands but still save each other. Also has some fun timey wimey details as their different St Hilarion's eras/ memories clash. Another great fic from this author!

Five Times the Boys hang out at Edwin's place and One time they go somewhere New by autumn_equinox_04, qwanderer, wordsinhaled

I think this is based on the restauranteur/food critic AU that was doing the rounds on Tumblr. Now upgraded to a cooking show! Very cute, much yearning and excellent friends to lovers.

Pipe Dream by edmcmayonnaise

While escaping evil wizards via tunnel, the boys get wedged into the tiny gap between iron-reinforced pipes and forced proximity boners/feelings realisations ensue. It's kind of PWP but emotional and cute.

you might be the answer to the sinner in me by purposefullyinlove

Charles has a one night stand with his old (girl)friend Crystal and then immediately falls for her bitchy flatmate Edwin when they meet the morning after. Also has a much longer sequel from Edwin's point of view focusing on his insecurities about their developing relationship. Both highly recommended!

the soft bruised parts by williamvapespeare

Absolutely lovely contribution to DontOffendTheBees' Domestic AU. This one is a prequel set during their school days featuring the boys looking after each other the best they can through Charles' canonical child abuse and Edwin's insomnia and social anxiety. It also has the Sharing a Bed with Beloved Cures Insomnia trope, which I kind of love. Superb Emotional (and physical) Hurt/Comfort.

And I will come again, my Love by Leandra

Alive Boys 1916 AU! Edwins' parents own the local manor house and Charles is the poor neighbour who sneaks into their grounds to swim in their pond. So, of course, the boys must skinnydip together and fall in love. This one is Lust to Love and really leans into the class divide and so it has a kind of tragic doomed lovers vibe, with an extra layer of gothic romance towards the end. Read it!

Roses and Indelible Ink by thewritingotter

In which Edwin is immortal and regular human Charles is his pining friend and gardener. This one is a short and bittersweet immortal/mortal romance that plays with their 'age gap' in interesting ways.

in corridors of dreams (now with you forever) by ObsessedWithFandom

What if Edwin escaped Hell a little sooner? And noticed Charles? Who notices he's being haunted (but in a nice way)?? And they had a ghost romance??? I love this concept, Charles is living the Ghost (1990) dream.

@laiqualaurelote @dearheartdont @ghostinthelibrarywrites @codenamecesare @tititilani @busywithmyennui @a-jasminator @dont-offend-the-bees @starsandatoms @qwanderer @autumn-equinox-04 @wordsinhaled @edmcmayonnaise @williamvapespeare @nuttersinc @kai-art @tumblerislovetumblerislife @not-the-living-ghost @whatthehorsedoicallthisblog @bibliomancer7 @guardianspirits13 @northen-light @shazziez @tessaaaaa @icurlybooks @lavenderlovers-stuff @kuwdora @tigerliliesandcherryblossoms @avoiceofnerat @khorazir @neurodivergent-fangirling @many-gay-magpies @littlepocketuniverse @fairandfatalasfair

[syndrossi]

I reread Regret AU and how cute the babies are! I want to squeeze and pat their cheeks, I can't even blame the sorcerers, I would have kidnapped those cuties myself (just don't tell Daemon). Speaking of him: did they even write him anything about the twins? What ages, what are their names, what do they look like? Or the whole 2 days while he's flying to Gulltown he'll be wondering what his sons are like and listing in his mind all the things he's too late to do? Poor guy doesn't know how lucky he is compared to his colleague from Resonant.

Even the kidnapping itself was probably pretty cute! Their nurse is sleeping, and the man who gave them toys is showing them pretty fireflies while they're being carried. They're not usually up at night, so they are very interested in the nighttime sights and sounds, and the stars and the moon, which is even brighter than the fireflies! I don't think they're actually upset until they get to the docks and they're asking about Ser Willam and being told that he's not coming. And obviously when Willam's actual life is in danger.

As for Daemon, I have to believe that Willam would have included many of those details in his letter, especially since he has to explain how he learned about their parentage at all, aka Raymar's hair dye washing out.

As far as what Daemon knows, it would be that they're two years old, one has "dark" (tbd) hair and grey eyes, and the other has silver-blond hair and purple eyes. And Willam would have included their names as well. Perhaps a few details as to their personalities as well, while emphasizing that they were happy, healthy, and bright toddlers, aside from the grief over losing their mother. (Willam, wisely, would not have mentioned their grief for Papa Corwyn.)

I think that Regret!Daemon is more the type to dwell on his anger at House Royce/Rhea than necessarily angsting over the milestones he's missed. Resonant!Daemon has gotten to vicariously experience a few of Rhaenyra's sons' own "firsts," so he knows what he's missing. Regret!Daemon hasn't given two fucks about Aegon or Aemond, so it's less top of mind for him. It's not that he doesn't think about it at all, but it's more in the context of being "robbed" by Rhea.

I expect that to change once he meets the twins and falls in love, because then they're no longer an abstract concept. He actually has a sense of what they might have been like as babies, and what he might have felt at their first steps, etc.

[cripplecharacters]

Cinderella adaptation but she has a disability that makes it unable for her to walk unassisted (still researching different disabilities that cause this) and the glass slippers are magical leg braces.

is this anything?

and do i need to be aware of anything potentially ableist within this idea

FYI: i plan on this idea being kinda urban-fantasy, as in its a fantasy world but with magic equivalents for tech, ex: crystal powered phones, pain-killer potions, ect.

Hello!

This has the potential to be a pretty interesting reimagining of Cinderella but because of the context of the original story, it also has the potential to be incredibly ableist if done poorly.

Reading this concept, I have a few concerns with it as well as some things I'd urge you to think about/consider.

The first thing is: what is the extent of the magical leg braces?

Function: What do they do for her? Do they allow her to walk without any other problems or do they just provide support like regular braces would? On that note, are they more like plain fabric braces or fixed orthotic braces?

Appearance: Do they look like braces or do they just resemble glass slippers? Does their appearance change at all when she's wearing them versus when she's not wearing them? If they look like braces, how do the glass slippers come into play (if at all)? If they look like braces, how obvious/visible are they? How does this impact how people see her at the ball?

Story: How does losing one of the slippers/braces at midnight affect her? Is she still able to get home from the ball? How does it affect how the prince looks for her and how he compares other women to her by fitting the shoe on them?

Aside from the braces themselves, there's also a lot to consider with the story itself. The main concern I have is with her stepfamily's treatment of her.

In the original story, their treatment of her is directly tied with why she can't go to the ball and why it's such a big deal that she's able to have this one night. If you bring her disability into the equation, there's a lot of problematic associations that come up.

For instance, what is their reasoning for treating her poorly in this version? Is it because of her disability? And if not, how do you plan to distance their treatment of her from her disability? How -- if at all -- does her stepfamily accommodate her?

Writing a story where a disabled character's family treats them badly and abuses them because of their disability is tricky even when you DO have the same disability as the character -- it's even harder when you don't share a disability with the character. There's a lot you have to consider, especially since this is a situation that frequently happens in the real world.

Something I've seen in some versions of the story is that one sister is nicer to Cinderella. This ranges from the sister doing things like helping Cinderella clean, offering to bring her back something from the ball, and occasionally standing up for her to the sister just not... actively abusing her. You could go with this variation and also give the step-sister a disability, which could serve as the basis for connection between the two and also help distance their treatment of Cinderella from her disability.

Because Cinderella's night at the ball is seen as a reprieve from the treatment of her stepfamily, introducing disability to the narrative can also bring up some other associations. Since the slippers allow her to walk, it's also presenting the idea that the ball is a reprieve from the effects of her disability.

Though there are some big differences between this and the typical tropes, this is still approaching the "(temporary) cure trope" as well as disability erasure in general. Even if it's now your intent, it's showing disability as something that Cinderella is suffering through and it's showing her life as something that only becomes worthwhile/good once she experiences a night without her disability impacting her.

On a lesser note, it'd also be worth considering the following points:

What disability does she have? How does it impact her life?

What aids does she use outside of the magic braces?

How do the other aspects of the fairy godmother's assistance (the pumpkin carriage, the dress, etc.) change from the original story?

Does the prince know Cinderella's disabled when he first meets her? If so, how does that impact his perception/treatment of her? If not, how will the "reveal" be handled?

Are there other disabled characters? More importantly, are there other physically disabled characters? What roles do they play in the story?

As you can see, there's a LOT to consider with this concept. I would never discourage somebody from writing something but I will STRONGLY encourage you to tread carefully with this concept and, if this is something you want to go forward with and would like to publish in any way, I'd suggest getting multiple sensitivity readers.

This is something that could benefit greatly from multiple perspectives.

Cheers,

~ Mod Icarus

[electracupide]

FR I admire their creativity! I remember reading this monster romance book one time and the author was really creative explaining to the readers how the monster’s anatomy and biological system worked, and I just say there thinking: “Man, how’d they come up with that? That’s pretty creative!”

In general, I just think that when writing out monster LI’s, despite the concept being simple, the execution of the concept is what makes it interesting, because there are endless possibilities to how people will write out a monster creature since they aren’t bound by normal rules or norms due to them being a monster.

Monster fuckers are so creative cuz it’s like you’ll look at a monster and go “how the fuck would one go about fucking that?” And then a monster fucker will slither from the shadows and give a demonstration of human ingenuity

[wanderingmind867]

The Unfairness of College being so Different from High School:

College stresses me out whenever I think about it. More specifically, whenever I think about the changes and differences between College and High School, my stress levels get even worse than they normally are. Have you ever felt nauseous and sick, your stomach turning into a veritable pretzel knot because of stress and anxiety? I've felt that, and I hate it. Nobody ever seems to talk about how stressful and unfair it all is, though, so i have taken it upon myself to write this. I just want to spread awareness of these systemic problems, because someone needs to say something. I will explain why i find college so unfair and hard to transition to. Why this whole system feels discriminatory towards people like me, who live for routine and consistency. And hopefully by the time i'm done writing all this, people will understand where i'm coming from whenever I say I dread leaving High School for College. I really do dread it, to the point where thinking about leaving high school makes me super emotional and volatile. This place has become a safe space for me. Asking me to give that up is unfair. So already we can see a pattern of unfairness. And trust me: it only gets worse from here. Much, much worse.

First off, let's talk about how College only ever focuses in on one subject. This isn't my biggest complaint, but that's why we're starting here. We're going to work our way up. But this is still a pretty big change, and it's one that I find absolutely ridiculous. In elementary school you learn about multiple subjects. In high school you learn about multiple subjects. But in college you have to pick a topic of specialization!? That's idiotic, especially since they never prepare elementary or high schoolers for this decision. They just throw them to the wolves and expect them to know what to do. But what if i don't know how to specialize and tie myself to one thing? For that matter, what if I simply don't want to tie myself down like that? I don't like being tied down and boxed in like that. I have tons of interests. Why can't I learn history, photography and so much more all during one semester or whatever? I can do that here in high school. Why can't I do it in College!? It's unfair. It's all probably because they want to train you to work for the job market, which is saying it all. I'll explain more later, but a jaded and bitter part of me feels like college isn't designed to provide learning. It's just designed to shovel more and more people into the stifling and cruel world of work. It's something we desperately need to change, because it shows some sick priorities on behalf of the founders of these institutions.

Next, we have to talk about how they seem to expect people to just accept the change without any fuss. They don't seem to take into account people like me. People who've been going to school since they were four. People who've become enamoured with the consistency and the routine. Personally, I like routine. I like that school gives me routine. It gives me something to base my weekdays around. A place where I can read and learn and feel some sense of contentment with my lot in life. But college does not feel like a comforting place where I can spend my hours reading and learning. The hours are inconsistent and routine is a dead concept. It feels like a trap designed only to lead people into the workforce. It doesn't feel as comforting and positive. It feels purely professional, and I really do despise that. It feels like yet more deprivation of that which I love, the comfortable stability of school. They strip me of things I love, and they don't care. "They" is a generic term to denote society at large, not any one person. What I mean is that the collective of society has no need for people like me, who resist change and don't want to work or leave behind the familiar. I'm an outlier, and this system society has built over centuries simply seems to have no place for me.

There's more than just these two problems, though. I have two more major problems to discuss, each one is good for it's own seperate paragraph. But before I get to them, I think i'll use this paragraph as a sort of lightning round. I'll discuss all the changes and stressors and unfair things that I hate, but that I don't have time to discuss in full detail (because we'd be here all day and all night if i discussed every stressful and unfair thing i'm dealing with). Some of these unfair things include: the lack of warning about the upcoming changes (they never discuss them until the very last year of high school, if then), the lack of processing time afforded to people, the fact that college seems to rely way more on independence and self reliance, the fact that school years are shorter, less well rounded and sometimes much bigger in terms of class sizes, the fact that there's no consistent routine and schedule like there is in high school, the fact that there's night courses (some of which go till ten at night), and so, so many others. Those were just five to six problems in this lightning round paragraph, but there's still so much to discuss. For example, we now have to discuss my two biggest stressors. I'll start in on them in my next paragraph.

One of my biggest stressors is the fear that I'll never be able to read again after leaving high school. This is a bit of a more personal problem of mine, but it's one that really makes me miserable to think about sometimes. I only ever seem capable of reading in a school setting. I started reading in school way back in grade one or grade two. I brought a novel to school, and I read it cover to cover. Since then, school has been my safe space for reading. I read online at home, true, but it's not the same. Only in school do I read physical books. I read in elementary school, now I read in high school. When I was doing online schooling, I never read my physical books. And now that high school is ending permanently for me, I'm terrified I'll never read my physical books ever again. Because the college library didn't seem like a super comfortable place. Half the books seemed to be digital in nature. I really didn't like seeing that when my dad and I went for a tour of the college. All it did was help convince me that I'll probably never read again should I leave high school. And I really, really hate that feeling of fear and dread it brings out in me. I'm trying to go every single day for the rest of this school year, because I want to get the most out of my reading. In case I never read a physical book again, I want to get everything I can out of it.

Finally, my biggest example of unfairness in regards to transferring from high school to college (or university, for that matter), is the cruel social and societal obsession with going to college or university. They mark it as some sort of sign of skill and intelligence. If you don't go into some form of post secondary education, you can't amount to anything. They build it up like it's the most important thing in the world, and you're a failure if you can't make it. It's unfair, especially since college/university seems designed to be failed by people like me. People who get overwhelmed by large crowds of people, people who need guidance and occasional check-ins to stay on task. People who want to learn about more than one subject. People who like routine above all. People who have disabilities of any kind. These big buildings that feel social and independent and massive and stressful and just…impossible to handle. If I can't handle college and I then can't handle the workforce, society will abandon me like i'm a derelict. They have no use for those who can't or won't work. They have no desire to help "freeloaders (which is no doubt what they consider me)." They would leave me alone in my own suffering if I don't manage to fit in. I know that. And that alone makes my blood boil and my panic intensify and my stress become ever more strong each new day. I oscillate between depression, fear, rage and bitterness. Maybe apathy on a good day. But usually the core four are the ones I mentioned above.

In summation, College is an unfair thing. It's a system designed to shove people into little boxes, all ready and prepared for the working world. If you don't want to work, they don't really want you. If you struggle with routine changes, they're probably gonna expect you to just deal and get over it. They do not care about the needs of people like me. They only care about those who fit in their boxes. I'm not saying everyone at college is bad, but I am saying this archaic system is broken and decrepit and desperately in need of repair. College should be free, it should be an extension of elementary school and high school, and it should be something that you can continue going to for as long as you want. That's the college I want to see exist. That is the college that desperately needs to exist. If it did, I honestly think it would make this whole world a slightly better place.

If they'd even just let me come to High School for the rest of my life, I would accept that offer eagerly. I could be a 30 year old sitting in a high school library reading, and I would be happy. Legitimately. Why should I be forced to change my life, when the change might make my life worse? It's not like I'd ever do anything improper at High School. Why must they deprive me of something I value!? If it's because of my age, that feels discriminatory and unfair. If it's because they want me to just go into the workforce, that's also horrible. All of this is horrible, and I hate that they want me to act like it isn't. This system is unfair, it's punishing, and it's just all around cruel.

[velvetvexations]

There seems to be an overlap between TRFs/transandrophobes and the "darkly chic" bloggers who think they're cooler than everyone else because they aren't like, too into dumb cringey fandom stuff.

Sometimes it originates out of reasonable criticisms of "fandom liberals" who care more about shipcourse than actual political issues (although I do think it's important to keep in mind that many of these kinds of bloggers are really young and just don't have a good grasp of serious topics yet, and that they'll get more mature with time), but it pretty quickly turns into self-superior, high-school bully ass bullshit about how glad they are to not be dumb uncool nerds. (This is the dumb uncool nerd website... 🙃)

Anyway, I'm not falling for it. Shoutout to fictionkin, shoutout to alterhumans, shoutout to selfshippers, shoutout to people with "dumb" fandom interests like Cookie Run or Five Nights at Freddy's, shoutout to systems with lots of introjects, shoutout to people who cope through fiction, shoutout to fanwriters and fanartists (especially those who have less experience or aren't seen as traditionally "good" at their art medium), shoutout to (respectful) fujoshis and himejoshis and fudanshis and himedanshis, shoutout to Ao3 users, shoutout to people who care about fandom and enjoy it and are "cringey" about their passion for it! Don't be ashamed that you have passion and creativity and don't let people convince you that being an irony-poisoned, cynical, judgmental husk is cooler or better than openly and unabashedly loving your interests.

idk if I've seen them attack the concept of fandom directly but they absolutely base their identities and sense of political thought around fandoms lol so it'd be very hypocritical if they did

[skywritestudios]

Hey guys it's Joy! I'm alive, I've been pretty silent on my socials and skipped last month's devlog because I did nothing in April outside of managing teams and communicating in servers. Thanks to my good ol' friend burnout. 

General Recap Luckily, May was night and day comparatively. I had an exceptionally productive month.

I shipped out more merch, and generally just kept up with development. I was able to get over my burnout in the first week of May and find a pretty decent work life balance again. My job is thankfully very stress free and easy, as well as part time, so I have plenty of time off to work on dev stuff. Just as long as I schedule it out properly.

Nothing especially noteworthy happened outside of specific dev cycles, so let's just get into that. 

Criminally Yours

Let's start with Criminally Yours this time! Specifically the development of "Criminally Yours Part 2" aka "Criminally Mine" set to release August 1st 2025.

Criminally Yours Part 2 is nearly complete totalling at 53k words at the time of writing this, I have 3 ½ scenes left, I'm halfway through scene 15/18 and I estimate the final word count to be anywhere from 60-65k. Totalling for 6/6.5 hours of gameplay. 

It's quite large. I originally only anticipated for it to be 40k at most, to be double the length of Part 1 which is 23k for reference. 

It'll probably be 3 times the original length almost, but hey, what can you do? Friends of mine have joked that it's basically Part 2 and 3 at that length, and I can't disagree with that. With an extra love interest alone I knew it was going to be sizeable, but not like this.

However, I am extremely proud of it so far. I honestly expected it to be better than Part 1 just from the outline, but it has only gotten better and better as time has gone on and I think it's going to make a lot of fans happy. 

Our VA's have started recording their lines, our artists have plenty of sketched CG's and finalizing of sprites left, programming is in the works, and everything is moving very smoothly! (Not to jinx anything) 

I have our wonderful community of "Criminals" (Criminally Yours fanbase) for that! It's been so motivating for me to share my progress, and hear theories, and receiving messages telling me how much they loved the first part and how much more excited they are for the 2nd!

I just want to say, y'all are not even a little ready for what's in store, it truly is the emotional rollercoaster I planned for it to be and more. Buckle up, we've got 2 more months. (I'm sure they will fly by). When I've finished drafting I'll be posting an announcement on the "Criminally Yours" Tumblr which you can follow here.

Speaking of Tumblr! I'd like to plug the Skywrite Studios tumblr page, there is not a tumblr for Meant to Bee Studios. To be honest, Skywrite is my replacement for Meant to Bee, but since M2B has a large following, it'll be awhile before I can stick to only Skywrite.

Anyway follow Skywrite Studios Tumblr here. 

Fanart for Criminally Yours opening scene by iveu    

The Prince's Keeper

Okay, I know it's been like 3 months of TPK is coming, it's coming guys I swear. But it really is. It's literally a finished game, the only thing missing is 2 finished CG's. We've had some setbacks in regards to our CG artist this time around. Luckily, we have remedied this and will have a release as soon as those CG's are finalized. I hope you still look forward to playing once it's out. Its something truly special and deserves attention. Unfortunately it fell into a bit of a dev hell. 

CG concept for The Prince's Keeper- art by anonymous

My Sweet Fairy!

So unlike TPK. We've had a lot of luck with our artists and have made substantial progress, however, remember that burn out I'd mentioned earlier, well I was responsible for the last half of the script and completely dropped the ball. I had legit no motivation to work on the project or really anything at all. Even still, May I could have worked on it in time to get it done for Blossom Jam, however I have been hyper focused and stressed about Rectifier: In Bloom and Criminally Yours releases as they are commercial projects. Not free jam ones. 

So I made a tough decision, we decided to roll development over to next year and to release for Blossom Jam 2026. It hurts me a little to have to, but it was just not the right time, and I don't want to spread myself too thin as it can harm the quality of all projects involved and harm myself which is something I've learned not to do if I can help it. 

Next year will be here before we know it, and this way no team member who volunteered will be forced to crunch.

As my cofounder and best friend, Grey said. I'm not getting rid of the balls being juggled, just setting them to the side for when I can juggle them. (We love our silly analogies) but they're right. I'll happily pick up where we left off with fresh eyes and renewed spirit and produce the best project we can.

I hope you'll look forward to MSF! When it does eventually release, it's a super sweet romantic comedy with so much style and love put into it.

CG concept for My Sweet Fairy! Art by Zac/Jamkats

Starfallen: Strength

Strength's development like My Sweet Fairy! Is going very well, we have all sprites finished and finalized, and our OST. However, for the same reasons as before I had to roll this project over to next year as well, for next years Otome Jam.

I was very excited to release at least chapter 1/7 for the jam, but I think it's for the best to hold off so I can properly commission my artist for the project. I also would love to do an additional chapter for next year's release so 2/7. 

Image: Verona from Starfallen: Strength- art by Pinachos 

Rectifier: In Bloom Update

And last, but certainly not least, especially in my heart. We have the Rectifier: In Bloom update, as some of you may recall. Rectifier: In Bloom was my project for Otome Jam 2024, and what a time it was. Despite everything, I am still very proud of what I accomplished with a team of 4. 

However, it's clear from the current build (which you can find in the March devlog btw- only for Windows users though), what's clear from that build is that it's fundamentally flawed. Not only was the game made in RPG Maker MV meaning it lacks all the standard quality of life features and functionalities of a standard Renpy VN. It also was programmed by me, and lol it's not great. The routes are pretty good, however we had very little time for playtesting, and by little time I mean practically none. Art is stunning, though I wished I could've had more, soundtrack is very hodgepodge, some being original tracks with others being royalty free.

And don't get me started on the GUI or lack thereof and the abhorrent game page for Itch.

The whole thing felt like it was being held together by tape and child's glue. 

This time around, I wanted to polish the entire experience and add what was missing before.

So this time, we have a brand new game, completely reprogrammed into Renpy with all the QOL features that come with it, as well as a few more. A stunning GUI, more CG art, a fully edited script, as well as brand new extra scenes for each of the 7 routes! Extra tracks, and so much more! 

We are set to release the update here on itch June 30th 2025 in time for Otome Jam 2025. 

I want to say that despite all the flaws the original build came with, so many players were so supportive and saw something to love in the project despite its hang ups. This time around, I hope there is less focus on what holds the game back, and instead focus on all the little things that came together to make it so wonderful.

I've said it before, but Rectifier is my favorite project I've ever done. It has my whole heart and has so much content more to come, In Bloom was a way to sell people on the greater universe while still getting a complete experience. I think we accomplished that last year, but I want to cement it for those who liked it, and bring on new fans. 

Next year, I want to work on the main game, and In Bloom's success will help fund it.

The game will be commercial with 1 free route for the demo- Greer's, and 6 that will have to be paid for. The price will be $5.99 USD. However, you can donate $5 now to my Kofi now as a way to "preorder" the game. You'll get a key as soon as the game releases if you donate.

Thanks to all those that have donated so generously and bought one of our stunning keychains! (Mainly the Percy ones, but HEY lol) I am eternally grateful, I advise that even if you played the game last year you consider doing so again when it releases, I promise it'll be worth your time.

CG concept for Rectifier: In Bloom Greer's Route art by Gisselle

Thank you so much for reading and, even more so, for following and supporting my work! If you want to keep up with what we do, following Skywrite Studios on Itch.io) , Bluesky, and even me on Twitch are the best ways to do so!

We've got a lot more exciting things happening coming in the next 3 months, so please stay tuned! This time next month, Rectifier: In Bloom we available to purchase and play!

[cyanbeetle]

The revitalization of the Wild West aesthetic in the 2020s demonstrates a really obvious desire to engage with the exact same power fantasies of cowboy and indian games in the 1960s but also an anxiety and refusal around acknowledging Indigenous people. It’s an interesting blend where in the past, American identity was explicitly defined by the American’s contrast against the Indigenous, and now American identity is contrasted against an absent spot. Like it’s almost as if the western aesthetic has gone beyond its former point of treating Indigenous peoples as a dying old way and now just treat them as actually dead.

I think it demonstrates pretty well how AmericaCanada will never be able to detach from the aesthetics of colonial identity no matter how much it wants to seem like it’s progressing. In distancing themselves from the 1900s concept of cowboys and indians, all they really do is distance from the indians part. I’m not saying that abandoning racist iconography is a bad thing obviously but in slicing that and maintaining the cowboy and pioneer ideology and iconography, all they’ve really done is separate those concepts from their historical actions. It’s an effort to sanitize the image. The more awareness there is about the brutalities of colonization, the more people try to separate the events from any active agents. An understanding will grow that horrific things happened to Indigenous people, but settlers get to remain in the idyllic image space of cottagecore and pioneer ranchers who were ambiguously uninvolved, nevermind the violence inherent in taking up those roles on stolen land.

white cottagecore/cowboycore liberals are especially interesting to me because occasionally you’ll see attempts to put an Indigenous or ambiguously brown person into that setting in fiction or art, but 9 times out of 10 that Indigenous person is now a cottage owner or a cowboy too. It’s another demonstration of how liberal colonial thought might allow a Native American to exist so long as they stop being a Native American.

I don’t even think artists do this consciously, but there’s some level of awareness that you can’t bring an Indigenous person who is culturally and ideologically indigenous into the cottagecore space because if you do, it draws attention to the weirdness of the cottagecore ideology. In an effort to look inclusive, they’ll just bring an assimilated image of a happy Indigenous person who doesn’t worry about all that stuff from the past anymore. And all the appeals are the same as manifest destiny posters or John Wayne films: as a cowboy you can be any man you want to be and carve a home for yourself out of a hostile landscape, as a rancher you can settle into an idyllic life where prosperity will always surround you. So long as you don’t ever try thinking about Indigenous people

[goldendoodlerlockerlove]

5!

Thank you so much for invading my ask box again, Babs!! I appreciate you so much 🥹❣️

All right, The Cobra is my Marvel WIP (technically WIP even though it's published, because it's unfinished and I haven't been able to find the time to continue it for quite a while). But it's a fic I want to finish someday, eventually, though I don't know when. It's a fic that's very dear to me. It was my first big writing project that I actually published for the world to see, so I love it a lot for that. Okay, buckle up for some lore. I told @koko-raccoon all about my OC, so here's everything I told them:

Her full given name is Lucille Dorothy Barnes, but she goes by Lucy for short, or Luce (She/Her pronouns!! She's a Cisgender Lady :3 Tbh, I like to headcanon her as the type to put Pronouns in her Bio once she gets to the present and has an actual phone and learns how to use Social Media). Anyway, she's Bucky's younger sister, and he's her oldest brother (yes, she has two older brothers and one younger brother. I gave her two additional brothers because according to canon lore, Bucky's supposed to be the oldest of four, even though nothing about his siblings is known in canon).

She and Bucky are 1000% the closest to each other in their family, they were each other's first best friends!! That's the power of sibling love. The two of them eventually meet Steve, and she becomes Steve's bestie as well at the same time that Bucky becomes Steve's bestie. The three of them kind of become a friendship trio, like The Three Musketeers. Oh yeah, and she's also Aro/Ace, but doesn't figure it out until later, because of how taboo being LGBTQ+ was back in the forties. Her being Cis and Aro/Ace is based off my best friend, who is also Cis and Aro/Ace, pffffft (and despite being Aro/Ace, she's one of the most loving people I know).

Anyway, Lucy never gets powers, but does support Steve while he gets the serum, and actually does manage to join the army with him. Even though she's a woman, she still gets in because let's just say that's how desperate they were, lmao. And they also tour together selling War Bonds as Captain America and The Cobra (which eventually becomes her actual superhero name). Then they both get trapped in the ice. I don't know how she survived, because she never got the serum. Let's just say she's built different--and somehow the ice protected her all of those years, I don't know. I don't think I thought about that enough when I wrote it.

Anyway, they wake up in 2012, join the Avengers, and craziness ensues. But the craziest part is reuniting with Bucky, who she thought died all the way back in the forties. She definitely took his presumed death the hardest, she grieved so much. She never really fully recovered from when she thought she lost him. She actually turned to drinking to make herself feel better, it was that bad (she previously never even touched alcohol). And she even cut her long, brown hair and dyed it; it eventually grows back and regains its old, natural color, but it was still a huge, rebellious move for her. She gets even more upset when she learns that Bucky was brainwashed, and he's barely even her brother anymore. But part of her that she thought would never heal heals when Bucky is eventually freed of his mind control and becomes a part of her life again. They definitely become each other's support system when Steve goes back to live out his life in the forties and dies, leaving the two of them (and Sam).

And she's reminded just how fun it is to spend time with her big brother again. She just missed him so much 😭 I like to think that she's also trapped in the town Wanda creates in WandaVision, and actually forgets everything, and Wanda tries to justify it by saying that now she gets to live the life she lost. Very sad stuff. I actually kind of used this fic as an excuse to write a character going through the grieving process, sort of?? It was definitely interesting.

Here's an excerpt of Lucy dealing with grief and turning to drinking as an unhealthy coping mechanism:

When they got back, she turned to drinking. Being drunk erased the pain. It numbed everything. It wasn’t a permanent solution, but it helped. She was old enough anyway. She and Steve sat in the remains of a building, listening to a broadcast.

“Blackout is still in effect throughout the London area. Please wait for the all-clear. Your attention, please. All citizens should remain indoors until further notice. Blackout is still in effect throughout the London Area.”

Peggy suddenly appeared in a trenchcoat. Steve cleared his throat and spoke, his voice sounding rather raspy, “Dr. Erskine said that the serum wouldn’t just affect my muscles, it would affect my cells. Create a protective system of regeneration and healing. Which means I can’t get drunk. Did you know that?”

“I can.” Lucy hiccuped, pouring herself another shot. “It helps with the pain. Physical and mental. Also, Steve, m’pretty sure your metabolism burns four times faster than the average person.”

She heard that her words sounded slightly slurred, but she couldn’t bring herself to care.

“I was just about to say that.” Peggy grabbed a chair and sat beside them. “He thought it could be one of the side effects. It wasn’t either of your faults.”

“Did you read the report?” Steve questioned, probably sounding harsher than intended.

“Yes.”

“Then you know that’s not true.”

She slammed her shot glass on the table, startling Peggy, “I was a coward.”

“You did everything you could,” Peggy assured them. “Did you believe in your friend and brother? Did you respect him? Then stop blaming yourselves. Allow Barnes the dignity of his choice. He damn well must’ve thought you were worth it. Both of you.”

“That’sss Bucky for you.” Lucy’s “s” was slightly drawn out. She laughed drunkenly and then hiccuped again.

“I’m going after Schmidt,” Steve decided. “I’m not gonna sleep until all of Hydra is dead or captured.”

“You won’t be alone.” 

Lucy never forgot those words of comfort.

Here's an excerpt of a small part of WandaVision that I wrote in advance because I got so excited to get to it:

Lucy started to grow angry herself for not being listened to, “What is outside of Westview, Wanda?”

“You know full well what’s out there,” Wanda snapped. “Lucy, I did this for you, too.”

“What?”

“Haven’t you noticed? You’ve gotten to live through all of the decades you never got to experience. You never had to be a hero,” Wanda explained.

Lucy’s hands curled into fists, “I thought you were my friend, Wanda. How could you do this? People here are suffering!”

“You don’t understand.” 

“I don’t understand?” Lucy hit the table with all her strength and started to shout, “I knew damn well what I was getting into when I got into that plane with Steve!”

“You don’t get to make a choice for us, Wanda!” Vision exclaimed.

Also, the best flipping part about this fic is that Lucy is canon is some way thanks to The Falcon and The Winter Soldier!! Sort of. Okay, I still made Lucy up, and Bucky's sister never appears on-screen, so it can be assumed she never made it to the present and passed away at some point. Or he could even be lying. But let me have this!! When my best friend, Matilda, pointed this out, I squealed with happiness so hard.

[flwrkid14]

Buried Beneath The Laughter They Ignored

Tim is totally fine. Ridiculously fine, actually.

It didn’t matter that he woke up feeling this bubbling, manic laughter in his chest, like everything was suddenly so fucking funny. It didn’t matter that he’d woken up from another nightmare last night, crying, calling for his mama—not the mother he lost, but the mother he gained, Harley Quinn. And it didn’t matter that most days, he felt more like Joker Junior than he did Tim Drake.

It didn’t matter that no one else seemed to fucking care.

He shoved down every bit of laughter clawing up his throat, because he knew if he let even one chuckle slip, they’d all give him that look. The one they always did. Disapproval masked as concern. They didn’t like Junior. They didn’t want to believe Junior was still in there, clawing his way up every time Tim breathed.

It didn’t matter that no one ever asked him how he was doing. They didn’t want to talk about it. Because talking about it would make it real, and they preferred pretending it wasn’t. They expected him to be fine, to push it down, to carry on like nothing happened. If he tried to bring it up, they’d say he was being insensitive—insensitive to Jason's trauma. What fucking irony, he thought bitterly. As if it wasn’t insensitive to be stepping all over his by not letting him speak.

It didn’t matter that he caught them glancing at him sometimes, like they were waiting for the other shoe to drop. Waiting for him to snap, waiting for Junior to come out again. But they never asked. No one asked what was going on in his head. No one fucking asked.

It didn’t matter that when he finally snapped, when he finally screamed at them, sick and tired of pretending, they had the nerve to act clueless. As if they didn’t know.

It didn’t matter that Dick, of all people, screamed back. Yelling like he was being unreasonable. Like he was the problem. He screamed at Tim, demanding answers, to ask what the hell he meant by Joker Junior, as if—

As if they didn’t know.

They didn’t fucking know.

This whole time, they hadn’t known.

They didn’t know Tim had been taken. They didn’t know Tim had been missing. They didn’t know Tim had been held prisoner at the hand of the Joker for months, tearing him apart, piece by piece, until Junior was the only thing left of him. They didn’t know he had screamed for them, begged for someone to find him, but no one ever did.

They didn’t know how much he had suffered. Alone. They didn’t know how much he had changed. They didn’t know that every time he woke up now, it felt like he was still Joker Junior, just wearing Tim’s skin.

And they didn’t know how much it hurt—how much it broke him—to realize that they had never known.

Tim wasn’t fucking okay. And it mattered—oh, it mattered—that they didn’t fucking know.

Because if they didn’t know, it meant no one ever bothered to look. It meant no one ever cared enough to notice.

[mordredpendragon]

obviously i have my biases, but i'm just curious.

a bunch of knights go through grail quest, but what i want to know is your preference for the GRAIL HERO specifically. bonus points if you tell me why!

as a refresher, here's all of the relevant texts they show up in and undergo grail quest

Percival

Peredur (Welsh) Y Seint Greal (Welsh) Perceval + Continuations (French) Parzival (German) Parceval (Norse) Perchevael (Dutch) Prose Perceval (Middle English) Perlesvaus (French) Merlin and the Grail by Robert de Boron (French) Le Morte D'Arthur by Thomas Malory (Middle English) The Quest for the Holy Grail (Vulgate) (French) The Quest for The Holy Grail (Post-Vulgate) (French) La Tavola Ritonda (Italian)

Galahad and Bors

Le Morte D'Arthur by Thomas Malory (Middle English) The Quest for the Holy Grail (Vulgate) (French) The Quest for The Holy Grail (Post-Vulgate) (French) La Tavola Ritonda (Italian)

Gawain

The Crown by Heinrich von dem Türlin (Diu Crône) (German) Perlesvaus (French)

Lancelot and Arthur

Perlesvaus (French)

links are supplied by the Arthurian Preservation Project!

[fumifooms]

What if we were both magic prodigies and it otherized us in different ways and we devoted ourselves to protecting a family member who has general other goals & priorities. What if we both did self-sacrifical devotion in opposite ways.

What if we were dark mirrors of each other and where I've grown overcontrolling you've grown complacent. What if, bought as a servant into a pretty loving home, ownership and control is what love looks like to me, and to you neglected and lonely growing up, love is gratefully taking any scraps of it you’re lent.

By belonging to someone, even if she comes back injured or fails at finding Delgal, she feels like she belongs and is cherished, by owning someone he feels safe in them not leaving him.

She’s what’s tethering him do you see… And he’s the only thing giving her direction and purpose in her state. She needs a compass and he needs a support.

They’re both so out of it 😭 It’s the weirdly intense and unearned mutual trust and reliance on each other?? They’re each other’s weird little comfort codependent teddy bear. Or at least they were headed towards that before SHE DIED THEN HE DIED THEN THEY BOTH FORGOT ABOUT EACH OTHER AND NEVER MET EVER AGAIN. Though she’s also the guard attack hound keeping him safe… And vice versa he heals her and can rewrite her very being with just one wave of his hand. They’re both so so mentally and physically vulnerable both but they cling onto each other. They can’t perceive things accurately but despite it all someway somehow they stumble into something closer to resembling companionship just before they both die. Falin is just that kind and Thistle is just that lonely. Overworked.

We both haven’t lived for ourselves in a very long time, haven’t we.

They both have a similar devotion to the people they love but again the difference is that Thistle starts overtsepping while Falin is self-effacing. The other difference between them is that people care about Falin <3 People have given up on Thistle long ago, and he has given people reasons to, while people refuse to give up on Falin. Yaad has a mini arc about it dw about it it’s ok he’s not all alone in the end 😭😭 He reached out for Marcille’s hand but they already all wanted to help him, they just had to be given the chance to, Yaad just had to be given the chance to, it’s okay I’m okay

Hey what if we learned to get in touch with our own identity and the world around us and living in the present again through being in the worst codependent situationship ever.

Falin and Thistle sitting in a tree, sucking on flowers together because they’re h-u-n-g-r-y 💕💕💕

I bet he’s only ever thought of flowers as useless ornaments. Weak weeds. But she shows him they’re tasty and useful and good and pretty in their own right too and deserve existing without proving their worth and waaa <33 Thistles…... Did you know thistles taste sweet if you remove the thorns and eat them?

"Even as a chimera, her kind nature remains" you can’t suppress her in the way that matters. You can’t soothe him in the way that matters. It’s doomed. You’re doomed. It’s all doomed. Save me.

[ninjaaa-go]

I was just thinking that, if we do actually get amnesiac Jay, him eventually getting his memories back could be really interesting. Because obviously you’ve got all the great memories with his family and the people he loves, but at the same time just— the horrors. The guy has so much trauma piled up from over the years and I feel like that would be A Lot to have dumped on you all at once.

[canisalbus]

Different Italian anon, but the thing with Tuscan C is that it's pronounced like a very strong H sound, which is extra weird cuz the letter H makes no sound in Italian, normally. It sounds the way Spanish pronounce the J. We say it's "aspirato". So then people from there will say things like Hoha Hola (coca cola), and it's funny. It's also extremely contagious, I got family in Florence, you spend 3 days with them you start doing it too before you even realize.

.