#i have. had a really hard time answering these for some reason so. i sketched ezri dax. they would listen to csh tho.

[ohapossum]

HELLO... how'sabout no. 78

tell my mother i'm going home, i have been destroyed by hippie powers

[max1461]

Thinking about this post. "The only way to make a cell is from another cell" is somewhat of a troubling fact to me. I mean, not for any practical reason, just because it underscores the precarity of *gestures broadly*.

It's like, some people talk about trying to de-extinct the mammoth. And people are trying to sequence the genome of the mammoth, I don't know if they've done it yet. But even if they do, one of the problems with the idea of de-extinction is... to grow a baby mammoth, you need another mammoth! Last time I heard people talking about this, I think they were talking about using an elephant as a surrogate mother. But imagine if elephants were extinct too.

The point is that information is often tied to the systems that transmit it; even if you know everything in the mammoth genome, once all the mammoths are gone there's nothing capable of reading and using that information. Like when you can't read the data on a perfectly good floppy disk because your computer doesn't have a floppy drive.

This is related to why language death troubles me so much. Even the most well-documented languages aren't actually that well understood; linguists have produced more pages of work on English syntax than maybe any other specific descriptive topic and yet still the only reliable way to get the answer to any moderately subtle syntactic question is elicit native speaker data. We know almost nothing, we can barely extrapolate at all! And every language is like this, a hugely complex system that we know basically nothing about, and if the chain of native speaker transmission is ever broken it's just gone.

"Language revival", I mean from a totally dead language, is kind of a myth. It's like the "came back different" trope. In Israel they revived Hebrew, but Modern Hebrew is really not the same thing as Biblical Hebrew at all. I mean in a stronger sense even than Modern English isn't Old English. All the subtleties of Biblical Hebrew that a native speaker would have had implicit competence with died without a trace. All they left is a grainy image, the texts. The first generation of Modern Hebrew speakers took the rough grammatical sketch preserved in these texts and imbued it with new subtleties, borrowed from Slavic and Germanic and the speakers' other native languages, or converged at by consensus among that first generation of children. There's nothing wrong with that, but it would be inaccurate to imagine Biblical Hebrew surviving in Modern Hebrew the way Old English survives in Modern English. For instance, you can discover a great deal that you didn't know about Old English by comparing Modern English dialects. There is nothing you can discover about Biblical Hebrew by comparing Modern Hebrew dialects in this way.

There's nothing wrong with this, of course. I'm not like, judging Modern Hebrew. I'm just making a point.

Mammoths died recently, so we still have (some of?) their genome. Something that died longer ago, like dinosaurs, we have traces of them in the form of fossils but we could never hope to revive them, the information is just gone. Even if we're not aiming for revival, even if we just want to know stuff about dinosaurs, there's so much that we will never know and can never know.

We imagine information as the kind of thing which sits in an archive, because this is the context most of us encounter information in, I think. Libraries, hard drives. Well obviously hard drives don't last. And most ancient texts only survive because of a scribal tradition, continuous re-writing, not because of actual archival. So I think that imagining archives as the natural habitat of information is sort of wrong; the natural habit of information is in continuous transmission. Information is constantly moving. And it's like one of those sharks, if it ever stops moving it drowns. And if the lines of transmission are broken, the information is gone and can never be retrieved.

Very precarious.

[hairmetal666]

Eddie's at a party, lunch box in tow, and he's making a fucking killing.

He sets up shop in the crowded kitchen, but that doesn't stop him from spotting King Steve in the living room. Harrington's face is still fucked up from the fight with Hargrove, and he's tipping a cup almost vertically into his mouth. He's not too surprised when--the next time he spots the jock--he has a can of beer in each fist.

More customers flood up to him, and he can't help but be a little grateful for the distraction. Harrington is one unrequited crush he just can't kick.

Lunch box cleaned out, Eddie heads outside for a smoke. He's fishing his cigarettes out of his jacket pocket when he hears a snuffling sort of shuffle that sends his heart racing.

He edges forward, just enough to make out the heap of a person half-heartedly sitting up against the house. A person in fitted blue jeans, tight polo, and Member's Only jacket; swoop of chestnut hair catching in the flash of fire from Eddie's Zippo.

"Harrington?"

The guy startles, stability wavering, eyes blinking too much. "Munson?"

"You alright, man?" He asks, though he can already tell that Steve is most definitely not.

Steve shrugs. "Why do you care?" It's not mean, sounds genuinely curious.

Eddie gets it. He has no reason on earth to show concern about King Steve. In answer, he taps his boot against Steve's sneaker, giving him a small smile. "Not sure. But I'm here, so..."

"Just needed some air. Clear my head."

"How much have you had to drink?" Eddie asks.

"One or two,"

"Dozen?"

Steve laughs. "You're funny. Has anyone ever told you that?"

"I've heard," Eddie says, can't help but laugh a little too. "Wanna talk about what's going on?"

Eddie thinks that'll be a "no," but then: "Nancy dumped me."

"Yeah, big news."

"Ugh, people are talking about it?" Steve whines. It's really cute and Eddie hates himself for noticing. Hates himself more when Steve loses his balance, tips onto Eddie's shoulder, and Eddie doesn't tip him back.

Eddie can tell that Steve isn't fully with him anymore. He's a little afraid to leave the guy alone, so Eddie talks about the latest Hellfire campaign. Sober Steve Harrington probably has no idea what dnd is, but the drunk version is kind of a rapt audience.

He's just explaining about owlbears when Steve's voice, soft and sad, says "I just want someone to love me, you know?"

The admission renders Eddie speechless for a second, his chest fucking aching for the jock. He says "Oh, Stevie," knows he sounds too sad, is sure of it when Steve's nose wrinkles (it's cute; it's so fucking cute. Eddie hates himself for noticing).

Before he can backtrack, Steve slumps over, body going limp as he passes out. "Jesus H Christ," Eddie barks.

With a heavy sigh, and way too much fondness, Eddie stands. "Let's get you home, sweetheart."

He gathers Harrington up in his arms--dude is heavy--and carries him around to his van.

---

Steve wakes up, head throbbing and tongue fuzzy, with no idea how he got home and into bed. Can't really recall anything after he stumbled outside, aside from talking to Eddie Munson. But maybe that was a dream? Either way, he's home, not really any worse for wear. It's enough to let him forget all about it; what's one drunken party in a life full of them?

That Wednesday, he opens his locker after the final bell, and a Hershey bar falls out. He picks it up, flipping it over to see a note on the foil wrapping, "thought you might need something sweet to cheer you up." It's not signed, and Steve slips it into his backpack, knowing he's got a silly smile on his handsome face.

The little gifts continue to show up once or twice a week. Candy, plastic vending machine toys, sketches of the school grounds, caricatures of classmates and teachers. Sometimes they even come with a note in handwriting he doesn't recognize.

Along with the little treats, he starts seeing Eddie Munson kind of everywhere. And it's not like Steve hadn't seen him before--guy was hard to miss--but he was never around this often. Wasn't around this often and he and Steve had never shared a smile, a quick bob of the head, a quiet hello.

It isn't long before they're talking. Nothing much, nothing serious. Complaining about teachers, about classmates; sharing weekend plans. Only now Steve can't pretend to not notice the way Eddie dimples up when he smiles, the subtle muscles that bunch under the sleeves of his Hellfire Club shirt, the long litheness of his legs. Steve knows he's attracted to other guys, it's just that he didn't realize he'd be attracted to Eddie.

The gifts keep coming. Once, he opens his locker to find a plastic ring fashioned into a golden crown and a note that says, "made me think of you, Stevie." There's something about the "Stevie" that catches deep in his brain, but he can't make it connect to anything.

A few months later, Steve opens his locker and pulls out a drawing. This one--it's of him. He's gazing out into space in a way that managers to be dreamy and wistful. The Steve in the drawing is lovely, and it makes something clench deep in his gut, that someone sees him like this.

Steve tries to be more aware of the people in his surroundings, to figure out who his admirer is. He's not very good at it, even as more sketches of him--all depicting him as a gorgeous, ethereal thing he definitely isn't--show up in his locker. Especially when, so often these days, the person he sees the most is Eddie.

---

The presents in his locker continue into April, and would probably last until the end of the school year, but Steve's got a migraine starting. He keeps aspirin in his locker, gets a hall pass out of English to get some.

When he reaches his locker, though, someone is already there, with the door open. Someone in ripped black jeans, heavy black boots, a black leather jacket, and patch covered denim vest.

"Munson?" He asks. His heart beats so hard it reverberates in his ears, making it hard to hear.

Eddie jumps back, hands fluttering, face flushing bright red. "Ste--Harrington! I--uh--," he's backing up, his hands held out from his body, like he's pushing Steve away even though they aren't touching.

"Were you--?" Steve tries to ask, but the words won't quite come. There's familiar warmth low in his stomach, a twisting that has nothing to do with his impending migraine.

"I wasn't doing anything, I swear," Eddie says. He's breathing hard, eyes too bright, and Steve thinks he might be about to cry, but then the metalhead is turning away, starting to run.

"Eddie, wait!" Steve calls, chasing after him without much thought. "Please!"

Eddie doesn't stop until after they've crashed out one of the side exits, are alone outside.

"It was you? Leaving the--?"

Eddie nods, presses his hands to his eyes. "Sorry, I'm sorry, Harrington. I just--"

"Don't be sorry," Steve begs. "It's been--I liked it."

"Even now that you know they're coming from the freak?" Eddie spits. He still hides his face behind his hands.

"It's sort of been the best part of my year, if I'm being honest."

Only now does the metalhead remove his hands, blink back at Steve, dark eyes wide with shock. "Really?"

"Yeah. It made me feel-- important, I guess? Like, maybe someone saw me as something more than King Steve."

Eddie smiles now, looks down at the pavement. "I just didn't want you to think that you weren't--" he stops then, presses his mouth tight.

"Didn't want me to think what?"

"That you weren't loved, Stevie."

The statement hangs between them, Eddie's face pinking again, as the words wrap their way around Steve's heart. Loved. That he's loved. It clenches at every part of him, and he surrounds himself with the truth of it, what all those little presents were saying without words.

"Eddie, I--" he's overwhelmed by the gesture, the meaning, the reciprocal buzz in his chest, because Eddie Munson, Eddie Munson, loves him, and this fact is turning Steve's world on it's head in the best way.

"I'm sorry, Steve, really. Please don't hate me, or--or--"

"It means so much to me," Steve says, his voice a little broken. He reaches a hand out, slow, telegraphing the movement. "Can I?" He whispers.

Eddie nods, and Steve strokes the skin of his face with his thumb. "Thank you."

The metalhead nods, leaning into Steve's touch, they shift close, until their foreheads meet, until they share the same air. They stand that way for a while, long enough that they hear the bell ringing, and only then does Steve break their quiet. "Eds?"

"Yeah, Stevie?"

"You wanna hangout some time?"

Eddie laughs. "Yeah. I really, really do, sweetheart."

[minty-mumbles]

Linked Universe Survey 2023

The long awaited results of the survey. Sorry it took me forever, making graphs is hard.

There were 452 responses to the survey as a whole, which is almost double what we got last year, so thank you to everyone who participated!

If you want to see the raw data, you can find that here. I had thoughts about the data, but compiling that into another post would be too much of a hassle. Feel free to send me asks about it though!

The rest of the post will be under a read more as it it large

Demographics

Other: Demigirl (4), Transmasc (3), Grey genderfluid, Unlabeled, Demiboy, Demiagender

Other: Omnisexual (4), Poly (2), Trixic, Abroromantic or Bellusromantic, Demisexual

General Questions

Other: Quotev, Discord, their own google docs

Other: Discord, Variations of "I haven't posted yet, but I pan to" and "I haven't posted my fics in ages",

Other: Wattpad, Deviantart, Discord

Other: Crochet dolls, Custom dolls, Roleplay blogs (2), Fan translations, Headcanons (2), Piano music

The purple section in the “Warriors vs Warrior” chart is supposed to read “Warrior.” I made a typo.

Favorites and Least Favorites

Selected Free Response Answers

im sorry warriors i just can't play your game (it is very very hard. i am stuck very early on in the game)

I love cats meow meow meow

was extremely tempted to put twilight for least favorite. unfortunately he is my favorite to write from the perspective of (he has taken over most of my wips. help) and that probably counts for something. WILD on the other hand. hooo boy how the hell do i characterize this gargoyle. why is he Like That. least favorite it is

Twiddy

very good fandom to be in :) everybody is very nice

It's a straight up crime that Wars lost the aesthetics poll so quickly. He has such a peak Link design with the best colors. Ugh I'm getting wistful.

FROGS. FROGS. FROGS. ALSO HAPPY PRIDE MONTH. FROGS. FROGS. FROGS. FROGS. FROGS.

I will fight Hylia herself and the next person who implies Twi can't handle spice. If we're going to lean into him being southern/Midwestern, which is an alright stero type for our rancher, please keep in mind the culture you're basing him off. The south and midwest can handle their spice, I assure you. Have you ever had authentic Louisiana gumbo? It will melt you tongue off. Or some good old fashion spicy fried chicken? I promise the real stuff has quite a kick. (In all seriousness, though. It's more important that you're having fun. And even I can admit the idea of Twi being an Ordonian who can't handle his spice is more than a little funny.)

I am an OoT Link edgelord and have been since early 2017. So, in September of that year, when an artist by the name of jojo56830 puts out a lineup of nine different Links and the Hero of Time is there – the oldest, no eye, Hero’s Shade armor? I saw that one sketch and just thought “oh this is gonna be bad.” Yeah of course he has the coolest design. By the way, it’s only a matter of time until Fierce Deity shows up in the comic and I have reason to believe it could be this current Dawn arc. Dawn … Dawn of a New Day … and who brought about the Dawn of a New Day? Fierce Deity. Twilight is recovering but still injured and what will happen if he falls again? Fierce Deity is coming and we need to be prepared. In this essay I will—

Remember that time when someone put the whole script of the bee movie in here? I’m not that dedicated, and I don’t have that time, but let us remember and hope someone else does it again this time. Cause someone is bound too. We’re all crazy enough to do it. Alright, love you and stay hydrated pls!

Hi! I joined this fandom really recent but i’ve always seen LU stuff on pinterest and elsewhere. Only recently have i actually took the time to understand the fandom and get back into LOZ stuff and i adore the characters and story! The more and more fanart, fanfics, and comics i see about the different Links the more i love them all. It’s such a pain to pick just one i like or one i don’t like because they’re all so unique. I love this fandom and hope to get more involved!! Have a wonderful rest of your day :]

Epona is an underrated queen

your mom

I really don't get why Zelda is called Artemis. Athena makes more sense???? It perplexes me

Anyone seeing this should check out Breanna’s E!Wild AU

Something something queer every Link into oblivion!

[irondad-creator-awards]

Artist Spotlight - Monireh89

This week we're speaking to @monireh89, friend of the awards and artist.

Monireh was part of the Awards from the very beginning, creating art prizes for our winners and offering her art for promotion pieces. She's part of why the Awards were successful enough the first year to make us come around to The 2024 Cycle

In 2023 @monireh89 won The Best Sketch Award with this piece.

When did you start drawing, and what inspired you to become an artist?

I enjoyed drawing since Elementary school I think and when it was time to decide on a highschool, I fell in love with one particular art school in Prague so I took drawing lessons and suprisingly for me, I got in. It was an incredible experience for me and I learnt a lot there.

What do you enjoy most about creating your art?

Well, I enjoy the process itself. I love the feeling that I am creating some idea of mine and watch it come to life under my hands. And drawing Irondad is a guilty pleasure for me. I wanted to see more scenes between Tony and Peter in the movies and...damn we only got ONE hug So I was like nope, wanna see more. That's also the reason I want my drawings to be as realistic as possible. To have the feeling THIS really happened in the movies you know.

 Which artwork is your favourite and why?

Hmmmm....well, it is hard for me to decide between two drawings. First one Is an illustration for @losingmymindtonight fic about Peter sleepwalking where Peter is curled on Tony's lap and Tony is like...beaming at the Avengers.

The second one is an illustration for Not broken, Just Bent where Tony is hugging a really scared Peter. I love both of them because I think I managed to get the eyes/expressions right. Cause that is the core of every drawing....to look at it And feel the emotions of those characters just from their expressions.

What’s your subject to create art for?

For me, it has always been portrait. I love drawing emotions on people’s faces.

What inspired the winning piece?

The winning piece was Tony and Peter watching TV on a couch and cuddling over a bowl of popcorn. It was inspired by one of my favourite story by @eccentric-artist-22B Petey and the Hermit. This story is exceptional and always had a place in my heart cause the author is my friend. She send me a copy of the story before she published it and it was such a honor for me to read it first.

 Can you tell us a little about the experience of creating it — did anything stand out or was there a particular person that helped more than others?

So you ask if anything stand out while creating this piece, it was the author. An amazing girl whose stories are an endless pit of inspiration for me.

How did you feel to be a winner of the Awards last year?

How did it feel? Simply amazing! I joined Tumblr years ago with no expectations. I didn’t expect my art to be noticed much and this…this just made me feel like I was really accepted into this beautiful fandom full of incredibly talented people and it really made my day/year.

Thank you so much @monireh89 for answering our questions and your continued support of The Awards.

[wasyago]

how did u get so good at composition:3 did u like to draw background all the time or it came to be after practice how long does one piece usually take:333

hehe well, thank you first of all. second of all... um both? practice yes, no one gets it on the first time. and just. i dont know? doing it over and over again and trying new things and experimenting, seeing what works, what doesn't, where the background is needed and not.

i remember i heard a lot of artists around me saying that they didn't like or couldn't draw backgrounds, and for some reason i decided that im not gonna be like other girls and learn to do it. and i uhhh.... just started? drawing backgrounds? i was trying, and watching tutorials on youtube, and seeing how other people did it and eventually it got easier? i can say that i definitely enjoyed figuring out how to do it, struggling to get the perspective and composition right. like, it was hard but i had a lot of fun doing it, so it felt natural and just like, normal art progression? it didn't feel like i was going out of my way to draw backgrounds, i just did it when i felt like it?

at some point i joined a character ask, you know, when people ask questions and you draw the character answering. and i decided that im gonna draw a background for each answer instead of it being a character on a blank background. and doing this, like, specifically trying to draw backgrounds and tell a story with them, and doing it regularly and coherently, it helped me progress a lot. like, i started with a character sitting on a couch in a room, and then it got better and better, multiple rooms, multiple angles of the same room, different locations and images. it helped me a ton. just, figuring out when you need a background, when its rather i did something simple for one frame and focused on the other instead, where the character needs to be positioned, etc.

i can say i didn't do a lot of proper studies, and if i did maybe it would've been helpful... i only drew things that were in my head, with characters that i liked, with imaginary locations and stuff. never really drew from photos... we did go on plein-airs, or whatever they're called, when i was in art school, so drawing backgrounds from real life probably also helped a little, but i can't remember anything about it so it didn't do as much.

i looked at a lot of art from cool artists and expanded my visual library, i analyzed their art trying to figure out why i like it and how to make my art have the same kind of feeling. and i still do! sometimes something just takes over me and i scroll pinterest for 3 hours looking at pretty art and going to artists' profiles and saving art and using it as inspiration later. and it helps! a lot!

i dont know where this post is going ummm. i guess if you want to learn to draw something, just like, start. scrap it if you don't like it and try again, have fun, don't get attached. and uhh, i felt a little nostalgic so here are some of my pieces that i did throughout the years. definitely feels like i got better at it recently, but there's still a lot of room for improvement

oh and for your second question. one piece takes about ummmm... more than a thousand episodes, thats 20 minutes times 1000 devided by 60 devided by 24... we're looking at about 14+ days of non stop watching?

no but for real. i dont really keep track of time when im drawing, uhh. plus depending on the complexity... my recent jrwi drawings are sketches, so they took maybe one or two hours max. something rendered uhhh, maybe 5 hours? if i don't finish it in one day the chances of this drawing ever getting done are super low, soo yeah

[armoreddragon]

how did you first get into making this stuff? do you enjoy it?

There's a lot of possible answers here.

For a couple years after college, I worked at a laser engraving and cutting shop. Leather was a material we knew we could cut, but nobody ever asked for it, so I looked up some basic info and put together some masks as demo pieces. Then I got fired for unrelated reasons, but decided to keep going with the masks on my own. A decade later, I’m still going.

I've always enjoyed making things. The focused calm of working a craft, the challenge of finding the problems that need solving, followed by the satisfaction of holding in your hands something that hadn't exited before. It’s hard to beat that feeling. If you haven’t done it for a while, I highly recommend making a habit of it.

Sometime in college I realized that if I kept making things just for myself, I would eventually run out of both space in my closet and money in my bank account. So I took the best photos I could of what I had, and started posting it up on Etsy.

In high school ceramics class, I had an idea to try and make a flexible dragon skin out of little bits of clay, all glazed differently. I had no idea how to do this. A friend of mine was like "Yo it sounds like you want to look up how to make chainmail for that." She was right.

I work in architecture by day, and the decision to do that was unrelated but definitely related to my crafting obsession. Designing a kitchen, a café, a house, takes months or years of work, most of which is tedious details like picking tile patterns or looking up exactly what order to layer different sealant tapes to make sure the walls are watertight. Designing a crafting project gives me a creative outlet that is immediate. I can sit down for an afternoon and take an idea from a sketch on trace paper, to a final mask formed up out of leather. There's an excitement to that. A reminder that, yes, I can make cool stuff quickly, without needing to sink two years into a project.

For a while I worked to teach myself to draw. I managed to get pretty decent at sketching from life, with a moderate understanding of anatomy and perspective. I liked art, so I thought I wanted to make art. But I struggled with it. If I was drawing something from my imagination, no matter how well I managed to put the lines down on the paper, I would ultimately look at it and just be sad that it didn't exist in the real world. So eventually I gave up on the drawing part, and focused on the part I seemed to actually care about.

I can't envision a version of myself that doesn't make things. I think on some fundamental level, I measure my worth as a person based on what I put forth into the world. I don't know what else to do.

When you decide to turn a hobby into a business, it of course takes some of the delight away. It's no longer something you do when you want to relax and have some fun. It becomes an obligation, to make and ship orders on time, to pack up your stuff and bring it to craft fairs, to track your expenses and file your taxes, to stay on top of the constantly changing social media landscape. But it also lights a fire under your ass. You can't just keep making the same thing you made three years ago–you have to keep making new stuff, keep improving your techniques, keep reaching for new ideas that have never been made before. You lose some of the joy, but you gain a lot of satisfaction.

All through my childhood I filled my closet with little handicrafts kits, that I got as gifts or that caught my eye when following my dad to the art store. Calligraphy, wood carving, weaving looms, boondoggles, spirographs, knitting, crochet, fancy nautical knots, sculpey, and more that I can't remember. After all those different things, I’m so glad that I found a couple specific crafts that really grabbed me, that take enough work to develop expertise, that have expansive enough applications and possibilities, that I could devote a decade or more of my time to focusing on them.

I’d been interested in the furry fandom ever since little fantasy reading teenager me tried looking for stories where the dragons were the main characters, and I found people online who were doing just that. There’s a powerful do-it-yourself attitude that’s baked into the core of the fandom: The world isn’t giving us the art that we want, so we’re going to make it ourselves. I keep having ideas for things that I want, that don’t exist yet. If I want them to exist, I have to be the one to make them.

My dad was a photographer, and I spent many childhood afternoons with him in his darkroom in the basement, delightedly washing negatives, turning them gently over in their canisters of chemicals, sitting still in the dark as Dad unspooled the sensitive film, squinting in the red light as the projected images magically re-emerged on the clean white paper. What could be more amazing, more normal, more right, than having your own little space to work such magic for yourself.

In about 2008 or 9 I ordered my first batch of metal scales, with the idea of trying to make a dragon tail in time for Halloween. It took probably a couple weeks to figure out how to make it, and within a week I had thought of how to do it better and disassembled the entire thing. By the 3rd or 4th time I'd rebuilt it, I thought that it was probably good enough that I wouldn't feel embarrassed to post it online and see if someone might want to buy it.

Of course I love working on these things I make. But I don't think that's exactly why I make them.

[r2kisblog]

Coffeetalk

Something that needs to be addressed:

I haven't posted many drawings lately, and when I did, it's often simple drawings or sketches. To be honest, I'm keeping a lot to myself, I'm actually drawing quite a lot, but I'm not really in the mood to show everything on socialmedia because,..

..I am learning to draw for myself...

It might sound super strange but I'm realizing how social media has actually ruined my love for drawing.

Imagine constantly trying to draw something that could get a lot of likes, following trends because other artists are doing it too and gives you attention, putting yourself under pressure because you think your followers will leave if you don't post regularly and if you don't post the content they want to see.

Constantly comparing yourself to others to the point that it becomes super toxic and unhealthy for yourself.

As soon you start to focus on specific fandoms and you grow, all of these influences you a lot and you'll come to a point where you feel deeply burnt after every art you finish only for the sake of posting...

And then, you start unintentionally paying attention to the numbers. You constantly check if your post is a hit or not. You become disappointed when it does not reach your expectation. You are finding yourself checking on your phone, checking and checking...And then it becomes at some point a never-ending cycling...

It doesn't matter if it's the likes or the followers. In the end, it becomes an unhealthy obsession and the worst thing about it is,..

..that YOU DON'T REALIZE IT, until your love for your hobby becomes more of an hate and you start question yourself, why are you even doing this. It makes you sick....

..So much that you completely forget why you started painting in the first place. The moment I realized it burnt me, was the moment when I deleted my accounts and took a longer break. I disconnected pretty much with the things that brought me this kind of beeing "burnt." I stopped talking with some people, disconnected myself from social media, and started the process of healing. After a while i made a fresh new account, and while i had the new account i still found myself beeing trapped in the thinking " i need to be seen in social media or else what is the point of having an account " , " i need fast something that interest me hard so i can get into drawing again" " maybe i should enter a very large fandom, maybe this is gonna work for me "...

As soon as i realized the trap was here again, i moved again away from social media. This time, without deleting my Accounts, but rather taking my time trying to figure out what was the reason in the first place that i started to draw a lot, with the intention of improving. Honestly, after many, many months, i am still searching for an answer..and that's fine! It's telling me that i don't need to force myself to like something i am not interested in and giving myself just a lot of time until something truly interest me.

Right now i do not feel the need to post much on social media, the numbers don't do anything to me anymore because i realized in the end these are only numbers...

I see more people using the advantage of AI Tools to fool people for the sake of getting a lot of likes. I also see artists who suddenly trace or heavily refrencing other people art without credit for the sake of likes or to be seen by the people. Honestly, is this really making you happy? That's what I question myself every time I see people do this. 😥

All of this made me think that my long break is truly healing me, and i get my love for art back again. Slowly liking the little drawings i do truly for myself, without thinking if others might like it or not. And taking time finding the answer, what made me start to do art in the first place and what i want to aim. And not forcing myself to draw for fandoms, I truly don't want to do it for the sake of numbers.

If you read this and you might be in a similar situation 🤲..

no matter if you draw, write, or do anything else, your art will always matter because you put your dedication and love to something you truly love. And there will always be people appreciating what you're create but your priority should be always yourself . It is your creation you truly care for that will give you a smile which thousands numbers will not do the same. Never force yourself doing the things you don't fully enjoy.

Always do a break whenever you need it!

( English is not my native language I apologize for mistakes in advance)

[sanctus-ingenium]

answering asks vol 2.

'Smiths' can encompass enginesmiths (mercury), armoursmiths (mars), alchemists (saturn) and some others - generally a smith is someone who works with engines or metal in any capacity, whether by constructing them, managing their fuel, making armour, etc. all of them have a completely degendered role in the church. They are supposed to be wholly devoted to their craft & church, to the point of becoming almost unpeople, sexless.

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I like pantera :) he's the main character beast sure (alongside leun) but he's got a lot of interesting history and has been through a lot.

To start out I do some basic sketches while looking at bestiary diagrams of the animal type. Then I draw the base proportions over a photo of the animal's skeleton. Once the joints are all in place and I could imagine it moving relatively freely, I pick a motif and design the armour shapes with that in mind (i.e leun's trefoils, taurus's waves). The motifs come from a bunch of sources - if I see them in medieval art around that animal, the beast's use purpose, the culture that built them and how it might differ in art styles to the 'basic' designs from the heart of the Mezian theocracy. Fun stuff like that.

As an exercise I have taken (human) characters from other settings and made holy beast versions of them, trying to imagine what animal it would be, what weapons, what armour designs, etc. Behold, Bowman:

It's a fun exercise! I recommend :>

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Hi! Thank you for the suggestion! I actually did try to use OneNote for my thesis but I found that it ended up an extra step that got in the way. Instead I organised my reference papers manually (and wrote up all my bibliography by hand as well). I haven't heard of Notion so I might look into it :> as someone with adhd I find that the best way for me is to make it stupid easy, which is why discord works because I already use it for talking with friends and I like the mobile app.

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SO true!! You can make whatever the hell you want forever and that sounds really cool, I'm glad I was able to help in some little way >:) (although, holy beasts are not robots.. i think the best description for them is just. exotic vehicles.)

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lmao it's totally fine!! I love to talk

Sir Heaven had such a profoundly negative experience with Leun that he struggles with the concept of making anybody else do what he now considers to be his burden. He also feels that taking any new people inside Leun would endanger them.

The bishop of Salvius cathedral is the guy Heaven answers to, and his superior officer. The bishop has reported the matter to the pope and they're still working hard presenting new potential novices to Sir Heaven, but the thing is that Sir Heaven rejects them for seemingly valid reasons. He doesn't just say 'no I'm not taking apprentices', he says 'this one's reaction speed isn't good enough' or 'this one is too prideful'. But the longer he tries to keep this up, the more suspicion he heaps on his shoulders. If the time came, no, he would not be able to deny a direct order from the pope.

Ketjan was selected at random, one of a large group of other children who were not raised in the church. This is to ensure that there is no per-existing bias or knowledge of how holy beasts work. And he just happened to be the only one of the group who could master Leun's very demanding dialogue tattoo. The recruiting enginesmiths, who designed Leun's systems, were the ones to train him, but Ketjan was the one to write most of the procedures for operating Leun based on feedback from the dialogue.

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Replies from THIS post:

@ospreyonthemoon @kicks-tiktaalik-back-into-water

Krokodilos had an amazing high-tech ventilation system that used active air pumps to keep it circulating. But exactly like the second reply says, it broke down frequently. And because of how it worked, the interior of croc had to be air-tight so that the pumps could work efficiently. And, of course, if it broke down, and it was air tight on the inside, it instantly became a more dangerous deathtrap than your average passively ventilated beast.

There were valves that could be opened in an emergency but these were only added after the first Incident. The pumps would break down from the fabric seals degrading, lose efficacy, and then the parts furthest from the pumps would suddenly not get enough air anymore because air couldn't be moved such a distance with faulty pumps. The reason his enginesmiths want him to be re-commissioned is because the only barrier was the material used for the seals, and they believe they can innovate some new materials or try something different and have it work. They were even thinking of trying natural rubber, which would have worked perfectly, but they never got approval for it.

[rhodesrider]

Superman

Roman R. x Little!Reader (Feat. Platonic! Jey and Jimmy Uso )

Minors DNI // 18+ // Age Regression warning

~

“Wait wait, you think Roman is who?” Y/N shushed Jey and Jimmy quick picking at her fingers nervous of her caregiver coming out of his office to see what was all the commotion. Jey blinked looking at her confused until he put two and two together. Not only was the poor girl in her little space but she noticed small things about Roman to make her think that he was Superman.

“Babygirl. Roman is not Superman.” Jimmy snickered some, but Y/N was serious. “Oh? Then why does daddy leave at weird times at nights and in the morning?” She smirked. But jey had a answer for that. “Y/N he goes on night runs and morning Jogs.” He sighed. “Sure he does, next your gonna say he not allergic to green glowing things.” She sighed. “He’s not?” Jimmy countered. “Then why did he throw away all my glow sticks?!” She said. “They were in the floor baby.” Jey laughed. She soon felt her face hot, she groaned and walk away knowing that her daddy was Superman. “If they don’t believe me, I’ll just make my own investigation.”

She ran to Romans’ office knocking on the door smiling as he opened it. “Hey princess, daddy’s quite not done yet but what’s up?” He squatted down to her kissing her cheeks. “Daddy could I get some printer paper? I ran out of sketch paper..” she pouted. He nodded and he went in his office right quick leaving the door cracked. She peeked in the door looking in seeing if she could find something abnormal. She scanned the room using careful eyesight and soon saw a pair of glasses on his desk. She stepped from the door as she hears footsteps and received the printing paper. “Thank you!” She smiled and ran off back to the living room where her uncles were playing the game. “Guys! I knew he was Superman!” She said in a hushed yelling tone. Jey paused the co-op game and looked at her while Jimmy just laughed a bit. “What other evidence you have?” Jey said not really wanting to entertain this but it seems like he doesn’t have much of a choice. “I saw “reading glasses” on his desk.” She said. “Daddy has great vision why does he need glasses?” She smirked happy with her evidence. “Well I mean that’s not enough evidence hun, every 30 year old man got glasses for reading.” After hearing the slight rebuttal she pouted. Jey was talking to her but out of the corner of jimmys eye he saw Roman peeking, he pulled his phone out and texted jimmy. Jimmy looked at his phone and rolled his eyes.

“Just play along.”

“Wait Jey.” Jey was stopped mid reasoning and looked at his brother. “Maybe she has a point,But idk the glasses ain’t enough still. If anything hard evidence comes from facts as well.” Jey blinked and soon his phone vibrated, he peeked at the text and groaned. But still kept his character. “Man, there’s no way that man in there is Superman.” He got up putting the controller down and walked away. “Uncle Jey doesn’t believe me…” Y/N pouted sitting down in his seat. “But I do.” Jimmy smiles. “Roman goes to bed at 10 o clock tonight. We can look around in his study some more.” Jimmy smirked. Y/N nodded excited and hugged her uncle going to get ready for bed. Soon out of sight Roman and Jey popped up again. “Why are you like this?” Jey asked Roman. “Look I think it’s kinda cute! Besides it could be fun.” He smirked. “So what u got set up?” Jimmy asked and Roman started to plan as so.

~

“Ok sweetie this is the plan.” Jimmy legit was going all out for this. He made a map and everything. Of course with Romans way of setting it up leaving a valuable little treasure in the safe. Y/N ran down most of the plan and gave some important notes in scented markers. As everyone heads to bed, Y/N sneaked out her room and so did Jimmy heading to the study. He opened the door slow and looked in giving the ok to start the investigation. The flashlights moved around the room and Y/N was so excited to find something a piece of evidence to show that her amazing caregiver could be the man of steal. “Hey over here.” Jimmy called as she was looking in his cabinets losing focus. Jimmy pointed to the safe. “Wait, uncle we don’t have a code.” She point feeing like the job was pointless. “Hm. What do you think the code would be?” She thought long and hard, soon remembering. She punched the code in and it opened after two beeps. “My birthday.” She smirked and peeked in seeing something was glowing. “Wait…a rock?” Jimmy was a bit confused, but he looked over at Y/N seeing her eyes sparkle. “No uncle. It’s kryptonite.”

~

The next day rolls over and Roman stepped out his study looking down at his phone. Soon stepped out Y/N, getting mentally prepared for what she’s about to try. “Hey daddy..” Roman turned around and soon saw the green stone in her hand. “I’m sorry!” She closed her eyes getting it closer to Roman and he had to act fast. He soon groaned a bit and moved back acting as if he was getting away from the stone as much as he could. “Pumpkin where did you get that?!” He asked peeking at her, she through the stone away far from them and she went to him in tear thinking she hurt the poor “superhero”. “Daddy I’m so sorry I knew your secret are you Okies?!” She sniffled and checked him really worried. It touches his heart seeing her so caring about him sometimes. “Well sweetie…you finally know. But you have to keep it secret for me. No matter what. Daddy has enemies that want him to disappear.” She nodded fast and hugged him smiling brightly. “I knew it.” She giggled.

But how long will this game continue? Check out next time ;) I’m pretty sure the friends he called would love to play along.

[cursedvibes]

for the headcanons: takaba and uro

Thank you for the ask and interesting character suggestion!

Takaba

Sexuality Headcanon:

I think if he really likes someone, he doesn't care about gender (like he would like Kenjaku no matter what gender or sex they currently have), but he generally prefers men. In his everyday life he essentially lives and is treated like a gay men, so that's what he mostly identifies as. Like how despite what his partners say he shows no interest or plans to ever marry and have children, it seems to be entirely out of the question for him. You could say that he wants to dedicate himself to comedy fully, but most successful comedians are married, so that's not really an argument. And while having unstable income while you are still relatively unknown is a factor, the reason he is so driven to make it isn't so he can support the typical heterosexual family. Same with his classmate in university, who teases him for being unpopular with girls, which Takaba doesn't care about at all. So he definitely seems used to being seen as some flavour of queer.

I also have this headcanon that Centerman not only made him laugh for the first time, but was also his gay awakening. I mean if you look at the constume and some of the sketches...young Takaba saw Centerman spread his ass cheeks on TV and suddenly felt very funny.

Gender Headcanon:

I think he's mostly cis, but likes to dabble in gender non-conformity by wearing some make-up or dresses both for sketches and privately. I mean, he clearly likes dressing up and had no problem playing around with gender with Kenjaku. I don't think it would've bothered him much if Kenjaku had temporarily given him some boobs. He'd just play along and have fun.

A ship I have with said character:

Pinchan or TakaKen (very surprising answer I know). I didn't expect it at all when the fight started, but those two have become so perfect together in such a short period of time, it's insane. One of the few Kenjaku ships, where I can say that they are actually making each other better. Kenjaku had an immensily good impact on Takaba's mental health. Helped him out of a crisis, encouraged his comedy style and made him reconnect with aspects of himself he tried to suppress. I'm curious how this will develop when Takaba wakes up again and finds out his new partner is dead.

A BROTP I have with said character:

Hazenoki. We've only seen a little bit of them, but I love their interactions. Somehow Takaba is very good at buddying up with mass murderers. Hazenoki is throwing his body parts around and tries to kill Takaba and he's like "friends? 🥺"

A NOTP I have with said character:

Megumi. It's one of those ships where I genuinely don't even want to look at it. I just can't stand it at all. Thankfully the main shipper of it here on tumblr has me blocked and it's not that popular on twt either, so I rarely have to see it.

A random headcanon:

Takaba has connections to the drag scene and sometimes performs with them. That's how he gets some of his costumes, make-up and dresses. They also showed him how to took (like the original Centerman), but most of the time he doesn't bother to. Understandable because doing that for most of the Culling Game would be very painful and unhealthy.

General Opinion over said character:

I used to think he was a bit annoying and I didn't see much point in him (although his first introduction was very intriguing), but he's really grown on me and unexpectantly become one of my faves.

Takako

Sexuality Headcanon:

Hmm, hard to really pin down. I think she also hasn't had much time to really explore her sexuality like many aspects of her identity, but I'd say she prefers girls. The men she's been surrounded with don't make anything else very tempting. I think she could use a break from them for a while.

Gender Headcanon:

Woman, but unlike with your regular cis person this has actually been a choice for her to some degree and something she discovered about herself. Of course she has always faced sexism, but due to being robbed of her identity when serving the Fujiwara, she had to redefine or discover womanhood for herself. She does it for example by highlighting her body and not hiding it anymore. Being naked and confident in the body she has is freedom for her and shows her individuality. Her CT can be used to hide herself, which I think she did a lot while working for the Fujiwara, the entire idea was for her to essentially not exist, but she has turned it into something liberating for her.

A ship I have with said character:

Yorozu. They lived at the same time in the same location, but with wildly different experiences. I've talked before a bunch about how I think Yorozu with her nakedness and brash attitude might've been an inspiration for Takako. She was in a similar position to Yorozu, but Yorozu was able to spin it to her advantage and actually gain power and status from it, while Takako was only exploited. I hope that whenever we get another Heian flashback that we will see these two again.

btw, I got this wonderful Uro x Yorozu comic when participating in an exchange event. It's fantastic, you should check it out! Made me love the two all the more.

A BROTP I have with said character:

Kenjaku I guess? Unfortunately, there aren't that many characters she's close to. I think it's interesting that she doesn't see them as solely manipulative and has a kind of positive attitude towards them. I could see them talking politics together and also Kenjaku riling her up to accept a second life shortly before she will be executed.

A NOTP I have with said character:

Yuuta...I don't think I need to say much about that. I already hated their interactions in Sendai. The fact this is even a thing and mostly seems to consist of Yuuta objectifying her or "putting her in her place" already makes me want to bleach my brain...

A random headcanon:

I think she used to wear something similar to shinobi wear while working for the Fujiwara. She can conceal herself with her CT, but she would also cover up her body from top to bottom except for maybe the eyes, so there would be nothing anyone could identify her by.

General Opinion over said character:

Always loved her. I hope she survives the Culling Game and is able to start a new life. Out of all the reincarnated sorcerers she deserves it the most. I mean, she doesn't kill people if she doesn't have to, so there's no danger coming from her. Wishful thinking, but maybe she'll make it out by staying low...

[darkdevasofdestruction]

Always By Your Side ~ Jack Hanma x Reader

Just a little fic in which Y/N’s and Jack’s relationship is depicted from their childhood in Canada, when there were around 13 years old, all the way to the Escaped Convicts saga. Enjoy~

“Jack, I’d like you to stay over after the class is finished. I need to have a conversation with you.” The maths teacher called out to the tallest boy of the class who had failed to do his homework for two weeks in a row. He didn’t vocalize his answer with words, instead, he merely grunted and nodded.

“Uhhh, Jack’s in trouble, Jack’s in trouble~♪” some of the boys were chanting and giggling, yet despite how annoyed he was, Jack didn’t bother to retaliate in any way. “Enough, you guys. Or do you want to get detention for disrupting the class?” with a stern look from the teacher, the obnoxious boys shut up. “Y/N, you too, stay after class.” Though there was no reason for the little girl in the far back, for she was the definition of a teacher’s pet… More or less.

The class went by at an exorbitantly slow pace, and whilst the blond had no care in the world, the little girl was nervous to the point of almost zoning out. When the bell finally rung and announced the end of the math’s torture class, all the children stormed out happily, ready for recess. The last two remaining slowly got out of their desks and went in front of the teacher and see why they were summoned.

“Jack… I’m really concerned about your grades. I know you’re a smart boy, but you never put in the effort. Your other teachers are complaining about the lack of interest in your education. I don’t want to have to call your mum, but if you continue like this, you won’t be able to graduate school and get into highschool. It would be a shame if a bright young man like you would lose important opportunities for the future, just because of his lack of care.” The teacher spoke in a gentle voice, yet the boy wasn’t sketching any emotions. “I don’t care about having an education. I got into school because it was mum’s wish for me to socialize and get an idea about what people are like. I’m not interested in having an intellectual career. My only interest is in getting stronger.” The boy that was towering at a ridiculous 1.80m, and for a boy who was barely 12 years old, he sure was intimidating. “Jack… Your body can’t take it. You are ill. You will never make a career from sports. Please be realistic.” The teacher sighed and harshened her voice. “… Miss… Please don’t say such things. If it’s his dream, you shouldn’t demoralize him. There have been many cases of people working so hard that they beat all odds. Maybe Jack can be one of them.” The mousy little girl that looked like a little flower next to an old, imposing oak tree, spoke in a voice that although barely audible, it made the blond look at her for the first time since he started school. “You’re a child, what would you know? It’s important to be realistic, otherwise you’ll end up like one of those delusional adults who end up homeless. You’re no different. Just because you have high grades, doesn’t mean you’ll ever become a doctor. Look at you. You can’t even look people in the eye, and people don’t even hear you when you speak. Not to mention, your socializing and communication skills are awful and none of your classmates like you. Being a medic requires all of these skills.” The teacher reprimanded the girl whose head was hung. Jack didn’t like it. Who the hell did the teacher think she is, scolding them like that, for no reason? “… I don’t need your opinion on my future. So… Would you please tell us exactly why you called us here? We have to go to our next class.” Jack was impressed by the little girl who although had a submissive posture and expression, she still held her ground and spoke up. “Ah. I see. You’ve got connections, so you know you’ll get in the system, regardless of how awful you are. No wonder… With each generation, the medical system gets ruined further. Alas.” Looking down, Jack could see the way her nails were digging into her arm’s flesh – If you saw how she was biting her lip, you’d think she was shaken up. But Jack knew better. Jack knew Y/N was desperately trying to keep her volcanic impulses out of control, in fear of getting in trouble. If she could, she would rip the teacher apart – And frankly, so would he. “Get to the point already.” The blond’s voice pressured the teacher into speaking. “Y/N, I want you to be Jack’s tutor for the next two years and make sure he does his homework and gets his grades up enough so he can graduate. Understood?” the bitch teacher gave the girl a stern, harsh look. “If he agrees, I have no reason to refuse.” She muttered, looking away. “I don’t need a tutor, and I don’t need to listen to you either.” With that, Jack turned on his heel and stormed out of the room. To think his time would be wasted with non-sense like that. Though he wasn’t expecting it, Y/N rushed out after him, and although it wasn’t easy keeping up with his speed-walking pace, she managed to get next to him en-route to the next class. She didn’t speak a word, until they reached the door of the Physics class. “Hey… Jack?” he looked down at her, and saw how much she was struggling to keep her eyes from constantly shifting away from him. If he didn’t know any better, he’d have though she was just afraid of him – But it was the same with everyone else. “I believe in you. I’m sure you can do anything you set your mind to. So… Don’t give up… Okay?” his eyes widened, watching that beautiful shy smile of hers as she encouraged him. “…Thanks.” He offered a side-smirk and a huff of amusement, before opening the door for her, and getting into the next class.

 Although he outright refused the teacher’s offer for tutoring, he didn’t refuse Y/N’s help. Though he didn’t want to bother with school, he didn’t want to disappoint his mum either, though his main goal remained the same – Avenge his mum by defeating the devil himself, his own father, the one who abused and tortured Diane Neil all those years ago. He wanted revenge for himself, and for his mum, most of all. But for that, he needed to get stronger. So much stronger. Infinitely stronger. That was the only focus in his life and it won’t change until he’s achieved this goal of his.

Since then, Jack moved his seat next to the girl, and would go over to a café for short study sessions, for the sole reason that he didn’t want to bring anyone over to his house and disturb his mum, who was still mildly disturbed by her trauma, and going to a girl’s home would be disrespectful to her and her parents, so a common, neutral ground was the best choice.

Much to his surprise, he didn’t mind these sessions. Although he saw them as a waste of time – Precious time that could be spent at the gym, refining his muscles and getting stronger, this was the least he could do to ease some of his mum’s pain. That’s all he needed to do – Finish school. He didn’t have to bother with highschool or anything like that, though soon, he knew he’d have to leave for Japan and start a new life.

Though he didn’t mind this time spent with her, it certainly was weird for him – He wasn’t used to being into a relaxing, calming environment, with a calm and quiet person who makes him feel so at ease and comfortable. He was drinking water, while she was drinking some sugary coffee, which in itself, was a weird thing for a kid like her. He was eating an overly exaggerated amount of food, while she’d barely eat a piece of cake or a tart – In fact, he’d feel so weird that he’d try to convince the girl to take some meat from his plate. Of course, he’d pay for everything, because not only it was him who needed the help, but he was already eating and drinking plenty compared to her, it was barely significant. Whenever he was working out, he was listening to the loudest, most aggressive music, while Y/N seemed peaceful listening to this café music. Also… He was always frowning, but she had the cutest kitten smile he’s ever seen – Though it wasn’t easy seeing it, because she was always looking down timidly and her visage was hidden behind that silky curtain of pretty hair.

Hold up… Why was he using so many compliments when thinking about her? Was this what his mother once described a ‘crush’? Ridiculous. This is preposterous. This can’t happen. He barely has any time to bother with the boring school shit, let alone with a crush. That’s the most awful outcome possible.

In truth, once he’s got the hang of the latest classes, he was going to tell the girl that they can’t meet up anymore. He really didn’t want to let his mind slip away from his ultimate goal… But he couldn’t. Not when he found out how bad her bullying was. Why has she never told him before? He could have easily beaten them up, or at least, intimidated them enough to leave her the hell alone. Seeing her on the ground, taking the beating and mocking from all those surrounding her made his blood boil… And if that wasn’t enough, the girl struggled to get up, and formed fists from her hands and tackled one of the boys. She mounted him as if she was some expert grappler and she pummeled his face bloody with her strikes – Until she got snatched off and dragged away, slammed into a locker. She had her guard up, just like you see fighters shielding their face from the impact, but she was far too fragile to last long. But Jack was surprised once again by an uppercut to the bully’s jaw, that sent him away. “WHAT THE FUCK DID I DO TO YOU?! I DON’T DESERVE ANY OF THIS SHIT – FUCK OFF ALREADY!” she looked absolutely feral, and if she had the strength, Jack was sure she’d have clawed and mauled them into ribbons like a mountain lion… But she was a baby ocelot at best.

The circle of bullies kept taunting and insulting her – He couldn’t stand it any longer – Though impressed by her power of standing up for herself and even retaliating and going against her no-violence rule, not only was she outnumbered, she was overpowered too. He stepped in from out of the shadows and picked the bully pinning her to the locker and effortlessly throwing him to the ground with a simple bitch slap. No matter how the bullies wanted to verbally make fun of him, the truth still stood – He was stronger than anyone there, in spite of even his illnesses and health.

But fate made things only go downhill for the two of them – It was as if they weren’t meant to have fortune or happiness -  A teacher came over and was easily bewitched by the bullies who claimed Y/N went crazy and started beating them up for no reason… But they didn’t have the guts to mention Jack, who could easily stomp them dead. She got detention for two weeks and a ruthless scolding, and no matter how much she tries to explain that it was her who got bullied, she shut up. “Of course, always take their side. You must really enjoy all the booze you get from their parents’ distillery, don’t you? You’re corrupt and unjust, and you never care about any idiot like me who gets bullied by those jerks. I hope you drown in whiskey.” Her voice was cracking with anger, something he never thought he’d witness, and he was reminded of the times he caught his mum crying whenever she thought she was alone. He was appalled by the situation.

Not watching the girl stomp away from the hallway, he waited until the bunch of giggling bouffons left so he could rough up the teacher, threatening him so that he wouldn’t do anything that stupid ever again. To hell with the rest of the classes, he was going to skip and look for the girl whose hood was up as to not draw attention to her bloody face. It would look like some kind of domestic abuse if anyone saw her, and it was enough that her parents would be devastated if they found out she was being picked on at school… So better find a way to hide it.

“Y/N. Wait up.” The familiar voice of Jack, one of the very few people who was ever nice with her, made her stop in her tracks. “Come over.” Though she didn’t move at first for a while, with a bit more pushing, she stepped next to the boy that was comically taller. He guided her to a nearby fountain and made her sit on the edge, while he knelt by her side and took out the tissue pack that his mother always sneaked in his bag. Taking off her hood, he wet the tissue, and with a hand on her face to keep it steady, he cleared away the blood. Surprisingly, her face wasn’t as busted as he thought it would be, based on the blood – Just a busted lip and some nose blood, but other than that, it seemed to have been the bullies’ blood.

Maybe it was from shame or embarrassment, but Y/N said absolutely nothing, and only looked down or kept her eyes shut. If she tried to make some eye contact before, now, she wasn’t even bothering. What could he say that would make her feel better?

“You did good.” He muttered, one he took her hands to wipe them off those jerks’ blood. The knuckles were bloody and forming bruises were beginning to be shown. “It was pathetic.” She sneered lightly. “It was absolutely pathetic. It’s always been. I can’t even stand up for myself. Nobody ever listens to me. How stupid.” Jack did everything in his power not to get angry – He could understand perfectly what she was saying. Yes, she may be small and frail, but he was ill and skinny – Or, at least skinny for his own standards. What was the difference anyway? The outcome was the same. They weren’t capable of achieving what they wanted because of their body. “I will protect you.” He found himself blurting out without even realizing – Once they both processed the weight of those words, their cheeks got flushed and they looked away. “Your presence alone was enough today… But you won’t always be by my side, Jack. What if I will be a target again at highschool? I… I really don’t get what I’m doing so wrong that I’m so unlikeable… But I don’t like fighting. I don’t like fighting… I like watching… That’s how I was able to get some hits today… But this… This is not me. I feel… Weird… Why do I have to protect myself? Because people are dumb and they don’t like me? Screw that. It’s their fault, not mine.” She explained herself – And she was right. What if he’s not there, but she needs him? His own mum was a US soldier, and she still couldn’t protect herself – Why would Y/N be any different? “Come with me to the gym. You’ll be able to defend yourself if you need to.” This statement made the girl look up at him in horror. “M-Me? At the gym? What in the world would I be doing there? That’s not a place for someone like me. Look at me. Besides… Even if I go, I won’t have the time to study, and I need extra time to find out ways to stay ahead so I’ll be able to explain and help you with the studies. There’s only so many hours in a day.” She muttered, scratching the back of her neck. “I made time for the useless study-sessions so I can pass school next year. You can take two hours out of your time to workout.” Insecure, awkward, nervous, anxious, afraid, embarrassed and many other negative emotions were easily displayed on her face. He knew it wasn’t easy, stepping up and trying to get stronger, when your body was created weak and frail, giving you an unfair advantage, but at some point, you gotta get stronger not only physically, but mentally and emotionally too. Being resilient is the first step to getting better. “…You really think I can do it?” she managed to ask, seeking for the littlest bit of hope. “Let’s fight together to get better.” Getting up, Jack extended his hand towards her – And after a deep breath, the girl put her little hand over his, and he helped her step up, not letting go.

Maybe by helping her, he’ll be helping himself, who knew? Jack thought to himself as he watched how awkward the girl looked standing in front of the boxing of him, in a tank top and a pair of large pants – She looked so out of place, it was hilarious. Still, she tried her best, as much as she could. She had no strength, no energy, no stamina, and not even a quarter into the workout, she was already dead on the ground. It looked comical to Jack, but for someone like her, with noodle limbs and the height of a smurf, she lasted more than expected.

Although, everyone was a smurf compared to him.

For over a year, Y/N went almost daily to the gym and did the same routine until she was able to complete it fully – Though she never told Jack, he knew that she must have tried to do some stamina training at home too. Every time she came over, even if she didn’t actually have the time to actually work, she brought over food and water, making sure the boy doesn’t overwork himself and forget to take care of his health. She already saw him taking a shit ton of pills… Without the right amount of nutrition, his body was going to break sooner than expected.

“Will you really be okay, Jack? I’m pretty sure I counted at least 30 pills just now. Is your health really in such a bad shape that you need all of them?” she was sitting criss-cross on his back as he was doing push ups. “They are drugs.” He admitted, his exercise flow remaining unchanged. “Drugs…? Are you doping, Jack?” he grunted in confirmation. “Oh, Jack, that will destroy your health even more. You won’t last long if you keep taking them.” The worry in her voice was obvious. “It’s fine. I just need to get strong enough to defeat my father. Everything else doesn’t matter.” It was such a depressing thought that Y/N fell quiet for a while. “What about your mum? If you die, she’ll be very upset.” She tried to reason with him. “She wants my father to defeated just as much as I do.” Jack explained calmly. “I’m moving to Japan once I graduate.” “Is this really the only dream you have for your future, Jack? You train hard, you defeat your father, and then… That’s it? The world ends at that point?” she asked once again. “Don’t you want to… I don’t know… Travel? Or…Pick up a hobby… Go scuba-diving? Learn…Embroidery? I don’t know- Anything.” She kept trying, but it only made the man chuckle underneath her. “Embroidery, Y/N? Do I look like someone capable of… Embroidery? I can’t even pronounce that thing, let alone, do it.” Now that she thought about it, the whole image of Jack embroidery was hilarious. “Okay, okay – It was the first thing that came into my mind.” She admitted, and after a few seconds of thinking, she spoke again. “I believe you can do it, Jack. If anyone can, it will be you. I… I don’t know what kind of… Big-ass hulk monster thingy your father is… But I believe that you will be able to do it. I’ve never seen a stronger, more diligent and ambitious person in my life. You’re really inspiring. I hope I will be able to get the motivation that you have some day.” Her confession made the boy smile, but said nothing. But then, Y/N heard him chuckling all of a sudden, surprising her. “This inspirational bullshit could kill me any day, and you’re supporting my doping. You want to become a doctor, but you encourage me to go further with my training. That’s funny. You’re a walking contradiction. Why are you supporting my suicidal dream?” he asked, curious of her answer. When she didn’t answer for the longest time, he thought she was way in over her head to even answer, and it was just an encouragement – However, as soon as a reply was heard, he stopped his exercising abruptly. “It may be suicidal, but… A dream is still a dream. If someone told me that I should give up on my dream because of… Whatever reason… I would get pissed off too… So who am I to tell you to change your ambition, when you’re working harder than anyone to achieve it?” the abrupt stop in the pace made Y/N lose balance and fall backwards from his back, her legs awkwardly placed over him. “Want to come over to Japan with me? If my guess is right, we’ll get to see a ton of underground fights.” He wasn’t even sure what he was feeling anymore, but after hearing someone being so supportive with him, after all the self-hatred, all the overworking, all the killing pills that he’s had to go through… It was a welcome breath of fresh air. “It just so happens that I have an aunt who lives in Tokyo and I usually spend my holidays at her villa. She has no children, it’s just her, her husband and her dogs, but they’re mostly away on business trips and she desperately needs someone to look after the house while they’re gone. I’m sure she’s gonna love one or… Two… People… Staying there… Permanently.” The girl coughed, quickly getting up and looking away. “Sounds like a plan to me.” He let out a content exhale before telling the girl to go back to her reading on his back so he could continue his workout.

Thought it all, Y/N was there by his side. When he punched the sandbag for 12 hours straight without eating, hydrating, resting or even going to the restroom. When he lifted weights until his body collapsed altogether and he looked like a tall mummy.

Once the two moved out of Canada and settled in Japan, he was approached by some weirdo scientist ho wanted to experiment on him with some dangerous yet efficient steroid concoction that was meant to make his body keep up with his over-training, to the point that the doctor began reticent, thinking that it would kill him in days. But it didn’t. Jack was alive, and well, and he killed a polar bear with his own two bare hands… Just like his father.

Though Jack was now stronger than ever, his once clear mind was fogged with desperation, thirst and hunger for power, to the point that he gave that poor animal an agonizing death. Y/N could barely recognize him anymore… This Jack was a complete different person. He may have grown in age and size, but his mind regressed to something that could see only violence and nothing more. He was apathetic and had no more emotion on that stone hard, frozen face of his that once had such a charming smile.

They were about 20 now, and while Y/N finished highschool and was already well into her University years, and yet, nothing changed about Jack, with the exception that each time she saw him, he seemed bulkier and stronger, but at the same time, colder and more stoic. He was barely speaking to her anymore, and even the basic greetings or ‘thanks for the meal’ were left forgotten. It was painful seeing him succumb like that. He really wasn’t the Jack that she used to know… No, that was wrong. He WAS Jack, but he was locked deep inside his own heart, and he needed an urgent wake up slap.

Jack, on the other hand, was well aware of his change, but he couldn’t afford to back down or give up, not now, when things were going so well. It’s been over 5 years since they got into Japan, since he started doping with that magic potion from the scientist, since he was able to experience true strength. He was grateful to Y/N for never giving up on him. He knew he was hurting he with his awful behaviour, and that his mother would be completely disappointed by the way he changed, but he promised to himself that once he wins this next tournament, and gets his chance to fight and defeat the dreadful Ogre, he was going to apologise and change. That is, if he doesn’t die in the process.

“I’m entering a tournament. It’s tonight. My little brother and my father will be there.” It was the first time in over 3 years since he’s gone to Y/N and spoke directly to her. An actual conversation. “That’s wonderful! Your dream is finally coming true, I’m so happy for you!” despite treating her so terribly, she still held that sweet, supporting smile of hers. “Are you coming?” his question made her smile even wider and sweeter, he thought. It was making his heart hurt. “I said I was going to stay by your side and support you with every step that you take. Tonight is no different. Tonight, of all nights, is as important as every other night or day that you’re working so hard towards your goal. So – Let’s get ready. I know a really nice BBQ place nearby. A good lunch should prove to be great luck, right?” a nod of his head was enough to make the girl chipper and she rushed to her room to get ready for the tournament. She may have given up on actually working out properly and remained with some light stamina training every once in a while to keep herself, and especially her back and joints in check, but she was going to hype Jack up as much as possible.

Thankfully, he thought, she hadn’t seen the little smile that he had on his face while she was gone out of the room. Whilst getting ready, Jack, too, dressed and gave himself an internal pep talk, before returning to the living room and waiting for Y/N. As soon as she got there, she was vibing. She was happier than he’s ever seen her… No, maybe just as happy as when she got accepted in her Uni. Still, she was as happy as she was beautiful. He doesn’t always realise how much she’s grown over the years… Or how long they’ve known each other. It’s been Almost 10 years since they’ve become friends. She was absolutely glowing.

“Lookin’ great as always, Jack! Let’s go.” No matter how much he wanted to compliment her… He couldn’t. He was so unstable that he couldn’t even remember what he was like before all the doping mess. It was a shame. She deserved better… But this was the only thing he could offer her.

During lunch, he ate a copious amount of meat, and it was all as delicious as he was told, yet remained as silent as ever. He knew Y/N was trying very hard to come up with different conversation topics, and whatever gossip and rumour she heard from University, but he only answered in grunts and shakes of his head. He knew she was trying to get his mind away from the anxiety, nervousness and anticipation of having the dream of defeating his number one enemy finally become reality, but that was the only thing his head was focused on. Complete annihilation.

Underneath the Tokyo dome, the greatest underground arena in Japan was hosting the Maximum Tournament, and everyone wanted to defeat Baki, the contending champion, who so happened to be Jack’s little brother. The whole place was huge, the stadium was filled with all kinds of people, but the rooms around were occupied by all sorts of fighters, tall or short, buff or not, old or young – Each with their own special techniques… Or not.

Jack wasn’t a sociable person, so he didn’t want to stay crowded with all the other plebs, so him an Y/N went to a room with a TV, so they could watch the competition away from all the others. Some fighters were great, while others were below even mediocre, it was pathetic. And now, it was finally time for Jack’s match. “Give ‘em hell, Jack!” Y/N walked with him all the way to the wooden fence arena that circled the fighting area, a place where only the fighter’s friends are allowed.

Under the alias of Jack Hammer, the blond Japanese-Canadian fighter went in the arena and got ready for his fight against Sergio Silva, a Brazilian grappler… That he defeated in a single uppercut to his jaw. Ridiculous. He didn’t stand a chance. But that wasn’t the highlight of the match – Instead, the crazy Ogre enters the arena and has a talk with Jack. Yujiro got so excited that he was ready to start a duel with his son right then and there, but Baki appears out of nowhere and kick’s Jack’s face, claiming he has no right to fight his father… Poor kid… Yujiro sent him flying away with a bitchslap, and after a whisper from Jack, he claimed that the blond had every right to fight him as well.

“Congrats, Jack, that was awesome! Though… Your opponent was underwhelming. I guess that’s first rounds for you, huh?” the girl chuckled, patting his back with pride as they went back to the room they claimed. “So… That was Yujiro, huh? What a creep.” “Yes. Once I win the tournament, I will fight him and get my revenge.” He nodded his head, relaxing on the folding chair and watching the TV. “Show him who’s the real deal, Jack!” though she was chuckling and being so innocent, Jack knew she had no idea the amount of sheer power, nor the suffocating aura that his father held. And neither should she know. He didn’t want to worry her more. “I will.” And thus, time passed, and Jack’s second match was ready to begin. This time, it was some Japanese master of some Kempo branch… But all of his fast moves were rendered completely useless against Jack’s raw power… Though, nobody knew the truth behind how Jack was able to draw blood from his enemy.

He was biting his opponents… Before he defeated this guy with an uppercut, just like with the other guy. It seems that’s his favoured finishing move. Great move, it looks very effective. The third round against Alexander Gallen who looked like a wrestler, went almost as smoothly, and with the same finisher move, but Jack was getting a bit more brutal, biting off two of his opponent’s fingers, and hitting him with a powerful nukite to the heart… And the only blood on Jack’s body was the blood spit on his face by Alexander.

“Oh, you. You have blood all over your face, silly. And it’s not even yours.” Y/N grinned as she pulled him back to their room and taking out her handkerchief, he cleaned his face. “Doesn’t this bring back some memories?” she chuckled tenderly as she caressed his face. “It’s been a few years.” He nodded, the corners of his mouth going upwards. “How fast time flies, huh… This tournament too. You beat those guys up so quickly and effortlessly that I didn’t even realise when time flew like that. You’ve really come so far. You’re amazing, Jack. You always were.” Though he never told her, he always appreciated how supportive and genuine she always was with him, when all he ever did for her was give her a hug and congratulate her when she got accepted for University. He must really look like the biggest jerk, just like Yujiro was. He really hated himself for that. Just two more rounds, and the decisive fight. That’s it. “Thanks. Y/N.” he nodded at her solemnly.

Sooner than expected, his fight in the semifinals against the old Aikido master was ready to commence, and Jack showed off by destroying a coconut with his teeth, while the old man used water to shoot into his lacrimal canal and make him feel as if he was drowning. Though this moment of vulnerability lasted a little, Jack was easily able to get up and by away Shibukawa’s achille’s tendon and cheek, and forearm, and by the end of the fight, he even easily used the master’s own technique against him, knocking him out in grand style.

It was absolutely fantastic how he seemed to have received no amount of damage over all. He was an absolute, undefeatable beast. When the finals were ready to take place, Y/N helped him put on the coat on which his real name was inscripted with Japanese symbols, making the shocking reality of his heritage known to everyone. The two brothers shake hands before the fight, and even smile at each other, promising to do their best and respect each other. So Jack was still pure and could smile… Y/N was really happy seeing this exchange.

“U-Uhm… Excuse me… Are you Jack’s girlfriend?” a sweet, soft voice asked, from behind Y/N. Looking behind, a girl with long, braided chestnut hair, innocent, worried bambi eyes, wearing a school uniform was standing sheepishly, looking down at her shoes. “Well… I think so. We’ve known each other since we were 13. I guess I’ll ask him when he’s done with the tournament.” Y/N chuckled, very easy-going. “Are you Baki’s girlfriend?” she asked right back, and as soon as she heard the question, the girl’s face got red with embarrassment and remained quiet. “You must be really worried about him, huh? I understand. It’s not easy watching your loved ones get beaten to death.” Y/N nodded in understanding. “My dad… Died like this. I really… Really… Don’t want Baki to die…Not like this… Not now…It’s awful… I don’t get it. Why are they fighting? What do they gain by winning some stupid tournament? What if they get incapacitated for life and they can’t fight again? What then?” the girl, who introduced herself as Kozue, was clinging desperately onto the wooden fence. “I know… I get you. But… That’s their dream. This senseless fighting that we’ll never understand. If we love them, we just have to accept the reality and the threats around… Whatever this is. And we have to support them in any way we can. And if they get hurt, we have to suck it up and take care of them, and raise their morale up.” The two were having the best finale out there – It was, by far, the most intense fight from the entire tournament. Both Hanma children were overpowered. They were inflicting heavy damage onto each other – But somehow, Baki’s strikes made Jack’s body start to deform because of all the drugs he took previously, and he started shrieking and vomiting in agony, all over the arena, and yet, he had no intention of giving up that fight. “Oh my… That’s awful, that’s awful! He must be in so much pain!” though, as soon as Kozue gasped, the blond was able to use that mutated body to beat Baki up, until he was put into a guillotine hold and eventually lost consciousness. “Oh Jack…” Y/N sighed, seeing all his teeth shattering from gritting so painfully, trying to keep awake… But it didn’t work. His limbs fell limb, and so did he, to the ground. However, once Tokugawa came with the winner belt, Baki wasn’t able to stand up straight…

So Jack took him by the wrist and helped him up, declaring him the champion of the tournament. He was smiling so proudly of his little brother, that it made Y/N’s heart swell. He really was the same, sweet Jack that she knew and loved so much.

“Congratulations, Kozue. Go and be with Baki, he needs you.” She smiled at the little girl as if she was her elder sister, before leaving to meet up with Jack. Once she noticed him, she stepped right in front of him and looked up, a small, loving, proud smile painted that beautiful face of her. “You were fantastic, Jack. You never cease to surprise me. You’re better than even Superman or whatever other superheroes from comics that we know of.” “I lost.” He wanted to slam his head on the nearest wall, until his brains exploded all over the place. “So what? You can only get up from here. Come on, give me a hug.” Extending her arms towards him… But he stepped by her, and went onwards. “I don’t deserve it.” He was in a dark place. Not only was he supposed to be fighting his father if he won against Baki… He lost both matches by default. “Please don’t say that, Jack. Of course you deserve it. Don’t run away.” Though the girl pleaded, Jack continued to walk… Until he met up with his father. He held a disappointed, twisted look on his face.

“I’m ready to fight.” A toothless, powerless, skinny Jack declares, making Y/N look at his with disdain. He didn’t even wait for a reply from the red haired man, for he lunged in for an attack… Only for Yujiro to counterattack with a brutal bite and a strike that rendered his son barely conscious. Lucky him, Y/N rushed and caught the man in her arms and held onto him dearly, his head on her lap. “Keh. Only an idiot loses twice in a day.” Yujiro sneered, walking away. “Fuck off, will you, you big, old oaf?” Y/N scoffed, not even bothering to look at the angry man who turned around and looked at the girl with a wicked expression. “Are you that worthless guy’s girlfriend?” he asked, surprising her. “Yeah. What’s it to you?” she looked hilarious, a small, defenseless girl, protecting a monster of a man. “Then get him stronger. He’s doping, his blood is impure. He’s a weakling. Do whatever you can to get him stronger. You’re a woman, do your job.” And he left. What a frick. Y/N really wanted to sock him in that nose and see him bleed. Stupid Ogre. “I never asked you out.” A weak voice called out – Jack was awake. “It’s not too late.” Though he could barely keep his eyes open, her voice was honey to his ears. “I look awful and don’t even have teeth anymore.” A laugh was heard, before he felt a kiss on his forehead. “I considered you asking me out back then, when you asked me to come to Japan with you. If I’m wrong, correct me.” She teased the man, who found the strength to smile in content. He finally felt more at ease, and realized his completely fucked up mind wasn’t helping him getting stronger. “You’re not wrong.”

 As Y/N struggled to get Jack to stand up, a red haired man, a fighter, who was also a doctor and seemingly on friendly terms with Jack, came to his aid and promised he’ll get him better in no time. No wonder he was called the Miracle Doctor, he was above and beyond any physician out there. But this was great and exactly what Jack needed. Not that dumbass scientist who wanted Jack to become Yujiro Jr. but a friend, specialized in the human body, who would rationally and carefully get him better and help him get stronger.

And Y/N gained a new friend too!

Though awkward, Jack would go out with the two of them to restaurants and share pleasant conversations. Kureha really was an amazing influence on Jack, humanizing him, and Y/N couldn’t be happier. Though, the blond wasn’t above forcing his friend to perform an extremely risky surgery to lengthen his limbs. But he was the great Jack Hanma, and nobody was able to stop him once he’s put his mind to it, so the doctor was forced to perform the surgery while Y/N could only watch and help him out with whatever she could. She was, after all, rather knowledgeable herself.

In the end, he got his limbs lengthened in 8 places, and through this, he gained 20 whole centimeters – It was absolutely insane. He must be now the tallest man alive, without a doubt. Not only that, but since he started going back at the gym, resuming his previous Herculean training, he’s gained all his muscles back, and even more. Much, much  more than before. He looked like a beast with his muscles pumped up. He looked absolutely unrecognizable.

But he looked happy. He held the strength that he always wished to achieve. He was an absolute Panzer tank. For a long time, Jack had no contenders, and he mainly spent all his time eating an even bigger amount of protein-based food, and training… And even a bit of sleeping. And though they still haven’t even kissed, Jack’s relationship with Y/N was as comfortable and happy as it always was, even going on dates. Nobody even dared look at Y/N whenever she was walking around, holding dearly onto his huge hand, or being held to his side… That is, until the Death Row prisoners came to Tokyo, and whilst Jack wasn’t involved at first – Ultimately, he had to act.

While Jack was doing his pre-sleeping workout in the basement of Y/N’s aunts house (house that was mostly theirs, even now), Y/N was in their shared bedroom, watching a movie and eating some popcorn. They were supposed to be watching it together, and it was already half-way through, so she decided to call him. However, as soon as she dialed, in the blink of an eye, she found herself standing in the middle of the room, with a blond stranger sporting a thick Russian accent was keeping her mouth shut. Those blue eyes held a killer glint in them – She’s been around Jack for so long, she was very used to seeing people like this guy… Though none ever approached her.

“Keep quiet for a while. Do you understand?” The man spoke in a low voice. “If you scream, I’ll kill you. You know I can make that happen. A mere flick of my wrist and your neck won’t ever be the same.” He meant business. He was really scary… Not scarier than Jack, but considering how his huge hands were all over her head, she knew he could do just as he promised. “Quietly close your eyes if you understand.” She did as instructed, and he slowly let go of her. “Good girl.” “You’re one of those escaped convicts, aren’t you? I’ve never met you, but I know you could easily kill me if you wanted to.” Y/N spoke, keeping her voice steady and low. Hopefully, Jack’s number actually got dialed, and he would realise that something was going on. “You’re after Jack, aren’t you? Trying a hostage sneak attack, to keep him vulnerable because you know you can’t win against him with your power alone. How pathetic.” With an annoyed tsk, the blond slapped her face, making her fall to the ground. “You speak too much, woman. Even more and I will kill you. I really want to see that oaf’s reaction once he sees your broken neck and my hand wrapped around it.” His words were as sinister as his aura… But she’s seen Yujiro Hanma before, and this wimp had nothing on him. “I believe Jack will save me before you even get the chance to approach me.” She stood up defiantly, wiping the blood from her mouth with her arm. “You want to bet on that, then?” though the man was smirking, to his surprise, so was the girl. “I was always good at gambling.” With a small chuckle, she took a step back and inhaled. “JAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!” she cried out his name, watching the split second in which the enemy tried to lunge at her – But as expected, her gamble paid off, and Jack was already there, and gave the Russian a huge punch to his face, making his nose bleed rivers as he pulled Y/N into a protective embrace. “I told you I was good at gambling, didn’t I, you weak-ass Rasputin wannabe.” She scoffed, tightening her grip on Jack’s tank top. “Ha. So you really did come. I came after you because I heard you were that little guy’s weak spot, and since he’s the strongest, I wanted to provoke him. “Y/N. Stay behind me. I promise I won’t break the TV this time.” With a cocky, confident smirk on his face, Jack kicked at Sikorsky’s knee as Y/N chuckled, getting behind him. The enemy was on the ground, kneeling. “You’re so weak, you have to retort to cheap tricks like threatening my girlfriend, and you think you can go challenge my brother. How stupid. Get back in line, runt.” Jack picked him up by the front of his cardigan and brought him roughly into a headbutt to the face. Though Sikorsky tried to retaliate, the Gargantuan easily threw him out of the window… From the second floor. “Huh. He really was pathetic.” The girl chuckled, straightening the messy nightgown she was wearing. “Stupid idiot. Y/N, stay here. I’ll go finish the job. I’ll come watch the movie once I’m done.” With a sweet smile on her face, the girl gave him a double thumbs up and watched as her boyfriend jumped out of the large windows. Good thing they were really big, otherwise, she has no idea how he could fit.

But as soon as she turned around to go to bed, she got knocked out, and when she next opened her eyes, she was tied up on the ground in what looked to be a suite at the top floor of a very tall skyscraper. That wasn’t a problem. She had complete confidence Jack would save her, though, this is a rather unfortunate. Especially because, uh… She was wearing only her undergarments. How awkward.

“I’m firmly convinced you’re actually some kind of gross pervert, otherwise I can’t possibly decipher why did you have to undress me.” She scoffed, watching Sikorsky’s wide back as he sat on the couch - though as soon as she leaned to the side, she saw The Ogre sitting opposite of him, a wicked grin on his face as the blond was provoking him. “Oh. Great. Well, have fun, you two.” She muttered awkwardly, getting in a comfortable position and leaning back on the wall as she watched their interaction and listened to their… Conversation, if one could even call it that.

The Russian tried to kick Yujiro, using the table to cause momentum, but his boot was easily caught in between the red head’s arm and forearm. Though he tried to hit again, a tall, buff man wearing a rather ugly purple shirt came out of nowhere and picked the enemy up by his wrist, as if he was a naughty child. Who the hell was he? He seemed to be Hanma’s frienemy or something. The man, ‘The Unchained’, threw Sikorsky towards the glass wall that offered a beautiful landscape of skyscrapers, but before he could touch the windows, he stopped. In that instant, the door was bust open and not only Jack, but Baki and Katsumi were there too. Y/N coughed awkwardly. “Anyone’s got a jacket?” she chuckled in embarrassment. Though Jack said nothing, his eyes flashed with anger. He took off his shirt and kneeling by her side, tearing apart the ropes binding her, he put the blouse over her head, completely covering her. “Are you hurt?” he asked, cupping her face and making her look up at him. Though embarrassed, she wasn’t as shy as when she was really young, and could hold better eye contact with him. “No, I’m okay, he didn’t even look at me. I just don’t get what he gained out of undressing me. Or why he thought using me as bait would help in any way, considering he easily got those two here to fight him. He said he didn’t even care about you and Baki, as long as he could fight Yujiro. A whole lot of stupid, for nothing.” She rolled her eyes, making Jack relax and let out a breath of amusement. She was as fine as always, alright. As snarky and sarcastic as never before. “Do you want to go home?” he wanted to smash him to pieces, but at the same time, he didn’t want to make her suffer more than she did – So he asked her to choose. “Yeah, I wanna go home… After I see what a Russian pancake looks like.” She grinned, motioning for him to help her up. “Sounds like a plan.” With a cocky smirk, Jack watched as his girlfriend walked past all those strong fighters and went in front of the Russian, sporting a wicked grin. “Didn’t I tell you before, Rasputin? I always win in gambling. Now – All of you, extras – It’s Jack’s job to get rid of this pest, so… Step aside, will you? It may be a pretty big suite, but you’re all big enough to make this place feel cramped.” This incorrigible, cheeky spunk made Yujiro laugh loudly, and even congratulated Jack for finding a fine woman for himself. “I’LL KILL YOU, YOU LITTLE SHLYUKHA!” nobody needed a translation to know what he called her. Instead, they watched as, with perfect coordination, Y/N ducked to the ground just as Sikorsky was about to grab her, allowing Jack to jump over her and kick Sikorsky in the face with his boot, sending him through the glass wall. “Wicked.” Y/N hit a high five with her boyfriend, though just as she said that, the weirdo jumped back inside the suite. “Dude, get a hint and die already, will you?” “I’m unkillable, zayka.” Thus, the Russian, after explaining how he climbed up the building, threw a bunch of glass shards at Jack – But they didn’t phase him in the least. Instead, just as Sikorsky jumped, trying to do a double kick, Jack grabbed him by the ankle and threw him harder outside. “Let’s see if Russians know how to fly.” Jack let out an amused grunt, and ignoring everyone else in the building, he picked Y/N up bridal style and got out, getting her back home. “You know… I never realized how great a quality your shirts are. Very comfy and soft.” She chuckled as she was carefully placed on the bed. He didn’t want to let go of her until he knew for sure they were out of the danger zone. He let be her in danger again. He failed her again, just as he did when they were children, or further on, when he neglected her for all those years. “Keep it if you want. I have many like this one.” He spoke, kneeling down by the bed and holding her small, delicate hands. “Ha, thanks, Jack. Guess I’ve got the perfect dress to sleep in, now.” She was glowing, as always. So positive, so beautiful – She always knew how to keep the mood cheerful and light-hearted… It was the compliment needed for the somber atmosphere he was emanating all the time, though he always appreciated how she kept him in check, level-headed and present. Human. She kept him human, just like Kureha did. She was an angel. “Y/N. I failed you, again. Will you forgive me?” he watched as the girl’s eyes widened, as she straightened up, turning to face him. “Are you crazy, Jack? Forgive you? Failed? What in the world are you talking about?” she breathed out, putting those soft hands over his rough face. “You haven’t failed me. You never did. You are the best man I’ve ever met in my life. Never think otherwise.” Saying that, she hugged his neck, getting him close to her body. “When you’re hurting, or upset, it upsets me too. I just want you to be happy, you know? You’ve come so far since we were kids… Maybe you can’t see your  progress as anything fantastic, but I watched you grow and get better and better… And you’re amazing. So… Never doubt yourself again, please.” Her words made him close his eyes and smile, yet he didn’t hug her back. Instead, he carefully unwrapped her arms around him, and intertwined their fingers together, leaning in close to her face. “I want to kiss you, but not until I’ve got my revenge on that idiot who dared put you in danger. Tonight I’ll gift you his defeat. Down at the underground arena.” He promised, making the girl’s eyes widen and her cheeks redden, before she started chuckling. “How romantic, you~!” she grinned, waving at him as he left the room to catch that Russian bitch.

Around evening, he found that jerk, showering in some basement. He was all naked – What a coincidence. He was going to beat him to death while naked, just like how he dared touch and even undress his girlfriend. The audacity of this fuckass was through the roof, but Jack made sure to completely destroy him. Once he had him knocked out, he threw him in a box and brought him to Tokugawa’s underground arena. Though, out of respect for the viewers, the old man had the Russian dressed with something to cover himself. As soon as he woke up, Sikorsky woke up in the middle of the sand arena, and found himself facing Jack – Jack who was wearing his fighting boxers alone, revealing that Colossal build of his.

Y/N, too, was sitting on top of the wooden fence, watching the show offered by her boyfriend. “Good news. In this match, you can’t lose from breaking the rules.” Jack was smirking and taunting his enemy. Sikorsky, mad to the point of driven insanity, let out a loud war cry and yelled “DAVAY!” , making Jack smile wider. The opponent rushed and threw some punches, slicing Jack’s forearms. How weak. Next, he threw a barrage of kicks, elbows and knees, but none did any damage to him – He merely took them for the show. Sikorsky’s overconfidence will be the death of him, especially after Jack easily picked him up and threw him into the opposite end of the wooden fence, breaking it.

Though the Russian picked up a nail from it, and was then forced to pick up a wooden, sharp cane from a member of the audience after being kicked in the gut, flying in the stadium where the participants were watching – He tried to use the weapon like a lance, digging it deep into Jack’s stomach – Or so he thought. Jack’s abs were so hard that possibly not even a real spear could no pierce them. With much ease, he karate chopped the wood away and mocked the Russian. His next trick was to throw that nail at him, but Jack simply caught it between his teeth, before he started chewing at him, making a small ball of metal before spitting it at his feet.

“I don’t know your name, and frankly, you’re not worth remembering. Whether you live through tonight or not, I couldn’t care less. But if there’s one thing I’ll let you remember…” menacing, Jack got in front of Sikorsky and grabbed his hands, applying so much pressure that the man cried out, having his bones shattered. “You have no right to touch Y/N. You have no right to endanger Y/N.” and with one last move, Jack kicked the Russian so hard between his legs, that he was weeping on the ground. “Y/N doesn’t like whiny pussies like you.” And he turned around, marching right at the smiling girl, and cupping her face, he pulled her into a deep kiss – Passionate enough to show how much he loves her, and how he appreciated her all these years, yet soft enough that he wouldn’t be to forceful on someone frail and small like her. “Very romantic, Jack, I’m blushing.” She mused, pulling him into another kiss, much more playful and light-hearted. “And this is just phase one. Phase two starts now. Enjoy the show, Y/N. It’s all for you.” Leaning back on the wooden fence, Jack put his arm around her, putting her to his side and planting a kiss on the top of her head, as the two watched Gaia step inside and destroy Sikorsky’s mind completely and irreversibly. “Truly, this day was the best gift I could have ever gotten.”

[boyswhowawa]

Artificer Design!!

Or at least me working on it!!

This is the last drawing I did, and I think it really shows off the design well!!!! I really love this design I came up with, and it's with heavy inspiration from @snickerdoodlesart, so a bit more on that, and the design! under the cut

First things first, the reason I chose to take inspiration from Snickerdoodles' design is, because it's just super fucking rad and gender, ajsd;flkkjas;fkldjadkl;sfja

HOWEVER, I understand completely if taking inspiration like this is not okay, and I would be fine with deleting this design and restarting should you say so, Snickerdoodles, genuinely

regardless, some fun stuff!

first things first, I did some studies of Snickerdoodles' design, just simple ones, because I wanted to figure out what it was that I really felt was so like... fantastic about it???

(the answer ended up being "god everything comes together so well, the shapes and the dynamics of the scars and how the explosive things interact with it all just make for such a wonderful design that is like, the PURE energy of the character it comes from, in such a sincere way that I feel like this IS the character in every facet of what they could be")

but what I learned was that like, I wanted to try to have fun with the scars! so that's what I went for!

So then I started sketching, and I had this idea with the face

I wanted the eye scar to be like, totally bright similarly to Snickersdoodles' (admittedly a lot of the face scar comes from snickerdoodles...)

but I knew with some bits *around* the eye I wanted to have these extra little cuts, that sort of just... idk i like doing cheek markings and I thought this was a creative way to do it!! also the eyebrow is just three lines that are sometimes meshed together<3

I really really liked this face, so I keep it going forward

this is the next sketch I did, to figure out where I wanted the scars to be placed!!

this is kind of where I slightly decided I wanted Arti's head kind of hunched forward at all times, big huncho boyo, she's great

I also wanted just, a BIG burst spot on their tail, and like...

then I was like "oh i'm gonna finish this sketch actually"

then I--- inked on the wrong layer. aj;sdlkfja;klsdfjakl;j

so it got stuck like this and I couldn't do anything about it....

I think when I do color my arti properly again, I wanna have it lean over to a reddish dark purple rather than this

also i think the cherry bomb thing being like woven into the spear cloth was too much, and doesn't really work for arti's bomb spears ?

i just messed up a lot, basically

Oh! Also this is where I was like "oh I can put extra little light spots in Arti's scars...."

then I did this to sort of vaguely show what an explosion from Arti might look like, or more accurately, Artificer 'Igniting', rather than just doing bursts, I imagine this Arti revving up and just being extremely hot for a while, letting out bursts of energy still, but not able to do it as easily from a neutral, unignited state

this was SO fun to do, using pink and yellow is really fun when i'm trying to do something with strong energy

this also is where I feel I figured out everything I felt I needed to still figure out with the design, the scar placements, the scar styles, the shapes I wanted, etc. etc.

and then finally, I did a sort of pseudo ref for Arti!

and while I am super happy with this, and super proud

more importantly than that, I want to be sure that this is *okay* with Snickerdoodles, it wouldn't be right of me to just, steal things from your design for my own sake, and it's not like I'm starving for design ideas, I can probably think something else up if I try hard enough, so there'd be no harm done, and if you're at all uncomfortable with me taking inspiration like this, just let me know as soon as you can

[nectar-cellar]

15 questions for 15 mutuals

thank you very much for tagging me!! sorry i didn’t get around to this sooner 🙈

@sofiims @uglynormie @hiddenspriings @cupidia @obscurus-noctem @drawing-way-outside-the-lines @agnelid @descendantdragfi @satellite-sims @sim4areason @mainlyjustthesims @pleaseputnamehere @sim-songs @simolemons @theageofsims @its-adrienpastel

i loved reading all your answers.

my answers below:

Are you named after anyone? i was named after a place that was named after a person 

When was the last time you cried? earlier this week 💀 the reason: i was trying to write some goth family backstory, trying to write from cassandra’s perspective, and her life made me really sad. not sure if these ideas will end up turning into story posts or not. 

Do you have kids? no ❤

Do you use sarcasm a lot? a little bit. i’m more of a dry humor kind of person, not so much sarcastic lol

What sports do you play/have you played? i’ve played a variety of sports but never stuck with any for very long. i can’t say i enjoy sports in general. i think it’d be more fun if i had a partner or family or group of friends who were very into it. i’m such a couch potato lol but i do go to the gym 3x a week, trying to tone up a little bit okay 💅

What’s the first thing you notice about other people? i used to draw/doodle portraits a lot so i notice faces immediately. their noses and eyebrows especially because those are the “framing” features in my opinion. when i used to draw, those were the features i would sketch first.

Scary movies or happy endings? i like both! i grew up watching scary movies so i find it hard for a movie to truly scare me anymore. i do have a fascination with morbid things and i always want to know why this monster/serial killer etc is on the prowl, like WHY? also the creativity and ingenuity behind how a good plot is set up is really interesting to me as a writer/storyteller. so i’m always intrigued by horror movies, thrillers, mysteries etc. i get to be entertained, i get to analyze, and i get to learn.

Any special talents? related to #6, i’m really good at recognizing faces? i didn’t think this was special but my coworker recently told me he is terrible with remembering faces (we work in a big office) and i was a bit surprised. i remember faces much better than names while he is the opposite.

Where were you born? canada, eh

What are your hobbies? daydreaming about fictional ppl and situations 😐

Do you have any pets? sadly no, as a kid i always wished to have cats and dogs but it just never suited our lifestyle and my parents weren’t keen on them. pets like hamsters, birds and fish don’t really interest me. as an adult i can’t commit to the care and maintenance a pet needs so i don’t see myself getting any pets anytime soon.

How tall are you? one time at work they had the nerve to ask me to change a lightbulb. like... me! imagine. i got onto a chair and stood up and still couldn’t reach the ceiling. 😌

Fave subject in school? english and art!

Dream job? i don’t have one but when i was a kid, it used to be an author or an artist.

Eye colour? dark brown

hmm most of my mutuals have already done this. i’ll tag @olomayasims @zoeoe-sims @twinsimming @frostedshore @llamaheart @treason-and-plot @sunlithills @thegloomiestwhim @streetlites @wolfavens @hotpatched @fishduhh @chinsims @polrbearsims @bobnewbie @itssimplythesims @lazysunjade @amuhav @keibea @simbico @bool-prop @cinamun @rebouks

[kapi-tanka]

So I’ve been thinking about the Ramirez family again, my mind wonders at what could have caused the rift between them all. They all seem to think the distance between them is for the best, but each have differing reasons for why. 

Andy seems convinced that they don’t need their family, and is better off alone. But I can see in their one good eye, there’s resentment. Resentment and trauma. There’s a sense of abandonment that just emits from them. I get the feeling that Andy has never felt like they belonged anywhere. Even with their family, they never felt understood but I think Andy still loved them. And they loved Andy back, even if Andy couldn’t see it. 

Oscar seems convinced he isn’t good enough to be around his family, and they’re better off without him. There’s guilt under his fun loving and free spirited persona. Oscar loves his younger sibling, I can tell, but he never asked for the responsibility of being an older brother. 

Ovidio is the hardest for me to read. Maybe that’s why I didn’t realize he’s their uncle and not the eldest sibling lol. I can’t say why but I just feel that Ovidio caused the rift between them all, or at least played a significant hand in it. Ovidio seems to want someone to kill for. He wants someone whose name can justify his actions, but none of his family want to be that someone. 

Anyways, that's just my interpretation of your wonderful characters! Sorry that this is a bit long lol. I hope I got some of it right and I look forward to the next piece!

oh my GODD honestly it's insane how accurately you read all of my characters. i'm so so so humbled someone's invested in their story, thank you SO MUCH for you interest and your ask! i'm very sorry it took so long to answer, it's a bit hard to collect my thoughts.. but i truly appreciate your analysis! i made this scheme to support info under the cut. i must warn you that this story's a bit dark in a domestic way and... it's really long lol

so. you're mostly right about ovidio causing the rift! i hope i'm not ruining it for you by telling, i know that stories often seem much more interesting before we know any specific details. but basically the actual tragedy of the ramirez family has it roots not in the interpersonal drama (though it definitely played a significant role in everything) but in the ncr and fallout politics in general. all of them used to live in some independent settlement in california, with its own militia, farms, crop fields and traders before the ncr annexed them. the republic put this settlement through their standard modus operandi with enforcement of taxes and recruiting of many promising and not so promising youngsters in the army, including ovidio who was around 18 at the moment (i even have this sketch below with some arcade and ovidio bonding which kinda summarizes it)

mateo and ramona were traders. obviously, the ncr started to suck resources from the settlement (mostly crops and animal products) and they needed caravans to transport them. ramona and mateo (and some other settlers) took the job and both eventually were killed in one unfortunate trip by raiders (which at least partially are the aftermath of ncr's actions in california and nevada imo). so, as you said, andy was lonely and abandoned from very early on in their childhood. they were raised in this post-annexation "world" where their parents almost never had time for them and were never home. oscar was a bit more fortunate (he's 5 years older and had his chance to spend some quality time with mom and dad) and naturally he took their death harder than andy. ovidio was demoted from the ncr army (it's the whole other story) and came back to provide for children and his own parents. he was around 20 at the moment, oscar was 12 and andy only 7. the three of them grew to love each other with time but it was a baffling shift in family dynamics because oscar and andy were relatively independent kids and had never spent much time with ovidio before.

also oscar really wanted to accompany caravans himself (to get away from home a little and out of sheer curiosity about the world) and ovidio just wasn't having it. it literally was the same conflict between them over and over, so andy had to listen to constant bickering and drama which left a lasting impact on her psyche. the second thing that really traumatized andy was abuela's dementia - this slow decay of the mind of someone who was once very clever and loving. and the third thing... well. once upon a time oscar just LEFT after some especially heated argument and it changed everything once again. he didn't plan to run away for real, just wanted to party a little, to teach ovidio a lesson and to come back home. but he ended up meeting someone cute and kinda postponed and postponed his return to the point of never coming back LOL (he did kinda come back later but... spoilers). just like you guessed, he didn't believe his family needed him because his experience at home was basically doing hard labor and being yelled at. of course his family actually loved him and everyone was scared shitless about him including other settlers but... he never got to know that. he dissappeared without a trace because good luck to anyone who looks for a "dark-haired, dark-eyed lad of medium height" on the wastelands. ovidio didn't find him back then but he really tried, and his life became pretty much centered around this desperate search for oscar. andy grew up into a capable, cold and emotionally unavailable young adult by then. but her brother's escape was like a nail in the coffin of the avoidant attachment style. imagine 1) never having your parents around and losing them to the wastelands, 2) losing your grandma to dementia and seeing her literally not remembering your anymore, a fate worse than death in andy's opinion, 3) losing your brother to the wastelands too but this time he "deliberately" left you 4) losing your uncle to this obsession with finding your brother. andy AGAIN, JUST LIKE YOU SAID felt abandoned by others. they were a shadow, not noticed by anyone, not being anyone's priority, overworked at home, without any way to decide something for themselves. and it was the turning point when poor abuela fell sick and finally died. andy lost her last anchor to the hometown that stopped feeling like home a long time ago. and yeah. whoopsie. she left too! it was the first real decision in andy's life, a hard call to make yet a weirdly freeing one.

later on ovidio dropped what was left of the caravan business altogether and left their settlement too, this time to search for both "kids" who were adults at this point. that's how the things still are during the fnv events - the ramirez family is separated, all of them found some surrogates of familial relationships and left their impact on the political map of california and nevada. they reunite only after the independence ending (achieved by oscar). and speaking of your other observation: "Ovidio seems to want someone to kill for. He wants someone whose name can justify his actions, but none of his family want to be that someone" - it sounds more like how things play out after the big reunion. but... that's a whole other story :) thank you so much for reading and, once again, for this ask! had great time answering!!!

[cacodaemonia]

20 questions for fic writers

Thanks for the tag, @flowerparrish! :D

How many works do you have on ao3? 213, but somewhere between like 85 and 100 of those are just images.

What’s your total ao3 word count? 1,049,952

What fandoms do you write for? Clone Wars

What are your top 5 fics by kudos? Many of the top works are art-only, but if I sort through, looks like most of the fics are those that I have never reread or re-edited, so 😬

That’s Not How It Happened (This Is How It Happened) - My first fic, which I have re-edited since first posting it. Chip arc fix-it

Orbital Decay - Haven't touched this since I posted it. Codywan

Modulation - Also don't think I've re-edited this at all. Echo/Fives

Will You Walk With Me? - The only one of the top five that I care much about XD; Waxer and Boil (platonic or pre-relationship)

Kintsugi - Not re-edited. Codywan

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? Yes! I love replying to comments with my usual unhinged yammering :D

What is a fic you wrote with the angstiest ending You're Just Harder to See Than Most, but it's part of a larger series where the sad stuff in this gets better. As a stand-alone, though, it's very angsty 🙈

What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Hah, so many XD Maybe Count Every Beautiful Thing?

Do you get hate on fics? No, I've only gotten it for art, and thankfully AO3 isn't infested with pearl-clutching busybodies like Tumblr is, so I've only had one (honestly hilarious) hate comment there. It was on like the 6th chapter of a a very clearly tagged sketch dump in which several of the previous chapters were fairly explicit smut. And then on that last chapter, the person was like "Ew, they're brothers! This is disgusting." Hah, okay pal, seems like you were really enjoying it if you got to chapter 6. 🤣

Do you write smut? If so, what kind? Sure do! Uh, a variety, I guess, though I suppose I haven't written anything that would be considered heavy kink?

Do you write crossovers? Nope

Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not that I know of, but I've had TONS of art stolen.

Have you ever had a fic translated? Nope

Have you ever co-written a fic before? Yes!

What’s your all-time favorite ship? This is very hard to answer because I tend to latch onto ships for many years at a time. But no other characters before the clones ever inspired me to write fics, so I'll go with Waxer/Boil 🧡

What’s a wip you want to finish, but doubt you ever will? I have an AU fic where the war ends shortly after Geonosis that I really want to write but can't make the brain go very well on it, for some reason. I have pages and pages of notes, some sketches, and like a chapter and a half drafted, but I keep getting stuck. I wouldn't say that I doubt I'll ever finish it, though. I probably just have to shake things around to knock loose whatever is gunked up.

What are your writing strengths? Maybe natural dialogue?

What are your writing weaknesses? I want to describe all the things. I want to put what I see in my head into your eyeballs. But I also tend to over-describe like, logistic-type stuff, I think—stuff that no one but me cares about XD

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic? Like a real language or a conlang? I don't know any of either well enough to include much of them in my fics, but when I use a bit of Ryl (which I've largely made up), I really limit it because I get annoyed when there's a ton of conlang in fics I'm trying to read. Scrolling to the end notes constantly is not very fun.

First fandom you wrote for? Clone Wars

Favorite fic you’ve written? Hmm, well I have a soft spot for Will You Walk With Me? but I think my two objectively best fics are My Heart's Red Muscle (78K Waxer/Boil cyborg AU) and We Could Breathe Underwater (5K Force-sensitive Waxer/Boil).

That was fun!

No-pressure tags: @lizardberries @elismor @valkeakuulas @blackkatmagic @amukmuk

And because I always long for a blank version of these tag things to copy/paste, just the questions below the cut:

How many works do you have on ao3?

What’s your total ao3 word count?

What fandoms do you write for?

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

What is a fic you wrote with the angstiest ending

What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Do you get hate on fics?

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Do you write crossovers?

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

What’s your all-time favorite ship?

What’s a wip you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

What are your writing strengths?

What are your writing weaknesses?

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

First fandom you wrote for?

Favorite fic you’ve written?