#i hope my answer was satisfactory

[girldewar]

idk if this was intentional with your dystopian au (yes i know im sending an ask NOW about it) but i thought how it was especially cruel/funny that you had a scene where they watched a basketball game and debate on if they were treated the same way before settling on that they can’t just be alone in it. but you already said that in your world hockey was the only sport that was like this (even if it was a joke!) again idk if it was intentional or not but to me it really added to the isolation of the whole thing and just emphasized the cruelty of it all. good fic !

hi anon!!! this is actually something that i thought about a lot as i was writing! obviously everything is up to the reader's interpretation so take everything i say next with a grain of salt -- but that was a scene that got at a lot of what i wanted to say with that fic.

when i first answered this ask, dystopia au was this sort of half baked story concept with unfinished worldbuilding that i was still putting together in my head. but as i wrote, i realized i didn't just want it to be a hockey story, i wanted it to be a societal story. i wanted to talk about how the nhl reflects society, and how the problems we see amplified in the nhl reflect conflicts that exist within everyday life, even in completely different situations. like, the issues the nhl has with players' bodily autonomy, with racism, with sexism, with bigotry of any kind -- those are things that affect, in perhaps a less specific way, the everyday lives of people not involved in hockey at all.

so after i got that anon, i got to thinking how i wanted to communicate that, and i came to the conclusion that i wanted there to be a moment of realization that the oppression kirill and his fellow players are facing isn't an isolated event. it's something that exists universally, whether you're within the hockey world or you're not. so while i initially made that joke about how you should assume hockey is the only authoritarian entity in the world of dystopia au, a huge part of the underlying message of the fic contradicts that, and that scene was really important to me for that reason.

again! everything's up to your interpretation! i really like that you found it even more cruel that they believe other sports are just as oppressive -- it's this sort of... you have to believe that others are in the same situation as you, because if they're not, why are you being subjected to this treatment? why did the world choose you to have to face this? how is that fair? even if the truth is it's not fair at all. that's a really great way of looking at it, too. so this isn't meant to discourage that line of thinking -- i just wanted to try and express what i was getting at with that particular scene.

[arttsuka]

Request: Jed and octavius dancing on/playing the piano like in that scene from the movie Big.

(Your art is amazing)

Like this? 🎹🎵🎶

Maybe they can have an iPad too

[ura-niia]

Yknow, on a retrospective, it is interesting how the COTL fandom puts Narilamb as a devoted and hateful relationship.

In other words, I would actually love to know why we love this ship so much.

I’d love to know your point of view!

I finally have time to answer this!! I am SO GLAD that you asked.

I was extremely interested about the dynamic of this ship, you could watch it from all angles and it would still be a lovable duo; whether it be comedic, overly toxic, unrequited love/devotion, requited romance/devotion, it would still be enjoyable for everyone in the fandom. I believe that there's no bad version on how anyone portrays their relationship!

It's kinda difficult for me to see them in a light-hearted angle. Other people in the fandom have shown this kind of dynamic very well and they have all my applause.

How I portray my vision of narilamb, I still haven't fully fleshed out their story, but basically when Narinder was still a god, Lamb's devotion is for him entirely because they truly thought that The One Who Waits was their saviour and shining grace, handing them down a chance to live once more and avenge their kind. Narinder didn't pay this no mind, then plays the lamb around like a tool, speaking of honeyed words to keep the lamb up on their feet.

And by the time when Narinder told the lamb that he was just using them for his freedom and they'd just die once they surrender the crown to him, everything just came crumbling down to them. The dawning realization that there will be no hope for lamb kind, and that filled them with so much intense emotions they ended up killing Narinder along with his disciples.

Time has passed, Lamb became the new god of Death and continued to serve for their cult. Though they still pray as if there's still any other god be because that's kinda how they cope with all the change. Unaware of the forces that were trying to come back up. Narinder has used up every last drop of his divine magic to resurrect himself with the intention of killing the lamb by his hand and take the crown, but that ended up being a fail so...

Now that Narinder was in the lamb's cult, they feel obligated to watch over him. They think it's really pathetic that the former god is ultimately struggling in the mortal life. One time Narinder tried to run away from the cult and got himself in danger during it so Lamb has to swoop in to save his ass.

“It seems like that you are still in need of me." They said, but there's no smugness in the tone, it's pure disgust and malice. “You don't get to pull the strings anymore, my lord, you're under my domain now.”

I'll make this one very quick bc this is becoming long 😭 So anyway, Narinder (begrudgingly) stayed in the cult because he didn't know how to stay alive in a mortal body, and the more Lamb took care of him, the more dependent he became of them(albeit extremely pissed about that realization and acted aggressively at first then came acceptance that he's hopeless without them), the lamb was aware of this, however thought that this was just another tactic of him to get their guard down, so they pulled the strings so they wouldn't get attached again.

Soon the lamb decided to let themselves get close to him while still being wary, then suddenly became "lovers". Narinder had thought that it was the right course considering how much time they spent with eachother, though hadn't acted on romantic actions. However Lamb thinks that this is just another one of their lovers they have to deal with, so it was still very unrequited.

Then by time it became a requited relationship, unknowingly truly falling for eachother in the process. They somehow know that they're terrible for eachother, but they still work on it. Their devotion for eachother became a devotee to genuine lovers.

[bitter-hibiscus]

Hey hi you have piqued my interest and I would love to hear your thoughts on Jason and Roy's interaction in New Titans #20-21 :)

OKAY OKAY OKAY!!! SO THOSE ISSUES ARE SO SO SO IMPORTANT TO ME BC THEY SET THE FOUNDATION OF JASON'S RELATIONSHIP WITH AUTHORITY HERO FIGURES AND. ROY IS PRETTY MUCH THE ONLY POSITIVE ONE

Sorry for rambling about more than just Roy and Jason but I had to set a foundation for my points.

The only three people who actually speak to Jason at any point for more than a single line in those issues are Donna, Hawk, and Roy.

Donna, as is plainly stated in the text, is not actually talking to Jason, but to Robin, and she expects him to act exactly like Dick Grayson does.

In the beginning of the story, this isn't particularly an issue, since Jason is very excited to be included and Donna isn't actually putting any kind of pressure on him. HOWEVER, as issue #20 progresses, it becomes really, really serious. Particularly in this scene:

Donna, who up until this point Jason generally worshipped in that way children always do, just showed him she's not only capable of extreme violence against her teammates, but also willing to completely leave the people depending on her behind. (I may not be the biggest Donna lorehead but I'm pretty sure this isn't something she does often. It is, however, what Jason sees her doing, and that's important.)

Jason, kindhearted, boneheaded Jason, immediately calls her out on this. He trusts that Donna is a capable and trustworthy hero and team leader, but the image of a perfect heroine has been broken.

Donna puts almost the... complete opposite kind of pressure on Jason that Bruce does. Bruce has trained Jason to obey, and to try and force him into a leadership role while three of your teammates are literally unconscious is, to say the least, stress-inducing to a little kid.

(oops, the Donna part got long. I have a lot of feelings about them, okay?)

The second person who interacts with Jason in those issues is Hawk, who is, you know. Hawk.

The first thing he says to Jason is mocking his age, which Jason seems to be pretty self-aware of in a negative way, being the only child in a group of 20-something-year-olds.

Then, he actively stops Jason from joining a fight and doing his part as a Titan:

It's the polar opposite of how Donna treats Jason in this issue. Hawk sees Jason as incapable and unfit for being a Titan. It's both demotivating and incredibly insulting, especially when Jason was trying to do the right thing.

So we're 0 for 2 for grown-up superheroes being dicks to Jason.

Enter Roy Harper, stage left.

Roy is the only member of the team to both acknowledge Jason as a teammate and still speak to him like the child he is without being patronizing or mocking, despite his conflicting and complicated emotions on the mission they're going to, because Cheshire. He keeps himself friendly and inviting to Jason, forces himself to joke around, because Jason is a child who shouldn't be responsible for Roy's Whole Ordeal.

He actively humors Jason's worship and wonder of superheroes, but still jokes around with him like Jason is an equal and not a kid he's babysitting.

He offers Jason company and empathy, and encourages him to share his view of the situation, once again treating Jason as a team member worthy of being listened to, but not particularly of being in charge of anything. Jason, for his part, pays attention to what's happening with Roy, and expresses concern over what Roy's feelings on the situation might be.

(long pause to admire how beautiful Jade looks in this story. anyway)

This scene is also really important, I think. Not only for the obvious reasons of Lian Being Revealed, but because even though Roy is reeling from the knowledge that he has a child, he still has space in his thoughts to care about Jason and want him safe. Even though Jason's attempt to lighten the mood was... less than optimal. Lol. I love him so much

Jason is there for what some may argue is the biggest part of Roy's development as a character, and even though he's secondary to everything that's happening, Roy still considers Jason an important part of the situation. He still takes Jason into account, despite desperately wanting answers from Jade.

I have nothing to say about those panels but look at them. my babies. jason is so so worried. his new friend is not ok and he cant help :(

TLDR: Jason's interactions with most adult heroes are.. pretty bad, (Not all. Shoutout to my men Joey Wilson and Garfield Logan,) but Roy is a major exception to that rule. He's compassionate and funny and a hurricane of emotions, and he's the first adult outside of Batman and Nightwing to canonically show Jason a little bit of kindness. While not in any way backed by canon, I do think that Jason's interactions with Roy filled him with determination to be a good hero and earn other people's trust. Those two issues have very small interactions, but I do believe they're some of the most important pieces of original Robin Jason content, largely due to Roy's presence.

[eskawrites]

I have seen a bit of discussion on the stobin codependency/the way fans talk abt their relationship and I wanted to know your opinion. I think you are one of the authors that always manages to write it best bc you show how dangerous it can be, the negative consequences of it and you don't reduce robin's character to steve's extension or their dynamic as the only thing ever.

You don't have to answer but I am curious abt your pov bc I really love the way you write the characters.

aw thank you anon! this is very kind and i will try to come up with a smart and thoughtful answer for you, although truth be told most of my thoughts on stobin are just me rambling in a word doc to myself until i have enough notes for a story lol

i guess the biggest thing for me is that, in fandom spaces (and i suppose in online spaces/younger communities in general maybe) codependency has come to mean a couple different things? there's codependent as in 'codependent besties, bonded pair, do not separate, they're platonic soulmates and their lives have been helplessly intertwined since time began' kind of thing, which is of course fun to see and read and write for characters. but there's also, like, the psychological concept of codependency, which often involves controlling behavior or enabling self-destruction like addiction and stuff (i should put a disclaimer here that i'm not by any means a psychological professional and all of this post is, of course, simply my perspective)

we all like viewing stobin as codependent besties because that's what they are in the show, and honestly who doesn't love a little trauma bonding? but the thing is, the line between codependent besties and actual, unhealthy codependent behavior can be really thin. i think it's interesting to write and read what happens when that line blurs and the dynamic shifts into something unhealthy (like in my celebrity fake dating au, where 'you're the only one who understands me' turns into 'i can't face life without you' turns into a very limited support system and simultaneous destructive spirals). however, i do think that online discussions and perspectives of steve and robin can sort of mimic that blurring of the line in some way, which then leads to fans viewing stobin's dynamic as the only thing ever, like you said. and honestly, if platonic stobin is the most important thing to you and it's all you ever want to write and talk about, then hey, you do you. have fun with it

as for not reducing robin to steve's extension, yeah. i think it's very often a combination of the above and the tendency for male characters get more attention both in canon and in fandom. i also click out of posts/fics/etc that do that. but then, i tend not to read anything that isn't centered on robin, nancy, or ronance in the first place lol. and to be completely fair, you could probably argue that i tend to reduce steve to robin's extension in my writing, because i am simply more interested in robin (and female characters in general), so that's what I end up prioritizing in my fic

[sophieswundergarten]

Which character from a media that you consume that I do not consume do I most remind you of? I’m curious 👀 (also hi Sophie love you Sophie!!)

Hi, Katie!!! Love you Katie!!!! <3 <3 <3

I think I would have to say Sophie Hatter, from Howl's Moving Castle. (Books or movie)

Because you are courageous and clever, and you create your own rules for life. Sophie is a really fun character who doesn't take crap from anyone, and she creates her own magic just by being herself. She loves a lot of people, she makes sure they're safe, and she makes sure her opinions are heard. She stands by what she believes in, and she gets things done!

[keyh0use]

what do u think rafes reaction would be to first hearing barry speak spanish (especially for the first time too!!!)

Because I envision Barry as first gen, I think he has a soft spot for newcomers who struggle with the language barrier And I think I've written out maybe six different possibilities, some I've probably already posted here, but a (newer) favourite of mine is: Rafe and Barry make a trip off the island for a pick-up, something the older man likes to do by himself and it's the first time he's ever invited someone along to meet his supplier. Not that it's a big deal or anything. (it is, Barry's heart races every time Rafe shows even a smidgen of excitement) It's unusual for them to be so carefree. Even though Barry puts on a relaxed facade, he's always carrying, always prepared to be in some altercation. And Rafe's image and expectations loom over him, guide and guilt him in everything he does. Until they're an hour off the island, away from the judgemental stares of people who will never think they fit together, as anything. Even friends, which is all they are, of course.

On the way back they pull over at a tiny corner store to grab something to eat, knowing everything will be shut by the time they arrive back in the OBX. Rafe has zero experience with communities off the island, every vacation the Cameron's have taken so far have been to all inclusive resorts, where his family is treated like royalty; untouchable, never to be bothered. So he's a little jittery as they wander out of the truck and into the store, groups of people filtering in and out that are nothing like the self-involved kooks he's normally surrounded with, they're offering him easy greetings and stepping aside, not because of his status but out of natural kindness. It makes him stick closer to Barry with uncertainty, never straying any further than a few feet as they walk the aisles, grabbing snacks as they go. Then the checkout is backed up, two groups before them who are clearly growing annoyed as an older lady at the counter stumbles over her words, very flustered the longer the broken interaction continues. Barry can remember watching his parents go through the same thing as a child and it makes his heart ache, especially when the other customers start complaining just loud enough for him to hear. His father was a labourer and his mother did some under-the-table work, like babysitting, so he was the only one forced to socialise with the locals and in turn, learn English.

In a sense he was glad, because it meant they never had to hear the hurtful comments made about them when they were in situations just like this. So Barry takes it upon himself to step out of line, leaving a momentarily panicked Rafe with an easy be right back, to approach the cashier and bridge the gap, introducing himself in his native tongue and interrupting the obnoxiously slow-speaking asshole behind the register. Meanwhile, Rafe is standing frozen in the line, clutching a bag of crumbling chips in his large hand absentmindedly, fully enraptured by the scene playing out in front of him. He should have known Barry spoke Spanish, given how utterly obsessed he was with learning every single detail about his dealer. There were plenty of signs, he releases while thinking back, like cheerful cards with Feliz Navidad sprawled on the covers stacked amongst glossy restaurant coupons atop the fridge, and telenovelas quietly playing on the TV when Rafe finally rolls out of bed in the morning and Latin music the go-to while cleaning up around the trailer.

Still, Rafe is shocked silent, watching on as Barry listens intently before translating, again and again until the conversation has reached a satisfying conclusion. And just like every time the dealer watches over him when he's too high or drunk, every time Barry comforts him and brings him back down when he's too emotional, and every time premade plans are suddenly cancelled just because Rafe made an offhanded comment about wanting to hang out together: Rafe chest swells with affection at Barry's desire to take care of those around him.

Sometimes, admittedly, watching Barry help others makes Rafe uncomfortable. Even upset and angry. Possessiveness (even when unwarranted) tugging at his nerves, desire to be the only thing the dealer's attention goes into present at the most inappropriate times, like when some poor woman needed her tire changed on the side of a backroad. There's also a tug in Rafe's groin, too, obviously, which makes him look away bashfully when Barry finally moves to join him again. After that night it becomes a personal goal of Rafe's to see if he can elicit that part of Barry. Sometimes he'll start bickering over unimportant things, just picking apart sentences for no other reason than to be brat, just to hear Barry playfully curse him out. Rafe never misses a chance to visit with Barry's family, either, because he gets to hear his man socialise with an easiness that's usually not present and that accent Barry unknowingly slips into.

After that night it becomes a personal goal of Rafe's to hear more. Sometimes he'll start bickering over unimportant things, being a brat because it works in his favour, rejoicing when Barry playfully starts to curse him out. Rafe never misses a trip to visit Barry's family, no matter what he has to postpone, because he gets to watch his man socialise and unknowingly slip into an accent that drives the kook insane; Barry's usual southern twang, so unlike his own despite residing on the same island, showing through the foreign language, making it sound a thousand times more romantic than it already does.

It's not one-sided, either. Barry loves teaching Rafe, and that his boy is so willing and eager to learn. He doesn't laugh (too much) when Rafe butchers words, the two of them repeating it back and forth until the kooks wrapped his tongue around the syllables correctly. Barry also loves ordering Rafe around in the language he's only starting to become more familiar with, getting rewarded and praised when he follows the commands—but Barry will sometimes add on extra words just to throw him off, speak too fast for him to follow and watch as Rafe panics and scrambles to obey, giving the older man the perfect excuse to punish him. <3

Thanks for the ask!! <3 (and sorry I didn't answer it for like a week. I actually did...and then it got buried. PLUS tumblr does this weird thing where it says my posts can't be saved? And then I lose all my progress)

[the-eclectic-wonderer]

2, 5, 10 & 18 for the writer ask game!! (These questions are *so much* fun, I couldn't choose 😂)

Hello friend, and thank you! They *are*, aren't they??

2. If you had to give up your keyboard and write your stories exclusively by hand, could you do it? If you already write everything by hand, a) are you a wizard and b) pen or pencil?

Oh, heavens. I'd do it somehow, but it would be a rough transition. When I'm 'in the zone' I can barely keep up with my brain using a keyboard, and writing by hand would be so slow in comparison! I'd have to learn shorthand, haha. I'd find a way, I guess, but it would definitely not be easy. (Oh, and as a bonus: I'd write in pen for sure. No way I'm writing more than a couple of sentences of notes with a pencil. Those are for drawing.)

5. Do you have any writing superstitions? What are they and why are they 100% true?

I'm afraid I have to disappoint you on this one because I'm not a superstitious person, and that extends to writing, unfortunately! I don't have any superstitions I can think of.

I do have habits! For example, contrary to most of the writer population, I generally don't write in the evenings / at night. I usually wake up early and have a job that requires me to think for a good part of the day, so my brain tends to feel very tired by the time evening comes around, and the words don't really word when I get like that. I might jot down an idea or two, maybe edit a few passages, but the actual bulk of my writing activity happens while the sun is out.

10. Has a piece of writing ever “haunted” you? Has your own writing haunted you? What does that mean to you?

Oh, yes.

The term 'haunting' applied to writing is related to two different concepts for me. I've been haunted for ages by Moby Dick, in the sense that I began reading it and then left it on my nightstand to rot for years. I eventually read it all and loved it, but in the meantime it lay there menacingly, a perpetual reminder of my failure to finish it, like a heart beating under the floorboards.

Speaking of which: The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe is a good example of the other kind of haunting, the deeper kind. These tend to be stories that stay with me because they shock and unsettle me, due of their themes or their style (usually both). Other good examples are 1984 by George Orwell and A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess (I barely even remember this last one, except for the fact that it really disturbed me when I read it). The most recent example is The Notebook Trilogy by Ágota Kristóf (please be very careful if you research this one, it deals with a lot of seriously disturbing themes).

I don't think I've ever been haunted by any of my writing, no. I like to think of my works as companions, rather than haunting presences. :)

18. Choose a passage from your writing. Tell me about the backstory of this moment. How you came up with it, how it changed from start to end.

Hmm. This is hard to answer because I tend to forget about previous versions of my works fairly quickly 😂 I do remember a recent one, though!

The Barbara passage in i would have said impossible [...] gave me a lot of trouble while I was writing the fic. I knew I wanted to write something about Barbara from very early on; once I figured out where this fic would fall in the canon timeline, I rewatched some of S3, and the Barbara episode was just too interesting not to explore (not to mention it provided a perfect catalyst for the final confrontation between the three Girls). It was one of the first scenes I tried putting to paper, but I just... couldn't get it to work, no matter what! It simply refused to flow.

I eventually figured out that it wasn't working because I didn't know what I wanted to say with it. I knew by that point in the story Dorothy wasn't at her best, and I had a feeling she wanted to 'run away' from Blanche and Rose, but I didn't know why she wanted to run away (except for a very generic 'Blanche and Rose are coming on to her'), and so the scene was really bland and unfocused.

What helped, in the end, was properly writing the scene before! During my planning phase I decided that Dorothy was going to ask for Sophia's advice, at some point -- but I made the mistake of not figuring out where she'd end up after receiving said advice, so I didn't really know what was going through her mind during the Barbara scene! Once I wrote that scene and figured that out properly, her mental state was more clear to me, and everything fell into place. In retrospect, I learned quite the lesson from it! When a scene doesn't flow, it may be that the problem isn't with the scene itself, but with what comes before. :)

[moe-broey]

Got any music you listen to for any FEH characters? Be it for vibes or brain animatics?

WAH.... I'VE BEEN......... SITTING ON THIS ..... mostly cause I worry my answer might be a bit lacking 🧍

I have. A small handful of songs that make me think of Alfonse! Some are silly, some not! In no particular order:

I Earn My Life - Lemon Demon

> THIS ONE..... IS SO FUNNY TO ME...... but it is so painfully Alfonse-core........ to me. Esp lines "I learned it from my father and my father never lied" and "I wouldn't be so worried if I wasn't always right". Biting him. Killing him, even

Devil's Train - The Lab Rats

> Not a direct one-to-one (it is a specific ass situation song and I love it for that) but! This one is so Book 3 to me... if any of these are animatics in my brain material it's this one! Esp if it's following the Alfonse who would become Líf... I also think it captures the generational cycles that are present with Alfonse, Gustav, and Grampa Askr as well!

Ghost - Mystery Skulls

> Some are more Líf leaning tbh LMFAO but! Speaking of! I've mentioned it before, but Lewis was actually a huge inspiration/reference for me when learning How To Draw Líf -- sorting out how to simplify him, get him to fit more w my cartoony style, and how I want him to look body-type wise (big broad guy!)

Also the way I emphasize heart motifs on Líf is very inspired by Lewis! While also trying to simplify the shapes/taking creative liberties and running with them LMFAO

So Ghost is like. Yeah I think the lyrics can fit! But there's Deeplore here too LMFAO

Sex With A Ghost - Teddy Hyde

> This one is very just vibes/up to interpretation. It also feels like a companion to Ghost LMFAO

Cupid - Jack Strauber

> THIS ONE. IS ANOTHER SILLY ONE. BUT. Hear me out. I get such a strong mental image when I listen to it. Bruno just dumped him/ghosted him. Alfonse is face down ass up laying flat on his bedroom floor. He's been playing this song on repeat for at least an hour. Sharena tentatively checks in on him very "Are ya winning, son?" but she knows he fucking isn't. I think it also captures the feelings of heartache and regret of letting someone in and getting hurt for it. AND AND it's because of THE CIRCUMSTANCES. Lamenting The Circumstances -- "Cupid, how could you be so cruel?"

Fist Bump - Sonic Forces themesong

> SONIC THE HEDGEHOG JUMPSCARE‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️ It is. So fitting though. I am ALWAYS thinking of him when listening to it...........

This December - Ricky Montgomery

> This one..... is so him...... it makes me soft. If you check out any of these I def recommend this one!!! And Devil's Train, both are also just so fun to listen to in a Music That Sounds way (I like the flow!)

I could have SWORN I had more but........... I never made a complete collection...... honorable mention to The Black Parade and a handful of MCR songs tbh (This Is How I Disappear feels very distinctly Líf, I Don't Love You honestly could be either depending on the circumstances, Famous Last Words feels a little more Alfonse-leaning). I think if you introduced Alfonse to MCR it WOULD rearrange his brain chemistry, it Would be the closest thing he's had to therapy. And in addition to music I would introduce him to personally, I think The Wonder Years is another good one (but all of TWY's stuff feels so deeply personal... like diary entries and poetry.... cannot be entirely Blorboified. To me)

[spielzeugkaiser]

How did you learn to draw people? Or I guess, what was the most helpful step in learning how to? My 3 figure drawing classes should point to improvement, but my people still just look like fucked up squiggly rat men. I adore your artwork and how natural you make it seem!!!

I think it's about repetition, and analysis - but it's also like. You are on the right way, if you can see your mistakes! Our perception and motor skills don't evolve simultaneously, so there's sometimes the stage where you can see your mistakes, but not yet correct them. With practice you'll catch up! For me it's always helpful to try to identify and pinpoint what's wrong and correct that - my best tip if you work digitally would be to KEEP. FLIPPING. THAT CANVAS. It will trick your brain to identify your mistakes!

There are a lot of tutorials out there (especially on youtube) on how to learn to draw, how to find and use good reference - there is not much I can add to that - but the one thing I'd advice you to always keep thinking of is: Is this fun? Building skill takes time, and as long as it contiues to be fun, and not frustrating, and you enjoy doing it, you'll get better all by yourself.

[katinkulta]

So now that Jere is so gracefully handling the breakup departure of Bojan...

How are you as a Finn handling emotions? Any advice?

Just keep everything to yourself. You have to, I repeat, HAVE to cope with everything yourself. Don't ask for help under any circumstances whatsoever!!!

Hope this helps <3

(can you tell I mean the polar opposite?)

[meownotgood]

hear me out,, there’s only one bed trope with aki. with the whole group being trapped in that hotel because of the eternity devil. nothing to do but wait it out, every one else already called dibs on each of the remaining hotel rooms that weren’t completely trashed. leaving only one room left, but you and aki still remaining room-less. with the exhaustion kicking in, both of you just say “fuck it” and decide to share the room but lo and behold, it ends up being a one queen-sized bed suite. aki is internally panicking because he’s harbored a little crush on you ever since you first joined his division, and now he has no other option but to share a bed with you?! little does he know, you are internally panicking just as much as he is—. whew the only one bed trope rly has me in a chokehold, and so does aki scjnsbssj reader and aki deserve to share a bed and get handsy under the sheets! (and most definitely fuck)

ah..... only one bed with aki... I think it's such a good trope to pair with him because he's always so kind and respectful, if he had to share a bed with you, he'd feel so embarrassed...

he's swearing it's fine if he sleeps on the floor, but you're insisting that no, it's fine if he sleeps in the bed, which eventually progresses to him reluctantly caving and climbing to bed with you. he's clearly getting nervous, babbling as he undresses, "I'm gonna take my shoes off, should I take my jacket off too? I don't wanna take off too much, I mean it's like- I- I don't know, you're not uncomfortable, are you? you'd tell me if you were, right?"

the bed has plenty of room for the two of you, but somehow you end up getting closer and closer. aki tries his hardest to fall asleep with his back facing you, but it somehow evolves to his arms slung around you, your body pressed close to his. his heart is hammering in his chest, he's willing himself to just go to sleep already, but when your hands start wandering, when you're brushing your palms over his thighs and toying with his belt — your belt's still on? isn't that uncomfortable? here, let me help you with it — aki would know there's no sleep in sight, not for either of you

[lordoftherazzles]

Please may I request, Barduil treat, for the Trick or Treat writing prompt?

Yes!!! Absolutely my friend, you can!! Goodness, I've not written Barduil is almost a YEAR, and let's just say, I wrote three different things for this, didn't like them, but have settled on some good ol' modern au!! I went a little above that 500 word mark, but I couldn’t stop myself. I hope you enjoy it!!

Bard hadn’t realized just how much time had passed since he’d gotten saddled up at the bar after his shift. Working the docks made for a tiresome work schedule, and with his kids nicely nestled in the homes of others for various sleepovers, it meant time wasn’t of great importance. It was one of those rare weekends where he was without his children, much as he loved them, but being a single father of three was tiresome. Just as it made him feel secluded from the outside world.

A careless evening of sitting at the bar, sipping away some drinks and munching on food he normally would have taken home, but something kept him rooted to his seat. Or rather, someone, but that didn’t matter. He had nothing but time.

He’d seen the blond in here a time or two, typically with a glass of red wine in hand, and he oozed elegance. There was just something so proper and so pristine about the man who Bard didn’t even have a name for as he kept stealing glances from across the room. Was it the long blond hair that had him ensnared? Those captivating blue eyes? Or perhaps it was how the blond fellow practically glowed anytime he laughed.

It was always such a soft sound, drowned out by the sounds of a lively neighborhood bar, but Bard picked up on those sounds all the same. Once, he’d even made eye contact with the gentleman, and locking with those striking blue eyes had been a mistake. A flush of mild embarrassment rose high on the bargeman’s cheeks, turning back around to tend to his drink that he’d been nursing for the past twenty minutes, before it all led to empty disappointment. Save for a few ice cubes.

“Pathetic,” Bard huffed to himself, giving the ice in his glass a little swirl as he focused more on the cup than his surroundings, at least until the barstool next to his was scooted out, and a thin wine glass entered his peripheral vision. A wine glass filled nearly to the rim with red.

“I hope you don’t mind.” That calm and yet vaguely familiar voice broke through whatever concentration on anything else that Bard had, forcing the bargeman to look up from his empty glass towards the man he’d been ogling for some time now.

“Oh, no, please, go ahead.” It was the polite and friendly thing to do, though that focus on being friendly withered away in favor of confusion as another long stemmed glass appeared before him.

“Red or white?” The bartender asked expectantly.

“Excuse me?” Bard’s brows rose a bit as he shifted his hand to push the glass away. “I didn’t order this–”

“He did.” With a small nod signaling to the tall blond that had seated next to Bard, the bartender scooted the glass back. “So, what will it be, red or white?”

Bard bit the inside of his cheek for a moment as one brow arched, his eyes flickering between the glass and he who ordered it. “Red, then.” To better match his new company. As soon as his glass was filled and the two were left in silence, Bard finally found a few less fumbled words to leave his lips. “Thank you, that wasn’t necessary–”

“I know, I wanted to.” The blond took a sip from his glass, the crystal shadowing a bit of whatever small grin he was sporting. “Thranduil, and you’ve been watching me for a greater portion of our evening, Mister…?”

“Bowman,” Bard blurted quickly before clearing his throat. “Bard Bowman, and I wasn’t staring, there was a television right over your head, the game was getting good.”

“Mhm, who was playing?” Thranduil asked with an arched brow of suspicion. “Ah, no peeking.” Shifting a bit so that he could block Bard’s view, the dark haired man came up with no reasonable response, leaving Thranduil to chuckle lightly. “Don’t mistake my words, I’m flattered, not offended. If I was offended, I wouldn’t be sitting here buying you a drink of all things.” Mister Bowman was quite easy on the eyes as well if Thranduil did say so himself.

“That makes way more sense than being offended and trying to charm me with wine,” Bard sighed, rolling his eyes, but finding his faint laughter joined with that of Thranduil’s.

“Then it’s working.”

“What?”

“I’m charming you.”

Bard bit his lower lip for a moment. It was hard to argue that, especially considering the flush still on his cheeks and the butterflies roaring in his stomach that he hadn’t felt since his school years. “It’s nice to meet you, Thranduil,” Bard spoke while lifting his wine glass and holding it over towards the blond in a toast-like-manner. When Thranduil slowly complied with the gesture and their glasses clinked, Bard truly couldn’t have been more grateful for tonight’s fast-paced turn of events. “And yes, you’re charming me.” Easily.

And despite the fact that he wore confidence well, Thranduil himself had nerves fluttering about in his chest, and the fact that his bold behavior to do something about those longing stares from across the room bore fruit, made all those stomach knots worth it. “Well then, tell me about yourself, Bard Bowman. If you have the time, I’d love to hear everything.”

Luckily for both of them…

“I have nothing but time.”

[shining-gem34]

❛  why can’t you just let it go?  ❜ // IL @ dh

Angsty Question Prompts !! Accepted for @etherealguard

||Companion Quest to this blog.

"Why can't you just let it go?"

"What do you mean, Yinyue Jun?" Dan Heng asks coldly, turning around to meet the High Elder's stoic gaze.

The question leaves him confused, annoyed, and irked- all packed into a bundle of spite swirling in his chest. He's not sure what prompted Yinyue Jun to ask this. Why was he even asking this at all?

Is this another mind game of his? Was he baiting him to see a reaction? Or was he trying to confuse him with the question(s)?

Because Dan Heng knows exactly what the High Elder is referring to. Yet like always, he refuses to acknowledge it.

Yinyue Jun remains impassive. His tail sways lightly behind him before it stops and he responds, "Do you remember my words, Dan Heng?"

☛ You are not weak. I know you are not. Because you are not me. ☚

"No matter what anyone says otherwise: My sins are not yours to bear." Yinyue Jun explains, staring straight at his incarnation. "You are free."

Outside past the door, the skies start to rumble. A drop of water hitting the ground summons a storm. The heavy rain drowns out the sound of Dan Heng's blood rushing to his head. Fury blooms within his chest, its red petals curling hideously around his heart like spider lilies.

"Free?" Dan Heng repeats, fingers curling tightly into a fist. His shoulders trembling with thinly veiled rage, "How dare you, Dan Feng? How dare you presume I am free when your past chases me like a shadow?"

Lightning flashes between the clouds, striking the ground as quickly as Dan Heng's temper.

"I am not free, Dan Feng." The guard states coldly, shoulders sagging, and he shakes his head. "So please don't ever say I am free when clearly I am not."

For once in a long time, Dan Heng feels tired of everything. He wants to be alone, praying for Yinyue Jun to get the hint and leave him be.

Like always, the High Elder refuses to respect his wishes.

Yinyue Jun rises from his seat and approaches him. His incarnation takes a step back, but no more, and turns his head away. He stiffly raises his hand to touch Dan Heng's cheek. The young man flinches from the contact, but he remains resolute in avoiding him.

"Sooner or later, you'll understand the meaning behind my words." Yinyue Jun sighs wearily, but a faint smile breaks his stoic mask. "When that time comes, you'll be liberated from the chains that shackled you."

Dan Heng snaps his head up and asks, "What do you-"

"It's time to wake up, my pearl."

Then in a flash, Dan Heng is gone from the dream leaving Yinyue Jun alone in this room.

He returns to his seat and closes his eyes to meditate. Perhaps, this will give Dan Heng time to ponder over his words. The young man will need to find the answers on his own at his own pace.

The High Elder opens his eyes to stare at the floating feather on the shelf. A beautiful turquoise plume from the tail of the eastern dragon that commands the winds. Another unrelated artifact with a deep significance to those who understand it.

As if a gentle breeze tickles his ears, Yinyue Jun can hear a whisper in the wind.

"What does freedom really mean when demanded of you by a god?"

Outside, the heavy rain slows down to a light sprinkle. Soon enough, the winds blow the clouds away revealing the beautiful full moon once more.

[welcometoteyvat]

i am very curious (and i'm asking this not with any malicious intent) but what ages do you see the genshin characters! i personally see them (most of them) as adults, even collei. even if they were teenagers, time passes in-game (i.e. lantern rite happens every year and we already had 2 lantern rites in-game) so they'll eventually grow to be adults.

tldr: I have schrodinger's age headcanons

long answer: if they're in a ship with a ""clearly"" adult character, I'll assume they're young adults; idk I feel like there's some blurring of age and what growth stage you're in when people are around 17 to 20 (from my experience) so I think it's vague-ish enough that you could probably do what you want.

If they're not in a ship I see some of them as adults and some as still teens/underage. as a general rule of thumb a character's age is solely dependent on what I want at the moment, although I do think the way some characters are written (ie character arcs, character stories and general personality) pushes me to view them as underage (will explain more but the character I'm thinking about most w this is Xingqiu). Some of them read to me as clear adults, and then there are some in-betweens where I just have "vaguely young looking" in my hcs LOL

you bring up a good point that time is passing in game although we don't see it reflected in the character models—everyone points out that Xiao opens up a bit more every lantern rite, but fandom (and genshin devs too ig 💀) definitely forgets that all the other characters are also growing/changing. w/ 4.1 around the corner my personal wish is for hu tao, xingqiu, and chongyun's relationships to each other get developed more so that their relationships (as described through their voicelines abt each other) don't feel so flat,,,,,, it would also help with the sense of "time is passing in game for ALL characters", since we almost never get this kind of evolving relationship portrayed between 4*s/non endgame important charas.

I have too much time on my hands so I'll also just run through all the teen/short models there are for each region and list whether my personal headcanons are adult or minor (at least their ages when we "meet" them in canon):

liyue (mortal/mortal adjacent characters): yanfei, chongyun, xingqiu, hu tao, xiangling, xinyan, yun jin, keqing

yanfei and keqing are solidly adults to me, yanfei's a lawyer and keqing's also in a govt job so both of them feel around like 25-27 to me. Definitely somewhere around their mid-20s, although I can also see them as younger, especially Keqing, because of her overall attitude/perspective on life and the gods. iirc her character stories show how her worldview's grown/broadened to be not as naive/black and white, so I feel like she's still in the process of maturing. If you told me Yanfei was like 23 (appearance wise) I guess I'd believe you too, since she's a very peppy person who seems to be running all over the place all the time, doing errands for madame ping, checking on her clients, taking new cases etc. I feel like it gives her youthful energy, so I can see it if people hc her on the younger side of her 20s (in human years I forgot how her half-adeptal blood works).

I see the other 6 as a friend group (liyue 6ang let's go) so they're either all teens or all adults depending on the portrayal. You can obviously view them as adults all the time, but I don't get those vibes. Xinyan and Yun Jin might be like 18-19, but if that's the case, I can't see the other 4 being any younger than 17, just because I think they're all almost the same age or 1-2 years apart maximum. For some reason so many people view Hu Tao and Yun Jin as adults but at the same time think the others are minors? Idk about that.. genshin has shown that Xiangling, Xinyan, and Yun Jin are pretty close friends, and then always put Xingqiu and Chongyun together for the ship bait, so maybe that's the root of fanon's age hcs. However, I think if some of them are young adults, then all of them are. There's a max 2 year age gap between all 6 of them idk idk I really can't see it otherwise.

To me, Xingqiu's arc reads like a 16 year old finding his footing in the world. Hiding martial arts novels under his bed, tired of playing dutiful 2nd son and sneaking out to live out his idealized wuxia dreams, his multiple voicelines where he's implied to be super worried about us giving away his involvings in the Guhua sect, they all read like he's still trying to figure out his role in his family (what he wants it to be, and what his parents want it to be). He's also very naive about the world, but learning. He just feels a lot like how (chinese) teenagers grow up and like. growing into or out of the paths given to us by our parents. ... or i could just be projecting! Anyways, in my no ships world, he's a 16-17 yr old. Chongyun's clan and family play a not-insignificant role in his backstory, so I think he's the same age as Xingqiu, just older by a month for the flex. Lowkey I don't have as much reason for him as the others, but I think they're in the same age range by association; probably almost 18 at most. Hu Tao's character stories explicitly state she's 13 when her grandfather passed away, and I think she becomes Director not long after this, so I would say she's also around 16-17 when the game starts. @.acatoner who draws quite possibly my favorite interpretations of the gang(TM) once mentioned they see her with spoiled younger sister energy and honestly yeah. she's an only child but has the strongest solidarity with Xingqiu (they're the bratty younger siblings of the friendgroup). Out of all of them, Xiangling is the one with the most plausible job if she was like, young: being a chef apprentice with her dad to continue the family business is pretty reasonable. Middle child energy, probably 17. We did meet her when she was in Mondstadt foraging ingredients, so I'd say she's not very young, but still young enough for her dad to chew her out during moonchase for being like messy or clumsy or smth? Xinyan and Yun Jin.... I think Yun Jin is at least almost 18—running a well acclaimed opera troupe is a pretty big undertaking imo, even if her parents are there to like guide her and whatnot. Same with Xinyan, 17-18 range, although she def started playing rock publicly when she was way younger.

inazuma: shinobu, heizou, kazuha, kirara, gorou, kokomi, ayaka, yoimiya

Disclaimer I have not read the Lore and don't know whether actual ages are given for Ayaka and Ayato (specifically pointing them out because iirc their and Thoma's character stories are the most specific ones wrt the timeline).

I see basically all of them as adults, ayaka might be an exception but she's like 17 minimum in my head. That's pretty interesting considering I labeled almost all the liyue short models as teens. From what I can remember of their character stories, the Inazuman characters seem to be portrayed as having their formative struggles set In the Past (probably a couple years before we meet them) so perhaps that's why I see them as solidly young adults. Additionally, Inazuma's arc and its war pushes me to see all of them as adults, even if they're still obscenely young to be generals and strategicians. The exceptions I can see to this are only Yoimiya (smaller role in archon quest and not related to the government), and Shinobu + Heizou, who were released later. Yoimiya's maturity really stands out to me—from the way her neighbors and old people converse with her, and her overall character arc + second story quest, I cannot see her as below like 19 at least. Shinobu manages an entire unofficial gang and has countless certifications under her belt plus ex-shrine maiden stint—she probably isn't less than 23. It would be cute if she were the same age as Yanfei but just started law school later, so Yanfei's still her senior. I think there's not much to say on Heizou either, he's friends with Kazuha and has a real job, so I can't read him below 20-21. I don't know anything about Kirara (don't have her, haven't read her stories) but I also just get the vibes of like 20-something errand girl SDFDSSKDFJS in a modern au she'd deliver to teyvat/inazuma's college campus for sure

mondstadt (humans): barbara, razor, bennett, fischl, mika, amber, noelle, sucrose

this is a mix again, for Barbara Razor Bennett and Fischl they give me kid vibes, like little adventure gang things. Reddit apparently cites Mona called Fischl an adult in the 2.8 Midsummer Fantasia GAA event, so I mean. I guess she's 18 there—might've been 16 when we met in game the first time (1.2?? scaramouche fake stars event or something?) Idk really. Their group collectively gives me 16 year old vibes, at least when we start the game. I can see it if all of them have aged to 18 now—it just makes sense in my head lol. Mika feels like an 18 year old; mostly because of his relationship with Huffman. Amber seems vaguely adult-ish, I'd say 19 or so, maybe 20 during shadows amidst snowstorms in 2.3. there's some logic behind this that ties into her search for her grandfather but it's like vague and hazy in my head. I haven't given much thought to Noelle and Sucrose— Sucrose also gives "vaguely adult" vibes, idk if her character story about wanting to make a wonderland to meet her past friends in has any relevance to timeline estimation. I'd say Noelle also falls into the vague adult age range, but to me she's a puzzle, because her personality seems incongruent to how I thought she might act if she's like 23 or so.

anyways, anon if you read all this i will declare my love for you. thanks for giving me an excuse to genuinely think on this and then dump my thoughts out for the internet. you can clearly see none of my braincells really go towards Mondstadt headcanons but I hope you're happy w my response ehe

[adhdbisexualramblings]

22, 26, 2 for the agere writing questions!

Hooray! Questions!

2. What fandom do you want to see more agere fics for?

I do think that every fandom deserves a handful of agere fics, because the bond between caregiver and little is something that can be very personal and lovingly intimate, but I would have to go with Invader Zim. I’m not into many fandoms, but it has 7 age regression fics on AO3. I know you may be thinking, ‘that sounds moderate and like a lot of good content’ it’s not. A lot of the agere fics for IZ have…weird s**ual undertones, and only three out of the seven are completely nsfw-free, sadly. I have a platonic cg Dib and little Zim fic in the works and am very excited to add it to the fandom. (House M.D. also sort of counts, but it’s mainly for seeing the characters in a different setting.)

22. What are you currently working on?

Just age regression related, it’s mentioned above, an Invader Zim age regression fic called (title-in-progress, I think) Vulnerability. In general, I’m not writing much else, but I have a lot of ideas! I haven’t posted on AO3 since last year, but I’m sure I can get something on there!

26. What fic do you wish would write itself? (or just magically pop into existence?)

Where do I even begin? A heck of a lot of them. But mainly the most recent ones that I’ve been so excited for, but dropped because a new idea got in the way.

Thank you for the questions! I liked answering then a lot!