#i think one of the coolest things is. they're the same base! it's the same body

[thechekhov]

Hey Chekhov! How do you start converting an AU idea from character sheets and mini comics into a plot outline for a full, continuous comic? Especially if the series you're basing it on isn't complete?

I've been following your white diamond Steven comics for years, and frankly, I love how it builds and continues the scaffolding canon laid to be something that is thematically still the same but also very unique. And I never thought I'll ever say this, but now I'm working on a canon-divergent AU with someone that's I think aiming to do something similar(continue the themes of canon but different). So I'll just like some advice, I suppose!

You might've answered something like this before, honestly, but I tried to dig a little and couldn't really find it.

Thanks, if you do answer this! I just want take the opportunity as well to say also that your comic and blog accompanied me through parts of my late teens, and I'm very grateful for you being a stabilizing influence during that time.

Thank you! I really appreciate you saying that, and I appreciate you respecting me enough to ask for advice.

As for your question...

Well, to be frank, I don't START with character sheets and mini-comics. In fact, for WD!AU, I didn't have any character sheets until I started season 2.

Think of your story as an aquarium. Your characters are fish.

Yes, they're important, but having a whole bunch of fish without any substrate, tanks, feed and WATER..... will not really make for a memorable aquarium experience.

The reality is that all stories should start with an end.

That's my personal approach, anyway.

What I mean is - you need to know the general idea for your story before you begin to write or plan it.

Let's try this:

1.Tell me about your story in THREE sentences!

Just three. Not long ones, just regular ones.

For my AU, @ask-whitepearl-and-steven, it would be:

"A young orphan runs away from home with a mysterious lady who seems more cryptid than human. He realizes that he's not human either - he used to be the ruler of an alien planet! He and the other aliens he meets decide to (REDACTED) (REDACTED) (REDACTED) and he (REDACTED) (REDACTED) (READACTED) (READ ANDCTED) (READ AND FIND OUT)."

YOU should know how YOUR story ends too! Even vaguely.

It helps if you know at what point you plan to lay down the pencil. Because if you DO know, you are always going to know which direction to walk in, even if the end is so far away it's beyond your line of sight.

It's true that when I began WDAU, I didn't have much information about White Diamond and white Pearl, because they had literally ONLY been introduced. I had to guess a lot of the details (like WP being Pink's originally) and what White would be capable of. And thankfully, my original intent for the story's end fit pretty well with what was later revealed!

But don't forget - you could also just fuck around with stuff! It's your story, after all.

And don't forget... to also look back!

2.Tell me WHY the story is happening in the first place.

There's a reason that the beginning of your story happens when it does. If there is no reason to start somewhere, then find a different place to start.

You should be able to tell me "We're picking up the story here because something significant has happened... and that significant thing happened BECAUSE...."

That 'because' is your main background information that should be revealed slowly throughout the story. In WDAU's case, we only have a few pieces of the puzzle. We know Greg's side. He know Earl's side. But there are still little bits and pieces missing! And they're all important for finding out WHY Steven ended up an orphan and WHY he is being followed by White Pearl (Earl) at the very start of the comic!

3.Tell me what the coolest and most interesting things to happen would be....and then write them!

I think this may be something that's rarely said out loud, but I will speak on the behalf of the people...

We should write the scenes we want to read. If you don't want to read the scene you're writing, then DON'T write it!

If you feel like you "have to" do a page and a half of 'lore' because you think it's traditional to have that 'explanation' about the location of your story, or the history of the species or whatever, you're simply wrong. There are other ways to reveal information aside from just forced paragraphs upon paragraphs of information that would make an SAT Reading Section sweat.

Instead, I recommend that you find the most exciting or hilarious way for the characters to discover the most important bits of info. Find a dramatic twist. Shove it into the narrative. Then, figure out what needs to happen to get there.

Ultimately, though, remember this: When you're taking advice from me or from others, don't forget to take advice from yourself, too! It's your story, after all. You know it best, and only YOU can figure out how to get it written.

I hope that helps at least a little bit! Writing it never easy, but it should still be enjoyable!

[junk-heart]

Sakuino for my soul and my soul only

You can keep reading if you wanna see my stupid take on them as a ship (that is more a personal vent than it is about them really)

You know how a lot of people say that the Sakuino fight during the exams is extremely stupid and based solely around them liking Saske when it's actually about how much they miss each other's company and he's only one of the reasons they use for justifying hating each other?

Anywaaaaaays

Since I was a five year old child I thought there was something between these two, and it somehow hit close to home. Since the beginning I liked their relationship, hoped for more of them on screen together, but couldn't explain why. Only upon the most recent rewatch did I realize: it was because of the gay subtext of -the scene-.

Sakura always annoyed me, be it her boy crazy nature (when she doesn't even bother to get to know the boy she "apparently" likes) or how she acts twards Naruto, Lee and even Ino. But in that specific moment during their fight, I couldn't help but feel for her as a person for the first time. I'm still not the biggest Sakura fan (to say the least), but I can't help but think, what would have been if they got her away from the main group and let her grow as a person with different people?

What really got me this time around was the flashback scene. I can't eloquently put it into words, but it's the feeling. The: "You're like the prettiest universe flower" and "You may not be a flower that's bloomed, but who is to say that it won't be even prettier when it does?" , the big forehead thing growing from Ino reassuring her it's fine into an insult she uses, protecting her from bullies etc... Think it reminded me of the experience of a really young queer person (cough cough, me from the past)

Thinking that your best friend is the coolest ever, your saviour, person you base all your free time around only for you two to grow apart, start resenting each other, finding out that your chosen crush (you know how kids would make you choose a crush of opposite gender so they'd leave you alone?) is the same person they're suddenly crushing on yet don't care about them at all etc etc

I have a feeling that's a very usual early queer experience

When I watched the flashback this time around, I legit started crying cause it finally hit me. The hitting thing being the reason why my heart would squeeze and I'd feel weirdly nostalgic every time I'd watch it.

In conclusion: Kishi should've let them be annoying girlfriends ffs >:[

[cemeteryvalentine]

astro observations part 3 ^____^

i'm having fun doing these, so herez a part 3 🙏 a lot of these r just based off me and close friendz lol :3

(((o(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)o)))♡

--------

(*´∇｀*)

i feel like people get on water signs (especially CANCER and pisces) for trauma dumping, and ngl a lot of us do (i used to b guilty of doing this 💀) but no one mentions how people do the same to us. like in my opinion, water signs are alwayz getting trauma dumped on. i think prominent pluto influence in ur chart also makes u prone 2 being trauma dumped on lol

(๑>◡<๑)

i feel like a way to make a cancer or leo frustrated with you is not returning the love they give you. i kno a lot of cancers and leo's (or natals having both in their chart) who get very frustrated when they pour their heart onto someone and not get the same amount of love in return :P. my mom and i have cancer and leo in our chart and shez alwayz complaining abt how much love she gives out to people but doesn't get the same love in return and i totallyy get her LOL

(*^▽^*)

if u have aquarius placements i'm gonna assume u have a god complex or sum 😹😹

\(//∇//)\

taurus placements looove things they don't need. like im alwayz broke from buying cutesy charms, trinkets, mini plushies, makeup, cute clothes, you name it. we also love receiving gifts :3 (or atleast i do).

*\(^o^)/*

virgo placements care soooo much about appearance ^____^ and imo, we got the coolest style cuz of it 😼. nowadays, i'm alwayz getting compliments on my style :3 and pretty much all of my friendz with virgo in their chart.

(●´ω｀●)

adding to that, i also feel like virgos feel uncomfortable if something's off. like growing up with a virgo rising, i would play a lot of dress up games, or games that required it or any form of decorating, and i would spend major chunks on time making sure everything is in perfect detail and matches my vision. and if it isn't, i get upset and feel itchy LOL. like even now, i spend so much time on my phones appearance, but i currently don't like how it looks cuz it feels like itz missing something and it's bothering me so bad LOL 😭

(^з^)-☆

air signs r soooo friendly. every air sign i know haz a fuck ton of friends 😭 earth signs too, cuz they're so chill.

ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ

okay thatz it pookies :3 idk if i'll do this again soon cuz i still got a lot 2 learn abt astrology and more observing to do, but i'll sure asl do this again, even if it takes a while :3. drink water, eat food, n sleep well ^____^

[maniculum]

Bestiaryposting Result: Olkorwae

Long entry this time, and one that I think a number of people know because I've seen people talk about it on Tumblr before. Nonetheless, let's see what we've got.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, you can find an explanation here: https://maniculum.tumblr.com/bestiaryposting.

To see the entry our artists are working from, click here:

And to see next week's so you can potentially join in, click here:

Anyway, art below the cut.

@silverhart-makes-art (link to post here) suggests that the whole "shapeless lumps of flesh" thing might be fitting for a marsupial, so we've got that, but bulky & shaggy to fit the given description. I like the distinctive claws and the little tongue on the baby there.

@pomrania (link to post here) has drawn this very strange beast based, apparently, on a tarot spread for inspiration. (The extra legs are apparently modified ribs.) I don't know what to add about this, but it's a very weird creature (positive).

@cheapsweets (link to post here) has also gone with the "big shaggy marsupial" indication, which honestly does really fit the description. Here we see one helping its babies take form and one doing some digging. I think these are quality Shaggy Beasts of no specific recognizable type; I like them. For more information on their design, see the linked post. (Also thank you for providing alt text.)

@wendievergreen (link to post here) also went with some marsupial inspiration, so it seems like we have a lot of people on the same wavelength. (It does make sense.) For some details on that, and close-ups on the art, check out the linked post. Also, you know what I really like about this particular piece? The fact that it incorporates a maniculum. Plus this is a very cute animal. (And thank you for including alt text.)

@strixcattus (link to post here) has joined Team Marsupial for this one. Very cute critter, probably shouldn't get too close to those claws though. As always, worth reading the naturalist writeup in the linked post.

@coolest-capybara (link to post here) has gone with a really interesting interpretation that I genuinely love. If the parent is literally shaping the child, like a lump of clay, obviously they're all going to look kind of different, like someone playing around with making different clay figures. So here we see a bunch that are clearly the same species, but different proportions & interpretations of the same body plan. Brilliant.

All right, to the Aberdeen Bestiary:

Yep, that's a bear all right. Love the detail on the fur.

I feel like this one probably had a lot of tells -- I know I've seen people talk about the whole "bears lick their shapeless babies into form" thing here on Tumblr, and we've got hibernation and honey also.

Not a lot to add here -- see you next week!

[stupidgalaxybrain]

If there's one thing I'm proud of as an artist, it's the fact I'm a style chameleon. I decided to sit down and recreate 4 artists I really love, and who better to do it with than with the most varied character in the entire franchise: King Dedede! This isn't just for appreciation though, but a study on how other people translate DDD's design, since character design is a passion of mine!

Let's start with @miniiieevee!

Oh my gosh their art is super great, and I think the most important part of getting the style right was the sparkles. I have never seen someone do highlights this way, and it's both super recognizable and super cute! For the King himself, we have a nice round beak, visibly blue eyes, a distinct head, pointed crown jewel, an undershirt, and stripes along the top of the belt. Like most of us, they use the (owo) kind of mouth and really fluff up the coat. Separate fingers can also show up for posing, following Spongebob physics. The stitching on the gloves and the little round eyebrows are another really cool touch! Out of all of the styles I looked at, this one has the most pastel colors.

-

Next is @das-a-kirby-blog!

Das-a-kirby-blog has such a cool variety in their work, from really shapey sketches to super abstracted color schemes, which while super amazing, didn't provide me the best ref material. The colors here are frankensteined from a few sources, so I hope they capture their actual base color palette. They go for the pin-shaped route for body shape, with the undershirt (though sometimes there's no under layer), typically black eyes, extra belt stripes, and a chunky diamond shaped crown jewel. My favorite touch is the cottonball on the crown. Like I said at the top, they excel at shapes in their art!

-

Third is @jojo-schmo!

I've been silently reading their roleswap comic, but I should've been loudly reading it because I super recommend it! I'd also say design wise their Dedede is the most unique! Besides myself they're the only one here to pick the kimono, they have a single blue stripe at the top of the belt, a triangular jewel, and the coolest element of the style, spirals! I've not seen anyone stylize the trim this way, and it's so cool in execution. Another unique element that really adds to certain expressions is the spiky teeth (which matches real life penguins! ...Don't look it up).

-

Last but not least, @cosmicwhoreo!

God, their art is everything. The flow of the lines is so clean and smooth and everything they draw is super expressive. Their Dedede is by far the hugest, and also marks the 4/5 DDDs with a separate head, and 3/5 with black eyes. We have the belt stripes, occasionally a shirt, and a smooth tear drop jewel, but a uniquely shaped crown band. This design sees a lot of influence from the anime unlike the others here, so the color scheme is the most unique.

-

As a conclusion, it's really cool to see all the different design elements that we pick and choose for DDD. Some give him his smash outfit. Some people give him a body type closer to K64 or KATFL. Some people draw his eye color, or separate eyebrows, and others don't. There's no detail that's the same across every version, but they're all our lovable king. If you don't recognize one of these artists, check them out! I can only do a fraction of the incredible work they do, and let me know if there's any other characters or artists you'd like to see this exercise with!

[hazardsk8r]

(THIS IS AN OUTDATED POST)

(i've been writing this since 2 in the morning, so i'm sorry if the writing here looks messy. /gen)

everyone's asleep? COOL!!!

time to ramble about my hypothetical vicdark AU that no one outside of my comfort zone would probably want to hear!! /lhj

okay so... what if dark doesn't die, and he ends up teaming up with victim and it turns a little gay?

like... hear me out maybe.

warning though, this is mostly based off of headcanons. so if this is inaccurate. whatever, fuck it, we ball.

(getting this out of the way before we start, i'm going to be referring to alan as noogai3 here.)

---

okay so dark lives, right? HIP HIP HORRAYYYYYY!!!! we celebrate!!

but sadly he's in terrible critical condition. so what does he do? break into some hospitals and steal some shit like bandages or whatever sticks need and goes into hiding in a cave and starts trying to heal himself.

while in hiding, victim has been using their mercenaries to try to bring both dark and chosen into justice for two reasons.

one, justice of course.

but also two, they're trying to get more information on noogai3 since they're both created by the same dude and thinks the both of them are a good way to get closer to their ultimate goal of confronting the son of a bitch. (albeit, in victim's pretty fucked up way.)

meanwhile for dark, he's somewhat recovering and is able to somewhat fend off for himself. albeit, still kind of weak.

a little while later, the mercenaries had found out about dark's location and decided to pay him a little visit. they all show up to the cave while dark is probably eating a sandwich and try to convince him to surrender, which he doesn't. so the mercenaries then start fighting dark to try to arrest him and it was probably the coolest thing ever for like.. 30 seconds.

with the worst timing ever, the virabands end up failing on dark and he ended up getting beaten up bad... again. so he gets paused and taken to the hoverbikes, and the mercenaries fly off with one of the most infamous criminals of the outernet arrested.

back at victim's company, dark gets placed into healthcare immediately for about a week. later with dark mostly recovering, victim then decided that it was finally the right time to question him about noogai.

victim heads over to dark’s bed and begins to question him about noogai’s whereabouts.

dark mentions that he really doesn’t have an idea about where noogai currently lives at the moment. but he does know how to bring objects outside of the outernet into there. especially since noogai was able to be teleported there.

victim becomes intrigued. they begin to question dark more. eventually, the interrogation ends up derailing into a somewhat deep conversation about what happened and how the two ended up where they are.

victim talks about what happened to them in the first ava with noogai3 just abusing the shit out of them and ending up deleting them. and victim wanting to get revenge on the little shit.

dark then rambles on about how noogai also fucked him over in a way that coded him into being automatically destructive towards chosen out pf his control, but still ending up forming an alliance with him and escaping from the pc, to then how it all went into shit in the showdown and how “betrayed” he felt by chosen rejecting his virabot idea.

(putting this here just in case. but i do NOT think that chosen “betrayed” dark in any way. all chosen did was say no to violence and destruction once and dark got all petty and upset and decided to dramatically call it betrayal. ok we good? alr lets move on)

so both victim and dark are kind of just sitting there now.

victim doesn’t forgive dark immediately, but has been able to empathize with him in some kind of way.

so victim walks off telling dark to get more rest but they’re going to let go of him soon in like a few days, but dark tells victim to stop for a second.

victim questions what dark could want this time, and dark explains that he can help victim with their project.

victim goes like “okay, no. i have a whole team dedicated to this and i don’t need more hands over this project.”

but dark explains how he’s good with technology and all that kind of stuff, and that he can help even bring noogai3 into the outernet so he could be sent to justice.

and something about those words just kind of resonated with victim. like they’re both two sides of the same coin.

so victim just goes like “ok i’ll think about it.” and leaves.

but yeah victim eventually ends up agreeing out of hesitation because like… that’s a criminal they’re working with LMAO. but they did admit that they could use another stick who’s kind of close with noogai to help with the project as well.

so yeah. victim lets dark take part of the project and dark pretty soon became victim’s second right hand guy apart from agent lol.

also victim had a team from their technology department make personal new virabands for dark since the old ones just don't work anymore now, which looks pretty damn snazzy if you ask him lol.

(here is my rushed presentation with an equally rushed edit of what it looks like)

from then on, to probably a year now, they have been working pretty closely with each other on the project!

cue the really fucking gay shenanigans with a side of angst.

---

and that’s how they met! that's a whole lot of words! but i need to describe my personal interpretation of their dynamic real quick.

think of their dynamic in the way that they’re both a force to be reckoned with. they're both really smart in their own ways. with victim's knowledge on how to control others, to dark's knowledge on how to ruin others lives and destruction. but i think they're both equally smart when it comes to technology lol.

they’re both pretty uncaring towards others except for each other. they both only think about things that only benefits them. they’re both really confident in their own crafts and tend to get passionate fairly easily. they also tend to do really huge nice things for each other but swear that it’s “nothing personal”.

there’s also no such thing as the “meaner” one of the duo because frankly, i think they’re both equally evil bullies. there are differences though.

victim is kind of like the more colder one of the duo and way more professional than dark. but they can become pretty fucking insane too though if you push the right buttons and make them feed into their more toxic traits.

they’re really unsure how to respond to personal affection to the point where they usually just reject it, but also because of their disgust for it. idk it’s either one of the two.

dark is the more playful insane one of the two, like he would just come up with the most insane shit imaginable and victim would always have to be like “hey dude it actually sounds pretty fucking awesome. however, you need to stop.”

he’s the more bolder affectionate one out of the two, always pulling victim to hugs and putting an arm around their shoulder to victim’s disgust, but they do gradually get used to it a little bit though.

… yeah that’s kind of about it for the basics about the au.

---

closing statement? i dunno.

i think it's kind of funny how i heard a random piece of dialogue from the class of 09 visual novel and think "what if that's victim and dark... HOLY SHIT-"

yeah uhhhh if you're still here, thanks for reading through all my bullshit. i couldn't be more thankful /pos

might post more stuff soon because tbh i've gotten a pretty huge attachment to this ship and au...

sorry lmaooo. be sure to like and subscribe idk

[homestuckreplay]

turntechGnostic? gardenGodhead?

(page 381-387)

Dave is a cool guy, yknow? A cool dude whose default face is complete neutrality, who doesn't show emotions besides anger, the only acceptable feeling for men. If he's feeling something positive, he'll show it with a nod of the head or a twinkle of the sunglasses, not-

HEY. WHAT'S THAT SMILE ON YOUR FACE, COOL GUY????

What's fun about meeting Dave is that we get to see him talk to all three of his friends in pretty quick succession, while with John it was far more spaced out. Dave loves John so much but I think he kind of talks down to him, and with Rose, it's the witty banter of equals. With GG, Dave is the one who seems lost in the conversation. GG throws Dave for a loop multiple times, and also blatantly makes fun of him with 'bro! hehehe' and 'feeling cool today? mr cool guy?' I didn't expect Dave to like this, and it's not obvious in the conversation that he does, but that tiny smile kinda says it all. I can honestly see these two becoming my favorite dynamic of the four main characters.

We get more GG lore too! They have a 'goofy' fetch modus which I'm super curious about. It turns out they have a granddad who's a big presence in their life, not a sister. They also have a pet who TG refers to as a 'devilbeast', and who is hard to feed and can overpower GG. Could be an unruly, badly trained dog, or perhaps GG lives on a farm and this is some kind of farm animal? Or an exotic pet their grandad attempted to tame (since he's apparently a 'total badass') but who shouldn't really be kept as a pet.

Also GG might have some psychic powers, or at least believe that they do. Which definitely puts their earlier conversations with John in a new light - instead of urging him to get the package now because they're excited to see his reaction, which is what I originally assumed, they're just emphasizing how important the package is, so that he'll know opening it is a priority if and when he finds it later.

The TG lore we get is.... less delightful. He mends his window with gaffa tape, which makes it objectively less functional as a window, definitely can't help with the heat, and doesn't even cover up the full hole. Like, just put a poster over it. More effective for less effort. Also his 'takedown' of monster movie tropes on p.386 is identical to 'guy who hates musicals because people sing in them' and is just exhausting to read. Also he thinks a white puppet ventriloquist rapper is the coolest shit ever, which is inexcusable. Basically, he needs to hang out with GG more so that they can chill him out and make him more tolerable.

I missed John so much. I've been thinking for a couple days about how I miss John, and here he is! The oil in his room has gotten significantly worse compared to p.253, which is a shame, because John is a fairly neat and clean kid when his sylladex isn't totally ruining his life.

But I guess this little harlequin beastie doesn't care about that? I love this thing's design, it's so fun. It looks so angry but somehow so incapable of causing any real harm that isn't oil based. What a silly hat for something that wants to be intimidating so bad. This will probably confirm to John once and for all that clowns are bad.

We've seen a couple other jet black, #000000 creatures so far. The Wayward Vagabond, linked from p.271, has smaller and rounder eyes but the same clawed hands. And the members of the Midnight Crew, seen on p.328-331, are visibly shinier (including their clothes?) with no visible teeth, but the rightmost two have those same elongated horizontal white eyes. Notably, all of these characters wear distinctive headgear. They all have really different roles in the story, so this could just be a shorthand for characters outside of the main four and their families, but it would be cool if some or all of them were connected.

[mr-laveau]

hiya, dog here! this is for lav's listener design lab!!

Crow Folkestone, aka Freelancer/Voyeur/Deviant/Silly!

Crow grew up moving around a lot and with not great parents. When his powers started manifesting, his family treated him even more like the dirt on the bottom of their shoes. After Caelum appeared to him for the first time, he ran away from his family and went no contact with them

He's very much got a grunge/skater kinda vibe to him. A lot of thrifted and oversized stuff. Baggy jeans, big shirts and sweatpants, chunky sneakers, yk the vibes

He's transmasc (he/they/it), he presents pretty masc but he doesn't bind and has a pretty large chest, so he kind of appears androgynous because of it

Crow is white (irish/scottish)

About 25-26 ish?

Crow is chubby, with large thighs, a thick tummy, large chest, and the kind of arms that dads who don't work out but are still very strong have

Gemini

Crow's closest relationships are the D.A.M.N. crew. my version of redacted has them as a polycule! crow and gavin are primary partners though. they love their boys so much. and also caelum, but like. he's their son

Crow has a numerous amount of hobbies, from photography (loves bringing a digicam everywhere he goes, esp with the D.A.M.N. crew, and recording memories), to writing poetry, to singing and playing guitar/bass, and more! They love video games, and reading books, and watching videos, and writing, and hanging out with the crew!

Not technically a deity, but a hero from myth: Crow would be Patroclus. Their dedication to their friends and lovers is so strong they would die for any of them. They don't want to be the hero, and are uncomfortable with the attention it can bring, but they're thrusted into the role anyways and have grown because of it

Redacted Audio's D.A.M.N. Storyline!

Crow is incredibly dedicated and very understanding. Past relationships have made them very much a pleaser and go-with-the-flow about things (/neutral, some partners were good, most were not, but both experiences shaped him). They understand limits and don't expect anything in return, even if they secretly want someone to dote on them. Crow wants to be the muse and not just the artist sometimes. In the past they were more the one doing things for their partner/s, so having Gavin do things for them like they would do still catches them off guard now and then. For their friends, Crow likes to treat them almost like other partners; that same dedication is given to them as well. Crow likes making sure everyone is happy and is heard

Crow values being truthful to oneself greatly, as well as having love for humanity

just existing by daysormay !

Crow is the truest "listenersona" i have, so their design is actually based on what i look like irl! just with a few differences (eye color and some minor body details mainly)

Crow stands at 5'8 1/2, with shaggy/curly dark brown hair in a shag mullet with fluffy bangs. A small braid hangs from behind their ear, given to them by Caelum. They have brown eyes and freckles across their face and body. They have piercings on their face and ears (septum & paired nostrils, center labret, stretched ears [2g], four more piercings in each ear), and tattoos across their body. Recently he got on testosterone. He's pretty hairy. Almost like a cub?

Crow is absolutely a puppyboy. It's also a polyglot! He calls Gavin "playboy", as well as "lover boy". Absolute stoner. It's assigned the D.A.M.N. crew as Muppets. He is just chef's kiss.

This listener lab design is one of the coolest things ever! Is it weird to say thank you? I love when creators give back to their community like this, and this is such a good way of doing that!

ty again!

LaVeau-gue - design #002 - Freelancer - Crow - Redactedgender

Heyo! You're welcome for making your design, I don't think it's weird really, it goes a long way to remind people that artists and creators are in fact human and do not exist for the benefit and entertainment of fandoms or people (you wouldn't believe the sense of entitlement on some folks really) but enough about that, here's the design for crow!

Design Notes!

There's a little something I like to keep in mind sometimes and something that I have to remind myself about from time to time which is:

"Sometimes people don't want your extra touch, they just want you to draw something for them."

That is something I had to keep in mind for this design so instead of going on a tangent in regards to how my own, I'll just let ya know how I interepreted your notes:

In particular, I chose to just take your visual notes literally, making sure to incorporate the different piercings where I could make them visible. Other stuff like its haircut, freckles, eyes and hair type were just thongs I took at face value.

Now when it came to a few other elements, things got tricky:

You specified that Crow had tattoos but never specified what those tattoos were so I decided to improvise by incorporating barbs, the anarchist symbol, a broken heart, a "live" tatoo and a star om their arms since they seemed to make sense for his backstory.

In terms of fashion, I leaned into the skater/grunge aesthetic to create something easy, breezy that could fit the vibe but also felt androgynous whilst leaning into masc territory.

A few special tidbits I incorporated was the braid-by which I mean that I used a pink hair tie on it to colour match with Caelum and gave Crow a hot pink collar that I like to think he got from Gavin.

Crow genuinely feels like a character who doesn't see themself as the main character but perceivs himself as an extra in everybody else's life, its fashion does come from a more bold subculture but they also seem very much to be the type to be the lone skater dude. In conjunction with this, your pick of Patroclus was interesting as it general supports my theory that Crow likely doesn't see themself as their own person but as a part to other people's stories. As such, I felt it best to give crow an appearance that would match that, something that would at least look different to your average Joe but wouldn't seem to out of place in a city like Dahlia I'm California.

And that's your LaVeau-gue design! Hope you enjoy it! (Oh yeah I also changed the name to LaVeau-gue since I liked it more)

Wanna have your listener designed by me? Check out my rules for LaVeau-gue and send an ask my way!

[astronicht]

20 Questions for Fic Writers Tag Game

@birdylion tagged me, thanks!

1. how many works do you have on AO3?

48 apparently. I started moving stuff over from ff.net pretty late it looks like, 2014-ish.

2. what’s your total AO3 word count?

465,791

3. what fandoms do you write for?

Various! In my heart I sort of consider myself currently a mix of mdzs and F1 rpf main, hockey rpf almost main. None of these stances reflect reality <3 I most recently posted moto gp rpf, mdzs, and hockey rpf-- so hey wait maybe I'm not totally off-base.

The WIPs I'm most active in right now are, amusingly, Stranger Things and Stargate Atlantis, with mdzs making itself known on the back burner.

4. what are your top 5 fics by kudos?

WHO IS WINNING IN THE THUNDERDOME TODAY

the field meets the wood - mdzs, wangxian. The one where Lan Wangji is kidnapped by salt merchants, and Wei Wuxian unmakes them with historical math. I think this is the best prose writing I've ever done and I'm thrilled that it's currently outpacing the other usual suspects.

pro bono - mdzs, wangxian. The vampire AU I wrote as a joke based on a thread for a few friends. Due to a couple shipwrecks and banishments, WWX and LWJ get stranded in the Italian Renaissance; Lan Wangji is also a vampire; don't worry about it. If (1) is my best prose this is the overall storytelling I'm most satisfied with.

2:08 AM, softly - mdzs, wangxian modern AU. About coming home after a bad night out to find someone you most want to see. Prose is kinda weak, alas, but I get why it's up here.

swinger of birches - mdzs, wangxian Practical Magic AU. Coolest writing experience I will probably ever have. I wrote this live, via tweets, over the course of a month. I had a little staging document but i was only two or three tweets ahead at any given time. It felt like-- oral storytelling, or something.

somnophilia in the time of vampires - mdzs, wangxian, sequel to pro bono. Pretty much entirely pwp. I set it in the same inn that Anne Rice set a scene in Cry to Heaven, as a little joke for myself.

What's interesting is that every single one of these was written either directly for someone, or because someone wanted something. I love filling a need.

5. do you respond to comments?

Yeah, some, though it's totally random which ones I get to.

6. what is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

salt and vinegar, vinegar and salt (hockey rpf) is literally tagged "hopeful ending" so it's not too bad, but it's not meant to be perfectly happy.

scurvy (mdzs, wangxian) and the fic it follows (floodplain (silt)) I wrote very purposefully to not end with a sense of ease. I care about these characters I lot, and they tend to get softened down in fanon after a while. I love them in the parts of canon when they're miserable and cruel and unable to get better, too. And I needed to write that, I guess.

7. what’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

haha probably swinger of birches (see question 1). It's a romance movie fusion, which helps, but it also leans into the "second chances to have everything you thought you lost in the war" of the canon. Plus the "hey what if we DIDN'T pass on the generational trauma" that is the absolute heart of mdzs.

8. do you get hate on fics?

Once got a serial TERF commenter who was going around. Weakling.

9. do you write smut? If so, what kind?

That's my wheelhouse, baby, that's what I'm most comfortable writing and what I like. I've covered a lot, but idk what the themes are. Except maybe the intimacy of sex in the bathroom/in the shower. I write a passable amount of kink, I guess? I also write a passable amount of lesbian sex. this is because i'm gay.

10. do you write crossovers?

No. I do AUs a lot, including AUs set in another fictional universe, but I don't like crossovers. They make my teeth itch.

11. have you ever had a fic stolen?

Hope not!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yeah! I have blanket permission for translations, so long as they link back to the original (and with a strong preference that they're on ao3). Someone did my wangxian lesbian scific AU in Spanish, which is cool as hell.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yeah! Well! Okay they're not POSTED but that's mostly my fault. I learned to co-write with @dulosis. phillyverse will take the world by storm! geoverse will be our white whale and THEN take the world by storm! we have a batshit number of words of chatfic from back when I was more active in mdzs. Frankly some of my favorite writing.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you will?

in the pines, the wangxian semi-pro-dom modern AU fic. I accidentally lived out the final scene in real life with a tinder hookup (NOT what you're thinking. I took her out to eat after one of the hookups, and I was not considering fic plots at the time), and it feels kinda bad now to try to write the wangxian version of something that actually meant a lot to me (because i am both a lesbian and NOT good at casual). I think she only reads Star Wars fic if anything, but what if she found it, you know?

Also this one hockey rpf fic that was like, very much about Leon renewing his passport and the deal with living on a continent you didn't grow up on, but also-- kind of did. That's only in the gdocs tho.

16. What are your writing strengths?

You'll know the atmospheric humidity in any given scene.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Goddamn dialogue.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

A few. I've seen a very small number of good fics where bilingual folks are doing neat cultural/diaspora stuff with it, especially in modao with chinese diaspora writers. That's cool as hell, but also not my lane. I've also seen people in hockey rpf do some neat stuff with this with, say, Leon Draisaitl, especially in the context of a non-German pov character learning some German. But in those cases, the best simulation of hearing a German sentence you don't understand is written with dialogue in English interspersed with blanks.

Instead of just writing out full sentences of dialogue in a different lang from the prose, I love being conscious of what language the characters are speaking in. I am much more interested in playing with that, and I can do that best in English. If my characters are switching between languages I switch up the English diction a bit; I remember how names will come up in sentences differently, I think about how something would sound to whisper. For untranslatable things, or stuff that sounds weird in English, I just use the word in the language, in the English sentence, and that's that. I love having to abide by the limitations and abilities of Chinese or Italian or whatever; I love knowing how dialect will affect communication.

The only time a full line of dialogue in a foreign language makes sense is if the pov character doesn't understand it. But it's very unlikely that the pov character will BOTH a) not speak a language at all, necessitating that it shows up in another language from the prose, and b) the pov character can actually ID every single word clearly enough that it makes sense to write it out. So largely I'm personally uninterested in it, because outside of some narrow applications (most of which aren't my purview) it doesn't do much.

That said, Mr Fruits Baske Sohma Shigure speaking random french is perfect. What a terrible man. Love him.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Probably Fullmetal Alchemist, but I'm not sure.

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

harsh! harsh! overall, maybe pro bono (wangxian vampire AU). today. tomorrow it will change.

I'm tagging anyone who wants to play!

[midnightmuffingay]

Rating the pets of EAH based on what is on the EAH wiki and my limited knowledge:

Adelita - Rosabella's butterfly. I have never heard of this. Also apparently Adelita translates to 'noble'?? 3/10 I don't think it suits her and also how do you keep a butterfly as a pet.

Barber - Poppy's squirrel monkey. I guess squirrel monkeys are cute and I can see it as a pet for her but I have yet again no memory of this. 5/10

Clipper - Holly's lion cub. Apparently it is 'charmed' to stay a cub forever?? Don't know how that work or why she has a lion or why she would name it Clipper?? there are better names girl. 3/10

Carmine - Cerise's dire wolf. Okay so technically they're part of the same pack or something but it's the daughter of Littler Red Riding Hood and the big Bad Wolf. You can't go wrong with giving her a wolf friend whose name is another shade of red. 6/10

Carrolloo - Kitty's caterpillar. A sneaky little guy. From what we saw of him he compliments Kitty's personality and you know, a caterpillar with a wonderlandian? It's not like I can be mad. 6/10

Clockwork - Cedar's wooded cuckoo. Okay I do actually like this a lot. Even if we never really saw him it's a great concept for her pet to be wooden like her. Especially when you consider it would probably have to been made specifically for her. I love it 8/10

Clydesdale - Farrah's pet mouse. Don't recall and there are better mice. 2/10

Divacorn - Briar's unicorn. Absolutely slayed so hard I don't care about the name which is an astonishing feat. I mean of course Briar would have a pink unicorn it just makes sense. 8/10

Drake - Hopper's dragonfly. Drake. 2/10 Only getting extra points because it is a literal DRAGONfly. He breathes fire.

Earl Grey - Maddie's dormouse. Perfection. Best dressed of all of the pets. Is a silly little guy with a silly little hat that lives in her hat. Impeccable. 10/10

Gala - Apple's snow fox. Gala is a great name just because of the fact this it is not only a type of apple but also a fancy party. Very royal, on brand, like to curl around her neck. Iconic. 8/10

Grizz - Blondie's baby bear. Blondie. Girlie. You are a reporter. Please get original. A bear for goldilocks' daughter is fine but it's just like. I'm bored girl. You can do better. 3/10

Jelly - Ginger's gummy fish. I. Love this. A sentient gummy fish she accidentally made? So iconic I'll ignore the basic name. It's like naming your goldfish 'Goldie'. Anyway, I love the concept, love the execution. 8/10

King Benedict - Humphrey's chicken. No. 2/10 for egg related name.

Mr. Cottonhorn - Dexter's jackalope. Guys. Guys. look at him.

He's just a little guy. 10/10.

Moustro - Melody's rat. I like the idea and the pun name but I feel like I'd need to see a picture to be impressed. 5/10

Nevermore - Raven's dragon. There is no need for discussion. 10/10

P-Hawk - Daring's peacock. I think I remember him being kind of terrible so uh 1/10 because Daring I don't think that's how you say peacock honey.

Pesky - Hunter's squirrel. I love how even though they're like enemies they have the same haircut and Pesky has a little acorn bag that Hunter definitely made for him. Lives up to his name. 7/10

Philia - Cupid's Pegasus. Apparently 'Philia' is one of the ancient greek words for love that is often translated to friendship. soooo, even though I didn't know about her she gets a 6/10 because I think that's sweet.

Pirouette - Duchess's swan. Queen. Icon. Slay. Need I say more? 10/10

Sandella - Ashlynn's phoenix. The fact that Ashlynn has a phoenix because it rises from the ashes is so hardcore and I love it. Even if her name is Sandella. 7/10

Shuffle - Lizzie's hedgehog. The bestest and cutest little croquet ball. I don't have much to say but love you dearly. 7/10

Sir Gallopad - Darling's horse. He can change colour and camouflage which is THE coolest thing. Horsegirl Darling. 8/10 Also Daring officially has the worst pet out of the Charming siblings.

Spindle - Faybelle's pomeranian. Of course an evil fairy you have such an unassuming evil little dog. And of course she named it after her evil destiny. Iconic. 8/10.

[justallihere]

hi! hello!! hi! how do I even...? ALL THE GODS IN ALL THE HOLLY BOOKS! you are literally killing me and giving me life at the same time, every time you post a chapter, but with this most recent one !!!!!!!!!!AAAAAAA i feel like i HAVE to thank you personally and profusely for the dragon sex BEST THING EVER! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU, when i asked for it i didn't think it could be THIS GOOD ugh so good

and now to the less unhinged part of this message: I love seeing Xaden and Violet -power couple par ecellence- dealing with all the blows that life throws at them...it gives me courage to deal wih my own life bs...?! and the fact that i kinda know what's to come but not really makes it kinda like how life is too :))) idk if i'm explaining this right but just know it helps me so much. and i love them post establishing the relationship more than before (that's part of why i love iron flame too actually) and while this is true of ALL fanfiction, providing both escapism and some measure of comforting routine, your story is just on another level. you are really talented and sitq just scratches all the itches for me (and for so many others based on empirical evidence) in short i was to philosophical friday morning and i said it before but here is again: thank you for existing you are the coolest! XOXO

Hi!!!

Thank you so much for reading, I'm glad you loved it!! I just kind of threw the horny dragon situation, felt like it was long overdue 💀

I think it's nice to put things in perspective sometimes, even if you're using fictional characters to do it. Plus, I love writing characters that have traits I want to have. I love Violet's tenacity and her strength.

I'm really glad people are loving actually-together Riorgail because I've been kind of worried they're boring now 😭 I like the tension so much that being past that feels a little strange lol

Thank YOU for existing at the same time as me and reading my words!! It's really cool!!!

[theinsanecrayonbox]

FOP: A New Wish e24-30

woooooo more FOP! we got so many things going on, so let's get down to business

Episode 24: The Treble with Rivals

there are schools that have band and orchestra? i thought they were the same thing, just if it was bigger it got labeled orchestra. weird.

there's a Nmusic Phairy...why didn't you run Fairy Idol? are you actually a Muse?? that would explain the stupid spellings...but those are fairy wings...

and wait, isn't wishing for musical talent to do at an audition technically participating in a competition...not that we follow that rule much these days

so the difference between Band and Orchestra seems to be that one is strings and one is wind and brass based...despite orchestra having winds and brass sections

also what school thinks it's a good idea to give children only 1 week of practice before putting on a concert??

ooo musical fae wood.

again why is band vs orchestra a thing?? everything in band is in orchestra normally; is it because orchestra is harder to get into so the left overs get band then? that would make sense i guess...

you know, i'm kind of sad there was no Jets vs Sharks musical number this episode given that it is two musical groups/gangs fighting one another

oh hey it's older brother; makes sense since he's featured next episode. hurray continuity!

so...i think i got too focused on an insignificant detail this episode, but to be fair there wasn't much to this one. not bad, but not one of the stronger stories

Episode 25: Rattleconda Racers

ooo we finally meet the older brother!

haha little sister is jealous of big brother's new girlfriend. classic.

ah the poorly worded unintended wish. also classic.

wonder if Antony thinks he's dreaming right now, because he's far too nonchalant about this

heh Wanda getting too deep into the RP

geeze this is the second rough punk lady of the series

oh NOW it's against eth rules to use magic to cheat huh? yup typical Da Rules logic. but wishing yourself out as a no-go is a classic for the trapped in the board game story, so...

dawwww sweet sibling moment. and very good story beat; so far yeah Hazel's been learning to deal with all eth changes and has adapted well, but she's a kid so of course when her brother is back she reverts only to realize that things are different and even she is different. good story telling.

oh he just thought he was imagining everything, mk

overall, very classic setup and payoff, but it worked very well. good story!

Episode 26: Dig a Little Deeper

subterranean rock monsters huh? we've had those before...like twice (Engine Blocked and The Big Fairy Share Scare i think)...hm...

oh hey Alec Schwimmer is the writer??

oh right, Hazel likes rocks...we haven't touched that since e1 i think

yeah Dev with his O-pair drones and talks of cooperate takeover, that's totally Goblin like...

coolest, shiniest, and out of this world rock...is it a Wonderstone???? and a different universe??? O.o????

Cosmo's argued with his echo before, hasn't he?

another lost wand plot? uhg...i guess it's the least egregious sin they could pull, but still, we just had one of those with the FNaF episode

oh it's a rockman not a moleman...which the synopsis did say, so why is that a surprise to me??

threatening to drop the heroine in lava. heh. and Hazel nerd correcting lol. love you girl. but none of the rockmen look like they're made of laps lazuli (i too am a bit of a rock nerd girl)

oh that triangle one was bluish, i guess they could be lapis

oh and a last second reminder that there's Peri around

so this was an interesting one. technically low magic, and Hazel got to nerd out. i liked it

Episode 27: Operation Birthday Takeback

the return of Vicky! also, nice that we're focusing on a birthday that isn't the main protagonist first; didn't we do that in the original...Tootie's birthday was established before Tim's...in s0 and the main series...and Vicky was the problem in both of those too....huh...

oo this is also a double (full 22 min) episode. fun!

awww Dev, your dad sucks. but still good highlighting how he treats Peri; he thinks Peri should know what he needs/wants since the O-pair drones are programed to do that PLUS the fact that Dev doesn't even know what he wants

adult Vicky...has the earring from her 18 year old self in Channel Chasers...but she doesn't look like she should be in her 40s (oh eye bags, yeah sure that's 40s uhuh)...and being a birthday performer?? that's not an occupation i ever thought she'd had

CHIP SKYLARK!!! and if it was an oldie hit that Jazmine's mother listened to, then yeah it's gotta be 20 years in the future

ok, her using child slave labor does track, but as a party performer? that sounds more like a daycare setup...

we are referencing Nectar of the Odds! so yeah it's very telling that Dale is THAT inattentive if he'd hire Vicky with that being their history

the Dale-cave is funny and so over the top, not gonna lie. but oh yeah, Dale is the new Crocker, and he has the funds to do that (and huh, dad obsessing over the best friend...the Dimmadomes are the Osborns...ok Superverse Dev is a Green Goblin analog)

Dev nearly spilled the beans! but then again he answered the door with Peri not knowing it was Hazel so...not surprising (Foop returns later; does Dev loose Peri and Foop swoops in to take over??). yet he could probably get away with claiming he was a new advanced O-pair drone if he had to

commercial break; there's a commercial for NW and there were clips i don't recognize?? punk adult Hazel?? O.o?? excite! (yet again with the punk ladies; is this going to be a recurring thing?? is that a bad thing?)

why are you guys writing on his white board thing?? even Peri realizes this is a bad idea

heh the under the table graffiti; this show puts cute little details in the environment so well

ICKY VICKY SONG REVENGE MONTAGE TIME!!!

Chinfinity War poster in Dev's room! and is that baby Poof as Darth Maul in the other poster?? O.o i know he dressed like that before, but that feels super random

yeah get Dev a lemonade, he can't have a milkshake remember

awww Dev saved Hazel, so sweet...to bad a third act breakup is happening again

the fairies finally learn that Vicky is here, and a Timmy name drop! but Peri's reaction is actually kinda gold lol

Vicky kissing up the perceived parents, yup. and hey Peri did turn into an O-pair drone. and a coupled decades, so yup 20 years minimum

and here comes the third act breakup. but very interesting that he thinks she manipulated him...because that's all anyone has ever done to him

ok we mentioned 2001 (when the series proper started), and if this is set in real time, it's 2024 so that's 23 years...ok so yeah, NW is 20 years after the original series up to at least season 7 (since that's when Foop appeared). we are slowly figuring out the timeline folks!!

awww Peri is trying. and Dev once again self sabotages himself because he doesn't know how to cope (so that's why Foop comes later, he wished Peri away). i gotta say, i think Dev might be the best character

this was practically a perfect episode. low magic, but the problem wasn't caused by magic. it's very character heavy, but deep in lore. and it advances the central plot points. A++ team!!

Episode 28: Potazal Pohtahzal

weird name, but ok. also the return of Mother Nature huh? is this yet another redesign (spoilers: yes it is)

Sparky?? "when did we get a dog"??? O.o!!! nonononononononono!!!!!!! oh wait it's the trash can she's mak pretending, ok, that's safe. DO NOT give me a heart attack like that show!!

ok so the wish of the day is unlimited french fries. so...this is Just Desserts light, since only she's getting them not the whole world, and it's about eating only 1 food type instead of a healthy balance

oh a musical number, ok i guess

oh hey a map!!! and not a very...correctly cut up map...so don't know how accurate this is, but it looks like Dimmadelphia is in Illinois...yeah this isn't a good map, i don't seem to exist on it so *shrugs*

Da Rules says you talk to Mother Nature about when your godkid turns into a food item huh? how does that make sense?

and yup new redesign for Mother Nature. not a terrible one i'll give, much better than the others so far (Cupid, Father time)

of course she'd go and eat the source potato. so to fix it she's...going to chop herself up??? O.O!!! SHOW!! child dismemberment??? of course it wouldn't happen, but still! i love you

and we just grow a new one and everything is fixed. that's fine

the moral of the story is moderation and sharing and eating properly

the trash can actually barked/talked....no, nopenopenopenopenope, idc if it was just a button gag, nope. we do not want (all of) s9 to be canon to this timeline. no

Episode 29: The Haunting of Wells House

lol another horror movie parody title, nice. also Marcus focused, and ghost focused, ok, i'm into it (can't be scarier than them threating to canonize Sparky last episode after all)

Hazel filming youtube videos with her dad. cute.

daww i was almost hoping the scary movie Cosmo and Wanda was gonna give them would be the one from Timmy's 2-D House of Horror about the haunted volcano. but zombie fairies is cool too i guess....we did have a zombie plague earlier in eth season after all...

oh haunted fairy video tape. fun

and now we're a ghost hunting show, even in the night vision green

i like the detail that Ghost Pepper (heh the multi level puns of that name, great job) has limbs that disconnect

HA! Jorgen's a priest to perform an exorcist. that's great, and funny, especially in his camo smock

does Jorgen have a whole haunted collection of VHS tapes?? wut?

so this one was alright. it was a quick one and done romp.

Episode 30: Best of Luck

the return of Foop!! or, Irep now...why would he stick with the mirrored name instead of changing to Anti-Peri? as a baby, that's silly, but ok sure, especially since Poof changed his name as an adult, maybe that's normal so the Anti-faries do similar. and c'mon, Anti-Peri sounds like Anti-fairy even...maybe that's why they didn't do it? and also, his full name is Periwinkle, so it should be...an unpronounceable mess backwards...why not just Anti-Peri??? meh, oh well, lets just see how this goes i guess.

who's hands are on the title card?

oh NOW we are siting Da Rules about taking a competition prize. also, peri came back after being wished away? mk, won't argue that. but yeah Da Rules prevent chaos, thus why the djinn are more annoying. but i get it, Dev's annoyed by Da Rules, giving the opening for Irep to arrive

and arrive he does...and looks like an idiot being a block head. Peri didn't stay a ball, despite circular heads being a thing.

wait when did that calendar start...it's currently May huh? interesting...why were orchestra/band tryouts in the middle of the school year? or should that have been an earlier episode, since there was no clear evidence of Peri to time stamp it...but there was glasses-less Dev...still, this means that summer break is getting close, so interesting...also means that Anthony's visit would've probably been spring break, so again why was band/orchestra tryouts in the middle of the school year??? if it was one or the other maybe, implying that they share the same class timeslot so it's a half year program, thus the kids that play instruments in both go full year-why am i STILL hung up on that??? (it's like when i got stuck on e1 of BNHA about how the goo guy's volume should've exceeded the soda bottles and was his brain a thing was every cell of his body sentient...) MOVING ON!

wow i think this is the first time Da Rules has stated that they can't kill anyone with magic. that's kinda weird...especially since Marrianne did do that (by starting WWI)...oh maybe she's the godchild that made that a rule, ok i can buy that

also you guys have dealt with Anti-fairies before, why wasn't that a go to idea?

this rock paper scissor game has move moves than the Big Bang one, geeze

dawww Dev lashing out because he's sad and falling back to his old ways

oh hey we're following the rule about "when a fairy quits any magical being can fill in"...just like Fairy Idol where another blue chaos entity took over...i wonder if we'll get genies in this series

oh Jorgen swoops in to save the day! because no 2 weeks notice...that was never a thing before...dumb, but oh well, we didn't want Irep to stay around.

dawww Dev still lashing out even as Hazel tries to extend the olive branch. and ooo he's gonna be researching Anti-fairies...he gonna break out Irep isn't he....ANTI-FAIRY PLAUGE UPON THE WORLD!

so hey good setup for a future plot point i hope! and again, it does make logical sense to evolve things in that direction. very fun!!

oooo next week says there's an episode with multiverse stuff??? exciting! still loving the show, keep it up!!

[baenyth]

Bethany's Bizarre Miraculous Reviews Episode 4-15: Glaciator 2

Alright, Chat learns to respect women! Yippee!!!

They're uncomfortable with the irl shipping. Good.

So is the ice cream man no longer rhyming? Weak.

It's Prime Queen all over again. I like it.

Honestly I get that. He was just pissing her off while trying to date her. He had it coming.

Honestly I can really see both sides of the situation. Chat is madly in love with Ladybug he just can't stop thinking about it while Ladybug doesn't reciprocate his feelings and his love for her has been shown to repeatedly hamper their battles (Glaciator 1, Frozer, Oblivio)

Based, albeit a bit exaggerated. What a teenager would do.

"You can't do this to me" She can and she should. No more shipping irl people. No more out-of-context photos. Also no more Lila because Ladybug and Lila hate eachother but at the same time the show keeps on forgetting Lila exists. Also when's Alya supposed to still believe Lila despite knowing Marinette is Ladybug? That was a big thing people talked about and yet I haven't heard any of it. We're halfway through the season.

Are they friends again? Are they friends again!?

"Ooh, someone to akumat-is that my son!? What the hell! He was supposed to get home!"

Savage girlboss Marinette my beloved

Marinette, no.

Oh. It's a dream sequence.

That was more disappointing than I thought.

At least give him the gift, you moron.

Wow, even when she's trying to get Marinette to date Adrien I can't stop loving Kagami's girlboss nature.

Tough choice. I think most of your friends harbor some sort of crush on you. My choices would be Juleka, Mylene, or Ivan personally. They're love people, they don't have any chance of attraction. Also Alix since she's aro.

Well, at least he's destroying the irl shipping.

Live cat reaction

How'd Marinette get those three suns in her? First Bridgette, now this.

Wow, Marinette's super chill about Chat Noir being out and about. That one fic was wrong.

Well at least she's a bit aware of how controlling she can be.

This is all in the same day!?

Alright, Hawkmoth's quips are getting better.

Has the animation quality gone up or did they just implement fluid physics for the ice cream blobs?

The coolest lucky charm

Nerd

Wait, so is Kagami part of the girlsquad now?

Good episode! Character development! I'm sure that they'll give Marinette an episode where she learns to be less of a stal-they won't. I know they won't. I don't know why I keep typing this stuff. Is it so I can at least have the delusion of it happening? What's wrong with me?

[maniculum]

Bestiaryposting Results: Kraegrat

Allow me to start with a disclaimer: I woke up sick this morning, so if it seems like I'm doing a worse job than usual stringing words together, let's all agree to blame fatigue & cold medicine.

Now, on to our beast for the week. The entry people are working from can be found here:

This is kind of an interesting one: not only is there no physical description, but the entry consists entirely of describing a single behavior that has at best a tenuous connection to reality. Nevertheless, a number of people indicated that they recognized it, because this is one of those "bestiary fun facts" that tends to stick in folks' heads.

As usual, we're going to go through the depictions in roughly chronological order -- let me know if I missed yours. This week, for some reason, my original post doesn't appear under the #Kraegrat tag, so who even knows what's going on there and I'm fully willing to believe yours is hidden for some kind of absurd Tumblr reason. (Maybe it got flagged under the "don't go nuts don't show nuts" policy -- I kind of suspect that's what happened with the entry post.)

Images below the cut, because (1) aforementioned nuts, though i'm pretty sure this is within Tumblr guidelines, and (2) i really should be doing a cut for all of these but i keep forgetting.

@mobileleprechaun (link to post here) has gone all in on the pathos, making the Kraegrat small, fuzzy, and sad. They describe it as "beleaguered and persecuted" and "a poor guy" which honestly I think is pretty fair for anyone in a situation where you're constantly being hunted for your testicles. They also cite "tanuki inspo" for obvious testicle-related reasons, and yeah, I see it. Very good Sad Gentle Beast here.

@embervoices (link to post here) has done a few different species of Kraegrat, all of which have kind of a lemur look. (They also provided their own alt text, which I really appreciate, thank you.) The linked post has an explanation of design decisions, and also references that Anansi story about tiger balls. (I googled it just now, and all the results reference American Gods -- did Neil Gaiman make that one up?) Anyway, excellent whimsical lemur thing, love the depiction of it throwing the testicles.

@mayhaps-magical (link to post here) notes their "appropriate medieval disregard for standardized spelling" and explains that they reinterpreted it as "Kragen-rat". My German is almost nonexistent, so I had to do a quick check...

... okay, yeah, I see how that comes into play. I also like the idea of playing around a bit with the spelling and etymology, because gods know the medieval authors did the same with no regard for accuracy. (The vastly-encyclopedic, frequently-inaccurate work that has led Isidore of Seville to be put forth as a potential Patron Saint of the Internet is ostensibly a book of etymologies.) Anyway, I like this guy here. It kind of looks like one of those big dogs that are always kind of shy and nervous around new people, which I think fits with the description as "gentle". Also like that it apparently has both claws and I think thumbs for the throwing of testicles.

@silverhart-makes-art (link to post here) acknowledges that they're pretty sure they know what this animal is supposed to be, but they're trying to put it out of their heads. I think they've done a very good job of that: this is a pretty naturalistic drawing of a ground-dwelling mammal that doesn't quite look like any real animals, including the one that this entry was based on. The post linked above contains a description of the design decisions behind this critter, which I of course recommend checking out.

@coolest-capybara (link to post here) has, as usual, done a beautifully stylized rendition of this one. She cites the famous unicorn tapestries as inspiration, and I can absolutely see it. I think it's an interesting artistic choice to focus on the hunter rather than the beast in this drawing, but one that absolutely makes sense: the entry doesn't tell us anything about the Kraegrat except how it interacts with hunters. Enjoy your bounty of severed testicles, Sir Hunter... and, um, keep an eye on your dog if you want to make sure you still have all of them when you get home. I think it's contemplating something there. The linked post contains a brief description of design decisions, and also this line, which I enjoyed:

I'd also like to state for the record that when I started this challenge, I was not expecting to draw a field of severed testicles, but here we are. It was more fun than I expected.

@rautavaara (link to post here) has again taken an unusual direction with this one. They describe their interpretation as:

Medicinal plant-like lizard that loses its tail when scared off.

Considering this and the drawing, I think I can see the path of creative interpretation. The animal as presented in the bestiary entry is obviously ridiculous: a mammal that self-castrates to save its life is not an evolutionary success. So what could it be other than that? Well, lizards detach their tails to escape predators; what if there was a lizard with nodules on its tail that medieval people interpreted as testicles?

I can't swear that that is rautavaara's thought process, of course, but it makes sense to me as an interpretation of the material provided, and if that is what they're going for, I think it's quite clever. Also, as usual, the art style here is excellent.

@sweetlyfez (link to post here) explains that her design process consisted of blending together various animal features and then giving it sparkly magic balls, because that's all the entry really provides. Which, fair. Also I appreciate the taste in choosing what I think is "tapir + deer" as the animals to blend here. Those tusks kind of remind me of musk deer, which is actually pretty appropriate, as we'll see later. The facial expression plus the sparkly balls strike me as very funny, I have to say. Good beast.

@karthara (link to post here) was apparently also skeptical about the idea of a self-castrating animal, and if you check out the linked post, you'll see a brief explanation of how they resolved that as well as some other thoughts on design decisions. The gist is that the Kraegrat has decoy testicles, which I love as an interpretation. Fantastic. No further notes.

@cheapsweets (link to post here) has done another ink drawing that is, frankly, delightful. Love the Kraegrat escaping into the Nonspecific Medieval Trees. Love, love, love the hunter getting smacked in the face with a set of thrown testicles while his dog watches. The above linked post also provides an explanation of design decisions which I think is worth reading, go check that out.

@treesurface (link to post here) has drawn us a rat-kangaroo thing (not to be confused with a kangaroo rat) calmly displaying its lack of testicles. Looks fairly good-natured about the situation, really. They provide a brief discussion of their design decisions in the linked post, and also express a desire for more "weird scary beasts" in the future -- so I checked, and while I can't really define what is or isn't a weird scary beast, I think we should get at least one qualifying entry in January.

@pomrania (link to post here) has made the understandable decision that they aren't going to draw animal genitalia today. Fair enough. I also think this is a pretty good depiction of a Mammal that is clearly not any animal we're familiar with -- I'm impressed by how many of the drawings we're getting for this are Plausible Yet Unfamiliar Beasts. Anyway, pomrania provides early sketches and an explanation of design decisions in the linked post. They also express relief that this is not "Yet Another Bird", and I regret to inform you all that there is a small cluster of Bird entries coming our way.

Anyhow, let's take a look at the Aberdeen Bestiary depiction for this one.

I have to say I find this illustration very funny. That bizarre pose where it's wrapped around a tree is good, but what really makes it is the hunters. Look at those two. Spear Guy looks like his eyes are about to bug out of his head, while Axe Guy seems like he's going "hey, is that normal? should we be doing something about that?"

Anyway, as some of you guessed (and as I'm sure more of you picked up from that very accurate Aberdeen illustration above), this is a Beaver.

Yeah, the whole testicle thing is probably a misunderstanding of the castor sacs that beavers use to scent-mark their territory. Castoreum is still used today, mostly in the perfume industry I think, but apparently the medievals had some kind of medicinal use in mind. So the people who surmised that this isn't actually talking about testicles but rather some other anatomical feature that looks like testicles were correct. I have no idea where the idea came from that the beaver would rip them off voluntarily, though.

So! There's this week's bestiaryposting. I will now Retreat to My Chamber and Lay As One Dead (scroll Tumblr in bed until I fall asleep).

[becca4leafclover]

IM STUPID I FIGURED OUT WHATS BOTHERING ME ABOUT A MINECRAFT MOVIE

IT NEEDS TO BE A MINECRAFT TV SHOW!

the problem with it being a Minecraft Movie is that movies are a lot more widespread and generalized. There's too much of an audience that will watch the Minecraft Movie, and they're going to be incredibly critical of it because of the way Minecraft works being rather odd to people who dont know it (and there's probably a LOT of people who don't know it, because while Minecraft is the #1 sold game of all time, it's also still a game most people over 30 don't know because its out of their generations.)

If they make a "realistic" Minecraft Movie, they're going to lose their actual playerbase though, because we want Block Game! Yes Jason Mamoa looks like Steve but I think players would riot if there was a live-action Minecraft Movie. But if they make it blocky animation or something, that's too stylized to realistically appeal to the greater audience. Disney 3D animation is one thing, the people and world and items all being made of cubes I think is too much of a stretch.

There's also the method of storytelling- Minecraft, as a game, has no plot. THAT'S THE ENTIRE SELLING POINT OF THE GAME! Any stories told within Minecraft are usually made with interpretations of the player, and often use ideas or mechanics not in the vanilla game (whether that is characters, builds, mods, or just the story itself not following the rules of the game)

And with this I think of Minecraft: Story Mode. Because that game literally was an early prototype of how this can all go.

Now don't get me wrong, I love MCSM! It's what got me into fandom in the first place and everything has gone downhill from there /lh. But the fact is, that 1. the storytelling was, well not the greatest, and 2. it's major plots all revolved with things that are straight up impossible in vanilla Minecraft. (The Witherstorm still is one of the coolest forces of destruction I've ever seen, but imagine THAT being summonable in the Block Game without mods? no way.) Not to mention the portal halls and world hopping, the specially enchanted flint and steel? Or don't get me started on what MCSM S2 was- if there's too much straying from the base game, the nicher the mechanics and genre get, and the more and more portions of the Minecraft playerbase you lose.

So whoever is producing this Minecraft Movie, kind of has to choose which audience they're going to cater to and which they're going to lose: the general greater movie-watching audience, who are probably only willing to tolerate a more "realistic" movie style or typical storytelling experience, or actual Minecraft fans in the blocky format and the general weirdness of telling a story in Minecraft.

BUT!

A Minecraft TV Show can EASILY solve this conflict of genre!

MINECRAFT YOUTUBE AND MINECRAFT ROLEPLAY LITERALLY ALREADY EXIST!

These are wildly successful! When I'm describing Starlighter I literally tell people I help to make a TV show in Minecraft! This is not new! (The entire reason I got thinking about this was a photo of a fan meeting Aphmau, MumboJumbo, Valkrae, and a few more MCYTs I don't remember, in New Zealand where supposedly the Minecraft Movie is being filmed).

Making an official Minecraft TV Show, whether its on Netlfix or Cartoon Network or something else, narrows down the audience they're having to appeal to to an audience that ALREADY ENJOYS NICHE AND STYLIZED THINGS! Cause this can just be treated as a cartoon! I think of Tangled: The Series or the Big Hero 6 TV show that have their big original original format where the characters are introduced have their serious story, but these cartoons are allowed to be more stylized and silly (and yes ofc they have their serious plot but it's not the same as the formality of their full movies) or even The Owl House that had a darker, more grotesque (not in a bad way) style, but was still wildly successful because the audience for it was already prepared for weird new styles and worlds and don't mind (in fact I think a lot PREFER) unique storytelling styles like what Minecraft kind of needs!

I dont know where I'm going with this I just finally cracked the code of why I can't bring myself to be excited about the Minecraft Movie when I think it's going to be doomed, and it's because it's in the wrong format for what it needs. I can't believe they're reinventing the wheel with this JUST MAKE IT AN ANIMATED TV SHOW MCYT IS LITERALLY RIGHT THERE...

[sylvanas-girlkisser]

Rumored Arcane S2 characters and how likely I (the queen of the universe) think they are to actually show up.

Warwick Already been confirmed, I expect the werewolf!Vi AU on my desk in 2 weeks.

Renata Glasc Somebody has to take over now that Silco is gone, and seeing as she is just kind of capitalist Silco, she would make sense as an escalation of tension. Someone who can present herself as both the reasonable choice to Piltover, and the revolutionary choice to Zaun - also the Zaun logo is literally based on her company.

That said there is some argument to be made that she is too similar to Silco, and they might avoid her for that reason, but I just take that to mean Jinx is about to have her face caressed by an manipulative cougar in a suit.

Camille With how likely I think it is Renata is to show up, I can't imagine Riot being cool enough to give us to evil cougars in one season. That said I've been wrong (we don't talk about the firelights theory), so maybe they'll do like, a tale of two milfs. With the way S1 ended, it would make sense that someone like Camille would step in and take control of Piltover.

Ooh maybe they'll do like a thing with her being like what Caitlyn is going to end up like unless she stops seeing the world as black and white? that could be cool.

Seraphine She's probably gonna have a cameo singing one of the songs, but nothing more than that.

Urgot I know that for a while they were trying to set Urgot and Vi up as fated enemies, but i dunno, they kinda already did that with Sevika so meh.

Corina Veraza I feel like if they don't do Renata they're gonna do Corina, to be like, Caitlyn's Sevika. I have a hard time imagining them doing both in the same season, just for the optics of like: "we added a few new characters, including two different WoC who each run a criminal empire".

Zilean In the hopes that S2 is gonna be more Ekko-centric and have a storyline about him building the Z-Drive, I think it would be cool to have him hang out with Zilean for a bit. Then again, it does feel like Heimerdinger has already claimed the spot as Ekko's Yoda so 🤷‍♀️

Rell So look, I know it's based around a crack theory that Rell and Mel are sisters, which doesn't really make sense with the timeline. And I know that if they brought in Rell they would then also have to explain the Black Rose and Swain's rebellion and probably BS but listen:

It would really add to the already dysfunctional family dynamic, to have miss "I'll twist Noxus until it snaps" hanging out at the dinner table; just absolutely no chance of going 5 minutes without a shouting match.

It would also mean there was a chance of the good ship Relljinx becoming more people than just me. And wouldn't it be so good to see Jinx compensate for the hole in her heart left by Silco's death by finding someone to give love to in turn, and they could bond over their shared fear of abandonment. And now I'm just writing fanfic but imagine a fight between Vi and Rell over who Jinx should stay with, like wouldn't that just be the angstiest, and coolest thing ever?