#the creator of whatever species will feel a type of way

[closedspeciesteahouse]

The chance of someone creating a close species character without knowing said CS exist is low but never zero

Like there's a possibility of more than one person have the same idea at different point of time without knowing each other existing

☕️

[thatonewatching]

John Doe headcanons

⬆️ That fella up there

(Canon: Bisexual, Fluid-Nonbinary, 20-40, 'Regular Guy' is his species, always messy hair, hair can move on its own, pupils expand when excited, tongue is a cute heart shape, too many teeth, his teeth aren't dirty, just naturally yellow, scars aren't because he's 'sad', doesn't know how to wear his jacket right, 112 pounds, 4 fingers on each hand, three toes on each foot, 5'8, tongue is very long, naturally black nails, shirt changes every time you look at him, has eyelids and chooses when he blinks, body has a clay-like texture, he doesn't have any organs but can for them if he or you chooses, and he has a hard time closing his, mouth fully.) All of that is canon, and I'm referencing the canon ref sheet from the actual creator of the game. You can find it on the John Doe Wiki. <3

He can't seem to get the hang of technology. No matter how many times you explain what to press and click and download, he didn't seem to be interested. Not until he found out that he could contact you through it, that is.

He immediately tried to understand it after finding out he could talk to you while you were away, instead of following you to work. That's not going to stop anytime soon, though. He just can't handle you being away!

Purrs, kind of. Like if he's happy or something, or just feels positive in general. Curls up when he sleeps, always in the fetal position when he sleeps, as weird and uncomfortable as it may seem.

He likes animals but won't get any because he feelsit'll take some attention off of him, and we can't have that, can we? No. Prefers animals like rats and snakes because they fascinate him. Doesn't understand their 'workings' as he says.

Doesn't need to blink. He doesn't have the need to wet his eyes, considering that they're for show. Sleeping, as well. Doesn't feel the need to sleep, but he learned how, in his own way. It's not sleeping, exactly. It's more of a state of tranquility and peace. The first time you fell asleep, he thought you died, never having seen a being sleep. He understands now, though, so it's all right.

His hair is very weird. Sometimes it's soft, fluffy, and sometimes stiff and matted. He sheds a lot. It doesn't matter what he's done or is doing, his hair gets everywhere. He's not allowed near the food when you're cooking, because you don't want hair for dinner. He says it adds flavor, seeing it as a way to be closer to one another.

Likes piercings. He enjoys the thought of having needles go through his skin to add element to his body, but not vice versa. Refuses to think about you getting hurt, even if you assure him it's fine. Will not allow anyone, including yourself, to hurt you.

Likes fire. It makes his clay-like skin hardened, rather than how doughy it usually feels. Unlike fire, he hates water. Makes him all gooey and slimy, and he doesn't like that. Wants to feel solid-it's better for hugs.

Speaking of hugs, he is practically attached at the hip. Always has some part of him on you and vice versa. Whether it be holding hands, a finger through your belt loop, or just a hand in your back pocket, he's content. If physical touch isn't your thing, then he'll tell you how much he adores you. You don't like words of affirmation? No problem! He'll do anything you need him to! Feel bad for him doing so much? Spend some time together! Whether it be watching a movie, cuddling, cooking (even though he sheds and doesn't know how to cook in the slightest), or even just being around each other, doing your own things. Need your space? Don't have to tell him twice! He'll get you some gifts. You said you wanted something three years ago? Done. Any physical item or thing he can provide to you will be provided. Long story short, he'll do whatever you want.

Wears a lot of different types of clothes. Skirts, pants, crop tops, shorts, whatever. One thing he doesn't love is jeans. He'll wear them, but he prefers sweats or skirts. Can't deal with the feeling of scratchy clothes. Will literally chew them up and throw them away. Speaking of clothes, he steals yours. Especially if they're dirty or need to be washed. Wears them until you take them for the wash. Gets sad when you take them.

His voice cracks occasionally, and he gets so upset about it. Will take a deep 'breath', or the closest thing he does to breathing, and says the sentence again. He doesn't like when it happens and stops talking until you force him if it happens a lot that day.

The first time that you told him you loved him, he wanted to cry, even though he can't and doesn't fully understand why people do it in the first place. "Why are you crying?" he asked, squinting. "Because you're suffocating me!" you wheezed. "Oh."

He uses his one-eyed form at home, knowing you understand it's easier and more comfortable. He really doesn't understand how to read all that well, so you taught him. He got the hang of it quickly and likes to leave you notes and texts. He constantly has tabs on you. Whether it be him coming into your job to walk around and talk to you, or him being in his hair ball form and in your shoulder or bag or something. Always around you. Always watching. Always comes back. (I'm so sorry.)

Calls you things like my love, dear, my dearest, sweetheart, gorgeous, beautiful, and things like that. Loves, loves, loves when you call him pretty boy/girl. Practically melts in your arms. They also love when you call them sweet things and mumble sweet nothings in her ear while you're together, especially when you're cuddling. Adores it when you run your fingers through her hair, and a soft purring emanates from him.

It may or may not wrap around your hand when you try to pull away....

That's all for now, guys! I'll be making more of these if I think of them. Requests and asks are open, so feel free to do that! (I'm so bored.) Stay safe, hydrated, and happy! Love you all! <3

[thetygre]

Working on a theory about the origins of the Chaos Gods specifically in Warhammer 40k.

Slaanesh was born from the old aeldari empire; that’s a given. So you can think of Slaanesh as being uniquely aeldari, even if Slaanesh is everyone’s problem now.

Now old, old lore states that the other three Chaos Gods are born from humanity, but this has widely been disregarded and abandoned because it’s clearly a cop-out. The only specific piece of data from this bit of lore is that Nurgle was born from humans during the Black Plague.

I’m actually not 100% opposed to this. I like the idea that Nurgle is uniquely related to humans the same way Slaanesh is related to eldar. Humans, being a naturally short lived race, would produce a Chaos God of death and decay reflecting their existential fears about entropy and the nature of time.

This establishes a pattern in 40k; every species with a major warp signature produces a Chaos God, who will carry on inherent traits of their creator species long after that species has been driven to extinction. Ergo, Tzeentch and Khorne were produced by two other, far more ancient alien cultures.

The only hints we can get about these extinct species come from their Chaos Gods’ Greater Daemons. As the Chaos Gods have no real physical form, their Greater Daemons are the most direct manifestations of their power we can experience, and therefore the only way to see any of their creator species traits. In the same way we can extrapolate an eldar from a Keeper of Secrets and a human from a Great Unclean One, we should be able to extrapolate… something from a Changer of Ways and a Bloodthirster.

This actually leads me to the tzaangor.

(These things. The bird people the Thousand Sons use when they don’t feel like getting their Rubric Marines dirty.)

The tzaangor’s presence in 40k is a leftover; they’re here because they’re in Warhammer Fantasy, and we need to flesh out Tzeentch’s armies, so in they go. Their explanation makes sense in Fantasy - they’re just another type of beastman. But beastmen aren’t really a thing in 40k, or at least they haven’t been for a few editions.

So that gets me thinking about the tzaangor, their similarities to Changers of Ways, and Tzeentch. I don’t think tzaangor in 40k are just some random mutants; I think they’re primitive leftovers of whatever species made Tzeentch. The similarities between the tzaangor and Changer of Ways are too obvious. (Like yes, duh; the tzaangor are derived from the Changers, but bear with me here.)

My theory is that whatever this species was, they were pioneers of the Warp itself. They harnessed it in a way not even the Old Ones had during the War in Heaven. They may even have been the creators of Warp travel, or something like it. They achieved a transcendental, almost godlike amount of power from harnessing the energy of the empyrean.

And then you know how the story goes; more power than mortal beings are meant to know blah blah blah, absolute knowledge is absolute power and absolute power corrupts absolutely yadda yadda yadda, and then the next thing you know Tzeentch has been born. And Tzeentch keeps the leftovers of his creator race around for one of a hundred different reasons; anything can be justified with Tzeentch by it being part of one of his master plans or split personalities.

What’s left now of the tzaangor are Chaos-ridden mutants hustled around by the new power in the universe; humans. They’re still surprisingly intelligent, but comparatively primitive next to their species in its prime. I like to imagine that since the species was so psychically gifted, Tzeentch’s birth wiped their intellects in an instant, like Slaanesh and the Fall of the Eldar. Just a lethal psychic shockwave that decimated billions, Watchmen squid style. It’s taken millennia for the tzaangor to redevelop their current level of intellect, and they live in fear with the constant knowledge that Tzeentch can take it away again at any time.

Now as for Khorne! …I got nothing. I think, by his nature as the god of bloodshed and murder, Khorne completely wiped out his progenitor species. He did not quit halfway through like the other Chaos Gods. The only thing I can assume about them is that, as Khorne is the oldest Chaos God, they were ancient. Maybe even older than the Old Ones and Necrons. If the War in Heaven wasn’t enough to create Khorne, then I’d like to know what was. Like, this was the Cain species; the first species to really get into warfare and unrestrained violence. They might not even have known the Warp existed until Khorne came screaming out of it. And that species is remembered now as the ground floor of the Skull Throne.

Anyway, that’s that screed scooped out of my brain.

[awkwardgamergirl]

Best games for mental health&relax?

As someone who deals with anxiety and depression when I want to relax or am just feeling low and drained I’ll usually choose what others would consider “cozy games” because I don’t want any stress from shooters, strategy games, or anything that has a lot of stakes. I’ll do switch games for now since it’s my main console but I do have a 3ds, psvita, and my computer so I’ll make a list of those games later 💕

So my favorite games to relax to are:

~ stardew valley~ (you already knew this was coming) it’s just a really cute game with lots of options on how you can spend your time. You can farm, fish, forage, travel the mines, talk to the towns people, interact with love interests. There is just a lot to do in it and it has a really cozy small town cottagecore vibe that a lot of people find relaxing. Amazing replay value. I have like four different lives just so I can choose different farms, partners, things like that.

~ animal crossing~ (second most obvious answer) we all know animal crossing is a chill low stakes game that has a lot of similar elements I listed for stardew valley. You get to interact with cute little animals, decorate your house and character, forage, fish, find fossils, shop. It’s just a relaxing and positive game and is very popular for a reason. Idk about replay value because I really couldn’t imagine deleting my island tbh.

~ fashion dreamer~ if you like cute dress up type games this one is a decent lil game. It’s got lots of different styles for whatever your lil fashion heart desires and you basically walk around dressing up characters and they rate your outfits. It’s from the creators of style savvy and while it’s super cute I would wait for it to go on sale because it’s a bit overpriced imo. Style savvy is definitely the way to go if you have a ds/3ds. Still cute though. Don’t know about replay value because I’m fairly new to the game and haven’t come close to finishing or restarting anything.

~ unpacking~ this one is pretty cute and definitely a game that helps with anxiety. It’s a relaxed little puzzle game that unlocks parts of the story as you go along organizing each room to your home. You can try to solve the puzzles or you can just organize the furniture to your liking. Either way you want to play it’s super cute and relaxing and has some decent replay value after you complete it.

~calico~ super cute game where you run a cat cafe in a magical town with unique characters, little missions, and lots of cats you can pet and play with. There is magic, desserts, and you can ride giant cats like horses. Super soothing game. Character customization and decorating your cafe. The only drawback is it can get a bit glitchy but for the cuteness and the price I have no complaints. The music is really cute too. Not sure about replay value because my cafe is so cute I wouldn’t want to start over.

~coffee talk~ you run a coffee shop in the future and talk to all the incoming guests and learn their stories as you give them their coffee. This one is super relaxing and how I like to spend my evenings before bed if I want that extra cozy time to destress and relax. Cute art as well with different species and how they interact. I haven’t restarted yet but I’m sure there will be replay value with just how cozy and in depth the story is.

~rune factory 4 remastered~ this was originally a 3ds game they remastered for the switch and it’s so amazing that they did. One of my favorite 3ds games that is an offshoot of the harvest moon series with very pretty art, farming, cooking and crafting, romance, monster fighting, and just really fantastic story telling. Very cozy and hard not to get sucked into. Such a gorgeous game imo. Fantastic replay value.

~good pizza, great pizza~ you run a lil pizza shop and upgrade it to get better ingredients and equipment. Super cute chill game to pass the time and hard not to spend hours mindlessly making pizzas. Haven’t replayed it because I haven’t completed it but I imaging replaying it would be fun because you’re just making pizza and unlocking different ingredients. Relaxing game with cute art.

~monster prom~ cute game where you have to convince one of the monsters to go to prom with you. Funny writing, pretty art, and the ability to romance any gender while choosing your pronouns. It’s funny, the game play is question based, and it’s like little rounds of 15 mins and either you get them to go to prom or you get rejected. Then you get to try again. Replay value is obviously strong because I keep playing it no matter how often I’m rejected 🥲 being real though this game is funny, unique, and worth the price. I just have to beat the first one so I can try the second.

~what comes after~ you play as a character on a train of ghosts and you process the grief of passing to the afterlife and try to learn and console the other ghosts on the train who are passing. Pretty game that is mostly story based and worth a try. I haven’t finished this game so I’m not to sure on the replay value.

~little mouse’s encyclopedia~ a cute little game where you play as a little mouse exploring the outside and the dirt and you spend your time finding other little animals and bugs and plants and you read about them and what they are. Cute little educational game I purchased because I loved the art that ended up being super cute in the long run.

Honorable mentions:

- speed dating for ghosts (cute funny little game where you go on dates with ghosts. Short, sweet, and to the point. Decently priced for how quick you get through the game)

- cattails (you play as a cat that travels through its little territory you that you share with your other cat group. You gather little things, complete missions, scrap with rival cat gangs, and just walk around as a cat. Cute but a bit slow for my tastes.)

-rune factory 5 (don’t get me wrong, I love the fourth one and I’m sure the more I play this one I’ll learn to love it to. The gameplay is just set up a bit different and is a bit more similar to the harvest moon style than the fourth rune factory. The art is gorgeous though I was just hoping for more rune factory and less harvest moon when it came to the actual playing)

Games I’ve wanted and heard amazing things about:

The only reason I haven’t purchased and played these games yet is because games aren’t cheap and I need to finish the ones I’ve already purchased. That being said I’ve been looking at a lot of these for a long time and they are definitely going to make this list. I’m sure some of them would be ranked very high in the favorite games category as soon as I actually start playing them. Here’s the list:

* Spiritfairer

*Bear and breakfast

*Creepy tale

*Cozy grove

*Witchy life story

*Potion permit

*Hoa

*Littlewood

*Potion craft

*Gris

*When the past was around

*strange horticulture

*Lemon cake

*Wytchwood

*How to say goodbye

*Dreamlight valley

*Storyteller

*Cult of the lamb

*Little misfortune

*Night in the woods

* Sally face

And that’s it 🎉 sorry for such a long list but I wanted to include a bit of everything so you had lots to choose from. These are the games I play when I need a comfy happy place to go when life gets to be a bit too much to handle. I enjoyed making this list to be honest so there will most likely be more lists in the future. Maybe I’ll make a list of favorite otome games, anime/manga, kpop groups. Things like that. Anyway, hope you enjoy reading the list as I enjoyed making it 💖

[buggiethedrag0n]

HAIIIII my new reference sheet 4 any1 who wants 2 draw meee :333

i have way more outfits than just these 2 but i dont have the energy 2 draw that much lololol

the raccoon tail patterns that go infront of my chest are fake hair extensions btw :)) i have a lotta different ones

ANYWAYYYYYY the rest of mah info under the cut :33 !!!!!!!

Full name: Bugthing (you don’t get to know my last name 😁)

Aliases: Bug, Creature — Buggie (FRIENDS/FAMILY ONLY)

Species: Concept Dragon (Fire, Type 3) / Angel (Type 4) hybrid

Planet of Origination: The Concept Universe / ‘The Void’

Age: I’m not telling you that. (OOC: usually it depends on which universe i throw him it but i typically characterise him as my age. which makes him a minor.)

Height: 8’9”

Gender: Biologically female; identifies as transmasculine & xenogender

Pronouns: He/Him/His, Xey/Xem/Xeirs/ It/Its/Itself, They/Them/Theirs — Blood/Bleed/Bloodself, Gore/Gory/Goreself (FRIENDS/FAMILY ONLY)

Sexuality: Solian, fictosexual, fictoromantic (i use the term aroace in conversations tho, its easier :3)

S/O: None. Technically. Unless you count my F/Os (that being Galacta Knight, Holly/THK, Moonjumper, and Shamura)

Family: Parents, brother, a number of cousins (and technically that one fankid i made for me n holly named Moggie but. They’re not canon.)

I’m an artist and fanfic author, and Nebbie’s assistant as a newly ascended Creator entity!!!!

Buddies with uhhhh God :))) (or Jesus ig but her name is Yk here. I call her Nebulis/Nebs/Nebbie tho. Bc we’re friends :3) (he uses all prns btw)

Bc of my fun powers and rights as Nebbie’s assistant creator I get to travel to whatever universes I feel like. Both to make sure everything’s going well and nobody’s broken the space time continuum and also to hang with my favs.

I like to call myself a Nice Boy(TM) but thats only really to my friends/family (not including my brother because I fucking hate him). I can get REALLY mean when I’m upset/if i don’t like you. But yeah I’m usually pretty ok!! Not the best person out there but at least I’m not a bigot lol. SPEAKING OF BIGOTS a lot of my very outward “”””cringe”””” behaviour is from me just being comfy in my own skin and pissing ableists off On Purpose bc I find it funny (it is).

I’ve lived in the Concept Universe/Void my whole life, but I tend to wander off to various universes both for My Duty(TM) and also I Like The Characters. I was first given the opportunity to leave the Void when I was abt 8 I think? My good buddy/auntcle figure Xephyr asked me and my brother if we wanted to check out what ppl were doing down there (with Nebs’ and our parents’ permission ofc), and we agreed. I’ve never been normal since (that’s a good thing though).

I don’t USUALLY do fighting stuff (unless I’m in like a COTL variation universe or something) but when I do I usually just use fire. I might be a pyromaniac. Which is concerning because I have fire magic and can easily commit arson. Yeag :)

Hex codes

(Not including the bracelets or hair extensions)

Body/both fits or smth:

#0E0E0E — Horns / Burns / Burnt feathers / Fit 1 base

#0400B4 — Iris

#D80000 — Tail tip

#FFB7A7 — Blood / Blush

#F8D7CF — Scars / Wing webbing

#EBE6E6 — Freckles

#FAFAFA — Skin

#FFFFFF — Teeth / Talons / Septum piercing gems / Glasses lenses

#F7FBFF — Sclera

#F2F2F2 — Hair / Feathers (the ones that AREN’T scorched)

#F9DEBF — Halo star / Light magic things 2

#F3B16D — Halo / Light magic things 1

#000000 — Nose / Septum piercing / Fishnets (alt fit) / Glasses frame

Usual fit:

#0F0F0F — Belt base

#910000 — Fit accents

#C40000 — Belt accents

#BEBEBE— Belt buckle

#3A2222 — Socks (ignore the fact that this isn’t in the ref image plsss)

Alt fit:

#161616 — Shirt base

#2E2E2E — Shorts 1

#464646 — Shorts 2

#CCCCCC — Belt buckles

#DFDFDF — Belt 1 studs / Chains / Choker & cuff spikes

#F3F3F3 — Shirt pattern 1 (anarchy symbol)

#81FF5A — Shirt pattern 2

#FF5AEC — Shirt pattern 3

#FA0000 — Cuff / Choker

Funny Rainbow Checker Belt (gets its own section bc SO MANY COLOURS):

#D70000 (red)

#D76D00 (orange)

#D79200 (orange-yellow)

#D7C000 (yellow)

#65D700 (yellow-green)

#00D73E (green)

#00D7BD (teal)

#009ED7 (light blue)

#0034D7 (dark blue)

#5300D7 (purple)

#7200D7 (purple-magenta)

#B600D7 (magenta)

#D700B7 (pink)

#D70065 (pink-red)

Socks (again, its own section bc too many colours):

#FF6690 (pastel red)

#FF9997 (pastel red-orange)

#FFB881 (pastel orange)

#FDFFA7 (pastel yellow)

#84BCFF (pastel blue

#9C84FF (pastel purple)

#A210FF (magenta)

(istg if you draw any nsfw of me ill devour you)>🐜

~bugmod

[jeremywhitley]

Julie Power, Queer Relationships and OTPs

Hey, two provisos before I jump into what I’m about to say:

1) My last name is not Marvel and I don’t own these characters. Before and after I write them, other people will write and/or have written them. Most of them. That’s what success in corporate comics looks like in this day and age - not that you get to write a character/group of characters forever but that other creators remember they exist and include them in new stories and they get to have a long happy life. That said, characters change and the valid interpretation is the one that leads to more stories. You, as a fan, are also interpreted to love whatever version of the character you like as long as you don’t hassle creators about it.

2) As always, I am not the perfect person to write this mini-essay, I’m just the one writing the comic and therefore the one that can explain the thoughts and feelings that went into making the decisions I did.

We good? Okay. Let’s continue!

Being gay, lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, asexual or wherever else a person falls in a spectrum does not make a person more or less than human. It does not make every relationship perfect. In fact, having a sexuality for which there isn’t quite as many years of literature and self-help books often leads to complications that you don’t know how to navigate. It is a rarely acknowledged but pretty obvious fact that this would go double or more for people who were also dealing with the complications of being a superhero in the modern era. A lot of those people have experiences with multiple apocalypse scenarios, a knowledge that there are parallel universes in which pareallel versions of them exist (like a version of me who types parallel the same way twice in a row, one can dream), mind control, reality manipulation, and time travel. Their life is complicated and relationships are difficult in a world where few of those things are commonplace.

In talking about Schitt’s Creek, Glen Weldon expressed a frustration and distaste for the central gay relationship in that show, not because it wasn’t cute and precocious but because it wasn’t realistic. You have a person who has been dating around and having several unresolved and unsatisfying queer relationships paired up with a freshly out, just admitted he’s gay, never dated another man love interest. It’s sweet. It also gives an unrealistic portrait of what life is like for a queer person. It’s hard to argue with people loving that relationship, but it’s impossible to argue with Glenn’s point. Dating is complicated and difficult. Adding queerness to that only makes it more complicated, not less. We often don’t know what we want or need and it’s more difficult to understand what you want and need with less context. Straight people have been struggling with telling their partners what they want and need even as their relationship has been a necessity of human species survival.

But we tend to push the idea of an OTP or “one true pairing” onto queer couples for a variety of reasons, but mainly two:

1) There are so few queer relationships in media that when one happens, queer audiences tend to hold onto it tightly in the worry that there will never be another one like it.

2) The idea that all or most queer relationships are the result of an undeniable love between two halves of the same whole reunited at last and it would be horrible to part them, makes queer relationships more palatable to straight audiences who are still growing in their understanding of the difference between same sex sexual attraction, same sex romance, and same sex fucking.

The end result is a pretty warped understanding of queer people and same sex relationships.

All of this is sort of preamble to say that in this week’s issue of Love Unlimited, I broke up a romantic pairing off panel that I created in Future Foundation a few years ago. In the last issue of Future Foundation, I had Rikki Barnes and Julie Power kiss. They had just been through an extremely dangerous prison break during which they had both almost died and saved one another’s lives. The moment was absolutely ripe for two Sapphic people to get swept up in the moment and intensely make out. It was a relationship I would like to have explored more, especially as they are two characters I care very deeply about. I think it would have been fun. I also do not think it would have worked out long term. Most relationships don’t and they are very different people.

I saw a post somebody made earlier today on tumblr about how Julie Power throws herself at every queer and available white girl in the Marvel Universe. There’s only one part of that I would prefer to not be true and that’s the white part. It is true about the comics as they have come out, but I don’t see Julie as the kind of person who wouldn’t fall in love with a person of color. In fact, to the point of that post, I see Julie as a person who is open to connection and cares a great deal about physical affection. She’s a hugger. She’s constantly taking people under her wing. She falls for people hard and loves hard. Not to get too intimate with it, but she’s probably a person who enjoys sex and physical contact and affection. Those things aren’t important to everyone or meaningful in the same way to everyone, but they are to some people.

But also, that doesn’t mean that every relationship those people enter into has to be THE ONE. We all enjoy our own OTPs and a lot of us have that same investment in people we know in real life. God knows, I have had that investment in queer friends that found love and there are people that have had that same investment in my wife and I because we’re a mixed race couple. Those facts about a relationship don’t make it work out without the same sort of effort, love, affection, and sheer luck as any other successful relationship. I think ascribing that same sort of mythological status to every same sex relationship is ultimately short sighted and harmful.

Julie’s way of finding love, like a lot of us, is to throw herself headfirst into relationships, love hard, experiences extraordinary moments, and get hurt when things don’t work out. She, literally, has a heroic impulse toward relationships. Is that healthy, maybe not. But hey, I kind of admire it.

So yeah, I broke up a relationship off panel that barely had a chance to exist on panel because that’s the way I see it going. On the bright side, she’s in another relationship now and we’ll see how that goes.

If there’s a thing I guess I want people to take away from this, it’s that it’s okay for your relationship not to work out and that you shouldn’t treat your queer friends like they’re characters in a Shakespeare play that have to love each other unconditionally and die together in a crypt if things don’t work out.

[surlifen]

guide to surlis sonas

aka an excuse to Poast Images and drone on because I love to do that!

current main sona I think and closest to a truesona: this otter guy who remains unnamed because all the names that are my name have already been used at this point LMAO

art by nepeteaa and by me! I'd honestly draw him more often if he weren't hard to draw? surli was easy because. Fox. (and Generic Thin whereas my body type is, while still pretty thin, specific in a way that's hard for me to draw) and honestly I enjoy drawing him more oTL.... otters are super hard to stylize cutely + in a way that looks Like Me... surli does not look Like Me teebeehaiche

surli fennec surlifen main sona of the past and still like... kind of me it's complicated

imbages by jilf and vhsdruid

i kinda ended up disconnecting from his Design as a Whole and the alt palette didn't really fix it but nonetheless he's never leaving my possession. it's weird cause my brain can really only connect fully to one character per Thing/Setting as a Sona who is Me so ever since splitting off into otter I don't feel FULLY connected to either the way I once did to surli :( but I am experimenting with having multiple sonas and maybe ill try that thing people do where they also do sonas for different Aspects of themselves so I don't just have an army of Normal Nice Blonds

pokesona: liam

art by me, cicadaghost, me

not much 2 say he is me pokemonned! he's much Smaller Cuter than I am and I really enjoy his simple design + imagining him in the pokemon world :3 like what berries he'd like best and what specific cities/landmarks he hangs out at... hiking in ilex forest and visiting the national park yk

lee: bunny....sona....?

art by me, purrker

he was a bit of an experiment in "CAN I have more than one fursona?" and also "CAN I make a sona who isn't Exactly Like Me?" i've always seen people whose sonas have Supernatural Elements and been like how can you do that. I respect it so much but if EYE am a normal human person how can I connect to something with strange abilities and qualities. and I still couldn't go so far as like... my friend whose sona is an honest to god several stories tall kaiju with a backstory and shit, but lee has supernatural luck and a connection to/control of storms/lightning because that's sick and awesome and cool. and also glows and has cool antlers when he wants. he's not as me as the others but he's there and he's not... NOT me?

fucking... willie dustice, silver city "self-insert" joke guy

unfortunately I DO love his stupid ass. you know how sometimes in a comic or animated show there'll be some obscure reference to one of the creators or someone on the team like as a gag that goes over most people's heads well he's supposed to be that. his appearance is me at my worst (needs haircut + shave) and he has the OP superpower of putting people in pocket dimensions of altered reality he controls entirely but he ONLY uses it to make stupid filler bottle episodes like They All Have To Play Softball or Beach Episode or whatever. represents my oft-abused ability as a creator to Put Those Guys in a Situation. he's not so much a sona (cause if I made a silver city sona it would be genuine not this greasy freak) but he sure is Representative of Me.

horse: horse

i was challenged to make a horsesona. I don't plan to do anything with him but kept him around because I liked his design. someday I might make a more natural horse sona for in case I ever joined some kind of equine rp setting or some shit equivalent but for now my sparklehorse

spinxynsona: coast

art by capricorne, me, me

coasty woasty... made for the nephfei world for the spinxyn closed species. first closed species sona ive ever had and i think hes neat! nephfei is such a well designed world that is really conducive to stories and characters influencing each other's arcs but coast is just some guy he's just there. he just lives there and minds his own business. (he has no gifts or curses so nothing really requiring a Story) but maybe i should get him some Friends at least maybe i can have a sona who has Story OC Friends from other people and still be like yes thats me if i was friends with everybody's ocs

dnd character who was based on me: august

art by me, thembodino

it was suggested since I have a very hard time being In Character (i get so self conscious) that I start with a character similar to myself! so august is incredibly Just Me FR. if i were to go on an adventure i would be bad at it and terrified. his campaign is suspended due to Life but i accidentally, due to knowing nothing, picked a pretty OP blend of stats that has made him bizarrely competent (not like. the best in the party or anything but he really can hold his own and once like critted twice and turned invisible and flew and killed a dragon) and honestly that's hilarious and I like it for him

that's it! the rest of my characters are just characters not sonas though I still love them dearly, some of them even more than some of my sonas i won't name names though ty if you made it this far. i love to Talk

[sturthepotofmadness]

I just thought of a crazy Transformers AU that somehow features Unicron redemption.

Takes place in a universe similar to Transformers Prime, but the war never reaches Earth until much, much, much later. So much later that by the time they reach Earth (correction: they don’t), the Unicron redemption has already finished. Also, Dark Energon is not poison to humans, but all other types of Energon that don’t spawn from Dark Energon are.

Anyways, that’s later, back to where this AU splits off ignoring the lack of the Autobots and Decepticons-

It’s the year 20XX (the year doesn’t really matter) and miners have just discovered some material they can’t dig through at all (a part of Unicron’s body, let’s say his right arm) that’s right next to this pool of purple stuff (Dark Energon).

Scientist go down to study this unbreakable material and strange liquid.

Eventually, a scanner is created that can ‘see’ through the unbreakable material and find hollow corridors and wires and machinery inside of the unbreakable material, along with pathways and ramps humans can travel through.

They use the scanner to find an entrance to the hidden… they assume it’s a laboratory, but it’s actually Unicron’s internals.

At some point between the scanner being made and finding the entrance, humans find a way to use Dark Energon as a booster to help their bodies fight diseases that is scarily efficient. They start looking into ways that this strange liquid can help plants grow.

They decide that not all the scientists should go into the ‘lab’, but they also need to be protected, so they hire some bodyguards to join the handful of scientists going down.

It takes a lot of journeys because they severely underestimated how big this ‘lab’ is and communications keep cutting out, so they have to set up physical lines to help with comms.

Eventually, they realize that whatever this place is, it somehow weaves through the mantle layer of the Earth, and down to the core of the planet, but there’s no pressure difference compared to ground level, the temperate just feels like a cool day in fall, and they finally notice that whatever this place… no thing is, it produces oxygen.

After roughly a year of exploring just Unicron’s right arm and top right area of his chest, they find Unicron’s spark chamber.

Unicron’s spark sees these curious humans, so just taps awake Unicron’s consciousness, but blocks him from taking control of his own body.

Unicron wakes up, is confused on why he is awake, then sees his spark effectively pointing at the over curious humans trying to touch his spark. (Yes, his spark has its own personality, I don’t know how this happened either.)

So, he just force-projects next to the humans in his normal appearance that is currently surrounded by the Earth, rapidly gets their attention because how the hell did he appear, and Unicron asks why they’re attempting to touch his spark.

The humans are just like “holy fuck god is real and he is nothing like everyone said he is like”

Unicron is very confused, but does not ask why the humans see him as a creator. Also, he is weirded out by all the questions they ask.

Slowly yet surely, Unicron warms up to these humans, learning out the planet that he’s the core (humans: creator god!) of, along with the species that inhabit this world.

He also learns that humans age and eventually die, so… he tries to not get attached but gets attached.

Humans start find the crystal version of Dark Energon and Unicron decides to help the humans with using it for their own purposes.

Humans finally figure out how to use Dark Energon as a fertilizer without causing a smaller harvest while having benefits to the crop.

Finally, at some point, Unicron begins to guide the humans on making Cybertronian-like technology.

Using these newfound technologies, humanity manages to set up bases on other planets and they figure out a way to infinitely making Dark Energon, which surprises even Unicron.

Dark Energon becomes a common resource that, with the right minds, can be used for anything.

On off-Earth stations or artificial planets, humans make sprawling environments for Earth’s animals, plants, insects, fish, any creature that is still alive on Earth.

Let’s assume it takes until 24XX until humanity can completely live off planet and freely move around the universe. Religions of old are only still known for history reasons, save for a few. While priests do still exist, they mostly just help Unicron with writing and translating because he physically can’t due to his inability to control his body.

…until now. (The “priests” still help him, because he’s fragging massive.)

His spark finally lets Unicron gain control over his body. Unicron doesn’t act right away, but once the humans learn that his body can move, they convince him to move, spread his godly body and continue watching over his creations.

Unicron is convinced, but clearly says that there must be a way to spot any debris from hitting anything made by the humans in space. This is easily agrees upon and construction on a force field begins.

The force field is successfully finalized and Unicron can finally move his body once more. Debris and magma goes everywhere, but are caught by the force field. The stuff in the field to shooed away towards the bottom by Unicron’s full form and the force field goes down.

Humanity and Unicron begin exploring and, at last, run into the Autobots and Decepticons who had used up the last of the Energon reserves on whatever planet they had brought the war to.

Needless to say, both the Autobots and Decepticons end up freaking out because that’s fragging Unicron but he’s… chill?

After the instinctive freak out, both groups of Cybertronians are very confused, humanity is very curious, and Unicron is just wondering who the hell these creatures are and why do they look like his brother and his creations?

Yea, that’s all I got for now. Have fun if you decide to run with this AU. I don’t know how this happened either.

[polyamwitchymom]

My personal beliefs on the matter of divinity

(this is a long post, if you want me to get to my point, scroll down for the purple text)

I grew up in the Bible belt, both my parents were/are members of the RLDS church (Reorganized Church of the Latter-Day Saints, or as I like to call it: diet Mormonism or Mormon lite), and when we weren't attending the RLDS church, we were going to a Baptist church. My parents homeschooled me and closely monitored who I made friends with. I grew up with a narrow, but common belief that big G is up in heaven, watching and knowing everything that happens and will happen, is all powerful but uses his power sparingly, has strict rules for how he wants humans to be, and requires sacrifice of some type to be appeased (in this case, Jesus was the sacrifice, but before him, they made animal sacrifices, and at one point God asked for a child sacrifice as a test).

But all of that was ok, because there was God in the flesh as Jesus. And to be fair, Jesus seemed like a pretty cool guy, he seemed to care less about The Rules, and more about people loving one another. And then Jesus brutally died because humans are evil and the only way God could tolerate us is if someone died.

While I was told that God is perfect, I kept seeing him contradict himself and act very... "Human" like (angry, jealous, needing praise, being violent, etc). I was told that there was no way to truly comprehend him, but also that he made himself comprehensible to us/he was now comprehensible to us because of the first sin (eating fruit from the forbidden tree, gaining knowledge of good and evil).

As I got older, other beliefs intrigued me, and I had plenty of experiences that the "Spiritual Leaders" around me either dismissed or just had no explanation for, along with feeling like I was evil for having same-sex attraction. I eventually delved into polytheism, at first believing that the Christian god is not real and never was, to then believing that he is real and is just a dick. Sure, there were other gods that were dicks too, but at least they didn't claim to be perfect like he did. But then I did research as to how monotheism came about and learned that the Christian god is most likely two gods that got morphed into one over time and tradition.

So where do I stand now on Divinity, gods, goddesses, monotheism, and polytheism?

Pardon me for how woo-woo this is about to get, but:

-Divinity, The Creator, "God", whatever you want to call it, I believe it is within all things. It is life itself. It is what animates us. A fragment of Divinity is inside you and me and is what is commonly known as a "soul."

-Divinity is also within the gods, spirits, etc., perhaps to some greater extent than us, even.

-The main source of Divinity is somewhere outside of all time and all space, and can hardly be comprehended as a person. It creates infinitely, and sends itself into its creations to experience it.

-Does it love? Does it have morals? Look around you. If you've been paying attention you've surely noticed by now that there is no One Human Experience. That even among our own species, so much can vary- from morals, sexuality, culture, empathy, wants, and needs to circumstances we were born into and what we choose to do with the gift of life. No, I don't think it truly has any morality or love, or at least any that I can comprehend. I think it's main objective/need is to experience all things.

Do I worship this thing? Well, no... Not exactly. But also, in a way, yes. I occasionally work with and devote myself to various gods and goddesses. I believe life is sacred and should be preserved. I give other humans respect, and in some ways love all humans for having the gift of existence. I do my best to take care of myself and learn so I can better myself and those around me. I don't directly worship this source of existence, but I respect existence itself as it is in all things.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who has thought of all of this, but I've not heard anyone talk about the same thing and so I don't know what to call it. It seems kinda New-Age-y but not quite because I've not heard it expressed the same way. The closest I've heard is "You are the universe experiencing itself" which sums this up well but lacks nuance. Does anyone else believe this/know what this line of belief is called?

[sasster]

okay so my mushroom people are basically these humanoid fungi (fun guys [rimshot] )

and their family units are basically a connection to one Big (tm) guy that’s kind of in control of the hive, but everyone maintains some level of individuality. juveniles kinda pop out of the hive mind to go meld with their own at some point i havent thought that much about it because it’s like… the whole species isn’t one big hive mind just specific units of them?

i’m thinking they can like.. connect with whatever occupation you end up having or whatever dont ask me about this theres just many little clusters

GOD is just a big fungus that lives in the center of the planet (they say that the planet used to be inhabited by some other species but their creator took over them and the rest of the species came from its spores when it completely wiped out the planet ((this is creation mythos)) and because they CAME from its spores the only way they feel connected to it is by consuming a very specific fungus that grows only like.. im gonna say it only appears in the equivalent of their summer time

i dont know ANYTHING about their technological advancements or anything but im thinking.. they’re more of the “of the earth” type of people

they do NOT take to outsiders well because it’s WEIRD we can’t SEE your THOUGHTS

something something scritch my chin.

yeah.

mushroom people

[painonthebrain]

8 & 9 for Oath (pride ask game)

Pride themed OC asks

8. Have they had struggles with their identity, be it due to internal or external reasons?

I think he has.

In angelic culture, identity is strongly tied to rank/hierarchy, jobs, and family. For Oath, his identity is a mixture of his role in his family (younger sibling) and his rank and occupation (soldier/guard). When his sibling deserted his family and became a traitor, and this negatively affected both him and his family. He has to fill the role his older sibling left for him and was left open to suspicion about whether he could also be a traitor or deserter.

Along with that, I don’t think he has a very solid grasp on his gender. He knows who he is, yes, but I don’t believe he knows exactly how his gender plays into that. In my opinion, I think he’s loosely based it off of what he can observe of humans, seeing how often the male gender is typed as protective and strong. Does he fully understand that though? I’m unsure.

I think he’s had moments where he struggles to define who he is but he can’t come to a solid conclusion. Of course, as the creator saying I’m unsure why is dumb because. I made the damn guy but. If I had to approximate why, I think it would have to be a mixture of his family and himself. He’s not really encouraged to explore who he is, you know?

9. Are there cultural or lore specific aspects to their identity? If applicable, does their species affect it?

Yes, there are!

Angels don’t have any defined genders (and most have the same sexual characteristics). This allows for their gender identity to be as flexible as they like. In angelic society, gender is irrelevant to social status, respect, or jobs. You can be female and the highest member of The First Order or male and taking care of children or nonbinary and tending to religious spaces.

Some angels loosely base their genders on human expressions of gender (as stated above with Oath) and some define it in their own personal ways.

For Oath, he can be whatever he wants to be or feels he is, and so can everyone else!

[postmodern-nostalgia]

Pets rule the internet: a critique and comparison of Felipa Cheng’s Ode to Kring-Kring and Brian David Gilbert’s we like watching birds

With the constant rise of technological improvements and their growing relevance in our lives, new media art continues to thrive in both realms of art creation and appreciation. Not only are we provided with easy-to-access platforms to enjoy them; we are also given many opportunities to make our own at our fingertips. Look no further than the video sharing website Tiktok, where an average of 1 million videos are viewed daily (Mohsin, 2022).

Back in the day, short-form video content were not as appreciated as their full-feature counterparts. Full-length movies were always deemed to be the more difficult one to make–rightfully so because of their length. Quick video clips on the other hand, were considered only for gags, as in the case of the late 80s show America’s Funniest Home Videos, one of the earliest programs that gave these types of films a platform. It was not until internet access became more widespread that short viral videos became popular.

Today, short-form videos are given more credit and is seen as a legitimate medium where anyone can share whatever they want. There are clips that provide useful tutorials, news bits, and even plain entertainment. Enter two short-form videos with qualities that do not fit in just one category: we like watching birds (stylized in lowercase) and Ode to Kring Kring. Despite their vague classification and cryptic writing, these two depict a clear image of the state of internet culture today.

 we like watching birds

Brian David Gilbert, also known as BDG, is an online content creator known for both short-form and hour-long videos on YouTube. BDG previously worked for Polygon, a media company that covers various areas of pop culture such as Japanese anime and video games. On his eponymous YouTube channel, however, he has created a following with his brief, witty short-form content. These films are often about random, mundane topics such as caterpillars in this song is not a metaphor and playing darts in it’s time to get good at darts. we like watching birds is not an exception. The video immediately starts with a catchy song performed and composed by Gilbert himself, but this time with the vocal accompaniment of his partner Karen Han. It is, as stated in the title, about watching birds, and is constantly reiterated in the video by directly mentioning it and naming different species of avifauna–that is, until the happy melody devolved into a chorus about praising a one-eyed horrifying bird god.

A healthy number of Gilbert’s videos follow a similar sequence; they start off with a calm and cheery atmosphere and then, at an unexpected point in the video, begin to shift to a psychological genre. we like watching birds is initially presented as a shallow melody about bird-watching, but almost halfway through the video an unexpected, absurd lore was presented. The mood shifts back to a cheerful one before the video ends, albeit now mixed with a feeling of unease, especially in the line “we like watching birds, which is good, ‘cause we have no choice”, implying the singers’ newfound fear of the bird god after their occult-like worship.

Gilbert’s body of work can be described as postmodern absurdist comedy, described by Stockwell (2016) as a type of comedy that relies on the use of absurdity, non-sequiturs, and irrational or illogical elements to create a sense of surprise and confusion in the audience. Surrealist humor often aims to challenge the audience’s preconceptions and question the way they see the world. This type of humor is also postmodern in the sense that it “rejects grand narratives and universal truths” (Lyotard, 1997).

 Ode to Kring-Kring

Felipa Cheng is a communication arts student from the University of the Philippines Los Baños. During the early years of the COVID-19 pandemic, Cheng produced several pieces of short-form videos dedicated to her friends. Her creations included faux album covers depicting what kind of recording artist her friends would be and what songs they would produce.

Ode to Kring-Kring, one of the clips from Cheng’s project, is a ‘hypothetical’ song that would be produced by one of her friends who owns a plump orange cat named Kring-Kring. The video was in a 1:1 aspect ratio, with a length of exactly one minute–a format which is perfectly made to be sent on the internet, be it a social media platform such as Instagram or a messaging app like Telegram. Cheng used digital software to render handdrawn animatics of a cat which, as mentioned in the song, is “sleeping on [its owner’s] face”.

The video also creates a calm and comforting atmosphere while also being humorous. Alexander (2022) mentions that a conducted by the University of Texas showed that even people who identify as ‘dog persons’ prefer cat-related memes on the internet. The psychological explanation to this phenomenon suggests that internet users that enjoy cat memes project themselves on the personality traits of cats, which include aloofness, independence, and unpredictability. Such qualities of the feline make them a suitable subject for irony and sarcastic humor. In turn, these traits of the cat meme create a sense of comfort.

 While the two short-form videos have high contrasts in their content, they have a significant common denominator, and that is their absurdity. Both cater to surrealist humor which has been the online community’s form of escape especially during the rise of multiple world crises (Matsakis, 2017). The growing acceptance of weird content on the internet, combined with the unstoppable growth of short-form content and the diminishing attention span of viewers, will not be going anywhere, and it will continue providing the solace that is much needed in this era of information overload.

 References:

Alexander, L. (2022, January 4). Why the internet chose cats. Thought Catalog. Retrieved January 26, 2023, from https://thoughtcatalog.com/leigh-alexander/2011/01/why-the-internet-chose-cats/

Cheng, F. (2021). Ode to Kring-Kring.

Gilbert, B. D. (2021, May 10). We like watching birds. YouTube. Retrieved December 23, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ml7bK1jg69I&t=39s

Lyotard, J. F. (1997). The postmodern condition. University of Minnesota.

Matsakis, L. (2017, July 1). Surreal memes are the last escape the internet has. VICE. Retrieved January 26, 2023, from https://www.vice.com/en/article/xwz833/surreal-memes-are-the-last-escape-the-internet-has

Mohsin, M. (2022, December 31). 10 tiktok statistics you need to know in 2022 [new data]. Oberlo. Retrieved January 10, 2023, from https://www.oberlo.com/blog/tiktok-statistics

Stockwell, P. (2016). The Language of Surrealism. p. 177. Bloombury Publishing.

[midnxght-sweet-time]

omg okok i totally agree with you and i think that the whole sagau thing has turned into isekai, yandere and cult au smashed together under the title of “sagau” which doesn’t really make much sense because the title “Self Aware Genshin AU” doesn’t say anything about isekai, cults or even stuff about a creator, it’s literally just genshin characters being self aware that they’re in a game.

and i have no problem with people writing that of course, just maybe don’t label it sagau..?

AND ALSO!!! what you said about the whole cast turning completely stupid and mindless besides aiming to kill the impostor (albedo and impostor albedo excluded because they’re special or something) is so true!!! like honestly, i understand (sort of) that it’s a nice setup for the revenge part or whatever.. but don’t you think at least the archons would think twice or even recognize the reader as the creator? or, if it’s in the au where the reader is an actual impostor, don’t you think they’d just imprison you or something? i really don’t think they’d be that cruel. unless, of course, this is the hardcore cult au, then they might.

and honestly if they thought the reader was an imposter and really were trying to kill them there probably wouldn’t be that much of a commotion over some rando stealing their “creator”’s face. they’d probably just kill them and be done with it, because the reader really isn’t very important at that point. at least in my opinion, anyways.

I find that hardcore cult or not, if your telling me someone like Jean, the most responsible there is that even knowing one of the four winds, Dvalin is tryna destroy Mondstadt and she tries to find a pacifist solution to it before resorting to violence with a heavy heart—would resort to killing the imposter on sight just cuz they impersonate their creator is just such a farcry of wtfs.

And the isekai'd mashed with sagau. Yea its out of place but in a way it makes sense cuz ppl still aknowledge yes theyre in a game and with the creator isekai'd in they know that yea this is their creator for the most part. I feel like the isekai'd part is more of an additional detail in considering its more impactful/fun to be in the game then being out of the game and talking to the characs thru the screen.

But the yandere n cult thing has developed into a mindless worshipping state. I can see a yandere forming but not in the way of 'oh we gotta protect the creator and make everyone bow down to them' especially litterally meeting them just one min ago. I especially hate yanderes that somehow caught feelings on first sight cuz it just doesnt make much sense and the buildup aint fun cuz there is no build up-

And abt the albedo knowing ur the creator. Yes his a homunculus but put it this way; an artificial being thats made to be human, ik his not exactly human but still close to what a human is, can recognize this is the creator but not the litteral GODS or any other non human species like hell YAE or XIAO, two non humans with some supernatural background you would expect to see through a person does not recognize the creator? This is just as bs as the selective infliction of curses of Tatarigami.

That and the whole worshipping thing is like a whole nerf in a character. Like someone as cold as Xiao is fangirling cuz you main him? Isnt Xiao the type of person who would get ptsd knowing you in a way, used him? Just like in his backstory of being used by another evil god.

[blackberry-gingham]

ooh, def Toad!!🐸

Bless you 😭😭😭 also tagging @samatedeansbroccoli since she asked for the same character 😩

Favorite thing:

Probably his severe underdog status tbh. I am not joking when I say that literally no one genuinely likes this man or even gives him the time of day in the Marvel universe.

Which is just amplified when we consider that he's actually extremely powerful, assuming we take his toad powers to their logical and scientific conclusions and all

Least favorite thing:

Dnsjskskak the way that his creators can't settle on one design for him and so he constantly swings between "ok looking at best" to "literally the most hideous, uncanny thing you've ever seen in your life" 😭

Favorite line:

At the tail end of his run in the wolverine X-Men school comic, as he's being exiled for helping Paige do her nefarious stuff and the others are like "was it worth it" or whatever and he says

"All I did, I did for love"

Like..... Bro. Ouchie.

Especially when you consider that Toad's idea of love is kind of warped in that he is just soooo easy to take advantage of. Like, he's a willing dependent in a codependency relationship. He'll do literally anything you ask... Just as long as you at least pretend to give even a fraction of a fuck about him.

So all that to say, that while he may feel his actions are justified bc "he did it for the woman he loves" and all... That's really not even the case tbh, bc he never seemed to be truly loved by her in the first place.

But also in the invasive species mission in contest of champions during the little dialogue transmission, ronin is like "time to die, frog man" or whatever and toad is like "hey fuck you, that guys not like me, he's just a guy in a suit"

AND HES FUCKING RIGHT LMAOOOOO

Idk, not super profound or anything, but genuinely made me laugh so it deserves a spot

brOTP:

Oof, once again, Toad is another guy who doesn't really have friends lol. I'd say him and Spiderman tbh.

Two dudes who are losers irl, but also super smart and all that. They can commiserate over their girl troubles, I'm sure

OTP:

Me again, lmao. I will give him true love 😌🤲🏻

nOTP:

Probably like.... Magneto or something. Ugh, that's so foul. Just the concept hurts to type 😭

Random HC:

I'm trying to think of something I haven't said already lmao

Uuuuuh, he basically starts to fall apart once he hits middle age tbh, lol. He just wants to retire and live a normal life with his s/o after like... 43. Eating bugs starts to give him really bad heartburn and he really hates to crouch down and do that toad hop thing he's known for.

Age and dad bod weight come together for pretty shitty back pain afterwards if he does it for too long.

Unpopular opinion:

Well, there's not really many people to pitch against for me to even have a truly "unpopular opinion" tbh 😂😂😅

But I guess I'd say Todd kind of annoys me tbh. I think it's his diction style more than anything tho, so 😭 That, and it's like... I get why he's more of a popular choice in fanfictions, but also.... Idk. What about the og tho 😭😭

Song I associate:

Probably listen up by Oasis off of the very excellent The Masterplan album. One bc I just associate Liam Gallagher and his voice and image so hard with Mort, but also the mood is right and the lyrics are accurate.

That and the titular song off that same album. The Masterplan, the song, is sung by Noel, Liam's brother, but idk. I really love his voice for like.... Adult Toad.

The first is more about making up your mind to be your own man, even if it means you have to go at life on your own.

The second has a lot more to unpack tbh lmao, but basically it ties into the idea that "the plan for life is that there is no plan" and while that may sound scary, and sure it can be... But we should also realize the potential it has in that good things can happen too, even when we don't expect them.

Favorite picture:

Lmao am I wrong to post one of my drawings 😭

I'd say I'm caught between this panel of the comic, bc like.... W I D E. Plus, canon dad bod confirmed lmao

And this scene from days of future past just bc I literally died like LMAO. Even in an alternate universe, this man is forced into a crummy job. That, and the fact that a man who's poisonous enough to take out literally anyone in an actual fucking heartbeat...

Is cooking FOOD and with no gloves or anything. Like.... This is such an absolutely God tier FDA violation 😭😭

[certified-crystalclod]

Why you should stop making characters “aracial”

We see aracial characters mainly in podcasts or tabletop games. Sometimes they can be seen in comics. Aracial characters are made so the fans can assign them their own race/ethnicity headcanons. They could also be seen as cop outs because the creator doesn’t have to put effort into putting representation into their media. It’s just an easy way to make everyone happy. This post will tell you why aracial characters actually doesn’t help create representation and actually lessens it.

(TL;DR: Aracial characters cause harm because the default headcanon is to make the character white. There’s no good representation with it and causes discourse and BIPOC fans to be attacked and leave the fandom. To portray a good BIPOC character, do enough research to where you feel comfortable writing them. To have some gender-ambiguity, set a region with no specifics. For example, say your character is South-East Asian but no specific country. Representation in media matters and doing a cop-out isn’t the way to do it.)

Before we begin, let’s start with some definitions.

Aracial: without race or race distinctions

Race: the idea that the human species is divided into distinct groups on the basis of inherited physical and behavioral differences

Ethnicity: the fact or state of belonging to a social group that has a common national or cultural tradition, common set of folklore, ancestry, language, history, society, culture, nation, religion, or social treatment within their residing area

Nationality: the state of being part of a nation whether by birth or naturalization or ties to a specific nation

BIPOC: Black, Indigenous, Person of Color. Used when referring to all 3. POC is not synonymous with Black or Indigenous.

Race coding: writing an aracial character to be a specific race/ethnicity without explicitly saying it in the story

Headcanon: to note a particular belief which has not been used in the universe of whatever program or story they follow, but seems to make sense to that particular individual, and as such is adopted as a sort of "personal canon"

Canon: A piece of work -usually in reference to literature- that was written by the original author

I may not use all these words but they are nice to know. Lets begin.

Why are aracial characters bad?

Aracial characters aren’t inherently bad. If you make your characters race-ambiguous you’re not some type of bad person who’s too lazy to do real representation. You’re just got the right idea, wrong action. Aracial characters are just... not the best. Sure this means you can make your favorite character whatever race/ethnicity you want, but this can also cause discomfort and discourse.

In the early stages of fandoms (2000-2010s) lots of headcanons for these characters were mainly white. There was hardly any representation so you had to make it yourself. When there was representation, it came off as back-handed and hardly had any effort put into it. The art would look great but they didn’t have the right hair or facial features. They just looked like a white character with a tan.

Then came race coding. Creators, purposefully or accidentally, would put in subtle hints at a characters race/ethnicity. This would be through the way they talked, the celebrations they had, their traditions, or their struggles. This mainly happened with alien or non-human characters. Examples of these would be the majority of the Homestuck trolls, Steven Universe gems, and various podcast characters. BIPOC and white fans would figure out their hints and announce them, saying it would be wrong to headcanon them as anything otherwise. This is true as doing so would erase their identity and representation. As this grew, racism within fandoms grew. People would say “they don’t have a race! We can depict them however they want!” and throw fits when told the damage they’re doing.

Aracial characters can allow the freedom to depict your fans to project onto your characters but it also allows racism and attacks on harmless headcanons. It seems they can work but most of the time they do more damage.

How can I play/create a BIPOC character without accidentally doing harmful stereotypes?

You should always do research. When you play a wizard, what do you do? Research the spells it can do, the languages it can learn, and other important factors. When you play/write a BIPOC character, do the exact same thing. Research experiences, languages, clothing, and traditions. Is your character poor, well-off, or rich? Do they have immigrant parents, are they an immigrant themself, or have they been a citizen all this time and not understand the struggles of undocumented people? Are they in touch with their culture or slowly losing it? All of these can affect the way your character acts, talks, and grows.

If you’re a white person or simply someone who is writing out of your culture, this can be scary. You don’t want to accidentally say something wrong or put a harmful stereotype onto your character. To avoid this, research the stereotypes. See how they are subtly put into media like movies and TV shows. You may have seen some and not noticed because you never knew. When you have these, you’ll know how to avoid them.

Don’t see your character as a political thing. If you think “this is groundbreaking. I’m playing/writing a character of a different culture and must do everything right! I will be the best!” then you’re doing it wrong. Portray your character as you would if they were the same race as you. Or if you had them as aracial. Do not see them as scary because you might fuck up or brave because you’re stepping out of your comfort zone. They are a human being just like you. Sort of.

How can I allow my audience to portray my characters how they want and also have proper representation?

Maybe you don’t want to have a set race/ethnicity in place because you’re afraid or uneasy. That’s alright. Some of us need baby steps. What you can do is give them a region or race but no specifics.

For example, you can have a Latine or Hispanic character without specifically saying “They’re Mexican!” or “They’re Chilean!” This allows this group of people to say “Hey! I’m Latine or Hispanic! I can portray them in my culture!” This allows your audience to have a variety of cultures to choose from.

Having free-range like this with your characters is fun. It allows people to choose what they think best fits the character while also having some representation. It’s not a constant battle of headcanons and constant white characters. Nothing wrong with them it’s just seems to be the default when it comes to headcanons.

Representation in media matters, especially in ones where there is free will to interpretation. BIPOC do not get to see ourselves in media everyday so when we can put it in ourself, we do exactly that. We make the characters live our lives through our traditions and music and style and just everything.

When the representation is poor and lazy, it shows how much a creator doesn’t care about their audience and how they only care about their image. This can be seen in aracial characters. It’s just a cop-out so creators don’t have to worry so much about it and leave the work to everybody else.

[adarkjournal]

Grims and the Grim Curse

Grims are the result of an ancient, powerful spell laid some time in the distant past. It is unclear who spun it, or exactly when or where it was cast. Some theories hold that it was cast upon another world entirely, and has since spilled over into our own. Whatever its origins, it has since grown far beyond the bounds of any other curse I have ever seen. 

And it is a curse. This spell, though seemingly cast in defense of creatures all over the world, cannot be reasonably termed anything but a curse. Crucially, it is a curse laid mostly upon the cruel members of society, and usually more or less harmless to those not meant for it to target. 

The Grim curse takes action when an animal is killed cruelly and senselessly. The more violent and needless the death, the more likely for the curse to activate. It primarily acts upon non-human mammals, though has also been seen to take effect in birds, reptiles, and fish. Regardless of species, the effect is the same; after the animal’s death, it transforms into a Grim. The transformation usually takes some time, but may be rushed if other creatures are in immediate danger. 

An animal turned Grim is a monstrous version of its former self. They grow much larger and stronger than they were in life, and a new intelligence, a new intent, finds its way into their eyes. Newborn Grims are generally confused and disoriented, but, in the first few weeks of their new lives, their minds are filled with comprehension and understanding far beyond what they had before. 

A Grim Knows, instinctively, who was responsible for its death, and its first task is to track down and slaughter the person responsible. Most types aren’t inherently violent towards bystanders, and they frequently come to the defense of animals or people who need it, but Grims show no mercy to those responsible for their creation. A Grim can only be born from an act of wanton malice, from something so needlessly cruel that it draws down the might of a centuries-old curse. Responsible hunting or farming of animals can never create a Grim, nor can a genuine accident that incidentally causes an animal to suffer. Grims arise from acts of intentional cruelty, or rarely from cases of intentional neglect. 

When a Grim is born, its creator’s fate is sealed. No force on this planet can reliably stop a Grim from finding and killing the one responsible for its creation, as they will pursue their progenitors to the ends of the Earth. They cannot be soothed, cannot be dissuaded, cannot be reasoned with. Until its progenitor is dead, the Grim exists only for destruction.

When it has killed its progenitor, and it is a matter of when, not if, the Grim’s rage will generally be soothed. Some Grims will simply fade away afterward, their driving rage gone. Some rare, dangerous variants can never be calmed. But most will settle, often slinking off to curl up somewhere quiet and run through the knowledge and understanding so suddenly and rudely bestowed upon them.    

A Grim that has killed its progenitor and had time to settle into itself is a clever creature, far more intelligent than the animal it used to be. Most Grims are sapient, though their thought patterns may not run along the same lines as ours do. Grims that come from social species generally attain the ability to fold themselves down into some semblance of their former selves, or at least into something resembling a normal animal. Given a few decades, they can mimic a normal animal, almost flawlessly.

There are, however, always a few giveaways. Very few Grims manage to hide the intelligence in their gaze, the sensation that to look them in the eyes is to meet another person. Grims are almost always a deep, lightless black, even species that normally carry little to no black pigment. Their body temperatures are often abnormal, and it takes them considerable effort to maintain life signs similar to a living creature. When touched, they feel solid and strong, and are often much heavier than their size would suggest. With exceptions.

Settled Grims can make lovely, faithful companions, for those who understand them and respect their intelligence. Some young Grims are known to intentionally ignore much of their intelligence and understanding, in favor of living a life something like what they might formerly have led.  

It is important to note that, although many variants of Grim appear to be injured, they invariably never suffer from whatever killed them. Rather, a Grim typically takes the essence of its death into itself, so that nothing like that can ever harm it again. Drowned Grims are forever suffused in water, Scorched Grims burst into flames at the slightest provocation, and Frostbite Grims chill everything around them. More than that, they are incredibly difficult to harm by any means- they resist physical injuries, heal rapidly from anything that fails to destroy them, and cannot be killed by almost any mortal means. Grims are almost impossible to physically destroy, making them formidable allies. Or incredibly dangerous enemies.

Do not cross them. If you encounter a Grim seeking its progenitor, there is only one sensible action:

Run.