#this isn’t an issue more of a peeve

[jacarandaaaas]

unpopular opinion?

When ppl make modern AUs that involve social media and they make mirabels username “giftless madrigal” or something similar it just kinda takes me out of it? like u mean the same mirabel who spent most of the movie trying to prove to everyone she’s more than her giftless status and is incredibly insecure about herself? ur telling me she would make her biggest insecurity her Instagram name!??

[andthe-damned]

stupid pet peeve but like you’ve watched one video or follow one account about a disorder that doesn’t make you the expert. This lady with a little kid is talking about her kids health struggles she had when she was a baby that she has overcome and not asking for any opinions or advice strictly sharing the story and all the comments are “she looks like she has sanfillipo syndrome” “have you had her tested for sanfillipo syndrome”

Like dude the mom literally NEVER mentioned her child having a single symptom of sanfillipo maybe don’t armchair diagnose her child with an incredibly rare terminal genetic disorder? Maybe you DONT need to comment on a child’s appearance especially to say you think they look abnormal?

[kinaaaard]

not to be petty or bemoan what should be a ostensibly ignored talking point but it is kind of ridiculous that so many of the anti-tommy people (mostly on twitter) harp on about how they don’t find lou to be attractive (to paraphrase some of the gentler sentiments passed around).

which, fine, YOU don’t have to find him attractive. that’s your prerogative! but your favorite tv character does find him attractive, which is what….matters. it feels indicative of a larger issue that….shipping folks need both sides of their ship to be CW-looking men. non-threatening with gentler features, model-tuned and effete. in the larger scheme of things, lou is VERY attractive. but when it comes to shipping fictional characters, they need to have softer, more affable features — almost like they need to appeal purely to a certain subsection of the female gaze! which is ridiculous.

lou is a man, LOOKS like a traditionally masculine man. which is part of the reason buck likes tommy so much. which is not to say that any other actor isn’t that (traditionally masculine, esp while playing a gay character) but once it breaches outside their accepted barriers of what a….shippable man should look like, it comes off as spiteful and childish, and ultimately, a deviation of what the “aesthetically pleasing” presentation of what a gay couple should look like. I don’t know lmfao i’m just really peeved at the people going after lou’s looks.

[theygotlost]

good afternoon here's my big rant on my pet peeves for subtitles in movies and tv

This is a post that I’ve thought about making probably for years now but never got around to. I might add more later if I realize I’ve forgotten any

When it comes down to it, the purpose of subtitles is this: to reflect exactly what the audience can hear, precisely when it can be heard. If you fail to do this, your subtitles are bad and you should feel bad. Although I don’t have concrete examples for most of these off the top of my head, I promise I have experienced them all firsthand at least once.

-> Watch for spelling and typos. Obviously.

-> Syncing issues.

This should go without saying, but the captions should be synced as closely as possible with dialogue and sound effects. Subtitles that are out of sync are worse to me than no subtitles at all. They’re unbearably distracting and I have to turn them off. I’m fortunate enough that I can keep watching without them, so imagine how frustrating this is for someone who needs to keep them on no matter what.

-> Jumping the gun.

This is basically an example of out-of-sync subtitles that are slightly too fast, but it gets its own category because it ruins the viewing experience in its own unique way. In particularly dramatic scenes, actors will often draw out their lines or pause between phrases. Captions sometimes fail to reflect this by displaying the entire sentence all at once, allowing the audience to read what someone is about to say before they actually say it, which deflates all the dramatic tension of the scene.

-> Phantom captions.

This one is less self explanatory, but it’s kind of similar to syncing. Sometimes there will be significant intervals of time between lines of dialogue, especially after a scene ends and a new one begins. The interval may include music, sound effects, or complete silence, but what I’m calling a “phantom” is a caption that stays on the screen after that last line of dialogue is delivered until the next line is spoken. I don’t remember what I was watching, but there was one that was glued to the screen for SEVERAL MINUTES over what was supposed to be an atmospheric break between scenes and it drove me nuts. In my experience this happens more often with older subtitling for DVDs and some old videos and less with modern streaming. 

-> Straight up spoilers.

Sometimes, a character will speak whose true identity has not yet been revealed to the audience. If I’m not supposed to know the character’s name yet, don’t just… tell me right there in the captions whenever they say something. Descriptors like “disembodied voice”, “man”/”woman”, “mysterious figure”, etc. will suffice.

-> Lack of musical descriptors.

It usually helps to describe the genre or emotion of the music that’s playing rather than just writing [music] or 🎵. That being said, if there is a song playing that’s particularly well known in the mainstream, I think it’s useful to actually include the name of the song. This one I do have a concrete example for: in Arrested Development, Gob always blasts The Final Countdown during his acts. But the captions on my DVDs for the show always describe it as [stagy pop]. Like yeah I would say that song is some pretty stagy pop, but I think a lot of the humor comes from knowing that it’s specifically The Final Countdown by Europe because it’s such a perfectly corny selection that Gob would make.

Another musical failure is not transcribing pertinent lyrics. If the song is playing in the background, then that’s understandable and it can be kind of distracting if there’s dialog happening on top of it because the audience isn’t actually meant to be paying close attention to the song. But if the song is front and center, like for a musical number or montage, then the lyrics can be pretty important. Last year when I watched Arcane on Netflix with my family (a recent, high budget production from the biggest streaming platform ever), the show had the nerve to write [man rapping] over a musical sequence. Imagine if all subtitles ever just said [person speaking] for the entire movie.

-> Affectations.

If a character starts using a silly voice or accent, or if the sound of their voice changes in any way, describe that. If the audience can hear the difference, the subtitles should reflect that difference. And they should reflect it informatively and accurately; for example, don’t just say [mock accent], but specify [mock French accent]. 

-> Paraphrasing.

I don’t even know why this is an issue, but it’s alarming how many times the subtitles just… straight up don’t match what the characters are actually saying. It’s like the transcriber was forced to write all the captions from memory, so they kinda sorta say the same thing, but the wording is different and some sentences or phrases are missing. When I brought this up with my mom she theorized that the transcriber was working off the script for the movie because hey, that’s all the dialogue already written down, right? But it completely fails to account for revisions, improvisation, or actors delivering their lines even slightly different than how they were originally written.

And last but certainly not least, one of the biggest offenders in bad subtitling…

-> [Speaks foreign language]

If someone says something in another language, please, for the love of god, do not just write [speaks foreign language]  and call it a day. Specifying the actual language is an improvement, but this descriptor only works if the audience members are truly not meant to know what’s being said (which is sometimes the case). If a character is only saying a single word or phrase in another language, transcribe it. As in, write down the actual words that they said. If you don’t speak that language, find someone who does. You are insane for transcribing a character saying “hola” or “abuela” in an otherwise English sentence as [speaks Spanish] (real examples I saw respectively in Rango and JANE THE VIRGIN. THERE’S SO MUCH SPANISH IN THAT SHOW). 

If the audience is supposed to know what someone is saying in another language, English subtitles will usually be hardcoded. DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, LET THE CAPTION SAYING [SPEAKS FOREIGN LANGUAGE] COVER THESE UP. This is actively impeding understanding, not helping it. Jesus christ

* Please keep in mind that I’m not deaf or hard of hearing and I don’t have auditory processing disorder; I almost always watch movies and tv with subtitles whenever the option is available because it helps me absorb information better. If I don’t even strictly NEED subtitles and these are issues for me, I can only imagine how much more difficult it is for those who rely on them more heavily. I invite you to add your own perspective!!

[dallasgallant]

“Ain’t nobody call the Fuzz in this neighborhood cause they know better!”

This line sits with me as a very telling one that often goes overlooked, as it’s lost in the blur of energy before the rumble. Now most of this is going to be from existing knowledge but it did prompt me to dig into poor communities a bit more. The line is said differently between the Book and the movie but both are said within the idea of pride and community— when they’re caught up in the high of before a rumble, all the energy close to bursting out of them- repping their kind and going on this spree of yelling stereotypes and taking ownership. In the movie Steve’s much more happy and hyped as he yells it— in the book he also says it to correct Darry but in a more exact tone.

In a surprise to no one cops aren’t friends to poor communities. Economically poor, crime heavy communities tend to be over policed and often met with force, brutality etc. We know the boys get hauled in a lot, sometimes just for the assumption they did something. Cops pick out, they stereotype and often target within the neighborhood.

There’s a social aspect as well that’s not so direct to do with police action and that is the social isolation. Lack of resources, mistreatment and disapproval from those outside creates strong communities that further isolate. In a lot of ways it’s a helpful thing, mitigating the effects of poverty by having a social net and trust. A detail I like is that Darry seems to be a part of a phone tree when Pony was late the first time (not exclusive to poor areas but a great example of having networks.) People help each other out “help their own” building networks. A lot of work is under the table or can be barter based - questionable legality of work, building/fixing things, way of general running of life. Perception of law is different.

This isn’t to say everyone in the neighborhood has broken the law at some point but it’s likely a lot have at least something of questionable legality or more likely have family members who are greasers, criminals etc but will protect them. All of the guys instantly flock to go help Dally after he robbed the store and have been stated to hide and protect the guys whenever they do something like this. It comes back to the “help/protect your own” … no one in the neighborhood is calling the cops because they know what will happen if they do. A family member or friend might be taken in, potential brutality, people coming in and uprooting the way you live your life because it’s “abnormal” etc etc etc.

If someone does call the cops who do you think they’re going to help? A bunch of no good, greasy hoods or the nice boys from the other side of town with their khakis and new cars and clothes? It was probably a greaser who threw the first punch too… doesn’t matter their side of town or what its over, or if some Soc is standing over some bleeding greaser kid. It’s systemic. (An aside but this is also why it drives me nuts people would assume the boys to be bigots because they’re … lower class in the 60s… let’s do some introspection there. Added to the fact that, there’s a lot of overlap with racial issues, their community would likely be FAR more integrated than the west or even rest of the town. Not that their wouldn’t be ignorance but the assumption— that’s not the point of this post but a pet peeve of mine)

Anyways, the Outsiders often gets reduced to a simplistic “use vs them” of just Greaser vs prep like it’s one of the beach movies they watch. When in reality it’s actually a lot to do with class and societal expectations/conditioning.

—

Papers if interested Here and here

Either for general interest or potentially helping with writing. Ones an older study (which skimming and certain sections I found interesting), the other IS Wikipedia but it’s for the general idea

[where-that-old-train-goes]

ummmm duck grayson

this was the context on the FUCK. dick ask but anyway okayyy

sooo im not that well versed in nightwing comics (only just started looking for nightwing stuff) BUT that doesn’t mean i dont have THOUGHTS

to be clear generally im not a shipper anyway so i don’t actively ship him w anyone. i reblog cool art sometimes but im only an active shopper with yj

anywayyyy

some of y’all (!!!! WAYNE FAMILY ADVENTURES AND ANYONE WHO TAKE THAT SHIT AS CANON !!!!!!!!!!!!) do not understand this man.

rule 1: THIS MAN IS ANGRY. stop uwuifying him he’s canonically got anger issues. he is, canonically, ANGRY. “batman: tas was the best batman” cool but did you see the episode where little twelve year old dickie tried to Kill A Man. okay. he’s angry!!!

rule 2: he is a master manipulator. YALL ARE FALLING FOR HIS PERSONA. OKAY. he could manipulate whoever he wanted. he could be a villain if he wanted!!! BUT

rule 3: HE IS A GOOD PERSON. he may be angry and a good manipulator but he does want to be A GOOD PERSON. this is IMPORTANT. okay.

ultimately my favorite dynamic here is him and damian. the brothers ever. maybeeeeee him and bruce too because God. they’re always fun if it’s written right. smth i wish we as a fandom would discuss more is the problems with oversexualizing him? esp reducing him to just The Pretty One when he’s also been raped. more than once. you have to be in specific spaces to even find people talking about this but it’s something that happened a few times and i wish we’d actually talk about it. if it had happened to a female character (or even if the perpetrators were men and not women) we would NOT be acting how we act with him.

it’s really fucked up to me to reduce his INCREDIBLY interesting and fun to explore character to “haha he’s got a nice ass”. it was a funny joke when it was a JOKE— he is appearance wise a generic attractive dc guy. but it’s not a joke anymore among the fandom and i HATE IT. he’s got depth, he HAS a lot of things going for him that are really interesting!! don’t reduce him to just that.

on a less “pissed with the fandom” and more “pet peeve with the writers” I HATE TOM TAYLOR’S NIGHTWING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️

i have read leaping into the light— and it fucking sucked. it’s not, as it’s own story, bad (although there’s very little depth or really anything to analyze imo, but not all media HAS to be deep. that’s not what everyone is there for) but as a nightwing story?

‼️‼️‼️

IT SUCKED

‼️‼️‼️

tom taylor is on the road to success. someone pull him over.

dick isn’t just a wisecracking, happy-go-lucky guy! he does not have to be a Generic Hero!!!! he can be angry and manipulative and still be good despite it!!!!!!

that’s my main point but to end on something more lighthearted… i actually like the discowing suit. it was silly and weird and so 80s. but it was fun!!!! did it age well??? no. but was it FUN!!! was it SILLY!!!! was he kind of serving? yes! this is a pro discowing blog!

[paradoxlemonade]

Mirror Mirror

Fandom: Double Life SMP

Dynamic: Etho & Joel

words: 1313

Warnings: body image issues, insecurity

Ao3: Here!

Summary: Etho doesn't like how he looks. Joel does not know this. Hurt/comfort ensues. (This is my @mcytblrholidayexchange present for @kyleknight! I hope you enjoy ^^)

— — — — —

Joel likes to think he’s a pretty funny guy in his own humble opinion, thank you very much. People laugh when he starts cracking jokes, and those that don’t are probably just peeved that they’re the subject of his mockery—after all, when there’s a punchline, someone has to be the one to get decked. It’s all in good fun!

It’s… disconcerting when someone who’s supposed to be in on the joke isn’t smiling along with it. 

And it’s not like Etho’s even the one on the receiving end! The whole point of the thing is how they—as soulmates—can ruin everyone else’s thumbnails together!

It’s a bit of Etho’s that Joel has always found fun as long as he’s known about it: hiding another layer of visual data in his player code only visible upon lookup is a fantastic prank for messing with one’s friends, since it’ll only show up when they pull his image to build the thumbnail. Etho himself, who doesn’t bother with that sort of menial technicality and just whips out a camera from his back pocket when he spies a good thumbnail, is immune. And sure, sure, Joel doesn’t actually know how to replicate the effect and just went for a plain t-shirt with the face painted on in crooked lines, but it was still funny and would show up on the lookups (And Etho’s pictures, but that’s what hiding the shirt with armor is for).

Joel was grinning like mad as he showed off the creation, hands waving and detailing the concept. Etho gave an affirmation, but he hadn’t seemed particularly enthused with the concept; the mask hiding his face stretched with a smile even as his eyes skittered to the side and hid under knit brows.

So. Joel tries not to let it bother him and simply enjoy the thought of his friends being annoyed with him.

He picks at the hem of the t-shirt as he paces about the Boat Boys (not Small Etho!) base area. The day passes as usual: chaos reigns, problems are caused (all on purpose if asked, mostly on purpose in actuality), and Joel enjoys Etho’s company. Really, the man is a delight—Joel knew of him more than he knew him personally before the latest season, but every new interaction reveals something new about Etho that he didn’t know, and Joel’s actions and mannerisms in turn to him.

Everything seems fine, until. Until, until, until.

Etho removes the secret layer. Joel finds out about it in between sessions and tries (fails) not to take it personally.

It… stings.

The start of the next session and Joel’s ire do not roll in like thunder, but instead stumble in on unsure legs like a fawn. Sure, he’s irritated (and a little offended, and a little hurt), but it’s Etho. So Joel leans on the edge of The Relation Ship and drinks in the sight of the server.

A creaking floorboard from behind him and a gentle wheeze of breath belies Etho’s awaited arrival. 

Without turning around, Joel begins, “I see that you’ve changed your skin?” It’s light as he can manage with a slight chuckle of incredulity, but from the tightness in his jaw, it does little to masquerade much of anything.

“I did, yes—”

“You took the face off? Was it because I—”

“Yeah.”

Joel huffs. “Wow, brilliant.” He pushes off and turns in a single motion, and—

Freezes.

…Any plans Joel has for a polite (but frigid, but pointed, but sardonic) questioning evaporate once he gets a look at Etho’s face.

He looks tired, bags like smudges of coal languishing, shifting with every blink. Every step is upheld with an air of casual nonchalance, but the slight tremble in his fingers betrays him. His pale hair is dull and falls over his scarred eye.

“...You look like a wreck.”

Etho scowls for a bare moment but beats it down to a practiced neutrality. “It’s nothing. I’m fine.”

Joel snorts. “Considering that I hadn’t asked but you tried to deflect anyways, say that I don’t particularly believe you.” He grabs Etho by the wrist and slides past, leading him down to their chests. “Did you sleep at all between now and the last session? Because your eyebags have eyebags. Bet we could fit a whole stack of items in there.” Before Etho can respond, Joel pops the lock on a chest and picks out a loaf of bread. He drops it into Etho’s hands with a nod of finality.

“I slept just fine. And I ate too, if that’s what you’re getting at by this.” He gestures helplessly with the bread. “I told you, I’m fine.”

Joel shrugs. “And I said I didn’t believe you. I can play this game all day, especially since your face isn’t helping your argument.”

Etho scowls again. “Stop saying that.” 

“Saying what? That you look like you’ve been fighting phantoms? And losing?”

 “Joel, please…” His shoulders are drawn in close and his grip on the bread grows tighter, more desperate.

Joel falters.

“Are you… okay?”

Etho makes a face and stalks back onto the ship. “You don’t need to rub it in, you know.”

Joel trails behind him, his sense of assurance drying up. “You’re gonna need to be a little more specific than that, mate. Rub what in?”

He laughs. Laughs. Something dry, something quiet, something brittle. Etho keeps his gaze trained on the bread crust he picks at aimlessly. “I know I’m nothing nice to look at. I’ve known that basically forever. So you don’t need to rub it in; I already know.”

Joel blinks. He stops following Etho’s pacing and stands in place. What does he say to that? “You’re kidding, right?”

Mm. Probably not that.

Etho gives him an unimpressed look. “Why would I be kidding about this? You’ve been saying it yourself all morning.”

Wait, he thought that… and then Joel…

Oh, goddammit.

Joel rubs a hand across his face letting it trail up to drag through his hair. “You look tired, man, not ugly. You’re not a supermodel—so what? Neither am I. And neither is anyone else that we hang out with. You’re in pretty good company.” His feet finally unstick from the floor and he manages to scoot next to Etho, their shoulders brushing. “You’ve been thinking about this the entire break, haven’t you?”

Etho shrugs, as if it hides the way his shoulders droop with the weight of his thoughts. “I don’t… I try not to think about my face too much. Not ever since”—he waves his free hand at the long, ropy line bisecting his face—“that. No mirrors in any of my builds or anything. I guess your silly t-shirt just reminded me that everyone else is looking at me when I talk to them.”

Joel kinda feels bad for taking that personally, now.

He shakes his head. “If you told me what was up, I would’ve ditched the shirt. Here, like this.” He reaches up with one hand and yanks it off by the neckline, tossing it across the ship in the same motion. It hits the wall and slides to the floor in a crumpled heap. “There, now it’s gone.”

Etho takes a minute to gather his thoughts. After a pause, his eyes trail over to meet Joel’s. “Thanks.”

Joel leans over and bumps him, never breaking eye contact. “Bothering people is fun. Hurting them isn’t.”

The moment passes, and Etho turns his attention back to the bread. He slides his mask down and takes a hesitant bite.

— — — — —

Joel leans back and kicks a foot over his leg. “Besides, I can still think of, like, at least three different people who would throw themselves at you in a heartbeat if they thought they had a chance of getting you into bed with them.”

Etho chokes on a mouthful of bread.

[the-letterbox-archives]

archival file 4801805 (tag game)

thank you @corinneglass for the tag!! i loved reading reine's answers to these questions, and i'm so excited to hop on this tag game too! i'll be using sunny for this one, because she has poisoned my brain and i physically cannot think of anyone else.

what uncommon/common fear do they have?

rejection, for sure.

do they have any pet peeves?

people talking over her, but that falls under her ‘i hate annoying people who don’t respect me’ trait.

what are 3 items you can find in their bedroom?

a lot of journals of local gossip/people-watching info, a lot of bandages/bandaids, and pictures of her and darcy (though those are hidden to the point nobody could find them except her or darcy).

what do they notice first in a person?

how they talk. she uses that as an entry to get a read on their general confidence and the rest of their demeanour.

on a scale of 1 to 10, how high is their pain tolerance?

psychologically, very high, about 7-10, if it hasn’t directly happened to her or she didn’t actively witness it; she’s good at relaying news of tragedy to others or hearing about tragedy without getting upset about it. in terms of psychological pain that she actively experiences, i’d put it around a 4. physical pain comes in above average, maybe a 6.5.

do they go into fight or flight mode when under pressure?

neither, i think. i imagine she’s pretty versatile in response, but i doubt she’d ever go straight to fight (she is super weak), so of the two, i’d go with flight. if we extend it to the four responses (fight, flight, freeze, and fawn), i think freeze is most common for her in relation to a situation not exactly initiated by a person, maybe fawn depending on if it’s a certain person that’s related to/causing the pressure.

do they come from a big family/are they a family person?

sunny comes from a very small family, and that actually caused a lot of issues for her. she’s got a complicated relationship to family, so she’s not a family oriented person.

what animal represents them best?

fox, definitely. cute and cunning! or maybe a scorpion, like in the fable.

what is a smell that they dislike?

she’s sensitive to any really strong scent, like something you’d find in a super strong candle store. it’s less so the smell, but the overpowering quality of it.

have they broken any bones?

yes, more than once, both at spencer’s and at home, but a very long time ago.

how would a stranger likely describe them?

a girl with a lot of attitude, in a stuffy private school uniform, but seems wholly out of place where she is, though they can’t quite place why...

are they a night owl or a morning bird?

there are certain circles of girls who stay up to the early hours of the morning studying/gossiping/drinking/etc, and sunny is a proud member of that group. she usually conks out around 2-4am, to get up at 7am for school (though she sleeps until the afternoon on weekends).

what is a flavour they hate and a flavour they love?

loves sweet and sour tastes separately, hates them together.

do they have any hobbies?

journaling and artistic hobbies like nature drawings and embroidery.

boom, surprise birthday party! how do they react to surprises?

a bit surprised, not because she doesn’t expect people to know her birthday (she’s announced it on the show in the past), but because she didn’t except anyone to care. she would feign expectation, like she knew it would happen, then go straight to darcy and ask if she organised this. i think overall sunny would act up the “oh, i knew this would happen, i’m the best haha,” but internally be very taken aback at the display.

do they like to wear jewellery?

only as a symbol of power.

do they have neat or messy handwriting?

doctor-levels of messy.

what are the two emotions they feel the most?

schadenfreude and indifference.

do they have a favourite fabric?

wool knit, especially the blazers and jackets the uniform supplies, though she isn’t particularly picky.

what kind of accent do they have?

she’s american, so it’s a pretty simple 20’s american accent. she’s very good at hiding her accent though, so i imagine during broadcasts she’d use something a bit more transatlantic, and that would slip through into her normal voice.

tagging @introchasingstars, @honeybewrites, @paeliae-occasionally, @ominous-feychild, @the-golden-comet,

@noxxytocin, @moltenwrites, @tc-doherty, @the-ellia-west, @theverumproject,

@thecrazyalchemist, @laylathewordwitch, @dragonedged-if, @leitereads, @autism-purgatory,

@gioiaalbanoart, @drchenquill, @fenmere, @leahnardo-da-veggie, @melpomene-grey,

@yourpenpaldee, @agirlandherquill, @willtheweaver, @nczaversnick,

@davycoquette, @glassfrogforest, @princeofhags, @wyked-ao3, @fantasy-things-and-such, + open tag!

[lillified]

What’s your thoughts about gender in Transformers specifically because I really love your take on the characters

that’s a good question! I’ve given a few different answers about this in the past, and I guess the simple answer would be I want people to interpret it in whatever way is most meaningful to them. The long answer is it’s complicated!

personally I believe that human gender dichotomy is entirely arbitrary. gender doesn’t preclude a set of behaviors or characteristics, but it affects how people treat you, and, in many cases, how you’re taught to view yourself.

One of my biggest pet peeves with how gender is handled in stuff like Transformers, where you’re dealing with things like sci fi or fantasy non-humans, is how literal and inherent it often is. Because we as people are writing from the perspective of a society where gender is taught as an immutable social framework, a lot of our art reflects this. However, when the issue of gender being arbitrary is brought up, instead of acknowledging its presence as an oversight, or an intentional thematic parallel, the go-to response is usually to codify it into canonical rule.

An example in Transformers would be how “female” Transformers were made into a subclass or subspecies to justify why they existed and why there were so few of them. Though you can argue from that as a technically sound retcon, this obviously does not solve the real life issue of why those creative decisions actually happened. It’s a fantasy excuse to justify a disinterest in engaging with “women” characters (while obviously the transformers are not human women, if it quacks like a duck, yknow?)

there have been other explanations of robot gender in the past, but I’ve never really been a fan of any of them, personally. The one I can think of that is most recent is the explanation that the gender dichotomy came about from the transformers learning about gender binary from other alien species (which they effectively colonized). While I personally think this is a step up, both as a writing decision and from a thematic perspective, my main issue with this is that this explanation says the “male” transformers are the essential “default.” The girls have all opted in/transitioned into their gender (which I think is cool, and should be something that happens more in transformers!). that being said, though, I fundamentally disagree with the idea that masculine and genderless should be inherently synonymous.

Femininity or girlhood (which are not inherently the same either, but I digress) being seen and portrayed as secondary is, surprisingly enough, not a very feminist or gender-abolitionist friendly idea! Of course this isn’t the biggest issue facing the women of the world, but I think it is essentialist in its own way, and is a fine example of the tricky nature of deconstructing gender in something that is fundamentally tied to it. On a side tangent, it also pretty much completely eliminates transmasculine representation, which I feel is unfortunate when having a gender binary in the first place only really serves to symbolize the range of human expression. Point being it’s imperfect and while I’m not claiming to have the perfect solution to this problem, I want to at least open the doors a little more for other people, potentially.

In my work I choose to make the genders as close to human as possible because ultimately they are humanoid robots, and I think if you are going to account for anthropocentric bias at all it wouldn’t hurt for there to be more representation overall. The robots are inherently sexless and their gender is inherently arbitrary, like humans (it is also partially the result of cultural imposition, also like humans), and though they lack many of the issues of a gendered society, it affects them and their social lives in a way people can probably relate to. “Man” and “woman” aren’t the only genders that exist, either, and, like humans, there are a range of different identities they can freely transition between.

I’d honestly rather not care too much about the specifics of why. There are reasons, purely social/societal ones, but I think that’s less important than the fact that they experience the consequences. I want people to be able to see themselves a little where they have not been allowed to previously where “humanoid” aliens and creatures have been concerned. If you exist, a robot can have your gender, I promise :)

Anyway, that was a very long winded response! I hope this answered your question, at least somewhat. Thanks again for submitting!

[infinity-or-oblivion]

so my loa batkids au has gained a little traction and i’ve hit a bit of a wall when it comes to writing new stuff so here’s an infodump to hopefully kill my writers block xoxoxo

first of all, jason. my forever number one blorbo. there’s a bit of a role reversal here because compared to all the rest of them, jason arguably had it the easiest. like we’re not going to compare traumas but an argument could be made. i honestly don’t remember if i mentioned it at all in the actual series yet, but the story i have for jason is that his childhood with willis and catherine was about the same as canon/commonly accepted fanon, meaning he was homeless around nine years old. however, instead of living on the streets for years, it was only a few months tops before meeting bruce.

and bruce! this is very fun to me, but basically i was thinking that if he didn’t raise dick, then why couldn’t this version of bruce be younger? so bruce becomes batman in his early twenties, which is also around the time that he visits the league of assassins for training and damian is conceived. (for a little more about that, here) and bruce is roughly 25 when he finds a tiny 9-10 year old jason trying to steal his tires. just imagine that it’s so fucking adorable and heartbreaking ANYWAYS bruce, despite being overall a disaster, doesn’t let a malnourished 10 year old out to fight crime right away, so there’s a couple years between when jason first meets bruce and when he becomes a child soldier yayyyy!!!! but legit, it makes a lot of difference to jason, because you know how canon!jason has some self-esteem issues (for lack of a better term) around bruce not really loving him/seeing him as a son because bruce started training him as robin (and as dick’s replacement) immediately after adopting him- you know that whole thing? yeah well here, despite jason actually offering to help bruce as a vigilante, this bruce is like hell nah you’re literally ten years old and the size of a six year old no way, and those few years in between really stick in jason’s mind as solid proof that bruce really does love him, not for what use he can provide, but simply as a son. also being the only child definitely helps with that

(that little detail of jason and bruce’s relationship is slightly inspired by minimum height requirement, which is absolute batfam gold btw)

okay so. slight pet peeve of mine is in aus where dick isn’t the first robin, the legacy is still called robin for whatever reason (lookin at you reverse robins aus) because!!!!! how dare you erase mary and john grayson’s importance!!!!! (look there’s more nuance to it than that i know but. to put it simply it feels like flying graysons erasure to me) so in this au, jason can’t possibly be called robin. the real robin has been missing for roughly seven years at this point

and listen. i tried to be creative and come up with something cool and original for jason’s vigilante name i really did, but apparently i used all of my naming talent on nighthawk (fucking love that name for dick it’s so fantastic) so we just have bluejay. womp womp

also! on my list of things to expand on: main timeline stephanie!!! i’ve had an absolute blast making myself cry while writing every heart sings a song, incomplete and those who wish to sing always find a song, but spoiler steph will always be my babygirl. and duke!!!! i have not written barely anything for duke in this universe but believe me i have some Thoughts. perhaps even Ideas. basically a lot of steph&duke and steph&babs and steph&duke&babs because i love my little underrated trio

also just more babs in general, because like. i’ve had so many tiny little snippets of cass and babs and their sweet little relationship just sitting in my notes for literal years now that i really just need to organize and expand into their own fic. and yet. i have not done that. but rest assured cass&babs are very very important to me

such is the curse of female fanfic writers: always destined to fixate more on the male poor little meow meows than the female bad bitches. seriously what the fuck is up with that guys i don’t get it why does this happen

[myrxellabaratheon]

The Throbb power imbalance: a pet peeve of mine

I’ve been thinking a lot about if posting this or not, but as it’s a trope which is getting more and more popular I think I should at least explain why I said multiple times that A. I don’t really dig it and B. I don’t really think there is any power imbalance between them. (I know, who cares? you might ask, and honestly I don’t know but still)

So, let’s start saying that, differently for most of the other tropes in ASOIAF, there isn’t a “real life” translation of Theon’s situation in history (the closest I can think about it’s Vlad the Impaler’s childhood years and whatever Richard III did to his nephews during the Two Roses War, when it comes to highborn hostages, but both situations are different enough) which makes it difficult to really grasp the dynamics if the story was real.

Then, surely there is a sort of power imbalance between Theon and Ned and that’s not what I’m discussing here.

The problem is that Theon is Ned’s hostage and it’s been decided by Robert so when Ned dies Robert should have “confirmed” that Theon situation stayed immutate (hostages aren’t hereditary, especially not highborn ones and especially not when they aren’t taken hostage by the person but their captivity is decided by someone else). Considering that Robert dies before Ned, Theon is “free” the moment Robert dies, technically (because it’s Robert who took him hostage, not Ned).

Which brings us back to the fact that Robb and Theon have no obligation toward each other in that sense (and I’m not even bringing their friendship into the mix which will make things even more complex). Theon wasn’t even obligated to follow Robb in war tbqh, not by any law — he does because he’s the one suggesting Robb to call the banners and has that weird unresolved daddy issue with Ned, but still.

Also Robb isn’t Theon’s liege lord or king and never could he be! Theon is an ironborn and the heir to the Iron Islands (that’s the reason why he’s been taken hostage in the first place). If you pay attention, he never calls Ned “my lord” and refers to him as Lord Stark and nobody asks him to bend the knee to Robb or swear his loyalty to House Stark because he DOESN’T have to! One of the things I loved the most about the show is that when he does bend the knee he does it because it’s Robb he’s pledging ALLIANCE to (no obedience)!

- Am I your brother, now and always!

- Now and always.

- The King in the North!

And even when he calls him “Your Grace” later on he’s clearly teasing. (And it’s even more tragic because Theon would WANT Robb to be HIS king when they are both aware he’s not). And even when he goes back to the Islands his idea is the one to propose an alliance between them.

So where does the idea of power imbalance comes from? From Theon’s own chapters! He’s the one who feels like he’s not enough for the Starks (and generally it’s not like anyone but Robb made him ever feel differently). The entire power imbalance thing comes from the fact that he always wanted to be a Stark and considering that he’s never been allowed to, he feels like he’s not worth them (this also bodes well with the entirety of Theon’s character). And the point is: in my honest opinion, it’s waaaay better if the power imbalance is only perceived (especially in a shipping situation).

[imtooscaredforthis]

The Dark Side of Ghostface

AKA- Me analyzing Ghostface’s character after reading his tome in class 🤭🤭🤭

Spoiler Warning Ahead- Ghostface’s Archives

I’m not going to lie, I’m kind of a perfectionist. I’ve spent a while trying to analyze Ghostface and write him as closest to canon as possible lmfao- and this isn’t me trying to tell people how to write Ghostface..you can write him however you want, it’s just my interpretation…so yeah- Let me know if there’s anything I missed!

I- Daddy Issues + Origin

The only thing known about Danny’s family is his Father, who was also a murderer who loved to share horror stories, just like him.

His father was hard on him, told him terrifying stories of his kills, and was “as tough as nails” - and when your father is a serial killer, a man who’s already prone to lots of violence, you can guess the things he’s done to him

Still, Danny respected his father, but he did kill him, and his father was his first “design” - his first kill - and Danny felt ashamed of the way he killed him.

And for the nature v nurture debate for Danny, I guess we have an answer…both. Not only did he get his Homicidal tendencies from genetics, but his father literally taught him to kill too

Danny’s father affects his perspective greatly, especially how he views life and humanity, saying that humans are “intrinsic killers”

II- The Design + How Danny views murder

It’s easy to tell that Danny is a narcissist and a psychopath, I mean, he literally writes about his murders in the paper

He sees his murders as a story, a design, art, something to keep the suburban community aka the majority and the ordinary at unrest. He sees it as a favor, help keeping their lives interesting by scaring the shit out of them

Danny goes after the ordinary, someone most people can relate to, and someone who doesn’t deserve to die, because it makes it just the more terrifying

He follows his victims routines, plans out the murder in his head, pictures the kill, and the headlines he’ll write about it and then executes it

III- Personality + Pet Peeves

Danny is a perfectionist, but he also seems a little more restrained compared to the other dbd killers. He stalks his prey, holds back and plans his kill, waiting for the right moment…for the most part.

His “normal” personality- Jed is a charming and kind, but non-threatening presence and he knows he has to seem like that to avoid suspicion, duh, and easily manipulate people, so they’ll just be like “oh good old Jed, he wouldn’t hurt a fly” bullshit

But what really pisses Danny off when people don’t fear Ghostface, when they view him as an “urban legend” - OR when ordinary people or losers try to act like killers, like him (EX: “The three stooges” who talked about killing and had the pictures of killers up on the wall…killers that Danny admired and deemed “legends” and he went fucking crazy, stabbing one of the men in the face so many times that he was unrecognizable)

Danny wants people to take what he does seriously, he is aware of the impact of his actions, and what he’s doing, so if and when he finds out someone is laughing about it? Laughing at him? He gets pissed

So there are certain triggers that can make Danny snap, just like anyone else. But when he snaps…he becomes very violent, much more violent than usual

Because Danny takes his designs seriously, does this mean he’s a serious person? Not at all. He’s cruel, and taunts the men he kills in the arcade, and also the man he killed in the hardware store

He’s having a very fun time, as you can see here, humming to himself and doing his little taunting wave before he kills the poor man working at the register (RIP Cashier)

IV- Killing + Entity’s Favorite

Most of, if not all the things Danny does have to do with his design. He’s either writing, searching for his next victim, stalking his next victim, or killing

There’s not a lot of Danny’s life that doesn’t have to do with murder, especially since he was raised to be a killer

Which is why when he was a perfect candidate to be taken by The Entity. While some other killers have been brainwashed or turned into monsters, Danny’s mental state doesn’t change in the slightest, when you read the quotes of his add ons

In fact, he enjoys The Entity’s dimension. It’s a place where he can murder and stalk and do as he pleases, and doesn’t have to worry about getting caught or pretending to be normal. He can just be his murderous psycho self.

[toxiccrybabyart]

Charlie redesign for funsies, to match my more detailed design style.

I want this redesign series to focus on giving everyone more color variety, as well as fixing any personal gripes I have

That being said, I love all the characters and their designs!

For Charlie here I wanted to focus on keeping the suit, as one of my pet peeves of people who redesign this stuff is them making Charlie more feminine and making Vaggie more masculine, when I personally love that Charlie is in a suit and Vaggie in a skirt.

As for the vibes, I wanted to emphasize her sweet, soft appearance, while making her look less human. I think Charlie has some shapeshifter genes from her dad, so she chooses a softer more cute, goat like appearance, when in reality her form has bigger horns and is more demon like in appearance.

I also wanted to focus on aspects of her personality that were hinted at during the show. Like, for example, that Charlie’s hotel curriculum, isn’t actually redeeming people. It’s based on a weirdly puritan worldview and like, children bonding activities that feel super condescending. In reality what is redeeming people is the found family being built at the hotel, which I think is nice.

I love that Charlie is hinted at being just, entirely unaware of the actual issues condemning her people to hell, and the fact that she doesn’t really know what redeems someone, which is nice.

Another aspect that would be fun to explore, is Charlie’s safety not just as a hellborn, which makes her safe from exterminations, but also as a princess of hell. Charlie is entirely safe from every harm, as Lucifer’s daughter. And as a caring, empathetic person, that must eat Charlie up inside, knowing she is safe while her friends and people are in danger every year.

[chaoticbardlady99]

OC Deep Dive

Imogen La Fey

I really enjoyed doing this for Lenore so I decided to do this for my lovely Imogen too ❤️ I adore her and her strength- she’s the embodiment of kindness and I love writing her.

(Imogen is from Floozy)- consider yourself tagged if you wanna do it 😊

She and Astarion are in a fake relationship, but are both dumbasses and fall in love with each other very quickly 🤷🏼‍♀️

What common/ Uncommon fear do they have:

She is terrified- and I mean terrified- of Ladybugs and Butterflies. It’s unfortunately due to those creatures being around when her mother was at her most manic over the summers and her Skooma addiction would make it worse. Her mother often beat and sold her off for public usage during the summers when her mood was high and she needed more of her fix.

Fun fact- Dalyria saved Imogen when she was younger from an individual who was taking it too far and damn near killed her. Dalyria took her to the Ilmater temple for help- Astarion doesn’t remember, but he helped her carry younger, beaten up Imogen back to the temple once when she was nine. Imogen thought he was an angel or a prince, but barely remembers the encounter herself.

Do they have pet peeves?

She cannot stand the way the bed in the Librarian room creaks and it bothers her when people approach her on the street and ask her on a date after they slept with her the night before. They often believe she is desperate to be saved and that isn’t true- Astarion is the first person she has been intimate with and she feels views her as an equal.

What are three things that can be found in her bedroom?

Her fluffy bedroll- a gift from a client for her birthday.

A new book from the local library- she is always reading and devours knowledge. Imogen wanted to go to school in her youth and was determined to keep up with her peers so she taught herself or asked friendly shop keepers, tavern owners, or clients questions.

Her lantern- it’s magical and changes colors. It’s a witch light and she misses having it in their tent.

What do they notice first in a person?

Their eyes- she trusts people’s eyes more than their words or actions.

On a scale of 1-10, how high is her pain tolerance?

5– she could live without it for sure, but pain and sex pays.

Fight or flight mode?

Flight before the tadpole and fight after the tadpole. Lae’zel really emboldened her and helped her feel more confident in her ability to fight back.

Do they come from a big family a big family/ are they a family person?

No- her father passed when she was younger and her mother had addiction issues which lead to the family cutting her off (Kind of like a Hawke and Amell family situation). Imogen was told she had to choose and she decided to stay with her mother. When she tried to go back home to her grandparents for help and shelter, they refused to bring her in due to her reputation as a street whore being “embarrassing” enough.

What animal represents them best?

Polar Bear- she is adorable, beautiful, and oh so kind, but mess with any of the Tadfools and she will destroy you without a second thought. She is a mama bear and if she’s on your trail, it’s too late for you.

She also reminds me of a Grey wolf, but in relation to Astarion. Wolf males are very protective of their mates and cubs (spoilers? Maybe? still undecided) and Imogen is as protective. She also has a very “mate for life” mentality and Astarion adores it because, for once, he feels the same way.

What is a smell she dislikes?

Death- while an utter cliche, she does live in the Sewers where the Bhaal Temple is hidden and the smell is less than favorable. She can tell when they’ve hung on to a few corpses for too long and silently cheers anytime the smell finally goes away.

Have they broken any bones?

Yes, but mostly just her ribs. Some people are too rough.

How would a stranger likely describe them?

Traditionally feminine, kind, selfless, and brave. She is the definition of “just because I have a hard life doesn’t mean I get to be an ass.” She is often giving any extra gold she has to children on the street trying to feed their sickly parents or take care of their siblings. She becomes really protective of the Tiefling children. She is notorious to being kind to her clients and acting as their shoulder to cry on- she’s one of the few at Sharess’ Caress who has a consistent clientele.

Are they a night owl or morning bird?

Night Owl- she feels like she belongs in the night more and likes that she is less likely to be noticed by people she knows. This works out really well for Astarion- all things considered.

What’s a flavor they hate and a flavor they love?

She loves brown sugar- adores it. She doesn’t really hate any flavors because she has never had that luxury.

Do they have any hobbies?

She does! Imogen loves to read and further her own education. She enjoys any type of card or board game and is excellent at cheating without being caught. Imogen really quite enjoys stealing and has very “Robin hood” vibes. Training with Lae’zel and Karlach is also a hobby of hers and she has really comes to love fighting using the Fighter style set and hand to hand combat (monk). She is also pretty good at the whole thief thing, but is terrible at stealth attacks. However, she does have a LOT of rage so she has had a few Barbarian moments. She is trained in Fey Magic and is obsessed with Fey, but she doesn’t know or care to know why.

She also gets into playing the Lute after being taught by Alfira. She finds it very relaxing and enjoys singing as well. She likes to write silly tunes to compliment Astarion- at first it was to sell their act as a couple, but now it’s just to see him smile or cheer him up or just make him feel loved.

Boom! Surprise birthday party! How do they react to the surprise?

Imogen would be ecstatic! She has always wanted to have a surprise birthday party and no one has ever celebrated her birthday with her since her father passed. It would make her emotional.

Do they have neat or messy hand writing?

Her pen ship is messy, but Astarion teachers her and eventually it becomes very pretty and unique to her.

What are two emotions she feels the most?

Shame and apathy- this changes after joining the Tadfools and having more value assigned to her existence again, but she has very low self-esteem.

Does she have a favorite fabric?

Fluffy, alpaca fur and anything Astarion is wearing. She just loves how everything feels on him- the two are disgustingly in love and she is convinced he could wear sand paper and she would still love it.

What kind of accent do they have?

American Midwest- Colorado accent. Says mountain weird as hell. Astarion often teases her mispronunciation of some common everyday words, but he follows it up with a sweet kiss so she lets it slide.

[cal-daisies-and-briars]

I am so excited about all of you fics and can’t wait to see the next chapters from each of them!!!

🦮🦮🦮🦮🦮🦮🦮🦮🦮🦮 (Oh cranberry!!!)

🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸 (Oh OH and to think it was Eddie I was worried about I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN!!!)

🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟(Im not so patiently waiting for Eddie and Maddie and Chris to make it Sunport… Also I love how you had Bathena meet and I’m excited to see them develop)

🔮🔮🔮🔮🔮🔮🔮🔮🔮🔮 (Intervening universe made me cry and I’m not ready for when Buck and Bobby actually talk)

HEY!!!!! Thank you so much!

So I posted Cranberry. Is there 30 of something else I can do for ya?

Here are the rest!

30 for 🩸 (YEAH SORRY I THOUGHT IT WASN'T GONNA BE SURPRISING BUT GLAD IT WAS):

---

After Eddie leaves Chris, he finds Maddie and Sophia wearing twin expressions of distress. Truly, the disappointed, peeved expressions of two sisters - one of whom isn’t even his - might just be too much for him to stomach. He’s kind of terrified. 

“What’s wrong?” Eddie asks. “Apart from the obvious.”

“He took all the keys,” Sophia says. “Every single set of car keys. What the hell did he do that for?”

Eddie thinks of May collapsing. 

“He doesn’t want me behind the wheel.” He presumes. “In case he kills her. My heart will stop.” 

“Oh my god,” Maddie sighs. 

“Can we take your car?” Eddie asks. 

Maddie nods. “We’ll have to.” 

He follows her and Sophia out into the driveway, locking the door behind him. He climbs into the front passenger seat of Maddie’s sedan. Sophia slides into the back. 

“So,” Maddie says. “Where am I going?”

“Long Beach,” Eddie says. 

“We have to search all of Long Beach for him?” Sophia replies. “Nothing more specific.”

“She works at the Promenade, she lives in MacArthur Park.” Eddie replies.

---

42 for 🧟 (hehehehe very soon!):

---

It is a big deal, though. It’s a big deal to Eddie. 

He gets this stupid idea in his brain. Really, he knows it’s stupid. Born more out of desperation than real logic. But here Maddie is, this chance encounter he made and had the opportunity to save. He did it, didn’t he? He saved her. And she likes his kid. She’s good with him. She has somewhere potentially safe to go. 

Maybe Maddie would do it. Maybe she’d take care of Chris for him, while he looks for Shannon. Maybe she’d keep him safe, her and her brother. Not forever. Just for a little while. 

Eddie needs to leave his son with someone he can trust. And he thinks he can trust Maddie. 

▪️▪️▪️

When they’re finally far enough away from the scene of their near devouring, Eddie pulls over off the side of the highway. He lifts Chris out of the backseat and holds him tight, wrapping him up as if Eddie is a weighted blanket, until his breathing and his heart rate are normal again. 

“I was so scared, Daddy,” Chris complains quietly. 

“I know, buddy. I’m sorry you were scared. You’re safe now.” 

But he’s not. Not really. Eddie can say it all he likes. He can be determined to make it true. But it isn’t. Not yet.

They take a long enough break to stretch their legs and collect themselves. They pee in a push. They drink and eat from what little Eddie has in the truck. Then it’s time to get going again. Based on the map, Eddie estimates they only have a little under two hours left. Nothing, really, in the quest for safety and reuniting Maddie with her brother. 

They check the radio again as they get closer. There’s still no signal. He sees the worry blossoming on Maddie’s face, though she tries to remain positive. There’s nothing more Eddie can say to comfort her. He feels badly about that. But they both know the only thing that will quell the anxiety is an answer. 

---

30 for 🔮(well we are getting right to the actual talking here):

---

He has his own issues with both of them, of course. Deep, painful ones that have left profound scars. But Bobby genuinely doesn’t know what it feels like to suspect that your parents don’t love you, and have their every action prove you right. He actually can’t imagine how that would have changed things for him. How much harder it would have all been. 

“It’s fine, Bobby,” Buck says, when he sees him struggling to articulate his thoughts. “It was a long time ago.”

No. No, it’s not fine at all. It’s the opposite of fine. 

Bobby shakes his head. “Don’t do that.”

“Do what?” Buck asks.

“Buck, just let me…” Bobby sighs. “If I have ever made you feel the way they made you feel, I’m sorry.”

Buck’s eyes bulge, face awash with anxiety. He doesn’t reply. 

“If I did, it wasn’t intentional. It didn’t come from the same place. And I hate that… God, I saw you, just a kid… I hate that I couldn’t…” 

Fix it for him? Whisk him away? He doesn’t really know. 

“It’s not your responsibility, Bobby,” Buck says quietly. “You can’t… It’s not your fault I let myself get carried away.”

[glitterpensupremacy]

Since I’m officially a year older now, I figured I’d share my growth as an artist with y’all. True GlitterPenSupremacy followers will know that I had to redesign my redesign (hehe) of Viperion, but he isn’t the first MTS character I didn’t nail on the first try. Here’s a few others that I had to reredesign (and a bit about why)

Art below the cut! ⬇️

This one is a special instance, since I technically haven’t redesigned her yet, but it’s an idea I had for a civilian Zoe design. Basically I don’t really like the colors anymore (and her proportions are off) so I’ll be reworking it. The final design will probably still go with the orange stars, but it’ll look different.

Of all the characters I’ve reredesigned, I think she was probably the most decent to begin with. Other than her features being a bit blurry, her biggest issue is that her costume is basically just a recolor of her Miracubug one (and while I do like that version of her design, it just doesn’t fit in with the MTS cast of character designs).

The OG Carapace design was me trying to make an intimidating character, but accidentally leaving him too bland looking. The fullbody suit and lack of hair just wasn’t doing it (plus he needed more variety in his color palette beyond shades of green).

I thought Ladybug was pretty good at the time, but when viewing her design (both on its own and in contrast to her partner), it definitely needed more. Adding another shade of red (and the cute little neon clovers) was absolutely necessary.

Yeah his color scheme and details are kinda lame in comparison to modern MTS designs, and his hair also feels a bit basic, but let’s be real, the biggest offender, (BY FAR) was his proportions. Like who is that??? Certainly not Ivan! I had to fix his shape so it actually looked like the character.

Polymouse had a lot of the same issues as Minotaurox. Mid detailing, generic color scheme (especially with Pigment around: Mylene needed more than just pink, grey, and white), an uninspired hairstyle, and most importantly WHY DOES SHE LOOK LIKE THAT?!?!?! She needed her proportions fixed to match her actual body type.

Other than her eyes needing to be pink like Daizzi’s, the general vibe I was going for with Pigment changed, and I needed to give her a new costume to reflect that. (This design is decent, but not MTS-worthy and doesn’t really show what kind of hero Pigment is.)

This is a pretty old design (made in ‘22!) so there were a lot of things I needed to rework. I’d say the main thing was Greyhound’s personality changing from his initial design. When I first conceptualized Greyhound MTS, I kinda figured he’d have the same personality as Felix, just being a superhero (and maybe a tad less formal). Nowadays he’s a lot more of the sweet but shy puppy type (a lot of Felix’s softer and “not professional” emotions get repressed as a civilian, and kinda leak out as Greyhound). I needed his new design to represent that. Now he fits his power (he had the concept of Devotion and healing powers) and age (14) much better than his OG design.

My first ML design! You can see a lot about my skills and confidence from this drawing. I was heavily trying to mimic the Miracubug style (with Night Light’s design basically being ML Vesperia as a Firefly and also me altering all the pet peeves I had with VP’s design) despite that not really fitting my skills as an artist. Plus I just wasn’t as good at detailing back then. This is why the modern Night Light design is essentially just a glow-up of the old one (with the fluffier hair, baggier clothes, and black retinas being the main objectives of the design). I also got better at communicating personality through my designs (well, that, and I wasn’t too sure what NL’s personality would be at first). Like Greyhound, I think the newer design looks far more her age!

And that’s (probably) all of them! Hopefully this was interesting to y’all (and if it wasn’t, well, I’m gonna justify my self indulgence with the Birthday Card). I’ve actually got a new hero design or two in the works, so if you’re interested, keep your eyes peeled 👀