#write and earn

[most-normal-eccles-cake-ignorer]

The products of trying to recreate what was going on outside the frame during the kiss. (for ENTIRELY SCIENTIFIC purposes)

@actual-changeling altered my whole outlook on life with this post about Aziraphale's left hand (I'd only been looking at his right hand) and I couldn't stop thinking about it, so I painted the rest of the fucking owl (and his bf).

so normal about this

[collectlodotcom]

What is about collectlo?

CollectLo is an online platform that connects creators and project owners. Our mission is to help bring talented individuals and innovative projects together, and to provide a simple and affordable way for creators to showcase their skills and monetize their work.

[synister09]

"what made you decide to take art and writing seriously? what helped you improve?"

i hyperfixated on a minecraft pig a bit too close to the sun

[laurellala-comics]

I finished watching a playthrough of the first Apollo Justice game WAAAAH NOBODY TALK TO ME I'M EMOTIONAL WAAAAAH THAT WAS SOOO SO EPIC AND GOOD. I'll draw nice things later, for now take these sillies

[pnfc]

(politely) i hope they do remember at some point that doof and perry have a mutual friendship and it's not just onesided adoration from doof. although yes, correct, he's real messed up over perry. he's never been more desperate to grab him all over as in these eps. but where is our sparkly eyed gay man platypus who likes to dance with his bf. hope to see him again soon

edit: if this continues ill just delusionally pretend these s5 episodes actually take place in s1/2. sorry, you thought this was next summer but its actually the secret Danvillian month of July2 during which phineas's shirt was different, due to an explanation. behold ptp my bonus monthinator

[gothamite-rambler]

Konnor: Tim has to be the chillest Robin. He's snarky, but I bet that guy doesn't give Batman headaches.

Bart (wearing a beanie that's covering his eyes): Probably.

Meanwhile, in Gotham…

Red Robin had been punching the Riddler for ten minutes and had been beating him up for about twenty. Batman stood to the side, contemplating pulling Red Robin away, but the last time he did that too early, he was greeted with an elbow to the mouth.

Batman (attempting to reason with his son): I think he's had enough.

Red Robin (pausing mid-punch): Nah, he wanted to say something about my mother. I'll give him something to laugh at.

Red Robin resumed wailing on the bleeding, trembling man.

Batman: I can understand the reaction, I'd be pissed if he insulted my mother especially with what he called yours, but-

Red Robin (seething with rage, slapping Riddler): Shut the hell up, or I’m shoving my fist down your throat! Have to deal with Firefly, I'm having insane people thoughts and he insulted my dead mom!

Riddler (weakly): I'm… sorry.

Red Robin (with a twisted smile, beginning to choke Riddler): Say it five more times, and I might stop. Beg! Beg!

Batman checked the time on his phone.

Batman: Alright, let me try this nerve pinch Ra's taught me.

Batman calmly walked behind his son and pinched a nerve on the man's neck, causing his eyes to cross and his tongue to stick out.

Red Robin (falling to the side): Sleepy time.

Batman picked up his son.

Batman: That's right. Let's take you to the car to nap. Edward, stay there.

Riddler (slurred words): I'm not… shure it's shafe for me to shtand up… Reshting here until I'm at Arkham is the shafest choice.

[queenie-ofthe-void]

A good idea: Steve and Robin watch Eddie play a gig at the Hideout

A great idea: Eddie and Robin watch one of Steve's basketball games

A galaxy brain idea: Eddie and Steve watch Robin play in the high school Concert Band recital

I wrote a fic about it!

[crazylittlejester]

every note this gets is One cheese cube I will give to Twilight as a little treat for what I’ve done to him this whumptober

[mythalism]

genuinely curious how the writers and larger dragon age audience would treat thom rainier if instead of being appropriately* repentant and putting himself in prison he blew up a major orlesian government building to instigate a chevalier rebellion or tried to have someone do some necromantic blood magic ritual involving uncertain danger and possible sacrifices to bring the innocent children he ordered killed back to life

[utilitycaster]

I think the two most obvious foils for Ludinus Da'leth across all of Critical Role are Essek and Keyleth, which is both fascinating given how different those two characters are from each other (Essek being a foil in terms of isolation, single-mindedness, harm in the name of ambition, knowledge, and other such wizard themes; Keyleth being a foil in terms of people who have lost something at a young age to the gods and bear resentment for it, political leadership, belief that the world belongs to mortalkind, and longevity) but also it's extremely funny that they both are the partners of Liam's character.

[not-rigel]

bratty sevika that laughs when she uses her strength against you to pin you beneath her so she can ride your strap all she wants, trying to get herself off DOES ANYONE SEE THE VISION

[mike-wachowski]

“Okay.” Sam takes a deep breath, in and out, and Lena can see the cloud of frost forming around her exhale. The sub-thermal temperature of the freezer is already thawing what was left of Lena’s growing hot rage. “Spill. Why are you acting like a dick?” 

Lena huffs. “I’m certainly not acting like a dick. Jess made a mistake. It’s within my duties as the head chef to make sure everything is perfect—”

Sam raises a hand and immediately silences her. “Lena. I’m not your brother. I don’t want you to be perfect. I don’t need you to be our boss right now. I need you to be our friend.” Sam pulls out an empty apple crate from the bottom shelf and plants herself down on it. “Now tell me what’s wrong. Please.” 

Lena slumps to the floor. She sighs, watching the small puff of ice that gathers around her breath, and buries her head in her hands. 

She whispers, “Kara and I kissed.”

“What?” Sam leans in. “Lena, you gotta speak up, the fan is on-”

“Kara and I kissed!” Lena shoots her head up, making eye contact with Sam. “Kara and I kissed, and… we haven't talked about it or anything, and we haven’t done it since, but I— I made her pizza, and my brother called, and I was so upset, and I kissed her, and I can’t stop thinking about it.” 

the final chapter of you can tell a whole story with a taste is now live (and its 16k!)

you can read it from the start here.

[the-raindeer-king]

Nikto is such a feral cat of a man. Wild, untrusting, always alert, always bristled, refuses to be kept if he doesn't want to be somewhere.

But pretty pretty you, you don't force his attention, don't demand his responses. You let him slowly creep closer over time, never forcing him to talk, never seeming bothered if and when he doesn't respond to you. Slowly, over a long time he creeps even closer. A mangled, feral thing that's not hissing at you anymore, not barring fangs and claws but slowly blinking it's eyes because it knows you now. He knows you, and you're no threat.

So he'll come closer, maybe one day rest his heavy head in your lap and trust you to be the one keeping your eyes open when he doesn't.

That sounds nice in his mind. -🐾(I don't know Nikto as well but the vibes are there and bold lol)

Nah, I think you got Nikto pretty down pat. I know there's little info for some (most? Idk correct me if i'm wrong. I didn't play the game) of the operators in warzone, so we're running off assumptions and headcannons to cover the middle ground.

anyway, but Nikto = feral cat. Yes.

When you first join KorTac, you're introduced to some of the higher ranking operators, as many rookies are. However, unlike the other rookies, you don't spare Nikto more than a polite nod. You don't even seem bothered by the way he stares, blue eyes bearing into your soul.

It shouldn't bother him. This is exactly what he wants. But for some odd reason, it does. Your disinterest makes the voices in his head louder, demanding your attention.

Nikto, as he so often does, ignores them. For now.

But as time goes on, they become harder to ignore. Or well, the effect you have on him becomes harder to ignore. The way his mind goes quiet when he comes to visit you in the med-bay, his entire being solely focused on you. Even though you're never focused on him the way he wants you to be.

Most of your knowledge of Nikto comes from the others. Mainly whatever König and Krueger let slip when they're talking to you. You sympathize with Nikto, but you keep that to yourself, understanding that he's probably heard enough sympathetic phrases to last a lifetime. So you offer the next best thing, and that's just to treat him as you would anyone else.

Because of this, a friendship had gradually grown between you and Nikto. That's what you're calling it at least. He's friendly, occasionally bringing you tea and snacks during your shift. You sit with him at meal time, sometimes seeking him out during your free time.

Most of the time it's a one sided conversation. Nikto never offers more than a few words at a time, but you never seem bothered by it. Opening up to people is hard for him, and you don't push for more than what he's willing to give. You're a blessing, an angel, and Nikto doesn't understand what he's done to deserve you.

The thing with men like Nikto is once you've shown him kindness, he'll come back for more. Let him sink his teeth into your soft flesh, mark you in a way that can never be taken away. A warning for others that you belong to him, and he isn't afraid to bare his teeth when necessary.

For now, he'll accept this. Dragging his weary body to your room, having returned from a two month long mission, familiarized with your schedule to know that you're not busy. You're never too busy for Nikto, always willing to make time for the masked man. He doesn't bother knocking, knowing the door will be unlocked. If it wasn't, he'd either pick the lock or just kick the door down.

He has just enough mind left to kick his boots off, before he's crawling into your bed. The mask stays on, a blessing and a curse, as he lays his head down into your lap. He may not be able to feel the softness of your thighs, but he can feel the way you drag your nails over the back of his head, as if trying to drag your fingers through his hair.

If he could, he'd purr in response. Instead he sighs loudly, practically melting into your mattress. And a few moments later, he's snoring. A sign that you're not going anywhere for a while, so you might as well get comfortable yourself.

[aerithisms]

so can rtd rationalise to me why he presented the gatwa era of doctor who as a soft reboot to try and attract new fans to the point of renumbering the seasons and everything if he was just going to start introducing random obscure classic who villains as the Big Bads with no context whatsoever for audiences who aren't fans of 50 year old television to care. like what new audiences is this supposed to be appealing to exactly.

[meanderingstream]

Eliot at peace with being Damned

One of the things that makes Eliot hard to write for in-character (but also such an interesting character to explore) is that he believes he is damned to Hell and he is at peace with that. He has a lot of guilt, oceans of guilt, but it's not so much the tortured, anguished catholic guilt à la Nate or like, Daredevil. 

He has done monstrous, unforgivable things. But, on his own, he came to a realization of what he had done, and pulled away from that world. On his own, he left the worst person he ever worked for, and stopped using guns, and stopped killing. On his own, he switched from wetwork to retrievals. This all occurs before we ever meet him, so while there are many hints and inferences, the specifics of how that happened, how he came to those decisions, are left up to the audience’s imagination. 

Eliot wants to make the world a better place, and he works everyday with the team to help people, and he genuinely enjoys helping people and the work he does on the job. But he does not believe that he can be redeemed. (Not my own personal belief about him, but it is what he thinks). When he dies, he will go to Hell for his sins, and there is nothing that can possibly be done to change that. He doesn't need to angst over it, because it’s just a fact. It is what it is. There is no point agonizing over whether his soul can be saved, because he knows it cannot. This is both a keystone of his character, and also something he doesn't spend a lot of time thinking about day-to-day, because it’s a settled matter. 

And as much as we love Eliot the character, he has a point that lives are not tradable for equivalent exchange. If he killed a specific family 25 years ago, that was snuffing out the light and potential and future of those particular parents and children. The surviving extended family lost those particular relatives. Saving a family now does not balance that ledger, because each person is a unique life and not interchangeable for another. While I may have different beliefs about Hell and redemption than Eliot, I still want to acknowledge that he has a point. That changing now doesn't necessarily help the people he hurt in the past, and unlike Harry, he can’t work down a list of making amends, because almost all of his victims are dead. There is no atonement to the dead. 

Eliot’s redemption is in seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, and helping others get to it. Particularly the team, and particularly the pair he’s going to protect until his dying day. He will stay down there in the dark forever (he believes), but getting the others out is his redemption. 

I do not believe that Eliot will actually go to Hell when he dies, but his belief that he is damned is fundamental to who he is as a character, and he is going to believe that for the rest of his life. It can be really challenging to balance that when writing his POV, particularly when delving into events that dredge this stuff up for him (which we writers love to do because it’s so delicious). Eliot doesn’t exactly have a low self-esteem. He knows he has many skills and is exceptional at them (cooking, fighting, grifting, guitar, sports, etc). He pretty much knows his teammates love him, and care about him, and want him to stay alive for them, and spend the rest of his life with them. He has professional pride, and he will argue when he wants something. He is certainly not a doormat. However, he also believes he is fundamentally and irrevocably a bad person. Balancing between him not being too self-deprecating in normal situations / about his usefulness to the team, with his inherent belief in his own moral depravity can be a thin blade to walk without falling to one side or another. But it is also one of the biggest aspects of his psyche that makes him such a fascinating and complex character to explore.

[highly-invested]

You know how I said I had a hot take? Thanks to @basket-of-radiants incredible dealmaking skills (read: bribery), it's seeing the light of day after all.

There are a lot of moments in Stormlight that are generally beloved by the fandom for being willing to directly criticize some of the power imbalances on Roahar that don't work for me, and I'm going to attempt to explain why (under the cut because wow was this hard to condense into something readable)

The Stormlight Archive is first and foremost a story about personal growth. The driving thrust is characters' individual action to change themselves. Everything in these books exists to serve this end, from the oaths, to the shards, to the situations our characters end up in. Individual action, however, is poorly suited to resolving the systemic issues many of our characters face. How do you resolve systemic issues in a story focused on individual actions? You don't.

Okay maybe that's a little harsh. You elect individuals to stand in as representatives of these systems, and then move them to demonstrate the things you intend to say. I think you can see this fairly obviously with something like Jasnah, independently from any council or societal pressures, deciding to end slavery in RoW.

(This type of oversimplification runs the very real risk of implying that these issues are fixable by a "good" beneficiary of said power imbalance, or worse, that "bad" ones are the reason why these issues happen in the first place as opposed to the material benefits for the entire oppressor class. This however that is beyond the scope of this post and has been talked about throughly by people much more clearly than myself.)

The issue at hand:

The moments I'm alluding to up above are ones where characters get a direct verbal confrontation about the society wide issues that I'm so eager to discuss. Examples that come to mind are the Mink's shot at Dalinar over Alethkar's many crimes during the Alethi-Herdaz border wars, Rlain's comment about how the honorspren are collectively biased against singers, and even Kaladin's whole "Amaram owes you an apology" moment in the end of Words of Radiance.

"Hey what gives? That sounds like it's addressing the things you said you wanted!" I hear you cry.

The issue I have, dear reader, is that hand in hand with the story's commitment to exclusively focusing on the individual, these systems are reduced to tools to express very simple sentiments about where these characters are at in that journey, then promptly dropped.

To pick an example, Kaladin has a history of mistreatment and enslavement by lighteyes, and the story doesn't seem particularly interested in how a former slave would move through the world as presented. Kal expresses little to no empathy towards the many people still enslaved during his PoVs in Urithiru or the warcamps. We get a whole day in his head at the start of WaT and it never crosses his mind that slavery just got abolished! This is because as far as the meta narrative is concerned, this aspect is only visible in Kaladin's behavior at the personal growth level— to give him a very strong character relationship to Amaram, and to give him a "character flaw" to "overcome" in his anger.

Conversely, Amaram as the stand-in for the oppressive lighteyes isn't interacting with his class in a way that criticizes the issues with the system, but in a way that highlights his personal flaws in his lust for power and greed. Because of this, the embarrassment of the oppressor is the only kind of catharsis the story is able to offer. To the narrative Amaram losing his position of power by losing face is the same as righting the systemic wrong for the same reason Kal being elevated addresses the slavery concerns in the eyes of the narrative. They have overcome or been beaten down by their personal flaws.

The whole thing falls flat because it's not equipped to grapple with those topics outside of how they make our named characters relate to each other. Once the interpersonal conflict is resolved — the mink falls in with the radiants, Amaram eats a crystal and gets a tummyache — the story loses its vehicle to pick these things apart while the root issue remains untouched. And I'm left to go, hey he's right! Oh we're moving on and there are still thousands more Amarams out there :(