#and in addition to that im TRYING to do story progress when i can so i just use my same team all the time

[moeblob]

No, I don't think I will recover from the VA's growl after Gallagher says he used to bite people. Thanks for checking. (but seriously, was that just a VA choice or is that a direction he was given? Does he rawr in other languages? I've only heard the English line).

#honkai star rail #gallagher #i maybe have a problem with the fact that hsr has decided to pity me immensely #ever since i used my free 5star after three hundred standard warps #to obtain my beloved astral express dad i have had so much better luck getting dudes #this is fabulous until i cant level them all up #this is great for me personally until i cant use most of them #i wanna use gallagher so badly but i dont have enough resources rn to invest #and in addition to that im TRYING to do story progress when i can so i just use my same team all the time #so maybe i can draw more silly lil guys interacting when i get further along #the weird lil rawr has lived in my brain since i listened to it

[ifuckingloveryoshu]

CANTO 6 PART 3 SPOILERS

Im beyond pissed, tumblr crashed in the middle of me doing this so this is going to be so much shorter than I want it to be. NON RYOSHU RELATED POST ABOUT THE HEATHCLIFF. DON'T TAKE WHAT I SAY AS FACT I AM NOT QUALIFIED FOR THIS. LOOK AT THE LINKS I CITE FOR MORE INFORMATION! You can click them when their mentioned. Im not citing in the proper format. This was done on 5 hours of sleep, two eggs, and a box of banana milk.

The Erlkonig or Erlking is this figure in German Mythology who kidnapps children. When he touches you, he kills you. This poem made by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe then adapted to this song is what you see. Erlkoning Heathcliff is trying to intice Heathcliff to die by telling him that it's his fault Cathy is dead. All identities refer to the sinner as "child" when you look into their uptie stories. Mili and the singer of the video here use the same technique of changing the tone and pitch of their voice to differntiate two characters.

The Wild Hunt is a part of Norse Mythology where Odin, mounted on his sixed legged horse Sleipnir, goes through the forest. According to norse-mythology.org, anyone who gets caught up in The Wild Hunt, spotted or seen, gets carried away. Your soul will get incorporated into The Wild Hunt. We all know Erlking Heathcliff did, the rising of the bodies. The Wild Hunt is also mostly describe as having hounds, and who was a hound? Hindleys.

From the same website, on the page of Sleipnir reads,

Also, the horse that heath rides on has a weird liney pattern on it's 4 legs that kind of look like that runestone. There's more connection here, I just don't want to type it again.

How did Project Moon mix two diffrent mythological ideas together? (Its not just two, they mixed so many more.) Meet human mistranslation and the progression of oral tradition and story telling throught time. I don't kno where to start. There was mistranslation poem when, according to ancient-origins.net Johann Gottfried Herder wrote a seperate ballad from the one I linked at the start called Erlkönigs Tochter.

The Anglo-Saxons were early German settlers. This is where things get messy because I have several more potential leaders of the Wild Hunt but here are two, King Herla and Herne The Hunter.

Herne The Hunter: Popularized by Shakespeare potentially from a play called The Merry Wives of Windsor. This man called Jacobb Grimm said that Hene The Hunter was related to Odin. Herne the hunter is this ghost. ( https://mythopedia.com/topics/herne-the-hunter ) Im trying to say there are other media that connect the Erlking to the Wild Hunt but its on Wikipedia so it makes it seem fishy. Another Link Here

King Herla: A british king who attended a dwarf wedding. When he left the wedding, the world had changed. Unbeknowst to him, 300 years had passed and he was claimed to be missing. When his men tried to get off their horses, they turned into dust so they were stuck like that. Read it here, its short. Someone better and more credible than me summed the story up better than I did, historian Chrissy Senecal. Read right here. An additional link to cross refrence if you'd like. King Herla and Odin got conflated together when really, their diffrent people

I found this other website article about Wild Hunts which kind of brings me to the next thing, the Harlequinn. They weild clubs, their devils, the image of them is popularly joyful? Maybe goofy and lighthearted? Perhaps associated with cards? Matt, or Heathcliff's portrayal of Matt. Now, I'm looking at Wikipedia and I see this section.

What do we have here? A mention of the Erlkönig, Dante's Inferno, masked, club weilding giant. Heathcliff's not giant but hes pretty tall, at least by my standards but whatever, im very short. DANTE'S INFERNO, Canto 11 and 12. What the fuck Project Moon, are you playing 5d chess?

Back on topic, Hellequin is the fairy king, and this figure pops up in German, French, Italian, and English folklore. I can't do proper research when all my search results are mixed with random junk and I'm becoming nutty. You will not normally be able to access this article without paying but here's the link anyways. Journal Article from this book on a section about horned deities made in 1922 speaks of a group of ghost riding, who are also huntsman.

And also another mention of Dante's Inferno. The name, Herne The Hunter is mentioned again.

All and all, The link between The Erlkonig and The Wild Hunt isn't as wild and unexplainable as I originally thought. It's just so cool to see all these concepts intersect. There still so much to touch upon like the headless horseman refrence and the Dullahans, RYOSHU COMPARING THE WILD HUNT TO THE PARADE OF 100 SPIRTS, something along that line, I forgot the name. I'm just not the right person to yell about this but I will anyways. The writers mixed so many symbols of death into one character. Such a wild and nutty Canto. Thank you so much Project Moon.

#not ryoshu #not ryoshu related #limbus company #lcb heathcliff #a link between The Erlking and The Wild Hunt #canto 6 spoilers

[journalsouppe]

APOLLO JUSTICE!!!!! AHHHHHH!!!! What i would literally give to have a true AA4 sequel. I wholeheartedly believe if Yamazaki's team could ignore aa4 canon to make 5 & 6 then Shu Takumi should absolutely be allowed to ignore any 5&6 canon to make an aa4 sequel. I'm dying out here pleaseeeeee

The Phoenix sticker is from Peachcott. The Klavier sticker is from Ayabit from the Turnabout Cinema zine. The Apollo and Trucy stickers are from astarsor.

Writing typed below!

rating: 9.8 played: Fa 2023 port: 3DS favorite? Y replayable: Y recommend? Y series: Ace Attorney

Comments

THE JUDGE PAINTING

apollo's such a dork <3

ooo i like the perceive function

i love the music

DONT SAY THAT TRUCY T_T

there's so much going on in this investigation

wow i love how uneasy i feel even after the trial ended

LMAO I FORGOT ABOUT THE PHOENIX SEX PHOTO

i dont think y'all want your panties back...

klav's a bill and ted fan i see lol

LOVE mr eldoon's design 10/10

klapollo meet cute moment LMAO

oops ^^; i accidentally wrote a 600 word essay about the first case

i like how apollo cried over trucy

IT'S JUSTICE TIME??? T^T

i like klavier's hands a normal amount

alita must have some dirty fucking feet

the animations are so smooth

apollo being jealous of klavier at the concert and thinking he's cool LMAO

apollo is WHIPPED

trucy is KILLING it in court, she really is nick's daughter

klavier's shoe print *skull emoji*

out of pocket shiny forehead comment LMAO

lamiroir has similar vocal tones as malon!

THE PENIS FIRE AND KLAV PUTTING IT OUT IN THE BKGD

the smile and hair twirl klavier LMAO

why am i doing this music recording thing T^T

i dont like looking at daryan T_T

letouse kazuma moment lmao

capcom loves the face down death with writing on the ground huh LMAO

wtf is the judge talking about

i love all these scientific tests with ema! :)

i love the snackoos SFX

klav does not miss an opportunity to take a short at apollo's big forehead LMAO

APOLLO YOU DUMBASS

faking blindness is crazy

I KNEW IT WOULD BE DARYAN'S VOICE

klav's office is so much more normal than edgeworth's

WAIT IS IT GRAMARYE AND NOT GRAYMAYRE??

THE ANIMALS??

i love apollo and lamiroir goofing on klav

similar tech opening to brc

WTF WAS THAT KRISTOPH JUMPSCARE T-T

LORD DADDY???

oh he's insufferable

HOLY SHIT THAT'S WHY VERA IS STARING AT KLAV??

"rip off" phoenix is so real for that

are they injecting magnifi with piss??

im curious why kristoph would do this to phoenix

he just left his daughter???

tf is going on

T^T THE KRISTOPH ZOOM IN

why does klav have that egg from dragon tales

apollo understands me with mascots

this is so gay omfg

daryan not liking trucy means he goes even more into the shit book than before

apollo the journaling king

the x-ray function is a really fun addition

BABY TRUCY

omg phoenix with out the ugly hd redraw

GUMSHOE

he said it!!! he said 'ace attorney' lmao

i love and hate that i have to present the journal page

why does the screen shake when mr misham speaks T_T

THAT SCAR IS FREAKY

siblings omgggg

Summary:

I love this game so much. I love it so much that I am heartbroken knowing that AA 5 & 6 butchers the story it setup and I'm considering not even playing them unless AA7 is announced. I love all the main characters so much, the whole story was so well built and I can def see the influence the story had on DGS. Apollo is such a good protagonist, he's relatable but also so unique. I love seeing his character progression in the game: a new attorney who is easily manipulated to a confident and determined attorney who trusts in his own judgement. I LOVED Klavier oh my god. I love how much he respects Apollo and although he doesn't hesitate to tease him, he doesn't bully or abuse Apollo in any way. They both have a mutual admiration and rivalry where they try to play as fairly as possible. Klav doesn't maliciously withhold or change evidence, but he does spend hours reviewing his arsenal and thinks of all the counter arguments the defense could bring up. I really like Apollo's ability, it continues the mystery and mysticism from the original trilogy but with new mechanics. I adore Trucy so much. She honestly might be my favorite AA character. She's determined, strong willed, and above all -- extremely silly. I couldn't of asked for a better character to be Phoenix's daughter. I also LOVE the sibling reveal at the end but gdi if only they actually figure it out T^T T^T. I think Apollo and Trucy's dynamic is probably my favorite Defense and assistant dynamic. This who game was so fun, I know 4-3 is not everyone's favorite and it is a little all over the place but I also enjoyed it and loved the premise. There's so much to say, I haven't even talked about Nick and Kris - what an incredible feud, what a genius development for Nick. I cannot recommend this game enough, I am so obsessed with it and cannot wait to make art <3 <3.

#journalsouppe #bullet journal #journal #video game journal #ace attorney #apollo justice #apollo justice ace attorney #aa4

[nazorneku]

as i mentioned before, these portrayal notes are based on what i gathered after playing CBT2— if there will be need to adjust specific aspects once the game will be launched and we will delve further into story than we were allowed before, i will do so goes without saying: any portrayal notes lifting will be met with hard block, 'cause im writing down my personal vision of this character and not creating a public manual

Will start with the most prevalent misconception 'bout this character, that makes me sigh every time people mention it in a serious discussion and then try to argue, obv lacking basic media literacy skills. Ji Yan is a human. Shocking, I know. He was born human and his awakening as resonator also was natural.

Resonator Ji Yan's Forte-Awakening was observed at the Yuanwang Camp located in Desorock Highland. This event was characterized by the accumulation of air currents around his body, forming a distinctive lance. Ji Yan bears a distinctive Tacet Mark situated atop his dorsal ridge. Post-Awakening observations found some growths that resemble Loong scale on his left jaw. No indications of progressive expansion have been detected.

He still has his mother. Completely and totally normal human being. Do not confuse this with him being chosen/appointed by an actual dragon, known as Sentinel Jue. Thank you. And if you will also do some math, he should be around 23.

Going further, I will mention that originally Ji Yan was a doctor and until recently I did not have a solid proof for my headcanon why he stopped. He gave up healing, 'cause he saw limitations in this method of saving people and saving lives, thus he became a soldier, so he could protect people and prevent all those injuries from happening in the first place.

The main story and his personal quest show different sides of his, BUT they are equally important to showcase who Ji Yan trully is as a person. As a general we see him reliable and confident, powerful and v skillful warrior, that literally can slice through hordes of enemies. It IS a very strong first impression that sticks with you, 'cause you know this person will be there to protect and defend, he WILL be the tip of the spear that he will launch at the enemy. He is a protector and a defender. BUT in his story we are given a glimpse of his vulnerable and human side, we witness his past and his regrets, his anger, his burden as a leader, that he NEVER made shown in any way or measure. He endured. Silently. I also rly loved that the story was focused on more dark aspects of war and battlefield such as morale, danger and death.

Next will be his voicelines and what additional info I could gather from the sources. He is calm and composed in general, he is v concentrated at all times, he is also prone to provide practical advice and reassurance. He displays a great sense of duty and responsibility, especially considering his role as general. He doesn't have any particular preferences in food, and due to military experience, recognizes its importance and does not squander it. Even despite his aversion towards Bittberries for their bitter taste. He endures unpleasant circumstances, handles things he dislikes with resilience and focuses on what is necessary.

Despite now being a general, Ji Yan still maintains a connection with his family's medical background, as he often discusses medical knowledge with his mother. His cherished item - gourd-shaped pill case indicates a softer, sentimental and more personal side of him.

His ideal and ultimate wish is the peaceful future where a general is no longer needed. And that rly shows him as such a selfless person.

There's also some details in character stories you unlock, when you raise his intimacy level:

The first story shows Ji Yan as a capable and decisive leader, willing to make difficult choices and lead by example. His resilience and strategic prowess make him a formidable force on the battlefield, earning him the respect and admiration of his comrades.

The second story shows Ji Yan beyond his image of general, providing insight on his internal struggles and unwavering commitment to his duty and the people.

The third story shows Ji Yan's two sides: a fierce fighter against enemies and a caring, attentive towards his comrades leader. He monitors the needs and well-being of his soldiers, intervening discreetly to provide support when it's most needed.

#Ⓙ : introspection ( jiyan ) #Ⓙ : relevant ( jiyan ) #[ one ref post on twitter was used 'cause i did not make all the screenshots needed smh ] #[ but this is p much it— for now‚ at least ] #[ as we go i will post more fully personal observations and will try to see if there will be any deviations bw localizations ]

[nanistar]

do you think we could get a sneak peak of saltburn's clan production? like the scripts or the sketches? (of pages already posted of course) i really like seeing how different people approach the comic making process

sure thing!

so i usually post the next 2 sketches on my patreon for the $1+ tiers on tuesday or wednesday, so they get an advanced little view of it before hand. so the ones here are all gonna be older pages.

my entire script and notes i keep in one long google doc. and i send myself feverish notes on discord to be copy/pasta'd into the doc later. i also have a rough estimation of my progress in the story and how much longer i have per chapters, since im trying to keep it to about 30-36 per chapter. i don;t want to spend longer than 2 years on this comic (though im not gonna speedrun it or anything if it ends up going long, im just hoping it stays shorter lol).

i don't script things line-by-line or like a stageplay. i tried doing it early on but i found i made too many deviations depending on how i placed panels and looking back at the script was really annoying.

earliest script i have^

i tend to do dialogue on the fly when actually sketching out the pages, because i know what i'm looking for, so unless i have the specific dialogue that i want to remember to add, i don't write any of that down. although sometimes i get on a roll writing and dialogue flows, so i write it down and change it as needed. i have scenes in my head rather than pages, and i translate those notes later when i need to work on that scene. i very rarely get actual page ideas in my head, but i will say today's update with saltburn flying thru the air and recalling some memories i;ve had in my head for months, along with the one where salt sees the angel i had planned for a while. (i'd LOVE to be able to get a ton of pages sketched at once so i can not worry about it, but the nature of the way that i work is that i just can't think in that much detail far ahead of me. so i can only really do 2 at a time)

^so it tends to look more like this, fast back and forth dialogue to get my point across that i will make fit their voices later on. also i don't use linebreaks or anything just because im lazy so my notes are a fuckin disaster

my god.

as for the actual drawing of the pages, i literally just do it i dont know how to explain it. i sketch things as fast and loose as possible , i try not to have the same size boxes next to each other unless i'm showing the passage of time or a very minor detail change between panels. large panels for establishing shots. ect. sometimes if needed i will do a secondary sketch to figure stuff out, like i needed to do a bunch when working out the first few coyote drawings since ive never drawn dogs in action before. but usually i just whip it out

nightmarish.

this one is still my favorite, and despite looking much better than my normal sketches i did whip it out like normal (i just looked at refs for the other critters so it looks nicer lol)

additionally, i do every single page in the chapter on the same canvas because i love it when procreate crashes. i do all my panel boxes, and any "weird" shaped speech bubbles by hand. i only have one layer for flats, one for BGs, merge them together and do one overlay layer. if i need some extra definition i will add an additional shading layer but i dont like to. once im done with all the art i merge every layer together, send the page to myself on discord, and open it up on my 'puter and do the remaining text and normal speech bubbles in clip studio.

oh yeah people sometimes ask why i do 2 pages instead of one per update, or just do a bunch and upload it less often and the answer is because i don't want to be working on this comic for a very long time, and 2 pages gets me thru faster. if i spend too long working on a scene it starts getting boring for me and im more likely to cheese it which i dont like doing, but if i do two at once i can get stuff done faster. additionally, i cant just do a bunch and upload them all at once because i like the feedback, and it's better for readers to have consistent updates. i have the deadly autism/adhd combo, and my life is literally scheduled week by week and i have to stay consistent or i will die.

but yeah. my process is nightmarish and fast (despite spending like 4-8 hours per page) and loose and crazy but it works for me and keeps me engaged.

#nyask #sbc #thanks for asking i love to talk about my process tbh #when i look back on it im always shocked like what the fuck am i doing here #mine

[bakudeku-recommendations]

BKDK Time Travel AU Recommendations

Note: some of these contain smut, suicide, or death of some kind. Make sure to check tags!

P.S. Let me know of any other recommendations you would like! I will try my best to find some good ones :)

1. Second Chance

By: SaysiWrites

Summary: Izuku Midoriya grew up thinking he was Quirkless - turns out he just needed to face death to activate it.

Tags: Canon Compliant, Midoriya Izuku Has a Quirk, Protective Bakugou Katsuki, Angst?, Fluff, once you get through all the dark shit, Canon-Typical Violence, Time Travel (kind of), suicide (kind of), Depression (briefly), Non-Graphic Violence, Short Chapters, slowish burn, Temporary Character Death, Don’t copy to another site

2. Fantasia for Two Gentlemen

By: pandoras_thomg

Summary: Pro heroes Ground Zero and Deku get caught in a time-travel villain’s quirk and end up spending the night with each other’s middle school selves. Truths come to light, feelings find their home, and destinies change in summertime.

Tags: Time Travel, Alternate Universe - Post-Canon, Pro Hero Midoriya Izuku, Pro Hero Bakugou Katsuki, Bakugou Katsuki Swears A Lot, Middle schooler Bakugou Katsuki, Middle Schooler Izuku Midoriya, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Size Difference, Age Difference, Mirror Sex, Izuku is adorable, Rutting, Creampie, Masturbation, Voyeurism, Explicit Sexual Content, Bottom Midoriya Izuku

3. Time Travel

By: bkdkwritingsdump

Summary: Izuku swaps places with his future self due to the effects of a quirk and finds himself in the apartment he shares with... Katsuki? Who is his boyfriend? Things get emotional as he realizes not only just how wonderful his future is, but that he won't remember any of it when he returns.

Tags: Fluff, Light Angst, Time Travel, Quirk Shenanigans (My Hero Academia), Emotional, Sharing a Bed, Soft Bakugou Katsuki, Jealousy, Hurt/Comfort, POV Alternating

4. Do it For Them

By: Yuhime

Summary: Katsuki does everything he can to make sure that damn nerd and their apparent daughter from the future are safe until they can figure out a way to return her to her own time.

Tags: bakudeku, class 1-a - Freeform, or atleast most of them, Minor Character Death (Mentioned), More tags will be added as the story progresses, Not Beta'd, Slow Burn, Like real slow, Swearing, eventual smut for the teens, smut for the future couple, Established Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Class 1-A Shenanigans (My Hero Academia), Morning Sex, Kidnapping, Shower Sex, Blow Jobs, Rough Oral Sex, Minor Kaminari Denki/Kirishima Eijirou, Minor Iida Tenya/Uraraka Ochako, Minor Todoroki Shouto/Yaoyorozu Momo, Public Blow Jobs, First Time

5. hero duo

By: lu_marii

Summary: Pro hero duo Kacchan and Deku are thrown into the past, have a conversation with their old class, and drive their teacher insane.

Tags: Time Travel, Parental Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead, twinstarsweek

6. My future?

By: Bkdklover95

Summary: Izuku wakes up and he is older? Also why is Kacchan so nice and also who exactly is the future him???

Tags: Bakugou Katsuki Swears A Lot, Soft Bakugou Katsuki, Bakugou Katsuki is a Good Boyfriend, Cute Midoriya Izuku, Midoriya Izuku is a Tease, Quirk Shenanigans (My Hero Academia), Future Fic, Alternate Universe - Future, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Time Travel, Daddy Kink, Fluff, Domestic Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Fluff and Humor, Funny

7. Off The Clock

By: mythical_song_wolf

Summary: Pro Hero Deku is sent back in time, two months before he ever meets All Might... But it seems like somebody follows him soon enough...

Tags: Parental Yagi Toshinori | All Might, Parental Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead, Time Travel, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It, Bakugou Katsuki Swears A Lot, Swearing, Canon Rewrite, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Probably ooc, im trying okay?, Fluff, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Canon Compliant, Fix-It of Sorts, Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, Hugs, Cuddling & Snuggling, Angst, Protectiveness, Tooth-Rotting, Fluff, Romantic Fluff, Established Relationship

8. You're My Type

By: Gbo

Summary: Midoriya has a definite type even if he refuses to admit it. With the new edition of 'Top Sexiest Heros', said type becomes painfully clear to the ladies of class 3A. The teasing session that results leaves tensions high... But what would happen if his ultimate type is thrown back from the future.

Tags: Aged-Up Character(s), Third Year Class 1-A (My Hero Academia), Everyone's 18 y/o, Shinsou Hitoshi Replaces Mineta Minoru, IDFK Mineta died or something, Midoriya Izuku & Shinsou Hitoshi Friendship, Midoriya Izuku Loves Bakugou Katsuki, Embarrassed Midoriya Izuku, Izuku has a type and it's blondes, You'll see what I mean, Quirk Accident (My Hero Academia), Time Travel, They get swapped, 28-year-old Bakugo Katsuki, 28-Year-Old Midoriya Izuku, Characters Are Pro Heroes (My Hero Academia), Sex God Bakugo Katsuki, no beta - we die like Sir Nighteye, Eventual Smut, Canon Compliant, Kaminari Denki is a Little Shit, Uraraka Ochako is a menace

9. Every Day, Again and Again

By: bundie

Summary: Stupid fucking quirk accidents. One minute, Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight was fighting some C-List villain side by side with his hero partner Deku, and the next, he was blasted through some swirling mass of violet light. The last thing he heard was the broken call of “Kacch–!” before he was slamming face first into a brick wall. Where the fuck was he?

Tags: Characters Are Pro Heroes (My Hero Academia), Future Fic, Quirk Shenanigans (My Hero Academia), Quirk Accident (My Hero Academia), Bullying, Middle School Student Bakugou Katsuki, Middle School Student Midoriya Izuku, Time Travel, Established Relationship

10. once upon a younger year (when all our shadows disappear)

By: ArbitraryCategories

Summary: 25-year old Pro Heroes Deku and Dynamight have been bringing Hope and Victory to the citizens living in AFO's Japan for years now. Unfortunately, a new League recruit calling herself Vanish gets in a lucky shot, and suddenly the Wonder Duo finds themselves in a strikingly undamaged park—face to face with their 13-year-old selves. Stuck in the past, they decide that there's only one thing to do: save the future.

Tags: One For All Quirk, Haunted by Past One For All Users' Ghosts (My Hero Academia), Time Travel Fix-It, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Pro Hero Midoriya Izuku, Pro Hero Bakugou Katsuki, Middle School Student Midoriya Izuku, Middle School Student Bakugou Katsuki, U.A. High School (My Hero Academia), U.A. Teacher Midoriya Izuku, Teacher Bakugou Katsuki, dadmight, Parental Yagi Toshinori | All Might, villains made up for plot, time travel villain for no reason other than i needed SOMETHING, Engaged Bakugou Katsuki/Midoriya Izuku, found family except he found them from a distance, Class 1-A as Family (My Hero Academia), Overuse of italics, I will add character tags and relationships as they show upor as they are mentioned insert evil laughter here, realized i forgot to tag swearing, Swearing, Bakugou Katsuki Swears A Lot, Toga Himiko is Not a Villain, Adopted Toga Himiko

#bkdk #fanfic #time travel #fanfic recommendation #fanfiction #ao3fic #ao3 #ao3 link #ao3 bakudeku #mha smut #fluff #time travel au #bakudeku #requests open

[comicaurora]

hello! i have a couple questions!!

ysee im in a situation. over the years, i have made Serious Attempts at starting a comic with EIGHT different projects, and none of them have stuck. One of them i even made it 60 pages in before tanking. now im right at the brink of starting my CURRENT project! … for the fifth time…!!

needless to say i am sliiiiiiiiightly worried that this is going to turn out like the last 200,000 attempts. so like.

how do you know when you're ready to start a story?

do you have any experience with false starts, and if so how did you know that this time wasn't just another false start?

how did you handle the transition from the concept and planning part to the actual comic making part ?

and how do you keep going now?

thanks !!!

Whoof, that's a toughie.

I don't know how helpful this will be, but in my experience the only difference between a false start and a long-term commitment is just a matter of willpower - of choosing to keep going after you hit the first wall. Because there will be walls! Every project will eventually hit a bump where you question the value of the entire concept - a tricky bit of plot, an arc you need to scrap and rework, a character you can't get a handle on, a general sense of imposter-syndrome malaise. In fact, if you stick with it long enough, you'll discover that this is a regular occurrence. Walls happen.

The trick, in my experience, is that the wall is a signal, not that the project is a failure or you need to stop, but that you need to put the story down for now. Stories often get polished and worked on when you're NOT actively trying to make progress. My dad calls this "the better writer in the back of your head." That subconscious work can't be done if you're consciously focusing on it, and if you hit a wall where something just isn't working, your BWITBOYH needs a chance to look it over, draw a few connections you maybe hadn't seen, and then bump it back to the front of your brain for approval and execution.

So, ironically, the trick to sticking with a story long term is knowing that when you put it down you can always pick it back up. If an inactive project feels "abandoned" or "failed", you end up with all these negative emotions attached to it that repel you and keep you from picking it back up. That mindset is the real issue - not the work itself. ANY art can have merit; it's not a flaw in the project or in your creative process that makes you step away. The problem is the guilt and the feeling that "oh I ALWAYS abandon things", because that means a natural and unavoidable step in the creative process is just going to make you feel bad and reinforce this spiral. The projects won't judge you for putting them down, and even if you don't end up finishing them, there is always value in picking them back up!

Aurora is a long term project, but there are days - weeks, even - where I make no progress. Months have gone by with me stalled on a storyboard wrestling with writer's block and questioning the point of everything. The trick is I know I can and should indulge those moods, because as long as I don't let it spiral off into self-pity, I'll be chipping away at the problem in the back of my head. I was stalled for literal weeks choreographing an upcoming encounter and what ended up breaking the block was just a tiny new addition - "what if this character had a tool that could do this one thing?" Five pages of storyboarding flowed out that day, and then five more the next, all reshaped by that one additional tool. I'm currently stalled out processing exactly how a single small interaction is going to play out - I know the shape of it, but the character specifics are currently nebulous and hinge on a few larger-scale things I maybe want to use it to plant and pay off. With no angst in this process, I'm not at risk of becoming bogged down in bummers and losing my grip on the story. I know I'll pick it back up, because nothing is stopping me.

#asks #writing stuff

[guardiantales-fanblog]

if you're on maincord you've probably already seen the cafedaum Q&A, but here it is. Im only gonna make a short summary since I feel like we've gotten enough info as it is.

Q. I am very tired from the minigames in the story stage. Is it possible to add a pass function or difficulty relief function after failing more than a few times? A: In World 18, we applied a system that lowers the difficulty level according to the player's choice when failing to clear some activities, and  we plan to continuously expand the scope of application. In the future, we are also considering introducing a main world format that presents a separate challenge difficulty after trying the basic difficulty like a short story collection.

Q. When re-entering after the end of the stage, can you mark the locations of the star pieces, purple coins, and treasures acquired on the map? A: [...] Rather than displaying it directly, we are discussing how to apply it sequentially starting from World 1 in the third quarter after opening World 19 by displaying a notification when approaching unacquired Star Pieces/Purple Coins, etc.

Q. How far has the overall story of Guardian Tales progressed, and has  the ending of the story already been planned? A: From the beginning of Guardian Tales to the end, the overall outline of the story is planned. It is difficult to officially tell how far this story has progressed, but there are still more stories to be told, and we will do our best until the end to ensure that no story is missed in the process of rushing toward the final chapter.

Q. Will it be possible to change some sub-quests that are less immersive? A: Content that has already been opened is also being reviewed and adjusted in various ways. However, we want to maintain the overall form and content of the content. There were times when the development team felt a bit disappointed, but we would like to focus more on showing further improvements in the next content. We will organize the sub-quests that will appear in the future so that you can experience a variety of enjoyment and satisfaction.

Q. Are there any plans for the next rare hero promotion? A: Promotion of rare heroes is being prepared sequentially, and approximately two types are planned per year.

Q. The maximum level has reached 100 after World 18. Will there be further spec upgrades (additional level up, addition of new BM, etc.)? A: In Season 3, we are preparing a new system for heroes to grow together with the emergence of new worlds and content. Through this change, we want to help the basic growth of heroes and show new growth possibilities through “Hero Blessing / Artifact Crafting / Exclusive Equipment Engraving”*(note: this TL may be innacurate)

Q. What is the official release schedule for Cooperative Expedition?A: We are preparing for the official launch of Cooperative Expedition with the goal of Season 3. From the official opening, entry will be possible at any time, and new stories, maps, and boss monsters will be prepared and continuously updated.

Q. Are there any plans to overall reorganize Kamazon Land or add skip or sweep functions? A: Kamazon Land for Season 2 will open for the last time in April, and Kamazon Land will be temporarily closed for Season 3.

NO MORE KAMAZONE. RIP BOZO

Q. Can you add an auto function (including double speed function) and a conversation history check function to Heavenhold novels? A: It has been confirmed that it is possible to add speed, automatic functions, and conversation content confirmation functions.

THANK GOD

Q. Is it possible to set the SD*(chibi) hero illustration uploaded to the fankit as the in-game portrait? A: We are always grateful for the interest shown in SD Hero art. However, since the proportions of the heroes are reduced and expressed in a somewhat cute way, we believe that it is not enough to represent the characteristics and images as representatively as the original painting. Although it is difficult to provide the SD version as a portrait, we are preparing it so that you can use it on the "profile page' that will be added in Season 3. The profile page can be decorated by attaching various stickers obtained through game play, and we aim to create a space where knights' achievements and personalities can be displayed within the game.

#guardian tales #q&a

[victoria1676]

Where have I been?

Hi, Victoria here! ^^

Sorry for not posting or tell anyone of my progress after the news of Technoblade’s passing that also not only made me sad but it also made me toke a two week break from writing. Right now I am back in writing but at the small slow pace as I am trying to world build my story well without rushing it to make it ugly

So far I am definitely gonna think new ways to improve Prologue 3 which is not yet made as I haven't like decided how to start it so I apologize but I will work it on august hopefully however Im sure those who knows what is happening with Genshin.

We got leaks of what Sumeru is like (Rip Primos and wallets to everyone) and Im very excited as everyone who read my main Sagau or Sagau crossover of DSMP/SBI reader Sumeru and Snezahaya are the only ones who are not involved of the Imposter chase which i will try my best to explain why only those two nations did not hunt us down while rest such as Natlan and Fontaine hunted us down when one of them are supposedly could help us but I won't spoil why as I am waiting for Natlan and Fontaine to come so that I can work my way on them without making the characters in those nations look OOC when they are not out yet TwT

And of course the famous teaser that is about the Harbingers reaction to Signora’s death to which I did not expect it revealed all Harbingers and damn I wonder how the main SAGAU writers will write about them especially Regrator who caught my interest with Arlecchino UwU

But uh back in the Topic 😂

So like currently I am suffering a huge skin allergies which is a pain in the neck and I have no idea when it will be gone which is quite sad and annoying as the itchyness is hard to control sometimes TwT But don't worry I am doing okay XD

Although a bit oof a news.

The technolade tribute will have a bit changes as i decided to make it around the imposter au of Sagau but this will be more of Reader and Techno centric so basically more onto the Dream SMP so for those who dont know Dream SMP or never watch but came here for the SAGAU you can read it or not read it since I only made my story just for fun and so far I already have massive ideas for the "Leave me Alone and Let me build my s**t" such as I now decided that there will be like changes since i just edit this today and this draft was like last week XD

And what changes is that Prologue one will have addition of a Torture scene that a friend wanted me to add and I thought it would fit considering I decided to go around my Prologues and Interlude to add the Dark themes since things will go dark and very much have high tension once we get to the main plot of how the story began or rather how Reader felt being chased along with being labeled as an imposter when she is not.

So around August there will be a short (or not short due to my brainstorming and OCD build up whoops 😂😂) Prologue 3.5 or which uh basically is before the actually Prologue 3. What i mean is that 3.5 will mostly be a calm before the storm which will be another short point of view of the characters before Doomsday and I know everyone is not happy when they are waiting for the Doomsday to happen and Ill be honest I myself always is not happy but I have to do it so I can break expectations and also 3.5 will have a Harbingers and you guys will have to figure out who the traitor that spoke to Dainsleif because its gonna be a plot twist when you realize it was not them but another character who I always used my support XD

I wont spoil much but I can say hopefully Prologue 3 Doomsday will be moved on September since I do full chapters once a month due to being busy irl and school. I hope you guys understand especially its not easy to make a huge build up plot with worldbuilding and trying to make the characters in character without making them go OOC.

But yes this month I will do my best to finish the Technoblade tribute with reader and I can say there will be angst, comfort and a bit of a hint of the future chapters of my main story OwO! Despite i am supposed to rest with Allergies I need to make sure you guys will get enough SAGAU x DSMP/SBI reader XD

So I hope you guys understand and Inbox is open for questions which I will answer in my own pace as I am trying to get these allergies healed TwT

So yeah that's all! ^^

#genshin impact self aware #genshin self aware #sagau #genshin sagau #self aware genshin #genshin self aware au #self aware au #genshin impact x dream smp crossover #sagau dsmp reader

[axolotlsauce]

Hiya there!! I came from @memesforcreators, to ask about the magical girls hehe

Well I guess it is time to talk about the magical girls then!

Introducing: Sentinels’ Pride

As with all the best things, there’s a veritable hotpot stew of inspirations behind these, but the main ones that are already things that you can read, and the ones id cite if I were pitching this to some executive, are Dragon Ball Z, Sailor Moon and Lucky Star. Yes, my goal is to someday create the ultimate magical girls shoenen battle manga.

Oh also all the characters are trans

In this world, there’s an organisation like an extradimensional magical government that creates magical girls (and guys, but the genre is called magical girls so I’ll be generally referring to them as magical girls) in order to protect the world from primal forces of myths and monsters that seek to reclaim the earth. They’re kind of like a magical SCP foundation. This organisation has a vault in which they contain magic itself, stored in the form of elements, abstract concepts, or even simple words: this magic was taken from the gods and monsters that the organisation has defeated. Their magical girls, called sentinels, are given these powers by cute little animal mascot creatures called arbiters. In addition, sentinels receive “magical bodies” which essentially operate under dragon ball Z logic, in that they can be physically trained to superhuman levels with no upper cap, and have the capacity to transform into more powerful states; like super saiyan but with a classic magical girl transformation and progressively more intricate outfits. The appearance of the sentinels’ new bodies manifests based on their inner desires, meaning it will always be the gender that they identify with, rather than their assigned gender; the “contract” signed by sentinels is that they agree to fight in exchange for gender-affirming bodies. 

When a Sentinel is given magic, they are assigned a sort of title in the format of “Sentinel _______”. The word in the blank spot defines their power. Sentinels are given some ubiquitous magical abilities, some of which are passive, including enhanced strength and durability, while others are skills that must be learned such as flight or combat spells. In addition, the specific source of their magic grants them particular abilities; for instance, sentinel aqua, who was imbued with the magic taken from Pontus, has power over all water, and can use water magic. Fairly simple. 

Now not to go all grimdark magical girls on you, but I’m just saying that Maaaaybe this dubious organisation has some ulterior motives? and PERHAPS they might not tell their recruits everything in advance? Perchance, even, there is a reason that they target dysphoric trans kids who will be reluctant to go back to their old lives rather than appealing to the universal desire of all people to have magical powers, kick ass and look cute doing it? I mean, doesn’t that just sound like something the us military would try? (If they ever attempt to offer trans healthcare in exchange for enlisting this counts as a prediction. Just get away from me with that dodgeball apollo.)

I realise that makes it sound kind of dark but that’s not the overall tone of the story, it’s mainly just about a group of sentinels who get given powers way stronger than they should have and they just kind of hang out and sometimes shit goes down. i wanna go into detail but im lazy and it already took me WAY to long to reply to this ask. sorry about that im bad at making myself write, even when its just a description of other stuff im going to write

@midnights-melodiverse thank you for asking about the magical girls im sorry this took so long

#oc #magical girls #sentinels pride #i will write more oc stuff i promise

[foxstens]

i feel like some of people have a bad experience with rain world, or at least its beginning, precisely because they go in knowing nothing

i've only watched one full playthrough of this game, which was skurry's and they went in after having already played some of the game so it was less painful

but now i'm trying to watch one that's mostly blind and im just. oh my god it's so frustrating. like i'm 5 videos in and this guy keeps waiting for power ups and additional movement abilities and he kept getting frustrated because he couldn't figure out how to climb onto a ledge consistently. a ledge! even i didn't have this problem! and he keeps saying that rocks are useless because they don't do damage and that the game is pointless because of the lack of 'progress'

and it's so annoying because this is the opposite attitude you should have when playing this game, but i also realize that i could have very well been this guy on my first playthrough if i didn't know things beforehand.

like, okay, i'm less likely to go into a game expecting it to be like other games because i rarely play enough games of a genre to develop actual expectations and because i tend to like indie games which are kind of known for being the ones to try to break the mold.

but still, if i just heard this game was a survivor-platformer and didn't read or watch anything else about the movement, the enemies, the story, the whole entire point of the game, i definitely would have dropped it pretty early on. since i knew some things the game never explains and i knew the mindset i should have and i wasn't afraid of checking the 'how to enjoy rain world' github guide pretty frequently, that didn't happen and i had a great time

basically what i'm trying to say is that this game isn't designed to be 'fun' in the typical way, and it isn't even designed around the player character as most other games tend to be, despite how important the player character actually is once you learn some of the lore, and the point of this game isn't leveling up and being the most powerful and most mobile guy around and just murdering your way through everything

it certainly can be fun and you definitely learn and get better the more you play the game, but above everything it's meant to be an experience, at least on your first playthrough. and while i'm sure there are some people who played it completely blind and had a great time (i bow down to you), i'm also sure there are people who could have had a great time had they tried not playing it completely blind

i guess people who try to recommend could also do a better job of setting expectations and mentioning how unconventional it is because just describing it as a survivor platformer gives you a very different image from what it actually is. but. yea.

idek i love this game

oh by the way i'm pretty sure i didn't intentionally kill any creature besides the edible ones in my 30+ hour survivor run, which is really interesting to me and really goes to show that murder is not the point of this game. i did always have a spear and a rock or some rubbish but mostly for movement or running away purposes. then again if you're going in completely blind it'll probably take a while before you figure out you can even use them for movement purposes, and that stunning enemies is really useful when you're trying to escape. eh.

#my posts #gameblogging #liveblogging rain world #my rambles #read more #long post #anyway i can't wait to play rivulet i feel like that's gonna be the most 'fun' #idk if its gonna top gourmand tho i love it so much #you can hit an enemy and it dies #you can fall on an enemy and it dies #YOU CAN FREAKING SLIDE INTO AN ENEMY AND IT DIES

[f1]

Im very excited Norris gives his verdict on recent McLaren technical changes

Lando Norris has expressed excitement over the various changes taking place at McLaren as the famous team look to rebuild their F1 operations and return to winning ways in the future. McLaren remain one of the most successful squads in the sport’s history, having taken 12 drivers’ championships and eight constructors’ titles over the years, but the last of those came back in 2008, while they have only won one race in the last decade. READ MORE: Stella explains what ‘instrumental’ Rob Marshall will bring to McLaren in 2024 Having fallen from third to fifth in the standings over the last three seasons, McLaren carried out a technical restructure earlier this year, with James Key – who has since signed for Alfa Romeo – leaving his Technical Director role. Arriving for 2024 are David Sanchez from Ferrari and Rob Marshall from Red Bull, with the pair slotting into an F1 Technical Executive team that will report directly into Team Principal Andrea Stella. Red Bull stalwart Rob Marshall is one of the established F1 names on their way to McLaren for 2024 Speaking about the moves on the Sky Sports F1 Podcast, Norris said: “I think there’s some big names coming in, which is always a great thing, a great addition. People who have been in the sport for many years, who have been a crucial part in success of other teams – a lot of success in other teams. “Knowledge is one of the biggest things in Formula 1, and personnel, so I think getting some big guys in… Not that we had bad people, because that’s absolutely not true, but just making the force bigger is what we needed to go and compete against these other teams – Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull and so on. TREMAYNE: Why dejected Norris should take heart from Hamilton’s smile in Spain “It’s a very good thing, still fresh for the time being, but already factually there’s been some good improvements from the development rate and things like that, new ideas, new perspectives. “Already good progress has been made, so therefore I guess I look forward to this year, I look forward to how we can go into a winter and be better prepared for 2024.” This feature is currently not available because you need to provide consent to functional cookies. Please update your cookie preferences McLaren Origins: The story of the Formula 1 team Norris added that he is looking forward to experiencing the combination of new technical staff and the soon-to-be-live wind tunnel and simulator McLaren have been working on in the background. “By then we’ll have the new wind tunnel, we’ll have the new simulator, more people coming in 2024, in the beginning, so then I look even more forward to 2025 – a lot of exciting things,” he commented. IT’S RACE WEEK: 5 storylines we’re excited about ahead of the 2023 Canadian Grand Prix “I guess I try, in a way, to not look too much at the future, but when you’re struggling, [and having] difficult weekends, then you also want to look at the future. Different minds on both, but I’m very excited for what McLaren are doing, what they’ve done, and the changes we’ve got ahead.” McLaren hold sixth in the constructors’ championship after the first seven races of the 2023 season, slotting ahead of Haas, Alfa Romeo, AlphaTauri and Williams. via Formula 1 News https://www.formula1.com

#F1 #‘I’m very excited’ – Norris gives his verdict on recent McLaren technical changes #Formula 1

[jeromefart]

ok heres my jedi survivor thoughts. and let me preface by saying i am incredibly excited for this game and will be buying it once i get a ps5. i will be saying negative things but i honestly do not care that much and i am 100% in love with everything we’ve seen from this game so far

i think that the walk run and sprint animations are a little scuffed. the run animation in fallen order wasn’t great, but now all the movement animations look off. i hope this is something they fix.

i honestly like the map system from fallen order. its a star wars holo map!! its fun and interactive!! it is hard to see exactly whats happening, but i think having to adapt to it improves the immersive experience. because most maps in star wars are holo maps, and if you were in the star wars universe, that’s what you’d be using.

some people complained about it being more open world, but i love open world games. i doubt they will be empty and i know they will be filled with tons of secrets and small details. fallen order is a game about exploration. you are meant to explore each corner and complete your map. you are meant to find secrets. and even without treasure chests, it’s still rewarding. each thing you scan has a small blurb about it. each echo you hear is part of a larger story. its honestly an incredible concept. its so unique and works so well for detail oriented people who like to search for a story and find answers instead of being told everything. it’s rewarding when you get every echo in a category. then you can read back and learn the lore of animals, planets, characters, and the galaxy. fallen order is a massive game, and survivor is going to be even bigger.

(a side note: ive put hundreds of hours in breath of the wild, and while very open and immersive, it tends to fall short in the rewarding category. there are 900 korok seeds hidden throughout the game, where you do small hidden minigames. at the end of collecting them, you get a useless collectible item. its useless and while it’s meant to be funny as it is a pile of shit, it’s just annoying. so comparing korok seeds to force echoes is very eye opening. because you actually get a sense of gratification out of getting to listen to an echo from the past, rather than shooting a bullseye or putting a rock into a hole)

i really loved the progression in fallen order. you go through a path, and then unlock a shortcut back. so later on, you can breeze through shortcuts to get to certain locations. the lack of fast travel made sense in some aspects. they wanted to keep it grounded and realistic, like with the holo map i mentioned. with the shortcuts, it didn’t take long to get to one area from another. but where the issue arrives is that its still super tedious, annoying, and hard to remember where each path leads. it’s immersive, but too immersive. i had to use a guide to get through zeffo. it was a massive planet that you return to multiple times. and 100%ing it was a NIGHTMARE. it took me a week. with that said, the addition of fast travel in survivor is exciting. it could be said that it takes away from some of the immersive factors of the previous game, but honestly? it is going to be life changing. gone are the days where im tearing my hair out running in circles trying to backtrack to the place that has 99% completion (well, maybe i’ll still have this problem).

i feel like this goes without saying, but i am in love with cal’s design. he has grown so much since fallen order, and i just adore how rugged he looks. i was unhappy with his appearance in the teaser trailer, but i kept my hopes up with the action figure illustrations. thankfully, his design is perfect. his outfit is so nice and im excited to see the customization.

this isnt really worth mentioning but let’s talk pricing. 70 bucks? fine. games are expensive nowadays. but the 20 dollar expansion pack that only includes cosmetics? honestly insane. it’s just luke and han inspired outfits, i think? the r2 bd skin is cute but other than that, it’s a waste of money imo. that is 90 fucking dollars!!!!!

the combat is exciting. i loved the split sabers in the previous game and it’s going to be so fun to use them more. the combos look effortlessly cool and ive rewatched cal twirl around his blades and throw them a million times now. it is hot. double saber gameplay looks cool too. i loved using it in fallen order even though it’s wide ranged attacks with less damage designed for attacking groups of enemies. so seeing it used on singular enemies and turned into a full usable form rather than something to switch to for a specific scenario is really nice. the crossguard saber looks cool too. some people were hating but i dont know why? i think a claymore style saber is really awesome and i have played some games with that attack style and it is actually what i prefer next to long range stuff. i love long range.

and speaking of long range, cal has a blaster. we havent seen him use it yet, but im excited. and i would not be surprised if it has little functionality. i have a feeling it will be used more for interactions with the environment than combat. im annoying when i play games and if you give me a long range weapon i will take out everything i can from as far away as possible. playing stealthy is super fun. so i will probably do that in survivor. hell i do it in fallen order. i abuse the shit out of the lightsaber throw move

lets talk CHARACTERS!

first, cal kestis. i love him 💕 he is gorgeous and im obsessed w his new design as i mentioned previously. it seems like hes going to be struggling with the dark side and justifying his actions as the fight against the ever expanding empire worsens. the way cameron has described all of this has me very excited. i loved the part in fallen order where he directly faces his trauma. it was so powerful and it really resonated with me. i almost cried tbh. anyway im super excited to see what happens next!! i love cal :))

the mantis crew. we don’t know much about what theyre up to, but im sure theyre all doing fine. it was expected that theyd all branch off and find their own purposes in the galaxy. looks like cere is building a jedi archive or something. and somehow greez let cal fly the mantis, maybe hes settled down in his home planet? or he gambled his life away LMAO. and merrin never planned on permanently staying with the mantis crew. shes probably back trying to rebuild dathomir and the nightsisters or something.

bode akuna. he seems cool and im very excited to see what hes like! it looks like him and cal form a bond despite their differences, like brothers in arms. the enemy of my enemy is my friend, right? everyone hates the empire, so they are all united through that. yes, i do ship him and cal, but im trying not to be too crazy about it and wait til we see more. anyway, i like the buddy ai thing that they’re going to do with him. its bound to be pretty cool.

the mystery man played by cody fern!! ok, i need to share this because i think its funny. so when the trailer came out and it was confirmed that cody fern is playing him, i looked him up and learned he was in ahs. i was already a casual fan but had only seen 3 seasons, so i watched apocalypse. big mistake. i got super hyperfixated and binged the rest of the seasons (haven’t seen death valley and nyc yet tho). but it was worth it honestly. cody is super cool and watching his role in apocalypse got me super hyped. he plays a great villain!!! i have been saying this forever, but i want him and cal to have homoerotic tension. michael and another character (the one played by evan, i think his name is gallant?) have the most homoerotic tension ever. i mean, some of the dialogue is literally “are you gay?” “would that excite you?” i mean. COME ONNN.

[petnews2day]

Ross Chastain cherishes first title bout despite falling short: 'I'm so proud'

New Post has been published on https://petnews2day.com/pet-news/small-pet-news/ross-chastain-cherishes-first-title-bout-despite-falling-short-im-so-proud/

Ross Chastain cherishes first title bout despite falling short: 'I'm so proud'

AVONDALE, Ariz. — Ross Chastain was sure that coming close but falling short in pursuit of his first NASCAR Cup Series championship would sting.

Sunday afternoon saw part of that come to fruition: A third-place effort around Phoenix Raceway just 1.268 seconds off the back bumper of race and title winner Joey Logano left Chastain a runner-up in the championship race. Yet there was little bitterness — if any at all — as he took to the media center podium shortly after nearly conquering one of his life goals.

RELATED: Elliott crashes out of contention | At-track photos

“The emotions are surprisingly good,” Chastain said. “Like, I‘m not sad. I‘m not upset. I honestly thought when we started the playoffs that if we made it, as I go through different scenarios — I do think about what I‘m going to think about ahead of time and think about what my thoughts are going to be and what I want them to be, and then I try to evaluate as I go.

“I thought if I — like this scenario, if I lost by a little bit, that I would be really upset, and I‘m not. Like I‘m so proud and so happy to give our first shot at these playoffs and at racing in the Cup Series with Trackhouse, and we just ran second.”

A dream season ended two spots short on the 1-mile desert oval. But the reflection of his journey — an eighth-generation watermelon farmer who rose to the NASCAR national series level 11 years ago and clawed through numerous underfunded rides all the way to a title-contending effort at the sport’s pinnacle — didn’t leave Chastain wallowing.

“I feel like I‘m on a never-ending hamster wheel to be the best version of myself, and that‘s not going to stop,” Chastain said. “I hope that I never lose that drive because I wake up and I think about how can I drive a race car fast. That is my main priority every day of my life now, and it has been for the past probably seven or eight years.

Story continues

“It wasn‘t at the beginning of my career. Before that it was how can I raise the funds to race, and before that was what do we need to do at the farm to grow a crop.

“You look at the progression of my mindset that comes natural when I wake up, and I feel like I‘m on a never-ending evolution to be better, and I can‘t wait to get to work this offseason.”

His efforts from 2021 to 2022 were extremely fruitful, producing his first two Cup Series victories at Circuit of The Americas and Talladega Superspeedway. The last year and a half has been a roller coaster of the aforementioned journey.

In June 2021, Chastain was at Dover Motor Speedway when he was texted the news that Justin Marks was purchasing Chip Ganassi Racing, where Chastain was employed as the driver of its No. 42 Chevrolet. With him was Darian Grubb, the Director of Performance for CGR then and now the same for Trackhouse.

Their hearts sank, burdened with the uncertainty, but that moment proved pivotal for two future Trackhouse employees.

“I’d say that was a big moment for himself and me personally,” Grubb told NASCAR.com, “because we were able to bond by sharing that news with each other at a test and trying to figure out what we’re going to do and just have each other’s back and know when we’re gonna go forward with it. Neither one of us knew at that point, whether we’re gonna make it and we both did. Now we’re here.”

So, too, is Chastain’s crew chief Phil Surgen. The duo finished 20th in points a season ago, netting the first three top-five finishes of Chastain’s career in addition to eight top 10s. This year, those numbers exploded — two wins punctuating series-bests in top fives (15) and top 10s (21).

“We had the opportunity to build the team from the ground up,” Surgen told NASCAR.com. “Me and Ross had worked together before. We absorbed a lot of the Ganassi employees, which I had a ton of confidence in and it’s been great. It’s been a great journey, just kind of growing and building together.”

The weight of the questions ahead lingered heavily on Chastain’s mind after the 2021 finale — a feeling he recalled clearly Sunday afternoon.

“I look at when we pulled down the backstretch 20th in the points last year with the 42, had a cooler full of beverages and, you know, walked away not knowing what the future was,” Chastain said. “We knew that tomorrow morning, Monday morning, we were walking in with new ownership and Chip (Ganassi) and Doug Duchardt and so many people that we had bet on being there for a long time in that 42 car, it was their time to step away. And there was a lot of unknowns.

“And you know, to look back and think we ran (14th) in this race, I believe, and 20th in driver points, to come back and run third today and second in the spring and fight for a championship, we’re only going to get better.”

Chastain was quick to credit the Next Gen car for Trackhouse’s immediate competitive nature, particularly in adding a second team to what was a single-car operation out of the Richard Childress Racing camp for Daniel Suárez in 2021.

“They took a big leap of faith with this car, the France family and NASCAR did,” Chastain said. “Obviously I‘m really thankful for that because it put Trackhouse into existence, and it gave us kind of the reason that we‘ve been able to be successful.”

The enthusiasm surrounding the No. 1 team’s success in its inaugural year already appears to be permeating the 2023 preparation.

“To ultimately get the results and be here to fight and finish second in the championship’s just really reassuring, confidence-building for next year. And, you know, largely our team is going to be the same and I can’t wait for next season.”

#Small Pets News

[thepenultimateword]

do you have any tips for writing dialogue? i've been wanting to write some short stories for a while but im honestly super bad at dialogue

I think I can spare a few informational tidbits! I'm sure others have different opinions and tips, but these are things I think about when writing dialogue.

Avoid Small Talk/Get to the point

The best bit of dialogue advice I've been given, and the one I think about most often, is make sure your dialogue is doing something. Try to avoid conversations like this one that, while realistic, don't move the plot:

"Hey!" "Oh, hi! How it's going?' "Pretty good, how are you doing?" "I'm doing fine." "What are you doing?" "Just getting some groceries. You?" "Same."

Think about the purpose of the scene and where you want to go, and then aim the dialogue in that direction. If you want the characters to be incredibly awkward with each other and beating around the bush, my above example might not be too bad, but otherwise avoid the small talk and get into the meat of things.

Along that same vein, avoid having characters repeat things back to each other unless it serves a purpose. For example instead of this:

"I shot someone." My stomach lurched. "What? You shot someone?!"

Try something like this:

"I shot someone." My mouth went dry. "Are they dead?"

It gives more information to the reader and progresses the scene faster.

Knowing What to Tell

If we're in the POV of a character, and they need to explain to their friend a scene we just lived through, don't rehash the whole thing again in the dialogue. It's incredibly boring to read every little bit of what we already know a second time.

You can either wrap it up with a fast "they explained what had happened" or have them mention the key points, that is the parts that we want to see them react to.

Less is More

Dialogue fiends like myself have trouble with this rule, but it really is true. Dialogue should be the icing on the cake, not the cake itself. Pages of talking, while fun for the writer, can get boring for the readers, so it's best if the dialogue is intermingled with exposition. Think about pacing and beats. Dialogue is a lot more satisfying when it comes at the right time and isn't taking over.

Think about what people don't say

People aren't always upfront about what they're thinking or feeling. Remembering what people might want to keep secret or what they only say with their body language is a good way of being selective with dialogue.

A little exercise you can try is writing a character who has something on their mind but doesn't want to talk about it. As they talk with another character, make it obvious to the audience what the character is hiding without letting them say it straight out.

Not everyone sounds the same

When writing, it can be easy to start making all the characters sound like the same person, or worse, like various versions of ourselves. Think about the person's age and background and how that might affect the way they talk. If you don't know how a certain age might speak, try reading books or watching movies with characters similar to the one you're trying to create. It also doesn't hurt to find a public space and go people-watching.

Picture yourself in the character's shoes

This is one I've never heard anywhere, but it's what I do. When I've written a scene, I like to go back and picture myself in the character's shoes. What would I feel? How would I react? Oftentimes, I'm not the same as my characters, so we wouldn't say the same things, but if I can imagine myself being scared in that situation, I'll write my character's version of scared.

In addition...

One of my favorite writing podcasts is Writing Excuses, they're a group of authors with TONS of great information. I definitely recommend listening to them, but for now, I took the liberty of picking out a few dialogue-centered episodes that may be helpful!

Dialog

How Does Context Shape Dialog

Character Voice

Making Characters Distinctive

Gendered Dialect (they acknowledge this one is a bit generalized but it's still really helpful)

#writing tips #writing advice #writing community #writers of tumblr #dialogue

[guiltycorp]

~Arcane!Viktor’s vaguely-queer-moments~ with commentary about how it might just be straight after all to keep myself in check.  Alright, so I might miss something, feel free to add (although this is more for myself tbh, sort of a journal entry). Personally, I didn’t notice like half of this when I was watching for the first time and didn’t really think much about the possibility, however the second time I was quite surprised to notice that there was... eh, quite a bit.  Also, this isn’t meant to cover anything from LoL lore, but it’s nice to remember that as a character he was originally a soviet-coded robotic mad scientist. Idk it’s not a very gay archetype by itself but it IS rather sensual.  Anyway!  1) Saying 'it’s Viktor’ and then continuing to soulfully gaze into Jayce’s eyes for another couple of seconds as his theme swells (’It’s Viktor’, fittingly). 

might just be fanservice for league players who remember old champs, gasp, oh it IS viktor, the machine herald, plus letting the theme’s violin notes hit just right, plus this is the finishing scene before the story gets back to vi... kinda awkward tho??   2) ‘Wait a minute, this isn’t my bedroom’ as the excuse he came up with when Mel came across him and Jayce breaking into Heimerdinger’s lab, clear implication (although Jayce talks at the same time so it might be harder to hear for some viewers).  ...might be a generic excuse for trying to open the wrong door and also too subtle, flew right over most ppl’s heads, however this is probably the most overt viktor line in the show 3) Right after that he throws a sour look at Jayce who’s busy mooning over Mel. 

uhh concern that his new partner would be more interested in a gorgeous corrupt politician rather than in scientific progress? doubtful:) however also subtle, didn’t notice this on 1st watch 4) Doesn’t return Sky’s interest, in fact the first time we see them together he kept on looking at Jayce (who was about to give a speech yeah but also had his back turned to Viktor atm). 

well, this could be for a variety of non-queer reasons... more like an additional detail and in later scenes when he’s busy with hexcore he’s practically ignoring jayce almost the same way he does her, so im not putting it here  5) Viktor bleeding onto Hexcore and passing out while Mel&Jayce have sex (with Viktor’s theme worked into Romance track), in this case i actually prefer a metaphor for the rich and powerful of the world finding both cooperation and pleasure together while the less privileged inevitably suffer and have to turn to less ethical means to survive, but well... The fact that Jayce is having sex with his political partner while his scientific partner is dying is still a bit? Suggestive? These readings aren’t mutually exclusive.  6) “Singed: If you take this path, they will despise you. Love and legacy are the sacrifices we make for progress. It’s why I parted ways with Heimerdinger. Viktor: Jayce will understand.”  idk this seems like a logical answer after the mention of singed’s previous lab partner but still, love.. more a weird choice of words on singed’s part tbh, could be just a generic type of love in a ~friendly colleagues~ way lol 7) no visible nipples under a really high support brace 

might be just stylistic design choices ig, low pectoral muscles.. due to muscle atrophy maybe?   So, like, all of this can be viewed in a different light, I guess? And most overt hints are in Act I.  This is naturally a familiar path for anyone who has experience with fandom and reading into things, impossible to say for sure whether it’s all in our heads or not... Earlier I’d say that it doesn’t even matter! We do have one rly cool queer couple in the show and also perhaps this ambiguity suits that particular storyline, AND more importantly Viktor’s sexuality or gender wouldn’t really add that much to the themes of the show, in my opinion. It’s just really nice for fanart and fic ideas, various additional materials and rediscovering the homoeroticism of cold war metaphors in League lore.  But after that whole thing on Amanda Overton’s twitter (one of the writers for Arcane) with first an implication that any queer-seeming moments are just the results of ‘no stigma against affection between men, friends or family’ followed by a bewildering ‘I’ve faced what felt like identity erasure myself many times. I’ve not given a real-world label to any one of our characters because I sincerely believe it will be more satisfying to learn this as their story unfolds.’ Which um. Reads as ‘wait and see’, essentially, also backed up by a different artist (Evan, although he isn’t working on s2) on the show seemingly for this particular issue (’I super do need people to stop asking us about things that aren't explicitly shown in s1. I get that people want assurances, but it'd be such a massive disservice to spoil any of the moments being cooked up’).  And after that I’ve began to feel a familiar frustration...  Like, this isn’t that big of a question in the story? Like I said, Viktor’s sexuality or gender isn’t super relevant to his character since he already has lots of other narrative-defining traits (risk-taking scientist focused on improvement of life quality & leaving a legacy, comes from zaun, disabled, close to dying), plus if Amanda is to be believed there’s no stigma towards sexuality or gender expression in Runeterra so it wouldn’t be seen as an alienating trait, just a sort of sad one if he had an unexplored (and potentially unrequited) crush on Jayce. Which again, isn’t really needed to drive home the idea that their relationship is slowly falling apart because of a divide in ideologies and personal circumstances. Or rather, it just wouldn’t be a good twist for s2, but it would have been a potentially cool detail to add or imply in s1.  My point is that if the queercoding was intentional why not say so? And if it’s not what’s the big deal in saying ‘nope! it wasn’t intentional! however we can see how it could be viewed that way, best of wishes to the fandom, you’ll get your riot mlm and or trans rep someday, xxx’.  Or, yknow, ignoring the question. Instead homophobic and/or sexist fans took the first part of the answer as an opportunity to gloat that the idea of a queer Viktor is entirely delusional while us losers received familiar bait of ‘maybe it’ll happen in s2!! be on the lookout for bi Jayce trying to seduce robo-Viktor (Even-Bigger-Dick-Now) who fell out of love with Jayce because of hexcore or an undercity flood or whatever’. Argh idk, I’d easily expect such an answer from a riot marketing team! But it’s really kinda sad to see the same sort of vague placation of both sides from a queer writer who pushed forward Vi/Caitlyn whose relationship truly kept me on the edge of my seat the whole show. sigh

#arcane spoilers #viktor #jayvik #i guess? #does fandom tend to disproportionally focus on mlm couples even when wlw are there and canon? #sure #but i actually like the more toxic and dysfunctional fictional relationships #so sue me #oil and water scene didn't even make that much sense #i would LOVE if they have an actual argument in s2 which leads somewhere #preferably not into enforcer Vi land #did i write this only bc i saw ppl say slurs on twitter? #yeah #yeah i did #text #i think there's a possibility they'll make ekko bi by giving him a background boyfriend which would also like #yeah sure #but where's the drama #arcane