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#figured I should try to get them out of my system with art too
bakugousaysdie · 2 years
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after hours ~ dick grayson
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pairing : dick grayson x fem!reader (vague description) — gamer/tech interests!reader, civilian!reader
summary : dick comes home and finds you exactly where he left you, intently playing video games. he thinks you need sleep, but you want something else
word count : 1.8k
warnings : sexual content 18+, oral (male receiving), domestic fluff, implied sex
notes : was feeling something and decided to write…sorry it’s dc, but dick is my baby and this is completely selfish so here is dick grayson with a sorta gamer girlfriend. just keep in mind that this is kinda like a writing practice, it’s been awhile and im still getting my groove back…this will probably be my first dc au as well
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Dick was still getting used to coming home to you. His perfectly normal girlfriend that stay up until the break of dawn, not because you were fighting crime, but because you were glued to a game.
The sounds of your buttons clicking echoed in the Bludhäven apartment as he slipped through the window, carefully scribing the state of art Wayne Security system he had deactivated to get in. You didn’t even noticed him come in from the window directly behind you, headphone snug around your ear with music playing through the console.
You sat directly in the middle of the couch, blue and black headphonse around your head with blanket snuggled around your body. The light of the television illuminated your face. He loved how intense you got with it, how you subconsciously leaned forward when you were trying to figure something out. You had just relaxed back against the couch, clicking another button on the blue controller in your hands to check your map when he decide to finally move.
Dick shook his head fondly, leaning over the back of the couch the wrap his arms around your shoulders. The contact made you yelp and jump in his arms, only to relax when you whipped your head around to see your boyfriend clad in his Nightwing uniform. His laugh made your stomach do cartwheels even after all this time.
“Dickie!”You scolded him, removing the headphones from your head and throwing them on the other side of the couch.
Dick held his chest as he howled with laughter, having to catch his breath every time he did this to you. It never got old because you always fall for it.”Every night, baby—“
“You’re a—“
“-dick, good one,”He rolled his eyes, grin plastered across his face.”It’s 4am, babe, you should be asleep, don’t you have work tomorrow?”
“So?”You shrugged.
“You said you would try to get some rest tonight,” Dick reminded you pointedly, eyes trailing over you as you rose from your nest on the couch to reveal that you were quite ready for bed. Dressed in only his shirt and a pair of shorts, you shrugged at his statement nonchalantly.
“I got a craving, couldn’t go to bed before I had my fix,”You stepped forward, eyeing Dick in the ever tight suit he wore. It really was your kryptonite. Dick had a way of making you weak in the knees. He looked way too handsome for his own good, the armor clinging to the defined muscles of his. Dick’s skin tight armor left barely anything to the imagination and you were very thankful for it.
“Oh yeah, and what kind of craving was this?” Dick grinned that charming smile, the one that makes your heart skip a beat and gives you the impulse to giggle like a school.
You surged forward, lips crashing into him with fervor and need. Dick quickly reciprocated, hands instantaneously slipping under your shirt and over your waist with fingers digging into flesh. You melt into his grasp, pressing as close to him as possible. Dick swears if you had choice, you would glue yourself to him. He loves that. He loves how you cling to him, it validates everything he feels about you. You were perfect for him. Every cling feeling he harbored, you returned, and he never had to feel bad for wanting your attention to be on him.
His back hit the wall in the living room, narrowly missing lone photograph on the wall. Neither of you had done much decorating since moving in and between the pair of you, you didn’t own much when it came to that sorta of stuff.
Dick inched away teasingly, smirking when you chased his lips and closed the gap between you once again.”Needy girl,”He chuckled, nudging his nose against yours. His thigh slipped between your thighs, giving just enough friction to drive you crazy.
“I missed you, Boy Wonder,”You murmured, jutting out your bottom lip. He took the chance to playful nip at it, resulting in a barely audible gasp escaping your throat.
“‘m right here, pretty girl,” Dick uttered, lips grazing yours just barely. It made you ache for his touch even more.”What’re you gonna do about it?”
You flutter your lashes at him almost innocently and you can feel his cock hardening against your thigh. You inched ever close to his lip, feeling his breath against yours before pulling away to sink to your knees.
“Fuck, little bird,” Dick stared down at you, so perfectly perched in front of him. Your darted out, wetting your lips just as your hands reached the hem of his uniform. He had never been more thankful that his suit wasn’t a full body suit than this moment right now. Well, maybe he was exaggerating, but he was pretty fucking grateful when his throbbing cock was stiffly hanging in front of your face like most tempting forbidden fruit.
You adored this view, his face flushed under his domino mask with his chest heaving in anticipation of your next move. You loved the way he tried to give control, but he almost always failed and ended up taking control.
“You don’t get enough credit, Nightwing,”You purred, hot breath fanning over the thick girth of his cock. Delicately, you ran your fingers over the sensitive shaft. Dick looked like someone just knocked him in the chest with your words.”I think I should show you how thankful Blüdhaven truly is,” You pressed the lightest kiss to head of his cock before gently flattening your tongue at the base and trailing up until you reached the slit at the top.
Dick threw his head back, resting it against the wall for a moment as his eyes screw shut. His reddened lips fell open with moan of your name, and it ignited a fire between your thighs. Your hot tongue dragged across his impressive length, getting nice and wet.
You wrapped one of your hands around the girth, stroking him ever so slowly just to feel him pulse in your hand. Pre-cum oozed from his tip and you lapped it up teasingly.
“C’mon, baby, don’t..don’t fucking tease,” Dick nearly whined. So impatient, and just where you want him.
You hummed in response, pumping his cock in your hands while slowly your wrapped your lips around the head and just barely suckled on the sensitive tip. Dick inhaled sharply, staring down at you with a tight jaw. He needed more, you know he did. So do you, your cunt is practically drooling in your panties but that can wait, playing with him was too much fun.
It never takes long, but you feel like this is a record. You flick your tongue a certain way across the head of cock, and the next thing you know is his hand is on the back of your neck, pushing his cock deep into the depths of your throat. You savor the taste of him, gargling slightly in surprise as his fat cock fill your pretty mouth.
“Always have to do for you, don’t I, little bird?” Dick taunted, admiring how fucking well took him with fat cock sheathed in the heat of your mouth. You had to remember to breath through your nose, especially when Dick pulled his hips back and snapped forward again. You whimpered in response, hands going up to seize his thighs for support so he didn’t knock you completely over.
He really never could help himself, firm hand on the back of your neck as he thrusted his cock in and out of your pretty mouth while salvia dripping down your chin with every snap of his hips. You looked so damn gorgeous covered in pre-cum and spit for him, Dick couldn’t deny that.
Dick moaned out your name,”What a fucking mouth on you,”He cooed at you, caressed the side of your face with his protruding in your cheeks your throat constricted around the thick length but god, you didn’t care how sore your jaw was, it was so worth it.
He pulled you off, his salvia coated cock dripping all over your chin with drooling connecting between the tip and your lips.
“My perfect little bird, always so eager and so good for me, you gonna make cum?” Dick rasped teasingly,”Is that what you want? You want me to cum all over this pretty face?”
“Yes,”You breathed out, still trying to find the air to catch your breath.”Whatever you want, Nightwing.”
“You better get to work then.”
“Yes, sir,”You squealed out, not hesitate to impale your throat back on his cock. You bobbed your head back and forth as if you fucking your own face along his hefty cock. What a sight it was. Dick admired how your squeeze your thighs together desperately, sliding them just barely to get any kind of friction. You were too focused on him to even truly think of getting yourself off. He made a note of that, he’s gonna make it up to you, Dick’s prepared to make his little bird sing tonight.
Right now though, all he can think about is cock being enveloped within the heat of your mouth until the tip hits the back of your throat. You choke, gagging on the fat cock stretching your mouth wide with drool pooling from each side and you keep him there for as long as you possibly can, until tears brims your eyelids and your throat burns.
Dick quickly pulled out of your throat, his own hand wrapping around his drenched cock and he’s pumping so fast over your beautiful face until white ropes fall like art over your stunning features. You lick up what you can, murmuring how delicious he tastes before Dick’s lips around sliding against yours sweetly. He’s pulling you up to your feet, lips never leaving yours as he takes the lead to move locations. It isn’t until the back of your knees hit the soft mattress that you realize you’re in the bedroom.
“I hope you aren’t tired, babe, because I plan to keep you up till dawn,”Dick whispered against your lips, wiping two fingers across your face to gather up some of his cum before letting you suck on his fingers.
“Gonna fuck me, Nightwing?” You teased, licking your lips after lapping up his mess on his fingers. He answered that with a simple toss. Dick picked you up effortlessly and threw you on that bed with that playful smirk before crawling over you.
Dick smirked, seizing your wrists and pinning them to the bed. You chewed nervously on bottom lip, gazing up at him eagerly.”What’re you gonna do to me, Nightwing?”
“‘m gonna make you sing for me, little bird.”
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sarandipitywrites · 4 months
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Writeblr Intro
(i should probably make one of these, shouldn't i?)
about me:
hi! i'm saran (any pronouns). i spend 99% of my free time writing, thinking about writing, making playlists for my writing, rotating my other obsessions in my head (currently jak & daxter; voiceplay; and motionless in white), and sometimes spewing those on my blog as well. this is my primary blog (i can barely keep up with this one, so a sideblog is not likely in the near future), so be aware that you'll see everything that spills out of my head/crosses my blog that i feel like sharing. if you're just here for the writing, that's cool, too! all of my original writing is tagged #my writing, and all longform works and snippets are tagged with their titles. i'm open to tag games, asks, and dms for anything and everything, even if you just need to talk 💜
about the writing:
i both read and write most genres, but fantasy and speculative fiction are my favorite (with a heavy dose of monsters and the paranormal, whether the genre otherwise calls for it or not). i write both original fiction and fanfiction. my main characters tend to be queer, neurodiverse, disabled, or all of the above. i write with an adult audience in mind (my writing has a tendency to delve into heavy topics, including mental health issues and societal commentary, and several of my stories contain graphic violence), so while minors are welcome to follow, i would encourage you to self-curate your experience. i try to tag anything potentially triggering, but i am human and sometimes miss things; if you notice anything that you think needs a tag, please do let me know!
general taglist (ask to be added or removed): @innocentlymacabre
find all the links and tags for my work under the cut:
the WIPs:
The Art of Empty Space (wip intro, tag)
Lienzo's search for a cure for his parent's condition entangles him in a years-old curse with an arcane beast at its heart. As he works to break the curse and free the city of Rookport, he finds an unexpected ally in the beast -- and, perhaps, something more. (subversive fairytale; paranormal romance; original fiction)
Taglist (ask to be added or removed): @notwritinganyflufftoday
Dead Roots, Dark Water (wip intro, tag)
After two years of genetic experiments at the hands of Haven City's Minister of Science leave him almost unrecognizable, Jak isn't as eager to go home as Daxter would have hoped. Daxter's rescue mission becomes a quest to undo the damage the dark eco experiments inflicted upon Jak's body and psyche -- and the only one who can help them is Haven's most beloved public figure, who also happens to be Minister Acheron's twin sister. (adventure; dark fantasy; dystopian; fanfiction - Jak & Daxter)
Taglist (ask to be added or removed): @sam-glade
the Short Stories:
A Haunted Home
A haunted house gets its latest in a long string of owners. Is it possible to have a QPR with a house? You're about to find out. cw: implied past domestic abuse
Bodies
The Belltown Butcher takes a trophy from each of their victims. Ness survived, but not before the Butcher took their prize. cw: referenced kidnapping, trauma, eye trauma
Loreley
A cartographical ship picks up a distress signal in the unexplored Groombridge 1618 system. Instead of the lost Kasandra, they find a seemingly-habitable planet.
I Am Alive
A group of friends breaks into the local haunted house for an All Hallow's Eve séance. It doesn't go as planned.
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the-obnoxious-sibling · 3 months
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Do you have any shuggy fanfic recommendations? I already read and rearead (and reread) yours one piece ff…
i can certainly give you some recs!
everything's hosted on ao3 and set in the one piece universe; i do read modern/mundane AUs but i'm always really picky about how an author adapts a ship's canon history into an AU, so i've yet to find one that really grabs me except that one college AU i forgot to save a link to… i hope i'll find you again someday…
for all my life i’ve watched from afar, i’m too afraid to try by Badopportunities - complete, 18k
this is probably my favorite shuggy fic i've read so far. a canon divergence in which shanks hunts down ace instead of whitebeard to warn him off the blackbeard hunt directly, and just so happens to find ace while he's hanging out with buggy's crew. love the outside POVs on shanks & buggy before their history was common knowledge, love their dynamic while trying to keep that history secret, love the optimistic way the story ends.
uncharted waters by vestigialmoods - complete, 41k
a long, multi-POV sorta kinda get-together—this one written after we knew the warlord system was being dissolved but before we learned about cross guild. buggy tries to figure out what to do now that he's lost government protection; shanks is encouraged to go for what he wants for once, instead of passively letting fate decide his path. features very fun characterization for both crews, and a really well-crafted scene that deals with phantom limb pain and sexual tension simultaneously.
in the deepest depths i lost myself, i see myself through someone else by Badopportunities - WIP, 36k
it may be gauche to rec multiple fics by the same author but Badopportunities has yet to steer me wrong! this is set during the timeskip, while buggy is searching for an island to claim as his warlord base of operations and shanks is trying to look after former whitebeard territories. they clash. uses one of my favorite lines for a childhood friends-to-lovers ship: one of them says he's single because he's having trouble finding a partner with “similar life experiences.” iykyk
currently incomplete at 4/5 chapters, last updated in 2022… but they just posted a new chapter of their other shuggy wip (which i also recommend, buggy time travels and saves ace & uta) this week, so it feels like anything's possible!
I'll See You in My Dreams by doublejoint - complete, 4k
shanks keeps dreaming of being older, on a ship with only buggy for company, wearing matching rings and sailing for who knows where. i love how efficiently and effectively this fic explores his thoughts on these dreams over the years—are they visions of the future, his secret desires, bad gas? the ending is very sweet.
We Are Never Ever Ever Getting Back Together (and other lies Buggy tells himself) by Transformatron - complete, 11k, explicit
i am not much for smut (being ♠️🏳️‍🌈 and all), but occasionally one gets in the mood, and this fic has some intense emotions to go along with the intense, kinda kinky smut. shanks has found out about cross guild and comes to see buggy, not convinced that this is a safe, sane, and consensual situation buggy's found himself in. they fight about it, and then… 😳
there is background established buggy/crocodile/mihawk, but crocodile and mihawk aren't present for the explicit portion of the fic.
i like lipstick on my neck by kiriya - complete, 20k, explicit
if i'm recommending smut-with-feelings, i have to rec this fic. genderbent butch/femme shanks and buggy run into each other in east blue, post-roguetown and pre-canon, and spend three chapters bickering, drinking, and… you know. absolutely fantastic characterization, buggy is an awful little gremlin and shanks likes her very much despite herself.
i don't know if the fic was inspired by this art or if the art was inspired by this fic, but either way… if you read the fic you should look at the art. that butch shanks is just. absolutely inspired.
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zazima · 3 months
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im rusty. so rusty. and also extremely late for christmas. i may as well have waited 350 days until the holidays came around again, but im trying to write more this year, so hear you go? eek im nervous. please pardon any grammatical errors or spelling mistakes. enjoy! also tumblr doesn't seem to have line breaks so sorry if any time jumps are confusing.
also a warning for language and mentions of wanting to step in front of a bus as an extreme response to being embarrassed. i swear this is all fluff otherwise.
Harry doesn't know what to get Sirius for Christmas.
Well, to clarify, Harry doesn't know if he can get Sirius anything adequately worth a damn. Because how can a game (magical or not) or piece of art or trinket or any sort of anything say hey Merry Christmas and by the way, thanks for saving me from my horrible abusive household where I lived in a cupboard and for wrangling a fucked up wizarding judicial system so that it both exonerates you from a murder you didn't commit and lets you adopt a kid you only properly met six months ago.
Harry would also like the gift (if he ever manages to find something) to say also thank you for giving me my own bedroom and for making pancakes every Saturday morning and for letting me visit my friends and for playing two-man Quidditch with me and for ruffling my hair and for always letting me pick the film that we watch and for telling me stories about my parents and for always being just enough and for not pushing me when I have nothing to say and for calling me by my name instead of shouting boy angrily-
Harry figures that he should cut himself off there. Any more gratitudes and the gift will literally be impossible to find, lest it be the size of Hogwarts in an effort to cram any and all unspoken messages Harry doesn't have the courage to voice out loud.
So Harry does what he usually does in a sticky situation. He turns to his friends.
No clue mate, Ron writes. I normally get Mum perfume and Dad whatever Muggle trinket he's been obsessing over. So unless Sirius wants a rubber duck, I probably won't be much help. But you could probably give him one and he'd be ecstatic. You're pretty much his favorite person right now.
Ah bloody hell. Do you think I should get Sirius something as a thanks for Pig?
Even though he's sure Ron's right (although Padfoot might enjoy a rubber duck more than Sirius), Harry doesn't have time to add Ron's own gift conundrum to his list of problems, so he turns to Hermione, who ends up being a bit more helpful.
I know you said that Sirius was interested in curse-breaking and how it can be used to help with cleaning up Grimmauld Place, so maybe something pertaining to that? A book or starter kit? Or perhaps something a bit more personal, something he couldn't just buy in a shop. Don't worry too much, Harry. He'll love whatever it is you give him because it's you.
Harry disregards the book suggestion immediately. Sirius does read; over the holiday break the two of them have taken to sitting quietly on opposite sides of the couch in the sitting room, reading books from the Black family library and munching on the latest treat Mrs. Weasley has sent them while flames blaze in the fireplace, only breaking the peaceful quiet occasionally to share whatever interesting passage has just been read. But Harry doesn't want to give a present that reminds Sirius of the exhausting work they do every day trying to make Grimmauld Place a habitable home.
Hermione's other suggestion, however, gets Harry thinking. Something he couldn't just buy in a shop. That obviously eliminates all of the last-resort items Harry had on his mental list, as they were dumb things he had planned to frantically order by mail once he gave up on the idea of finding something good enough for Sirius. But it also opens up a new idea, something that Harry himself had appreciated when he had received it a few years ago.
He begins firing off letters and mail-in order forms with an efficiency Hermione would admire. The owls return in quick fashion, up to three or four a day. Sirius doesn't notice anything at first, but when Hedwig taps on the kitchen window for the second time that day during breakfast, he gets up and lets her in with a raised eyebrow at Harry.
"Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment?" he asks, somewhat incredulously, peering at the label on the package. "Harry, love, you know we can just go to Diagon Alley whenever you'd like. No need to rely on owl post if you're running low on supplies."
Harry flushes and snatches the small, soft package from Hedwig, stuffing it under his armpit and looking determinedly at his porridge. He hopes he doesn't have ACTUALLY IT'S PART OF YOUR CHRISTMAS PRESENT written all over his face.
"It's fine," he shrugs, aiming for casual nonchalance with his tone. "It's just a small thing. No point in going all the way down to Diagon Alley. Besides, the crowds would drive you crazy. They'd probably give you a concussion trying to get a picture."
Sirius grimaces, probably thinking of their last attempt to go for an ice cream at Fortescue's shortly before Harry had left for the fall term. They'd returned to Grimmauld Place ice cream-less and with a giant tear down the front of Harry's robes.
"Nothing a Glamour Charm wouldn't fix," he responds, grabbing his own empty bowl and bringing it to the sink. "Anyway, it's not fair for us to be shut up in this damned house because some people can't behave themselves in public. You just let me know whenever you want to go out, alright? I promise I won't breathe down your neck while you look at potions ingredients and whatnot. Even if they all suspiciously happen to be ingredients for an Enlarging Potion."
He manages to ruffle Harry's hair before the boy squawks out a "Sirius!" and darts out the kitchen, cackling in response to Harry's sputtered "I'm not... I wouldn't... SIRIUS!"
As Christmas approaches, Harry begins to stay up later and later into the night, working frantically to finish Sirius' present. One late night (or early morning, really), he hears a gentle knock on his door. He jumps and shoves the half completed project under his comforter.
"Come in!"
Sirius peeks his head through the cracked open door. "Are you alright? I was getting a glass of water and noticed your light was still on."
Harry nods, trying to convey a casualness he doesn't feel beneath the stress of wanting to have the present ready by Christmas morning. "Yes. Fine. I was just... reading." He reaches for his nightstand and holds up the latest book he's knicked from the Black family library for this exact purpose.
Sirius raises an eyebrow. "You sure? I've read that one before. Couldn't last more than thirty seconds at a time without falling asleep."
Harry glances at the cover. He hasn't even cracked it open yet. "It's actually quite interesting. I've always been fascinated by... the evolution of wizarding legalese from 1500 to 1800." He internally winces as the subject matter is finally made apparent to his sleep-deprived brain.
Sirius pauses, clearly sensing that something's up. He must decide that now's not the time to probe further because he says, "Alright. You're stronger than me, then. Let me know if you need anything though." He begins to retreat and close the bedroom door but stops right before he actually does. "I forgot, " he murmurs, opening the door wide and stepping fully into Harry's bedroom. He approaches Harry where he's sitting on his bed. Harry tries to discretely shove the half-finished present further under the covers. "You had a letter downstairs. We must have missed it earlier. I only saw it when I was getting water." He hands over a rather thick envelope to Harry, who flips it over, notes the name of the sender, and smiles, relieved.
Sirius lets out a small puff of air, and Harry looks up at the sound. Sirius pastes on a rather strained smile. "Do you often write to Mrs. Weasley?"
Harry's brain scrambles for a response. "Erm. Not really."
He doesn't say anything else, unsure how to explain away the situation convincingly. A rather awkward silence settles between them. Sirius looks as if he's summoning the courage to say something.
Sirius takes a deep breath. "I'm here if you ever want to talk, Harry. I know the Weasley's have always been great to you, and I never want to feel like you're getting that taken away. But, I just want you to know that I'm also here, in addition to them. For anything. No questions asked or judgement cast. Alright?"
The letter slips out of Harry's grip, as he frantically waves his hands in front of him, desperate to correct Sirius' perception of the situation. "Oh, no, Sirius, I know! I swear it. We were just... planning Ron's birthday present this year. They wanted to throw him a party." The fib comes easily.
Sirius visibly relaxes. "Oh. Ron's birthday's not until April though."
"Yes," Harry's brain scrambles for an explanation. "But you know how Mrs. Weasley is. Always trying to stay ahead. She's already starting to plan the menu. Fretting between bacon sandwiches or chicken legs for the main course."
Sirius shakes his head, a genuine smile starting to form on his face. "Well you know my vote is always for chicken legs. Assuming I'm invited of course."
"You know you're always invited. Mrs. Weasley always wants an opportunity to make sure you're feeding me properly," Harry rolls his eyes. "And Ron thinks you're pretty cool too. Even though you broke his leg."
Sirius gives him a mock scowl. "Hey now! I wasn't in my right mind that night. And I gave him an owl to make up for it! Even though I was probably doing myself more of a favor than him. That damned owl was driving me mad."
Harry giggles, and Sirius' smile grows wider at the sound. He lets out a dramatic sigh and leans over to ruffle Harry's hair, ignoring the sounds of protest that come in response to the action.
"Alright then, love. I'm off to bed. Shout if you need anything, and I'll be here in faster than you can say chicken legs. You hear me?"
Harry nods. "Yes sir."
Sirius scowls for real this time. "None of that now, remember?"
Harry nods again, this time rather sheepishly. Sirius bends over to kiss his forehead before heading out of the bedroom, shouting a "Good night!" over his shoulder before he closes the door behind him.
Harry sighs in relief, pulls the present out from underneath the comforter, tears open Mrs. Weasley's letter, and gets back to work.
The morning of the 25th is bright and cold.
Harry is a ball of nerves as the breakfast plates get cleared away and the two of them prepare to go to the sitting room to open presents. Padfoot had barged into Harry's room at half past seven, barking loudly and leaping onto the bed, nearly giving Harry a heart attack in the process. He'd only finished Sirius' present in the wee hours of the morning and had barely managed to shove it into his desk drawer before he'd fallen asleep.
Sirius had dragged Harry into the kitchen for special Christmas chocolate chip pancakes and hot chocolate but had only allowed Harry to start eating once he agreed to don a ridiculously oversized Santa hat that matched the one Sirius had on his own head.
"If I'd known you liked Christmas so much, I'd have taken you to the Muggle mall to get a picture with Santa," Harry grumbles only half-heartedly as he watches the milk heat up on the hob. Sirius was adamant about making hot chocolate the old-fashioned way.
Sirius laughs loudly and hooks his arm around Harry's neck, pulling him close and planting a kiss on his forehead with a loud smack. "It's our first Christmas together, kiddo! First of many. You can get past your anti-morning attitude for that, can't you?"
"I gueeeeeeees," Harry mock-whines, drawing out the word as he adds the chopped chocolate to the steaming milk. He's secretly pleased that Sirius seems to somewhat enjoy his company. It shows he's not such a terrible charge.
"Thank you for your sacrifice," Sirius states dramatically. He gives Harry one last squeeze before releasing him. "Now come on, let's get to presents. I call going first!" He darts off to the sitting room where, overnight, a large pile of presents has piled in front of the eight-foot tall tree Sirius had dragged home one afternoon (with lots of swearing).
Harry gulps nervously as he pours hot chocolate into two mugs and tops them both with a handful of marshmallows. His hands are slightly shaking as he brings them both to the sitting room. Sirius is poking around the heap of gifts as he enters the room, and Harry spots the hastily wrapped, lumpy package he completed only a few hours ago.
Please like it, please like it, please like it, he silently begs as he sets the mugs on the coffee table. The sight of the gift is almost nauseating, and he keeps his eyes fixed on the hot chocolate.
Sirius turns at the sound to spot Harry and grins. "Alrighty, kiddo, what do you want to unwrap first? I did go a bit overboard this year, you'll have to forgive me. But there's plenty here from your friends!" He's practically vibrating with excitement.
Harry straightens his back and clears his throat. "Actually, do you mind if you do the opening first?"
Sirius pauses. "Are you sure? I swear mine are quite good."
Harry nods vigorously. "Yes. You can start with mine. It's right on top. The green wrapping." Let's just get this over with, he thinks.
Sirius picks up the package and shakes it gently. It makes no noise, and Harry can't help but let out a chuckle despite the knots in his stomach. Sirius grins at him and begins to carefully unwrap the gift.
Harry's legs suddenly feel like treacle tart filling. He lowers himself onto the couch so he doesn't pass out.
The wrapper paper gently falls to the ground, revealing a mound of knit material. Sirius unravels the pile to reveal a rather lumpy, oversized navy blue sweater with a slightly misshapen black dog woven onto the front.
Sirius doesn't say anything.
Harry's heart drops to his stomach. He opens his mouth, desperate to explain away the situation. "It's uh... it's... erm... it's a sweater? I made it?" As if that wasn't fucking obvious, he internally snarls at himself. He shakes his head, trying to organize his thoughts. "Yes, I, um, I made it. That's uh... that's Padfoot. On the front of it. I knitted it."
Sirius doesn't say anything.
Harry's words start coming out faster and faster, hoping something comes out that remedies this clusterfuck of an event. "Mrs. Weasley helped me. She sent me instructions. And the patterns? That 's why she was sending me so many letters. I didn't know how to do it. They aren't throwing a party for Ron."
Sirius still doesn't say anything.
Oh fuck! Harry thinks wildly. He's probably livid I lied. Oh fuck fuck fuck. "I'm sorry I lied to you! I just wanted it to be a surprise," he manages to get out. "That's why I was ordering so much through owl post. I had to get the yarn and the needles. And I kept having to order more yarn because I kept getting frustrated and messing up a lot. I didn't want you to know. Until now, that is. Obviously."
Sirius. Still. Doesn't. Say. Anything.
Harry wants to crawl into a hole and die. But for some stupid, idiotic reason, he keeps speaking. "I wasn't sure if you'd like the color? I actually realized that I don't know what your favorite color is. But whenever Mrs. Weasley makes one for me or for the Weasley kids, she usually does our favorite color. Or house colors. But I figured you have lots of things in Gryffindor colors? Like your wand holster. And then I noticed that you wear a lot of navy. So I thought that might be nice."
If Sirius doesn't say anything, Harry just might call the Knight Bus so he can step in front of it. He decides to get everything off of his chest before he has to do so.
"Mrs... uh... Mrs. Weasley made me one," he explains softly. "My first year. And every year after that. It means a lot to me. I think it was probably the first gift I ever got. And it kind of made me feel like part of their family? A little bit at least. So... so I wanted to give you one. Not from her, of course. But from me. So you could feel like a part of... our family?" His sentence embarrassingly ends like a question, so he hastily tacks on, "If you want to, of course."
Sirius finally moves, and Harry shuts his mouth. He gently sets the sweater down on the armchair next to him, walks over to where Harry is sitting, and pulls him up into the tightest, fiercest hug Harry has ever experienced.
Neither say anything for a few moments. Until Harry can't deal with not being able to breathe and squeaks out, "Uh? Sirius? I can't really inhale."
Sirius releases him quickly and takes a step back. "Sorry."
Harry feels awkward again. He clears his throat, hoping to fill the silence with something. "I hope you like it. But I know it's not done very well. So I can take it apart if you'd rather that. The shop said they'd take the yarn back as long as it wasn't too worn."
Sirius' head snaps up. "What? Harry, my love, I don't not like it. I love it."
Harry's mouth goes dry. "What?"
Sirius gives him a small smile. His eyes look suspiciously glassy. "Harry. You made this for me. You made this for me! It's my favorite color, and it's got me on it! Of course I love it. Not just because you took the time and the effort to make something for me. Because, my goodness, how do you even start with something like this? It must have taken you ages. But also because, well, you said it yourself. I mean, I already felt like part of the same family with the whole adoption bit and knowing you since you were a baby and whatnot, but it's always nice to know you feel the same. And I'm so honored to be a part of your family. Always will be. You have to know that, alright?" Sirius presses their foreheads together. "Alright?"
Harry nods, feeling a little something catch in his throat. He nods.
"Thank you for my gift," Sirius says softly. "I love it. No talk about talking it apart. I'll be proper mad if you do, you hear me?"
Harry nods again. Sirius releases him. He grabs the sweater from the armchair and pulls it over his head. The hem is uneven and the dog looks more like a cat once the sweater settles on his body, but Sirius only looks down at it and grins.
"Now come on, it's your turn to open presents. I don't think any of mine are as good as a handmade sweater, but I hope you like them anyway. And that's got me thinking, we ought to do a Christmas card no? Especially now that I've got a nice sweater on. Mrs. Weasley might tear up at the sight of a photo of the two us. Come on, come on, pick a present."
Harry rolls his eyes without any real heat behind the action. And he doesn't say anything later when he feels a burst of pride when he sees the photo they take in front of the Christmas tree that afternoon, Sirius wearing the sweater with the biggest, proudest smile Harry has ever seen.
He just bottles the feeling and hopes to remember it forever.
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mesmir-ized · 10 months
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*flipping through cue cards
ponysona…no……..my little persona……..no…………
(elaboratig on cutie marks below BC i thought about them a lot !!! ahhh so long)
(not spoiler free !!!!!!!!!!!!)(corn get outta here !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
i wanted to keep these as simple as possible , and not cram too much imagery in to them , so they wouldnt look out of place in the show &c ! fun little challenge i gave myself , just for context :D
akechi: a white pawn chess piece ! my friend actually came up with this ! and its kinda genius ! to paraphrase what she said: white chess pieces move first ; akechi is always the one to (attempt to be) one step ahead of the thieves , having everything lined up for himself to succeed . 
     her words: “akechi sets the first gambit, the tone, and gets to begin laying out the chess board how he sees fit, and joker is the reactionary. but heres the thing. strategists differ on how you should play as black, like if you should automatically be on defense from white's offensive move. but the most famous black player of all time is magnus carlsen, who is WILDLY an offensive player and absolutely goes for it every time, to the point where white has been INTIMIDATED by him and played poorer statistically against him because of it . like thats CRAZY!! hes one of the boldest chess players in existence and he prefers to go SECOND! it was pretty much unheard of before him.”
    plus , (my words now) theres the idea of not only him manipulating others (the pawn) , but he himself becoming a pawn in a plan much grander than him . the p5 wildcards and their games of strategy a nd all !
joker: joker card(+mask !) i was actually trying to come up with something “better” , but the joker card really , really fits him . not only literally being a wildcard in the metaverse/persona sense , but also IRL , how he’s adaptable to every situation ! canon pretty much explains it , LOL ! but again bringing in the theme of classic games of strategy , joker with his joker card !
ryuji: EPIC awesome skull (literally his na,me...) , but i liked it with the idea of delinquency/pirates(YIPPY !) , as well as the lightning not only for power , but symbolizing speed~  hes just cool
ann: lipstick kiss mark ! this one actually came to me really quick , LOL ! it symbolizes her role as a model (makeup !) , but also has to do with how she reclaims her sexuality and looks for herself ! that , as well as her caring nature , especially to the little guys(like a mother’s kiss goodbye on your forehead..)
yusuke: ink brush + swirls !!! funny enough this one took me the longest to come up with . i wanted to avoid giving him a palette , since i wanted to focus on traditional japanese art forms above all else (since thats basically his whole tyhing !) and ended up going with an ink brush ! it’s not exclusively japanese by any means , but its recognizable , and we see him work with ink many times ! the little swirls are meant to be the golden ratio (beauty ?)LOL , but just kinda look like swirls.......maybe shapes found in his art ?
makoto: gavel and books ! also took me a weirdly lomg time to come up with , but i figured it out ! the gavel is obviously meant to represent justice/the justice system , but also wanted it to represent power as well (since makoto can often act like a secondary “boss” LOL , and her role as a leader at school !) . the books are for her intelligence (perhaps legal books) ? yippy !!!!
haru: a coffee cup with a plant growing out of it ! this is a bit on the nose , but i had fun figuring it out ! keeping her goal of opening a cafe (and coming up with new coffee blends throughout the game) in mind , as well as her love for plants and gardening ! the plant is meant to form a sort of heart (which can also look like steam coming fromt he cup).. , to also show her nurturing side !
futaba: computer and medjed eyes !!!!!! also a bit on the nose , LOL ! for this 1 , the computer is obviously tied to her skill as a hacker/her computer-focused life , but the eyes carry a bit more weight ! theyre literally the eyes of the deity medjed , who is known for those two eyes that look directly at you ! we dont see any medjed logo with graphics like this in game IIRC , but i added it for the double(triple?) meaning ! medjed in game carries the weight of being a part of the book of the dead , and connected to futaba’s palace themed around egyptian tombs , but i also felt the eyes could be tied to how she monitors everyone , and interacts with the world through her computer (almost as if shes looking out from it !) yippy !!!!!!!!! :D
sumire: magic wand/gymnastics ribbon ! as explained by my description , LOL , this mark is meant to look both like a magic wand (cinderella/fairy gdmother ...) as well as a gymnastics ribbon ! we see her with these in game , which made my job much easier ! the ribbon forms sort of an “s” for her name , and also looks kind of like a shooting star , to symbolize how she is always shooting for the top ! (and on a darker note , how shooting stars can often be meteors that fall apart)... kasumi’s mark is hers but reversed , and has an additional sparkle/star on it , for “3 stars”, 1st place ! the absence of this sparkle for sumire can represent how she lost her sister , and how she feels lesser (even if just as wonderful !)
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okay yayyayy thats all bye bye !!!!!!!!!
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faeforge · 5 months
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"Fae why don't you love D&D?? You clearly love ttrpgs. What gives?" I get asked this a lot and I'm always at a loss how to answer it. In casual conversation its not exactly easy to sum up my feelings on the game but I will do my best here. This is gonna be kinda long and touches on some sensitive topics so buckle up.
For starters- I played D&D through 3.0 and 3.5 for nearly 20 years. I GM'd and played. I know it really well both rules and setting wise. There's things I like and things that over time grated on me. Lets be real for a moment. The dice system is insanely janky. I know 5th tried to fix some of that but I will get to that in a second. I like my game rules to feel like second nature and there's nothing about the system that feels that way to me. But I'm dodging the point. In all honesty I was playing those two decades under duress. My partner at the time wanted to play and did what manipulative abusers DO and put their partner on a pedestal so it was easier to knock them down. "no one else can run a second game but you! And if I don't get to play in something I wont run anything either" Mind this ultimatum came after all our friend groups entertainment sources were bulled out of our lives by him. So it was capitulate to him and learn to run or allow boredom to set in which in swift order would lead to arguments. Did this fix things? No of course not. Again like a true manipulator he set out to make my job as GM as difficult as humanly possible while making it seem like his complaints were real objections. He would time his tantrums over 'problems' with my campaign right about after a big reveal in my plot rendering the possibility of reusing it absolutely Nil. After years of this and finally noticing the pattern I quit running and stopped caring about playing. I had to. I was beyond burned out and absolutely drained. I just COULDN'T do it anymore. The peace I gained was small as I had new things I would be attacked about. Fast forward to now- I'm in a loving relationship with a true and genuine partner who loves games as much as I do. Did we try and play D&D? yes at first but every time I did I felt sick to my stomach. I would panic if even the smallest thing went wrong like forgetting to describe something enough or forgetting a rule. D&D Was used as an emotional cudgel on me for ages I just cant any more with it. Which of course is the tragedy that irks me. D&D is popular now! When anyone talks about ttrpgs thats basically ALL we ever hear about. If I drew D&D art like I used to with the skills I gained I would have a following. But I wont, I cant. So I never was able to give 5th ed a good solid try. The default setting is the forgotten realms even. The setting I mainly played/ran in. Today's players even play more the way I like, focusing on characters and story over big blocks of stats. I would fit in now but all that was robbed from me. I will never watch the movie either. For the same reasons. (aside from they white washed the Thayins from a glance?? wtf is that even about?) Ironically table top World of Darkness doesn't carry the same stink for me. I loved it but never got to really play in it much aside from a few brief games. And of course go figure I get into it when its not having a heyday and is niche now. (minds eye theater larp is still ruined for me however but thats another story)
My point in sharing all this is this- Be picky who you play with. What should be a fun hobby can turn into nightmare fuel really fast. The wildly horrible shit I've seen some players pull because they let rp emotional bleed over happen is no joke. Ive been cornered and screamed at and physically threatened over a player taking things too personally. (and 5th ed vampire is trying to ENCOURAGE bleed? Oh god no fuck no do not do that) And it really goes to show bad people will use anything others enjoy as a springboard for manipulation and harassment. If you feel uncomfortable in a game for any reason talk to your GM. If they don't listen or dismiss you? Run like Hell.
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Being in a very mogai-infested fandom is pain, but I'm probably most annoyed by demisexuality being so rampant as a HC. There is no reason for that label to even exist. I just came across a fanfic and decided to read it just to see what the author considers to be "demisexual" and:
[[Casual intimacy isn’t his thing if he’s being honest. The idea of sex without the weight of romance isn’t something he feels he’s comfortable with.]]
That's... literally normal. In fact, it's what I was specifically taught as a child was normal. That sex should only be had with the person I loved, and preferably was already engaged/married to. Because my family is catholic and that's their conservative opinion on sex.
It's totally fine to not be into one night stands or other hookups, but you are not a different sexuality because of it, otherwise being catholic is also a sexuality I guess.
(I didn't proof read any of this, so apologies now)
Gonna go off on a tangent here, but I swear it's related:
Growing up I watched a lot of Disney. And something I noticed a lot in any non animation show or movie, was just how rich everyone was. A house would have only a father and daughter, but have 5 bedrooms, 3 baths, a massive living room and dining room, and a state of the art full blown security system that at the time I didn't actually believe could actually exist cuz no 'normal' person could have that. And that would be the standard for many movies that were very much supposed to be realistic in the settings. They'd even say these people have average jobs. Even the apartment in wizards of Waverly place was HUGE. With each kid having their own bed rooms significantly larger than mine. They literally own a family restaurant that they live upstairs in. But the apartment was bigger than my childhood home. And this is coming from a kid who grew up middle class, the most well of between all my friends. If I were to base what the normal American home looks like based on the media I watched as a kid, I would have a very warped idea of what homes look like. If you actually look at the stats, not even my middle class home is normal.
Mainstream media is produced by rich people (the workers under them not so much, but the actual person in charge generally), and that can easily give a bias or warped view of what's "normal." This is even more exaggerated by the fact that characters in mainstream media are designed to be interesting not normal.
So if you're basing your idea of attraction, dating, sex, etc on what you see in the media, it's going to be warped. Which I feel like ties into your comments quite well.
Usually when I see people try to explain what is and isn't normal for experiences of attraction I get examples of media and fiction. Usually examples of characters having one night stands or being playboys. Which:
1. Flirty play boy characters are common in the media because it's easy to make them a dynamic character. Giving them character development or to gain special feelings quickly give them a whole new perspective that audiences love (this isn't a bad thing for the record).
2. Most irl people who are like these fictional characters don't get nearly as many one night stands as they or the media claim. They aren't nearly as much of a player as they seem. And they're also usually pretty annoying unlike the characters in the shows who are made to be likeable. It's unrealistic in the first place.
3. Media itself is not a good standard of what is normal as it's entirely biased on what the producer deems as normal or average. See my tangent at the beginning. The characters aren't a good way to figure out what's "normal."
I have had people explain things usually actual people as examples which I think ties into my earlier rant in exactly the same way.
How you view the people around you (or more accurately your perception of them) is biased. You have a limited social circle and can't really base what's standard for society off of it. I'm guilty of this too. We all are. It's a very natural thing to assume everyone is like the people that you have experienced with-- for better or for worse..
If you're in your teens and have teenage friends, it's gonna be really easy to feel like they're all obsessed with sex or dating. It's a new thing that you're (hopefully) just now really learning about and exploring. It's easy to go a little overboard with something new. And it's also normal to not be interested in something new. Some kids are gonna be really into dating while others aren't. Some are gonna go from one person to another, others aren't. Cuz no one knows what they're doing. No one knows their boundaries yet. No one knows what they want outta relationship yet. They're figuring it out. Whether you are interested in it or not-- both ends of the spectrum and everything in between is totally normal.
As a young adult you're still figuring things out so it's the same thing. Your own journey to figuring out what/who/how/where you want a relationship is gonna be unique then someone else's. It's normal for each person to have a different journey. This alone isn't some new identity.
Lastly, on a final note. The amount of people who want "sex without romance" is a lot smaller than we're led to believe. And the people who do feel that way are the ones who are abnormal. They may have trauma that influences it, they may not. They could be likeable, they could not. They may be abusers who just want someone to abuse, they may not have any ill will at all. They may be a shitty person, they may not. Regardless, our society pushes "romance goes with sex" a whole hell of a lot more than "sex and romance are separate." Like... a lot so. Historically and in the modern day.
So if your entire reasoning for a whole brand new identity is "I want to connect before we date or have sex," I need you to know how much that is actually extremely normal. And how much you've been influenced by biased media, possibly a shitty friend or ex, and just a warped pov in general (not necessarily of any fault of your own).
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pawborough · 6 months
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Hey everyone!
Thank you for the patience before this check in. There’s a lot of new and exciting things to share. First, a small announcement…
We’ve had some restructuring of our organization. Holly and Meteor, previous project owners, have taken an amicable leave from the project. I (Blue) have taken up the mantle of sole project owner and senior, and am working very closely with the rest of the team as its head. There is no bad blood! We concluded that this decision would best benefit the project going forward. All three of us are beyond excited for PB’s future and development! I vow to be a strong, central lead, and to help vitalize the vision of this project.
With that being said, the previous iterations of art, information, mechanics, and layouts shown here have functioned as proof of concepts, and it's our plan as the team to upgrade and improve upon things as we begin serious building. The last few months following the Kickstarter have been dedicated to extensive pre-production (so we don’t build something and then impulsively decide at the last minute that it doesn’t work, wasting precious time and resources.) I myself have also continued this conceptualizing with the team after being appointed head this month.
Simply: As lead, I will be making changes. In this update, I am presenting a few changes and potential iterations of the game’s UI and aesthetic. With a strong and centralized vision, it’s my hope to improve upon a lot of what was previously shown.
Gene Stylization
The previous color and gene system helped us conceptualize the process of mass coloring and designing a cat, but it left some to be desired. Patterns look very messy when slapped together with such stark borders, very few genes compliment one another with artistic synergy, and the potential for good looking cats could definitely be expanded upon. We’ve started experimenting with more complex looking patterns, and where those patterns fall, and it’s greatly benefitted!
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These color experiments aren't final, and may be subject to palette changes. But they're a start with the new direction. 
All the colors will all be getting upgrades to accommodate this new style of rendering. And the genes, well, will be re-rendered following the direction seen here! My goal is to more realistically be able to represent what an average cat looks like—as this looks much closer to your average mackerel tabby—and to open the door for some real beautiful mythical renderings (starry pattern...?) I’d prefer if a randomly generated cat was, on average, something that’s nice to look at – so it’s my goal to try to push and guide the art and gene system in this direction!
I also want to establish more aesthetic synergy with the customization, giving users gene options to customize smaller aspects, such as the skin color or the ear fluff color, while not being overwhelming (or requiring too many color slots for breeding.) I want to design it so that you essentially can't get an "unusable" color combination. Not too little customization, and not too much as to be overwhelming, confusing, or difficult to breed with. 
Doing so will also open the door for potentially a larger color wheel, as our wheel still lacks. The original intention behind a smaller wheel was to allow for getting a "good" color combination easily, but I believe the solution to a problem like that is to retackle the different areas of customization. 
So, hold out for that!
It's also worth noting that our developers have figured out the "colored shading" problem, allowing for us to make the current plain black shading tinted based on the color it sits above. The next update to the generator should include this colored shading! More on the state of the generator available below... 
New UI/UX Direction Preview #1 - The Camp
Let’s face it, the old displays and mockups shared here may have been passable, but they were rudimentary and amateur. I did them on my own, but they were no way up to speed with the demands of web design. As intended, the development team has been expanded. I’ve been working with a seasoned UI/UX designer to develop and improve upon the mechanics we originally conceptualized, and to adapt my original design intentions.
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Everything is subject to change as we move forward, and of course this is low fidelity (please excuse the work-in-progress nature!) But it gives a new concrete direction for where elements will be placed. Everything will also be formatted competently for mobile.
New UI/UX Direction Preview #2 - Cat Profile
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Once again, low fidelity! There are still some aspects which need workshopping, such as the formatting for the text in the heritage and traits boxes, and we may experiment with the margins and spacing of each element, but the goal was to create a much cleaner web view, and we're getting there!
New UI/UX Direction Preview #3 - Cat Generator
This is the biggest change that I am workshopping right now. An experienced consultant on our team pointed out that dropdowns, while popular within our genre, are difficult for users on average. They’re outdated, and they’re harder for accessibility, intuitive design, and user flow. We have gotten user complaints and requests to help accommodate the dropdowns in the past, but why not make the whole process easier?
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NOTE: The "review" tab will also be added to the mobile layout
The mobile version especially will have to be implemented and tested for design and usability. I'm still back and forth on moving the randomize and history buttons to the top in the web view, but for the mobile view it could not stay below due to being where a user's thumbs often sit, and potentially causing frustration while designing. I wanted to keep some consistency between the mobile and web layouts, and it does seem to mimic a sort of "back button" placement, but what do you as the community think?
As to when the cat generator will be updated: I’ve been wanting to do a big bang of an update with all the breeds that will be available at launch. With this overhaul, it will depend on the speed of artist production.
Other low fidelity mockups are currently being workshopped, including new user onboarding, breeding, and a potential “dashboard” feature for registered users which accommodates completed dailies, site news, and monitoring timers for functions like cooking!
Next, let’s take a look at some art the team has done this month!
Pixels
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Icons
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Illustrated by Hybridremmie on Instagram
Work in Progresses
Lastly, let’s look at some sketches this month!
Fauna concept: The Lupiné
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Illustrated by fulemy on Instagram
Backdrops Experiments
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Illustrated by Runeowl on Deviantart / snowfinchstudio on Instagram
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Illustrated by skazinbud on Instagram
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Illustrated by hybridremmie on Instagram
Woo, what a big drop! Things have started moving quite quickly, and I’m working day to night with my teammates to develop on schedule and deliver something amazing! So far, despite the setbacks, we are on track. I’ll come back with news on the building process next month.
AS A FINAL NOTE: With art production speeding up, we are working on backer companions/Fauna. This process consists of us emailing backers our concept sketches and waiting for input. Please watch your Kickstarter email if you have backed a design tier!
To Summarize: We shared the beginning of a new direction for genes, low fidelity UX/UI designs for the user’s Camp, the cat profile, and the cat generator. We shared pixel icons, a few rendered icons, and a collection of work in progress sketches!
What to expect next month: Further UI/UX previews, progress on build functionality, further asset renderings. 
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comicaurora · 2 years
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How would you say is the way to write a morally unique / blue and orange morality character without letting a writers own moral code leak into their characterisation?
I understand that most of the time, the protagonists of a story are likely meant to portray the virtues of a moral code and the antagonists are meant to portray the reverse or absence of that code, but whenever I try to work out a morally weird character into a story I make up, I keep seeing conspicuous little pieces of the normal morality mixed in so the character doesn’t feel quite right, so the blue and orange character starts seeming more white/black and orange.
I know this is because of my own moral biases and I was wondering if you had any particular thoughts on it, or if this problem is just me and it’s not something that’s you’ve encountered as an obstacle in your own writing?
(Also, I freaking love this comic and your art style, it inspired me to start learning drawing and digital art this year. Since I’m in Australia, the pages upload around dinner time so I get to spend the days they come out looking forward to them!)
I love this question!
I think it's probably impossible to completely separate an author's core moral compass from the stories they tell, since an author's self-awareness only runs so deep and there will always be things about themself and their worldview they aren't actively aware of, and thus can't consciously leave out of their work. But I think this is more of a problem in heroes that the author is trying to make good people, since that'll naturally follow from their idea of what "goodness" means. I do think it's possible to construct individual characters that operate on very different rules than the author does, and the trick to that is figuring out what internal axioms they operate on, if "right and wrong" aren't applicable.
To simplify, most real people have desires they pursue, and a gradient zone surrounding the space of things they won't willingly do that starts with "things they might do but won't enjoy" and escalates until it reaches the center point of "things they absolutely will not do." Separate from this dichotomy of "want vs don't want", most people also have something approximating a moral code, "should vs shouldn't". Despite cultural attempts to standardize, everyone's code is different. If we wanted to imagine a cartesian coordinate system showing this person's internal judgment of any possible action, the X axis could be "desire" and the Y axis could be "morality", and the (0,0) point could be complete neutrality - an action they neither like nor dislike, that they consider neither good nor bad.
"Blue and Orange Morality" is the term typically used to describe characters who do not have a black-and-white moral code anywhere in their brain. They don't have things that are Right and things that are Wrong - they operate on a completely different axis. Most commonly, Blue And Orange Morality applies to characters who are entirely driven by the "want vs don't want" axis; their actions are not colored by an external code, but only by their personal drives and desires. However, this is not the only way to write this character. Sometimes, Blue And Orange Morality takes the form of a Y-axis that is something completely different than "morality". Someone with a really, really strong honor code might approach Blue And Orange Morality if they gauge all their actions based solely on how much honor it will gain or lose them; characters embroiled in games of status and power might have a similar internal compass, where the morality of their actions doesn't factor into their decision-making because they're too busy calculating how much clout it'll gain or lose them. A glamour-obsessed fairy creature might weigh all actions based on the drama it will reap them.
A character who operates under Blue And Orange Morality might have a moral compass somewhere in there, but they typically believe whatever other axis they operate on is more important and relevant. Power play stories like Game of Thrones seem to highlight that doing the right thing is a good way to die horribly. Immortal beings often lose their attachment to their moral compass as they age and perhaps become jaded, doubting the long-term good of acts of heroism after seeing so many hopeful efforts fail and be forgotten; or maybe they become detached, not malicious but generally uninvested.
I write a lot of characters that are, for various reasons, disconnected from the people around them.
Some, like Kendal, operate on a moral code that I personally agree with, but this is almost the only axis he currently operates on, as personal drive isn't something he recognizes within himself, producing a different kind of Blue And Orange Morality where he works so strictly on Right Vs Wrong that it puts him at odds with the people around him. Others, like Tynan, understand morality enough to know that it's an exploitable weakness in other people, but operate only on the want-vs-don't-want spectrum - Tynan wants to be feared because he likes what that belief turned him into, and hurting people helps him get that. Beings like The Collector were once mortal, with presumably a standard moral code associated with that state, but she experienced a world-shattering eldritch existential crisis that instilled in her a new axis that completely superseded her existing drives: a being vaster than comprehension and older than the world desperately wanted to be free, and she will make that happen. Anything that serves that is good; anything that hinders that is bad. Nothing else matters, because everything else is so much smaller than the mind she briefly touched. She has no need or intention to be purposefully cruel, but cruelty happens because her ultimate goal will unmake the world and her process to get there involves a lot of vivisection.
Tahraim is an interesting case. I won't say too much, but his primary axis really is "interest". Anything old, overdone or stagnant doesn't interest him; he pursues innovation and transmutation, the process by which things become better and more efficient. He has the patience of immortality and clearly takes joy in talking to people and seeing new things, but he is essentially what happens when a craftsman becomes boiled down to his absolute essentials. The pure joy of creation and improvement, the sweet enthusiasm of concentrating fully and entirely on making something - uninterrupted by mortal concerns like food, pain and time. While morality can be assigned to his actions, it holds very little weight for him.
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luvsckly · 7 days
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questions by kiawren! i'm answering for both my f/o, kokichi (҂), and my oc/self insert, sora (𖣠)!
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1) what does their alarm ringtone sound like
҂ Either the instrumental for one of his favorite songs or something that would annoy everyone around him. I cannot decide. If it's something that'd annoy everyone, he'd act like literally nothing was wrong and "innocently" ask, "What? Why are you all looking at me like that?" and I think that's hilarious... Nyan cat song...
𖣠 It... does not. Sound. No sound. She has it on mute, always. However, if it does somehow go off, it'd probably be a default alarm sound.
2) what's their usual shower temperature. how long do they take to shower
҂ Just warm enough to not be cold. He'd only be in there for, like, 15 minutes tops.
𖣠 Hot!!!! Boiled like a lobster while taking a shower!!! Usually it's only in there for 20-ish minutes, though
3) what's their spice tolerance
҂ Actually can't handle spice very well, but still pushes it anyway because he thinks it's fun! Likes to try the hottest, spiciest things, even though he should... probably not be doing that.
𖣠 Doesn't purposefully look for spicy foods, they prefer more mild spice anyway. On the scoville scale, they probably stick around 50k-100k scovilles.
4) what's their fav ice cream flavour. cone or cup
҂ Would say Mint Chocolate is his favorite flavor. Not too picky with ice cream, will really eat any flavor he's given! Cup... He gets kind of mad if his ice cream drips, he actually prefers an actual bowl.
𖣠 Peach... Or anything with any berries, if there isn't peach available! They don't have a preference between cone or cup, but defaults to cone since it's generally less waste!
5) how do they bookmark their book pages
҂ He uses any random piece of paper. Might just leave the book open, face down, if he's just walking away for a minute... Also might dog-ear pages just to piss people off sometimes if they mentioned it
𖣠 Sora either uses an actual, dedicated bookmark if she has one on hand (generally an art print bookmark they bought from their favorite artists), or any clean, thin paper-like material on hand!
6) what zoo/aquarium enclosures would they spend the longest in
҂ At the zoo, he'd probably spend the longest just watching the big cats! At the aquarium, he'd probably spend the most time in the gift shop area where all the jellyfish are
𖣠 It's not a big fan of zoos, but it'd like the fox exhibits... Also, it would spend the same amount of time in the shark tunnel and the jellyfish room. Absolutely enamoured by all the little creatures.
[edited this section because, somehow, i forgot about the zoo in sora's!]
7) how easy is it for them to get sick
҂ Kokichi never gets sick! ...Or so he claims, at least. Has a pretty good immune system and regularly washes his hands, but sometimes he does come down with a cold or whatever and is down for the duration. Whines like a little baby and insists Sora take care of him
𖣠 The one who ACTUALLY never gets sick. She has a super immune system or something. Also super cautious, hates the idea of getting sick so she does everything she can to stay safe. Takes vitamins and stuff everyday.
8) what do they usually have for breakfast
҂ He probably skips breakfast most days unless someone offers or makes something for him? More of a snack kind of guy... So probably just some sort of onigiri or snack food if he does have breakfast on his own
𖣠 Makes a point to have a full breakfast everyday, unless she really doesn't have the time. Generally some rice, egg, pickled veggies, and tofu. If she's tight on time, she'll have onigiri, typically tuna mayo or salmon!
9) how good are they at origami
҂ Doesn't really care for origami, but if he tried, he'd be pretty good at it! Might need to make some things a couple times before it looks presentable enough for him
𖣠 Pretty decent at it! They can follow instructions pretty well, so as long as they're given a set of instructions, they can figure out how to make most origami! Can make very nice looking paper stars from memory, if those count also!
10) what kind of games would they have on their phone
҂ Genuinely, I think he wouldn't play many phone games. He'd have, like... Pokémon Go, and that's it.
𖣠 Cute, idle and simulation games! Things like Neko Atsume, Cats & Soup, Pocket Love... AC Pocket Camp. Also really likes things like Dream House Days.
11) who do they main on Mario kart
҂ Wario... Really competitive, too, he's honed his skills and is in it to WIN
𖣠 It has never played Mario Kart in her life!! But, it'd choose Princess Peach or Isabelle if she ever did play, just because they're cute. Would be absolutely terrible at the game, but wouldn't mind because it's just there to have fun!
12) what kind of handwriting do they have
҂ Kind of messy, mostly because he's writing fast and doesn't feel like trying with his handwriting
𖣠 Very neat and precise. Likes to do calligraphy also. Kind of like those aesthetic study inspo posts 😭
13) if they had an alternate haircut, what would they pick/what would suit them most in your opinion
҂ I think... Maybe he'd look really good with longer hair? Change nothing else, just make everything but his bangs longer >o<
𖣠 She'd look cute with, like... a wolf cut!! ...Now that I've said that I kinda wanna make a version of her with a wolf cut and, like, slightly edgier clothing style...
14) if you asked them to form a heart with their hands, what would their default be (the regular heart with both hands, big heart with their entire arms, or a small heart with just one thumb and index finger, or something else)
Both would default to just a regular heart with both hands!
15) what mythical creature would they be
҂ Kitsune... Him being a multi-tailed fox spirit just feels right.
𖣠 First off: Sora would be so excited about this question, you don't even know. Second, they'd probably be some sort of fairy!
16) how would they spend their airplane flights
҂ Either napping, watching a movie, or looking out the window... Teasing Sora for being a scared cat (while also making sure they're not going to have a panic attack during the flight)
𖣠 Terrified!! Humans are not meant to fly why are we in the sky!!!! Trying every relaxation technique it can. Clinging to Kokichi. Conked out after being on edge for so long lol
17) how do they react to stray cats/dogs
҂ If they approach him first, he'll be kind towards them and offer them some pets or scratches... Otherwise, he doesn't really pay attention to them
𖣠 Really kind towards them, typically tries to make sure they're not in any danger and will want to try and take them home.
18) what's their fav pasta type
҂ Radiatore! Those cute little ones that are all ruffly?? They're fun, and he likes them especially in pasta salads
𖣠 Farfalle... It thinks they're so cute, like, come on! Little bowties?? Adorable.
19) how good are they at taking care of plants
҂ Surprisingly good?? Doesn't like to, but he's good at keeping plants alive and will do research on how to care for specific plants if he's tasked with it
𖣠 Please don't give them plants. They'll die no matter how hard they try
20) what's their favourite time of day
҂ Night-time! The time of night when barely anyone's awake, everything's quiet and there's no one to put up a mask around
𖣠 Controversial opinion, but she loves early mornings! Genuine morning person, but not the kind that goes out and exercises first thing, no. Wakes up, eats breakfast, and rhen reads until everyone else wakes up. She loves the quiet and how nice it feels
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these were all really fun to think about waaa
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katy-l-wood · 1 year
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Sigh.
Don't really want advice, I just need to vent a little. Gonna stick it under a readmore too, because it got a little long.
I'm burning out so bad at work. I love the idea of this business, it's super fun in theory, as is what I do there. But the way the business is run is a nightmare, and the job does not pay anywhere near what it should. And I thought that was going to get better this January, because the owner finally admitted that we need a full marketing department and asked me if I wanted to run it if I were to be given an appropriate raise, and I told him yes. Then we had our January meeting where we were supposed to discuss everything and he said he's actually decided to interview outside candidates and only consider me as one of them.
Which is fucking bullshit. I built this marketing department from the ground up. They didn't even have fucking business cards when I started. Every initiative I've done has gone massively well for being nothing but hit-the-bricks marketing with zero budget.
I get that, legally, they are required to post the job within the company, but they aren't legally required to post it outside the company as far as I can tell. (Nor have they ever done that before anyways...)
And before this was revealed to me, I sat in on an interview and all the owner talked about during the interview is how much he loves people coming into the business and finding their own way and building new skills. He went on and on about the two main people who have done that, and how much he values them. Neither of them had to reinterview against outside candidates to run the departments they now run. Just me.
I know why it's happening too, which makes it even more annoying. The owner has ZERO idea what I do. None. I do not report to him. Every time I'm in a meeting with him and start trying to explain stuff I get some version of "oh, I just don't understand all of that." I think there might also be a touch of not liking me because I stand up to him. There was a big issue with Twitter over the holiday marketing season because I explained how, despite being our best platform, Twitter was too unstable to be as useful as normal due to the Musk takeover and the owner went OFF about it, about how I shouldn't be "bringing politics into it." Nevermind that ANY corporate takeover is going to be destabilizing for a time and the man has never used Twitter in his life so how the hell would he know what's going on. (Also, not even 5 minutes later he told me he didn't want us using TikTok "because of the Chinese." What was that about not getting political, sir?)
It's really clear that I'm just never gonna get the respect and support I need at this job, despite how great my direct boss is. I'm also really fucking tired of working somewhere with an HR lady that can't do her job and refuses to give us direct deposit because it's "too hard" and doesn't put our accumulated sick time on our checks like she's supposed to because she can't figure out how to make the system do it, so we just have to email her if we want to know.
And I've been applying to jobs! I've had interviews! Some of them have seemingly gone well, it's just that none of them have gone all the way to hiring me.
Even if I get a new job it isn't going to fix the fact that I'm burnt out, because I can't afford to take time off between the jobs to actually rest. I've got, like, $100 in savings right now and nothing in checking until my paycheck shows up this week. (And because we don't have direct deposit, the check could show up anytime between Wednesday and Saturday, unless HR had some random shit come up and didn't get the checks out on time, which has happened before.)
And I should (should) have two weeks paid vacation now that I've hit my third year at this job, but I don't want to just use it all up in fucking January in case I am stuck here for the rest of the year, but I could really use those two weeks right now.
Then, in the background of all of this, is my art and writing stuff. Especially The Pits/its Kickstarter in a couple months. If that Kickstarter goes as well as I'm hoping I probably COULD afford to take some time off. But I won't know about that until the end of March when it finishes. And also, I really don't want to be putting all my baggage from my day job on this one project. That's not good for me OR the project.
I'm fucking tired. I was so close to finally getting ahead of all this before inflation hit last year. So fucking close. And then it all went away. I just want a job that pays me what I'm worth and respects what I can do. That shouldn't be so fucking hard.
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yellowocaballero · 9 months
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I just finished your New Wave fic. I’m convinced everything your write is gold. I loved your TMA fics, with the most heartbreaking demon AU imaginable and the hilarity of Fahrenheit 101. I loved your moon knight fics, starting with Steven talking to animals on the reg at work to the system growing closer with a focus on Jake, i- there’s- it’s sooo much packed into it. When I’m on burnout, of art or writing (maybe life in general at times) I revisit your work and am thrown back into a creative headspace.
You are my favorite writer, you cram so much meaning and thought into your work and it shows. The characters are dumbasses and say the most ridiculous shit and turn around the next chapter and say the most thought provoking thing, and I don’t get whiplash from it because these characters just work! They just do, and I… am very much off track!
Anyways I just got into Batman and reading your fic is fueling that flame! I can’t wait to see what you have in store next, and I shall now stalk your blog for writing tips! I hope you have a nice day broski 💙
Thank you!! This is so sweet thank you so much! This ask is so nice!
Trust me, if there's meaning then it's because I get obsessive over these fics and I massively overthink them. I honestly wish I was better at making simpler, more elegant stories. I feel like nothing I do is truly going to be good until I can find that simplicity.
"Dipshit who says stupid stuff and then turns around and spouts ridiculous philosophy" is just how I talk. But I habitually approach my life from a standpoint of finding humor in everything, if only to soften the blow. I was once told that it's really hard to tell when I'm joking, because everything I say is always half-joking and always half-serious. I feel like that's pretty evident from my narration too...
As for writing advice...um, I was just speaking about this with somebody. When you're plotting a story, the first thing I like to figure out is what I'm trying to say. Everything else should be built around that. The joy of writing is that I think we all have something we want to say, or something we want people to know, or that we have an aspect of ourselves and our lives that we want to express. Most of the time, trying to convey those things verbally just results in a frustrating approximation of your true feelings. I find that when I manage a successful story, the depth and scale of what I'm trying to impart is fully understood and felt. It's rewarding. I think if people aren't understood on some level, by somebody, they kind of die.
Thanks for the sweet ask!!
#dungeon meshi is the peak of storytelling and im not joking#my asks#my writing#(my writing tag is a good place to find my dumb essays!)#i dont consider myself a creative and i barely consider myself a writer#so i professionally have no fucking opinions on art or whatever#also im not sure you can call what i do art in like any meaningful way#but i know a lot of musicians and everything#and so much art is just a person trying to convey something that can't be conveyed through words alone#so much stuff is lost in translation between our brains and our mouths - its like translating english to a foreign language#the meaning can be conveyed but inherently it'll never capture the original meaning exactly in every way#i think art can help you achieve a more perfect translation more than anything else can#you just have to feel like that poor schmuck in j alfred prufrock all the time#'that's not what i meant at all; that is not it - not at all'#JASLKDF sorry for the pretentious tags and also pretentious essay#all i do is write fanfic i dont know shit about this tbh#i just think that idk. there's things in this world that only we know#things that only we can say or understand#and sometimes we have to say them ourselves in our own words#sometimes ppl focus too hard on making their writing sound pretty or correct or 'good'#and they dont focus as much on how pretty writing is a tool to say what youre trying to say more effectively#idk! im sorry for quoting ts eliot some things can't be forgiven etc
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callivich · 11 months
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Gallavich Story Starters
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Prompts for fics, headcanons, or discussion, art, etc. Interpret these however you like and feel free to use them as just a jumping off point, you don’t have to stick to the exact prompt/wording! If any fics like any of these have already been written, please feel free to recommend them to me!
These are a bit different from sentence starters because there is more detail than a quote/short sentence but less detail than some of the prompts in my themed sets. Think of them as mini prompts/summary prompts.
Ian’s 100% sure that he’s got the wrong address - after all, he’s supposed to be mowing the grass. But when the guy wearing nothing but a tight pair of boxer-briefs waves him inside, he’s not sure what to do. Still, he can’t help following the man into the house.
Mickey sits on the steps of the police station and wonders where to go. He doesn’t want to go home and he can’t face the Gallagher place. Maybe he should just buy a bus ticket and see where it gets him. Then his cell rings and everything changes.
It’s not like Mickey wasn’t expecting to be diagnosed with something. It’s just he didn’t expect a whole goddamn list of things. He wishes he’d brought Ian into the doctor’s office with him instead of making him sit in the waiting room.
The army instantly rejects him. Ian’s plan falls apart in seconds and he’s stuck in the middle of nowhere. There is one person he could call to come and get him from an army base, but he’s not sure they’ll answer.
Mickey’s released from jail after one year when the bullshit charges are dropped. That means he’s a free man, right? Not exactly, he’s give six months parole. Distrustful after his experience in the system, he’s suspicious of his parole officer - Ian Gallagher.
Everything is good - they’ve got a good life, so he doesn’t know why he’s suddenly waking up every night in a cold sweat. It doesn’t take him long to figure out what’s triggered the nightmares but once he does, it’s undeniable.
It’s Ian’s fault he’s here. He’d gone on and on about it until Mickey gave in. Now Mickey’s sitting in a dentist chair waiting for them to put him under. They better give him the good drugs.
Ian’s got a shitty job he hates and he’s just signed a lease on a tiny apartment with a boyfriend he kinda likes. Everything’s going ok. That is, until he meets his next-door neighbour. It’s a man he didn’t expect to see again for six years. Mickey’s got parole and he didn’t even tell Ian.
Lip doesn’t want to be here. He doesn’t want to be wide awake in the spare bedroom of his little brother’s apartment wondering where the fuck everything went wrong. He doesn’t want to be jealous that Ian’s life with Mickey is going well and his isn’t.
Ian doesn’t know why he’s nervous. He’s married, for fucks sake. It’s just a date. Still, he and Mickey have never had a date like this before and he wants it to be special. Maybe he’s trying too hard but Mickey doesn’t seem to mind.
This is not Mickey’s beautiful house, this is not Mickey’s beautiful wife. He wonders, “well, how did I get here? and where the fuck is Ian?” Something is very wrong and he doesn’t know how he ended up here. (Based on the song Once In A Lifetime by Talking Heads)
It’s these late night conversations in bed that Ian likes the most. Cuddled up together in the darkness, being honest about anything and everything. He’s never felt more in love.
Mickey’s had one drink and already he’s decided he can’t do this. He tries to tell himself that it’s ok, that he doesn’t need sex or a relationship, that he’s happy being alone. Then a handsome redhead sits down next to him and offers to buy him a drink….
They’ve bought a brand new bed and Mickey’s being weird about the fact it’s in the middle of the room. Then Ian gets it, they’ve always slept on beds pushed against the wall.
Ian’s not jealous of their cat. He’s not. It’s just…she seems to like Mickey more than him and when she sleeps on top of Mickey at night, he can’t put his arm around his husband.
Their eyes lock across the room, the noise of the prison seems to fade. Mickey can’t believe what he’s seeing. Ian can’t be here? Can he? He wants to run across the room but he stops himself and instead swaggers over like it’s no big deal. Pretends like he’s just going to see the new guy. (Based on this question sent to @gallavichfanficlibrary)
Mickey was expecting to order takeout and chill out in the bedroom while Ian and Lip had their fun little brotherly bonding session in the living room. Somehow, he was waving goodbye to Ian and Lip wearing shit-eating grins (and Freddie without a shit-eating grin) as Tami led him out the door promising him a night of fun.
Ian’s cat is a thief. Everyday he returns home with a new pair of underwear which he deposits on Ian’s bed. Boxers, briefs, jockstraps and even a couple of interesting black lacy numbers. Meanwhile, Mickey thinks he’s going crazy - why does his underwear keep disappearing?
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raytorosaurus · 1 year
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not to get into the philosophy of real person fandom over a random tweet but ngl the brian schechter thing is quite unsurprising to me considering how he has spoken about the music industry in the past and running bands as businesses - remember that 40 year old guys with money do not run in the same online circles as left-leaning teenagers/youth no matter how cool they are skdjfjd. it's probably a pretty logical jump for someone in that generation and wealth bracket to go from profiting off one kind of art to another in a new context, even if we know it's ethically unsound on multiple levels.
the part i don't get is the perhaps overblown emotional response to this news tbh. it's interesting how fandom will fixate so heavily on certain specific non-public figures in the mcr sphere to the point of including them in the band's "narrative" while entirely ignoring others who are presumably equally or more significant. it's based entirely on fandom characterisations i think - i don't just mean in fic but also in the general fandom consciousness, though these two things definitely influence each other. when most people talk or write about brian they're basing like 90% of their information on him off about 15 minutes of screentime in lotms and a vague knowledge of his career trajectory, or off what other fans have said and written about him first.
this isn't me saying "we should stop talking about brian until we know more about him" or "we should learn more about the other people close to the band, not just brian" - more the opposite. i honestly think this is a timely reminder that, although i'd say we can all pretty safely bet that the four guys in mcr are solid dudes worthy of our respect and support, we really truly do not know anything about their personal lives outside the band besides the very little they show us. even within the context of the band we see very little. as a quick and obvious example, can you name four people on mcr's current crew off the top of your head? no? cool, that's totally normal and you absolutely don't have to. just keep it in mind that you can't. no matter how many interviews they do, we see so little of their lives - and they very clearly want it that way. real people aren't fictional characters - like honestly imo if you really want fictional characters, go and read fanfiction about them and consciously create a solid boundary in your mind between those fictional constructs and the real people you don't know and aren't entitled to know. don't let it influence the way you think of the real people, but instead use it as a way to get the narrativising and over-familiarity out of your system if you must. just don't fall into the trap of thinking you really know or understand these guys - it's doing you and them a disservice and can only lead to disappointment. save the sense of connection with the real guys to the music and the live shows in the context of their art and the community they've inspired with it.
i guess my point is i totally understand that we're all emotionally invested in these guys and care about them and feel like we can trust them - i absolutely do too - but i think it's healthier all round to actively remind ourselves how little we know about them every now and then. things like Brian Schechter NFT Boss Reveal are good opportunities to do so. try to avoid that nasty pang of cognitive dissonance when these 40+yo people do something that doesn't match up with the simplified and idealised version of them in your head <3
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I only have 2 headmates and idk how to get along with them :(
For context they're both OCS (one old, I made her in 3rd grade and one is new- made very recently) and they unfortunately know that. The issue is that all of my ocs have bad things happen often and I imagine they hate me for that
They also hate each other's guts for other reasons but it just sucks not having any peace
Hmm… we know it can be really really hard to get along with other headmates sometimes! And your headmates being OCs probably really complicates the situation, huh?
We have a little note that we keep with us when we’re feeling overwhelmed and stuck in memory time:
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(ID in alt text!)
This really helps us when we’re starting to feel guilty for not handling our childhood trauma better, or feeling like we’re never going to be good enough because of what happened to us, or trying to bear the weight of our history on our shoulders all the time! Our therapist told us the mantra and we wrote it down to keep handy :3
This helps us deal with painful childhood memories… But! we really feel like this sort of message may help people with exotrauma or painful exomemories too! >w<
As writers and creators, it’s okay to put your characters in difficult or traumatizing situations!! It comes with the territory of being an artist!! And you shouldn’t have to put a stop to that or feel guilty about it just because your OCs developed into headmates!!
But for your headmates…. It makes sense that this stuff will bother them! It makes sense that they might have to process exotrauma because of some decisions made by their creator (you!). It’s possible to allow them space, to support them on this process, and to recognize that you may have made choices regarding their histories… but that doesn’t make you at fault even one bit!!
Exotrauma can be really tricky and also icky to navigate! We have alters with exotrauma in our system and it’s been a wild ride helping them process it while other members process real-life trauma! But being willing to help and listen, not judging your headmates for feeling certain ways about their circumstances, and understanding where their apprehension comes from could all really help you be there for them when they need it!!! Does that make sense to you? Idk if I’m using “apprehension” right lol but I mean like their wariness or cautiousness or unwillingness to put the past behind them and get to know you!
Speaking of getting to know you… maybe y’all should try conducting interviews to get to know each other!!
I made this headmate interview form a while back! it’s a fun, laidback way for headmates and alters to start learning about each other as they are now, not as they once were!!
Could y’all perhaps spend some time conducting lighthearted, low-stakes interviews to figure out what each other likes and what they are like? And once you have a good idea, you can start going out of your way to do nice things for each other!!!
If we’ve learned anything in therapy, it’s that kindness, apologies, forgiveness, and compassion can be amazing tools for coming together as a team!! Our frequent fronter group is able to work together the way we do because of this!! Like this time last year, I never would’ve dreamed I’d ever cofront with Kandi to work together on art or posts and stuff… but here we are!! And it’s all thanks to learning more about each other and daring to show each other compassion even when we didn’t want to!! :333
So in the end, we don’t know for sure what will help y’all reach a mutual understanding and stop hating each other…. But we can give you advice for what’s helped us in the past! We still have alters who hate each other (ahhhhh) but at least we’re making progress!!! And that’s what counts!! We Can Move Forward!! And we believe y’all can too!! >w<
💚 Ralsei and 🦇 Alucard (or Kandi - bats got two names and likes them used interchangeably!)
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brawlqueen · 3 months
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PSA. / 2024 goals !
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the reason i haven't been writing a lot is i've mostly been on my OC trying to play catch up on her lore and worldbuilding. you can find her in the pinned post . also i've been planning what i want to do for mizuki for 2024, and my interest very normal love for best girl only gets better each year. i just hope to do justice by her in my own way as i figure out what i'm doing post AI1.
as i'm canon divergent and i have a few things to talk about that i'll be hoping to capture or discuss hopefully some of this year that are parts of my mizuki's canon ! so i'll try doing it in uh, the most organized way because one goal i have at least for 2024 is better blog organization . it's too late to make a sideblog for musings / etc . THINGS I'LL BE DOING THIS YEAR . - focusing on catch up. unless a thread is requested to be dropped, please message me if so, i'll be continuing it. some i will drop for my own sanity, not because i don't want to write with you again! - seasonal / holidays asks will just be holiday asks with no specific content save for people i owe, ex: bubblez' kizuna or thane's trunks, etc. why? i think mizuki deserves to celebrate the holidays or anything remotely happy because while aiba is arguably as of now her best support system, let's be real, i genuinely want to find and work on any of her relationships because she's severely lacking in support. even from 2023. i'll try to stay more on the ball for again, my own sanity this year when i reblog them. - i will be writing my version of post-canon mizuki and child mizuki, that goes from her time before adoption from date, aka with shoko and renju which will be tagged appropriately because honestly mizuki doesn't know many reliable adult figures in her life, and it makes me very sad that she's arguably more mature than...most people save say, boss or pewter or hitomi etc. she deserves better! just because AI2 certainly isn't everyone's cup of tea, and it isn't mine in a LOT of ways, i still took stuff from it, and i don't think it's fair to halt mizuki at 12 forever just because we fairly have critique of NI / AINI and not let her grow up and experience a hopeful future and more bonds to fill the huge hole in her heart. let her be happy is the goal !
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now i'm working on mizuki's post canon verse, as i've restarted aitsf 1 to move to aitsf 2, where i'll take a few things that i won't likely budge on unless you meet me halfway !
the verse title for anything post-canon and generally for 18 year old mizuki / teen mizuki or post explosion mizuki will be this verse tag!
__ 𝐕; 𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐓 𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍*ೃ༄ not compromising with just this; i'm taking back all the happiness i lost.
__
now onto her post canon details i do have figured out.
mizuki and aiba are partners. one thing that's consistent is through her time with date, that can still be a thing because they ARE a family, albeit i feel estranged granted the resolution route is canon, so mizuki never really got to bond with him, get her aphonia cured, vice versa, is aiba's care through time in his eye socket appreciating the girl's strength and endurance and intelligence in both games. you can have more than one partner, and until / if we have another game and mizuki possibly gets another partner and i debate the chemistry, aiba is mizuki's partner and aiba is generally mostly with mizuki, but that doesn't mean she isn't with date too. she can love more than one person. and both dates are equally dear to her.
mizuki was still experimented on until 3 years old at horadori institute, albeit she has blurry memories at best, and i debate if she should fully remember! one factor of her godlike superhuman strength. but she also is trained in most japanese martial arts she can get her hands on! she is NOT a clone of bibi, bibi doesn't exist whatsoever despite me enjoying her personality, even if i felt it was made to mimic mizuki herself, if others who have muses with canon bonds to bibi, please talk to me so we can plot it out if you keep her as part of your canon ! as long as we meet halfway i'm more than happy to work with you !
mizuki is still a rookie detective and psyncer at ABIS. in my canon, she actually looks to ryuki, also new, but older for advice and i like to think as dual protagonists that they should have been, they get to do some cases together! only if a ryuki is willing of course.
for now, she's working on small to medium cases with aiba. the explosion still happened that took her vision clean out. she does this because of the gruesome history she has, not wanting others to suffer the same kind of unimaginable trauma she has with both biological parents murdered in various means and i'm still debating whether tearer even exists. he likely will, and if people also have the other culprit's actions in their canon, please talk to me too and i'll work together with you on that !
mizuki still runs lemniscate and sunfish pocket. she doesn't have the heart yet to really let go of her neglectful biological father's companies, even if he didn't care for her in a way she needed. in time, i'll see how she feels about this, as i do plan for mizuki to continue her education, as the girl is extremely intelligent.
mizuki is still best friends with iris, but my mizuki also considers amame and kizuna two of her really close friends, but they aren't a sister to her like iris is. they're certainly caring of her, and she'd protect them with her life, but she isn't as close to them as iris, and all of them do hang out together from what i've seen.
my mizuki is a lot more skeptical for the kizunas out there, of lien. she isn't comfortable with his advances towards one of her best friends and generally is a lot more protective. that said, it's all according to people who write kizzy. naturally she's fiercely protective of iris, who now is someone who works for her too as the president of an entertainment company.
my mizuki comes from the MIZUKI ROUTE in terms of character development but NOT THE PLOT EVENTS . iris is not inhabited by so sejima. date and mizuki DO bond like a father and daughter. date unless a date talks to me, DOES cure her aphonia or it's hitomi herself like canon because hitomi is the mom she deserves imho. but i tend to take away the development of her character and their relationship otherwise i feel the date family bond is....pretty estranged or mizuki is MUCH more doubtful of date caring for her at all granted the routes and how she tends to get overlooked a lot.
basically i want to as one of i'm sure other mizuki-mun's, give her my best in my own way, at my own pace !
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and those are my goals as i replay the games (again!) . i hope to keep developing mizuki and thank you for being so patient with me as always, everyone ! also kinda sorry for the long post but it was all necessary !
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