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asexualbert · 2 years

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Posting this now because I don't know exactly how to start the next bit and I feel like this sits pretty nicely ("nice" being a loose term) on its own for a while.

So, thanks @nerfherdingteleporter for that lovely list of questions, I WILL answer them all, even if not all with full stories but "How did Jason and Tim get caught?" caught my eye

So let's start there :)

He was sore and achy everywhere which... Was a significant improvement over the last time he could recall. He'd been...

———

Jason woke up slowly, clawing through the foggy, muddled feeling in his mind.

Oh.

Oh...

Jason's next breath came out shaking as flashes of memory came back to him.

His mother's face as he was dragged away

The beating

Hitting his head as he was tossed to the ground

The beating

The stabbing fluorescent lights above him, piercing into his aching head

The beating

That horrible laughter, never ending throughout the endless, constant,

Beating.

It must have lasted hours, days, even. He'd lost track. All he knew was that it hurt.

It had hurt so much.

It should have killed him. It may have if it hadn't been for the- for his horrible sense of drama.

Jason whimpered quietly as more pieces began to slot together in his exhausted mind.

The clock. The big, red, glowing, digital countdown.

Bomb.

He'd been conscious. Maybe miraculously.

Maybe unfortunately.

It had hurt so much, dragging himself across the concrete, fighting his broken body to reach the door.

But he'd made it. He must have.

He couldn't remember picking the lock or pulling himself out and away from that nightmare building but, he must have.

The next thing he remembered was collapsing on hard pavement. Outside. Away. Free.

And then also... A vehicle. Coming towards him.

Bruce.

It must have been Bruce, there was no other option that made sense. After all, who else would be all the way out by an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of Gotham at ass-o'clock in the morning but his dad, looking for him.

Jason relaxed as everything started to make sense. Bruce had come. He'd found him. Saved him.

He hadn't been able to bring him home yet, he reasoned, as the sterile white room around him started to process.

They'd had to go to a hospital then. That made sense.

The distant aches in place of horrible pain made sense too. He must be on a lot of pain killers. It wasn't his preference, generally he'd rather not take any drugs at all. But Bruce wouldn't let anyone do anything bad to him.

So as he drifted back off to sleep, he figured that everything must be alright.

He was safe.

-–—–-

Bruce stared, unfeeling, at the results. It was... Impossible. There had to be something else, some other proof that...

But there wasn't.

They'd spent nearly 14 hours searching, all hands on deck, and all signs had pointed towards that god awful warehouse.

That godawful pile of rubble now.

The DNA match wasn't perfect. Less than fifty percent, but they couldn't have expected much more with his... With the body so ruined.

He didn't want to believe it. Wished and hoped desperately that there was any other way but... All the evidence was there. There was no one else in that wearhouse when the bomb went. And besides, he'd had so little biological family. The body simply couldn't BE anyone else.

There was no other option anymore. They had to stop looking.

He... Jason. His baby was dead.

#So I'm not sure if Tim's capture will be a part of this one #or it's own thing #his is a little harder to flesh out #it wasn't quite as dramatic #but we'll see #Jason and Bruce are both unreliable narrators because they fully believe everything they're saying :)#i can't say that i fully understand how DNA works but i promise there's enough there that the evidence is at least comic book plausible #i have put thought into this situation #i knew the answer to this question long ago i just had to sort it out into some kind of narrative #there will be more!#after my midterms probably #im painfully behind as is #but this AU has been bringing me joy throughout #Dragon AU #jason todd #bruce wayne #batfamily au #death mention #torture #<I keep misspelling that as Tortue #no turtles were harmed in the making of this fic #bomb mention #all the stuff that generally comes along with the Warehouse Incident really

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buqbite · 11 months

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Old concept sketches for an AU of mine

#Remember how a few weeks ago I was like hey does anyone wanna hear my au idea and then never brought it up again #Yeah basically #this #my art #orv #omniscient readers viewpoint #orv au #idk if thats a tag #whatever #kim dokja #orv kdj #han sooyoung #orv hsy #yoo joonghyuk #orv yjh #yoohankim #yhk #Basically the thought behind the AU was like #I want a no scenario AU where I can basically write heaps of character study while also putting them in mundane ass situations #Like. What would motivate HSY's writing if she didnt have the scenarios #What would kdj be if he was introduced as part of the story rather than his own person (this sentence doesnt make sense ik)#What would yjh be if he started off knowing hes a character and landing in a world where he is the only one whos NOT real/alive #(Inspired by the line where yjh went sth like im the only one alive here)

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deafening-radio-silence · 2 months

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I think that Dr. Christina "I was an excellent soldier" Raynor needs to deal with some personal things before she's anyone's therapist, because she strong-armed more of Bucky's autonomy away from him than Zemo did within the series.

#yeah man make amends for the shit that happened when you didn't even have control over your own thoughts #so she was giving him a way to “fix things” but that wasn't on him to do so #all she did was doubly reinforce what he already thinks - which is a justified but false and guilt-laden perception - about the situation #idk much about therapy but i don't think that they're sposed to do that. correct me if i'm wrong and then i'll go fight all therapists #bucky barnes #tfaws #alpine #my art #thank you for putting up with my drawings of a comic book character and his asshole cat lol #i had to put my dog down recently in a bad way and i can't rightfully get another house dog with my current work schedule #so i got a cat since they can handle being inside for the day and the shelter lady said she's super antisocial towards other cats #she's super antisocial towards me sometimes too but she sleeps on me at night and my house has never been cleaner #now that i have to vacuum cat fur and mind what i leave lying on the counter #i've never liked cats before but she's special i guess idk ain't everyone's cat special lol #anyway i'll stop using my tumblr blog as a blog now lol

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luxaofhesperides · 4 months

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Wings AU ; requested by @justwannabecat!

“Are you sure it looks good?” Duke asks for the sixth time in an hour.

Tim sighs and says, yet again, “It looks fine. Just give it to him! If he doesn’t love it, I’ll beat him up for you.”

“You wouldn’t do that.”

“I could! But you’re right, I wouldn’t. I would just psychologically torment him until he broke.”

“Don’t do that, please. I’d like to actually have a chance with him, even if he hates this.”

“He won’t,” Tim says. He actually stops typing to give Duke a severe look. “Go and give it to him. If you don’t go now, he’s going to think you bailed.”

Duke glances at the time, then jumps. “Shit! Thanks for your help, man!” He’s out of the door before Tim can say another word. He doesn’t bother with the front door, or even going down the hallway. Instead, he opens the nearest window and flings himself out of it, unfurling his tawny wings to catch the wind beneath them and ride them into the city proper.

He briefly considers stopping for a moment to change into his Signal outfit so he can fly above civilian jurisdiction, then decides that it’s far easier to just bend the light around him so he’s invisible. He wouldn’t want to be late meeting Danny, after all. Especially not for this.

He hadn’t been expecting Danny to be into traditional courting methods. Most people tend to go the more modern way of dating, but Danny had mentioned once or twice that he thought it was romantic. He had blushed, mumbling the words, but Duke heard them and went into researching courting methods to see which ones Danny might like best.

Sure, he could just ask Danny out on a date like he normally would if he liked someone, but if Danny wants to be courted, then Duke is going to court him!

It’s why he’s been planning this out carefully, gathering his primaries after his wings molted a few months ago so he could string them together into a thin wing covering.

Admittedly, this courting method isn’t super common, but the thought of giving Danny his feathers, making it look like their wings are one and the same, has kept Duke up some nights, wanting it so badly.

Besides, he thinks Danny will like it. Considering the state of his wings after the Accident…

Duke holds his handmade wing covers closer to his chest, flier lower as he leaves Bristol and enters Diamond District. The streets are busy, full of people. Most tend to stay on the ground, wings tucked close to their bodies, but there are plenty still flying above cars and buses that Duke has to carefully fly around.

It takes another twenty minutes to get to Robinson Park, where Duke drops down to the ground and takes a moment to make sure all his feathers are straight and neatly displayed. Then he walks into the park, heading towards their usual meeting place.

For once, it’s a nice, sunny day in Gotham. Everyone’s taking advantage of it. The park is full of couples and families, walking around slowly, and kids dart through the air, still unable to go very high with their wings not yet fully grown in. It’s nice to hear the laughter and general chatter of people wandering the park.

Duke doesn’t spend too long walking the paved paths through the park. He steps off of it near the second water fountain on the path, then heads into the trees, passing two moms on a picnic with their three kids rolling around the grass nearby.

Tucked away in this corner of the park is a small clearing surrounded by thin trees. The tile is dirty and cracked, no one maintaining it at all with it hidden away.

He sees Danny’s wings first, with long feathers that trail onto the ground, a black that shines dark blue in the light. He follows the lines of his wings back to his body, where Danny sits on a bench, leaning his weight back against his hands as he lifts his head up into the sunlight, basking in the warmth.

He really is so pretty. He insists that he isn’t, but Duke regularly spends time with the Wayne family, all who have modeled before, so he’s got a better idea than most about what pretty looks like, and Danny fits the bill.

“Hey,” Duke calls out softly, watching as Danny slowly blinks his eyes open and turns to give him a warm smile.

“Hey! I’m free for the rest of the day, which means we have so much time to complain about things today.”

“I didn’t keep you waiting, did I?”

“Nope,” Danny says. “I wouldn’t mind waiting, though. I like hanging out with you.”

Heart pounding in his chest, Duke walks forward. He doesn’t know if there’s something specific he has to say when presenting his gift, if there’s a courting tradition involved that he didn’t learn about. He’s terrified Danny’s going to reject it. He’s praying that Danny accepts it.

“Are you okay?” Danny asks, standing to get a better look at him. “You seem tense…” He trails off as he catches sight of what Duke holds in his hands, breath stuttering.

“I’m fine. I, um.” Duke steps into the clearing, entering the sunlight, and holds out his wing covers. “I made them for you. You mentioned before that you thought courting traditions were romantic… I don’t know if you like wing covers, but I thought you’d look good in my feathers… Only if you want it though!”

He’s trying so hard not to cringe away in embarrassment. He’s flirted with Danny before, half jokes and half serious, always playful. Duke was smooth then, delighting in how flustered it made Danny before he hit back with his own flirting. Now he’s a hesitant, stuttering fool, tripping over his words and struggling to find the perfect things to say. Maybe he should have thought up a speech, or something. Memorized a few lines to speak his intentions with this courting gift. Done literally any prep for giving the gift instead of focusing only on making it.

Danny doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t move either. He just stares, wide-eyed at the wing covers in Duke’s hands.

That’s a bad sign, isn’t it.

His hands lower just a touch, and he quietly prompts, “Danny?”

Just as he’s about to pull back, step away and try to fix things, messily attempt to salvage their friendship because clearly Danny doesn’t want to be courted by Duke, Danny’s hands snap out whip-fast and latch onto his wrists.

“This is… for me?” he whispers, awed.

“Yeah. Yeah, it’s for you.”

“And you’re courting me? Like, for real?”

“Yeah, definitely courting you for real. Do you accept?”

Danny throws himself into Duke’s arms, careful not to crush the wing covers between them. “In what world would I say no?” he laughs, bright with joy. He pulls back a second later, not giving Duke time to hug him back, and turns around, carefully stretching his wings out. “Put them on for me?”

“Of course.”

He starts by smoothing out some of Danny’s feathers. He doesn’t get to do this often; Danny hates having his wings on display for anyone, with how they spasm occasionally, and have empty patches where feathers will never grow in again. The Accident, all that electricity coursing through him, it permanently damaged his wings. There is no healing to be done.

His wings are lacking too many flight feathers and primaries for him to fly. He’s stuck on the ground now, unable to use his wings for more than a minute. Old burns are still visible closer to his spine.

Danny prefers hiding his wings away. He hates thinking about the Accident, hates how it’s taken his wings from him, how it’s changed him completely.

But Duke loves his wings. He loves the softness of Danny’s lower feathers, how they shine in the light, how they always puff up when it gets windy. He’s only gotten to preen them twice before, and he treasures those memories more dearly than anything else.

This easily outshines both those moments.

He gently combs his fingers through Danny’s feathers, straightening them out, then lays the first wing cover over his right wing. His own brown feathers drape over the top of Danny’s wings, hiding the featherless patches from view. He does the same to the other wing, then adjust both until they lay perfectly on Danny’s wings.

As soon as he lifts his hands away from Danny’s wings, Danny is spinning around with a grin, flaring his wings out.

“How do I look?”

“Perfect,” Duke answers. He was right; Danny looks good in his feathers.

He watches, fond and amused, as Danny spins, keeping his wings flared, admiring his new look. “I’m never taking these off,” he says. “I love them so much. I can’t really make one for you, though…”

“You don’t need to.”

“I can’t just accept this and not give you something in return!”

“Well… There is one thing you could give me. Something I’ve been wanting for a long time.”

“What is it?” Danny asks, leaning towards Duke. He’s eager, ready to please, so delighted to be courted.

Duke smiles. “A kiss.”

“Done.”

He doesn’t have time to react before Danny is pouncing on him, hands fisting the collar of his shirt as he tilts his head up and kisses Duke. He pulls back before Duke can kiss back, blushing and unbearably cute.

And all Duke manages to say is, “Cool.”

He’s so good at this.

Danny rightfully laughs at him, then grabs his hand and pulls him down to the bench. “Come on, I promised to complain about my teachers today and I intend to deliver. And maybe later, I could take you out on a date? If you want.”

“Danny, of course I want to go on a date with you. I’m courting you! I thought I made my feelings clear!”

“I’m just making sure!” Danny shouts over him, and Duke can’t resist the urge to pull him closer and pepper kisses along his cheek. “Okay, okay, I got it. You’ve made your feelings clear. I’m going to date you so hard.”

“You better. It’s about time you put some work into our relationship.”

“Excuse you?!” Danny gasps in mock outrage, and they start bickering lightheartedly as they always do.

Even with their feelings come to light, even with a courtship started and a date promised, it doesn’t feel like anything between them has changed.

It’s just them. Just as it always has been.

Duke couldn’t be happier.

#ghostlights #dc x dp #dp x dc #dcxdp #dpxdc #dc x dp fic #prompt fill #my writing #this was going to be longer bc i got into worldbuilding but then it got TOO long so i scrapped all that to focus on duke and danny #first time writing wing fic.... the amount of thought i put into how this world works had my head spinning #like this one: most people sleep in hamocks or have beds that are off the ground so they can stretch their wings out #regular beds like ours exist but mostly for kids/senior citizens/people with damaged wings who cant fly #like danny. so he has a normal bed and duke has a hammock which means the cuddling situation is Difficult #usually it ends with danny on his back and duke on his chest or danny completely wrapped up in dukes wings #just picture that. youre welcome :)

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insufferablemod · 11 days

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thinking about john n davesprite n dave what happens when he finds out its not just a bird dave thing but a dave thing..... the idea hes built up of The Real Dave comes crashing down

like things were def made worse by being stuck together for 3 years with noone else n all of the extra issues davesprite has On top of all the normal dave bs but like, fuuuckkkkkkk

#and like #i havent touched hs2 in ages but just thinking about any post canon thats based on the canon end be it hs2 or not #john interacting with dave #davesprite was the dave he was with for 3 years #the First dave he met...#do you think he thinks about him?#sees davesprites mannerisms in dave #n realizing what a pedestal hed put dave on compared 2 davesprite cus he hadnt seen daves issues up close n personal #years later looking back #after maybe even learning about some of the details of daves fucked up home situation #having the context for some of ds behavior #he was just a kid....#he was the only beta kid not to make it....#i just remembered jasprose n was like.. hmm idk if id count her since she shows up so late BUT #SHE DID MAKE IT #ok now im even more upset..... he truly was the only one of them... the one who gave up his identity....... TWICE(counting davepeta as 1 #N THEY DIDNT EVEN MAKE IT SO LIKE)#i am going insane #i am thinking violent thoughts #davesprite #rambles

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raiiny-bay · 22 days

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the boys, 80s-ified

#another day. another AU #finding decent 80s cc was significantly harder than i thought it would be btw #let it be known that dhes' hair is supposed to be much bigger than it is #i just couldn't find a hair that matched what i was envisioning #i might still change their outfits here & there but they're ok for now #i do have 5 other kids to dress so.#this AU was not my idea for the record. it is a collab AU #hi wren lol #definitely one of my favorite AUs that the boys have been in so far #love to put the boys in Situations #rainyrambles #dhestyn #kelly #idk why i used the boys' full names for their tags #literally every other one of my ocs' tags are their nicknames. why did i do that #ngl dhes' outfit just looks like something canon dhes would wear lol

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blackkatdraws · 1 year

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Things may have gotten a bit... heated.

video format of my response in the Glue Trap Aftermath Chain

#WITH SOUND EFFECTS‼️‼️#YOOOOOO #i had so much fun making this #everyone who joined in on the chain thank you!#Black (my Narrator) didn't actually have anything against Mantra (Devious' Narrator)#he was just so pissed and embarrassed from being put into such a humiliating situation #(strung up by Willow (Withered-woods' Narrator) and having his insides shown to everyone)#(having his insides shown is like equivalent to being naked for him)#he just needed something to hit and hurt #he doesn't care what or who #he just needs to hurt #anger issues!! yippeee!!! :D #he's not thinking very straight he's in rage mode (not that he thought straight before if you know what I mean AHEM AHEM)#narratorverse #paraverse #glue trap chain #the stanley parable #the stanley parable ultra deluxe #tsp #tspud #narrator tsp #tsp narrator #tsp artists appreciation #the stanley parable animation #mine 💗#tsp animation

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qbebou · 2 months

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i understand why ppl don’t believe quackity rlly didnt know abt the working conditions with the admins, it’s his server, he should be overseeing everything, etc etc. but i think many ppl aren’t taking into consideration how massive of a project the qsmp is and how big the team is. on top of the roleplaying admins (eggs, capys, bunnies) there’s likely lots of offscreen admins, builders, mod devs, writers, artists working on the project as well. it makes total sense to me for q to have hired and trusted ppl to handle parts of quackity studios that he a. didn’t have time for b. didn’t have the experience to make the best decisions for or c. that he just didn’t want to do. at the end of the day q is a content creator and yes that means he also is a businessman and yes he owns quackity studios but he’s also shown himself to be INCREDIBLY busy and things like managing finances, vetting, hiring, and paying out employees takes a lot of time and can go super wrong if he didn’t have the knowledge or experience regarding how to do such things. he’s also shown himself to be pretty hands off with a lot of the server administration stuff, afaik he still isn’t op’d on his own server which makes sense bc he does have a team running things behind the scenes. i worked administration in a small office a while back and we had plenty of miscommunication issues bc my boss didn’t handle every part of his business. he didn’t even know how much i was being paid bc he had hired someone else to do the onboarding, offboarding, and payment for employees. even tho our team consisted of like 13 ppl at any given time, there were still miscommunications. and we were all seeing each other in person! we weren’t even dealing with differing time zones or different languages.

at the end of the day, q is young and inexperienced. he trusted the wrong ppl to handle parts of his business. all we can hope for is that things change for the better, the whole quackity studios team gets paid fair wages, have stress loads taken off of them, and feel safe and comfortable continuing with the project. i rlly hope pommes admin comes back bc the qsmp wouldn’t be the same without her even if another admin took the place of pommes character. idk if lea would want to come back but i feel like the door should be open for her too and she still deserves compensation for the work she did in her time working on the team. i have high hopes that things will get taken care of and some restructuring happens within the company

#qsmp #lex.txt #idk i just feel like ppl rlly jumped down his throat when the news first broke #and a lot of ppl have called him stupid or incompetent or what have u for not knowing what was happening but also have likely never worked #on an administration team or dealt with situations that would make him not knowing make complete sense #hell if i hadn’t had experience i probably would’ve also thought the same thing #but obv the qsmp is a major passion project and has had so much time money and care put into it #i don’t see q actively making the decision to jeopardize something he has dreamed abt for ages over something like this #or rlly anything at all #do i tag this as discourse????? idk wth #qsmp discourse #quackity

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tvckerwash · 27 days

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you know, an interpretation of ct that I don't see that I personally really love is that she's a fuck up. like yes she's cool and she has some good fight scenes, but a huge part of her character is that she makes mistakes. the mistakes that she makes are ones that on their own aren't the end of the world, but she keeps making these little mistakes, and they eventually add up until she's out of room to make any more.

a really good example of this phenomenon in action is the actions she took leading up to her final confrontation with carolina and tex.

strike one, she thought she saw something in the water, but when asked by the leader what it was, she brushed it off as nothing when even if it had been nothing, it would've been smart to tell him what she thought she saw.

strike two, she didn't sense or notice florida's presence when the leader did, and she looks at the leader twice, once as she pulled out her magnums, and again after she did a scan of the room, almost like she was looking at him for guidance before he finds florida and takes him out with one good axe throw.

strike three, she couldn't convince the leader to leave when they had the chance to get away, and her cheap tricks were not enough to hold off either tex or carolina in a fight. they were only good for incapacitating her opponents enough for her to get away, which doesn't work when she has no escape.

ct is not tex, or carolina, or south. she is not a one woman army who can get herself out of trouble when she's stuck in tough situations. she needs people who can watch her back, she need a team who can cover her when she does mess up, and the leader and his team were not those people. she couldn't bring herself to trust them, and they couldn't bring themselves to trust her, and that cost all of them their lives.

#i say i never see this interpretation of ct as if I'm not the only person having ct thoughts in 2024 lmao #red vs blue #rvb #agent connecticut #this is why wash and ct work so good together they function best in teams but theyre put in situations where theyre on their own #and they suffer because of it #but where wash had no choice in ending up w/o a team ct did #the ability to choose is a powerful tool. but being able to choose means that sometime somewhere someone will choose wrong #oh to further clarify the interpretation of ct I'm used to seeing is stereotypical hyper competent badass bitch type character #I've never really seen ct that way though tbh. she's a rebellious smart-ass who loves stating the obvious #it's honestly a pretty childish trait which i think goes well with her complex about being seen as a kid who needs excuses made for #her subpar performance in the field #basically in her head ct is james bond but in reality she's cringefail loser girl who wants to be a hero #you know what analyzing and discussing how heroism is viewed in rvb might be a pretty good essay #these colorful guys and gals aint heroes theyre all losers trying their best #anyway I'm off to attempt drawing a meta! tucker piece that may or may not turn out

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nightshadeowl · 2 months

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Something that's been on my mind.

Aromantic folks who enjoyed Lovejoy and Wilbur's music, who felt that he championed aro perspectives which are largely ignored in pop culture and especially music: I'm so sorry. Obviously there are more prevalent forms of hurt right now and very pressing troubles to focus on, but saying this as an individual, to a group who gets few acknowledgements, losing that has to be difficult and I hope you find other comforts to turn to. Take care of yourselves.

#the majority of our attention should be put into showing support for those he hurt. i'm just taking a moment in my own space for friends.#wilbur situation #maybe this is a stupid thought i don't know. aro folks i see you. those who have suffered by him have all my love. that's all #passenger status

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poorly-drawn-mdzs · 9 months

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More silly MXTX polls to mull over for the week:

#poll #svsss #mdzs #tgcf #EDIT: JINGLES MISERABLY: I thought this was set for a week...not a day....Sigh......#Thought about doing this just for mdzs but there are too many characters for a proper poll and im not strong enough to do a tournement.#So now its just the main duos (+anyone else who manages to be a strong contender. Freedom of expression and all)#I think its fun to put characters in scenarios! I also think its more interesting to raise the stakes.#You may imagine any situation what gets all 6 into the same room for a Mario Partio Kartio event.#The question is who is the most cringe and fail. For the humour of the situation!#and yes - as always (unless it gets rancid again) I will have a comic for the results at the end of the week <3 #This poll is a shout out to people like me who are bad at video games and suffer whenever mario kart comes out at parties.#I mean it with my whole ass that I should not be given a controller.#No I'm not trying to hide my abilities or be humble. Dont do it.#Yes I have played a *lot* of mario kart for the wii. No I'm not good.

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chaotic-minds-think-alike · 9 months

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GET UP.GET UP.GET UP.GET UP.GET UP

V1… ultrakill….. my beloved,,,, I am running through the brick wall because I have to draw them

#myart #ultrakill #ultrakill v1 #v1 ultrakill #v1 #originally was going to put THE WORLD LOOKS RED up top but my thought process changed #this is more of like… high stress situation and it gets knocked down and if it doesn’t stand back up it’ll die #plus blood everywhere because red is such a color #also another reason I changed the title or whatever is because I kept thinking about how hard it is to draw things similar and I will have #to learn to pull myself back up when I fall

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jessepinwheel · 1 year

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my very serious writing advice for people who are trying to write more morally complex characters is to stop caring about their morality and focus instead on their individual motivations

it’s hard to articulate exactly what I mean, but the essence of it is basically: when a character does a murder, not only do I not care about whether they’re justified in doing so, it’s straight-up irrelevant. a character’s moral standing from some nebulous universal standard has no bearing on the plot or their interactions with other characters and has no use in the story for me as a writer. what does matter is why the character thought they were justified and then if it comes up to other characters, what they think about it.

you can obviously think about your characters’ morality but it’s not your job as a writer to interpret your stories for your readers and tell them how to judge your characters. your readers can see the evidence for themselves and draw their own conclusions. your job is just to understand why a character is motivated to act in a certain way and have it make sense

focusing on character motivations is a much more versatile framework than trying to give them specific personality traits or moral alignments, and frankly more useful to understand why a character would do a certain thing instead of just what they do. that way when something fucked up happens and your character starts acting differently, there’s an actual logical reason for it that isn’t you forcing characters to do things because it’s what’s required to make the plot go

when you write your characters with the understanding that people are not static and they act differently under different circumstances, complexity in character and morality follows naturally.

#honestly I don't think of my stories as being morally complex #like the thought of morality doesn't enter my mind at all #I straight do not care #advice like 'make sure you give your characters some flaws' have always felt very unhelpful to me #traits don't have to be good or bad #they're just traits #whether something is a flaw is heavily context dependent #and trying to build characters from a sum of 'good' and 'bad' just flattens them #this ties back into my other thing about how characterization is a scam #because you can write just about any character by writing a reasonable human person #and just having a good handle on what they want and what they're willing to do to achieve it #that's it #that's all you need #I have a lot of thoughts about this but #at the end of the day #does it really matter if a character is 'right'?#is it not enough to put a character in some situations?

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