#there are a couple of things i might change on these designs in the future - ladybug's ears being at the top of that list

[sometipsygnostalgic]

Adventure Time new episodes

This is for "Destiny" and "Winter King". I am not making a big analysis, honestly I have no idea where the miniseries is heading, but here are a couple of points I want to make.

So, to start us off, this is obviously Snake on a Nokia phone... the controls for this thing were absolute garbage but it did the job. Is the snake eating little bunnies????

It's interesting that designer bags are the same in both worlds, but that makes sense because this is just another future version of a world Simon lived in.

When I first saw Jay, I assumed he was Finn's baby brother from the Farmworld universe - wouldn't the baby brother be about the correct age??? - but he's actually Finn's son!

Jay and Bonnie are a reference to the episode Puhoy! Their mother was most likely Roselinen. Our Finn had specific reasons for naming them Jay (Jake) and Bonnie (PB). Farmworld Finn named them that too but unless he knew a farmworld PB it's more of a reference than anything else.

Also... against all reason, Farmworld Jake is still alive! Barely!

Finn had a LOT OF KIDS and also his wife his dead. Damn, even in this world. Most of his kids have his or Rosalinen's hair colour but the boy on the right looks a lot like Hunter from the first episode.

Take that as you will...

Like in the original S5 episodes there are farmworld versions of some characters like Choose Goose, Starchy, and Wildberry Princess. So there was probably farmworld versions of most of his friends. We already saw what happened to this version's Simon and Marcy, who both died brutally.

The crown is in the giant crater because it was evaporated by the goddamn nuke. Incredible that any part of it survived, really.

The rest of this episode speaks for itself. It was a fun look at an alternate universe where Finn lived a very different life. His personality here is nothing like our Finn who is a lot more adventurous. Farmworld has taken its toll on our boy.

Onto Winter King...

This penguin boy doesn't seem to be 100% ice. It's possible that his beak was stuck on like a snowman, but it's also possible this is a transformed version of Gunther.

This Ice King's history is very similar to our Ice King's. Most changes were 100 years ago when he transferred the twisted madness to PB.

Can someone explain to me why there is a naked chicken here???? I do not like this at all

I checked out two designs that I thought this place might be referencing. It doesn't look like either but, eh.

Below is Candy Kingdom concept art from 2008.

Below is Candy island from Flapjack!

And below, ironically the most similar looking, is Candy Island from Bob's Burgers.

Some interesting things about this alternate Simon...

This young Marceline with the axe has implications for why this Simon might've turned "evil". Marceline either ran away from him after what he did to PB, or she died at some stage. He made an "Ice Marcy" to replace her.... Young and adorable, just she was when he was Simon. This seems to be his method for dealing with any problems.

His science in this room was interesting... it reminded me of Princess Bubblegum's technology, or the stuff that Simon and Betty were able to make when combining science and magic in the land of Ooo. Honestly I don't feel that he'd have been successful in duplicating the crown, but he was immediately willing to try.

The reason Simon doesn't remember Betty as his great love is because this was an important part of his madness. When he transferred his madness to PB, he also transferred his obsession with Betty.

This is why Candy Queen is so obsessed with kidnapping Ice King and Simon, it's the exact reason why Ice King used to kidnap her!

Also, 10 out of 10 to Hynden Walch in this episode. I was convinced there was a different voice actress for Candy Queen, but upon checking the credits, it really is her. You can recognise her singing well too.

This version of PB has a lot more mastery over her candy elemental magic. It's probably a result of being possessed by the Crown's madness for so a hundred years. You see her doing all sorts of crazy stuff as Candy Queen, though in that state her abilities are a lot more like Ice King's than they are like the insane PB from the Elements miniseries.

It's really funny that PB is like "I'm trying not to dwell on it" about the hundred years thing. AT is very casual like that. Though she's gonna be very sad when she realises Fionna and Cake ripped the faces off most of her candy people. Brutal scene.

And it's funny how she kissed Fionna. She just does that with all her knights. I wonder if there is a Finn in this universe? Ice Prince seemed to expect the Ice girls to save him...

I found it sweet that Ice King really wanted to save someone else he saw as being possessed by madness. It was entirely possible that CQ was just "like that", but he was right on the money, and it shows how he contrasts to his alternate self, who is actively benefitting from this situation even if he gets regularly kidnapped. And it's not like Fionna is doing anything that Finn didn't do to Ice King!

This scene was brutal. Funnily enough I watched Infinity Train book 3 with Kim last night, this reminds me of the moment THAT Simon-- Oh my God, does this always happen to characters named Simon?

Fionna removed the magic from the crown, so Simon aged rapidly, just like in the episode "Betty". Though this time it happened instantaneously rather than across 11 minutes.

I think this is the part where Fionna realises her rampage across the multiverse is genuinely hurting people.

It was VERY CUTE watching Gary Prince (holy shit that name) show off his little Candy Kingdom. There's a lot of elements of PB there, and it parallels how ultimately the Candy Kingdom was PB's own version of the cake - she made all these characters and made little stories for them, which we know from the show was her way of dealing with the world.

What was REMARKABLY FUCKED UP was the shots to Fionna murdering possessed versions of these beloved characters. I mean... they're PROBABLY all still alive, but they are very fucked up now.

I also enjoy how the Lemoncarbs - Tree Trunks calls them that!! - are both here and alive, and superior to Gary lol. And I think Jinx Monsoon's voice acting here fits a lot better than in episode 4 where they tried to do a straight imitation of Lemongrab.

I haven't said much about these two but you can see how they contrast - Marshall just Does things, while Gary procrastinates constantly. And Marshall's behaviour can seem reckless but Gary would've never taken that big step forward without his help. It's funny how Marshall can just call his mother to summon the Lemoncarbs in the middle of the night, and sweet how he'd do that to help Gary.

Then he listens to the autistic boy gush about his characters. Awww.

This world here is obviously a joke about the elusive Adventure Time Babies show that Muto was terrified he'd be asked to make. Hell it's possible he pitched this show to CN once or twice. But Baby Looney Tunes and Tiny Titans are both famous spinoffs of this ilk, and Craig of the Creek got a spinoff about Craig's baby sister.

Simon is still determined to become Ice King again but he wants to "do it right". I still think he's HORRIBLY MISGUIDED but he is starting to realise that, maybe, he is the best version of himself. He could've been a huge ding dong like Ice Prince.

Also Chan is going to be so sad if that's the only time we see Young Finn and Jake.

#adventure time #atimers #fionna and cake

[misguidedasgardian]

I need to... (1)

1... Get the f*ck out of here

MASTERLIST

Summary: An awful event leads you to rethink of everything

Pairings: Aemond Targaryen x Fem!Reader (for now)

Warnings: There are mentions of them being Minors! at some point in their relationship, cursing, cheating, angst, depression, age gap (not for reader), coercion, toxic relationship, drinking alcohol to cope, in some countries it is underage drinking, (reader is 18). might forget some warnings…

Wordcount: 4 k

Notes: This just started like a blurb, and now we are here. AAAHHHH this is going to be soft, romcom sort of thing, but a bit angsty at first… 

You knew him like the palm of your hand, and that is how you could pinpoint the exact day something went wrong, were perhaps his affair started, you couldn’t be sure 

You wanted to go to Winterfell University, it was far North in the continent, they say it was always winter there, cold, and wild, but you had seen pictures and had been there briefly on vacations with your family and you absolutely loved it, besides, it had a great program on what you wanted to study, you wanted an adventure, you wanted to completely change your surroundings, get out of your comfort zone, fly off the nest. 

But Aemond, your loving boyfriend and highschool sweetheart didn’t think so, you didn’t want to break your relationship, besides, Aemond’s family owned an airline, it would be a four hour journey to meet you there. But he insisted it was too far. You believed that on the one hand that a time apart could be good for you, you would miss him more, and therefore your reunions would be way more intense and hotter, but no.

An that time it made sense, you were drawing your future together, so he convinced you to go to Dragonstone University with him. The university of his dreams. 

It was completely his environment, the university specialized on what he wanted to study, diplomacy and political sciences, so for him it was a perfect fit. 

But not for you

All the alumni were perfect, serious, dressed like they all belonged to old money, just like Aemond, he was like a fish of the same pond, and you? were a fucking Alligator. You felt big, clumsy, unwanted. 

There wasn’t a career in design, like the one you wanted to follow, instead, there was plastic arts and photography, even architecture, so, in your first year, you made sure to take a couple of subjects leading in all of those directions. 

That was your first mistake.

You should have stayed in architecture, maybe, photography even, but instead, you decided to take a course with Professor Alys Rivers. In a plastic arts class

That was your second

Soon you became some sort of friends

She was tall, beautiful, dark long locks, big green eyes, the woman was stunning, young, just started teaching, and soon she became your mentor

You liked her 

She realized you were frustrated, and take special care in you, mentoring you, and keeping you close to her, she told you maybe you would be good at teaching, and maybe she wouldn’t have taken so long in deciding she wanted to teach

She was thirty five years old

But as Aemond was thriving, you were quickly losing yourself

Classes were boring, didn't raise your interest, the people here were strange, you were afraid to say you weren’t making any friends and not for the lack of trying

It got so bad you only went out with Aemond, who was even after a few months, the most popular guy in his class, it was becoming a very unbalanced relationship

You and Aemond had grown up together, you were neighbors with his nephews Jacaerys, Lucerys and joffrey, the first one being your classmate with Aemond

You played together as children, and in eleventh grade he had formerly asked you to date him, to be his girlfriend

Both your families were ecstatic

HIghschool sweethearts, you knew each other forever, you were going to marry and live  a perfect life, Aemond wanted to be a diplomat, and you were catching up to be his beautiful, smart, joyful trophy wife.

You didn’t see it that way then

You wanted to follow a design career, he didn’t take you seriously, but encouraged you

The problem is that Winterfell was too far away, so he convinced you to take architecture courses in his university, the best one in the country for what he wanted, the kind of university that grooms the men and women that were going to take over the world one day. It was huge, a big castle from five thousand years ago, the least you could do was enjoy the architecture. 

He was the perfect man, the perfect boyfriend, the one your parents would adore, and they did, he was chivalrous, patient, kind, generous…

You introduced him to your favorite teacher hen you ran into each other at the campus’ coffee shop

That was your third mistake, to invite Alys to join you both to take a cup of coffee, 

If you only payed attention to the looks they gave each other 

“So she is the teacher you have talked to me about”, Aemond said sheepishly, you only hummed as you kept reading a tome about a tyroshi painter who was the first in drawing the human body in all its forms, he was sort of famous, had lived more than a thousand years ago

“Yes, she is so sweet”, you whispered, “she is an artist, but so down to earth you know?”, you said without even thinking, “you can completely see the process behind her works, she is amazing”

Aemond had the luck (or money), to get single in the dorms, so he slept alone, so you could stay with him anytime you’d like, and you really liked it, your roommate was a bit mean.

And suddenly, Aemond has to study… a lot, you didn’t sleep with him anymore, even though your after class activities were as active as ever.

He was concentrating on his classes, (or that is what you thought), so you were going to start and do the same, and you tried, so so hard

But you were failing

You were already started the last month of the semester, and two of your teachers told you unceremoniously, that you were failing

BAD

You barely contained your tears, your lips were quivering and your nose tickled, and you went to the only person who could bring you comfort… one of the two… your professor Alys, whose class you had been getting pure A’s in

You never saw it coming

Her classroom was the last one in one of the towers of the incredible castle, and when you started climbing up the stairs, your stomach sank

It was late, the sun already hiding on the horizon, but you knew she was still in her atelier, and there she was

You could what the moans and whispers before you saw them, your cheeks heated and a sick curiosity made you sneak a peek inside the classroom

Oh how you wish you didn’t

There she was, your thirty five year-old teacher being pounded by your nineteen year old boyfriend 

You’d recognize that silver hair anywhere, everywhere

You wanted to throw up

Alys and Aemond, Aemond was fucking Alys

Together

Fucking

Sweating 

You just stood there

Your arm moved alone, as you raised your phone and took a picture of them, you could need it for later, but it wasn’t you who made that decision, it certainly wasn’t you

You were crying

You covered your mouth to sob outloud and for them to hear it, and you walked away, it was a miracle you managed to went down those treacherous steps and not smash your head, perhaps you would have preferred it, to smash your head against the stone floors, to turn off your head 

the tears stopped, and your feet moved on your own as they took you out of there, you didn’t want anyone to see you, you didn’t want to give this university more of you, not your tears, not more of your efforts, no nothing

You didn’t go to your room, you couldn’t, you know she was going to be there, Maris Baratheon, and you couldn’t face her, not now, not ever. 

You needed something else…

So you walked to the only bar near campus, many of your classmates would call it a “slum”, it wasn’t very popular with students, and that’s exactly what you needed.

You sat on a stool on the bar, and waited for the bartender to get to you, didn’t push him, just looked at the 

“looks like you need a drink”, you looked to the side to find a young guy, maybe short twenties, dark born hair, green eyes

“Don’t I?”, you mocked, smiling shyly, he was cute. You couldn’t help but notice his Winterfell University Jersey. He offered you a pint, and you took it gladly, you really needed it, “aren’t you a bit far from”, you pointed at his chest where the varsity letters told you where he was from, he only chuckled 

“They sent me in a… diplomatic mission”, he said with a mystery tone, and wiggling his eyebrows

“Are you recruiting students to go to the far North?”, you said, and if he said yes, you were going to beg him to take you with him

“Yes”

“Oh”, you seemed truly amused so he offered you his hand

“Ben Tallheart”, he whispered, and you shook his hand, giving him your name. “What do you know about the university anyways?”, he asked, taking a sip of his beer

“I wanted to apply there”, you answered, and he looked at you surprised, “I wanted to take the designer degree”

“Why didn’t you?”, he asked

“I decided to follow my boyfriend here, who I just found out is screwing my plastic arts teacher”, he spitted his beer 

“What?”, he asked, not knowing if to laugh or just be horrified

“Yep”, you said, taking a long sip of your own beer

“Uf, that must be tough”, speak of the devil, your phone started ringing, to no surprise, you discovered it was Aemond who was calling you, and fuck it hurt

“I’m gonna need something stronger than this”, you said to him, canceling the call, you just wouldn’t let it ring, you wanted him to realize you had hung up on him. Ben smiled, asking the bartender for two tequila shots

It was to pints later and five tequila shots, that you were laughing your face out, hugging him with one of your arms the shoulders of Ben

“I want to go to Winterfell, fuck this college”

“Yes, fuck it!”, he said, “this college sucks, filled with stuck ups…”

Your phone had ringed so much it vibrated off the table and it was currently missing from your earshot and eye shot 

You didn’t want to know either

“You think they’ll take me?”, you asked him with teary eyes

“Of course they will!”, he laughed

“Half semester?”, you asked 

“Of course!”

“Let’s fucking do it!”, you cheered, and everyone in the bar cheered with you, “I need to get the fuck outta here”, you said, and Ben laughed wholeheartedly.

The rest of the night was a blur, you knew Ben had walked with you back to campus and accompanied you to the door of your room

“My stuck up roommate is probably in”, you told him, and he nodded

“If you meant what you said”, he said, “and you are truly interested in coming to Winterfell University, here”, he passed you his presentation card, “give me a ring tomorrow”, you only nodded

“Thank you”, you whispered, and he only nodded, and left you.

You entered your room and there she was, your roommate, putting innumerable creams in her face 

“Eh, where have you been?”, oh that tone

“What?”, you asked, already coming down from your binge, “what do you care?”

“Ugh, you’re drunk!?”

“A little”, you grumbled, dropping to your bed

“Iu”, she whined, “Aemond was here you know, looking for you”, she told you, “you truly don’t deserve him, he was so concerned”

Oh poor Aemond, he couldn’t find you after he was fucking your plastic arts teacher, i bet that filthy motherfucker didn’t even shower before he came looking for you

“I bet”, you whispered, you then remembered you couldn’t find your phone, probably was still on the floor of that bar… Shit you were going to need it if you truly planned on contacting Ben for that transfer. 

But tonight you couldn’t do anything because you were practically kicked out of that bar, it had to be tomorrow, so, to the horror of your roommate, you just dozed off, dressed in the same clothes, reeking of bar and secondhand smoke. 

The next morning you woke up and thankfully, you were alone, your head hurt, but not as much as your heart.

Gods it hurt

You had burned the image of Aemond and Alys, fucking on top of her desk, and you couldn’t believe it. Aemond, your Aemond.

Your nose started to tickle, knowing you were about to cry you stood up, and searched for a change of clothes, you took your towel, and went straight for the bathroom, to wash your night off of your hair.

That morning you had classes with profes-… with that bitch Alys, so you didn’t even bother showing up. And since most of the college was in classes by now, you found yourself alone in the big bathroom.

You hadn't cried until now, but as you undressed yourself and got under the generous flow of water, something inside you just… unraveled. You started weeping uncontrollably, choking with your tears and the water, you hugged yourself under the falling boiling water seeking for comfort, but you couldn’t find any

Every breath you took hurt, deep within your chest, and you cried and cried until you felt your eyes sore

Your Aemond, your boyfriend, the one that gave you a promise ring… the one you knew since kindergarten, the one who was your first kiss, your first… everything! He was cheating on you with your own professor, Alys, the one that encouraged you and tried to nurture you, and guide you through this uncertainty in this part of your life. The one that you considered to be your only stone here besides your loving boyfriend

What was wrong with them? 

What was wrong with you? What did you do wrong? you chose school because of him, you changed careers, you endured a hell for him, you dressed how he liked it, to arranged your hair the way he liked it, you stopped doing things you enjoyed, stopped watching films that made you laugh because they were “childish”, you stopped listening to upbeat music because it wasn’t “proper”

Everything for him

You loved him with all your heart

You knew Friday morning he had this debate class, very important and he couldn’t miss it, or he would have been throwing your door down, so you took that as a sign, you needed to work fast and sneakily.

You needed to get out of here

You didn’t want to see him ever again

So you ran back to your room, got dressed quickly, and the first thing you did was run back to the bar, where the cleaning lady returned your phone to you.

You turned it on and to no surprise, you found thousands of texts and missed calls from Aemond

“love where are you?”

“Are you alright?”

“I’m coming to your dorm”

“Maris says you were not there, wtf? where are you?”

“You clearly don’t want to speak to me, but I just wanted to know you are ok”

“I don’t understand why you are doing this to me, did I do something wrong? Are you mad?”

“The least you could do is face me like an adult”

You rolled your eyes as you read the messages, he growing angrier, trying to turn this on you

But then he sent a video of a instagram story, of you and Ben hugging and laughing, taking tequila shots, it was uploaded by a classmate of Aemond who had clearly saw you

“I see that you were not alone, I can’t believe you would do this to me”, he wrote, and you chuckled darkly, the audacity of him had no limits whatsoever, “I just wanted to see you, and be with you, I wanted you to help me study for my finals, I know this few months had been hard on you, but I least I thought we had eachother”, but then it got worse, he send you a picture of a flower bouquet and a dark red box, “I wanted to gift you this, to show you how much I love you, and how much I was looking forward to a future with you”, you couldn’t kept walking, you had to sit down in a bench looking down at a cliff, you couldn’t even walk because of how much you were crying.

You couldn’t believe this

Why would he do this to you? you had given him your everything, you had sex almost every day, you complimented each other, you told each other everything, you were what you thought a power couple, only that he had all the power while you were his cheerleader…. 

This fucker, you wiped your tears angrily from your face. 

You were feeling a pain in your chest and you truly believed for a second you were having a heart attack, that you were positively going to die right here in this rusty bench, alone.

Your drunken thoughts from last night came rushing back in, of wanting to transfer to Winterfell University half semester.

It was an insane thought

But you also believe you couldn’t stay here, for what? this isn’t what you wanted, the only thing you thought you had was Aemond, who you just found out fucking YOUR teacher in the classroom. Staying here was insane, you had no friends, now you had no boyfriend, no career 

When you finally calmed down and walked back to your dorm room, Aemond was waiting for you right outside. 

And it's like all your convictions of leaving him and this school faltered just like that, just seeing him like that standing, his furrowed brow looking concerned for you. He was worried bout you, for a second you even believed that this was all a misunderstanding, they he couldn’t possibly do this to you 

Right then and there you just wanted to beg him to stop, to stop his affair and look you in the eye and promise you it was never going to happen again, that he loved you, that you were the one. That he was drunk, or she made him do it. She coerced him into it.

But then he looked at you, and his concern went to annoyance 

“Where have you been?”, he asked, walking towards you, “I was concerned for you!”, he immediately went to himself and what he was feeling, and you didn’t know where you got the strength from, but you looked at him, serious in the eye

“I failed color theory and anatomy drawing class”, you said, looking him in the eye, and the worst part is that you weren’t truly lying. His face softened as he looked at you with pity, “I feel like a massive failure, and I didn’t want to cry to you because you are already in the excellency program”, you whispered, looking at the ground in front of you

“So your solution was to go drink at a bar?”, he asked then, again, annoyed 

“I found this guy that was from Winterfell University, the one I wanted to go, and asked him about the programs…”, he sighed

“We talked about this”, he said, “that college is not even ranking…”

“I don’t care Aemond”, you whispered, “I just need to sleep, please, and you are going to be late”, you whispered, not daring to look him in the eye

You believed you knew his schedule, but apparently not, because when he was supposed to be in study group, he was fucking your teacher… 

“Are you going to be alright?”, he asked, “because I need my study partner”, he said, trying to sound hopeful. Yes you helped him study, you prepared flashcards for him, because you knew he had visual memory so he studied better with colors and images, so you prepared his study material and quizzed him

Maybe a couple of times with stripping quizzes… 

Oh how foolish you had been

“Yes Aem”, you said, managing to smile at him, “I just need some time”

“You have it love”, he whispered, “I love you”

“Love you”, you closed the door gently, leaving him outside, and threw yourself in the bed, hiding your face in the pillow and weeped a bit more.

Perhaps you should face Aemond, hear what he has to say, you wanted to believe it so badly, that there was something else to it, that perhaps…

You were a fool

They were fucking on top her desk… what else is there? he was cheating on you, she was violating hundreds of protocols, so was he

You dozed off to sleep

You woke up when your roommate entered the room

“You still drunk?”, she sneered

“No”, you whispered, “just tired”,  you didn’t even know why you bothered 

You have made a decision…

You were going to leave this place

You were going to leave and not tell a soul, not even Aemond, you were going to disappear from his life, from one hour to the next

You contacted Ben, and he told you everything you need to know, the semester was almost over, but the next one was just around the corner, and you had to do this, not even for spite, but because this is what you wanted from your future

So you did the only thing you could think off

So went to speak with the dean

She was an old family friend, she knew your parents and family since forever, she was very professional and never showed favoritism, but, you knew you were on her good side

“I want to know if I can transfer to another university”, you asked shakily, once she invited you to take a seat in in front of her desk, she looked at you puzzled

“Did something happen? the school year is not even over yet”, she said with her kind eyes, truly worried for you

“I realized I didn’t choose the university for the school path I wanted to take”, you tried to explain, but the sorrow in your face made her believe you were not being truthful, or that you weren’t telling her the truth, “I choose Dragonstone because of love”. you continued, “and now I don’t have that love, and… I want to study a design mayor”

“I see”, now she was more pleased, “Where would you like to go?”, she asked

“Winterfell University”, you said without even thinking about it, she only nodded

“I have a good friend up there”, she said, “so the change wouldn’t be the problem, you have the grades and the Maester exams scores in your favor, but, are you sure this is what you want?”, she asked.

“More than anything”, you said with a smile

Rhaenys Targaryen was the cousin of Aemond’s father, but they didn’t get along very well, it was messy, she was the Headmaster to Dragonstone University

“You will have to start in the middle of the year”, she warned, and you only nodded

“It’s what I want”, you assured her, she looked at you, analyzing you 

“Good, but first, I need you to finish the courses you are in”, your face said it all as it froze in place, looking at the face of that witch is the last thing you wanted to do

“That is expected of me”, you said, and smiled, she smiled back

“I’ll start with the paperwork, I have already received a letter of recommendation from Ben Tallheart, a representative of Winterfell university that is in the grounds this week”

“Yeah, I’ve met him”, you said smiling shyly

“Good luck finishing the rest of the courses”

Luck, you will need.

After chapter notes: look, if I stopped and wrote all the details of their relationship, this whole fic would be around them, so I narrated what happened instead of making the reader “live it”, get my meaning? This is about healing and seeing that there is something more than “that great love”, so I didn’t stop to focus on the toxic relationship with Aemond, so… One mroe chapter of reader's mess, and we are off to Winterfell! jeje

taglist!

@mxtokko @princesssterek @thefandomimagines @iamavailablesstuff

#misguidedneed #aemond targaryen x reader #aemond targaryen #house of the dragon #hbo house of the dragon #cregan stark x reader #cregan #cregan stark

[tossawary]

Regarding "The Hobbit" film trilogy, even if I ended up personally disliking and resenting how much time and focus the elf characters (and others) ended up taking away from the dwarves whom I think deserved more focus as rich internal characters (I know that studio pressures are a factor in that terrible love triangle and so on), I still... vaguely appreciate the effort to create and include named female characters like Tauriel, when the book is sadly lacking in them. I think she's fine, actually. Comparatively, there are many other elements in these adaptations that I think are much, MUCH worse.

But still, if you want to add female characters to this story, the obvious answer to me seems to be to just make half the Company into dwarf women? (With similarly fancy beards and other facial hair! Because I think that's fun.) It's just... so much easier?

Do NOT come at me with that "dwarf women are rare" bullshit. Unreliable narration. Logistically unlikely. Also, if you believe that "men are the warriors and craftsmen, the women stay at home" is how dwarf society strictly functions (boring, honestly, on top of being incredibly sexist), I could argue that the Battle of Azanulbizar and other struggles probably left a significant dent in this dwarf group's male population, leaving behind many widows and mothers without children to pick up the work. The battlefields have come to and TAKEN both Erebor and Moria from the dwarves. I see no good reason why dwarf women would not have equal investment in reclaiming their home and the gold. Many of the Company are not presented to be formally trained warriors, anyway.

Now, ideally, we could do way queerer stuff in terms of both romance and gender here, but we know cowards with veto powers would not let this happen. Still, I feel like basic genderbending would have been a very doable move and is, actually, a very reasonable ask of an adaptation that would have added some depth to the story even if you didn't acknowledge the change at all.

Like, preferably, this would be an adaptational change that would be directly addressed. Maybe all of the Company appear male at first due to traveling that way (and assumptions made by humans and hobbits), then Bilbo might learn that some of the Company are dwarf women when he becomes closer to all of them. We could have a brief scene acknowledging that dwarf women are fighting these battles for their pasts and their futures too. It doesn't have to be a big thing! They can just be there. Existing. Participating.

I even think it would be fun if two of the dwarves were actually an older married couple traveling together, instead of brothers or cousins, because loving married bickering and battle couples are fun. You can have running jokes in the background about how Smaug's invasion ruined their wedding day, and going back and forth with "you never take me anywhere nice" @ each other whenever they're stuck in Goblintown or the Mirkwood dungeons. (I like seeing good marriages & partnerships in fiction and established couples going on fantasy quests together. I just think it's neat.)

But another (sillier) direction is that you could just cast some actresses in beards to play some of the dwarves, then leave the fact that some of these characters are probably dwarf women (traveling as men) as a fun detail for the audience. Bilbo is either too oblivious to notice or much too polite to bring it up at all. It's canonically compliant to the text this way!

Now, obviously some few people would have complained that Tolkien's work was being ruined by "political correctness", but they complained anyway about Tauriel (when there are MANY other bad choices in these movies), and what worthwhile arguments could they have possibly made against genderbending some of the THIRTEEN dwarves? Like, most casual fans I know cannot NAME the entire Company, who get so little character development in the book that the films had to come up with unique designs and backgrounds for most of them anyway. Bro (directed towards someone objecting to the idea of including female dwarves), be real, there's no way that you honestly cared this much about "Nori the Dwarf" before right now.

#tossawary tolkien #long post

[lvrtwn]

venus if she was awesome

speedpaint and more thoughts under the cut

venus has always been one of my favorite characters, though i feel her design is pretty underwhelming with a lot of wasted potential. this is kind of a redesign, kind of my own personal headcannon, and kind of how i imagined venus in my head as a kid.

this is supposed to be my version of g1 venus, more similar in facial features and keeping the straight hair. i absolutely love her new hair and face in g3 but im hesitant to call the new outfit an improvement. both g1s outfit and g3s outfit are bad in their own ways. i dont want it to seem like im shitting on the new design. again i think the face sculpts, hair, and body types of g3 are so awesome. its great to see more diversity being included in the designs. i just decided to go with g1 venuses look because thats the venus i grew up with

i definitely took some inspiration from g3s outfit for this design. i like the idea of it but the execution is just not great, not to say her original outfit is any better. i feel like out of all of tge original monsters she was the one with the most waisted potential. i love her personality and the abilities she has but the way she was styled has always bothered me.

in the movies shes described as “eco-punk” which is SUCH a cool style to go with a plant monster character. i just feel like the “punk” in “eco-punk” was never really represented in her outfits. i personally love punk music and clothing; ive been an active member in my local diy scene for many years and i love seeing all the outfits people put together.

i thought i would give her an outfit that shows off a couple of my personal favorite staples of punk style. big chunky leather boots with lots of straps and buckles. kept the shoe mouths from the original because they cool as hell. lots of leather, studs, spikes. i gave her denim cutoff shorts inspired by her gen 3 outfit, same with the torn black top. punk style has a big focus on comfort, practicality, and making things yourself. i imagine she cut a pair of old pants into shorts, roughly cut her “undead kennedys”band shirt tank into a crop top, and probably repurposed the remaining fabric. i also totally didnt draw this whole thing as an excuse to use that pun. i included asymmetrical leg accessories, with one fishnet stocking and one torn up sock. i also feel like she repurposed these, continuing to wear her old torn up socks instead of just throwing them out. i gave her a big chunky studded belt matching one of her cuffs with a recycling symbol belt buckle. i feel like it communicates an important aspect of her personality just at a glance, plus i just love big belt buckles. lastly i added piercings because 1. theyre cool and 2. i for some reason remembered her having an eyebrow piercing but i guess she never had one.

i mostly kept her body and hair the same. changed her ears and hair color slightly but thats just personal preference. i decided to make the vines on her body look more like tattoos instead of being 3d. i imagine she can make them grow into real vines, but when shes not using her powers theyre just flat against her skin. gave her a facial expression that made her look a little more unhinged. she might only do things for the good of the earth but she can still mind control people at will.

i wish i leaned a little bit more into the plant theming but im overall still super happy with how this came out. maybe ill made more monster high redesigns in the future

#monster high #monster high gen 1 #monster high redesign #venus mcflytrap

[itsdaifuku]

introducing honey and guy (designs not final, might change a few things in the future)

THE HIP HOP COUPLE OF THE YEAR!!! i used to dance hip hop which is why i wanted to make one couple have the 2000s hip hop style. and since i am currently rebinging honey and guy audios... yeah why not them y'a know

Tag List:

@sojutsu , @riverflowsanywherebuthere , @dormienschas , @shellssstuff , @darlin-collins , @angelcactus , @suniani , @verrverii , @ashtonsdrumstixs , @annahhopee , @teaseat , @lumpiya , @haradasaya , @ekko-loves-echo , @floofdeloop , @anthrokiaera , @mrsmiagreer , @deviantaj , @celestecreateschaos , @m3lod1e

(to be added on the tag list, leave me a dm ^^)

#redacted asmr #redacted audio #redacted headcanons #redactedverse #redacted fanart #fanart #daifuku's sketches #redacted guy #redacted honey

[snapscube]

hey big fan of your channel and art!! was wondering if for the midnight snap series what kind of sound design you were doing it rlly sounds nice!! (also smth that could be nice with it is maybe a little bit of like tape saturation or something might be able to make the audio sound "warmer" if youre like not already doing something like that already, but you probably know better than me!!) feel free to ignore that, but wanted to say in general its so well done and sounds so good!!! its really cozy and nice!!

hey thank you!!! yeah i'd.... genuinely LOVE to talk about my thinking and approach behind the sound design, i'm actually so happy you asked me this LOL this is the kind of shit i live for.

you might assume that it's just me recording the game audio and talking quietly with my normal stream settings, and that is kinda how it STARTS, but there's actually a bit more i've been doing behind the scenes :) nothing too crazy just yet but a little goes a long way when it comes to sound! i'm hoping to really nail down the soundscape and increase the quality over time and specifically up the soothing vibes by a lot. as well as get a little better about mic etiquette and my style of speech. BUT in terms of what i'm doing in post:

the first piece of the puzzle and definitely one of the most important sauces in the whole mix is the Hard Limiter. it does what you might imagine it does, basically just places a hard barrier and says "any sounds that exceed this volume.... no you don't", sort of like a much more intense compressor. currently i have a Hard Limiter on both my commentary AND the game audio, commentary i have set to peak at around -15 to -12 db, whereas game audio is more around the -23 to -20 range. in my more polished audio from later in the AC episode it's enough difference that one doesn't drown the other out in most cases, but not a wide enough gulf that people are struggling to pay attention to one in particular or have to frequently change volume (preferably they don't have to change it at all!). i took this screenshot of the episode's complete waveform when rendering out the audio-only version of AC part 1 and it was super satisfying cause like.... yeah. this is exactly the kind of waveform read i was going for. just super even and smooth across the board, save for a couple anomalies i'll buff out over time.

the next thing i do to both my own commentary and the game audio is actually just cutting down on harsher, higher frequencies with an EQ and just upping the bassier, warmer tones. i started with something super small in the first couple of episodes, i'm probably gonna go a bit harder on it for future stuff though. i wanna find a balance that doesn't make the game sound unrecognizable or anything but is noticeably easier on the ears and sounds more like a nice rolling wave rather than beep boop pac-man time.

past this i have a couple more things added to the commentary track:

to intensify the previous effect mentioned and cut down on harsh frequencies in my speech, i actually have a dedicated de-esser on my voice as well as my usual warmer EQ. i have the de-esser going pretty hard too, you might hear the difference from my usual stream commentary if you were to listen closely. really just taking those harsh t's and s's in my speech and making them sound more like a nice "shhhh", this one is super important i think

last thing i have to speak on otherwise is actually a plugin i found and bought specifically for this show and ends up being subtle but i think SUUUPER helpful in the long run, and that's this plugin called "spiff". spiff is a plugin by oeksound and i guess it's referred to as like, a transient editor? i'm actually not sure how it works at all on the nitty gritty level BUT the important thing is that they have a very important preset in the software, and that is a preset specifically designed to lessen and/or remove like... mouth sounds. yknow like lip smacks and the like. just kinda the gross smacks and clicks you don't hear as much in normal speech but can come through really intensely on a recording and kinda make ya uncomfortable. it obviously doesn't remove a lot of the more intense stuff, it's not a magic wand in my experience. but listening to the output of what it's removing on its own makes it REALLY clear there's a lot of little things it picks up and just kinda makes speech more soothing to listen to. not something i'm racing to apply to my normal streams, BUT for a sleep aid series where good audio is key????? 100% worth it, i like it a lot.

anyway yeah that's about it for now! a lot of it is pretty simple in and of itself but it's stuff i've been working at and experimenting with since i first started doing tests for the show and it's gonna be real nice to keep honing this stuff in. also cool suggestion with the tape saturation idea, i might look into something like that! once i nail stuff like leveling and frequency tuning for this show, i wanna look into some fancier ways of making the soundscape unique to this show compared to my normal streams so ideas like that are super helpful!

[not-quite-normal]

could you take us through what a day of work typically looks like as an animator? and also how many hours a day you spend at work?

sure!

as an animator at sony imageworks, your day is fairly simple. most days are just work days, and you can listen in to rounds even if you don't have anything to show yet. it's helpful to listen to the kinds of notes that other people are given because it helps you to learn the show style and how to handle different characters for future shots. if you're starting fresh on a new shot, assigned to you by your lead (you can sometimes request shots, depending on what's available and who your lead is), the first thing i do is look at it in the context of the sequence. from there i'll gather or shoot any reference as needed, or maybe sketch thumbnails. depending on the shot, i'll just show the reference to get feedback on that, or rough in some basic poses as a "layout plus" pass to get a more specific kickoff on what my lead/supervisor/director thinks the shot needs to be

there are a few levels of feedback that your shot goes through:

your lead: the anim crew gets separated into teams, each one led by a lead animator. this is your go-to person for most things. they'll be the one to help you with questions, making sure your shot is presentable, small polish, show style, and a whole bunch of other stuff

the head of character animation/supervisor: when your lead gives you the ok to show your shot in rounds, this is where you show the hoca. they're the one in charge of the overall look and feel of the animation and has to keep the whole movie and director notes in mind when critiquing your shot

the director: the hoca will then look at all the shots submitted for director review/shots shown in rounds/shots due for the week and decide whether or not to show them to the director, who will then give more notes. his job is to make sure the shot is doing the best it can to tell the story that it needs to tell, often changing the acting, camera angles, timing, action, or anything else lol

executives: this level is more removed from the day to day of the animator and we usually don't need to worry about this one. but sometimes we get executive notes (usually these come after the shot is approved so it needs to be kicked back to anim)

once your shot gets approved by the director, then it needs hoca approval (for any last big picture notes, or in case the director approved with notes), and then finally lead approval (for small finishing polish work) before you can publish. on spiderverse, we also had a second animation supervisor that had to approve shots too as a design pass. this might seem like a lot, but once you go through the process a couple of times, you get used to it!

the life of a lead is a lot more hectic haha. there are a lot more meetings, you always have to be available when an animator on your team asks for your eyes on their shot or if they have a question, you have to listen in to your team's turn in rounds/director review, scheduling shot due dates with your coordinator, bidding sequences, and... lots of other management and technical stuff. it's hard, but being a lead was some of the most rewarding work that i've done, i'm super proud of the animators that i've been lucky enough to work with

our official work day is 9-6 (one hour off for lunch, we get a food delivery voucher if any meeting goes into lunchtime lol), and we get paid OT after working for 8 hours. for most of the time working on a movie, you need to get special approval to work longer than 8 hours a day, but as a movie starts getting into crunch mode, OT becomes "pre-approved" and animators are free to work as much or as little OT as they want

#asks #anonymous #animation question #spiderverse

[maxwellatoms]

I would love your full thoughts on the AI debate. I think it can become a very useful tool for artists but that’s my non artists opinion

A few months back, I was telling my partner how the AI-generated art at this moment in time reminds me of the works of the Surrealists. The Surrealists were big on drawing from dreams and the subconscious, and came up with a bunch of games and exercises designed to stimulate creativity by divorcing your conscious mind from the artistic process. I said that so far humanity hadn't created a conscious AI, but I wondered aloud if we hadn't created a subconscious AI. I guess that's why some of these programs have names like "Deep Dream" and "Dall-E".

My partner said, "You're so high right now." And I was. But I still think that we created something, and it's dreaming. And it's very much listening to what we're whispering in its ear.

The problem some people have with AI-generated art is that it steals art from actual living and dead human artists in order to create its works. It's considered poor taste among humans to steal someone's artwork and present it as your own. But we are allowed to collage and to nip around the edges of copyrights until we can find something we're actually allowed to do. So it seems like a grey area.

The real problem though, is that it absolutely will steal your jorb. And my jorb. I can definitely see a not-too-distant future where anyone will be able to sit down and spend a couple of days crafting their own full-length motion picture with AI assistance, and have it look as good as or better than anything we've got today. Not everyone is a storyteller, but I think it'll really open up the field for almost anyone to try. The next Stephen Spielberg could be just some sixteen year old kid on the internet, and I think that scares a lot of employed artists. Because even employed artists are just sort of barely employed.

In the end, it just sort of seems like one of those things (there are so many!) that you just can't do anything about. Studios are always looking to pinch pennies, and there's no way the biggies aren't funding research into this stuff. The really dark times will be when the studios have the tech and the public hasn't gotten its hands on it yet. Things are gonna get weird.

Artists are going to have to deal with AI the same way so many other industries will. More and more, I think it's the changes coming for society at large that people dread. We humans certainly don't seem to be very good at preparing for the inevitable.

In the short term, let it inspire you if you want. The way you might let a dream inspire you. Definitely don't claim it as your own work. Maybe every once in a while type in, "Thanks for all of the inspiration, AI. You're really cool." And then hope it remembers your kind words on Judgment Day.

🤷

#ai artwork #contraversy #surrealism

[waitmyturtles]

Let's do this! I'm so sad this lovely show is over, despite its structural flaws. But I was with the story from beginning to end. Be My Favorite, episode 12/finale!

Before I get into my FEELINGS, of which I have a lot, I want to note that I think I misread the timelines in episode 12, of which @lurkingshan in DMs (and here's her fabulous wrap-up post!) and @grapejuicegay in her meta (thanks for the tag!) both corrected me. During episode 12, I assumed that the intimacy of episode 10 was actually with future Pisaeng. I stand corrected: that future Pisaeng goes back to the future AFTER the conversation with Kawi in the amusement park. That future Pisaeng is left assured by past Kawi that future Pisaeng can't change what might happen that can't be changed. And that life should ultimately be lived with intention in the moment, and not with a design in mind to change anything that CAN be changed.

Okay, now that that confusion is out of the way (HA!), what did I take from this episode?

First, regarding my confusion (ha), I think the narrative structure depending on the jumping of the timelines ended exactly where it needed to end -- right at the edge of it getting confusing enough for an old mom like me to start forgetting all of them, ha. Unfortunately, I always have to take away a couple points from any show where me and the clowns are left to try to piece together a narrative after an episode is over -- my biggest demand of any show is that the story needs to be told convincingly enough, even if there's mystery, for us to end at least not confused, if not satisfied. But it's a small gripe, because by way of the previous philosophical references -- we kinda knew it was going to get confusing anyway. I appreciated that we left the jumping forwards and backwards behind in the end, that the ability to do so had expired. Honestly, though -- I think it also added a lot of intrigue and movement to the plot.

Leaving structure behind: after ALLLLLLLLLLLL of the references to SO MUCH throughout this show -- the philosophical references, @telomeke's INCREDIBLE post on Buddhist and other Thai cultural references, and so, SO much more -- what I LOVED about this episode was its utterly stripped-down approach, going back to a straightforward narrative after everything we learned about the past and the future. That what we were left with was dialogue and contemplative silence as Pisaeng and Kawi discussed HOW they would live their future, driving with the top down, and enjoying the breeze together.

These were such gorgeous metaphors for what would ultimately bring them both happiness and meaning in life -- that overthinking these things, that designing better futures for themselves with whatever powers they could muster, would ultimately not lead to ENTIRELY perfect outcomes for the both of them. That instead, a life that's well lived is one that can withstand outcomes that you may not predict. AND: despite your best intentions to change things that you THINK may not work.... they may end up working, after all. Kawi lives.

@telomeke: this entire episode may have been one big commentary on the biggest Buddhist philosophy of all -- that of enlightenment. I think Kawi emanated this the best during the conversation at the theme park. I love how Shan referenced @shortpplfedup's commentary on the Serenity Prayer, because I think that's part of what we got here. That ultimately -- we need to let go of control, of the tangibility of our existence, and focus on just living and loving, in order to find true happiness/satisfaction/fulfillment.

In the face of my gentle criticisms about the structural flaws of the show, what I'm left with here is satisfaction, emotionally, for Kawi and Pisaeng. I'm thrilled for where they ended up. I loved every minute of it -- I loved their contemplative happiness in the end.

But, this is me, right, LOL, and I'll posit one last clown theory. While we're talking about enlightenment and letting life live: we still have Max wearing a Pride pin at a wedding. We have Kawi and Pisaeng talking about getting married without legally being able to. We had discussion previously in the show that Pisaeng could move out of Thailand to get married and live a happy family life. He doesn't want to leave Thailand.

The back and forth of past to future, of communication improving over time, of lessons learned, of pushing forward in a path: if I'm to look at that from a political lens, I want to say that there's a lesson that BMF is offering, that we can LEARN from the past in order to live a better future. Again, after all the philosophical references -- I believe that what we're left with is a message of hope and optimism that things will change, over the course of its own time, that life will improve for every single person if we have the patience. (I always remind folks that it took DECADES of work to legalize gay marriage in America -- DECADES.)

Maybe the lessons of Kawi's illness, maybe even his dad's illness, not only serve to tell us that we can't change EVERYTHING, to EXACTLY the way that we want it, at the moment we are living. But if we want a life that is at least IMPROVED -- with intentionality, and with PATIENCE -- we can live that and do that, if we can trust and feel that our decisions will lead to some kind of betterment in the future. We know that future Max hasn't stopped working for equality. I think the lesson in this last episode is that we all shouldn't stop working towards that equality goal, despite the obstacles that all of us -- queer family and allies alike -- will face in our work.

Y'all: I AM SO GLAD I PICKED UP THIS SHOW. I recanted on Krist, I am TOTALLY IMPRESSED, WHAT?!, with Gawin -- this show was FABULOUS, and I loved every minute of it. Will GMMTV bring back GawinKrist? I'm going to guess not, but I appreciate the both of them biting the BL bullet and focusing on a show that had so many phenomenal themes to chew on. This was a great one, and it's going on my high recommendation list.

[I ALSO LOVED TALKING TO THE BMF FAM -- HEARTS TO ALL! @dribs-and-drabbles, @grapejuicegay, @lurkingshan, @bengiyo, @pandasmagorica, @twig-tea, @he-is-lightning-in-a-bottle (OOOOH, HEIDEGGER, GO OFF, I LOVE THIS!), @thegalwhorants, @rocketturtle4 -- I loved reading and being tagged in your meta! Will we assemble again for Only Friends?!]

#be my favorite #be my favourite #be my favorite meta #be my favourite meta #kawi x pisaeng #pisaeng x kawi #kristgawin #gawinkrist #krist perawat #gawin caskey

[bluef00t]

Finally collecting these in a post—Atomic Robo robotswap ideas. This was more of a character design challenge than a real AU, but the concept kind of got away from me.

Rambling design notes + a couple panel redraws + some ideas I had for Helsingard and ALAN 1.0 under the cut:

This idea spiraled out of an old sketch by Wegner of real-boy Robo as a genetics experiment. I'm interpreting that as basically Wolverine minus the animal motifs (and generally much more well-adjusted).

I tried to mimic more elements of his bot design; for example the hair silhouette and the thick blue-tinted glasses, swapped for goggles as his lifestyle got more active. I guess sensitive eyes are a side effect of his mutations. (The classic superhero forehead curl on babyrobo has no design justification, I just couldn't resist.) His appearance would make the public of the '20s a little uncomfortable with seeing him as Tesla's son. Which feels very thematically appropriate.

I'm still calling him "Robo" because it feels weird not to, though it would be a nickname. Appropriate for a guy who never sleeps; plausibly derived from Robert/Ratko. (The American name would be how he's introduced to the public; the Serbian one used casually by Tesla.*) Honestly, it seems in-character for him to put down Robo as his actual legal name when he finally got that chance.

*Things I found out after picking these names for their superficial resemblance to "Robo": Robert means "famous, shining" and Ratomir means "defender of peace"; literally "war for peace". Definitely an affectionately ironic moniker for a son so determined to be an action hero. Though dear monolingual Robo probably wouldn't catch on until decades after Tesla's death... Well, now I've gone and made myself sad.

The action scientists are mostly an excuse to still draw robots. Let's say they're Robo's big midlife crisis project after realizing he was going to outlive his entire first team and not think about it too hard.

Vik (inspired by Robby the Robot) is the oldest of the models. He's optimized for processing power, which is how you get a robot that will try to suggest purely hypothetical (but mathematically sound!) solutions to urgent real-world problems. And enjoys TTRPGs of Turing-complete levels of complexity.

Lang (inspired by Robo) came shortly after, more optimized for the "action" part of action science. Being made of metal does wonders for your recoil management. (I know she hasn't had the hair buns in 10+ years, but that's what I was trying to do with the "antennae".)

Foley (inspired by Alan) is the newest model, optimized for human-robot interaction. Getting wifi installed in her head early on had the unexpected side effect of making her really good at understanding networks of all kinds.

BRN-3 wasn't built to be sentient. He's just a lab geological survey bot that began showing signs of sapience one day and attributes his own "enlightenment" to the "crystals" he'd been studying. This is obviously bullshit but nobody can give a better explanation, so...

Jenkins is literally just the Terminator, except his evil future is vampires instead of AI. He was sent back to kill Robo, which clearly didn't work, so they talked it out and now he just hangs around Tesladyne on high alert for anything that might kick off the apocalypse.

(I have no idea where Ada, Ben, and Koa fit in here, but I might come back to them later. Using their Agents of CHANGE power suits as android designs felt like cheating.)

Not included in these drawings are Helsingard and ALAN, but I'm considering switching around parts of their premises, too.

Helsingard was a Nazi supercomputer meant to calculate the perfect world-conquering strategy. Instead, it realized that Germany's loss was imminent and hid copies of itself around the planet. Every once in a while, someone accidentally boots up a copy and it tries to take over. In the modern age it's a total dice roll as to whether this will be horrifying (what major infrastructure isn't computerized these days?) or just kind of pathetic (it's too old to understand the internet and can easily get itself trapped in an office printer spitting toner and stacks of paper that read BEHOLD HELSINGARD).

ALAN (potential rename pending; the Turing connection is rather lost in the version I'm going with for now) is the world's second successful "unkillable" genetic experiment, a govt project during the Cold War to ensure that the last man alive in a nuclear winter scenario would be British. But it turns out telling a guy he's the next stage in human evolution and sealing him in a bunker for decades to await a chance to inherit the earth which doesn't come isn't great for his sense of compassion or morality. Eventually, ALAN decides to hurry things along before we inferior humans end the world in a less convenient way, and Robo has to... well, you know this part.

It turns out there was a secret phase 2 to this plan, which would have been to populate the solar system with perfect immortal mind-networked clones of himself. The single under-baked clone that it does manage to spit out before being shut down is our Alan :] He needs someone to look after him while his crazy healing powers fill in the missing chunks of his body and brain, and he didn't get a full memory upload from ALAN, so it's free son boy!

No changes were made to Dr. Dinosaur. He's already perfect.

#atomic robo #robotswap #bluef00t art #the part under the cut is pretty long I've been turning this over in my head for a while #there's definitely bits of continuity that don't quite work (even Wolverine would have trouble with the head-in-a-box-for-130-years thing) #but this isn't really about rewriting something coherent. this is about how fun it is to do panel redraws as warm-ups #000

[takingchences]

ultraviolet pt. 1 - BAKUGOU

A descendant of a legendary quirk longs to separate herself from her family name, but first she'll have to confront villains, ghosts from the past, and her growing attraction for Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight.

Pairing: Katsuki Bakugou x OP!fem!oc

Warnings: swearing

In the MHA/BNHA canon, there are already characters named Twice, Momo, and Mina, and all of them are Japanese. As a Kpop fan, I felt compelled to add a Sana to complete the set

series masterlist + face claim

The first recorded quirk was of a baby in Qing Qing City who could radiate light from her body. That baby later grew up to have a family, who started their own and so on and so forth. The cycle repeated itself again and again, with each new generation engaging in quirk marriages specifically designed to strengthen the original power passed down to them so many years ago.

The last coupling of a descendant, Yoichi Sakano, and a woman named Suzume Takahashi had produced the strongest quirk user yet—a daughter named Sana.

And so, our story begins.

Today officially marks the beginning of the rest of my life.

For the next three years, Sana Sakano would be attending the prestigious U.A High, the highest ranked heroics school in the country. After finishing in the top 5 of the recommendations exam, Sana knew firsthand how steep the competition would be. It wouldn't be an easy climb to the top, that was for sure, especially when she knew she'd have to face off against ridiculously talented people like Shoto Todoroki.

The two teens had known each other since they were toddlers, having first met after receiving their quirks. Enji Todoroki had wanted someone to push his masterpiece to his limits and force Shoto to work harder. Of course, Sana's father had no problems offering his daughter as a training partner for the son of the Number Two Hero. Endeavor had initially introduced Sana to the half-and-half boy as "a necessary obstacle to overcome if he were to surpass All Might in the future." But the head of the Todoroki family hadn't anticipated for the human punching bag he'd gifted his creation to strike back as hard as she did.

That first training session had ultimately ended in Sana's loss, but she'd put up one hell of a fight.

At first, the two children couldn't stand the sight of the other. Their fathers weren't arranging play dates like normal parents; no, whenever the two kids were together, it meant pain was coming. They'd been pitted against each other from the start. Not having a chance to properly introduce themselves led to a lot of misunderstandings during their first year of training. But as time passed and they grew to acknowledge and appreciate the other as a person, the rivalry eventually evolved into an unlikely friendship.

Sana checked her phone for any notifications, only to be disappointed that there was nothing from the candy cane-haired male she'd once called her best friend. Something between them had changed, and the peach-haired girl wasn't sure how to make things right again. It all started a few months ago, with Endeavor canceling their training sessions indefinitely. Since then, Shoto had been more reserved than usual, growing more and more distant. It was like the closer they got to attending U.A, the more he seemed to pull away and withdraw into himself.

Now, Shoto had never been a warm and fuzzy person to begin with. It just wasn't his nature. But there were times that he'd lowered his guard enough to allow Sana to see beyond the ice prince persona he'd built over the years.

Apart from Rei, Sana was probably the only person that knew who Shoto Todoroki really was. They'd grown up together. She'd been by his side during his lowest moments and vice versa. Sana knew all of his weaknesses just as he knew her's. She'd seen the kindness Shoto kept tucked away behind a wall of ice, the quiet passion that burned within his chest. A fire that hadn't been lit by Shoto's father, but in an ironic twist, his mother. A roaring flame that fueled his desire to do good, to be a better man than the poor example he'd been made to follow.

But now there was a chasm separating the two childhood friends. A gaping wound that neither knew how—or on his part, willing—to repair.

Months had passed since Shoto had last spoken to her. Without their weekly training sessions, Sana had been forced to prepare for U.A's recommendation exam alone. She'd seen the dual-haired male in passing during the tests, but he'd coldly brushed her off every time she'd tried to approach him or offer words of encouragement.

"Great. My first day of high school and I have no friends." Sana pouted, brushing imaginary wrinkles out of her teal skirt as she worried over her reflection one last time. She chose to leave her hair down, but packed a ribbon just in case she needed to tie it back later. This should be fun. She scooped up her backpack on her way downstairs, tossing a strap over her shoulder.

At the head of the dining table reading the newspaper was her father. As expected, his pale salmon hair was styled perfectly with a few gray hairs lining his temples. The full plate of food in front of him sat untouched. The light streaming through the floor-to-ceiling windows cast a glare on his rectangular frames, making his expression unreadable. Sana took a deep breath before taking her seat at the table. Yoichi spared her a glance, clearing his throat to get her attention.

"So, today's the day, huh." It was a statement, not a question.

"Yes, sir." Sana answered, avoiding his icy blue eyes and picking at her breakfast. Chocolate chip and banana pancakes, her favorite growing up. They were even arranged into a happy face on her plate. Umi, the head maid of the house, obviously wanted to celebrate the joyous occasion.

"My little sunflower is going to be a hero!" She'd told anyone who would listen for the past month. Umi's endless love for a child that wasn't her's to care for had always taken Sana by surprise. Maybe because she wasn't accustomed to openly receiving affection.

Not anymore, that is.

"Kids these days have such foolish aspirations, don't you think?" He scoffed, picking up where he'd left off reading. "Heroes," he said with a condescending laugh, a finger to his lips. "People parading around in ridiculous costumes, calling each other childish names." His hand fell, revealing an empty, practiced smile; the only one she'd ever seen him wear, even in rare family photos or during his numerous appearances on TV.

"They're only trying to make themselves feel more important than they actually are."

Just like you, she wanted to say. Sana swallowed her anger, her knuckles turning white as she tightened her grip on her silverware before forcing herself to relax.

"They're tacky and distasteful, yet you insist on ruining my reputation by chasing a pipe dream." Yoichi lectured, shaking his head in shame. "I thought I'd raised you better. But if setting yourself up for failure is the only way for you to accept your place in this world, then so be it." Sana lowered her head and pushed her chair away from the table to stand. His sharp gaze followed her retreating figure. "Leaving already?" He gestured towards her abandoned plate. "You've hardly touched your meal."

Sana paused in the archway leading from the dining room to the entranceway. Moments like these made her miss when she was younger, before she got her quirk. The times when it seemed like her mother's love-filled treats could take away any and all pain; from scraped knees and mild bruises to crushed spirits and emotional scars left in the wake of her father's "motivational" speeches.

Unfortunately, Umi's recipe didn't have the same effects. The once sweet meal had turned to ash on her tongue the moment her father had opened his mouth.

"I lost my appetite."

¸☾⋆*･ﾟ¸☾⋆*･ﾟ¸☾⋆*

Rather than taking one of the town cars like her father had suggested on her way out, Sana chose to make the twenty minute trip to U.A High on foot. It was purely out of spite, but she refused to think about that man any longer. She wouldn't let him ruin what was, so far, the most important day of her existence.

Her skin tingled pleasantly as she soaked in the warm ultraviolet rays in the atmosphere. She could already feel her energy levels replenishing what little she'd lost getting ready. Sana couldn't help but let her mind wander during her peaceful morning walk. She honestly wasn't sure what to expect for the day. No doubt a nationally ranked school like U.A would be different from her past schools. Surely they wouldn't have students attend something as normal as orientation when they could be doing something far more productive. That would be the most rational option, right?

But what would they have us do instead? Sana tapped her chin thoughtfully. Are we expected to start training as soon as the first bell rings?

Up ahead, the front gates of U.A could be seen, the H shaped building piercing the sky. Kids her age and older were hanging around the courtyard, exploring the enormous campus and getting to know each other. Sana passed them all quickly, wanting to reach her classroom and make at least one friend before classes began. She'd need someone to sit with at lunch, since she doubted Shoto could be bothered to do so.

After wandering the halls for a few minutes, the girl finally found the correct door. Class 1-A had a rather large entrance, though she figured it was necessary since the school was expected to provide access for all types of quirks and mutations.

Sliding the door open, Sana was immediately greeted with a few polite hellos that she happily returned. Picking out her desk, she placed her bag in the seat and turned to observe the people around her. Only a small portion of the class had arrived so far. It'd be another fifteen or so minutes before classes began, which gave Sana plenty of time to get to know her peers. In the next row sat a girl with an edgy haircut.

First target acquired.

The girl, Jirou, was a little shy at first, but she opened up more once the topic of music came up. Both Tokoyami and Shoji were men of very few words, so Sana ended up doing most of the talking. Not that she minded, of course. She was used to carrying conversations after spending most of her life with such a stoic boy like Todoroki.

Momo and Iida automatically stuck out as private school types, with their unnaturally straight posture and overly polite mannerisms. Iida, being the more enthusiastic of the two, had energetically greeted the peach-haired girl and shared his hopes for the school year all while performing stiff, robotic movements with his arms. Momo had been more reserved, but just as warm and welcoming as the blue-haired boy.

Sana remembered seeing the girl's spiky ponytail at the recommendation exams.

Mina Ashido, an excitable B-girl with rosy skin, bubblegum curls, and black sclera quickly wormed her way into Sana's heart. The two formed an instant sisterhood after discovering their shared love of fashion, dance, and raspberry flavored lipgloss. Mina, being the social butterfly that she is, took it upon herself to introduce Sana to a former classmate of her's named Eijiro Kirishima. With his scarlet spikes and sunny smile, Kirishima had caught everyone's attention as soon as he'd stepped foot in the room.

Standing beside him was a derpy blonde with a black lighting bolt streaking through his hair. The blonde's eyes lit up after landing on Sana. When he'd noticed the two girls approaching them, he'd nearly short circuited. "Jeez," he rubbed a hand behind his neck, his cheeks glowing in embarrassment. "You're so beautiful I forgot my pickup line."

"Well, you're not so bad yourself, uh...?"

"The name's Denki Kaminari," he held a thumb to his chest proudly. "But you can call me yours." Both girls laughed at the cheesy pick up lines he continued to fire at the peach-haired girl, Sana found the hopeless flirt to be charming in a goofy kind of way. Kirishima, of course, was a precious bean, with his shy, sharktooth smile and obsessive use of the word "manly."

That's it, Sana thought as Mina told the group embarrassing stories from their middle school days, making Kirishima's face burn as red as his freshly-dyed hair. I'm officially adopting him as my child.

Overall, she had a good feeling about Class 1-A... well, except for a pervert named Mineta. Already, he'd tried to peek up the girls' skirts. Sana had knocked the little germ clear across the room before he could try anything else, much to Iida's horror. "Next time he tries something like that, I'll blind him," she'd threatened, tuning out the bluenette's long lecture about respect and classroom etiquette and blah blah blah.

Mina gasped, nudging Sana's arm. "Check out the class hottie!" She pointed, not even trying to be subtle. "He's giving off broody, mysterious vibes." Seated in the very back of the classroom was a devastatingly handsome guy with hair split straight down the middle—one half a stark white, the other a rich crimson.

Shoto Todoroki.

"Yeah," Sana agreed halfheartedly, averting her gaze. "Very mysterious."

Gray and turquoise eyes landed on her figure briefly before turning towards the window. Sana could've sworn she felt the temperature of the room plummet a few degrees, much like her spirits. We'll be seeing each other every day now. The thought gave her a flicker of hope. Sana wanted nothing more than to have her friend back. He'd avoided her like the plague during their final year of middle school. Sharing a class meant that he would be forced to acknowledge her at some point, so until then, all she had to do was wait.

The classroom had rapidly filled up while the girls had been chatting with Kirishima and Kaminari. When Sana finally returned to her seat a few minutes before the bell, she was surprised to find that a majority of the desks were now occupied, including the one directly in front of her. The only defining feature she could make out was his spiky, ash blonde hair. Sana gingerly reached out to tap his shoulder, only to quickly retract her hand as he whipped around to glare at her.

"The hell do you want, extra?" A low, raspy voice flowed over her, vermilion eyes burning into her own.

Sana took a moment to admire the boy's features. He had a well-defined jaw, though his cheeks still held some baby fat. Straight white teeth were bared in a grimace. His skin was smooth and golden, which further complimented his fair hair and brightly colored eyes. He was very attractive, despite the permanent scowl on his face. He looked familiar too, like she'd seen him before, though she was sure they'd never met until today. I'm positive that I've seen that untamable hair somewhere...

Then his words finally sunk in.

"I have a name, you know." Sana grit her teeth while maintaining a saccharine smile. "Sana Sakano."

His eyes narrowed even more at her response. "You think I give a shit? You're just another stepping stone on my way to the top." He tsked before turning to face the front of the room once again. Plum-red irises glowed faintly as she imagined her eyes burning holes through his obnoxiously large head. The universe is really testing me today.

The blonde then proceeded to lean back and prop his feet up on the desk, which immediately earned him a lecture from a certain blue-haired student. "Take your feet off of that desk now!" Iida demanded.

"Huh?" The blonde leaned back in his chair languidly.

With him so close, Sana caught a sweet scent clinging to his hair and clothes. Is that... caramel? She almost snorted at the irony. A sweet smell to balance out the sour attitude, maybe?

"It's the first day and you're already disrespecting this academy by scuffing school property, you cretin!" Iida continued to scold him, not that the boy sitting in front of her seemed to care.

"You're kidding me, right? Your old school put a stick up your ass or were you born with it?"

Sana slapped a hand to her mouth, shoulders shaking with muffled laughter at his brazen attitude. Next to her, Jirou also struggled to hide her amusement. Who is this guy?! Seriously, is he bold or just plain stupid? She wondered, trying and failing to compose herself. He's making enemies before class has even started!

As Iida tried to diffuse the ticking time bomb that was... whoever the guy was, Sana noticed a small, green-haired boy frozen in the doorway, watching the odd interaction with wide, fearful eyes.

The two stopped bickering and turned as the class fell into a hushed silence. Everyone was looking at the freckled teen, muttering amongst themselves.

What's going on? Sana looked around the room curiously. She heard someone mention the boy's performance during the entrance exam. Ahhh, so that's it. Sana tilted her head, observing the average-looking boy. At first glance, he seemed pretty ordinary. He didn't appear to be a threat, but she knew all too well that looks can be deceiving. Well whatever he did must have left quite an impression.

The broccoli-haired boy, Izuku Midoriya he would later introduce himself, was visibly flustered with all the attention suddenly focused on him. Iida walked over to him and the two exchanged a few words. Sana heard a low growl coming from the gremlin she had the honor of sitting behind for the rest of the year. If looks could kill, there was no doubt that Midoriya would already be six feet under. Hmm. Sana glanced back and forth, noticing a tension between the two. Do they, perhaps, know each other?

A girl with a brown bob and pink cheeks soon entered the scene, throwing exaggerated punches as she babbled happily with Midoriya and Iida. The trio stood in the doorway of the classroom and spoke for a few moments before-

"If you're just here to make friends, then you can pack up your stuff now." A deadpan, disembodied voice silenced the entire room. Turning slowly, they noticed an extremely sleep-deprived man with long, raven hair lying in a mustard-yellow sleeping bag on the floor.

"They'll really let just anyone in here nowadays, huh?" Sana leaned forward to whisper teasingly beside Blondie's ear. When he turned to snarl at her, she gave him an innocent, close eyed smile.

"Welcome to U.A's hero course." The rugged-looking, ebony-haired man fished out a juice box from the depths of his sleeping bag, downing it in one gulp. Sana was both fascinated and horrified by the sight.

Where was he keeping that this whole time?!

The disheveled-looking man reluctantly climbed to his feet and removed himself from the sleeping bag. "It took eight seconds before you all shut up. That's not gonna work. Time is precious. Rational students would understand that." He assessed the class with hooded, bloodshot eyes. "Hello, I'm Shouta Aizawa. Your teacher." This guy is a Pro? Sana observed him closely, but still couldn't identify the hero. "Right, let's get to it." He rifled through his sleeping bag before pulling out a gym outfit. "Put these on and head outside."

How is he storing so many things in there? Sana was in awe of this man. Is this Hogwarts or U.A?!

#bakusquad #bakugou fluff #todoroki shouto #bnha oc #bnha todoroki #bnha bakugo katsuki #bakugou katsuki #katsuki bakugo x reader #katsuki bakugo mha #mha bakugou #katsuki bakugō #bnha bakugou #mha #mha todoroki #my hero academia #boku no hero academia #bnha x fem!reader #bakugo x female reader #bakugou x reader #katsuki bakugo my hero academia #bnha angst #mha angst #bnha #Spotify

[benevxllain]

Who are your favorite Diabolik Lovers couples? I'm a little curious about :D

Ayyyyy!! Wb! I hope you've been doing great in this crazy world of ours! Thanks for the message! Now, allow me to discuss these cuties that live on in my memories. Once upon a time, I was a member of a bustling discord where I was blessed to be in the company of creative people, whose ships and ocs kept me enthralled for months on end. They lived rent-free in my head; I was a cookie monster for every new crumb and detail, and, so, now, let's see how accurately I can describe them for you.

Shitzu (Shu x Mitsuha @crowtunezz) - Mitsuha feels like the modern tomboy we all relate to in our awkward, authentic, and endearingly goofy way. She reminds me of Chizuru Yoshida from Kimi ni Todoke! The way she goes blank when Shu is near, like Mitsuha.exe just crashes is so SWEET and real, while, internally, she isn't confident and assumes she hasn't the slightest chance that he'll ever be interested her in a million years, which ngl makes me root for her OVER and OVER because their dynamic is actually so precious?? He's chill and tired; she's energy personified, without being obnoxious and I can see his face lighting up with grins and laughter he hasn't had since he was a small boy. She brings him to life and he draws her back to her earth with a casual touch - that may or not result in her faceplanting and burning bright red from head to toe with steam pouring out of her flustered ears.

Yita (Yuma x Rita @margherita-dascenzo - Rita is PRECIOUS, built perfectly, and I don't care who disagrees because the way she was written speaks to me on a spiritual level. What girl out there doesn't have aspirations to live comfortably and hold some amount of power in the world? On the surface, she's sunshine and springtime, but behind this social butterfly is a woman in mourning for all she's lost to time - centuries of faces she'll never see again. She and Yuma have this natural chemistry about them that can range from relaxed and lighthearted to chaotic shenanigans to ALL KINDS OF SPICY???? His ears might eventually fall off from the amount of stories she tells him and, honestly, even though that part of her annoys him at times, I love that, over time, he accepts that part of her personality and doesn't try to change her because it is a part of her charm - he's important to her, and she just wants to tell him every single thing she can. On a surprisingly sad note, as I write this out, I realize a huge part of the reason she overshares is that she wants to tell him all she can tell him and solidify what they have because one day she just might not have him around anymore, and like so many, many others long gone, he, their memories, and their future family will remain forever woven into the depths of her heart.

Kalice (Kanato x Alice @eyelessdoll-y) - I tell no lies: I HAD NO TIME FOR THIS DOOD until I met this girl. I couldn't see what Kanato stans see in him, but this is the one that opened my eyes with her masterful insight, as if she'd designed him from scratch herself. From her very first, very detailed post, I was hooked on why he's so critical, so mistrustful, so changeable - and how Alice initially suffered horribly, but also how she redefines his very biased, very harsh preference of the perfect 'doll' girl. It angered and pained me to read how she accommodated him, empathized with him, understood him, and in his recklessness, his arrogance, he's not prepared to accept what's developing in his heart. As the already distraught Alice's mind is further manipulated and wounded by Laito and another Sakamaki who's looked on in envy, coveting the affection she showered onto his brother so dotingly, I feared the worst, and couldn't help but wonder whether or not the pair would ever reconcile. But, when they do, it's honestly the most touching thing - his flustered face, unprepared for how she wears her heart on her sleeve, but also how he dotes on her and wants her to have the most high-quality gowns, shoes, and accessories, to be suitable only for him, happy only with him - my heart weeps???

Kinklett (Kino x Scarlett @kindan-no-rp) - Where do I start? Dare I say the Kinkening? The step on me that started it all? These two have banter for days in the most electrifying ways. I needed popcorn one moment, and all the refreshments in the refrigerator the next. On one hand, Kino is hellbent on proving himself and not being outdone, but the depth in which he likes/loves Scarlett gets to me every single time. I live for his internal panic when they clash or confusion arises, and he faults himself -GASP ACCOUNTABILITY?? IN DL?? Someone pinch me- if/when he's wrong/witnessing her teary-eyed or upset because, despite his jokey, chaotic nature, he's actually very, very aware of how alone he is both in his ambitions and in his social circle - yes, there's Yuuri, but no one actually wants him until now, and he doesn't want to lose her, this woman he's pestered and played with, teased and charmed, and fallen hopelessly in love with, and can't go for too long without messaging her or popping by to spend time in her company, even if only to listen to her at the piano, practicing and perfecting her skill. Commitment is a nightmare to Scarlett, who's known unspeakable torture and enslavement, never again wanting to be tied down, controlled, or vulnerable to anyone - but when the red string of fate combines their lives, sparks fly, there is friction, and, underneath, a fierce, unbreakable loyalty and passion that both can't believe is actually, finally theirs and theirs alone.

#midnight-glasses #midnightglasses #//I hope some of this made sense. Honestly I feel so rusty xD I should sit down and write more often so I can be confident again #but dis them! #diabolik lovers #ship shippity ship ship ships #Shitzu #Kalice #Yita #Kinklett #my art

[wildwoodsgames]

Design Diary: Heaven in the Dust (Revised) - Playbooks

So here's the thing—Heaven in the Dust was the first Belonging Outside Belonging game I ever wrote.

It was published way back in January 2019 for the Record Collection jam into a largely-unexplored design space. Sleepaway wouldn't crowdfund until the end of that year. The design jam that produced Our Haunt was three months away. You could count the BOB games in existence without running out of fingers.

As a result of that, the ideas are strong but the execution is somewhat naive. See for yourself with Hades:

Looking back on this today, what do I see?

The picklists are perfunctory—often only one unique prompt per archetype—and pedestrian. The prompts themselves are uninflected (Wanderhome hasn't reshaped the possibility space yet).

There's too much focus on aesthetic, and not enough on narrative prompts. There only unique prompt focuses on the factory rather than on Hades. This needn't be a bad thing, as characterising him mainly through the business he runs could be interesting, but right now the factory prompt is surface-level—anything broader it says is up to the player.

The birthrights need to be punchier and snappier, and you're currently making a choice without context (the rules for them are at the bottom of the next column over).

In general there's good ideas in a lot of these picklists, but not some too-obvious ideas as well.

So then, a revised edition. Meet Hades, new and improved:

To start, we have a new picklist in a new format. This solves a couple of problems.

It explicitly states what was implicit in the original version: archetypes bring certain things with them. Hades has a factory, Persephone has a garden, Hephaestus has a strike, etc.

It lets the player assert some truths: about that thing, about their archetype, about the broader setting, about what has come before, about a sliver of hope that this might not be a tragedy after all.

It gives me room to assert some crucial details about that thing—Hades is not running an artisanal workshop, or a worker-owned collective, or a functional business. They're running a Gothic caricature of an industrial factory that is certainly fucked up somehow.

Next, a familiar picklist but with a crucial recasting in the prompt: products and byproducts. The difference between a factory churning out propaganda and a munitions manufacturer that incidentally produces propaganda is vast, and the prompt now invites you to play with that difference.

Another new picklist! This one characterises Hades both indirectly (as a boss, through what they forbid) and directly (as a person, through their mode of self-denial), which is a nice change from the blank slate of the previous version.

Aesthetics have been combined and condensed, nearly thirty prompts distilled down to a razor-sharp set of eleven. Narrowing it down to just three distinctive features (though I'm not a cop, choose as many as you like in play) invites people to make bolder and more evocative choices, and lean into them harder.

Relationship questions are sharper, punchier, and there's more of them. There's also explicit permission to keep asking questions after the initial two (which I may yet keep the "ask one left and one right" wording for), something that I've certainly seen players do in playtests.

Finally the birthright picklist now tells you what it's about before you choose. More than that, each archetype locks in a core birthright, which is a snappy way to communicate what the game's take on that mythological figure is, and the possible birthrights have been edited to be more distinct and evocative.

And that's Hades, before and after!

The same thought process has been applied to all the other archetypes, in addition to the new one I'm adding for the revised edition, and there've been additional changes to lures, failings, moves, etc that I might talk about in a future post.

I'm hopeful the revised edition will be playtest-ready by the end of September, and released by the end of the year.

My inbox is open if you're curious about the game or have any questions about the approach outlined in this post. Cheers!

#heaven in the dust #wips #indie ttrpgs #indie rpgs #ttrpg design #ttrpgs #hadestown

[pyrorptrs]

I've been doing redesigns of pop culture characters. Mostly working off the idea "What if I was put in charge of making a show around these properties" and the core founding Avengers was one of the first batches I finished

Ironman: Pretty straightforward; I just wanted something that looked armored, but could easily be simplified. I primarily took inspiration from the EMH version and the first couple of suits from the MCU with the intent that this is his Mark IV suit. That way I can easily do more suits and updated for him the future, particularly to flesh out future line-ups. I also threw in some black detailing to not only avoid using Gray (which most other associated Ironman characters heavily use), but to also act as a winking nod to how he took inspiration from one of his hot rods in the movie for that suits colors. My only real issue with how he turned out is some of the proportioning, so if/when I draw him again I'll try to make his shoulder less broad and his feet larger.

Captain America: Cap was pretty easy to a design for too; I leaned more towards his classic look, but tried to make it look like it was made from more modern materials. So instead of wearing chainmail in a simple suit, he has some pretty standard military gear with an armored chest piece and helmet. I also added some tactical pouches since I can see him either keeping a couple supplies on hand for long missions or to have something to slip a McGuffin into. I kind of have the opposite problem with his proportions that I do with Ironman, so when I draw him again (be it this specific design or more updated suits) I'm going to try to make him broader.

Thor: I prefer his more armored look from the mid 2000's-2020's, but wanted to start with a more classic EMH inspired look. Not totally satisfied with his face and might change the colors a bit in places if I redraw this design, but I do like how he turned out for the most part. Obviously I used the classic version as a base, but I made his belt buckle larger and tried to make the symbol on it look more like a cross between a tree (Yggdrasil) and an Eagle. I also turned his armbands/bracelets into fingerless gloves, taking some inspiration from his Ultimate counterpart and added one of those discs on each hand (I'm thinking they could light up when he's using his powers like the ultimate version too). I tried to keep the helmet simple and easy to draw while keeping the wings on them. I might also change some of the blue pattern on his boots to yellow to help them stand out more.

Hulk: Pretty simple, the only real thing I did was try to keep him a saturated green rather than the flushed one he has in the mcu. I have more problems with him compared to how the others came out, but that's mostly because I'm still figuring out how to draw human faces in my style and do exaggerated physiques, both of which are things that I'm going to have to improve through practice and experience. otherwise I think he at least works as a good starting basis for a good hulk design in my style.

Antman: Leaned toward Hank Pym since I hate how we skipped straight to Scott Lang in the MCU. Obviouisly both classic and EMH were the main inspiration for my take, but I did try to add some aspects from the MCU suit with a more enclosed look and proper gauntlets. I also tried to include a spots on both the gauntlets and belt for him to control his size shifting so that it's easier to justify him doing it without having to draw him going through that motion over and over again. I also tried to adjust the red to be a bit more orange-ish to have him stand apart from other very red-centric characters, though I'm not totally satisfied with the results.

The Wasp: I pretty obviously leaned heavily into the EMH version for my take on Janet Van Dyne, but I also tried to keep the enclosed suit idea for her like with Antman, so I threw in some aspects of the MCU design. I like how Wasp size alteration and other abilities are presented as more legit powers compared to Antman having to rely on the suit, but I did try to give them some visual cohesion by reincorporating the techy aspects of the formers suit into Wasp, though it's probably there more to help here store Pym Particles. I also gave her more of a proper undersuit and helmet and made the wings look kinda techy (Though I tried taking some inspiration from the space suit she had in EMH for those). I also tried throwing in some red to homage some of her original color scheme, but mostly limited it to stuff specifically surrounding her Pym tech.

I'm still trying to figure out how I would go about a story for HOW this version of the Avengers would from; though I would like Loki to be more of a final boss sort of deal, so I'd want to hold off on him being a direct threat until later. I could say that a single villain or one of the dedicated villain factions are the cause, but I think that would be too similar to the opening of EMH and Assemble. So maybe having it be so that a couple of notable, but usually unaffiliated, villains for Ironman, Thor, and maybe Antman team up to try to take them out one at a time, but the fight inevitably leaks out into the streets and draws the attention of the others resulting in them properly teaming up to stop the villains.

#the avengers #avengers #Marvel #Ironman #iron man #Thor #captain america #Hulk #incredible hulk #Antman #ant man #the wasp #tony stark #steve rogers #bruce banner #hank pym #janet van dyne #redesigns

[blorbocedes]

galex + snap out of it : )

"Don't marry her." Alex says, feet on the sofa, a stripe of his stomach visible from where he'd untucked his white rehearsal dinner shirt, looking up at the ceiling.

George freezes from where he was pre-ironing his slacks, so the staff could give it a fresh press in the morning. "Sorry, what?"

"Don't marry her. We both know you don't want to." Alex says rather matter-of-factly, still staring at the ceiling.

"I thought the groom was supposed to get cold feet. Nice of you to assume that responsibility too." George jokes trying to be casual, but his hand is still holding the iron facing up, tense all over.

"Jury's still out on whether you even like women. I know you're looking forward to being a minor Earl by marriage or whatever, but otherwise you'll be miserable. 5 years, tops. So, let's cut the losses. Don't go ahead tomorrow." Alex's voice is the same dispassionate bluntness with which he'd break up with countless girlfriends, boyfriends, the implied 'it's not me, it's you.' He never directs it to George. George lives the security no matter how many hearts Alex breaks, his remains intact. Best mates privilege. He's still not fucking looking at him.

"What are you on about, Albon?" George forces himself to sound calm, resting the iron on its stand before he burns something. "Had too much brandy with the uncles? Projecting your own fear of commitment, yeah?"

Also. It's not important when faced with accusations he's not even into his future wife, but he's marrying into being a minor Duke, thank you very much.

That makes Alex sit up, look squarely at George. They both know how to get under each other's skin.

"You don't love her. You love me. And nothing's going to change between us, except you in your eternal misery might pop out a kid or two to be 'pragmatic.'" Alex rolls his eyes. "So I am asking you to reconsider."

You love me. They don't -- they don't really say that to each other. They know it, in the way Alex tags along to his family vacations, the way girlfriends would enter and exit his life but the only constant is George. It's like getting sucker punched, hearing it out loud, letting the forbidden words pierce the air, and they can't be taken back.

"Why in the world would you say this now? You -- we went ring shopping together! And you say this to me now, the night before I'm about to get married?!"

Alex sighs. He looks at him pityingly, those handsome almond eyes looking at him like he's missing something incredibly obvious and it twists something inside George. George had shown every cut of diamond to Alex and every band size. They had toured and tasted wineries together. And Alex had been completely neutral about it all, only a grimace when she'd join them for dinner. Then he started bringing his own date along, so they could make it a couples' thing.

"George. You wanted to be an architect. You wanted to design the next Bank of England. You're an IP lawyer."

"What's that got to with anything?"

"Because you will do anything once it's expected of you. I didn't want to have to say it to you. This entire year, I thought, any day now he's gonna realise it. When we fucked at your stag do, surely. You Googled what to write in your vows, mate! And I realized after tonight, no, you're actually going to do it tomorrow, sign yourself to this -- this mental nuclear conjugal fantasy cause Heaven forbid, you don't live up to being mummy and daddy's perfect little checklist. So you've forced my hand here, Georgie. And now I'm asking. Do it for me doing it for you."

Alex gets up and takes both of George's hands in his, who stands frozen, looking at him beseechingly; the gentleness Alex can be with him when no one else is around. George swallows on nothing, his eyes prickling already, thinking, Don't make me choose. Don't you dare.

"I booked your honeymoon. I still have your passport details. There's two tickets to Bali for tomorrow. We don't have to look back. Let the dust settle here, we'll be thousands of miles away." Alex looks at him with so much hope, and this close -- he can smell his cologne, it's something expensive George got him for his birthday, when they're standing this close the few cm Alex has on him in height is visible, makes George feel small for once.

There's probably a wedding caterer somewhere in the kitchens with a cake with his name and a statuette figure of a bride and groom on it. A tasteful 120 guest-list including family, important acquaintances, minor royalty have all arrived, flown in to be here. A years' worth planning, arguments over eggshell or pearl napkins, periwinkle or daisies in the bouquet, an actual six piece orchestral band because the bride's family is too good for DJs, the multiple photoshoots in cardigans and fake laughter to really sell their joint personal branding of upper class but down to Earth, completely in love but not over the top about it, a fitting match of young professionals but also from well-bred families. George's wedding isn't about him, it's about being the social event of the season, with his parents front and centre. Compared to years of law school, all he has to do is walk down an aisle tomorrow to make them proud.

He shakes Alex's hands off as if the touch were scalding.

"This is. This is wildly presumptuous of you, Alexander. And it is bloody disrespectful and borderline delusional to think I'm just gonna walk out on our families because you, what? You think that this is some wild romantic gesture? I'm just supposed to drop everything and run away with you? Don't fucking say you're doing it for me like some king of altruism. It's selfish, that's what it is. My great grandmother flew in for this! Jesus, Alex. You're scared because I'm doing the mature, adult thing here and you're scared I won't need you as much. You need to grow up."

This time, George is the one who can't bear to look at Alex anymore. He's scared his resolve will break if he does. He holds his breath, stands as dignified as he can with his righteousness, nose upturned. Alex stares at his side profile for a second before shaking his head and places something on the ironing board before leaving.

It's the velvet ring box.

George breathes out shakily, blinking the tears pooled in his eyelashes.

On the morning of the spring wedding of the season, the sun is shining, the pigeons are shooed as explicitly requested in the groom's itinerary, staff runs about making sure everything is perfect, every errant flower petal on the aisle is carefully placed, the suit jacket and shirt and slacks all ironed and delivered to an empty room.

George has never flown economy before. There's a baby crying and the growing irritation at the corner of forehead that would grow into a tension headache was distracting him from the obvious repercussions of what he is doing, the most impulsive and reckless decision of his life. His leg is tapping in the too small legroom, flimsy seatbelt loose around his waist -- did economy seatbelts even save lives? Alex's elbow nudges against his, grounding him, 30,000 ft in the air. He smiles at him, shakes no at the offer of the packeted nuts, and tries to keep the sinking feeling at bay, lacing their fingers together.

#galex #my fics #f1 rpf #op is microdosing how much an asshole I can write Alex before galexers of the world kick me out #snap out of it by the arctic Monkeys hehe #yes this whole thing is to use the graduate gif #blorbocedes ask #not naming her is a deliberate choice. But what does it say? 🤔 who knows

[chartoris]

DELTARUNE PREDICTION TIME

I hope I finish this post before the anniversary of chapter 1 (nothing else notable happens on that day) I'm putting my 100% correct theories+ predictions here just in case Toby decides to release chapter 3 alone for some reason (I personally think he's releasing just 3 and 4 together next year), but who knows with that dog.

CHAPTER 3

As everyone else thinks, it's safe to say that the dark world in chapter 3 is probably gonna be TV themed. With different areas going through different channels.

THE BOSS

I don't think we can predict who exactly the main villain is yet based off of one thing Jevil said about a queen in one line. But it would make sense if it were some fucked up game show host guy. Maybe since the Spade King represents Susie's dad, and Queen represents a mother, the chapter 3 boss could represent that estranged uncle that nobody really talks about.

Also Tenna is probably the guy that betrayed Spamton. Not Mike.

THE SHADOWMEN

They're just gonna be silly litle guys.

THE WEATHER CHANNEL

Also sily.

THE POLICE

Since Toriel called the police and Kris left the door opened, I think that either Undyne shows up, or Napstablook shows up wearing Undyne's Undertale armor. Both of which would be awesome sauce.

NOELLE

No idea if she'll show up in the chapter. But I also have no clue why else the Lost Girl theme was in that unused sneaking section. Yes I'm still thinking about this.

THE END

I believe that chapter 3 might end with Kris sealing the fountain. Like you walk up, that sickass guitar riff plays, the screen fades to white, and the chapter ends (assuming it releases with chapter 4). Imagine how relieving it would be that the chapter doesn't have to end on a massive cliffhanger!

CHAPTER 4

Based on the screenshots we got for the 2022 status update, I don't think chapter 4 will have a dark world. It seems like a nice intermission chapter to just hang out with Susie in Hometown for a couple hours. We could get more insight into the residents of the town, as well as some lore.

i'm a huge fan of rain so this seems like the best the game will ever get.

I think its possible that Toby might have changed his might about releasing 3-5 together, and that he might just release 3 and 4. Assuming this chapter is just in the light world, it would probably be a lot faster to develop. No enemies, no battles, just cutscenes.

Keep in mind, I just took one programming class 5 years ago, so I'm not the ultimate authority on game design. But if it is easier to develop, I think we could see chapters 3+4 next fall.

I don't really have any other predictions for chapter 4 since all we have are a few screenshots, and even less for the future chapters. So I'm just going to talk about other general things in the game.

THE BUNKER

Gaster is afoot. Also maybe Dess or something idk yet. Oh and a dark fountain too. Maybe even the supply closet one.

DARK WORLDS

I don't think EVERY room with double doors is going to be a dark world, especially considering that Toby can just retcon them in between chapters, so I like to go off of narrative significance.

I think there will totally be a dark world in the church, considering the Dreemurr family has a significant amount of history with it, as well as the interesting thing you could do with it. Like a giant pipe organ castle or something.

There probably won't be a dark world in Ice-E's, unless something super traumatizing happened to Kris there when they were a kid. But I still have my eye on that Ice-E guy. Something fishy is absolutely going on with him.

why is he so big

Asgore's flower shop seems like a really good place for a dark world, and I need to see what the golden flower darkener would be. The empty fridge could even be like the ice palace from Dragon Blazers.

THE HOLIDAYS

Rudy is most likely going to die. I really don't want him to but unfortunately it would be really good for the story. Noelle would be forced to stand up to her mom like she did to Queen.

Also Noelle's mom's name is probably either Clarice or Carol.

WEIRD ROUTE

Its likely that not every chapter will have a weird route. I think they are more tied to Noelle's presence, due to her affinity for video game glitches when she was younger. Especially because it seems like the route itself isn't supposed to happen in the game world. And the weird route is a way to break out of the whole "your choices don't matter" thing. You might even be able to save Rudy in the route, at the cost of Noelle's mental state and every other horrible thing you may have to do.

THE KNIGHT

I don't think the Knight will be the main antagonist. It might get revealed relatively early (like chapter 5), unless its Gaster or something. The actual main antagonist of the game will be either the Roaring Titans or the Angel.

THE ROARING

This is probably gonna happen at some point. Ralsei leaves for ONE minute and someone opens a dark fountain in a dark world. Can't have shit.

holy hell they look so badass

Also penumbra phantasm final boss theme. make it happen toby.

#deltarune #utdr #deltarune theory #i am objectively correct