#which I'm still sad about...this has to be one of my favorite line arts ever

[catlover4536]

Coming here to say masc presenting Julie is one of my favorite Julie ideas out there and that, of course, I needed to make a femme presenting Frank to compliment @cyanwyrmy and their wonderful Julie!

#welcome home #frank frankly #julie joyful #not a genderbend #fanarts! for u! #I'll admit...I've had this lineart for a long time #I wanted to color them too...but I botched the job! #also my LINES...the colors...they eat them #which I'm still sad about...this has to be one of my favorite line arts ever #maybe one day I'll try coloring them again...on digital #for now tho #making this to tell you masc presenting julie has lived rent free in my head since they were presented #and I would be a fool for not helping to include their partner in crime! #i love these two besties so much #sooo tempted to just post julie tho...I swear she is one of my best line arts out there #my art #masc presenting julie I adore #genderfluid julie joyful #repeat: not a genderbent for either

[bestanimatedmovie]

Choose your favorite!

Vote in the other polls!

What fans say:

Inside Out:

Besides the fact of "being a Pixar movie", this movie is a masterpiece, and it has really impacted me. Its message about accepting that "bad" emotions such as sadness are part of life and have its positive side and that "good" emotions like joy can be negative and toxic is really important and one that I'm still trying to internalize 8 years since I first watched the movie.

Wolfwalkers:

The animation is absolutely gorgeous, with a unique style. The music is wonderful, the story is touching. What's not to love!!!!!!

It's beautiful! If I'd watched this as a young girl it would've done something to my brain, in a good way. It's about being stifled by England and those in power, in 1600s Ireland. It's about little girls becoming best friends. It's really sweet, and wonderful. I love the scene where Robyn gets to really have fun and play as a wolf.

Wolfwalkers has beautiful stylized animation. The story is about conflict between the oppressive English colonizers of an Irish town, and their old ways of living in harmony with the forest. When the main character Robyn is in the town, the style she and the backgrounds are drawn in have an angular style made up of flat shapes that don‘t turn in perspective, similar to a woodcut print, showing the limitedness of the town worldview. When Robyn is in the forest at first she is drawn in the town style, but as she is introduced to Mebh, the style shifts to a loose, pencil-lined style with soft shapes and forms that turn three-dimensionally. Later, at key points in the story, Robyn shifts between these styles to reflects whether she is conforming to or breaking away from the town‘s rigid system. It‘s a beautiful way to subtly tie animation to storytelling. I also of course love the story for its queer, environmentalist, and anticolonial themes. It‘s an excellent movie and everyone should see it.

It has some wonderful animation, especially in the wolf scenes, and tells a story that pulls from the history of the English colonisation of Ireland.

The art style is gorgeous and the story is lovely.

It is the most beautifully done 2d animation I've ever seen, beautifully drawn and with such interesting stylistic choices for the backgrounds and the character design, the best shapes. Perspective is really played around with in wide shots that show the town, giving it an even more boxy and closed-off feel to it! My favorite scene would have to be when the song Running With The Wolves by AURORA plays. It makes me cry like a baby they're so beautiful and playful and free and learning to have strength and courage.......

It tells a really beautiful story about identity and friendship and being brave enough to stand up to your oppressors

The animation is gorgeous and well-utilized to convey tone/mood and also little wolf girls are valid and the scenery is [chef’s kiss]

The animation is really stylized which I like. The art style is one-of-a-kind, changing slightly depending on what's happening in the story. Like, for example, Robyn, one of the main characters in the story, started being drawn using cleaner lines when she was still "civilized", in contrast to Mebh, a girl from a tribe that lives in the forest and can turn into a wolf. As Robyn started becoming "wilder", spending time w Mebh, the lineart becomes more sketchy. It's just a really really pretty film. The story is also really really good. The characters are complex and develop throughout the movie. You can understand why Robyn's dad acts the way he does, but still allows him to see the errors in his ways. Also Mebh and Robyn are just fuckin adorable. This movie made me cry so hard and I hardly ever do that Also the soundtrack? MYGOD. perfect. Favourite scene is definitely Mebh and Robyn's wolf scene where Robyn was learning how to be a wolfwalker. The music and animation in that is so good. Idk i really i really love this movie bc it feels so... ALIVE. It uses the animation medium really well, doesn't shy away from the 2Dness and stylizeness of it, which I wish more animated stuff would do.

The animation !!!! Is so gorgeous !!! The art style is so gorgeous, in some places super details and in some moments mimicking medieval styles with symbolic (rather than realistic) perspective, it's so so so beautiful. The music is also amazing, and the story is beautifully put together, it will make you weep.

#Inside Out #Wolfwalkers #best animated movie #round 2 #tournament poll #tumblr's favorite

[im-no-jedi]

Let’s get some fun recommendations goin around here! What’s a piece of clone content (art, fic, etc) that has stuck with you as being notably excellent? Tag it in your answer so we can all find some new fun to read! If you want, of course; feel free to ignore! 💕

🤩 oh what a fun idea!! I would LOVE to gush about some really cool artists, thank you 😁

I'll start with @shyranno, whose art I absolutely adore. her style is so clean and expressive and colorful, and she makes amazing comics. the TBB Downtime series is exactly my kinda Clone content, filled with lots of fluff and feels. the "baby" batch ones are my favorite, but I'm also fond of this one where Tech gets teased from not being able to grow a beard 😜

another artist I really love is @zaana! she also draws a lot of really sweet and funny moments with TBB, and I'm super fond of her more sketchy style of drawing. she's got a "Crosshair defects the Empire" AU about Cross rejoining TBB sometime during season 2 that I love soooooo much. honestly, all her stuff with Crosshair (especially the ones with Omega) is top tier. although I think my top favorite is this one with Hunter and Crosshair (which @questforgalas also wrote an amazing oneshot about!); it's so simple but so sweet, and I automatically love any wholesome content between these two 🥰

then there's @lightspringrain, who makes beautiful portraits of TBB. I've been wanting to buy some of her prints (and will absolutely do so once I have the money!!) because they are seriously gorgeous. her "Crown" series is the best, it's so lovely! and she does an amazing job capturing the style of the show! to no one's surprise, my favorites are the Hunter and Omega moon crowns. the Hunter one is legit one of my favorite art piece ever; it's been my lockscreen on my phone ever since I saw it 💙

someone I recently started following is @thattoothpick! after seeing her "TBB Happy on Pabu" comics, I had to see more. the best way I can describe her style is "soft". everything is just so soft; the lines, the colors, all of it. it just makes me happy 😊 I have two favorite pieces; the first is this one about Hunter and Crosshair from the Pabu series. literally made me cry. I need this to happen SO badly 🥺 and then this one that I refer to as "the Sad Batch"... oh man. also had me crying (but also simping for obvious reasons LOL) 😭

now for a big one. I can easily say my favorite SW related artist of all time is @lornaka. her art... holy crap y'all. it's so freaking good. she makes everything from simple portraits to stunning dynamic pieces, and I'm obsessed with all of it. she even was featured during SW Celebration last year!! she's that good!! \o/ I have a few favorites of hers. which obviously includes the TBB poster she made for Celebration. still sad I couldn't get my own copy of it 💔 then there's this... lovely portrait of Hunter from behind. oh Lordy 🥵 and finally, my top favorite is actually this simple portrait of Hunter. I had it as my lockscreen for a LONG time. it's just... so good. the colors, the stars, his expression... I'm still obsessed 😍

finally, I can't talk about amazing artists without mentioning my sister @jam-n-ham. her art account is @joyjababanoid. y'all. please just scroll through her TBB art, you will not regret it. I've always adored her cartoony and expressive style, and it makes for hilarious Clone content LOL. she did a bunch of drawings for Inktober last year, solely focused around TBB. she's also done some comics that I've had a part in helping her develop (specifically the Padme pin-up art and the AZI going on a mission). but my absolute favorite is by far the Valentines collection. y'aaaaaaaall. I had the Hunter one as my phone background for over a year haha. she knows how to personally get to me, let's just say that 🥵

oh, and one last thing I wanna mention is that the one thing these folks all have in common, aside from being fantastic artists, is that I love how each of them draw my bae. seriously, y'all draw Hunter so good, and I'm smooching each of your different versions of him 🥰😘

thanks for letting me gush about some cool people!! everyone show them some much deserved love please!! 💙💙💙

#this was super long OMG sldkjfghklgfkdj #but I won't apologize! #these people deserve all the love! #wish I had some more fics to recommend #but sadly I'm more of a writer than a reader 😅 #anyway PLEASE GIVE ALL THESE PEOPLE SOME LOVE #THEY DESERVE IT #💙💙💙 #star warz #anonymous #ask

[jackiewepps]

Anime Talk - In Memory of Nami Sano

As we are nearing the end of the year, I would like to bring attention to one manga artist who is no longer in this world. I write this with the intention of paying her my respects. Anything that may seem offensive have no such intention behind it.

Nami Sano was born on April 17. 1987 and died August 5. 2023. She was 36 years old and passed from cancer. She left behind many works, two of which have been animated. The first one was Sakamoto Desu ga? (Haven't You Heard, I'm Sakamoto) which was animated in 2016. The other is Migi to Dali (Migi and Dali), which was animated in 2023, the last episode airing December 25. 2023.

I have watched both these anime and want to talk a little bit about both of them. I want to start with Sakamoto Desu ga?.

The story is about a cool high school student named Sakamoto. He transfers to one school and solves problems in the coolest way possible, making friends and enemies along the way. I didn't watch the series as it aired, but it's still been a while. I do remember enjoying it a lot. It is seinen and mainly a comedy series. I can't describe it very well, so I encourage you to watch it, or at least check it out on MAL. I gave it a 7/10 ranking. This is also called "good". I will admit, comedy is not what makes me rank a series highly. My favorite part about the series is probably the titular character, Sakamoto and all the character dynamics he is part of.

As for Migi to Dali, I have quite a lot to say. I had seen the series as part of the line-up of the Fall season 2023 and was considering to watch it. I originally decided against it because I simply had too much to watch on the airdate, Monday. Yet, after another student from my university recommended it to me and mentioned that the author had passed, I decided I should at least watch the first episode and see if I liked it. I definitely did. I couldn't look away. A middle-aged couple named the Sonoyamas, living in Origon village, decide to adopt one child, just one. They find the perfect son, a 13-year-old boy named Hitori. However, there is something the couple do not realize. Hitori is not Hitori. Hitori is two 13-year-old twin boys named Migi and Dali, who both play the role of Hitori. They often swap places and pull off little tricks to make sure that no one will ever catch onto this.

I will say no more on the story. As it is a comedy, mystery and suspense story, I would hate to ruin all the fun. The final episode is great and I ended up giving it a 9/10 score (great) on MAL. If you enjoy mysteries like I do, then I can't recommend this series enough. You can check it out on MAL if you feel like it.

Knowing that this is Sano-sensei's last completed work, you would suspect it ended around the time of her death, but this is not the case. Apparently the manga finished in November 2021, long before she was diagnosed. According to Wikipedia, she was also working on a new project around the time of her death, which further proves that Migi to Dali ended as she intended.

While it is possible to tell that the author is the same through the art style, the stories of Sakamoto Desu ga? and Migi to Dali are so different it is hard to believe they are written by the same author.

What I can conclude is that Nami Sano had a creative mind with many ideas for gimics and interesting stories. It is sad that the world has lost such a great, creative mind this year. My heart goes out to her loved ones, and I hope that none of them are left alone at this difficult time.

#Anime #Manga #sakamoto desu ga #haven't you heard? i'm sakamoto #Migi to Dali #Migi and Dali #Memory #Sano Nami #Nami Sano

[clare-with-no-i]

20 questions for fic writers

Thank youuu @isahorcrux for the tag! it's been so long since I did one of these omigoddddd

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

37!

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

392k. a bit crazy that the next chapter of theogony will put it over 400k. wauw!!!!

3. What fandoms do you write for?

publicly? Harry Potter and Percy Jackson. privately? I have an entire folder on my laptop called 'other shit' which is just one-shots for about fifteen different fandoms which I will never publish <3

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

god. this is really making me look at my statistics page which I actively try not to do lol. but it's one long day, I will carry you, color theory, foreigner's god, and growing pains. what can I say, the ppl love the they lived AUs!

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I try to but I'm terrible about it which is a personal failing. I am so sorry. a new strategy that helps with this is that with my WIPs I try to respond right after the next chapter is posted so the person gets a nice lil notif and they have something else to read!

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

oh hmmm. I guess the derelict art of letting go ending was angsty, but the whole thing was angsty. the end was bittersweet. maybe Invictus? ok new problem is I can't remember what I've written

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

foreigner's god! it's always clare why did you write all of that sad stuff into foreigner's god clare why did you write their deaths in such brutal detail clare I made my roommate read this and now she won't stop crying blah blah and it's never hey clare thanks for that nice ending scene where they're just married and lying in bed and vibing!!!!!!!!!

8. Do you get hate on fics?

yeah I do and I think under viking law I'm legally permitted to fistfight the commenters!!!!!!!!!!!! step up cowards!!!!!!!!!!!!

9. Do you write smut. If so, what kind?

god. lmao. yes I do! not often, though, I'm afraid. I tend to write an extremely narrow niche which is just exorcising trauma through sex and personal intimacy. I have no chill :)

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

no I actually usually dislike crossovers lol. like theogony is a fusion of the outlander premise but I can assure you that James Alexander Malcom MacKenzie Frasier will not make an appearance. crossovers stress me out and I like to keep my little fictional words separate, if I can. ok edit: on further review I've concluded that I enjoy premise swaps (these are just AUs lol), but I can't deal with characters from multiple pieces of media interacting. it's too much. stay in your lanes, my god. this isn't super smash bros.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

not a whole fic but someone basically copy and pasted a bunch of lines from NAR into their story and then a bunch of drama ensued. it sucked and I don't like looking at NAR because it reminds me of it. I still think about the anon who told me about it, though. they were so lovely and so caring and kind to me. I hope they're doing well.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

yes! both with my permission and without. ha ha.

13. Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

babes I can't even finish the stories that I'm writing by myself

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

percabeth or zelink! or any doomed/short-lived/five seconds of screen time couple in a tv show or book. seriously idk why but I always fixate on the less important characters

15. What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

I renounce this question in the name of christ. amen.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I exist not with writing strengths or weaknesses but instead a secret third thing (stupidly recognizable style)

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

see above

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I actually have a WIP where James lives in Spain to play quidditch and he speak Spanish in it :) eso me asusta mucho pq no he practicado mi español hace muchos años pero…sea lo que sea

19. First Fandom you wrote for?

percabeth! my ffnet account is still out there somewhere with ~four percabeth stories that are terrible :) just very bad :) no good :) horriblé :)

20. Favorite fic you've ever written?

theogony or foreigner's god! or suze's bday fic but that's because I have never tailor-made something for someone quite like that fic and she was so sweet about it eye can't deal

tagging my internet wife @thequibblah bestie...knocking at ur door...standing outside with an edible arrangement...

#clare is tagged #this was s'cute tysm isa!

[hua-fei-hua]

Hi Huaaaaaaa I'm in your askbox :3

10, 19, 23, 45 for the Fanfiction Questions, I simply must know

hiii naviiiiii we are hanging out on my blog :33

totally forgot i rb'd those things hehe but anyway~

10.  Is there a fandom you read fic from but don’t write in?

at first glance, my thought was no, bc i don't really fandom-ize every bit of media i absorb, just a few special ones (i can be normal about things!! for real (not clickbait)!!!)

that said, there are a few fandoms i've read fic for that i've never written for! going all the way back to my roots, i read so much mlp fic, n although i technically wanted to write mlp fic back in the day (n have like. two paragraphs of an ancient pitch rotting in my gdocs), i never really committed to it.

nat made me read some pokespe fics too back in the day, so i've read a couple of those too despite never really reading a ton of the manga. one pokespe author also recommended some kingdom hearts fic that i ended up reading, despite having never played kh or knowing anything about it really!

i also used to read a lot of miraculous ladybug fic (once in a blue moon i'll also get update emails for some of them c':), n although i had some ideas for mlb fic, i never wrote any of them.

i think the most recent fandoms i've read but never written for have been the adventure zone (balance), since i'd read taz fic as it crossed my dash after i listened to the podcast, and princess tutu, bc i had a mutual who got into it, so i started w/their fic after i watched the anime, then poked around the archive a bit hehe

19. Is there a ship which you wished you could get behind, but you just don’t feel them?

hmmm i'm honestly kind of a "once a hater, always a hater" kind of person, so it's kind of hard for me to think of a ship that i see around, know the basic appeal of, but don't really Understand in a way that makes me more proactive or picky w/seeing them portrayed.

that said, i would love to read some kokosara meta that elaborates on how a relationship btwn them would further kokomi's character, why sara is the only character who would be able to push her in that particular direction

23. Name a fic you’ve written that you’re especially fond of & explain why you like it.

oooo that's tough, since i'm very fond of p much all my fics for various different reasons, even if i don't think their writing is particularly up to my standards anymore.

like, even tho jjk was technically a while ago for me now, i'm still obsessed w/the idea of a constellation au (zenith); and the diner at the end of the night is still easily one of the most well-written high-energy comedies i've ever pulled off.

it's also really hard to pick out of my genshin fics which one holds the most specialest place in my heart bc most of them hold niches in my heart!!!

typically, though, i pick disjunct bc during the writing process, it was the first time where i really felt allowed to give a character Mixed Race Struggles(tm) wholesale w/o feeling like i was just making them mixed for the sake of it. i'm also really happy with the way it ended up resonating w/people on a core level, and the experience of artist-viewer connection n just having an Art Moment(tm) that resulted!!

45. What is your all time favourite fanfic?

i used to say A Miscellaneous Tale of Night and Day, which is The 200k word pokespe fic nat made me read when we were in high school that hasn't updated since 2012 that has effectively inoculated me against "abandoned fanfiction sadness", and the plot n premise are still a ton of fun, but i've been rereading it a bit as of late, and you can feel the early 2010s casual transphobia and misogyny in it lol. i'd say that it helped shape my comedic tastes/ability to just write self-indulgently, so for that, i'd categorize it under "influential fics"

honestly my favorite fics tend to be long multichapters, but there are honestly so few that line up with my tastes and have an ending in genshin, n i didn't read enough in jjk to have any longfics to really be fondly subscribed to. thinking about it, i genuinely think my fave fics are just the ones nat n i make up together over discord until five in the morning LMAO

in terms of fics that exist(ed, at least at one point), i'd say the now-deleted snk fic tower of babel would probably qualify as one of my all-time faves, n i can say that's not just the nostalgia glasses bc i do still have a copy on my hard drive lol. the premise is that five girls, each hiding their own secrets from each other or the world, end up renting one apartment together, n they learn to trust each other enough to communicate n rely on one another. there's also a bit of romance happening in the bg, but it's not the biggest aspect of the fic, n i really liked that!!! also the way it dropped the title in the end, basically stating its main theme as "it's a lot easier to fix your problems if you communicate abt it" CHANGED MY LIFE the first time i read it lol

ANYWAY YEAH that's all of them hehe thanks for the ask~

fanfiction questions

#asks #kanonavi #long post #bc i do not shut up <3 very real of me #ask game #interestingly enough in genshin i'm pretty lukewarm on any ships that didn't already exist when i got into the game #i really do just pick one ship n then cling to it for years every time i'm in a fandom #so i'm kind of perpetually in the mond/liyue sphere of characters lol #although i am v fond of the inazuma cast!!! wish mhy did smth with them #although i do like ships in sumeru n stuff i've never rlly sat down n thought abt them too much w/nat #though we should rlly return to that one red string of fate au we started planning when we first got into the game #that's meant to span the ENTIRE PLOT of genshin so we have to put it down every so often for game plot to progress #bc in planning that we get to hash out our ideal character dynamics across large casts n that rllly rlly helps w/getting into ships n stuff

[flythesail]

hi hello me again i finished s2 of nancy drew last night and it was SO GOOD. the arc of it was really well done and i loved all the single-episode stories that built up to the wraith. the crew becoming closer and more complex, the dads, nancy struggling with her sense of self and belonging, the world building, all of it. (nancy is my best girl and i love her so much)

absolutely obsessed with the drew crew dynamic. no bad pairings, the balance of their personalities and skills, all of it. every time nancy, bess and george are together i am happy. they really are a family and they take care of each other. i am so seated to learn more about the road back and for whatever bullshit temperance is up to with them !!!

still loving the nace slow burn!! this season really builds on what s1 started and it was so angsty and jealous. obviously gil is terrible (i cheered when she broke up with him) but i’m pleasantly surprised by amanda. the fact that she asked if ace and nancy were ever together after she saw them crack a safe together???? she would not survive seeing them just exist around each other like they usually do sorry girly :/

favorite episode is by FAR 2x10. i’m writing down favorite moments as i watch and the entry for that episode is double the length of the rest lol. other best moments:

2x03 nancy and the dads finally lay lucy to rest

2x06 kitchen autopsy

2x11 attempts montage

2x13 birdie and nancy on the dock

2x16 nancy finds celia’s body/carson finds the polaroid

2x18 the entire wraith dreamscape

hoping to watch s3 this week and then start watching s4 with everyone weekly!! the fandom seems so lovely i’m excited ❤️

Hii!!!!! S2 is and will probably always be my favorite season. S4 is a solid competitor, but it probably won't be able to top it since it's competing against the nostalgia factor too lol.

I'm really glad you enjoyed all the drew crew and character stuff in s2! There's a bunch of episodes in there where they get to just exist in their relationships - s2 had the time to do that - and it's so great.

With the road back, I will warn you (😭😭) it's as of now not going to be brought up again. Long story short, trb was the big bad of Tom Swift, which was canceled one season in. The writers said though they imagined an episode where Nancy and Tamura would show up and they'd wrap up everything with Celia.

Gil is the worst! I like Amanda too. And really, as bad as Gil is - I don't mind him as a character. In some other world I like to imagine there was a Bobbsey spinoff and he'd have a chance at some deep character development. Lol and the SAFE SCENE!?!? "No vibe just friends," Ace says, lying.

2x10 - ICONIC.. WHAT MORE CAN I SAY!

I loveeeee the end of 2x03 so much. It's so sad and beautiful and I cry every time.

I LOVE 2x06!!!!! Easily one of my favorite episodes of the whole show. If you didn't know, if not for covid 2x05 would have been the end of s1. But they made 1x18 the finale when they had to stop filming. So that's why 2x06 has a premiere feel to it!

The 2x11 attempts montage is so well done. What an all around fantastic episode too. A great one for Nick and for Tunji to show off his acting.

The 2x13 scene with Birdie.. so so good. Perhaps a theme here but that also makes me cry. I always imagine the idea behind that scene as a possible end to the show too. Nancy watching the fireworks with the rest of the drew crew would bring things really full circle.

2x16 is devastating!! Ugh I still remember watching it for the first time and the shock of it. And Nancy crying because she doesn't want Celia to go.

Gosh the entirety of 2x18 is ART. All the detail put into the dreamscape, the drew crew helping Nancy through it, the nace scene at the bluffs!!! What more could you ask for.

Nace in s2.. will always be so famous. They're just walking the line of friends to something more and as far as slowburns go that's one of the best parts.

It took me a sec to respond to this so you might have already started s3..!? I hope you enjoy!!! If I'm being honest it's my least favorite season overall. However, it has some of my favorite episodes of the whole show. So it does balance out.

#flytheask

[normal-thoughts-official]

Character ask thing with Joe

Ugh I love you /platonic

favorite thing about them

Hmm how to choose. I guess I'll repeat myself and say, once again, the way he feels everything so intensely as if it's the first time. The fact that he has lived for nearly a thousand years and still experiences everything with such intensity, such fresh eyes, such delight at being alive and sadness at everything that's unfair is just. Really admirable to me? And makes him really interesting as a character. The way that he's a formidable warrior but is a lover not a fighter, but the fact that he's a lover just makes him a stronger and more intense fighter... Yeah

least favorite thing about them

not to be a stan but I genuinely can't think of anything about him I dislike. I guess his lack of screentime? Lol

favorite line

"you and Nicky always had each other. And all we had was our grief" "well, now you have even more"

everyone talks about how devastating Nicky is with just a few words (and it's true, he is and it's iconic) but Joe is just as good. Everything he says to Booker in that scene is so cutting and to the point and perfect. He doesn't minimize Booker's suffering but he doesn't allow for his bullshit either. He breaks through Booker's entire self pitying tirade in such a cutting, objective way that there's not much else Booker can even say. And he's right, he does have even more, because that's what it's all about, whether or not you move on, and ugh, it's just so good

brOTP

Joe and Nile forever and ever. Give me art nerd bros!!! Give me Joe and Nile bonding over being the only POC in the group. Give me Joe and Nile being able to understand parts of each other no one else in the group does or can, because their experience is different. Give me Joe and Nile being a breath of fresh air to each other because they both wear their heart on their sleeves, they're both earnest and genuine and still openly in love with the world and the new experiences they can have while everyone else is kind of used to everything by now. Joe and Nile both not really being fighters at heart (in the comics Nile says she went to the army so she could go to college and major in art history later) and finding solace in each other. Joe and Nile getting into intense debates about art that go well into the night until the sun is rising and they're like "huh?" and sheepishly stare at Nicky when he rises to make his coffee and is all like "I trust you had an enlightening discussion, yes?" Just... Joe and Nile <3

OTP

There's really only one possible answer to this question

nOTP

Everything that's not Joe/Nicky is just weird to me but I'd have to go with Joe/Nicky/Booker. Please stop. Joe may like greasy white men but not to THAT extent (this is a joke please be normal everyone)

random headcanon

Joe has degrees in a BUNCH of different subjects, from architecture to botany, and "renews" them regularly under different aliases. His scope of interests is just very wide and every once in a while the mood will strike him to learn something apparently random and when everyone blinks Joe is getting a degree in zoology and they're just like. Alright

unpopular opinion

Not sure how unpopular this opinion is but like. Listen to me. You listen to me. I'm bisexual. I love bisexual people. My favorite thing for a character to be is bisexual. I'm out there hitting everyone in my shooting range with the bisexualizing rays, but Joe? Joe is gay, man. I'm sorry I wish he was a bicon too but there is simply no way this man is attracted to women. At the tender age of 33 this guy was crossing the ocean to go fight a war he had literally 0 business participating in, and that to me is the mark of someone who's running away from having to marry a woman. Or to run from an existing marriage which might be even gayer. Even without that I simply cannot picture him looking at a woman's body with anything more than mild disinterest. If a woman got naked in front of him he'd be like "you lost your clothes" and dress her back up with one of those sticks with mouths in them. We must accept this and embrace the fact that the tog bicon is and will always be Andy

(This is, once again, a joke. You can hc what you like. I'm not the Emperor of Fandom stopping you from enjoying whatever you want. This is just my opinion said in a humorous way because I'm a clown. Peace and love on planet Earth)

song i associate with them

Hmmm you know I actually had, like, Real Thoughts™ about this but somehow every one of them fled my mind rn. I'll go with Antenne by Bashar Murad. Just, like, the whole thing about wanting to be away from the avalanche of information and people questioning your humanity and treating your existence as a debate, you know? And wanting to have time to breathe and live in the moment. Yeah. I think that's very Joe

(If you've never listened to Bashar Murad you should give it a try btw this man is amazing. And the clip of Antenne on YouTube has English subtitles for those who don't speak Arabic)

favorite picture of them

Oh Jesus Lord how to even choose. Genuinely looking at him too long in any capacity makes me want to cry and feel insane. There is a fine line between "I'm looking at Joe and it makes me feel comforted and happy" and "I'm looking at Joe and it's making me want to explode" and I walk it every time I look at him. But I guess I can go with the one on my header

[ID: Joe sitting on a chair, reading a book. He has one leg crossed over the other and is turning to look to his side, eyebrows raised and a very faint smile on his face. End ID]

I just. Augfhhhhhhh. Psychic damage. He's so soft. I have crossed the line. Fuvk

#ask #dhiibvulk #tog #yusuf al kaysani #god the way i love him #cringe tw /joking

[dreamcrow]

And I’m gonna be self indulgent and say ruby pls

(from headcanon game here; thank you for the ask, and also, omg, for trusting me with this for YOUR OC...??? ;==; ahh, a favor i shall try to hold gently!)

1: sexuality headcanon

epicurean. only the best. c;

2: otp

,,,okay don't make fun of me, but. i must claim two!! first: starkarby bc i always read it as "stark arby's" which makes me laugh. but also because i know perhaps originally it was sadder but i always remember the thought from when you first explained it to me that "ah, maybe this time, it could end better..." 🥺 emoting about friends telling stories and maybe we can make a better ending, this time

second though: ...lyric? they're in this art with her! i only know from what i've seen on your rubyblog, but their interactions are so tender, and that art is so beautiful, i've been thinking of it ever since you first showed us ;==;

3: brotp

RUBELL... /)___(\ listen i know they're the obvious option here i KNOW they're our blorbos tm but... i think such a normal amount about the arranged marriage au... even just. in general. man ;____; two stoic dweebs living by invisible rules but who are actually deep down just litol creechurs who need love (and maybe love jane very much).

4: notp

...x unhappiness? x that one fucking guy, no, i don't see sad backstory but he can meet me in the pit. x the many minor inconveniences that come of allowing emotion-based fire magic user into an extremely flammable library.

5: first headcanon that pops into my head

...i don't mean to still be "OUR BLORBOOOOOS" on your blorbo's hc post but... i think toa!ruby would come off slightly better than strickler on meeting bellroc 😂 she's smart and sharp so i'm sure she'd be !!! at this ancient magic thing showing up but at the same time i can only imagine her reacting with perfect poise and finesse.

6: favorite line from this character

"why yes, my dear bellroc, you can certainly teach jane some sensible magic. i shall be happy to supervise :)" (or...something of this nature, anyway, hehehe.)

7: one way in which i relate to this character

god i WISH i was that glamorous uhhhhm. dare i say...book nerds??

8: thing that gives me second hand embarrassment about this character

literally nothing. how much i love her maybe!!!

9: cinnamon roll or problematic fave?

ruby lark, local archivist, has never done anything wrong in her life

#q&a #ask games #friend art

[radellama]

Magus and/or Flea

Magus

First impression

Ohhhh big cape evil dude with one of the coolest boss themes I've ever heard!?

Impression now

Favorite moment

Sighhhhh there's so many... When you really look at him he has such nuance and everything is linked and I LOVE thinking about him (been almost 15 years lol...) It's really hard to just pick one. For now, let's just say his iconic line

Idea for a story

Men of Mystics

For real tho, I've wanted to do a cool horror/creepy pasta type story about Magus in relation to the black wind. I just don't know how to get the really good feeling out into words or art so it's been a few years in the back of my mind. Just something about being so young and losing your mum to the black winds, and watching your sister slowly succumb to the same thing, all before you start to hear it yourself... Yeah, I wish I had in inspiration to pull it off how I want

Unpopular opinion

A vast majority of the fandom reduce him to a gross and/or incorrect flanderization of self. That, or glossing over him entirely, when he adds so much to the narrative of ct as a whole. I still see fucking terrible takes on him as recently as 2022 lol and it makes me a bit sad. I know my interpretations won't be to everyone's liking but I've put effort into looking into him (and most the ct cast as a whole) and picking up the subtle things that are laid out right there in the source material. Looking only at him (or anyone for that matter) PURELY through a fandom lens gets tiring for me to see sometimes...

Favorite relationship

HARLAND

FOR REAL THO, ALL THESE YEARS LATER AND HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH SCHALA IS STILL SO NICE.... EVEN THO most of that relationship is his one sided view on it, he still dedicated most of his life working to try and avenge/save her. It's strong enough that it prevailed through to both sequels (to varying degrees and missed opportunities 🙄) because he just cared that much. Even when he's a grown man, he's still that little kid who's sad cause he misses his sister!!!!

Favorite headcanon

That the use of magic changes your appearance. I had a whole theory about hair colour and magical affinity, which explains why Magus has such a beautiful icy blue colour. It also explains why his ears got pointy, and I like to further that by imagining that he overall looks very sharp and angular, as much as a human can. I try to express that with most art I make of him, I know he's really hot and even if it's so subtle most will miss it, I try to keep him looking sharp.

///

Flea

First impression

WOAH WE'RE FIGHTING IN THE STARS!!!

(fun fact, flea was one of my very first glimpses of ct, before my very own playthrough I used to sit with my dad in his office and watch him play, and he was going through Magus' castle one of the first time I watched him!)

Impression now

EPIC NB TRANS MASC KING!!!

Favorite moment

Idea for a story

Hmm... Honestly, a lot of the stuff I wanted to explore for him (+the other generals) is gong into men of mystics. I've always just wanted to kinda explore the behind the scenes lives of everyone leading up to the war in 600ad, and that's exactly what men of mystics is - all that boring stuff, but harland is there :p

Unpopular opinion

Flea is not trans fem. Let trans mascs have this one, he literally says 'hey, I'm a guy'

I'm not saying this as a dig at trans fems, if they see something in him and connect with him that way I love to see it - I'm saying as a trans masc myself who often feels like people hear the word 'trans' and think it only means 'trans woman,' let us have this one and respect the masc despite appearing androgynous/feminine, I talked about it a little while ago here

Favorite relationship

Honestly? With slash and ozzie. I'm soooo interested in how the dynamic between the three of them plays out, I love thinking about the antics they'd get up to while they were rising to general status

Favorite headcanon

Honestly not so much a hc but more trying to bring back the aspects of Flea that were lost through translation. Mainly the amazing pun on his name making him talk real flirty. I wish there was a way we could have all the little nuances brought over to eng, I could talk about them all day....

#asks #ksera sera #magus #flea #chrono trigger #rads asks

[chorusfm]

Early Onelinedrawing Coming to Vinyl

Iodine Recordings is reissuing Onelinedrawing’s Sketchbook 1999-2001 on May 10th. "Onelinedrawing, is a diarist at heart, both in his music and in his daily life, and, man, does he ever rip his heart out and show it to you in his songs. A loose, free-roaming approach to confessional songwriting that pushes his music well beyond the normal sad singer/songwriter clichés" – PITCHFORK Jonah Matranga has been making music for over 30 years. A prolific artist, he has become an enduring institution in the scene with a devoted fan base, rich lineage, and varied music career. Jonah has often straddled the line between the underground and mainstream. He's worked with indie labels like Jade Tree and majors such as Atlantic, having fronted the bands FAR, NEW END ORIGINAL, and GRATITUDE. His music has influenced bands from Deftones to Blink-182, and he was there for emo and post-hardcore giants in their earliest beginnings — taking bands such as Thursday and Dashboard Confessional on tour. Simply put, the scene cannot be separated from Jonah's art. Jonah has always written from the heart and performed in an intimate way that few others have accomplished. From basements to massive festivals, he brings the same energy to them all: raw honesty and an ability to make every show unique and personal. This is most apparent in Jonah's solo and collaborative project ONELINEDRAWING. Jonah's solo performance has always been about connecting with fans in an intimate setting, where they often perform with only a guitar and R2D2 sidekick. Sketchbook is the latest release from ONELINEDRAWING, featuring a collection of songs from Jonah's early solo years, 1999-2001, completely remastered for vinyl. The album features originals and renditions of the likes of 7 Seconds and Jawbox, as well as the Sense Field split honoring the late Jon Bunch(Sense Field/Further Seems Forever). The LP also includes liner notes and zine by Norman Brannon (Texas is the Reason/New End Original). It will be released on vinyl by Iodine Recordings on May 10. Pre-order it here. It is available digitally today. Sketchbook exists as both a time capsule and thank you letter to fans and music itself — a combination of the period in which Jonah first embarked on his solo journey and a celebration of the vitality that music and community not only affords him but all of us. "The stuff on Sketchbook has aged so beautifully," Jonah says. "It's sad, it's silly, it's searching. A lot of it was made in the moment, with whoever was around, without much worrying about it. Looking back, it turns out the most lasting, universal songs and recordings tend to be the most personal ones." He even called out a fan favorite, saying, "'Better Than This' pretty much saved me when I was in my most human-hating era," Jonah recalls. "I had to reckon with the simple truth that the more time I spent being mad at people, the more time I spent being mad at myself. That 'I'm better than nothing' outro still runs through my head when I get to feeling judgmental of myself, or anyone else." --- Please consider becoming a member so we can keep bringing you stories like this one. ◎ https://chorus.fm/news/early-onelinedrawing-coming-to-vinyl/

[dimiclaudeblaigan]

NGL I'm used to seeing ordinary dudes cheat on their wives/gfs/significantother it's not even a surprise when actors do it. It's pretty sad tbh

Yeah see it's not even surprising when I hear someone cheated, but it's more like a huge disappointment for me when it was someone I admired, respected and loved the work of.

One of them it seems like it's died down and it was hardly heard about afaik, so hopefully that issue is resolved and I can feel better hearing that VA now without having to be bothered by the whole thing. He's been continuing to get new roles so I'm hoping that means whatever happened for sorted out for the better.

Another one was kind of recent but not really at this point (over a year ago), but I'm not sure how the incident will affect his career and if he'll be returning to new seasons of shows he's been on.

For Eliwood's VA, he's got an insane list of voice overs he's done and he was super well known and loved for his work, and he was my absolute fave VA from the moment I first heard him voicing the main character of Tales of Graces (ironically, another major character in that game also had a cheating scandal happen, which is the first person I mentioned here). I'd heard him well before that, such as when he voiced Sasori in Naruto (I think that was actually my first time hearing him), but he wasn't my favorite until I heard his work in Graces (and him and the other guy I mentioned first here are literally huge reasons I won't listen to Graces in English instead of JP, aside from the Graces dub just sounding pretty bad and the voices sounding compressed, even though there are VAs I really enjoy the work of in the dub of that game).

It's just a huge shame that a VA who has a seriously massive list of work he's done ended up in this situation, and it's not just that he cheated, but that he cheated on his wife for ten fucking years. Like... that one cuts a lot deeper than the others for me knowing that basically ever since I adored his work, he's been cheating on someone. I can't recall which woman it was, if it was his wife or the other woman he was dating, but one of them ended up in the hospital from what I heard from the emotion and shock of it all... It's things like that that kill what I felt about someone, you know?

I'm trying to separate the art form the artist, but it's just hard to do when you're literally hearing their voice and remembering "oh that's the guy who did xyz". I remember being so excited when Heroes came out and I saw his name for Eliwood. It wasn't the voice I'd imagined for Eliwood, but it fit just for to me and I enjoyed it. It wasn't like the day I found out Takehito Koyasu was voicing Levin (which was literally my headcanon voice for gen 2 Levin so I threw a fit when I found out, and then found out he was a huge fan of FE4), but it was like "OH SHIT THAT'S HIM THAT'S MY FAVORITE VA".

It is really sad when you can't even be surprised anymore at people doing this shit. I'm not surprised when I hear someone, but I'm just so disappointed that people who did such amazing work and whose voices I loved hearing in any game or show ended up doing something so scummy. It's also disappointing when this happens and the VAs have to be recast, because personally it takes me out of the immersion of a game/show at least for a little while when the voice actor changes.

For example, dub Tales of Vesperia used to have Troy Bakey for Yuri who is the main character. When they released the edition of the game that was JP only for a pretty long time, they called back almost all the voice actors (save a few for some side characters), but didn't... call back Troy, who expressed disappointment in not even being asked if he wanted to reprise the role for the new lines given to the main character in the new edition of the game. They reused all the old voiced lines, which meant Troy's lines were still in the new version of the game, but they also had Grant George (Sigurd's dub VA) voicing him, so they literally had two different guys voicing the same character in the same game, so while you played it, the voice actor would change in different scenes, sometimes even in the same scene and you'd hear the change line to line if you were very attuned to hearing Troy. Some people couldn't hear the difference, but there were a good chunk who could and it sounded terrible because for those of us who really heard the difference, Grant and Troy sound nothing alike, and their direction in voicing Yuri was vastly different.

It really kills part of my enjoyment when I have to deal with that, and in Troy's case they just Didn't Tell Him they were releasing a game with an old role of his and didn't bother asking if he'd like to be part of it, but am I suddenly going to have hear Eliwood's VA get changed after all these years because he went and did something totally fucking stupid and awful?

Part of me wants to always hope for the best and that these guys will learn better and work to make up for what they did, maybe even doing well enough to get their roles back, but there's also a part of me that's like... bruh, what even went through your head when you did that in the first place. I feel so bad for all the people who got cheated on and had to deal with this at all.

:'(

#DCB Ask

[divinesouldariax]

29 for ao3 wrapped? i’ve definitely read some banger passages from you, would love to see what your favs are

29. Favorite line/passage you wrote this year?

(Send me more of these?)

Ohhh man this was hard, I don't think I can limit it to just one fdkjshfkjd but here goes:

Probably if I had to pick my absolute favorite, it would be the ending of chapter 1 of the days may be long:

This kind of messy, clumsy, earnest love wasn’t something written about in books or in the songs of the bards that Dorian had seen perform when he was younger. Nobody had told him about the way that nearly dying felt cold, or that you could love a person who came from a different world without needing to understand the way they worked, or that a friend’s grief could hurt worse than a knife in your back. Being an adventurer probably was about killing dragons and casting spells and great romances sometimes. It was also about shivering by the side of the road and ruining clothes with blood and spilling mugs of overly-sweet tea and paying too much for a single room in an inn because of a desperate need for some safety and comfort.

Dorian wouldn’t exchange this for the grandiosity of storybook adventure. Not for anything. Not for the world.

Also this paragraph from chapter 5 of pick up the glass:

Their exhausted mind is half delirious and they get a little poetic. They're gilding Ashton, taking someone already beautiful and valuable and repairing them when they break with gold, with something precious. When Milo can't find any cracks left to fill, they drag over a chair and kneel in it next to Ashton's head, stroke one finger along the wide vein of gold running diagonally across their forehead. "Never really thought much about art until you came along," they whisper. "Now look at me. I think you’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever worked on.”

And this line from Chetney in Between Heartbeats:

"That's exactly how it feels to lose somebody--everybody feels it, everybody knows it, and it's always the worst thing anybody has ever gone through, like it's the very first time there's ever been grief, every time. Brand fucking new. Every time. You've still got a chance, a good chance, that you'll get your Laudna back. We're gonna do everything we can. But right now, she isn't here, and you're scared and sad and it's the worst fucking day of your life, and it's gonna be the worst fucking day of your life no matter what anybody does. But you're not alone. You're not alone. And that's better."

And (I'm almost done, I swear) every part in the path we walk where Orym is thinking about translations from Halfling to Common, but especially:

The Halfling word didn’t quite mean unhappy, but that was the easiest way to translate it in a single word. It was more like…mired in dark thoughts and complicated emotions, in need of clarity or comfort. [...] “I’m just…lost right now,” he told her. That didn’t translate directly, either. It wasn’t just lost, it was more like small. Unsure where to go in the world or in a conversation that felt too big. Without a point of reference with which to stay tethered.

Also from the path we walk, but a chapter that hasn't been posted yet, have a single sentence:

The picnic, like all picnics with friends you were about to lose, ended much too soon.

#thank you so much for the ask!!!!! #im. craving interaction and also validation for my writing rn fdlshfdkj so #it was nice to go back and look at some of my favorite bits #lmk if any of these stood out to you as well! #or if u have a different favorite passage of mine! #i would absolutely love to hear ur thoughts

[red19zine]

Album/EP review

If you've ever had the auditory pleasure of experiencing either one of these bands you'd know that they are both publicly resigned to imaginative labels that are totally subjective and epithetic (not "empathetic" or "apathetic"...EPITHETIC).

Epithets haunted mythological characters and underground artists alike. It's undermining at its finest. It's settling as some "indie rock" embodiment in order to get lackluster hipsters to watch your set on a Wednesday night. Or, it's calling yourself "dark/sorta black metal" because you don't know how to explain to your coworker that your shit is different than what they played at Hot Topic in 2003.

When I think of Mangata, I think of Melanie Martinez mixed with Intronaut: pastel nightmares and groovy pop music paired with hard rock. Mainstream shit is all about the hook and the chorus. Mangata is all about the personality and the reflection of the music's words being bounced onto the audience. I hate you Mangata for making me realize my ex still annoys me in the form of musical bops<3

When I think of Writhings, I think of YOB mixed with Gulch: weirdly easy to listen to, but also disturbingly energizing for such heaviness. The balance is achieved due to the bass always

droppin' it

down

low,

and it makes me wanna

back

that ass

up during "Still Breathing".

Plus, the vocals resemble the friendly growl of the narrator in Michael Jackson's Thriller. Ya know, listening to good metal feels like doing a yoga meditation in order to achieve anger and tranquility...metal heads get it. Writhings gets it.

One thing I'll say about Mangata is that there is so much concept in their music videos that I didn't know people in South Louisiana could be so alternative with art. I'm from South Louisiana.

I like alternative music because it makes me feel smart. That's sayin' something.

My point being that Mangata brings a world-awareness to their craft that should not only be appreciated but emulated in our music community, in my opinion. They take risks. They don't give a fuck about reception, yet always deliver. Take a note, newbies. These artists I'm about to respectfully refer to have earned their stripes and accolades.

Alas, without further ado...

I will review some shit and say some shit.

First up,

MANGATA:

Good music. Good videos. Good service to Kate Bush.

To start, here's some lyrics that I'm pretty sure I transcribed right:

"I don't wanna be this shape anymore..."

"I made you on accident."

"I am satiated by...why did I let them empty myself up to be full of you."

"You grew out your hair."

The album conveys the implosions of false narratives in love and life, as well as, the inevitable moment where we all see our ex has indeed grown out their hair. If you don't know the moment I'm referring to, you may be the subject of the fourth track on Hososhi.

"Pettifogger"- the definition being: 'An inferior legal practitioner, especially one who deals with petty cases or employs dubious practices." I fucking Googled it, yo. Listening to this song my favorite line is: "Your progress is harmless if you can read what I'm saying...your progress is harmless if you have to pack up in the morning." At least, that's what I think Gilley's saying. Either way, ouch. Groovy and spacey and mean and fun. I like.

"Hi Lvl Talks"- the perfect summer break-up track for when you're:

still sad but are moved on but also are on a beach

happy because you can hang with your homies because you're single

know you and your ex are probably gonna get back together in a month or two

Overall, the entirety of the album makes you question if you're really okay. And if you're not okay, then that's okay.

For fans of: good music that's not rock or rap, scornful lullabies

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Writhings:

So underground, they don't use Spotify or perform much...which means they're automatically good.

Metal. My love I never knew I was missing until my archaeology class discussed some fucker who burned Louisianian churches in the name of Norwegian Black Metal (long live the "Deathcrush" album and Neo-Nazi memes).

See, I like my shit dark, visceral, and guttural.

Writhings is more dark, visual, and guttural.

I say "visual" because as much as I love metal...I don't know what the homies are spitting unless they attach lyrics. Black metal and death is perfect for this approach to experiencing music, but Writhings is definitely a bit more faceted. The band's Instagram is an apropos addition to the music they put out. The music isn't metal that is talking about killing moms or worshipping deities...it's metal that is meant to make you feel malignantly accepted. I may not know what they're saying, but what I do know is that, Sean- the lead vocals and guitar- has a love for cereal killers and all their crazy Trix (get it?) Sorry...I'm really milkin' my opportunity to drop some puns into this review and making it more Cheeri-o.

I need some sleep soon.

!!!!!!BACK TO THE MUSIC!!!!!

Gotta say: bass and drums are the stars of every track on this EP. The members of the band are all seasoned and experienced in the industry of metal music- AKA the practice of strumming and beating things very passionately for audiences that pay money to watch in usually darkly-setted bars (according to Webster's Dictionary). However, their differing influences and interests come through real peak in one masterful cacophony of flavors. D-beat punk (which, I didn't know was a type of music until I saw the hashtags the band uses on their Bandcamp), doom, hard rock, and even the snippets of various serial killer interviews are actors in the work.

"DVMF"- Is the band's first single and the song I legit played on repeat while I cleaned my room at night until the full EP came out. I think this song encapsulates the Writhings sound pretty damn well.

"Under and Evil Hand"- I would hold hands with the *evil* hand responsible for creating the band's ability to compose such a perfect sludge/doom blend. Once you get the ear for it, ya hear the two types of metal blending like those milkshake blenders at Race Trac.

Ya read that comparison right. Just like a fancy gas station takes you by surprise with their milkshakes that actually let you choose which consistency- thin, regular, or thick- Writhings takes you by surprise with their brief, but effective catalog that actually lets you choose which level of nasty you wish to embrace as you embark on a musical journey, or whatever.

In closing, The Lollipop Gospel seduced me with sad seahorses and a sermon known as Mangata's cover of "Maneater". Meanwhile, Hell of the Upside Down Sinners, AKA Writhings, turned this sinner upright; after already being blessed by some killer prog-pop, I listened to some divine revelations vocalized by Sean in Writhings...basically we are all evil and we're all grasping for sanity. Some people are just able to manage with music, writing, or weed. Some people manage by becoming notorious serial killers so that Writhings can perform songs about them and do the victims justice by playing good music (did you know serial killers historically have pretty tame taste in music, actually?) I am not a serial killer, musician, or person with tame music taste. I am a writer who likes weed though and was grasping for sanity quite a bit my whole life. These two bands lend out a hand to listeners. An evil hand that is holding a lollipop.

-Miranda Davis

[shkspr]

hi. on your post where you may or may not have ended on 'moffat is either your angel or your devil' did you have maybe an elaboration on that somewhere that i could possibly hear about. i'm very much a capaldi era stan and i've never tried to defend the matt smith era even though it had delightful moments sometimes so i wonder where that puts me. i'd love to hear your perspective on moffat as a person with your political perspective. -nicole

hi ok sorry i took so long to respond to this but i dont think you know how LOADED this question is for me but i am so happy to elaborate on that for you. first a few grains of salt to flavor your understanding of the whole situation: a. im unfairly biased against moffat bc im a davies stan and a tennant stan; b. i still very much enjoy and appreciate moffat era who for many reasons; and c. i hate moffat on a personal level far more than i could ever hate his work.

the thing is that its all always gonna be a bit mixed up bc i have to say a bunch of seemingly contradictory things in a row. for instance, a few moffat episodes are some of my absolute favorites of the rtd era, AND the show went way downhill when moffat took over, AND the really good episodes he wrote during the rtd era contained the seeds of his destruction.

like i made that post about the empty child/the doctor dances and it holds true for blink and thats about it bc the girl in the fireplace and silence in the library/forest of the dead are good but not nearly on the same level, and despite the fact that i like them at least nominally, they are also great examples of everything i hate about moffat and how he approached dw as a whole.

basically. doctor who is about people. there are many things about moffats tenure as showrunner that i think are a step up from rtd era who! actual gay people, for one! but i think that can likely be attributed mostly to an evolving Society as opposed to something inherent to him and his work, seeing as rtd is literally gay, and the existence of queer characters in moffats work doesnt mean the existence of good queer characters (ill give him bill but thats it!)

i have a few Primary Grievances with moffat and how he ran dw. all of them are things that got better with capaldi, but didnt go away. they are as follows:

moffat projects his own god complex onto the doctor

rtd era who had a doctor with a god complex. you cant ever be the doctor and not have a god complex. the problem with moffats era specifically is that the god complex was constant and unrepentant and was seen as a fundamental personality trait of the doctor rather than a demon he has to fight. he has the Momence where you feel bad for him, the Momence where he shows his humility or whatever and youre reminded that he doesnt want to be the lonely god, but those are just. moments. in a story where the doctor thinks hes the main character. rtd era doctor was aware that he wasnt the main character. he had to be an authority sometimes and he had to be the loner and he had to be sad about it, but he ultimately understood that he was expendable in a narrative sense.

this is how you get lines like “were the thin fat gay married anglican marines, why would we need names as well?” from the same show that gave you the gut punch moment at the end of midnight when they realize that nobody asked the hostess for her name. and on the one hand, thats a small sticking point, but on the other hand, its just one small example of the simple disregard that moffat has for humanity.

incidentally, this is a huge part of why sherlock sucked so bad: moffats main characters are special bc theyre so much bigger and better than all the normal people, and thats his downfall as a showrunner. he thinks that his audience wants fucking sheldon cooper when what they want is people.

like, ok. think of how many fantastic rtd era eps are based in the scenario “what if the doctor wasnt there? what if he was just out of commission for a bit?” and how those eps are the heart of the show!! bc theyre about people being people!! the thing is that all of the rtd era companions would have died for the doctor but he understood and the story understood that it wasnt about him.

this is like. nine sending rose home to save her life and sacrifice his own vs clara literally metaphysically entwining her existence w the doctor. ten also sending rose with her family to save her life vs river being raised from infancy to be obsessed w the doctor and then falling in love w him. martha leaving bc she values herself enough to make that decision vs amy being treated like a piece of meat.

and this is simultaneously a great callback to when i said that moffats episodes during the rtd era sometimes had the same problems as his show running (bc girl in the fireplace reeks of this), and a great segue into the next grievance.

moffat hates women

he hates women so fucking much. g-d, does steven moffat ever hate women. holy shit, he hates women. especially normal human women who prioritize their normal human lives on an equal or higher level than the doctor. moffat hated rose bc she wasnt special by his standards. the empty child/the doctor dances is the nicest he ever treated her, and she really didnt do much in those eps beyond a fuck ton of flirting.

girl in the fireplace is another shining example of this. youve got rose (who once again has another man to keep her busy, bc moffat doesnt think shes good enough for the doctor) sidelined for no reason only to be saved by the doctor at the last second or whatever. and then youve got reinette, who is pretty and powerful and special!

its just. moffat thinks that the doctor is as shallow and selfish as he is. thats why he thinks the doctor would stay in one place with reinette and not with rose. bc moffat is shallow and sees himself in the doctor and doesnt think he should have to settle for someone boring and normal.

not to mention rose met the doctor as an adult and chose to stay with him whereas reinette is. hm. introduced to the doctor as a child and grows up obsessed with him.

does that sound familiar? it should! bc it is also true of amy and river. and all of them are treated as viable romantic pairings. bc the only women who deserve the doctor are the ones whose entire existence revolves around him. which includes clara as well.

genuinely i think that at least on some level, not even necessarily consciously, that bill was a lesbian in part bc capaldi was too old to appeal to mainstream shippers. like twelve/clara is still a thing but not as universally appealing as eleven/clara but i am just spitballing. but i think they weighed the pros and cons of appealing to the woke crowd over the het shippers and found that gay companion was more profitable. anyway the point is to segue into the next point, which is that moffat hates permanent consequences.

moffat hates permanent consequences

steven moffat does not know how to kill a character. honestly it feels like hes doing it on purpose after a certain point, like he knows he has this habit and hes trying to riff on it to meme his own shit, but it doesnt work. it isnt funny and it isnt harmless, its bad writing.

the end of the doctor dances is so poignant and so meaningful and so fucking good bc its just this once! everybody lives, just this once! and then he does p much the same thing in forest of the dead - this one i could forgive, bc i do think that preserving those peoples consciousnesses did something for the doctor as a character, it wasnt completely meaningless. but everything after that kinda was.

rory died so many times its like. get a hobby lol. amy died at least once iirc but it was all a dream or something. clara died and was erased from the doctors memory. river was in prison and also died. bill? died. all of them sugarcoated or undone or ignored by the narrative to the point of having effectively no impact on the story. the point of a major character death is that its supposed to have a point. and you could argue that a piece of art could be making a point with a pointless death, ie. to put perspective on it and remind you that bad shit just happens, but with moffat the underlying message is always “i can do whatever i want, nothing is permanent or has lasting impact ever.”

basically, with moffat, tragedy exists to be undone. and this was a really brilliant, really wonderful thing in the doctor dances specifically bc it was the doctor clearly having seen his fair share of tragedy that couldnt be helped, now looking on his One Win with pride and delight bc he doesnt get wins like this! and then moffat proceeded to give him the same win over and over and over and over. nobody is ever dead. nobody is ever unable to be saved. and if they are, really truly dead and/or gone, then thats okay bc moffat has decided that [insert mitigating factor here]*

*the mitigating factor is usually some sort of computerized database of souls.

i can hear the moffat stans falling over themselves to remind me that amy and rory definitely died, and they did - after a long and happy life together, they died of old age. i dont consider that a character death any more than any other character choosing to permanently leave the tardis.

and its not just character deaths either, its like, everything. the destruction of gallifrey? never mind lol! character development? scrapped! the same episode four times? lets give it a fifth try and hope nobody notices. bc he doesnt know how to not make the doctor either an omnipotent savior or a self-pitying failure.

it is in nature of doctor who, i believe, for the doctor to win most of the time. like, it wouldnt be a very good show if he didnt win most of the time. but it also wouldnt be a very good show if he won all of the time. my point is that moffats doctor wins too often, and when he doesnt win, it feels empty and hollow rather than genuinely humbling, and you know hes not gonna grow from it pretty much at all.

so like. again, i like all of doctor who i enjoy all of it very much. i just think that steven moffat is a bad show runner and a decent writer at times. and it is frustrating. and im not here to convince or convert anyone im just living my truth. thank you for listening.

#sorry if this is repetitive or makes no sense or if i got some details of the show wrong #i simply couldnt be bothered to put too much effort into this post #lest it become a research paper and take me several weeks to answer #anyway thats all my opinions #dw #ok to rb

[wistfulrat]

a 4-part rec list of my fave drarry fics - the thrillers, dramas, soft bois, and wankbanks getting me through 2020′s shitstorm

[the soft boi list is here and truly i’m not surprised this rec is going to be the longest bc if there’s one thing a bitch is going to do, it’s yearn.

as always! if you love a fic, follow the authors, leave kudos & comments, send them nice msgs bc free art is still labor xoxo]

part 3: soft bois

mood: for when I need respite, a balm to the all-consuming shittiness of life

includes: fluff, comfort, low-stakes, slow-burn fics. a wistful look, a rainy morning, an unexpected grace, a stupidly disarming joke. i could live inside these fics. the smallness of human lives removed from the site of that which hurts & irreparably changes. the story-equivalent of a deep breath after a long day. pregnant silences & pensive mundanity & shy smiles. banter with bite but without the cruelty. the color lavender. weirdly whimsical. soft fics are not necessarily conflict-averse (no drarry fic rly can be, considering the context) but, they offer the reader a generous distance from the initial harm. they’re the quiet cleaning up after a storm. sometimes healing is an exacting surgical knife and other times it’s a slow scabbing. you read these fics to be reassured that the way forward is not always ruthless. and honestly?? they deserve a semblance of peace godDAMmit.

The Way Down by @letteredlettered - 65k - T “and I thought that if someone talked to you as though you were a human being you might—maybe you could act like one” --the way i think about this line daily. the characterization of draco in this fic is one my favorites bc he’s earnest and neurotic and tired of harry’s shit. which is to say, he cares so so much. and harry doesn’t know what to do with that bc he’s got a monster in his chest and lives as a recluse. but they both humanize each other in ways no one else can. “you’re just a person” has to be some kind of drarry ethics of belonging and it makes me CRY. -

Little Deaths and How to Avoid Them by @greaseonmymouth and dustmouth - 96k - T “Maybe it’s not about deserving it? Maybe you just get to have it anyway. . .I’m allowing myself to want something and to let myself have it and to fight for it.” --harry runs a daycare and also works at a library. draco spends a lot of time in said library. they bond over sci-fi books and therapy anecdotes and quiet philosophical conversations held over cafeteria soup. and harry’s struggling to understand his asexuality. draco’s learning how to live with anxiety and depression. they both want to be deserving of love. incredible fic with beautiful art by dustmouth. - 

Open for Repairs by @drarrytrash - 35k - T “A few leaves rustle in the gutter and the muggle world pays no mind to them, to two lost boys holding on for dear life.” --all of their fics feel exactly like this. like you’ve been allowed to look at something private, tender, unexpected. draco, known abba fan, is a repairman in the muggle world & harry can’t stop breaking thrifted things in order to see him? say less, i'm thERE. also “I think I have a crush on you” goddddd  - other faves by them: Counting Down By Ten - 2k - T: draco’s stepped outside of the party for a smoke. harry follows him bc of course he does. i could read this 100 times and not get tired of it. - Clouds That Veil the Midnight Moon - 36k - E: FUCKING HILARIOUS I CACKLED THROUGH THE WHOLE THING. draco’s wolfy problem and harry helping him and harry being flustered by how much he likes draco and draco’s hot heroic moment. shutup it’s perfect. “He almost asks if Draco ever gets tired of being a miserable complaining shit all the time, but he knows that he, personally, never ever gets tired of being a miserable complaining shit.” and “It’s the traumas,” Harry says gravely” --lines that live rent free in my head -

Harry Potter and the Future He Doesn't Really Want, Thanks by seefin - 70k - E “That was the only logical thing to do here, wasn’t it? It was the next step, it was the end of hurting each other and the beginning of the exact opposite.” --harry lives with luna and neville and also he dreams about the future sometimes? and he keeps running into draco. draco thinks this is sus as hell, until he doesn’t. feat. taxi rides, museums, cinemas, rooftop conversations beneath a lunar eclipse, mid-sex innocuous banter, draco and harry discussing nicki minaj. this fic charmed my ass off. seefin writes the most effortlessly hilarious dialogues. i smiled at my phone like an idiot at least 7 times. -  other faves by them: Wild - 93k - E: “he liked feeling needed, for the things that he was needed for back at the house in Ireland. For cooking and gardening and driving. Easy things.” --this shit makes me cry it’s so good. harry lives in Ireland with these three brilliant, hilarious, wandless witches and draco’s a potions student who's come to study under one of the housemates and the boys have so much shit to work through but their love becomes so tender and honest. draco yells at harry a lot and harry lets him and they both keep each other grounded in something real and fuCK.  - Divination for Dickheads - 7k - G: “I’m terrible at having crushes. I’ve never played anything cool a day in my life.” -- oh harry, we knOW. a bus ride, a fortune teller, an aquarium birthday party. god i love this fic. -

Modern Love by @tackytigerfic​ - 61k - E “But we’ve worked so hard at this, haven’t we? Yeah, I know it’s a horror to have to talk about it, but fuck it. We’re friends now, but it took so long to get here. Have you ever had to work so hard at something before?" --the steady blossoming of their friendship in this fic is so goddamn beautiful i want to yell. it’s draco and harry learning to trust each other and the whole thing unfolds so slowly, in this whimsical mix of london streets, wizarding politics, church halls feat. a Hot vicar, and a magical antique shop owner who’s married to literal poseidon?? goD the environment of this fic. immaculate. [also there’s a tender shower scene that makes me cry every single fucking time so if you read this fic pls dm me so we can be embarrassing about it together tbh] -

Nice Things by aideomai - 22k - M “He kept waiting for the weird shock of touch to not knock him clean out of his head, leave him quiet and warm and happy.” --8th year. harry forms an unlikely friendship with draco that begins with smoking weed on a windowsill. harry is touch-starved and draco touches him like he touches all his close friends - like it’s easy. the quiet affection in this fic, the way harry burrows himself into touch bc he’s been without it for his entire life. reading this is like being held. -

Running On Air by @tinyhistory​ - 74k - T “do you remember when we were eleven?” --alexa play coldplay’s the scientist it’s sad girl hours and we’re about to fucking yearn. you’ve seen this fic rec on every drarry list under the sun and i'm here to be redundant. the hype is so goddamn real. this story is a lyrical masterpiece held together by lines that act as refrains that will rattle around your brain until you die, probably. draco’s been missing for 3yrs. harry goes to find him. it’s their odyssey of homecoming. -

Title of Their Sex Tape by @cibeewastaken - 12k - T “But Draco, Draco was everything but boring. Draco made sitting in the rain watching an empty house fun.” --auror partners pining and draco being eccentric and harry being very earnestly gay about draco’s eccentricities!! god this fic is so genuinely fun skskd feat. undercover missions, murderous faeries, a book heist, a stunning navy dress, harry’s eyelashes. -

How We Throw Our Shadows Down by @thistle-verse - 14k - T “Draco is about to say something else— to thank Potter for what he’d done, however poorly— but Harry is smiling at him again, and it’s so soft and perfect that Draco holds in any inadequate words, lest he spoil it.” --draco collects tea cozies and of course harry has the one he wants. the sad and tender gays are at it again feat. conversations in the rain at a train station, melancholy Blaise, muggle photos, wizarding e-bay, the Dursleys.  -

Helix by Saras_Girl - 92k - E “Draco sighs in his sleep and Harry clings on to consciousness, needing to hold on, to give this tiny, insignificant moment the attention it deserves” --I think maybe you can describe every soft Saras_Girl story as giving tiny, insignificant moments the attention they deserve. like, this is an 8th year fic about snails and it’s full of whimsy, grief, compassion, and easy humor. an absolute must-read author in this genre if you want languorous, episodic fics full of distinct OCs and affectionate creatures. - other faves by them: Light up the Night Sky - 98k - M “Draco, sometimes you make my head feel like soup” --the one where harry is a fireworks artist and has a pet chameleon named ken. draco is on the wizarding arts council. they both pine like hell. - Headlights in the Snow - 71k - M “they stare at each other in silence, Harry’s heart beating so loud in his chest that he thinks the biddies must be able to hear it over the sound of their card game.” --the one where draco drives the knight bus and carts around the biddy club, a group of rambunctious old ladies who knit and drink tea and gossip. harry can’t help but fall in love with the everything about this. -

Follow the Water by @xanthippe74 - 38k - T “Harry’s heavy thoughts lift at the sight, like dark clouds blown away from the sun by the wind. The tent doesn’t feel so cramped and stifling now. It feels cozy. And safe. It’s the same feeling that Harry gets when he’s at the Burrow for Sunday roasts, when a group of people who care for each other deeply are crammed into too-small a space.” --harry wanders to the lovegood house on a sunday afternoon. he’s baffled to see that luna’s taken pansy, greg, and draco under her wing. what follows is a summer of forest walks, scavenger hunts, gardening, water fights, odd cakes, faerie rings, and picnics. so many picnics. i love the pace of this fic, the innocent return to childhood things, the way luna brings out the best in all her friends. reluctantly soft slytherins are just *chefs kiss*!! -

Going Postal (A 125pg comic) by dustmouth - T what. a. beautiful. ass. comic. the wizarding fashion, the textures, the character design!! harry travels a lot for his job as a resourcer. draco works in the regulations dept. they pine like a bunch of lovesick idiots via field report notes. god i love dustmouth’s art. -

All the Earnest Young Men by @tepre​ - 29k - E “Draco is twenty-seven layers of personality wrapped up in drama and humour, and a wit so sharp it still stings when he doesn’t see it coming. But there is something below that, too. Something that makes Harry ache just looking at him.” --the way i would lay down my little life for tepre’s characterization of draco, whom invented the word earnest. he’s a magical art theory expert and portraits are disappearing all over London and harry’s the auror assigned to this case. and well. they’re both so very avoidant about how gay they are for each other and it’s like!! shutup and kiss!! which they do in fact, shutup and kiss.  -

Trenches by sara_holmes - 3k - M “Somewhere in the distant part of his mind that hasn't frozen solid, he thinks that maybe he and Draco are about to become more than auror partners, smoking buddies, wine-mates and co-inhabitants of a snow filled trench somewhere in western Scotland.” --the plot line here is literally “it’s cold and i need a fucking cigarette” but let me tell you how I never tire of the shared loaded-silences of two emotionally repressed gays. -

The Years Before Love by lomonaaeren - 13k - M “That’s one of the meanings of peace, he thinks, as Hermione hugs him...That he can do things slowly, softly, without worrying that they won’t be there tomorrow.” --andromeda taking harry under her wing and harry finding solace in teddy. narcissa and draco showing up and the tentative relationships that slowly develop in the quiet calm of andromeda’s house. found families and kisses in the snow and special xmas gifts ugh what’s not to love -

The Moon Looks Lovely Tonight by Omi_Ohmy - 35k - M “I want this to be a house where people are welcome, where they don’t have to be any one way or another” --in which harry collects lost things--owls, best friends, inept bakers, potions experimenters--and turns the mausoleum that is grimmauld place into a home. feat. your fave drarry tropes like shared-beds and reluctant waltzing partners. -

[part 1: thrillers | part 2: dramas | part 3: soft bois | part 4: wankbanks]

#drarry fic rec #drarry fic #soft drarry #OK FINE I RAMBLED BUT WHAT DID WE EXPECT #alexa play futile devices