i need the next climax already i have to draw conclusions about the songsss <-is going to make this about tori

I have seen your masterlist and (ignoring the soon top come) it needs more Leo fluff fics (read the rest multiple times already; some good freaking work)

If you don't feel like it that ist perfectly fine. I really just wanna throw something in here:

2k12 Leo ist pretty traditional so how would he be with the complete opposite as a s/o . Like "If your gotta, throw that katana" kinda vibe.

Anyhow, love your writing! Keep up the great work.

Have a lovely dayyy ok thx byyye<3

Sure, sorry for taking so long!

TMNT 2012 Leonardo x Reader - Unconventional

Summary: Leo grows to care for you, despite your lack of respect for tradition.

Warnings: Angst

If nothing else, you irritated Leo. He had spent hours arguing with Splinter, trying to appeal his decision to train you to be a kunoichi, fruitlessly, obviously. Those around the terrapin couldn't understand his distain for you. You were intelligent, out going, and determined, all traits that were well received in any other situation. In all honesty, Leo didn't understand it either.

----

"How's that lock coming, Donnie?" the leader asked his brother, a bit nervous.

"It'd be coming a lot faster if you'd quit asking about it." the tallest turtle snapped back, his tongue peaking out in concentration.

"Well, I'd love to just let you be," Leo responded rolling his eyes, only being halted by the need to defend himself from the android attacking him. "But currently I'm the only thing standing between you and the Kraang."

"So helpful." Donnie scoffed as he continued to struggle with picking the lock. He glanced over his shoulder to scan the room, finding you in the far corner, with your own set of problems. "(Y/N)! Come help me!" he shouted, instantly grabbing your attention.

"What's up?" you asked, skidding to your knees, behind the shield of Leo's shell.

"Can't get this lock open." he said, frustrated. "I need you to hold these two plates open so I can get into that control panel."

"You want me to stand here and hold this open for you? Don, I've gotta go help fight!" you argued.

As you both bickered about the importance of your time, Leo's eyes narrowed as the enemy forces suddenly drew back. From the other side of the room, a bay slowly began to open, giving an entrance to the room for a behemoth of a bot, which stomped into the room. "Um, guys? Maybe stop arguing and pick the damn lock?"

"Shit," you muttered, glancing back to see the new threat. "Donnie, I've got an idea-" You rushed to pick the last two arrows out of your quiver before plunging them into the panel, effectively securing the the plates open.

"That'll work." Donnie snickered, before getting back to it.

Now that one problem was solved, you had another entirely. Scanning the battle field, you found Mikey lying on the floor toward the center of the room, seemingly incapacitated, and Raph standing over him attempting to hold the menace off. Leo had since began to charge into combat with the droid, carving off bits of scrap metal wherever possible. And there you stood, lacking a weapon, but filled with passion to help your friends.

With little thought, you swiped Donnie's staff and back up before taking a running start and using it to vault yourself into the air. As predicted, you landed close to the monster, hanging from it's right arm. Leo's eyes widened as he watched you scale the thing as if you were climbing a tree. "What the hell are you doing?!" he shouted up at you, imagining all the ways you were going to fall off and hurt yourself. You ignored him, simply sitting at the back of the giant's neck, and doing anything you could to pull out as many parts and wires as you could.

While you did, the leader's attention shifted to the crevice that was opening with a fit of steam in it's chest, revealing a cyan glowing sphere. Donnie, now finished with the lock, turned to inform the team on his victory with guaranteeing their way out when he noticed the light, eyes wide. "Leo! That's the power cell, if you shut that off, the whole thing'll go down!" he shouted at his frozen brother, while patting himself with anything that he could throw, but turning up empty. Your ears perked hearing this. You had an idea.

"Throw one of your swords, Leo!" you called from the droid's head, dodging it's attempts to reach you. "Maybe if you throw it like a dart, you can hit the cell!"

Leo could feel his eye twitch with your interference. That's not how these tools were used and you should know that, but before he could protest, his younger brother piped up in agreeance. "Wait, that's actually not a bad idea. If you can throw it at precisely and 183 degree angle, it should be a direct hit, more than powerful enough to destroy the cell."

With reluctance, and a bit of distain for you and your ideals, Leo did as suggested, and just as predicted, the hit turned the tides of the battle in his favor.

-----

Back at the lair, after the fight had ended, and everyone's wounds were tended to, you, along with most everyone else were sitting in the living room relaxing and filling Mikey, Splinter, and April in on what had taken place. You were coated in honey glow listening to Raph regale the story, showering you, Leo, and Donnie with compliments- a rare occasion. "Oh, yeah you shoulda seen it, Mike. (Y/N) was sittin' on the back on that thing's neck just diggin' in, it was crazy!"

You modestly brushed it off as he began going into the details of Leo's finishing blow and you stood up to get a drink from the kitchen. You decided to treat yourself to some of Mikey's orange soda, pouring the off-brand liquid into a chipped glass, likely one of many that Splinter had salvaged from the trash.

"You shouldn't be drinking that, you're still in training, remember?" you jumped at Leo's stern voice, nearly dropping your drink before sighing.

"I think after the day we've had, I can cheat on my diet a little, right? Besides, you're all still in training and splinter lets you drink soda." you dismissed with a nervous laugh, hoping he'd drop the tough guy act. Sadly, he didn't.

"That's the problem with you."

"Excuse me?" you prodded, cocking an offended brow.

"You have no respect for us or our heritage or how we do things." he said flatly, crossing his arms and leering down at you, something he always did instill that he was superior.

"Heritage? Leo you're a fucking turtle. Being a ninja is separate from that. Anyone can be a ninja with the right amount of training, that's why Splinter chose to train me and April."

"You're not a ninja." he spat coldly turning to walk away. "You don't care about any of the principals that ninjutsu holds."

You felt tears prick your eyes. Why is he always so mean to you? It's so unfair, you do whatever you can think of to impress him, but he's always so disgusted with you. Sniffling you catch his arm to pull him back. "What is this really about?"

He freezes for a moment before relaxing his shoulders. "You don't do things the way they should be done, and yet you still get all the positive results. You use our tools like toys and still end up winning. It's disgraceful."

"Yeah well, my ideas kinda saved our asses today, so I guess your opinion doesn't really matter, now does it?" with that, you pushed passed him, making sure to shoulder check him on the way out of the kitchen, before sitting back down with your friends.

You pretended not to notice as he stared at you from the island, hunched over the countertop. He thought about how he treated you, usually much worse than he intended. It was hard to ignore how he was feeling, and he figured that maybe, blanketing it with hate might help. But if that's the case...why was the ache so much worse now?

Taglist:

@thelaundrybitch

Rating Rune Factory Wedding Dresses (Because I have some opinions)

Rune Factory (1)

10/10

I honestly think this dress is top tier in terms of design. The snowy white with pops of color, the scalloped flowy sleeves, the barely exposed shoulders, that lovely subtle headdress and veil, it's all so pretty and elegant to me. I believe it suits all the girls in RF1 beautifully, though I do feel like Tabatha (center) and Rosetta (right) are standouts~

Rune Factory 2

6/10

It's a very lovely design overall though I do think it creates a bit of an odd silhouette. There are still many elements to appreciate, like the lacey detailed edges and the bold but uncommon use of green. I also give them bonus points for containing a dress sprite of he/him character Ray (right) in the game's data (Trans RF character confirmed?) I think the dress best suits curvier girls like Yue (left) but it's also a real treat to finally see Dorothy's (center) lovely eyes~

Rune Factory Frontier

2/10

This dress really doesn't do it for me. I can tell they were going for more of a ceremonial robes vibe rather than a traditional wedding dress and from a distance it almost works but the outfit up close is just bulky and unflattering. Maybe if they fixed the headdress or gave the robe some really pretty accents or beading it could work, but as it is, it's probably the last thing I'd wanna be virtually married in. The one thing I do like is that it gives most of the girls a unique updo for their wedding day.

Rune Factory 3/RF3 Special

3/10

This used to be my least favorite RF wedding dress before that honor went to Frontier. The more I look at it, the more I realize that most of my disdain lies with the headdress and not the dress itself. The actual dress is fine, in fact there are some parts I really like, the sheer material on the upper arms for one, or the shawl, I just don't think it particularly looks like a wedding dress. That headdress though...oh boy, it looks like someone just glued a bunch of random sh*t they found to a headband and called it a day. It's just very cluttered and doesn't scream 'wedding' at all. If I have to pick a stand out it would probably be Raven (center) since her pose and hair color hide many of the design fails. Also Daria (right) because it seems like the sort of chaotic outfit she, herself would design.

Rune Factory Tides of Destiny/Oceans

5/10

This game didn't get the usual character portraits so the images aren't great, but my opinion on these dresses was very so-so, I definitely wouldn't call them ugly, and I do love the colors and rare use of a real bouquet, they just didn't seem to stand out all that much. Especially in terms of RF costumes. They seem a little bulky on the models but I honestly think they could have fixed that by just having character portraits. Not bad. Not great. Just middle of the road dresses. As standouts I'd pick Sonja and Electra (left and center). Their hair colors complement the dress and Electra is already suited to the poofy ballgown look anyway.

Rune Factory 4/RF4 Special

8/10

RF4's dress has a very ethereal, almost fairy-like look to it, which I personally find very gorgeous. It's pretty busy like many of the previous dresses, but unlike those, I feel like the elements here actually work together. The long flowy veil and blue rose accents are just beautiful, as is the detailed corset and neckpiece making up the torso. I'm not personally a huge fan of the flower petal looking design on the hips, but it does fit well with the whole aesthetic. As for standouts, It looks tailor made for Frey (left), but I definitely think taller, long haired girls like Dolce and Margaret (center and right) look amazing in it as well.

Rune Factory 5

9/10

I think this dress is beautiful as a whole, a bit more traditional and subdued than previous wedding outfits but personally I love it. The silhouette is flattering on everyone and the color scheme is unique among the other dresses by sticking with only warmer colors as opposed to the cool blues and greens of past games. I also love how the tint of the roses changes slightly depending on who's wearing the dress. All in all it reminds me a lot of the subtle elegance of RF1's dress and that makes it a win for me. For standouts I think Fukka's (center) complexion and hair go beautifully with the dresses colors. Ludmilla (right) also looks divine with the rosy aesthetic~

What's your favorite wedding look from the RF series? Who wore it best? Comment or tag if you feel like dishing some opinions of your own (Or just answer my poll ;)

hello 👋 do you have any south east asian pics in your folder? clothes or fabrics or hair. please can you assign them asoiaf houses or regions for funsies? i’m south east asian and i’m dying to see it 😍

Yesss I love southeast Asian fashion let’s go!

THIS IS SO OLD VALYRIA TO ME Thai fashion you will always be famous. The simple but elegant silhouette, the gauzy and silk fabrics, the intricate patterns and ofc all the of the detailed gold jewelry!!! Just imagine it giant dragon shaped crowns and ear cuffs and wrapping bracelets inlaid with gems and passed down as family heirlooms it’s too good. And the outfits themselves are perfect for the muggy and hot Valyrian weather but are still able to to exude elegance and give off a sense of power by the rich who are wearing them bc wealth is in the details!!

Vietnamese clothing my beloved I think this kind of fashion would be see on the outskirts of YiTi, (but not actually in YiTi bc ancient China is what I think of) so the close proximity would mean outfits are pretty similar. Loose pants/skirt with a loose shift, and then any number of extra skirts and robes (silk and embroidered for the rich, cotton and plain for the poor). But unlike YiTi there are not extra belts and drapes and other complex additions. Also hats!! these kind of circular hats for everyone bc the rich ladies need to keep pale skin also they live fairly close to the Red Waste

Myanmar is kinda of giving me Volantis honestly. Many can afford to dress finely bc they’re the richest of the free cities and a trade port, so skirts and sleeves are nice and long and jewelry is made from the finest metals. But since the weather is very humid and sticky, clothes are thinner and there are never more than two layers, with the under layer being made of something breathable. And outer layers are loose enough to catch a breeze. Since the city is very old and very crowded, the general vibe feels very cramped, leading people to wear a long silhouette, instead of a wider one

Traditional Laos clothing reminds me a lot of the Tokars worn in Ghischar and Slavers Bay. A simple straight skirt and sleeveless top (but well made and well decorated) with the addition of a long drape of fabric over one shoulder. The more expensive and longer the fabric is, the richer you are. Also lots of gold jewelry for an elegant look, probs inspired by Volantis since they’re rlly close (though maybe a little bit simpler than Valyria cause slavers bay is never going to reach that level of power soz)

And Indonesia is rlly giving me the islands and lands around Tyrosh and Myr. It’s a costal area in a hot climate so I feel like there is just a lot less need for a ton of coverage. Simply cut wrap skirts and dresses but the patterns man the patterns!!! So beautiful and have fringe and are just so unique 🫶 ALSO headdresses are very important for like religious ceremonies and weddings and such and it probably isn’t hard to get one since the Tyroshi are insane ab fashion (to me) and Myrish artisans are the best in the world so yeah

I have a question about CTDE zatanna's backstory. How do you interpret the medulla jewel? I mean both the impact it has on her story and powers. Also does the hidden city play a big role or not really?

zatanna nation alive and well in my inbox today... welcome... and you're activating my CTDE Ramble Mode 😭 here we go again (puts in a readmore) but thank you for asking!

god the fucking medulla jewel. i mean the thing is.

i MEAN. the THING is.

even DC didn't really seem to know how to interpret that thing. it's shown up like twice or whatever Back In The Day and it was all quite vague and then they stopped talking about it forever. so it never really crossed my mind as something i should factor in to be honest 😭 but now that it's been brought up i'm considering if it might be useful in some way...

well, CTDE Zee's power level has always been primarily a result of her immense experience (never ask a magician her age), which is plenty sufficient for my general purposes. her long training, lived experience, and intricate know-how are the main vehicle, wrapped around an engine of her raw magical power. taking the medulla jewel as a type of magical power source (as presented), it might serve as a means to support the immense pool of resources at her disposal...

primarily i would hate for it to be the Sole Culprit behind her strength since there are Other Reasons she's like this (lol) but i think it could definitely be a Factor (and help explain the truly Zany stunts Arc 3 demands of her, which are so immense they almost kill her lmao)

...i suppose there's a few ways to conceptualize it for my purposes without sundering the 'verse like for example

the jewel is an "innate source of magic" that actively supplies her with a constant flow of power

the jewel is a "battery" that passively stores excess power to be used whenever needed

the jewel is a "philosopher's stone" that transmutes base magic into effective spells directly, circumventing traditional casting methods/costs (essentially, casting for free)

the jewel is a "lens" that focuses magic and gives spells a buff to concentrated power, like a magnifying glass under the sun

something else or a combination

for my purposes and the role she plays in the AU, a combination of #2 and #3 feels more compelling to me than something like #1. Since the CTDE is running "magic always has a cost" rules, a big thing about zee's bad vibe is her non-committal relationship with actually paying—if the medulla jewel provides an innate "bank" of some magical resource, which she can choose to "trade" with the universe in order to immediately cast For Free, that suits her type just fine. her coin on a string for the vending machine of magic, if you will

but it should have a theoretical limit, so making it a "battery pool" that runs low Eventually and needs to recharge (by skimming magic off the world around her) is OK. how to manage her bank of resources—whether to do regular safe invocation or cosmic trickery or just cast from her cheater freebie pool—should be (at least in theory) a choice she makes when bending the universe around her

(her level is so immense that in like 99% of cases she could just freecast without thinking about it) (but the 1% of spells that she needs to Actually Think About is what we're concerned with preserving, so that's still okay)

if she has that funny thing built-in, she probably spent a lot of her training time refining and practicing how to use it and how magic interacts with it. which means she would probably have to Know About All Of That beforehand. which brings us back to the Hidden City Sindella Lore huh.

well when it comes to her parents and stuff, CTDE Zee does play the same general tune--so it's possible some variation of Sindella's Fun Battery Pack plot did happen. this part of the CTDE backstory i havent really delved into bc it hasn't been relevant/important to the main plot of the AU but honestly.... maybe it would be fun to tinker with those components and assemble something

if a variant version of that did happen and sindella was being used to power the hidden city's hidden city-ing, zee would know enough to refine her own Working Relationship with the Magic Brainstone. but also i did Simply Assume and mark sindella as "dead" in my chart earlier, so it probably didn't end much better for herBHJDJMKS

ahhh... we hardly knew ye...

if a version of that stuff happened its probably backstory/not SUPER foreground to her present-time CTDE storyline . since she has some other major shit going on nowadays . but it mightve still been a pretty important part of the backstory...hmm....

it might even prove useful for me down the road, in plotting some of the foggy areas, maybe? i could probably use a hidden city or two, they're convenient to have aroundHDHJBFD

(imagining fondly) the peak Evil Motherhood Theme moment of the CTDE will be when zee takes everyone back to the hidden city and is like Yeah so they sucked my mom DRY here and NOT in a good way. she Died! & theyre all like "ohhh. this is why youre like this"

haha no idk..hm... it's compelling. i'll have to think of a way to use it. if nothing else youve given me something to think about.... in my zee cave...

Howdy Ween🤠! How goes it? Enjoying the warmer weather I hope! (Edit: Starting writing this in my notes a while ago so I am personally sick of the warm weather now but if you like it then I hope that you're enjoying it! ☀️

I was hoping to request something with a human who enjoys building explosives, doing experiments with different chemicals put into fire: whether they are really productive or not remains to be seen. They don't do it in the base or around the kids for safety so probably out in all that dessert somewhere. Maybe they talk about them or record them for show. When they hear about Wheeljack from Bulkhead & Miko they're excited to meet him but they're nervous of new people. But they still wanna show him there stuff ya know? Bonus points, if you also think it'd be funny and it fits if not you don't have to, if it makes so much of a ruckus since they probably wanna impress Wheeljack that Agent Fowler calls in his traditional Agent Fowler fashion? "PRIME! What is going on down there!?"

I would like the story format but is headcannons works better for you that's fine. If decide you wanna write this, thanks in advance Ween!

(P.S.-I know this is really wordy but I promise when I send in a request it's 50% the story I describe & 50% vibes. It doesn't have to be exactly how I described it😅.)

Summary - Wheeljack and Miko go check out some explosives. Characters - Wheeljack Content - Gen Category - Scenarios Trigger Warnings - None

✎ A/N: I don't mind it if requests are wordy! There's always a chance that what you include in fics may help me come up with more ideas on how to write it.

[ Please do not repost, plagiarize, or use my writing for AI! Translating my work with proper credit is acceptable, but please ask first! ]

They were expecting Miko to show up once the rest of the team were called to assist them with the explosives. It was to be expected after all, Miko without explosives and action wouldn't be like her at all. Though part of them was beyond ecstatic to hear a familiar revving engine and see what looked to be the italian-flag racing towards them in the distance—later turning out to be Wheeljack—they forced all that excitement behind a calm and friendly demeanor once he skidded to a halt in front of them.

”Wheeljack!“ They exclaimed as he reconfigured himself into his rootmode, ”and Miko, too!“ they add as the respective girl stepped out from behind him. ”Thanks for showing up, but there isn't anything for the two of you to do. The team's finished loading all those explosives down there in the quarry, and I just have to do a bit of work on my end to ensure that things run smoothly.”

“That's fine, we came here to watch the show anyway.“ She explained.

”By all means, go right ahead—actually, Miko I'll need you to put these on real quick," and quickly, she was passed a pair of earmuffs and goggles before Y/N turned to the bot next to her. "Ooh, I don't think I have any earmuffs or protective goggles that are your size, Wheeljack." They chuckled.

"Don't worry 'bout me," he flicked his hand, "I've handled my fair share of loud noises before."

"Oh, right, right… You're out on the field alot…" They mumble, taking a clipboard from the trunk of their car, "I'll be detonating the explosives soon, so you won't have to wait long."

With a nod, he placed a hand on his knee and bent lower to look at the crates of supplies off to the side. A few particular crates had caught his attention with the bright yellow warning labels pasted all over the sides.

"What's this over here?" He asked.

Without batting an eye, Y/N responded: "Nondescript explosive materials."

"Gee, really?" Wheeljack deadpanned, "Couldn't tell."

They lowered the board and sighed, "Sorry, I'd rather not tell what it is—not while Miko's around anyway,—“

“Hey!”

”—I could get into a lot of legal trouble if you guys went around making explosives and setting them off without an ATF permit." They pause, "Assuming you guys would rat me out to the police, anyway…"

"D'you really take us for those kinds of people?" He chuckled.

“Just you guys? Specifically? No. Fowler? Absolutely.”

"Could you at least show us how it works?" Miko offered.

With a sigh, Y/N reluctantly continued, "I… Guess it wouldn't hurt as long as you can't get your hands on the specific chemicals themselves—and as long as you don't rat me out, my permit's at stake here..."

"Our lips are sealed." Wheeljack offered, even miming a zipping motion across his mouth.

With a hum, they shuffled past Miko, and over towards Wheeljack beside the crates. And there, they began sifting through some of the bags of chemicals, each plastered with big blocks of small, black text that either detailed warnings or the bag's contents. Curiously, the two had peered over Y/N's shoulder to try and make heads or tails of what they were doing.

"I just need a little bit of this nondescript powder, and if I ignite this tiny speck right here…"

The powder gave a loud very audible pop, leaving a small, black, smoking speck on the cardboard.

"And that's how it's going to go. Except… On a much larger scale. There's about 30 pounds of this stuff all the waaaay over there, each of them in a little water gel sack capsule, spread out across the supposed entrance of the mine."

"30 pounds?" Wheeljack blinked, "doesn't seem like much, and the mine's entrance is pretty deep."

"To you it might not, but just you wait." They smirked, "Appearances can be deceiving… But the explosives aren’t meant to reach the energon in the mine, it’s just supposed to pave the way to the energon since we don't have access to any larger pieces of mining equipment."

"Oh right, you're just loosening the rubble, yeah?"

"Yeah, and then you and the rest of the team will move in to clear it out, and depending on how it looks from there, I may have to plant some more explosives."

"Ya know that some energon veins can be deep-rooted into the soil, so if this mine is as big as everybody makes it out to be, you might have to adjust how many explosives to use and deep they go."

"Ok, ok, I gotcha... Say, you wouldn't be interested in helping me with these explosives, would you?" They offer, "I could really use your expertise."

"Sure thing, don't see why not." he nodded.

"Great! Now, is everyone ready?"

"Yeah, fire in the hole!" Miko exclaimed.

Y/N nodded and with the simple click of a button, a ground-shaking boom had errupted from the quarry with a mushroom cloud sprouting into the sky to boot. Gradually, the quaking had ceased and as the cloud was barely beginning to clear, Y/N turned to the two with a haughty grin.

"Whatever you mixed up has a pretty impressive blast radius despite the quantity," Wheeljack whistled.

"Oh, the quantity has nothing to do with the explosion, it's actually the concentration of the material that affects the scale of the explosive itself." They explained. "A little goes a long way, as they say."

"I see, mind if I take a closer look? I think if I run out of explosive cores for my grenades, I bet could make something like this work…"

"Well, so long as Fowler won't be on my back for this, then no, I don't mind—it's called ANFO, it's packaged in water gel since it's soluble in water. It's not as sensitive as dynamite but—hey—please be careful!"

"Yeah, don't worry 'bout it chief… Now what's this ANFO stuff made from exactly…?“ Haphazardly, he shoved the lid off the crate, ”A bit of… What's this now?"

"I-I told you to be careful!" They screeched, "If the powder gets between your joints, the friction could cause it to ignite!”

“Right, right… Human things aren't that sturdy…”

I've been feeling discouraged about my art recently. Could you possibly give me some tips?

Ok I wanna preface this by saying I am by no means a professional or even "good" artist, BUT I shall try!

These are all tips by a digital artist so I can't help much when it comes to other forms

This got long so under the cut, 20 ART TIPS TIME LETS GOOO

1.Try to draw most days, or at least once a week. The more often the better BUT I don't mean like hardcore, a complex drawing every single day (recipe for burnout right there). I mean like even just 30 seconds of SOMETHING. You can draw shapes, maybe fill a page with circles. There are programs u can find online that give you like a min to sketch something and challenge yourself in a really short time frame. Guess what?? When you draw often you're building those neural pathways (I think) and the more you do it the easier it'll get

2. Don't obsess over making stuff look perfect on the first draft... or at all. I recommend making a "draft" layer or 2... or 3 over the initial sketch. The more you go over it and change stuff, the better it'll be. Also, If you spend hours on it and still hate it?? Who cares! You put in the work and now you have an idea out on paper that you can go over some time in the future and improve if you chose to.

3. DON'T DELETE STUFF!!! Unless it's literally just mindless scribbles, save everything you draw. Like I said, you can go over it again and improve it someday. You can also look back at it in like a year and compare your art to see where you've improved! I deleted all my old art from beyond like a year ago and regret it so much. Don't berate yourself for the stuff you need to work on, be proud of what improvements you've still made

USE REFERENCES!!!!!!! Please just do it, I know it's annoying but I promise it helps so so much

4. Invest drawing tablet, preferably one with buttons that you can map to undo, sketch, fill and such. This will make drawing sooooo much easier (and faster). My quality of art has improved just from drawing the same thing and redoing it like 20 times at a time, and it takes way less time when I can just click a button to do that. It might seem daunting at first but it quickly becomes instinctual. This is the one I got and I'm quite happy with it! It's got good sensitivity, a pen you don't have to replace batteries for or even recharge, and it's mid-range so not wayy too expensive. However, if you're just starting out, I'd recommend this (I got the corded version but I assume it's about the same) since it's small, cheap and you can focus on just learning basics like improving lines n such.

5. Use a bigger canvas size. I started out with 1000x1000, and that's still fine for smaller stuff and doodles, for better quality I recommend bigger sizes. If it's too small it'll look all weird and pixel-y

6. THERE ARE LITERALLY SO MANY FORMS OF ART, maybe the one you're trying just isn't something you vibe with! There's mosaics, digital, traditional (and all the many sub-categories of that), sculpture, photography, etc. All are equally valid and you will improve in your craft if you choose something that 1. you enjoy, 2. are consistent with it!

7. SEGEMENT OUT THE LIMBS drawing DCA stuff for over a year has helped me improve on anatomy sooo much literally just because it forced me to think of each part of a limb in terms of segments, shapes- for instance, instead of an upper arm, I think of a tube which connects to a circle that allows it to rotate and another tube... followed by a weird shape for a hand that connects 5 smaller tubes, whiCH ARE THEN SEPERATED IN TO 3 TUBES EACH. Yes it sounds confusing but breaking it down like that instead of just trying to figure things out helped an absolute shitton

8. Have some kinda hobby that makes you draw frequently. For instance I have a discord sona I draw a new pfp for every month or so. It's a simple design and since the pfp won't show many flaws I can pump out lots of art for it in a small timeframe and I find it relaxing. I've actually improved a shitton just drawing pfps This is one of my first pfps from maybe 2 yrs ago compared with one of my most recent ones

(yes I'm a bit of a furry deal with it) It's cute, there's nothing wrong at all with it! However, you can see how things have changed.

See how the lines are a lot more even, less jagged? The proportions of the shoulders are much wider, the ears aren't just popping out of the hair, the shading makes a bit more sense and isn't just thrown around at random. There's also a broader range of color, with a few bright highlights to catch the eye, colored shading I think as well. The former is just like 3 simple colors. These are all things I learned from drawing pfps consistently.

9. CONSISTENCY IS KEY!! And FUN, if you have fun drawing it'll be a lot easier to do frequently

10. Whether it's drawing pfps, blorbos or landscapes, find something that brings you joy and it'll be MUCH easier to stick to. Draw, draw a lot, do not worry about "good" art and "bad" art cause there's literally no such thing. Compare what you draw now with what you do in like a year or two from now and I promise, if you're consistent, use references and are patient, you WILL amaze yourself with how much you improve.

11. Challenge yourself! Join secret santas (assuming you know you can complete it within the allotted timeframe), draw your friends' sona/ocs (if they're cool with it), do palette challenges, do monthly stuff like drawtober or whatever it's called (BUT I don't recommend doing something every single day for a month cause again, gonna cause mega burnout)

12. Draw when the inspiration comes, it will move your hand. These days I make much better quality art that I'm proud of when I just let inspiration flow through me instead of begrudgingly making myself draw. You shouldn't be forcing yourself!! If you are, you probably are burned out by either drawing too much, feeling a lack of confidence or some other stuff going on irl. Inspiration comes naturally, and when it doesn't it's prolly your mind trying to communicate that something's up. If resting a week or two doesn't help, take a deeper look at your life and see if the artblock is a symptom of something else (for me it's most often depression).

13. At the same time, sometimes you just need to start. Kinda on the previous point of lacking confidence, often we scare ourselves out of even trying. It might feel insurmountable. Nah, try. If all you can do is a wobbly, vague sketch?? You got the idea out!! Start drawing fuckin eyeballs or something, just start. Sometimes the hardest part is just facing a blank canvas and putting a couple lines on it

14. Not all brushes are equal. Some just make drawing easier- at least for me. I dunno the science behind it but when I use my sketch brush (it's got a similar look to pencil) rather than my lineart brush it makes drawings just... look better. Also using thicker lines in general helps. Why?? NO CLUE, maybe thinner ones just show flaws easier or intersect better or something.

15. Music or some other distraction can help, idk why. Some days I like to have a movie/show/podcast going in the background for a mild distraction that keeps me slightly stimulated on other stuff even as I draw- maybe it increases brain activity or??? No idea. Sometimes just listening to music. Sometimes I need total silence. Do what works for you! Give lots of different stuff a try, you may love drawing while listening to a podcast in the background

16. Take breaks!! The pomodoro method works with art as well. Every 25 mins or so, take a 5 min break. Get up, stretch, get some water, maybe watch a yt vid. Call ur friend and tell them you love and cherish them. Then get back to it and you will feel oh so refreshed. After maybe 3 rounds take a 15 min or longer break and then repeat if you still feel like it

17. SLEEP IS INCREDIBLY FUCKING IMPORTANT you will see a deep decline in the quality of your art when you're tired, plus you just feel like shit and art is about feeling good and expressing yourself. Sleep is important, even tho yes I stay up too late drawing most nights, I do my absolute best to get at least 7 hours of sleep every night, as should you!!

18. DO NOT BE SCARED OF STICK FIGURES AND MESSY SKETCHES, they're actually the best way to start bc 1. it's a quick way to get an idea out before you forget it 2. the finished piece will actually look a lot more fluid since you weren't spending all that time obsessing over making the first draft look perfect- which often just makes it look stiff. You can do a whole lot with stick figures. Focus on that good ol' line of action.

19. Random but when drawing the face, I like to first make a circle and then like a "mask" over it for the actual face. For me it just makes sense. Then two lines, one up/down and one left, right, it'll make it easier to align the eyes and ears. In general, the ears usually go where the "mask" begins and just below the left/right line

20. Finally surround yourself with people who encourage you. I grew up in an environment where people would gawk at stuff my sibling drew and ignore me bc they were ~naturally talented~ and it made me not want to draw at all.

Well guess what?? Now that I spend time with people who encourage me and genuinely care about my interest in art I've improved a lot bc I have the motivation, the joy of showing ppl who care about me new pieces. If people in your life aren't encouraging you, or gods forbid insulting your art (excluding constructive criticism that you've explicitly asked for) then TOSS EM OVERBOARD THE BOAT OF LIFE and find people who will treat you with the love and respect you deserve

P.S

This isn't a tip, just a recommendation: Chicory, a colorful tale. It's a game where u play as a cute lil dog who gets a magical paintbrush that lets you color the world. The only issue? You have no ~talent~. My gods, this game struck a cord with me.

Feeling like you don't have any talents that come naturally to you. Being overlooked even when you try your best. Feeling like a complete joke when you try to pick up the brush (or in this case stylus) because there are so many "real" artists and you're not one of them.

Also the things people say and how they can affect you even when not intentional. Damn. It's just a beautiful game. It's made by the same people who made Wandersong, another absolute banger game with a character who is seen as a joke and I cannot recommend them enough.

bonus tip bc why the fuck not: OVERLAYS!!!!!!! In clip paint studio you have all these layer options, I can never memorize what they all do so I just make like an ombre color layer over my base colors and try all of them to see what looks cool

What if the tokyo revengers cast were in a danganronpa killing game? Who would be the blackends, survivors, and victims.

Ok I've given it a bit of thought and have come up with this, a lot of them do have multiple placements though since I think it could go a few ways (also a quick warning, there will likely be a few danganronpa spoilers in here)

Takemichi- Survivor, I mean could we give him anything else? He had major mc vibes and is sure to make it to the end. He especially fits the danganronpa mc vibe since he also has that whole "I'm just a normal person, not as great as all these other students" vibes. He'd likely get a lot of character development and lead the group towards victory against the mastermind.

Hina- Victim, I'm sorry but the track record of the potential love interest surviving in these games are awful. She's bound to be a victim here, I could see someone taking advantage of her kindness to lure her into a trap.

Mikey- Killer, we already know that he's susceptible to dark impulses. Well I think these would be especially bad watching people he cares about as the game goes on. I feel like he starts off fine but as people keep dying his dark impulses get worse until he finally snaps.

Draken- Either survivor or victim, I think he could fit into either category here. There's a good chance he could get targeted in the killing game because of how strong he is along with his position to Mikey (if they were in the same one) but he's also strong enough to survive.

Chifuyu- Survivor, I think he would get through it, he's definitely both physically and mentally strong enough to.

Baji- Killer, now I don't think he'd kill in your traditional sense but he'd be more likely to kill in order to protect someone else or he'd pull a Gundham and kill to protect the group.

Mitsuya- Either victim or survivor, again I could see him being either. Mitsuya's very nice so I think he'd be popular among the other students but that popularity could be a double edged sword.

Hakkai- victim, compared to other characters i just can't see him being a survivor.

Pah- Killer, unfortunately he's easily provoked, I think in a moment of rage he would do it (as seen in the Osanai incident).

Peh- Killer or survivor, we've seen that Peh can be easily tricked so I think he could be tricked into killing someone. Or I could also see him having a strong will after Pah dies and continuing on until the end and escaping.

Kisaki- Killer or survivor, ok I think it's fairly obvious that Kisaki is capable of killing. However I think he could possible survive by using others to actually commit the murders while he's just the one planning them meaning he avoids the title of blackened.

Hanma- Survivor, I feel like this is a controversial one because you'd expect him to be a killer but I think he'd just be so interested by the killing game he wouldn't want to kill but just watch the other. Could be a potential Byakuya/Nagito/Kokichi by messing with the trials and lying to make them harder and more interesting to him.

Smiley- Killer, I actually feel like it's not because he wants to fight but because he thinks he's protecting Angry by doing it. Like maybe he heard someone was going to target Angry (could be just a rumour Kisaki came up with) and so he kills the suspected person first.

Angry- Survivor, I think he'd be heavily protected by his brother here, also add this with how strong and nice he is and he'd probably survive.

Mucho- Killer, we've already seen he's willing to kill.

Sanzu- Killer, he'd probably do it for Mikey

Emma- Victim, similarly to Hina she's just likely to be targeted.

Naoto- Victim or survivor, I feel like he'd be actually useful in the trials so he'd be a big priority for a killer to get rid of.

Inui- Victim, ok here me out here i know he's strong but he's also a loner aside from Takemichi and Koko, not interacting much with the group so I think that would make him easier to separate and kill, maybe making him a target.

Koko- Survivor, despite not being as physically strong as some of the others we've seen Koko navigate his way through the gang life and plenty of dangerous people before, even as a kid. So I think he'd get through this.

Yuzuha- Survivor, she just really gives final girl/ Survivor vibes.

Taiju- Killer, do we need an explanation here??

Kazutora- Killer or survivor, I could see him either killing someone in a panic (like with Shinichiro) or i could see him surviving with the rest of the group, especially after Baji's death.

Izana- Killer or survivor, similar to Kisaki, he could get his hands dirty or I could see him using others to kill for him.

Kakucho- Victim or survivor, he could fit either.

Mochi- Victim, I think he could be targeted due to his size and physical strength. Though I don't think he'd actually kill since he seems to have some kind of honour code.

Shion- Victim, he'd probably boast about how he'd definitely survive and then be the first to be killed.

Ran- Killer, oh dear the Haitani's would definitely hate the idea of being locked in a school the rest of their lives. Him and Rindou would likely team up to lock joints and beat someone to death, though since Ran would be the one giving the killing blow then he'd be the blackened.

Rindou- Survivor or victim, I could see him either be killed in revenge for what he did above. Or I think it would be pretty cool to see him have a kinda Fuyuhiko arc where he tries to gain back everyone's trust and fit in with the group, getting character development after his brother's death.

South- Killer, I think this is fairly obvious

Senju- Either victim or survivor- i just really think she could fit in either group, she kinda gives me Hina vibes actually (danganronpa Hina not tr Hina).

Wakasa- Victim, if there's alcohol in this one then he likely dies while drunk, especially since he tends to pass out in random places.

Benkei- survivor, ok ngl I can't even explain this one he just kinda gives me survivor vibes for some reason.

Shinichiro- Survivor or victim, I think he'd play a leadership role similarly to Takemichi, the only difference being I think he'd take more of an active role with it (like taka) which could put him at risk.

Takeomi- Survivor or victim, on the one hand he seems to gain a fair few enemies but he's also very smart and supposed to be good with tactics so I could see him using that to get out.

The Rokesby books, the Smythe-Smith Quartet and the two short story books from the Bridgerton-verse were right there to be adapted but they wanted to do Queen Charlotte. Why? Don't know.

I was happy to just have a Kanthony honeymoon special. It didn't have to be six episodes. Just a two hour one would have been fine.

I would pay for a Kanthony honeymoon special!! And so would the rest of the fandom.

I get it, Queen Charlotte is Shonda's pet project and it's not like Bridgerton viewers did not want to see the backstory of what happened between her and King George, because we do, Queen Charlotte is an intriguing character in and on her own.

But at the same time it feels disrespectful to fans, who were waiting for the announcement of who is playing Sophie, or even a glimpse of the Polin season, only to get a lot of Queen Charlotte 'a Bridgerton story' promo material instead. Did we even get this amount of promo for Saphne or for Kantony??. last time I checked fans were given the Kanthony moving portraint AFTER s2 was released. Again, I assure you, I'm going to watch the QC spinoff, because in general I like period dramas and I think any colaboration with Julia Quinn probably has good writing (trust me, if it's as bad as Reign, you will hear my one sentence review of 'its as bad as Reign' but we all know it wont be).

Still, I'm allowed to point out this marketing strategy feels like a lot like gaslighting and taking advantage of the Bridgerton audience to push a spinoff that a lot of viewers wouldn't have felt interest in, if it didn't have 'A Bridgerton story' tacked on to it as a slogan. (Since a lot of people who don't like period dramas do watch Bridgerton, including my 40yo uncle and my grandma)

And maybe it's just me, because I've been listening to too much "slow burn" by Jmaya. But what is up with Hollywood romanticizing tragedy in love stories. It's a bit harder to watch a love story in any period drama where you know that one of them is going to either die or end up with Alzheimers. (yes I'm talking about Reign again, we all knew Mary was going to outlive Francis and we still fell for it anyway)

Which is, why I think Julia never wrote a full book for Violet and Edmund as part of the Rokesby series. Edmund dies, no amount of romance and epic storytelling will erase the enormous letdown that is knowing he dies and she has to move on with their 8 kids. But in the Bridgerton universe, Edmund and Violet's tragic love story has a purpose! It serves to give the 8 siblings something to hope for, an example of love to emulate, it's also the root of their insecurities and fears. With Queen Charlotte even that kind of payoff would not really be much of a consolation. (Yes she does get the guy and the crown, but if my history lessons don't fail me, her eldest son was..well, George IV.)

Which is why I do hope we get to see young Edmund and his older sisters Billie, Poppy and Georgiana. the whole 'going back where it all began' is the slogan for the Rokesby series anyway. It's kinda weird that Queen Charlotte is getting the tagline.

As a show it does look good, there is a certain snazzy romantic vibe to the trailer that I love, also Michelle Fairley is on it!. And we all know that any show where Michelle plays a disproving matriarch obsessed with upholding tradition, is going to be attention worthy. I am sure that once I watch it I will have lots of positive things to say about it.

But I would be able to enjoy Queen Charlotte as a stand alone so much more, if I didn't know Shonda and Netflix was purposefully starving the fans for Bridgerton content in order to create more interest in the spinoff. Like a cheap trick in a magic show, it makes the whole thing a lot less dreamy.

And that's the tea

Hey! I love your Beetlejuice stories on A03, all of them are wonderful. Do you have any tips on writing the Maitlands? You write them so well, keeping them sweet while giving them depth.

you're so sweet! this got super long so its under a cut. please keep in mind that these are my interpretations of canon and you might disagree and that's totally fine!

Lemme break these into specifics for each one cause while theyre a matching set and should not be separated they're also pretty different! Barbara- the more out going one between the two of them, more willing to jump into new situations. i think of her as someone adam can lean on, and because of that their marriage is a little non traditional, despite what beej might say, since she's the one more likely to do things that scare her and sort of lead the two of them. barbara should be sweet, empathetic, and very patient, but also willing to put her foot down when it matters. she's a doormat no more. between the two of them, she's the one more interested in arts. while she might not like making pottery i think she's the more creative one - she apparently also started and gave up oil painting (the painting she smashes) i read her as someone who comes from religious trauma but that also might just be me putting my own baggage on her. she just feels like someone who would/could have been more outgoing if she hadnt been raised in a very traditional way, where women are a step below their husbands. i dont think that believe holds true in her marriage obviously but it's engrained to some degree that she needs to behave like the perfect wife/mother. this could also be part of where her anxiety about being a mother stems from (this part obviously is VERY personal to me and her character may not read that way to you, i acknowledge this i headcannon territory here) she's also willing to push adam into things that make him nervous, because she does want her husband to stand up for her. (that moment when beej is having his soliloquy, if you watch her she's arguing with adam and telling him to say something to beetlejuice, and that's the reason why adam interrupts him) in general i think she finds things that are odd and unusual to be more funny and interesting than scary - her laughing at beetlejuice's antics in the attic a lot come to mind. Adam - the more shy one. adam is someone who i read as having a fairly heavy degree of social anxiety (there are strangers downstairs! i didn't like strangers when i was alive-) and because of that he tends to overthink and be in his own head too much. adam's fatal flaw might be that he wants to sit down and puzzle through things instead of reacting. while it's good to keep a clear head sometimes you do need to react in the moment and stand up for yourself (which he learns by the end! go adam!!!) adam loves working with his hands. while barbara creates, adam maintains. he restores furniture and does woodworking. i do like to mix movie adam with musical adam a bit, because in the movie adam owns a hardware shop, and i think that vibe also fits musical adam as well. adam leans on barbara a lot - when beej is asking them to hire him, he looks helplessly to barbara, and he's always willing to follow her lead. in a sense she wears the pants, but it doesn't read as emasculating to me - barb's strength is leading and adam's is supporting. does not like to yell or wish people unwell. THAT GUY!! NEEDS!! therapy, i hope he gets the help he needs :( to me this, combined with him honestly thinking beej might be his dad for a moment, reads as someone who had a very turbulent early childhood. a negligent or possibly abusive father who disappeared early enough in his life that adam doesn't remember his face. maybe he doesnt like to yell because that's what his own father did, and he doesnt want to be like his dad. he wants to be better than that. his not knowing his father could also lead into his fear of becoming one - he didn't have a strong father figure growing up, and he's never had that behavior modeled for him

The Maitlands as one - they should be like two halves of a whole. barb might lead, but she never steps on adam. adam might support, but his own impute is never stifled. barbara will encourage adam to be more brave and outgoing. adam will help barbara keep her temper or talk through things that frustrate her. they're so in love it's kinda gross.

Can you tell a little more about the future AU May and June and their adoptive parents?

feverish and not even sure where that doodle came from. here's some odds and ends tho

people assume the fashion designer would like everything Just So, all neat and tidy, and the long haul fisherwoman who's off sailing for moths would be fine with controlled chaos

dead wrong

the INSTANT May docks in Duckburg her anxiety spikes because she can just FEEEEEL June's messy work space

May dropping off a bucket of sea serpent scales, filling the bucket with soapy water, whipping out a mop and dust pan, and attacking her little sister's room with all the wild, furious intensity of someone trying to bail out a sinking ship

Donald likes helping but usually gets tangled up in the vacuum cord at some point

June hides booby traps for May to find in her messes. Just to have a little fun

You know how much she's been missing her sister by how many and how complex the traps are

While May is busy cleaning (and clearing) her room, June has a tradition of going on May's ship and hiding nice little nick-knacks all over it- a cool rock, a candy bar, a cursed knife Webby brought home from her last adventure... just fun surprises to break up May's extremely regulated life at sea

Daisy knits May a new wool sweater every year, and May always tears up when she get it

Donald not only has a dozen pictures of all his kids in his wallet, he also has pictures of May's first catches and allllll the clothes June has ever designed.

He talks to May about sailing to make sure she's being safe and doing okay- He listens to June talk about clothes design and construction afterwards, to calm down and distract himself from thoughts of May fighting sea monsters.

June understands that fashion trends are a thing but since they're a thing that doesn't often align with her interests she chooses to ignore them and just make what she likes

She never gets super well known as a result and doesn't mind at all

Miss Glamour admires her confidence and ends up hiring her as an assistant after Daisy starts up her own business- which nobody understands, since June doesn't cater to Glamour at ALL and the vibe is more "doting grandmother happily has tea with her headstrong and irreverent grandchild"

Daisy and June do mother-daughter martial arts exercises every morning and evening, before and after work, to stave off the carpel tunnel, and Daisy still has no idea how she survived so long without it

May tries keeping a logbook while out sailing but usually ends up writing another paperback spy novel instead (penname: Gray Gullson) 

Beakly is a BIG fan

Beakly has no idea why May keeps wanting to have teatime chats with her about the old spy days but enjoys them quite a bit in any case

June kindly pretends not to understand why her sister needs to know if you could sew secrets or poisons into dress

and she puts May’s latest novel draft back into its hiding place when she accidentally finds it

...

she also edits the draft for spelling mistakes and leaves suggestions in the margins, in May's own handwriting, knowing it'll freak her sister out when SHE finds it

they make an effort to be together for the anniversary of Black Heron's "disappearance" (June paradropped onto May's ship from the Sunchaser once) but still aren't sure how they're supposed to spend it

they always call or visit with Daisy and Donald the day afterwards though

"...you ever think about what we would do, if she came back?"

"Disappoint her, probably. We're not exactly super villains."

"Yeah...."

"..."

"I hope we'd fight her."

"I think we would. I mean, if she tried to hurt mom or dad..."

"Or Webby or the Sabrewings."

"The boys too."

"Ducks and McDucks. Beakly."

"Launchpad."

"Gyro?"

"I guess pretty much anyone, really."

"We do have a lot of people to fight for these days."

"Maybe she'd be proud of us for that?"

"..."

"..."

"Probably not."

"Well I'm proud of us."

"Yeah. Me too."

"And I wouldn't trade Donald or Daisy for anything."

"Never."

"Ever."

"..."

"...I miss them."

"Same. Let's go home."

I love your fem nostalgia stuff on ao3! Do you by any chance have some headcanons for them?

Anon you have no idea the kind of pandora box you just opened. Sure, I got some!

Fem! Onodera:

She was raised from a very young age to become the spitting image of the ideal japanese wife (yamato nadeshiko) by her mother (her father doesn't mind as much and is fine with who she is already). While she appears to be one at first glance, due to the feminine way she dresses (the kind of feminine a japanese man would like, i.e., modest), she is far from being a traditional woman.

For starters, she sucks at domestic chores. Just like canon Ritsu, her place is a mess. Her cooking skills are a bit more "refined" (her mom pushed her to learn how to cook as a way to become the perfect wife and mother), but it still leaves much to be desired (she is the kind of person who would burn the water).

Also, just like canon Ritsu, she was involved in an arranged married with her childhood friend and the only child of the Kohinatas (Akkun??? Yeah, let's go with that name for now). However, he was already aware of Ritsuko's umm...sapphic inclinations, and is very supportive of her. He is the one who called off the engagement, as Ritsuko's mother has always been more willing to listen to him instead of her own daughter.

As for her name, Ritsuko, I went with that since all sources I found about Ritsu as a name said that it's a guy's name (I'm aware that there are female characters named Ritsu). Also, I've heard that "yamato nadeshiko" women typically have names ending in -ko, so it was perfect.

Her job makes her prefer outfits that prioritize comfort over aesthetics. Even so, she is a fan of fashion (particularly couture fashion), and she likes to try on different outfits when she is all alone. Okay, MAYBE Takano has helped her a little with these "fashion shows" but you get the idea.

Speaking of fashion, she definitely has some lingerie in her closet (think of the most lacey, cutesy, and girly lingerie you could ever image). There is no big reason as to why she has them, she just thinks it makes her look cute. These are hidden as much as possible so that no one can find them.

Just like canon Ritsu, Ritsuko is a literature person. Her favorite genres are mystery and historical fiction.

 Fem! Takano:

Not many differences with canon Takano. Because of her upbringing, she is a very independent person and is not under the pressure to get married and have kids, unlike most japanese women (read: Onodera).

This is more of a general thing: all the Emerald girls (yes, they're all girls in my AU) have different "female tropes" vibes. In Takano's case, she gives femme fatale vibes. While she can be intimidating as a boss (and the reason why she might be seen as one), Takano is a sensitive woman. Onodera knows this better than anybody else.

I named her Masami in my AU. Technically, the feminine version of Masamune is Masako, but I didn’t want to use too many names ending in -ko. Masami is a name with a plethora of writings. In this case, I like this version: 雅美, it means “elegant beauty”. I think it fits her just right.

She never gave too much thought about her sexuality back in high school. There were a lot of guys who liked her, and she even got some confessions and love letters from them. The other girls would say that she was very lucky, but she didn't feel like it was like that. It wasn't until Oda came into the picture that she went "shit I'm gay".

She still has one of the books she borrowed from Onodera back in high school. Ritsuko has completely forgotten about it. You can see it on Takano's bookcase.

Takano is the type of person who could wear anything and would still look good. She shows up in a hoodie and some sweatpants and other women at Marukawa are like "omg fashion icon!!".

You bet your ass she sends Ritsuko pictures of cats snuggling together and write something like "look it's us". She isn’t planning on stopping anytime soon. Actually, Onodera doesn’t her want her to stop either.

These are some I have for now, hope you like them :)

Okay so I want to preface this by saying I AM NOT A MIDNIGHTS HATER. But recently I was listening and I was like "maybe the haters have points" because it feels like Taylor's most mid album? The highs are not as high and the lows are not as low.

For example, we as a fandom are obsessed with Maroon. I was listening and it's def a standout but at the same time if I had to give it a rating it would be like a 7/10. On a traditional Taylor album the average song is a 7/10 for me. It's good. I dont know what would make it better. But it definitely could pop off more. It feels almost like Taylor (ad her producers really) have found a standard sound and songwriting style and nothing super stands out for the better or worse. Oh wow Midnight Rain is so funky. But is it at the top or bottom of Taylor's discography like most unique songs? No one is fighting like they do for false god.

This may 100% be me being like "it's fine" about the midnights vibe but also I don't see people go crazy over it like they did for the other albums

okay this is an entirely fair take to have. i will absolutely say that the lows are lows for me (snow on the beach and glitch are two of my least favorite songs of all time i won’t lie).

i also genuinely enjoy all the work she does with jack (i know that there are people who don’t like everything they do because they do sometimes have a formula that works for them) and i do think they experimented a lot with the midnights songs, which some paid the hell off. like lavender haze took me by surprise the first few times i heard it but it so absolutely fucks. maroon is so funny to me because i’ll go a while without listening to it and be like, is this one really as good as i thought it is? and then im listening to it on repeat for an hour lmao. midnight rain has been a top 5 from the album since my first listen i won’t lie. i adore its funkiness. and i hate false god 😮‍💨

also aaron’s songs on the 3am version are pure perfection to me 10/10 no notes

Witchy review #1: Year of the witch

Author: Temperance Alden Length of the book: 186 pages

Verdict: Not what I was expecting, more basic witchcraft than actual facts about the wheel of the year and how to personalize it.

Would I recomend the book? Depends on what you're after. If you are into gardening you might appreciate this book, since she focuses a lot on that - her tips are very basic though (even I knew most of them). She puts a much magickal focus on growning your own food; sometimes as offerings for e.g. Samhain.

Description: I bought this book because I wanted to straighten out some questions I had about the wheel of the year; like, what celebrations do I connect to? How do I want to celebrate them? etc... Since this book advertised about making your own wheel through intuition I thought this would be a perfect fit! Unfortunately consists more than half the book of basic magick, like: what does the elements stand for?/ how do you set up an altar?/ the zodiac... Not really what I was looking for.

What I do appreciate about the book is that the vibe is pretty lax; Temperance writes out rituals, but points out that if there's something in it that you don't vibe with there's nothing wrong in changing it. We love a witch that is pro-personalized craft!! She also brings up blood magick, which is fun! It's a little basic, but still ^^

When Temperance finally starts to write about the different witchy holidays it's only 6 pages at most, and it's almost 100% based on a celtic/ wiccan perspective. The chapters mostly contains a short explanation of the mythology behind the holiday (here's where the wicca comes in, with e.g. the Holly king and the Oak king). After that she'll write something connected to the holiday; at Samhain she writes about ancestor- and spiritual work, and at Lughnasadh she writes about the connection to bread in the french revolution. Temperance rounds up every chapter with a short ritual for the season; like one to let things go, or maybe a dumb (/quiet) supper. Out of all of these her Mabon ritual (pick apples and drink warm apple cider) was the one that spoke to me the most - maybe because Mobon easily passes me by, and now I have something to remember it.

After Temperance has gone through a whole year of how she celebrates she's written 10 pages about how to create your own wheel of the year. Which is a fine setup. I just would've prefered that the where upfront about it - I came here to learn how to personalize mine - not to get to know her wheel. Something I really did appreciate was her philosophy on rituals tho: No witch is on a 100% every minute of every day, so instead she made a wheel that has small acts of devotion regularly - then you don't loose focus even if you don't feel real witchy that month.

A setup I'd have prefered: 1) Cut out all the basic witchcraft - sometimes witchbooks needs to be able to be intermediate/ advanced, and since the basic wheel of the year is easily found on the internet/ in most beginner books, maybe use this one to hone in on personalization. Just be clear in the blurbe that it's not for beginners and it's all fine. 2) Write the wheel of the year, but try to get as many perspectives/ traditions as possible for every holiday. Wiccan, celtic, heathen, hellenistic, atheistic... Bring up other holidays that aren't as common but you/ your friends still celebrate them. The birth of a pet can be a holiday! The first time you see a spring flower in bloom! The first leaf you see falling down! 3) Write more than 10 pages of your main thesis in your book.

this is weird but i saw your tags on an old post abt darryl and white josh from cxg "#their breakup leaves a bad fucking taste in my mouth#i could go off about cxg's lazy self-righteous and hypocritical treatment of romantic narratives#but i won't :)" and listen i would LOVE to hear

not weird at all! hope you like essay-length responses lmao.

the tl;dr is that i feel like the anti-narrative ethos driving the latter half of craxy ex-girlfriend was extremely unsuccessful and made the show kind of eat its own arm off.

"life doesn't make narrative sense" is a great message, and I do see where they were going with it and how it applies to rebecca's life. however, the problem is that, no matter how much the show switched up traditional storytelling methods, cxg began as and remained a fictional serialized television show with its own defined narrative.

take darryl and white josh's breakup. i fully believe that if people had felt as neutral about darryl x whiJo as they did about, say, heather x hector, they would've been endgame lol. but since fans shipped them and wanted them to stay together, the writers had them break up to make sure that they knew that "life doesn't make narrative sense." A really well-written and beloved romantic couple was unrealistic, but couples like heather and hector (i don't mean to pick on them because i like them fine!) and, far worse, darryl and the woman he met at the end of the show, ARE realistic specifically because they aren't fun or narratively well-developed?

the last season is even worse. they spent 17 EPISODES (some of my favorite shows barely have 17 episodes total) actively trying their hardest to entice the audience to take a "side" regarding rebecca's romantic life with the clear intention of going "psych" at the end. I can't help but feel that they must have wanted 1) people to genuinely pick a side so they could sucker punch them with their message at the end, AND/OR 2) make people feel silly for ever having picked a side previously.

that all just feels so disingenuous to me because, over the years, the show really made the connections between rebecca and each of her boyfriends seem (to varying degrees) genuine at certain times, so for them to then be like "lol isn't this whole tv show romance thing a ridiculous notion?" feels like a bit of a reductive take, you know? I really liked rebecca's boyfriends as characters, i became invested in them and their journeys. i was never invested in shipping her with any of them, but would it really be so bad if someone was? after all, they literally wrote them as genuine love interests.

plus there were just sooo many missed opportunities in that last season. I didn't particularly enjoy seeing the guys manipulated into rebecca-obsessed robots who would do anything to earn her love to serve the season arc. instead, imagine if the writers had pulled a bojack horseman and started focusing on josh and nathaniel (and other characters) moving on from her and having their own stories. what if we'd seen Josh meet/fall for his girlfriend or seen nathaniel starting out at the zoo?

Why make everything in a season be about romance when the ultimate message is that romance isn't everything? why tell us using this really silly love quadrangle plot when they could have just shown us?

and don't even get me started on greg. i want to preface this next statement with the caveat that i admittedly watched cxg years after it finished airing. by myself. and didn't discuss it with anyone. so maybe it's just me. however, from the first second greg came back in s4, i got extremely strong vibes that the writers felt he was the best romantic fit for rebecca. every scene he was in just seemed to have more weight to it, and he was the one who'd done the most to work on himself of the three guys. and there's just something so hypocritical about making such a strong point about her not picking someone only to - in my opinion - quite prominently hint at her best/most likely choice while also refusing to definitively make that choice. like if you're going to say that it was never about the individual guys but about rebecca choosing herself, don't show a preference for one of them! and if you have a preference for one because he's bettered himself/matured more than the others, be brave enough to come out and say so directly!

this comes back to the narrative thing. i believe they didn't want to take a side on her romantic life not only because they wanted to end with her choosing herself (which is a really nice message that fits well with the show overall) but also because no matter which one they picked, some fans would be happy. some group of people would have a cute, idyllic romantic story with the happy ending they'd always wanted. and that would directly go against the "life doesn't make narrative sense" ethos. because they felt that anything with a clean narrative - like a fan favorite couple being endgame - would defy this notion, they simply couldn't do it.

this is why i say they ate their own arm off. they created interesting characters and stories only to eventually unceremoniously snuff them out out or take a bizarre left turn with them rather than take them to an interesting and organic place. it really felt like the writers came to interpret "life doesn't make narrative sense" as "only the least developed and worst written narratives make sense", which made for a frustrating and ultimately unsatisfying viewing experience.

Happy STS!

Amazon or Netflix want to adapt Metalsea. Assuming you have complete creative control what would your requirements be in order to make it a product that is up to your ideal standards?

Aw, happy late STS, Nectar! ❤️ Thank you for your question!

I've never thought about this before, but it's so interesting I was sitting on it for a bit.

It definitely would be an animated series. I am someone who graduated from animation and later 3D modelling which naturally made me lean more into these stuff, so I can only picture Metalsea as animation rather than live action. Onidia is full of things that are not in our real world, which could be better executed and visualized in that kind of media. (The draar for example have literally a humanoid, half-dragon half-something other predator look) Especially because I would never settle with less than what's in the book, visual-wise. An Arcane kind of production would be amazing, but I'm a huge fan of a Castlevania and ATLA kind of 2D work too (or any traditional animation), so as long as it looks nice and the movements of the character’s flow I'm happy with it.

I wouldn’t want it to have a hundred seasons, so probably 2 or 3. More can be whacky, also take away the satisfaction from the ending if it’s too lenghty. I would only do more if the production and writing team is good and can handle it well. But we also should need more episodes then so all the arc can have enough time, so I think I would go with 2 or 3 seasons and 15-20 episodes in each maybe. I also wouldn’t want to have only one season planned beforehand, because that’s the thing a lot of shows fail at. At least one more season should be planned from the beginning because it’s gonna be rushed and a mess if we want to continue but have no actual clue how to.

I would debate whether it should be a straight adaptation of the book or not. There are certain changes that should be always done while adapting since visual media is different for a reason. But, I also consider that maybe another story in the same world would be better, that rather completes the full picture of the book or plays in the rest of the world and shows the full range of it. Explores different places, characters, cultures. Different media sometimes requires a different story. The Metalsea cast would be mentioned, present and/or in it just it just wouldn’t be their story, since that has been already told in the book. (this is something I considered after listening a Brando Sando podcast, it’s a very interesting but considerable thing I think)

My world is divers and I wouldn’t let it be presented otherwise. I wouldn’t want to change the appearance of my characters, neither their gender. In an animated series. However, if it would be a live action for some reason, I would be okay with gender-swapping and having even more POC character in it. As long as the actors grasp the characters’ personality it wouldn’t matter if they wouldn’t look the same as I originally wrote them in the book. New media, new look. Totally fine.

Guillermo Del Toro. I love that man and his work from the bottom of my heart. So, I would definitely attempt to ask him to direct and curate the whole project. He can make the best fantastical, yet haunting stuff.

Accents. I want a bunch of accents to be presented. Also speaking various languages, maybe my imaginery ones too haha.

I would also stay open for new ideas. Always. I’m a huge team player and we can’t make a good movie or series alone. Hell, I even can’t make a good story without others. I need people who question my ideas, tell me if it sounds wrong or illogical, or them to add more to it if some ideas gave them a good push for a concept. So, I would be totally open for any changes and brainstorming as long as they can still convey the visions, messages and vibes we intend to put in it.

A working and cooperating team would be the base requriment of course. This was very interesting to think about tho, so thank you again!❤️