6. what's your go-to recipe when you want to make something that requires minimal effort?
Oh man it's gotta be the nutritionally barren belly-filler that is Japanese curry over rice. Rice in the same rice cooker I've owned since I was 15 (shit, my rice cooker is older than like half of tumblr huh), then literally just water and curry brick in a small saucepan, heat and whisk until hot and thick, then pour it over the rice once it's done. Finished. Microwave some bagged edamame to put something green in my belly alongside it. If I have some meat thawed I'll pan-sear it and chuck it in, but that requires both forethought and a little more effort, though not much. Japanese curry with some shitty cheap pan-seared beef is very much a comfort food for me. :3
18. have you ever changed fields in your career or education?
Oh man have I ever! Originally I was going to school to be a teacher. Specifically I wanted to become proficient in and teach Japanese. I got my associate's degree in Education, intent on entering into a local university's Japanese language program, get my bachelor's in that, then do emergency cert for teaching and get the remainder of the teaching BA on the dime of the school that hired me. For a number of reasons that didn't happen (chief among them being my dad dying in 2009 and me ending up half-homeless for a while, when we were already a grindingly poor family to start with), so I finished my AA in ed and just hit the job market looking for anything to keep me afloat. I landed in Sam's Club because they paid the most of anything that was hiring entry level in the area, and they called me back. After two years on the front end there I moved to the meat department, because they always pulled me for their seafood roadshows and I found I quite liked it. Five years later I was a cutter there and deeply unhappy with the workplace, even though I loved what I did. Jumped ship to Costco the moment they opened applications for the new building they were constructing in my area, and I've been a meat wrapper there for 9 years now, though I'm basically entirely fish production now, and have been for the last five or so years. Been a long time since I've had *time* for any other wrapper duties, lol. Apparently I alone am responsible for like 20% of my department's sales. It's a *lot* of work, but I do like doing it. Plus Costco pays really solid.
Honestly it's for the best I never went into teaching. I learned during my tutoring and classroom hours getting my AA that I'm not really cut out for it. The executives don't function in that direction, lol. Though I do wish I could have continued learning Japanese in a classroom environment. I'm still so passionate about the language, and I really respond well to that way of learning things. I'm dogshit at self-teaching, lol.
20. what's your favourite beverage?
Sober: Almond milk tea with brown sugar boba, apple cider
Booze: Mai Tai (proper Trader Vic's style), Trader Sam's Nautilus, Whiskey Sour
Finally got to reading each others skin. Why Herbert medic canon now 😭
The answer is fourfold:
1. Word of God. Jay Pinkerton said so when someone asked him, so why not? I know that it's a "grain of salt" thing whenever the writer of something says stuff like that outside of canonical examples but at the same time we have such loose canon to work with as it is, I don't mind taking it at face value. Plus, because it's from Pinkerton it's technically more canon than Sniper's name of Mick, which iirc came from the box of a piece of merch, and the fans have largely accepted that just fine.
2. Herbert West: Re-animator. I'm very sure that's why Herbert was chosen, and it's a perfect reference for the doc, especially the movie version. Campy, a little queer, a lot of hubris, a dark sense of humour ("Cat dead, details later."). Plus I could totally see mid-40s Jeffrey Combs playing Medic live action. Also it's my favourite horror movie. <3
3. It's a German name without being too stereotypical. It's not Fritz or Wolfgang or something. And that tracks with other merc names. Tavish is Scottish but isn't, like, Angus or something. Mick yes is the same first name as Crocodile Dundee but it also isn't Bruce. Mihail is stereotypically Russian but it isn't Ivan or Vladimir, and Heavy's also only ever called by its diminutive: Misha. And diminutives don't often get used in American media, particularly not ones for masc names. So Herbert fits right in the pocket for the way the mercs tend to be named.
4. It's a fucking dorky name and in spite of how the fandom loves to make him into some memitic kinky sex god, Medic is a huge fucking dork. Is he a hot piece of ass? Absolutely. Is he a giggly fruitcake who stage whispers to his birds? Also yes.
Bonus answer: "Bertie" sounds like "birdie" and is thus the perfect pet name for him. :3 ESPECIALLY for Monstrous Intent bird-man-ass Medic lol
Hey!! I absolutely adore your work.. I can’t begin to express how amazing it is and just how much joy it brings me to read..
I was wondering! Do you have any post anywhere of like who is involved with who romantically and maybe details of what type of monster they all are? I find it funny to be reading and be like “oh yeah! that happened!!” and i am definitely not the most knowledgeable on types of monsters!
I have to say again just how much I love your work.. I love the story you’ve built and learning more about different characters, especially Spy when we learned more about his past and everything.. he and Scout are so cute 🥺
Thank you so much, anon! It's so sweet of you to drop me a line and say such nice things! <3 I'm glad my work's been so entertaining, and grateful that you enjoy it! Especially Spy's backstory and his little baby steps relationship with Scout, lol. I've put a lot of love into all of it, but I'll admit Spy's gotten extra love lately lol. :3
I did do a list of relationship dynamics in an ask reply over on @typingatlightspeed after Silver Thread, but it's a bit out of date at this point, so I'd be happy to update it, plus some info on the boys' monstrous aspects! :D I will caution that while I like to go hard on canon I play a little looser with the folklore of different monsters for the sake of the AU and just playing with ideas, so please don't take my depictions of various monsters as gospel for how they actually operate in real-life folklore and source materials. I use a lot, but I also like to embellish a lot for worldbuilding and smut purposes.
Deets below, but as a note, anyone I list as "friends" has had some sexual contact at this point, but I'm only gonna note it if they're bangin' with some frequency.
Scout - Faun (white-tail deer)
Scout's got antlers atop his head, slightly pointed ears, tapetum lucidum (eyeshine), and white-tail deer legs from the tops of his hips down, with a cute fluffy tail and all. Unlike actual white-tails however he has spots on his hips and upper thighs even though he's an adult. Because it's cute. He's a creature designed for hedonism, so he has a strong alcohol tolerance (as well as other substances though he hasn't tested that) and a ridiculous sex drive, as well as barely any refractory period. He can smell others' pheromones, and when sexually aroused most sensory input is greatly intensified. He can use magic naturally and can feel ambient magic in the air, but isn't particularly skilled at figuring it out on his own, so he requires instruction to learn spells.
Soldier - Boyfriends
Pyro - Friends, fucking regularly, in love with him
Demoman - Romantic friends, fucking regularly, in love with him
Heavy - Boyfriends
Engineer - Friends, fucking regularly, in love with him
Medic - Boyfriends
Sniper - Best friends, fucking regularly, in love with him
Spy - Boyfriends, though Spy has a lot of boundaries and he's learning to navigate them respectfully (and knows Spy is worth it)
Miss Pauling - Over her, after finding out there's not even a chance that he's in the running. Totally wants to be friends with her though so he can give her some advice on picking up chicks. (Dear God Scout No)
Soldier - (failed) Dullahan
Soldier naturally has no head and his neck ends not in a gory stump but an opening into a black abyss that seems to go on far outside the confines of his own body. (A fic I'll be beginning to publish on Halloween (because I wanted to have it done in time for then but ran outta time) will actually finally explain what it is.) Putting things into his neck/the abyss feels good, like penetration for Soldier. Touching the abyss with mucus membrane tissue (tongue, lips, genitals) feels good as well, kinda vibration-ey. Soldier is able to pass as human if he wears a head, taking a severed head and placing it atop his own neck, where his body seals it on and transforms it into his own head, and takes on signs of life. The head will rot while attached to him, however, so it needs to be changed every few days, unless he's wearing his Cephalophore's Collar given to him by Medic.
Scout - Boyfriends
Pyro - Friends, thinks he’s cute
BLU Demoman - Kinda distant friends. Used to be closer friends, but the whole RED Demoman made things awkward for a long time
RED Demoman - Exes. MESSY. Getting over him, but it's a process
Heavy - Friends
Engineer - Friends
Medic - Friends
Sniper - Friends, fucking occasionally
Spy - Friends
Pyro - Djinni
Djinn are made of smokeless flame, and Pyro takes that literally. He's got small horns on his forehead, glowing yellow eyes, white flames that mimic teeth, and long, dark, curls of fire that mimic hair. He breathes, eats, drinks, and sleeps, but does not expel waste. He still has a butthole because he can sculpt his own anatomy, and uses it for recreation. Tends to lose shape when he's overwhelmed or overstimulated. Has to focus on having genitals during sex or they'll disappear. Touching him feels like he's constantly in motion, even when he's standing perfectly still, and being engulfed in him is pleasant and comforting, but can ratchet up to an assault of pleasure on every part of the body if he's in the throes of pleasure as well. Sheds a minimal amount of light, and is feverish-warm to the touch, but can increase both his illumination and temperature to dangerous levels with effort. Ancient, older than humans as sapient creatures, and loves humans. Experienced and skilled in innate spellcasting, but isn't affected by transmutations because of how mutable his body is. Extremely skilled with conjuring and evoking.
Scout - Friends, fucking regularly, trying to figure out exactly how he feels
Soldier - Friends, developing a crush
Demoman - Friends, wants him to socialize more
Heavy - Friends, flirty
Engineer - Boyfriends, may as well be fucking married tbh
Medic - Friends
Sniper - Friends
Spy - Besties, flirty
Demoman - Werewolf
Transforms at sundown on nights of the Full Moon, and at midnight on Halloween, becoming a 7 foot tall bipedal anthropomorphic wolf with black fur and a gold eye, with green magic steaming out of his empty eye socket. Has an almost excessively large dick while transformed, which is maroon in colour, somewhere between human and canid in shape with a mostly-defined head but a pointed tip, is in a sheath when flaccid, and knots shortly before he comes. Has been transforming since he was 10, as puberty began to rear its ugly head, so has had a long time and the guidance of his birth parents to learn to control himself while transformed, as much as he can. It's still a struggle against his instincts, a fight between wolf and man, but he's very good at it.
Scout - Romantic friendship, fucking regularly, loves him but not ready to commit to relationship. When transformed, considers him one of his mates.
Soldier - Distant friends, misses his buddy and glad he’s coming around
Pyro - Friends, appreciates how much he cares
Heavy - Friends, curious about how jotun v werewolf would stack up (fight or sexually but really both)
Engineer - Friends, curious about all the BDSM stuff
Medic - Friends, thinks he’s hot and a great lay
Sniper - Husbands, his heart, his sun, his moon, his stars in the sky, makes him a better person, he’s perfect. His Mate.
His ancestry doesn't affect his appearance much other than make it so he doesn't suffer the joint aches and general agonies of being as big a dude as he is like RED Heavy surely deals with as the years go by. He has the ability to learn innate magic, but never bothered, being practical and preferring his fists and his beloved Sascha. As a Jotun he has pale blue-grey skin and his hair goes black, and his eyes glow a pale, glacial blue. He has slightly pointed ears and stands 8 feet tall, growing broader to match the increased size. His dick is perhaps cartoonishly larger in that state, but he's not exactly a slouch normally to begin with. Has stronger ability for innate magic related to storms and weather, but hasn't bothered with them much, though he's considering actually learning eventually.
Scout - Boyfriends
Soldier - Friends, finds it charming how well he treats Scout
Pyro - Friends, flirty, thinks he’s cute
Demoman - Friends, REALLY enjoyed watching him plow Medic, would love some jotun v werewolf (fighting and fucking)
Engineer - Friends, fucking regularly with Medic
Medic - Boyfriends, may as well be fucking married tbh, nested primary partner, they go together
Sniper - Friends, wants to screw around more often
Spy - Friends, fucking regularly, has developed feelings but unsure what to do with them yet
Engineer - Cyborg
Slowly replacing meat with machine, has so far replaced his right hand (The Gunslinger, also an advanced prosthetic he wears off the battlefield that more accurately mimics human tissue), both legs at his upper-thighs (both advanced prosthetics, containing small compartments for storing things like weapons, lubricant, ammo, tools), and his spine, with plans for an eventual total body conversion, though he's still working out exactly how much of the nitty gritty of being alive he wants to keep as part of the experience. Pyro's hoping for some vibration functions.
Scout - Friends, fucking regularly, still trying to figure out exactly how he feels before committing to anything
Soldier - Friends
Pyro - Boyfriends, may as well be fucking married tbh
Demoman - Friends, hoping to get a casual thing going
Heavy - Friends, fucking regularly with Medic
Medic - Besties, fucking regularly with Heavy
Sniper - Friends, hoping to get a casual thing going, lowkey using how flirty he is as the more honest measuring stick for when he’ll finally tip over from human to not human
Spy - Friends, fucking regularly, great pain pig sub
The Administrator - Boss, scares the piss outta him, has to stay on her good side to keep the Australium coming, family legacy tied up with her is… complicated
Medic - Garuda
Has large, white wings like a dove's and hands and feet to match covered in keratinous cornium with a desaturated pinkish grey colour up to his elbows and knees, with a ruff of feathers separating it from his normal skin. Has black nails on his hands and black talons on his feet like a bird of prey. Has hollow bones, but requires the use of magic to actually fly, as even though his wingspan is large it's still not enough to lift his body mass (and shape) with air alone. Has nictitating membranes on his eyes which he closes while flying or doing something messy, or sometimes just when he's not thinking too hard about what his face is doing. It creeps out most of the team (Sniper thinks it's hot). Already pretty gifted at formalized magic before the transformation, which gave him a natural aptitude atop it. Utilizes formalized spellcasting still, however, finding the structure of formulae easier to understand and adapt in his spellcasting, treating it as a science. Especially skilled with Transmutation. Has made Archimedes his familiar.
Scout - Boyfriends
Soldier - Friends, fascinated by his biology (wants to run tests on that neck void of his)
Pyro - Friends, respects his magical knowledge, fascinated by his biology (and stymied that Pyro hasn’t let him study it)
Demoman - Friends, finds him attractive, finds his werewolf form even more attractive, wants to get railed again
Heavy - Boyfriends, may as well be fucking married tbh
Engineer - Besties, fucking regularly with Heavy
Sniper - Friends, has the hots for him more than a little
Spy - Friends, fucking regularly, has developed feelings but unsure what to do with them yet
Sniper - Human
Bro's literally just a human, lmao. He's a big ol' slut with kinks for monsters and danger (and dangerous monsters) and has a lot of experience and knowledge of supernatural things as a result of pursuing those kinks, but he's not a pratitioner of magic nor a supernatural creature.
Scout - Besties, fucking regularly, loves him but not ready to commit to a relationship
Soldier - Friends, fucking occasionally
Pyro - Friends, thinks he’s hot, wants to shag proper not just as part of a threesome
Demoman - Husbands, his sun, his moon, his stars in the sky, loves the whole werewolf thing, he’s perfect
Heavy - Friends, thinks he’s hot, wants to take that jotun dick again
Engineer - Friends, curious about the whole BDSM thing with him, wants to know what that robot hand can do
Medic - Friends, monsterfucker accomplice, thinks he’s hot, wants to shag more
Spy - Friends, fucking regularly (with Demo), might be developing a crush, can’t stop himself from teasing and messing with him sometimes
Spy - Kitsune
Natural form is a red fox with three tails (he is presently 299 years old, and gains a new tail every 100 years, so he's due for his fourth in 1971), and he can look like anyone, but his preferred form is the Spy we all know. Hiding his tails is the hardest part of holding his shape, so he doesn't bother around the base outside of work anymore. Can shapechange at will, and though it requires magic it doesn't require actual spellcasting, and is as natural as muscle movement. Has an affinity for innate spellcasting and is an expert with illusions in particular, but also dabbles in fire magic, minor charms, utility spells, and the like. Like all kitsune he has a magic orb called a hoshitama (literally "star ball") that he doesn't keep on him often because of how precious it is, but it can amplify his magic considerably, and allows him to use Kitsunetsuki, a possession magic.
Scout - Boyfriends, slowly learning to really let him in and be comfortable with that
Soldier - Friends, vacillates between being done with him and finding him charming, not immune to that broad chest
Pyro - Besties, curious about his nature and loves how much Pyro likes to fuck with him, maybe a little crush
Demoman - Friends, fucking regularly (with Sniper), has noticed how good Sniper is for him which has also helped him see just how charming Demo can be, maybe a little crush
Heavy - Friends, fucking regularly, has absolutely developed feelings but unsure what to do with them yet
Engineer - Friends, fucking regularly, trying to ignore the fact that he’s developed feelings and just tells himself the rimjobs are just that good (I mean they are but still)
Medic - Friends, fucking regularly, has absolutely developed feelings but unsure what to do with them yet
Sniper - Friends, fucking regularly (with Demo), drives him crazy but he’d be stupid to deny how attractive he is which only drives him crazier, maybe a little crush
Bidwell - That gay little Judas. Gives great head, though.
I hope that was useful information, and a good update on the relationships among the team (and a few others)! Thank you again, so much! <3
Ty for letting me know. Deleted. Fucking goddamn there are a million chill-ass cats out there to actually make that image with, and these motherfuckers gotta use the plaigarism chatbot. Horseshit. Someone get Pyaari some cab sav she'd slay that shit.
I was browsing YouTube and it suggested this thesis animation called "EL GRAN PANTERA BANDERAS - SVA Thesis Film" by Javigameboy and it seems right up your alley! It's like a Panty and Stocking influenced wrestling match!
Oh man this is super cute! Even if the wrestling nerd in me is going like wait if the match is already over evidence of cheating doesn't matter the ref's ruling almost always stands also getting unmasked should be a way bigger dea-- Luna chill out lol
But fr the art is super great and I really dig the character designs! Cute lil story too and super stylish all around! Digging through the comments the creator said Panty and Stocking live in his head rent free so the style inspiration is clear :D
I've been watching the commentaries for Dragon Ball Z Abridged and learned that Chris Sabat, the voice of Vegeta, Piccolo, and others (as well as voice of Cell, Dameon Clarke and beloved late voice of Frieza, Chris Ayers) is a big fan of DBZA, which is pretty cool. Also that he's a cool guy, which makes me smile.
15. What’s a piece of advice you find yourself giving a lot?
Three big ones that seem to come up the most, in no particular order:
Your life isn't over after your 20s. Tbh it mostly is just starting to begin, then. In your 20s you're figuring out how to be yourself and how to navigate the world, now that you've figure out how to be a person at all (which is what your childhood is for), and you're gonna make mistakes, struggle, feel lost and awkward and overwhelmed. Your 20s are for getting your bearings; don't put pressure on yourself to have shit figured out or to be on some grindset or some shit or be succeeding. Put one foot in front of the other, gather experiences and try to learn from them, and remember to reach out for help and wisdom of those who've done it already, so you know how to avoid the worst pitfalls. By the time you come out the other side you'll have a better idea of how to handle shit, and have the peace that comes with a much stronger idea of who you are and your place in the world. Anyone who "has their shit together" in their 20s had the head start of a crazy support network (especially financially) or are burning themselves at both ends and ready to crash. Comparison is the thief of joy.
No job is worth dying for. No job is worth destroying yourself for. No job will reward you for the blood you shed proportionally. You will just be used up and discarded for the next person to drain dry. This isn't to say don't try. Put in your best effort. But your best effort doesn't mean breaking your back and cutting off pieces of yourself. This isn't some anime plus ultra shit. Put pride in what you do, and in the effort you put in, and don't make more work for other people, but establish firm boundaries with your work, or else it will kill you and toss you in a ditch with all the rest. Even if to your immediate coworkers you're a person, to The Machine you are just a number. Give only what you get back.
If you have to fight a relationship in order to keep that relationship, it's not worth the fight, nor worth keeping. Whether that's a romance or a friendship or ties with family, if you're constantly chasing someone who's supposed to be reciprocating, and they refuse to meet you in the middle, then they're never going to. Fighting the outside for a relationship sometimes has to happen, but if you're fighting the other person you're trying to keep in your life, why are you trying to keep them in your life? Value yourself. End it. Cut them off if you have to. Romance, friendship, and filial love are all supposed to be kinds of partnerships. Reciprocal. Fulfilling for both parties. I'm not talking about labour or ability, I'm talking about engagement. If it feels like you care more than they do, then what are you even doing here?
Hope those are good wisdoms for you, verbose though they may be.
