Category: Reader Message

Messages from readers and my responses to them

Ask Game

Neon BrightLeave a comment

therealbrigeedarocks asked: Hey Bowman! You have a chance to keep something from the Human world to keep for your own (and at proportionate size, if need be): what is it, and why do you like it?

“From the human world? Most of what I’ve seen, Jacob brings when he visits. Then he tells me about all kinds of things that sound like he’s just making them up. Ropes that carry energy from dwelling to dwelling? A thing called Tea-V that has nothing to do with tea? Libraries and archives on this ‘why-fi’ that aren’t even real places? It all seems too fantastical to be real!

“But I guess it’s all true. I think if I could have something from it …. I’d want a phone thing so I could talk to people far away. I’d worry less about what happens in the village when I’m out patrolling. ”

Ask Game

Neon BrightLeave a comment

Anonymous asked: hey, bowman, does jacob ever complain about his homework/schoolwork?

“He doesn’t really complain. Jacob isn’t a complainer. I think a lot of it is blasted weird, though. It’s not enough he has to read all kinds of strange things. He has to write what he thinks about them, and that can be wrong somehow? I don’t get human ‘school’.”

“I’m supposed to figure out the subtext and stuff, dude. That’s hard to get right sometimes.”

“But it’s supposed to be what you think it means! How can you be wrong about that? It makes no sense!”

“I think you’d make class discussions pretty fun. Wanna come to school with me after break?”

“Absolutely not!”

Anonymous Message

Neon BrightLeave a comment

Anonymous Asked: Has Jacob ever hurt anyone with his grabbing?

It’s happened in one AU, which I’ll link below. Jacob, when he encounters a tiny person, tends to grab first and ask lots of questions before catching up to what he’s doing. it’s a pretty understandable response, but all the same he ends up feeling bad about it. It’s not very nice to do that to someone, after all! He puts in a lot of effort to do better from then forward.

That said, in a story written with nightmares06, Brothers Found, he did grab a little too hard and caused some serious bruising. That AU ended up being one of the more angsty AUs of Brothers Apart multiverse, so if you haven’t looked into it, beware the feels!

Reader Message

Neon BrightLeave a comment

enby-phoenix asked: Have Bowman and Jacob introduced each other to very many foods? What are the weirdest things they’ve convinced each other to eat? (besides pine sap, we know that one.) What is each’s favorite food from the other’s culture?

( Pine Sap Incident )

Sure! They’ve traded all kinds of things. Jacob tries to bring a different (vegetarian) food to the forest every time he visits to see what Bowman and the other sprites think of it. Usually fruits or vegetables that they can’t find in Wellwood, but occasionally he brings candy or pastries.

I think Bowman would be most intrigued by cereal, out of all these things, especially the more colorful stuff. Can you imagine him with a fruit loop?

Jacob has tried whatever sprite foods they’ve offered him, and has had better luck since his pine sap mishap. They have some of their own baked delicacies, including sticky buns wrapped in mint leaves, fruit tarts, and a little thing that’s like a cannoli but with little roots and honey instead of cheese filling.

Jacob likes the mintcakes. They’re very striking and the easiest for him to actually get all the flavors.

Reader Message

Neon BrightLeave a comment

 lycaclientt asked: Is Jacob closeted at home? I’m curious about this bc in my own experience, being accepted as LGBT is one thing but if you’re on the aro/ace spectrums people can be plain weird about it. Does he ever talk about it with Bowman?

It’s an interesting situation for Jacob, to be sure!

His mom is … somewhat aware that things are a bit different with Jacob. The boy went on one date in his life and ended it as friends with the girl. They still chat sometimes, but it’s obvious he’s not interested in her in that way. He also doesn’t seem to be hiding any interest in guys, and he’s a terrible liar. Mariana can sort of tell, even if he hasn’t come out and told her. She’s ready whenever he figures out what label he’d like to use.

His extended family is a bit trickier, and the reason Jacob tends to just not talk about it. Many of them expect him to marry a nice Greek girl and continue the family line. It’s tradition and all.

Bowman is a decent sounding board for stuff like this. As much as he likes to gripe about human things, he lets Jacob vent about all kinds of things if he needs to. He’s also not super likely to judge; after all, most sprites are a bit demisexual anyway. 

Anonymous Message

Neon BrightLeave a comment

anonymous asked: Do Lilliputian!Chase’s parents ever warm up to Jacob? Also, how does Jacob keep clean in a land of tinies? I can’t imagine repeated dips in the sea helps after too long… (Hello!! I love your writing, it’s very immersive and entertaining!!

(Aaaah, thank you so much! I’m sorry for letting this go unanswered for so long! I have a bit of a backlog of posts to make.)

They sorta do, I guess? Chase’s parents can’t exactly force a giant to go away, and Chase insists that he sticks around. So they gotta get used to him somehow. At least Chase looks after him, and he looks after Chase in turn. Minnie has probably also put in a good word.

As for giant hygiene, I’m certain Jacob has found ways to get clean water. He can also find a river if he wanders a bit away from the city. Lucky he’s already pretty good at roughing it!

Ask Game Part 3

Neon BrightLeave a comment

Ooof. I kind of let this blog go silent for a bit. Here’s another batch from the ask game, and if you have questions of your own, feel free to send them in!

Anonymous asked: Hey! Hey! From one ace aro to another, Jacob, big teddy bear, I love you and wish you the best. May I request a hug?

“Hell yeah, dude. C’mere!”

enby-phoenix asked: Eral, what would you do if you turned human for a day?

“Probably kick Elias’ ass first of all, because the gods know he’s earned it. Then I’d probably go to a pub and order something for myself without the barkeep giving me weird looks about it. That’d be nice.”

enby-phoenix asked: Bowman, please tell us about a time Jacob did something deserving of bops!

“It’s easier to list the times he didn’t earn a bop some days! There was that time the nestlings played hide and seek and he let one fall asleep in his pocket, and I somehow took the blame! Then once he brought this stuff called ‘peanut butter’ and the sprites that tried it couldn’t even speak for a few minutes! Oh, and there was the time …”

(He really can go on forever like this)

enby-phoenix asked: Jacob, would you give me a piggyback ride?

“Sure, why not? Try not to fall off though, I dunno if I could catch ya in time!”

enby-phoenix asked: Bowman! What’s the WEIRDEST human thing Jacob’s shown you / told you about?

“Humans do so many weird things. I really don’t know if I could actually figure out the weirdest one. I don’t get why they have paper money when the little metal ones are so much easier … for that matter, why do they even do money?”

nightmarejasmine asked: Hey Jacob, how does it feel to be a super giant

“Ha. Pretty good, I guess? The sprites are warming up to me a bit more by the day, so I feel pretty accomplished.”

Anonymous Message

Neon BrightLeave a comment

Anonymous Asked: How would things have gone if Lord Scar or Lord Cerul had been the first sprite to meet/encounter Jacob?

What an interesting thing to think about!

If it was Scar meeting Jacob first, he’d have several of his knights waiting out of sight in the trees. At the first signal from him, they’d be ready to swarm a mischievous giant with their little swords. He would learn very quickly not to grab at sprites! And he’d probably be scolded quite soundly into listening. Scar takes no nonsense.

Cerul might still get grabbed, if we’re honest. Jacob can be grabby at first. However, instead of snarking up a storm at him, Cerul would end up taking a much calmer, more diplomatic approach. He would be able to tell that Jacob means no harm with his actions, giant or not. He would explain a bit about why that’s not a good way to make a first impression, how dangerous it can be if he makes a move too hastily, and request that he not do that again. Jacob is respectful enough that he’d probably listen.

Contact me with your questions here!

Ask Game part 2

Neon BrightLeave a comment

The ask game continues! Here’s the next batch from over on tumblr.

Anonymous asked: jacob, have you ever had a negative interaction with any of the sprites that still haven’t warmed up to you? how did it go if you have?

“Nothing like a huge panic … but I have definitely startled some of ‘em once or twice. One sprite came whipping around a tree at one point and screamed when he saw me. I think the poor dude was pretty embarrassed about it, but it’s not like I’m gonna tell all the other sprites what happened. I’m a giant to them, I get why they’d be scared.”

Anonymous asked: For our big teddy bear Jacob: why is your necklace so special to you? Where’d you get it?

“Ah, this is … when I was a little kid, like five or something, my dad went home to Greece for a bit. I guess since I was upset I couldn’t go, he promised to bring something back for me. He probably bought it from some local artist that makes stuff like this for tourists and stuff, but I got super attached to it. Especially after he got sick. It keeps him close.”

Indigomasquerade97 asked: Okay, Jacob. We all know you have been exposing your exasperated winged friend to the chaos that is humanity. Have you ever exposed him to any video games? And if so, what are his (and your) favorite games to play?

“Ha, well, one of the first times I ever hung out with Bowman, he actually saw me fiddling around with my buddy’s DS. Bowman thought it was some kind of animal at first until I showed him how it worked.

“It took me a while to get him to actually try the thing himself, but I did borrow the game to bring it back just to see. I think he likes puzzle games better, since they don’t require timing and Bowman gets frustrated when he can’t reach the right buttons fast enough. He seems to have fun with the touch screen though. His wings get all twitchy.”

Anonymous asked: Hey hey, Bowman, we all know Jacob’s a really calm and gentle guy, but what do you and the other wood sprites think of him eating meat, and maybe hunting animals while in the woods with you and about humans being omnivores in general?

“Well. Just because I don’t eat meat, doesn’t mean something else can’t. There’s a lot of things in the forest that are way less … I dunno, respectful about it than Jacob is, I guess. He goes away from the village when he’s going to eat anything. I’m just glad humans don’t eat sprites.”

Anonymous asked: My best friend wanted to ask you, Bowman: have you ever had ice cream?

“Ice scream? I’ve yelled when my friends throw snow on my wings. That’s the worst feeling! But I always get them back for it.”

Anonymous asked: hey bowman, has jacob told you about human myths/fairy tales/etc?

“Yes. I can’t believe how close and yet far away you humans are from the truth. At least maybe it helps keep you out of sprite business!”

Anonymous asked: Buddy boy Bowman, how much do you know about Jacob’s family? Would you ever want to meet them?

“I know his mother is really nice, and his father died. It would have been interesting to meet his dad, since apparently Jacob tries all the time to be just like him. I’d have to give him some feedback. Or maybe I’d have to bop them both, depending.

“I might meet his mother and her new mate someday? But I’m not rushing into even more giants knowing about me or anything.”

Anonymous asked: Lord Cerul, hi! In the BoW book, when Bowman first reports of giants who he believed were carnivores, and the elder who was present told legends of humans eating and caging sprites, you were the first who was willing to give us a chance and thought we might be reasonable despite this. Why is that, sir?

“Ah. I suppose I have a few reasons. Wellwood has stood for a long time, and I’ve no doubt that the sprites have changed since it was first established. Why should the giants have stayed exactly the same? Also, as someone who’s read quite a bit of the Archives myself, I know that they are often written in the emotion of the moment, which could color the claims made against any giants. Sadly, it really only takes one bad human to cause us insurmountable trouble.

“Lastly, it was clear to me that Bowman had his own doubts about the legends, and he would be curious himself. I merely gave him some small protection from the backlash should he act on his curiosity.”

Ask Game

Neon BrightLeave a comment

Over on my tumblr, I did a small ask game in which people could send in questions directly to my characters and I would answer in the character’s voice. I decided to compile what I have so far into one post over here.

@therealbrigeedarocks Asked: Hey Oscar, we know you’re pretty good at sewing but are there any other hobbies you’d like to try?

“W-well, I really like it when people watch the, um, there’s cooking shows on TV sometimes, and someday, if I could, I would wanna try to cook something all by myself. Not, um, not the ones that … some of ‘em are kinda stressful ‘cause they’re trying to win a prize, and they’re not as fun to watch…”

Anonymous asked: For Bowman: do sprites know what airplanes are? Have they seen them fly over the forest?

“We never knew what the big white birds were until Jacob told me one time. We just knew sometimes they were loud and could pull the clouds around, and that is just ridiculous and it makes way more sense that it’s humans’ fault.

Jacob also told me the fairy lights that fly so high up in the middle of the night are ‘air planes’, too, but I don’t think that’s right.”

Anonymous asked: For my BOY Jacob: do you ever just lie to bowman about random stuff about human society just because you know he can’t prove you wrong. Like “hey, you know humans have cloud factories that make and produce clouds all the time, right?” And just watch as Bowman tries to rationalize what you said.

“Oh man, all I can think of is him finding out. I’m not great at lying but like, Bowman asks a lot of questions about everything and sometimes I don’t actually know the answer. So I’ve made some stuff up sometimes. Honestly I have no idea what he will be skeptical about and what he’ll just accept, y’know? Like he knows what airplanes are now but doesn’t believe me that the lights moving in the sky at night are also airplanes.”

Anonymous asked: For the ask game! Question for Bowman and Rischa: have you ever heard Jacob casually say something fatalistic, like “kill me now” or “this makes me wanna jump off a cliff”? Because this is so casual with humans, and if one of my friends says something like this, my typical answer is “same”.

Rischa: “Wh-what? That sounds awful! Why would someone say something like that?”

Bowman: “Don’t worry, Birdie, it’s like sarcasm. I think. Some kinda human thing. Pretty sure I’ve heard him say something like ‘I guess I’ll die’. But usually he saves his jokes to try to tease me and he thinks he’s so funny when he does.”

Anonymous asked: Yo, Lord Scar Sir, have you ever had to scold Jacob for just teenage shenanigans? What’s that like?

“Ha. That giant is better behaved than some of the sprites around here, if I’m honest. I don’t have to say much if he’s wandering too close to somewhere he shouldn’t.

Some in the village are wondering if he’ll lend some of that mildness to the Leafwing boy, but I’m not holding my breath.”

Anonymous asked: Hey, Bowman, since there are Wellwood sprites who are still a bit distrustful of your giant, have you ever got into an argument/fight with someone because they called Jacob a monster or something?

“Most of us aren’t fighters in Wellwood, but some of the parents with nestlings that always want to see Jacob … they’ve scolded me a lot. As if I’m somehow the reason their nestlings are so curious about the giant that visits the village sometimes. Usually I have to fly out of the village to get away from them when they’re on that nonsense. I can’t control a whole giant any more than I can control some people being afraid of him.”