#it’s not that i haven’t WRITTEN the plot yet it’s just very big and dramatic and I wanna savor your reactions when the actual chapter is up

[rist-ix]

Hi Rist! Can you give us a snippet of the next chapter of tbhtbh? 🙏🏻

I can't give u plot yet. But I can give u death and destruction if you want?

Layla used to tell them so much about her homeworld.

It's brilliant blue skies, it’s crystal clear waters. The gentle currents that would guide the boats of fishers and shellfish farmers from and to their homes; the salty winds that would rustle through palm trees and orchards, bringing rain in the morning and swarms of jewel colored birds in spring.

She used to talk about it with such warmth, such longing, an undying loyalty and love for her home and her people and her duty as their princess. Even when she had raged and resented her parents for the way they'd caged her in, she would have done anything for them. Anything for the vibrant, beautiful kingdom they all loved.

Bloom had never seen its beauty.

The first time she'd stepped foot on Andros had already been the beginning of its end. Even after Council Hall, when they were in dire need of a place to lay low, they never dared to return here.

The realm of the tides never got the chance to recover. The collapsing Omega Portal had robbed Andros of a crucial magical pillar, and when its atmosphere didn’t clear up, its waters didn’t calm and its mermaids were not freed from the monstrous mark on their necks…

It's like an infected body, desperately trying to rid itself of the sickness festering within. Killing itself with its own seizures, its own fever, its own madness. Murky oceans shaping tidal waves, skies heavy with clouds never ceasing their storms, the very earth breaking open and spitting black ash into the air.

They had met travelers two years later who said the fires were still burning.

Still. There's a difference between hearing about it, and seeing it first hand.

The second her feet touch Andros' rust-brown earth, gusts of hot, searing wind start tearing at her hair and her clothes, burning hot against her skin. Salt, sulfur and smoke make her eyes water, her lungs seize; every breath tastes like poison, and hiding her mouth and nose in her sleeve does little to make it more bearable.

When the glow of teleportation subsides and her vision clears, it reveals the full scale of Andros' fate.

Skies like molten iron, bleeding murky rays of sunlight through blackened clouds that seem to glow red from within. Their light is dim and pale compared to the bursts of sickly yellow lightning striking the waves below, over and over again. The horizon is never calm, the twisted branches of electricity reminding her of a nervous system in panic. To the east, lush green jungles have been charred to pitch black fingers reaching skyward. Beyond, red-tipped mountains cough ash and fire into the air.

It's almost beautiful, this deadly display of colors.

For a few seconds, that keeps the horror at bay.

Valtor lands beside her with his usual grace, showing not the smallest sign of discomfort. She can't tear her eyes away from the shaking, shuddering corpse of this kingdom she once knew, so she doesn’t see his expression. But she imagines he must be proud.

A new Domino. Except this time, he can savor its destruction without his pesky, selfish regrets. He's always hated Andros, after all.

“The view never fails to amaze, doesn’t it?”

Valtor makes a swirling gesture with his hands, and the searing wind tearing at her hair lets up. The taste of ash on the air fades as well, and she realizes he's shielding them from the worst of the storm.

Unwilling to yell against it, most likely.

It doesn’t make it easier to answer. For once, she is genuinely speechless.

She turns around to look at him, and finds him already watching her from the corner of his eyes. Almost eagerly, as if awaiting her outrage. Her revulsion.

Whatever he finds in her expression seems to satisfy him, because he smiles and turns his back on her, surveying their surroundings.

“Do you know where we are?”

She does. She knew before they even stepped out of the portal where it would lead them, and she has dreamed of this place often enough to know it blind.

The crumbling stone arches, the single circular structure rising from the sea. Saltwater in her mouth, her nose; her ribs still aching from Icy's blast to her back. A memory so vivid it’s hard to distinguish from reality, for a moment.

“We met here,” she says. Despite the relative silence within his shields, her voice feels small.

If they had known then what would happen, would she and her friends have even come? Surely, whatever damage Andros would have suffered under Valtor's attacks would have been preferable to this. If they had simply stayed at Alfea, hadn’t snuck out and simply acted like the students they still were, it could have all been so different.

Valtor clicks his tongue, chiding.

“We first met on Solaria, dearest. But I'm glad you remember that day.”

He trails his fingers over the rough, salt-encrusted stone of a pillar.

“I think of it often. I'd been dying to meet you again once I knew who you were. The very last princess of Domino, just when I feared there was nothing left of it. 'How often does one get the chance to destroy the same dynasty twice?' I thought. You must have been meant for me, an opponent like no other. Our final battle, your death, only that could mean true victory.”

He smiles to himself. She can tell from the way he inclines his head, the way he speaks, even if she can’t see his face.

“I don’t make a habit of being wrong, but I suppose even I have to admit foolishness, here.”

The wind around them howls, and the spray of harsh waves crashing against their little ruin evaporates against his shield.

His head tilts in her direction, just a little.

“Do you ever miss it?”

He doesn’t have to clarify. She knows exactly what he means.

How they had chased him through the entire dimension, the thrill of combat hot in her veins. Every fight a point to prove, a cocky race to the top, it didn’t even matter if she failed because she got quicker, closer each time. Locking eyes over the blaze of their colliding magic and understanding perfectly how the other felt.

Knowing that she would be his undoing. No matter how long it took, she would be the one to end him. The brilliant, powerful, immortal wizard that not even Omega could hold; she would bring him low.

The simple, reckless single-mindedness of it.

She also remembers that sense of safety. Tecna's shields humming to life around them, Stella's sarcastic little comments there to take the edge off of their numerous close calls. The unwavering certainty that nothing could hurt her, because her friends were there, and once the battle was over they'd go home and sleep it off, huddled together on Stella's giant bed.

“Every day,” she tells him.

Even Valtor, self-serving and arrogant as he may be, can’t ignore what she's really saying.

#asks #fic: to be hunted to be haunted #it’s not that i haven’t WRITTEN the plot yet it’s just very big and dramatic and I wanna savor your reactions when the actual chapter is up #I’m actually doing pretty decent! so far I’ve written every evening for 1-3 hours for the past 4 days #granted I haven’t written a lot quantity wise #but still!

[elmhat]

Have you ever written anything with cDream and cFoolish post-prison? Maybe to do with the murder deal they made?

// dsmp rp

It was midday before Foolish noticed Dream, perched on top of the hanging gardens like a misplaced bird. It was certainly more dramatic than his last entrance. “Y’know, I actually can see you up there,” Foolish called up to him.

Dream glanced around, probably for anyone else who might overhear. Foolish knew that he wouldn’t see anyone. The summer home rarely hosted visitors these days. With an elaborate flare, Dream dropped down to the ground, making his way over until he was a little too close for comfort.

It wasn’t that Foolish was scared of Dream, necessarily, but he was still wary. He was very conscious of the axe strapped to Dream’s back and the sword at his hip, just as he was conscious of the sword at his own hip.

“So?” said Foolish, all calm joviality. “How’s it going, Dream?”

“I’m okay, I’m— I’m doing okay,” Dream replied. “Have you, y’know. Got any info on Q?”

Foolish sighed deeply. “Oh, nothing really, nothing really. Not really much to report.”

“Nothing at all?” asked Dream.

“Nope, uh, not really. I’ve just been doing this, mostly.” Foolish gestured up at the gardens, at the flowers and vines entwined all the way around the rafters. “So that’s taking up a lot of time.”

Dream followed his gaze. “It looks good!” he commented.

“Thank you, thank you.”

When neither of them filled the silence, it dragged and twisted strangely. Foolish found himself staring into Dream’s smiling mask. In all honesty, it looked a little silly; not half as intimidating as Dream probably thought it was. But Foolish didn't have the heart to tell him that.

“Soo, is that it, then?” he asked. “Is that what you came to ask me?”

“Yeah, I— I guess it is.”

Dream didn’t continue. They were left with another strained silence, and this time, Foolish was beginning to sense that something wasn’t right.

“I saw you in Las Nevadas,” said Dream.

“Oh, really!” Foolish rubbed the back of his head, suddenly even more awkward. “Yeah, I mean, I used to go there quite a lot. It’s a busy place, y’know! Lots to do!”

“I saw you there yesterday.”

Foolish’s words died in his throat. He was very conscious of that sword at his hip.

“And, y’know,” Dream continued, “the funny thing is— you were actually talking to Quackity.”

“Oh!” said Foolish. This was horrible. Worst conversation ever. “Well, then, I guess you found him!”

Dream began to shuffle from foot to foot, making small circles in the sand. “Listen,” he said. “I don’t care about your alliances. I don’t. If you’re still loyal to him, or to yourself, or whatever. I mean, I think it’s dumb, and— I think you’re pretty stupid for it, but I get it, right? I just think that… y’know. Honesty is important. All I want is for you to be honest with me, for me to be honest with you. ‘Cause, like, all I’m trying to do is protect myself. I think that’s fair.”

“Yeah, yeah, that’s fair.” Actually, Foolish did feel like Dream was being honest. Call it a gut feeling. Bizarrely, it made him more comfortable about opening up himself. “I don’t know, Dream. If we’re being honest, I guess— I guess I haven’t really decided yet. There’s a whole lot of plotting going on right now, y’know, everyone’s being weird, and then you come along and ask me to kinda betray my country, and it’s… it’s just a lot. It’s a big decision, a big choice. And I’m just— still trying to figure out where I fit in in all of this, y’know?”

Dream nodded. “That’s fair,” he said, and he sounded like he meant it. “But that means I can’t really talk to you anymore. If you might still be allied with Q, I mean— like, that’s not really safe for me here.”

“Yeah, I get that, for sure,” Foolish agreed.

“Yeah.” Dream turned his mask towards the pyramid, raising a hand as if to shield his already-shielded eyes. “Anyway. I guess I’d better be going, then.”

“See ya later,” said Foolish. Or maybe he wouldn’t see him later, actually, given everything Dream just said.

As Dream pearled into the desert, Foolish let go of the knife in his pocket.

#this was a really fun prompt! thank you! #dreblr #c!dream #c!foolish #drabbles #my writing #elm fics #elm asks

[ozzgin]

I've been rewatching One Punch Man and the thought about a painfully average looking reader being so strong is stuck in my head

Like maybe the reader works at like a small restaurant that she's been working at for basically all her life and she just get so strong from doing basic chores and having the mental capacity to deal with bad customers

Maybe like one of the baki characters went to try the restaurant out and maybe gotten a big crush on the waiter, whose being harassed by some rando

But before the can tell the guy to scurry on out of here or get a swing at him, she just completely knocks him out with like a punch to the face or something, and maybe the guy was really big like nearly the size of a bear

Or we can take the Garou route and say that Yujiro decided to try the restaurant out just cause' and is like really demanding, enough to get the reader pissed and correct their behavior

And their way of correcting behavior is basically "stop that" and then BAM, they suddenly he's transported in an alleyway somewhere, conveniently forgetting what happened before

Ooo, just imagine the reaction of the baki characters like your crush basically is the strongest person in the world, Yujiro doesn't even compare

Knocked him away with a simple punch even when he's fully prepared for her

This silly idea basically was brewing in my mind, and since this has lots of Yuji bullying, I thought you might like it

Funnily enough I have an older request that was in queue to be answered with basically the same concept! By the way, turns out I've already written a reader knocking out Yuujirou in one blow! I hope I haven’t built myself a reputation as a Yuujirou bully, although this post won’t help my cause.

Also, the whole idea of reader being insanely strong from menial labor reminds me a lot of Hajime no Ippo. Main character turns out to have top tier boxing potential from working at his mom’s fishing business and carrying heavy crates for the clients. Safe to say I like the reasoning a lot!

Baki Headcanons: One Punch! Reader

I’m leaving Yuujirou as a final opponent so to say, because otherwise the whole thing would be finished in 5 minutes. Imagine the anime intro with slideshows of nature scenery, and the narrator dramatically elaborating the plot and explaining why Yuujirou is the strongest creature on Earth. And literally the next panel he’s unconscious and reader awkwardly stares at the camera. Narrator coughs and has to mumble “Well I guess that’s it” and the curtains fall. That was it. That was the whole story.

So I’m going to go for a random buff stranger to showcase Reader’s strength. You have just finished taking Baki’s order. Maybe he took some of the men out to discuss certain matters. Maybe he wants to ask Retsu, Katsumi, Jack and Hanayama about their encounter with Pickle before his fight, to get some insight. He’s heard Katsumi has a big crush on the waitress here, so he picked the spot more as a joke to tease the Karate master. While attending the table there’s giggles, side glances and elbow nudges and you can only wonder why Katsumi refuses to speak (usually he’s very chatty with you) and the others have a grin on their face.

As you walk away, you notice your newer coworker struggling to handle a customer. He’s bowing repeatedly and apologizing for his mistake to a man wearing an indifferent yet sour expression. The large man begins to raise his voice and throws in a few inappropriate insults, so you gently push your coworker away, hinting that he should leave it to you, and you promptly take his place.

The customer seems to think you’re some higher up, next in line to beg for his forgiveness or perhaps suggest a discount as a peace offering. Nonetheless, he wants to make sure you understand your situation, so he stands up. Before he can open his mouth, you loudly and curtly exclaim “We unfortunately do not accept this kind of behavior. Leave, now.”

Several people have now turned their heads as the tension increases. Katsumi is uneasy and the rest of the men are also quiet, observing the unfolding event. Baki discreetly exits his booth, ready to interfere in case the situation escalates.

The man is visibly angered by your lack of fear. Once several of his threats go unanswered, he lifts his hand. By this point Baki is walking towards you. You sigh, not wanting to cause a scene. The whole thing happens rather fast, no one is entirely sure what they just witnessed, but the window is shattered, the stranger is crumpled on the sidewalk and covered in glass shards and you’re standing next to his table, fist clenched and bloodied up.

Calling the men ‘baffled’ would be an understatement. You have to explain several times that no, you’re not a professional fighter and you’ve never trained a day in your life. In fact, you’ve been working at this restaurant from the moment you could walk. It’s your family’s treasured business and you can’t see yourself doing anything else. Retsu is bewildered and demands to have your skills tested, because you could turn out to be a fearful martial arts user. A whole argument ensues and you compromise on joining them to the Underground Arena to demonstrate how far your strength goes. This evening only, and then you’re back serving customers.

Once you defeat Yuujirou, however, you’ve sealed your fate. You can’t just demolish the Ogre with one blow and walk away as if nothing happened…

*Now this is just a random thought that immediately came to mind when reading the request. Since Reader can easily beat Yuujirou, imagine the amount of people feeling like they’ve finally been avenged. It could even be a whole arranged spectacle. You know those fairs from cartoons, where one person sits above a small pool and you pay to throw a ball towards a target in order to drop them into the water? Same concept, really. There’d be a never ending line of people that have been wronged by Yuujirou somehow, so they throw some coins and Reader goes in for another punch. Yuujirou destroyed your gym? Threatened you on the street? Scared you so much you wet yourself? Gather around and enjoy the show for a small price.

#baki #baki the grappler #baki headcanons #baki hanma

[permanentreverie]

ok ok ok so you're getting a Homeric Epics ask because there's too much for a comment. Firstly translations - the Wilson translations are critically acclaimed, they're known for being a lot more straightforward language than many other translations, I haven't read them properly but from what I see they're fine, they're good. I personally enjoy things being a bit more elaborate, I love a bit of purple poetry, so I go for the Fitzgerald translation which a. avoids some of the random misogyny that like the Fagles has. Lattimore is the last of the big three traditional translations, it's SO BORING it's like word for word accurate it's the crib translation but it is DULL. Go for the Wilson for sure if you want but be aware it's not like, an inherently better translation always? It can be your favourite but I feel like people talk about it like it has greater value because it was written by a woman sometimes. But I'm absolutely not downplaying it, it is good.

Iliad vs Odyssey! You don't need to have read the Iliad to read the Odyssey. The Odyssey is the one with the fun stories, it's a bit dramatic it's a bit fun it has monsters. It's honestly surprisingly light? I read most of it on like a five hour train ride (fitzgerald translation) in August and it had been a long while and I was surprised again that it wasn't as much of a slog as it could be. It's the one with the action and the random episodes, it's a great time. Is it as well written as the Iliad? probably not but it's very beloved to me.

The Iliad I actually studied properly so in my mind it requires more understanding of historical and cultural context to be interesting but idk if that's actually true. I do love it, I do, I defo think it's a harder read, it has more depth and complexity but also a lot of it is people stabbing other people and while there's so much going on thematically and character-wise sometimes the actual plot can get a little samey (JUST LIKE WAR BABEY IT'S ABOUT THE HORRORS OF WAR). I would absolutely say read it (minus book 2) but if you're a little worried about the style being too dense honestly i might suggest start with the Odyssey and my best friend Odysseus first.

I hope you do end up reading them, they can be hard work but they're genuinely such good stories and such good writing!

this is the kind of commitment i expect when i ask people to pursuade me to read their fave books!! to be honest i’m a little ashamed i haven’t read these books yet, i think i’m gonna look for the wilson translations next time i’m at the store! i was more interested in her versions because i’ve heard she is a more accurate translation, and doesn’t include some misogynistic tones that the other previous translators have, and that she gives more agency to the women? i’m not sure, i have enjoyed the snippets i’ve read! i think i’ll also look for the fitzgerald translations if i can find them second hand!!!!!

#thank you so so much #im wanting to get into more ~dense~ literature next year (someone help me find don quioxote and count of monte cristo) #answered asks #mutuals tag #gracie tag

[ilovedthestars]

Ask game for fic writers!

4, 20, 69 (I'm sorry but not really)

lol thank you alex XD (link to ask game here)

4. what is the plot bunny you’ve been carrying for the longest? optional bonus question: do you ever wonder why you haven’t written it yet and experience deep existential dread?

Ohhh targetcontrolsys my beloved. By which i mean not the character/entity but my wip titled targetcontrolsys, which was the very first murderbot fic i ever started writing. I hadn't been excited enough about a piece of media to write fanfic about it in years, but that line in NE when murderbot says "i thought for a second that it was going to delete me" (paraphrased) would not get out of my brain and i kept imagining a scenario where 2.0 failed and targetcontrolsys did take over MB's brain and eventually i had to write it. There are still (checks notes) 10,944 words of this sitting in a scrivener draft. Parts of it are really good but as a whole it's a hot mess.

Bonus question: Yes i am absolutely haunted by it, although honestly it's just one of the chorus of unfinished wip ghosts that are constantly competing for my attention. (have i mentioned my insane words written:words published ratio recently? because apparently i've hit the 200k mark in my drafts recently, and only 32k of that is on ao3. help)

20. what is your favorite trope to write?

This will not come as a surprise to you or anyone, but: MALWARE, BABY. Or to put it a little more broadly, the specific brand of hurt/comfort that comes from a character losing control and being forced to (almost) commit atrocities. The (almost) is important to me, because I personally don't like to go too deep into despair, but I do want the very strong hurt/comfort emotions. The targetcontrolsys wip very much fell into this category, and I have a lot more fics like it (which have even made it onto ao3 once or thrice). I like pushing a character (let's be honest, it's usually Murderbot) almost to the edge and then having it unpack its feelings afterwards. Which is fun with any kind of hurt/comfort, but I like the malware/governor module/combat override flavor most of all.

69. how do you write emotional scenes? do you ever feel what the characters feel?

Emotional scenes usually come first for me! A lot of my semi-abandoned wips are a handful of emotional scenes that are missing the connective tissue to tie them together. Emotions are my favorite part of writing (see above, re: h/c) and I tend to write them very big and dramatic. I like getting a little poetic/creative with the writing style sometimes, which is harder with murderbot's style of narration but fun when I get the chance. Often I'll pour a big scene out in one sitting because it struck me, and then sit down and try to assemble a fic around it. I do feel emotions sometimes when i'm writing--i don't know that i feel what the characters feel, exactly, so much as i just feel an "i am full of big emotions" feeling no matter what emotion I'm writing about? It's a really fun feeling that only strikes me sometimes, and I miss it when I'm trying to write an emotional scene without it.

#ask game answers #stars has thoughts #writing stuff #targetcontrolsys wip #idk if that's ever gonna be finished but i might have sharable snips from it if anyone's interested #unofficial malware trilogy fics #thank you for the qs alex these were fun :)

[clockworkowl]

Ace x Family: Mission P1: part 2-1: the trial begins

When last we paused Miles had just learned that his dramatic Matlock impression earned him the position of Defense counsel for the very real class trial, because this elite school feels it’s perfectly reasonable for a grade-schooler’s burden to consist of saving their classmates from expulsion. (Sorry no accessibility text descriptions yet, but whenever I have enough new pages to do the update to A03 they will be there)

~Reminder: These follow the standard manga format with right to left reading direction instead of the American comic book left to right

Apparently it’s been just shy of a year since I posted the any pages of this so now I feel a little guilty and I shall never grouse at half abandoned works on A03 again. I’m not sure what is more to blame: that all of my brain cells have devoted themselves to considering the enigma that is Majima Goro and his slightly smirking soul mate; that I chose to essentially do a case fic trial with the kids which means so much dialogue heavy exchanges to try to make interesting and no fun Barok & Ryuu spy/assassin fun; or that it’s just slow going because the drawing part has never been my strong suit because I get all hung up on how I’m not consistent and have to make little line drawing templates for myself to reuse or use as a guide to make anyone come out vaguely correct unless I want to spend a billion years (and I still want to spend a billion years because I focus on all the stuff that’s not quite right) but the whole reason I kind of talked myself into doing this as a manga instead of just wrangling it into prose (well, let’s be honest, prose wasn’t going to happen probably because I can’t seem to be arsed to write prose anymore, but at least into a written form, most likely just resembling a script) was that I wanted to practice drawing and manga layouts in hopes of getting me to actually work on Teddy Roosevelt’s A Team (which is the thing I started and have giant full arcs of plotting and scripting done for that’s been just sitting for like 13 years now, and still haven’t come up with an actual title for just the stupid working title. I’m hopeless.) My downfall it seems was cross publishing to A03 with the full accessibility captions like a proper thing people might look at instead of into the void of tumblr and then just being pleased whenever I’d get the odd random like. So maybe I’ll just randomly post every time I finish a few pages and only care for A03 when I happen to hit enough done ones to be a big enough update. I’m still determined to finish the episode.

One of these days I’m going to figure Gumshoe out, since I had no reference material for what he should look like young I figured the one out, but it feels like every time I need to have him in a different angle and try to use Gumshoe sprite facial expressions for reference I end up too close to adult facial structure. How did I ever make it through art school in an animation track and yet feel so devoid of basic drawing skills?

#ace attorney spy x family au #ace attorney #no spoilers in this one original story in the au #phoenix wright #miles edgeworth #franziska von karma #dick gumshoe #class trial #aa fanart #aa fanfic #Checkov’s backpack mice #oh look I’m not dead I will finish this arc if it kills me #but I’d better get cracking because Gaiden comes out in November #and then I’ll surely be sucked into Spy Kiryu #hmm maybe I can find a way to have Kiryu and Majima show up in the grownups side of this AU and randomly combine 3 universes

[orchidyoonkook]

Fruit asks!!

🍉,🍋,🍈, &🍇

Eeeee! Hi Violet. I love you!

🍉: Do you prefer to write short fics or long fics? Multichaptered works or single ones? Why?

Long cuz I don’t know how to shut up and I like to include useless details.

Multi chaptered cuz it creates suspense and drama! And I’m a dramatic ass bitch.

🍋: What's your favorite spicier trope to write?

I haven’t really written spice yet. The ones I have written are used more as plot devices rather than gratuitous. It’ll probably end up being something dom/subby or maybe body worship?

I read somewhere that a lot of (heterosexual) sex is making the girl feel desired and loved and that makes it great for the (heterosexual) man. And I happen to agree with that. I am also paraphrasing that horribly.

🍈: Who's your blorbo and what are some of your favorite headcanons/ideas about them that repeatedly show up in your fics? Free pass to rant about blorbo opinions.

Please feel free to mock but I had to google what a blorbo was as I strictly avoided tumblr until august last year (don’t ask me why I have no idea)

From what google says they’re just characters or celebs I adore and boy are there a lot of them.

Kpop (not in my fics cuz I have so few rn, so I’ll just say my faves to read):

Always either Yoongi as the big bad (grumpy mean) secret softie.

JK in anything where he’s a big powerful man (like CEO etc) who’s hellbent on being the best lay Reader will ever have but then letting only her be the first to soft dom him?

or Joon just being very big and very dominant.

Chan, Felix, San, Jisung, Hyunjin, Hongjoon, the list goes on….

Non Kpop: aha.. ya girlies a YA/ Adult fantasy reader and movie/tv NERD. So to keep the list short:

Rhys, Cassian, Hunt, Cardan, Ruhn, Dorian, Maxon, Thorne, (there’s more here but it’s late I can’t remember them all), Sebastian Stan, actually, far too many men who are in their 40s -> Chris Evans, Hyun Bin, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Shemar Moore, Matthew Gray Gubler, Tom Hiddleston, Eric Dane, Tom Ellis, Ewan McGregor, Charlie Hunnam.. please know that teenage me had MANY phases and all of these men were apart of them in one way or another.

🍇: Is there a particular scene/episode/book/ etc that you want to just write a million fics about, over and over? Which one?

BTS obvi, there was a time in my life where I considered doing it for the Cinder series. Maybe Chan from stray kids? Or something Sarah J Maas related. Just comfort characters and people really.

I don’t really obsess over writing, which why my bio says what it does. But maybe just making up endless scenarios in my head is a better way of putting it. I only ever write when I’m inspired which is why I don’t do it professionally.

#thank you so much Violet! #these were super fun!! #i had been so curious as to what the hell a blorbo was and I’m glad to finally have a reason to find out! #ask games with yoon #asks #violetsiren90 #ms.mailbox📬

[zartophski]

Hi Zee <3 1, 4, 7, 8, 20, 21 and 27 please :3 (feel free to discard any of these if it's too much I know I'm greedy xD)

hello hello!!

Describe your comfort zone - a typical you-fic

Found family my beloved <3 khjfsdk I love that genre of hurt/comfort, found family. I can’t exactly pin down the patterns of my writing, but I know I tend to write with worldbuilding or headcanons in mind. I think most of my fics have the goal of either strengthening the group, or showing off a specific character

4. How many fic ideas are you nurturing right now? Care to share one of them?

Too many hjgsdhk I say that as both a joke and the truth. I haven’t been able to finish my wips like I used to, part of it because I’ve just been busy, part of it because I have too many going on. For the count we’ll go with fifteen, though I have a lot more ideas that haven’t even gotten a doc yet. And one of them I’ll share is titled Unspoken, and will be the third post-lu fic I’ve written. This one focuses on Time and how he deals with the end of the LU journey.

7. Share a snippet from one of your favorite pieces of prose you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it

I’m just gonna link Visitor for this one hjgfhsdjh it’s a shorter piece, but the entire focus of it is prose. It was based off this piece by tenten, and when I was writing it, I wanted to focus more on the scenery and the feeling you get from it, rather than building up a plot and dialogue. And I’m pretty proud of it, actually. It was a different style, and I had fun trying it out.

8. Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it

Okay, again, can I just link R.I.P (Rest In Pancakes)? Hjgfhdfhjg Okay so, I mentioned it kind of recently, but I feel like every time I write dialogue, the characters will at some point have a snarky little banter or comeback or some sort of dramatics in the way they respond. This fic I just let myself go crazy with it. I wrote it all in one sitting kinda late at night, and the fic itself is taking place late night/early morning right before finals in an IHOP. It’s just very fun imo gsjdhk

20. Describe your perfect writing conditions

I am comfy somewhere with some sun with my earbuds in, listening to some game tracks. I usually use the Sprinto bot on Discord while I write, and the best is when I get in a groove of a lot of sprints back to back and seeing that word count start to rack up. 

21. How many times do you usually revise your fic/chapter before posting

I do a lot of my large revisions as I’m still writing the first draft. I write jumping around a bit with the scenes, so any big changes get made as I piece things together. But before I post I’ll usually do two final read throughs. First one in the doc I’ve been working in, second one in the ao3 preview.

27. How do you feel about collaboration

Love collaborations! I’ve done a couple low stakes ones, and had a great time with them. But I'm not sure how well I'd do in a longer project with collaborations, just because I'm honestly not that great at longfic hfgjsdhk

#rat lab reports

[cedarbranch]

for the fanfic writer ask meme: 2-4, 30-35, 41-50, and 77!

wheee thank u!! this is so many omg (/pos) definitely putting these under a cut lol

2. talk about a notable time a narrative or character has looked you dead in the eyes and said “fuck your plan, here’s what we’re actually doing.”

when DOESN'T this happen honestly... most recently, steve's mom insisted that she MUST make an appearance in my stranger things wip, but the first instance of this happening on a dramatic scale was wayyyyy back when i was writing my frerard ghost au. frank decided to have more significant Issues than i originally intended which ended up with me rewriting half the fic from scratch (which now i do more often than not)

3. on a scale of 1-10 how much do you enjoy incorporating romance into the average story?

hmmm... 9! i love romance :) i love writing Romance As Exploration. figuring out what makes characters tick, then how and why they'd make each Other tick. i do struggle with writing entirely romance-centric stories though, it tends to be one plot thread out of many

4. what is the plot bunny you’ve been carrying for the longest? optional bonus question: do you ever wonder why you haven’t written it yet and experience deep existential dread?

jeeeez... there are SO many ideas i've written and then abandoned... keeping it to ones i actually intend to finish, it's gotta be my pacific rim chance-meeting fic, but part 5 of magnolia 'verse comes as a very close second! i think about it constantly. i know exactly why i haven't written it yet: it's partially because... i HAVE written part of it (i rewrote the same 20k of the intro 5 fucking times), and also because after those 5 times i lost the hyperfixation and have been caught up in other fandoms ever since. still Thinking About It though.

30. most inspirational quote you’ve ever read or heard that’s still important to you.

i'm not gonna hunt down the exact quote, but there's a post floating around here disparaging the idea of going to an art museum and saying "i could do that!" in an insulting way because yeah - you could! the only difference between the artist in the museum and you is the fact that they Did and you Didn't. that concept was big for me. it's a great reminder that nothing i do has to be perfect, i just have to make it Exist. the first step to being a writer is words on the page

31. tell us about one of your characters who’s an absolute joy to write?

oh that's so tough, i have so many i love writing!! in terms of who makes me giggle and kick my feet the most, though, gotta be eddie in my stranger things wip or newt geiszler. love me a character who is an Annoying Little Shit On Purpose

32. do characters influence your writing style?

i would say less characters and more the source material itself. i'm someone who likes to match character/narrative voices as closely as possible, so the way i write dialogue obviously reflects that and changes from fandom to fandom. it's not always super noticeable, but i think it shows the most when i'm writing pacific rim or hannibal. (writing hannibal fic is its own beast, that's the only one that's really changed my entire approach to writing and not just dialogue)

33. do you start with the characters or the plot when writing?

they inform one another so closely it's hard to separate them! i guess the first inklings of plot are where it begins, and then the characters generate what the rest of it looks like.

34. how do you name characters and places?

most of the time i don't have to bc i'm primarily writing fic ❤️ but on those rare occasions when i'm writing original fiction, it's purely based on vibes.

35. tell us about a character who’s very different than you who you love a whole lot

literally any character i'm invested in. i'm always most compelled by characters who are very much unlike me, especially the bitter angry types. right now it's will graham :3 i love RIGHTEOUS RAGE yay yippeee!!!

41. what is the weirdest story idea you’ve ever had.

hmmm. quite possibly the crack fic i wrote for tma where jon is confronted with the horrors of homestuck. (IN MY DEFENSE: WAS NOT ACTUALLY MY IDEA, WAS WRITTEN AT A FRIEND'S REQUEST, but i did make it exist).

42. describe the aesthetic of a story in 5 words.

ough this is Hard. i can give a bad 5-word summary of a fic, but its aesthetic? let me give it a shot for the hannigram wip: bloody knuckles, sick with yearning

43. how did writing change you?

got me a girlfriend :)

serious answer: i am always thinking about craft when interacting with any kind of written art. i deconstruct, i nitpick, i analyze. sometimes it's criticizing bad writing from a place of love (as with stranger things), sometimes i'm frustrated by what could've been done much better (THE MAGICIANS!!), sometimes i'm just in awe of the skill of the creators (succession, hannibal).

44. any writing advice you want to share?

for fic writers: don't stop reading actual books!!

45. name three of your favorite fanfic writers.

three is too few!! i'll just say i'm currently rockin with emungere and zipegs, and always w my gf @stoplightglow :)

46. what time are you the most productive when it comes to writing?

hmmm. late evening, maybe?

47. what story are you most proud of?

in terms of completed works, moth to light. for my entire body of work including what's yet unfinished, my hannigram wip! (it'll have a title... eventually)

48. do you reread your own stories?

oh absolutely. partially just because it's fun, but mostly as a learning exercise! it's helpful to get some distance from a fic and then go back and see how reading it feels compared to how writing it felt. gives me a sense of whether my intentions came across how i meant them to in the end. also lets me identify some of the flaws i'd like to work on!

49. do you want to be published some day?

i don't really know! i used to want to be a novelist once i'd "gotten good enough" by practicing with fic, but i've since realized that fic and original fiction are very different skill sets and i'm just not as interested in writing original work. i do have a few short pieces that i'd like to finish one day and i hope they'd be publishable but it's sooo intimidating to have a partner who actually is a successfully published author and get a firsthand look at how much rejection and persistence it involves :'D i think i'd like to give it a shot when i'm ready, whenever that is. maybe for poetry too!

50. do you plan or do you write whatever comes to your mind?

i plan obsessively. my planning documents are pages and pages of outlining, character notes, snippets of scenes i want to write, etc. but to be fair the actual act of writing once i sit down to it is whatever springs to my mind, the story often takes off and guides itself into deeper levels of nuance from there

77. how do you write kissing scenes?

ummm. they're kinda formulaic in my work tbh which is smth i want to change... i do think my kiss scenes are improving as the rest of my writing improves, though! there's one in the hannigram wip i'm pretty fond of. will kisses hannibal and then punches him in the face ❤️ for the second time that evening

#thank youuu i love to Think About Writing #time to take this motivation juice and go write! #answered #ask meme #n.txt #magnolia #haunt me

[thedeadhandofseldon]

The Anti-Mercer Effect

On the Accessibility of D&D, Why Unprepared Casters is so Fun, and Why Haley Whipjack is possibly the greatest DM of our generation.

(Apologies to my mutuals who aren’t in this fandom for the length of this, but as you all know I have never in my life shut up about anything so… we’ll call it even for the number of posts about Destiel I see every day.

To fellow UC fans - I haven’t listened to arc 4 yet, I started drafting this in early August, and I promise I will write a nice post about how great Gus the Bard is once I get the chance to listen to more of his DMing).

Structure - Or, “This is not the finale, there will be more podding cast”

So, first of all, let’s just talk about how Unprepared Casters works. Because it’s kind of unusual! Most of the other big-name D&D podcasts favor this long, grand arcs; UC has about 10 hours of podcast per each arc. And that’s a major strength in a lot of ways: it makes it really accessible to new listeners, because you can just start with the current arc and understand what’s going on!

And by starting new arcs every six or seven episodes, they can explore lots of ways to play D&D! Classic dungeon delve arc! Heist arc! Epic heroes save the world arc! Sportsball arc! They can touch on all sorts of things!

And while I’m talking about that: Dragons in Dungeons, the first arc, makes it incredibly accessible as a show - because it lets the unfamiliar listener get a sense of what D&D actually is. (It’s about telling stories and making your friends feel heroic and laugh and cry, for the record). If I had to pick a way to introduce someone to the game without actually playing it with them, that arc would definitely be it.

And I’d be remise not to note one very important thing: Haley Whipjack and Gus the Bard are just very funny, very charismatic people. Look. Episode 0s tend to be about 50%(?) those two just talking to each other about their own podcast. It shouldn’t work. And yet it DOES, its one of my favorite parts, because Haley and Gus are just cool.

And a side note that doesn’t fit anywhere else: I throw my soul at him! I throw a scone at him - that’s it, that’s the vibe. The whole podcast alternates between laughing with your friends and brooding alone in a dark tavern corner - but the laughs never forced and the dark corner is never too dark for too long.

Whipjack the Great - Or, the DM is Also a Player!

I think Haley Whipjack is one of the greatest Dungeon Masters alive. The plots and characters! The mechanical shenanigans! The descriptions!

Actually, let’s start there: with the descriptions. (Both Haley and Gus do this really fucking well). As we know, Episode 0 of each arc sees the DM reading a description - of a small town, or the Up North, or the recent history of a great party. And Haley always strikes this tricky balance - one I think a lot of us who DM struggle with - between giving too much description and  worldbuilding, and not telling us anything at all. She describes people and events in just enough detail to imagine them, but never so much they seem static and unreal - just clear enough to envision, but with enough vagueness left to let your imagination begin to run wild.

While I’m thinking about arc 3’s party, let’s talk about a really bold move she made in that arc: letting the players have ongoing control of their history. Loser Lars! She didn’t try to spell out every detail of this high-level party’s history, or restrict their past to only what she decided to allow - she gave them the broad outlines, and let them embellish it. And that made for a much more alive story than any attempt to create it by herself would have - but I think it takes a lot of courage to let your players have that agency. Most Dungeon Masters (myself included) tend to struggle with being control freaks.

And the plots! Yeah, arc one is built of classic tropes - but she actually uses them, she doesn’t get caught up in subverting everything or laughing at the cliches. And it’s fun! In arc 3, there really isn’t a straight line for the players to follow, either - which makes the game much more interesting and much trickier to run. And her NPCs are fantastic and I will talk about them in the next section.

Above all, though, I think what is really impressive is how Haley balances mechanics, and rules as written, with the narrative and rule of cool - and puts both rules and story in the service of playing a fun game. And the secret to that? She’s the DM, but the DM is a player, and the DM is clearly having fun. Hope Lovejoy mechanically shouldn’t get that spellslot back, but she does, and it’s fun. The changeling merchant in Thymore doesn’t really make some Grand Artistic Narrative better, but wow is it fun. And she never tries to force it one way or the other - the story might be more dramatic if Annie didn’t manage to banish the demon from the vault, but it’s a lot cooler and a lot more fun for the players if Annie gets to be a badass instead - and the rules and the dice say that Annie managed it.

Settings feel like places, NPCs feel like people, and the narrative plot feels like a real villainous plot.

Anyway. I could go on about the various ways in which Whipjack is awesome for quite a while - she’s right, first place in D&D is when your friends laugh and super first place is when they cry - but I’m going to stop here and just. Make another post about it some other time. For now, for the record I hold her opinions about the game in higher esteem than I do several official sourcebooks; that is all.

Characters - Or, Bombyx Mori Is Not an Asshole, And That Matters

Okay, I said I would talk about characters! And I will!

Just a general place to start: the party! All of the first three parties are interesting to me, because they all care about each other. Not even necessarily in a Found Family Trope sort of way, though often that too. But they generally aren’t assholes to each other. The players create characters that actually work together, that are interesting; even when there’s internal divisions like SK-73 v. Sir Mr. Person, they aren’t just unpleasant and antagonistic all the time. Listening to the podcast, we’re “with” these people for a couple hours - and it isn’t unpleasant. That matters a lot. (To take a counter-example: I love Critical Role, but the episode when Vox Machina pranked Scanlan after he died and was resurrected wasn’t fun to listen to, it was just uncomfortable and angering and vaguely cruel).

All of the PCs are amazing, and the players in each arc did a great job. If you disagree with me about that, well, you have the right to be incorrect and I am sorry for your loss. Annie Wintersummer, for one example: tragic and sad and I want to give her a hug, but also Fuck Yeah Wintersummer, and also her familiar Charles the Owl is the cutest and funniest and I love him. And we understand what’s going on with Annie, she isn’t some infinite pool of hidden depths because this arc is 7 episodes and we don’t have time for that, but she also has enough complexity to be interesting. Same with Fey Moss: yeah, a lot of her is a silly pun about fame that carries into how she behaves, but a lot of how she behaves is also down to some good classic half-elven angst about parenthood and wanting to be known and seen and important. (Side note: if your half-elf character doesn’t have angst, well, that’s impressive and also I don’t think I believe you).

There are multiple lesbian cat-people in a 4-person party and they both have requited romantic interests who aren’t each other. This is the future liberals want and I am glad for it.

Sir Mister Person, the human fighter! Thavius, the edge lord! Even when a character is “simple,” they’re interesting, because of how they’re played as people and not action-figures. And that matters a lot.

In the same way: the NPCs. There really aren’t a lot of them! And some of them come from Patreon submissions, so uh good work gang, you’re part of the awesomeness and I’m proud of you! The point being, the NPCs work because enough of them are interesting to matter. It’s not just a servant who opens Count Michael’s door, it’s a character with a name (Oleandra!) and a personality and history. They’re interesting. Penny Lovejoy didn’t need to be interesting, the merchant outside the Laughing Mausoleum didn’t need to be interesting, but they ARE! And Haley and Gus EXCEL at making the NPCs matter, not just to the story but to us as viewers. I agree with Sir Mister Person, actually, I would die for the princesses of the kingdom. I actually care about Gem Lovejoy of all people - that wouldn’t happen in an ordinary campaign! That’s the thing that makes Unprepared Casters spectacular - and, frankly, it’s especially impressive because D&D does not tend to be good at making a lot of interesting compared to a lot of other sorts of stories.

And, just as an exemplar of all this: Bombyx Mori. Immortal, reincarnating(?), and described as the incarnation of the player’s ADHD. I expected to hate Bombyx, because as the mom friend both in and out of my friend-group’s campaigns, the chaos-causer is always exhausting to me. And yeah, Bombyx causes problems on purpose! But! She is not an asshole.

And that’s important. Bombyx goes and sits with the queen and comforts her. Bombyx gives Annie emotional support. Bombyx isn’t just a vehicle to jerk around the DM and other players; Bombyx really is a character we can care about. To compare with another case - in the first couple episodes of The Adventure Zone, the PCs are just dicks. Funny, but dicks. Bombyx holds out an arm “covered in larva” to shake with a count, and robs him of magical items, but she also cares about her friends and other people! She uses a powerful magical gem to save her fertilizer guy from death! Yeah, Bombyx is ridiculous, but she’s not just an asshole the party has to keep around for plot reasons; you can see why her party would keep her around. And one layer of meta up, she’s the perfect example of how to make a chaotic character like that while still being fun for everyone you’re playing with, which is often not the case. And I love her.

The Anti-Mercer Effect - Or, “I think we proved it can be fun, you can have a good time with your friends. And it doesn’t have to be scary, you can just work with what you know”

The Mercer Effect basically constitutes this: Matthew Mercer, Dungeon Master of Critical Role, is incredible (as are all of his players). They’re all professional story-tellers in a way, remember, and so Critical Role treats D&D like a narrative art-form, and it’s inspiring. Seeing that on Critical Role sets impossible standards - and people go into their own home games imagining that their campaigns will be like Critical Role, and the burden of that expectation tends to fall disproportionately on the DM. And the end result, I think, of the Mercer Effect is that we get discouraged or intimidated, because our game isn’t “as good as” theirs. (And I should note - Matt certainly doesn’t want that to be our reaction).

So the Anti-Mercer Effect is two things: it’s D&D treated like a game, and it’s inspiring but not intimidating. And Unprepared Casters manages both of those really freaking well. Because they play it like a game! A UC arc looks just like a good campaign in anyone’s home game. They have the vibes of 20-somethings and college students playing D&D for fun because that’s who they are (as a 20-something college student who plays a lot of D&D, watching it felt like watching my friends play an especially good campaign). They’re trying to tell a good story, sure, and they always do. But first and foremost, they’re trying to have fun, and it shows, and I love the UC cast for it.

And that’s the other half of it: it’s inspiring! It’s approachable; you can see that Haley and Gus put plenty of work into preparing the game but it also doesn’t make you feel like you need hundreds of pages of worldbuilding to run a game. Sometimes a cleric makes Haley cry and she gives them back a spell-slot from their deity! That’s fantastic! It’s just inspiring - listening to this over the summer, when my last campaign had fallen apart under the strain of graduation, is why I decided to plan and run my new one!

That quote from Haley Whipjack that I used as the title for this section? That’s the whole core of this idea, and really, I think, the core of the podcast.

The Mercer Effect is when you go “that’s really cool, I could never do that.” But Unprepared Casters makes you look at D&D and go “wow, that looks really fun. I bet I can do that!” And I love the show for it.

And I bet a lot of you do too.

#unprepared casters #bombyx mori #haley whipjack #long post #this is really rough but I don't have time to keep working on it and it's already a month later than intended

[therealvinelle]

Hi, love your metas and your fic. I think you mentioned somwhere that at the end of BD Aro was trying to prevent the fight. What were his motives? According to Edward, the Volturi are cowards, but I didn't get this feeling. Caius was begging for a battle, the guard vocally proclaimed willingness to die for the cause... hell, Jane had to be restrained from running to Bella and punching her in the throat. And I find it unlikely that their leader is less brave than them. Explain Aro's brain pls

Thank you so much! That’s really nice of you to say. And sorry for the late answer.

And explain Aro’s brain, whew. That is a very big question with a very long answer and this post will be a manifesto by the time I’m done. But you wanted Aro’s brain explained so manifesto it is.

So, before we go anywhere I have to make the distinction between Aro of the books and Aro of the movies. Those two are different people.

Starting with appearance, because casting does a lot for me and if a big deviation is made it better be like Ruth Wilson as Marisa Coulter, which is to say it better fit the character. Also, disclaimer, I think most of Twilight was miscast, and especially the Volturi. I’m forever dying at Caius looking like Lucius Malfoy. However, this is an Aro post, so we’re highlighting Aro.

Aro of the books is a twenty-something Greek with skin that has petrified and eyes covered in a milky sort of film, which totals to him looking perfect, as all vampires do, yet frail. When he walks it looks like he’s gliding. This is an otherworldly, ancient, inhuman being. He’s energetic and excitable, yes, but if anything that should add to how very other he is. Casting Michael Sheen is a clear signal that the movies were going in a completely different direction with Aro. Sheen is a great actor who played what he was given perfectly, but what he was given was a very different character.

In New Moon the book, Aro first rejects Edward request because this is Carlisle’s gifted son, and more, this is not what the Volturi do. They are not hitmen. It’s just a big no all around.

Bella enters, and the Aro she meets is a very polite and gracious man who’s delighted to see the human still alive, and pleased Carlisle’s son won’t be suicidal anymore. However, Edward fully intended to step into the sunlight in the middle of Volterra, specifically to provoke the Volturi, and he has broken the law with Bella. Further, Edward makes it clear that he fully intends to walk out of Volterra with his human still human, and that she’ll die of old age if he gets his way. Edward’s contempt of the law could not be more clear. However, Alice shows Aro that Bella’s fate is sealed, she turns or she dies. The law will be upheld. Aro is glad to hear it, and lets the Cullens all go home.

All in all, it’s a very tense occasion where Edward has put Aro in a difficult position, because he’s trying to force him to kill his best friend’s son, and Aro goes “YES THANK GOD” when Alice finally gives him an out.

New Moon of the movies was not this. Starting with the flashback (because I’m being thorough), Aro executes a lowly criminal himself.  I object to that, I think that’s a menial task and Aro doing it himself made the Volturi look less regal, not more. Cut to the present day, Aro rejects Edward’s request because he doesn’t want to waste his gift. We get the whole meeting with Bella, and Aro… well I don’t know why he does any of the things he does. This guy never mentions his friendship to Carlisle, tries to kill our plucky heroes three times in the space of one minute (one, gives Felix the order to kill Bella, stopped by Edward. Two, moves to decapitate Edward, stopped by Bella. Three, he’s about to eat Bella, stopped by Alice), and when he lets them go it feels terribly convenient.

This was a guy written to be the villain of the series, and it showed.

Cut to Breaking Dawn part I’s ending scene, and while I love the song choice for the scene, and fully agree that Aro considers misspelling Carlisle’s name to be a capital offense, the scene itself… we are presented with a villainous, power-hungry megalomaniac who’s just waiting to strike against the Cullens.

We then get Breaking Dawn part II, and I haven’t seen that movie in years but I remember the fight scene well enough. Aro kills Carlisle with the biggest grin on his face, and gives the go-ahead to his Volturi to kill the surviving Cullens and their witnesses.

Contrast that with canon, where Aro’s first words to Carlisle are «Nothing would make me happier than preserving your life today». Now, he’s making it very clear that this meeting will most likely end with Carlisle’s death, but he’s not happy about it. He’s certainly not going to kill him with a smile on his face and laughter in his heart.

The movies needed a hammy villain, and that’s what Michael Sheen played. It is not who Aro is, at all. And he’s not the only character this happened to, but again, this is an Aro post so I’m not going to start raging like Don Corleone about what they did to my boys.

So, with the movies firmly expelled from the post, let’s look at the Twilight series from Aro’s point of view.

Or, rather, we’ll have to start earlier because Aro’s decisions throughout the series are pretty clearly motivated by Carlisle. And that means considering, “why is Carlisle so important, anyway?”

Consider these things: one, Aro is gifted with the power of knowing every single thought a person has ever had. He knows your soul. Two, Aro is the leader of the supernatural world, he has been for over a thousand years.

How many friends does a person with that power and in that position have?

Three, who does Aro even come into contact with?

Starting with number three, for Aro it’s going to be 1) criminals, 2) Volturi guard hopefuls, 3) Weirdos like Laurent who are wasting Aro’s time.

(“But what about the guard!” Well, while we observe close interpersonal relationships between Aro and Jane, and Aro and Renata, and one can assume Corin to be close to the wives, the distinction between Volturi coven and Volturi guard remains. The guards are servants, in some cases beloved servants, but servants nonetheless. It would be inappropriate and weird for Aro to start slumming it with Demetri and Felix)

So, Aro doesn’t get out much, which brings us to point two. The people he does meet, and who are willing to entertain a friendship with the Volturi leader, are going to be people who want something. And that might work for some rulers, Louis XIV built Versailles specifically to make his subjects do this for him, but he had something to gain politically from that. Aro does not, his power is supreme without a need to tolerate brown nosers. More, with his own and Marcus’ gifts, he’ll know right away that he’s being used for power. He would get nothing out of it.

Finally point one, Aro’s gift. Say that we have a vampire who’s not a weirdo and who thinks Aro’s a cool dude. Well, the question now is, who would ever want a person in their life who knows all there is to know about them? I wouldn't want anybody to know every thought I've ever had, I certainly would never seek out a person to know me that deeply when I could just go find normal people to be friends with instead. Not to mention how incredibly unequal such a friendship would be.

In short, I don’t think Aro has any friends.

Enter Carlisle a very amiable person who cherishes Aro for his personality, and doesn’t mind having his mind read. Aro just found a unicorn. Carlisle on his end likes Aro so much that he lives with him for decades. Even if you want to read their relationship as platonic, that’s still a very strong friendship.

Point being that Carlisle is unbelievably precious to Aro, and so very unique. Aro has lived for over three millennia, and never met anyone like this before. There won’t be another Carlisle.

This in turn makes him willing to stretch as far as he can to preserve that friendship and, as the plot thickens, keep Carlisle alive.

Fast forwards to 2006, and Aro is sitting in Volterra minding his own business when Carlisle’s son walks into town demanding his own execution. He has not committed any crimes. Not only is assisted suicide not something the Volturi even do, but this would ruin Aro’s friendship with Carlisle. Even if Carlisle was miraculously understanding of Aro killing his son (which I can’t imagine he would be), this would never leave the air between them. Carlisle could never be around him again after something like that.

So, Aro turns down Edward’s request. “Stupid Volturi man ruining my dramatic suicide, I’ll show him who’s boss!” Edward replies, and runs shirtless into the sunlight. I’m sure Aro was just dying, you had “The Sound of Silence” playing as he stared into nothingness because how is this happening to him. A whiplash of an hour later, Bella is alive again, Aro is happy, we can be done with this now, right? Right?!

No, Edward says, we cannot be done with this. He’s still refusing to turn Bella.

And so we get that whole New Moon exchange where Aro very tellingly shoves the part where Edward WALKED INTO THE SUNLIGHT IN VOLTERRA under the carpet and out of the conversation (for comparison: Irina is executed for false testimony and Bree for breaking a law she didn’t know existed), and he even allows Bella to leave human when he could easily have bitten her himself to keep the Cullens honest. This guy went out of his way to be lenient and show the Cullens good faith.

And then a few months later Irina walks into Volterra, bearing memories of what is unmistakably a Cullen immortal child.

Aro may care for Carlisle, but this is the guy who killed his baby sister so he’d still have Marcus’ gift. He will bend far, very far, for those he cares about, but he will not break. It’s duty above love, Volturi above Aro’s personal preferences. An immortal child is not an offense that can be tolerated, and so it’ll be Didyme 2: Aro Kills Someone He Loves Boogaloo.

By now I think it should be quite clear why I think Aro was trying to prevent the fight. Battle would have meant Carlisle’s certain death.

(And that’s even assuming the Volturi won the fight. With Bella there, there was a chance the Volturi wouldn’t prevail. But even before Bella started showing off, Aro was very much hoping this wouldn’t be another Didyme situation.)

#aro #volturi #carlisle cullen #twilight #twilight meta #twilight renaissance #the sad thing is that i have so much more to say about Aro #this is only the first of many posts #Anonymous #ask #i guess i also have to tag #aro/carlisle #sorry guys my terrible ship is leaking into my metas #but damnit IT'S A GOOD SHIP #long post

[ja-khajay]

Stuff I read (and liked) this year

As promised, here’s a list of the novels, comics, manga, etc... I read this year, focusing on the ones I enjoyed and would recommend to people. Under a cut, this is going to be a little long.

-------- Books --------

Favorite book of the year: Stranger in the Woods, by Michael Finkel

Non-fiction. Based on the interviews of the man himself by the author, it is about a man who felt so unfit for society he decided one day to leave it, and spent the next 28 years as a hidden hermit in forest in Maine. The book details how he survived there, how he was eventually found, and some of his reasons for doing so. It’s a great reflection on the nature of loneliness.

Indian creek, by Pete Fromm

...Yet another detailed tale of living alone in the woods. This time, the diary of a student who spent a winter in the mountains to help tend for salmon hatchlings, and how he spent the rest of his days hiking, hunting, meeting the locals. It’s a fun little book who, being set almost the whole world away from where I live, was a nice way to travel.

Howl’s Moving Castle, by Diana Wynne Jones

I don’t feel the need to explain this one since everyone and their mom has seen the movie adapted from it. The book, that I first read a decade ago before I actually watched the film, is a less romantized, more spirited telling of the same story. The writing is absolutely delightful and so is the world it paints, and it’s the first time in ages a book had me laughing out loud during my entire read.

-------- Comics (BD) --------

Favorite comic of the year: Monsieur Désire?, by Hubert and Virginie Augustin

A discreet young woman becomes a maid for a decadent, unbearable, byronesque young lord. Caked in the rigid and oppressive social hierarchy of the victorian era, you follow a mental and verbal joust between the two, as the lord tries his best to offend and corrupt his new unrelenting servant, to little success. The writing and especially the dialogues were stellar, drawing me into the tense atmosphere, watching this trainwreck of a character flamboyantly destroy himself. While there’s no precise content warnings that I can give, this is a mature and heavy story.

World of Edena, by Moebius

Anyone who’s followed this blog for over a month knows how much of a Moebius fan I am. Edena combines the vague, dreamlike, wordless storytelling from stuff like Arzach or The cat’s eyes with an actual plot. While I haven’t completly finished the story, the evolution of the main characters and how the story is told have been great to read through, and as always the art is beyond gorgeous. Unfortunately suffers from some good old sexism in the writing that even if minimal, tasted sour

Le roman de Renart, by Joan Sfar (book 1)

Sfar’s work always has a signature vibe of being dreamy and light without being light hearted, of being down to earth but drifting in the fantastical, and this one is no exception. It’s an adaption of a series of medieval folk tales I grew up with, who uses the same characters to tell an original story. If you’re familiar with icons like Renart as well as other mythological big boys like Merlin you’ll fit right in. There is something special in how the dialogues are written, who feel natural in a way that you’d overhear in a street corner and is very special to me.

The mercenary, by VIncente Segrelles

Another one I post about a lot on this blog. The mercenary is a king on the throne of fantasy cheese. The worldbuilding is interesting at times but the writing is a pretty pathetic display of glorious old time sword and sorcery sci-fantasy 10 years too late for it’s prime (warning for ye old sexism and orientalism that plagues the genre, cranked very high...) but you come and stay for the art. The entire thing is drawn in a series of hyper detailed oil paintings with an insane eye for technical detail, from the engineering of the weaponry, to the architecture and weather, to the anatomy of the fantasy creatures... Each panel stands out as it’s own painting which makes even flipping through it without reading the scenario a treat. Click here to see more of the art, in my Segrelles tag.

The ice maurauder, by Jacques Tardi

A short story about mad scientists entirely drawn like a 19th century engraving. In great Tardi tradition everyone is ugly and mean, it ends terribly, it’s both a hommage to the genre of late 19th cent. to early 1900s dramatic adventure novels and a critical eye on it, and it’s morbidly funny. Most people I saw online hated the way this was written but I’m not them and I really recommend this book. Die mad

-------- Manga --------

Favorite manga of the year: it’s a tie between the following two.

Cats of the Louvre, by Taiyo Matsumoto

Most wonderful comic I have read in ages. The story follows a bunch of semi-feral cats secretly living in the Louvre museum’s attic, and the small group of humans who share their life, walking through the museum as the night watch. When the cats are together, they are represented in a humanoid way, but still act like animals, and “become” cats again when a human is nearby. The plot is a sort of supernatural mystery centered around a kitten who walks around paintings. It’s a love letter to art, sincere and beautiful, with a unique art style and great characters.

Memoirs of amorous Gentlemen, by Moyoco Anno

A sex worker in early 20th century paris starts writing down a diary of the clients she meets, in a quest to cope with the troubles of her life. You follow her, her colleagues, and her bittersweet relationship with an abusive lover. I don’t have much words about this comic, but the art and writing both are amazing, it’s the perfect length and drew me in like little series had before. Obvious content warnings as this is an adult story that talks about sexuality, but also depicts both mental and physical abuse.

Hana, also by Taiyo Matsumoto 

A very short story, this was not made to be read as a comic originally, but served as storyboarding and visual development for a play, and the way it is written follows that. Hana is a slice of life story set in a fantasy world, of a young boy, his family, his village. Despite the setting being an original one, the character interactions are refreshingly... normal, and there is no huge plot to speak of, just a bit of the life of these characters. The art is beautiful, entirely black and white, with a scratchy style and an emphasis on contrast. Matsumoto is on a speedy road to becoming my favorite manga artist haha

Delicious in Dungeon, by Ryoko Kui

While not marked as my year’s favorite, I still consider this series among my favorite manga ever. The art and writing are amazing, and it’s both heartfelt, well concieved and plain hilarious. The story follows several parties of dungeon diving adventurers each on their little quests with a premise of our protagonists, on a panic rescue mission, surviving in the dungeon by cooking and eating the monsters they come across. From a DnD party turned cooking manual dinner of the week beginning, the plot creeps up on you and slowly thickens. I don’t want to spoil anything about the overarching story of this because it was a delight to discover for myself. While everything about DinD rules, I am especially fond of the design philosophy of the author, who puts great detail in the practicality and biology of what she draws, as well as the character writing. Everyone even side characters has so much charm and depth to them, the cast is so diverse and entertaining...! Each character is just a bit lame enough but endearing, and has their own little backstory that shows in the way they exist. It’s a delight

Chainsaw man, by Tatsuki Fujimoto

I went into CSM expecting a borderline campy hyperviolent dumb fun thing to read and was very surprised to find an uncomfortably well written story about a teenager being groomed. The hyperviolent dumb fun fights are here nonetheless and the series still qualifies as shonen for some reason, but the more mature character writing as well as some truly outlandish visuals make it something very special. If you can’t stand shonen, not sure you will like it, but if you don’t mind it, worth trying.

Witch hat atelier, by Kamome Shirahama

The oh so elegant fantasy seinen every cool kid started posting about this year, who I also succumbed to and fast. Witch hat is hard to explain, as most of it’s plot revolves around the rules of the world it’s set in, specifically the regulations around it’s magic and the social and historical reasons for them. It’s about growing up, learning, disability, making art. You follow a little girl taken in by a witch as an apprentice, her magical education, and learn little by little why her lovely teacher is so willing to break a lot of rules... While a bit too gentle and pretty for my taste at times, Witch hat has great worldbuilding and explores sensitive themes I rarely see in manga, much less in fantasy. And Berserk wishes it had art this good

#j #long post

[charmustdie]

why haikyuu is a masterpiece, by me [potential spoilers]

so i saw some people on tiktok slandering haikyuu and saying that the plot sucked because there was no real protagonist/antagonist dynamic, so im gonna infodump on why that is incredibly untrue.

one of the things that makes haikyuu so unique as an anime is that there IS no antagonist, everyone is a protagonist in their own right. there are characters who are written to be douchebags like oikawa, kyoutani, atsumu, kuroo, etc. but none of them have any kind of villain traits.

they’re just regular teenagers.

using oikawa as an example, some of these douchebag-coded characters are initially introduced as a sort of villain, but as the series progresses we are shown their backstory and their character development and this removes any and all villain coding they may have had. every character has their moment to shine, whether they’re written as a protagonist or an antagonist, but the show never lets us forget that every single character is just a normal teenager.

none of the characters are made to be hated, just introduced as parallels and catalysts to move the story forward while also having their own backstory and personality alongside the main plot.

and because haikyuu has such a huge cast, the fact that every character has an individual personality and backstory that makes them memorable is evidence of INCREDIBLE writing. haikyuu was one of the first sports anime i ever watched, and i didn’t realise how huge the cast was until i watched other sports anime like sk8 the infinity and yuri!! on ice.

every single character in haikyuu is beloved by fans for various reasons, even the ones that got very little backstory (at least in the anime, i haven’t read the manga so i could be missing some details about certain characters). from big characters like hinata and kageyama to the smaller characters like himekawa, everyone is loved equally because they all have enough personality to leave an impression.

haikyuu is just so amazingly written to have such a huge cast be so memorable, i could talk about this for hours. the people saying that the show is garbage just because there’s no traditional hero/villain dynamic are just ignoring the whole message of the show, that in the real world no one is really a villain, everyone has their own backstory and personality. instances like oikawa’s experience with kageyama in middle school and tsukishima’s experience with his brother lying to him make their personalities so much more understandable and the viewer can sympathise with them based on these experiences.

ive been typing forever but this show is a masterpiece. it manages to be exciting and dramatic without any real hero/villain storyline, simply using real life experiences to keep the viewer engaged and to help them relate to the characters. the main dynamic between all the characters is just friendship and friendly rivalry (and a little homoerotic subtext) and yet the show manages to evoke so many emotions with such a simple bond between its characters.

it really shows that not everything has to be overly dramatic and have the complex dynamics usually found in fiction, especially anime. sometimes the simplest stories have the most power.

#where did this word vomit come from #i spent way too much time writing this #this is basically just the contents of my brain #haikyuu!! #haikyuu #hinata shoyo #kageyama tobio #tsukishima kei #yamaguchi tadashi #tanaka ryunosuke #nishinoya yuu #sugawara koushi #oikawa tooru #iwaizumi hajime #kuroo tetsurou #kozume kenma #bokuto koutarou #akaashi keiji #kyoutani #miya atsumu #miya osamu #terushima yuuji #anime #character analysis #choobspeaks

[jacepens]

Hey, how u doing? I wanted to ask for you for indications on washette fanfics, what are the best that you have

p.s. and yes, I do want to hear as well about yours in that list as well, 'cause they're gold

Hey! I'm doing alright:) Thanks for asking! What about you? (is this the correct tumblr to anon etiquette?)

Oh goodness this is such a loaded question because the answer is many. I hope you're alright with a big list sorted by category <3

Fluff! Fluff!!

The French Mistake

One of the first washette fics I read, so it holds a special place in my heart. A little silly, a little lams, ultimately very cute and good time.

Under the Arches of Moonlight and Sky

Just very good, cute, soft weary bed sharing. (this is only wholesome, I swear)

Let's Dance

Short, sweet fic with dance instructor George and our beloved two left feet Laf:)

I Like You Better in Real Life

Did someone say Influencer/Youtuber!Laf and President!George?? No??! Well start and read this fic. Seriously, it's a longer one, and just really damn cute. A bit of slow burn in terms of internalized homophobia (done in a good way) and trans Laf?? Yes. It's really so good.

The Prince

Ok, ok, it's one of mine. The one chapter is deceiving, it's decently long and featuring Prince!Laf and Royal Knight!George!:) Also magic!! angst, fluff, denial of feelings but then of course love confessions;) after angst though, don't worry haha.

Fathoms and Foundlings

Ooooohh boy. This. This one. Mermaid Laf and regular ol George! So so so well written, I mean, the feelings, the war, the weather, literally everything you can name, it's spectacular in this fic. Be warned, it is incomplete, but I remember when the latest chapter was released when I lost all hope (plus the author is still active) so I definitely don't count this one out of being updated!:) But, I'll be honest, I'm unsure about it being finished BUT I still think you should 1000% read this because you really will not find something like it anywhere else and it's just so cute!! Did I mention fucking amazing?

Whom can we trust now?

Platonic washette!! Really well written and just altogether really well put together!:) comfort after Arnold's betrayal! Seriously, I highly recommend this fic it's just so perfect of their relationship and cuuute.

The Particulars of Language

Oh goodness. Oooh goodness. This is so so cute. A nice little blend of angst and fluff and did I mention internalized homophobia? (In a good way, if that makes sense) Also so well-written by an incredible author, I just- language confusion. Need I say more??

Marque

Ok, ok, it's been too long since I read this one, so I will say, it is very tentatively going in this category. I just love soulmate au washette! Angst! Kidnapping? ...no final chapter. So I'm not sure, it could've been planned on ending very happy and fluffy! I do believe overall, this leans on the darker side, but I know I really love this one and they love each other. I want more washette soulmate aus.

Breaks your heart, puts it back together

what's my name, what's my station

Oh God oh fuck it's this one. (said with love). Brutal? Hot? Expanding my vocabulary?? An incredibly beautiful use of metaphors??? Actually feel like crying when I read it. Yeah. This is amazing.

May the Melody Disarm Us

Oh Godd oh Fuck it's this one. (maybe I should change this section's title) this one isn't even angsty per se, it's just like...brutally beautiful. They love each so much but oh my god. The metaphors, the way the author sets the scene and environment and everything! Ugh. So so good.

Let Down My Guard

Oh dear lord in heaven above preserve me. I'm gonna be dramatic but there are simply not enough words in the universe I have that can describe how I feel about this fic and how damn incredible it is!! And boy do I mean it when I say this one breaks your heart and puts it back together. I have seriously never sobbed over any piece of fiction like I did this. Just ahhhh. The feelings they develop for each other, the confusion of cultures, the secrets revealed?? I didn't even tell you Laf is a mermaid yet. Just- please. Please read this. It will rip your heart out, but it will put it back together. But really, this is just a fucking masterpiece and so so beautiful.

Porn With Plot

that dress you like

Very nicely done smut + feels! (Did I mention how nicely it's all done?) Oh! Did I mention genderqueer Laf? Yes.

Mon General / My Marquis

Ok the only reason this is going in this category is because I find the others up there more heart-breaky than this one. I love this one!! The historical details! Their loving relationship!! Very very good and lovely. With some angst of course.

The Mistranslation

Oh God oh Fuck it's this one. (I'll be saying that a lot). Would you like all these categories put into one beautiful fic?? Here it is, here. It's incredible. Please read it. It's free serotonin. (Did I mention incredibly written??)

The Things I Would Do to You

Ahhh ok. So. Super duper sweet, lots of angst sprinkled throughout but Laf's visit to Mount Vernon + feels + (smut). Need I say more??! Seriously, this is wonderful.

Not So Easy to be the Teacher's Pet

Oh. Oh god it's this one. So this is borderline Oof (Laf is 17) but if that does not bother you, then you are in for a treat!(??) Ok but really, lots of feels, denial of feelings, way-too-sweet-for-his-own-good Lafayette and poor confused George. Just fantastic.

Devil to Pay

Hoooo boy. If you like pirates or sea adventures, (hot pirate captains. I'm just gonna say it) then I'm literally begging you to read this. Kidnapped noble Laf?? Slowly falling for the pirate captain Washington?? Not to mention so many maritime details and wonderful emotions, beautifully crafted just. Spectacular. Please, read it if you haven't. Even if pirates don't appeal to you, they will after this fic.

A secret weapon

Ahhhh!!! Thiiiiiis. Is everything. Ok, yes, it includes more than washette, but I mean come on, it's (sexy) demons. It's desperate Washington trying to win a war and fight his gay feelings (guess which fight he wins?) But also, super well written and detailed and feels!! I adore this fic, and the whole series is a treat. Go read it. It's wonderful, you won't regret it.

Oof (not in a good way)

The Sweet Enjoyment of Partaking

If the not-so-sweet side intrigues you more, this is one of the few washette fics that I do love and is...not so nice. It's really good as a not nice piece! Pretty straightforward and fucked up. Ya (I) love to see it.

Transmutation

Oooohhhhhh. This is a fic I didn't read for a while just because I didn't know what it was but boy let me tell you, it is soo good. I'll say it's not as oof as the fic above, but oooh maaaannnnn. I don't know how to describe it just, don't expect sweet things, but if darker takes are your thing please go read this. You will not regret it. It's so damn good.

OW

Day One Way, By Night Another

Ok ok here me out. This one might seem a bit random and it is. It's very short and for the longest time I didn't read it until I did and said ow because ow!!? I find this has the most impact going in unarmed so...watch out. (but like check it out. it's just so unique I really do love it)

Once More, With Feeling

Oh GOD. This one is quite brief and straightforward but if you are looking to rip your heart out with feels and angst then boy do I have the perfect fic for you. But seriously, it's so well-written and just expresses all the feelings so so perfectly. But at what cost? (Pls read it)

A Beautiful Tragedy

Hello darkness my old friend. Ok but seriously, this fic still remains so impactful in my own mind just as the writer. It's not a happy ending, but I try to leave you with hope. Pretty music that I highly recommend listening to, I don't know. I think it's really good, I don't say that often about my own stuff soo if you're ok with heavy amounts of angst and pretty aesthetics then check this ok!:) (but guard your heart, sorry not sorry<3)

Porn Without Plot

Betrayals and Allies

So, admittedly, this one very tentatively goes into this category because I find compared to the others, this one has less feels and less focus on it, but don't get me wrong this is very emotional!! It displays their relationship and love so cutely (and smutily..? new word) and as extra bonus it fills in the gaps of the deleted scene from Turn. You know the one;) It's very good!!

Cold Nights

Look at me adding another of my own. This is super duper short, but I kinda like how the emotions turned out. I think this was the beginning of my first dive into my current style of writing so that's cool I guess? But yeah no, it's porn without plot lol.

What Good is Honor When You're Starving?

Oh dear, another of mine in this category. I barely put this here, but the main focus is on the smut, but there are many many feels aplenty. Oh wait, did I mention vampire Laf? George definitely not falling in love... but really, I like how this one turned out!:) Good sexy vampire times (with feelings)

Ah wow! You stuck with me! Thank you! I...tried to keep it brief. This is not an exhaustive list by any means btw, there were a few (many) I decided to cut because I wanted this list to be all encompassing of many authors, styles, etc.

But anon, thank you for the ask and giving me the chance to rant about my favorite fics! My apologies on taking so long to finish, I hope you can understand my life has been a little hectic, but I always try to make time for washette;)

Thank you!!<3

#asks #anon #washette #tal's recommedations #fic recommendation

[flimflamfranky]

Please show me your AUs

*slams down the heavy tome* i hope you are ready for the can of worms you’ve unleashed. also, i’m sorry for any hopes i get and subsequently dash.

so, in no particular order, we have: - klabaturerman franky. now this one i have done things for but i still wanna. do more. like, him interacting with the merry, and the crew learning what he is, that sort of things. - related to this, is a more general sea spirit/fae franky au, just cuz i like fae stuff. i do have some art ideas for this, i just. haven’t done any of them yet. - supernatural frobrobin au, where franky is a (recently turned) werewolf, robin is a vampire, brook is…brook, and they’re all trapped in a magic mansion by some curse. and it’s just them growing close and bonding and trying to break free. also, ghibli vibes. - speaking of ghibli…howl’s moving castle au. featuring franky as sophie with a curse that turns him into a perceptually broken robot, and robin as howl, but with her canon backstory with the government. also has luffy as calcifer, usopp as merkel, brook as turnip head, and nami/crocodile as a weird split version of the witch of the waste (with croc as the villain and nami as the redeemed version). - a pacific rim au, expect it takes place in a post-apoc version where the kaiji have basically won. starts with luffy, usopp, and chopper finding an abandoned jaeger and decided to pilot it. not sure abt the plot on this one, but it does have franky as a disillusioned former jaeger pilot/engineer. - my franky/blueno au, which is being run by vibes and little else. pretty canon-compliant, but with blueno and franky becoming friends (and possibly more) and then dramatically falling out after the reveal. i initially described it as enemies to lovers, but really, it's lovers to enemies. no happy ends here, boys. - several, count ‘em, SEVERAL franky/rosi aus, cuz i got way to into them and had a lot of ideas and then. never did anything with them - main one is them having a meet cute in water 7, before rosi goes undercover with doffy and before the whole sea train thing happens (rosi’s about 24yo, franky’s 21). it’s basically just them bonding and being cute before going their separate ways. - the other one is a sprawling splitting mess of an au that has the two meet as kids on the streets and becoming fast friends. then they get found by sengoku  and becoming marines, with rosi training with sengoku and franky becoming vegapunk’s protege. I had one idea where they were close to saul, and after the arrest of olivia became disillusioned with the marines and helped her escape, and then joining her try to save ohara. another branch is rosi still going undercover with doffy, but with franky in tow, and that whole she-bang happening, but with franky, rosi, and law all escaping alive. plus a bunch of minor plot threads that i'm forgetting. again, it's a mess. - various frobrobin aus set in the early-mid 19th century (20s-50s mostly) with mobs, romance and political intrigue. - a roleswap au that i have bits and pieces of written, i’ve just never finished it. unfortunately doesn’t have jinbe in it cuz he’s just too hard to swap with, and i started this before he joined. - i’ve written a summary of this before, but my rouge adopts franky au that ultimately leads to franky being a big bro to asl. - a disney's beauty and the beast au, where robin is the “beast” (cursed child who has been outcast from society and became a monster to survive with a flower motif) and franky is the “beauty” aka belle (intelligence child of an eccentric inventor whose ostracized by the town and willing to sacrifice himself to save another). has lucci as an altered gaston and the straw hats (+ others) as various cursed castle residents. - an arc style idea (not really sure if it counts as an au) where franky gets kidnapped and experimented on by the government. basically my whumptober comic, but in long-fic form. - pokemon aus! i’m mostly entertaining these two: - one piece but with pokemon, and how the straw hats met their various pokemon partners. - and a pmd au with the straw hats as the pmd starters (this one is a drawing, so i might actually finish it) - and i do wanna do something with pokemon gijinka, i just

haven’t given it much thought. - an au where law convinces franky to join his crew bc doffy has been trying to muscle in on water 7 and law is basically like, "we both hate this guy, let's team up". this one is very shaky, but I do still love the idea. - a subnautica au? hear me out. it has the straw hats as space pirates that infiltrate the aurora right before it gets shot down, and they end up trapped on the alien planet. they get split into three main groups: franky, luffy, usopp / robin, chopper, jinbe, sanji / zoro, nami, brook. and they all basically try to survive and find the others in their own ways.

- an au where the crew stops at a weird marriage theme island and franky and brook get married by accident. which is a problem cuz this marriage is ~magic~ and psychically bonds them together. so the crew has to figure out how to undo it. also features frobrobin and zosopp. - a cookie run crossover au, with the straw hats as cookies. pretty basic, expect i, like with most things, went overboard and then never finished it. - and some zosopp aus! - a superhero actor au, where usopp is a new actor playing sogeking in a new kids show and zoro is the main villain, and they fall in love. - an au where usopp is a tengu that guards a small forest (but mostly plays harmless pranks) and zoro who is a lost woodsman, and they become close and fall in love. And also maybe save the forest from a rich jerk along the way. - a gurren lagann crossover au, where usopp is simon and franky is kamina, with all the angst that implies. i really like this concept, but I haven’t actually finished gurren lagann, so… - a leverage au, where the straw hats are a band of thieves that help people out. basically taking canon and sticking in a thief/modern au. - you know those one piece rewrite aus? i have one of those, surprise, surprise. starts with gin joining the straw hats with sanji and quickly branching off from there. other big changes include: - jinbe getting introduced super early and helping the straw hats with arlong, and then becoming an ally until he later joins - brook getting swept back to the beginning of the grand-line and meets the straw hats when they first arrive. gets to reunite with laboon before decideding to join the straw hats to finish his old crew’s journey. - a delay in loguetown means that croc succeeds in taking over albasta and the straws hats help vivi overthrow him (with robin working with cobra in the background to betray croc); ends with vivi joining the straw hats bc she publicly allied with pirates - franky running from water 7 with the blueprints and ends up working for doflamingo. He gets sent to check in on croc (and search for robin) after he takes over alabasta and ends up kicking it with the straw hats and eventually deciding to betray doffy and join them - there’s like. a lot more, but if I do ever end up writing it I don’t wanna spoil all of it. - but im probably not, cuz this would be looooooong. *lets out a deep breath* and that’s about it. and if anyone wants to steal any of these ideas, please do, i would love you forever.

#in which i have too many ideas and not enough motivation #these all haunt me. constantly. some of these are years old and i still haven't forgotten #but anyway. i hope you enjoy this messy list of aus #if anyone wants to know more about any of these feel free to ask! #asked and answered #what do i even tag this as #my stuff #aus

[sineala]

Hi, Sine. No pressure, just curious, how’s Star Trek sequel going? Is it being written, edited, or in planning?

Oof.

I don’t think anything has changed much since the last time I posted about this, but here’s the situation with the Star Trek AU sequel.

I have 128,000 words done. This is a full three out of six projected chapters, and maybe halfway into chapter four. The remaining chapters are shorter, so I’m estimating this is somewhere between two-thirds and three-fourths done. (Chapter two is 65,000 words long. I’m not sure I understand the meaning of the word “chapter,” really.)

I am aware that I owe it to a bunch of people for a charity auction that happened, um, several years ago now. It is going to be finished someday. It is absolutely going to be finished someday. I owe it to fandom.

But the thing is, it’s not a story I am really in a mental place where I am comfortable working on it right now, and I haven’t been for a while, because of what this story specifically is.

I was making great progress on it in 2019 and the very beginning of 2020. Then I had an unfortunate eye injury and basically had to spend two months not looking at computers. But I really thought I was going to finish soon. I could see again and then I started writing it again. And then March 2020 happened. And then the entire rest of 2020 happened.

Like a lot of people, I have had immense difficulty with creativity during the pandemic, and I have had a lot of RL medical issues that have not helped. My fictional output has been nowhere near what it usually is, and I am only now beginning to be able to actually write things again; I am currently working on a very late birthday present fic, after which I am hoping to start on an auction fic from last year, or possibly another birthday present fic depending on how long the current one takes me. Also at some point I should finish editing this Madame Masque fic already.

So why am I not working on the Star Trek AU sequel, you ask?

At this point I should probably mention that I have had this thing fully plotted since 2017 and I have been working on it sporadically since then. It is a dramatic, angst-filled, action-adventure sort of story combining Marvel characters with a Star Trek setting, and, like a lot of Star Trek stories, it’s one of those stories that seeks to answer big ethical questions. And this particular story is playing a lot with the needs of the many/needs of the one theme. Very Star Trek, right?

Unfortunately, the big ethical question of most of this story so far is “is it okay to murder one person if murdering them would provide a cure for a galaxy-wide pandemic?”

...yeah.

So, basically, I picked a plot that I definitely have not felt at all like writing for a year, and it is way way too late into the story to change it because it is basically... what the entire story is about. Oops.

(I mean, it’s not, like, a super grimdark story where the main characters all get the plague and die. It’s not that. No named characters get the plague and no named characters die of it, and it will eventually be cured by the end of the story, but the fact that this plague exists is the motivation behind most of the plot. It’s a plague I stole from the comics, BTW.)

So my hope is that, as the world slowly gets vaccinated and we all start being able to, like, see people ever again, and as we make our way out of this to a point where maybe thousands of people aren’t dying every day from it (I mean, wouldn’t that be nice?) that I can maybe start to feel like it might be nice, or maybe even cathartic, to finish this story where there is this fictional plague and it gets cured and everyone lives happily ever after. But right now I am still not at the point where I can handle it.

(I did open it up the other day and make some edits, so I guess that’s something.)

(I know that people who aren’t me would post it as a WIP, but I feel like that would just be cruel because I don’t know when I’m going to finish, I like to tweak previous chapters to foreshadow later ones, and also the finished chapters currently end on a really, really bad cliffhanger. Like, you would read this and then immediately demand more and... there isn’t more yet.)

Anyway. That’s where I am.

If anyone who was actually in the group bid for the story wants to see what I have so far -- I have all of your names but not your contact information -- I would possibly be comfortable sharing what I have privately, not for wider circulation, because you are the specific people that I owe it to and I want you to know that at least some of it exists. I know a couple of you have seen it already. But the cliffhanger is really, really, REALLY bad. So.

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