#like it's soooo not my thing but it just seems like people don't have consistent standards with this stuff

[slocumjoe]

danse's romance route has some potholes

so, this post woke me from my slumber, have a ramble

This has always been a weird point for me, but I never got around to really figuring out what it was exactly until just now. I think all of the romantic candidates have out-of-place flirting, at least here and there, but Danse consistently has dialogue options to flirt with him at exactly the wrong fuckin time. The odd thing about Danse is that, most of the time, the normal Good/Yes answer is more romantic or sincerely affectionate than the flirt.

So, the Flirts.

The only Flirt that works is when he talks about his fear of losing people, and Sole says, "I care too much about you to do that to you." It's the first Flirt, and he responds by saying you've given him "something to think about." I've gone on about how Danse has never truly felt cared for. Sole's voice acting also sells this Flirt by being somewhat timid, unsure of saying this, but wanting him to know.

Danse's talks go Kreig > Cutler > Haylen > Help Im A Robot. The first time you can flirt with him is in the Cutler chat, where the "I care about you" line comes up. It's not out of left field from the conversation. It's affectionate, it doesn't overstep, but it pushes the line and makes Danse consider "oh shit, there's a lil something something going on here."

The "Would you hold me?" line is much less subtle.

Danse talks about how he doubts himself after Cambridge and Sole's reference to him hugging Haylen makes it seem like they've just been waiting for him to shut up to use that line on him. It's out of place, it circles back to a topic we've moved on from, and it's so overt it sucker-punches everyone involved, including the player. It's blunt.

The other options of "I'm here whenever you need me" or "I'm glad you feel better" are less flirtatious, but they imply more direct concern and care for Danse. Both lines are about Danse, and Sole being there for him. The actual Flirt is what Danse can do for Sole. This is such a weird nitpick, I know, but it comes off not as romantic, but more like Sole is trying to hook up with him. That would work with someone like Hancock, or maybe Piper, but Danse's romance involves more subtlety and slow-burn elements. It's too forward.

So, in his final talk...

It's literally "Kitten I'll be honest, Daddy's about to kill himself" "haha no don't kill yourself you're soooo sexy"

It comes right after he's having a lot of emotions about his reason for living. This is not the time to put the responsibility of a relationship on someone. Again, this is a flaw of the 4 Affinity Talks system. If you're just going for a platonic relationship with Danse, his talks work great, but his character arc is unfinished anyway. They have to shoehorn romance in there, and it doesn't have the room to develop naturally. It's why Sole has to explicitly say "Would you hold me ;>".

The strangest part is that his neutral/Friendly dialogue options are more affectionate and relationship-building. Again, the other options in the Haylen talk comfort Danse and reassure him.

Honestly, I think the best option, for all romancable companions, is within arms reach. You know how, if you don't romance someone, they'll bring up their last talk again and give you a barn door of an opening to broach the subject of a relationship again? Just. Do that/ It's literally what I did when I romanced Danse; don't romance him as soon as possible. Let it marinate.

The second chance to romance him goes the exact same way, eyebrows to space and all. It just takes place after Danse confesses how close he feels to you and trusts you and not RIGHT AFTER BLIND BETRAYAL.

It's easy to fix the pacing just by not going for the smooch ASAP, but the flirting is awkward. It's worth noting that the line before the Haylen flirt "It's comforting to know that I can speak to you as more than just your commanding officer" has it's own Flirting tag on it. Danse flirts with Sole here, canonically.

A cheap and easy rewrite is Sole echoing the sentiment with something like, "It's comforting to know that you're more than my commanding officer." This leaves room for interpretation. What else is Danse? Sole has an idea, but leaves Danse to wonder about it. It also confirms to Danse "yes, we have a personal bond and this isn't just a work thing."

I think the core of Danse's romance is this dude realizing that he's loved and cared for, truly. Cait has a similar arc, but hers has different complications and contexts than Danse. Danse needs a slow-burn romance full of soft moments and instances of Sole reminding him of his own humanity, even long before the synth thing.

It's worth noting that the "i care too much about you" line is still kinda overshadowed by the "But I wanna be a mutant" joke. That joke makes him laugh, he jokes back without missing a beat, and it's a cute little bonding moment between him and Sole. Romance isn't just overt flirting, it's the little things that make you think the other person is special. How many people do you think can make Danse laugh? Especially about becoming a Super Mutant, right after being told about Cutler? Danse thinks Sole is funny. He thinks it's a cute little joke. He's charmed.

Then Sole sucker-punches him with an explicit ask of physical contact and emotional exploration and the moment is lost. For the Halyen talk, you could have an option where Sole asks, teasingly, if this is going on the report, and Danse laughs and contemplates what Maxson would think. Maybe he even comments about how rumors spread on the Prydwen, implying that he knows there is something between you two for people to gossip about. This would later tie in to The Reveal, where Maxson says the same thing.

#fallout 4 #fo4 #paladin danse #a smaller lazier post but I have Thoughts

[pbpsbff]

happy 1 year of r&r :)

i know it's a lil cringe to like. celebrate the birthday of a series on ao3 but r&r is literally my child. my baby. i birthed this series. and you all signed up for this when u started reading my fics thank u

soooooooo thank u guys for all the support i've received over r&r i know it's hard to stay a consistent reader when my posting schedule is entirely non existent but i am so grateful for everyone who's stuck around this long and been with me for this journey (calling it a journey because a year ago i did not have any sort of overarching plot in mind and now we're 17? 18? fics deep and so many things have happened and i'm usually just as surprised as my readers) it's rlly u guys that have kept me going this long

ANYWAY. i rewrote this like 500 times cause i hate being like. overly sappy on this account because it's way funnier to act like a celebrity with a huge ego, but real talk i am so proud of everything i've done w this series & what it's become in the past year

i've been posting my writing online since i was like 10, so we're going on almost 9 years now and i don't think i've ever ever ever received as much support for something as i have for r&r and something about that is soooo special to me??? idk it's just so nice to see a completely self indulgent series become so loved by others, especially since the only other fics i had up before gmm&m were a little more on the "i'm gonna write what seems popular right now" side???

like shoutout to everyone who was here before/around when i started the series because my account was so empty like. 2 fics and one gets updated every 6 months. r&r pulled me out of the trench i fear. it also cured me of my very horrible disease that makes me delete all my fics after 9 months and then completely disappear from a fandom so everyone say thank you r&r

but yeah idk where i'm going with this i'm very grateful for r&r and all the friends i've made and people i've met through it because i was very lonely before i rejoined tumblr and r&r was like. 90% of the reason i made my account

AND SPEAKING OF FRIENDS. thank u to

@spidergrotto & @sapoteylx for being the first ppl i met on here to openly talk about and support r&r which i thought was so so cool even if you guys have become my haters in the past few months i've known you :/ thank u r&r nation u keep me humble and miserable (and i am very thankful for our friendship i think some aspects of r&r would be very different if we'd never met)

& ao3 user classactical because you've been here since like. a month or two into the series i think and i always always always look forward to your comments because i feel like if you comment, i did a good job on the fic LOL thank u for sticking around for so long, even if ao3 has been actively working against you for a whiiiiile

there's a lot more i want to say and a lot of people i want to mention but that would take a very long time and i always feel weird tagging a lot of people in posts so just know if u read r&r we are kissing rn. or high fiving idk whatever floats ur boat i guess

but yeah anyway tl:dr happy birthday r&r i'm very proud of this series & very thankful for everyone who has read any part of it ever u guys are so cool and hot and have amazing taste and i'm taking your kudos and bookmarks etc. as you swearing your allegiance to me and promising me your undying support no matter what (legally binding btw) thank u guys

#r&r tease #ough i cannot believe r&r is a year old #happy birthday r&r you are my favorite child #gonna go post that fic now #or in like 10 minutes #idk i haven't edited anything #stay tuned

[crazilust]

Astro notes (2) 

Hello every one, I hope every single one of y'all is doing okay. Just some random notes I've had for a while. Please disregard anything that doesn't apply to you.

Leo and Virgo mixed in a chart can be so fucking intense. If you add Scorpio to the mix, you can get someone that not only refuses to see their own flaws, but also pretty vindictive. (underdeveloped ones, ofc)

On the bright side, Leos are one the best hype man/woman ever. If you ever get to be their best friend or partner, you will always feel special next to them. They're ruled by the sun, baby!

One thing I freaking LOVE about Scorpio placements is how shameless they are about their feelings (except maybe scorpio moon, lmao y'all are struggling :') ). In a culture where being nonchalant is the norm and the "cool" thing to do, I love how y'all refuse to adhere to it.

While I don't agree with the whole "female ____ are better than male _____" or vice versa, I still think there's a difference between signs but it's not necessarily based on gender, but more on how you were raised. Let's take Aries for example. If you were raised in a society where being a man meant that violence was okay to perform, being ultra competitive was encouraged, you might become a pretty toxic Aries (because those natural traits of yours are being amplified and not discouraged). As opposed to an Aries who's born a female, and have been told that it's ugly to get angry, they should never be competitive, they might be a pretty mellow Aries. Bottom line : No, [enter a zodiac sign] men as a whole are not inherently toxic, they're just chained to the patriarchy.

Pisces mercury are the most vague people ever as their mercury are in detriment in Pisces. BUT! Man, if you let them express themselves through art, their sensibility and imagination really shine through. Let your pisces mercury friend express themselves how they want, man. They can feel you getting annoyed lmao.

Geminis are underrated in my opinion, when it comes to being geniuses or pioneers. I feel like we always comment on earth signs' intelligence or Aquariuses for the pioneer thing, but we always overlook Geminis!! Let me list a few : Marilyn Monroe, the icon. Laverne Cox, the first transgender to appear on Cosmo, Time, to have a wax figure at Madame Tussaud's museum, Prince, Kendrick Lamar, Kanye West. Man, the list goes on!! Emma Chamberlain (the most popular influencer of our time). F*ck, I could really go on and ooooooon. I will, as a matter of fact. Not on this post though, this one.

I envy Libra's ability to understand what people want from them and execute it perfectly (Kim Kardashian, anyone?). How do you do that?

If you ever have a problem that seems like there's no solution, get yourself an Aquarius and ask them what they would do. The best advices I ever gotten was from an Aquarius (Capricorns, too).

I got into astrology when I was 17, so my 6th profection year, which is the Virgo house. I forgot about it, then got back into it when I was 23, which is the 12th house profection year (or Pisces house). Thought that was interesting. I've always loved the weird relation between these two sister signs. For someone who's not into astrology at all, they always see these two signs as being soooo different. But I don't really think so.

My favorite coworkers are Sagittarius. They can get pretty intense and bossy sometimes, but always so funny. I don't like working with Virgos and Scorpios, though. Love them as friends, lmao.

-----------------------------

This is it! You're done! Thank you for reading till the very end. I'm gonna try being a little bit more consistent on here, cause it really feels like my little comfort zone, away from the toxic social medias that eat at my soul. I really wanna try this sandwich place near where I'm at right now. I've been thinking about it while I was writing this. I'll tell you how it was on the next post.

dolly 💜,

x.

#astrology #astro community #astrology observations #astroblr #astrology notes #astro notes #birth chart #astro observations #virgo venus #scorpio #sagittaire #sagittarius #taurus #pisces mercury #pisces #capricorn #aquarius #celebrity observations #anextremesweetheart

[emblemxeno]

I've been playing Fates again (thanks gay fates mod ily kiss kiss) and after (re)reading through counter-critiques of its story and generally thinking about it again I'm kinda left with the following thoughts and wanted to share as you're our resident Fates Was Good, Actually blogger.

a) so much of Fates critique falls into cinemasins-level "this isn't explicitly stated therefore BAD" territory (or otherwise stuff that shouldn't be, and often isn't, a problem in other games in the series)

b) we wouldn't need to bring up the Japanese script in contrast with the localization in the first place if the fandom hadn't completely poisoned the well in regards to talking about Fates' story. I had no idea about any of the localization changes my first play-through and I still thought Fates' plot was fine. Good, even!

The fatescourse is what made me leave the fandom around the time 3H came out, and every time I take a peek back in the subreddit or other fandom spaces it still seems to be just as much of a toxic cesspool as ever. Which sucks because I want to talk about Blorbo from my Emblems again, but I really don't want to have to deal with The Discourse & general toxicity

Hope you don't mind me posting this!

I feel you 100% and the sentiments are very appreciated, thanks!

For your first point, yeah, that's what it feels like. Saying it's CinemaSins-esque feels like a low blow, but it honestly does remind me of those videos. And they aren't meant to be actual critique! They're sarcastic entertainment and little else! But so much of Fates criticism is "why doesn't X just do Y? never explained by in-game text, so therefore story bad" or "why isn't Z plot point expanded upon? game never tells me so story bad." It's cheap and shallow, above all else. It's reminiscent of the Blue Curtains literary discourse, in that people only go with what's written explicitly rather than connect the dots from plot point to plot point. You're supposed to connect Azura's pacifying song to Mikoto's pacifying magic to Valla's history of magical development due to being directly blessed by Anankos; same with the crystal ball, water motifs, and future sight, those are all Valla-centered traits. But because the game never says "oh this is because of Valla", people think the place is just a nameless evil nation with no history or unique aspects.

For your second point, god, yes. Soooo many take any localization criticism as either a) alignment with unsavory anti-censorship anti-sjw chuds who are mostly complaining about not getting to boink lolis or b) not worth the time because "it wasn't gonna make a bad story any better anyway" which is such a gutter thing to say because localizations have literally changed things and removed crucial information in the series before Fates. The big examples being stuff with the Black Knight in the Tellius games, the long script removal in Radiant Dawn, and lines relating to Nergal's backstory in FE7 being mistranslated. Awakening had its share of localization discourse and criticism due to characters like Henry being changed, as well.

And I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm a little resentful that 3H of all games is when people started giving a shit, cuz now that a "good game with a good story is being affected, it's now worth our time."

Plus this shit is still happening, considering that FEH consistently gets stuff wrong or mistranslated to this day.

#fire emblem discourse #fire emblem fates

[weekend-whip]

find a word

i got tagged by @lightning-chicken to find the words snap, blue, echo and flicker in my fics/wips! Yessss I love this game ahaha thank u Key!! (I only have two active wips atm tho so don't expect too much variety ahaha)

i'd tag some people but I'm drawing a blank on people who haven't been tagged, soooo if you're a fic writer out there feeling eager here's four words for ya: dance, horror, flood, and opposite!

snap- In the Company of the Stars (ch4, unpublished)

“…he was so genuine, Jay. I know that seems stupid, but, you didn't have the chance to talk to him…I, man, you should’ve seen him! He moved like magic, had such a gentle way with words, was silly, sweet, a little shy, but...still wasn't afraid to tell me and show me just what he thought about me." Jay shakes his head. “Cole—" “I know how it sounds! But I’ve spent years dealing with people proclaiming how much they wanted to be with me—" “Oh no, that’s horrible.” “—and I can see it on their faces every time that they never really meant it!” Jay’s mouth snaps shut as Cole jumps back to his feet. He starts pacing back and forth, working himself up as he rambles. “It was never about me with those people; it was the power, the money, the prestige…!  Or that they felt obligated, or even pity sometimes, because how could I have gotten this far without finding anybody, right?! What kind of failure of a prince am I?!"

blue- In the Company of the Stars (ch4, unpublished)

Giddy with shameless glee, Cole scoops up the blue bouquet as well, inhaling the inviting floral aroma that makes him more ready for the day than any cup of coffee could ever hope to. He falls back upon his bed in a fit of laughter, coddling the bouquet in lieu of who he’d really like to be hugging right now. Even if the other party isn't here right now, Cole's never felt more beloved. Jay, meanwhile, leans in Cole’s doorway as the prince frolics around the room, beginning to sing wildly off-key. The retainer's expression remains absolutely gobsmacked, unsure of whether to be pleased that Cole’s found some sense of joy in this crazy situation…or show some concern for their guests who are wondering just who is "strangling an ostrich from three doors down".

echo- The Legend of the Green Ninja Lives (Ch4, unpublished)

Lloyd wouldn’t really call himself an early riser, so much as an…insomniac. If it’s not general restlessness, it’s nightmares, and if it’s not nightmares then it’s the thousand-and-one things going through his head at once. And with how yesterday went…it’s no wonder his thoughts just wouldn’t shut up. He tries pushing all his thoughts down, giving the world a golden hue as he does…but, that has the opposite effect consisting of total, complete silence in his mind. And an echoing nothing is just as unsettling as constant, self-depreciating thoughts. So, Lloyd wakes up. Even if only in the physical sense.

flicker- The Legend of the Green Ninja Lives (Ch--, unpublished)

"…I just wish life would stop hurting me." Lloyd stills. Gold flickers at the edge of his vision. He inhales, and his voices quivers as he says, "…yeah, me too."

#ninjago #ninjago fanfiction #long post #tag games #my stuff #fic tag #legacyverse

[wildflowerteas]

Hiiii!! I am just one of the many people absolutely enamoured if not downright obsessed with your work!Just the authenticity of the storyline in 'when I awake', and how it completely altered my perspective on so many thematic concepts.and to also discover you were someone in the same age range really really made me admire you soooo much.I wish you luck in your life and whatever you do in general cuz you're a real gem 😊

I'll be honest, I don't make it a habit to interact with others online, preferring to just be a bystander, but I thought I'll just take the risk.If it's not too much of a bother I wanted to ask you: How do you find yourself able to write with consistency? To further elaborate my point, how do you write so much and keep that flow of words to continue on until the end?I wish to start writing as well, fanfic,personal writings etc., and I just can't seem to make progress after writing only one page,I feel like even with extensive planning and carefully organised notes I never seem to be able to produce a large body of work that encapsulates all my ideas.It's always just...one paragraph and then the initial meaning just loses itself.

Oh goodness,I wrote too much! I'll stop here I just thought maybe I can ask someone with first hand experience instead of just figuring out somehow.Hope you have great day and thank you so much once again!!!❤❤❤❤

Hii!!! Oh my gosh thank you so so much! I'm so glad to hear that my writing resonated with you, and that it was able to make your life a little bit brighter ( hopefully ) as a result. Thank you so much <3 This really made my day. First of all: This is absolutely not a bother, and I'm really really excited that you reached out! I love talking/interacting with people hehe and I'm more than happy to help!

This is a super good question. I don't really notice it in the moment ( when I'm writing ), but getting chapters out every week--with most being well into the 8-10k range--IS actually kind of insane. Not to mention WIA was 23 chapters, which is nearly six months of just writing and writing. I think a lot of that consistency had to do with my unhealthy obsession with the pairing, but also the fact that the writing became sort of . . . routine? I was always happy to do it, and very excited to sit down at my desk, crack my knuckles, and get started. It never really felt like I was slogging through it ( even though I would spend the better half of my Fridays-through-Sundays doing nothing but writing ). I think writing something you love will just be like that--exciting, and energizing--even if the writer's block hitting and editing can be very painful. That sounds a bit masochistic, but I really did enjoy the struggle at times. And ultimately, I came out of it a better writer than I was before. But something that really helped me write consistently was my desire to read the work when it was finished. Writing something you want to read means the only one you can blame when you have no ending is, well, yourself. And especially when it comes to fiction ( fanfic and personal works ), these stories are to be shared but ultimately they're for us. To satisfy a desire to tell, or to capture some part of our imagination, or to reason our way through feelings or thoughts. Now onto the next part of your question. Truthfully, when it comes to planning, notes, outlines--I'm one of the worst people to ask. However, I do have one thing that might be useful to you: I always, always, write with the ending in mind. I think even with little scenes, I'm looking ahead and asking myself "How does this get me to the place I want to go?" or "How does this shape the character into the kind of person I want them to be when the story is over?" That's not to say I don't write filler ( which I do--I love writing slow, nothing-really-happens scenes ), but when it comes to writing something full-length, the idea of having a set destination really makes the struggle of the journey ( in WIA's case, a journey of 230 thousand words ) feel a lot easier.

I also struggle with getting past the first page and even find outlines a little claustrophobic. Sometimes inspiration strikes randomly while I'm writing, and I'll betray my notes, go with the flow, and suddenly things like character relationships and even major plot-related scenes will be uprooted ( a lot of the well-loved and interesting scenes in WIA were 100% improv). I think falling into a committed relationship with your outline/notes can be a bit suffocating for creativity ( maybe for people like you and me ), while for others, it's a scaffold that helps them tell the story they want without wandering too far. It's about finding what works for you, rather than subscribing to a formula. It might be helpful to dip your toes into just writing and letting the story flow from your imagination first, and then when you have more than one page, creating an outline that is guided by the trajectory of what you've already written, rather than vice versa. Phew. You were apologizing for writing too much ( which you shouldn't, btw ) but I might be the one who has to say sorry! This was a lot, and I hope that at the very least, a tiny bit of it was helpful. Again, thank you so much for enjoying my writing, and for having the courage to reach out and ask. It sounds like you stepped a bit out of your comfort zone, and I really applaud you for that <3 I hope you're having a lovely day.

niko <3

#ask #writing

[lesbianrobin]

you may have talked about this before, but what do you think of Robin’s season 4 characterization vs her characterization in season 3?

i think i have talked about it but it's been awhile so i don't mind sharing my silly little thoughts again <4 while there's definitely a shift in robin's attitude from s3 to s4 i personally find it to be a positive one. a lot of people say she's like a totally different character which i just don't agree with and i think the shift makes sense within canon.

i feel like in s3 she had these moments of silliness and awkwardness when she and steve were alone in the bunker/when they were drugged, and she did her adorable little nervous-rambling thing when they were trying to extract the little slug from el's leg. she could be a bit blunt and excitable. she just Also had a bit of a veneer going on that i think was largely because she didn't yet feel comfortable with steve, yknow? like i think s4 robin is basically the same as s3 robin, she's just happier and More Herself and isn't trying to hide these aspects of her personality that some people might find off-putting or annoying. in s4, robin still has her snarky moments, she's still a bit of a rebel with a penchant for breaking rules and throwing bricks and crafting elaborate lies, she's just Also a total dork. and i love that about her!

also this is more of a meta thing but i kinda like that robin feels a bit less like. idk how to articulate this but it feels like the way they styled her in s4 was much more focused on her character while in s3 i think they were trying to make her attractive. like maya hawke is obviously attractive regardless she's very pretty but s4 robin is just soooo dyke her whole thing feels so authentic and i love it. like i think her being in the same outfit for all of s3 also kinda makes it seem like an even bigger shift because we didn't really know how she typically dressed until s4 and wardrobe goes a long way in establishing character!

anyway obviously this is just My Opinion but i like robin's characterization in both seasons and i think it's consistent

#asks #lesbianrobin.canon

[jamesunderwater]

do u (or any of ur wonderful writing community) have any advice for someone that has a fic idea that seems likely to be multi chapter but they've never written anything before?

Hi anon!! I'm so honored to have been sent this, and I'm excited to hear what my fellow writers have to say about it! Anyone have thoughts? Tagging a few of you: @mvnvgedmischief @abihastastybeans @athenasparrow @charmsandtealeaves @annabtg @practicecourts

Here's my advice as someone who literally stumbled into their first multi-chap fic:

figure out the ultimate story you're trying to tell. what are the main themes? what is the ultimate point of the story? it's so easy to lose momentum, especially for your first multi-chap. I think it helps a lot to know the "why" of your story so that when you get to the tough chapters, you have a strong reason to push through

create an outline. i know outlines aren't for everyone, but GOD it has been helpful for me. idk where you're at in your idea formulation, but i know in the past my ideas have been like...snatches of scenes, a general concept of the overall story - but it's lacked the specific content of the full story, and that's really tripped me up when it came to writing. with dead to me, i wrote a rough outline for every single chapter, so i knew how i was going to get from a to d to n to z instead of just being like "well, i know what a is. i know what d is. i know what n is. that's enough!" nahhh man you gotta figure out at least roughly what b and c and e anddddd etc. are gonna be too. the outline has changed and lengthened as i went, but honestly, it's still stayed pretty true to the skeleton i created at the start.

my beta reader gave me the suggestion to write out important scenes in the story from throughout it, to help me get a sense of what i needed to happen in between those scenes to get to those points. like for me, the absolute hardest part of a multi-chap so far has been making sure that the characterization stays consistent and makes sense as we go along. esp cause there is so much character development happening, it has to make sense, and that happens a lot in those in-between chapters. so it's good to have a sense of those BIG moments to help yourself stay on track for how you're getting your characters (thematically, character-wise, logistically) to those moments. [i hope that made sense]

find someone to read it over for you/be your beta! it's SOOOO helpful having someone to bounce ideas off of, and if you're completely new to writing, i'm guessing you might benefit from having just a general editor to point out grammatical things or ways the writing could be clearer.

be nice to yourself, take it slow if you need to. everyone handles posting differently - some people like to write the whole fic first, some people (like me) prefer to go chapter by chapter because having people comment and be reading along with it gives you momentum to finish. but i would say, if you are going to go with that second option, consider writing a good bit of the story before posting the first chapter. like give yourself some time to write until you get stuck - that will help you find some of the kinks in the story, figure out how to navigate there being holes in the narrative, maybe tighten up your outline, etc. and also gives you time to get the chapters edited by someone.

okay that's a LOT of practical advice, i hope you find it helpful <3 otherwise i'd just say, it's REALLY fucking exciting to be writing your first multi-chap, AND to be starting to write at all!!! have fun with it, get lost in the excitement, let yourself really enjoy your characters and the world YOU'RE developing. it's so fucking cool to be a writer!!! and all of the stuff i mentioned is part of being a writer, so like...soak it up?? and know that you DON'T have to do it perfectly to be a writer, or to enjoy the process. it's your first time writing and first time doing a multi-chap - literally all of this is an opportunity to learn and also have fun, so I hope you do that and don't get too caught up in the weight of feeling like you have to finish it in x amount of time or that it has to be perfect.

you're so cool for doing this!! and i hope that in some way you share your work with me/this community, cause I would love to see it and be cheering you on <3 i'm cheering you on regardless though!!!!!

#being a writer is the Coolest Thing Ever #good for you for starting!!!! #<3333 #lovely anons #charlie mail #writing

[comicaurora]

Hey Red, longtime fan of your channel and as of yesterday Aurora binge-reader

I have a few questions about your comic, answer as many or as few or as none at all as you want, and I apologize in advance for my physics-and-worldbuilding-junkie lizard brain that absolutely adores and wants to grok your awesome fantasy series, Please know this all comes from my own insatiable curiosity and passion for your comic

First of all, the metal caste gets their free will from recieving a spark at puberty, or from being struck by lightning and being "chosen", but could a mage give a spark to an unsparked metal caste by zapping them with lightning? could you be zapped multiple times? what happens if an already sparked metal caste is struck by lightning?

Do certain subgroups of humans that were elementally influenced or evolved show specific proclivities towards respective elements? (like are there a lot of stone mage metal-castes)

What are the crystal caste and where did they come from/were first mentioned either in a post or in the story? Rattle off as many varieties and their general deal as you want

Would the inhabitants of aurora ever have to retool or add new holidays if in the future any significant enough conceptual gods arise?

Is the white dragon real in the sense of as VD's opposite or is she just not real/is just a created god

If so, what's the actual source of the paladin's magic and how does it fit in with the elements?

Can gods channel the elements and be mages?

If so, why didn't VD posses the twins or have a god created for him to channel magic through?

how is VD even able to influence anything if he's stuck inside the adamantine prison?

if the white dragon is real, does she correspond to an eighth element?

is the eighth element soul?

if not what is soul? and is anything in this world not made of "elements" in the "stuff made from a primordial or whatever made them" way?

is adamantine made of the same stuff as soul?

are there more than eight elements?

where do stars come from?

where did the moons come from?

are there more planets besides the world we know?

do they have living things?

does the amalgam star look kind of like the green sun from homestuck (look it up)

do the other 4 promordials (and the 1-2 dragons) have progenitors like life's amalgam star and fire's two mysterious parents?

is or was there a whole society of primordials out in space?

If the promordials happened to develop a different language/alphabet would their great runes look different?

And some fun meta questions and comments:

I love the auroran calender, being that it is far more mathmatically clean and consistent than our own, (I watched your Thoth gambles with the moon video), is this sort of wish fufillment? I also love how you incorporated some chaos back in with the red moon sword and added a three day intercalery period

What are some common tropes you knowingly subverted or played with when writing the story?

It's extremely refreshing that Kendal doesn't have "chosen one" angst, instead he has much more subdued "no one will get hurt because of me" and "am I human?" angst

What's your opinion on tv tropes, (I for one, have wasted so many hours on it)

Did the primordials have a super-fun six man band dynamic?

who was the comic relief?

What's your actual opinion on Erin (I find his character super fun/compelling and I find his hubris hilarious)

The god mechanics have kind of a neil gaiman feel, I love it!

Vash gives off extreme shonen protagonist vibes (like goku + thor + spiderman) Is this on purpose? I love it

Kendal also seems pretty shonen protagonisty

Could you make an entire chapter where Erin just reads one of his magic textbooks and we get an in depth look at the study of magic and everything the people in the story know about it (I'm kidding of course but I also would actually eat that up like chocolate pudding because I'm a total lore junkie)

And sorry this is soooo long, you prob won't respond and I don't want to annoy you, just really curious and excited about your comic!

Holy heck, okay, let's count it down

The lightning that sparks a metal-caste cannot be influenced by another will - so a mage's lightning won't have this effect. If an already-sparked metal-caste is struck by lightning they receive a Second Spark and become a Stormbreaker.

Yep! For instance, almost all Ignans are fire mages.

The Crystal Caste live on the Helm-East continents and were influenced by the increased presence of Stone's bones, which are the source of all natural crystal. They haven't been mentioned in the comic yet, but have been discussed some out here. They're allegedly ruled by the Adamant Caste located on the northern continent, a family descended from the first Adamant King who led a rebellion against the magically dominant Glassfolk that once ruled the region. They possess the unique ability to control and redirect magic other people cast, even more rare among the Crystal-Caste who are very rarely mages of any kind. Under the Adamant Caste on the equatorial continent are three empires in a tense stalemate - the militarily powerful Sapphire Empire, the naturally-protected Ruby Empire shielded by a mountain range and a vast desert, and the weaker Emerald Empire that sprawls on the eastern coast and has only maintained its power at a level comparable to the other two through uniquely cunning tactics and a habit of accepting the talents of non-Crystal-Caste into the court - even some ferin.

Not unless they wanted to. The gods that get festivals are the ones it's easy to theme a party around.

Unknown!

See above!

Nope! The gods control the elements in a completely different way than mortals do. Rather than channeling elemental energy/primordial souls, they seem to impose their own soul on the elements they wish to manipulate, embodying it and reshaping it that way.

See above!

The Void Dragon is a living primordial being. We have no parameters for what abilities we can expect him to have, as all the other primordials we know of are dead. Evidently he can exert a degree of surveillance and physical control outside of his body. Maybe that's something all primordials could do!

Presumably the Light Dragon would correspond to an eighth element.

If soul energy is an element like the other primordials, it doesn't behave the same way any of them do, and it seems to universally permeate everywhere anyone has looked so far.

The nature and origin of soul energy is unknown. The Collector would very much like an answer to the same question!

Adamant is the perfect balanced fusion of the six elemental primordials, and it's a physical substance. Soul energy is a typically invisible energy that permeates everything. They are not the same thing.

Confirmed yes, starmetal is not any of the known elements and is theorized to be literal cooled shards of dead stars. Thus we know there are more elements out there, even if it is just one more element.

The origins of stars are largely unknown, but some observers with very good telescopes claim that new stars sometimes appear in luminous gassy nebulas.

The moons are the destroyed remains of Stone's armaments - a sword and a tower shield. Without him, over time they crumbled and gravity took over. That's why they're called Sword and Shield.

Unknown!

See above!

Pretty dope but no, it's much weirder than that

Yes!

Unknown but possible!

Evidence suggests that the runic language is the writing system of the Primordials, so by definition the runes would look the same.

META QUESTIONS:

Definitely wish fulfillment on my part. I just like it when things evenly divide other things. Is that so wrong?

Oh so many. Chief among them is the Easy Romantic Subplot Between The Male Lead And The First Girl. There was a draft (when I was like eleven) where of course that was going to be a thing, and then I realized I super didn't need to do anything I didn't want to do, and their relationship can just be whatever. Outside of that I don't tend to think of storytelling in terms of what tropes to avoid so much as I let the characters do what makes sense for them, and sometimes that means skipping over more easy stock plots or sources of conflict.

Kendal's flavor of angst is, in my opinion, significantly more relatable than "boohoo having a cosmic destiny and awesome sword is really sad and I wish my life was boring", like even though that's probably what WOULD happen I like this a lot more

love me some TVTropes, I spent like six months in highschool devouring as much of it as I could find and emerged changed - an elevated being, one could say. To this day I like going on TVTropes after I finish a series and just reading through the bite-sized analysis and highlights.

yeup!

definitely Lightning

I love Erin very much. I write a lot of paragons who will always try to do the most morally right thing they can manage - so it's very refreshing to write somebody who literally thinks he's too smart for that. Erin has a moral compass - he even follows it sometimes - but he prides himself on prioritizing real things like knowledge and power. Erin will use any tools he has available to succeed - in theory. In practice he's rigidly principled and it frustrates him immensely. Erin is like a "season 1 villain turned season 2 grumpy ally" except we fully skipped season 1. Erin is also convinced he's the main character, which is very funny to me. Also sometimes it's just fun to write someone being a huge dick to people who deserve it, and since I have a lot of protagonists who either can't or won't stand up for themselves, letting Erin loose on the people hurting them is very cathartic.

Thanks! Neil Gaiman's attitude towards gods definitely influenced me, although I put my own spin on it to make it work in a way I actually fully enjoyed.

Vash's protagonist vibes are absolutely intentional. He is the hero of the wrong story - every brash, powerful, badass protagonist trait I like rolled into one. Literally the most mortifyingly known I've ever felt was when I sent the first chapter to a friend of mine and she saw the first page he talked on and immediately responded "so this dude is based on Inuyasha right?"

Kendal has the outward appearance of the most classic hero I could construct, but on the inside is very different - a lot more melancholy and very laser-focused on his task, caring achingly deeply but slowly learning to let himself be cared for in return. Many hero's journeys focus on the protagonist's personal desires and flaws distracting them from their inevitable quest, but I thought it would be interesting if Kendal had the exact opposite problem - a being driven by a singular heroic purpose learning to let himself do and feel literally anything else.

if we ever get to the Mage Academy this could very well happen and that is a threat

#asks #aurora #long post

[mydaroga]

Follow up on the Tune In ask, Thank you for your response!! And please, never apologize for the length, it was greatly insightful. I actually haven't started on the book yet but it came highly recommended to me as The definitive Beatles biography so I was looking around to see what others think of it. Most of the critical opinions I found on this site seem consistent with your criticisms especially about Lewisohn's tendency to cherry pick quotes or imposing a new context on them...

Well, that formatted weird. Sorry. Anyway, I will definitely try to give as thorough an answer as I have time for, so that may mean just a few examples. If you want a deeper dive I can recommend the Another Kind of Mind Series, Fine Tuning. I don't agree entirely with their approach, but I agree for the most part with their findings and concerns, if that makes sense. And then there's Serene's blog entry which does a more thorough examination of the way Lewisohn ... hrm, shall we say, stretches citations to mean... whatever he wants.

I don't know that I am going to be able to go into quite as much detail here as I didn't keep these good notes while reading. But I can think of a few things that stuck out to me before I listened/read these other takes. And I'm happy to keep talking about this or expand, I'm not saying I don't like doing this, just that I am not gonna ... okay I'm going to write an essay? But I won't be as meticulous as I should be.

The first thing that made me stop reading and just go track down what was actually going on was a passage in which Lewisohn is talking about teen Paul's resistance to getting a job, going against Jim. From Tune In:

Paul still hated anyone telling him what to do -- 'It just never occurred to me to listen to other people' -- but when Jim insisted, sometimes Paul did as bid... as John scathingly noted. He went down to the Labour Exchange and Renshaw Hall and landed a £10-a-week Christmas-period job with SPD Ltd, Speedy Prompt Deliveries.

Now, all on its own without context this is a great Paul McCartney quote because you go, "yeah that checks out." I plan on using it as a sort of Macca meme, you know? But it was soooo Paul I thought, "wait, in what context did he say that? Like, he doesn't listen ever? He's admitting he just doesn't listen to anyone?"

So weirdly, it's not actually footnoted, but I found the source. It's a 1980 interview with Tim Rice, which is entertaining in its own right because he tells the guy who co-wrote Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita and later The Lion King that, you know, musicals are boring. Anyway, not the point.

It took me awhile to find the actual quote, because it's really a throwaway, almost self-deprecating aside, in the context of how he's listening to people more now because he's realized too many smart people just talk and it might be good to listen some.

So okay. Paul did say that, and he's admitting there was a time he didn't take the time to listen, but he's doing it in a sort of jokey way. I guess it's fair to say, generally, sure, Paul has a tendency to be headstrong and go his own way and that certainly would have been a factor in his psychological battle with Jim Mac over going to get his teaching license or whatever. It's not like Lewisohn is bending the facts of anything. It's not really a big deal. But it was the moment that clued me in that he's not necessarily using like for like. There's plenty of quotes about how Paul felt about this time in his life without using a joke from 1980 to shore up your point about his resistance to dad, in a paragraph that implies he's saying it about his resistance to dad. And when you've decide that "it just never occurred to me to listen to other people" can mean "and that's why he didn't listen to Jim about work, except this time he did," I don't know. It leaves a funny taste in my mouth because then you could use it for anything Paul decides to do differently. If that makes sense. If it applies there, it applies to anything Paul does. And Paul obviously didn't mean that in 1980.

Also maybe this is more nuanced, but while "Paul still hated anyone telling him what to do" is a true statement in any time in his life, that quote itself? Is neither necessarily relevant to being told what to do or very revealing. It actually is entirely unnecessary. The passage would be completely benign and throw me no red flags without it.

Like any of the points I make or, frankly, I've heard others make, it's less that he's saying untrue things and more that by using these citations in ways that remove them from context and add them to a different context, he is painting a picture but passing it off as fact. In addition, he often will use a quote from John's angry, Lennon Remembers period to interpret Paul's motives in the early 60s, rather than using, oh I dunno, a quote from.... Paul? Or a nicer quote from John when he's contradicted himself again? Again it's all legit sourcing and citing! But the contextualizing creates something he's selling as free of interpretation which is anything but.

The other one I've been thinking about is laid out quite well in I think episode 3 of the AKOM pod, and it's about Paul's creative development. While John's is described as original and a free spirit and rebellious in his artistic ambitions--which he was--Paul's artistic endeavors almost always come with a weasel word or caveat. What I mean is, John is always described as inventive; Paul is a gifted mimic. This despite a lot of attention paid to how John was basically copying his favorite cartoonists and artists--he even says at some point everything he does is Just William and Lewis Carroll. But somehow when he does it, it's extraordinary. He's got his own voice, while Paul is a talented parrot. Lewisohn gives props to all of Paul's many accomplishments but there's always either some kind of adjective like that to take away from it or this thing that creeps in where everything Paul does is for show. There are numerous places in Tune In where Paul is ostentatiously reading difficult books so he can be seen reading them. Anytime he's trying something new or going to explore a new art form or theater experience, Lewisohn has to point out that he wants to be seen to be doing something clever. When he writes songs, Lewisohn points out that he's not just writing songs, he's thinking about the image of being a writer or something like that. It's never because he's artistic, or likes the thing. He needs to be seen as someone liking the thing.

Now, we do have a quote from Paul about this. He does mention thinking about the image of a poet with the pipe and the leather patches, and he does at one point get a pipe and you know, famously pretend to be French to try to pull birds. (He does this again on that little week off he takes in France, years later, reminiscing about imagining he's a novelist in a cafe.) It's not that I'm saying Paul isn't capable of being pretentious! (I still have the beret I insisted on getting for my birthday when I was 16. I'm not immune. I still look great in it.) But Paul's, again, self-deprecating description of himself as a goofy teen appears to be the only 'proof' Lewisohn has that his reading, his art, his going to shows alone no one else cares about, is a pretense.

Again. It's not a huge deal and it's not like Paul didn't factually do all of this. It's that in a text that he's insisted in the front matter is free of speculation, Lewisohn's included numerous interpretations of Paul's (and others') motives without any direct proof/citation for those interpretations. That, I'm afraid, is speculative. And that's fine for an author to engage in--but he needs to be clear about it.

For the record he does this with John, too. He interprets numerous, sometimes almost contradictory actions of John's as "evidence" of his ability to lead. Sometimes he's like, in front and sometimes he's doing nothing and Lewisohn will conclude this was John also leading.

The point of all this isn't, like I said in my original post, that I think any one of these things is that bad. Paul's kinda pretentious? Maybe sometimes he did like to be seen reading War and Peace or whatever? Maybe John sitting back and watching what his mates are going to do is leadership? The problem, for me, is that it's not presented in a way that meets the premise of Lewisohn's introduction, which promises a work free of the prejudices and unsubstantiated speculation of his forebears. And I really do think that Lewisohn has convinced himself that he's done enough research and been a keen enough "Paul watcher" that it no longer counts as interpretation. I fear he may actually believe that he's done the math.

Again, I think you should read it. I loved the attention to detail and you'll get a lot out of it. But just be aware of this tendency, which I no longer think I'm imagining. And these are just the first two things I thought of and wanted to rant about.

#oh man thank you so much for enabling me #you don't know how great it feels to get to just babble about my thoughts lol #i'm really touched that whoever you are thinks my opinion is even worthy!! #kris reads tune in #kris talks a lot #tune in anon #anon asks

[misterewrites]

Year Two and a Halfish (Threads of Fate)

Hi! E here still alive. Been. a while. Sorry if you were expecting updates sooner my laptop was having some serious black screen issues and every attempt at sending it to get repaired is getting stonewalled and honestly it's infuriating and yeah. That happened. Hopefully this time it gets properly fixed and i can go back to writing consistently. I'm just using my mom's laptop to write in the meantime.

So it's super late but Merry Christmas @hains-mae! WOO! this is her gift that she requested at the time (I was pretty surprised when she wanted me to write this story but then i was promptly told she wanted her Solider Poet King for her birthday so that explained everything haha.

I started working on this a few days ago and unfortunately something happened here in America relates in a small part to the story. Honestly maybe I'm overreacting or overthinking it but I also know a lot of people read this story and i rather be overly prepped than accidentally not doing enough

Mae wanted a situation where Jason loses it after you, the reader, is injured. She gave me little requests like Robin's line and has to end in all warm feel goodness (cuz i am not legally allowed to write angst haha) so I have chosen that the reader is shot in the shoulder.

Yeah my little thing makes sense now.

It gets a bit intense, maybe? I can never tell cuz I'm writing it. Like i said I could be overthinking this but heads up. It also does end very sweet and homely and all that goodness so no worries. If you don't feel like reading it I understand.

Stay safe everyone. Lose yourself in a story whether it be mine or someone else's and just relax. breath. It'll be okay. Even if it seems like a lot right now.

So yeah hopefully I'll have my laptop fixed and we're all good but at least for now i have an alternate means of writing! Next is probably Mirror's Edge, Mae's birthday gift, Mirror's edge, another gift i owe but that's a personal one that won't be posted.

Be safe, take care of yourself and your loved ones. Wear masks (i know i know but remember you can pass them on to people with compromised immune systems.) remember to get the vaccine or booster cuz it'll help make it bearable. It's okay to just exist and be and let the world pass you by. One step at a time together. Also vaccine worldwide push for it cuz it's important and frankly whatever you feel is important. The issues that matter to you and remember. It'll be okay.

That's it for me! E is out have a great week and i'll see you really soon!

If you want to read this from the start you can find the whole story on this really awesome site right here! https://archiveofourown.org/works/29955270/chapters/73737858

For the rest of my work that includes some awesome original work (so i am told haha) Arcane Legend of Zelda and Soul Eater you can find that over here https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrE42/pseuds/MrE42

Summary: A few months later, you are trying to get to work when a very unfortune thing happens. For better or worse Red Hood is saving the day.

-----

It’s pretty cold right now. I…I don’t recall ever feeling this cold before.

Wait. That’s not…true. I think. I’m pretty sure I’ve been this cold before.

Have I?

Whenever Mister Freeze has a snow day it gets really cold.

I feel for him, I do but...

God it’s cold. Or is it warm? My head is warm. Hands not so much. Feet freezing too.

Am I cold? I can’t tell. Everything is a lot right now. The floor is damp I know that much. I can see my breath frozen midair for a moment.

Someone is yelling, waving something towards me from overhead but I can’t focus. Everything’s a bit blurry.

Why does my side hurt? Fuck did I pull something again? I really hope not. I have work tomorrow. Eww wet too. Did I spill something?

Wait, no. Today. I have work today. Right now I think. What time is it?

Shit why do I feel weak? Arm’s shaking too. I didn’t forget to eat again did I? Ugh Jason’s going to kill me.

Hee, Jason. He’s soooo handsome. I have no idea why he wants out hang with me though. He is way out of my league. Like he’s fucking Batman’s son! HOW THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO IMPRESS THE ACTUAL SON OF BATMAN!?

Mister Wayne? Bruce? Bruce. No not Bruce. I’ve never met him, I don’t think I can be on a first name basis with freaking Batman if I’ve never met him. Well him him. I’ve been saved by the bats before. Few times actually.

I should really thank him for Jason. He’s just amazing.

Okay so maybe I drank a lot. Why am I thinking of Jason?

Ugh, this asshat is yelling at me still. What the hell does he want? He’s talking to me right? Ugh my head’s pounding, I can’t hear anything.

The guy seems frantic, keeps looking back expecting something but I have no idea what. He just keeps gesturing to his open hand. What the fuck does he…

FUCK! That’s right this asshole shot me!

I wince as the sound turns back on all at once: The angry honking of impatient drivers, the numbing chatter of a thousand people living in a concrete jungle as one. The adrenaline is making my senses so sharp I can hear the dripping water splatting against the cold floor of the alley.

I must’ve gone into shock without realizing it. I mean I was just shot so can you blame me?

My shoulder is burning with a white hot pain I only felt twice in my life: Once when Bane slammed a mailbox into me and when I was 12 and I was really trying to…

You know what? Not important. More pressing matters right now.

I remember now that my flight or fight kicked in: I was late to work and I tried cutting through an alley for a shortcut.

Terrible idea in Gotham I know but this one was brightly lit. I didn’t think anyone was stupid enough to try anything.

So naturally the universe decides to give me the one stupidest person who would try.

He waves his gun at me again (it was a gun. Duh.) but honestly I’m too wired to care. Plus he shot a hole in my favorite jacket! AND IT’S GOT BLOOD RUNNING DOWN IT! DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD IT IS TO GET BLOOD OUT OF CLOTHING?! Really fucking hard.

Oh. Shit. I’m bleeding out. That’s probably important too.

I try to pick myself off the floor but he takes a step forward, threatening me with the gun again.

“I’ll shoot!” he yells.

Even now, with the last possible moments of my life slipping away, I can’t help but be a smartass.

“You already did you asshat! Shooting me again isn’t gonna make me want to give you my money anymore than the first time!”

Gonna die as I lived: Sassy.

He clicks the hammer on the gun, prepping it to fire again.

I…I feel numb. The adrenaline lessens the pain but it’s still mind dumbing. I just want to scream and fight and yell and go down swinging.

But that’s not who I am. I’m not some superhero or even a regular hero. I’m just a person trying to make my way through this chaotic journey called life. I couldn’t even get up and now because some idiot wants the 10 bucks and a very, very old video rental card to a place that doesn’t exist anymore in my wallet, it was about to end.

I could feel fear bite at my resolve, a dreadful overwhelming sense of finality wash over me. Goosebumps crawled down my skin, the air felt stuffy and too cold all at once as time slowed to a crawl.

I….

I can’t even think.

I’m just scared. I don’t want to go out this way.

I took a deep breath and close my eyes.

I think of my mom, waiting for my phone call later.

I think about Jason Jr, a cat I adopted by accident cuz he had streak of white that was way too familiar. Feed them once and every Jason refuses to leave you.

I do my best to not think of him but Jason Jr leads to Jason the human: His piercing blue eyes that feel like he’s seeing deep into my soul. His messy black hair with that one streak of white that made him so iconic, so distinct from his brothers. The various knicks, tiny bruises, cuts and scars from years being Robin then the Red Hood. Invisible from afar but so, so clear up close.

I can hear his laugh, mostly teasing but with a hint of warmth when I do something dumb. The way shows off his prowess with a knife and how proud he beams when I clap excitedly. Wide smirks when we get into one of our playful chats and jabs. The small smile that graces his lips when he thinks I’m not looking. The quiet thoughtful look when something troubles him. A distance gaze only someone who has experienced for too much has.

I see Jason in my mind but I don’t want that. I want to look him in eye when he tries to be all broody and cool. I want to mess with his hair and tease him about his terrible tastes in books. I want to see him again!

Not like this. No fucking way. I have no idea how I’m going to go but I refuse to let it be like this.

I snap out of my stupor, time seemingly unmoved by whatever deeply reflective crap I just did.

He still has his hand on the gun. I’m still on the floor and this still sucks.

I prep my body, tensing and wincing from my aching shoulder but I try not to be distracted. One shot and whether it works or not, I’m not going to go quietly.

“JUST GIVE ME YOUR MONEY!” the man screams hysterically.

“Fuck you.” I spit out as I’m ready to make my move.

The red string tied around my finger slackens, distracting me at a really bad time but suddenly goes taut like someone is pulling at it.

A thud is all I hear and suddenly the guy is gone. Just vanished into thin air.

I weakly try to stand but my legs turn to jelly and honestly I’m not in fight or flight anymore. I’m in “the floor is nice and solid and I’m just gonna lay here” mode.

So I do just that and fall back on the floor and decide to exist for like the next ten minutes.

I mean I would’ve if something didn’t pick me up.

“Are you okay?” A voice asks, young. Younger than me at least.

“Umm.” I smartly reply.

The young man hums thoughtfully “You’ve been shot.”

“Yeah. That thing.”

“Shock.” He concludes before slipping my good arm over his neck and helps me over to a wall. I take this sec to look and am unsurprised to find Red Robin at my side.

“JA.…” Someone else from above calls out, nearly saying a full name before realizing his mistakes “HOOD!”

Hood? Jason. Jason is the Hood. Jason is here. God I’m tired.

He doesn’t respond if he is here.

A figure elegantly sails through the air, tucking into an impossible swan dive only a skilled master of acrobatics whose trained his entire life could manage so effortlessly.

Plus that’s Nightwing’s ass. It doesn’t matter where you land on orientation, everyone in Gotham and Bludhaven knows that ass.

“HOOD!” Nightwing shouts, less cheery goofyball as per his usual self and more firm. More worried.

Red Robin looks now and his practiced, measured posture drops. He doesn’t even bother to hide his brother’s name.

“Jason. Jason stop! JASON!”

Nightwing has already broken into a full sprint towards where I assume Jason is but Red Robin take a second to make sure I’m comfortable. He places me against the wall and hands me a thick cloth to press over my shoulder. A second later and he’s off. My eyes follow and land on Jason.

Except he’s not Jason right now. He’s Red hood and the difference is….staggering to be honest.

I…forget who he is, the brand of justice he deals out with harsh sentences. Somehow, despite how we first met, I managed to split Jay and Hood into two different entities. Two different people who never happened to be in the same room at the same time.

But now, seeing Jason rain blow and blow upon my attacker, I see it.

Jason favors his right side. He’s amberidext-something but that’s from years of training. He says it feels more natural to him, easier for him to focus on other things.

Red likes using the right too. He’s just a fraction faster using his favored side and it’s clear even with his build that he is quick and there’s power in each punch.

Jason is light on his feet but has a solid stance. He loves to boast how it takes all his siblings to hold back him even if he’s not really trying to break free.

Nightwing can’t stop him neither can Red Robin. They’ve all had the same training from the same teacher but they’re not the same. They all have their strengths: Nightwing was blessed with an inhuman grace (and ass). RR is as smart as Batman and just as capable as a detective.

But Jason? Just a force of nature. Pure muscle and strength only equaled by his mentor and with a will to match.

They could barely slow the battle crazed Hood. It took all they had to pull him back but I could see by the sweat on their brows that it was only a matter of time before he broke free from their grasp. He was like a shark that smelled blood in the water and he wasn’t going to stop until he felt the price of injustice had been paid.

Another figure descended from the roof, smaller in stature and wearing an all too iconic yellow and black outfit: Robin. Well the newest Robin since everyone here minus me was Robin at some point.

You know when you’re drained of adrenaline you get reeeeeeally out of it.

Robin cautiously approached the trashing Red Hood, well aware of how dangerous his brother could be.

“Todd.” Robin spoke firmly “This is wrong. You know this is wrong.”

“Yeah Jay!” Nightwing pitched in quickly “And that’s coming from the kid. Imagine how you’re acting if he’s saying that.”

Robin openly glared “Watch your tongue Grayson.”

“Guys, could we deal with the rampaging Jason before we start snipping at each other?” Red Robin pleaded with immense strain.

Nightwing tightened his grip “Jay please. They’re watching.”

Jason’s shoulders slump as realization dawned on him. I could physically note when the exact moment the fight left him.

And me as I promptly passed out.

-----

I wish I could tell you after such a harrowing ordeal that I reflected with a deep and newly acquired profound understanding of my existence, the importance of living each day to the fullest and my place in the universe for really I am the instrument in which the universe….

Yeah no. I woke up on a cloud and instantly hated existing cuz pain is not fun.

I’m not exaggerating by the way. I found myself on the most comfortable bed I have ever been. It was like it was molded for me, shaping around my body in a way that didn’t aggravate my aches. I mean it didn’t stop them but I’ll take anything I could get.

“I see you are awake.”

I couldn’t even flail so I settled for screaming at the top of my lungs.

The most British older gentleman I have ever seen regarded me with a stony face of indifference though I swore I saw a twinkle of amusement in his eyes.

“I must admit I have never illicit that particular response before.” He said dryly complete with stiff upper lip “But I can see why it is Master Bruce’s favorite.”

I could feel my cheeks burn “Ah yes. Sorry I….sorry. Umm good morning mister…?”

The man gave a bow “Pennyworth. Normally I would ask you to refer to me as such but seeing as young Master Jason has spoken about you at great length and detail it seems only fair we are on a more familiar basis. Alfred is my name.”

I chuckled nervously as realization dawns on me “Yes. Please forgive me…Alfred? Sir? I…Long night.”

“I should say so what with that bullet lodged in your shoulder.”

I could feel my shoulder ache dully at the reminder.

“Ugh I gotta get to a hospital huh? Don’t want to get lead poisoning. Umm Alfred, sir, do you know if Gotham Blue covers gunshot wounds? My brain is still a bit scrambled.” I speak honestly.

Even his laugh is dry “Do not worry. I have taken the liberty of removing the round as you were sleeping. It made the process simpler and more efficient. A refreshing change of pace I will admit. My usual patients like to insist very serious gunshot wounds fall under the category of merely a ‘scratch’.”

I opened my mouth to reply but someone else answered for me “We’re bats Alfred. Comes with the territory that we get shot at.”

Jason sauntered into the room lazily but I knew he’d been worried: His hair was extra messy and matted, his shoulders slumped as his posture hunched over. His hands were stuffed into his pockets, probably fiddling with whatever he had inside. His gaze was intensely focused on Alfred but I could see him struggling not to look at me.

Alfred’s gave a slight smile “Ah yes. Forgive me Master Todd but I do recall there is quite the difference between being shot at and being shot in general. One many of you seem to have difficulty grasping.”

Jason shrugged, unsure what to say.

“Beg your pardon” Alfred turned to me “I must prepare breakfast. I shall be back shortly with some French toast and fresh bandages for your wound.”

With a polite bow Alfred briskly left the room and sent a scurrying of hurried feet racing from the door.

Silence, not awkward but still tense. The lingering sense of shame filled the air.

Jason wouldn’t look at me.

“Your siblings will be back soon.” I nudged him helpfully “If you want a private conversation I’d say we got like 5 minutes.”

“Twenty.” Jason mumbled uneasily “They really like to scatter to make sure no one is suspicious but Alfred and Bruce know us too well to fall for it. Alfred will suddenly find tiny and convenient issues around the house to prevent them from circling back and Bruce will track one or two down to have a quick chat.”

“Neat.” I said honestly.

Silence fell over us again but I knew it was because Jason was gathering his thoughts into words. When things really mattered he always took his time.

“I’m sorry.” He said, still refusing to meet my gaze.

I scoffed loudly “I wasn’t aware you shot me.”

“This isn’t the time for being a smartass!”

“It isn’t the time for being a dumbass either but here you are.”

“I know you saw me.”

I sighed deeply “Of course I saw you. What, do you think I never wanna see you again?”

Jason remained quiet.

“Look.” I tried to sit up “I’m not gonna pretend like I know what your life’s been like and what you did last night was…a lot.”

“Don’t move, you’ll make it worse.” He said but I ignored him.

“Make me Jay.”

Jason whirled around so quick I nearly didn’t see him gently push me onto back.

“Oww.” I wheezed but Jason held a firm yet careful hold on me “Cheater.”

“How? How did I cheat?” Jason gave a cutely offended look.

I snort “Alphabetically or chronologically?”

Jason glared “If you say Batman trained me one more time…”

“Am I lying?” I smirked “The most training I got was little league and I sucked at it.”

“You hit a homerun once” He offered helpfully.

I rolled my eyes playfully “I hit home, not a homerun. Big diff Jay.”

“True. Only you could hit the homebase and send it flying 5 feet.”

“Hey! It was 20 feet. Minimum.”

“Mhm sure. My bad.” Jason finally grinned “I suppose you also managed to get 5 points for doing that too.”

“Don’t forget the scholarship too! You always forget the scholarship.”

“Do not!”

“Do too!”

“No!”

“Duh!”

We stared at each other deeply for a moment before breaking out into laughter.

Well Jason did. I took one breath and suddenly I was violently coughing.

“Oww oww oww.”

“Idiot.” He mumbled as he tucked me into the sheets.

I gave a cheesy grin “Worth it.”

Jason raised a quizzical eyebrow.

“Okay no, not really” I admitted “That hurt way more than I was expecting.”

“Rest.” Jason threatened me with arms crossed.

I was too tired to care the words “Only if you’re here to keep an eye on me.” Tumbled out of my mouth before I thought better.

Jason shifted guiltily “Look I…”

In for a pound. I gently placed on my hand over his “We’ll talk about it later. For now it’s over and honestly I really don’t wanna think about it this second. I am just….really happy to see you Jay.”

He took my hand in his.

“You really need to stop taking shortcuts.” He scolded lightly.

“Hey!” I raised my free hand defensively “There were lights! What kind of idiot tries to rob someone in a well lit alley?!”

“The one that shot you yesterday.”

“No shit Jay.” I glared openly at him but all he did was smirk in response.

As beautiful as this moment was, I had to ruin it. A thought began to bother me and Jason noticed.

Jason motioned with his head “Don’t think too hard. Your body can’t handle the strain right now.”

“Oh shut it. You said Bruce was gonna intercept your siblings, right?”

“Umm yeah.” Jason was unsure where I was going with this “He pretends to be emotionally constipated but he’s very good at bed side manner and respectful with privacy.”

I nodded in agreement “Have you ever brought anyone to here?”

Jason’s face fell “Oh no.”

“Emotionally constipated? You’re being unusually kind today Jason.”

The doors flung open and in strode the one, the only, the myth, the legend and Jay’s father: Bruceman.

Shit I mean Batwayne. Brucebat.

Bruce motherfreaking Wayne gave me a million dollar smile “Hello I’m Bruce Wayne. It is so nice to meet you. Jason never brings any of his friends over.”

I could feel myself pale as I stared dumbfounded at his outstretched hand.

Then I promptly passed out.

#My work #Red Hood X reader #DC #Batfam #Red Hood #Reader #X-mas gift

[blocksruinedme]

Wip Wednesday! LARPer Joel feeling crazy about Etho!

God willing and creek don't rise, this one will be out very soon, but this is motivating me! They in college, they larpers, they started hooking up during a larp (called Double Life) some weeks ago. This part is T rated, not sure if the final is T or M. I added a lot while editing it for this soooo I'm tossing in a cut tag partway through ------

Joel knew he could be kind of a lot when it came to Etho. It had become painfully obvious that Joel’s friends had grown weary of hearing him whine about Etho, possibly even more than they seemed sick of him gushing about Etho, so Joel tried to limit sharing the anxiety spirals and negative thoughts to when he was at his worst. None of his friends knew how consistently (say, every day) he felt crazy about Etho - and not the good kind of “being crazy” about a super hot ripped genius who keeps showing up at your dorm room at night to show you a very good time. Instead, he was stuck with “try your best to not become a stalker but it’s looking dicey” kind of crazy. Well, not instead, he had both kinds of crazy, and knew he might be suffering from even more kinds of Etho crazy than he realized. Etho was easy to be crazy about. 

Etho didn’t often stay the night in Joel’s cramped dorm room, and when he did he usually woke up and left early. (They never talked about it, of course, but Joel knew it was early enough that his housemates might not realize he hadn’t come home the night before. Joel hadn’t ever even seen Etho’s bedroom, which was… fine.) When Etho fell asleep before Joel, or slept in after Joel (who never slept much anyway), Joel let himself be–or at least feel like–a total creep by watching Etho sleep. Those moments were both excruciating and exquisite to Joel’s fragile heart. In the relaxation of sleep, Etho looked peaceful, vulnerable, even soft. It made Joel’s heart ache. 

The rest of the world (or at least most of it) didn’t get to see this Etho, and Joel clung desperately to that knowledge, that he was gifted with some special part of Etho. He knew he would sound crazy if he said it out loud. He knew that Etho wasn’t specifically gifting this part of himself to Joel, that he was taking it without Etho’s knowledge, but Etho felt safe enough to give Joel that access to him, and that meant the world to Joel. 

For all their sexual connection and intensity, these stolen moments in the dark were when Joel felt an intimacy he’d longed for, and lacked, in all of his ill-fated and brief attempts at connection like this. 

On the excruciating side, all those feelings reminded Joel of everything he didn't have with Etho. Being affectionate in public, having romantic things like dates and pet names, getting to introduce Etho to people and say “This is my boyfriend, Etho.” (Sometimes he said the words in his head, and then told himself to shut up.) Right now he’d settle for having literally any idea of what he could expect from Etho, of what this all meant to Etho, what he meant to Etho. They'd never even had a conversation about sex with other people, so Joel had to operate under the assumption that Etho was sleeping with an unknown number of other people. Joel didn’t even know if Etho was bi! Joel was a little surprised that he didn't feel particularly jealous about the idea – he didn't think he needed to be Etho’s Only in any regard. It wasn't about the amount of time together (though he'd love more, he’d take as much as Etho would give), it was about how they spent the time they had, how they interacted with the world, and with each other. If Etho had an actual serious public relationship, while Joel was left in limbo ,that would at minimum sting, if not devastate him. Joel felt sure he’d be happy for Etho to have a dozen boyfriends (or girlfriends, or whoever friends)... as long as he could be one too. 

Etho had never explicitly told Joel to not talk about their relationship (or whatever it was), but in public he always acted like they were just friends. It was weird, it sucked, it seemed like everyone knew anyway, but Joel was getting used to keeping up the illusion that they were just friends. Which was why it was so staggeringly unexpected, and profoundly delightful, to be awkwardly sitting next to Etho on a scratchy, lumpy couch while his hungover friends haphazardly prepared brunch. 

#wip wednesday #me #my writing #smalletho #larper au

[emimayooo]

get to know me tag

TYSM FOR THE TAG @rowanisawriter I LOVE THESE THINGS

rules: tag 10 or more people you want to get to know better.

pretty sure i haven't tagged anyone who's been tagged yet...but if you have, interpret my tagging you as a hug full of love and be on with your day bestie!!

@amorficzna @kvella @chickywickers @weatheredlaw @abananaisaweapon @notebookishtype @ladydragonlet @apparentlynotreallyfinnish @andi-tiucs @cononeillbreastingboobily

(no pressure to participate!!!)

OKAY LETS DO THIS

fave ships: i have so fucking many. let's split this:

newer ships: galeheart, wyllach, wyllstarion, snowbaird

older ships: sylvgrid, dimileth, ikesoren, ferdithea, jaime x brienne, sunbrat, MSR, everlark, helnik, otayuri, cullen/(mage)trevelyan (he's my og bicycle fr fr)

favorite color: orange!!

song stuck in my head: this specific edit of telepatia

favorite food: so hard to choose. japanese food, generally. tastes like home.

last tv show/ movie: tv show? no clue. i don't watch a lot. film? the boy and the heron. light spoilers + fun fact: i spread infectious laughter in my movie session by cackling and guffawing and screaming "lOoK aT iTs liTtLE hAt". watch films with your best friend, it's great, they'll enable you hard to be soooo unfiltered.

spicy/sweet/savory? savoury all the way!!

currently reading: tbosas, on and off, since november LOL. i like it! just not inclined to reading it consistently bc i've watched the movie. i'm enjoying taking my time. little thieves, i'm struggling with. not in the mood for YA, it seems. read two chapters of the beautiful ones last night, surprised me with how invested it has me already. can't wait to read more!!!

last thing i googled: divine soul sorcerer lol

this was so fun!! thanks for the tag xoxo

#tag games #emi.txt

[drdemonprince]

Crypto-terf anon here again, and yes, lol, those are exactly the people I was talking about. Those accounts feel so insidious because on the surface they seem to pay lip service to a lot of complaints a lot of progressives share (I have definitely seen some of my own frustrations about infighting and, like, harassment as praxis reflected in them), and their whole deal seems to be geared around coalition building and wanting to create, like, a kinder and gentler left. Which seems great on the surface, but then consistently their whole brand keeps being linked to this genteel transphobia and I'm like...uh, never mind.

I admittedly haven't seen any explicitly anti-trans stuff from Morrigan specifically but she seems more than happy to kick it with the ones who traffic in it, so...yeah.

yeah she's said very explicitly on her podcast that she wants to create a space where "trans women and terfs can interact with one another" . and its like maam. you think they can just have rational debate about whether or not one of the two of them is a human being??? i fully think she's just like super ignorant and erected an entire political identity around the fact people don't like someone she's dating or that she tried to sell some zines during the height of the 2020 uprising and literally doesnt understand enough about any of the waters she's wading into to not show her ass. shes managed to spend going on four years running this grift without ever learning a damn thing about any of it because if she did the worldview would fall apart

like. her and her partner are constantly falling back on adolf reed as this like anti identitarian Black communist figure and its like. that man has published some egregiously transmisogynistic things so dont act like he's absolving you of seeming problematic or ill conceived. it just makes you look like you havent read anything when you claim him like that. its soooo gross and transparent

and now some of the others in their circle post this awful stuff about how they wish we had more defined gender roles because what does womanhood even really mean right now. classic like post leftist catholic reactionary stuff.

but nobodys worse or more explicit with the transmisogyny in all this than seerut. and yeah just generally i think its important to point out for the most part its transmisogyny very specifically. tho some other people in their circle like he valencia do post some generically transphobic takes that are just awful

[atlanticsea]

not going to tag this bc it's just me being a hater but i find it so disingenuous of the episode to have isaac tell colin "i was made because you lied to me." first of all ENOUGH with reactions to people coming out being "well i'm mad because you lied!!!!" girl deal with that yourself on your own quietly i don't CARE that you feel this way we've had this shit so many times and it's never been good i hate it so much lmaooo. literally your personal feelings about your friend taking time to come out to you Do Not Matter and i'm tired of pretending they do <3

second of all the idea that isaac, known for being super empathetic and willing to grow and change and reconsider his actions when they've been hurtful, would hear his best friend say "i was 99% sure you'd support me but that 1% terrified me" and not realise that him giving colin the silent treatment and REFUSING TO EVEN TOUCH HIM OR LOOK HIM IN THE EYE was confirming colin's worst fears is so 💀💀💀

like idk i think isaac saying "damn i'm so sorry i never considered your feelings in this and made it about myself without even making sure you knew i was on your side" or colin saying "and btw you ignoring me after finding out was a confirmation of my worst fears and it really hurt me" was needed because i'm SOOOO tired of this narrative that if someone didnt tell you they were gay or queer in any way youre more entitled to feeling hurt than they were entitled to feeling scared. bullshit. especially since isaac is apparently aware that he sucks at keeping secrets like!!! coming out to him had implications and i haaaaaate that the show doesn't acknowledge that, or clearly state that colin had EVERY RIGHT not to come out to ANYBODY. jesus. this is why i hate coming out storylines.

and third of all the reason im calling that "you lied to me" line disingenuous is that the show was CLEARLY doing a homophobia fake out considering isaac refused to even have colin's hand touch him. the show wanted you to think isaac was disgusted by colin because it wanted drama and then had to walk it back but it barely works and i'm mad <3 same with isaac going "what did you call me" and not "what did you say," the idea is to make us think isaac is offended at the implication he could be gay, not at the bigotry. it's all so transparent lmao and it's SHIT! and THEN to have a "haha straight man looks panicked when a gay man says i love you hahaha" joke at the end like come on man. fuck you. genuinely go fuck yourself. i truly hate the way isaac has been written for this entire thing because it seemed like the only reason he was written like that was to create drama around whether or not colin would be accepted, when he has consistently been a caring and compassionate guy. sucks ass lol. ted lasso fuck you

#nourpost #like i said not tagging this bc im just being a hater but jeeeeeesus christ this episode pissed me off man #there's other stuff that pissed me off but. that was the main thing

[banghwa]

hey, can i ask how you were able to get such a good grasp on the hyyh storyline?? i'm asking because i've been a fan of their work for over a year but i was never able to fully comprehend the actual events of hyyh.

i have watched videos and learned some other stuff from comments here and there but the problem is that, although there seems to be a general consensus on some of the themes of hyyh, some people have different interpretations of what actually happened. not as in they have different interpretations of the meaning of the events, but rather the actual events themselves. i know this is inevitable considering the way the storyline was presented (through music videos that weren't in chronological order, mobile games (?), the notes, social media easter eggs, performances, etc.) but it's kind of discouraging to think that there will almost always be stuff you miss, you know? all the appreciation i have for hyyh comes from the few things i've been able to understand but i sometimes wonder if my analysis is completely off simply because i don't understand the storyline itself.

it seems like there's a lot of resources out there helping people understand references and metaphors but the problem is that i never actually know where their source is from (as in, for example they make a connection to another even that i didn't even know had happened).

what i'm trying to say is that i would love for you to maybe talk about your experience understand and analyzing hyyh and how you consumed it in the first place. did you just watch the music videos and hope for the best? do you think reading the works that were referenced in the story (demian, the ones who walk away from omelas, etc.) would help ones understanding of the events or is it of more help in terms of themes? did you use secondary sources? if so, do you have any recommendations for people that want to understand the storyline but are starting essentially from zero?

im so sorry this ask is so long lol. of course you don't have to answer it, i'm just really really interested in this and what you have to say, and i trust your judgement so.

hiiii omg of course! i think video essays and stuff are really great for understanding how the mvs depict the storyline and to get a good idea of the main themes and symbols, but when it comes to understanding the timeline your best bet is the notes! i got into the hyyh game veryyyyy late but i had read the webtoon when it was coming out, i watched the video analyses etc etc but it really wasnt until i read the notes that i felt like i really understood the key dates and the characters too. i think reading the books that inspired hyyh are totally secondary and not really necessary, especially that the direct references as so sparse in the grand scheme of whats concrete canon vs what is symbolism. watching the mvs first and watching a few analysis videos/posts first really helped me get interested but if you're looking to get invested in the characters, understand their motivations, and be able to link dates to the mvs i rly recommend the notes!

however, like you said, hyyh is incredible and annoyingly confusing and convoluted :') even the notes can be difficult to read bcs 1) they're translations so some details are lost or skewed and 2) there are a lot of double notes + notes that are from different timelines without any distinction of what happens when and where and 3) theyre just for the most part poorly written. like its just straight up poor sloppy writing lmao. and there's just soooo much BU content but the problem is none of it is really that consistent and its hard to gauge whats canon vs whats another attempt vs whats a hyyh/ARG nostalgia cash grab. and so its very difficult to remember absolutely everything. so honestly my advice is to keep it simple! no need to remember dates or anything, just key events is fine. the notes for the most part cover everything and there have been lots of fan translations in addition to the official book so theres always backup for more nuance!

tldr: i would highly highly highly recommend reading the notes for anyone interested in getting into hyyh, i think theyre rly the best bet for balance between canon and clarity. definitely feeds the other sources rly well and fills in a lot of the blanks!

#theres a ton of notes pdfs and translations online !! #and pls!!! i dont mind long asks at all esp hyyh asks!!! i love to answer them!!! #💌 #yoongi3 #hyyhposting