#tfw unable to show vulnerability

[anoelleart]

the Protolith Excerpt - the Duel

Tfw you learn your mystery client is the most dangerous swordsman in the Empire...

Commander Noble entered the stadium. Unlike the other contenders, his suit had no crest; it was a plain, blazing white like untouched snow. Already, he had adorned his helmet. He kept one gloved hand on the hilt of his sword and the other by his side.  His opponent, Cromwell, made the first move. Noble parried and struck. Despite herself, Charlotte was on the edge of her seat. It was like watching someone trying to waltz with a dog.  Not only were each of Nobles’ moves carefully calculated, the way his body moved from one stance to the next was melodic. Unable to land a hit on him, Cromwell became frustrated. His attacks, though sloppy, contained much strength. In one deafening blow, the crested man held his sword above his head and swung it toward Noble’s face.  The crowd grew quiet. He stumbled back. There was a massive dent in his helmet. Charlotte could not hear the commotion occurring at the ground level. One of the announcers walked toward the field, but Commander Noble waved him away. Instead, he pulled his helmet off and tossed it to the side. “Fuck,” Charlotte breathed. Even this far away, Charlotte could faintly make out his features, wavy, black hair and dark eyes. Surely, she thought, she must be mistaken. “What?” Edith whispered, impatiently. “Edith, that’s him.” Charlotte’s eyes widened. Despite the distance, she was more sure by the second that this was the perplexing stranger who'd hired her for the last several weeks. “What are you talking about?” Charlotte markedly looked between her friend and the men dueling below until Edith made the connection. Below them, Byron shook his head – a move Charlotte found intriguingly primal – ran his fingers through his salt and pepper hair, and wiped the blood from his nose. His opponent tossed away his helmet as well. He was smiling viciously.  “Want to give them a show?” Cromwell shouted to Byron.  “Oh!" Edith exclaimed, approaching the same realization. “I’d be surprised too if I didn’t know Commander Cromwell,” Marc replied. “No, it’s –” “You can’t just tell him,” Charlotte interrupted with a whisper. “Oh, my hearing hasn't gone yet,” said Marc. Both turned to look at him. His eyes sparkled with amusement. “I’m honestly disappointed I didn’t figure this one out sooner.” He shook his head, laughing under his breath. “That sneaky bastard.” “This is who Byron’s been talking about?” Rose asked. But the duel began again before Marc could answer. Each man was reequipped with glimmering steel swords. Charlotte’s heart raced. The dance began again, only this time, Byron struck first. Charlotte had never seen him like this, his eyes sharply focused, his body taunt and fluid. The repartee was interrupted when Byron swung the pommel of his sword into his opponent’s side. Cromwell stumbled backward, holding his sword to the side, easily blocking the next blow. But as Cromwell swung to hit him, Byron feinted to the left and just as quickly tripped his opponent with his sword. In a final move, Byron placed his foot on the other man’s chest and placed the tip of his sword at his throat.  The stadium erupted. Charlotte fell back into her seat.  “What a lively show!” said Rose. Flushed, Charlotte said, “I just don’t get the appeal.”

...but you pretend like you hated the it because you've been complaining about the duels all day and it would literally kill you to be vulnerable.

#writeblr #writing #excerpts #romance #fantasy #I've never seen Bridgerton #Please understand my Succession references tho #black girls in fantasy #writers of color #steamy romance #wip #protolith

[stxrmnight]

6.2, Or Step into the Void

With her memories of the World of Darkness, Nemi was ready to face any monstruosity that remained of people. What she did not expect was a castle, and art and faces that begged to be seen together in their proper but lost history. If only the wittiest of them spoke of their past over their hunger. Really, how did the voidsent sustain here?

Though caution is always best, Nemi was self assured tracing back steps would be easier. Anyone that didn't fight them before wouldn't pick one now.

But what surprise to see most faces back, not only that but not extending one step. How come they were so scared if their exertions didn't end them?

She didn't expect the answers to be with the phantom that almost hurt her friends, nor for her eyes to make her heart pound on her chest. She looked unlike anyone she'd ever seen... and carried distance and loneliness in everything she insisted. She spoke only in debts and trades, which made it difficult for Nemi to figure out how to truly ask her for what the party needed among, other things...

"Whatever he said, that isn't what a friend is. I'm relieved you're free of him, but I would like to not keep on this subject. Please don't judge me by whatever he thought"

tfw the girl you like turns you off bringing up your creep's obsession. If she really needed to talk about it Nemi could listen but, not now

A world where no one can die, but feel hungry forever? Sounded like some's fantasy turned into an agonizing nightmare, and Scarmiglione's last words sent a chill up Nemi's spine. It was a relief Zero could stop one of Azdaja's tormentors and look incredible at it.

THAT IS GENUINELY HOW SHE WOULD HAVE FELT AWKWARD AND STUPID FOR NOT NOTICING I'M CRYING

"She is gonna think I'm dumb now >_<"

Hmm, they look quite different from what was in ivalice and harbor people rather than power. Could you take a voidsent's power from it though?

Oh god Estinien sounds perturbed. And this flying knight's words... at least with the picking order gone it shouldn't be like that, right?

When Zero spoke of her domain, Nemi looked confused. Did Zero enact hierarchy with a colder gaze? But what they came to was ruins, and even recognizable faces that holstered vulnerability and fear that broke her heart.

A hero of this place... the imp's plea to cherish her death is so opposite to everything her Ascian foes holstered before. And to hear of Scatatch! She wondered if somewhere in the Thirteenth looked as pretty as her quarters in the source, or if that was more how it was.

I think Nemi froze and started having a panic attack as this poor guy recounted his story. She only stilled with a firm hand on her shoulder and the words of fleeing before worse could happen. She managed to breathe out "I'm glad you're safe," and turn to blush seeing it was Zero who grounded her. She just asked her why her breathing looked strange, and Nemi told her she just felt upset for the Mindblaster. Zero stared quizically at Nemi's back, thinking it strange to get worked up over things that don't affect you.

I almost can't believe I have no screncaps for Barbariccia??? You can bet Nemi was fighting for her life but feeling confidence in the high pace. She was an admirable fighter, and amusing to have put Zero out of breath. Hopefully it would be fine to take her to the Source, since the Warding Scales would not hold up any longer.

So Zero's entrapment and twisting was Fandaniel's doing? Nothing was beyond a former ward of Allag, but something about Zenos being unable to make a pact of his own made her chuckle. Truly a pathetic man that couldn't scratch his own ass.

Oh Y'sthola, she had already shaken when you showed her the crystal. Now she's going to be in shambles thinking Venat let her have this experience ;m;

"Heh, I could tour you to many vibrant sights if you'd like"

Poor Nemi trying not to laugh but also realizing how sad that is

WHAT WAS THIS ABOUT AGAIN LOL

#story #enw #/// #///x #ysthola #scarmiglione #zero #zeronemi #void story

[tasteslikemolecules]

Top 5 fanfic tropes you like reading and Top 5 fanfic tropes you like writing

Top 5 Tropes I like Reading:

5. Modern AUs

I'm not actually a big fan of fantasy, horror and the supernatural. I'm mostly into SPN for the characters and their dynamics. I mainly read realism and literary fiction in novels, so if someone manages to transport the characters into novel-length plotty or character-driven modern stories, I love it. I don't really like High school settings, but anything from college to coffee shop to stuff I know nothing about is fine. I didn't like AUs when I first got into SPN, but the longer I'm obsessed with the show, the more open I am to all kinds of settings and worlds.

4. Case Fics The trope lists said this is a trope and not just a genre, so I'll take it. I love a well-written case fic with great characterisation, especially if it's Sam-focused. I also really like love stories or stories that focus on interpersonal trouble with case fics as a secondary plot – perfect for Sam & Dean stories. It provides such a neat story arc and I'm always impressed with how much better fan fiction cases tend to be compared to actual cases on the show. Case Fics are how I like to get most of my Gen fix, too.

3. Slow Burn

If I'm in the mood for a straight forward love story, it's always Slow Burn. It's pretty much the only way I enjoy stories that aren't dark or overly sad (depending on the pairing I sometimes even like some fluff this way). I especially like Slow Burn with obvious mutual pining and lots of miscommunication. Maybe one person 'obviously' being unavailable for whatever reason.

2. Unrequited Love Suprisingly difficult to find. Especially in longer stories. A great subcategory is unrequited love combined with themes of asexuality and aromance. It doesn't have to be necessarily fully unrequited love, but just they want different things. Basically I enjoy the dynamic: Person A wants something from Person B that they can't give/don't want (but they really care for Person A). (Or maybe they don't. Also good!) 1. Love Triangles These are so hard to find. At least the ones I'm interested in. I have only ever read a handful of the type I like, and I always go insane when I do find one. I don't like stories where one person is the 'bad' one and there is a pairing that is obviously supposed to belong together. I like the dynamics of people wanting different things and being unable to negotiate between themselves. I like people being torn and indecicive, making wrong decisions. I like reading what jealousy does to people. I like when love isn't described as destiny between two people, but as a journey, and when relationships are hard. I've honestly thought way too much about why I love this trope so much, but I don't know. It's not just fan fiction. I eat it up in novels, tv shows, movies... The tragedy being, again, that it's mostly handled in a stupid way. If there's infidelity, I don't want excuses, I want to see the consequences. I want to see what acting or not acting on impulses does to people. I want people sad and not getting what they want.

Top 5 Tropes I like Writing:

5. Cas has no grace /Sam has powers It's pretty much the same trope, just switched.

4. Slow Burn Friends To Lovers & (apparent) Unrequited Love Write what you know. 3. Lucifer/Halluficer returns Obviously I like reading this too, but with writing it happens unvoluntarilyy. I just always end up slipping in Lucifer in some shape or form. I guess I just can't ignore a main character's lifetime of hell trauma very well. Sam's relationship to Lucifer is one of my favourite things in the show. That itself isn't tropy, but the 'Oh look, Sam is feeling bad, let's make him see the devil' kind of is.

2. Love Triangles So, I know these are really not 'en vogue', but I already talked about why I love them above in general. With SPN and TFW specifically I love them because they feel, um, quite canonic to me. They all love each other in some way, and if you crank that up a little, violà. And even if you don't: a platonic love triangle is still that ('I mean, who are you gonna turn to next time instead of me? Another angel?'). If you devote your life in such an insane way to just one person, there's not really room to have a full-fledged relationship with someone else in any normal way without letting go. 1. 'Someone (Dean) is gone' Not sure if it's a trope, but I always end up writing this. I think this came up when I started wanting to write Sastiel and felt there was no way for Sam and Cas to explore anything with Dean being there. Not because Dean would necessarily 'disapprove' but because they are both so focused on and centered around Dean. And I also just love the hole Dean leaves in Sam's life, and the way it makes him free and disorientated at once. Because when Dean is gone, he's almost taking more part of the story. For Sastiel stories that means you get them both emotionally confused and vulnerable and... yeah, just typing this makes my fingers itch. Dean being gone doesn't mean dead. This also works with MOC Dean, Michael Dean, Dean in purgatory, Dean being sick, etc.

Overall, I don't really like reading very tropey writing, although it can be fun. I mostly like character-driven, slow stories focusing on interpersonal drama that make me sad. I'm honestly a lot more picky when it comes to writing styles than tropes. I'll give any trope and any pairing (bar Sabriel) a chance, but I nope out pretty quickly when the writing style doesn't work for me.

#writing #fan fiction #sastiel #my asks #writing is hard #tropes #this was actually illuminating to me...

[archpagan]

Right, so, Hogwarts

I’m going on a pointless rant, but whatever. 

I’m rereading the HP books--again--and Supernatural is just something that I’m unable to stop thinking about. Naturally, I started sorting characters into houses. 

I think, for the most part, Team Free Will (the three, plus Gabriel because dammit he’s a part of it too) is considered to be comprised of one person from each house. I think this is the case, but My opinion seems to differ a bit from what I see a lot of, on this topic. Obviously, people can all have their different opinions--a point I’m proving right now just by making this post--but I’ve noticed that the prevailing sorting seems to be as follows:

Dean - Gryffindor

Sam - Ravenclaw

Castiel - Hufflepuff

Gabriel - Slytherin

Which, I think, makes sense in terms of their personalities. However, the sorting hat works based on values, not personality; of course there are those who seem to fit into the house in both ways (Ron) but there are also those who value what their house does but have a personality that may be more associated with a different house (Hermione for Ravenclaw, or Neville for Hufflepuff). 

If I may just toss in my two nerdy cents, this is how I’d sort TFW according to their values. 

Dean - Hufflepuff

With his personality and brashness, he does seem like the typical pick for Gryffindor. However, there are a couple points that make me believe he’d be in Hufflepuff instead. Firstly, he values hard work. He’s the down and dirty type, which we’ve always known, and which was even more pronounced with the introduction of the British Men of Letters. He respects those who have worked hard for what they have, or what they accomplish. 

What really cinches it for me is that, while he’s undeniably brave, the bottom line for him is consistently his brother. That is where his loyalty lies. In later seasons, he and Sam have both grown to see things on a truly massive scale, and have each become more or less resigned to their roll in saving the world. but in those first seasons, everything he did was for their father, or for his brother. 

Sam - Gryffindor

A nerd Sam may be, but you can’t convince me the man isn’t courageous as fuck. 

Sam is the one out of the brothers who I think is more oriented to do the right thing simply because it’s the right thing to do. Even when he was out of the hunting life, he was going into the justice system. Honestly, this kid. 

Where Dean’s bottom line is doing things for the good of the people he cares for, Sam has more than once demonstrated ridiculous levels of self-sacrifice for the good of the whole. Dean may have grown to share many of these sorts of opinions, but Sam’s always been ready to let himself go down if it would give the rest of the world a future. 

Sam is the Harry Potter of the SPN universe, is what I’m saying, I guess. 

Castiel - Ravenclaw

Loyalty is certainly something that Cas has in spades, but let’s not forget that he was just that loyal to Heaven before he met the Winchesters. Not that I’m any sort of expert in the Divergent book/film series, but I sort of look at what Heaven was as a kind of Erudite-like conglomeration of beings who valued their head more than their heart. Castiel’s loyalty to Heaven, I think, came from a place of misinformation and lack of perspective. Dean, having rather forcefully turned Cas’s understanding of things on its head, was able to convert and claim that loyalty. 

Since then, Cas has been trying so adorably hard to learn all he can about humanity. He looks at it like a puzzle, and tries to pick up slang words and eating habits to better understand. 

It should be said, also, that Ravenclaws value creativity. While one could argue that Cas is a bit lacking in that department, it is not a secret that he is awed by his Father’s creation, and even by the creativity of humans. 

Gabriel - Slytherin

Gabriel is one of those whose personality and values actually do line up for one house. I don’t feel like there’s a strong need to plead my case here, but I’ll make my point briefly for the sake of fairness. 

Gabriel is perhaps one of the most cunning, if not the most cunning characters we’ve been introduced to in the series. While he’s damn near all-powerful (when he’s fully charged) he’s also self-aware enough to know which battles he’d lose. He plans for that. He’s not new to the concept of running in the interest of self-preservation. 

I will also way that he understands the value of wearing a figurative mask. Very little of what he feels, even what he thinks, are presented plainly for anyone to see. He’s a master at wearing a mask to hide his vulnerability. Because showing weakness is dangerous and stupid, and because those few people around him to see said weakness have not earned his trust enough for him to count on them not to use it against him. 

*Takes a deep breath* Well, there you have it. I don’t know how many people will care, but it felt good to get it out there. Feel free to chime in with your own thoughts. 

#Supernatural #Dean Winchester #Sam Winchester #Castiel #Gabriel #Hogwarts #Hogwarts Houses #what am I doing with my time #ive literally been sorting characters in my head for days #long ass wall of text