#updated because the formatting was wonky before

[bprpg]

Hello! I hope everyone is having a lovely day today.

There's something we want to talk to everyone about regarding posts and replies.

It is very important that everyone read this post in full, so please do so! We'll be able to tell who has and who hasn't, and anyone we notice hasn't read it will receive a link to this post via tumblr and discord until we know it's been read. You've been warned!

As you probably know, Tumblr launched a new post editor a couple of years ago that hasn't been officially, fully implemented onto the site. Because of this, when making posts and doing replies, some of us are still able to toggle on and off between the legacy editor (the one we've been using for years now) and the new one. However, back in May, tumblr announced that they would start removing the legacy editor for some users, meaning that the eventual takeover of the new post editor is inevitable. Because of this - and a lot of reasons that we will go into further detail below - we think it's time to say goodbye to the legacy editor and only use the new post editor when posting starters and doing replies.

The thing is, as much as we love the legacy editor (RIP), you've probably noticed that sometimes using it to reply to posts that were created with the new post editor will make them a bit... wonky, to say the least. Your reply will appear twice, maybe the entire post will duplicate and then be impossible to delete (or simply require too much energy to fix). It complicates things for everyone. It's not anyone's fault! It's Tumblr's updates. It's also very hard to know when a post has been made using the legacy editor vs. the new post editor, so it's impossible to know whether a reply will work or not. To make things easier for everyone, I think it's important we all switch to the new post editor starting effective immediately.

Here's a couple of questions you might have.

Does XKit work with the new post editor?

The short answer is no. At least not the New XKit, the extension we've been using for ages now. If you've been roleplaying for a while, you probably remember there was an extension simply called XKit before New XKit came about, which was back when tumblr changed their post format the last time circa 2015. They got rid of blockquotes in reblogs! Remember? You couldn't edit your partner's reply even if you tried. And they did it again, except this time, it was a little harder to fix, so New XKit is no longer working with this new format. Reblogs using the new post editor look differently now. You can see an example of the difference below.

Does that mean I can't cut posts anymore?

Nope! You still can. The process is a little different, but if we're all using the new post editor, it shouldn't be very complicated.

You can use something called ✨ XKIT REWRITTEN ✨

It's another extension! (everyone say: thank you devs)

Because we are no longer allowing anyone to use the legacy editor, I would encourage everyone uninstall the New XKit extension you have and replace it with this one. It has basically the same features as the last one and is very user-friendly!

Download for Chrome

Download for Firefox

How does Trim Reblogs even work?

You can find a guide to using Trim Reblogs that explains it a million times better than I ever could right here. We'll have it linked in the resources channel on the discord as well, in case you need to check it out.

What about my current replies using the legacy editor?

Because we know you have active threads using the legacy editor, we'll allow you to play those out still using New XKit and editable reblogs, but any and all starters going forward have to be made using the new post editor. If your replies with your partner are duplicating or not working, you can either continue to write them that way, removing any duplicates if possible, or reach out to them and ask them what they want to do; try to figure something out that works for both of you.

So, TL;DR (but I DO hope everyone read this!):

Using the legacy editor will no longer be allowed in the roleplay. If you are currently using the legacy editor in replies, finish those but going forward, please post every starter and reply using the new post editor, install XKit Rewritten and toggle on Trim Reblogs to be able to cut your posts.

If you have any questions at all regarding this new rule (because we'll be adding it to the rules shortly with updated information and links to everything you'll need) please feel free to reach out to us!

To make sure everyone read this, I'm going to go very Tumblr 2012 and ask you to like this post and send me a discord message with a picture of your favorite animal. Thank you.

#bpoint:admin

[copadjacent]

re-posting this bc tumblr’s update made the format wonky

current rp wishlist

- i really really want patrick to interact with a psychiatrist / therapist muse. either in lieu of his canonical psychiatrist shortly after his family is murdered or sometime after he joins the cbi. patrick doesn’t take therapy well and i think it would be interesting to write him trying to get into the therapist’s head as much as they’re trying to get into his… without the hostility.

- pre-series conman patrick! let him “”contact”” a muse’s dead loved one and take their money! let him use his psychic powers to dictate bizarre parts of your muse’s life! let him be a smooth-talking piece of garbage! who also loves his wife and daughter very dearly and shows you pictures in his wallet of his beautiful pride and joy. - amnesiac patrick who is kind of like conman patrick except he doesn’t know he was married and is extremely flirtatious because of it. life of the party patrick jane who will hold a séance for you, woo you into a seedy hotel, and then be gone in the morning with more money and valuables than you remember giving him. - i realize the people who are familiar with this series are few and far between, but a w man, curseworkers au patrick. he’s a memory worker, but instead of getting blowback that makes it hard to remember things, he gets blowback that makes it impossible for him to forget anything. sometimes that’s worse. - old west au patrick who works still as a professional psychic and sometimes something of a snake oil salesman. cashing in hard on the sudden interest in the occult and spiritualism during the 19th century. alternatively, old west au patrick who works like harry houdini, going around trying to debunk psychics and so on. - someone??? reminding patrick painfully a lot of angela and/or charlotte. - PATRICK WITH KIDS. LET HIM ADOPT YOUR CHILD IDC WHO THEY ARE. - i’m not sure how this would work but percy jackson au patrick who thinks he’s a child of hermes but plot twist his godly parent is actually aphrodite because he has charmspeak. - any excuse for a scary “do not get in my way” patrick jane who will break someone psychologically or otherwise if one of his friends gets hurt. - red john defeat canon divergence where someone has to try to talk patrick out of killing himself (because i really don’t think patrick intended on making it out alive when taking down red john; his relationship that had blossomed with teresa during canon at the time is one of the few things that saved him). - idk i kinda just want someone to get high with patrick. - patrick being prison cellmates with another muse. - anything with a young patrick jane who still works at the carnival as the “psychic boy wonder”. maybe your muse is also working at the carnival, maybe they’re a visitor, or maybe they’re a desperate soul that patrick and his dad are going to con. - college professor au. which i’ve talked about before here. but i wanna also say that in this verse, i’ve decided he’s probably some sort of criminology professor who specializes in mentalism. perhaps he also does a small literary class for the fun of it here and there, but it isn’t his focus. ANYWAY. he’s also lowkey trying to hunt down rj still in this verse, and occasionally does help the local police / cbi / whoever when possible. - i’d also really love to do more with jane during his period in the psych ward or immediately after, before he joins the cbi. i would say that it could be interesting to explore his time after his family’s murder but before his big breakdown, but... i feel like he’d just be kind of dead and not very interesting to write against. - on the flip side... i’d love to write him post-rj when he’s escaped to south america, living on the beach, trying to find his footing again. patrick working through all of his complex emotions, trying to find purpose again, and healing would be very nice. let him find his happiness again. or... at least let him find a reason to be a person again.

#suicide mention for ts #stories yet told [wishlist];

[i-am-not-a-who-i-am-a-what]

hi everyone, i've made a very long masterlist of tma fic recs, specifically tma au fics!

✨link will be in the first reblog after this bc the last time i checked posts with links in them didn't show up properly in tags✨

i've been working on this list since about summer of 2020. my initial plan was to finally post it yesterday, but some technical difficulties happened and now i’m posting it on the first day of 2022. this has basically been the pet project that helped me through all the season five breaks and the pandemic in general, and at two-hundred recs by over a hundred authors it's finally in a state where i feel i can share it.

i started making this list because when i first joined this fandom, about a month before season five started airing, i had no idea where to begin looking for fics i might like. finding rec lists on here helped me a lot and introduced me to some of my favorite works and authors, both in the fandom and in terms of fic in general, and i wanted to repay the favor and help other fans discovering tma after it's ended.

what's the criteria for what fics that go on the list? that it's a tma au fic and that i liked it a lot. that's literally it, i just really want to share and promote some of my favorite works. not all of the works i've liked or read (then there would be a whole lot more than the two-hundred there are currently) but the ones that have made me go "holy shit i enjoyed that so much i need to tell everyone about it" as i read.

my initial plan was to add a link to the google doc i’ve been keeping the list on so i could continually update it, but the aforementioned technical difficulties were me realizing i couldn’t do that without, y’know, accidentally sharing my personal email, and that would be pretty bad. so instead for now i’ll be linking a pdf version (i know the formatting will be a bit wonky but please bear with me) and when i find a better way to post the actual doc i’ll do so.

i hope everyone who comes across this list enjoys it, and remember to leave plenty of comments, kudos, and bookmarks for all the works they find through it. happy new year and happy reading~!

#tma #the magnus archives #magpod #fic bin #second time posting this let's go!!!

[jadechamber]

I finally completed the inazuma quest-line and hmm...mixed feelings. On one hand, I am going insane from all the new crazy information. On the other, the last act felt...rushed? As in, way too much stuff in way too many quests. Apparently a lot of players agree, and were miffed by the handling of the raiden shogun's character development.

And tbh I feel like this is because the devs backed themselves into several walls while making this game. I would not say it's their faults though, it was things that probably really just happened on accident and because of the wants of the playerbase. Like genshin is a very ambitious and almost experimental project, of course there's going to be ups and downs. I also don't think you can apply the same criticisms of a book or movie to a video game. Video games are a VERY unique storytelling format, and you also can't critique a movie the exact same way you'd do a book. However, I think the main problem is that upon the release of genshin, they promised[?] a new update every 6 weeks or something along those lines, and as a result the finishing product is...sometimes rushed and the workers are overworked. I remember a lot of people were complaining about lack of new content from 1.2-1.4, and now because of that we get...this. They definitely should have let the inazuma plot-line bake longer, and they really need to forego the "three act" system lest other regions turn victim of the same issue.

One of the other walls mihoyo got backed into was when they decided that every nation would be so heavily inspired by a real-life nation. I think inspiration from real cultures is fine, but it needs to be in moderation imo and handled VERY delicately and with knowledge about xenophobia, orientalism, etc. Regarding the raiden shogun, they probably did not make her a full on redemptionless tyrant because she is basically the ruler of fictional japan. If they hadn't woobified raiden, that would have sent A Message and the japanese playerbase would not have liked it. And even I have to agree that it would have been unfair (just from a character design standpoint in the context of the regions) if zhongli and venti were shown in a a positive light and had a lot of depth to their characters while ei didn't get the same treatment (in fact before she was released it was something I was afraid they would do).

But now since the archons are basically the fictional rulers of real life countries, mihoyo is practically forced to paint all of them in a sympathetic light even if they seem bad at first, and then blame everything on The Big Bad Russian Organization Fatui. Like, we already know the only true villains will be Celestia, we already know the "unknown goddess" who took the traveller's sibling isn't any of the Seven Archons.

Now frankly all of these plot devices aren't actually even bad, but it's wonky because each nation's questline is so independent of the "find your sibling and recover your memories" point of your journey. With Mondstadt you have to defeat Dvalin, with Liyue you have to investigate the death of Rex Lapis, and in Inazuma you have to stop the Vision Hunt Decree. Each nation is really unique with different problems, different lore, and a different archon, yet at the same time they all go back to the fatui, the stealing of a gnosis, and your sibling. And at the end of the day, the archons aren't really THAT different from each other. They're all immortal humans traumatized by Celestia trying to protect their nation. Each nation's main questline is really unique and independent, but at the same time they kinda aren't and they all have to be tied to a greater plotline and that imo is what is stifling creativity/element of surprise.

#raiden shogun #original resin.txt #genshin impact #inazuma

[kaiowut99]

Phew, finally finished re-finalizing my finalized GX stuff so far!

Over the last few weeks well I guess months--initially while I waited for some potential editing help for 65, then [once I canned the last fix I’d planned; sorry to those I may have slightly annoyed with my casual reblogs about it] just to get it all done while in Rome before double-releasing 65 and 66--I’ve been giving my scripts one final look-through to fix any consistency or formatting issues with my newer stuff (things like my starting to use “Fusion Undone” as De-Fusion’s translated name before accidentally going back to “Fusion Cancel” or turning “Miss Asuka” back to “Asuka-san” since I’d meant to use that whenever “Asuka-sama” was used, or the way I’d italicize contractions or capitalize things), and also to sort of go and do things I should’ve done initially (like translating Daitokuji’s nyas into meows, the logic being that it’s what we’d hear in English anyway; hopefully this is one that goes over well?).  Basically just to cross them off my list so I don’t go back to them at all.  The plan is also to work on new finalized MKV softsubs that I’ll release on NAC for those who’d like ‘em, since Zeratul (who’d provided them before) hasn’t in a long while, and once I do them for 1-66, they’ll be a thing going forward.

While I was at it, I applied some other animation/footage fixes to things I hadn’t picked up on in my initial finalizing run-through as I started doing them, or polished a couple that I did.  Some might wonder “why put in the effort for quick shots or at all no one cares,” but as I’ve mentioned before, as someone who loves GX with some [I think good?] skills using Photoshop/video editing and an eye for detail, I figured if I have time to improve it for people (especially those who might notice the same errors I did) where the staff didn’t take the chance to do so on the DVDs (where they usually would), then why not? (I was actually inspired to do it by KaiserNeko doing the same for DBZ during DBZ Abridged.) The fixes I work on are done for both my hardsubs and the DVDRips I release with the scripts over on NAC, and there’s a thread there with the original DVDRips I work off of as well, in case anyone doesn’t like them (most/all of my finalized Season 1 scripts were re-timed for them by someone there, but I’ll take some time out to do it myself too now that I’ve re-finalized them), along with the CR subs which I’ve said should be shown love too.  I’ll list these new fixes out below by each episode, for anyone super curious about the details; some are kind of interesting, lol. (Did my best to format it so it’s readable, too, lol.)

So, yeah--keep an eye out for the links to actually-final 1-64 on my stream masterpost to be updated along with 65 and 66 once I post them (probably tomorrow), I’ll be updating the links in my NAC thread to the hardsubs and scripts I’ve re-finalized along with any DVDRips updated with the fixes below, and as I get work going on 67+ (which I’ve started a bit of) I’ll work on batches of the softsub MKVs for folks.  For people looking forward to my 65 and 66, really appreciate the patience the past couple of months; hoping to work on some double-releases to make up some time.

Extra-Final Fixes!

Episode 4 (Since I didn’t include a list of the previous fixes I’d worked on in the original release post, I’ll include those here in italics; the new ones here were mainly noticed as I worked on 66 given the flashback to Judai and Manjoume’s duel here--the edits were applied there first, then I went back and applied them here. The fixes I’d already done were applied to the flashback in 66 as needed.)

As Judai takes damage from Clayman’s destruction by VW-Tiger Catapult, Judai’s LP start counting down from 3808 and not 4000; I fixed it in Sony Vegas by masking in a LP counter starting from 4000 for a few frames.

As Judai prods Manjoume into choosing a card from his hand for A Hero Appears’s effect, Manjoume’s part of a split-screen has part of his blazer semi-faded for a frame; I corrected it by just duplicating a later frame.

As Judai’s LP take a hit from V-to-Z destroying Burstlady, there are four frames where the upper part of his Disk is missing the bottom part that extends out--but it shows up in the next frame, which also causes Judai’s Disk wrist grip to vanish for the rest of the shot before Shou’s split-screen comes on, as the parts of his arm for it are colored like his jacket sleeve.  To fix the first issue, I used Photoshop to draw on that bottom part in that first frame, then masked it into the shot in Sony Vegas for the other three frames.  The second issue I fixed by recoloring his sleeve to account for the wrist grip, then masking the edit into the shot while masking the little destroyed Solid Vision bits above the edit.

Had a few things going on here.  First, after Manjoume mocks Judai being wide open just after the above, we have one of many recycled shots through the episode where Judai insists that he’s still got fight in him--the initial frame has Judai in the same position as edit #3 ends with his wrist grip missing, but it reappears as he moves to stand firm while the shading on the lefthand side of his Disk’s Cemetery slot is wonky for a couple of frames.  Second, as Judai moves back into his initial position, that shading is normal but the wrist grip again disappears into his sleeve, and this time that bottom bit of his Disk’s upper part is colored as part of Judai’s sleeve, making his arm shorter.  Third, as Judai moves to draw, the wrist grip reappears and that bottom part is now colored properly, but Judai’s arm isn’t extended like it was at the start of the shot. Finally, as Judai draws, the wrist grip is there but that whole part of his wrist is colored like it (no red noting the end of his jacket sleeve).  I fixed the first issue by copying the wrist grip edit from #3 and copying the moving Cemetery slot shading from the second part here.  The second issue was fixed once I again copied the wrist grip edit from #3, along with using the initial frame to mask in the correct Disk/forearm coloring.  Then, I fixed the third issue by copying the rest of the area below the Disk’s bottom bit from the later shot in edit #7 below where it was colored correctly.  I fixed the last issue by recoloring the first wrist grip curve into red for the end of Judai’s jacket sleeve for five frames.

As Manjoume’s V-to-Z aims directly at Judai, as he discards two to activate Evolutionary/Transcendant Wings, the Winged Kuriboh on his Disk is in Attack Mode when it’s in Defense on the field; I blanked its Monster Zone in Photoshop and then added a Winged Kuriboh proxy in AfterEffects correctly in Defense Mode.

As Judai swings his arm around telling Winged Kuriboh LV10 to “send all that energy right back” at Manjoume, the spot on his Disk where Winged Kuriboh LV10 appears for a few frames is colored like the Monster Zone it’s on; I just applied a Winged Kuriboh LV10 proxy above it for those frames.

Again, a few things here as we recycle the Judai shot in edit #4 (but he’s smiling so it’s different~). First, after Manjoume mocks Judai’s idea of him drawing a 1000-ATK-or-higher Monster to finish him, the initial frame of this shot is pulled from just before Judai moves to draw in edit #4 because the wrist grip is missing along with the bottom bit of his Disk being colored like his jacket.  Then, as Judai moves to draw and grabs a card from his deck, as his Disk arm swings upward for a few frames, the wrist grip area is first 90% colored like his sleeve, with half of the first curve of it on his sleeve colored like the grip, before it’s fully colored like his sleeve for the other frames.  Finally, as Judai fully draws and his Disk swings back to the bottom of the shot (recycling Judai’s position post-draw in edit #4), the wrist grip is gone, but also Judai’s undershirt is miscolored, part of the folds on Judai’s jacket sleeve near his elbow are colored like his Disk, and his Disk is miscolored or missing a few details compared to the earlier shot (like the bottom side of the blue LP orb being colored blue as well and not the Disk’s gray as before).  I fixed the first issue by copying the fixed initial frame from edit #4, masking it in Vegas to just use the Disk/wrist grip area.  The second issue was fixed as I recolored the wrist grip area such that the first curve was fully red and the rest was wrist-grip-colored for the three frames of Judai’s Disk arm going upward.  I fixed the third issue by just masking in Judai’s Disk and arm (up to the edge of his wrist) from the earlier correctly-colored shot, while also masking in his correctly-colored undershirt.

As Judai summons Featherman--to Shou and Chronos’s surprise--and has him lunge at Manjoume for the finisher, the black faraway box that is Featherman on his Disk disappears as Shou and Chronos slide in on a split-screen, and it’s still gone as they slide back out.  I fixed this in Vegas by just masking that black box on to stay longer, masking in Shou’s split-screen over it before and after it slides in.

Episode 8 (Original release post; as with episode 4′s, these new errors were mainly noticed as I worked on 66 given the flashback to Judai and Ryou’s duel here--the edits were applied there first, then I went back and applied them here.  The fixes I made before were applied to the flashback in 66, as well.)

After Judai thinks about how well Ryou played his first move, he draws Fusion for his turn, but as he draws it, it’s a dark-orange rectangle in his hand; I added a Fusion proxy over it in AfterEffects for the quick 2-3 frames it’s in.

After Judai’s first hit on him, Ryou draws and Special-Summons another Cyber Dragon, but visually he’s playing a Monster in face-down Defense Mode on his second Monster Zone--we see this Cyber Dragon in Zone 3 a few shots later as he uses Revival of the Dead to bring back his first Cyber Dragon.  The dub fixed this by making his Disk arm move such that Ryou’s hand lands on Zone 3, with the card in his hand a dubified Cyber Dragon, and I opted to work that into the footage here by masking their moving Disk over the original shot in Vegas, redoing the sky background behind it and masking in parts of Ryou and his hand to make it blend well while also adding some detail to the Disk in Photoshop to compensate for the slightly lower quality.  Then, I replaced the dubified card with a Japanese Cyber Dragon proxy in AE.  I worked on this in 66 first (as highlighted here), but I unfortunately couldn’t just copy that edit completely here, since the footage in 66 has a bit more brightness/contrast to it that I couldn’t dial down accurately to make it blend in to the darker footage here; this is definitely the kind of error that would normally be fixed on the Japanese DVDs, so why it wasn’t is a mystery.

As the screen zooms in on Judai after Ryou declares Cyber Twin’s attack, he’s missing Thunder Giant on his Disk’s third Monster Zone; I added a proxy onto it in AE and masked the red bulb on his Disk over it in Vegas.  It’s tiny and a quick shot, but for consistency’s sake and all. (I’d previously only added that missing Thunder Giant as it zooms out while he activates A Hero Appears).

As Judai thinks about how Evolutionary Wings would evolve his Winged Kuriboh and the screen fades and zooms out to Bubbleman on his field, he’s missing Bubbleman on his Disk in his third Monster Zone.  I added it in AE, then keyframed this zoom-out for it accordingly in Vegas.

Right after #4 above, as Judai notes that he can’t Normal-Summon again this turn, we see Mudballman--which he hasn’t summoned yet--in Defense Mode on his Disk.  When I first fixed this, I put Bubbleman in its place, but accidentally in Defense Mode (given that he’s in Attack Mode right now), so I fixed my own correction by blanking the third Monster Zone Mudballman was on and slapping Bubbleman on in Attack Mode in AE, moving it along with Judai’s Disk. (Still not sure why the dub decided Mudballman = VW Catapult or something apparently lol)

Episode 10 (Original release post listing the original two fixes that were done)

After Mei draws out his Sanga thanks to Kyuu’s Dark Designator card, during the panning shot as Mei adds it to his hand (before they tell Judai and Shou they’ll enlighten them about Tag Dueling), the Defense-Mode Burstlady on Judai’s Disk is shown reversed; I just applied a proxy in AfterEffects on top of it so it was correctly shown with the name box facing left.

After summoning Steam Gyroid, as Shou notes that summoning Hyuga left Kyuu without a defending Monster, the above shot is recycled--this time, reversed so it pans from Shou to Judai, but also has Judai react to what Shou’s saying--and so is the error with Burstlady on his Disk.  Again, just applied a proxy in AE to fix it, moving it as Judai moves his Disk.

As Shou looks down in disappointment after his Steam Gyroid’s attack ran into Hyuga’s effect, Judai turns to give him some words of encouragement, but as his Disk moves with him, we see the Defense-Mode Burstlady on his Disk again facing the wrong way.  Just slapped a proxy on in AE and moved it as Burstlady’s Zone came into view.

After Gate Guardian destroys Shou’s Steam Gyroid, as Chronos watches on and notes Shou’s timidity vs Judai’s stubbornness while the two look on at the Meikyuu Brothers, we see the Defense-Mode Burstlady on Judai’s Disk facing the wrong way again.  Fixed it by placing the proxy again in AE, then zooming it out accordingly as the shot zooms out.

After Mei sets a card and Judai prepares to draw for his turn, there’s a yellow rectangle where his Defense-Mode Burstlady should be.  Applied a proxy in AE over it to fix the issue.

Episode 11  (Original release post listing the original fixes that were done)

As Kyuu draws once Judai sets a card to end his turn using Spark Gun on Gate Guardian, the spot on his Disk where Defense Wall in Defense Mode would be has an Attack-Mode-shaped hole where you can see the blue of the stands behind him! I fixed it by making a Defense Wall proxy that I slapped on in Defense Mode in AfterEffects, moving it with his Disk.  For the tail end of the shot where the Zone is fully visible, I also filled in the hole with the Zone color in Photoshop and then applied the proxy.

As Shou declares Gate Guardian the target of his Shield Crush, the card back for the one card in his hand is miscolored.  I fixed it by redrawing the usual card back in Photoshop for the frames it’s in, Gaussian Blurring it so it blends in, before he turns and they’re out of the shot.

After Mei ends his turn having attacked Drillroid with Dark Guardian amused at Shou’s standing back up thanks to Judai, as Judai draws for his turn, his face-down card is miscolored. I recolored it in Photoshop for the few frames it’s in, working it into the footage in Vegas.

After Judai draws from Pot of Greed after the above, he goes on to activate Fusion Gate, but Sparkman on his Disk is reversed; I applied a proxy in AE facing upright, then keyframed it to the zoom-out here in Vegas.

As Judai realizes he’ll need to give up Skyscraper so Tempester can survive Dark Guardian’s attack, the Tempester card on his Disk is reversed; I applied a proxy in AE facing upright, then keyframed it to the zoom-out here in Vegas.

As Judai and Shou reel from the above attack once Kyuu ends his turn, Shou has a Normal Monster card where Drillroid would be on his Disk.  I fixed it by slapping on a proxy in AE for the couple of frames it’s visible in before Shou moves his Disk so it’s not onscreen.

I polished my edit to Misawa to keep his sideburns still in episode 12 and added it to the equivalent shot in the preview here.

Episode 12 (Original release post listing the original fixes that were done)

As noted in 11′s #7, I polished my original fix to Misawa’s moving sideburns as a buffed-up Hell Soldier took out his Hydroggedon so it blended in more with the smoke and everything going on in the shot; looks better now.

As Manjoume declares Hell Burner’s attack on Misawa, there are two quick frames where it’s a yellow rectangle on his Disk; I applied a Hell Burner proxy in AE accordingly.

Episode 18 (Original release post listing the original fixes that were done)

After Kagurazaka brings back Berfomet to take the hit from Thunder Giant and he starts his turn, as he activates Reincarnation of the Dead, there’s a quick frame where it shrinks in his hand as the shot zooms out--I fixed this by just duplicating the frame just before where it’s normal.

After Kagurazaka summons the Gazelle he added to his hand above, he then activates Swords of Sealing Light, but there’s a quick frame where it’s just a yellow shape in his hand.  Easy fix by slapping a proxy in AE.

Episode 30 (Original release post listing the original fixes that were done)

As Shou and Hayato realize they’re no longer being boiled alive, Hayato audibly asks, “Huh? Where are we?”, but his lips only move for the “Huh?” part of that as he lifts his head.  To fix this, I used the couple of flaps as he lifts his head and tweaked/resized them so they would work after his head’s lifted, adjusted to fit his line.

Episode 31 (Original release post listing the original fixes that were done)

As Chronos sets a card down after Camula brings out another Immortal Werewolf, Antique Gear Soldier on his Disk is shown as a Normal Monster Card; I originally fixed this by slapping on a proxy in AfterEffects while the shot was still, then keyframe-zooming it out in Vegas, but at the time, I didn’t account for Chronos’s swinging arm, so the card was superimposed over his hand for a frame or two as it swung over that Zone.  I’ve masked his hand over my edit now, so that’s fixed.

Episode 38 (Original release post listing the original fixes that were done)

After Judai summons Wildman in Defense Mode to start the duel and the lights suddenly go out (prompting the “duel of darkness/duel in the seas” mixup...), we see Wildman’s in Attack Mode on the field despite its Defense posture.  I fixed it by applying a proxy there, then masking Wildman’s lower body and the shadow coming from his sheathed sword on top of it.

Episode 46 (Original release post listing the original fixes that were done)

As Judai reminisces about the past year, he flashes back to his duel with Ryou in episode 8 and his Featherman being vaporized by Cyber Dragon; I added back the fix I did to Judai’s Disk in removing his destroyed Featherman for the few frames it’s onscreen.  Because the flashback fades to white right then too, I also added a quick mostly-transparent layer of white over the blanked zone to replicate the start of the fade to white so it blended in.

As Judai then looks over at Shou and Hayato and he remembers his first encounters with them (a bit reanimated, too), there’s a quick frame where Hayato’s gritted-teeth mouth disappears before it closes into a line for his mouth.  Fixed by just reusing a frame of his mouth in the same position and moved it into place in the panning shot.

Episode 51 (Original release post listing the original fixes that were done)

As Ryou notes that Judai’s studied up on him by choosing to go second, Judai slides in on a split-screen, but the top of his hair’s miscolored.  Fixed by recoloring it in Photoshop, then working it into the footage in Vegas by moving it into place as he slides in.

As Ryou uses Time Capsule to hide away his Fusion Undone/De-Fusion for later and Judai thinks back to his move in episode 8 leading to his activating Power Bond, I added back my fix to Ryou’s Disk to add on his missing two Cyber Dragons and the one Cyber Dragon in his hand, grayscaling it and adding visual noise to it to blend with the flashback.

Episode 54 (Original release post listing the original fixes that were done)

After Chronos pins his hopes on Manjoume, as Gokaido draws for his turn, we see an error where his Disk apparently partially vanishes for two movement frames--it seems the animation staff forgot to put the background layer behind his Disk there or something, lol.  I fixed this by actually filling in the rest of his Disk in Photoshop for those two frames, first by filling in the Disk itself and then painting on the rest of the Monster Zone at the edge of the frame, and then just added them to the video in Vegas.

Episode 59 (Original release post listing the original fixes that were done)

After Shining Flare Wingman returns while Ed explains Misfortune’s effect, of the D-Heroes on his Duel Disk, we see Diamondguy and Diehardguy reversed.  I originally slapped on proxies for them positioned correctly in AfterEffects on the frame after the slow zoom-out stops, then in Vegas I used that frame to re-do the initial zoom-out, but while I usually add a slight blur to the proxies, I noticed that they were a bit too blurry as the zoom-out started.  So I redid it and lightened the blur, while also touching up the bit as Misfortune’s light envelops Ed and his Disk so the light over them blends in more.

Episode 62 (Original release post, though I didn’t do any fixes before)

As Judai uses Dandylion’s effect to summon his two Fluff Tokens, Cocoon Dolphina--visually in Defense Mode on the field--is in Attack Mode on Judai’s Disk in the panning shot to them.  I fixed it by first blanking the Zone in Photoshop, then placing a proxy in the Zone for one frame in AfterEffects before I re-panned that frame for the shot.

#subbing rambling #good to have gotten all that done #thought it'd be good to get that re-finalizing out of the way now #but yeah #main reason why i'd been away for most of the past few weeks #[along with work being a bit stressful as i caught up on stuff] #[you go on vacation for *one* week...] #anyway thanks for bearing with me lol

[pixelgrotto]

Saltmarsh stories

One more Dungeons & Dragons campaign comes to completion! For over a year and a half, I’ve been running Ghosts of Saltmarsh for my girlfriend and her best friend, and the pair of them finally finished last Saturday after 23 sessions and nearly 100 hours of playtime. We started playing in person December 2019 and had to move online in March due to COVID, and eventually my gf’s best friend moved out of town and then out of the country. But in spite of global transitions and pandemics, we still surmounted the odds and finished without missing a single month.

Since Ghosts of Saltmarsh was my gf’s introduction to D&D (minus a few games she played as a child), it took up quite a bit of space in my crusty Dungeon Master mental cave of planning. Luckily, I found it to be a very enjoyable campaign to run, mostly because as an anthology of classic adventures, it lacks the overly convoluted storyline that plagues a lot of other D&D fifth edition campaigns I’ve either played through or DMed, like Tomb of Annihilation, Out of the Abyss and Waterdeep: Dragon Heist. 

Ghosts of Saltmarsh contains eight adventures united by their seaside themes. Three of them are updated versions of the classic U1-U3 Saltmarsh modules, which were among the first British D&D products produced from 1981 to ‘83. These three tales revolve around the players befriending local villagers and helping a lizardfolk tribe fight off invading sauhaugin, and they’re good, mostly as an example of early D&D material that required players to treat so-called “monstrous races” with diplomacy rather than violence. The other adventures are from old issues of Dungeon magazine, and run the gamut from a decent lighthouse dungeon crawl (Isle of the Abbey, from Dungeon #34) to a nifty survival horror-style ship romp (Salvage Operation, from Dungeon #123). Additionally, Ghosts of Saltmarsh contains rules for ship battles, which are good enough considering that D&D isn’t a naval combat simulator, and the book also devotes its first chapter to describing a great new version of the town of Saltmarsh to serve as a central hub. 

I think Ghosts of Saltmarsh’s anthology format is my preferred style of D&D hardcover book at this point. Just give me a main town that I can detail and populate with my own NPCs, a bunch of adventures taking place around the vicinity that I can hack as necessary for my players, and I’m good. This format is also reflective of D&D’s early roots, where campaigns weren’t 250-page books with save-the-world plots, but short modules focused on building clout in a certain region and establishing a base. I think it’s also a very newbie-friendly format, since beginning players can really become invested in one central location and the people residing in it.

Since I was only running this game for two people, I had plenty of time to help the girls grow attached to Saltmarsh and its denizens. These consisted of several faces from my other games, including the very first D&D character I played as - a ranger who settled down in Saltmarsh as the head of the city guard and served as mentor for the next generation of adventurers. Other NPCs evolved depending on what I thought might make my gf and her friend laugh. For instance, Oceanus the sea elf, a Saltmarsh mascot since the '80s, started out as a surfer bro but eventually morphed into a douchebag/dingbat a la Schmidt from New Girl, which I started watching with my gf sometime over the course of 2020. And Captain Xendros, the tiefling owner of the local magic item store, was only supposed to be a minor shopkeeper until her sassy banter stole everyone’s heart, winning her a place as a major character by the end of the game.

I also gave the girls their very own house to decorate and return to in between missions, which was another fun ode to the older D&D roots that Ghosts of Saltmarsh embraces, but also a chance to insert Animal Crossing-style interior decoration into our campaign. My girlfriend clocked a staggering 300+ hours into Animal Crossing: New Horizons at the start of the pandemic, and seeing her and her friend derive great pleasure from using Roll20′s wonky drawing tools to sketch out every room of the house (and create a shrine in the bathroom with random bits of gold on the floor, no less) was stellar. 

Aside from a house, the gals also received two animal companions - a pseudodragon and a shadow mastiff. The pseudodragon appears as a familiar that can be found after Ghosts of Saltmarsh’s first adventure, The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh, but the shadow mastiff was an inclusion of my own because my girlfriend really wanted a dog for the longest time, and I figured I would give her one in-game before we got one in real life. (Yup, we now have one in real life.) Generally, I’m a huge fan of injecting a little Pokémon into my games with animal buddies, but in this case the pets also served as valuable fighting companions that helped balance Ghosts of Saltmarsh’s combat encounters, which are meant for four people.

On the topic of inclusions, I stuck a bit closer to the content in Ghosts of Saltmarsh than I usually do when running a campaign based on an official D&D hardcover, probably because the book in question was just more usable this time around. The final split was maybe 60% book material and 40% my own stuff. The end of the campaign was nearly all me, since I couldn’t quite formulate a way to include the final two adventures in the book, Tammeraut's Fate and The Styes. So instead, I gutted them for concepts and created an overarching story that tied Saltmarsh’s threats to H.P. Lovecraft’s Esoteric Order of Dagon. There’s a ton of Lovecraft influence in The Styes, after all, and Dagon was included as a demon lord in third and fourth edition D&D, not to mention Pathfinder. I drew inspiration from all of those versions, along with the stats included in Sandy Peterson’s Cthulhu Mythos book for fifth edition. 

Ultimately, it all made for an entertaining story that scaled mightily. At level 2, Thea the tiefling rogue (played by my gf) and Zora the half-elf bard (played by her best friend) were utterly outclassed by smugglers in a haunted house and had to use a door as a shield to escape. At level 12, the pair defeated a demon lord and closed a portal to the Abyss. (To be fair, both accomplishments are pretty epic. The door escape was one of the most creative D&D moments I’ve ever seen, and we’re still talking about it today.)

While I wish we could’ve rolled physical dice together for a little longer, I’m glad Roll20 was available to keep our game going through a period of global strife. In the midst of it all, there was always D&D to fall back on. And hopefully, there will be more to come. I’ve got Candlekeep Mysteries on my shelf, another anthology of D&D short adventures...and it’s just waiting for me to formulate a plot to tie ‘em all together!

#pixel grotto #musings #tabletop games #dungeons & dragons #d&d #ghosts of saltmarsh

[aro-aizawa]

1 and 42?

yesssssssss i love these kinds of questions. thank you anon for enabling me. (disclaimer: i am a fanfic writer so these’ll be answered in fanfic writing in mind.)

[the questions]

1. Tell us about your WIP!

okay i have like ten million different wips but the one i’m primarily working on is a mha fic of mine. called because i have to it’s a quirkless vigilante izuku fic, where he’s biologically all might’s son and inko and all might are qpps. when izuku asks his mom if he can still be a hero without a quirk as a kid, instead of just saying sorry, she tells him no that it’s not safe.

this fic came about when i got tired of seeing the overwhelming villain au fics. like. they’re not bad but an izuku that is in no way someone who fight villains is just...wrong to me. because to me, izuku has such an overwhelming drive and to him it’s almost a need that he helps people and becomes a hero. it’s just as essential to him as breathing. so if he were ever prohibited from being an official hero.....well this boy will not take something as silly as the law consideration. he’ll get his ass out on that street and he WILL fight those villains and save people.

so the whole fic is izuku trying to fight and prove to the world that he can be a quirkless hero. he pretends to his parents that he’s given up on that dream, but hey he knows that gen ed students can transfer in the hero course if they prove themselves........

(too bad izuku doesn’t know that his dad is on the teaching staff of ua. oh did i not mention? izuku has no idea his dad is all might.)

i’m not usually a super big fan of biological all might, but without the thread of one for all being a connector between them, i needed some sort of connection (bc honestly this was also a call out of all might’s views on quirkless ppl too). and i’m usually sort of averse for shipping toshinko if it’s solely for parental dadmight reasons, so bio dad. if i had to start over again, i’d probably adjust this to be that when izuku was little, all might officially became qpps with inko after her husband ran out on her. buuut it’s a little too late to go back and change it now, especially since originally i had it written for the toshinko to be romantic in nature, but decided i liked it better as qpps.

so that’s the wip i’m working on!!! i have a plan for it to wrap up just a little bit after the kamino arc but like.*squints at my lastest chapter which is only just starting to wrap up the first arc in the series* um,,,, that might,,, take a while lmao.

42. How many drafts do you usually write before you feel satisfied? 

okay, so here’s the thing. when i was younger and just getting into writing, i’d write like. three or four drafts for each chapter. because i’d do the bare minimum on the first one, just get the action and rough dialogue in. then the second one would be refinement, this one starting to look like an actual chapter to be posted (even though i rarely ever posted anything at that time). during which, i’d always leave them for like. a few months, maybe six. when i came back, i’d see all the errors and my writing style would have changed dramatically. so time for draft number three!!! and then repeat.

but i only ever made so many drafts because i was procrastinating on actually writing the next chapter. i think the highest i ever got up to was chapter 9. when i hit a road block, i’d decide to go back and redo it all again, eventually running out of steam before i even finished what i’d already done. repeat continously until i have six drafts of the same fic but refined down to about 20k words and 4 chapters.

so! i try not to do that anymore. it just. it doesn’t work. it really really doesn’t. because that way i never get it to a state where i’m comfortable enough to post it, and then i’ll end up posting like 10 fics where i only have one chapter posted and the rest’ll be abandoned because i just cannot get the next chapter right and need to keep making more and more drafts.

when a chapter isn’t fighting me though, i tend to have two drafts technically. i’ll write out the chapter, if it’s for my fic biht, i’ll send it off to my betas and merge all their corrections into one final form, which is the final draft and that’s the one i just copy-paste into the chapter section and then reread it to make sure all my formatting sticks then post.

if it’s a non-beta’d fic, what i’ll do is i’ll have the final product, the chapter or the one shot i want to post. and what i’ll do is i’ll put the draft on one side of my screen and the ao3 upload thing on the other side. and i’ll retype everything. this way i’m going back over it and adjusting wonky sentence structures as i go, because it helps me spot more mistakes if i have to retype them rather than just rereading them. my brain has to think more abt the stuff i’m typing rather than the stuff i’m reading y’know?? plus the different fonts help! my google docs have a different font to the upload section of the ao3 page, so that is another thing that helps my brain spot issues. if you have difficulty finding mistakes, change the font. as much shit as it gets, comic sans is also a great font for this. when i’m done retyping everything out, the second and final draft is done and i’ll usually post it right then and there, bc i’m impatient and i love posting shit.

i mean. you wouldn’t expect that considering i haven’t updated in well over a year and a half but still.

tysm for asking!!!! sorry it was such a long response lmao

#ask things #anonymous #i love writing out my thought process so immediately that'll make my response like ten times longer #Anonymous

[northwestofinsanity]

So I just wanted to share a Scorpions interview video (because to what do I owe the sudden onslaught of classic 80s band interviews popping up on YouTube that I‘ve never seen before?), but apparently, instead of posting with wonky formatting like last time, tonight, the game Tumblr is trying to play with me is to put an *entirely different*, unrelated video in the preview than the link I typed in... because the drag the video above or below your text feature now makes copying it in impossible on my phone... And I typed it three different times, and typed it exactly the same in a new tab to make sure I wasn’t confusing similar characters (like lowercase L and uppercase I, or O and 0).  My browser put up the Scorpions video I attempted to put in.  Even discarding the post and trying from scratch, Tumblr wants to put up some random video-gaming blog episode.  On both my phone, and my computer once I got home to it.

And even copying it from the video on my computer, it’s giving me the wrong thing.

Get it together, Tumblr... for pity’s sake.

Anyway, the link I tried to post is https://youtu.be/Ck0_nd3FOR0 .  I’m posting it like this for THIS rant, and I’m curious to find out, will it give me “Scorpions -1986 interview Matthias & Herman at Power Hour (Music Box)” as every browser on my computer gives me, or will it give me “RIP Piper” with some video game viewfinder with the end of a gun barrel on the screeen.  How far are we taking this game tonight, Tumblr?

UPDATE: And yes, the link I put in without Tumblr’s uploader actually goes to the intended Scorpions vid... Tumblr, fix your automatic video preview generator (whatever the heck it’s called).  Rock and roll doesn’t have time to wait for this crap.

#rant #first I was joking about how Matthias can be so down to Earth and polite even while slightly snide #and now I'M feeling snide because I couldn't post it right #tumblr problems #random

[old-ooc-someidioticurl]

Like for an AO3 thread

Something that might look [like that].

If you don’t have an account, that’s fine, I have a spare one I can lend you. No strings attached, you can change your mind at any time.

Below the cut are ‘pros and cons’ of rping there. Why? Because it’s less messy there.

Pros:

the whole thread is in one place; no need to look up your older posts if you need this one detail from a long time ago

you can edit anything at any time; no more old typos staring you in the face on your partner’s blog

no issue with posts looking wonky when rebloged; you don’t reblog things so tumblr can’t break it. There’s no problem with tumblr breaking editable reblogs either

formatting that does NOT change every month; AO3 has its own quirks (listed in cons) but at least they are consistent

no timestamps to pressure you into replying; the only timestamps are when a chapter was created, not edited and it can be freely changed so is this thing a day old? Is it a month old? No one knows, write it when you feel like that

word count; ‘we wrote 5K words together’ looks more impressive than ‘our thread has 15 notes’

comments; you can use them to talk about your thread, other people can use them to comment on your thread (you can disable them if you want to) and they stay neatly organised in their own little threads

multiple co-aurthors; have you ever wanted to have a three way thread? or four way but you knew posts would get stupid long? it’s no problem on AO3, the whole work is in one place anyway

notes in the draft; you want to make a note of something to touch on later on? you can write it down in the draft of the following chapter. It will sit there, in an easy to find place till the day you use it.

no bots; maybe there are some but I’m yet to see one

no porn bans; that’s it, you can write all the smut you want to

Cons:

no notifications about replies; you’ll have to contact your partner and tell them you replied or be silent and hope they notice BUT when you tell them about the reply, you have a perfect opportunity to comment on what’s happening or might happen

blockquotes have a tendency to add extra empty paragraphs around; sadly, in this case, all I can say is ‘don’t use them’; at least times you would need them are rare

no photo uploads; you need a link to a pic uploaded somewhere else; yeah, that’s annoying BUT you can create a tumblr sideblog and upload all your icons over there. Not only you can use them on AO3 but you have them available no matter what computer you’re on

it’s slow at first; yeah, it takes some time to update at the beginning but once AO3 realises that you and your partner are co-authors, it gets quicker. More than once I noticed my partner updated their work before they wrote me a message about it

Other:

no askbox! yes and that’s where the ‘tumblr’ part of the ‘AO3+Tumblr Combo’ comes in. You can still post memes and send asks on tumblr. I answer all my asks on AO3 but you can do it on tumblr or on AO3. If you create a separate work for your answers, people can ‘send’ you asks by writing comments under this work with their asks and you do get notifications about comments and they get notifications if you reply that you answered

other people won’t see my active threads; you can post a link to the work and reblog it from time to time. I personally decided to reblog them every 5K words but you can do you. And you know what? Other people reblogging your threads? The bane of every roleplayer’s life? It does not apply here. I actually advise you to encourage people to reblog those links

what if I want to keep our RP private? Create a work for it, add at least 10 symbols, save, create a second chapter and you roleplay in the forever drafted second chapter. AO3 deletes drafts of an unposted work, but as far as I know, any further chapters can stay in drafts however long you want them to

where do I keep my drafts? In the draft of the following chapter. Yes, your partner will be able to see them but you know what? They might give you feedback on what you’re writing, how their muse would react to your muse’s actions and suggest ideas when you’re stuck. If you don’t want that, you can keep them in a document file on your computer. I personally don’t care and write drafts in the actual work for the world to see.

I don’t want to create multiple accounts for my multiple muses! Pseudonyms. AO3 has pseudonyms - pen names. You can create a separate one for each muse if you want to

what if I get anon hate?

Welp, that’s everything I could think of at the moment; other than ‘I don’t have AO3 account’. Let me know if you have any other reasons not to RP on AO3.

#ao3 starter

[catquarry]

Wavedwhelk’s FMA Fic Masterlist

IN ALL MY YEARS IN THE FMA FANDOM I HAVE NEVER MADE A FIC RECOMMENDATION LIST....Well I decided it was about time to fix that

This is what I’ve compiled in the last 9 years. A few of the fics are deleted but reuploaded by me (or others) so the reading format might be a little wonky

Also none of these feature ships (if they do it’s really mild edwin or royai)

PDF version of this list can be found here

Fic Status Key

Active - Updates reliably (Once every 1-3 months or more)

Dormant - Fic updates, but sporadically (Once every 4-12 months) with occasional updates from the author on other websites

MIA - Fic hasn’t been updated in more than 12 months and there’s no updates from the author

Dead - The fic hasn’t been updated in 2 or more years and the author seems to have moved on

Complete - The fic is complete

Harry Potter/Fullmetal Alchemist Crossovers

Circulus by Phenobarbital

Official Summary: 

They're still not sure exactly how they ended up on the magic side of a place called London, but Edward and Roy are not new to dealing with the unexpected.

Needing to find a way back to Amestris, back to their own time, together they figure out how magic energy works, and how it can work for them specifically and in the end, the decision to go to Hogwarts is a mutual one. Edward will have to go to high school and Roy will have to get used to using a wand.

Neither of them are prepared for what they find at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry.

There are secrets, liars, murderers and too many people with very dangerous agendas, no one seems trustworthy, so naturally they should stick together...

...but then Ed starts lying to Roy.

My Thoughts:

THIS IS HONESTLY MY FAVORITE FIC. I don’t want to spoil anything but everyone is written SO well and the plot goes far beyond the standard “FMA characters stuck in the HP world”. Ed’s also kind of evil (partly an act and partly for real in his own Ed way) and that ups the suspense significantly. Basically if you’re not going to read anything else on this list PLEASE read this one

Fic Status: Dormant

Warnings: Tags mention pairings that will be revealed in the future, but for now nothing’s definitive 

The Colours of the World by MiaKusakabe

Official Summary: 

When Roy Mustang went to retrieve his eyesight from Truth, he wasn’t expecting to end up doing a job in exchange. It couldn’t even be an easy job, of course, because Edward’s assessment of Truth was a pretty accurate one.

My Thoughts: 

THIS IS MY FAVORITE ROY OUT OF ANY FMA FIC. GOD he is written so well here. Unlike most of the other fics here, Roy willingly chooses to go into the HP world, and because of that there’s less stress on Roy trying to get home and more on him living in the world and working around it. Overall a really incredible fic and I highly highly suggest reading it

Fic Status: Dormant - Occasional updates on the authors patreon

Harry Potter and the Eastern Sage by LiteratureWork

Official Summary: 

Nicholas Flamel was famous for creating the philosopher's stone, but like Lockhart's smile it was all a lie. Flamel stole a part of the stone and it took Edward 642 years to get it back along with the souls inside of it, one which was his brother. But after traveling to Hogwarts to retrieve it, Dumbledore has other plans for the ancient hero.

My Thoughts: 

A REALLY interesting take on a HP/FMA crossover. It’s a half-AU where Ed turns into a Philosopher’s Stone at the end of FMA:B (with everyone from Amestris in the stone) and him being flung into the Harry Potter world. The author put a lot of time into worldbuilding and carefully weaving Ed into the HP universe so it seems completely normal that he’s lived in that world for 1,000 years

Fic Status: Dormant

Cerulean Silver vs Amber Gold by hikaranko

Official Summary: 

Edward Elric has been put on his stupidest assignment yet: babysitting. Everyone else calls it undercover work. To Ed, it's babysitting. But there's more to this assignment than what's on file…

My Thoughts: 

A lighter and more fun HP/FMA crossover that centers around Ed and Draco’s interactions. Draco hates Ed and Ed hates his job basically. Not super plot heavy, but the character interactions makes up for it

Fic status: Dormant - Being rewritten on AO3

About a Boy by EstaJay

Official Summary: 

Portkeyed away on the night of his parents' murder, Harry Potter grows up as Roy Mustang. Magic is nothing more than another one of his aunt's stories but after the Promised Day, his past catches up to him. With the Elrics suddenly in London and his dormant magic finally and violently revealing itself, it's a cross continent journey to get the brothers back. If only wizard transportation didn't involve so many explosions…

My Thoughts: 

Was really unsure about this fic initially - the premise just seems too farfetched to enjoy, but after the first chapter you realize the author put in a lot of time to make sure Roy/Harry and the rest of the cast stayed in character. I think it’s a really cool twist on the standard HP/FMA crossover formula and definitely worth a read

Fic Status: Dormant

Penance by Laora

Official Summary: 

The Gate was opening; the black arms stretched toward him and Pride. Ed knew he had no say in the matter. He would be pulled to this parallel dimension, alternate universe—whatever it was—and Amestris would be left to die. Truth merely grinned.

My Thoughts: 

It’s been a couple years since I read this, but I remember I really liked the twist that Pride was stuck in the HP universe along with Ed and Al

Fic Status: Complete

Playing God by The Flamel Cult

Official Summary:

 I thought the dull aching was something other than my demise. As it turned out, I was sorely mistaken. Perhaps I should listen to Alphonse more; maybe then there wouldn't be another bloody tragedy that would, inevitably, end it all. For good.

My Thoughts: 

There’s a twist in this fic that I LOVE, and while I refuse to spoil it I suggest reading just to find out what it is. It rocked my world the first time I read and I’m pretty sure I cried for like 3 days

Fic Status: Complete

Warnings: I haven’t read this since 2013/2014, so just be warned if you decide to check it out

Other Crossovers

More Than Just a Murder by AkitaFallow

CSI/Fullmetal Alchemist Crossover

Official Summary: 

As bodies pile up and evidence remains scarce, the CSI team has to fight against increasingly strange circumstances and an even stranger suspect in order to solve what is likely the most complicated case they have ever encountered.

My Thoughts:

 I know this seems like a weird premise but hear me out: this fic will Change Your Life. It’s so incredibly well written and the character development is phenomenal. If you don’t like CSI (I personally didn’t when I started reading) you can easily substitute random forensic scientists in and it works just as well. The real sell to this fic is watching Ed stumble through 2009 Las Vegas lmao

Fic Status: Complete

Warnings: This fic follows FMA 2003 ONLY, so if you haven’t seen that yet I highly suggest waiting to read.

AU’s (Alternate Universes)

Disorient by Esama

Official Summary:

 Who was he, what had happened to him, why did he have automail - and how was he there, in the past? 

My Thoughts: 

One of the best time travel fics I’ve ever read from any fandom. There’s so much time put in to fleshing out Ed’s new character (Nicholas) as well as his relationship with the younger version of Al and himself. Less plot heavy and focuses more on the day to day life of Resembool with Nicholas there

Type of AU: Time Travel + Amnesia

Fic Status: Dead

Warnings: This was a fic that got deleted in 2012 that I managed to grab before it was gone. If this list goes outside of my own circle and the original author wants me to remove this I will gladly do so (just message me @wavedwhelk on twitter or tumblr). 

A Boy Named Ed by BelloftheSea

Official Summary: 

Ed knew he was different. It wasn't just that he was smarter than the other kids or even that he had automail. No, it had more to do with the way people would occasionally look at him, like they were expecting somebody else. It was the way his mechanic cried the day she met him. It was the way his dad would sometimes slip – and call him Fullmetal.

My Thoughts: 

What I really love about this fic is that it’s a reincarnation AU that makes SENSE in the FMA universe - it doesn’t give a half-assed reason for why it happened, but rather works within the confines of the universe. Also I really love watching Ed go to school and pretend to try and be a normal kid while hiding the fact that he’s the Fullmetal Alchemist

Type of AU: Reincarnation (kind of)

Fic Status: Dead

My Master Ed by Blue Teller

Official Summary: 

Slave number Twenty Three didn't know what to make of his new Master. The strange boy was nothing like other slave owners. Short on both height and temper, yet strangely kind to him, Master Ed seemed to know something about him that he didn't himself. Just what was it?

My Thoughts: 

One of the best fics that takes place in the Xerxes time period IMO. I don’t want to spoil too much but you see a lot of the consequences for Ed’s actions and it can get really really intense (but in the best way)

Fic Status: Dormant

Type of AU: Time Travel

Warnings: This gets surprisingly deep. Prepare Yourself

Men and Angels by Laora

Official Summary: 

Trisha can't understand; she's terrified, but she has to stay calm. Her boys are gone, replaced by her sons from the future...and something, she knows, is terribly wrong.

My Thoughts: 

A time travel fic that changes time for both current Ed/Al AND past Ed/Al (when they were 6). I think my favorite part from this fic has got to be how Mustang’s team reacts to (and tries to take care of) the frightened baby Elric’s. There isn’t a ton of plot but the character interactions drive this fic - if you care deeply about these characters you’ll really enjoy this

Type of AU: Time Travel

Fic Status: Complete

we haunt ourselves by sekalaista

Official Summary: 

"There's something funny about that kid," Maes says. "I just can't put my finger on it."

My Thoughts: 

Literal perfection jam packed into 1000 words

Type of AU: Canon divergence

Fic Status: Complete

and then it wasn't by GentleTouchGinger

Official Summary: 

When Roy notices his smartest student is struggling, he does some snooping and discovers some startling truths about his home life.

My Thoughts: 

Probably one of the best modern AU’s that I’ve found so far for FMA. It follows a pretty normal structure (Ed and Al are in foster homes, Roy notices something’s wrong, etc etc), but the character’s are kept true to their in-canon personalities and the plot is interesting enough to keep you on your toes. Also I cried once I finished reading it so there’s that

Type of AU: Modern/School AU

Fic Status: Complete

Truth Revealed by Fallen Crest

Official Summary: 

A lesson without pain is meaningless...to save their future, they will suffer through the truth. Brought to a room to view FMA:Brotherhood, the FMAB characters learn the dark secrets that surround Amestris. Follow the drama, the suspense, the laughs, the friendships that grow, and the pain they suffer in exchange as their future is laid out before their eyes.

My Thoughts:

 I’m actually right in the middle of reading this right now (it’s 2,500+ pages…...be ready) and it’s SO fun. Not really the kind of fic I ever expected myself to like, but everyone’s in character enough to enjoy their reactions and the interactions in between watching. The pain factor also makes things more interesting. Overall I really suggest checking this out even if it seems like something you wouldn’t enjoy

Type of AU: Characters reacting to the show

Fic Status: Dead (Destroyed by copyright)

Warnings: This fic was taken down due to copyright, but luckily some people managed to save it and upload a download link

Project Rainbow by Missy Skywalker

Official Summary:

 It took him coughing up blood on five different occasions for Edward Elric to finally give in and see a doctor.

My Thoughts: 

I cried for 2 hours after I read this and that’s all I’m saying

Type of AU: Ishvalan!Ed and Al

Fic Status: Complete

Number Twenty Eight by Sevlow

Official Summary: 

As of today, Edward Elric had been missing for four months, two weeks, and five days.

My Thoughts: 

I CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH HOW DARK THIS FIC GETS. It’s probably the darkest FMA fic I’ve been able to sit through in its entirety. WITH THAT BEING SAID...if you can manage to read it all it ends on a happy note. I don’t want to spoil too much but basically: Ed gets kidnapped, experimented on, and turned into a dog chimera

Type of AU: Chimera!Ed

Fic Status: Complete

Warnings: REALLY DARK, mentions of rape (not explicit or shown), animal death

Misanthropical by nebluus

Official Summary: 

Alfonse and Eduard are best friends living in Germany. When an experiment gone wrong brings in a new yet familiar face, it will be up to them to get their friend home...and not get killed in the process. 

My Thoughts:

 I ended up finding this fic back in 2012 but it’s surprisingly held up pretty well. It was unfortunately abandoned pretty quickly into its plot, but the worldbuilding that’s there is really interesting and makes it worth it to read

Type of AU: Dimension Travel

Fic Status: Dead

Warnings: This fic takes place in the FMA 2003 universe ONLY, so if you haven’t watched that I highly suggest you don’t read yet!

General Fics/Non-AU’s

Firstfruits by toosolidcuuj

Official Summary:

 For the past eleven years, Edward Elric has been raising his family and recovering from the Promised Day. Some memories are easier to talk about than others, but he's made his peace with them. Of course the one that comes back to haunt him is the one he tried to forget about completely.

My Thoughts: 

This fic treats the topic of rape with nuance; the author admits that they don’t struggle with PTSD, but have reached out and done as much research as they can on the subject. I ended up really liking this fic for what it was setting out to do and what it accomplished, and while I did find it difficult to read at times due to the subject matter I still found myself appreciating it 

Fic Status: MIA

Warnings: This fic deals with the trauma that comes along with rape, however it’s never described in detail and the focus is solely on how the character copes with it. Please mind the tags and rating (mature)

Skin Deep by Batsitousai

Official Summary: 

Trisha and Van's first child, Edith, was born a beautiful, healthy girl. The only problem? Ed knew he was a boy.

My Thoughts: 

IM SUCH A SUCKER FOR TRANS ED I don’t want to say too much but I found it really heartwarming (especially the conversations between Mustang/Hawkeye and Ed) and just overall a really strong fic

Fic Status: Complete

Anything but Normal  by DAsObiQuiet

Official Summary: 

Fifteen years after the Promised Day, Selim Baker leads a life like any normal human. Then an attempt on his life throws his world into chaos and begins to show him just how much of a monster he really is.

My Thoughts: 

I’m not usually one to read fic’s that don’t revolve around the protagonists, but this peaked my interest enough to check it out. The author does an amazing job in fleshing out Selim (both his human side and Homunculus side) and it’s interesting to see how Selim reacts to things post-canon

Fic Status: Complete

An Overbearing Legacy by Missy Skywalker

Official Summary: 

Elicia Hughes was tired of trying to live up to her father's reputation, so on the night of her thirteenth birthday, she decided to run away. Luckily, she gets interrupted by someone who knows what losing a parent is like.

My Thoughts: 

I don’t have a ton to say but I found this fic really sweet and I enjoyed getting to see some character development in an older version of Elysia

Fic Status: Complete

At the Very Ports We Blow by baka deshi

Official Summary: 

Edward Elric has made his way to the University of Munich, where he faces a new challenge in the eerily familiar face of his peer and colleague, Alfons Heiderich. There's just one problem: the two of them have to get along.

My Thoughts: 

This has gotta be one of my favorite CoS compliant fics. I really love the idea that Alfons and Ed actually hate each other leading up to the events of CoS and have to actively work on themselves and their friendship before they can work on the rockets

Fic Status: Complete

Warnings: This fic follows FMA 2003 ONLY. If you have not seen it, I highly suggest waiting to read. 

Where The Corners Meet by sahrmael

Official Summary: 

The year is 1934. The change in the Amestrian government has finally brought great peace and prosperity to the nation. But one eager boy, the son of former State Alchemist Edward Elric, has made it his duty to uncover the tragedies of his father's past, and to correct the mistakes of his own.

My Thoughts: 

Like the warning says, I remember really liking this fic, but since I haven’t read it since 2012 I can’t remember if there’s anything weird in it or not. I’ll reread it soon to make sure

Fic Status: Dead

Warnings: I haven’t read this fic since 2012 and debated whether or not I should even add it on here, however I remember REALLY liking it back then so I ultimately decided to. Basically proceed with caution because I can’t remember all of what happens in this fic

#fma #fmab #edward elric #fma03 #Please enjoy this took like 3 hours last night #Me @ tumblr as I slink back to twitter and never check this website again: You Do Not Perceive Me

[cedar-woods]

Sex Menu Brainstorm (Round 3!)

I posted this (and later deleted, because that's what I do) in it's beginning stages a few months ago after I initially had the idea. This is intended to essentially be a "menu" of sexual and intimate activities, which could be used a few different ways - as a discussion point, as inspiration, as a challenge, as a basis for compromise, to deprogram "sex=intercourse" or "sex=orgasm" all-or-nothing mentality, as a tool to overcome performance anxiety or aversion, or just to help break routine. I wanted something a little different from the standard BDSM checklist or Mojoupgrade. I'm creating this with my specific situation in mind, specifically to help overcome mismatched libidos and performance anxiety issues, so it's likely not going to be useful to everyone. I may end up changing/rephrasing/reordering a lot of things, and I obviously plan on adding more "levels", but here it is so far.

What's been added/updated?:

Menu Presentation Options

Homework

LEVEL 2.5: Indirect/Transitional Contact

LEVEL 3.0: Contact Intimacy (Sensual Non-Orgasmic)

LEVEL 3.5: Contact Intimacy (Sexual)

Any suggestions or ideas are very much encouraged! :) Apologies for any wonky formatting......

Menu Presentation Options

Single document (menu style) all at once (Initial assessment and discussion, review)

Single document, given page by page (weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly) (Full document might be overwhelming initially - gradual introduction allows content to be concentrated and reflected on, possible goal of implementing a few items from prev page before next page is revealed)

Index cards, one section/category each (See above. Possibly use to help communicate/compromise depending on which "level" we're feeling)

Playing/Business cards, one "item" each (color coded by level?) (Pick one at random - once a day, every other, week, etc. Either to actually try, or just reflect or fantasize on if working on responsive desire or sexual aversion)

===================

Homework - nitty gritty/nuts & bolts hard work

Schedule Sex/Date Night

Discussion/Check In

Individual/Couples Therapy (personal, relationship, sex)

Seek Medical Assessment/Treatment

Sensate Focus or Exposure Therapy

Sex Ed (developing sexual intelligence through reading books, articles, podcasts, etc - bonus points for discussing together)

Reduce or give up porn (_ days/weeks/months/forever) and/or masturbation

Practice redirecting compulsive/destructive fantasies to realistic/healthier fantasies

Barrier Assessment

Snacks - brief interactions throughout the day

lingering/suggestive touch

kisses (again: lingering! Don't just peck, kiss! And draw out that kiss a little longer than usual)

flirting & compliments

sexy texts/notes

sexy/suggestive photos

Appeteasers - solo & shared practices & precursors to the main dish (note: mainly things the LL can utilize to boost their desire - HL can create/provide/guide some of these)

Positive associations - visualization ... (recall enjoyable past experiences. scenarios/fantasies)

sex ed (developing sexual intelligence through reading books, articles, podcasts, etc - bonus points for discussing together!)

Create sexual tension outside of bedroom ( )

Side Dishes - a little extra treat on the side

Adornment: make up, underwear, lingerie, corsets, fishnets/stockings, shoes, nails done, hairstyle

Sexcessories: [either an inventory of your toy box, a list of toys you may want to buy & try, or both] vibrators, plugs, cock rings, regular lube, specialty lube, massage oil, massage candles,

Ambiance: lighting/candles, scent, music, temperature/fan, sex nest (pillows, blankets, etc)

Dessert: (aftercare)

Cuddles

Water/snacks

Sex towel retrieval/clean up

Verbal reassurance/light discussion

What needs to happen before sexy time can be enjoyed?

Time together

Time apart

There’s some stuff we should talk about first.

Clean house some

I need a shower

My partner needs a shower

Nap

Stars in alignment

LEVEL 1.0: Intimacy Building (Solo) Masturbilia

Erotica "quickies"/excerpts (written by/for partner) - recalled, hypothetical/fantasy

Erotica longer stories (written by/for partner) - recalled, hypothetical/fantasy

Photos/Video - for/by partner, together

Audio or verbal "guide"/JOI, recorded erotica, recorded sessions

Practices

Positive associations - visualization ... (recall enjoyable past experiences. scenarios/fantasies)

LEVEL 1.2: Intimacy Building (Together)

Holding each other while clothed

Kissing

Caressing the hair, back, arms, and legs

Non-sexual massage

Flirting/sexual dialogue

Sex ed (developing sexual intelligence through reading books, articles, podcasts, etc - bonus points for discussing together!)

LEVEL 2.0: Non-Physical Contact Intimacy (For Touch-Averse)

Verbal forplay/teasing; Dirty talking; "Clean" talking (lovey, affirmations)

Exhibitionism

Writing/Reading erotica together; reading out loud

Letting my partner watch me masturbate

Watching my partner masturbate

LEVEL 2.5: Indirect/Transitional Contact

Get naked with me. ( Just cuddling, no direct touching at first, nothing overtly sexual./ When you're pleasuring me / we're messing around. )

Sensate Focus exercises

Dressing up Partnered Masturbation

Mutual/Simultaneous Masturbation

Solo Masturbation Support

Positions: Side by Side, Spooning, Facing Spoons, Inverted/69ish, Inverted Spoons (ass or feet in face), Modified Missionary, Chest Chair, Doggy

Passive Masturbation: cuddling/caressing/kissing with toy (vibe, c-ring, plug) in place

Hide n Peek (voyeurish): start solo, partner outside room "spying" or listening

LEVEL 3.0: Contact Intimacy (Sensual Non-Orgasmic)

Holding each other while nude

slowly undressing each other

kissing the shoulders, neck, chest

massaging the buttocks;

Sensual massage (non-orgasmic)

Reading or listening to erotica together

using lotion, oil

light bondage

body paint/body writing

Sensation Play

Manual touch (vary techniques, pressure, speed, etc.)

Temperature (warm oil, candle wax, ice)

Texture (different materials & implements)

Sensory deprivation (eg. blindfold)

Games (A vs. B, mindfuck [pick A use B, etc], guess item)

Scratching or biting (light/hard)

Spanking (light, hard)

Impact play w/ implement

LEVEL 3.5: Contact Intimacy (Sexual)

Gently touching or holding the breasts, penis, and/or vulva

Fondling the breasts, penis, and/or vulva

Physical teasing/groping

Passive contact (placed between asscheeks, thighs, feet, breasts while cuddling/caressing/kissing/masturbating)

Grinding (clothed)

Outercourse (nude)

grinding/pussyjob/outercourse/acliteration/slitsurfing

hotdogging (ass cheeks)

thigh job

tit job

foot job/feet fucking

Handjobs/Fingering

Testicular massage (penis covered up [if performance anxiety]; can combine w/ HJ, masturbation, foot job, oral)

submitted by /u/rekreative [link] [comments] source https://www.reddit.com/r/sexover30/comments/hnneyp/sex_menu_brainstorm_round_3/

[megadara999]

Mistakes, Promises and Compromises - Chapter 3:

This is better formatted on AO3 ladies, gents and everything in between! I also love getting comments on there. Click here to go to my AO3 page with the most updated version of this story. Chapter 12 is going up on there tomorrow!

___________________

Webber was promised that he would find the man who broke his mother’s heart so he could make them fix it. It seemed like a simple enough request. He knew little to nothing about the man, in fact it was only recently he had discovered any trace of them. Previously all he had was fragmented memories.

When a truck full of odd objects pulled up to their home in the countryside Webber was thrilled, they had apparently come all the way from America. He ran down the stairs to watch some men bring it inside and down into the basement.

“Mum what’s that?!”

“Don’t touch anythin’ Webber. It’s dangerous junk. Alright?”

“I won’t touch anything! I just want to know what it is!”

“Bloody... Webber please, I don’t want to talk about it. Go play somewhere else.” With a frown the ten-year-old did as he was told. He just wanted to know what the stuff was and where it came from, was that so much to ask? He wasn’t allowed in his father’s study and now he wasn’t allowed in the basement, wasn’t this his house too?

Webber waited until his mother went to bed before making his way to the stairwell to the basement. He was just going to have a quick look, then he’d be up in bed before Mum even knew.

Flicking the light switch, Webber stood in awe at sight of the pieces of machinery and stacks of notes. He skimmed through the books. Inside them we’re far too many words and complex looking pictures, but he did like the pictures, even if they didn’t make much sense.

Webber didn’t know what the machines did, he imagined them combining to form a robot or maybe a rocket ship! The boy picked up another metal object, its surface was dull and gave a wonky reflection. A grin on his face, he pulled faces at the shiny surface, giggling at the distorted image. “You can be Mr. Potato.” Taking the object with him he went to something that looked like the drawbridge of a castle and a spooky castle at that. A sound made Webber jump. It sounded like the static noise their radio made when you looked for the channels. “H-hello?” Clutching the object in his arms tighter, Webber started to make his way back to the stairwell.

“Say pal, bet you’re wondering what this all is.”

“W-who’s there?!”

“Just a man who knows where everything here came from.” Webber wasn’t sure if the feeling in his chest was from him clutching the uncomfortable metal object in his arms so tightly or the fear from hearing a voice in their basement in the middle of the night.

“M-my mum said I shouldn’t talk to strangers.”

“She sounds like a wise woman. Here, I’ll introduce myself. I am Maxwell the Magnificent! What’s your name?”

“W-Webber.”

“Webber, Maxwell. Maxwell, Webber. We’re not strangers anymore are we?”

“I… I guess not… Where are you?”

“Just behind that door you walked past earlier.” Curiosity tugged Webber closer to the voice, adrenaline filling his bloodstream. “That’s it. Almost there.” Rounding the corner Webber didn’t see anyone, only some more bits and pieces. A round machine, a radio, a pile of paper. “Down here pal.” The boy flinched. The voice, it… it was coming from the radio. “Not what you were expecting?” Webber shook his head, words getting stuck in his throat. What could he say? ‘Nice radio?’ “Still a little confused. That’s fine, you’re a young boy after all.” He still couldn’t find the strength to talk. This Maxwell person seemed nice enough and they weren’t actually here so it’s not like they could hurt him. What could the harm in talking be?

“H-how did you get in the radio?”

“I’m somewhere far away, stuck. I could use your help.” He nodded slowly, getting a closer look at the radio. It seemed normal enough, a small box with knobs and a speaker. Not scary. With a deep breath he swallowed the lump in his throat.

“My grandpa likes to listen to the radio but it’s never talked like this before, why are you special?”

“This is a magic radio kiddo.”

“Magic? Can you make things disappear and appear and stuff?”

“Oh yes, that and more.” Webber felt excitement flutter though the adrenaline. Like any child, the idea of magic was thrilling. To be magician, watched by all, creating birds and rabbits out of thin air, so cool!

“C-can I see?”

“Of course, I just need your help.”

“Okay!”

“Webber Wiley Greasain!” Webber’s heart leapt into his throat, uh-oh. He glanced around, looking for somewhere he might hide from his mother. The rounded machine looked big enough for him to crouch behind, so the child shuffled as quietly as he could behind it. “I hear you talkin’ down here! Who on earth are you talkin’ to?!” Webber squeezes his eyes shut, hoping that she wouldn’t come in his direction. He usually did what he was told but right now he wanted to know more about this Maxwell person and about how he could help and he couldn’t do that from outside the basement. “I know you’re in here! Come out now this instant!” He could hear his mother looking around, moving bits and pieces around, trying to locate him. “GET OUT HERE NOW!” Webber couldn’t take it, he hated being yelled at, he hated it when he got in trouble, he hated it when he got punished for being naughty. He stepped out from his hiding place and looked to the radio, it was silent again. “Ya wee devil!” Webber felt his arm being pulled, his mother dragging him to the top of the stairwell. “Webber I told you not to go in there!” A hand connected with the back of his head, leaving a dull pain, he was in for it now. “Nothin’ in there is ours! The things down there could be dangerous!”

“Why do we have them then?! Why did the men bring it here if it’s not ours!”

“It’s been brought here temporarily! We’re givin’ it back to some family friends.”

“Why didn’t they come get it?”

“Because Webber, they just didn’t!”

“The radio said he knew wh-”

“Tha radio?! Webber! Don’t make up excuses!”

“I’m not!”

“Do ya think I like scoldin’ ya? That I like hittin’ you?”

“But the radio-!”

“Go to ya room.”

“Mum! Just go ask it!”

“Webber please! Just… go to your room.” Webber hated seeing his mother upset but he also hated being accused of lying, why wouldn’t she just believe him. Sure a magic radio sounded more than a little weird but it was true. Regardless, the child made his way to his room as to not upset his mother further.

#megadara999 writes #AO3 #dadson #dadsbury #Wilson Percival Higgsbury #Wilson #Webber #OC #MP&C #Chapter 3 #ds #dst #Don't Starve #Don't Starve Together #dont starve #dont starve together #AU

[destielfanfic]

Group Ask #177

Relevant links to find lost fic

previous group asks 

spnstoryfinders

Guide to Finding Fic

Guide to Finding Lost Fic

Ask #1 ( @thepoodlepack​ ): there’s this fic…#1

There’s a fic where castiel is a child and everyone’s looking after him and I think it’s post s4 and Cas draws a picture of the church Lucifer is rising from but I cannot for the life of me find it please help it’s driving me crazy.

Ask #2 ( @buck-spring-soldier ): there’s this fic…#2

hey, can you help find a fic? it’s a/b/o dynamics, dean is an alpha and he’s looking for a mate, cas is his true mate and it’s working on the ball dean’s throwing. cas was abused by his pack for some reason and dean helps him.

Check out our a/b/o tag

Ask #3 ( @alrightydean ​): there’s this fic...#3

oof idk if you still do these but I need help finding a fic!! Dean works as a repairman/janitor for a circus and Cas is the new act from Europe , an acrobat and Cas choses Dean as his partner. It’s mostly about Cas teaching Dean how to be an acrobat. I think Charlie and Jo are together too, if that helps the search. Thanks!

Found by @freetobecasdean: The Cost of Falling by JinxedAmbition

Ask #4 ( Alex on gmail ): there’s this fic…#4

It was Dean/Cas, and the first chapter takes place at a Christmas Party they got invited to. Sam notices Cas being flirted with by one of the girls at the party and then notices Dean is getting super jealous about it, to the point where Dean demands that they all leave. They end up going back to the motel, there’s something about them managing to get some free Christmas Dinner from a family at a gas station that realized they didn’t have any Christmas meal. Sam is subtly (not-so-subtly) trying to pair Dean and Cas up since he’s realized it’s obvious that they have unresolved tension. I also remember a scene where Dean and Cas are alone watching TV and Dean ends up laying his head on Cas’ chest/lap? If I remember right, it was on FF.net a number of years ago, but I worry it got taken down or removed because I’ve never been able to find it again! Thought I’d try to see if you guys know if it!

Check out our jealous!Dean tag as well as the Christmas tag

Found by @thursdaysfallenangel : 

This, And So Much More by rockstarpeach on LJ [NC-17, 80,000 word count] It happens to start out over the holidays, but it's not a holiday fic. It's sort of the story of how Dean and gets over himself already and admits to how he really feels about Cas. It takes Cas even longer than Dean, if you can believe it, but he eventually gets with the program.

Ask #5 ( Sylvia on gmail #1 ): there’s this fic…#5

Hello! I saw on your tumblr guide that we could email you if we needed help finding something, and I definitely do... Castiel is some kind of creature (not angel, but has wings) and Dean is sacrificed/offered to him by John (maybe to protect Sam?) Anyways, in Castiel’s society of whatever creature they are, he’s some kind of prince I think? Dean is given to him as a pet/slave/consort/something and is transformed into the same kind of creature. I remember they are described as being winged, and coated with a gray fuzz/down all over the body. They derive energy from sex. They look down on humans as being inferior, and I remember a scene in which Dean is being taught their language, which is very songlike and melodic. Something like that.

Check out our wing!fic tag - it includes non-angel fic as well as the creature!cas tag.

Ask #6 ( Sylvia on gmail #2 ): there’s this fic…#6

Dean somehow ends up in an alternate dimension where Castiel and the other angels are a species called Birds (though I don’t think they differ much from angels in Deans universe) and humans are kept as pets. Somehow Dean ends up with Cas, who tries to treat him like a pet before realizing he’s smart and definitely not a pet in his own universe. But for whatever reason they try to keep the fact that Dean is from a different dimension a secret until they figure out how to fix it. I remember that all the Birds live in very tall tower-like houses, and there’s a scene where Dean tries to escape by making a rope out of fabric and going through the window. There are also demon-equivalents in the Bird universe, and I think they’re called Rats or Moles or Shrews or something like that.

Found by @mittensmorgul: Bird Song by elidiablito_sf (unofficially recced here, but the fic seems to have been deleted. UPDATE!! the fic is back on AO3!

Ask #7 ( @shugrina ): there’s this fic…#7

Hello awesome people! Hoped you could help me with the name of another fic. It starts with Dean, overwhelmed by the Mark, torturing and ultimately killing Castiel — crucifying him on a cross in some church or a barn. Before the end Cas manages to tell Dean that he forgives him. Later Dean comes to his senses and is overtaken by guilt and grief. I don't think I've read further but if I recall correctly it's a rather long fic. And of course Cas ends up not being dead after all.

Found by @savannadarkbaby and @helianthus21: 

Into the Fire by NorthernSparrow [M, 259,000 word count] Dean accidentally kills Castiel, and is tormented by grief and guilt afterwards. Dean becomes convinced Cas still exists somehow, and that he will be resurrected; Sam's not so sure, but is determined to help his grief-stricken brother recover. Meanwhile the Darkness is eating away at Creation, and soon both brothers realize they may have to embark on their longest and strangest journey yet. This time they might not come back. Will they have to fight their last battle without Castiel?

Ask #8 ( @theimportanceogbeingvictoria ): there’s this fic…#8

Hi all! Looking for a fic where Cas dies and Dean visits him in the empty through Jack's powers. Dean is pretty much a broken shell while Cas is dead. Cas is eventually brought back to the real world. Endgame destiel with an extra bit of angst when Dean realizes being with him is inadvertently making Cas fall. I was reading this fic via PDF and accidentally deleted it and can't find it again.

We are not reading much post S12 fics as described in an earlier post, but maybe our followers know this fic!

If any of our followers have anything to suggest, drop it in our ask box (mention which ask you are talking about by number or bolded title). Our anon is switched off for good, if you know the lost fic but don’t want your url to appear on this list, let us know and we will call you an anon! If you don’t see your ask here, it is because we have quite a few in the inbox. Thanks!!

And sorry if formatting is wonky, we blame tumblr!

#Group asks #asks #there's this fic #there's this fic...

[algernoninwonderland]

Miraculous, the Monster of the Week Format and the Status Quo, or Why Things Barely Change At All

TLDR; while the monster-of-the-week format doesn’t mean there is no overarching plot in Miraculous, these monsters are variable in terms of quality and the overarching plot itself is not something the show explores. 

The fact that you can watch 80% of the show in any order without feeling lost is quite telling: the goal is to have self-contained stories during the space of one episode, not to have things that happened in such and such episode have consequences in the following ones. Which is frustrating in the long run, even more so when the monster-of-the-week format doesn’t mean that episodes are aired weekly. 

It isn’t that the people working on Miraculous aren’t talented enough to write something good, simply that the format they have to work with makes the story what it is.

Now, if you want to read something a little more detailed, just click the thingy!

With now 64 episodes aired, it’s safe to say that Miraculous is a show that is meant to stay on our screens for quite some time. For exactly five seasons, so far. Yay! Or perhaps not?

With its reused villains (when you’ve got 2.0 in your title, that screams Electric Boogaloo, I’m sorry), its apparent lack of character development and little focus on the overarching plot (if there is any, at this point), it sounds like this is pretty much stretched out. 

The show has two focuses, so to say, our two cinnamon buns and their love story, and superhero stuffs with different villains in each episode (and that guy alone in his lair, and sometimes that woman with the fan but eeeeh, don’t sweat it, besides they’re interchangeable so far)

What do I mean by Monster-of-the-week format?

Exactly what the title says. For each week/episode, one villain. Who is defeated at the end of the week. Yay! The prime example of this is the original Scooby Doo cartoons, Scooby Doo, Where Are You!

Now, what do we think of that show? Other than the laugh tracks, it holds up well enough. More importantly, though, every story is self-contained, and the appeal of the Scooby Doo is its mysteries. We don’t care about Velma’s backstory, or how Fred became the leader, these characters have very little depth and that’s OK, their interactions is not the main point of the story.

Scooby Doo has a very simple formula: 

The gang goes somewhere, finds mystery, chase one, traps, chase two with a bubblegum pop soundtrack this time, then the mystery is solved, very basically. And we can move on to the next mystery

You can air any episode in any order, you can get the story without feeling lost.

And for most Miraculous episodes, it is true as well! They follow roughly the same recipe:

Something something civilian life, Hawk Moth akumatises someone, Superhero Time, Lucky Charm, Status Quo again.

The first episodes that aired never explained how Marinette got her Miraculous and… It didn’t seem to matter all that much?

But there’s a problem here. MLB isn’t just about Superhero Thingies™. We’ve got that Love Tesseract™ thing too. And a love story requires a progression and character growth to work. 

You can’t have a monster-of-the-week format if you try to explore things that are character-driven, unless there is a clear follow up, an overarching plot.

Like, say…

Revolutionary Girl Utena.

Utena is one of my favourite shows of all time, and I’m talking live action and animated. It is stylish, the writing is great, the direction work is awesome. It’s a masterpiece and for a show aired in 1997, it aged pretty well in the way it handles it themes. (some of the animation is wonky, though, characters are definitely not always on model, it’s not perfect but hey, 1997)

You should watch Utena. It’s available on Nozomi if you’re from Americaland, otherwise I’m sure you’ll find a way to stream it somewhere. Or buy the BluRay.

So, Utena has a “Duel of the Week” format, it follows a clear formula. And just like Miraculous, it recycles animation and some sentences are said at least once or twice per episode. Hell, Miraculous references Utena quite a few times (but I’ll make a post just for that).

Having a repetitive formula does not mean you cannot have a sense of progression. And Utena shines because of that. Things… Things have consequences, a duel leads to another because of reasons that become clear. It’s not a “we need that many episodes” thing, everything is needed, you cannot not watch an episode, even the recap ones, even the Nanami ones, especially the Nanami ones (Nanami who is a much better Chloé than Chloé is).

Unlike Miraculous, Utena has an overarching plot, you can’t play the episodes in any order. Repetitions and variations are meaningful in Utena, it is not simply a matter of style, or rather, style in Utena is meaningful, not only there for “the show”, a spectacle which in itself is meaningful too. Hell, everything in Utena is meaningful. Meaningful. Could you imagine that much meaning in Miraculous? Me neither.

But, you may say, you’re not fair; you’re comparing Miraculous, a show aimed at schoolchildren, with Utena, an anime aimed at an older audience.

And you wouldn’t be entirely wrong if you thought so. Which is why I’ll reiterate my point with a show for which Thomas Astruc himself worked.

Code Lyoko

Code Lyoko is super formulaic, replace Hawk Moth with XANA and superpowers with going inside a computer and that’s about it. It recycles a lot of its animation, the character design is… A bold choice. I barely watched it when I was younger though it was a pretty big thing for us Frenchies  (but hey it’s available on YouTube now in French so I binged the entire thing in a few days and while it’s not groundbreaking, it does some things really well)

Code Lyoko is all that, repetitions, terribly formulaic, XANA-tised person/plushie of the week thing with towers to deactivate and whatnot, and a “return to the past” to erase whatever has occurred during the episode. Literally. 

But. 

Once again, a visible overarching plot, and can you believe it, things have consequences. William is lost on Lyoko, and the kids spend episodes looking for him. There’s romance, and though it is dealt with clumsily, there’s a sense of progression to it. Things… Happen… With… Consequences.

Miraculous is, for the most part, an inconsequential show

Yeah, the problem with Miraculous is that its overarching plot is muddy and flimsy, the status quo is very much that, I’d argue that it’s a show in which nothing truly happens because nothing has consequences. I mean… Nino and Alya are dating, I guess? Adrien… Is still allergic to pigeon feathers? There are sometimes more than just two heroes? But it doesn’t really matter.

And Oblivio is the perfect example of that.

That’s the message of the episode. Even if we forget things, it still works, there is no need for memory, for remembering what has happened in all the previous episodes because we still make it work somehow. What happened before this episode does not matter to the story we are telling now.

The show keeps telling the same things about its characters, over and over, and whenever something new is introduced… Well it’s great but don’t expect to see it in the episodes after that one.

Which is why specials, story arcs which last two episodes, are good. There is room for developed character moments, interesting interactions, plot, sometimes good fights too. Chloé shines in Queen’s Battle, “Origins” is, for me, probably the best bunch of episodes in the entire show so far because things happen and we can see change happening. Like, actual change. Characters who learn how to do stuff, whose interactions with one another changes over the course of these two episodes. 

Outside of this however… Here, have that very important book, we’ll see it in one or two episodes because we need a macguffin and voilà. Here, have new heroes, but don’t expect to see them after that episode, unless we need a real showdown. 

It’s hard to get hyped by Jeremy Zag’s posts, because no matter how cool Dragon!Kagami looks, because of that format of self-contained stories with the only connection being them being the same static characters. Kagami with a Kwami? Eh. It’ll be a one-off thing, sure it’ll be cool but to make the plot move on… Don’t sweat it. 

Speaking of Kagami, she is presented the exact same way in Frozer and Selfinsertepisode Animaestro, nothing has changed about the character, don’t worry, she’s still going to be used the exact same way, perhaps we’ll show once again that she really cares for Adrien but hey, we already knew that, there’s nothing new in Onichan. And that is symptomatic of the entire cast.

Is that format something the creators of the show absolutely wanted? Is near-stagnation what they wished for? Let’s decide it’s not their choice, and that they try their best with the limitations they have.

Would these flaws be this glaring if new episodes were aired weekly? Like, say, air three episodes during three weeks, a break and then some new episodes again? I think not. The wait and the lack of follow-up from one episode to the next makes them really noticeable, and watching them feels unfulfilling.

So that airing schedule I just suggested? That’s not how things work, that’s not how television works apparently and there’s nothing the people who work on Miraculous can ask about it. Thomas Astruc doesn’t know when the episodes will air, blah blah blah. Television networks not really caring about the shows they air? Never heard of that before, huh. SU

So I guess this is it, then. I hope you enjoyed this overlong post!

(shameful self-promotion moment, but about Kagami, I wrote a Kagaminette/Marigami fic, it’s 80,000 words so far and I update it on Mondays so give it a look if you want! It’s here.)

#miraculous #love square #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #ladybug and chat noir #kagami tsurugi #this show #could be so much better #instead it's a frustrating watch #rena rouge #carapace #hawk moth #thomas astruc #oblivio #monster of the week

[spnfanficpond]

February 2019 Pond LiveChat Recap

We had a great time chatting today with @impala-dreamer!! Thank you so much, Beka, for joining us!

We talked about self-publishing through Amazon, how to do it, what the benefits are, and the challenges to making a finished product. A rundown of the chat, as well as some general Pond news, is below the cut!

Q: What sort of music do you listen to when you write?

Beka: Oh, uh... Well, Actually, I have a lot of playlists on youtube. So it depends. I have a hardcore smut list that is just music that gets my hips moving... then a romance thing which is feely stuff. A "Deanspiration" list that oddly has zero Zepplin in it, just stuff that reminds me of him or gives me ideas. Sometimes I hear a song and it instantly snaps an idea. I write to music a lot.

Q: For everyone, do you reblog everything you read or do you think likes have the same “power” behind them?

Beka: No. If I read it, I reblog, unless it’s iffy. Iffy means, I read it, but wasn’t up my alley or I think it would be too triggering for people. I avoid those types of fics, anyway.

@mrswhozeewhatsis: There is a very small percentage of things I read that I won't reblog, but then, I haven't really read them, I've noped out for one reason or another. Usually grammar/formatting or content, not writing style, to be clear.

@girl-with-a-fandom-fettish: I guess one reason I suck at reblogging is a lot of the stuff I read has nothing to do with what is currently reblogged on my blog and that just doesn't match in my very matchy brain...is that just me?

@mrswhozeewhatsis: I believe that everyone should be able to put on their blog what they want. Some folks see their blog as a collection like in a museum. Some folks, like me, see it as more of a news feed. Collectors are less likely to reblog because they're carefully curating their blog. My advice to collectors is to then make a side blog where you can reblog the things you don't want to collect.

Q: What’s the biggest challenge you find in writing?

Beka: I think the biggest challenge for me is writing in the moment. I can't write if it's not flowing, and sometimes I try to force myself just to get the story out bc i fear i'm letting people down by not posting enough? But it’s not good when I do that, so I have to let myself go with the story that's with me at the moment. Sometimes it's two at once, like today. lol. Also, Sam is hard. (heheh no really, he is. also he is. but pg13)

Q: There are so many questions to about this process!

Beka: I do really get asked about it a lot, and it's really not that hard once you do it. It's annoying to navigate and decide what you want to do, but it really is awesome and not too frustrating. Amazon is really great because they do have an extensive help section AND message boards so you can ask and talk to other self publishers so it's like having someone with you.

Q: You said you chose to publish through Amazon. Out of curiosity, were there any other ways you heard about or considered before you settled on Amazon, and if so, was there a specific reason you didn't use them?

Beka:  I'm basically a Google fanatic, so when I decided to do this, I had no idea what I was doing so basically I goggled "How to self publish a book" and there were THOUSANDS of sites thrown at me. I honestly can't remember the other sites I looked at, but it basically came down to amazon was a company name I knew, I trusted, and had the best help and resources. And I have a kindle, so I figured that was easiest. I think I only looked into one or two others but I can't remember what they were. Amazon just stood out.  I did read up on like actually doing it yourself like through a book binder and all that and it was SOOOO much work this was just the easiest and most cost effective.

Q: Okay, but with Amazon, do they, like, own part of your content if you publish through them?

Beka: NOPE. I hold copyright to all my works. they just are the people who produce the actual physical book.

Q: What was the time frame, like from start to finish, I guess? Or the process if you don't mind. What did you have to do to get set up with Amazon?

Beka: Ok- so getting set up was easy. if you have an amazon account, you're good. Or you just make one. then there is a website- kdp.amazon.com -and they literally walk you through the entire process.  Someone up there asked how long it took -  I rushed it. my novel started as fanfic, which I wrote in about 2 months, then I took 2 weeks re-editing and changing to non-fanfic, then about a week editing again and formatting and then i had my hard copy. So, all in- maybe 3 months, but the actual amazon stuff takes a few days to get you a book in hand.

@kittenofdoomage: One thing I will say about Amazon, it's very convenient but I struggled with the covers and formatting.

Q: Did you have to use special software to submit your work?

Beka: I write in google docs, but amazon no likey- so I had to move everything over to Microsoft Word. and from there it gets updated. HOWEVER, there is now in beta testing an amazon program which I downloaded for my 3rd book but was too frustrated to figure out so I never used it. it's specifically for Kindle, but kindle didn't like my poetry format so I couldn’t do it.

@kittenofdoomage: They have step by step guides. And I use Google Docs, too, but you can download into a PDF or .doc file from there.

Q: So it's not a copy-paste thing, you upload the completed file then reformat it for amazon?

Beka: well... it's two different things for paperback and kindle. There are specific formatting guidelines for paperback such as margin sizes and gutters and such so when you turn a page it's not all wonky. Kindle formatting is MUCH easier to do. you just upload and it does it for you. The files for paperback need to be formatted with specific things. it's not hard... just annoying.

Q: You mentioned changing your fanfic into non-fanfic. Does that mean you can't have any fan elements in a story to publish it?

Beka: Well... my novel was basically a J2 x Reader BDSM fanfic, and so I changed J2 to original characters, I changed the show, the car, the everything. If you know that I write SPN fic, and you read it, you can see it's clearly SPN, but those who don't know SPN don't know that, because I've asked. lol. Also- someone read it recently and thought the Jared character was Jensen, so I guess I changed it enough.  I personally would not publish anything that actually said SPN or J2 or anything because those are copy-written characters and not mine so it does seem illegal to make money off of them, ya know? 

@mrswhozeewhatsis: It is actually illegal to make money off of fan fiction. The WB owns the characters and the show. If anyone else tries to make money off the characters or identifiable elements of the show, the WB can sue and win.

@kittenofdoomage: Those who use Patreon are covered under fair usage only because Patreon is a donation site.

Q: Were there any parts of the process that surprised you?

Beka:  Honestly, the entire thing surprised me. I went into it like just to see if it was possible and then i realized- I CAN’T publish my work. they WILL sell it. People WILL buy it. and it was all very shocking. It was scary, and I know people are intimidated by it, but it really was simple in the end, and if you want to do it- do it. It's awesome to look over at my bookshelf and see my name on actual, physical books ya know?

@kittenofdoomage: I was the same, Beka. I procrastinated for months. And okay, it wasn't a huge success but I learned from the first time, bettered myself the second time, and now.... I'm procrastinating again but that's not the point lol

Q: How much money do you make per sale?

Beka: It depends on the format and the cost you put. Like, for my short story and poetry book I make PROBABLY a few cents on it. My novel I make around $2 depending on the price I set. You set the selling price, and you can do sales and freebies. 

@kittenofdoomage: You can choose everything. They tell you how much you'll make from each copy sold.

Q: Do they tell you how much other authors sell similar works for, to give you an idea what others think is reasonable?

Beka: Yeah, you can look it up, too. They have a chart that's like, "This is your sale price. This is how much we take to make it. This is how much you get," and you can fiddle with it.

Q: Is there any kind of marketing happening on Amazon’s side, or is it all you?

Beka: They can do promotions, but you have to pay them to promote it.

Q: Did you look into promotion costs through Amazon? What kind of money are we talking, here?

Beka: Honestly, I don’t remember. When I see a fee of any kind I run for the hills because I'm cheap like that. lol. It's prob not too cheap BUT they also have this thing you can sign up for that's like a library kinda deal where your book can go on the free book a month kindle deal- i didn't do it bc you don't get royalties for it. but more people read it? idk what's best. It's all very over my head marketing.

@mrswhozeewhatsis: I guess if you're looking to become a popular selling author, and you have the cash to pay to promote it, then after a few books, it would pay off when you develop an audience.

Q: Do you think self publishing is the way to go long term, or maybe a better in terms of testing the waters? I realize you are still in the latter stage but I'm curious about your opinion...

Beka: Here's my thoughts: I used to be a singer/songwriter. I played in Manhattan. I had paying gigs. I recorded an album. I thought I could make it work. But I didn't go for it. No one handed me a record contract. I let it all go to have my kids and family.  I want to write. I realize no one's gonna stick their hand out and hand me a publishing deal. BUT I might be able to pay some bills with my books. I might be able to write enough, well enough to sell some books. and if i sell enough books, maybe a publisher WILL see me and then I can attempt the next stage.  I think self publishing is great. Why not? Do it if you want to do it. If you want to write, write. If you want to share it, share it. Who's to stop you? And if you can share it through self publishing with people all over the world?? freaking do it, man. 

Q: What is your best piece of writing advice?

Beka: OK, my best writing advice is... See it, feel it, write it. If you don't feel what you're writing, I'm not gonna feel it reading it. I think i'm more of an emotional writer than a descriptive. I can't tell you what the room looks like that they're in, but I can tell you how it feels that Dean just stepped on that Lego. ya know? Idk. Write what you see and feel, and put yourself into it, and it'll be amazing. 

Q: Are you a planner or a pantser?

Beka: Planner? SOMETIMES. It depends. I have plans for series, but shorter things I just go with the flow. I'm constantly messaging Ashley like "DEAN JUST DID X. I DID NOT SEE THAT COMING!" lol

Q: Do you outline at all, or just have a general goal in mind?

Beka: I do outline series. but not... strictly or drastically. Like, right now i'm working on a series for my kink bingo that's alternates between the brothers. I have a general plot line over all to follow, but i've also set it up like c1- flogging. c2- spanking, etc. 

Q: What is something you know now that you wish you knew before you published?

Beka: I think I'd tell myself to not worry and just freaking write what I want.

Q: Do you have a writing schedule or something that keeps you productive?

Beka: No. I try very hard to have a schedule, but I'm a little... slightly... bipolar I think and my writing follows my moods. I can write 20K in a weekend and then nothing for a week. I just literally ride the wave of ideas. Like, currently I'm in a slump. but I wrote 10K this week before the slump hit. It's quite annoying.

Except for some general conversation about the stupid places and times we all get ideas and the incomprehensible notes we’ve all left for ourselves, the chat ended. A good time was had by all, I think!! Thanks to everyone who was there! @littlegreenplasticsoldier @kittenofdoomage @girl-with-a-fandom-fettish @because-imma-lady-assface @canadianspnhunter (And two folks whose URLs I never got: Cassie and Shaila)

General Pond Updates and Reminders

Angel Fish Award nominations are due soon! Click the link for the list of raffle prizes! Remember, every nomination is an entry! So far, we’ve only received three or four nominations. If you have sent in a nomination, but have not received a private message confirming we received it, we didn’t get it. Send it in again! Be sure to use Submit instead of Ask!

Don’t forget to submit your stories to be posted to the blog! When your stories are on the blog, then they are easier to nominate for Angel Fish Awards!

SPNFanFicPond Season 14 Weekly Episode Writing Challenge - New prompts go up after every new episode, and there’s no deadline! Check out the prompts and rules at the link!

Say hi to February’s New Members!

Check the Pond CALENDAR to see when Big Fish will be in the chat room and other Pond and SPN events are happening! Know of something that’s not on the calendar, send us an ask or submission with the deets info details!  The calendar offers a lot of features, such as showing you when things are in your own timezone! Since we’re an international group, that’s a definite plus!!

Next month’s LiveChat details will be published as soon as we know them! Hope to see you there!

#spnfanficpond live chat #chat room #let's chat #THE CHAT ROOM #pond chat

[miss-eee]

Let’s have a conversation.

I feel like there should be general rules of etiquette for reading fanfiction. 

We all have triggers or squicks that make us go- nope, I don’t want to continue reading this. Maybe the grammar is atrocious, maybe the formatting is wonky, maybe you feel the characters are too OOC, or you don’t agree with the actions of a character. All of these are completely valid reasons for not liking a fanfiction, and you are completely justified in your opinion and your decision to dislike any particular fic. 

What I feel you are not justified in, is your reaction to said fic. I feel like there are a few things you need to further evaluate before you make the decision to leave a negative comment. 

What are your other possible choices of action? 

First and foremost, there is always that X in the corner. 

If you do not feel hitting that X is a solution for you, ask yourself if this is an author you’ve interacted with before? Do you know them in fandom or comment frequently? Would you feel comfortable messaging them privately to discuss your concerns? Have they provided the appropriate urls to contact them at, either on Tumblr or on discord? 

Where I feel where you are unjustified, is attacking a fanfiction writer for their choice of character portrayal. Regardless of if the author notes state that this fic is personal or based on real-life experience, all fanfiction is personal to the author. Every single fanfiction writer pours their heart and soul into their art, into their fic.

You are also unjustified in attacking a fanfiction writer on a personal level. This is absolutely uncalled for and should not even require noting. 

If you think a writer isn’t reading your comments, you are very wrong. If you think a writer isn’t taking your comment personally, you are very wrong. If you think your comments will not stick with a writer for days or months, you are very wrong. 

I am a strong supporter of appropriately tagging fics, and I’ve also ran across things that were vaguely tagged or not tagged properly. I feel confident that the majority of fanfiction writers would immediately update a tag if you informed them, politely and privately, that you did not feel it was tagged correctly because it could be a potential trigger to them or someone else. In the case that I am referencing, the tags have already been updated. There’s no further need for that to be pointed out. 

Fandom and fanfiction are what you make it. If you read something in a fic that triggers or you don’t agree with, you are not obligated to continue further reading. If you don’t agree with something someone posts or reblogs, you have the option to block them. You have the option to filter and save your settings to avoid catching a fic that may trigger you. I understand that this only applies to fics that are tagged properly, and this is unfortunate. I wish there was a tag for unformatted fics because I would save that to automatically exclude. 

I by no means, mean to attack anyone for their opinions on characterization or their triggers. My sole purpose in this, is to further awareness of respecting fanfiction writers. I am truly sorry if you do not agree with me, you are entitled to your opinion in the same way as I am entitled to mine.