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laylawatermelon · 4 months

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The K-Drama Of It All

Hello! My hyper fixation has (very unhealthily) latched onto this show so I'm gonna be analyzing.

First of all, I am a veteran in these spaces.

Very shy in real life I am an avid observer in all my fandoms but TRUST I know what's up at all times because of it.

This first analysis will be of the phenomenon of how they playing in my face with the classic K-Drama tropes and cinematic choices.

Let us begin.

Now we all agree that The Bear is a cinematic masterpiece right? Right.

I have been consuming media across all mediums since I was a kid.

I quite literally spent most of my life watching behind the scenes, in front of the scenes, and in between the scenes.

I'm also an aspiring filmmaker and screenwriter. As such I analyze stuff I like more.

I try to understand why they are the way they are.

Now that we got all the fluff out of the way let's get down to the nitty gritty.

*stands on soapbox*

Page 1 of 10000 ehem

In this this essay I will -!

Fr tho. Let's look at this from a K-Drama perspective.

I've spent about 10-12/13 years watching them. And luckily got into it during the golden era.

I literally watched She Was Pretty air (among others). Ex, Strong Woman, Descendants of the Sun (never watched; controversy+ bad attention span), School 2013.

So you know I'm (somewhat) of an og.

I'm those shows it's very formulaic.

This can extend to other Asian dramas but I'm going to try to stick to K-Dramas.

For example, the 10 ep rule. Must have a kiss or kiss in that episode. (Before is fine)

Now they're getting a little willy nilly and getting down in the first EP but I can argue they was down bad back then as well. Just more angsty longing looks.

(which tbf Sydcarm does all the time but it's 99% Carm though)

In KDramas there's something common in the cinematography that I'd call the halo of light. Almost all the time there are some form of beauty shots with them beautifully lit where they're together, the way they look at each other etc.

Which ironically they do with these two a lot on the show.

I know the show is gorgeous but you can't just explain away some of the choices.

I have watched and read a lot of discussions so this will be influenced by a lot of people. I will mention when I got the help from (if i can find it).

Now I just want to say I think this.

These following trope have been here since the dawn of K-Drama time.

Enjoy my infodump.

Firstly let's discuss this here:

1. The Meet Cute/Halo Effect

We've all been screaming to the void about the classic meet cute that happens with Carmy's life and him being constantly bombarded with noise and chaos.

Stylistically this wouldn't be a typical formula for K-Dramas as it leans more into Kmovie style (which valid The Bear was originally a movie) I think it's as textbook as it comes.

Now the original script (which I have read) had a story of different tone. Very Chicago and chaotic but still...

In this iteration of the script idk what the actors were on but JAW looked at the script and chemistry test and was like hmm yes.

A dramatic romcom. I see.

For her she's an ambitious woman who has (maybe a tiny crush) admiration for him cause like he's literally who she wants to be.

Young, talented and successful. He's made a name in their industry so of course she wants to work under him.

But he he's playing the male lead in an early K-Drama with the classic *she enters* and it's like the second coming out Christ being lit from behind her.

The classic 'I can't believe I never noticed how beautiful she is' in all dramas (and romcoms honestly).

You can also compare it to the corny slightly funny moments in slow motion when they miss each other/do the angsty look.

Like this.

Good old kdrama tropes.

What's interesting is that in their scene they do the opposite of what a K-Drama would usually do. They cut the music and let it become calm.

You get to breathe and relax and so does he. He feels at peace.

In K-Dramas, osts are a kind of a life line so they would most likely blare it when he has that realization.

And then at every other romantic moment after.

Another way that it could be is by using very like calm music (still the ost but still).

They do use this with having mostly romantic music in their scenes but it's usually quiet and a bit hard to hear or understand (unless you're analyzing like many of the wonderful people on this app).

Now you can argue her warm lighting in each scene from the finale and introduction represents his hope/life/good change being given back to him in the form of her (but if that's not the most romantic thing I ever heard).

Now for the flashback in the panic attack scene you could argue the blue tone he sees her in, as it usually represents some kind of sadness/distance/professionalism in this show, it can also represent his piercing blue eyes remembering her in the only shade they know how.

Good God that color grading is nuts. His eyes *ARE* the color Blue.

Now I want to talk a bit more about shot composition, color grading and color choices.

In a few interviews I've seen and read the editors, directors and others were quite serious about the shots and music they used were very much on purpose.

I mean come on.

Also Announcement from a novel/screenwriter:

EHEM

WE DON'T EVER INCLUDE NOTHING THAT CAN BE MISINTERPRETED IN SCRIPTS!

AND THE DIRECTOR WOULD DEFINITELY CUT IT IF IT WASN'T HOW HE ENVISIONED IT!

(/hj)

The most telling scenes is the beginning of omlette and the end of the episode before it.

The director had chose to show her tattoo that represents loss in a deep blue lighting which was actually in a similar lighting that Carmy and Claire were bathed in afterwards.

The quora search says it means pain, heartbreak, and emotional turmoil.

It also lines up with the rest of the shots with him preparing dinner with Claire and her being alone.

I believe this kind of represents the emotional cheating (?) going on between them as he practically abandoned her (and their child, The Bear).

(which is a wild choice for platonic coworkers)

As I've said before blue lighting is usually representative of sadness, coldness etc.

In the scene personally even without connecting it to shipping or everything the message came clear to me.

Suffocation.

He was quite literally being suffocated as in the last scene her body was on his as he stared in the distance blankly.

Honestly that shot was kind of heartbreaking because it feels like coercion in a warped way.

He feels like he should be happy, he should participate in these acts, he should be doing well.

He's fulfilling his family's wish.

So why isn't he happy?

That's my writer kicking in but that's what I got from it.

🥲 (gimme a sec i gotta cry)

But the same blue tone was used in his panic attack as the camera zoomed in.

Now the ironic part was that they used warm lighting for the scenes with Claire, but it's not that unusual.

Warm lighting has always been used to also represent a time period in the past in addition to good/warm times.

What's ironic is what's literally colored in what should represent good times isn't working.

He's remembering his family in those same tones. The past isn't helping.

But the future does.

Enter Sydney in blue.

Now blue usually represents sadness (or calm) but it's also used in futuristic scenes.

*They benefit from the cold clinical look i guess🤷🏾‍♀️*

Then he becomes calm.

I can also say that their kitchen scenes in early season 2 are blue coded but it has a calm feeling not a distant feeling. It ironically feel warm and calming despite the cool tone.

This appears in a couple other scenes in the show when he's showing her the work done in the early season.

But color wise it's usually warm tones with them as the color kind of transitions in that scene. It's half half.

His view is warm because he thinks she's good with what he did and hers is cold because he ditched her so yeah.

Now shot wise let's discuss because it's a bit obvious.

The staff head mentioned loving close ups to show the characters emotion but also to convey a sense of what's not being said.

An example of his uncertainty with Claire is the car scene. In most of his shots it's extremely close to her and gives off an awkward vibe.

But when you go to her perspective, she's more open and his shots show background and more of his character, also reflecting their relationship with each other,

This persists with the kitchen scene as well.

When I rewatch it it has that same quality. It's a bit more pulled out (obviously as they literally spent the night together so anyone would feel closer) but there's still an awkward/dreamlike feel like when its on her like she's not quite based in reality.

Or in Carmy's self sabotaging view, too good to be true.

In comparison to Sydney, the shots with her are almost always wide and open.

We see it with them as early in season one with the outside scene where he's staring her down and gets her to open up.

You can argue that almost all of their shots are as equals, or in the same frame with an openness that have/represents when they're communicating with each other. (I'm def writing about their communication)

Sydney's character is ironically what a male lead would be like and Carmy would be more of the female archetype.

Which I really appreciate now that I think about it.

The male lead is usually very successful/good at what they do, hesitant to share but when they do you feel it and know it's sincere. They're usually more bumbly with expressing when they're emotional but when they do its like a huge release. And when they love it's very obvious and excessive at times.

In comparison, Carmy is very expressive, sensitive and aware. He's devoted (Claire sorry but you don't quite count) to things he's passionate about, willing to communicate and has traits of sensitivity.

His eyes and body tells what he's feeling almost immediately. (Also JAW is just an incredible actor)

In Kdrama land their roles would be switched. Hell I can argue some American dramas as well.

Back on topic though.

The Halo Effect is there. Like all the time.

To my next point-

2. The She Looks Away, I Look At Her

Now you may argue this is very Disney Rapunzel, all that coded.

You will also be correct.

I am a Disney (more Nick honestly) kid.

This too applies to the K-Drama world nay I would say it originated there (it did not).

Do you know how many shows I can name where the male lead is just hopelessly in awe as he stared at the female lead because she just insulted him and he wants to tell her he loves her in every way.

Ring ring.

I heard The Bear calling. Yeah imma need you to clock out on this gaslighting.

time to fangirl

Look at the gif sets!

But honestly, it's a common way to show that the character cares and wants a person without outright saying it.

You understand the vibes almost instantly.

He likes her. He wants more.

She likes him. She wants more.

3. Matching Clothes

This one is a simple one but we all know how common it is in K-Dramas to have a matching something.

A good example of a recent show is Extraordinary Attorney Woo, and how they almost always matched even if he was in casual clothing and she was in office clothes.

You're supposed to get a telepathy feel from them. Like they're on the same wavelength.

In ships/shows they usually subconsciously brainwash you into details of a relationship by having them wear or have something that reminds you of them.

In wardrobe, clothing is meticulously planned to match characters financial situation and express their personality. The clothes tell the story.

And the story usually is we go together. Real bad.

So yeah, sure in this scene/episode they were more in tune and tandem and as time went on they became more disjointed.

Granted they do work in a place with uniforms but I digress.

And lastly my third point part II-

Same But Different

If this were a kdrama there'd be like 0.00% chance that they WOULDN'T happen.

First they're the main leads so duh, and second the way that they parallel each other is insane.

There are many edits and examples of them directly mirroring each other in certain situations.

Scrubbing the floors when feeling lonely seemingly in the exact same spot, stressing in the freezer, saying stuff at the same time and their weird telepathy and answering each other's - sandwiches (that's what I was gonna say).

(sorry)

And if any of you say work wife I will rage cause let me catch my man laying under a table like that!!!

Sparta!

But for real, yes there's intimacy and friendship and all that but I ain't everr look at my friends of either gender like that.

If did I probably had feelings and just kept em in. And did the Carmy puppy eyes (TM).

And yes we are aware Carmy is emotionally constipated like a coke bottle filled with mentos with a tight cap on and his lack of a social life coupled with his (many) different mental illnesses/difficulties.

So he probably doesn't even recognize or even want to recognize them as such and honestly as a 4 lifer

I'm really sad but I don't think he'll confess in the next season.

I'm making a post about it but I'm also uncertain about it lasting more than three seasons as thematically and the way it was intended to be a movie I feel kind of uncertain.

It can extend to 4 but it was intended and the way it's narratively been flowing its exactly like a 3 act structure just spread out (like butter).

The next season is after the dark of night aka main character loses everything.

This season was fun and games - quite literally him having amusement and such. (Training Arc!!) It ended with his demise I'd say.

Now there's no where to go but up.

I'm not saying that it's impossible, but a 4th season would likely be more aimed toward getting a star or maintaining a star etc and family ties and such.

That'd be most likely when, if any, outwardly romantic contact should happen.

But they might surprise me.

Butt honestly in KDrama land there's no way the set up isn't romantic even if it was just a chef or professional focused show.

I'd say it'd be standard honestly for ones focused on career with a dash of romance.

Ex. Miss Hammurabi (best example)

The Good Doctor (Japanese Version)

There's probably more but I exclusively watch romance so 🤷🏾‍♀️.

In Conclusion,

Yes. They are end game.

I also wanna say how odd it is that this ship is attacked by fans of the show and non fans alike because I've literally grew up in the age of Rise of The Brave Tangled Guardians.

There's nothing more random than that time period.

They all dated each other!

Like my guy there's a Tony the Tiger x Grinch fic and don't even get me started on the Onceler selfcest as different flavors of himself (/j i love stuff like this)!

My point is it's not that unusual for the two leads to be shipped. Same gender or not.

I also have years of teenage brain rot developed from eating movies for breakfast so I know more than you! (/hj) I'm obviously right!

I will be discussing some more of this in length at a later date.

But I rest my case.

I will retreat into my cave until next time.

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cafeinthemoon · 3 months

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Ruins - Part XXII: Outtake

Chapter 22/outtake

Wordcount 442

Title Part XXII: Outtake

Fandom Shummatsu no Valkyrie / Record of Ragnarok

Previous chapters

1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 5 . 6 . 7 . 8 . 9 . 10 . 11 . 12 . 13 . 14 . 15 . 16 . 17 . 18 . 19 . 20 . 21 . 22

Symbols ⭕ . ➕ . 💛

Warnings: None

Tagging @holdyourwine @lilacshouko @shirayuki-ayumi @telvess @alecfromsaturn (If you want to be tagged in any of my stories, just leave a comment on this chapter or send an ask or a message)

N. A.: I planned to include this scene in Part 22 for the sake of cuteness, but it ended up making the chapter too long, and since it wasn't an essential scene I decided to cut it from the final text. Still, I like it and I wanted to share it with you <3

At some point, you heard a brushing noise coming from a bush ahead you; when you looked at it, you saw a small creature with reddish fur jumping out of the green sphere. The animal approached the bench with hesitant steps and you recognized it as an earthly being – a red panda.

You covered your mouth with both hands in surprise, and also to muffle your laugh and not scare the animal.

– I can’t believe it – you murmured as the panda approached the bench with its rushed little steps – An animal from Midgard!

The panda stopped by your feet, smelling your surroundings. You held your breath, then dared stretch your hand to see its reaction. And, to your joy, the creature approached and brushed his black nose on your fingers.

Hades was observing everything in silence. You turned to him.

– This is the first one I see since I arrived here. Are there others?

– Yes, but they use to show up at the end of the day – he explained – This one is a bit late. Maybe he’s just too curious and decided to say hi before finally getting to bed.

– I see – you observed the panda and tried to pet its head, but only managed to brush the red fur for a second.

The animal, after having its curiosity satisfied, decided it had nothing more to do in your company and moved away, disappearing among the green shadows as fast as it came.

You took some time to silently appreciate your surroundings as they displayed what would be a pleasing Spring morning in Midgard. You thought of this for a moment: the plants, the creatures and that whole environment were those of from Midgard, just everything you saw along your stay in the areas reserved to humans in those blessed lands – and all of them were designed by your husband. You felt your respect and admiration for him grow the same way it did when you took your first walk in the Gardens, when you ate pomegranates.

– You thought of all of this before we got married – you said suddenly; and, turning to him, – You thought of everything.

Hades replied with the same modest smile he gave you when you asked if he was there during the planting of the pomegranate tree.

– I wouldn’t say that. I’d say I’ve work with every necessary resource and with the best people I could find, so everything you’ve seen around would have the power of bringing smiles to the young humans’ faces – he raised his fingers to brush your hair – And, as a payment for all this work, yours will be forever on my sight.

Part XXIII

#snv x reader #ror x reader #ror hades x reader #snv hades x reader #shuumatsu no valkyrie x reader

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ephemerasnape · 1 month

Note

You post a lot of stuff that is considered dark or disturbing. Do people get frustrated about it?

I usually avoid mentioning that I'm into it and lately been thinking that it is a very unhealthy situation. Should I really be hiding a part of myself for the sake of some internet person who I don't know because they might get traumatized by the idea?

You seem very comfortable with your fantasies and preference. Is there way to do the same and still fit in the fandom?

Well consider this can of worms open!

Honestly, until recently, no, and I have been posting dark stuff since.. July or thereabouts? Since then people have mostly left me alone to do my thing.

But someone getting upset over the mere existence of my content doesn't bother me. The only thing that does bother me is when I feel blindsided by a negative response that I didn't really foresee as a possibility.

Feel free to hate my content. That shouldn't translate to hating me. Trust me - I hate a lot of other people's content too!

I understand that there is a risk of a negative response when I share something truly disturbing, so when I put my dark fiction, audios, et cetera, out there (some of which disturb even me), it doesn't surprise me that some people react badly to them. I am prepared for it to a degree. It's not ideal, but it's something I usually just laugh at. Actually, I am a little surprised it has not happened more frequently.

As far as fitting in with "the fandom," or fitting in anywhere else for that matter, I gave up on all that around the age of 12, so... it's a struggle I simply cannot relate to.

Black sheep? Who you callin' a herd animal???

I just do my own thing. It would be nice to feel more part of the fandom, but the whole "outside-looking-in" syndrome is a permanent fixture in my life.

Does it seem to an outside observer as if I fit in with the Hogwarts Legacy fandom? If so, it's probably a "fake it til you make it" type of thing. I am not in any discords except my own, none of the "big names" ever really reblog or interact with my stuff except on rare occasions.. I try to talk to people and they ignore me, and that's fine (OK IT'S NOT FINE 😭).

I do fucked up shit with characters that are far from the most popular - some of my more mainstream stuff has gotten a lot more traction. But I also know a lot of people enjoy my work who do not wish to draw attention to that fact.

I am decidedly and passionately myself, at great social cost at times. Being less authentic is something I am actually working on, in order to have a more robust social life at the very least, but it honestly requires too much emotional work from me to behave in a way that doesn't feel authentic to me.

That said, I am lucky to have a small but dedicated group of witches who are either ardent fans of my work or are otherwise supportive of the kinds of fanworks (and jokes) I make. We have a discord if anyone wants to join. No doxxing required (saw a new HL discord that makes you submit a photo ID???? Hard pass.)

This being Tumblr, indulging in degenerate fandom stuff is kind of the point.

So, let's do it!

#asks #personal #hogwarts legacy fandom #darkfic #dark wizard smut

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tsaritza-mika · 1 year

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Unpopular Opinion #3

Okay...so this might ruffle some feathers, but I still really feel it needs to be said. As always, if you don’t like what I have to say, just keep scrolling. I am a full believer in curating your own internet experience, and if you find yourself upset about a random opinion, please just leave and find something that makes you happy. You deserve it, and I promise that you will never hear me advocate otherwise.

Now then... Let’s talk a bit about our favorite mountain man. Shall we?

I see a lot of posts, especially as of late, that really go hard on the way Muriel’s route dealt with his various issues. Now, yes, Muriel is not one of my top LIs, he’s jut not the personality type that really gels with me, but I love him as much as I do all six of them for different reasons. I also acknowledge that his route isn’t perfect, but I honestly don’t think it’s nearly as bad as other people automatically jump to. Muriel has a metric fucking ton of issues, which include severe lack of self esteem, trauma that links to both those self esteem issues and his time in Vesuvia’s arena, depression, and some fun little sprinklings of Nihilism just for extra flavor. And all of that is just from a pure amateur observation. I’m not a psychologist, nor will I ever claim to be, but from the little bit that I know from former college classes and being friends with people who have experienced trauma from various forms of abuse, Muriel has all of these issues, and likely more that I’m not immediately familiar with.

A good amount of people in the fandom seem to believe that a better way for Muriel’s route to go would have had him ending up being more forceful in standing up to Lucio, really digging into him for the harm that he caused and is still causing, and more of coming out of his shell than he did. Now, while that would be a more dramatic take, you’ve gotta keep something important in mind: give or take a few years, Muriel has been dealing with most of these issues since he was at least around 6-8 years old. If we assume he’s maybe somewhere along the lines of 26-28, that’s twenty years of issues in an increasingly hostile situation. A single year alone of that much negativity is likely to leave some pretty impressive mental scars, let alone the possibility of twenty or more.

People who experience trauma will process and react to it differently, this is true, but to say that it’s OOC to have Muriel just be only a little more talkative and at ease with others outside of MC and Asra, strikes me as those who aren’t very familiar with how trauma can actually work. The entire ‘stick it to them’ fantasy seems great and totally cathartic in theory, but when victims of abuse and trauma actually have that chance, more often than not, I’ve only ever known them to prefer not wanting to be anywhere near their tormentors. Muriel actually being comfortable with himself, speaking up more, but still very much wanting his distance from everyone is a HUGE step in his healing process, and I honestly don’t think people give him enough credit for that.

Muriel has been exploited and manipulated, verbally and likely physically abused, and all of that we could apply to JUST the time he was known in Vesuvia under the mantle of ‘The Scourge of The South’. We see in the Travel at Night tale that he already dealt with excess stress and fear from traveling through a war-zone at a very young age, where he says he even distinctly remembers hearing Lucio enjoying himself as he killed others. He’s already terrified by roughly age 12 when Lucio picks him out of the other street kids. He’s very aware that Lucio would enjoy hunting and killing him, and for a child to be aware of this, that alone is gonna fuck him up somethin’ fierce for a long time. Hell, when Lucio points him out from the other kids, he’s so afraid of him and what he knows Lucio is capable of, that his arms and legs go numb, and he can’t move. And later when he’s talking to Asra, if chosen, the response he gives Asra when asked about what he would do with magic is to make himself invisible, the very thing he’d wanted since the start of that tale. He wanted to be left alone, not deal with those kids who wanted to hurt others and steal, or be noticed by Lucio.

Muriel even straight up tells MC and Julian when they visit him in the forest during Julian’s route that he asked to have the gift of being forgotten. If he was forgotten as soon as he left someone’s sight, he wouldn’t be exploited anymore, and he wouldn’t be forced to take lives in exchange for keeping his most precious person safe anymore. To Muriel, deeply set in his traumatized and self loathing state, it was the perfect solution. Being forgotten meant that he wouldn’t take up space, that no one would force him to hurt or scare others just to exist, and that Asra, the only person who had ever told him he was worth it and more, wouldn’t be taken from him.

You don’t just magically get better when your tormentor is gone or gets what they deserve, and confronting your abuser is not always going to be the right answer that puts you on the road to healing those mental scars. Muriel is far from cured of his issues by the end of his route. If anything, the end of his route is just the start of his even longer road to recovery and being able to fully enjoy and embrace life without fear that he’s taking up space and isn’t wanted. He’s just gotten better about it all. People who experience trauma can take years to even begin to feel comfortable in their own skin, but Muriel learning that he has value, that others value him and want him around without asking for anything in return, and to learn that others will sacrifice for you because they want your happiness instead of some leverage on something you can do for them; there is just so much beauty in the subtlety of that, and I honestly don’t think it gets the attention it rightfully deserves.

#the arcana game #the arcana #muriel of the kokhuri #the arcana muriel #unpopular opinion

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antebunny · 3 months

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random observations about kudos/hits ratios on ao3

so i've been reading fic on ao3 since uhhhh about 2016? 2015 maybe? and writing since 2018 ish. during those years i've made a few observations about common ao3 reader/author behaviors. i thought i'd share them with the obvious caveat that i am limited to the fandoms i've been in and my own personal experiences

One-Shots

generally the standard for one-shots is a 1/10 kudos/hit ratio. meaning if a fic has 3,000 hits, it has at least 300 kudos.

if a fic has a kudos/hit ratio below 10%, it probably has an unsatisfying ending. i almost never see the ratio lowered for poor writing quality.

the exception is fics tagged Unhappy Ending or Hurt No Comfort. those get less hits but the people reading know what they're getting in to. those fics will generally stay within a 10% range.

generally fluff one-shots or fics that are all comfort, no hurt have the highest ratios of any category of fics, sometimes reaching as high as 20%.

Multi-Chaptered Fics

these fics are damn lucky if they reach 10% lmaooo

this is a gradient of sorts, though. complete fics with 2/3 chapters have a much higher chance of being near a 1/10 kudos/hit ratio, while those decade-long 400k 50 chaptered epics are probably near 1%.

based on how ao3 hits work, i would guess that this is because there's a higher chance of ao3 registering another hit even if the reader is just reading the latest updates.

basically, a 2-chapter fic started and finished within two weeks has a very good chance of being above the 10% ratio. that really long fic you spent a week reading three years ago which made you feel like you just ran a marathon? not a chance.

a brief tangent into chapter lengths: a higher length correlates with higher quality. i want to emphasize (actually, i want to tell twelve-year-old self this, but 12 y/o me is beyond our help now) that quantity does NOT make quality. just because you can squeeze an extra thousand words into chapter 3 doesn't make the story any better. however, in general, the writing quality of a 30k fic with 3 chapters will be higher than that of a 30k fic with 30 chapters.

there are exceptions! i once read a very long fic with very long chapters where the writing was, for lack of a better descriptor, extremely childish. the author mostly rotated the same ten verbs around and around for 100k. also sometimes you read a 400-word one-shot that mentally destroys you for weeks.

of course, at the end of the day none of this matters. i wrote a barely decent 42k 5-chapter fic which is somehow over the 10% ratio. i cannot for the life of me understand why this is. it's not good, you guys. it's really not. on the other hand, i wrote a 37k one-shot which is below the 10% ratio. the kudos/hit ratio has not changed how i view the quality of those fics, it just convinced me that some of y'all have no taste.

these really are just random observations i've made from my six ish years putting fic on the good old Archive. it's not meant to be a reading guide, just something that makes you go "huh."

#ao3 #random observations

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seldomscilence16 · 7 months

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Whumptober day 12:

"I haven't slept in days, but who's counting?"

Red | insomnia | "im up, im up!"

Fandom: Voltron

Prompts used: All

Alrighty! Part 2 of day 3! Hehehehehe! (This turned Klancey on me so fast i didnt even see it coming…) As always the timeline is screwed, I am pickpocketing the moments I want and placing them on a conspiracy board to my aesthetic liking. This deals with the aftermath of isolation, and its effects- to the best of my limited knowledge- so please tread carefully. Would love to hear from y'all if you like it! Thanks!

Ps: Since alien measures of time are slightly longer I'm going off of someone elses calculations of what they may be. (Spiralled_Fury on A03) so a movement is 1.23 weeks which is roughly 8 days and something hours.

…

The observation deck is quiet and dark, nothing but that soothing blue glow of Altean technology- nothing like that yellow of-

The stars, foreign as they may be, are nice to look at. The castle hums, and Blue is present in his mind, and it's a calm night in the open space. In a few minutes he'll make his rounds, check on each inhabitant of the castle, each of whom he sent to bed about a varga- hour- ago. It's been about a movement- a week since the pod, and that extra day and a little that he was in it- since his… rescue. He's tried his best to return to what was, but sometimes he wonders if he even should.

He loves his team, he has been 'loverboy Lance' since practically birth. He cared so deeply about others, in detriment to himself typically, that even as a baby he knew when something was wrong with his family. They worried about him and his horrid taste in people, Hunk had barely made the cut and he's… well Hunk. But he just knows that if his Mama had been here watching their lives, he'd have gotten smacked upside the head, hugged to death, and whisked away with only the destruction her Chancla left behind them.

That other voice in his head however pipes up, reminding him that they are children in war, lost in space and far away from all they have ever known. This team of teenagers is being led by two young adults, with one actual adult juggling a million duties behind them. This is a battlefield, and in a castle meant to house so many many more, 7 people barely fill a corner of it.

Lance knows that they are good people. The thing that scared his family the most, was not that he could not discern the good and the bad people, but that he cared for them anyway like it would do something. (That's not true, he went to them because they gave him the time of day, you can only be used if you have a use after all…)

But with the team, he knew they were good people. But they were also tired, traumatized and thrust into the turbulence, trials and tribulations of war and adulthood in one go. Lance had chosen who he was going to be the minute they'd all met in the desert. For kids lost in space needed something to ground them, something to make them smile, and remind them to rest, and to reminisce on home and what they fight for. But that apparently also made him the least, it felt like he was always coming up short or failing all together. That what he was doing was nothing to the team.

He… didn't want to go back to that. But if he had to choose between that and the room, well… it wasn't a hard choice he supposed.

His knees creak as he stands, he has to consciously straighten his back and neck- he doesn't have to duck or crouch anymore, there's room Lance, remember- his legs wobble for only a second before he takes his first step. He reminds himself that that's okay, he was gone for… a long time, and he sat or crouched or layed for all of it, his legs needed time to adjust to walking again.

Bare feet pad slightly as he makes his familiar route. The Alteans are first, he can hear Corans snoring outside his door, and a small peek shows Allura curled up with the mice slumbering in her hair, her brow is relaxed and form loose, she needed the rest. Shiro is next, and he frowns at his leader's tense form, fist clenched in his sheets. He leans against the doorway, wracking his brain for a tune, and hums the first one he thinks of softly. He doesn't know why it works, why Shiro's whole form melts into the bed after a few moments of it, but he won't complain either, Shiro deserved good sleep.

Hunk is next, and like Coran he can hear his snores through the door, though a deeper timbre and slightly quieter. He wants to peek in but Hunk is a light sleeper so he allows himself a few moments to listen before moving to Pidges room. The little gremlin is stubborn and Lance always has to prepare for the possibility of her being awake, so he braces himself as he opens her door. Her breaths are soft and though he has to maneuver around her heaps of who knows what, he finally finds her sprawled like a broken starfish in her bed, glasses askew and laptop haphazardly on her lap. He smiles at the drool at the corner of her mouth and shakes his head, carefully slipping off her glasses and placing them atop her laptop on her side table. He pulls the covers over her as she curls up on her side and lingers for only a moment, he still has one more person to check on.

Keith's room is empty, two warring feelings hit him at once- a wave of panic and a tired sigh of exasperation. He makes his way to the training room, hearing the sounds of the gladiator from down the hall. He's too tired to interrupt this time round, Keith's chest is heaving so he'll probably be done soon anyway. He leans against the doorway watching mullet maneuver around the sparring section, more aggression than tact in his movements than usual, and finds his eyes feeling heavy.

It's not a new feeling, he's felt strangely heavy for a while now despite his ribs doing their best at being one of those wooden frogs that you can make croak. He's only been able to get a few hours in this week, not that the team knows, or they haven't said anything. But everytime he closes his eyes…

The walls glow yellow and seem to creep closer every time he blinks, but if he doesn't blood starts to seep from the crevices he could never peel open and flood the room. He'll float there, eyes unblinking as he screams but no sound reaches his ears. The not bread and the not water dance a tango in front of him before launching down his throat as pain erupts from his very bones and his head expLOADS-

"LANCE!"

"I'm up, I'm up!" He flails, wobbles backwards, falls-

Finds himself looking into Keith's frazzled eyes as the sweaty samurai holds him to his tense form. The image and sensations are too real, it was just a dream, he must have dozed off, he's fine, Keith is here and he's fine.

"Sorry, I uh… was here to make you sleep ha…" Lance's body refuses to cooperate, but Keith seems to read him well enough, moving them until they're both simply sitting in the entrance.

"You were… uh, you didn't look er no, I mean that it just seemed like something was freaking you out." Keith to his part, is even more awkward than Lance, but he's also actively working his sentences through so that's something.

"Oh yeah… I'm fine, sorry." Lance looks away, rubbing at his face to stave off what he saw.

"You look exhausted, I thought you were already in bed. What are you doing up again?" Keith ducks his head to see his face, sweaty mullet hanging in a scraggly mess.

"I look awesome." Lance scoffs halfheartedly, definitely not saying what he was going to say because 'I haven't slept in days, but who's counting?' Would not go over well.

"What!? What do you mean days??"

Oh well, maybe he's more tired than he thought. Lance laughs stiffly, moving to stand, but only accomplishing a weird half crawl wobble before Keith moves to keep him in place, they naturally fall into a tuffle because like hell is Lance going to have this conversation when hes so artfully avoided it and no ones brought it up and everything is FINE!

And he's pinned.

Keith is slightly winded- Lance's boney knees had a few purposes thank you- but he has Lance's wrists pinned on either side of his head, and legs pinning the rest of him in an annoyingly cool move that Lance will be learning later. But there's no triumphant grin or banter, instead worry still clouds his expression.

"Have you slept at all since you've… been back?" He- like everyone on this ship- have refused to really bring up what went down. And it's not like Lance did either! But he's scared still, of things that happen again before his eyes. Keith's finger presses gently on his cheek, turning Lance's teary eyes towards him once again. "Talk to me, Sharpshooter."

And Lance's soul, tired and weary, breaks open like a flood gate. Tears leaked down his cheeks- warm, they were always so warm against his cold skin- and he trembles- shivers, it was cold there, he was so cold.

"I'm scared." He utters the words like a secret, and really it is one. Even if they saw him broken and at the end of his rope, Lance had tried so hard to return to his role when he got back, to be useful… “I don’t want to go back Keith.”

“We will never let that happen! That guy isn’t going to hurt anyone ever again, and I promise to keep anyone else from doing it too!” Keith’s adamant response and determined eyes are enough to make him sob again, Keith falters wiping some of the tears absentmindedly. “What did I miss?”

“I don’t,” he swallows thickly, trying to get his thoughts in order, “want to be the seventh wheel anymore. The least. I don’t want to be alone. Please don’t-” he chokes on another sob and Lance is hurriedly pulled into a warm embrace.

He’s startled for only a moment before heat chases away his cold, and safety wraps around him, and he burrows into it, hands gripping tightly around shoulders, afraid the moment will end too soon.

“I’m sorry we made you feel that way. We were an absolute mess without you Lance, you have no idea how lost we were, I think I was literally ready to kill one of them. And I wasn’t alone in the sentiment. We can’t do this without you, and I don’t think we’d want to either.”

“I think,” he sniffles, voice muffled in Keith’s chest, “that’s the most I’ve heard you say at once in a while.” He squeezes tighter, voice softer, “thank you.”

“I don’t know exactly what you went through, but I’m here if you need anything. And the team will be too, I’ll make sure of it okay?” Lance is hesitant in his nod, worry still deep in his chest. “Alright dork, movie night on the couch. If you’re gonna be awake so am I.”

Keith stands and Lance yelps as he’s lifted, gripping Keith’s throat tight enough to choke. His face burns a brilliant shade of red to match his swollen eyes no doubt, and he can only give Keith’s little grin a petulant look.

“I can walk.”

“You could.” Keith agrees as he turns and starts the journey towards the common room.

Lance watches him as they walk, aware of how out of character this was for them, How much Keith surprised him. He even worries this is a dream, that he’ll wake up alone in that cold dark room, or worse yet, that something terrible will happen next and the team will- but Lance doesn’t think even his mind could imagine these strong arms and abnormally warm chest. He’s set down on the couch, his fingers tighten on Keith’s shirt unconsciously.

“I’m staying, I promise.”

And that meant more than Keith will ever know.

<<Prev

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ctrsara · 4 months

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Fanfic asks

Thanks to @mossrose10 for tagging me!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

665k

3. What fandoms do you write for?.

Only Marvel (so far) and mostly just Irondad.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Emergency Contacts Flash gets a hold of Peter's phone at a party, and can only access the emergency contacts. Parker has a "Dad" listed in there, but Flash knows his dad died. As a joke, in the heat of the moment, he texts a ransom message to that contact. He didn't expect a very angry Iron Man to show up minutes later.

Cutting Remarks Peter Parker's field trip ends up being at Stark Industries, thanks to a little push from Pepper. Peter makes Tony promise to stay out of it, but Tony has never been great at keeping his distance. FRIDAY basically calls him a stalker. Kids are mean. Peter is self-sacrificing. You know, the usual.

Better Than I Was Rhodey makes it down to the Tower for a visit, and to meet the "intern" Tony has been so busy with, and is surprised by what he finds there.

Sick Day Shouldas Tony gets a call from Peter's school, asking him to pick Peter up because of a migraine, which turns out to be a result of his senses being haywire.

Outside Insights Since he had a head injury that prompted observation for 24 hours, Peter ends up having to shadow Tony as he attends to some SI business. It happens to be "Family Day," and lots of people are confused about the relationship between Mr. Stark and the kid he brought with him.

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I try hard to respond to every comment. But sometimes I get woefully behind! :( (Like right now!)

6. What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Do any of my fics have angsty endings? Not really... Maybe Near-Arctic Adventures would count with Rhodey's musings at the end, and looking at the series possibly ending in "Infinity War" happening.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Most of my fics have happy endings... I'm going to randomly pick Birthday Breakout.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not so far. A little constructive criticism here and there. :)

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Nope.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I have not. I don't usually read them either.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I'm aware of.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I don't think so.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Not yet, though we've talked about it a bunch of times, haha. I've co-brainstormed a bunch, and written a few of those!

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

The platonic Peter Parker & Tony Stark one is probably my favorite, but I've liked lots of them in the past. :) Lois/Clark in Lois & Clark: the New Adventures of Superman, Edward/Bella, Jasper/Alice, Spock/Uhura, (that was cheating, wasn't it...)

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

I don't have any WIPs I don't think I'll finish, unless it's the AU of my soulmates AU that I started. I don't know if I'll ever post it, therefore I'll probably never finish it.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Grammar and spelling, attention to body language, fun dialogue.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Rambling about things that aren't that interesting, not great at cutting stuff out after I write it. (I'm crap at "killing my darlings.")

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I do some in Italian for Peter and Tony in Hardly Coincidence and the rest of the soulmate universe, but I usually switch to English and just indicate that they're speaking Italian for anything very long. (It has also inspired me to study Italian on Duolingo though, and I have a 225 day streak!)

19. First fandom you wrote for?

I tried writing a Pern fanfiction (Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders) at least 20 years ago. It wasn't good. I didn't make it past the first chapter, and didn't try again until I was almost 40...

20. Favorite fic you’ve ever written?

How am I supposed to answer that? If I was cheating I'd pick the whole Strands in the Rope series, but maybe Visiting Hours is my favorite standalone.

No pressure tags: @fotibrit, @spagbol99, @asyouleft, @opal-earrings, @niniblack and @cajun-fangirl (and anyone else who wants to do it!!!)

#fanfic asks #author games #writer games #fanfiction

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tsarisfanfiction · 1 year

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Eclipse: Chapter 13

Fandom: Trials of Apollo Rating: Teen Genre: Family/Adventure Characters: Apollo, Hades I think it's time we found out what Hades has to say for himself again, don't you? Also, little more ichor warning this chapter. I have a discord server for all my fics, including this one! If you wanna chat with me or with other readers about stuff I write (or just be social in general), hop on over and say hi! <<Chapter 12

HADES XIII

Paranoia May Or May Not Be Hereditary

Apollo’s fingers were thrumming constantly where they held his bow. That wasn’t a new tic – he’d been doing it on and off since first deciding to descend into Tartarus – but the accompanying motion of his other hand brushing again and again and again through the feather fletching of his arrows where they nestled together in his quiver made it abundantly clear that Hades’ nephew was on edge.

At least that meant his head wasn’t completely halfway out of Tartarus, trying to focus on his son instead of their current surroundings. Hades had had no choice but to remove Asclepius from Tartarus, not if he wanted Apollo to focus on their mission, and that had extended to even going so far as to defend the youngest god as he climbed, just to make sure he got out of the way and stopped distracting his nephew in a place where distraction could mean disaster.

He'd get his vengeance on Asclepius later, once this was all over and he no longer needed the full force of Apollo’s not inconsiderable attention on getting them through Tartarus as unscathed as possible. Already, dangers were showing themselves – the Phlegethon might not be able to touch him through his robes of souls, but it seemed to have no trouble scorching Apollo, and there was the state Apollo had been in upon their reunion to consider. The Cocytus, too, had come far closer than Hades had liked to causing him potential harm.

That was once again their next river crossing, and Hades did not look forwards to having to support Apollo across the way he had once been supported by Zeus, unless the younger god had a mental fortitude far beyond anything Hades could think to credit him with. There was a chance that Apollo might know enough about the river to mentally prepare himself, but likewise there was a chance that, like Hades himself, that would simply cause the river to find a different angle of attack instead.

Regardless, they could not reach the prison without crossing the river, so Hades refused to allow any hesitation as he led the way.

The exit to the Overworld was approaching; on this route, they would need to pass it, and already the signs were there in the long lines of monsters snaking their way across the unforgiving expanse of the Pit towards the long, near-vertical tunnel that led out. Hades had no intentions of going out of his way to stop the monsters – it was an ever-occurring cycle, and for every monster that even he and his Stygian Iron blade cut down, several more would reappear in their place.

That was a demigod battle, not his.

He half expected Apollo to disagree, to at least try and lessen the numbers this wave of monsters would unleash upon the Overworld, but his nephew seemed more preoccupied with his bow, his quiver, and fugitive glances behind them, as though he thought they were being followed.

Hades frowned and cast out his senses.

Monsters, of course, were dogging their footsteps at a safe distance, once again observing and tracking but not suicidal enough to attempt to take them down, but he could sense nothing worse than that, nothing that should have Apollo concerned.

He recalled that Apollo had been able to sense Asclepius despite not even expecting his presence, while Hades hadn’t even registered the weak god despite knowing he was there, and after a moment of deliberation decided that it would be better to know what, exactly, Apollo appeared to be noticing that was eluding him, rather than be blindsided by another argument.

“What are you looking for?” he asked, keeping his voice quiet and his eyes on their route ahead. The nearest line of monsters had noticed them and were chattering to themselves, debating if they should avoid or attack the gods in their midst. Hades paid them no mind; should they attack, it would be their last mistake.

“Can you sense anything behind us?” Apollo replied, his voice equally quiet.

“What can you sense?” Hades returned, unwilling to admit that there might be something he was missing, and in his periphery he saw Apollo’s shoulders droop infinitesimally.

“Hellhounds, empousai, dracaenae…” he murmured. “Nothing more than the regular monsters around us.”

So Hades wasn’t missing anything.

“Would it reassure you to know I do not sense anything beyond those?” he asked. “There is no need to be so visibly on edge, Apollo. You will invite boldness from the masses if you continue like this. I will not say there is nothing in here that could pose a challenge to us, but they are not near us.”

“I hope so,” Apollo murmured, apparently somehow unconvinced, as though he thought they would be unable to sense something powerful enough to pose a genuine threat.

Hades decided it was best to dismiss his nephew’s paranoia – he had not thought Apollo had inherited that particular trait from his brother but perhaps he had been wrong about that – and continue to focus on their journey.

Then he felt it.

It was a flicker of something, lasting less than a second before disappearing again, so completely it was as though it had never been there.

Hades did not recognise it, but two things were immediately apparent. Firstly, whatever it was, it was powerful, far more so than anything else save the rivers he had encountered so far in this sojourn into Tartarus. Secondly, perhaps Apollo was not so paranoid after all.

He was at loath to admit the second point out loud, but Apollo’s nervous tics had not altered at all, had neither stuttered nor increased at the sudden flicker that had come from somewhere deeper into the pit, and if the younger, weaker, god had not noticed it, it would cost him an extra microsecond of time to react.

“Did you sense it?” he asked, pitching intent into his low voice so Apollo should tell it was no idle inquiry. The fleeting pause in the fingers thrumming against the bow gave him his answer before his nephew spoke.

“Sense what?” Apollo replied, equally quiet.

It had only been a split second, brief enough that lesser beings might doubt their senses, but Hades did not. Something was out there, and nothing in Tartarus could be assumed as anything less than antagonistic.

Hades stretched out his senses in that direction, to see if he could get a firmer grip on it, if it would appear again, and got another flicker. Closer.

“Something is coming,” he warned, steadily withdrawing his sword from its sheath in preparation. Instantly, Apollo had an arrow on the string of his bow.

“What sort of something?” the younger god murmured, golden eyes scouring the direction Hades’ senses were extended in intently. Apollo may not be able to feel whatever it was Hades could detect, but he could clearly follow where Hades’ attention had stretched.

A third flicker brushed his senses and with it an echo of clarity. Hades frowned; he couldn’t do a strict identification, but he could tell enough to know that this could be a problem.

“A giant.”

It was not Alcyoneus. That, Hades could tell instantly – he knew the feeling of his own bane far, far too well to ever mistake it for another. But it was one of his brethren, and that did not bode well.

Apollo swore, with far more intensity than Hades had expected him to, and added a few more arrows to his string.

“Where?” he asked, bringing the bow to full draw, but before Hades could answer, something came whistling through what passed for air in Tartarus in their direction.

His nephew clearly needed no assistance in locating those, letting his arrows fly and knocking the offending attack away with multiple clatters as arrows hit the incoming projectiles.

Apollo stood as taut as his own bowstring, more arrows already jumping to the string as he drew it back again.

Laughter rang out about them, melodious in a way that no giant’s voice had any right to be, and Hades narrowed his eyes, trying to detect the precise location of the giant in question.

“Hiding behind your uncle, this time, Apollo?” the voice boomed out. It sounded amused. “No more petty tricks up your sleeve?” Movement caught Hades’ attention; the figure that materialised out of what appeared to be nothing was small, for a giant, and didn’t even have the serpentine feet he associated with them, but the power radiating from it was unmistakable.

Beside him, Apollo made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a snarl, feral in a way Hades had never expected to hear from this particular nephew of his. “I am not hiding,” he spat vehemently, and any doubts that this giant was Apollo’s bane were immediately banished. There was a personal connection, personal grievance, between the two of them that could mean nothing else.

Hades had seen Apollo angry on occasion; he had certainly seen the aftermath of his nephew’s fury when the unfortunate recipients ended up in his domain. This raw hatred emitting from the younger god was new. Arrows were nocked but his bow wasn’t yet drawn, although the blazing golden flames in his eyes – simmering away from yellow hues and edging towards whites and blues – made it clear that Apollo just needed one excuse, any excuse, to lash out.

The giant laughed again, and finally made the last step to fully reveal his form. He had a handsome face, although it was streaked with gold as though something had clawed at his face with the intention of taking the false eyes. “You should be,” he taunted. “You and I both know you can’t defeat me, Apollo. All you can do is run away, play your pathetic tricks, and hope something else interferes in your favour.”

“I do not believe we have had the displeasure of crossing paths before,” Hades interrupted, seeing no reason to let the giant continue riling Apollo up, and also disliking the way he was being completely dismissed as unimportant. He was certain, from not just the interactions between the giant and his nephew, but also the sight of Hephaestus’ work upon the giant’s face, of his identity, but Apollo’s bane or not, he could not ignore Hades.

“We have not,” the giant confirmed. “My name is Orion, the greatest Hunter to walk the earth.”

Beside Hades, Apollo scoffed. He still hadn’t raised his bow, but he was holding it ready, and Hades knew he could draw and fire it in less than a blink of a mortal eye from that position. What his nephew was waiting for, he did not know, although it was likely that just as Apollo had shot Orion’s arrows down, the giant might be able to do the same to Apollo’s.

“Your bane, I presume,” he said to the god next to him, feigning ignorance – if Orion would disrespect him then he was all too glad to return the favour, but the giant roared with laughter, showing no sign of being offended.

“Apollo’s bane?” the giant repeated. “Oh, no, Lord Hades.” The title was not said with any respect at all. “I was not created to oppose Apollo.” Orion grinned. It was not a pleasant grin, leering and self-important, and bared perfectly shaped teeth stained with gold. “I was created to oppose the Twins.”

Several realisations snapped into being at once.

Gold-stained teeth, and the bite to Apollo’s throat. This was the reason Apollo had been in such a state after retrieving Asclepius. His nephew had already faced the giant once since arriving in Tartarus, and clearly he had escaped rather than won the confrontation.

The bane of the Twins. Not Apollo, and not Artemis, but both of them, together. One giant for two Olympians. Hades had already known that, of course, but he had never known how Orion had been defeated the first time, and he didn’t like the emphasis the giant put on the fact that he was the bane of both. Orion’s claim that Apollo could not defeat him may have been a reference to the fact that most gods required the assistance of a demigod to take down a giant, but could it also have meant that Apollo and Artemis had needed to stand together against this one? That even with the help of a demigod, Apollo alone could not win?

Hades was greater than Artemis; the lack of a demigod was still an issue, but in terms of godly strength, they had enough to take down the giant – so long as Apollo focused.

“My business is not with you, Lord Hades,” Orion continued. “So, please excuse me.”

At a speed that Hades was certain rivalled Apollo and Artemis, the large, complex bow swung up, arrows bristling together where they all clung to the string, and multiple thick, black arrows whistled towards them.

No, not them, Hades realised. Towards Apollo.

Despite being stood next to the younger god, it was immediately apparent that Hades was not the target for any of the projectiles. It was almost an offence, to be passed over so completely, save for the fact that, as Apollo’s bane, it was only natural that he would be Orion’s sole target.

Bane or not, it took more than a flock of arrows to threaten the god of archery, and golden arrows flashed past Hades with unerring aim, once again knocking all of Orion’s to the ground.

Apollo had fired more arrows than Orion; while the black ones all clattered down, two golden ones continued past the chaos, headed straight for the giant. Still, for a giant that was all too easy, and Hades watched as the bulky bow knocked first one and then the other aside, a vicious grin marring his handsome face.

“Is that all you’ve got?” he taunted. Hades expected him to go for his quiver – still full of the vicious-looking darts – and fire another volley, but Orion clearly had other plans.

Perhaps he knew that, despite all his posturing, he would never be able to out-shoot Apollo. The god in question had no witty comeback – a clear sign that something was very wrong – but fired a fresh volley of his own.

The giant moved.

For a giant, Orion was small, and his feet were unusual. Unfortunately, it seemed the human-esque qualities of his body lent themselves to feats Hades had not seen other giants manage with anywhere near as much success – evasion and speed.

Orion danced past the volley, and then the next, shooting some arrows back at Apollo but for the most part dodging or knocking aside the golden hail of projectiles, and every step brought him closer to the gods.

Usually, Apollo had no problems manifesting arrows out of mere thoughts, but Hades had already noticed that Tartarus had slowed his ability to do so marginally – nothing dramatic, but against Orion, it was clearly enough to make a difference. What had started as a continuous stream began to stutter as Apollo’s restocked quiver emptied and he had to consciously summon each flood of arrows to his bow. Against most opponents, it wouldn’t make a difference.

Orion ducked under the latest barrage, his grin one that could only be described as blood thirsty, and then – to Hades’ complete surprise – dropped his own bow. It landed on the sharp glass of Tartarus, and part of Hades hoped he’d just ruined the weapon but there was no sign of damage, not even a single slice to the string.

He didn’t get a chance to take a closer look, not when Orion lunged straight at Apollo, receiving arrows point-blank to his shoulders but clearly unconcerned. Apollo was his usual size, human because his obsession with humanity demanded nothing else, and the giant over half his size again bearing down upon him made for a concerning sight.

The wicked sharp hunting knife Orion whipped out from a pocket in his quiver at the last second transformed it into an alarming sight, and Apollo stumbled backwards, eyes wide.

Ichor splashed down to the ground, loud even against the background hum of whispering monsters.

Orion’s grin grew wider, splitting his face in two. “You didn’t think the bow was my only weapon, did you?” he gloated, his body pressed against Apollo’s. Golden eyes flickered and the god coughed.

More gold splattered the duo’s feet, the sight jolting Hades into action.

This might not be his battle, but down in the Pit, he was the only ally Apollo had.

And maybe he did not like this smug giant with his blade buried in Apollo’s torso, no doubt angled exactly to miss ribs and puncture vital organs in what would be a fatal blow, were Apollo mortal.

Apollo was not mortal, but it was still a severe wound.

He didn’t make a sound, was not prone to exaggerated shouts unlike several of his brethren, but the stab of his sword, aimed through the chest of the giant, was evaded as Orion slipped back, slinking away from the attack with all the grace of a striking serpent. He still held his knife in one hand as he scooped up his bow in a single, fluid, motion, and stepped outside of Hades’ immediate striking range.

“I thought I said this does not concern you, Lord Hades,” the giant repeated, his twin laser eyes pinning their gaze into Hades’ own. Hades’ response was to shift his stance into something more combat-ready, prepared to strike the moment Orion moved.

Next to him, a jagged hole in his armour where it had clearly been utterly useless against the attack, Apollo dragged himself into an upright position again and hovered a hand over his empty quiver. More arrows appeared. Ichor continued to trail sluggishly down his front from the wound, but he didn’t even grimace as he brought his bow up once again.

With the absence of a demigod, Hades knew this was a fight Apollo could not win. How he had escaped the first time – presumably with an injured Asclepius in tow – he did not know, but it was obvious that whatever tricks he’d resorted to back then had only bought him a short amount of time.

And this time, Orion was prepared for them.

Hades did not know how they were going to sufficiently put the giant in his place without some sort of demigod aid, which would not be forthcoming, but it was clear that they could not advance any further until they did so – and while Orion was clearly a match for Apollo, that did not mean he was a match for Hades.

It was common sense that had him adjusting the Helm on his head – the blanch of Orion when the full force of fear slammed into him was particularly satisfying – and allowing himself to begin to fade away into the shadows.

“Your opinion on the matter is of no consequence to me,” he said as he felt the power of the Helm envelop him. “Things concern me if I say so.” A sideways glance at Apollo, which went unnoticed by either giant or god due to the Helm, showed his nephew’s face pale as the radiating fear brushed past him, but his grip on his bow didn’t falter. “And I have decided this fight does concern me.”

With those words, he moved, invisible and intangible, growing as he did so until he was a shade taller than the giant, and positioned himself behind Orion. His sword flowed as a natural extension of his being, and he slashed straight through the giant’s neck.

Chapter 14>>

#trials of apollo #trials of apollo fanfiction #riordanverse #riordanverse fanfiction #pjo hades #pjo apollo #pjo orion #tsari writes fanfiction #eclipse

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snezfics-n-shit · 8 months

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Sicktember Day 12: Home Remedy/Old Wives' Tale

Fandom: Ace Attorney Characters: Phoenix Wright, Maya Fey Notes: The Fey clan has sworn by traditional remedies for generations. The Wrights have essentially built up their repertoire of home remedies almost from scratch throughout the past 20 years. Normally, these two facts would not be any reason for conflict, but a lawyer and his assistant with no energy to leave a shared office while they both fight off colds is hardly what anyone would call “normal.” Could this spell trouble for bi solidarity? Set cozily between 3-2 and 3-3 because Phoenix saying “you don’t have to tell me twice” when Maya referred to being sick in bed got those brain cogs turning.

“I don’t care how well you think it works, I’m not letting you strangle me with that thing!”

Perhaps it was childish for Phoenix to shout such a thing while hiding behind the blanket-cluttered office couch, but in his defense, his expectations for the duration of the cold Maya managed to share with him did not involve what he considered ‘strangling.’

“It’s not strangling, Nick!” Maya held up the ‘thing’ in question – a long green onion – as if it were a lethal weapon, and it might as well have been, what with Phoenix’s reaction to her suggesting he wrap it around his neck. “Did your mom never wrap a warm negi around your neck? I thought you said her great grandfather or something was Japanese. This is a classic home remedy in Japan!”

“I did say that, but you forget the fact that before I was born, my parents used to be kept so busy, home remedies weren’t even on the table. Besides, what’s wrong with what I’m already doing?”

Maya frowned and glanced at the half-open bathroom door to observe the sink still running hot water, which Phoenix forbade her from turning off despite his previous complaints of her wasting the office’s utilities. What a hypocrite!

“The fact you think it’s normal to lock yourself in a bathroom with hot running water for an hour.” Maya deadpanned. “After rubbing expired goop on your chest, no less.”

How many times did Phoenix have to tell Maya that the date on a tub of vapor rub was simply a sell-by date that said nothing about its effectiveness?

“It’s not expired, Maya–” Phoenix’s argument was cut short by a particularly nasty coughing fit, provoking a smug look from his assistant.

“Are you sure you don’t want my honey and daikon syrup? I haven’t coughed once since taking it this morning.”

“Yeah, but you did sneeze on me twi–”

“Hhh… Haahh!! HahchiyAAh!”

“... Make that thrice.” Phoenix grumbled.

“It’s because of that goop! That smell is not natural!”

Phoenix couldn’t help but roll his eyes before heading to lock himself in the bathroom to take advantage of the steam from the sink. It probably would have been better if the available shower had a curtain and was capable of a water pressure greater than that of his parents’ garden hose when his childhood cat managed to get outside and mercilessly chew on it. Did Mia ever tell him why the offices came with a shower in the first place? He couldn’t recall ever discussing that with her.

Knock, knock, knock.

What was Maya going to suggest now?

“Look,” Phoenix sighed as he slowly opened the bathroom door, caught off guard by the cool air contrasting the warmth of the bathroom, “I just–!! H’T’TCHUUH!!” He sniffled, not yet aware he hadn’t bothered to cover his sneeze. “Excuse me.”

“Well now you have to drink my peace offering now that you’ve sneezed on it.” Maya still sounded annoyed, but at least a little more patient with him.

“What peace offering?”

Phoenix looked down to see the mug in Maya’s hands. It looked and smelled like tea, but Phoenix was skeptical.

“It’s like tea! I know you’ve had tea for colds before. It has honey and ginger in it.” Maya held out the mug for Phoenix to take, eager to see his reaction to the taste.

“Hmm,” Phoenix hummed before taking a sip, “it’s… It’s really good. You know, I think my mom made something like this, but she would add lemon to it.”

“It’s called ‘shōgayu.’” Maya explained. “Sis used to make it with yuzu,” she started to look a bit sad as she reminisced, “it always tasted a lot better when she made it than when anybody else did.”

The two settled onto the couch so Maya could grab her own mug from the side table and enjoy the hot beverage as well.

“I think you did a pretty good job.” Phoenix placed his hand on Maya’s shoulder. “Yuzu or no yuzu.”

“It’s not just the yuzu, Nick.” Maya took a small sip. “It was, you know…”

Maya didn’t even need to finish her sentence for Phoenix to understand.

“I know. I miss her, too.”

“I’m glad you liked how I made it, though.” Maya turned the subject around, not wanting any crying to add to her already existing congestion. “I’m sorry for chasing you around with the negi earlier, by the way.”

“I’m sorry for accusing you of trying to strangle me.” Phoenix chuckled through his apology. “As a peace offering for you, how about I make my mom’s famous chicken soup for lunch?”

“Can you add the negi to it?” Maya requested. “I don’t want it to go to waste.”

“You know what, Maya? I’ll see what I can do.”

#snez attorney #my fics #my writing #sicktember #sicktember 2023 #ngl I had to read like 12 different shogayu recipes for this #and yes the trademark online recipe page exposition was part of that #I think Maya would run a really good recipe blog like that #just unload all the Fey family drama before sharing how to make various family recipes

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loopy777 · 6 months

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the fact atla will soon be 20 years old just makes me feel like such a bygone relic...

I think the AtLA animated movie they're making should just be about the middle-aged gAang dealing with the ennui of a successful adulthood. That will really speak to me.

It does help, though, that I was always on the older side for this fandom, having a 9-5 job while all the high school kids were spending their summer days fooling around on AvatarSpirit.net. I had to wait until I got home from my commute to share my witty observations on the dating lives of fictional 12-year-olds. So I'm used to being old and pathetic.

It also helps that Avatar is still my one of my newer fandoms. I've been into Transformers since before I was potty-trained....

#thekingofwinterblog

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cafeinthemoon · 9 months

Text

Ruins - Part XVII

Chapter 17/?

Wordcount 3,6k

Title Part XVII

Fandom Shuumatsu no Valkyrie / Record of Ragnarok

Pairing Hades x reader

Previous chapters

1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 5 . 6 . 7 . 8 . 9 . 10 . 11 . 12 . 13 . 14 . 15 . 16

Symbols ⭕ . ➕ . 💛

Warnings: none

Tagging @holdyourwine @lilacshouko @shirayuki-ayumi (If you want to be tagged in any of my stories, just leave a comment on this chapter or send an ask or a message)

N. A.: So the new chapter is finally out, and with a GIF that I've waited so long to use! I'm so happy! I was insecure about how this chapter would be, since we have some news in it - an important conversation between reader and the former human Heracles and a beautiful surprise to her by the end of it - but everything ended up well. I was afraid of not being able to depict this conversation with the depth and the sensibility it deserves, but I realized that, sometimes, the less is more.

So I hope you enjoy this chapter, and my apologies for "abandoning" this ff for all these weeks XD

An entire week has passed since Hermes’ departure, and during it, you’ve been so busy that the most important matters concerning your future were almost solved. But that didn’t mean you were free from anxiety – and, considering the reasons for it now, you couldn’t expect anything less.

You were sitting in silence in one of the Gardens’ bench, staring at a letter opened on your lap. You’ve received a message from Hermes, delivered by the hands of an elf that morning, in which he told you about his encounter with your family and that he was now returning to Valhalla in their company; if they traveled as fast as yourself when you were sent there, they should arrive by the afternoon.

Yes, of course you were happy with the perspective of seeing your relatives again: as much as you loved staying in the sacred lands, you missed them more than you could tell; on the other hand, their presence meant that the things you were trying not to think about would no longer be avoided.

The fact was that you wouldn’t just leave humanity behind: you were also going to leave the entire world you knew to build a life that was inconceivable for anyone of your kind, in a different plane of existence, and then stay like this forever. Yes, all those ages would be shared with the man you loved, and you were willing to see your love growing stronger as they passed, but welcoming this bless would mean saying goodbye to others – saying goodbye to your family and human friends.

You looked down at the letter and sighed.

Will I be able to make this sacrifice? Will I be able to leave them when the time comes?

***

The thoughts of the morning got you distracted for hours, but if you thought you would get rid of them during your study session, you were entirely deceived.

You were quieter than usual, not asking the same lot of questions, except when you couldn’t avoid it; your answers were short as well, sometimes monosyllabic ones. If Hades found that strange, he chose to wait before pointing it out.

There was a moment when you only noticed how long you’ve been staring at the window when his voice brought you back.

– There’s something occupying your thoughts this morning – he observed – Do you want to talk about it?

When you turned back to him, you noticed he just closed the book in front of him, keeping a hand upon its cover. At first, you considered denying it, but since you knew the issue wouldn’t disappear, you just decided to share it at once. You turned to a pile of three or four books at your right and took one of them from the middle of it, opened it and grabbed Hermes’ message. You handed it to Hades, who passed his eyes over the text and immediately recognized his nephew’s calligraphy.

He read the letter in a minute and finished it with a content smile.

– So, they will be here in a few hours, my y/n – he folded the sheet and gave it back to you – Isn’t it a reason to cheer at?

You took the paper and put it back inside the book with a sigh.

– It would be if the circumstances were different.

Hades’ smile faded a bit with those words.

– I don’t understand. What’s going on?

You breathed deep and leaned your arms upon the table, your hands holding each other.

– In the beginning, I could just cheer at the idea of meeting my family here, that’s true. They will love all of this! – you smiled briefly – But now that the time is coming, I can’t stop thinking of what it will mean for them… and for me. You know, after this… I mean, after our marriage and honeymoon and the rest, I will have to leave them.

A few seconds of tense silence passed before you could continue. When you did, your voice was almost a whisper.

– In a few days, I will no longer be one of them. And, after some time, I will still be here, but they will...

You swallowed. You found yourself unable to finish the sentence.

Hades’ response was to organize all the books you had on the table, as if the day’s lesson was over. He then stood up and went to your side, offering his hand.

– Can you come with me for a moment?

You stood up and put your hand on his palm, in doubt.

– Where are we going?

– To meet someone with whom you can talk about this – was his reply – You see, I cannot help you this time, but he can.

***

When you arrived at the Gardens of Women, most of the girls were having their own lessons with their masters. Many of them glanced at you, and some even greeted you with their hands, while the gods nodded respectfully at Hades.

You took a path that led to one of the hills were apple trees were abundant. On the top of one of the first trees, you spotted a cheerful group of students surrounding a tall, young man with red hair and a large smile. Right now, he was lifting one of his students by his arm, and the other girls were laughing out loud. You remembered him from the party: that was the hero who protected Thebes from the divine wrath by drinking ambrosia and challenging the god of war – Heracles, received in Heaven as a son of Zeus himself.

It didn’t take long for you to understand why Hades brought you to him.

He was once a human like me. Since he’s the only one in this condition here now, he’s the most appropriate person to talk about these matters.

All the girls turned to you and fell silent when you approached, but their master walked down the hill with a smile on his face, meeting you in the middle of the way. Once you were on each other’s reach, he offered a strong hand to the King of the Underworld, and this latter answered the greeting with equal enthusiasm.

– Hades-sama! We didn’t have much time to talk since the party – Heracles put his free hand over the handshaking – How are you doing?

– Busy, as always – Hades laughed, having fun with the informal manners of the younger god; and, glancing at his students, – But I can see you’ve been in the same situation.

Heracles followed his gaze with a proud smile.

– You can say that! – he turned back and finally seemed to notice you – So, what brings you here? Specially in such an enchanting company!

You felt your cheeks getting warm as Hades caressed your hair.

– This is y/n s/n, from Midgard – he smiled with his eyes glued on you – She’s my future wife. You probably remember her from the party.

Heracles confirmed it. A slight change in his manners were sensed when he found out he had a future pair before him. He put his hands on his waist.

– Of course I remember her. There was a small misunderstanding in the beginning, but when she came back, she seemed to finally have fun – and, to you, – It makes me happy to see that everything was solved in the end, y/n-san.

Something in the hero’s tone awakened warm feelings of safeness and justice in your heart, so that the only possible reaction for it was opening your best smile and express the deepest gratitude for each of those words.

– Yes, things ended up in the best way for each of us! – you nodded in respect – Thank you for your gentleness, Heracles-sama.

Before Heracles replied, you heard Hades laughing by your side. You frowned.

– What happened, Hades-sama?

– Nothing – he put his hand on the top of your head – It’s just that you should know that his gentleness towards you has first appeared at the party’s night, and I just realized I haven’t told you this story – he glanced at the other man – The thing is that, after you gave me back the hairpin and left the ball room, Heracles almost got into a fight with Adamas, because my brother saw your reaction as extremely offensive, while he believed we couldn’t make any decision without knowing the reasons behind it. I’ve decided to leave this story behind, since everything ended up well, but now that we three are gathered here, I just couldn’t help it.

You looked at Heracles and saw his face taken over by a violent, red shade, something that brought a smile to your lips: seeing such embarrassed expression in a man like him, who was more of a soldier than anything, was unimaginable until you witnessed it. And you thought it was even cute.

– What I did wasn’t but my duty, Hades-sama. Justice must exist for all of us – he tried to justify himself, still blushing; and, looking into your eyes, – I know how it feels to have all fingers pointed at you, while no one to give you the benefit of the doubt.

Even though you just met him, you knew that was true. After all, Heracles himself was one of you.

– I can only agree with you, Heracles – Hades still had that cheerful smile on his lips – But that fight between you would’ve lasted longer than the party itself, and that’s why I told you both to shut up and just brought my y/n back to the party.

That was your time to get embarrassed.

– You… did this, my Lord?

– I did – was his calm reply; he turned to the other god – So, I don’t want to take more of your time, so let me tell you the reason for our visit. Y/n is about to become my wife and the Queen of Hellheim. Because of this, she will have to pass through Psyche’s ritual, which will take place in the same day of our wedding – he caressed your face, remembering the conversation you had at the Library – However, she has some questions concerning the transformation and her future as a goddess that I’m not able to answer. Given you are the only god who has passed through this metamorphosis here at the moment, I thought of asking for your help in this sense, Heracles.

The face of the Greek hero brightened up with the request.

– Of course you can count on me for this, Hades-sama – he promptly replied; and, turning to you, – Y/n, you’re very welcome among my students. Let’s spend this day together, just for you to become familiarized with us, then we can talk with ease.

You soon agreed with the proposal, and it was established that Hades would take you back before the evening.

He said farewell to you with a kiss on your forehead.

– Don’t hesitate to come and tell me if you receive any news from Hermes-sama – you requested.

– Of course, little one. Though I don’t think he will send anything now – he gave you a second kiss – Take care.

You spent a moment observing as Hades walked away through the same path that led you there, only turning away when Heracles invited you to join the other girls.

***

That day in the company of Heracles and his disciples were one of the happiest you’ve lived while you were in Valhalla, though it was way different from what you got used to by Hades’ side: instead of contemplative silences, books and intimate conversations, you had physical challenges, games and cheerful, loud talking, just like you used to have with your sisters in Midgard. You had mixed feelings about that routine, however: there were some days when you would think it was too much, but in other days you would say it was all you needed; sometimes, spending time with people who were so different from yourself, doing distinct activities, was a healthy way to take a rest from being you. In the end, you were tired, but feeling like you were a new person.

And that was precisely the mood you needed to be in for the conversation you were going to have.

All the girls just went back to the lodge, while you stood behind with Heracles, given you should wait until Hades came back to take you. You sat by a bench under a tree and observed the daylight fading as the conversation followed. It wasn’t as long as you imagined it would be, but it was certainly a conversation which you would never forget.

– You say your biggest fear is not the transformation itself, neither it is leaving Midgard – Heracles was saying – That’s impressive, because I feared them more than I like to admit. In my case, the metamorphosis was so painful that I thought I was going to die. But it couldn’t compare to the pain of leaving the people and the land I loved behind to live among the very beings who were wiling to destroy them. It was a real test of patience for Zeus-sama and the others as well.

You smiled.

– Because I was raised in a port city, with people coming and going everyday and things never being the same, I was always enchanted by the idea of leaving my place behind in order to meet new ones, so leaving Midgard is not really a problem for me – you sighed – The problem… is something else.

– Really? And what is it?

You took seconds in silence before replying. Having talked about this with Hades didn’t make it easier to verbalize what you felt now.

– It is to face the fact that, as a goddess, if I left my new house in the next year to pay a visit to my family and all the humans I love, little would be the changes that I’d find. But, if I did this after one, two, three hundred years, I’d still be alive, but they…

You shrugged.

– I see – Heracles whispered.

– I’m not ready to say this kind of goodbye – you turned to him – Heracles-sama… How did you deal with this?

Just like expected, the god spent a moment in silence before letting you know his feelings towards it. This gave you a new perspective on his moral code that deepened the respect you’ve already had for him: the passage of time didn’t soothe his emotions, as if that very part of him was never touched by the powers of the ambrosia, remaining human instead. Should you expect the same to happen in your case?

– I may describe to you my own experience in this sense, y/n-san, but I’m not sure of how much it would help you – he started – Because, you see, this is not a question of only one answer. One’s case is not the same as their pair’s. To me, treasuring the time I’ve spent in the company of the people I loved instead of mourning the days I wouldn’t have them by my side was what gave me the strength I needed to keep going. Despite knowing I would have all the time in the world, I refused to let my mind live in the future and forget what was still in front of me. Of course, it’d hurt when they would finally leave, but I didn’t care if I’d have to carry this pain with me forever – he turned to you with a bright smile – It’d only mean that I didn’t lose what’s most valuable in myself: my love for them!

You nodded.

– That’s an incredible perspective, my Lord. And a beautiful one, too.

He laughed.

– Yes, I know. And, besides, it has been my support while I’ve worked through the ages, when I’ve met countless people who were in need of justice. I’d never succeed in this if it wasn’t for the feelings I hold for my friends of Thebes, with whom everything started.

The colors of the sky were now more vivid, as the daylight diminished, descending at the horizon, and the air got colder. You looked at the path through where you’ve reached the top of the hill and spotted the tall silhouette of Hades walking up toward you. You immediately stood up.

– Hades-sama is back! – and, turning to Heracles, who just stood up too, – I must join him in my way back to the lodge. I still have work to do today. I have to look presentable to receive my family in the next moments.

Heracles’ eyes brightened up with the news.

– Your family is arriving at the sacred lands? This is really amazing!

– Yes! – you cheerfully agreed – Hermes-sama traveled to Midgard to bring them to our wedding.

A few seconds of silence passed, and your smile faded a bit.

– I think this fear will never go away until it becomes reality – you commented – But talking about this with you was clarifying. Thank you for our conversation, Heracles-sama.

He put his large hands over your shoulders.

– And thank you for your time with us, y/n-san.

You were finishing your farewell when Hades reached you with a playful smile on his lips. He stopped by your side and passed his hand on your hair.

– It seems that you’ve really got along – he commented – I’m happy to see that.

– Indeed, y/n-san is an excellent company – Heracles replied with enthusiasm – My students appreciated the time they’ve spent together, and I share their feelings.

– Let me say that I feel the same about you all, Heracles-sama – you gave him a shy smile.

Hades explained that he wanted to go with you to the lodge, then take you to a walk at the Gardens. You agreed, and you both said farewell to Heracles, who would stay for a while at the outside.

– Thank you for everything, Heracles-sama – you inclined your head to him in respect.

– Thank you for staying with y/n, Heracles – Hades passed his arm over your shoulder.

Heracles replied that you didn’t need to thank him and that it was a pleasure to help, and you started your walk back to the lodge.

***

While walked down the hill, a conversation took place.

– You seem to be in a lighter mood now, little one – Hades was saying – Bringing you to stay with Heracles’ girls was indeed a good idea.

You laughed.

– I agree, though it left me tired like I haven’t been in a long time – you grabbed your own clothes and smelled them – Tired and sweaty.

He shrugged.

– Honestly, if you spent your entire day with this young man as your temporary master and didn’t end up with a least a drop of sweat on your skin, it would have been a mistake.

You ended up agreeing with him.

Little after that, you complained that your feet were hurting. Hades’s response was to stop and take you in his arms.

– Hey! – you let out a little scream – I’m not in conditions of being carried right now. Don’t you mind that I’m in need of a good bath?

– I would say that you just need a regular bath, little one – he joked – You would need a good one if you’ve spent fighting legendary creatures.

– You’re exaggerating! – you laughed.

– No, I’m not – he laughed too – And if you complain once more, I’ll give you a bath myself!

Your face heated up with the suggestion, and you hid your face on his chest. After a few minutes, you fell asleep, only waking up when Hades stopped at your room’s door.

– Are you going to take a walk at the Gardens? – he asked – Or do you prefer to stay here and take a rest?

You sighed.

– I’d like to stay indoors, but I know I won’t be able to rest if I do – and, lowering your tone, – I’m still anxious about their arrival.

– Well, if this is the case, a few minutes outside will do you good – he approached and kissed the top of your head – See you.

– See you.

***

It was a pleasing night you found on the outside, with a sky with no clouds and stars shinning vividly upon your heads, and you were glad you weren’t taken over by the physical tiredness.

– I thought of taking you to the lake, but maybe it’s too much for you tonight – Hades had your arm entwined with his while you walked.

– Yes, maybe it is – you replied, looking around – Still, it would be a waste to stay inside the room with such a beautiful night.

You stopped and sat on a bench after a few minutes.

– My only regret is not having brought a treat or at least something to drink – you were saying – I guess we’re going to be forced to walk to the lake anyway!

Hades laughed.

– Really? – he passed his arm around your waist, pulling closer to him – Don’t you want me to carry you there?

You smiled, leaning in to kiss his lips.

– If you carry on with this, I’ll ended up spoiled, my Lord.

After a moment at the bench, you started walking again, this time to the North of the Gardens, a place you knew to be in the same direction of the Gates of Valhalla, through which you and the other girls entered the blessed land. That place, with the golden gate surrounded by dozens of lamps with the shape of rare flowers, was as beautiful as the Secret Garden, though you rarely visit it, and was perfectly visible from the Gardens where you were now.

And that time, you had all the reasons to be happy to see it, for when you looked at the horizon, you saw Hermes crossing the entry followed by a group of people you knew well.

Your beloved family.

Part XVIII

#record of ragnarok hades #shuumatsu no valkyrie hades #snv hades #hades snv #ror hades #hades ror #hades x reader #snv x reader #ror x reader #ror hades x reader #snv hades x reader

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fiadorable · 1 year

Text

Twenty-two questions for twenty twenty-two (fanfic edition!)

Thank you @curator for sharing the questions! This was fun to think about.

1, Fandoms you wrote for this year?

Star Trek Strange New Worlds and The Librarians

2. Favorite fic you wrote this year?

the rage that is in my heart was the fic that reignited my imagination and hurled me into writing again after a four year dry spell, so it’s very special to me.

3. Favorite fic you read this year?

Thursday Night Cooking School by igrockspock Summary: Una had always said that Captain Pike was the best captain in the fleet; she’d never mentioned that he was the friendliest captain in the fleet. Or that he’d be obsessed with food, and getting La'an to eat it.

Fantastic fic about La'an and Pike's growing friendship in the aftermath of Una's arrest. The characterization is excellent and effortless. chef's kiss

4. Favorite opening line/scene you wrote this year?

The Librarians: Eve tucked a soft kiss below Flynn’s ear for safekeeping, and left him to his bubble pipe. (a touch of forgiveness)

SNW: Time is not immutable. It bends and breaks, dilates and contracts, spins out of control and in some cases stops completely. Time is but a perception, a tool used to quantify the experience of conscious thought, an inherently neutral concept. Illyrians were taught this from a young age.

And yet, ever since Valeo Beta V, Number One felt that time had turned against her. (the hand on the clock)

5. Favorite ending line/scene you wrote this year?

She touched the door frame, gentle reverence in her fingertips, before turning and leaving everything behind her for the second time in her life, for one last walk to the ready room. (the hand on the clock)

6. A trope you wrote this year?

Third party observes your OTP

7. Pairings you wrote this year?

Eve/Flynn Eve & LITs Pike/Una and Pike & Una Uhura/Ortegas Spock & Una Una & La’an La’an & Chapel

8. A fic regret from this year?

Feeling rushed to put out content and be “relevant” instead of enjoying the moment and the resurgence of creativity

9. A song that helped you write?

Bird Song by Juniper Vale

10. Total number of fics you posted?

Nine one shots (700+ words/per) Twenty-one drabbles (100 words/per)

11. Total number of words you posted?

14,154

12. Most popular fic written this year?

revelation in the light of gray

13. Least popular fic written this year?

neon

14. Longest completed fic you posted this year?

revelation in the light of gray

15. Shortest completed fic you posted this year?

I've been doing drabbles this year!

Trekalicious Drabbles SNW drabble collection Promotion NSFW SNW drabble We are the library The Librarians drabble collection

16. Favorite character to write about this year?

Toss up between Number One and Eve Baird

17. A fic you didn’t expect to write?

One Good Reason was a plot bunny out of left field that escaped from a conversation between friends. A La'an/Sam Kirk fic that is very much an AU and very silly.

18. Most memorable comment/review?

“# bro # this fic knocked me in the windpipe and then threw me a kitkat # i love it” from @myenterpriseisparked on boreal

I love these tags, especially because this was a drabble I was very unhappy with (and still kind of am tbh) but decided to post anyway to just kind of document my writing practice. It was nice to see people connecting with it anyway, even if I felt it wasn't quite right.

19. Trends you noticed in your writing this year?

Friendships have been very important in my writing this year

20. Fics you wanted to write but didn’t?

I had an epic fic about the day before Pike's accident and then immediate aftermath that I really wanted to write (and have written a bit of and do plan to write eventually) that just ended up being too exhausting to write this year.

I also have so many ideas for The Librarians but those fics aren't flowing as easy as the Strange New Worlds fics, so they're on the back burner for now.

21. Something you want to write next year?

I wrote a lot of friendship this year. I'd like to try writing more romance next year.

22. An idea from one of your fics that you want people to think about?

Una's arrest at the end of season one is going to be so not a big deal by this time next year, so let loose and have fun with fics set in the future!

#twenty-two questions #fiadorable answers #fanfiction wrapped #come back alive librarian #somehow i figured you might

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greyias · 2 years

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FIC: Chance Encounters - Chapter 7

Title: Chance Encounters Fandom: SWTOR Pairing: Theron Shan/f!Jedi Knight (pre-relationship) Rating: T Genre: Canon Divergent AU. Pre-Relationship, Slow Burn Synopsis: Even the smallest change can have large, unseen ripple effects. When Theron Shan books a voyage on the Esseles, he has no idea how a chance encounter with a Jedi Knight will change the course of his life. A canon divergent alternate universe examining what happens when Theron and the Hero of Tython meet much, much sooner. Author’s Notes and Spoilers: See Chapter 1.

The deep hum of the engines followed them into the turbolift, even as the disgruntled beeps of an annoyed astromech seemed to echo as the doors slid shut. Teeseven didn’t seem to like the idea of being separated from his Jedi, but the crew needed more help in getting systems back online. And while the little droid could definitely hold his own, it would be less to worry about when going up against Ironfist and his men.

“That is quite the protective little droid you have,” Theron observed wryly as the turbolift slowly climbed toward the bridge. “Most astromechs would rather jump towards ship repairs than blaster fire.”

“Teeseven is... unique.”

“Yeah, I’m starting to see that.”

A wave of bone weary exhaustion threatened to wash over him, and Theron resisted the urge to lean against the wall and close his eyes. It was tempting, as this had been the first actual moment they’d been able to catch their breath. If he was feeling this drained after the mad dash to save engineering, then the woman next to him had to be running on fumes considering acrobatic twirls and flips she’d performed as they fought.

Although bringing that up would have been a bit too direct for his tastes, so instead he led with, “You up for this?”

Her brows furrowed, as if the question had caught her off guard. “Up for what?”

“The fight waiting for us,” he elaborated. “You’ve been going a mile a minute, if you need a break—”

“No, I’m—” She shook her head quickly. “I am all right. The Force will sustain me and carry me through.”

Theron wasn’t sure if he should smirk and comment on her almost using a contraction for the first time since they’d met, or a grimace at the irksome Jedi bluster. From the way her bravado crumbled into contrition, he guessed both expressions must have combined into some terrifying fusion.

The awkward moment lingered in the air until her shoulders slumped in surrender. “That really bothers you, doesn’t it?”

His answer was quick. Immediate. Instinctual. Always deny first. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

She hesitated, as if she was weighing the wisdom of pushing the subject further, or taking the easy out he’d offered. Stubbornness seemed to win out over wisdom, and she pressed on. “The Force.”

Theron was quite proud of him not flinching when she said the words, he in fact didn’t react at all like she’d just stepped onto a metaphorical landmine. “I never said anything about the Force.”

“You did not have to.” Her eyebrows rose, and at first he thought it was in challenge, but a heartbeat later he realized her expression was meant to convey empathy. Understanding.

And that was the real rot of the issue, because there was no way for her to actually understand. Frustration bubbled up inside of him, hot and angry, but he didn’t know anymore if it was really directed at her, or just at the lot in life he’d never been dealt. Either way, it wasn’t her place to pry into this thing that was most assuredly none of her damn business.

“It is not my wish to make you uncomfortable.”

Instead of responding, he just clenched his jaw and turned away, staring at the doors as if they could provide some escape from this conversation. One that he really didn’t want to have. Not now. Not ever.

She was silent for a beat longer, and tension hung thick in the air, before her next words came slower. More measured. “I will not mention it any further.”

There was no need for her to censor herself on his behalf, especially for something as stupid and inconsequential as his stupid childish hangups. The half-formed sentiment sat on his tongue, but he couldn’t get his mouth to form the actual words.

What came out instead was, “I wasn’t trying to start a debate, merely stating that you look like you’ve run a marathon.”

It wasn’t even in the vague general vicinity of the right thing to say, but for some reason, he couldn’t ever form the correct response with her. Which was almost as infuriating as that gentle look of false understanding on her face.

“It has been an unexpectedly long day,” she admitted quietly, “but not so long that I cannot finish this.”

“Yeah, well,” he said awkwardly, “me too.”

“Are you sure you do not need a break? Or a stim? You also look exhausted and I would understand if you wish to stay behind and—”

“You’re not going in there alone!” he snapped.

Her head tilted again, as if she was trying to understand his mercurial nature, and Theron fought the urge to fidget under that keen gaze.

“Just give me a second,” he muttered.

Despite his present company, he employed a trick that Ngani Zho had taught him long ago.

Inhaling a deep breath, he closed his eyes, and after a count of ten, exhaled. And again. Focusing on his breathing, his thoughts slowed as the weight of his exhaustion tugged at him. He didn’t push it away this time, instead acknowledged the way it clung to him and the waves of weariness threatening to pull him under. He floated along those waves, letting them wash over him and then out of his consciousness.

When he opened his eyes, his body wasn’t refreshed, but the weariness had faded. He would definitely feel it all later, and was pretty sure the moment his head hit the pillow, he’d probably sleep for a week. He also found himself on the receiving end of the very curious gaze of a Jedi, as if she almost recognized what he’d been doing. It made him acutely uncomfortable in a way he hadn’t been before, so he cleared his throat and attempted to change the subject to a more pertinent matter.

“We should be prepared,” he said brusquely, “that if they’ve left the bridge crew alive, they’re likely going to be used as hostages.”

That thought was enough to distract Grey from whatever curiosity he had raised, although he hadn’t meant to use the gruesome specter quite in that manner. Her brows drew together in a concerned expression. “You think they would execute them?”

Theron blew out a breath. “I don’t know. Mandalorians tend to be more honorable than Imperials—but if Ironfist is Kilran’s go-to guy, he’s probably just as ruthless.”

She worried her lip between her teeth for a moment, then seemed to come to some conclusion and nodded. “Okay, I’ll go in first and get their attention. While I provide a distraction, you can sneak in and save any hostages.”

“Is that your only plan? To leap in first?” Somewhere in the back of his mind, he could not help but hear a snippy huff of derision that was most certainly the specter of Marcus Trans mocking him.

“I am fairly certain we already discussed that of the two of us, I am the much flashier target.”

“I can be flashy. When I choose to.” The statement came out a bit more petulant than he’d hoped. Her logic made sense, but that didn’t mean it didn’t rankle a little.

“I have no doubt,” she said, “and you can play human shield next time, if you really want to.”

“That’s not funny,” he said flatly.

She just flashed him a wide, almost impish smile that made the freckles on her nose scrunch together. Heat rushed to his cheeks, and his answering snort was only half as annoyed as he wanted it to come out, it was the principle of the matter. What principle that was, he really didn’t know, but he had to hold on to something in the face of her continued amusement.

The turbolift shuddered beneath their feet as it slowed, and the levity and humor evaporated instantly. It was show time: they exchanged a wordless glance and Theron stepped backward, out of the turbolift’s line of sight. Grey took point near the exit and her entire posture shifted. She threw her shoulders back and lifted her chin high, conveying both confidence and calm.

The doors slid open, and she strode out with a graceful stride, projecting the very image of a capable Jedi. In order to avoid being instantly noticed by any Mandalorians who might be looking in his direction, Theron pressed himself against the curved corners of the lift and slid his way around. When he got close enough to the edge, he fished out his miniature cam and fed it through the door to get a better lay of the land.

As the cam panned over the wide expanse of the bridge, he saw several scorched consoles and the unmoving forms of crew members scattered throughout the room. An instinctual rage rose in him, but he tempted it down and forced himself to stay focused. The important thing at the moment was to verify if there were any survivors — justice for the lost would be handed out in due course.

The lift’s location ins respect to the bridge didn’t provide the best tactical view. He cycled the camera to infrared mode, brightening his view into a colorful array of red and orange heat signatures that showed him every living person in the room. With their hands tied and firearms aimed at their heads, the hostages were simple. Their captors would be more difficult to avoid, but luckily Theron’s implants had software that could map out the space and suggest the best path to take.

As the numbers crunched, Theron turned his attention to Grey and the impending confrontation. An imposing Mandalorian strode forward to meet the Jedi boldly entering their claimed domain. From the exaggerated swagger and the mocking round of applause, Theron guessed this was the infamous Ironfist.

He wasn’t particularly impressed.

“I have to give you credit for being a right pain in my ass,” Ironfist said, his deep voice echoing throughout the space with no need for amplification, “although I would have expected... more.”

“I am afraid to disappoint,” she said cooly, “but you will have to contend with just me.”

“I’ve taken out Jedi before,” Ironfist replied. “You’re no different from the rest.”

“If you say so.”

“Overconfidence is always your kind’s weakness.”

“You could always surrender,” Grey suggested, “and save yourself some trouble.”

“I don’t surrender,” the Mandalorian growled. “I conquer.”

“We shall see.”

With a snarl to the rest of the Mandalorians to vape the “worthless Jedi scum”, he hefted his rifle to bear. The moment he did, Grey’s lightsabers snapped to life with a thrum and she sent the twin blades whirling through the air. The plasma blades arced toward him, but he ducked just in time to avoid the blow, and they struck a Mandalorian warrior standing behind him.

The warrior staggered back into a console as the blades rocketed towards their owner through the power of the Force. She met them halfway, leaping an impossible distance towards her opponent, and the hilts back in her hands in time for her to make a downwards arc towards Ironfist. He intercepted her strike with the barrel of his blaster rifle at the last moment. Unfortunately for him, her blades cut right through the metal and rendered his weapon useless.

Ironfist attempted to swing the broken rifle like a club, but the moment he lunged for her she bounced away, flipping backwards in a somersault that took her out of his immediate melee range. He surged forward, abandoning the useless rifle for a vibroshiv from his belt. He swung, and she dodged, the blade missing her by a hair’s breadth.

A ping from Theron’s software pulled his focus away from the unfolding drama of the fight. A mini-map of the bridge overlaid in his vision, offering a path that would let him avoid detection. It would be entirely too easy to keep watching the fight. Become transfixed by the bold and brazen moves. Which was kind of the point. Every eye in the room was focused on the Jedi dancing between blast bolts and parrying melee moves meant to disarm her. She was the diversion. Theron was the secret weapon.

He slipped into the room, following the circuitous path that would avoid any Mandalorians that weren’t transfixed on the continuing fight between their comrades and the diminutive Jedi. The trip was slower than he would have liked, but he remained in the shadows and evaded detection. As he approached the hostages and their captor, one guard had moved in to join the fight. That left only one guard, who had a rifle aimed directly at Haken’s skull.

The breath Theron let out was quiet while he studied the Mandalorian, the space between them, and how to disable him without getting Haken killed. Beskar armor was notorious for its resistance to blaster fire, and even lightsabers (at least for a limited amount of time). But it wasn’t invulnerable.

Theron was already ducking out of the shadows, charging towards the Mandalorian even as the man’s weak spots flashed on his HUD. In one quick movement, he grabbed the man by the neck and jammed his wrist under his windpipe while using his other arm to knock the Mandalorian’s blaster away from Haken. In the split-second before the other man could react, the laser in Theron’s bracer activated, and a thin, high-powered beam pierced the Mandalorian’s exposed throat, killing him instantly.

The body in his arms went lip, and Theron carefully lowered him to the floor, as silent as the grave he’d just sent the other man to. Some in his line of work enjoyed this sort of skullduggery, but Theron didn’t enjoy leaving a body count. At least, not when he could help it. Maybe it was some lingering lesson from his childhood, but killing was never a thrill. Unfortunately, in cases such as these, it came with the job.

The hostages whipped around to look at him, and he silently motioned for them to remain quiet as he pulled an omnitool from his belt. He quickly undid the bindings on Haken, who immediately joined Theron in freeing the rest of the captured bridge crew.

Once they were all free, Haken joined Theron and the security officers in arming themselves with weapons lying on the deck and taking up tactical positions. The moment they were all in place, another lift chimed as Narlock, Asara and the security team arrived to rush the bridge—effectively outnumbering the Mandalorians.

As the Mandalorians swiveled to face the new arrivals, Theron squeezed off a shot from his blaster. It hit another Mandalorian who had been about to shoot Grey. Their gazes met from across the room and she gave him a small nod, although he didn’t know if it was in acknowledgement for the shot he’d taken or his success in freeing the hostages. It didn’t really matter, as the bridge descended into chaos with the Esseles crew and Mandalorians engaging in all out battle.

With the hostages saved, the Jedi stopped holding back. She shoved both of her hands forward as if shoving something large and unseen. A wave of something hit the giant Mandalorian, sending him careening backwards into the wall. As soon as he collided, she was already moving in a different direction, one of her hands still outstretched. A second Mandalorian flew up into the air on his own accord before he was flung onto the nearest control panel, which began to spark and arc with electricity from the impact.

Blaster fire ricocheted around the room like hail from a sudden storm in an Alderaanian summer, the Esseles crew pressing their advantage as a dazed Ironfist pushed away from the wall. His first steps were wobbly as he looked around wildly, before his sight landed on the Jedi that had bested him physically.

He let out a roar and charged Grey in a blind rage. She shifted her feet, as if bracing herself, before reigniting her blades. The brilliant blue light illuminated her form as she stepped forward to engage Ironfist in melee combat.

The blade bounced off the Beskar armor in a shower of sparks, each blow ringing with a deep, distinctive hum. Even though Grey was almost half Ironfist’s size, she more than held her own. Her every movement seemed calculated, as if she knew what Ironfist would do before he did. Even though the Mandalorian was a giant among men, he’d finally met his match.

This continued for several blows, before finally, she kicked the giant warrior square in the jaw, sending him reeling backwards. He landed with a thud in a crumpled heap. And with that, they had officially retaken the ship.

As the security team quickly and efficiently bound the surviving raiders, Theron crossed the distance to join Grey, sparing only a glance for the unconscious goliath.

“I will admit,” Theron said, “that was a very effective distraction.”

The remaining tension from the battle seemed to drain out of her as she turned to face him. The steely glint in her eyes softened as she summoned a smile. “You don’t think you could have done it any flashier?”

“In this case, no.” He shrugged a shoulder.

For a brief moment, he almost wanted to tease her about saying “don’t” instead of “do not”, but had resisted. Only linguists found someone else’s diction that fascinating — well, and apparently now him. Damn Jedi was really throwing him for a loop, wasn’t she?

“We owe you our lives,” Haken said as he and Asara, and Narlock approached. “Both of you.”

“Aren’t you glad you didn’t throw us off the bridge now?” Theron quipped.

Haken snorted out a breath that could have almost been a laugh and shook his head. “That seems like a lifetime ago.”

“I wish we had time for a break,” Narlock said, “but we need to get out of here before Kilran loses patience and that dreadnought opens fire.”

“Agreed,” Asara chimed in. “First Officer Haken, are there any spare shuttles in the hangar bay?”

“Yes, we do but I—”

Before Haken could continue, Asara plowed onwards, which prompted a deep frown from the officer. “That’s our chance then. We’ll never escape unless we can disable the tractor beam.”

“Which can only be disabled on the dreadnought,” Grey finished the thought.

“You mean Kilran’s ship,” Theron added with a heavy sigh. “Of course. Out of the frying pan, and into the fire.”

Grey’s brow crinkled ever so slightly. “There is no fire.”

“It’s an idiom—nevermind that’s not the point.” Theron thought he saw the hints of a smile cracking through her confused facade, and waved a hand, as if to keep himself on track. “The point is, we’re going to have to sneak on board the enemy’s ship.”

Asara crossed her arms, looking at them both. “It’s a lot to ask, I know. But if we can’t shut down that tractor beam, everything else we’ve done up to now will be for nothing.”

“It’s a desperate plan,” Theron said.

“But not one Kilran will expect,” Grey finished.

“Are you sure? Because he seems to have expected all of our moves so far.”

“If this is what must be done to save the people on this ship, then I will do it.”

“Okay, not alone,” he fired back immediately. “You’ll get lost within five minutes without a map.”

“I will not—”

“I’ve been on warships like Kilran’s before,” Asara cut in before their conversation could devolve into too much bickering. “The tractor beam controls are easy to disable if you know where you’re going.”

“Ambassador,” Haken responded smoothly, with an undertone to his voice that for some reason set Theron’s nerves on edge, “if you’re familiar with the ship’s layout, perhaps you can go along and help get the beam shut down.”

“Are you insane?” Theron shot back. “They’re looking for her. The moment they get their hands on her, this ship is going to be blasted to dust.”

“No, Haken is right,” Asara said. “We need to take every advantage we can get.”

“I must agree with Theron,” Grey added. “It does not seem like a wise course of action to bring you to the ones trying to capture you.”

“If there’s any chance that I can make a difference, I need to try.” Asara met the Jedi’s gaze, some unseen conversation seeming to pass between them. “Please.”

Grey let out a breath, but dipped her head in acknowledgement, and Theron frowned. He had a feeling whatever that was about was likely the continuation of whatever words they’d exchanged while he’d been getting instructions on the conduit shutdown from Salen.

“If you come,” Grey said after a moment, “I would prefer you remain in the shuttle bay with a security team. If we slice into the ship’s systems, we can pull a schematic from there and you can talk us through the process once we reach the controls.”

“I can live with that,” Asara said.

“We have spare uniforms,” Narlock added. “If you wear one of those, it’s less likely you’ll be recognized.”

“Good idea, Commander,” she nodded before turning back to them. “We’ll meet you in the shuttle bay.”

“Good luck out there,” Haken said. “We’re all counting on you.”

Theron nudged Grey in the side with an elbow, and she startled a little at the familiarity in the motion. “No pressure, huh?”

“I think we can handle it,” she said after a moment’s pause, a hesitant grin pulling across her lips. “Together?”

The word hung in the air for what seemed like forever, before he answered with a hearty, “Together.”

Next Chapter

#swtor fanfiction #theron shan x jedi knight #Theron Shan #Female Jedi Knight/Hero of Tython #oc: greyias highwind #otp: adorkable #au: chance encounters #swtor #fanfic #greyfic

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chibi-sunrise · 1 year

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One fan’s observations on Luminaria’s Merch Sales

Because it’s difficult not to feel a little anxious when the future of your favorite game heavily depends on sales of limited merchandise.

That being said, based on what I can observe and no matter how anxious I get, I think Luminaria’s done objectively well for itself when it comes to merch sales.

First, when Luminaria’s OST was released it became the number 1 quickest trending MP3 album on Amazon JP within 12 hours of its release. Here’s a tweet that recorded this statistic.

It was also number 5 in the Top 5 quickest trending MP3 album on Apple Music JP and number 6 in the Top 10 quickest trending MP3 album on Rekochoku. I thought I had the tweets/screenshots that recorded those two, but it turns out I only got the one for Amazon JP this whole time... Well, you can decide for yourself if this sounds right!

Second, around March 2022 there were multiple stores that opened pre-orders for Luminaria’s chibi acrylic stands among other Luminaria-related types of merch. Animate also had them in physical stores because there was an event (AGF 2022) going on in Japan.

Oddly, or perhaps not so oddly, those stores had it in writing that they’d sell the pre-ordered Luminaria merch regularly in June 2022...only to pull their merch from the store listing some time after Luminaria announced EoS. Animate, the Chara, and Animo didn’t offer any explanation for this, but it’s not hard to guess that they were probably just cutting their losses.

[To be honest, I don’t blame them either since the official Tales Channel Plus twitter never once retweeted these stores when they opened pre-orders. Tales Channel Plus also never made any news posts about these stores opening pre-orders either. Any business would be insulted by that.]

At the time, Colleize was still a new store that sold official anime and game-related goods. Because Colleize was new, no one in the Tales of fandom knew enough about them to be confident in buying from them. Tales Channel Plus also didn’t retweet them or make a post about them either.

But the first and only official Tales of merch that Colleize sold was Luminaria merch that the other stores were no longer selling, so Luminaria fans gave them a shot. Colleize was also proxy-friendly and partnered up with Buyee to deliver their products to overseas fans.

And Colleize actually sold out ALL of their Luminaria merch in July 2022! I’m a short-sighted fool, so I didn’t nab any screenshots of their inventory at the time (Past me was probably, “well, the JP fans already took pics and I RT’ed them, so I don’t HAVE to take my own screenshots”) but I do have this tweet I made when I saw it.

Then Colleize restocked their Luminaria merch in September 2022. I actually made sure to record that one, at least. At the time of this post, 3/1/2023, all Luminaria’s badges sold out, all Luminaria’s masking tape sold out, the Federation motif keychain sold out, Falk’s chibi stand sold out, Hugo’s chibi stand sold out, Leo’s chibi stand sold out, Hugo’s acrylic stand sold out, Leo’s acrylic stand sold out, Hugo’s keychain sold out, and Leo’s keychain sold out.

A few other Luminaria items have also sold out around the fourth of April, 2023. August and Alexandra’s chibi acrylic stands are both gone, just to name a couple.

[Wait, all of Hugo and Leo’s stuff sold out with the exception of the blind bromides, which are on back-order, where they could still appear?! Damn, okay...]

And Colleize has a lot more Tales of Series merch available on back-order now too! They’ve got some Destiny stuff, some Arise stuff, some Zestiria stuff... I couldn’t be happier for them that they seem to be doing well! And I hope that more Luminaria fans who haven’t bought Lumi merch, but want to buy them can find their way to Colleize soon!

Because if you’re a Hugo or Leo fan, then you’re already out of luck. People don’t play around... I hope people at least get to buy merch of their faves before it gets sold out like that...sheesh. But when it comes to Luminaria merch, I guess you need to approach it with the mindset that they won’t always be selling Luminaria merch and if they do, your fave isn’t always going to be in stock either. It’s a rough world out there in Luminaria merch availability...

Third, I found some merch photos of people who received their acrylic stands from Asobi store some time after I was sad that Bastien and Raoul’s stands were sold out. I think it just took some time for the stock to be accurately reflected, so all of the physically in stock Luminaria-related merch is sold out on Asobi store too...but until 3/5/2023 JST, you check out this post on how to roll some random Luminaria badges while they’re still available!

And finally, this might be the crowning achievement for Luminaria fans in merch sales so far: the Luminaria hanko stamps! The company had actually been planning to open orders for Luminaria hanko stamps for over a year. When they were accepting orders, Tales Channel Plus actually wrote a news post about it! And the official twitter RT’ed them too! Three times!

The person in charge of the project tweeted that they were excited to see all the different custom engravings the fans had requested early into the ordering period.

The planning and PR manager for the hanko stamps thanked all the Luminaria fans who ordered stamps, tweeting that they think they could probably convey the fans’ love for Luminaria to the publishers too at the end of the ordering period.

The person in charge of the stamp company’s twitter also tweeted that they received many, many, A LOT of orders and thanked the Luminaria fans at the end of the ordering period. They’ve also tweeted that Lycoris Recoil and Luminaria’s requested engravings are some of the most unique ones they’ve seen in the last few years.

So, tl;dr, because Luminaria’s in a delicate position where its future heavily depends on good merch sales, it can be easy for fans, especially EN fans, to get pessimistic about whether or not we can have a meaningful effect.

But when I look at the little victories that Luminaria fans have been able to accomplish despite the rocky challenges, and when I see that the Luminaria fans have made such a stellar impression on a company that their planning and PR manager even commented that they could probably convey the fans’ love to the publishers...

I think it’s okay for Luminaria fans to be a little more hopeful. I think it’s okay for Luminaria fans to look at this and realize that every small victory will add up.

Slowly, but surely, I think Luminaria fans are making a tangible impact.

#tales of #tales series #tales of series #tales of luminaria #luminaria #it's fine to be angry or sad or anxious #because fans are only humans #but be sure to take things into perspective every now and again #and measure your expectations #honestly this is pretty solid #we can only do what we can do as fans #and wait #these things take time

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