#( I think it would be really interesting to write them as Zero's thoughts while each of them have their own style of speaking )

[prettyrealm]

taylor swift & travis kelce dynamic reading

this reading is a paid commision, thank you so much for trusting in me! <3 celebrity commissions • personal commissions

overall:

honestly, this dynamic is giving PR-adjacent, it doesn’t feel like it’s technically solely PR but that at the same time, the media and their reputations are basically the sole reason for being together (and they likely do a lot of things for the media too, maybe even calling the paparazzi on themselves and stuff similar to that). both of them (taylor especially) entered this relationship with the media and optics in mind. taylor felt she needed an image boost (almost in a desperate way, she really wanted people to see the good in her and liked this opportunity). taylor and travis are not happy together at all. they take this “relationship” day by day and it feels painful, not painful as in gaslighting or infidelity, but painful as in the feeling you get when you wake up in the morning and you know you have to clock into your terrible job in less than an hour and you don’t know how many more weeks you can realistically handle it. they’re both just waiting for this to be over but for some reason don’t think they can leave yet. they feel drained and both feel they could be doing better things with their time. at first, they thought this would be easy but now they’re just terribly bored. they have nothing to talk about or (anything fun) to do together, they have zero of the same interests and find it hard to even hold basic conversations with the other person. not only do they not have anything to talk about, they can actually leave the conversations they do have feeling pretty bad at times, travis has a way of accidentally triggering taylor (and he may even tease her at times which she doesn’t appreciate, though she also seems to not say anything about it either). she has a long term plan with this relationship though, so she’s okay with dealing with temporary discomfort if it’ll make her future brighter. while they both entered this relationship with image in mind, taylor was more calculated about it and travis saw more actual potential in it (and still sometimes thinks so), when it ends it’s likely that taylor won’t be hurt at all, but travis may feel a bit slighted. zero romantic feelings here. they are definitely not each others soulmate, that’s for sure.

how travis kelce sees taylor swift:

travis sees taylor as the greatest pop star in the world right now, and he has a hard time seeing past her image (blonde all american girl, songwriter that writes about her exes) and viewing her as an actual person. i think he only ever really sees two sides of her, pop-star taylor and business woman taylor. so when he isn’t stuck on her image, he just sees a strong, powerful (but bossy) woman (who’s friendly enough and good at networking). he thinks she’s a true business woman and really gets to see the extent of how business-oriented and career driven she is behind the scenes (he can tell she has a lot of knowledge here and knows what she’s doing). travis definitely wants the relationship to keep going more than she does because he knows she’s the most famous and powerful person out right now (he sees how much money her name moves), he likes being tied to someone so famous.

how taylor swift sees travis kelce:

taylor sees as on the same page as her when it comes to their overall goals (for ex. it’s not like she calls the paparazzi on them unbeknownst to him, he knows exactly what’s going on). overall however, she thinks he’s super stupid. she’s had problems explaining things to him because he just doesn’t understand it and she doesn’t get why. she thinks he’s super immature and literally acts like a teenage boy, which is super unattractive to her - this is not her type of guy at all. she thinks he’s weird and the things he thinks are funny are bizarre and strange to her (it’s like someone belly laughing at a comedy movie you think is extremely corny and bad). she’s shocked that someone can even be this way, he leaves her baffled often. she also worries about him saying the wrong thing to other people in case it reflects badly on her (since she thinks he isn’t a smart or tactful speaker). she’s often shocked at how relationship-y and coupley he tries to act with her at times and she thinks it really crosses the line (for ex. if they do call the paparazzi on themselves he might really play up the affection or something and she’s like, “ok you know you don’t need to be doing that much”). but this can also even happen behind the scenes, which confuses taylor even more, for ex. say they’re at an event and she’s talking to another guy, later he’ll be like, “so who was that guy?” and she’s like “??? why are you even asking me that when you know what this is? are you really trying to act jealous right now?”. he frustrates her often.

#tarot #celebrity tarot reading #celebrity tarot #piano tarot #dynamic reading #taylor swift tarot #taylor swift #travis kelce #commission

[marveloustimestwo]

Hii! I got this idea after I woke up so, I'm sorry if it's a little messy. What if Remus, Sirius and James fall for the same reader? Any of them know about the yandere tendencies of each other (they never talk about it cause they thought the others would judge him) but one day they found each other while stalking the reader? 🤔

Finally got something out! Thank you for your patience and the request!

Warnings: Yandere themes, talk of stalking

I think that each of them is slightly different in how they fall for you and figure out that the others have done the same.

Both Sirius and James are fast to start obsessing over you, yet there is absolutely no shaking them out of it.

We're given hints as to what James acted like with Lily. He pursued her for years, very persistent and firm despite her showing zero interest, and at times, only irritation for him.

I talked about Sirius's behavior during a couple of my writing events, but he's very outwardly passionate about his darling, as well as the most dangerous out of the three of them.

He's impulsive, aggressive, and oftentimes jealous. While James isn't as eager to hurt others who talk to you, Sirius will jinx, hex, and bully anyone who he deems as a threat (which can be almost anyone).

As for Remus, he's not as quick to fall. He likely sees how foolishly his friends are acting and questions how you've brought this out in them.

Trying to figure out the answer to such a question leads him to an obsession of his own.

He's not as bold as Sirius and James are. He's quieter and reserved, and he can actually be very charming when it comes to you.

While obsessed, he leans toward the softer side, and not many will see his yandere tendencies (though he can get worse towards the full moon. More possessive and aggressive if he thinks someone is threatening you.)

As for stalking you, all of them have a certain fondness for it.

For Sirius, stalking you can be pretty easy. He's an animagus, after all, and people won't really question seeing a stray dog on Hogwarts grounds. Soon enough you'll start to call this dog a friend with how often you see him, unaware that it's Sirius trying to get close to you.

Don't worry, Sirius quite enjoys the pets.

For James and Remus, though, it can be more difficult to stalk you.

While James is an animagus, his is much less discreet than Sirius's. He can't exactly follow you around without getting a lot of weird stares. A giant stag isn't as normal to see in the hallways of Hogwarts as a dog is.

However, when you're going for a walk outside through Hogwart's spacious grounds or are attending a Care for Magical Creatures class, you will occasionally see James following you around.

While it may be a bit odd to see a stag, you can't really question it when it's out in nature, can you? After all, Hogwarts is home to quite a few non-magical animals too.

And poor Remus doesn't really have a good way to stalk you discreetly. Unlike his friends, he's not an animagus. His lycanthropy is only during the full moon, and he never does have control of himself then.

Instead, he just does so the normal way.

However, despite Remus not really having a subtle way to stalk you, he would likely be the one to figure out the others are doing it first.

As I said, he's the last to fall, and he knows his friends quite well.

His way of stalking forces him to be smart. He has to stay hidden in fear of you or someone else seeing him.

Considering this, Remus is likely the first to spot the others while they're all stalking you, and it was funny seeing the familiar forms of a dog and a stag following you out on your walk.

Sirius was the next to figure it out. His animagus has the sharpest nose out of them, so smelling both Remus and James close by was a dead giveaway.

And James, as focused as he was on you, was quite confused when Sirius and Remus cornered him suddenly, and he was afraid that they might snitch on him.

Only for Remus to spill out exactly what's been happening. How each one of them has been obsessing over and stalking you for months now.

It doesn't take long for them to come to an agreement. The three of them are about the only people each of them would share their darling with, with only a couple of exceptions.

The amount of trust they have in each other is unrivaled, and soon, so is their ability to woo, and if necessary, kidnap their darling.

As a unit, these three are very dangerous.

#yandere #yandere harry potter #yandere james potter #yandere remus lupin #yandere sirius black

[agentc0rn]

A list of Indigo Disk Revisions

Typed down a rough batch of ideas, which I won't be able to put into complete writing or drawing, but can't stop imagining (will keep editing and adding stuff as some thoughts are some incomplete).

Made a pretty long list lol so get some snacks ready if you have time to spare. Disclaimer: did this just for fun, bunch of indulgent thoughts. Indigo Disk is a whole lots of fun, but I think its potential could have been explored more.

Each time you beat the elite four, there is a brief flashback of them interacting with each other and Kieran.

Lacey = bumps into kieran while organizing stuff at the League Club Room, Kieran orders her to make sure that everyone follows the new rules and stuff since he became president.

Amarys = notices Kieran's change and asks if he is okay, to which he replies coldly with "yeah, I'm fine." She states his sister's concern, but he brushes off with a cold shrug.

Crispin = asks kieran if he wants to hang out at the cafeteria, but kieran declines, saying he has stuff to do. Students pass by them, whispering about Kieran.

Drayton = congratulates Kieran for beating him, but he goes up to and him says: "Was that all you really got, ex-champion?"

You get to meet Briar in a small class event (invited by her), and there she discusses terastal energy and its history. She's not only a history techer but also the one in charge for assigning students to test their strengths with terastalization.

As you progess, you can visit a lab room in blueberry academy where you can find Briar's research, books, documents about terapagos, Heath, and such.

Once the second elite four is defeated, Briar asks you to come, taking notice of your rumored streak of success. She begins to recount her time at blueberry academy and her travels across different regions before introducing the origin of the terastal energy orb as a whole and Terapagos. At some point, she gives you a reason why she wanted to be a teacher, part of it is her interest in the terastal phemenon and its connection between Unova and Paldea, the other is to bring the truth through education (her family name and reputation became infamous and she is determined to bring the facts to the surface - hence the publication later on). She has some grudge against the public for that and becomes increasingly hellbent as we would soon encounter the Hidden Treasure of Area Zero.

After beating the last elite four, Briar invites you once more to the lab room and divulges a secret with you - she has the indigo disk (entrusted by Geeta who recieved it from the OTHER PROF who bailed out from the research years ago, having no need for its use any longer even from a remote distance) and mentions a mission that you are formally invited to, but she would only explain everything about it after you defeat Kieran.

She briefly explains about The Indigo Disk; it is not just some mere storage item but a special object imbued with the power/properties of Terapagos that enable the activation of the elevator to the lower level of the area zero. That disk was made by Sada/Turo but the other parent took off with it in hopes of diverting the obsessed prof from their grand project, but failed anyways. (this idea is half-baked tbh but still put it there cause i like it)

Then Carmine and others meet you, asking what Briar told you about. You explained to them until midway, Kieran comes and does the thing where he expects you to battle him soon and leaves, etc.

Briar observes the championship battle match alongside Carmine.

Afterwards, issues emerge in Terrarium - the terastal core thing begins to destabilize or something (it reacts to terapagos' awakening)... Overgrown crystals slowly take over, causing people/wild pokemon to evacuate. Cyrano requests an emergency meeting with the Elite Four, Kieran, us and Carmine. Briar joins also.

We met additional support, consisting of Geeta and the other parent (who also introduce themself). They report that there is an influx of paradox mons flying out of Area Zero due to a strange phenomenon (gradual awakening of terapagos). After the meeting, you recieve a call from Nemona, Penny, Arven and Clavell who all wanted to check in with you.

Briar proceeds to delve into mission(just like in game) of exploring the deeper level of area zero and investigate the source at hand. She invites the Elite Four, but they all declined due to the reason of attending to their duties and keep watch over the terraium dome, thus leading to the formation of the same group in the game.

Before they leave, they all give you some parting words - advice, encouragement - you name it.

Once you arrive at Area Zero, you will meet Geeta and the other parent. They explained that Terapagos' awakening is partly caused by various factors - ecological ones mainly the increased population of the paradox mon (time machine), seismic activity, Glimmora eating off the crystals (the protective covering) and arrival of people (Heath, the profs, and now us). You will then engage in some double battles with the squad as you encounter some paradox mons - including the new ones - and continue your descent down to the deepest level of A0.

Along the way, Geeta recalls her venture to area zero years ago when she went to check in with the prof's research. She does not remember all the details but remembers finding and treating an injured Glimmora (her own), before falling into a trance of sorts and seeing someone, which she informed the Prof about. She also answers somewhat the mystery of the plate and symbols - there was once a a small civilization, "theorized" to be survivors of the expeditions during the age of exploration who chose to remain there. The steel plate was made likely to record their presence and memories of the empire they long served (landmarks/settlements aka the towns) as a we-were-here or a warning message for those who would come by it in the distant future (again, half-baked idea but wanted to put this out there). Additionally, the four symbols may have been reference points of the four seals (based on the theories on youtube).

The other parent then asks you about Arven after hearing about your part in saving Paldea and admits their fault and regret for abandoning him. More dialogue ensues (you, Kieran, Carmine, etc). Carmine mostly talks to you, asking you about area zero and your life at Paldea.

When you go to the area where the crystalized tree stands-you and Briar undergo a trance and meet Terapagos (?). It reacts at Briar due to her resemblances with Heath as well as you for holding the indigo disk (yes you can eject it rather than it being stuck in the machine); it needs the indigo disk to recover parts of its power. Once both of you recover, others come along and asked what happened out of concern. This only fueled her ambition to seek out terapagos.

Briar forces you to keep going despite going against the guidelines and plans of letting Geeta and the prof go first and deal with terapagos, claiming it was crucial for her to obtain information firsthand while using you and the kitakami siblings as her dirty assistants (and reckless as Kieran says).

Then like the game, Kieran, sees an opportunity and pulls at the gem, which Briar nags on, convincing him that she understands how he feels about being misunderstood. Carmine and us try to interfere, but then terapagos awakens. Same thing happens. Boom. Kieran captures it in a master ball.

You battle it and Briar encourages Kieran to terastalize it, causing it to go berserk. Crystals slowly emerge as well as crumble from the ceiling.

By the time Geeta and the other prof come to aid as they finish battling the stella-type mons, Terapagos transports all of you into another room, not the chamber, but rather, the same place where Heath met - an out-of-the-world, temporally and spatially displaced setting. It takes your indigo disk, absorbing it and transforms into the stellar form, overflowing with tera energy. You now engage in a tera raid style (like in the game).

Briar goes nuts by going on a rave, something like this: - "finally, the Hidden Treasure of Area Zero reveals itself at last! You cannot fathom how long I have been waiting for this! I can share the truth and prove how wrong the world was!"

Then, Kieran has his shining moment and helps us beat terapagos. However, the earth continues to rumble and crack underfoot. Briar stands there, continuing her tirade or something as the cave is collapsing, but Koraidon helps us get out of it and back to the elevator site (at the end, she departs her role as a teacher and faces some legal consequences for endangering the kids and receives some help, all off-screen).

(the crystals from the terrarium also stop and "dissappear" due to the end of terapagos' rampage).

#pokemon scarlet and violet #pokemon sv #the indigo disk #pokemon dlc #indigo disk #ac rambles #briar was underutilized - don't mind her not being evil but she would have been better being morally grey... #got questions for the black crystals lore-wise #the absence of the other prof lol #and the area zero plate #seen others' ideas like terapagos being a guardian + geeta as host which is cool #but I wanted to go in a diff direction to not copy theirs #i could also make this into an AU i suppose

[willow-springpaw592]

My thoughts on the newest main story quests, some positive and some...slightly on the fence:

First of all, I like that Linda is shown to actually have a backbone and will snap back at people if they insult her. Maybe I'm remembering wrong, but for a while it seemed like she was just the token intelligent one of the group who never got into conflicts. So I really liked seeing her stand up for herself this time against the dark riders!

I like how the druids can send messages via runestones to each other in times of crisis. It's something I never would've thought of, and although the way the runestones just grow out of the ground could seem silly and nonsensical in a way for some, I personally really like it!

Also, the magnetising void! It was so cool! I wonder what past Soul Rider performed it with Concorde? I would say Elizabeth, but that just seems too obvious. I love that we got to see a more dangerous side to the magic of the Sun Circle, and I really hope that this is something they will continue with for the rest of the Circles. Maybe for the Moon Circle, Linda could be able to cast dangerous illusions to confuse the dark riders? Or send visions that can drive people mad? It's probably too 'evil' for the Soul Rider circles, but I think it would be cool to see the dark side of the Keepers' magical abilities.

Now, onto the bombing of Dark Core Headquarters. I find it really difficult to believe that DC was never actually drilling any oil. They couldn't have partnered with GED forever, could they've? How could they have made money otherwise? At some point in history they must have drilled for oil, and then stopped for some reason. Maybe to put all their money into the equipment to build the Hadal gate (which btw confirms that Garnoks prison is indeed super deep under the sea, and not in some untouched corner of Pandoria) Anyways, I really hope this is not SSEs attempt at portraying DC as somewhat redeemable with 'oh no they actually weren't polluting the island at all, they were doing nothing wrong!', nevermind the fact that they are working towards releasing Garnok, who has made it very clear by now in regards to his plans for the island.

Well whatever, moving on from that, Erissa! Finally! I was hoping she'd have some lines of dialogue, but I did love her cartwheel/flip coming out of the portal. It's nice to see that Mr Sands is back in action again after not being present in the story for damn, what 5, 6 years now?! I though he and the Dark Riders would've been a bit more annoyed about the oil rig's destruction, so I guess the Soul Riders have got their war crime charges dropped for now at least.

Now for the obligatory Darko mention. With every new release of the main story, I get increasingly more worried about what SSE is planning on doing with him now. He should've been in the ending of this quest, yet he wasn't, and there's been absolutely zero mentions of him ever since the saving Anne quests from other characters, even though he was probably a massive source of trauma for Anne if he was the one who guarded her prison cell, and she seemed to have a very deep hatred of him going off of her mentions of him at past seasonal events. I can't find my screenshot of her one at Midsummer but she said something along the lines of, "What do you think happened to Darko? He had better still be alive. I won't let him take away my chance for revenge." Yes I know, I remembered one line of dialogue at an event years ago, can you tell I'm obsessed yet? I want to say that they're planning something big with him and the Nightmare Institute, but I've got this horrible feeling that they'll either reveal he's dead( even though the soul riding missions are proof that he isn't) or they'll just totally write him out of the story from now on because they've got the new Dark Rider models now, so they can do more with them. I know most people hate him, but I think he has the potential to be a really interesting irredeemable mad scientist type character, so I really hope they haven't given up on him yet. I'm probably being really over dramatic right now XD, but he's been my no.1 character hyperfixation since 2018 so that's my excuse lol.

I really didn't think this would be so long but to summarise: Anne and Linda are badass, I want Avalon to deck someone across the face, and I want Darko to make his dramatic appearance again someday :''(

Well, goodnight! Please share your own opinions with me if you'd like, I'd love to know everyone else's thoughts!

#ssoblr #sso anne #sso linda #sso mr sands #sso avalon #sso darko #sso soul riders #sso dark riders #sso spoilers #sso

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Do you have an opinion on the fanon ships of Lukagami and Felila ? People expected them to become canon before S5 shut the possibility of both of them down, especially Lukagami which from what I read had the red oni/blue oni paralel with their characters and also apparently the Snake and Dragon are supposed to be perfect matches in the Chinese Zodiac.

Lukagami

Generally speaking, I'm really not a fan of pairing up the rejected love interests. It often feels like it's only done to give everyone a romance-based happy ending and not because the rejected love interests are actually a good match. So, if it's a story where Luka and Kagami get together off screen or otherwise feel like their relationship is a consolation prize, then I'm probably not going to like it. I don't think that every character needs to be paired up for a story to have a happy ending.

However, I have now written these two characters in a fic where I gave them the non-love-interest-based roles that I think they always should have had. As a result, when I was writing them, I wasn't worried about the consolation prize issue and I can now see the appeal. I really came to enjoy their interactions! I even low-key ship them to the point where they may end up together by the end of that story even though that wasn't my original plan. They have a very fun dynamic when you let Kagami's rigidity play off of Luka's more go-with-the-flow nature, which is a variant of that whole red oni/blue oni thing.

I can't comment on the Chinese Zodiac part since I know very little about it and I don't think that canon actually used Chinese beliefs to assign characters to their miraculouses. That being said, I would love to see a story from someone who understands it all! Using the zodiac to hint at/guide who ends up together could be a really fun way to explain this part of Chinese culture.

As far as canon goes, I briefly thought that we were going to get Lukagami during Frozer. I thought that Adrinette's obvious disinterest in their dates was going to lead to a "you snooze, you lose" crush flip, but I quickly realized that was not going to be the case. I also thought that we might get Lukagami after the whole wax museum date at the start of season five, but that quickly went nowhere. Outside of those two moments, I don't think that Lukagami has much backing in canon since the two don't interact outside of the episodes where Adrien and Marinette need chaperones for their dates.

Final verdict: I think this couple has high potential. It's easily my favorite canon-based pairing for both Luka and Kagami. But I'm not surprised that it didn't happen it canon as I never really expected it to.

Felila

I adore villain couples who are insane about each other and villain couples who are just using each other, but may end up falling in love along the way. (It's one of the rare enemies to lovers setups I that I actually enjoy!) In other words, I'm at least theoretically here for Felila. I think it could have been a lot of fun!

I also think it has zero backing in the actual show. Felix and Lila never met and there was never any indication that they would. Even if they did, it's hard to picture a scenario where they'd get together. Their canon goals are just way too different, plus I don't see how a relationship would be mutual beneficial. While I could see Lila wanting the prestige of dating Felix or the in she gets from his relationship to the Agrestes, there's very little that Felix could get from Lila. She's a social climber with no true connections and he'd realize that in a heartbeat since Felix is allowed to be smart.

The stories I've read where these two get together almost always age the characters up and/or massively change the plot. They also tend to make Felix want a hot model girlfriend while not caring if she's just using him for status, which has no backing in canon. I'd argue it's actually a pretty major change to his character, though not one that ruins him by any means.

In other words, you need to make some serious changes to the story or the character or both to make this couple work. I am happy to indulge those changes in fanfic, but I just can't picture anything remotely close to canon that makes Felila work. If you've got a fic that proves me wrong, feel free to send it my way! I love seeing the clever ways that authors massage canon to make their ships work.

Final verdict: I could see a fanon version working, but I never thought it'd be a thing in canon nor do I see a way to make it work in canon.

#felila #lukagami

[mariaofdoranelle]

"Ah yes, betrayal. I'm familiar with that." but it is a mermaid AU

The Cheating Client

Written for my Drabblefest

I had so much fun with this!! I have almost zero experience with anything mermaid-related but I love doing fic research, so I thought, what do mermaids do in their free time? Do they work? Do they have an economic system? What’s the social function of every marine being?

So I asked my cousin (who does marine life research) for help. Yes, he did call me crazy, but he also told me about crabs and cleaner shrimps. 🤣 And only DAYS later I realized you were probably asking for a mermaid x human fic which would’ve been a lot easier to write lmaooo but here it is!!

650 words, no warnings

⨯ ⁺ ✦ ･ ｡ﾟ⨯ ﾟ♡ ✧* ･｡* ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

Watching the dolphins play with water bubbles was one of Aelin's favorite weekend activities. Too bad the amount of merfolk it lured was so big it made her bump into some unwanted merpeople.

Rowan Whitethorn was close enough to fit a blue whale between them, trying to catch her eye. Aelin looked away. Just to look back at him again, watching him scan the crowd with his deep green tail and his electric eels, one at each side. His eyes found hers again, so she had to look away once more.

He chose this.

And when Rowan first came to her, wearing that cute grumpy look in his pine-green eyes as he complained his rock home was filled with seaweed, she should’ve known this is how their relationship would end.

The hotter the client, the bigger is the betrayal.

She totally forgot Rowan worked as a security merman in those kinds of events making sure the dolphins won’t be disturbed, looking very hot intimidating between his electric eels.

The crowd dispersed after the dolphins stopped this week’s show, and Aelin swam away from there to avoid awkward interactions. However, Rowan didn’t try to mask his intentions like she did, so he swam faster and gently grabbed her arm.

“Aelin, hi.” He gave her a shy, close-lipped smile. “I sent you a flounder, but you didn’t answer my message asking for the crabs.”

“I didn’t feel like I needed to.” She squinted her eyes at him. “I passed by your house recently. It looked awfully clean.”

Rowan’s face fell, his lips parting as he sensed the ugly truth being revealed between them.

Aelin worked organizing crabs’ schedules. Homes made of rocks tended to get dirty and filled with seaweed, so merpeople came to her to request some crabs to eat it off.

So imagine her surprise when Rowan, one of her regulars, disappeared for a while, and when she passed by his house, it was as clean as a cleaner shrimp’s anemone.

Rowan’s mouth opened and closed before he blurted, “I can explain.”

She crossed her arms, silently nudging him in.

He continued, “My friend told me about this hermit crab service—“

"Ah yes, betrayal. I'm familiar with that." Aelin’s voice was bitter, her stomach hardening with the knowledge that her favorite client was nothing more than a traitor.

“I’m so sorry,” he said, his eyes seeming truly apologetic at least. “If I knew Remelle—“

“Remelle?” Aelin shrieked. Her biggest rival of all people?

The end of her tail flailed, but Rowan stopped her from swimming away.

“It was a one-time thing, and I really regret it because she mistreats her crabs and…” he trailed, grimacing. “Her work ethic is a little fishy.” The ends of Rowan’s mouth twitched, but he was too smart to smile now. “Please don’t fire me from being your client.”

“I’ll think about it.”

Truth was, she couldn’t dismiss Rowan just because he looked for another crab service. He didn’t look happy about it either, but this doesn’t mean she wouldn’t give him a hard time.

“What if I make it up to you over dinner tomorrow?”

That piqued her interest. Aelin stood a little taller, eyeing him carefully. “Seaweed doesn’t fix shark bites, Whitethorn.”

Rowan crossed his arms, a playful gleam in his eyes as his posture stayed firm and strong, looking too confident for his own good. “What about Pirarucu?”

The air rushed out of Aelin’s lungs. Dear Mala, that fish was bigger than some whales. She snapped her parted lips shut, but still took a swift glance at his toned body. “That’s a hard one to hunt.”

Rowan sent her a poorly concealed smug look. “Anything for your forgiveness.”

“Good.” Aelin bit her lip in an attempt to hide her smile. “But you’re not forgiven yet.”

“Don’t worry, princess.” He cocked his head, an indecipherable look in his eyes. “I’ll work for it.”

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@renxzs

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@s-uppertime

@sarahjswift

@staghorn-mountains

@superspiritfestival

@swankii-art-teacher

@thegreyj

@violet-mermaid7

@wishfulimaginings

#rowaelin #rowan whitethorn #aelin galathynius #throne of glass #rowaelin fanfiction #rowan x aelin #aelin x rowan #ask #rowaelin fanfic #throne of glass fanfic #rowaelin drabble #drabble #drabblefest

[swaps55]

The N Program

I’ve done a LOT of thinking and headcanoning about the N program, so for N7 day, I thought I’d share them for anyone who might be interested. :D

The fact that Shepard is a badass is something we all take for granted, because of COURSE Shepard is a badass. But I wanted to really take a close look at the N program to understand why and how, because it’s never really a focus in the trilogy aside from the really fucking kickass N7 logo.

I used the codex entry about the N program as a starting point, and filled in the gaps by doing some basic research on US spec-ops programs and extrapolating it to space.

I made the N training modular, undergone at spaced out intervals instead of all at once. This means that it would take over a year, if not longer, to go from N1 to N7.

As my Shepard is a biotic, I did a lot of poking at what it would be like to undergo such rigorous and brutal training in which food deprivation is standard as someone whose body requires significantly higher calorie counts than most humans. Given the rarity of human biotics, and the even greater scarcity of functional human biotics who would be of combat age, I also liked the idea that the Alliance doesn’t know what to do with human biotics. When Shepard goes through the program, the general line of thinking is just...survive it. It is only once more biotics attempt the N program - many of whom wash out - that the Alliance starts trying to integrate them. Kaidan Alenko is a key driver of the biotics training that eventually gets added to the N4 specialization course.

Since I have written heavily about N1 and N7 specifically, I put a lot of thought into what those particular programs look like in detail.

For N1 this meant developing an incredibly advanced Armax Arena-style simulator technology, nicknamed the Can, that sits off the coast of Brazil. This simulator, which is lined with gravitic plates that can raise and lower gravity in any plane, allows for elaborate recreations of alien environments, zero g and high g scenarios, and space combat, along with VI hostiles of any alien species.

For N7, I adopted Anderson’s description of the N7 asteroid test rather than the original codex account that states N7 is more or less awarded when a candidate proves themselves in combat, because I didn’t like the notion that N7 functioned more like a medal earned by random chance than something that could be earned via consistently administered and scored criteria. But I also didn’t like the idea that the asteroid test was basically a measure of how long you could hold your breath in vacuum. So I set it up as a skills test: candidates are dropped behind “enemy lines” in the asteroid belt, and told to survive as long as possible with limited supplies while being pursued by “hostiles” (other Ns). The idea is that candidates have to use everything they’ve learned about combat, survival, and zero-G to make the cut.

The document linked below includes my notes on what training is provided at each N level, where said training takes place, and its duration. I chose Ihla Grande, an island off the coast of Rio de Janeiro, as the actual location of the Villa.

This was a ton of fun to develop, and a lot of fun to write about. 

The N Program  

If you want to see fic that puts it in action, here is where I have written about it:

N1: Hope In These Wires, from Fugue.

N5: Fall From Your Ladder, from Cantata

N7: Facing Giants, from Cantata.

And just for fun, here’s the fic celebrating Shepard’s N7 achievement, with kissing.

The Words That Change Us

Happy N7 Day!!!

#mass effect #mass effect meta #n7 day #the n program

[wanderlust-in-my-soul]

Top 5 characters you disliked/ hated in 2023

Top 5 main couples you were indifferent to in 2023

Hello hello... thank you for these... easy questions 😅 I really needed to think about the second one.

But let me start with 5 characters I disliked/hated in 2023. There were a few that I hated, but where I loved that fact (Hi Boston 💚) and then there were those characters I just couldn't stand.

Beginning the list let me introduce to you the one drunkhead I wish I could punch in his alcohol filled mouth...

Han Ji Yu from All The Liquors

It is the fact that he glorifies alcohol to a really unhealthy amount and the fact that this whole series tried to let us believe, not linking alcohol is something inappropriate just blew my mind. The writing for this series and this character was just not good at all in my opinion.

And of we go to the biggest let down for me this year:

Minato Akira from Minato Shouji Coin Laundry Season 2

I liked him so much in the first season. I adored his awkwardness around Shin and his journey to finally accept his own and Shin's feelings. And the second season took this development away from us and from Minato. He got stuck in denial and being over-emotional. He became unlovable and really annoying. The writers took away his charme and I really couldn't see anymore why Shin loves this man so much. I would have been so fucking frustrated with him after a few weeks. It wasn't quirky or cute. I really couldn't stand him.

And next in line:

Mew from Only Friends

In the beginning, I thought okay, he is inexperienced, but he has his standards. He is a little naiv, but I can like him... yeah... nope. Since he started dating Ray to hurt Top and became a total fuck towards Boston, he lost all his credits with me. I get he was heartbroken that one of his friends betrayed him in that way, but the way he thought only the worst of Boston and never apologized for believing he SAed little Atom is just a no from me. And the way he treated Top and Ray annoyed the fuck out of me. Can't stand him.

Uhkay... next is a character some might defend, but I thought he was just a total selfish asshole:

Lomfon from La Pluie

He might have a little redemption in the end, but too little, too late. He was a selfish prick. Yes, he thought he was in love with Saengtai, but he kissed him without his consent and just tried to interfere with the relationship between Saengtai and Phat. Okay, I really don't care about them that much, but he hurt Saengthian and this was one charcater I liked in this series and I will never forgive Lomfon for it!

At last there is this one character I wanted to scrape out their eyes....

Ye Wan Ying from Stay With Me

I don't have a good gif of her and I truely don't care. She was a manipulative bitch and I wish her the worst! She tried to play SuYu and WuBi off against each other and made WuBi jealous. I don't like when someone hurt my favorites! She was evil. I hate her!

Okay, so far with the first list, let's move on to my top 5 main couples I was indifferent to in 2023.

I start with the one couple that made me drop the whole show:

Suansoon and Ongsa from Absolute Zero

I really liked the first episode. I thought those two were cute together and I was rooting for them. And then the time travel happend and everything became a big mess. I lost interest in their relationship due to the fact that old Suansoon and young Ongsa became a thing and I lost my shit (not in a good way) about it. So I stopped watching it... and never regreted this decision.

On second place come

Joke and Zo from Hidden Agenda

I liked them in the beginning, but at some point in the story I just lost my interest. I don't know why, but they really didn't catch my interest. It was okayish to watch while it was airing, but I have to say, I can't really remember what exactly was happening with them. All I know is I thought the drama was unnecessary.

The next one really made me sad

Win and Team from Between Us

I loved them in Until We Meet Again. They were the best part of this series for me and I really was looking forward to this one. And then these two were...liveless. I don't know. I just couldn't get myself interested in their relationship. They felt so bland and without any surface. I can't really explain right now.

In number four we have

Johnny and HaiYi from HIStory 5

From the start I was a Vincent/Wynn-girl. The main couple was there, but I wouldn't have mind if they just vanished. Okay, in the end I couldn't care less about all of the couples, but those two were just not for me. I think they were boring and the drama was stupid. Time travel in bl really sucks most of the times!

And at last we have a couple I adored in the beginning and just lost interest over the runtime of the show:

Saengtai and Phat from La Pluie

I know this bl is loved my many and I can understand why (most of the times), but in the same way I sober up in seconds whenever a friend of mine is in need of help, I lost interest really fast in these two when the drama just annoyed me. Phat's jealousy, Lomfon's interference, Saengtai's secrecies and in the end Phat's anger and the way he was punching Lomfon, everything made me lose interest in them so fast! And to be honest, Phat became one of my most hated charcaters, when I think about it. I would have left him and never looked back after he punched Lomfon like that. I would never trust him again, that he won't hurt me, when we fight. Such a big red fucking flag for me. And yeah, just like that I lost interest in them.

Thank you very much for this ask!

ASK ME MY TOP 5 OF ANYTHING BL 2023

(I'll answer some more tomorrow... I need some sleep right now 😅)

#ask game #anything bl 2023 #bl drama #bl series #all the liquors #Minato Shouji Coin Laundry Season 2 #only friends #stay with me #la pluie #Absolute Zero #Hidden Agenda #between us #history 5 #thank you for the ask! 😘 #josi answers

[temnurus]

Recent Wangxian Faves

It's been a while since I compiled a general rec list, & I've read a metric ton of fics already this year. Here are ten of my more recently read favorites, some of which I've even read twice already because they were just that good! Y'all know the drill with me and smutty fics, so I hope no one is surprised when all of these are rated Explicit, haha. Sex isn't the theme of all of them, certainly, but it is present in all of them to some degree. Please note that these are listed in no particular order. Now, without further ado, onto the recs!

heart notes by spookykingdomstarlight (E, 92,632)

Thoughts: This fic had the most unique jobs for them that I think I’ve seen yet, & it was wild how well suited they turned out to be. Lan Zhan as a perfumer is one of my new favorite things that I never knew I needed, but here we are. The regret hung so heavy throughout most of this fic, & my heart ached for both of them. As hard as I typically find break up & make up fics to read, this one was 100% worth the angst. The love that went into writing it was so obvious, & it was just beautiful. I reveled in Lan Zhan being a master of his craft, & Wei Ying wanting so badly to help him when he was in trouble & ultimately became his champion when he so desperately needed one brought me to tears. Read this. Plainly put, it’s a masterpiece, & I loved it so much.

as the sun will rise by vespertineflora (E, 125,858)

Thoughts: This fic rocketed into my top five the instant I finished it. Probably even before that, to be completely honest. I love Beauty & the Beast AUs, which this was even though the author just used the Fairy Tale AU tag instead of being more specific. There aren’t really tentacles, but it was fair to include the tags for comparison because the vines work the same way, basically. Well, minus ejaculation. The only one doing that until near the end of the fic is Wei Ying, not that anyone’s complaining, haha.

Do mind the tags because this did get a bit emotionally heavy, particularly if you’re sensitive to Major Character Injury. I thoroughly enjoyed Wei Ying & Lhan Zhan’s characterizations & their dynamic. The writing was superb, & there was an engaging & interesting plot besides the titillating monster-fucking going on. I’ve pretty much read this twice already, & I have zero doubts there are many more rereads in my future. I sincerely urge anyone to give this one a try. It was so, so good!

you'll always know me by anaphoricae (E, 127,006)

Thoughts: Oh, this was so, so good. I’m a delicate flower who wilts during break up & make up fics, & this one was no exception to that rule. It was so gorgeous though. We got glimpses into their past throughout the nonlinear narrative & got to see each of their points of view at different parts of the story. I was particularly enamoured of Lan Zhan’s side of things, but that isn’t too surprising at this point because his pining for Wei Ying is always so relateable to me, ha.

And on that note, his pain was excruciating & deeply felt during the parts that covered their separation. I cried more than once as a result. The awkwardness & tension of their reunion quickly gave way to the magnetic pull between them, & I was practically glued to my seat until I finished this fic. The feelings were all so intense, & I loved every minute of it. Highly, highly recommend it.

Cloud Nine by mssdare (E, 80,064)

Thoughts: I loveloveloved this! I’d seen Wei Ying as a YouTuber before but not Lan Zhan, so it was a very neat thing to see him doing. I didn’t think it would suit him at first, but the author made it work perfectly. The tags were heavy, but the fic was mostly about the aftermath of Wei Ying’s mental breakdown when he came out of treatment & was trying to adjust to life in the real world again. I felt for him so strongly in this, & I appreciated the author’s respectful but unvarnished depiction of living with mental illness, including the often difficult time one can have dealing with the side effects of medication.

All the people who cared about Wei Ying touched my heart in this fic, but of course Lan Zhan was his number one. Lan Zhan’s ASMR videos being so comforting to Wei Ying during his recovery made me want to cry, & the slow burn of their developing relationship was really beautiful, not to mention satisfying. It did of course earn the angst with a happy ending tag, but there wasn’t nearly as much angst as one might expect with the subjects the fic touched on, just in case that’s comforting for anyone.

With No Particular Affection by Chrononautical (E, 92,397)

Thoughts: I love me a good arranged marriage fic, & this one was particularly good for a modern day AU. The idea that Wei Ying must marry Lan Zhan in order to save his family’s business is admittedly a flimsy excuse, but who are we to complain when it gives us stories like this? I’m certainly not going to, haha. The misunderstanding in this one was agonizing due to an overheard conversation, & I literally wanted to cry whenever the title phrase popped up in the fic.

However, the author balanced it with adorable interactions between Wei Ying, A’Yuan, & Lan Zhan, particularly all the fantastic fluffy domesticity after their nuptials. It was definitely a bumpy road on their way to happiness, including some corporate espionage! This fic had a little bit of everything, & I enjoyed everything it had to give us, including a very satisfying (and happy!) ending.

Comfortable Silence by WritersBlock823 (E, 65,072)

Thoughts: Oh, this was such a satisfying read. It’s now easily one of my favorite college/university AUs. I loved the randomness of their first encounter & how it led to them becoming roommates. The angst surrounding Lan Zhan being deaf & how that affected his interpersonal relationships was handled with care & respect by the author, & Wei Ying respecting Lan Zhan’s autonomy & his thoughtfulness when it came to communication between them made me cry a couple times. They both had painful memories to work through, & those moments could be brutal & emotionally exhausting but in a cathartic way, at least in my opinion. The smut was super hot, & I was thrilled with their happy ending. They totally deserved it, but then they always do.

i'm the one for your fire by occultings (E, 42,931)

Thoughts: What can I say? This is yet another gem by occultings. It motivated me to watch the source material for the AU before I allowed myself to read the fic, & I’m so very glad I did. I would’ve enjoyed it without the context, but it undoubtedly let me enjoy the fic just that much more. The concept alone was enough to have me laughing, but the fic delivered on it even more. Lan Zhan’s thoughts were so compelling, particularly the dirty ones, but then again, I’m a huge pervert, so don’t mind me, haha. This fic was sexy & sweet & had a little bit of everything. I highly recommend it, as well as the BL drama/manga that inspired it.

Hanlong by Alexandra_Kreuz & micratus (E, 282,550)

Thoughts: This fic blew my fucking socks off. It was absolutely phenomenal. One of the best Modern Cultivation AUs I’ve read, & that’s saying something because there are some big contenders in that category. I found it very original while still having perfect characterization for all my favorite people. It even convinced me that Wen Ning & Xue Yang was a viable ship! (At least in a modern AU where XY isn’t the absolute worst, heh).

The slow burn was real, but it was so fun seeing everyone come together for the different lecture series held in rotating sect territories each year during their teens. The plot was superb, being both action packed, angsty as fuck, & full of the best romance on a low simmer until it finally flares into full on yearning in adulthood. I loved every single minute, & I very much hope you will, too.

backfire by spookykingdomstarlight (E, 115,570)

Thoughts: Please, please, please mind the tags. If any of them are triggers or squicks for you, I’d advise against this one. That said, I 100% loved it. No notes. The angst was heavy for sure, but the author’s notes clarified anything scary, & the major ouches were mostly off screen &/or not graphic.

Lan Zhan & Mo Xuanyu’s relationship was agonizing for me to read, but it was so obvious that Lan Zhan had been in love with Wei Ying all along (to everyone but Wei Ying, of course). I was glad Mo Xuanyu didn’t consider Lan Zhan’s feelings as infidelity even though Lan Zhan himself struggled with guilt over it. The author included the tag as a courtesy but clarified this in the author’s note. I can’t abide cheating, so I was grateful for it.

The slow burn was real, & I was mad with impatience by the time it actually got to any BDSM between Lan Zhan & Wei Ying. It was totally worth the wait, though. People who haven’t experienced spooky’s writing might be surprised by the depth of emotion in this work when it’s set in a world where BDSM roles are a biological trait, but I promise you this is a feature in ALL of their fics. They’re just saturated with feelings & absolutely gorgeously written. They’re my favorite Wangxian author for a reason, ha.

Caught in 4k series by KizuKatana (E, 184, 553)

Thoughts: This was brilliant & brutal at the same time. The sheer unfairness of the events surrounding Wei Ying’s expulsion from the Jiang sect was appalling. Yu Ziyuan was definitely villainized here, but it made sense & worked for the plot. It made me hate her even more than usual, but that was sort of the point, ha. Wen Qing was the real MVP with the way she went to bat for Wei Ying & basically adopted him into her family. It happened so naturally that no one even had time to question it or think about it too much. I loved his found family, as I always do.

Wei Ying & Lan Zhan butting heads so disastrously at first was rather dismaying after everything else Wei Ying had been through, but the way Lan Zhan fell for him so hard & so completely (as he tends to do, lol) more than made up for it. The social media aspects of this were both engaging & fun. I even enjoyed the extras, & sometimes I don’t bother reading those after a long fic if they don’t hook my interest with the summaries. I can’t recommend this highly enough. This author has quickly become one of my favorites.

#mdzs #the untamed #wangxian #lan zhan #wei ying #lan wangji #wei wuxian #wangxian fic rec #Temnurus rec list #bc what else do i have to do with my time #besides read fic of course #still drowning in the wangxian end of the swimming pool #but refusing to get out of the water #it feels fine

[callmearcturus]

Okay here are the Mission Impossible grades now that I've seen them all

Mission Impossible 1: A-Tier

STILL LODGED IN MY FUCKING BRAIN. I did not go into this one expecting it to be that good. I only shouted at DePalma once I think and mostly I was staring in fascinated horror at the sexually-charged manipulative thriller unfolding. I am obsessed with the dynamic between Ethan, Phelps, and Claire, there is some SHIT going on there, the queer reading of this movie is off the charts. Would rewatch any day.

Mission Impossible 2 Silent Movie Recut: C-Tier

This is a bad fucking movie but Punct and I were screaming for 90% of the film, it was so fucking fun and stupid. Granted, I don't think we would have survived if we weren't watching the recut, BUT nothing will ever be funnier than Ethan doing a backflip and then mid-air changing to a down-kick. I was so shocked at the AUDACITY and the STUPIDITY I immediately rewound the scene to watch it again. Amazing. Totally batshit. Ethan why are you kicking everything you are a punchman.

Mission Impossible 3: Trash Tier

This movie was a nightmare. I feel actively bad for Cruise and Monaghan bringing their A game to a shit-tier script. This movie has MULTIPLE PROBLEMS. There were multiple sequences that were so poorly shot that I couldn't follow what the fuck was happening. The constant unnecessary cuts and the rapid tempo gave me a headache. JJA is incapable of letting a shot breathe at all, like if he doesn't cut every three to five seconds his head will explode. Also this script was ATROCIOUS. Fucking WHAT. There is no introducton to the team, making them feel completely tertiary. That line about sleeping with your sister catapulted me out of the movie like an ejection from a jet plane. The entire anti-god speech was peak 'take the keyboard away from JJA.' And WHAT was with the random bondage mask scene??? Was JJA like "sorry i have no idea how to keep the plot moving unless Ethan literally can't speak in this scene so here's the IMF-issued Unsexy Bondage Mask."

Also this Jack Bauerification of Ethan Hunt pisses me off. Ethan Hunt should not use assault rifles, that's not who he is, JJA meet me in the pit.

Ghost Protocol: A-Tier

Stupid and delightful and finally some good fucking food. The first of the McQuarrie Trilogy. After enduring MI3 I want to kiss McQuarrie on the fucking mouth for writing this. You actually get to know the team! There is time spent establishing each of their dynamics with Ethan! Finally Ethan is doing sneaky shit instead of just shooty shit! The Burj! The comedy! This is a 2 hour episode of Leverage and I fucking love it. Thank you, zero notes.

Rogue Nation: S-Tier

Oh babygirl here we fucking go. Not only McQuarrie on script (with help from good writers) but he's in the director chair, welcome to the party, hardy. I L O V E this movie. It has supplanted GP as my comfort watch of the series. Ilsa Faust is an excellent addition to the team with a lot of edge to her and the way she drives the plot thrills me chills me and fulfills me. And while she's kind of the love interest that is not even remotely the plot of the story, the story is crunchy with Solomon Lane serving such fuckin good vibes. He has actual motivation beyond "hello i am the baddie" he has thoughts and motivations and he also is STAGGERINGLY PETTY. Also I cannot tell what's my favorite bit of this one, the part where Ethan is fucking OUT OF IT after he gets resuscitated or when Ethan goes off the deep end.

This movie really said "Benji Dunn is 90% of Ethan's impulse control" and it was RIGHT! Thank you McQuarrie, I love you.

Fallout: S-Tier

I'm fucking unhinged about this movie. The batshit motorcycle chase in Paris, the HALO jump, the helicopter hijacking. Ethan's continued moral decay as his ethical compass begins to realign, and the way it fucks him over. Solomon fucking Lane back to haunt the shit out of everyone. That FUCKING bathroom brawl jesus fuck. Everyone is on their goddamn A game, they are giving everything. Watching the final act is like a prolonged heart attack. Also the cinematography and lighting is jawdroppingly gorgeous. Also Julia is AMAZING. HER SCENE WITH LUTHER MAKES ME EMOTIONAL.

Not only do I have no notes, I want McQuarrie to give me notes. Goddamn. Ethan Hunt is babygirl and his tired eyes give me feelings.

There it is, my lukewarm takes.

#mission impossible

[egg-emperor]

It's so insane to me that there was ever even a suggestion that Eggman would stop being a villain after Frontiers. Like no sane person would ever come to that conclusion after playing that game, there is literally zero material to even suggest that. And yet it was just crazy take after crazy take, people saying "time skip" this and "Eggman will be softened by Sage's presence" that and it's like bitch where? I don't even know what to attribute it too beyond the usual, these people just hate Sonic

I knooow, I still feel like a dumbass myself for not properly getting it for a while just because of what a mass majority of the fandom was saying based on leaks and jumping to the wildest conclusions. With so many stating it like absolute fact, I didn't even consider it not being the case and it killed all my interest and hype, ruined my first experience with the game, and made me not even bother to pay attention and analyze to make sense of it the first playthrough. But to my defense I literally wasn't mentally okay for a multitude of reasons that year then that destroyed the last straw of my sanity and rational thinking at the time so lol

But hey I've learned to avoid and ignore the entire fandom's opinions until I've experienced it myself and actually thought about it carefully and analyzed it properly to make sure they never have a say or influence in my perception of it ever again and things have gotten so much better! And yeah it was crazy how eye opening a few explanations and a second playthrough of the game was for me, when I actually paid attention and didn't believe that all the desires and wishful thinking that the fandom projected onto it were genuinely true. There were no hints to Eggman's character massively changing and being ruined whatsoever.

How the tables have turned that I'm now obsessed with and thinking about and analyzing it constantly and want to help people understand it. I now wish more people would realize how great Eggman's portrayal in it was but not for all the reasons those that claim to like it are saying because those reasons don't actually exist. XD It's so much better when you realize that the game is actually what I want out of Eggman (for him to just be who he's always been) and to no longer entertain people's made up ideas about it over the facts by acting like it's true because it's not. There's so much fun to be had and things to like for what it really is.

It was instead just a really cool exploration of his already existing characteristics that he's always had and how they affect and play a part in writing him in situations he's never been in before, further developing those aspects further without changing a single thing about him at all. Proving he can be deep, complex, and require some real thought and analysis to understand despite his simplicity as a character in terms of personality and motives. It actually just proves you don't need to change anything about him to explore interesting themes and that he has tons of potential the way he is. It's actually great how there's so much to analyze and think about.

A whole lot of the fan speculation and theories about this game directly contradict the actual events of the game, actions of the characters, and even the writer commentary. And with each piece of official media that has been releasing since, it's been proving it more and more in various blatantly obvious and undeniable ways. And in Eggman's case I realize I shouldn't have even been surprised since most of the people that were so adamant that he was changing drastically into someone else literally don't like him being evil and a villain and admitted that, so there is absolutely truth to that. They let personal bias and desires affect how they saw it.

I'm really happy that in the end the game canon really just further solidified his already existing characteristics and explored the scope of them in a fun new way and only proved that they can stand the test of all new experiences he has lol. It really just showcased all the things I love about him in a different way besides his usual active villainy and then went right back to that after it was done in all official media since and it has me looking forward to the future of his character with many more interesting things to analyze and think about and classic entertaining villainy to enjoy 🥰💜

#asks #dr eggman #eggman #dr robotnik #dr. eggman #sonic frontiers #my post

[thiefofcrows]

PERSONALS, DO NOT INTERACT.

I been meaning to write a post about this for quite a while, so —

As anyone who's read my carrd or written closely with me knows, I portray Kaz as being demisexual / demiromantic. I do want to make it clear that it is not some kind of result of his trauma whatsoever. I've seen people put up a fight about it, as if Kaz being on the ace/aro spectrum automatically implies that and .... I think that's a terrible take. Not only that, but you can 1000% tell the people who make a fuss about it ( the people I see are in pinterest comments and stuff ) are not only not ace or aro, but they have no idea how either of those things actually work, given there's a broad spectrum. They're like 'If he doesn't show absolutely zero interest in anything relating to romance or sex, then he's not ace!' ... and ... That's Now How That Works, BUT. I digress ... :))

My flavor of ace is a bit different than Kaz's, but regardless, the reason I portray him this way is because, as an ace person, I deeply recognize and identify with the way he thinks about and experiences desire. And, experiencing flashes of desire doesn't mean he isn't ace - people use that argument a lot, with this bit here ( from Cr.ooked Kingdom pg 415 ):

But feeling fleeting flashes of desire is Very Different than seeing a person you find attractive and actively wanting to have sex with them regardless of whether you know them or not, which is what traditional sexual attraction is ( and LET ME TELL YOU ... figuring that out was the most wait THAT'S REALLY HOW PEOPLE THINK?? moment, I stg. I deadass thought people were exaggerating, but a lot of people Are Not! ). It doesn't come in flashes, it washes over you like a wave and stays there. Not to mention 'he knew what he was expected to say, the things he was supposed to want.' ... I have had that thought so many times in my life and every ace person I've ever talked to has as well, and I know a lot of them.

The way Kaz pines after Inej in his inner monologue is ace coded as hell, too. The things he finds beautiful or alluring about her aren't anywhere near sexual in nature. He mentions her laugh, her eyes, her hair, and of course who she is as a person, traits like her bravery and the way she manages to seek the good in the world, despite how bleak a situation is. While the sexual attraction is absolutely hinted at as well near the end of CK, the rest of this is all romantic attraction and both were built over years of establishing trust and a bond between each other - and with the way it's written, it's clear imo that it would still be the same case even without the Trauma. It wouldn't take as long, of course, but he wouldn't feel those things about her instantly, he would have to get to know her and bond with her first before any attraction emerged. Demisexual and Demiromantic is literally doesn't feel attraction without the presence of a deep bond.

People also talk about how Kaz must have been attracted to Inej instantly because he convinced Per Haskell to pay off Inej's indenture a day after she spoke to him. HOWEVER ... I guess let's completely disregard the fact that he's fifteen, which is a year after he broke his leg, where he's been working on crafting a specific legend around himself re: his cane and his injury to protect himself. It's safe to say that someone hadn't snuck up on Kaz since he was maybe twelve or so, as that's when he joined the Dregs.

Imagine you've crafted this armor from consistent trauma around yourself to prevent getting taken off guard, because that is something that can kill you and has almost killed you .... and then this girl suddenly just appears next to you and you didn't notice. This girl could've literally driven a dagger through your ribs and you wouldn't have noticed her until it was too late. Imagine realizing that, if you didn't get her out of this place, she would go to someone else and they would recruit her. Pekka Rollins could recruit her. And then, one of your enemies has a means to sneak up on you undetected at literally any point. The amount of sheer terror she likely instilled in him in that moment, like ... yikes. Kaz is Like This because it is what has kept him alive in the Barrel.

Like .... yeah, in that circumstance, I would've allied with her the very next day too lmao. Kaz is far too focused on trying to survive to even think about that shit, but note that he never mentions feeling any immediate attraction to her whatsoever. He stayed awake that night trying to solve the puzzle of how tf she was able to sneak up on him with bells around her ankles. He wasn't laying there thinking about how pretty she was lol.

ANYWAYS ... I ended up rambling but tldr; Kaz is demisexual/demiromantic. It's illustrated clearly in the books by his actions and inner monologue, it has nothing do with his trauma. I 1000% think it's canon and I'll happily die on this hill, kthxbye.

#a good magician wasn't much different from a proper thief. ( 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐓𝐔𝐃𝐘. ) #sorry if I sound salty but MAN ... a couple years of seeing that shit in every single post on pinterest #that even SUGGESTS that Kaz and/or Inej is ace/aro ... the salt has been accumulating for a while lmao #kaz several times throughout the books @ allosexual people: I just Don't Get It but w/e I got more important things to worry about #lmao

[mermaidsirennikita]

I've been reading some somewhat older (late 90s to early 2010s) historical romances lately, and like... they were so much sexier?

And it's not that these books were soooOOOOOooo explicit, because they aren't, necessarily (although it's not like they're tame, either). They don't get super creative in terms of kink, or even acts like anal play.

But it honestly feels way less self conscious, in a lot of ways. Stephanie Laurens is famous for writing loooong sex scenes, but her sex scenes just also... it never feels like she's COUNTING. She's not self conscious. It never feels like these scenes are things her characters wouldn't do. Scandal's Bride has like... legit somewhere around 7 sex scenes in a 400 page paperback, with many alluded to scenes otherwise? Whereas in the preceding book, A Gentleman's Vow... it's still a lot hotter than many historicals today, lol. But it's not as many sex scenes, at all. Because how could Vane and Patience, who are unmarried and in a house full of people looking for scandal, have sex whenever they want? Like they do it a lot, but while Richard and Catriona in SB are married fairly on in the book, they aren't very good at talking about their feelings (whereas Patience and Vane are better at expressing their feelings, they just aren't on the same page) which leads to them expressing their emotions much more... physically.

And the thing is that there is zero self-consciousness in Laurens's writing. It doesn't feel CONSTRUCTED. Although there are absolutely many writers who do write great sex scenes today... In some cases, I feel as if they are either being restrained, or writing sex scenes simply to create a BookTok Moment. And neither approach really works for me, because in both cases they are unnatural. If you're holding back because you want your book to be safe for the hesitant romcom crowd, you're not writing what you want to write. If you're creating a moment just to be a Moment, you're not writing what you want to write. Nor are you following what the characters would do.

Like I said, there is a lot... of activity... in Scandal's Bride. But it's absolutely consistent with the tone of the story, the humor, the way Catriona and Richard interact. It's GREAT. It's funny, it's ribald, it's entertaining. It is true to Laurens's style.

I can say the same of the MacKenzie books by Jennifer Ashley. The Duke's Perfect Wife, for example--Hart and Eleanor just do things... to do them. They're passionate about each other. I see this book critiqued because we get a lot of previous allusions to Hart's "tastes", but the novel ends with him just introducing Eleanor to his preferences--which makes sense, because she's inexperienced in general (and another reason which makes his restraint pretty understandable). To me, this felt totally natural, and consistent with his insecurities, his fears of scaring her off, and again, her level of experience. Eventually, they will clearly be freaks together. The novel never shames him for his interests. But they're not quite ready for the level of intensity that I think readers have become used to because of this need to have A Moment, and I think Ashley was honestly following the natural path there, versus being encouraged to tone it down (and again, I think agents and publishers ABSOLUTELY have encouraged authors to tone it down in some cases--I know of one specific case. But I don't think that's ALWAYS what happens.).

As I wrote all of the above, I thought of a book that is totally unrestrained, wild, and maybe? Over the top compared to the heroine's experience--Kresley Cole's Lothaire, which does feature a virgin heroine getting preeeeetty intense pretty early. But like--the degree of things that lead up to the Big Thing ramp up, she's not actually a babe in the woods, and this is a paranormal romance about a certifiable vampire. That's part of it all, to me. You're not just trusting the character beats, you're trusting and aligning with the tone of the books. Kresley Cole can go crazy with her paranormals because the rest of the book is crazy (and Scandal's Bride has a similar thing, imo).

I do think that as romance has become a more competitive, heavily saturated market, there is this struggle and pressure to stand out, which has created some artificiality re: Moments. And that's why these older books ring truer for me.

#romance novel blogging #romance meta #i guess? #romance novels #WE HAVE TO GO BACK!!!! #and for the record i think great books are being published right now #but this element seems more consistently strong in the days of yore

[xylodemon]

i've been skimming through The Great Hunt as i plot out the next chapter of my fic and i ended up having some Random Thoughts about the Show

(book spoilers under the cut)

what got me thinking was the Dragon Banner scene in TGH, particularly Mat's less-than-stellar reaction to finding out Rand can channel. it's a hard scene to read - even on rereads, knowing that Mat stops Being Like That fairly quickly - but it does help set up the fact that (nearly) everyone is going to be at least a little afraid of Rand moving forward.

i am, however, wondering if the show will skip all that, thinking that Mat staying behind at the Waygate is enough to put the necessary strain on their relationship. although... Rand defended Mat pretty vehemently in 1x07. it'll be interesting to see if Rand really isn't upset about it, or if he just snapped at Egwene in a "no one talks shit about my boyfriend bestie but me" kind of way.

while i was writing the last chapter of my fic, i rewatched the scene where Min tells Rand about Tam finding him in the snow, which got me thinking about them. i love Rand's screwy love-life, but in the books, Rand/Min is the least compelling of the relationships to me, mainly bc she spends so much of LOC/COS trying to make her viewing happen, regardless of what he wants (or says he wants). Show!Min's "ugh, you" reaction to him walking into the tavern makes me hope wonder if the show is going to rework their dynamic a bit.

Speaking of relationships, the show leaning into Moiraine/Siuan so hard (love it) has me curious re: what it plans to do with Siuan/Gareth and Moiraine/Thom. i have zero investment in either of those relationships, but Thom and Moiraine's feelings for each other are tied up with how the Tower of Ghenjei stuff plays out.

(not me maundering about stuff that'll be in, like, Season 10 or 11 when we're still waiting for Season 2.

back to Season 2: in the promo and the stills, Rand sure does seem to be channeling a lot. i wonder if he's going to skip the whole I'LL NEVER DO IT AGAIN I PROMISE stuff. likely, he starts off like that in 2x01/2x02 but gets "talked" out of it by "Selene." Rand traveling with her alone instead of with Loial and Hurin (RIP) has the potential to do truly bonkers things to their dynamic.

back to Mat (sorry i'm genuinely all over the place today): there's a scene in the promo that looks like he's being Healed, which suggests he's at Tar Valon. i'm wondering how he gets out. i understand that they're collapsing some plotlines from TGH and TDR, which would probably put Mat in the Tower while Egwene/Elayne/Nynaeve are at Falme. that means they won't be there to bust him out with Siuan's Black Ajah hunting letter.

Unraveling the Pattern on YT did a promo breakdown that's convinced me the Rand/Siuan meeting goes down in Cairhien. i'm wondering now if Siuan brings Mat with her. that would get him to Rand in time to go to Falme and blow the Horn.

Sadly, this could end up costing me two of my absolute favorite Mat sequences: his quarterstaff face-off with Gawyn and Galad, and the whole bit where he gambles his way out of Tar Valon.

(he still better answer the door naked when Rand saves him from the Darkhounds. that is peak comedy. PEAK.)

i'm probably not saying anything anyone hasn't already figured out here, but i'm thinking, since TGH and TDR are getting meshed, that Rand goes straight from Falme to the Aiel Waste. i've seen some speculation that Aviendha is the Aiel Perrin rescues from the cage, thus explaining why she's with him at Falme, but she wouldn't be the only Aiel around. i'm betting the show is altering the People of the Dragon prophecy so that it's about Falme (the Car'a'carn appearing in the sky???) rather than the Stone. Maybe Rand takes the Aiel with him when he goes to Tear and picks up his plot coupon Callandor.

okay, that's it. i swear.

#random thoughts #wheel of time #wot book spoilers #i talk about a bunch of people here #but mostly Rand and Mat

[road-rhythm]

hey Roadie! A question I've been curious about for a while, if you feel up to answering: how do you plan your outlines for the long, plot-heavy fics you do?

You've mentioned outlining in advance in your author's notes in the past, and I'm curious about how that process looks for you, because I'm always impressed by how... organic (?) each new development feels. "Organic" is the best adjective I could come up with, but I mean that (at least in Hard Mouth, which as a finished story is easier to see globally) you do a great job of building tension toward what *seems* like it will be the resolution of a problem, and then you throw a wrench in the works so something else takes relevance instead, or else the planned outcome loses a lot of the "this will fix all our problems" McGuffin-ness by the time it comes about because of shifting circumstances, but it doesn't take away tension at all, just keeps reframing the action in cool and intersting ways.

So that's a very roundabout way of saying I love your plotting and do you have any thoughts about how you approach it? Or maybe you'd be willing to tell us about HM and if/how the outline changed? <3

how do you plan your outlines for the long, plot-heavy fics you do?

On index cards, half like a Rubik's Cube and half like solving for x. Except I don't know what shape the Rubik's Cube is going to be, and I can make more blocks for it (but not an infinite number), and "that's hot" is a valid standard of proof in the algebra.

When I start something, I have a constellation of ideas that I want to put in it because they're iddy or otherwise attractive to me. Sometimes these are very specific images or scenes; sometimes they're barely more than a mood. Then I think up ways to connect them. When some number of them are connected, including enough of the ones that need to go at the beginning, I start writing. Then I continue thinking up ways to connect the dots in the constellation and think up more dots to put in along the way and then also think up ways to connect the new ones and in the process move all of the dots around, sometimes a little, sometimes a lot. Then I write more and also plan more and keep doing those things until I finish. Really it isn't any deeper than that, I'm afraid.

The final output of that process is a first draft that ideally should then get edited into some best version of itself, but which in practice ends up standing as-is because life is short and while my interest in the final shape of the stories is not zero, it is at a level that makes things like editing optional. Nowadays when writing fanfic I yeet installments without reading them more often than not, which I do occasionally regret, but not enough on balance to stop. I do ninja-edit a lot of sentence-level stuff after posting; e.g., at this point I have actually read Hard Mouth pretty much all the way through and have ironed out the highest-intensity cringe bits in the prose (I hope). But there's no help for the structural things, because they would take a lot of work to fix and I don't care enough to do it. Like, I care about being able to tell that they're there, I think? I care about the attempt to say something I mean, I care about saying what I mean as faithfully as possible, and I care about saying what I mean as effectively as possible. But I care in that order, and "faithfully" and "effectively" are not always congruent, but whatever, this is a very long digression. I have neither the lifespan nor the attention span to edit my fanfic, but I would if I did.

(If I were selling original work, the editing phase would be non-optional and therefore I would do it. Attention span factors would still make it difficult, but those can be pushed through to a positive result.)

TL;DR index cards & vibes

#asks #writing in general

[bcdaily]

bee!! in this day and age of the last of us HBO series, I remembered you posting a while back that you have Thoughts about TLOU2. I would really love to hear them, if you care to share. wishing you a lovely week!

I was CERTAIN I'd gone on a proper rant about this at the time...but now I can't find it?? My tumblr has literally no search capabilities. It's so poorly tagged. What bitch did that??

But anyway--I can likely go on for eight hours how much I despised TLOU2 and how awfully and terribly it was written while trying to gaslight you into thinking otherwise...but here's a condensed version.

SPOILERS BENEATH THE CUT!!!

First off, let's just start with my number one proclamation:

There is absolutely nothing intrinsically sophisticated about trauma. There is absolutely nothing intrinsically sophisticated about shock value.

TLOU2 is just poorly written. It completely ignores every tenant of writing and storytelling--character, conflict, pacing, stakes--and subs it out for pure trauma porn that it tries to convince you is something New and Different and Complex. It is none of those things in the first place. And the game never delves any deeper than that. The main plot of the story is literally exactly the same as the oldest, stalest, dude-bro 80s action flick: killing off one character as a plot device to send the other character spiraling on an unbearable revenge plot scheme. What, because the main character is queer woman and the killed off character is her dad figure instead of a never-seen wife, we're supposed to think this is somehow revolutionary?? LoooooooOOOlLL don't make me laugh.

Character: God, I loved Joel and Ellie. And what did TLOU2 do? They turned one into a plot device, and spun the other so far out of her character in a trauma spiral that she became UNBEARABLE...and refused to do anything else. It never justified it. It never did anything interesting with the characters or the plot. It just...left that there. Also, please see number one proclamation: Shock value does not equal good storytelling--ESPECIALLY THIS TYPE OF SHOCK VALUE!! Why is it shocking for us to watch them kill off one of the main characters in the prologue? Well, because that is the #1 thing a writer can do to betray the reader/player. It completely upends the expectations of the story and makes the reader/player go, "Well, how do they gain back my trust after that? How do you justify that as a story choice? How do you make me okay with you turning a character you made me love into a plot device and nothing else?" IF THE ANSWER TO THOSE THREE QUESTIONS IS, "UM, ACTUALLY, WE NEVER DO THAT. IT'S NEVER JUSTIFIED. IT'S JUST SHITTY AND THAT'S THE POINT." THEN GUESS WHAT? You don't get +100 points for shocking me, -50 points for poor follow-through. YOU GET MINUS 150 POINTS. THAT'S JUST BAD WRITING. IT'S PURE BAD WRRRIIIITTTINNNNG.

And don't even get me started on Abbie. This sort of "gotcha" that they think they pulled of, "Oooh, you're supporting Ellie but not Abbie...HA HA YOU CAN'T, BECAUSE ABBIE DID EXACTLY WHAT ELLIE IS DOING NOW!! YOU HAVE TO LIKE HER TOO OR YOU'RE A HYPOCRITE!!" was pure "LOL" because....um, no, I just hated both of them?? They were literally doing awful, terrible things and listening to no one? Cool choice, bro?? (Zero hate forever to Ashley Johnson and Laura Bailey, goddesses on earth, this was not on them. They played exactly what was given to them brilliantly.)

They also introduced about nineteen new characters and killed off eighteen of them. It was literally their only move. They knew how to do nothing else.

CONFLICT: Remember the BRILLIANT conflict set up after the first game??? That rising tension as you had on one hand, this global outbreak, this huge apocalypse virus, and Ellie's mysterious part in it vs. these two beautiful bastards who so desperately needed each other but were going to fight the whole way until they accepted it?? And how both of these were built up until CRASH, they collided and suddenly you had to choose--save the world or save Ellie?? Chef's kiss. Amazing. What was the fallout of that? How could they still save the world after? How would it affect them as a family?

I'm so glad the game abandoned every bit of that and subbed in instead the conflict of letting us watch various characters destroy themselves.

They literally NEVER mentioned trying to find a cure again. The reveal about the Joel/Ellie fallout was spooned out with excruciating slowness and that end scene of them hashing it out? I didn't even understand. Ellie seemed mad that...he took away her chance to be a hero? With zero compassion about the situation? Like, I didn't understand why it wasn't as simple as Joel saying, "I never should have lied to you. But you were a child--my child--and I'm sorry that I loved you too much to let them kill you. I just couldn't do that." Like, Ellie was desperate for family?? Why would something so obvious like that not have mattered? It was so infuriating.

Nevermind the fact that they introduced all these new conflicts, these new communities, these new religions, these new characters...and never resolved a single one. They just killed off everyone but a handful and pressed on to the next new thing.

(Okay, this is already so long--see? EIGHT HOURS--and now I'm tired. I'll run through the last bits quickly and maybe do it properly another time. My blood pressure is rising loooool)

PACING: The game was twice as long as it should've been overall. Making you play the whole way through Ellie, then go back and play the whole way through Abbie, was EXHAUSTING and dragged like hell. Also, the fact that the main storyline was so fucking bleak that they needed to intercut it with mindless flashbacks of Joel and Ellie to make it all even remotely bearable should have told them something. All that served was to remind me of the game I WANTED to be playing. Plus, it should've ended at the theater. That whole last section's only point was to RETELL the same shit and assure me that, hey, you think Ellie or Abbie gets out of their trauma spiral after this? Learns something? Nahhhhhh. They're miserable betches FOR YEARS. Cool coool coooooool.

STAKES: There were none. Because there was no conflict. Just, "God, I really wish these two would stop being terrible." And they never were.

#bee talks video games #spoilers #this just made me mad all over again #sorry for the typos that are probably in here I'm not reading over it