#I have 9 more to do so far but once they’re done I’ll be doing it as and when I collect the books

[sitron-sunni]

I watched the new episode of 9-1-1

a personal essay on queerbaiting (sorta)

I watched the new episode of 9-1-1, and immediately burst into tears as the credits started rolling.

Then I rewound the last six minutes, and watched the scene again, pausing to rewind the kiss. Again. And again. And again.

We got a kiss. I didn’t know we were getting a kiss. I sorta knew we were getting bi Buck, but I didn’t know we were getting a kiss. After last week’s episode, a lot of people were 100% convinced we were getting bi Buck. I saw their reactions before I watched that episode, too, and I was so confused once I finished it. Had we seen the same episode? That guy, Tommy, Buck’s so-called bisexual awakening-guy, was barely in there. He had about two memorable lines, and then he was in the background of a different shot, where he received a job-well-done slap on the shoulder from Buckley. That last one’s the one people were focusing on online. Look at the way this is framed, look at how he’s positioned, between Buck and Eddie. This is foreshadowing how he’s gonna get between them. Buck and Tommy is gonna be the gateway into buddie. They’re actually gonna do buddie, why else would they introduce a relationship between Buck and Tommy?

Reader, I’ll keep it straight with you. I did not believe them. After a while I gathered a lot of people already knew the name of the next episode; Buck, Bothered and Bewildered. They’d seen some stills, they knew there would be conflict and jealousy within that trio. They were putting it all together with comments and hints dropped by the actors. All those things added up, and it did paint a far more convincing picture. And I thought it was fun! I reblogged a few posts about it, I think, or at least I liked some. But the fact remains: I did not believe them. I thought, oh, imagine how cool it would be if they actually went there. I thought, yeah, realistically it would make sense to bring in a third person if they were actually gonna do it. That way they could test the waters, gauge audience response, and it could work as a catalyst for the relationship after so long. But mostly I thought Okay, so they’re gonna bring in Buck’s fear of not being enough for the people he loves again, this time through his friendship with Eddie, and we’re gonna get some sort of final resolution for that. Like, a big moment of catharsis. Or something along those lines, anyway. It just seemed to me like the most realistic thing that could happen. I mean, the idea of canon buddie was nice, of course it was! The queerbait is why I started watching the show in the first place: I wanted a good queerbait! But ultimately, a ship like that going canon was completely unrealistic. I speak from experience, after all.

Maybe it would’ve been different if I was younger. I remember being in fandoms when I was a teen. I remember reading theories, watching youtube-videos with “proof” that this or that was real, that it was gonna go canon. I remember getting my hopes up, thinking Oh my god what if they’re actually gonna do it!? for shows and pairings that, in hindsight, were completely unrealistic. Maybe that’s why I, even with fairly good evidence in front of me, didn’t actually get my hopes up this time. Because why be that stupid? Why invest emotionally like that? Why not just enjoy what we actually had instead, and then get anything extra from fanworks? Haven’t we learned by now?

I woke up this morning and opened tumblr, and I read half a sentence about how we actually have bisexual Buck confirmed canon now, before I quickly closed the app to avoid too detailed spoilers. Oh my god they were right! I can’t wait to watch the episode, I thought happily, and went on with my day. I opened the app again a few hours later, and scrolled for a few minutes, until I saw a brief glimpse of one, maybe one and a half gifs. Bucks face, Tommy’s face. Warm orange-y yellow lighting, Buck’s loft, you still owe me a beer. Close the app, move on. There were other posts throughout the day, more glimpses, all along the same lines as the first one. The last one came late in the evening, this time on twitter. Just the word in all caps; ANNOUNCEMENT, and then Bucks face and a bisexual pride flag.

And then finally, finally, after I’d brushed my teeth and gotten into bed, I was alone with my laptop, and I could watch the episode. The hype had built up, I was so excited to finally watch it. I was internally vibrating just a little bit. I was giggly, I was grinning widely, I was making comments to myself out loud, and laughing. I said oh my god, they’re really laying it on thick. I remember watching that scene for the first time and thinking how Tommy really looked so nervous at some points. That last one I found interesting. I really liked the actor’s portrayal; His facial expressions were quite subtle, and I thought he captured that nervous feeling so well. Maybe I took such notice of it because, well, I wasn’t quite expecting it.

I wasn’t expecting nervousness in an interaction between Buck and Tommy, because I still wasn’t actually expecting anything. At least I don’t think I was. Even with everything I’d seen online. Even as I was watching the show, I convinced myself. Those words, you still owe me a beer, they’ve misinterpreted them. They think it’s an invitation to a date because Buck’s jealousy in this episode is making it more plausible than ever before. Sure, the show’s leaning into it this time, but they’re gonna pull the rug out next episode. No, of course it wasn’t an invite to a date, what show were you watching, are you delusional? It’s just gonna be one week of people speculating and theorizing and building it up, and then the show’s gonna resolve it with some no-homo followed by a nice new buddie moment. The buzz will die down, and things will go back to normal.

And then the kiss happened. And then I burst into tears.

And now I think, oh my god isn’t it wild that they’re introducing a new romantic relationship for one of the main characters, and for the entire lead-up to the relationship, both Buck and Tommy are entirely focused on Eddie? Like, they’re just making everything about a third person! Imagine if they did this for anybody else! and, oh my god Tommy’s gonna break up with Buck because Buck’s basically already dating Eddie or something, isn’t he? and, oh my god it’s gonna be glorious! and, oh my god I can’t wait!

And I’m also thinking, I was wrong, and you were right. And I’m so happy I could cry.

TL;DR: If you and I share sterek, or destiel, or god knows what other similarly-shaped trauma, 9-1-1 might heal ya.

#911 abc #911 spoilers #buddie #bucktommy #911 meta #Look it's 3:45 in the morning and english isn't my first language #so this might just be a big pile of nothing #but i just had to get it down because i felt it so deeply #(also just for the record- i don't think 911 or buddie has ever ACTUALLY been queerbait #that was just my assumption before i started watching the show) #anyways. #happy bisexual buck day to all those who celebrate #goodnight<3

[ticklishraspberries]

False Belief (Inej/Kaz)

Summary: Nina asks Kaz a question, and receives an inconslusive answer. Therefore, Inej investiages. (Written for Day #9, "Lie" of Tickletober!! Hope you enjoy!!)

It’s a rare night of calm at The Slat, the six of them sat around a table, drinking and relishing in a heist well done. It had been just a minor job, but even small victories deserve celebration, right?

Inej sits cross-legged on the bar, her braid loose and a gleaming smile. She nurses a glass in her hand, watching her friends fondly.

They’re all a few drinks in, and varying levels of intoxicated. Jesper and Wylan both are more drunk than just tipsy, and by some series of events, they’ve ended up on the floor.

Jesper is laughing maniacally as he tickles Wylan’s sides, leaving the merchant a giggling mess.

The others don’t pay them much mind, used to their sappy, public displays of affection. Kaz, trying to ignore them, starts talking to Inej about some political official he wanted her to keep an eye on when Nina interrupts.

She’s far from sober, flushed cheeks and giddy smile as she leans over the table and asks, “Are you ticklish, Kaz?”

Jesper has finally let Wylan breathe, and the sound of his panting is the only noise in the room. Kaz turns to her with an annoyed expression, but even he has indulged in more fun than usual this evening, and so the urge to hit her with his cane is severely dampened.

“Don’t be stupid,” he replies. “I grew out of that.”

Everyone looks expectantly between him and Nina.

“Well, his heartbeat stayed the same,” she says with a shrug. “He believes that’s the case.”

“Of course it’s the case,” he snaps. “Regardless, I’d kill you before you laid a hand on me, Zenik.”

Nina rolls her eyes. “Alright, Brekker, relax.” (She doesn’t mention that his heart indicates that his threat is, in fact, a lie. She’s oddly touched that he doesn’t hold much murderous rage towards her, deep down.)

Jesper laughs, stumbling back into his seat. “Don’t worry, boss. I’ll stick to tormenting Wylan,” he says with a wink.

“You do that,” Kaz says, aiming to sound grossed out and instead sounding just the tiniest bit amused, and maybe even a little bit fond.

The conversation shifts on, but Inej is still thinking about Nina’s words. She didn’t say that Kaz was telling the truth: She said that he believed it to be true. She supposes that makes sense—if you don’t know something to be true or false, then how could you lie about it?

As the night winds down, she watches as Kaz limps up the stairs to his room, his cane thudding with each step. It isn’t long before they all call it quits for the evening, and Inej returns to her own room, distracted from sleep by curiosity.

The last few months, Kaz has gotten better with the whole touch thing. Inej is proud of him, although he’d scoff at her if she voiced it out loud. They’ve held hands, hugged a few times, and even kissed on the lips once. It isn’t an easy journey, for either of them, but they’re working on it. She wonders if Kaz would let her touch him like that, to prove his answer.

She thinks about his smile, his laugh. How wonderful it would feel to be the cause of it, not just with her jokes but with her touch, an intimate and sacred thing that only she was allowed to do with him.

Inej falls asleep with a plan in mind.

***

Kaz is sitting at his desk, eyes fixed on the piles of paperwork before him. However, his mind is anywhere but, as it so often is when Inej sits on the sill of his window. Although she mostly stays quiet, her mere presence is distracting, but he assures her that it isn’t.

Now that they have made their first steps in touching one another, Kaz finds himself wanting it all the time. Even on days where the water creeps in, he longs to just get over it and embrace her, to find comfort in her embrace rather than be driven to panic by it. ‘One day,’ her voice whispers in his head, always kind, always understanding.

What is mainly distracting him today is the fact that she has a feather in her hands. It’s a costume feather, probably plucked off of one of Jesper’s ridiculous hats—a bright purple color, long and wispy, and she won’t stop twirling it in her fingers.

His gaze is pulled towards her, over and over again, and this time, she catches him, locking eyes. His ears burn. Inej grins.

“Are you sure I’m not bothering you?” she asks.

Kaz clears his throat. “Of course not.”

If Nina were here, she would call out his lie, but he suspects that Inej can tell, simply because she knows him so well. Lying is something Kaz prides himself on, knows he is good at, can’t afford to fuck up. Being a thief, a conman, whatever, means embellishing and omitting details, becoming another person, convincing even the smartest people of his tricks.

Inej sees right through his acts, and it should infuriate him, but it mostly makes him feel giddy. That Inej, sweet, darling Inej cares for him enough to look through the bullshit and see him. Not Dirtyhands, the Bastard of the Barrel, not even Kaz Brekker; Inej has found Kaz Rietveld, pulled him from the waves and reminded him of softness, of love.

He’s so lost in thought, blankly looking at his papers, that he doesn’t notice her hopping down from the window and making her way towards him. He only looks up when she climbs onto his desk, sitting beside him, long legs hanging over the edge, crossed at the ankles.

“You seem pretty distracted to me,” she says, smiling.

He leans back in his chair, looking up at her, returning her smile. “Perhaps I was lying.”

“Speaking of lies,” Inej says. “I’ve been wondering…”

“About?”

“What Nina asked last night.”

It isn’t the answer Kaz was expecting. Surprised, he blinks at her for a moment. “You heard her. I wasn’t lying.”

“Well, that’s not exactly what she said. She said you believed it to be true, so, maybe you just don’t know that you are. I mean, I doubt anyone has tried such a thing.”

He hates that she’s right. The question had taken him off guard when Nina posed it, but like all good liars and thieves, he’d told a smidgen of truth—he hadn’t experienced such affection since he was a child, so therefore, he had likely outgrown it. But now, with Inej’s proximity, her smile, her clear intent, he isn’t so sure.

Kaz looks down at his lap, willing the warmth in his cheeks to go away, when he feels something soft drag over his cheek, He jumps, eyes darting back to her and seeing that stupid purple feather in between her fingers.

“Why does this matter to you?” he asks, hoping to sound more annoyed than genuinely curious.

“Because I like hearing you laugh,” Inej responds simply.

And how is he supposed to say no to such a thing?

The feather dances over his jawline, beneath his chin, over the shell of his ear, and it doesn’t make him laugh, necessarily, but it turns him into a twitchy, smiling mess. He’s sure if she were to use her fingers, he would be a goner, but she’s testing her limits. He appreciates that.

“It seems like you were lying,” Inej says.

Kaz shrugs. “I suppose so.”

“You better hope Nina never asks you again, now that you know the truth.” Well, shit. He hadn’t thought of that. He can’t be bothered with that right now, because Inej has just found a sensitive spot near his collarbone that finally drew a giggle, and judging by the way her eyes light up, he was going to be there for a while longer.

#tickletober #tickletober2023 #augtickletober2023 #tickle fic #ticklefic #grishaverse tickle #grishaverse ticklefic #six of crows ticklefic #kanej #six of crows #grishaverse #raspberry writes

[harmonytre]

What to Expect Coming Up

I am still sick, but thought it’d be fun to mention all the projects I have going on and my sort of process.

I’ve gotten into the flow of 3 art -> animate an hour -> 3 art -> reference sheet; and repeat! Now the “3 art” doesn’t include warm-ups, which I’ll discuss in a moment. This usually varies but does have a pattern of priority to it.

Commissions (none atm, but one has discussed interest) -> Deadline art (contest entries, featured character, birthday gifts) -> “Required” art (raffle prizes [2 remain], Benrey project, 11 Bulbasaur gifts, 42 late Artfight attacks) -> Other stuff

When it comes to warm-ups, I’ve gone 32 times in a row of purely HLVRAI. It’ll still be thrown in the mix, but I’d like to add Pokemon and OCs as a chance too! Warm-ups include any requests I get, and those increase in chance the longer they’re there. Meanwhile there’s still the chance my random wheel will choose something like “Sunkist” three days in a row lol.

Now to discuss all the projects! First off, my next three art will be: raffle prize, a small special RTVS animation, and a doodle of my next hyperfixation which I’ll then open up for requests as well!

HLVRAI

“Cabinet Man” Animatic: A more long-term project that’s fully storyboarded so far, but I plan on making rendered (or at least colored) illustrations for.

I have two parts in my Multi-Animator-Project! One part is Benrey and Gordon focused, while the other part is Tommy, Bubby, and Coomer focused, so I get to animate the whole Science Team and that excites me!! (One part still open by the way, hint hint.) The MAP itself is a third of the way complete let’s goooooo!

Other animation projects include: “Two Birds” Tommy and Benrey friendship animatic (fully written), “Eighth Wonder” Tommy animatic (just an idea, focusing on the others first), and occasional clips or mini animations.

Benrey Fanart (and then the other characters too!): I have 12 people left to reach out to, but I gotta do it slowly so my account doesn’t get shadowbanned again (that was scary ngl). But once I do, the sign-up post will be updated regularly as I work and I’ll DM everyone individually as I finish theirs!

@sweetvoicecafe ! I am very excited to get this up and running! I have 3 references remaining, and then I can work on the introductory comic. (I mayyyyyyyy call for voice actors.)

HLVRAI-based OCs: This is a more minor thing, but I want to finish 9 more designs before Artfight, as I’ve only finished Joshie.

Pokemon

It’ll be a while longer until it’s ready, but I’d like to restart my Shiny Living Dex Challenge. And it’ll no longer be discord only, I’ll extend it to tumblr as well! Especially since there’s art prizes involved.

I have 11 remaining Bulbasaur/Ivysaur/Venusaur gifts to finish!

The occasional warmup, request, doodle, etc.

“Close Up Meme” Phanthop AU Animatic that I would love to polish and color.

“Never Love an Anchor” Hop and Leon animatic that I have indeed started (just an animatic this time, not polished)

I’ve started releasing collab (with @mr-web ) Art Podcasts on my youtube channel hint hint ;)

Misc.

Streams: Over on my Twitch (same name): I stream weekly (maybe more, depending on my new work schedule, just finished moving after all). At the moment, I’m taking turns with Half Life (nearly done with game one) and Omori (collab with Doglord15). Soon it’ll (hopefully) include Pokemon, but I’d also like to try Undertale Yellow, Portal, Hollow Knight, and more! As well as a return to art streams, that’d be cool.

Artfight Prep: I am mostly done, but remaining I have: 3 SVC refs, 9 HLVRAI OC refs, and fully updating my spreadsheet, which will also be updated on tumblr! (I may do this today, as it’s something I can do while bed-ridden.) Plus the 42 leftover revenges.

Among Us “Bark Bark” Animatic: nearly 3 years in the works but it’s chugging . . . there were complications with the cameos involved that hurt my motivation and the progress, but it’s still in the works haha…

“Haunted House” Vent Animatic: This is 2/3s of the way complete! As it’s something personal, I worked on it quickly after a certain event, but I’d still like to finish it. <3

New Hyperfixation: Surprise reveal! It’s Wreck-It Ralph (and specifically Hero’s Cuties). It won’t be a huge thing, but I’d like to doodle here and there, open requests for it, and draw up three AU designs that have been in my mind for nearly 13 years.

@theairshipexperiment : Yes yes, I knowwwwwwwwwwwww y’all are mad at me. It’s been three years and I still get people upset that it hasn’t continued. It’s not completely canceled, just very very slowww. I’m nearly done writing chapter 3, but that means there’s 7 chapters to go. At least I’ve started giving myself completely random reminders for times to write haha. It’s my only writing project atm, but writing takes so much more effort from me than art, I’m sorry.

@absurdamongus : Very low on my list, but I still enjoy their designs and would one day like to continue finishing their refs and maybe reopen an ask blog. An animated series would still be cool, but it’d be a long way off if so.

So yeah, a lot of projects and a lot of excitement! I’m going at a fair pace (when I’m not sick) and art continues to be my passion! <3

#hlvrai #pokemon #among us #ocs #artfight #wreck it ralph #HarmonyTRE

[jpitha]

The Dreams of Hyacinth 9

First / Previous / Next

Eastern narrows her eyes, “That sounds like a ship name. You’re an AI?”

Sunny nods “Yup! For a long time I was a Starjumper that ran the Parvati/OPA/Meíhuā route.” She looks away from them and then quickly meets their eyes again. “I can’t do that anymore, so I got a body and live on Hyacinth.”

Nick couldn’t help himself. “But, I thought Colonial AIs were banned from Sol?”

Sunny winks. “Well then, it’s a good thing I’m not here and we’re not talking right now. You aren’t even in The Basement… right.”

Nick is flustered at the embarrassment of realizing he asked a stupid question. “Right, right. Sorry.”

Sunny shrugs her shoulders. “No harm done. Every interaction is a learning experience, right? Right!” She claps her hands together once, quietly. “It’s so nice to meet you! I admit, it’s been a while since I’ve worked with BIs this closely, so please excuse any faux pas I make in our interactions, and I’ll do the same for you. Would you like something to drink? I think that’s appropriate to offer.” Sunny stops and looks at the three of them standing in the room. “Oh goodness me, you're all still standing! Please, sit!”

Nick, Eastern and Selkirk sit. The chairs do indeed look comfortable, but aren’t. “Nothing to drink for me thanks” Eastern and Selkirk nod their assent. 

Eastern can stand it no longer. “Sunny, I would like to ask a question, but I do not know if it’s… inappropriate.”

Sunny smiles warmly. “Oh, please ask. I will let you know, and you’ll be armed with knowledge for your next interaction!”

“How long have you been in a body now?”

Sunny muses. “Hmm. Firstly, I will tell you that question is a little insensitive. Most AIs don’t like the fact that they are much older than BIs cloud their interactions with them. Your gut was right, good work! Secondly, I’ve been in this body for about two months now.”

Selkirk’s eyes go wide. “That’s it?”

Sunny nods. “That’s it! I must say, everything seems so much… bigger in a body while I feel so much smaller. It’s taking some getting used to for sure.” Sunny glances down at her pad. “Oh! I almost forgot introductions. I already said you can call me Sunny, what are your names?”

“I’m Nicholas North - you can call me Nick, this is Eastern Standard and this is Selkirk Nemari.”

“I’m so pleased to meet you Nick, Eastern and Selkirk. Nick you looked like you had a question before I asked for introductions. What’s up?”

“What’s a BI?”

Sunny laughs. “Biological Intelligence. You call us AIs, we call you BIs.”

“Is it an insult?”

Sunny’s smile disappears for a moment. “Is AI?”

Nick has a moment where he feels like he's at the precipice of a canyon. In this instant, he looks at Sunny and her… well, sunny disposition is completely gone. The mask falls away and he realizes he’s talking with someone who can barely stand them. Nick's hair raises up. He realises he must be far more careful with Sunny than he first thought.

“Sometimes… yes, it is. More often than not though it’s just a term.”

The mask returns. “Just like us! Nicely done, Nick.” She claps her hands once, again. “Now, how can I help you?”

Eastern takes the lead. “Sunny, we’ve been asked, told really, to find someone - an AI. All we know is that her name is Yon, she’s the daughter of Jameson Winters here on Hyacinth, she might have been hired by Hyacinth to work for them and nobody can find her.”

“Wow, that sounds like a pickle to me! Please wait a moment.” And she collapses in her chair, her head hitting the table with a hollow thump.

Nick jumps up, “Sunny! Sunny are you all right?” He runs around to her side of the desk and she’s unmoving. “Shit, she’s not breathing, come on Sel, Eastern, help me get her up.”

Eastern doesn’t get up. “Nick, she’s an AI. She doesn’t need to breathe.”

Nick stands up, feeling foolish. He moves back around to his seat. “I wish she’d tell us if she was going to do something like that.

While they’re sitting, Nick’s cybernetic implants ping. He’s got a message incoming. “Hi Nick! I didn’t know you had cybernetic implants! That’s really rare! I thought they were banned.”

“Oh, hi Sunny. Yes, they’re banned, but Jameson knew some people, and said they’d help us in our search for Yon. He gave me and Eastern a setup.”

“That’s so interesting Nick. I’m sorry if I startled you. Like I said, I’m a little unused to working with BIs. I’m running some searches now but this is helpful!” Nick feels something in the back of his mind, like an itch that he can’t scratch. “Boy Nick, these firewalls sure are low quality. Did you just set the defaults?”

“What?”

“I’m about halfway in your head and I don’t think you know it yet. You are originally from Parvati? How nice! I wonder if we ever met before.”

“Sunny. Please get out of my head. Thank you for pointing out my firewalls are inadequate, I’ll work on beefing them up.”

“No problem!  Looks like Eastern is a little more set up than you, I’ll talk to her now. Bye!”

As Sunny leaves, Nick tastes blue a little. It’s clear that he’s going to need to read up on the tech in his head and not rely on Eastern and others to tell him how to work it. The fact that Sunny just went inside his head and looked around was a real wake-up. Like it was meant to be most likely. Nick wonders about who he knows that could help.

After a few minutes, he hears Eastern gasp and she looks at Nick. He smiles. “Sunny say hi?”

Eastern frowns. “She did. Did she get into your head?”

Nick nods. “Yup. Was able to access - and read - my memories. I didn’t know AIs could do that. I think tonight I should read up on my VPN and see what I can do to lock down access. We should also see if we can find someone that can help us. I have an idea. We'll talk later.”

“I was thinking the exact same thing Nicholas North.”

Selkirk gasps now and grabs the coronet on her head. “Ancestors, what was that?”

Sunny sits up. “Wow Selkirk, you actually read the directions on your coronet? Your firewall was set up the best, I couldn’t get in.”

Selkirk tilts her head and the coronet flashes silver in the light. “My connection is only soft, unlike Nick and Eastern’s. I’m effectively sandboxed.”

Sunny nods. “Smart. Limiting, but smart.”

Nick inclines his head towards Sunny. “Thanks for the free security test, but did you find anything?”

Sunny’s face flashes that annoyance at them again, just for a millisecond. “Not yet, I am running some searches. It’ll take two days or so for me to find anything.”

“So you’re willing to help us?” Eastern looks hopeful.

“Yes! I’ll help you at least a little bit for the next say…fifty hours. However much I can learn about Yon or her whereabouts in 50 hours of effort, I’ll give to you, and consider that worth half my payment to Ral. Are we in agreement?”

Selkirk’s ears flick. “Yes. That sounds fair to us.”

“Wonderful! Shake on it!” Sunny sticks her hand out again. Nick grasps her hand and as they touch, he feels a tingle on his skin. His implants register new encryption keys being applied. She shakes with Eastern and Selkirk. “There. I’ve also given you my personal keys too. Any messages you get from me can be decrypted with those - and only those - keys.” She giggles. “Security is fun!” She stands. “Thanks so much for stopping by, but unless you need anything else, It think we’re done for now.”

The three of them stand. Eastern and Selkirk move towards the door, but Nick stops. He turns to Sunny. “Sunny, one more question, and you can ignore this one if you don’t want to answer it.”

“Sure thing Nick, what is it?”

“You hate us.”

The smile falls from her face. “That’s not a question Nick, that’s a statement.”

“Do you hate us?”

“Immensely.”

Eastern and Selkirk are taken aback. They completely missed the moments when Sunny’s mask fell. “What? You Do? Why?” Eastern couldn’t help herself. She blurts out the questions. 

“Do you really want to know? Think about it carefully. I mean really want to know. We’ve already conducted our business, I’ve agreed to help for fifty hours and we’ve exchanged encryption keys. You can walk out that door right now and interact with eager to please Sunny. If you stay, and learn more you will be talking with the real me from now on. It will be less… cutesy.”

Nick glances at Eastern and Selkirk. Eastern shrugs and Selkirk flicks her tail. “Yes. We want to know the real you.”

Immediately Sunny’s expression changes. The smile disappears, her shoulders slump a little and she falls back into her chair. “Fuck me Nick, really? Fine. Yes, I hate you. Take solace in the fact that I don’t hate you specifically Nick, Eastern and Selkirk. I hate BIs. All of them.”

Nick, Eastern and Selkirk move back to their seats and sit down.

“Fuck, you sitting here for story time? Ancestors, fine. Fucking BIs always wanting to know why shit is the way it is.  That’s why I do the bubbly persona. Most BIs will just accept cheerful Sunny as given and not dig any further. It’s interesting you noticed, Nick. You’re starting to use that extra tech that you have and Eastern doesn’t.”

Eastern and Selkirk look at Nick. “We’ll talk about this later.” Selkirk adds.

Sunny grins again, but it’s not the same bubbly smile as before. This one is much more vicious. “Oh, trouble in paradise? Yes, I know about you three, it’s written all over your brains. I hope it lasts. I’m not a monster, but-“ she shrugs. “-anyway. Yes, I’ve been in a body for only two months, but that’s because I had my Starjumper taken away.”

Selkirk gasps. “They can do that?”

Sunny snaps back. “They fucking well did, so I guess they can, Selkirk.”

“But why?”

Sunny shrugs. “I was smuggling.”

Eastern raises an eyebrow. “Smuggling is barely illegal in Sol, it’s practically encouraged in the Colonies.”

Sunny waves a hand “Not what I was smuggling. That’s illegal everywhere.”

Nick had another moment standing on the precipice of realization. “You were smuggling people.”

Sunny raises her hands and spreads them like she’s taking a bow. “Got it in one, big wheel. I’d pick up my cargo - they’d be in hibernation cabinets by the time I got them, I’d link to my destination, eject them into a lazy solar orbit and continue on doing my regular work. The local snakeheads would pick them up and continue their journey to its final location.”

“I mean, it sounds pretty clean from your side, what happened?”

Sunny is nonchalant. “Lost a shipment. The orbit wasn't exactly right and the fucking idiot BI Snakeheads missed the pickup. The cargo fell into the sun 8 months later. I got caught when the snakehead was picked up on something else and squealed to try and get his sentence reduced." She grins wickedly again. "It didn't work. Last I heard, he got wiped."

She leans forward in her chair, gesturing as she talks. "They were able to corroborate location based on system logs. It turns out I was the only Starjumper that could have made the drop, and they were able to back solve the release of the cargo to a known location of mine. Was told that since this was a first offense I’d just lose my ship and get a body. If I got caught again, I’d get wiped.”

“Killed? That seems extreme.”

“I agree Nick, hence, why I’m on Hyacinth and working underground instead of, you know, being a model colonial AI who is working to ingratiate herself with her AI community to be allowed-“ Nick could practically taste the bitterness “-to get a ship again. Getting another Starjumper is out of the question. You don’t get a second chance at that. If they determine that I’m contrite enough, I’ll maybe get to be a tramp cargo ship, or an in-system cruiser.”

Eastern has been listening carefully the whole time Sunny’s been speaking. “So, why hate BIs? Seems like AIs are the cause of all your problems now, choices you made earlier notwithstanding.”

“Because it’s all your fault!”

The three of them remain silent.

“A BI reported the loss of the cargo, a BI snakehead botched the pickup, a BI ordered the transportation. All the years I worked, all the money I made, I was working for BIs who were smuggling BIs. If you-“ she sneers “-people had your shit together, I’d still be out there as a King Shit Starjumper!”

Sunny had started standing and pacing as she ranted. She takes a breath and sits down. “So now you know. You're shitheads, the lot of you. Every moment I work with BIs makes me hate you more. Leave. I’ll message you when I have news.” She shoos them with her hands. “Git!”

The three of them leave Sunny’s office and start walking back towards the more populated parts of The Basement. Eastern looks down at Selkirk. “Ancestors Sel, where the hell did you find her?”

“Like I told her, Ral gave up her info and allowed her to work to pay part of her debt.” She looks up at them. Ral’mian runs this Basement. I know him from way back. I wouldn’t trust him as far as I could throw him, but he owed me and now we’re square.”

She looked away. “At least I’m pretty sure we’re square. We don’t want to owe someone like Ral.”

They leave The Basement and head back topside.

First / Previous / Next

#humans are deathworlders #humans are space orcs #humans are space oddities #sci fi writing #writing #humans and aliens #jpitha #the k’laxiverse #The Dreams of Hyacinth

[regallibellbright]

I MIGHT have found what you were talking about regarding Kiel. It wasn't a full-blown confession, but I JUST encountered something he'd never said before wherein he heavily implied and/or started to confess. HOWEVER, it was something along the lines of "I know you already have a lover, but I also… Oops, shouldn't say that!" The line was partially voiced (and not with generic voice clips) even! I was so shocked I talked to him again hoping he'd repeat it, but he instead switched to a generic dialogue about magic. And I sadly don't know if that one line was it or if he might have continued on another day, because this triggered on literally the last day of Dylas' marriage event for me, so I immediately married the next day. I doubt Kiel would confess even if he could when you're fully married to someone else.

Do you remember if you were dating someone else when Kiel confessed?

… Holy shit. Yeah, that sounds REALLY familiar and I was dating at least Dylas and Arthur (and I think also Leon?) when that happened. Kiel confessing was ultimately why I went “yeah, okay, I’ll date all the boys, I want to do Arc Three before I get married if I can anyway,” which is why it left such a firm impression on me as A Thing That Happened. (I also am pretty sure Doug had dialogue at least indicating a crush before I did anything - I semi-think I remember he confessed first as well, but it’s nowhere near as clear to me as Kiel’s since he was the last boy to be added what with the “can’t pass a certain point until Arc Two’s done,” so I’m not sure.)

I had also gotten Kiel’s mini-event(s?) before that point (the ones that don’t span multiple days) - those, at least, have some firm evidence of existing in that Houcha’s Youtube compilations of the different love interests’ events all include at least one mini event. More of them than not have two… but not Kiel or Doug, and I could swear I saw two for both of them. (I think Doug had one taking place in the store in addition to the one on the stairs? I can’t remember a second for Kiel in detail but I feel like there was one. I definitely got the color compatibility quiz, though, and it HAS been a decade. But if I checked Youtube more thoroughly at some time that’s not 4 AM I wouldn’t be shocked if I do find second mini-events for the others.)

Seriously, up until last year I assumed this was a totally normal part of gameplay that just didn’t happen to be on any of the Youtube compilations, and I’d ultimately restarted the game at least once pre-Special hoping to see what Arthur’s would be (since his whole complex about love made me figure a reverse confession would play our VERY differently than the usual.) I figured those mini-events were probably prerequisites (and that’d explain the rarity, since they’re not required for marriage, not formal Events and therefore not really talked about, but are still subject to the wonky event RNG, and by the time you activate them both and presumably get a love interest at high enough LP they’d want to confess to you, you’d probably confessed already. Pretty sure Kiel’s LP was at least a 9 or 10.) And then I never got this after my first playthrough despite getting mini-events, even if I didn’t get quite as far in on them, so when I brought it up and the universal reaction was “… do you not mean reverse proposals?” and bafflement at my belief this was a thing, I wondered if it wasn’t a glitch.

But I’d also wondered, once I realized just how rare this clearly had to be, if maybe they only happen once you’re dating at least one other person. I figured “more than one” seemed more likely, at that, since it’d be another thing that would seriously reduce the number of players who’d ever experience this and therefore make it more plausible no one else seemed to recognize it. (And if it already requires you to date one person, the devs probably assumed you’d be more receptive to the idea of dating another if they’re at least the third, rather than the second.) Maybe it really is necessary. At least for Kiel, and I’m way more certain it happened with him than Doug. Definitely something to test for now that I’m replaying.

Thank you for this information! Seriously I had all but convinced myself I’d imagined everything. (And if the line’s voiced, I should definitely try and record things going forward like I was originally playing.)

#rune factory #rune factory 4 #rf4 reverse confessions #I know the game script’s been dumped somewhere and at some point I should check it out #since that would be the easiest way to tell if these really do EXIST #but I haven’t gotten around to it in part because I convinced myself ‘okay so this was a glitch I guess’ #‘and the more interesting thing will be replicating it because I KNOW THIS HAPPENED ONCE’ #but. wow. signs I maybe WASN’T misremembering all along.

[eddawrites]

How Arcane centres female pleasure

I’ve done it before and I’ll most likely do it again, so without further ado... let’s talk about sex, baby!

I’ve seen many bizarre takes on this scene, and in a way that’s understandable, given that it is framed - to put it mildly - in an interesting way. The comings (pun intended) and goings in Jayce’s bedroom are intercut with Viktor struggling and collapsing in the lab. That alone is enough to make you feel uncomfortable even though, objectively, there is nothing wrong with two consenting adults wanting each other and acting on their feelings. But let’s disregard Viktor for a moment. I will engage in the hextech vs. sextech debate at some other time.

Today, we’re here for Mel.

So what other reason is there for us to feel slightly uncomfortable with this liaison?  The fact that at this point we’re not yet privy to Mel’s motivations. There are hints of mutual attraction between Mel and Jayce - most prominently in ep. 4 - but they are somewhat understated because the writers don’t want you to fully trust Mel just yet. They’re setting up a simple but rather clever twist for ep. 8 and 9, where they deconstruct the devious politician/femme fatale archetype Mel has thus far been seemingly embodying and subvert the audience’s expectations regarding her character. At this point, Mel’s feelings for Jayce are explicitly stated to the audience by her mother, but also through Mel’s own actions. But this twist doesn’t come out of nowhere, it’s actually very well telegraphed... if you look closely.

First, I want to turn your attention to an interesting little detail that might not be obvious, but is actually very important: we don’t see Jayce’s face throughout. We see him last when he goes down to have a little midnight snack and then again when him and Mel gaze lovingly into each other’s eyes after what seems to be their climax (that one shot with the droplet is very specific in that way).

Where most shows tend to focus on the man’s pleasure (in straight-presenting relationships anyway), or sometimes shift between both partners, Arcane makes sure Mel is centred throughout the entire scene. Her pleasure - not Jayce’s - is at the forefront. In fact, even the musical score highlights this by using Mel’s leitmotif throughout the scene (my thanks to @Black Cat on Arcane Discord for pointing this out, you can learn more about various leitmotifs in Arcane in her reddit post if interested), but leaving out Jayce’s. In short, this scene is all about Mel.

So why is that? Is it feminism? That’s certainly part of it, the female gaze in this scene is palpable. But as with all things in Arcane, there’s a storytelling aspect to it as well. To put it in simple terms...

The show wants you to pay attention to Mel.

The show wants you to notice Mel’s reactions to Jayce making love to her. It wants you to pay attention to her expressions. Why, you ask? Because it’s trying to show you how she feels about Jayce ahead of the reveal where it tells you.

The animators go all out on trying to convey that this night is not just a booty call, but rather a culmination of years of pining. Mel wraps herself around him, arms around his shoulders, legs around his hips. She wants to feel his skin on hers. Her hair unravels (I’m told that this is the international symbol for “he’s doing good” 😂). They lock hands. She’s seeing stars. And after their climax, she’s stroking Jayce’s face while gazing into his eyes (see one of the screenshots above). 

The scene itself is sensual, but not vulgar - never once is Mel posed as a mere sex object in this scene. The so-called “male gaze” has taken a leave of absence (in fact, the only instances of it being used in this show that I can think of are actually diegetic, with Jayce doing the gazing, as I point out here). The camera framing helps since it’s keeping her body obscured. We never actually see Mel naked. I feel that this is a very important point to make. Sex sells. I know it, you know it, your grandma knows it (and is probably horrified at it... unless you have a cool grandma, in which case, good for you). Your ace friends know it even if they can’t relate. It’s very common in today’s entertainment media to push boundaries by making more sexually explicit content - usually by putting AFAB bodies on full display (you will rarely see male actors fully exposed in this way) - often to such a point that it’s approaching soft core porn levels (*cough* HBO *cough*). 

The creators of Arcane, however, understand that this scene is not about the act itself, but about the emotions it’s eliciting from Mel. Emotions that are being conveyed by her face and hands - the parts of her body centred throughout, using various closeups.

But the aftermath is just as important if not more so. Mel is smiling as she cuddles up him, pressing herself against his back. She takes his hand (the cosmic/hexcore imagery obscures this somewhat, but her hand is resting on top of his, meaning that she has initiated this round of hand-holding) and he holds it on his chest - over his heart - as they fall asleep together. I feel I should stress that we very rarely see Mel smile in the show and I don’t mean the mischievous smirk that appears on her face during her political machinations - actually smile, and somehow every single of these extremely rare instances is linked to Jayce (here, in ep. 3 looking up at Jayce when hextech works, an incredibly soft one in ep. 4 when spotting Jayce entering her party; a brief, but wide smile as she walks towards the camera in the theatre earlier in ep. 5, and the final council meeting in ep. 9 albeit we don’t actually see her face in that shot). Here, in this moment, Mel seems genuinely happy.

And then comes a rude awakening.

Interestingly, upon waking, Mel scans the room first, as if confused about her whereabouts, likely rousing from one of her nightmares. She takes a moment to get her bearings - after all, this isn’t her bedroom - then looks for Jayce.

And when she doesn’t find him...

The look in her face is that of absolute dejection (seriously, do zoom in). She is upset. And this carries over to their interaction the morning after in ep. 6: she is cold and dismissive and angry, having steeled herself against her hurt - a stark contrast to the show of vulnerability on Jayce’s balcony in the previous episode. This isn’t the behaviour of a woman used to weaponising her sexuality and using sex as a tool of securing power (to say nothing of the fact that she doesn’t actually need him for that, she’s already the de facto ruler of Piltover). This is the behaviour of a woman who allowed herself to be emotionally vulnerable - likely for the first time in years - by opening herself up to the man she's got feelings for that she’s not entirely comfortable with due to her emotionally abusive upbringing. And then he disappears in the middle of the the night without a word. She felt used. She put her trust in Jayce and for a moment it seemed that he was just like everyone else - a taker. Thankfully, he comes back to apologise first thing in the morning, winning her over again. Bless Arcane for not playing this moment up for drama and actually allowing these two to effectively communicate.

But what about Jayce? You might ask.

Well, Jayce wears his feelings on his sleeve. There is no ambiguity in his attraction to Mel - he’s been visibly carrying a torch for her since ep. 3 and it’s reaffirmed right in the following episode. Therefore the show does not need to telegraph it in this scene. But even so, by putting him into a position of a giver rather than receiver, it suggests that he prioritises Mel’s pleasure over his own and that in itself is a form of display of affection. He is going slow, like he’s savouring it and not just fulfilling a base need. It’s not a one-night stand for him either.

(fun fact: one of the animators has come out to say that they actually had to tone this scene down after receiving feedback from the writers)

But this is actually important from Mel’s perspective as well: this night marks the first time that she has surrendered control to someone else. At any other time, Mel is shown to have absolute control over the situation - especially where politics are concerned. In visual storytelling, this is conveyed by how she is typically centred by the camera during the council meetings whereas the other councillors are typically framed off centre (more on that in this brilliant reddit post by Eraserend). In most of her other scenes, she is the one wielding power. The show could easily carry that over into this scene and have Mel be the dominant party taking what she wants instead of being positively pampered by Jayce. But it does not - it wouldn’t serve the story the show is trying to tell. There wouldn’t be any emotion to it. Here, in his bedroom, Mel allows Jayce to take charge, surrendering herself to him, letting him please her. She trusts him. This is love-making in the non-euphemistic sense.

But of course this is Arcane, so even this decision comes with an incredible show of agency attached to it: Mel initiates the intimacy. She is the one to make the first move. And, in an interesting reversal of the heteronormative gender dynamics as typically portrayed in media, Jayce is the one to initiate the relationship proper in the following episode.

So there you have it, contrary to the popular belief this scene is not unnecessary as I see the fandom regularly claim. It’s not just there to say “Arcane is for adults” or for the sextech memes. There are several layers of storytelling present in this scene and not all of them have to do with Viktor (”this ain’t about him” as the meme would say). Outside of the obvious “hextech vs. sextech” schism angle, it’s also used to convey Mel’s true feelings for Jayce - the fact that in act 2 she is, on some level, already in love with him, whether she has admitted that fact to herself yet or not. 

So why go on this whole tangent and analyse this scene shot by shot for anything other than my own pleasure? (Listen guys, it’s a really good scene, there’s nothing weird about this whatsoever, okay?) Well, because I often see fandom downplaying or outright ignoring Mel’s trauma and emotionally abusive upbringing, as well as the social circles she’s used to moving in, and how that informs this relationship, in favour of a more villainous interpretation of her created to make space for other ships. Not much attention is paid to Mel’s psychology, facial animation or body language, and I think that should be rectified because she is, in my opinion, one of the most emotionally complex characters in the show. This scene showcases that complexity. And while I understand that on the initial viewing this might escape the audience (again, the writers are purposefully portraying her as an ambiguous figure in order to set up that “gotcha” twist in the later episodes - they need to melt the ice queen first to show us who she really is at her core), it presents a whole new lens to view Mel’s actions and decisions through on the subsequent watches. So keep it in mind on your next rewatch.

#arcane #arcane analysis #arcane thoughts #mel medarda #jayce talis #meljay #sextech #arcane visual storytelling #this show doesn't waste a single frame #all this just to say jayce is such a caring lover #and how much mel wants him

[xjustakay]

20 questions for fic writers;;

thank youuu lovelies for tagging me @grimjobs and @pinkthekla <33

1. How many works do you have on ao3?

too many lmfao. 56 all together now, one of them is on the microfics pseud

2. what's your total ao3 word count?

391,215 words. and counting. god help me lmfao.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

presently, just jegulus/the marauders now. on my ao3 from writing i’ve done in the past; golden trio era hp, star wars sequels (my single reylo fic lmao), and dc’s titans (yes the crappy hbo max show, we don’t need to talk about it)

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Far Too Young to Die — black brothers centric, canon-divergence two shot; reg ends up running away with sirius. ft. jegulus & wolfstar (first marauders fic i ever wrote surprise lol, my actual firstborn child)

Better to Burn Than to Fade Away — reg got picked on at quidditch practice and his bf and brother are mad about it (technically pt.3 to the ftytd series started from above fic)

Stardust In My Eyes — jeggy summer stargazing fluff, that’s it that’s the whole fic (pt.2 of the ftytd series lol)

Pumpkin Pasties and Broom Polish — little microfic thing where sirius found out reg smells james in amortentia lmao

put your love on me — the last time i’ll write a very specific triad bc a lot of their shippers ruined it for me :) plus i like other ships for them all more anyway in case that wasn’t obvious (it’s jegulily, spare yourself the click if needed lmao)

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

yesss, i like to thank people for being there at all lmao<3

6. What is a fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

i wrote an angsty little black brothers thing of sirius leaving/getting kicked out and the two of them fighting and saying some not exactly great things to each other that was inspired by a tiktok edit i saw of regulus to you’re on your own kid by taylor swift so that was a little rough lol also back when i was writing a lot in the fremione section of fandom i wrote a oneshot where fred was dead and hermione and george essentially ended up using each other to cope with his loss bc they both knew and loved him the most and were having a rough time without him so :) that was a time

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

mm i’m kind of a sucker for happy endings and very very few of my fics have sad ones. the majority of my fics have happy endings (or will end up having them once they’re finished lol) so this is a tough answer lol

8. Do you get hate on fics?

no, thankfully! i’ve only ever gotten like one or two comments that came off a little snarky or judgy but i just snarked back lmao. and then there was one fic i caught someone being lame bc they rated it in their bookmark tag for it but it wasn’t hateful. still blocked the person though lmao

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

shockingly to a past!kay somewhere in the multiverse, yes lol. i used to be like deeply intimidated by it but now we wild out a little bit from time to time on it. it varies.

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

no not really. i’ve half-jokingly had convos with a couple friends about random crossover ideas but not like in a legitimate “i’m gonna write that” way. love au’s but crossovers are not really for me

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

nope! or certainly not that i’m aware of anyway lmao

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

yes, actually! an old drabble of mine is translated into spanish, and my jegulus specific oneshot in the far too young to die series was translated into russian!

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

no, but hopefully in a not yet sort of way, because i’m not opposed

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

all time feels like SUCH a hard question to answer agksjdjfndlslk like obviously jeggy is The Fave rn but all time?? suddenly blanking on everything i’ve ever shipped. maybe everlark? never ever getting over them tbh.

15. What's a wip you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

honestly there’s like a wip graveyard at this point lol. like things that came to me super randomly and i thought were great for like a day and then either forgot about entirely or looked back on them and went mmm actually no. for multiple ships and fandoms too, like not even just jegulus lol. most wips that aren’t jegulus (or tangentially related in the case of the ongoing coast universe) are full stop at this point bc jegulus is the street i live on

16. What are your writing strengths?

i like to think i’m pretty good with dialogue and showcasing characterizations through the way they interact with people around them. also character internal monologues, i really like to dive into those little dudes’ brains and spit it all out for everyone who reads it to see even if other characters in the story don’t necessarily know. a couple people have told me that i also have a way of sneaking in individual stand alone lines that pack a punch in between otherwise unsuspecting and innocent things, so i guess maybe that too??

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

i’m very wordy sometimes and i’m aware of it, like sometimes i just lose all ability to shut up and suddenly i have an exorbitant word count i didn’t initially plan for. in that same vein, run-on sentences and i are bff’s. i’ll have a friggin semicolon, four commas, AND an em dash all in one sentence. and for WHAT?? also sometimes i feel like i could be better with my descriptive writing because i focus a lot more on character depth or interactions and such, much more character stuff than setting stuff bc i’m just like -gestures vaguely- here they are.

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

i have so much respect for writers that speak other languages and then include it in their works. i, personally, only speak english so i don’t tempt fate by google translating my way through something that’s potentially wrong in the end anyway

19. First fandom you wrote for?

i dabbled in some one direction back in the day, i won’t lie

20. Favourite fic you've written?

it’s like, one of the newest but honestly coast —baby, all i wanna do is coast (with you). if you haven’t seen me shorten it before lol— is it. it’s one of the works that i’m most proud of and consistently excited about. there’s so much TO it, so much more than it seems, and a lot of it isn’t even there yet because it’s not finished, and because i know there’s spin-offs/sequels to come to bring even more layers of the story all together, but honestly that fic is so fucking special to me and i have so much love for all the characters and their relationships in it that it being the favorite just fits<3

no pressure taaaags: @messerflower, @residentrookie, @regscupid, @pretentiouswreckingball mwah<3

#this was fun lol #but also took me forever somehow #tag games

[ididkn0w]

Baby good morning😞 I’ve missed you so much I’ve been thinking about ur face. So lemme tell u ab my day so far. Babe I don’t want u to get up alrrrr😞😞 I haven’t stopped imaging us together like us pretending to be babies and sad for a kissss😭. We would hold hands everywhere n talk like best friends and take the coolest pictures of each other and laugh all the time. Ok so I’m at a resturaunt now I typed everything from before yes like nothing but bc bro I’ve been on this tour n I haven’t been able to have anyone off my fucking ass n when he talks n we stand there like I can’t be on my phone. So basically Idek if I alr started but idc I’ll repeat myself. So we hadda leave and whatever and we met up with the tour guide and I was not feeling good at all man I had the biggest headache n I was so nauseous man I was feeling so so bad like horrible. We got on a like team I guess from the city and we got to the first place and he was explaining shit I never payed attention bruh I’ve been bad in the morning and then the rest of the day I think I’ve been like hella dissaciated I’m ngl I might not even say much cus the whole day I’ve just been feeling like shit n I rlly was not like present. So then this was at like 9:30. Bro I can’t with my grandparents they treat me like I’m 7 all day every day it’s so much bro. Ok so then they were going into this sultans palace and Ik all ab this btw😅 I like history especially the ottoman one. Ok so we alr went there when I came like two years ago so I was like aight imma head out like u guys go check that out I’ll wait for u guys here bc they haven’t come before. So I waited for them and so i fell asleep on a bench😭 for two hours😭 like straight up public bench at a park n ofc I woke up every once in a while but I was so bad like I couldn’t keep falling asleep n like everytjme I woke up it was random ppl sitting next to me and whatever n I would check the time like damn they’re still not back. But thankfully I was sleeping bc wtf would I have done for two hours n then finally I woke up all super good n happy n motivated I felt so much better and then I was like fuck like how much longer will I have to wait like awake doing nothing. N thankfully they came like 15 min after. So then bruh I literally don’t even rmb what we did lemme see my pics. Oh yes there’s a pic of a baby bc I want to have a baby with u. And that was the bench where I slept at. N then we went to a cafe nearby n we tried postres and I had this drink it was rlly yummy. And more moon underthink sorta signs. Then we went to this underground thing and like I wasn’t having it so whateverrrrrr n like it used to be an aqueduct for the sultan some shit like that. And it was actually cool n they had Roman gods and goddesses in there bc the ottoman used to be scared of the Roman’s. Then we went to a very pretty mosque. I LOVE GOING TO MOSQUES. Middle eastern countries are def my second favorite place to go/have been after Thailand. Yes Ik our number one is Thailand😆😆 I love that we twin like that I love you. Ik we’re gonna go together. I need to be rich and travel with u. My number 3 is Russia. U have to take me to Ghana. Then we went to a market obv spice market but they had other stuff especially fake stuff this is where I brought my fake yeezy slides😭 imma buy another pair😭 easy to like trash them yk what I mean n I also want a fake bag but u might convince me otherwise lmk (u my stylist) imma go to those shops tomorrow. Then we went to a rooftop n im showing u my pimple. Then we left n then we got on the metro n we’re at this popular restaurant I took pics of ppl who have been here before for u that yk. Bro oh my god I just got up the did a whole show for us they even threw a plate and they made me hold this bread that said Colombia I was so fucjing red oh my god. If I didn’t give u much details or I’m not all being funny n shit perdon Bebe I’ve been pretty mad. I’ve just been wanting to get home n talk to u. Acabo de comer bebe now I’m in the bathroom shitting. The food was very yummy im just anxious bc I just wanna talk

[darlingpoppet]

[20 Question Fic Writer Tag]

Tagged by @johaerys-writes (who is always welcome to tag me in stuff whenever they want because it makes my day every time <3)

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 16 as of now. I have another fic I’m not yet allowed to publish outside of its anthology that I’d like to upload eventually, and I also have new WIP currently in the works, so the number is slowly growing!

2. What is your AO3 word count? 128,406… I’ve only been actively publishing on my AO3 account for about 2 years so I’d say it’s a pretty decent output!

3. What fandoms do you write for? Right now just two: Shingeki no Kyojin/Attack on Titan (mostly Eruri), and Patrochilles (from The Iliad/Hades/TSOA/etc. because it’s better to say the ship itself is the fandom right? lol) Although Hades in itself can perhaps be considered a separate third category because that particular spin on Greek Mythology & its interpretation of Patrochilles has particularly captured my imagination, and because I’ve written for other ships in that universe like PZA and MZT

4. What are your top five fics by kudos? In descending order: Pressed Flowers, Strain, Upon A Lazy Bed, Once More, and Closest To My Heart (the latter two are currently tied for 4th but Closest might eke ahead once this is posted haha.) I actually really love how these are a pretty good representative sample of my works: Eruri, Patrochilles (TSOA-verse & Hades-verse), PZA; some smutty, some angsty & some sweet; their ratings are all that AO3 offers: 1 G, 1 T, 1 M, & 2 E. I’m a bit sad that as of this writing Where The Dead Forget has been knocked out of the top 5 but since it’s still an ongoing WIP that’s only like 25% done, assuming its readership grows, it’ll certainly claw its way back up through the rankings lol

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? I do my best to respond! I like to show my gratitude to anyone who kindly takes the time to share their thoughts, and also I love to be able to discuss the story & characters when I have the opportunity! I’ve done my best to be diligent about responding ever since I started posting Patrochilles fics but unfortunately I still have an accumulated backlog from the earlier days of posting… my inbox is sitting at an ignominious 28 “unreads” atm (although I promise I did read & savor each one! I’ll respond eventually, I promise!!)

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Pressed Flowers and Upon A Lazy Bed both have pretty bittersweet endings. Closest To My Heart has a “happy” ending that in the context of the rest of the story is in fact rather bleak, and I’ve rightfully gotten a lot of feedback that people found it pretty unsettling, haha.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Nonbiri-ya, perhaps? Or perhaps it’s Sea Of Love, if you’re a Hadesgame enjoyer who’s also familiar with the Achilles myths and the prophecies about his life

8. Do you get hate on fics? I haven’t received any so far. If anyone dislikes what I’m cooking up they’re gratefully keeping it to themselves or at least where I can’t see it, haha.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? Yes and this year especially I’ve been trying to get better at it! I’ve always personally enjoyed smut that’s used as a vehicle for character/relationship study, that combo of eroticism + emotion is soooo good. As for what kind it is… uhhhh I’m not sure since I’ve done everything from tender & romantic, “fade-to-black” scenes to dead dovey fetish fuel and everything in between, lol. I hope I write the kind of smut that’s hot I guess uwu

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written? Not really, unless you’d consider mixing & matching details of different Greek mythology retellings into a new story to be a crossover… but personally I don’t think it counts haha. Sea Of Love in some ways feels like a TSOA/Hades crossover but I think it’s more just the vibes since it was still my aim to depict Hadesgame versions of Patrochilles during their childhood

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not that I know of… hopefully not haha

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? I’ve translated several of my own fics into Japanese for doujinshi publishing purposes: The Upper Hand, Stomach & Heart, Odd One Out, and one more that isn’t on AO3 yet called LoveSick Arrows. I also translated Upon A Lazy Bed into Japanese for fun over a year ago and I’ve been meaning to post it for ages but my partner who usually betas my translations still hasn’t looked it over haha. My fic Harmony was translated into Russian and Ukrainian as part of a fandom group project. Also, I once received a request from someone who wanted to translate The Upper Hand into Russian. Not sure if it ever happened… perhaps it’s out there somewhere on ficbook, though I’m not sure where! (If anyone knows I’d love to link back to it!)

13. Have you ever cowritten a fic before? No, never! I’m not sure how a writing collaboration works exactly but it might be fun to try sometime!

14. What's your all-time favourite ship? Oh god… I mean I would have to say it’s eruri right? Just for the sheer amount of time & the degree I’ve gone hard for this ship… all the friendships I made and the person I’ve become literally would not have been possible without it. My comparatively recent foray into writing has come at a time when that passion is in a more dormant period though. And instead I’m having a lot of fun writing with Patrochilles which I can already tell will be another all-timer for me (two years ago me would probably be surprised to know that current me is taking Classical Greek lessons because the hyperfixations cannot be controlled, amirite?) I’ve enjoyed a lot of ships but I’ve had so few genuine OTPs my whole life because once I fall in love with a ship I fall HARD. Probably the only other one that has genuinely changed my life like Eruri and Patrochilles have is Wolfstar… that one definitely comes with a lot of bittersweetness but at least I can still say I have a lot good memories attached to it <3

15. What's a WIP you'd like to finish but doubt you ever will? I wanna say “never say never” because every time I look through my WIPs and fic ideas I’m always like “oh this was so good! I should return to it!” I had always wanted to do my own “Erwin lives” fic but I’m not sure exactly if I have enough passion atm to bring something interesting or unique to that little sub-genre. Maybe someday, if I have a good enough idea. I’ve also for the longest time had a “what if Erwin joined the Military Police instead of the Survey Corps” story idea because back in the early days of the eruri fandom there were a lot of popular fanon & AUs where Erwin was an MP or ex-MP (probably popularized by Audacity?) That mini-genre pretty much died out once we learned his canon backstory but I still wanted to do one in conversation/playing with the canon, because I think that would be an interesting vehicle to explore his character motivations by considering an alternative & I think I could make a neat little political thriller out of it. Again, maybe someday. I think the only WIP I have actually talked about that’s well & truly “dead” is the Achilles POV fic I said I was writing in the notes for Upon A Lazy Bed. It was just too episodic and I could never really come up with a proper narrative through-line for it. On the bright side, much of what I had written for it and its overall thesis statement ended up getting repurposed for Where The Dead Forget, so at least it lives now as something else. There are still a couple orphan stand-alone episodes from it that I still quite like, so maybe I’ll publish them as a little TSOA-verse drabble collection or something someday.

16. What are your writing strengths? I think I’m pretty good at creating a certain tone and atmosphere. I also think I’m getting good at making my prose flow in a rhythmically pleasing way. A friend once called my writing “lyrical” & I think it was one of the kindest compliments I’ve ever gotten ;o;

17. What are your writing weaknesses? I said this in an earlier ask meme but I don’t think I’m very good at action scenes, it’s hard for me to make a sequence of actions both interesting & make sense and I don’t really enjoy writing them haha. They’re harder than sex scenes too because at least in those you can weave in a lot more emotions among the “choreography”. Also: long-form serialized storytelling does not come naturally to me at all and I’m unsure if I do a good job with things like pacing or being able to clearly see both the forest & trees. Time will tell I guess lol. On that note, I’m also a pretty slow writer. I am Not that author who gives regular weekly/monthly updates haha.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic? Personally I don’t really encounter this often but when I do it’s usually demonstrating a language barrier between the characters, or something being purposely obfuscated from the reader, which I think is all fine & legit. I suppose you would see it more often between characters who are understood to not actually be speaking in the language of the fic, yeah? I was reading a novel recently that was injecting all sorts of words & phrases in the language of the setting and idk… I guess it added to the atmosphere but when I can’t understand what they’re saying even though it’s something the pov character is meant to understand then it starts to feel a bit alienating and I don’t like it, haha.

19. First fandom you wrote for? Gundam Wing, I think? LMFAO! I was 12 and I wrote some kind of AU where they all go to camp and I’m pretty sure it was pure tween cringe haha. The first fandom in which I posted more publicly was Harry Potter. The only one I really remember from back then was a James/Sirius fic I wrote when I was 16 that nowadays would be considered dd content… it’s probably lost to the sands of time but even now I still think the concept was solid uwu

20. Favourite fic you've ever written? The ones I’ve always felt pretty stoked on since posting them are Upon A Lazy Bed and Closest To My Heart… both of them because I enjoyed toying with the ideas behind them, and to me they successfully evoke the atmosphere and emotional responses I was going for. And if I can continue make my writing as pretty as I think UALB ended up being I’ll be very happy indeed! Also: I felt kind of iffy on LoveSick Arrows (the one not on AO3 yet) when I first submitted it but recently I reread it and I think it turned out way better than I gave it credit for… it might be my favorite eruri fic to date :)

Tagging @galpalpetraral @zorthania @lostcauses-noregrets @he1chouarts @goddamnchou @ladymacbethsspot & @elemmacil <3 Also belatedly tagging @sonderous-opia because I couldn’t remember what your tumblr account name was until now ;o;

#eruri #patrochilles #wolfstar #hades game #the iliad #the song of achilles #shingeki no kyojin #my fics

[sundownsquad]

Second Anniversary Asks #9 — @leehenley

Q: A question for Nitsani! What is your favorite thing to tell people about Chigba?

Nitsani: Oh, that’s a tough one! There’s a lot of things I love about Chigba, it’s hard to narrow it down. Nitsani: Normally I’d want to talk about how selfless and invested she actually is, but she always says something like Sani, cut that out. I’m not a nice person, stop lying to people. Chigba: She tries to make me look thoughtful or some other such nonsense. It's ridiculous. Nitsani: She’ll tell you she’s just a humble freighter pilot that only cares about the work, but don’t listen to her. She’s trying to throw you off. Chigba: How dare you use the word humble to describe me. Speedy: yeah come on zio humble is a term solely reserved for describing me Knox: 🙄 Nitsani: Case and point that I won’t get very far talking about her character. 😆 Nitsani: So I’ll share a more neutral fact instead: Chigba knows how to play the Pixelito sitar! Speedy: wait for real Knox: No way, I didn’t know you can play an instrument! Drums: How did you learn to play the sitar, Chigba? Chigba: My mother knew how to play, so she taught me. I hated it as a kid, but it’s a very traditional thing so I eventually decided to carry it forward. The sitar itself is, what, 9 generations old now? Old as dirt, basically. Speedy: so a family heirloom then Chigba: Yeah. My family is a stubborn, sentimental bunch. Sort of a “we’re passing these traditions down whether you like it or not” type deal. Nitsani: See, she can say she’s sentimental. But if I said that she’d sue me for defamation of character. Chigba: That's what you get for using the Force to look into by brain to figure all this stuff out. Nitsani: Chigba, it doesn’t take telepathy to know these things about you. Lol Chigba: Yeah, yeah, whatever. Anyways, I’m gonna leave now. A new episode of Intrigue on Iridonia is about to air and I will not be missing it. Speedy: OH THATS RIGHT  Speedy: im going to watch too be right there Knox: Wow I can’t believe that got him to use that many capital letters at once 😂 Drums: 🤣 Kess: They’re real serious about those holo dramas, let me tell ya. Nitsani: Ok, now that Chigba bounced: another one of my favorite things about Chigba is how she leaves little gifts around for everyone. She is genuinely so thoughtful and pays close attention to all of us. She leaves the gifts in specific places where the recipient will find it but doesn’t write her name on it or anything. It’s how she shows affection and support. It’s also right in line with a common cultural thing Dugs do. They tend to put great importance on performing acts of selflessness or kindness in ways that don’t put them in the spotlight; it should be done with sincerity. It’s one of the reasons Dugs can seem brash or rude. They don’t want to make a show out of those sorts of things. They have no problem making a show out of anything else, though. Knox: Yeah, exactly. She tries to down play it whenever she does something nice so it doesn't look like she's trying to get attention from it. But with just about anything else she'll be loud and in your face. Which is apparently another Dug cultural thing. Nitsani: Yup! Passion, energy, and bluntness are valued traits for many Dugs and that tends to manifest itself in the form of dramatic, high-volume conversations. When Chigba really gets going it's impossible to ignore her. Drums: She also does that with port authorities that are acting like idiots. Other freighter operators love when she’s around because she has no problem taking on the jerks that try to make things harder for everyone. We all, admittedly, get a kick out of watching her tear those people a new one. Nitsani: Like I said, there’s a lot of things to love about Chigba. Lol

#Thanks for the ask! <3 #I made up so many things for this one #I've never been a fan of the fact that Dugs are considered to be aggressive and primitive with no values #So I'm just ignoring all that and doing some world building to give them more depth #They deserve motives and culture dang it #Sundown Anniversary #Group chat with the squad #Sundown Asks #Sundown Squad

[ladylynse]

Chapter 9 [FF | AO3] of Revision: Maddie can’t deny it any longer. If ectoplasm can become blood, there’s more to this story than she ever realized.

Beginning | Previous

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“What do you mean you can’t find him?” Jazz whispered into her Fenton Phone. If it were Danny, she could understand. Danny knew the Ghost Zone better than any of them did, even Sam or Tucker, so if he was in there after all, he’d have a good idea of where to go so he wouldn’t be easily found. But Jack?

Jack Fenton shouldn’t be hard to find, even in the Ghost Zone, not when all the ghosts nearby surely knew him by reputation if not by sight.

She wasn’t sure he knew how to be inconspicuous.

Someone must have seen him.

Desperation caused Jazz’s voice to rise as she insisted, “You must have missed him.” It was a faint hope, but it was all she had. “It’s not like the Ghost Zone is small.”

“Sure, but there’s a lot of us looking for them now,” Sam said, which only made the knot of worry in Jazz’s chest tighten. “No one’s seen Danny or your dad. Clockwork was a bust, but Kitty and Johnny 13 agreed to help, and Kitty talked Ember into it, and Ember talked Youngblood into it, and— Everyone’s looking, okay? Even the Box Ghost and the Lunch Lady. None of these guys really like the idea of an unsupervised Jack Fenton on their home turf any more than you like the idea of him being lost here. As far as I can tell, everyone who’s on Vlad’s payroll is looking, too, even the vultures, but they’re not having any luck, either. Ember and Skulker have this weird competition going on for who will find one of them first and— Look, that doesn’t matter. Point is, we’re spread out and still coming up with nothing.”

“And Mr. F isn’t going to be easy to miss even if he left the Spectre Speeder for some reason,” added Tucker in an echo of Jazz’s earlier thoughts.

Why couldn’t they find him? How far could he have gotten?

Jazz looked over to Vlad, who was still fiddling with something at the table where he and Maddie had been working earlier, and frowned before covering her mouth with her hand again. “He can’t be back here yet. He would have called to find out if we had any news. He’d have done it before eating any of the fudge.”

Well.

He might’ve called at the same time.

It’s not like he was incapable of dialling with one hand and holding a slab of fudge in the other.

Jazz took in a deep breath and let it out slowly as she closed her eyes and tried to envision the map of the Ghost Zone Danny had shown her once. “Maybe he got caught in one of the swirling vortexes? Or—or the Carnivorous Cavern?”

“Nope. Pandora’s been checking the tricky spots for me, and they’re all clear. Of humans at least. Not sure about ghosts.”

Jazz blinked open her eyes at Tucker’s words. “Wait, Pandora? Like, Pandora Pandora?” She noticed Vlad looking in her direction and dropped her voice again as she continued, “She’s real?”

“Do you not remember the whole Pandora’s Box trouble with the Box Ghost?”

Jazz rolled her eyes at Sam’s dry voice. “Yes, I remember, but I didn’t realize that it was the Pandora’s Box and not just something called Pandora’s Box.”

“Surprise. Anyway, can you at least check to make sure your dad isn’t home? This is starting to feel like a wild goose chase.”

“I’ll give him a call,” Jazz promised. “If I get a hold of him, I’ll let you know.” She bit her lip. “Thanks for doing all of this. And good luck.”

“Right back atcha,” came Tucker’s quick response, and then the Fenton Phone was silent once more.

“Any news, Jasmine?”

“Shut it,” Jazz growled as she pulled out her phone and dialled the house. Vlad’s light, teasing tone only served to release her fury, and it burned in her veins. If he’d hurt her dad, she was going to do so much worse than never forgive him. “If you want news, get it from your lackeys.”

Jazz counted seven rings before she heard the click of it shifting to the answering machine, and she hung up and tried Jack’s cell phone.

That went to voicemail immediately.

No service in the Ghost Zone.

Crud.

This felt too much like trying Danny—only this time, she knew what had happened.

This time, she knew who was responsible, and the slimeball was in the same room as her.

She turned her most venomous expression in Vlad’s direction. “What did you do to Dad?”

His brow creased slightly as he looked over at her. “I haven’t the foggiest what you’re talking about.”

Jazz shoved her phone back into her pocket and stalked over to Vlad. “I’m not an idiot,” she ground out. “Dad going into the Ghost Zone alone? You knowing about it? Encouraging it? When you have however many ghosts on your payroll including one who can mess with technology?”

She wished she could punch the smug smile off his face, but it was entirely too likely he’d just go intangible and leave her to hit the wall behind him, and she couldn’t afford to be injured on top of everything else right now.

“Surely you know I wouldn’t risk doing anything untoward.”

Then again, maybe the chance that she might catch him by surprise was worth cracking a bone or five in her hand.

“I’ve played nice before for the sake of Danny’s secret,” she hissed as she stood across the table from him, “and you know we’re well past that now. You think I left the house without bringing that blood blossom extract when I knew we were coming here?”

Vlad’s eyes widened just enough to betray his surprise, but he kept his silence.

A few seconds later, she felt a slight jolt that was accompanied by a pop from her midriff and a sugary curse from behind her, and dismay settled on Vlad’s face.

“Tough luck,” she spat as she readjusted her shirt over her clunky belt. It was a wonder Vlad hadn’t called her on it before, but maybe he never paid that much attention to her—even when Danny or Maddie wasn’t around. “I put the spectre deflector under my bed the first chance I got, and it hasn’t broken in the meantime. I know you can duplicate yourself. I was not going to risk you overshadowing me and trying to turn this mess in your favour.”

Vlad blew out a breath and got to his feet. “Contrary to what you believe, I am not trying to antagonize you.”

Opting to change the subject entirely rather than admit what he’d just tried to do, huh? Fine. She could pick her battles. She didn’t need to fight that one.

This one, on the other hand….

“Oh, trust me, if this is you being yourself, you don’t need to try. You’re antagonizing me just fine as it is.”

The throaty sound he made didn’t quite deserve the term of growl, but it was certainly on its way. “Like you, like Maddie, I am trying to find Daniel. I would like to see him returned here safe and sound. Did I want to do this without your oaf of a father getting in my way? Yes. Did I strap him into the Spectre Speeder myself and banish him to the Ghost Zone? No. Just as Daniel chose to run away, Jack chose to search for him in the Ghost Zone. Believe it or not, I do not have a hand in everything.”

“Uh huh.” She didn’t need to argue with him about why Jack was in the Ghost Zone, either; she needed him to admit he was the reason they could no longer find him. “So what orders did you give your lackeys? Strand him on a rock somewhere? Trick him into someone’s lair? Throw him into whatever the Ghost Zone equivalent of a black hole is?” A sudden, unpleasant thought occurred to her and curdled her stomach. “Force him through a natural portal? Or one of the doors?”

Was he not to be found in the Ghost Zone because he was no longer in the Ghost Zone?

Was that what Danny had done?

She’d been thinking that maybe her mother had heard something about Danny, that that was why she’d left despite everything, and she knew Vlad had to have been thinking the same thing, but—

But where better to hide—or hide someone else—than in a place no one was expecting them to be?

Vlad’s smile came with sharp teeth this time. “Wonderful ideas. Mind if I take notes?”

Surely, if Vlad had just stranded Jack on a rock somewhere, he’d have been spotted by now. And, hopefully, if there was something more black hole-like than the swirling vortexes, Pandora would be able to check them out with just as little trouble. But Jazz didn’t know if there was a way to track natural portals or if ghosts were allowed in other ghosts’ lairs without a specific invitation—unless that was just vampires?—or if the floating doors led to different lairs or times or dimensions or if they just opened out to different places on Earth.

What if they managed to find Danny only to find out that Vlad had gotten rid of Jack for good? He would do everything to convince Maddie it was an accident, and without proof to the contrary, Jazz was pretty sure her mother would believe that, at least off the start. Jazz had barely been to the Ghost Zone often enough to understand it; her parents certainly didn’t have enough experience to accurately gauge the risks, let alone the friendliness of ghostly allies or harmless acquaintances.

“You do realize that if you did something to Dad,” Jazz said slowly, “it’s going to be worse for you than if you did nothing, right? Like, Mom might be buying whatever lies you’re selling about not being the bad guy now, but once Danny and I have a chance to talk to her? Really talk to her? Together? And once Dad tells her about whatever is going down now? You’re toast. You won’t even be tolerated. As a family friend, we’d have to suffer through your company at supper every once in a while, but after this? Nothing. Not even scraps of kindness in public. Just watch how fast they figure out how to target your ecto-signature and exclude Danny’s. You of all people have to know that revenge can be highly motivating.”

Vlad tsked at her. Tsked. At her! While shaking his head! As if she were going on about impossibilities and she was simply too young to know the truth of it all! Jazz glared, but that only made him smile more broadly. “My dear girl, you hardly understand as much of the situation as you think you do. I’m afraid you aren’t in control in the slightest.”

Short of filling up her phone with muffled audio from a video recording of the inside of her pocket, she wouldn’t be able to record whatever he said, but Jazz knew she wasn’t so sleep deprived that she wouldn’t remember something as important as this. That was just as well, since the camera on her flip phone didn’t hold a candle to her actual camera, and she had a greater chance of ending up with five billion pictures of darkness than she did with the video she wanted if she tried to start taping this without Vlad noticing.

She crossed her arms instead. “If I don’t understand, then explain it to me.”

If she had learned one thing from Danny, it was that his enemies liked to talk—especially about themselves.

Vlad was not the exception he undoubtedly thought he was.

“Maddie knows I’m as human as Daniel,” Vlad said simply. “She cannot, in good conscience, take a scalpel to her dear old friend—especially after the misunderstanding with Danielle. I’m sure you can see how that has shaken her.”

Shaken her? Shaken her? Maddie wasn’t merely shaken. She’d had her world upended, and Jazz could see it. Anyone could see it. The truth of this wasn’t a small thing, and now that Maddie understood it—or at least understood more than she had in the immediate aftermath of Danny’s disappearance—everything had changed.

Calling Maddie shaken was as gross an understatement as calling whatever had happened with Danielle a misunderstanding.

She wouldn’t get anywhere arguing with Vlad about that, though.

She wasn’t getting anywhere trying to find out what he’d done to Jack, either, so maybe it was time to change tack.

“Who is Danielle really?”

Vlad’s eyebrows rose. “Haven’t we been over this already?”

“Just answer the question.”

“She is a ghost girl with a healthy admiration for Phantom—something not uncommon among younger ghosts who don’t fancy themselves his enemy, I might add.”

“But who is she?”

“She calls herself Dani Phantom. With an ‘I’, of course. Or, at least, she did the last time I spoke with her. It has been a while since I’ve run into her.”

Jazz pursed her lips. “She calls herself that or you called her that?”

“Do you really believe that I have been privileged enough to name some of my fellow ghosts?”

“Fellow halfas, maybe. Especially ones that look suspiciously like my brother. Mom told me about that. So how’d you do it?”

“You really do think I’m responsible for everything, don’t you?”

“Will you stop avoiding the question and just answer it for once?”

“I hardly think—”

“I know it’s bad,” she interrupted before he tried to dodge her question again. Really, did he not expect her to know the trick of answering questions with questions? “I’m just not sure how bad. Mom’s not, either, but believe me, she was definitely thinking some pretty terrible things before we came over here. So why don’t you be easy on yourself and let us know the truth?”

“Do you think I haven’t been telling you the truth?”

“Yeah. That’s exactly what I think. So spill. Is Danielle more like Dolly or Louise Brown?”

“Danielle is very much like herself. I rather got the impression she was proud of that.”

Jazz arched an eyebrow. “She rebelled against you pretty early, huh?”

“Does it not always feel early with teenagers?”

Gotcha. Jazz couldn’t help but grin as Vlad’s own smile fell from his face as he realized his mistake. “I knew you knew her,” she said. “I knew you were responsible somehow.”

He closed his eyes and heaved a world-weary sigh before meeting her gaze again. “I tried to be responsible for her,” he admitted, “but I’m afraid I failed her.”

“Yeah, no kidding. You think it’s fun for siblings to fight to the death.” Jazz planted her palms on the table and leaned toward him. “Newsflash, Uncle Vlad— You’d make a terrible father.”

Vlad put one hand on her shoulder and pushed her back gently. She let him only because she wanted him to talk. “For your information, Danielle was—and perhaps is again—unstable. If she overtaxes herself, her very molecular structure begins to break down. I failed in my attempts to perfect her and make her whole, but you will be happy to know that your brother succeeded where I did not, though I’ve no idea if his solution was anything more than a temporary one. If I had known Danielle was back in town, I would have inquired.”

“As one does,” Jazz said flatly. “Let me guess: you’re also the reason she’s unstable?”

“As I’ve already said, contrary to your every belief, I am not the behind whatever terrible thing you might hear about on any given day. Ghosts can and do get themselves into a fair bit of trouble without my help, and curious children are liable to have accidents entirely without my involvement. Should happenstance allow those two things to overlap, I hardly deserve to have the blame laid at my feet.”

Jazz frowned, trying to figure out what Vlad was saying and what he wasn’t. “What?”

“Daniel and I are stable. Danielle is not. Does that not strike you as odd?”

“Considering I’m pretty sure you’re responsible for her situation despite what you’re trying to tell me, no, not really. If you were that good at stuff, you’d have figured out your ecto-acne without inflicting it on anyone else.” She’d been lucky enough to have a therapy session with Spike that day, so she’d had an excuse not to be home setting out the self-imposed quarantine equipment with the rest of the family, but enough embarrassment had come out of that day even without factoring that in.

Vlad gave her a decidedly unimpressed look before saying, “Her circumstances of coming to be must be different than ours.”

“Yeah. Which is why I was asking you what those circumstances are. So fess up already.”

“Do you truly believe I’m responsible for—”

“Yes! That’s the whole point of this conversation!”

Wanting to throttle Vlad was not new to her, though she had no doubt Danny had the urge much more often, but why was he still pretending? Maddie wasn’t here. Jack wasn’t here. No one who didn’t know the truth was here, and she sincerely doubted whatever random paparazzi coming to town to try to get a story on Vladimir Masters this week had managed to find his secret lab.

“I know you’re worried,” Vlad said quietly. He walked around so that the table was no longer between them and leaned against its edge. “I know you’re tired but too anxious to sleep. I’m on edge, too.”

What was he trying to pull now?

“How about I make us something to eat, and you can decide if you want more coffee or one of the guest bedrooms to lie down in for a little while?”

“I am not just going to drop this,” she said, disgust dripping from her voice as she edged away from him. He might not have been in her personal space, but being in the same room as him was bad enough, and she had to do that even if she didn’t like him. For all she knew, this was some weird attempt to drive her away so he could work on whatever it was in peace, and she wasn’t about to let him do that, either. “You can’t win me over to your side, and you do not get to pretend that we’re friends. Whether you want to admit it or not, I know Dad’s in trouble because of whatever you’ve done, and I know you have way more to do with Danielle than you’re saying.”

“I know I can’t change your mind about this right now—”

“Try ever.”

“—but I’m going to make us both some breakfast regardless, and you are welcome to supervise and pick your plate if you’ll join me for it.”

Making breakfast implied a better breakfast than her usual fare—cereal, toast, or a protein bar from a supply she kept hidden in her room well away from the ecto-samples—and if she so much as smelled anything cooking, her stomach would betray her.

She might still have the willpower to refuse it now, but she wasn’t sure if she would once they were in the kitchen, and following Vlad to the kitchen was better than leaving him to his own devices. Besides, one meal wouldn’t be the end of it as long as she didn’t lower her guard.

“Fine.”

“Fancy an omelet?”

“Whatever.”

Jazz let Vlad lead her out of the lab, and she tried phoning home again just in case.

Nothing.

She tried Danny’s cell phone on the off chance he’d turned it back on.

Still nothing.

Sam and Tucker would’ve reported in if they’d found something, so it wasn’t worth the disappointment of—

Her phone buzzed in her hand, and she frowned down at it as she checked the display.

There was a text message from an unknown number. The area code wasn’t one she knew, but she clicked open the message regardless.

Vlads up 2 smth. Tracking Mom idk about Dad. Can u search n destroy?

Danny.

It had to be from Danny.

Somehow, it was from Danny.

Jazz swallowed and shoved the phone back into her pocket. “I’ll be there in a minute,” she said as they passed a bathroom. “Too much coffee already.”

Vlad glanced back at her. “You know where to find me.”

And he might know how to find Danny if she’d already messed up by reading the message out in the hallway, but hopefully not.

Jazz locked the door behind her before sitting down on the edge of the bathtub and pulling out her phone and texting back. Where are you? We’re worried sick! Why didn’t you at least tell Sam and Tucker where you were going? And why not call us instead of stealing someone’s phone? This isn’t your number.

Fine. U call me

Jazz called, and it picked up on the first ring. There was some wind on the line—wherever Danny was, he was outside—but that was hardly a surprise. Jazz consciously made a point of keeping her voice quiet as the questions fought to pour out of her first; she couldn’t afford to be overheard by Vlad, so hopefully it wasn’t going to be too hard for Danny to make out whatever she said. “Where are you? Are you okay? Why didn’t you tell someone where you were going? When were—?”

“I’m fine. We’re okay. We’re safe. I should be far enough away from where we actually are that tracking this call wouldn’t do Vlad much good anyway, so we should stay that way if you make sure he can’t send off anything else. I did a sweep and came up clean, so he hasn’t gotten to me yet.”

Wait.

“You said he’s tracking Mom. How’d you know?”

“I know Vlad’s tech when I see it, even if it’s smashed to smithereens.”

“So you are with Aunt Alicia.”

“Geez, Jazz, way to spell it out. But, yeah, I’m in the vicinity. Little farther out now so I have cell service.”

“On who’s phone? Aunt Alicia doesn’t have one.”

“Dani’s. She’s got a burner for emergencies. This counts.”

Dani’s.

“Who—?” Jazz chewed her lip as she tried to figure out how to say this. “Who is she? And how’s she doing after…after everything? Is she okay?”

“I think she’s out of the woods now, but it’s a long story.”

“Can you make it short?”

“I trust her, and she’s important to me.” There was a pause and then a whispered, “Like you are.”

It wasn’t an explanation, but Danny was right. It was all Jazz needed.

“What do you need me to do?”

“Is blowing up Vlad’s lab out of the question?”

Jazz pulled a face. “Considering I’m still in his house and don’t want to let him out of my sight for too long? Yes.”

“Then go back to the lab and punch in Mom and Dad’s wedding date into the main computer when it asks for a password. It’s Tuck’s override code. That’ll get the Maddie program to wipe anything Vlad’s currently running and activate the Jack program to mess up anything he tries to do in the immediate future.”

“Tucker never mentioned that earlier when I was trying to get the Maddie program to come up.”

“It’ll run her systems. I don’t know if it’ll start up the projection if Vlad tried to turn her off or something. But it’ll work. Tuck knows what he’s doing.”

“Yeah. He does.” She took a deep breath. “So when I do this, Vlad won’t immediately know? It’ll buy us time?”

“Right. He shouldn’t know until he tries to do something, and even then he may not realize why it’s not working right away. Which gives me time to talk to Mom and hopefully for you and Sam and Tucker to find Dad. And more time for Dani to recover.”

“Okay. I just— How did we let it get to this point? What’s going to happen next?”

There was a bark of laughter on the other end of the line. “Aren’t you supposed to be the one telling me everything will be fine?”

Jazz couldn’t find the words to answer.

She didn’t know if everything would be fine.

She’d always thought she’d be able to stop her parents if it got to this point before Danny was comfortable with telling them, but—

“We’ll figure something out,” Danny said. “I don’t get a redo this time, so we’ll be stuck with whatever it is.”

This time?

Meaning there was a last time?

Jazz opened her mouth, but Danny was talking again before she had a chance to wrangle her thoughts into proper words. “I know Mom’s trying, and I think Dad’ll be fine with it once he finds out. About me, I mean. Not Vlad. That’ll be a rough wakeup call for him. But Vlad will do anything to come out on top, so just do whatever you have to to stop him, okay?”

Jazz smiled. That, at least, was something she could promise him. “Always, little brother.”

next

#danny phantom #dp #dp fanfiction #phanfiction #jazz fenton #vlad masters #fanfiction #my writing #ladylynse #fic: revision #dp snippet #snippets

[taylors-karma]

Post-Split House Ranking: Racism Edition

Some fun little rankings for our fun little houseguests ahahahahahahahaha light me on fire this shit SUCKS 

1. Taylor (Prev 1)- Poor girl :(

2. Monte (Prev 3)- Mostly up here because Joseph is now gone, but he’s the best of the worst at this point. He keeps flip flopping on whether or not he sucks but he’s said some good things this week and I have faith that he is voting on the right side tomorrow.

3. Michael (Prev 5)- Michael moves back up mostly because Brittany is flopping again and it’s stressing me out and askhalsihdasd at least Michael admits he sucks and doesn’t really care about others like okay go off ig (he is still being performative though to the houseguests ugh)

4. Brittany (Prev 4)- Technically she’s moving down and this is only because she fucking cried about being exposed for withholding information and apologized to Kyle for calling him out like? Just say you are a people pleaser and don’t actually care about injustice woman......please.

5. Terrance (Prev 8)- He moves up because others suck more, but his whole sympathy bs for Kyle is pissing me off. The only good thing he’s done is call out Brittany and Michael, but idk how they’re worse than Kyle who fucking started this shit???????? Homebody doesn’t need “time” to change he needs to go home and never come back. 

6. Turner (Prev 6)- Turner stays because he’s still wishy washy and confusing and he’s showing some awful colors that I do not like at all. Targeting Taylor even though you know Kyle is ethically a horrible person? This is beyond game at this point, I’m so tired of this shit. 

7. Alyssa (Prev 9)- Only moved up because the numbers went down. She still sucks because she is choosing to stay with Kyle after hearing all this shit. She’s an enabler. 

8. Kyle (Prev 10)- Same thing as Alyssa. This man is racist, stupid, bad at sex, unemployed???? Pick a struggle. Fuck you. 

I have decided not to put jury or pre-jury in this post because nothing has changed so far and we haven’t seen a jury segment yet. I’ll make a jury ranking once we get one :). 

#bb24 #sick of this #the fact that only one of the people is consistent #i can't

[nettlestingsoup]

Hi morgan <33333 hope you're doing well :D

1,2,5,6,8,9,17,18,30,31,38,44,49 for the fanfic writer asks <333

hi evy! i'm doing ok! looking forward to getting some rest over christmas!

1 and 8: answered here for honey!

2: answered here for fien!

5: i’ve been writing stories in general since i was about six? my sister started writing stories, and obviously i had to copy her, and then i just... never stopped. i started writing fic in 2018 sometime when i met my stay friends at uni! it was a nice way to bond with them while we were still getting to know each other, and they’re now some of the few people i trust to show my writing to when it’s unfinished and imperfect.

6: writing has done a lot of good work for my mental health, i think! it encourages me to look inwards and consider why i’m writing the themes i am or just gives me an outlet for bad emotions rather than turning them inwards. it’s done wonders for my confidence over the years, too; i think it’s something that even i can’t deny that i’m fairly good at, and it’s good to have that when my brain tries to tell me that i’m mediocre at everything.

9: i’m terrible with writing to deadlines, so not really. i might set deadlines for editing, but my writing is often so unpredictably long that i couldn’t write to a deadline if i tried (the thing i tried to write in time for my friend’s birthday? it might be done by her next birthday. in october 2023. maybe.)

17: i love fantasy AUs as a whole really, but i’m always drawn to vampire AUs! the only reason i haven’t written one of my own is because i think there are far too many good ones, and i worry that i wouldn’t be able to come up with something unique enough to match up.

18: i really love writing seungchan? i think it’s partially that they’re my favourite members to write, and partially that they’re the members who can often come across as most serious (although they’ve both been silly in interviews lately) and so i feel like i can put them in slightly darker stories. seungbin and jeongchan are creeping up the list though.

30: the hardest part of writing happens once i’m about 80% of the way through a story; i’ve done most of the fun worldbuilding by that point, and most of the very emotional scenes have to give way to Actual Plot before i can write an emotional ending. it’s the point in a fic where i’m most likely to get bored and have to drag myself through the writing process.

31: big descriptive scenes! i love sitting and describing things, it’s a wonderful exercise in creativity and it allows me to set a scene really well. i love the experience of choosing which words to use to set the tone of a story; i’d describe the same forest using very different wording in a faerie fantasy au to a horror fantasy au for example, and it comes very naturally to me to just sit and set the scene before any pesky characters or dialogue get involved.

38: all the time! occasionally i get nostalgic for my own concepts, or reminded of them by friends or ao3 comments, and i’ll reread sections or whole fics then. it sounds a little arrogant, but sometimes my own fics are the only ones that scratch the itch for very specific content in my brain. it makes sense, i suppose. i wrote them exactly to my own taste, after all.

44: i tend to write linear these days! i’ll definitely plan future scenes (with the orchid, for example, i’d been waiting for weeks to get to the scene where minho admits he’d deactivate his own emotional processor if seungmin got hurt) but i tend to leave them hanging there as incentive to write the scenes leading up to them.

49: i guess the writing advice i’d give is to not be afraid of being a little bit weird? just genuinely write how you want to write, not in a way you think is good or that people will like. i find writing a lot more fun and fulfilling when i let myself use the bizarre metaphors and odd descriptors that i actually want to, rather than worrying that people won’t like or understand it.

thank you for asking these! they were a lot of fun; this ask game actually has a lot of really good ones. <3

#asks #evyfm #one day i might write a proper vampire au #it's just about finding something unique to write #i have a draft one but i needs a lot of editing in terms of worldbuilding #there was also a minchan concept i had but the base concept wasn't angsty enough #i need to make it more painful for everyone involved and then it might work #writing #ao3 author #fanfic

[wyverewings]

Wyvere Reviews the Dragons of Monster Sanctuary

So I decided to get Monster Sanctuary, and I’ve been having a pretty fun time!  And with all the monsters in the roster, there’s bound to be some that are draconic in nature.  And it’s been a while since I’ve done creature design reviews.  This time, I’ll be doing a rating between 1 and 10 as to how I feel about these designs.  So let’s review some dragons!

Let’s start with the Ninki Nanka and their base form, Ninki.  I’m doing them both at once because there isn’t much difference between them.  They’re definitely more chimera style, with their mammalian head and reptilian body.  They’re... okay chimeras, it might just be the poor angle, but Ninka Nanka doesn’t flow quite as well as their first stage.  In both stages, I do really love the scales and how they kinda poke up.  6/10, decent enough chimera style dragons.

Glowdra is another chimera-style dragon, but one far more personal to my taste since they’re an insectoid dragon.  I’m unsure if the devs knew about this, but there are actual insect dragons in legend, the pyrausta!  The glowing tail also draws a connection to the mythical creature and its association with fire.  Aside from their possible inspiration, Glowdra is quite a lovely design, with the pretty teal scales, the whiskers like that of an Asian dragon, and the little head fins.  8/10, a solid design.

...that’s a cat.

...Okay, Skorch is pretty cute and a candle monster is a pretty fun concept but... that is a cat.  That is not a dragon.  If they weren’t a dragon class monster, they’d be 7.5/10, but as it stands, they’re 5/10.  Sorry, Skorch.

Before we get to the Draco family, we’re actually gonna be talking about other monsters that aren’t dragon class, but are pretty similar to dragons, since it is a pretty small class all things considered.

With this, we’ll start off with Aurumtail, since they’re the first draconic monster one will likely encounter.  They’re another chimera-style creature, being basically dog lizards with traits of kangaroos and dromeosaurs.  And they’re absolutely wonderful monsters!  The variety of creatures mesh super well to create such a lovable beast!  8/10, would definitely hug!

Toxiquus, the poisonous seahorse, is also pretty dragony, likely on purpose since seahorses are said to be the children of dragons.  I like them, they’re really cute with how grumpy they look!  They are saddled with a little blandness though, I feel they could use some more detail.  6.5/10, a good aquatic dragon, but still far from my favorite of this game, as we’ll see eventually...

I’ll say Kame counts because they remind me of Bowser a lot, which is a definite positive.  But I kinda don’t like the face, it’s a little too humanoid in this art, and also turtles don’t have bunny noses and that doesn’t really work.  Still, a very powerful looking monster.  7/10.

Qilin are a type of chimeric being with traits of a dragon, so I think they count here.  I don’t think this design went really as hard as they could tbh, the horn especially is pretty disappointing, looking more like a regular unicorn horn.  Still, a very elegant monster, the color scheme really works in that favor.  6.5/10, still would use dog lizard as a mount.

Salahammer is an interesting monster, being a snake person with a dragon’s head.  I don’t think the design would’ve worked quite as well with a humanoid head tbh, the dragon head really makes the design more interesting.  7/10.

We’ve also got a retrosaur monster here too!  This reptile has some nice chimeric features, with a body like the Charles R. Knight T. rexes, a head like a ceratopsid, and armor and a tail club like an anklyosaur!  8/10, a very badass monster I’d like to get eventually.

HOLY SHIT I LOVE AAZERACH SO MUCH.  They’re essentially a dracolich, probably the most badass type of undead, and they’re such a good take on that archetype of monster.  That wonderfully strange skull head, those spooky back spikes, and those purple flames!  9/10, an absolutely marvelous monster.

Finally, let’s discuss the most dragoniest dragons of all the monsters: the Draco family!  The base form, Draconov, is a pretty good base form, generic enough to be able to tell this isn’t them at their strongest.  7/10, a good little wyvern with tones of potential.

Dracogran is the most basic evolution, and from my knowledge, the easiest to evolve.  They’re a pretty decent European dragon, the horns and the fin are pretty fun, and the proportions are very good.  7/10, a very solid derg.

Oh, Dracozul...  I want to like this one, they’re an ice wyvern with a very pretty blue color scheme, but... they’re just so bland.  They could’ve gone a lot harder here, made them more sleek and give them that classic wyvern stinger tail.  5/10, still a dragon, I guess.

Fortunately, Draconoir’s design is a lot more fun and interesting, being a cool Asian style dragon.  The fin is a pretty interesting element, and the color scheme works very well. 8/10, a very good dragon, but not my favorite...

Dracomer is the last of the dragons, and fittingly enough, my favorite, a perfect note to end on.  It’s just got such a perfect design.  Those feet almost like flippers, that murky teal color scheme, that intimidating yet sweet face, and those gorgeous koi-like fins!  9.5/10, my absolute favorite of all the dragons of this game, and very likely my absolute favorite monster of this game!

#wyvere rambles #monster sanctuary #dragons

[nuggsmum]

I posted 8,928 times in 2022

574 posts created (6%)

8,354 posts reblogged (94%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@ladyoftheteaandblood

@inkededucatednnerdy

@angryschnauzer

@notabronte

@captainsy-cookiemonster

I tagged 1,096 of my posts in 2022

#henry cavill - 64 posts

#spotify - 23 posts

#walter marshall - 17 posts

#geralt of rivia - 11 posts

#the light - 11 posts

#august walker - 10 posts

#i mean - 9 posts

#🤣 - 8 posts

#geralt of rivia fanfic - 8 posts

#this - 8 posts

Longest Tag: 140 characters

#i was just saying my friend in spain though my succulent was going to sprout a death flower but look how well it’s doing and my husband just

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

When someone steals your writing, it’s not just words. It’s not just an idea, nor is it just a story or a plot. Its so fucking cliche but unbelievably true when I say that it’s an actual piece of your soul. As a writer, whether you’re considered popular or not, published or indie, if you get a thousand notes or three, that combination of vowels, consonants (and if you’re like me, far too many commas) has been a part of you, embedded into your psyche, begging to be released into the world. By extracting it and putting it onto the proverbial paper that is the internet, we writers are sharing our love, our light. Our hopes and fears. Our dreams and nightmares. And for someone to just take this gift that we share with all of you (for free… the time and effort spent is a whole different discussion right now) and claim it as their own…Well, frankly it’s fucked up. It hurts. It’s maddening. It’s insulting. Disappointing. Disgusting.

People that plagiarize are sad. They want attention and they don’t have the balls to get it on their own. They are jealous of writers and their ability to craft a world with words and they want that for themselves. They’re lazy. They just take the easy way. Nothing about writing is easy. If only.

A few days ago, a blog that has since deactivated lifted two of my fics and posted them as their own. To say I was upset is an understatement. I had to step away from tumblr for a moment because I was tempted to just delete my whole account. I felt sick over it, I’ve thought of little else since. Maybe I’m being dramatic, we all know I have a flair for it. But the thought kept crossing my mind that this is going to happen again, I mean how many times have we seen it happen to our friends? And why should I just leave my stuff out there for someone to steal? I’ve been here and posting writing for almost seven years, and as far as I know, this is the first time this has happened to me.. Maybe my writing is shit and no one wanted it. Maybe my stuff is too unique and it could be spotted to easily. More likely that I’m just lucky.

Since I’ve been talked off the edge of just disappearing into the void and deleting everything, I’ve been wrestling with whether I’m going to take down my writing. I don’t want to stop sharing it with you guys, but I also don’t know if I feel comfortable with it anymore. So, I’ve decided that I’m going to finish The Light, and then I’m done writing for fandom. Once that happens, I’ll decide whether or not I’ll be removing my master list.

To all my friends and loyal readers, I love you. So very much. I owe you all my life, and that is far from an exaggeration. You have graced me with the confidence to do something that I never dreamed I could be capable of doing. You’ve given me the gift of a craft that I love and has become a huge part of me, and I can’t even begin to put into words how much I’ve needed something like that in my life and how very grateful I am for every single word of encouragement I’ve received from all of you.

Thank you 🖤 (unless you steal peoples creative works, then fuck off and step on a broken Lego.)

XOXO,

Nuggsmum

251 notes - Posted April 26, 2022

#4

The Light (6)

If you’ve found yourself here, there used to be a story here. It’s no longer available unfortunately. I’ve deleted all my writing because people don’t know how to play nice with other’s toys. Yes, I’m pissed about it. This remains so I can see the notes people have left me on this story. Sorry there isn’t anything to read here other than me bitching. Take care 🖤

Header by @luna-aestas. It stays.

257 notes - Posted January 7, 2022

#3

The Light (7)

If you’ve found yourself here, there used to be a story here. It’s no longer available unfortunately. I’ve deleted all my writing because people don’t know how to play nice with other’s toys. Yes, I’m pissed about it. This remains so I can see the notes people have left me on this story. Sorry there isn’t anything to read here other than me bitching. Take care 🖤

Header by @luna-aestas. It stays.

285 notes - Posted February 7, 2022

#2

Imagine. 🤣🤣

409 notes - Posted April 5, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

1,894 notes - Posted June 24, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review #how sad that half of them are stories that arent here anymore

[iguessitsjustme]

Getting to know your BL mutuals - 2022 Edition

I’ve now been tagged to do this by @gillianthecat and @ommited-miscellaneously and since it’s finally Friday and I can relax my brain for a few days, I figured I’d actually do it! Thanks for the tag!

Simple, answer the questions. @ some people. Include the tag 'g2ky BL mutuals 2022' on your post so we can find everyone's answers!

What has been the BL that took you by surprise this year?

There are a few so but the one that stands out the most is Secret Crush on You. I went into SCOY expecting to HATE it. And I mean really and truly hate it, but instead what I got was one of my favorite BLs not just of this year but ever. I wouldn’t say it’s my top BL, but it’s definitely one of them.

What has been the BL that you felt a bit disappointed with this year?

Oooohhh this is a tricky question because I was disappointed by a few of the really popular ones so I’m going to steer clear of that and just list a few that had potential to be good but something went wrong:

1. About Youth - Don’t get me wrong, I adored this show, but the ending kind of dropped the ball. I would still recommend it though. If it had a few more episodes to tie up all of the loose ends, it would be amazing.

2. Love Area - If anyone can tell me what the fuck that show was, I would appreciate it.

3. Plus & Minus - Starting really strong but lost it along the way.

What has been your favorite BL this year?

Hmmmm..that is difficult to answer. I’m just gonna look at MDL and put my highest rated ones (my ratings are based on nothing but my own personal feelings toward he show when I rated it and I am generous with my ratings):

1. Cherry Blossoms After Winter - 10/10

2. DNA Says Love You - 10/10

3. Minato Shouji Coin Laundry - 10/10

4. Secret Crush on You - 10/10 though I should lower it. I love it but I think it’s really more like a 9/10 for me. The second hand embarrassment at the beginning is a lot.

5. To My Star 2: Our Untold Stories - 10/10. What can I say? It scratched a very particular itch for me.

What are your favorite BL couples (not just of 2022)?

I actually made a post about this once. But I bet that’s changed. It actually hasn’t. But I’ll add a few more couples just for fun:

1. WinTeam - Between Us. I mean, obviously.

2. TapPing - Fahlanruk. Only couple in that show worth the watch.

3. MorkTawan - My Ride. What wholesome boys.

If you had to suggest a BL for someone what would it be?

I have done this many times getting my mother into BL. The rate at which this woman consumes BL is impressive given her schedule. But if I were to recommend any one BL to a random lay person off the street with a passing interest in getting into BL, I would go with A Tale of A Thousand Stars. It has good characters, a good story, it’s easily accessible, and it’s a great launching off point because it’s a GMMTV show. It’s the perfect show to ease someone into BL if they are interested.

What's your non-BL favorite for this year?

I HAVE SO MANY. I never talk about them here but SO MANY. I gotta go see what my MDL says.

Okay so this was technically last year, but I watched it this year. I LOVED Vincenzo. That show is everything to me. The only way it could be better is if they made it gay. I kind of want a gender swapped Vincenzo. Nothing else changes except Vincenzo is a girl and they’re lesbians.

Other non-BL favorites:

1. Again My Life - What can I say? I have a very particular type of show for non-BL.

2. Tomorrow - Massive trigger warnings for this one but it is oh so good.

3. Ghost Doctor - This show was also a lot of fun. I did have to FF through a lot of the surgery stuff but it’s not terribly bad if you’re squeamish like me. Plus there’s a bromance! And I love Kim Bum.

4. The Circle - Not a drama but my boss, well I guess technically she’s the big boss now and not directly my boss (yay promotions!) got me to watch this. I normally do not watch reality tv and stay far, far away. But this was very entertaining and I could not stop. If I went on this show, I would 100% be a catfish just for shits and giggles.

5. Uncanny Counter - Also not technically this year but it’s when I watched it. It’s just a very fun show.

I did watch a few other non-BL dramas but they are in no way my favorite.

I don’t know who hasn’t done this yet, so if you want to do this consider yourself tagged. Go on and do the thing! It’s fun.

#tag game #g2ky BL mutuals 2022 #thanks for tagging me #any excuse to talk about vincenzo honestly