#I might just have to do a reread of several of these because they're so gooood

[artificialkids-2k23-official]

I actually was in the Artemis Fowl fandom, insofar as I was able to be in any fandom, when I was in high school... but there were only I think four books out at that point.

#i started with eternity code and then me and my friend did some scurrying to get hold of the other three so we could read them #might also be misremembering the number #okay just looked up the list because i was curious #it looks like they were up to opal deception when i read eternity code and then lost colony and the graphic novel came out my senior year #RIGHT after i had swapped my interest to something else #so while i read it i didn't internalize it the way i did the other four at the time (and couldn't get hold of the graphic novel) #i also don't remember what arctic incident and opal deception even are #i vaguely remember the first one and eternity code #maybe i SHOULD reread #also i do have COPIES of the books up to opal deception because i grab them at used book sales when i can #because i knew i'd want to circle back around #but all of my books are in storage right now #so they're not doing me any good there #but i DO have a copy of eternity code that i picked up at goodwill several weeks ago #because i thought i might like to reread it again #because it is the one i have the most fond memories for #partly because of the butler incident #...okay mostly because of the butler incident #me reading the butler incident at sixteen years old: boy i sure hope this doesn't awaken anything in me

[caligvlasaqvarivm]

love all your thoughts on eridan so much!! ive had erikar as a passive concept in my head since i started slowly rereading homestuck, bit i never invested as much thought into it...it makes a LOT of sense.

very curious on your thoughts on eridan and nepeta, if you have any? i dont really see much around of the two of them and how they may act around each other (most likely because, iirc, they have basically no substantial interaction in the comic....) but its a concept ive twisted around in my head a little.

Hahah, one of my friends is a Nepeta roleplayer, so we have hashed this OUT. Basically, I think if they talked a bit more, under the right circumstances, they might try pitch for a bit, but resolve to normal friendship. TL;DR, at the end of the day, they just don't really have anything to particularly hate about each other, or to particularly love, but I think they'd make for really good friends actually, if Eridan gets his shit together and Nepeta comes out of her shell a little more. She might wind up having to play auspice for him because... he has a lot of problems... and as a Heart player, with more proximity to him, she'd realize "oh, wait, he's not that bad, hes just mentally fucking ill," and there are people on the team who would not give him that kind of grace.

Flushed is pretty canonically off the table - despite having hit on her several times, Eridan seems to have accepted the rejection, and Nepeta herself comments that it always came off as "cr33py and insincere", which it probably was - he's clearly not over Feferi, and has a kind of "please god anyone would be fine I just don't want to be alone" vibe. Nepeta is definitely looking for more sincerity than that, and although Eridan's Type is very much cheerful, bubbly, nice girls (what he thinks Feferi is), I think they're pretty incompatible overall.

His antics and Emotional Issues would probably be super taxing on Nepeta long-term, he'd wind up in a million fights with protective Equius (Eridan is a crazed murderer even just objectively), and he's really not a particularly kind or pleasant person.

Meanwhile, although he's basically willing to go along with anything that'll get him attention, I think he'd be very puzzled by Nepeta's expectations that he do Romantic Things, or otherwise adhere to certain romantic tropes and social norms, which he can't do; when this inevitably leads to hurt feelings, his response to perceived danger is "fight," so he'd probably end up making it worse. So! Flushed is flushed. Down the load gaper, I mean.

Trying on pitch, I think if Nepeta was already a little bit out of her shell - say, Equius has died, or she's otherwise locked in a SGRUB dungeon with him, or something like that - she and he would come to blows over Eridan's performative casteism. Nepeta's the anti-casteism troll, after all, and if she's worked up enough, she's quite spirited and opinionated, and Eridan is down for anything, so it would be something I can absolutely see forming.

Actually, hilariously, when my friend and I RP'd this out, Nepeta wound up with a pitch crush, and Eridan wound up with a FLUSHED crush, because he was THAT BAD at differentiating between good and bad attention. Nepeta was totally floored, she was like, dude i was calling you stupid and terrible??? how the fuck did you interpret that as FLUSHED??? and eridan was like i dont know... maybe... i might have mental illness......

The problem is, I don't see their pitched dalliance lasting, for two main reasons - the first is that Eridan wouldn't hate Nepeta long-term, even if he can work up some caliginous energy because he's desperate; she's too genuinely nice and kind and he loves nice and kind people. Similarly, Nepeta wouldn't be able to hate Eridan the more she got to know him - since he's kind of the least casteist highblood, despite his initial impression, she would lose her fundamental reason for opposing him, and would instead start going "oh god, hes so traumatized, he's like that because he's really messed up inside."

The second is because I think they're dangerous for each other, physically. Eridan is a volatile highblood with severe emotional problems and a bodycount in the thousands, and Nepeta is very reckless in the face of danger; I can genuinely see them going a little too hard and Eridan getting a bit of a highblood buzz and winding up severely injuring Nepeta, which he would feel completely fucking terrible about, and then not allow himself to ACT like he feels terrible about it. Even if they stay in the relationship, it would kill his vibe, since when he isn't on an outright murder spree, he doesn't want to hurt his friends ("wwhat kind of friend wwould i be"). And that's not even factoring in how much EQUIUS would flip out over it.

I also don't think Nepeta is particularly equipped to deal with Eridan's problems, even if she does recognize and sympathize with them more than most on their team. Although she'd have more success than others, I think it'd leave her exhausted, because Eridan is exhausting. A Heart player obsessed with true feelings and sincerity and genuineness is just a bad match for the kid who's 90% façade.

So, ultimately, I think they'd resolve to really good friends, and Nepeta might wind up being a middle leaf for Eridan in an auspicetism situation, since Eridan... tends to draw aggro, and Nepeta at least would care about him enough that she doesn't want to see him get killed (even in the comic, as Nepetasprite, she expresses sadness that Eridan is dead, although she doesn't seem to know about his murders).

Eridan is also a roleplayer, lest we forget, and if Nepeta is able to draw out rare flashes of genuineness, they do have a bunch in common - she could commiscerate with him over the thrill of the hunt (although she'd have to be careful not to get too into the weeds about the, uh, Troll Murder aspect), RP with him (in a safe environment), or gossip about romance. They're both pretty painfully sincere people at their core, so while I ultimately don't see them being particularly romantically compatible, I do really love the idea of them being close friends. If only Eridan didn't always make things Fucking Weird.

And also since I really love pitch FefNep, Nepeta becoming friends with Eridan would help fuel her hate dates with Feferi - ":33 < do you even realize how messed up killing lusii fur YOU left him???" "W)(at would you )(ave preferred, t)(at my lusus went )(ungry and krilled everybody? 3X0"

#eridan ampora #homestuck #nepeta leijon

[miraclesabound]

Spoiler-Heavy Review/Thoughts on "The Last Voyage of the Demeter"

The crowd at the theater grew to about 15, so still pretty quiet.

Short version is that I enjoyed this movie thoroughly, but it is truly gruesome. The entry will start below the cut with spoilery warnings, because even having read the book, there were some things that caught me off guard.

Warnings for this film include:

trafficking of a young woman as a blood bag/bride for Dracula

Use of racial slurs against both a Black and a Romani character

deaths of all animals on board, including livestock and a young boy's beloved dog - shown with full gore

death of three crew members by burning in the sun after vampiric possession, including the young boy (the captain's grandson)

One of those three choosing sunlight as their method of suicide rather than allowing themselves to fully turn into a beat.

In fact, no one dies peacefully - this version of Dracula is emphasized as truly beastly, relishing the fear of his victims.

I know we've all been rooting for the Captain (named Captain Elliot in this version), but the true protagonist is Mr. Clemens, played by Corey Hawkins. We never get his first name, but we learn that he's a Black English doctor making his way home from Bulgaria/Romania, and he offers his services to Captain Elliot when a previously hired hand refuses to touch anything marked with Dracula's symbol - the stamp of a black dragon.

Other characters include: Captain Elliot and his young grandson Toby, Anna, the young woman given to Dracula as a captive by her village, and the men of the crew, all of whom have sailed with Captain Elliot before.

Then of course, there's Dracula himself. I saw some reviews saying he's shown far too early in the movie - but it worked for me. We find out that Anna was locked in his coffin with him and was meant to sustain him for the whole voyage - so when we see Dracula, he's weak and wracked with hunger for losing his food supply when Clemens finds Anna and starts treating her. Since we see him like that early, there's room for him to grow to almost full power as he burns through the animals and then the crew.

I enjoyed just about every performance in the film, but Corey Hawkins (Clemens), Javier Botet (Dracula), and Woody Norman (Toby) were particular highlights. Clemens is your classic cynical scientist with a heart of gold, Dracula speaks less than you would expect but still has that taunting air, and Toby doesn't read as older than he's supposed to be.

As story beats go, I think I appreciated Anna's the most. I've said in my reread of Dracula that I wish modern adaptations did more with the people of Transylvania hating Dracula, and this version presented that in Anna's character. She's lived under Dracula's shadow as long as she can remember, even before her village elders handed her over, and once she's freed and recovered some of her strength, she's finally able to fight back. I'm a sucker for a character who knows they're doomed but still tries to do the right thing, and Anna is that in spades.

THE LIGHTING IN THIS MOVIE WAS ACTUALLY EFFECTIVE!!!! The daytime scenes were vibrant, and all the nights scenes are lit by an enormous full moon and several stars. It makes the shadow work less muddied than you might see in a more modern-style horror movie.

The movie ends with Clemens technically surviving, but still deeply traumatized and literally scarred - he and Anna scuttle the ship and jump overboard, but not until after Dracula has drunk enough from Anna to curse her and he's badly hurt Clemens' neck. Anna gives herself over to the sun so that Clemens can get to shore, and the closing scene is clearly a sequel hook as he hunts for Dracula in London - or perhaps the Count has already realized that Clemens is on his tail. This worked for me because the film stuck with Clemens. I kept expecting him to run into one of the core Dracula characters, and I'm not sure I would have liked that.

This is all a very long-winded way of saying that this was a film I truly enjoyed, and it is a LOVE LETTER to the book's thesis - the supernatural may have come out of hiding, but if we band together, evil may be halted - even for a little while.

Rating: 8.5/10

#dracula daily #the last voyage of the demeter #last voyage of the demeter

[wolfstarshipping]

I’m in a reading slump, do you have any good fics that you can recommend me?

Hi, thanks for asking lovely anon! I've thought about this and I have several different approaches on how to answer your ask, so this'll be a longer list, I hope you find something you like!

First category: Texting Fics!

I love text fics because they're usually very fast-paced and easy to read, so I think they might be a good way to combat a reading slump!

You could either go with the iconic Text Talk by merlywhirls (141.250 words), a boarding school AU with a home-schooled, chronically ill Remus, a true classic and the fic that started the whole wolfstar texting fic trend back in the day!

Or, one of my personal favorites from the same era for purely nostalgic reasons, aesthetic: trash boys by Emaly/merlywhirls (89.473 words, everyone is super queer, strong chosen family vibes, with an HIV positive Remus and genderqueer Sirius).

Or if you want a modern text fic classic, there's always Staying Strangers by 3amAndCounting (319.368 words, university AU, this is one of those fics I've reread a couple of times already, just because I love it so much, especially the texting in the beginning).

Snow In June by BrigidFaye (25.561 words) is a magical AU set in the US that also has some texting elements, even though it's not as text-heavy as the fics mentioned above, but the worldbuilding and the setting is wonderful, and lumberjack Remus is everything I ever needed in my life!

Dear Your Holiness by @mollymarymarie (142.264 words) is a priest AU and band AU, with a bit of texting, though this one is also already kind of moving into the next category of fics mentioned below. Obviously the whole catholic priest theme is not going to be for everybody, but if you think you might enjoy that, I highly recommend it, it's so, so good! And if you don't think you'll enjoy the themes of this fic, check out literally any other fic by mollymarymarie, I think at this point I've read almost all of them and enjoyed every single one I read immensely!!

Alright, so now the next category is fics with plots that will get you out of any reading slump:

I've recently become obsessed with @lynxindisguise's fics, so I'd also recommend checking out all of them, but since I've mostly recommended longer fics on this list so far, I'll go with a shorter one: in the dark, there is discovery (11.796 words) is a wonderful pirate AU that you can easily read in one evening, and it has beautiful world building, Remus Lupin as a seamonster and my new favorite trope - there was only one hammock.

Let Me Get What I Want (This Time) by Sierra_Sitruc (69.878 words) is a plot-driven and amazing fix-it-fic, that I keep thinking about even months after I've read it, and that had me stay awake at ungodly hours just because I couldn't put it down and wanted to know how it ended!

The Bent by @ebp-brain (40.257 words) is an incredible fic about queer lives, politics and art, oppression and resistance, so if any of those things sound like something you'd enjoy I highly recommend reading it, I always love earlybloomingparentheses' writing, it's so, so beautiful and powerful!

take me as i am (48.494 words) has one of the most unique settings I've ever read - it features Sirius as an (adorable) sleep demon, who is supposed to give Remus nightmares, and I also love the way this fic depicts various mental illnesses.

In saccharine by moonymoment (26.447 words) Sirius is a ghost haunting Remus's apartment, and this is another one of those fics I keep thinking about because it was just so so good.

full moon twofold by renaissance (12,031 words) is a Gothic-romance style AU and an incredible take on the question "what if Remus never went to Hogwarts?".

And now maybe a few shorter fics:

The first rec in this category is not even a specific fic but just a tumblr account: @wolfstarmicrofic, if you scroll through their blog you'll find lots and lots of really short fics which might just be what you need to get back into reading!

In You, I Count Stars by @wolfpants (1.540 words) is a wonderful hogwarts-era oneshot set in the Astronomy Tower with a pining Sirius.

It's Cold Outside by Remustrash (1.788 words) is a very fluffy and cosy there-was-only-one-bed fic, featuring the most oblivious of all oblivious puppies!

June, and Other Natural Disasters by montparnasse (5.524 words) is a beautifully written fic that made me feel all the feels and has great summer vibes!

Okay and the last category is fics with A+ vibes that'll make you forget all about your reading slump:

The Long Way Home by @hollyivydruzy (177.337 words) is a university AU and the kind of fic I didn't want to ever end, because the characters felt so incredibly real, and it's so easy to get completely immersed and lost in their wonderful, chaotic world and follow along on all their university adventures.

this desperate in love by drowsyanddazed (20.776 words) is a very cute high school AU, and reading it felt like watching a coming of age / teen movie in the best kind of way!

wading in waist-high water by @colgatebluemintygel (82.060 words) is a Great British Bake-Off AU that features Remus as a contestant and and Sirius as a host who's thirsting after Remus, and I just love the whole setting and atmosphere of the fic, as well as the writing! And this fic's Arthur Weasley needs to be protected at all costs, I love him a lot!

A Brief History of Dragons by @eyra (23.488 words) is an incredibly cosy and wonderful modern AU set in Cornwall, I absolutely ADORE Remus in this fic and love the way his and Sirius's relationship slowly develops, this fic has such a special place in my heart.

Alright I think I could keep going and add to this list forever but I'll stop now, let me know if you read any of these, and I hope they'll end your reading slump! x

#wolfstar #wolfstar rec list #remus lupin #sirius black #marauders #rec list #fic rec list #ask #anon #reading slump #also I know this is just me second guessing myself but obviously the fics i put into the great plot category also have A+ vibes #and the fics i put into the vibe category also have great plots etc etc #just wanted that to be said #these are all just great fics and i wanted to make lil categories and this is what my brain came up with yesteday at 3am okay #i love getting fic request asks!! i have about 90 unanswered fic request asks sitting in my inbox #abt 89 of those are from pre 2016 though but i still might answer some of them in the future for the lols

[toomuchracket]

thinking about birthday matty! reading girlies fav books and annotating them so he can give them to her as a gift

anon, are you trying to make me cry? because it's working - this is too fucking cute. ok. from pretty much the second he meets you, matty soaks up any and all book recommendations from you like a sponge, and takes extra notice of the ones that make your eyes light up most when you talk about them, the ones that you ramble on most passionately about and then bashfully say "sorry. that's just one of my favourites" (which makes his heart grow three sizes like the grinch lol). those are the books he reads when he misses you, when he hasn't seen you for a while because either one of you has been cooped up creating your latest masterpiece; needless to say, before that fateful birthday party, they're frequent rereads. he recognises patterns in the pages, things that recur that must be things you like - he also recognises parts of you, learns how these books have shaped you into the person he's hopelessly, desperately in love with. he doesn't intend to start annotating them, at first, but it's when he's on his fifth reread of on earth we're briefly gorgeous (a.n. if you haven't read it... please do) that he can't help responding to the emotions the words and the thoughts of you drag out of him. and then, he can't stop it; he goes back to all of his "you" bookshelf, armed with a pen (or several), and pours his brain and heart and soul into the margins, the way he ends up doing in every conversation he has with you. but then again, that's exactly what this is. when he drives up to your hometown to surprise you on your birthday, not long after you become officially entwined with each other, the annotated books are in the back of his car, next to the champagne and the necklace and the stupid meme mug he knows you'll laugh at - you cry when he presents them all to you, sat on the floor of your teenage bedroom with an album he recommended to you playing in the background, because you didn't think love like this actually existed. he shrugs and blushes when you say that, replying with "s'the least i could do for you, sweetheart", and you think your heart might burst. the books end back up on his bookshelf when you move in, back to their original purpose of being reread to stave off loneliness; this time, though, it's you who reads them, you who annotates, replying to matty in the tiny gaps between the typesetting and his scrawls. soon enough, the original words on the page won't be legible amidst the two of you conversing over the top of them, but there's something quite beautiful about that, you think <3

#mads answers asks #matty asks #fluff asks #into the birthday partyverse

[cursedvibes]

I found this by one of my (ex) moots who have unfollow me, cause now they're anti -JJK :

"JJK really went from a loved manga to a mid-to-bad story with insufferable fans 🙏 may more of us hate it in the future. It snatches the spotlight from genuinely good shows and its another case of "general shonen fan will call any trash 'goat' if the fight is well animated".

I used to be a fan, until the start of the culling game. And after this controversial, inconsistent and inhumane adaptation of shibuya, im glad that I have no interest in both manga and show anymore"

Do you think Culling game is hard to understand, cause several of my (ex) moots also start dislike JJK after that arc?

I can't speak for everyone who dislikes jjk, but I think for most people who dislike the Culling Games, it's a sort of recency bias (except in the opposite way it's usually used). Many criticisms levied against the Culling Game were also said during the Shibuya arc as it was coming out and are showing up again, now that it has been animated. Things like "too many fights", "I don't care about these new characters", "the pacing is shit", "killing too many main characters makes deaths meaningless", "Yuuji isn't even the main character anymore" are often said for the Culling Game arcs, but also something I now see a lot from anime-onlys for the Shibuya arc. It's just how Gege writes and either you like it or you don't. A lot has also to do with binge-reading something and reading it weekly (especially if you don't reread chapters). The flow of action and payoffs are much more apparent when you binge something than when you have to wait for little titbits of the story to come out and stew for weeks over setups for later plot points. Any minor grievances you have are also easier forgotten when you read the full story. Problems like "I don't know what's going on or who these characters are and therefore I don't care" show up a lot when you aren't used to or don't like reading something weekly. There are people who complain that they don't know who Higuruma or Kashimo are, when it is very easy to remember that if you just keep the story in mind, reread past chapters or only read full arcs. They certainly don't lack characterization. Gege's writing definitely has flaws, especially recently, but we got to know plenty about Higuruma, Kashimo, Takaba etc.. Someone might not like them or isn't interested in their stories because of personal taste, but that's not Gege's fault. I for example like the Culling Game much more than Shibuya or Hidden Inventory and I think Shibuya can drag a lot at certain parts, but the highlights still make it a good arc. Perfect Preparation and Culling Game just has more to offer to me because it focuses on different characters and I like the new ones generally much more than say the Kyoto school group. Each of the new characters have tons more depth than any of the curse users that worked for Kenjaku previously and thereby liven things up a lot. Not to mention more lore. Thing is, if your favourite characters appear less and you don't like the new ones much, that will inevitably turn you off the story. That's valid, but personal taste is subjective, it's not what makes the story bad.

There are plenty criticisms to be made and you can clearly tell that Gege is rushing some parts of the story now, so I can understand if people stop reading because of that, but it's a matter of if the highs outweigh the lows. As whole arcs, I definitely don't think Culling Game is any worse than Shibuya. Or that Perfect Preparation is worse than Hidden Inventory (I think those are better to compare, since HI has a very different focus and is much shorter than Shibuya or CG). I'm a bit sceptical about the final fight against Sukuna in Shinjuku (excluding Kenjaku's part and Hakari vs Uraume from this for now, I liked those), but there's enough there to keep me invested and continue reading. I can understand though if that's not the case for others. Similar for the controversial timeskip and don't even get me started on Sukuna vs Gojo. Some criticism I don't agree with (sorry but Takaba vs Kenjaku was actually good), but there are other valid points to be made. For example, I recently saw a discussion on twt about how we are barely shown Gojo interacting with the students he supposedly cares about. I can totally understand that, especially when we are given more flashbacks to what happened during the timeskip and Gojo isn't in any of them and apparently not invested in what his students and friends are gonna do in case he dies. It does give the impression that he just doesn't give a shit about any of them anymore and it doesn't help his lack of characterization and character development post-unsealing.

Generally, I think it's best for these people who are "anti-jjk" to just drop the show if they can't enjoy anything about it at all. There are many more mangas, animes or other stories out there they could read/watch, instead of forcing themselves through something they don't like. I do that with plenty of stories as well. So if your ex moot decides to drop the manga and anime because they don't like it anymore, good. Find something else.

I think their criticism that jjk "snatches the spotlight from genuinely good shows" makes no sense though. That isn't even the case within the magazine Weekly Shonen Jump. If something is good, people will read it. Look at the boom for Kagurabachi, a series that just started and is already loved and continuously in the top 10 of the Jump App. People can read multiple stories at the same time, that's the whole reason these magazines don't just feature one manga. Sure, some really good stories out there are less popular, but that's not because of jjk. JJK being popular doesn't stop me from reading Houseki no Kuni or Monster, mangas that aren't as well known. One Piece or Pokemon aren't stealing anything from jjk, so why would that be the case for jjk and some lesser known manga. There are more complicated reasons for why something is getting less traction than just "series x has gained popularity". And I don't like powerscalers or your average blue checkmark anime fan on twt either, but then just ignore them. They are in every shonen fandom (and seinen and shoujo, although in case of shoujo it's a little different but not less obnoxious). Other fans having shit tastes isn't new or unique to jjk. That's just fandom.

Either way, glad this person moved on to another series, may they be happier there.

#asks #jujutsu kaisen

[mayasaura]

sorry if someone has asked this before, but is there a canon explanation on how Wake ended up revenant-bonded to Gideon's sword? and if not, do you have any theories? trying to figure this out after my reread of harrow

No one ever explains exactly how it worked in the books, or at least they haven't yet, but they do give us enough general information about revenants to come up with a theory.

Short version is that she probably first formed a connection to the sword while Gideon was visiting her bones, and was called to it by the blood offerings that naturally happen when an energetic child is first learning how to use and care for a blade.

Longer analysis of what we know about revenant theory and how it relates to Wake under the cut, because of who I am as a person.

So here's how I've pieced the events together:

When Wake died, the first thing the nuns of the Ninth did was call her spirit back to ask her "what the fuck?". In chapter one of Gideon the Ninth, Gideon says that the shade of her mother "could not be tempted back for fresh blood or old," and describes her soul as having been "too far gone" for conversation by the time the nuns "had tethered her by force". That's obviously what the nuns told Gideon, though knowing what we know now about Wake I'd guess it was more a refusal to participate than faded strength. Either way, they did manage to force her back, if only briefly.

It's established in the Mysterious Study of Doctor Sex that calling a spirit can be enough to create a revenant bond, even if the spirit doesn't make contact. The nuns briefly trapping Wake's soul is how she initially became a revenant.

Okay, cool. So that's how she stuck around on the Ninth, but how did she get from her bones to Gideon's sword?

To have a revenant bond, she needs to have first had a thanergetic connection. None of the specific examples Ianthe suggests in the lesson with Augustine apply to Wake and the sword. It's a standard-issue Cohort sword taken straight from the still-wrapped box eight years after Wake's death. It wasn't used to kill her, it wasn't buried with her, and she had no connection to it in life. So there's no ready-made explaination to find there.

The important thing from that lesson is the concept of how those connections form: all it takes is exposure to a strong source of the revenant's thanergy. Usually that's something to do with their death, or something buried with them, but it doesn't have to be. If the person was murdered, just having come in contact with the murder weapon could be enough to form a weak connection. Seeing as a revenant has a much stronger connection with its corpse than it does to its murder weapon, the same is probably true of something that has touched the bones of the deceased.

That might be enough on its own to explain how Wake got there, but I think it being specifically a sword she was connected to helped strengthen the connection. It's mentioned several times that ghosts are hungry, and that revenants feed. The first offering made to tempt their hunger is always fresh blood. The most reliable source of fresh blood on the dried-up Ninth was probably Gideon and her sword, while she learned how to use it. Fumbles while learning drills, a slipped hand while sharpening or cleaning, that kind of thing. With Wake already having a connection to the sword from exposure, fresh blood being regularly applied to the blade could have tempted her revenant to take up residence.

The funeral niches of the Ninth House aren't closed; Gideon just chucks a rusted sword into one to get rid of it in chapter four of GtN. The bones are just chilling on little stone shelves, out in the open-ish air of the catacombs. All it would have taken for Wake to form her initial connection would be for Gideon to lean the sword against the edge of Wake's niche so that it brushed against her bones. It could have happened accidentally. Kids also do weird stuff sometimes, especially when they're trying to process big shit like dead moms and neglect. Maybe Gideon laid the sword in the niche with Wake to share her prized possession with her mother.

I'm going to be a little more speculative here, going into the whys and hows of it all. Why blood? What is it that revenants eat, and how did Wake sustain herself for almost twenty years on the Ninth?

Augustine gives us part of the answer in his comparison of Resurrection Beasts to revenants:

Resurrection Beasts feed like revenants: they find thalergenic planets and guzzle them up wholesale, crack them open like clams, and take the soul for meat.

So revenants feed on thalergy, which is something living bodies produce and what living souls are made of. Feeding them blood does make sense, then, because blood contains thalergy. We learn that from Pyrrha, when she advises Harrow to use fresh blood wards on her room to keep herself safe from the Saint of Duty. He can drain thanergy, but not when it's mixed with the thalergy of fresh blood.

If revenants eat thalergy, that means Wake has most likely been subsisting on Gideon's thalergy, either from the blood she spills on her sword or through a direct connection with Gideon herself. Good thing Gideon's slightly immortal or that could have become a problem, depending on how much energy Wake needed. If Augustine is being entirely literal about revenants and resurrection beasts feeding in the same way, she may have even been snacking a bit on Gideon's soul.

And I don't really know if this means anything, but I noticed something interesting about the timeline.

Gideon started visiting Wake when she was seven, and Wake's skeleton was taken from its niche to be processed and added to the rotation when Gideon was eight. I'm guessing that's when Wake ditched the bones and changed her address of primary residence. The interesting part is that Gideon first started training with a sword around the same time: when she was eight years old.

But... the average height of an eight year old is 128 cm, a couple inches over four feet. The sword's six feet of steel would have been half again Gideon's height. There's no way she was being effectively taught how to fight with it at that age. I guess she could have had it anyway, to learn how to care for it and as a goal to aspire to while Aiglamene graduated her through more child-sized training weapons.

So Wake jumping directly from the bones to the sword only works if Gideon started training with a full-sized sword at the age of eight. That's not impossible, knowing Aiglamene. It's also not impossible that Harrow, who signed the order to give Gideon the sword, was already helping administer the House at the age of six or seven. Her parents don't seem to have ever imposed very firm oversight. Harrow may have had the legitimate power to do that, or maybe she started forging her mother's signature well before she died.

That's the most likely explanation, especially given how there's nothing in Harrow the Ninth to suggest that revenant can fully anchor itself to an occupied living body. Wake must have needed to possess something exterior to Gideon herself, or she wouldn't have had a reason to set up in the sword at all. But a revenant can haunt a person. It can create a link, and chill in the subconscious without anyone knowing it's there. I wonder if she did that with Gideon.

Edit 11/9/22: Changed some wording for clarity and added a bit on the sword's origin to the body of the post.

#the locked tomb #tlt meta #htn spoilers #harrow the ninth #awake remembrance of these valiant dead kia hua ko te pai snap back to reality oops there goes gravity #commander wake #gideon nav #tmsods spoilers #the mysterious study of doctor sex #doctor sex spoilers #tumblr do not nuke my post it's the man's damn name #anyway yeah Gideon would not have reached her adult height for a full six years or so after getting her sword #so there MUST have been blunt intermediary child-sized training weapons #maybe they were made of plastic like Ortus' sword! #then she would need the real blade to learn how to care for one

[mermaidsirennikita]

Dearest rogue in your recs and mentioning the dry humping YEEES!! Dry humping is so underrated and unappreciated, it's so hot and fun I wish there were more books with it

Could you rec some?

Honestly, I think dry humping is in general something people should get more on the program with because society needs to get away from penetration being the only source of pleasure.... and in romance novels it's SUCH a good way to ramp up tension and conversely, because of how society is dumb about it you can have the leads be all "it's not sex it's fine". Like. Okay sure.

Historical:

A Week to Be Wicked by Tessa Dare has a famous scene where the hero (a rake) and the heroine (a nerd) are in a room together on a roadtrip deal and hear the couple in the next room having loud sex, and she's all "gross" and he's like "AU CONTRAIRE SHALL I DO A DEMO" and they get off with a sheet between them. It's one of those "well that escalated quickly, that got really out of hand" scenes, which is what dry humping scenes SHOULD BE.

What I Did for a Duke by Julie Anne Long has a scene where I think she's grinding on him when they're on like a bench outside? And she's a super inexperienced virgin so she's on a "if it feels good go with it" kick and he's much older and is like "oookkaaaaaaay simmer down there".

It Had to Be A Duke by Vivienne Lorret has another "she uses him to get off" dry humping scene, we love to see it.

The Madness of Lord Ian MacKenzie by Jennifer Ashley. Ian introduces Beth to dry jumping by having her get on his thigh in like... his brother's living room I think lmao? When there are people that could come in at any moment? Tbh, after reading somewhere around 7 books in this series, I feel like the MacKenzie brothers just give each other a 30 second delay before walking into any room and if it smells like sex they're just like "FINE. PLEASE CLEAN MY COUCH AT LEAST". They're usually all at Hart's house at some point. His Victorian dry cleaning bill is probably fucking insane.

Grace Callaway often has this, I think--I feel like Olivia and The Masked Duke has a scene.

I could be wrong about this but I thiiiink The Lady Gets Lucky by Joanna Shupe has dry humping. It's a sex lessons book, and they often do; I need to reread it.

Contemporary:

The Professional by Kresley Cole has a scene where the hero and heroine start grinding while he's like on top of her in a cornfield lmao. I think this is their first experience together. He's trying to haul her off to Russia to her mob boss father and is all "I CAN'T TOUCH THE MERCHANDISE" but he does touch the merchandise a LOT and she touches back.

The Roommate by Rosie Danan. The setup is that the hero and heroine are roommates, she finds out he's a well-known porn star, she's super repressed and they get an idea to work with other adult film people to create like, sex and sexual health resources for people, and there's a sex position they're trying to like demo together when they're alone to attempt to explain it to people, and it turns into a friend-on-friend impetuous dry hump.

Mafia Madman by Mila Finelli has an excellent scene where Enzo finds Gia chilling Platonically with his brother in the hot tub (a hot tub, where, I might add, Enzo's brothers would just FUCK GIRLS SIDE BY SIDE) and is super ticked about it so he gets in the hot tub and is like "okay babe if you're so hard up for it just hop on my lap and take it for a spin". Which she does. Shamefully lmao.

Paranormal:

Lothaire by Kresley Cole. In general, I think several IAD books have dry humping, but this one is SO FAMOUS and the best dry humping scene I've ever read. Lothaire has Ellie captive because he's, you know, evil, and she's decided to offer him sexual favors in order to get the upper hand (after sagely noticing that he's HARD UP). She's a virgin... but she's not without experience lol, so when he's all "fine blow me" she's like "actually.... I'm an EXPERT at dry humping, and I was FAMOUS in my high school for that" and he's like "lmao sure" but within minutes she has him DYING. She also gets mad at him after and finds him having an existential crisis about it in the shower and throws his cum-soaked jeans at him like "HAVE FUN WASHING THESE ASSHOLE" which I adore. Ellie is my fucking favorite, there are some God tier heroines I will defend to the death and she's one of them.

And in their "own damn thang" castegory....

I mean, all of Sierra Simone's books probably have dry humping at some point, but standouts include:

American Queen: MMF. Ash (President Sexy) makes Greer (his girlfriend at the time) hump his leg to climax while Embry (Vice President Sad Horny) watches because he can Sense The Vibe. And Embry and Greer are all "nooooooooooo :(((" about it while also being very "if you say so :)))))".

Salt Kiss: MMF. After Mark (daddy dom) sends Tristan (bodyguard sub/mild switch?) to guard Isolde (knife sub) on her journey to marry Mark, Tristan and Isolde, who are both very fucked up about Mark but also wildly into each other, have a sparring session that turns into a MAGNIFICENT dry humping scene. I reread it this morning, actually, and it's.... a lot.

A Lesson in Thorns: MMF, FF. A very special scene where during a game of spin the bottle one person makes another person spank the third person, all fully clothed, and perhaps there is some dry humping and perhaps some delicious embarrassment occurs.

#romance novel blogging #book recs

[threewaywithdelusion]

I wrote a really negative rant post about All For the Game fanfic, so I want to write a positive one. I really do love this fandom, and it’s fanfics, and I want to share the love as well.

By category, here are some fics I love.

Time Travel

Once More by AkemiAsh I just call this The All For The Game Time Travel Fic in my head. It has a really interesting take on Neil and Andrew going back in time all the way to high school. It will probably never be finished, but I still love rereading it.

One More Time (With Feeling) by elesary All of elesary's fics are wonderful and there are several on this list. Many are unfinished, and though the author tends to update a new chapter every week, they rotate between fics. So if you don't like unfinished fics, this is not the one for you. However, if you want a time travel fic with Neil and Andrew going back to their first year at Palmetto, with really interesting characterization and relationship dynamics, this is the fic for you.

Amnesia

Back To The Start by fuzzballsheltiepants There's a lot of fuzzballsheltiepants on this list because they're an absolutely brilliant writer. You can't go wrong with any of their fics. Please note that they are locked though, so you will need an AO3 account to view them.

Muscle Memory by elesary Andrew wakes up in the hospital with no memory of the past few years. It's incredibly in-character and wonderful.

Presque Vue by elesary Neil wakes up in the hospital with no memory of anything since Andrew drugged him at Eden's. Really interesting start! Unfinished so far.

Raven!Neil

Black As the Raven Is, He’ll Get a Partner by nekojita I think this counts as a fandom classic, but it's my favorite Raven!Neil fic so I had to mention it anyway. The Ravens find Neil after he turns down the Foxes' offer to play at Palmetto and he is a Raven from the beginning of his college career. Featuring Neil & Jean friendship and really, really slow-burn Andreil. Mind the warnings for graphic violence and rape (I think it's slightly worse than canon)

Ever More Raven Neil (series) by ynnon this is a recent series where Neil goes to Evermore for Christmas and never leaves. It has two complete installments thus far but the series is technically unfinished. It is one of the most original takes on Raven!Neil I have ever seen and the writing is spectacular. I can't recommend it enough.

Neil’s Asexuality

Swinging Along the Z Axis by SpangleBangle Neil and Andrew discuss what attraction is like for Neil.

Sliding Doors by Moth2Flame Neil and Andrew never kiss during their time at Palmetto. Neil and Robin figure out their asexuality together, and Neil and Andrew get together years later.

The Test & All The Little Lights by fuzzballsheltiepants The first fic really focuses on Andrew, the second on Neil. I call this the "Willing vs. Want To" fic in my head and think it's a really interesting exploration of asexuality (particularly in the second installment).

Random Andreil

Not Nothing by TheRainbowElectric Possibly the most brilliant AFTG fic in existence. I cannot hype it up enough. Seriously, just go read it.

Except When It’s No by TheRainbowElectric The one where they try handcuffs and it goes badly. Based off Nora’s extra content.

Out of the Ashes by puddlejumper99 Neil and Andrew meet pre-canon when, after his mother’s death, Neil starts attending high school in Columbia instead of Millport.

A Mewment Like This by fuzzballsheltiepants I'm usually not the biggest fan of AUs, but this one is wonderful. Andrew and Neil meet at the vet because they both have cats with stupid names. It might sound fluffy, and it is clever and funny, but it also explores some of the darker themes and character development that happen in the books.

if every time we touch, you get this kind of rush by Talls This fic has Andrew and Matt kissing (still with Andreil and Matt/Dan as the main ships) and it sounds absolutely insane but just trust me, you have to read it. This is also possibly the best-written makeout scene I have ever read in my life.

#all for the game #all for the game fanfic #aftg #aftg fandom #aftg fanfic #fic rec #andreil #Andrew minyard #neil josten

[squealing-for-harusono-sensei]

Hirano to Kagiura Ch.20 Analysis: Awareness

There were a lot of amazing things in this chapter (the hug, them finally getting the go ahead to stay together, etc. etc.). It was hard figuring out what exactly to talk about. But I feel like several of the important bits can be tied together with focusing on how aware Hirano is of Kagiura in several different ways.

Kagiura wishes for Hirano to be more aware of him, specifically in the romantic sense. But Hirano has already come a long way of being more aware in several different ways.

1 Noticing difference in behavior

Okay, so the first thing isn't exactly new. Hirano has always been aware of when Kagiura is acting off, he's just also always been pretty bad at recognizing the why and figuring out the severity of the problem. So when Hirano gets mad at Kagiura for avoiding his touch, it's not really anything new. Though he might have gotten angry a bit faster than usually.

Something I've noticed when rereading the manga focusing on this aspect is that Hirano tends to get worried when Kagiura is acting weird (or is pushing himself too much), but gets angry if the weirdness is him avoiding Hirano.

Hirano also never confronts Kagiura immediately. When Hirano confronts Kagiura it's either not the first instance of the thing in question happening, or he talks about something else before confronting him. Hirano is perfectly willing to do something about whatever is making Kagiura act off, but it's never his immediate reaction.

Hirano isn't acting or reacting differently when it comes to noticing Kagiura's behavior, but when compared to the last time Kagiura avoided Hirano, Hirano is a bit faster at confronting it. Hirano did confront Kagiura at one point last time, but Kagiura ran away and Hirano didn't confront him again after that. This time Hirano decided to confront Kagiura about it in the nurse's office, after Ichinose broke off their initial confrontation. Considering that Kagiura landed in the nurse's office last time he avoided Hirano, it wouldn't surprise me if Hirano has gotten a bit more willing to confront Kagiura about problems.

2 Taking note of Kagiura's physique

Another way that Hirano is aware of Kagiura that hasn't really changed. Maybe more accurate, since beginning the ten seconds touch Hirano has noticed Kagiura's hands a lot (okay, it was only twice, but he was oddly focused on it this chapter).

3 Beginning to recognize Kagiura's feelings

Here I'm talking about the sparkly scene in this chapter. Hirano is noticing the passion Kagiura is directing towards him. That the passion he has towards basketball is similar to the feelings he has towards Hirano. (This is so fucking validating, I've been talking about this connection for so long and now Hirano is finally beginning to make the connection consciously instead of unconsciously-)

While this is a huge step in the right direction, Hirano isn't quite at point of truly getting it just yet. That point probably won't happen before he consciously has romantic feelings for Kagiura. But the reason I think that he isn't completely there yet is because he–and Kagiura–is surprised that the other is reacting as strongly as themselves to opting out of staying together.

It's been an underlying thing during this entire arc that both of them don't recognize how much the other person also wants to stay together. They both think that the other doesn't want to stay together as much as themselves. Hirano, even though he knows how strongly Kagiura is feeling towards basketball and just realized that Kagiura put just as much feeling into staying roommates with him, is still surprised when he yells together with Hirano that that there's no way they're declining staying roommates.

Still Hirano has come a long way from thinking that Kagiura's feelings towards him was causing Kagiura nothing but grief.

4 Noticing touch

This is the big one this chapter. There are two different ways Hirano has become more aware of Kagiura's touch in this chapter. The first one is the hug. Interestingly, this is the first time Hirano isn't entirely comfortable with Kagiura's touch. He has been hesitant leading up to them touching but during the touch itself, he has always been (almost suspiciously) comfortable with it.

Uncomfortable has a bit too much negative connotation for me to like to use that word about what Hirano is feeling during the hug. But the hug is definitely a lot for Hirano. And it's leaving him with a lingering feeling, which hasn't really happened before from Kagiura's touch.

And then there is at the end of the chapter, where Kagiura leans over Hirano but backs off. Hirano expected Kagiura to touch him and blushed a lot when he realized that fact.

The thing is, the touching has always been mainly for Kagiura's benefit. Hirano has never been able to see the difference between this and their platonic touches–there's no real meaning behind it, it's just something they do. But he knows that Kagiura is placing a lot of importance on their ten seconds of touching. And now Hirano is beginning to expect this important touch. He doesn't know how to handle that. If you're expecting a touch with meaning, doesn't that mean that it's beginning to mean something to you as well?

Conclusion

Looking back at it, I don't feel like Hirano's feelings/awareness towards Kagiura really changed all that much during this chapter. The biggest change is that Hirano is going from knowing that Kagiura is in love with him to actually getting it. He's not all the way there yet, but it's an important step.

Hirano has been trying to understand Kagiura, but it's all been in his head. He's been trying to keep in mind the things that are important to Kagiura and adjust his behavior and word choice accordingly (especially after the Valentine's Day Incident). But the things that are important to Kagiura when it comes to love have never been truly important to Hirano. Kagiura is important to Hirano. The romantic aspect is only important because he might (and has) accidentally hurt Kagiura if he ignores it.

But now Hirano is beginning to actually understand what Kagiura is feelings, the parts of Kagiura's romantic feelings that makes him happy is also beginning to matter. And they might just become truly important to Hirano as well.

#hirano to kagiura #hirano to kagiura analysis #hirano taiga #kagiura akira #kagihira #hirakagi

[dulcesiabits]

hihi i hope you don't mind me asking but as a writer myself, i'm curious about how your writing process goes :o it's very evident you do a ton of research for your writing and it got me curious about how you go about research and writing as a whole! thank you for your time and have a wonderful day <3

Hi!! I don't mind at all <3 Thank you for sending this ask, because if there's something I love more than writing, then it's talking about the craft of writing! I'll just break down my general process on how I approach writing below <3 Keep in mind that this is both (1) general advice, and (2) specific to how I approach pieces, so it might not work for everyone! In general, I have four major steps: planning, outlining, writing, and then revising/editing!

Planning

The first thing that really happens is that I'll come up with an idea. For fanfic, this usually means I'll get an idea for a scenario I want to explore, or I'll really want to write about a character, and then I'll come up with several ideas that I think would be fun for them! In this stage, I might write a few notes about the premise, just a few sentences about the overall plot/arc I'm looking at. Additionally, I might come up with some general themes/motifs I want to include, but go more in-depth with them in the outlining stage. I'm a bit strange in the sense I tend to plan stories based on general concepts/themes before I delve into the nitty-gritty of characters and plot details (though this process is a bit reversed when I'm writing fanfiction).

I might also do some general research in regards to the premise: for example, I might look over the wiki to refresh my memories on character beats or miscellaneous trivia, or I'll reread certain pages of the manga/rewatch scenes of the anime/replay parts of the game. If I'm writing about a different culture, then I'll look up aspects of the culture that are relevant to my fic (and as with any research, you want to check that you're using reputable sites for accurate information!) Asking friends for their advice/expertise can also be helpful, especially if they're knowledgeable in areas I'm not.

2. Outlining

After I have an idea, I tend to make a really rough outline for how I want the story to go. I don't like planning every minuscule detail, so I leave my outline vague enough that I can be flexible with what I write. I might just draft the overarching plot beats that I want to hit, but then I might change/rearrange scenes depending on what happens as I actually write. I like having an idea of what might happen, but also I don't want my plot to be so rigid I don't have any freedom to play with it, especially because what I write might end up differently from what I planned to happen!

Additionally, I also tend to map out not just what's happening on the page, but also the themes, character arcs and emotional beats. It's not as daunting as it sounds; these things are generally entwined together, as they influence each other! I'm always thinking of them in conjunction with every other piece of the story.

If that's a bit difficult, you can also think about a general mapping technique: tracking the inner, emotional journey and the outer, physical journey, and how these events influence each other or intersect. What shows up on the page, and what's happening beneath it, that might not be as obvious?

In chronologically disjointed pieces, I tend to have an idea of what the chronological timeline looks like before I break it up and rearrange the scenes. I don't believe there are real "rules" when it comes to writing (things like "don't use adverbs" or "first person should only ever be past tense"); any rule can be broken, but you do need to understand the rules before you know how/when to break them in your piece.

3. Writing

Here's the hardest part of the process: actually writing! I have several different ways I approach writing. Sometimes I'll just follow my outline, in order of the events and scenes I have planned. Other times, I might write "out of order" where I tackle a section that I'm particularly interested in, rather than going by order of events (though this usually means I have to edit and revise a lot because I might write the aftermath of a emotional scene before I actually know the specifics of what happens in the scene).

I think that I sometimes approach writing as something I "have to do." I will make myself write, even if I don't feel particularly motivated or inspired, because I want to build a habit of writing even without that passion fueling me. And besides, writing even a few sentences is better than writing nothing, so I'll congratulate myself if I had one paragraph to my wip. Sometimes, this does help me get into the flow of writing!

I also don't tend to approach first drafts like they need to be perfect. I'm fine if they're sloppy or messy, and I might, say, add a [add transition here] or [expand on his inner thoughts] if I'm on a roll and I don't want to slow down to write that particular bit. It's important to keep the momentum going!

I also keep several wips on hands at all times, and I have a folder in my google drive specifically for my wips. Though I do tend to focus only one to three projects at a time, this helps me in the sense that if I feel tired of one wip, then I refresh my creative batteries by working on a different one. This helps keeps my interest up!

4. Revising/Editing

I know some people skip this step, but to me, it's important that I don't just toss out a fic before I'm completely satisfied with it. Editing is when you go through to proofread and look at surface level things like grammar and spelling, but revising is the real struggle: it's where you look at the piece as a whole. Is it cohesive? Do the scenes make sense in the order they're placed in? How is the pace? Is the characterization consistent?

You can't be afraid to rearrange scenes, to cut sections, to add new ones, or to transform existing scenes. If I need to, sometimes I take a break before I go back to a piece. Maybe I've been looking at it for too long, and in the heat of the moment, I might miss certain things. I might also ask a friend for their feedback and advice on a piece. I want to write things that I'm proud of, that other people will enjoy, so I don't want to half-ass any step of the process. I try to look at most things at least two or three times before I post them, but if they're shorter pieces/don't need thorough revision, I'll only look at it once before I post.

#liya answers #ofc sometimes these r interchangeable #like maybe ill start a drabble and then realize i want to write more of this rls #so i outline it and plan more of it etc etc #or i'll still be researching even as i write yk bc smth might come up that i didnt consider #i try not to revise as i write bc then ill get stuck #most important thing is just to get it finished! its easier to revise/edit when u have a completed work!

[gallifreyanhotfive]

I am so, so insane about your watching the show fic. I have reread it like 4 times by now lol (I am such a sucker for doctor/master and their incredibly toxic dynamic <3). I'm assuming at some point we'll see The Parting of the Ways bc I think Jack is a pretty big source of guilt for this doctor, but would we see The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances? and if you haven't thought abt it, would you consider it? I'm very biased about Jack lol (and the 9th doctor in general), so I'm rly curious abt it!

also, idk how you've managed to write so much in such a short amount of time it is incredibly impressive and I wish I had your powers of. write

Hi hi hi!!!! Thank you so much!!! (Feeling very blessed with interaction rn. Much serotonin. :))

I am also rather biased towards Jack. :) My favorite Doctor changes on almost a daily basis (depending on who I watched/listened to last usually), but Nine is also quite amazing.

I definitely plan on doing all three titles you listed above at some point. The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances is basically my favorite Nine story. :)

I'm not sure when I'll get there quite yet though. I tend to plan out several chapters in advance, but even those are subject to change until the moment I start writing them lollll

But the way things are going so far is that after The Giggle we are having an interlude, going away from the new series for a chapter, back to the new series for two chapters, and then going to the audios for a little bit. I kind of have an absolutely crazy plan going on in the back of my head right now (like dear God y'all have no idea the horrors I'm planning on pulling out of my sleeve).

But after I subject them to the next round of horrors, I was thinking of using The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances in particular as a 'cool down,' just as they will be having a cool down period after The Giggle. And I always love a quick reference to the Doctor’s early life of course, which that story has.

Anyway, I'm not going to reveal too many cards yet because I'm cackling to myself about my evil plan rn, but this is sort of the plan as of rn (but as I said, until it is being written, the order is subject to change)

An interlude (and the possible addition of some of my favorite companions I desperately regret deleting from my first draft - seriously I have been kicking myself for months - which would involve quickly catching them up)

A regeneration story (funny as hell considering they're expecting a calm adventure, but the Doctor doesn't even think this one is that bad in comparison...)

Oh My God What Happened to Him (another regeneration story, but this one is Painful)

Poor Clara had to deal with THREE of you?

There's three of you again here too. Who's Vansell? Oh no you got shot. Now your leg is broken. God damn it now you're screaming your head off.

Did Shakespeare just roofie you with ginger?!?!?!?!

You might want to get off that airship. It's going to crash. Did you just save someone who was supposed to die? Oh fuck now you're emotionally invested in her. Oh no now she's your best friend.

Plastic Daffodils and a Doomsday Weapon - Sounds Like a Date To Me

And then the next round of Horrors commence, after which will likely be The Empty Child because yes.

And so on and so forth...

#asks #ask #hello!!!! #yall im so happy for these interactions #thanks so much #doctor who #dw #dr who #classic who #new who #big finish #big finish doctor who #big finish audios #watching the show #watching the show fic #fanfiction #fanfic

[storyofmychoices]

The beginning of 2024 had definitely already brought it's share of challenges for me, but I'm hoping that maybe things will still be improving from here! Thinking positive!

Writing Goals

Where to even begin? I have probably 100+ WIP ranging from a scribbled idea on a post it to an outline that needs to be typed. I'd like to put a dent in that? So far each year, that list keeps growing instead of shrinking. I find that I'm more of the in the moment writer. It's all or nothing. Either I finish a piece in one sitting or it never gets done. I'd like to try to find more of a balance in 2024.

In a perfect world, here are some stories I'd like to complete:

Mal's proposal: I started this fic last February, and would really like to actually write it. I have art for it. I don't know what I'm waiting for, especially now that I have their Blades 2 AU proposal done 🙈

Laser Tag with Brylivia: This is just a short little drabble that I think is like 75% written. It's from 2 years ago. I really have NO excuses lol

Love and Scotch: This series fell away when I stoped writing Ethan (for a number of reasons). I'd love to finish this series. I had several more chapters planned but I might just skip some and at least get to what I envisioned as "the end" aka Thomas and Alex's HWU AU wedding and a big turning point for Ethan and Ellie.

#HollywoodHacks: Does anyone even care about this series? Anyone even remember it? I feel like no. I was really only writing it for 1 person, but they're not in the fandom anymore...It might not be the ending I'd planned or wanted, but I think I could wrap the series in 1 or 2 (tops) more chapters. I had hoped that the story would lead to me writing more for Ben Parks and my #LoveHacks MC but that never happened

Tipsy Nia x Daenarya: an anon requested tipsy Nia hitting on Daenarya and I started it but then never finished it. It's such a small drabble it seems silly to even include it here, but here we are!

Blades 2 AU: At the start of Blades 2 I was doing a great job keeping up with the book and rewriting the chapters to fit my vision for the characters. That kinda fell apart around Chapter 5. I'd like to finish that rewrite and see how Iliana fits into how the rest of the book happened. Last I wrote, Daenarya didn't even know she was pregnant.

Rayden and Lydo's Adoption: Mal and Daenarya have already decided to adopt them. I've also written them as a family. But, I've never written the actual story of Mal and Daenarya telling the boys they were adopting them and they'd be a family forever, so I'd love to do that!

Pairings I'd like to write more of in 2024:

Thomas and Alex: I used to publish 1 new story a day when I first started writing them. It lasted over a year, then it gradually decreased. Last year, I only wrote them 10 times! I know the lack of interactions with their stories, has definitely made me want to share less and just enjoy daydreaming for them, but still, I'd like to keep their story going, regardless of interactions, because they are so special to me. Plus, if I could wrap those two series above that they're in, that would definitely lift my RCD/HWU fic count for the year!

Nyx x Aerin: I LOVE NYX! NYX is incredible and I love love love them. Aerin is kinda fun too. I would love to develop these two more this year.

Trystan and Lilah: I've only written them a few times and I'd like to get to know them better

Beckett and Emma: I haven't written them in a long time and when I did write them it was for 1 particular series (them in Detention). With the Book Club replaying TE, I'm hoping I might be inspired to see what they're like outside of the library.

Troy and Astraea: I love these two but I haven't had time to explore them more. I don't think I'll have time to participate in the group reread right now, but I would still like to reread WTD at some point this year and keep developing them.

Daenarya x Maiele (@lilyoffandoms) + Mal x Tyril: In 2023, Lily and I started to develop these relationships more. I loved every second of that and I hope 2024 will bring us more of these four lovely characters.

Mal's Orphanage: Blades 2 destroyed the orphanage storyline. If PB wanted to steal it they should have done a better job of it. Like there was literally no point in them having that storyline since they abandoned it the first chance they got. I'd like to fix the Blades 2 orphanage storyline but then go back to focusing on my original orphanage because those children are my favorite.

Other Goals

Catch up on reading and be a more active reader

Follow and support new Choices accounts

Continue with the book club and other events I host but find a balance with hosting that I still have time to create and read/support others

Try my hand at drawing again. I had been drawing chibi's a while back and I haven't had time/the courage to try again, but @lilyoffandoms's incredible art journey this month has inspired me to add it to my list this year

Keep editing Aerin in the sluttiest Choices outfits I can find

Flesh out more of Olivia's pediatric practice and how she transitions from Edenbrook to Sunshine Pediatrics

Be kind to myself and let myself rest when I need it. I am my biggest critic and if you ask me what I'm good at, I'd say nothing and I would tell you everything wrong with anything I've ever done, including all of my pairings. I see the mistakes and I want to let myself see the good and focus on only that this year.

#lovealexhunt #storyofmychoices #writing #2024 goals #choices countdown to 2024 #thomas hunt #bryce lahela #mal volari #lovehacks #hollywood u #red carpet diaries #nyx selenastra #aerin valleros #troy hassan #trystan thorne #beckett harrington

[yarameijer]

Hiiii Yara!!!!

I have changed accounts bc I forgot my password, but I was Flan-Girl304! I have been commenting in ur fics for years now lol, except in the last couple of updates, bc, yk, lost my password.

Anyways, I was rereading Accidental Reverse, as one does, and now I really want to know your opinion on the relationship between Sengoku and Tenma, because I love the idea of Sengoku being so protective and caring of the rest of the team and noticing Tenmas problems/struggles early on.

He really is like a pilar of peace between all the chaos of raimon, isn't he? (Most of the time)

Also, completely unrelated, but I just realized how long it has been since Accidental Reverse started, I was still in school. Now I'm on my last year in pyschology. And now knowing the struggles of university, I absolutely understand ur updating schedule, I haven't updated my own fics in ageeeees. But I'm still hyped for whatever you decide to post in the future!

Anyways, hope you're doing well!!!

WHOAAA I CAN’T BELIEVE IT, it’s been so long!!! Hi!!! How have you been??

I'm good, just super tired! University's been pretty demanding and I ended up pulling an all-nighter last night to almost completely finish my thesis, so I am going to bed very very soon.

‘’rereading, as one does’’ you know it’s almost 300K, right

Aww Sangoku, yes we love him. He’s great. He’s the best, hands down. He’s the voice of reason, the eye of the storm; he fades into the background when compared to other members on the team, both in terms of personality and appearance (...pink hair, anyone?)

I headcanon that Sangoku is the eldest on the team and that makes him feel responsible for his teammates. We know from the anime he’s already a very caring and responsible person, as shown by his interactions with his mother; she works late often, so he is in charge of groceries and cooking and other chores. He was canonically captain before Shindou and never really got rid of some habits from that time.

Which means that, just like Shindou, Sangoku understands Tenma's struggles as captain and tries to support him as much as possible; he did the same thing when Shindou was made captain after him, although of course the specifics are different because Tenma and Shindou are different. Sangoku doesn't really interfere with the leadership part; he's not one of the loudest voices on the team, and he doesn't want to be. He can leave the decision making to Shindou, Kirino, Tenma, Tsurugi, all the more outspoken members, all more qualified and talented than him - that’s what he thinks.

Instead he tries to help in more subtle ways: by caring.

(This doesn’t just apply to Tenma, of course. Sangoku keeps an eye on the whole team - literally and figuratively. He’s the keeper, he’s always in the back, always in position to keep watch over his teammates during a match, and that doesn’t end when the match does.)

He keeps an eye on Tenma whenever he can. Does he look tired? Upset? Ill? If Sangoku notices this, depending on the severity, there's a few different things he might do. If it's not that bad, he'll usually cue in the other first-years and let them drag Tenma along to hang out and unwind for a bit. The quickest way to get Tenma to forget about his worries for a bit is to let him spend time with his yearmates and act his age. They're a chaotic bunch and there's no room for worry or stress there.

If it's worse, Sangoku might interfere more directly. If it's more of an internal problem in the team, Sangoku can and will tell the others to lay off (Shindou means well, but sometimes he gets carried away). The rest of the team listens to him, and this is a rare enough event that the few times he's had to do it, it's been very effective.

If it's an external problem, Sangoku can't honestly do much. In those cases the whole team is stressed and trying to support each other, and as much as he wishes he could, Sangoku can't just go up to their opponents and tell them to knock it off. Instead, he'll ensure (by teaming up with the managers) that there's enough snacks and drinks present for everyone, and try to keep them all calm and rational.

Sometimes, when Tenma is being especially stubborn, Sangoku will outright scold him and tell him to go home, go to bed, take a break. Tenma definitely doesn't like this, but he respects Sangoku too much to deny him.

It's even happened a few times that someone else on the team cued in Sangoku. They know Tenma will listen to him, even when he's being stubborn, and they're not afraid to misuse it.

And always Sangoku is just ready with a listening ear, an offer to help, little check-ins, even when nothing bad is happening and Tenma is just busy or mildly stressed.

Like I said, Sangoku does this with most of the team, but he's more aware of Tenma. This, again, stems from having been captain himself. Early on, when Tenma became captain, Sangoku worried and tried to make sure the kid was doing alright, and that just stuck. Even years later after Tenma has proven himself more than capable, it's an old instinct that Sangoku can't get rid of.

And Tenma doesn’t really… know? Sure, after being captain for so long, he knows the dynamics of his team. How Sangoku is the voice of reason - no, rather, how he’s the calm inside the storm, the one who worries quietly and cares for them all and has taken the responsibility to watch over them through their craziest adventures and laziest days. He knows, by logical reasoning and several late night instances where Sangoku was the one to check up on him and tell him to get some rest, that Sangoku does it for him too and he appreciates that more than he could ever say. He just doesn’t notice that Sangoku is a little more keyed into his well being specifically - probably the only one who does is Shindou, and that’s because Shindou is the exact same way, for the exact same reason (they both agreed to make yet another first-year captain, when they know the burden of it; they refuse to let him drown under the pressure).

So Tenma hasn’t noticed, is not as close with Sangoku as some of their other teammates, and Sangoku honestly doesn’t mind. Truth be told, after so much time he barely notices it himself, it’s just become a habit.

Their relationship is interesting because they don't really hang out outside of the team - sure, if the team will go out together, they'll both join if they can, but they don't usually meet up with just the two of them. They’re both closer with other people on the team. Their relationship originated as simply senpai and kouhai - Sangoku feeling a sense of responsibility towards a younger teammate, Tenma looking up and listening to an older teammate. And yet it’s grown so much from what it was. Tenma knows Sangoku's door is always open and he can always count him. Sangoku respects Tenma as his captain, and cares for him as a friend rather than a kouhai.

Funnily enough, they’ve got a bit of a similar opinion on taking care of the rest of the team. Perhaps Tenma has been unconsciously imitating Sangoku’s behavior in the way he cares for them, and even handles them when they’re acting rash. It actually makes Sangoku his biggest ally in getting the team to behave! As we see in Accidental Reverse, Tenma is fully capable of being the craziest on the team, but in his actual timeline where he's captain, he's usually the semi-responsible one, if you'll believe it (in his defense, if something happens, he's the one who has to deal with the paperwork). And Sangoku is most often the voice of reason on the team, so he will fully support Tenma when they're trying to get the team to NOT do anything stupid for once.

So yeah. In summary, this is a relationship that was at the start nothing more than regular senpai and kouhai, and funnily enough never changed much in their roles - but the sentiment behind it? That has become much more genuine. Sangoku doesn’t look out for Tenma and feel responsible because that’s what is expected of him, but because it’s Tenma. And Tenma doesn’t respect and listen to Sangoku because he’s older, but because Sangoku has time and time proven that there are few people Tenma truly appreciates and admires more.

So! I hope you enjoyed that. Oh, don’t mention how long I’ve been working on AR, I know exactly how you feel. I uploaded the preview for it on my sixteenth birthday. In less than three weeks I’ll be celebrating my twenty-third.

I am still planning to continue though, I just need to deal with stubborn characters who don’t want to be written, tss.

It was really great hearing from you again!

#inazuma eleven #inazuma eleven go #ie11 #ina11 #ie go #ina11 go #accidental reverse #accidental reverse ask #matsukaze tenma #sangoku #sangoku taichi

[skaiind]

A lot of your work has really inspired me to take a shot at making comics. I know it's a lot to ask but I was wondering how to go about the process. Do you write and refine scripts before illustrating pages or do you just have a general plot in mind? Big fan of your work, your artstyle is magnificent.

first of all, that's amazing! comics are one of the best ways to learn art, because they challenge every aspect of your skill, it can be frustrating, but very very rewarding and worth it! and i am deeply moved that my work has inspired you to do so! thank you very much!!

my process has several steps, an each one sort of refines the last one as i revisit the same page over and over (which is great because i look at it with fresh eyes and manage to make it even better!!) but it turned out long, so get comfortable:

first i write a rough draft, trying to write as fast as possible with no stopping as much as i can, just so you can get the story (chapter) out. once the whole thing is finished, i edit it to make more sense! fix any mistakes, format it sort of like a script and also i try to be as descriptive as possible when explaining a scene - not just the vibes of it but i try to write out what i want the panels to look like or have, what POV or angle they're in, what details should be visible, describe the page design alltogether, etc. for the scripts i use notion.to because it was the most comfortable to organise all the chapters and notes and stuff in one place!

once the script is completed, i plan out the panels - that means i get a bunch of sketch paper (a3) and one by one as i reread the script, i draw out the panels and use little post its to shortly describe what should be in each panel (ex.: wide view of room, Michael in middle looking angrily at the clipboard). during this i also can edit the script a bit again, as with fresh eyes maybe i managed to think of something BETTER for the scene. i usually plan out about 15-20 pages in one sitting this way, because it's mostly just drawing rectangles and visualising the page in your head.

then we move on to ACTUALLY SKETCHING inside those panels, and with this i start from backgrounds first, then characters, then added details. at first i used just the red lead pencils, but then i began adding different colours like layers for the beforementioned categories. and when doing this i try to do as many pages as possible in one sitting, because the first page always comes out wonky, but then you get the flow of the story going and it gets easier (also good practice!!) and again, here i can refine the script, because maybe the post it i placed earlier doesn't make as much sense anymore and the scene might look different. so i sketch it how i think is best at the moment. i try to be as clear as possible, so the lining process later doesn't frustrate me too much.

now it's time to scan everthing and because i have a smaller scanner that means i must do it twice for each page. that's okay though because at least it comes out high quality when i photomerge them on photoshop later on. i apply autocontrast+autocolor to the picture, and the page looks more legible, and then transfer some to procreate on my ipad.

then you test out what lines/brush look best, and once you've got a chosen one - you LINE IT. Starting with defining the panels better, so they're not wiggly unless they look better that way. i again start from backgrounds because they're tedious and hard, then the characters, add some more details and then the speech bubbles. each on a separate layer so i can edit each one later if needed.

then all that's left is shading everything and exporting that bad boy out into the world!

what is common in most of these stages, is that i keep editing as i go. when i think of how i want the panels to look, i try to imagine it not just as a comic panel but like a scene in a movie (if specifically - horror movies and other times a one-camera comedy tv-shows or just a combination of both) and that really helps me visualize the panel.

another thing to keep in mind when writing a bigger/longer story is to know where it's going or at least what are you trying to show through it, but even that isn't necessary because in comics you can just keep exploring an idea or a concept without going really anywhere and it can still end up being amazing.

in the end you must remember that the comic you're making for YOU first and audience second. because when you start thinking about what other people will think, it'll become frustrating very fast and lose the fun. an creating comics is already frustrating in on itself, there's no need to bring in any more to it.

i hope you will make comics! i hope they will be fun for you and i'm very happy you want to put out more of this fantastic media into the world!

i also hope the long answer helped :))

#long post #asks

[thatgirlonstage]

YESSS mermay time!!!

How about some BingQiu, prompt word: control?

(I don't think you've ever written BingQiu? so if you don't feel up to it no worries <3)

This didn't end up super shippy except in that they're canon endgame but I would definitely take prompts to keep playing in this particular universe if you're interested in reading them :eyes:

——

Shen Qingqiu had no excuse for being unprepared when Luo Binghe’s voice started to change. He’d reread that chapter more than almost any other, after all. It was one of the reasons he couldn’t quit that stupid novel, those rare shining gems where Airplane forgot about wife plots and pleasing his audience and those hints of a fascinating world and layered characters actually came through and Airplane’s writing was almost—dare he admit it?—good. He knew the exact circumstances leading up to it down to the last detail: the early morning drill interrupted by a summer squall, the disciples all crammed into a nearby shallow cave, waiting for the worst of the downpour to pass, the bat that would frighten Ning Yingying, the way Luo Binghe, silent and shrunken into the back until this moment, doing his best to attract neither his fellow students’ nor his teacher’s wrath, would attempt to offer her a word of comfort. The way his voice, in the effort to stay quiet, would for the first time slide those couple extra notes lower in register, out of a childish tenor and into his own timbre. With that drop in tone would come something else: a weaving, shifting magic that would strike Ning Yingying dumb, that would turn his reassurance that she should be calm into an irresistible command. It would be several more years, of course before anyone figured out precisely what was happening, and several years beyond that before the original goods had dug up an answer to what this phenomenon was and named it: siren song.

No, Shen Qingqiu had no excuse for being surprised. He had already spent the past year—since almost the moment he arrived—piecing together the correct meditations, qi guards, and strange concoctions to be ready to help Luo Binghe control his voice from the start, and let his disciples protect themselves against it if he slipped, pleading and wheedling the System all the while. He knew it would be this summer, when Luo Binghe was fifteen. He didn’t know precisely what day only because Airplane hadn’t bothered to name one. That was fine, though: he just had to watch for the squall.

He had no excuse for being surprised, except for two things. One, he forgot to account for the fact that in this timeline, Luo Binghe brought him breakfast in the morning, and Shen Qingqiu would be the first to hear him speak that day. Two, Airplane’s novel had not come with audio samples and dammit the System must be taking liberties because even Airplane’s best efforts at prose had not done this justice.

“Teacher? Teacher!”

Luo Binghe’s voice, cracked with fright until it was high and boyish once again, cut through the haze of Shen Qingqiu’s mind. He blinked his way back into his body and discovered he was on the floor. Luo Binghe crouched over him, eyes wide with alarm.

“Teacher, are you alright? I just said I hoped you were having a good morning and—”

Shen Qingqiu reached up and clapped a hand over Luo Binghe’s mouth, arresting his speech. Luo Binghe startled but fell quiet, his eyes wide as saucers above Shen Qingqiu’s hand.

“Your voice,” Shen Qingqiu said. The words came out hoarse and unsteady. “It’s— I think you might be, uh, cursed,” he invented wildly. “Don’t speak.”

Eyes growing somehow even wider, Luo Binghe nodded. Shen Qingqiu slowly removed his hand and tried to give him a reassuring smile.

“Don’t worry, Bing-ge. This one is unhurt. We will find a solution for whatever has happened to your voice too— to cure it, or control it.”

Luo Binghe opened his mouth, remembered to be silent, snapped it closed, and bowed deeply. Shen Qingqiu climbed to his feet and patted him awkwardly on the head.

“Stay there for the moment,” he said. “I’m going to let the other disciples know our exercise is canceled for today. I suspect we’re going to get rained out.”

#svsss #bingqiu #shen qingqiu #luo binghe #mermay #my writing