#and then the 'backstory' ended up completely eclipsing the 'original' fic | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

mikodrawnnarratives · 1 year

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Before I talk a LOT (I'm not joking, A LOT)

About this au, how I stumbled upon the idea, story and all in a rushed format,

APPRECIATE THIS

TOOK FOREVER

COMPLETELY out of my general comfort zone in art BUT OH WELL LOOK AT IT :DDDDDDDD

Also serves as a good hook for what this post is about mehehehehehehehe

CUT TO RAMBLINGS

Oh I have your attention?

Excellent.

It started with me thinking and wondering about a specific fic that is unrelated to this post, frankly different fandom, and I was wondering how it would play out in a movie format, but seeing as the fic in question currently is unfinished and won't be for a while I decided to direct my attention to other fandoms, got to DCA fandom, came up with a few cute ideas i didn't write down for unfinished fics, for the record I do think it would be interesting if Solar Lunacy was a musical just saying, and then I started to think about ok what fics ARE fini-

SLEUTH JESTERS HECK YEAH

Unfortunately at the moment I don't have any digital sketches to share for some of these points and the sketches I do have are pretty messy SO I'LL JUST RAMBLE cause I already wrote down a lot of these separately

Firstly, I imagine this kind of musical being in universe kind of au. Possibly an extension of the Actor AU where the original media (tv show? movie?) got so popular it got a musical adaptation

I imagine the actual music, whether the songs or just sound track, would be heavily inspired by Jazz or smthn. Like, the genre of music most popular during the time period Sleuth Jesters is in ish. It would still be musical-like but you can tell the genre they are going for

And before continuing, to get around not actually saying "y/n" on stage cause that might be a little awkward MAYBE there could be some kind of special sound affect for the actors mics that the audience knows is y/n's name?? Half baked tho

COSTUMES

Sun, Moon and Eclipse (at least) would have highly decorated masks to match the original just added onto because they are on stage. Masks, so that there are more options for who to cast. To make up for this, the actors have to make it clear in their body language to make up for lack of expression

in productions with higher budget mayhaps one function could be the eyes have options for what emotion they could express

In most productions there will be sound effects in the background that mimic the noise that Sun Moon and Eclipse make as they move. Or at least be incorporated into the sound track ooooo

Y/n's clothes would have an easy to notice difference in quality compared to the DCAs, which makes the bell and ribbons much more noticeable on stage

Smaller note but I think y/n's make up could be kind of fun with how they show the y and n on their face

Would probably have a wig colored various shades of silver but not required

FIRST SONG FIRST SONG FIRST SONG

Would be the introduction (of course) and depict the first chapter and likely have something to do with "Until Next Time". I think possibly it would have little breaks in the song to fit in the dialogue

Honestly, in an adaptation there might just be more scenes added between the earlier chapters to fill in points in time or smthn

OR (the answer I like better) The first act uses time between chapters to fill in reader watcher on backstories or past's of characters

Actually yeah little hints would be packed in the first half

Any other songs could be filled in for the boys or y/n that could have the potential to return as a Reprise

Now listen Mandatory Eclipse Villain song(s)

this is not optional

Duets Duets DUETS

One duet could be between characters that are foils or mirror each other but it's one of those duets that have different lyrics that still match up musically

Particularly I think the latter could be used for Sun and Moon's complicated relationship with Eclipse but not completely sure where that would be, probably second half, speaking of which...

ACT ONE ends in the chapter that Y/N has to return the favor to Eclipse, where he crashes the party and they go with him, reassuring Sun and Moon that they allways can wiggle out of situations

REPRISE OF THE FIRST SONGGGGGG

Until Next Time Reprise

Which will have a moment of silence after, showing their mutual understanding yet make it perfectly clear sun and moon don't want to do resort to this

Doesn't last to long as it proceeds with the sound track DROPPING in tone as Eclipse stuffs y/n into the car, that is actually just a prop that leads to the back stage

FADE TO BLACK INTERMISSION

ACT TWO (any major costume changes or forever hold your piece) I think would start off with Sun and Moon's dilemmas first before getting back to y/n

WHICH would likely cut to y/n maybe already in the burgundy shirt but meh that's not solid

I think the way Eclipse gives them the burgundy ribbon and bell could be changed in an adaptation of the story since it would be easier I imagine to show it later than in a car set piece

(Admittedly I have to reread these specific chapters to know specifically the order) But when Eclipse drops the bombshell he knows their past, and I think he leaves them alone for a bit after that, SONG TIME (though song could still happen with him there honestly)

Something similar to the theme "I thought I burned everything" and would just

And after that likely more backstory could be cut to depending on what it is and how relevant it is at that point. WOuld be much grimmer in tone but hey it's the second act.

Though if this opportunity is taken, this could be reprised later when Y/N proposes to the boys, with the necklaces to show being more comfortable with their past

More song opportunities with Y/N's trust issues, Sun and Moon's brother issues, etc

Final act-ish, where y/n first runs away after Sun and Moon "find out" and from there would have more focus on the score than any songs that could be fit into that small frame.

My thoughts went kind of to Heather's Dead Girl Walking Reprise and then Veronica and JD's tussle toward the end if songs got implemented there

AND OF COURSE The moment of Eclipse's death is really what makes me think this would be adapted into a musical in universe

Because it does kind of fit the bill for being tragic

You feel bad enough for what could have been

But also remember "Nah that bitch deserves it"

But also.. it's sad

PERFECT FOR MUSICAL ENDING

ish

After proposal, there is possibility to do a QUICK little glance into the future at the end, not unlike Dear Evan Hansen's ending, but maybe not

Ok now Applause section!!

Freddie and Gregory would bow together

I forgot to mention earlier, but the character that is revealed to be a spy for Eclipse at the police station I'd imagine would have hints on their clothing (like burgundy) that would foreshadow their side

Eclipse would bow by himself, flaunty as ever, yet you can still kind of tell the actor is kind of a sweetheart

Sun and Moon would enter, bow together and then welcome Y/n

Who would get to bow on their own, then with Sun and Moon

Then the rest of the cast is welcomed

How the arrangement would go from left to right I was thinking

Law Enforcement and basic background cast making up crowds, Freddy, Gregory, Sun, Y/N, Moon, Eclipse, Michael, Other Aftons and Spy, rest of Law Enforcement and basic background cast making up crowds

AAAAAaaand thats what I've got.

@naffeclipse did you catch all of that?

and @sunnys-aesthetic for their detective au! :3

415 notes · View notes

n7punk · 3 years

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strange disease Fic Notes

strange disease is complete as of today! I have a bunch of notes, but I’ll be posting more meta in the days before I start my next fic, so check back with this post for links at the end.

Post-fic summary:

I kind of did this in the epilogue, but Adora officially proposed to Catra shortly before Glimbow’s wedding. I specifically didn’t include it in the fic because I didn’t want to spend the time explaining knotwork proposals again right there at the end for anyone who hasn’t read my fics before. They did a courthouse wedding a few weeks later.

Adora got steadily better at controlling her shifting as time went on, getting a job at Scorpia’s tea shop to ease her transition back into society before eventually becoming a member of the community outreach team at the coven. Catra continues to work at the bar, because she does rather like the work.

Catra steadily gets things like furniture and a will to live, both over the course of the story and continuing on afterwards.

Lonnie continued to see Catra in passing at the Moon Rituals. After several months they were able to really talk again, even if they never see each other outside of the rituals.

Scorpia and Perfuma had just started dating at the start of the fic, and Catra finally meets her a few weeks after the confrontation with Shadow Weaver.

Shadow Weaver and Hordak rot in prison.

DT has to occasionally put on a more “palatable”/marketable show than they want to in order to keep the theater running, but they do okay for themselves, and sometimes Scorpia and Perfuma go on dates to the shows. Catra and Adora went once and Catra swore never again (It was of M. Butterfly. You can guess who DT played. Also the Wikipedia summary of M. Butterfly is disgraceful).

Songs for this AU:

25 - The Pretty Reckless, My Body is A Cage - Peter Gabriel, Decode - Paramore, Wolf Like Me - Lera Lynn, Supernatural - Legs Occult, And So It Went - The Pretty Reckless, Star Maps - Aly & AJ.

Chapter 1: A wolf at the door

This AU was supposed to be like 4 chapters and 20k.

Yes, I know, alright. Listen, it was supposed to be a thin veil of a set up and then smut. Somehow it grew a plot which then eclipsed the smut.

The quote from the fic description is from a scene that got cut in the initial draft of the fic with no backstory. I didn’t realize until after I started posting that the scene was cut and was like “well I can add the line back in later”.... I never did that.

Catra randomly remembered the encounter at the grocery story literal months later and sat bolt upright in bed, shouting WAIT A MINUTE. Adora was like babe, please, sleep? but Catra started interrogating her on whether that was her, the answer to which was of course yes. Catra fell back to the mattress, covering her face with her hands and groaning, because they were so close.

When I was writing this chapter, the fighting thing just popped up (originally it was street fighting) and then somehow that became the plot of the fic. This is why I have no answer to what my writing process is: there isn’t one. Every project is different.

I suppose I should admit the truth behind the broken mugs thing. Catra has mugs with letters and logos on them... Adora was stealing them out of the sink and trying to spell things out with them, but she is a big dog with powerful jaws, and also didn’t have nearly enough letters to spell out anything comprehensible. Melog kept looking at what Adora made, finding it incomprehensible, and putting the mugs back (broken or weakened so they subsequently broke in the wash) so Catra wouldn’t be bothered by the mess and get snappy with Princess.

Interlude I:

My concept with the interludes was to fill in gaps that were created by the limited perspective of telling the fic from only Catra’s point of view. Usually I accomplish this through communication, but seeing as Adora is a dog for parts of the fic, I decided interludes would help to cross the barrier. I also used them when it came to fights because I felt Adora’s wolf narration voice was best for them.

Adora picked up on the lingering scent of Catra by the deli, even in human form, but she didn’t really have sensitive enough senses to understand it, so it just hit her with a wave of terrible longing and caused her to shift back.

Chapter 2: Poltergeist

I’ll talk more about this in the original concept section below, but I wrote chapters 1 & 2, rewrote them, continued onto chapter 3 where the story grew more plot, and then had to rewind to heavily edit chapters 1 & 2 to reflect the new storylines. Chapter 2 was initially supposed to start with Adora changing back and then be about her explaining her situation to Catra and them beginning to date, with Chapter 3 pure smut, but obviously things changed.

I find the phrase “make love” cheesy usually (as does Catra, Adora doesn’t mind it though), but there was no other way to describe what they did on their first night together, much less what they would go on to do in chapter 4. Outside of that, they both usually just call it sex.

DT recognized Adora as a direwolf because they tend to be larger and have far more magic than the normal werewolf. They are extremely rare (in fact, Adora is one of the last), so few people know enough to recognize one, but DT is a shapeshifter and makes studying the various forms they could take a hobby. They had also played a direwolf in a play before. They weren’t 100% certain Adora was one in the first meeting, but the odds were in their favour. Catra just thought they were making a reference to movies (which direwolves show up in occasionally, usually inaccurately as a werewolf/sorcerer hybrid and played by a werewolf) when they said it.

Adora had tried a few small and subtler ways to signal herself to Catra before the store window jersey attempt, but they were just as unsuccessful.

Yeah, we know it now, but Catra was waking up from a nightmare about killing Lonnie again. It’s one of those things where Catra doesn’t want to blame herself because she knows it was never her intention, but the trauma is still there.

The magicat memory thing comes from my longstanding headcannon that Catra has an eidetic memory, but I also was thinking that different species would probably encode memories in a different way, leading to their species as a whole handling recall differently.

Interlude II:

There wasn’t supposed to be an interlude here at all, but SOMEBODY had to start talking about wolfdora getting a puppochino, and then I couldn’t be stopped. Somehow plot still snuck in with Adora’s reaction to Darla hinting at her overall condition being issues with light and dark magic, but for the most part this was a bit of wolf fluff before Adora was human for a few chapters.

Catra licks (human) Adora for a variety of reasons, but she also has a cat tongue that is small and dry in comparison with wolfdora’s. Catra wants to have no part in her dog slobber and has no problem being a hypocrite.

Chapter 3: I loved you

God, this chapter. I wrote it back in December but was still editing it up until posting. I’m really proud of it, it has a few lines that I really like and showing Catra’s wild emotional responses was something I really wanted to do, but it took a lot to get there. It is my fav chapter in the fic though.

I was laughing when I put this chapter up and people were talking about love breaking the curse, meanwhile Catra had just gone to bed mostly naked.

Melog didn’t know who Adora was. What is in the fic is all they knew - someone lonely, searching for someone else to understand them. Melog’s psychic abilities are pretty limited just to their bonded partner, so the most they could pick up from Adora was her general aura, body language, and scent signals. The two of them can communicate pretty well, but complex ideas and exact words can’t get across.

People also jumped on Adora maybe getting an undercut, but that really was just a Chekhov’s gun for the consent check in the next chapter. I wanted Adora to have her half-down hair from Noelle’s fanart for this fic. Adora with long hair up top and an undercut is actually part of my post-series headcannon for her, but Adora with totally short hair baffles me given how much she cares about her and She-ra’s hair in canon. It is completely out of character in my opinion (also, you can be GNC and have long hair.... Adora having long hair doesn’t break that headcannon).

The reason Adora is so willing to work towards forgiveness/so understanding of Catra needing assurance is a) she’s a good egg and b) she feels guilty as shit about it. She thinks she has to do everything possible to work towards forgiveness and this whole thing is her fault, which feeds into her emotional imbalance and isn’t helping her control her shifting overall, as is explained a bit in chapter 7.

In the comments of this chapter, one person nailed the reason for Adora’s lycanthropy exactly, which was exciting because it meant even with false-positives being thrown out people were getting a handle on where I was heading with that.

Interlude III:

This was supposed to be a smut interlude, but writing first times is also a very special challenge that I Keep Having since I do so many AUs, and since I had already kind of “skipped” that problem in this AU, I decided to focus more on the entire day and their relationship/love than the sex itself. The point of the interlude was to show more of their backstory, as well as show Adora’s bursting emotions leading up to her shifting.

(There were also some False Clues in there with the several hours until the moment Adora actually turned 18, but I can’t make things too easy for you guys).

I joked a bit before that sex-activated lycanthropy was not a wrong theory, but what I was really referring to there was how Adora was bursting with light emotions after getting to pour out her love by making love to Catra, which helped to trigger the shift that night.

This interlude is also when I introduced the custom skin for the work that hid the chapter numbers because the interlude’s totally ruined the numbering. Depending on your settings you may need to manually turn it on for each chapter with the “Show Creator’s Style” button at the top of the page.

Alright, we gotta talk about comments. Never, in all my fics, have I ever been inundated with “MORE” and “You better be updating soon!” comments like I have with this fic. It was driving me crazy because I was coming off of some major burnout from the daily fic advent I had been doing leading up to New Years. It felt like people were demanding I do more work, for free, for them. I literally cannot write more than I do and still function as a person. I felt like I was being taken advantage of. Many of the comments were lovely, but when I saw someone comment saying something like “I hope you read all of these comments and see how amazing you are!”, meanwhile I was feeling utterly disregarded as a person by the comments and actually considering turning them off, I knew I had to change things. I have always read every comment and I always will, but between the demands and carefully reading every comment looking for something I could reply to, I felt like they were taking over my mental headspace and stressing/depressing me. I considered locking the fic, but considering I already limit comments to logged-in users, I didn’t think that would really help. Eventually I came to the conclusion of not replying and placing that author’s note explaining the situation as briefly as I could. Did I get way fewer comments on that chapter? Yes, but they didn’t make me feel like shit, so I don’t care.

Chapter 4: To be human

This is another of my fav chapters in the fic just because I’m really proud of how emotional the smut came out, and I find Adora’s praise situation hilarious.

The Arid Plains (where the Silver Raiders rose up) are the Fright Zone. It’s just my headcannon for what the scorpioni kindgom was called, as we were never given an official name to my knowledge.

I was holding onto the “Praise Kink as a Plot Point” tag for so long waiting for this chapter to go up. I was so excited for it.

Adora actually shifted back before Glimmer even texted Catra her first update, but Glimmer waited until she thought Catra was at work to tell her because she didn’t want Catra thinking they were hurting Adora. In reality, it was just the general distress of the whole situation and Adora’s lack of control over her shifting.

Adora telling Melog “I’m glad you still like me” is something the clung through from the very first draft of chapter 2, back when Catra and Adora didn’t know each other. Adora, upon waking up, said “Oh, you fixed me.” in that draft. Catra was wary of the hot stranger in her bed, but Melog had no problem with crawling into Adora’s lap and purring. In the final version, once Adora finally had hands again, Melog immediately wanted Adora to use them for pets. They also were bringing her toys to make sure she would still play with them even if she wasn’t a wolf anymore

I never wanted to know this much about how long people have sex, but I will say I did point out Scorpia was overreacting about the timeframe, and that she’s also a virgin and in shock lol.

Chapter 5: The fight

Threading the needle between hinting at what happened with Lonnie (mentioning her several times, especially the nightmare Catra had about hurting her) and making it so that when she appeared and it was still a reveal that she was undead was one of the hardest parts about this fic.

I would be Highly Uncomfortable with killing off a POC, especially one that doesn’t die in canon, and figuring out when and how to post things while maintaining suspense and also not making it seem like I was doing that was a big challenge with this and the next chapter. I considered posting them back-to-back, but that also would have been a lot of editing to do at once, so we ended up with the gap. I was really worried how people would take Lonnie’s situation in this fic. I even considered switching it over to someone else, but I had already started posting the fic at that point, and with Lonnie being a shifter she was the only one that really made sense because she could be mentioned and name-dropped in relation to Adora’s shifting leading up to her actual debut.

Lonnie was supposed to appear more in the fic after becoming a lich and in fact be part of the final confrontation, but then in Chapter 6 she ended up putting her foot down on seeing Catra so she fell away from the story.

Interlude IV: The Fight

This was intended to be the last interlude in the fic, kind of capping off the uncontrollable wolfdora saga. I had this vision of them all collapsing around Scorpia’s shop (that was later changed to her backroom flat because wolves and health code violations) and Adora befriending Emily while the others did some exposition on what the hell was going on.

Catra is not the one who killed Octavia. She took out her eye in a fight, Octavia “recovered” (as much as one can), and then she died after getting in the ring again too soon to learn to accommodate her new blind spot.

Adora could immediately smell and recognize the necromancy, and Scorpia knew Lonnie was dead, but Glimmer was in the dark as to what was going on until Catra said it.

Yes, Emily does have a crush on Entrapta, but also she just wanted to be around her since she was highly connected to spirits as a Valkyrie.

Chapter 6: Immortality

This chapter was another really tough one to write, requiring a lot of editing. I had no intent of there being anything horny in it, I was going to give the fight some room to breathe on that one, Adora just got insecure and then Catra decided there was one solution to that. And then that insecurity transferred to Catra.

The deathmark was placed upon Lonnie by fate during her battle with Catra. She died and the mark was fulfilled, but upon being revived it flared back to life somewhat. She would have taken years to wake without its removal, though with the coven’s help they would have figured it out soon after.

Entrapta does give off ghostfucker vibes, and she is very happy with Darla and Emily now.

Scorpia absolutely saw them making out against the car and was Vaguely Concerned but also once she established Catra was enjoying it quickly looked away.

Chapter 7: Lycanthropy

Initially the explanation of Adora’s situation was supposed to be in Chapter 6, but Chapter 6 was also supposed to span over into Sunday before Catra got horny.

Adora’s mother was a direwolf (and stay-at-home mom) while her father was human. Her mother’s eyes were unusual, and she wore sunglasses for her own safety at most times (This was the only way Catra remembered seeing her). As Glimmer explained, Marlena legally identified simply as human for her own safety in the hostile climate of the Silver Raids, and identified Adora the same way when she was born. She planned to homeschool Adora until Randor could find a job that allowed him to move out of their largely-human town and into a folk village in the Whispering Woods. They would stick out a lot as being human-passing, but there was nowhere else safe for Adora to grow up once her shifting began, and once they had a wild wolf child they would have been accepted by the community (and never faced physical violence from them at least, even if they would have dealt with derogatory comments beforehand).

This fic really is, at its core, about loneliness, isolation, acceptance, and balance/burnout (which is part of why those comments were bothering me). Adora generates a lot of light magic, true, but her inability to balance give with take (light with dark) is what really led to her difficulty shifting. Adora’s entire saga of learning to control her shifting is, at its core, about learning to be “selfish” and put yourself first sometimes.

Chapter 8: Moon Ritual

Adora was having some difficulty being verbal (the pathway between her brain to her mouth was struggling as her more animalistic side came out) during the morning/smut, but she was fully capable of consenting. She gets her brain’s wires a bit crossed after shifting/while holding back a shift, but she is still herself.

It took a long time for Bow to show up in this fic, but he is a researcher/kinda legal aid for the coven that helps them with research/finding precedent for their legal campaigns. He was initially present in the lab in chapter four, but it made that scene too crowded when there was already a lot of explanation going on there, and it would have been odd for him to be at the coven so late in the day, so I removed him until later.

The woman in the frilly pink dress was Spinnerella, and yes she is a necromancer in this AU. Oops.

There used to be “smaller” Moon Rituals insular to individual species (such as werewolves, as mentioned in relation to Adora’s den), but as the coven’s rose up as centralizing political and community entities, most of them got absorbed into their local coven’s Moon Ritual.

Liches’ bodies must be carefully maintained, or they either will a) remain in the exact same state as they were upon death (this takes a skillful transition, which Lonnie’s was not) or b) have their flesh and guts rot away even as their heart continues beating and they become living skeletons with an exposed heart. The ritual Glimmer, Castaspella, and Angella perform is three-fold: it “unlocks” Lonnie’s body from preservation, ages it slightly, and then “relocks” it so she doesn’t face any rotting issues. Lonnie will progress in her unlife until she is elderly, at which point another magical ritual can free her spirit and allow her to finally pass into a peaceful death.

Chapter 9: Echoes through time

Yeahhhhh Hordak was a Raider. He was trying to stake a vampire and the vampire bit him in self-defence. He tried to sell himself to Prime as being able to sneak into the folk villages because he appeared to be one of them - Prime returned that he was one of them, and then Hordak fled before he could be staked by his former comrades.

Catra fought Hordak when she and Scorpia were trying to get out. They started prodding about leaving, and he started giving them both vicious opponents trying to scare them off from leaving/kill them so SW could raise them as obedient ghouls but Catra could more than handle herself in the ring. It was when one of those violent matches injured Scorpia that she had enough and called a meeting with him in the ring. He basically told her no one ever walks away from him alive, to which she responded "We both know which one of us would die in a fight." They fought, she beat the shit out of him and told him they were done with all of this, warning him she would finish the job if he ever came after her or Scorpia. They weren't contacted again and they walked away from the underground.

Bringing my art history class in with this chapter, but I was envisioning something like a mini-Parthenon for the werewolf shrine. The shrine was never meant to be more than it was introduced as, an ancient gathering point for werewolves (also where the initial “cursed” willingly underwent the ritual to become a direwolf that didn’t go Quite as planed but shhhhh), and it merely acted as a memory trigger on wells of power for Catra.

Modern Etheria has "states" instead of countries, all under the national banner Etheria as a planet, though the national government doesn't actually do anything except coordinate between the individual states. Bright Moon started as a city-state. The Whispering Woods are legally part of Bright Moon, though they are in the in-between where a lot of people consider them their own folk state (kind of like Hong Kong is part of China, but people kinda acknowledge it as its own place) but everyone born in the Whispering Woods is a Bright Moon citizen.

Interlude V: Well of power

Basically, when I started posting this fic, I had it planned up to Chapter 5-6ish, and then everything was a blank road after that. When I reached chapter 6, what I had planned for that expanded out into Chapter 7, and then I was like well I need to show the moon ritual and full moon obvs, and how they found Shadow Weaver spun out from that moment. I had a rough vision of them finding out about Micah being taken/maybe raised in a dramatic graveyard scene, and then a rough sketch of the confrontation in the house afterwards with Micah landing the final blow.

Shadow Weaver didn’t know shit about direwolves aside from the very basics of what they were, so she never figured out that is what Adora was, but she anticipated her showing up after the fight between Hordak and Catra went bad. She knew Catra and Adora had broken up from word-of-mouth among the fighters, but she didn’t know the details and still assumed Adora would come to help her.

Hordak immediately let Catra into his cage fighters and threw her into the ring because as soon as Shadow Weaver found out the name of his new recruit, she wanted Catra under her control. Catra was supposed to die in a battle eventually, and Shadow could raise her as a ghoul and then use her to draw Adora into returning to her. She would have had to find Adora first, but that hurdle never came up considering Catra refused to die.

Chapter 10: Laid to rest

Alright, the truth about Melog: a few weeks after the end of the “continuous” part of the fic (the final Moon Ritual and smut), Catra finally asks Glimmer yo, what the fuck is up with my cat? Glimmer, like everyone else, doesn’t know, so she asks Angella and Castaspella. It turns out, Melog’s species adapts to their environment and mirrors their surroundings as they grow. No one recognized Melog because most of their kind are bipedal fae these days, mirroring humanity (roughly the same as the initial form we see them using in the show), but because Melog’s parents died early in the Silver Raids, they were raised by the forest and took on the form of a wild animal. Melog can affect their form somewhat, but they grew up quadruped and have no chance of becoming bipedal. Melog is happy as a cat, anyway.

Glimmer’s ritual, back when she did it, was performed after the moon ritual. The final step of the moon ritual would be Glimmer, Angella, and Castaspella drawing magic from the moon and gathering it in the crystals. Angella would give a brief explanation as to why each time in case there was someone new. Adora was well known at the rituals as the cursed wolf Glimmer was helping. Some people would hang back to talk with the coven leaders, but after the basin was mostly cleared out, Glimmer would take Adora behind the altar and perform the ritual to give her privacy. She provided Adora with clothes that were essentially scrubs - disposable and cheap, marketed towards new shifters as well as shifter and hybrid parents dealing with their children learning how to use their claws and not tear things.

This method preserved Adora’s privacy as much as possible, but any stragglers would see Adora walking with Glimmer, put together the blonde blue-eyed werewolf, and know it was Adora. Adora’s wolf form is far better known than her human one - at least before she started attending the ritual as a human occasionally - but her human form isn’t totally unknown.

Original Outline:

strange disease was supposed to be about 20k, 3-4 chapters, and have no backstory. Like my roommates AU, those plans changed. Originally, Catra was supposed to just be a bartender, and Adora was supposed to be a complete stranger. However, I’m never really a fan of AUs where they don’t at least know each other growing up in some way, and I lowkey swore I would never write one because they just don’t feel like Catradora to me. I wrote the first chapter of the fic with that lack of backstory (which at the time included some ideas/scenes from the final chapter 2 that later changed a lot), and - like always - it didn’t feel like Catradora to me once Adora shifted back (Adora’s situation was just that she got stuck shifting a lot and showed up at Catra’s place often, but she had her own apartment).

I went back to the drawing board, using the fighting backstory that had popped up to explain Catra’s home ownership while I was writing chapter one, and expanded it to the final fic’s backstory, although the details of why Adora had gotten stuck and everything to do with the necromancy didn’t come to me until later. I rewrote and edited the first 4~ chapters a lot as those ideas came to me, and didn’t start posting the fic until I already had those story elements in place.

Originally, Adora just befriended Melog and then fell for Catra, shifting back after staying the night because it was snowing. They started dating, there was some smut, and Adora got better control of her shifting when she became more stable from the relationship. That was supposed to be it. Oops. Additional meta:

Extra #1: Bestiary

Cut Content #1: Bar scene, Chapter 1

Ref #1 - Wolf shrine

What’s next?

I need fluff. After all that? It has to be fluff. Next is The Greys, my Area 51 AU about kid through young adult Catradora. I plan to start posting it in the next week on Tuesday.

#strange disease #ficmeta #ficnotes #fic originals

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talpy · 3 years

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Avatar fic rec post

Hi people, this is an Avatar fic rec post for @kuruccha who wanted a primer. Happy Avatar renaissance to you :D

Everything under cut, because boy, there are a lot of fics. Forgive me for being repetitive in my recs, but they are all so good and amazing and *melts in a sea of feelings*

First, some authors who are so, so very good and my favourites by them (fics aren’t in any particular order, authors are in alphabetic order):

Avocadolove (Tumblr: @awesomeavocadolove )

The Problem with Zuko: I love the idea that Zuko finds his way to team Avatar even without the Agni Kai and the rest. One of my favourites fics for at least 10 years.

Another Brother: Zuko was adopted by Hakoda, but he doesn’t remember his past. I really like how Iroh is portrayed in this story, very interesting!

Unchained Melody: Sokka doesn’t return with his body after being spirit-napped from Her Bai. Strangely, only Zuko can see him. I really love how everything is developed here :)

Consider Chaos: series where Zuko finds Vaatu and becomes the Chaos!Avatar. Really interesting premise, cooler effects!

Half a Heart: Zukka!soumates AU. Very interesting choices about world building and Hakoda’s character.

Haircrescendo

Carry On For You: from the series intro “Not the Pokémon AU you asked for but the one you’re getting anyway.”. I like it a lot, amazing adaptions and backstory building for Zuko. It focuses on Zuko and Sokka.

Compassion For All Our Monsters: intro “How Sokka learned to shut up and be nice, and also learn a little bit more about Zuko than he wanted to.” mandatory Sokka-finds-out-about-Zuko’s-past.

Fire Nation Yacht Club: one of the angstiest series I’ve read, I love it and I re-read it like once a month. Intro of the fist fic “Sokka knows three (3) things: 1. The caldera is on fire. 2. Ozai’s really, really dead (and so is his daughter). 3. The only one having a worse day is probably Zuko.”

What We’re Given: such an amazing series! Intro “Started out as a “What would happen if Zuko happened to rediscover sky bison while searching for the Avatar?” and turned into something more than that.” Zuko blasting Aang for not washing Appa properly will always be amazing xD

MuffinLance (Tumblr: @muffinlance, suggest following for plot-bunnies)

Towards the Sun: Zuko doesn’t manage to escape on the Day of the Black Sun, a very angst novella-length intro ensues. I love this a lot because of the angst and how it sparkled inspiration for other stories with a similar premise.

Salvage: here it his, the original dad!koda fic. Intro “Mid-Season-One Zuko is held ransom by Chief Hakoda. Ozai's replies to the Water Tribe's demands are A+ Parenting. Hakoda is… deeply concerned, for this son that isn't his, and who might be safer among enemies than with his own father.” Lots of feelings and amazing A+ writing.

The One Where Zuko's Hair Matches Sokka's and Other Tales: fillets from tumblr, extra material, general awesomeness all around.

Miscellaneous

The Home I've Searched For by Kayasurin: I didn’t know Azula/Kuei could be that good! Really awesome story, amazing Azula.

The Festival of Four by SuperKat: Aang knows his time is coming near and he says goodbye. Very touching and moving (yes I did cry), amazing Aang voice.

Sunday in the Park with Appa by Dracze: Parks and Recreation!AU, Aang as Leslie Knope and Zuko as Ben Wyatt. I loved how the AU was adapted on the characters and on the format -blogging instead of “watching in camera”.

Like Fire and Water by Setari: Sokka and Katara find their father in Ba Sing Se with his new wife, Ursa. Very funny, especially when Sokka/Katara and Zuko/Azula realise that they are siblings.

the beginning of a new and brighter birth by aloneintherain: from the intro “In a new era of peace, Zuko works to be a very different Fire Lord than his forefathers.”. I love how Zuko tries to make changes in the Fire Nation at the start of his reign.

The Family You Choose by TunaFishChris: the platonic Gang soulmate AU I needed without knowing. I liked it a lot, especially at the end. One of my favourites!

illustrate the remnants of the life i used to live by WitchofEndor: also a platonic Gang soulmate AU but much angstier. This Zuko is simply heartbreaking.

where the stars do not take sides by WitchofEndor: intro “When Azula is nine, she becomes an only child. She hears the Fire Lord call for Zuko's life, and in the morning, her mother and brother are gone. Azula may be young, but she isn't naive. She knows what happened to them. Which makes it all the more surprising when Azula tracks the Avatar down and fights his group of peasant friends, only to find herself staring into an eerily familiar face.” as beautiful as it sounds, really amazing Azula voice.

Doe-eyed by OldeShoestrings: Azula as the big sister of Zuko. I love how Azula is fundamentally the same but how her being the old sister changes everything. I like this a lot.

How to Care for Your Local Fire Lord; A Memoir by The Palace Staff by RejectsCanon: the fire palace’s stuff joins the Zuko protection squad. I salute them.

The Sins Of Our Family by Mangaluva: amazing series inspired by Towards the Sun. Intro “Zuko didn't escape the Fire Nation on the day of the eclipse. Azula decides to invite him to her coronation, setting off a chain of events involving abuse, trauma, siblings, recovery, and rebuilding.”. Really love this portrayal of the fire siblings.

There Is No Fire Lord by OccasionalStorytelling: other fic inspired by Towards the Sun, basically Zuko remains in prison even if he is basically the Fire Lord. The plot soon becomes its own creature and I love how it develops.

Two Perspectives by Sabretoothgooselion: series about Zuko and Kuei, really lovely. As of now there are 2 fics, but apparently more are in the works. Cannot wait!

this love burns so yellow (becoming orange and in its time, exploding) by meliebee: the first year and something of Zuko reign. Amazing Zuko voice, very angst, much approved.

and love will be your teacher by Ford_Ye_Fiji: series on hiatus, AU where Azulon doesn’t die and takes Zuko away from Ozai giving him to Iroh instead. Very very nice, I love the relationship between Zuko and Iroh.

Of Dead Fire and Dragon Dreams by ChickadeeChickadoo: during the Day of the Black Sun Ozai lies to Zuko saying that Iroh is dead. Zuko redirects lightening to him and he finds himself Fire Lord. Very cool story, love Azula in here.

In the Soft Light by CSHfic, VSfic: Zukka, moon-spirit-Sokka!AU. I love this story so much! Zuko is so very an awkward turtleduck here.

How to Disappear Completely by aeoleus & the long way around by ciaconnaa: two modern Au where Zuko is Kiyi’s guardian, very very nice.

kintsugi by discordiansamba: when Zuko is banished he becomes Toph’s bodyguard. Yes it is as amazing as it sounds.

it's the illusion of separation by argentoswan: very nice Zukka!modern Au. Sokka starts working at the Jasmine Dragon, but alas, his old high school bully Zuko works there too. I love how Zuko’s past with the gaang was adapted and how the relationship between him and Sokka develops.

Finding Solace in Parking Lots by RejectsCanon: Zukka!Modern au, Sokka and Zuko find themselves in the same McDonalds’ parking lot having a breakdown. Really really lovely.

Fractures by EvieNyx: instead of being banished, Ozai imprisons Zuko far from everyone’s eyes. When Ozai and Azula are defeated he evolves from prisoner to Fire Lord in one big step. Love the characters and the cliffhangers!

Fight by Electrons: Zuko doesn’t side with Azula at Crossroads of destiny, but that doesn’t make everything much easier. Amazing word-building and lovely dive in cultural diversity. Also, ace!Zuko which is very lovely.

Dragon of the Yuyan by 00AwkwardPenguin00: intro “In which Zuko is fostered/adopted/raised/recruited by the Yuyan Archers of Pouhai Stronghold, and destiny hiccups.” very very cool story, I really like how Zuko is portrayed here.

Always trust Sokka's instincts by Thisisentertaining: whereas Jet shows Sokka an interesting Fire Nation prisoner... a Zuko-joins-the-Gaang-early-Au. Very very good :D

all my skeletons out for the taking by 136108: Azula wins the Agni Kai. It’s still on progress but for now it’s very very good and I can’t wait to read what’s happening next.

Mark Time by foil: yes, another Zukka modern au. This is very very angst, be careful with the tags’ warnings. This story keeps surprising me and I hope Zuko and Sokka will find their happy ending.

#fanfic #fanfic rec #fic rec #avatar fic rec #avatar fanfiction #Avatar The Last Airbender #zuko #sokka

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sheyshen · 3 years

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My FanFic compilation

I figured I have written quite a lot over the years and especially this year, that putting together something like this, that has everything I’ve written so far in one place all organized would be a good idea! So please! Enjoy!

There’s quite a lot so they’ll all be listed under the read more, They’re all organized by series (fairy tail, swtor, mass effect, dragon age, greedfall, anthem, and smut fics) as well as by pair with a short description, starting with the first fic I wrote (fairy tail) and the latest (fictober 2020 prompts) :D

Fairy Tail: (Leading off with this because it’s my first ever fic) -Shall We Dance, Pair: Laxus/Lucy: 38 chapters, Finished https://archiveofourown.org/works/4351550/chapters/9870611

Swtor: Main fic: -Breaking the Bad News (aka BTBN), multi-pair, main focus is shan trio: currently 70 chapters, Ongoing. https://archiveofourown.org/works/9340892/chapters/21164699

Side Fics: Kara Hawke’s Backstory(s):

Pre-Class story: -A Smuggler’s Tyr, no pairing, intro to Kara’s first crew: Currently 1 chapter, Complete (Might add more eventually)

During Class Story: -Adventure of a Lifetime, no pairing focus but will mention Darmas, meant to build on what we have of the in game class story: Currently 1 chapter, hiatus (plan to work on more with 2021)

Post Class Story: -Hawke Legacy: While Kara Sleeps, mentioned Theron/Kara, focus’s on Koro delivering the news of Marr’s ship being attacked to Theron. 1 chapter, Complete -Downtime, Theron/Kara, Post arrival on Odessen but prior to chapter 9 on kotfe, 1 chapter, complete -Desert Reunion, Theron/Kara, Introducing Kara’s dad and bringing him into the Alliance, 3 chapters, complete -A Moment, Theron/Kara, but starting to poke at the idea of Arcann being involved, 1 chapter, complete

Prompts: -Fictober 2018, day 1: Can you feel this?, Kara/Arcann/Theron, post-umbara/pre-copero so theron’s only mentioned -Fictober 2018, day 3: How can I trust you?, Kara/Arcann/Theron, post-Nathema, and a bit on the trio +kids, dealing with Theron’s return -Fictober 2018, day 5: Take what you need, mentioned Kara/Caleb (her first husband from her original crew), takes place before the class stories, short story about a job she had done -Fictober 2018, day 6: I’ve heard enough, this ends now. Kara/Arcann (sometime pre-nathema so sorry Theron’s not really in this one), bit of covering a reoccuring nightmare Kara had for a few months -Fictober 2018, day 7: No Worries, we still have time, Kara/Arcann/Theron (Arcann’s not present tho, just mentioned), little bit of the pair of workaholics +kids taking a break -Fictober 2018, day 12/13: Who could do this/Try harder next time, Kara/Arcann/Theron & Koren/Trey (Will have this in both pairs), sometime post-nathema probably, little adventure with Kara involving having to save her sons -Prompt: I Care about You, Theron/Kara, little bit of a rebuild of their kotfe reuinion -Prompt: Come Cuddle, Kara/Arcann/Theron, Short fluff story of one of their movie nights with some bad jokes -Promptless idea: Arcann Singing, Kara/Arcann/Theron, I’ve always had this idea that Arcann can sing at least as well as Senya does, so here’s a bit of him singing to kara’s boys, and also kara. -Fictober 2019, day 2: Just Follow me, I know the area, Kara/Arcann mainly, post onslaught so Theron’s involved but just not featured in this prompt. Little bit of a romantic night out. -Fictober 2019, day 3: Now? Now you listen to me?, Kara/Arcann/Theron, follow-up to the fictober 2018 day 6 prompt, and resolution to the chronic nightmares Kara was having -Fictober 2020, day 7: Yes I did, what about it?, Kara/Arcann/Theron, post-nathema, small bit of theron and kara heart to heart about a choice she made (involving Valss because I’m still bitter we didn’t get a save option for him) and both prosthetic users in the trio are sore (maybe there’s a storm moving in) -Fictober 2020, day 15: Not interested, thank you, Kara/Arcann/Theron (Arcann isn’t present for this), one of a handful of reminders that Kara and Theron are parents, connor just really wants to make his lightsaber -Fictober 2020, day 18: You don’t see it?, Kara/Arcann/Theron (post umbara pre Nathema so theron is only mentioned), something of a pep-talk from arcann.

Nora Hawke/Mikael Hawke: -That Time Back When We First Met, backstory on how my sith warrior and pub trooper met before they started their relationship: currently 2 chapters, hiatus (plan to work on more with 2021) -Fictober 2018, day 4: Will that be all?, little bit after they first met, can be considered a continuation chapter... technically

Koren Gates/Trey Hawke: -Fictober 2018, day 2: People Like you have no imagination, Koren/Trey & Shey/Torian (will put it for both pairs), little adventure of my bounty hunter squad +sith BF -Fictober 2018, day 12/13: Who could do this/Try harder next time, Kara/Arcann/Theron & Koren/Trey (Will have this in both pairs), sometime post-nathema probably, little adventure with Kara involving having to save her sons -Fictober 2020, day 13: I missed this, Koren/Trey, bit of fluff between my overly caring hunter who could use a day off and his grump of a sith boyfriend. -Fictober 2020, day 28: Do I have to do everything here?, Kara/Arcann/Theron, Arcann and Koth decide to play a co-op holonet game, with only minor arguing. -Fictober 2020, day 30: Just say it, Kara/Arcann/Theron, Kara gets a little time to herself and the trio’s weekly movie night ends up being a bit more than just the three of them.

Shey Shen/Torian Cadera: -Fictober 2018, day 2: People Like you have no imagination, Koren/Trey & Shey/Torian (will put it for both pairs), little adventure of my bounty hunter squad +sith BF -Prompt: I’m Right Where I Belong, Shey/Torian sometime post kotet, a rare time that I bring up the fact that she has amnesia and still can’t remember anything prior to about 2 years prior to the class stories starting. -Prompt: ... out of habit (kiss), former Shey/Koro mention as well as Shey/Torian, because Koro is a mess and while him and Shey have been divorced for years habits die hard. -Fictober 2020, day 8: I’m not doing that again, Shey/Torian & Kurana/Andronikos (will be under both pairs), Little bit of a fun idea of who would win in a fight, our dear pirate or mando

Kurana Knight/Andronikos Revel: -Prompt: One Falling Asleep with their head in the other’s lap, Kurana/Andronikos, I keep thinking of this prompt now and then because writing Niko being soft for his wife is a lot of fun. -Fictober 2020, day 8: I’m not doing that again, Shey/Torian & Kurana/Andronikos (will be under both pairs), Little bit of a fun idea of who would win in a fight, our dear pirate or mando

Lyra Hawke/Doc: -Fictober 2020, day 1: No, Come Back!, Lyra/Doc, little adventure on an unnamed planet that I honestly love the idea of -Fictober 2020, day 6: That was Impressive, Lyra/Doc, Another little adventure of information gathering featuring Kara’s youngest son, Connor. -Fictober 2020, day 22: And neither should you, Lyra/Doc, little bit of fluff and doc trying to get his wife to take a day off

Ren Hawke/Vinn Atrius: -Fictober 2020, day 9: Will you Look at this?, Ren/Vinn, I need to write more of them outside of btbn so this was a start to hopefully more building on my didn’t plan to ship this as strongly as I ended up doing pair.

Ava Reiner/Jonas Balkar: -Fictober 2020, day 20: Did I ask?, Ava/Jonas, Small job featuring a couple of SIS agents, and including a bounty hunter I got attached to in a hurry.

Kyri Dennan/Arn Peralun: -Fictober 2020, day 21: This, this makes it all worth it, Kyri/Arn, little build up for another pair that I didn’t expect to get attached to, featuring some implant maintanence.

Airi/Theron (one off because disaster spy/spy pairing I had to write at least once): -Admittance, 1 chapter, complete

WoW: Aulara Stormdawn/Kieran Grimmarrow: -Lunar Eclipse, (Technically my first fic but I didn’t post it until after Shall We Dance), A story involving Aulara (an orphaned night elf priestess), Koren Haven (her brother from the orphanage, a human paladin), Kieran (a blood elf noble, hunter who doesn’t have much people skills), and the friends they meet including Rokar an old orc shaman and Sen a orc huntress, that navigates through the warcraft story starting with vanilla wow. Currently 7 chapters, on hiatus but planning on picking it up again in 2021! -Fictober 2020, day 4: That didn’t stop you before, Aulara/Kieran, A quest during Legion and a bit of a flashback from one of their first quests together around when they first started fighting side by side during BC -Fictober 2020, day 25: Sometimes you can even see, Aulara/Kieran, The burning of Teldrassil and Kieran deciding he’s willing to risk everything he’s ever known to be with his wife. Koren is there to give him a hand. -Fictober 2020, day 26: How about you trust me for once?, Aulara/Kieran, early BC before they became a couple, Kieran and Aulara get a moment to talk alone in Nagrand, involves something close to an awkward confession. >:3

Shey Wrynn/Varian Wrynn: -Prompt: Are you testing me?, Shey/Varian, post WoD but pre-Legion, little walk through elwynn turning into an adventure between the king and his wife, Shey is not amused when he charges in head first. -Fictober 2020, day 2: That’s the easy part, Shey/Varian, mid to late WoD, bit of fluff while planning the push towards hellfire citadel, bit of fluff and bit of proposal. >:3 -Fictober 2020, day 10: All I ever wanted, Shey/Varian, post-BFA Pre-Shadowlands, proof I can write at least a little bit angsty, some platonic Shey & Anduin. -Fictober 2020, day 16: I never wanted anything else, Shey/Varian, something short around late Cata early MoP involving Shey having a birthday. -Fictober 2020, day 27: Give me that, Shey/Varian, probably what I consider the most ooc i’ve written him but honestly i had a lot of fun writing them being dorks. -Fictober 2020, day 31: I trust you, Shey/Varian, sometime early Cata soon after they started a relationship. The one and probably only time I’ll ever mention Shey’s old house, and a touch on the fact that i’m 100% certain that Varian would try and sneak out of the city time to time.

Shey & Anduin (platonic, it’s always platonic/familial between them) -Fictober 2020, day 19: I can’t do this anymore, Shey & Anduin, because sometimes a girl just needs to sneak her son out of the city to give him a break and maybe check out a ruin or something.

Shey Wrynn/Aethas Sunreaver: -Prompt: By your side, Shey/Aethas. Post legion, a bit of a moment between them early BFA. I started writing them as a potential pair before settling as friends with benefits that might form into more, so this is a possible hinting at them becoming “more”

Mass Effect: John Shepard/Kaidan Alenko: -Prompt: War’s End Kiss, Shenko, Post ME3 when they’re just a couple of retired old soldiers and John’s slowly recovering from his injuries from the final push. -Fictober 2019, day 4: I know you didn’t ask for this, Shenko, Post ME3, a bit of a heart to heart between them and tending to slowly healing injuries. -Fictober 2020, day 3: You did this?, Shenko, Post ME3, Kaidan runs across some old footage of John over the years from before they met to the reaper war. -Fictober 2020, day 14: You better leave now, Shenko, during ME3, short mission against a hold out of mercs, featuring James. -Fictober 2020, day 24: Are you kidding me?, Shenko, during ME3 probably, featuring Kaidan “my headache doesn’t hurt that bad” Alenko and John “please just take a nap” Shepard. -Fictober 2020, day 29: Back up!, Shenko, during ME3, mission to clear out a cerberus warehouse including some battle flirting and James lending a gun.

Scott Ryder/Gil Brodie: -Fictober 2020, day 12: Watch me, Ryder/Gil, Post main MEA story, something short of Scott looking forward to getting out and exploring while Gil (and eventually Sara) work on the Nomad. (Sara is my pathfinder)

Dragon Age: Garrett Hawke/Fenris: -Dawning, Fenhawke, Short bit of fluff and my firt step into writing dragon age. Late or post DA2.

Lia Hawke/Fenris (a one off when I was debating on canon hawkes & romances for them): -Fictober 2020 day 5: Unacceptable, try again. Fenhawke, little bit of teasing and bad taste in books.

Rana Cousland/Alistair Theirin: -Promptless ramble, Rana/Alistair, Set during DAO with Rana reflecting on those she’s lost, worrying for her brother and realizing just how in love she’s fallen with Alistair. -Fictober 2020, day 23: Do we have to?, Rana/Alistair, set post DAO, pre-DAI, little romantic picnic between the king and queen of ferelden before she heads off on her next mission. (hints at Nathaniel being involved with the both of them.)

Greedfall: Lydia de Sardet/Kurt -Fictober 2020, day 11: I told you so, Lydia/Kurt, short bit trying to get my footing writing these two, Lydia thinks she can still climb trees like she used to as a kid. -Fictober 2020, day 17: Give me a minute or an hour, Lydia/Kurt, short bit, and Kurt not being as subtle about his feelings about Lydia as he probably thinks he has.

Anthem: Raya Auren/Matti (1 of the 3 Matthias Sumner) -Fictober 2019 day 1: It’ll be fun, trust me, Raya/Matti, Bit of an adventure involving Raya taking her favorite arcanist out of fort tarsis to see something very special. (also involving me having no clue how they transport people when there’s only one javelin and winging it)

Smut: (all of them are swtor so far) -A Moment Reprised, Kara/Arcann, takes place post-umbara and pre-nathema, and sometime late in BtBN, no plot. -Moving on, Koren/Trey, takes place right before chap 35 of BtBN, featuring my dorks of a hunter and sith setting in stone they’re serious about each other. no plot -Just a short vacation, Kara/Theron, takes place post-nathema pre-onslaught, A moment in Kara and Theron’s honeymoon at a lovely resort and the closest to taking a day off Theron will ever probably take. No plot -Welcome Home, Kara/Arcann/Theron, unlike the other 3 doesn’t have a specific time that it takes place other than post nathema. No plot

#my writing #this took forever i didn't realize i've written so much over the years #going forward i'm going to just add new ones onto this so they just stay connected without me having to redo this

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notcuddles · 6 years

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More or Less Non-Spoilery Last Jedi Thoughts

Under a cut still, cause I’m nice

The Good:

Everything you’ve heard about Rose Tico is true. She is a gift. A sweet and wonderful character, played wonderfully by Kelly Marie Tran. At times her character arc is a little frustrating in it’s obviousness, and yet she’s played so genuinely that it works for the most part. Star Wars has always been a bit heavy-handed, so I can forgive it in her case.

Leia really does get a good send-off. Her story is not totally done justice, although in part that may be due to the fact that they were expecting to get one more movie that could have wrapped up a lot of the stuff that gets left out. Still, I enjoyed her scenes. I desperately want Leia fic now. I want Leia/Poe and Leia/Amilyn. I NEED THESE FIC.

Amilyn Holdo is a wild ride of a character who I liked and then hated and then loved. I’m not totally satisfied with her role in the film but as a character I really loved her.

Hux is immediately presented as a complete buffoon. Any remaining mystique the character might have clung to is ruthlessly excised, revealing him for the petty, pathetic loser that he is. It’s deeply satisfying.

On a similar vein, anyone expecting “Reylo will become canon” is probably going to be disappointed, so that’s nice too. It definitely skirts the edge but ya girl Rey ain’t about that life in the end.

The Frustrating:

Poe is a complete dipshit for most of the film and written like he’s a dude half his age and experience but Oscar Isaac is very attractive so....idk whatever.

Finn’s role in the film is fairly large but it’s badly written. The lord giveth and the lord taketh. It’s really irritating that his character arc is...basically not there. It’s just his arc from the first movie, rehashed, because I guess someone forgot they’d already done that for him. His love and dedication to Rey (platonic or romantic) is really fucking sweet though. They care about each other SO MUCH and I love it. Also I really like that he’s the subject of a lot of romantic affection in a really affirming and positive way? Like, that’s really good. Also his fight with Phasma is pretty great. I was satisfied.

Visually it’s somewhere between Force Awakens and the Prequels. There’s a bit too much CGI nonsense, but it’s not totally bogged down.

Rey’s character arc is just like....I dunno. I don’t know what they were doing with her. There’s a bunch of scenes that don’t really seem to do anything for her or the plot and it’s just...a mess.

The Bad:

WHY DO PORGS FLY? THEY’RE CLEARLY BASED OFF OF PUFFINS AND SMALL AQUATIC BIRDS THAT DON’T FLY. THEY HAVE TINY WINGS. WHAT THE FUCK. IT IS UNREASONABLE.

Anyway, that aside, the plot is FUCKING AWFUL. Do not believe anyone who says that this movie is Incredibly Great because it’s not. Even by the standards of Star Wars plots, this one is paper thin and poorly executed. Fully a third of the events that happen are more or less irrelevant due to later developments and what little point they did have could have been better achieve through....I dunno...writing a more coherent story. Also a lot of plot-points depend on Bad Communication, which is the absolute worst.

Also the pacing and narrative structure? Is so bad? There’s a scene in the middle of the film (you’ll know it when you get there) which so totally eclipses the actual climax of the film that you’ll be flabbergasted. It puts every other part of the film to shame in terms of emotional and visual impact. And then there’s more movie! It’s ridiculous!

Luke goes back and forth - portions of his stuff are really good. Unfortunately, the rest is just....Luke Skywalker being a sullen idiot on an island and milking weird alien pinnipeds in a scene that literally no one on earth needed or wanted. There’s just a lot of time wasted and really it all goes back to the idea that the plot is really thin and weak and everyone is Bad At Communicating.

Kylo Ren’s character arc is....poorly executed. After some reflection, I am satisfied with how it turns out - it more or less runs true to my perception of the character and how he came to be the way he is, as well as his ultimate trajectory in the series - but in terms of emotional impact it falls utterly flat. Ultimately, the movie wants us to see Luke, Leia, and Han as flawed humans who failed this child who was in their care, but it refuses to allow itself to let go of the golden ideal of the original trio as flawless heroes, so these revelations about their failures carry no narrative weight. They explain Kylo Ren and then ultimately set the blame for how he came to be the way he is on his shoulders alone even though literally every adult in his childhood let him down or abandoned him when he needed care and guidance. It’s deeply frustrating because there’s actually a really tragic story there but it’s obscured by its own writing. I like Kylo Ren as a character (though I detest the fandom perception of him from both people who like him and people who don’t) and find a lot of his backstory to be unfortunately relatable in certain ways, but...he’s not well handled here.

Snoke is really underwhelming also. When he’s finally revealed in person he’s a swishy geriatric in gold lamé with half his head caved in. It’s really not threatening at all and the resolution of his plot line is just exceedingly anti-climactic. Ultimately, he’s yet another Star Wars villain whose main purpose is to set up another, more central character for Bigger Villainy, but the result is that he himself is just a bad character and the rest of the story doesn’t hold up as a result.

#Star Wars #Last Jedi

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condensed-theorem-shop · 7 years

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Hi, you seem to have lots of opinions on fics (esp. Glowfics) and I'm reading radiance right now. So I was wondering if you have any good fanfic recommendations for when I finish c:

Ooooh okay I can do this :D I’m not sure if you want recs for glowfic or fanfic or both or what, so I’m gonna err on the side of Everything.

Cut for Much Length.

Part 1: Glowfic Collections

If you’d like another big reading project to start on, boy do I have recommendations for you.

Effulgence. I’d describe Effulgence as the paradigmatic glowfic. (Don’t be daunted to the fact that the link is to a ‘how to read’; it is not in fact tricky to read. There’s a series of links on an index page, and you can just read through each in order.) The basic conceit is that Alicorn writes AU versions of Bella-from-Luminosity into tons of different fanfic universes, and then all of them meet up and take over the universe and also cuddle a lot. The exciting other half is Kappa(/Pyth/@shitifindon), Alicorn’s cowriter for Effulgence; Kappa writes various AU versions of the Joker (yes, from Batman) who are fantastic adorable masochists and fall madly in love with the AU-Bellas (“Bells”). The shipping is so adorable. I cannot recommend it enough.

Silmaril. Probably the biggest glowfic continuity (“story spanning a bunch of worlds that meet up”) aside from Effulgence, and (unlike Effulgence) currently updating, so it’s talked about a lot in the community right now. Hence, a good choice if you want to hop right into the discussions. (Please do!!) The writers for this one are Alicorn and Lintamande, the latter of whom writes a fantastic Lord-of-the-Rings setting with a cast of Elves from the Silmarillion who are traumatized and fantastic and huggable.

Particularly Good Threads. Okay, this one is cheating, but it’s worth linking. People on the forum are trying to compile a list of recommended glowfics. Some of them are not necessarily maximally recommended to someone new to glowfic, but people put brief explanations of what they’re reccing them for, so it should hopefully still be helpful.

Part 2: Individual Glowfics

The thing about glowfics is that they tend to spin off each other – Lintamande decides to write her elf characters in space this time, Alicorn has a version of Bella who is male and a demon visit, he ends up interestingly traumatized from that, then Kappa goes “hey can we write about what would happen if that interestingly traumatized Bell met my version of a character from the Vorkosigan Saga who was from a different universe and then met a monument and now travels in a floating canoe,” and you end up with a really fantastic story which no one can make sense of unless they have read, like, a dozen prerequisite threads.

So I can’t just recommend my favorite glowfics, because none of them would make sense; and you can’t really just start browsing through the glowfics on the Constellation unless you’re willing to put up with half of them being nonsensical. Reading through Effulgence will help a lot with that, as will getting familiar with the casts of a few of the more prolific glowficcers (Kappa writes the Joker, Miles Vorkosigan, Tony Stark, and Sherlock Holmes a lot; Pedro writes Sadde, who’s original to him; Lintamande has her various Elves). For the moment, though, here’s some glowfics that require relatively little context.

blood sweat tear: A fairy Bell meets Miles Vorkosigan. Works well without much context because Miles is figuring out what’s going on, so you can figure it out along with him.

in spite of a nail: An episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, if Bella were the Slayer and Kappa’s Sherlock were a vampire.

Lindworm: A classic fairy tale, with Bella as the heroine and a Joker as the dragon.

there’s only so much I can turn into: A good introduction to Sadde, since you’ve read Luminosity already! Getting to know Sadde will make a lot more glowfic accessible. Addy finds a Sadde.

in which a Bell is the second coming of Christ: exactly what it sounds like, and fantastic. No context needed.

Pre-Jump Earth Literature: a good introduction to Miles Vorkosigan, in his canon setting. And you get a gander at the popular Miles/Yvette ship!

Uninvited Guests are Welcome Here: another case where both sets of characters are a bit lost and explaining their worlds to each other, which makes it an excellent introduction to those worlds.

you know what they say about the young: Matilda (yes, from Roald Dahl) appears in Middle-Earth and makes friends with a very tiny Feanor. Excessive adorableness ensues.

A Table for Two: Gregor, the emperor of Barrayar from the Vorkosigan Saga, meets … Hannibal. From Hannibal. It is very satisfying.

More Than One Kind Of Artifact: another characters-explain-their-worlds-to-each-other thread. A Bell from an original world with magic artifacts meets magical-girl Edie and Emily (who are the AU offspring of Magneto and Professor X, but that’s a whole nother thing…)

Part 3: Shameless Plugging

You didn’t think I was going to let you get away without reccing you a couple of my own glowfics, did you? :D

For context: Jean is my spy/revolutionary/actor/bundle of issues/world’s worst planner. Faith is my teenage antichrist who keeps trying to fix the world by taking it over via mind control and otherwise making very bad decisions.

the prettiest song I heard: a Jean in an original universe of Kappa’s gets really, really fucked up, and then falls in love. (So many warnings. So many warnings. I am serious about the warnings. But if you like that sort of thing…)

one for sorrow (two for joy): a Jean attempts to kidnap a prince and accidentally falls in love with him in the process. Hilarity ensues.

don’t let’s ask for the moon: set in an original universe of Alicorn’s, but not much of that actually comes up. (People get magic from eclipses.) Jean rescues Adelene’s character Denice from an institution; there is adorableness.

neither fish nor fowl: Jean and Denice in Star Wars, and this time she is the one rescuing him from himself. Jean does not make a very good Jedi.

Out of the Blue: Faith and Throne’s character Theo explore vampires in an original setting. Mistakes are made. So many of them.

Incipio: Faith and Theo again, in Buffy the Vampire Slayer this time.

Part 4: Fanfic

Taking a break from the glowfic for a while! Here’s some general fanfic recommendations.

At the End of All Things: If you’d like to meet Lintamande’s Elves outside of a glowfic setting, she’s got an enormous (in-progress) story about Elves brought back to life in the modern day! It is fantastic and depressing!

The Stone Gryphon: a serious, historical-fiction take on the Narnia books, and the events in England that happened in between them. Amazing historical tie-ins, and strikes a nice balance in its attitude towards the more spiritual aspects of the Narnia books which I think a lot of fics have trouble with.

The Foodieverse: an astonishingly well-written Avengers AU … in which all the characters are involved in the restaurant industry. Captain America has a food truck. It’s amazing.

Five Places Cinna Came From: a series of Hunger Games AUs, exploring different possible backstories for Cinna and doing a ton of worldbuilding along the way.

Move Fast and Break Things: @ozymandias271’s now-complete Avengers AU, with female!disabled!Tony Stark, adorable!Bucky, and general amazingness.

Steve Rogers at 100: Celebrating Captain America on Film: a story wrapped around accounts of Captain America movies, good and bad, that might have existed in-universe. I am so delighted by this kind of worldbuilding.

Part 5: Original Fiction

You didn’t ask, but I am sharing some online favorites anyway!

Worm: If you have not read it yet, you should! A gritty-superheroes narrative, distinguished from the million others in the genre by the really awesome thought that’s put into powers. Everyone thinks of inventive ways to use their powers and does it. Warning: super long. And depressing. Read it anyway! There are glowfics set there!

Goldmage: An original novel of Alicorn’s! Delightful worldbuilding, sweet and exciting and depressing, read it read it read it.

Elcenia: An immense work of original fiction by Alicorn. Very glowficcy in some ways (and lots of glowfics are set there, so that’s another reason to read it). In the first book, a woman is accidentally magically transported between worlds, and explored Alicorn’s super-thoroughly-worldbuilt original setting while figuring out exciting ways to leverage the contact. Each subsequent book takes some minor character or characters from previous books and tells their story. This has the delightful effect that you can then reread it, and when Random Dude #12 is being grumpy and unreasonable you know it’s because he’s just had his best friend kidnapped and is having to pretend nothing happened as part of an elaborate plot involving telepathic vampires (no, not a real example).

Cordyceps: Another one popular in the same general circles as Luminosity is. Mystery/horror/post-apocalyptic, and marvelous. And depressing and needs a lot of warnings -- you may be sensing a theme here.

Part 6: Other People

Other glowficcers on tumblr who might have recs for you, off the top of my head: @luminousalicorn @kelsbraintumbler @scientiststhesis @curiosity-discoverer-of-worlds @shitifindon @lintamande @aestrix @trickytalks @throne3d @marrinikari @ansiblelesbian @inquisitivefeminist @mischiefmanaged777twoofus @erinflight and I’m sure I’m still forgetting people. They are all way more approachable than you think! At least if you are like me and decide people are scary and unapproachable for no particular reason!

All y’all I tagged -- any other rec ideas? :D

#glowfic #recs

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