#post-posting tags: this is getting notes so i guess i'll tag it for organization

[maniculum]

All right, y'all. I'm instituting Scorpion Sundays. Every Sunday I'm going to make a post rating one of the scorpions from the original effortpost, until we get through the whole list. In the meantime, I'll keep posting any scorpions other people send me (or tag me in) on other days -- I'll just schedule any of those I get on the soonest day that doesn't already have a scorpion.

I'm trying to do this in an organized fashion -- I have a spreadsheet and everything. It looks like this:

Anyway, I want to start with this one. I know there are two scorpions in it, but I'm not splitting them up because they're friends. Plus they're getting the same rating.

This is from Harley MS 3244, which the British Library refers to as a "theological miscellany" and has fully digitized. (Link here.) The bestiary section is apparently titled "Liber de Natura Bestiarum" and begins on f.36r. These scorpions are on f.64r.

The reason I'm doing this one first is because I made an error in my initial post. I said, describing this image, "A scorpion is definitely either a mouse or a fish. Either way it has six legs." However, as keen-eyed readers may have noted, this description is inaccurate: the "fish" has seven visible legs. (I'm assuming the legs are the colored rectangles and that the artist didn't just draw a series of stick-legs then blob some color on top of them.) So either these two have different numbers of legs or this version of the scorpion actually has twelve legs -- since the drawing depicts it from the right side, the left legs are hidden behind the right legs, and the "fish" seems to have seven legs because it's stepping slightly forwards and we can see the front left leg.

I guess it's also possible, based on the illustration, that these have no legs and are just perched on top of some sort of rugose stalk like sea anemones. I'm going to give the artist the benefit of the doubt and go with the twelve-legs theory, since that gets them closest to correct.

Also, you have to respect an artist who draws two of the same animal visibly different from each other, right next to each other in the same little box. "Do scorpions have ears? Dunno, this one does and that one doesn't." Is it sexual dimorphism? Different stages in the life cycle? I'd try and work out the answer from the text, but the text looks like this:

Even if my Latin was decent, I don't have the paleographic skills to decipher that. Also, considering that this is the manuscript with four illustrations of scorpions (five if you count the two animals in this illustration separately), no two of which look like the same animal, I'm not willing to assume that the depictions have strong textual support.

So, points.

Small Scuttling Beaſtie? ✔

Pincers? ✘

Exoskeleton or Shell? ✘

Visible Stinger? ✘

Limbs? 12

Now. I think y'all can guess what I think of the vibes of these things. They're tiny and cute. I would pet one and feed it treats. 5/5.

They barely dodge the "identifiable real-world animal" penalty, though. If the one on the left had been drawn with four legs, it would get -1 for being just a regular mouse -- which would then incur a second -1 penalty for being a mammal. But the leg situation is what it is, so they keep their points.

Total points:

6.8 / 10

The leg and ear situations remain ambiguous.

#medieval scorpions

[uroboros-if]

Whats your advice for other wip ifs on tumblr? Ive got my intro post and everything but it seems like no one is seeing it :(

🥹😭 I'm flattered you think I'm qualified to answer this, especially as I don't consider myself wildly popular or anything! I wouldn't call myself an expert on this, but I'll tell you what I know:

Tumblr's tagging system / Discoverability

Make sure you're searchable! If your blog is too young, or if you have links in your post, or too many pictures, etc. etc. anything can trigger Tumblr's alarm bells. What this means is that your post won't show up in the tags, aka won't be shown when people search it up. Here is a post about actions you can take to prevent it and another one here. Generally you want your blog to be older than 2 weeks, and to be posting a few times on it before it gets any searchability. (This sideblog used to be an old fanfic blog that I've repurposed for the IF for this exact reason!). If you'd like, copy and paste your intro post, and re-post it (if you don't mind losing too many notes on it), or you can just experiment with another post. Tag it with the appropriate tags, and then wait 2-3 minutes before searching Recent posts on the tag (like #interactive fiction). If you don't see it, your posts aren't showing up!

Make sure you're tagging your post. Bigger one of them, I think, is #interactive fiction (since that unifies CS, Twine and visual novels together). You can, however, add things like #twine/#choicescript, #twine fiction, etc... Any tags you personally might use to search posts up. Just make sure people can see your post in the first place with the first bullet above!

Timing. For whatever reason, I get a good amount of traffic around 9PM Pacific time/5-7AM in Europe (UK to Greece)/12-2PM Eastern Asia (Philippines to Sydney, Australia). I have friends from those places, so I memorized the time difference. For reference, this is 4PM UTC time. My guess is that Europeans are waking up a couple of hours around that time, and some Americans and Asians/Australians are active around that time as well. You should experiment with timing with your posts!

Submit your post to Interact-IF. I got more notes when I submitted mine through their blog! They have a page called, "Are you an IF author looking to promote your project?" and they'll put yours through the queue. Here's the link!

Formatting

Make sure your post is eye-catching, and a pleasure to read. I think what catches the eye is

A header and a title. Find a header that conveys your IF's atmosphere/mood/vibes/aesthetic. Then as far as making it a pleasure, make sure the text guides the eye smoothly. This means:

Organizing your post logically. Synopsis->features->characters makes the most sense to me, as these are the top things people look for besides the characters, which you have to contextualize before you introduce them! You can also...

Mix up formatting--synopsis can be a wall of text, then features can be a list format, and then characters can be a list in prose format, etc.

You may also include breaks, like using a header or line with a title to signal a new section, e.g. the start of the Synopsis, the start of Characters, etc.

Just don't make it hard to read for whatever reason! Your goal is to make the process of learning about your IF digestible and smooth.

In fact, I made a point to make this post itself as a teaching lesson! It could have all been a wall of text, in paragraph/prose form, but it isn't. I organized the sections in a logical sequence, titled them and grouped them, and used a generous amount of formatting available to me (but not too much to hurt the eye).

Intro Writing

Just to discuss certain sections you should pay particular attention to, and what you may want to include in them!

Check for errors. Minimize any typos, grammatical errors, etc. It's totally fine if you're a beginner writer! Just make sure it's polished, lest it may disrupt the flow of reading.

Write an interesting synopsis. Your idea could be the best, but you need to put real thought into how you introduce it to other people! For me, I read other people's synopses for inspiration. You generally want to a) describe who your MC is, b) describe the setting, c) "Everything used to be..." d) "... Until the fire nation attacked!" -- meaning, describe how life used to be for the MC, and what threw all that off-balance, hence revealing the conflict of the plot or the disruption in the story. You can make this section show your writing abilities, but I constrained myself to shortening mine as much as possible (digestibility).

Features. Again, look at other intro posts! Outline what can be customized about your MC (appearance, personality, sexuality, etc.), a brief mention of the ROs (without names) that can be romanced if there are any, cool features your IF may have (a codex, a dice rolling system), a sneak peek into what readers may expect to do in the story, and more!

ROs!! You'll want to tap into what personally inclines you to liking an RO right away, and include that. You can make this section as detailed as you want to be or as brief but effective. Some include character appearances, some don't. All of them mention who they are in the story, and a description of what they are like. Maybe you can hint at their deeper, individual character subplot! Hitting upon keywords of certain archetypes as well may make it easier for the reader to go, "Ah, so this is the X character," in the story. Leaning on tropes a little isn't bad, especially to play it up for the audience to know "this is the cold one, this is the flirty one, etc." so long as your characters aren't merely their trope.

Your Story

Did you notice this is the last thing I'm discussing? Before you change your actual story, you want to make sure you've considered every reason why your intro post isn't very public, which may have NOTHING to do with how interesting or appealing your story is. Think of it like chess--the last thing you want to do is move your king. It's also just simply harder and disheartening to change the vision of your story.

In fact, the vast majority of things covered here are only points to consider, rather than things to actually change.

Do you have a demo? People want demos before investing into a story! a) They want to know if they will like your writing at all, b) demos give a good look into what they may expect from the story overall, and c) it's more promising for an IF to have one, as far as actually finishing the story!

And if you do have a demo, is it polished? Is it short? Does it actually introduce the conflict or any of the characters people are interested in? Does it look good?

Who really is your target audience? Your story is probably written for yourself, but you may want to understand what generally appeals to people. You can't please everyone, hence mainly appealing to a certain audience. If your story is high-fantasy, people want you to mention all the fantastical things your MC can do, see or experience in your story! If your IF is a revenge story, make the MC feel dangerous, and capable of exacting their plans. Mention everything people would WANT to know about your brand of story.

What's the gender ratio of your ROs? The fact that your story may be exclusively/vastly heterosexual, or your story may specifically be a wlw or nlw/mlm or nlm story may influence how much reach it has. I hate to say it, but IFs with mainly male characters are in abundance compared to female interests. However, this doesn't mean you should change your ROs, especially if you intend the story to be heterosexual/lesbian/gay--this is just a factor to consider.

Consider other factors. Does your story have any actual romance? (People really like romance.) Is it only going to be short? (People like long stories generally.) Are you using Twine or CS? (Most people like both, some may have a preference. I almost exclusively read Twine.) Will it feature very disturbing content? (If it does, it may appeal only to certain people).

Closing Thoughts

I am flattered you asked for advice, so I took the time to exhaust everything I know! Of course, again, I am no authority or expert on the subject, so do with this as you will. Either way, I'm happy you asked ! 🥹💕 Thanks for asking!

P.S. If you want, my messages are open on my personal blog! You can send me a DM if you want feedback or an opinion :)

#uroboros-if #uroboros #asks #anon #interactive fiction #if resources #advice

[glitrahasconsumedme]

I've seen some posts on my feed recently about how we should bring back fic rec lists or just show off fics we really like, so I thought I'd comb through my offline downloads and bookmarks for some of my favorite fics to share with anyone who happens to see this!! (And if an author happens to have a Tumblr I just didn't know about just let me know and I can tag them here too lol)

So anyway, I'm gonna do my top 5 favorite Amphibia fics first, and if this gets like, 4 notes I guess, I'll do another fandom/pairing/etc

5. fireworks!! Such a cute story, every reread makes me a bit emotional in some way. Olivia and Yunan are the parents of all time in this fic, it's incredible.

Author's acc: @hereforthehurts

4. Infinity With You!! The author of this one must've plucked this right from my head because they managed to combine both of my comfort shows PERFECTLY into one fic. Legend.

Author's acc: @pyroclastic727

3. Appleseed!! Dark, exciting, and with just enough soft moments to make all the pain worth it. Definitely a more bittersweet read for me, but that might just be because it isn't my usual genre.

Author's acc: @natikoko

2. you look too much like me!! Such a great take on a really interesting "what if" for the show. Marcy is the cutest thing ever in this fic, Anne is such an easy to love version of herself right from the start, and the Sasha kin in me SCREAMS when he does anything at all in this fic. Beautiful.

Author's acc: @bugsbiann

1. And finally... Beauty and the Beasts!! God, I'm such a sucker for fairytale romances being retold, gets me every single time. Super sweet and fun from start to end, and with such an adorable ending at that.

Author's acc: @your-local-hurt-comfort-junkie-1

[httpknjoon]

im literally eating up all this a-listers content like it’s my last meal🧎🏿‍♂️

Q&A questions: what made you two decide to spend the holidays together?

has there been a role that took to much of a toll on you (physically, mentally, etc.)?

what’s the biggest argument that the two of you have had?

happy new year and i hope your classes aren’t giving you too much trouble!!

note | oh, anon... here i serve you your ✨𝓃𝑒𝓍𝓉 𝓂𝑒𝒶𝓁✨ I tried not to give out spoilers about stuffs that I'll be posting soon but here it is! thank you so much for sending this, anon! happy new year to you too! i hope you're having a good day.

main masterlist | drabble series

"We had a busy year for 2021." you began, looking at Jin.

He agreed, "Yeah, almost half of that year our circle of friends didn't get to hangout much."

"So yeah, we tried to organize a getaway where all of our schedules would match and we all ended up being free for the holidays. Then, Jin said he is flying to Seoul for it so we just tagged along." you chuckled before speaking again. "Okay, let's move to the next question..."

You didn't mean to sound rush but it did came out like that. When read the question, Jin answered first, saying:

"Yeah, but I don't think it's because of the role. It's because of the circumstances of that time... So, I had a film that began production just two weeks before the lockdowns. It was starting good, we were in Europe. Then, just a couple of weeks there, we were told that we need to fly back here in the US because of the virus outbreak. It stressed me out badly since I really loved the role and the story that we were about to share. But since we had no idea when the virus ends, the production had to be on hold until it's safe."

"Oh, mine is when I was doing this action film. I was so excited to do a certain sequence because I trained for the whole eight weeks before production for the stunts. Then, I looked and felt really good because I was in this catsuit. A freaking tight catsuit in an action film because you know, it's Hollywood." you winked at the camera with the mocking tone in your sentence. "Anyways, so it was the day of filming. I had these wires attached to me. Then I did my sequence. But something went wrong with wires and I fell. Bad. I had an elbow injury and needed to rest for like a month and when I came back, I didn't got a chance to do what I trained for."

By the time you were finished sharing your experience, Jin's mouth was agape. "Oh my god. When was that?"

"I was nineteen, I guess. It was a long time ago. But sometimes I wished I could have done more stunts-- even though I'm an amateur in that area-- for that film."

"Well, will you be able to do stunts in the future again?" he asked out of curiosity.

You nodded, "Yeah, I think I can. If an offer comes, I'll think about it."

Cut to the third and last question, you and Jin looked directly at each others' eyes for a whole minute. Another scenario where you two would communicate telepathically, having second thoughts if you should answer it. You were shaking your head and Jin was nodding. It gets chaotic and you break down giggling.

"Let's just say, we had a fight about something. It was dumb--"

"It was a misunderstanding." Jin cuts you off.

"Okay, it's a misunderstanding. We ended up not talking for a long time. Like, really long time because I was somewhere for press tour and he was somewhere for production." you explained timidly, scartching the top of your head.

Jin butts in again with a mocking tone, "I was trying to reach out but--"

"Yeah, I kinda ignored his messages and calls. It was immature, I know. I apologized for it." you defended yourself. "But yeah, we only patched things up when I send him a picture of Francheskat to break the silence in our dusty conversation."

"Yeah, she said: hi. Then, followed by a picture of her cat. Then, I left it on seen for like an hour because I was about to go film when I saw that. Next thing I see, she flooded my inbox. I swear, I can feel her emotions getting intense in every message she sent." Jin chuckled.

You huffed, crossing your arms. "Then, we had an adult conversation. Just few hours laters, I received flowers with a card in my hotel room that he ordered online."

taglist rules

THE A-LISTERS TAGLIST

@seolaquotes @fatimaaaaa129 @bangtannieshope @jub-jub @yoontaethings @kissme-ornot @sleepy-daydreams @veronawrites @cuteipat @stoop187-blog @ratherbefangirling @babystarcandy-gcf @akirawhore @alpacaparkaseok @rjsmochii @prlangston-blog @lovesickbangtan @zealouslightcookiebasketball @rapmonie2047 @btsiguess-kpop @angelarin @walkinganxiety0 @tpwk-280 @mediumcatt @bloopkook @stopeatread @sahazzy @yoooonie @amara-mars @firesighgirl @zwiehe @hiii-priestess

PERMANENT TAGLIST

@dunixxd​ @cixrosie​ @moonchild1 ​ @jksjx​ @embrace-themagic ​ @buttvi​ @starbtslove​ @missseoulite @vanntaesworld @kenqki @pixybear @miyukihoshi

#mai answers #the a listers:ask #the a listers ksj #actor!jin #bts jin #jin fluff #jin x reader #jin au #seokjin x reader #seokjin fanfiction #seokjin fluff #bts fluff #bts x reader #bts imagine #bts crack #bts series #bts au #bts fanfic #bts drabble

[cherry-froggie]

the masked warrior — chapter 2

pairing — childe x f!reader

summary — Having to live by draining other people’s blood to pay your debt was already a burden to your heart, but you let your mask fall in front of the ones that were hungry to know your identity and take advantage of it. Even worse, it was one of the most distinguished Fatui Harbingers, the Snezhnayan organization you owed and killed to pay the debt. With him appearing on your balcony to offer a big deal, your world shifted radically.

tags — slow burn

notes — this is the only work i have in my ao3 account, i decided to rewrite some of it here first and then I'll probably go back and edit the original; maybe the original one sounds better? i guess it's very subjective, you can take a look for yourself if you want!

there are already 12 chapters released on ao3 in case you want to read more!! HUGE THANK YOU TO EVERYONE LIKING MY POSTS!!! YOU ARE ALL AMAZING AND I LOVE YOU!!!!

words — 3,1k

LAST CHAPTER || MASTERLIST || REQUESTS || NEXT CHAPTER

Chapter 2 — Even If The Heavens Collapse

      That pair of crystal ocean-blue eyes brightened by the moon's unique glow locked on yours made it impossible for you to look away or for your terror to grow weaker. There was nothing in your favor in this situation. Your body was crying in agony, and you could barely maintain your balance if you decided to get up. If you called for help, it would be easier for the male to put you to death and flee from your apartment with the help of the darkness. Even after making you paralyzed by fear and limiting your movements, it appeared that he still desired something from you and persisted in keeping you alive for it. You had already displayed your face to him, lost a fight, and slaughtered countless of his associates. What else could he want from you? You couldn't even pay your debt.

      The harbinger threw a pile of papers clipped together onto your legs. You weren't sure if the pain was so unbearable that even the files made it seem like a rock had descended from Celestia directly onto your lap or if he was that strong. He was on your left side, getting down on one knee to be at the height of the bed while facing you and pointing at the documents. "These papers are the records of Northland Bank regarding your debt. Every transaction you've made is here, along with some of your personal information." The man spoke right after he got down, clarifying the purpose of the papers. Since your vision was blurred out by the tears of pain that begged to escape from your eyes and the dark of the night, you wouldn't be able to confirm this for yourself. Even if you could, you couldn't bear to see the evidence of your own folly and desperation. Instead, you focused on the man who knelt beside you, his ocean-blue eyes burning with a bright intensity as he spoke. His words were like a knife, slicing through your defenses and exposing the raw, vulnerable wounds of your soul.

      Still, he must have a high position at the Bank, this possession of your information is unlikely to be out of line in that case. "You've got yourself in a lot of trouble for this, haven't you? Quantities such as these would make anyone reach madness, and it seems you turned to it as well, thinking you could kill us all before the due date expired and your life was cut short." His words alone appeared to be concerned for your situation at first, but his tone led you to believe he was mocking you for it. You could swear he was holding a laugh between his statements before coming out with his conclusion about your crimes. You could deny it, but this wasn't a regular vision holder, and you could tell. If you slipped the names of those you were supposed to help, the fate of the helpless merchants could surely change for the worse at the hands of the pitiless Fatui. "As much as we were planning on taking you down, her Royal Highness refused after much consideration. Instead, she let you choose to make a contract with us." The Tsaritsa herself, the Cryo Archon, took some time off of her day to attempt to make a contract with you? Did you annihilate so many of her followers that she decided to interfere? What was she planning?

      The firm hand that took hold of your chin so suddenly made you snap out of your thoughts and pay attention to the ginger again. "Don't lose yourself in your mind, because I, Childe, the No. 11 of the Fatui Harbingers, will only ask this once. How would you like to join the Fatui?"

      That question pared with the seriousness of his tone and the unreadable blank stare he was presenting to you took so much time to process. It would never cross your mind that someone that you considered a foe could even consider having you by their side. Not only that, but this person should be one of the most powerful of the Snezhnayan Harbingers. They could eliminate you if they so desired. All of this had to be another trap. Maybe they were trying to get your trust and then attack you behind your back. No, no one would waste time doing such a thing for you. 

      Childe seemed to grow tired of waiting for your response, sighing loudly before gathering up the documents and making his way toward the balcony. "Joining us will set you free from your debt. Although, I can comprehend the pressure of a decision this serious." He was ready to jump out and go back to his other affairs but stopped to give you one last warning with a voice as cold as the Liyue waters during the winter times. "You might think the merciful Tsaritsa has saved you from the endless pit of darkness that is death. But don't think I'll be so compassionate with you if you end up refusing the offer. If it were up to me to determine your fate, you would've fallen off that cliff without even realizing it." Everything just felt so unreal. He focused on the glaze lilies in your vases. "I will come back soon to take your response." And with that, he went away and let your concerns grow, shattering the light the stars were giving you, leaving you in the dark and cold night. You could either die in pain and in vain for being unable to keep helping the merchants, or you could join the antagonists of your pathetic failed fairytale and get rid of your debt while keeping your life. Your emotional and physical distress were merging into something new. They were torturing you from the inside out, ripping away the pieces of hope you had gathered throughout the months as the Masked Warrior. Your life decisions had taken you to the darkest of places with no one by your side.  It left you senseless again, dropping your body into the abyss of insecurities and horrors you were working so hard to ignore.

      Morning came. The warm sun melted away the shield of fright you had been a victim of, awakening you from the terrible delusions your mind presented you during the profound sleep. For the first time, you weren't looking up to anything that day. Your consciousness wouldn't let you escape from bed. It wouldn't agree that you should see the once bright world tainted with rigged contracts and damaged individuals. You thought about distracting yourself with some of Xiangling's dishes, but you felt sick to your stomach when thinking about the children you had seen the day before. The one that believed in the mighty hero that could help his father and the deals must feel terrible if the unjust agents ever came to disturb their peace ever again. Such a story to tell the next generations. The story of an unknown warrior that suddenly disappeared without fulfilling their mission. A warrior that was not brave enough to show their face to the people of Liyue and worked in the shadows. You could have done better.

      You heard a knock on your door, which was extremely unusual. What if it were the agents coming to claim your life? Perhaps the Tsaritsa reconsidered and decided you were not worth her time anymore and chose to throw you out before even taking you in. The choice between life and death was not an easy decision you could make without guidance from the lands above. The knock echoed through the room again, but now it was louder. Then, you heard a feminine voice from outside. "Hello? [Name], are you home? It's Xiangling! I haven't seen you since yesterday morning, so I was worried. I made you some of my special Boiled Fish, considering lunchtime is almost over."

      Your heart almost broke when you noticed the sad and worried tone your friend gave you. You slept for so much longer than you intended to. You guessed that it was probably 3 PM. That's when the cook would have some time to rest before returning to help her father. You rushed to open the door to try and lie your way to her happiness, to show her you were well. 

      "I'll leave this here if you decide to eat it later, alright? But please give me a sign that you're feeling good at the very lea- Oh!" You surprised her with the sudden force you used to open the door. Her eyes were sparkling with joy after seeing the door open, as you had lifted a weight from her shoulders. "Good afternoon, Xiangling." You responded with a low voice that sounded so tired and weak, yet so happy. The girl used one of the hands that were holding the cute cardboard box with food inside to touch your forehead. "Is everything alright? You seem really sick... Were you outside for too long yesterday?" The more you wanted to let your feelings out to someone, the more you held yourself back. As much as you appreciated her generosity, you could not help but twist the truth to fit in with the least bad outcome imaginable. "Yeah, I wasn't looking at the time yesterday and walked somewhat far from here during the night. But I'll be fine." 

      "Well, if you feel like you can't go out to do groceries or cook, you can always count on me to help you, okay? Any time, day or night!" You were surprised to hear such things from her and hoped you hadn't to rely on her for anything. Such a skilled chef would have her hands full already. However, she insisted, so you accepted the help and thanked her for the meal. You ached to keep on talking to occupy yourself from the pain within you, but Xiangling had to go back to work, and so you were all alone in the almost empty apartment again. You watched her leave and kept a smile on your face until you were sure she was out of sight. Her worries should not be on you. She was too kind. You closed the door and headed to the tight kitchen, choosing the small wooden table to put your meal down and unpack the box. Inside, not only did it have a delicious bowl of Wanmin's Restaurant signature dish, but it also had a small card with a panda logo on the back, and, on its front, there was a handwritten message with a cute bear drawn below and what you thought was one of Gouba's paw. Xiangling wrote, "We hope you enjoy it! Love, Xiangling & Gouba". 

      You took your time with the meal. The shining sun went down fast, and gloom ruled over your apartment. Time was passing faster. You were choosing to ignore the problems that were watching you over your shoulder. Your head laid itself down on the table to rest. It was pulsing. It felt like it was about to explode. The minimum sound would terrify you — the sound of the wind, the sound of footsteps, breezes that sounded like whispers and laughs. It was impossible not to go mad in this situation. You were being hunted by deadly agents during your worst state of mind and body. Should you just run away? But still, the Fatui were everywhere. It'd be impossible to get to any place without someone noticing you. Another strange sound interrupted you. It was loud, but it didn't echo. When you opened your eyes, there was nothing approaching. You were all alone with the dust. The shadows forming in your walls made you think otherwise, some even seemed to smile and laugh at you. It was too much.

      Without giving it much thought, you left your house and barged into the mostly empty streets illuminated by the orange lamps. No one would dare to do anything to you if you were with someone of your trust, so that's what you sought — company. Running in the streets was painful. Each step you took made it feel like your feet were made out of metal, and your head felt too light as if it was going to fall out. The shadows were surrounding you, and the whispers were becoming louder. You saw the stairs that looked to reach heaven and decided to keep your journey through them. You reached the tables in front of the Wanmin Restaurant, but it was already closed, and there was not one soul to be seen. Momentarily, nothing was making a sound, only those expected by nature, like the singing of cicadas, the chirping birds, or the falling waters. You had wasted your time by getting out of your house, and for what? It was as safe there as it was here. Liyue was not that big of a place. If someone wanted to, they could, easily. What a mistake you had made. You let out a heavy sigh and hid your face in between your hands. You wanted to go back home before your energy ran out and you fainted again — the only thing was, you forgot there were stairs to go back, but you kept on going and almost fell onto the rock pavement. Your heart immediately accelerated, and you wished to go back in time and stay still lying in your bed until your days were over. As if it would contribute anything, you closed your eyes. If you didn't see it, then it didn't happen. It was all just a bad dream, and you would wake up to your parents calling you in the morning for breakfast, or Xiangling's dishes scent flowing up to your bedroom's window and filling the air and your soul with hopes again. Instead, when you felt like you had waited long enough for a fall of your size, you woke up to the arms of a tall man with radiant amber eyes stopping you from reaching the ground. It appeared that the streets were not that empty after all.

      "I now stand grateful for completing my duties this late, or else who knows what would've been of your fall. Please stay cautious of your surroundings, miss." You thanked the man and tried pulling yourself together to stand on your feet again, but the Fatui must have hit your head without worrying over you. It must have been a miracle that you hadn't died or stayed unconscious for a longer time. Your new savior caught you again before you fell over to the side and hit your head on the sidewalk. "It appears that you are in no condition to return to your residence alone. If you let me, I would like to offer you a cup of herbal tea to diminish your symptoms. My name is Zhongli. I'm a consultant for the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. It isn't far from here."

      You tried telling the consultant not to worry, but the words coming out of your mouth sounded more like undecipherable mumbles. The man couldn't make anything of it. Asking you for your address would not be possible if you lingered with this difficulty. The Geo Visioner had no choice but to take you to the only place he could.

      You were grateful that Zhongli took you with him to the Funeral Parlor and chose to help your pain with his tea, but if you knew that it would take over one hour for it to be ready, perhaps you might have just reconsidered your choices a bit more. He was sitting across from you, enjoying his cup of tea while you leaned your head against the back of your chair. Your hand was pressed against your forehead, moving in small circles. The first ten minutes had passed, and you were assuming more control over your body once again. It didn't feel nearly as bad as before. There was still a long way to go if you wanted to go back to your normal self.

      The one feeling discomfort in the room wasn't only you. The fine dark-clothed consultant was similarly undergoing the pressure from the need for a conversation and understanding of your situation. The hands holding that hot cup of tea parted way with his lips and rested on the table between the two of you. "I presume that by reaching a frame of mind similar to this, not only have your physical capabilities been limited but psychologically, in like manner, your perception of reality has worsened." Knowing you got to this point in a matter of days just made you question yourself more and more. 

      Though, that could be your moment. You could finally open the door to the river of feelings that had been accumulating in the endless void inside your head and let it flow. But could you ever be accepted by society for your avenging crimes and recover from your scars? You needed to test the waters to make sure. It would be like telling the truth, but with a few hidden details. Would it be reckoned as lying? 

      "I've lost most of what was dear to me. I've lived for so little, but it feels endless. I believed I could take everything for granted until reality ripped it away from me with such pleasure. Now it is giving me the option to lose my independence over my life, or the opposite." Your exhausted voice explained what you were feeling without the need for words.

      The pondering man closed his eyes and replied with a low hum. "And would give this freedom for a chance to keep on living, even if it meant hurting yourself even more?" 

      How much had you given your thoughts on this topic already? Was the answer ever going to be clear to you, or hiding in uncertainty? Once more, you focused on it. With the reduced pain, your mind was much more clear. Maybe, one day, the stars would align and draw your way in the stunning midnight sky to the key for the safe box that holds your answer, but you couldn't waste any more time. This contract had a due date for its signing. If this day would ever come, you would be happy to know if you made the right decision or not. You wished to call yourself a warrior, and you would have to face your destiny. Eventually, everything would turn out fine. Even if the Heavens collapsed and destroyed everything else, you would still have yourself and the moon to keep you company during the troublesome times. What would be the meaning of the luxurious sceneries if you weren't there to see them anymore? You wouldn't wish for your life to be taken away from you by something other than time itself. The Fatui Harbinger couldn't kill you before you had brought justice to yourself.

      Peace of mind was finally brought to you. As much as you tried to hide it, your psychic would influence your physical. If your mind suffered, your body would also feel weak and vulnerable. A soft and small smile formed on your face. It was the result of a few minutes of wondering and days of misery.

      "You see... Now I understand that no one else but me can take my independence. I'm ready to make my decision."

LAST CHAPTER || MASTERLIST || REQUESTS || NEXT CHAPTER

thank you so much for reading and for the all the support you've given me!! :) more works will come out soon! if you want to read ahead, you can read everything on ao3!

#childe #childe x reader #tartaglia #ajax #genshin x female reader #genshin x reader #childe x fem!reader #tartagalia x reader #genshin tartaglia #ajax x reader #genshin ajax #genshin impact x reader #genshin impact childe #genshin impact tartaglia #genshin impact x you #genshin impact x y/n #fatui harbingers #genshin angst #genshin impact angst #genshin imagines #genshin headcanons #genshin x you #romance #drama #genshin romance #slow burn #slow romance #reader insert #self insert #AU

[transienturl]

maybe ridiculous to say but like

it seems so much more difficult to get to know someone without tumblr?

I think the microblog format sitting in this vaguely defined space in the middle of these other extremes of what you're supposed to post on social media sort of helps people find a place on the spectrum of how much you express yourself that they might otherwise have no reason to find. like, so few people actually go out and make "a blog," in the traditional sense, not just because of the technical process of setting that up but because there's an expectation that when you post on your blog you have something to say. it's like how many youtubers have their main channel only have big projects once they become popular and wind up with a personal channel or shorts or tiktok or whatever for content that doesn't feel in the moment like, oh, this is part of my oeuvre, this is just casual, you know?

while tumblr, I guess, has the reblogging-without-comment thing that you could be doing every day, because oh, you know, I'm just an aesthetic blogger or whatever, right? or oh I just reblog memes it's a fun time. but then, hey, you can talk in the tags if you want, no pressure. hey if there's something on your mind there's a full post form right here. don't worry, posts are pretty ephemeral, it'll get buried in your reblogs anyway, it's not a big deal, you don't have to put any effort into it. but, whoops, you're learning to express yourself, bit by bit. maybe you get 20 notes on a fandom post and go, hey, that's what it's like to communicate with a group, I think next time I'll adjust my wording a bit or whatever it is that that teaches you.

we always joke, you know, that we know so much about the people we follow on tumblr re: what they like and what they believe but so little about e.g. basic demographics, because it's true. but I think you can look at that from the perspective of like "haha tumblr means you don't know people's faces and real names," but also from that of like "look at all of these people who you wouldn't otherwise have known anything about at all"

I guess that turned into a post about something else, but the point I was originally going to make is that when the opposite is true, when you meet someone and learn their face and real name, it's hard to be like hey, how can I get to a place where I can talk to you about the things we have mutual interests in, from a shared context? sure I can try to pull information out of you and you can try to pull information out of me, but that just seems inefficient. the tumblr model allows one to organically find that overlap, by mutually pushing things out into the world instead of pulling on what's potentially the wrong thread. it just gives you a lot of information, because it provides a natural way for people to put that information out there.

I dunno. just thinking about this because of someone I'd like to be friends with who for various good reasons doesn't use public social media. and it's like, sure, I can have a regular conversation, that's not fundamentally a problem, but it's just so much complete shot in the dark where to go with it, as compared to people on tumblr I've never talked to directly but easily could.

[escape-from-arcadia]

To The Ends of Our World: Prologue and Chapter 1

A Pre-Canon Douxie-centric Wizards Fic

A wicked king, a runaway sorceress, and a young boy... Ever since the disappearance of his mother left him under the care of Master Wizard Merlin Ambrosius, Hisirdoux Casperan has tried to be a good child. He is diligent in his work and studies, and his boundless enthusiasm for all things magical never wavers. All he hopes is that one day his efforts will be enough to become a master wizard himself and bring his mother back home. But on his thirteenth birthday, everything changes. Sudden flashes of memories that occur at seemingly random times and secrets Douxie's mother tried so desperately to keep hidden begin to spill out into the light. Douxie is starting to uncover a plot far greater than anything he ever could have imagined, but can the young apprentice evade the people trying to keep him from learning the truth of his mother's disappearance? What is it that they're trying so desperately to keep hidden? And will Douxie like what he finds?

General content warning for dark themes (abuse, mild gore, violence, depression). More tags will be added to the AO3 work as the story is written since most don't appear until later in the work. However, you can expect content involving torture, suicide, and a major (and a minor) character death in future chapters. There may be other untagged things that I haven't thought of yet or planned on.

Hi.

I'm back.

Maybe.

Long Convoluted Author's Notes Under the Cut:

I'm not doing particularly well (guess who got a mild case of Covid a week before winter break? lol), but here to say I've started a new fic. I like writing angst when I'm sad. And this slightly convoluted pre-Wizards origin story came to me in a dream. I planned most of it out, wrote the prologue and a few chapters, published it, and realized that since all of my content is now on archive-lock, I should probably promote the fic here.

So here we are.

No update schedule.

No minimum (or maximum) chapter word count.

No clue when it ends.

No beta.

We ball.

So this story doesn't have a hidden meaning or big message you should get by the end of it. It's just an angsty mystery drama with some cliches just because. And the ending (I know what the ending is for once, yes) is very cliche and annoying because it lets me say "Nothing is stopping me from making this canon!" Anyway...

You'll get to see a take on a younger Douxie and Merlin's very...complicated relationship with him. You'll see another interpretation of how Douxie and Archie meet!! You'll see a 17-year old Zoe!!! You'll meet two (2)!!! OCs I suddenly came up with while planning out this story!!!!!! One is a mean lesbian and the other is a cool cleric!!! You'll also see Douxie's mom!!!! Because she is very plot-relevant!!!

I was scared of publishing this fic because compared to a lot of the stuff I've written before (especially coming out of ADAU - I still owe y'all posts), this is much darker. I've written stories about time loops and the inevitability of death and somehow the existentialistic dread I got from writing that left me less unsettled than this fic. To be fair, I'm not working with a beta so this might actually be a lot lighter than I think it is. But compared to my other works, it is...a few shaders darker.

If you do read the fic, I'd be really glad to hear your feedback and comments. Yell at me if there are typos (because stars know I'll miss something as I'm editing). Ask me questions. And if you think there is something there that needs to be tagged, please let me know; I'll add it to the AO3 work tags.

All this is to say that I am very grateful if you managed to read this entire post. Thank you for bearing with me and this blog being...something. It's been abandoned and resurrected several times, and my relationship with this fandom is still a little bit funky. But hey, I've learned to make stuff for myself and on my own time. And if this content isn't your particular cup of tea, you can always not read it. And this blog is just for fun, no pressure to make content, so yeah. I'm going to have fun on the internet.

I guess I'm back.

P.S. I am yearning for more people I can share these darker fics/AUs with, but I'm also very anxious and very busy. Just saying, if anyone has Discord (or a server) and/or doesn't mind sporadic appearances that may or may end up leading to very long conversations, my DMs are open.

#tales of arcadia #to the ends of our world #wizards toa #wizards tales of arcadia #tales of arcadia fic #hisirdoux casperan #ananonswriting #abuse mention tw #depression mention tw #violence mention tw #death mention tw #suicide mention tw

[deusvervewrites]

I posted 8,686 times in 2022

That's 8,379 more posts than 2021!

7,935 posts created (91%)

751 posts reblogged (9%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@barid-bel-medar

@deusvervewrites

@gentrychild

@runningwolf62

@princess-of-the-corner

I tagged 8,141 of my posts in 2022

Only 6% of my posts had no tags

#asks - 7,640 posts

#meta - 460 posts

#blue sky au - 281 posts

#ask game - 277 posts

#future toga au - 220 posts

#pokemon legends mustafa - 202 posts

#draconic hero au - 156 posts

#wimtbah - 152 posts

#inhumans au - 147 posts

#clone for one au - 126 posts

Longest Tag: 78 characters

#having a summary that is only questions is a good way to get me not to read it

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Imagine how annoyed Nighteye would have been if Izuku hadn't applied to his agency? Like he just goes to fill in the application, 'hmm, suddenly vibes are shit no,' and then applies to like, be Nedzu's apprentice instead.

Midoriya: "These are some rancid vibes. Absolutely horrid."

Nighteye, storming Nedzu's Office: "Not only do you steal Togata's rightful Quirk, you deny me mentorship?!" Nedzu: (: Nighteye: "Don't you have anything to say, Principal?" Nedzu: "Oh heavens no. The longer you talk the more time I have to come up with ideas." Midoriya: (:

Narrator: "Nighteye was never seen or heard from again."

Oh yeah, Sir "Control Freak" Nighteye would be absolutely furious. I'm trying to remember if he explicitly told Togata to extend an offer on his behalf to Midoriya for the Work Studies. Come on, Nighteye, how are you legitimately creepier to me than AFO

305 notes - Posted June 21, 2022

#4

Aizawa for the time travel fix ask game?

I'm sure you meant this seriously but I had a really funny crack idea with Aizawa so we're doing that

Aizawa comes up with a plan to ensure that everything will work out. It is a brilliant plan with no flaws. He expels all of Class 1-A during the Quirk Apprehension Test

Naturally, the class immediately pack bonds into a found family speedrun out of sheer united rage

The class becomes a 20-person vigilante organization specifically to spite Aizawa, with All Might's less-than-secret-but-still-deniable backing

Every major Villain is incarcerated within five weeks.

Nedzu reminds Aizawa that he could've just asked him for help

362 notes - Posted June 1, 2022

#3

You know, why WAS Tensei attacked by Stain anyways, now that I think about it?

That's a wonderful question that canon has never in fact answered. It is one of the primary points in my 153-slide powerpoint titled "Why Stain Is A Clown and If You Like Him, So Are You'

I think the closest it's come to answering is Stain canonically has a habit of attacking people to see how they react when they believe they are going to die, and I really shouldn't have to explain everything wrong with that

405 notes - Posted August 12, 2022

#2

I Think I Know Why I Dislike Bakugou's Writing

Yes I know I just did the AFO/Asano Meta, but I feel like I need to do this too

To clarify: this is not me bashing on Bakugou. I want to like Bakugou. If you like Bakugou, you aren't wrong. You just deserve better for him.

Let's begin.

For at least a week now, I have had a picture open in a tab on my browser. This picture is something that I was beginning to think was made up by an Ao3 author because I had only ever seen one mention of it. And now that I've found it for myself, I found myself holding on to it and trying to figure out how to feel about it.

But now that's led to me finally having a way to verbalize the issues I have with how Bakugou has been written throughout the series.

On paper, Bakugou has one of the most interesting character arcs in manga. He goes from being a self-absorbed asshole with a superiority-inferiority complex who only wants to be a Hero because they win fights to the genuinely Hero Midoriya believes he can be.

In practice... well.

Let's play a game really quickly. I'll describe a scene from My Hero Academia, and I want you to guess what chapter it is. It doesn't have to be exact, just a general idea. Here's the scenario:

Midoriya manages to use a Quirk that's destructive to him without seriously hurting himself, and is proud of this accomplishment. In response, Bakugou gets incensed and physically attacks him.

Thought about it? Got an idea? Keep that in mind for later.

So here is my issue with Bakugou: there are two Bakugous. I know that sounds weird but let me explain what I mean. I'll call them Interim Bakugou and Dramatic Bakugou.

Dramatic Bakugou saw his classmates at the Battle Trial and realized that he wasn't the Big Man on Campus. He was furious with Todoroki for not using his fire at the Sports Festival, and infuriated by his internship with Best Jeanist. Dramatic Bakugou was kidnapped by the League because he's an asshole. He blames himself for All Might retiring, and he failed the Provisional License Exam because he's a asshole. Dramatic Bakugou told a kid that he needed to acknowledge his own weakness, took a hit for Midoriya in the War Arc, and apologized to him.

Dramatic Bakugou is improving as a person and a Hero.

Dramatic Bakugou also barely appears in the manga.

We are instead left with Interim Bakugou, the Bakugou who exists in the interim between dramatic moments. Interim Bakugou has not changed from his first appearance on the first page of Chapter 1, when he was five, beating the shit out of Midoriya.

Interim Bakugou tried to attack Midoriya on Day 1, and tried to kill him on Day 2. Interim Bakugou listened in on a private conversation about how Endeavor's obsessions broke him and learned nothing. Interim Bakugou told the League of Villains that he wouldn't join them because he likes how Heroes look when they win. Interim Bakugou told the Help Us Company actors to fuck off. Interim Bakugou dragged Midoriya out to Ground Beta to beat the shit out of him because he was butthurt about his exam and making it all about him. Interim Bakugou won the Joint Training Battle because he wanted to be the Undisputed Best. Interim Bakugou never calls people by their real names.

Interim Bakugou called himself Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight. Interim Bakugou told the class that Deku is fucked in the head and doesn't care about what happens to himself, while ignoring that he called Midoriya 'Useless' so often Midoriya responds to it like his own name. Interim Bakugou uses Deku right up to the moment that Dramatic Bakugou apologized for inventing it in the first place.

Interim Bakugou never changes, no mater how much Dramatic Bakugou tries.

Here, let me prove it. You remember that game I had you play a few paragraphs ago, yes? What chapter did you say? Chapter 7, during the Quirk Apprehension Test?

Well, I have to admit that I lied a little. That picture I've had on my browser for the past week or so? It's actually a screencap of the manga.

This is from Chapter 253, after Midoriya shows his progress with Blackwhip.

This is five chapters away from the start of the War Arc.

This is 69 chapters before he apologizes, most of which aren't focused on him at all.

This is within the Final Saga, as Horikoshi puts it.

And Interim Bakugou is indistinguishable from Orientation Day eleven months ago

I will freely admit that this is clearly meant to be a joke, and that he did not hurt Midoriya as severely as the class is acting, but the behavior is still there. It hasn't changed a bit. Interim Bakugou hasn't changed a bit.

Dramatic Bakugou, in a flashback, confessed to All Might that he used to bully Midoriya.

Interim Bakugou still does.

This is why I don't like how Horikoshi writes Bakugou. I want to like Dramatic Bakugou and follow his journey, but for every step forward he takes, Interim Bakugou takes two steps back. All of his apologies feel hollow because Interim Bakugou is demonstrably the same.

See the full post

466 notes - Posted November 30, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

AU where everything is practically the same but Izuku is visibly more feral. IE: he bit All Might instead of grabbing his leg and Toshi, upon remembering doing the same thing to Nana, decides to make him his successor (adopt him) on the spot.

Midoriya just fucking snaps one day because if you bully someone nonstop for ten years you either break them or get them to stop caring and bad news for Aldera they got the other coin flip this time.

You do not Fuck with Feral Midoriya. He has bitten most of his classmates by this point. He hisses like a cat. He casually starts discussing what it would take to render someone's Quirk permanently useless, like how someone could paralyze Bakugou's hands or scar them over until he couldn't make any explosions without breaking himself.

All Might gets nostalgic when Midoriya is gnawing on his leg to keep him from leaving.

During the entrance exam, Present Mic had to start the test a few seconds early because when Iida went to stop Midoriya from talking to Uraraka, Midoriya fucking picked Iida up and was getting ready to throw him like a javelin, and that announcement is the only thing that saved him. Midoriya did however carry him into the exam before he remembered to put him down.

When Midoriya uses his Quirk at the QAT, Bakugou assumes that Midoriya manifested it through sheer Feral energy and chooses life. Aizawa on the other hand tries an expulsion scare and he can taste how mad Midoriya is about it

511 notes - Posted November 4, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

I had to delay doing this because @gentrychild went and reblogged my Stray Cat AU and completely threw off my stats

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review

[beetlejuiceissmart]

I had an idea for a fan made Beetlejuice send off video to say thank you I guess. Or maybe just to express how much this how show means to all of us. Obviously since its a fan send off video, I need the fans, so here I am. I have ideas for all levels of anonymity, so if you don't feel comfortable showing your face, voice, or either, there are still ways you can participate. I'll need everything by January 7th for a 100% guarantee of being in the video, but I might still take things on the 8th. Yes I know its short notice I'm sorry. Anyways, if you'd like to participate, here's what you can do:Video. This would be a relatively short video, just you talking about Beetlejuice the musical, expressing thanks, whatever you want really. The only requirements for this is that it has to start with either "Beetlejuice" or "Beetlejuice the musical", almost like you're talking to the musical. For example; "Beetlejuice the musical, you have brought me so much joy throughout the years... ect". The video can be as long as you want, but depending on how many videos I get I'll probably only use 30 seconds to 1 minute.Picture. This could be any picture related to Beetlejuice. It could be you with your Beetlejuice merch, it could be you holding a playbill at the marquis, it could be you in Beetlejuice cosplay or costume. It would be of Beetlejuice decorations in your house. Anything to show your appreciation for the musical.Audio. This would be the exact same message as the video, except just an audio of you talking. Fairly straightforward. Again, this would have to start with "Beetlejuice" or "Beetlejuice the musical". You would also need to provide a name or username for the audio to be from. You can also add photo to go with the audio if you want to.Text. This option you be you writing out a message of gratitude, farewell, or anything else addressed to the musical. You can be specific with which font you want, or you can leave it up to me to decide. This would need to be signed with something, it could be your real name or a username of yours.Hand Written Text. This is the exact same thing as text but hand written. This is Just a more personal option. Also, this could be sent to me as a photo or printer scan. A printer scan would be ideal, but a photo is also great! Unfortunately this option may be a bit more difficult because you have to make sure your handwriting is legible in the photo you send.Logo Drawing. This would be a drawing of Beetlejuice the Musical's Logo. It can be on paper, Digitally, anything goes. For this, there are no expectations. As long as you can tell it's the logo, we're all good. It can be a 30 hour masterpiece, or it can be a 30 second doodle drawn on a sticky note. Anything goes. You can submit one, you can submit multiple, I'm happy to have them all. I'm going for quantity over quality for this option. No matter the quality of the logo you send me, it will be used.You can do as many of the above options as you like, any and all participation is greatly appreciated. You can reach me  through this email: [email protected], Please title your email with whichever option you decide to submit just to make everything a little more organized. Hopefully I'll get enough submissions to make this happen!Thank you all for reading this post, please consider participating, and please tell anyone who might be interested

Please excuse my monstrous amount of tags, I just want to make sure this is seen by as many people as possible.

#beetlejuice #beetlejuice the musical #musicals #broadway #musical theatre #beetlejuice fanart #elizabeth teeter #alex brightman #leslie kritzer #kerry butler #alex timbers #tim burton #fan project #david josefsberg

[ante--meridiem]

What are zettelkasten?

"No little German boy don't go into German sociologist Luhmann's study!" "Oh mein gott, this is ein kasten full of zettels"

Ahem, sorry, tumblr memes aside. It's a note taking method! Link goes to website that gives an in depth description but to summarise: the idea is to collect a bunch of notes that each elaborate a distinct concept and organically create links to each other by relevance. There's no overarching categories for the information (though you can and I do use tags) because the idea is to organise them by connection and proximity to each other, not by subject. All subjects get thrown in together to allow as many surprising connections to evolve as possible. The setup is supposed to mimic the way the brain stores and processes information.

It was invented by a German guy called Luhmann who used physical notes organised in a physical drawer, hence the name. When I reference "a" zettelkasten I mean the folder that contains all these interlinked notes.

Probably there's nothing particularly groundbreaking about the technique to most people but it got me to be capable of processing maths again after burning out very hard in undergrad so I'm very attached to it now. I started it for maths, but since the idea is to toss all your knowledge in there I also have reference notes on my conclusions about myself from introspection, which were what I was referencing in the post that I'm guessing prompted this ask. Probably I'll eventually branch out beyond those two topics but I haven't gotten that far yet. (Well actually I do have a tiny bit of neuroscience and computer science in there but really tiny).

Tl;dr if your brain's homemade storage doesn't work computer based is fine.

#Ask #ilokilok #Emotional support zettelkasten

[kayzero]

ZWG Author's Notes | Prologue

So I have this thing where I think the text should speak for itself so I don't end up trying to explain my thought process in the end notes of every chapter. I've decided that while this stance is valid, people are interested in my process so I want to share my thoughts with everyone if they're interested. This also serves to share a space for people to talk about older chapters if they want - the notes I get on my poll posts give me inspiration, I really appreciate the reblogs and the screaming in the tags, it fuels me.

Alongside my thought process and decision-making, this post will also cover any lines I especially loved writing. If there's anything else you want to know about anything, let me know and I'll be sure to let you know and include it in future Notes!

This post will cover the following chapters:

Walking Into a Trap Interviews With the Damned Preparation of Demise

so if you're new to ZWG and you haven't read those chapters, please do so before reading any further.

Walking Into a Trap

For the most part, the Prologue chapters were written out of necessity for scene-setting and introduction. It's intended that anyone reading this story has background knowledge of 999 and VLR, but not necessarily ZTD since I know some people steer their friends away from the third game because it "ruined the series." I liked it well enough, I just found it a little lacking in some places, which is why this story even exists.

I use this first chapter to set a few things up to explore later: Akane's distrust of Sigma, her interest in Mira, her unease seeing Junpei, Maria's otherworldliness, and Carlos' eerie familiarity. There's also Diana's androphobia, which does get explored eventually, but less than I expected it would.

In terms of stand-out lines or passages, there isn't a ton, since everything is so perfunctory and introductory, but there is the Aoi-Phi relationship that gets teased.

"You don’t want her as a little sister? She’s adorable, and way more manageable than you’ve ever been!" “You know what? You can have him to yourself. I disown myself. I wipe my hands clean of him.”

That part was pretty fun.

Interviews With the Damned

One-on-one interactions, but mostly more introductory stuff, mostly setting up everyone's initial relationship with Akane. Out of everything, I think I enjoyed characterizing Diana the most - she's a bit of a rambler when she's in a chatty mood, and in the future I would use her for exposition more than anyone else (besides Zero's notes).

It's such a shame that I don't have Uchikoshi's trivia-brain and thus I can't make Akane more rambly than I've written her, her nervous tics definitely involve distracting herself with trivia and it doesn't present itself in the narrative like, at all.

Besides that, there's also the everything with Junpei. Besides his actual scene, it kinda dominates Phi's scene (which sets her up as a pragmatic sort of problem-solver) and little hints of him pop up in Sigma's and Mira's scenes as well.

I feel like I could've done more with Aoi's scene, but silent comfort before the big event seemed suiting at the time of writing. I'll just have to wait for [REDACTED].

Preparation of Demise

The start of this chapter is more prose-y than the rest of the story. Its significance won't be apparent for some time. I like writing prose, and stilted narration like this is useful.

Then there's the scene with Zero's assistant. Out of everything, I think I like this line the most:

But the bracelet didn’t suddenly become a watch. It remained a shackle.

The rest of it is pretty perfunctory, explaining rules and whatnot. In all of Part I (it will be readily apparent what separates Parts I and II when we first dip our toes into Part II), I think this and Dead Cat are the only places where Zero's assistant has a role in the narrative past game organizer.

And Candid, I guess, with them doing poses with Zero. I try to inject humor when I can, to varying levels of success.

And that does it for this set of notes! I'm not, uh, great at explaining my thought process, I don't have a lot of experience with it, so if you have any questions about specific scenes or lines, please ask! These notes won't be written on any sort of schedule (except that they won't ever appear on Tuesdays), just kinda whenever I have the brain power to write them. Thank you for reading!

#zwg #zero win game #author's notes #zero escape

[luna-loner]

Irina Jelavic: Of Lovers and Languages

@bismuthwisdom sorry I didn't see your tags earlier. I've actually wondered about what languages Irina speaks, and since you've brought it up, I now wanna talk about it.

First, we're gonna need an important screenshot:

So, it's said that Irina is fluent in ten languages. She's stated that the best way to learn a language is to get a lover who can speak it. The above map is list of some (pretty sure some) of her "lovers" who will help us determine which langauages she speaks.

Note: some of these hearts don't necessary fall over the man's country of origin. For example, Shinji's heart is placed next to Japan's map, likely because it'll cover it if it was placed on top. Likewise, David's heart is placed above Great Britian.

Okay, let's move on to the list:

Serbian: Of course, we're gonna start the list with her mother tongue.

English: Yeah, this one's obvious.

Japanese: Another obvious one.

Japanese Sign Language: As I've mentioned before, she communicated with Karasuma and the kids through sign language during the island arc.

French: Again, the Reaper Arc reveals she's been teaching Megu French.

Arabic: In that same arc, Yada mentioned one of Irina's story involving Arabian royalty and nearly lead to a war. 7 years later, she's sent to infiltrate an organization in the Middle East.

Portuguese: Pretty sure Anderson is from Brazil because apparently, his name is a popular there. I'm not sure how popular though, but we've got some Brazilian celebrities, namely athletes like Anderson Silva, Anderson Varejão, and Anderson Luís de Abreu Oliveira. So yeah, Irina knows portuguese.

Korean: First, we have Ji Sung (also spelled Ji-seong), whose heart is right next to South Korea. Second, in chapter 25, Irina briefly talks about Korean pronounciation.

So these are the languages I'm sure Irina is fluent in. There's still 2 more, and my guesses are:

Spanish or Italian: I'm not quite sure where Christiano is supposed to be from. I initially thought of Spain, but his heart can also be seen right next to Italy, so who knows? Maybe she knows both languages?

Eric...I'm not sure which African country he's supposed to be from, so I don't know which language Irina would acquire ro seduce him. Maybe she didn't have to pick up a new language though, maybe Eric already spoke French or Arabic.

Also, it should be noted Serbia has several minority languages. Maybe Irina is fluent in some of them.

For headcanons, I'd say she'd be fluent in Russian, Chinese, and Vietnamese; all of which she learns during canon or during the time skip.

That's all I've got on Irina. For the second tag, I'll do another post for the students because this one's long enough. However, I can make some language hcs for Korosensei and Karasuma.

Korosensei:

As a once notorious assassin, I don't doubt that he's just as multilingual as Irina is; I just don't know which langauges he would know. I like to think he's fluent in Chinese (Mandarin, Cantonese, and speaks in several dialects) since he keeps flying over to China and because he specializes in he Chinese cuisine.

Karasuma:

English: We did see him use it in Episode 10.

Japanese Sign Language: Again, the island arc.

I like to think that after marriage, Irina insists he learn Serbian since 1) their daughter will have more speakers to communicate with and 2) Irina already speaks his mother tongue, why can't he learn hers?

I can see her suggestively offering her help and like the straight lace that he is, Karasuma declines. Nevertheless, he agrees with her reasons and Serbian becomes their secret language, though they use it even when they don't gave to be secretive.

Also, I can see Karasuma shooting down her advances only in her mother tongue. It's his way of teasing her and Irina starts wondering if asking him to learn Serbian was a mistake...

#assassination classroom #ansatsu kyoushitsu #irina jelavic #Irina should become an interpreter for the UN #how much does the UN pay though? 🤔 #either way she should consider being an interpreter or linguist #karasuma tadaomi #tadaomi karasuma #korosensei

[autumntouched]

Tumblr Crash Course/Welcome

I'm still not over learning some of you joined tumblr because of Talk to Me 😭😍🥹

**Please excuse any terms I use incorrectly and feel free to correct me 🫠 I’m becoming my mom with my slipping grasp of technology 😭 **

Sorry, this site isn't the most intuitive, but I find it much easier as a writer to interact with readers here. I love that people can send me private messages/chats with their thoughts 💗 If you’re new, here's a little TGM fandom tumblr crash course:

First, I love this fandom. The writers are so talented but also incredibly kind. You may see us occasionally have meltdowns around "likes" and interactions, so I'll start there…

There are a lot of things about tumblr that don't make it entirely user friendly, including not having a "save" option for posts that you want to come back to. Enter the "like." On most other social media platforms, a like carries weight. On tumblr, a like can feel ambiguous to a writer because of its dual function as a bookmark

Therefore, generally, the best way to communicate your appreciation for a fic is to reblog it (to raise its visibility) or comment (to let the writer know you read and appreciate their work). If you’re looking at a post, the “reblog” option is the square of arrows. A window will open for you to add a comment and/or gif and/or image and/or Tags. Tags can serve as comments and/or a way for you to organize the the content you’re interacting with (helpful if you want to find it later). Once you post, the reblog appears on your blog for your followers to see

A “comment” can be left with a little speech bubble. Note that a comment goes on the original post, so if the writer is adding to a post that they’re reblogging, you have to tag their blog for them to see it. Apologies, not the clearest explanation, but you’ll get the hang of it!

But not every reader is comfortable with that visibility! Anonymous “asks” are a great way to share a little love. The option to send an “ask” is at the top of a writer’s blog if their asks are “open.” It’s usually a button with some clever way of saying “talk to me.” Lol, which is mine as a nod to Phoenix’s “Talk to me, Bob.” Just dropping a note, a screaming gif, a heart to say “i love your work” means the world. If you’re requesting something, it’s nice to lead with some kind of acknowledgment to the writer. Know that the writer will reshare your thoughts publicly though! So make sure to switch to “anonymous” mode before you start writing so you don’t forget when you post 😊

Also, personally, my messages are always open, and I love hearing from you there too!

That said, even with those varied options, saying anything can be a huge and terrifying stretch for readers, and that’s where I don’t really have an answer 💗 What can I say? When you give up time and important aspects of your life to put words to screen, it helps to know and feel that time is well spent. But I also want this space to feel welcome and open to everyone so demanding that people engage in a certain way, and in any way that is harmful to their well-being, is not conducive to everyone feeling safe and included. A communication work in progress, I guess 😅

I hope you stick around long enough to feel comfortable engaging but if not, I still hope my stories bring you joy 💗 I’ve had to de-prioritize writing quite a bit for the time being but that doesn’t mean I’ve stopped wanting to get to know you all or thinking about you as I’m going about my day or cheering you on when I know you’re going through a tough time or also an amazing time. Life can be pretty rough, so I try to live by the motto “be kind.” I hope you feel that here, and I’m so grateful for the connections I’ve made through our shared love for TGM

xx

#welcome to tumblr #i love your notes #talk to me #or don’t 😂 #whatever makes you feel welcome

[staydandy]

I did not expect to reach 100 followers before the end of the year! This community is great! Thanks so much! It's been a blast so far!

So, um.. Hi! I'm StayDandy!

I live in USA .. English is my first and (sadly) only language, but I want to learn Korean (I've gotten to the point of knowing the alphabet, being able to read/sound out words, understand a bit of the sentence structure, and recognize/remember a precious few words).

I started to get into Asian dramas and music early 2021. I've been watching & reading anime & manga/manwha, since college (*cough*, 10 years ago *cough*), but my interest had faded over time. Until last year's nose-dive back into dramas (Prison Playbook cracked the door, and I slammed it open!). I've been obsessed ever since! 😆 The interest in K/J/C-Music is newer; I hadn't really explored it before this past year (unless you count when PSY originally released Gangnam Style lol) .. I still listen to American music, but K/J/C music has taken over my Spotify, it's now the dominant genre (throw in a little Swedish power-metal and that's basically my Library in a nutshell).

I started exploring the whump community on Tumblr this past April - I was honestly amazed there were so many people with this interest, same as me! I started posting in May - I wanted to join in the fun, & contribute my own backlog of lists (I'd been writing them for over a decade after all, might as well put them to good use).

So.. idk if there's any interest.. I thought I'd share a detailed look at my List posts .. some of it is rather self-explanatory, but some of it might not be .. maybe this'll clarify what & why I format them the way I do.

But if you're just looking for a place to start exploring my page, I'd suggest My Directory. It breaks off to everything else. I organize everything manually so it's as accurate as I can make it.

Thanks again for Following along!

Post Breakdown (below the break) :

I'll use this surprisingly popular post as an example (really would not have guessed that Bridal Mask would receive the attention it did).

First, of course, you get the show title (in English & it's original language) .. a picture for the show (I try to use a pic that has the whumpee(s) in it) .. then a quick synopsis of the show. Simple, self-explanatory.

At the end of the synopsis I include a direct link to an official data site for the show (usually it's MyDramaList for Asian shows, and between Wikipedia or InternetMovieDatabase for English shows). • I include the "AKA" because there are quite a few shows that go by multiple names because of different translations/interpretations of the original title, or even official title changes before it aired. I've had the issue before of trying to find a show using (unknowingly) an uncommon translation of the title, which made it difficult to find what I was looking for. So, JIC, I include them here.

If there's multiple whumpee's I will color-code them, which carries throughout the list. • The links on the actor names are searches of my Tumblr. It's an easy way to see if I have any other lists with said actor in it. (I don't include them on English lists because I rarely have multiple lists with the same English actor. In the case that I do, I'll add the link)

The country links back to that country's whump list library.

Next are the notes about the show (any interesting details, what it's adapted from, ect.).. notes about my list.. &/or just my general thoughts on the show.

I use ellipsis ( ... ) for when there's a break between whump scenes. • Every now and then I will include my own thoughts amongst the whump, usually "subscript & in blue" • You can see the color-coding in action (I wish Tumblr had more color options). • When there's multiple whumpees I use a kinda "tag-you're-it" system : -- I mention a Character (A) and their whump until [chronologically in the episodes] something happens to Character (B), any whump following is (B)'s whump.. until (A) is mentioned by name again, then everything after is (A)'s whump ... and so on and so forth.

(Apparently Tumblr only actually uses the first 20 tags on a post, which is incredibly unhelpful. I still try to include all the key-words in my tags, but they're more for my own quick reference when I manually organize my posts.)

Hello again!

Thanks for reading! I've had people tell me I have an "interesting" way of organizing, & I tend to over-think things (you should see the organized chaos that is my bedroom! lol).

If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I'll do my best to answer. Or if you just want to chat, I'm cool with that too.

And for those of you who've made it to the end of this post; If you see a show in one of my Libraries that is not marked as a "full whump list" (whether it's been posted already or not), but you're interested in seeing a full list for that show, let me know! I'm already going back and updating some partial lists here and there, but if you ask I'll prioritize your request!

Hope ya'll have a good Holiday season and New Year!

#just me #follower milestone #100 followers #post breakdown

[markcampbells]

I posted 373 times in 2022

26 posts created (7%)

347 posts reblogged (93%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@excavatinglizard

@tiberiusmulder

@nadja-antipaxos

@mrsmunsons

@starcitysirens

I tagged 372 of my posts in 2022

#about me - 50 posts

#<3 - 42 posts

#series: star trek - 33 posts

#the magnus archives - 26 posts

#leonard mccoy - 24 posts

#queer art - 21 posts

#series: star wars - 21 posts

#jim kirk - 20 posts

#mckirk - 19 posts

#legends of tomorrow - 18 posts

Longest Tag: 120 characters

#(also i'm always weirdly happy when people associate me with my flag? it's that late in life queer moment i guess lmfao)

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

WHAT KIND OF LOSER ALMOST MISSES HER OWN MCKIRKAVERSARY (this one I am that loser)

It has been one entire year since I posted absolution, my first official McKirk fic. I dreamed this baby up on a weekend morning and started writing, after years of admiring the folks in the fandom from afar. I am so, so grateful I did.

to @afterthenovels and @malionnes -- Anna gave me the prompt that became the fic, and Cait asked me the OTP meme questions that sparked me thinking about my own vision. Thank you both for getting me started.

To the USS McKirk folks: thank you for taking me into the fold. You are all so special to me. To mention just a handful of you:

@aishahiwatari and @demerite; best mods ever!

@aroacebones, for being the best partner in angst and never minding a 5 AM DM or fifty.

@lokilenchen and @excavatinglizard, both of whom surprised me with art for my later fic, both of whose talents amaze me every single day.

@better-late-than-nevah for understanding my desperate love for comments 😂

@spockats, my partner in word games, provider of medical knowledge!

@trek-tracks for the humor that keeps me going, and the sweetest words of praise a girl could want.

@sagesiren for loving Jewish Jim as much as I do!

@jenjiy for having the other half of the brain cell 😂

And to @fireinmywoods, thank you so much for giving us SIEL, a light in a dark year and the best communal experience I could have asked for so soon after officially joining the fandom!

I've said it before and I'll say it again: McKirk people best people. I'm so glad I fell in with you all. Let's keep it going a bunch more years. 💛💙

13 notes - Posted February 1, 2022

#4

"I'm Jim. … Which friend is this a favor for? I've been coming here for months."

“Christine. These shifts interfere with her nightlife, you see, and as she saw fit to remind me, I have none, so better I be the one to molder away in an underground transfusion center.”

“I liked Christine. But if she sees fit to abandon me to the whims of a grouchy Southerner, I might displace her in my estimation.”

A vampire and a necromancer have a chat at a blood transfusion center.

(Trektober 2022, Day Two: Vampire AU)

content warnings: Jim was turned into a vampire against his will by an intimate partner; there is a brief description.

14 notes - Posted October 2, 2022

#3

"I saw a girl this morning who looked like my mother. It's strange--I haven't thought about my mother in decades, but after I wrote about her, she appeared before me. Part of me wanted to speak to her, this girl who seemed like my mother, but I didn't know what I would say. That I turned out to be so much more than she expected of me? And so much less? That I'm sorry I spent the better part of sixty years barely acknowledging her existence? That I don't remember exactly when she died? "Of course, it doesn't matter at all what I would say to my mother if I saw her again, because I didn't. It was just a girl with the same copper hair."

You Feel It Just Below the Ribs, Jeffrey Cranor and Janina Matthewson.

16 notes - Posted June 3, 2022

#2

How little we know of ourselves at any moment; how distinctly human that is. There is such little grace given to the perfect messiness of desire. Even queers feel pressure to homogenize the experience into catchy slogans. The 'born this way' narrative, while politically expedient, has done untold damage to narratives of the queer experience, implying any number of horrible ideas: that you cannot move toward desire without some genetic component urging you to do so, that experimentation is inherently problematic, that you have to know your truest and deepest self to act on something. There were times in my adolescence where people asked me if I was gay and I said no, not out of a sense of self-preservation but because I truly believed it to be so. You can be a stranger to yourself; you almost certainly will be, at some point or another. It is inevitable, as inevitable as the moment of rupture that sends you hurtling toward the self you were always going to be.

from "Both Ways" by Carmen Maria Machado, her essay on Jennifer's Body in It Came from the Closet: Queer Reflections on Horror (ed. Joe Vallese).

25 notes - Posted October 4, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

desire to learn how to draw, if not well: losing

years of memories of art teachers telling me how bad at art i was: winning

30 notes - Posted January 6, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review #about me

[carnirat]

Intro:

Hello, my name is Jack, I'm 19, I'm autistic and have ADHD, and I use this blog pretty eclectically. At the moment, it's pretty heavily Fullmetal Alchemist focused. I post fanart and I guess analysis (?) posts about fma.

However, this blog is, at its center, a multi-fandom blog (and I guess whatever else I feel like). Most things I'm interested in center mostly around one character (Fullmetal Alchemist differs in that respect). I like Soul Eater (mostly Franken Stein), Doctor Who (mostly the 10th doctor), How To Train Your Dragon (mostly Hiccup and Viggo), Detroit: Become Human (mostly Connor), and a few other things but those are the main ones. I also reblog posts about disability, lgbt stuff, and other random bs.

Now for a few sidenotes-

If you ever DM me or try to initiate conversation or whatever and I don’t respond, don't take it personally. Strangers scare the shit out of me and responding is really hard. Bring up something fma related tho, and its pretty much guaranteed I'll respond.

I always read the tags people put on my posts, no matter how many notes I get. They're my favorite part of posting something so if you ever wanna say anything under one of my posts do it I love it.

This is specifically to Hohenheim lovers reblogging my posts and stuff. Just FYI, I fucking hate that guy. You can interact and stuff, just know that if you don't like people hating him, you sure as hell won't like me.

Organization tags-

All my art will be under #my art (this has been broken lately idk why)

Random pointless posts will be under #jack's nothing rambles

"Analysis" posts will be under the tag #my analyses

Answers to asks will be under #answering asks

DNI-

If you are: royed/heied/aled shipper, a f3t1sh blog, or k*nk blog, a pro-ana blog, maps, nomaps, or map variants, t3rf, troll, ableist, racist, homophobic, sexist, transphobic, xenophobic, anti-semetic, Islamophobic, truscum/transmed, support autism speaks and others, zionist (subject to change)

#my art #jack's nothing rambles #my analyses #answering asks