#this is extreme self indulgence and the dialogue is questionable but ALSO

[pinetreegoblin]

I have a silly and indulgent Very Important People fan theory:

Very Important People!Vic Michaelis is extremely insecure and lonely as shown by their dialogue throughout many of the currently released episodes. They seem down on their luck and frustrated by their lot in life especially in their career and their personal connections. They seem like the perfect character to go through a classic “self growth through a journey of meeting crazy characters” plot. 

Each of the characters seem like out of this world caricatures of people they could meet out in the world, and some (like Denzel and Vic’s Grandma), seem like representations of those in her actual life (I also have a fun theory that the dolls were her childhood dolls). Many of the characters themselves point out that Vic seems to be down on their luck and unhappy, and in some way preventing themselves from happiness. Off the top of my head, Vic has referred to their father being murdered, a divorce from their husband, and struggling to get a “real reporting career.” 

If I had to construct a story of how they got to this point I would say the death of their father pushed VIP!Vic into grief induced isolation and loneliness, which inhibited their personal connections as they were stuck in survival mode. The murder of their father inspired them to become a reporter, as an attempt to help other victims of violent crime, but they are struggling to find a foothold. Their unbridled grief and obsession with retribution for their father has put a strain on their marriage and their partner asks for a divorce. Maybe in their exasperation and the chaos of life they are spurred to follow a lead they have no business or jurisdiction to follow and they end up injured. It is in this injury they are experiencing this hallucinogenic state.

The VIP set itself feels very cultivated and its “old-fashioned” eclectic style gives it a vibe of a surreal manufactured reality. Each episode starts with Vic idly messing with some aspect of the set, before realizing the camera is on and putting on the reporter mask. In my memory, none of the people “on set” ever say anything, besides Vic and the interviewee, even when Vic audibly asks them questions. Additionally the cutting off to infomercials gives an uncanny feeling of parody, someone concocting the stereotypical formula of a show. Finally, there are the moments where there is an abrupt cut to a transition card from a more intense scene, almost to redirect the emotional plot. Overall, it has given me a kinda WandaVision vibe of a dreamlike state manufactured in VIP!Vics head in order to address their loneliness and disillusionment with life.

The closing question especially points towards this specific idea of VIP!Vic being stuck in this fugue state looking for answers: “What is the meaning of life?” This is both impactful if we go with the idea she is injured and experiencing this all in an unconscious state (almost "deciding" whether to wake up) as well as just in them searching for the next direction to go in their frozen life. What is the meaning of life amidst grief, loneliness, fear, and unfair circumstances? How can Vic find meaning? In creating this dreamlike fabrication, VIP!Vic is trying to recover and find a version of themselves who can live a more fulfilling life as they let go of the past which has held them back. “Remember to always be yourself, unless you'd rather be somone else” 

TLDR: Vic Michalis is having some sort of surreal, unconscious dream where crazy characters are attempting to help them heal from their father's death, their fucked up social situations, and to find meaning and happiness in their life. Through the interviewees eccentricities they teach Vic their personal meanings of life so Vic can find their own.

(This is all just to be silly, I know a lot of it is just stylistic choices of the show and the nature of the type of show it is, but I just love the show a lot and this little theory came to me)

#vic michaelis #very important people #dropout #dropout tv #vip #dropout.tv #this may be incomprehensible to anyone but myself #and is 100 percent light hearrted

[ddarker-dreams]

Hi! I have a question, you can ignore this if you want to but I’ve found myself really loving the way you write and the range of writing you can articulate as well. Speaking from someone who is nowhere close to that level of skill you possess, would you mind being able to explain your journey of writing, if you practiced any particular methods or anything else to get to this stage you are at right now? Unless you have been gifted the talent of writing from birth and didn’t need to try for much long or long enough to call it a journey. Could you also spare some tips and advice for someone who wants to start writing stories and what to look into/practice?

I love your work a lot and I am constantly waiting for the notification of your new posts, despite not being a writer myself I do love breaking down and analysing writing and your stories are always such good options for me to look into. Thank you so much for writing and sparing your time to produce such well done pieces of work — I felt extremely corny writing this, excuse me for this language, I promise I’m not a pimp!

THIS ISN'T CORNY AT ALL!!!! ❌🌽❌!!!!

i'm deeply grateful for all your kind words, thank you so so much 😭

i don't mean this in a self-deprecating way, but i've never considered myself a gifted or super incredible writer, i just get hype about story ideas and try to make them as good as i can. due to that, i start sweating when people ask for advice because i don't consider myself qualified... i do have a writing advice tag, but take everything i say with a grain of salt!! if it's fanfic literally all that matters is that you enjoy whatever you're writing.

i'm more than happy to share my writing journey though!! it's kinda fun to reminiscence.

i've loved reading and writing ever since i was a little lock. while thinking about this ask, it occurred to me that what i've always been the most invested in are the characters. i'd think about 275894275 different storylines with them. i didn't start writing fanfic until i was around 11 though, everything was handwritten. or in flipnote hatena.

i did a lot of fanfic writing from 11-14 buuuut then my interest in it kinda fizzled out. it wasn't until i watched hxh for the first time that i took it up again bc chrollo is that powerful. that's when i started conceptualizing HWR. i looked at my early writing folder, the first HWR fanfic i wrote was in 2016 when i was 15 ?? here's a cursed excerpt:

anyway, once i started making googly eyes at chrollo, it was gg. i've been writing often ever since.

what's helped me the most is to focus on the elements i find interesting. for example, i like fleshing out my MCs, focusing on dialogue, and developing a universe around the main pairing. because i enjoy this so much it's (mostly) always easy to devote time and effort toward it.

so i think it comes down to finding out what niches you like and working with those. some writers prefer to write with heavy prose, others are more succinct, some writers like dialogue, others prefer to be more action based... etc etc. this does require a little time if you're completely new to writing, but you know yourself best. you'll eventually pick up on what part of the story you're most excited to write.

this isn't particularly mind-blowing or anything but i hope it helps some 😭 what completely Altered my mindset was when i realized i can be as self-indulgent as humanly possible. cringe is not in my vocabulary. write a MC where every single character is in love with them if you want. write a 100k word fic about your OC being isekaid into x world. post about your f/os, draw art of you with your fav, go ham.

#ii have almost completely lost a sense of shame when it comes to stuff i like #i remember that the earth is basically on fire and ppl unironically listen to ben sharpieo #i will have fun with my silly little fics and no one can stop me #sweet asks #answered #Anonymous

[leolithe]

I always wonder how each Space Moms would react if the Tenno went on a stealth mission but ended up just killing everyone, and I mean like a full-on massacre: blood, gore, guts, chopped-off limbs everywhere, zero surviveors.

Margulis: Would be horrified and angry at the Tenno for this, herself for not protecting them, and Ballas for turning them into monsters.

Radiant Lotus: Would be disappointed and saddened by the Tenno's bloodlust but wouldn't give up on trying to help them overcome it.

Natah:

"FUCK YEAH! BATHE IN THEIR BLOOD, MAKE A MONUMENT TO YOURSELF OUT THEIR SKULLS!"

But thats just me.

OK i've been sitting on this ask for a while because I'VE THOUGHT ABOUT THIS BEFORE and "Space Moms + Bloodlust" is a very important topic that requires lots of thought and care for absolutely no self-indulgent lesbian-related reason at all

anyway the incredibly fun part about Natah and Margulis representing Sun and Moon/Yin and Yang is the fact that any, if not most, character traits applied to one guarantees that the opposite is given to the other

So yes, I agree that Margulis would react in the way you described. She's a character that rejects destruction* and she would see the Tenno's violence as completely needless and extremely concerning.

I also agree Natah would be just as into the bloodshed as the Tenno, if not more. She loves a good show of power because it functionally illustrates that you are not to be fucked with, and she is very proud that you can protect yourself physically and also psychologically when you're making your foes flee for their damn lives before they can hurt you

I'd personally swap the way Margulis and Natah speak about it though. Natah is a Sentient with all her flowery Sentient speech and metaphors; she'll be very classy about enjoying the way you dismembered a crewman, while Margulis will flip her shit and go "what the FUCK, Tenno?????"

inspired by their Angels of the Zariman dialogue where Margulis straight up just calls the Zariman "that hell". if any of the 3 Space Moms get to say the fuck word it's gotta be Margulis.

ANYWAY. Lotus + bloodshed. Lotus gives you weapons for anniversaries. Lotus praises you after you've killed an assassination target. Lotus says "Good work" after killing enough Infested to summon a Juggernaut. Lotus VERY MUCH encourages killing**, or at the very least, a thorough, purposeful session of it.

Knowing that she represents Acceptance in The Sacrifice and that she's more lax with her leadership by AoTZ, she's probably happy to let the Tenno do whatever they want. While Natah sees Tenno violence as a way to influence the enemy, Lotus sees Tenno violence as a zealous way to train their skills. Maybe she'll question your actions, asking you, "Tenno, is there something on your mind?" when you've like exhausted all the enemy spawns in the whole tileset, but she'll kinda just enable it and/or let you be.

HOWEVER, she is still a pragmatic mission leader, so what she WON'T appreciate is if the Tenno take too much time.

Ten minutes into massacre and chill and she gives you the "Tenno. Get to extraction" look. She'll hate it. She's absolutely not immune to impatience. She can excuse bloodthirst but she draws the line at being late.

*the destruction of others despite simultaneously destroying herself in her goal to prevent that destruction. i don't remember if i've made a post about this lol. something something one dichotomy between Natah and Margulis isn't Violence/Pacifism but rather protecting Yourself from the oppressor/protecting Others from what the oppressor has done

**killing of our major enemy factions. Natah, Lotus and Margulis won't let the murder of innocent civilians slide.

anyway good ask (thumbs up). i love thinking about space moms. keep em coming

#mailbox #leoframe #warframe #warframe lotus #natah #margulis

[melodyofthevoid]

Writing Wrap Up 2023

Another weird year, to be sure. Between finishing up school, job hunting, moving out, and all sorts of family things, it's been... a really slow year. It's a feeling I keep coming back to, this feeling like I'm not doing enough. Like there's some invisible deadline that I'm failing to meet. And that failure is what's keeping me from getting any enjoyment out of the works I do finish.

But that's not really... helpful, is it? Loathe as I am to admit it, focusing on what I did accomplish makes me feel better and it is worth celebrating, I think. Darn therapy actually giving me helpful tips and advice.

Now, most of what I wrote this year I shared exclusively with friends. Tbh this is both because it's all been pretty self indulgent OC stuff ngl, but also it's niche content for my DnD characters. But both Lorna and Alexi got some really excellent pieces, and Euripheus' origin/demise piece was another one I enjoyed doing.

Except for the part where I had to write an awkward family discussion/fight. Nearly did me in.

On a different note, Alexi's AU piece clocks in at nearly 10k words, which is the longest one-shot I've ever done. Bonkers. I really just wanted to torment him, huh?

Aside from that, I've been diligently chipping away at my worldbuilding documents, each of which is wildly different in construction/layout. Mostly due to their different reasons for being, and purposes. The OI one is the least developed as of now, but I hope in the next week to really dive into (hah) the nations and make those tangible cultures. My Fading Reflections one only really needs a timeline and some loose details added here and there.

The Sun/Moon game concept expanded to having a separate NPC doc, and I'm testing out how the dialogue could theoretically sound. In Stars and Time really inspired me, and I think it'll be a fun little side project as I side eye other things.

Then my big one, the Crane Wives Analysis. It's the first time I've ever done something like that and it really gave me a deeper appreciation for a band I already adore. 20k words over the course of the year, with half of those coming in November alone when I did NaNoWriMo for the first time! Not the traditional way that event works, but I completed all my goals, so hooray!

I also did nearly half of the Whumptober prompts I picked out, and am still doing those when I feel stuck.

I don't know where this next year will take me in terms of writing. I'm starting my new job, which while extremely exciting, does raise the question of Time. I'm on my own, going to have to do all the Adult Things™, and free time is definitely going to be at a premium. It does worry me, but I'll adjust (I hope).

So yeah! I'll attach links to some of my works below the cut, and wish you all a happy new year! Thanks for sticking around!

The Well Analysis

TCW: Singles

True Reflections (Magnus Archives Fanstatement)

TCW: Foxlore

TCW: Coyote Stories

TCW: The Fool in Her Wedding Gown

TCW: Safe Ship, Harbored

"Captive"

Bodies Are Business

Reassignment

#melody rambles #my writing #I'm sure there's some of y'all who've followed me this year who're reading this like #'they write? I just thought they posted memes about writing' #which is fair #Just really haven't had the drive to post my stuff that I've done #I'm trying to separate my need to write from my desire for feedback/responses ig #anyways #but I think my stuff is getting better on the whole

[t00thpasteface]

Two things:

1) Your art is very shaped and I love it, the colors are mwah

2) I have only ever watched people play Oblivion but your comic made me do a wiki deep dive because POTATO EMPEROR SON WAS IN A SEX CULT????? Don't ever change, Elder Scrolls

THANK YOU!!!!!! ヽ(✿ﾟ▽ﾟ)ノ

also YEAH IDK WHY THEY PICKED SANGUINE. like idk how else to articulate my thoughts besides a bullet list but there's a lot of layers there that make it an extremely bizarre and hilarious choice

Martin says JACK SHIT about what he actually did in the cult or what happened to it other than "uh oh it ended bad". the distinction that it was specifically Sanguine is NOT a load-bearing factoid. you could swap out the Rose with almost any other artifact and his dialogue would still make sense. he also mentions being in the Mages' Guild before leaving because he found their rules on magic too restrictive. again, NOTHING to do specifically with the Sanguine sphere. (unless maybe he was mad that the guild has a rule against fraternizing with your colleagues...? but you don't need to start a cult to start a threesome so idk)

the sphere of Sanguine and the questions he raises have nothing to do with the broader plot and themes of TES IV's main quest, which is overall about stuff like destruction, change, bravery, fate, friendship, doing what's right because of faith vs duty, and (gag) the divine right of kings. again Sanguine is NOT LOAD-BEARING. completely thematically irrelevant. sanguine has a very clear and defined sphere of "party til you're purple" and none of the philosophical quandaries surrounding debauchery even make a guest appearance in the main quest's plot

similarly, Akatosh as a divine is completely divorced from that sort of sphere. not in that he's opposed to it, but in that, as the god of time, he has literally NOTHING to do with the issues of temptation, self-denial, moderation vs indulgence, sexual deviancy vs purity, etc. Mara and Dibella have a stake in that, and even Arkay would in that there's an argument to be made about living your life while you have it, but again Akatosh is just not in that conversation. he's the time god and the father of dragons/dragonborns. i genuinely don't think he gives a fuck of a shit about whether you've shot up in a gas station bathroom

MAYBE there's an argument to be made about how the idea that Martin is a changed man can be connected to the idea that change (Mehrunes) and the passage of time (Akatosh) are inevitable, but again, the fact that it's specifically Sanguine is not important. literally any other daedric cult could have the same effect. Martin makes no comments about petty grievances like getting freaky before marriage (i.e. doing a 180 specifically on the Sanguinite ideals) because he's too busy trying not to die.

there's an artifact in ESO called the Death Dealer's Fete and it's a ring sacred to Sanguine that apparently lets you just fuck nonstop without getting tired. this isn't here or there but i feel like it's worth mentioning because it's fucking hilarious to bring up in discussions of what the hell was Martin doing in there

#sorry for long post i think about this FUCKING CONSTANTLY #shebbz shoutz #tes #oblivion #martin septim #anon hour #ask

[primewritessmut]

for the recent ask game: 4 and 5, A Particular Set of Skills? (my current lifeline)

I write A Particular Set of Skills on a wing and a prayer, and a heaping spoonful of self-indulgence so it’s awesome to hear that people enjoy it!

4. What’s your favorite line of dialogue?

Literally any line of dialogue where Wade devolves into a horny teenager trying to hump couch cushions to get off. They are all so funny to me.

I’m also partial to dialogue where Peter/Cricket puts Wade in his place but is also maybe, kind of flirting? It’s hard to tell with that guy.

“Anyway, I thought the dossier said extreme prejudice.”

“Did you write that on there in Sharpie?”

“If I did, there’s no one to know because I disposed of it like a good girl.”

“Somehow I doubt you’re a good girl.”

5. What was the hardest to write?

It’s so funny to me that you paired these two questions together because the dialogue-only chapters (and just dialogue period) are BY FAR the hardest parts to write in that fic. The whole reason I started writing Spideypool was to get better at snappy dialogue and banter but it’s still suuuuch a struggle for me. Any time I sit down to write dialogue, my brain empties of every word I’ve ever known and every human interaction I’ve ever had.

Plus, getting across the tone/feeling I want using only dialogue and no exposition is incredibly difficult. I have never spent so much time trying to figure out which words to emphasize in a story as I do with those chapters.

#ask game #a particular set of skills

[effie-trinket]

20 Questions for Fanfic Writers

Ty @ezracomehome for the tag 😘

----

How many works do you have on ao3?

38

What’s your total ao3 word count?

156,652

What fandoms do you write for?

whatever is floating up the river to me that day. lil bit of this, lil bit of that. ;)

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Playdate - 890 kudos

Of Flowers and Numbers - 736 kudos

Accidents Happen - 422 kudos

Of Microwaves and Dodgeballs - 414 kudos

The One With the Single Room - 377 kudos

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I never know if I should or not? Idk I was better at it on ff.net because the reply/inbox method worked better in my brain than how it goes on AO3 but if it's an indepth review/comment I try and reply these days

What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Published, I can think of something's not right which was thg and not the happiest

What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

most of them tbh I love happy endings xD not sure what defines "happiest" because it's different for all

Do you get hate on fics?

I have historically, but as mik said it was definitely more on ff.net than AO3. Most of it has been easy to ignore overall.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I do but not often, partially because of the ace part of me that doesn't entirely get it from an emotional perspective lolol. I'm most comfortable with F/F but can reasonably (I hope lol) write F/M.

Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

LAWL do stargate sg1/atlantis ones count? xD

Otherwise I don't think so? I've written AU's that have taken place in a different fandom universe but that's the closest.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of so fingers are crossed that is still true

Have you ever had a fic translated?

I have! With permission, thankfully - which is all I ask tbh. :)

Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

I bounce ideas off of other writers/friends but never officially cowritten.

What’s your all-time favorite ship?

idk if I could choose just one !! part of me wants to say it would be a Stargate ship like Sam/Janet because Stargate is always the ultimate series for me but I feel like I'm biased bc I'm currently obsessed with them again. If this was the me of like ten years ago I would have said Swan Queen which is what I have written the most for but god OUAT and I are forever sworn enemies I just want to bully that series the way it bullied me. I'm going with Sam/Janet just because currently I would die for them.

What’s a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

I have a really good Friends with Benefit AU for Ivanova/Talia that I really want to finish and get out. A Soulmate AU for my bois Ted/Trent. A Heroes AU for Sam/Janet. Nothing has been published but I know they're waiting to be finished.

What are your writing strengths?

crack

but for real, funsies stuff is my fave. Also AUs, I excel at going in depth in my thoughts for them.

What are your writing weaknesses?

the serious stuff/angst tbh I just want to imagine it I don't want to put it into wordssss

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I enjoy when there are translations in the end notes for when I'm reading it but I also will otherwise put it into a translate service. I guess when writing I will keep it to simple phrases I know more than like full sentences? I'm not sure I have a strong enough opinion on this tbh

First fandom you wrote for?

zoowemama 100% was stargate - it was terrible and I'm so glad I have improved since because it was purely self indulgent but I think my first like ten fics were stargate, with maybe a twilight one or two.

Favorite fic you’ve ever written?

my extremely self-indulgent THG AU with Hayffie in the stargate universe. I just wish the stargate universe was as popular of an AU for other fandom works but alas that is what I get for falling in love with 90s scifi !! but this was so much fun to write and put easter eggs in and it was one of the first ones I wrote purely for me and less about what amount of hits/kudos/reviews/etc.

----

no pressure tags: @janetfraiser @ellanainthetardis

#demora's chats #demora was tagged #this was fun i like tag games #and writing reflection

[grassbreads]

Fic asks 2, 4 wrt An Act of Trust, and 30

Thank you for the ask bestie!

2. Go to your AO3 “Works” page, to the sidebar with all the filters, and click the drop-down arrow for “Additional Tags.” What are your top 3-5 most used tags? Do you think they accurately represent your writing habits?

My top two are "alternate universe—modern setting" and "post-canon," which absolutely represent my writing habits accurately. After that, it's just a whole bunch of different tags that are all tied at two uses. To pick some highlights, I'd say the "one shot" tag and "fluff" and "angst" being right next to each other all represent me pretty well. "Christmas," however, not so much.

Honestly now that I think about it, oneshot should probably be my number one most used tag. Apparently I just forget to include it more often than not lmao.

The other two questions are under the cut :)

4. What detail in An Act of Trust are you really proud of?

Personally, I'm extremely fond of all of Vanitas and Noé's back and forth dialogue in the beginning before the stitches. Vanoé have such a specific vibe when they're snarking at each other and I think I managed to capture some of it there :).

30. Have you ever written something that was out of your comfort zone? If so, what was it, and how did it affect your approach to writing fic thereafter?

Y'know I honestly can't think of any of my published fics that are particularly out of my comfort zone. I'm fairly confident as a writer, I think. More often than not, if I have an idea, I just go for it and let whether or not I finish the damn thing be the arbiter of whether it's meant to be. Also, to be honest, a decent majority of my ideas tend to be ideas for post-canon fics or modern AUs, and as established, those are very much my wheelhouse.

However, I do have a work in progress that I'm almost certainly never going to actually post, and that one falls into the out of my comfort zone category pretty solidly.

About a year ago when I got covid and was confined to my bedroom for weeks, I ended up writing a big chunk of an mxtx crossover fic. The premise, since I was purposely being as self-indulgent as possible, is that the main couples from all three novels basically rewatch their life stories together and bond over it. And when it's each main character's turn to star, three more characters from their world show up for the ride. And it turns out, accurately characterizing eleven characters at a time in any scene is, uh, fucking hard. Just including eleven characters period in a given scene is hard enough from a blocking standpoint.

The thing turned out to be really hard to write, in other words. Also, recapping the entire plotlines of three long web novels plus reactions is an insane undertaking. I realized pretty quickly I was never gonna finish the thing.

However! I do still work on that fic. Even knowing that I'm probably never going to post more than a few excerpts, the process, though hard, is fun enough that I can't leave it to rot. Every once in a while I pick it up and add to it a bit, to the point that it's now my third longest fic at just under 9k words. (I am not a longfic girl lol).

So anyway, tldr, the lesson learned from getting out of my comfort zone is that sometimes it's worthwhile to work on things you'll never publish or finish just for your own enjoyment :).

#to be honest I sometimes think about like. sending a friend/mutual or two links to the google doc where I'm writing that crossover fic #but aside from a few small excerpts that I think are funny. that's the most publicity it's ever getting #it's for me :) #anyway thank you for the ask torterra! this was fun. #ask #torterrachampion #invasion of the frogs

[chthonic-cassandra]

For the ask meme: 7 - 15 - 19 - 20!

7. how does receiving or not receiving feedback/support impact you?

This is a really interesting question. I've never written the kind of fic for which I've reasonably expected a lot of readers/attention, but posting fic in particular is of course for me fundamentally about wanting to share something I've created and have it impact others, and when I do get positive feedback/support on something it moves me a lot. The nature of the types of fandoms I write in and the types of stories I write means that I tend to have a pretty high hits/kudos ratio, but don't get many comments, which I'm mostly at peace with; I don't make a lot of meaning out of not receiving comments, though like any fic writer I love to receive them. With exchange fic, where I'm trying to write for a specific person, I'll feel good if I get an enthusiastic response that shows I really hit the mark on what they were looking for, and a little sad if I get the sense I didn't manage.

The fact that I got back to writing Compromise after my tremendously long hiatus on it from 2015-2021 had a lot to do with the smattering of comments I got over the years from people who said that they continue to come back and read the series and feel excited about it, that they understood that it might not ever be finished but hoped that it would. Those comments wouldn't have been enough to make me start working on it again if I wasn't clear about the fact that I had more to say, but knowing that there were people who continue to be invested in my characters and story was large part of what made it feel worth it to resume. It's a pretty emotionally risky series to post in certain ways, and so whenever I do receive positive/supportive comments on it I really take them in.

15. How do you think your writing as improved over time?

I think I've gotten a lot better at pacing and creating narrative tension. Most of all, though, where I think I've most improved is in finding a balance between restraint/subtlety/withholding or implying things while at the same time letting go of self-consciousness around writing things that are more extreme/self-indulgent/etcetera.

There's also just something to be said for increasing maturity and capacity to convey characters and relationships with nuance. Thinking about Minor Initiations, which is a Dracula fic I wrote back in May 2009 that includes a lot of the same elements of these later sections of Compromise (sorry everyone, it's all Compromise all the time in my head right now) - there's the tension with Mina and Jonathan both struggling with how they see each other while adapting to life in Dracula's castle, there's all the Mina + brides stuff, there's the contrast between domesticity and violence. In "Minor Initiations" everything is louder; the psychological dynamics aren't developed as gradually, so they're less convincing; the brides are more caricatures; the violence (including sexual violence) isn't actually any more extreme than what happens in Compromise, but it's more sensationalized and less visceral. (Also I use the terms sadism and masochism in dialogue anachronistically. Whatever, younger me.)

There's something really quite cool about being able to directly compare the way I have written (roughly) the same premise at different times in my life.

19. If you could write an ideal fic, what would it include?

Ideal fic for me as a reader or as a writer? An ideal me!fic for what I consider to be my strengths would of course be about people dealing with tangled traumatic relational dynamics, with a lot of atmospheric imagery.

I wish I wrote more sexy femslash, though. I don't consider myself very good at writing sexy things, except sorts of queasy, edge of erotic vs horrific traumatic bonding stuff.

20. What’s the greatest gift you’ve gotten from your writing?

So much! My writing, including my fic writing, has helped me make sense of and put words to my inner world. It's let me play with different ways of understanding experiences I've had, trying them on from different angles. It's helped me feel connected to other people.

#amarocit #on writing #my writing #compromise series

[swiftzeldas]

1, 22, and 25 for the fic meta meme?

Tell us about your current project(s)  – what’s it about, how’s progress, what do you love most about it?

I'm working on a The Terror reincarnation AU, specifically a Little/Tozer reincarnation AU wherein their resurfacing memories of what happened to them on The Terror strains their modern-day relationship because they're confused and scared - honestly I don't think I'd write a Terror modern AU unless it's something like this, where the events of 1846-1848 are still EXTREMELY relevant (well, never say never, but). Progress is, I would say, BAD at this point because I drive myself into tizzies worrying about little details about HOW things work and WHY, and then after I figured that out I made the poor decision to put them on a fishing boat in Scotland, and I don't know anything about boats so I'm struggling through the beginning of it. But I'm TRYING. What I love most about it is finally getting to write Tozer and especially Little (the last Terror fic I wrote I wanted to include a lot more of Little but it was too self-indulgent so I had to kill my darlings, that fic was Not About Him) and also it's really fun imo to try to transpose historical characters into modern day and see how they behave, what's different and what's the same. I also am a sucker for Terror modern AUs that call back to canon and so I really am excited to find the opportune moments to insert some lines and imagery from canon, and for a reincarnation AU it's fun to do that bc it's not solely fanservice (not that there's anything wrong with that I love fanservice!!!), it's actually plot-relevant to have these callbacks from the past echoing through their present. (i have read so many terror modern aus that have Little proclaiming himself "the worst kind of sorry" and I go batshit every time and I WILL be doing that myself in this fic, just to feel something)

22. Do you reread your old works? How do you feel about them?

I do reread them! Usually more the more recent works, but I do go back and read them! Generally speaking, I like them, even if I can see things that I would change now if I could. If I REALLY hate something I just delete it from AO3, like if I can tell my heart wasn't in writing it there's no reason to leave it up. But yeah, I reread, sometimes to remind myself that I'm a good writer, sometimes to remind myself how I wrote a similar scene before, and frankly sometimes because my own content is the only thing filling the specific niche I want to see filled!!! And also it's just kind of cool to see my own progress.

25. What part of writing is the most fun?

answered here! but also I enjoy writing dialogue a lot. I think I'm decent at it most of the time. I also like trying new things (new genres, new styles) and I can see it working out! Idk I just really think writing is fun? The only time it's NOT fun is when I'm struggling to the point of having trouble getting words down on the page.

(questions are from here)

#ask #jensmisha

[gible-love-nibles]

S Q U I D for the ask game maybe :D

Funny Squid guy

(Ask meme from here!)

S - Story - if you and them were in a fairytale, which story would you be and who would play which character?

Ok this one is REALLY interesting to me. I assume they mean a well-known story, something like Little Red Riding Hood.

Squid doesn't really strike me as the type to indulge in that kind of thing; he'd probably keep it "classic". Classic as classic can get: a knight saving a princess from a dragon. Squid would want to be the dragon who gets to crush the puny little knight >:] Maybe I'd be the princess, maybe I'd be the knight.

Q - Quirk - what’s a small, unique thing they do that you noticed, appreciate, or just find interesting? conversely, what quirks do they notice about you?

Squid's got a lot of talking quirks I've noticed from listening to his voicelines both in and out of game. I guess when you have over 1,300 unique lines of dialogue, patterns will inevitably crop up.

He has a little habit of voice-cracking every once in a while.

"You will need someone to solve these silly problems for you!" "I'll just play dumb and play along until one day my genius plan comes into fruition." "I just know leveling up is extremely fun for humans!"

He pronounces "universes" by really emphasizing the "uni-" part ( like u-knee). This also applies to "unicorn".

When he gets really excited or emotional, you can hear his voice going really high in pitch or even start to glitch. I can't get over when you hear him really laugh; he has no right being that cute.

(Rest are under the readmore because I don't want this post to stretch too far down)

U - Uplift - how do they help you when you’re stressed or sad and vice versa?

Puts me in gay baby jail /hj

To be more serious, Squid already made an "anger management" room in-game, so he'd probably bring me in there and watch from a distance. He's not great with encouraging or comforting words that don't sound manufactured, but getting me away from the thing that's stressing me out/making me sad or just being in a different place and doing something else helps.

I - Image - show us a picture of them that gives you a lot of feelings. if they aren’t a visual character, describe your mental image of them!

When you first get to the timed laser level and he's like, "Come on, let's party!"

The uwus that dropped on my head like a BRICK-

That's one and there's. A lot more I can think so, just gonna say that one.

(I know it asks for an image but, without the voiceline it doesn't make much sense)

D - Danger - which of you is more likely to get into trouble? how well does your f/o handle danger?

Who is Squid not in trouble with HYGFDFGTHY (me, and everyone else who self ships with him)

I feel the whole game addresses this question: when he's in control, Squid does all he can to quash and destroy it. When it's out of his control, he'll go down kicking and screaming.

#i answered the question #ask meme #ronnie 💞! #listen to my heart and hear that breaking sound 💔👾 #this is a really interesting meme i like it :]

[intellibrain]

Skool Plus Workbooks- Preparing for Olympiads since 2020

Books have been a predominant feature of learning throughout our schooling years starting from the initial years of our schooling. However, when we take a glance, we observe that these same old-school black and white books made the entire process of obtaining knowledge so dull and boring for kids. Clearly, substituting these monotonous methods of learning with a more active mode of education is the need of the hour. 

With a focus on application-based and creativity-enhancing modes of learning for the kids, India's New Education Policy, which was unveiled in 2020, has radically transformed the education system. The NEP New Books ensure cognitive skill development, practical application learning, critical thinking and problem-solving skills. 

ALLEN Career Institute, maintaining its astounding legacy of more than 34 years in the education industry, has introduced an exceptionally productive form of learning. With the help of their unique childhood development initiative ALLEN IntelliBrain, it has launched a series of workbooks for kids that are aligned with the recommendations of the NEP.  It has also developed creative programmes and educational materials for kids between Grades 1-8. These unique products are built on the edutainment philosophy, which makes learning a simple and enjoyable activity for the kids. These workbooks offer to help kids develop the appropriate Intelligence Quotient (IQ) & Language Quotient (LQ) for their future success. 

ALLEN IntelliBrain has also launched Olympiad preparation books for kids from Grade 1 to 8. Olympiads are a series of competitive exams for students in school. These are held on a national as well as international level, and are meant to promote competition among the students with similar academic level. 

The Skool Plus workbooks consist of several question banks and test modules along with a concise chapter wise summary of all the topics that a student needs to be prepared for the Olympiads. These books have been developed not just to help a kid crack one exam, but to serve a long-term goal. The inclusion of eye-catching images, infographics, short yet informative dialogue boxes, mind maps and charts leaves an impression on young minds and therefore enables them to understand the concepts deeply, and remember for a longer period of time. There has also been a contribution of development experts, pedagogy experts and global content researchers in creating these workbooks. The Olympiad books for kids helps them develop an approach that would prove to be beneficial in a long-run. Some of the skills developed through these workbooks are: 

1. Independent Learning:  The kids can track their own progress and be self-aware about how much they are covering. These books come with a progress tracker which can be easily handled by the kids to learn independently and smartly. 

2. Brain Activation : The workbooks have the kind of thought-provoking and illustrative questions that activate the brain in a manner that proves good for a kid's logical and analytical growth. 

3. Speed and Accuracy: The question banks are formed in a way that makes the students extremely efficient at problem-solving, time management and strategy building. 

4. Real-Life Application: These workbooks help kids not only understand the theoretical aspects of the given concepts, but also make an effort towards relating these to real-life experiences by giving examples and activities. Hence, making learning more practical and engaging. 

5. Developing Competitive Temperament: The workbooks make the kid ready to face the competitive exams and develop their skills according to the environment that they will indulge in during the test. 

6. Confidence: By exploring and mastering something new, kids also develop confidence and this automatically boosts their decision-making skills. 

With the initiative to follow the NEP structure and provide the kids with the best preparation workbook, Skool plus has proved to be the most innovative and promising platform which is breaking boundaries and introducing new ways of learning. More than a thousand parents are preferring Skool Plus workbooks, so give these to your kid, and observe the change in their approach yourself. 

#ALLENSkoolPlus ALLENIntelliBrain OlympiadWorkbookforkids #NEPNewBook #nep aligned books #nep books

[writingbyricochet]

Happy Storyteller Saturday! What's your favorite part of writing? For example - character creation, plotting, dialogue, etc. What about your least favorite? - @amapofyourstars

Hi there!

Relationship plotting is my favorite. I'm a very self-indulgent writer so I always give all of the relationships in my writing my favorite tropes, thereby those things very fun to write. It's also a good study for me on individual characters, thinking about how they would react to different situations, etc. I also love worldbuilding. Sometimes it's difficult but other times the spark hits just perfectly and everything comes together.

My least favorite part is planning. It's a constant battle between my impatience to just wing it and write off the fly and my obsession with research and details that slows everything down. A lot of the times I'll have the basic plot sketched out from beginning to end, but only certain parts are extremely fleshed out.

Thank you for the question!

#sts #writeblr games #answered

[sersi]

WHAT IF… Natasha Romanoff, Sam Wilson, and Steve Rogers Retired Together ✨

#marveledit #steverogersedit #samwilsonedit #natasharomanoffedit #elysia makes stuff #**elysia's gifs #**elysiaedits #steve rogers #sam wilson #natasha romanoff #ot3: shared life experience #1k+ #au things #this is extreme self indulgence and the dialogue is questionable but ALSO #it is hard to communicate poly energy via screencaps where there's usually only one or two of them without it 🤡 #and it's been a long panini and i do not have the energy to be particularly ashamed

[sparxwrites]

More self-indulgence, but in my defence I was asked to this time (by @florfering​). Without further ado: “yours were the arms (that the whole world was in)”, director’s cut edition. Once again, significantly longer than the fic itself. Whoops

You can find the fic in question here on tumblr or here on AO3, sans commentary.

Mumbo is not surprised when, the morning after Scar’s death, Grian runs away from the Southlands’ little trust exercise as soon as he’s been passed the life.

Martyn’s indignant squawks follow him as he flees, and Impulse gives brief chase, but Mumbo doesn’t bother. He knows exactly where Grian’s going. And he knows that Grian, even odds or better, will be back before long.

Opening gambit/premise here is that Mumbo and Grian know each other very well, and have known each other for a long time, and are in an… established relationship, of sorts. Of the “we’re soulmates/blood brothers and also we sleep together and maybe we’re a bit in love” variety, I think; they’re not platonic, by any means, but the basis of the relationship is this deep and abiding sense of a bond between them or a “meant to be by one another’s sides” kind of thing, and the sexual/romance component came a little after they’d already kind of ended up tied into one another.

Which makes this whole fic a weird kind of semi-wordless relationship negotiation, with Grian being like “hello, I found a man, can we keep him” and Mumbo evaluating whether he likes and trusts Scar enough to allow this. There’s a reason I tagged the thing “polyamory negotiations” on AO3! Do love me some relationships that are complicated and atypically-structured but still extremely deeply-felt and meaningful.

He’s even less surprised when Grian returns that evening, looking furtive and ashamed, and guiding a golden-eyed Scar by the hand through the still-rigged front gate.

The hand-holding is important here. I don’t know exactly what happened between “Scar died” and “Grian got another life into him”, but I do know that yellow Scar is uh… lightly traumatised, by the time they get back to the Southlands. Certainly still kind of actively in a shock response. So he’s vulnerable. This is not cool, collected, in control Scar – this is Scar who does actually kind of need Grian physically leading him, because he’s kind of dissociating out of his head a bit currently.

(Some of this is also because I subscribe to a theory some people have tossed around where Scar’s jump into the lava was at least partially intentional – both from a “I’m so fucking lonely and my attempts to buy friends didn’t work” perspective, and on a “Etho I’m going to go red deliberately so I can wreck your shit” perspective. Which is dialogue from Etho’s pov ep.5 that cc!Scar, interestingly, cut from his pov. Either way, I think c!Scar “slipped”, where it’s ambiguous even to him how much was him genuinely fucking up and falling into the trap and how much was him wanting to lose a life/punish people. The minute he hit the lava, though, he sure as all fucking hell regretted it, though, because burning alive hurts. So that’s another layer to the trauma-shock.)

The gate still being rigged is also important here– this is where Scar died! This is the site of his current trauma! And of Grian’s trauma, because that scream of “Scar!” was… whoof. It was something. So there’s a kind of mutual comfort going on here, as they navigate through the site of Scar’s death on the way back to what Grian considers safety. Scar physically requires Grian’s help, is very literally in Grian’s hands; and Grian needs the reassurance that Scar is still there, still with him, still safe.

It’s also very important you know that I’m imagining Mumbo as having like… pulled a deck chair over to the gate immediately after Grian left, and basically just sat in it all day, waiting for Grian to come back. Even when the others were saying no, Grian’s gone, Grian’s betrayed us, Mumbo just shrugged and smiled and waited.

“Look what the cat dragged in,” he says, without any malice, and Grian jumps. His wings flare, the feathers puffing up – expected, a standard Grian startle response. He steps between Mumbo and Scar, weight distributed evenly between his feet, his centre of gravity dropped in something that might be almost a fighting stance – less expected. Novel. Concerning.

Mumbo knowing Grian well enough to very automatically and immediately read his body language is kind of central to the fic. A lot of their “negotiation” in this is through this weird little dance for two they have going on, where every movement they make towards each other is imbued with immediately-understood meaning and symbolism. Scar isn’t privy to this language (which contributes to the issues later in the fic), but for both Mumbo and Grian there is a whole dialogue happening here, largely without words.

“Oh.” Grian relaxes when he realises who it is, though only a little. The feathers flatten again. His wings stay half-flared, though, and he stays in front of Scar. He still hasn’t let go of Scar’s hand. “It’s just you. I thought you might’ve been Martyn, come to–”

He makes a motion with his free thumb, a jerky slash across the front of his throat, and grins. It doesn’t reach his eyes.

Grian, deflecting from having genuine emotions and/or fear by making jokes or being facetious? Must be a day that ends in “y”.

Jokes aside, Grian is anxious. He doesn’t regret stealing the life, doesn’t even really care about Martyn or the other’s reactions to it, but he does value Mumbo’s feelings and good opinion of him. And he’s worried he’s fucked that up, and/or that Mumbo’s going to tell him that Scar can’t be in the Southlands – because then he’s got to chose between the two men he loves, and he really does not want to have to do that. Because he’s not sure who he’d choose, and that terrifies him, because it says something about the depth of the emotion he feels for Scar that he doesn’t really want to confront yet.

Mumbo sighs, and crosses the space between them to press a kiss to Grian’s temple. “Welcome back, idiot,” he says, fondly, and his chest warms at the way Grian’s eyes flutter half-closed, the way Grian tilts his head into the brief press of lips against skin. “I’ve been waiting for you all day.”

I’m a sucker for small and meaningful gestures of intimacy. Mumbo’s is, apparently, a kiss to the temple. It’s another part of the “weird little dance” I talked about earlier – it’s ‘just’ a forehead kiss, but Grian has the context to interpret it as forgiveness and intimacy and a reaffirmation of their bond, and responds accordingly by absolutely melting into it, even though that’s technically an ‘overreaction’ to a fairly ‘platonic’ kiss.

“I’m sorry.” And then– “I’m sorry, Mumbo, I know I shouldn’t have, but– I signed a contract.” There’s something pleading in Grian’s voice. Something that doesn’t sound like a contract at all.

Grian, yet again, deflecting. “I signed a contract” is way easier than attempting to articulate “I spent a whole world at this man’s side, and then he betrayed me, and then he knelt before me and offered me his throat and I refused to slaughter him like a lamb, and then I beat him to death with my bare hands until I was covered in his blood and left alone in an empty bloodsoaked world with the sinking feeling that he let me kill him, and now I don’t know what the fuck that means because he’s here again and he’s alive and I still love him and I still feel guilty and I am absolutely refusing to acknowledge or process literally any of this”.

Scar, behind him, has not said a word. The hood of his wizard’s robe is still up, pulled low over his face, leaving only golden eyes and the faint suggestion of lips visible through the shadow. His scars – old, pale, diagonal, cutting through one eye, through the other and the bridge of his nose, across his cheek to brush just right of the left corner of his lip – are invisible in the low light, but…

Aaaand we’re back to Scar’s reputation management habit. He’s less self-conscious about the aesthetics of the scars – he’s already got plenty of those – and more shying away from what they represent, i.e. the trauma of his recent death and the feelings/intentions associated with that. They also represent, visually, to other people, him “fucking up” via “falling” into an obvious trap that he’d already fallen into once – which is incompatible with the smooth and competent businessman thing he’s trying to do.

(I think, also, the respawn not working perfectly is… significant, from the perspective of the characters. I talk a bit below about my half-formed thoughts about the respawn being something semi-sentient for a generous definition of sentience, and the characters are aware of this, that it’s a thing that to some extent makes choices based on its own weird logic. So for Scar to have marks left from his death means that death was– significant. It wasn’t a silly accident, or a mistake, it’s got meaning to him, enough so that the respawn decided it should permanently mark him – which, for something that was ostensibly a silly slip into an obvious trap, raises some really uncomfortable questions from the the others for Scar that he really does not want to answer. Or have to think up a convincing lie about.)

When Mumbo squints, he can just about make out something red, something angry-looking, something with the texture of melted wax, crawling across Scar’s face towards the corner of his right eye. Towards the right corner of his mouth, half-pulled-up in what might not be a wry smile.

Something something Scar’s little smirking half-smile as a salesman’s affectation, part of his mask, now made permanent – and how that permanence/lack of voluntariness changes the emotional valency of it, both for how he feels about wearing it and how other people interpret it.

I enjoy writing about characters getting long-term injuries/disabilities/disfigurements that are really significant, not just because anything like that is significant, but because it interacts with something that is a really core part of themselves in a way that forces them to reckon with how they’ve constructed their own identity. Scar’s one is to do with how something that was part of his mask is no longer something he can take off at will; it changes the way he feels about his performance, because it’s less fun playing a part when you can no longer entirely drop the act at the end of the play. It changes the way people read the performance, too, because it’s obvious to everyone else that the smirk is involuntary – so it’s no longer a signal he can lean on, since people now read pity and lack of agency into it rather than competence and confidence.

“Hey, Mumbo,” says Scar, and when he smiles his salesman’s smile, the right side of his mouth hardly moves. His teeth flash white in the dark. His voice has the usual lilt to it, all effortless and easy charm, but it’s hollow in the middle, empty down to the bones. Dead inside. “I’d apologise for dropping in on you so unexpectedly, but I’m not sorry at all, so I won’t bother. And besides– I had an invite.”

Unfortunately, even a traumatised and shocky Scar is a bit of a cocky arse, even if the tone of voice doesn’t quite land. Maybe especially so, given he currently feels under threat and that’s a defence mechanism – but it’s also just how he is. Man’s got compulsive swagger in his bones.

Mumbo does not miss the way Grian’s fingers tighten around Scar’s hand. Does not miss the way Scar’s fingers – burns there, too, flowing down from his wrist over his pinky and ring finger – go white-knuckled in return.

Trauma bonding! Again, I don’t… entirely know what happened between Grian leaving the Southlands/Scar respawning and the two of them returning with Scar on yellow, but I don’t think it was easy for either of them. This is also dragging up a lot of weird unresolved stuff from both of them left over from Third Life, and the way that ended for them, which neither of them have dealt with or acknowledged – they might not even realise that’s why they’re so fucked up over it, to be honest, but it’s there. Looming over both of them.

“I made a promise, Mumbo,” whispers Grian, wretchedly, and that– that sounds closer to the truth.

Grian translation: I can’t help loving him. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I tried not to, and I thought I could avoid it, but I can’t, and you need to understand that it’s not my fault. It’s involuntary. It’s out of my hands.

“Move aside, Grian,” says Mumbo, with a sigh. “I’m not going to hurt him.”

Mumbo translation: Can you stop being an idiot for like five minutes oh my god. I still love you, and I’m not angry you love him. I just need some time to process this,and evaluate what this means and how we can make this work.

Grian moves aside. He lets go of Scar’s hand, and Mumbo takes that as the sign of trust that it is.

Scar takes it as abandonment.

Again– Grian knows Mumbo, trusts him, has read into Mumbo’s small gestures throughout the conversation to know that the negotiation is going well, and uses a small gesture to reciprocate that trust.

Scar, however, doesn’t have the context to read that gesture – he’s not privy to the language Mumbo and Grian are speaking, and in fact probably has no idea about the enormous amount of subtext going on here re: relationship negotiations. He’s only reading the surface cues (Grian is anxious, Mumbo has said he’s not angry but done little to prove it, Grian is letting go of him) rather than the actual conversation: Grian is anxious about Mumbo accepting that Grian loves Scar, Mumbo has repeatedly demonstrated that he’s not angry and is willing to be patient and still loves Grian, Grian is reciprocating Mumbo’s extended hand in the face of Grian’s “betrayal”/“bad behaviour” by stepping back to let Mumbo and Scar negotiate on their own terms without his interference but with the assurance that Mumbo won’t hurt him because Mumbo understands how important he is to Grian.

So– Grian sees this as an extremely meaningful gesture, a huge show of trust, something very safe. Scar sees it as “oh god my comfort blanket has just been dragged away from me and a guy who has absolutely no reason not to kill me is approaching me”. Whoops! (What can I say? I love a bit of subtle miscommunication.)

He doesn’t run, doesn’t so much as flinch, but there are suddenly whites all the way round his golden irises. Mumbo can see them, as he approaches, wet and reflective in the dark. They flicker yellow-orange in the torchlight, his pupils blown wide and dark with adrenaline.

When he knocks Scar’s hood back off his head with the brush of a single knuckle, Scar doesn’t flinch, but his eyes are full of fire.

This is just me hammering on the theme of Scar-and-fire-slash-lava as hard as I possibly can, because sometimes you’ve got to be dramatic and poetic and lean in a bit.

The torches cast a strange, dancing light across his new scars. The burns cover the right side of his head, hair gone and replaced by fresh, glossy skin in silver and red all the way up to his temple. The warped tendrils of it reach towards his eye, across to his mouth, down below the neck of his robe. His lip is tugged up at the corner by it, his mouth twisted into a permanent half-smile. His eye seems spared, though – unharmed, like his full left side.

The respawn’s strange like that, sometimes. Capricious, in what it decides to take from you. In what it decides to leave. In the marks it decides you should bear.

I’ve got an ongoing Thing that I’m still working out re: creative mode and respawn and a variety of other game mechanics as… deities, ish, but in a very abstract and intangible and inhuman sense. Kind of a cross between the fae and an eldritch abomination, but without a body and with an even more fucked sense of humour/justice.

Creative mode will just straight up fuck you up, eat you hollow from the inside out, don’t touch that shit with a barge pole unless you’re an admin and even then be careful – but even with the respawn, which is much less… whatever it is that creative mode is, there’s a risk every time you use it, in terms of a price it might decide to take. Especially on a server where death has been made more meaningful than it usually is, because the respawn (like all the other partially-sentient game mechanics) interacts with the meaning placed on the death by the player more than anything about the mechanics of death.

(Some of this comes from the requirement of explaining arbitrary game mechanics, either enforced via mods or by player obedience, when you’re writing “serious” fanfiction – such as why you can sometimes have limited lives, especially in the context of e.g. Dream SMP, where there’s three lives but deaths only sometimes count and there’s not really any good rules about what kind of deaths count. Some of this comes from my old Yogs headcanons where I was playing around with such typical themes for Minecraft roleplay fanfiction as “what makes a god versus a monster” and “what makes a person a person” and “apotheosis as a faustian bargain”, and ended up writing a fic series with creative mode as a secondary antagonist. Some of this comes from the fact that I, unfortunately, as a person, start reading belief systems into absolutely every space I can possibly find, and I am in love with the idea of double-edged swords and being part of something bigger than yourself whether you want to be or not and confronting the fundamentally unknowable and accidentally shaping reality by telling the same story enough times, even when you’re not aware you’re telling a story.)

Mumbo sighs, again, and presses the same kiss to Scar’s temple as he had to Grian’s. Though he’s gentle, steady – even when his lips press against waxy, burnt skin, alien to the touch – Scar flinches as though he’d been struck by lightning.

More micro-gestures! This one’s a demonstration, for Grian, that Mumbo’s accepting Scar – into the Southlands, yes, but also in terms of “I acknowledge he’s important to you and I’m not going to fight that and I’m not going to make you choose, and I will care for him and learn to care for him because he’s important to you and I love you.”

The placing of it on the burnt temple is also important. Mumbo’s correctly identified the burn as a point of Concern for Scar, even if he doesn’t fully understand it, and therefore there’s other layers to the gesture that can be read in – an apology for helping create the trap that killed him, a reassurance that the burn scar doesn’t bother him (an incorrect analysis of what bothers Scar about it, but a reasonable assumption), maybe the slightest edge of a powerplay in the sense of “you will be vulnerable, and I will be kind to you while you’re weak, but remember that if you try anything – especially with Grian – I can hurt you”. But mostly the first two.

“Easy,” murmurs Mumbo, for his ears only. “Easy now.”

And another micro-gesture, this one just for Scar, because now he’s agreed to “adopting” Scar, they need their own language too; need their own space, without Grian’s influence, because you just slapping another person onto the side of an existing dynamic is recipe for disaster. This is a first step towards working out how the two of them dance together, whether Scar realises it or not – and I think he probably doesn’t, because as good as Scar is with manipulating narratives, he’s pretty bad with people/“uncontrolled stories”.

Scar exhales, unsteadily, and dips his head in what might be a nod. “Yeah,” he mutters – twitches again, when Mumbo settles an arm across his shoulder, before leaning ever so slightly into the touch. Something in the motion of it reminds Mumbo of fresh-tamed wolves, eager for affection, fearful of violence, bristling with recently-feral pride. “Okay, okay, I get it. Behave, etcetera etcetera. I’ll play nice. I promise.”

Scar, again, misinterpreting things. Wilfully misinterpreting? A bit. But also the guy genuinely has zero idea that this whole thing is an elaborate relationship negotiation. He’s vaguely aware there’s a layer to the conversation he’s missing, but he assumes that it’s a “hey so Scar can stay, right, and you’re not going to kick me out for stealing a life, right?” which… yes, but it’s also a “and I might be a bit in love with him, but you’re my boyfriend and I love you, but also I don’t think I can stop loving him because I tried and it’s not working, and I don’t know what we do with this”. Which gets answered with a “I still love you, and I’m not angry, and I don’t mind you loving him, and we’ll see if I can learn to love him too”.

(At some point Mumbo’s going to refer to “my boyfriends”, and Scar’s going to be like “wait, who’s the second one”, and Grian is going to lose his shit laughing. Because, oh yeah, whoops, we forgot to tell Scar we’d adopted him as a third.)

(…For bonus comedy points, this happens after they’ve all slept together several times.)

That’s not what Mumbo meant, and he thinks Scar knows it. But he’s done enough pushing for one night. Instead, he opens his other arm, jerks his head in Grian’s direction. “Hey, Grian. What’re you waiting for? Get over here!”

Grian slots under his arm gratefully, easily, like he was made to fit there. It loosens something tight in Mumbo’s chest. “So you’re not going to dob us in to Martyn, then?” he asks, cheekily, a note of genuine worry buried deep enough to be barely audible. “I’ll make it up to him somehow, I promise, I just– I knew he wouldn’t say yes, if I asked, so–”

Weird ways in which Scar and Grian are the same: they’re incapable of just asking people for things. Scar because he doesn’t really have any friends, because he just has no idea how to make them and refuses to be emotionally vulnerable, and therefore would have to go and ask “strangers” which seems very intimidating; Grian because he bleeds emotions everywhere all the time, which hides the fact he does very little actual vulnerability, because he’s a little bit terrified of what might happen to him if he puts his heart on display out of an awareness of how damn tender the thing is, and therefore doesn’t want to ask because oh god what if he gets rejected.

It���s probably why they like each other so much. It’s probably why Mumbo ends up being so soft towards Scar in this, too, despite initially having good reason to be standoffish – reminds him of someone else he’s very fond of.

“Martyn decided that his loyalties lay elsewhere, whilst you were out on your rescue mission,” says Mumbo, with remarkably little bitterness. It’s hard to feel bitter, with Grian pressed warm against one side, Scar pressed fever-hot against the other. “So you’re safe. For now, anyway. You know how he gets about revenge, and all that nonsense.”

Something something the symbolism of Scar and Grian showing up hand in hand and waiting for Mumbo’s judgement, and now Mumbo between them with his arms around both of them.

Also more Scar/fire-related imagery, which is apparently my OTP for this fic.

“Yes,” says Grian, like he’s won something, which is an entirely inappropriate and entirely Grian response. “So Scar can have Martyn’s bedroom, then, is what I’m hearing.”

Look. I love Grian. I love all three of them, and their tenderness, and the subtle little relationship negotiations going on here. But Grian is fundamentally unhinged, especially in Third/Last Life, and refused to have a normal reaction to discovering one of his friends was a traitor. Horrible little goblin.

Mumbo hums, non-committal. “He could,” he says, and thinks of Scar and Grian, hand in white-knuckle hand. “Or we could drag the bed into our room. Sleepover time.”

Mumbo said Okay Maybe Scar Goodtimes Is Hot Actually. Maybe he gets a bit of “sleepover”. To, y’know, help with the trauma.

(Less flippantly, Mumbo’s explicitly acknowledging that there’s some trauma-bonding going on here and that maybe Scar needs a bit of safety and stability to get him through the night. Scar Goodtimes gets to keep his emotional support Grian, as a treat.)

“Oh!” Grian perks up at that, the top of one wing nudging against Mumbo’s elbow. Mumbo doesn’t even need to see them to read the body language written there; they’re traitorous tell-tales, every time, and he knows Grian like the back of his own hand. “Oh, a sleepover. My, my, Mumbo. How forward of you! What do you think, Scar? Are you willing to risk your good name and virtue to have a little Southlands sleepover with me and Mumbo?”

Scar shrugs one shoulder, and says nothing – but, for the first time since he walked through the front gates, that strange new half-smile of his reaches his eyes.

See, Scar genuinely thinks this is just a weird Southlands thing and/or a joke, and that Grian’s being hyperbolic. Grian is uh… not being hyperbolic. (Though possibly not for that very night, given fucking someone recently traumatised whilst they’re still partly in shock is a bad idea and also bad manners.)

#last life #last life smp #hermitshipping #scarian #grumbo #life smp tag #life smp fic #fic #florfering #i wrote about 50% of this today instead of working lmao #priorities!!!!!! #anyways here have me brainrotting about these three a little bit harder and more explicitly #and also being back on my apotheosis agenda like i always am #but only a little bit #meta #director's cut

[lestwritewhilewaitingforajobcall]

The Spark That Split the Seas - Poseidon x Reader x Thor

(A/N)

Hey guys I’m back! I’ve been grinding hard for a new character that I’d gotten in this game, Genshin Impact, so I’m sorry for the absence! Anyways, as always, I want to thank you all for the support on my past two stories and on my account, I truly appreciate every one of you! On a story-related note, since I’d mentioned on my previous post that I had a lot of Poseidon x Reader x Thor fics written in my drafts, I decided to post one so you guys could also join me in the feels! Any feedback would be appreciated! This was originally shorter than the final story you’re seeing now, as I’d first only written their dialogues, but as usual, I excitedly itched into making a story out of it!

This is for entertainment only. Record of Ragnarok belongs to Shinya Umemura, Takumi Fukui and Ajichika. I also do not own you, the reader.

The Spark That Split the Seas

Poseidon x Reader x Thor

For more than all the millennia the gods and other species alike had known the lonely kingdom of Atlantis, never once did the crashing waves gave way to the chirping of the largest Albatrosses until now. Otherworldly flying creatures joined with the familiar exclusively earthly ones in enjoying the ebb and flow of the ocean, albeit this time, the hungry ocean appeared more satiated and seemed to follow a regular pattern ‘from sudden crash to a long calm, to crash again then back to another lengthy calm;’ life in the sea rejoiced in this odd occurrence.

Beautiful yellow sun rays poured through the stained-glass windows, casting a kaleidoscope pattern on the large interiors of the kingdom ruled by the god of the seas, and catching the reflection of his nonchalant visage. The long, elegant dining table filled with every kind of seafood delectable imaginable also fell victim to the light, along with a figure that sat down opposite, whose invitation was clear.

Hidden from this heavenly atmosphere were the prying eyes of a little messenger bird who stood unobtrusively behind one of the tall pillars near the far end of the room, halting his slide just in time to witness this miracle:

The living bearer of the most fearsome title, the ruler of both this grandiose palace of the most precious gems and coral and all the oceans and waters, the almighty Poseidon, though against all reason and self-proved authority whatsoever, against the epics of Greek poets, was indulged, seemingly willingly, in the pleasure of having another’s company. In the shadows, Hermes’ red eyes shot wide open in shock.

Poseidon, the ever abrupt and rude god who had deemed most beings to be below him, received a guest, a still breathing one at that.

What in the gods’ name?

In a tone of haughty contempt, a grunt escaped from Poseidon’s lips. Finishing chewing the last bite of delicious food in your mouth, you nodded your head in earnest agreement with his point. Your next words were uttered with the firmness of an old sage who had all the answers, your beliefs shaped by the countless lifetimes you had lived.

“Existing is painful.” Your shoulders bobbed with your chuckle.

Although Poseidon felt a small measure of relief−a feeling that by habit had always been easy to brush-off with a condescending thought, his face betrayed nothing as his stoic features remained still. “If you agree, then why not allow me to kill you this instant?” As if to emphasize his strength, the crashing sound of dreadful combat between waves and rocks rang in the air, and you almost wished that a low rumble of thunder accompanied it, finding beauty in its loud peals, and additionally giving a volume of inspiration to Michelangelo below.

Despite your gaze being unrequited, you were sure you had the god’s attention. Since arriving here, Poseidon noted that your expression had always been smoothed into a calm, smiling one. “If you had intended to kill me, we would not be having this conversation right now.”

Poseidon sat rigid and silent.

“It’s a comfortingly tragic drama, my circle of life. I may not have been lucky to acquire a life as long as that of the gods, but I have definitely lived more times than you have.” Your words were so nonchalant, for a second there Poseidon thought you were kidding.

“That is for the simple fact that you mortals are weak, pathetic.” Lips as pink as young petunias touched the clear edge of the wine glass as Poseidon’s eyes closed, content to give over to listen.

“Yes, we are.” You paused. “But because of this frailty, we learned to adapt, evolve.”

“There is no need for evolution if you are perfect from the moment of conception. Hence why gods such as I, will always be above you.”

“You’re correct. Humans will never become gods after all,” Again, Poseidon found himself absorbing your words like a sponge. At the same time, he experienced an occasional sharp prick at the edge of his emotions, as if signaling him to pull back. “The same as gods will never become like humans.”

“Extremely foolish of you to think that trash is worthy of the shiniest Orichalcum. Your race has been created by us, for us, and will therefore always be inferior.”

“Humans are inferior in all aspects, this, is a fact. It is hence no accident that there is a history of rebellion and consequently, a false notion of superiority. But to be able to look beyond this, is to understand that we never truly intended to surpass animals nor the gods themselves. The nature of our desire: everything was meant for either survival or man’s search for meaning.

“We are by nature flawed and inconsistent creatures. And as you have no doubt seen for yourself as well, despite reaching all our goals, achieving our wildest dreams, we have never reached a position where satisfaction is achieved.” Keenness made your words sound almost heroic. There was a twinkle in your eye and a lilt in your voice, and Poseidon found that now he had a much clearer picture of your reputation for an irrepressible desire to see what is beyond your reach as you questioned: “If I may ask, as I have seen the gods share this sentiment of looking for meaning, do you feel an inkling of the same?”

When Poseidon had put the wine glass down, he hesitated a moment, his supposedly closed mind wavering between doubt and certainty. He would never come to understand this, nor admit to feeling this dissonance, but at last, he shook his head at his consideration, trying to reduce the unpleasantness he felt by the same way he had always used to get out of extremely rare difficulties.

“Do not disrespect me, mortal.” He knew himself that it was an empty threat.

“Those were never my intentions.” You bowed with great respect, but there was at the same time apparent in your manner the consciousness that while Poseidon would never in any way confirm your statement, he did not necessarily refute it. Your heart rose in gratitude as you regarded him with a look of affection, believing in your intellectual companionship.

“Lord Poseidon, as the fearsome god of the seas, what is the meaning of life for you?” The god surveyed your reflection in one of the golden plates, and maybe it was because he had acted in a charitable way towards you, but he saw brightness, a refreshing difference, as if there were no heavy shackles to weigh you down.

“My husband has always been in search of a worthy opponent. What about you?”

It was like a pin came dangerously close to the rational bubble of Poseidon’s beliefs. But then your words penetrated his mind, and he berated himself for almost falling prey, yet…

“Perfection.” Poseidon blurted out loud, full of self-indulgence, but uncomfortable with the thought of pity reeking from his pores, a role that was clearly uncharacteristic of him.

Tilting your head, your brows meshed inquisitively upon hearing this. “This presents the conundrum; you are already perfect, as should all the gods. Since you have explained, gods have always been pristine, perfect, the moment you all were born.

“So, if you have already achieved the meaning and purpose of your life, what is there left to live for?” There was something entrancing in your guileless form, and Poseidon was displeased that another should feel such an interest in your wise, unguarded character. “And if gods have already reached perfection, why is there an endeavor still for the dross of earth?”

For the first time in Poseidon’s life, he was receptive of contraries. Not one single time, had he ever been in the position where he listened, much more considered the act of interpretation. What he said goes, but for some frustrating reason, he was coming to terms of mutual respect; whenever he was sitting opposite you, chin in hand, the more he caught the flame.

Quickly, he stopped that train of thought and he seamed his mouth, stoic. Only his eyes betrayed a spark of defiance. “Stop asking ridiculous questions.”

Again, you bowed. “I apologize if I have overstepped such boundaries.”

“You better be.” With a look of eager inquiry, Poseidon asked, “Why are you not afraid of me? Is it because you are confident Thor would protect you?” One thing that distressed him was that the more he was alone with you, the more he saw your hands, always ungloved, noticed the wedding-ring on your finger. That closed circle excluded him, his face registering the insult. “As expected from a repulsive weakling,”

“No. I know he would be there for me whenever I should need him, and also the times when I don’t.” You said still a smile on your mouth.

Although you were unaware of the eagle eyes that were watching your every move, you had the instinct. You did not need all the information, and you had nothing to hide. Your shoulders were loose, back wasn’t ramrod straight and you exuded a carefree attitude. “The sole reason why my fears have dissipated is because perhaps, I enjoy your conversation.”

To say this whole exchange took Hermes by surprise would be an understatement. After the initial expression of shock, he laughed lowly.

You continued, “I have already accepted your beliefs. No one is entitled to those except yourself.

“If I were to die from imparting what my beliefs are, that is simply fate, a tragedy, but nonetheless, fate. Of course, I would try my best to avoid disappearing from this lifetime, seeing as I have made a promise with my husband, to continue to fight for my life, shall needed, until the very end.” Poseidon’s grip tightened the slightest bit.

“I believe that despite our obvious differences, we are simply two being who each have our own unique experiences that shape our views and beliefs. For hundreds of millennia, I’d seen calamity from all angles; mainly conflicts over a universal truth,

“But so long as there are questions, there will never be one solid concrete truth. And I’m okay with that.” You concluded.

Compliments never rolled off Poseidon’s tongue easily, since in his view they were nothing but hollow words. But this time, he could hardly slip a word in bad taste. He thought it pleasant to hear you, but it could not distract him from the uninvited presence in his throne room.

“You’re a heretic.” His usual strong voice beckoned your attention, discerning the sternness on the table of his expression to be forced. No matter, you had just enough of a last glimpse to see his face looking younger in repose.

“I have been labeled as such.” You noticed the unique rhythm of the crashing waves seemed to have settled along the sand grains, and you admitted it was so beautiful and timeless.

“You’re dismissed.” Poseidon believed in being straightforward with affairs. Since the conversation has ended, the final interchange of words was not likely to be a substantive one. Though this was his original reason, the face at the forefront of his mind right now was not yours but Hermes’.

You stood up and curtsied to show your gratitude. “Very well. It was splendid to be in your company this afternoon.”

Blue eyes followed you as you began walking away, and he watched you until you went out of sight when you began to ascend the Skíðblaðnir, a ship so completely reserved only for you by the Kingdom of the Norse. Then Poseidon’s ears turned toward the messenger’s direction.

Hermes quickly dashed to Poseidon and knelt to greet him with such a great respect akin to the expectations all elderly gods have always expected of their younger ones.

“We gods are perfect beings from the very start; therefore, we do not plot schemes nor engage in disagreements.” The implication registered with a jolt, and Hermes felt his mouth open as the real reason for your invitation became clear. He fought the urge to look at where Adamas had died brutally as a lowlife, not failing to recognize that this was the exact opposite of that faded history.

Finding quiet when Hermes immediately left, the god of the seas stared at his dominion, taking deep breaths of the air, not feeling the normal icy sting carried by the ocean. Over again he dwelt upon in his conversations with you, interested to find out if the Norse god of thunder had been able to sustain a similar type of conversation.

The very first quiver of interest sparked through Poseidon and though he did not recognize it nor perceived it, he understood the most important things, the only ones he ever needed to:

You did not seek validation nor attention. You had no fear of death, neither of the hardships of life.

Your depths of wisdom were unparalleled throughout the realms, which he would comment on its wasted potential, however, he knew Hermes already understood that part of it.

And the god of messenger did, as the word got around slowly but surely:

“There would always be those who dare to brave the ocean’s roar, but there was only one who withstood it.”

#poseidon x reader #thor x reader #snv x reader #snv poseidon #snv thor #shuumatsu no valkyrie #snv poseidon x reader #snv thor x reader #record of ragnarok poseidon x reader #record of ragnarok x reader #record of ragnarok #record of ragnarok thor x reader #poseidon x reader x thor #snv poseidon x reader x snv thor