#took me a while to realize that the different scenes actually fit together

[yanderestarangel]

HEADKANONS MK1 | DARK!TRIO LIN KUEI |"-How would they react to the reader, on another man's lap? Do they have feelings for the reader."

TW: dark concept, yandere themes, violence, unhealthy jealousy, light smut, gn reader.

✧ BI HAN ✧

Bi Han would enter without even seeing half of the scene, if you want to fuck like an animal you won't be in the same place as this man. He would feel betrayed and would quickly take you away from the random ninja you were flirting with and practically fuck him there, you would look at Bi Han in disbelief as he would quickly silence the man in front of you with an armbar. You cried, you knew the grandmaster's feelings but didn't want a relationship, Bi Han was like a platonic friend to you but he didn't really understand that, leading to the situation you were in now, sitting on Bi Han's lap while the man generated a small ice knife by placing it on the unconscious ninja's neck and smiling coldly in the process.

"-Well, at least he's not dead...yet." -Bi Han spoke while placing small kisses on her neck. He wouldn't touch you there, but fury consumed the man, he would arrange a small favor for Sektor later that night, promising you that the ninja would not die, for being a Liu Kuei, and would get home safe and sound if you agreed to go out with the oldest. You innocent actually believed the empty promise. Sektor got rid of the man who was coldly killed by Bi Han, while the man angrily said that you were his alone. Well, you never heard from the man again and now you were in a "relationship" with the grand master.

✧ KUAI LIANG ✧

Disappointed and angry. Kuai fell in love with you in a short period of time, you filled his heart with hope and your light warmed him. He really blamed himself for not saying anything to you before that fateful scene. He would even get your attention and that of the man you practically mounted, you seemed indifferent asking him what he wanted. Liang would talk about how you were being a bitch in a fit of rage that would lead to the man you were kissing lashing out and being knocked down by the man with a simple punch. You stared in disbelief and he told you how different he thought you really were from other people, leaving you and the man there as Kuai Liang walked out of the bar, punching anything in front of him. He would try to make amends, if you accepted, he would give you his point, telling you how special you were and deserved better. If you believed Scorpio's talk, good for you, he would take the easy way out, break up with the man you were with and date you, trying to have a healthy, normal relationship. Or you could just ignore his feelings again and just find yourself in some lonely village, in a room with Kuai in front of you, looking at his small body sitting uncomfortably in a hard, disgusting chair. "-I'll make sure you only smell like me from today (Y/N.)" - Kuai said as he took off his shirt and threw it somewhere.

✧ TOMAS VRBADA ✧

Sad and confused, but with a lot of fury. He will see the scene by chance, the poor guy was just looking for you for training for the next mission the two of you were doing together, until he saw you practically taking off your clothes and kissing an unknown ninja. He really didn't want to believe it. He loved you, he knew you and him were never anything more, but he considered you two practically boyfriends. He would practically cry there, but with one caveat, the anger would consume him. Smoke would go after the man, taking you off of him and repeatedly punching the stranger, your screams were nothing more than something distant to Tomas, who only stopped until he saw the man passed out and disfigured. He would come towards you bloodied saying he didn't understand why you didn't choose him, Tomas looked deep into your eyes while crying saying he always loved you and you never realized. You were in shock, the man reeked of blood and tears were streaming from his now dilated, terrifyingly blue eyes. You hugged him thinking about what you should do with that practically dead man there, while Vrbada cried in his lap. He would stay with you too. He would fuck you hard and mark you all over. In front of the injured man who was groaning in pain on the couch, you would just let Tomas continue his touches while looking at your own reflection in the wall mirror. When Tomas finished, he promised you that he would take care of the man and told you to wait for your new "boyfriend" in his car. You learned that unexpectedly the man you liked was found dead in a ditch the next day. And now Tomas and you were dating. "-I'll never let you go, you love me, right (Y/N)?" -Tomas spoke with a psychotic look, squeezing your hand tightly.

#yanderestarangel #afab reader #mortal kombat #tw smut #mortal kombat fandom #mortal kombat fanfiction #mk1 #kuai liang headcanons #kuai liang #kuai liang x reader #bi han sub zero #bi han x gn reader #bi han x reader #bi han mk #tomas vrbada headcanons #tomas vrbada x reader #tomas vrbada mortal kombat #smoke tomas vrbada #tomas vrbada #smoke x reader #kuai liang x you #mortal kombat imagine #dark smut #dark concept #yandere themes #yandere mortal kombat #yandere concept #yandere fiction #yanderestarangelheadcanons #mk1 x reader

[itzjustmonikas]

Some short cute scenarios of the octavinelle trio relating to magicam! (Jade,Floyd, Azul x reader with no specified gender)

-Jade runs one of those foraging accounts you see on YouTube where he shows people different types of plants/fungus. He gets especially excited talking about his collection and how he tends to his plant babies. Most viewers first started watching him for his voice, hands, and appearance but stayed for the information. One day he asked you for some help with transporting a pot/harvesting a rare plant and got you on video. You didn't think much of it at first and just went on with your day, but when he uploaded the video his fans were all commenting, asking who you were because they liked your voice and found it rare to see someone other than Floyd in the videos. He responded in the next video by saying “That’s a secret~” and people start speculating and talking about who you might be. You end up making more appearances but your face is never shown as Jade wants to keep his beloved all to himself~ and well, he is amused at his fans reactions and want to keep them guessing ;)

-Floyd is canonly very caught up on the latest trends and fashion. He has a big wardrobe and buys alot of different clothing items and accessories. It definitely costs a lot of money so Azul suggested for him to be one of those influencers that post their fits in order to get brand deals to support that lifestyle. Floyd agreed and is actually interested in doing it consistently, he eventually gets pretty popular on magicam because of that and gets invited to a high end luxury brands fashion show. He initially didn't want to go but found out that you liked the brand so he took the offer and brought you with him. You guys got dressed in matching outfits and went to the show together and go viral for your matching outfits and how compatible you both look. Floyd especially for his eyes, tallness, and unique appearance but you also looked very gorgeous alongside him, had great chemistry. Brands end up sending Floyd loads of clothes for upcoming couple lines and you guys ended up with lots of pictures and some fond memories together~

-As you spend more time in NRC you and Azul have gotten closer, chatting often during passing period and collaborating on projects. He was initially cautious of you and did not think you would become such a special and important person to him. He loves your kind words and feels as if you really understand him, he is still scared and a bit hesitant on telling you about his past. Will you decide to turn away from him like the others or will you accept him for who he is? He hopes for the latter...regardless, he wanted to show his gratitude for you by taking you out on a date to watch that one movie you've been excited about recently. You guys plan it out and go to to the theaters together, snacking on popcorn while giggling together at the funny scenes. As you guys walk out, hand in hand, a few people see you guys and end up snapping a pic of you two together because you guys just look so good! None of you realized because you were both enjoying the moment and excited to talk about your thoughts on the ending. Once you guys got back to the dorms you were bombarded with messages from Cater talking about how you and Azul went viral online. You were shocked and went to notify Azul who also just heard the news, both of you ended up reading through the trending tags and comments. You both blushed at the compliments you guys got, such as:

"they look so compatible", "the way he looks at [insert pronouns]>>>", "I love their outfits", "omgg the chemistry between these two", etc

People were wondering if you guys were upcoming models or something and were comparing you guys to known couples from dramas/television. It was an unexpected event but brought you guys closer in the end~

I am a first time writer so please bear with me if I made any mistakes, I am open to constructive criticism and hope you guys enjoy!

Let me know if any of you guys want a part 2🫧

#twst #twisted wonderland #Azul #Jade #Floyd #azul ashengrotto #jade leech #floyd leech #twisted wonderland floyd #twisted wonderland jade #scenarios #headcannons #fluff #x reader #azul x you #azul x reader #floyd x you #floyd x reader #jade x you #jade x reader #twisted wonderland yuu #imagines #twst imagines #sfw #character x reader #twst dorm leaders #twst octavinelle #octavinelle #the little mermaid #leech twins

[goneahead]

I was tagged by @radiowrites and @stephmcx thank you♥️!!

Hi! I am @goneahead on tumblr. I am also goneahead on A03 and goneahead over on dreamwidth (see links in my pinned post - my internet has gone wonky again)

So, this was definitely not one of my better years. I have three WIPs and while I plodded away at all three, I was never happy enough to post new chapters.

What’s really sad is I finally hit 1 million words posted on dreamwidth—and then I pretty much struck out this year. I’m mostly posting this cuz I think its good for newer writers to realize that yes, even experienced writers have years where things just go all pear-shaped.

My grand total for fanfic was: 1,513😳

I don’t keep track of my poetry word count, but I started the year writing poem #926 and ended the year writing poem #947

Total Number of Fanfics: about 150

Total Number Of Completed Works: this year? 0

Total Number of WIPS worked on this year: 3

How Many WIPs do you still have: 4

Looking back, did you write more than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you’d expected? Much less. In fact, this year was pretty much a bust.

Did you take any writing risks this year? Well considering I spent all year writing three fics and wasnt happy enough to post anything….

Biggest Surprise: I would love to say I was surprised at how little I posted, but I am a disorganized idjit and—yeah. nobody is shocked.

Biggest Disappointment: see above😆

Do you have any writing goals for the new year? Finish Home verse. Let’s see how that goes….

Fanfiction Questions Below! (if you don’t write fanfiction feel free to skip or rework the questions for your original works.)

Fandoms I’ve written in this year? Hawaii Five-0

Your most popular story of the year? sadly, I didn’t post a new story, just a poem and a tiny addition to another verse.

The story that was easiest/or most fun to write? Still enjoying my MIB AU. Now if I could actually finish it…

Hardest story to write: Lead Me Through the Fire from 2022 was one of those fics where all the different pieces of the plot had to fit together just so. I spent more time than I’d like to admit second-guessing myself on how I arranged the chapters.

Your sweetest funniest story: I have a soft spot for Hawaii Five-0’s Eric Russo. The character is very funny and often wildly inappropriate. I wrote a scene in one of my WIPs where Eric is just soooo Eric

Your saddest scene: I didn’t write anything sad this year.

The sexiest moment you’ve written this year? again, nada.

Your favorite tag: diplomatic javelining😆

Most unintentionally telling story: hmmm. I can’t think of anything too revealing in my fic? Except a tendency to write too many AUs?

Are any of your fics named after/heavily inspired by music? Yes. A lot of my fics have their own playlists and that music definitely influenced those fics. I don’t usually share these songs—or name my fics after songs—because I listen to a lot of obscure stuff most people have never heard of.

What’s your own favorite story of the year? I continued to get a lot of interesting and thought-provoking comments on Care and Feeding of a Super SEAL this year. There are many amazing fix-it fics for S10xE22 written by insanely talented writers—so its crazy and humbling that people are continuing to read and comment on mine.

Fanfiction risks you took this year? sadly, none.

My favorite part of fandom this year: We had new people join our fandom!

You know, I really don’t get what has happened to fandoms these last few years. It used to be that fans just shrugged and continued to write, create, and have fun—even their fandom didn’t have any new content being made. Am I the only one who thinks its weird that most fans now book it for the nearest exit as soon as a show is canceled or a movie series is over?

letsee, tagging um, @cowandcalf @bennyokelly @itwoodbeprefect @stellagioia @redgoldblue

#answered #h50 #a03

[mollysunder]

Everytime it Wasn't Swain

After rewatching Arcane, I decided to make a list for everytime Swain was almost there. You thought he was being alluded to, but he wasn't, it was actually something else. Or was it?

1. The Crows

Swain has ravens, not crows, there just happen to be a suspiciously large quantity of crows, for a port city, instead of seagulls. As the show went on, the arrival of crows became synonymous with Jinx's presence and vice versa. It's not hard to see why, crows are intelligent and naturally social birds that do well in urban ecosystems, they just have a mixed reputation as good and bad omens. On a narrative level, the presence of crows does have interesting implications. Crows and ravens are easily confused for the other if you don't know what to look for. And the more I read about Swain, the more I notice that he and Jinx (in Arcane) are similar in some regards. Not just the fact they killed and maimed their family members, that's not uncommon for League backstories for some reason. From a storytelling standpoint, they both serve as living embodiment of their respective nations, good and bad, that other characters have to react to. And it was their actions that changed the trajectory of their nations.

What's even more interesting is that crows and raven in real life don't get along, they're incredibly territorial and avoid one another. If they do cross paths, crows are more likely to pick a fight with ravens. Despite the raven being bigger, crows band together in large groups to fend off ravens from their nesting areas, sort of like they harass them away. Food for thought.

2. The Man Named Jericho but not Swain

This one was cute. It took me a while to realize that they both had the same first name, except Swain has a last name, which is Swain. The first time his name was mentioned was when Vi and Caitlyn were on the search for Silco, but Vi was really on the search for Jinx. Funny enough, Jericho's apron and pants looks like the Jinx's outfit. I know plenty of people wear pinstripes in Zaun, but the black triangle with the 'X' in the center was pretty on the nose. On one hand this shot could foreshadow the way Jinx's actions come between Caitlyn and Vi. On the other, that's not as fun, and I want to know if this makes Jericho a Jinx stan! Seriously, maybe it's another hint at the way Zaun and Noxus are similar threats to Piltover, just in different clothes. Or Swain's a Jinx stan too!

3. The Palette Portrait

I've watched Arcane more than once and never managed to see it before, and wasn't too sure it was Swain until I outlined the figure myself. There he is long white hair, red magic hand, widow's peak, and sharp profile. In context, this is part of the scene where Mel is aggressively painting while Jayce apologizes for leaving her alone in bed the night Viktor collapsed. It's the first time Jayce and the audience sees her paint, and is essentially one of the first moments we get to see a part of her inner life. In this exact shot she says, "There's a lot you don't know about me". I'd say pretty on the nose to say this is foreshadowing her past connections to Noxus. But there's small things that are off, for example, Swain is draped in red rather than a severe black. And his face is dark while he's a white man, the color choices actually fit Ambessa more than Swain. Another fake out? Or maybe it means that there's no difference between people like Swain and Ambessa in the grand scheme of Noxus' war machine.

All in all I found three times Swain's presence was almost confirmed, but instead was something or someone else. There was always one or two details off to make it so. Each time there was an "almost Swain" connection, it was usually in association with Jinx or Mel, a cast member actually from Noxus. Swain, or at least the concept of Swain, seems to haunt the Mel's past and Jinx's future.

#arcane #jinx arcane #mel medarda #jericho arcane #jericho swain #swain lol #you know the saying #once is chance #twice is coincidence #third times a pattern #jinx making zaun look untenable as a future colony to ward off swain and noxus in general #maybe this is the last time I mention Swain finally

[shall-we-go-far-away]

okay, okay ep. 5 & 6: holy shit that was one hell of a ride wasn't it? (maybe whoever is reading this also saw my panicked posts from wednesday, yes I was losing my mind)

I'll try to do this as structured as possible but I can't promise anything so prepare for it to be just as all over the place as wednesday's episodes.. get ready, buckle up I have a lot of things to say:

first and foremost: FUCK YOU TAEHYUNG!! I was trying to be nice last time giving him a second chance and all because yk, I thought maybe just because he was annoying once, doesn't mean he has to be all the time but fuck was I wrong.. is he genuinely so stupid that he doesn't realize how his words affect jaewon or does he just straight up choose to ignore it?? or is it simply the mixture of both because wtf dude?? this guy is so blinded by his jealousy it's crazy like bro, how about you try and make it less obvious?? and considering how angry and uncomfortable he makes me (and jaewon) I was sooo glad jihyun and aeri were there and so happy to see they quickly picked up on how jaewon reacted and then decided to team up against taehyung (rightfully so)

especially jihyun (my cute little bean) was so attentive the entire time he really took one look at jaewon and immediately recognized something was off.. and because he was watching him so closely his reaction to jaewon slamming his hand on the table came almost naturally

moving on to aeri, I still think she's a bit much but that's probably because I'm introverted as fuck and she's clearly not.. I do really like her and jihyun's dynamic and loved their little class-skipping-shopping-sequence like you go besties!!

back to the junior-senior get together: that cut to jaewon being absolutely wasted was kinda scary and really shows how much he's struggling with everything and that he doesn't know how to properly cope with it.. and this little part of dialogue really stuck with me so once again props to jihyun for this simple yet very deep response

"you're not acting like yourself."

"hey, what is 'acting like myself'?"

"that's up to you."

I just feel like jaewon never heard something like this, he always had to fit into this box that the people around him created for him so someone saying who you are is up to you is complete news to him

harsh cut to jaewon waking up and the flashback with his brother: that shit hurt!! for some reason I expected his brother to be closer to him age wise (not that this would make him dying any less horrible) but when I saw jaewon with this little boy that just shattered me and jaewon just sitting there sobbing and desperately trying to put the camera back together was so painful to watch

skip to the beginning of episode 6: the scene of them in the car was also kinda hard to watch seeing jaewon so out of it like he wasn't even fully there (a quick round of applause for lim jisub who portrays this haunted look very well) apart from that I really liked that even though jaewon didn't answer jihyun's question he didn't let go and kept asking until eventually he gets an answer from jaewon

and now we're at a point where things started to get a little confusing for me:

while watching I felt like something was off, I couldn't pinpoint what it was (most of the time my brain has all the pieces of information but I can't put them together) but the episode felt different and then I saw a post on here (I tried not to read too much because I wanted most of this post to be my own impression) that said we might be seeing everything from jaewon's blurry, medication induced view which is why some things don't seem to add up and I think that's true or at least somewhat close to what was happening

I was actually debating which route to go with because so many possibilities about what was actually happening in ep. 6 came to my mind at first I actually thought jaewon might've overdosed in the car and ep. 6 didn't happen at all but were a hallucination or nightmare (what made me think that was the weirdly bright lighting and everything looking kinda blurry which always was an indicator of a dream or something unreal happening in any sort of media I've ever seen) but I don't think so anymore I would actually go with what I mentioned above and this blurry look comes from jaewon's medication

OOOR they chose this lighting to show how this entire trips feels like a dream because it's only jaewon and jihyun, completely separated from other people and far from their actual lives so of course that feels somewhat dream like

what I'm trying to say is: I don't think the entire episode was fake

I think making it all fake would be a waste of an episode and judging from the rest of the show so far it doesn't really seem like something the creators would do.. I think?? (maybe that's why I want some of the theories here to be true so bad because I don't want this episode to be wasted as a dream or whatever)

I would also agree with others that jihyun is probably fine, maybe a little shaken and scared but not physically hurt.. I think we see the accident happen from jaewon's pov and he's imagining it way worse than it is

nonetheless that shit scared me, how the entire mood switched and went so dark all of a sudden and then jaewon screaming jihyun's name.. I think the worst part were the silent credits and damn, that silence was loud.. let's just say, I cried..

alright, I think that's it.. I kind of lost focus in the end so idk if I actually said everything I wanted to but I think I covered most of it

#I'm a wreck #a hoe for this show #god damn it #it makes me go insane #but for some reason I feel like the wait for Wednesday won't be as long as before #maybe because I'm still in shock #I only know that we're probably gonna deal with a lot of heartbreak next week #buckle up it's only gonna get worse #bl drama #korean bl #the eighth sense #jaewon x jihyun

[poisonflowercorvidae]

Hey, while searching through ao3 I came around "My Other Half " and I just loved it (and I kind of finished really fast). Do you have some kadewave hc?

I'm really glad you enjoyed it! I never really expected anyone to pay much attention to that fic with such an out-there premise, but it means a lot to me that people did/do.

Sorry for the late response, but this got looooong.

My thoughts and headcanons for Kadewave are kind of all over the place because I've shipped these two practically since I first started watching Rescue Bots, and their dynamic changes so much over the course of the series that I think a lot of the specifics of how they get together and what their relationship is like depends on when it all happens in relation to the series and how canon compliant things are

Some headcanons I tend to hold regardless of all that:

Kade and Heatwave are monogamous. I think the idea of polyamory being normalized in Cybertronian society is pretty neat, but it's still not for everyone, and these two just strike me as the kind that would stand by one partner at a time

Heatwave is the jealous type. This is just canon, I think. (Blades: "Kinda scary, but I'm rethinking the whole Kade partner option." Heatwave: "Rethink again.") He's pretty good at reigning it in except for a snappish comment here or there, so Kade mostly finds it funny

Kade has more experience with relationships. It's not necessarily good experience--he messes up a lot in his relationships and/or falls for the wrong people--but he has dated more. While Heatwave has lived longer, even after accounting for stasis, he's kind of the "married to the job" type and spent too much time playing leader and eldest-brother-figure to the rest of Sigma 17 to really do all that much dating

Heatwave can still be a tease, though, especially after they get together, because it’s fun to rile Kade up

We know, from when Cody and Frankie time traveled, that Griffin Rock is more progressive with regards to racial issues than much of America has been, so I tend to think GR also has less of a homophobia/transphobia problem, so Kade doesn’t have to struggle so much with the gender/sexuality aspect of being attracted to Heatwave. The “He’s a giant alien robot” part still took some work, even after they start respecting each other more as firefighting partners

Most of the resistance on both sides to their feelings was still more about how stubborn/hotheaded the other one is

Heatwave does worry over Kade a lot. Like, it’s one thing if Kade stubs his toe or gets a paper cut because of his own stubborn carelessness; Heatwave will just roll his optics or huff some kind of, “Why do you always do that?” But if it’s even the littlest bit more than that--if Kade catches a cold or gets a burn on the job or something--Heatwave will obsess over it and what he could have done to prevent that

Usually, I think there isn’t so much a first to confess or realize their feelings; they just sort of gravitate towards each other over time. The exact timeline or AU could change that, and I can see either one of them spitting it out in a fit of passion after a tense scene, but especially in more canon compliant timeline, it’s just something they kind of...fall into, whether or not they actually talk about it

Neither of them are good at talking about their feelings in either universe. They eventually get better, but they rarely if ever say they love each other around other people/bots, even in timelines where they don’t go through massive misunderstandings before getting together. They’re excellent at showing each other they care, though

Their relationship isn’t 100% an Everyone Can See It situation--some people definitely assume they’re just Buds--but a few people can pick it out. Usually the rest of the extended family, but some faster than others: Cody, because he’s perceptive; Chief Burns, because he’s a Wise Dad; Dani, because she’s a romantic but also because she knows the difference between her own sisterly mocking of Kade versus Heatwave’s metaphorical pigtail pulling; Blades, because he and Dani love to gossip; and Blurr, because whether they mean to or not, Kade and Heatwave trying to train his recklessness out of him definitely results in them dad-ing him

Like I said, a lot of this plays out differently on timeline/universe points. For most of these, I’m going to either assume Kade and Hayley break up or ignore that they got together in the first place, though the polyamory or Kade cheating on Hayley angles are still valid for other people who want to explore them. It’s just for me personally, I really only see Kadewave happening if Kade isn’t with Hayley.

The most canon-compliant version is also probably the most laid back and chill version of them getting together. It wouldn’t happen until late in season 4 or after, because Kade is still dating Hayley through most/all of that season in canon, but by that point in the series, Kade and Heatwave have really mellowed out. Listen to them talking about Blurr at the beginning of “Need for Speed” (Heatwave: “He’s as stubborn as you are.” Kade: “And as hot-headed as you.”); just the way they say it, Heatwave’s done with Blurr’s shit but Kade shoots back all amused and kind of fond. They bicker and trade barbs, but it’s in that “Close enough to argue” (or, if you prefer, Old Married Couple) kind of way where how much they like each other still bleeds through, and by this point in the series, they aren’t arguing about important things like how to do their job any more. It’s smooth going. So, Hayley and Kade split, and after a little while, Heatwave and Kade move from, “Hey, actually, I like this guy,” to, “Oh, hey, I like this guy,” and that’s that.

My Other Half/The Parts of Me I Hide mostly follows that track but with the complications of 1) being set in an AU where sparklings can happen (and interspecies sparklings, specifically, can happen) and 2) Kade getting horribly, terribly broken-bones-and-blood hurt. It turns what could be a simple slide into a relationship into a dramatic mess via bumping against all their issues of not talking about their feelings and Heatwave reacting to Kade getting hurt etc etc.

If we go way back to the first season up through season 2′s “Changes,” this is where Kade and Heatwave are in full tsun4tsun mode. Neither of them wants to admit even to themselves that they like each other, even after they get over the initial friction of their introduction. This is deffo in the zone of, “If they get together, it’s probably after some kind of blow-up fight,” and even then it’s not likely because they’re both too busy going No, absolutely not, I do not find this aggravating creature attractive no matter how many dangerous situations we face down together. “Changes” definitely marks a shift in their relationship because Kade has to acknowledge that Heatwave does actually like him as much as the reverse (”Heatwave cherishes your partnership,” anyone?). It might still take him a while to process what exactly he feels and whether or not Heatwave cares about him in the same way, but it’s definitely the crack in the damn that makes him stop lying to himself that he doesn’t like Heatwave somehow.

Season 3 is the awkward middle ground where they know their own feelings, they have to know that the other likes them to some degree, and while they aren’t really pretending about it anymore, they aren’t ready to say anything about it, either. It’s this dance around it, and all it would take is one little slip to tumble head first into a relationship and--oh hey, new recruits! Let’s deal with getting them integrated into life here rather than deal with whatever we’ve got going on

Some My Other Half/The Parts of Me I Hide specific headcanons:

Heatwave is mad at himself for the first class of recruits hurting Kade because he thinks he should have been there to step in sooner. It might or might not have actually affected the outcome, but he blames himself a bit all the same

This was an exchange I had in mind for the fic that got cut, but Heatwave and Kade definitely had an argument about The Incident that included an exchange along the lines of “What if you’d lost a leg or an arm?” “I’d say I’d be the first amputee fire fighter, but someone already beat me to it. Guess I’d have to settle for the first in Milford.”

Their second sparkling is a daughter named Spitfire

“So, if we’re dealing with a universe without sparklings, where DID Kade go?” Yeah, I’m still working my headcanon for that one out myself.

#headcanons meta and discussions #maccadam #kadewave #transformers

[gaoau]

Heart is full and brain is numb

Raison d'Être warnings — none. word count — 2.8k

prev. — next.

[Name] had never known what true bliss felt like until the moment she realized Chifuyu was all hers to keep. All of Chifuyu, every last bit of him, from his mistakes to his idiocy to his smiles to his kindness. He was selflessly allowing her to selfishly hold him for herself, to selfishly stare into his eyes, to selfishly listen to his tales of the past. She could hardly handle the chaotic feelings blooming in her chest every time she merely glanced at him, filling her body and heart and soul up to the point it felt like she was going to burst. The smile constantly digging into her cheeks was starting to hurt, but she couldn't care less as she focused all her attention on Chifuyu and his incessant chatter.

He spoke of stories from his middle-school years, back then when he was vice-captain of the first division of the Tokyo Manji Gang—something she'd never heard of in her life, seeing as she was preoccupied in a different scene, but it didn't seem to deter him from freely recounting his adventures. She knew more about Baji Keisuke than she ever expected, chortling away at the boy's habits of committing arson because of an empty stomach. And she hated to think about this important figure in Chifuyu's life as just a young boy, but the truth stood that he was long gone. Not from Chifuyu's memory; never from Chifuyu's person.

As he carried on narrating a particular Christmas night in a Church, leaning back on his seat and sipping his cappuccino, [Name] fit the pieces together slowly. Baji was one of the many hands that had impacted and shaped him to be who he was today. The yakisoba, the black cat he'd asked her to paint, the admiration in his charming blue eyes, the found respect for another, the origins of his nature as a follower. Little by little, [Name] watched how new doors to Chifuyu's philosophy opened up. The more she traced the lines of his face on her sketchbook, the more his image became clearer in her mind.

"—tied-up, Inupi-kun decimated me, and Takemicchi was getting fucked up. I don't know how he always took those blows. Just wait until I tell you about our fight against Tenjiku; I thought he was gonna die there for sure! So then—Hey, Ai! Wait!" Almost as if Ai knew Takemichi's big speech was coming up, he hopped onto Chifuyu's lap without warning. As he'd grown considerably through the months, he was in no way a lap dog, but that did not stop him from making himself comfortable against Chifuyu's chest. [Name] laughed as Chifuyu scrambled to wrap his arms around the dog and stabilize him. "Can you draw the both of us?" He leaned back into his seat, shifting his attention to [Name] giggling as she sipped her drink.

[Name] glanced up at him while she uncapped her blue highlighter to fill in Chifuyu's eyes. It was so unfair how she could never replicate them the way she actually saw them, gazing into their deep, entrancing color with so much love. She analyzed the image her two favorite boys were offering, which, although slightly lacking in the composition department, she could definitely work with. "Yeah, sure. Gimme a moment, I'm pretty sure I have a brown highlighter somewhere here…" her voice trailed off as she buried her face into her old high-school pencil case.

"They make brown highlighters?"

"I know, right?" She looked up briefly, letting him admire that sparkle in her eyes when she got excited. "I bought it not too long ago. I saw it when I went to buy more india ink and it called to me. Look!" Her hand shot out from among her art supplies, the brown marker fit between her fingers. "It's the perfect Ai color!"

Chifuyu couldn't control the burst of adoring chortles slipping past his lips. His shoulders bounced and danced with mirth; it was probably only funny in his mind, how she showed off a brown highlighter and called it indigo color so proudly. "Just make sure you don't draw him better than me." He placed his head next to Ai's, trying to avoid the dog's tongue lapping at his cheek. Together with the blue marker, the hues did not cooperate with one another, but it was [Name] and she could make it work.

"Hey, now!" she sounded almost offended, "Not my fault my boy is naturally pretty."

"Which boy?" went Chifuyu's absentminded mumble as he planted a kiss on Ai's head.

[Name] only rolled her eyes at him, puffing a chuckle while he grinned cheekily. With laughter of his own, he resumed his story of Toman's fight against Black Dragon. The puppy in his arms—a title that he was starting to outgrow—settled comfortably as if he knew [Name] was drawing him. And maybe he did know. Sometimes it felt like he understood more than he let on. Chifuyu played with his ears and traced his fingers over the invisible scar. Crazy to think what one single dog had done for the two of them without even intending to.

Chifuyu had noticed [Name]'s eyes were different upon first meeting her, but the more time passed on and the more she looked at him, the more it cemented itself in his mind. As she sliced the pages of her sketchbook with ink and replicated the sight in front of her, he basked in the feeling of her gaze on him. She stole glimpses every now and then to capture as many details as she could; his glistening earring, Ai's tinkling nametag, his dark bangs over his forehead, Ai's floppy ears. When her eyes lingered on the curves of his face for a little longer, he reveled in the weight of her present observation on him.

[Name] looked at him. And then she looked at him some more. Chifuyu could drown in that feeling, he could get drunk on it; the filling sensation of her gaze seeing all of him and reading him like an open book. Even with everything he had revealed to her about his past and friends and troubles and adventures, she still admired the mere sight of him as Matsuno Chifuyu and nothing else. Matsuno Chifuyu, because he was the best she had and no one could top that. He was overjoyed to know no one could top that.

Was this what parenthood felt like? Chifuyu stood by, [Name]'s satchel hanging off his arm, while she cupped Ai's face in her hands, crouched on the floor. "Listen, boy, you gotta promise me you won't steal toys from other dogs, okay?" The puppy seemed utterly destroyed as she brought up this incident. Chifuyu tried to contain his laughter to let her chastise the dog, but he was failing miserably. She threw a glance over her shoulder, glaring up at him. "Chifuyu, don't laugh. I'm being serious. You should say something, too."

This was her dog when it came down to it. Apparently, though, somewhere along the road, Ai had become a shared responsibility. Chifuyu didn't mind, of course. If it meant picking him up from the vet when he was sick or scolding him for terrorizing other dogs at the dog park, then he was all on board. "I say you go, Ai, have fun." He reached over [Name] and unhooked the leash from his collar. Almost immediately, Ai slipped from her hands and darted away to prance around with others of his kind.

[Name] rose to her feet with disappointment scrawled all across her face. She crossed her arms over her chest, giving him a pointed glare. He loved having her eyes on him, whether it was a glimmering gaze or a scowl that promised homicide. "Seriously?"

"Cut him some slack."

She couldn't avoid the playful jab of his shoulder in time. Her body swayed as she rolled her eyes, retrieving her satchel from him. "When someone comes complaining that he's bullying other dogs, you'll do the apologizing." Chifuyu's shoulders danced when humorous giggles slipped from between his lips. His grin was everything but innocent as [Name] inevitably laughed alongside him.

"And I'll defend his case like my life depends on it." With a nod, he motioned towards an empty bench by a tree.

[Name] walked ahead of him to plop down on the seat, stretching her legs and sighing out in relaxation. When Chifuyu settled beside her, she returned his earlier jab with her elbow. "Stop encouraging him. He's this close to understanding human speech."

"But I should defend him! Teach him how to stand up for himself!"

"And what? Start his own gang?"

Was this what parenthood felt like? Was this what it could be like? Was there a future in which they could be arguing whether their kid should join a gang or not? As they both leaned back on the bench, mindlessly sharing words of nothingness and gazing at Ai frolicking with other dogs, it all felt like a mirage. Maybe Chifuyu was getting ahead of himself; maybe he was being far too overbearing; maybe he was blinded by the excitement of his own emotions. Was this how Takemichi felt like every time he stood anywhere close to Hina? How could he even bear it?

"Maybe you can design the logo for his gang."

"Oh, you had logos?" Her voice rose in pitch as she turned her body towards him. "What was Toman's?"

"The manji symbol." Chifuyu could almost feel the fabric of the flag as he traced the character in the air with his finger. He rambled on without her asking him to. At this point, whenever the conversation traveled back in time, he knew to fill her in on every single detail. She listened so intently and absorbed as much information as she could. Moebius, Valhalla, Black Dragon, Tenjiku. He remembered them all so vividly—fondly, almost.

[Name] chuckled, her grin a mirror image of his own, "You guys went all in. The headless angel sounds like a great concept to play with."

"You should've seen our uniforms. I'm sure I have pictures somewhere, but you had to see the embroidery on that. Mitsuya-kun never failed to impress."

"Oh! Mitsuya-san!" It seemed like he'd flipped a switch inside her brain. Suddenly, her eyes wore that same shade of admiration she'd boasted during Pah's wedding. "I talked with him over the phone about setting him up with my company. He's such a cool guy, I really, really wanna work with him." Her fingers reached out to brush his chocolate bangs off his lovely blue spotlights; just so she could bask in them as she offered a simper. His face warmed, but she didn't pay attention. "He said we could have an informal meeting sometime soon. And it's all thanks to you, Chifuyu."

With the way she was gazing at all of him, making him feel like he was the last person on Earth and the first person in her thoughts, he really believed he could strip the universe of its most celestial creations and leave them at her doorstep. "Anytime, as long as it makes you happy. I really love it when you're happy, [Name]." As if to retaliate, his warm hand landed atop her palm and his fingers snaked between hers.

There he went with that grin of his, stunning all words out of her brain, rendering her completely speechless. He never measured his feelings; he simply��had all that present love to give her for free. She wanted to stay in his life with everything he had to offer. With mirthful giggles and saccharine words, Chifuyu held tightly onto her hand while shifting the topic once more with whatever popped up in his brain. From Baji and his influence, to Takemichi and his insane drive during fights, to Peke J waiting at home. And he listened when she chimed in with her supportive neighbor back in high-school, to the kind elderly man living in the apartment across from hers, to Ai and his name.

("I loved Yazawa Ai's works—I still do actually."

"Oh, yeah, uh… The one who wrote Nana, right? I remember reading that in middle-school."

"You did?"

"Yeah, the artstyle is amazing, and I always loved how she handled the contrast with just black and white when the outfits are so complex. It blew my mind when I was fourteen.")

Speaking of Ai, their conversation was interrupted when [Name] spotted him in the distance decimating another dog. She groaned, exasperated, "See what I tell you?!" Her arm shot out to point at the puppy stealing a synthetic bone from one of his four-legged friends. "He's not sleeping on the bed tonight." The scowl she wore as she sprang from the bench was far too dramatic, but Chifuyu didn't make mention of it. It was funny she considered leaving him to sleep on the floor was a punishment—one Chifuyu knew she wouldn't follow through with.

He watched her jog over to the two dogs wrestling on the ground—more like Ai was absolutely obliterating the other guy—while a rubber ball tapped against his foot. [Name] sighed to herself as she reached them. Just for a moment; it was just for a moment that she looked away. It was just for a moment, where she had to raise her voice at Ai and then apologize to the owner of the dog he was terrorizing. Then she turned back to Chifuyu.

Then she turned back to Chifuyu and caught a sight that flipped her world upside down. She had looked away from him for just a second, but when she went back to him, he was surrounded by dogs. He knelt on one knee, keeping himself supported on the two large dogs under his arms while petting five of them simultaneously. Maybe he did talk with animals, after all. Ai abandoned her side the moment he noticed Chifuyu handing out attention to others. [Name] laughed and shook her head, because she realized she was also just another puppy dying for his attention.

By the time night had fallen, Ai was tired out of his mind to even want to walk back to the apartment. [Name] rolled her eyes at how dramatic he was, sprawled on the grass and ignoring any calls of come on, Ai. A thought flashed by inside Chifuyu's head, because he knew dogs took after their owners, but he chose not to say anything. Instead, he snickered to himself while picking the puppy up in his arms. He really was like a five-year-old at times. And it also was very reminiscent of carrying an intoxicated [Name] to her home.

The only difference was that tonight, he stayed. They stepped into her apartment and Chifuyu's eyes were instantly drawn to the gigantic canvas standing in the middle of the dining-room. Ai hopped off his arms to head onto [Name]'s bed. He managed to slip by without her noticing, as she was busy pulling out ingredients from her fridge. Chifuyu gave the dog a thumbs-up and swore to defend him if [Name] tried to get him off the bed.

With his attention on the nine-hundred—one thousand—squares of snowy landscapes, Chifuyu called out to [Name] in the kitchen, "Do you want me to take care of dinner, [Name]?" She hummed in response as he stepped away from the canvas. His brows jumped in surprise at the image coming together. He definitely wanted to take care of dinner now, just so she could continue painting.

Making his way into the kitchen, he planted his palm on her shoulder, successfully startling her out of her daze. "Oh, sorry, what did you say?"

"Let me prepare dinner and you can go paint. How's that sound?"

[Name] glanced between his charming, intense blue eyes and the canvas waiting for her by the dinner table. "Are you sure? I can whip up something quick."

Without another word, he spun her on her heels and guided her to her work station. "How many are these?"

"I think I'm in the five-hundreds?"

"Weren't you in the four-hundreds last week?"

"It's been really fun doing these, surprisingly," she chortled.

He wore a proud smile, patting her on the shoulder for encouragement. One in the kitchen, one in the dining-room, they concentrated on their separate tasks, chatting across the rooms to share laughter. Chifuyu glanced back at her every once in a while, adoring the sight of her determined frown as she slapped acrylics—it was gouache, but what did he know?—onto the canvas. [Name] did the same, stealing glimpses of him dancing and swaying when he thought she wasn't looking.

And an identical thought ran through their heads, because this could be it.

#Raison d'Être #Tokyo Revengers #Matsuno Chifuyu #Matsuno Chifuyu x Reader #Chifuyu x Reader #Tokrev #Tokrev x Reader #Tokyo Revengers x Reader

[lo-fi-charming]

fitting things together

This is part of my long-running jondaisy series, tangled weeds in concrete cracks. However, the theme for this segment happened to be perfect for @jondaisy-week, since one of today's prompts is friendship.

Read on AO3

Note: this fic is rated T for references to sex; jon and daisy are in a dom/sub relationship.

===

One Thursday evening finds Daisy at Jon’s flat. The two of them have an early dinner and, upon finishing, Jon pitches his suggestion for how they should spend the rest of their evening: working on a puzzle. 

It’s funny, because Daisy doesn’t think she’s ever actually done a puzzle, either by herself or with help from someone else. When she admits this, Jon looks so shocked it makes her laugh, and suddenly the puzzle is no longer a suggestion, it’s a required activity. 

An hour later, they’ve got three sides of the border finished. Jon supplies most of the conversation, describing how his grandmother used to bring home bags of puzzle pieces from charity shops for him to work on, usually three or four at a time. 

“I didn’t think about it until I got older,” Jon tells her, scrutinizing a dull grey piece to decide where he ought to sort it, “but I realized she must have been buying puzzles without their original boxes on purpose. The ones she gave me were always second-hand in resealable bags. Of course, I have no way of knowing for sure, but I strongly suspect it was so I didn’t have the pictures they put on the box for reference.” 

“Why? Does that make it more fun?” Daisy asks. 

Jon shrugs. “I always thought it was fun. It was challenging in a way I enjoyed; I liked that I had to figure out what the picture was on my own, and the only way to know was to put most of it together.” 

His tone is a little different when he adds, “I think she did it to make sure it took me longer. So I’d spend more time on the puzzles. It’s more difficult when you don’t have a reference. I’ve also considered that, if I had the box to look at, I might not have been interested in constructing the puzzles in the first place, since I already saw the complete image. Knowing how I used to be, I would understand if Nana thought the same.” 

It’s a bit quiet after that as the two focus on filling in one splotch of green and brown. Then Daisy asks, “Did your nan ever do any of them with you?” 

Jon chuckles. “Yes, once! She’d gotten me a rather large puzzle… I think it was, ah, perhaps one-thousand pieces? I remember it was of a garden with a bird bath and brick wall, so a lot of green with dozens of other colors involved — particularly difficult to finish without a reference. She let me start it out on the dining room table because that was the only flat surface big enough for the puzzle. I worked on it for three days and threw a fit whenever she tried to convince me to give up so she could use the table. Eventually she just sat down and started helping me. We managed to finish it the next day. I think she was more careful about getting me smaller puzzles after that.” 

“Mm. This one looks like it’s a garden, too.” 

“I think it is.” 

Daisy glances over at him, one brow raised. “Don’t have a box to look at?” 

Jon smiles. “Of course not. Where’s the fun in that?” 

They continue to work and continue to talk. It’s still a bit strange, but not so much anymore. Daisy’s gotten used to coming over to Jon’s house for just… this. Spending time together. There are still days where they do something like pull out Jon’s ropes or negotiate a scene to try later, but more often than not, Daisy just comes over to have dinner and hang out. It’s not something she’s used to. The only other person she ever voluntarily spent this much time with was Basira. Even then, it wasn’t quite like whatever it is now, with Jon. 

For a while, Daisy wasn’t sure how she felt about all this. It was oddly nerve-wracking, being around Jon without having a clear idea of what he was expecting from her. It felt like she was being stupid, making up problems and having unwarranted feelings. But when she made herself bring it up to Jon, he admitted he had similar worries, like concerns over monopolizing Daisy’s time without offering anything in return. Which was ridiculous, of course, and she’d told him so, and he’d told her she was being a bit ridiculous, too. So maybe they should both try to stop being so silly about it. 

So… yes. It is getting easier. To just be Daisy, with Jon, and not Jon’s dom. To spend time with just Jon, not one of her subs. To do boring, normal things like work on a puzzle. 

At some point, when they’re about halfway finished and Daisy is busy trying to find where one piece — unhelpfully solid green — is meant to go, Jon speaks up. “Can I ask you something?” 

Daisy grunts in acknowledgement, testing the puzzle piece in one spot. It doesn’t slot in, and she clicks her tongue against her teeth. 

“Do you… Would you be interested in, um…” 

Daisy turns to him. “Spit it out.” 

“I wanted to ask you if you might be interested in going somewhere with me this weekend. You’re free on Saturday, aren’t you?” 

“Yeah. Sure, I guess.” Daisy narrows her eyes at him. “But you’re nervous about asking. Why?” 

“Well.” Jon delays by putting three pieces where they belong. “Martin would be there, too. And, uh, Timothy Stoker and Sasha James, my other co-workers.” 

“So you’re inviting me to…”

“Drinks. At a pub near work. A-and I know you don’t like to drink alcohol, but you wouldn’t have to — Martin doesn’t, either, so you wouldn’t be the only one. Mostly it’s, uh, something we’ve been doing more often. A social thing. And I thought…” 

“And you thought…? What, you’d just bring your dom along as a fun surprise?” 

Jon twitches in that way he does when he’s abruptly flustered or scandalized. “No! O-obviously not— I mean, they wouldn’t know—”

Daisy snickers, leaning back against the sofa and stretching her legs beneath the coffee table. “Well, what are you supposed to tell them? I mean, what did you tell them?” 

“I asked Martin if I could bring someone the next time we got together,” Jon hastily explains. “And he guessed. Somehow. I mean, he asked me if I meant you, and I said yes. He said it was fine with him, and he seemed sure Tim and Sasha wouldn’t mind either.”

“So what if they ask who I am?”

Jon gestures to her blankly. “You’re… Daisy?” 

She gently slaps his knee. “No, Jon— How are you going to explain how you know me? What if they ask how we met?”

Jon fumbles for an answer, looking cross with Daisy for pointing out the issue in the first place. She laughs again. Mimicking his accent, she says, “Good evening, everyone, yes I’m here, and I brought along my—” 

“Stoooop!” 

“—my, my booty call—”

“No!” 

Daisy snorts, laughing harder when Jon shouts at her in despair. “That’s what I am though, isn’t it? You call me for sex and I come over.” 

“That is not what you are! Goodness gracious, don’t say that ever again!” Jon whines. “Booty call... I hate that.” 

“Well then, what do you call me?”

Jon huffs, shifting so that he’s on his knees instead of cross-legged. He pointedly finds an edge piece and leans over the table in search of where to put it along the border. “I call you my friend, because that’s what you are!” 

Daisy keeps chuckling, and then she keeps doing the puzzle. But at some point, she stops. Jon continues on without her, making a self-satisfied humming sound when he finally completes the border of the puzzle. Daisy can make out the edge of a rose trellis now, and something that might be a songbird. 

Jon notices Daisy’s stillness. He looks over at her, straightening out his legs with a little frown of discomfort. After another moment, he shyly asks, “We are friends, aren’t we?” 

“...Yeah,” Daisy agrees. “I think so.”

“Right.” 

“That’s why you want me to come along?” 

“Well.” Jon fidgets, sorting pieces by color to keep his hands busy. “More or less.” 

To meet his other friends. To have Daisy meet the people he works with, to possibly become part of the group. Daisy doesn’t feel confidant in that happening, but… “Sure.” 

“You’ll come?” 

“Yeah. What time?” 

Jon tells her, and Daisy makes a mental note. Then they get back to work, finding flowers in the scattered pieces and unscrambling a cloudless sky. 

#my fic #jondaisy #jonathan sims #daisy tonner #magpod #jondaisy week

[astriiformes]

Ooh, how bout 3 and 29 for the ao3 wrapped questions?

Answered 3!

29 - Favorite line/passage you wrote this year?

Cheating a little here and posting two just because they have hilariously different vibes that I think, collectively, really showcase some of my strengths as a writer -- I'm realizing with a lot of what I've posted this year and last year that one of the things that makes me stories distinct is a real blend of dark, heavy elements (often whumpy, always very hearfelt) and comedy

For the former category -- I still really love all the speeches from the resurrection scene at the end of Aurum Horizontale, but Keyleth's turned out especially poignant, I think, because it walked a very fine line calling attention to the irony of the whole AU concept without feeling too heavy-handed about it:

“Maybe I was just dumb,” she said. “Maybe I was… I was imagining things, when we talked. But I’ve never been very good with people, and ever since our first conversation it was so exciting, feeling like you and I just… clicked. Like we understood each other, even though we’re such totally different people. And I always thought… I always…” Giving a particularly loud, choked sob, Keyleth picked up one of Percy’s hands and held it for a moment, like a lifeline. It took a while for her to gather herself to continue. “I was probably just being stupid,” she said. “Like, how could I know? But sometimes, I found myself thinking that hey, in another universe or something, where I got to see you more than like, one night a week, and we could go get stupid levels of drunk together and I could hug you and where you weren’t stuck in a living nightmare, we could’ve been each other’s best friends. I think… I think I thought about that a little too much, honestly. About coming here, and freeing you, and getting to take you to my favorite shitty bars, or maybe even Zephrah someday. And maybe you don’t want that. Maybe that part was all in my head. But I guess… I guess I’m just not okay with living in a universe where I never get to find out, you know? It was always an “if,” and it’s still an “if,” but if I never find out for real… I’m going to live a long time, probably, and I don’t want to spend all that time wondering. I don’t want you to be gone.”

And as for the latter, comedic category all the chat sections of Several Witches Are Typing were a lot of fun to write -- I would never write a full chatfic, I think, but as an important element of a larger story where it thematically "fit" it was a very fun exercise in character voices to try to figure out how all the kids would text (Tragically, I failed to predict the wildly out-of left field nonsense that is Hunter's actual, canonical texting style, but I'm not even mad because it's funny and perfect)

Anyways, this was a favorite of those:

9:53PM 9/21/20 - lyregirl💖: hey caleb 9:53PM 9/21/20 - lyregirl💖: u know all the coven heads 9:53PM 9/21/20 - lyregirl💖: im dying to know if you have dirt 9:56PM 9/21/20 - Guard102311304: What does dirt have to do with my rank? 9:57PM 9/21/20 - griffin_mama: She means like do you know anything embarrassing about any of them 10:03PM 9/21/20 - Guard102311304: Terra talks to her plants all the time. 10:03PM 9/21/20 - hello_willow: hey, i talk to my plants😕 10:03PM 9/21/20 - Guard102311304: Captain, I can guarantee that you are infinitely more normal about it. 10:03PM 9/21/20 - hello_willow: oh well thank you  10:03PM 9/21/20 - hello_willow: 💚🌱 10:05PM 9/21/20 - Guard102311304: Kikimora’s ringtone is “Material Ghoul.” 10:05PM 9/21/20 - lyregirl💖: 🤣🤣🤣 10:05PM 9/21/20 - griffin_mama: No WAY 10:06PM 9/21/20 - griffin_mama: What about Belos 10:06PM 9/21/20 - lyregirl💖: omt yes tell us about the emperor 10:09PM 9/21/20 - Guard102311304: That would be a betrayal of his trust in me. 10:09PM 9/21/20 - griffin_mama: Wow you must know something REALLY embarrassing 10:09PM 9/21/20 - Guard102311304: No. I just respect him. 10:10PM 9/21/20 - griffin_mama: sounds like something somebody who knows something super embarrassing about the Emperor would say 10:11PM 9/21/20 - Guard102311304: It does not.

#'it does not' still makes me laugh every time #slowly learning that my niche as a writer is 'earnest dark comedy' and honestly i can live with that #ask meme #my writing

[thebreakfastgenie]

For the WIP list game, tell me about all or any of your TWW fics! Bonus for 'donna moss fic 2' because that is one hundo how I name my files.

this got real long so I put it under a cut

so donna moss fic 2 is called that because many years ago I had a fic called "donna moss fic" that was supposed to be quick and ended up being 10k and taking like six months. that fic became Start Over. then in 2020 I watched the When We All Vote Special and two things happened. one, I rewatched the show and landed back in the fandom after drifting away because I basically could not watch it while Trump was in office. two, I noticed a detail in Hartsfield's Landing I had never really paid a lot of attention to before. Josh says the Flenders took Donna in and fed her, and that she was pretty pathetic. I realized this was in New Hampshire, probably right after she joined the campaign the first time. I once spent a night with volunteers who housed campaign workers, and I thought that would be a really fun story to tell about Donna.

and somehow this turned into doing the Donna campaign backstory fic, again. the full title is "donna moss fic 2?? why are we doing this" because why the hell I would that fic again after what I went through the first time, I don't know. but I do know. I can do it better now. it's not a rewrite of Start Over, it's an alternate version. some things are very similar and a few lines are exactly the same, but there are some differences. I revised the timeline and geography, for one thing. this fic drove me to the brink of actual insanity (it was lockdown time to be fair) trying to figure out the fictional presidential primary schedule. I also checked the actual color of the "Welcome to New Hampshire" sign in person (I was going there anyway lol).

the idea is that each chapter is a state Donna goes to, either with the campaign or on her own. there's a prologue about the end of her drive to New Hampshire, which is the only part that is strictly speaking "written." the chapters are New Hampshire, South Carolina, maybe South Dakota depending on if I think it needs another campaign chapter for pacing, Illinois, California, Wisconsin, New Hampshire (reprise) and probably an epilogue in DC, tying together the information we have from In the Shadow of Two Gunmen, 17 People, and Hartsfield's Landing.

when I wrote Start Over I kind of side-stepped the issue of Josh's father's death and this time I am attacking it head on. I should probably keep this to myself for maximum impact, but oh well, it'll be long enough for you to forget. the idea this time around is that she tries to leave before Josh gets back from his father's funeral, but he comes back early because of course he does and catches her in the act. I have a very heartbreaking scene planned. this is not a Josh/Donna fic because I can't stand pre-series J/D, but like most of what I write, it's written with the idea that these people do fall in love and get together a few years down the road. it's about the beginning of their friendship, with a few charged moments, but it's more about Donna as a person. I'm also trying to pepper in some backstory of how she ended up with Dr. Freeride in the first place and why she feels enough loyalty to go back. the scene where she actually does come back is so vivid in my mind. I can hear the exact inflection of "thank god, there's a pile of stuff on the desk."

the planned epilogue is the first "anniversary" when Donna gets flowers from Josh for the first time. I thought about folding in an idea I had for the transition, where Josh is forced by Leo to give Donna a job interview as a formality, but I don't think that fits here so it'll be on its own whenever I get to it. obviously the main relationship Donna has at this point is with Josh, but I want to show the beginning of her friendships with the other senior staff, too.

the original first scene, before I decided to add a prologue, was going to be Josh dropping Donna at the Flenders' house for the night, having called in a favor since they don't have a hotel room for her. the Flenders proceed to freak her out by serving some kind of local New Hampshire dinner and a full breakfast at 5am. that will all still happen, of course. basically I want to fill in the gaps!

here's a bit of the prologue. I hate writing opening lines, and this is one of my favorites because it's the rare one I actually like:

In Massachusetts, she almost lost her nerve. The broken-hearted rage that had propelled her across six states faltered as she waited to merge onto I-495 and it occurred to her, finally, how crazy this was. She could get off at the next exit, turn the car around, and go home. She could stay with her parents, hold her head high, grit her her teeth through the humiliation. She could do exactly what everyone expected of her.  A space appeared on the interstate; she nestled her dusty car between a shiny red sedan and an old silver van. Flying down the highway, she thought of the life she was leaving behind. Her dead-end job, her unfinished education, her tiny apartment, and him. She floored the gas, outrunning her doubts, her fears, her insecurities. 

I will be doing strawberry fields in another ask but just a quick (lol) rundown of the other two west wing fics:

the ellsberg variant

the ellsberg variant is called that because it sounds cool but it's also descriptive. Daniel Ellsberg worked at the state department and leaked the pentagon papers (this is in the movie the post) and in retaliation a group of guys better known for other work broke into his psychiatrist's office and tore the place up. either they were just trying to intimidate him, or they were looking for his file to find embarrassing information and just didn't find it because they were incompetent (the other work was Watergate). so I thought, what if that happened to Josh, but they actually did just get pictures or copies of the file and leave without evidence?

so in my imagining, burglars break into a psychiatrist's office in Virginia or Maryland because they know there are high profile clients, and just get photos and copies of any files they can, to sell to whoever might be interested. the Republicans plan to use the information to embarrass Josh during the hearings, like they did with Leo, but Bartlet takes the censure deal before they get the chance, so they end up dumping it in a tabloid in order to damage Bartlet's re-election campaign with claims that his staff is mentally incompetent and he's too checked out with MS to notice (the headline is "Bartlet's Loony Bin").

the White House finds out when an advance copy is delivered by messenger in a brown envelope to CJ's office. they try to figure out who warned them and why, as well as what they can do about it. CJ enlists Danny to help (without giving him the full story, but he figures a lot out) and he finds out about the break-in, which was downplayed by the security company to avoid embarrassment, meaning the patients (including Josh) were never informed their records may have been compromised.

I'm not sure where exactly it goes from here. the first scene is the delivery of the envelope from Carol's POV. I might have Josh call Mandy in as a personal consultant (I just want to give Mandy real character development) and Amy will probably be involved in some way too. there's definitely a conversation where Josh is worried about the Oval Office incident being made public, and Leo assures him the four people who were there (Josh, Leo, Sam, Jed) won't tell anyone, Josh points out they already did, they told Stanley. Josh tries to resign, naturally, but Jed refuses to let him. I know it ends okay, I just don't know exactly how, or have the intrigue plot worked out. I do have a backstory for the person who sent them the advance copy: an employee at the tabloid who can't afford to quit her job, but thinks printing the story is wrong. her father is a Vietnam vet with PTSD and everything. I don't know if the White House staff ever find out who she is, but it might be fun to end with a flashback to her sending the advance. there's also some exploration of Josh's trust in his therapist being violated and where he goes from there.

don't be a hero

I wrote almost all of don't be a hero on notebook paper during psychology class in college and a couple years ago I finally typed up what I have. in theory it just needs an ending, but I can write so much better now, I started rewriting it, and just haven't gotten around to finishing it.

in 2008, President Santos is giving a speech at a university and presenting an award to a professor who has consulted with the White House on counterterrorism work, when a bomb goes off in the auditorium. The target was the professor, who is Muslim (there had been an Islamophobic hate crime in the news recently when I started this). Santos breaks his arm, Sam gets some cuts when a light falls on him, but the Secret Service does their job and gets them out of there. Josh had stepped out to call Lou, who is back at the White House working on a critical vote, and Donna had gone to get him. Donna hurts her foot and can't walk, so Josh helps her out, and on the way out he thinks he sees someone trapped. While Donna is talking to the paramedics, Josh runs back inside to look for the girl he thinks he saw.

the girl is real and he finds her and is able to unblock the door that was trapping her in, but inhales a lot of smoke in the process and passes out. the girl runs outside and tells the firefighters what happened, and they go in and pull Josh out. the scene has mostly been cleared at this point, but Sam is still looking for Josh, and end up identifying him to the first responders, which contributes to the ensuing media circus when it comes out that the White House Chief of Staff ran into a burning building. Josh wakes up in the hospital and gets chastised by Santos and Donna and also most of the Bartlet era staff via phone. Donna also has a talk with him about how she's proud, but she was terrified. He also has a nice visit with Amanda, the girl he saved.

When I finish the rewrite, I'm adding a storyline where the White House communications staff suggest trying to control what Amanda says to the press, and Josh insists that she's 19 years old and someone tried to kill her, so she can say whatever she wants, but asks CJ to come in and advise her on how to handle the press, for her own wellbeing. Danny also tells Josh he thinks the media attention on the rescue is going to dig up personal history and find out about Joanie, so he should consider making a statement. He tells Lou about Joanie for the first time in the process of preparing that, and Lou wonders why he never told her before.

I think it will end with Josh and Donna's wedding a couple months later.

#ty!!!!

[bearpillowmonster]

Dark Road Spoilers Ahead! ⚠️

So Nort knows about the Lost Masters? I thought maybe Luxu was superior because he knew more than Xehanort but now I'm questioning. Not to mention his dreams of Union X.

I expected Vidar to be on the edge but he's a bit more on the wild side than I thought, I thought we'd see more of a slow progression but he's like that right out of the gate. In Norse myths, he's meant to fight Fenrir and Fenrir is actually a keyblade which in KH2 comes from Cloud. People have been saying the Master in the KH4 trailer sounds like the same voice actor for Cloud...I'm keeping my eye on you.

I saw people complaining that places like Agrabah return but like...it was in the trailer so...but I joked around and said "What if it was Olympus? What if you finally get to Kingdom Hearts, the long sought after moon only to be greeted to Olympus Coloseum again." Well...sure enough, Olympus makes a return and I don't believe they showed it in the trailer so that's just hilarious to me.

When Xehanort says he wants to be a keybald master because of some friends he wants to see, maybe he thinks the power of waking will save them, the same way Sora did and that's why YX knew so much about it in KH3. It also makes sense why he would want himself in different timelines, just in case one of them may show up which I believe KH3 is when they're all finally found (those remaining) but don't actually get to reunite yet. Then the Hooded Figure raises him and he himself becomes a hooded figure in KH1. 😭

Honestly, I really like what it did and I see why they made it now, it just took up to episode 4 to realize that. This will indeed change the context of a lot of different scenes from previous games, even this alone-

And while some people may say it's too late to come up with this backstory, I feel like, had it been said in KH3, it wouldn't have made any sense, it would've needed more build up and nobody would've accepted "I wanted to become a true vessel of darkness" because that just sounds tacky without the context of Union X and DR. And if they hadn't done KH3 and instead a bunch of side games first like this one then people really would've had a fit. Really explains why it was called the "Dark Seeker" Saga but it makes it seem a little like Miraculous Ladybug "Fly my little darkness and evilize them!"

I don't think this is true but it's a thought, what if Xehanort failed to be that child of Destiny so Sora took his place sort of like how Riku failed to wield the keyblade so Sora overtook it. I don't know though because that will ruffle a lot of feathers to say that say he 'is' a chosen one when one of his main gimmicks is that he's not. But I kind of like the idea that Player isn't Xehanort but rather the old man and Xehanort is the bloodline of Ephemer. Does that mean it ends with Xehanort though? Also he mentions Skuld having dark hair, specifically like his mom but Nomura actually said in his interview that it isn't Skuld specifically but is someone related to her so maybe she isn't Subject X after all but somehow someway, Skuld and Ephemer (whether it be them or their grandchildren) ended up together so there's that! A love that transcends time!

I do wonder though because this is longer than I realized, I expected maybe 3 chapters but we got 5, plus a post credits, it makes me wonder why they decided to release it all at once and keep us in the dark for a year and keep delaying it when they could've just done it in parts. Not that I mind waiting but just an odd decision.

#khdr #dark road #kingdom hearts #kh #khdr spoilers #dark road spoilers

[threenounname]

Oh I'm sorry for being so vague! The ⭐ was for the ask game. I wanna hear you talk about your writing!

Ah, I see! Thank you for clarifying!!

I took a while choosing what to talk about but I’m going with this little section from Chapter 3: A Dangerous Progression:

So this is from the MiMo bonding in the kitchen scene. It was really important for me to establish where Momo sits with Mina in this part; it’s one of the main purposes of the whole scene (besides stupid, fluffy MiMo cooking together shenanigans, of course).

Originally these three paragraphs actually barely existed, this part was so much shorter and it only got this lengthy towards the end of my editing phase and very close to posting. I was reading Operation Snob Sabotage during the month that I was writing this chapter and I don’t know if it’s obvious but that actually influenced a lot of how this one turned out in terms of writing style.

That said, when I first published the update, I didn’t feel all that confident about this part and the way I conveyed Momo’s emotions in general because Operation Snob Sabotage’s style of writing is really quite different from mine. I was afraid of being pretentious (?), trying to be the kind of writer that I’m not and also the style potentially feeling inconsistent with the whole fic.

But reading it again now, I actually like how this one turned out! I really just wanted to highlight how her feelings for Mina was more of a subconscious thing that she’s only about to realize with Nayeon’s help—but that it was there, and it’s this sort of thing that just felt so natural to her that it didn’t even raise any alerts in her brain (also like… Momo is a little dense in every AU ok, that’s just a universal canon for her I don’t make the rules). I have a huge love for that kind of… love. I think it’s really cool and also fits Momo’s character well, and I’m happy with how I wrote that here.

#this good? #forcing you all to read a part of my fic again by posting a section here lol #heads up i do not know how to make director’s commentary #but i can pretend 😎 #this was really fun abbdnfnfnfkd #thank you for indulging me anon #i’m curious how this part came across to readers? did it feel different from the rest of the fic? #did it feel emotional at all? #anyway #obsessive anon #ask #anon

[specialability]

I am really too tired but finished Busman's Honeymoon by Dorothy L Sayers and am still swooning over Peter/Harriet/Bunter. So here you go:

Adults who met as adults and fell in love but don't get together immediately

Harriet has insecurities w/r/t power imbalances between her and Peter and he RESPECTS that even though it breaks his heart and they TALK ABOUT IT (eventually)

Peter being a motormouth who talks like Bertie Wooster but actually is very smart

But also very sensitive :( even though he really works hard to hide it to everyone but Harriet and Bunter

Bunter served under him in The War and in a dire moment Peter said "yanno if we survive this and you need a job after the war come find me" and Bunter did

And Peter was so fucked up with PTSD after the war that Bunter pretty much immediately just took over his entire life and took care of him

So obviously Harriet is worried Bunter will have Problems when they get married but he does not because he likes that she is a good match for him

And Harriet really likes Bunter as well but Bunter maintains a very strict and Appropriate Relationship per the whole valet/lord/lady thing

Bunter once almost had a breakdown because some vintage super £££ port of Peter's got sloshed around by another servant he's that kind of guy

They solve mysteries together

Peter met Harriet because she was accused of killing her at-the-time husband

And then when he got her acquitted he asked her to marry him and she said fuck no gratitude is no way to have a relationship

She's an authorial self-insert and I don't mind at all

She studied at Oxford and so did he, although at different times and she didn't know that until like the book before they get married

She realizes that she has been taking his love for granted and needs to learn more about him sincerely

There are so many fucking great scenes where they just. Have an argument or something. And then immediately talk it out like sensible rational people.

Or go away and think about it for a while and address it later

It's not that kind of woke thing you see you bad writing these days where everyone is using therapy speak because it was written in 1937 and at the time it was still debatable whether or not women should really be allowed to have an education

But they do literally have a conversation about whether or not they really want to have kids in a shockingly modern manner

So this whole marriage of equals thing where he respects her independence and she allows him to take care of her sometimes is genuinely still quite revolutionary

And anyway they hit a lot of tropes I like and I wasn't expecting these mystery novels to be so densely emotional and compelling

all three very competent and smart,

they need to get over themselves before getting together,

they don't go about the romance the conventional way,

things aren't immediately perfect as soon as they get married,

they do a lot of bantering (that in a modern adaptation would probably change all the classical literature references and long paragraphs of French into memes and movie references or something),

they have the utmost respect for each other,

they are not incomplete without each other, but they also are a perfect fit for each other.

Anyway. Yes.

#misc #ruth reads books

[stormingthebeach]

Year 10

I think about this blog often. I always tell myself that I'm going to write in it, but then I don't. Maybe it's because the longer I've been in LA, the harder it is to celebrate the little things that used to excite me. I've finally become an old and jaded writer. Dreams do come true. Lolz.

The world is still weird. The pandemic is still winding down although things have felt normalish for a while. It just took Kevin McCarthy eleven voting sessions to become Speaker of the House. And, I've been back at my day job full-ish time since April with a boss who adds too much stress to my life.

After two years of consistent writing during the pandemic, going back into the office felt like a death sentence.

While at home from March of 2020 until April of 2022, I wrote four feature scripts, each of them significantly better than the last. The last three that I wrote all received high placements in multiple screenwriting contests. Eff yeah ;)

And the short film I was belly aching about in my last post? We finished it. We submitted to seventeen film festivals, we were "official selections" in seven of those, and we won awards at three of them. I still look back at the experience as being a pain in the ass, mainly because of egos (mine included), but I can't help but feel like this short film is a success and the experience I gained will stick with me for my entire career.

But since going back into the office, my productivity has plummeted. Work stress was consuming me. I've had way fewer hours in the week to write. And I honestly thought that I would have found a way out of the rat race before I was supposed to go back into the office. I was feeling pretty rough.

And then a new idea hit me and I started writing.

I submitted my first draft to a professional reader and right out of the gate, the notes were stellar. Lots of problems, sure, but this script was FUN. Writing the next four drafts felt really natural. Every new idea fit well. The story kept getting smoother. My third act came together perfectly. Fingers-freakin-crossed.

The last half of 2022 was very special. I had two of my LA best friends have bachelor parties and get married. And all four of those events were a blast. One guy is a writer and the other is an executive. Both two of my closest friends, both of them very well connected.

I made friends/ became closer with a handful of producers, writers, directors, and a guy who recently sold a script for seven figures. And you bet your sweet ass I asked every one of them to read my latest.

As I kept giving this script out, it felt like the notes were all saying the same thing in a different way. It boiled down to, "Why is your main character going on this adventure?" It's a question that needs to be answered, but I had so much trouble answering it.

And then one day it clicked. My character was presented this adventure and he took it on without thinking twice. No debate. No inner dialogue about IF this is what he wants to do. He just did it because he "should" do it.

Now, I've felt like a misfit for pretty much all of my life. (Me and every other person in LA, amiright?) With therapy I realized that I was living a life of "shoulds" rather than "wants". Over the last few years I've been quieting the "shoulds" and paying more attention to what I want. It hasn't been easy, but it's been worth it.

What clicked for me is that I never wrote the scene where my main character says "Yes, I choose to do this." He was simply presented with a challenge and simply went along with it. Assessing the situation, weighing the pros and cons, and then making the decision to move forward is what shows character. And I had left that part out.

Through different experiences in life, I often find myself in survival mode. I've made rash decisions based on fear. And it's never worked out for me. The idea of deciding "is this something I actually want to do, and why?" is something I'm still becoming comfortable with.

All of this is to say that my characters often find themselves in the same dilemma. So, why is my main character going on this adventure? Because he wants to. And now that I know WHY he wants to, I'm able to show that on the page.

The very first contest I submitted my latest script to, it placed THIRD OVERALL out of over twelve-hundred other scripts. As I'm writing this, I really want to express how happy I am, but I'm just a jaded old writer. What makes me happy is that it's a step in the right direction. The top five are called "winners", so it's the first screenplay contest I've "won", and I'm already past it.

My friendships with my LA friends has grown to a point where our little group feels like a family. And that's led me to other industry connections that feel really supportive.

My connections are growing. My skill is progressing. I'm officially an award winning screenwriter and filmmaker. And this latest script feels special-special.

Ten years in. I'm not where I want to be yet. But I'm fucking grinding.

[coraniaid]

Writing asks: 2, 4, 10, 18, 20

Thanks for the ask!

(And … uh, apologies for how long my answer got.  I took the suggestion to ramble seriously.)

I answered 2 here.

4) Share a sentence or paragraph from your writing that you’re really proud of (explain why, if you like)

I guess technically I already answered this too, but another line I’m proud of, from Chapter 13 of the current Buffy WIP, is: ”As apologies go, Faith can't help but notice that this isn't one.”

Oh, and from a very short one-shot (at least so far) Mass Effect fic I wrote last year:

The trip upcity was uneventful. The two asari sat together in the front, leaving me alone in the back to gather my thoughts. Mostly I was thinking things like oh shit, which aren't the sort of thoughts that take long to gather.

... actually, going back to (2), I guess I’d like to write more of this fic in the future, too. The world needs more volus accountants who think they’re the protagonists of a Raymond Chandler novel.

10) How would you describe your writing process?

“Overplanned”, maybe? I mean, I don’t think I’ve ever just sat down and written anything longer than a thousand words or so from beginning to end.  I wish I could, honestly, but I just can’t do it.

I usually start off with an outline: breaking each chapter into a number of scenes and working out what I want to happen in each one. Then I have a first pass through each of those scenes (not necessarily in the order they’re going to appear), writing a “first draft” that focuses primarily on dialogue and some placeholder stage directions and (maybe) any big internal monologues or action set-pieces.

When I’ve got most of a skeleton of a chapter ready that way, I might go back and mess around with the order of the scenes a bit, cutting scenes entirely or adding in any new scenes I decide are needed. Sometimes cut scenes are saved for a later chapter, sometimes I take the key bits of dialogue or inner monologue from them and rework them somewhere else, and sometimes the whole thing just gets deleted.

I then try to force myself to go through the whole document from start to end for the first time, expanding the basic skeleton into something that resembles a coherent full draft of the chapter, rereading and rewriting the initial placeholder dialogue as I go. And once I have that draft ready, I usually sit on it for a day or two before reading it over again a few times and trying to revise it, though by that stage I try not to change the general structure too much. I’m mostly focusing on trying to make sure that everyone seems to stay in character throughout, that any big emotional beats happen in the right order and that more generally the different scenes actually fit together into something coherent.

That last stage can either take a day or two (which is how long Chapter 11 of my current WIP took), or something closer to a couple of weeks (which is … okay, probably how long most chapters take). The trap I try to avoid falling into at this point is spending more and more time polishing the scenes that I like and that are already mostly finished while ignoring the scenes that actually still need serious work. (I mean, that’s what I try not to do. And yet.)

… okay, just writing all this down makes me realize how inefficient a way of writing fiction it probably is.

18) Do any of your stories have alternative versions? (plotlines that you abandoned, AUs of your own work, different characterisations?) Tell us about them.

No fully fleshed-out alternative versions of anything: I guess that’s one of the benefits of being fairly strict about planning things in advance. But a couple of chapters in my current WIP were very different in those early planning stages.  In both cases I was unhappy enough with what I had after a couple of weeks that I ended up scrapping the initial drafts and starting again from scratch. If I hadn’t done that, I think the overall story would be pretty different, at least in tone.

Also – and being slightly vague to avoid spoilers – there’s a subplot involving Xander in the current Buffy WIP which didn’t ever change as such but kept getting pushed back later and later (until chapter 20, anyway). In fact there are still a couple of lines intended as foreshadowing/references to it in the earlier published chapters that now don’t really make much sense.

(I do like the idea of writing AUs of my own work though! If I could write faster, I’d definitely be tempted to try it.)

20) Tell us the meta about your writing that you really want to ramble to people about (symbolism you’ve included, character or relationship development that you love, hidden references, callbacks or clues for future scenes?)

Oh, well, I love stealing borrowing repurposing lines of dialogue or ideas from canon into different contexts. In my current Buffy fic, that mostly means taking important conversations between Buffy and Faith and reversing who says what and why, or taking conversations between Faith and Angel (or Buffy and Angel, or Buffy and Spike), giving one side of the conversation to Buffy or Faith instead and playing around with who and what they’re about.

And the reason I think this works is because the show itself is always in conversation with itself and its earlier seasons too. I mean: you can’t really talk about Spike and Buffy in Dead Things without talking about Buffy and Faith in Consequences, for example, or about Buffy and Faith’s relationship in Season 3 without talking about Buffy and Angel(us) in Season 2.

Really, the whole fic itself is about taking Season 3 and shaking it up a bit so that things which are subtextual or have to be inferred (like the nature of Faith and Buffy’s relationship, or the extent to which Jenny’s death hangs over everyone all season) are made explicit. Not because I think that would have been better than what happened in canon -- I don’t -- but as a way of commenting on and talking about those parallels.

Some examples of that sort of thing I really like are: Faith’s final words to Buffy in the library in Chapter 3 (“I figured you’d be taller”), the dream Buffy has about Angel at the start of Chapter 10 (“You ever going to pull this thing out?”), and the fight Faith and Buffy have at the end of Chapter 16 (“No, you don’t get it. I don’t care.”)

I also love dream sequences, and my current WIP has … a lot of them.

The most recent update (Chapter 21) is basically 14,000 odd words of symbolic dream sequences and foreshadowing and callbacks (to both earlier chapters of the fic and to all sorts of moments from canon). I have promised myself that I will write a properly self-indulgent post about it one day … but probably not until I’ve actually finished the fic.

Before that, Faith has a dream at the start of Chapter 8 which is meant to have a lot of foreshadowing in it: to the extent that the very first line of the next scene is Faith’s Watcher explicitly flagging this as being a prophetic dream.

Off the top of my head, and again being a bit vague in case of spoilers: the snow is a reference to the end of Chapter 12, the crystals and the birthday cake (and Buffy’s line “It’s not your turn yet“) are references to Chapter 14, Faith’s own appearance when she looks in a mirror is a reference to Chapter 19 – and equally all three chapters are variations on things that happen in Season 3 proper, so the references also point to those original episodes – while Buffy’s lack of reflection is a reference to somebody Faith meets in Chapter 11. And of course the clock running down, the neglected state of the library and the fact Buffy’s dressed for a funeral are all intended to foreshadow what happens at the end of this chapter (which I guess I’m still being coy about, if not very subtly).

#asks

[manga-and-stuff]

There are pages at the end of almost every PTSD Radio chapter which make little sense on their own. But, if you put all of them together, you get this pseudo flip-book animation that spans the entire manga:

Source: PTSD Radio | Kouishou Rajio| 後遺症ラジオ

by Masaaki Nakayama

#PTSD Radio #Kouishou rajio #Masaaki Nakayama #Manga and Stuff #Mangacap #Manga #Art #body horror #took me a while to realize that the different scenes actually fit together