#Aragarna

[archaeopter-ace]

For the fanfic ask: P, S :-)

P: Are you what George R. R. Martin would call an “architect” or a “gardener”? (How much do you plan in advance, versus letting the story unfold as you go?)

I think it's a sliding scale, but I do lean more towards 'architect.' Like if a shiny new idea occurs to me while writing I will absolutely make room for it, but I find it helpful to have a plan especially since I write out of chronological order, based on where the inspiration is. And sometimes the way for me to overcome writer's block is to break my outline down into smaller and smaller pieces until I have one Topic Sentence per paragraph. Then I go in and fill in the paragraphs in any order, and if there's one that I just can't find inspiration for, chances are that's because it's not that interesting to me. And if it's not interesting to me as a writer, it probably won't be interesting to my readers, and I can cut it out entirely. Just skip the filler and cutscene away to the next interesting bit, or leave just the topic sentence to show how characters got from A to B without going into detail.

S: Any fandom tropes you can’t resist?

Identity Reveal - and related Power Reveal variations - is my favorite trope to read, but when it comes to writing... hmm... I'd have to say Puns. Like I don't go out of my way to come up with puns, and I don't often write wisecracking characters, but if a pun occurs to me I cannot resist working it into the story. Doesn't matter whether readers will notice or not. One time I was writing a story about shapeshifters, and I had the pigeon guy wear a Columbia University shirt. Because the genus for the common pigeon is Columba. Things like that. Oh, and Actor Allusion, too, I just love making references.

Thanks for the ask! :-)

[funnylittlebrain]

ALRIGHT ! All is good in the world ! My time of mourning is over, I've gone through all the steps, thank you very much ! (Still pissed at those who decided to cancel it but well...) My apologises for my message ! Promise, I never mean harm and don't bite (much). Just went a weeeeee bit mad for a moment and this too much emotions devided it'd be fun to share. Mad as a hatter, I tell you. Anyway, all is good now ! And thank you for making me feel chastised with that first GIF. Definitely made me laugh when I realised how I felt seeing it. And I'll admit I felt bad, too. Didn't think it all the way through when I send you that message. Once again, I'm very sorry. >.>

Anyway, I'm now ready to share -not the blame- but my gratitude between you and imelopsittacus for making me watch this show. It's still painful to stop at one season but that's what fanartists are there for, right ? That's their magic ; to make everything better.

So, anyway ! I'm going back to hide behind my rock now ! I'm sorry and thank you for not having my head on a spike after reading that message !

Hello ! I'd like to report a complaint please. Against you, actually. Yes, yes... Why, Oh why, did you have to reblog stuff from Forever ? And why in the name of ever-freaking-love did I ever see it ? WHYYYY ???!!! -> .... All this written before the arrow is me watching and falling in love with a show THAT WAS CANCELLED AFTER ONLY ONE SEASON !!!! WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY ?!!! ... Yes, I'm a bit emotional about it, sorry, and I didn't know who to complain to, and considering I watched it because of you, well... I needed to let some steam off... Sorry, also a bit not sorry ! xD Although I'm having fun complaining (on est français ou on l'est pas :P), I'm also grateful, because I really like the show and the pitch, and ABE and HENRY !! An old man being the son of a "young" immortal man ? Yes, please ! Anyway, I'm new in a dead (?) fandom and I'm grateful and full of rage. Thank you for letting me rent here (not that you had any choice in the matter, poor soul. xD). And thank you for your tumblr ! Have a nice day !

Me going from

to

XD

Funny little brain, indeed LOL

Also, the fandom isn't as dead as you think! (or maybe I just specialize in micro-fandoms)

[superjinkyo]

shoot, that was meant to be 3, 10 and 30 XD oh well... answer whatever you feel like answering!

Vids, instead of fics! for the 2024 in review meme :)

3. What piece of media inspired you the most? (This can be the fandom you wrote the most for, the one that spawned the most ideas, the one you thought about the most, etc.)

This year, I have been in full-on Kendrick Lamar space. The musical arrangements tickle my brain and the lyrics have, in some cases, been down-right inspirational. I do know that any vids or other work I've produced since this summer has been influenced by Kendrick's model of artistic integrity. 😭

10.What vid was the most satisfying to finish? OMG - "From The Air" | Person Of Interest! I finished this vid in 2020 and it was the most ambitious thing I'd done to that point. But I was also fairly new to vidding overall and was not confident in the work. I asked someone to beta it for me and that was a mistake. It took a few more years and vids for me to really embrace my vidding ethos: I vid for myself. I vid media I enjoy to music I enjoy, arranged in edits that make my brain tingle. It's awesome if other people enjoy my stuff as well, but ultimately, I am my best customer. So, in the spirit of 2024 being the year that I finish up as many WIPs as possible, I pulled this timeline out again, tweaked it with everything I've learned since 2020 and sent it out into the world. I did not expect this vid to get the love that it did. The feedback was validating and satisfying. I'm very proud of this little vid that could! *Yeah, yeah, there is still that other WIP (2 WIPs...) Still on the "finish this before you die" list. 30. What would you like to vid next year? I'm pulling sources now for possibly the most self-indulgent vid I've ever cut. I have to be a little cagey about it, for reasons, but I'm really looking forward to getting into edit with this next year. For Pros, I completed by Blu Ray disk collection. Next year, I'm hoping to upgrade all of my source footage and really lean into making the shiniest vids I can for the Lads. For POI - I'm due for a rewatch anyway. No that I've got From the Air out of my system, I'd love to work on the next vid. I kinda' want to make a Taskmaster vid at some point. This show got me through the lockdown, it's visually interesting and chock-full of themes!

[authorangelita]

Neal, summer :-)

Hi! Thank you for the prompt! It's been a minute since I watched WC, so I turned on a couple of episodes today and thoroughly enjoyed it.

~~

Neal loved summer.  He especially loved summer in New York City, and it has been years since he'd seen the city in all its glory in the August heat.  Some people would complain about the smell or the humidity or just the heat itself.  Neal embraced it all, and he'd missed it fiercely. 

He wandered the streets of Manhattan, making sure to check on June's house.  Cindy lived there now with her family, but the mansion looked the same.  That was a comfort because so much about the city had changed since he'd left. 

He hopped the subway into Brooklyn, and even though it had been a long time since he'd had the anklet, he still got a thrill when he crossed the invisible 2 mile line.  This was a route he'd taken many times, and he let his feet lead the way down the four blocks from the metro station and into a neighborhood he thought he'd never see again. 

The sun was setting as he climbed the brownstone steps and knocked on the door.  Voices, indistinct but still familiar, could be heard inside as heavy footsteps approached the door.  Neal took a deep breath and grinned as the door opened to reveal his old friend.

"Hello, Peter."

Peter's jaw dropped, and Neal had the satisfaction of the surprise.  "Neal?  What are you doing here?"

Neal raised an eyebrow.  "I don't even get a hello?"

"Who is it, hon?" Elizabeth called from the other room. 

Peter motioned for Neal to step inside.  "You get to explain this to her."

Chuckling, Neal moved inside, happy to see that not much had changed inside the Burke house.

[silverfoxstole]

Thanks for the tag @theancientvaleofsoulmaking !

𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑢𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑠𝑖𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒: 𝑔𝑜 𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑡, 𝑠𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑐ℎ "𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑛𝑎𝑚𝑒 + 𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑒," 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑠𝑖𝑥 𝑝𝑖𝑐𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑠. 𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑡𝑎𝑔 𝑠𝑖𝑥 𝑝𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒.

Tagging (with no pressure) @eighthwholove @aragarna @staringamassivemistakeintheface @sirastar @jennyfair7 @rjdaae

[donfadrique]

If anyone needs arguments, they need to talk to our Jack ;)

"Who's the hottest superhero?"

ZORRO.

Zorro is the hottest superhero.

There is only one answer, and it is ZORRO.

[bebx]

list your top 9 characters ♡

tagged by the lovely @foodiewithdahoodie (x) thank you!

from left to right, top to bottom — Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), Daniel Harrow (Ioan Gruffudd), Henry Morgan (Ioan Gruffudd), Henry Creel | One | Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower), Reed Richards | Mister Fantastic (Ioan Gruffudd), Victor von Doom (Julian McMahon), Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen), Edward Scissorhands (Johnny Depp), Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green)

I know, I know, 3 of these are Ioan Gruffudd and 2 are Johnny Depp. I mean can you blame me?

also, I could only list 9, but there were more characters that I loved that unfortunately didn’t make it to the list. I still love them though!

no pressure tags: @mobius-m-mobius @mirilyawrites @ikeepwatchinghelicopters @queereldritch @harringroveera @highwarlockofphilly @doseofthreecuties @aragarna @sunflowerharrington @loki-is-my-kink-awakening @lokisgoodgirl @chaos-monkeyy @argylepiratewd @loki-hargreeves @worstloki @cultofsheep @elsbianism @okilokiwithpurpose @josephandjamie @depper-than-you @josephfakingquinn @sullxo @trekkitkat @eddiemunsons-missingnipple @ohfallingdisco @21deppstreet @jensomniac @miraclesheen @madamedepp @immortaltricksters & anybody who feels like joining ♡

[donfadrique]

Are you ready for Guy Williams' birthday? I (thanks to my amazing beta-reader @aragarna) am! ✨🍊🎁

(You still have time to reread the first chapters 😉🔥)

Spoiler

The Capítan placed his hand on top of Diego’s and squeezed it, making him flinch.

“You’re so—” Monastario muttered and fell silent.

Their gazes met and locked; Diego’s throat instantly went dry.

“What am I like?” he asked hoarsely, feeling the Capítan’s fingers caress his own.

“Desperate,” Monastario smiled, making Diego’s heart skip a beat.

And the Capítan withdrew his hand.

They can be seen, it is too dangerous...

El Zorro adored danger.

[penna-nomen]

Thanks for tagging me @a-noble-dragon! I'm very happy to be Cinnamon French Toast!

no-pressure tags to: @thesymphonytrue, @ascreamintothevoid-blog, @aragarna, @silelda, @filizzlefuzzybeans and anyone else who enjoys toast!

[thesymphonytrue]

Happy Halloween!!

I wrote this little fic last year in response to @aragarna ‘s trick or treat ask! I added a scene to it and decided to post it to AO3.

Enjoy! 😉

SUMMARY: Peter just wants to spend halloween in peace with his wife...but Neal has other ideas.

[ladymisteria]

AMAZON PRIME'S ZORRO PROS & CONS.

After days of watching and re-watching the episodes of the new Zorro adaptation, I decided to share what - obviously only in my opinion - are its main pros & cons.

(For fairness, since I will mention spoiler elements, I thought I'd insert my reflections below the cut).

PROS:

MORE POV. It is impossible to start mentioning the pros of this series without mentioning the very obvious - and extremely right - decision to "broaden" the points of view. Perhaps for the first time, in fact, the story is not narrated almost completely by Diego alone, but also by the various other characters who are part of it (be they the Chinese, the natives, etc.).

REALITY. As already said by @aragarna, this new Zorro gets rid of the "we are all friends/we sit at the same table" contours to show - finally! - the tense and highly classist climate of a sadly very particular historical period. We see the hatred and distrust towards the natives, with the enormous difference - compared to other products that focus on this particular "feud" between colonizers and colonized - of knowing "both bells" (I don't know if there is a similar expression, in English, I apologize) and therefore being able to realize how different things are, depending on who tells the stories. This makes the series refreshingly "real" (yes, even if it includes elements like the Spirits of Native American culture).

NOT CLEARLY GOOD/BAD CHARACTERS. Monasterio is no longer the Commander, absolutely "black", devoid of scruples and good sides. Indeed, as the season continues, he increasingly demonstrates that he is an individual who well understands the absolute injustice of what he does - while nevertheless not shying away from doing it because he is faithful to his position. He is in conflict between what his principles and his role impose on him, effectively making him a magnificent "grey" character. Diego and Nah-Lin themselves are wonderful examples of "well-rounded" characters, because even in their most wrong actions, they maintain a sincerely credible and even - at certain points - justifiable motivation.

TECHNICAL VISUAL ASPECT. The scenes are masterfully shot, the soundtrack is not intrusive but rather an excellent way to underline the various thoughts/feelings of the characters, etc..

ZORRO'S LEGACY. The idea of a "generational change" of Zorro, in a choice that potentially makes it possible to see more sides of the same character - trivially because more people interpret him. A fact demonstrated in this same first season, where we had three Zorros, all three with their "characteristic side".

THE DECISION OF DEPRIVE DIEGO OF HIS MOST RECOGNIZABLE TRAIT. Depriving him - and so soon! - of his father (and consequently of the only person who knows him perfectly), the series allows Diego to always act as himself (within the limits desired by the situation of the moment), without having to resort to that supposed inability to defend himself/laziness/cowardice which is renowned as one of the particular signs of his character.

DIEGO IS NOT INVINCIBLE. It might seem stupid, but in many adaptations, Diego is seen as practically infallible. His plans always come to fruition, he never gets hurt, he makes almost no mistakes... This "new" Diego doesn't; here Diego is young (according to my calculations he is just 21/22 years old), he becomes Zorro not because of his choice but because - literally! - the spirits give him (via Night Crow) the costume and send him home with a lapidary: "You are the new Zorro, whether you want it or not", he still acts like a daredevil boy (complete with Bernardo-Mother Hen)... And this translates into some - very justifiable - errors and just as many choices that are not exactly well thought out.

CONS:

TOO MANY IRONS IN THE FIRE. To be clear: the various plot threads are all (well, almost: Samael and Guadalupe and their "inheritance hunt" have not managed to involve me at all, for the moment) interesting and well structured; but they are objectively many, for a single season. We have the Bear Clan, the Russian-American Company that wishes to "take over Los Angeles", Guadalupe's aforementioned inheritance hunt, Nah Lin's desire for revenge, the search for the truth about his father's murder on Diego's part... And of these very few - if not almost none - had an effective conclusion. The feeling I got was that the producers wanted to "play their cards" all at once, in the hope that this would secure them a renewal for a second season. Something along the lines of: "Hey, we need the renewal! Look at all the unresolved things we left!".

LOLITA. I'm sorry to say this, but I just can't understand what the producers had in mind when they created her character. Or rather, to be more precise, when they created her relationship with Diego. She is initially shown to us as angry at Diego for going to Spain (I think?), in an attitude that could even be understood - if only that same attitude didn't remain as if petrified throughout the rest of the season. Why, exactly, does Lolita remain so resentful towards Diego all the time? Because, despite knowing that he loves her (he himself tells her this, when she helps him with his wound, and even in the very first episode), she constantly pretends not to know what feelings bind him to her, and indeed continually acts in such a way as to hurt him on purpose? Mha! It remains meaningless to me.

Here it is. I have indicated, I repeat, what for me are the main pros and cons of the season (you will probably have found others, or even none).

[argylepiratewd]

Tagged by @aragarna—thanks!

Rules: Post the last seven sentences from one of your WIPs! I’m not going to say it has to be the absolute last seven sentences you’ve written - just from something you’re still working on.

I'm cheating and going with paragraphs, shhh.

---

On Monday, a local kid named Eric who has some of the longest eyelashes Crowley has ever seen sets up a computer for him toward the back of the newsroom. Eric is the chatty sort, and it only takes a few minutes to learn that his father is a police officer for the town and, according to Eric, not a good one.

"I don't know what all he's up to," Eric says. "The speed trap out by Porrit's Lane is the biggest thing I know about, but..."

"Oof, I'm already familiar," Crowley says.

"He and his buddy Hastur have been running that scheme for years." Eric plugs another cord into the tower. "Hear them laughing 'bout it all the time. But I think they're into something else now, too."

Crowley raises his eyebrows. "Something else?" He glances over at Aziraphale and finds him sitting still, his head cocked slightly, like he's listening. "Any idea what?"

Eric shakes his head. "Just don't want the new guy in town getting into trouble," he replies. "Gotta be careful out there, you know?"

Crowley's eyes meet Aziraphale's. Aziraphale looks as troubled as Crowley feels. "Thanks for the tip, kid. I'll watch out."

---

I tag...anyone who wants to do it. 😁

[the-haiku-bot]

Emiliano

Zurita as Capitan

Monasterio

Beep boop! I look for accidental haiku posts. Sometimes I mess up.

Zorro (2024, Amazon), episode 1.

Miguel Bernardeau as don Diego/Zorro

Paco Tous as Bernardo

Renata notni as Lolita

Emiliano Zurita as Capitan Monasterio

Dalia Xiuhcoatl as Nah-Lin

[amalthea9]

I'm a day late woops but Happy Diwali everyone! Diwali is a Hindu festival that starts November 12 and ends the 16th! It's the festival of lights and celebrates the light's victory over darkness! In some parts of India, it's also the celebration of the goddess Lahkshmi's birth when she came out of the sea! And it can also be the celebration of when Lord Rama and Lady Sita returned to their kingdom from their 12 year exile!

So I decorated my altar space with my postcards of Lord Rama and Lahkshmi. And I was able to order a little tray in time that had little Lahkshmi and a little Ganesha, as well as an oil lamp and a place for incense cones!

🎇🎆🎇Happy Diwali to all!! 🎇🎆🎇

@ariel-seagull-wings @ailendolin @aragarna @silverfoxstole @professorlehnsherr-almashy

[authorangelita]

For the Fanfic meme:

1. If you’re an author, how many WIPs do you currently have? (Be honest!)

5. What’s a crackship you love?

17. Describe a fic that is still in the ‘ideas’ stage.

:-)

Thank you for the questions! ❤️

1. If you’re an author, how many WIPs do you currently have? (Be honest!). I counted 19 in my WIPs folder for MacGyver.  And 12 in my WC WIPs folder.  I've had an idea for the next story in the Neal Hughes verse, but I haven't written anything down yet.  I need to rewatch some episodes. 

5. What’s a crackship you love? I had to look up the definition of crackship to see if I had one.  I don't think I do.  I don't have a ship at the moment, and my last one was Sterek, which is huge but was not canon, so that might count if you squint.

17. Describe a fic that is still in the ‘ideas’ stage. Hughes family Thanksgiving that gets interrupted by something.  I don't know what.  Might be some bad guys bust in and take the family hostage, might be that Neal gets lured away somehow, might be that Michael is followed there by someone after him because of his US Marshal job.  I just have this image of everyone sitting around the table, saying what they're thankful for, and then they get interrupted. 

[notes-from-sarah]

Tag Game

tagged by @aragarna (ty!!❤️)

Tag game: tag 9 people you’d like to get to know better.

Last song: Great War by Taylor Swift

Currently watching: Just finished Echo on Disney+ (deffo recommend)

Three ships: Professor X/Magneto from X-Men, Kanan/Hera from Star Wars: Rebels, ... yeah that's about it, I don't tend to get super invested in one ship, I just care if it's interesting and I can see the characters getting together.

Favorite color: blue or green or yellow, I like colors, it's hard to pick a fav

Currently consuming: bread

First ship: ummmmm idk, most times I like the canon couple as presented but I'm not super invested in them as a couple so I don't "ship" them either... Maybe Luke Skywalker/Mara Jade from Star Wars EU?

Relationship status: ...

Last movie: Mean Girls: The Musical (it was okay, the original was better)

Currently working on: Spent what feels like a million years working on a mega-post about Magneto's backstory and development through the years, must have read like 1,000 comic books just to collect all the info, but the light is at the end of the tunnel and I hope to have it posted soon! Also, so many WIP fics

tagging @anoray @zipadeea @padfootagain @paddyfitz @thorin-is-a-cuddler @thegingergal @dolphelecat @madseance @donottrustsistergoldenhair