#Can you tell lake is my favorite character? lol

[faceofpoe]

Poe, I was delighted, nay, obsessed with the post you reblogged about Collapsed Coruscant. What do you think would happen there after everyone with any credits fucked off to Hosnian Prime or wherever?

Ha, hello friend! Thank you for the much-needed break from doomscrolling. XD

My morbid obsession with Coruscant has always been around how we've seen it (it's so twisted! it just keeps burying itself, layer by layer! the iconic episode 10 Luthen&Lonni shot is of course an excellent example of the old mostly-forgotten infrastructure but my favorite glimpse of the depths is actually in the final Clone Wars season (there's a fucking lake! fucking what. and even THAT is like... so HIGH relative to the surface) (the SURFACE! there's some twisted remnant of a dead planet down there!) (I have gathered through the course of researching for a TBB fic that the TCW portrayal is largely born from a canceled video game called 1313? I think? Lost to the Dark Times the Disney I imagine. Anyway I digress)(MiniPoe just came down to tell me about his Sonic Encyclo-speedia and something about Metal Sonic getting too much backstory(?)(maybe?)so I lost my train of thought)).

BUT if we take a moment to imagine the infrastructure that must go into keeping the lower levels habitable (I'm not sure what the canon (if any) on how deep one can go) with food and water and air (I mean - AIR, at some depth surely it's just suffocating surely??) -

Side tangent there was an old EU novel in the New Jedi Order bonkers era where a mass evacuation of Coruscant/collapse of the government-ish happened and the novel Traitor has a character wandering the desolation of the planet and all the destruction and I don't remember a lot from it (there were def monsters though) but it's probably where my obsession was born.

Additional side tangent one of the EU X-wing novels has a fun little bit with a star destroyer buried (somehow??? these books were written pre-prequels, mind) under the city and it blasts its way free and just MAYHEM DESTRUCTION DEATH like millions of people just -

LAST side tangent in I thiiiiink the EU Jedi Academy trilogy (do not quote me on that) (also pre-prequels days) the Very Young Solo twins wandered off and ended up finding their way to the bottom of Coruscant where they met a dude who was like... a self-proclaimed king of the underworld (I think he'd once been some govt lackey under Palpatine maybe? I read these like 14 years ago lol) and he'd fled and was ruling happily in the depths and upon being informed 'oh hey yeah it's not like that anymore the Empire is gone you can come back up now' he was all "why would I I am a KING down here?" and just fucked off back to the basement.

Point being the EU was ridiculous as all fuck but it had fun playing with Coruscant before we had a Lucas-approved visual of Coruscant.

BUT if all the wealth up and fled Coruscant after the Empire. Hm. I mean, we still see a significant govt presence on the planet a handful of years later in Mando s3 I believe? So I like to imagine there was a sense of 'hey let's not murder trillions via negligence' but as time goes on and instability heightens and whatever the fuck First Order schisming or some shit (sorry I'm the worst sort of Star Wars fan (the type who thinks Star Wars would be good if only it were good))-

I feel like Coruscant would actually become a bastion (lol (no one gets that joke probably)) for remaining (wealthy) Imperial ideologues. Like - maybe some money would flee but I actually wonder if plenty wouldn't move in and continue enjoying living atop all the poor denizens of the depths. Content to live in the shadow of former Imperial glory and leave the New Republic to its rebuilding.

Ensuing power struggle with underworld warlord sorts who have been moving up since the Empire was yeeted? Waiting until the New Republic gets bored rehabilitating the galaxy to come all the way up and claim the prime real estate?

Eventual massive division and power struggle among a bunch of chaos factions, basically, is my proposal. Eventually, winning becomes more important than maintaining the infrastructure and supply lines. Eventually, maybe, the vicious competition for said supply lines ends up severing them altogether. Plenty of safer business to pursue, in the galactic rebuilding. Coruscant slowly fades from the greater galactic awareness. Left to its madness. Left to tear itself apart. Left to rot. Eventually left, undoubtedly, by many of the same sorts who set it on its slow death spiral in the first place.

Coruscant eventually goes dark.

Coruscant eventually goes quiet.

Every new level constructed through the millennia was, of course, built to be the best, the top, built to last.

How strange to finally have one emerge the victor, standing proud atop a dead city.

But the planet is just the same thing it always was, far back as history remembers - a tomb at the heart of the galaxy.

[aster-ghost]

More thoughts

I feel like Lake would have to be extremely careful otherwise they'd likely get someone trying to experiment on them. Their biology is unique and they're the only denizen to ever leave the train based on Oneone's reaction. Mace is a huge asshole but he did have a point. What will Lake do in the real world? Would Jesse's parents be ok taking in a random kid out of nowhere? Would she be able to get into a school safely?

Just some food for thought and I have so much more.

I've been rewatching Infinity Train and thinking about the outside world in the show.

Thousands of people must be going missing every year on the train. And and least a few are making it back even if a lot die or don't get better. Plus, weird things make it back too. Tulip has no reflection, Lake is a metal teenager. Someone has to be noticing all this weird stuff. Every story was set before the modern day but Tulip and Jesse probably had access to Facebook or Myspace at least. Do you think escapees have an organization to talk about everything?

Just something I've been thinking about. Not just cause it would be fun for Tulip and Lake to reunite.

[herbofgraceandpeace]

Spoilers for A Deadly Education below:

(I haven’t discovered how to do the read more link on mobile yet, sorry for being a tech loser.)

So I really, really, REALLY enjoyed A Deadly Education! It was such a deeply, richly imagined world, and the exposition of it was done wonderfully through El’s grumpy, sarcastic inner dialogue. I don’t think you could actually justify it as complaining, but it sort of works as an explanation for her breaking the fourth wall.

The characters were so deliciously real and believable all around, not just El! Side note: I love, love, love books with many women characters; they are just like life, which ALSO HAS MANY WOMEN CHARACTERS. I don’t think it has to be just women authors who do this, but it’s telling that they’re usually the ones to do so. Anyway, the boys and girls of this book were such people very teenagers, and it heightened the drama naturally as a result! A lot of the book relies on hierarchies of the kind usually found in school stories, but that wasn’t just a cool gimmick or means to enliven the stakes. It meant that the morality of their actions was much more obvious and undeniably relevant, and that’s such a powerful truth about suffering on its own! It strips back the fripperies of life and requires us to make very real decisions about what our relationship to the people around us. What will we do to survive? Can we survive alone? And what counts as survival? If we sacrifice others to save ourselves, what will be left of us at the end?

I loved the way that El’s internal dilemma centers around her ability to harm others easily and her desire to not do so—and sometimes, painfully but so realistically, her battle with her desire to harm them in retaliation for how she’s been treated. One of my favorite parts of the book was El’s moment of decision on whether or not to fight the maw-mouth; it reminded me strongly of the moment from Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables when Valjean has to decide whether to turn up at the trial of the man who has been misidentified as Valjean himself. In both cases, the protagonist is forced to make an utterly self-sacrificing choice—to choose something which will most likely destroy their life completely in order to save someone in many respects undeserving. The freshmen El was attempting were young, innocent, and helpless, but they had done her no favors, and she knew she would gain little to no benefit from saving them. But she did it anyway!! Just as Valjean has to realize that he can’t keep his position as mayor and do good if it’s built on the unjust suffering of this man. (I’ve no idea if that connection makes sense to anyone but me, but I’m tired and can’t explain better.)

I couldn’t help contrasting this book with Spinning Silver since I just read it, and I have to say I was delighted by how much more open discussion of morality (see the paragraph above lol) there was in this book! Spinning Silver was so action-focused that I’ll have to look deeper to get at its themes, whereas El’s narration AND her character arc brought it all to the surface in A Deadly Education. Another of my favorite moments was El’s thoughts on her own anger with Magnus; there was lots of real, convicting truth there. You cannot fight the cycle of violence, of fear, of hatred with the very same weapons—you can only break it through choosing mercy and justice (paradoxically) and giving of yourself. Which brings me to the delightful Orion Lake! Ladies and gentlemen, a certified Boy. I’m not sure if he could be called a narrative foil to El (I’m so tired help), but it’s interesting to observe the difference in how they go about caring for others. El is jaded; she sees the brokenness of the world and all of its cruelty, and she chooses to help others (by denying herself at all times!) anyway. Orion sees much less of the evil in people and in the systems of the world—but! fascinatingly! he sees the evil in the scholomance system in a way that El doesn’t (or at least isn’t prepared to deal with yet). He can’t be bothered to think about the consequences of saving everyone, but he’s darned well willing to die doing it. I was amused and frustrated with El for not seeing him as a kindred spirit earlier on in the book because they both recognize the fundamental principle that might does not make right, that the strong should not prey on the weak. Yet while El refuses to acknowledge how deep her loyalty to this principle really is, Orion’s thoughtlessness means that he’s blind to the ways he himself is perpetuating the abuse of the weak through the enclave. Delightful stuff, and realistic character conflict born of different perspectives and experiences!

also, did I mention we get sisterhood?? I don’t care if they’re just friends, El and Aadyah and Liu are sisters now. To me.

Basically, it’s a great book, and I can’t wait to read the next ones

[nerdieforpedro]

20 Questions of Writers 📑

I was tagged by @frenchiereading @avastrasposts and @maggiemayhemnj (Bless the three of you. You know a dissertation is coming 🤣🤣🤣) 💜

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

I have 81 works on AO3. There are some that are there and not on Tumblr yet. As to why, some of them are other series I haven’t finished or I’m not sure if I should post them here.

2. What is your total AO3 word count?

As of today: 351,908 words (updated for a new chapter of one of my works)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Currently: Pedro Pascal, Oscar Issac, Garrett Hedlund and might dabble in Call of Duty (maybe)

No longer writing: Marvel

4. Top Five fics by kudos: (some of these were written long ago, when Nerdie was a wee one in fandom)

Sard’ika Sessions (the most in kudos and hits- it tells me ya’ll like Din being a soft dom and using several different tools, maybe at the same time?)

Our Journey Across the Star Ocean (people enjoy the way I write Din maybe?)

The Viper Longs for Foliage (the one fic I have about Oberyn Martell - I don’t feel I write him well but people feel differently I suppose 🤔)

The Best and the Worst Day (AO3 only - Chris Evans fix it was a phase 🫣)

I want him to see me (AO3 only - I had to look up what this was lol Sebastian Stan fic)

5. Do you respond to comments?

Yes! I make sure to go through my inbox to reply to anyone who was nice enough to leave me one. ☺️

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Bold of you to assume I finish fics regularly 👀

Scarlet Stains and their Echoes Such angst with a Backstreet Boys joke thrown in. 😆

7. What is the fic you wrote that has the happiest ending?

This is a three way tie (cheating because Nerdie is not above it) between Sard’ika Sessions, The Lake Between Us and Parts of you Mr. Morales. Each fic has a different Pedro character - Din, Ezra (I had to give him something happy 😭) and Frankie.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not that I’ve seen. I totally thought I would and that’s why something stay on AO3 or in the WIP folder but so far I have not. It’s like waiting for the other shoe to drop.

9. Do you write smut?

I used to. I used to write a lot and enjoyed it. I find now that when I write smut it’s awkward and takes me at least a month to finish a smut scene because despite watching and reading reference materials (porn and other awesome smut fanfic here and on AO3) I don’t have the same mojo when writing it any more. I feel a bit sad about it, but there’s nothing that’s worked. It’s not like I don’t have thots. I just can’t get them in a fic. 😭😭

10. Craziest Crossover?

I haven’t really done many. One m/m fic where Din and Poe crossed blasters (pun fully intended), one sandwich with a female reader, Lucian Flores and Benny Miller, My Tim Rockford series where Dieter is his brother and that’s about it I think 🧐

11. Have you ever have a fic stolen? Not that I know of. So happy I’m in my small weird little box 📦

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? Not that I know of.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic? Nope I would be open to it but I dunno how the process would work.

14. All time favorite ship? The Razor Crest, it has room for passengers. 😆

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

Such heart ache 😣 My first series that I started was with Dave York (he was done so dirty dammit!) and it was pretty smut filled. Felt with him and the OFC’s messed up dynamic as well but because of all the smut and how I can’t seem to write smut to save my neck now, it will likely go unfinished. 😭

16. What are your writing strengths?

Honestly, I’m not sure. Maybe just the weird plot ideas I can make and dialogue. That’s about it.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Finishing a fic, SMUT, weak comedy (I can’t resist it though), fixating on small details that don’t matter and everything that wasn’t listed as a strength. What is writing really? Can I make the words go together? 😨

18. Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

Pretty cool, just make sure you ask a native speaker in that language to look over things before posting. I have found that some of my Spanish is too literal and no native Spanish speaker is actually going to say that. Plus each language always has little nuances you need to take into account.

19. First Fandom you wrote in? Marvel 👀 Look it was a phase dammit! 🫣 Leave me alone. 😭

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

Nerdie will cheat again, because this is her post! 😆 I enjoy all my fics. Otherwise, why would I write them? But one stands above the rest. It gives me all the feels, giggles, some funny banter, smut that took a damn month to write and inspired @soft-persephone to tag me in a meme that @boliv-jenta made, Weddings 101 with Dieter.

If there’s one fic that I feel has the majority of my writing (all styles and facets) in it, Weddings 101 would be it. My humor, agnst, attempt at making a villain and sub-plots, slow burn romance with a goat as Dieter’s ride or die. 🤗 That trash panda gave me a lot so I wrote him a wild ass series. 😋

NPT: @tinytinymenace @megamindsecretlair @perotovar @pedroshotwifey @lady-bess

@djarinmuse @alltheglitterandtheroar @inept-the-magnificent @lotusbxtch

@jeewrites @rosecentaur1916 @westside-rot @jessthebaker @trulybetty

@rhoorl @musings-of-a-rose @saturn-rings-writes @ramblers-lets-get-ramblin @magpiepills

@secretelephanttattoo @morallyinept @goodwithcheese

[velvetjune]

Alan Wake Night Springs DLC spoilers and thoughts:

This is very vague, but this really was the most Remedy thing to ever exist. My brain exploded at some point from Everything. Good game—you can tell those developers had the time of their life making all this. looking forward to the Lake House as something more serious and similar to the main game/tone.

Episode one with Rose was the best! Stunning from the start until the end and had the funniest moments in any Remedy game. [Rose voice] “𝖎 𝖜𝖎𝖑𝖑 𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖙𝖊𝖈𝖙 𝖞𝖔𝖚”

That fanart was SO good and could’ve been drawn by any irl Alan Wake fan. I can’t even say another or act like it’s embarrassing because I also think Alan is hot. So. Same Rose.

Bad boy Scratch being a werewolf.. Cat boy Alan (and the fucking Nightmare on Elm Street crop top fanart of him) being comically weak and in distress.. Rose dipping him at the end was unbelievably hilarious. Reject alpha male Scratch and embrace wet cat Alan. Every few minutes I had to remind myself that Alan technically wrote this,, his mind,, his perception of himself is incredible

That episode also was fun all around to play. Endless ammo and fun effects with the automatic shotgun. Rose slowly getting covered in blood. She’s already one of my favorite characters after this—she’s cringey in the best (and scarily realistic) ways. I support her

Episode 2: wish this one was longer because I missed Jesse and her awkward and aggressive conversations with others. I thought Dylan would pop up at some point, but of course Alan wrote himself into this twist ending. Couldn’t stop laughing with that. It felt just like the Night Springs eps of Alan Wake 1 lol.

I had the most trouble with some of the sections of this game, but it was fun, mostly just felt like a fool for not initially understanding it. The secret agency and clear references to the Board and FBC were everything. It was just Control: Coffee edition.

Episode 3: Death Rally Tom !! I was beyond happy seeing this. Always nice to see more Zane.

I’m not very familiar with Quantum Break outside of the general story and beginning, so the last episode was So Much. Initial thought: Please no Jesse and Tim in Control 2. It’s almost certainly supposed to be because of Quantum Break, but that version of her waiting for Tim came out of nowhere for me lol (also 😔 because I either want her to be with Emily or not get with someone at all—Control Jesse is so far from Beth Quantum Break/Lisa imo). The “but maybe…” multiverse romance was. whatever. cheesy but in a more negative way.

Another thing that makes me somewhat relieved this is the whacky DLC is that it does address a lot of the vague unanswered questions of the game in the typical sci-fi way (and probably a big win for theorists), and I want to keep that away from most of the main games. I like not knowing things lmao. It’s not a huge deal and I love all the crossovers/realities, but I want future AW (if 3 happens) and Control games to still largely focus on the mysterious horror without anything too definitive or distracting. I’m mostly okay with it here because this is Also an episode written by Alan and hosted by Door, so it’s not reliable—even if I’m sure this is what Remedy envisions when writing these games.

^ something something “In a horror story the victim keeps asking why, but there can be no explanation and there shouldn't be one. The unanswered mystery is what stays with us the longest and is what we'll remember in the end.”

However looooved how the third episode changed the style of the game repeatedly. The very last scene where the words form the writers room and Alan before it abruptly ends was great and the standout of the ep.

I’m not going to try to unpack all this, but it’s interesting how Alan and Door present themselves as being these largely antagonistic forces in this DLC. They’re an underrated duo (the two Masters of Many Worlds). Everything felt like it was Alan purposefully trying to imprint on these realities and influence things in his writing, making certain things parallel his life and circumstances. Reminded me of him attempting to get the irl Koskela brothers to kill each other to get out of the Dark Place. Hard to tell what’s really the truth.

I like Door too much to be scared of him. The jump scares were nicely paced throughout and the echoes of Tim/Shawn/Jack fighting him were interesting.

The tribute for James McCaffrey at the end was emotional and lovely.

[crguang]

Weeeeellll since you said it’s ok to continue sending in asks. Could you give us your thoughts on Hamel and Garofano? Ik you’ve made some post about her before but now I want an 12 page essay like you did the others lol. And also perhaps Shalom too? If you think you’re able to give thoughts about her if not maybe just some thirsts? And is there any characters that have caught your attention? Personally I thought Eleven would have been in your favorites but maybe she is just not top 5. I’d like to keep asking about the characters but i think I should ask about the ones you actually have an interest in before sending in my own 12 page essay on asking you questions about them lol

-🍷

omg this hydrogen bomb… hamel and garo in the same ask… i got you. i havent met shalom or eleven yet! shalom is one of those characters that i already know i’ll love because people have said that she’s similar to kafka (hsr) in personality so im very very very excited for the 2nd anniversary so she can come home. ppl also gassed up flora unfurl a LOT so i have high expectations for that event but i know i’ll love it cause it’s yuriful. for eleven, i hvent played her event but her design definitely drew me in because she looks gorgeoussss. i love her battle kit as well but since i dont have her i have no idea what kind of character she is yet. i would say that the characters i like so far, off the top of my head, are: hamel, adela, zoya, nightingale, angell, garofano, shawn, oak casket, chelsea, sumire, uni, cabernet, bianca, chameleon, cassia, BAI YI!!! i know little about bai yi rn but she’s a menace so i already love her. im mad she isnt home yet ive wanted her since day one </3 interrogations/events play a big part in me getting attached to characters so if i dont have them it’s usually hard to tell if i like them or not but i like a lottt of them passively.

i’ll start with hamel, my angel… she makes my heart so full. i want to protect her from everything and let her dance to her heart’s content i would always be her most devoted audience :( her strength of mind is incredible. she’s such a pure soul who’s gone through unimaginable trauma and she still regards corruptors as beings deserving of peace instead of monsters like everyone else. she spent over 20 years dancing for an audience that was keeping her trapped in the darkness and instead of wishing for freedom, she wanted to stay and heal them at the expense of herself. her compassion is admirable despite what she’s been through, how her mother was using her and how the previous audiences she danced for never appreciated her as they should. at the end of the day, this is how she expresses herself and whether it’s for corruptors or selfish people, she has to dance. i love her dedication to her art and the beacon of hope she’s become. she means a lot to me because of her character arc. she was stuck at the bottom of a lake for decades, surrounded by darkness and contamination, and at the end of her interrogation she has a newfound purpose and people who appreciate her art for what it is instead of using her to console their souls. she’s able to dance for herself and her freedom being described as a spring day made me so emotional; i got a tattoo on my forearm that says “you are spring” on my darkest day to remind myself that the bad times eventually pass and rebirth is inevitable. it’s the same for hamel who’s now free of her past torments and who creates life where there was only despair. it’s really inspiring, she’ll always be my favorite character because she reminds me that a barren land can still grow beautiful things.

hamel is sooo beautiful. she was the first character that caught my attention, i got her like my second day playing the game and immediately made her my profile picture and put her on my home page for her pretty design. i love her hairr!! she looks like a mermaid, and the jellyfish she conjures up are just as cute as her. just like adela, she looks a little trapped in her clothes when they should allow her total freedom of movement so i love the contrast of the leather with the flowy dress, it’s a really nice touch. her outfit inside the black ring is different because this is how she appears to the corruptors, an angel in white. it’s so prettyyyy i love her so much.

her voice is so soft and seeing her discover new things through supervision incidents is heartwarming, like that time she tried ice cream and her eyes lit up🥹 she’s my baby fr, she doesn’t like physical touch but that’s okay, i’d still spend all my time with her. she has such a comforting aura ughhh i love her the most.

for garo……… hehehehehehe it’s pretty straightforward honestly. i have a very specific type and she fits all the boxes. i did her interrogation because i was bored and saw on her profile that she killed her husband so i was intrigued, i love widows who killed their spouse it’s a trope that i’ll always like lol. i was very pleasantly surprised when she revealed herself to be a deceiving, manipulative, lying, possessive freak. she’s so meant for me. older woman with a controlling personality? i need her. i love characters who lie so much or embody other people so much that they lose a little of themselves in the disguises they wear. garo is never straightforward when asked anything; when Chief asks about the identities she portrays she says something vague about how she’s able to lie so well because there might be some truth in them. very curious about that but i guess that’s all she had to say… and i havent made it far enough to know about the purpose behind the garden yet, so there’s really a veil of mystery around garofano for me. and i love unraveling my characters, that’s why i gravitate towards people who are reserved/closed off/hide or lie a lot. i love garo’s mastery over her craft and i think about that MBCC lovepost every day of my life. a woman who could effortlessly kill me yet chooses to caress? *takes a deep breath*

garofano’s ECB is my favorite. it’s her at her rawest, her most vulnerable, her fear and lack of control made obvious, and it’s such a different side of her. the art is fucking insane first of all, but my favorite part is the emotions on her face. the cracked picture frame, the bed of flowers as if laying in front of a blazing fire, the mannequins on the floor, the tears on her face— everything is so messy. a far cry from the control she now constantly has over herself. losing people has made her deeply afraid of it happening again, so much that she starts objectifying those she cares about. they’ve become possessions to be taken from her, and her desire to help others only stems from the need to not be abandoned again. she likes to be needed because it means that people won’t leave her, it’s so sad😭 i hope she can understand that she doesn’t have to be useful to be wanted. but she’s so gentle and i don’t think that’s a front, i love that about her. sinners come to her for help with their clothes and stuff it’s so cute i want her babies

her design is very cherished by me but i need to see her naked. very grateful to aisno for giving her a different shirt in her P3/ECB art just so that they can show us that boob window because i would’ve never known about her mole and that’s unforgivable. shes so sexy man… the tape around her neck like a necklace is really clever and her apron is super cute, she dresses like a grandmother lowkey with that shawl around her shoulders hshshfnd i’d still hit. 10.99 billion times. her bangs weirded me out at first but i’ve come to love them, they’re original i suppose… she actually makes me crazy like i need that old woman so BAD. she brings out the wolf in me that’s screaming “BREED BREED BREED BREED” like you called me a lesbian in heat well that’s really me with garo. the things i would do to her would weird out sigmund freud. i can’t even say them all because i still have some shame but like that anon said, we’d go freak4freak. the things i would do to hear her call me a good girl in that deep ass voice of hers… oh my goodness. it scratches my brain every time i bought her fucking skin just to hear that playful, “careful!” every time i log into the game. got me cheesing every time fr

my home screen is literally this picture of her birthday art and i almost made it my lock screen but my dignity stopped me… in short, she’s THE character for me attraction wise and if we get put in a room together i hope the building is empty because everyone will be hearing us.

[bagheerita]

Writing Interview Tag Game!

Thanks to @aintgonnatakethis for the tag! (I've copied his idea and posted the template in a "read more" if you decide to go ahead and play, so you don't have to pick the questions out from between my answers)

About me

When did you start writing?

I’ve been telling stories since I was old enough to remember words, but probably only writing them down since about high school. Crossover ideas about my favorite characters meeting each other and having adventures have been my bread and butter since I was in the single digits though. 

Are there different genres or themes you enjoy reading other than the ones you write?

Oh yeah. There’s plenty of things I think I’m not very good at writing that I love reading, especially really grounded realism and humor. Also I do not have the patience for the really fantastic speculative xenobiology that I absolutely adore reading.

Is there an author you want to emulate, or are compared to often?

Not that I want to emulate. A teacher told me once that my writing reminded her of Danielle Steele, but as I've never read a Danielle Steele novel I'm not sure how accurate that is, or if it even applies anymore because that was 20 years ago. I feel like I tend to emulate whatever author I’ve been reading a lot lately, but I don’t read a lot anymore. I used to really love Patricia Briggs (I mean, I still love the books I've read, Dragon Bones is probably one of my top favorites ever, but I haven't been as impressed with her recent offerings) and I feel like there was a point where a lot of her werewolf psychology bleed over into the way I write Wraith.

Can you tell me a bit about your writing space?

So at the moment I mostly write on my phone at work during breaks. The space is both chaotic and tense, and very boring and low-key. I do final edits on my computer though: that set up involves 2 screens, which is really handy for edit comparisons between an AO3 window and my backup document, and there’s a cat bed under the desk for Bug to hang out. 

What’s your most effective way to muster up a muse?

Over the past few years writing has become a way to channel my anxiety about the world, so I tend to write more when I’m anxious or when I’m stuck sitting somewhere that isn’t mentally stimulating but I have enough energy that I’m not completely zonked out. 

Did the place(s) you grew up in influence the people and/or places you write about?

Um in a specific sense probably no? I mean, I would say that how you grow up is extremely formative to who you are and what you write and that holds true for me. But specifically the only story influenced by the place I grew up is “Sunlight”; the setting is based on a place near where I grew up on Lake Michigan. 

Are there any reoccurring themes in your writing? If so, do they surprise you?

Love will save the day. I don’t mean sex or romance, I mean the affection, compassion, and consideration that humans are capable of having for each other and for creation in all circumstances. And I don't mean “save the day” in a eucatastrophic sense, though I like that too, but that living in love is what saves us as people and reminds us that we are communal creatures who need each other. No, that doesn't surprise me. 

Characters

Would you please tell me about your current favorite character?

Lol, well I’m currently obsessed with Tora Ziyal from DS9. I'm planning to abduct her, and Ellia from SGA, and throw a Canon Doesn't Deserve You/Won't Treat You Right party. But that’s a story I’m not actually writing yet, so probably Todd? I’m also kind of currently obsessed with femdom and power dynamics among Wraith, and just generally with Todd’s dynamic with Carter because I feel like there’s a lot that was unexplored there in canon. I have one story for them which I’m posting that's all just sex, and 3 more ideas in various stages of wip that are more adventure bases. Somehow sex is easier to write than plot. 

Which of your characters would you be friends with in real life?

lol

Look, I spend my time trying to get into these people's heads to figure out what makes them tick, putting them in Situations, and orchestrating their sex lives. Would you be friends with someone like that??? 

(For me) the entire point of this is that fictional people are not real, and do not exist in real life. 

Which characters would you dislike the most if you met them?

I have 4 different answers for this one....

See above.

2. I feel like the point of these questions is really to ask about Original Characters and... I can't answer that in this case because Spoilers.

3. I feel like the other point is that "dislike" doesn't necessarily mean "hate," but rather "we wouldn't be friends." So, back when I was a 12 year old girlchild with a television, watching Deep Space Nine, I adored Jadzia Dax. Rewatching the show recently I find her far more immature than I remember (though may be it's just because the writers had no idea what they were doing with her), and honestly the more I learn about Curzon Dax the more I think he sounds like an absolute nightmare of a person. I do not think I would be friends with Dax. Not maliciously, just complete incompatibility of personalities.

4. But the fandom answer for characters I hate is: in a general Stargate sense, I utterly loathe both Frank Simmons and Lucius Lavin and would most certainly throw garbage at them if I existed in the stargate EU and happened to meet them. In addition I loathe Naraku from Inuyasha, would plot to murder the Head Founder from DS9, and would certainly cheer for anyone in The Last Kingdom who stabbed Aethelwold repeatedly and left him to be eaten by wild dogs.

Tell me about the process of coming up with your characters?

When I have a role that needs to be filled or a scene that needs to be populated with a character, I create a background character to fill it, who then tends to take over my brain and develop all sorts of traits. The process can vary a lot from character to character, but I'll use Sara as an example. 

I start with the problem: I need an OC who will present Ronon with an unconventional take on the Wraith in order to help him shift his worldview. This needs to be someone whom he does not find physically threatening. Also they need to have had an opportunity to develop a relationship with the Wraith, likely with a single specific one. So, most likely I'm looking at a child, and an orphan, and they will need to be cut off from other humans because of Circumstances in order to have the opportunity to bond with the Wraith character. Very early on in developing Sara, I was influence a lot by the character of Rin from Inuaysha, who is an orphan girl who travels with a powerful demon whom most humans fear. I chose the name Sara because it's both a very common name and simple enough to be translated to another galaxy easily. Because I based the character on Rin she is "Japanese"/East Asian when I describe her physical appearance, I imagine her name being pronounced in the Japanese way (both a's with the same vowel sound and a soft "r"), and her people practiced a religion inspired by Shinto. Because I tend to eschew the canon proscription against the existence of queer people, I wrote her as being Asexual and Sapphic, though I had more difficulty than I wanted trying to make that aspect of her character textually obvious, since she doesn't really have the vocabulary to explain it and it's not focal to the plot.

So, this was intended to be a rather side character, but she herself became much more of a central part of the story than I was intending, rather than just the effect she would have on Ronon, which was what was supposed to be the focus of her character's contribution to the story.

Do you notice any reoccurring themes/traits in your characters?

Not really? I do feel like I have to fight harder than with the canon characters to make sure that they don't all share my values and outlook.

Since I mostly write for SGA, and most of the characters already present are cis het white men, when I create characters I usually try to make them… not that in some way. (Though I do also assume that all characters who exist in stories that I write, including canon characters, are bi unless the fic clearly states otherwise.)  

How do you picture your characters?

I don’t usually “picture” characters. I guess because the show is already visual I’m bad at remembering to create visual descriptions for the characters I create? Does that make any sense? Or maybe because the story is visual in my head there are parts of it I forget to “export” to the page. When Eos used to beta for me, she would badger me all the time, like “but what do they look like??” and I’ve been a lot better at describing things since then. Though still, I'm not really visual in that way I guess. 

My writing

What’s your reason for writing?

There are stories inside of me and they want to come out. There are stories I want to read and no one else is writing them.

Is there any specific comment or type of comment from readers that you find particularly motivating?

All comments are fantastic, but my absolute favorite is when they quote a line from the chapter because 9 times out of 10 my response is “I know!!! I loved that line too!!”

How do you want to be thought about by your readers?

I do not want to be perceived lol

Honestly this is not something I’ve ever really thought about? Like, I hope they enjoy my writing, but I don’t think I care about what they think about me. 

What do you feel is your greatest strength as a writer?

Enjoying myself.

What have you been told your greatest strength as a writer is by others?

I used to say my greatest strength was characterization (and I do still believe that any character action or reaction is believable if you justify it correctly in the text) and I used to be a lot more interested in writing stories that aligned with canon or progressed believably from canon. I don’t so much care anymore, though I’ve had several comments praising my characterizations.  

How do you feel about your own writing?

I love it. I wrote it for me to read. Even the older stuff that is bad now, it’s great to see how much I’ve grown and changed as a writer, and also how some things stay the same. 

If you were the last person on earth, would you still write?

Probably not? The stories exist inside of me. Writing them down only accomplishes two things: 1) allows others to read them and 2) gives the story a static form. Without the need for 1 I don’t think I would bother to write them down, and they would stay in my head and continue to change and evolve and become other stories. 

When you write, are you influenced by what others might enjoy reading, do you write purely for yourself, or is it a mix of both?

Both. I write what I want to read, but I do like to push myself to write things I wouldn’t normally try; especially last year I wrote a bunch of prompt fics which was a lot of fun (and also left me with a handful of ideas I couldn't finish but still want to try lol). I also do a lot of read-throughs and edits to try to make sure the story is as good as I can make it because I do want others to be able to enjoy it. 

NPT: @anonmadsci @chaniis-atlantis @adriankyte-writes @the-itzy-bitzy-spider @annwayne

@tiltingheartand @ladyaldhelm @mx-seraph @only-in-december

About me

When did you start writing?

Are there different genres or themes you enjoy reading other than the ones you write?

Is there an author you want to emulate, or are compared to often?

Can you tell me a bit about your writing space?

What’s your most effective way to muster up a muse?

Did the place(s) you grew up in influence the people and/or places you write about?

Are there any reoccurring themes in your writing? If so, do they surprise you?

Characters

Would you please tell me about your current favorite character?

Which of your characters would you be friends with in real life?

Which characters would you dislike the most of you met them?

Tell me about the process of coming up with your characters?

Do you notice any reoccurring themes/traits in your characters?

How do you picture your characters?

My writing

What’s your reason for writing?

Is there any specific comment or type of comment from readers that you find particularly motivating?

How do you want to be thought about by your readers?

What do you feel is your greatest strength as a writer?

Have you been told is your greatest strength as a writer is by others?

How do you feel about your own writing?

If you were the last person on earth, would you still write?

When you write, are you influenced by what others might enjoy reading, do you write purely for yourself, or is it a mix of both?

[poisonpercy]

Watching episode 2, here’s my thoughts

Stalker Annabeth and the “You drool when you sleep.” My girl!!

“PETER JOHNSON IS HERE!” Lol

“Yeah, Grover, I heard him the first time.” Mr. D is so funny. I feel like he’s severely underrated in book canon

“But did you?” Sassy Percy my beloved

“Excuse me your highness.” Lmao. I love how Mr. D cringed at that

Nooo not Mr. D messing with Percy and making him like that he’s Percy’s father 💀💀 Honestly, that scene is hard to watch. It’s too embarrassing for me lmao

The way that Chiron was just standing in the doorway is funny 🧍‍♂️

“Oh, no, Mr. D is not your father.” “I could be.” “Yes, but are you?” “Why must you ruin everything?” Lol Chiron and Mr. D are an underrated comedic duo

Mr. D telling Grover not to overthink it is cute. Glad to see that Mr. D’s care for the satyrs is present in the show

I like how Annabeth showed Percy around camp in the book. Chiron showing Percy around is fine, but it was better with Annabeth

Camp looks cool. It doesn’t look anything like how I personally imagined it, but I like how they made chb. The cabins look cool. A lot cooler than I ever imagined them lmao

Chiron’s horse ass 💀

The blue jellybeans 🥺

Luke my beloathed

IS THAR JUNIPER????! Or just some random wood nymph

Mr. D and Chiron as besties. You can pry that from my cold dead hands

“I assume that they would get really squishy or something. Like an old banana, maybe.” Yes, Grover, that’s exactly what would happen if a human was crushed to death. Grover’s not even wrong. His delivery of the line is just cute and hilarious

Mr. D is my favorite character so far. His casting is perfect imo. No notes

I like how they’ve done Percy’s nightmares so far. It’s kinda cool how the nigh are scenes are just there without any explanation so you as a viewer are like ??? but the moment you see Percy jerk awake you’re like “oh, nightmare!”

Luke explaining demigod qualities to Percy instead of Annabeth?? Please stop stealing roles from my girl

Hearing Luke speak makes me want to scream. I know what you are, Luke 😠

Clarisse!!! I love her. Her actress is so pretty

Badass demigod in a wheelchair doing archery. Ok, I absolutely love that!

Percy sucks at archery. Love my loser son

Percy in welding gear is so cute. He also sucks at it but at least he looks adorable

“Is there a Greek god of disappointment? Maybe someone should as him if he’s missing a kid.” Oh, Percy. He’s so relatable. Love this little dude

“They like the smell of begging.” Lmao

Percy burning the blue jellybeans to talk to his mom 🥺🥺 Percy saying he thinks he’s made friends. I just know Luke’s betrayal is going to hurt

“Ignoring me is one thing, but he doesn’t get to ignore you…I’m going to make him see us both.” Momma’s boy 🩷🩷

Clarisse’s delivery in the bathroom scene is so good. Love her

That being said, the bathroom scene is not great. Very underwhelming

Annabeth just stalking Percy is hilarious

Leah is such a good Annabeth. Absolutely love how she portrays her. That’s my daughter!!

“She’s my little sister.” Then why did you betray her, Luke. Why did you ask her if she loved you in the 5th book, Luke 😒

NO WHY ARE THEY PRONOUNCING THALIA LIKE THAT?!

The weapons and armor look so fake to me

Annabeth calling Percy sunshine is so cute wtf

ANNABETH FIXING PERCY’S STRAP ON HIS ARMOR!!!

Annabeth’s invisibility cap is so funny. I love it

The swords are so tiny??

Percy just by himself in the woods during capture the flag is so funny. He’s just a baby boy

I am once again saying that I love Clarisse. She’s perfect

Percy is doing so good during his fight in capture the flag. Also Clarisse’s scream when Percy breaks her spear is hilarious.

“Were you here the whole time?” “Yes.” STOP THIS IS WHY I LOVE ANNABETH

“I’m sorry.” *pushes Percy into the lake* Love that

Claiming scene is boring. The book does it better

Also no hellhound? What’s up with that? That’s kind of important

“Who stole it?” “You did.” “What?!” PERCY BABY I’M SORRY BUT THEY’RE FRAMING YOU. MY BOY IS INNOCENT (except for all the atrocities)

“I am Sally Jackson’s son!” “Who’s Sally Jackson?” “She’s the one that cared enough to call herself my mother!” <- I love momma’s boy Percy

I kind of wish Percy figured out Sally was still alive and wasn’t told. I like how they handled Percy accepting the quest in the book better. It felt more authentic to Percy’s character

Ok, I like this episode a lot better than the first one. They’ve changed some things around that I think they should have kept, but otherwise the show is looking good. There was not enough Annabeth in this episode. I don’t know why they are taking away all her roles and giving them to other characters, and I don’t like it. Give me Percy and Annabeth bonding before the quest or give me death. I still feel like the show is not doing a good job of showing me why I should care about the characters and the plot, but I have hope that that changes

[bragiedfili]

Hey! Since you said, you don't get many asks, do you mind if I send you another one? I'd like to know, who are your three favourite characters and why :) (though obviously no stress, since asks are supposed to be fun)

When I read this I was like EASY! Then I got thinking and now I’m like wait who really are my three favorite characters?

1. Fili. Obviously, easy, always number one haha. From the first time I saw AUJ (a year ago, I know I’m behind lol) Fili was the one that stood out to me instantly! It was pretty much from the first introduction I was like yep, he’s hot he’s my new fave. Then the more I watched the movies, read the book and watched all those hours of behind the scenes I really started to like Fili for more than just looks. I’m the oldest and so watching him with Kili and seeing how they interact together, how protective he is, and how loyal he is, it reminds me of how I am towards my sisters. He’s so funny also, the (limited very limited) lines he has always make me laugh, depending on what he’s doing. Not all of his lines make me laugh, when he’s serious I take him seriously. And his facial expressions! Give it up for DeanO and his amazing acting! Fili’s facial expressions are so spot on. I love how you can see a playfulness in him but it’s like he’s holding back because of the seriousness of the journey and what it means for them. His speech to Thorin in lake town, freaking breaks my heart. You can just tell how much this means to him, how much his sick brother means to him and how he can see that Thorin is getting harder to reach and then when he makes it to Erebor and sees the gold sickness, it’s like a punch in the gut to him but Fili doesn’t back down and stays loyal and true to his uncle and fellow dwarves. He is someone who will sacrifice to help others, in the book he cuts off his beard to help saved the other dwarves in Mirkwood. And we know how precious facial hair is to dwarves, that must’ve been like shit I don’t want to but I will to help save the others. I so wish we had more Fili content but I’m glad we have what we do. Oh and let me not forget the absolutely gut wrenching final scenes of him. HE KNOWS those orcs are there and yet he tells Kili that he’s got this and sacrifices himself to save his brother. He’s also such a badass fighter! His million daggers all over, that scene in Mirkwood is my favorite! His double swords and then using a bow at the end! What can’t he fight with? Fili will always be number one

2. Anders, Bragi. Gosh I freaking obsessed with Anders freaking Johnson (from the almighty johnson’s). Yes partly the reason I like him so much is because of DeanO but he plays him so well!! Anders is such a little asshole at times but how can you not love him? It wasn’t until my second rewatch of TAJ when I really paid attention to Anders and his character and not just DeanO. One thing that I really like about Anders are his cheeky comments to everyone, they are hilarious! Always spot on! I feel so bad for him also for how his family treats him. Yeah Ty and Axl are nice to him but I feel like Mike influences them and everyone else to see the negative in Anders, which isn’t fare. No matter what his family does or says to him he’s still so loyal to them and I love that about Anders. He could totally ditch them and do his own thing but he doesn’t and still sticks up for them. And his friendship with Dawn is my favorite. He can be a dick to her but you can tell how much he really cares for her. When he uses his Bragi powers, shooting fall so fast lol. Yeah there’s times when I don’t condone what he uses his powers for and there are times when I think it was smart for him to use them. I also love that all the filming locations for taj are in the north island because that’s where I’ll be on my vacation and I’ve already found some filming locations to visit haha

3. Kili. I know I know I have his brother but I love Kili also! I just love how he’s the fun reckless brother. He has fun, finds love, and is also so loyal to his family and fellow dwarves at the same time. I can’t imagine how much pressure he’s under (and his brother) for being next in line for the throne after his brother and knowing how important their journey. Like the troll scene where him and Fili are in charge of the ponies but they get taken and he’s the first one to step up for Bilbo when the trolls get him. His attempt at hitting on the elves in Rivendell, so iconic. Him stepping up in Mirkwood to open the gate for them to escape and getting hit with an arrow. His tear jerker standing up to Thorin speech before they go to battle. He’s so freaking badass with a bow, like yes please I could watch you all day use it! Even when he was sick in lake town and helping out. Stubborn and loyal to a fault! Just like Fili, the lines he has and his facial expressions are spot on. And let’s not forget how Thorin only says his name throughout the movies haha. Like trust me, I don’t think we could forget who Fili’s brother is. Kili is just so freaking adorable! I love him so much

So I kinda rambled and just went crazy writing this. I’ve been working on this for a few days now and I keep coming back being like ‘oh my gosh I can’t believe I forgot to add this!’ But number 2 and 3 can switch, I think I like Anders and Kili equally the same

[jacksonscouts]

Last week @paigegonerogue grabbed 4 badges on the first day! Let's get to know our fellow Scout!

How do you usually participate in the TLOU fandom? 

I’d say… unhealthily…No, but I love TLOU and I write fanfiction and I also do analysis of the show. I ramble about anything from dialogue to cinematography to emotional beats!

I post mostly positive and complimentary things on my tumblr and on my AO3, which as my readers can tell you is also very positive and uplifting😅😅

Happy Pride Month! How do you feel about the portrayal of queer stories in TLOU?

Happy pride month to you too! I really love it! I love how they present different types of love and relationships with so much care and tenderness, and let the people be real. But also Long, Long Time was so cruel of them to make because that broke me!

Do you like Jackson Scouts? 

I absolutely love it! I think it’s really awesome how you’re trying to bring some positivity and fun into a community that can be very negative! I think it’s super cool what you’ve been doing, and how you’ve given a lot of people a reason to share art and writing, and say things they liked about TLOU rather than the things they didn’t, which seems to have been a lot of what I’ve been seeing lately.

Who's your favorite TLOU character and why? 

I mean, that’s too hard man🤣😭 So, so many. I love them all. TLOU has so many great, depthful characters and—Ellie, it’s Ellie—to just choose one would be impossible!

Would you like to promote anything?

Oh heck yeah! I feel famous lol. First, I’d like to go promote my analysis posts about TLOU. They’re on my blog @paigegonerogue (same as my AO3) under the tag #PaigeGoneAnalysis (could that be cleaner? Yes. Am I gonna change it? Nope.) I’ve talked about cinematography, dialogue types, the infected scene, episode 8, and more! If you’re interested in reading multiple paragraphs about lighting, boy oh boy do I have the blog for you!

Next, I’ll promote my AO3! I write non-smut fanfic, currently with two ongoing projects going on, ‘Anatomy of a Broken Girl’, a series where Ellie and Joel meet at Silver Lake (super dark and angsty fic), and ‘AbelCode’, a story where Ellie and Joel meet working for a tech company (more upbeat) (mostly…)

I’d also like to thank all of my writer friends, who all do absolutely incredible work… and also myself because I WON. I GOT ALL THE BADGES FIRST I WON😎🔥🎸

[deathsweetblossoms]

"Jude will have a major political problem by the end of Prisoner's Throne"

Hello class, today we will very briefly discuss every political problem present by the end of The Stolen Heir, along with every political problem that has been foreshadowed throughout the Stolen Heir, as a fun means to try and guess how much trouble our favorite characters are in.

Let's dive right in.....to the Undersea!

The Undersea

Everything we know about the turmoil happening beneath the water comes from two discomfiting warnings from Jack of the Lakes and Loana, Oak's mermaid girlfriend. In short: the Undersea is fucked.

"There is a war coming in the waves. The Queen of the Undersea has grown weak, and her child is weaker. When there comes blood in the water, the land would be well served to stay away. Cirien-Croin is coming."

The main thing to note here is that Jack speaks in very definite terms -- when there comes blood, there is a war coming. He tells us both Orlagh and Nicasia are weak, and Nicasia is somehow even weaker. Also he warns us about a sea monster, Cirien-Croin. From mythology, we know this sea monster was large enough to feed on seven whales and that it can disguise itself as small silver fish when fishermen come into contact with it. Once aboard the boat, it becomes a monster again and feeds. Cool, cool, cool.

"You sent for me and I came, Prince Oak. And lucky that I did, for the Undersea has challengers on all sides as Queen Orlagh weakens, each of them looking for an edge. Soon I may be your only friend beneath the waves."

From this alone, we can wonder at how Cirien-Croin is connected to this. If the Undersea "has challengers on all sides", is the sea monster under someones control? Is it being sent by someone? Is it advocating for itself? Will we be exposed to these challengers in the next book? (Most likely).

Loana goes on...

"The treaty with the land still stands," Oak reminds her. "For now, beautiful one." ..."It is said that Nicasia intends to have a contest and marry the winning challenger." "Ah," Oak says carefully. "Fun?" "Or perhaps she will call on the treaty...and once she has all contestants in one place, let the land destroy them" "Alas," says Oak. "The land is trying to remedy it's own problems"

The interesting points here are, once again, that damn treaty between the land and sea and how precarious it is. To my understanding, if Orlagh and Nicasia get dethroned, the treaty may not stand anymore. Or it could be something that requires Elfhame's warriors to go to war, the way the Undersea warriors fought for the land in the Battle of the Serpent. Loana is saying here that Nicasia wants to bring together potential candidates for marriage under the auspices of a contest, but then have the land wipe all of them out when they're all present to vie for her hand? That's....insane. And I'm not sure how she would get Jude and Cardan to agree to that.

The underwater problems seem to be the most plausible unfolding plot that can happen "in the background" of the main plots (which are going to revolve around Wren, Oak, Madoc, Jude/Cardan, trolls & falcons, Bogdana etc) to then be left as a major problem at the end of the book that Jude will have to deal with.

Everything else seems to be something that will be resolved throughout The Prisoner's Throne....What are the "everything elses"?

The Prisoner's Throne

Most of the main threats to Elfhame at the end of The Stolen Heir go back to ... Suren. Lol. My girl really did so many things to undermine Jude that there is no way that's not going to be the main event. A short list of things that I believe will be *resolved* throughout Prisoner's Throne:

First, there are the consequences of Wren "unmaking" the falcon curse on the soldiers who betrayed the High King and Queen in the Battle of the Serpent. These soldiers, whom Madoc was trying to re-establish loyalty with, were swearing fealty to Suren by the end of TSH. It's unclear if their alliances are still with Madoc by the end. All we get is the soldiers saying "My queen, my queen". Either way...

Madoc is on his way to Elfhame to alert Jude as to what happened. There is the matter of his exile to contend with..but if he still has loyal soldiers in Suren's court, he can still make a play against Jude.

Suren having possession of Greenbriar blood, Mab's bones, and her own heart has the ability to "style herself as both Oak Queen and Yew Queen" with a power of unmaking, directly opposite to Mab's power of making. The threat here is that Suren's magic could "unmake" everything that Mab's made....so the islands... etc. That's kind of....a big problem (but I don't think it'll go this far because I think, based on context clues, Suren's journey will involve choosing love over power, in the same way Jude had to...but we'll see).

Wren "unmaking" the curse on the troll forest, awakening the Troll Kings, and allying the trolls with her Queenship. May or may not be a problem, but it's another group of fae against Elfhame.

Bogdana... technically, because of the bs between Bogdana and Mab, Suren is the heir to the throne of Elfhame, not Oak. Bogdana says this:

"Lady Nore is not the only one who can seize power. There is myself as well. Myself, to whom you owe your life far more than you owe it to her. Forsake the others. Come with me, and we can take everything for ourselves."

She wants power. Not sure if she'll get it, because she did sacrifice Mellith in order to get that power and Suren expressed not wanting to make "the same mistake's Mellith made" (aka, trusting Bogdana).

The Thistlewitch made a vague deal with Oak in exchange for him learning about Mellith's heart; it's very similar to Jude's unnamed deal that later forced her to murder Balekin. The Thistlewitch literally said "When you become King, you will give me the very first thing I request." We don't know what it is...but we do know 1) Oak will be king in some way 2) He's required to deliver on this bargain. No big deal.

Slightly unrelated, but also slightly related, and I thought was interesting.... in HTKOELTHS, Aslog is described as having ground bones down into a fine powder. She did this to get back at Queen Gliten. In TSH, the Thistlewitch warns:

"Mabs bones can be ground to a powder, and that powder used to do great and mighty spells"

Aslog is turned into stone at the end of HTKOELTHS, as per the troll's curse involved with sunlight, but I'm wondering if Suren unmaking the troll's curse on that forest has also undone the sunlight-related curse, and consequently, brought Aslog back "to life". Now she'll have a vendetta against Cardan... OR, this concept of grinding bones down, and Mab's bones being ground down ....just seems ... curious.

Potential Curious Foreshadowing

Jude and Cardan having heirs is discussed a few times. It's Oak's wish that "they live for a thousand years" and pass off the throne to one of a dozen heirs, but that Jude is intentionally not having children to make it clear to everyone that Oak is the heir. Just the fact that it was brought up is curious enough to make me side-eye a tiny bit...in the way of "Jude wants this, but its not necessarily what she'll get".

"Strangely, tendrils, like roots, grow from the case, one with a bud on it, as though flowering."

The theory that this is a clue that Jude is pregnant is a pretty good one, considering it would present yet another problem as to who is the rightful heir of Elfhame. At that point we'd have: Oak, Suren, and Jude & Cardan's child. And we know some people want Oak on the throne either because they think he "would be easier to manipulate or because they'd do anything not to be ruled by a mortal".

So, essentially, another problem could, in fact, just be another heir in the mix for the throne, thus giving more fae the desire to get a mortal off the throne. I’m not against this theory, I just don’t want to get my hopes up (lol). It’s entirely plausible, but it depends on how Holly wants Oak’s story to go..

Anyways, thanks for coming to my Ted Talk. I'm curious to hear theories or thoughts...or even things that I missed.

Edit: Tithe was the series dedicated to the folk of the Earth; the Seelie and Unseelie Courts.

Obviously after that we’ve been gifted with the Folk of the Air; the stories of the high court of Elfhame and the gentry.

I wouldn’t be surprised if we get a Folk of the Water duology or series next.

[sirellas]

Left Hand of Destiny (1&2) stream of consciousness review

Overall thoughts: I really liked this book! Or technically 2 books but the second is just the continuation of the first so in my head it was just one long book (~500 pages all in all). This is only the second trek book I've read and also the second written by the actor who played the character in ds9 (shoutout to ASIT, though this one has a non-actor co-writer as well), but even beyond the star trekking of TLHOD, this was a really good read in terms of writing style, pace, emotion. It was very action and character focused which I enjoyed, and especially the characterization of Martok was so great and obviously JG Hertzler had a lot of thoughts about the character he played that translated really well on page.

The memory alpha article on TLHOD says this but I didn't really start to see it until the last half of book 2, but this is very much a King Arthur story (btw don't look at that memory alpha page unless you don't care about major spoilers lol). Down to a lady in the lake handing out mythical swords. That instance was a little heavy handed in my opinion, but I did like all of the prophetic dreams and talk of glorious purpose.

That's something to note though: if you don't like dream sequences, this is not the book for you. There are A LOT of dreams. In fact the opening scene is a dream, but it's now my new favorite opening line in a book because it jumps right in by telling you who this guy is and what his deal is:

I personally am a big fan of overt symbolism like this (even a well done cliché or two), myths and repeating cycles of heroism etc etc. And I think this book melded Arthurian drama with Klingon drama well. The Klingon-ness of this book was great. What better way to get to the heart of Klingon culture in a story but by focusing on the guy chosen to lead his people and getting it ripped out from beneath his feet and having to decide that he actually wants to be chancellor. In a lot of ways this is a story of outcasts finding their way back to where they belong, which isn't always what they expect or want in the beginning. Which leads me to...

The supporting characters really made this book. Without Pharh the Ferengi who got bullied for being as ugly as a Klingon as a child and now runs a landfill on Qo'noS, there would be no book. He's my favorite (little buddy coded to the extreme) but most of the major side characters are really well explored in terms of motivation and actions. Worf, Sirella, Ezri, Darok, Kahless, Alexander, to name a few. Alexander and Kahless were two of my other surprise standouts. And because no one who hasn't read this book knows about my new favorite guy Pharh, I will now include a couple passages I highlighted to spread the word about how great he is:

Wide array of well developed side characters aside, this book is awful for women. Yes the main antagonist is Martok's insane ex, but her character is kind of too outlandish to really have much depth. Ezri shows up at the end of book 1 and plays a big part in book 2 but honestly I'm not sure why she was even there (apart from loyalty etc, but I mean story-wise she didn't add all that much to keep the action moving ((anyone else could have been subbed in for her 9 out of 10 times and it would've made more sense tbh)) except to be another explainer of Klingon things to the reader). Sirella has a few great scenes, but not nearly enough and she wasn't allowed to do much either in terms of agency and impact on plot. Martok's two daughters are barely afterthoughts.

The main plot is that a usurper attacks Qo'noS (and specifically goes after Martok), swaying the Klingon people to their side through a combo of bioengineered charisma and the people's growing resentment toward progressive ideas that Martok (and Worf) represents. That's really only the problem in book 1, while book 2 deals more with Martok accepting the hand fate has dealt and deciding to win so they can save the decaying Klingon heart and so on. But even with the kind of cheesy setup, it rarely felt overwrought or unearned with the emotional beats. The antagonist lady is, yeah, she's a bit over the top. And before 2016 I would've said the quick flip to xenophobia and Make Klingons Great Again (I'm pretty sure they use that phrase almost exactly) in the general public was unrealistic but hey, cycles of destiny and evil constantly shifting and repeating, am I right??

There were... quite a few deaths. I guess I should've expected that, being a Klingon setting and all, but some of them hit me hard. And a few I don't think really needed to happen and kind of weakened the narrative.... maybe I'll put a spoiler section below a cut at the bottom of this to discuss those 🤪

This paragraph will haunt me for a while I think... 😀 sorry for inflicting it on others now but hey that's show business

Even with some hiccups (see spoiler section below), I loved the book pretty much. Shocker: tumblr user girlmartok loves the Martok book, but it was better than I had hoped even. The Martok focus was so good and the side characters just made it even better. Much more of a heroic fantasy than most star trek settings, which fit really well and also was refreshing. It's long! But I would recommend it if you have any interest in Klingons and/or fun little guys who go on adventures and think a lot about death.

SPOILERS ⬇️

Okay ripping the bandaid off. The way Sirella died was not chill. I mean even having her die was not something I would have included, because the story really didn't dive all that deep into her and Martok's relationship. But ramming an enemy ship so Martok could flee near the beginning of book 2... and she doesn't even kill any major bad guys doing it?? It just served no point narratively (the bad guys still outnumbered them, still caught up to them not long after) and it didn't even really affect Martok all that much beyond like one paragraph where he wants to turn around and go on a murder spree in her name... He doesn't even get to go on a murder spree in her name!!!

Bandaid rip #2: PHARH MY LITTLE BABY BOY DIES???? I was glad I had forewarning about this one because I would've been mad otherwise. I am not exaggerating saying he was my second favorite character in this book after Martok. The humor he added, yes, but also just his role as an outsider who's seen as weak by both Ferengi and Klingon, and he befriends the chancellor of the Klingon Empire, HOLDS ONTO THE CHANCELLOR'S RING FOR MOST OF THE BOOK AND BECOMES HIS SQUIRE BASICALLY 🫠💔 I don't know how anyone wouldn't fall in love with him. At least his death was done well, even though I don't think it should have happened. He at least got a murderous rampage in his name 😤 and Martok basically adopted him so he could get into Sto'vo'kor 🥺

Those were my main two criticisms of the book, and really ties into why this wasn't as great a story as ASIT, for example. A lot of things happen to Martok, but some things don't get the resolution they would need to influence him on this character journey he's going on. One of Martok's defining characteristics in ds9 is that he's a wife guy and his wife doesn't take bullshit. But then his wife dies suddenly and he's upset but he's not Upset upset, if you know what I mean. It didn't feel earned and it didn't feel necessary. Literally the first and only time it did feel like a reasonable plot device was at the very end when Worf tells him that people love a tragic victor even more than a victory. The problem is just that Martok doesn't ever explore what that tragedy really means to him.

Justice for Shen and Lazhna, Martok's daughters, who in addition to dying off screen are only brought up to highlight how shitty of a dad Martok has been. He just thinks of them (and his son Drex too but he gets more characterization solely by virtue of appearing in the narrative) in terms of himself and his love for them is more on the side of pity rather than real emotional attachment. Sirella should've been way meaner to him about that tbh.

Non character death related but a big focus of the first book was Martok losing public opinion pretty much immediately. Old friends turn against him and that really shakes him. But then in the second book... that's not really brought up again? The whole second book takes place away from Qo'noS, and yeah they mention that people will probably become less affected by the dumb bioengineered charisma after time, but I cannot stress enough how much the entire planet hated him. So he won the big battle against his foes etc etc, came back to Qo'noS and... just told everyone all that?? That goes along with the lack of fully exploring the consequences of some of these bad things that happen to Martok. It felt like a little too much piled on him and not enough resolution.

[monstersinthecosmos]

stealing your question as promised: what authors do you think shaped your writing the most when you were first starting?

-mothmage

sdjkgas in middle school my favorite authors were Anne Rice and Francesca Lia Block and I think they have SENSUALITY in common even though their writing styles are SO opposite. As a teen when I was first writing I think I learned so much from both of them, like the seriousness and drama of AR but at the same time, FLB is so concise and punchy and sometimes her books are like these waterfalls of adjectives and I tried to think in that way too! Like I'm a very visual person so FLB books were like fucking crack for me, just heaps and heaps of descriptions of color and glittery and starry night skies and flowers growing where they shouldn't and it feels like poetry!

(I opened a random FLB book off my shelf and this is what I mean: We walked up and down the hills until our legs ached, then rode the trolley car to feel rushes of salty, misty air. We had picnics and fed the swans on the lake under the flowering terra-cotta arches, drank tea and ate pastries in rooms with cupids and rosebuds painted on the walls, strolled through the park, green-dazzled, fragrance-drunk, gasped at treasures gleaming gold in the half-lit glass cases of the museum. Then we'd return with spices, fruits and vegetables from Chinatown, seafood and baguettes from the wharf.

Her writing is so simple but it's just like heaps and heaps of sensory details !! And it's an interesting spectrum between her & AR to see how much you can say and like what type of efficiency you can find, because both of them give me that same feeling and feel so sensuous to me. I WANT TO KNOW WHAT EVERYTHING LOOKS LIKE AND SMELLS LIKE AND SOUNDS LIKE, TAKE ME THERE!

So as a teen I think I was learning a lot from them both and like I remember a fic I wrote with someone at a mall and it was like my FLB moment, I was like OMG I MUST MENTION THE TACO SMELL IN THE FOOD COURT AND THE PERFUME KIOSK AND THE HOUSE MUSIC BLASTING FROM A HAT SHOP AND THE CRUNCHY SUGAR ON A PRETZEL! And that's something that's stuck with me a lot, I think. I always want to tell you how things feel and smell like we're going on a journey, okay!

They both also have a way of treating cities/locations like characters--FLB actually does this quite literally by describing cities as if they're women (like LA is a blonde woman with big sunglasses and NYC has dyed black hair with severe red lipstick that stains on her cigarette butts, etc something like that) and it feels really specific and made me think a lot about locations and settings and how they affect the characters and story! They were also both the first books I ever read with queer people! FLB's short story Dragons in Manhattan was the first story I ever read with a trans person back when I was like 12 or 13.

AND THEN as a final nail in the coffin LOL I read I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb when I was in 9th or 10th grade and it just really like !! IDK broke my head open for character voice. I don't think I'd read it so well done before, or maybe not noticed before. LIKE I MEAN this entire concept is like asking what did WE discover as kids or whatever, like so much of it is happenstance and if it hadn't been these authors it would've been someone else, and it's not like I stopped reading LOL like I still learn things from reading all the time! But Wally Lamb really brought this home for me. Like the way he writes Dominick's narration is just so like cynical and rugged and full of hurt and it made me think a lot about like how to profile a character with the language we use. I don't think FLB does this too much bc her writing is so breezy anyway and AR is so wordy that I don't think I could pick up on it as a teenager. I get more nuance now and see it better but it's there's a base level of like fanciness and purple prose that can be hard to see through on the first try, at least for me as a teen.

ANYWAY SORRY THAT WAS A REALLY LONG RESPONSE I JUST GOT REALLY EXCITED but Anne Rice + FLB + Wally Lamb wombo combo for emotionally torturous sensory overload cynical guttermouth style.

[annabreaksthings]

For sure! I love the series as a whole because it's not near as sugar coated as a lot of other war-based books. You get to hear about the good, the bad, and the ugly. Granted, there's still some glossing over of details, but overall it's very tastefully done. And I really appreciate how it mirrors real life events and people. This adds quite a bit of credibility to the alternative timeline of the book, just because it did happen historically and we know the outcome. Now we just added a female presence.

As for the characters, they are really well done, especially the badass female leads. Rio richlin is just *chef's kiss* and by far my favorite. Rainy is a close second. I also appreciate the character development in this series, both individually and within their interpersonal relationships. It's very realistic and believable based on what the characters are going through. I'm especially impressed with Geer's development, as a person learning how to work in a group and how not to be a general ass all the time. Then there's the relationship he has with Pang throughout the series, going from being very racist, to having a great working relationship/friendship, to becoming a huge advocate after the war and Pang's death. I liked seeing Rio herself and her relationship with Castain develop too as the war progressed. I could go on about that quite a bit. And of course I wish there was more Rio/Jack and that she had dumped Strand's ass to the curb as soon as he couldn't handle her success. But, that also speaks a bit to Rio's people pleasing nature (and the social standards at the time), even though being in the war/command positions should have given her some more confidence.

Other than that, this just makes me realize how much I'm due for a reread lol

First of all, I'm so sorry this took a month to answer 😓 My computer has been out of commission and the thought of typing up (and then probably reorganizing) a long, semi-coherent response on my phone made me want to chuck it in a lake. Please know I've been thinking of this every day because I'm so excited to talk about these books with someone again!!

Anyway.

My friend, you've taken the words right out of my head with everything you wrote here. I'm with you 100% on all of this. (putting the rest of this under a cut to spare the masses)

You're so right on the realism - I feel like so many other historical fiction books are either sanitized for younger (or squeamish) audiences, or they swing to the complete opposite direction and become a bit dry with the level of detail unless you're a super history buff. Purple Hearts in particular was hard to read at times, but I think maybe it should be. There were a lot of ugly things that really happened, and I'm glad to find an author that doesn't shy away from it for the sake of a squeaky clean image of the allies.

I think I said it in another post a long time ago, but I'm so fascinated by the butterfly effect possibilities this story presents. Obviously the women in canon have proven that they're highly effective in all kinds of roles previously restricted to men, but does that continue after the war? Would it change anything for women in the workforce during peacetime? Or would there still be regression to "traditional" gender norms similar to what we saw in the 40's and 50's? I wish there was more fic or meta for these books because I would love to hear tons more ideas on this.

I could go on about Rio for hours, too. The way she goes from only signing up because Jenou did (and she would follow Jenou off a cliff if asked, I think) to being a highly respected, highly decorated NCO and figuring out she's good at this is one of my favorite things. The section with Strand telling her she's just "playing soldier" is so interesting because if I remember correctly (I'm due for a reread too, it's been a while), she does fight back on that idea at first, but I can see her start to believe it assuming he keeps it up back home.

And Strand. Strand. I too wish he would have been kicked to the curb for the sake of truth, justice, and the American Way, but at the same time, as a piece of fiction, I'm kind of glad he didn't. Most people don't walk away from unhealthy relationships at the first red flag (or second... or third...), and I think there's a fine line to be walked here between normalizing this kind of behavior in relationships and helping people to feel less alone in their own struggles. Unfortunately for our characters, I feel like staying with him fits Rio's MO and realities of the day just as you said. There's something to be said for nostalgia, too, especially when they keep meeting up during the war. He's a little slice of home when she's knee deep in mud and gore, and maybe a little glimpse of the girl she would have been without a war. Who wouldn't want that? Again, there are 1000 fics to write on this... what was the final straw to get her to leave?

But what I would give to see the Strands of the world get what's coming to them....

On the other side, Jack is definitely one of my favorites. He's hilarious in the first book, and I so wish he would have gotten more screentime in the 3rd. But again, for historical accuracy, I can see why he's not when he's reporting to Rio, and why she shoots him down. (Even though it's so painful to read 😭)

What I really love about this though, along with the epilogue, is the theme of relationships and professional success coming later in life. Frangie's married and has kids (teenagers even!) before she becomes a doctor, but she's a doctor nonetheless!! And Rio's been divorced for years and has been in a long relationship-free spell before Jack walks back into her life (presumably with Rainy's meddling). It's so refreshing to see characters who don't have it all figured out at 22, or settle down with their first love, or reach their wildest dreams on the first try. But they keep growing and changing and living, and I think we could all stand to do a little more of that.

[artekai]

10 Fandoms, 10 Characters, 10 Tags

Hi hi, I was tagged for this tag game by @robo-dino-puppy ages ago!! Like... literal months ago now. I'm so sorry, I didn't realize how long it had been, I hope you don't mind me getting to it now if it's not too awkward! I really do appreciate the tag a lot, thank you!!! :D I still wanted to do this for fun even if I'm terribly late 💔

(I'm not gonna try to make this a list of my favorite characters because I'm so bad at making decisions lol but instead here's some characters I wanna give some much needed appreciation to!)

1) Kuon Ichinose (Persona 5 Strikers)

Of course there's another P5 character deserving of this spot, but I chose Ichinose because she's been on my mind again and she's so underappreciated! She's perfect and I won't hear any criticism towards her ❤️ I played P5S for her. Don't get me wrong, I was very happy to see the PTs again and it was fun to meet the Monarchs. But mostly. I knew I was gonna like her. All my friends knew I was gonna like her. No one was surprised. I'm getting dragged off stage before I can keep rambling on-

2) Sylens (Horizon Zero Dawn/Forbidden West)

My favorite old man... He is just so funny. And interesting! I want to know his backstory, where he came from, why he is the way he is. He did all of that, but did you not have fun? Did you not learn about the power of friendship? Exactly, relax. He's good at comments and quips. Ladies love comments and quips, and they go nuts for asides. And since I made a CXGF reference, on that note-

3) Valencia Pérez (Crazy Ex Girlfriend)

One of my favorite characters even in a cast full of amazing, memorable characters that rarely misses! I'm obsessed with her homoerotic rivals-to-friends arc with Rebecca btw. I still think they should have kissed. Uhhh I mean, they did kiss, that was a significant thing that happened, I just think they should've kissed again in a different context. I have opinions on that and on Valencia's (and pretty much everyone else's) season 4 arc but I'll spare you for now ❤️

4) Amity Blight (The Owl House)

I know, I know, not to say what everyone else and their mothers have already said about it but this is the kinda show that makes me wish I had had it while I was growing up. I like basically the entire main cast, but I chose Amity because I really can't tell you how much of an emotional rollercoaster her arc was for me. But I love her and of course her relationship with Luz absolutely killed me.

5) Toph Beifong (Avatar the Last Airbender)

When I came on here and said I had finally watched ATLA I was waitinggggg for someone to ask me who my favorite character was. But you know what they say, when you're an adult you don't stop having a favorite character but people do stop asking 😔💔 Not really that much to say, though! I just enjoy it when she's onscreen ^^

6) Lake (Infinity Train)

It's so hard to choose just one favorite from this show. I didn't even realize I had forgotten how much I loved everyone until I started rewatching it with Sol (especially Atticus, Amelia, Grace, and Lake though 💞). Anyways here's Lake "I am a person I'm not Tulip I'm not foil I'm not reflection I'm not a sliver I'm not a null I'm not any of the hundreds of names everyone wants to give me" they/them nonbinary icon

7) Miles Morales (Into and Across the Spiderverse)

What can I say that hasn't already been said before? ❤️ ITSV is one of my favorite movies (long overdue for a rewatch tbh) and Miles is just such an amazing character all around. I've said it before, but, even with all of the spider people in ATSV, he was still the highlight to me! He deserves the world, I'll kick Miguel's ass if necessary, idc.

8) Fabiola Torres (Never Have I Ever)

My daughter... I'm so sad that she suffers from the protagonist's best friend syndrome :( She's even wearing star pajamas in the gif, she's just like me fr! Except she's a genius! Her best friend is a robot! She's so cute and earnest ;-; I would watch a show all about her ❤️ Even if her arcs don't get as explored as I would like, I love her interactions with the other characters and I especially connected to her arc about feeling alienated from the queer community.

9) Constance Blackwood (Ride the Cyclone)

Also my daughter ❤️ The highlight of RTC to me, without a doubt!! Her monologue really hit me right in the heart... She's just like me fr fr! She deserves so much better. She's everything. And her toxic homoerotic friendship with Ocean is very real, it's happening right now somewhere near you.

10) Shahara Hasan (Bodies)

It's been a while since I watched this show so I'm not as desperate to talk about it anymore, but it really did make me so incredibly insane while I was watching it, trust me. Anyways, never have I been more sure that a character suffered more than Jesus and I don't say that lightly. Her trying her best to sympathize with Elias and nearly getting through to him broke my heart... Tragedy enjoyers when some horrible fucked up guy absolutely shatters the one person who reached out to save him, ig.

Tagging: I'm not gonna make it to ten tags lol. I'm tagging @meep-m33p, @soliscital, @woolmasterleel, and @inkpens-coffee, but absolutely no pressure to do it of course!! Also, to anyone else who wants to do this, feel free to tag me as your tagger!!

[photogirl894]

Can you tell us about your full-length Hunter x OC fanfic? The inspiration for it, when/where it takes place, a brief summary, and what you love most about it?

Do you like writing one-shots or full-length more?

Favorite character?

Favorite trope?

Currently reading?

How's life these days? :)

Thanks, Freesia!! 💜

Well, my Hunter x OC fic is "Sun and Rain" and it's about a woman from Tatooine named Kimber that the Bad Batch rescue and she eventually becomes part of their squad. In the midst of going on adventures with them, she falls in love with Hunter and develops special relationships with all the boys, especially Echo and Crosshair. It starts off with all original stuff and then later connects to the events of the Bad Batch show and is mostly canon compliant, as of right now. Obviously while weaving Kimber into the story, which I find very fun!

The inspiration for it? Not entirely sure, it was just an idea that came to me. Kimber was originally supposed to be for, like, a one shot idea, but then she developed into a totally different, more involved character. I love the personality she has and how much she's grown in the 2 years I've been working on the fic. She's strong and a fierce fighter without being OP or a "Mary Sue" and she's very in touch with her emotions and cares deeply for the Clones and anyone else she considers her friends without being too emotional or coming across as weak. I like to think I've given her a good balance in making her a good character 😊

I do love to write longer fics just cuz my mind just goes wild with ideas and it takes a lot of effort for me to keep one shots short lol

My favorite character...well, if you're referring to Bad Batch, it's Hunter, of course 🥰 If you're talking just in general from any fandom...well, how much time you got? 😜 currently, it's Gajeel from "Fairy Tail" (cuz I'm rewatching the show) and Astarion from "Baldur's Gate 3".

My favorite trope is enemies to lovers or friends to lovers! Good shit right there!

Currently reading: nothing 😅

Life these days is pretty good! I'm getting ready to go to FanX Comic Con in Salt Lake City this week and I'm SO excited!! 😆 I can't wait! I'm meeting Ashley Eckstein, Katee Sackhoff, Zachary Levi and John Rhys-Davies and maybe, hopefully Jim Cummings and I am beyond ecstatic! It's my first time going to a comic con, too. I'll be sure to post pictures of my cosplay as well 😊