#I guess I'm a little sentimental or something xD

[amethystina]

Hello, for the questions for fic writers :

23. What’s a trope, AU, or concept you’ve never written, but would like to?

23. What’s a trope, AU, or concept you’ve never written, but would like to?

49. What are you currently working on? Share a few lines if you’re up for it!

50. Answer any question of your choice, or talk about anything you want to talk about!

<3 <3 <3

23. What’s a trope, AU, or concept you’ve never written, but would like to?

Since this question was listed twice I'll just go ahead and give two concepts/AUs!

The first is a Soulmate AU. I've always liked the concept but haven't really found an idea that I like enough to actually want to write it. I'm so busy and have so many other projects going on that I don't really have time to go searching for fic ideas. Instead, my brain has to present a fully formed idea and basically pitch it to me before I'm willing to even consider writing it. And since Soulmate AUs haven't really been high on my list of priorities, that hasn't happened yet. I guess my brain has been busy plotting other fics instead?

(Well, aside from that The Devil Judge Soulmate AU I suddenly came up with and am very intrigued by. So maybe? Who knows?)

The second is a Vampire AU. I cannot believe I've never written a Vampire AU. That's not to say that I'm necessarily obsessed with vampires (I like them a normal amount) it just surprises me that I've never written one. So that I definitely want to do at some point!

(And, unlike the Soulmate AU, my brain has actually tried to present me with a number of ideas for Vampire AUs (the latest one being a The Devil Judge fic, predictably) but I've kept myself at bay for now because I already have too many fics to write. Woe is me.)

49. What are you currently working on? Share a few lines if you’re up for it!

The sequel to Gravitational Pull? Though "currently working on" might be slightly misleading in this case. I wrote 840 words two months back and have been staring blankly at the document ever since x'D I think I just need to sit down and force myself past that first hurdle because I know exactly what's going to happen, I just need to write it down. But yeah, here's an excerpt:

Ga On tried his best not to look at Yo Han.

The tension lay thick inside the car, the silence pushing against Ga On's eardrums. Judge Oh, who sat in the back, probably assumed it was because of the crisis at hand — apprehension at the thought of what lay ahead of them — but that was only partially true. Ga On was also struggling with an insistent, nerve-wracking hum of concern, making his spine stiff and throat tight.

Yo Han shouldn't be here. He was still injured — only just over a day had passed since he got shot.

No matter how grave the situation was, Yo Han should be at home, resting, not driving them to an area of Seoul that was quickly becoming as chaotic as an active war zone.

Ga On gritted his teeth — until his jaw began hurting from the strain — and looked down at his hands. They were tightly clenched in his lap, his thumb rubbing restlessly over the other. Perhaps Ga On was being too selfish, but he didn't want Yo Han to put himself in danger like this — not when he wasn't at his best. Ga On could admit that Yo Han hid it well but, since Ga On knew where to look, he could see the subtle delay in Yo Han's movements and how he held himself slightly more rigidly than usual.

Yo Han was still in pain.

He still had a hole in his stomach but pretended that he didn't.

And Ga On had to play along, since Kang Yo Han couldn't show any weakness. The people around them could know that the chief judge was injured. The fact that their opponents did was already bad enough — and was probably why they chose now to try and overthrow him. They didn't think Yo Han would be able to fight back as fiercely — with as much precision — as he normally would.

They were expecting an easy victory.

But, even injured, Yo Han was a force to be reckoned with and, as always, would do whatever it took to win.

50. Answer any question of your choice, or talk about anything you want to talk about!

Possibly TMI incoming and TW for bullying and verbal abuse.

I think I'll take this opportunity to say how happy I am that I started writing fanfics. Which is extra hilarious when you consider the fact that it started with a thought as basic as: "I want to write at least one before I die." And then, ten years later, here we are. And I'm in no way exaggerating when I say that it changed my life.

One concrete example is that had I never written Autonomy, I would never have met the people who finally told me I was a good person — after hearing the exact opposite for over two years. To make a very long story short, there were several people in my life at the time who, when in pain, took it out on me, often by projecting. They told me how selfish, self-centred, and unsupportive I was. That I lacked empathy and always put myself first. That I was arrogant and a bully, who belittled everyone I spoke to and thought way too highly of myself, my intelligence, and my worth. And, well, I believed them.

Because I can be very firm and dominant, especially in person. So it's very likely that I might (unknowingly) assert myself too much. And since this abuse only happened in private, none of my other friends or family knew about it. This narrative of me being a terrible person was, for about two years, the only thing I heard. Because, to all my other friends, I was so stable and confident — how could I possibly be doubting myself? And why should they remind me that I was a good person since, surely, I knew that?

Except no — I didn't. Because I only heard the opposite. For years.

Until, suddenly one day, I got a DM on Tumblr asking me if I wanted to join a Discord server because they'd read one of my Winteriron fics and loved it. And so I did. Despite being scared to death because oh no, now these people who really like my fic are going to find out I'm a terrible person and they're never going to want to read anything I've written ever again.

But, to my absolute surprise, the opposite happened.

The people on this server LOVED me. They genuinely seemed to enjoy my company. And I quickly earned the nickname Steve (it was a Marvel server — I promise it made complete sense to us at the time) because I kept everyone in line and, apparently, was always ready to throw hands for a good cause.

I even had my own gif! The command was !amy and was used when someone was misbehaving to signal "You're on thin fucking ice, buddy."

Sometimes, I'd even wake up to find that the gif had been used in my absence, when other members on the server had basically gone: "Oh man, Amy's going to be soooo disappointed in you when she gets back RIP it was nice knowing you."

And rarely have I been so confused. Or felt so much like a liar.

Because that's what I thought I was doing. I thought I was lying to these people about who I actually was. That I was somehow able to masquerade as a Good Person all while actually being a despicable, selfish monster behind the scenes who hurt every single person I came into contact with.

And, eventually, I cracked. Not in a very visible way to most people, but enough to ask my most trusted friends on that server if I was a bad person. And I was unanimously met with a VERY confused: "What? Why do you ask? You, of all people?"

Because, according to them, not only was I the one who kept everyone in line, but also one of the kindest, most considerate people on that server. I was the conscience. The voice of reason. The one who always listened. The one who always knew exactly what to say when people were hurting. The one who made sure to de-escalate a situation before it could turn into something dangerous or hurtful.

And that changed my life.

Because, all of a sudden, I had a completely different narrative that competed with the one I'd heard for two years. In a matter of days, my world was turned upside down. We're talking a full-blown existential crisis. Because everything I thought I knew about myself was suddenly called into question and I had to figure out where I ended and the lies I had been told by other people began. It was a painful, gruelling, and utterly exhausting process but well worth it for how much it helped my mental health and self-image.

All because of a fanfic. Kind of amazing, isn't it?

The point I'm trying to make is that you'll never know in what place or what shape you might find the support and stability you need to have the kind of epiphany that I did. Perhaps it starts with a gigantic Space AU you wrote because it sounded fun, followed by an invitation to a whacky Discord server? Who knows?

And that's why I still write. And why I still post. And why I try to reply to every comment and ask if I can.

Because I know there are people like the old me out there. People who aren't seen or heard in the way they deserve. And maybe I won't be able to give them that with my limited reach, but I can at least try. I can write stories they relate to, stories that give them solace, stories that make them realise things about themselves, that make them question the abuse they've been submitted to, without even knowing it. That makes them see. That makes them want to forgive themselves and love themselves. That can help them find community and like-minded people.

If my writing can offer comfort, safety, and a feeling of belonging, then it's all worth it.

If I can help one person in the way those people on that server helped me, then it's worth it.

And that's why I'll always be grateful for deciding to write fanfics. Not just because of how it's helped me, but because it's given me the opportunity to help and bring people together.

It's never "just" a fanfic.

So, if you've ever read one of my works, I'm so grateful for your time and attention. And I hope I was able to make you smile or, perhaps, made you feel a little less lonely, even just for a short while.

I appreciate you and wish you all the best. Take care 💜

Questions for fic writers

[forsakenwitchery]

Finished Veilguard the other day and I need you to see my Rook. xD idk I tried to create something similar to my face, but then it hit me I had Tallis on my hands. 😂

In case someone's interested in my thoughts (no spoilers): it was kind of a mixed bag experience for me. I couldn't agree more with the sentiment that the game's too sanitized, but I did have some fun with it and I did grow to like the companions after all. ALSO MANFRED NEEDS TO BE PROTECTED AT ALL COSTS! And Lucanis reminds me of Gale so much, guess that's my new type. xD Men cooking is the hottest trait ever, legit a dealbreaker no griffon or sentient skeleton can beat.

More rambling under the cut & adding all the critical tags I could think of.

I do think they sort of shot themselves in the foot by calling it Dragon Age, because I kept thinking it reminds me of Guardians of the Galaxy A LOT which was a good & imho underrated game!!! but it's not the best comparison for a DA game. I didn't like Bellara at first, but then it hit me she reminds me of Mantis. SO. MUCH. And I loved Mantis! So Bellara just felt so out of place in DA. I have a lot of thoughts, yet my main takeaway is that it should have been a new IP. Literally had it been called anything else 70% of my beef with this game wouldn't exist, and I think it's true for most people who are critical about it. Like, I played as a Crow, and literally all the Crows in the game are good(TM). My Rook told Harding she did some bad things, but nothing too bad! Literally no Crow in this game is willing to kill anyone. The banter about Grey Warden contracts... Was wild. What's the point of even having assassins who are so uwu goody two-shoes. :( Legit had they made a game in the vein of DA, but not DA, with new not preestablished factions, I wouldn't have this critique. And you can't say or do anything too bad in this game which is wild for DA. I think I was only allowed to be mean about Solas, but even tho I always chose the dialogs akin to 'he can go F himself', the game kept telling me 'he's just a poor sad little meow meow' by legit every character around me. WHICH GIVEN THE FINAL TWIST OF WHAT HE DID. FUCKING FUCK. There are not nearly enough mean things this game lets you say about him, and it's mind-blowing why half the characters would toot his horn so much. Sorry, I hate Solas' guts, I didn't think it was possible to hate him even more, but holy shit was I not prepared...

But like, had it been a new IP, my only critique would be all the handholding, especially the constant 'pointing out the obvious' at the start of the game. The first hours were driving me insane with it. Like guys, I'm not stupid, I don't need to be told the same thing 3 or 4 times. Or how to proceed in a linear location if I stop for one second. Yeah, it gets better with the obvious part, but not with repeating the same info, which made me wonder what age were they targeting with it. Because I don't think kids like to be talked down to, either.

BUT I expected way worse. It was overall not a bad game. Not a super great 10/10 one, but it had its moments. For me, it was a solid 6/10, maybe even a 7 in some parts. idk why, but I especially loved Evka and Antoine. And the cooking party banters. Super pretty, too, once I got used to the style.

Oh, and I also called my Rook Anthea, and since the Crows had a character called Teia, I got an added bonus of Lucanis actually saying that name a few times. xD

[slashingdisneypasta]

(M.I.) Oh, thank goodness! I was beginning to worry the internet glitch had caught it on the way through and then I was like "do I send it again, do I ask...would that be pushy?" Anyway, it's funny you also refer to The Cafe as 'she' because I've got this later moment where y/n does the same thing and Blackie's like 'she?' and the building lets it be known that 'yes, SHE' cuz I don't recall anyone ever assigning it a gender on the show, but I could be wrong. (Also funny: Wayne just...turning up uninvited. BTW, did you notice he actually creeps on age-appropriate women? Decent-ish if you squint Wayne, I guess?)

Time stamp for that 'wished you were here' moment starts at around 34:27 when everyone is trying to figure out how they got back, then Blackie comes in offscreen with that dry "Call me sentimental..." and his casual little pose...Bitch, please. His nonchalant ass was worried and he knows it. Which is something I'm kinda playing with, too, as he does seem really uneasy around the sheriff.

Oh nooo! I'm sorry I put you through that 😅 Just so you know, you can always ask though ^^ I'll always answer those asks as soon-as ^^

Haha XDD You just get a mother-like vibe from the Cafe I think! XD She is Blackie's mum, and she's adopted Fae and Frank XD

AND- yes I have noticed that about Wayne!! XD as a person who's favourite characters are almost always gross I always search for redeeming qualities 😅😰😅 And that's Wayne's. It's very very small, and inconsequential, but... um... its something?? Especially considering the way that Lyle acted >> 😒 (🖕 for Lyle)

And thank you!! Here are your terrible Blackie gifs XD

[iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia]

I guess TW for Heather's in general, because there's a lot of mention of unaliving oneself

Freeze your brain is the first song JD sings, talking about how the one thing that is constant in his life is the 7-eleven and how he feels desperate and actually wants to end it all but just stays numb "freezing his brain"

All of this with a slushee btw

I don't feel like that anymore, so don't worry, I'll still attach to JD cause he is one of my biggest gender envy sources, in every version, I mean, how you look like that? And his voice? The voice mainly with Jamie Muscato, I can't

I'm really happy you and your siblings are doing that btw! Phineas and Ferb was so good, and probably the start point of me being obsessed with platypuses (come on, they are so weird, I love them)

A platypus plumber? Perry the platypus plumber? Perry the platypus!!!!!

PS for anyone reading: you are loved, and you are not alone, it's okay to ask for help, you are not a burden, take care friends ❤️

@samtheplatypus oh, that makes a lot sense. I'm painfully familiar with the imagery of using brain freezes to distract oneself :')

I'm glad to hear you're doing better, my friend, and I couldn't echo that sentiment enough about not being alone! Poor mental health is such an isolating experience, but bringing a little comfort around those areas is one of the things I try to do here ^.^

The more I hear about Heathers the more I think I should try listening to the soundtrack or something XD it sounds really good!

[lieutenant-amuel]

Oh man, I missed you reblogging those ask games but! How about 4 and 18 from this game for Ángel and 🖊️(obviously for the future), 🥪 and 🤔 from this one for Frida 👀

Thank you, Blue!

Ángel:

4. In developing their backstory, what elements of the world they live in played the most influential parts? 

I cannot say, it's spoilery XD But you know Ángel's whole biography now, so you'll probably guess.

Anyway, Ángel was born in Avalor during Shuriki's reign when music was forbidden, and this is the reason why he left Avalor eventually. There was a major push that made him do that, and it's directly connected with Shuriki's policy and his own wishes. Like, if he was born under Elena's rule, I imagine his life would be slightly different (or easier at least).

18. What is the most recent thing you’ve discovered about your OC? 

Ángel is now good at languages? XD I'll be honest and say I actually have no idea what learning Maarswikan will lead him to, I did it only for the sentiment that Frida knows his native language, and he wants to know hers because he gets easily excited about things x)

Anyway, if I need to mention something more relevant to his story, Ángel writes poetry, and this is basically the first step he makes (unintentionally) towards his dream.

Frida:

🖊️ BALLPOINT PEN — does your oc have any tattoos? do they want any (more) tattoos?

Frida's questions are harder :'D

Okay, I'm not sure what you mean by saying "for the future", whether it's for the modern AU or when she just gets older. But I got curious about how people did tattoos in the past and read a little about it. It reminded me of how my old friend and I made henna tattoos, and I think this is something Frida might enjoy given she's all so creative in an artistic sense.

I just don't think she would want to have permanent tattoos x)

🥪 SANDWICH — what does your oc's typical lunch look like? do they usually eat lunch?

Aajbdmfk I don't know what her diet is x)

But okay, she certainly eats lunch, I don't want her to die of starvation. I also love the idea that despite living in Avalor (alright, she's not living there anymore but shhh) she still loves Maarswikan traditions and would prefer Maarswikan meals over Avaloran ones (I'm too lazy for googling the Dutch meals but hopefully you get the idea).

🤔 THINKING FACE — what are some of your oc's quirks/mannerisms?

These questions get worse with each one XD

I really don't know?? Frida is quite reserved, and it obviously affects her movements, she wouldn't constantly wave hands like Ángel does because she's simply not expressive enough for that.

I don't know, she often fiddles with her necklace/bracelet when she's nervous or blushes easily when someone compliments her or generally is being nice to her, does it count?? She also rarely gets angry, she would never yell at anyone, but she would express her resentment in the most hoarse and scary voice possible, anyone at whom she's angry would prefer if she just yelled at them.

Okay, my each answer is worse than the other, I'm sorry for that XD

Thank you again, though!

[dbphantom]

for the fic thing, numbers 4, 20, 33

Ah thank you!!

The fic writer questions post

I'm sorry in advance, this got really long, so I had to switch to desktop halfway through to format it so it wasn't just a big block of text 😅 Like... I'm sorry. Genuinely, I am really sorry.

4. What detail in [insert fic] are you really proud of?

I'm going to do Alkali [ffxv H2O AU] because it's the one I'm currently knee-deep in. I hope that's alright! Truth be told I'm proud of a ton of tiny details in that fic, but my favorite is the change in what fire represents as the fic goes on to parallel Ignis's feelings about himself and the others. It's one of my favorite little descriptions to 'hide' throughout while I'm writing because there's just so much you can do with it.

Fire is dangerous, but it can also represent safety and home. Also it looks beautiful and provides comfort, but if you get too close it will burn you. Something something masquerading as light and leaving only blackened ash something something. Lux Et Umbrae or whatever. Generic stuff. You know. It's enrichment for me though, so I have fun with it.

I think the point where his view on it begins to pivot for the better is after the diner scene with the TV when him and Noct have a chat at camp that night, because Noct is the light of my fucking life surprisingly good at saying awkwardly nice things. Like, okay, he's actually awful at it, but the sentiment is there. Also fire is actually really important in the backstory fic [hang on, I'm getting ahead of myself-] and there's a similar evolution in its meaning for Celor [Ignis's uncle] as well, though his development with it is a bit more straightforward and... Obvious? I guess XD

If you want something a bit more silly, I've hidden exactly 7 H2O: Just Add Water and 2 Aquamarine references in the parts I've written out so far. And 3 Ariel references in Ardyn's dialogue. Oh, you poor unfortunate soul...

20. If you wrote a prequel to [insert fic], what would it involve?

CELOR. cough. I technically have one fully planned [chapters and all], the catch is I actually have to finish the current fic first and oh boy. This backstory fic is technically split into 2 parts. Celor B.B [before baby] and Celor A.B [after baby]. <- I wish I were kidding, but that's how it's split in my brain. It's a lot of years!

Before is the whole 'King Regis and his sluts the gang go on that funky little road trip during the war' thing, which basically establishes Celor as a character, the Scientias in relation to the royal family, and his relationships with the other OGs [Old Guys]. Basically, it goes into detail of what happened in Altissia that caused Weskham to get injured and how the other guys found out about Celor.

It also details the events of that one throwaway dlc? Like some dude showed up in Insomnia? Idk, it was so weird. U might not remember it [joking. Episode Ardyn, M.E 734]. Celor wasn't there for the main event, so he doesn't! He was off working with Drautos to evacuate civilians and stuff. Which kinda starts off their whole one-sided rivalry because Drautos sees some stuff and is like '🤔' about it. Celor is... well, to put it nicely, an oblivious idiot and doesn't even realize, so Titus is snooping around and everyone in the Citadel is like 'dude stop' except for the guy he's actually investigating. I also believe that Drautos has pretty much always been working with the empire. It's not specified when, but you don't become high commander of an army overnight [stares down Ravus]... Just kinda weird that he had time to pull that while also captaining the Kingsglaive, so I think he's always been allied with the Imperials. I digress.

After this attack is over the kids are all born (or cloned, lol) [basically... give it like 2 years and everyone exists] and we enter the A.B era where Celor proves just how bad of a parental figure he can be. For the record, I don't normally like killing off parents in fics too often but, well, Ignis doesn't have any mentioned in canon, so it feels weird to just have them suddenly exist in present-day... Celor is already toeing the line of being a full-fledged OC because there are TWO LINES in the audio story Parting Ways where Ignis's uncle speaks and then I did ALL OF THIS with him. 😮‍💨

Anyway, Ignis's parents' names are Julia Scientia and Harry [who married into House Scientia and took the name]. I named Julia for one of the OG mermaids in H2O, who likely had Rikki's power, and Harry for Rita's fiance in Mako Mermaids who ISN'T a total jerkface, thank you, Karl, you fuckboy- his sole existence made me distrust Karl MM so hard my first time through lol. Anyway, given their names you can probably guess their stories, but also they both die at the end. As parents do when you're discussing protagonist backstories [stares in Aulea].

Julia is the identical twin of Celor [yes, I'm implying he's transgender, do you think their parents named her Julia and him CELOR? Hell no, that's a transmasc name if I've ever picked one-] and Ignis takes after her, and therefore looks a lot like Celor (a lot of people confuse him as being Celor's son). That's why, in chapter 1 of Alkali, Ignis is standing there musing if the mermaid-looking daemon Noct killed in the arcade game would've looked like him. It's not explained why he thinks that in the text, but there you go. Reasons! Oh, also, Julia and Harry are killed by a mob for suspicion of housing a daemon after Julia is discovered, leaving their house burning to the ground and Celor returning with a 2 year old to... that... [seriously, the civilians in this universe are kind of hardcore and not in a good way...].

Celor takes Ignis back to the Citadel after a lot of [kinda superficial because pretty much everyone knows what happened] questioning and Regis (who is also actively mourning his fucking wife and raising a newborn) is like "whatcha got there, bud" and Celor's like "trauma" and Regis just nods and lets it happen. Not... not actually, but that's basically how it goes. Dude gets it. By god bahamut does he get it. Clarus is working overtime so hard to help them both learn how to be a dad. Anyway, you can imagine Celor's surprise when Ignis comes into his magic and it turns out to be temperature control. AKA this kid can now light stuff on fire whenever he wants. Even more bad when it's emotionally-tied. Celor and Cor, uh, put a lid on that ticking time bomb real quick. Just, fully shoved it in the shoe box and wrapped it in 7 layers of duct tape and buried it in the woods. It's not still ticking. IT'S NOT. [It is. :(]

To make things... a little more clear, Celor isn't a bad parent, he's doing his best, but also he's absent-minded and kinda paranoid about keeping the secret after what happened to his sister. Which, you know, a very valid reaction, but also causes him and Ignis to argue a lot over it, especially regarding Noct, especially after the whole Marilith thing. Celor actually argued against Ignis becoming Noct's advisor at all, but Clarus eventually pushed him into it because the kid's gotta live his life at some point, you know? [You might notice some parallels between Clarus and Gladio throughout, because they tend to be the voice of reason :V (most of the time lol)]. But yeah, after the whole Marilith thing, while Noct and Regis are in Tenebrae, Ignis and Celor get into a huge fight about who gets to know about the secret, Celor takes Ignis to the Lux Et Umbrae museum exhibit to make things up to his nerd of a nephew, and I get to loredump about Solheim and how merpeople came to be under Leviathan :) Of course the museum is a little... off... on the details given they view merpeople as a legend about variants of darkness daemons, but still. Shapeshifters show up on full moon nights to steal the bodies of your loved ones and make you one of them, blah, blah. Celor explains it better from what he knows, and Ignis learns about their connection to Leviathan.

Which, oops! Because this kid is pretty determined and he near immediately formulates a plan to summon Leviathan and bargain with her to become 'normal'. Hence the necklace. Which, yeah! Iggy's skull necklace is an important part of Alkali. I don't really bring up too often until they reach Altissia. See, the bargain ended up working... for about a month, until Leviathan intentionally meddled with the set rules to get what she wants (as you do when you're a jealous, vengeful god that also wants your other god friend to, you know, NOT nuke the entire planet). Because Ignis even bargained with her in the first place, and due to the rules she set, he basically gives up his half of the bargain to 'save' Noct's life (it was not actually in danger... parallels!) and still has to pay Leviathan back for her half. The necklace is his reminder of that. A literal chain around his neck. Anyway during this whole thing, oops, Drautos sees some stuff and is like '??????' and passes this info on over to Ardyn who is like '👀👀 interesting...' because, you know, he's an immortal bitch with memories from tons of people and also literally Ifrit. Who was there when Leviathan made merpeople because she was jealous. Jealous and vengeful. Not a good combo... But, yeah, Ardyn easily puts two-and-two together. So, when the Titan roadtrip caravan scene happens in Alkali, it should make a bit more sense. It didn't really NEED explaining, because it's Ardyn, but hey. I did. Bite me.

[And, YES, technically Leviathan was sleeping at this time, but it's more of a dream-state of her being summoned than actually her. I... didn't exactly want 7-8 year old Ignis summoning a literal, very miffed god in the middle of Insomnia's bay. If you know the first ever scene of the water dragon appearing in Mako Mermaids, it's something like that. Water and moonlight and rancid vibes. That's actually another plot point in Alkali, because when they're in Altissia Leviathan wants to wake up on her own terms, so she's trying to get Ignis to the Altar of the Tide Mother to wake her up permanently with his blood. Hey... it comes full circle... ... I should write an offshoot of this where it actually works and angst happens. Hmmm...]

Anyway, things happen after that pretty much as written in Alkali already, though this backstory fic would also cover the fall of Insomnia from Celor's perspective and his death :( It's funny because throughout this, Celor goes from loathing fire, seeing it as the brutal destructive force, to seeing it as hope and joy as seen through the eyes of kid Ignis learning his magic [contrast that to how Ignis views his own magic after training lol], and then after Ignis leaves Insomnia, fire goes back to being this awful uncaring force of nature that ends up getting Celor killed. Well, okay, it was mostly Drautos. But fire played a big part in it. And that's Celor's story. Pathetic merman uncle.

33. If you write chaptered fics, what’s your ideal chapter length to write? Is it different from your ideal chapter length to read?

Um, well. If the above showed you anything, I tend to write a lot... Sorry about that. I would say 20ish chapters is normally what I plan, but then everything goes off the rails. I intended for Alkali to be about 15 chapters, then it hit 20, then 30, now we're at 67 in planning and counting. Now if only I could actually write it all XD

And no, I love all kinds of fic!! One-shots, multi-chapters... So long as the premise is good, I'm here for it. I won't guarantee I remember to finish all the fics I start reading, but the chapter length has never held me back on starting them before. I just have a bad memory and never check my bookmarks :( Which I should do more often!!! Maybe I will do so tonight...

Anyway, thank you so much for letting me ramble about this! I really appreciate it, I'm always itching to talk about the stuff that lurks in my brain. 💙💙 I owe you one.

[leffee]

The answers (I hope I got all of them)

The snow - so I know hate is a strong word but it may be his least favorite of all the weather don’t get me wrong he loves playing in the snow with his friends and hot chocolate that comes with the cold BUT can’t stand falling and slipping on ice and snow and being the main target in snowball fights plus he tends to whine after being outside for longer then an hour because he’s wet and cold and done with all of it lol-

Shivers- so I picture everyone in about mid 20’s but shivers is still slightly younger :) the reason they even hang is because vinnie was roommates with him while Sunil was in college so he wouldn’t be lonely but eventually moved out because of his hoarding problem-

Drinking- yes they drink alcohol they like to do it at peppers or at a local bar vinnie sometimes go way overboard with it but has fun in fact a lot of the time when he goes out drinking with the girls he’s the one to stay sober and keep an eye on them (plus when he’s sober he gets to get the biggest kick out of drunk karaoke night from Zoe)

Baking- so it’s not so much that he’s embarrassed he just thinks that he’s not that good at it so he’s never really wanted to make a big deal out of it BUT side story- Zoe entered a baking competition at a fair for fun but realized that she was horrible at it so vinnie jumped in and started helping and giving her tips on a tester recipe and it turned out amazing and everyone had asked him how he hasn’t mentioned this before and that he’s got a gift and he just said “dunno I didn’t think it was anything special” but he really did enjoy the praise he got from that for the rest of the fair week and now he makes dessert for everyone once in a while as a surprise-

Russell’s dates- yes he’s very jealous and he will do anything to makes sure they don’t happen like hide Russell’s wallet, call and cancel reservations and even delete Matches he gets on the website ( yes you are right he is very obsessive because he takes so long to like someone so he never wants to lose them ( side note Russell is not into the whole thing to begin with he’s just trying to be nice and give what the girls say a try because he is deep down very lonely but very picky)

I have so much more to say I’m so happy that I found someone who likes to hear my little ramblings

Let me know if you have anymore thoughts if you want I can send more things or maybe help you with fanfic ideas? I can also DM you at some point I’m just a bit shy about my obsessions haha /~\

What a delightfully long answer you gave me, I am genuinely so happy about it and of course, will happily throw in my own two cents. You get me anon. Let's a go again :]

Snow snow snow: okay, I am genuinely so stupid for not having thought that before, it clicked so well once I read your reply. Of course Vinnie the clumsy man would hate the slippy weather. I think he must be used to it by this point, but when it's this kind of overload he surely would be just done with it. Also I loove love the last part, he's so done, my poor baby. He's just like "Okay, I'm done now, Imma head out". Somebody take care of him, stupid lil maaan <3. Also I think personally he's the kind of person who would drink hot chocolate no matter the season, though of course in winter it's so much better.

Shivers (speaking of winter lol): so I guess that Vinnie wasn't in college? I mean, makes sense xd, or maybe he was in a different one than Sunil. Either way I can see him eventually being done with Shivers' shenanigans, though I personally headcanon that he, though on a way smaller scale, likes collecting things too. Not to a point it's a problem, not at all, but he just likes sentimental things especially if they are from his friends. So he would try to understand, but eventually just give up on it because nope, that is clearly not for his patience

Yummy drinks: okay, alright, I just wanted to make sure, I mean they could just be drinking grimace shakes or something, you know? I mean, they would 💀. You and me are the same, because yes, he definitely goes overboard sometimes, because it's easier to keep up that cheery demeanor when drunk. A side note: I actually headcanon that it's hard for him to get properly drunk i.e. he has to drink a lot to get to that state and he's not happy about that. Oh, and I love what a sweetheart he is with the girls this is so heart-warming honestly and I love it. I can see him as their bodyguard of sorts at those moments, making sure nobody tries anything funny with the girls. AND him with Zoe having a karaoke night? Hell yeah, so cute and good.

MMm cake: I love, love, love it so much. I love it when a character is good at something but thinks they're not, especially when the said character at the same time has a passion for something (dancing in this case) and says it out loud but is not good at it. Angst potential anyone? AND SIDE STORY OMG I LOVE IT AGAIN I LOVE SIDE STORIES. I love those Vinnie Zoe interactions you spoil me with, I really do. I imagine Zoe must have been reluctant, but also desperate, so she just let him, and then it came out amazing and she was so confused but also relieved and happy. AnD THen They hUg :3. Pls. In short, let him cook.

Russell being silly: oh but this one I love perhaps even more than the rest. He is so real for doing that, my little insane son. Yes, be unhealthily jealous to the point of making sure your beloved doesn't even have a chance with anyone else. Good that Russell doesn't want those dates either hehe. Like Vinnie goes so far, I mean, deleting matches, canceling reservations? Gold. Oh yes, obsessive is like his biggest characteristic I gave him in my mind. He's very silly in other words. Oh, but I wonder what would happen if Russell somehow did end up going on one of those dates.

Once again, I absolutely love what you've got to say, and also i am obsessed with it, would absolutely love to hear more from you, be it a reply to what I said here if you have any more thoughts, any other headcanons for Vinnie (or anyone else too!) or just thoughts. Yes, I absolutely want you to send more things, whatever it is, I will happily see that. Fanfics though, well, I don't have enough motivation to write them if no one's gonna read them, that's why I said I might write requests, because that alone would show me that someone's interested, but as for now I didn't get any, so I guess I'm not planning to write anything lps related. And believe me, I am shy about it too ;-; like I am not normal about it in the slightest. But! I do get you, so no need to be shy around me, though of course I understand your need to stay behind anon for however long you need.

[tiredassmage]

Ouuuggh. I feel like if I dig too much into this one, I might get myself tripped up somewhere, but... it Is kind of interesting to see this be a debate when... even single player games still have some back and forth on whether or not a protagonist should be voiced. And by 'interesting,' I... generally find this kind of tail chasing exhausting which is... why I love to avoid the actual forums, lol.

I feel less that I have specific feedback on the matter rather than... maybe I'd just like to chip something a little more positive into the endless void, so this is... probably mostly opinion and can just be treated as such. Just your tired mut wanting to have a little faith in devstreams and posts from the team, I guess. xD

I sorta already pitched my thoughts about 7.5, but since that's relevant again here, I'm just gonna throw gumballs at the wall about it, I guess.

Most of the ~feedback of it being "why is this encroaching more and more on msq" feels... maybe bad faith to me, I guess. SWTOR's dev communication could possibly benefit from being a bit more proactive and in-depth with the community; FFXIV's already name-dropped in here and the live letters and whatnot are kind of my primary yardstick for judging the few ongoing live-service games I do play. Then clarification and follow-up still happens when necessary, but maybe it clips a bit of speculation in the bud. I really wouldn't mind them including more technical stuff even if it's not language that's readily understood at a glance (ie, what are they up to with the graphical work) because I enjoy knowing what the team's working on, and I think that level of communication benefits FFXIV, and I think it might do SWTOR some good, too. Of course story details and all still wouldn't be a 'before their time' kind of thing, but more of this about what the team's working on I think would help ease a little bit of some of I guess the other thing that tends to get wrapped up in this discussion that wears me out fast - whether the game's going into maintenance or downhill or whatever else the doomsday assessment of the time might be. You'd think I'd be better acquainted with navigating this given most of my online game experience are all games around 10 years old and older, yet here I am anyway akdnfl;sadf.

But. Anyway. I saw enough of their vision with their inclusion of the KOTOR-style cinematics in 7.5. The spirit of including a broader berth of options than being limited to the infamous three I think was beneficial to the story they were trying to tell in this update. Widening the focus area by reducing some of those black bars I think would be helpful, especially as they focus on upgrading the graphical appearance of the game. It's refreshing to hear a suggestion on the matter that I can actually get behind. Those scenes might include less of an animation and scene load for the devs as described in their post, but I'd still love to be able to admire as much of their work as possible, lol. Especially when it does involve any kind of action. (A side scene from the... Voss update? Old Wounds, was it? Comes to mind - the confrontation with Czerka, I believe. And I think a scene from GS 5. Sometimes those black bars cut off a little bit of the action they do show and that's not always as fun as it could be with a wider frame.)

Which really I guess... what compelled me to add thoughts to this post is really just the sentiment that I don't mind. I like the idea of the devs being able to add more variance to the story. Up to 8 dialogue options giving more room for class-references and other minor decision alterations we can make along the way is good flavor. Voiced to un-voiced isn't... really that jarring to me when it does good for the story. BG3 sports a protagonist whose only voice clips are for some interactions and movement around the map and it's been a thoroughly enjoyed game by myself and plenty others, clearly enough. I understand it breaks the mold of what SWTOR did in vanilla, but it was also hugely fucking ambitious of the game to be like that, especially as an ongoing game, I think.

So the 'argument,' if you will, presented by the devs checks out to me. If it's more sustainable for their workload and allows them more nuance in the story, I'm all for it. And I think the graphical updates and recasting a player character voice actor (even if the handling, I will give, was a little... interesting of them to not announce sooner than they did or in a clearer fashion, but that's not this post) tells me, at least, that the team's still dedicated to working on what's here. They want to continue and I don't think any of that is a sign of the game going anywhere away any faster from a dev standpoint.

But that's why we're all hidey-holed on here in a tumblr corner than out in big swathes of fandom life, after all.

I'm mixed on the KOTOR cutscenes myself, and a lot of what people are saying in the forums is reasonable (reduce black bars, make it more visually appealing and less stiff) but I'd rather, for lack of elegant metaphors, navigate Makeb without a map than go back to dull voiced cutscenes of 30 second PR meetings where Lana reads your itinerary for you. I don't really understand the sentiment that you want less story when other MMO's get to have tons of content unvoiced (see FFXIV, etc.) and people praise it up and down-- if voice work is holding it back, then I'm for less rather than more. We've been getting better story steadily, and I'd hate to see that change back to what we were given at the beginning of LotS, which people seem to forget quite easily.

I think what it could use as a compromise rather than alignment dialogue is class specific dialogue, if they're able to implement that many choices from 3 to 8. Then it'd be less of a yes - neutral - no situation, and players might feel satisfied that it's not just the same responses dressed up. But that's my opinion on it, and it's a small niche issue at that.

Also, unintentional comedy at being able to rate a team response like UberEats???

[kuiinncedes]

jglhdkhjf

[kingofthewilderwest]

I've seen a lot of posts about Hiccup's kid, who he hooks up with, yada yada, but when I heard Hiccup had a daughter, my immediate thought was "oh, I bet she's adopted." Because 1) I can't visualize Hiccup in a committed relationship, he seems like too much of a lone soul in that regard, and 2) it would be just like Hiccup to find an abandoned baby girl and raise her himself. It'd feed right into the books' "found family/do the hard but necessary right thing" themes as well.

You know, I keep fearing Cressida Cowell is going to go the route of "hook up with Camicazi," which I'd distinctly dislike. But it also seems like something she'd write.

I've always loved the fact that we had an entire adventure, start to end, where Hiccup and Cami were friends. This was a story about children, and we didn't need children to have a locked-in central romance. Any crushes that happened with the young generation were appropriately youthful, awkward, short-lived, and far from end game, Fishlegs-blushing-from-afar affairs. The romances that had substance, passion, tangles, etc. were characters in age-appropriate positions, our adults. I love how Cowell wrote that.

Now, that said, since Hiccup is a child throughout this series, I don't think we can get a good measure for what his adulthood self would be like romantic-relationship-wise. A young childhood adventurer is hard to pin down, whether he'd be a lone soul like you say, or someone taking great comfort in the closeness of people who care for him. It's too early to say. We change lots from our younger years.

I absolutely adore found family themes. They're my happiness, and there's reasons why I'm a nerd for franchises like Voltron or the DreamWorks HTTYD universe. There's reasons I infuse found family, pair-friendship, and group-friendship dynamics in my original writing. I will preach to the ends of the earth how friendship dynamics can be just as fulfilling and engaging in narrative. At the same time, I think tumblr has a biased inclination toward labeling, desiring, and fanoning everything to be found family to an idealized scope beyond what many creators intended. That's awesome for fandom and fun, but it means I don't bear fandom interpretations in mind when guessing what Cowell might be up to! Taking from the same sentiment that led her to pattern HTTYD after her childhood, Cowell is a mother who I think would place high value on a story of a father with a biological daughter.

But all that is Doylist speculation. We don't know what Cowell will do yet, sure. But we aren't restricted by Cowell. It's free reign for fandom imagination! And boy howdy howdy, let's have ALL the fun! And what you have: GREAT fun.

Personally, I see Hiccup as a biological father who cherishes his family, taking the imperfect yearnings from childhood (Mom not around, etc.), the lessons from past Hiccups (ex: Hiccup the Second being abandoned by his father), his abilities to keep those he loves close (ex: his value for Fishlegs and Cami), and his generous spirit... and infusing those into the next generation. History is two steps forward, one step back, but here, he can invest in the next generation and make a step forward.

But my headcanon is no better than your headcanon. It's extraordinarily adorable to imagine Hiccup as an adoptive father! I think this is cute, and it makes me want to toss an extra adopted child or two my headcanon's way XD (I have a thing for big famblies <3 ). Beyond the themes you connected it with, my brain goes to Fishlegs, if you like, who was raised without family, but who had Hiccup as someone to grow up with: Hiccup understands what his best friend experienced, and upon coming across an abandoned little girl, feels compassion. AKA: Your ideas are WONDERFUL and I am all for it.

[mammonprotectionsquad]

hello!!!! i am so excited that ur requests are open ur one of my favorite writers EEEEEE!! i was wondering if i could request a headcabnon for the obey me brothers (and dateables if u wanna do both up to u) reaction to gn mc giving them little sentimental gifts all the time to show them that they love and appreciate them? spontaneous gift giving bc something reminded them of u and u love them? i hope that made sense oml thank u!

Adtgub omg thank you so much 💕

And hoo boy did I feel this! Gift giving is one of my love languages xD

I hope what I came up with is what you wanted 💖

Also, I'm not brave enough to write for the dateables just yet... Maybe someday. But today was sadly not that day 😅

The brothers and MC randomly giving them gifts

Lucifer

The first time you gift him a new coffee mug, he doesn't think too much about it. You probably overheard him talking about needing a new one, since one of his broke, the other day.

Still he very much appreciates it and of course thanks you. After all it saved him the trouble of having to head out and buy one himself.

Though over time he notices that it's not a one time only thing. Usually they're small things. Like a new pen or more of his favorite tea.

Up until one day where you visit him in his study, smiling widely and holding a bag out to him. "I got something for you!"

With a frown, he turns away from the paperwork to give you his full attention. "What's in it?"

"Just open it and see for yourself~"

So he does and what he pulls out is a vinyl, still a little confused. Why would you get him one just like that?

"It just made me think of you, so I had to get it... Do you like it?", you speak up, like you've read his mind.

Immediately his expression softens, a warmth spreading through him. How is it possible for a human to be that sweet? "I do like it. Very much so. How about we listen to it together?"

The way you beam at him and nod enthusiastically definitely makes it worth pushing his work off for a bit.

Mammon

"Oi, MC! I think ya left your ring in my room", Mammon barges into your room without any further announcement, holding the gold band out to you.

Had it been tempting to try and sell it? Yes. But for some reason he always feels extremely guilty when it's about your stuff.

But you only chuckle and shake your head. "I got that for you, actually. You said you lost one of yours, right? I know it's not the same, but I thought you might like that one. The color of the stone reminded me of your eyes..."

All he can do at your explanation is stare at you, then the ring and back at you. Cheeks flushed and he's at a complete loss for words. Eventually he manages to mutter a thanks, the smile you aim at him only making him blush even more.

But you can be sure that he's never taking that ring off.

In fact, he treats every single present you give to him like the most valuable thing he owns. Because to him, they all are.

Every time you show up and hand him something, saying that it reminded you of him or that you remembered him wanting something like that? He's ready to melt into a puddle.

Leviathan

"Levi! I got us friendship bracelets!", you declare as you skip into his room, simply grabbing his hand to tie the bracelet around his wrist. Afterwards you present him the one on your own wrist with a wide smile. "I made them myself~"

His brain completely shuts down. Not only because of you so casually getting that close to him but... The entire thing is just too adorable?

It reminds him of a scene in the anime "I fell in love with my best friend, though I'll never tell them because I don't want to ruin the friendship. But they are actually in love with me, too and we're both simply oblivious idiots."

He turns as red as a tomato and only splutters incoherent sentences, while trying to hide his face as good as possible. "I-I guess it's pretty nice. Coming from a normie and all..."

You just chuckle and press a kiss to his cheek, before you leave the room again. Leaving an extremely flustered Levi behind, who's staring at the bracelet.

Over time he notices that you rather often gift him something randomly. Though it never fails to make his heart race.

Especially when you get him something, no matter how small, and say that it reminded you of him.

Bonus points when you got yourself something similar. For example a key chain from your favorite anime, etc.

He may or may not be bragging to his brothers about having matching stuff with you.

Satan

"I think you forgot your bookmark in one of the books I borrowed you", Satan says, holding the item in question out to you.

But you just shake your head and nudge his hand back. Looking rather amused. "Nope. I left it there on purpose. It's a present for you! I thought it would be cute to make one out of my favorite picture of us."

Did he hear that correctly? You made a bookmark? For him? His cheeks flush as he looks down at it and he can't help but smile.

It's the first time he's getting a sentimental gift like that and it'd be a lie to say that it doesn't make his heart race.

"Thank you. I'll make sure to cherish it." And that he does. He treats it with utmost care and whenever he looks at it, he just can't help but smile.

After that he notices that you either drop things off in his room or just give them to him direct. Saying things like "I noticed you looking at it, the other day" or "You said you wanted something like this, right?" Something that always makes him all soft.

He makes sure to put a curse on everything he got from you, to make sure none of his brothers could potentially mess with them. Because those things are priceless to him.

Asmodeus

You're not the only one who likes to give small (or sometimes even bigger) presents, from time to time.

So on more than one occasion you two ended up giving each other a gift, chuckling about the funny and cute situation.

"Asmo! I got you one of those bath bombs you like so much!", you declare excitedly, while handing him the small bag.

He beams at you and doesn't hesitate to steal a small kiss, while taking the offered bag. "Aw, you shouldn't have, sweetheart! But, I also got something for you~"

You two just enjoy giving each other things that remind you of the other one, always getting all giddy when you see the other one's happy reactions.

Especially the things you made yourself, or the ones that you two have matching, are treasured by Asmo and he won't ever let anyone else touch them.

Though he will boast about it. In front of his brothers and in his Devilgram posts.

Beelzebub

"I have a present for you!"

"Mh? But it's not  my birthday...", Beel says, clearly confused. Even stopping in his tracks of taking another bite of his snack.

"It doesn't have to be your birthday for me to get you something", you chuckle and hand him a box. "Open it~"

He quickly wipes his hands on his shirt, before he takes the box from you. And as soon as he opens it, his expression softens. "Is that...?"

"The one decent group picture we managed to take, the other day. I thought you might like to have it in a nice frame to put it up. I painted the frame myself so it would match the colors of your side of the room.

Before you even have the chance to say more, he already pulls you in for a bear hug, unwilling to let go of you anytime soon. "Thank you so much, MC..."

Whenever you gift him something, no matter how small it might be, he just looks like a happy puppy. Beaming and proudly showing it off.

Or making sure to find the perfect spot in his room, where they'll be safe but he can always see them.

Belphegor

You skip into the attic, where you know he disappeared to for a nap. Though you take no mercy on him, as you flop down next to him. Nudging his side until he grumbles and pouts up at you.

"Don't look at me like that", you snort in amusement. "I got you something ~"

You wiggle the two plushies that you're holding. Though you click your tongue and pull them out of reach when Belphie tries to grab both of them.

Only making him pout more, even causing him to look slightly irritated. "I thought you said they're for me?"

"Not both of them. One is for you, the other one for me. They kinda reminded me of us", you explain with a shrug and finally hand him one of the plushies."I thought it would be cute if you got the MC plushie and I'll keep the Belphie one."

He tries to hide his blush but fails miserably. Unable to keep himself from smiling, as he already hugs the present close.

Afterwards he grabs your wrist to tug you closer, immediately cuddling close. "So it's a you and me thing? Mhm... I like that."

In fact, he loves everything you give him.

And whenever you gift him new pillows or more plushies? He makes sure to keep them in the attic. Far away from his brothers. Beel is the only one allowed to get close to them

Maybe, just maybe, one of the pillows you gave him might even become his new favorite.

Masterlist

If you'd like to get added to the tag list, please let me know 💕

@the-purpleblushh @sweeneyblue1

[fanfoolishness]

Thoughts!

Definitely baffling to see dozens of new Mandalorians. How much time has passed since BoBF? What have Din and Grogu been doing during this time? Apparently they haven't been nearly as effective as the Armorer. I suppose you could wave it away as the Armorer and Paz rejoined some of the covert that had survived Nevarro, but then why not mention them to Din... ehh who cares.

Yeah apparently exile means visits are fine, you just can't stay longer than 20 minutes or everyone starts glaring at you. Which you can totally tell, you know, with the helmets and all.... If they do want us to think Din's covert is a cult, they need to get better at shunning.

I like the whales! There should be more weird inexplicable things in Star Wars that ultimately just cause Grogu to cuddle Din.

I am cackling over here at the idea of pirate church that Greef ruined XD I agree, these pirates are powerful petty in their nonsense. But on the second watch I remembered the bar Greef and Din used to meet in back in the day. I guess the pirates are just awfully sentimental?

The only thing I can come up with for Din needing a droid now is if Mandalore really is poisoned. Maybe he needs the droid for reconnaissance, in case he gets there and neither he nor Grogu can breathe or safely get to the living waters. Or, if Grogu needs to be kept safe while Din braves the blasted poisonous lands?

Yeah, nah, I agree, there should not be so much of IG left. I had assumed the statue when first seen in S2 was just a bronze cast of an IG unit. Also feels so sad for Din to not mention Kuiil :(

YES HOW DO THEY LIVE DAMMIT!! I need to see them getting a hotel room, cleaning up, resting, all that good stuff! Star Wars movies have always been awful about this but dammit, it's a TV show, you've got the fucking time.

I assume Bo has a little side room off the main castle hall where she hangs out in her PJs with her little droid buddy. Maybe she sulkily watches holos set in Mandalore's heyday. I'm curious to see where they go.

Maybe the Mines became a tourist attraction in the later days of the Mandalorian Empire. Be pretty funny if we saw posters or something all around the Civic Center like something out of Bioshock. "Bathe in the Living Waters today!"

Let's embrace the silliness where we can, and fanfic away the rest XD

I'm rewatching the season 3 premiere and am increasingly wtf. I feel like whining about it in public so here goes.

Stop reading now if you just want to look at Mando and Baby Yoda and not feel unhappy about anything.

(Also Din and Grogu, I still love you. I'm sorry your storytellers let you down.)

(Also, also-- Hey guess what, after writing all this out I actually feel much better and ready to embrace the silliness. Onward to episode 2!)

-

Who the heck was behind the camera? The framing in the opening scene with the Armorer is so pedestrian it looks amateurish. And don't get me started on having her take time to face the camera and show off the new helmet. Seriously??

What is going on with the editing in the Giant Alligator Monster scene? It's meant to be a big exciting action sequence but the timing is off. Instead of cutting from action to immediate result, there are extra beats left in all over the place.

How does the Armorer suddenly have a huge number of followers? Last time we saw her, she and Paz were hiding out, alone, in the bowels of a space city. And before that, most of the covert got wiped out and we didn't know if anyone else survived. How much time has passed? And if it's been months or years, why hasn't Din been to Mandalore himself yet? Why is he collecting artifacts from randoms instead of going to see for himself?

Why is Din talking about getting a "decree of exile" lifted when he's sitting there talking to the Armorer and clearly can show up to visit wherever the hell he wants???

Also why does the Artifact from Mandalore look like somebody's kindergarten art project?

Wth are the giant space squids? whales? Idk? flying alongside while they're in hyperspace? I guess they're supposed to be scary because Grogu goes looking for a hug from Din after seeing them but then they never show up again so ???

The pirates trying to get a drink at the school could have been a great interaction, akin to Mayfeld's bullying. But it falls completely flat. Why are they obsessed with that building always needing to be a bar? Is it cultural? Was that, like, pirate church and Karga's metaphorically pissed on the altar?

Is Navarro a thriving, peaceful, prosperous place, or does it desperately need a new town marshall? Make up your mind, Favreau.

Why does Din suddenly need a droid? Why???

I'm sorry. IG-11 melted and exploded. There is not that much of him left. No.

How come Grogu didn't really have a role in this episode. He's just kind of there.

Where do they live? Where does Din go to take a shower? Where/when/how do they eat? I was looking forward to seeing how Din was going to deal with all that real life stuff without the Razor Crest but apparently in this new version nobody ever even has to pee.

Another chase through an asteroid field. Really? 🥱 Also if the pirate dude values his colleagues' lives so much, why does he get them into a situation where they're going to ram into asteroids and explode.

Why is Bo Katan's enormous fancy castle on an isolated peninsula? Is it just to be dramatic? Also if she's all alone out there what does she eat? I'm picturing Space Instacart delivering ice cream and Cheetos.

There is something hilarious about the great Mines of Mandolore being beneath the civic center.

[itsmaferart]

Hi! I wanted to tell you how much I love your analysis on SxF, very on point and detailed! What a pleasure to read 😊 There's one thing I wanted to ask you about: translation and how it impacts the perception of a scene. I'm French-speaking native and I discovered the 'Honey trap' in French and then your analysis in English. Loid's reaction to Yor's punch is a bit more 'intense' in French. Not speaking Japanese, I don't know which one is closer to the original text. 'Off-balance' is replaced by 'faire perdre tous mes repères'. Which could mean Loid is 'becoming completely lost' in the French version. So at first I thought that Loid's feelings for Yor were more obvious to himself. Less 'covered' if it makes sense. My point is : do you think we could make wrong interpretation of a character due to a translation? How much differs our version of the dialogues to the original one? Looking forward for new analysis and care take 🌸

Ohh! Hello thank you very much! I appreciate the love that my analyzes have received!! They motivate me to continue!

The answer would be: Yes, the translation influences a lot in understanding the scene. This is a very frequent problem when trying to adapt a series/comic/book to another language. I understand that Japanese as a language is an ideographic language, so its writing represents ideas and thoughts, and is not a composition of precise words.

(I have to clarify that I do not understand Japanese at all. So like everyone I depend on translations, what little I know is from mere research. Any native or connoisseur of the language is free to correct me)

Said that. Sometimes it is very difficult to figure out exactly what is being said in a scene. Especially when they are abstract feelings, puns, expressions of the native language, etc. Since, while in one country something is a joke, in another place it is something that is taken literally xD ...In fact, recently I think there was a translation error in the manga. Where it was believed that Anya was going to get sweets from the Damiand but it turned out to be a specific cake (I didn't understand very well, I guess it's a play on words or something like that xD)... Even so, there is always a lot of support from the fandom to offer clarifications and interpretations. Especially for those who understand the native language

........

Regarding Twilight. I guess it's a complicated sentiment to translate, since Twilight himself has no idea what he was with himself. He felt lost and confused, perhaps the best way to understand it is "I'm not the same person as before".

He just didn't know what to do with Yor, with his feelings. But why would a genius at emotional readings fail so terribly? "The answer" is the simplest and the most difficult to recognize "He can't be cold and calculating in front of Yor and Anya, they cloud his judgment. They make him a common person, clumsy and even somewhat naive. They let out their most human side"

....

Regarding your original language. It may not be so far from what was intended to say: Perhaps they were more explicit. The sense that "Twilight is lost" seems pretty accurate to me. Although, as you say, it sounds like a deeper statement.

I guess someone who speaks Japanese would be the most accurate person to clarify how explicit Twilight was.

Still, I don't think these variations are that serious. Sometimes these changes favor the understanding of native people of another language, so these changes are made to better understand the expression.

Since if the translation were exact. The impact would not be the same. The important thing is to convey the meaning of the works. An example would be proverbs. Although the meaning is exactly the same, the words vary from language to language. This does not harm, on the contrary, it favors each reader because he feels the work "more endearing"

Perhaps in the case of your native language they used the most appropriate expression to imply that "Twilight is missing" for the love of his family, and this is confusing him

[littlespoonevan]

hi! i share almost all your opinions and i like that you are also not 100% convinced that buddie is happening, like the rest of the fandom is, it's refreshing. i still hope they're gonna happen, ofc, but i'm not positive. since i see you share the sentiment - do u think that the conversation in the firetruck about buck and lucy kissing was foreshadowing for the two of them dating later? part of me says yes, part of me says no, i can't make up my mind XD what direction do you think they're going?

hey anon! personally, i don't think anything in 5b has indicated they'll be taking buck and lucy in a romantic direction. lucy's reaction in that scene basically read as "yikes, let's not bring That up" to me and i don't think any of the characters (including her and buck) regard it as something that meant anything.

the kiss served a function in making it clear to us - and to buck also, i think - that buck wasn't feeling as happy and as stable in his relationship with taylor as he'd previously appeared. beyond that, buck and lucy have shared two (one and a half??) meaningful conversations across 8 episodes and just seem like friendly coworkers tbh.

now, that's not to say i couldn't be wrong and they might go that direction at some point in the future. god knows 911 is capable of making a relationship out of very little (buck's kindling romances with ali and taylor in s2 proved that) but in the past it's always been sort of obvious?? with ali and taylor and even the therapist in s1 i had a moment where i felt "ah here are these two single, attractive people who are roughly the same age. ofc this is going to be something." and tbh past 5x11 i haven't felt that with buck and lucy at all???

so i guess to sum up, i don't think it was foreshadowing and i don't think they'll get together but also, my 911 predictions are strictly limited to accidentally calling the blackout before it was announced and nothing else since lmao ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[leias-left-hair-bun-again]

For that OC game... sorry I'm mostly used to just lurking so apologies for the odd format.

I am currently engrossed in a massive fix-it CW fic that's taken over my writing life and has spawned a great many OCs, but I have been hesitant to share about them. I did, however, share a snippet awhile back about a Kaminoan doctor named Murri. It's called Sentimental and you can find it on AO3 under the same author name Ladylienda (jedilienda is my sideblog).

Basically Murri is a Kaminoan doctor who is starting to question his worldview and way of life and wondering if the Jedi might be onto something when they talk of strange things like "compassion" and "respect for life." I honestly have no idea where he came from. He showed up as a minor background character in a one shot and then decided he needed a bigger part in my larger fic and I had no choice but to give him a big role. I've always found the idea of a Kaminoan who isn't completely soulless intriguing, and I guess he just came from that random idea.

I have a bunch of other OCs too but I fear I have rambled too much already.

you are ALL good i am just so happy you told me about murri!! i have no self control and instead of responding to this and then reading the fic - well, i just finished reading your fic XD and i really, really liked it! nala se is both silky-smooth and chilling and murri is a duck just a ducky dear, which is not something i ever thought i'd say about a kaminoan but here we are skslfjs you did such a good job showing his hesitations and how he knows his doubts make him an anomaly - as far as he knows, at least, because you did a great job of showing, too, the poisonous culture that's quite honestly brainwashed him and the other kaminoans a little bit when it comes to how they view other living beings. i love him for making a conscious effort to break free of that and to care for the clones as best he's able under nala se's tight-fisted supervision. he's just a very three dimensional character and a very likeable one!

[danwhobrowses]

One Piece Chapter 1047 - Initial Thoughts

And we're back again at last

I'm sure we all had a good Easter and long weekend, but now it's One Piece time

Onigashima is apparently about to fall, so we'll see if the end of the battle will come soon too

Spoilers for the Chapter, Support the Official Release too

A nice colour spread for this one, hanging in the beach with Momo. Luffy may need to watch his hands though and Jimbei better watch out for tan lines XD I do have a slight worry that Zoro is kept so far away though, almost like Oda's hiding something...but I could just be paranoid

We start with Yamato and Momo again as the former tries to encourage our dragon boy, but his frustration and defeatism prompts a flashback

Back at Oden Castle ablaze we see Momo of course reluctant to part with his mother, but it's Kin'emon who steps up to try and convince him. I do appreciate though that Momo acknowledges he's a kid, he's not bound by the ideology of the Samurai

But Kin'emon's desire to go out swinging is what changes Momo's mind, which really does show why the two are closer than Momo and the other samurai

Being reminded of this stance and this being one of the last interactions with his mother does give Momo the drive to keep trying

Again though, how has the Capital not seen this island in the sky exploding with lightning and dragonfire?

Speaking of Lightning, even Kaido is showing bafflement at Luffy grabbing lightning

Boy is so happy though pulling a Zeus (mythology not the homie)

Kaido though is serious, dodging the lightning and smacking Luffy around, reminding him that having a strong DF isn't enough to reach the top

I guess that counts as official confirmation that Roger never had a DF, he was just that good with Haki

A new Thunder Bagua variant sends Luffy flying and seeing birds, but he's still grabbing Kaido by the scruff of his chest

Unable to pull him off, Kaido turns to his dragon form to assault Luffy with projectiles

The Flower Capital meanwhile are releasing the fire lanterns, which I still feel like is gonna play a role in the climax for either Momo or Luffy

Luffy meanwhile is being fried by Blast Breaths as Kaido still tries to bring Luffy down

The inside of Onigashima is tilting though, the waters having not reached certain areas yet

Hyou and the Samurai though, as much as I liked Usopp's bashing of their desire to die honourably rather than live on I did love the interaction where they accepted their fate, happy to die if it means Kaido is defeated and their families can live on

Not a sentiment shared by Kaido's forces though, Kid seems surprised too

Usopp meanwhile gets washed by the water finally, but it seems to have washed Kiku and Kin'emon off of Hamlet

As I expected, Orochi's not done yet, the nail got loose and now he's a flaming version of his Zoan form, this is why you confirm the kill Hiyori!

Be a good time for Denjiro to show up though...

Luffy though has brought out the bug guns: a Giant Haki-laced fist

He's ready to finish things but Onigashima is in the way, so Momo needs to move it now, having Luffy's encouragement to will him on

Well, unsurprisingly it's another great chapter. A lot of build towards Momo having his moment as well, so the stage is set for him to step up. Hiyori meanwhile I'm a little let down that she doesn't just kill Orochi but we'll see how it plays out, I think more of my annoyance is the cockroach clan continuing to be cockroaches XD

I am still thinking a 1050 finale to the fight, but that does mean I'm doubting the success of the giant fist. After all Kaido has Mythical Zoan durability, even then we can stretch this out to 3 chapters, the waters have yet to reach all of Onigashima, we don't know about Zoro still, Orochi still hasn't been finished, so there's still a fair amount to achieve.

Just a few more weeks till 1050