#I think I'll leave this out of the tags for now; it's certainly not character hate but I think it's also not quite everyone's cup of tea?

[fuji-sen]

SAWuWa Headcanon pt. 3.ೃ࿔*:･

officially I shall be referring to the Self Aware Wuthering Waves au as SAWuWa, i saw someone use this tag so might as well for consistency 𖹭

Also asks are now open, I haven't set rules and guidelines, but if you have any requests please be about Wuthering Waves, I'm fixated on that, I'll try to accomodate other characters by researching them, I've only only been paying attention to Scar and Rover tbh-

anyways, as promised~

Rover-centric headcanons ⟡

angst edition!

ᯓ Now that we focused on scar, let's focus on the actual main character of wuthering waves!!

ᯓ Now everyone is certainly confused, enthusiastic, curious and in awe of the frequency that has been taking over the lands. But our Rover here isn't for the most part, especially at the beginning.

ᯓ sure you say the funniest, out of pocket and confusing things depending on what's happening, and your commentary brings some color to their life (if you're talkative) or how those clicky sounds bugs them or how the music in the background makes them hum along

butttt

ᯓ you were stuck in their head, at first, when they first woke up, disoriented, with no memories and in a place they didn't feel safe or familiar with! and then they stat hearing you! Any sane person would be totally afraid!

ᯓ When you first started to talk, they were wide-eyed and shock, base on your words, you could see what they could see, hear what they could!

ᯓ It was overwhelming, so much that they had to wonder if you were the true owner of this body, especially when they felt that someone was controlling their body. And when they first explained it to the people they first met (Yangyang and Chixia), they looked at them weirdly like they were a bit crazy, so they backtracked and joked a bit, saying it was probably just their imagination so they wouldn't leave them in the wilderness, alone.

ᯓ But now, now everyone in the world, even the TD can hear you through your frequency, and they weren't worried that they were a lunatic now since they could hear it too! but then people started to ask them "what do you hear?" "what are they saying?" "what kind of person are they?" they didn't think to ask them how they were feeling with having this voice in their head.

ᯓ Rover often felt more like a puppet, a tool, rather than their own person, it was bad enough having no memories, but now someone was sharing their (or maybe they weren't the owner of this body--???) body!

ᯓ and then there were that people that regarded them like an experiment! or something that they had to be cautious about, they were cautious of your voice, your frequency, and possible power, and since you were mainly attached to the Rover, their eyes turned to them.

ᯓ the students and professors at the school nearly experimented on them, interrogated them.

ᯓ and then there was Scar who was clearly stalking them to get to you

ᯓ have mercy on the Rover

ᯓ they are definitely praying that you get your own body in the future, preferably sooner than later.

Wrote and Edited on: May 25, 2024 🖌

No rewrites, no translations, no posting or copying the text and posting on here or any platforms please ( • ᴖ • ｡)

[not-a-space-alien]

Two Sides of the Same Coin: Chapter 1

Story Masterpost

My writing hiatus is OVER!!! I'm super excited to come back and share this Baldur's Gate 3 fanfiction I've been working on. It will have 6-7 chapters. The main focus is on Astarion. Karlach is also here a lot, and Wyll and Gale are supporting characters. It will also have elements of giant/tiny for the middle chapters!

You can probably figure out from context clues, but the setting for this fic is a playthrough universe where the party does NOT do Astarion's personal quest in act 3.

If you'd like to be tagged when new chapters come out, leave a comment or message me to say so and I'll put you on the taglist :) Or Subscribe over on AO3 （＾∀＾) 👉 AO3

Chapter 1 doesn't have any warnings besides typical Astarion-levels of angst.

***

“We'll do it after all this, Fangs. I promise.”

They wouldn't, of course. Astarion knew better than that.  They weren’t going to help him kill Cazador to be finally free once and for all “after all this crazy shit with Netherbrains and mind flayers and tadpoles and the world-destroying cult is over.”  They were just telling him whatever it took to get what they wanted out of him, which was his help in defeating said cult.  Astarion was very familiar with it because it was how he operated basically all the time, just telling people what they wanted to hear.

If they were all still alive and standing after all this, Astarion very much doubted any of them would want to keep him around, let alone help him with his goals.  All of them had turned down his offering his body to them, and once they no longer had use of his skills with a blade, there would be nothing to keep them around.  Certainly nothing to motivate them to help him.

Everyone had helped Gale with what he wanted because understanding the Netherese magic might help them destroy the brain.  Everyone helped Wyll with what he wanted because his father was a powerful lord and needed to be saved to stop the Absolute.  Everyone helped Shadowheart with what she wanted because she had that whole thing going on with Aylin and Selûne, which they’d needed to do to defeat Ketheric anyway.  Everyone helped Lae’zel with what she wanted because she was a gith warrior and an expert in slaying ghaik and knew about the relic and everything.  Everyone helped Karlach with what she wanted to do because, well, Gortash was one of the chosen three and they needed to kill him anyway.  Everyone had helped Jahira and Halsin and Minsc and Minthara and basically everyone Astarion could count until he ran out of fingers to count on.

But then when it came his turn to ask for help?  The way they kept assuring him it was okay to do?

Apparently defeating Cazador wouldn’t help.  It wasn’t necessary.  Because Cazador wasn’t affiliated with the cult, or the hells, or the mind flayers or the tadpoles or the undead or the Sharrans or the anyone that needed to be dealt with to prevent the sky from falling on them.

No, he was only affiliated with Astarion, and of course nobody would die if Astarion kept living in paralyzing fear.

Gale, Lae’zel, Shadowheart, Karlach–they all seemed to agree it could be put off until after the more pressing matters were dealt with.  Astarion maybe thought he hadn’t communicated well enough how pressing this was for him, personally, but he wouldn’t humiliate himself by getting down on his knees to beg.  He stopped asking after that–he couldn’t bear to be told no anymore than he already had.

“My be-fanged friend, I think we have matters a touch more urgent to attend to first.  Your vampiric sire will be top of the list as soon as getting distracted might not have such disastrous consequences.”

“This vampire lord is chraith, for sure, but our most urgent enemy is far more of a task.”

“You helped me with Viconia, so it’s only fair I help you with Cazador–but after the detour to the Sharran temple, I think everyone feels we’ve wasted enough time on things that can wait right now.”

“We'll do it after all this, Fangs. I promise.”

They wouldn’t, of course.  All this momentum that had built up to stop the cult would dissipate as soon as the Netherbrain was destroyed, and then suddenly nobody would have the interest in staying together.  They’d been talking about going their separate ways after this.  Nobody would want to keep going for yet more high-risk hijinks, especially not to help some random vampire spawn who, all things considered, wasn’t even of much value to the group.

He’d managed to get into a group of people who seemed to care about him, who told him it was okay to ask for help, and then he’d found it to be still another lie.

Astarion found the one member of the camp who wouldn’t judge him for it, Scratch, curled up with the dog in his arms, and wept as quietly as he could.

“I’ve had an infinite parade of lovers.  But a friend? I can’t think of a single one.”  He still couldn’t, not anymore. 

***

They did it.  They actually did it.

They’d managed to somehow beat down the cult of the Absolute, face the Absolute itself, and win.  They’d destroyed a netherbrain.  Astarion could hardly believe it.  He was, somehow, a hero who’d saved the world.

He was riding the high and the tidal wave of mixed emotions so much that he’d almost managed to forget about his problem.  He was only forcefully reminded as they stood there on the docks, in the sunlight, and the sunlight, well.

He’d managed to forget that the sunlight was his enemy, waiting with hungry, pricking fingers for him to let his guard down.

He started slapping at his own skin like he was on fire and had to put it out, while his companions stood by in horror and urged him to find cover.

He ran blindly.  It was a miracle he didn't fall off the dock into the water.  Ha managed to find shadows under a pile of crates.

He curled up and rocked himself, trying not to let himself fall back into despair.  His life in the sun was gone, burned up just like the sun had burned his skin.

He could very faintly hear Karlach yelling–apparently she also was getting her reward for all her hard work, which was also burning alive.

What a world.

Astarion managed to use his cloak to shield himself from the sun to move away from his hiding spot and go deeper into the ravaged city.  He wanted to get away from his… companions.  He knew no help was coming, and he wouldn't subject himself to the humiliation of being refused help while also having to hide from the sun.

He had enough gold in his pockets to buy passage on a boat when the sun went down.  He had to just get as far away from Baldur’s Gate as possible.  Get somewhere Cazador wouldn’t be able to reach him. 

It was madness that Astarion hadn’t done that in the first place.  He should have just put as much distance between himself and Cazador the second he was free from his command, consequences and mind flayers be damned.

He skulked about in the darkness of the under-city until it was night, then went up to the docks. His companions were gone, which was good. He couldn't face them.

Now he just needed to find a boat leaving Baldur's Gate, any boat whose crew he could talk to here after hours, maybe talk them into letting him below deck now so he wouldn't have to board later in the sun.

He was so busy frantically stretching his neck to find such a target that he didn't notice the presence at his elbow.  But damn if he didn't recognize the voice.  It was the voice driving his nightmares.

“Where exactly do you think you're going, boy?  I've been looking for you everywhere. We've got places to be."

[pynkhues]

I’m confused by what you mean when you say that Lestat was “cast out of the house” after the drop in 1.05, as this is not what the show tells us. Lestat left of his own will — he wasn’t thrown out. He beat Louis half to death and then ran away, as evidenced here — “Lestat had disappeared after that awful night. Vanished out of a profound sense of shame he would later confess to” (Louis, 1.06). Louis was in no fit state to throw anyone out of anywhere: as mentioned previously, Lestat had just beaten him half to death.

Apologies if I’m misinterpreting, but in instances like this you seem to paint Lestat as a somewhat of a victim — poor Lestat, banished from his house by his uncaring, domineering husband — when in actuality he was anything but a victim. He was the aggressor, the perpetrator of horrific intimate partner violence, and so to twist the narrative to imply that he was hard done to leaves a very sour taste in my mouth. 

Another instance of this is in your Byronic Hero post, where you suggest that Louis ��decides when Lestat gets to live at Rue Royale”, in reference to him being “one of the monsters who’s controlling the household”. We’re talking about someone that has just spent months recovering from a brutal attack by their partner; Lestat chooses to not return because he is ashamed and he knows that Louis has not forgiven him. Louis is not forcing anything on him — and he certainly doesn’t have the power to keep Lestat from RR.

Can you understand why assertions like these are problematic? I understand you wanting to explore the push-pull power dynamic between L&L, but in doing so you seem to be missing the essential through-line in 1.06, which is that Louis and Claudia cannot leave while Lestat lives. Any power they may have once held is overshadowed by Lestat’s absolute control of the household, so to place Louis on level with Lestat as “one of the monsters controlling the household” is at best misguided, and at worst displays an unsettling disregard for victims of IPV. 

(x)

I mean, with all due respect, anon, you're responding to a series of tags I wrote last night that I specifically said I would later clarify and better articulate, so I'm not surprised you're confused and yes, you are misinterpreting me (again, I suspect, as I think you may have sent me asks like this before). I've been clear for months now that the drop is a singular act of violence on this show, and it's not one that I'd ever diminish or underwrite, and as a result, this feels like a pretty bad faith read of something I've both spoken about already and explicitly said I would be talking about again soon. Instead of paying me the respect I extend to all of you by giving me the time to reply in the way I've signalled I would, you've used my tags to make assumptions about what I will say and frankly made some pretty unkind accusations as to my character.

It takes me time and energy to write up replies, particularly replies on this sort of topic that require greater attunement, sensitivity and nuance than others. It's something I do for free, and at the sacrifice of other things in my life, and it's something I do with my name attached, unlike anons. And look, I enjoy doing it - I do - but if you follow me, you should know that my sister - a survivor of recent IPV and her two small children are currently staying with me, after I was a witness in her courtcase against her ex-husband in October - real people, not fictional characters - something I've also been open about, and so you telling me that I have an 'unsettling disregard for victims of IPV' feels like a particularly cruel thing to say to me right now.

I will answer the other anon's ask, as I said that I would, but I'll do it in my own time, and in the meantime, I'd ask that you perhaps don't put words in my mouth or mount arguments to things you yourself say you are confused about or feel you could be misinterpreting. I'll clarify, again, as I said that I would.

[itsohh]

Popstar MK1 Intros

A/N: Now I've finished off Electra Heart heres some intros set after it. This focus's on popstar reader being in costume when they come to fight + them still being in their relationship with Johnny.

Fighters: Johnny Cage, Kenshi Takahashi, Smoke, Liu Kang, Shang Tsung

Warnings: None

Intros Part 1 Electra Heart

Johnny: Oh ho-ho-ho gotta say babe that is a great look on you. I always said that the big screen never captured how truly hot I am but I think it also applies to you.

You: Eyes up here Johnathan. I'm not a doll for you to gawk at.

Johnny: Oh fuck that's hot.

-

Johnny: After this can I eat-

You: Not another word.

-

Johnny: Ooo you're so dominant in character, should wear that to bed. I might even leave a little bit on you at the end of the night.

You: Hmp.

-

You: Wait-wait-wait. Ah fuck lemme take these heel's off I can't keep fighting in costume. This was made to sing in no fight.

Johnny: Hey, hey if your feet are hurting go for it. There's no rush, I can wait. Last thing I want is you hurting.

-

Johnny: Have you written any songs about me perhaps?

You: Oh this is kind of embarrassing, but try an album.

-

Kenshi: Flashy.

You: And impractical.

-

Kenshi: When I see you like this it really makes me realize how much you and Johnny are a match made in heaven.

You: Kenshi you're literally blind.

Kenshi: I think any blind man can see how bright the sequins are on that dress.

-

Kenshi: Why the name Nightingale?

You: It's a long story.

-

Kenshi: You always say your stage self is a character you play but I've yet to hear any difference.

You: That's ‘cause that shits embarrassing off stage. I can get away with Johnny because… I mean look at him.

-

Kenshi: Johnny said you wrote an album about him. He hasn't shut up about it.

You: Yeah might have dropped the ball confessing that one.

-

Smoke: Woah I can't believe your- woah.

You: I'm surprised you're familiar with my work actually.

Smoke: Of course, it's a bit of a guilty pleasure but I loved your second album.

-

You: You know if you're ever free your welcome to tag along to one of my concerts and hit up backstage or front row whatever you prefer.

Smoke: Really?

You: Anytime! I always let my friends hang out.

-

Smoke: Your outfit is more stunning in person than I could have possibly imagined.

You: Yeah but the glitter gets everywhere.

-

Smoke: I remember your fourth album got scrapped, how come?

You: My fucking manager rejected it. Too off brand.

-

Smoke: Johnny's always talking about bad managers, have you tried talking to him about your situation.

You: ...I haven't. My manager isn't terrible but maybe I should.

-

You: The timeline you come from, was I like this?

Liu Kang: Admittedly I didn't know you very well.

-

You: Were we not friends in your timeline? Is that why titan me didn't answer your summon?

Liu Kang: You died man years prior, you were forced to come back only to see Johnny mourning his second wife.

-

You: So me and Johnny have always been together?

Liu Kang: That I don't know.

You: Am I destined to die again? So that Johnny can remarry?

Liu Kang: That is not what I have planned for you.

-

Liu Kang: In my timeline you were always in costume. You fought dressed like this all the time.

You: Fuck that. I can barely get through one fight in these shoes.

-

You: Why change up my destiny? Why not make Johnny happy with his second wife?

Liu Kang: I didn't decide on who you should love. I might have put you in the right place at the right time but that was all you.

-

Shang Tsung: Well well, this is certainly a change.

You: Don't worry, you're still the king of costumes you fucking snake.

Shang Tsung: You wound me dear.

-

Shang Tsung: It's a shame you chose to work with these imbeciles-

You: Don't even bother trying to manipulate me. I've been in Hollywood long enough.

-

You: At least I'll look good, at least I'll look good-

Shang Tsung: What are you mumbling? Don't be afraid to speak up. I don't bite- hard.

You: THESE HEELS MIGHT HURT BUT AT LEAST ILL LOOK GOOD BEATING YOUR ASS

-

Shang Tsung: It's curious the way your people worship you, for music alone…

You: You could always give it up and come a musician instead of the whole ‘murdering everyone with souls’ thing you do.

Shang Tsung: Hahaha, you truly are an entertainer aren't you?

-

You: Let's get this over and done with.

Shang Tsung: So eager to meet your demise?

You: Had a long concert today- kinda wanna go nap.

[lsunstreakerl]

seeing this, think it suits you :)

I would never understand people writing about a ship they don ' t like or dislike one half of the pair . Just for getting clicks ? Wouldn ' t it be better to write about a ship you do like instead ? And then they cry when people are upset at them . Seriously ?

How about you :1. write a pair you like ( not just throw a ship in there because it ' s popular )2. write an OC as the villain instead of claiming you promise you like the driver you made the bad guy ( or have the guts to admit you dislike them , no one writes a driver they like as a sh * t human )

But then you won ' t get as many readers if you don ' t tag the popular ship , you won ' t get engagement if you don ' t make the WDC the villain .

I'm a bit tired of talking about it so this is probably the last post where I'm going to address it before I just start blocking people, so one more time, from the top:

- don't like, don't read, your browser comes with a handy little back arrow that takes you away from my content. please use it :)

- I'm not going to utilize criticism from someone who isn't willing to showcase their own writing. If someone brings me constructive criticism from their own account, and there are things I can learn from them, I'll do that. What I'm not going to do is listen to it from you.

- I do like lestappen, I like both of them, but in case we need a quick reading comprehension lesson (because it seems to only be Charles fans I get this from) I'm writing about Max. clearly. If I wanted to write something just because it's popular or I wanted clicks I'd be churning out awful carlando fics.

- I wanted to dive deeper with Charles as a character and the relationships I write with him, but there is one main reason I've been avoiding it, and part of that is because such a big part of him as a person is the people he's lost, and I'm not entirely comfortable writing that kind of thing out about real dead people. there's something inherently disrespectful in it for me personally, and it's the main reason I haven't really written him beyond a surface level at the current time. Now, obviously, I don't really have any desire to write him at all, tyvm. I'm certainly not going to start to just appease people who are so spineless they hide behind anon.

- I assume you're talking about Lewis here?? I think?? Which is kind of wild because I literally haven't posted that chapter yet 😭 how are you already mad. When I'm writing about a crash that actually happened, that actually had a real world effect, obviously I'm going to use the other driver?? literally what 😭

- even though I haven't posted the chapter, I'll go ahead and reiterate: I'm not writing Lewis as a villain. I'm explicitly going out of my way to very clearly not do that. there are no villains, it was literally just racing, shit happens. (you want me to create a random OC and replace them for the other driver in Mercedes for a huge crash in a championship race? how exactly do you want me to write that? Feel free to make your own fic actually, instead of policing mine, I would love to read it.)

- I think my engagement is just fine :) and it's clearly not a problem for me, because I literally write FOPA, and I'm the only person who's currently doing that. My only concerns with engagement has been from how big Search History has gotten, because I keep getting people like you, rolling up in my inbox, hiding behind anon because you aren't brave enough to put your actual account to name. Probably because you don't actually post any writing yourself <3

TL;DR: get the fuck over it, please. If you don't like my writing, leave. if you'd rather read a different story with Charles as the MC, feel free to go find one of the hundreds of stories that do that. If you're going to be a complete asshole, go do it on twitter, where that kind of behavior belongs. It's literally RPF about people who drives cars really fast. it's not that deep. find some inner peace 🤍

[talesofsorrowandofruin]

Range of Emotions Tag

Thanks for tagging me, @diabolical-blue and @spideronthesun! :D

Rules: Choose one OC at a time, search any of your writing featuring that OC, and share passages where that character expresses each emotion in this list: joy - anger - sadness - anxiety - fear - disgust - embarrassment. Bonus points if the emotion is implied but not listed in the text by name. If there’s a reason the character does not ever express one of those emotions, feel free to share that reasoning instead.

I'll do this for Davit from Silver Glass (warning for violence):

Joy:

They're on a narrow road stretching straight ahead as far as the eye can see. There are no other vehicles near them. Alexander pulls over. He leaves the car running. "You can try if you want," he says. He gets out and goes round to the passenger door while David climbs over to the driver's seat. He stares blankly at the levers beside him. "This is the gear," Alexander says, "and this is the handbrake." He guides David through the nerve-wracking process of putting the car in gear and taking the handbrake off. "Now raise the clutch." David does, and brakes sharply when the car lurches forward. Alexander covers his mouth. "Do it more slowly." Two more false starts later, and they're finally moving. The car creeps along at the death-defying speed of five miles per hour. Alexander isn't even trying to hide his grin any more. David doesn't mind, because Alexander's smile does something to his heart. He makes the mistake of looking too long, and drives into the hedge.

Anger:

Davit feels as if she's stripped him naked. In a way she's done worse than that. She's discovered the most private, intimate parts of his life, meant to be shared only by him and Alec, and is using them to attack him. "You spied on me," he says, "you read letters that had nothing to do with you, and now you come and insult me in my husband's home? Yes," he adds in reply to her reaction, "he is my husband in every way that counts, whether the law recognises us or not."

Sadness:

Davit rubs his eyes. He isn't crying, but his eyes sting. Alec puts his arm around him and pulls him close. He doesn't say anything. Davit takes a deep breath. He rests his chin on Alec's shoulder so he can't see his face. "Have you heard of the Adana massacre?" he asks. His voice is flat. His chest feels like it's going to cave in. Alec inhales sharply. "I remember now." He tightens his arms around Davit. "You were there?" Davit nods. "I can't talk about it." They say nothing for a while. Alec simply holds Davit, and Davit tries to piece himself back together.

Anxiety:

The tap was turned off. A bolt slid back on the inside of the door. It opened and Eames stepped into his bedroom. His hair was slightly damp, but not wet enough for him to have had a shower. His face was pale and drawn. He started violently when he saw Yo-han. "I'm searching all the male servants' rooms," Yo-han said. He studied Eames' face. "Are you quite well?" Eames drew in a shaky breath. "McCullagh brought in some rabbits to make stew. Seeing him skin them… It reminded me of… I can't stand blood. It makes me feel sick." He certainly looked sick. He crossed the room and practically collapsed into the armchair. "Look anywhere you want," he said. His voice was muffled because he buried his head in his hands. He was trembling.

Fear:

Davit doesn't remember what happened to his mother. He remembers Dzovig shoving him to the ground beside a dead man and lying on top of him. The man's abdomen is sliced open. Davit tries to move away so he isn't so close to the man's intestines spilling out of the wound. Dzovig tightens her grip and refuses to let him move. Flies crawl over both of them. The mob thinks they're dead. It passes them by.

Disgust:

Eames stopped and looked at him. "That thing is what Alec is married to." It took Yo-han a minute to connect Alec with Alexander Lennox, and then he was dumbstruck at a valet using his employer's personal name. And a diminutive at that! "So I deduced," he said when he regained his voice. "But I must say I'm curious about you. You seem to do an awful lot more than your job. Why?" All Eames said was, "I owe everything to Al— Lord Kilskeery. "You saw her there," he continued. "That man wasn't even her current lover. I forgot; the politician's son arrives tomorrow. This is how she has behaved ever since her marriage."

Embarrassment:

His room is on the third storey. He tiptoes up the stairs, and almost collides with Louis coming down. They stare at each other in the dim light. Louis's hair is a mess and his lips are swollen. Davit has no idea what he looks like, but after last night he's bound to be an equally disreputable sight. Louis grins at him once the initial surprise wears off. "Congratulations, David. Hope you had a good time!" Davit blushes and pushes past him without answering.

Tagging @sleepyowlwrites, @illarian-rambling, @author-a-holmes, and anyone else who wants to do this! :D

[laufire]

author ask tag

I was tagged a few days ago by @goldfinchwrites (ty!)

I've chosen to answer this based on "Underground Elysium", the novella I'm currently working on.

A visionary vampiress, belonging to a matriarchal society of vampires with praying mantis-like habits, saw the apocalypse as an opportunity to subjugate humanity and elevate her species in a new world order, after the outside world became inhospitable to humans. Between the choice of risking falling prey to the walking, rotting corpses that roam the exterior, and a life of servitude under the civilised blood-sucking monsters underneath, many submitted to the second option. Nonetheless, there’s those even among her own that don’t appreciates living under Lucretia’s iron fist; around every corner a conspiracy against her brews, right as election season approaches.

(here's a teaser)

What is the main lesson of your story? Why did you choose it?

I don't set out to do that when I write. I certainly use stories to comment on things and Elysium is no exception, but whether there's a lesson in it or what it is, I'll leave that for others to decide.

What did you use as inspiration for your worldbuilding?

Although this one isn't a secondary-world story (with the exceptions of two of my larger 'verses, I've tried to move away from that), it's so so removed in setting and form to ours that I could do a lot of pick-and-choose with it. Two main influences have been Ancient Rome, Medieval politics, and insect biology LOL, for the vampiress society.

What is your MC trying to achieve, and what are you, the writer, trying to achieve with them? Do you want to inspire others, teach forgiveness, or help the reader grow as a person?

Lucretia's goal is to hold onto her hard-earned power, no matter what. My goal with her is to flesh out a driven, ambitious politician who genuinely managed (and continues to manage) to pull something incredible, miraculous, the kinds of blind spots that threaten to lead to a downfall, and the steps she'd take to handle it.

How many chapters is your story going to have?

It's a small cast, with Lucretia and Dana, the antagonist, at the center. Raina, Dana's daughter, who she's groomed to take power, would play the next most important part.

After that, the other relevant players are, in no particular order:

Constanza, Lucretia's busybody mother.

Graciela, Lucretia's human maid and personal entertainer (she's a violin player, Lucretia picks her first maids for their artistic talent).

Rivka, Head of Lucretia's Sentinels. Kind of a twisted queen and lionheart dynamic.

Zosia, the High Abbess/religious authority, often at odds with Lucretia.

Imogen, Dictator of the Magistrate, the highest judicial authority.

Anouk. The Token Male Vampirito Who Made it To Politics.

I've thought about adding a second male character lol. It'd defeat the purpose of a Token but I started thinking about how pissed Anouk would get if a more revolutionary vampirito was trying to get into politics now that he Broke The Glass Ceiling adsñlfajsf.

Is it fanfiction or original content? Where do you plan to post it?

This one is original content, though I still mostly write fanfiction these days. I don't have immediate plans to post it. Due to some IRL complications it'll take me a bit longer to finish it that I'd want (I wanted it to be at the end of March but it's looking to be a month longer), but by that point, first I'd ask some trusted mutual writers for feedback, and then I'd go from there.

When did you start writing?

The idea first started building around... three years ago? Thanks to a silly tumblr prompt where someone commented about vampires in a zombie apocalypse. I replied with the idea of a vampiric protection racket and it grew from there, much like Lucretia's empire lol.

Do you have any words of encouragement for fellow writers of writeblr? What other writers do you follow?

I'm not good at encouragement LOL. One thing I'd say is to never take Writing Advice And Wisdom as absolutes, because a lot of them simply won't fit your writing. And as always, read a lot. From the genres and styles you want to write in, to see what works and what doesn't, and from others, that might help you hone in your craft.

I follow quite a few writers and I'm sure I'll forget more... feel free to take this as being tagged in for this game (and if someone tagged you already, this is just a shoutout :P)

@erensattacktitancock @pinespittinink @missbrunettebarbie @varpusvaras @hellispeacefullandempty @cypresssunns @blairwaldcrf @bombshellsandbluebells @asablehart

[tavyliasin]

BG3 FicFeb NSFW - Day 3

I'll be honest with you darlings I had every intention of making this one spicy but then feelings happened? Still, it was fun to write, and an interesting scenario I might re-use at a later date. Shortfic below the cut (still NSFW) with some CW/Tags for angst, hurt/comfort, scars, wounds, mention of character trauma, but I promise it is mostly on the fluffy comforting side~

----- -----

Day 3 - Body Worship

It had been far too long since Tav had found an opportunity to bathe properly. Not just scrubbing off with a damp cloth, or dunking into a freezing lake, a proper warm bath. Of course, taking advantage of having access to a brothel’s finer rooms whilst investigating a disappearance was something she took very seriously. She had to be completely certain she wouldn’t miss a vital clue amongst the perfumed soaps and soft towels. Who knew when the last piece of information they needed might be at the bottom of a wine bottle, or lurking in the bowl of fresh fruit…

“Well, that is certainly better than a murky pond.” Astarion echoed her thoughts as he sank into the water beside her. “Gods that feels good.” 

“We should take up the role of investigators more often.” Tav chuckled, reaching for the silver bowl that held a fresh sponge and some soaps. “Here, let me, for once.” 

“You don’t need to-”

“I want to.” She left little room for further complaint, taking his hand in her own and delicately sponging away the dirt that seemed to cling to his nails.

“I am not about to break, you know.” He watched her with an eyebrow raised as she continued to be far more gentle than he felt he deserved. 

“I know.” If anything, Tav slowed slightly, taking a moment to caress his fingers reverently. “But the world has been rough enough with you lately. Is there anything wrong with a little tenderness instead?” 

“Yes- No. Maybe.” He wasn’t even sure what he was trying to say as she brought his hand to her lips and kissed each fingertip in turn. “You…Well…” He sighed, giving in to her care instead for now.

“Relax, Astarion, please.” She trailed a line of kisses up his forearm to his elbow, her fingers gently brushing the faint lines of decades old scars and far fresher bruises marking his pale form. “You know, you really are beautiful.” 

“I know.” He replied, out of reflex. “Sorry, old habits… I suppose truly I have no idea if I am or not, other than the parts of myself I can see clearly. Even the water doesn’t hold my reflection any more.”

“Then let me be your mirror.” She smiled, brushing a stray lock of hair that threatened to fall forwards into his eye. “Now, where was I?” 

Tav began to wash his other hand and arm, with the same reverence she had used before, but this time giving voice to the thoughts that floated through her mind as she did. 

“Here, your fingers. I could comment on how skilled they are, how you can make me feel, but what I admire most is how they always find a solution. You’ve picked locks, disarmed traps-”

“You can do that just as well as I, my love.” He protested, though just as quickly his arguments met their rebuttal.

“Maybe, but you were the one who unlocked my heart.” Tav laughed at the absurdity of her own statement. “It’s cheesier than an entire dairy, I know, but it’s true. I spent my whole life just going from one fling to the next, living each day like it might be my last. Living like that…well you just don’t think of a future. Or who you might spend it with. It was better to just enjoy what I could when I could. Besides, attachments could be exploited.”

“And you see a future now? With tadpoles in our brains, and the threat of an actual mindflayer Elder Brain looming quite literally over our heads?” Despite his words, his expression was soft in the low light of the room.

“I see one worth fighting for.” She leaned forwards and stole a kiss, but only for a moment, pulling back to leave him wanting more.

“Such a tease, my love.” 

“I learned from the best~” She put on the hint of a flirtatious tone to match his voice. “Anyway… Here. This part next.”

“A scar, darling? Really?” He almost pulled his arm back, like her touch burned the mark deeper into his skin.

“This was not long after we met. I remember worrying that you might lose too much blood if the wound were just a fraction to the left.” Tav dipped the sponge in the warm bathwater again and carefully cleaned the area, rinsing off the soap when she was done. “But that’s not what I think most when I look at it, or any of the other marks that battle has left upon you.”

“Enlighten me, what is it that you see in such a blemish?” Astarion frowned, struggling to see what she meant.

“Endurance. A fight that didn’t end you. A strength that goes beyond what you can lift in your arms.” She sat back a moment, the myriad of scars across her own body clearer to see as she gestured to them. “Something we share, our will to live, and to be more than the world tried to make of us.” 

“Well…I suppose…” He sighed, looking closer at Tav’s form now. Subtle muscles and soft curves, the map of old wounds telling as many stories as his own, and not one of them diminished her beauty in his eyes. “There is some charm to them, maybe.”

She continued to cleanse the sweat and marks of the long days from his body with tender care, her praise like a balm to the bruises on his soul. She almost paused when it was time to move around to his back. “Is it alright if I…?”

“There is nobody I trust more to resist the urge to put a dagger between my ribs.” He mimicked the motion playfully with empty hands as he spoke. “Oh no need to be so serious, my darling, the point is that I trust you. Completely.” 

The vampire shifted, turning his back to her. The view was always a painful one - he was free, but the marks remained, the knowledge of the pain in their making broke her heart if she let those thoughts back in. “Even this,” she began carefully, “has never once diminished your worth.”

Tension rose in his shoulders, even as she tried to massage it away. “A poem of subjugation is all that is, a beautiful lie that promised power.”

“And yet you are more powerful than ever, you didn’t let the lie consume you. How about this instead.” She put the sponge aside, and began carefully tracing her own pattern across his back as if overwriting the scars his past had left. “I’ll write my own verse for you, let it erase the old one.”

“What is it exactly that you’re writing?” A hint of worry tinted the curiosity in his voice as it dropped a little quieter than it had been before. 

She leaned forward and whispered close in his ear. “My wedding vows.”

[ghostkingart]

Doodle idea or general ask/prompt! I saw Our Flag Means Death as a fandom you’re into. How do you think Astarion or one of your OCs would look or function in that universe? Would they prefer Black Beard or Stede as a captain? What would their job on a pirate ship be? How would they dress?

What a beautiful prompt! I absolutely adore pirates and, fun fact, I've got an ongoing Black Sails fanfic on my ao3 🤭 kinda on hiatus due to BG3 brainrot but it's out there!

I'm gonna put up a trigger warning here for: discussion of abuse, prostitution and sadomasochism, and I'll put my reply under the cut (it turned out very long yet again).

P.S. OFMD friends I'm sorry this is showing up in your tags. To briefly explain we're talking about a crossover between OFMD and Baldur's Gate 3. Feel free to skip 🫶

I do think Astarion would prefer the old school Blackbeard as his captain, maybe Valeriy would also, but Veles would definitely prefer Stede. However, at the same time, with learning vulnerability being a big theme for all these characters, I think either captain would be fine for all three of them.

Tangent but I think Veles being in Stede's crew would help him so much with his feelings of inadequacy and his desperate need to be useful at any cost. Stede would show him that it's okay to just exist and be yourself.

I imagine Astarion and Valeriy would have followed Blackbeard until he meets Stede (where Veles would be) and then, just like in the show, Stede and Veles's side would teach Blackbeard, Astarion and Valeriy's side to be gentler, kinder and more vulnerable.

I can see Astarion, Valeriy and Veles being in a polycule in this AU but get this: Valeriy and Izzy. I'm obsessed with it now omg.

Fun fact: some of Valeriy's original backstory versions include him being a pirate. This never fit into the overall story/lore however, so I scrapped it.

I'll yap about this more later but let me tell you what I think each of them would do. First things first, I'm honestly not sure what Astarion would do, I don't think he'd be ranked too high, but I also don't think he'd be ranked too low. Somewhere in the middle imo.

Valeriy would be like Izzy's own right hand man and/or ranked just below Izzy. They have a similar ruthlessness to them.

Veles would be a master of navigation on Stede's ship I think.

I think I'll draw them in this AU actually, but I'll come back with that later.

I think Izzy and Valeriy in particular would work so well together because, just like Veles is distinctly a masochist due to his backstory, Valeriy is a sadist, except that Valeriy has a much healthier approach to his sadism than Veles has to his masochism. I've talked about this sm already but Veles's masochism transcends sex and he most certainly sees himself as an object. Valeriy is nothing like that, he's very careful, gentle and communicative if there's any sadomaso play going on, and he keeps it all in the bedroom.

I don't think I need to explain why Valeriy's sadism would work well with Izzy, OFMD fans have talked about it enough for me haha. But I wanna reiterate that I imagine it all being consensual and mindful, honestly very much unlike Astarion and Veles where at times it gets super messy due to them both being messed up in their own right.

How about how I imagine they became pirates? I mean it's a pretty simple answer. Historically it's pretty accurate, to my knowledge, that people on the margins of society escaped to become pirates. It checks out because Astarion, Veles and Valeriy are all a flavor of queer (bi, gay and pan in my hc). But also, all three of them have some type of abusers to run away from as well as an overall bad life situation (think Valeriy who's already escaped his father, but has only landed himself in prostitution instead. he'd like to leave that behind).

Random bit of a headcanon here, I think Veles would be a person of color in a non-magical AU, and I think that because of the racism towards drow analogy in DND. I'd probably completely redesign Veles for a non-magical AU, but all in its time.

I think Veles would be super cool with the rest of Stede's crew. He'd be very shy at first I think, but he'd find acceptance within the ranks.

I'm also thinking about, once the two crews join, Valeriy would really enjoy listening to Stede or Lucius read to him. Another fun fact: Valeriy reaaaally likes books, he simply can't read them on his own. Meanwhile I don't think he'd have many opportunities to be read to in Blackbeard's crew (this isn't an Ed is illiterate thing btw, this is an Ed has a reputation thing).

I think that's all I have for now! If you have any more ideas for this AU pleaseeee send me another ask!! This was so fun :D

[lumenflowered]

In all likelihood, it isn't a good sign at all that the strange device I am still uncertain of how to use has opened itself to this... 'app' by itself, is it?

...Particularly not considering that the child who has thus far been walking me through this device's operations has absolutely no idea what this is. There is an option to send messages, however.

I suppose that I might as well attempt to do so.

Er. Hello? If anyone out there is reading this?

My name is Maria, and as much as I dislike admitting such a thing, I have absolutely no idea of how I got here—or even where 'here' is.

(OOC info under cut!)

Sup it's @ofstormsandfire at it again. Wanted to make a faller pokeblog and I promised myself that I would once I made it through Nanowrimo. Nanowrimo has been survived, and so now I'm starting up a new save file in a certain Pokemon game as Lady Maria of the Astral Clocktower.

(Will update the OOC info once it becomes more obvious in-character, for now I'll leave it as a fun little mystery. Maria certainly doesn't know where she is~)

I'll happily tag things as necessary, just ask if you'd like something specific tagged for in future. That said, do be aware that Lady Maria is a Bloodborne character, and as such she will not be particularly fazed by things that would probably deeply disturb the vast majority of Pokemon characters. This is a character from what is functionally a death world suddenly in a world where things are considerably kinder, because I thought it would be funny and I just think she's neat. O7

[veliseraptor]

twenty questions for fic writers

tagged by @feralkwe - thank you! I feel like I've done this before but if I have it's been a minute so

1. How many works do you have on AO3? across pseuds I have 1,010 works. with my "current" one I'm at 607. that is more or less my entire oeuvre, though there's a fair number of short fics on tumblr I haven't gotten around to crossposting though I'd ostensibly like to at some point. eventually. maybe.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count? 4,873,723. aYIKES. but hey closing in on 5 million! wonder when I'll hit that. I bet I would if I posted my unfinished wips for the mcu tbh

3. What fandoms do you write for? ever or currently? the list of fandoms I have written at least one fic for (not counting ones where the one fic was a crossover) is [deep breath] the mcu, the untamed/mdzs, supernatural, the silmarillion, a song of ice and fire, black jewels trilogy, wheel of time, doctrine of labyrinths, death note, the caliban leandros series, avatar the last airbender, kinnporsche, doctor who, buffy the vampire slayer/angel, gentleman bastard sequence, marvel comics, harry potter, temeraire, good omens, code geass, realm of the elderlings, greek mythology, dragon age, sandman, dexter, lymond chronicles, the firekeeper saga, lucifer (the tv series), crimson peak, kushiel's legacy, the x men movies, chronicles of narnia, twilight, and a couple other small book fandoms.

i used to be a lot more multifandom than i am now in terms of what i wrote for, and have been writing fic for which is how this happened.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos? Not my favorite fics, for the most part. They are:

Life in Reverse (MCU)

With Absolute Splendor (The Untamed)

some good mistakes (The Untamed)

half a league onward (MCU)

The Villain Wrangler (MCU)

5. Do you respond to comments? I do not. I feel bad about it, but (a) I don't know what to say, (b) I feel unbearably self-conscious/self-important trying and (c) I already have too much I'm trying to do in my limited time/too many obligations I have placed upon myself to add another one that will just stress me out. Again, I have all kinds of guilt about this, though, which probably kind of defeats the (c) purpose of not doing it.

6. What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Almost certainly Mercy, though it's possible I could dig up others; that's the literal murder-suicide one, though, and I'm pretty sure I've only written one of those. I've written a lot where one character dies but another survives and has to live with the grief, which is arguably worse? but I still think Mercy wins. once there was a way to get back home might give it a run for its money, though.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? I've actually written a fair amount of fic with happy endings! just mostly they have to suffer to get there. but trying to think of fic with a straight happy ending...I feel like I wrote some fairly fluffy fic in Black Jewels Trilogy fandom that I don't want to link to because I don't think it's very good. Maybe Life in Reverse, honestly? That's a fic where I tied up most things and resolved them in a pretty happy way.

Oh, or actually With Absolute Splendor might qualify.

8. Do you get hate on fics? I have in the past! Not a lot, but it happens every so often. Usually I just delete it, tbh; it doesn't feel worth leaving it there and I'm certainly not going to respond to it.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? Sure do, primarily for pairings that are dysfunctional in one way or another, and for the most part I want the sex to say something about the inner life/psychology of the characters I'm writing. truly plotless smut does happen but I find it weirdly difficult. I have to do so much pre-justification work for my smut, at least in my head if not on page.

a lot of what I write at least has a little bit of kink or D/s flavor to it even if it's not explicitly written as such (and a lot of it is at least a little explicitly written as such). I also like to write about power dynamics (in sex) and sex that's sublimating some other emotion or desire, if that latter makes sense.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? I used to, but not anymore, and I probably won't; I don't know why, but I'm just generally not a crossover fan these days. But I did write a Lord of the Rings/Cthulhu Mythos Morgoth/Cthulhu fic back in the day. No, I'm not going to link it, you can find it if you really want.

The Scarlet Pimpernel/Black Jewels Trilogy might be objectively weirder but it was because of an RP and therefore feels more reasonable to me.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? I had forgotten about it until just now, but yes, actually. Including one that actually got reposted on AO3, which takes a particular kind of guts that's not the same as reposting on Wattpad or the like, imo. (I've also had fic scraped off AO3 and reposted on other sites.) The person took it down when I called them out on it.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? I have been fortunate enough to have a number of fics translated into a few languages! I was curious which ones so I went and looked, and it looks like I've had fic translated into Russian, Chinese, and Japanese.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? I've started co-writing a fic but never finished one.

14. What’s your all-time favorite ship? Might have to give this one to xuexiao, though there's a lot of room in my heart for many ships! that's just one that hit an incredible number of my favorite things squarely on the head several times, leaving me concussed and helpless. It's so much, you guys.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will? There's a number of my MCU wips that I look at and am like "yeah what I have of this is good actually, too bad I'll almost certainly never finish it", among which is Dead Superheroes Walking, the fic about everyone who died in Infinity War being trapped inside the Soul Stone and having to work together to fix the ensnappening from the inside. I have about 3/4 of it written if not more and the remaining quarter will probably remain unfinished. It was Wanda POV and a lot about Wanda and Loki bonding.

another one is the one where Hela decides instead of fighting Odin to strategically back down and plan to overthrow him later, and therefore is around while Loki and Thor are growing up. I really liked what I had of this one, and really enjoyed writing Hela's POV, but again. don't think I'm going to end up finishing it.

I have a whole folder called "MCU Salvage" that's basically my MCU wips that I parsed out because I was like "these are pretty good actually, maybe someday I'll have the motivation to return to them", which is probably delusional but, well. one never knows.

16. What are your writing strengths? I think I'm pretty good at dialogue - I love to write characters having conversations, probably to a fault - and, when it comes to fanfiction, characterization.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? Worldbuilding for sure is one. I hate it, I don't think I'm very good at it. also description - I feel like I lean heavily on dialogue in fic and tend to go light on descriptive language. this is probably partly because I'm not a very imagery-focused reader, so I don't think a lot about creating a "visual" with my writing, but also because I just don't like doing it as much as I like writing about internal thought processes and interpersonal verbal exchanges.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic? I almost certainly would not do it, as someone who is monolingual and has zero confidence in my ability to do it right in a way that wouldn't read absolutely awfully. The one exception to this is in Lymond fic, and that's because the canon did it first, so it is fully justifiable for me to have this guy spout off in five languages in one fic. Otherwise...not since I tried writing a fake Phantom of the Opera fic mocking bad Phantom of the Opera fics.

19. First fandom you wrote for? I always say Wheel of Time because that's the first fandom of my heart but technically I wrote a crack Harry Potter fic before I wrote for Wheel of Time. But in my heart it was Wheel of Time. That was certainly my first fandom in any meaningful sense of the word.

20. Favorite fic you’ve ever written? This question is my nemesis. My favorite fic I've ever written changes at least once a month. I have a series for this on AO3 that I'm going to link to as a lazy answer to this question even though that's sort of 50 of my favorite fics, so sue me, I've written a lot of things over the years and I actually do like a fair number of them, even if you have to make me say so.

tagging uhhhh @highladyluck, @curiosity-killed, @ameliarating, @gloriousmonsters, i'm not sure how many people i'm supposed to tag for this but if you want to do it, go ahead?

[toxic-ship-tournament]

ROUND 3 / POLL 2

Matejka x Darling Nikki (@outpost-31 & @rhaaclaws) vs Esmerelda Poofenplotz x Alice Luoja (@cantdanceflynn)

who makes up your ship?:

Matejka (he/him) [by @outpost-31] and Darling Nikki (she/they) [by @rhaaclaws]

why does your ship deserve to be considered the most toxic?:

Darling Nikki and Matejka met in 1524, after Nikki's mother's death, and got into a duel- proposed by Matejka- at the price of Nikki's soul. She ended up winning the fight, and was turned into a vampire. They stayed together afterwards due to both being immortal, and have known each other closely since then. The reason why we think they deserve to win is their extreme codependence: Matejka is extremely attached to Nikki, because she looks like his dead wife Esmé, whom he's still in love with. Nikki takes advantage of him and roleplays as Esmé during sex. This unhealthy attachment to Nikki began consuming his life, so they got into a fight and split up for nearly 100 years. This caused the both of them to become incredibly suicidal, as they'd known each other for 4 centuries at this point, and they barely knew how to live without each other. Even missing each other so dearly, their relationship has the tendency to be very unhealthy. Once, Nikki insulted Matejka's dead wife as a joke, and he almost dragged them out to the sun in an attempt to kill them. Another time, she tried to eat Matejka (due to being a cannibal), but thought his black blood was disgusting. They know each other like no one else does, but still have layer of distrust. Nikki doesn't even know Esmé's name. Altogether, their bond is an incredibly complex one due to the nature of their immortality, but their unhealthy overreliance on each other has nearly ruined both their lives.

ship tags/playlists/pinterest boards?:

Ship name: Red Flags And Long Nights Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4GJDQdhpDITspMvp9c99m9?si=29599a8e944946a3

****

who makes up your ship?:

Esmeralda Poofenplotz(Canon Phineas and Ferb character(although I draw her differently from canon)) and Alice Luoja(Background character turned Phineas and Ferb oc)

why does your ship deserve to be considered the most toxic?:

THEY BASICALLY STARTED OUT AS TWO DUMBASS TOXIC AF TEENAGERS GOING TO EVIL SCIENCE HIGH SCHOOL TOGETHER AND BEING THE TERRORS OF THE SCHOOL(POOFENPLOTZ BC SHES BIG ON BEAUTY AND WOULD BASICALLY DESTROY EVERYONE'S SELF ESTEEM AND ALICE BC. SHES WILLING TO KILL ANYONE WHO RLY FUCKS W HER), AND WHILE THEY ORIGINALLY HAD A RIVALRY IT GOT A LIL TOO HOMOEROTIC VERY QUICKLY AND THEY DON'T RLY KNOW HOW BUT THEY ENDED UP DATING. THEY ENDED UP, SURPRISE SURPRISE, RUINING EACH OTHER EVEN FURTHER THEN THE TWO OF THEM WERE ALREADY TRAUMATIZED!!!! A TYPICAL INTERACTION BETWEEN EM PRETTY MUCH WENT ALONG THE LINES OF POOFENPLOTZ POKING FUN AT SOMETHING ABOUT ALICES BODY OR PERSONALITY SHE KNEW WOULD TICK ALICE OFF("YOU KNOW, I'M NOT SAYING YOU NEED TO LOSE WEIGHT, BUT THROWING UP YOUR LUNCH LATER COULDN'T HURT"), ALICE GETTING PISSED OFF AND PULLING A KNIFE ON HER("YOU KNOW, MAYBE THIS TIME I'LL CHOP OFF YOUR TONGUE, STOP THAT HORRIBLE NOISE YOU CALL A VOICE"), AND THEN SOMETHING WOULD HAPPEN OR ONE OF THEM WOULD FUMBLE OR FLIRT AND THEY'D JUST GO BACK TO NORMAL BANTER AND TERRORIZING PEOPLE. THEY DID CARE ABOUT EACH OTHER, AND WHATEVER THEY WERE EXPERIENCING CERTAINLY FIT SOMEWHERE WITHIN THE STRANGE AND NEBULOUS RANGE OF ROMANTIC LOVE, LIKE THEY DEFINITELY LIKED EACH OTHER, THEY WERE JUST TOXIC AS SHIT AND HAVING THEIR BEHAVIORS EXPANDED UPON OR REINFORCED BY THEIR ENVIRONMENT. EVENTUALLY ALICES OBSESSION W GODHOOD AND HER IDEA OF PERFECTION (ONE THAT HAD ALWAYS BEEN THERE, EVEN IF POOFENPLOTZ MADE IT MORE PHYSICAL) ENDED UP DRIVING THE TWO APART, WITH HOW HORRIBLE ALICES DECLINE WAS, AND POOFENPLOTZ ENDED UP BASICALLY LEAVING AND IGNORING HER AS A DESPERATE ATTEMPT TO SNAP HER OUT OF HER DECLINE BUT ONLY PULLED HER FURTHER IN. AS IT STANDS NOW IN THE PRESENT, THEIR RELATIONSHIP IS A COMPLICATED SPIRAL OF "POOFENPLOTZ ACTUALLY HEALED AND REALIZED HOW AWFUL SHE WAS BEING AND WHILE SHE STILL HAD A DEGREE IN EVIL SCIENCE SHE HAD TO USE SO SHE MIGHT AS WELL GET A JOB DOING THAT, SHES ALSO RLY TRYING TO FIGURE OUT EVERYTHING W THE CAST AND HELP THEM, ESPECIALLY MILLIE AND PINKY, WHILE ALSO DEALING W " WHOOPS YOUR EX IS BACK IN TOWN AND SHES NOW BEEN RESPONSIBLE FOR MORE DEATHS THEN MOST FULL ON TERRORISM COMBINED, BUT SHE IS ALSO STILL KINDA HOT SO *NONCOMMITTAL HAND GESTURE*, YA KNOW?", MEANWHILE ALICE IS "OH RIGHT. SHE QUALIFIES FOR LOVEMUFFIN TOO. IM ALLOWED TO DENY ON HER ON TERMS OF HER BEING MY EX, RIGHT? BUT ALSO IM STILL GONNA INVITE HER TO OUR MEETINGS AND ALSO OFFER TO LET HER " LEAD" THE CULT IVE MADE THAT CONSISTS BASICALLY JUST OF MY VERY ABUSED OWN SON AND A VERY ABUSED TEENAGER WITH ME BC IF I CAN CHANGE HER MIND I CAN CHANGE ANYONES!"

ship tags/playlists/pinterest boards?:

Esmeralice, https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnP0Xop8gS5VdFNCP4Uetvq2pM5A9NZTe <- BAD PLAYLIST BY MY STANDARDS OF USUALLY A HUNDRED SONGS AT LEAST BUT ITLL DO FOR NOW

[pynkhues]

Is it usual for fandom to be so strict with sexual configurations of queer couples, whether it’s top/bottom, Dom/sub, or gender roles? If you’ve preferences for a set configuration of any of the above, more power to you, but the strictness with wanting to control how others interpret the story is confounding. I wonder if it’s motivated by a sense of insecurity RE: the likelihood that strict top Lestat will lose primacy in fandom with Season 3. Some people used to act like this at even the mere suggestion that there could be something sinister behind Armand’s façade: they asserted that it was out of protectiveness of a character of colour, much in the way those against bottom Lestat or sub Lestat assert that they want to protect Louis. But insecurity is at the core of it: they see the textual evidence leaving a breadcrumb trail in a direction they dislike and they respond by policing the fandom in the here and now to feel in control.

Oh, man, I honestly don't know, anon. My last few experiences of fandom have had pretty different contexts - I was in the Succession fandom, but while I dabbled in Kendall x Stewy, I was mostly there for gen sibling stuff (and wrote a handful of gen sibling fics), and before that Good Girls, which was anchored by a delightfully deranged cis het ship, so it's been a hot minute since I've been in the trenches of a queer ship on a queer show, and - - yeah! It's certainly ! A place to be on the internet!

I'll probably regret this in the morning, (it is almost midnight here rn, haha) but like - - yeah, I do think it comes from a place of insecurity to be honest. The vitriol in the discourse in this fandom really took me by surprise, and I've thought about it a lot over the last few months, and honestly I tend to think there was this discourse about Louis as a housewife that took off post s1, which I think is an interpretation of canon, albeit not one I personally agree with, which grew during the hiatus into this femme!Louis discourse which I don't want to get into, but will say that I personally don't see. I think that has been compounded by some (not all) people having a sexual/kink preference re: top/bottom, who weaponise the language of the housewife / femme Louis discourse to try and stamp out alternative iterations of the ship dynamic in fandom.

And look, I could be wrong on this - who knows - but I kind of do suspect that Louis becoming canonically a dom in s2 resulted in that idea of him being challenged, and that a subset of the fandom accepted that, and leant into all that that opened up with Louis' character, as a part (but not all!) of his sexuality, and another very vocal part has rejected it absolutely to the point that they act like Louis was forced into the role and that its unnatural to him. As a result, that faction of the fandom became more aggressive around top/bottom discourse as a means to not only maintain their personal preference (which is actually the more popular one, I think, in this fandom), but to try and ignore the fact that their interpretation might not be the intended one from the canon view point of the show.

Which is just a way of saying - - yeah. I think this policing comes from a place of insecurity. Like as somebody who likes and writes the less popular thing, why is my ask box the one that gets bombarded with it? If they were secure about it, if they felt their interpretation was the one the show was building towards, I don't know, wouldn't I be a blip on the radar? Especially given I rarely use main fandom tags and only have like, two popular fics?

I was actually talking about this with someone earlier, but even that idea of 'textual evidence' pops up all the time in this discourse, and it's like - - nothing is real until a character says it, but as soon as Lestat - literally - says 'you can be on top', there's always different ways to read it.

And look, sure, there are! But if that's your argument, then you can't deny there are different ways to read everything else too, including your assessment of scenes where Louis maybe bottoms, becaause that's probably the most 'textual' this show ever gets.

[dvilsdesire]

MUN MONDAY: GETTING TO KNOW YOU

Respond to the following prompts out of character, then tag others you'd like to get to know a little bit better!

ROLEPLAYER NAME: You can call me Owl, or Sam. :) Whatever you prefer.

ROLEPLAYER PRONOUNS: He/Him

MUSE(S) NAME: Haarlep, Raphael.

PREFERRED COMMUNICATION: I'm fine with either IM's or Discord. Time zones are a bit shit for me since I live in Australia, but I'll catch you when I can. I tend to chat in IM before I add people to discord tho.

EXPERIENCE: I've been Rping way over a decade now. On tumblr? Since... 2012, I think? But waaay before then, back in probably 2007 or something. I've Rped on multiple platforms.

PREFERRED ROLEPLAY TYPE: I greatly prefer para/novella. I like delving into a character's mind and thought process. I know I write a LOT of inner monologue for my muses as well, I actually STRUGGLE with short replies, so when someone gives me a single para or line... it's really difficult for me to match that short length, but it's also something that I don't really vibe with. I greatly prefer longer replies. I want to delve into characters and see how they react, I want to learn all of those little things about your muses as well. I'm a sucker for character development. I'm also a fan of the nitty gritty.

PET PEEVES & DEALBREAKERS: One line responses. Please, for the love of god... give me something to work with. It's a quick way for me to show disinterest and likely not really reach out to write with unless it's something that I am REALLY enjoying for small snippets. But please, I greatly prefer longer replies. Short ones also make me feel like you're just not interested in what my characters have to say :/ Please read my rules, whilst I know we can't remember EVERYONE'S rules (seriously, I forget as well!), it is obvious when people don't. If my muse is a muse of power or something, then please treat them as such. If your muse ends up wanting to attack or something, and they are of a lower class... then they won't win. It's just that simple. Respect the power of certain muses.

PLOTS OR MEMES: I like both and am fine with both. Whilst I LOVE plotting and getting to know muses and getting an idea of where we can go, I also understand that sometimes our brains are just too tired from real life and memes can be something simpler and quicker. I think both of them are very good for very different reasons, which I'm fine with both. By all means, memes are EXCELLENT ice breakers imo, and then we can always plot something once we've established a little starter. :)

LONG REPLIES OR SHORT REPLIES: Long, lol. As covered in my previous responses.

BEST TIME TO WRITE: I get a lot more done when I'm writing in the mornings. Obviously due to work, I am tired in the evenings, so I get very little done (Haarlep has certainly reawakened my muse tho I'm shocked at how much I've been writing on my work nights lol). I mostly write on days I have to myself.

ARE YOU LIKE YOUR MUSES: Haarlep? Absolutely not. Haarlep caught me by utter surprise when it came to being a muse of mine. I saw him once, had a little laugh, and suddenly he wouldn't leave my mind, and then I just... had the persistent urge to write them. I'm very happy that he did come to me, though, as he's really been helpful in making me come back to RP on a more regular basis and I've had such a good time exploring him. But no, we're absolutely nothing alike. Haarlep is an incubus, and I'm asexual as fuck lol. If anything, and don't take this the wrong way because it's probably going to sound BAD lol, but I have more in common with Raphael than I do with Haarlep X'D and that's... saying something, since I am not an evil devil hahaha. The only thing I think I could say about me and Haarlep being similar is the fact that I can mask like a beast in public. (: Even then, that's entirely different to what Haarlep is doing, I'm just masking because I'm autistic and people have expectations of me in society lol, Haarlep is masking because he's trying to seduce and eat someone hahaha.

As for Raphael, I have a DEEP structure and routine like Raphael does. I need things to be in order and control or I will absolutely have a meltdown (and nobody wants that). Raphael reminds me of myself when I was younger. I was an angry person, I was possessive, and had an explosive temper. I feel like I understand Raphael on a deeper level because of those things, the disappointment of parents who should have been better etc. Obviously, as I have gotten older, I have become wiser and more chill, but Raphael definitely reminds me of a younger, angrier me, lol. Also, he likes reading and I hc he likes music (I, too, love to sing... I just suck at it LOL). Also, Raphael writing his own little fanfictions? I guess that counts XD

Tagged by: Repost from prev blog

[daisyishedwig]

@lusthurts tagged me this week, so for them specifically I'm going to share a cut scene from my McKinley 'Verse (that might make its way into a one-shot one day) but then I'm also going to share what I've actually been writing on this week, which is a Sebklaine fic.

He smirked. “What did you do to the football team to get them this worked up this quickly? You’ve been here two days.” Sebastian ignored him, moving past to get to the paper towels. He gathered a handful and dried his face, scrunching his hair in them to try and sop up as much water as he could even if he knew his coif was helplessly ruined.  The boy was still there, watching him expectantly. “One of them said he heard all French guys are cocksuckers.” Sebastian turned and leveled the boy with a hard stare. “I told him that his face was making me reconsider my attraction to men.”  He looked mildly impressed. “Coming out on your first day is certainly a bold choice. Especially in this school.” “Yeah,” Sebastian said, grabbing more towels to dab at his grey polo, “I’d heard this place was a hell-hole.” “Couldn’t convince your parents to send you elsewhere?” he asked, he was watching Sebastian’s futile scrubbing with amusement.  “My father,” he huffed, giving up and tossing the towels in the trash, “said it would build character. Straighten me out, so to speak.”

and the Sebklaine fic!

“How comfortable are you with me?”  Kurt slowly lifted his head from where he had it buried in a pillow on Sebastian’s couch. Sebastian lived alone, and when work and school and Rachel all became too much for Kurt to handle, it was the only place he knew he could go to exist in silence for a while. Even if Blaine was already there, he knew that Kurt showing up at Sebastian’s unannounced meant it was quiet time, and he certainly didn’t mind letting his boyfriend lay his head in his lap while he silently read or did homework. But it was just Sebastian today, Blaine’s other boyfriend and Kurt’s… friend. It didn’t always feel entirely platonic but they had yet to address changing the label, so friend was all it was for now. But he knew they were both simply dancing around the subject, waiting for the other to make a move to change it. And Blaine, for as much as he loved the idea of them all being together, was leaving that decision entirely up to them. Sebastian’s arms were folded tight across his chest. His brow drawn in deep contemplation as he waited for Kurt to answer. “Well, I came to your place to disassociate so I didn’t do it in public, so… decently comfortable.”  Sebastian sighed and dropped into the arm chair at the end of the couch.  Kurt pushed himself up on his elbows. “What’s up?” “Would you… be comfortable…” Sebastian leaned forward and rubbed his hands over his face, “participating in sex… with me there?” Sebastian said each phrase slowly like he was just waiting for Kurt to shut him down at any second.  Kurt pushed himself fully to sitting. “That is very strange way for you to ask me to fuck you, Smythe.” Sebastian groaned. “It’s not… you wouldn’t be having sex with me, you’d be having sex with Blaine and I would just… also be there. Possibly also having sex with Blaine. But we wouldn’t… we’re not… I’m not…” Sebastian shook his head, “nevermind, it was just a–” “Hold up,” Kurt said raising his hand to stop him, ““I’m confused… but I’m listening, walk me through what you’re thinking.”

and I'll tag @cryscendo, @kurtsascot, @bitbybitwrites, and @wowbright this week

[ariparri]

The Soup Fairy stands on your window sill, hair tousled by a spring storm and drenched in rainwater. She got sidetracked by the weather, but she's here!

•°☆TIS I YOUR FAIRY SOUP MOTHER!☆°•

Your character is considering the person who has harmed them the most in life. Write a line of dialog from your character, describing them.

What do they think of forgiveness? What do they think of reconciliation?

Happy Worldbuilding Wednesday! 🎉

We'll go with Taira Matsubara, Saian's sister in the Azure Bloom universe.

I went a little overboard with this one but it’s a good way to show how the two will never be sisters anymore ˚✧₊⁎❝᷀ົཽ≀ˍ̮ ❝᷀ົཽ⁎⁺˳✧༚

Warnings: Blood, stabbing, Saian referring to their mother as an incubator

@chrystabelleblaumferge @dollystarz tagging you two because I know you’re both interested in any Azure Bloom content (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵)

Taira finds herself caught in a complex web of emotions as she considers the possibility of reconciling with her older sister, Saian. The wounds of betrayal inflicted by her sister run deep, leaving Taira grappling with conflicting feelings of forgiveness and lingering resentment.

On one hand, Taira yearns for closure and healing in her fractured relationship with Saian. Yet, beneath this desire for reconciliation simmers a potent undercurrent of bitterness. Taira can still vividly recall the pain of the blade piercing through her skin, damage dealt by the one person she trusted most. The memory of Saian's abandonment during her time of need haunts Taira, fueling her resentment and distrust.

"Saian Fujino? Is that the name people call you now?" Taira's voice was sharp with accusation, her eyes fixed on the figure before her—a familiar face, half of it hidden by a mask, now seemed like a cruel distortion of the sister she once knew. Saian shrugged nonchalantly in response. "What's wrong with it? It's certainly better than the name our incubator gave me. My wife, in fact, loves it." A lazy grin appeared on her face as she shot Taira a knowing look.

Taira's jaw clenched at the casual disregard in Saian's tone. The use of the term "incubator" being used rather than referring to their mother struck a nerve deep within her. "You're sick," Taira spat, her voice tinged with disbelief and anger. "Is everything just some sick game to you?!" Saian's grin widened, unbothered by Taira's accusation. "Call it what you will, little sister. Just remember, that woman would have sold you off if you weren’t obedient. And I must say, obedient you are, it’s almost annoying really.”

"Even now you're not taking this seriously!" Taira's words cut through the tension. "I should have known, when you left me behind, when you left me for dead, you never truly cared about me." Her voice cracked with emotion, raw and unfiltered. The words hung in the air, charged with the weight of years of hurt and disappointment. Taira's gaze bore into Saian, searching for any semblance of remorse or recognition. But Saian's expression remained inscrutable, a mask that revealed nothing of the sister Taira once loved.

Taira's eyes flickered with conflicting emotions as she stared at Saian. Seeing the turmoil in her sister's eyes, Saian reached out and offered her hand, a gesture filled with tentative sincerity. Her gaze softened, and a small, apologetic smile appeared on her face. "Hey, alright I’m sorry, okay? I know I'm not the best sister in the world," Saian began, her voice tinged with remorse, "but I promise... I'll do whatever it takes to make things right by you. To have you trust me again, to have you in my life again. Hanamaru told me you have spent years trying to find me. And I’ll be damned if I let you slip through my fingers again."

Taira's defenses wavered as she looked at her sister's outstretched hand and the genuine vulnerability in Saian's gaze. Could she dare to believe in the possibility of reconciliation? Slowly, cautiously, Taira reached out and took Saian's hand, her grip tentative yet filled with unspoken yearning for closure and healing. For a fleeting moment, hope fluttered in her chest, the possibility of forgiveness and reconciliation tantalizingly within reach.

Taira's guard momentarily dropped as she found herself enveloped in her sister's arms. For a fleeting moment, she dared to believe that maybe, just maybe, Saian was truly willing to mend the fractures between them. The embrace felt foreign yet strangely comforting, stirring echoes of a time when their sisterly bond had been unbreakable.

But in the next breath, everything shattered.

Taira's breath caught in her throat as she felt the sharp pain in her side, the cold sharp blade of a knife leaving her gasping for air. Saian's voice, devoid of remorse, delivered the final blow—words laced with disappointment and disdain.

"That's twice you fell for that, Taira," Saian's voice was cold and calculating. "I can't help but be disappointed in you."

The last shards of Taira's shattered hope fell around her as she crumpled to the ground, her trust in her sister obliterated by the cruel reality. Tears mingled with pain as she gazed up at Saian, the sister she once loved now a stranger—a haunting reminder of irreconcilable wounds.

Taira looked up angrily at Saian, clutching her bleeding side. She staggered, struggling to hold herself upright, her glare hard and almost threatening. "I should have known..." Taira's voice was filled with bitter realization, the pain evident in her eyes. "You really are just cruel…” Taira's words echoed in the empty space, a defiant declaration of the shattered bond between them. But Saian had already turned to walk away, leaving behind another painful memory of the past. "No hard feelings though, right sister dearest?" Saian's voice, tinged with mockery, floated back to Taira. "It's nothing personal, really, it's just business."

Taira's heart sank as she watched her sister's retreating figure, “Sister? You may share the same face as her, but you are no sister of mine!” The casual dismissal in Saian's tone cut deeper than any blade, leaving the hope she had dared to cling to lay shattered at her feet, replaced by the harsh reality of her sister’s true nature.

With tears mingling with the blood on her hands, Taira faced the bitter truth—some wounds ran too deep to ever heal, and some betrayals cut too close to ever be forgiven.

“You really are just some monster impersonating her for your own sick game…”