#Intro post three the sequel to the sequel

[hidden-1n-the-sand]

Cosmically kissed…

Sublunar System. Bodily 19. They/It/Space/Dawn collectively. Polyfragmented OSDD traumagenic system. proud unington citizen(s).

BPD, AUDHD, NPD, OCD, Depression, Fibromyalgia, ASPD and a bunch of other shit.

Analogous to the abyss…

Current hosts:

Dan/Acht

Ethyl/Jekyll(Co-host)

Alter intros(W.I.P)

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Our vent tags are “reflections of a bug” and “another round of cacophony”

Block those tags if you don’t want to see our vents.

Mutuals, please tag any posts containing trypophobia, the words “exorcist”, “miracle,” Mouthwashing and american pit bull terriers as “Luna Out”

Current interests:

Murder Drones

ATTWN

Starkid

Kai Drew

Bad End Theater

Omori

Splatoon

Side blogs(alter blogs mentioned in alter intros bc we’re too lazy to tag any more blogs):

@sublunar-system-shenanigans (sideblog for system shenanigans)

@the-alterhuman-bunch (sideblog for the alterhumans on our system)

Mutuals may ask for vent blog, pin, and discord.

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Apollo and Artemis(We)

will not die!

[megumi-fm]

hi i have been inactive for a while due to the chk chk boom. hope you understand.

[soyoursoulisgreen]

15 and 32

15. Do you prefer writing one-shots or multi-chapter fics?

I tend to prefer writing one-shots! I love to read multi-chapter fics, but I always get so worried that I'll lose motivation and just, never come back to it :') My first fic on AO3 is loosely a multi-chapter, in the sense that I've left it open to return to someday, but haven't had any interest to pick it back up in years lol. There's something very punchy about one-shots as well - I have a pretty solid split between short and long one-shots, but it's so satisfying when I Finally have a long one finished!

I also like making connected one-shots, or sequential one-shots, but letting them stand on their own so?

32. What’s a fic you’d love to write, but probably never will?

I think I had a Vargas fic idea at one point that I so badly wanted to read but didn't want to write, and made some concept sketches and an outline for and everything lol - something with the Jake/Edgar/Scriabin dynamic ♥ I do know that someone made a missing scene-fic about Scriabin and Jake's first interaction that I've been quietly making eyes at - next time I'm into Vargas for sure 👀

As for love to write, hm... Probably this overly-convoluted Osmosis Jones NTR fic that I've had in my back pocket for way too long honestly lol - ever since I learned about netorare they were my first and only choice but it's so all-hurt-no-comfort and kinda dark and sad and while it sounds really fun, the self-consciousness monster in the back of my head is like "Really? The White Blood Cell Movie? For that?" lol

[scribeofmorpheus]

Dragon Age Veilguard: Love, Wisdom and Pride

A very long Dragon Age post!

Warnings for: Veilguard Spoilers, Solavellan spoilers.

Okay, so I will preface this by saying that this ‘analysis’ primarily focuses on Solas’ arc; both romanced and unromanced. It isn’t intended to be a romanticised analysis, though it is very much enamoured with how a romanced Solas and his relationship with Lavellan foils (and informs my reading/reception of) that of Solas and Mythal’s relationship in Veilguard. There is a relationship I will address that I feel does parallel Solas and Mythal! Scroll down to “Reading Between the Lines” if you wanna skip my little intro below. Spoilers follow.

Truth be told, I wasn’t ever expecting much in terms of actually getting a sequel to Inquisition. The game dev market went through a tumultuous reshuffle before the remake madness breathed life back into many studios. Bioware game sequels (Mass Effect Andromeda) were underwhelming and not as fleshed out since the EA acquisition. I absolutely believe Bioware would have been shunted had Mass Effect Legendary Edition not been so successful. EA’s reputation was always lacklustre and underhanded, but laying off or losing several head writers attached to Bioware with almost two decades of work under their belts was the biggest red flag. Trevor Morris not being asked to return in exchange for a ‘bigger name’ was also a grave warning that returning to the atmosphere, ambience and world of Thedas that we knew was getting further and further away from a plausible reality. And on top of that, there’s the fact Solas was never intended as a romance interest during early development of Inquisition.

Solavellan seemed doomed!

Despite this, I still held out hope for a sequel, but I feared we’d always be in permanent Solavellan/developmental hell. Heck, I’m still waiting for a Beyond Good and Evil sequel—the game released in 2003! So, actually witnessing people play Veilguard, seeing reactions to it, seeing memes and gifs and essay pieces (like this one), it’s like my community has awoken again, and I never thought I’d see the day. Yet I am not blind to the fact we were robbed of so much potential. I knew thing’s wouldn’t live up to re-emerging expectations when Dragon Age: Dreadwolf was rebranded to Veilguard—the shift seemed to imply less of a primary focus on Solas (and apparently, according to the artbook, the early concept art proves this implication correct).

Things seemed even more dire when the devs revealed there was no tapestry mechanic. I had only one hope: that with the Inquisitor’s confirmed return, we’d get at least some form of catharsis for our Inquisitors (Lavellans and otherwise), if we couldn’t get the conclusions to so many storylines present in each of our worldstates. My main fear was that they’d go the clichéd Ultimate Sacrifice route (which happens anyway, but in a way that makes thematic sense given the stakes and heavily blighted worldstate).

Suffice it to say, there was a lot of evidence that Veilguard would disappoint me in the end. But it hasn’t. It hasn’t lived up to the many expectations and marks of excellence that the Dragon Age world built itself into with the first three entries, that’s for sure, but I am also just so deprived of conclusions, of endings (whether it be because TV doesn’t exist in a sustainable format anymore or that comicbook movies are made with a sequel in mind, never letting anything just “Exit Stage Left” gracefully; or the fact we live in a regurgitating content cycle with late-stage-capitalism where anything remotely profitable gets turned into a caricature of itself: Squid Game, Star Wars, etc.). The cycle is so exhaustive that I am actually at a point where I can say I am content with the ending we were given (on a Solas/Solavellan front), Veilguard gave me relief, and beautiful, achy pain to boot. Though I would absolutely be disappointed by both the "non-romanced Solas" endings, given that Solas winds up either "dying alone, forever" or turns to Tyranny.

Now onto the actual review of that Solavellan ending, Mythal and themes of Love!

Note: I have only gotten the ‘best’ ending in my first playthrough, but I also thought the consequences of not maxing factions would be more… dire? Another note, pls, if your romanced Inky swore to stop Solas, how does that ending differ, if at all? Let me know, I’m dying here!

Sidenote: I’m working on writing another review about my views on the ‘sanitised’ worldstate, the new companions (and why I think Varric was the wrong choice to have as an advisor in the game, given that the Inquisitor or Morrigan would have been more impactful; and not to mention that Cole or Briala should have been companions), removal of the tapestry and what it means for the future of stories in Thedas (The Story We Lost is such a poignant compilation of the sheer volumes of lost lore and depth that I honestly think I won’t go as in-depth on that review as this one), and why I think Veilguard is my final entry into Dragon Age.

Reading Between the Lines: What Pride Hath Wrought

One thing is for sure, Trick Weekes flourishes when writing within the ambiguities and complexities of meaning. This makes every word uttered by Solas so great to dissect, he's a god of lies not because he 'lies' but because he's so careful with how he phrases things, what he holds back, and what he reveals.

For instance, the famous Trespasser exchange where Solas mocks his own follies with sarcasm by saying:

“What is the old Dalish curse? May the Dread Wolf Take you.”

Then a softer, more saddened and beaten-down Lavellan replies:

“And so he did.”

This irks him. Because he then realises in that moment that he absolutely did take advantage, but for some reason he frames it around sex rather than power because that’s easier to address than the latter. And he rejects the notion, even though he brought up the expression he knows to mean nothing close to a sexual inuendo for being ‘taken’, and yet he has the gall to try and derail the conversation by pivoting and saying:

“I would not lay with you under false pretences.”

When I first had this dialogue exchange, I was baffled, because did this mean that there was another meaning to ‘Dread Wolf take you’ that Dalish clans lost through the years, or was it more of a self-deprecating joke Solas had with himself because he, the Dread Wolf, romanced (took) a Dalish Inquisitor (away from her people’s beliefs, histories, past), and he found irony in the saying?

On the surface, “wouldn’t lay with you under false pretences” could simply mean “we didn’t sleep together” or “we did sleep together, but I wasn’t taking advantage as the Dread Wolf, I was simply Solas in your presence”. But I have recently thought of a more… ambiguous reading.  Lay could have been used in a milder, more vulnerable way; to mean to be at peace, to be completely vulnerable, as if to sleep. In that sense, the phrasing becomes: “I could not be at peace with you because I was living a half-truth”.

I absolutely think the moment he feels he is truly beyond hope is when we see his expression of abject horror as Lavellan shouts: “I would have had you trust me!”. He realises then that he did fuck up, he did take the choice away from her because he thought he knew better, him and his pride led to a decision that hurt someone close to him, and he could finally see how wrong he was, how alike the entire situation became to Mythal’s treatment of him. Especially if Lavellan asks to go with him. Because he can see that despite the hurt, the lies and the betrayal on his part, Lavellan still wishing to join him draws too close to his first regret: following Mythal.

Whether he likes it or not, Solas’ love which could burn like a bonfire was directed at a powerful woman—a Herald, an Inquisitor—and inspite of her greatness of character, it still shaped her into someone willing to follow him on his dinanshiral out of love, much like he left the Fade and took physical form for Mythal. So now whenever I hear Lavellan shout “Var lath vir suledin”, Solas replying with “I wish it could, Vhenan,” changes drastically with the Mythal reveal, knowing he always walks away from the Inquisitor in Trespasser.

“I wish it could, Vhenan” sounds heavily like: “You would regret me, as I regret Mythal, and I cannot bear for that to happen us.” More poetically, it could read as: “I wish our love could overcome a duty that has lasted an incomprehensible amount of time, I wish I could change my nature, but then I’d be twisted into a demon, like the spirit of Wisdom in the Dales; and yet again, I would become your regret.” These two readings are very, very romantic. Realistically, given what we know of his kinship with Felassan, and how they were comrades and friends for centuries (“A story unfinished. His back turned!”), and given what we know of the complexity of Mythal’s will that presides over the creation of his very being, and yet he was still able to muster the strength to kill a fragment of her to fulfil his mission,  “I wish it could” was most probably a lament: “Do not ask me to hurt one of the two women I’ve loved on this journey, because if it ever came to it…” he would.

Knowing what I know of Solas, of how he was able to convince himself that Varric’s death (avoidable as it was) was just another necessary step, that it was just another sacrifice, another loss that would be worth something only if he completed his ritual, I have no doubt that Solas would also be able to rationalise hurting Lavellan (which is why in his mind, turning away from her, breaking her heart, leaving with no explanation and aiding her in Trespasser so she could live whatever few years remained in “relative peace” is actually an act of preserving that love). I partially think the reason he reveals the truth in Trespasser (especially for a romanced Lavellan) is in the hopes his ‘truths’ will push her away. But on a deeper note, I think he also thinks of it as some twisted form of repaying her for loving him to the point that he could have almost forgotten what it was to be the Dread Wolf, to just be with her as Solas, that night at Crestwood. Maybe his harsh truths would push her to the point where she’d give up her love for Solas, now that she knew he was the Dread Wolf, freeing her from the shackles of their love. He’s very self-flagellating, all about self-sacrifice for the ultimate goal, the ends always justify the means, he will endure any pain and punishment as long as Arlathan returns in the end.

What is his love of a mortal compared to the despair and loss of an entire empire? Solas views himself as selfish for falling for her, and that nearly broke him, if he was selfish enough to leave the dream of Arlathan behind for her, what would that do to his spirit then?

In his way of thinking, perhaps telling the Inquisitor the truth is a way out, a rationale they can use to justify stopping him or to make it easier to hate him as the Dread Wolf rather than love him as Solas (someone he hasn’t been in so long).

‘Masking’ as the Dread Wolf

During Trespasser, the Inquisitor has every right to despise Solas after all they’ve learned, and I think he half reveals the truth as a tactic so the Inquisitor can have an excuse to hate him, to be driven to anger and have less pull over his choices, once they learn the truth. Solas is particularly skilled at making other’s play the role that makes his own choices seem inevitable, he orchestrates a lot of events to play out in a manner where it's easier for him to talk himself into bringing down the veil.

He goads Elgar’nan to anger easily. He inspires the spirits to fight for him to the death as a necessary distraction during the war. He absolutely allows the Inquisitor to speak to him one last time so he can offer insight, yes, but also so he can easily frame his actions as just and inevitable. But, Oh boy does he get in for a shock if the Inquisitor shows empathy towards him, it scares him because he’s become accustomed to being seen only as the Dread Wolf. To be understood? That gives way to remorse. And remorse gives way to doubt. And he cannot doubt his purpose, twisted as it is, it is all he has left of his former self. Without it he would most likely change into something different. Someone he doesn’t recognise.

This fear intensifies more so if a romanced Lavellan asks to go with him, and in that case, he takes command and distances himself away (rejecting the help of someone close to him; the chance for a possible betrayal; the chance at another Felassan or Mythal [x]; the chance to twist Lavellan outside of her purpose, in this case, the purpose would be love/empathy) but not without showing remorse at having sacrificed yet another relationship for his crusade.

“Ir abelas.”

Sorrow for what cannot be is at the heart of why the Solavellan romance is so powerful, especially because even though both Solas and Lavellan love each other passionately, love alone cannot be enough when faced with regrets. Love would ultimately be stifled. Corrupted into something else over time. And so, for Solas, having loved and lost tragically is better than having loved and corrupted.

He will not do to Lavellan what was done to him, even if it is her choice, because she knows so little, her naivete cannot close the distance of a millenia’s old sea, and it would hurt him immensely to take advantage of her kind heart [x].

By leaving, he keeps her heart pure. And the yearning! Knowing the love is there, but on its own it cannot be invulnerable to corruption, so it is better to lose it than twist it. Ugh! Him leaving Lavellan is the ultimate show of love! IT IS A WISE DECISION. A rare glimpse into pure wisdom. Which is why he kneels beside Lavellan in Trespasser, he does not “Stand Tall” in the face of Wisdom’s heart. He kneels beside her. And when he stands tall again, he is Solas once more, filled with regret, and once through the eluvian, he returns to masking as the Dread Wolf.

Sidenote: It’s especially confounding that Veilguard allows Rook to push the Inquisitor to save or stop him after you’ve reached act 2 despite your world state choice (I think this was done in case they feared the Inquisitor wouldn’t stand by Solas after everything he was revealed to be responsible for in Veilguard, however it doesn’t work because the Inquisitor wasn’t an advisor, Rook never told them what they learned from the wolf statues, so having a stranger hold the ability to make Lavellan keep her promise or not rings hollow). Personally, I wish the Inquisitor’s presence had more weight in the non-Solavellan endings, too. I wish the Inquisitor could end up being the last friend/former love that Solas destroys (if you don’t collect the wolf statues) which then prompts Rook to fight him because Solas’ last tie to empathy failed to redeem him, that the Inquisitor falling is the last straw and Solas snaps, choosing to be a villain in the hopes of being stopped because he can’t stop himself, and not the ‘I am a God’ ending they gave us. Same for if your Inquisitor vows to stop him. I also wish the Inquisitor was the one to do the wolf statue missions. Would have been a nice secondary protagonist mission like the switching perspectives between Kratos and Atreus in GOW: Ragnarök (the old guard and the new; Inquisitor and Rook). I would have loved if they dedicated more dialogue to Inquisition days too, which is why I think Cole should have been a companion (if he wasn’t recruited, he could simply be a compassion spirit that ‘follows’ the greatest pain in the Fade that yearns to be healed, giving a compassionate viewpoint to Solas’ folly; recruited Spirit Cole could have a greater connection to Solas than even Varric, seeing as Cole was most likely a literal representation of Solas rewriting his own history by preventing a spirit from becoming too ‘real’; Human Cole would have a deeper connection to the world of Thedas, and could have been a great tool to prove how change was inevitable, not always a bad thing, and inevitably out of even Solas’ control. But alas, we live with what we are given! Even Imshael could have served in this role! Spirit/Demon of choice and it wasn’t incorporated into the game that supposedly asks you to make the greatest world-changing choice ever; redeem the Dread Wolf or end the age of the Evanuris entirely?!

Now onto the next segment: I want to talk about Solas’ regrets and how I read the ‘love story’ between Solas and Mythal, and why Lavellan (and what she represented) wasn’t enough to get through to him (and that’s a very believable thing, that’s what makes their love both tragic and epic!).

The High Price of Redemption

A romanced Lavellan has the most agency to see through his guises, if she resolves to save him, but even she cannot undo the shackles that still bind him to Mythal—the binds that twisted Wisdom so far from its purpose it became Pride, even when he burned (Mythal) from his face. (Likewise, A close friend Inquisitor who promises to save him is most likely a parallel to Felassan, again, they cannot undo the shackles of regret either.) I fully believe the vallaslin had a deeper magic than simply marking one as being committed/devoted to an Evanuris, I think it linked them magically, and since Solas was the first to burn the vallaslin away, he probably wasn’t as good at severing the link on himself as he was for other elvhen, so maybe a part of Mythal’s will still lingers in him, twisting him to Pride still.

In Veilguard’s final confrontation, I love the intention of showing how Lavellan approaches Solas slowly, as she doesn’t know who she’ll be faced with up those steps, Dread Wolf or Solas. But when she speaks to him, trying to get him to change his mind yet again, forgiving him for his wrongs, we are reassured that Wisdom hasn’t been completely consumed by Pride despite everything we’ve witnessed in the game because he bows his head at her in reverence as he apologises.

He shows humility towards her. He elevates her and her enduring love as worthy of his respect, but he does not consider himself worthy of hers. Thus, Lavellan pries open the door to acceptance but his heart is still not enough. Which is why love alone cannot turn the tide. He’s too broken to accept it. He doesn’t think he deserves it, so the only way out is through; to continue the ritual, to prove he was right. The shackles persist. Varric’s death weighs on his conscience now more than ever. Possibly members of Rook’s team too if they died on his crusade. But he is vulnerable enough for Morrigan to approach, and now Rook can use Mythal’s essence to make the final push. The only way he could be with Lavellan, the only way he could atone for the past and shed the weight of his armour (his crushing duty to the Elvhenan) is as Wisdom, fully restored, unbound by mistakes.

“Ar lasa mala revas.” He could only find absolution once Mythal (the angered and more brash essence of Mythal, the one unchanged by Flemeth and all the human women’s lives she’s been shaped by, but the closest iteration to that of Mythal in Arlathan, the version that he perceives as having every right to be angry at him for turning his back on her, for not going that last final stretch with her and subsequently, not being by her side when she died) severed the final connection: facing his regrets, showing humility and apologizing, while not taking away the blame but sharing it.

What is Benevolence without Wisdom if not Hubris?

We know Elgar’nan was twisted to Tyranny during the war, and I saw a post somewhere where someone wondered what led to his corruption, and what he was before (leadership/command). Likewise, Mythal was not above corruption.

So far, I’ve seen a lot of takes on Solas’ ties to Mythal, the power dynamic of being a student/disciple enamoured (could be romantic) with the benevolence of Mythal, but not how Mythal’s purpose was possibly also twisted towards hubris the moment she asked Wisdom to turn physical and build weapons from its knowledge, twisting it to Pride. Without Elgar’nan’s tyranny to rally against after the war with the Titans, Mythal would most likely turn a similar route, seeing her ruling as “necessary” for the people: “If not me then who?”. And that is a very short stop and quick drop to “I am your all-powerful ruler, I liberated you, and only I can guide the way”. Benevolence twisted by hubris can easily turn to Tyranny too, only one more subtle, a kind of cultish indoctrination compared to violent subjugation. If Solas had not turned his back on Mythal when she chose to be Evanuris (a god over her people) then they most likely would have made the worst (best) pair in the Evanuris. Pride is the Seventh Deadliest Sin. But imagine Pride next to Godhood?! That is frightening. So, when Solas burns the vallaslin, walks away and works against the Evanuris, I believe that he also inadvertently stops Mythal from becoming a corrupted version of herself. The sorrow at having lost her closest confidant and “love” grounds her, keeps her saintly in Solas’ mind, and in some ways, perhaps saves the Elvhen empire from a worse fate than him erecting the veil to begin with. But neither of them ever consider this. And I think that sort of self-blindness perfectly encapsulates how flawed both Mythal and Solas are. Now onto love.

Solas and Mythal – a Love too complex to simply classify as mortal ‘Love’.

There’s no doubt Mythal and Solas shared a deep bond, one that definitely had love in it, when we hear Mythal calling him ‘love’, without the possessive ‘my’ in front of it, it’s easy to misconstrue what type of love they share. A small nitpick, but like a thorn, it applies sometimes just enough pressure to change a perspective. Not calling Solas “My love” but instead choosing to simply use “love” works within those wonderful ambiguities/complexities that Weekes thrives in.

If one started out as a spirit, it’s safe to say concepts like familial bonds, romantic bonds, and blood ties mean little to nothing. There is no one type of love and there is every kind of love all at once. It is only once physical bodies are introduced, that physical touch, the ability to stab someone in the back, to kiss out of affection, to hug out of empathy, to strike out of anger, that love now becomes this twisted thing too. There are no spirits of love because spirits always possessed love, but there are demons of Desire (Gluttony) and of Rage (love denied).

I believe, from GDL’s acting skills, his soft whisper, his almost submissive smallness in the breadth of Mythal’s already soft voice, that Solas was in love with Mythal, devoted as a student, beguiled by her benevolence, content even in her shadow, and possibly star-struck. He was in love with someone who doesn’t have the possibility to love him back the same, it is not in her nature to love those beneath her in the same intensity that those who look up to her do. It’s like a priest being in love with God. The priest can devote themselves, sacrifice everything, but a God will always love their flock equally, but they can still play favourites.

Benevolence cannot be enamoured with Wisdom because to be truly benevolent they must possess Wisdom but there is also Pride to be had in walking beside benevolence, but they can never be on equal footing. Likewise, Solas’ love is not reciprocated entirely by Mythal, but she does love him back in her own way. While Mythal is definetly Solas’ first love, layered and complex, it is also strangled by regrets and twisted by uneven scales of power. It would never be a nurturing love, only a consuming kind.

When he speaks of Mythal during the Solavellan ending, he calls her his “oldest friend”, much like what Mythal says, (paraphrasing) “would you have me be angry at my oldest companion whose experienced so much with me”. Because friendship is perhaps the easiest way to describe their companionship. They went through many iterations, one certainly holding romantic tensions (specifically from younger Solas), but ultimately, with that much time shared, kinship/friendship becomes the easiest to surmise. You can love your friends, fall in love with them, fall out of love with them, only to love them again, be disappointed in them, etc.

Media today is flushed with romance as a linchpin for driving a hero to make dire choices, and that has warped our perception of how a platonic/non-romance-based relationship can be all-consuming, and sometimes more impassioned than strict romance. But, to make it easier for people to understand Solas’ motivations, it's easier to see their love in the light Taash sees it (an unreliable, somewhat “still juvenile” narrator, in that they are still growing into themselves and their culture and the world): “They were doing it”.

However, Bellara, a companion whose entire companion story is linked to her strong, deeply character-driving relationship with her brother (platonic love) refutes that reading by saying (paraphrasing here): “We don’t know if their ‘love’ is the same type of love we tend to think of in a masculine and feminine relationship.”

Felassan’s letter after the Mythal Dragon fight alludes to Solas having been in love with Mythal, but nothing about how she felt. This is why I consider the Solas/Mythal relationship to be more of a one-sided romantic love, but a requited ‘love’ relationship for them both.  

A parallel I find so compelling: Solas and Mythal vs Briala and Celene. Solas and Briala both hold deep emotions for people in great power with the ability to end a tyrannical cycle of subjugation, enslavement and classism, yet for both of these ruler’s charisma and well-meaning intent, they often are swayed to side with tyranny. For Mythal, that was Elgarnan, the Evanuris who made all the other’s worse tyrants; as well as her own hubris for believing her presence alone could dampen the ravenous hunger for power that the rest of the Evanuris held at the small prospect of leading the Elvhen in a time of confusion (being a North Star is hard when all the other lights around you aim to blind the flock into submission). For Celene, this is more about the nuances of retaining favour, pull and power over other noble families, their backing (be it financial, political or simply cut-throat), and their support so she can be the ‘lesser of two evils’ compared to Gaspard’s warmongering personality and Florianne simply being a puppet with no backbone. Both Briala and Solas are turned to pawns despite their immense strength and compassion for their respective elven plights; Briala is rendered a fangless lion (for lack of a better metaphor) if she is reunited with Celene, whereas if she is chosen to puppet Gaspard, there’s every likelihood her story could parallel a ‘power-mad’ Solas if he’d been tethered to Rage (at betrayal) and not Regret (at having not rejected Mythal when she asked him to take a physical body) throughout his tenure as the Dread Wolf.

Solas and Lavellan – a Heart that was never intended to be Given/Taken

Now I will compare the lack of possessives in front of Mythal’s “love” to Solas declaring Lavellan as ‘Vhenan’ and then ‘Ar lath, ma Vhenan’ vs ‘Ar lath ma vhenan'; again, the coma is the thorn, the pause that shapes the quiet unsaid things we can deduce. In the Trespasser cutscene DGL puts the pause after “Ar lath”, even though the subtitles construct the sentence with Vhenan as a proper noun since it’s a nickname often used by Solas: “Ar lath ma, Vhenan”. But I believe Solas actually says “Ar lath, ma Vhenan”.

With “Ar lath, ma Vhenan” the stressor is after the pause, so the line reads: “I love [you], my heart.” And with “Ar lath ma, Vhenan” it makes even less structural sense but can be inferred to mean: “I love you, Heart”.  

The possessiveness of “My” is what definitively differentiates the love Solas feels for Lavellan as one more of the romantic side, it is a love of yearning and desire and a wish to have one last good thing that is pure and incorruptible. The one thing he had left to give. His heart. But that does not mean his heart is enough! The rest of him is still bound to the love of Mythal that was twisted through the ages. That changed him. And given how Pride often comes before a fall, I absolutely understand why Solas is actually very brash and ill-considering when he’s romancing Lavellan (“The kiss was ill-considered”/”It would be kinder in the long run”/”I wanted to show you what you mean to me”). He's on a precarious cliff during Inquisition. His first plan failed. He's allowed ancient elvhen magic to fall into a blighted Tevinter magister's hands. Literally everything the Inquisition did could have been for nought if the Mark had fallen to the wrong person. Things could have easily fallen apart for Solas too, so why not indulge in something trifling and fleeting? Execpt it wasn't trifling. Nor was it fleeting. And when he saw that the fall could potentially not happen, that the Inquisitor could do it, save Thedas and retrieve the orb, he was struck by the gravity of his brashness, of letting impulses control him instead of acting according to a plan. But it was too late. They'd both fallen for each other.

Solas didn’t expect to form entanglements within the Inquisition. He was committed. He was angry at the world, “walking through a sea of tranquil”, called flat-ear by the Dalish that later chased him from their village when he proved he was the Dread Wolf. He was despised by people who looked like him. Spirits were constantly being abused and turned into demons. People erected monuments to heroes who slew demons. Mages were caged. Elves were subjugated. The empire fell. Humans razed the lands with their wars and petty squabbles of succession. The darkspawn tainted the land. The dwarves would never dream. Solas awoke to the worst possible fate; in his eyes, it was all his fault.

So when he kisses Lavellan in the Fade, impulsively, he isn’t kissing her there because it is less ‘real’ than if they kissed while she was awake, it makes it so much more real. He’s kissing her in the space where he is most himself. Where he can shed the body he was forced to build and trap himself within, the body of Pride. He is acting on the impulses of an enlivened Wisdom spirit that does not consider tomorrow, for the first time in a long time. It isn’t a long game with Lavellan, like so much of his life has been about always thinking to the future, always considering the outcome, machinating, scheming, the wiles and woes of every trickster god in mythology. It’s being in the moment with her that is all-consuming. It lowers his guard, leaves him vulnerable, and when she enquires about the Fade or spirits or histories, he gets to be useful as pure Wisdom again.

Lavellan challenging him when he first shows animosity or irritation towards the Dalish (a prideful act), and then him being taken aback when she explains that maybe the Dalish could be shown another way (making him consider her words, being given a morsel of wisdom back, reminding him of his old self), these are all small moments where Solas can begin to see springs of hope in the broken world. And that’s terrifying. It means he’s destroying not just himself, but the memory of Mythal and Arlathan too, all for the love of a woman who fell for an apostate.

The best, most genuine unmasking of Solas for me is during Wicked Hearts, when he’s tipsy on wine, has no inhibitions, and revels in the intrigue, the gossip, the dancing, the music (something we now know is important enough to have an entire music room in the Lighthouse), the sex! He is at his most relaxed, and then he asks Lavellan to dance, not caring about how it would look for the “Inquisitor’s serving man, Solas” to be intimate in a fucking Orlesian palace with the Herald of Andraste, right after stopping an assassination attempt! He finds comfort in the world of Thedas at that moment. Something he rarely shows so outright.

When he takes Lavellan to Crestwood to confess, I believe removing her vallaslin wasn’t entirely just for her, it wasn’t just to free her from slave markings or to simply reveal a form of a truth he wanted to tell her, it was to resolve himself of what his first purpose was supposed to be, what she distracted him from. Removing the vallaslin had been something he’d done for the slaves of Arlathan, it was what earned him the mantle of Dread Wolf. When he removes Lavellan’s vallaslin, he resets.

Thedas cannot allow Wisdom to truly exist without fear of corruption to Pride, Thedas the world he was responsible for shaping, literally the Maker of the Veil, and he falls for a woman Heralded as Andraste’s Chosen One, Mythal’s incarnation in the South. The irony. The cruel, cruel irony. The Inquisition is tied to his past, every Andrastian he meets, every Dalish person with vallaslin on their face, every slave or city elf. Tevinter worshiping the dragons that still have the essences of the Old Gods. His heart alone cannot withstand all of the punishing, gruelling, oppressive weight that is Thedas. Even for Lavellan. So he frames their romance as this tragic, short-lived tale that was beautiful but ultimately destined to end. He expects it to pass for her, she’s mortal after all. But he also leaves his heart with her, literally giving her power over the last uncorrupted part of himself. Think Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann at the end of World’s End, but metaphorically. He gives her his heart to safe keep as he goes on a journey that could corrupt a heart, turn it cold and bitter, destroy it.   

Ar lasa mala revas. You are free.

He frees his heart.

Lets it go.

Twice!

So only once he is relinquished of his regrets, once Mythal does the same for him, only then is there “Nothing left except their love”. Because Lavellan still held his heart there was still something left after. Something beyond despair and regret and loss. He had given his heart to her to safekeep. And she did. Lavellan returns his heart to him when he is freed. What Mythal had to break so Solas could heal right again (like a bone), Lavellan casts a splint around so it can be set and heal properly. This is the difference between Mythal’s love and Lavellan’s. Both Mythal’s love and forgiveness broke him, but Lavellan’s love gives him the strength to Stand Tall one last time.

Solas, before Pride alone, as Wisdom (perhaps Solas always meant both Standing Tall and Wisdom, for Wisdom can grant one pride to stand tall for what they believe in), finds contentment with the rare and marvellous spirit that endured (his Vhenan). Wisdom endured because of humanity, something benevolence is beyond.

Bellanaris

When Lavellan offers to go with him, to continue on the dinanshiral that she already considers herself a part of, Solas is legitimately taken aback. His expression is soft yet full of disbelief and awe. He actually stops walking a few frames before Lavellan says this, as if hoping Lavellan would say something to him!

And then she basically proposes to him! “Bellanaris!” I absolutely adore the fact that Lavellan promises them eternity. A vow as sacred as a death right, as protected as an ancient, elvhen, undisturbed burial ground in the face of Orlesian colonialisation. They endured and now they will have an eternity. For once, we have an elvish tale that is not a curse, it is a love story with reunion at its core, where both elves reclaim something precious that was denied them.

Lastly, i am absolutely frothing at the mouth that Solas and Lavellan primarily speak in elvish! And even more feral at the fact Solas does not try to talk her out of joining him (because this sweet talker very well could!). He simply tells her where he is going is terrible. And she shuts that shit down immediately. No repeat of Trespasser. She's standing beside him, the South has all but fallen, whatever ties yet survive are strained, and she has fought the good fight for 8 years. I think the Inquisitor was about ready to leave Thedas behind.

The last decisions Solas makes are of his own volition. Entering the Fade for atonement. Stepping into the Fade with Lavellan (It was confirmed by Weekes that Lavellan’s presence in the Fade prison would fundamentally change it in a way we haven’t seen!). Thanking Rook for giving him one last shot at getting happiness. All his own!

This is the look of a man finally reunited with his wife! So much emotion in ONE frame. God! There’s never been a character like him. A love story like theirs! I’m so happy I got to see this ending. Full circle!

P.S. If you read this far, woah nelly! That’s crayyzeee, so here are some more great pieces: Why it was important for Lavellan to kneel for Solas as he knelt for her in Trespasser in the Solavellan ending [x], and here’s a great deep-dive on Solas as a spirit of Wisdom [x].

[ky-yk]

eve, psyche, and… (hyj x f!reader)

a sequel to “delicate (hyj x f!reader)”

genre: fluff || word count: 2.4k

author’s note: you asked, i delivered. hope u enjoy this one, fruit baskets 🫶🫨

you weren’t a k-pop stan. not by a long shot.

yet here you were, in seoul, seated as close to the stage as you could be for le sserafim’s flame rises concert.

you sat patiently waiting for the show to start with your bucket hat resting low on your head and your banner on your lap. to pass the time, you started mindlessly using your phone.

soon enough, you ended up looking through your conversations with jen and reminiscing on how far you two had come.

after sending jen that dm, you pocketed your phone and continued your journey back to your hotel. as soon as you arrived, your phone connected to the wifi and came alive with notifications from friends and family asking about how the concert went. you put your phone down and instead decided to get on with your evening routine before replying to them.

as you settled in bed, you skimmed through your friends' and family's messages.

however, one notification caught your eye.

jenaissante: well well well

you smiled to yourself as you finally read the message. the girl was online as well and must’ve seen you read her message because you then saw a text bubble pop up beside her profile picture, the three dots bouncing around in anticipation.

jenaissante: wait wait not here 😭

suddenly, you receive another notification: a follow request from what appeared to be her private account.

jenaissante: let’s talk there instead

itsyn: alright then 😭

after accepting her follow request and following her back, you dm’d her again.

itsyn: so

itsyn: a k-pop idol, huh?

you barely slept a wink that night because you spent the whole time talking to jen—yunjin. laying on your stomach while hugging the pillow beneath you, you and her talked about anything and everything until the post-concert exhaustion caught up with you.

the other girl must’ve noticed you’d passed out, because as she sat at the airport and waited to board, she chuckled to herself before typing one last message for the night.

pas.un.ange: good night, y/n.

you shook your head and chuckled to yourself as you pocketed your phone, paying attention to your surroundings instead and taking it all in: people settling into their seats, the excited chatter of fans (fearnots? is that what they’re called?), and just the sheer scale of the production. you had a vague idea of just how huge jen was, but seeing it in person was surreal.

quite the superstar you are, huh, jen?

before the show began, you picked your lightstick up from your bag, as well as your battery pack, and put them together just in time for the lights to dim as everyone else raised their lightsticks and cheered in excitement. you looked around at the scene, a sense of pride washing over you as you happily hollered with the crowd.

an intro video played on screen, signaling the start of the show. as each member appeared on screen for the first time, the crowd went wild, making you chuckle at first before joining the ruckus.

soon enough, though, yunjin appeared on screen.

and any scream that was due to come out of your throat died in its wake, instead leaving you slack-jawed at the sight of your seatmate in all her idol glory -- dressed to the nines and her once bright and wide eyes now glaring into your soul.

this wasn't jen. this was huh yunjin.

before you knew it, the vcr had ended, and the screens were splitting to make way for the five-piece to take the stage -- much to the excitement of the whole crowd. as soon as their silhouettes were clear, the crowd only hollered more (and further justified the $35 you spent on earplugs).

soon enough, both the spotlight and the cameras were on them for all to see. you looked on in awe at your seatmate now taking the stage for herself. not long after, the girls got in formation, and you could hear the buildup to their latest single blasting over the speakers.

"unforgiven, i'm a villain, i'm a."

the show was on.

you'd lost count of how many times your jaw dropped at just how impressed you were. before the concert, you were only vaguely familiar with the group. you'd think that as jen's friend, you'd be up to date on all their latest releases and shenanigans, but you made it clear to her that you wanted to get to know her outside of her idol life and career.

that lead to you basically receiving a crash course in all things le sserafim as the concert went on. you'd gotten familiar with the members and their idol personas, their insane discography, their overflowing talent, and their undeniable charm.

some members more so than others.

what's that called again? a bias?

you knew jen was talented. you knew she sang and played the guitar, you knew she had a few original songs under her belt (even sneaking you peeks at some unreleased ones), and you knew she'd spent a large chunk of her life training to become an idol.

but seeing her here right now? guitar in hand and performing an unreleased song under the harsh spotlight for her solo stage after singing and dancing with unrivaled charm for multiple songs back to back? you knew she was born to perform.

soon enough, it was time for the encore.

and it was your time to shine.

seeing the girls come back out and stylishly wearing their tour merch, you perked up and readied your sign. after a few words from the members, the telltale synths of flash forward came on the speakers as yunjin opened the song and started walking around the stage to interact with fans.

as you saw her come closer, you raised your sign even higher to try and grab her attention. she was smiling and waving at the fans beside you, but soon enough, she looked in your direction and took notice of your sign.

and then you.

you peeked out from under your bucket hat and made eye contact with the girl. you laughed at her bewildered expression before she pointed at herself and mouthed, "my wife?"

you responded with a sheepish shrug as she chuckled at you and gave you an easy smile that she must've realized lingered a little too long because she then moved on to the other fans around you and finally left your side of the stage.

you stood with your sign as the other members stopped by your side of the stage. when you locked eyes with them, they all looked some semblance of surprise -- as if they recognized you. jen must've told them about me, huh? you hope none of the fans around you saw their reactions to you. this is not how i want to get famous...

soon enough, though, the confetti popped as the girls took their final bows, not before shedding a few (a lot) tears, though.

that you took way too many pictures of.

for a rainy day, you know?

you sat back down and waited for the rest of the crowd to leave. when you noticed your own seatmates getting up to go, you followed their lead. with their chatter as your background noise, you turned your phone on and connected to your pocket wifi as your notifications came pouring in.

from a certain k-pop idol.

pas.un.ange: i didnt imagine that right

pas.un.ange: you were here??

pas.un.ange: where are u staying btw

pas.un.ange: also

pas.un.ange: my wife? 😳

you shook your head and chuckled to yourself at her shenanigans as you made your way out of the arena and towards the subway station. you replied to each of her messages just before your train arrived. you pocketed your phone and settled in, letting the exhaustion just barely take over you before you could reach your stop.

as you stepped out into the cool seoul evening, you absent-mindedly walked back to your hotel and were just about to go inside, but not before a voice stopped you in your tracks.

"damn, not even a hug from my wife?"

you looked up in surprise at jen, wrapped up in her huge coat with her hands in her pockets as she laughed at how your droopy eyes suddenly went wide. she walked closer, but not before you could crash into her, wrap your arms around her waist, and hug her tight. taken by surprise at the sudden contact, she returned the hug and let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding.

"you've got time for a snack run?" you heard her ask. you nodded against her chest, feeling it rumble as she chuckled.

"ja, let's go," she said before letting you go and walking into the convenience store located right beside the hotel entrance with you trailing right behind her.

you both scoured the aisles and picked up some ramyeon for you both to share. after taking your pick, though, you both kept exploring the store for more items either of you might want to pick up.

soon enough, you made it to the back of the store where they kept their drinks in rows of refrigerators. you opened a fridge, being greeted by an assault of cold air, and picked up a bottle of coke zero, before hearing her call out to you.

"yah, y/n, come here!" she said, looking up at the mirror on the corner ceiling, her phone ready to take pictures. you shook your head in playful disbelief as you saddled up beside her and had your mini photoshoot.

you sat patiently by the window as she paid and cooked your food (at her insistence). you broke out of your reverie when the smell of your ramyeon attacked your senses.

"something on your mind?" she asked as she took the seat beside you, put your drinks down, and offered you a pair of chopsticks that you then took.

"do your managers know you're here?"

"what they don't know won't kill them," she shrugged before you smacked her shoulder.

"hey! i'm kidding, of course they know I'm here. how else do you think i got here before you did?"

"and you're not worried about getting caught?"

"i'd say i'm conspicuous enough. it helps that i'm speaking english."

you thought about it for a second before resigning, breaking your chopsticks apart, and mixing the ramyeon.

"i still can't quite believe you're here."

"you did amazing, by the way. all of you. send my regards to the girls later, they were lovely."

"what was your favorite part?" she asked nonchalantly.

"oh, probably when kazuha--"

"yah!"

"i'm kidding! hm..." you hummed, as if deep in thought.

"probably when my bias noticed my sign."

"yeah?"

"oh yeah, kazuha is so much prettier up close,"

"if you want i cou--"

"she's nothing compared to you, though." it was your turn to cut her off with a hand to her bicep. the words die in her throat as she visibly flusters. she clears her throat and changes the subject.

seconds turn into minutes, minutes turn into an hour, and soon enough, jen's phone starts buzzing.

"yeoboseyo? ne... ah ne." with the way her face falls, you can only imagine what the conversation was about. she puts her phone down and lets out a deep sigh.

"i think i have to go, manager-nim's been waiting up on me for a while now."

you hum in understanding. "send my regards to your manager, too, i feel bad for keeping him this long."

you both start arranging your trash into a pile. jen moves to stand, and you're just about to do the same, but not before you feel a weight slumped behind you, burying its face in your neck.

"i dont wanna go," you can barely make out, causing you to chuckle.

jen gets up from the awkward position and stands behind you, wrapping her arms around your waist and pressing her front to your back. your eyes widen at the contact and you hope that if she catches your face burning, she assumes it's just because of the ramyeon you both had. she rests her chin on your shoulder and sighs.

you feel her right arm leave its spot on your waist and disappointment bubble up for a second before she hands you her phone. "come on, let's take a few pictures."

"you love your pictures, huh?"

"i don't know when i can see you again."

you hummed as you opened her camera and she wrapped her arms around your waist again, cuddling in closer than you thought was even possible for the picture. you kept spamming the shutter as she kept nuzzling closer to you, even feeling her nosing your neck at some point.

after saying your goodbyes to the lovely register, you both walked out into the cold night, the blast of air waking you both up better than any cup of coffee could. in front of your hotel, a lone black van was parked.

you walked side by side, bumping into each other as you walked to the front of your hotel. jen stopped in her tracks, and you took that as a sign to walk in front of her.

"well, i guess this is me."

"i think i've seen this film before, haven't you?" she jokes, trying to lighten the mood. you chuckled.

"you're right, it does feel familiar," you say as you take a step closer to her.

it was your turn to hold her by the biceps and tiptoe to whisper in her ear.

"only this time, i wonder if i'll like the ending."

before you could pull away, jen throws all caution into the cold wind and cups your cheeks to take your breath away in a searing kiss. frozen at first, you soon relax into the kiss and place your hands on her waist to return the kiss. eventually, you both barely pulled away, leaving tiny pecks before completely separating.

jen's eyes open a little bit, looking a little dazed before seemingly snapping out of it. she drops her arms and takes a step back, suddenly looking super flustered and awkward -- scratching her neck and finding the post behind you so fascinating with how hard she was staring at it. you chuckled and stepped closer to give her a peck on the cheek.

"see you around, jen. get home safe," you tell her before disappearing into your hotel lobby.

"bye y/n," she whispers into the night before finally making her way into her van.

[stesierra]

Writeblr ReIntro!

I'm posting a new intro because now that I've been on Writeblr a little while, I realize how much information I left out! Hi, I'm Stephanie, I live in the desert with my husband and baby and three cats, and I'm an ace, bipolar fantasy writer! When I was a kid, they said I had ADHD but then I got my Masters degree in biology, so they claim I can't have it. Online tests say I'm probably autistic.

I used to write sci fi twelve years ago but only low tech sci fi about weird aliens, which nobody likes. Now I write fantasy novels! Lots of fantasy novels! I am beginning to post them on my website so if you want to read them, please keep an eye on this post.

My books often but not always have some romance (either m/f or f/f because I prefer female protagonists.) Since I'm ace (and demiromantic), my interpretation of romance and attraction is not exactly what you'd expect from, say, a romance novel.

I am not going to tell you about all my books! I've written eighteen! Four of them are shelved forever! Here's some recent ones (written or revised since 2018) that I haven't given up on. Please ask me questions about them! I LOVE talking about my books! Also, if you want to be added to my taglist for writing samples let me know! Please also tell me if you're interested in alpha or beta reading and for which book! Mutuals only, please!

My books are beneath the cut! As I add WIP intros, I'll update this list with links.

Cast Out

YA fantasy! On her sixteenth birthday, Zisha is cast out of the Plenary Cities for the crime of being born deaf, like her grandmother before her. In the wastelands, she meets Thesil, a depressed and bitter young woman. Zisha wants nothing to do with her — until she sees Thesil's face in a vision. But before she can find out what the visions mean or reach her grandmother's holdings in the wastes, the plague returns to the Plenary Cities. If the disabled really caused the plague thirty years ago, and were cast out to stop the spread, how can it be back when all of them are outcast?

Status: Finished. Being serialized.

WIP intro here.

Now being serialized here. First five chapters up, one posted weekly.

The Bone Queen

This is my NA fantasy about the aftermath of freeing an undead queen and her skeleton army. They take over the kingdom, of course! The main character, Elise, is trapped in Bandrum palace by Aubrey, the ghost who tricked her into falling in love and freeing him (plus everyone else.) He's an animated skeleton now with plans to marry Elise and force her to carry his children. The bone queen has promised him she'll make it happen. Too bad no one cares what Elise wants. If only she had magic of her own...

Status: undergoing a rewrite after developmental edit. Was 109k before revisions. Not available for beta reading.

Draft number? Hahahaha. It has two complete sequels (The Spellbound King (106k) and The Matriarch's Daughter (96k)) I must also rewrite. This series is going to kill me but I love it. My mom, who loves everything I write, complained that it was weird. I'm very proud.

WIP intro here.

First chapter here.

School of Souls

This is my YA contemporary fantasy about a boarding school in the Bighorn Mountains! It's supposed to be a place parents can send "bad" teens to have their problems sorted out, but secretly the founder is using it to train the kids as sorcerers. Even more secretly, the school devours the souls of the students sent there, and the teenagers who graduate aren't the same as the ones who arrived... Warning: does include teenage addiction to sleeping pills and ghosts and and parental death. It's going to have sequels but I haven't written them yet.

Status: Complete first draft. 83k. Available for alpha reading.

WIP intro here.

First chapter here.

The Many-faced Princess

This is YA fantasy with a historical vibe but set in a made up world. Vaguely inspired by ancient Phoenicia. It's about Princess Ameryi, who was blessed by the genderless trickster god, Akihel, to be able to change her face. If her father the king ever found out, he'd have to execute her, of course. Akihel is just plain evil. All the other gods say so. A daughter who's their champion? Impossible. An abomination. So Ameryi will just have to make sure her father never finds out. That was easier to do before the Asirtinsa Empire threatened to invade and her father sent her to secure an alliance with a neighboring king. She's supposed to marry him. Not steal his face and frame him for murder. But sometimes plans just don't work out.

This book was supposed to be about two lesbian princesses who frame the king for murder so they can elope, but both princesses decided to be ace and there was nothing I could do.

Status: Complete first draft. 83k. It's going to have sequels but I haven't written them yet. Available for alpha reading.

First chapter here.

Map here.

Court Phoenix

This is my NA fantasy! Kerra is a blacksmith's apprentice. Not because she wants the job, but because her mother sold her future to him when she was still a toddler who crawled into live fires and giggled as the flames consumed her clothes. Now she's a woman, trapped by the expectations of her family and her village. Until one day, a phoenix crash-lands and dies in her arms. When it's reborn, it chooses Kerra as its keeper. Soon, her dreary future is swept away. A princess from Skyfire, the moving city, offers her a job in the royal court. How could Kerra refuse? Her family's claims that she'll die if she ever leaves the village are just manipulative lies. Aren't they?

Status: Complete third draft. 104k. Available for beta reading.

First chapter here.

The Revenant Trilogy

Adult fantasy. Solving a murder should bring good fortune, but all it brings Mindral Thideet is disaster. Her fame and peaceful life as head researcher at the city of knowledge end abruptly. In retaliation for her investigation into his crimes, Payar Cheref, the head of the powerful Cheref family, burns her beloved cousins alive and scars her face. The scar marks her as a revenant, a body possessed by a godkin, one of the gods' evil children. Her life as a researcher is over. All that's left is revenge.

No one believes her when she denies that godkins have any power over her. But godkins, real ones, are far closer than she realizes. Tearing down Payar Cheref could destroy Mindral, her family, and the nation itself.

-The Halfway Revenant (rewriting draft 4) 120k. Not available for beta reading.

-The Soul-Seer (draft 2) - 130k

-The Godkin's Gambit (draft 2) 121k

First chapter here.

As Immortality Fades

Adult fantasy. Five hundred years ago, one of the immortal and unpredictable Valteifur visited the kingdom of Kathild and granted the young queen Nelone immortality. But there was a catch. She'd live forever, youthful and strong, just so long as her subjects were happy. For centuries, she's met her part of the deal. But when the Valteifur returns to check on her progress, he grants her a new gift: the resurrection of every single person in Kathild who's died in the last two hundred years. Then he disappears.

There aren't enough houses for them all. There's not enough food. And winter is here.

Status: Complete first draft. 98k. Available for alpha reading.

Bi MC, enemies to lovers.

First chapter here.

Stitches and Memories

This one's adult fantasy. Antea's father ripped her mind apart, left her for dead, and vanished twelve years ago, and she's going to find out why. But when constables try to kill her and strange truth magic grows inside of her, hunting her father starts to look like suicide. Too bad going home isn't an option.

Status: I exchanged this with a critique partner and now it embarrasses me. Fourth draft. 122k. Available for beta reading.

Trigger warning: magic seizures

First chapter here.

WIP intro here.

Triangle Park

Contemporary Fantasy. I have no idea who it's for. An elf exiled to the middle of nowhere ends up stuck with an unexpected child. It's about reluctant parenting and protecting the needy. And elves and faeries slumming it in a mobile home.

Status: Complete first draft. 86k. Available for alpha reading.

First chapter here.

Mud-Child

Adult fantasy. Rebeka has always heard that a woman who goes through menopause loses her spark (the magic that lets her create children). If she's had children, it just makes the neighbors a little more fertile. But Rebeka never wanted a man, and she never wanted to raise a child. Not since her twin sister died and her beloved Suza left her for a man. The problem is, the spark leaves a childless woman differently, everyone says. A bitter hag? She'll curse her neighbors. A sweet dim biddie? She'll give her spark to inanimate objects and create a monster. Rebeka doesn't know which she is, but she believes it's a myth.

That was before the clay in her clay pit woke up and called her mother.

Status: Third draft. 109k. Needs a rewrite! Not available for beta reading.

First chapter here.

WIP intro here.

I GUESS I'M WRITING A NEW BOOK

The Giant's Gamble

First chapter here.

I started writing this on Friday the 13th, 2023. LET'S SEE HOW LONG IT TAKES TO WRITE WITH A BABY.

Short stories

The Unfamous Dead

VERY OLD CRAP

The Scribe and the Sphinx

Adult historical fantasy

Status: second draft. Shelved for good. 85k.

The Adrift series

The River's Drift. 100k.

The Waking Mountain. 106k.

Low-tech alien sci fi. Shelved for good.

My first book whose name I forget. About 50k. Exists only as a hard copy in my parents' house.

Taglist so far (tell me if you want to be added or removed)

Tag list for everything

@harleyacoincidence

@anonymousfoz

@moremysteriesthantragedies

@elizababie

@sm-writes-chaos

@bellascarousel

@the-dragon-chronicler

@teacupsandstarlight

@vorskra

@wrenofthewords

@amostdelectablescribbler

@mysticstarlightduck

@phantommill

@gracewritesbooks

@aziz-reads

@owlsandwich

@symbioticsimplicity

@squarebracket-trick

@koala2all

@rmgrey-author

@atomatowriter

@cheerfulmelancholies

@delusionisaplace

@janec23

@writing-is-a-martial-art

@authortango

Just chapters and snippets

@da-na-hae

For The Many-faced Princess

@deadlyessencewhispers

@serenanymph

The Halfway Revenant

@acertainmoshke

For Stitches and Memories

@space-writes

@acertainmoshke

The Bone Queen

@janec23

@holdmyteaplease

@digital-chance

@thecrookedwriterspath

@tea-and-mercury

@coven-archives

I love you all!

[inbabylontheywept]

Master Post of Writings and Series

HFY Science Fiction That Isn't a Ship, It's a Cannon with FTL! Military fiction revolving around space pirates and a railgun someone strapped an FTL drive to. There are three parts, the link above should let you scroll through the whole series. Like Sharks A short fic based on the prompt "Humans are the only ones to actually develop FTL. Everyone else just uses wormholes." The Scattering Experimental piece. I normally do prose, but I tried a poem. Inspired by the Dark Forest Theory. "So...What's the biggest gun you've ever made?" First installment starring Earl, a weapons designer. In this episode he explains the basics of fission-based fusion weapons, their applications in throwing things into orbit. Also stars a horny lobsterman. "R&D? More like R&Deez Nuts" Second installment starring Earl. This is a laser tag fight starring the R&D division, accounting, and sales. There will be male bonding. Or else. "Yeah, sure, and I shit thermite. Be serious." Earl drinks until he pukes. Aliens learn that humans produce hydrochloric acid for digestion. The Vengabus is Coming! A pinned down group of soldiers has to call in a human tank for backup. Shock and awe does not begin to describe it. Hold Your Breath and Burn The bad news is that he's gonna die in space. The good news is that he can make it count. "I will solve you if I must." The last tool of diplomacy is threats. Burning Bridges You don't have to kill a soldier to keep them from being a combatant. "I think we underestimated the scale of the human species by eight or nine orders of magnitude." In which humans turn out to be the swarm. Party Favors Humanity solved mortality. It did not solve boredom. Now it's everyone's problem. Starring my creepiest humans, a lot of drugs, and the leasy sexy descriptions of sex I could make.

HFY Fantasy Small, Fragile, and Destined to Die There's something to be said for spitting in the face of death. Sometimes, literally. "Healing+Lightning=Wizard Launcher" Unconventional spell uses let a wizard punch above his weight. And bite. And kick. Human wizards make a lot of ruckus. An Honorary Troll A wizard fights a troll. It is not a very wizardly fight. I considered it a very loose sequel to the story above it, but both can absolutely be read separately. Dale of the Dales A two part series about a human protecting a town of halflings from an army of gnomes with the power of hospitality, and also being comparatively massive. Why Human's Can't Cast On the properties of superconductors and golden gods. The Thunder God of Honnillee A human is adopted by a halfling. What Talon and What Dreadful Claw Tragedy with a man and a spynx.

Unsorted Fictions Leviathan A necromancer scours the depths of hell for a soul worthy of his creation. He finds more than he bargained for. Odysseus in Space (It's very, very good) Biographical Pieces Soviet Birds A comedy of errors is resolved by the Vessel of Bird Sacrifice. The Kitchen Labyrinth of Missile Science Why does a classified facility with 30 people at it have 7 kitchens? What would you do if I told you it has seven of every kind of room? The Fridges. Oh my God, the Fridges. It also has 20 fridges in it. Obviously. Kevin vs. Intro to Quantum You would be surprised at the kind of intellectual challenges random bystanders can take. I certainly was. Layman walks in and becomes the class mascot. The Condom Bomber In which I fuck up. Videos None of these are narrated by me, but I thought I'd list them here for anyone that prefers listening to reading. Like Sharks, read by Grey Voice. He focuses on smooth reading. Like Sharks, read by Aggro Squirrel. He has a theatrical voice. Like Sharks, read by NetNarrator. He has a fast, clipped style. The Vengabus is Coming & Burning Bridges 2 for 1 by Aggro Squirrel. "Yeah, and I shit thermite. Be serious." by Net Narrator. "So, what's the biggest gun you've ever made?" by Aggro Squirrel.

[kahvilahuhut]

wip intro - periphery

photo from unsplash

Following the dramatic fall of one of the most anticipated projects, the Earth Board demands answers from the corporations responsible for the disaster. Meanwhile, the corporations are ready to do whatever they can to throw the blame on something - or someone - else just to stay safe and not to pay for the consequences. Even if it means playing a centuries old game of who to eliminate blame.

Periphery - a Cynosure sequel - shows the aftermath of a ruined project and how it affects those who were in the middle of it all, now trying to stay as far away from the spotlight as possible while trying to deal with the (old and new) problems that have now appeared.

status: outlining and brainstorming some more. <3

genre: soft science fiction, thriller, cyberpunk

pov: three different third person povs (Klara, Tobias & Samuel)

warnings: swearing, mentions of unethical research, violence, guns, murder, mentions of torture, blood, gore, alcohol, smoking, mental health problems, physical health problems, to be added

interested to hear more and stay on top of newest things related to cynosure and/or periphery? ask to be added to the taglist or refer to this post 🤍

[vikenticomeshome]

Cyberchase on Pixter Console (part 2/?)

I wasn't sure that I was going to be able to make a sequel to my first post about the sole Cyberchase console game. Back then, I only had a low-quality scan of the manual. It told us plenty about the different mini-games on the cartridge. However, the screenshots were all monochrome.

But now...I have the cartridge. It's gotten a bit scuffed over the past ~20 years, but all of the kids managed to avoid hair, face, and brain damage. One thing that doesn't come across in the scan is that the white ring and white writing have a rainbow shimmer effect in person.

I have a working Pixter console to play it on.

Unfortunately, there is no video output, so any pictures or video that I make will involve pointing my phone camera at the screen. Now, I am aware that the MAME project is working on an emulator for the Pixter console, and they have confirmed that they have dumped data from the Cyberchase cartridge. However, their emulation is still in too early of a state to be able to play the game. Maybe someday, then the emulation is ready, I can give you direct video and screenshot capture from the emulation.

Anyway, while I won't be taking video for everything, I decided to get the animations used for the title screen and intro. I don't believe these have previously been made available online. Given that the Pixter is out-of-style, these animations may not have been seen in years. Now, even at the highest volume setting, the phone's microphone doesn't pick up the audio very well. Therefore, I had to record the audio separately, mute the audio from the phone's microphone, and then combine them together. Please watch to the end, as there is an animation that happens if you stay on the menu for too long.

Alright, I'm going to use screenshots to explain the rest of the game. There are other animations, and I may make a follow-up post to show them.

So, we get our title screen, with recreations of our kids that could be rendered on the Pixter's screen.

We get a shot of Motherboard during the intro.

Then we get our menu of five games: Poddle Sort, Bridge Break, Cyber Jam, Scramble and Drawing.

The login page is for up to four stored profiles. All of these profiles were on the cartridge when I found it. I haven't overwritten one to make a profile for myself yet. Not sure when these were last touched.

The first game, Poddle Sort, involves sorting Poddles into different trucks based on their shapes. We're trying to get them back to Poddleville, which is confusing. I thought Poddleville was the name of the entire site.

We get this cool computer graphic to tell us which level we are on. The first three games have three levels apiece, which increase the difficulty.

When you complete a level, you get a "level jump," which features the Cybersquad jumping.

The second game, Bridge Break, features an animation of Buzz and Delete breaking a bridge.

In order to repair the bridge, you need to work out the pattern to figure out which planks go where.

The third minigame, Cyber Jam, features an animation of Matt getting stuck in traffic. Hacker ruined the traffic lights.

This is a classic puzzle called Klotski. You need to move the other vehicles out of the way to get Matt through the exit.

The fourth minigame, Scarmble, features an animation with Jackie. She loves creating Cyber creatures, apparently. That's a bit terrifying.

You can make a little guy. He even has a little animation when you're done.

The final game, Drawing, is a simple drawing program. You get several backgrounds to choose from. They are all based on backgrounds from the show, remade to be rendered on the Pixter.

We get the Dracula's Castle from Castleblanca.

I'm not sure what site this is from. It doesn't look like anything we see on Kalamoor during "A Day at the Spa". Maybe its a shot from Solaria during "Snow Day to be Exact", after the Sunisphere was stolen and the site started to freeze over. It could be Penguia, but I doubt it, as Penguia didn't come around until "Penguin Tears" in mid-2005. Penguia would have been pretty late to be included in this game. I wonder if this was just an original piece of winter-themed art, since there weren't many winter-themed sites at the time.

We get that forest where the tall, blue bunny, one of the Lucky charms of Cyberspace, lives.

We get another place that I don't recognize.

We get this shot from Solaria.

I'm pretty sure this show it from Sensible Flats.

I don't immediately recognize the site from this shot.

We get a shot of Motherboard's control panel and screen from Control Central.

We get a shot of the Northern Frontier.

We get a shot from Poddleville.

We get the bridge from The Hacker's Grim Wreaker ship.

And finally, we get this establishing shot of Cyberspace.

That's all that I have to say about this game for right now. I may do a follow-up where I try to capture the transitional animations.

[fabseg-creator]

My review about Miraculous World: Paris, Tales of Shadybug and Claw Noir

This is a (first) review about a Miraculous element (especially an episode form Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir).

This post contains spoilers.

Today, I've watched the Special Episode. I am prepared for the watching. I will reveal my aggregation in the end of the post.

And now, time to read:

Plot:

This happens in the same moment (at the night) as the episode Destruction (5.03). After Monarch has been cataclysmed at the left arm and before he configurates the stolen Miraculouses.

In a parallel world, a Butterfly superhero named Hesperia (Gabriel Agreste/Gabi Grassette) who is helped by Alya, Nino, Max and Markov, leaves his homeworld universe for escape from Shadybug (Toxinelle) and Claw Noire (Griffe Noire), two evil versions of Ladybug and Cat Noir. When the three characters come to the Ladybug and Cat Noir main universe, Hesperia teams up with the two titular heroes for make the ShadyClaw duo into good people. At the other side, the evil counterparts try to steal the Butterfly miraculous to Hesperia (and later to try to combine the Ladybug and Cat powers for make their wishes).

I've learned about news elements in the Miraculous lore by watching the Special:

They exist some billions an infinity of Parallel Worlds in the lore.

Each Parallel World is home to one Tikki and one Plagg (so One Ladybug holder and one Cat holder).

The inconvenients from the Ladybug's and Cat's powers (secondary effects)due to their excessive using. Shadybug and Claw Noire cause their own deterioration in their bodies by using their power for the evil.

The morale about the hope in dark and sad moments (Thanks, Hesperia.)

The parallel world (ShadyClaw/Hesperia's world) is a dystopian world ruled by the Supreme

Hesperia's, Shadybug's and Claw Noir's backstories

What I liked:

The Hesperia opening in the intro (that was WTF but that was fun)

The coming of Shadybug and Claw Noire, their odd relationships

The Claw Noir's lines and moments

The Kamiko (good alternate name to Akuma)

The akumatization forms: Chat Céleste (Cat Noir) and Ubiquity (first Alya and later Ladybug)

Ladyfly (Marinette with Ladybug + Butterfly unification)

The travels across multiple parallel worlds (Hi, Scarabella and Kitty Noire. Hi, Mister Bug and Ladynoire.)

The concept of Re-Verse (the idea of what would Marinette and Adrien have looked like if theirs lives had been different from the Canon)

The thing how Monarch has failed (again) to take the Ladybug and Cat Miraculouses when he travelled across parallel worlds.

What I disliked:

The lack of end post-credits scene: I would like to see what happens in the Hesperia's world after the battle (interractions between the reformed Shabybug and Claw Noire, Hesperia, Alya ans Nino about reconciliation ans reorganisation of the Resistance against the Supreme).

The absence of other Miraclass counterparts, Luka, Kagami, Félix, Zoé, Chloé and Lila/Cerise (Only Alya, Nino, Max and Markov from the class appear in the episode as parallel counterparts)

The missing full appearance of the Supreme (his/her appearance from the shadow for reveal himself/herself/themself to spectators could make the cliffhanger effect for a sequel).

What I want to know for the future:

The most intriguing point, for me, is: The Supreme (This hidden character I have just mentioned in this post)

Who is the Supreme ? Human or Deity ? Big Brother (1984, George Orwell) ? How do s/he looks like ?

All I've learned about him/her/them is:

The Supreme is an entity/being who rules the Hesperia's homeworld (possibly the Hesperia's entire universe).

S/He is a tyrant, a dictator (worst than Chloé, possibly more machiavelic and charismatic than Cerise, more dangerous than Monarch) on this Earth (or simply Paris).

S/He hates the Love, the Freedom/Liberty, the Justice, the Happiness, positive emotions and particularly the superheroes.

It's him/her/they who is THE overarching antagonist of the Paris Special (even if s/he is only mentioned many times). S/He's so more antagonistical than Monarch.

S/He makes Hesperia and the Resistance from this world (and by extension Ladybug 2 (former Shadybug) and Cat Noir 2/Paw Noir (former Claw Noir)) as Outlaws.

It's him/her/them who given the Ladybug and Cat miraculous to Emo Marinette and Emo Adrien. Ironical and Ridiculous from the Supreme !

S/He is too powerful, too surnatural and too overcheated: s/he has a great control on the Miraculous Ultimate Absolute Power. S/He has implanted a blockage spell on Tikki and Plagg for prevent anyone to summon Gimmi.

ML theory: I'm thinking the Supreme is probably a evil type of Guardian of Miraculouses. A Fallen Guardian (NOT Master Fu NOR Su-Han). S/He has many knowledges about Miraculouses and their using + the Absolute Power.

My personal aggregation on the Paris Special:

I've enjoyed to see the episode. The narrative is excellent. The idea of Multiverse in the Miraculous lore is well found. The various animations from the episode are fun. Miraculous World: Paris, Tales of Shadybug and Claw Noire is a wonderful episode.

Result: 10/10

[shieldofiron]

Sooooooo...

Doctor Hargrove and Nurse Harrington...

I think Heather would totally mess with Steve AND with Billy...

I mean, she clearly knows about the Dom thing and would want to make Steve sweat because it's so much fun.

And she'd mess with Billy because he had no idea how to work tiktok.

By the by, what's his username on tiktok?!

Sequel to the doctor au. You don't think Heather would set Billy up on tiktok without remembering his password, do you?

Steve sighed and rubbed his hands over his eyes. He only had a few more reports to do and then he could go home. His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he checked it briefly.

It was a comment from DaddyBillyLovesHeatherXOXO69420. Normally that user stuck to likes, though they'd had one nice exchange where they had recommended that Steve try a new trick for his glasses so they wouldn't fall off after Steve had posted a blooper reel of all his filming.

DaddyBillyLovesHeatherXOXO69420: Hey, you really inspired me so I made my first video. It would make my day if you could watch it @nursestevie

Steve glanced around for the Nurse Manager Heather Holloway or anyone else, but they were short staffed today. He hesitated for only a second more, and clicked on the video. Steve had over 500,000 fans but it would be nice to like someone's first video.

"What I do for my day job." The tiktok lady read proudly over footage of... oh fuck. It was Doctor Hargrove, the gorgeous surgeon that had haunted Steve's dreams ever since he did a consult on one of Steve's three year old patients. The little boy had adored "Doctor Biwwy" and his no nonsense bedside manner and Steve had very much agreed.

The intro to Labrinth's All for Us played through Steve's phone speakers. Doctor Hargrove wasn't looking at the camera, instead it was filmed from far away. Probably so he could fit his impressive shoulder width into the frame.

Steve swallowed, watching as the Dr. Hargrove on his tiny screen rolled up his button down sleeves, exposing a forearm with a hard to see tattoo.

"What I do for fun," The Tiktok lady said just as the beat dropped.

Steve almost dropped his phone, but something in his body let him hold onto it. Doctor Hargrove was naked from the waist up, wearing a black mask, and raising a black leather flogger. His chest rippled. Steve's heart stopped. Doctor Hargrove was in a room with red walls, and then the video cut to the stupid tiktok logo.

"No! Where's the rest of it???" Steve clicked once and then twice, but it just liked the video.

"Problem in here, Steve?" Heather appeared as if by magic at the door.

"No," Steve turned back to the computer, trying to silence his phone with shaky fingers, "Just... something started playing on my phone and I'm trying to get it to turn off."

She hummed, "Ok, finish up your reports and you can head out."

"T-Thanks."

[msi-obsessive]

I realized I never did an intro post.. I’d do one using the layout my husband made for his discord server. Plus/Minus a few things. lol

Username most used/Nickname: VictoryFire88/Ray

Age: 36

Location: North Dakota

Favorite TV shows: Quantum Leap ( both versions ) Doctor Who, Steve Universe, Hazbin Hotel and Helluvaboss

Favorite movies: Rock Horror Picture Show, Shocktreatment ( Rock Horror’s less popular sequel ) , Phantom of the Opera ( 2004 version ). 90s Disney Movies, Harry Potter ( but JK rowling can suck ass! )

Favorite games: Omnimusha 2 , a lot of other old PS and PS 2 games. Pokémon as a whole!

Favorite food(s) and drink(s): Chicken Tika Masala, Pizza and flavored Sparkling water

Hobbies: Craft stuff ( mostly greeting cards and polymer clay figures )

Favorite Animal(s): Puffins, Penguins, Crows.. Fuck it.. I like birds! lol

Favorite bands/artists and fave albums:

Listing this one..

1. Green Day-American Idiot and Dookie

2. Fall Out Boy- Infinity on High and Folie A Duex

3. My Chemical Romance- Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge and The Black Parade

4. Good Charlotte- Chronicles of Life and Death ( Death Version ) and Good Morning Revival

5. Avenged Sevenfold- Waken the Fallen and City of Evil

6. Mindless Self Indulgence- Tight/Tighter, Frankenstein Girls Will Seem Awfully Sexy, and IF ( added edit: I also and enjoy both Left Rights albums )

7. Cobra Starship- Viva! La Cobra and Hot Mess

8. Reba - Random songs, not any specific albums

9. Random country songs as a whole.

10. Andrea Baanica - Random songs.

Some random facts about you: Listing again

1. I have three mental disorders ADHD, Autism and Depression

2. I disowned my own mother! Thank god my parents are divorced. Love my dad though.

3. I love supporting artists on youtube. Shout out to Coloring Bliss for all her ( and sometimes her husband )reviews! Plus her cute dog Rose!

4. I’m bi sexual but never had a gf.. Women are too pretty! And demisexual. Sexual attraction without love?! Could never!

5. I don’t identify as any gender ( I’m agendered ) But any pronouns are okay!

That’s it! Sorry that this was so long! lol

Feel free to ask me anything anything you might be curious about.

[3-2-whump]

3-2-Masterlist

Created: 2/3/24

Updated: 12/28/24

Whump Quotes

Quote 1 Art

Quote 2

Quote 3

Quote 4

Quote 5

Whump One Shots (Generic Names)

Tear-Filled Noncon (Mutual!)

Valentine's Day Shopping

Tear-Filled Noncon (Mutual!) Art

The Informant

The Informant, Second Half

Rescue: The Informant, Part Three

Post-Recovery Arc Fluff

Language Barrier Idea

Hidden Injuries/Keeping Secrets/‘Drop the Act’

Eternal Masterlist -Story Complete

North Star Masterlist: An Eternal Sequel

Other Projects/Ideas to be Developed

New(Old?) Whump Story Idea

Rinnico Kaa Design

Mermay and MerWhump

Events

WoW Birthday Whump Event:

Days 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15

OC Week 2024: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 p1, 5 p2, 6, 7

Azerty’s Mini Comfortember: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

Beta Reader Holiday Gift Fics: for Glitter, for Generic

Miscellania

Whump Intro

Whump Author Portrait

Whumpy Bingo Sheet

About the Author, or Adoption Trauma and Whump

[perfctvelvet]

Patreon Masterlist.

Elle -- Mature Content ahead (18+ only)!

Cherry Tier $2; Only you gives you access to the Luvcherry/Honeysmut archive Honey Tier $4; Gives you access to exclusive stories, series, and the archive.

REQUEST LIST. PATREON. MY OLD TUMBLR. READ BEFORE FOLLOWING.

Ao3 and Wattpad = dotwillow (if you find my works posted outside of tumblr anywhere but here then it's not me!)

All stories are fictional and are not accurate depictions of real life or the people in them.

Find me on tumblr here.

FICS

Please, Please, Please; Sabrina Carpenter/Reader Rosy; Zendaya/Reader Baby's First Ride; Billie Eilish/Reader String Bikini; Sydney Sweeney/Actress!Reader Broken Clocks; AU!Zendaya/Reader Glass Table Girls; Bella Hadid/Reader The Pizza Girl; Devon Lee Carlson/Reader Golden Girl; Sydney Sweeney/Reader Poison the Well; Maggie Lindermann/Madison Beer Angel; Bella Hadid/Reader Perfect Strangers; Hailey Bieber/Reader Acquaintance; Kim Kardashian/Reader Good Girl Gone Bad; Gigi Hadid/Reader Best Friend Dilemma; Kylie Jenner/Reader (side pairing: Stassie/Reader) Lemonade; Kourtney Kardashian/Reader/Megan Fox Couched Too; Kim Kardashian x Addison Rae Tourist Attraction; Reader/Kardashian Sisters Step Sisters; Madison Beer/Addison Rae Doll II; Kylie Jenner/Reader Doll I; Kylie Jenner/Reader Rising Star; Normani/Megan thee Stallion/Sza Helpful Hands; Kim Kardashian/Reader/Kourtney Kardashian & Slight! Kylie Jenner x Reader. Birthday Bitch; KarJenners/Reader The Neighbor; Kylie Jenner/Reader/Stassiebaby Oiled; Madison Beer/Reader Girl Next Door; Addison Rae/Reader/OFC Couched; Kim Kardashian/Reader/OFC

ORIGINAL WORKS

Love Thy Neighbor; Older!Neighbor/Reader Cookie; Older woman/College!Reader

Kinktober 2024

One, Two, Three, Four...; Jenna/Reader Bet;Sabrina/Reader

BLURBS

Photograph; Kendall Jenner/Reader Double Trouble; Devon Lee Carlson/Reader/Sydney Carlson Something New; Zendaya/Reader Breakfast; Stepmom!Margot Robbie/Reader Stress Reliever; Selena Gomez/Reader Secret; Madison Beer/Reader Massage; Gigi Hadid/Reader Walk in the Park; Bella Hadid/Reader Fucking Cheater; Alexa Demie/Reader Sweet; Elizabeth Olsen/Reader Morning; Zendaya/Reader New Recruit; Olivia Rodrigo/Reader Not Right; Kylie Jenner/Reader Girl Next Door [Mini-Sequel]; Addison Rae/Reader Deleted Tumblr fics

SERIES

𝐁𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐚𝐥

College cheerleader AU! Various/Reader

Sweet Honey Blonde; Coach!Emily/Reader. Slight Sabrina/Reader All is Fair; Coach!Emily/Reader/Cheerleader!Kylie 3 of Cups; Emily/Kendall/Hailey/Bella Off Limits; Kylie Jenner/Reader

♡ 𝐒𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐒𝐮𝐛𝐣𝐮𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 ♡

Original Series! Of course the prettiest college girl in the neighborhood made heads turn, hearts beat faster, and was envied. Y/n was never surprised when she caught someone’s too-old-dad looking at her bare legs in a skirt. Suggestions for her to meet someone’s more age appropriate son or nephew was never made in earnest; the perverts just wanted a closer look of her tits in her one-size-too-small crop top. She’s had plenty of opportunities to make someone’s daddy hers. The offers to make extra money by babysitting would land her in an all too cliché scenario. These men were like animals, hungry and relentless. They were too obviously horny to notice her looking past them to look at their wives instead.

Intro

𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫;

Sydney Sweeney x Reader (series), Alexa Demie x Reader (brief) -- In this dull town, during this dull Summer, Alexa is looking for fun while dragging Sydney along with her. Things get bumpy when Sydney gets too attached to someone who won't be around for long.

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5

𝐇𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐲;

Bella Hadid x Reader -- Y/n stumbled across Baby Bels cam show once and was instantly infatuated with her.

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4

𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐲;

Blackpink x Reader -- Y/n's new internship at a music label doesn't really go as planned.

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4

✾ 𝐒𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐞 ✾

After Dark; Twice Sana/Reader/Momo Tangerine Dream; Alexa Demie/Reader Dumb Blonde; Dove Cameron/Reader Little Dove; Billie Eilish/Reader

☆ 𝐈 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥; Kendall/Reader ☆

My Best Friend's Girlfriend; Kendall/Reader (main pairing), Bella/Devon Lee Carlson (side pairing), and Bella/Reader & Kendall/Devon (side pairings) After Party; Kendall/Reader with side pairing of Kylie/Reader Heaven is a Place on Earth with You II Heaven is a Place on Earth with You I Cry For Me Third Times A Charm II Third Times A Charm I Love You, Still

♡ 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐁𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐲; Ariana/Reader ♡

Across the World Party of Three; Ariana/Reader/Madison Beer Moonlight Bunny's Punishment; Ariana/Reader/Madison Beer Slut Bunnies; Ariana/Reader/Madison Beer Double The Pleasure Brat; Ariana/Reader/Liz Gillies Cuffed Quickie

[saffronapplemanga]

Recent Read Manga Recommendation Round Up - Part 2

More manga I’ve been enjoying recently! Part 1 recommendation list here. Twitter link to this post here.

~Links to my other manga posts~ My personal favs/ones I super enjoyed will have a ✨ on them :)

Got more new titles and shorter reads this time around!

Some of these don't have official (or unofficial) EN translations since I read a lot of JP-only manga and I’d like to make people aware of those titles too! My hope is that bringing awareness to them will help get them licensed :) I guess if any sound interesting, ask publishers to license them! I’ll link any dedicated posts I have for each title.

PLEASE LOOK UP ANY TRIGGER WARNINGS!

HISTORICAL, DRAMA

✨Tenmaku no Jadoogar: A Witch’s Life in Mongol by Tomato Soup

(3 volumes, ongoing)

JP only. The first 5 chapters are up for free in JP here. English summary in this post

A learned Irani slave girl is taken captive by the Mongols in the 13th century and has to use her knowledge to survive. Well-researched historical fiction about Fatima, who was a real person in history. I wrote a long detailed post about it, so check it out!

DRAMA, ART

✨Untitled Blue by Natsume Yukiko

(3 volumes, ongoing)

JP only - English summary in this post

I fell for Untitled Blue SO HARD, and I need the next volume immediately. A suicidal boy who just wants to make art uses the name of a burnt-out prodigy girl to sell his works in anonymity. The found family vibes and feels are strong in this one... And there are some absolutely SICK pages in this.

DRAMA, PSYCHOLOGICAL, ROMANCE

Haru’s Curse by Konishi Asuka

(2 volumes, complete)

Available in English

A woman falls for her dead sister's man and we follow a story about guilt and grief. This is a well-written short manga that tackles touchy topics in a thoughtful manner.

PSYCHOLOGICAL, DRAMA, SCI-FI

Takopi’s Original Sin by Taizan5

(2 volumes, complete)

English available to read on mangaplus

A short manga that was quite popular in Japan by the same author of the currently publishing Jump series The Ichinose Family's Deadly Sins, this title is a good intro into Taizan 5's work. The art is expressive, the page turn is used well, and it takes a look at human psychology through three children with complicated relationships and living situations.

LGBTQ, SLICE OF LIFE

Kawa yori mo Nagaku Yuruyaka ni by Yoshida Akimi

(2 volumes, complete)

JP only

From Yoshida-sensei of Banana Fish fame, this short manga predates her more well-known work and you can see her explore some of the themes and ideas that you'll often see in Yoshida's works. I didn't relate to the characters (Which is actually nice sometimes! Different perspectives are good!) and it's kind of a weird manga, but it got a few laughs out of me and it was cool seeing Yoshida experiment.

This is how he introduced himself to an American working at the base - WILD

COMEDY, SLICE OF LIFE

✨Let's Go Karaoke! by Wayama Yama

(oneshot)

Available in English

I've been eyeing this title for YEARS and almost bought it so many times. Finally read it and idk why it took me so long. A charming, quirky, silly, wholesome story about a yakuza getting singing lessons from a choir kid. There's a sequel that's currently being published, ファミレス行こ/Famiresu Iko/"Let's Go To a Diner," but it seems to have a slow release schedule and hasn't been released in volume form yet. I don't see it available to read digitally either so I guess we'll just wait for a tankobon release.

COMEDY, SLICE OF LIFE

✨Captivated, by You by Wayama Yama

(oneshot)

Available in English

A wholesome quick read that left me with a smile on my face. The characters in this manga are just sweet kids and it's delightfully mundane. I mean that in the best way. It was just so nice to read.

COMEDY, SLICE OF LIFE

✨Onna no Sono no Hoshi by Wayama Yama

(3 volumes, ongoing)

JP only

More of Wayama Yama's infectious brand of humor and fuzzy feelings that I'm completely in love with at this point. Read what I said for the last two titles - same good stuff.

DRAMA, SCI-FI, MYSTERY

✨Gene Bride by Takano Hitomi

(3 volumes, ongoing)

JP only - English summary in this post

Sci-fi title that slowly unfolds its mystery and features two incredibly charming characters with a hilarious dynamic and tons of personality.

DRAMA, SLICE OF LIFE

✨Ikoku Nikki by Yamashita Tomoko

(11 volumes, complete)

JP only

My current read!

15-year old Asa's parents passed away in a car accident and her aunt, Makio, who works as an author has taken her in. This series is so human and makes me feel too seen and it's too relatable... Gives me the warm and fuzzies but also makes me want to cry. I need Makio in my life tbh.

Just gonna leave this here...

[gullwrites]

writeblr intro 🤍

hiiiii 👋🏻 i'm red / gull (it/its) and this is my (new) writeblr! i remade from @kahvilahuhut because i couldn't really reconnect with my old blog, and felt like i needed a fresh new start. so, here we are!

i like to draw and write for fun, and dream of making either a novel or a graphic novel of my beloved original story that lives in my head rent free. though, i am also a master's student (in social policy) at the same time (at least rn) so i'm also pretty busy and can't sadly be into that all the time. oh well, it is like that sometimes.

i especially enjoy scifi and speculative fiction! books i've recently loved are the southern reach series by jeff vandermeer, the murderbot series by martha wells, and this is how you lose the time war by amal el-mohtar and max gladstone :) i also love cats, coffee and video games! :3c

wips

Cynosure (& it's sequel Periphery): light scifi / drama / thriller i guess? / corporate dystopia kind of thing format: either a novel or a graphic novel. or a mix of these. we'll see. :3c point of view: third person pov, three different characters

After another fight breaks out between two megacorporations and ends in casulties, the Earth Board forces them to work together and prove that they can behave - or else they'll end up without money.

The corporations pick a few projects to collaborate on, one of which is an old idea that has been collecting dust in the storage. Problem is, the project seems doomed from the start... especially when they bring a person who was responsible for it ending up closed in the first place.

Additionally to the main story, I also tend to post oneshots and other things about the characters from Cynosure, or about the lore, or the corporations. Teehee.

I also have other wips too i promise. this one just occupies my brain at this moment lmao