#Kill Your Darlings 5 Review

[dispatchdcu]

Kill Your Darlings #5 Review

Kill Your Darlings #5 Review #killyourdarlings #comics #comicbooks #news #imagecomics #image #art #info #NCBD #amazon #comicbooknews #previews #reviews

Writers: Ethan S. Parker and Griffin Sheridan Artist: Robert Quinn Letters: John J. Hill Publisher:  Image Comics Price: $3.99 Release Date: January 17th, 2024 After last issue’s insane events, with the evil entity from Rose’s dark childhood fantasy tales breaking through into our reality, Kill Your Darlings #5 pauses the story, flashing back to Rose’s mother Andrea and showing her story, which…

[violenteconomics]

FRESHMEN 101 FOR ASPIRING UPPERCLASSMEN

today’s lesson: proper communication and translation 🗣️

azul: greetings! i am your professor, azul ashengrotto! welcome to "freshmen 101 for aspiring upperclassmen" at night raven college! the only class that will you teach how to effectively handle those little brats— I MEAN loveable new faces you see around your dorm!

riddle: today, we will focus on how to properly communicate with your first-years. some of the things they say may be confusing and/or contradictory, so it's important to know how to translate their sentences into coherent language you understand.

vil: we have set up a variety of examples with our fellow co-professors and fellow seniors to guide you along this journey.

^

epel: vil, do you think i’d look better with a tattoo?

vil: translation: i am entering my rebellious phase and also want to ruin my delicate skin with a glorified paint job that i will most definitely regret in the future and will make me wish i had listened to my housewarden more. also, i have no hope of a happy future and will live out my days as a gangster on the streets.

epel: …what?

^

ortho: big brother, can you help me with a cosmetics alteration to my gear?

idia: big brother, i want to be the sparkliest, prettiest, most drop-dead gorgeous, most attractive, most charming, 5-star-reviewed, no notes, darling, glamorous, talented, brilliant, incredible, show-stopping, spectacular, never the same, totally unique, stunning, bewitching, adorbs, graceful, beguiling, smashing, knock-out, irresistible person in the classroom tomorrow.

ortho: yay~! 😀

^

deuce: sorry i was out past curfew, trey… i’m a little tired, so is it okay if i skip brushing my teeth tonight?

trey: translation: i have a secret boyfriend that i don’t want you to know about because he coerces me to engage in illegal underground boxing rings and convinces me that brushing my teeth is for losers. please get involved and maybe call the police and also never let me out of the dorm again until i’ve properly relearned the benefits of proper dental hygiene!

deuce: …huh?

^

sebek: silver, i think… i would like to make some friends with the people in our dorm. could you… mayhaps give me some advice?

silver: translation: i am a strikingly realistic imposter of your actual friend. i do not love nor care for you, and in fact, am very frightened by your presence, so i will gather allies from other places in an elaborate scheme to destroy you, the liege you’ve sworn your life to, your father, and your friend, whom i’ve already killed and whose body i have hidden in the basement. please end me.

sebek: pardon? what— what are you— why are you carrying around a camera— NO! NO NO NO NONONONO SILVER IF I’VE OFFENDED YOU I DEEPLY APOLOGIZE— SILVER PUT THE SWORD DOWN—

^

yuu: everyday, i’m scared that everything i’ve worked so hard to build in this world, all the friends i’ve made… all of it will just— slip through my fingers like sand… kalim? azul? what are your biggest fears?

kalim: translation: wow, things sure have been getting a little upsetti spaghetti around here! let’s throw a huge party in the mostro lounge with food and games and bright lights and elephants and and invite all of our friends to lighten up the atmosphere! the more, the merrier!

azul: translation: and while we’re at it, please don’t forget the mostro lounge’s limited time “part of your world” event, which offers authentic drinks, food, and even little trinkets from all around the world, for 20% off its original price!

yuu: guys pls

^

ace: hey, riddle? i, uh… i need help with smth.

riddle: translation: i have gotten into some very serious trouble and am about to lure you into a death trap that will get us both severely injured in all likelihood, and i am coming to you, specifically, about this, because i know you care deeply for me and couldn’t say no if you honestly thought my life was in danger, and i am going to exploit it for my own ends. what is it, ace?

ace: …ok, u lil bitch i see how it is

^

jack: hey, leona? ruggie? do you… do you love me?

leona: 

ruggie: 

leona: 

ruggie: 

ruggie: translation: give me food!

jack: …would it help if i said it first?

leona: 

ruggie: 

leona: 

ruggie: 

leona: …no, wait— i think maybe he said “give me sliced pears on a plate”... not sure, tho.

ruggie: that does sound right...

jack: oh my seven.

[mama2bears]

Starting Over Again - Chapter 6

Warning: Not accurate medical stuff. Not accurate law stuff. Swear words. Some use of nicknames such as Sweetie and Darling. Emotional angst and physical angst.

A/N: Thank you everyone for your comments, reviews, re blogs, and likes. It means a lot to a new writer like me. This is my first try at a fan fiction so I am still working on trying to find the balance between making the story entertaining and not dragged out, but not being too quick either. All of your reviews and comments helps me try to learn how to write better, so I appreciate all your feed back. I hope you keep enjoying the story. I had thought it was going to end by now, but I am going to run with a idea and make it last a little longer.

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Laying on the hospital bed as the doctor examines your left side, you hiss in pain when he gently pushes on you. “It appears you have some internal bleeding, possibly from the spleen. I am going to order a few tests. Right now all your vital signs appear stable. I think we're going to have to go in there and do a spleen repair, though. I am going to try to wait and see what the tests show as long as you remain stable. If you become unstable we're just going to go in for emergency surgery without the tests.” he stated, jotting down a few notes on his chart, “There's a officer here to get a statement,” he looked at you and then over to Dani and Lily who had never left your side, “Are you all ready to give a statement?”

“Send them in.” you say, despite the pain surging though your left side and up to the your shoulder. The room seemed to be spinning now. You didn't want to wait a minute longer. You needed them to know how dangerous Lee was and how much danger Tyler and your friends were now in.

“Very well,” he said, “A nurse should be here in a few moments with some pain medication for you.”

“Ms. Y/LN?” the officer spoke softly and had a kind face as he entered the room.

“Yes, that's me.” your voice trembled.

“Do you know who it was that attacked you?”

“Yes. It was my husband Lee.”

“Has he done this type of thing before?” the officer asked.

“Yes. For the last five years. It's just normally beating, not stabbing.” you feel the tears rolling down your cheek.

Dani and Lily stand on either side of you, holding your hands.

“Sir, I am worried about my friends, one is here in the hospital and I am afraid my husband is going to go after him.” you say trembling. You had lived in this hell for five years. You knew what Lee could do and what he would do.

“Everything will be okay,” the officer assures you. “You and your friends are safe in here. We've alerted security. They will keep an eye on things.” he assured you. “Now, are you certain it was your husband? Could it be anyone who looked like him?”the officer continued.

“No..it was him. I am certain of it. I left him a few days ago and came down here. He told me he would kill me if I ever left him.”

The officer nodded, “And you said he beat you, often, right?”

“Yes.” you answer taking calm and steady breaths.

“Have you filed a police report against him before?”

“No.” you sigh.

“And why not?”

“I was afraid. I had no where to go. I didn't know what to do.”

“But you left him this time and came here? Where did you leave him from?”

“I left from Tennessee. I took his truck. I took some money from his account. Some people helped me and I got a bus ticket down here after finding a job opening as a storm chaser.”

The officer nodded and you looked up at him, “Am I in trouble for taking the truck and money?” you ask.

“Well Ms. Y/LN.” There are no warrants issued for you. If you were married then the money is considered partly yours. “Where is the truck now?” he asked.

“I left it back in TN, along with the keys and his wallet. The $500 was all that I took and used.”

“I don't see a problem then, Ms. Y/LN.” he jotted down a few notes, “But I am curious, how do you think he found you here?”

“I...I don't know.” you whisper.

“I have an idea.” Lily said. “There's a few photos of her with us that our fans have taken. They are asking who she is. If that bastard...excuse my language, if he were to stumble across one of those sites...the fans post all the information about us. It would have been easy for him to look us up and see where we were and what our names were. We knew Y/N was leaving a dangerous situation, so we have been careful not to show her on our videos or mention her name or anything...but...I guess that doesn't stop the fan base from being curious and taking photos.”

The officer closed his notepad and looked at you with a sympathetic expression. “Unfortunately, there isn't anything I can do at this moment except take down the suspect description and an account of what happened. There is no eyewitness, no video surveillance, and no proof that your husband came from Tennessee to Oklahoma to track you down and attack you. There is no record of abuse or past police reports filed.”

“So that's it? He's free?” you ask, your voice trembling.

“I am sorry, there's nothing else I can do. You can tell me the make and model of the truck he drives, a tag number if you have it. We can issue a BOLO, but even if we do find the truck...there is no evidence that he was the one who attacked you.”

“That's a load of sh...” Lily trailed off when Dani placed a hand on her shoulder.

The officer handed you his card. “If there is anything else you think of...call me.”

With that he nodded to Dani and Lily and left the room.

“Y/N, I am so sorry.” Lily and Dani hugged you.

You close your eyes fighting back the tears. A loud beeping filled the air as the machines sent off alarms You tried to hide it long enough to talk to the officer, but the pain was worsening. It was unbearable now. The room was spinning in circles and your vision was starting to blur.

“Alright Ms. Y/LN. I've got some meds I am going to put in your IV.” the nurse rushed into the room, “The doctor is concerned about your blood pressure, it's dropping too fast and that's a sign of serious internal bleeding. He's decided to go ahead with emergency surgery. We're going to start prepping you right away.”

Turning to Dani and Lily the nurse continued, “I am sorry, but you will have to leave for now. Visiting hours are at 8am.”

“No...please don't leave me.” you felt a panic rising. What if you died? What if that wasn't enough to satisfy Lee and he just continued to come after Tyler and your friends?

“I am sorry sweetie.We will be right out in the waiting room. We aren't leaving.” Lily promised.

“Make sure Tyler is okay.” You mumbled, already feeling the blackness overtake you.

“We will, sweetie. All of us are going to be right out in the waiting room, okay?” Dani promised.

* * * * *

Tyler awoke to see Dexter and Boone sitting in the chair next to his bed. He turned his head, scanning the room but couldn't find the one person he wanted to see the most.

“Where's Y/N? Is she resting back at the hotel?” he his asked, his voice still weak and groggy.

“Take it easy.” Dexter said calmly, “You need to rest.”

“I want to know where Y/N is! What's wrong? I know something is wrong.” Tyler's heart beat sped up and his breath was coming out in gasps, sending the machines beeping. Fear gripped him. Y/N wasn't here and his friends didn't want to tell him why.

“Guys, I'll have to ask that you leave. You're upsetting him. Mr. Owens needs to rest.” the nurse glared at Dexter and Boone as she entered the room, then turning to Tyler, “Sir..you must calm down. You got broken ribs, too much movement could puncher a lung. Your leg has stitches...if you were to pull them out you could bleed to death...do you understand me?” she was almost yelling at him.

“Don't make them leave. I just need to know where my girlfriend is. I need to know she's alright, then I'll lay here and be good.” he promised, forcing himself to calm down, if just for a moment.

“Very well.” she glared at the three men, “I don't want no more outbursts.” she warned.

“yes ma'am.” the three said in union.

Tyler waited until the nurse was out of the room, “Now tell me, where is Y/N?” he demanded with a glare.

“Promise not to get upset?” Boone asked. Tyler only responded with a glare.

“She's currently in surgery. Dani and Lily are out in the waiting room. We are just waiting on word from the doctor when surgery is completed.” Dexter said.

Tyler's heart skipped a beat, tears filled his eyes, “What happened?” he asked, his breathing becoming labored as a million thoughts raced though his head. She was fine last night. He saw her, talked to her. She was going back to the hotel with the Dani and Lily to get something to eat and rest...why was she now in surgery? A tornado? A accident? Was she hurt before and trying to hide it?

“What the hell happened!” Tyler yelled when no one answered.

“She had internal bleeding.” Dexter informed him, “they rushed her into emergency surgery.”

“Tell me...what HAPPENED!” Tyler demanded, making a move to sit up, but slipping back down in the bed.

“Man, calm down before you hurt yourself worse or get us thrown out.” Boone hissed, “We'll tell you, just calm down.”

“Calm down hell! I am getting out of here. What the hell happened!” Tyler's voice boomed though the room, even over the alarms now going off on the machines. He pushed himself up with more force this time and swung his feet over to the side of the bed, crying out at the pain that shoot though his injured leg.

“T...we're going to tell you, but promise to stay calm.”

Tyler glared at his friends with clenched teeth. He knew he wasn't going to like whatever his friends had to tell him.

“She was stabbed.” Dexter stated.

Panic filled him, “Oh my God! How did it happen?” he asked, biting at his lip trying to remain calm.

“Her husband. He found her.” Dexter said.

“It wasn't nothing we did.” Boone said quickly, watching Tyler's normally tanned face turn red in a rage of anger, “Fans apparently got a few photos of her and posted them online asking who she was. That gave this creep all the information he needed to track us down.”

“Where. Is. He.” Tyler was furious.

“That, we don't know.” Dexter said.

“What the hell you mean you don't know!” Tyler blasted out, tears streaming down his face, “Who was with her when it happened?”

“Dani and Lily were. Lily said that he attacked Y/N out there in the parking lot once they left your room last night. Dani tackled him and I guess he pulled a knife and Y/N went at him to help Dani and she ended up getting stabbed. The jerk ran off like the chicken shit he is.”

“I assume you called the police?” Tyler asked.

“Yes...there's nothing they can do right now as there's no evidence. No other eye witness or surveillance or anything.” Boone said softly.

“Well, I am going to do something about it.” he seethed.

“Alright. OUT! Both of you OUT!” The nurse stormed in. “We are over filled with tornado victims from last night and I can't be running in here every five minutes. Now OUT!” she pointed at the door. Then glared at Tyler, “What do you think you are doing? You are suppose to be in bed!”

“I am leaving too.” Tyler pulled at the monitors connected to him, “There's an emergency I need to deal with.”

“YOU sir, are not cleared to leave until at least tonight, but probably not until tomorrow. You are to be resting and letting your body heal before you do a lot of moving about.”

“Ma'am, I am leaving this room. Now get my papers and get me released.”

“Are you telling me you are refusing any further care?” she glared.

“Yes. I am refusing any further care. Just give me a prescription for whatever I need to take and release me.”

“Fine. You are going to sign a release stating we aren't reasonable. I warned you.” The nurse muttered as she unhooked the machines and turned them off, “We could use the extra bed anyway.”

“Thank you.” Tyler stated.

“I'll be back in a few minutes with your papers. I've got to inform your doctor first.”

Ty nodded and turned to Boone and Dexter, “Did you guys get my truck last night?”

“We did.” Dexter said, “She was flipped over, but otherwise just fine. We got the doors unlocked. It's back at the hotel waiting for you.”

“Thank you guys.” he said softly. “Don't suppose I have a clean change of clothes?”

“Sure do. We got your dirty stuff out of here and there is a clean outfit and your phone laying over there on the counter, waiting for you to get out of here.”

“You guys are the best.” Tyler stood, wobbling on his feet and almost crashing back to the bed. Boone was there instantly to offer him a steadying hand. “T..I don't really think you should be leaving the hospital man. What good will you be to Y/N if you get your self killed? You need to stay in that bed and rest.”

“I need to be with her! I can't lay here not knowing how she is or whats happening. I can't stay in this room with the possibility of that bastard getting to her.” Tyler seethed. “Now help me get my clothes or I will do it myself, even if I have to crawl!”

“Alright man, whatever you need.” Boone gave in, knowing he couldn't win this argument. Together, they shuffled over to the counter and grabbed his clothes, “Once I get released I want you guys along with Dani and Lily to head back to the hotel and get some rest. I'll call you once Y/N is released.”

“We can just hang around here. Y/N was worried that her husband was going to come after you or something.”

“I hope he does.” Tyler seethed, “I am going to kill him, after I beat him to death.” he couldn't hide the anger that was raging in him.

While he was in the bathroom getting dressed, Lily stopped by the room, instantly noticing the empty bed, “Where's Ty?” she gasped.

“He found out about Y/N.” Boone looked guilty. “I had to tell him. He was going to tear this room apart and probably us too if I didn't.”

“Tyler!” Lily called.

Hearing Lily's voice he threw open the bathroom door so fast he lost his balance and was falling forward, his shirt only half on, his pants still unbuttoned. Dexter and Boone caught him, helping him to get steady again.

“How's Y/N?” he gasped. Right now, that's all he cared about. The only thing he could think of. He needed to know she was okay. He needed to be by her side.

“She's out of surgery. The doctors were able to stop the bleeding. She's in a room now and they're just waiting for her to wake up. She's going to be okay, Ty.”

“I am checking myself out. I need to be there with her.” Tyler said, his voice heavy with emotion.

Lily started to protest, but the door opened and the doctor entered with a hand full of papers, “Mr. Owens, I hear you are refusing any further care? Is that correct?”

“Yes.”

“I have to warn you, if those ribs puncher a lung or your stitches pull out, you could be facing possible death. It is my recommendation that you stay in the hospital just a bit longer.”

“I am going down to my girlfriend's room. I need to be with her.” Tyler said, “So technically, I am not leaving the hospital until she does.”

“That's all well and good, but you will not be under a doctors care and will not be monitored. You are facing possible death by leaving. I need to make that clear to you...if something happens we are not responsible.”

“I am warned. I understand the risks and I accept them. Now where do I sign?” Tyler asked.

“Here.” the doctor pointed to a few lines that he needed to sign, “And you can go down to the hospital pharmacy and pick up your medication. There's something for pain and to prevent infection.”

“Thank you.” Tyler handed the signed papers back and very slowly limped out of the room. “Now, where is Y/N?” he asked.

“I'll take you to her room.” Lily said,knowing it was too late to argue anyway. She also knew, once Tyler Owens made his mind up about something, there was no changing it. “We'll get you some chairs fixed up so you can be comfortable and rest.”

“And we'll go down and pick up your prescriptions.” Boone offered, “Anything else you want us to get?”

“Thank you. I really appreciated everything you guys have done.” Tyler gives them both a gentle hug, being careful not to move too much and hurt his ribs again. “Maybe a little food. Some for Y/N too, for when she wakes up.”

“You got it T.” Boone nodded.

Tyler tried to hid the pain that coursed though his body with each step as he limped down the hallway, following Lily to where Y/N was. Carefully, he opened the door and slipped into the room. He was relieved to see her resting comfortably, the steady beep of the heart monitor told him she was doing okay.

“Ty? What are you DOING?” Dani hopped up and rushed over to him.

“I signed myself out early. I wanted to be here with Y/N.”

“Tyler, you need to rest!” Dani scolded, “You're no good to her if you go and hurt yourself even worse.”

“I am going to rest. Dexter and Boone are getting my medicines and some food. I am going to sit in a chair next to her bed and be here when she wakes up.”

“I take it the guys told you what happened.” Dani shook her head.

“They tried not to tell me, but I forced them.” Tyler grinned then looked serious, “That's why I want to be here with her. How is she?”

“Doctor said everything went good in surgery. She's going to be okay, Ty.”Dani was already moving the chairs around, “Here, sit here.” she directed, then slide the second chair over, “And put your feet on this one.”

Grateful to be able to sit down again, Tyler eased himself into the chair next to your bed and Dani carefully helped him prop his legs up on the second chair.

“I'll go get some pillows from the nurse and ask for an extra blanket for you.” Lily offered.

“Thank you...” Tyler smiled at his friends, “I owe you both, really big. Thank you for taking care of her, for protecting her.”

“That's what family does!” Dani patted his shoulder.

“I am sorry, sweetheart.” Tyler whispered, taking your hand in his and leaning down to kiss it softly. He couldn't stop the tears from falling anymore and he didn't care who saw. He leaned his head on the bed next to you sobbing, “I am sorry I wasn't there last night. I am sorry you got hurt again.” he rubbed his figures gently over your hand.

As Tyler laid there, his figures intertwined with yours,..a new fear crept in. What if Lee showed up before he was fully healed? It was killing him just to limp down the hallway. He didn't care what happened to him, but what if he wasn't able to protect you? What if that bastard found you and he lost the fight because he was still injured, and Lee got to you. It would have to be over his dead body, but Tyler knew that could be a very real thing. If Lee showed up right now, he knew that he wasn't strong enough to over take him...not yet. He sure as hell would go down fighting for you though. Tyler knew he had to get you out of here and to safety for a few weeks.

Lily returned a minute later with a blanket and pillows, which she used to prop up Ty's leg and support his back. Boone had already returned with two bags of food and a change of clothes for Y/N as well as Ty's phone.

The four friends stood there watching the scene in front of them. Tyler was sitting in the chair, his leg stitched up and bandaged, his broken ribs wrapped and he was leaning over, his head laying on the bed next to yours. He looked drained and tired, eyes were red and puffy from the tears he cried, pain etched across his face. The friends watched in silence for a few moments, Tyler holding your hand, seemly lost in thought.

“I think our wrangler has been wrangled himself.” Lily whispered to the team, who smiled and nodded in agreement.

“Need anything else, T?” Boone asked softly. “We're going to get out of here and give you two some time alone.”

“No...you guys have been amazing and I owe you all really big. I was just thinking, what if we all took a week or two off and just went to the beach? A buddy of mine has a beach house down in Galveston, I think he'll let us use it. I am suppose to rest anyway so we can't do storm chasing for a bit. I think it will do good for Y/N to get her away from here for a bit and just relax.”

“Seriously?” Boone grinned, “You are offering us a BEACH vacation, rather then storm chasing?”

“Yeah..” Tyler nodded “Yeah I am..Why don't you guys get some rest and we will discuss this once Y/N wakes up.”

“Alright, T. Call us when you need us.” Boone said, stepping out of the door with the rest of the team...”YES!!! BEACH HERE I COME!” Tyler heard Boone yelling down the hallway and shook his head.

“What do you think, Darling? You, me, sun, sand, ocean...” Tyler squeezed your hand and leaned his head back against the chair.

A few moments of silence went by, then Tyler heard you respond...”I think that's a wonderful idea..”

“Y/N?” Tyler moved a little too fast and gasped at the pain. “Y/N? How you feeling?” he gasped between breathes.

You turn to look at him, hearing the pain in his voice.“Ty? What you doing here? You okay?” you asked, concerned.

“I am fine sweetheart. They released me this morning.” Tyler held your hand close to him and kissed it softly, “I was worried sick about you. They told me what happened...” he choked back the tears. “How are you feeling? You in pain? Let me go get the doctor.”

“I am okay...just tired.” you hold his hand tightly, “Ty...don't leave. Just stay here...please.” you begged, your eyes locking on him. You didn't want to be alone. You didn't want him being alone either.

“I am not going anywhere, Darling.” Tyler's voice was low and husky as he held your hand against his cheek.

* * * * *

Tag List

@itsdesiree86 @sarah-bear706318 @darksparklesficrecs @forpunishers @notanordinaryprincess95 @luvivey @zedis2007@maverickdesperado@love2write2626

@drewvgue@nbee-baguette@emma8895eb@elisabethbathgate@zedis2007

@samanddeaninatrenchcoat@rebelatbay@snackthatsmilesbackchlldren@anjalireji95@everwhovian @turtleshavesoulmates@lizzyreads15 @cevans-winchester

@i-heart-marvel @itsdesiree86 @sarah-bear706318 @darksparklesficrecs @forpunishers @notanordinaryprincess95 @luvivey @zedis2007@maverickdesperado

@love2write2626@drewvgue@nbee-baguette@emma8895eb@elisabethbathgate

@zedis2007@samanddeaninatrenchcoat@rebelatbay@snackthatsmilesbackchlldren

@anjalireji95@everwhovian @turtleshavesoulmates@lizzyreads15 @cevans-winchester

@i-heart-marvel @djs8891 @thedonswife13 @velyssaraptor @jrenn10 @new-author3

[tin-wufborf]

Tin's Favorite Sterek Fics (Part 2)

Hello again! Welcome to the second installment of me sharing with you a mere fraction of the too-many Sterek fics I have read and bookmarked on AO3!

Before we get to the list, I just wanted to say thank you all for liking and sharing the last post. I'm not someone who comments that often on fics (I don't do things that make me anxious, as a rule, and commenting on fics makes me unreasonably anxious), so I want to give back to these authors outside of my kudos and bookmarks. This is how I'm doing that. So thanks for noticing, and I hope you enjoy the fics! I have loved them dearly for a while now.

Alright, enough from me.

Smooches, darlings!

List and links to previous/next part(s) below the cut.

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DISCLAIMER: This is me warning you all that some of the fics I've included in this list may cover explicit, dark, and/or "taboo" subject matters. I cannot express enough how little I care what anyone thinks about any of that; all I want is for you to use caution when reading anything I've listed here and to please review and heed whatever tags the authors have provided in order to keep yourselves safe. Your experience from this point on is your own responsibility, not mine and not the authors'.

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Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20

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Aftereffects by Dira Sudis (dsudis) (G | 1/1 | 1,473)

Stiles lives with the aftereffects.

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Shadowplay by Medie (T | 1/1 | 1,576)

Since the day of his birth, the shadows have loved him.

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It's a Jeep Thing by riventhorn (T | 1/1 | 2,629)

On the day she arrived at the Stilinski home, the Sheriff stayed in the driver’s seat for twenty minutes, fingers kneading her steering wheel anxiously. He had been muttering to himself the entire way back from the lot, all variations on: Am I insane? How can I give this to him? He’s going to kill someone. He’s going to kill himself.

Stiles's Jeep's pov on werewolves, hyperactive teen boys, and Derek Hale.

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After All by Dira Sudis (dsudis) (T | 1/1 | 2,954)

Being a magical fairy-gift whose whole existence is a demonstration of the supernatural amazingness of your fathers' love story ought to be a good thing.

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Cuckoo by herlovewasajoke (T | 1/1 | 3,790)

Deaton uncovers a secret. What he does with it could destroy everything Stiles has built.

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To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar by FaeryQueen07 (E | 1/1 | 5,241)

It’s the summer before senior year and Stiles is doing just fine. Right up until he gets shitfaced and tells a room full of drag queens that he’s attracted to an alpha werewolf and that oh, yeah, he’s been wondering about whether or not they have knots. It all goes downhill from there, but in a good way.

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No place for no hero by ellievolia (M | 1/1 | 5,370)

But now, as he looks at Derek’s face, the storm lurking right underneath his eyelashes, the frown firmly back in place on his features, the Sheriff can’t help but hope that he will do something Sheriff Stilinski himself can’t do, nor ask for Derek to do. They nod at each other over Stiles’ hospital bed, and Sheriff Stilinski stands up.

Warning for graphic depiction of a mugging that degenerates into a stabbing.

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There's A Wolf-Shaped Float In This Parade by concernedlily (G | 3/3 | 7,524)

Two ways Sheriff Stilinski finds out and one he doesn't.

(Non-graphic references to past underage.)

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Your Face is Like a Melody (It Won't Leave My Head) by samshhh (T | 1/1 | 8,386)

Originally for a prompt on the kink meme:

"Since age three, Stiles has been dreaming of Derek. When he was younger, he would always babble about Derek and draw pictures of them together, etc. but everyone just assumed that Derek was his imaginary friend. Stiles himself didn't realize that Derek was a real person until he heard about the Hale fire but by that time, Derek and Laura had moved to New York. "

But it somehow mutated into a 8400 word behemoth featuring actual psychic Stiles Stilinski, soul bonding and wolfy mates.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Solstice Alpha by Dira Sudis (dsudis) (E | 1/1 | 11,152)

The traditional Hale pack solstice party gets resurrected by the new and improved-from-ten-months-ago Hale pack.

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The Quiet Between Our Words by mytimehaspassed (M | 1/1 | 12,500)

Laura had told him that she would be right back.

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Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Speak No Evil by lemyh (T | 1/1 | 12,830)

When Stiles Stilinski signed up for his social psychology class, he wasn't sure what he expected from it. He definitely didn't expect the professor, a month in, to tell them they'd be spending the next three weeks actually living with certain handicaps.

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Hell is Other People series by tsukinofaerii (2 works | T-E | 15,937)

1. 9/10ths of the Law (T | 1/1 | 6,875) Stiles discovers the hazards of growing up a real boy when, at heart, he's not a real boy at all. 2. Something that Finds You (E | 1/1 | 9,062) Stiles always smelled like sulfur. After Derek finds out the truth, he and Stiles get closer than they'd ever planned.

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last night's dress (tiptoe out of this mess) by hito (M | 1/1 | 16,730)

Written for a prompt on the kinkmeme.

TFLN: My dad just asked me if my booty call guy that comes over at 3am and leaves at 6 would like to stay for Sunday brunch next week. You in?

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Wanderlust by Cheshyr (G | 8/8 | 18,147)

Stiles needs to move, to leave, and after graduation he has every intention to do just that. Unless his pack can convince him otherwise.

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To Build A House by theredhoodie (M | 1/1 | 19,590)

It's senior year and everything is fine. Except that it isn't, but it will be. Or that's what Stiles keeps telling himself. And there's only one person who can make sure that everything really will be fine.

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How To Be a Werewolf (And Other Extreme Sports) by gayfantasticfour (foxxing) (M | 7/7 | 23,971)

Derek decides that Stiles needs to be... trained. As much as Stiles can be trained. So Derek, with help from The Wolf Pack, teaches him how to be a werewolf without, you know, actually being a werewolf. Hijinks (of the emotional kind and otherwise) ensue.

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Culpa by ACR (M | 8/8 | 30,728)

Things for Stiles are really complicated. There’s a Harpy on the loose, his friendship with Scott is distant, and he might have feelings for Derek Hale. Oh, and also, he’s being possessed by a Demon.

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DILF by twentysomething (E | 1/1 | 30,871)

"Today is Scott's first day of kindergarten and Derek is terrified."

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The Boy and the Beast by Dira Sudis (dsudis) (M | 7/7 | 116,686)

In which events in Beacon Hills go rather differently from the start, and a Beauty and the Beast (ish) story ensues. (Scott is not a teacup and no one sings about their feelings.)

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************************************************************************

[blood-orange-juice]

Since you asked me, I have asks for you! And I'll do anything for an opportunity to pick your brain:

5. Share one of your strengths

13. What's the best writing advice you've ever come across?

14. What's the worst writing advice you've ever come across?

33. How do you feel about crack? (The fanfic genre, not the stimulant)

37. Talk about your current WIPs

38. Talk about a review that made your day

That's quite a compliment ^^'

5. Share one of your strengths

I've been told it's side characters. They just spawn in the text and charm everyone.

13. What's the best writing advice you've ever come across?

That the best way to learn is trying to imitate writers you love. Simply rereading already helps a lot, and my favourite exercise is taking a paragraph I've already written and rewriting it in someone else's style. It teaches you so much

Also (can I have two favourite ones?) one I actually took from Russian lit class in school. The teacher talked about how Chekhov was very dry in his descriptions (the Western world mostly knows him as a playwright but Russian kids study his short stories first) and that summer night has already been described thousands of times, we know how a summer night looks. It's enough to write "shattered glass glittered in the moonlight"

So I try to ask myself whether a thing I want to show has already been described by enough people. Sometimes it works better to focus on a fun detail and let the readers' imagination do the rest

14. What's the worst writing advice you've ever come across?

It wasn't really an advice, just a popular attitude that you need to cut everything from prose that doesn't serve the plot

Yes, kill your darlings and yeet that sentence to the scrap pile, texts need to be condensed. But also texts need to breathe and plot-irrelevant details help with worldbuilding

33. How do you feel about crack? (The fanfic genre, not the stimulant)

I greatly appreciate the genre and I think it's the hardest thing to write

37. Talk about your current WIPs

Labyrinth Warriors chilumi edition, I'm stuck at trying to learn how write innuendo. Turns out I can't write romance to save my life

Also I'm trying to rewrite the 3rd chapter of Transcendere because I deviated from the original plan there and just wrote angst instead of unhingeness

38. Talk about a review that made your day

I refuse to pick one

When I asked Saoki if Transcendere was over-the-top angsty and they replied with "no, it reads as the story of someone that was handed a knife without a hilt and told to not come back without a bushel of grass". I still think about it (it's a lovely review to get but also it sums up the character so well)

Also when you were quoting parts of Ephemeris that were about understanding/kinship with comments like "why did this turn me on". MY AUTISTIC ASS WAS VERY HAPPY

Also when Lim wrote the progression of their reactions to Alexey because oh my god :D

Also Ray awarding me a PhD in Childe ^^

Thank you for the ask! <3

ask game

[gaybosposts]

Chromakopia Album Review

1. St. Chroma

This is a kick-ass opener! I loved the teaser for this song and album and this maybe on the same level as Igor’s Theme. Musically, this is a banger way of opening the album. Lyric-wise, it’s a perfect way to introduce the meaning and story of the album. The whispering rap of this song is absolutely masterful. Literally as great as Igor’s Theme. No joke. 11/10.

2. Rah Tah Tah

This one goes super hard and I love it. The chorus is a bit repetitive, but it’s still really good and fun. But the rapping only gets better throughout the whole album. 9/10.

3. Noid

While not having the same impact that EARFQUAKE had as a lead single, I still loved it. The first half was intense and amazing. The second half being the half I ended up loving more. Despite my love for this song, It is the most easy Tyler song to understand the meaning. Also, I absolutely adore the sample in this song. 10/10.

4. Darling, I

Omg! This song is so beautiful it makes me want to cry. Not just because of the instrumental and Teezo, but the message as well. It’s a simple but relatable one. But Teezo is absolutely incredible on this song, I love it! 11/10.

5. Hey Jane

This is definitely isn’t a song to come back to for the beat. But it’s what it’s about. I love the story of this song way more than Wilshire. I’m glad and upset about something tho. I’m glad I don’t have to worry about having an unexpected child because I’m male and gay. But I also wish I could experience my future child being birthed. I don’t know what it’s like to see my child being born, but I have an idea of what that feeling of your child being born into the world. I love this song. Maybe not the most replay-able song on the album, but it’s definitely not a skip. 10/10.

6. I Killed You

The title of the song being after Hey Jane is crazy and criminal 💀. At first, I didn’t really like this song. But it’s definitely grown on me. Not as great as some of the other songs, but not a skip. The deep meanings of the song are really well done. Yeah. That’s all I really have to say. I like the song, and it’s not a skip. 8/10.

7. Judge Judy

You think Childish Gambino was done dirty, wait until Baby Keem. I really like this song. But I want to “love” it tho. I just wish Childish Gambino was more than some background vocals. But other than that, I like this song a lot. But not as much as this next one. 8/10.

8. Sticky

I hate how much hate this song got at first and even now. But DAMN! This shit is so goddamn fucking fire! How can anyone hate this song? Sexyy isn’t even that bad. I think she’s fun on it. The beat drop with GloRilla. Lil Wayne?!?!?! This song is so fucking fire, you don’t even know. All three on one song is absolutely insane! Fuck it. 11/10. I could give it 12/10, but there’s a song later on that’s somehow perfect. 11/10.

9. Take Your Mask Off

This is another incredible song with multiple of the verses talking about different people. Telling them to take their mask off. With the last verse, Tyler is rapping about himself and I love it. It’s one of my favs from the album. This whole album is amazing! Maybe not as perfect as Igor, but it’s still amazing either way. 10/10.

10. Tomorrow

I need an extended version of this song immediately. It’s too short yet perfectly fine. At first, I didn’t like that the double song tradition Tyler has always done throughout his albums being thrown out the window for a single song track. But I don’t care about that after hearing this. I nearly cried here too. 10/10.

11. Thought I Was Dead

HOLY MOTHERFUCKING SHIT?!?!?!??! This is perfect. I don���t care. I think this is perfect. It’s like every song from CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST put into one song and added a Chromakopia filter to it. It’s one of my favourite modern Tyler rap songs of the year. ScHoolboy Q is absolutely perfect in this. Beyond Playboy Carti. That’s right. I said it. Sue me if you don’t like my opinion. It’s perfect all the way through the whole song. 12/10. Sue me.

12. Like Him

Fuck… Tyler… I…I’m speechless… this feels illegal. Like I’m trespassing onto a private conversation… 12/10. The beat, the lyrics, Tyler, Bonita, Lola Young, everything. I love this song so much. 12/10.

13. Balloon

I was so shocked that this was in between two of the most serious tracks of the album. But I love it. I love Doechii. She gets to have fun on this one. I really gotta listen to her music. 9/10.

14. I Hope You Find Your Way Home

Such an interesting and poler opposite song compared to St. Chroma. But it’s such an appropriate way to close out the album. When Bonita is crying, I feel so happy for her and Tyler. I hope to have that same experience with my mother in the future. This whole album was amazing to listen to over and over. 10/10.

This is Tyler’s most personal album and I love that for him. He has never been this personal before and I think he needed it. I love this album so much. Despite it not being a perfect album like everyone hoped it would be and not being perfect, I still love this album and will always listen to it regardless. So I give this album… a 10/10. Just for “Thought I Was Dead”

[winderlylandchime]

Fanfiction Year in Review 2023

I fell out of fandom in 2021-ish for mental health and other reasons (iykyk). I returned this past year and reunited with old friends and made new ones. I absolutely adore fandom and all that it brings with it. The passion, the love, the community, the complete bypassing of cringe. Please, more.

This year, I returned to fanfiction and published over 150k words. I know absolutely that word counts mean nothing but if we’re taking writing as a symptom of emotional and mental well-being for me (for me!), then I feel so very good about this. I also learned how many ways someone can write about the same theme (prom! arc!) without completely losing their audience. I wanted to do a little year-in-review by listing the fics I’ve published and my favorite line from each.

Thank you so much to every single person who encouraged me in DMs, servers, kudos, and comments. Writing brings me happiness but the community around writing brings me the most joy. I would not have returned to fandom without each of you.

And then there were three rating: T, word count: 727, ficlet, inspired by a prompt by @lostcol and a bit of a character study of Brian Kinney.

Favorite line: Oh, there are mothers in Brian’s life now. They’re surrounding him as he sits, head bowed, face covered in tears-streaked blood, scent of death and ammonia in his nose.

(and I’d do it again) rating: E, word count: 6,865, one-shot, canon divergence in S5, maybe something other than a bomb can bring them back together

Favorite line: It’s not like Justin is going to come back to the loft with him. Not after he up and left five weeks and three - no four days ago. He’s ready to wash his hands of this night. Ready to be done to the extent that he’ll ever be done with Justin. To the extent that he’ll ever be able to fully wash his hands of any of this. He feels like Lady Macbeth with her eternal spot, forever marked by blood on the cold cement floor of a parking garage.

carried me with you rating: E, word count: 36,405, after prom Jennifer asks Brian to stay away from Justin, and he does

Favorite line: ”But that’s not me taking care of you. That’s, that’s - ” I struggled to find the words to convey what was natural, what was something that didn’t require effort or thought or intention. “ - that’s like breathing.”

love is so short (forgetting is so long) rating: T, word count: 2,777, WARNING MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH, what the fuck was I thinking?

Favorite line: His mama, an artist, just said, “Gussy, some people, most people, have an infinite capacity to love. Other people have the capacity to love one person infinitely.” He never asked again.

clothes mean nothing until until somebody lives in them rating: M, word count: 3,007, 5+1 things and clothes sharing

Favorite line: That night, Justin lies in Michael’s old bed and holds the shirt over his face while he remembers the vibrations of Brian’s moans against his skin as he ate him out the night before. He jerks off to the memory. Not the first boy to jerk off to thoughts of Brian in this bed.

you’re like a tattoo (something i can’t undo) rating: E, word count: 87,170, my first QAF complete AU, sugar daddy AU. also kinneycutt!

favorite line: “Oh, darling,” Emmett’s voice is dripping with something cashmere soft. “Oh, oh, oh . Darling, you are fucked. Oh, you are beyond fucked.” He looks at Brian. “And you don’t even know it.”

beautiful like the darkness between the fireflies rating: E, word count: 18,611 (WIP), my first QAF post canon, exes-to-lovers, soft fluffity fluff

favorite line: “And, dad?” There’s a hopeful edge to Gus’ voice, something that hasn’t been killed by the spectacular failure of their moms’ marriage and generally having Brian as a third parent.

“Yeah?” He feels the word bubble up from deep in his chest. He wants this kid to hold onto hope for as long as they can.

“An anchor can be good, it can keep you grounded, you know?”

very low-key, no pressure, tagging to share your 2023 wins fanfic, gifs, or otherwise: @getmehighonmagic @magicandarchery @lostcol @kiranerysed @sophsun1 @bigassbowlingballhead @bartbarthelme @sheisraging @eusuntgratie @xoxoemynn

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Tuesday, September 17

Angelus: And this... this is the garden. Drusilla: Wow! Look. Jasmine. Angelus: Night blooming. Drusilla: Like us. Oh, Angel, it's fairyland. Ooh! Spike: It's paradise. Big windows, lovely gardens. It'll be perfect when we want the sunlight to kill us. Angelus: If you don't like it, Spike, hit the stairs and go. Take a stand, man. Spike: Well, our old place was just fine till you went and had it burned down. Angelus: Things change, Spikey. You gotta roll with the punches. Well, actually, you pretty much got that part down, haven't you? Spike: Very funny, mate. Angelus: What can I say? I just love to see you smile, buddy. Spike: Yeah, you're a giver.

~~Buffy Episode #31: "I Only Have Eyes For You" ~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

The Darkness and the Light (Anya Jenkins/Willow Rosenberg, G) by SirenOfTitan

Spoons (Angel/Spike, M) by MamaBewear

Wanking Up Alone (Faith Lehane/Buffy Summers, G) by b33n

What We Need (Angel/Spike, OC, M) by fatalfae

SLUMBER PARTY (Buffy, Willow, E) by KNZ1

I Called Him Mine (Angel/Spike, E) by MadeInGold

Divine Comedy in the Withering Heart (Angel/Darla, E) by CoffeeHunt

Yes, Mistress (Darla/Drusilla, E) by TheClowniestLivInExistence

Untitled (Buffy/Spike, unrated) by forevercaroline

Enjoying The Show (Spike, Willow/Tara, M) by Serena The Drama Queen

Cloudy With a Chance of Mischief (Buffy/Spike, E) by Maxine Eden, ClowniestLivEver

[Chaptered Fiction]

The Right Swipe Ch 8 (Buffy/Giles, E) by DancingAngel0013

Hello, Darling Ch. 6/9 (Buffy/Spike, M) by Spikelover4ever

Blood of Kings Ch. 4 (Ensemble, T, Young Royals xover) by LadyInBlackandWhite

Double Date Ch. 3 (Buffy/Giles, E) by Rippertish

If We Could Freeze Time CH. 42/64 (Buffy/Spike, E) by cosplayermadness

In the Company of Witches and Slayers: Ch. 158 (Willow/Tara, E) by VladimirHarkonnen (TheLightdancer)

Bring Me To Life : A Buffy the Vampire Slayer / Angel Crossover Event Ch. 70 (Buffy/Angel, unrated) by Jean_theGuardian

Soul Mate Magic - Chapter Four (Giles/OC, E) by emma-m-black

Welcome To Westworld CH. 75 (Ensemble, T) by Ninja Master

Do as Romans do Ch. 45 (Ensemble, T, French language) by OldGirl-NoraArlani

A Tumble in Time, Chapter 6 (Buffy/Spike, T) by thedoppleganger

Forty-eight days in LA, Chapter 5 (Buffy/Spike, E) by Blissymbolics

Where Clocks Don't Tick, Chapter 9 (Buffy/Spike, M) by Willow91

Hope is the thing with feathers, Chapter 11 (Buffy/Spike, E) by will_

The Degradation of Duality [Series Part 2], Chapter 51 (Buffy/Spike, E) by Ragini

Because the Night, Chapter 10-11 (Buffy/Spike, E) by CheekyKitten

The Neighbor's Point of View, Chapter 131 (Buffy/Spike, ) by the_big_bad

Stiff Pole, Chapter 6 (Buffy/Spike, E) by scratchmeout

Oh My Goddess, Chapter 3 (Buffy/Spike, M) by Maxine Eden

It’s a Secret Ch. 4 (Xander, T, Harry Potter xover) by MsSunshine

Aim High Ch. 8 (Buffy, T, Stargate xover) by Buffyworldbuilder

[Images, Audio & Video]

Artwork:Buffy by RookBooks

Artwork:Buffy by nineinchnals

Artwork:Spike by forsuperbang

Artwork:Oz, Buffy by onedrawsoverthecuckoosnest

Artwork:Cordelia & Angel by artsying-ifer

Artwork:Venom Faith by goaskmalices

Artwork:Buffy & Willow by wooneygoblin

Artwork:Buffy by artofnicolle

Artwork:Buffy & Spike by o-cm-draw-o

Artwork: by o-cm-draw-o

Artwork:Buffy by bertolts

Manip:Episodic art for BtVS 2x22 “Becoming, Part 2. by revello-drive-1630

[Reviews & Recaps]

PODCAST: Episode 41 - Poor old Glove of Myhnegon, Begin Again (Revelations) by The Sunnydale Diaries

PODCAST: BTVS 602 - Bargaining, Pt. 2 by Another Buffy Podcast

[Community Announcements]

Tuesday Prompt: Weather by comment_fic

Is there a Buffy-verse fic idea you’ve been dying to read? Are you looking for inspiration for your next fic? Join us on AO3 or Dreamwidth! by buffyversekinkmeme

Join the Faith and Buffy Slayer Scissorfest Discord Server!

[Fandom Discussions]

today Him 7.06 was on and it got me thinking by aphony-cree

ive become such a spike apologist its terrible. by lesbianmarrow

buffy essentially conditioning spike like an animal to never believe what she says by nicollekidman

the point of Faith’s final scene in Salvage by coraniaid

ok i have some thoughts about cordelia and anya by electricabsolution

Jenny and Anya would have been such a good duo. by ohrevienssoleil

something about the scoobies all being slightly unhuman. by pinesorneedle

I am still baffled that people think Beer Bad is the worst episode of Buffy when episodes like Wild At Heart, Into the Woods, and As You Were exist. by paarthursass

i didn’t really get that whole attack dog relationship thing folks were posting about a few months ago but then by lesbianmarrow

There’s just something about Spike understanding Buffy when she’s not even able to articulate or understand (at the moment) that’s what she needs. by pinesorneedles

my post-chosen headcanon by comradesummers

Off the wall question! by Moptop

Going to meet the First Slayer by garfan

What was the episode where..... by Dufflepod

Ángel could Beat buffy? by FoxIndependent4310

Did Spike Not Watch Return of the Jedi? by matsu-oni

Cordelia by Disastrous-Zombie-25

S3 ep 13 by txn120

Best insult ever by BluePhotonOnMonday

Rewatching the show after being a caregiver by Lady_Audley

"Fool for Love" (B S5:E7) & "Darla" (A S2:E7) by Pyrefly79

Can we talk about how terrifying this guy is by StarsThatGlow

I loved Cordelia's style season early on in season 3. by pit_of_despair666

Love Letter (Buffy Version) by Ventenebris

Joyce and Spike by No-Jaguar8044

Fool for Love question on previous slayers by anthonycaruana

The Killer in Me by Competitive_Bank8725

For you, who is the best and worst antagonist in Buffy the Vampire Slayer? by murder_drone_V_N_Usy

Which opinion on the show would have you like this? by -Bi-Bi-Bi-

Slayers on Audible by Disastrous-Zombie-25

This is a point people ignore by foreseethefuture

Just wanted to quickly praise the 'vamp' makeup. by sKullsHavezzz

Best feats of Ilyria? by Glum_Local_1358

AtS Season 3 appreciation thread by jdpm1991

Best feat of spike by FoxIndependent4310

What would you think of a prequel series by CleanUpOnAisle10

Best feat of Ángel by FoxIndependent4310

So about Doyle by DevilManRay

Was Tara a good fit for Willow? by Accomplished-Emu2308

Why were the Monks stuck in the dark ages? by MonsterTournament

Some of my Buffy Opinions as a first time watcher by Business-Chair4961

Flowers at the Crawford St. Mansion? by Beneficial-End-7872

Do they ever say that Angel/Angelus is more powerful than your average vampire? by DevilManRay

Submit a link to be included in the newsletter!

Join the editor team :)

[mischief-lies-and-stories]

Loki Episode 1 Reactions (Less Coherent Edition)

It's been two and a half years, y'all, and what a start to the new season it was. (I've seen mixed reviews in the tag, but personally the initial reaction is I loved it.) What I apparently forgot in those two years, however, is that my in-the-moment reactions notes are not very coherent. So I apologize in advance if you aren't sure what part the note refers to. I'm going to make another post tomorrow with some more coherent thoughts around the episode and some predictions about the season in general (I'm also going to be rewatching the episode later so that might lend more clarity to the next post as well). I also cut out a chunk of my reactions that were just me screaming a character's name when they showed up, unless it makes sense for the next note to leave it in (and there were a lot of these, since it's been two and a half years since I've seen my friends).

Obligatory spoiler warning if you weren't already expecting them. Prepare for some wildness. I've bracketed [ ] some brief clarifying post-ep notes (not everywhere though).

I'm obnoxious, I'm watching the entire recap.

The editing of this recap is interesting.

The bleak theme is worrying. I don't like it. But I do love the color scheme of the logo.

SYLVIE???!!!

CASEY!!!

Okay hopefully that wasn't Sylvie.

Someone give this boi [Loki] a nap. He's had a very very very long day and it's only getting longer.

What the fuck is happening.

X-5 you've got the haircut of a cop, I've decided I don't like you.

Man, I hope we fix this time-slipping in this episode, it's stressing me out too fucking much.

Oh motherfuck. This is driving me insane. This is Sisyphean torture. [I don't remember what specifically I was referring to, so I don't remember if this is an accurate description.]

OH MY GOD I LOVE LIZ CARR I HOPE SHE STICKS AROUND [Man, Liz Carr is just hopping from franchise to franchise this summer. She's in Loki, Good Omens, The Witcher)

OH SHIT. Renslayer and Kang. If they kiss on tape I'm marking it on the Bingo.

I DESPERATELY want to know what B-15's backstory is. She's a fantastic character and I want to know how she used this personality on the timeline.

Keep that Hitler youth-looking fuck away from my girl!

Oh my god, I'm going to be watching this conversation in the hall between Loki and Mobius over and over, because I love every part of it. The panicking, the teasing, the touching, the making each other feel better. Just the entire debriefing, reuniting conversation is EVERYTHING to me right now.

"In order to do that I need a Loki Who Remains." I love this

"I have no memory of having my memory wiped." Mobius. This is Catherine Tate on Nevermind the Buzzcocks telling David Tennant "I don't know songs I've never heard of" solidarity [I understand I'm making obscure 13+ year old references but this quote lives in my head rent free]

Ugh I HATE time travel. But it makes sense why his name is OB now. Also his door is a circle.

OB IF YOU KILL LOKI I WILL END YOUR CUTE BESPECTACLED FACE FASTER THAN YOU CAN SAY "No...wait."

OB IF YOU KILL MOBIUS I WILL PERSONALLY FLAY THE SKIN FROM YOUR OWN BONES

Mobius writing "skin" into the dust on the computer lololololol

WHY DOES THIS KEEP HAPPENING JUST LET LOKI CONFESS

OB I'M GOING TO KICK YOUR ASS IF ONE OF THESE BOYS EVEN SEEMS TO DIE AT THE END OF THIS EP

HOW IS HE GONNA HOOF IT BACK IF HE CAN BARELY CRAWL [I started getting really stressed at this point. It's pretty much caps lock from here on out.]

OH MY GOD OH MY GOD WE'RE GONNA END THIS EPISODE WITH MO BITING IT AND THEN LOKI FIXES IT IN EP TWO AND BRINGS HIM BACK

OR LOKI BITES IT AND THE OTHER WAY HAPPENS

THERE'S ELEVEN MINUTES LEFT BUT I DON'T TRUST MARVEL NOT TO MAKE ELEVEN MINUTES OF CREDITS

MARVEL DON'T MAKE ME CHECK OFF THE CRYING BOX [on the Bingo Card] ON EPISODE ONE

MARVEL

I WON'T BE ABLE TO SLEEP

MARVEL

LOKI

MOBIUS

LOKI

MOBIUS

SYLVIE MY DARLING MY PERFECT LOVE THANK YOU OH MY GOD

How wild is it that Loki comes flying back from the jaws of death itself and saves Mobius from getting his skin ripped off and they land on the floor of the TVA in each other's arms, and the first thing Loki does is bring up his ex-girlfriend [I wouldn't classify Sylvie as this, but I'm being tongue-in-cheek, and Mobius did accuse Loki of falling for himself in season 1, so]

OKAY BUT I WAS RIGHT THAT WAS SYLVIE AT THE BEGINNING [Before you reply, remember I can't respond to those, and also I forgot that was the past and at the end Loki's in the future. HOWEVER, I do still think that was Sylvie at the beginning.]

SHE IS IN BROXTON HELL YEAH WHOEVER FIGURED THAT OUT (I don't remember who that was) FOUR FOR YOU HOLY SHIT

Oh Sylvie :(((

[nokingsonlyfooles]

WTYP: The Shandor Building, Part 6

[Do you like the colour of the fanfic? This is long and if you expand it you're gonna get the whole thing, because Tumblr hates you. Don't say I didn't warn you!]

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

Part 6: Disaster Roulette: Crack Open a Cold One

[Beware of strong language, mention of all kinds of death, gore, and Lovecraftian horror.]

[SLIDE: Utter darkness, with an All Hail Gozer logo in the corner.]

[screaming, pandemonium]

A: I’m sorry! Oh, God, I’m sorry! I have anxiety!

D: No! I know you do! It’s my fault!

L: Are we dead?

D: I shouldn’t have said “engineering disaster,” it’s my fault…

R: Alice, where are we?

A: Oh, God, I’m sorry, it’s the Kursk! [weeping] We’re going to be trapped here for over six hours and then we’ll be comrade-kebabs!

L: I’m an anarchist.

A: For fuck’s sake, Liam, would it kill you to let me die with a little fucking solidarity? [plays “The East is Red”]

R: Alice, you have your laptop?

L: Do we still have our laptops?

D: Feels like a laptop…

A: IT’S A POTASSIUM-BASED AIR FILTER DON’T BLOODY TOUCH IT!

[clattering, thud]

[more screams]

L: Jesus…

R: Pretty sure that’s a laptop.

D: Turn up the brightness!

R: That’s bad for the battery life…

D: Just turn up the fucking brightness!

[SLIDE: The Kursk.]

L: How the fuck do we still have laptops and sound equipment?

A [giggling]: Oh, my God, we chose the form of an engineering disasters podcast. Of course we have our laptops and sound equipment! I’m going to tweet that we’re trapped in a well-known Russian submarine disaster and we need help!

D [gravely]: Alice, Alice�� No, Alice. It’s… It’s…

R: It’s “X” now.

D: Twitter can’t help us now. Twitter is gone.

A [desperate]: What about Tumblr?

D [pained]: I suppose you might as well try.

D [text over slide]: I EDITED A BIT HERE.

A [sobbing]: It’s no good. I got cancelled for assuming the submarine’s pronouns and now they’re just doing discourse.

D [gently]: It’s all right, darling. Just mute the alerts now. Oh, and Tumblr Live, too, obviously. Thank you for trying.

R: I’ve got that Mastodon thing…

D: Oh, fuck off!

A: Nobody’s on fucking Mastodon.

L: If man were meant to toot, God would’ve given us trunks! It’s a stupid platform and a stupid animal! It’s just an elephant with shag carpeting and no charisma. I’m glad they’re extinct. The extinction of mastodons is the one good thing global warming ever did for us! I hope science brings ‘em back from the grave so I can personally participate in wiping those useless motherfuckers off the map again. I ordered a mastodon hoagie at Wawa the other day and it was rubbery and tasteless — because it had been at the back of the freezer for ten-thousand years. That’s how unpopular mastodon is! It’s not even any good with extra mayo! Nobody loves you, mastodons! Nobody thinks you’re cool! I respect you almost as little as I respect fish!

[groaning, shuddering, splashing]

A: Oh, fuck, does Gozer like mastodons? Liam…

R: “Mastodon” is from the Latin for “breast-like tooth.”

L: If Gozer likes mastodons, I’m gonna drive to xyr house — or temple, or whatever — and beat xem to death with my shoes. I am done with mastodons, I am done with this whole fucking experience! I am reviewing your studio on Yelp right now and you are getting no stars! None!

[creaking, snapping sounds, more splashing]

A: Fuck, Liam, you’re pissing xem off!

G: STO-O-OP!

[rumbling and crunching noises continue throughout]

D: No, wait… It’s a rant. [laughing] We chose the form of an engineering disasters podcast! Liam, keep going!

L: ICE AGE IS A TERRIBLE SERIES OF FILMS! MASTODONS RUINED IT!

A: Isn’t it supposed to be a woolly mammoth?

L: IT’S THE SAME THING!

R: Taxonomically, no, it’s not. Although they are related…

L: PROXIMITY TO MASTODONS RUINED ICE AGE, AS A FILM SERIES AND AS A GEOLOGICAL EPOCH! AND EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND!

A [laughing]: What? Are we running out of oxygen?

R: Yes. Also, Everybody Loves Raymond is a CBS sitcom, which aired from the mid-nineties to the mid-2000s. It was very popular in the US, but it proved difficult to export, so it’s not surprising you haven’t heard of it. It starred actor and comedian Ray Romano, who also voiced Manny the Mammoth…

L: THAT’S A STUPID FUCKING NAME!

A: Shouldn’t it be, er… Manny the Manmoth? That makes more sense. Although it does sound like he fights Mothman…

R: …in the Ice Age film series. Exporting Raymond was, in fact, a documentary on how difficult it was to translate the American Boomer experience to a foreign market…

D [amazed]: By God, we’re doing it! We’re podcasting!

R: Thank God for Wikipedia…

A: We’re still going to die, though, aren’t we, Dev?

D: Eventually, Alice, but maybe not in the Kursk!

A [anxious, but used to it]: Probably of prion diseases.

G: VERY WELL. SINCE WE ARE AT AN IMPASSE, YOU MAY CHOOSE ANOTHER FORM TO CONTINUE OUR FIGHT.

L [hopefully]: A lamassu?

R [low voice]: Unfortunately, we are not actually gods.

L: Damn.

D: No! I think we can do this! [to Gozer] We’re going to stick with the engineering disasters podcast!

G: YOU’RE NOT VERY IMAGINATIVE, ARE YOU?

D: No, we are, we’re just really jazzed about this form!

L: It’s comfy!

G: ALL RIGHT. SUIT YOURSELVES. I TIRE OF THE LEAKY METAL TUBE, AND I DO NOT HAVE THE PATIENCE TO SIT THROUGH SIX HOURS OF PODCASTING BEFORE I SET YOU ON FIRE! CHOOSE ANOTHER ENGINEERING DISASTER!

D: All right, now, let’s think about this…

A: Just something outdoorsy, please! I want to see the sun again!

Part 7

[borathae]

Sibibaby what the hell??? Wtf is this? 😭😭😭 i read it 3 times already and zero joke i cried like a baby…

1- ‘You know by now, because you are the only person Yoongi sleeps next to. You know by now, because you are the only person to know how his body feels naked.’ THIS !!!! ‘he loves to be the little spoon and that he sulks when you get up for pee breaks and that he also loves hiding his face in your chest when he gets flustered.’ AND THIS!! Gosh you’re trying to kill me right? (I’m also like ‘he sulks when she get up for a pee break’ no my chicken tenders baby 🥺🥺) oh my heartu 🥺

2- He was so gentle with her even he’s so hurt omg i love and want to protect my yoongi boongie 🥺🥺🩵 That bath scene broke my heart gosh he cried while bathing her 😭

3- geez how dare they come!!!!! Taehyung you punk did you ever think about your darling?? worry for your girlfriend you little bastard ??? Omg i’m sooo mad at them how dare they????

4- Hell yes when Yoongi said ‘Sit. Now.’ And when he picks up the knife i was like ‘hellllllll yeah yoongi take our revenge i’m so mad’!! Like yeah we’re ofc against the violence irl but let me live in fantasy just once 😭

5- Actually i feel so relieved thanks to Yoongi 😇 That taehyung biatch and j*min biatch deserved it (deserve his rage) 😌 And umm excuse me but hot?? When Yoongi went on full vampire mod?? Yes Master.

6- Okay i know Jimin is manipulating Taehyung but gosh Tae you’re 800 something old years old omg you’re not an innocent child…use your brain dude use it 😡

7- Sooo Yoongi knows the Jimin incident…partly…but he doesn’t know that he forced her 🤐 (Will he learn about that Sibibaby?? He needs to knoooowwww 🥺)

8- He brings her a 🍁 🥺🥺🥺

9- i feel oc’s sadness so much gosh you have no idea 😭 when she said ‘i want to die’ i felt in in my heart and cried so much oh my baby deserves the world beside yoongi 🥺 please be happy my baby

10- The detail…he acted strong for her but as soon as she sleeps…he cried again and my heart broke again and again… it’s going to pass for both of us 😭🥺🥺🥺 my babies

11- He noticed that she doesn’t wear her ring anymore!! Okay is this ring thing going to be a problem or a big thing or are we just overreacting?? Like will Yoongi think ; ‘she doesn’t wear her ring so it maybe started with her consent but after some point Taehyung control her mind?’ Omg am I overthinking rn???

THEIR CONNECTION!!!! I AM BITING MY OWN FUCKING HAND 😭

the bath scene no fucking joke ripped me apart like holy fuck. The fact that he wet her by scooping up the water and spreading it through gentle touches AND THAT HE DID ALL OF THAT EVEN IF HE WAS CRYING I'M GONNA FUCKING BREAK SOMETHING AND BY THAT I MEAN MY HEART

ruuuuhu samememe omfmg samemme

Yoongi was fufcking hot fajdjf he is legit always so hot when he shows glimpses of his Creator side liKE FNDFNN

ahahhaha "yes master" JFAJDJ MOOD FAHHAHAHA

RIGHT??? I like that you say that. it's like my dude you can only hide behind your "naivity" for that long before it just turns into excuses

he will learn about it, I just won't tell when and how ohoohoh

A LEAF!!!! IF UCKING LFEAF!!!FAE

she deserves the fucking world no fucking joke. I wanna fucking protect her so bad 😭😭

this part broke me. the fact that he waited until she was asleep just to instantly break hoLY FUCK please someone give him a hug 😭

no the ring will still play a part 👀 it is not just something I brushed over believe my words 👀

Istfg thank you so much for your reviews! hehehe I missed yelling with you my dearest 💜💜

[joshcaladia]

CHROMAKOPIA review

i made a review of tyler, the creator's new album because someone on twitter called me dumb for forming an opinion on it before i heard all of it so here it is:

st. chroma: 9 rah tah tah: 8 noid: 7 darling, i: 9 hey jane: 6 i killed you: 4 judge judy: 2 sticky: 1 take your mask off: 7 tomorrow: 8 thought i was dead: 2 like him: 5 balloon: 1 ihyfywh: 5

i really like the instrumentation for the most part but i've never been a fan of tyler's vocals. they're not bad, just not my style. i also think the transitions between tracks usually sucks balls and brings it down as an album, even when the tracks on their own are good

i found the features didn't get in the way of tyler's presence which is cool. i liked Darling, I quite a lot. that said, it's one of many on this album that go on too long for my liking

i often found myself relating to/resonating with the themes of the songs but not loving the way the themes are presented, which happened when i tried listening to DAMN. as well. Hey Jane had really intense stuff but i couldn't really get into the sound of it unfortunately

i can't say i resonated with I Killed You at all, musically or lyrically (though given i'm white there's definitely some disconnect with the discussion of heritage and oppression). it also transitions into Judge Judy SO badly oh my god

Judge Judy was another one where i was intrigued by the premise but did not enjoy the execution. the instrumentation was very, uh, light, and the tone of the rhymes were basic at best. also the kick drum has WAY too much compressor influence. i also hate when songs have moaning

Sticky opened bad despite transitioning well from Judge Judy. it also suffers from anaconda syndrome (stupid hard-ass drums that deafen me with some fuck-ass triangle shit going on)

Tomorrow opened really strong goddamn. Thought I Was Dead's opening horns sound like farts haha. and it ends with literally no transition?? lmao. Like Him was all over the place but based Lola Young feature.

overall: 7/10 adjusted for typical human understanding of out-of-ten scale: 5/10

i liked it enough. if this were a rating of songs only, and not as an album, the overall score might be a little higher

[bringcal]

Chromakopia track review

1. St chroma

2. Rah Tah Tah

3. Noid

4. Darling, I

5. Hey Jane

6. I killed you

7. Judge Judy

8. Sticky

9. Take your mask off

10. Tomorrow

11. Thought I was dead

12. Like him

13. Balloon

14. I hope you find your way home

Purple = Perfect

Green = Great

Orange = meh

Red = Don't like

Baseline, even if I didn't enjoy a song much, I could still say " wow this is well made" it mostly came down to something just not really being my thing personally.

Also darling,I is awesome

[pillinthe20s]

Post Number One.

Hi Everybody,

I'm writing this because *hopefully* nobody else will read this. I mean someone might. That is certainly always an option - I didn't set this blog to private or anything, and as we've learned in recent years, literally anything recorded on the internet is fair game as permanent record-fare for eons to come.

No, really, I'm hoping to write this blog as a digital journal and a practice space for my own communication. Since I am technically a full-time writer, I figured I may as well take some time to hone my craft since it is, presumptively, my craft now. That feels weird to type out. I spent much of my life believing that I would be a violinist at least in some capacity, or be working a job where someone else tells me what I should be doing at all hours. Making my own schedule is a bit of an uncharted territory that I must now go to the trouble of mapping, parceling, organizing, and so forth. It felt much easier when I was spending every hour of my day toward creative pursuits. One could argue that classical music, particularly the Canon™️, isn't so creative, but at least it was FUN. Creating a daily cartography of my time has proven difficult.

I miss feeling unencumbered, or less encumbered I guess. It feels like ages since I've been allowed to be creative, and even longer since I truly could make my own time. I miss the freedoms discipline awarded me with.

Since leaving my terrible nonprofit 9-5 I now have to make something of my time and, I suppose, of myself. I don't want this life to slip away as quickly as it has so I need to make sure to leave something maybe good or useful in this world.

Hopefully, this blog can help me. Or at least writing every day can. I'm aiming for two posts in a week - maybe more if they're more personal, journal-type posts, maybe fewer if they take more research. Who knows, maybe I could send some somewhere. Maybe I could share with friends. We'll see.

Goals/Objectives (in no particular order):

Get better at writing -> I want to be able to crank out 1000 words in two hours, tops. In college, writing weekly essays really developed my writing skills. Writing every day

Establish structure in my life ->

Emotional regulation -> I'm not sorry if this is a bit like a personal journal. While I plan to use this blog as a space for creative exploration, this is inherently personal.

Creativity ->

Developing my conviction ->

Challenge myself ->

How we're gonna do it:

Diverse stylistically -> I want this to be a makerspace for my ideas. A virtual Wreck this Journal. Poems. Essays. Manifestos. Reviews. Plays & Scenes. Short stories. Journal Entries. Scores. Skills. Workshop. Clownery. Whatever. It can go here, that's the point.

Write DAILY -> I will write for 30 minutes daily. At least. If I get caught up into it, I get caught up into it.

Kill Your Darlings -> Edit, edit, edit.

It feels strange and beautiful to be 26. I live in a city, I enjoy the spoils of adult life and have unboxed the dread of having time to consider my mortality. What is the point of living through the anthropocene? All we can do is try to figure it out.

[merge-conflict]

Asking you a bunch for the fic writer asks (since I'm on lunch and I'm not sure when I'll be back)

3, 14, 17, 22, 23, 25 plz :>

ty for the ask!! I love answering so many questions >:3 questions here

3. how you feel about your current WIP

good! I always have several WIP but I'm thinking of the most recent one I'm working on where goro is going to do a little impromptu strip tease for valentine while she's internally making the dialup noise. extremely satisfying, even when they're disgustingly sweet and horny to each other.

14. where do you get your inspiration?

mostly just idle thoughts, which is to say I don't always know what my inspiration is until after I've done it and re-watched/re-read some piece of media and go oh.

most frequently it's from books that I've read. the ancillary justice series, the elemental logic books, the locked tomb, a memory called empire. sometimes from a drama tv series like ozark, killing eve, or mad men. not usually one for one, but the intense emotional beats will be there! if it's a book it's generally scifi/fantasy, if it's tv it's usually some kind of insane work drama.

17. talk about your writing and editing process

heh. I supposed I do some outlining, but that outline usually only exists in my head. if I do write down an outline it's generally for a chapter, and usually it's the first iteration which means I don't follow it at all for the final product. I think I've been asked this question twice so for this one I'll talk about oneshots (or serial oneshots like ffor). usually it's something like:

get a flash of action or dialog for a scene that want to expand

write 5-6 paragraphs of waaaaay too much exposition to figure out the location, time, and characters present. all of that musing on background motivations, setting of a boring scene, pondering what everyone is up to before the interesting bit starts happening. I write it all down or I'm liable to forget it.

cut those paragraphs entirely once the initial work is done (to another file so I can reference as needed), efficiently covering all the relevant bits of story or scene making in 1/5 of the original space

write some awkward waaaaaay too "character lifted their hand. they rubbed at their chin. they moved their hand to character b's shoulder. they said words."

take several stabs at the initial premise, deleting none, but scrolling down the page and working from a different pov or slightly different setting

ad-hoc workhorse sentences while drafting, and then deliberately change those sentences to something that flows a little more and elides unnecessary explanation

whenever I get stuck leave myself a little note in place of a phrase or sentence like

[aimed those big gray pleading eyes at him]

[mocking her with the tone.]

fill in all those gaps later at later review, when my brain is less stuck in a hole about how to word these kinds of things which is less important than just capturing their energy

once the structure of the story is there, figure out what the main takeaway and recurring motif is and read through to figure out how to emphasize it and cut out extraneous details

review review review for grammar and punchiness and readability. cut my darlings which do not add to the central theme.

post it and instantly see 3-4 obvious issues that I need to fix

22. do you ever worry about public reaction to what you’re writing? how do you get past that?

yes. all the time. usually about trans and related queer identity stuff– I've never gotten any push back but I often hold myself to some harsh internal review worrying about whether something could be seen as "too much" or "bad rep" regardless of how I personally consider respectability politics. so far I think my stuff has been too niche for anyone to be offended but I'm sure if I wandered outside of my beautiful curated tumblr ecosystem I could find the hostile commentary I hear in my head.

so far I've done okay just probing at the edges of what I want to do and slowly creeping out past that. I'd like to be more blasé about it but i'm still working my way there. pretty sure i'm given a pass by being less obvious with an enby character who still goes by her agab pronouns so it's easy for folks to ignore. whatever. can't think about it too much.

23. pick three keywords that describe your writing

playful, sharp, indulgent

25. besides writing, what are your other hobbies?

answered this one already I think, but currently my other hobbies are wip pending better circumstances. knitting, bird and bug watching, baguette baking I think are some of the ones I've mentioned before (too lazy to check). I extremely need to pick up at least *some* sort of tactile handicraft soon. :3

[drew-mga2022mi6021]

Screenwriting | Reflecting on the Story

The Shape of Stories - A Lecture by Kurt Vonnegut

While doing research on narrative and storytelling, I came across this lecture by acclaimed author Kurt Vonnegut. In this lecture, he posits that stories can be made sense of in the forms of pictograms. I wanted to see if my story fit into one of these frameworks, and reflect on the story itself. Were the stakes high enough? Why should my audiences care about my main character? Additionally, the video also made me ask some questions that would help me out when creating the story itself.

Am I bored reading this?

Looking back at the screenplay, there weren't any scenes that I felt particularly bored while writing due to the dynamic nature. I feel the most glaring issue is representing information that I know which the viewers are not privy to in the film. Some of this, I have figured out (showing the emotional connection to the sunrise through hints in the film to Katu's last relationship, hinting at the setting of the story, etc). For example, how do I show Katu's workaholic nature? How do I make audiences care about my main character? What is Katu presenting and how important is it to them? These are some of the questions that I need to explore in further explorations of the storyboards.

Is this scene serving the plot? How do I fix it?

Whilst critically analysing my scenes and the events that occur, I was faced with a dilemma. Were the stakes too low? How can I increase them? This meant looking into the purpose of every scene; what is it doing? How is the plot being driven forward?

The first scene introduces Katu and their personality, the second scene exists as an inciting incident, scene 3 exposits information about Katu's relationship and their decision to see the sunrise, scene 4 is a build up of tension that manifests as a mad dash to see the sunrise, scene 5 is a continuation of this, where time is running out and the market district serves as a penultimate obstacle and finally scene 6 is where Katu gets what they want; to see the sunrise. On paper, this sounds good, however there needs to be more tension in the scenes following the first one. This led me to an ultimatum;

Kill your darlings...

... or rework the scene to do more!

Where do I set the bar? What is important enough to include? What is not?

This is a pivotal question I need to ask. I am making a short film, and thus I do not have the time to meander and explore every possible tidbit of my universe's world and lore through this film. Thus, there are some things that do not need to be in the film. I have done this already; in my overall story, I have only included the last part of Katu's experiences (from the presentation to the sunrise). However, there are some aspects that need to be brought in, such as Katu's job, their workaholic behaviour, etc.

What does my main character want? Why do they want it? How can I show them wanting it? What gets in their way?

As established earlier, my character ultimately wants to be free from the stresses of work in the film. Even though they love work and love their job, they have had no progression in their career thus far. They work for a company that ultimately does not care about what they do or think, as long as they keep giving their hours to the studio.

I feel that the stresses of work and being unappreciated are a universal feeling that everyone has experienced at least once in their life. Katu is intended to be a character anyone can see themselves as, and so they are meant to be easy to root for. This is also why I refrain from giving them a proper face throughout the film, instead depicting them as a skull. The best way, after reviewing my other options, is to show Katu wanting things through sheer desperation, expression, exaggeration, etc. This is also why I leaned towards a more cutesy design for them, as viewers would be more inclined to feel sympathetic towards them.

After going over the screenplay again, I feel like I need to up the tension of the things that get in Katu's way. The obstacles are mundane, which is fine and the way i intended it, however it still feels too light. This journey is important to Katu, and thus the things that stop them need to have more meaning. I found myself questioning the purposes of each scene, how I could up the stakes and how I could invest viewers in the film. I need to further reflect on this and develop it as time goes on.

Be a sadist!

One thing that could help me in the above regard is for me, as the author, to be absolutely vile to my main character. This is simply a matter of taking what Katu wants vs how I could make everything go wrong for them even more than it already has. However, I also need to keep in mind that this itself would be uninteresting to my audience, so I need to sprinkle in some glimmers of hope while this happens.

What is more important? Indifference or Rejection?

I found myself asking this question with the chief scene that I felt may confuse audiences the most; scene 2 - the presentation. This presentation needs to have more emotional weight. As it stands, this is the weakest scene in my film. So, I find myself returning to the key theme of this scene. At the end of the day, Katu becomes frustrated because these people do not care about them. Would this scene be more powerful if instead, their idea is completely rejected?

Here, I argue that indifference itself is a more powerful form of rejection; they are essentially telling Katu that their idea is not important enough to even listen to. By extension, they are telling Katu that everything they have done for this company, up to now, does not really matter as long as they remain a cog in the grander machine that is Studio CURVE. This is the feeling that I need to exemplify in my second scene, in order for the entire film to be coherent. This is a toxic company, and Katu needs to escape.