#OTHER STORY LINES AND JUST PICKING AND CHOOSING MY BELOVED

[mbirnsings-71]

Sluggy I gotta be honest with you buddy... I don't have set characters for each role and I have not thought hard about who gets unicorned in my AU but I think in my heart it's gotta be Roy again. Something Something Jade asks for a divorce and tries to drive it off because ow??? BUT THEN BOOM REBAR THROUGH THE HEAD- I just like taking individual storylines from characters and throwing them on who I think would suit it well and also I refuse to kill my Shannon character here damn it-

Boys I forgot I was coloring in a Roy doodle last night uhhhh I got sidetracked big time-

[anistarrose]

Hi! Question for you! You've convinced me to try starting TAZ, but there's just... so much of it.... would you recommend starting all the way from the beginning, or is it possible to pick and choose the best arcs? If so, where would you recommend beginning? Thank you!

Assuming you're interested in the arc that I post the most about, which is Balance (the one with Taako, Magnus, and Merle, my beloveds), then I would just start at the beginning of that arc! (Which is also the beginning of the podcast as a whole.)

The early episodes of Balance aren't as good as the rest in terms of, like, pure objective quality, but they're still hilarious from the very beginning, and also very worth it IMO for how they set up the plot and characters — even if clumsily at first, because the McElroys didn't initially realize how far they wanted to take this series. If you see me going insane about Characters and Themes, and that's what draws you in to TAZ, you will almost certainly find the length of Balance worth to be it lol; just know that it's a comedy show overall where the life-changing emotionally-devastating parts are more of a slow burn.

But also, if you want to start somewhere with slightly better production quality, you can still start with one of the other campaigns, since they're more or less unrelated stories! Balance is of course your standard D&D fantasy adventure, which eventually turns into something grander in scale and blurs the lines with other genres. Amnesty is a modern-setting Monster of the Week campaign, in a mysterious small town in the radio quiet zone of West Virginia — darker in tone than most arcs in some ways, but a blast if you're into that. Graduation is a fantasy school story that I think is among the more underrated arcs, because it has a different DM (Travis instead of Griffin); I think it has very fun worldbuilding about "heroism," "villainy," and "sidekick" as college majors and professions, and my second-favorite player character dynamic after Balance.

Rounding out the arcs I've listened to in full, Ethersea and Steeplechase are both bangers in my opinion, but not ones I'd recommend as an introduction, for various reasons (Steeplechase actually has a running gag that spoils the ending of Balance lmao). Then there's finally Dust, which is more like a two-part miniseries than a full campaign, but it could be good as a bite-sized introduction — it's a fantasy Western murder mystery!

Anyways, enjoy your TAZ journey!

[sneezingisnotnormal]

The Definitive Best Episodes of DnDads

What do I mean by best? These are the episodes that have so many good emotional/hilarious beats that it’s hard to pick out any single moment in it. Every second is iconic. They are in chronological order, but they coincidentally also build from least iconic to most iconic. Spoilers, obviously.

Season 1, Ep. 44: Deck Picks

I think about this episode so much. The literal terror in the air from every which way. The jokes about this being the last episode. Ron literally getting punted out of the story forever. Mr. Moustache weighing the options of getting back his only friend ever or the person he used to be, then completely unrepentantly choosing Scam Likely. Scam Likely then IMMEDIATELY becoming Well Actually. Henry just casually getting a card that makes Lark hate him, literally setting up the ENTIRETY of season 2. Glenn picking a fight with a literal squirrel. Glenn winning AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN. Glen losing. So. Hard. It’s the ultimate karma episode. Every moment feels predestined. There is nothing that makes a story better than complete and utter chance.

Season 1, Ep. 55: Mark! A Vagrant

Just conceptually, this episode is absolutely perfect. Bringing Ashly in to add to the utter chaos of the Jodie/Glenn dynamic was the PERFECT CHOICE. You have Goliath!Darryl having an identity crisis in the background. You have Will playing Jezball. You have Ashly and Anthony whipping out every embarrassing childhood memory they can think of. And of course, the crème de la crème, you have Glenn and Jodie fighting so hard to get the last word that they can’t even finish the goddamn fight. I swear to god I think about that shit every day.

Season 1, Ep. 56: SWAP (SWitched Ass Papas)

I mean. It’s a body swap episode. Of course I’m going to love it. Everyone’s interpretations of each others characters are so fucking perfect. Will!Ron looking to Beth!Darryl for advice on how to be a better Ron?? Immaculate, no notes. Beth!Darryl being fully just handshake and Catholicism? Hilarious. Matt!Henry basically just having a panic attack the whole time? 10000% accurate. Jimmy!Glenn and Freddie!Jodie sniping at each other every 5 seconds? I love it. One of my fave Beth May lines of all time: “I see the dramatic irony and I stick out my hand and say ‘Hi, I’m Darryl Wilson.’”

And THEN the conversation between Jodie and Dee Snyder. The call from Morgan that Jimmy!Glenn picks up and the pain of Glenn hearing his dead wife alive and well but no longer his wife. All of reality crashing down around these two men. A perfect blend of sad and utterly hilarious.

Season 1, Ep. 61: Death of a Salesman

Ron Stampler my absolute beloved. This is the only episode on this list that isn’t really funny and that’s because Beth May and Anthony Burch can tell a story like no one else oh my god. Going through Ron’s memories to find his anchor was such a clutch move. Starting off with something simple like Willie pushing him into the pool to teach him how to swim. Going on to Ron trying to cook dinner by himself. Then finally doing something good, something that made him worthwhile, only for Willie to walk in the second there’s an accident. Having to give up his dog. And finally, the fishing trip. Older Ron watching his younger self sadly, trying to prod him to do what Willie wants him to do, to not be a fuck-up, even though everyone else can see that it’s not his fault at all. Glenn going back to punch his principal. Finding the anchor in the fishhook, the thing Willie told him was special, that led Willie to trying to kill Ron, falling and dying in the process. It’s so fucking poetic and it makes me cry every time and everything about it is so well done. I could write essays about this episode.

Season 2, Ep. 34: Finding Tori

This is the episode I come back to if I need something to listen to because there’s no slow moment in this episode. It’s bit after bit after bit and I just cackle my way through it. I’m just gonna have to go chronologically through it.

First, the tight fives. Linc earnestly sitting down and over-explaining his favourite funny movie for 5 minutes is actually the most realistic thing I’ve ever seen. Taylor as Austin Powers doing anime themed stand-up to an utterly unimpressed Tori. Will being so fucking mad that he doesn’t get to be Austin Powers. Beth completely misunderstanding the assignment and doing 5 minutes of Napoleon Dynamite standup that’s 90% sexist jokes and 10% “wanna hear my Goofy impression? Gorsh.” Normal getting flustered and just completely ruining his chances with Hermie, who just fully to his face goes “you never loved me.” Anthony putting on full Joker makeup and delivering the BEST Gotham stand up the world has to offer. Tori just completely ripping each of them to shreds. Hermie’s “oh that’s ok I’ll kill myself.”

And like. That feels like a whole episode right? BUT NO. SCAM LIKELY JUST THROWS THEM INTO SPACE WITH A LIMBLESS NICHOLAS.

And now we have such bangers as Scary going insane! The wildest plans you’ve ever heard! ALL OF THE TEENS GETTING MARRIED SO THAT THEY BECOME ONE SOUL AND CAN USE BANISHMENT. The second they go to space it’s just a complete scramble to find a mechanic they could possibly use to get out of this. It’s truly DnD to its MAX, using the tools available to you to think outside the box.

Season 2, Episode 35: Apollo Four Teens

This episode, man. It almost feels like a completely different genre. I literally can’t pick a favourite part.

I mean you have them being forced to navigate their CANONIZED AND LEGAL POLYCULE. Anthony sending them back into space for 12 hours every time they try and say that their marriage isn’t real is maybe my favourite bit of DMing ever. Linc dealing with the episode 2 trauma of having a whole other life with a whole other wife who told him that she never wanted him to remarry???? Literally Matt is the king of random bits of lore that are brought up and resolved within 5 minutes I love it. Terry calling her mom to tell her she’s married is so fucking funny, I love Terry Marlowe. All the conversations about what pet names to call each other and the logistics of potentially opening up their relationship?? I love these guys being forced to seriously handle the consequences of their bullshit, it’s actually beautiful.

And then the fucking love triangle drama?? The Hero/Taylor enemies to lovers suddenly being shattered by Linc just trying his best to wingman for his husband?? Hero forcing Normal into all of this as HER wingman??? Normal pining like crazy over Hermie while Hermie suddenly falls HARD back into his crush on Terry??? And then Hermie offering a thruple to Normal to get him to wingman for HIM??? Peak comedy, someone get Normal therapy, he needs it after this shit.

And then you’ve got their plan to get Red Bull to sponsor them. Fucking insane plan to start with, and then they almost fuck it up just by literally doing the lamest stunts possible. I just can’t these teens are so stupid I love them so much.

Season 2, Ep. 37: Cut My Life into Pizzas

Ok. This is my favorite episode of DnDads. Hard stop. No other thoughts behind it. And that’s because it makes me laugh, it makes me cry, it makes me scream. It’s perfect.

First off, the All Star parody. Why did they do that to me. My heart simply cannot take it.

And then you have Terry freaking out, trying to find a way to fix the problem, putting on the hat just to get it out of the way, having all the memories flood back in. And Scary just can’t process what happened. And you get to see in real time as Scary realises that Willie doesn’t actually give a shit about her. And she decides that she CAN’T lose her stepdad. And you get to see in real time as Scary tries to fight back only to find that she’s given all her power to a man that wants to use her as a telephone. And you watch her lose all hope. She leaves her friends. She leaves her stepdad. She joins the kiddads and goes to help them get the final anchor.

The final anchor, which is the garlic knot heart of a pizza king. And it’s that kind of crazy ass piece of this world that makes DnDads the funniest fucking podcast out there. You will never make me laugh as hard as when I’m about to start crying.

And then you have the whole battle of Linc, Taylor, and Normal trying to get up the tower. Linc and Taylor becoming a fighting machine. The absolute insanity of Linc using Taylor’s toes a la ratatouille??? And of course, completely leaving Normal behind, causing Normal to officially snap: “LOOKS LIKE EVERYONE’S FALLING IN LOVE EXCEPT ME.” Deeply hilarious, and also deeply tragic in such a small and painfully familiar way. Meanwhile Scary is trying to find consolation in Sparrow’s stories about Terry Jr. and just feeling worse and worse. The👏emotional 👏turmoil👏

And then they get to the top and it’s a fucking meat door labelled vegans only. Anthony you motherfucker. And Scary just teleports in and rips that man’s heart out and offers it to anyone who can revive her stepdad. And she just completely shuts down when everyone says they can’t because she’ll never get to tell him what he meant to her.

And THEN, AS IF I’M NOT CRYING ENOUGH ALREADY, Linc confronts Grant. This kid who IDOLIZES his dads has to confront his dad and say “you’re doing the wrong thing. You had a choice and you chose wrong. And I can’t forgive you for that.” Grant trying so hard to explain to Linc that he can’t change who he is, only for Linc to say “well you knew you were messed up and you still chose to raise me. You chose to put all this onto me one day.” Jesus Christ. I need a character study on the Wilson’s. They hurt me. So bad.

Honorable Mention: 3.6 A Car is Born

An episode so fucking insane that the least memorable part is Francis getting a FUCKING GUN. The Tony Collette backstory. The moth Jesus. Dewar. I can’t with these idiots

[drinkyourvillainjuice]

Secretary Questions and Answers Part 1

What's the answer to life, the universe and everything?

Being nice to people you don't know. nd also large amount of cocaine

Why did you make the reading comprehension section in the last module?

I'm a librarian! Teaching literacy is half the fun of my job! The rates of functional illiteracy are quite high (up to 50% in some areas of North America). I believe that literacy is one of the few ways to better one's situation, and it starts with asking questions about what you are reading and trying to read in-between the lines. I like teaching people :)

Bingus?

Did you do 9/11?

When I was a wee young lass,

What are some other interactive novels you would recommend?

Secretary Answer: The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante!

Author Answer: For choice of games/hosted games, I like Night Road, the creme de la creme series, fallen hero (which is probably the most predictable recc ever), lies under ice was a really cool recent sci fi release, slammed! is old but pretty great. Separate to choicescript, Our Life Beginnings and Always has a special spot in my heart, it's very much a comfort game for me. I played Digimon Survive this year and although it's kind of a hybrid (it has a lot of turn-based strategy) it's a cool spooky VN. I like the zero escape series too, but also heavily criticise them the way that only somebody who likes something a lot can.

Secretary Answer: show off

What are the characters opinions about peeing in the shower?

nobody pisses in the shower excepts:

Vantage (time efficient)

Hypothesis (he also poops in the shower)

Beth (she's incontinent)

how do author and secretary come together to work on DYVJ? what's the synergy and system like (if there is a system)?

The author writes and does the creative management of the story. She chooses what is inputted in the story and all.

The secretary, me!, deals with a lot of the behind the scene stuff, and with participates in the character design and scene compositions. Create plot points, keep track of things, etc.

essentially, she writes and i am her HR manager. the blog was my idea :)

you guys gay?

i ate her pussy, yes

why is she named surpass

iirc it's because I wanted to evoke a sort of - I don't want to say "Superman" vibe, but I wanted to have a name that evokes power and force. It also feeds a bit into her personality. She's kind of cocky, I'm sure you've noticed, and 'Surpass' has a kind of 'come at me bro' feel to it, making it more the kind of name she'd pick.

Can we smooch Surpass?

Surpass is presently unsmoochable.

Very serious and important question that is totally serious and not at all not serious. At all. Ever. So. Would CG let MC pamper her and feed her sweets via hand? I want to hand feed my handler a Cannoli

CG would be unbelievably tsundere about anyone trying to pamper her.

How did you play Baldur's Gate 3?

my wife says i play games like a maniac. in stealth games (hitman, my beloved), i just run around with guns and kill everything and then finish the missions. allegedly im not supposed to play the game like that! bg3 was a similar experience: what do you mean im not supposed to kill story npcs for their loot? aradin, eat your heart out

[robintherobiner]

This is an interactive story. The next part will be based on what you guys choose.

Warning, the story heavily revolves around dark topics, like suicide, abuse (all types), bullying, all that jazz. It's an au, HEAVILY canon divergent. So, idk proceed carefully

"If you're watching this, it means I'm dead."

Suddenly, Jason wished he'd never bought the sticker covered camera. He'd seen it in a charity shop, looking all lonely on it own little table. All the other camera were old, and had dents and scratches, but this one looked almost new and bursting with personality.

It had cost a lot, of course, and Jason had considered putting it back down. After all, he didn't need a camera. He was pretty sure Bruce had one at home anyways.

But then he'd seen a sticker, right under the shutter button, and he'd recognized his own costume. Whoever had owned this camera had liked Robin, his Robin, with curly hair and freckles instead of tanned skin and sparkly shorts. He had to buy it now, he thought, and so he did.

Jason pressed the play button again, and stared at the kid on the screen. He looked pale, and far too skinny for someone who, if his Bristol accent was anything to go off of, clearly had enough money to buy food.

"Sorry. I realize that was probably, like, a really big thing to say. Or, not big, I guess, it was only eight words. Tough? No.. Eh, whatever." The kid shrugged. "Point is, sorry. You picked up my camera though, so you have three options."

The whole situation is bizarre. He sort of assumed there would be pictures of nature, or videos of some cool tricks if the skateboard stickers are anything to go off of. Not a fucking death announcement.

Still, Jason is curious. Is the kid in danger, and thats why he thinks he's going to die? Or is he sad? Jason lived on the streets, he's not a stranger to people who's heads are clouded, people who think things will never get better. He's never felt that way personally, but he's known lots of people who ended up hurting themselves.

"First, you could just throw the camera away. A bit of a waste, since it's pretty good quality, but whatever. Second, you could delete everything on here and just use it yourself. I'd be okay with that. Photography is fun. Or, if you wanted, you could watch these videos."

Here, his cheeks flush, as though embarrassed. Its hard to hear, but Jason thinks he can hear the boy mutter something along the lines of what a dumb thing to say.

"Even though I'm going to die, I still sort of want to do cool things. Have a coming-of-age movie moment, you know? But I can't have one, so the next best thing is to try give it to someone else." Camera Kid paused. "I think coming-of-age movies are only for teens, though. It would be cooler if I, like, changed the life of someone who's already an adult. Cuz people my age aren't fully developed. That's shaping a life, not changing it. Changing a life would be much harder than shaping one."

Hm. Maybe Jason should give the camera to Dickhead. He's an adult, legally. Give the kid, whoever he is, his wish to try change a life.

Jason would never admit it, but he can't help but snicker. There's no way some random kid can shape or change a life. Especially not with a... Jason checked. Not with a one and half minute video.

"But if that doesn't happen, it's fine. Not like I'll know anyways. I like this camera, so I'll only give it away just before I die. Unless I come back as a ghost who's like, tethered to this camera, I'll never know if anyone watches these videos."

With those words, Jason sobered. It didn't feel funny once he remembered that whoever this kid was, dumb hopes aside, was clearly certain he'd die. If what he said was true, then he already was. That made Jason feel really bad for laughing, and even a little sick.

He'd seen dead bodies before, even his own mom's. He'd watched, smelt, and heard people die. He'd talked people off the ledge, both metaphorically and literally. But this? Holding the beloved camera of a boy who was most likely dead? It made death feel melancholy in a way Jason had never felt before.

"So, yeah. You have three options." The boy says, and reaches out to end the video.

Jason didn't know what to do. Really, he has four options.

[sabookey]

I have a thought, about character creation. I hesitate to claim this thought is some sort of advice, it's just a thought, though I think it merits further exploration and practice to see how it goes. The thought is this:

I think sometimes, when a writer struggles to actually sit down and write, but has a lot of OCs, it's because you think of your characters too much as people. I think some people struggle to tell stories because they are more interested in coming up with people.

Let me elaborate.

I've always been very focused on character creation as the foundation of good writing. When I was younger, and just starting to write, I remember someone proposing the question - which is more vital to creating a good story - a strong plot, or a strong character? At the time, I answered strong characters, hands down. My argument was that a strong character can still carry a weak plot, but a strong plot can still be boring af if the characters are weak. I do still see some merit to that line of thinking.

When it comes to actually writing down my stories, though, I've always really struggled with first drafts. I would fill notebook after notebook with detailed notes on plot points, worldbuilding, and most of all, on characters. Elaborate backstories, personality breakdowns, strengths and weaknesses, hopes and dreams and fears and every other thing that you've seen on a character profile template. I would take my time with things like choosing names, and I would flesh out their families and the people around them because to know their relationships is to know them. I've been protective of my characters, cherishing them, as many of us do, as if they were my children, as if they were dear friends of mine.

But I have yet to complete any long form projects. I have yet to complete any rough drafts for novels. When I was younger, it was because I was determined to do my stories justice. I was determined to do my beloved OCs justice. I didn't feel my writing was strong enough so I just... didn't write for my original works. I would play around with fanfiction, and I read a lot, and eventually I got into writing RP. But I didn't do anything concrete with my OCs beyond making plans for their stories.

Then I entered a short story contest — NYCMidnight's short story contest. They go in four rounds, and give you a prompt, a word limit, and a time limit in which to write your story. You get a week and 2500 words for round 1, three days and 2000 words for Round 2, two days and 1500 words for Round 3, and 24 hours and 1250 words for Round 4. The first year I participated, I went 3 rounds before being knocked out. Last year, I wrote for the first 2.

Which means I've produced five completely original short stories for the prompts given. I was absolutely shocked by how productive I was in such a short span of time. You are given your prompt the moment your clock starts ticking for each round, so you don't have time to prepare ahead. Which means that not only did I have to come up with a plot very quickly, I was also creating characters on the spot.

When you have three days to write a story, you can't spend months carefully crafting a character. So when it came to drafting, I just started slapping very quick characters together that could do what was needed for the plot. My prompt is genre: ghost story, character: a best man, and subject: temporary? Okay, then I need a bride, a groom, a best man, and a ghost. My bride is (picking a random name) Victoria, she's checking out venues with her fiance, and she realizes the place they're checking out is haunted. And off we go.

And you know what? I figured out who Victoria is as I wrote. She's conflicted, she's on the verge of breaking things off. The ghost is reaching out to her, helping her come to terms with the end of her relationship. I didn't need to know her favorite color or her childhood trauma or her blood type to write the story. Some of those things might come out in the writing. Many of them just never become relevant.

Now, I'm not saying that character profiles are trash. I don't hold with blanket advice, and this isn't advice, remember, this is just a thought. But for me, doing these fast exercises even though I always had thought of myself as a planner not a pantser, showed me that I can still write a damn good story even without writing a novel's worth of notes and plans alone.

Getting back to the original thought... I guess what I'm trying to get at here is, sometimes I think authors can get so tangled up in the create-a-character stage, or the world-building stage, that we forget that we aren't meant to be writing a travel guide, or designing a fully-realized person.

At some point, you have to say okay, now lets put that person in some situations and see what they do. You gotta stick them in a scenario where they are not just spouting backstory at another character, but are making a choice. Okay, they have trauma. They have complex personalities. But what are they doing? What choices are they making and what waves are they making? That's where the plot comes from, and how you make it go. That's plot. And the plot is where the story happens. And you're just writing it all down as it goes, and that's your rough draft.

Every time i get stuck on a story, I instinctively reach for the background notes. I just need to know what makes them tick, I think, and that's how I'll fix it. But nine times out of ten, I don't, actually. That way leads to Not Writing (tm). And I still struggle with that more than I'd like for my bigger projects.

Trying (again) to bring it back to the initial thought... I just think it's interesting that the stories that were easiest to complete were ones where the characters were made up as I went along. I just wrote. Added new characters when needed. Oh, protag needs a friend to carry out a conversation? Guess we have a new character. They continue on their merry way, surprise, someone's stalking them, new character! Meanwhile the stories where I've outlined every character and know who each of them are, still sit unwritten.

That's not the sole factor in why a story has or hasn't been written out, mind you. It's more a comment on, if your OCs are too dear and you're taking too much time with designing them, you are losing valuable time that you could figure out who they are as you write their story. By you I really mean me. Or whoever might find this useful, I suppose.

Anyways. That's my thought. If anyone has any thoughts of their own about this, I'd love to hear them!

[amorest-viesse]

[Thank You For Your Endless Warmth] - Chloe SSR Card Story Translation

Ft. Akira and Western wizard cameos

The Flowermist Wonderland With You ~An Invitation for Chloe~ - Chapter 1

[Dining Room]

For Chloe's birthday, the Western wizards had organized a grand party with the entire manor in attendance.

Once the festivities ended however, only the Western wizards and I remained in the dining hall.

Chloe: Thank you so much for today!

Chloe: The party was absolutely incredible. I didn’t think you’d go so far for me.

Akira: I’m glad that you liked it.

Shylock: Hehe, it’s only natural we would. Everyone adores you after all—myself included.

Murr: Me too—!

Rustica: My beloved apprentice and dear friend, I hope your days from here on will be filled with the most marvelous of memories.

Chloe: Ehehe, I’m so happy right now I don’t want the day to end.

Rustica: There’s no reason why the festivities can’t continue in your dreams as well. However, before heading off to bed, we do have one final present for you.

Rustica: Master Sage, if you please.

Akira: Got it! Happy birthday once again, Chloe.

Akira: To celebrate, please allow me to take you to the Flowermist Wonderland tomorrow.

Chloe: Wow…! Isn’t that the place Shylock inherited from a friend?

Shylock: Indeed. It’s a rather entertaining locale filled with all sorts of attractions to captivate its guests.

Chloe: I knew it! I’ve heard others talking about it before and thought it sounded amazing. I can’t wait to finally go myself!

The Flowermist Wonderland With You ~An Invitation for Chloe~ - Chapter 2

[Chloe’s Room]

The next day. With the Wonderland invitation in hand, I made my way to Chloe’s room.

Akira: Here you go Chloe. It’s the invitation to the Flowermist Wonderland.

Chloe: It has all my favorite things on it! Did you make this yourself, Master Sage?

Akira: Yep! I wanted to make it as personalized as possible.

Akira: All you have to do is sign your name here and cast your spell. Then a door to the park will open. Shall we try it?

Chloe: Alright! First, I'll write my name, then…

Chloe: <<Suispicibo Voitingoc>>

With a slow creaking sound, the doorway to the Wonderland opened before us. A sweet scent wafted out as mist began to obscure the room.

[Flowermist Wonderland - Day]

Chloe: Wow…! Those wooden horses are flying! And over there! Are those swings?

As the scenery came into view, Chloe excitedly took in everything around us. As he moved, the beret on his head wobbled, causing him to gasp with a start.

Chloe: Oh, I have a hat! Actually my entire outfit changed!

Akira: Anyone who comes here gets their clothes magically changed. Those colors are so chic; they look perfect on you!

Chloe: Ehehe, really? This is so cool. A brand new outfit just for me!

Chloe twirled around as if examining the swish of his coat. His joy was infectious, and I could feel myself smiling too.

Akira: Let’s get started then! There’s a lot to see, so I’ll lead the way!

With a spring in our steps, we made our way to a row of little wagons. Running up to one of them, Chloe smiled happily.

Chloe: This is amazing! They’re loaded with buttons and fabrics! I’ve never seen anything like this before…!

Akira: This really is like an arts and crafts paradise.

Akira: It seems like everything here has magical properties too.

Chloe: Oh, you're right! That cat embroidery is moving! Its tail is flicking back and forth like it’s about to pounce on something…

Akira: Maybe it’s trying to get that butterfly button…?

Chloe: I bet! …Oh, whoa!! The butterfly is flying away now! Ahaha!!

Chloe’s violet eyes sparkled as he perused the items lined up in the wagons.

Akira: I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself. I just knew I had to take you here as soon as I found this place.

Akira: Since we’re celebrating your birthday, please feel free to choose something you like as a gift.

Chloe: Wow, really!? Thank you so much! That’s incredible!

Chloe: Everything here is so unique, I hardly know what to pick.

Chloe: With all the novelties here, I could create designs I’ve never tried before!

As Chloe scanned the items on the wagons, his expression revealed a surprising amount of deliberation.

Everything he made was filled with such love and care. As I watched his face, I felt like I could see that passionate creator in him, and my chest swelled with emotion.

Akira: Take as much time as you need, alright? Aside from this, there are also wagons with hats and gloves in them.

Chloe: Really! Can we see them too?

Akira: Of course we can!

The Flowermist Wonderland With You ~An Invitation for Chloe~ - Chapter 3

[Flowermist Wonderland - Night]

As we looked around the wagons, time seemed to pass in the blink of an eye.

Chloe: That was so~ much fun! I can’t believe those shoes started dancing like that.

Akira: They were so lively too! …Oh, there’s the next wagon.

Chloe: Oh, this one has scarves on it! They’re so colorful and pretty.

Chloe: Ah! This is…

Chloe’s eyes settled upon a single scarf covered with pale flowers amongst the countless others in the cart.

Chloe: Hey, doesn’t this scarf remind you of this place?

Akira: It does! The deep blue fabric kind of reminds me of the stars twinkling in the night sky.

Chloe: Right? Isn’t it gorgeous? I think… this is what I want to take.

Chloe reached for the scarf. However, as his fingertips brushed against the fabric, his hand suddenly froze.

Chloe: …

Akira: Chloe? It’s your birthday, so you can take it if you want…

Chloe: …Ah, sorry! I just had a moment there.

Chloe: On second thought… Maybe I don’t need a present after all.

[Ominous music]

Akira: Huh…?

Chloe: Today has already been so amazing! The memories are all I need!

Despite his words, however, his smile seemed a little off.

Akira: If you don’t want to take anything, that’s fine, but…

Akira: …Is something wrong?

Chloe: N- Nothing at all! Really!

Chloe: …Well, maybe I am a little afraid.

Akira: Of what…?

Chloe: Yesterday, the entire manor celebrated my birthday, and today, you took me to this wonderful place…

Chloe: It’s all been going so well that I can’t help but feel like everything will fall apart at some point, like if I wish for anymore, I’ll definitely be punished for it.

Chloe’s smile trembled as he held his hands close to his heart.

As if he was shielding himself.

Chloe: …What if I suddenly wake up and find myself in the cold?

Chloe: And all of these happy memories, celebrations, and friendships were nothing more than a dream? What if it turns out I’ve actually been alone all this time…

Chloe: …Ahaha… I’m sorry. I must sound crazy to you.

Akira: …Not at all. You don’t have to apologize for anything…

I took Chloe’s hands, and held them as they shook ever so slightly.

Akira: …Are your hands warm now?

Chloe: Huh? I mean, yes, they are…

Akira: Then this is proof it isn’t a dream, right? If it was, you wouldn’t be able to feel this warmth.

Chloe: Ah…

Akira: I’ll hold your hands, Chloe. Just like this.

Akira: I’ll hold them so you can trust that yesterday, and today, and all the love you’ve ever received is real.

Chloe’s eyelashes fluttered. Rather than pulling away, he returned my grip.

Chloe: …That’s right… Thank you, Master Sage.

Using one hand to hold mine, Chloe let go with the other and reached for the wagon.

He then carefully picked up the scarf he had once hesitated to touch.

Akira: …Ah… The flower petals are falling…

Gently landing onto the scarf, light-colored flower petals began to rain from the sky.

Akira: (This is the sign that the guests are fully satisfied…)

Before long, the entire area was enveloped in mist.

♡♥♡

[Chloe’s Room]

Chloe: Ah… We’re back.

There seemed to be a tinge of disappointment in his voice.

However, upon seeing the scarf in his hand, his lips curved into a smile.

Chloe: …Hey, Master Sage. Do you mind spending a little more time with me?

Chloe: I want to create a matching outfit for this scarf, so I wanna hear your ideas!

As Chloe spread out the scarf, there wasn’t a hint of anxiety left in his bright, glittering eyes.

Akira: Of course I can. I’d be happy to help!

An Exciting Series of Events - Card Episode

[Living Room]

Akira: Your birthday sure was extravagant. I was surprised to find the entire manor decorated from top to bottom as soon as I woke up.

Chloe: Me too! Apparently, Murr did that with magic.

Chloe: The whole day was absolutely amazing from the moment I opened my eyes. The first thing that happened was Murr appearing in my room!

Chloe: He yelled, “Wake up! Wake up! You can’t waste even a second ‘cause your birthday party starts right meow!” and whisked me away.

Akira: Ahaha, that sounds exciting.

Chloe: Right!? Oh speaking of, Shylock’s event really got the crowd going too!

Akira: “Chloe’s Best Designs Rankings” right?

Akira: He listed off all of his favorite outfits, but concluded that they were all number one in the end since every outfit was so amazing.

Chloe: He did, didn’t he… Ehehe, that was so nice!

Chloe: Then, after the party ended, Rustica performed a concert for me. It was just the two of us in the courtyard at midnight.

Akira: Wow, that sounds like a wonderful gift! What kind of song did he play?

Chloe: …He said it was a song wishing for my life to be filled with happiness now and into the future.

Chloe: I was so touched by his warmth and kindness. Just hearing it made my heart feel full.

Akira: That sounds just like Rustica.

Chloe: Yep. It really was an unforgettable night.

Homescreen Voice Line

“Since it’s a special occasion, I want to have confidence in myself today and carry myself with pride. Everyone’s thinking of me after all, and I can feel their care in every word and gift I receive… Everything just makes me so happy! Thank you so much for the wonderful birthday.”

[superherotiger]

BELOVED i am requesting backstory for your FAVORITE dadneto fic you have ever written

AHHH MY BELOVED!! Thank you for giving me a chance to ramble about ✨them✨

But oh boy, picking a favourite story is so hard!! I supposed out of my finished works, ‘The Hardest Part is Leaving You’ would be one of my top picks!

As you know, that fic started as just little chunks of writing which showed how Peter added something to Erik’s house in Genosha every time he visited, but then of course I had to explain why Peter was visiting him which is how I came up with the idea for the government liaison! It was such a blast to write, and then as it kept going I reached a point where I realised there would have to be a reveal otherwise we’d all feel robbed of a happy ending 🤣

I remember those last two scenes (Erik finding out and Peter telling him) being the hardest parts to write. I’d never done a reveal at that point so it was a struggle trying to find the perfect way for it all to come together, and I’m so proud of how it turned out!

And of course, who could forget the iconic pun at the end that gives me life to this day 🤣

But you already knew all that beloved! So instead I’ll ramble a bit about the sequel I never ended up writing for the Genosha fic!

The idea was that it would be a Dark Phoenix fix it of sorts, with Jean’s Phoenix powers going out of control and the X-Men trying to capture her like in the movie. Peter would get severely injured in the fight though and a dismayed Erik would take him to Genosha to recover. The story was heavily focused around Peter’s relationship with Wanda and how much Jean reminded him of his twin, considering they both suffered from powers that were beyond their control. It was also about Erik’s struggle over trying to protect his son, and how he eventually had to forgive Jean and choose to help her despite the anger he felt over Peter’s near death.

In the end, Peter was going to be a key player in bringing Jean back to a stable place along with the other X-Men, and after spending many months with his father, ends up deciding to stay on Genosha permanently. He’d later set up a school in his sister’s name and adopt Mr Dibbles, making Erik a proud grandfather.

Most of the elements of this story have been repurposed for other upcoming fics in the Outsider POV, such as finding Mr Dibbles on Genosha, the Phoenix plot line in a Jean POV, and a reverse of Peter getting drawn to Genosha from a traumatic event in the Fabian POV. So though we will probably never see a sequel to the Genosha fic, the ideas will live on in other ones!!

Thanks for letting me ramble! Love you dearest!! 💛💛💛

-Superherotiger

Send me an ask about the backstory of any of my fics and I’ll ramble!! ��

[haveyoureadthistoo]

Unpopular opinions

If you're human and living on this planet, you have certainly at least once got into a heated debate with somebody over something that was entirely up to taste. When it comes to culture, especially books, other aspects such as high expectations, political views and personal life experiences can also play a part, to the point where it's sometimes difficult to figure out why you didn't like that novel that everybody else is praising so hard.

My first big disappointment came from where I least expected it to. My queen Jane Austen. How could such a witty, talented author have penned something as dull as “Mansfield Park”? I could barely find any of the traits I so loved about her other novels, apart from maybe Lady Bertram and her impossible pug. It took me ages to finish and by the end of it I almost wished I hadn’t read it. But the following year I read “Emma” and reread “Pride and Prejudice” for the zillionth time, and my sense of wonder was restored.

In 2016, I finally decided to read “The Little Prince”, ready for a comfort book. Instead, I found a manual for sexist behaviour and unhealthy codependency disguised as sweet words and a love story. It took me so much by surprise that I could barely register the beautiful writing and the clever metaphors. All I could think was - how is this a timeless children’s classic when it glorifies egocentrism and self harm? Unlike many of the books I wish I had read at a younger age, this time I was relieved to be dealing with it at the end of my prefrontal cortex development, when I at least knew better.

Not long after that, I picked up another classic, “Lord of the Flies”. This time, I didn’t have strong feelings about it, I just failed to connect - and to believe. The writing bothered me, the excessive descriptions threw me off and the concept just didn’t ring true. The idea that we’re all just wild animals deep inside, ready to behave irrationally at the lowest provocation is just too convenient. It kills any productive discussion. But Piggy was such a cutie, poor guy.

My next bad ride was “1Q84”, which marred my admiration for Haruki Murakami. From that point onwards, I started perceiving flaws that didn’t seem to be there before, as though with every new book I was always reading the same thing with small adjustments. Woody Allen comes to mind. I could suddenly see the man behind the author. So many things displeased me, from bad character development to lazy narrative structure, not to mention all the unsexy sex scenes and the attempt at justifying sexual assault with religion. By the time I was done with the trilogy, I just knew I could never read again the books I had already read and loved because it might taint my beautiful memories.

2019 was the last time I faced a beloved classic and was left with a bitter taste. As a nature lover and philosophy admirer, it had always been a given that I would fall head over heels with “Walden”. I was writing a short film that was all about wilderness and community life, so it seemed like the perfect time to finally embrace my beautiful hardcover copy of the book. I certainly did not expect to find what a Goodreads user defined as: “The tale of a man who dared to live in his parents backyard and eat dinner with them, and then lived to write about it.” I felt cheated on. Ideologically and financially.

I might sound harsh in my comments, but I still rated all these books 2 stars out of 5. They’re books. Full books. Written by real people - something we take for granted now, but might live to miss one day. And it’s perfectly fine that some people worship them. Well, to some extent.

The bottom line is, I disliked them for different reasons. I take no issue with people enjoying “Mansfield Park” or “Lord of the Flies”, whose faults listed here are of a very personal nature. You can also choose to ignore the author’s privilege in “Walden” and manage to focus on the positive, if abstract conclusions. Even “1Q84” can hold a reverential place to somebody who sees it as a big mysterious symbolism for something I couldn’t see. Same goes for “The Little Prince”, which might just elicit good childhood memories regardless of the actual words - though I would never in a million years give it to an actual child.

Speaking of childhood memories, it’s also perfectly ok to change your mind. Something that spoke to you when you were little can feel a little distant when you’re an adult. Even something you liked or loathed in your 20s might feel better or worse within a decade (or four). We are constantly changing. And so are our passions. You don’t have to hate something just because you didn’t love it, nor do you have to pretend you’re still passionate about something that belongs in a different time, to a different you.

And it’s so natural that we disagree. Not everything has to turn into a fight. Our opposing tastes are not supposed to elicit war, but rather to give us personality and something to talk about. They are conversation starters, idea sparkers. We shouldn’t have to hide our true opinions, the same way we shouldn’t only listen to other people with the same opinion.

So yes, praise what you like, respect what you don’t. And let’s all collectively forget “The Little Prince”.

[elshells]

Welcome, Traveler!

Hello! Ella here, it's nice to meet you. Thanks for stopping by my blog!

I've only been on Tumblr/Writeblr for a couple of years, but I've been sharing stories online since 2018, and writing for fun even longer than that. Mainly, I dabble in science fiction, fantasy, horror, and everything in between. If you read or write within these genres, we'll get along great. And even if you don't, hit me up! I'm always looking for another good read, and I'm pretty easy to please.

I enjoy asks/tag games and am always looking for an excuse to talk about my beloved characters. Granted, it takes me forever and a day to respond to literally anything, but I'd love to get to know you and your WIPs!

If I'm not writing, I'll hop on to see what y'all are up to, and sometimes I'll chime in with whatever's on my mind. Usually late at night when I should be asleep. As one does. You know how it goes around here. And if I happen to say anything hilarious, there's a 60% chance it was unintentional. I rarely think I'm funny in real life.

The bottom line is, if you enjoy my WIPs or just wanna be friends, please don't be shy to reach out! I'm often afraid to make the first move, but no matter how I end up on your feed, I hope I can make you smile!

* * *

MORE ABOUT ME

—‌Currently pursuing a degree in English creative writing and gender sexuality, and race studies, with minors in publishing and printing arts and music performance. So, naturally, I can be a busy gal.

—‌My dream is to be a published author (likely going down the indie route). I also have aspirations to be an actor in community theatre and/or voiceover work; we'll see how that goes!

—‌I've been playing the flute for almost ten years, and am slowly picking up piano and guitar. Eventually I'd love to learn my way around a drum set as well, if I ever find the time, money, and discipline. Maybe I'll even write my own music one day, who knows?

—‌I love to swim, lift weights, and do yoga, and I rode horses for several years. Beyond that, I'm pretty much hopeless at sports, especially the ones that involve good depth perception and hand-eye coordination.

—‌Occasionally, I'll find the motivation to draw. I haven't been that dedicated to the doodles lately, so I've lost a lot of my mojo, but I hope to get back into it some day and maybe share some of my art!

—‌As a teenager, I volunteered at my local zoo and aquarium—‌and I would still love to go back one day—‌but for now, I work as a lifeguard and swim instructor.

—‌PFP is my current DND character, a tiefling bard named Enyo. If you're interested in learning more about her, check out this post (which includes a full-body artistic interpretation!)

—‌Like I mentioned before, I'm here to make friends! I'll talk to anyone about anything, as long as the conversation stays friendly, safe, and respectful. I won't tolerate hate in any form.

* * *

WIP MASTER LIST

If you enjoy a chapter, please consider letting me know by reblogging and leaving a comment! I welcome anything you have to say, so long as you're kind to me, yourself, and others. Useful and constructive criticism is always encouraged if you catch something I didn't, so feel free to share any feedback, opinions, or questions you have. I'm always looking to improve and I appreciate all the support I can get!

THE HARMONT HEROES SERIES —‌A fusion of science fiction and urban fantasy told through the dual POV of two sisters on opposite ends of society. This saga features mystery and intrigue, thrills and chills, and an array of LGBTQ+ characters. -BOOK ONE: Agent Ace -BOOK TWO: TBA -BOOK THREE: TBA -BOOK FOUR: TBA

EMBR OF THE EARTH (Standalone)—‌In the far, unknown future, the world is overrun by human survivors, robot scouts, and hostile, alienesque creatures that came from nowhere. A ragtag group of teens choose to leave the safety of their satellite and return to Earth, determined to discover what happened to planet and if there's a way to save it. -ON INDEFINITE HIATUS -The current draft is still available on Wattpad; read it here.

ENCORE (Standalone) —‌An eighteen-year-old girl is rescued from a deserted island as the lone survivor with an unbelievable story. Twelve years later, the girl, now a struggling musician who's still tortured by the past, is given an opportunity to go back in time to save the others. But with such high stakes to succeed, the price may be too much to pay. -A twist on the Final Girl trope in classic horror. -COMING TO TUMBLR SOON! Get started with the first five chapters here.

POETRY

I'm not much of a poet, but I've been known to dabble. Take a look!

Water Nymphs

Witches

Alley Cat

Sea Urchin

Homebody

Puhpowee

* * *

WHERE ELSE YOU CAN FIND ME

Wattpad: @ persephonehale

AO3: @ elshells

Instagram: @ ellanoblewrites *In the meantime, thanks for saying hi!*

[fancy-a-dance-brigadier]

star trek ds9 for the ask thing!

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to ramble about my most beloved space show!!

Favourite character: Julian Bashir. He captivated me with his relentlessly irritating personality from day one. For real though, I just love how his character evolves throughout the show (season 7 not withstanding because what the hell was going on there), and I genuinely think he gets some of the best focus episodes (‘The Quickening’ I’m looking at you, that episode is a MASTERPIECE). But he’s funny and intense and strong and goofy, and above all he’s a consummate professional - there’s a lot of layers to him, which is what makes him so fascinating. Basically I’m a Bashir girlie for life. Love that noodle man.

Second favourite character: I’m genuinely having a hard time deciding between Sisko and Ezri, so I’ll choose both! Sisko is easily the best captain in all of Star Trek, and so much of that comes down to Avery Brooks’ masterful performance. There’s an endless amount of depth to his character, from his relationship to Jake to his hatred of the Maquis, from his position as Emissary to his passion for cooking and inventing and creating. Absolute king of my heart basically. As for Ezri, I just find her whole arc so compelling - she’s the host who was never meant to be a host, and she had the poor luck of hosting one of the most significant symbionts in Trill society. I do agree that the show definitely fumbles with her potential, and it’s a shame we only get one season of her, but I think she really does make the most of the time she’s given. Plus the nose scrunch. Nothing but respect for Ezri’s nose scrunch.

Least favourite character: The Female Founder. And it’s a shame, because DS9 has a great track record for its villains, but they really dropped the ball on her. She always felt like she slowed the story down, and her role in Odo’s story just got repetitive. I think they did improve her at the end of season 7 when she was dying, but a few good episodes don’t really make up for how frustrating I found her throughout the rest of the show.

The character I’m most like: Uhh Jake I guess? He likes writing, I like writing. He likes Ben Sisko, I like Ben Sisko. Uh yeah that’s all I’ve got 😂

Favourite pairing: Siskoshir, but I’m sure you saw that coming! It’s about the professional respect they have for each other, it’s about the tenderness, it’s about their shared willingness to break the rules for a good cause, it’s about that one scene in ‘Past Tense’ when Ben gets Julian breakfast. Nothing but love for them always and forever.

Least favourite pairing: Kira/Dukat. I don’t think I need to explain why.

Favourite moment: This is a cruel question because how am I supposed to pick just one moment?? From seven seasons of brilliant television?? I’m supposed to choose between the scenes with the Prophets from ‘Emissary’ and Benny’s breakdown at the end of ‘Far Beyond the Stars’? I’m supposed to choose between Julian confronting Winn in ‘Life Support’ and Kira speaking to Kai Opaka about her relationship to violence in ‘Battle Lines’? I’m supposed to choose between the ‘Rejoined’ kiss and Odo’s love confession in ‘Heart of Stone’? Cruelty, it’s cruelty I say.

Rating out of 10: 11/10. It’s perfect television. I’ve never enjoyed binge watching things, but let me tell you I spent 50% of my life last year binging DS9 for the first time and it’s become one of those beautiful experiences in my fannish life that I yearn to recapture. Sometimes a silly space show really can cling to your heart and never let go.

[cicaklah]

my girl @ronniebox tagged me and so here we go!

Rules: List ten books that have stayed with you in some way, don’t  take but a few minutes, and don’t think too hard - they don’t have to  be the “right” or “great” works, just the ones that have touched you.

Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman - my mother gave me this book to read when I was maybe 11, it was her copy that she had bought when Pratchett came and gave a reading at our local library in like, 1992. I'd say no book has been more formative to me, but in writing this I don't think thats true.

The City and the City by China Mieville - I got into Mieville through my girl @crimeandcricket, and was horribly traumatised by the body horror in perdido street station, and was way too influenced by his often pretentious writing style, but the city and the city is a masterpiece I'll never recover fully from and changed me for the better.

The Children's Hospital by Chris Adrian - I'm fairly sure no one but me loves this book, but it is also a book that multiple people stopped me when I was reading in public just from the cover image. My favourite kind of book is a book that can only be written by one person, and Adrian is a theologian and paediatrician, and this book uses every single one of his hyperfixations and also made me cry more than anything else.

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster - Actually, this book probably did more to calcify my sense of humour than Pratchett did. The smartest, funniest, coolest children's book ever, and this has reminded me to get the tattoo of Tock on my wrist.

Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfield - I read this every christmas morning as a treat to myself. I also adore White Boots, the ice skating book, but Ballet Shoes is such a perfect gem of a story that is the favourite of my grandmother, my mother and myself.

Shabanu/Daughter of the Wind by Suzanne Fisher Staples - The first book that made me cry, inspired my fondness for camels and was probably my first feminist awakening? I've only read one of the sequels, but it was so brutal I still haven't emotionally recovered entirely.

The Amateur Cracksman by E. W Hornung - my mastermind specialist subject, a book that consumed me across time and space, Raffles my beloved, Bunny my beloved, I remember the moment I read the first story and my life changed literally forever. The Black Mask and A Thief In The Night are also obviously amazing and really all three should be considered one book, but something in my life changed for the better when I read the line 'AJ Raffles would be my friend!' in The Ides of March and I realised oh no, they're mine now.

Exhalation by Ted Chiang - very hard for me to choose a Ted Chiang story so thankfully I will pick his second collection, which has The Life Cycle of Software Objects and also the one about the parrots. It does not have Hell is the Absence of God or stories of your life, but tbh, software objects was the first of his stories I ever read, so it deserves to be here, even if it guts me like a fish every time.

Rivals by Jilly Cooper - if I could have anyone's writing career, it would be Jilly Cooper's. Everytime I read this insane soap opera of a book it holds me hostage until I finish it, and its like 700 pages long. The most wonderfully 80s OTT sex farce about horrible people trying to buy an ITV franchise. I genuinely can't believe that disney plus are making it into a series.

The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson - One of his least famous books and yet I think his best? I had read the Mars books several times before I picked this up, but this alternate history where 90% of Europe are killed by the black death, following how world history changes through the eyes of characters who reincarnate but always find each other, somehow??? it grabbed me by the throat and never let go.

tell me YOUR formative texts pls @crimeandcricket @deputychairman @myth-blossom @skylightpirate @stickthisbig @apricotbones @postalninja @cajunandfire @within-infant-rind

[nasuversekinkmeme]

Weekly Roundup: Prompts

Tsukihime

kohaku and shiki feeding/stuffing, can be as fluffy or dark as op would like

FSN

In a moment no one rarely sees, Medea mourns over what she did to her kids. Heracles, who happened to be passing by, offers a shoulder in comfort

would taiga & jaguarman throw hands on sight tho ?

FGO

Gore, Guda offers themselves up as sacrifices to the Aztec god of their choosing leading to some very gory fun

Gudako uses Barghest's washboard abs as a literal washboard.

gudao, oberon, and castoria have a sleepover! Castoria finds out what happens when you fall asleep first. (It does not matter what happens, such as face doodling, pranking, nothing, or outright somno, ANYTHING can happen to her. can be taken seriously or in a nonsensical way)

Autistic Ritsuka who really likes the texture of Vritra’s scales

Smut, Someone fucks Hessian’s headstump.

Someone, anyone, lesbian Salieri/Amadeus, make em women and make em kiss. Hell they can do anything i need some wlw in my life

Baoban Sith (accidentally or otherwise) calls Mash "father".

Smut, Ramas pissed: no one believes his Sita is the best! It's not his fault his wife is still not being able to be summoned despite his numerous attempts! So, in order to right this wrong, he obviously has to crossdress as his beloved and give the sloppiest head to anyone that asks

Smut, tsuna has always wanted to try out somnophilia. it takes a bit of convincing but kintoki is a loving boyfriend and eventually gives in to him. does it go how tsuna imagined???

This is gonna be so obvious LMAO, but I'd love to see anyone's take on feeder!Helena and feedee!Holmes, anything along those lines!

After some time, Kriemhild has accepted that her adopted son Schmidt has started dating and invites them over for family dinner. What she didn't expect is for him to show up with two people, both of whom seem to be bad influences on her son (Sieg×AstolfoxJeanne trouphle but honestly it can be anyone)

Any fandom

due to servants like Paul Bunyan, we know that a character doesn't have to actually exist to be summonable by the holy grail. They just need to have a large body of broadly accepted myths about them. Even if the character is one people know is complete fiction, if there's enough stories about them, it is possible to summon them. Ergo, I want to see what happens in a hypothetical Holy Grail War where some dumbass summons Superman.

Smut, I am in desperate need for maid girls getting bred by other girls, which part of the nasuverse you do is your call, though I'm more familiar with the Fate side of things.

Yknow what, we need more character/reader first, idc if they're sweet or smutty or downright nasty

I wanna see the crackficiest crackfic you can dream up out of the Nasuverse. Like aim for the level of Grinch/Tony the Tiger. The less there is to back up the pairing in canon, the better. Only rule: once you pick your pairing, do it entirely seriously. It can be fucked up or wholesome, you just have to treat it seriously.

The Boys are having a bbq and kintoki is making the extra effort to make mandricardo feel included and comfortable. What kintoki doesn't realise is that he's getting a little too touchy-feely with mandy, who now has to juggle his social anxiety with his growing desire to fuck this gorgeous hunk of a himbo

Samurai Remnant

Musashi accidentally let its slip that in a past universe she met some guy called Yoshinaka and is immediately jumped by Tomoe for more info

[anerdquemoraaolado]

Better Than Expected

Chapter 9

Upon awakening from a deep, relaxed sleep, Varang still kept her head against Miles's chest. Sje could also feel him much calmer, both in his smooth rhythmic breathing and in the neural connection. His mind was light and relaxed as she could feel it, but part of her thoughts were on the intriguing looking boy. The most underlying feeling Miles had for him that Varang could pick up was concern. She then noticed that, from everything he'd told her and everything she'd seen in his mind, she still didn't have clear answers about the boy, other than that he was Miles's son.

Keeping quiet, just breathing deeply, Varang noticed her husband waking up, he didn't say anything, he just hugged her tighter, leaving her close to him, taking a deep breath to smell his wife. It was an interesting mixture of flowers and ashes, not pleasant at first, but now it was a fragrance that sent him back to good memories, to the woman he loved.

She smiled then, moving slowly to meet his watchful yellow eyes. She watched him, intrigued, curious but recognizing the man in front of her. With satisfaction, she gave him a sensible answer.

"I see you, ma'Miles," she said softly.

-I see you - he replied equally, immediately remembering Spider's lessons, at least his pronunciation was correct this time.

Remembering Spider made their thoughts line up, which made him realize that they still had the neural braids together. Miles took advantage of that and the proximity of Varang's face and kissed her gently, showing his gratitude once again for her feelings.

She then got up off his chest, sitting close, but still touching her husband in some way. She took one of his hands and stroked the eagle tattoo absently, looking up at it. He sat down next to her and undid the neural connection slowly, the two felt the effect of it like a fast and strong wind passing through their minds.

Varang approached again, tracing the marks on her husband's face with her fingers, running an index finger across his nose.

-I have a question, my beloved - she asked directly.

-My beloved, this is new, I like the way it sounds - he took one of her hands and kissed her palm reverently - ask me, my beloved.

-Mmm - she smiled in a whisper, also appreciating being called the same way -the human boy from your memories, Spider, how can he be your son?

Varang saw Miles's expression fade, giving way to the concern she'd noticed earlier.

-I couldn't hide the boy from you, could I? - he countered, somewhat reluctantly, but recognizing defeat - this na'vi telepathy is really powerful.

Varang just frowned, finding the term strange, which made him laugh softly.

-Very well - Quaritch cleared his throat and continued, somewhat somberly - when I was human, I fell in love with a warrior named Paz Socorro, what we had was brief and intense, but still, we had a child. He is called Miles like me, but he hates being called that, he prefers Spider.

-And that woman you once loved, she died, like your human self - Varang understood, also carrying regret in her voice.

-Exactly, I couldn't take care of the boy, I didn't have the opportunity to see him grow up - Quaritch resumed the story, clearly demonstrating his regrets - to be honest, I saw him only as a method to reach my goals, but I had the opportunity to get to know him better and learn to love him, somehow, he refused to stay with me, I don't even blame him, he preferred the Sullys to me.

"Which is all the more reason to take revenge on Toruk Makto," suggested Varang.

-I don't want to force the boy to choose sides, but if given the opportunity, I would bring him back into my life - he was totally sincere.

-If he were looking for you, I would guarantee that he was welcome here, on your behalf - Varang was open to accepting the boy, even starting to have affection for him.

-Thank you, love - Miles thanked her, while Varang smiled contentedly, letting herself relax in his arms.

Quaritch braced a firm hand under his head, while his other arm held her hips. She stretched there, closing her eyes, feeling safe.

-I would do anything for you, Miles - she said in a relaxed way, but he knew he could trust her word.

-I can collect that at some point - he countered - but for now, I just want your kisses.

"I can grant that to you." She moved closer, standing inches from his face.

She answered him promptly, covering his lips with hers as her hands ran through his hair, then down his back. Quaritch held her tight, once again not believing that his na'vi wife was very real.

[zilabee]

A massive long post only I will care about, the best kind of post \o/ A meme about my fic, the wild and windy night.

1: What inspired you to write the fic this way?

It was meant to be a super quick fives times h/c fic to get all my favourite h/c scenarios into one fic, and the first chapters I wrote like that, super short easy sketches, and then I tried to write the last one just the same, but I realised something big needed to happen to make them actually see each other... and so I did a Terrible Thing to Paul.  And I did it without thinking, and then I realised that I didn’t know how to fix it, and having John show up and take care of him was basically useless because he wasn’t going to be okay and it was awful.  But I also couldn’t think how to change it, so I wrote eight longer less easy chapters trying to make him be okay, and then it was set in shape and I let it exist. 

2: What scene did you first put down?

The first one. I write things in their order. I mean I leave hard bits badly written and go back to them, but I write them badly before I go forward because otherwise I genuinely don't know what happens next.  How do you know what they’re going to do until they’ve done it?

3: What’s your favourite line of narration?

They are worn and grubby and beloved of the earth.

I don't know why but I really like it. I'm aware there are much more meaningful bits in my fic, and more poignant, but all the same.

I'm also fond of:

He is sitting on the floor and the floor is imaginary.

4: What’s your favourite line of dialogue?

"You're the one that broke it." "Ah, but it's your window." "Ah, but I haven't got any hands, you see."

I think being able to say that is why Paul needed John, more than any of the other things he needed him for.

5: What part was hardest to write?

The bit that I didn't write, where they talk about Klein and Apple and why it had all hurt so much. I stopped writing the fic for about three months when I got to that scene, because I kept writing myself into a corner where they actually had irreconcilable differences and kind of hated each other. Which was not my hope.

You know in the real world where they said they would have phone calls and it was fine until they would talk about business and then they hated each other? That. It made me doubt the existence of love or the possibility of reunion.

In the end I did get something I vaguely liked, about how it had been the first time they wanted different things, and acknowledging the pain of that on both sides, but I had to cut it out because it bogged them down further than I could deal with. I also think not really addressing it is more realistic than finding the words when they were both drunk and exhausted.

Of what stayed in, the hardest part was the ending (penultimate chapter, not the happy add-on) because I knew Paul wasn’t just going to be completely okay within a few weeks or something, and it’s odd writing fic that isn’t slash because the ending is usually just ‘THEY ARE TOGETHER AND HAPPY NOW’ but in this I just got them as close to committed to each other as I could, and was vaguely honest about the fact that they would probably fuck it all up as soon as we left.

6: What makes this fic special or different from all your other fics?

It’s longer than all my other fic by about 20000 words.

7: Where did the title come from?

I think subconsciously I might have written the entire fic to fit inside a long and winding road, but honestly it was just a lovely surprise when I went looking for a title and realised that Paul wrote me a song! 

8: Did any real people or events inspire any part of it?

Only the real people and events that are in it.

9: Were there any alternate versions of this fic?

Nope. What is this? Do people write ten versions of their fic and then pick the best?

10: Why did you choose this pairing for this particular story?

Because they were in it.

11: What do you like best about this fic?

I like the rhythm of it, and the stillness. I like that it’s finished and whole.  I really like that after George tells Paul the thing about how John is going to fall apart, they NEVER SPEAK AGAIN and Paul doesn’t even really explicitly think about George again.  I kept thinking I should fix that but it’s honestly one of my favourite bits, and closure would ruin it.  The way that Paul's messed up relationship with George isn't even something he thinks of as needing fixing, is so special to me.

12: What do you like least about this fic?

It’s odd because if you’d asked me at the time, I would have had a huge list of things I flat out hated about this fic.  HATED.  I can’t overstate how much I hated the entire thing when I was posting it, like I would post new chapters to tumblr and write huge essays in the tags about how awful it was and how much I hated it and how nobody should look at it - and then I’d delete them all before posting, because I know that’s annoying, and it never sounds sincere, it sounds like you’re begging for reassurance.  And I didn’t want reassurance.  I honestly just wanted to post my fic without anyone looking at it.  Although at the same time I genuinely really appreciated the comments because I could feel like even though it was an awful dreadful thing, people couldn’t tell.  So it was okay.

I think I’d read it and edited it so many times that I was pretty sure it didn’t mean anything at all any more, it had no emotion in it, and I’d cut out any of it that ever made any sense, it all seemed forced and stupid and bare and I couldn’t stand looking at it. I literally posted it because I knew that if I didn’t I would edit it forever, and I never wanted to look at it again.  I clearly remember thinking to myself: ‘well it’s never going to be good, you should just post it and then at least it’ll be dead’. 

But now I read it back and I really love it, I’m kind of proud of it, I think it’s quite sweet.  I guess... there are still small parts where I think the rhythm’s wrong, and I got stuck in John's headspace for a huge chunk towards the end and couldn't find a way around that which still annoys me.  But not enough to care or fix it.

13: What music did you listen to, if any, to get in the mood for writing this story? Or if you didn’t listen to anything, what do you think readers should listen to to accompany us while reading?

"Bill Haley's whole back catalogue is running through John now"

I don't really listen to music when writing usually, but with this Two Hound Dogs was in my head from the moment they got drunk and it was late and cold and there was this whole feeling of so much weather outside that it almost feels like weather inside, and Bill Haley's music was running through all of it, so I left him in it, because he seemed to want to be there. And I listened to Two Hound Dogs every time I touched it.  It's music from the years when John found Paul, so it fits that way - I'm aware John was not fond of Bill Haley, but I kind of liked that. And I didn't know at the time, but there's also that thing where Paul says he went to see Bill Haley once, and people read it as saying he met John there, so that makes it more nicely meaningful and less random.

14: What happens after the end of this fic?

I think John needs countryside as much as Paul does, so I think he settles into being a part of their life pretty well, and then when it’s too quiet spends weekends with the others or down in London, and eventually he probably comes back from one of those trips with his new fancy posh gallery owner boyfriend in tow, and introduces him at dinner and both John and Linda get to watch Paul navigate John having a boyfriend \o/  Happy days.  And then... I think they’re just sort of happy enough.  Paul would learn to make music using one finger, like overdubbing little bits of piano with each other, and creating acapella albums, and generally finding new ways to do whatever occurred to him.  And then electronic stuff would come in and he’d be all over that. 

15: Is there anything you wanted readers to learn from reading this fic?

No. Was my big angstfest of platonic soulmate reunion supposed to be secretly educational?

16: What did you learn from writing this fic?

That I should finish editing a fic before I start posting it. And that people who comment on chapter by chapter fic are just insanely kind, like wow.

[derelictlovefool]

2, 5, 7, 9, 13, 14 for the writing asks!!

Thank you for sending these in liz !! 🥺 I'm not gonna focus on just one fic for these bc i'm a mess and most of my stuff is WIP's anyway but yeah ajsjshsjshs

Do you have any easter eggs in your fic?

I've been trying to add in easter eggs into my multi chapter fics lately!! Currently in The Snake Followed Me Home From Georgia I've been playing around with names for things that could be easter eggs for Hope County. Like I might have John's law firm be called Holland Law (not sure if that's too obvious and on the nose tho so i'm marinating on it). I am tossing some ideas for other easter eggs but i'm not sold on them yet so I won't say anything ahsjsnsns

What's a piece of lore you haven't shown in your fic or don't think you'll be able to add in?

I haven't shown a Lot (But admittedly I also haven't written a Lot) but I think some OC's backstories may not properly make it to the light of day in most of my fics. Unless I start seperate fics for all of my OC's their childhoods and lives up until the current story events will only be known outside of the fic when I talk about them or in very small snippets of dialogue.

I also haven't gotten to it yet in any of my fics but Marvin (Joseph's right hand man peggie who is basically the compound house husband but in a platonic way) has history with Dean and that history is that Dean was close friends with Marvin's late wife back in the day (and therefore Marvin) and !! This will hopefully come into play during at least my main fc5 fic when Dean is taking over an outpost and stops Jess from killing him! (Common Dean L not letting Jess murder and maim like she deserves 🙄)

What character do you enjoy writing most? Why?

Out of canon characters I really love writing Sharky, as a dumb lil guy myself I find him easy to write and he's just a lovable goofball who sparks joy!!

John is a close second even though i'm insecure about how I portray him sometimes, we all make fun of him but I adore his character and getting into his head is a nice challenge.

Honorable mentions would have to be Deadpool and Alvin Murphy from Z Nation, again they fall into characters I just find come natural to me when I write!

Out of my OC's I feel it's very obvious I love writing Dean, he's just My Blorbo you know? I can toss him around in any context and be happy and confident in how i've written him BUT. MOST IMPORTANTLY. I love his kids and writing him with his kids is pure serotonin and if I could only focus on one fic for the rest of my life i'd choose Second Chances hands down.

What is your favourite line/interaction in your fic?

OH GOD OKAY. So there are a lot but I have a scene in chapter one of my fic Blue (mediaeval au my beloved) where Dean and Sharky have a lil reunion after not seeing each other for a while and Dean had carried a boar he caught to Sharky's hut effortlessly and when Sharky tries to lift it he Struggles. (And then freaks Dean out with his carelessnes with a knife) It's just two of my fave idiots interacting and the whole scene (and chapter tbh as it focuses on them and Hurk) brings me joy even if the writing is old !!

Sharky giggles, nudging them with his shoulder as he passes them and attempts to pick up their sack. His giggles are cut short as he grunts at the effort, sack dropping back onto the dirt as quickly as he had lifted it but a centimeter from the ground. Dean's laughter doubles, sides shaking as Sharky's brows furrow and his head whips around to look at them in disbelief.

"How far 'd ya carry this?!" He asks, struggling to drag the sack towards the campfire as Dean holds themself up with their hands on their knees. They shake their head wordlessly, fighting to mute their laughter only to erupt into small giggles as they calm themself down.

"Only a mile i think, and a bit." Dean says through small giggles, straightening their stance and appreciating the newfound warmth spreading through their cold and heavy limbs.

Sharky guffaws at their casual tone, obviously impressed by their ability to carry the heavy sack that far and not have their arms fall off. He mutters something about witchcraft as Dean sits back down on the log, removing the many straps and weapons on their being and placing them on the ground beside their bow. They watch their friend with an amused gaze as he pulls the wild boar from the sack. He looks down right annoyed and they hear him mutter; "Small my ass—" before he stands and walks back to his hut.

"How've ya been anyway? James didn't say much last time he was here, just that ya were working on a new uh, thing." Sharky returns with one of his larger knives, swinging it as he makes a vague gesture with his hand. Dean watches his hand carefully, knowing full well he was capable of cutting a finger off if he wasn't paying attention.

"I've been fine—busy—designing a new freeze, the one we've got's starting to crack and the meat's thawing too fast." They reply, keeping an eye on Sharky's hands as he begins to skin the boar less then precisely.

"And you?" Dean asks, trying not to wince every time they saw the knife flick upwards jerkily.

Is there a transition in your fic you're proud of?

I'm actually horrendous at transitions, i'm the writer that goes "After a while they got to the where they were going," or puts a text divider if I really need a big time skip. I'd like to test out more artistic ways to transition but that'll have to wait </3 So anyway to answer the question not as of yet no.

What is your favourite relationship featured in your fic aside from the main couple (if you have one)?

Okay so in every fc5 fic I write Dean, Sharky and Hurk's friendship is like. My favourite thing to write ever. They are the goofiest dumbasses on the planet and Dean loses what little braincells he has left when he's with them. They are the ride or die gang in almost every au and I just love them your honor. (Also goes without saying Dean and the kids ! Good dad and epic kids dynamic my beloved)

And also Nick and Kim will forever be my fave canon couple and I love when I get to write them in a fic <3