#agallimaufryofoddments

[esperanzacboronial]

I thought of you as soon as the news broke re: all of Italy being quarantined. Hang in there! I've been mulling over request ideas since you mentioned you'd like to take some on... I really loved how you handled Begg in that excellent Begg-Niki fic, so I'll request something Begg-related via that one word prompt askmeme you reblogged in Dec 2016: "Nepenthe: something that can make you forget grief or suffering." (Anything-Begg would be great, feel free to disregard nepenthe entirely.)

I’m so sorry this took me literally 2 years to respond to, Rev. I swear I started writing this fic the day I saw this message - I just write at the pace of a snail.

The prompt was “Begg gets high and ignores other people’s suffering for decades” right?:

[loreweaver-universe]

@agallimaufryofoddments  That’s a pretty cool bit of subtlety--the Gandors holding all the cards, I mean.  I hadn’t picked up on that.  And Keith is in charge, but Luck takes the lead.  It’s an interesting dynamic.

[kurisus]

@agallimaufryofoddments replied to your post “Noragami 84-2 thoughts”

For a hot second there I thought Ebisu found Yukine’s coffin.

Oh yeah I was afraid of that too but I think Ebisu was at his own house, which would be in Takamagahara, so I’m betting it’s notes related to masked ayakashi or some sort of research put there by a previous Ebisu.

[animebw]

Hello from the Baccano! tag! From your last post it sounds like you're expecting Ep 13 to be the end episodes, so just in case you're unaware: Baccano! has three DVD specials/OVAs which essentially serve as Episodes 14-16. I recommend watching them too! (They do make differ in places to the source material as does the anime, but their main storyline is overall rooted in canon.)

Ooh, interesting. Thanks for letting me know!

[toushindai]

What are some lines/passages you've written that you're proud of? (i.e. you know, *those* lines, the ones you hope readers will notice and exclaim over/highlight in their comments).

Ooh, wonderful question, and this post is naturally going to get long. In no particular order--

This passage from “With the Devil by Your Side;” I originally wrote it for another Ronny/Maiza fic but had to remove it and was beyond elated that it fit in here.

“Can’t you simply read my mind?”

“I could.” The demon shrugged, an air of casual superiority in his posture. “But I like hearing you humans put your experiences into words. The human ability to give form to what you think and believe should not be underestimated—I admire it, personally.”

He spoke frankly, with an approving tone to his voice, but Maiza found himself wincing in return. “Like one admires a dog that’s learned to shake for table scraps, I suppose,” he muttered.

“Like a river admires a dam,” was Ronny’s cryptic response.

I’m terribly pleased with the entire conversation between JPA and Fermet in “Epilogue D,” but more than that, I think I want the ending lines to stand out most of all:

I only hope that I have laid a hand on your heart and made you feel, if only for a moment, the fear and despair that I drown in every day.

If I have achieved that, then as a poet and as a playwright, I am satisfied.

Pretty much the entirety of “Northern Star,” which straddles the divide between “excessively eloquent meta” and “very short fic.”

In “Inches Apart and Far Away,” it’s my hope that this bit implies how deeply uncomfortable Huey is, without Huey allowing himself to be aware of how deeply uncomfortable he is:

...Fermet bares his teeth like an animal that’s cornered its prey, all pretense of gentleness gone. He doesn’t reach for Huey again, but he doesn’t need to. Even without seeing his eyes, Huey knows that they must be bright and possessive and as inescapable as time itself.

But he hasn’t made any effort to trap Huey against the wall again, so it is a simple matter to slip away from him and proceed down the hallway. Fermet’s gaze does not really touch his back like a physical thing, he knows; it only feels that way.

Ronny’s letter to Majeedah at the end of “The Dwarf in the Flask” is a bit more poetic than much of my writing is and I like that, as well as the warmth in it:

I found myself inclined to keep a shard of the homunculus’s flask and it occurred to me you might feel the same way. If I am wrong, no need to go through the hassle of summoning me to give it back; simply toss it into the ocean. In a century, even this will capitulate to the ever-changing nature of the universe, and the sea will shape it into something beautiful.

 Be well, Majeedah.

Now some Transistor fic--

Honestly most all of the banter in “Drinks with Friends” delights me, but I also like this passage of the intensity and specificity of Red knowing what she wants against a baffled sense of what’s appropriate in the moment:

It’s patently obvious that he’s talking himself down, his internal monologue made external by how much he’s had to drink. But what is she supposed to say? ‘Screw our friendship, I’d rather make out’? She wants to take the risk, because she trusts the bond between them to bear it; she wants to seize him by the collar and kiss him until they’re both seeing stars.But this isn’t a decision she can make against his will. Certainly not when he’s drunk.

This, from “Rhythm,” is similarly on the theme of Red navigating the intensity of her emotions vs what she feels is safe to act on:

When he finishes, she uncurls herself and hands over his water bottle. “Is it as cathartic as it looks?” she asks.

“It’s pretty great,” he admits. He takes a solid swig of water and then tosses a little over his head as well, using his wrapped fingers to comb the droplets through his sweat-damp hair. “Why? You want to give it a try?”

She turns her gaze away from him (with some effort) and towards the punching bag, still swinging slightly in place. She thinks about her pale hands, about the polish that’s still on her nails from the concert because of course he doesn’t have polish remover. Her heart stutters.

“Not right now,” she says.

If she started punching, she’s not sure she’d be able to stop.

And then from “Through Cracks,” one of my Hades fic--this bit is the point of the entire fic, sorry not sorry:

Megaera stands still. Hades had warned her about his son: that he was impulsive, impertinent, an exhausting waste of time and energy. But he had never warned her of this devastating sincerity. Zagreus has a way of baring his soul over the smallest matters, making it blindingly obvious that his defenses are down, and it’s one thing to see and toy with that in bed but outside of that context Megaera never knows what to do about it. Somehow it turns part of her to rubble, exposing something that hasn’t seen the light in centuries as she stands in the dust and wreckage. She has to learn to survive it eventually, if they’re going to keep doing this.

[al-norton]

Is it too late to request Lucrezia or Esperanza? (I was so happy to see more Baccano! art from you - thanks for doing this~)

It’s not too late so you get a dozen of hearts for being so sweet AND this absolute icon!!

[raffings]

Drawing requests... Perhaps Victor Talbot and/or Melvi, if you're still doing them?

i wanted to draw both and this was the only thing i could think of. victor yelling at melvi after arresting him? (christmas theme for the season)

thanks for the request!

[incorrect-vamp-and-eb-quotes]

Sherlock: (completely serious) You know, I was named after a detective. My name is Sherlock. Guess which one I was named after.

[chancellorxofxtrash]

@agallimaufryofoddments case in point, if I wouldn’t know Seiichi is only five or six at most at this point of the timeline, I would be very, very confused indeed by this

I MEAN I STILL AM but that’s besides the point

[tafferling]

@agallimaufryofoddments replied to your post: Writing finale chapters is hard. 

The going is rough, but if anyone can do it, you can.

Thank you. 💙 I’m trying. I really am. But this is only my third ever finale chapter and it hasn’t gotten any easier than the first two times- Does it ever get easier?

[pippenpaddlopsicopolisthethird]

toushindai replied to your post “Continuing on 1935C, I’m trying to figure out who Neider could be...”

It's Jacques-Rosé from the first manga!

agallimaufryofoddments replied to your post “Continuing on 1935C, I’m trying to figure out who Neider could be...”

Yep, it's Jacques-Rosé Boronial!

Oh cool! So it was left ambiguous for novel-only readers and a nice nod to the fans who’ve read all the...

HOLD UP DID YOU SAY BORONIAL

[esperanzacboronial]

This is in relation to a fic I’ve been trying to finish based on a prompt @agallimaufryofoddments sent to me like 2 and a half years ago… Rev, I may never finish Begg fic, but please accept my humble offering of Begg fanart

[baccanosecretsanta]

For agallimaufryofoddments: The Brawl Brothers

Hi Rev! :D Sorry for the delay, but I hope you had a wonderful Christmas. So I happily chose Keith as my narrator, so I hope I did them and the other characters for that matter somehow justice. I still hardly know them, so this might be highly inaccurate, but I hope you’ll enjoy it.

Greetings, claire-stanfields.

___________________

Even though he obviously enjoyed their company, sometimes Keith mainly came along to keep an eye on his brother and Firo when they planned to wander off somewhere the adults had no control over them.

Most of all Keith was worried for the safety of his brothers and Firo, but he had also made it his mission to keep Berga, Claire and Firo from causing trouble for those who crossed their path. He could perfectly trust Luck to behave, but the youngest Gandor brother still ended up being a unwilling part of the mischief (well, oftentimes, mischief was an understatement). He simply had no choice in the matter. Luck never managed to control Claire and Berga. That’s why Luck audibly heaved a sigh of relief when Keith heard about their plans to go to the park after heavy snowfall the night before and decided to tag along.

Keith knew that a park offered the opportunity for Claire and Berga to mingle with other children. They might start doing their usual friendly sparring matches or actually make use of the snow, but one provocative glance, word or movement and the two would pounce on the offender. And, unfortunately for the female population, Claire didn’t agree with the notion that you can’t hit a girl no matter what she says or does. If you’re parents aren’t around to scare them off – tough luck. And there was always friction because seemingly everyone could tell where the boys came from: Hell’s Kitchen. Glares, pitiful gazes.

To Keith’s satisfaction none of the boys had protested (if they had he would’ve felt seriously offended) and they had agreed to leave the apartment after lunch on Sunday. Firo was supposed to join them downstairs.

Except, their mother had asked all of them to help and a second later they both heard the door being shut. But Keith stayed and helped her out. Afterwards his mother and him went downstairs to reprimand Berga, Luck and Claire for ditching them, but they were gone. Firo was nowhere to be seen either.

“I can’t believe they actually have the guts to do that,” she said agape and crossed her arms.

Keith was no less astonished. Never would he have thought that they would abandon or go against his wishes when he simply had their well-being in mind. It wasn’t quite modest to say so himself, but he was usually the one in charge. For his brothers to leave him behind…He felt his chest constrict. That didn’t sit right. However, they probably knew he wouldn’t take this lightly, even if everything turned out fine. He didn’t waste any time and followed them. Hopefully they hadn’t decided to run off somewhere entirely different.

But they did.

He couldn’t find them in the park, so he immediately returned home in hopes of finding them much closer than he had anticipated. Well, upon arriving at home, he at least crossed path with Luck. Keith stopped him for a second and Luck used the breather to provide him with the necessary information.

“We’re waiting for you to come when those guys showed up and they were talking about how they’ve been selling drugs, so Claire told them that drugs were off-limits here and Firo couldn’t resist to tell them to piss off when they obviously didn’t care what Claire had to say.”

Funny how Claire and Firo of all people had said that. But Keith was quite certain Berga didn’t miss the chance to give them a piece of his mind as well.

Luck was finally calm – not that he seemed distressed in any way. Keith assumed he simply had been exhausted from running.

“Then suddenly this brawl broke out and I’m not sure who punched who first,” Luck continued. “All I know is that these idiots have gotten themselves into a bloody mess and I’m not sure if they’re able to handle it on their own.”

Keith mused for a moment. Should they get mother and father involved?

“They’re up against three grown-ups and they’re strong,” Luck provided helpfully and he spread out his arms as if to underline it. “What do you say, should I get father? They’re going against his wishes after all and I really don’t want the others to get hurt any further.”

Keith nodded and they parted ways.

While Luck went ahead to get support, Keith ran over to his brothers to help them out. It took a while for him to find them in the end, and it was thanks to Berga shouting something neither their mother nor father would like to hear coming out of his mouth, even though they had picked it up from someone.

When they finally came into sight, a guy held Firo by the nape like an animal and shook him. Firo cursed him and tried to free himself, but clearly he was overpowered. Claire and Berga would have come to his rescue by now, certainly, there are just two other guys standing in their way.

“Keith!” Firo didn’t exactly sound pleased to see him and Keith could understand why. His arrival meant they’ve messed up and perhaps he was also worried that Keith would likely get hurt as well. Oh, and hurt they were. Keith checked them quickly for any injuries and unsurprisingly their skins were brightly colored in red, blue and violet. And those were only the parts he could see right now. He sighed.

Their opponents were indeed hardly adults and not as bulky as Keith had expected them to be, nonetheless, they were up against mere children. No matter how strong Berga and Claire might be for their age, they’ve found their match. Apparently they finally understood that as well. They understood that some unfortunate day you were bound to come across someone far stronger than yourself. And, truthfully, at their current level, Berga and Claire didn’t have to look far.

Perhaps it would have been wiser for Keith to remain at home and come with his father. However, Keith just couldn’t turn his back on his brothers. Even if none of them stood a chance, he was the eldest, so they were his responsibility when his parents weren’t around. And they were a responsibility he gladly took over. Besides, Luck was already getting help, so it shouldn’t be long until they arrived. .

“Nice,” one of them grinned at Keith. “Look, Johnny, another midget we can beat to a pulp.”

“Don’t you dare,” Berga growled and lifted his fists as if intending to attack them. Keith caught up to them and put a firm hand on his shoulder. It probably was for the best to keep these hoodlums occupied and stall some time – preferably without violence.

That Johnny who was keeping Firo in his grasps, broke out into a random fit of laughter. “I wonder if that tiny piece of shit is the support the rat-faced munchkin was threatening us with.”

Keith slightly gritted his teeth. He really didn’t like to hear people insult his brothers. If he were strong enough, he probably would feel petty enough right now to punch him for that comment. But, alas, neither of them probably stood a chance and even if Keith was present, it was unlikely he made a difference.

“Y'know, if this munchkin-brigade just had minded its own goddamn business, then maybe, no I’m pretty sure, we all could’ve spent our afternoon better. Instead I’m stuck here teaching them manners – which should be the job of your parents, but naturally asses produce shit, so no surprise there.”

The third hoodlum really had that punch coming and not even Keith stopped Berga from delivering it. It was an awful idea to throw another fist because most certainly it would be repaid.

On a positive note, however, at least they finally let go of Firo. But, of course, the smallest of them didn’t use the freedom he had won to escape. No, he pounced on Johnny and used whatever he could to hurt him. Frankly, Keith hadn’t expected anything else.

Finally, at most fifteen minutes later, Mr. Gandor and two of his men arrived. He didn’t hide the gun he carried, although Keith was almost certain he had no intention of using it. But he’s furious, so who knows how this might end? Neither is Keith sure how he wants it to end. There’s no doubt they’re assholes and good-for-nothings. But strictly speaking, Claire, Firo and Berga should’ve minded their own business. There had been no need to get involved with them. They could’ve notified their father and he could’ve taken care of the hoodlums. Nonetheless, if they were truly drug dealers disregarding the don’s orders, then a punishment was in order.

However, nobody was shot on that street on that day. Keith has never heard of them again. Maybe they were dead, or maybe their father had taught them a gruesome lesson that drove them away for good. Who knows?

They all were reprimanded, even Firo (to his utmost astonishment) who wasn’t even a family member and Keith who had recklessly stormed off instead of being patient and waiting for the adults to settle this. At least, so Claire, Firo didn’t get his ass kicked by the don.

[savannahstanfield27]

Sometimes you get a notification about a comment on your fic by @agallimaufryofoddments and it’s almost as long as the fic itself. As expected from you, though. I’m sure both of us could wax poetic about Maiza for centuries. (But the comment is much appreciated and will send me spiraling into Maiza thoughts soon)

[toushindai]

In that case, what about 'gentle'? And if there aren't any instances, then... 'remark'.

Looks like I’m averaging about one “gentle” per chapter. Here’s one from chapter 3!

“Ellis,” he says again, placing a gentle hand onher shoulder, but there’s something strange about his voice.

[sean-gaffney]

agallimaufryofoddments replied to your photo: agallimaufryofoddments: In other news, Fujimoto...

@sean-gaffney​ …Is it? I have no idea. I’m not up to date on The Memes of the Youth.

http://web.archive.org/web/20070314183544/http://www.hockeyzombie.com/daily.php?date=070220 (NSFW text)