#also i may write the other idea i had which is essentially like. The above but in a uni au where they’re both broke

[roraruu]

YOTO: April

Ignatz/Dorothea. Canon divergence/“no I’m not dating your brother”.

Derdriu was the last place Ignatz thought he’d ever seen Dorothea Arnault.

It was a momentary glance, as he left a client’s business on behalf of his parents. The gold jingled in his pockets, hitting against his thigh. His eyes trained to the ground, he focused on the salty, sour scent of the nearby sea, the cool winter air, the sounds of merchants advertising their wares and people passing and—

The softest, sweet tone took to the air. He listened harder. He knew that voice.

“Dorothea?”

A pair of jade eyes looked back at him, pleading and overjoyed.

“Ignatz?”

—

Dorothea is as charming and bewitching as she was in the academy. And she eats—her manners impeccable and conduct befitting of a lady—like she hasn’t seen food in a month.

The restaurant is warm and bustling. After noticing the cut of the dress Dorothea wore and her pale complexion, Ignatz requested a table closest to the hearth and speedily ordered a pot of tea.

She is all graces and thank yous, gentle inclines of her head in which her bangs fall into her eyes and she continuously pushes it behind her ears to stay away from her lovely mouth.

She explains, between a delicate sip of her tea that she had helped with the dispersal of the Enbarr Opera House and the Mittelfrank Opera Company, her alma mater.

“I wanted to help people.” She murmurs. “But…”

“I understand.” Ignatz says as another bowl of bread arrives, and with it another refill of the teapot with hot water..

“My finances aren’t exactly liquid. I managed to find a way from Enbarr to here. Bern was kind enough to convey me, without her father’s knowing, but she couldn’t come with me.”

“Why the Alliance?” Ignatz finds himself asking.

Dorothea’s face takes on a grave countenance. “I love Edie… Loved. But I cannot stand by while she murders innocents.” She says softly. “And the Kingdom did not seem much better.“ She forces, what he expects was to be a chipper giggle, but it’s a defeated chuckle. “I’d probably freeze passing over the border.”

“So you came here.”

“I had the pleasure of taking tea with Claude once or twice, and unfortunately, Lorenz too. They made this place sound beautiful.”

“It is quite breathtaking.” He says, glancing out the far-off window. If he squints, he can catch a glimpse of the grey sea.

“I crossed the Bridge of Myrddin and came here. Most of my funds are gone, but…” She forces a smile. “I’m here.”

“Are you going to stay with Claude?”

“My housing situation is… it isn’t fixed.”

“Well then you must stay with us.”

“Us?”

Ignatz nods. “My family.” He explains. “My brother is studying beneath my father to inherit the business—the Victor Trading Company—and he sends me out on small jobs.” He makes himself sound brighter. “Like today. I had just finished a commission before crossing paths with you.”

“I couldn’t impose.”

“Dorothea,” Ignatz says firmly. She meets his gaze. He notices that she’s grown thinner, her face pale. “I must insist.”

She heaves a sigh, reaches across the table and pats his hand. He feels his face heat. “At least… At least let me ask.”

Ignatz smiles. “Whatever you please.” He agrees and encourages her to take the last sweet bun.

***

A plan is worked out over steaming cups of tea. It takes a little lying—but with Ignatz’s newfound confidence—it is nothing more than a bent truth.

With his cut from the commission, he puts Dorothea up in an inn for the evening—specifically the Kristen Cottage run by his best friend, Raphael. When the jovial brawler sees Dorothea and Ignatz he pulls her into a bear hug and twirls her around. His little sister, Maya, almost drops her dishes upon seeing the famed Mystical Songstress herself.

Raphael closes the tavern, insists that Ignatz stay for a drink while Maya helps Dorothea upstairs and tends to her. They talk, and when Dorothea returns, she relays her story to the Kirsten siblings. At the end, Raphael asks the crucial question:

“So, what happens now?”

“Well, Raphie, that’s where you come in.” She says. “I need work. Have you any need for entertainment? I can sing, dance, I’ll even help in the kitchen!”

“But what about…” Ignatz falls silent as Dorothea grabs his hand beneath the table.

“Of course we do!” Maya exclaims happily.

“My, Grandpa hasn’t approved—”

Maya turns back to Raphael—she’s tinier than him but just as loud. “Raph! A former opera star in our joint? That would drag! The! Customers! In!”

Dorothea smiles softly. “It would…” she says. “I remember all of my best roles!”

Maya turns to Dorothea, eyes wide. “R-Really? Oh, even as Marguerite?” She asks. “She’s my favourite one of your roles… The songs were all so sad, I cried buckets!”

“Well I hope you have a pail,” says Dorothea with a wink. “if Raphie has me, I’ll sing them all for you.”

“Please?” Maya whines.

Raphael gives in. “Alright, of course.” He says. “But we can only put you up for a while. It’s sorta packed in here tonight. You could stay with us, we’re downstairs in the basement.”

Dorothea’s eyes grew glassy. “It’s more than I could’ve ever hoped for. Thank you Raphael.”

As the night drew to a close, Ignatz begins to say his farewells, promising to check-in on them the following day. Dorothea, unexpectedly, throws her arms around his neck and hugs him tight.

“Thank you Ignatz. For everything.” She whispers softly.

He feels himself blush again and promises anything for her.

Over the course of the next few days, in between Dorothea working tirelessly as the new—and showstopping headliner for the Kirsten Cottage—and Ignatz’s own duties keeping up client communications and other duties, they met a few times in the warm tavern.

It was after close and Ignatz comes for a sole glass of wine. Dorothea sits beside him, humming softly under her breath.

“Do you still draw?”

His ears grow hot. Guiltily, he replies. “W-When I have a moment of privacy, yes. But those moments are few and far between.”

“That’s sad.”

He remains quiet. “It must be gratifying to do what you love as a career.”

“I mean, look where it got me.” Dorothea muses. “Getting into Enbarr during the military lockdown was a nightmare, and then to break up my family… It was hell.”

Ignatz inclines his head. “I’m sorry Dorothea. I should’ve been more prudent.”

“It’s fine.” She says before tapping her nails across the table. “But…”

He looks at her encouragingly. She leans closer, glancing towards the kitchen where the Kirsten siblings clean up for the night. “Somedays I wished I never sang at all.”

“Really?”

“Mmhm.” She nods. “It’s… I love it, but constantly singing over and over… It takes all the meaning out of it.”

“But you do what you love.” He asks, surprised.

“Yes, and I get tired of it.” Dorothea says before hastily adding, “but I’m eternally grateful to Raphael and his family for giving me the work… I just wish… I wish I weren’t so tired of singing.”

“You…” Ignatz murmurs before meeting her gaze. “And it isn’t like you can afford to take a break.”

“No.” She confirms. “Unless I make up a paycheque in another way.”

Silence falls between the two.

“I still… I can’t believe you don’t love singing anymore.”

“I do it so much, the joy is stripped from it.” She confesses quietly to him.

The words stalk him all the way home and up to his room where he gazes at his painting tools before succumbing to sleep.

***

Ignatz’s mother—Cressida—and his younger sister a year his junior named Celeste—are more shocked when he says he’s met someone.

Cressida’s eyes widen and she lowers her teacup very quickly. Ignatz has always known his mother to be refined and ladylike: calm, quiet, watchful. He feels her brown eyes—the only thing he got from her—on him as Celeste prods him.

“A lady friend?” She smirks, at the age of 19, and still as annoying as she was at seven. “When do I buy a new parasol and lace and welcome a sister?”

Quickly, he insists, “She’s an old friend from Garreg Mach.” Ignatz explains, watching Celeste’s mischievous look.

“Probably some baron’s daughter. You could do worse, I suppose, Brother.”

“She’s passing through Derdriu.”

“Where to?”

“Gloucester. She will be singing for the Count and his son.”

Cressida studies her son’s face. He’s gotten too good with lying; for years, he’d fidget with his hands or look away… A small tic that would render him guilty. “She is a singer?” She inquires.

“Formerly of the Mittelfrank Opera Company.”

Cressida looks intrigued. “Oh. I recall seeing the company when they were in Derdriu before the war and when you were at the Academy.”

“You would have missed her. She was one of my classmates.”

Cressida remains silent.

“So why’s she talking to you?” Celeste prods. “If she’s some big opera star…”

“She confessed that she always enjoyed my company.” He lies. “And I enjoyed hers, so we have spent a little time together.”

Celeste smirks, then murmurs under her breath, “here comes the bride…”

“Celeste.” Cressida says quietly. Celeste stops humming and turns back to her eggs which are now cold.

Her brown eyes fall on Ignatz, encouraging him to go on.

“I would like host her for a meal.“

“Very well.” Cressida agrees. “Your father and Atticus will be dining out tonight, so bring her around.”

Ignatz tenses. The plan was to have both his father and brother around. Without him, his mother will never offer accommodations, at least not without a push.

So Ignatz, for the first time in his life, pushes.

“Might she stay the night?” He asks, his face reddening. Celeste’s eyes go wide as if she’s about to snort at him. “I would like her to meet Father.”

Cressida narrows her gaze on him. “Why?”

“I think they would get along, Mother.”

Cressida pauses, sips her tea and then acquiesces. “Very well. Bring her to the manor at five and no later.”

***

If there was ever any doubt as to Dorothea’s charms, it was dispelled in the moment she met Cressida.

Ignatz had always known his mother—like his father—as hard-to-please, but Dorothea was the most satisfying creature to her ever. Even Atticus, who had always been her favourite, was quickly forgotten when Dorothea engaged her in conversation.

As Celeste serves the coffee, she murmurs to Ignatz, “Okay, maybe I doubt you, but never again.” She promises. “She’s gorgeous.”

Ignatz acquiesces. “She is. And she’s quite kind.”

Little lies and bent truths are shared that evening. Dorothea explains that she’s passing through to sing for Lorenz and his father—the name drop impresses Cressida—and then she details her roles, and as they sit in the drawing room, Cressida insists that Dorothea sing for her.

“Oh, that’s not necessary,” Ignatz insists, turning to his mother nervously. “We wouldn’t want to impose on our guest…”

“No,” Dorothea says gently. “I’d love to sing for you.”

Ignatz thinks back to the conversation in the tavern. How she began to loathe singing. But as she sings her bars and warms her voice up, Ignatz cannot help but long to paint her. Those jade eyes, that chestnut hair, the willowy frame and ruddy cheeks… She is an artist’s dream, walked off the canvas.

She sings beautifully for almost a half hour. Cressida is highly impressed and gives her ready approval, and even Celeste is shocked when Dorothea proves not only to be witty, beautiful and talented, but also kind.

Cressida insists that she will stay the night and tells Ignatz to set her up in the east wing of the house, prefacing that she may see the lovely sunrise that pales in comparison to her beauty. After they say goodnight, Ignatz offers her his arm and leads her up the staircase.

She reaches for his hand and smiles at him. She gives it a reassuring little squeeze, and he gives one back. As they reach the top of the stairs, Dorothea whispers to him:

“Will you show me your paintings?” She asks quietly. “I know art’s a personal thing… I don’t think I could ever show a half-finished song to someone else…”

“Y-Yes…” He finds himself taking her hand and leading her to his room. The moon streams into through the lone window of his sombre little room.

He turns to the closet and pulls from it a few sketches and his tiny easel which has a half-finished still-life of the view outside his window. Blushing and embarrassed, he practically throws them at Dorothea, hurriedly insisting that he knows they’re not good, that they’re nothing special.

“Ignatz…” Dorothea barely breathes. “These are beautiful.”

He looks up in shock. “B-But…” He scrambles for words. “I was so insensitive to your feelings about art!”

Dorothea smiles gently and touches his hand reassuringly. “Ignatz, I’m not me, and you’re not you.” She says gingerly. “We’re different people with different outlooks… You want to become a painter, right?”

He nods sheepishly.

“Then I hope, with all my heart, that you can become one someday.” She turns her eyes back on a sketch of Saint Cethleann. “You’d be a wonderful artist. I’m certain you would be.”

Ignatz blushes softly and moves closer as she asks a question about the next sketch—of Saint Cichol, his wife and their daughter—and he explains the details. His hand brushes against hers, their fingers intertwining briefly—

“And who is this?”

Ignatz jolts at the deep voice, his blood running cold. His face goes red. In the doorway is his elder brother, Atticus. Dorothea glances his way and smiles softly, curtseys and introduces herself as the evening’s guest and her credentials.

Atticus studies Dorothea before making a comment beneath his breath about his “useless drawings” and leaving the two. Dorothea’s smile fades.

“He’s exactly the type of man I’d hate to be with at the opera…” She whispers to him. “And exactly the one who’d pay for a dinner with me.”

Ignatz’s stomach rolls with anxiety.

Dorothea steals a glimpse at his expression and laughs softly. “Don’t worry, I’m not dating your brother.” She promises.

“Thank the goddess…” Ignatz whispers.

She hugs him. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

He hugs her back and smiles. “Anything for you.”

He shows Dorothea her room, and upon returning to his, takes charcoal to paper and attempts to sketch the likeness of her face, falling asleep in his art before long.

***

Ignatz’s father, Augustus, makes quick decisions. It is, perhaps, what has kept him in business for so long, and flourishing for just as long. And that morning, when Ignatz nervously introduces the two, he immediately takes a liking to Dorothea.

She turns on the charms quickly, and as she’s about to collect her bags and return to the Kirsten’s Cottage, Augustus asks to see her in his study. She winks at Ignatz and he waits nervously outside, in the drawing room with Celeste as the plays the piano.

When Dorothea emerges, she wears a self-assured smile. Ignatz quickly gets up and meets her in the hallway.

“Your father says the garden is pretty. Will you show me?” She asks.

“Of course.” They go outside to the frosty garden and walk a few paces away from the windows.

“Well?”

“Your father… he asked that I shadow you. He thinks that we could be a good selling team.” Dorothea says. “What do you say, Iggy?”

“Iggy?”

“You needed a nickname. Your name, though it is handsome, is a bit imposing and long.” She says. “You okay with it? You can call me Thea, if you’d like?”

“No no,” He declines respectfully. “Your name is too beautiful to be shortened.”

She smiles softly. “You think so?”

He nods. “I do. And as for the partnership, I don’t think I could ask for a better match.”

Dorothea smiles, and then stands on the tips of her toes and pecks him on the cheek. Ignatz goes bright red.

Gazing at her, he smiles and confesses, “I don’t think I could either.”

***

In Imperial Year 1185, on the day of promised meeting, Ignatz Victor and Dorothea Arnault arrived at Garreg Mach Monastery together. The three years since their reunion in Derdriu had proved fruitful: Dorothea joined the Victor Trading Company as a sales agent, working alongside Ignatz. She easily used her wit and charms to seal deals with particularly hard-to-please clients. She’d also passed on that charm and confidence to Ignatz, which his former classmates noticed immediately.

In addition to his newfound confidence, Ignatz had gained a deeper reverence for his artistic side. After being found one night attempting to paint Dorothea’s likeness, she modelled for him. His parents, finally understanding the depth of his talent, allowed him time off—though minimal—to study and paint.

In their moments of peace, it was said that Dorothea and Ignatz would share their talents together—Dorothea, who had retired from the stage, would sing only for him, and Ignatz would happily draw anything she wished.

After the war, when Dorothea completed an opera—called the Crimson Flower, based upon her late, dear friend—Ignatz was the one to paint the posters and served as creative consultant. While not singing, Dorothea directed the opera to critical acclaim, and acted as a guardian to the new talent she selected for the show.

When the two had grown tired of the stage, they departed for new lands. Ignatz’s work, which grew in popularity thanks to the production and his own skills, was in demand and often peddled by Dorothea. It was often remarked, by friends and complete strangers, the couple were an odd, but well-suited match.

[crooked-wasteland]

Hazbin Hotel Live Blog: Welcome to Heaven

Coming back I found I did enjoy the last episode far more than I did the others. It obviously suffers from who the director is, but I could still see the more competent writer underneath certain portions of the episode. This one is written by Adam Stein who was credited for six episodes of Harley Quinn, a series I admittedly do not particularly care for. I wouldn’t consider the series bad and I enjoy scenes more than the whole, but its clear that Hazbin and much of Medrano’s writing ideas are in many ways ripped off from Harley Quinn far more than Bojack Horseman. To be frank, if Medrano had stuck her comparison to Harley Quinn, I doubt she would be criticized nearly as much as she is for her writing. I know, for myself, if she had compared her shows to Harley Quinn and never once breathed in the direction of Bojack Horseman, I wouldn’t have ever been motivated to even criticize this series. I think a comparison to Harley Quinn is fair, it is an objectively worse version of Harley Quinn, but it is better suited to the style and audience of that show far and above something of high art and value like Bojack. Harley Quinn is simply not my tastes, I wouldn’t say it’s bad, but even with a gun to my head I could never in good faith consider it good. It’s better than Hazbin and Helluva Boss, but its also a fairer comparison.

Vaggie adds “gah” to her line about being a liar in the most painful way. While they obviously paid Stephanie the most, they in no way paid her enough to care. It was physically written into the script and it highlights how little the actress actively participated in the series. She didn’t even try to make it sound natural, she doesn’t care for the character she is playing and she doesn’t care whether or not we know.

It makes no sense that Angel Dust is still working for Valentino. He could just stay in the hotel and ignore Val’s calls and texts like we have actively seen him do. So it’s like he hates working for Val, does so under duress and due to a contract on his soul, but Charlie is the princess of Hell whom Valentino openly stated he was threatened by and her hotel and patrons are under the protection of Lucifer who aligned himself with Charlie and her goals…. Just don’t go? There is Vaggie, Charlie, Lucifer and even Alastor who are more than capable of handling someone like Valentino on their own, let alone as a united front. Why is this still happening?

The physical comedy falls flat. Cheri grabs Sir Pentious’ hand and it cracks and is all mangled like it is broken, but he has zero response to it. The humor requires there to be a reaction to the level of violence displayed. Having not even a minor one means the sequence may as well not have happened, and it frankly feels like an excuse to just say Alex Brightman was in the episode and have him say as many lines as possible regardless of whether or not he should. I genuinely don’t understand why this character is even in Hell. Who is he as a person? Just why?

Sera says she only green-lit the exterminations so that Hell didn’t act up, and places the blame on Adam for Lucifer getting involved. But then she just… keeps letting Adam do what he’s doing, which is what caused her to feel threatened like this in the first place. So essentially “This is all your fault because of the things you’ve done. So keep doing them.” I don’t even get why Sera or any of Heaven feels this way about Hell. I assume Sera knows Charlie’s plans about redemption, but she seems threatened by it? When in reality treating Heaven like a prize for sinners seems like a logical way of cooperating with Hell and even maintaining civil relations.

Also, can I just point out how the character designs really fail to send any sort of message. Alastor, Niffty, Velvette, Carmella and her daughters, Rosie, and Mimzy are hyper humanoid demons in a Hell where non-human designs make up a majority of the cast and the distorted, abstract and animalistic designs in Hell make sense, whereas Heaven is mostly humanoid with random demonic designs walking around. It fails to send a message as well as just makes Heaven and Hell entirely the same. It fails to really sell the idea that Heaven is in any way better than Hell. Honestly, demons should have less human designs and appear more twisted and deformed. Heaven should have prioritized humanoid figures. Especially seeing as Medrano with a heritage in Latin America and Christianity would know that the idea of Christianity she is supposedly criticizing emphasizes that humans were made “in the image” of god and angels. It also sets up an idea of one’s soul being cleansed by having this “godly” form. Mixing in furry designs at the same rate as Hell collapses any argument for media literacy or messaging being made.

Welcome to Heaven as a song is the best song of the show thus so far. It is the One Short Day of Hazbin, a vapid superficial scene-setting song that isn’t meant to further the characters, just the plot, and it actually succeeds. I’m not amazed by it, never would i play it for enjoyment reasons, but it works for the role it plays and is the only song that does so well.

Adam is telling Vaggie her own backstory, my favorite bad writing trope.

Additionally, I thought heavenly weapons were the only thing that could harm an angel. But Lute just rips off Vaggie’s wings with her bare hands. It really confuses the world when you don’t even keep to your own rules.

In the previous episode, Charlie says the hotel isn’t “working”, this episode has Adam demanding “evidence”. The lack of understanding what Charlie is looking for when she says Progress is never defined. On one hand she says Angel Dust is making progress, but just the last episode said that the hotel wasn’t actually helping anyone. Even at the start of the episode we don’t see any change in Angel Dust, just that he’s sad. He still swears performs sex work, is rude and crude, and at no point has his situation with drug addiction been addressed in any way. I can appreciate not wishing to say someone performing sex work is committing sin. As well as the implication that how one holds themself is unimportant to Heaven. But I think everyone can agree that drug addiction and abuse is harmful to those in the addiction and those who care for them. And also, it is extremely difficult to break. Drug addiction would be an excellent analogy for sin and breaking it would work as a parallel for redemption easily. So why is it the one thing you had going for you in way of themes and a show of progress and character growth we’ve never actually even addressed. In fact, Loser Baby enables the idea that Angel Dust’s use of drugs is fine because he’s a loser anyway. Just give up on yourself. So when this episode inevitably implies that Angel has actually been making progress on that front, it’ll make no sense.

That happened a whole lot sooner than I thought it would. And it being Husk saying he thought Angel was “Better than that” really does make his whole message in Loser Baby hypocritical. Him being the one to judge others on how they cope, offloading his hypocrisy on the excuse “I’m not trying to get to heaven”, but then still performs the emotionally abusive tactic of publicly and maliciously shaming is partner into a form of compliance. And this is the romantic relationship I’m supposed to be going nuts over? Even in the case where one can argue he is doing it from a place of concern, he has never once cared about Angel’s drug use in the series. It has never been mentioned in any detail of it being harmful. It is literally placed on the same level as his hypersexuality in the song Loser Baby, which we are supposed to wave away as not being harmful because he enjoys it. The line is he “samples” every sex toy and drug. This is just the Alastor must be lying because nothing makes sense argument, except its the world that doesn’t make sense and thus nothing can be trusted and the suspension of disbelief and the act of world building is inherently gone. This isn’t even a story at this point. It is merely a bunch of drawings doing things for nearly half an hour because time is money, and Medrano likes money.

I feel the setup isn’t too bad. It’s the story of Job, which, yes, you should use the material you are criticizing if you are actually seeking to criticize it (whether or not Medrano’s is even attempting a critique on Christianity is hugely up to debate, but that’s not for this kind of post). It’s Lucifer in the Bible coming to the court of god and saying he’s been on earth observing the humans. He claims humans would never worship god if not for god incentivizing them through blessings and so god is like, “bet, do your worst”. Except, in the Bible story it shows god’s callousness. He allows Job to suffer and gives permission to Lucifer to torture this faithful man, of which when Job laments, god chastises him for doubting. This removes the negative qualities of god from the story by just watching Angel Dust make his own decisions. Which works for the idea of free will, I suppose, but the idea of free will being imagination from the last episode to now just waiting for Angel Dust to choose to conform to an idea of morals takes away any meta critique on the nature of heaven. Just saying.

Still not a fan of how infantilized the show makes Niffty.

The scene with Angel standing up to Valentino was such an attempt at an emotional reaction, and in reality it only succeeds in tiptoeing the edge of emotional catharsis. It never gets to reach that point because we don’t actually see the way that Val and Angel interact most of the time. And I’ll just say it, the Poison sequence ruins this scene. It set up this idea that Angel Dust has complicated feelings for Valentino and in many ways their relationship is just as much an addiction as the drugs. But we never see the harmful side to Angel’s drug addiction and nor do we see his complicated feelings for Val break down as he grows closer to Husk. It is unearned. And then having Charlie point blank say why that scene exists for the narrative kills any and all investment. It was there just so Angel Dust can fit Adam’s checklist. So there is no authentic emotions attached to that scene from the ground up. It is a contrivance that feels almost hateful in its existence.

Why is Adam treated as Sera? Adam was the one who made the list, but Emily contributes it to Sera. Sera didn’t even know how a soul ends up in heaven, all she says is “he was the first human soul here”, meaning she defers to him to understand. To have her be the one saying not everything is written in ink, when she openly is the first one to say she hasn’t any idea, really confuses the lack of story you are trying to tell.

So, the whole series has now confirmed it has no clue how to tell a story. “If Hell is forever then Heaven must be a lie”, so the idea of moving between heaven and hell is not a concept. Someone from heaven cannot fall to hell and someone from hell cannot enter heaven, except they can. Vaggie. Her entire existence is proof that heaven isn’t forever, so why would Hell be? If anything, Vaggie should be a spark of hope for Charlie. Additionally, the threshold of whether souls can be redeemed has nothing to do with if they can or not. Rather, it ends the same way it began. No one is in control and no one has any power one way or the other. But Vaggie being in hell, despite being an angel, who was never held in a court to determine if she should fall or not and was deemed unholy by humans, not the council of angels, just brought this whole house of cards down. In fact, the person on trial should have been Vaggie, and in extension Lute. Who is Lute to have the right to make such a call compared to Emily? Why does no one bring up this discrepancy? And having Vaggie on trial instead of an ignorant Angel Dust being critiqued without his knowledge would have been a better vehicle for not just exploring Vaggie’s past, but also the ideas surrounding redemption and banishment and the values/hypocrisy of heaven. As it stands, this episode was a waste of everyone’s time.

Adam Stein brought nothing to the table, all the same issues in Medrano’s writing are present and played out here. Adam may as well be a ghost writer as he didn’t even attempt to bring any of his own strengths to the script. I can’t say I’m surprised at this, however. It is just Harley Quinn after all.

2/10

[sparrow-in-the-field]

I haven't shared any random Bobby/Don ideas lately and I'm procrastinating working at my job rn I have several for "Don away at/immediately after the war" that I'm not convinced I'll ever write into a full fic because I have a weak heart (cries, do not separate them!).

I figured I might as well share them here, since otherwise they may never see the light of day (that being said, maybe if y'all like them enough, I can be convinced 👀).

Anyway here we go, my Bobby/Don war times head cannons:

Before Don leaves, Bobby gives him a ring to wear. He had his father make a pair, with "Moch" and "Hume" engraved on the inside. Bobby keeps the Hume one and gives Don the Moch one. He asks Don to wear it on his ring finger and claim to be married while he's away.

They write letters to each other obviously, and Bobby always just signs his as "B.", so the content can still be lovey/candid and Don can claim the letters are from a girl with a B name if needed.

Because I am weak of the heart, even in my head cannons, I imagine Don doesn't really see much of the actual war front because his engineering skills are what is put to use (I think that was a thing irl?). He has mixed feelings about this, some guilt, some frustration that he's essentially just doing his same job but forced to do it far away from home/Bobby. Bobby is grateful that Don isn't facing any danger, even if he realizes it's selfish.

Similarly, Don very selfishly is glad that Bobby couldn't join the army because of his health issues.

Bobby relies on friends a lot for support while Don is away. Joyce of course, because it's me, but also some of the other guys who couldn't enlist. They all know about Bobby and Don's relationship at this point.

I have an idea that is pretty much the closest to an actual fic plot of Don figuring out that another guy in his unit is gay and they befriend each other. It would include letters between Don and Bobby of them talking about it discretely.

Now, when Don returns when the war is over, nsfw but I imagine the two of them just fucking ravish each other. Like Bobby at one point is like "you better not expect to leave this house, this bed, for at least 3 days."

Related to above but the bullet was getting to long: They keep swapping between really hot/horny "meaningless" sex and super emotional lovemaking. They figure out early on that they have to decide/tell each other which it's gonna be so they're both on the same page lol.

After the war they still wear the rings :') maybe they have to switch them to the middle finger or right hand instead, since they live together and clearly not with wives, but still, they know what the rings mean.

I think that's it! Sorry for any heartache if you're like me and thinking about it for too long makes your heart hurt 🙏 knowing me, even if I ever wrote it I'd somehow manage to turn it into fluff lol.

[felixcloud6288]

Dungeon Meshi Chapter 15

Hey it's those guys!

So the party was actually paralyzed rather than killed by the Treasure Insects. I guess that makes a bit more sense. Still, if part of the treasure insect life cycle is to be carried to new places by people, why would they attack the party?

A whole 2.78% discount!?! How generous.

So magic can leave lingering effects on hair and that can be used to make charms against ghosts. Okay.

Yep. "In a gold rush, sell shovels." The corpse runners may be providing an essential service to adventurers, but they and probably everyone working the adventurers guild are ultimately taking advantage of people trying to seek fame and fortune.

I bet if a party refuses to pay for revival, the get blacklisted by the guild and are left to rot the next time they die.

From this angle, it appears the tower interior stopped right where the water is, which necessitated making the hole in the wall.

Back when 4F was first explored, the makeshift docks may have been placed from that lower opening. Then maybe someone had the bright idea to make the hole a level above so that it would be easier to scope out the area since there's a walkway that goes all around the tower there. It may also have been easier to lower the dock sections into place rather than try carrying them across the already laid docks and set them around corners.

What are tentacles? They were labeled separately from krakens so it's not that.

We got some names. The human mage is Rin and the kobold is Kuro.

Kuro got impaled through his armor when the mermaids got him.

That was a real lose-lose scenario there. Because those mermaids were singing their siren songs, the party had to wear earplugs to keep themselves safe. But then that left them vulnerable to an ambush by the other mermaids lying in wait.

Where is Laios's party right now? Are they still at the center part of 4F but on the upper level?

Of course Laios doesn't recognize the human adventurers but he does recognize the kobold.

At first, I thought Chilchuck was dragging Rin by her hair, but then I noticed that he's actually pulling her by the arm.

The fact that Laios knows the mermaid song implies a few things. Someone or a group of people decided to listen to and record the mermaid song so others can hear it. I assume there's no magic that can record sound, which means that whoever recorded the song willingly listened and kept enough of their wit to be able to remember and write the notes of the music.

I don't think the mammalian and piscine mermaids were working together. The mammalian ones seemed to just be singing for the sake of it and weren't paying Laios and Chilchuck any mind until Laios started singing as well.

I'm curious if they use echolocation under the water. Maybe they can also stun fish when they sing under water but on land it only has the charm effect.

And since they're explicitly stated to be mammalian, then they likely had an evolutionary history similar to whales, seals, and manatees where they were land creatures that evolved to live in water. If any other humanoid creatures with sound-based offense appear, maybe they will have a common ancestry to the mammalian mermaids.

I kind of understand Chilchuck's discomfort. The piscine mermaids likely have a humanoid shape through co-evolution and all the similar traits are coincidental.

Trying to argue why it would be okay to eat the mermaids to someone opposed to it is going to devolve into justifying cannibalism at some point because the only real reason to oppose it is because of their humanoid traits.

This is also ignoring how the mermaids attacked the other party first and probably is okay with eating humans, so this is just a moral high ground being applied to a survival situation.

Laios's mask of sanity fell off for a moment. I'll have to keep an eye out for that.

At first, I thought the piscine and mammalian mermaids might just be opposite sexes to one another and the mammalians lured in prey while piscines ambushed anyone lured by their songs. And I even considered there could be a potential clownfish scenario where they can morph into one another depending on sex ratios in their groups. What convinced me otherwise was that mammalian mermaids have actual hair while piscines do not. If they could morph into each other, then they should both have natural hair.

Chilchuck's really bummed that Marcille isn't really bothered by what should be a morally dubious meal. It's grain porridge pilfered from dead adventurer supplies and mixed with the "hair" of a human-looking creature with the presumed intelligence to forge weapons.

Chilchuck used Marcille's staff while yelling at Laios.

The only reason Chilchuck is willing to drop the whole conversation is because the porridge cheered Marcille up and she would definitely have stressed out if she learned those were piscine mermaid eggs.

Chilchuck seems to be trying to sort through his feelings on the whole matter that happened this chapter. I should remind you that last chapter, the party ended up killing a kelpie that Senshi loved and he chose to butcher it after. And Marcille initially argued against butchering it. But Senshi chose to do that despite his feelings for Anne.

The whole matter of what is and isn't okay to eat is always a slippery slope. It is based on arbitrary norms set down by different cultures and a person's own feelings on the matter. From a pure reasoning perspective, anything that isn't toxic to you should be okay to eat. The piscine and even the mammalian mermaids should be okay to eat. The only reason Chilchuck isn't comfortable with that is because it hits too close to a personal taboo against cannibalism.

Granted, I think Laios was in the wrong here ultimately. I personally don't think there would have been anything wrong with eating the piscine mermaids. It's not like Laios is actually hunting an intelligent creature just to eat it. However, he wasn't willing to respect the party's boundaries here. They made it clear that demi-humans are off the table when it comes to eating, and instead of respecting that, Laios tried to argue that piscines don't count.

This is probably a matter that will never get a consensual resolution. I think food preferences are one of the most common cause of strife between people in their normal lives. Eating is necessary to live and eating together is a powerful bonding activity and if a group can't agree on what to eat because of personal preferences, religious beliefs, or allergies then engaging with a necessary action to live becomes a very stressful activity.

After saying this, my heart goes out to people with gluten allergies. many food items are a complete non-option for them so it must be difficult to actually engage in social eating.

back

[lets-try-some-writing]

Do you have any tips on how to write good world building? You’re so good at it and I must know your secrets!!!

I've been doing this for a handful of years now, but I am no master so take all that I say with a grain of salt. What I do is generally calibrated toward my particular habits and tendencies. But with that said, I do indeed have some tips and tricks for you lot!

Find the Theme

Even if you know exactly what you want to do, my suggestion is still to find your theme. Are you trying to do some worldbuilding for something Sci-fi? Fantasy? Grimdark? Dystopian? or Modern?

Find what you are working toward, and then keep it close to yourself as you work. It helps keep me on track and sift through a lot of ideas that otherwise would break up the flow of the world I am working with. With that in mind, the example I will use going forward will of course be Transformers, which is technically part of the Sci-fi genre.

Locate the Subject

Now with your theme in mind, this is when you start trying to trim down things to find what exactly you want to focus on. This is arguably the most difficult part of worldbuilding. It's hard to not try and add lore for everything and anything, but seriously, calm down. Take time to find one particular subject to work with. It does not have to be as focused as a small law for a city somewhere, but you should choose a field in a sense.

An example of this would perhaps be, "Titans and their Origins on Cybertron". This is a subject wide enough to be played with but also not so specific as to end up being impossible to work with. You can get into the fine details later, for now, find your subject. If you start worldbuilding with a subject like "Laws of Praxus Bounty Hunting Crews" you could theoretically still keep working with it, but that can be a tad overwhelming considering how niche it is in concept and how little information there is on the surrounding subject matters.You need to start big and work inward bit by bit.

If need be, imagine it as making a pot. You need to start with a pile of clay and mold the shape. Then once you have it, you can begin decorating and going more in depth with adjustments and adornments. After that you can work outwards and make more things to go alongside it, but you always have to start simple, or at least specific. You could choose to talk about a city, place, time period, ritual, or anything of the sort. But try to keep your subject wide enough to be worked with but specific enough to have a frame to work within.

Find Inspiration

Once you know what you are aiming to work with, my suggestion is to find inspiration. Now for everyone this can come in different forms. What I tend to do is consume some media related to my subject matter and find appropriate music to get the brain cells working. With the Titan example I listed above, I would look at some artwork, maybe read up some other ideas people have had, or even just take a look at Sci-fi art. You never know what will get you inspired and ready to get creative. For music it’s the same deal. Find something that gets you thinking about your Theme. 

Now you may not even need to worry about this section if you already feel ready to roll, but if you ever hit a roadblock or can’t find your motivation, doing this may help. Sometimes all you need to do is take a look at what others have done and listen to some good music. 

Begin Conceptualizing 

Now this is the fun part. This is when you start going nuts brainstorming and coming up with IDEAS. There is no real method here, just thoughts. What I end up doing is coming up with a general idea, and then going down a rabbit hole regarding it. Ask questions, play with concepts, go crazy with ideas and imagination. This is the part where you essentially chuck law and order to the wind and play. Using my prior example, my thought process would go something like this:

Where do the Titans come from? 

The Well of Allsparks? No, they are too large. Metroplex was the size of a city, there would be no way for him to get out of there, meaning that Titans would need to start small.

Are they not native? In that case, how do they have sparks? They wouldn’t fit in properly and that’s a whole other rabbit hole.

Do they start out small and get large? If that is true, do they have a life cycle? Are they forged as normal Cybertronians and then just get bigger?

Are they part of the environment and grow like plants? Do they gain sentience later or are they essentially like the bots forged from hotspots? 

As you can see, I’ve played with ideas and messed with one part of the whole concept of  Titans. I picked a beginning, and at this point I would recommend not going too much further if your thoughts work like mine. Too many ideas will leave you overwhelmed, so try to keep them somewhat organized and neat, or at least categorized. Don’t dive TOO deep down the rabbit hole until you go through the nex part of the process, which I call the “World Reliability Test”. 

World Reliability

Now this is only relevant if you are not building your world from scratch. Or rather this applies if you have a world already set up with known laws and customs. So if you are building an original world, you should take into account what you have already established in this part of the process. And if you are like me and write fanfiction primarily, you should take into account already established lore to look over and either mess with, alter, or apply. REMEMBER: You do not need to stick to lore super closely if you don’t actually want to. It all depends on what you are writing.

Too much retconning and adjustment will leave your world feeling off, regardless of if it's original or not. So this is when you take your ideas, and you run them through the filter of “DOES IT MAKE SENSE” unless you intend for your lore to deviate from already established ideas. Using my prior thought process as listed above, I would consider the established lore and pick what I am going to agree with.

How are Titans formed?

Canon states that bots emerge from the Well of Allsparks, come from hotspots, can be cold forged, come from ‘budding’, or be built through the assistance of Vector Sigma. 

The Quintessons were known to create all sorts of monstrosities and lifeforms that could theoretically result in Titans being a thing. 

Fanon states that bots can be made biologically or through alternate means.

What continuity/rules will I abide by?

Aligned continuity (canon particular). 

In the Aligned continuity, Titans are known to have existed prior to Quintessons arrival.

Quintesson creation no longer applies.

Budding and Vector Sigma construction no longer apply.

Fanon biological creation no longer applies.

How closely am I going to follow canon?

Relatively closely but with a bit of creative liberty on my end. 

What are my options now?

Cold construction.

Emergence from the Well of Allsparks.

Hotspot forging. 

The thought process can go on forever, but essentially just make sure you don’t have an overpowered or absolutely insane mess of a concept that makes no sense whatsoever. You can get away with all sorts of crap if you play it right, but there MUST be a reason. At least if you are trying to make something that is not designed to be comedic. 

Get into the Worldbuilding

Once you have everything established, this is when you begin adding to your creation. Work through what you are making logically. The process differs widely from person to person, so these are just my tips and tricks to make your worldbuilding seem far deeper and richer than it may actually be. 

Add tidbits and lore. You want your worldbuilding to feel real and alive, but you also can’t be everywhere at once all at the same time, especially within the confines of a story. So make the people of the place you are working with interact with the thing you are worldbuilding. If you are discussing a city, describe the citizens and their behavior. Is the city colorful? Does the city have any unique oddities either in itself, its environment, or its population? Are there any little rituals that set it apart? Just dig into these smaller things when you can in order to bring everything together. It makes your work feel more realistic, or at least more acceptable to the human mind. 

Discuss how your subject affects the wider world. Those who look at your worldbuilding are going to want to know how your subject affects that which it interacts with. So if you are discussing a living forest, you might want to think about how it affects the locals. Are there locals? Do they have any stories about the forest? Has the forest left a mark? Does it have a reputation? Does it have any strange abilities that affect the land around it? Try to consider your subject and its influence. It need not be world shattering, but using my example, I would run down the thought process like this:

Titans start small and grow into their full size over time.

What do they consume? Does it affect those around them during their growth?

Do they shed their armor and is that used elsewhere? Or do they instead grow like organics in that their plating grows with them?

Do they have parents and loved ones who will miss them when they begin to grow? How does their growth affect others? Is it well received?

Titans find a location to settle before their growth completes.

Does this interfere with trade routes?

Are there those who wish to stop a Titan from settling?

How does the local ecosystem respond?

Titans eventually turn into living cities, even forming hotspots over time.

How do they gain citizens? Do their citizens come from their hotspots?

Do they raise the young that come from their hotspots alone? Or do they lure others in to help?

Why do they become cities at all? Is it biological? If so, why?

Are there different kinds of Titans? Are there only cities or are there other living structures?

You run down the list asking questions. As you answer those questions, your worldbuilding comes into play. Then all you need to do is pretty it up and make it into something readable. 

Final Note

From here you should take the ideas, questions, and answers you have created and put it into a format of your choosing. You can make it into a story or something more informational. It's all about preference. Worldbuilding is meant to be fun, so nothing I have stated above is set in stone. Some folks do it differently, but this is my general method. Consider the factors, take them into account, ask questions, create answers, and then put it all together. 

Oh and as a bonus, here is a little tip from my writing buddy @spreadwardiard:

“MAKE SCRAP UP.”

[dawnxd]

So what do you have on Dust already?

The obvious spot in canon for a sandwing/nightwing hybrid is Thorn having more than one egg, so Sunny could have a sibling. Dune getting told she’d had one and being shown it and Six Ckaws the same and getting shown Dust’s egg in a separate location, as Thorn was being extra careful, would be a straightforward way to write in an origin point? There’s also the opportunity to easily justify Dust being an animus with an animus father that way too if it’s what you’re going for! Dust would then have a way to feasibly gain skills and contacts/companions if you wanted Dust to subsequently travel somewhere etc and not be a soldier in the succession crisis.

There’s no pressure with the above paragraph but I thought I may as well attempt to be helpful as design wise it looks like his mother was a sandwing (since there’s the whole hybrids taking heavily after the parent who laid them thing). Who knows it may be entirely off base but that’s why I’m curious if there is anything you have so far?

(also Dust with a sibling or parent, whoever you think they may be, or just a small hatchling dust, could be adorable if you wanted to make a drawing from this)

At your request, here's baby Dust taking a nap! (absolutely love how this turned out)

While that is indeed an interesting idea (seriously, I would love something like that), all of my OCs exist in a separate universe from the canon plots. This essentially means that none of the canon characters, past or present, exist in this universe. For example, in the universe I have created for my OCs, instead of Clearsight being the common ancestor for Hivewings, it is instead a group of Pyrrhian dragons (mostly Nightwings with a couple of others sprinkled in) that found Pantala. This "alternate universe" gives me more freedom to mold the story and world as much as I like.

And, to answer your question on what I have so far for Dust and his background. Dust is the child of Rattlesnake (Mother, Sandwing) and Sandstorm (Father, Nightwing/Sandwing hybrid). He is mostly Sandwing, which is why he doesn't really have much Nightwing traits beyond some darker coloring, his bright blue irises, and the star scales on his wings. As for backstory and such, all I know for sure is that, for some reason I haven't decided yet, Dust despises his mother. I also know that he is currently a traveler, wandering between the kingdoms of Pyrrhia and doing odd jobs to make ends meet.

[ducktracy]

Have you ever wanted to join the writers room of SpongeBob and the Patrick star show?

THIS IS A TIMELY QUESTION! i was just discussing this with my director a few weeks ago. tldr before i even get to the long part: not necessarily, it's never really been something on my radar and so i don't feel as equipped for it but that could--and i hope it does--change!

LONGER EXPLANATION.. i was in a meeting with my director recently pitching my boards to him, and we got spitballing back and forth and we essentially just started joke pitching an idea for an episode. he was like "yknow that's pretty good, i could get you in touch with our script coordinators if you ever felt you wanted to take it further" and my response was like ahhhhhhh nah i could never write an episode i wouldn't know where to start blah blah blah, and we basically had a talk that amounted to "don't knock it 'til you'll try it" and so it's definitely been more on my mind lately

IT'S AN INTERESTING SITUATION. i'd consider myself a decent writer and i certainly enjoy doing it, most of my free time is spent writing my reviews! likewise, i LOVE breaking down and analyzing dialogue and coming up with random character conversations. talking to the person who typed the entire Hamlet soliloquy in Porky's stutter one time because ?. i think i'm more interested in writing than i think i really am

but something about writing for cartoons has always been very intimidating to me HAHA. i'm not really someone who is sitting on a wealth of episode ideas and dying going like "ahhh man i wish we could see SpongeBob and Patrick doing this", etc--if and when i have those moments it's usually very spontaneous and in the moment! like what i mentioned above when i'm spitfiring in a meeting. i think i get intimidated by the "where the hell do i start" and "how do i organize this" aspects, because i have had ideas for cartoons before and aim to act on some of them! i still haven't forgotten the "Porky and Daffy are competing salesmen" cartoon idea i thought up in 2020 which is also partially responsible for my job in the first place. but it's like a blip, a skip in a record in that i struggle untangling and organizing and really establishing a working structure. i am a VERY detail oriented person and so i think i like working smaller and more intimately, where i can add my own personal flair to something that someone who may be more proficient in establishing a foundation has done.

BUT! maybe i just say all this because i haven't done it yet!! don't know it unless i try! for my purposes as an artist now i enjoy drawing and embellishing pre-existing ideas and suggesting gags and getting into the nitty gritty of the details on a small scale, but i also don't wanna put myself in any boxes and restrain myself from trying, either. i don't talk about them as much on here just because they literally dominate every other aspect of my life (well that and NDAs forbid me from doing so!), but i love SB and Patrick and all the Bikini Bottomites deeply! i'm so lucky to get to document their lives. they really are like real friends to me and i hope i'm lucky enough to find more ways to fraternize with them and learn about them and bring out their tics and habits and traits and how they contrast and support one another. i do that best through drawing right now, but i'm excited for all the ways i'll be able to expand beyond that. and maybe one day that'll include writing!

ALSO KINDA FRAGMENTED I KNOW i just made my closing statements above. i apologize for my pedanticism. but TPSS doesn't have a writer's room to my knowledge because it's board driven! we get to sit in on storyboard pitches (just had a wonderful one this evening) and watch the artists pitch their boards and it's such a wonderful experience. i have thought "i wonder how it would go if i pitched to the network like that" in sitting in these meetings. BUT JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY i know writer's room is an all consuming term and i'm being pedantic. but it's very neat that we get to work on a board driven show to begin with and has made quite a difference and so i just like pointing it out :) i love what we're doing

[rollercoasterwords]

jkr, death of the author, and the marauders fandom

ok so i saw this comment a few days ago on tiktok, and i've had thoughts spinning around in my brain about it ever since, so...here's my take on why comments like the one above, while likely well-intentioned and also not very serious, are still maybe not the best way to engage with hp fandom.

since getting involved in the marauders (and, by extension, hp) fandom, i've seen a lot of people making "death of the author" comments online or joking about how they just pretend that jkr didn't write the books. and while i understand the impulse--jkr is a vile human being, and most of the people who engage with the marauders + hp fandom want to make it very clear that their own views do not align with hers--i think this approach of trying to just "remove" jkr from her work demonstrates a fundamental lack of understanding about what death of the author actually is.

this post that i saw a few days ago summarizes it really well, and here's a link to a free pdf of the actual essay if you'd like to go straight to the source (it's not very long! only 7 pages). but essentially, death of the author does not mean "let's pretend this work was created in a vaccuum by no one because we don't like the person who made it." barthes is arguing about meaning within the text, arguing against the idea that every piece of literature has one true meaning instilled into it by the author which then must be sought by readers. instead, the text can take on different meanings for different readers, and those meanings are what matters. "a text's unity lies not in its origin (author) but in its destination (readers)."

let's take an example from the hp books: wolfstar. the people barthes is arguing against might claim that wolfstar can't be "real" (the fact that we're talking about fiction notwithstanding) or is somehow not "valid" because the ultimate Truth of the text comes from the intentions of the author, and jkr did not intend for remus and sirius to be a couple. but in barthes' words, "To give a text an Author is to impose a limit on that text, to furnish it with a final signified, to close the writing." barthes would argue that jkr's intentions don't matter, that what really matters is the way that readers are engaging with and drawing meaning from the text. if we adhere to death of the author, then wolfstar as a couple is not any less real or valid than any other reading, because what matters is that readers are picking up on homoerotic subtext and drawing meaning from it--whether it was included intentionally or not.

so--that's death of the author. and i think it's a great thing in hp fandom; i think it's fantastic that readers are prioritizing their own meanings and interpretations of the work over anything that jkr may have intended. but saying "fuck you" to jkr's intentions and the idea that the only Truth that matters is the author's does not mean we should just pretend that she had nothing to do at all with the creation of the work.

again, this post summarizes it really well--but essentially, even for readers who adhere to death of the author in their thinking about literature, it is still important to understand a work in context. understanding who wrote a work helps us to understand what sort of biases--subconscious or conscious--the person might have written it with, and it helps us to read the work critically and identify those biases lurking under the surface.

it's no secret that jkr is an incredibly biased woman. when she wrote the hp books, she wrote her own biases into it, and if we simply pretend that she had nothing at all to do with the work, then we deprive ourselves of important context we should be using to critically engage with it. it's important to understand how jkr's biases infect the series, because if we simply take things from the work at face value, we risk perpetuating those biases.

now, a caveat here -- i will say that, in the grand scheme of things, i don't think fanfiction is the be all end all of social justice. i understand that it's a hobby. but those falling back on this misunderstood conceptualization of "death of the author" to try and remove jkr from the work already seem preoccupied with morality to a certain extent, already seem to be the type of people who want to engage with the work in a way that doesn't perpetuate the biases of its author. so to do that, we have to acknowledge who wrote it, turn a critical eye on her writings, and think about how we might adjust our own work accordingly to avoid perpetuating the many biases bound into the fabric of the text. for an example, take house elves--if we loudly proclaim that jkr has nothing to do with our fandom as a means by which to make the text magically "unproblematic," and then pull aspects of the wizarding world like house elves into our own work, what narratives are we then perpetuating?

i think this tendency to just ignore jkr is particularly common in the marauders fandom, and understandably so! especially with newer social media like tiktok drawing in younger fans who didn't grow up with the books in the same way, i'm increasingly seeing this phenomenon of marauders fans who have never even read the books themselves. and i don't think that's a bad thing! in fact, i think it's pretty cool to see the fandom so far removed from jkr's work. but it is still harry potter fanfiction. even if it's being written or read by somebody who's never read the harry potter books, their knowledge is still coming from fanon, whose starting point of growth is still canon. it is still important to understand the context of the work which this fandom grew out of if we want to critically engage with it.

at the end of the day, i understand that it's uncomfortable to consume work that is in any way tied back to a person as vile as jkr. but i think it's important to evaluate for yourself how you want to engage with that work, whether you think it's possible to engage at all with harry potter media ethically while knowing that the woman who created it actively perpetuates harm against marginalized communities with her rhetoric. it's important to understand and address these uncomfortable questions; we have to acknowledge the ways in which the fandom is inextricably linked to and stained by jkr if we want to create and engage with fanwork that isn't stained in the same ways.

[thetetratan]

(welcome to the cartilage)

(the place in between multiverses)

(this is a post essentially explaining all of the TETRATAN's lore soooo)

(also anything in parentheses isn't in char)

(but everything else is)

(sooooooo)

(read this post if you want to know about the TETRATAN's lore)

(Or go in blind and see if you can piece together anything)

(that may be more fun)

(idk it's up to you)

(but this post did take more than two days to write)

(so I would appreciate it if you did read it all)

(this story starts a long long time ago, like every damn story. But I'm talking like REALLLLLY long time ago. Like HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS OF YEARS AGO. This story takes place in a kingdom, and by now you already have deja Vu from the stories you were told as a kid. But this kingdom wasnt any normal kingdom, because it was an ENTIRE OMNIVERSE. At this moment in time, the only inhabitants of this omniverse were all the different types of Titans, omniversal beings that held time most power out of any species, ever. Besides the other types of Titans, of course. There are four types of Titans. Normal Titans, who can use Titan magic, or xylves, but can be hurt by anything. Then there are Supertitans and HYPERTITANS. Both being able to use xylve magic, and only being hurt by said xylves. HYPERTITANS, being stronger than Supertitans, had their entire names capitalized, even in speech! And finally there was the most powerful Titans, the TETRATANS, who not only had two extra tentacles for legs, but also were incredibly rare and unique. The TETRATANS were actually around the same power as the HYPERTITANS, but the difference comes from a different item, the TETRA CRYSTAL, which gives incredible power to any who wield it. Any being could receive a major power boost in all areas with this crystal, but the titan types, especially the TETRATANS, were extra reactive to the crystal. These TETRATANS were few and far between though, so the ones that did exist were basically worshipped by everything, including lesser Titans. (Also this may be a good time to note that cannibalism was morally acceptable at this time, in fact it was a regular occurrence, because Titans of all variations besides regular Titans feed solely off of deceased xylve matter, and Titans were not just using xylves, they were made of it, so going to war with other Titans was a good idea cuz death of people meant food ok now back to the main story oh wait we only now just finished the background info oh shit this is a lot of lore) So one of these worshipped TETRATANS was named ECHO (@21ducky don't you dare even think about it) and ECHO was kinda a tyrant (just like @21ducky) and no one really liked him but they still worshipped him because they would immediately die if they stood against him.)

(or would they?)

(see, there was this one person, who wasn't any type of Titan, but was at the moment pretending to be a Supertitan. His name was DISCORD. You may be asking, why is HIS name capitalized? I thought only HYPERTITANS and above get that treatment! Well, you would be correct. DISCORD gets the capital name treatment even thought he technically isn't a Titan at all. This is because he became a person with equivalent power to a TETRATAN. DISCORD found a material that, when used in a process that involves the TETRA CRYSTAL, can become a new material that mimics parchment paper. But everything written in it will come true. So he used his newfound power to become as strong as ECHO, and he eventually won. He sealed ECHO in the first dimension to stay for all eternity. But ECHO will be important later...)

(meanwhile, DISCORD starts to fake being a TETRATAN cuz even thought he has the power of a TETRATAN and the cool TETRA CRYSTAL thing, he technically isn't. But the other Titans don't know that they'll just worship him anyway. DISCORD goes med with power trying to make sure no other TETRATAN tries to become another tyrant, and becomes a tyrant himself. So that worked well for him, didn't it? He settles in the Citadels, which house the HYPERTITANS and live in the one in the middle, which houses the TETRA CRYSTAL. So yeah a pretty overpowered location. He starts using that material from before that gave him power (don't have a name for it yet) and writes things assuring that he stays in power, buuuuuut in his rush to make sure no other TETRATAN can come to power, he made the thing wrong (L) so THIS paper does absolutely nothing besides serve as paper. But he doesn't know that, so he keeps writing and writing, and starts writing these in rhyming poems and plays them off as prophecies (even though they won't even come true lol). The HYPERTITANS dub him as a prophet, and dub his living space as the Prophet's Castle. Eventually has a plan to get more power. But don't worry about that plan because he DIES.)

(So after their leader and idol DIES, the HYPERTITANS all go to war against each other.)

(The HYPERTITANS have been broken up into a few clans. Being in a clan was advantageous because they were going to war with other HYPERTITANS all the time. They also unanimously decided to keep it a secret that DISCORD died from the other Titan types. Just because THEY wanted to be the ones to get to the Prophet's Castle. See, most HYPERTITAN wars were fought between two clans, just for the sake of food. But there was another motive to this war. Remember the TETRA CRYSTAL? Yeah, that was kept with DISCORD in the Prophet's Castle so if any clan got into the Prophet's Castle, DISCORD would have INSANE powers over the other HYPERTITANS. So each clan was trying to get to the Prophet's Castle, to get that sweet sweet extra power for themselves. Eventually one clan got to the Prophet's Castle and used the TETRA CRYSTAL's power to defend themselves and stay in control. There, the leader of that tribe had his second son. (His other son left to the land of the Supertitans as a representative of his clan to establish trade offers) This new baby HYPERTITAN was actually really special, because he wasn't a HYPERTITAN. He was a TETRATAN. (Remember TETRATANS are just HYPERTITANS with a stronger connection to the TETRA CRYSTAL) So considering that the new baby was part of a species that was worshipped in the past and when in proximity to the TETRA CRYSTAL are by FAR the strongest beings in the omniverse, the HYPERTITANS decided to raise him as their own and try to use his power against their enemies. But Titans in general age much slower than humans. Like, MUCH slower. It depends on what Titan that person is, but for HYPERTITANS AND TETRATANS, it's around one TETRATAN year (or HYPERTITAN year) for every one BILLION human years. So the HYPERTITANS will have to wait a while before having this powerhouse. The HYPERTITAN clan tried to keep it a secret from the other clans, but eventually word got out, and all the HYPERTITAN clans had a new target. To either kidnap or kill the infant TETRATAN. (And if it isn't clear yet, this infant is THE TETRATAN. The one who runs this blog.) Eventually, one of the outside HYPERTITAN clans were able to infiltrate the Prophet's Castle and kidnap the TETRATAN. But not before his oven clan noticed. In the midst of the battle that ensued, the TETRATAN did one thing, that changed everything. He started to cry. Now, this may not seem like so much, but this is a TETRATAN, LITERALLY ADJACENT TO THE TETRA CRYSTAL. Also, no one was expecting a massive blast to come from the baby being kidnapped, so when it came, no one was ready. Everyone was all so not ready, in fact, that they ALL DIED. So yeah, nice going there TETRATAN. And when I say they all died, I mean EVERY HYPERTITAN, AND MANY TITANS were affected. The Titans don't even live in the area! The Supertitans live even further, but even they could feel it, although no one got hurt. This big boom was also strong enough to SHATTER THE TETRA CRYSTAL. The TETRA CRYSTAL broke into many TETRA SHARDS, each giving whoever wields one an AMAZING boost of power, but not NEARLY as amazing as the full TETRA CRYSTAL.)

(Killing wasn't the only thing that this blast did, though. It also created the ENTIRE OMNIVERSE. The one EVERY UNIVERSE AND MULTIVERSE THAT HOUSES A NON-TITAN SPECIES IS IN. And, if it isn't clear enough yet, this baby crying was the cause of the BIG BANG.(The one they were in before is now called the ruins, cuz that blast destroyed most of it, and this new one is called the Omniverse, as uncreative as that is. There are other omniverses, but none besides these two are important to this story.) So now with the creation of non-Titan beings, and a massive blast coming from the HYPERTITAN area, there was a lot that caught the eyes of the surviving Titans. Including a certain HYPERTITAN off establishing trade offers in the SUPERTITAN lands. THE TETRATAN'S BROTHER!!!!!! DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUUN!!!!!!!!)

(The TETRATAN's brother, understandably panicked by the big boom boom, rushes back home immediately and sees what has come of the ENTIRE HYPERTITAN SPECIES. And he notices the only survivor is a baby. He quickly figures out that the baby caused the big boom (somehow) and, having just lost his entire family (well not his ENTIRE family cuz the baby is his brother but he doesn't know that) the TETRATAN'S brother decides to yeet the TETRATAN into the omniverse he just created to live there cuz he doesn't want a baby (child neglect be like). The TETRATAN lands on a deserted island inhabitated solely by octopi (squids and octopi evolved from the HYPERTITANS). So at least he has food.)

(many years later ooooooooo)

(time skip a FEW billion years, the TETRATAN has self-taught himself a lot of magic. He need to do this to survive, because his brother, after living for a few billion years in solitude, has reconsidered his old choice to send the TETRATAN off into the omniverse, and is now trying to kill him. You know you else is trying to kill the TETRATAN? MY MO-)

(You know who else is trying to kill the TETRATAN? DISCORD!!! Remember him? Yeah, turns out his death was staged and he was waiting for the next TETRATAN to come along because he wanted to make sure no new tyrant like ECHO would rise to power, so he decided killing the only other being powerful enough to do so would stop that from happening. Also everyone thinks DISCORD is a TETRATAN, but technically he's not. He still says he is though. The TETRATAN doesn't really know much about his past, because everything blew up, and the only people who DO know anything much about his past are trying to kill him. (This is actually why he goes by the name of his species, the TETRATAN, instead of his real name. He doesn't know his name. He can't read or speak in Titan language so he can't figure it out himself, either.) All three of them are trying to collect as many TETRA SHARDS as possible to become more powerful than the others, and it is chaotic. DISCORD is also the only one out of the three who doesn't know how to teleport. And the TETRATAN messes around with the inhabitants of the omniverse he created when he's bored, and lives in the seventh dimension, aka the void.)

(WE GOT THROUGH THE LORE)

(@myconidwitch how's that for lore)

[cats-and-confusion]

I have no idea if I've asked you before but here we go! Your PA headcanons! Please dump them on me!

SO YOU HAVE CHOSEN DEATH

Ok ok ok so. I'll go by order of character. Some of them may or may not be mutually exclusive

Olive

A god (of halloween and the dead) similar to those in 90%s other game, Cool Kid Cody. Essentially they can canonically see the hearts above people's heads and are aware of the time shenanigans - they just say the same things each time so that outcomes are predictable. They don't mind dying, and the player is a power they contacted with magic. Theoretically at the end of each game they make a little pocket space in the clouds where they hang out with their friends in semi-god form, but also it's more fun to think no one knows (except patches but that'll be explored in his section). It's even FUNNER to think that they're not keeping it particularly secret, it's just that no one has asked so they didn't say anything. Olive is the shortest aside from Angel. Their house is in the god realm which means in the normal realm they're technically homeless which is why Coco had trouble contacting them in PA2.

Brownie

A chubby lil' corgi. Goes to parties and has a somewhat rough relationship with her parents because she keeps going off and doing things. Her family's rich. She paid for the milkshakes at the end of PA1. She's only marginally taller than Olive. She's a great negotiator, and has the best danger-meter of the group. She could be a powerful manipulator but really just prefers to be funny and cool. Has lots of connections. Might grow up to be a lawyer-

Sparky

Sports guy!!! Plays hockey but also does track and baseball. Has a sports scholarship. Tall as fuck (taller than Patches, even) and is constantly restless, balanced out by the sports. Known as the humble cool dude in his team. The guy you'd trust to hold your drink. Has good self-restraint and strong morals, but is not immune to temptation. Fairly good self-esteem, usually.

Coco

Such an older sister. Values honesty and reliability - would keep a promise if it killed her. Naturally volatile, but likes being kind and getting compliments. Her love language is gift-giving. She pays the bills by doing magic jobs. Her parents are dead (rip) and Angel is all she has, and the main thing she lives for. Before murdering Hachiko High, after finding out Angel was dead, she cried for six hours straight before wrecking her kitchen and crying for 12 more hours.

Angel

He has an inferior twink body and used to wear his hair in a braid. He has low blood sugar and has trouble eating, but Coco helps him. He likes sweets and books and blueberries. He's bi for men and enbies. He has memory problems from being resurrected, and mourns all of himself that he's forgotten. Prone to cute things.

Patches

His mom is dead and his dad fucking sucks so he likes to stay at Olive's house. The first time he went to their house was right after PA2 when he was in Angel's body and collared, which was also when he found out Olive is a god. Olive made him have fun and take care of himself. He hated it. Still has a craving for blood, and each of his friends have a different way of helping him with it. Sparky likes to spar, Angel urges him to write, Brownie gives him snacks (eat a snickers you're not you when you're hungry), Coco beats the shit out of him, and Olive hugs him until he feels better. On a few occasions when Olive has accidentally gotten hurt, Patches has drank their blood. Olive is okay with this. Patches listens to mother mother.

Let me know if you want me to elaborate on some things or ramble about other characters I'm so fucking excited by this game

[abyssmalice]

so, hmmmmm.

i caved and wrote up a rough overview of the snezhnaya princess tonitoni AU :)

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To start - while I have specific ideas for this AU, I still intend to write this verse very loosely. Which is to say, while there are some core details that will be prevalent no matter what, everything else remains up for negotiation/discussion when writing together.

This verse is super duper suuuuuper non-canonical as is and for pure indulgence - I'm not going to be very stringent in how this verse plays itself out, essentially.

Core Details:

As this AU implies - in this verse, Tonia is officially recognized as the Tsaritsa's daughter.

However, she is NOT her biological daughter - even publicly, she is understood to have been adopted, though her exact origins are a mystery to everyone besides the Tsartisa's closest and most trusted.

Additionally, while Tonia is considered a princess as part of the Tsaritsa's lineage, she is NOT recognized as her successor - which is to say, she is not expected to become the next Cryo Archon nor even a human Tsaritsa to rule over Snezhnaya.

Semi-Core Details (aka how I personally justify this AU existing, and will primarily run by this premise unless discussed otherwise):

Tonia's origins still align with canon - she was born to a large middle class family in Morepesok.

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However, like the primary Harbinger AU, she had followed her brother into the Abyss, died and was resurrected by the Irminsul, and returned to Teyvat as the sole survivor - similarly, her traumas unconsciously influenced the local leylines, causing inexplicable natural disasters in the region.

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But here is where it diverges - one of these natural disasters ended up being a rare earthquake-caused tsunami, which due to the already chaotic nature of the leylines at this time, was amplified to the point of having a very devastating impact on the port town of Morepesok.

Even more unfortunately, this tsunami wiped out the rest of Tonia's family from how extremely abrupt and immensely dangerous it was. Tonia herself survived only due to her Irminsul biology forcing her into a hibernating, preserved state akin to the Petrified Trees in domains.

Due to the sheer scale of damage, Dottore was not the only Harbinger dispatched to the area. As such, when Tonia was eventually located in the submerged ruins of the town, the doctor was not able to freely spirit her away in secret for closer study in his labs.

Instead, with the permission of the surviving residents of Morepesok, she was taken to the capitol by the Fatui as a special but proper patient - with her case eventually presented to the Tsaritsa, once a diagnosis of her clearly inhuman condition was determined and Resin was used to wake her up.

Of course, Tonia wasn't happy to learn what happened while she was essentially comatose - hearing that her hometown was nearly wiped off the map and her whole family's passing, on top of her other traumatic experiences with her brother and the Abyss... she nearly evoked every possible natural disaster at the same time from the sheer devastation of the news.

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In light of this entire situation, the Tsaritsa thus took Tonia in as her own child - promising and reassuring Tonia that as an Archon, she would not be defeated or killed so easily, and thus never leave the girl alone.

That said, adopting Tonia does serve multiple purposes for the Tsaritsa. For example, this allows the Archon to keep a cautious eye on a girl with strange but immense powers. Additionally, Tonia will receive protection against other forces who may want to misuse and weaponize her, such as the Abyss Order. And - most importantly, it grants a new, loving family to a child in tragic need of it.

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As a result of all of the above - Tonia is very emotionally dependent on the Tsaritsa, who she calls her Mother. Tonia also suffers from PTSD, anxiety, abandonment issues, and a mild fear of drowning.

In terms of personality - she is a quiet and soft-spoken girl with a rather caring heart. So caring in fact, that she may become a little to extremely willful and stubborn, if only in wanting the best for others, and especially those she loves.

Altogether, this makes her carry a faint air of naivety, but not innocence; her eyes remain a very dull blue even years later, as her memories of the Abyss and the traumatic experiences that followed will never leave her, and she's still more than capable in a fight - even if she's not on par to stronger people like her mother.

Due to having been raised as literal royalty with the consequent quality of education and tutoring, Tonia is fairly learned in multiple aspects. She has elegant etiquette, cultured knowledge of Snezhnaya and the world at large, and can handle the average conversation with diplomats and politicians. She's much more average with mathematics and the sciences however.

After the experience of being forced into a "petrified" state as a child, her hair is now wired to be a permanent gradient of brown to silvery-white, with the ends of her hair always being the latter. That said, if using her abilities to the fullest, all of her hair will turn white, and can still grow out into branches of Irminsul in extreme cases.

"Not as crucial and can be ignored if you want" Details:

Tonia carries around a plush toy gifted to her at all times. All. Times.

Her moniker/nickname is "Snowflower" - or "The Pure Flower of the First Snow" among the more flamboyant (and hobby-less) tabloids, as she is likened to a flower sprouting and blooming after overnight snowfall; lovely and kind, with no noticeable flaws or obvious complaints surrounding her, though her general quietness ensures she tends to be overlooked, much like any white flower would be against a backdrop of white snow.

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There is a notable fraction of nobles in Snezhnaya's politics that tend to debate and encourage for Tonia to be acknowledged as the Tsaritsa's official heir - either for the throne of Snezhnaya or Archonhood or both. Of course, the reasoning is often not benign; there is a hope for political or financial benefit that may be reaped by associating and/or currying favor with Tonia on some level.

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While Tonia isn't being trained as a successor, she is nonetheless assisting the Tsaritsa in a secretarial fashion (or rather, forced her way into the role, because she really really really wants to help :( and spend more time with her mother). Her primarily duties are clerical work and managing the palace staff - nothing more, because the Tsaritsa wants to keep her out of the political and militaristic side of things.

However, Tonia's affinity for the leylines allows her to gain information wherever - as a result, she's become her own one-man intelligence network independent of the Fatui, and has been sneakily adding her findings to her mother's reports where possible. Though she has to be inconspicuous about it, lest someone start questioning the source of said additional info.

That said, because of said intelligence work + occasionally sneaking looks at more confidential documents that Tonia isn't supposed to be reading, only organizing for her mother - she's gradually noticed the more morally grey to black activities that the Fatui commits and that the Tsaritsa technically stamps her approval on. Tonia has yet to raise the subject, since she dearly cares for her mother and understands what kind of person she is, but she is also a little uneasy and concerned because of it all.

[ao3gobi17]

I wonder what the plot would have been like if Paz had survived the gunshot but had lost her mind due to PTSD. She would either go to a mental health center or stay under the care of the Mccoskers and Spider, because she would not be able to function normally in society. I actually have two versions of this question:

1 - what if her persception of time stopped due to trauma and she still had the impression that Spider was 7 years old and she was in a relationship with Quaricth? (If you know PJO, it's based on May Castellan) How would Spider react if after the kidnapping she behaved as if she was still with Q and they were a happy family?

2. She would recognize Spider and the McCoskers but she wouldn't be fully aware of her surroundings, she would withdraw into herself when anyone other than them tried to talk to her, if you watched His Dark Materials something like Elaine Parry's behavior. Would Quaritcg kidnap her too? How would he treat her knowing that she was only a shadow of her former self? If Spider was very possessive and protective of her, would he try to separate them somehow to have a chance to renew contact with him? (In this version she wouldn't recognize Quaritch as her former love)

(Follow up question to the above ^^) "To the question of what if Paz survived and lost her mind, in this version they would of course be kidnapped in a different way than in the original Custody, they would just be tracked down and captured instead of Leo's abduction."

Okay, so I really want someone to write a fic/drabble of number 1 because that's such an interesting concept - the idea that Spider is trying to protect her and get them out of there and she is genuinely unaware and is probably more comfortable and happy than she's been before Q showed up... add to that the amount of manipulation open to Quaritch and the dynamic of her believing Spider is 7 (which in some respects, Q may be very happy to play along with)... I am so down to read that, please write it aha.

But to answer the two questions...

Spider would struggle. I think he would have pretty much become his mom's carer (maybe the McCoskers would have hired someone for part of the time so he could go to school) and he would be hugely protective of her. I'm not sure in your scenario if Q actually is the would-be-killer... I could see that being a very interesting, very dark dynamic... like say she tries to leave him, he tries to kill her, he gets jailed, her injuries now make her want to stay with him, and Spider is well aware of all this. She's going to be actively helping Quaritch, Spider is going to loathe him, but be so helpless because he needs to care for his mom, Paz will inadvertently be indulging Q in the daydream of getting that time back with Spider as she's talking to him like a young child.. so Q will probably be more infantilising than he is in Custody... the whole plot would change to Spider's critical decision being whether to abandon her and try to escape himself, or somehow find a way to get her to go on the run with him. Either way, I am fascinated by the concept.

2. Spider would also struggle here, whether his mom was left behind or taken with him. Quaritch would probably take her? Like on the basis that he should be the one caring for her and it's his responsibility as her husband and he loves the person she was? And he'd probably get the recoms to help, but would step up and be that carer. (Although, if he was the one who actually tried to kill her in your scenario then maybe not, the scenario in option 1 was more him taking advantage of a 'lucky' turn of events if he was the 'killer'. In this version, if he tried to kill her then essentially he's already succeeded, so she'd be dead to him, and not worth interacting with.)

I feel like this would be slightly easier on Spider if Paz didn't know what was going on around her - though I think all the concerns about her getting proper care would still be there (whether she was with him and Q or back home). I don't think Quaritch would particularly need to separate Spider to speak to him, but he would be able to use separation as a potential punishment if he had Paz, which might encourage good behaviour from Spider. <3

[freshlybakedspiderbread]

Reisen for the ask game!

General opinion/How much I care about them: aaaaah! Even though she's a 'classic' touhou, i feel like it was only in the last several years (though with my warped sense of time, this could be be anywhere up to a decade) where she really dug out a special place in my heart as one of my favs (which is maybe a bit of a crowded category admitedly n_n) She's always been super cool/cute/funny and her backstory and development i think really nicely summarises a lot of themes from both th8 and gensokyo as a whole

A ship I love: there's a bunch but there's two i want to mention together because its really funny to contrast. one is reisen/kaguya (himeudon), which is on surface just cute and sweet, with the devoted bunny servant to the enigmatic princess who finds her cute. As the years pass, I don't think Reisen would ever stop seeing Kaguya in a majestic light, buuuut i do think she definitely becomes more wiser to when Kaguya is actually being wise and when she's instead just being quirky (but Reisen may still be happy to indulge her whims).

In contrast, i think reisen/mokou is really funny because their first meeting definitely has to be something like a horrified Reisen coming across Mokou killing Kaguya before anyone had a chance to explain to Reisen their particular pastime, so Reisen spent a while either panicking or attacking Mokou on sight until it all gradually became normal. And the idea of going from that to now when they're happy to hang out with one another in the bamboo forest or in the village. All in all its basically just another version of the cute bunny and the noble(ish) immortal who finds her cute.

A non-romantic relationship that I love: I've always prefered to think of Reisen's apprenticeship under Eirin has a sort of guardian or parental dynamic that neither ever actually had in their formers lives. I think its a really nice how Reisen's continued learning under her reflects on both characters developmenet.

One might ask what is the 'point' to Eirin bestowing Reisen with her knowledge since you may think Reisen isnt likely to ever want to distance herself from eientei to strike out on her own, and also since Eirin and crew will outlive Reisen, it doesnt seem like a matter of passing on something to the next 'generation', right? But even if there may always be some version of them that might always exist in the future, the Eirin right now with her dear Udongein is only here now and so every thing they (and all the eientei crew) do is important for one another n_n

The NOTP: I think there's a really fun dynamic to be had with Reisen and Tewi when combining the facts that Reisen didnt realise at first that Tew was essentially all of their landlord, and that Reisen wants to be acknowledged as an earth rabbit which Tewi attempts to accomodate sometimes even if Reisen's always a little weird. But there's no version of this where I can envision it turning romantic from either side...

My biggest headcanon about them:

She's not wearing that blazer anymore. That is Not a headcanon That is a Rule and if zun himself ever puts it back on her I will kill the planet!!!!!

that aside, I think she's on a variety of medication. 👩‍⚕️ Eirin's personal perscription of course for perhaps her eyes aaand a bunch of other stuff, but Reisen is the ever eager learner so she often cooks up her own concoctions too (which she asks Mokou to help test).

the doctor thing combined with the lunatic eyes makes me imagine she would partake in recreational psychotropics but its only really worth it if she can do it with someone else (and probably the only ones who would accept are mokou, maybe marisa... kaguya would but i dont think reisen would ask her)

An idea for a fanfiction I would like to write/read about them: i do want to write At Least one more reisen-starring story in the future about most of the things i described above, specifically her apprenticeship under eirin...

Something that makes me thing of them: This is really only something that happens in fanart and only because she's got bunny ears and associated with the colour pink, but i truly Feel like the colourful gyaru aesthetics fit her or would be how she'd next choose to dress if she felt more comfortable or even experimental. like the street fashion looks of long pink sleeves or socks,animal or carrot stickers on a handbag (that carries her firearm). zun take notes when you put her in the next game please along with aya please.

[tarnishedxknight]

Drace ~ Available RP Verses

{out of dalmasca} Here are some specific verses for Drace so that muns of muses from Final Fantasy games, not from FF games, from the MCU, from other fandoms, etc. can get an idea of how they might interact with her. If you have any questions or would like to plot in a specific verse, let me know! =)

{ for the empire } ᵐᵃⁱⁿ ᵛᵉʳˢᵉ

This is canon Drace in Ivalice, likely in Archadia, but location will vary according to what part of the Final Fantasy XII timeline you want your muse to be in. This verse is for those who have Final Fantasy muses or want to place their muse inside the FFXII world. Your character would be native to some part of Ivalice or the same world at least, and would then encounter Drace. Plotting may be necessary to discuss the timeline and scenario that you may want. Your muse can get involved in the canon plot of FFXII if you like or we can discuss a unique plot for our muses to follow.

{ the darker corners of ivalice } ᵐᵃⁱⁿ ᵛᵉʳˢᵉ ⁻ ᵈᵃʳᵏ ᵉᵈⁱᵗⁱᵒⁿ      

(I am going to write up this verse in detail at some point because there are a lot of headcanons throughout the timeline of the game and the twins’ lives that need to be discussed. When I do,  I will place a link to it here. Until then, if you want to know more or have questions, you can always ask me!) This verse contains everything the main verse does, but then also includes a number of headcanons regarding twins Basch and Gabranth/Noah, their mother, the Archadian empress, and Larsa Solidor that venture into very tragic and potentially triggering topics, including child abuse/endangerment, sexual abuse, psychological abuse, violent murder, and mental illness. So any threads with Drace that are in this verse or have this tag take those events into account. Most of this will likely not be described in detail, but it exists in the fleshed-out portions of Noah’s life that we didn’t get to see, some of which Drace was present for or helped him through in various ways. The canon game was chopped up and had many plot holes and time gaps, so this verse fills in, fleshes out, adds headcanons, explains holes and gaps, and generally smooths out the plot to make much more sense, but with some darker themes in an attempt to make a more harshly realistic story for Basch and Noah, and therefore also for other characters that supported them, like Drace.

{ young judgement } ᵃʳᶜʰᵃᵈⁱᵃⁿ ᵛᵉʳˢᵉ

This verse for Drace would incorporate events leading to the canon events of FFXII. It includes her as a younger Judge Magister, her developing relationship with Noah, helping him through the abuse at the hands of the Archadian Empress (part of the dark!Ivalice verse above), and anything else that might have occurred before the events of the main game.

{ imperial avenger } ᵐᶜᵘ ᵛᵉʳˢᵉ

In this verse, Drace has been frozen in stasis by some sort of magical mishap involving either ancient magic (from an Esper or spell) or a nethicite explosion whilst going through the canon events of FFXII. She was found (likely by SHIELD or SWORD or some similar agency) in a modern day setting in the MCU, and much like Steve Rogers, she is someone out of time. This verse can also extend to Marvel in general, if you wanted Drace to join SHIELD, etc. as a specialized agent. This verse may also include elements of the MCU's multiverse, in that she could potentially be from a different point in the FFXII canon timeline than other muses from her same canon material, e.g. taken from before her death when other muses already know her to have been executed.

{ welcome to archadia } ᵐᵘˡᵗⁱᵛᵉʳˢᵉ ᶜʳᵒˢˢᵒᵛᵉʳ

This verse is essentially Drace's main verse but incorporating the MCU concept of a multiverse. It can work for any muse not native to FFXII, not just MCU muses. Basically, the concept is that there are many different tangential timelines and verses in which there are different versions of characters, and sometimes… things get a little screwy and characters can – either intentionally or through some magical mishap – end up in other timelines/verses/worlds. So in this verse, your muse would end up in some part of Ivalice and encounter Drace. Again, this may require some plotting to figure out how and why your muse came to Ivalice and whether you want your muse to be thrown into the plot of FFXII or have their own unique plot.

{ explain yourself at once } ᵐᵘˡᵗⁱᵛᵉʳˢᵉ ᶜʳᵒˢˢᵒᵛᵉʳ

This verse uses the same concept of a multiverse from the MCU, but does not follow MCU canon or contain characters or events from that world. Basically, Drace ends up in your muse’s world, most likely through some magical mishap that occurred in her own, and would be at the mercy of modern times until your muse lends her aid.

{ who could have forseen...? } ᶠᵒʳᵗʳᵉˢˢ ᵛᵉʳˢᵉ

This verse incorporates the scrapped storyboards, setting, and timeline of Fortress, the canceled FFXII sequel. Any events that take place just before, during, or after the events of this would-be game are including in this verse. You can read more about Fortress and its story here. Obviously, for Drace, this verse would mean that she was never executed and has survived the canon events of FFXII until those of Fortress.

[phatburd]

violence!: 4, 14, 22

4. what was the last straw that made you finally block that annoying person?

If we’re talking about my most recent block, it was on Reddit where the dude tried to argue gender essentialism at me. Basically, he asserted that my call to write women like people was bullshit and that women should be written like women (weak and helpless). Yeah, I did not and do not have the emotional bandwidth to deal with that shit.

Even better though, when other people in the thread brought up Ellen Ripley as an example of where a role was originally written for a man but Sigourney Weaver was cast instead. The dude then stated he had never watched any of the Alien movies, but he read the Wikipedia article on Ripley and assumed she must be a boring and poorly written character because she was a woman.

Yeah, dude … delete your fucking account. All of your accounts, everywhere.

Tumblr blocks? Yeah, it was the Nth blog that posted the TOG van speech verbatim and declared JoeNicky to be the most perfect thing ever. Went into the blog, found their AO3, blocked that, then blocked their Tumblr. Because clearly this person and I have nothing to say to each other, and I’m tired and I get petty when I’m tired.

14. that one thing you see in fics all the time

Making the bottom in an m/m ship extremely feminized, sometimes straight up infantilized. This isn’t to say there aren’t feminine gay dudes in RL, because there are. I’m talking about fan works.

I don’t know if it’s out of ignorance, sexism, misogyny, or just boring-ass heteronormativity, this idea that someone has to be the “girl” in a same-sex pairing. And every time I see it, I’m reminded of this little cartoon:

I don’t really get top/bottom discourse and especially the need to assign specific personality traits to the top or the bottom. It was something I set out to not do in my m/m Bessimu fics. I wanted to write them as equals, and I think I succeeded.

(FWIW, I see Bessimu as both being switches, because that’s more fun. I also find it hot to write Bessières as a power bottom dom and Murat as the submissive service top, and it’s not what one would expect when judging them by their public personas.)

22. your favorite part of canon that everyone else ignores

From The Old Guard? Those three and a half thousand years that Andy spent alone as the only immortal on the planet (as far as anyone knows).

I’ve been wanting to explore that period and, yes, it’s fucking intimidating. Historical documentation is more miss than hit once you start going back to certain points in human history.

Three and a half thousand years is a really fucking long time. What did Andy do, where did she go? What did she see? There’s a lot of potential to mine there, and maybe I’ll do it someday.

For the Napoleonics? Joseph Fouché is a fucking amoral bastard, but I think people forget he tried to save Marshal Ney. Ney, being Ney, was either politically naive, stubborn, and/or he just wanted to fucking die already when he refused Fouché’s offer of fake papers and an passport to sneak out of France in the aftermath of Napoleon’s second abdication.

(I’ve also read that Laurent de Gouvion St. Cyr was the one who offered the passport and papers, so take the above with the proverbial grain of salt. St. Cyr did vote for exile in the final trial, which lends weight to that too.)

I also have a shitload of question marks around Bessières’ final years and the way it gets treated by academics, but that may be better off in a post of its own.

For Star Trek ... no one ever really talks about what kind of influence Sisko might have had on the Bajorans other than just being the Emissary/Space Jesus. Like, did baseball become a national sport and baseball leagues spring up all over the planet? Is there ticky-tacky Emissary merchandise one can purchase, like humans have in real life of the Pope?

(Sisko did show up on a pack of Bajoran tarot cards in Lower Decks, and I squealed over that, ngl.)

Thanks for asking! 😘

[roboska-lv]

Important notice about how long it's going to take

A while. It's going to take years. My plan is to hopefully finish it by the end of college (year 13) max, and considering I'm currently in my final year of high school (year 11) I think that's a reasonable time as I have 4 acts planned and I'm not sure how long the other 3 acts are play time wise as I've only focused on act 1, and that's going to be around 1/2 hour play time for a single route. In total the game will be around 2 and a bit hours for the pacifist route (the neutral and merciless route only have 3 acts and the 4th act is all 3D). The main reasons why it's going to take so long is that:

Like I said earlier, I'm in school and have to do GCSEs and A-Levels (which are a really big deal).

I have rushed games before and I'm dissatisfied with their quality. I refuse to rush games ever since (Sci-Fi RaiRoboska!? looking at youuuu).

Drawing all the assets takes time. That's my biggest road block. This isn't a pixel art typical 2D RPG where I could just make tiles and reuse them, all the backgrounds and objects have to be drawn for that place and nowhere else for it to look right in that style. Take for example this road:

Sure, the style is quite simple, but even this took a good couple hours. All the layout planning, lineart, colour, lighting adds up. Don't get me started on the animations.

4. I have 2 medium sized games planned to make in-between as well as a few small game jam games. This variety also helps with point 5 while making myself more well known in the indie game industry.

5. I don't want to spend every minute of my free time working on it as I'm terrified of burning myself out and losing motivation. I also don't want to end up like Yandere Dev by working on this for almost a decade only to produce a demo, but I don't think "The Sapphic Princess" is going to be too long of a game and considering there's just me, I think I can handle it. Speaking of which...

I don't trust people enough to hire others to help me. I'm very controlling and I want it to be exactly how I in-vision it. Also I find doing it all fun but if it gets too overwhelming then I may consider it but only as a last resort.

The 2 medium sized games that I have planned is a visual novel DDLC fangame that won't take too long to make (most of the time will be in writing as Dialogic is a great godot plugin and would make all the coding a breeze), and a Yandere Simulator "fangame" (more like a different interpretation from a horror game fan who actually knows how to write and design characters). I've gone into more detail about these on my main blog as linked above. The second one is quite big but not as big as my current plan of LV. Essentially this is my main project and those are short term projects, if that makes sense.

My plan is to release this on itch.io and Steam for around £3. I don't want to make it too high as it can be beaten in about 2 hours on the neutral route (ignoring the other 2 routes) but I also don't want to make it too low as I want to feel compensated for all the work I've put into, putting into and will put into. I may also make a Playstation version but don't count on it as I only have a PS4 and I don't feel like it's worthy due to it's short run time (but physical copies would be cool...maybe as a game compilation though). I'll get some people to beta test it in the future and ask what they think would be a good price.

I made this blog when I had a smaller idea for this game. Now that is not the case. I'll post updates whenever I feel like I have something worth updating about but I don't want to spoil it too much.

That's all for now. - PearlHikara