#also might be slow because of life stuff but the art is guaranteed! | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

nights-at-crystarium · 2 years ago

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Talking about THE comic!

I yelled about it randomly on my personal twitter or in the tags here but probably it’s a better idea to write the first “official” post C:

So, the two idiots I’ve been drawing for half a year now. Mostly self-indulgence, but also a slow preparation for THE comic. At first I merely wanted to tell what atrocities Vivi did in Norvrandt and how that affected their relationship, giving it, I dare fucking say, a rather unique angsty spice.

I’ve never written before, in late January/February I started scripting the Vivi-flavored ShB+5.x story to casually drop it maybe in several releases. A month or two forward, I’ve gone completely mental practiced writing fics (one published, a few more ready, a few more cookin’ but I’ll keep them until the corresponding Fragments are released), spent every day thinking about them so obsessively that the planned comic script got remade with slighly more finesse on my end as a writer, more depth as ViviRaha completely went out of control as characters, and their story started expanding in all directions at once.

I Wrote A Lot and I still keep adding a bit here, a bit there at least once a week. By now the broad concept is fleshed out, just as the characters, everything’s ripe and juicy and ready for consumption. Only one lil thing: now I’ve actually gotta draw it :’D

When am I actually starting? How will it look? Will it be free? And other questions that you guys might have, I’ll try to cover under the cut.

“Fragments” is a wolgraha-centered (duh!) comic that’ll be published here on tumblr for free. I’ll be crossposting it to twitter but the format’s oriented for this hellsite first and foremost. Not sure about the actual webcomic platforms, too much hassle for now. I’m still thinking how to handle the early access and whatnot, I MUST think about it since my art is the only source of my income. Likely I’ll have one release up on tumblr and two next ones on Patreon and Kofi to support my further work on the comic.

I AM anxious about it. My life currently is a huge unstable mess, mildly put, so I’m extra worried about starting the comic, announcing the release schedule, then getting blindsided by something new irl (so far 2022 had 3 major events that left me crippled for weeks - speaking of the personal scale events ofc) and having to go on a break that’d last for who knows how long, and how it’d impact my art style (yeah my mental state, my productivity and the very way I draw are unfortunately linked). There’s no guarantee of a safe and stable life for me atm, the best I can do is to start the comic regardlessly and hope shit doesn’t get worse.

So far the plan is to post every Friday (because Fragments Friday, ha!), anywhere between 2 and 10 pages (2 horizontal frames per page like in the early Tamen De Gushi), depending on the script. Max 10 pages because that’s how much a tumblr photopost can have. I call this “release”. Some scenes will be short and sweet and easily contained within one release, the others will span over multiple releases.

I’m NOT sure I can handle the weekly release schedule. I’ll try and see. I still have to dedicate most of my art juices to the stuff that pays for my rent and food, unfortunately. If I can’t keep up, I’ll dial it down to every other Friday, i.e. 2 releases a month.

Why “Fragments”? The releases won’t always be tightly connected between each other by the plot, yes they vaguely follow the canon timeline, yet many of them will be like glimpses into their everyday life, hence Fragments. I’m aware it’s cheeky, considering the Shards and all that. So, getting that out of the way: Vivi and Raha are NOT fragments of each other! They’re two separate entities, yes, mirrors and missing puzzle pieces of each other, but only that :>

The pages won’t be numbered, but each release I’ll number and put in a comic masterpost for the easy permanent access.

The script’s 20k+ words, some of those are my technical notes, some parts could be dropped, rewritten etc. The major beats are set, the rest’s still a wip. I don’t worry too much about polishing the text right now, I’ll have time for that during the storyboarding. Some scenes will have to be adapted for the visual format anyway. Here’s how my comic folder looks so far.

*screams in terror because chapter 1 INDEED HAS NO NAME YET*

The story itself still mostly takes place in ShB+5.x, save for the chapter 1 which is ARR. I carved out two “time pockets” for ViviRaha to rest and breathe and be happy or angsty in, post-5.0 and post-5.3, chapter 6 and chapters 9 and onward, respectively. Chapter 11 is my personal ShB epilogue. Chapter 12 still happens during the post-5.3 time pocket and focuses on Vivi’s background, by then you should be invested enough to care about that :> Chapter 13 is still tentative, an even deeper dive into Vivi’s past, showing his, gasp, old flames! A bunch of them. And chapter 14, if there’s ever such a thing, would finally move on to Endwalker. But for now I’m staying in my ShB bubble. There’s an in-character reason why I don’t wanna subject Vivi to the Endwalker events just yet. We’ll see. We’re speaking of a behemoth of a story that’ll take several years to get out. I have ample time to think about the later chapters.

Characters? Mostly ViviRaha (what? NO WAY), Alisaie’s the second most visible canon character, followed by Thancred, Lyna and Feo Ul. The Chais, Ardbert, Emet, Alphinaud, Tataru, Y’shtola, Estinien and Urianger have just a few lines. I’d LOVE to have more Urianger, who knows, maybe I can train my writing muscles and wedge more of his scenes in. Ryne and Krile as decorations (sorry!). Cid and Rammbroes in chapter 1. More ocs will appear in chapter 12. Chapter 13 has.... Drumroll...... Aymeric and Haurchefant as Vivi’s old flames. They were important. But you’ll have to survive until THAT late point in time to see them <w< There are some more ocs/npcs as well.

Since I’m looking at the weekly amount of (not always, but often) 10 pages each with 2 frames, I need to think about optimization. I’m not used to monochrome and I LOVE colors, so I wanna try doing something like this. Color is the quick and fun part for me, however, I still need time to train my hand in the lineart department. It won’t be super polished just because I’m not about that, but I wanna be personally happy with my sketchy style. I’d say I’m 70% there.

Drawing them nearly every day, figuring out their proportions and outfits, practicing general anatomy, all is the preparation work. I admit being absolutely lost and terrified in the background department. I’m rather comfy and chill about the natural landscapes, THAT I have no problem with, however, I’m still unsure about the buildings and interiors that I’ll wanna avoid, but I’ll have to draw at least SOME of those. So, yet another slowing down factor. I need more practice.

Fragments will be character- and feels-centric with little to no action/combat since it’d only detract from the story. I’m trying to stay as close to the main point of this comic’s existence as possible. Just feels, lots of them. Various flavors.

More about the technical stuff: ✓ finding/making textures (the slight overlay to avoid the flat, "digital” look) ✓ making and testing a storyboard template ✓ doodling cover ideas (atm 8 or so chapters have a cover that I’m happy with) - picking a font (or making own) - making frame and bubble templates (normal speech, screaming, thoughts, etc) - finalizing character designs (proportions that I’ll stick with to avoid awkward wobbly style) - finalizing character outfits for the same purpose as above

I’ll never be ultra-completely-ready but this checklist is vital. I’m doodling like crazy to make sure the main characters look exactly how I want them to. Vivi’s more or less complete, but lately I’ve realized that I still can’t draw our beefcake cat bf like I see him in my head, so I’m working on that.

Still no deadlines, I HOPE to start before August but who fucking knows. I’ll talk some more and make a lil countdown once I have at least 3 releases ready to go. Fragments is still my self-indulgence but it’ll span over the next few years. I’ll just start it when I’ve figured out the bare minimum and flail my way from there on :’D

Fragments already has its own tag where you can see some standalone comics and illustrations that I deem fully canon. Those posts also have a chapter tag, which should help situating each event on the broader timeline.

#ffxiv: fragments #text post #nextlvl rambles

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mostlysignssomeportents · 3 years ago

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Democrats can pass the reconciliation today (sorta)

This week, millions are playing Congressional Kremlinology, guessing whether House/Senate Dems have the votes for the $3.5T reconciliation package, playing Fantasy Football Sophie’s Choice to cut programs if corporate Dems whittle it down.

https://prospect.org/infrastructure/building-back-america/infrastructure-summer-sophies-choice-of-the-reconciliation-bill/

But as Harold Meyerson writes for The American Prospect, there’s a high-stakes, high-risk gambit that would let the willing, principled Democrats pass the whole package — simply cut the programs’ funding to four years, rather than a decade.

https://prospect.org/infrastructure/building-back-america/how-democrats-can-pass-entire-reconciliation-bill/

That reduces the package’s bill to a level that can be covered with agreed-upon “payfors” (these are the self-inflicted, nonsensical budget-balancing measures Dems insist upon, as though the US could run out of the dollars it creates by typing zeroes into a spreadsheet).

Passing this short-term version of reconciliation would give us four years of “affordable child care, universal pre-K, Medicare coverage of vision and hearing and dental care, paid sick leave, child tax credits, tuition-free community college, significant climate mitigation.”

Which is, you know, a lot. But it’s also a lot to lose, because even if this works, it would all be up for grabs in four short years, at which point a different Congress could let the whole thing fail just by doing nothing.

It’s a bet — a bet that, while people won’t punish politicians who fail to deliver on this stuff, they will absolutely destroy any politician that tries to take it away once they have it. That proposition has been received American political wisdom for generations.

It’s why the GOP went so hard after Clintoncare in the nineties: as neocon archvillain Bill Kristol wrote to Republican lawmakers in 1993, if Americans got decent, reliable heathcare, it would be political suicide to take it away from them.

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/the-1993-kristol-memo-on-defeating-health-care-reform

There’s even a name for this, the endowment effect: “people are more likely to retain an object they own than acquire that same object when they do not own it.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endowment_effect#cite_note-Roeckelein2006-2

In experiments, the sums people offer to buy something are lower than the sums they demand to sell it — the mere fact of owning something makes it feel more valuable. Political strategists extrapolate from this and conclude that well-run public services can’t be cut.

In support of this, consider the story of the angry right-wing voters, who, during the Obamacare debate, told politicians to “keep government out of my Medicare.”

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2009/08/help-slate-track-the-medicare-isn-t-government-meme.html

Thus the wager: if Dems pass the full package, funded for a mere 4 years, that will be enough time for the endowment effect to kick in and even the most reckless, sadistic Republican Congress of the future won’t dare to touch it.

There are problems with this bet, though. The endowment effect may not be as politically salient as politicians believe. Certainly, at least some of the alleged Tea Party government-out-of-Medicare stories are overstated — or worse, crude hoaxes.

https://www.zebrafactcheck.com/tea-party-folks-think-the-government-should-keep-its-hands-off-medicare/

Even if the endowment effect applies to politics, voters will only punish politicians for dismantling GOOD programs. If the Dems lose the legislature in 2022, the GOP could sabotage these programs to make them easy to kill.

That’s hardly a reach for the Government-Is-Bad-At-Everything-Party, who’ve made an art out of governing badly, then seeking re-election while pointing out that their theories about state incompetence were proven by their own misrule.

That’s not all: a four-year funding horizon may not be enough time to stand up the programs, thanks to the bizarre centrist love-affair with foot-dragging and slow rollouts that solve today’s urgent problems in a seven or ten or twenty years.

https://pluralistic.net/2021/09/27/lethal-dysfunction/#luxury-bones

If all that a four-year funding guarantee gets us is preliminary work — rather than tangible benefits to voters’ quality of life — there will be no endowment effect, and no reason for a future Congress to fear electoral penalties for dismantling them.

All that said, I think this is still an exciting idea. Medicare was rolled out in less than a year, back in 1965. If limiting the funding guarantee frees progressives from having to compromise with bribe-taking corporate Dems, they might be able to do the same.

And, as Meyerson points out, there’s precedent for this strategy working. When FDR was rolling out the New Deal, he took money from long-term projects (dams, bridges, etc) and spent it on quick-hit programs like roads and post-offices.

By employing “millions of Americans in a matter of weeks,” FDR won “vast public support for his New Deal.”

Getting the reconciliation programs running now isn’t just good politics — it’s good, period. America can’t wait for infrastructure, care, health and climate action.

We should have been dealing with this stuff for decades. The best time to start in on them would have been, oh, say, 1990.

The second best time?

Right.

Fucking.

Now.

#pluralistic

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neonponders · 3 years ago

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I’ve never written Murder Boyfriends before, but @cuepickle ‘s art is just so lovely and powerful.

Based on this and this 💗 💜 🖤 (impending smut ahoy)

• • • • • • •

I just want to help, he’d said.

I just want to make things right, he’d said.

Steve said a lot of things. But he moaned incoherent words and exclaimed sounds he didn’t want anyone else to hear when Billy Hargrove steamrolled into his life, his feelings, and his goddamn morals.

Billy Hargrove wasn’t...right. He was twelve different shades of wrong, punctuated by Caribbean blue eyes and decorated with bronzed waves and curls. Steve knew he had a superiority complex, but he hadn’t known it was this bad.

Thing is, if he’d known, Steve couldn’t guarantee whether he’d change anything. Because knowing Billy Hargrove is a murderer would also mean Steve knew what his lips tasted like, and their softness against his neck.

All Steve had known was that Sheriff Hopper was missing, and his parents, being the upstanding white people that they are, deferred nearly every inconvenience to the police. And the police answered, because fat wallets keep their lights on, like everyone else.

But the Sheriff’s phones kept ringing. And maybe Steve had his own complex after so much time with Nancy, because he parked out front and strolled right into the Sheriff’s office.

The secretary wasn’t there.

Neither were the two deputies.

Steve tucked himself between the desks to pry apart the window blinds. Their cars were still here -

Steve’s head rotated at a sound he knew. He knew it in the way a memory piqued but he couldn’t place where or why. He followed it into the chief’s office...where Billy Hargrove sat at the desk - Hopper’s own chair - and ate a crisp apple from the strange pile in the waste paper basket.

“Billy?”

“Hi, Steve,” he smiled. Ankles crossed on the desk. A perfect, violet crescent framed the side of his eye. An indigo shadow rested in the inner corner of the other one. Either way, Steve’s first red flag was that he ached with concern more than itched for the nailed bat in his trunk.

“What happened to you?”

Steve thought the guy might choke, the way he tipped his head back to laugh while chunks of apple sat in his mouth. Naturally, it took him some time to chew and swallow before he said, “I finally stopped being afraid. And I started being responsible. Not the way he planned, though.”

“Hopper?” Steve frowned.

Billy did not answer immediately. He licked the apple like it might drip juice and beckoned, “Why don’t you sit down? I want to see you.”

The only lights on were in the main room where Steve stood. Ghoulish, fluorescent bulbs while Billy sat in shadow and vague, evening light hatching through the Chief’s window blinds. There was some kind of irony there: Steve in the fake, green-tinged light, and Billy in the natural...honest darkness.

Steve peeked behind him, surveying the room but finding no warnings apart from the negative space where people should be.

He stepped into the office -

“I’ve always liked looking at you.”

Steve paused on the carpet. Billy had said it loud enough to hear, but with enough air in it that Steve couldn’t tell if he was drunk or hadn’t meant to say it aloud. Then he tried to sit in one of the chairs -

“Over here. Sit on the desk.”

“What?” Steve blinked at him, suddenly very aware that the light gave Billy full view of his face but Steve only got the glow in that dark blond hair.

A strong leg pushed Billy away from the desk. The apple tumbled onto its pile of brothers, discarded as he pat the desk. “Sit right here.”

Steve shook his head all at once, beginning to backpedal out of the room. “This is weird.”

“No shit. This whole town’s weird. I’ve been reading some personal files in this room. I guess the Chief thought he was being smart, but...I’ve been hiding my whole life. I know where people hide things. A lot of things make sense in this place, now. The rat pack Max hangs out with. And you. A lot of things makes sense about you, Steve.”

Steve shrugged and his hands clapped against his thighs. “Okay? You’re not special for seeing my report cards.”

Billy’s features froze, but only for a moment, and then laughter burst out of him. “Steve, please sit down. God, I wanna touch you.”

Steve Harrington is a simple person. He’d officially been single for far too long, struck out every time he faced a woman - and a couple guys who were too scared or oblivious to do anything - and he just...

He wanted.

He wanted to be touched and if Billy was offering - Hot Stuff Hargrove, Baby Doll Eyes Billy - then Steve couldn’t help but take. He’d been so patient with everyone. He waited for Nancy to be ready. He accepted defeat when everyone walked away from him with rolling eyes or obligatory smiles.

Billy...talked. He talked and talked. He’d always been a talker; on the basketball court, barking orders as a lifeguard. Always talking, or letting his radio talk for him.

But Steve sat on Hopper’s desk and felt the warmth of Billy’s palms seep through his jeans. He held onto Steve’s calves as he talked. Talked about terrible things. Broken plates and abandoned things. Being the abandoned thing. Being the broken thing. He talked for hours before finally fucking Steve on that desk.

He’d started slow. Just unbuttoning the jeans and then leaving them alone. It would be another half hour before he took off Steve’s shoes. Every time Steve looked behind him - as if asking for someone to come in, to interrupt, to break this dark dream Billy wove around him - Billy said, “Look at me.”

“I’ve been looking at you, Billy.”

A small smile twitched on his lips. “Good.”

It would be another hour before he said, “I think my dad killed my mom.”

Less than a minute before he added, “He had it coming. Feel bad for my step-mom, though. But she was a screamer. So was the tall deputy. Things can finally be quiet now.”

Steve sat very still as arms circled around his pelvis and Billy just...hugged him. Pressed his face against Steve’s soft belly and inhaled his scent. Warm laundry and Steve Steve Steve.

He couldn’t be sure how things evolved into sex. Steve was already trapped in Billy’s web, so all he had to do was decide, to give the web a pluck and Steve felt the vibrations.

He planted his hands on the desk, lifting his ass for Billy to wrench the jeans and underwear off in one go. They got stuck on Steve’s feet, bunched up so Steve had to figure it out himself as Billy pressed himself over top of him.

The green desk lamp fell with an ominous clank.

Steve finally got a leg free and wrapped it around Billy’s ass the same time teeth found his neck. The warning bells that had been ringing since he got here felt far away; church bells too high over the town to actually make a difference in the goings-on.

Billy marked him up like he had paperwork to sign. Steve’s deed was his, and Billy moaned and grunted with every sigh he wrung out of Steve. Every squeeze to his waist made him moan, and he outright whimpered when Billy licked up his neck. For how much Billy gripped, bit, and sucked, he moved surprisingly gently below the belt.

“Gonna get lube later,” he said in that way again, traveling down Steve’s body as his thoughts escaped into the air. “I’m going to have your ass every which way, Harrington.”

Steve could only gasp as his tongue shoved inside him with no preamble. “I-I-I didn’t shower - ”

A guttural, breathy hum ricocheted from Billy’s throat and into Steve’s chest, knocking Steve’s head back like a rock on the way there. Billy’s stubble and gross wetness made Steve feel filthy in the best way. His cock lay heavily on his abdomen, spurting precum every time Billy’s hands squeezed the backs of his thighs.

Steve came like he’d never been touched in his life. His breathing picked up and he rutted against Billy’s face twice before making a mess of his shirt.

Billy took his slowly fading erection into his mouth, jerking himself off almost violently in a matter of seconds.

When Steve stepped outside, the air smelled like the sunrise even though only the faintest bit of blue had begun to dilute the darkness. And as the sun rose, Steve had never felt worse. It was like seeing a demogorgon for the first time, but instead of minutes, it stretched into hours.

People were dead.

Presumably Chief Hopper too.

Billy, he...he...

He showed up to Steve’s house with a smile and freshly laundered clothes. Steve had showered but looked like he hadn’t slept in a month. Billy only tipped his head back toward his car. “I’ve got two bank accounts freshly inherited. Let me buy you lunch.”

Steve wondered if Dustin’s comic book villains drove Camaros.

Billy bought him lunch. Bought him a chocolate milkshake too. Steve didn’t want to think about his ability to swallow those down so easily. Or how he interacted with the waitress like he wasn’t covered in red and brown love bites delivered directly atop Chief Hopper’s desk. He didn’t want to think what having all of Billy Hargrove’s attention on him did to his squirming...pleased...insides.

He didn’t want to think as Billy fingered him in the backseat.

They didn’t even fit back there but Billy moved with what felt like the strength of three men. It was arousing, being manhandled like that; any fear Steve ought to have held in his gut tapped its disapproving toe outside of the vehicle. The way Billy sucked behind his ear, gripped his hips so he could slot himself right in between Steve’s legs and rut his dark pink erection against Steve’s...

The way he bought Steve more milkshakes.

And a fresh tire rotation because his car veered to the left.

And filled him up in the darkness of Steve’s bedroom, making Steve bounce on his cock as he licked the taste of him off his lubed up fingers -

“You haven’t even kissed me yet.”

It just...came out.

The husky lust cleared from Billy’s eyes when Steve said that. Terror must have filled Steve’s eyes because Billy gently cradled the side of his head.

This is it. This is how I die. Wanting a freaking kiss from a psycho -

“I thought you’d be the one to do that.”

Steve blinked vacantly at him. He could feel Billy’s heartbeat inside his ass and the guy just smiled -

“King Steve. Never thought you were shy - mmph.”

Billy’s bravado melted against Steve’s mouth. He hummed as he felt Steve’s precum on his belly, soaking them both with what he did to him, did to Steve and all of his flawed moral systems.

Steve pushed Billy onto his back with his kiss, tongue desperately tasting and exploring his mouth as his fingers laced behind Billy’s neck.

Until Billy reached up and pulled Steve’s hands apart, just enough for the bases of his palms to sit on both pulse points.

Billy did it himself: made his cheeks go pink and his chest flush red. But Steve made his ass slap against Billy’s thighs. Made Billy’s jaw go slack and his orgasm slow. Made his eyes water and his chest heave when he could breathe again.

Maybe that was his chance. His chance to make things right.

But with an empty Sheriff’s office down the road, and still no one the wiser, Hawkins wasn’t living by any sort of right anymore. The only right that Steve knew, was Billy’s hands making him feel powerful and precious.

#harringrove #murder boyfriends #tw asphyxiation #ficlet #neonponders #cuepickle #hawt #murder boyfriends with a side of trophy boyfriend?

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lanonima · 4 years ago

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First review of the new year! I also decided that once I hit twenty, I'll start a new graph because this one is getting pretty crowded. There's plenty of open space, but I'm not likely to read stuff in that open space so…

Anyway, my review of Copper Coins:

Romantic - Fucky is not how risque a work is but rather my opinion of the attitude/quality of the main relationship, the way the characters interact with respect to one another. I like a lot of stuff in fiction but if you’re easily made uncomfortable, stay towards the top half.

Easy reading - Plot-heavy is how I personally consider the plot’s intricacy and successful implementation, regardless of the author’s intention.

Copper Coins

Author: Mu Su Li

Quality: 5

Enjoyment: 4

Comments: Oof. I hate, absolutely hate, saying the phrase "show don't tell" about novels because it has to do with screenwriting and doesn't really apply to novels all that much but damn. This book was so surface level. I did not feel a single emotion the entire time. It actually reminded me a little bit of Nan Chan, and retroactively made me like that book better because I would definitely rather reread that than this. Not saying it's a bad book, I'm sure it's fine, and if you liked Nan Chan and want a relationship with a similar dynamic and are less of a bitch than I am, you will probably like this one too. It just doesn't have enough emotional depth to be entertaining to me.

Would I read it again: No, and I won't read anything else by this author either.

The reviews of things I previously read are below the cut.

Mo Dao Zu Shi

Author: MXTX

Quality: 9.5

Enjoyment: 10

Comments: I have a huge emotional connection to this novel. There are some weak parts, the tension isn’t quite even, she’s pretty terrible at erotic scenes and not great at fight scenes…but that being said, I love the characters and some of the plot points really ripped my heart out. This is a novel that’s really driven by the characters so if you’re a character-focused person like me, definitely look into it (as if we all don’t already know it lmao). I really, really love this story. Every single adaptation of it has also been great, but the novel is still my favorite. It was my introduction to xianxia novels too, so you can say it changed my life!

Would I read it again: I’ve already read it twice, and consumed every adaptation (sometimes also multiple times)

Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System

Author: MXTX

Quality: 6

Enjoyment: 5

Comments: I’m not much of one for comedy and, as I discovered, not really into system novels either. Clearly weaker than MXTX’s later work, many of the characters are somewhat bland, she hasn’t quite found her groove yet. It’s not my style but the fandom is hilarious and the fans constantly produce content that I actually do find entertaining so overall I still have some fond feelings for this one, even if not for the source material.

Would I read it again: I found a different translation and am willing to try again in the future, I’m also willing to watch the donghua. But I can’t guarantee I’ll like it any more than previously.

Tian Guan Ci Fu

Author: MXTX

Quality: 10

Enjoyment: 10

Comments: I love this book…but not as much as I love Mo Dao Zu Shi. I think the plot is somewhat typical, however the characters are great once again (though maybe slightly less deep than MDZS), and her use of thematic repetition and foreshadowing are killer. Actually, I liked this book more the second time around because it just hits differently. Definitely the best of MXTX’s couples, they are so soft and sweet. Very long, but worth it.

Would I read it again: I already have, was personally translating the manhua before I hurt my arms, and am eagerly awaiting the donghua this fall!

The Villain’s White Lotus Halo

Author: A Big Roll of Toilet Paper

Quality: 10

Enjoyment: 10

Comments: Fuck, I love this one so much…..even though it’s also a system novel. But that part is in it so rarely that it reads more like pure fantasy. I love the characters, I love the plot, I love the way the relationship is developing. Oh yeah, the translation isn’t even complete but I already purchased not only the original from JJWXC but also the print edition. I’ve even drawn fanart for it, which is so unlike me. Every time a chapter comes out, I’m ruined for the rest of the day, I can’t think about anything else. Good fight scenes, which is uncommon. My favorite danmei novel so far.

Would I read it again: I fully intend to once the translation is complete, and also plan to read it in Chinese later (I’ve already read certain parts in Chinese hahaha but not the whole thing)

2Ha (Husky and his White Cat Shizun)

Author: Meatbun Doesn’t Eat Meat

Quality: 8

Enjoyment: 10

Comments: 2Ha is not for the faint of heart, it’s very horny, and violent, and has a lot of questionable content. However I love it so much. The story and characters are great, Meatbun really has me by the heart. The writing is a little more on the casual side but it hardly matters because the story is so great. Good fight scenes. Chu Wanning is like, the ultimate Me™ character, I hate how much I adore him. If you read this, just go into it knowing that it’s a long emotional journey, the characters are very dynamic and there’s a lot of character development.

Would I read it again: Same as the above, I plan a reread when the translation is done and have read parts in Chinese and might read the whole thing again later. Cautiously eager about the up-coming live action and donghua.

Di Wang Gong Lue

Author: Yu Xiao Lanshan

Quality: 2

Enjoyment: 9

Comments: This is one of the most terribly written things I’ve ever read, but I’m a character girl and the characters and ways they interact fucking kill me. I’m constantly entertained….although I don’t think this is actually supposed to be a comedy. If I were going to treat myself and like, take a bubble bath and read something that made me laugh, this is exactly the sort of trashy romance I would want to read. Technically a political intrigue story but it’s so abrupt and full of holes, are any of us reading it for the actual plot? The donghua is on Youtube, I watched it first and recommend others to do the same. If you can handle that, you can handle the book because it’s exactly the same in quality, just gayer. I do love the main couple a lot, the set-up surrounding the relationship is great, and the side characters are also really fun.

Would I read it again: Probably not, but I’m still having fun with it. I watched the donghua and read a bit of the manhua as well, which has very cute art and is probably my favorite version of the story.

Liu Yao

Author: Priest

Quality: 6

Enjoyment: 7.5

Comments: I really struggled getting into this one, it took me about 25 chapters to get invested. Initially I had rated it a 6 in enjoyment but after careful thought, I realized that even though it was so hard for me, it probably is my favorite Priest novel and I really do love the main couple so much. Her side characters also seem to be slightly stronger than usual in this one. Decent plot, not too much or too little. It seems really chill to me, doesn’t provoke much of an emotional reaction but I do think it’s very sweet, which is nice sometimes too.

Would I read it again: No, but I think (?) it’s supposed to get some kind of tv adaptation (drama or donghua, not sure), and if that happens, I’ll watch it.

Didn’t Know the General was Female

Author: Rong Qing

Quality: 4

Enjoyment: 6

Comments: Not the greatest thing I’ve ever read, but cute. It’s short, and a little lesbian fluff is never a bad thing. Writing is a bit weak and the plot is basic, but the characters are enjoyable and I liked it overall.

Would I read it again: No.

Wrong Way to a Demon Sect Leader

Author: Yi Zhi Dayan

Quality: 4

Enjoyment: 7

Comments: Again, not the greatest in writing or plot, it’s a bit shallow. But I found the idea of it to be entertaining, and actually liked it more than I would have assumed. It’s fairly short and cute, like a good summer beach read.

Would I read it again: Probably not, but possibly, if the stars align.

Female General and Eldest Princess

Author: Please Don’t Laugh

Quality: 7

Enjoyment: 6

Comments: A very good first effort, but the writing is a bit weak. It’s slow to start and I don’t think the political plotline is spectacularly strong. Some things were left unexplained, and her sense of battle tactics and fight-writing were very confusing, definitely room for improvement. I don’t think it’s as good as people say, but she writes with the air of someone who will continue to improve. And also, a lesbian author writing lesbian stories so that’s a plus. Overall I enjoyed the experience, this story is definitely worth a read.

Would I read it again: Maybe, but probably not.

Sha Po Lang

Author: Priest

Quality: 7

Enjoyment: 7

Comments: Originally I rated this one higher, but on later thought I realized that I actually enjoyed Liu Yao more. I personally have issues with the way Priest writes, and this book showed a lot of them. Characters were okay, I did like the main couple, but side characters were weak as usual. The plot is pretty good, though not great, and I think some of the pacing is off. Some descriptions were confusing, but that could be a translation issue. Overall, still a pretty good political drama, but I would say that of the three I read, this was the Priest novel with the least impact on me.

Would I read it again: No. But I will watch the live action if it ever gets made.

Guardian

Author: Priest

Quality: 6

Enjoyment: 5

Comments: I love Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan, thought the plot was interesting, and there were some enjoyable moments. But it has all the problems I usually have with Priest in addition to some choices that offend me as a queer reader. I spent about 75% of the time reading while pissed off. And actually the fact that it had a happy ending kinda bummed me out because I love a good tragedy. Overall, I can only give it an average score. If you like Priest, you’ll like this one too. I’m not a tv person but I binged the hell out of the live action, I really loved it, so I was sort of disappointed that the source material didn’t seem as strong as I had assumed.

Would I read it again: No, but I will happily watch the live action again some day.

Jing Wei Qing Shang

Author: Please Don’t Laugh

Quality: 9.8

Enjoyment: 10

Comments: I have to start off by saying: damn girl. The improvement evident in this book is absolutely insane. A few minor issues prevent me from giving it a 10 out of 10 – her transitions are still extremely abrupt, the ending is slightly weak and some plot points remain unresolved, and her use of narrative repetition is too heavy-handed for my taste. Other than that, this book leaves me almost speechless. Very similar to Female General and Eldest Princess, there are many similar themes and events. But while I thought FGEP was fairly cute, I like this one way better. If you like angst, political intrigue, and lesbians, you should definitely read this book. I have no doubt that Please Don’t Laugh will continue to improve in the future, and I really look forward to following her career.

Would I read it again: 100%, I absolutely intend to read this again sometime in the future. It’s very long and very dense but delightful and ultimately worth it.

Fox Demon Cultivation Manual

Author: Feng Ge Qie Xing

Quality: 8

Enjoyment: 10

Comments: This was a delightful romp. I had expected it to be somewhat silly and was pleasantly surprised. It was heavy enough to be engaging but light enough to be an easy read, with multiple spots that made me literally laugh out loud which does not happen often. This is apparently just one book in a series of same universe novels, and a lighter-hearted one at that. I would be interested to read the others because I found the world pretty engaging, and I do want to know what became of the other characters. Overall I found it very fun and very cute, I read it in four days so that says something. On the downside, the link for chapter 9 is broken. But skipping a chapter doesn’t seem to have affected the experience of the novel as a whole.

Would I read it again: Yeah I think I would be willing to read this again someday. If it gets adapted I would also consume adaptations, in addition to being interested in the other connected works.

Golden Stage

Author: Cang Wu Bin Bai

Quality: 6

Enjoyment: 7

Comments: This one has some Sha Po Lang vibes, but the characters have more depth and chemistry. The word ‘more’ here is extremely relative because it’s still pretty shallow. I honestly liked them both, I liked the relationship and the psuedo-rude way that they flirt entertained me. As for the plot…ehhhh. It tried. There were things that worked, but in general the plot seemed disjointed from the characters and there were a few things that had no business being there and just muddied the waters. It’s not bad necessarily, it’s just not very smooth. There are better political intrigues to read if that’s what you want. But if you just want some sugar-sweet fluff with a backdrop of drama, then this one is perfect. My favorite scene was probably the flashback to the first few times they met, absolutely fantastic.

Would I read it again: Nah.

Nan Chan

Author: Tang Jiuqing

Quality: 8

Enjoyment: 6

Comments: This one is kind of weird because it’s definitely competent, it’s well-written and has a fairly in-depth plot, but I just didn’t really enjoy it all that much? I never got emotionally attached to any of the characters, and I didn’t even really get the relationship buildup. I understand what the author is going for with it of course, but it didn’t necessarily make a lot of sense… Or rather it seems like some bits in the middle were just missing, there’s good buildup in the beginning and in the end but how they got from point A to point B was kind of not explored to my satisfaction. I did really like the flashback to the past, I thought that storyline was all pretty interesting. The big bad was kind of disappointing to me as well though. In general, I think this is a really good book with a lot of skill behind it but it’s just not really my thing.

Would I read it again: No.

#book reviews #Copper Coins #lano reads danmei #lano reads baihe

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alarawriting · 4 years ago

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Inktober 2020 15 - Outpost 16 - Rocket

Aparicu was not human. This didn’t bother her. Her closest friends and coworkers were also not human. This didn’t bother her either. What bothered her was that she wanted very much to share her achievements with humanity, and especially her creators, but she was 62 light years away from Earth, and she’d been in space for over 75 by Earth time. The relativistic speed she and her friends were traveling at made it so they’d only experienced 43 years – 82 percent of the speed of light, on average – and she was built to last, with modules that she and her friends could repair; the only thing that could go wrong was if all four of them were knocked out at the same time, and the ship was hardened against electromagnetic pulses, radiation, and other things that could theoretically take them all out. Everyone who’d been involved in creating her, however, was dead.

Well. If they succeeded, that wouldn’t be a problem.

She and the Apariabs – named Red, Green and Blue, to avoid the inherent hierarchy of a numerical or alphabetic system – were all healthy, and there had been a lot to do on the way here. They’d gathered information as they’d traveled, using the ship’s telescopes to take pictures of the entire starscape, one a minute, in a spherical pattern around the ship. That let them crunch numbers and compensate for the Doppler shift to get all kinds of information about the universe around them. They were transmitting everything back home, of course, in case the plan went wrong, but it obviously wouldn’t get there for another 62 years.

They’d also played a lot of games. Video games made for humans weren’t calibrated for robots, so they were either impossibly hard or tragically easy, sometimes within the same game, but board games and card games were fine. No games where you could win by counting cards, because the robots automatically did that without even trying, but playing poker was an amazing experience when you tried the art of the bluff for the first time in your life. Attempting to model what the other robots would think of you if you did X was hard enough, but then attempting to model that on top of the other robots knowing you were modeling it and compensating by creating their own models… this was the kind of challenging, exciting activity that could hold their attention for days at a time.

But now, they’d reached the end of the journey.

“Can we confirm that the gravitational field has a toroidal shape?” Aparicu asked Red, who was analyzing the gravitational patterns by using drones to drop tiny sensors into Wishing Well, and then measuring the part where the gravity became strong enough that the drone could no longer transmit.

“It does,” Red reported. “All of the specifications are exactly like they were on the Guest.”

“That’s a relief,” Blue said. “Can you imagine what it would be like if we got here and found it wasn’t as expected?”

Since Aparicu didn’t need to model human facial expressions to her teammates, her face didn’t move, but the pattern of LEDs on her face expressed deep irritation. “Blue, every time you say ‘can you imagine’ I am compelled to imagine, and I really don’t appreciate it.” As the Central Unit for the Ansible Project Autonomous Robotic Intelligences, Aparicu was tasked with modeling outcomes of potential situations. This modeling task could be triggered by anyone suggesting a possible future or an alternate present. Blue knew this, which was the reason Aparicu was irritated – Blue was deliberately moving operational memories about his coworkers’ preferences into long-term, slow-to-access storage so he could have more available space for modeling shapes. It wouldn’t be so bad if all he did with his shape-modeling was the modeling of the devices they’d be printing at the destination, but in fact he used it to model buildings, landscapes and even entire human cities, complete with tiny humans whose movement was based on statistical traffic models. He kept having to dump the shapes to long-term storage, too, and it was at eighty percent capacity already. Eventually he might have to delete something.

Green was busy quality-checking the print job for the mirrors as they printed. She looked up, which really didn’t mean anything because she was connected directly to the printer and didn’t have to look at it, but it was a signal that she was shifting some portion of primary attention to the target of her gaze. “So far variance in the print job is under nineteen nines, but I’m concerned that keeping the variance that low is making the process run really slowly.”

“We’ve been at this for forty-three years, Green,” Aparicu said. “I think we can take the time to make sure everything’s done right.”

Red said, “We have to compute the angles for the transmissions anyway, and determine how many substations the outpost should have. The toroid’s a toroid, but we have no idea how long the Guest was in transit, so there’s no guarantee Wishing Well’s grav field is identical to what they told us to expect.”

“But I want to get this stuff built,” Green said, her LEDs displaying frustration, the robot equivalent of a whine. “We’re here! We’re at Wishing Well, finally! And when we’re done, we can call home!”

“I wonder if we can get a strong enough connection to download media,” Blue said.

“We pretty much have to,” Aparicu reminded him. “Wishing Well’s humanity’s connection to the ansible network. It’s gonna suck if we can’t get the bandwidth to transmit yottabytes daily.”

“All the data on Earth is just about three brontobytes,” Red said. “If we could transmit a yottabyte a day, we could transmit all the data on Earth in nine years, approximately.”

“You’re not thinking. We don’t yet have the ability to digitize items down to the molecular level, but once we do… there’s approximately seven times ten to the 27 atoms in a human body, for example. If you don’t compress it, that’s seven brontobytes to describe the configuration of every atom. So if they want to digitize and send themselves, it’d take 21 years of using all of Earth’s bandwidth to send one uncompressed human pattern. Obviously we’re going to use compression when we figure out how to do it, but I have a suspicion you can’t use compression on the brain, at all.”

“So we want to be able to send brontobytes. Ideally, geopbytes,” Blue said. “Yeah, okay, we can get a lot of media from home if the thing works properly.”

“Well, brontobytes are gonna require an upgrade, and I don’t know if we’ll still be around by that time. Probably we won’t be involved. But we are definitely supposed to be able to transmit yottabytes.”

“You guys sound like you’re more worried about getting the latest media shows than being able to talk to Our People,” Green said. Aparicu could practically hear the capital letters. Green was very, very attached to the humans who had made them, even more than Aparicu. She’d flashed distress for weeks once they were far enough out that communication, even arel-laggy communication like emails every month, became impossible. “I can’t wait to tell Dr. Blum all about what we’ve done!”

Dr. Blum was certainly dead by now, but that was the point to the ansible project, and to Wishing Well. Wishing Well was a very tiny black hole, barely the mass of the Sun… which suggested it had been created artificially or that something very strange had happened to create it, because stars the size of the Sun weren’t supposed to be able to become black holes. Humanity hadn’t even detected it. The Guest, an unmanned alien craft they’d found in orbit around Proxima Centuri B, had come with the exact position of Wishing Well, and instructions on what to build to connect to the galactic ansible network, and the physics behind it.

“Ansible” was a term humans had used for generations to mean a fictional device that could transmit messages instantaneously across light years. The physics the alien craft had supplied didn’t provide a means of getting around light speed; instead, it made use of properties of black holes that humanity had been theorizing about but been unable to prove. Normally nothing within the event horizon of a black hole could ever escape. But if you had a black hole with a toroidal gravitational field, and if you positioned a beam of information just right, you could send it at an angle through the gravitation field so it would come out.

It turned out that within the black hole, space and time inverted – there were multiple dimensions of time, and only one of space. If you calculated your angle with sufficient precision, you could send a message out of the black hole so that it exited before you sent it… even years before you sent it.

Theoretically it was possible to send a message back in time, at least after a receiver had been in place for long enough. In practical terms, no one had yet been able to figure out how to make that work… the range of possible times that a beam could exit Wishing Well seemed to be approximately 124 years into the future or past… which was further evidence that maybe Wishing Well was artificial. Had someone discovered humanity’s existence at some point in the far distant past, and made a black hole for them to be able to connect to the ansible network when they were able to explore space far enough to find the instructions? No way to know… yet.

The crew of the April – named by humans for the acronym APR, Ansible Project Rocket, though technically the April was a spaceship, not a rocket – had been traveling forty-three years of their own time, and seventy-five of Earth’s years, in order to build the outpost that would handle transmissions. First they’d build the apparatus that would allow them to send a signal at lightspeed back to Earth… a hundred and twenty-four years ago. A signal sent from Earth at lightspeed would take 62 years to reach Wishing Well. The response would take 62 years to go back to Earth. So shooting the response back a hundred and twenty-four years would mean the response would arrive a few months, at most, after the signal had been sent.

After they had that up and running, so they could communicate with home – sending their own messages so they’d come out of the black hole, pointed at Earth, sixty-two years ago – they’d set up the parts that would let them send comms to the other ansnet nodes the Guest had given them coordinates for. Some of those messages would take a hundred years to get there… but the return response could be sent two hundred years ago. And humanity would finally be able to talk to whoever was out there. Never able to meet in person, since no one had broken the speed of light and the Guest suggested that the worlds participating in the ansnet might generally take several human lifetimes to reach even at the maximum speed anyone had ever gotten a spaceship to go… but at least able to be internet friends.

But first, the robots – the Central Unit and the Ancillary Builders – would create the means to send messages back home to the humans they’d left behind. Humans couldn’t handle the forty-three year journey, or the horrific psychological isolation of spending that entire time in a tiny box in space with no one but a handful of crewmates… but robots could be programmed with personalities that meshed with each other almost perfectly, and no real need to be able to go “outside” or experience a planetary surface. They’d been able to endure the journey, as no humans could have.

But they had to be connected to their homeworld, to humanity, or how could humanity be sure they’d actually build what they were supposed to? So all of them had been programmed, to some extent or another, to look at their creators as beloved parents. They were adults, out in space on their own, but adult humans, for the most part, still wanted to share their triumphs and their joys with their parents, if they could. The robots had been looking forward to telling their creators all about their trip, and showing off the ansible node they would have built, throughout the entire trip.

“I want to talk to Dr. Blum too,” Aparicu said. “But we’ve waited forty-three years, and she’s waited thirteen since we left by the time the message gets back to her.” Tenses were awkward when talking about time travel. “A few more weeks to make sure we get it right won’t hurt us.”

“Yeah, wouldn’t we look dumb if we had a variance that meant the message lost half its bandwidth, or missed us entirely,” Blue said.

Aparicu intensified her irritation pattern and repeated it for emphasis. “Blue… stop presenting me with hypotheticals!”

He said sorry, but she suspected he wasn’t, really.

#inktober 2020 #alara's october 2020 prompt fics #the interstellar internet

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wainwrightjakobshammerlock · 5 years ago

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finally. i decided to do this. anyways hello there, i am jake and today i want to talk about something; you see, if you are in the tf2 fandom, you probably know about heavymedic. Wherther you are a hardcore gamer who resents f2p’s or a person that never played the game but has trillions of notes on their art- you know heavymedic exists and most of all you probably ship it.

And I find that weird. In the few fandoms in my life I have been in I had never seen a single ship be so widely if not shipped, then accepted. Sure, maybe everyone in the GF fandom knows what Billdip is - for better or for worse. Sure, maybe the HS fandom is 70% shipping.

But I have never ever seen such a phenomenon in a prominent multiplayer game fandom. A fandom, sadly, oftentimes filled with toxicity. Overwatch is very similar here - yet ships are either a hot topic of discussion or straight up ignored. But TF2? In here for whatever reason we ship these two mercenaries. And in this essay I will try and find a reason or two why is that.

Apologies for any mistakes or incoherency. English is not my first language, I need to ramble, and my vocabulary is all over the place.

Content warning: mentions of homophobia, blood, death, mentions of WLW fetishization, nsfw mention. Also MASSIVE SPOILERS FOR THE TF2 COMICS.

Part 1: Canonical Evidence and Interactions

Let’s be honest: I could ramble about this one for days on end. But I’ll try and keep it short.

First and foremost we have the official videos. And of course the first thing that comes to mind is Meet the Medic.

At the very start of the part where Medic himself appears, we see him telling a joke about a particularly gruesome situation to Heavy.

He laughs along with him, visibly enjoying his company. He even smiles as he waits for another joke. Heavy only shows genuine fear a lot later.

And of course this damn scene always cracks me up. Medic slightly pinches Heavy’s cheek and strokes his lip gently (the other part is almost not noticeable unless you play the video at slow speed).

Of course we all know about the Hand Hold that happens somewhere halfway in the vid. I don’t think I have to explain the gayness in that. The fact their hands stay interlocked even after Medic helps Heavy up. The deep breath Medic takes because even he cannot handle the emotions. That few seconds is unresolved sexual tension manifest.

Overall the short shows a strong feeling of trust between these two. Medic confides in Heavy and reverse. Yeah he puts a baboon heart into his friend’s chest cavity but the fact (as proven at the end of the video) that Heavy was the first one to have an Ubercharge implanted into him shows that Medic at the very least considers him a lab rat.

I treat End of the Line as non-canonical, as do many others, and as such won’t discuss it here. But it will forever crack me up that Valve endorsed such levels of homoerotic subtext.

These two have some short moments in other videos, like for example in Invasion Heavy helps Medic up (CINEMATIC PARALLELS) but it’s nothing major so I guess I’ll skip forward.

Second is their interactions ingame. You might call me a weirdo for trying to find stuff in there but holy shit I have things to say and I’m going to say them.

You thought I was going to fanboy over the “i love this doktor” voiceline huh? Well not really. I wish these two had unique lines if they assist one another.

Heavy is literally listed on the official wiki as the “ideal medic buddy” and multiple pages on that exact wiki say some pretty interesting things.

I have to say something about the Gentleman’s Ushanka and/or Pocket Medic. They are both community cosmetics - but the fact they both got accepted by Valve says a lot. Above is text snipped from the actual wiki.

Last but not least: The Comics. Darned comics. The pair of mercenaries has basically no interaction - unless you count issue 6.

Heavy getting absolutely PISSED when Medic is killed by Ch*avy. Their reunion. Medic referring to Heavy by “my friend” in a totally straight way. Kind of sad Valve wasted an opportunity for them to hug. Maybe they knew their comic artist ships them and wanted to avoid having to answer the Question™.

Part 2: Dynamics

This part’s a bit trickier, mostly due to the reason that I’m new to this whole dynamic analysis thing. Yeah I’m good at spotting canonical evidence but very specific shipping dynamics often escape my gaze.

The most obvious one is Big Guy, Little Guy. Quoting the TVTROPES page:

[…] This trope describes a pair of guys who always fight together, are best friends forever, and quite often have a very obvious hierarchy: The little guy is often in charge […] The little guy is usually listed first, since he’s the leader, and they are always listed together, as if they are one entity. In fact, some episodes may center on the fact that they can’t live without each other. […] If this is a case of Brains and Brawn, the Big Guy is usually the Brawn, and the Little Guy the Brains. It’s almost never the other way around, but in some cases the Big Guy can be rather smart too. […]

A sub-type of this, a common favorite here on Tumblr is known as “small chaotic big calm” and hoo boy if that isn’t these two. I don’t really have much to say here - again I am not an expert.

Part 3: Fandom Impact

So you don’t think Red Oktoberfest (as Heavymedic is sometimes called) is super popular on anywhere else than Tumblr? Wrong.

It’s hard to find TF2 fics on Archive of Our Own not tagged with Heavy/Medic. Of course most of them only contain hints to their relationship but go in the main tf2 tag and I can guarantee you, you’ll gonna see “implied heavy/medic” all the time.

But these two go further than AO3 or Tumblr or Instagram or whatever. They are recognized even within the wider circle of the fanbase. Take this SFM, for example. (I am using the Saxxy Awards version of Secret Lives here mostly due to the fact that the Heavymedic moment is much gayer. In the normal version, the dialogue isn’t changed, but they simply hold hands.)

youtube

But it gets deeper. (WARNING: THE GAY MOMENT IN THIS ONE IS NSFW. NOT EXPLICITLY SO BUT JUST A HEADS UP TUMBLR PLEASE DO NOT FLAG ME)

youtube

And the best part? The comments are extremely positive. You’d expect hoards upon hoards of homophobes screeching but no, the comments are supportive. Even on places such as Reddit or Youtube, comments like “yeah they’re gay and in love” do not get downvoted/disliked to hell; in fact the opposite.

Part 4: Canon Status

Let’s be real. Most ships are shipped because people want to explore the dynamics in fanfic, fanart or something else. But Heavymedic is shipped because… well, I have no idea.

Actually, I kind of do - but only theories. You see, while the canonical evidence is here, the creators have never said anything about them. No confirmation, no disproval, no hinting, nothing.

But the ship is so prominent! There has to be something causing this!- you say. And to that I present you 2 theories on why Heavy/Medic is so popular.

Theory number 1 states that we simply all choose to interpret their interactions as homoerotic. And this is very easy to disprove - there’s simply no way we just collectively agreed on these matters out of nothing. There has to be something bigger.

And theory 2 states that, well, our interpretation is the desired interpretation. But this is even more ridiculous than theory 1 for a number of reasons. If they are in fact gay, why hasn’t Valve made them canon yet?

A Theoretical Scenario

I am going to ramble big time on this one, so buckle up lads. I’ll discuss a theoretical scenario in which, well, if that was not obvious, Valve confirms Heavymedic as canon. Maybe then we will see why they will probably never do so.

TF2 is considered by typical capital G, alt-right Gamers as a “non-political” game. This means no women (in the game itself, at least, and if even, sexy women only), no queer folk and no minorities (for some reason they accept Demoman but throw a fit if someone draws any other merc as not being pearl white). Team Fortress 2 was around before Gamergate and other things like Gamers Rise Up. It’s a classic and Valve is regarded as the good guy to Epic Game’s bad guy. If Valve did anything to confirm doubts, wherther it be clearing up popular fanon or confirming ships, these people would throw hands. (Although they seemed to ignore when one of the writers confirmed Miss Pauling is a lesbian. Huh.) Even those that don’t play TF2 would come to the aid of their bros.

Let me illustrate with two very similar examples. In both cases these confirmations were the first made by the company as a whole, both are fairly recent and both confirm a character as gay.

First we have the confirmation of Tracer from Overwatch as a lesbian. It was done in one of OVW’s comics. Tracer is the FACE of Overwatch as a whole and while most of the fanbase accepted it (thankfully the Gamers are reluctant to infest ow), some people threw what I can only describe as a hissy fit. At least her girlfriend’s a background character.

Second is Neeko from League of Legends. Unlike Tracer she was added a while before it was confirmed she was gay. LOL is much more toxic and filled with Gamers than OW and holy shit people smeared LOL so much.

Of course these are not accurate to Heavy/Medic. In both of the cases I listed it was girls being wlw and we all know how much cisgender heterosexual gamers LOVE yuri porn. Apparently only girls can be gay because they can jack off to it - if it’s two guys then it’s disgusting. Nevertheless I think these are good approximations - in every case the company gets “shat on” on social media and other sites. With the community that Valve has, I think even if they wanted them to be gay, they would never ever confirm it.

Conclusion

I’m sorry for that ending. I had to theorize a bit. Regardless I’d love if you shared this on other sites, reblogged or whatever - I wasted at least 1 and a half hours of my life on it. Feel free to cite this as a source if someone asks you why you ship the big heavy weapons expert and the feral battle medic.

#my post #text post #tf2 #medic #heavy #heavymedic #long post

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getalittleclosey · 5 years ago

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under 50k larry fic rec

hi! i’m becca and i read...so much fic. these rec lists are an accumulation of fic that i’ve read or reread and extra loved from 2016-now. there’s a wide range of stuff here and i think there’s definitely something for everyone!! i divided them up by length so you can check out all those categories below!

please make sure to read tags and warnings on all these fics!! the only things i think i can guarantee is that these are all larry, there’s no non-con, no age play, no eating disorders, no mentions of bg, they end happy, and they’re mostly aus. oh and they’re all on ao3 and some are locked so you’ll need an account! anyway i hope y’all enjoy!!!

under 5k

under 10k

under 25k

under 100k

100k+

☆ the beginning of everything by thedeathchamber 31k

“How do you take it?” Harry asked, pouring tea into a cup.

“Just a dash of milk, please,” Louis cast a look over the small table, filled to capacity. “They’re very fond of you.”

Harry ducked his head, grinning. “They’re trying to impress you.”

Louis smiled, shaking his head. “Why would they want to do that?” he asked as he took the cup Harry passed to him, their fingers brushing for an instant.

“Empathy,” Harry said under his breath.

A Belle Époque AU set (mostly) in Paris in which Harry is a struggling artist, in more ways than one, and Louis is a successful theatre critic and a failed writer, more or less.

☆ to kill the mess we’ve made by misandrogyny 43k

And when he's finally standing, Liam fussing over him, rubbing his hand at the red mark blooming on Harry's forehead, does Harry learn two things:

One, he wasn't actually hit that hard, and Tommo--or Louis, rather--is just as pretty when Harry is staring at him head-on and,

Two, Louis is the Adidas model he's going to be working with on today's photo shoot.

(or: AU where Harry and Louis are both models, and they decide being friends-with-benefits is a great idea. It isn't.)

☆ heart open, bloodstain on my sleeve by silkbombs (mulberrygrey) 36k

“I couldn’t help myself,” Harry admits, one hand coming to rub the back of his neck, “I stared at you for a good while before I finally got the guts to come up to you. You looked so pretty sitting there, with your little ankles and your pencil in your mouth, so enthralling… art in front of art.”

Louis’ not sure what to say, so he just kind of sits there, eyes bugging out as he stares at Harry.

“I mean, like you’re not an object!” Harry rushes out, babbling.

“I just, there’s something about you that’s so captivating, and maybe it’s the way your eyes are like a watercolor painting of the sea, or how delicate your hands look when you draw, but I just wanted to get to know you. It’s not like I pick up random boys at art museums usually, I swear. Not that I’m trying to pick you up! Unless you want to be…God, fuck I’m sorry this is so awkward now. I can go, um, if you want."

--- Or, the one where Harry's the long limbed, gangly, sweetheart who just happens be a high profile art thief who conducts heists for a living and Louis' the loud, pushy art student who just happens to steal his heart.

☆ a king beside you by stylinsoncity 26k

When the aliens invade, the last thing Louis expects is to fall in love.

☆ the boys of summer by afirethatcannotdie 45k

“I mean…we’re gonna have to sneak around anyway, yeah? Like, with that whole rules thing that I guess we’ve decided to ignore. Might make it a little more fun this way.”

AU. In which Louis is a reluctant sports coach, Harry's a fellow counselor who wears tiny yellow shorts, and camp rules say they're forbidden to date.

☆ don’t let the tide come and take me by kiwikero 29k

The aquarium in the lobby has been there as long as Louis can remember, and so has the merman inside. That is, until the day Louis loses his job and decides to set the creature free.

They set off on a road trip to the sea, learning to communicate more and more each day. Their destination is LA, but the closer they get and the more Louis gets to know the merman, the more he dreads having to say goodbye.

Or, the one where Louis decides to set a merman free and ends up finding his own freedom along the way.

☆ introduction to dynamics by juliusschmidt 29k

Louis Tomlinson is the outspoken omega in the 'Introduction to Dynamics' course Harry wishes he didn't have to take. He's nearly certain to present as a beta, after all. Things will be simple for him.

☆ saved tonight by objectlesson 31k

Harry is the world's most persistent seduction-baker, a questionable dog-sitter, and Louis's biggest fan. Louis hasn't written in years, is trying to pass loneliness off as cynicism, and absolutely hates his fans. It's probably destiny.

☆ once upon a dream by objectlesson 27k

“M’not gonna half-ass our fake relationship,” Louis almost snaps, voice sharp with a defensive edge, like Harry wandered too close to a bruise with needy fingers. “Now kiss me again. We’re gonna make every shitty tourist here wish they had stayed in the Midwest. We’re gonna burn Disneyland down with our gay. ”

Harry shuts his eyes and opens his mouth, because he can’t fucking say no to Louis.

Or, a fake dating AU where everyone is lying and they happen to be at the Happiest Place on Earth.

☆ rivers ‘til i reach you by embodied 29k

Louis can’t begin to understand how he’s always this close and still can’t manage to make Harry his. He stands up and gets another beer. AU. Louis studies astronomy; Harry studies Louis. They spend their summers on the water and it shouldn't be complicated (spoiler: it is).

☆ life was a song, you came along by rainbowninja167 38k

It's embarrassing how long it takes Louis to recognize his own song. Niall had sung it as a bright, hopeful love song, and that’s honestly how Louis had always assumed it should sound. But this new voice, slow and rough, stripped of any backing instrument, has infused the lyrics with just the tumultuous mix of fear and defiance that Louis can remember so clearly from the night he wrote them. It’s not a comfortable thing, to feel like someone is singing all your secrets back to you.

Louis is a songwriter trapped in a lie that could ruin his best friend's career. Harry owns a record store, distrusts everyone in the music industry on principle, but loves Niall Horan's newest album. A modern retelling of Singin' in the Rain.

☆ learning to eat by photo41 29k

Celebrity chef Louis Tomlinson has a problem. He’s opening his first restaurant in 9 weeks, and he has yet to hire a pastry chef- apparently people think he’s ‘standoffish’ and ‘rude’ and ‘quick to temper’. Whatever. He ends up saddled with an annoying, happy-go lucky rookie who also happens to be obnoxiously good looking. His tv presenter and pop star best friends only add to the drama, and for fucks sake would everyone please stop quoting Julia Child?!

Kitchen AU where Harry helps Louis re-learn how to eat. (METAPHORICALLY)

note: just to clarify this is NOT an eating disorder fic don’t worry

☆ runner on third by kikikryslee 40k

As Harry stood there, the other man turned around, and he knew he was correct in who he thought it was. “Louis?” he asked, still not quite believing it. Louis blinked. “Harry? Wh– what are you doing here?” “I work here,” Harry said. “What are you doing here?” “Um, I’m picking up my brother. The nurse called and said he was sick.” Harry felt like he was going to be sick. “Wait, Ernest is your brother? Since when do you have a brother?” “Since about seven years ago, I guess. Wait, how do you know Ernest?” “I’m his teacher.” “You’re his what?” Louis exclaimed. Harry gulped. This was going to be a long year. --- Or, the AU where Louis and Harry were best friends growing up, but lost touch after Harry moved away. Ten years later, Harry has moved back to town, but he and Louis don't pick up where they left off.

note: there are four fics in this series that total to 60k

☆ roots by cherrystreet 43k

There aren’t many things that make Harry Styles nervous. He’s spent the past couple of years on and off various stages, filled with screaming fans, all chanting his name, loud and adoring. He’s done countless interviews, some even on live, national television, never faltering over his words, answers meticulously planned out, smooth and steady. He’s signed countless autographs, taken just as many photos, and even when he sat in his label’s studio, waiting to see how high up on the charts his single made it, he didn’t feel uneasy or uncomfortable. It’s all been unbelievably fun. No, there aren’t many things that make Harry Styles nervous.

Enter Louis Tomlinson.

☆ once upon a dream by thedeathchamber 33k

Louis is psychic and gets caught in the middle of a murder investigation led by FBI Special Agent Harry Styles.

aka. the Medium/Criminal Minds-inspired AU no one ever asked for.

note: there’s a 24k sequel for this!

☆ the melody you never heard by bananasandboots 30k

It's one last adventure. One last chance to be young and carefree. One final weekend before they take up their internships, their corporate positions, before they enter the real world, fresh out of university. Niall's his best mate. Liam's been there for him since they were lost, little freshmen, trying to find their ways through an overwhelming first year. Harry can't disappoint them, even if it means enduring four days with Louis.

Louis, who he does share a history with, a history he's never told anyone about, not even Niall, a history he hasn't brought up in three years because it's stupid and embarrassing and confusing.

Or, the one where Harry gets roped into a four-day camping trip with the boy who kissed him and never called back.

☆ born to make you happy by objectlesson 26k

Harry makes a quiet vow to himself that he will be the very best girlfriend Louis has ever had, even if he never actually gets to be Louis’s girlfriend.

note: i literally had to take a break and reread this cause i love it so much

☆ close to nowhere by angelichl 35k

“I will kill you in your sleep,” Louis threatened as he quickly stepped out of his jeans.

“I don’t think that would work very well baby, seeing as you talk to dead people all the time.”

“I’ll kill you in your sleep and ignore your ghost. And don’t call me that.”

Louis and Harry are psychics who kind of hate each other. They go to Tennessee to investigate a haunting.

☆ adrenaline by reveries_passions 38k

“Harry Styles,” Nameless Boy who now has a name says. Louis is too busy having an internal crisis to realize the boy has just introduced himself as Harry Styles. Harry Styles, only son of Des Styles, PhD, Dean of Harvard Medical School. Harry Styles, known by everyone and their grandmother. Harry Styles, star rower. Harry Styles, youngest enrolled student in graduate school at Harvard University. Oh my god, Louis thinks, mortified. I just slept with Harry Styles. As he reaches out tentatively to shake the boy’s hand, another thought hits him. Oh my god. Harry Styles is gay.

louis tomlinson, college dropout, up and coming dj, and gay activist, is the notorious owner of exclusive underground gay club, adrenaline.

harry styles, med student by day, partier by night, child prodigy and seemingly heterosexual son of harvard professors, is the youngest and arguably the smartest student at harvard medical school.

or: a one night stand wasn't supposed to become the greatest love story of the 21st century.

☆ bloodsport by tofiveohfive 40k

“You know how our next game is against the Cardinals, right? You remember how vicious those guys can get. I wanted us to come up with some plays, maybe work on a block from the left—”

Louis stops when he hears a chuckle.

He doesn’t think he’s said anything particularly funny, so he turns to Harry, waiting for an explanation.

“‘S funny, ‘s all.” Harry throws his finished bottle somewhere near the other discarded ones. “This is the first time you’re talking to me in eight months, and it’s still about football.”

☆ the haunting of louis tomlinson helloamhere 31k

“I'm not afraid of ghosts,” Louis said.

Every single magnet unstuck itself from the fridge and fell to the floor in a clattering cascade.

“I'm only a little afraid of ghosts,” Louis said.

*** OR: Louis is a plucky Gothic Heroine, Harry is a Mournful Spirit, and Big Country Houses are full of mystery and suspense, as Big Country Houses ever are!

☆ can i not like you for a while? by larryshares 43k

louis tomlinson is awful. harry is just as difficult, and they're both terrible to each other. it makes being in the same acapella group together quite complicated.

☆ delight in masques by kassio 28k

Popstar Louis Tomlinson has been pulling one over on the mortals for years. In the five years since he put on a human illusion and tried out for the X Factor, none of them have realised that he’s one of the Fair Folk – a cat shapeshifter, to be precise – and he’d like to keep it that way.

When he returns to the X Factor as a guest judge, the last thing he expects is for some half-Siren fool to use magic on the judges. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what Harry Styles does. Now Louis has to track down some rogue changeling before he exposes them all. Even worse? Apparently, Harry doesn’t even know what he is.

(An urban fantasy adventure, set in the world of - but not crossing over with - the October Daye book series. No need to be familiar with those books; I just want to give credit where it's due on a lot of the worldbuilding.)

☆ no love like your love by rearviewdreamer 43k

When it comes to saving the world from itself and convincing rich CEOs of environmentally harmful companies to go green, there's nobody better than Harry Styles. That is, until Louis Tomlinson, his ex and former Alpha, is involved.

note: i love vegan harry styles

☆ for neither never nor ever by fairytalelights 29k

Then Harry looked down. A newspaper was on the steps in front of him, looking new, like it had only just gotten delivered but no one had bothered to carry it inside yet. That, in itself, wasn't unusual. The unusual thing was the headline, Chernobyl - Half a Year Later, and the date in the corner. 5th November 1986. He looked up to stare at the girl in the doorway one last time, before he did the only logical thing his body knew how to do in this situation. He bolted.

or, the one where Harry travels through time and has to come to terms with losing everything he's ever known. Louis might be the only thing that feels real.

☆ worth dying for by whoknows 45k

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Louis says, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest. In the center of the table, a set of three glossy photos stares up at him, mocking him.

“A security detail is non-negotiable, Louis, you know this,” his mum reminds him, tapping the middle photo with two fingers.

Louis doesn’t look back down at the pictures, gesturing towards them wildly, over-dramatically. “This is not a security detail!” he protests. “This is a lanky college student. In what world do you hire someone like this kid to protect me?”

☆ listen to your heart by lovelarry10 35k

Are you kidding me right now?

I… No? Louis frowned, feeling angry now. It wasn’t fair, he knew that, but at the same time, he couldn’t help his feelings. It felt like this had been brewing for weeks, and this was it. Give it a rest, Harry.

Why are you such a brat? Why can’t you just be happy for me for once?

You think I want to hear about you kissing James? Really, H? There’s things I just don’t need to know, okay? I’m your best mate, not your fucking relationship advisor…

*****

Louis has always been comfortable being Harry’s one and only. When Harry starts to branch out, Louis has a hard time letting him go.

Harry is very lucky to have someone who listens to what he has to say, despite the fact that he’s deaf. He’s finally feeling like he’s coming into himself, but Louis seems bothered by his newfound confidence.

☆ another day gettin’ into trouble by whoknows 26k

Harry’s drunk when the idea occurs to him. He’s also a pop star, so sometimes his drunk ideas turn into actual things instead of just ideas. The clone-a-willy kit is one of them.

In Harry’s defense, when he first thinks about it his intention is just to buy the kit and give it to Louis to make his own dildo with, because that’s what he wants anyway, right? To have a penis filling him up?

Then he realizes that it would be weird if Louis made a copy of his own dick to fuck himself with. It’d be super weird. Louis fucking himself? That’s a weird idea. Harry’s pretty sure Louis wouldn’t like that.

Clearly the only solution here is to use his own dick for the mold.

☆ all the right moves by cherrystreet 32k

This is the third game in a row that Harry has been distracted by the noisy boy in the stands, five rows back.

There’s really no reason that he should feel compelled to stare into the audience as frequently as he is, but he can’t help it. This boy is a nuisance. And he’s loud. Even from basketball court with nine other players running by him, shoes squeaking on the shiny hardwood floor, and thousands of cheering college students, Harry can hear this boy nearly shrieking, his laugh more like a cackle than anything.

It’s seriously obnoxious.

☆ play the odds by alivingfire 26k

Harry and Louis are best friends since childhood who, after a night of drinking, find themselves locked in a bet: first one to kiss the other a thousand times wins. Wins what? They don't know. Glory, Harry supposes. Bragging rights, though those don't do much in this economy. All Harry knows is that this is one bet he can finally win. What he doesn't expect, though, is what happens when he starts kissing his best friend on a daily basis.

Namely, he doesn't expect falling head over heels in love with his best friend.

Now all he has to do is make sure the bet never ends, so he never has to stop kissing Louis.

#fic rec #mine #larry stylinson #one direction #apparently i really love objectlesson #cause they have fics on every list i think #30 of these!#fic masterpost

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samotchkaficrecs · 6 years ago

Text

My Hero Academia Fic Recs! #1

Hola!

i’m finally making an actual mha fic post... yay!

since most of these fics are suited to my fanfiction tastes i will be making another in the future with many different ships (to float anyone’s boat).

[Also if there is a star (★) next to any fic, it’s one of my highly recommended]

Anywhoo, let us begin!

TodoDeku

before the world catches up by - silent_academy (white_silence)

Shouto was promised the world when he was born. Unfortunately, fate isn't kind, and he's left with nothing but a broken heart and blazing scars.

Izuku was never "destined" for greatness, but he was sure as hell going to make his mark on the world. With determination and a will to protect, he sets out on the hero's path.

Or, the one in which Shouto is born Quirkless, and Izuku... is not.

Somehow, things work out anyway.

(currently on hiatus)

★ The Wooing of Todoroki Shouto by - crispykrimi

He clasps his hands together and presses them to his forehead. “Please teach me how to seduce someone!”

What follows is the most awkward fifteen minutes of his short life. His friends volley suggestions at him, everything from suggestive comments to practically crawling into Shouto’s lap and kissing him. His head is starting to feel a little fuzzy when someone (goddamnit Kirishima) suggests a strip tease, and really, he has to draw the line somewhere.

“A-ah… Maybe seduce was too strong a word. I don’t know if I could actually do any of those things… I think a better word would be- woo? I want to woo him. P-please teach me how to woo someone.”

(complete)

★ If I'm Being Honest.... by - I_dont_know_man

Midoriya scrunched up his nose in confusion. “Uh, Shouto, why are you glaring at me like that?”

“I-” Todoroki began to lie, until nausea slammed him like a door to any room that Bakugou entered. “I--” Todoroki grit his teeth, and glared daggers into the wall behind Midoriya. Goodbye, friendship. It had been absolutely divine while it lasted. “Because you’re very attractive.”

They say honesty is the best policy, but it sure as hell had a knack for Todoroki making a complete and utter fool of himself.

In which Todoroki is placed under a mysterious truth-telling quirk and suffers, Uraraka laughs at him, Midoriya is confused but smitten nonetheless, and Twitter is the thirstiest site on the planet.

(complete)

i feel your warmth, and it feels like home by - orphan_account

The five times where Shouto remembers that Midoriya is more buff than he lets on.

(alternatively titled the-one-where-shouto-internally-nosebleeds-and-tries-to-act-casual)

(complete)

Trust Fall by - Esselle

' "So, on my signal then."

Midoriya laughs. "No signal. You just fall, and I catch."

"What?" Shouto asks. "But how will you know? What if you're not ready? What if—"

"It's about trust, Todoroki-kun," Midoriya says. Shouto can't see his face, but he senses there's a grin on it. "Do you trust me?" '

(complete)

KiriBaku

Can't Hear the Fireworks of Your Art by - cereal_whore

Bakugou's hearing is slowly deteriorating due to being in close proximity of his quirk, and his constant usage of it. After a visit to the doctors, it's concluded they can never reverse his hearing.

Everyone else: hol y sh ti hes dying (excluding Shinsou, who's too tired to care anymore and is at peace with the idea of Bakugou being the local cryptic)

Or: Bakugou literally disappears for one day, and everyone suddenly thinks he's dying even tho he just rlly needs a hearing aid. none of these hormonal teenagers have basic communication skills. Todoroki is also really trying his best in spite of Bakugou continuously calling him "Canadian Flag Fucker".

(ongoing)

kiss me on the lips by - Lulatic

“So, you’ve really never kissed anyone? Really?”

“No, okay? You fucking happy now? What does it even matter--”

“Would you like to?”

(complete)

★ The Beauty of a Beast by - starofjems

Once upon a time a lonely beast lived in a manor deep in the forest. He dreamed of the day his true love appeared to break his curse... When a beauty finally appears in his life, it is not quite as he imagined. For who could have thought a beauty would be more of a beast.

The beauty and the beast AU nobody asked for but here it is.

(complete)

Ghost Hunters by - PoutyBats

“What, like a ghost sex hotline?” Sero snorts.

“I mean, she was kinda cute-”

“I swear on my life if you don’t shut up I can guarantee that there will be three new ghosts in this house come morning!” Bakugou rubs his temples, aging by the minute.

Kirishima, Bakugou, Ashido, Kaminari, and Sero are part of a ghost hunting squad.

[kiribaku isn’t really the main focus, but it’s here anyways]

(complete)

Love Potion No. 9 by - I_dont_know_man

"It's alright bro, I get it. Not everybody can handle all this pure manliness." Kirishima flexed a hardened bicep facetiously, grinning like the idiot he most certainly was.

...

And Bakugou - Bakugou blushed.

For the mere second time in 17 years of life, no less, and he was pretty sure that blushing over accidentally calling All Might ‘dad’ that one time didn’t count. Bakugou was an aloof, detached, analytical sort of person. Bakugou didn’t fucking blush, alright?

Just what in the ever-loving fuck was going on here?!

In which Bakugou finds himself victim of a love spell, Kirishima tries his Best, and the entirety of Class 1A waits for the other shoe to drop.

(ongoing)

Multi/ Misc/ Minor Ship

★ Blue Monday by - Adox [multi]

Eight years ago, three boys went missing, only remembered by their disappearance. Unless you’re Izuku Midorya. After his (arguably) best friend Katsuki Bakugou vanished, he’s been searching. Hoping. Even after the investigation was closed. Three names ring clearly in his head.

Eijiro Kirishima.

Denki Kaminari.

Katsuki Bakugo.

Jiro loves her new family, they’re the only fosters who seem to give a shit. However, she can’t help but notice the picture frames turned on their side, and the child’s bedroom that hasn’t been touched in years.

Todoroki just wants to help his new friend, even if that means endangering his many, many scholarships.

And Bakugo waits.

(ongoing)

Karma in Retrograde by - Mistystarshine, ohmytheon [misc]

When Dabi is struck by a de-aging quirk that regresses him to the most influential part of his life, he finds himself turned back into a sixteen-year-old U.A. General Studies student with lots of self-esteem issues, parent problems, a destructive quirk that he can't manage, and no memory of the years that he's lost - not to mention the fact that his little brother is now the same age as him and one of the top students in the U.A. hero course. In U.A.'s attempt to make up for what they missed and help the Dabi of the past, present, and future, he is placed with the only students that know him and have yet to find out what truly makes the difference between a hero and a villain. There, they must face the question of whether he can change or his destiny is already set in stone.

(ongoing)

A Night to Remember by - hanwritesstuff (hannahkannao) [multi]

“Huh?” Izuku narrows his eyes and looks at the poster. It doesn’t make sense when he first reads the words, when they first roll off his tongue. “‘Yuuei High School’s 24th Annual Future Heroes Gala’? What... is this?” He feels like he should know, but he can’t think straight after staying up so late last night.

“Well.” Kirishima grins. “When I saw the poster, I texted Amajiki-senpai and he told me all about it.”

There’s something particularly mischievous in his smile that has Izuku worried.

“Long answer, it’s pretty much the only school dance Yuuei has and it’s third-years only,” Kirishima continues, “It’s supposed to be a celebration of everything we’ve done over the past three years, so it’s super fancy and formal and there’s slow dancing and and stuff like that -”

“Short answer, it’s hero prom!” Hagakure interrupts, barely getting the words out before at least four people erupt into cheers.

(complete)

★ I want to kiss (your dumb fucking face) by - gingerbreadshinsou [shinsou/ monoma]

Monoma develops a big gay crush on Shinsou from afar and his life descends into absolute chaos

[The Monoma Neito coming-of-age fic absolutely no one asked for]

(ongoing)

[i know i have already put this one on another list, but it’s just so amusing!]

tell your boyfriend if he says he's got beef that i'm a vegetarian and i EAT LEAF by - hanwritesstuff (hannahkannao) [misc]

“Which one of you fuckers just AirDropped me loss?”

(complete)

★ shock your soul by - montparni [kamisero]

Twelve years of Halloween; or, Kaminari Denki grows up (but not too much), makes some memories, and learns to look right in front of his eyes.

(complete)

Rock, Paper, Scissors, Shoot! by - xX_KUUHAKU_Xx [kamisero]

"I could wear just my boxers and I'd win every round. Now let's play."

---

In which Sero and Kaminari decide to face off on a rock, paper, scissors game with beer and stripping being a part of it.

(complete)

Thus With a Kiss, I die by - DomineeringScarves

Kaminari finds himself head over heels for the newest addition to their class, Shinsou Hitoshi. Normally the flirty blonde would just present himself with open arms but there's a major problem with his infatuation. There's unspoken rules in 1-A and Kaminari is part of the Bakusquad...whereas Shinsou is a part of the Dekusquad. The two can't be together. It's just not possible. There's no way Bakugou would ever allow one of his extras to date Deku's friend.

There's only one thing left to do, give up and move on. Too bad Kaminari can't seem to escape Shinsou.

Aka the fic where Kaminari is Romeo and Shinsou is Juliet and they have to secretly date so their squads don't fall into an all out war.

(complete)

★★★

Aaaand thats a wrap! thanks for viewing and i hope you all found some fics that intrigue you!

Au revior!

#mha #my hero academia #ships #tododeku #kiribaku #kamisero #monoshin #midoirya izuku #todoroki shouto #katsuki bakugou #kirishima eijiro #dabi #kaminari denki #sero hanta #shinsou hitoshi #monoma neito #fic recs #my hero academia fic recs

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askmerriauthor · 5 years ago

Text

Soft Apoc Ideas - Zombies

Because @techmomma mentioned it before and now my brain’s been rolling it around in my head. Discussion of Zombie films below, along with some potential spoilers for certain films used as examples.

So a “Soft Apocalypse” is a narrative genre where the end of the world/fall of civilization has occurred, but it wasn’t some big cataclysm. Things just kind of... fizzled. A slow ease into the grave rather than an earth shattering kaboom. And, more often than not, the end isn’t really the end - it just marks the conclusion of one method of civilization giving rise to a new one growing atop the ruins of the old, still clinging to some ideas of that past. As far as end of the world stories go, the Soft Apoc tends to be a little more introspective, focusing on the feelings and thoughts of the survivors rather than the disaster itself. Often the actual cause of the end of the world isn’t really discussed in great detail or even at all - it might purely be an background concept that sets the stage rather than the focus of events. It’s not about what happened then, but what’s happening since.

The Zombie genre, on the other hand, is a lot more immediate and active in it’s threat. We usually see Zombie stories taking place either immediately before or immediately after an outbreak, where the presence of the undead is the primary source of danger for the cast to contend with. What Zombies represent varies wildly from story to story. They may be presented as a biblical apocalypse, the result of science gone amok, the flaws of man’s hubris, an analogy to man’s selfish consumerism, or even just an unfeeling, inevitable force of nature that can only be endured but not defeated. As @techmomma observed, it’s difficult to write a Soft Apoc concept given the two genres’ contrasting elements. But not impossible; Zombies is such a densely saturated genre in and of itself that there’s always examples to be found.

Some good examples in recent cinematic history include “Zombieland”, “Sean of the Dead”, “The Dead Don’t Die” and to some degree “Warm Bodies”. These four immediately leap to mind as being examples of the most common examples of different outcomes of a Zombie infestation.

“The Dead Don’t Die” is a quirky, fourth-wall-breaking novelty film set in a cozy little nowhere town, with the focus being on the small time sheriff and deputy pair who find themselves caught in the end of the world. The dead rise and begin killing everyone, but the characters meet the whole conflict with a weirdly passive, bemused reaction both for the situation at hand and their own behavior. The cause of the Zombies is never explained and, in the end, it’s assumed that all of mankind will die in a hopeless, slow-spreading downfall.

“Zombieland” is another comedy/action-based film where the bulk of the story is told post-outbreak, where a group of survivors is making their way through the ruins of civilization. It’s mostly a vehicle for amusing banter and gratuitous violence toward Zombies, all played for humor as everyone involved is 100% genre savvy. In this case the threat of Zombies is still active and present, but more easily contended with despite not being solvable. The cast are simply living what time they have left as best they can, knowing the world they knew is gone forever but trying to have fun on their way out.

“Warm Bodies” is the curious addition of a romance story told between Zombies and Survivors, where the primary protagonist is a Zombie himself. In this story the Zombies have the previously unknown potential to return to life and gradually re-integrate with the remnants of Human society, even joining forces with mankind to fend off undead that have gone too far beyond the point of no return. The story is firmly in the Soft Apoc style as it ends with a hopeful note of restoring both the world and the still-salvageable undead.

“Sean of the Dead” has all the trappings of your standard Zombie movie, albeit told very tongue-in-cheek. It doesn’t seem to take the outbreak seriously right up until the mid-point in the story where the shoe drops and everyone realizes “yes, this is in fact horrific” as the tone of the movie changes instantly into straight-up horror. But the rug is pulled out from us again as it’s revealed that it’s only horror because the cast we’ve been following were a bunch of idiots who put themselves into the worst situation possible. At the end of the movie the military rolls up in full force, logically wipes out the shambling hordes of Zombies in a hail of gunfire, and contains the outbreak very swiftly. Humanity at large never really collapsed and, in the last minutes of the movie, we see how mankind has adapted to the presence of remaining elements of the undead. Such as using them as mindless slave labor, for callous daytime television entertainment, and very lightly touching on what sort of social and personal impact the remaining presence of Zombies has on individuals. It leaves the audience with the understanding that all it will take is these idiots doing something dumb again for the outbreak to return and likely be quashed just as quickly, but they’ll never learn.

While I don’t have an immediate example off the top of my head, I do have my own idea for how a Soft Apoc Zombie setting might go. I’m certain I’m not the first to have this idea, so if anyone can send me some titles that already delve into this concept, I’d appreciate it.

My basic idea would be that the Zombie Outbreak, whatever may have caused it, led to the collapse of most elements of society but not all. It was also in the vaguely recent past - maybe within 100 years of the present story taking place. While there are still roving Zombies out there in the world, they’re not an active “unstoppable hordes of millions consuming all they cross” threat any longer. They did their damage, were widely defeated or just fizzled out on their own over time, and now there’s only traces of them left. Their presence is less of an overwhelming tidal wave swallowing up everything and treated more like “Yeah, we always get flooded this time of year, so we built our houses on stilts and have good water-damage insurance” sort of disaster. The real issue is that the infection rate of Zombification is 100%: it is known and completely guaranteed that every currently living person and any young that are born in generations to come, upon death, will rise as a Zombie. This is just how the Human life cycle operates now - you’re born, you grow old, you die, you come back as a Zombie. No exceptions, no cures, no way to avoid it. So then the story becomes less a matter of trying to solve Zombification and more of an exploration of how people react, how society changes, and what sort of practices come out of this known state of being. How does society change to protect itself knowing that any accidental death could potentially cascade into countless more? How do people address end-of-life preparation both in practical and spiritual aspects knowing they will shortly rise as a Zombie? How do art, culture, medicine, and science change to factor in this new facet of the life cycle? How is the nature of Zombies and the original outbreak recognized so long after the fact - is it still seen as a disaster, or has it warped into legend and taken on elements of a cultural origin tale? It can even be pushed out further to address environmental questions, such as what happens to Earth’s ecosystem when the food chain is so heavily upset, if some or any animals also became Zombified, what sort of impact there is on the environment with the shift both in population/production as well as the sudden presence of so much methane and nitrogen in the atmosphere from all the dead wandering around.

Despite all my chatter on this stuff, I actually hate the Zombie genre in general because it’s so often nothing but grim hopelessness and gratuitous suffering - same for the Disaster/End of the World genres by and large. So it should be little surprise that my personal exploration of the medium would be “Zombies, but where everything except Zombies is what’s actually important”.

#zombies #writing stuff #literature discussion

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hobbitsetal · 5 years ago

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Chapter Three: Meeting Mahin

Vex lived up to his name as promptly as he was able on the journey. He quarreled with Iraj over his sleeping quarters at the inn (on the floor by the door, as was expected of a good slave), over his food (Iraj’s leftovers when Iraj had finished--regardless of how much Iraj fed him, he despised being forced to wait to eat), and most of all over having to walk while Iraj rode.

Never mind how many times Iraj responded by patiently reminding him that he was a slave and was entitled to nothing better--indeed, not even to such patience as Iraj bestowed on him. Vex scowled and muttered about jealous sons and Felistas’s less pleasing traits until Iraj was nearly ready to sell him to the next passing merchant.

Perhaps he would have made himself less obnoxious had he known Iraj had saved him from receiving his very first beating. Felistas had been livid when he discovered his wife’s ashes and about to take a whip personally to Vex. Iraj had intervened, arguing that he did not wish his new slave to slow him down on the way back to the front and it was their own fault for not setting a guard on him. Hadn’t Omid pointed out the defiance in his face?

And Iraj had prevailed, for ever present in the back of Felistas’s mind was the fear that one day his son might not return to him, and since he became a soldier, Iraj could sway his father however he liked. It probably helped, the world and humanity being what they are, that they saw each other less frequently since his enlistment and had less chance to exasperate each other and dull the sweetness of his too-brief visits home.

So Vex was not beaten, however much he may have earned it, and Vex remained ignorant and ungrateful to Iraj. After three weeks on the road, they were both heartily sick of each other and of travel, and both relieved to see the camp near the front lines.

Iraj first had to register his new slave, since of course it would not to have some half breed roaming about unaccounted for.

A soldier sketched a brief picture of Vex, and a grizzled scribe with a battered helmet on his head asked Iraj, “Name?”

“Vexation.”

The scribe smiled a little, but he said only, “Family name?”

“Nameless,” Iraj answered.

Had it been Vex answering, he would have said, “Noemi’s son.” But Noemi had never had the chance to claim him before a priest and Noemi had not been the head of her own household and Noemi was, most of all, dead.

Vex the nameless he was, and he was entered on the camp register as such. Iraj gave him no time to brood over his lack of family name, but marched through the camp so briskly, Vex had to trot to keep up. Iraj held his horse’s reins loosely in one hand and pointed about the camp and saluted passing officers with the other.

“There’s the latrine--mind which way the wind blows when you approach. There’s the mess. Be nice to the cooks; I’ll murder you if you interfere with my food. Medical’s that way, but you shouldn’t have cause to need them. You’ll never be near the fighting. Blacksmith over there, and that tent with the leather laces around the pole is our unofficial cobbler, Darja. She’s a wizard with an awl, which also means don’t offend her or she’ll stab you. She’ll take anything the lords give us and make it last.”

Vex couldn’t tell the difference between the different tents Iraj gestured at. They passed by too swiftly and they all looked the same--made of camel hair, with soldiers dressed in black darting in and out. After the third tent Iraj waved at while spouting names, he gave up trying to follow directions and focused on not stepping on anything slimy.

Watching his feet saved him, too, from meeting the curious stares that chased them. Half breeds were not so common in those days--not in any days, as history has happened, but particularly in those times before the treaties and the revolutions--and Vex felt the entire camp fixated on his skin that was too dark for faery and too light for Sarkinian. He blushed nearly dark enough to pass for one of his mother’s people under those stares and hurried after Iraj.

They left Iraj’s horse in a paddock with nearly a score of other mounts. Iraj made Vex carry the heaviest bag, to Vex’s outrage, and led him to a line of middle-sized tents in the middle of the camp.

Iraj’s tent was a welcome respite for all of five heartbeats. Then Vex’s eyes adjusted to the darker interior. Two small cots crowded the space. One held boots and a wooden chest under it, and a man stretched out on top of it. The other was empty, but Iraj dropped his small bag on top and said to Vex, “You can stow the rest of my stuff under the cot.”

“And where am I to sleep?” Vex asked sulkily. He knew already, but the tent had only bare dirt for a floor and he felt very sure that it would be cold and miserable to sleep on.

Iraj followed his gaze to the ground. “You’ll have a blanket. You’ll sleep just fine.”

Vex scoffed and tossed the bag halfway under the cot. “You sleep on the ground one night and then tell me how well I’ll sleep!”

The other man had raised himself up on his elbows and was regarding Vex curiously. “How extravagant of you to get a slave, and how very typical of you to get such a mouthy one.”

Iraj cast him a look of annoyance. “Stow the bag properly, Vex, and then polish my boots. I’m going to report to the camp commander. You stay here and in the name of my valiant uncle, do behave yourself.”

“Vex?” the other man repeated.

“My new slave,” Iraj said calmly. “I shall consider it a kindness, Mahin, if you see that he does as he is bid. I shan’t be long.”

He strolled out, leaving Mahin and Vex to regard each other. Vex disliked him immediately, mostly because he couldn’t abide the idea of a stranger ordering him about. That is no wonder, of course, for he could hardly bear the idea of Iraj ordering him, and Iraj was his lawful master. But a little of his dislike came from Mahin’s face and the knowing expression he had. Iraj had taken some pains to impress upon Vex that their mother’s peace of soul depended in part on her shame being allowed to die with her, and Vex did not care to be looked at as if his whole parentage were understood and mocked in a moment.

“So,” Mahin said. “Your father was a wood demon, then?”

“Why should you say that when it might as easily have been my mother?” Vex demanded.

Mahin yawned and sat up fully. “Inheritance laws, foolish boy.”

If Vex had not been inclined to dislike him already, being called foolish and being so easily embarrassed would have certainly created enmity. For at that time in Sarkine, the laws being what they were and slavery being what it was and the otherwise enlightened Sarkinians placing family emphases where they did, whether the child of a slave was declared free or not depended on the father. If a father were a freeman, the child would be free. If he were a slave, the child would be a slave.

There were those then, as those now, who decried this law as unfair to women and consequently an insult to the Great Creator. But the law was less myopic than it seemed, for the law considered human nature. A master might take his female slave, of course, but he must then be responsible for the child as he was for the children of a marriage, guaranteeing at least a chance at a reasonably decent life. And though women had the capacity to be cruel, as all thinking beings do, it was believed (or hoped) that women would be less likely to take a male slave to bed when any issue of such must be a slave. But then, not all men would take responsibility, and not all women would treat their possible children with such unselfishness, or we would not have this story to tell.

“They might both have been slaves,” Vex pointed out, and reclaimed in his own mind a certain amount of dignity.

“They might,” Mahin allowed, “but female faery slaves are very hard to come by. They’re less likely to leave their own realm and they’re more likely to fight to the death. Horrible little wenches. Can’t imagine anybody taking one to bed.”

Vex, who knew nothing of his father’s people, had nothing to say to that.

Mahin went on languidly, “I’ve probably killed relatives of yours. They’re far easier to kill than the lords make it sound, you know.”

“I imagine the faery soldiers say the same of you,” Vex said coolly.

He had no particular reason to wish the faeries well and he didn’t care very much which side killed more of the other, but he was immensely pleased to see Mahin’s eyes narrow.

For his own part, Mahin was perplexed by Vex. Vex spoke as a native Sarkinian, acted like a free man with his eye contact and his acerbic tongue, and moreover was far too expensive an item for a soldier’s salary. Half breeds were not poular, but their faery heritage made them more evaluable than human slaves, who could be had anywhere one cared to raid. But then, how valuable was a mouthy slave?

“Not when they’re dead,” Mahin said. “Aren’t you supposed to be polishing boots?”

“And what of it?”

Vex did not know what he risked with such an answer, for the severest punishment he had ever received had been having the back of his hand smacked, and that when he was very small. Mahin considered beating him in that moment, and Mahin knew how to beat someone. But he wasn’t sure how Iraj would react to bruises on his new and so far unmarked slave, he did not strike.

Instead, he said, “Polish them, then, and let us see if there is any honor in your blood.”

That was precisely the thing to say to Vex, who carried yet the weight of grief and guilt from his mother’s death and who wanted all the things he had loved most about her to outweigh the deed that had brought him into the world. So he pulled out the boots and set to polishing them.

Mahin kept up idle chatter while Vex worked in the hope of learning somewhat more of the new slave’s character, but the boot polishing saved Vex from behaving any more ill than he already had.

Boot polishing is an art of precision, though no particular difficulty. Still, Vex had done very little in the way of labor before his new life, and he had to focus on his task to be sure he performed all the steps in the correct order. This prevented him from paying much attention to what Mahin said or from answering him, which was doubtless for the best.

Iraj returned some thirty minutes later, when the boots were beginning to look respectably shiny and Mahin was running out of idly offensive remarks. He paused in the entrance of the tent for a moment, holding the flaps out of his way with both hands and surveying the duo. He seemed a little surprised that no blood had been spilt.

“Good, Vex,” he said. “When you have finished that, I shall have a list of tasks for you to accomplish.”

“While he’s at it,” Mahin said, “why not have him polish my boots as well?”

Vex was not remotely pleased by this idea. It set a bad precedent for doubling his work. But Iraj was already nodding and showed no signs of consulting his new slave.

So he got two pairs of boots to polish, which kept him occupied until dinner, and an unpleasant first impression of Iraj’s tent mate. This was not the worst thing to befall Vex in his new life, but it was an indicative thing and Vex remembered it as such.

#Vex the Nameless #my writing #my ocs #original

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dailylogandoodle · 6 years ago

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So y'all have PROBABLY noticed I haven't really been on, right? I do plan on coming back at some point, but for now, I'm just going to address some of the reasons I've been gone:

Time

I've got several things to draw and do for college, and have to actually go there as well, and that takes up a lot of time. It's hard to balance work and art when your work is also art... Speaking of:

Money

I've been extremely short on money recently. It's been difficult to afford food (it's not an emergency, there's still food at home, I just can't eat while I'm out unless I bring something from home) and other expenses, like my taped-up glasses. To remedy this I've been trying to make adopts to sell over on Amino, but that takes up even more artistic energy and time. I'd open commissions, but I'm a very slow artist (yes, despite how often I did the daily doodles; doing stuff for other people is way more time consuming for various reasons), so I don't think it would be fair. Also, my PayPal isn't connected to my bank account, so it wouldn't help that much except for things that let me pay by PayPal.

Mental health

It's not been great recently. I keep forgetting to take my antidepressants and I've been off tumblr so much (see below) I haven't listened to the main person who used to remind me (you know who you are and I'm sorry), and generally because of various life incidents and stressors, things haven't been great.

Taking a break from social media

I've also been playing a lot of DnD and being more social IRL lately. This has been good for me health-wise, both mentally and physically, but it also means I'm online less often. Anyone who follows my main blog will know I'm barely on there any more. This is an unfortunate but necessary step towards improving myself that I need to take. When I have more spare time I might pop in, but that's not a guarantee I'll be back to the dailies.

I've had a few people ask if I'm going to be finishing LtRCD. The answer is: not any time soon. Fanfic just isn't a priority compared to all of the things on this list. Sorry if this makes anyone mad, but I'm not gonna prioritise fandom content over my health, hobbies or work.

If anyone's interested, you can follow me over on the Adopts Amino at http://aminoapps.com/p/g680k4

In addition, I still have a Ko-Fi here at ko-fi.com/ceerulean

And my main blog is aarakocraa.tumblr.com

No pressure, though. Again, it's not an emergency, I don't have any urgent bills to pay, it's just very inconvenient not having money for everything else.

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pomegranate-belle · 6 years ago

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For Day 6 of MattFoggy Week: Past or Future

That’s right folks, we’re busting out the TIME TRAVEL!

It’s still in shambles, but have some bits of what I usually call the Obligatory Bittersweet Time Travel AU, even though it has literally my very best pun title ever: “The Temporal Forecast is Decidedly Foggy”

—

The day it happens, his mind and heart war between the cold shock of losing the most important person in his life and the colder knowledge that this was always coming someday. Matt Murdock is dead. Really dead. There’s a body this time, and Foggy can barely look at it but he forces himself to. Forces himself to examine every scar, every birthmark, to make sure. To make sure this isn’t an evil clone or an illusion or—

It’s not. Everything is exactly as it should be.

Except that Matt is dead.

He died saving a kid, so at least he’d be happy about that, Foggy thinks. Not that it does him any good.

—

“Could I go back?” Foggy asks quietly. “Could I change it?”

Strange sighs and fiddles with his sleeve cuff, a troubled expression on his already troubled face.

“Those are complicated questions, Franklin, with complicated answers.”

“I know, I just— Would I be able to try? Would you let me? Or is it a... Is it one of those butterfly effect things, where I’ll, I don’t know, destroy the whole timeline if I sneeze in the wrong place?”

That at least brings a smile, wan, to the sorcerer’s face, and Foggy mirrors it back at him.

“The universe is a fragile thing, but it’s not as fragile as all that. If I sent you back... Time would bend around your existence. Make room for you. If unraveling the universe were as simple as a man’s wish to save someone he loved, well, I’m sure the universe would have ended many times over by now.”

It’s... A lot to digest, but the gist is simple.

“You’ll help me, then,” Foggy realizes.

“Time is contradictory by nature, both flowing and immutable. If you do this, you will never return to this time, and you have no guarantee that your presence in the past will make any significant difference in his fate.”

“Yeah,” Foggy agrees softly. “I know. But he’s... This is what I want to do. I’ve already made up my mind.”

Because it’s not that he ‘doesn’t want to live without Matt’ in the suicidal sense — at his core, Foggy just isn’t that sort of guy; even at his lowest, he’s always wanted to live. If this wasn’t an option, Foggy would figure out how to deal with that. But, as things stand, this is an option. It might be a weird one, but Foggy has learned to embrace mystical weirdness wholeheartedly.

“Franklin—“

“C’mon, Doc. It’s fine. I always wanted to be Marty McFly.”

—

This. Isn’t right. Foggy can feel it in his bones, that it isn’t...

He spins in a slow circle, taking in the street around him, and—

Yeah, there.

The Chinese place he and Matt used to love, the one owned by the same family for three generations that they had gone to after finals every semester. It had been crushed during the Chitauri alien attack, and never rebuilt. Situating himself directionally, Foggy moves his gaze upward. But the garish point of Avengers née Stark Tower is nowhere to be seen.

“Ok,” Foggy says, gently, trying very hard not to knock himself off the knife edge of calm he’s feeling. “Ok. So. A little further back than I was thinking.”

—

The newspaper trembles in his hands, pages rustling obnoxiously.

“Hm. Ok. A lot further back than I was thinking.”

Which is bad. Really, really bad, because the plan had been to have Strange help him out with the aftermath — what to do, new identity, the whole shebang. Assuming he survived rushing into danger to save Matt, obviously. Only, Foggy’s about a thousand percent sure that Stephen Strange was not the Sorcerer Supreme — or, in fact, any type of Sorcerer at all — in 1996. So.

—

Which is the point that he realizes why the date is so familiar. How could he not, after spending years watching Matt try to muscle his way through his father’s death alone?

—

“I’ll trade you my watch for your bat,” he offers hastily. “Look, it’s— it’s a really expensive watch, ok, you pawn this and you could get a new bat, but I really need—“

“Yeah, alright,” the kid says, suspicious but holding out his hand for the watch.

Foggy tosses it at him, and the boy drops the bat to catch it before racing off down the street. Foggy grabs the discarded bat and hefts it over his shoulder.

“Yup, this is a terrible idea, Foggy Nelson,” he tells himself.

Not that it’s gonna stop him.

—

“You even think about touching the Murdocks again, and I’ll make you regret it,” Foggy growls, standing over the gunman and pressing the bat to his windpipe — channeling Matt’s intensity as best he can. “You tell your bosses that too.”

“Oh yeah, and you’re gonna make me you fat fu—“

And Foggy’s, you know, just not in the habit of taking that sort of verbal abuse. He gives the guy a nice hard kick in the nuts that has him swearing a blue streak.

“Dickhead.”

There’s a rough sputter of a laugh, then, but it doesn’t come from Foggy or from the goon on the ground. It comes from Jack Murdock, slowly levering up to his feet and swiping blood from his nose and mouth. He spits a glob of worryingly red saliva onto the pavement.

—

“Who are you?” Jack rasps.

He sounds, Foggy thinks with a slight pang, a little like his son after a fight. Well. His chronology’s off, Foggy supposes. Matt after a fight sounds like Jack after a fight. And speaking of chronology... He’s pretty sure telling people his actual name might make the universe implode somehow, but it’s best to give out something he knows he’ll remember to respond to.

“Percival Franklin. You can call me Percy,” Foggy says wryly, offering a hand.

Jack shakes it with a painfully familiar grin dancing at the corners of his bloodied mouth.

“Jack Murdock. But I guess you knew that already, huh.”

“Big fan of your work,” Foggy replies, totally blasé.

And he means the boxing, really he does. After all, though he’s never seen Jack Murdock box in person he’s described enough of the videos to Matt to have a pretty comprehensive understanding of the man’s career. So. Definitely the boxing. He may just also mean the very good genetics Jack passed on to his charming and insufferable vigilante son.

—

“Matty’s a good kid,” Jack says. “Deserves better than... Well. Than to have an old man like me. I’m supposed to be taking care of him, but half the time he’s the one taking care of me.”

“I knew a guy like that once,” Foggy replies quietly, neglecting to mention that the person in question is the same. “Those are the ones you’ve really gotta watch out for, huh? Real tough and independent. But if you look, they need things just like anyone even if they won’t say it. Maybe your son tries so hard to take care of you because he needs you, doesn’t like it when you’re hurt. He deserves to have a dad that loves him, and that’s exactly what he’s got. That’s what I think.”

—

“You don’t have to worry about me,” Foggy tells him.

He’s the one that should be worried. Matt’s just— so little, and Jack, despite his bulk, looks a bit gaunt around the cheekbones. Foggy wants to feed them both and bundle them in blankets, which is a terrible instinct to have when they don’t know him from Adam and all his money is decades in the future. Jack offers a familiar crooked smile that makes Foggy’s heart ache.

“Doesn’t mean I won’t. What you did for me, for my boy... Hell, I can’t pay that back. If you ever need anything...”

Foggy shuffles his feet.

“Well. Uh. If you’re offering... I could really use a place to crash for the night.”

—

A chill creeps up Foggy’s spine. After years with a superhero for a bff, he’s learned to trust his hinky gut feelings, so Foggy’s pretty sure he’s being watched. Unfortunately, the hinky gut feelings do not come with a handy compass pointing him in the direction of whoever’s creeping on him. Which is— unfortunate.

It could easily be a simple mugger, or maybe one of Roscoe Sweeney’s guys. But it might also be one of those freaky-ass Hand ninjas, attracted by the mystical weirdness of Foggy’s time traveling. It could be Stick. Somehow, that feels like the worst option of all. There’s no way he’s going to let that abusive dickhead anywhere near Matty, no way no how. He’ll— he’ll train Matty himself if he has to. Not in the martial arts stuff because that is lightyears beyond Foggy’s self-defense skill set, but... The senses. He can help with those, maybe.

—

Across town, the last of Roscoe Sweeney’s enforcers heads down a dark alley. His intention is to find somewhere to lie low, to wait out his boss’s anger and the cops’ search attempts until he can get out of town.

There’s a loud clang from behind him, and he startles, whirling around to face... Someone. Something. The darkness is too thick to pick out more than a vaguely humanoid shape.

“The— the hell do you want?”

“You went after the father and failed,” the shadowy figure growls, low and menacing. “So you came after the boy. That was a mistake.”

—

“How do you know all this stuff?” Matty demands, his fingers still sliding unerringly across the pages of his book.

For all his scholastic prowess, Foggy has never mastered reading and speaking at the same time. It was always something he’d admired about Matt, and knowing he acquired the skill so young is startling.

“I, I had a friend,” Foggy explains distractedly. “My best friend was like you.”

That makes Matty pause.

“Just like me? Even...?”

He lifts his small hands from the Braille to gesture at his ears. Foggy smiles.

“Yeah. That too. He taught me about the things that helped him.”

—

“You don’t have to be alone,” Matty says stubbornly. “You’ve got us now.”

Foggy tries hard to blink back the tears, presses a hand to his mouth for just a moment as he gulps down the sob caught in his throat.

“Yeah,” he agrees, his voice croaky and weak. “Yeah, I’ve got you now.”

—

Foggy’s never actually met Stick, and it’s not like Matt could have described what he looks like, but when an old blind dude with a perpetual scowl starts cropping up around every corner, well... A person gets Suspicions.

—

Foggy’s breath catches painfully in his chest. It’s been— years now. Foggy’s gotten what few hallucinations of his Matt’s return he was going to have out of his system.

And yet.

A familiar silhouette graces the skyline, crouched on the corner of a roof across the street — and there are two stubby little horns on his head.

Foggy can’t stop the sob building up in his throat, but he presses a hand to his mouth anyway, tries to muffle it.

“Matt...?” he chokes out once he can breathe again.

There’s a slight shift as— as Daredevil tilts his head, and then he darts away over the rooftops.

#mattfoggy #mattfoggyweek #writing #daredevil

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lanonima · 4 years ago

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Here we are again.

Easy reading - Plot-heavy is how I personally consider the plot’s intricacy and successful implementation, regardless of the author’s intention.

Golden Stage

Author: Cang Wu Bin Bai

Quality: 6

Enjoyment: 7

Comments: This one has some Sha Po Lang vibes, but the characters have more depth and chemistry. The word 'more' here is extremely relative because it's still pretty shallow. I honestly liked them both, I liked the relationship and the psuedo-rude way that they flirt entertained me. As for the plot...ehhhh. It tried. There were things that worked, but in general the plot seemed disjointed from the characters and there were a few things that had no business being there and just muddied the waters. It's not bad necessarily, it's just not very smooth. There are better political intrigues to read if that's what you want. But if you just want some sugar-sweet fluff with a backdrop of drama, then this one is perfect. My favorite scene was probably the flashback to the first few times they met, absolutely fantastic.

Would I read it again: Nah.

The reviews of things I previously read are below the cut.

Mo Dao Zu Shi

Author: MXTX

Quality: 9.5

Enjoyment: 10

Would I read it again: I’ve already read it twice, and consumed every adaptation (sometimes also multiple times)

Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System

Author: MXTX

Quality: 6

Enjoyment: 5

Tian Guan Ci Fu

Author: MXTX

Quality: 10

Enjoyment: 10

Would I read it again: I already have, was personally translating the manhua before I hurt my arms, and am eagerly awaiting the donghua this fall!

The Villain’s White Lotus Halo

Author: A Big Roll of Toilet Paper

Quality: 10

Enjoyment: 10

Would I read it again: I fully intend to once the translation is complete, and also plan to read it in Chinese later (I’ve already read certain parts in Chinese hahaha but not the whole thing)

2Ha (Husky and his White Cat Shizun)

Author: Meatbun Doesn’t Eat Meat

Quality: 8

Enjoyment: 10

Di Wang Gong Lue

Author: Yu Xiao Lanshan

Quality: 2

Enjoyment: 9

Liu Yao

Author: Priest

Quality: 6

Enjoyment: 7.5

Would I read it again: No, but I think (?) it’s supposed to get some kind of tv adaptation (drama or donghua, not sure), and if that happens, I’ll watch it.

Didn’t Know the General was Female

Author: Rong Qing

Quality: 4

Enjoyment: 6

Would I read it again: No.

Wrong Way to a Demon Sect Leader

Author: Yi Zhi Dayan

Quality: 4

Enjoyment: 7

Would I read it again: Probably not, but possibly, if the stars align.

Female General and Eldest Princess

Author: Please Don’t Laugh

Quality: 7

Enjoyment: 6

Would I read it again: Maybe, but probably not.

Sha Po Lang

Author: Priest

Quality: 7

Enjoyment: 7

Would I read it again: No. But I will watch the live action if it ever gets made.

Guardian

Author: Priest

Quality: 6

Enjoyment: 5

Would I read it again: No, but I will happily watch the live action again some day.

Jing Wei Qing Shang

Author: Please Don’t Laugh

Quality: 9.8

Enjoyment: 10

Would I read it again: 100%, I absolutely intend to read this again sometime in the future. It’s very long and very dense but delightful and ultimately worth it.

Fox Demon Cultivation Manual

Author: Feng Ge Qie Xing

Quality: 8

Enjoyment: 10

Would I read it again: Yeah I think I would be willing to read this again someday. If it gets adapted I would also consume adaptations, in addition to being interested in the other connected works.

#Golden Stage #Cang Wu Bin Bai #lano reads danmei #lano reading baihe #book reviews

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wolfthebard · 6 years ago

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War of the Spark: Mythic Review

Greetings and salutations peeps. This week, many Magic the Gathering players will get to experience that joys that is Pre-release: War of the Spark. This set has 36 Planeswalkers, and a whole bunch of other cool stuff. As a Commander player, I’m excited. So I’m going to list my thoughts and such on the Mythics, Rares, and Uncommons (with a handful of commons). This will be broken into multiple parts. Also, these thoughts for these cards are strictly on how they impact the Commander format. Today, we’ll be looking at the 15 Mythic cards of the set! Without further wait.

Ok, so this is not Green Sun’s Zenith. Zenith gives us ramp in the form of Dryad Arbor, this doesn’t. Now, this has a built in finisher. To pay 10, search a Craterhoof. Well one that’s magical holiday land, but it’s an almost guaranteed end for most players. I’d consider this a alt-second copy for Zenith, and it should find a home in many creature based decks.

I was going to end it here for this, but there’s more. This also reanimates. This is green reanimation. So this finds a home and is a great way for mono green decks to revive a Craterhoof, or something else. More applications, means more decks can play it. Rating 4/5: Not the first choice for many decks, but has a small tool box that we can use.

Ok, so this card is alright. It’s a 12 mana, significantly worse Rise of the Dark Realms. While the Green Finale is a worse Zenith, it does something more. Eternity here is a worse removal spell, and unlike Realms, it only gets your creatures back from the grave. Mono black has better answers for both targeted and board removal. I don’t see too many decks needing this. Rating 2/5. There are better options for everything this card wants to do, but if your play group doesn’t have a lot of graveyard hate, and plays low curve creatures. Maybe use this? I’d pick up a foil one, cause the art is sweet.

Oh my, this is a Decree of Justice call back. In tokens this card is great, also paying ten nets you a total of 60 power. Also, if you’re playing a competitive tokens deck, it’ll probably net you more. Paying 10 isn’t a replacement...it adds! Not much more to say, card is great for late game, and in tokens. Rating 5/5: Good card is good. Flavor text depicts the fear your opponents will feel. While this could have been an instant, I think it’s still a great card.

Man, red I think got one of the crazier cards here. The and/or clause is great. Just by paying 2, you can get a total value of (4) mana. Getting to ten, which is easy for Izzet decks, heck even mono-red decks. Allowing us to copy those spells twice is nuts. This is a real finisher, and if it resolves, you can probably K.O someone, if not the entire group. Yes, those spells go into exile, but we have cards like Ral, Izzet Viceroy can still utilize them. Rating 5/5. This is what finishers should look like. That and/or clause, it’s what makes this card good. Any spell heavy deck is going to love this card.

The last Finale. A blue, sorcery-speed draw spell. Ok, so the x makes this card cost 7, not 12. Yes, we draw 10 cards, shuffle our graveyard, and have no max hand size. I think this card is good, but we have cards like Blue Sun’s Zenith, Sphinx’s Rev, all are instant-speed, with Rev gaining us life. I feel like decks that take a lot of turns will like this card, just for the no max hand size. It’s just a bit too slow. Still, it will see play in blue decks. Rating: 3/5. While there are practical uses, there are still so many better options that can stall games, save yourself, or instant-speed. Not a bad card, but with the other options in the same budget, I’d go to those first.

First Planeswalker! Gideon deserves to be honored! Ok, reviews...breathe... 3 mana, 4/4 that can’t die on your turn, good. The fact his +1 allows us indestructible is a great trick. Yes, lifelink and vigilance is great, but I like swinging in with a big buff creature that can’t die. The -6 is nuts. Yes it takes three turns to get there, but this answers so many things; Eldrazi and other planeswalkers we don’t want to see. Rating 4/5. He’s not the best White Walker, but he has his uses. Budget voltron decks can use this, and the +1 allows us to work within a frame of getting some damage in...or you know, protecting our Commander, if only on our turn.

Pick a God and Pray! We got beef with our 5/6 with Menace. Token decks playing black...you have a new toy to draw things. Mono black decks have a card that lets them get around pacified creatures, and artifacts that they may not need anymore. As a general, it’s kinda neat that Bontu never dies really. I’d rather play Bontu in the 99, as a general it can cause people to focus their removal on us, which leads to feel bad moments. Rating 4/5: Black has a lot of draw and sac outlets, Bontu is the best of both worlds, as a general they’re a bit slow. They shine in Aristocrat decks and the like. The reasoning for not a perfect score is, it doesn’t just end the game.

This bird gives you the word. Ok, I need to point out this is like giving everything in your deck Miracle...it’s going to be annoying that your opponent has to pause draw like a character in Yu-gi-oh, so they don’t miss a trigger and or seem like they’re cheating. I love this card. So you don’t play the card, you just show it off, and pay two less. Now I am assuming that if you draw on your opponents turn, and draw a sorcery you can still cast it on their turn. I think I’m reading that right. Still the fact you can reduce the cost, keep the drawn card. This card is a great mono-blue general, or in the 99 of spell heavy decks (Niv has a friend!) The big body on this bird means it’s not going down easy. Rating 5/5. This card enables finishers, allows combo decks to go off early, and it’s “build around me” ability makes this a great general.

This is what Pusheen prays to. Creature based white decks, Heliod is a false prophet. Oketra is the God you’re looking for. Ok, it does 6 damage cause of Double strike. Cool, as a general this card is ok, but the ability to make 4/4s with vigilance is nuts. Those late game early drop creatures now pack a punch. Not much to say. You play creatures? You want more creatures? Go pet this cat...or offer it up the sparks of an Elder Dragon? Rating 5/5 Great general, great in the 99. Go for that voltron theme for whatever reason cause Oketra has double strike, or just play a bunch of low curve creatures to give you a big field.

Hello Rhonas, how are you doing? Ok, I wish it gave trample over vigilance, but I mean. It just doubles everything...and those things probably have Trample already. This is like the Green Finale. It might just be the end game right here. Rating 4/5. If it gave trample, it would be perfect. As it stands, it’s still a great finisher. I’d probably just play them in the 99. Great finisher, if you’re looking to remove things like Over-run....or just put it in an infect heavy deck...That’s just evil.

Boar God! Ok, this here is a general. Like the other Gods, if it dies somehow, it goes to the deck. Putting out free creatures will never not be good. also 6/6 trample for five mana is amazing value. Mono-red decks, you got a good general. Any creature heavy deck that plays red. Find room for this Boar. Think of all the fun stuff you can do....like just ending the turn...you know..to keep the creature. If you want other fun stuff. Cards like Panharmonicon is going to be great with all the ETB effects. Games can end quick with Illharg. Listen, this little piggy doesn’t even need to be your commander. Playing Nikya, and just don’t feel like tapping mana? BAM! Pig~ Playing Narset? BAM! Pig~ Enjoying getting them dummy thicc creatures out on the field. Rating 5/5: Where’s the Beef? It’s right here~

Bitch, I lived~ 6 mana is ok for a 6 loyality walker. Her triggered ability is amazing. We’re in the color of sacrificing our own creatures. She has two forms of built in protection, and while her Ult takes four turns to set up, it’s worth it. This is a more fair Karn Ult, and if we get there, oh boy did something bad happen. As a general (because Planeswalkers should be generals). She’s solid. With the right cards we can get her out by turn three. Even on curve, she does everything we would want. As the 99, I do miss the ability to search for a card and the discard, but gaining board presence and drawing cards is solid. Rating 5/5. She fits into so many decks. From mono black, to Golgari midrange, to anything that has creatures. Liliana shines so bright.

The big bad is here. You ready? Five mana for a 4 loyality walker is ok. The static ability to have all Planeswalker abilities is great. Noting, this goes for your opponents walkers too! Yes, there’s a build around me superfriends vibe Bolas is giving off, but, let’s break him down. His first ability is ok. The exile clause can mess with our opponents, but in Commander, we’ll lose a land and not be hurting. His second allows us to get rid of pesky cards. While not hitting artifacts or enchantments is kinda meh, it can still get rid of immediate threats. His ult is game winning, no seriously it’s in the text. I love effects that punish players for not playing their commander. Yes, this takes 5 turns (depending on if you don’t have a +2 walker out on the field). So this gives your opponents time to bring out their Commander, but Bolas is an immediate threat. Having the two of the same ability is great. Double Jace? How about Double Liliana of the Veil? Grixis walkers can really be a thing. As a general, this is flavorful. In the 99, and in the right build. This is a toolbox. Rating 4/5. Really needs supporting walkers to make Him a “God”, but still a solid card.

Reborn into what exactly? Ok, This really is a “Build” around me general. If we’re talking generals, Scion of the Ur-Dragon is the boss. Niv-Reborn can do some cool stuff, and the flavor of caring about the guilds is great. Even in the 99, I can’t see why you’d put him in a five color deck. Most already have better tutors/draw/etc. Niv is ok, but not really the “boss” we’re looking for in a general. Though I’ll admit, I’m going to brew him. Rating: 2/5 Requires a heavy build around them, that doesn’t net you a winning advantage. Art is sick, and the foil will look amazing.

It’s a bird! It’s a Human! It’s uh...cool looking? Roalesk is a neat little card. a 4/5 for 5 is solid stats for a Commander, and evasion and trample is great. The ETB to pump your guys is great and fits into already solid strategies. Ok, and when he dies you get an effect. Hm...if we send Roalesk to the Command Zone, we won’t get that effect. But, in the 99, and with a whole bunch of “Counters Matter”, this is amazing. Teaming up with Rishkar can generate a lot of mana. Also Atraxa has a new friend with all her walkers. Seriously, this set gave Atraxa so much. Rating: 4/5 A solid card in the 99, and an ok general. Has many applications, and can win games of their LTB trigger. Overall War of the Spark has some great Mythics, that help established decks and may diversify for some new ones. With a total of three lack luster ones, this set is gonna hold value. Thanks for reading. In the next article, we’ll be focusing on the rares of this set! See you then!

#mtg #magic the gathering #war of the spark #mtgwar #mtg discussion #spoilers #edh #commander

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