#also uhhh my own writing. hmm. :/

[tyrannuspitch]

musing on jotunheim again. as much as i like to talk about the thor movies as self-subverting and critical of imperialism from the beginning (which i stand by, on a thematic level!), the way the jotuns are actually portrayed is uhhh Not Great.

like. recap: they wear very little clothing, they are presented as extremely physically strong and menacing, they have very deep voices and express themselves nonverbally more than asgardians (ie they growl :/), they use ~nature magic~ and blend in with their landscape, they have very strongly distinct facial features from asgardians, and their skin is a bright colour not found among asgardians. this is... looking uncomfortable close to a racial caricature. like if you made the small but vital change of making their skin red instead of blue it would be undeniable. as it stands, it's not quite literally there, but it's got Coding for days.

and on top of that, loki, while he is a twist villain, is definitely portrayed as more sympathetic for having more human features. like... yes, he has fantasy-dwarfism or something like it and is therefore in some ways inherently vulnerable... but his vulnerability is still visually represented through less othered features, which kind of frames the other jotuns as INvulnerable - in comparison to the average asgardian, not just loki himself.

(which is also just... not true. asgardians and jotuns seem to be evenly matched on a physical level. and also the idea that physical strength is the be-all and end-all of power and vulnerability to begin with is Bad. i guess the end corrects this a little: we see jotuns screaming and fleeing the bifrost, frightened, powerless, victimised! but we still only see adult men. loki is the only jotun we see as a child, and we never see a jotun woman. where are the jotuns who aren't warriors or kings?)

also. less important. but. the jotuns do not reflect any existing culture. which, on one hand, is like. great thanks for only putting in a vague racial caricature and not a specific one 👍. but on the other hand. what are you meant to Do. with a human AU loki.

like obviously step one is dialling down the formerly-space racism by a factor of about a hundred lmao. but like even if you do somehow manage to handle his whole deal sensitively... if asgard = scandinavia, what is jotunheim. what IS loki's culture. is he sami? is he white-passing mixed inuit? it's pretty damn significant that jotunheim has its own monarchist + imperialist past and was originally a competitor to asgard, so should he just be, like, a different scandinavian nationality from odin? or maybe russian or something? but then there isn't racism to deal with. potentially some level of linguistic/cultural shame, sure, but no accusations of devil worship, no dehumanisation via race science, etc. nothing quite fits.

or even disregarding AUs, what real-world culture can/should you draw on to flesh out jotunheim, if any? is it inappropriate to do so at all when they're treated SO horrifically and they're also, you know, Blue Fantasy Aliens. or is it erasive to act like scandinavian colonialism is pure fantasy with no real-world implications. OR is it inappropriate to draw on real-world indigenous peoples for a fantasy history that doesn't reflect their actual history very well at all (see above: nothing fits.)

a thought i had recently was that the combination of blue skin, gold body jewellery, and warriors wearing very little clothing actually resembles descriptions of ancient celts (with either tattoos or body paint). and i feel like having some historical basis for jotun warriors, even if it's centuries apart from the viking inspiration of asgard, can maybe slightly improve on what's currently there. but equally, that's still a description from an imperialist (roman) perspective and i'm pretty sure its accuracy is... controversial?

yeah. a conundrum! i have no solutions at present i'm just thinking about it all. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[apollo-just-ice]

10 people I’d like to get to know better

Tagged by @strix-x thank youuu :)

Last song: Calisto Yew’s theme from Ace Attorney Investigations 1. Listening to it as I type this, lol. From my Spotify Wrapped 2024 playlist :)

Favourite colour: don’t do this to me… many colours are beautiful… green, blue, pink, purple… thank you…

Last book: Still something I’ve gotta work on is reading more books. Last one I read was the Doctor Who Rogue novelization! That was enjoyable, I liked the extra scenes and backstory it added :)

Last movie: Uhhh hmm I don’t see movies all that often… I’m unsure, but by tomorrow the answer will be Wicked?

Last show: Dandadan season 1 finale… which, tbh, I hadn’t realized was the season finale until after I watched the episode lol! Very looking forward to season 2 tho :D

Sweet/spicy/savoury: Hmm probably savoury? Sweet is also good, tho I think there is definitely a thing as too sweet… and as for spicy? I like some spicy stuff even tho it may burn my mouth after loll

Relationship status: single as can be 😽✌️ alas

Last thing I googled: movie theatre tickets lol

Current obsession(s): Dandadan beloved omg… I haven’t watched a lot of anime, but I’m starting to! Grateful netflix recommended this to me lol, it’s so. It’s got everything you could ask for. Wacky, funny, has a lot of heart with the characters… great music… and maybe I’m a little bit of a sucker for high school students getting pulled into crazy adventures. Momo and Okarun are so cute too… sillies <3

Fire Emblem Heroes isn’t going anywhere for me… with Book 9 having a law theme, it excellently combines with my love for Ace Attorney, and I love Rune already!!

Then ofc Ace Attorney… had a blast playing the Investigations Collection, and I’m continuing to catch up (the timing is almost never right for me to watch live) on Mark Ota’s streams of TGAAC, which are always a ton of fun :D

Then I am also trying to now and then write stuff for my own ocs too… I don’t talk about them enough… but I love them very much, please do know <3 Maybe I show a bit of favouritism for Willow and Pyg, but hey, they are the main characters :3

People to tag: ack my least favourite part, I always fear I’ll forget someone!

@rosymaraschino (I want to return the favour, I appreciate it whenever you tag me in one of these kinds of things! :) )

@ actually anyone else, my mind is blank </3

[mer-acle]

Do you have any athena hcs?

Uhhh

How much time do you have lol

I'll try to list the short ones so this post doesn't get too long. Due to writing about her a lot I have a lot of lore lmao

1. Athena is the eldest child (Hephaestus born shortly after her). Nobody who's spoken to her once would expect anything else honestly

2. At the time of the Odyssey she's about 4000 years old (No reason or proof I just decided) Her first 200 years give or take were spent with Triton (read: Pallas)

3. She only got assigned with Warfare as her domain after officially joining Olympus

4. Her emotional distance with her siblings is partly due to Pallas trauma, and partly due to Zeus liking to "keep her to himself" (read: isolated as the favorite). She gets along best with Hermes and Hephaestus (yes, I refuse to accept Erechtonius happened) bc the former is just as chaotic as herself and the latter shares her creativity and both don't ask for a big commitment from her (again. No Erechtonius and no arranged marriages in my plotline let me have this)

5. Dislikes being touched. Her siblings learn to accept it, Zeus does not. She doesn't try to enforce it with him. (Yes in every iteration of her that I will ever write, there will be a touch-starved to hug plotline sue me. I need therapy)

6. Never braids her hair. She used to have braids when with Pallas, but since then she has never worn her hair this way again. She also wears it quite a bit shorter than she used to back then.

7. Her grey eyes are inherited from Métis. They also glow in the dark. She has perfect night vision.

8. Perfect memory. Also she has bird's eye view versions of even her own memories (hc that one of her domains is history so that's why) It's how she found out that Zeus interfered with Pallas's death.

9. Used to have an Oceanic themed armor before joining Olympus (Métis made it for her) She allows Hephaestus to make her a new one, shedding the Ocean symbols in an effort to please Zeus.

10. Connected to her status as a virgin goddess but in contrast to Artemis, Athena dresses pretty covered up, doesn't undress even for bathing (in ancient Greece sometimes you'd keep your chiton on as a sort of bathing suit almost, but being naked was more common) (also this is not 'purity' stuff btw I just get that vibe from her, Artemis, literally go off queen you're doing great)

11. Classic but good, cocks her head like an owl like all the time. Also says "hmm" a lot (intonation may vary)

12. (Remember, my hc, you can do whatever you like) I think all the virgin goddesses are acespec/arospec in some capacity, but Athena is the cut and dry aro/ace/repulsed one. Like... It's a big fat no from her (I'm projecting hard btw)

Anyway twelve seems like a good number I hope you like them :) I picked those that aren't specific to Epic and can be applied to myth!Athena too

[ninnosaurus]

Yo NINNO! It’s turtle tats!

If you’re still doing the pining prompt request, can I ask for Bayverse Mikey and…. “You like them, don't you?" "I-...no. Possibly. Maybe. Fine, yes." "Hmm, why don't you tell them?" "I can't, I don't want to ruin what we have for what I wish to have. They wouldn't. They could never like me back like that."

🫶🏼💚🫵🏼✨

HI TATTIE

Yeh, lets go! I had some trouble with this because I had this clear scene in my head but it was harder to write out than I thought it would be so ahahaaha 🫠 Hope you like it though <333

Contains: Bay!Mikey and Leo. Leo being a lil shit. Pining. Mikey is a lil sad :( but its okay. Gender neutral... uhhh... Leo is wearing grey sweatpants, iykyk 😏 AN: The link provided in the text is for a simple google search to show what kind of "scratch art" I mean in case anyone doesn't know what it is.

“There you are.” 

“Huh? Oh, hi Leo.”

Mikey looked up at his oldest brother. “Didn't think you liked going up here unarmed.” 

The eldest was unusually dressed down for going topside. While Mikey was correct that he didn't like going topside without his gear, he also didn't feel like putting it all on after a shower. Only putting on a pair of sweats and slippers and letting his blue mask hang from his neck. Leo chuckled and patted Mikey's head before sitting down on the ledge. 

“I got my stars on me.” 

The brothers sat in silence for a while. Watching a cat jump down from a reeling. Some people laughed at a party somewhere as a glass broke. 

Leonardo glanced down at how Mikey turned his phone around in his hands. 

“You're uncharacteristically quiet tonight, Mikey. Are you okay?” He leaned back on his hands to give his baby brother some space. 

It was like Mikey's entire being deflated. He wasn't new to showing his feelings, the only one who bested him in emotions was Raphael.  He looked down at the device in his hand, pressing the lock button to check for messages. But like it had been the past four hours, it was empty. 

“ ‘m good.” 

“You sure?”

“...no.” 

“Wanna talk ‘bout it?” Leo glanced at Mikey's back as he fiddled with his own phone before putting it down next to him. 

The youngest shrugged. “I don't know what's there to talk about, bro. I sent them a text four hours ago. Still no answer.” 

His brother hummed. 

“You like them, don't you?” 

Michelangelo turned sharply back to look at his brother. “I-... No. Possibly. Maybe. Fine, yes.” He groaned at the shit eating grin and laugh Leo shot him before he turned back to look at the street below again. “Very funny…” 

Leo tapped the screen on his phone again. “Hmm, why don't you tell them?” 

Orange threw his hands up. “I can't! I… Don't want to ruin what we have for what I wish to have.” He unlocked his phone and navigated to his photos. A sigh leaving him as he looked at a picture he'd taken off you in secret. Bathed in fairy lights, a look of concentration on your face as you were nose deep in a scratch art piece. “They wouldn't. They could never like me back like th-” 

His heart nearly jumped out his chest and he almost dropped his phone when a call came in with your name on it. 

You barely gave him time to say “hi” when he answered it. 

“You like me?” 

Leonardo held his phone up to Mikey's face, showing a conversation between him and you illuminating the youngest face. 

Sent 10:45 PM hey, I'm calling you. But don't speak, alright? 

adopted annoyance 10:46 PM Okay? Why? 

Sent 10:46 PM Just listen to me

adopted annoyance 10:48 PM  Fine fine 🙄 

The look on Mikey's face when he realized what Leo had done would forever be ingrained in his mind. He laughed before whispering “good luck, lil bro. See ya at home”, turned and began to walk back home to the lair.

Tag list :3 : @avery73 @thelaundrybitch @the-cauldron-witch @redsrooftopprincess @thegirlwiththeninjaturtletattoos Please let me know if I missed you c:

[littencloud9]

fanfic writer interview!

tagged by @frankenjoly ! tysm hehe <3

—

how many works do you have on ao3?

88! but i think there’s a few on anon

your top 5 stories by kudos/likes:

grimaces. these r not my best works bUT

[T] you’re the one that never lets me roam || voltron, klance || 5.1k

[T] in the heat of your electric touch || bsd, sskk || 2.6k

[G] mortal bodies, timeless souls || voltron, klance || 3.4k

[T] move fast, keep quiet || bsd, sskk || 8.4k

[T] smoke in the summer rain || atla, zukka || 5.1k

do you respond to comments? why or why not?

usually yes!! comments are fun and make me happy :)

what’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

hmm… i don’t really write angsty fics but maybe this one:

[T] [vlog 002] melancholia || voltron, keith-centric (implied klance) || 1.1k

what’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

almost all of them /hj. i love my blorbos happy

do you write crossovers?

not really but i’m open to the idea!

have you ever received hate on a fic?

i feel like i have but i don’t remember akdjfkd 😭

do you write smut? if so, what kind?

yes… every once in a blue moon. what kind? um. the kind that makes my heart happy :)

have you ever had a fic stolen?

other than that one time where a bunch of fics were getting uploaded to that other site. i sure hope not

have you ever had a fic translated?

yes!!

have you ever co-written a fic before?

nope. i think that would intimidate the hell out of me but it does sound fun skdjfk

what’s your all-time favourite ship?

GOD don’t do this to me. okay idk about all-time favourite but itafushi holds a very special place in my heart

what’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

kicks rock. so many. i have a kunichuu high school AU that i’d love to get back to someday. maybe 1000 years later </3

what are your writing strengths?

uhhh. i’ve been told my fics flow easily and that i’m good at writing chaotic friend group dynamics a lot :)

what are your writing weaknesses?

an absolute inability to shut up /lh. also i think i need to work on my vocab. i keep using the same words,, snorfles. and i can’t do purple prose for the LIFE of me

what are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

i tend to use japanese honorifics in my own writing or chinese family terms like jiejie, only cause i’m familiar with those 😭 i think it’s a cool detail in fics! though i do appreciate translations in the a/n if possible so the exact intention comes across bc google translate is unreliable lol

what’s a fandom/ship you haven’t written for yet but want to?

fandom: MORIARTY THE PATRIOT 😭😭 it’s one of my all-time favourite animangas EVER i’m just so busy with other fics djfjfj. also blue lock and alien stage but i’m in fandom events for them so there Will be fics soon

ships: god there is just TOO MANY. atsulucy and odango and odaran from bsd, matsuhana and kiyoyui from haikyuu, bachirinsagi and karahio and otokara from blue lock, to name a few

what’s your favourite fic you’ve written?

ahhh this is so hard. either one of these:

[G] every kiss, it gets a little sweeter || haikyuu, oisuga || 10.3k

[G] i’ll be summer sun for you forever || bsd, kunikidazai || 10.7k

—

no pressure tags: @bnesszai @zukkaoru @ixapixie !!

[jazzyblusnowflake]

Is there a ship you DON’t like? From what I've seen you seem to like many, even J x N from what I understood!

hmm. good question uhhh XD k here we go uh.

i dont usually like to talk about ships i DONT like because i dont wanna ruin anyone elses experience- its just unnecessary and unless somone asks me specifically i wouldnt share.

[also under cut cuz i ramble alot lmao]

can you tell im very enthusiastic about shipping and character dynamics? 🥺👉👈

now codegold and Jenvy and fullcompany or Luzi or Vhad even are all crackships, hell even Jessa is almost in the crackship area because some of the characters involved are either not fully developed or did not have any significant screentime and its up to the fan/consumer/writer to make their own assumptions and character developments.

i vibe with almost... most crackships? lol, because the fact that they are between characters who have very little canonical and/or meaningful interactions, therefore as a writer i get to think and develop my own interactions where... things yknow... "DEVELOP" XD like how some ppl take backgeound characters from mlp and give them and entire lore and backstory XD

like J and Tessa and even Thad who were very one dimensional and barely there. we cant even talk about J cuz liam straight up assasinated her entire poor fucking character. she has no rhyme or reason or purpose for doing any of the things she did thats why its not easy to like her for the sake of liking her.

meanwhile everyone likes villains like azula, idk catra, bill cypher, invader zim- not necessarily cuz they "have backstories" but because they made SENSE in their respective settings and what people KNEW of them. J.... J makes no sense 😭 Liam essentially didnt give us anything on her for us to connect any dots about her- especially not after somewhat hyping the character up to be AS important as the other cast but then she was just... literally tossed in the scrap dump of the planet. also Thad and a bit of Lizzy and Doll- ive been trying to develop them for a few weeks now for my MD re-writing plans and it has been HARDDD they make no sense in a setting where everything is just for gags and jokes.

but i digress- what i mean to say is- i like crackships cuz i get to MAKE the characters as i enjoy them >:"3 i love writing and doing character studies!

this all being said... i dont blame people for disliking a ship. for some reason shipping characters from shows fucking takes away years of your life- esp when you see one you dislike and your brain cant even bring a goddamn reason for why you hate the ship in the first place- so i genuinely advise people who dislike a ship to just avoid it- breathe XD maybe block the tags- dont interact so the algorythm doesnt try to bother you- tell your friends to not talk about it with you maybe- and overall internet hygiene- you dont need to try and convince yourself to like it unless you want to- but dont bother others about it.

and with all this being said now the ships "I" personally dislike are...

Vizzy, Noll, and Khori....

.....yep.

i wont elaborate on WHY i dislike them so much to the point that i had to unfollow some people just to maintain my sanity, but the thing is sometimes brain isnt convinced with "logic" so big whoop 🤷‍♀️ such is life. hope people who enjoy them have fun tho<3

hope this was helpful 👌

[fakesimp]

Hiya !!! i love your account so much <33 keep what your doing because you’re doing great !!

may i ask for a fluff with a bit of smut with Aster ? as far as i know you didn’t do one with him so why not ^^

Thigh highs, with Aster Arcadia

Warning !

Slight nsfw ; Fluff ; Flirty ! Clingy ! Aster ; Kissing ; Mentions of Handcuffs ; Mentions of Sex ; Established Relationship

A/n !

I have no idea what to write for him but this is, what I could think of-

Also uhhh, the title and the content utc might be a bit, off.. apologies (⁠╯⁠︵⁠╰⁠,⁠) , also thank you for the kind words !! I'll try my best anon 💜 hehe

I hope you like this anon !

➶◜◝➴

"Baabeee"

He called you, your Beloved Starlight from upstairs, loud enough that you can hear him all the way downstairs. It took you a moment before going to where he is, "What's wrong Aster?" You asked as you walk down the hallway and stopped in the middle. Waiting for his reply, "Over hereee" he replied in his streaming room.

You went over to the room and peeked inside to see him on the couch, looking at his own legs, that's, wearing..

Thigh highs.

"Hi babe~ look at the new thigh highs i bought~~" he said as his eyes sparkle, you blinked, and slowly closing the door.

Taking a deep breath before opening it again, making the male letting out a small chuckle. "Why so shy, I haven't even done anything yet.." he said making you stopped walking for a moment before you continue approaching him, "So why did you call me here?" You tried to avoid his flirtatious remarks.

"Hm~ here, take this" he didn't push further on the flirting, for now. At least, that's what you thought. And you look at what he gave you, "Wh, ...at am i suppose to do with, these again." You hesitantly asked as you stare at the thing he gave you. "Use it, what else you should do with handcuffs." He said and slowly smirks at you, you look back at him. Mouth slightly agape, you tried to reply but no words are coming out.

"Me? Using the handcuffs or you-" you stopped half way and look down on the handcuffs, He then chuckled, "You're so cute babe, asking for everything. I'm just kidding, put it on the table there, and come hereee.." he said as he gesture you to come closer.

"I want cuddles." He said as he did the doe eyes at you, you slightly bit your lower lip. And went to him and pull him up from the couch, "if you want to cuddle, let's cuddle in the bedroom.." you said as you gently hold his hand and led both you and him to your shared bedroom.

. . .

"Mm, this is nice.." he said as he snuggle up to you, him slightly pushing his head under your chin, his arms around your waist, his legs entangled itself around yours. You can feel the thigh highs material brushing against your legs, "Mhm.. are you going to sleep?" You asked as you ran a hand through his hair, it's so soft.

"Well, that was the plan, what? Did you want me to do something else instead..??"

"Nevermind go to sle-- mmh-!?"

"Hmm.. I change my mind,

... wanna do it? Hehe."

©fakesimp . 2023

A/n !

There we go ! I am sorry in advance if he's ooc, i tried my best (⁠´⁠；⁠ω⁠；⁠｀⁠) I hope this exceeds your expectations

[anirritant]

another thing i was gonna organically explain through writing but it's too hard so im just gonna info dump shh

ok so. side effects of being attacked whilst travelling through dimensional holes. i have an idea for this for my au. i didn't think too hard on it so there might be holes in my reasoning bc im stupid but shut up you don't see the holes LOL

so. darkrai. his thing is nightmares. nightmares are dreams, dreams come from the subconscious mind, the subconscious mind draws from memory. so then my logic for my au is that, because it was darkrai attacking the hero, the side effects came in the form of permanent alterations to the hero that are directly related to darkari's powers.

his power over the subconscious mind, and therefore memories, led to amnesia.

(but why'd they also turn into a pokemon? uhhh something something, turning into something else is a common thing that happens in dreams, so that then manifested in reality??? shut up idk lol)

this leads into my explanation for darkrai's dimensional holes now being interdimensional in my au. it's because he was attacked by palkia specifically.

there isn't an explanation for him opening dimensional holes in the first place so i'm just leaving that blank LOL but him having that ability to begin with means he already had some ability to manipulate time. being attacked by the god of space whilst inside a dimensional hole led to that existing ability mutating, and now his own dimensional holes can cross into different realities altogether.

(hmm i might use this idea as an explanation for the hero's dimensional scream and darkrai's dimensional holes actually.. like at some other point far in the past they both got hit by dialga which led to them developing these time-related traits. not sure. i might also retroactively make darkrai's dimensional holes a different colour to signify that they've been permanently altered in some way hmm)

[silverwarewolf]

🥀 - Favorite unusual compliment? (ie "You're crunchy")

💎 - Favorite thing about yourself? (Appearance, personality, etc)

and

🎀 - What character do you feel represents NPD best?

:3

Yes, yes, thanks for the ask!! For the many questions!! I love answering questions!! Ask game here.

I have the same energy as a hamster who is being studied, sometimes. Which does tie into the first question.

🥀- Well, I love compliments in general. Surprising, right? (/sarcasm). But this is about unusal compliments. There's one that I have gotten textually which was "you need to be studied in a lab," and honestly, yes! It reminds me of that one scene in b99 where Gina has the attention of an entire group of professionals.

There's also the category of compliments that are normal ones but said in a freaked out tone. For example, when I mention some strange and unusual fact and people are like "you're so knowledgeable" but they have visibly been dealt psychic damage by what I just said. It's fun!

Last but not least, frogboiling. "You talk so much about [strange and unusual topic] that I like it now / am desensitized to it / think about it sometimes" is HELL YEAH from me. Alas, I suppose it starts to veer away from "unusual compliment" territory.

💎- I feel like a cat who has been given a sack of catnip?? Hello?? Mm, well. is it cheating when I say "my vibe"? Perhaps if I specifically say "being reliable / dependable / a role model," which I know I am.

I've taught people how to cook / bake. I've taught people how to paint and write and sew. I am always ready to offer good advice, an ear to listen, a shoulder to cry on, etc. I have very sharp senses so I can help people identify smells / flavors / sounds from really far away / who is walking nearby. I know various methods of healing! And uhhh I also think I'd make a great parent someday teaching so many skills - and singing, boy I can't wait to sing lullabies I know they would love my lullabies.

🎀- hmm! hmm hmm hmm let me think... i rarely retain information about characters who are canonically disordered, and there's also the whole "good representation" nuance aspect... not to mention that i'm sure my other disorders also change the ways i act, lmao!

all this to say that this comes from a personal feeling of "oh yeah it would be so tasty if this character had npd, they own it, i love it."

of course, shout out to my boy narcissus who was so upset about the inexistence of clonefucking that he died <- GREATLY EXAGGERATED SUMMARY OF THE MYTH at least the version i know

Okina Matara, from Touhou Project. Ah, I could ramble for hours about this series if given the opportunity, but I shall not. Instead, quote the wiki, she has no mercy for disrespect and graciously blesses those she favors, is ostentatious, prideful, confident, self-centered, a mastermind of incidents, has connections to MANY parts of the lore and mythology, and ultimately her first appearance was all about drawing attention and reverence to herself. Plus, she has a canonical connection to disabilities!

Yukari Yakumo / Maribel Hearn, also from Touhou Project. Ditto, I will mostly quote the wiki. She is a mastermind, has incredible intellect, very abstract and private goals, a facade of whimsy and deceit while also actively enjoying making others fear her, and is generally considered as someone who calls the shots. She also has quite the flowery language. Furthermore, as Maribel, she is othered for her tastes / demeanor / abilities, and textually calls herself a celebrity who should be indulged.

Asuka Langley, from Evangelion. Mainly Soryu, as I've yet to watch the rebuild movies, but from what I hear, they don't change her personality that much. Anyhow. The very explicit need for attention and praise, and huge dependance on her self worth (and others' acknowledgement of her worth) is very npd to me. Granted, given the nature of Evangelion, going in depth about the characters' psyches is... a complex venture.

Lapis Lazuli, from Houseki no Kuni. Oh boy oh boy I LOVE HnK, it has such WONDERFUL themes of body horror and existentialism and peace. Anyway. Quote the wiki. He has a charming, leading personality, extremely smart, curious, and at times manipulative. They have been called surprisingly deceitful (could conceal secrets for centuries). So yeah, I love him.

Ahaha, I rambled on quite a bit, didn't I? Again, thanks for the ask!!

[not-poignant]

For the behind the scenes asks 20, 21 & 26 about A Stain That Won't Dissolve please!! <slightly obsessed w it rn

Ahhh - so I have 21 in the queue, it's coming! The TL;DR for that one is 'I didn't expect so many people to apologise for the way the town behaves towards Alex, and it's like watching abuse apologism and self-defense of inaction around familial abuse in real time, which is a weird phenomenon that happens sometimes when you write trauma narratives.'

20. What is something you wish more people noticed about this fic?

Hmm.

I don't know if it's something I wish for, so much as something that I think people don't notice as much and I think it would be interesting if they did.

Things like... it's a shame more people don't realise that the reason Alex isn't a 'good communicator' is because no one in that town is except for maybe Dr Harvey. Even Haley, who is getting better, is a people pleaser who undercut herself and her skills all her life. People can't learn what isn't around them to learn. So when I get comments like 'I wish Alex would just open up to these people in the town' I can't help but always think: 'Why would he based on how the town has treated him for a solid 25 years.'

For me, connecting these dots naturally flows together, but I've had 10 years of practice writing trauma recovery, and 43 years of practice experiencing many different kinds of abuse and many different flavours of trauma recovery and I think, actually, I now have a weird skillset in this area that other folks don't have, or don't even know exist. So it's not something I 'wish' they noticed because firstly it would likely mean more readers who are victims, but secondly, I also appreciate having this be something more subtle, and it's not like I'm upset or angry when people say that Alex is the poor communicator because like, he is. He's a symptom of the entire town.

So it's like, it's normal for people to notice what's right in front of them (Alex not communicating well and then thinking his problems would be solved if he just talked about stuff, because there's this presumption that everyone wants to listen if he'd just...talk), that's actually the fun part of writing? I love the comments people leave so much, and I learn a ton, and I love the insights folks share. I'm sure people are noticing a lot of stuff like this and just not saying so. Especially folks who have lived these situations and just can't be fucked talking about it in comments because life's hard. (And it's also possible to notice that and still be mad or frustrated that Alex doesn't communicate more).

I don't think there's really anything else though. I think that's partly because I'm not... uhhh, sitting there going 'PLEASE NOTICE THIS' because the gift of writing serials for the most part is pivoting when people aren't noticing something subtle, and thinking 'this might be me not meeting the reader where they are, I can step it up in the next chapter.' So, I feel like I flow towards pushing the things I want people to notice or gravitate towards, and as a result, they almost always do.

And with the stuff they don't, there's usually extremely understandable life-experienced-based reasons for that!

...This response is really long x.x

26. Wild Card! I'll tell you a fun fact about this fic!

I have actually always imagined Alex and Sebastian making out together. I imagined it even before I wrote The Wind that Cuts the Night, but Alex/Sebastian fics existed, I didn't like them (no shade to those authors, but I clearly wanted a very specific crunchy kind of angsty toppy Sebastian fic and very understandably no one was writing my fantasies they were writing their own lmao), and I thought Elliott/Alex would be faster to write. (It was).

That's actually one of the reasons I make it clear that Sebastian is gay and topping the farmer in The Wind that Cuts the Night! And also why I felt it was important for Alex to know that. Even back then, I couldn't resist just a little tiny glimmer of some kind of chemistry, even if it was just friendship chemistry.

I find Sebastian really annoying as a spouse. He's one of my favourite NPCs to romance, and my least favourite to marry of the ones I marry. The storyline of Martingale divorcing him is based off me daydreaming about doing that (I can't because it's mean) in one of my farms. I found him cold and detached compared to many other NPC spouses, and too work-focused. So the premise of an older Sebastian recovering from being divorced for these exact flaws was extremely appealing and vindicating to me. Most people don't feel the same way about in-game Sebastian as I do, but I'm like 'you have so much potential and then oh no.' It turned out Martingale felt that way too, and eventually did something about it.

And that gave me a really flawed Sebastian to work with and that's been awesome.

I did always imagine him as being a dominant/top/sadist though. It's actually really hard for me to imagine him as anything else.

I don't think this fact is fun but it is a fact! Sebastian is a character I love but he's also literally 'I can improve him' and this fic is me doing that lol

~

From this meme!

[tideswept]

Was tagged by a few people for this so... time to nerd out. :D

What’s up readers?! How about a little show and tell? Answer these 13 questions, tag 13 lucky readers and if you’re feeling extra bookish add a shelfie! Let’s Go!

Last book I read: Fever by Jordan L. Hawk (Wow, that was... a while ago. Hertie can tell you.)

A book I recommend: uhhh this is highly dependent on genre and who I'm recommending this to! but off the top of my head I GUESS--

The Princess Bride by William Goldman if you want a gentle, humorous, fantasy reading. (recommended for fans of 80s/90s fantasy films)

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller if you want to have a good time with absurdist comedy that then destroys you :] (recommended for fans of MASH that didn't hate the finale)

Summer of Night by Dan Simmons for Kids In A Horror Situation Doing Something About It (recommended for fans of It and Stranger Things.)

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier for good ol' fashioned classic gothic/mystery. (recommended for... hmm. People who like to see things go to pieces in unexpected ways?)

A book that I couldn't put down: I generally read books in one sitting. So most of them?

A book I've read twice or more: I reread books consistently. If it's out somewhere I can reach for it, I'll just start reading it again. But uhhh the Chronicles of Narnia? Definitely reread those a lot.

A book on my TBR: Sabriel by Garth Nix.

A book I've put down: Not too many, but I definitely have. I forget them pretty quickly.

A book on my wish list: Once upon a time I would have said Strange Fate by L.J Smith. For the wee me that waited 20+ years for it, if it ever does come out, I'll absolutely read it. Just not excited for it anymore.

A favorite book from childhood: A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett. One of the rare occasions I love the book and the movie equally.

A book you would give to a friend: INDECISION PARALYSIS AHOY. I dunno, honestly. All my friends are very different people. No one book fits all.

a book of poetry or lyrics that you own: none :( I should! But I don't.

a non-fiction book you own: Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg.

What are you currently reading: Don't Look Now by Daphne du Maurier. I'm always surprised that she was such a modern writer.

What are you planning on reading next? Either The Broken Girls by Simone St. James or Burn for Me by Ilona Adrews. (Yes, friend, FINALLY) Maybe also a reread of Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel, but in english, this time. First and last time I read it I was 8. Probably due for a revisit.

TAGGING: @heretolurkandnothingmore, @jamesbbarne @dark--whisperings @usakostar @thedunesea @sugarpsalms @skyerie @mollysunder @silvipeppers @darthwillies @eggchayi @laysidel-dekie @barmadumet and anyone else that feels like doing it. <3

[thespiral]

OKAY I found my notebook so I didn’t have to put it in a napkin but. BUT

CHAINSAW MAN AU FRESNO BABYYYY I got it down finally after mulling it over my head for 50000 years and inspired from @sugar-grigri’s incredible write up on how a love devil would look like/function which was genius and absolutely helped with doing the connections that were missing and also taking elements from @krokaxe’s genesis Fresno design that still lives in my head rent free it’s so good

it's due a lot of retooling to make it feel Complete and not just like sketchy wip but it's perfect for now and maybe ill see to pulling it together

they’re the love. Fiend? Host? Hybrid? Something like that. They have a lot going on and I’m genuinely just going to throw up like 50000 lines about their design that is (more or less) wip since I still have to design the butterfly wing design since I didn’t have any proper ideas atm and see if I cram anymore heart motifs in there BUT. It’s here and I am sooo excited to ramble about it. Under the cut for everyone’s sake :3 also chainsaw man spoilers. smile

SO. i definitely did want to make fresno the love devil because they are ofc afraid of love and attachment and i love beating them with the irony stick so love devil/love fiend it was, msotly because they have extremely complicated feelings towards love and attachment because they both crave it and are scared of it, and with me reading on i figured going with a fiend/host situation would be fun. in the storyline in my head the love devil, a primal fear either pulls a pochita and escapes hell or lets itself be cut down to reincarnate into the world, maybe seeking this idea of like. experiencing how Humans Do and it's the idea of like, dying to be humanized but also struggling with it

which is very funny because fresno is the worst person they could have encountered for that, in my head its maybe like a contract maybe like a fiend takeover, but it's a little more arai/violence than asa/yoru, something something union/fusion/togetherness but i'm getting ahead of myself. fresno is deeply afraid and skittish of love and affection and also bugs. because ever since tma i want to torture them a little with the corruption just 4 laffs. so maybe the contract goes awry or it merges them

so a lot of the design is pulling from genesis which is kind of a personal bad end for fresno since it's a lot like. marriage. union. but kind of like a bitter idolization of like this like "wife"/virgin image that they come to hate, so the crown/chain halo. the chain halo is kind of pulling a motif from other pieces that i just kinda imagined since they are in the legion but uhhh love & control. iykyk. i figured that it was a good base to start with though i was split with going with the idea of maybe more classical devil since demons/devils are one of their Themes but then i thought nah lets beat them with the irony stick more. so they're angelic looking BUT with a broken halo completed with a chain. union. marriage. fusion. a middle ground between them

the butterfly motif really tied it all together though that FUCKS. mostly because fujimoto's fiend designs are simplistic but in a way that's kinda hard to nail down and i think tying the design to expressions is so cool and it added like entire layers of complexity to it all because like, butterflies in your stomach, but also butterflies also drink blood, love is blind and i didn't illustrate it but they're supposed to have the eye camo some butterflies have (its also why the butterfly wings are backwards) and also, heart motifs and their own personal gripes because fresno HATES being seen as weak and butterflies are very fragile.

maybe behind the wings they also have tears as a genesis element as well. hmm much to think about. i also wondered if they'd look too silly but i mean, yoru.

so maybe they can look a little silly. or maybe make the eyes ringed like the horsemen because. well. gay shit. they don't have eyes for anyone else.

the veil connecting their crown is also like vaguely "insect wing" looking but also heart looking. also i liked the idea of either some live butterflies or butterfly decorations on them so they didn't look so plain. their hair is also like, Iconic so i wanted to push that so the curls are vaguely heart looking, it's a little overshadowed by the butterfly sketch lines but there's at least a few i tried to put in.

in my head they do have the powers of like, blindness, frenzy, control (lol), but another i imagine would be the idea to give and take love, like imagine. for example. if you were a person that hadn't experienced love in a meaningful way and then you just like Feel it. all of it. love and warmth and togetherness in the blindest, purest, most unconditional way beamed directly into your head and then. it's gone. forever. unless...

the idea of fixation and people being fixated on them is also one of their Themes and like, in the vaf suspended in gaffa/mama animatic that exists only in my head the idea of like control devil (not the canon ones. in this one it's a whole other guy) being attracted to love first for power (since love and control DO go together in some scenarios) but also falling victim to their power as well is funny and i like that, and idea of losing yourself to another, where does one begin and the other end is like. well. incredibly up my alley. also just like getting the taste of something you've never experienced yourself but also twisted in its own way (in my head, there's the lyric in suspended in gaffa of "not till i'm ready for you" which is the singer addressing this like, higher power of something they want to have/see (in the song it's implied to be a glimpse of god) and they would have to work for their reward, but taking that and changing it into the speaker being the higher power addressing the singer feels like the type of shakeup that would be going thru a control's lens maybe. also using the idea of a transforming devil maybe a secondary power of transformation (haha, butterflies also represent that/reincarnation) as a loved one OR. the Potential of them as a loved one. fresno has the terrible luck of attracting people who love/value them for what they Can be or what they Could have been, and having the butterfly maybe swap designs or transform or be blank could be something like that. wanting someone to see behind the curtain, not shy away from who they Really Are Right Now. consider that another stick

there's also the aspect of union/fusion/togetherness tha i just. love. so i had to do it. something about tying together two beings, till death do us part, maybe the creation of a whole new thing since i'm insane and would like to tie the vaflings into it because of course i would

i think there would be a whole struggle of being afraid of what you represent/embody and acceptance and a lot of other things.

this turned out to be like a massive rambling thing SORRYYYYY i like talking about this a lot if you've read this far thank you and you havent thank you regardless. i'm soooo glad and excited to have a proper design to put in the grinder now

[m3rricat]

fic writer asks! (Also happy thanksgiving! Hope it's chill/festive/enjoyable!)

4, 12, 26, 28

Thank you so much for the questions! And yes, I got to see family I love hanging out with (and don't get the chance to nearly enough!). Hope your Thanksgiving was great too!

4. a story idea you haven’t written yet

Hmm I've already mentioned my tavstarion gothic horror AU idea; the only other thing I have kicking around in my head at the moment is a super self-indulgent little epilogue for Cat and Astarion sometime within the first year of their relationship. There's no overarching plot to really summarize it, but it would start with Astarion coming back after being gone to the underdark for a month or two to check on the spawn so I can write a sweet/sexy reunion (SELF. INDULGENT.) in the meantime Cat will have been trying to get the nerve to get back on stage and somehow convinced the powers that be to let her have the run of the (totally anachronistic) symphony hall at night for like, exposure therapy basically? And of course Astarion would tag along, there would be tooth-rotting fluff and meaningful convos both, and the whole thing would end with her first performance etc etc. It's pretty fully-formed in my head, we'll see if/when I write it down!

12. a trope you’re really into right now

uhhh I've been outlining my gothic!tavstarion thing so I'd have to say yearning. all of it all the time, until it hurts :)

26. are you able to write with other people around?

I can definitely write in a cafe or library where it's expected to do your own thing, but if I'm hanging out with someone then no, except to jot down any burning ideas I get.

28. your least favorite part of the writing process

I guess editing? Even though I find it the most satisfying when I'm done (and I totally set myself up for having to do quite a lot; my first drafts are pretty brain-dump-y and require quite a bit of editing)

[call-me-strega]

You know…yeah that tracks, it slipped my mind the thing about Damien (I was only thinking about Kon and you know, Superman being cloned is very different than random seemingly normal guy being cloned)

I am also realizing that I do molecular cloning for a living so maybe I would actually jump to that explanation quicker as well. Maybe. Hmm

Also? People are bookmarking this like “I hate this. Gonna read it again” ???????? I don’t know how I would feel about that either uhhh

Wait actually? That's so cool that you can do that as a job! I totally get being focused on the whole cloning aspect though. It actually took me a while to figure out how I was going to explain it before I started writing. Honestly, gene splicing isn't that far a step gene replication and once I remembered that was a thing people do my idea got way easier to execute.

Also abt the bookmarking thing I'm not taking it to heart. Idk what type of scale they're rating on, but they still bookmarked and read it in the end so any of their opinions are a them-issue really. Especially since I welcome feedback, if there is something you'd like to see me improve on just let me know straight up lol :P Anyways, there is no point dwelling on a single somewhat negative comment when so many of you send out your supportive ones.

Thanks for sending your asks in because it lets me talk to y'all more directly about the story, your thoughts, and my own thoughts/plans. I really appreciate and enjoy that!

[kittycarabiner]

I’m here!!! I present a cat for kitty since you’re bored!

This is Aurora, she’s 7! She’s genuinely such a sweet little girl but she’s not the biggest fan of people she doesn’t know, but she’s good with me💪💪💪💪

Idk what to say to entertain you now uhhhh, we adopted her when she was 1 and about a week after that we were painting my little sisters room and she cracked open a can of paint in the night and went swimming in it, so for like 6 months after that her whiskers were hot pink (she was fine otherwise)

Okay about me hmm I’m 19 and I currently study biochem! I’m thinking about switching towards the end of the year to a more animal/evolution based field because I think I just find them more interesting rn! Okay and now I really don’t know what to say uhhh I really like sharks and wolves! And I’m a big nerd so I love anime/manga/comics?

Now what are you interested in? Maybe that will make you less bored? I saw you dressed as a cat for Halloween, did you do anything nice to celebrate?,:D hope work gets less borning!!

KITTY HELLO AURORA I LOVE YOU

pink whiskers is actually so cute i can't

also hiiiii i love your blog btw ♡♡♡♡ hehe

i love biology too. all the different types are fascinating in their own right, but i wish you all the best in whatever you decide to focus on!!!

sharks and wolves are also cool asf. im a big cat person myself. also, i haven't gotten into too much anime, but im open to good suggestions :3 i've seen a few but i haven't really watched anything recently!!

i like art, reading (open to book suggestions), writing ofc, and i play genshin and identity v in my free time ♡♡ I'm a busy student, but i enjoy healthcare ^-^

and yes! i was a cat! i just ended up passing out candy with my friend (who dressed as a werewolf :P) and we had lots of fun catching up too

work is ALMOST OVER NOW YIPPEE

and its absolutely lovely to formally meet you !!

[azems-familiar]

Ok but then you obv have to do Cal, so…

My first impression

honestly i don't really remember my first impression at this point. i played jfo back when it came out, i got it as a christmas gift, and most of what i remember from back then was being annoyed we couldn't choose to join Trilla and thinking i'd be way more invested in Cal if he was a woman. the curse of lesbianism i guess /shrug

My impression now

baby boy. baby. give any Jedi a corruption arc and mental illness and i will be on top of that shit like a fly. i spend way too much time thinking about him. and writing about him. he's kind of murderous and deeply flawed and i love him so much actually

Favorite thing about that character

hmm. his determination, i think. it's definitely a double-edged sword, which is most of what Survivor was about, but even when he's almost completely lost hope he keeps going forward and doesn't let go anyway. that's not exactly always a healthy quality - i've struggled with it before myself and can confirm - but it makes him a really interesting character, and very fun to put into Situations:tm:

Least favorite thing

hm. not sure i have a least favorite thing? characters have flaws, that's what makes them good, and to take them away would be to minimize the character. i could sure have some Least Favorite Fandom Takes, but i won't go into that here, lol. and i think you know those already

Favorite line/scene

oh this is a hard one. probably my favorite bit from him in JFO is when he faces Ninth Sister on Kashyyyk - the evolution from "trash, just approved trash" to "how about a Jedi?" is really good for him starting to come into his own, and let's be real, that whole sequence is very badass. (my favorite scene in JFO doesn't really involve Cal at all, though, honestly.) for survivor.... it's harder. probably the scene where Cal confronts Denvik for the first time on Nova Garon, because it was sooo fun watching him succumb to his rage and be an absolutely cold-hearted bastard when he yanked Denvik's blaster away. also Denvik's a bitch and i was cheering.

Favorite interaction that character has with another

i really love, honestly, his whole interaction with Rayvis on the Shattered Moon when we do that boss fight and kill Rayvis in Survivor - Rayvis has some great lines and is a fascinating character and overall it's a really great way of showcasing Cal's slide down, especially the bit where he talks to BD on the way back from it, asking how he's actually any different from Dagan. really good stuff. i also love....honestly all of his interactions with Cere in JFO

A character that I wish that character would interact with more

the low-hanging fruit is Bode tbh because i just wanted to spend more time with Bode casually, outside big plot events, but honestly? i wanted to see more of him with Cere and especially Cordova in Survivor. i know Cal wasn't really in a great place to be getting mentorship from them, but it would've made Cordova's death hit harder, and i just love Cal and Cere's relationship, so of course i want to see more one-on-one scenes with them.

Another character from another fandom that reminds me of that character

....one of my OCs from a different era of star wars, honestly. uhhh, totally different fandom, let's see... okay i wouldn't entirely say reminds me of but when i made the playlist for him and Bode i pulled a bunch of songs off my Revan playlist and my Wei Wuxian playlist, so i think. thematic similarities between both.

A headcanon about that character

i think i've probably talked about all of my headcanons for this man already, especially in my fics, but the low-hanging fruit is that he feels like fire. and the chronic pain headcanons - beyond general joint problems i have him have gone through a really bad accident on Bracca when he was 14, where he saved Prauf's life but in doing so his right ankle was shattered in multiple places and broke the skin. because he couldn't afford to get medical care, he had to splint it and wrap it on his own and then just let it heal, which means his ankle is alllll fucked up. the game, ironically, supports this headcanon, by making one of his idle animations rolling out that ankle. no i did not remember that when i gave him the injury.

A song that reminds of that character

i have an entire long spyscrapper playlist with some great songs on it but here's one of my favorites:

(if you want the playlist link itself, just send me an ask, people-who-aren't-senket, i'm happy to share it!)

An unpopular opinion about that character

hmmm. i don't like merrical and don't think they work well together romantically? that's not really about Cal though, let me see. OH! he was not ready to be knighted when he was in jfo; Cere absolutely shouldn't have done it, and didn't really have the right or authority to do it, and it's harmed him. i also don't think he actually should've gotten a kyber crystal on Ilum - the way it was portrayed in the game, he didn't have to go through an actual trial to get it, he didn't overcome his fear of failure or his survivor's guilt or any of that, he wasn't ready and it shouldn't have happened.

narratively, for the game's story as a video game, i understand why both scenes happened, and i actually like them and i think it's fun to explore the ramifications, especially of the premature knighting, but yeah. that's how i feel

Favorite picture

i like this edit i made a lot because he looks like Anakin and it felt, uh, appropriate hahaha