#and naturally I'm using that knowledge for fanfic headcanons

[telleroftime]

I think I covered Vampire!Sukuna that's forced to respect the innate rules of a vampire before -- such as the one where they must be invited into ones home -- but I just had a few more ideas regarding it.

Well, in this case it would also be Fae!Reader, which is once again a pairing I'm pretty sure I mentioned before. Anyways, yes! Vampire!Sukuna that camps outside of Fae!Reader's bungalow. That or human!Reader that grew up with the fae and is much more aware of how the forest works than the mighty and evil Sukuna. Featuring Uraume in certain places.

When the Reader first notices Sukuna they aren't too worried. He may be a vampire now but he was born a human mortal so they know that the same tricks would work on him too. They set up precautions and change their presence around their territory. Namely a lot more fairy rings appear in key locations. The mythology surrounding fairy rings states that if humans dance on them they would be punished by the fairies and made to dance in the ring until they pass out. Reader knows that and very quickly shuts down Sukuna's game of cat and mouse by tricking him into walking on one.

And they would proceed to exploit such tricks. Not only the natural rules of fae but also the bodily limitations of a vampire. They'd be cosied up in their little cottage at night knowing well that Sukuna cannot enter without an invitation, and during the day they would traverse through patches of light whilst grinning in the directions of the shadows.

You'd think that Sukuna could use Uraume's human nature to get to Reader but that wouldn't work either. If the fae don't want to be found by a human then the human will never find them.

Now, the Reader wouldn't be too interested in tricking Sukuna into something much more malicious than simple tricks, especially not after growing familiar with his vampiric presence, so one way or another they would need to stop him from accidentally falling into a fae-bound deal. By that I mean they would have to interrupt him and Uraume whenever it sounded like they were about to say "thank you." Sukuna would never but Uraume might. Same with apologies.

I love the idea of Uraume thinking that Reader is simply being humble when they say "don't thank me" and "don't apologise to me" when in reality Reader is getting a headache from controlling the impulse to form a contract with them.

I also love the visual of Reader slapping a hand around Uraume's mouth when they are about to thank another fae.

When it comes to names, the first time Sukuna introduces himself to Reader they instantly know that's not his real name. Names hold power especially in the hands of the fae, though since it also wasn't a lie they wouldn't press him about it. Uraume on the other hand makes the mistake of handing them their name which to Reader means there's on less threat. A human whose name is revealed is of no power in the eyes of the forest.

And speaking of lies, Reader would be able to catch Sukuna out on every like he speaks. Not like he himself would lie (seeing as he never seemed to lie in the anime). Uraume too. But if he ever did Reader would know... Though that aspect of fae nature would easily backfire on the Reader since they themself wouldn't be able to speak a lie. Only finely chosen words. So you know, plot.

And since I spoke more about Fae!Reader...

The fae are weak to iron so Reader would avoid any metals and alloys containing it. It'd leave them using pure silver which Sukuna, as a vampire, would be weak to. He would stay away from silver alloys and would instead opt for, you guessed it, iron. His weapons would be made of iron.

Imagine Sukuna making fun of Reader's weakness to iron so they just throw a silver fork at him, or better yet some random log as they comment how a "wooden stake" could finish him off.

Outside of vampires being unable to enter a home without first being invited, another thing vampires cannot do is cross running water. So, imagine finally Sukuna gets to chase the Reader. Finally everything is in line for him to drink their blood. It's the middle of the night and the Reader is far away from the nearest fairy ring and he's about to grasp them... when they suddenly cross a river and Sukuna is stranded on the opposite side to them. He'd be so unhappy.

And yeah. I think that's it for now.

[ixiot-ghostrebel]

Ik this is more on the vague side, but ever since i read ur Irminsul headcannons about the reader in Imposter!SAGAU I got this idea, what if:

The reader could just remove info about themselves in the big tree lol - i mean, Scarab did it before might as well try it, no?

Irminsul itself might let us in without the permission of Nahida so we could go in undetected

Since looking through the memories of Irminsul might be like exploring an endless library, as long as you set your mind to it, you'd be able to find that info, like for example:

Memories about the "Creator"

Now, by now, you already know what I'm getting at, right?

Once reader finally figures out how to erase stuff by trying removing certain minor parts of Irminsul, they try to erase the entire memory of the "Creator" ever existing

Not as in like, they would forget that you were the Creator or that one exists, nor what they look like, but just the horrible memories and basically everything that the "Creator" did/made

But now, one would wonder, what would happen now?

I'd guess that, since the "Creator" is believed to love everyone, why is the one on the throne ruling and acting so... Tyrannical?

In my opinion, I feel like a rebellion would ensue sooner or later

But then, since Scarab lost his own memories when he removed himself from Irminsul, wouldn't that also mean the same thing for the "Creator" themselves?

Anyways, feel free to procrastinate and take your time on my take on reader being able to remove info on Irminsul hehe (bc honestly I'd also do that lmao)

Signing off, 🐱 Anon

WE GOT A 🐱 ANON NOW, BOIS—OPEN THE CURTAINS, OPEN THE LIGHTS! CUE THE CLAPPING AND CHEERING AUDIO TRACKS!—

Alright I'm done making a fuss about that lol—here's the headcanon/jot note version of a oneshot of everything that happens since my motivation was running low on oneshots/short stories.

Disclaimers: N/A

Reader Has Entered Irminsul...

Reader is in their Hunted Arc rn, getting chased by all of Teyvat under the "Creator's" orders. They keep running and running and running...

They're getting tired, and they soon find themselves in a dead end. They think of all the places they haven't been to yet: the desert of Sumeru, Inazuma, Mt. Aocang, Mt. Hulao, Wuwang Hill, irminsul—

Yeah, you guessed it. Just by thinking of irminsul, Reader has made it to the big 'ol Tree of Knowledge :D

Reader is shocked—surprised. But not for long—because they start to panic. They aren't sure if Nahida was on their side or not, like what the sagau fanfics say.

In fact, Reader is mainly scared that she already knows they're here.

That is, before the Reader feels a sudden urge to make it to the Tree of Knowledge. As if irminsul is calling for them specifically. They're weary of what this all means, but at the same time, intrigued.

It was the first time they felt like this. So, naturally, they followed what their gut was telling them, hoping that they won't regret this decision.

Reader gets close to the tree, surprised that they managed to make their way to it without requiring access from Nahida or even getting lost just to navigate the route to get there.

The moment they touch irminsul's trunk, however, the Reader feels a sudden blast of information, as if Teyvat itself is giving them the resources to know what to do.

By the time Nahida feels something from irminsul and she arrives to see what's up, it's too late. The Reader's already made the change.

All tyranny of the "Creator" was erased. None of it happened. Not once, not ever. The Palace of the Creator was never created, the Imposter themself never took on any throne...nothing.

Reader comes back to Mondstadt, hoping that what they did worked.

It did. No one remembers what the Creator looks like. There was no Imposter impersonating them. Reader was free.

They were free! They did it! They could travel the entire world now without risking getting killed! They could finally find a portal home!

Except...they forgot the Traveler existed. But even the Traveler is glad there is no more tyranny.

Andd, that's all I got! Sorry if it's short lol—I ran out of ideas for this :') I hope it's okay for y'all.

See you all around! :D

Ghost Rebel Side Notes: So, as I've been writing this, I'm going to give you guys a little update on something that you all really enjoyed in the past.

So, you know "Forever In My Hold" and "A Path Beyond Hope" oneshots? Yes, this is regarding of the little series that has been created. I have decided that I will be making a Part 3, but it will take a very long while. And it will be the LAST PART of the series. I just can't find the motivation to continue it longer.

Also: Should I do a remake of Live or Die? It's a very old writing of mine, back when I first began this blog. I'm not sure if y'all want to read it, but idk if I want to make a remake. Please let me know :)

[dragonfire2lm]

Elden Ring Headcanon: Messmer Edition

Spoilers below, these headcanons are based on item descriptions, and thanks to some helpful people in the discord I'm in for clarifying some lore that completely flew over my head.

Ok, so, just as a disclaimer: I do not care who you ship Messmer with, or how you view him, the following headcanon is just my interpretation, that does not mean that everyone should share said interpretation. If you do, awesome! if not, just continue on with your day, the following headcanon has no bearing on your enjoyment of the character, the game, or what you do to express your love of Elden Ring.

Messmer seems very aromantic coded to me. He has friends among the knights that serve him, cared about them to the point he listened to them when they wanted knowledge preserved, and mourned the loss of a friend when two of knights rebelled against him because of Messmer's serpentine nature. He also has a lot of love for his family, with how he was an older brother figure to Radahn and had a brotherly bond with Gaius, not to mention how he's turned himself into a symbol of fear and uses his fire (which he has tried to get rid of multiple times) all on his mother's orders.

Yet he has no interest in romantic relationships (R.I.P Rellana), and I just, think it'd be neat if I headcanon him as aromantic (Note: that does not mean he's also asexual, I am specifically focusing on aromanticism here) based on the fact that he cares a lot about his knights and his family, but had no interest in Rellana in a romantic way.

Plus, its all in good fun, and aromantic rep is sorely lacking in media, so what's stopping me from reading certain characters as being aro-coded? Fandom often interpret characters as gay, bi, trans and so on for their headcanons and fanfics, so what does it matter if I pick a character to write as being aromantic?

This is, after all, a hobby, its for fun, and if you personally don't agree with this, that's ok. Whatever ideas you have, and whatever ideas I have can coexist in the same fandom space.

Now, here's a headcanon that's a lot less...controversial.

Messmer sees via his serpents, his remainnig eye, as seen in his phase two transition, is a glass one, a prosthetic eye. He probably can't see out of it. Granted, there is a lot of blodd on his fingers after removing it, so maybe it is a magical functioning eye or something, but it could go either way. But given that when we enter his boss room for the first time, we see one of his snake friends before we see him, so I feel like that opening cutscene hints at the fact that he uses his snakes to see.

I like Messmer, he's very friend-shaped.

I just think he's neat.

Edit: The lengthy disclaimer at the start of this post is just me covering my bases, I've gotten guilt-tripped and generally felt unwelcome in a couple of other fandoms for simply having an aromantic spectrum headcanon, or you know, being an asexual fan of a game and its characters when most of the player base is clearly not asexual. (A different game, not Elden Ring, the elden ring community has been very accepting, but the Doubt Still Remains because of my previous experiences)

Thank you for reading.

[satubby]

Hello! How are you? I love your account you earned one more followers! I wanted to make a request if it is not too much to ask. Can you be sfw and nsfw headcanons (in a romantic relationship) with Makima in the male version of her? please! I really would like you to attend to my request and I hope you have a good day.

[Note: Am I dreaming? Why if that's the case... don't wake me up, AHHHH!!!! ♡♡♡ Thanks for asking, I rarely (ever) get this and I'm grateful. I hope you like what I wrote because I was lazy to finish the drawing that I had originally planned. I leave you a chibi that I did in the genshin impact style LMAO]

Well it depends on where you are in your relationship. Unlike Makima, Makime is more openly seductive and is not afraid to use his charm, he is very self-centered about it.

Since I'm based on my fanfic, Makime is your boss in the fourth section of public security and you usually see him but try to stay out of it while hanging out with the boys.

Since you asked for headcanons, I'll go two ways, first I'll do the SFW and then the NSFW because I want to dedicate more time to that one since I suck writing intimate acts.

Tokens of appreciation:

Makime would show her appreciation in a peculiar and somewhat twisted way at worst. He could offer eloquent compliments and sweet flattery, but always with a hidden agenda. His words may be framed in lies and manipulations, it is likely that he seeks to obtain something in return, for example... Your entire disposition and love for him.

If you are at the beginning of the relationship, he would seek to attract you with simple gifts that you would not expect from him, for example: Roses, money or bonuses from your salary. Well, he knows you don't trust him.

If you are already more confident, he could show his appreciation through such simple acts as leaving you with less workload or pairing you up with him so you don't endanger yourself on more important missions [Which is more of an excuse to keep an eye on you and silently study you in case that he still did not declare his love openly]. He would be constantly watching over you, making sure you were safe and removing any perceived threats [Whether he was actually dangerous to you or just out of jealousy].

Makime might offer quirky and unique gifts that reflect her knowledge of your likes and interests. However, these gifts could be more manipulative than genuine intent. Sometimes just looking for a reaction from you, whether positive or not, he just wants you to pay attention.

You are really confused by their actions, sometimes you feel compelled to accept their gifts, good or bad.

Romance type:

The romance with Makime would be an emotional roller coaster. Spending time with him could be exciting and exciting, but also dangerous and exhausting. His cunning and manipulative personality would create an intense dynamic, full of mind games at the worst. Well, since I'm basing myself on the events of my Fanfic: A peach between apples, you constantly doubt the intentions of the red-haired demon since you know its nature from its original version, Makima.

Makime would seek to maintain absolute control in the relationship, although he would secretly like to have sweet moments without forcing you to participate in them, but it will only happen when he is sure that you will not let him. He can be possessive and jealous, showing his darker side if he feels you are slipping out of his control or if you have been a brat to him.

The romance with Makime, as I said, is quite nuanced and since he doesn't know the feeling of human-style love, he grew up in isolation [I guess?] He could make you feel uncomfortable without meaning to but he's still a son of a bitch, so he doesn't care about your reactions a lot, he just wants to see you nervous and/or any other emotion, you're interesting.

He would always be hiding parts of himself and revealing little clues as the relationship progresses or that he already has the certainty that you will not betray him, that you will be his completely. These secrets and gradual revelations could lead to a complicated and ambiguous emotional connection since you don't fully understand their actions.

At times Makime can be cold and insensitive to your feelings, but when he's jealous or vulnerable, he drops his cunning and prideful facade, to be twistedly soft on you. Their gifts in these cases would be more intimate, giving you things that they know you like. In his strange and sadistic way, he gives you someone's heart or kills in front of you, which leaves you quite traumatized because it is not pretty to see someone literally explode or see how their insides turn inside out (that is, the skin and organs come out of the inside ). These cases only occur when he is in a bad mood or wants to punish you.

Types of names and nicknames that Makime uses with you:

Makime's nicknames towards you influence his impressions, at the beginning of meeting you she would call you little employee or lamb, because in his eyes you look like a nervous lamb in front of its predator.

As they are already closer or in a relationship that is not [clearly if] forced, he would call you: Little doll, little rabbit or puppy.

In cases where he is in a bad mood, he usually uses demeaning names like: Pet, my prize, Dumb human or needy bitch [but these last names are more in the NSFW context].

Particularly when he is feeling most intimate and vulnerable, he often calls you my treasure, love (if not very creative) angel or princess.

You walked the streets of Tokyo, checking your makeup and everything. Makime had summoned you for something, with the control demon you never knew what he would do next or even his intentions towards you. You saw makime sitting down having a coffee, you approached him by sitting on it and adjusting the wrinkles in your clothes.

"Makime-san.... Did you need me for something? Normally I don't expect you to invite me to these types of places without it being for celebration or work reasons, your invitation and interest in me really surprises me" You said something nervous but trying to hide your discomfort or worst case scenario, those many doubts that run in your mind about this situation.

Makime looked at his glass of espresso as if it were interesting, only making you more uncomfortable at his non-response. Then he smiled widely and looked at you, what you didn't know is that this was just an excuse to spend time with you. He could practically see you anywhere and yet he preferred moments like these even if they weren't (if they are) forced. But he just wants alone time without those jerks following you around like roaches attached to food.

The redhead comes out of his thoughts about Aki, Powa and Denji turning to you again looking at you with an amused and calm smile while those piercing golden eyes follow your movements from head to toe, scrutinizing you.

"Sure... *Sigh*, you're kind of right, I invited you for a coffee, there's no problem with that... so just relax and don't try to see the devil's horn in everything, okay?" Here a sip of his coffee, while he smiles, that fucking smile that just gets on your nerves, you notice that he gives you an aura of great power when he sits near you, you start to wonder if there is something else he wants.

You don't want to be by his side, you hate even looking at him because you feel constantly violated and exposed, you hate the feeling and the bastard knows it, he enjoys getting nervous like you can't imagine.

"Makime-san, if you only called me for this I see no point in staying..." You were getting hysterical, you wanted to hit him even if it meant getting killed in the process, you still got up bowing and starting to leave. Yeah If you stayed longer, you wouldn't know whether to hit them out of irritation or the simple fact of wasting your time. Damn, you never understood their actions and that frustrates you, it's like a game of egos between tug and pull.

It wasn't until hands bigger than your arm grabbed you tightly, giving you a sharp twist, making you collide with the redhead's chest. Your face pressed against his chest, feeling the beating of his heart, although thinking about it more thoroughly you didn't know if it was just the sound he imitated to avoid raising suspicions. The breath on the helix¹ of your ear as you inevitably turned red. Instinctively you wanted to push him but he held you tighter in his arms as he whispered your name loving that blush coming from you.

You see him with a calm look, not knowing that you are telling him what he wants to hear: Those beats in your chest indicating that he was the cause of these... No one else and that puts him in a better mood.

With calm eyes, he looks at your lips and back into your eyes, he comes a little closer to you, caresses your cheek tenderly and looks at you with a more intense look. This only makes the knot in your stomach that has been building up for these few minutes increase and become more tangled like the spaghetti you ate yesterday for dinner.

"I just want to see you by my side. Isn't that enough for you?" He says with a sweet and seductive voice, he smiles a little at you, but his golden eyes look at you intensely with mixed emotions. You know that everything has an intention behind it and you don't want to give in to his whims.... But God!!, how you wanted to keep looking and admit that despite being a son of a bitch and a cunning manipulator, he's damn attractive.

You continued to stare at Makime, trying to figure out his true intentions. You felt a mixture of tension and longing inside of you, fighting against your own contradictory feelings. His closeness and his caresses disturbed you, but at the same time they attracted you in a way that you could not help.

"I don't know if that's enough for me," you replied with a shaky voice, trying to keep your guard up. "There are still many things I don't understand about you, Makime-san. I can't just get carried away by your sweet words and gestures. I don't trust you completely and we barely speak to each other."

He looks at you with a 'kind' smile on his lips and sees that his eyes become duller than usual, you avoid looking at them any longer with an insecure look, he knows you're nervous but you don't let him see everything.

"Trust takes time, you will give it to me sooner or later, you will have no other choice"

His gaze only pierces yours and his eyes remain that hypnotic golden color with those rings in them, hypnotizing you and he begins to caress your thigh with his hand.

Then as if something bewitched both of them, their lips slowly approached and he kisses your lips, nibbles your tongue and lips. Loving every inch of your mouth, your mind at this point is blurry and so you let yourself go.

[Sorry if I don't put the NSFW content yet, but I need to write that part properly and since I have a knot in my head, I need to organize myself with my creative ideas. I hope you liked it and I'm sorry if there are mistakes in the pronouns, my understanding of English is the same as a 3 year old :P]

[awintersrose]

Hello friends. I know it's been a very long time since you've heard from me, so long in fact that I'm probably entering a world I barely recognize anymore.

I got to a point where I needed to put my mental health needs and personal life first for a while, and take an unexpected and unannounced break from social media. Now that I feel like I can breathe again, I'm dipping a toe back in the waters to see where the tide takes me... I can't promise it will be in the direction of events or even many updates to fics, but this may change in time.

Truth be told, my motivation was ground to a screeching halt on several passion projects due to collective instances in which ideas were stolen, copied or altered enough in scope that one of the authors in question might genuinely think the plot points were their own. Most recently I discovered that one of my works was outright plagiarized without my knowledge or permission and only credited to me after another individual recognized it and addressed the author directly. The work now exists credited, but the fact remains that I didn't authorize it and I do not and would never want my work used this way.

I've stayed quiet about this for a while, wrestling hard with whether or not it might make some folks think of me as an enemy, but there is something about this corner of fandom that seems to make individuals think that the sharing of fic plot points and fic-specific headcanons makes them free to steal or even nearly copy into other fanfic. Everyone is trying to top the other instead of building up a community, eager to make a name for themselves at the expense of others. And for what, really?

While I do understand that this could easily be argued as the general nature of fandom these days, the fact remains that it's still exceedingly bad form, and the result is complete lack of community, and works in question that may very well never be completed.

I am not a fan of public callouts so that will never happen here, but all of this has been a rather crushing blow to my creativity and joy in contributing to fandom. I have spent the better part of the last year and a half tangling with these feelings and thus I am not sure about the future of the SC-verse at all at this point.

I have still been writing, mostly for myself. I have friends and readers I adore and have missed, so I'm back, for better or worse, and we will see what the future holds.

[russellshaws]

Eric said everyone already knows. Why are they robbing us of the #Chenford content we've always wanted?

ok first a blanket statement: the fact that we likely won't get an "everyone finds out" scene is not a problem for me. i'm sure it would have been fun in theory but honestly...not something i need from the show. i do think it would have been great to see an angela/tim scene – and i don't think that's off the table, necessarily – but i'm cool with it just being a naturally accepted thing. so much of their lives take place off-screen...sometimes, we just have to headcanon it and move on. it is ok if you feel differently! i am mostly saying this bc i think it colors my answer here.

i really don't have a lot to say about this other than i'm sorry you feel that way and i hope you can find fanfic that fills that spot for you. also just like...personally i think asking eric all these questions about the show, while i know it comes from a place of care, is probably doing more harm than good for the fandom as a whole. he has to be really limited with his answers – and as an actor on the show, he only knows so much. obviously he knows how he plays tim/the things he incorporates into the character, but he's not a writer. he's working with what's on the page, not writing the pages themselves – so his knowledge is a bit more streamlined overall.

obviously i know people are going to do what they want/ask him what they want to ask him, but i really think hounding him for info/spoilers can create larger expectations when it comes to chenford that then leave people disappointed at what's on screen. taking his vague words and then dreaming scenarios up only to have them be somewhat smaller within the show would be disappointing – and i know this is all a larger problem, but. just somethin' to think about.

that being said: i don't think they're robbing anyone of anything. they're telling the story they want to tell – if you are unsatisfied with what we get on screen...that's honestly why fic was invented. someone, somewhere will write something that was missing for you, i promise.

[hopelessdazai]

hi! I read your kunikida nsfw headcanons and I loved it. He's so underrated and I find it hard to find fanfics about him.

Can I request mermaid reader x kunikida whom he meets one day at the beach?

of course anon! this is a pretty long one, so buckle up and I hope you enjoy!! AND THANK U FOR THE KINDNESS

Where the tides meet

contents ; kunikida x reader, fluff, kunikida is a soggy cat, hand holding ( gasp ), mentions of eating humans??,

kunikida had always loved the beach, since he was a little boy he'd always sit by the shore and write away his troubles, or simply listen to the waves drift by. its a rare chance he'd go in, he didn't like the cold. but feeling it just about reach his ankles during the summer was delightful.

today was no different to how he usually relaxed. with a weekend off away from work ( and dazai ), what better way to clear his mind then to listen to the sounds of the beach?

azure waves climbed over the rock where he sat, just barely dampening the ends of his shorts, his sandals threatening to come off too as the sealine threatened to swallow them with vigor.

the man sighed, tucking his knees to his chest and looking down. from the stone where he was relaxing, he could see a few fish that swam underneath him. he smiled, he did truly love this place.

you'd always loved the beach. since you were only young, you enjoyed to go up and scare the humans that came by, or even feed your curiosities and learn more about the habits they held. and when the beaches were packed during the summer, it was delightful.

you were just about to go up to the shore and peep from your usual rock when you saw him. him being kunikida. you'd never seen a human being up this close before. your ear fins laid back against your head as you poked a head from the surface of the water. his eyes were closed, he didn't notice.

holding back a giggle, you used your tail to splash him. that got the reaction you wanted. kunikida gasped a little, the cold of the ocean waters dampening his clothes and removing almost all body warmth he held. he was about to scold you, but he paused.

you're not human.

"..hi?" He mumbled, leaning forward and sliding down the rock a little. he was tall enough for his torso to be above water. you swam closer, tilting your head as you examine him.

"I can't tell if you're a mermaid or a siren, but I'll have you know, you just made me very cold."

you cover your mouth as you giggle again, nodding. no claws on your hands in sight. for sure a mermaid. the man sighed, examining you fully.

"can you talk?" He reajusted his glasses. they had water on, but with the rest of his clothes being in the state they were, there wasn't much he could do.

"sometimes." you reply, swimming circles around him as you take his full image in. you'd never seen a human up this close, so you had to treasure such a moment with great appriciation.

"sometimes? is there certain specifications for that?" kunikida tried to turn with you, but you were quicker then he, so he gave that up pretty quickly. you shook your head, handing him a crab you'd grabbed. he grimaces, placing it on the rock he was previously on.

"thanks.. I guess.." He mumbles, "so mermaids are real. I don't have much knowledge on your species, I'm sorry?" you nod, taking his hand and examining it. the differences between human and mermaid hands fascinating to you.

yet, his were still bigger. you giggle again, interwining your fingers and watching his face heat up. though, he doesn't object to it, and clasps your hand back.

"a real mermaid.. I'm holding a mermaids hand.." kunikida muttered to himself, almost in disbelief, you shook your head, still grinning.

"claw! we call them claws. not hands. that's a people thing. we aren't people." you reply, he nods. that's only natural.

"ah, of course.. you don't have much claw definitions to it though, my apologies for bringing it up, however.. a claw is a sharp and curved nail at the end of-"  you cut him off, putting a finger over his mouth.

"no rambling! rambles are boring." the man flushes out of embarrassment, clearing his throat and looking away.

"can you swim?" you tilt your head, dipping yourself in the water for a moment to rehydrate. he shakes his head, though very hesitantly.

"well, sure. I can swim, I used to take classes and I got a gold medal in one for best improved. but I wouldn't be able to keep up with your speed." kunikida looks out at the ocean for a moment. almost a sense of longing in his eyes.

"I can carry." you reply, he shakes his head, his cheeks going red again. as much as he loves the ocean, he didn't particularly want to be lugged around by a mermaid, much less one he'd just met.

"no thank you, I'll pass on that one.." the man let go of your hand, you whine. "sorry. you know, you're less.. slimy and scary then one of my coworkers hyped you up to be." He remarks, you giggle.

"we can be scary! I can eat you," you open your mouth, just to show him your fangs. he goes white for a brief moment, clearing his throat.

"n-no thank you, I believe you." He turned, clambering back onto the rock and pitifully wringing out some of the clothing he had on him. you tried to climb up with him, failing badly. he chuckles.

"I want to see the human town!" you eagerly call, kunikida hesitates for a moment. dragging you through town was a problem in itself, keeping you hydrated in his car, and how people would react..

"I'm sorry. another time." He pushes his glasses onto his head, his bangs being tucked back as a result. you huff and pout, spitting water at him.

"I don't have the sort of preparation for something like that, you know? to keep you moist enough to live, to keep you out of sight from anyone who'd want to cause harm. I have a water cooler in the trunk if that'd work. it's a little cramped, though."

you huff, crossing your arms and shaking your head. that wouldn't work, you liked your room and wanted at least enough room to lay straight.

"then I'm afraid I don't have anything to offer you," he stood himself up, hopping down from the rock to the sand. you couldn't watch as close with the shallow waters, so you whine loudly.

"I'm sorry. if I'm not home in 15 minutes my schedule for the evening will delay, and will be ruined." He checked his watch, smiling at you before bowing.

"my name is Doppo Kunikida. as much as I'd love to take you home and learn about you, there I'd urgent matters to attend to. I assure you, I'll be here tomorrow if you wish to meet again"

you nod eagerly, and the man swore your eyes shone brighter then the sun. he could feel his heart melt a little. you were adorable.

"I'm [ Name ]! a mermaid!" you wave vigorously, very energetic to have met him. he nods, chuckling under his breath.

"well, [ Name ], suppose we can make this a frequent thing?" you nod, laughing as you swim in a circle in the water.

maybe an aquatic best friend is just what he needed to take the stress away.

hes a little ooc at times but I hope you guys enjoyed anyway!! I could lowk do a part 2 for this. - zai

[linashirou]

Ok, as the poll was positive about it, I'll share MY HEADCANONS and MY LORE about Hal...

1.- Hal have a slightly Marfan syndrome. (He described himself in my one shot "look at me~!♥" )

"All my life I've been skinny. I've always had a rather delicate appearance than masculine. I'm not a man with a tanned, toned body like Snake, for example.

I'm rather flabby and my chest is slightly sunken due to my mild Marfan syndrome: flat and long feet, a slight scoliosis that luckily didn't worsen with the use of the PC since my early age, hands with long fingers, and vision problems. I was lucky that this wasn't so noticeable, and that I didn't have any problems with my internal organs, but it could have been much worse with my father's "genetic background".

Now that I'm 37, I consider this nothing compared to what could have really happened to me... I consider myself a completely healthy person" 2.- Older = Calmer. He has an obsessive compulsive disorder with tidiness. As we could clearly see in the Nomad in MGS4, his neat and clean desk, at his 30, he started to acquire a taste for order and doesn't feel at peace in an environment with a lot of chaos. He likes to read and being at home: "I'm rather... boring" 3.- Hard-worker. This is no secret if we think about how many "In-game hours" Hal is supporting Snake, but in "TEC" (Hal's fanfiction) He is quite careful when it comes to work: as a boss, he is an attentive and understanding boss, however he is quite easy to get on his nerves. He usually works a lot from home, programming; A short period in the evenings, but the main work is always done early in the mornings: this way he ensures a free afternoon to share with Snake/Sunny (and Lina♥). 4.- Mental gaps. Sometimes, due to the amount of information accumulated in his mind (and as a good otaku, with a lot of "Random" knowledge) Hal has lapses where he simply "crashes" or gives the impression of suffering "mental lags". But the truth is that he also has a lot of memories blocked in his mind, especially as a child, due to traumas. As a result, it is important to recognize... 5.- He knows (all) the truth about Huey. What things he did in DD and all the events that happened in MGSV (Confirmed by Chris in an old interview) (I don't want to go so deep in this point, because I have a complete chapter about this in Hal's Fanfic) But there is something, punctually, that Hal never knew: Where were the remains of his beloved mother?

6.- He have a sweet tooth. Do I need to explain?: * Sweet personality, like candies, snacks and sweet pastry= Good and Sweet boyfriend, father, and friend♥ 7.- He is nearsighted (Myopic). As I explained in another post, in MGS4 he showed that he could see most of the things around him without the glasses, but when Snake asked him when and where Naomi left, he replied "I don't know, I didn't see her. I was without my glasses."

8.- A concerned Father. Hal will always, always have Sunny first in his mind. He will always be concerned with trying to give Sunny all the tools at his disposal to ensure her well being and will always try to give her everything he didn't have in his childhood. (This includes thinking of Lina as a possible mother figure for Sunny, due to the absence of a mother figure in his own life (?)) (Although it is a sort of justification/self-conviction at a certain point).

9.- He's Gemini. He's birthday is a few more days than Lina's. And they do party together. 10.- He likes red-haired women... Just like Snake... (Or maybe is his way to share a taste with him... who knows...) (at least He said to Lina that he likes her more with red hair)

11.- He had some problems with an anckle

After twisting his left ankle in Shadow Moses and neglecting the sprain by moving around the base helping Snake, Hal was left with a sore ankle, adding to the awkwardness of his "naturally" stiff movements. Now in his 30's, he's sometimes just like grandpas, feeling a bit of discomfort with the cold weather; "Ah! it's going to rain… my ankle tells me so…"

12.- Common grounds with Lina: Common interests with Lina are: Anime (particularly Macross, works by Go Nagai, Sailor Moon), video games (fighting games and survival horror), and music from the 80s and 90s (specially Lina's favorite band, Jamiroquai).

And the last one... it's a little NSFW

13.- Softy but Pervy. Hal's personality quite mellow and needy for affection: As a complete inexperienced in his sentimental side, he is always looking for ways to get the attention of his loved ones, being quite demanding of his partner's attention. And although at times he can be a huge stalker (staring at erogenous zones, fantasizing, being a consumer of some "adult content" particularly Hentai) his fetishes have NO BDSM connotations (it is quite difficult for him to be a little rougher with Lina; for example, he can hardly " spank" or "pull her hair" Because of his own experience as an abused person in his youth.). He is rather soft, tender and affectionate, but he does have a certain fixation to latex, derived from his taste for Super Sentai series.

[tleeaves]

Coming back to this but specifically talking about Cordelia's hair: if you're like me and you're borderline obsessed with this girl because even when you're not giving her attention in fanfics and posts you're thinking about her all the time like she's some ever-present ghost of every narrative I write/talk about that relates to TSC, then you probably remember that in the earliest works mentioning Cordelia, she was described to have "henna'd hair" before CC did that thing where she went "I need to remember she's also a mixed child and that not every Persian has the same genetic traits" and gave her naturally red hair as far as TLH and CC's own statements seem to indicate.

However, (and @faithfromanewperspective I'm tagging you in this, and @thevagabondexpress as well, because you wanted to stay updated on my herbalism research) given Cordelia's own interest in herbalism aaand... excuse me while I flip through this damn book and type about it... oh nice, the page fell open exactly where I wanted to be (maybe movies aren't totally unrealistic).

Anyway, henna is a plant that "the Greeks once used... as a shampoo, which they created by pounding its leaves together with the juice of soapwort" (Emma Kay who cites from Due Libri di Cucina), and its flowers were traditionally used in India to repel moths. Additionally, there's a superstition "that when the flowers are in bloom, both snakes and men converge around women".

So, as I was saying: given Cordelia's herbal knowledge (and interest in perfumes too while we're on the topic of herbs), and that the Persian Empire once lay between Greece and India, it would not be a stretch that she would use henna as a shampoo and that this shampoo would subsequently colour her hair (not always red as far as my research says but it all depends on what you get -- the point is that it'll hide greying hair at the very least).

BUT MY POINT IS: that connection brings back her herbalist roots (...puns unintended, sorry) in CC's earliest version of Cordelia and who we see in Chain of Gold since she recognises the poisonous plant the mer-whatsit-Fair-Folk spiked the drinks of Hypatia, Anna, and Matthew with, AND (okay, I know this one is stretching it) the superstition about snakes relates to Lilith AND AND the way she draws in men like a charm.

Should this have been its own post?? Maybe. Hush. But I still headcanon that Cordelia uses henna shampoo, whether or not that colours her hair dark hues, thank you and goodnight (it is 3 PM. It is not night.).

The art is lovely and now I'm gonna ramble because that's what I do when I care about something.

For the love of women, please PLEASE can fan artists remember to add muscle to their Shadowhunter ladies? I'll commend Bowater for cleverly giving James that sculpted and lean look without making him a beefcake (nothing against beefcakes, I'd love to hug them), but Cordelia is once again suffering from Arms And Shoulders Too Slender It's Hard To Even Imagine Her Picking Up A Sword. There is some there, yes, but artists shouldn't be afraid of giving particularly Female Main Characters weight and toned muscle. Cordelia is supposed to be nearly the same height as James as far as I can remember, and she's curvy, and full, and she wields a sword like it's second nature to her. Please explain why she looks so tiny in James' lap.

Also I'm pretty sure marriage runes are supposed to go over the heart whenever possible (thinking about Will's parabatai rune being over his heart instead -- he didn't get Tessa to draw over the scar, did he??) and... either I'm looking at the picture wrong or James' rune is not over where his heart should be.

For the matter, where are their other runes and scars?? James' Voyance rune isn't even on his hand. And I'm pretty sure he's right handed. I could have that wrong though.

Another thing: no one can ever decide what Cordelia's hair looks like and it's the funniest thing to me. This is what happens when all you do is vaguely say the colour is like fire but also like rose petals but also a flowing river of those things but also is Red (probably for redhead, but then from there I never understand where the rose petal analogy comes from considering the typical rose is a deep bloody colour -- I do acknowledge the existence of those light orange varieties though which might more closely resemble red hair). In the end, I'm glad readers can infer what they want and imagine the characters how they like.

Anyone else think James looks like he's built like a tennis player? Oddly specific, maybe, but it was a thought I had. Mostly the arms and somewhat narrow body.

James' hair is nice, his eyes are an interesting take on gold in the shadows. Bowater managed to also make him look closely related to his father, so bravo for that.

In the end, the focus is obviously on the marriage runes and not other physical aspects outside of it being clear that this is James and Cordelia. Bowater's style is very beautiful and elegant. Love the way fabric and lighting is done too. I'll add also that it is possible to be a smaller person who is slender but still strong so I mean Cordelia's not necessarily done wrong, I just interpret her appearance differently. Obviously, they're both hot and they're both attractive and I have my qualms with the series, chronicles, and author -- the fandom I am so-so on, though I'm still here, aren't I? And I'm taking the time to ramble about my thoughts on a piece of fanart -- but this is good. Gorgeous, even. Both James and Cordelia are beautiful.

[piggy-i-broke-the-conch]

LotF Iceberg Meme

I haven't seen one of these before so I decided to make my own. Full explanation under the cut! (art on second tier is by@/sinnamonralph and art on third tier is by admin huck of @/ask-jalph )

tw- brief non-descriptive mentions of rape/sexual assault

Surface:

jalph memes- kind of self explanatory, also just lotf memes in general

maurice is a memelord- the popular headcanon that maurice is a dank memer

character name puns- the many puns you see in lotf fans' usernames, e.g.- memerice, jackass merridick, etc

simon deserved better- he really did

1963 and 1990 movies- i think most people know about these two film adaptations. the 1963 version is objectively better

c sharp jokes- i just thought of this one while i was writing out the explanation and couldn't be bothered to go back and add it, sorry. jokes based around jack bragging that he can sing c sharp in chapter 1

Shallow:

lotf 100 minifics- a popular series of oneshots on AO3 by the user queencrank, largely centred around smut

roger x rocks- popular (?) crack ship, sadly i have been subjected to rule 34 of this

surname headcanons- since only jack and percival have canon surnames, lots of fans make up surnames for the other characters, e.g.- maurice hall, roger moore (both my headcanons)

magic conch- the subject of a spongebob episode which parodies lotf, appears in a lot of memes outside the fandom

lotf rejected by 17 publishers- lotf was initially rejected many times before eventually being published, i think this one is common knowledge

lotf based on william golding's time in ww2- his exposure to the horrors of human nature during his time in the war inspired the core themes of the novel, again probably common knowledge for those who have studied the book

simon is jesus- simon is heavily implied to be an allegorical figure representing jesus (the link is much more explicit in earlier drafts of the novel). william golding expands on this idea in his essay 'fable', i'd recommend reading it if you're curious.

roger and simon are canonically POC- i added this one because i often see fanart of them (mainly roger tbf, though i have seen some of simon as well) as white so figured it wasn't completely common knowledge. both are described as having darker skin tones in the novel.

all female lotf- the controversial all-female film adaptation of lotf announced back in 2017. the idea was scrapped (presumably due to backlash and staff changes) and it is now going to be an all-male adaptation directed by luca guadagnino! i'm so hyped for it!!!

pig's head is satan- the eponymous 'lord of the flies' is based on beelzebub, another title for satan (or sometimes a separate demon depending on who you ask)

piggy's real name is charles- not sure how common this is tbf but i often see people stating piggy's real name as charles in fanfiction. there isn't evidence for this in canon so i assume it is just a popular fan headcanon

Mid-Depth:

nopeimnotrussian art- i see art by this person literally everywhere when i'm looking up lotf fanart and i only found out who they were today. they make a ton of jalph content and generally seem pretty cool.

EDIT- ok so the art for this tier was supposed to be something by nopeimnotrussian but I messed up and used a picture that was drawn by someone else (aka sinnamon ralph, also a very cool artist with a nice username)! apologies, i'll make sure to be more careful in the future when using fanart. and thank you to the commenter who corrected me!

ask jalph- an ask blog i also see art from everywhere (particularly art by one of their admins, admin huck). also applies to lotf ask blogs in general, there are a lot of very cool and creative ones out there!

lotf stageplays/musicals- i was going to list a specific example but there are so many of these it was difficult to choose one. i really want to see one someday

retribution- another popular lotf fanfic written by circadian lily on fanfiction.net/AmRye on AO3. i'd highly recommend reading this one, it's so good

lotf is a fanfic- lotf is partially a satire of 'the coral island' by r.m. ballantyne and other similar coming-of-age adventure stories for boys which were popular at the time. the main characters are called ralph and jack in both works, and some phrases in lotf are taken almost word for word from the coral island.

piggy's real name is peterkin- the character peterkin in the coral island (see above) seems to have partially been the inspiration for both simon and piggy. the name simon may have been based on peterkin (as peter from the bible later took on the name simon), but i like to consider piggy's real name to be peterkin since it isn't already being used by another character as it is.

eastern bunny- an artist who made several popular fanarts i often see being reposted (such as one of jack and ralph holding child versions of the other major characters, and one of jack holding a spear up to ralph's neck). sadly i'm fairly certain their tumblr has been deleted, but they are very talented and i love their work.

ralph's mum- ralph's mother is mentioned to have been absent from ralph's life in the book but it is unclear whether she left her family voluntarily or died. i've seen different interpretations in fanfiction.

characters that only appear in the 1990s movie- there are several characters mentioned by name in the 1990s movies that did not appear in the original book, such as dominic. i always feel excited when i see people mention them (same for obscure characters from the book itself like stanley and walter)

irl lotf- there are actually multiple cases of events similar to lotf occurring in real life, the most well-known one being this one i believe

Deep:

1963 movie deleted scenes- there are around 2 hours of additional footage which were cut from the 1963 film adaptation of lotf, including several important scenes which were key to ralph's character development such as the interaction between jack and ralph in chapter 3 of the novel. while i sadly haven't been able to find a lot of these deleted scenes, you can see some of them online such as the one i just mentioned, which is available here.

fable essay- this essay was written as part of a larger collection of essays entitled 'dreams'. it is included in the back of the education edition of lotf which is widely available in bookstores in my country (england), although i imagine you can find it elsewhere if you want to read it. it provides some interesting insights into golding's thought process while writing the novel as well as some extra details on characters and themes.

original first chapter- lotf originally had an extra chapter at the start which expanded more on the nuclear war occurring in the background of the present novel and the circumstances behind the plane crash which triggered the novel's events. this chapter was later cut as many of the publishers who rejected the novel particularly disliked it. the original draft of lotf is currently being held by the university of exeter in england. it's my dream to go and read it one day.

living lord of the flies- a 2013 mini-documentary narrated by tom gaman (who played simon in the 1963 movie) about the production of the movie and his experiences during filming.

alkitrang dugo- a lesser-known filipino lotf movie adaptation from 1975. i haven't been able to find this anywhere so i haven't seen it sadly, but i know it had both male and female characters stranded on the island.

jack is based on younger william golding- i don't remember where i read this so admittedly i'm not sure how reliable it is, but i feel that there is some basis to jack being based on william golding himself. golding was fairly problematic when he was younger (and in general actually), having once attempted to rape a 15 year old when he was 18, for example.

continuity errors- i thought i made a post on this a while back but i can't find it for the life of me (it might have been on the since-deleted lotf amino actually)- essentially, there a couple of continuity errors in the novel which i think about excessively even now, i.e.- henry is referred to as a littlun and a bigun at different points in the novel, maurice's height is inconsistent, and bill is simultaneously in both ralph and jack's tribes for a bit.

Mariana Trench:

lotf is set in 1952- i've seen a lot of debate about when exactly lotf is set, and there is technically a canon answer to this. in the original draft of lotf, the novel ends with the time and date: '16.00, 2nd October, 1952.' however, it's possible that this would have been changed in the final version of the novel. i personally headcanon the year lotf is set in as 1954, the same year it was published.

beating scene in 1963 movie was real- this scene was based on the scene in the novel where jack orders wilfred to be beaten for essentially no reason. in the movie, the actor volunteered to actually be beaten for this scene.

irl roger- the actor who played roger in the 1963 movie, roger (!!!) elwin, was basically just his character in real life. apparently he used to throw live lizards into fans while on set. when the production staff asked him why he was doing it, he answered that he wanted to see how many pieces they would be cut into.

rape scene- the scene in the novel where the boys hunt and kill the sow that later becomes the lord of the flies is apparently supposed to resemble a rape, illustrated by phrases such as 'wedded to her in lust' and by the place roger stabs her in. i was pretty freaked out when i first saw this interpretation of that scene, it gives an already disturbing scene an even darker context.

william golding performed social experiments on his students- golding was a teacher at bishop wordsworth school in salisbury, england while he was writing lotf. during this time he frequently ran experiments on his students in which he split them into groups and set them against each other, much like in lotf. some of the characters in lotf may also have been based on golding's students.

deleted jalph ending- while the lotf fandom wiki seems to be a bit better maintained now, when i first joined the fandom about 4 years ago it was super chaotic and filled with random edits. one of these was a claim that there william golding initially wrote an alternate ending to the novel in which jack and ralph get together, which was later removed. i just thought it was funny so i decided to add it here.

Well, that's everything! This post took me like 2 and a half hours to make, so I hope it was at least somewhat interesting/entertaining. Sorry for my sporadic posting schedule as always, I've been really busy with university lately (that and I seem to only end up posting when I'm hit with a sudden deluge of lotf brainrot, like now). I do have another meme I started making and then didn't finish, I might post that at some point if I do actually finish it. Anyway, thank you if you managed to read all of this and I hope you have a great day/night!

[autumnslance]

Hey, just got a writing question when it comes to fanfic. How do you balance "leave most of the setting out since everyone knows what it is" vs "explain it anyways for reasons like making it known to non-fan readers"?

This got long again, and I’m hoping I answered the question, or at least gave some ideas on where to begin and what to consider when trying to balance narrative and descriptions in fic writing (or any other kind). Coming from someone who used to terribly overwrite my descriptions, no less; I like to think I’ve gotten better that over the years!

When writing fanfic, I tend to assume my audience will be primarily of that fandom, so if writing a FFXIV fic, I shouldn't have to go into too much detail on what a moogle of that setting looks like...unless it's my point of view character's first time ever seeing one, and their perception of that creature will be revealing of not only the moogle, but also how they see people, how they describe them, what they pay attention to.

So some of it is going to be up to the point of view character; what do they focus on, in terms of sights, sounds, smells, but also random facts, trivia, history, knowledge they have?

Like in original fiction, how much is too much to get the point across to the readers without bogging down the narrative in too many setting details Victor Hugo-style? A lot of times, writing fanfic setting and character info can be done just like in original fiction, with a lean on slightly lesser, as there is canon material the reader can reference if confused, or simply curious.

Can also depend on how close to canon one is hewing, or if one’s doing completely alternate universe set ups, where you’re going to have to delve deeply into those changes to environment and people anyway.

When it comes to fandom, we do have room to play around, particularly in an MMO setting; the game world is a small representation of the places the characters inhabit, a condensed view of important points, it’s all a visual shorthand. There are places beyond the walkable map, certainly, but also in the maps themselves; those villages, farms, fortresses, houses...none of it's actually sustainable by itself, and many places we know have rooms or spaces we never access. It's only showing us what's needed for story (and developer ease, as well as time; you don’t actually want realistic travel of days or weeks, after all).

The rest is headcanon; so in those cases, I may take some time to describe how I see for example the set up of the Rising Stones outside of the public areas we get in game; how are the Scions' personal chambers handled? How would I describe it for each character? Thancred's room isn't going to look like Y'shtola's, after all; they will reflect the characters' personalities (and again filtered through characters’ POVs, even if the POV is that NPC). How much do I need to describe to get across Thancred's current mood, depending on expansion?

I've spent a lot of time going over game maps, screenshots, and descriptions of Eorzea as it was in 1.0 for some of my stories set pre-Calamity; in those cases, things are similar, but just "off" enough to require descriptions (like the shifting of the aetheryte location in Limsa). But I don’t have to get it 100% accurate either; I can headcanon a lot, and really, who’s going to check up on it as “wrong” more than a decade later?

I'm also currently struggling in a story I'm writing for a fanzine with how much of the NPC's backstory do I reiterate in the intro. I have only 2500 words to get my story across, and have already sacrificed quite a bit. But there are elements I'm working on in the main story where reiterating his history, even in short, makes some sense. Again, I know given the nature of this zine, most people picking it up will likely be familiar with the NPC's background, but my spin on that for this particular tale has an impact. A few other writers for the same fanzine are having to make similar choices, for their own takes on the character, their own stories, to meet both deadline and word count.

Some things can be skimmed over, if trying to keep things short, and trusting the audience to either pick up context clues, look it up, or already be familiar. Sometimes one might pepper in things like mentioning Snowlight is a chocobo in the first paragraph, the next time I mention Snowlight a couple paragraphs down I might include short description of bird-like features or sounds, as a way to break up the info but also give context and reminders. I do the same when writing Miqo’te; I may mention their race or clan, but as they talk to other characters, their ears and tails are mentioned as part of their reactions and pointing out their mood and how they say things. My POV characters after all usually know what a Seeker is, so I don’t have to say “X’rhun’s a person with cat ears and a tail” and try to describe his eyes and the marks on his face. The POV will just note his expression (maybe his craggy brow furrowing deeper in thought), how his ears flatten when annoyed, how his tail twitches, woven through the conversation.

This works even in original fiction; a lot of times, a writer might offhand mention specifics of the setting mixed in with the mundane/familiar, expecting the reader to get context clues. I don’t have to describe every detail of Limsa’s docks; a few descriptive words of the city (perhaps the white stones, the boardwalks between islands, the sight/sounds of the crowd, the taste of the salty air, the warmth of the sun, the smell of fish and wet wood and some rot, mixed across a couple paragraphs as my characters act and talk), a few mentions of common things in any port, and the idea gets through even if it’s set in a magical world.

Somewhere there's a Rule of Threes*; you don't want to have much more than 3 descriptors for a specific thing, usually meant to limit over-describing things like a character's appearance (especially trying to avoid long-winded descriptions of eyes, hair, figure, and so on). It can also be applied to other elements where you don't want to bog yourself down, or need to parcel out information over the course of the scene or story, not all in one lump at the start, and encourages finding strong words/phrasing to remain concise instead of rambling.

So it kind of becomes a blend of 1. PoV character; their perceptions and personality, how and what they describe and why. 2. Headcanons for expanding the world we see in game, adding in logical information that should exist but doesn't due to engine limits. 3. How do I describe my own spin on a known element? 4. How much is it bogging down the narrative? Can I space out my descs? Use stronger wording and phrases? Cut some and trust my readers? 5. If this is for a challenge/zine/etc, do I have a word count requirement and deadline?

If you feel you want to include screenshots or art to break up the text and give visuals that can work too (but then you may have to include alt text to describe the pic for those using screenreaders...). But overall, find a balance, parcel it out, and trust the readers to fill in what they don’t know with their own imaginations. Cuz they will anyway.

---

*Like every creative writing "rule" (they’re more whatcha’d call guidelines), this can be bent or broken as needed, once one has an understanding of why it's there to begin with.

[grayintogreen]

Perhaps we'll get some insight into this in the Lucien book, but in the meantime:

Why do you think the Somnovem chose to find and repair Lucien's soul rather than just appointing a new Nonagon or something? Like it'd be one thing if there wasn't anyone else available but that wasn't the case. Vess actively wanted the position (and iirc she had all nine eyes so she was in contact with them) and the other Tombtakers were around too (granted they probably wouldn't have wanted it but still). Maybe Vess was their backup if they couldn't restore Lucien? Idk I just think it's interesting that they went through the trouble when they technically didn't have to.

Side note: How exactly did they "put his soul back together" anyway? Like how does that work?

This is gonna get into SOME headcanon territory, but I'm gonna try to stick with what is actually presented in canon and therefore what I've had to make up can at least be backed up by what we've seen and heard. I do have deeper theories about this, but they are literally things I made up for an Alternate History fanfic that I cannot use as basis for an analysis.

Now while we can't say for certain that Lucien was Fate-Touched or born under Ruidus or whatever and that is complete conjecture based on nothing, we do know one thing- he has red eyes and as far as we understand he has always had red eyes. Hold that in your head for a second.

There was a previous Nonagon, presumably the person who scribed the Tome, and for whatever reason, they weren't able to handle it. They went mad and burned up and died like a typical Betrayer God puppet (even if the Somnovem aren't gods- same basic idea). So here comes Lucien who finds the tome and has their eyes naturally. I feel like with everything we've seen of Age of Arcanum wizards, even broken fucked up ones, that seeing someone who has that kind of connection to you built in isn't something to be discarded.

So that's a point in his favor. Add that Lucien is a misunderstood dreamer (like they were), has a massive chip on his shoulder (easily manipulated), and responds well to the knowledge and power they give him without going completely cuckoo and exploding, he's basically the perfect Nonagon. That isn't to say that they couldn't have picked another one, but they put a lot of investment in one that clearly was working for them and his scraps were right there and easy to reach out and find. (Lest we forget that Cognouza is a fucking hoover vacuum slurping up everything that gets in its way as it floats in the astral sea.)

Now Vess, on the other hand... I do believe Lucien isn't bullshitting about her not having the imagination even if I think the "intended usurper" Christ metaphor he talks about is just him justifying what happened to him as something that needed to happen because that appears to be part of how he copes with trauma and life, in general. He spins the narrative to his advantage.

Also Vess is another wizard and the Somnovem are a fragmented fucked up hivemind, but they are still wizards. You don't invite another wizard, especially one who is more eager for knowledge and power than your vision (and Lucien CLEARLY believes in the vision- he just ended up thinking the Somnovem weren't doing it right), into your happy pretendy fun times society unless you want them to turn on you and take your shit for themselves. This is their hubris, I think- they believed VESS would turn on them to steal their information and try to overpower them, but they assumed Lucien, a lesser mortal, wouldn't, simply because that seems to be pretty normal for Age of Arcanum wizards.

As for how they got his soul fragments- they were likely keyed into him as the Nonagon and thus claimed by their magic and just followed his "scent" (which is how Lucien describes it exactly) and then used Cognouza's hoover powers to bring the shreds of Lucien's soul into Cognouza proper and rebuild it, which is an extremely weird way of saying "idk magic dream powers." They wanted him whole again so the aether made him whole again, and I'm sure that had NO EFFECT on his psyche whatsoever.

[elindae-writes]

Hi there! I'm pretty new to TF lore and "Unburied" was actually the first place I'd heard of Cybertronian EM fields, which is a really neat concept :D Would you be able to talk more about them and how they work? Do you think a Cybertronian would be able to sense a human consciousness, or would they be too different from each other?

I am also just a wee sapling when it comes to knowledge about TF lore. I just saw the concept of EM fields appear repeatedly in other fanfics and so I latched onto it and used it in my own. In the Unburied universe fields are emitted from a Cybertronian’s spark and hovers around them. Their sparks fluctuate in time with their emotions, so their fields do as well. Bots can learn to control and prevent any emotions from getting out of them, such as our boy Soundwave for example.

You can learn a lot about a bot by looking at (or I suppose a better word would be “feeling” because fields are invisible) their fields in their natural state. Different kinds of bots have different kinds of fields that flow around them in different ways. Most have fields that flow around them like water and that can be calm and smooth or very active and intense at times. Other bots, such as flyers, have airier fields that feel more like a staticky cloud. The natural resting state of a field can you tell about what that bot’s basic mood and personality is. Optimus’s is calm and smooth whereas as Starscream’s is more jumpy and active.

Since bots are capable of feeling multiple emotions at once this means that fields can have multiple layers at once. The outer layer of the field will tell you what that bot’s dominant emotion is at any time whereas the deeper layers will reflect that bot’s deeper emotions. When Ratchet was high on synth-en his outer field was very prideful, but his inner field layers more sad and pensive. Bots can train their fields so that the inner layers are harder to sense, thus making it easier for them to hide their true emotions. Bots who are true masters at field manipulation can prevent their true inner feelings from seeping into their inner field at all.

Some bots have frametypes specifically built with the purpose of reading and interpreting other’s fields, such as Soundwave for example. Bots who spend a lot of time near each other or who are in some way connected (such as Laserbeak and Soundwave or bonded Seekers) will have fields that feel kind of similar to each other. It’s also my headcanon that Soundwave can actually see fields in the form of colors around a bot’s frame, a very unusual ability indeed. I just like that idea because he is such a weird little cryptid bot who shows no emotions but who is very good at seeing yours, so I just enjoy imagining him as having very weird empath abilities.

Bots who are bonded will be able to vaguely sense their bondmate’s fields over their sparkbond (unless there is too much physical distance). Fields vibrate at slower frequencies when bots are in recharge. Starscream has tried and failed to pretend to be asleep because his intense field is constantly vibrating nonstop like a clogged up Roomba.

When bots who like each other are near each other their fields will match up and flow along a similar or even identical frequency (in other words, they literally vibe with each other). When bots who dislike each other are near each other their frames will clash and their field waves will distort the other’s. 

Fields are also influenced by frame size. Bots with bigger sparks tend to have bigger frames and a much larger field as a result of that and the opposite is true for bots with smaller frames. But it varies from bot to bot a lot, there are a lot of bots out there who have small or just average-sized frames but who have the massive fields of a bot much larger than them, such as Starscream for example.

If you ever encounter a bot who has a field that is wayyyy bigger than you’d expect then that means one of two things: the most likely explanation is that you’re dealing with a bot who just feels very intensely, and the second and more disturbing explanation is that the bot you’re with has a spark intended for a big frame that has just been crammed into a smaller one (once again, poor Starscream as an example because it’s canon his RID frame is his original one and WOW was he a big bot). This is also why it’s really not advisable to put a bot into a frame much bigger/smaller than their spark can handle. It makes them feel emotional distress which in turn results in big/little field problems. Bots with frames who are too big will have tiny little fields.

Bots who feel very little or who are just really really good at controlling their fields will also have tiny or nonexistent ones. Shockwave doesn’t have a field at all, one of the many reasons so many bots find him very creepy. Even the bots who are very good at controlling their fields, such as Optimus, will slip up and let emotions loose during times of high stress. (Sidenote: Optimus totally lets his field out more loosely when consoling Starscream or just any bot in need of consolation in general)

Optimus and Megatron’s fields used to vibe in the ye olden days but now their fields have mutated to be total opposites of each other. If you spend anytime near one and then any time near the other then you could look at both their fields and be like “oh, they know/knew each other.” Optimus and Megatron are just deeply connected like that. Optimus isn’t all that pleased about his field’s mirrored quality of Megatron’s, but accepts it. Megatron is furious about it because his trashy EM field is like the Walmart version of Op’s cool divine one.

The Matrix of Leadership also has an impact on Optimus’s field. It makes his field much larger and gives it cool holy vibes, but also has the side effect of helping to mask his emotions. This is both good and bad: good because it helps him garner respect from bots by literally emanating Robot Jesus vibes, but bad because it has resulted in many bots, including the team, just assuming that Optimus either doesn’t feel emotions the same way they do or that he is just unable to feel emotions at all. Which by the way he absolutely can feel normal emotions, the Matrix just has everybody fooled.

I don’t think a Cybertronian would be able to see a human’s consciousness because they are just too different. Human hearts aren’t capable of emitting vibes the same way.

[vannahfanfics]

Hey!! It's been a long time!! How are you dealing with the quarantine? I hope you're safe!! I love your Sannami stories, obviously! Tell me, you can imagine them as a (conventional, maybe?) married couple? I think that they would be very free, with love as their only rule (spoilers: I'm writing a fanfic about this). I'm obsessed with this beautiful topic, and I want to talk about it hahaha ☺

TT.TT Thank you for sending this again; hopefully this time I won’t answer it PRIVATELY and halfway finished, no less. Sigh. Second time’s the charm! 

Married SanNami Headcanons

Married life with Sanji and Nami is full of fun and full of love! These two are committed to one another and live life to the fullest, but here are the highlights of their lives together: 

Sanji wakes up before Nami a majority of the time and always has breakfast and coffee prepared for her, without fail. However, on occasion Nami will awaken first. Nami is the type to laze about in bed for ten or fifteen minutes- especially if her strapping husband is snoozing beside her. She’ll snuggle up and caress his arms and shoulders until he groggily awakens. He’ll insist on rising and preparing breakfast for her, but it doesn’t take much convincing to have him continue to laze about with his lovely wife... 

Eventually they will drag themselves out of bed and head to the kitchen. During these moments they will cook together, but Nami is so playful that it usually devolves into some sort of food fight. It’s nothing for them to sit down at the table together spattered with jam or smeared with butter or even with a few lukewarm coffee stains on their pajamas. What better way to start the day than with mischief and smiles? 

Sanji and Nami are always searching for more fun recipes to try. Sanji has a good, all-around base of knowledge, while Nami’s expertise lies in baking as well as preparing jams/jellies, soups, and sauces. They have several binders stuffed with magazine pages or hand-written recipes. Most of them have little notes scrawled in the margins concerning additions or alterations to the recipes. They try to make something new at least once a week. 

Sanji does most of the household chores. A clean and neat living space is a content living space, in his eyes. Of course, he has an entire day dedicated to just the kitchen. Not a speck of dust will be found in his workspace! Nami, on the other hand, deals with most of the yard work and landscaping. Growing up in a tangerine grove taught her how to use most yard tools, and gave her an eye for the natural aesthetic. However, sometimes they find that they have the time to help the other, and they will!

When he’s not cooking, Sanji enjoys reading. He subscribes to a monthly service that sends him a new novel, and he always takes Robin’s book recommendations. Always. Nami, when not practicing her cartography, likes to make clothes and jewelry. It’s not uncommon for Sanji to walk around wearing some homemade trinket of hers- and he wears it proudly, because his talented wife made it!

Nami is always pranking Sanji. Hiding his cookware random places, putting squishy putty in his shoes, turning all his clothes inside-out on the hanger- harmless pranks that make him smile as she snickers around the corner. Sanji retaliates with random tickle fights. He’ll spring on Nami when she least expects it and tickle her until she cries. Needless to say, the house is always full of someone’s giggles. 

They never forget their anniversary! Sanji always makes Nami’s favorite dish and gives her some jewelry, and Nami surprises him with a shiny new tool for his kitchen. She bought him a several-thousand-dollar Belli all-purpose mixer for their first anniversary and Sanji actually broke down and cried. 

When they fight, Sanji usually apologizes first. He just can’t stand the idea of her being mad at him! Sometimes Nami is so miffed she boots him to the couch. However, she’ll always awaken in the middle of the night, unsettled by the cold bed, and scamper out to the living room to crawl onto the couch with him. Sleepy apologies are exchanged and they go to bed smiling. They can’t stay mad at one another for very long. 

Sometimes, Nami has nightmares. Most nights she awakens in a cold sweat and just nestles herself into Sanji’s arms until she feels comfortable enough to fall asleep again. Sometimes, though, she awakens kicking and screaming, and Sanji has to calm her down because she literally doesn’t know what’s real. Once he has her subdued, he’ll soothe her with sweet words and touches until she drifts back to sleep. 

They usually all asleep holding hands. Doesn’t matter if they’re both on their side on opposite sides of the bed; one of them will reach back and pat on the bed until the other responds by lacing their fingers. 

[enbyleighlines]

So, random mdzs headcanon that I have. Basically: what if the Yin Iron isn't a natural occurrence and is instead iron got from refining human blood. And killing enough people to make a sword (which was the biggest piece iirc so thats what I'm using for size) would require the killing of.... a lot of people and that's something that was either too horrible to think about or couldn't be done discreetly enough to get away with and that's why no one can replicate it

Hmm, possibly? I didn’t pay much attention to the whole Yin Iron subplot of the live action (mostly because I thought it was a useless addition to the story), but I thought it was supposed to be a good relic that, for whatever reason, got corrupted by resentful energy over time. (Something to do with the Xue Sect? Again idk, the live action added a bunch of unnecessarily complications to what was already a very complex story)

And the sword was like, the main piece? Because it was broken into four pieces instead of three? And only Xue Yang knew about the fourth piece?

(I may be completely off, most of my knowledge of Untamed lore comes from reading fanfics)

In the original story, I think the origins of the cursed sword that becomes the Tiger Amulet is more or less unclear? Like, other than the fact that it is a sword that has been submerged in what had basically become a corpse soup for who knows how long, slowly filling it with an unholy amount of resentful energy

However, the idea of creating a weapon out of refined iron from human blood is pretty damn hardcore. I don’t know if that sort of thing could happen in mdzs, because I only have a vague understanding of how cultivation works, but it definitely sounds interesting! I’d like to see something like that in a fanfic. Maybe a cursed weapon that Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji have to try to retrieve from some demonic cultivators in a post-canon fic? I would definitely read that! In fact, I think that idea would also work in a modern cultivation au. I am kind of mad at myself for not thinking it up myself

(And fyi I don’t hate EVERY addition they brought into the live action. I adore chengqing, for example. But the whole Yin Iron subplot is definitely one of my biggest gripes, right behind taking away all of Wei Wuxian’s moral grayness, heaping all responsibility for every bad thing that happens in mdzs onto Jin Guangyao’s shoulders, and turning the Wen Sect into video game villains who live in a literal volcano)

Anyway, this was a long-winded reply. I did not mean for it to sound quite as salty as it did, but know that that saltiness is not directed at you, but fully at the live action adaptation

PS if anyone knows the real origins of the Yin Iron, feel free to infodump in the notes. Just because I feel that the subplot was poorly written and unnecessary doesn’t mean that other people can’t find genuine enjoyment in it

[crescendo-system]

iM ASKING DEF HALP ADVICE but ya I'm not always able to properly relax and then any memories are like, hazy and watered down, and the last time I was able to get real deep into focus I felt a Bad memory coming on and got tf out of there

ooooo, yea that can happen. Personally speaking, I had that happen once and I continued to pursue the memory to get it over with? but it was already affecting my mood terribly and I had the time and mental preparedness to just have some sob time over the memory. it’s possible you may need to set aside time where you’re ready for it if that memory starts to resurface. I say this more because it might blindside you otherwise, or lurk underneath your consciousness and affect your mood if it goes on too long (which has happened to me a few times with my Dave kin.) But yeah if you can’t handle it then don’t feel pressured to face it just yet. 

the method I use is actually probably good for avoiding that sort of thing, since it’s meant to be a guided mental walk through your memories. I’ve found it’s possible to dictate or affect what memories you see, to an extent. It’s reliant on visualisation so you could guide yourself away from that memory, perhaps. I’ve never tried to use it to avoid a memory so I’m not certain, but it’s possible. 

Said method is built and personalized off of this handy dandy post right here, though the initial setup often led to me losing focus since i myself am a bit adhd lmao.  This post is an inconveniently long and rambly iteration of my specific process and observations that have built up around the method as I’ve adapted it. (I’ll be reblogging both of these to this blog momentarily since I neglected to when archiving I guess, whoops)

main takeaway from these is  probably- learn to visualize and utilize your mindspace to your advantage, and to sort of ‘cherrypick’ things - but don’t try to be too controlling or things will be unsuccessful, unclear or will just fall more out of control.

As for alternatives - I’ve found a few other things that help me, but personally speaking they’re not as consistently successful or reliable. They are however an invaluable resource so I recommend giving them a peek. ;)

(under readmore bc this got Lengthy™ as is in my nature to do lmao. I hope some of this helps!!)

1- paying attention to your dreams. I’ve gotten some kin details from dreams. Sometimes it’s layered in bunches of dream gunk, but if a character from my canon was there to my knowledge, I pay close attention and analyze for symbolism and alternate interpretations. This includes old memories before you kinfirmed, as well - sometimes there are details there that help as well. I’ve known someone who dreamt a kin memory in their childhood as a nightmare. It may not happen with everyone, or be obvious, but I recommend combing what you do remember of your dreams, now and then, just in case.

On a related note, keeping track of your dreams may help you remember more of them in general, and may make it easier to find kin memories. keeping a little notebook, even just to jot down key phrases or doodles, will help you remember things about the dream that you would lose on your own.

2- impressions, feelings etc - of course there’s a danger of overthinking, or of personal preferences/projections affecting it, but sometimes a gut feeling might lead to something more connected to a memory. I figured out one of the swaps in a bloodswap timeline of mine based on gut feelings alone (they had been a former matesprit so the emotional connection allowed me to figure it out better)

3- media. This one is tricky and random. I’ve regained memories from song lyrics, melodies and character themes, fanart and even some fanfics. it can be a phrase, or a certain action, pose, situation. Heck I’ve recalled a memory from a totally unrelated video before. Rather random, even if you look specifically at content/themes relating to your kin. 

But there is a way to tip this into your favor - do you write? draw? make music? anything artistic/creative? then you may be able to pull from your kin memories if you do something based on your kin and the canonmates/settings/etc you had. I have a friend who’s discovered over time that many of the fanfictions they have written aren’t just fics, but actually based on memories from their timelines. They’re not always accurate portrayals of events, or quotes or dynamics, but the core flow and content has always matched up. Likewise, the way I draw/drew characters based on ‘headcanons’ have tended to match up to one of my own canons, and I believe I’ve also written fic snippets based on experiences from my timelines. And as I regain more memories, I’m beginning to write using the memories as a springboard, hoping to expand upon what was initially just, an emotion and specific image, turning it into an excavation of the whole memory I have yet to recall.

and last I can think of as of right now;

4 - talking to people about your memories - this is a very helpful exercise in general! and by this, I mean hold a discussion with someone you feel ok with, about memories and the like, as opposed to just making a post on tumblr. This conversation encourages and stimulates the brain to come up with details when describing, and sometimes the person will say something unexpected that might jog your memory, or help confirm what your canon WASN’T like.  This can sometimes be because the person knows something you forgot/don’t know, or they might say something to be silly/make a joke or offer suggestions. Someone joked about something silly that otters did when I told them about my lusus in my Eridan Leijon timeline being an otter - which surprisingly gave me a memory and also answered a few questions.

I personally am on a few servers on discord where kin talk is encouraged and frequent, plus my longest time kinfriend has always encouraged me to talk about kinstuff as well as tell me about theirs, and in doing this we’ve both made connections for the other as well as discover we’re canonmates in a few tls. 

So these are the methods I’m familiar with! I’m sure others have their methods, I know some witches will rely on spells and the like, but I’ve never been one for those things, based on personal preference. 

I hope these help, and I am always open to helping in any way I can!! Feel free to ask me more stuff if you need!! :)