#and reading the title had me genuinely excited for that crossover

[museenkuss]

I like to think about how celebrity gossip magazines of the 00s have made way for YouTube influencer drama. A testament to the human nosiness.

And there is no NEED to be too deeply involved in one corner or another, but I do think that — as long as you’re not being malicious about it — having useless knowledge about somebody else’s life can be a fun little endevaour. Joyfully useless knowledge.

[bi-bard]

I Don’t Know What I Was Expecting- James Wilson Imagine (House M.D)

Title: I Don’t Know What I Was Expecting

Pairing: James Wilson X Reader

Requested: by @xxfrankenheartxx (can’t tag you, but I hope you find this)

Word Count: 1,008 words

Warning(s): Pregnancy, mentions of potential violence

Summary: Nerves can make people think stupid things... having a friend who enjoys acting like an asshole sometimes doesn’t help with any of those stupid things.

Author’s Note: I have been gone for so long and I’m sorry.

Support my work? https://ko-fi.com/khoward0 

--------------------------------------------------

Oh, the glory of nervousness. I feel sick even though there’s nothing wrong. I was not very good at hiding my nervous feeling. I usually just avoid whatever causing it... but I can’t really do that when I’m dating the very thing that’s making me nervous.

We carpool to work, for god’s sake!

I forced a grin as James kissed my cheek. I let my smile drop as I walked toward the elevator. The doors closed and I sighed. 

It wasn’t James’s fault. The nervousness was all my fault. If I could just tell him the truth, I would feel so much better. If I just told him that I was pregnant, I wouldn’t be so distracted. I shook my head as the elevator doors opened. I forced a big smile on my face as I walked to my office, waving at kids on my way down the hall.

I worked in the pediatric unit. It was a dream. Kids may complain about a pill tasting bad but they couldn’t threaten to sue you when you didn’t do what they wanted. I opened the file sitting on my desk and let the first genuine smile grow on my face. Someone’s kid was finally going home.

“Hello,” I said, knocking on the door frame.

 The little girl and her mom popped their heads up. The little girl was playing with a stuffed animal on the bed, her mom half reading, half-listening to her rambling daughter. 

“Hi Dr. (Y/l/n),” the little girl waved excitedly at me. “I get to go home today!”

“I know,” I replied, going to sit on the edge of her bed. I made sure my eyes shifted from her to her mother and then back, “I just need to do a final check-up and then we can get you all ready to go.”

The little girl was a sweetheart. She was good during her final check-up. She even asked to try the blood pressure cuff on her stuffed animal. When the kids feel better and they get their energy back, that’s when I feel the happiest. It really tells me that I picked the right field for myself. 

The mom and I were standing by the door. The daughter was sitting on her bed, now dressed. The mom was filling out the discharge papers. She handed me the clipboard back. I checked over the pages.

“You’re so good with kids,” she commented. I just chuckled. “Do you have any of your own?”

My brain flew back to those tests I took late last night. Two positive tests tucked away in the bottom of the garbage can, “No, not yet.”

“Well, you’re going to be an amazing parent,” she continued. That made me feel better. 

“Thank you,” I looked back up at her. “Okay, you’re all set. I’ll walk down with you two.”

The mom didn’t speak again until we were standing in the elevator, “If you don’t mind me asking, you said you didn’t have kids yet... are you hoping to?”

“Well, I mean...” I hadn’t really had a conversation like this with a patient. 

“Are you expecting,” she asked after I had gone quiet. I just grinned at her. “Congratulations.”

“Thank you,” I said right before the door opened. I said goodbye to the mom and the daughter one more time before they left the hospital. 

I let out a deep breath before walking to Cuddy’s office. I knocked on the door and waved when she looked up from her papers. She grinned before she waved for me to come inside.

“Can I ask you for some advice,” I asked as I closed the door to her office.

“What about,” she leaned her arms on her desk.

“I’m... well... damn... I’m pregnant,” I said nervously, now bright red with my hands starting to shake. 

“Wow,” she just blinked at me a couple of times. “Have you told Wilson?”

“That’s what I need advice about,” I replied. She nodded.

“Just tell him,” she shrugged. I sighed. “Wilson’s a good man. He’s not going to walk away. He loves you. I would put money on him being more excited than you could imagine.”

“I know... it’s just... overwhelming.”

“I understand,” Cuddy checked her watch as she walked over to hug me. “Go get some food. Relax. That’s not a recommendation, that’s an order.”

“Thank you,” I mumbled before stepping back. She nodded and I left. 

I walked into the hospital cafeteria and immediately wanted to walk out. James was sitting at one of the tables, looking over a file with food sitting next to him. He had barely eaten any of it. I was about to abort my mission when he spotted me and smiled. I smiled back, walking over and sitting across from him. 

“Help yourself,” he pushed his plate a little closer to me. I chuckled.

“Thanks,” I mumbled but didn’t take anything. “I... I need to tell you something.”

“What is it,” he asked, looking away from the file so he could make eye contact with me. 

I clasped my hands together and tried to plan what I was going to say. Then, I realized that a speech would be completely useless. 

“James,” I said before sighing and sitting up straighter than before. “I’m pregnant.”

“Wow,” he replied. He scoffed a couple of times, eyes wide. It made me furrow my eyebrows. “That’s... unexpected.”

“Okay, what,” I asked. He looked genuinely shocked. “You do realize how bad you are at lying, right?”

“House told me,” James pursed his lips, glancing down at the table.

“How the hell did House-”

“He guessed.”

“Oh my god.”

“Told me to prepare myself.”

“I’m gonna kill him.”

“I’ll help you with that after our kid is grown up.”

I smiled at his response, “That’s a long-term plan, Wilson.”

“I actually like the long-term planning,” he grabbed my hand. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” I felt so much better than I did this morning... even if I did have to kill House later.

--------------------------------------------------

Masterlist

What I Write For

Request Guidelines

Musical Prompts

Small Moments With…

When Worlds Collide (Doctor Who Crossover Series) Masterlist

Some Original Characters

folklore/evermore Writing Challenge (and Masterlist)

[extraordinarilyextreme]

Fic Writer Interview Game

thank you @jockvillagersonly for tagging me! you're the absolute sweetest 🥺💖

name: susu (苏苏)

fandoms: honestly, a lot. but of the works i've posted on ao3, the list includes the following: Qing Ya Ji (The Yin-Yang Master: Dream of Eternity), Dao Mu Bi Ji (The Grave Robbers' Chronicles/The Lost Tomb series), Zhen Hun (Guardian), Chenghua Shi Si Nian (The Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty), and Good Omens

if we include fanart though, then there's also Shan He Ling (Word of Honor) and Chen Qing Ling (The Untamed)

two-shots: i genuinely didn't think i had any but here we are lol.

do not speak as loud as my heart: DMBJ & Guardian crossover 💙💚

i love(d) you: Star Wars AU for Good Omens ♡♥

in another time (UNFINISHED): TSOMD immortal!Ding Rong 💜❤️

and may we tie our hearts together again is technically part 1 of something too: red string AU for QYJ ⚫️⚪️

most popular multi-chapter fic: well, i mostly write one-shots haha! but by hits, kudos, comments, and bookmarks, it's a string of paper cranes (red string AU for TSOMD 💜❤️)

actual worst part of writing: i think just getting into the groove of things, trying to find enter flow state? i'm unfortunately really particular about the music i listen to when i write, so i tend to spend hours trying to find the perfect song to serve as my soundtrack instead of, you know, writing LOL

how you choose your titles: it's usually a quote lol no matter if it's a line from the show/book, a lyric, or from a poem (i've been doing more translation work recently so i take stuff from Chinese songs too). and on the occasions that i actually come up with something original... man, i couldn't even tell you how it happens; it's like when the DVD logo finally hits the corner of the tv screen and suddenly i have an idea once in a blue moon

do you outline?: yes. i've outlined for every fic i've written so far except the upcoming PingXie Exchange one (and for that reason, it was so much more difficult to write even though it's one of my shorter fics lol); i really need outlines so i won't miss any of the details i want to include

ideas you probably won’t get around to, but wouldn’t it be nice?: the thing is, i really think i WILL eventually get around to all my ideas, but i just have a lot of things going on :') but some of the stuff catching dust in my folder include an Orpheus & Eurydice retelling of CQL WangXian and some PingXie and Iron Triangle post-canon fluff. the Story of Yanxi Palace AU for TSOMD is still there, and i'm still not satisfied with the second chapter of "in another time" lol. other WIPs include a "Wu Xie dies but the DMBJ world has to continue on" AU and also the red string AU for QYJ from Qingming's pov. there's a huatubing (hanahaki) AU for RongZhi + focus on Wan Tong idea that i've discussed with @rongzhi too, and @naiwong-bao and i are of course still working on our QingYa derivative fic :)

and i'd love to write something for Xin Zhai Lie Ren (Psych-Hunter). the ending of that show left me so unsatisfied LOL

OH actually, i think the one idea that i'll truly never write is something for Shi Shen Ling (The Yin Yang Master). that movie... anyway, i just want to give all the characters so much more development dammit. it'd be post-canon; Baini and Boya become unlikely friends, and Qingming is still doing his stupid i-have-to-be-alone-to-protect-the-world nonsense or whatever. but he's always watching out for Baini and making sure she's safe.

callouts @ me: um... write faster? haha and... try to work outside your comfort zone a little more. try and write something without any angst at all. a rated-E fic maybe. and remember that even if only one person reads your story, even if that one person is you, then that's all you need.

best writing traits: i think i tend to have pretty strong dialogue. i'm good at showing love stories without necessarily an "i love you" in there. and, as much as i whine about it, i think i'm pretty good at making the "angst with a happy ending" pay off; it's exhausting to cope with the characters as they go through losses and tribulations, but i think i tend to handle it pretty realistically for the most part.

spicy tangential opinion: well, i don't think this is particularly anything newsworthy, but read what you like and don't read what you don't like. remember that most people are doing this out of an interest in the fandom, that it touched some part of them, and even if they're angry at the creators and writing fix-its out of spite, they're still doing it for free. so be kind to each other. and be kind to yourself; don't purposefully consume anything that will upset you.

and also. if you are not the intended audience for which a work was originally created and you're unfamiliar with the socio-historical and cultural context of the work, i am telling you not to speak over the voices of the fans who do belong to that culture. i am not asking nicely anymore. be respectful, do the proper research, and ask questions. if you are genuinely willing to learn and be educated, then people will be excited to answer. REMEMBER. you are a guest.

tagging (only if you want to!!! and if you've already done this, i'm so sorry for missing it): @naiwong-bao, @rongzhi, @lqcoups, @astarlitwishforyou, @aloverdestroyed, @ftw-wolvie, @inrainprose, @laireshi, @thosch3i, @a-universe-of-almosts

[chitsangenthusiast]

fic writer review

tagged by @bisexuallsokka thank you 🧡 🧡 putting my tagging here so @maderilien @dickpuncher420 @marriedzukka @zukoscalzones @babydotcom if any of you are interested!!

1. how many works do you have on ao3? 27! only eight of those were written within the past two years tho lol

2. what's your total ao3 word count? 163,360.....which felt fake bc of the long break between writing so i counted only the recent fics and that's. still 91,749 holy shit lmao

3. how many fandoms have you written for and what are they? if i'm remembering correctly, then six! (atla, harry potter, that singular fruits basket fic when i was 14, kpop (shh), marvel, mdzs, and atla again lol)

4. what are your top 5 fics by kudos? useless facts (clintbucky - and tbh only bc it's a 5yo fic lol)

hold me like you do, cover me in blue (zukka)

hands, knees, please, tangerine (zukka)

get a glimpse of this candy paint (clintbucky - also a 5yo fic lol)

don't go wasting your emotion (sangcheng)

5. do you respond to comments, why or why not? i actually didn't use to, but i do now. i feel like the 'leave a comment' game has changed significantly on ao3 and i like showing my appreciation back now! (oh man i have so many comments i still need to respond to omg)

6. what's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending? lmfao none. i'm not a huge fan of writing angst-based stories or endings, BUT i guess technically it's the mallrat in me can be considered for this one since chpt 4 did end with some angst (for now!)

7. do you write crossovers? if so, what's the craziest one you've written? i don't write fandom crossovers but i do like writing ridiculous au's, and i would say that the funniest jobs i've given any character was the clintbucky exterminator/locksmith story that never got finished lol (rip)

8. have you ever received hate on a fic? holy shit poor little 13yo kath used to get OBLITERATED for my characterizations lmfaoooo please know that my attempts at writing good characterizations now come from blood, sweat, and (literal) tears

(still salty i never received hate from the sangcheng troll last year tho. they loved to attack me on twitter but NOT my fics??? i feel slighted smh)

(more below! felt it got long!!)

9. do you write smut? if so, what kind? l m f a o

anyway keep me humming, keep me going is now the second fic that has a title from beyonce's song 'blow' bc those lyrics have a chokehold on me when i write nsfw!

10. have you ever had a fic stolen? no but i've had specific passages from some really old stuff that was stolen and very obviously rewritten/paraphrased, which is. harder to prove lol

11. have you ever had a fic translated? nothing recent but a few of my old hp fics on ff.net were translated!

but omg the best time it ever happened was a year ago when i found out that not only had a 15yo fic of mine been translated (and credited!), it had also been converted into a beautiful pdf!!! complete with cover art and border art!!!! wasn't even aware it was done bc whoever did it had only done it within the last few years i think, but it was such a wild experience to find it i have the pdf saved on my laptop lol

12. have you ever co-written a fic before? i have not! i don't think i've ever had a dedicated beta either, which probably explains a lot lol

13. what's your all-time fave ship? ALTAIR/MALIK they're not even my first otp (which draco/ron and zukka still go strong, followed by clintbucky) but THEY are the ones that seize my heart like no other ship has done 🧡🧡

14. what's a fic you want to finish but don't think you ever will? the zukka ba sing se/blue spirit poetry fic 😔 which is unfortunate bc i'm still so excited to write it/there's a lot written of it, but chaptered fics are nerve-wracking lol

15. what are your writing strengths? idk if ppl necessarily like it, but i really like my writing style! sure it's obvious i write for fanfic vs anything publishable, but i enjoy that lol

also ppl tell me i'm really good at banter, characterizations, and immersing them in the story, which is wonderful bc i do work really hard on that!

16. what are your writing weaknesses? finding the right words. in general, it's so extremely hard for me in that i don't have much of a mental dictionary/thesaurus i guess. it can be upsetting at times, especially when i know there's a better word or way to phrase the line but just have to let it go. i am simply not one of those people who can come up with big words (or words that are like. normal ones to use when describing smth lol)

17. what are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages on a fic? it can be a good touch to the fic! i don't have very strong feelings on it, i suppose

18. what was the first fandom you ever wrote for? atla, tho harry potter is the one that actually survived the period of fic deletion i once went through on ff.net lol

19. what is your favorite fic ever written? everyone is going to know the answer to this one, but hmlyd hands down my actual baby <333 after a 4yr long break from writing, i knocked out 3 fics but it was hmlyd that really got me excited! writing it was a BLAST, my entire heart went into it, and it's one of my fics that i actually do genuinely go back and read frequently bc it makes me so happy lmao

tbh if i hadn't written hmlyd, i probably would've stopped writing for the fandom after hands, knees, please, tangerine and gone back to lurking lmao

(keep me humming, keep me going is a good contender tho. which goes to show that the fastest way to my heart is just inundating myself with tender competitive lovers lmao)

[passionate-reply]

What would Great Albums be, if not for defenses of albums lots of people hate? SPK’s Machine Age Voodoo is, of course, one of those albums, being the attempt of a noisy, drony early industrial group to make synthy disco magic. Did they succeed? Well, maybe not--but at least it’s interesting. Find out more by watching the video, or checking out the transcript under the break!

Welcome to Passionate Reply, and welcome to Great Albums! This time, I will be once again be coming to the defence of an album that’s been very divisive: Machine Age Voodoo by SPK, first released in 1984. Earlier in the 1980s, SPK had distinguished themselves as one of the most prominent figures of the nascent “noise music” movement, alongside acts like NON and Throbbing Gristle. Just two years before Machine Age Voodoo, they released their arguable magnum opus: Leichenschrei, an album that eschewed a traditional tracklisting, featured the mutilated visage of a victim of napalm burns on its cover, and sounded something like this:

Music: “Seite ((Klono))” / “Napalm (Terminal Patient)”

With their follow-up to Leichenschrei, SPK would take their sound in a very different direction. They abandoned the harsh, buzzing textures and nauseous, whirring drones of their earlier work, and set out in a remarkably more pop direction. While Machine Age Voodoo features verses and choruses, brighter synth textures, and winsome slap basslines, it still maintains a certain “industrial” identity, tying it into the same overarching web of related styles that SPK’s earlier work fell under. This album reminds me a bit of Depeche Mode’s mid-80s output, such as Some Great Reward, in its incorporation of both synth-pop structures as well as some accents of mechanistic clangs and bangs. Depeche Mode and SPK were, of course, passing by one another after coming from opposite directions on this spectrum, but the end results remain comparable.

Music: “Junk Funk” / “Machine Age Voodoo”

Listening to the album’s stomping opener, titled “Junk Funk” on most releases but made into the title track for the US market, I’m struck by just how upbeat of a track it is. Where many industrial acts are keen to portray modern labour as a punishing, soul-sucking, miserable endeavour, “Junk Funk” seems to make it into something of a party. Given that even Depeche Mode were penning tracks like “Everything Counts” with a dour outlook on capitalism, the seemingly playful aura surrounding this single really sets it apart--though not necessarily in a good way. As I mentioned earlier, *Machine Age Voodoo* has consistently been panned by fans of the group’s more aggressive earlier work, and I think the album’s affinities with light-hearted, and perhaps even silly, post-disco pop make it all the more easy to write off as ridiculous and asinine. But much like simply being in a style you don’t care for isn’t a reason to lambaste a work of art, simply being lighter in tone is no reason to reject something. Not all great art needs to be stone-serious, after all! While Machine Age Voodoo may not be a continuation of the classic SPK sound, I think it’s an album that has plenty of appeal for fans of lighter synth-pop, and one that I wish had managed to achieve a bit more renown among those who might be a bit more receptive to its style.

Naturally, the title of the album and the themes of its sometime title track invite us to consider the role that appropriation of “primitive” themes has to play. Ever since industrialization and colonialism began to create large separations between the lifestyles of “the West and the rest,” Western artists from Picasso to Gauguin have found themselves fascinated by so-called “primitive” ways of life, found among communities of colour whom they believed to live closer to the natural or archaic state of humankind, uncorrupted by capitalism. But followers of the religion sometimes known as “Voodoo” are living in the modern world as much as anyone else is, and the use of their faith as a symbol of barbarism or the unrestrained id here is presumptuous at best, and bigoted at worst--particularly given the reference to “funk,” a music style that, like Voodoo, is strongly associated with Black culture. The love for things “primitive” has served an important cultural role in the West, offering an apparent alternative to the crushing death spiral of capitalism, and serving as an outlet for questioning the assumed status quo and the truth of human nature--but at the same time, I think we can fairly criticize it for offering a stereotyped and tokenized view of cultures outside of the West. Machine Age Voodoo offers another, very different, perspective on the Other on its second track, “With Love From China.”

Music: “With Love From China”

Compared to “Junk Funk,” “With Love From China” is distinguished as one of the album’s more plaintive and less dancefloor-oriented tracks, and, in contrast to “Junk Funk”’s joyful embrace of “high technology hoodoo,” “With Love From China” portrays the titular Communist power as something quite sinister. While a simple read of the lyrics suggests that it may be a triumphant hymn to the state, the track’s plodding, dirgelike melody makes it hang like an ominous cloud instead. Arguably the most successful state to be built upon Marxist ideals, China is a prominent feature of lots of early 80s synth-pop, where it and other Communist states saw varying portrayals as anywhere from dystopian to utopian. Like the appropriation of “voodoo” earlier, the dread romanticism applied to China by SPK on this track says more about them than it does about China itself. I think both tracks, taken together, paint a picture of a sort of “anywhere but here” ideology, defined less by any strong feelings for these particular cultures, and more by a desire for an escape to the exotic, and an abandonment of all that is sick about the West. Overall, though, “With Love From China” isn’t necessarily a fair representation of the average track on Machine Age Voodoo, as the album consists mostly of higher-energy tracks, like “Metal Dance.”

Music: “Metal Dance”

Perhaps the track most clearly aimed at nightclub rotation, “Metal Dance” feels like a logical choice for the album’s first single. Less of a pop tune and more of a floorfiller, “Metal Dance” still hums with industrial touches, propelled by clunking metallic percussion and chant-like shouts that prefigure the synthesis of machine music and club fare that EBM acts like Nitzer Ebb would achieve later in the 1980s. With its succinct title and a compelling hook that implores us to “synthesize our dreams away,” “Metal Dance” almost feels like a love letter to the sheer concept of electronic music for dancing to--a consummate paean to the discotheque, even if it comes from what may seem like an unlikely, and perhaps dishonest, source. A similar embrace of dance music qua dance music is found on “High Tension.”

Music: “High Tension”

If “Metal Dance” sounds like a preview of later industrial dance genres like EBM, then “High Tension” feels like a throwback to the first attempts to “synthesize” an electronic disco, with its dense, complex production style, prominent bass, and lyrics that promote “danc[ing] ‘til you drop” as a response to “bad times.” Despite its compelling use of a well-textured vocoder, “High Tension” veers away from the worship of the machine that was central to “Metal Dance,” and its straightforward celebration of dancing itself makes it feel like the most likely genuine crossover hit on the album--not that it really had any. It’s also worth noting that the track’s bridge contains an early reference to “hip-hop,” back when artists like Man Parrish were freely using the term to describe club-friendly electro that didn’t necessarily include rapping. Times have changed, of course, but I think “High Tension” fits right in with other works in that style--even if, again, it comes from a group that nobody would have expected to make music like this!

On the cover of Machine Age Voodoo, we see a fantasy cityscape, defined by a massive tower crowned with the band’s name accompanied by a Communist-inspired red star. It’s as firmly removed from the vile and shocking imagery of Leichenschrei as the music contained within. But, just as the music has retained some degree of industrial sentiments, the cover is not without its own sense of subversion--it is, after all, apparently enshrining the ostensibly dangerous, foreign ideology of Communism!

It’s tempting to compare this image to the futuristic imagery of Fritz Lang’s classic silent film, Metropolis, particularly given that there’s also a track on the album that shares that title. But I think that the visual style employed here, with its blocky, cubistic rendering of form and lively use of diagonals to enrich its composition, is perhaps more reminiscent of the work of the Russian avant-garde of the 1910s. Even before the Russian Revolution, pioneering abstract artists, like the “Rayonist” Natalia Goncharova, were looking towards the exciting potential of the future, and making art that celebrated the beauty of machines in motion. The early abstraction of painters like Goncharova would go on to influence the abstract art associated with the early days of the Soviet Union, which makes it a particularly fitting affinity given the themes of Machine Age Voodoo.

After Machine Age Voodoo, SPK never returned to making more melodic music--perhaps unsurprisingly, given the album’s simultaneous failure to achieve crossover success, or retain the interest of their existing fanbase. They returned in 1986 with Zamia Lehmanni: Songs of Byzantine Flowers, an album of dark ambient music that avoided slavishly copying earlier works like Leichenschrei, while still feeling like a worthy continuation of the spirit in which they had begun their career.

Music: “Invocation to Secular Heresies”

My favourite track on Machine Age Voodoo is “Seduction,” which is easy to overlook as it actually only appeared on the US release of the album. “Seduction” is striking for its blatant, wantonly sexual lyricism, which, when combined with SPK vocalist Sinan Leong’s competently sultry vocal style, recalls the best work of the experimental disco outfit Gina X Performance. And much like Gina X Performance, there’s a bit of subversively queer gender-bending to be had here, as a male backing vocalist repeats Leong’s line, “you call yourself a man?” I think that may be unintentional, a sort of happy accident, but I love it nonetheless. That’s all I have for today--thanks for listening!

Music: “Seduction”

[fnlrndcllctv]

THE YEAR IN FIGHTING GAMES: 1993

As the original release of Street Fighter II turns 30 this year, we are taking a look at the landscape of fighting games between 1991 and 2021 on a year by year basis!

This week, Shaun Eddleston takes a look at 1993…

1993 was arguably the year that truly saw which directions the fighting game genre was heading in.

Street Fighter II had been out for 2 years by this point, with a couple of great updates under its belt to keep things feeling fresh and exciting, and Mortal Kombat smashed its way into the scene with its digitised graphics and bloody violence making it the “cool kid” on the scene. It seemed like most games were now trying to play catchup with the bigger games, or genuinely trying to innovate and do something different.

Here’s a look at 10 games from 1993 to see what went down…

SEGA’s first ever foray into the world of 2D fighting games arrived in the form of Eternal Champions. Based around nine fighters from various points in history fighting to reclaim their souls after meeting untimely deaths, its crystal clear that Eternal Champions attempted to ride the coattails of pretty much every other successful fighting game that came before it.

While credit can be given for the game being launched on a console rather than in arcades (a rather unusual release strategy during this time!), the game’s look came across as a choppier, poorly executed version of both Street Fighter II and Fatal Fury. The characters themselves range from a 1920s detective, a prehistoric caveman and a ninja to a wizard, a cybersoldier and *reads notes*… a martial arts-trained scientist who’s also a vampire?!

Perhaps more famously, Eternal Champions was known better for the incredibly gory stage fatalities that could be pulled off. Obviously taking inspiration from Mortal Kombat and trying its best to outdo the violence, from characters being impaled on top of the Washington monument, being chewed up by dinosaurs or being burned alive at the stake to a painfully long and boring trap that sees the defeated opponent dropping through several sets of blades/axes/knives, becoming more dismembered as it goes along.

Some of the horrific violence is so over the top that its genuinely funny, so it’s a shame that the game itself is a bit of an underwhelming experience.

While 1992’s Fatal Fury 2 was a solid release in its own right, many fans were left disappointed by the omission of a number of the original game’s characters. Fatal Fury Special fixed this in a big way, bringing back characters such as Duck King, Tung Fu Rue and the original baddie, Geese Howard, while also tuning up the game’s combo system and introducing a faster game speed for good measure.

The game also featured a secret character in the form of Ryo Sakazaki, the protagonist of the Art Of Fighting series. This crossover between the franchises was a popular choice from SNK (and a no-brainer, considering both of the games series exist in the same universe story-wise), so much so that it inspired them to push development of The King Of Fighters ‘94 in 1994.

We’ll talk more about that next week though…

Thanks to the ongoing success of Street Fighter II, there were countless titles throughout the 90’s that tried to imitate all kinds of stuff from the game in an attempt to get in on that sweet, sweet arcade money. A shining example of this was Fighter’s History, which is one of (if not THE) biggest copycat fighting game of the era. Everything here feels like a retread of Capcom’s biggest game, but nowhere near as satisfying.

The game sees eight international fighters travel across the world to compete in a tournament and see who is deemed the “best fighter”. Sound familiar?

Everything from the colour of the health bars and sound of the blocking hit effects felt like they were directly lifted from Street Fighter II, so much so that Capcom actually tried to sue the game’s developer for shamelessly ripping them off.

Somehow, Capcom lost the case, and Fighter’s History went on to get a sequel!

1992’s Mortal Kombat was a smash hit in arcades and on home consoles, showing a completely different style to the cartoonish fighting games being developed at the time. Fan were left clamouring for more violence, more characters and more special moves, and man, did the sequel delive on these demands (and then some!).

Mortal Kombat II is fondly remembered as one of the absolute best games in the MK franchise, as it boasted improved graphics, more fatalities and more secrets to be discovered. The game was also eager to show to everyone how it didn’t take itself too seriously either, with the addition of “FRIENDSHIP” and “BABALITY” moves, which saw fighters do the polar opposite of the infamous fatalities, or simply turn the opponent into a baby, respectively.

Midway did an excellent job of improving every aspect of the first game, and proved to everyone that the success of the franchise’s first entry was no fluke.

This is also the game where, as a kid, I personally found out why Mortal Kombat was so controversial. Thanks to the first Mortal Kombat’s heavily censored Super Nintendo port, which saw all the fatalities removed and the blood switched with sweat, Mortal Kombat II had much more of an impact on me.

Not content with already creating a handful of standout fighting game franchises by this point, SNK’s latest entry in the genre was a different kind of beast altogether.

Instead of the turbocharged, high intensity action that we were used to in most fighting games of this era, Samurai Shodown slowed things down considerably, matching the vibe of many of the old samurai movies it took inspiration from.

That’s not to say that it isn’t intense, quite the opposite really. The slower pace is accompanied by much higher damage from attacks, multiplying the high risk/high reward factor immensely. When all it takes is just one or two quick attacks to get bodied by an opponent, the need to strategise instead of mindlessly button-mashing is essential.

The game was also one of the best looking 2D fighting games at the time as well, with vibrant backgrounds, great character design and flourishes of bloody violence whenever a particularly nasty final blow hits.

Professional wrestling was HUGE in the 90’s, and the goofy, theatrical nature of the sport lent itself well to the world of video games.

Capcom’s wrestling game is an interesting on, as it not only featured a cast of mostly original characters, but the game fits canonically into the shared universe of Street Fighter and Final Fight too.

Final Fight’s musclebound mayor Mike Haggar is a playable character, and several wrestlers in the game have direct ties to fighters in Capcom’s most popular series (Guile has a brother?!)!

While the sequel, Ring Of Destruction, played more like a traditional 2D Versus fighting game, Saturday Night Slam Masters is a more traditional arcade experience that allows up to 4 players to play in a match simultaneously.

It’s loud, silly and over the top fun. Ya know, like wrestling is!

The juggernaut of the genre that was Street Fighter II got yet another update in 1993, and this was a massive one.

Four brand new fighters joined the roster - Cammy, Fei Long, T, Hawk and Dee Jay - which now meant that the game’s roster was double that of the 1991 release, the character selection screen got a graphical overhaul, players could choose from 8 different colour palettes for their fighter, the voiceover work was improved on and the entire game was tweaked and rebalanced.

Super Street Fighter II also introduced “Tournament Mode”, which only available in arcades when four Super Street Fighter II arcade cabinets were connected together. The home console versions of the game also included tournaments as a separate game mode.

This fighter based on everyone’s favourite sewer-dwelling, pizza eating reptiles is a particularly interesting one, as the experience players got was completely dependent on which version they were playing.

First of all, the NES version. Konami’s final NES game (in the US and Europe at least) and one of the only fighting games for the system that saw a release during the 90s boom of the genre, this scaled-back version didn’t even see a release in Japan. In the single-player Story mode, players choose one of the four turtles as they hold a contest amongst themselves to see who is fit to take on Shredder's challenge. After defeating the first 3 opponents, the player proceeds to fight Casey Jones and then Hothead before the final battle with the Shredder.

Then we had the SNES version, which was also known as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles V: Tournament Fighters (in an attempt to continue the success of the arcade beat-’em-ups) and in Japan as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Warriors. This version uses a similar premise to the NES version in that a fighting tournament is announced, only this time Shredder is a part of the tournament, so the mean, green party machines enter in an attempt to stop him.

The game’s actual story mode was different though, as the turtles must rescue April O'Neil and Splinter from Shredder's clutches. The Turtles must travel across the US in their Turtle Blimp, defeating other fighters and collecting information. Only the four of them can be playable whereas the other characters (as well as a rad looking turtle clone) are the opponents. This version had a bigger roster (12 fighters from the TMNT universe), featured super meters, and the game’s turbo mode at its highest setting was much faster than Street Fighter II Turbo’s was!

And finally, the SEGA Mega Drive version, which has a single player mode that features the turtles and their allies traveling to various planets in Dimension X, fighting against clones of themselves, as they seek to rescue Splinter from Krang. After defeating the eight clones, the player travel to the final three stages to fight against a Triceraton, Krang's Android, and Karai. The game has a two player mode, as well as a practice mode in which the player faces the computer in a 1-round match, and a "Tournament" where the player must defeat 88 opponents with one life gauge.

Cowabunga!

The first fighting game to use 3D graphics truly felt “next-gen” at the time, and had it not been released, then we likely wouldn’t have ever got consoles such as the SEGA Saturn or the original PlayStation either.

It wasn’t just the games impressive visuals and sound that were unique either, as the game focused on more “realistic” moves based in actual combat sports and martial arts as opposed to the cartoonish and OTT antics seen in many 2D games of the era. The game didn’t have any real “story” to it either, just a fighting tournament to show off the graphics and smooth gameplay.

It’s no exaggeration to say that Virtua Fighter was unlike any fighting game that came before it, and is rightfully considered to be one of the greatest technical achievements of that era.

ADK’s World Heroes also got a sequel this year, and saw improvements across the board.

With more fighters to choose from (six new characters joined the roster), more moves to execute, and more stages to fight in, World Heroes 2 simply offered much more variety than the first game.

One of the most interesting additions to the game was the option to choose an entirely new lifebar setting. When switched on, the regular health gauges at the top of the screen are transformed into a single bar that both players now share. This lifebar will go back and forth as players inflict damage on each other, tug-of-war style, and a KO occurs when one side of the bar is completely depleted!

So, there we have it.

1993 was truly the year where the fighting game genre started to expand past your standard “SFII Clone” fare. Street Fighter II continued to make headlines with its huge update, Mortal Kombat II once again set the bar for how violent fighting titles should be handled and Virtua Fighter’s massively impressive leap into the third dimension helped to give players a glimpse at the future of not only fighting games, but video games as a whole!

Next week, we’ll be taking a look at 1994: a year that birthed several more fighting game franchises!

Did we miss anything from 1993 that’s worth mentioning?

Let us know in the comments below!

[antis-delete-your-blogs-pls-thx]

Mouse’s Reclist (#2/?)

It’s time for a second reclist! Here’s the first, if you want. This is again in no particular order. Title, author, pairing, and fandom will be listed, as well as if it’s a WIP.

The first few are going to be Snarry, because my reading list recently has basically consisted of entirely Snarry. Why? Because I fucking love Snarry. Sue me.

Angels on the Moon by Writcraft - Harry Potter/Snarry  - The aftermath of the war is almost as difficult as the war itself, Harry is a mess and Severus is a reluctant survivor forced back to Hogwarts to recuperate from his injuries. When a brick-bonding spell goes awry, Harry and Severus are forced to confront hatred, misunderstandings and a new and unexpected intimacy which takes them both by surprise. Notes: This is the classic-style Eighth Year!Fic, which has long been my favourite trope in the HP fandom. It’s an especially loved trope of mine when it comes to Snarry, too, as I am problematic filth, and teacher-student relationships are my jam. It’s also a classic bonding!fic. But the way it handles the tropes is just… *chef’s kiss*

The Man Underneath by maraudersaffair - Harry Potter/Snarry - Severus is a secret Auror and must always be disguised. When Harry Potter becomes his new partner, Severus struggles hiding his true identity and burning attraction. Notes: This is more bottom!Snape than top!Snape, which I know isn’t to everyone’s taste. However, it’s fucking fantastic, and as someone who has a cathartic and self-fulfilling love of “char A is ugly and has a shittonne of self-hatred and yet manages to score super hot char B” (something that I struggle with myself and still worry how I manage to keep my own gorgeous partner over), this is perfect. Not that I even agree with J.K.’s assessment on Sev’s ugliness. I like the “goth filled with churning angst” look. 

a forest, dark and deep by bleedcolor - Harry Potter/Snarry - Once, many years ago (for that is when all great stories begin, many years ago; we never consider we might be in the midst of our own great story) there lived a boy. But wait, you might say, there is nothing special about a boy living, many people do and never amount to much of anything. You would be right, but you would also be wrong, because this story is not about a boy who lived, but The Boy Who Lived, and that is all the difference. Notes: Harry is cursed and must go on an adventure to the Fountain of Youth to find the cure. I cried. I cried a lot. I cried a lot a lot a lot a lot. Happy ending, though! Fairy tale fic. One of the best fics to read if you want magic in the HP universe portrayed more like magic in ancient medieval history tends to be portrayed: mysterious, Eldritch, Occult-like power that requires strange and sometimes dangerous rituals to harness.

you like making me work for it by bottlefamebrewglory - Harry Potter/Snarry - “Before what, Mr. Potter?”//Before Snape had looked at him, drunk and miserable without knowing why, and told him that he could change his future if he wanted. Before he had pulled Snape out of the darkness he’d been determined to drown in. Before the memories. Before he’d looked into Snape’s eyes and watched him die.//Harry didn’t often change his mind, not about people. He’d been accused by Hermione more than once of being stubborn, even prejudiced. And, once upon a time, he’d thought he’d known exactly who Severus Snape was. But that had changed and Harry was no longer that boy anymore, just as Snape could no longer ever be just his hated professor.//“Before,” Harry said again, more finally.//Harry was pretty sure the fact that everyone never thought he’d live past seventeen was at least half the reason becoming an actual adult was so goddamn strange. Severus just wanted to get on with his life now that it was free of controlling old men.//Or, five times Harry flirted with Snape and one time Snape flirted with Harry. Notes: @snapedefender‘s most recent masterpiece. Post-War!fic, one of the best of. Harry worms his way into Severus’ life, as he always does. Also he has a big crush. Their interactions are golden. Everything about this is golden, in fact. It’s just delightful. Read it, please.

How the War Was Won by avioleta - Harry Potter/Snarry - Severus Snape should be dead. Instead, he wakes up after the Battle of Hogwarts to find himself quarantined in a house full of Gryffindors, waiting for Harry bloody Potter to save the world…again. And Severus must be going crazy because he can’t seem to stop thinking about Potter. (Or, where Harry needs a distraction, and Severus doesn’t refuse.) Notes: War Doesn’t End with The Battle of Hogwarts!fic. And it’s by avioleta, a longtime and well-loved Snarry writer. Well-loved for good reason! They know what they’re doing, and it shows. I’ve long loved “Harry and any number of Slytherins are holed up together and must get along” as a trope, and this nails it perfectly. Another fav was in my previous reclist, Hauntingly by ObsidianPen, where Harry is holed up with Draco, Sev, AND Tom! Fun times!

Chasing Ghosts by DictionaryWrites - Harry Potter/Snarry/WIP - “I guess I’m not ready to join the land of the living just yet,” Harry says. “Need a little more time here at Hogwarts, with all the ghosts. You know what I mean?”//In the aftermath of the war, Harry doesn't feel ready to leave the safety of the castle, and to go out into the world at large: he wants to stay. The Room of Requirement - with great reluctance - grants his wish. Notes: Adult!Harry wakes up in the Marauders Era and becomes a teacher, all while he tries to figure out the nature of spacetime. TIME TRAVEL!FIC! That’s in all caps because I love and adore time travel!fic with all my heart. Again, more of a bottom!Snape story. I used to think I preferred top!Snape, but bottom!Snape has come into my heart with a passion as of late and showed me I’m not always going to want Snape to nail Harry into his mattress. This also shows more of Snape’s backstory, with mentor!Lucius and all, which is a fav of mine as well.

OKAY! Enough Snarry, yes, sorry. Moving on!

Love Potion #9 by murderlight - Bleach/GrimmIchi - Gifted with a horrifying box of potion-laced chocolates from Urahara in the hopes he might feed them to somebody, Ichigo thought all the excitement for Valentine’s Day was done with. Then Grimmjow had to get snacky.//A story in which Ichigo is entrusted with the scientifically altered affections of his once-enemy, and might just discover some of his own. Notes: I love the goddamn love potion/love spell trope. This one highlights the dubcon nature of making someone fall in love with you (even on accident) a lot more, but still makes everyone’s feelings feel genuine and real. And of course it ends happily. And there’s no noncon, if that’s not to your taste. Ichigo is a good boy and does not stroke that pussy until that pussy is entirely free from Kisuke’s experimental serums. Yes, I made that pun.

The Edinburgh Problem by snorklepie - Sherlock/Johnlock - “A nice holiday, just a bit more...murdery. ” John said drily.//“Yes! The best kind of holiday!” Sherlock beamed. “So we won’t get bored!”//After he separates from Mary, John returns to Baker Street. Following a request for help from Sherlock's cousin Violet, the detective and his blogger take a trip to Edinburgh. John discovers more about the Holmes family and Sherlock than he bargained for, but tries not to run screaming. Notes: I fell in love with Violet immediately. I am so gay. If you are also attracted to women, you will probably join me in falling in love with Violet. She is amazing, and very Holmes. But a more balanced Holmes. Well, as balanced as a Holmes can be. I love case fic, I love Sherlock Holmes in general because of my adoration for murder mystery (yes, I am a forensics major, thank you for being able to clock me very obviously), and I love deep backstory and family bonding. It’s a long, long ride, but it is undoubtedly worth every single minute.

The Loss of Flesh and Soul by deuxexmycroft - Sherlock/Johnlock/Abandoned WIP - Five years after John Watson puts the murderous Sherlock Holmes behind bars, a vicious copycat killer emerges. A reluctant John is pulled out of retirement to seek the expertise of the only man who can help, a man who has developed an unsettling obsession with John himself.//Crossover with Red Dragon/Silence of the Lambs Notes: It’s Hannigram but Johnlock, what’s not to love? Sherlock’s characterisation in the TV show is already unsettling enough (well, in the beginning, but I like to pretend Sherlock doesn’t exist past S2), so adding in a little Hannibal Lecter is fantastic. Yes, it’s an abandoned WIP. Yes, that hurts like hell. But it’s so, so worth it anyway. Seriously, this is one of the best executions of serial killer!Sherlock I’ve seen in fandom, and given how fucking gigantic the Sherlock fandom is, hopefully you can see how big of a thumbs up that is imho!

Sinking the Land by emungere - Sherlock/Mystrade - Three weeks ago, Mycroft Holmes picked Lestrade up outside New Scotland Yard and made him an offer he'd been unable to refuse, despite his best judgement. Mycroft had sucked his cock, dropped him off at home, and Lestrade hadn't heard a word from him since.//Now, the door of the black car swung open as Lestrade drew level with it. He could just see Mycroft's profile, hawkish nose and shallow chin limned by the orange glow of the streetlight. Notes: Porn WITH plot! That’s the best way to take your porn, imho. One of the best ways I’ve seen the Mystrade relationship developed. It’s just so real. And Lestrade is so head-over-heels, which is my favourite way to take my Lestrade :p.

Clark Kent, of Krypton by TerresDeBrume - DCEU/Superbat - Batman crashes on Krypton a few days before the Turn of the Year celebrations, and Kal-El's life takes a sharp turn to the left, on a path that will, ultimately, lead him to becoming Clark Kent. Notes: Krypton Wasn’t Destroyed!fic is always, always, always my favourite. Sci-fi mystery again, yes. If you saw my first reclist, then you understand that I am always going to fall for a sci-fi mystery fic. This one develops Kryptonian culture beautifully, and equally-as-perfectly encapsulates what “Clark Kent Pretending to Be a Mild-Mannered Reporter, but on Krypton” would actually look like.

Q It Again by writerofprose - Star Trek/QCard - Picard thinks his position, as captain of the Enterprise, plays the largest role in Q's obsession with him. Q would like to take that bet, even if Picard wasn't making one. What say they try it again, from the start? Without the captain nonsense? Notes: A poignant take on Q’s weird fixation with Picard. Not that anyone can blame him. I mean, shit, the man is Jean-luc Picard. Anyone would be fixated on him. Q uses his Q powers to explore Picard in multiple alternate universes, and erases his own memories in order to come in unbiased. Picard gets to keep his original memories, and those of the AU. Does Q still like Picard as much when he’s not at the helm of the Enterprise?

American Outlaws by manic_intent - Red Dead Redemption/Morston - “Bounty’s for one ‘Jim Milton’,” Sadie said, as she got close to the man under the oak tree. “Wanted for murder, robbery, and unnatural acts.”//“Unnatural what?”///“Don’t got details on here.” Sadie passed the folded up poster to her hunting partner. “You all right?”//Arthur Morgan didn’t answer her as he smoothed open the poster. He was aggressively smoking a cigarette, his second, judging from the stub on the grass. Notes: I loved RDR and RDR2 so much that I wrote my own fic in the fandom, despite knowing jackshit about late 1800’s America. It was only a ficlet, in order to hide how little I remember from my contemporary history classes, but much more talented people than me took on the burden of whole-ass novels. Here’s everyone’s fav BNF manic’s take on a fix-it Morston, pre-RDR1 but post-RDR2. It’s excellent. Who doesn’t enjoy forbidden love historical romance? Especially with a delicious helping of age gap. If you’d like Vandermorgan or even Vandermorston, check out more of manic’s stuff, and also kriegersan, who is another long-time fav of mine. 

Every Deckerstar fic by wollfgang. But especially a softer beginning, an amnesia!fic, and if you saw all of me, a true form!Lucifer!fic. You know, since angels are described as weird Eldritch beings in ancient texts. Both tropes are my favourite. Also that latter one has monsterfucking and we are all monsterfuckers here.

A Modest Proposal by ignaz - House M.D./Hilson - Tritter's case against House still depends on subpoenaed testimony from Wilson. To save House from losing everything, the doctors of PPTH decide on an unusual solution, which in turn leads to unexpected consequences. This is a story about the sacrifices we make that turn out not to be such great sacrifices after all. (Contains spoilers for everything up to and including "Merry Little Christmas.") Notes: Work 355 on the AO3. It’s that OG. And for an OG slash fandom, too. Well, not Star Trek levels of OG, but it’s a fandom based on Sherlock Holmes, and ACD did come before Star Trek! You’ve probably read it. It’s the OG Hilson Pretend Marriage!fic. But I had to rec it because when I get bored I watch House on Amazon Prime (or the thousands of clips they upload to YT nowadays), and I always am struck by HOW GAY HOUSE AND WILSON ARE OH MY GOD. I can never watch it with Mum in the room, though, because she was in the medical field before she retired, and the unrealistic nature of how House characters behave (and some of the medical procedures) make her SOOOOOO peeved. Though doctors, especially surgeons, were apparently huge egotistical dicks at times. Maybe not kill your own patient levels, though.

In A Place Where No One Appeared by Gefionne - Star Wars/Kylux - Following the destruction of Starkiller Base, General Hux is ordered to remove a wounded Kylo Ren to a place where he can recuperate. Knowing nowhere else to house him safely and discreetly, Hux takes Ren to his family’s estate on Arkanis. He anticipates adding this experience to the already long list of abhorrent memories he has of his childhood home, but six weeks in company with Ren turns out to be something quite unlike Hux expected. Notes: The imagery is so fucking vivid, I love it. The entire world of Arkanis is just lit up so beautifully in Gefionne’s words. This takes a little liberty with Hux’s backstory, given there wasn’t too much out at the time, but it’s so fucking good, I’d prefer its canon to the actual one, lmao. 

all that you love will be carried away by coldhope - Star Wars/Kylux - Supreme Leader, the oscillator is failing. The collapse has begun. There is nothing that can be done.//Hux, sent to retrieve Kylo Ren from the dying Starkiller Base, has lost almost everything, and has little patience or tolerance left for anyone or anything--particularly not Snoke's pet pseudo-Sith and his amateur theatrics. But you do the job that is in front of you, to the best of your ability, and you hold on as long as you can. Notes: One of the first Kylux fics, and one of the best. Their relationship is just so real here.

London Calling by SectoBoss - Overwatch/WidowTracer - Recaptured by Overwatch, Widowmaker is sent on a mission to assassinate a high-ranking Talon agent in London. It should be an easy mission – get in, take the shot, and leave. But when Tracer’s your getaway pilot a lot of things can go wrong, and things like 'subtlety' and 'discretion' tend to be the first casualties. Now, lying low after the mission goes awry, the pair of them have to survive in the city until Overwatch can get them home. Notes: Written when OW was in its heyday. And before the fandom was qqqquite as bad as it became. A WidowTracer case!fic, with Amelie as the reluctant good guy, which is always the best trope and I don’t take concrit on this point.

To the Victor, The Spoil by Annakovsky - Hunger Games/Haymitch/Katniss - No berries, no mockingjay, no rebellion. Katniss killed Peeta in the arena, and now she has to live with herself like every other victor. Notes: An old fandom, an older fic, back in the day when nobody complained about fucked up dark!fic. And fucked up dark!fic this is. Rape, age gap, age gap rape, Katniss losing all hope about the future, etc. But damn, it’s good.

The Want of You by MKK - Star Trek/Garashir - Julian Bashir is not quite sure yet about his feelings toward his enigmatic new friend Elim Garak. So when they both show symptoms of a mysterious illness, it seems they'll now have more time apart to ponder the future of the relationship. Their symptoms worsen, however, and to their shock, they discover there's only one way to effectively and inexplicably ease the pain: getting physically closer and closer - and closer. Notes: A forced bonding!fic where Bashir doesn’t actually know Garak all that well. As in, set very early in the canon. Very early. Which is my favourite way to read this beloved trope, because the whole fun of it (imho) is characters who barely have a grasp on each other’s personalities being forced to learn them.

Timeshare by astolat - Harry Potter/Drarry - “It’s not for long,” Hermione said. “By the time we get back to Hogwarts, the Unfettering Brew will be ready.”//“Listen to you!” Ron said. “He’s got to get through a month with the Dursleys and a month at Malfoy Manor. With Draco Malfoy.”//“Yeah, thanks,” Harry said, because he hadn’t just spent the last week contemplating just how much more horrible his summer holidays were about to be than they’d ever been before. Notes: Another forced bonding!fic, this time by AO3’s own founder. I love it. I love it, I love it, I love it. Their interactions here are perfect.

Speaking of Drarry, here’s a Veela!Draco fic I’ve recced before, but I don’t believe was in the original masterpost.

Talk to Me by Saras_Girl - Harry Potter/Drarry - When the usual channels of communication are shut down, the most surprising people can find a way in. A strange little love story. Notes: Harry is temporarily deaf and blind thanks to a misaimed spell. Draco takes care of him, in secret. Identity porn at its best.

Semaphore by DevilDoll - MCU/Stony - "I’m trying to like you, Tony. You’re just making it very hard." Notes: I wanted to rec another OG. One of the first Stony fics in the MCU, and still one of the best. It holds up very, very well and is worth a read if, by some miracle, you haven’t already.

Prisoner’s Dilemma by AvocadoLove - MCU/Stony - After taking the airplane down in the Arctic, Steve wakes to find himself imprisoned as a human test subject. With no idea where in the world he is, his only ally is a fast-talking inventor in the cell next door. Something’s off about Tony that Steve can’t put his finger on, and it’s obvious Tony doesn't fully trust him either. But to escape they may not have a choice… Notes: IDENTITY PORN! And it’s by an author I adore. AvocadoLove has pioneered the MCU MattFoggy fandom, and also donated their efforts and words to Stony. It’s the best. And it’s canon divergence! Which is another favourite trope, and one I can’t ever seem to stop writing myself. I have a lot of appreciation for it.

Speaking of MattFoggy, all of theapplepielifestyle’s works for the pairing are amazing. And all of their works in general.

Belief Space by magicasen - Marvel 616/Stony - The Time Gem appears not when it is wanted, but when it is needed. Steve learns this the hard way.//(Or: an Infinity #6 AU where Thane refuses his birthright and the Avengers are doomed - until the Time Gem shows up within Captain America's grasp.) Notes: A 616!Stony fic, if you’re craving something in the comics rather than the movies. Still with Civil War angst and Stony angry tension, just this time it’s even more painful, because their friendship in the comics!verse was beautiful and their fallout even more devastating.

This time tomorrow (where were we?) by dorcas_gustine - Marvel 616/Stony - Tony goes to see Wanda, and suddenly Steve is alive and there are Skrulls! Or maybe Tony is just going crazy. Nothing happens in this fic, until the very end. Seriously. There's a lot of talking, mostly at inopportune moments, Tony's views on the acceptable gifts to give people are slightly different from everyone else's and he spends more time than would seem necessary being (half-)naked. What else is new? Notes: More 616 for your Stony needs! Tony time travels into a word pre-Secret Invasion and decides to fix things his damn self.

despite the threatening sky and shuddering earth (they remained) by praximeter (Zimario) - MCU/Stucky - “They really didn’t want the mask to come off.” Hill thumbed through the scans, and pulled out a film that she then handed over to Sam, face mostly expressionless but for the flat line of her pursed lips.//Sam accepted the film and held it up to the light, angling so both he and Steve could see it, squinting at the outline of the Winter Soldier’s skull, and the blips of unnatural white that showed up, God, in his brain, not to mention about half his teeth, plus the mask, with its thin protrusions—//“Those are pins,” Steve realized. He looked over at Hill. “The mask—it’s nailed to his face.”//Hill’s face was as unmoved as ever. “Like I said. They really didn’t want it coming off.” Notes: TWS Identity Porn!AU. Gore, given that the Winter Soldier’s mask is literally stuck to his face. But it’s excellent.

Simple by Osidiano - MCU/Stucky - Written for the capkink meme; "To the Winter Soldier, there are basically three kinds of people in the world: superiors, mission support, and targets. He doesn't have the context to understand things like friendship. So what he sees in the Smithsonian exhibit and what little he remembers or feels about his past, he interprets in that light. He thinks that Steve must have been his handler during World War II. That the reason he couldn't kill Steve and the reason he was smiling in the museum photos was because Steve was a good superior who treated him well (or at least didn't hurt him like Pierce and Rumlow, which to him might be the best he can imagine).//Thinking he understands the situation, he decides to report to Steve. Cue misunderstandings, confusion, and heartache for both of them." Notes: Bucky taking a while to snap out of TWS mode is one of my favourite tropes. This fic executes it perfectly.

Bridge Over Troubled Water by soniclipstick (veriscence) - MCU/Stuckony/Phlint - Ultron is destroyed, the Avengers are in disarray, and the Winter Soldier is still in the wind. Steve knows that he has to fix the ever-growing ocean of distrust between Tony and himself, so he takes a leap of faith and tasks Tony with the most important thing: finding Bucky Barnes. But it takes a pair of sexy but stolen hand warmers, several robots, Hawkeye and countless selfies before Steve realises the immensity of what he's set into motion. Notes: I would die for Stuckony as a ship. It’s one of my favourites to read and to write, and this fic here encapsulates it quite frankly in the best way. 

Strange New Worlds by Leletha - Supernatural/Destiel/Sabriel - AU…THE FUTURE: Humanity survives everything, spreads to the stars, and finds it needs to know where it can land. Enter interplanetary explorers Sam and Dean Winchester…and sentient starships Gabriel and Castiel. Then ships and crews start disappearing out in the black and, as usual, all goes straight to hell. Notes: I corresponded with Le’letha when they originally wrote this fic, and my love for it has only grown in the years since. Sci-fi mystery, yes. Dude, Castiel is a sentient spaceship. That itself is premise enough.

In His Image by Anonymous - Supernatural/Sabriel - Kali can breathe life back into a corpse, but what exactly is Gabriel now? Gabriel flits around various centuries trying to work that out, Dean has another powered-down angel and a little brother to look out for, Castiel has forgotten how to trust, and someone keeps sending Sam annoying little notes on his laptop. Oh, and Bobby would like to remind you all that there’s an Apocalypse still going on. Covers season 5 from Gabriel’s death to the finale. Notes: My favourite Sabriel fic. God only knows why the author abandoned it. I have their original name, but it doesn’t feel right to reveal it when they made the conscious choice to anonymise. Let me just say that they were a favourite of mine.

If You Were the Last Woman on Earth by Vali - Doctor Who/Thoschei (Twissy) - Just because your best enemy accidentally destroyed planet Earth is no reason to refuse her hospitality. Written for the Only One Bed fanfic challenge. Notes: That last note doesn’t even begin to cover how wonderful this fic is. Tropes are irrelevant, this captures them perfectly. Still one of my fav ever Thoschei fics. Now just get me one where The Master calls our titular hero Theta Cubed Sigma Ex Squared Lungbarrow, please.

A Wealth of Sorrows by evelynwaaaaah - Dragon Age/Solavellan - Things are getting back to normal in Skyhold now that Corypheus is gone. Until the Inquisitor collapses in mid-conversation.  Notes: Solavellan is still a ship I would die for. This fic will make you ship it, if the game didn’t already. And this is coming from someone who romanced Cullen on my first playthrough.

Reclamation by copperbadge - Harry Potter/Background Jily and Wolfstar - In an alternate universe, one man still struggles with a moral decision made many years before. Notes: What if Tom Marvolo Riddle wasn’t quite the same maniac of the canon!verse and was accepted to the position of DADA professor? By the esteemed copperbadge.

Truth and Illusion by penny_dreadful - Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica/MadoHomu/KyoSaya - “I’ve, um, been dreaming.” She closes her eyes because it’s easier to ignore Mami and Homura’s stares. “In, in my dream I’m still in bed, but I-I’m not alone, Sayaka’s next to me but she’s not breathing, she’s—”//She’s pale and cold and pretty in the same way the stained glass windows of Kyoko’s father’s church are pretty and she’s lying so still she can’t be anything but dead. But in her dream Kyoko still curls around her, soul gem in hand, keeping her warm, keeping her safe—//“—she’s dead, I didn’t even know her that well and she’s dead and in my dream I’m so, I’m scared that there’s nothing I can do.” She opens her eyes. “But there really is nothing I can do. She’s already gone, and we left her there.” She stares hard at her hands. “We weren’t really even friends.” Notes: Not really a fix-it for MadoHomu, but certainly one for SayaKyo. Homura does more spacetime bullshit. Kyouko remembers.

~~~

I think that should cover it for now! That took me ageeeees, and I have games to go waste my life on and fics to write now lmao. Let me know if you want a third installment!

[velkynkarma]

Why Brandon Sanderson Is an Amazing Writer (and Why You Should Read His Novels)

Last week I was recommending some novels to @bosstoaster and was really struggling to not fan squeal all over the place about just how incredible Sanderson’s novels are. Usually, when this happens, I try to pick 1-2 things I like about his writing to talk about, so I don’t talk a person’s ear off...but that usually means so much gets left out.

But I’ve been thinking about it since, so you know what? I can do whatever I want on my blog. So here’s my full, unadulterated breakdown of all the things that are so damned incredible (and consistent) about Brandon Sanderson’s novels (as well as his writing methodology). 

Does contain minor spoilers, but not for anything huge, and I tried to keep even the minor spoilers vague.

PLOT

Incredible world-building—that isn’t generic medieval fantasy-land

I love fantasy as much as the next person, and I enjoy most generic medieval fantasy stories if the plot or characters are great. But Sanderson’s always exploring different kinds of worlds, and entering them is always engaging. Magical cowboy western? A world continually buffeted by enormous hurricanes on a regular basis, so everything evolved to survive them, including the flora and fauna? A world where ash constantly falls? A world that is literally the embodiment of thought and concept? There’s always something exciting to discover.

Incredible magic systems

Like the generic medieval fantasy world-building, I’m used to the D&D style magic systems with energies and fireballs. Sanderson doesn’t touch these kinds of magic systems, though, and I’m continually stunned at just how creative the ones he does use are. Ingest metal, and use it to activate a latent power of yours? Bonding with the literal living embodiment of a concept in order to gain abilities? Re-writing the history of an item so it believes it can be different, and it changes? Using color as payment for a system based entirely around souls and soul coding? The list is long and always entertaining. He’s even written a whole article about how to design magic systems, which is also worth a read.

Really good at the ‘good’ kind of plot twists that leave you genuinely satisfied

I know we’ve all been frustrated by the recent trend that media seems to have these days: viewers or readers guess the direction the plot is heading in, and creators, in a panic, throw in a completely unrelated plot twist (changing the whodunnit, killing off a character, adding a resolution that makes no sense). Those suck. Let’s be real.

Sanderson does the opposite. He leaves the clues in his stories—they’re always there, and you can figure it out with the context clues, if you’re clever. If you’re not, he’s real good at throwing in twists that are hinted at, but still feel incredibly impactful and really satisfying. The end of The Emperor’s Soul still gives me chills, and I still love the twists regarding the big bads in Mistborn and The Stormlight Archive.

Also? He genuinely will catch you by surprise, sometimes. I consider myself to be a pretty experienced reader, and a decent writer. I can usually tell where plots are going for most stories. That’s satisfying, of course. But Sanderson has a way of still managing to sucker-punch me with a plot twist or reveal that feels shocking in a good way. I don’t see a lot of these coming, but the result isn’t disappointment, it’s a “holy crap—wow, how cool!” followed by an intense desire to reread half the story to pick out the clues that were sitting in front of me the whole time, now that I know what they’re actually for. 

Really interesting meta-level stories 

Depending on how invested you want to get, there’s a meta-level of interconnected story with the Cosmere. All of Sanderson’s stories are enjoyable on their own, and you’re never required to go deeper. But if you want to, you can, and suddenly there’s a whole second layer of information and characters in the background that you never really noticed, because most of his stories are actually connected to each other too. You don’t have to know who Hoid is or how he contributes to each separate story, you don’t have to be able to find the crossover characters that have literally crossed over from other books, and you don’t have to understand the whole Shards angle, and you can still enjoy all those books on an individual basis. But when you do know how to spot them in the narratives, it’s really fun, and you feel like you’re in on a great secret.

CHARACTER

Only male author I’ve ever read that actually writes GOOD female characters 

Brandon Sanderson seems to have hit on the not-so-secret secret that most male authors—who dominate the fantasy genre—haven’t seemed to figure out yet: women are people too. 

Consequently, Sanderson writes incredible varieties of female characters, each with their own personalities and quirks, who don’t necessarily fall into the “damsel in distress” or “masculine-coded action lady” stereotypes. See the politically savvy Sarene, the scholarly Shallan, the clever and artistic Shai, rebellious and somewhat childish Siri, the formal and analytical Steris. (These are literally just the ladies with names that start with S). 

But it gets better. Because even with action-hero ladies, they still have characterizations outside of ‘being a lady that beats people up like a man and strives to be as unlady-like as possible to prove she can beat people up like a man.’ Vin might be an action heroine, but she’s also a young woman who’s learning how to have a family, who’s scared of opening up to people, and who’s insecure about her place in the world. Marasi wants to be part of law enforcement, but admits to another character that she also likes the make-up and dresses and looking pretty—and she hates that people expect her to be a masculine action-lady that wears pants and starts fights, because she feels like she won’t even be seen in her field if she doesn’t, and like she has to represent all women. 

But I think the biggest example of this comes from his short story Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell, which (despite its edge-tastic title), is about a mother trying to protect her daughter. Sanderson wrote it as a part of the anthology Dangerous Women, and in his post-script on the story in Arcanum Unbounded, he writes: 

“I thought for a long time about the nature of an anthology called Dangerous Women. I worried that the stories submitted to it might fall into the trope of making women dangerous all in the same way....I didn’t want to write just another cliched story about a femme fatale, or a woman soldier who was basically a man with breasts. 

What other ways could someone be dangerous? I knew early on that I wanted my protagonist to be a middle-aged mother.”

In short, Sanderson actually understands how women work and writes actual, believable, likable female characters, who are just people and not sexual objects or prizes for men to receive at the end of the novel. It’s something we need, and it’s refreshing to see.

But on that note—he’s not afraid to let his male characters be softer either

In the same way that most female characters in fantasy are forced to be masculine-like action ladies, most male characters are also forced into the same role. There’s this misunderstanding that male characters have to all be sword-swinging barbarians who can’t have emotions. 

Sanderson punts this misunderstanding out the window and will have none of it.

There are so many good male characters in this series too that don’t immediately make you want to cringe. Look at Elend, who’s an intellectual doing his best but genuinely screws up a lot, and is all but useless for the first half of the series as a combatant. Look at Wayne, and his heartbreaking moment at the end of Bands of Mourning, who grieves for a person who’d been family to him and isn’t afraid to show how much he cares. Look at Adolin, who seems like the quintessential sword-swinging action-oriented jock, but then completely subverts all expectations by patiently and carefully helping characters with mental illnesses deal with them on their bad days, and being unhesitatingly supportive of his autistic brother. Look at Gaotona, who spends the whole book trying to educate someone on how they’re wrong—only to learn from them instead, and realize he was wrong, and to admit to it. 

Men have their soft moments, written by a male author who’s not afraid to put those moments into his works. And that’s really good, too.

In general, just really good characterization

Sanderson’s characters feel like people. They have oddball quirks, realistic-sounding conversations, and occasionally do things that make no sense. Just like friends, family, coworkers, etc that you and I all no doubt know. Hammond’s philosophical rambling (and Breeze’s frustrated bickering over it), Lift making it her life goal to steal dinners, Wayne’s justification for his kleptomania since he ‘trades’ items instead, David’s weird speech patterns and idioms—these characters are just fun to read, and have extra layers that just make them feel more real.

His books have a strong non-romantic relationship focus

Media in general is inundated with romantic and sexual relationships, and doubly so for fantasy novels—especially when fantasy novels often have a ‘prize’ romance at the end of the epic journey. Save the girl, get the girl. It can be frustrating, especially for people who aren’t interested in romance as a genre (there is a reason a lot of us are reading fantasy novels, and not romance ones).

Sanderson loves focusing on all kinds of relationships though, not just romantic ones. Found family, real family, strong platonic friendships, mentorships, interesting rivals, bonds out of duty—they’re all in here, and Sanderson’s not shy about making it clear. Look at Kelsier openly telling Vin he wishes he and his wife had a daughter like her and admitting he sees her as one, or the way the rest of the team turns her into their little sister that they all teach and protect. Look at Wax taking in Wayne, a scared kid who’d gotten in over his head and didn’t know what to do. Look at Kaladin looking at an entire band of slaves and going, ‘yeah, you’re all mine now and I protect you all,’ and how he forms a whole family out of Bridge Four that ultimately turns around and takes care of him, too (and of course, a lot of Kaladin’s story is driven by his own relationship with his actual family, specifically his younger brother). Look at Shallan doing all that she does at the start of the series to protect her brothers. Look at Prof struggling so hard to protect his little band of Reckoners even as he struggles to protect them from himself. Look at Shai and Gaotona, how they’re set up as prisoner and jailer, and yet they grow to ultimately respect each other.

I could go on and on, but the point is, these non-romantic relationships are everywhere, and they are considered to be just as important as—and sometimes more important than—romantic relationships. 

But on the flip-side, his romantic relationships are very well handled

Anyone who knows me knows I’m not a big fan of romance or shipping. It generally doesn’t hold my interest. In most books, I skim or skip the romance parts, because I’m just not invested in those relationships. They feel flimsy. 

I don’t do that with Sanderson’s works. They’re the only books I’ve ever read where I genuinely feel invested in the characters’ romantic relationships. 

Because here’s the thing: all of these characters that are romantically involved, are also good friends, and that’s the basis of their entire relationship to begin with. And that means these relationships are accessible to everyone, regardless of romantic inclinations or interests. 

Adolin and Shallan just joking around and bantering, with him teaching her how to use swords, with her rattling off witty repartee to defend him in verbal spars? When they just genuinely enjoy each others’ company, without having to constantly make out or have sex to indicate why they like being around each other? That’s genuinely fun. It’s some lovely character interaction. Maybe I don’t “get” the parts where they want to do more romantically inclined things, but I can enjoy that they legitimately enjoy being around each other, that they’re good friends as well as romantic partners, and that they trust each other. And that means I can still be engaged in their relationship instead of yawning and skipping ahead a few pages.

Which brings me to:

He also takes common romantic tropes...and throws them in the garbage bin

Sanderson has other ways of handling romantic relationships that I (as a person who doesn’t like romance) finds so impressive it deserves its own section. Because he takes common romantic tropes, and subverts them, and makes the characters all the more healthy for it. 

On at least two occasions (in Stormlight Archive, and in the sequel Mistborn series), Sanderson has set up a classic love triangle...and then immediately broken it. In one novel, one of the male love interests graciously offers to back out if it will mean the female love interest is happy, because he really just wants her to be happy even if that means he’s not around, and she chooses him anyway...whereupon he makes it clear he’ll definitely help her with her mental health and he wants to be supportive of her. Holy shit, what a wild notion, an actual supportive character in a love triangle. In the second series, the love triangle gets set up, but ultimately broken when the man ultimately chooses the arranged marriage over the ‘true love’ angle, and then realizes he actually, legitimately enjoys the company of the lady in the arranged marriage, and the ‘true love’ love interest realizes that actually, that would have been a terrible idea and she wants to pursue her career. Again, a refreshing and ultimately all-around healthy take for all the characters on something that normally has some nasty fallout. 

In Mistborn, my first introduction to one of Sanderson’s series, I remember being genuinely floored and in awe of Elend’s and Vin’s relationship...because Vin is still really nervous about opening up to people and not comfortable with intimacy, and Elend is completely okay with that. He takes it slow with her, lets her set the pace, and doesn’t force her to do anything before she’s ready. Vin is most comfortable just being around/near him without doing anything inherently romantic, just being in his presence, and he is completely cool with that. And that’s such a healthy thing to see in a romantic story, because it’s really important for readers to see that yes, it’s totally OK to not rush into things, and yes, it’s totally OK for people to take it slower or easier for an uneasy partner. 

I could go on and on, but basically, romantic relationships in Sanderson’s novels are also engaging because a lot of the time? They’re healthy, and friendly, and toss most dramatic romantic subplots out on their ass.

While on that note?

He doesn’t do sex scenes

This one might be a loss for some, but it’s a win for me. Depending on how I feel on a given day, I’m either ‘irritated by’ to ‘really uncomfortable by’ sex scenes in novels...and unfortunately they’re prevalent, especially in fantasy novels. I usually end up uncomfortably flipping through these pages, trying to figure out where the scene ends so I can get back to the actual story. 

I honestly can’t think of a sex scene in any of his novels though. In fantasy, it’s stunningly refreshing, and I feel super safe and comfortable reading his novels because I don’t have to worry about uncomfortable surprises. Plus, circling back to the above points, it’s kind of nice to see characters having established relationships without it having to be solely reliant on them having a good or bad sex life.

Has LGBT+ relationships 

Yup, they’re there, and edge past ‘strongly implied’ to ‘blatantly stated’ in some cases too. Offhand, I can think of a pair of men in the Stormlight Archive who are noted to be in a relationship with each other, and a lesbian gunsmith in the second Mistborn series.

What I find important is not just the inclusion of these blatant relationships, but also how it’s treated as completely normal and not taboo in the context of these worlds, too. Non-straight relationships aren’t treated like a scourge or a difficulty these characters have to deal with; it’s just normal in these realities. 

Additionally, what I really like about them is the way other characters will get called out about it if they do cross a line (usually accidentally). In the above cases, Kaladin makes an ignorant off-hand remark about his gay Bridge Four soldier and is immediately called out about it by the rest of the Bridge Four gang, whereupon he realizes he’d crossed a line and apologizes right away. In the Mistborn series, Wayne repeatedly makes passes at lesbian gunsmith Ranette, who spurns his advances. But when he realizes she’s actually into girls, he backs off and respects that, rather than insisting on her dating him. These are some nice little lessons on how straight people actually should react regarding their non-straight friends and family, and normalizes non-straight people existing in society.

Sanderson has also been openly responsive to and cool about people interpreting his characters in non-straight relationships or reading “implied” relationships/romantic subtext, even if he hadn’t originally intended to put them there. Offhand, I can think of one situation where a reader told him he probably didn’t realize “just how bi” he’d written Shallan in regards to her interactions with Jasnah, to which Sanderson’s response was basically, “Well that wasn’t on purpose, but alright, cool, cool.” 

Also very good about inclusivity for mental illnesses and disabilities

While we’re on the topic of inclusivity, let’s talk mental illnesses and disabilities as well, because Sanderson is great about including these too. In Stormlight Archive alone, we have: 

Renarin, who in addition to having some physically disabilities (specifically, seizures and being physically weak), is confirmed by Word of God to be on the autistic spectrum. And he’s treated with respect and support by his family members and friends. His father shows up to meetings or events he wants to go to, just so he can feel comfortable going to them to show interest in things men typically aren’t supposed to. His brother protects him fiercely in combat but also does his best to give him space to grow, and understands that his brother is incredibly intelligent but sometimes just needs a little time to organize his thoughts or figure out how to communicate. Kaladin understands his physical disabilities immediately and is able to give advice on how to deal with them. The entirety of Bridge Four adopts him as another brother. Jasnah finds another way. I could go on, but basically, Renarin is great

Kaladin has clinical depression, and possibly some form of PTSD, even if they don’t have the technical words for this in-universe. He really struggles with this a lot in the series. Despite that, other characters look out for him a lot, and this creates some genuinely tender moments. 

Shallan rapidly developing some identity disorders. Actually breaks down and admits this to another character. The other character is fiercely supportive of her despite that and doesn’t give up on her so easily

Lopen doesn’t have an arm, but despite being physically disabled, Kaladin still immediately values him and he finds a place on the team. He’s also just...legitimately chill about being an amputee, makes missing arm jokes all the time, and doesn’t seem terribly bothered by it. I believe Sanderson even stated that there’s no real tragic story behind the missing arm...it’s just Lopen. That’s it. 

Teft struggles with substance abuse and insecurity, but the entirety of Bridge Four is super supportive in helping him break it

There’s a character who ends up paralyzed from the waist down over the course of the series. She thinks she’s done for and her life is over, but her mentor keeps encouraging her to try things anyway. 

Honestly, this series is enormous—there’s probably a ton more I’m not even remembering off-hand.

All of this is usually handled pretty tactfully and often brings in some really heartwarming character interactions when characters struggle with issues and other characters help them overcome them. Do you like hurt/comfort and whump in fanfiction? Sanderson does this in actual fiction. It’s great.

WRITING METHODOLOGY

He actually takes the time to write good stories

Sometimes a long-awaited book in a series coughDeathlyHallowscough comes out and you just know it was rushed. You can see it in the way the plot threads are resolved, in the way some threads are just never resolved and end up hanging there open-ended, in the way the epilogues are short and empty.

Sanderson doesn’t do this. He’s pretty transparent about it on his Twitter, where he’ll post updates on his writing progress percentages. Sometimes he apologizes for a delay on a book, because he wants to make sure it’s done right or he works out a plot point just so, or he needs to go back and re-read some old material to make sure there’s no hanging plot points. 

This is good. This is great. This means he genuinely cares about his work, and he wants to produce good content. I will happily wait an extra couple months if it means the book that’s going to sit on my shelf for years to come has a satisfactory start, middle and end.

He’s always ready to give advice to up-and-coming writers, and he’s great about fandoms

Sanderson has a whole segment on his blog devoted to answering questions about writing. He also has a whole series of lectures available for free online. I’ve even heard him in podcasts and blogs in other things. He’s not shy about giving advice and encouraging up and coming writers, and he’s always so encouraging about it too. He’s also totally cool with fanfiction, unlike some big name authors out there who get very elitist about fandoms and the comparative “worthlessness” of fanfiction. 

Some of his novels are available for free, right now, on his website

A bunch of his novels and novellas are available totally for free on his website, which means additional accessibility for people who don’t have the cash for books, ebooks, or audio books, and don’t have time to get to a library. 

Many of them are also available as audiobooks, which means you can probably snag them through your local library’s audio book checkout system as well. 

In conclusion

Brandon Sanderson rocks, his stories rock, and everyone who likes fantasy should really give them a shot, for all of the above reasons. 

[takaraphoenix]

So, @kimmycup​ tagged me in this game. Let’s do this. Alternately titled:

Let me rant about the difference in receiving feedback on FFN vs AO3

Because I am really getting lost in the math behind “most popular” fic. And it’s most definitely more than just “reaching a different audience” when the feedback for one and the same fic differs between over 1k comments on one site vs not even reaching 100 comments on another site.

Author Name: Takara_Phoenix

Fandoms You Write For: Okay so let‘s only involve the ones I am still actively involved with, not the ones that are like... eight years old and I haven’t thought of them once, yeah? That’d be: Percy Jackson, Shadowhunters, Marvel, Rise of the Guardians/How to Train Your Dragon, Detective Conan/Magic Kaito, Vampire Academy, Jungle Book, DC Comics/the Arrowverse, Descendants

Where You Post: AO3 and FFN, but occasionally also on tumblr - when it’s prompts or drabbles

Most Popular One-Shot: Depends on where you ask. And what you define as popular. Personally, the only value I see are in comments - kudos are literally just the press of one button, they mean nothing, and hits aren’t an indicator of much either considering it counts as a hit even when you opt out after a paragraph.

I’ve only had my AO3 for five years now, meaning that the fics on FFN still had four more years to simmer on there and gather attention, I suppose. Meaning, a fic posted for the first time obviously gets more attention than a four years later mass repost on another site.

On AO3, the oneshit with most comment threads would be How to Court the Prettiest Omega Ever in Five Years or Less, my first PJO ABOverse fic, featuring Nicercy. Which, you know, is only 37 comments on there. Seriously I genuinely blame the existence of the kudo function for the overall lackluster comment-response on AO3 because “press one button vs actually writing words”... but that’s a different conversation to be had. (I mean, seriously, in comparison, this fic has 51 comments on FFN... and it is by far not the one with most comments I have over there).

The clear winner if you look at FFN is Something Went Wrong, my first Minotaur/Percy smut fest with a whooping 116 comments. And yes. Positive. Genuinely did not expect that when after weeks of debating, I decided to post this story. *chuckles* (Again, for comparison, this fic got a total of 8 comments on AO3... eight... the difference there is staggering... Which, I’d like to tag on that, on top of the kudo-nonsense, the fact that AO3 displays total amount of comments to the readers and not comment threads is also misleading and I don’t think it helps, because I think you’re more inclined if you see it’s only 8 comment-threads in total on a fic you like vs it showing you 16 comments as the total comment-count.)

Most Popular Multi-Chapter Story: THIS IS TOO HARD TO ANSWER. I’d have to consult my chart, but that hasn’t been updated in ages. Because overall amount of comments means little if you don’t also take into account the amount of chapters - 50 comments on a oneshot are a lot, 50 comments on a 5 chapter fic, not so much, and 50 comments on a 50 chapter is frustrating to receive.

Okay, let me go full nerd on this one. Y’all know I love charts. There was a time where I was interested enough in finding this out that I had a chart going of all my multiple chapter fics. With a collumn on how many chapters the story had at that point in time, how many total comments on AO3, how many total comments on FFN and what, by combining those two numbers and dividing them through the chapter-count, was the average amount of comments per chapter.

However, that chart had last been updated on December 31st 2016. There’s been a lot of influx, lot of new stories and other stories gaining/losing popularity, so when I now say Meet the di Angelos with a 2016 average of 57,25 comments/chapter, that is completely exclusing ten fics I wrote since then.

Damn now I really wanna update the charts...

Also if you can’t tell by now how much actual feedback and comments mean to me, I genuinely don’t know how else to convey it... xD”

If you go by total comment-count - which, again, is misleading because you gotta keep the chapter-count in mind - it’d be Chasing Fireflies on FFN with 1749 comments (on 102 chapters. And, again, for comparison, 88 comment-threads on AO3. 88 vs 1749 is insane) and Percy and the Ghost King of Summers High on AO3 with 749 comments (on 50 chapters. On FFN that’s actually on 990 comments. Far smaller difference here compared to other stories).

Though I dunno, if you measure popular by fanart received, Summers High comes in with five, while my Chasingverse is in with 6... and multiple fanfictions written for it.

Favorite Story You Wrote: Favorite to write, or favorite to reread? There’s a difference there. I’m insanely proud of Chasing Fireflies and the plot and world I created there, the character development. I... don’t really reread it it’s over 500k long I don’t have that time.

Currently, I am really loving The Primal Instinct, it is sooo much fun to write, I get to put basically all my favorite headcanons in there, I’ll get to write Aline and Helen more and Jace’s interactions with others, it features both my favorite OT3s at once. (And it is faaar from my most popular one. Just, feel like mentioning this because my numbers-obsession may read as only writing for comments, which I don’t, I mainly write for myself. The comments are just... very, very nice treats to receive. Also, I love numbers and charts and were curious to see if there is a kind of trend there in what does receive most attention sooo...)

Story You Were Nervous to Post: Uuuh every new thing. Every time I step outta my comfort zone. Trying out a new pairing for the first time. Venturing into a new fandom for the first time. Experimenting with a new kink and wondering if this would be too much. Literally every single time, still.

How Do You Choose Your Titles: On a whim. I suck at titles. Mostly I try to force alliterations because I am a sucker for alliterations, but otherwise I do try to go with “as it says on the tin”, or I try a pun/being clever. Aside from my Triton/Percy fics. Every single fic I’ve written for them is named after a song from Disney’s The Little Mermaid franchise and I have yet to run out of songtitles to use for fics and hey, by then they’ll probably have included a new song in the live-action remake so there’s that! :D

Do You Outline: Depends. Oneshots? No. I just write those. Multiple-chapter fics? ...Depends. xD

If I have a clear vision for where it’s going to go, I do tend to divide into chapters and make myself small notes on what goes into said chapters. Mostly, it’s just a rambled “and x happens and then y” at the end though and then I see how I can make it fit into chapters.

Complete: 795 stories on AO3! Damn, I’ve been busy.

In-Progress: As of right now, 4. Because this week features my Ace Awareness 7-parter, though technically we’re right now down to 3 multi-chapter fics because the next one is only due to be released and join the rotation!

Coming Soon/Not Yet Started: Well, that is two entirely different things now.

Coming Soon:

Shadowhunters, Asmodeus/Jace, “The Royal Consort of Edom” oneshot on the 23rd

Shadowhunters, Magnus/Alec/Jace, “Nesting 101″ oneshot on my birthday this Saturday

Percy Jackson, Nico/Percy, “Something Borrowed, Something Green” oneshot on the 30th

Shadowhunters, Magnus/Jace, “Dancing with the Monsters in the Night” an out-side-of-schedule oneshot for Halloween

And I do think that that is what constitutes “soon”.

Not Yet Started:

HTTYD/RotG, Hiccup/Jack, “The Origin of the Blue Hoodie”, planned for November 27th

Shadowhunters, Magnus/Jace, “Set-Up by the Guard-Cats”, planned for December 4th

Descendants/PJO, Nico/Percy, Ben/Carlos, Uma/Audrey, “Demigod Defenders of Auradon”, planned for December 11th

A-and that is as far as I have planned my schedule ahead. Those three are the only fics on my personal schedule that I haven’t started working on yet. I don’t like to plan ahead too much, because then you just completely lose interest in the story by the time you get around to actually writing it.

Do You Accept Prompts: Prompts, not so much. Requests, yeah. For one, prompts always seem so demanding, while requests are more polite - and also more structured. Prompts are always like “here have one quick trope thrown at your head” and like... I do have a well-enough planned-out schedule with more than enough fics of my own set, I don’t need to try and turn one random prompt into an actual story. But if someone has a specific request, a pairing and an actual plot, that they really wanna see, I do always hear them out, I may not always like the pitch and thus not accept them all, but on the overall I do accept requests.

More inclined to accept birthday requests than random requests, because random requests would be put into the rotation of my schedule and, well come on that shouldn’t be a surprise, they tend to be pushed off then in favor of fic ideas I came up with myself because there’s nearly always more enthusiasm about writing an idea that you came up with yourself than the idea of someone else. Whereas birthday requests have a set date that doesn’t disturb my schedule and I am a big softie who has a weakness for getting gifts myself so I do like to do something nice for someone so they get something special for their birthday.

Upcoming Story You Are Most Excited to Write: Most excited to write? Well, that’d be the Descendant/PJO crossover atm, because that is something very new and shiny and I do love shiny, new things to experiment on. But also The Prince of Pluto, my next multiple-chapter fic that I have already started writing.

Tagging: Whoever wants to do it! <3

[childofsquidward]

Writing Tag!

@captstjohn​ said that they’re tagging anyone who wants to do this... and I’m someone who wants to do this, so clearly it was meant to be

Author Name: childofsquiward everywhere finally

Fandoms You Write For: I honestly don’t know... wait, hold on, I write for The Vampire Diaries, The Originals, Dil Dosti Dance and Kaisi Yeh Yaariyan... yeah that’s it for now I guess

Where You Post: ff.net, AO3 and sometimes I’ll swing by Wattpad just cuz’

Most Popular One-Shot: Ketchup & Maple Syrup which like, okay, this was a cute one-shot and I’m so happy that people liked it, but Bonnie & Damon is easily the only good thing I’ve ever written so I’m like, in shock that Ketchup & Maple Syrup was better (thank you for liking it though!)

Most Popular Multi-Chapter Story: 

Little Witch on ff.net - I’m actually surprised that this is my most popular fic because I just thought that people didn’t like it. Also, I need to edit this fic and then finally update because it’s absolute trash and obviously this means I’m absolute trash because I haven’t updated this fic in YEARS

The Evolution of BonBekah on AO3 - I’m so happy about this because even it’s been over two years since I’ve updated, I genuinely love writing this fic, it’s my favourite fic to write, none of my other fics can even touch this one, they are simply not worthy and I did not put in nearly as much effort in those fics compared to this one 

Favourite Story You've Written: 

The Evolution of BonBekah for sure, as mentioned above, this fic is very dear to my heart and I am actually really happy with the plot I’ve come up with in my head. 

However, another story of mine that I love equally as much if not slightly more than TEOBB, is Falling In Love With Reyaansh Singhania which I believe that I have been writing for over 5 years now (I first posted it on February 2nd, 2015)? I started writing it in high school, probably Grade 10, and it will 1000% follow me beyond University. This was actually my first AU fic as well I think, so that’s I just poured heart and soul into it, and no one will ever see the original version that I posted because I have edited this damn fic a million times and I s2g one day I will finish it, I just don’t how long it will take me because I literally just take a simple idea (let Rey’s three love interests be more than his love interests aka they will get their own fucking stories outside of him before we deal with all that romance bullshit, and also, all three of them are best-friends because I say so - Diya said #SAATRIYA RIGHTS 2k15 until even after this hotmess has been completed because it’s what they deserve fucking fight me) and I just went fucking batshit crazy with it, just like I clearly did with this damn post.

Story You Were Nervous to Post: I was so nervous to post this oneshot - B-e-a-utiful - mainly because it is centered around Alya Saxena, one of the most hated characters on Kaisi Yeh Yaariyan, and although the fandom for the most part is lovely, ManikxNandini was THE ship of the show (I mean, I get it, they were great and I did like them a lot!) and Alya was always kind of not someone the fandom liked because she tried to come in between the main ship of the show, and even when I posted it, some people were all like, ‘where’s MaNan? why is Alya here?’ and I was like ‘this is a fic about ALYA, there are a billion MaNan fics out there, go read them and let Alya have this one thing jfc’. In all honesty, it was not as bad as I had anticipated, which is great because obviously this oneshot is now causing me to want to write a wholeass fic that I will never write because I suck.  

How Do You Choose Your Titles: I don’t know. I don’t really have a process or anything cuz’ all my titles literally suck.

How Many of Your Stories Are:

Complete: ZERO (if we could count oneshots though...)

In-Progress: ALL OF THEM!!! I have 8 on-going fics, so literally all the fics I mentioned above, plus like, one TVD fic, a KY2 fic, and like 3 other D3 fics and one of them is just me ranting about the extremely shitty treatment of one Taani we-didn’t-even-know-her-fucking-last-name-wtf-insert-one-of-the-many-last-names-I-have-created-for-her-here

Coming Soon: I’m trying to finish the ones I have going on, but also, what even is this ‘self control’ that you speak of? Idk her. Anywho... there are about 3 TVD fics that are in my drafts right now, and obviously all of them are Bonnie-centric. I also have 4 new D3 fics that are somewhere on my laptop, 2 of them are crossovers, and they are all hella Taani-centric because I adore Taani with all my heart.   

Upcoming Story You're Most Excited to Write: As of right now, Unwritten because I was actually just working on it when I decided to get distracted by Tumblr. I’m super excited about this one because one, I love fics where I can call people out on how shitty they’ve been to Taani, and two, it’s a fic where I kind try to imagine how everyone’s lives would’ve turned out after Taani leaving (obviously on bad terms with literally everyone) and how everyone would kind of change and I’m having a lot of fun writing certain dynamics that I have never tried writing before but I’ve always wanted to (ex: Taani & Simmi, Vicky & Aashi, Nilesh & Swayam, Sharon & Bharat, etc.) 

Do You Accept Prompts?: I would love to! They’ll suck, but please feel free to do so if you want to.

Tagging: literally anyone who wants to do this, please feel free, it’s so much fun

[imagine-loki]

Choice

TITLE: Choice CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: One Shot AUTHOR: inspired-snowflace 

 ORIGINAL IMAGINE: Imagine Loki assisting his partner in a series of quests to let her see her sister once more in the Underworld. Whilst there, Hades and Persephone offer her a chance to revive one person from the dead. Loki’s thoughts immediately go to Frigga but he knows his love will choose her sister, leading to heartache. RATING: Teen NOTES/WARNINGS: I know that it should be Odin considering Norse mythology but consider this as a crossover of Greek mythology!!!! (You will see why… Also, I hate Odin). Do leave a review!!! Pro tip : read my fic bracelet before this to increase the feels. Enjoy !!! Also, Mentions of death

—–

You had done it. You knew that you had done well as you stood alongside Loki, your boyfriend, in front of Hades and his wife, Persephone. Actually, the Lord of the Underworld had given you a task a few months ago, that could only be achieved through your knowledge of magic. You had asked a single thing in exchange- to see your dead sister. Many years ago, the same magic had killed her, the only one who believed in it.

You hadn’t seen her in years. But today, however, you were sure you would see her as Hades hum of approval mixed with the gurgling of the river Styx behind you.

“Thank you. You have done me a favor and have earned your reward.” Hades bellowed in a voice that seemed to come directly from his throat.

Your eyes twinkled as a servant brought the soul of your sister. You glanced at Loki who was smiling. He wasn’t too happy to be in the Underworld but he still smiled. Even though tears flew down your cheeks, you were grinning and with a look at the couple seated on the throne, you ran towards your sister’s soul and greeted her. She looked exactly like herself, except she was white and hazy, as if she was made out of smoke. You started to peck her on the forehead and cheeks, to the best ability you could kiss a soul. You told your sister everything about yourself and asked her about her afterlife. She smiled and glanced back at Loki when you mentioned that he was your lover. During this conversation you apologised to her a million times for her accidental death. No, that was a lie. You apologised to her a BILLION times. She forgived you with a smile while caressing your hair.

From the corner of your eye, you saw Persephone whisper something in Hades’ ear. He nodded and made a low cough sound in his throat to get your attention. You stood up and moved back, thinking that he meant to imply that it was time for you to go. You stood diagonally in front of Loki.

“Persephone is moved by your love for your sister and she has suggested to me that I should allow you to revive one soul from the dead. And I do wish to let you know that I accept her suggestion.” Hades said.

Loki’s POV :

Revive? Revive someone from the dead? Mother? Frigga? I looked at Y/N with hope. She glanced back at me with excitement bubbling in her eyes and I knew what that look meant. The radiance in me dimmed drastically but I still smiled at her. I hope she didn’t notice the broken smile. Ofcourse, she was going to revive her sister. And why should she not? She had risked her life to see her sister. I can only wonder what she will not do to make her heart beat again. Should I ask her to revive Frigga?? She would gladly do that for me. But is it right?? She was the one who risked her life. No!! but I want Frigga back so badly!! No Loki. Dont put her in an awkward situation. She deserves this. She gave me a look as the energy in her eyes changed. What was that? Understanding? But why? Before I could ask her she turned and went ahead to speak to her sister. She spoke something is a voice too low for me to hear. Her sister grinned and nodded vigorously probably at the thought of being revived back to life.

Y/N moved back and calmly said “How?”

“Well, just think of the person who you want revived” Hades replied. His voice was really irritating.

Y/N closed her eyes and thought hard, putting all her energy into it.

Persephone seemed slightly suprised as she asked “Y/N, are you sure?”

‘Ofcourse lady. You saw her affection minutes ago. Ofcourse she is sure.’ I thought.

Y/N smiled and nodded.

“Fine. Tell me the place and date.” Hades said. Man, his voice was really irritating.

“On the Rainbow bridge in Asgard. On 17th December.” She replied so quickly it seemed that she had revised this reply a hundred times before.

However, the date was caught my attention more. It was a week away. But, that was my birthday!!! Great!!! So Y/N even forgot my birthday. The selfishness started to take over me. So not only had I lost a chance to revive my mother but Y/N wasn’t going to even spent my birthday with me. A day I wished to have her all to myself.

Third POV :

You smiled happily at your idea. You had talked with your sister and decided to revive Frigga instead of her. She assured you that she didn’t even want to come back to the mortal world. She somehow seemed to know everything about Loki and Frigga and had supported your idea.

“She will appear in the morning on the place and date mentioned by you.” Hades explained.

Before you left the Underworld, you asked Hades, “She wont have any problems to come back or after coming back?”

“Dear, that is a promise.”

That is the last you heard of Persephone’s voice along with her sweet smile which gave you the feeling that a flower had just blossomed. The next thing you saw was you and Loki standing on the Rainbow bridge with the palace of Asgard in view. You dragged Loki along with you smiling and glancing back every two seconds. However, you did very well notice that he was trying to cover up his broken smile with a genuine one.

“There is so much to be done. So many preparations to be made!!” you said to Loki.He didnt reply.

Once entering the palace you did EVERYTHING in your power to make the palace look more beautiful than it already was. And when you say everything, you are not to be underestimated. You could see the same pained expression in Loki’s eyes no matter how hard he tried to cover up with a smile. Loki did feel you went overboard when you tended to Friggas garden making pretty little flowers blossom again. Persephone did seem to help you in that arena. He felt sad but never voiced it accross to you. He liked seeing the garden so beautiful once again.

However, his beeaking point reached the limit when he saw you clean up Frigga’s own room. She shared a room with Odin but also had a room to herself. The doors had been closed for so many years. You cleaned up everything, even changed the sheets and dusted everything. Loki was first shocked to see the doors open. But seeing you clean everything made his blood boil.

“Enough Y/N!!!”

You looked back at him and climbed down the ladder you had climbed before rushing over to him. A neutral look on your face.

“Enough of this cleaning! This decorating! Who gave you the permission to open up mother’s chambers? You are preparing day in and day out as if it was the most important day in Asgard.” He screamed bitterly with emphasis on words he found appropriate.

Your face still remained neutral as you walked past him to god knows where.

Great!!! He had finally let his anger get to him and ruin your mood. He would convince you later on. But even you should understand!!! That you just can’t change that room whatsoever. He looked into the room and saw the cresent moons that hung from the ceiling were polished and shiny again. Momentarily, he considered returning the room to its original state but the idea of Frigga’s presence made him delay it. And like that seven days had passed. With you cleaning the palace and preparing for a grand celebration. Loki did apologise for his behaviour but you seemed rather unfazed about the whole ordeal.

Loki was the first to wake up with you shortly afterwards. You just pecked his lips as he caressed your cheek before you ran away to prepare yourself for welcoming the awaited one. He sighed as he saw you run into the bathroom. So you really had forgotten his birthday. You didn’t even wish him. Was your mind so preoccupied that even a simple greeting failed to escape your lips? Not to lie, he did feel a bit jealous of your sister. He felt that she was stealing away you from him. These thoughts constantly kept his mind occupied and he was now standing on the rainbow bridge staring into the horizon.

You had somehow even convinced Thor into coming here. That is, if convincing him was a difficult task. You just had to make puppy eyes and you could even get away for stabbing him. Loki kept smiling every time you stole a look at him but he felt a storm brewing in his heart. And to those who don’t know- That is NOT a good sign. The selfishness just surged through him no matter how many times he reminded himself that you were happy and that was all that mattered. He momentarily considered injuring himself to get your attention. Thor went inside for some reason promising you that he will be back in just a moment after finishing some impending work.

Suddenly, you both saw something glimmer at the end of the golden bridge. The face was not clear but It was seemingly made out of smoke same as your sister, only taller and more golden. A huge grin spread on your face as you gave Loki a quick hug. The smoke slowly shifted forth till it took the form of a body and yet it was quite hazy. But with every step it became clear as if it was on the transition from a soul to a body. You muttered something about Thor missing it. But Loki was too mesmerised to reply. As he watched on, he saw the haze turn into a middle aged woman, wearing a purple colour silk dress and that smile… That smile!!! No way!!! It just couldnot be… Frigga?? He thought. He glanced towards you and your eyes were intently fixed on him rather than the miracle unfolding in front of your eyes. You started to turn hazy in his sight and he wondered whether this was a wishful dream? But he realised that the hazyness was due to the tears welling up in his eyes.You smiled at him and went on your tiptoes to place a kiss on his cheek.

“Happy Birthday, my baby.” You said while holding his hands letting your thumbs caress his knuckles. Moving away you signalled towards Frigga and said “Don’t you wanna give her a hug?”

As if on cue, Loki ran towards his mother, whose misty-ness had disappeared just now and enveloped his arms completely around her, lifting her clean off the feet and with a twirl landing her down. They laughed together for the moment. But then there was a 180 degree turnaround. Loki fell to his knees, crying and apologising numerous times for whatever had happened and his careless behaviour. Frigga helped him up through his shoulders placing a fond kiss on his forehead.

“Now you are a true king” you heard Frigga say.

“Mother, I am no king.” Loki said intertwined with the last sniffles of the earlier cries.

“Oh Loki… You never really understood what we meant, did you? A king is someone who keeps the people around him- his family, his subjects happy. It was never really about a golden throne. It is indeed a suprise that your brother understood this before you did.”

Loki smiled as the truth dawned on him and he locked eyes with you. He need not say anything- You understood how he felt. With Frigga standing directly in front of you, you saw how pretty she really was. An aura radiated off her. Frigga glanced at Loki waiting for a formal introduction of who you are.

But before he could say anything, he heard a bellowing “Mother!!!”. If he hadn’t been so happy he would have rolled his eyes.

“Oh, Thor!!” Frigga exclaimed before he lifted her and twirled her around, the same as Loki did.

Loki and you again locked eyes again, briefly this time and you saw that Loki wanted to say something but the words never came out.

“Mother, how is this possible??” Thor exclaimed, though he didn’t really care much as long as he got to see his mother.

“Oh Thor, you oaf!!” Loki said rolling his eyes. On a much softer note he added “It seems we owe lady Y/N an eternal favor.”

“So Y/N is her name?” Frigga questioned.

“Yes My Queen. My name is Y/N L/N.” you said.

Frigga looked like she wanted to say something but Loki interrupted her.

“Mother, she is Y/N. I am courting her.” You saw how shyly and boyishly Loki said the second line.“Y/N, this is my mother and Queen of Asgard, Frigga.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you, my Queen.” You said bowing slighty.

“Dear, do you even refer to my sons with their titles?” Frigga said. You froze. Oh shit!! Were you even supposed to refer them by their titles?

“I… actually… umm….”

The three of them laughed at your sudden discomfort.

“Awww… Dear Y/N, being courted by the God of Mischief I thought you would get that one.”

“Y/N, you should really stop hanging out with my oaf of a brother. I am afraid you are becoming dumb like him.”

“Loki” Frigga said and playfully smacked his shoulder.

Frigga stepped forward and cupped your face “Dear, call me Frigga or since you are Loki’s lover, call me mother. If you are comfortable with that. Ok?” You nooded with a slight blush.

“Mother, by the way, she was the one who revived you from the dead.” Loki said.

Frigga raised her eyebrows and asked “is that true, beloved Y/N?” again you just nodded.

“For that I am most thankful.”

“Really, lady Y/N we cannot thank you enough for this blessing. But how?”

You exhaled. “I revived your mother instead of my sister.”

The truth suddenly dawned on Loki. That is why Persephone asked you whether you were sure! That is why you mentioned his birthdate! That is why you were preparing the entire palace! That is why you opened Friggas room!! It was all a choice you made!!!

You were teary eyed but Frigga placed a warm hand on your shoulder, “Come on now, Let us all go inside and converse. You don’t plan to stand outside the whole day, do you?”

The four of you went inside with Thor and Loki telling their mother everything between the sun and earth that she missed. There was laughing too, as Thor and Loki constantly told her embarassing events about each other. There were flowers on the floor which were laid to welcome Frigga. You all directly headed to her room. Outside Thor paused for a moment telling the guard to annouce in the whole of Asgard that their Queen has returned. He also asked the guard to send a message to Odin and was discussing the details.

Meanwhile, Loki, Frigga and you entered her chambers and Frigga asked you to sit beside her. Suddenly noticing your boots, Frigga said “Oh! Are you a Midgardian?”

You immediately remembered what had happened to Jane when Odin came to know that she was a Midgardian. Thor had told you about everything. Tensed and breaking into cold sweat, you didn’t reply. From the corner of the eye, you saw Loki was equally tensed since he didnt really know his mothers view on Midgardians.

Frigga looked up to Loki and smiled genuinely, “You and your brother sure have an eye for Midgardians!” Loki smiled shyly and your tension slowly ebbed away.

“After all, they are so pretty and smart.” Thor chose to add the moment he entered.

Loki rolled his eyes but you could see the hint of a smile on his face.

“…But I do have powers.” You said, your insecurity still biting you.

Before Frigga could say anything, Loki added “Yes mother, she can do magic just like us. She is also very strong. Once, she even lifted Thors beloved, oh-so-powerful hammer!!”

“Brother!!! That was only once.”

“If once then a million times” Loki boasted proudly but Frigga just laughed.

They stopped their bickering and you three fixed your eyes on her.

“Oh my dears, it is nothing. I am laughing because I really did miss all of this. And I must add here Y/N, that you must be very precious to Loki for this is the first time I have seen him defend and boast about someone other than his own self.” Frigga said after her laughter died.

You and Loki went red as a rose. Momentarily, It seemed like a competition of who could turn colour the most.

But Loki won the competition with Thor’s next sentence accompanied with his wiggling eyebrows- “Brother, so when are you getting married to lady Y/N? and on the night of the marriage—”

His words were cut short by Loki screaming Thor’s name and Loki started to chase Thor through the corridor. You glanced at them and then the grinning Frigga.

Without a warning Frigga started, “Y/N, I know that I thanked you for bringing me back to life but there is something more precious you have gifted me- Loki’s happiness. He seems genuinely happy when he is with you. I remember Loki as a child, he loved to listen to love stories and all those happy endings. He used to say, ‘Mother, one day will I also fall in love and live happily ever after?’ “. You noted that here Frigga became slightly grim. "But when he realised that he was a frostgiant, he started to note how the villain always lost and convinced himself that he was doomed to the same fate. He considered himself a monster that did not deserve a ‘happily ever after’. After Odin sentenced him to prison, I went to visit him. I tried to be cheerful and told him that I was going to the library and I could bring something he needed from there. He asked me to do a favor and burn all the romance novels right in front of his eyes.

‘Mother, you lied to me! You told me that even I would find a happy ending… but no. Not I. Why is it mother that everyone finds happiness, everyone finds love, EXCEPT ME? It seems that nature has a personal grudge against me. But mother atleast you should not given me false hope!’

‘Loki, I didnt give you false hope…’

‘Oh really,mother? Lets just drop the drama shall we? Who do you think will fall in love with me? Look at what I am? Look mother! It is not your son! It is a failure, a lonely monster, someone who lost to a measly race, someone who was always deemed to remain in the shadows of his glorious brother! But know that I will not kneel, not beg to find love’. ”

Frigga said reminiscing. You had tears in your eyes but so did Frigga.

“I really felt like I had failed as a mother that day. I used to feel so helpless to see him cry himself to sleep every night. He used to keep an illusion but I could still see through it. And now he has that happy ending. With you. Thank you for being my son’s saviour. But…”

Oh no!! There was the word you dreaded, the word of non acceptance and of rejection- “But…”

“….But I fear he can’t really have a happy ending. I think he was right about that part. And trust me my dear it pains me as much to say this. If you do get married to him, I am afraid you won’t be able to bear his child. A mortal, even with superpowers at that, won’t be able to give birth to a half frost giant child. Either you will die or the baby or both… I am so sorry, dearest Y/N, I wish-“

Frigga froze. The sudden pause make you look up at her and after following her gaze you saw…. LOKI!!!

OH SHIT!!! You were praying that he hadn’t heard what was being said. But the tears in his eyes told you otherwise. Coming fully into view from behind the door, his face screamed clearly- “I heard everything you said.” You wanted to say something. Anything!! That could cheer Loki up. But you sat there as still as a painting.

“Brother, remove these chains around my legs now, will you? I promise I won’t speak to lady Y/N about-” Thor said running to the chamber with his feet and hands wrapped in chains. But seeing your solemn faces he stopped midway realising something was wrong.

“Yes, brother, I surely will. But could you do me a favor in return? Can you remove the chains around my neck too? Or rather could you just tighten them so they can take my life away peacefully and not choke me every moment I live?” Thor looked confused at these words but Loki was just staring at you.

Frigga had tears flowing down her eyes but you just sat there holding your breath like a perfect painting. Loki turned to march outside Frigga’s chambers. The moment your eye contact broke you snapped out of your daydream. You looked at Frigga for help but she had given up already. You got up to ran behind Loki but he was gone. He was not even in the corridor! You turned back to look at Thor and told him that if you required help you would send a telepathy message to him. You immediately sent a telepathy asking him to take care of Frigga. He nodded.

You quickly ran from the room frantically searching for Loki. You tried to ask the guards but that ended in a dead-end due to Loki’s invisibility. Your throat was burning from screaming his name non stop but you couldnt care less. You had to reach to him and you had to do it NOW. You checked everywhere- the kitchen, your bedroom, the secret passages but there was no sign of him. Then you remembered- the garden. Ofcourse!! He would go to Frigga’s garden. He had spent quite a lot time there lately and you were sure he would be there.

You quickly teleported to the garden, leviating to prevent any twigs from cracking and giving you away. Indeed, you spotted him sitting amongst the rose bushes on a bench with his legs held closely to his chest by his hands and tears flowing like a waterfall. He sensed the presence of your magic though.

“Go away.” He whispered hoarsely.

You sighed audibly and sat down beside him. The place provided a picturesque view of the fountain ahead as the roses overwhelmed your nasal nerves. The place would be perfect for a beautiful after morning if not for the situation. You didn’t look towards Loki. Not just yet. But then he suddenly encased your body in his strong arms, almost knocking you behind. You slowly started to caress his hair and waited for him to speak even though you knew what exactly was the problem. Between sobs you heard what he managed to put out despite the burn in his entire body, including his throat-

“Pretty Y/N, Why does it always have to be me? Why am I burdened with all the bad luck in the whole of nine realms? What did I do wrong, Y/N, What? I got a girl better than anything that I deserve, my mother had come back to life, I was planning to propose you for marriage, my life was perfect for just this one moment. Y/N, why did even that had to be taken away from me? I am that UNDESERVING of love? Of happiness? Y/N,if I am to lead a life under these burdens, then why am I shown the beacon of hope? WHY Y/N, WHY?”

“Loki…” was all you managed out at first. The sincerity in his words made everything hurt more, if that was possible.

For his sake, you choked the words out-

“Loki… I dont have the answer to all of your questions. But I will do tell you answer to questions asked or not. You are deserving of every drop of love that fall on your precious body and so, so, so much more.. And you will not have anything taken from you, not me, not your mother, not Thor… not in this moment atleast. And know that I love you with all my heart and am going to spend the rest of my life with you, whether you approve of it or not. And I know that you love me back equally, if not more. Also, about bearing your child. Loki, we are sorcerers, one of our task in itself is making the impossible, possible. We have enough time. We can figure out something. We WILL figure out something.” Even though tears were rolling down your cheeks, you cupped his face and kissed his forehead.

Loki started to talk again slighty calmer than before. “Y/N, you know what mother had said was true. After I discovered my true heritage,I thought of avenging myself on my lover. I always thought that if a woman ever made the mistake of falling in love with me I would break her heart into a million pieces. I wished to inflict the same heartbreak that was inflicted on me by everyone I trusted and cared about. I promised myself to never kneel, to never beg in front of her. But-“

Loki went on his knees and connected the sole of your feet with his palms and slightly gripping your heels to prevent you from flinching away. He then rested his forehead on your knees halfway through talking.

“But Y/N, I stand as a beggar at you feet. Kneeling, utterly at your mercy. Y/N, please grant me the pleasure of you company, the luxury of feeling your love. For surely, love is a luxury to me. Please accept my love for you too. Please swear your vows of eternal faith to me. Y/N, I might be a prince, but infront of you I am nothing. But I will accept the title of a prince for that will make you what you truly deserve to be- a princess. And I will find a way to enable you to bear my children without being hurt.” He started sobbing again and you feel that in the of the cloth warmth near your knees.

“I dont know how you were meant to be with a failure, a monster like me, but Y/…Y/N please, please, whatever you do dont leave me.. don’t let me drop deep down that dark abyss again. Please, Y/N, please make this choice.”

You would have been convinced that a paralysis had struck you, had you not been able to hear your heartbeats in your ears.

“Oh Loki!!! I LOVE YOU SO SO MUCH!!” You said flailing your arms around him causing him to fall on his back. You exchanged a passionate and fierce kiss before pulliing away to be able to breathe.

“I love you too Y/N”

“Lets go back to the castle, your brother and mother will be waiting for us!!”

Yoou and Loki walked back to the castle, his hand gripping yours tightly; for in this one moment, he had found his ‘happily ever after’….

—-

A/N : If you do like my fics, please check out my blog, inspired-snowflace, for more !!! (Also, all my writings are not so feelsy!!)

[glassworkspiderlilies]

giyushino week wrap up!

aaaaand that’s a wrap!! thank you to the moderators of giyushinoweek, and to everyone who liked/reblogged/commented on/sent me asks about my fics!!

it was a wild ride to write 8 fics in basically a week or so; i keep saying the fics were hastily or frantically written but LMAO considering how little fic i put out nowadays and how long it usually takes me to write because i edit as i go (which means i take f o r e v e r ), i was seriously just screaming like I JUST GOTTA DO IT I JUST GOTTA GO WITH IT I DON’T HAVE TIME the entire time haha. it was really good to be able to just think of a thing and run as far as i could with it, though!! it’s been quite a long time since i was able to do that, and it was really nice to have a project to work on in the back of my head. <3

ideally, if i work myself up to it, i’d like to revisit all of these and spruce them up to post to ao3, but we’ll see. :’) 

under the cut is just some thoughts on my process during this and also writing each of the fics, if you’re interested! favorite prompt, the most difficult parts to write, what the fic was originally was, things like that. 

thank you again, everyone!! back to hibernation and occasional slow snail pace writing i go, haha.

.

.

.

re: writing process -i tried writing a fic per day during the week before the actual event, which...kind of worked!! ideally, i was going to write a mostly complete fic each day, and then spend the week of the event editing each one before i posted it. what really ended up happening was that i partially wrote several, but not all of them, during the previous week, and then spent the week of finishing up, editing, or writing the whole thing more or less the day before the prompt was “due”, LMFAO. my weekday schedule is pretty structured because of work--I have maybe an hour or two of free time before i have to sleep--so i doubled down a bit more on the weekends. i know like it wasn’t imperative that i meet the “deadline”, but i really, really wanted to!! i figured i’ve written a fic per day for fandom weeks before so why can’t i do it again, but BOY i don’t know who i was back then. i mean, i still did it (yay!) but it seemed so much easier then?? either i was just writing more back then or less afraid or...something, or it’s just been so long that i don’t remember what i felt, LOL.

-i was really quite nervous in the beginning to post the fics, since again, they’re pretty hastily written and my usual writing process is much more “careful” and drawn out. but, it was also freeing as the week went on to just post and not worry, because the point of the week was to have fun, and not necessarily to write the best work i expected of myself within a limited time. (oh, how the perfectionist in me still hisses, though.) still, i’m glad people liked them, and even the extra notes that i just kinda spit out for some of them. :’) i do wish that some had gotten more attention than others, but those ones don’t show up in the tags and i’m not sure why, so. alas. 

re: the fics -confession: as of now, i feel pretty neutral about all of them, since i wrote them in a frenzy. at some point i’ll probably go back and read them and feel differently (and catch my mistakes! oh no!), haha. -a lot of them ended up being AU, which is...??? unexpected?? but i think it was just easier to put them in an entirely different setting, so i could play a bit more loose with their characters, haha. 

day 1 - glance (or hug) -this one...im pretty sure was one of the ones i waited until the last possible minute to finish up. it’s pretty basic event-wise, one of the few more regular slice-of-lifey ones for the week. it was surprisingly hard to get down the “movement” of it all; a glance is hard to describe in detail and in any other way, but i had really wanted to create kind of this...fleeting, almost nostalgic atmosphere in the back and forth of “he keeps looking, she keeps missing”, if that makes any sense. oof, it’s still hard to describe what i had wanted to achieve even outside of the fic!!

day 2 - soulmate (or family) -this one was SUPER HARD to write!!! originally i had wanted to go with a “A sees flashes of what B sees” soulmate prompt, because i figured that would be SO disorienting and would be fun to play with. but i ended up not being able to run with that one. i had also wanted to do the “soulmates write on themselves and the words show up on the other’s arm” idea, based off of what i had started in a 100 word drabble i did, but that deserved wayyyyyy more exploration and angst i was able to write in the time i’d allotted. i do like the “tattoo” soulmate aus the best, i think, and i did want to explore the one i did more, buuuut. alas. soulmates aus are something i prefer to read rather than write, i think, they can get so complicated!! 

day 3 - AU (or touch) -i’ve already made enough notes on this haha, but this ended up being a little too ambitious!! it wasn’t originally supposed to stop where it did, but i just...kinda got stuck and couldn’t bring myself to continue it, because i knew it would just keep going and needed more thinking out. so i just stopped it at the scene break, and hoped it would be decent enough. :’) surprisingly people seemed to enjoy this one most of all????? or maybe it was just the au itself that was a appealing, haha. regardless, i was surprised at the amount of notes this got!

day 4 - demon & wedding -soooooo this might’ve been my favorite prompt LMAO, like when i realized what i wanted to do for this day, i got excited because like, oooh yeah, pain. definitely wanted to go in on this to flesh out and explore various aspects more than i did, but i think of all the ones i wrote, i might be the most pleased with this one so far. 

day 5 - moon (or angst) -honestly, it’s a surprise i didn’t choose angst for day 5. writing about shinobu’s death would’ve been so easy, but i’ve seriously been putting it off since i started writing for kimetsu no yaiba. both “a blade of honey” and “if not cut at dusk”, which are my longer fics, were intended to be about shinobu’s death scene and turned into something completely different, and i ended up avoiding it for day 5 even though it could’ve been so easy. it’s denial, probably! anyway, shinobu’s MAD BOLD here. she would never. maybe. there’s two shinobus that i think about--the "usual” one, modeling herself after kanae, and one who’s more in line with her younger self/inner feelings. i think i went with the latter for a lot of these fics, because i didn’t have to be as careful with dialogue. giyu might’ve suffered character-wise, though, woops. but again, maybe shinobu would, in the vein that she wants to win and have the last laugh, haha. still, i feel more like she wouldn’t. :P oh, also, do you remember ages ago, when AMVs were still widespread, that scene that was everywhere in naruto where hinata’s bathing/training at the waterfall and it’s like really pretty and cool and stuff? yeah. that’s what i wanted this one to be, a little, LMFAO. genuinely surprised that people thought this one was pretty spicy!!

day 6 - kiss (or ocean) -confession: i wrote all of this while i was at work LOLLLL. it was a slow day, i promise. this might’ve been the easiest one to come up with, because the “quick, kiss me!” to escape situation is a classic. the characterization is preeeetttyyyyy loose here, but it was also kind of fun, honestly. my day 5 and day 6 run in pretty similar veins though, so i had kind of wished the endings were a bit more distinct from each other. 

day 7 - date (or crossover) -honestly i had wanted to do like, a soul eater crossover!! really i was planning out an au, but i think a crossover specifically has characters of two series interacting, and then i was Tired and was like, i can’t do that. crossovers aren’t something i usually read, either, so the planning got too complicated and i gave  up. the date idea was also one that came much later and one that i finished up last minute; i’d wanted to make it a little more cohesive and come up with better things for sabito’s list, but. eh. it got longer than i expected too! ideally there would’ve been more of the college life, and sabito and makomo. i thought about doing another additional notes for this, but there was wasn’t enough i had wanted to add on. really it was just the majors for them i’d been playing with--shinobu as a med student (possibly a minor in horticulture/botany, SOMEHOW), sabito & giyu as hydraulic engineering majors (sabito more on fieldwork, giyu more on research), and makomo as a marine veterinary student. shrug!! the lines of “you do realize we were set up, right” and “this was a date, tomioka-san” were the highlight for me, haha. and i’m inordinately fond of the title.

day 8 - halloween (or n*sfw) -sexy stuff isn’t my forte at all!!!! so halloween it was, but. i was thinking of skipping out on this one, and then was like, oh what the hell, you’ve come this far, of course you’re going to go the last leg, too. already wrote enough notes on this one too, but yeah, this one really was quick, and just barely meets the prompt, i think, lmao. ended up being more of a fantasy au, which was fun, though there was a lot left unexplored. ultimately just glad that i was able to come up with something for the last stretch. :)

please feel free to drop me an ask if you have any thoughts or comments! i’d love to hear your thoughts on the fics for the week, if you’d like to share. :) 

thanks for reading!!

[imperialsea-a]

ELIZABETH’S IN-DEPTH RP PLOTTING CHEAT-SHEET.

          Want new-and-exciting plots for your character? Long to reach out to more of your followers, but don’t know where to start? Fear not! Fill out this form and give your RP partners both present and future all the of juicy jumping off points they need to help you get your characters acquainted.

          Be sure to tag the players whose characters YOU want more cues to interact with, and repost, don’t reblog! Feel free to add or remove sections as you see fit. Template here.

Mun name: Rem (not that blue-haired anime girl or DN, it’s from my old blog!) OOC Contact: Contact me through the Tumblr IM system or my Discord! My Discord is: imperialsea#1818. Please tell me your URL if you message me there so I know who you are!

Now, onto the heart of the post!

   ♛   Who the heck is my muse, anyway? Elizabeth Eva Alexandria Cross, the only biological daughter of Kaien Cross, her father (a canon vk char), and Eva Liliya Cherie Cross, her mother (an oc muse)! Elizabeth is a vampire hunter by blood like all in her family before her! But, shh! Your character isn't supposed to know that .  .  .  unless they're also a hunter .  .  .  or a perhaps a vampire (since her family from both sides are famous hunters, but even then they don't have to know she's a vamp killer if you don't want them to) .  .  .  or they're some sort of ally to her / the hunters association since she can't just tell anyone her actual work on a whim. Where she's from, the existence of vampires are a secret from most of humanity and it's her job to kill the dangerous people-hurty ones and keep that nice and secret so as to avoid a world war! 'Nothing about her is complicated at all', I say, lying through my teeth like Bethy does to society every day by keeping her job and true lifestyle hidden :'D

Further information below the cut, please take time to read if you’re stuck on what to plot and how Bethy operates!

   ♛   Points of Interest:           - She was born and raised to fight against unruly beasts and composed foes alike. Despite her youth, she's a one-woman powerhouse and is not afraid to take herself down with an opponent if she deems it necessary. She's like the Smash player who hits the fake smash ball to take out an enemy on their last legs, even at the expense of her own life. She'll do it! Except in Smash she'd probably just win the match because she had an extra life and not, you know, not die forever for real in a last grand battle.

          - She's got vamp genes all over the place and is rare among hunters. She's biologically immortal like a Pureblood despite not being a vampire herself and is living testimony of what her predecessors took from Purebloods both by honorable bestowal of blood from the mysterious Hooded Woman, and straight up [insert painting of Jupiter Devouring His Son here]. Her great grandparent is 3k+ years old, her father is 200+ for devouring his own twin-- it's messy as mythology, but anime :'D  She herself is only 18 on default though (19 in K Crossover--), the youngest of her entire bloodline, and she can still be slain in battle even if she is much hardier than a typical human being. She's also sensitive to auras, and capable of sensing vampires.

          - Things characters might notice? She's ghostly pale and kind of looks like she stepped out of The Last Unicorn. She looks cold, sophisticated, and vaguely otherworldly-- she really doesn't radiate the friendliest of vibes unless she's doing something she loves, and the calculated yet seemingly effortless grace of her movements are prominent in and outside of combat. She is descended from an ancient royal line, and those posh, stuffy mannerisms and formal speech pattern live on through her even if the Adrasteian monarchy no longer exists.

          - She truly isn't a trigger-happy person, whatever the title of 'hunter' implies, and keeps a level head in most situations. Sure, Bethy looks as if she could bite someone's head off and can display some seriously threatening flashes of anger, but she's not going to do something rash and will only resort to drawing her weapons in a serious matter. She's here to save lives, maintain peace, and keep order, not disrupt it and set off a war! No pressure on her, right?

         - She is also notably, NOT a high school student, though she may be mistaken for a high school senior or young college student since her age fits the bill. Elizabeth actually graduated from her high school at age sixteen and took to hunting full-time immediately after. She was convinced to slow it down by her grandparents and began preparing for college when her assignment at Cross Academy arrived and, uh, pretty tragically, hasn’t been able to attend any classes due to her work demands. Come to choose between the world and personal fulfillment? Her conscience only let her have one choice; a hunter must hunt.

    ♛   What they’ve been up to recently:           - Work. There's hardly a time when this girl isn't working or planning what to do next, and the workload only grows after the previous president is outed as a dishonorable, self-serving traitor to the hunters. She's seriously injured after trading blows with him and is promptly benched to deal with the fallout and mental agony, but she's back within a year (and in K's crossover? Only six months later!).

          - Having said that, Elizabeth does have days off and will spend them quietly with her friends, or alone with music and a rejuvenating swim.

          - Depending on the time in her life? Her life circumstances vary drastically-- she can go from a young huntress travelling on her own as duty demands, or she can be a mother of five children and trusted right hand of the new hunter president, Zero Kiryuu. She lives for a long time, so she's always up to something! And of course, she's always motivated to fight for a better future. 

   ♛   Where to find them:            - Aside from work, check the beach! Or find her on methods of cross-continental transportation since she travels around the world for her job (she walks whenever possible, so it's rare to see her on a bus, but she’ll begrudgingly take one or a train)! Otherwise, a place like an aquarium, clothing store, or coffee shop, or any place in a city is your best chance.... write w me pls... q-q she is Around Somewhere.

          - If not found in any of those places and your character is someone inside Cross Academy, she can be found there, helping the prefects in some way and is familiar enough with the building to help out new students if they ask.

    ♛   Current Plans:           - Elizabeth is chained to her work as a hunter for as long as she draws breath, or until there is no need for her to end hostile vampires. Her ultimate goal is to keep the world from falling into a repeat, all-out war between vampires and humanity. Her living and family situation might change through the years, but that will always be her primary drive-- she's got an indomitable will.

    ♛   Desired Interactions:           - please ovq

          - In all seriousness, I’m up for pretty much anything. She needs more friends, more enemies, people to protect, people to be protected by, people she looks up to, people who legitimately unnerve her, everything! I just don’t feel comfortable killing her. Elizabeth fought really hard to get her future and deserves to find comfort after her entire childhood-young adult life was spent thinking the only thing of worth she had was her role as a huntress. I do really, really love angst though, so anything else goes, really c:

     ♛   Offered Interactions ( please sit tight for this! it will be divided into multiple sections! ) :           - IF YOUR CHARACTER IS HUMAN:                - She’ll assume your muse is an average civilian until shown otherwise (be it with unusual powers, whacky aura, combat prowess, or prior knowledge from a report or something-- a plot specific thing). Unless they truly know about vampires / work with the Hunters Association, Elizabeth will not be sharing any information about who or what she is without a legitimate reason (such as the human character being bitten by a Pureblood and thus is being turned into a vampire themselves). However, the other party being kept in the dark about vampires can open the door to a more relaxed Elizabeth without her professional, perfectionist mindset. She’s more likely to have a pleasant conversation with humans since they have no part in the hunt-- but in that same vein, she does aim to keep them at a certain distance and not develop a deep emotional bond (but she’s also a lot softer than she looks and acts and tends to care for others quickly, should they get along). It’s a tricky slope .  .  . She’s thawed out and the nicer aspects of her personality are far more prominent, but at the same time, she’s not being entirely genuine. Give her time and she’ll become more open about personal things, just, not her work.

               - Applies to her K Proj. Crossover.  Working with S4, Elizabeth takes some time to adjust, but ultimately loves the organization and the people within it. They’re an exception to her ‘no ties with average humans’ rule because....errr.... they’re not the average human she’s used to protecting and in that verse they’re aware of her occupation and peculiar heritage. She’s not as cold first impressions might suggest and loves Reisi’s weird af team building nights, it’s hard for her to not have a soft spot for them, even as an outsider and unofficial member (as in, she has none of the abilities the Blues have, but she has her natural abilities).

         - IF YOUR CHARACTER IS A HUNTER:                 - Elizabeth is a known figure in hunter society; her great grandfather, grandfather, and aunt were previous heads of the organization and each are still alive at present. So, it probably makes more sense if your hunter character at the very least knows about her-- unless they’re an off-series muse in which case go wild and do what you think is best! I always did like the idea of two vampire hunters chilling together with neither one knowing the other is a fellow hunter until they’re attacked by a vamp and they’re both like ‘Oh!’

               - A simple but always reliable plot idea is two hunters on a joint mission! It’s really important to know that Bethy does not take kindly to poor performance and expects her partner to take whatever assignment they have seriously. If not? Things get tundra-cold really fast-- o-o;; People’s lives are at stake and in her opinion, if a hunter wants to mope or complain about their blood-given obligation, they’re not fit to be hunters in the first place. ‘Can’t do the job? Then finish what you started with me if you have any shred of integrity, and get thee gone’ sort of thing. Otherwise, uh :’D;; she’s highly cooperative and always aims to reach the outcome with the least amount of damage.

               - As a teenager, she attended a hunter-run private academy in Adrasteia for four years. If it’s possible for your muse to attend (as in, they are from a vampire hunter family and can pass the rigorous entrance exams), throw em in for a slightly younger, less stringent Bethy? A national fencing champion at the top of her classes, and great granddaughter to the legendary hellfire headmaster, Elizabeth’s not easily missed! It could be the start to an amicable relationship to carry into future interactions?

        - IF YOUR CHARACTER IS A VAMPIRE:                 - Bluntly put, for vampires, it’s probably better to interact with Elizabeth after Cross Academy has fallen in the large battle that took place there. Her mother is revealed to have been alive and held captive as a vampire, she’s already friends with a hunter/vamp, her two friends turned out to be Purebloods, and ‘oh....my mother and father got together again and now I’ve got a younger vampire brother’ .....and her boyfriend’s half sister is also a vampire who marries the former vamp senate heir..... so...vamps everywhere; she simply accepts them as part of the family. Prior to that, while she isn’t hostile to vampires and certainly has no intention to attack a vamp unjustly, it’s not a place she’s eager to put herself in. Depending on how threatened she feels, she’ll even swallow her pride and keep her head down-- mostly.

               - If your muse is a hunter-turned-vampire, she doesn’t treat them as a vampire, rather, she still sees them as a compatriot, like in the case of Zero Kiryuu. Whether or not your muse received the blood of their keeper is up to you, but in the case that they haven’t-- she’s always there to assist in granting mercy whenever the time comes :’)

       - IF YOUR CHARACTER DOES NOT FIT INTO ANY OF THE ABOVE CATEGORIES / REGARDING OTHER VERSES:                - Please help me find something that works, I’m willing to try! Memes are incredibly helpful! Send one in, the tag is here, and we can go from there!

                  - My currently finished and ready-to-use Crossover Verse is K Proj., which can be read about right here.

      ♛   Current Open Post/s: Linked right here. There's no expiration date to these, and it doesn't matter if another person has replied to one, you are more than welcome to reply to one if it catches your eye at all.

      ♛   Anything else?:  YEAH, wow I am so sorry that got so long. Please note that this post may be updated periodically!

[sheyffer]

On Bradley (and the rest of this show’s glorified ableism)

Do I have your attention? Good. Because I have things to say.

This is the collective salt built up over the course of most of this entire season, so be warned. This will be long, and most of you aren’t gonna like this - so feel free to skip to the bottom line at the end of the post, I guess.

Without further ado:

So. If you’ve been following me or are a somewhat frequent visitor on the show’s tag(s), you might have noticed I like Bradley. With how much screentime he’s been getting lately, I should be happy, right? Well, I would be, but instead, it just made me feel terrible, week after week. People who’ve talked to me during those times will know. But let me explain.

- Bradley and me

Cheesy title, but what’re you gonna do. See, when MML first came around, I was pretty quick to declare Bradley my favorite character. The first few episodes were great, and I loved what they set Bradley up to be: A kid living in Milo’s shadow, dealing with the rightful bitterness coming out of that. His friendship (or whatever you wanna call it) with Mort and his crush on Melissa had great potential, and knowing these writers, I was expecting some great episodes in these directions. Not that we ever got any, but more on that later.

As the show went on, I noticed something else about Bradley. I know there are a bunch of “(character) is autistic” headcanons out there - and I’m not gonna say anything against those because they’re all valid -, and that Bradley’s also come up in these regards several times. I fully support that headcanon (partly because I’m autistic myself and he’s my favorite character so projection is bound to happen in one way or another), but there’s something specific I’d like to bring up: something I’ll call the switch, for lack of a better word. I will admit that I’m not spending time with other autistic people that often so I can only really speak for myself here... but man. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a (cartoon) character that so obviously has that very same issue (whether the writers intended that or not is another topic; again, see further down). I’m struggling with it a lot myself, as good as on the daily, and seeing actual representation of this in a show makes me feel incredibly validated - because, again, when does any character ever have this?

- A little tangent regarding that “switch”

I should explain what I mean in the first place, of course. Basically, I’ll only care about a topic if it actually affects me in some way, and if it doesn’t, my attention is basically zero. No matter how close we are, I probably won’t even attempt to fake interest when you’re talking about something that has no significance to me, because if I do, people tend to notice quite easily (and I prefer keeping things genuine because me being dishonest would arguably just complicate things further if people realized eventually). Better yet, with the stuff I am interested in, I often end up caring way too much -  so it really is kind of a switch, per se. My emotional investment is either full on or full off, no inbetween. Makes me an awful person to be around when you want to talk about anything beyond the fandoms or characters I’m currently interested in, for the most part, but I’m glad about the people who, for years, have stuck with and supported me anyway :’) Maybe you can see by now how Bradley reminds me of this, but here’s some assorted aspects:

Him failing to somewhat relate to Milo no matter how similar they kind of are in various regards

Him actually being friends with and hanging out with plenty of people he gets along with great (compared to having none whatsoever, as could’ve easily been the case if he really was just a jerk), though he's almost never the one to initiate the conversation unless it's Milo related

Him being straight up rude to those people at times, resulting in everyone getting mad at him (which I can’t really blame them for, but still)

And him in turn being way too emotionally invested in certain topics, see Milo and what Bradley believes to be him stealing the show (and Carla, of course)

Melissa puts it really well in Milo's World when she says Milo is so great because he always cares deeply about other people - Bradley quite literally can't get on that level, so it's no surprise he's this bitter, really. What's he supposed to do? He'll never have it in him to apologize for his salt because there's absolutely no reason to in his eyes. He simply doesn't care if other people are sad or hurt by his words, and not even voluntarily so: He believes he's right and doesn't grasp why people don't get him, which may just be because he's so emotional - and less rational - about it... and when he’s generally the quiet-ish grump who's not too bad but also just never quite the friend that genuinely cares about you as a person because he's just this apathetic, any emotional reaction you get out of him is immediately rendered an uncalled-for outburst. Not saying everyone else is awful to get mad at him, because I can't really blame them at all with how much of a jerk he actually comes off as (and him trying to explain is probably awkward phrasing in the "sorry but I don't actually care about your feelings, no offense" direction that immediately makes people get mad at him again), but don’t paint him as inherently awful. This is likely as hard for him as it is for everyone else, I’ve been there myself... but yeah. So much for that.

- The crossover and its aftermath

Needless to say, I was pretty disappointed by most of the second half of season one when it came to Bradley’s screentime, especially since he’d been such a prominent character early on. So when the crossover came around and he got that plant arm, I was like - great! A physical difference to go along with his mental issues and to give him even more reasons to get a little character arc and a push towards morally darker gray areas! This isn’t something they can ignore anymore, right?

Ha. Sure.

It was bad enough that in those first few episodes after the crossover, he had that arm and it was never brought up by either him or anyone else. And then we did get people acknowledging it exists - but it was either treated as a joke or, worse, something to “get over”.

Where do I even begin.

- Yeah, how about no

It’s bad enough that the writers confirmed they only added the plant arm because “it’s funny” - not because “hey, let’s give our main antagonist kid a visible reason to have an arc” or anything in a remotely decent direction. It’s worse that most of the viewers apparently agree, because I’ve hardly heard a negative comment on the matter over the course of these last few episodes. But seriously - how am I supposed to enjoy this (honestly great amount of) screentime Bradley’s been getting lately when all he’s reduced to is the comedic relief? Make Chad and his supernatural antics the hilarious one for all I care, but don’t use the kid who very clearly has physical (and mental) issues whether you actually headcanon him as having anything specific or not. All I got to see in these last episodes is Bradley rightfully pointing out his arm (Milo’s World, Ride Along Little Doggie), him being legitimately upset (The Mid-Afternoon Snack Club), or him honestly just being in the episode altogether (First Impressions), only to have other - main - characters make fun of, or belittle, or get mad at him and have them be portrayed as “in the right” with not a single ounce of sympathy for Bradley whatsoever. As for First Impressions: I’ve been that (autistic) kid excited for the first day of school but not getting in in time. It’s horrible. (Though I’m willing to let this one slide because it reasonably builds up his strong dislike for Milo)

- On an episode in particular

For what it’s worth, The Mid-Afternoon Snack Club isn’t all bad. Hardly an episode is. But it’s easily the most painful to watch for me, for numerous reasons. And that includes certain fandom reactions I’ve witnessed.

Carla. However hilarious or weird (or both) you or the characters may find this, he clearly doesn’t. Even if the writers only added it as a joke to begin with - I’ve had similar experiences myself. I’ve been in Bradley’s position, and sure, I can’t blame the characters for, initially, belittling him for this stuff. But for the love of all the gods I believe in, don’t just completely ignore the distress he’s going through and change the topic like that (while he’s still in the middle of the breakdown, no less). I expected better at least from Milo or Mort.

Zack’s “character development”. In any other situation, I might have appreciated Zack’s talk about feeling like being in Milo’s shadow. But not only is this literally what Bradley was supposed to be about this whole time - Zack immediately gets reassurance and comfort by the other characters. The best Bradley ever got was rude comments on being uncalled for. Goes right along with:

Only the good guys deserve happiness, apparently. Whenever Murphy’s Law does its thing and someone has an issue with it, Melissa and the others are quick to comment on how it isn’t Milo’s fault and whoever has the issue is clearly just being rude and uncalled for. Whenever Bradley does something mildly unpleasant, the very same characters get mad at him and are portrayed as being in the right. As people have pointed out before, Milo and Bradley aren’t all that fundamentally different - but because Milo is the protagonist (tm) and, in-universe, nice to people and (as I’ve heard) adorable, people treat him well enough, while it’s apparently the right thing to be awful to Bradley, because he’s the antagonist(/comedic relief) and not the nicest person around. (For the record, I like Milo and appreciate how supportive people are of his issues. It’s just the jarring contrast with Bradley’s treatment that bothers me.)

Bradley’s “character development”. It’s been a thing I’ve read about regarding this episode and that’s apparently been getting quite a bit of acknowledgement. And sorry, but what? Randomly making Bradley a nice guy who doesn’t mind being around Milo & Co isn’t “character development”. More likely than anything, it’s “oh no, we have three episodes left and can’t have any relevant-ish character not like Milo before this is over, but we don’t have enough time to even half-ass Bradley’s “arc” so let’s just make him be nice for the sake of this montage”. It’s more of a disservice to the kid than anything, especially when in this season in particular, pretty much nobody was nice to him, ever.

- What I’m getting at (took a while, I know)

I’m basically Bradley, for what it’s worth. Whether he intentionally has to deal with the switch or not, his portrayal is incredibly similar to what I’m like, socially and otherwise. Seeing him treated like this for episodes on end is absolutely horrible for me. And I’m an adult who dares believe they figured out their mind for the most part - what about kids? Actual kids (like me ages ago, who only learned about autism to begin with because of really liking Ferb and finding an autism-related post about him) who can relate to Bradley as much as I do because they’ve been there themselves, only for the Good Guys to treat him like this? Even if you ignore all this semi-projection-based talk about mental disorders, his plant arm is still very real and as much of a handicap as anything. It doesn’t matter that the creators added it (and Carla, and probably Bradley’s other antics) as a joke, there are people out there for whom this is anything but that. They deserve happiness as much as anyone, no matter if they’re not the nicest people around (unless, of course, they have really problematic views, but Bradley is far from entering that territory). If anything, they deserve people at least attempting to understand where they’re coming from - and writers who treat even the protagonist’s foil as more than just a joke.

(Disclaimer: No, I’m not saying nobody should call Bradley out when he’s being rude. Even things like the switch only explain his behavior and don’t completely excuse it - he should have to feel the consequences of his actions as much as anyone. But right now, nobody is making any attempt to help him change for the better; they’re making everything far worse, if anything. An episode of Milo, or Mort, or anyone really, actually being willing to so much as listen to his side of the story... that’s all it takes. And can’t be that hard to pull off, can it?) 

But since I’m already talking about this kind of stuff:

- And Elliot, too

If only Bradley was the only one. I’m not gonna say anything against Elliot being a jerk (World Without Milo did a good job portraying him in that regard), but even he deserves better than this. I’m talking, of course, about Safety First, in which Elliot has something I can only describe as PTSD, complete with a trigger word and everything. I will admit I haven’t seen the episode since it aired (and am not planning on doing so again), but man. It’s obvious enough how much the trigger word aspect was used as a joke, but then apparently we learn that you can just randomly be cured of your trauma in a few effortless minutes. How nice to know for a few people I know.

- The bottom line

I have plenty of issues with MML when it comes to plot, or pacing, or humor (which, maybe, deserve their own posts eventually). But this right here is by far my biggest problem of them all. Sure, it’s a show for kids, and sure, you aren’t supposed to take something with this kinda premise super seriously - but that doesn’t mean there aren’t aspects that should be. Whether the creators are aware of how their characters come across or not, there are parts even they should know not to be this disrespectful about. And maybe I could get over things like Carla on their own, but when so many little aspects are condensed into a single character, it really stops being something I can ignore. Especially when the characters interacting with him display such infuriating Protagonist-Centered Morality, and even more especially when it’s related to issues that could really use some proper representation in the media anyway, particularly in shows for this kind of audience.

I’m not saying this because I don’t care about the show (and could’ve stopped watching it easily if I have so many problems with it), it’s because I do. I know these people can produce fantastic content, P&F is a prime example. The first few episodes of MML are, too. But after that, it all kind of falls apart for me, with some gems here and there. And yet I still care about these characters (certain ones, anyway), and carry the hope that they will at some point get the treatment they deserve. Until then, I’ll be here writing fics to take care of that when the show fails to - you’re free to ask me about them if you’re interested, for that matter. 

Thanks for reading, if you made it this far. Complain about my opinion all you want, I know it’s such a jarring wave of negativity in a fandom that’s hardly used to that - but hey. Someone’s gotta be the Bradley here. In more ways than most people with any relation to MML are comfortable with.

Take it or leave it.

[aili]

Valentine’s Day Music Newlsetter 2019!

Welcome to the 13th Music Newsletter! Short intro for the newbies - I love music. I love sharing music with other people. In college I started a "music newsletter" email with some playlists (aka mixtapes) I've made and some song/band recommendations. Why Valentine's Day? Because I think this day should be about love in many ways - including love for music!

That brings us to today. The first Valentine's Day mixtape I put together was actually a physical mix CD that I mailed to my home friends while I was away at college. That was in 2008 (11 years ago!). A lot has changed since then, but my love of music has not. While I feel sometimes too busy or too old or too out of touch to know what I'm even talking about, I hope you'll get some enjoyment out of this - as much as I've been enjoying listening to these songs and picking them for you! 

*Click here to download Valentine's Day 2019 mixtape!

Click here to play Valentine's Day 2019 on Spotify!

*Note that the file downloads as a zip file, double clicking on it to open it up should give you the individual songs. Then move the songs to iTunes into a playlist!

1.) "Happy Unhappy" - The Beths New Zealand indie rockers The Beths debut album, Future Me Hates Me, is full of catchy, energetic sad-twinged songs. This song feels like it could have come out back in the 00s when we had to find new music by reading blogs and actually downloading MP3s - it feels closer to the Garden State soundtrack era of indie than the recent moody electronic vibe. It's a lot of fun! Sounds like Courtney Barnett by way of The Wombats, with a splash of Los Campesinos.

2.) “City Looks Pretty” - Courtney Barnett Courtney’s 2018 album “Tell Me How You Really Feel” is only her second studio album, but somehow it feels like she’s been around forever. The album features a “fuller” sound and more production, which may appear dulled next to 2015’s “Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit.” However, I feel excited by Courtney exploring a more mature sound and think it accurately reflects the albums depressive theme. “Sometimes I get mad / it’s not all that bad” is sung with a definite apathy compared to her shout-singing past record. As the bridge settles in, Courtney captures the depression symptom of lack of interest in things you used to enjoy. The city looks pretty when you’ve been stuck inside isolated for two weeks. 3.) “Screwed” - Janelle Monáe feat. Zoë Kravitz Janelle’s 2018 album “Dirty Computer” is an anthology of songs (and truly, poetry) that tell of reckoning with being a queer woman of color in an oppressive, violent society. It’s an incredibly personal album with her fans in mind - “I want young girls, young boys, nonbinary, gay, straight, queer people who are having a hard time dealing with their sexuality, dealing with feeling ostracized or bullied for just being their unique selves, to know that I see you. This album is for you. Be proud.” (Rolling Stone, 2018). My favorite part of this song is “See, everything is sex / except sex / which is power / you know power is just sex / now ask yourself who’s screwing you.”

4.) "BAGDAD - Cap.7: Liturgia" - Rosalía 25-year-old Rosalía Vila Tobella from Catalonia has an excellent 2018 album El Mal Querer. The album combines traditional flamenco with modern R&B. The album is a story of love and heartbreak over the course of 11 chapters/songs. This particular one might sound familiar due to the sampling of Justin Timberlake's "Cry Me A River."

5.) "Gun" - St. Lucia St. Lucia's first release off of their 2018 album Hyperion caught my attention with its connection to a more traditional rock sound and the heavy-hitting, one-word title. The production and sound almost reminds me of Oasis or U2. Turns out that the album is indeed produced by someone who worked on records with PJ Harvey, Depeche Mode, and U2. In interviews, Jean-Philip Grobler talks about how this song is generally about both gun control and power. "You said you wanted to feel a gun in your hands" in Verse 1 transforms to "You said you wanted to feel the blood in your hands" in Verse 2, highlighting the fact that guns are designed to kill. 

6.) “Apathy” - Frankie Cosmos With a catchy bass line, gorgeous lyrics, and endearing vocals, this song and entire album are not to be missed. As you may notice on this year’s playlist, this year I was super into what I would describe as punk-influenced, low-fi indie female vocalists. Pretentious enough for you? Haha. I just mean that there are a ton of young women blowing up in the indie music scene with a huge crossover in sound. As demonstrated in “Apathy,” many of these songs are short, lack a traditional pop music format, use low-fi production, and have a storytelling aspect of almost speak-singing. These elements are all found in traditional punk music, so it’s interesting and exciting to see these artists shaking things up and challenging the punk genre. Frankie Cosmos has a long history of creating music, under various projects using Bandcamp as a teenager. Her 2018 album “Vessel” is nothing short of delightful and another one of my favorites of the year. 7.) “Your Dog” - Soccer Mommy Soccer Mommy is Sophie Allison, singer-songwriter based out of Nashville. She opened for Paramore on their recent tour and she has launched into the indie music scene with a lot of attention in the past couple years. I love how her voice clearly carries so much anger as she sings about an emotionally abusive relationship. Her lyrics describe the agony of small, sweet gestures pushing her back to her ex, despite her wanting desperately to end it. Using the metaphor of being a loyal, sub-servient dog, she describes the way her SO treats her like she’s his property. Because the song lacks a traditional “pop” format (verse 1 / chorus / verse 2 / chorus / bridge / chorus), there is a sense of the story ending unresolved. Fortunately, she has an excellent album (one of my favorites) from 2018 called “Clean” where you can learn more of her story. 8.) “Pristine” by Snail Mail A stunning debut from 19-year-old Lindsey Jordan, “Lush” is a 2018 release not to miss. “Pristine” perfectly encapsulates teenage life and love - “it just feels like the same party every weekend. Doesn’t it?” There is such a sense of genuine hormonal angst that she is almost joyfully celebrating. Her album reads more like a diary - and how lucky she is to have these future memories and be able to approach them with such wisdom.

9.) "Uncomfortably Numb" - American Football feat. Hayley Williams Paying homage to Pink Floyd, legendary emo band American Football joins with Paramore's lead singer Hayley Williams for a devastating track about losing emotional sensation. "I blame my father in my youth / Now as a father, I blame the booze." I couldn't find too much information on the exact inspiration behind the track, but it's the second track released off their upcoming album out March 22nd. Hayley is usually front and center as a singer, and it's interested to hear her take more of a backing role, as well as explore a bit of a lower vocal range than she usually does.

10.) “Geyser” - Mitski Mitski absolutely killed it last year with “Be The Cowboy,” which was consistently rated not only in the top 5 best albums, not only top 3, but making MULTIPLE end of year lists as the number one album of 2018. It’s easy to see why, given the incredible breadth of music she wrote for her album. I see Mitski's influence reflected in the rise of fame in other punk-inspired female vocalists in the indie scene, building off her ability to capture the attention of a wide audience. Which is also very interesting because she incorporated elements of many other genres on this album (spot any disco on “Nobody”?) While it was difficult to pick one song for my playlist, “Geyser” stands out to me as not only an excellent album opener, but a fascinating look into Mitski’s own relationship with the art she creates. In an interview, she explains that this song is about her feeling like she has to create music because she would never be satisfied in life without it, but feeling sometimes stifled, stuck, and resentful when she puts music above basic needs such as her health and self-care. She needs her art to survive but it simultaneously kills her.

11.) “Me & My Dog” - boygenius It’s impossible to pick just one song of this album. Boygenius is the supergroup of Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and Julien Baker - who each could also have one of their incredible solo songs on my playlist. Partially because they enjoyed each other’s creative energies and partially as a response to constantly being compared to each other as “women in indie,” the trio came together to create an EP of emo-influenced, folk-inspired gorgeous tracks about grief, loneliness, identity, and heartbreak. This particular song features Phoebe Bridgers in the verses and is a beautiful representation of the embarrassing and frustrating feeling of being in love with an ex. Please check out the individual work of these artists too!

12.) "bless ur heart" - serpentwithfeet Serpentwithfeet, aka Josiah Wise, has a gorgeous, intimate voice throughout his 2018 debut album, soil. This song starts off with a question of how his art will be received by the world. The rest of the song is a tender message of gratitude to his first love. It seems like Josiah questioned the choice to speak about his experiences with his ex in such a public fashion - with complexities of privacy, being open about sexuality, and possible painful memories on the table. Josiah's writing is very much like poetry, and his raw, unfiltered, un-autotuned vocals match the beauty of his words.

13.) "Bury A Friend" - Billie Eilish 17-year-old Billie Eilish is set to release her debut album, When We Sleep, Where Do We Go? next month. This song matches her goth aesthetic with a creepy story from the perspective of the monster under the bed. We learn that the monster is part of Billie herself, who is struggling with her own demons. 14.) "Loading Zones" - Kurt Vile A gorgeous guitar track, Kurt Vile paints a picture of his hometown Philadelphia and feeling on top of the world exploring his city's streets. He included a hilarious marketing strategy of sending fake parking tickets to fans in the mail to promote the song. Kurt Vile talks about the metaphor of "I park for free," which is how he sometimes lives his life - breaking the dumb rules because it's his life, his streets, his town. 15.) "Dylan Thomas" - Better Oblivion Community Center Is it possible to already be nostalgic for the late 2000's? Conor Oberst and Phoebe Bridgers released this surprise collaboration last month and this is the standout track for me. Conor Oberst's incredibly recognizable voice is hard to match in terms of strength, timbre, and uniqueness. While Bridgers is young enough to be from a different generation than him (she also grew up listening to Oberst's music), he saw something in her that resonated with him. I love how they sing in unison on this track (and much of the album) and think their voices sound really good together.

16.) "Butterflies" - Kacey Musgraves Kacey Musgraves is bringing a breath of fresh air to country. After self-releasing three albums, she tried her hand at reality TV through Nashville Star over a decade ago. Golden Hour is her fourth album using a record label, and she just won Album of the Year at the Grammys! Her voice is beautiful and has an earnest, authentic approach in joining elements of country pop. 

17.) “Prior Things” - Hop Along “Bark Your Head Off, Dog” is Hop Along’s third album, released in 2018. Singer/songwriter Frances Quinlan has the ability to transform the themes of her songs. Layered with a multitude of different sounds and instruments, it could easily sound scattered and busy, but instead feels like we are huddled around a campfire with an enthusiastic, stream-of-consciousnesses storyteller. “Prior Thing” is the last song on the album and crosses time, space, and memories with the start of a hallucinogenic drug trip. She has the ability to take a phrase and transform the expected - pausing or elongating notes at unexpected places. This method keeps you invested in figuring out what the song is really about or what the conclusion is. 18.) "Kids" - Pup Emo/pop punkers Pup have a new album Morbid Stuff coming out on April 5th. Their songs are made for live shows - shouting/singing alternates, sing-a-long catchy lyrics reminiscent of the Hold Steady, and unison whole-band lines. Pup frontman Stefan Babcock said this song is about finding someone who agrees with your view of the world being a fucked up place, and enjoying small moments of solace in spending time with them. 

SPOTIFY

Don't forget to subscribe to my playlists on Spotify! Here is the link to listen to this year's mixtape on Spotify.

I try to add new songs at least once a week to this playlist: What I'm currently lovin' (updated freq)

-----

I hope you guys enjoy the new music and feel free to send me recommendations of anything you like!<3 aili

Previous Mixtapes:

Autumn Love mix | Autumn Love Spotify

Copenhagen mix | Copenhagen Spotify

Valentine's Day downbeat 2010

Valentine's Day upbeat 2010

Valentine's Day 2011

Philadelphia mix | Philadephia Spotify

New Crime mix | New Crime Spotify

The City mix | The City Spotify

Drive mix | Drive Spotify

Valentine's Day 2012 | VDay 2012 Spotify

King's Myth mix | King's Myth Spotify

Hold On mix | Hold On Spotify

Valentine's Day 2013 | Vday 2013 Spotify

Valentine's Day 2014 | Vday 2014 Spotify

Valentine's Day 2015 | Vday 2015 Spotify

Valentine's Day 2016 | Vday 2016 Spotify

Valentine's Day 2017| Vday 2017 Spotify

Valentine's Day 2018 | Vday 2018 Spotify

[aion-rsa]

Iron Fist Season 3 Would Have Been its Peak, Says Finn Jones

https://ift.tt/3pdqQV9

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is fielding a massive multimedia transition with star-studded television projects—launched with the current run of Disney+ series WandaVision—complementing the studio’s theatrical slate. While that initiative has relegated its former small screen endeavor, the Netflix “Street Level” Marvel shows, to the proverbial bin of forgotten toys, Iron Fist star Finn Jones maintains that his nixed Netflix series would have completed a poignant arc, as he reveals with plot details for the never-realized third season.

Iron Fist, like continuity-connected cohorts Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, The Punisher and crossover team-up The Defenders, became the casualty of a shifting landscape when Disney decided to cut out the production and distribution middle men (namely Netflix,) and have Marvel Studios natively produce more directly-connected MCU television projects for its own Disney+ platform. However, Jones—also a Game of Thrones alumnus, who has since moved on to co-star on Apple TV+ series Dickinson—recently dished some intriguing details to Collider on what was planned for Danny Rand/Iron Fist for the show’s unrealized third season.

“I was so excited to get into that. It really was gonna be about Danny finally assuming the role of the Iron Fist, fully accomplished, fully charged up, and fully in control of his shit as well. It was gonna be this amazing story [with] Danny and Ward [Tom Pelphrey’s Ward Meachum] off in foreign lands as a buddy storyline almost,” explains Jones. “And then, you had Colleen [Jessica Henwick’s Colleen Wing] in New York, isolated with this new power, struggling to come to terms with her identity and with this power. At some point, we would have met again and probably formed this crazy power couple [or] superhero relationship.”

Pertinent to that notion, Jones confirms that Raven Metzner, who managed to turn things around as executive producer/showrunner for Season 2, had mapped out where things would be headed for Iron Fist Season 3, which he genuinely thought was moving forward. These plans were close to fruition before the dragon-heart-powered pilgrimage of his Danny Rand/Iron Fist officially came to an abrupt end in October 2018. It’s a shame, since the series—while unlikely to grace any Emmy categories—arguably managed to achieve a level of redemption and growth under Metzner in Season 2 after a meandering inaugural season by expanding its mystical martial arts mythology and having co-star Henwick’s Colleen Wing come into her own in an impressive, super-powered manner when she—as Jones mentioned—inherited Danny’s power of the Iron Fist.

Read more

TV

The Falcon and The Winter Soldier Trailer Reveals Wolverine’s Favorite Vacation Spot

By Mike Cecchini

TV

WandaVision: The Endgame Is In Sight

By Don Kaye

The series ended things in Season 2 with a teaser tag scene set in Japan, showcasing the Danny/Ward team in action, with Danny having inexplicably regained his Iron Fist powers—except now in both fists—which he channels through a pair pistols à la Dante from the Devil May Cry video games. Unfortunately, we’ll never get to see more of this buddy-movie-like dynamic. “It’s horrible. It’s like the death of a friend or a close family member,” laments Jones. “You’ve spent years building this other world within yourself and sharing this other person with the whole world. Usually, with films or plays, you get to see that arc through. There’s a journey. But with Iron Fist, it was like we just got to the peak. We were just getting there. We’d just turned the show around. We had just done so much great work, really getting the train back on the tracks.”

Interestingly enough, fans who have stuck by the legacy of the Marvel Netflix shows might just see a champion surface in the codified MCU, as implied by a recent rumor that Charlie Cox’s Daredevil will return on the big screen in the untitled Sony-produced franchise offering, Spider-Man 3, prospectively teaming the sonar-sensing Hell’s Kitchen hero with a fellow New Yorker in Tom Holland’s Wall-Crawler; a rumor that Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige somewhat teased when pressed for an answer. Yet, the potential multiverse implications of that film, along with what’s happening on WandaVision, and what could subsequently occur in the 2022-scheduled sequel, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, renders further speculation a rather perilous endeavor at the moment.

However, the DNA of mysticism and martial arts that Iron Fist specifically established for its abandoned MCU-adjacent territory could prospectively resurface on the big screen with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which will see up-and-coming actor Simu Liu manifest as the character originated in Marvel’s Master of Kung Fu title in the 1970s. That film is currently scheduled to hit theaters on July 9, although that date might still be a tad too optimistic with the current rate of COVID vaccinations, and the fact that the film still conspicuously (in the middle of February,) hasn’t released an official photo, much less a trailer.

Marvel Comics

Indeed, the mythology of Shang-Chi will be immersed in a dynamic of mythical sorcery similar to Iron Fist, although, in this case, the titular hero—while believed to be the most skilled fighter in the Marvel Universe—does not possess any significant superpowers other than using his chi to perform near-superhuman feats. With such similar themes, the characters have obviously crossed paths in the pages of the comics, which opens interesting possibilities—especially if the rumored Daredevil Spider-Man 3 appearance primes the pump for more Netflix heroes to make the big screen jump.

While it’s doubtful that Finn Jones will be asked to reprise Iron Fist in any capacity, we could see characters and elements from Iron Fist imported to a prospective Shang-Chi sequel; something that could prove auspicious for the once-teased “Daughters of the Dragon” spinoff concept, in which Jessica Henwick’s Colleen Wing, Simone Missick’s Misty Knight and Rosario Dawson’s Claire Temple would have assembled the team from the pages of the Iron Fist comic and subsequent standalone titles. Indeed, the prospect of that trio being retained for a big screen appearance is better than Jones returning as Iron Fist, since that character would more likely be recast (and you can follow me down the rabbit hole of potential MCU implications on that concept).

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

Nevertheless, Jones clearly retains a bittersweet recollection of his time as Marvel’s “Living Weapon” on the late Netflix series, a run that only consisted of two seasons of Iron Fist and one season of The Defenders. “Really, Season 3 just had so much promise and it’s a shame to see it squandered and never get to reach its full potential.” He continues, “And then, within three weeks of it being released, all of [the Marvel Netflix shows] were wiped out. It was sad. It was stunted. It felt like losing a dear friend. It’s just a shame. There’s not much else I can say.”

The post Iron Fist Season 3 Would Have Been its Peak, Says Finn Jones appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3rLh3Hg