#and then they realize they've been swindled

[izel-scribbles]

i do think it's hilarious when my dollins posts breach containment leave the malevolent fandom bc there's people probably getting a completely skewed impression of this podcast

[keferon]

Blurr and Swerve (set sometime during the Blurr chapter when Blurr first gets his mech), because these two have apparently taken up residence in my brain

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

Swerve wonders, waiting for Blurr to show up to inspect his new mech, if Blurr has ever felt anything less than confident, less than certain. 

Does he have any hesitation or doubts about joining the mecha program, becoming a pilot? 

If he has, you'd never know it by the way he walks into the mechanic's hall like he owns the place – accompanied by a flustered looking staffer from the upper floors and a full five minutes later than when he was scheduled to arrive.  (Not that anyone seems to care whether Blurr keeps to a schedule or how much it disrupts everyone else's ability to just do their jobs. He's Blurr after all.)

Swerve watches Blurr walk away from the staffer with barely a thank you.  Watches as Blurr asks one, two, then three times for directions as he crosses the long hall.  And each time he's greeted with smiles, attempts at conversation, and people kindly pointing out Swerve's direction.  And each time, Blurr gives the same thank you – short and dismissive, without a backward glance.

Swerve wonders, as he watches, whether Blurr ever feels shame or has second thoughts about how he treats everyone else as though they are less than him. 

If he does, it certainly doesn't show from the way that lazy grin never slips from his face the whole way across the hall.  Even up close, even as Swerve shakes Blurr's hand and has to reintroduce himself and remind the man that they've met before (and how many times has it been now?), Blurr's smile never wavers.

Does it ever falter when Blurr is alone?  Does the smile ever slip from his face as he thinks back on his actions in private?  Or is it just a permanent feature of the man -- along with the shining eyes, blindingly white teeth, and immaculate hair.  Superficially perfect in every way to an extent that standing next to Blurr is enough on its own to make Swerve feel special.

And then Blurr is gone, moving to inspect his mech.  And the shallowness of it all hits Swerve in full force again.

Swerve wonders, watching Blurr move under the shadow of the looming metal machine, whether the man ever feels fear. 

Does he realize that mechs are synonymous with death?  That the machine he is standing under is built to kill.  Aliens, yes.  But pilots die too -- alarmingly often.  Even if Blurr isn't on the front lines (and Swerve can't imagine Swindle risking his money on that) there are still risks.  Accidents.  Injuries.  Deaths.  Would he care if he knew?  Maybe his ego is such that he believes such fates are for lesser men.

But Blurr's mech in particular – Swerve worked on the specs for Blurr's mech.  Does the man realize that his machine is a death trap? 

Maybe ignorance truly is bliss.  Swerve wonders whether he should tell him.  Swerve wonders whether it would even matter.  Would Blurr even listen, if he pulls him aside?

Swerve never gets the chance.  He is crowded out by a swarm of photographers, staffers, and mechanics -- come to watch Blurr set foot in his mech for the first time.

Blurr hops into the pilot's seat as casually as though he's taking his car out for a drive around the block.  He smiles that blinding smile down at the crowd and waves for the cameras.

And Swerve wonders, watching Blurr, whether he envies the way Blurr can just breeze through life seemingly untouched and unphased by it all.

ANON I LOVE YOU MARRY ME /J

This is absolutely delightful ehehhengkgkhmh it synchronizes SO WELL with my mental image of them you literally caught my brain waves lglmgkg i love it so fucking much it's part of the canon for me now

[whathorselegs]

Fuck it, until canon tells me otherwise I've decided Botchan by Natsume Soseki is Kunikida's back story.

Studied mathematics because he didn't know what he wanted to do with his life.

Took a job as a maths teacher somewhere far from his home.

Was immediately seen as an outsider and hazed by the school children.

Befriended exactly one teacher.

Got caught up in the political power struggle between the teachers there.

Has his friendship corrupted by the more dishonest teachers, which leads to a big fall out between them before they realize they've been tricked.

Gets repeatedly swindled and tricked by the dishonest teachers until he and the one teacher he befriended reach a breaking point and beat them up for it.

Quits his job and leaves town before the consequences can catch up with him.

All of this happens in under a month.

[larkingame]

Hello!! Are you having a nice day? I hope you do!!! I wanted to ask, could u maybe tell us what the different classes are? Tumblr's search function always lets a girl down and the detailed info is not in the pinned post as far as I can tell, so I can't find the info :( Thank u and have a lovely weekend 💕💕💕

hi! today's going okay so far! thank you for the ask :)

so there are seven classes in larkin! in the game they kind of function like the traditional class system in a game like dnd combined with their background system, meaning they not only shape the players skills and abilities, but they also have an effect on some of their viewpoints and values, as well as having an impact on their relationships with other people in the world!

the outlaw - this is your traditional criminal class/background. an outlaw abrams has managed to survive through any means necessary--something that Wyatt doesn't exactly approve of, given his own 'moral code' 🙄this class is great with intimidation and making connections in the various underworlds that larkin's version of the US has to offer. character's like Nash might not take too kindly to some of their methods, but he would have to admit--they're effective.

the healer - this is your 'doctor' class, well, as close as one can come to being a doctor without any formal training. an expert in traditional medicine, a healer Abrams has survived on the kindness of others after delivering babies, pulling bullets out of rogues and tending to sick kids. Wyatt is particularly proud to call a healer Abrams his kid! Cassidy and Ethel would find you particularly valuable--as the Ward gang is currently down a healer.

the showman - this is Larkin's version of a bard. An expert musician and storyteller, you live for the stage, you shine best when you're entertaining, swaying an audience. Wyatt isn't particularly favorable towards your selected path in life--he thinks your talents could be put to better use doing something else--but you're his kid no matter what. Already kind of mentioned this, but Cyrus has a soft spot for musicians!

the conartist - this class aligns the best with the barest bones version of the MC, when they were first being developed in 2020. They've followed in Wyatt's footsteps, selling forged land-deeds and miracle tonics, swindling unsuspecting bleeding hearts out of their pocket change and making a big old show of it all the while. An expert at manipulation, Wyatt couldn't be prouder of the little conman you've turned out to be. Rose finds the conartist a little suspicious--like people trust them far too easily, but Dominic on the other hand, loves the way Abrams can get people eating right out of their palms.

the thief - this Abrams has sticky-fingers, great with pick-pocketing and breaking into places they shouldn't be, they'd consider themselves something of an expert thief. with a boost to dexterity, this Abrams has nimble fingers that help in terms of picking locks and other delicate tasks. Wyatt thinks you could be doing something a little more honorable, but he'd be lying if those nimble hands of yours didn't come in handy from time to time. Reyes absolutely adores the way this Abrams can rob a man blind without them even realizing.

the gambler - holding 'em and folding 'em is this Abrams' specialty. They've been counting cards since before they could read, shooting dice before they were old enough to enter a casino and hustling pool long before their twenty-first birthday. Wyatt is pretty happy with the little cardshark Abrams' has turned out to be, he admires how well the can keep a lid on things--well, usually. Hollis is hesitant around this version of Abrams. They usually have people figured out the moment they've met them. But this Abrams? This Abrams is unreadable--and they hate going in blind.

the slayer - now, every version of Abrams is a vampire hunter, though the slayer takes a different approach to the craft. Vampire hunter is all they are, it's all they'll ever be, it's what'll kill them one day--but they've long accepted that. Their knowledge of the Vamp world is unparalelled, their dedication to slaying all of Vampire kind rivalling that of the Pope's dedication to Christ. Wyatt is...well, Wyatt worries more about the slayer than he does the other Abrams'. Montero and Adam, both being Vampires themselves have differing opinions of the slayer, but--they'd be lying if they didn't say they weren't at least a little wary of them.

[yanderes-galore]

May I ask for a romantic tfa swindle with a human oneshot? I absolutely love transformers x human!

This is going to be based on one of the lines in my Swindle concept :) I hope you enjoy! Using the design of TFA, doesn't actually take place in a futuristic time period.

I could've taken this a lot of ways but this is what came to mind first, sorry if it was poorly executed-

Out of Gas

Yandere! TFA! Swindle with Human! Darling Short

Pairing: Romantic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Stalking, Threats, Manipulation, Kidnapping, Implied forced relationship, Transformer/Human pairing, Murder.

How long were you on the road? By the time you left your home in your car it was daylight, wasn't it? Now the sun was setting... your heart kept hammering in your chest like a rabbit's kick.

You wondered if you were still being followed? That greenish vehicle with the purple windows was still following you. You first encountered it circling your home hours ago, then you thought it was following your every move-

You had no idea what they wanted from you! Were you targeted by something? Either way, your instinct was just to drive.

Drive until you can get someone to help you.

As a result you had no idea how long you were driving. You were scared to get out of the car. All you wanted to do was drive until they lost interest... or ran out of gas.

You tried to slow your breathing, looking into your rear mirror. Nothing was there anymore but that still didn't calm you. That car was still out there.

Your grip on your steering wheel doesn't relent as you look at your gas gauge. Your heart sinks when you realize it's near empty. Speaking of running out of gas... you sigh.

Your next stop was a gas station where you could hopefully get help, rest, and relieve yourself of this issue. You bite your lip in thought before executing your plan. Using the fact your stalker has parted from you to your advantage, you look go to the closest gas station.

It's relatively quiet with very few cars in the parking lot. You quickly park your car and tap away at the pump. Your eyes dart to the road periodically to scan for purple windows and new headlights.

Nothing.

Once you were done you park your car and quickly head inside. You make your way to the front counter and motion for the cashiers attention. They catch your worried face.

"Can I help you?" They ask.

"Someone's following me, they've been doing so all day. I need to call the cops."

"Sure, sure... here, I'll get you the phone."

The wait is an agonizing few seconds before you're passed a phone. You focus on typing the emergency number, barely hearing the heavy footsteps as you answered the phone and gave your details. Until they got close enough to shake you.

"Hellooo~ Anybody in there?"

Glowing purple eyes, large ones, peer through the glass of the station. Oh you couldn't believe your eyes... no one in the store could. A large robot scanned the store.

Then those eyes landed on you.

"Oh there you are, doll! Gave up on our game of chase? Ran out of gas? Poor you... now you're sheltering with all those humans."

You stand still, paralyzed with fear.

"How cute..." The... robot (?) purrs. "But you're coming with me still."

The cashier gives you a fearful look. The cops were on the way, but what could they do against this? His colors were very similar to the car...

Was he...?

"Now humans... I have a deal for you." The purple con starts. "Give me that human right there..." He points to you. "and no one gets hurt, okay?"

You feel eyes staring into you... you feel your skin crawl. Did it just turn everyone against you? Could you hold out?

"Doll..." The con drawls. "Won't you come out? I promise I'll spare their lives if you just come with me...."

Fearful silence.

"Do you think I'm bluffing?" He pulls a large laser canon and points it at the building. "I'm fully capable of danger, dear...."

"Who even are you!?" You ask, still unable to move.

"Call me Swindle, doll... Sorry I never told you. Hard to do when I have to be in alt mode all time...."

"You've... been the one following me-"

Swindle is clearly impatient and vents, tempted to just smash the glass.

"Of course! I thought you'd be a great partner for me. It was just so hard to talk to you with all your paranoia! Now... come out, will you?"

"Partner?"

"Oh, you humans have so many questions.... Yes, partner! You are quite the cute little human, you know that, doll? This may sound... sudden to you, but I've picked you to travel with me! If you just come with me... I won't hurt any of these humans! I'll just acquire you and we'll leave."

Swindle sees your face of confusion and realizes he's only going to hear questions. He just wasn't sure how to explain this to you. How does he when he's a Cybertronian whose fallen for a human? How does he exhibit the internal conflict you create within him to the point he wants to take you away?

You don't.

You simply take what you want.

A robotic hand crashes through the gas station. Screams fill the air, yours being the loudest when you feel the cold appendage wrap around you. Swindle ignores it, simply picking you up as if you weigh nothing before glancing around the area.

The Decepticon scoffs, running away from the scene before aiming his laser cannon. You look horrified at his actions... get used to it, doll. This is punishment.

The sound of an explosion nearly bursts your ear drums, the sound of ringing blocking your hearing as Swindle watches the carnage he's caused. He's grinning. No evidence.

"It's what happens when you don't hear an offer out, doll..." The con chimes, purple eyes flicking over you. You can't hear him... you only stare. Swindle then gives a closed eye grin before opening a drawer on his chest. "Now I think it's time I claim the merchandise, right?"

Your fear rises when he hovers you over it. It's... hard to see what's inside. Swindle gives you one last look... one of triumph... before letting go.

"I'll let you out later, okay, partner?"

[brinaarcadia]

Lamb is becoming a problem. The woman is a damned collectivist -- here in Rapture -- how could the Council fail to see it? Worse, to hide her intent, she gulls these "patients" of hers into religious frenzy. A new Kremlin will rise and swallow the council house before they realized they've been had! I will not have my city swindled by the parasite, whatever its guise. It is time, I think, to call Sinclair.

[hmshermitcraft]

!For spy theme!

Now when you get the image of a spy in your head you think dapper, dashing, refined and loaded to the prime with fashionable gadgets for every occasion. Well that’s not the hermits. Much to the annoyance and disappointment of many other spy organizations that these people are just a bunch of weirdos who do a lot of spy activities. With half of them either doing missions that they shouldn’t remotely know about and doing them better than a group of their level should! The other spy’s are still mad about the time Mumbo and Grian stole the world’s largest diamond and replaced it with an even bigger one how do they even do that?!

And it’s not like the hermits don’t know they’re a wildcard group but when you have a giant polycue as big as they do it makes working together so much easier. Heck they’ve been at it for years now and no one’s even bothered to try and find their secret base and it’s not even secret! It’s just a penthouse in New York in all honesty the hermits are just wondering if the other spy groups are just too dense for their own good. After all Xisuma and Stress did manage to turn one of the more famous one’s “secret” headquarters into a full blown botanical garden without them knowing in less than a day.

But the hermits know what they do ain’t the most legal of professions sometimes but when your doing it with people you love and care what’s the difference between burglary and getting a birthday present for Gem by swiping one of the rarest magic tomes the world has ever discovered? Or having Doc and Cub make new silly gadgets for everyone to use? Or the time Scar managed to swindle Disney world into giving them all lifetime passes without them realizing. Because to the world the hermits ain’t leaving anytime soon.

Rando anon

Part of what makes them so good at what they do is that they aren't trying to uphold any standards. They're not trying to be people they aren't, just good at what they do. They like to think they've achieved that.

Knowing without question they have people to trust and fall back on means they can take much bigger risks as well. They've had close calls before. Very close calls. But none nobody out of their wider circle are aware of because they leave nobody behind.

They know they're big targets, which is also why they have a massive dossier on everybody who could be a threat. They might be dorks, but they're smart ones. And Cub and Doc have far too much free time...

[weatherw1tch]

brief bio and misc headcanons for monkey d. griffin

was a marine from her late teens to early 20s, wanting more for herself than to become just a wife and mother, because that was all that was expected of her as a woman in a moderately comfortable household. she quickly realized this was not what she wanted for herself, and that they weren’t actually helping people, and decided to see the world

met dragon in the marines. was an incessant flirt

was called a pirate once for “swindling” a couple of card sharks into giving money back to the people they stole from, and decided to run with it

out in the world, griffin met portgas d. rouge and they became fast friends. started a small time pirate crew together, primarily focused on helping women in need, but later everyone. when rouge died, griffin was sure it was murder

became known for sit in protests, until the sit ins were no longer taken seriously, and she was sent to impel down for orchestrating a violent surprise attack on one of the naval bases. is broken out of prison during luffy’s rescue of ace.

writes popular smutty romance books now that also leak government information

has her son’s appetite and attitude. she will hug you, touch your face, lean on you. particular about textures, often in fabric. also seemingly never gets cold

would have raised ace if she could have, but realizes she didn’t exactly do a good job with luffy

tends to do before thinking, but this trait has mellowed some with age

owns and plays guitar. the back is inscribed with the words “this machine kills fascists”

emporio ivankov has had to put up with her for too long, but she loves him 💕

griffin has small wings tattooed on her shoulder blades. they've always been outlines, but after prison, she gets them colored in as a phoenix rising from the ashes motif. in modern verse, i think she'd leave them in outline so luffy could color them in

[monstrousfemin1ne]

brief bio and misc headcanons for monkey d. griffin

was a marine from her late teens to early 20s, wanting more for herself than to become just a wife and mother, because that was all that was expected of her as a woman in a moderately comfortable household. she quickly realized this was not what she wanted for herself, and that they weren’t actually helping people, and decided to see the world

met dragon in the marines. was an incessant flirt

was called a pirate once for “swindling” a couple of card sharks into giving money back to the people they stole from, and decided to run with it

out in the world, griffin met portgas d. rouge and they became fast friends. started a small time pirate crew together, primarily focused on helping women in need, but later everyone. when rouge died, griffin was sure it was murder

became known for sit in protests, until the sit ins were no longer taken seriously, and she was sent to impel down for orchestrating a violent surprise attack on one of the naval bases. is broken out of prison during luffy’s rescue of ace.

writes popular smutty romance books now that also leak government information

has her son’s appetite and attitude. she will hug you, touch your face, lean on you. particular about textures, often in fabric. also seemingly never gets cold

would have raised ace if she could have, but realizes she didn’t exactly do a good job with luffy

tends to do before thinking, but this trait has mellowed some with age

owns and plays guitar. the back is inscribed with the words “this machine kills fascists”

emporio ivankov has had to put up with her for too long, but she loves him 💕

griffin has small wings tattooed on her shoulder blades. they've always been outlines, but after prison, she gets them colored in as a phoenix rising from the ashes motif. in modern verse, i think she'd leave them in outline so luffy could color them in

[courage-cowardog]

Kill—murder him until a God inside the house is no longer feared, for father is not the God.

I find no pleasure in tormenting if my body were to be their dummy—to be murdered by God’s child. Yet, I find a strange comfort in the screams that echo their death, they soothe my ears like lullabies. I want them to feel they are nothing compared to what they've been hoping for—that even the child could bleed guilt and despair. They will beg and plead, as most humans do once the cut runs deeper; a fate they will never circumvent—a fate that will cast them into hell.

My mother often believes we should be quiet before night knocks at our door, and so does my father.

But like the others who were swindled by my father's guileful charm, my mother, too, was ensnared in her own ignorance. It was not love that kept her under his roof, but rather the illusion he created in his mind—an illusion that allowed her to escape death without any droplets of her blood staining the floor. It was a facade for others to believe he was a loving man—an entertainment to resemble a home, for ignorant believers to feel comfortable.

And once you take a step too close to the house his sinister presence occupies, you’ll realize that beneath the living room, my father built a large room spacious enough to accommodate three people. It has the semblance of an interrogation room, but unlike typical ones, it is more depressing to be in and has a dark atmosphere—quite similar to the room’s ambiance and light. None would find solace within it—even if you’ve not yet laid your eyes upon the inside.

I’ve seen numerous men and women who took their steps into that room for a supposed meeting with my father regarding beliefs, yet only one of them did I catch sight of.

He lay silent. His eyes were open, but he remained unable to speak while his body sprawled on a cracked wooden bed—nearly falling. I saw his blood gushing quietly, slipping through the wood down to the basement’s concrete, while his throat was slashed halfway, as if the person who did it was trying to prevent his head from falling.

His shirt was unhurriedly losing its color due to some dried blood that was already attached to it. Four ropes were still tied from his hands to his feet, stretching the man's body to its limit. The nerves could snap at any moment due to the tightness of the ropes; they were connected to the corner of the wall and a lever that could be pulled to stretch the body further, leading to his death.

I tried to walk backward to escape the filthy smells I had welcomed myself with. But as I tried to walk out of the room, I didn’t notice a small jar behind me. I tipped it over, and it rolled across the floor, creating a continuous sound until it reached the corner.

I felt his presence lurking behind me.

“Hush, son. Their God might hear us.” I felt in my bones that it should be sarcasm, but since it came from my father perhaps I should expect less based on the tone of his voice.

He believed he was supposed to be their only God.

Anyone who dares to dispute his authority would bear their death.

“What God, Father?”

He neglects my concerns regarding his proclaimed sacrificial deeds. People should already know about this common practice of asking for forgiveness before meeting their deaths, to surrender themselves. His gaze pierced into me that I could almost hear him asking, “Why would you question such divinity?”

That was how my father always looked at me.

Afraid to be stabbed first in the back, I tried to analyze neatly and swiftly the surroundings my father had built. When my gaze landed on the jagged shards of shattered glass that came from an unattended smashed cup, I grabbed one as fast as I could, aiming to kill my father stealthily yet hurriedly. I trained it directly to his throat, just like he had done to one of his victims. It wasn't a clean cut that I made with him, but rather a chaotic, sweeping kill.

Being hogtied by his own son, I tried covering the open wound in his throat with a torn shirt from the stranger lying dead in bed.

My father's voice remains like a whisper, calling for help that echoes through the room as he follows the flow of his own blood. He moves around like a deeply hurt worm that has accidentally been stepped on. His red-rimmed eyes remain vaguely asleep during his weakened state. I see his mouth murmuring something I don't wish to hear anymore, yet I still let him crawl to me.

My father prompts me every day that I am their mere son; my errand is to stretch every chain that they have failed to reconnect with the people who once deified them blindly and were religiously broken. He believes it’s a privilege for them to be tortured in his hands and to be seen by the entire neighborhood, with no remorse or embarrassment lining their faces while being oppressed.

It was once people's belief that deifying someone is a privilege—to have someone they look up to besides the sun. But I'm here solely to let their deaths be borne by the hands of strangers. It would be kinder to let them face death at the hands of a stranger than to be killed by those they thought they could trust—by a father they believed would protect them, even within their false beliefs.

“I thought you wanted to be a God, too,” I heard the whimpering tone of my father's voice as he crawled, trying to reach me despite his situation.

I took a deep breath before deciding to end him with a bludgeon. Pieces of his brain started to crawl, seeking their way out through the cracked bone of his head while the blood that didn't know where to flow attempted to reach my foot, so I flew backward, as if I didn't know whose head was half-empty and broken in front of me.

The wind passed by, yet silence still prevailed for a minute before words began to escape my mouth. “I am no God, for I am only a son.”

Even if someone truly dared to deify me, far from being blind—once I saw the light that could vigorously take me without hesitation, I would be no more than a human.

I seek a path beside my father, my hands squishing and circling his dead body. Intertwined with the soft flesh of his brain, my face softly taps the peak of it, unfazed by the awful smells of blood.

The futile echoes of my father’s words wander inside my head, arriving quite late. I just want them to be put to sleep, to reach their end—especially the beliefs that lead people to their denouement.

But if doing that could also end the lives of those who touch me with their bare hands then I would gladly hold their beheaded heads and swing them like flags in front of those who believe power can turn someone into a God.

They may merely possess flesh and selfish desires, but no human can ever be a God—not even a father.

werinvariably-koward

[galmiahthepigeon]

YEEEEESSS I SUBMITTED THIS ONE I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR IT FOR SO LONG!!!!!!

Listen. Listen. I know it's easy to just say "yeah obviously" and move on, but I actually want to analyze this. They have the skills, they have the resources, they have the intelligence. They could easily track down Kira's identity and devise a methodical plan to get him to either abandon the death note by his own free will or hand himself over to the police.

However. HOWEVER. I think Medina would be strictly opposed to going after a kid and potentially ruining his life. It's his soft spot. Santos Ravenna and Lamponne would not care and they'd try to do it anyways but maybe Medina would sabotage them and they wouldn't even realize until he'd already done it.

Maybe it would work out in the end though... Like in El Vengador Infantil the plan went as they wanted even though Medina voted for the wrong kid. So ummmm maybe he's just not willing to sacrifice his own principles and they'd have to change the plan to be able to do it without him. And it would work.

Medina's job is investigation after all. Once he investigates he finds out Kira's a teenager and he dips. But the others can take care of the rest from there.

The thing with the names is another topic that I find interesting and complicated.

They all made a deliberate and exhaustive effort to hide their real names and use other people's identities and they've been off the map for several years. But Detective Molero does figure them out after a lot of research, so it's not impossible.

Molero is a remarkably intelligent and motivated person but so is Light. If he was REALLY set on killing them he Could. They operate in secret and they're very isolated people with no family and very few friends so it wouldn't lead much suspicion towards him. And he could find out info about them if he has the patience to do enough digging. And the determination to keep going after researching 347 fake identities.

Then again part of the joke with their operations is that they exploit the target's insecurities and interests in such a way that they don't realize they're being swindled in the first place so idk if Light would be aware they were trying to do something to him. So idk if he WOULD want to kill them.

All I know is he'd spend like three hours agonizing over the 1000 different ways to spell Máximo Cozetti.

[thexgrayxlady]

What I Read in January 2024

The Mask of Mirrors by M. A. Carrick - 3.5/5.00

Holy Rooks Batman! All my cards on the table, Locke Lamora ruined fantasy heists/con artists for me forever, and this book is following up one of my favorite books of last year.

This book is too damn long. It does not need to be 630 pages long. I don't mind a slow paced book, but this one is unfocused with too many unnecessary tangents and POVs. If you cut down the number of POVs, the lush world building and intricate plot and storylines could be maintained, without the bloat. That being said, you can tell that this comes from a place of ambition and love. You can tell the authors have the biggest brainworms about this story and the world they've created and they want to share it with the reader so badly and I love that for them. There is a glossary and a dramatis personae , but most of the time I feel like things were introduced with enough context that I could figure it out. I did refer to the dramatis personae for some of the minor characters with very similar names though.

It has a glacial start, but that lets the reader luxuriate in the world. Some of the magic is introduced here, but it feels very mundane in a good way. Then the genre does a hard shift at the half way point from a heist to more of a fantasy, but it takes a lot of things from the heist plot and interweaves them with the fantasy in a way that I love. The magic that was once just another fact of life in this world feels fantastic and big in a way it didn't before, but it builds that upon the strong backbone of what was established earlier. Once that shift occurs, things move a lot faster, but it's still plagued with unnecessary POVs, which cost the book whatever inertia it's built up.

The characters are interesting and enjoyable. Vargo is such an asshole and I love him. I love reading Ren's POV and watching her switch between her different personas. When she's being Arenza, it feels very different from when she's Renata. I just wish that she had been a little more morally gray. She's a con artist. She's explicitly back in the city to swindle her way onto a family's social register and steal a fuckload of money. Let her do more bad things. That being said, Sedge does not add enough to justify his inclusion in the present day. We don't get to see his reunion with Tess or feel any emotional impact from his reunion with Ren. He should have stayed the dead brother in the sad backstory.

Unfortunately, the other half of the Rook and Rose duo also leaves a lot to be desired. The Rook's mystique is ruined too early on by the scene in Mettore's study. In one scene, he goes from a mysterious Batman or Zorro figure to a generic snarky brooding guy. If they had never spoken until he pulls her out of the dream, that scene would have been stronger. The reveal about his identity doesn't quite work either because you get that character's POV too often for it to feel like a cool reveal, it's just feels cheap. He's also one of the POVs that I would have removed anyway because he's kind of insufferable and annoying. You could excise the Rook from the story and not much would change. The next book in the series needs to do a lot of work to prove that one of the titular characters needs to be there.

Despite how much this book has working against it, I liked it. I want to read the next one. It has fantastic world building and respects the reader's intelligence. The characters are really enjoyable and well defined. It just has a lot of frustrating bits and needed a stronger editor to tell the authors no.

Dragonfall by L.R. Lam - 3.25/5.00

I didn't realize when I started this that it was as romance focused as it was. That being said, I enjoyed it a lot more than a lot of other romantasy I've read. This is in part due to the fact that the author actually understands what enemies to lovers means.

The characters are all interesting, but some POVs are not needed and I wish the author had stuck to 1st, 2nd, or 3rd person. I really enjoyed Arcady and Everen bickering. I think that more books relationships should start with holding a knife to someone's throat. I like that the book ends before the relationship can really get started. And the hair dye scene is so. Good.

The beginning is a little rough and I had to reread some sections a few times to really understand what was going on, but after that it was fast and easy to read. I may have appreciated a glossary or some appendices, but by the halfway point, I figured out the parts of the magic system and culture that weren't being explained in the text. I honestly liked this because it shows that the author respected their readers' intelligence enough to trust that they can figure it out. For example, there's something weird going on with capitalizing some, but not all, pronouns that isn't explained until ~1/3 of the way through. There is enough in context to figure out the rules, but I could see how it could annoy readers.

Feathered dragons are always cool.

The Defiant Heir by Melissa Caruso - 4.25/5.00

Swords and Fire is a very underrated series. I read the first book a few years ago and I'm surprised about how much of it remembered after the first few chapters refreshed me. It gets extra points because the author is a ZooMass graduate.

After several books in a row where I felt like there were far too many POVs, sticking to one POV was so refreshing. Amalia is interesting to follow and I enjoyed getting to see her growing into her own political prowess and the deepening bond between her and Zaira. By the end of the book, she's become someone who can make a difficult choice for the greater good. The ending leaves no easy way out. There's nobody she can convince and no opponent that Zaira can burn away. All she can do is direct the fallout from Ruvan's machinations to where it can do the least harm, even if it hurts people she loves.

The other characters are also fantastic. I loved reading Zaira's growing relationship with Terika. Marcello remains a steadfast and steady presence. Istrella's ingenuity and eccentricity shines on the page like the artifice devices she creates.

And then there's Kathe. He's an asshole and I love him so much. There's a scene at the end that I went feral over, even if in it he's displaying some top tier dickery. Actually, I liked it more because he was displaying some top tier dickery. I love when characters who are supposed to be morally gray tricksters actually do shitty things.

I was surprised by how much I didn't hate the love triangle and actually kind of liked it. You understand how much Amalia cares for Marcello, but you also understand and appreciate how much she would be giving up if she didn't pursue a political match. And Amalia knows this too and it hurts so good. And you understand why she's entertaining Kathe's courtship, initially in order to make an important ally in Vaskandar, then as she develops genuine feelings for him, even if he is a shady bastard. And part of this is just because how secondary the romance is to the plot. Like yes, this is going on in the background, but Amalia's got to stop the Witch Lords from going to war and pass her reform acts.

This series is such an underrated gem.

Catalyst Gate by Megan E. O'Keefe - 3.75/5.00

I was so excited to read this and I had such a blast with it. While there are some fumbles, the author mostly sticks the landing and The Protectorate might be one of my new favorite sci-fi series.

The pacing is more varied than in Chaos Vector. It still takes you by the hand and says, "Let's fucking go!" but now, it also takes the time to slow down and let some things really sink in and build tension. Some sections, like one of Ranier's bases, feel rushed and in some ways, it feels like it should have been split into two books in order to keep up the fast pace, but not hurry through set pieces.

I really liked going to Earth and finding out what actually happened to it. It was one of the strongest sections of the book and it's horrifying. We've known for the whole series that the Earth was destroyed, but it feels like standard sci-fi set dressing. Earth was destroyed in a natural disaster, humanity took to the stars. No. What happened is horrifying and well foreshadowed and I loved it. The last book had a reveal that made me go feral. This one was chilled me.

The characters are still strong and interesting, if not particularly complex. Biran really stole the show this time around. He grows into his role as Director of Ada and you see him come into his own politicking and deceiving and having to put on a good front the face of horrifying trauma. His relationship with Vladsen is really great. In the amount of time that we got with them, I enjoyed reading how his crew comes together and the tension that still exists between them. It took me three books to really get into Sanda and Tomas, but I came around. The new ship, Bel Marduk, is such a good girl, I wish we got more of her and her emerging personality, but it's a long book and she's ultimately a minor character. I also wish we got more of Echo and the person she's growing into outside of being an offshoot of Ranier and I feel like this really was a missed opportunity. Sometimes, what the characters know and how they know it, feels a little muddy and I wish you got to see them figure these things out.

While Ranier maybe doesn't deserve to be at the table with SHODAN, GLaDOS, and Durandal, she should at least be in the same room. At first, she almost doesn't feel threatening because she's a very distant antagonist, but once she moves against the protagonists, she's horrifyingly effective and efficient. Reading about the destruction of Ada is a gut punch, especially when you get to the gardens. The narrative takes the time to point out that there are cultivars that were saved from Earth and after learning about what really happened to Earth earlier in the book, it's actually really sad. The scene where Sanda's trying to negotiate with her and realizes that she can't be negotiated with because she can't want anything beyond her corrupted programming is really effective.

The ending is, unfortunately, really rushed. There's a big reveal about one of the main characters that doesn't have enough buildup for it to have the impact it should have. I wish that humanity had more of a role in defeating Ranier. That being said, I really like that when we get to the alien precursors, they might be worse than Ranier. While this series comes to a definite ending, there's enough left open that if the author wanted to come back to this universe, they could and there would be satisfying stories to come out of it.

Raiders of the Lost Heart by Jo Segura - 1.25/5.00

My disappointment is apparently measurable on a five point scale, and my day is ruined. The main character is too stupid to be likable, and the love interest is just incompetent. The author wants you to believe that these are two intelligent and hard-working archaeologists in their thirties, yet they are immature, impulsive, and unprofessional.

I really hoped I'd get two rival archaeologists falling in love over an adventure. Instead, I want to take rivals to lovers way from this author. The characters don't fight in a way that's fun. Corrie just throws tantrums and again, Ford is way too incompetent to be a believable love interest.

It is, however, very easy to read. I read most of it while too hungover to focus on the more complicated book I actually wanted to read. While it's bad, it isn't notable enough to even be mad at.

[buzzards-sticky-fingers]

"#hey if swindle could have this so can they" i'm imagining them being kinda similar to most RPG protagonists. see something that MIGHT, POSSIBLY, be useful in the future? hammerspace. see some free food? hammer space. resources or crafting material? guess where...

oh yeah definitely. actually it's not so much useful as it is interesting. like here's what most of their hoard consists of, it's definitely not of much use (aside from the organs and spare body parts! those have been lifesaving a few times, and really inconvenient in others). they also like to hoard interesting facts and little tidbits they've picked up listening to other people, and definitely have known the one-off trivia factoid that may solve some super complicated riddle one must solve to get to some treasure (whether or not they realized they should share the answer is debatable). they also unconsciously hoard fellow weirdos, so their friend group may be a form of hoard in a way!

however, once they get to know their friends, they definitely start looking out for interesting things their friends would like to give as gifts later. if there's something the group needs, Buzzard will probably make it a point to seek it out. and there's been many times that they just HAPPEN to have whatever useful item was needed in a predicament, but it definitely wasn't planned!

mostly in their cockpit/monotit, like in the pic linked above, or in this one. but i also imagine they have neat little pockets squirreled away in a lot of unexpected spots. under their vambraces, tucked in the seams of their thighs, stuffed between their back and their rotors, maybe in their little hip wing blocks... it's all organized and they know exactly what and where everything is too, and periodically reshuffle and sort it all out again. definitely able to pick up and store Way More than should be possible!

their cockpit space is big enough to carry Gremlin! he curls up in their chest and just naps there, which is also typical of his alt mode, a parasite plane designed to be carried by other aircraft. he may or may not snack on loose bits and bobs rattling around in there

[fluidfox]

I've been lucky enough to not encounter any weird harassment or hate in this particular fandom myself, but I completely agree with courtney-deserved-better. And I can't speak on drawing, since I'm no artist, but I will give my thoughts with regard to writing!

If someone reads your entire fic, then leaves a comment saying how much they hate it... the main question that enters my mind is, "then why did you read it?" If someone doesn't like something, or it's just not for them, they have the power to simply stop (or not click on it in the first place). People who choose to continue, then choose to get angry or mean about it and express it publicly are simply angry and mean people. There's no good reason for what they did. Your work, the quality of it, and you— none of these are the actual reason someone did this. People who don't even finish reading but leave a hate comment anyway are even worse.

You don't owe these people anything. You wrote and posted a fanfiction story on the internet for free. No one is being forced to read it. They were not lied to or swindled. At most, all they lost is the time it took them to read it— time which they spent willingly and under no duress. It truly is a reflection on them if they choose to tell you they hate this, or your premise is crap, or you're a terrible writer, or you should jump in a pit, etc.

This is not good faith criticism coming from a well-meaning place with the intent to help you. When someone IS doing that, it's typically pretty obvious— maybe they'll describe what they liked about it, their language will be friendly, they might provide suggestions for how to improve, or they'll point out something specific which you got wrong and how to fix it... it's night and day the difference between these types of people.

BUT! For the record! You are also allowed to say that you don't really want any artistic criticism, even if it's constructive, because this is a fanfiction you made for fun. This ain't your job, and it's not that serious if you don't want it to be. In general, I would personally encourage listening to those who do want to help or have some advice. Improving your writing in your own eyes makes it easier to create work you're proud of and happy with. And that's what this is about— making stuff that makes you happy! But you don't gotta if that's not what's gonna make you happy. It's as simple as that.

And as an aside: Remember that these types of comments are not an attack on you, or declarations that you or your work are wrong or bad. It can be pretty easy to feel like that, especially if you're not used to it. For instance, I myself am incredibly and irrationally prone to guilt, and I feel awful if I get something wrong, even if it's something small... And experience and practice haven't really seemed to lessen this tendency much. But it's important for me to remember the person pointing it out is helping me, not saying everything I've done is garbage, that nobody is perfect, and it's okay to make mistakes. I've been able to get by fine by keeping these things in mind. In fact, I've had a rather pleasant experience in most tumblr fandoms, including this one!

Back to assholes: it's easier said than done to "just ignore the haters," so I think it's more productive to not completely ignore them. Look at what they've said and realize that the true meaning lies not with what's written, but the fact that it exists at all. Does this person actually seem to want to help you? Are they being polite? If not, it's not even remotely worth your time, because anyone who leaves hate on a FANFIC they CHOSE to read is a clown with nothing better to do and misery in their heart.

And it kills me that there's creators out there who've had their spirits broken by trolls, or who never even started out of fear. Because that's a very real fear. I almost succumbed to it myself back when I started writing as a hobby— it took a lot of guts to finally post my first fic. It's not a fault to be hurt when someone is TRYING to hurt you, and it's not a fault to be afraid of that happening. As I said before, no one is perfect.

If it helps, picture them as silly, angry little gnomes, jumping around and squeaking out gibberish and trying desperately to get your attention, but ultimately powerless. Because metaphorically, that's what they are! And all you gotta do to shut them up is kick 'em away (delete their comment or block them)! And who knows— you might not even encounter many, or any at all!

TLDR: This is my very long way of saying prev is totally right and people being assholes are not worth your time because the very fact they left hate means they're just mean people. I feel VERY strongly about this and accidentally went on a rant... sorry!

For fanfic writers and artists here, I have a question.

How do you handle criticisms/hate thrown at your work? I'm planning on starting this AU featuring the reboot cast, but I'm not confident in my writing abilities and drawing skills. Knowing how brutal the internet can be, I'm scared of the potential bullying especially if the writing can be OOC or the drawings aren't good.

I'm sorry if this is not the right blog to ask this kind of question.

[swindle-comic]

was it hard trying to develop certain details for each chapter, plot point by plot point, or did you initially know where you were headed and just fill in as you went (or, ongoing i guess, since youre still writing)? as someone who's writing for a comic i'm curious to see others' creative processes

Hmmm. Well I've known since Ty was created how the story kicks off and how the story ends. All the stuff in the middle is littered with potholes that have been gradually filling themselves in over the last two years. So a lot of stuff is blurry but I know the basic idea of how the next handful of chapters go and a fuzzy haze of all the chapters after that. So I start off with just this vague list of bullet points on what needs to happen and then once I sit down and tackle the process of actually writing a script its like

Like Ty swindling Louie. Set in stone since the very beginning. I consider this the original opening from back when the story was a structureless blob.

The actual chapter one was slipped into the narrative before the Swindling Incident because it was necessary in introducing teenage Louie and establishing his Whole Deal. He's adjusting well to high school, (in his own way) he's still a smooth talking opportunist, and his confidence has grown tremendously since the show to the point where it's bordering on arrogance and he needs a bit of a reality check. This whole chapter was a breeze to write cause it's all about characterization and nothing plot relevant.

I remember being a little stumped on how to establish Louie's interest in finding a boyfriend as this was a comic, not a fic, and I couldn't show the reader everything that was going on inside his head. And then I realized how dumb I was cuz Louie was always intended to shoot his family a quick text, only for them to text back that they couldn't join him for lunch. So the boyfriend exposition could be dropped there too. AND it gave me a chance to write character establishing introductions for Dewey, Webby and Lena. So, what was originally a quick moment of exposition, less than a page at most, evolved into this huge scene. This same thing ends up happening A LOT.

Had no trouble with the Scrooge scene since that was also set in stone since the beginning. You can't just give Louie a Goldie without hearing Scrooge's thoughts on it. It's his God given right to be the first one to comment on the matter. It CAN be quite tricky to write in Scrooge's voice but that's unrelated.

Then with the triplets bit, my basic premise going in was "Louie is pissed. He updates his brothers on the situation. Ty lore explained via Dewey, leading to Kit lore." So the purpose of this scene is completely expositional. But nobody wants to read a scene that is clearly shoehorned in to spoonfeed you information. I want it to be funny and and interesting and dynamic and character-driven.

BOYD was thrown in

1.) To spice things up

2.) To introduce him early on cuz if I didn't, he would not appear for a really really long time.

3.) Because I love him.

And I added the whole scene before Louie barges in to further establish Huey and Dewey as their own people, who aren't just NPCs who T-Pose in their bedroom until Mr Protagonist Louie shows up to give the story a purpose.

And then after he shows up and the plot resumes, I tried very hard to keep all of them in character, even when there were three of them bouncing off each other, which can be very hard to write sometimes.

So like, the plot points weren't the hard part here. I knew what plot points I had to include. It was delivering the plot points in a fun and natural feeling way that got tricky.

And another thing I need to be conscious of in every scene with the ducks is "Does this feel Ducktales-ish?" which is. Very hard. Because obviously the triplets aren't gonna act the exact same as they did in the show. They're older, they've developed a little more. So I need to stray a little further and have them act in ways they probably wouldn't act in the show but also I can't go so far that they're unrecognizable from their canon counterparts, yknow?

So in conclusion: the plot points come naturally cuz they've been decided for years now. Lots of other stuff? Hard. Lots of more hard stuff to come. But we're learning as we go. I do not think this was what you're original question meant but I'm very bad at staying focused so here is a tangent.

[lichfucker]

plz share all the which monster are you quiz results i love the way u write 🖤🖤🖤🖤

🥺🥺 omg thank you that's so sweet

vampire

you are a king among serfs, hidden in their ranks. you're the infiltrator, the parasite; you take what you need, and by the time anyone even realizes you're there it's too late. you endure. what hunts you but sunrise? mortals with squirt bottles full of holy water? that's cute. they want what you have. your coldness and your refinement and your power: they want it all. how can you be so like them, yet so unlike them? were you not as they were, once? oh, it's been too long to remember. you've got revelry to make. you've got worlds to conquer. you've got nothing but time.

werewolf

the wolf waits at the end of your patience. the wolf prowls at the borderline, ready for someone to cross it. the wolf says enough is enough. the wolf releases all the tension you hold in your body, like a chiropractor cracking your bones. the wolf is the rawness inside you. the wolf holds no pretensions, no illusions: the wolf pulls out all the things you've been told you cannot be, shows you what it's like to wear them plain. the wolf is the guard dog. the wolf is the house.

ghost

you're what happens when things are left incomplete. this place won't let you go-- or perhaps you won't let it go. you're aching for change but it doesn't come naturally to you. you can't be anything other than yourself. you can't even be dead; you were alive once, and so alive you shall remain. you're the proof that nothing is ever untouched: you've left your indelible mark. the walls, the wind, they've seen you. when will anyone see you? when will you see yourself? a call unechoed. a palimpsest unfilled. you've gone ignored for too long. you'll find a way to scream around the silence.

zombie

the stories about you never really seem to be about YOU. you're just one among the throng. how can you hold onto your individuality while feeding collective action? how can you reclaim a selfhood that's been stripped from you? your mind is gone and your body's on its way but there's some third essential part of you that's still here, still fighting. they can't take it from you. you won't go down easy. you won't go down without dragging them all down with you. you've gone away and come back different, and now you've forgotten how to do anything except chase down your hunger, get what you need.

hag

people think they know you. they've heard all the rumors. they've heard you'll cheat and swindle. they haven't heard how hungry you are. people walk away from a negotiation with you all the time (you never take more than you're offered; it's not your fault nobody seems to realize just WHAT they've offered). nobody walks away from the dinner table. how can a person be a pit? how will you ever be filled? you've built your hovel at the juncture of greed and glut. old folktales would decry you as the wicked perversion of the maternal-- but you can't feed anyone else until you've fed yourself. it's not your fault you'll never be fed. you'll scour the fraying edges of magic itself, grind it into dust, use it to season your stew. all things in service of a good meal.