#and would need a novella to explain maybe

[theverglaswindow]

[rayastasy]

Plot holes in the Elriel endgame narrative that make me believe in Gwynriel

3 books are left (2 full length and 1 novella) - 2 main characters left to resolve (Elaine and Azriel) and 4 side characters who have been highlighted with the main characters (Gwyn, Emerie, Mor, Lucian) - If couples are Lucian/Elaine , Gwyn/Azriel for the main books and then Mor/Emerie in the novella, that perfectly wraps up all the characters.

If Elaine and Azriel are together end of the next book then whomst the hell is the last book about? Lucian and Vassa? Why would some side characters randomly get their own full length book… and where does that leave Gwyn?

There have been obvious micro flirtations written in with Gwyn and Azriel (“you’re the new ribbon Az”) (The whole thing with the necklace??) Why on EARTH would SJM do that if Gwyn was not intended to be associated with Azriel specifically. Why would she make you question the obvious set up of Elriel if it was intended to be Elriel all along. (Maybe for a love triangle trope?)

OKAY so you think that SJM is doing 2 love triangles on both sides in ONE relationship? You think that it’s Elain choosing between Azriel and Lucian and also Azriel is choosing between Elaine and Gwyn? Thats just not how that works at all and I don’t think I need to explain that one further.

The main argument I hear from Elriels is how it’s stupid to even think it would be Gwyn because SJM has made it so obvious that there is something with Azriel and Elain which is CORRECT. But you know who else was obviously end game at the end of a book in a series? Feyre and Tamlin, Aelin and Chaol. It’s SJMs signature move so I don’t understand that argument at all. If anything I would ask if she was really going to pull that move again??

Elaine’s flowers - Feyre (Moon and Stars), Nesta (flames), Elaine (Flowers) …. Can’t you see Elaine and Lucian ending up at the spring court together after Lucian and Tamlin resolve things which is obviously going to happen. Elaine is spring, not shadows and night. We all know that.

After all that’s been said about Mates…I do not see SJM disregarding Lucian and Elaine’s mating bond. An argument can be made that this will be the other side of it where she follows true love instead of the bond but I just don’t buy it. We haven’t seen love with Elriel…only lust. I think more likely it will be a different story in that it is hard for Elaine to accept the bond but eventually she will and that is what her book with involve. I think Elaine’s book is next and will include her even hooking up with Azriel but ultimately she will end up with Lucian and then we will have Azriels book next as he sorts through all of his unrequited lusts and ends up finding love over lust.

I am not trying to argue or hear you say this is stupid in the comments. If you think it’s stupid I better see a logical counter argument on each bullet point. I’ve been reading so many Elriel theories and acknowledging that some have my Gwynriel heart shaking in my boots. But ultimately this is why I can’t fully accept it and I just want to hear the thoughts of Elriels that are capable of seeing multiple thought processes and critically thinking about it, am curious if any of these things give you pause in Elriel confidence or if you, like me, think it could go either way.

Thanks for reading my thesis

[blindbeta]

I've noticed that you are interested in stories with multiple blind characters and often propose adding more blind characters to a story as a solution. I really struggle with this because it's not as simple as that -- stories don't have infinite narrative space. The idea that every story has a large cast is influenced by the prevalence of long serialized media in fandom: webcomics, TV shows, etc. But many writers (myself included) write a lot of novellas and short stories which often only have a few characters -- maybe even only 1 or 2! Even novels don't usually have huge expansive casts -- maybe 5 main characters with some additional side characters.

Considering this, I don't understand how it's realistic for every story (or even, say, 50% of stories) to have multiple blind characters (without it feeling forced). This is compounded by the fact that most blogs that talk about other forms of representation say the same! So if I write a 2-character short story and the protagonist is a blind Latino man, does the second character also have to be a blind Latino man? It just doesn't make sense! This is just a general problem I've noticed in discussions around representation -- there's an assumption that every cast will have 10+ characters and narrative space to develop those characters, even though that's not realistic for most narrative forms.

Do you have any thoughts on this?

Writing Multiple Blind Characters in Short Stories

Hi Anon! Surprise. I write short stories as well. I have experience with this. I have never felt like my blind characters were forced or unrealistic, even with having several of them in the same story. I’ll try to explain what might help you.

First, the idea that multiple blind characters is forced or unrealistic comes from ableism. Think about why you feel there is a limit on disabled characters. If you can create stories, I would hope you are creative enough to consider the possibility that multiple blind characters could exist in the same place and time. Challenging this barrier opens up more possibilities, allowing you to explore different types of blindness, different reactions to it, different upbringings, and multiple ways of living, adapting, and navigating being blind.

Second, blind characters need access to their own community. This is where they learn how to be blind. This where they get support. This is where they might find understanding and belonging. You can find more information about community here in an excellent reblog. Also, here.

As you mentioned, I often suggest adding more blind characters when writers insist upon using stereotyped portrayals. Having multiple characters with different experiences helps to make your story more realistic and nuanced, contrary to what people might implicitly believe. Having more than one blind character is something I highly recommend because it helps with not having all your representation rest on the shoulders of one character.

For example, if you are worried a main character who has cloudy eyes might reinforce the idea that all blind people have cloudy eyes, having another blind character with a different experience may help. If one of your blind characters is naive and innocent, you might have another blind character who is brash, displays a lack of trust in others, and has a lot of shocking stories. Maybe they’re in a rock band together. They met while playing blind football (aka soccer) on a middle school team. They bonded over their pet cats and sour patch kids.

Or something.

Another important thing to remember when writing is that you have control over the story. Too many writers come to me feeling stuck because they feel they cannot change their story while also wanting to incorporate my suggestions. This makes it challenging to address implicit bias or stereotypes, much less guide writers in going in different directions.

Additionally, I feel uncomfortable with the complaints about other blogs in this ask. I feel like this isn’t really about me, nor is it something I can comment on. I will say that it sounds as if a bunch of blogs dedicated to helping people write marginalized characters are mentioning some of the same things. They are probably doing so for a reason.

However, while it helps, writing multiple blind characters won’t improve every story, which I explained in my review of the book Blind. I was not impressed with this book. I did not feel that the four blind characters were very good, nor did having them help with offsetting the portrayal of blindness as a miserable experience.

Conversely, one of my favorite blind characters is Toph Beifong from Avatar: The Last Airbender. Despite being the only blind character in the show, the writers did a good job with her. Would I have liked her to meet more of her community as she travels with the Gang? Absolutely. Even though I like her, she still never had access to her community after being isolated by her parents for so long.

So, no, you don’t need to have multiple blind characters if the suggestion bothers you this much. I even provided good examples of what to do, what not to do, and times where my typical advice was not as helpful for the resulting story.

However, please consider where these feelings stem from. Consider the origins of the idea that having multiple blind characters is unrealistic. Using the example you provided in your question, I wonder, would you say the same if both your characters were white and abled? Is there any way you can challenge the fear of seeming unrealistic? What about being considered unrealistic bothers you so much?

You don’t necessarily need to have characters in the story for them to exist. Even background characters can help. I will try to give some ideas for this:

Does your blind character have family they can talk about or remember? Are any of their family members blind?

Do they have any friends? Just because the friends aren’t in the story doesn’t mean they don’t exist at all.

Does the blind character have any formative memories or flashbacks?

Does the character who isn’t blind know any blind folks?

Your characters should have lives outside of the story. They should have memories and experiences that made them who they are. This is where you can have other blind characters. Perhaps this is how your blind character can have a community.

However, I would still like to see more blind characters interacting with each other. This is what I want as a blind person. If you don’t want to go that direction, that’s fine.

I hope this helps.

[charlieg1rl]

𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡?

𝐥𝐞𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐱 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

𝐥𝐞𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 𝟔𝟎𝟎

You sat at a small table in the corner of your favorite café, the soft light casting a warm glow on your book. It was a well-deserved break from your busy life as a student, and you cherished these moments of peace. You were about to immerse yourself in another chapter when you noticed a familiar figure striding through the entrance—Lee Minho.

His trademark smirk was present, and your heart did a little flip as he spotted you. He made his way over, looking effortlessly charming in a fitted black t-shirt and ripped jeans. “Hey there, bookworm. What’s so interesting?” he asked, leaning against the table, his eyes gleaming with mischief.

You glanced up, a playful smile tugging at your lips. “Just a novel. But I suppose it’s not as thrilling as whatever you were doing before you came here.”

He chuckled, sliding into the chair opposite you. “Well, I was just practicing some dance moves, but I could definitely use a break.” He stretched his arms above his head, showing off the muscles that had you fighting the urge to stare.

“Dance moves, huh? Show me what you’ve got!” you teased, knowing he would never back down from a challenge.

“Maybe later,” he said, smirking. “First, let’s talk about your reading choices. What’s this book about?” He leaned in, his curiosity piqued, but you noticed the way his gaze lingered on your lips, making your cheeks heat up.

“It's about a girl falling in love and having an affair with her sex therapist,” you replied, attempting to maintain your composure. “The guy's charming but also a bit of a jerk and toxic as fuck.”

“Sounds like a fun read,” he replied with a grin. “You should let me borrow it when you’re done. I like a little drama in my life.”

You rolled your eyes playfully. “Are you sure you can handle it? I wouldn’t want to ruin your innocent mind.”

His smirk widened, and he leaned in closer. “Oh, please. You’d be surprised by what I can handle.”

You raised an eyebrow, intrigued yet slightly amused. “Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?”

He let out a laugh, clearly enjoying the banter. “Of course! I’m a good son. But you might not want to think too much about where this mouth has been.”

You felt a rush of heat creep up your neck. “Minho!”

“What? I’m just saying,” he shrugged nonchalantly, though the mischief in his eyes betrayed his teasing nature.

You shook your head, trying to suppress your laughter. “You’re impossible.”

He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms with that signature confident grin. “Maybe. But you like it.” His gaze was intense, the playful atmosphere shifting slightly as the two of you locked eyes.

“Maybe,” you conceded, your voice barely above a whisper. “But don’t let it get to your head.”

“Too late,” he winked, and you couldn’t help but smile.

After a few moments of comfortable silence, he broke it again. “So, tell me about this hero of yours. I need to know what kind of trouble he gets into.”

As you started explaining, you couldn’t help but feel grateful for moments like these—where light teasing turned into deeper conversations, and a simple coffee date with Minho felt like an adventure of its own.

𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓

tags: @estella-novella, @therealmsbahng, @amarecerasus

[x-liv25-jamieswife]

i might get hate for this (cause ive gotten hate for less by toxic stans) but fuck it. this post is a little all over the place bc im tired but eh.

idk if this post will make sense but ill try my best to explain. ill be so pissed if jlb takes the prague storyline (which is JAMESONS) and somehow gives it to lyra/grayson or like anyone else (like, for example, if she makes another character go through the same thing jameson went through in prague or smth). jlb treats jameson like shit and almost never gives him any time to shine (she gives all of the spotlight to grayson... makes me think of a certain grandfather). i feel like the prague storyline would be such a good opportunity to explore jameson's character and actually do him justice (bc although i loved him in tbh, she could've done better. she clearly focused more of grayson's chapters). like, for once, i want him to have smth thats actually his (other than avery) (yes he had that entire plot line in tbh where he got the castle and stuff, but its just not the same. idk how to explain T-T (maybe its cause a castle isn't really important/doesn't truly solve the main problem, his self worth issues (aka the reason why he needs something to be his in the first place)?). i feel like his story wasn't truly finished bc his self worth issues weren't really resolved). i wish that jlb delved more into jameson's mental health and stuff like she did with grayson, and i think the prague plotline would be good for that.

the only reason i'm worrying about this is that we have no confirmed jameson pov. avery doesn't know what happened in prague, so we won't find out in games untold (unless pain at the right gun is about that night). jlb definitely has to address it at some point, and, since she constantly ignores jameson's character, and the entire series is coming to an end in a few years, i don't think we'll be getting another novella (in jameson's pov) or smth solely about prague. i'd hate for jameson to just mention what happened briefly at some point in the tgg series as if it's nothing. like, why would she makes jameson go through all of that/keep it a secret just to completely scrap that plot line and give it to someone else.

edit: there seems to be some confusion (my post was kinda confusing so i get it). i've had people message me abt this. i don't think lyrason are going to be in games untold. there's no reason for lyra to be in games untold bc she isn't really part of the og series/cast. this is the og cast's time to shine. i honestly don't really get how people can think she'll show up (not hating or anything). it just doesn't make sense. i'm afraid that the storyline will be given to them in tgg.

also i'm using lyra and grayson as examples bc they're the only characters that know about alice (and prague definitely has something to do with alice). rohan/savannah/gigi etc are all doing their own thing and don't know about alice.

[nestastits]

Maybe the reason sjm is so scared to release anything about the next acotar book is because it’s another Nesta pov book 🤞🤞🤞.

I mean she didn’t have to include acotar at all in cc if she really didn’t want to, but she did. And she chose for the acotar character who played the biggest part of that crossover to be NESTA. Bryce asked Nesta why she had the eight point star and what it meant, then at the end she gave Nesta the most legendary sword known in Prythian history and told her to go figure out why she had the star on her. And you’re telling me this isn’t at least a little foreshadowing to Nesta’s story not being done? Pair it with sjm herself saying acosf was only Nesta’s happy beginning and her story isn’t over yet. Like I need more of my silver flamed mother, okay?

As much as I want Elain’s story and for this dumbass ship war to come to an end, I genuinely don’t give a fuck until I have more Nesta content 😭😭. I need to know if Nesta is actually the chosen one, I mean girly has a friendship with THE MOTHER and a bargain with the cauldron, the two most highly respected and revered object/deity in acotar universe. WHY? Why is Nesta the one who has a special connection? Why can Nesta, after centuries of it being impossible, able to make and unmake objects/people just bc she feels like it? Why can Nesta wear the dread troves without them taking over? Acosf did not do enough explaining of this or enough of Nesta actually figuring out her powers for my sanity.

If I was sjm I would be terrified too to say if the next book was another Nesta book with the amount of backlash she got from acosf being Nesta’s pov+Nesta having a major influence in cc3 and the hate she’s currently getting now bc of the shipwar.

Sarah could even decide to be kind and give each of the Archeron sisters a trilogy+novella for the whole obsessive thing she has with stuff coming in threes in her books. I know this will never happen but my god would it be wonderful if it did😭.

[literary-illuminati]

2024 Book Review #36 – Life Does Not Allow Us To Meet by He Xi

I read this basically entirely because it got a hugo nomination, and assuredly would never have tried it otherwise – I literally wouldn’t even have heard of it, let alone be able to get my hands on a (digital) copy. So I went into this with frustratingly little context. Overall I’d call it an interesting read if not necessarily a loveable one.

The story follows a trio of explorers being sent to the colony of Caspian Sea, decades after the previous attempt to check on its progress was lost in a freak FTL accident. The planet, seeded with a population of genetically engineered ‘pioneers’ - humans modified to thrive in its environment - needs to be graded for suitability, and the colonists introduced to advanced technology and welcomed into humanity. Unsurprisingly, things do not go according to plan – the last mission’s destruction wasn’t as reported by the lone survivor, and the population has strayed increasingly far from the plan the Constitution of Earth demands.

Its heritage is of course entirely different, but the story was just incredibly reminiscent of old Golden Age American sci fi to me. The reason is some combination of style and content, I think. It’s overwhelmingly a novella of dialogue and exposition – pages at a time are dedicated to one character explaining a principle of the story’s science or technology to another. With the exception of the very final reveal, the whole plot is dialogue explaining the laws which the story is an expression of or decisions that they had already made – ‘action’ in any sense is in very short supply (despite the genocide). Reminded me of reading my dad’s ratty old paperbacks in the basement as a kid. Oddly nostalgic reading experience.

Prose-wise the story does come across as slightly stilted? Or maybe distant is the better word. Characters emote and have strong reactions, but in nearly every case it felt a bit tell-not-show. I’m not sure how much of that is from the original and how much is an artifact of translation (such is life for the tragically monolingual). While I mean, I’m fairly certain the translation could have been more graceful in places (I simply do not believe that referring to the original colony ship as Big Ship as a proper noun reads the same in English as whatever the original Mandarin was), but beyond that.

Speaking of being in translation – this is a story that made me desperately wish I was more properly familiar with the Chinese SF scene. If only because my initial reaction to it is that it’s obviously in conversation with the whole Three Body Problem series, but also those are literally the only two works of Chinese science fiction I’ve read so I really have no knowledge at all of the wider context they’re both swimming within.

Regardless, Life’s presentation of alien life absolutely does rhyme with Three Body’s, right down to the same examples of historical genocides being used to make the point. The xenophobia is presented as policy rather than an actual law of history, but it feels like a very intentional reference (and the story clearly considers it at least plausible if not necessarily self-evident). Which is what drives the central moral drama of the story – that despite the most careful possible genetic engineering, stellar radiation has left the pioneers of Caspian Sea incapable of reproducing with earth-born humans, and so made them functionally a different species. And thus, by the constitution of earth, axiomatically a potential threat to the survival of humanity that must be exterminated out of hand.

Going from Children of Memory (a series motivated in large part by wonder and joy at the idea of truly nonhuman intelligence, and possessed of ironclad faith in the potential of cosmopolitan, liberal societies to integrate wildly disparate parts) to this was something of a shock.

The book’s vision of humanity is kind of interesting, honestly. Subspecies modified to thrive on different planets, but capable of interbreeding to ensure some level of biological solidarity or shared destiny or something. Not making drastic changes to the appearance, even if it means awkwardly hiding gills under arm pits or not even trying to colonize worlds that would require exuding a thick mucus layer, basically explicitly to make sure that everyone will still find each other fuckable. Fascinatingly shallow, almost?

Anyways yes, interesting ideas and central drama, let down some by prose and execution. Very Asimov.

[tanoraqui]

I would love to hear your STRONG SUGGESTIONS on Cosmere reading order, if you feel like sharing! (From your tags on /post/773079877074206720.) Your posts about the books are inspiring me to give it another try but I'm not sure where to begin.

First, accept that when it comes to the more recent publications, you're almost certainly going to have a Discworldian experience of there simply being NO reading order that lets you be aware of every time crossover or reference - or, if there is one (1), trying to adhere to it would diminish your overall reading experience, and some of the references are going to be so ambiguous that you wouldn't catch them anyway.

In my judgement, there is no point where you won't understand what's happening in a book set on one world because you haven't read a book set on another world. Maybe a bit of confusion, an awareness of lack of context, but what needs to be explained for the current narrative always is.

I think this state might end with the upcoming Ghostbloods trilogy, ie Mistborn Era 3. It will almost certainly end by the space opera trilogy that is (planned) Mistborn Era 4.

Also, this flowchart is pretty good, though I disagree with it in places.

I find it useful to think of the Cosmere in phases:

COSMERE PHASE 1: Warbreaker, Elantris, Emperor's Soul (novella), original Mistborn trilogy. Read these in any order, adhering to internal series chronology (ie, Mistborn 1 > 2 > 3). You can also read short stories "Sixth of the Dusk" and "Shadows for Silence in the Forest of Hell", but you'll only find those in the Arcanum Unbound short story & novella collection, which is overall Phase 2.

^ Warbreaker, Elantris and Mistborn are all set on key worlds with characters or worldbuilding that will be vital to the Cosmere as a whole later on. The fourth key world is that of the Stormlight Archives.

^ Feel so free to start with the stand-alone novels rather than the Mistborn trilogy, if you need to ease back into this. It's 100% fine. None of these books connect to each other at all.

^ oh yeah, White Sands probably goes in here too, which I literally forgot about because it's a comic book rather than novel, so I've never read it. I mean, I hear it's perfectly fine; I'm just not a comic book person. I think that flowchart forgot it, too.

IF you have already been spoilered for the big finale results of the original Mistborn trilogy, consider reading just Alloy of Law (Mistborn Era 2, book 1) to get your metaphorical engines revving for Scadriel, then go back and read the original Mistborn trilogy, then read the rest of the Era 2 series. It's not necessary, and you should ONLY do it if you know the Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Ascends to Godhood parts of the original trilogy. But if you previously stalled out of the universe, this might help!

COSMERE PHASE 2: Mistborn Era 2 series, Stormlight Archive #1-5, Arcanum Unbound (short stories & novellas, including Mistborn: Secret History).

^ Stormlight Archive is VERY Epic Fantasy, all oaths and secret magic of ancient history and world-spanning politics, each book a MINIMUM of 900 pages. Mistborn Era 2 is detective-adventure with a dash of Indiana Jones, each book like 400 pages max. Feel free to alternate, honestly, to keep your brain fresh.

^ ...and the flowchart is right that the optimal experience is to have read all of Mistborn Era 2 (including Secret History) before SA #5. And if you haven't yet, read Warbreaker before SA #3.

^ and read Elantris before Secret History.

^ For Mistborn Era 2: the chart is wrong; you should read Secret History AFTER Bands of Mourning, for the optimal frantic theorizing/"what the HELL" experience.

^ I've definitely forgotten some short stories in Arcanum Unbound, but they're clearly associated with specific series, so just read them when you obviously should.

COSMERE PHASE 3: Tress of the Emerald Sea, Yumi and the Nightmare Painter, The Sunlit Man. The Ghostbloods trilogy (MIstborn Era 3) when it comes out.

^ Due to [STORMLIGHT SPOILERS], the Cosmere is currently, in-universe, in kinda-lull before some sort of all hell breaks loose (probably in SA #6). These books all take place during that kinda-lull.

^ You technically can read Tress or Yumi earlier, in that they have no plot connection to any other book...but the narrator of both is a diegetic character and they go here in his personal timeline. And he casually references worlds beyond those of the books, for flavor. So you're really best reading them here - unless you want a mild sense of confusion the first time through, and a strongly satisfying "Oh, THAT guy!" upon rereading them several years later after reading everything else!

^ Sunlit Man you really should wiat until after SA #5.

Other books likely to happen in this Phase: Warbreaker sequel (novel? novella?); novella crossing over Stormlight Archive x Mistborn Era 3; Mistborn cyberpunk novella (era 3.5, may turn into multiple books and its own Era because that's what happened with Era 2). Maybe an Elantris sequel.

COSMERE PHASE 4 (predicted): Stormlight Archive #6-10. Elantris #2 and/or #3. Mistborn Era 4 epic space opera trilogy (aka Cosmere: Endgame). Dragonsteel book and/or trilogy, explaining the backstory to All Of This, wherein 17 bozos decided to kill God and eat the ashes.

[dannymigimart]

Invader Zim Jekyll and Hyde AU idea??? warning: insane cringe rambling

expanding on ideas i got from this post

so at first i was thinking the au would be about zib because of a cool idea someone commented on my other post and i still think that’s an interesting and good idea, but the more i thought about it i kind of just liked another idea more:

maybe it’s not zib at all? im thinking maybe zim doesn’t really “exist” until dib takes the potion and then once he takes it, zim is “created” because of like concentrating all that dib was trying to separate from himself from which is like literally what hyde is in canon so whatever. i think this is more interesting because it would mean that like jekyll and hyde, zim and dib are the same person in this au, just split in two

the potion is made using stuff in membranes lab following the instructions of some crazy thing he found online or something like those internet ghost challenges only like 100x worse. that or it could be from one of his spell drives i don’t know.

dib takes it because of similar reasons to jekyll he just wants to separate himself of the “less desirable” parts of his brain- aka everything that other people think is weird about him. he wants to be the perfect scientist son that his dad wants. obviously it ends up splitting his mind into two- zim and dib, with dib in this case being jekyll and zim being hyde.

i feel like to explain why zim is.. y’know.. an alien, it could be because that’s kind of part of what dibs trying to repress- his obsession with things like ghosts and cryptids and aliens because that’s what gets him ostracized from everyone else and what keeps him from being like his dad and somehow it just kind of takes the most literal form possible when being concentrated into zim

this is gonna be kind of weird because originally the potion in the strange case was made to separate the “good” and “bad” of the human soul and for this it’s more of just what dib doesn’t like about himself BUT i gueesssss it would work because like zim is evil and stuff so im thinking he definitely could also be that concentrated evilness and hate for the people that rejected dib in his life?? idk this is just a brain dump i’ve already accepted that none of this makes sense

so also in the strange case hyde comes off as less of his own person and more of an alter ego for jekyll to do whatever he wanted i guess buuut i’m thinking i might not follow that completely?? because i think some other interpretations where jekyll and hyde are at least a little more separate are more interesting

bee tee dubs i’m thinking that when split, dib is going to lose some if not most of his fascination with the paranormal because that is kind of what he’s trying to do with the whole thing he’s gonna lose that and his insane-ness to zim BUT i still want him to be just a little crazy because he’s not really dib without it. i think this will make it kind of an uneven split so zim will have some of dibs traits still and vice versa

this au wouldn’t be the exact same as the strange case bc it’s kind of boring to just take a preexisting thing and slap new faces onto it but i do want to keep some plot points ex: the identity reveal to lanyon.

so far ive got ideas for one role- gaz being lanyon. she thinks dib’s obsession with the paranormal is stupid asf but when it comes down to it she still cares about him and vice versa and in the end dib trusts her. she’s probably not adopting any of novella lanyon’s traits she’s just taking his role as he’s kind of like a long time frenemy and who else would fit that best than dibs sister. ofc alternatively professor membrane could also take that role though so i still need to think on that

[lanternlit]

DASH GAME: BEHIND THE MUN

NAME: Havu.

PRONOUNS: They/them.

MOST ACTIVE MUSES: On this blog, Iris, Cas, Izzy, Will and Hannibal are being the loudest gremlins. Also the Doctor, mostly Thirteen, and Fifteen very much trying but I am sooo intimidated by the thought of starting to write him (me whenever I write a regeneration of the Doctor I haven't written previously).

EXPERIENCE: I started roleplaying privately with friends when MSN Messenger was a thing, in my teens, in the mid-late 2000s. We migrated to private phpbb forums with some friends for one-on-one platforms for more organisation than private messages. I transitioned to tumblr in 2013 when I found out the independent rpc here (I was on tumblr in a generic way since 2010). I pitched an idea for a Doctor Who OC to someone on anon to see if they would be interested in writing with her, I didn't know how the rpc functioned, etc. And then I made a blog for her. That was Iris, by the way, if you can believe that.

From 2013 to 2017 I wrote various OCs and Doctor Who canon muses, namely an AU version of Rose Tyler for a while, and then mainly the Eleventh Doctor for several years (my url was legsyes and later snogboxed but the latter was 2018). I was so unwell I was nearly psychotic around 2015-2017 and I was on the wrong meds etc. so I took a long hiatus of over a year from 2017 to 2018.

A huge part of my recovery process was coming back to the rpc with Cas in june 2018 (waywardfeathered). He was my primary muse for a long time, but I also came up with Jillian around that same time, and had some other muses in their own blogs, so in 2019 I consolidated everyone that wasn't Cas on a multimuse, on this blog (I think it was Jillian, Eleven, Charlie, River and the TARDIS, maybe Thirteen, and I've since retired Eleven). Now you know I recently moved Cas and Thirteen here from their respective blogs, and I still have Shepard on her own blog @dutyworn and I changed my url here from smokedanced to lanternlit.

FLUFF, ANGST, OR SMUT: Angst, smut, and fluff. I love multi-genre interactions, a little bit of all flavours in different threads between the same muses. Fluff is the only one of these I need to balance with something else to enjoy it a lot. I can write angst and smut without craving for something else for contrast.

LONG OR SHORT REPLIES: Both. I vastly dislike focusing on reply length as any sort of an indicator of how good someone is at roleplaying; it makes sense for length to vary. Are you setting a scene with lots of exposition? Are the characters having rapid fire dialogue? The former easily suits novella replies and the latter easily suits a single paragraph. I like dynamic threads where the response length feels natural considering the scene.

PET PEEVES: Relating to the previous one, my ultimate prose related pet peeve is when replies become like... two or even more threads in one thread? Consider:

Muse A asks Muse B, "How have you been?" Thread proceeds to have plot happening, and Muse A's internal thoughts regarding it.

Now Muse B's writer is stuck in a situation where, if they have their muse react to the dialogue before the following events, they are splitting the thread into two timelines, if Muse A's writer wants to be able to have their muse react in any way. This makes incredibly awkward writing flow where you are basically writing two interactions in one thread. I think people do this because they want to write longer replies but it becomes so unnatural and difficult to work with. I've been guilty of this as well. I always try very hard to consolidate a thread into a singular interaction, but sometimes that means I am forced to have my muse react to stuff only internally, or answer to questions delayed, etc. and it can be difficult to justify. And this is so difficult to explain it's hard to bring up with people if it happens because I don't even know what words to use to describe it - I drew a diagram to a friend once XD

Less of a pet peeve, more of a "I am going to block you", but any kind of rhetoric that even HINTS AT judging other people based on what kind of (no matter how problematic) content they enjoy in fiction.

ARE YOU LIKE YOUR MUSE: For the most part, I am very different from all of my muses. I think it's because I would make a very boring fictional character, so there simply aren't ones much like myself; I'm very passive, unadventurous, etc. and I have no issue with that, I would rather be safe and comfortable than "an interesting fictional character" LOL. There are some, mostly minor, things, that I can relate to with most if not all of my muses, but these are usually either small quirks or life circumstances, not values or personality defining traits. For example: I relate to Castiel and him having been heavily controlled by other people, in having been controlled/abused by people who had authority over me, myself. I relate to feeling like I am existing as an outsider looking, like Iris (being isolated from society, for her for totally different reasons, for me due to disability) and tbqh many of my other muses. I am aromantic and pansexual, so I relate to Dean being demiromantic and bisexual. I am easily startled, and so is Lucius, so I relate to him in that. And such.

TIME TO WRITE: I don't have a set time that's easier than others, but in general (i say as i type this at 3:39am) my ability to function decreases exponentially if I am not maintaining a sleep schedule. The biggest reason for me going radio silent for weeks is "I couldn't sleep for 1 night and now I'm sleeping during the day and this has made me like 9000 times more disabled than usual".

TAGGED BY: @naitfall, thank you! TAGGING: @qapsiel, @shepcdr, @hellweep, @henosiis, @uselessdevice & anyone who wants to do it tag me so i can see!

[acourtofthought]

This may be too far into headcanon territory… but do you think that Elain was pregnant when she entered the cauldron? I feel like it could explain 1) how Nesta “took something” from the cauldron, perhaps Elain had to give something up and 2) also be a main contributor to the deep depression Elain fell into, and 3) another reason why she distances herself from Lucien… and finally I keep thinking this could be another reason why SJM dropped the detail that Elain slept with Graysen before she was changed.

I know a few have considered this theory but it's not one I ever connected with.

First off, the timeline doesn't work because Elain only slept with Graysen for the first time a month before she was Made.

In their world I doubt there was anyway to confirm a pregnancy that, at that point would have been only 4 weeks along. A

missed period could have been a possible symptom however not confirmation of anything. Morning sickness doesn't typically begin until at least 4 weeks so I can't imagine that would have been a possibility for her. Even if she were pregnant, I don't think she would have had any idea at that point.

Also, if Sarah were going to delve into miscarriages, I would hope she would not introduce it into Elain's storyline given where Elain is at now, 2 years out from having been made. Writing about it now, after Elain is somewhat on the mend and was willing to kiss Az only to then say, "oh by the way, I lost my baby!" seems a little callous to me. During her depression she spoke about wanting to go home, about Graysen looking for her, about the wedding she was supposed to have in a few days. Talking about those things but not mentioning the sadness over the loss of the child? In my opinion it wouldn't read right.

As far as Elain's depression, I think everything she went through all on it's own was reason enough for her state.

Nesta was not engaged and was not attached to being human yet she went on massive downward spiral for nearly a year and struggled to call Cassian her mate because of having to finally let go of the last piece of her humanity.

Elain not only went into the Cauldron, just as Nesta did, but she lost her fiancé and the entire life she had planned for herself as a result. Elain was happy in the human lands, much happier than Nesta ever was. She was also very close to her father and I imagine the thought of having to leave him was also a contributing factors to her struggles.

Feyre went into a depression for killing those fae.

Aelin went into a depression over the loss of Nehemia (and everything that happened surrounding her death).

I think what Elain went through was plenty enough reason for her to have sunk to such a low place without there needing to be some other hidden reason for it.

As far as Elain ignoring Lucien as of the novella, I think it's not all that different from how Nesta behaved with Cassian though Elain had the added angst of being engaged to another and trying to move past the loss of that. While there seemed to be a sliver of hope for Elucien after ACOWAR, once ACOFAS began it became clear Elain was still mourning Graysen and her human life. When SF started, it seemed she had started moving forward from what she lost but it wouldn't make any sense for her to go running into Lucien's arms just like it didn't make sense for Nesta to go running right into Cassian's arms. These sisters have dealt with a ton and there needs to be an adjustment period before they skip happily into the sunset with their bonded for life mate. It's actually healthy (though maybe their execution was poorly done) for them to explore what it is to be fae on their own and even consider other fae males before settling down with THE MOST fae kind of all fae relationships. That way they know they want their mates because of who they are, not what. They won't be accepting their bonds solely because it was just handed to them, they'll accept because they know their mate is the best male around regardless of a bond.

[surrealisticduvet]

Album Review - The Prison: A Book With a Soundtrack (1974)

The Prison - Michael’s first album to be released under his own record label, and the first album maybe ever to be released with its own novella. The Prison’s concept is hard to explain (you either over-explain it or over-simplify it) but in a nutshell, it is about a man (interestingly named after Michael’s second son) who lives in a prison which he discovers is not real - he can walk out at any time he likes, and the prison will fade away. This is an allegory for the troubles of society; when one is entrenched in it, it is real, and constraining; when you leave, which you can do at any time, at great personal cost, you discover that it has been, all this time, a fabrication. The book itself is very interesting, but this review is about the album, and the music it contains; let us begin.

Favorite parts of the album:

It’s clear, between the album itself and the way he spoke about it, that this was a monumental production for him. It’s very different from his previous work, and much of his post-Prison work is influenced by it. The lyrics are very strong and poetic – which makes sense, considering that writing was his focus with the book. The instrumentation is wonderful too (I love the guitar and subtle pedal steel - yes, of course Red is on this record!). although the higher level of production can make it sound a little stiffer and more impersonal at times (compared to, say, And the Hits… where he did a huge chunk of the playing himself). I don’t think the album suffers for that, however - it’s a soundtrack, so the production is perfect. 

“Dance Between the Raindrops” is probably the catchiest song on the album - starting here, and continuing in other tracks, is the trend of using a subtle background melody to drive your reading along. Amidst the lyrics and the music itself, it’s easy to get a little distracted at times, but having that baseline to keep you grounded is nice. This happens again in “Hear Me Calling,” where he utilizes a sort of “Tumbling Tumbleweeds” western shuffle deep in the background of the song. (He uses this again in the next album I’ll be reviewing – I’ll rave about it then.) 

“Walking Mystery” is another hit in my book (to be clear, none of these songs are “hits” - they would never make good radio songs, except perhaps on an easy listening station.) It has a mystical, ethereal quality and ambiance, which is again wonderful for reading along. This song and a few others almost have a touch of that dreamy 80’s synth - six years before the decade rolled around. 

Overall, the album flows beautifully, and is in fact long enough for you to read the whole book while listening. Which brings me to my critiques…

Critiques:

It may be my fault, for rushing out of fear that I’d run out of music before I ran out of pages – but in fact, it was the opposite: I finished reading long before the album ran out, and I certainly didn’t digest it well enough. Having read through once, I ought to go back and savor it this time, reading slowly and feeling the music throughout. I do believe that while reading, you miss a little of the music (I enjoy it much more when I listen on its own), although Michael said that if you’re experiencing this issue, you might just need to practice. That could be true – or maybe the songs just aren’t as memorable as some of his others. Perhaps; they weren’t made to be stand-alone hits (he had to change “Marie’s Theme” quite a bit for it to sound like a standard track on the Ranch Stash re-release), and they’re not as easy to sing along with as the rest of his discography. 

My next critique is about the book itself, which isn’t very fair to the music, but they are intertwined – it’s very theoretical and a little preachy (a symptom of his present state), which doesn’t ruin the experience for me, but I see why it wouldn’t necessarily be critically acclaimed by a casual listener/reader. Oh well. 

Finally – and this is the big one – Michael here is entering his “hamming it up” era, which gets better as the 70s fade out, but never really gets cured. For some reason, there are many lines which he sings in a half-spoken, comical manner, something that would be natural for “Mama Rocker” but absolutely not for a lot of these songs and those that he performs live or on other albums. (This phenomenon is extremely bad on Live at the Palais, which I’ll get to in a few posts…) I guess it doesn’t ruin the experience for me, but it does make me cringe. 

Conclusion:

I truly wish that, first of all, we had a recording of the ballet (?!) that was performed for this album (if I remember correctly from Infinite Tuesday) and that, second, he was not so insecure/embarrassed about this album in the years after it came out. In live performances he apologizes for making people listen to songs off of it (albeit surely half-jokingly) and teases himself about the outro of “Marie’s Theme” (that it repeats 602,417 times at the end so you have time to catch up on some reading, etc.) 

Overall, The Prison is not my favorite album of his ever, although I do really appreciate it – it’s just not one I tend to listen to often. But I think it was a very important one that paved the way for a lot of his later work - a definite timeline shift. His later work was obviously influenced and inspired by it, and it seemed to be a culmination of what his earlier work was leading up to, philosophically (if not so much musically - sort of separate schools going on there – but he was all about that sort of unexpected, conceptual genre-melding approach to music… and that’s why we love him!)

[serickswrites]

i’m such a sucker for Lonely Place of Longing (the living weapon story, or, at least, the first of yours i’ve seen). especially any hurt/comfort aspects. i can see that story expanding to be novella length. may i request for a continuation if you have the time and motivation? when you take requests, do you like ideas or do you prefer to go off of what you were already envisioning?

here are a few ideas but please ignore this paragraph if you don’t want any. will Whumpee be punished for being too injured to go back into the field in the next month? maybe Caretaker steps in to defend them? i’d love to see more conversation between Caretaker and Whumpee with how isolated Whumpee is and how little Caretaker knows about them. will Caretaker ever see the extent of Whumpee’s powers (abilities? idk what you called them)? would Whumpee see Caretaker’s expression and be heartbroken that Caretaker is afraid of them and going to leave just like everybody else? does Whumpee ever train, would Caretaker be brought into the field (even just a helicopter overhead or watching video live), or would Team Leader see Caretaker becoming too fond of Whumpee and show the mass destruction to try to put distance between them? do the power-suppressing cuffs hurt them intentionally, hurt them unintentionally, or suppress any healing power that might become necessary?

@eyehartart (so i’m notified if you answer this ask)

Hello, friend! Thank you for all the questions! I love it.

So this story has gotten so big that I have changed things up with it. I have named my characters and they have some pretty extensive back stories, so I will be following up this ask with a master post, character bios, and summary because this is so much bigger than I realized (we're now at 17 chapters and it's completely written).

I absolutely love questions. And I love this story so much.

I'm also going to answer your questions from the reply in the second chapter as well!

How has Team Leader punished Whumpee after perceived failings in the past? So this is a complicated answer because Whumpee (now called Dylan) doesn't fail. Without giving too much away, Dylan always completes his missions. BUT obviously he does get hurt in the process. And that is something both Team Leader (now called Thomas) and the authority (I'll explain what they are in the master post) do not appreciate and so Dylan is made to feel very bad about that. He has been yelled at, neglected, and yes, denied his basic needs. He's experienced a lot of emotional and physical pain at the hands of those he is surrounded by.

when you take requests, do you like ideas or do you prefer to go off of what you were already envisioning? I take requests all the time and whether it's just a 'please continue this' or 'i love this i need more' or more specific continuations with requests of tropes or avoidance of squicks, I don't mind. If something is completely plotted or written I'm not always inclined to deviate unless it's a really good suggestion (I try not to be rigid, but if I have written the entire thing I'm not changing it lol). That said, I have written things completely and have written alternate endings on request. If there's a piece you like but don't like the tropes in it, you can always request a similar piece but with different tropes. I love prompts it helps my brain lol.

will Whumpee be punished for being too injured to go back into the field in the next month? maybe Caretaker steps in to defend them? In the next chapter, there will be some more hurt comfort and you'll see how Dylan handles his injuries and how Caretaker (now called Halle) experiences him.

i’d love to see more conversation between Caretaker and Whumpee with how isolated Whumpee is and how little Caretaker knows about them. Halle will learn more about Dylan and spend time with him. No spoilers but their relationship and interactions are actually the driving force behind this story.

will Caretaker ever see the extent of Whumpee’s powers (abilities? idk what you called them)? would Whumpee see Caretaker’s expression and be heartbroken that Caretaker is afraid of them and going to leave just like everybody else? In future chapters, Halle does get to see some of Dylan's powers in action. She does eventually learn the totality of his powers and it's definitely impactful for her (I don't want to spoil but the reveal and the chapter after that are so full of the feels).

does Whumpee ever train, Dylan doesn't need to train. You'll understand why near the end of the series.

would Caretaker be brought into the field (even just a helicopter overhead or watching video live), Halle does get some field action time but is very sheltered. Dylan's abilities are considered like TS/SCI level clearance in the world of this story (in the US that's the highest level of security clearance is my understanding), and Halle does not have that clearance, but is brought in on the know near the very end of this story.

would Team Leader see Caretaker becoming too fond of Whumpee and show the mass destruction to try to put distance between them? Thomas does not like how Halle interacts with Dylan and reminds Halle on a regular basis that Dylan is dangerous and not to be trusted.

do the power-suppressing cuffs hurt them intentionally, hurt them unintentionally, or suppress any healing power that might become necessary Ah, the power suppression cuffs. Those are super duper handy. Originally I was going to pair it with a muzzle, but decided that was too much work to then develop the rest of the story so I nixed the muzzle. They suppress all of Dylan's powers, which do include accelerated healing and higher constitution. So it's not necessarily that they cause harm intentionally, but by design are harmful. Dylan's powers are a part of him and to be cut off from them is uncomfortable and painful. He's adapted to life like that as he's had to wear them a long time (it's revealed how long very close to the end of the series). But they are not comfortable and he doesn't enjoy wearing them.

Please ask any questions you like! I really enjoy the questions. This story got so much bigger the more I wrote and the more I thought about it that by the time I finished, I realized I needed to change the generalness of the piece (but had sadly published two chapters already). So I'm going to be editing those two chapters to reflect the changes AND I'm going to create a master post, charater bios, and summary. Which means I am going to do something I never do and that is tag everyone who has interacted with the first two chapters (normally I only tag reblogs, comments, and replies, but this time I'm also going to include likes) because I have made some changes and want to give them a chance to read.

And this turned into a very long winded answer, so expect chapter three to be out tomorrow!

If you (anyone who is tagged in this post) do not want to be tagged in anything further, please let me know and I will take you off the tag list. If you do want to be tagged and are not already tagged below, please let me know and I will add you!

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[goodluckclove]

Various "Failures" From My Google Docs

Good morning! I'm at my usual coffee shop and got inspired by the troubles of a few friends to embarrass myself.

Sit down with me. I'm enjoying my usual blended chai. There's room on the couch if you'd like to join me.

So I've written thirteen novels. I think thirteen, I've actually lost count. Let's say, like, five full-length plays and twelve to fourteen finished novels. Impressive, right? Maybe. I'm realizing that I consider that not much of a brag, if only because I know the amount of trips and stumbles it took to get to one completed project.

I've ditched a lot of ideas. A lot. If I need to I can dig into my old hard drives to find all the doc files from my youth, but I also have the same Google Docs I've had since middle school.

It's mostly plays and ghostwriting assignments, but if you did you'll find some snippets from my constant attempts at growth.

Some stuff like this is okay. The line "hair slicked back/suit black silk" is pretty good, but a little too the writer thinks they're clever for me now. I don't really remember where I planned to go with this. I think the narrator was somehow going to be given the identity of Roy Fontaine. I was really fixated on the surname Fontaine at the time. I don't know why.

But then there's also a lot of stuff like this:

Hey look it's Fontaine again! I guess he's a doctor, too! Also I am astounded by how casually the main character just pulls out the Necronomicon. He pulls it out? From where? His pocket? Is it a zine?

I don't know why, but something about how suddenly this jumps in terms of dropping specifics makes me think that Sonic the Hedgehog is about to show up. I can't explain it.

This is the only thing in a Doc titled "Psychosis". I have zero memory of what I was planning on doing with this. What's kind of crazy though is that I wrote this in 2014, and six years later I'll use essentially this exact bit in a finished novel without even realizing it.

Another bit from 2014. No clue what I planned to do with this. It's hilarious to me that something stopped me from finishing the sentence. What am I, Franz Kafka writing The Tower? I didn't die. I wasn't raptured. I just apparently tried to think of something a large oak door would do and immediately gave up. It was 2014 I had finished, like, four novels. And this idea was fully stalled by what had to be a fucking huge oak door.

My favorite part of this radio play I tried to write is that somehow, believe it or not - when I wrote this I did not fully understand the Quantum Suicide thought experiment. And for along time I still kind of thought that this could be salvaged into a good idea, until last night when I asked my wife to put on a video describing the experiment and I immediately found it so dumb. Just ridiculously stupid. The only good thing about Quantum Mickey is that the title kicks ass and I'm definitely keeping it for something.

I've written a lot. A lot. I've earned the severity of carpal tunnel I currently have. If I had to put it into a statistic, I'd say maybe seventy percent ends up finished. fifty percent ends up polished to be read or published. Thirty percent actually ends up being read or published. I'm okay with this, because I enjoy the work. But for me, part of enjoying the work is not panicking when a project doing work.

If I need to end a project in the middle of a sentence, I do. I've clearly proven that I do. Sometimes I write for thirty pages and lose interest, other times I get a paragraph in and get distracted forever. That's okay.

That's okay. As long as you're doing something.

I could've included segments of Carnation, my first novella that was supposed to be a novel but I never finished it. But I fucking guess that's getting it's own post when I hit 150 followers so I hope you're prepared for what the type of stuff I enjoyed in middle school.

There's an Irish child that speaks exclusively in slang. You aren't ready.

[heymickie]

𝗳𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗺: our life 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀: derek x reader (gender neutral) 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀: 508 🐭: i love his route ( @gb-patch ) 𝘁𝘄: none 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗺𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶 𝗱𝗼 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲-𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁/𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗺𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗳𝗳 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗱 ʚ🍓ɞ 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗸𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗲

𝗖𝗢𝗦𝗧𝗨𝗠𝗘 | 𝗙𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗩𝗔𝗟 / 𝗙𝗔𝗜𝗥

𝗙𝗙𝗡 ʚ🍓ɞ 𝗔𝗢𝟯

It was good to be home, especially when you got to see your moms and your friends. You never really paid mind to home during the fall. Summer has always had your eye. However, here you were. You were out during the fall festival with your boyfriend, Derek. You have always matched costumes with Cove. However, matching with Derek was a completely different field.

The two of you had gone over couples' costumes after couples' costumes. You guys had some bad ideas, like a light socket and a plug-in, and you had some good ideas, like… Okay, so the two of you were having a hard time thinking of a good one.

“How about a couple of characters from Lake of Voices?” You suggested walking hand-in-hand with him. You two had time. Halloween wasn’t for a couple more weeks. You could at least enjoy the fall festival.

“Never played.” That's right, you were dating Derek Suarez, the sweetest jock in the world. Of course, he wouldn’t have played the novella games that you have. “How about Peanut Butter and Jelly?”

“I think my moms had me and Liz be that when we were babies,” you admitted. “I would propose some sport duo you like, but I wouldn’t really know who they were,” you said honestly as you hesitated at a stall when you smelled fresh funnel cake. He must’ve heard your stomach growl because he stepped forward and bought you both one.

“Okay, what is off limits? What are ones that you and Cove have done?” He asked, paying for the funnel cakes before handing it over for you to carry.

“Mermaids, Pirates, and fish.”

“So sea-based,” he laughed. He should have figured that out. “What about a couple of Marvel Characters?” You gave a shrug. It was Halloween. There were going to be more comic book characters than a comic con. You pinched at the funnel cake, taking in the fair. How have you never noticed how nice fall was in California? It was cool, but not too cold. You could enjoy the cool weather without worrying about needing to bundle up for Halloween.

“Hm, why is this so hard?” You asked, moving closer, so Derek could take a piece of the funnel cake.

“Probably because it’s our first Halloween as a couple.” Derek offered. “Couple things are important.” Derek licked the powder sugar off his thumb as he went with you down to the craft area. Maybe something there could spark up an idea. “Not to mention, we don’t read each other’s minds the way you and Cove do.” That was true. You and Derek were never as close. It will take a minute to find your groove.

“I suppose that's true. He got himself a shark onesie this year,” you explained, hesitating by a booth with many masks. Your eyes fell into a wolf mask, complete with big brown ears. You turned to Derek. The idea was practically bursting out of you. “Let's do Little Red Riding Hood! Cheesy and classic!”

[bunburyahoy]

Rules: You will be given a word. Then you share one sentence/excerpt from your WIP(s) that starts with each letter of your word!

I was tagged by @striving4mikey and my word is GHOST.

This was a bit of a struggle and now I know just how badly I need to shake up the words with which I begin sentences. *facepalm*

Most sentences from my novella WIP. CW for parasites, medical settings, and drug use.

G-“Guess what? You have an alien inside of you. Take two advil and call us in the morning.”

H- He was in public school, and regularly smelled the skunky marijuana in the bathrooms or locker rooms, and could even tell if a recently used e-cigarette pen had held tobacco or cannabis. Welcome to 9th grade.

O-"Otherwise, I’ll start the process of ordering the other tests, and I’ll have the front desk call you with some scheduling. I have a feeling we’ll be able to push this through pretty quickly. Maybe we’ll even have some results by the end of the week.”

“There’s—is there no way to do this quicker? Should we go to the ER? What if it’s contagious?”

Dr. Johnson shook his head. “For now, keep Isaiah away from bodies of water. Keep a close eye on his vitals and mood—” he turned to look at Isaiah, who nodded back— “and only go to the ER if things change quickly. Because there haven’t been bigger symptoms or changes other than the fever, I really don’t think you need to waste time in the ER when Isaiah could be comfortable at home. Does that make sense?”

“Yes. It does. Thank you. I’m—I’m trying not to panic.”

“I know. This isn’t welcome news. But we’re going to sort this out,” the doctor said. “I promise.”

S-Sam had obviously not been expecting this request, as his entire body went rigid. Isaiah imagined his father’s internal little SpongeBobs, wrenching open filing cabinets in search of the right answer, which was obviously “no, of course not, son”.

T- Talking to Isaiah had been challenging over the last few years for a variety of reasons, but now? With the parasite changing him into someone she couldn’t even recognize anymore? Trying to explain to him that Diana didn’t have those feelings about him or his behavior…trying to explain that she still loved him (always would) but that she didn’t know how to help him…it would all likely end in another screaming match or Isaiah flat-out refusing to talk to her about it. She wasn’t sure yet which one of those outcomes was actually worse.

Thanks for reading! I didn't know who to tag, but I know some of my mutuals are writing fic. >;D If you'd like to play, your word is LUNCH! (And please tag me so I can read it!)