#angsty tragic mage boys

[dragonagebrainrotblog]

oops

Don't know how this romance will end, but history tells me in tears.

[cepheusgalaxy]

Y'know, once I thought about purposefully doing a story full of clichés and molding them to my likings, just to loose up, you know? Not having to worry about using too oversaturated tropes, since I'm doing it purposefully, and I abandoned it a while ago but I think it'd be nice to revisit it.

cws: death mention

Mary Sue has a tragic backstory: Her parents died in a gruesome way in front of her, and she was sent to live with her uncles/a foster family, who are like, very bad at parenting, and she is also trans to add a little more angst and make her an outcast as well

She also has a magical heritage of being from the noblety of a magical people but she doesn't know that yet, of course

One day, she is being attacked by a vampire! But then another, conventionally atractive and conveniently skilled and well-meaning vampire appears (hes a vampire hunter) and saved her

He figures she has some magic abilities (from this part i draw a lot from The Mortal Intruments coz i like that series very much) and takes her to his base where he works with a lot of other people and eventually she ends up joining them

The team and their dynamic is gonna be inspired by the Institute in tmi

Oh and they're also the harem:

We're gonna have an older mentor figure, ofc, but then there's the guys,

The Vampire Vampire Hunter who saved Mary Sue

Flamboyant Gnc Catboy because I Can

Angsty Sasuke (Trans) Boy

Exiled Prince

and some others i haven't thought about

Okay, so, at some point, (they're anomaly/ghost/vampires/bad magic people hunters) we Burn Down the Setting, maybe a little literally, and they have to run away. The mentor is Out so they have to deal with things on their own and they decide to travel to The Misterious Forest of Something (so misterious i dont even know what happens there) and arrive at a temple-ish of a retired Sage Mage

they spend some time there (insert bonding of Mary Sue + Angsty Sasuke) and then they decide to go to the Magic Capital (there is a whole bunch of countries that are hidden from the Normal People and inhabited by magical beings like them) to reagrupe, and, hmm, plan of taking down the Evil Mage who actually Burnt Down their Institute

When they go to the capital, there is this prince guy who agrees on helping them and giving them the information they need, but only if Mary Sure wants to sleep with him (coz shes very Desirable as a Mary Sue, remember?), and at first she tries to go along despiste her teammates advising her not to since she doesn't really want to do that, but anyways, nothing happens because she just ends up leaving him there. Shes a little ashamed of destroying their only chance of getting Information (teammates are currently trying reassuring her) when A New Guy Appears

He's Dumbass Prince's younger brother, and wants to help them

He ends up joining the Team and in the next arc they leave the Capital and go to another Magical Kingdom/Country (maybe a fae land >:] ) to get more info on Evil Guy (who, although they don't know yet, is Mary Sue's--wait, not father, since his dead, my bad--uncle/cousin/brother/idk, something)

That's what I had planned so far lmao

Yeah, it's a fun concept to mess up with so I think I'll eventually revisit it

[fictionissocialinquiry]

FISI’s Favourite Zutara Fics

A lil late for ZFAW’s Saturday prompt, sorry about that! Haven’t had any internet over the weekend. But better late than never!

I’m not gonna lie… a lot of these are angsty af. But I promise you they’re not gratuitous angst! They’re well written, beautiful stories that will make you feel like a better person for having read them. These are my favourite all time fics, ones I’ve read more than once and will continue to read (even though I’m taking a week break from fandom and fic).

 Multi-Chaptered Fics

The Sparrowkeet Series by audreyii_fic

To be honest, this story’s summary doesn’t do it justice so I ain’t including it. Originally a one shot, Sparrowkeet is headcanon for me now. Move over canon, this is where it’s at. Audreyii_fic’s characterisation, world building, and writing is exquisite. It’s incredible. She manages to channel the same fun and whimsical energy from the show while allowing the characters to grow and develop to places I wish they had actually been taken.

This one is a fandom Must Read and one I return to regularly.

 Clothe Me in Seasons, Dress Me in Snow by sadladybug

It is not the memorial she deserves, nor the one she would want. But it can't be helped. He owns no property in the other nations, and he needed to keep her close. Closer than she was in life, anyway.

Zuko's reflections on a life lived and a life that could have been.

This is one of the best written fics I’ve ever read. It’s tragic and deep and will hurt you in all the tender places but you would be doing yourself a favour if you read this. There’s a real bittersweet feeling to it and the love between them is just… urg, visceral.

 Lovable by LadyCharity

Zuko knew that he could not save Azula. He could only try to forgive her. Fittingly enough, those two were one in the same.

I love stories that make Zutara their centerpiece but every now but then a story like this comes along. A story where their relationship builds almost incidentally because the plot and character development straight up hijack your emotions. I got so invested in this story. Zuko is amazingly well characterised and his complicated thoughts and feelings around his father and Azula are incredibly well written!

 One Shots

Lunar Ephemerality by @formerlygoldilocks (goldilocks23)

After multiple failed attempts on his life and years of self-set expectations, Fire Lord Zuko is a shell of the man he used to be. But Katara won't turn her back on those who need her.

I really didn’t expect this to hit as hard as it did. This straight up snuck up on me, fly-kicked my feelings, and by the end I had written an 800 word comment that was too big for AO3 and I had to contact the author directly to send it to her. Awkward. I couldn’t help myself. The side to Katara we see here is so good, her empathy and love for her friends are one of the things I love seeing most in AtLA fanfic. I’m a sucker for Zuko having complete breakdowns and having to piece himself back together too. So sue me. I like it when they suffer a lil bit. The writing is absurdly good and I will be keeping an eye out for any new stories by goldilocks23!

 31 Minutes by @ifyouwereamelodymeg

It's quite astounding, really, how quickly she's learned to translate him. They've spent a grand total of zero time together outside of training, and he's hardly big on chat so she knows next to nothing about his life.

But she knows him, probably better than she knows anyone at the moment – with every tap of his fingers, every crook of his lips, every turn in his voice, he just...

He makes sense to her. It's weird.

I’m a sucker for fic writers playing with style to make the story pop and boyo does this fic deliver. This is one of the rare times that I’ve been dumbstruck at the end of a story— I just couldn’t accept the ending. Because I’m a sucker for pain, (and this story will bring The Pain) I loved it. The ease of Zuko and Katara’s growing relationship in this bowls you over, it’s absolutely beautiful and you find yourself nodding along emphatically when Zuko calls himself an idiot for waiting… “Life’s short, kids, live each moment as though it could be your last,” says this fic as it pulls my heart out and dropkicks it off a cliff.

 i count to five (and life passes by) by @markedmage

Five heartbeats.

I still haven’t forgiven Mage for this one. I think it’s the best thing she’s written to date! I mean, tragic and painful and heart-rending but holy shit is it powerful <3

 The Lake of the Dismal Swamp by @thewhiitelotus

Spook af. Spook (horror) is real hard to do well but thewhiitelotus is coming for your goosebumps and those shivers down your spine. She has a way of balancing beautiful, evocative imagery with action (in this and other stories of her) that just keeps you reading!

 Calloused by @rideboldlyride

Iroh hadn’t been able to watch. The pure horror of a man - a father- burning their child for a slight infraction... He couldn’t do anything to stop it, but he will stop his brother from destroying entirely the kind boy he knew Zuko could be.

This is a painfully underappreciated fic for how great the characterisation is. I know we in the zutara fandom tend to not read stories that aren’t Zuko/Katara centric as often but do yourself the favour of reading this (or listening to it: RideBoldlyRide has done us the gift of recording a podfic for this and it’s stupidly *good*). This story is Iroh confronting Ozai just after he burns Zuko’s face and it kicks.

 four days and three nights by @hinaoyamas (lettersfromnowhere)

Zuko discovers firsthand that nothing is more fleeting than happiness, or more enduring than memory.

Do you like reading stories with a distant, omniscient narrator? The kind that read like a myth from the ancient world? Welp, hit the hyperlink, friend, cause this one’s for you. Not only is the writing exquisite but the characterisation and painful inevitability of the plot is grade A.

 For the Fire Nation by tullyblue12

He falls in love with her for his country before he falls in love with her for himself. A Zuko/Katara AU that explores how love and duty aren’t always mutually exclusive.

There are about 40,000 exquisite lines in this story but here is just one of my favourites: “He falls in love with her for his country first. That’s what his people never understand.” This fic says a lot with so few words, which is something I really look up to! In 2,800 words, tullyblue12 does what some 100,000k fics cant: They make you feel.

 Guide Me Home by Rashaka

To sleep, perchance to dream. Katara and Zuko find a friendship they never expected in a place that seemed impossible.

This is a one shot I will forever wish for a continuation of. The setup is just… so juicy. There’s a real sorrowful innocence to this story that the unique short, dialogue only scenes really punch home. I know some people don’t like dialogue only fics but when done well like in this one, it leaves you with the impression of something deeper than a 1,185 word fic has any right to! 

 Other Favourites!

Hopeless by tullyblue12 — Kids grow up fast when a cruel world awaits them. In times of hopelessness, Katara and Zuko grow together. In times of separation, they hope to see each other again.

Speechless by goldilocks23 — Zuko has a medical condition. Or: Zuko speaks in haiku at inappropriate times.

Don’t Follow Me Down by eleventy7 — Katara is the dread queen of the underworld, ruler of the dead, destined to reign her cold kingdom alone. Until a sun god catches her eye. A Hades/Persephone retelling with incredible writing.

I Don't Speak Meow Language by @botherkupo (Boogum) — In which Zuko adopts a cat and Katara just wonders what spirits she pissed off to deserve this fate.

I have the privilege of being friends with some of these authors (they know who they are) and am in near daily awe and gratitude for the works of free fiction they provide us, the fandom. And not just any old stories: Guys... Really good ones!! Can I ask that if you go check out these fics, can you just drop a kudos or a comment their way? If you’re feeling shy just copy and paste this into the comments box anonymously: “WOW! Loved this! Thank you so much for writing it!”

I know it would mean the world to this talented bunch <3

[trashbaggage]

okay okay okay

the movie “enchanted”, but witcher-fied (sorry this got away from me a bit)

there’s a stereotypical medieval fantasyland where jaskier julian alfred pankratz is the prince of lettenhovia. he’s got the looks, voice, and affinity for attracting woodland animals of a disney princess. also, the tragic backstory: his parents died in a freak accident when he was young. but don’t worry, his creepy “uncle” stregobor took upon himself the burden of ruling in their stead, until julian grew up and became ready for the throne.

(basically, stregobitch is like rasputin, and had tricked and slimed his way into the crown’s good graces before, surprise surprise, killing off the king and queen. he left julian alive to take some of the heat off of him with that extra distraction of grieving child. alas, poor little princeling that he can play the benevolent guardian to.)

and things are gr8 for good ol streggy, julian seems more inclined to sing and wander than become bogged down with the responsibility of becoming king. everything’s comin up stregs.

and then, of course, there’s a prophecy about how julian will be his doom or whatev and he needs to get on that shit STAT like he’s never heard of a self-fulfilling prophecy before (to be fair, fantasyland doesn’t have ancient greek tragedies to learn from so rip stregosaurus). but before he can implement his sophisticated plan of julian dying in an “accident”, our dear jules wanders too far and falls down a magic well into the Real World.

and he’s like, sweet, look at all this stuff! this is great and - oh hello, very attractive man with silken white hair and eyes as golden as the dawn light falling gently upon newly blossomed lillies and thighs that can crush his head and his heart, what up. and geralt is very confused and frustrated and oddly and begrudgingly charmed by this loudly dressed and loudly singing idiot accosting him outta nowhere, but his daughter ciri seems to like him so i guess we can keep him for a night but if he pees on the rug he’s out.

cue fun family bonding, musical numbers, shenanigans, all that jazz; julian, now jaskier cuz new world new him babey,, exploring and learning and having the time of his life and trying to get this broody man to open up and show that kindness his scowl can’t quite hide.

aaaaand cut back to streginald throwing a fit that the prince has cleverly evaded his dastardly plans, he has underestimated him it seems, and he can’t just let this massive loose thread keep flappin in the breeze, so he sends yennefer to deal with him.

now, yennefer is streggo my eggo’s daughter in this, and he’s raised her to be his right hand woman, his evil apprentice, the (much smarter) kronk to his yzma, and she’s been promised power once her dad fully claims the throne, so ofc she gets right on tracking that crafty twunk down to kill him. in the process, she comes across roach, julian’s horse and bff talking animal companion, by the magic well, gathering up the fucks to go after her wayward idiot. a struggle ensues, and yen and roach both go through the portal.

so now we got the side plot of these two trying to find jaskier, yen to kill him and roach to huff reproachfully at him for getting into this mess and if anyone is gonna kill him she will for dragging her across realms (she does not like portals, okay, they feel weird) not some uppity witch. so they got their tomfoolery of yen almost killing an unaware jaskier but then roach foiling her plans. she also tries to kidnap ciri as bait for a trap, but she can’t hurt this kid she’s too precious, ow ow ow, why does her chest feel weird?? she’s actually starting to find the boundaries to her thirst for power and it kinda sucks and feels nice at the same time??? 0/10 do not recommend

during this, geralt’s quiet life is being upended by this weird dude and he’s never danced so much in his life and his child is conspiring against him to set him up with this clearly deranged but very nice and pretty man but he’s not staying ciri we have to get him back to .....wherever tf he came from i don’t even like him, what are you talking about,,,

it all comes to a head at the costume ball, where geralt and jaskier are dancing and making eyes at each other until roach bursts in and tries to charades her way into warning her idiot to run motherfucker but she can’t talk in this realm so ugh and geralt horsegirl rivia is just like omg ur best friend is a horse that’s so fucking cool i love you even more.

and then yen bursts in; she’s kinda struggling to fulfill her mission, cuz she’s been watching jaskier and geralt and they just seem like two idiots that couldn’t possibly threaten anything, let alone her father’s power grab. she’s also made frenemies with roach, she’s the only motherfucker who can handle her in this city. so she just tries to scare jaskier into never returning, which works pretty well because she is v v scary, and then stregobonkers comes strolling in like wtf why is this taking you so long just kill him!! and yen is like i’ve kind of grown this pesky con- 🤢 consci- 🤢, wait, just, give me a min,,,, conscience!! yeah, that’s the bitch! anyway, stop telling me what to do dad and stregobego drops a bomb and goes i always knew you had a weakness to you, just like your parents!

and it’s just,,

silent.

what? what do you - my parents?

and it turns out he saw the power she held and wanted it under his control, so he killed her parents (it’s like, his signature move at this point) and groomed her to be his obedient little weapon. and, understandably, yen is pissed off and hurt and goes to lash out at him, but he just smirks and clicks his fingers while muttering under his breath, and everything stops for yen a second time as her mind blanks.

sneaky streg had put in a fail safe, in case she ever got out of line, and the amulet he gave her “for protection and focus, you must never take it off” lights up and puts her under his command and she turns into a sickass dragon that starts tearing up the dance floor, literally, in her rampage to kill jaskier.

geralt and jaskier go oh shit and dodge for their lives and things are looking pretty dire, but then jaskier looks at the suits of armor set up for decoration and goes wait a minute and grabs a sword to toss at geralt and just goes cover me boo and aim for that amulet and if you miss we’ll probably all die so no pressure!! and just sprints out and distracts angry dragon!yen and geralt goes goddamnit jaskier and sneaks around until he can jump at her and do a completely improbable matrix leap to stab at the amulet, and because this is a romcom and i get to choose my coping mechanisms, he makes it and yen is free from streg egghead’s power and she turns to him, still a dragon, and smiles wide with all them sharp sharp teeth and he goes ohhhh shiiiit and tries to run, but jaskier very helpfully trips him up and goes eat up my lady and dragon yen does, with great relish.

in conclusion, everyone lives happily ever after except streggles. geralt gets over his baggage and professes his love for jaskier, jaskier goes i’m not that easy geralt there needs to be wooing! i deserve to be wooed!! before heavily making out with him in the next five seconds. jaskier gives yen his blessing to become queen of lettenhovia, because he never really wanted the job anyway and she deserves it after what she’s been through. she still comes back every sunday for brunch and to teach ciri how to fight (she’s mine now, i’ve adopted her so she needs to learn the fine art of pointy things geralt) and geralt, jaskier, and ciri take holidays to fantasyland and roach is free to roam wherever she wants and becomes an advisor to yen.

the end

(extra dramatic addendum: geralt finally brings jask home to meet his family; vesemir opens the door and geralt goes this is my boyfriend, jas- but vesemir cuts him off with a choked out pRiNcE JuLiAn?! and it turns out vesemir is also actually from fantasyland. he worked for julian’s parents; the prevalence of monsters had been steadily rising, and so they had the idea to create witchers to combat them. kaer morhen was created under their sanction and vesemir was a teacher there, but he became disenfranchised with every boy that didn’t make it through the trials. when the keep was attacked by fanatics against witchers, he smuggled out eskel, lambert, coen, and geralt, and hid them away. he looked at these traumatized kids and went well that won’t do, followed up on some rumors of a new world, had a mage friend alter the boys’ memories, and skedaddled for our world. very shocking reveal, angsty angst-ness as geralt and the others deal with repressed memories and the fact that jaskier’s parents were responsible for it all, y’know, all that good stuff)

[ohsweetflips]

Can you tell us about your DA protags?? Id love to learn about them 👉👈

yes!!! i have a bunch of secondary/tertiary OCs but i’m just gonna go through my main canon :’)

also this is probably gonna be a bit of a general description more about my personal headcanons of all of them bc 1) i have an expansive canon and 2) my brain is very tired

my main warden is my electra surana!! she’s an elf and a circle mage, and is alistair’s mistress (bc i refused to have my heart broken again by him breaking up with me so you KNOW i maxed that persuasion skill). i think my favorite thing abt electra is that i originally intended for her to be like, super angsty? like i made her when i was 15 and also angsty so i kinda expected her to be this jaded character with a tragic life but just like... as i kept replaying her, it was so much more narratively satisfying for her to be happy? like both with her in-game choices and the way i started to think of her in a more “stuff we don’t see in canon” type of stuff, she just became this OC who does everything she can to save whoever possible (and imo that’s exemplified in her choosing to save the city of amaranthine) and like the way i imagine all her friendships, it’s just so much better for me to think of her as a character who chooses joy in spite of all the shit she’s been through (and she does have a pretty tragic backstory, imo). also, in my canon, she’s my main inquisitor’s cousin! though bc of Stuff, they don’t meet until post-inquisition. and her younger sister, kira, is one of my tertiary inquisitors!! i also headcanon that she does find the cure for the calling and she does have an eventual son with alistair bc i love family stuff.............

my hawke is dani hawke, and she’s a mage (and sided with the mages)! and romanced fenris, and i 100% headcanon that isabela marries them (bc can’t captains like marry people???) and. oh boy. if electra is the one who missed out on the tragic character trope, then hawke is where it fell. like it is kinda canon bc, imo, hawke has the least celebratory ending but my hawke is. going through it. just bc i see hawke in general as such a tragic figure, and i kinda lean into that. like i primarily play purple hawke but, as we get into act 3, i start dabbling with red hawke options bc my hawke is just. so tired. and so done with having to fix everyone’s problems. like hawke really just is A Person who got tangled up in too much shit. she also might be where i store like at least a fraction of my overall family issues. but hawke is also where i really lean into the found family bc her kirkwall crew really is her family, like, by the time da2 finishes, she only has carver left and, even though they’re working on it, they still have a strained relationship. i headcanon that, by the time hawke gets to skyhold, she’s just so tired and so done and she was ready to sacrifice herself in the fade. varric, fenris, and the entire kirkwall crew really, are very happy that the inquisitor didn’t let her do that. i also headcanon that, after skyhold, fenris and hawke finally do settle down (as best they can) and eventually have a daughter.

and my inquisitor!!!!! camris lavellan!!!!!!!! idk if he’s necessarily my favorite bc it’s hard to choose, but he’s more so my self-insert and my comfort OC like i do the most self-projecting onto camris. i joke that i don’t know where he ends and i begin but tbh i’d be lying if i said that he hasn’t grown as an OC alongside me growing as a person. he’s a mage and romances dorian!! i almost have too much abt camris to just focus on one thing to talk abt (so if u ever wanna send questions,,,,, :3) but like. he just makes me happy :’) inquisition is the game i’ve played the most so he’s probably had the most consistent development overtime? or at least the one i have put the Most time into, but i still think him and electra are tied for who has the most expansive canon pre- and post- game. and, as i said before, he’s my warden’s cousin!! that whole storyline is very tragic bc their fathers were brothers in clan lavellan but electra’s father was exiled (though in my canon, it’s revealed he was going to run away from clan lavellan anyway with an apostate from the local alienage and he was going to tell camris’s father aka his brother to go with him but then uh. bad things happened real fast.) i equate that whole part of my canon kinda like what happened w/ merrill in da2? but not exactly, it’s more so just the easiest point of comparison. and also!!! my secondary inquisitor is camris’s older sister, adaranni! i didn’t intend for this to happen but i think it’s very cute that camris romances dorian and is best friends with josephine, and then adaranni romances josephine and is best friends with dorian. i just think it’s neat! i value all my heroes so much and they’re all very special to me but camris just hits a bit different omg

thank you for asking about them, i love talking abt my protags :’)

EDIT: WAIT I HAVE PLAYLISTS!!!! electra surana & electra/alistair, dani hawke & fenhawke, camris lavellan & pavellan

[ao3feed-geralt-jaskier]

by JewFlexive

{Jaskier remembers reading somewhere that hate was just love reflected, that hate was just love pushed one step too far. The part of Jaskier that is still Julek can’t imagine ever hating Yenna, that boy’s love for her too pure, too unspoiled for him to even contemplate the possibility. But Jaskier can hate Yennefer, can hate the heartless witch who stole his sister’s eyes and his best and only friend, who sounds so much like Yenna and yet is nothing like her at all.

Of course, he does see parts of Yenna in Yennefer: the part of Yenna that had longed to be a queen, the part of Yenna that had never bothered to learn Bianka, Iza, and Marcin’s names, the part of Yenna that had lied to him through her teeth when she promised that she’d return to Julek, promised that she’d never abandon the little boy whose songs made the whole world fall silent and listen. But this, this is a terrible thought, this is a thought that complicates Julek's love for his beautiful, funny sister and renders the forty years he spent as Julian Pankratz meaningless, and Jaskier can’t have that, he wouldn’t survive that, so he pushes it aside.}

A story about two siblings that spans three names, eight decades, and too many secrets to count.

Words: 5498, Chapters: 1/3, Language: English

Fandoms: The Witcher (TV), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: Gen, M/M

Characters: Jaskier | Dandelion, Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg, Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, Roach (The Witcher), Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon, Original Female Character(s)

Relationships: Jaskier | Dandelion & Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg, Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion, Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg, Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon & Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon & Jaskier | Dandelion, Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon & Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg

Additional Tags: Angst with a Happy Ending, Magic, Feral Jaskier | Dandelion, Non-Human Jaskier | Dandelion, POV Multiple, Family Drama, Oblivious Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, Jaskier | Dandelion Has a Past, Past Child Abuse, Child Abduction Is Bad But No One Has Told Mages That, jaskier is a bisexual disaster with a tragic backstory and geralt is the witcher who loves him, yennefer: it costs 400 dollars to see a therapist but it's free to kill people and steal houses, Ciri and Roach are the only ones with any sense, this is angsty lads, It will get worse before it gets better, geralt says 'i don't get involved in the affairs of men', and then gets involved in the affairs of men, in which yennefer unlearns some toxic behaviors, no beta we die like renfri

[dead-cherry-bitch]

FINAL CARRY ON COMMENTARY #8

Okay, so I'll try to keep this short since my first attempt got fucking deleted and it's 2 am and I just finished the book.

Let's get into my thoughts.

It reads like a fanfic (a really good one! Don't hate me pls. I love fanfics) and I guess that's kinda intentional? Like, we have the whole magic AU, roommates AU, enemies to lovers trope. Also, the story didn't start at the beginning. It's not like Harry Potter, where the hero's journey begins when they discover magic. Nah, Simon has known about magic for years and his 'journey' has been going on for a while. It kinda reminds me of Harry Potter fanfics that start in year 5 because people love the angsty teen stuff. But I enjoy that. I don't necessarily need the ohhhs and ahhhs that always start of young adult fantasy.

Also, as a fanfic lover and writer I enjoyed a reading a professionally written and produced book that had the charm of a fanfiction.

The writing was great, it fucked me up emotionally more than once and it always gave you the chance to figure out the mystery on your own right before the characters did, to make you feel good about yourself.

The story itself was cliche and trope-y in a way that made it unique, maybe because it played into these stereotypes and just went with them.

I also never read a relationship dynamic like Simon and Baz. Sure, the whole enemies to lovers trope is quite popular among fanfiction but it usually doesn't feel as natural like it did with these two? It didn't feel like they fell in love just because the author said so.

And boy oh boy, did they fall in love. And did I fell in love with them. They're just both so tragic. How they both think that fighting is all they have since they can't have each other...I loved it.

Also, they're both fucking dramatic idiots but who's surprised, honestly?

The secondary characters were nice. I love Penny and Agatha was interesting to read about. The Mage as the villain was a bit predictable. I didn't expect the Humdrum to really be the true villain since we spend so little time with him. But the Mage's decent into madness was well done. I'm also currently mourning Ebb. She just wanted to take care of her goats!

I loved the ending, Simon figuring out what he had to do himself and then pulling the sacrifice-move? Great. I'm also glad that it ends on a somewhat bleak note. Sure, the war is over and my boys are together but Simon is a fucking mess. "I feel like a house after a fire. And sometimes like someone who died but stayed in his body." That shit's heartbreaking!

I can't wait to see what happens in the sequel. Needless to say I have it preordered and I'll probably do a commentary on it, too once it arrives. There's also going to be fanart, (For those who only know my commentary posts, usually, when I'm not obsessed with a book, I'm an art blog) so watch out for that!

Thank you for going on this journey with me, it has been a bittersweet pleaseure!

[immortallaughter]

These are my Original Characters for the game The Arcana by Nyx Hydra! (Finally)

 First off, we’ve got Beatrice Sana. (28) She’s a 6’0 stick full of sarcasm and a tragic angsty backstory. 

Being an ex mercenary she comes off brooding and mysterious, but she’s a trickster who loves pranks, especially since she’s an ice mage and can make snowballs to throw at people from rooftops. She has copper eyes, and stick straight brunette hair that fades into copper at the ends. There’s a cool looking scar that runs over her left eyebrow and it continues down her cheekbone.

She absolutely has no chill when it comes to social protocol, since she grew up breaking practically every law you can think of. 

Beatrice might not look like it, but she’s a lover and a hopeless romantic. Call her out on it and she’ll pretend to be mad. (She’s not mad at all and actually flattered anyone would think she’s attractive but you didn’t hear that from me) Despite her tawny skin being riddled with scars, she’s got a crooked grin that brings nothing but mischief and fun. Her name means bringer of joy and laughter is her favorite.

She hasn’t always been the cheerful prankster she is now, however. Her past is dark and she hates learning about it.

She was abducted from her home in Prakra when she was 10 and forced to be a mercenary after a sketchy magician took her memories from her. She didn’t know her name and was simply called Mage. When she turned 23, she met Lucio, who helped her escape her captors, only because he liked her skills (having no morals as a memoryless slave, she made for a ruthless killer) and she joined his crew until he became the count. She was a “law enforcer” of Vesuvia under Lucio’s orders until the whole fiasco with his death went down and she lost her memories…again.

She does NOT like Valerius. She has a little war going on with him, where she will steal his wine supply and gives it to her friends. (She doesn’t drink since she doesn’t like losing control of her powers) 

Her familiar is a blue nosed pitbull, named Risus. She loves that dog and he’s the goodest boi around…unless he sees Julian. Then he chases the tall cinnamon roll for fun.

So, she’s figuring out how to be a normal person, is more blunt than she should be, and won’t let anyone she considers a friend get hurt, if she’s got any say in the matter. It is advised that one stays on her good side. Beatrice has lots of potential, just needs some good influences around her. 

Now more about Eamon Frode. (27) A skinny 5′11 ft softy who looks like a cinnamon roll, is actually a cinnamon roll.

Eamon is a total sweetheart. Hates fighting, but could out think anyone around him. This freckle covered man has hazel eyes and can use telepathy to his advantage. He was a child prodigy and left his home in Vesuvia to go to a specialized school of learning in Prakra when he was about 7. Since then he has soaked up knowledge like a sponge, and can usually be found with his nose in a book. 

Since meeting Beatrice, he has taken it upon himself to teach her the educational things she never got to learn while in captivity. (she even tried to write his name in cursive and only sort of messed up!) His nickname is mushroom since his hair is ash brown and reminds Beatrice of mushrooms. 

His name means Protector of riches, which he considers the riches he protects are all the facts he has collected over his life. Ask him anything and he will most likely go on a long tangent about the history, mechanics, and semantics of said question. (Boy is too smart for his own good sometimes. If there is something he doesn’t know about and you bring it up, prepare to be interrogated.) 

Although he is kind, and loves all animals and everyone, if anyone tried to hurt him or those he loves he will stand his ground. 

Eamon will become flustered with just about anyone. He is pansexual and absolutely a mess who has no idea how to flirt. (like…at all) Although if someone could get past his awkwardness, he is a cuddler and kind of clingy but not TOO clingy. He is an amazing cook, btw, and he will be like a second mother if his significant other is not eating well. 

This precious soul is smart, loves yoga, and kind of adopted a sugar glider on an expedition one day who became his familiar. He named her Sweets, since where he found her was in his bag chomping down on his dried mango slices. (Those are his favorite things on the entire planet) Eamon cried when he saw Faust chasing his little gal, and has since made sure Faust is on good behavior when Sweets is around. (Faust thinks it is a game and make our poor boi worried)

He returned to Vesuvia to further practice magic with Asra, who he has fallen head over heels for. Eamon needs friends too, and someone to help Beatrice stay out of too much trouble. 

Any takers? (sorry for the short novel, but I love these two and wanted to give a good background) 

[queenmercurys]

hey love :') ALL the odd numbers for the ff asks??

NOTE: I realize now that this said all the ODD numbers, but me being an idiot, I just read “all numbers” and went for it. oh, well. here’s answers no one asked for :P and the ones you asked for, thanks, ems ;))

this is why you’re the greatest friend in the entire world ;D okay, here we go!! i’m gonna skip the ones i already got asked, but there’s still plenty to do ;P thank you so, so much, I love you!

2. Least favorite game?

well, out of the ones i’ve played, i’m gonna have to go with type-0, at least for now. it’s pretty good, i like the story, but the gameplay is crazy hard (and this is coming from someone who has played final fantasy since she was 8) and i’m not like crazy in love with any of the characters. they’re all good, but there’s not that thing that i have with basically every other final fantasy. but i’ve not finished it yet, it has plenty of time to change my mind!

3. Which games have you played?

i have played vii, viii, ix, x, x-2, xii, xiii, xiii-2, lightning returns, xv, world of final fantasy, type-0 and dissidia nt. however, i would like to note that i’ve watched crisis core so many times that i have basically played that, too. and i would, if i had a psp. anyway, i recently bought vi, so i’ll be playing that next, and then going backwards. the only ones i am not actively trying to play are xi and xiv. i’m not into multiplayers. but anyway, i also know the stories of the dissidia games, and i know the stories from i to vi, so nothing is really unfamiliar to me. it’s an amazing franchise and i love it.

4. Most underrated game?

i have to say x-2. it gets so much hate and for no reason whatsoever. it’s such a joyous, beautiful game with wonderful characters, the best turn-based gameplay and surprisingly fun minigames and sidequests. i stan x-2 100%.

5. Most overrated game?

if i were less biased, i’d say vii, but i’m not perfect, so i’m gonna go with my other pick: vi. i am sure it’s absolutely wonderful, and everything seems great based on what i have heard, read and watched. however, the fact that the cast is literally cramped with 20 million different characters throws me off a tiny bit. i can’t see it being that easy to give good character development to all of them, and i guess that hasn’t happened. but yeah, i honestly can’t say much before actually playing it. but i suppose part of the praise is largely due to nostalgia - as it is with vii, too. 

6. Favorite protagonist?

that would be my perfect darling, cloud strife.

7. Favorite antagonist?

this was a bit of a tough one, but i’m gonna go with ardyn izunia. 

12. Best looking male?

cloud strife for sure. he’s really, really handsome, okay.

14. Character you would most like to marry?

well, this may come as a shocker, but cloud strife.

15. Character you hate the most?

i appreciate him for everything that he is, i think he’s a totally epic villain, but after everything he’s done to cloud, to aerith and to everyone else, i am definitely gonna have to go with sephiroth. but he is iconic and the franchise wouldn’t be the same without him.

16. Which game had the best cast of characters?

even though it’s not my favorite game, i’m gonna go with vii. it has such a large, engaging multiverse to itself that it’s had a lot of time to develop the characters and make them more interesting and fleshed out. and i love so many of them so much. like my darling cloud, or sunshine boy zack, or aerith, or tifa, vincent, yuffie, cid etc etc. i think the cast of characters is really awesome. but that’s not to say i don’t love the other casts, because i do, very much so.

17. Which game was the saddest?

crisis core. what made it worst was knowing from the start that zack was going to die, and then living through it all, seeing how happy he was. watching him fall in love with aerith, befriend cloud, and even hang out with sephiroth and genesis. it’s so heartbreaking watching that boy try so hard, and then eventually die protecting his best friend a few miles away from his goal. it’s really not fair, and watching the ending always breaks me. that’s not even counting the pain that cloud had to go through in crisis core, but if i take that into consideration, it just strengthens my argument: crisis core is definitely the saddest game.

18. Which game was the funniest?

x-2. i know it’s a bit cliche and maybe even a bit cringe, but i love every bit of it. it’s pure joy, and watching yuna be happy and carefree even for a bit warms my heart. and personally, what i think makes it even better is that the game also has so many heartbreaking, sad moments. it balances itself out very nicely.

19. Which game had the best love story?

i am definitely gonna go with x. the story of yuna and tidus is well fleshed out, it’s romantic, it’s tragic, it’s sweet and above all (because i love this aspect in couples) it’s angsty as fuck, and that is exactly what i want from any fictional couple. they are a big part of why i love x as much as i do.

21. Which game would you sooner die before doing the above ^?

since i picked x-2 for the game i’d like to insert myself into, i am gonna go with… xiii for the game i would not like to be in. the world is gorgeous, but the divide between the people of cocoon and the people of pulse, and the dictatorship-like way the world is ruled, yeah, no thank you. besides, i could never replace lightning, i have literally none of her good qualities.

22. Which game’s world would you most like to live in?

this was really hard for me to pick, but i think i would actually go with the world in viii. it’s a world that has technology (which, as a child of the 90′s, i do need), and it still has many fantasy elements to it, not to mention some really, really gorgeous locations, like fisherman’s horizon, balamb town etc. 

23. Which specific location (e.g. Besaid Island) would you most like to live in?

if we’re going with specific locations, i think i would like to live in tenebrae from xv. it seems like such a gorgeous, peaceful place, i think i would be very happy there.

24. What’s your favorite job/class? Is this the same class you would want to be if you entered a class-based Final Fantasy game, or would you rather be a different one? If so, which one?

my favorite class is probably summoner, but i also have a fondness for the white magic, the black mage and the knight/any other variation of that job class. i think i would probably be a white mage myself.

25. What is your favorite ability?

summoning is always something i find very useful, obviously, but i also like noctis’ warp strike in xv. using weapons with abilities like stone strike is also really satisfying in x, too.

26. Favorite boss fight?

i really love the final boss battle against ardyn in xv. the main reason for this is because in the fight, ardyn doesn’t have an elaborate second form (tho i don’t mind those either), it’s literally just two men fighting each other. and the end, how ardyn loses because he can’t summon up the sword of the father, i think that’s really meaningful and i’ve always liked it a lot.

28. Your favorite spell?

well, i sure have grown very fond of curaga over the years, but in terms of something that i just consider really cool… i’ve always liked holy quite a bit, not really sure why.

29. Favorite summon?

the knights of the round from vii. other than that, probably shiva. i also really like alexander and bahamut.

30. Least favorite battle/boss fight?

i am not a huge fan of the fight against cid raines in xiii. i don’t know why, but that fight took me forever, and multiple tries. just… nope.

31. Do you have any theories or headcanons you swear by (e.g. Rinoa as Sorceress)?

i used to swear by the “squall is dead” theory just because it seemed super interesting, but nah, i love squall too much. he ain’t dead. i think the theory i am very fond of is that vii and x are connected. the theory that the kid shinra in x-2 eventually started developing a technology that would eventually lead to the shinra company in vii. it’s grim, but it’s entirely possible. 

32. Are there any fanon theories/headcanons you just can’t believe?

i mean, there are a lot of weird ones that i don’t buy into, but i guess one that i don’t believe is that cloud actually killed aerith (aka he killed her by drowning her because sephiroth’s sword didn’t actually kill her, but paralyzed her instead, or something). i am pretty sure he checked if she was breathing, give him some credit. 

34. Which canon couple do you think is most likely to break up sometime after the credits roll?

umm… well, considering that they weren’t really even together, ever, i guess it doesn’t qualify, but i’m gonna say cloud and tifa. i just don’t see how it would work, romantically. i get that there are feelings there, but actually as a functioning couple? idk about that. everyone can think what they want, though, what do i know? my second pick would probably be snow and serah. i find them very cute, but that’s another ship where i can’t see how they would actually work in everyday life.

36. And your least favorite non-canon couple?

please don’t throw cloud and sephiroth at me, i really can’t. i have literally nothing against m/m ships, my favorite non-canon ship is strifehart. i just don’t ship these two and i think cloud deserves soooooo much better. again, just my opinion though. 

37. What do you think makes a game a “quintessential” Final Fantasy game? (In other words… some people say the new games don’t feel like Final Fantasy games to them. What FEELS like a Final Fantasy game, to you?)

well, since my first final fantasy was x, i might not be the best one to answer this because my first one wasn’t one of the “classics”, really, but… to me, they all feel like final fantasy. the games don’t have to all be same, nor should they be. but for the sake of the question (which is a very interesting question btw), i think that there needs to be a big bad, and a group of mismatched, troubled heroes who do what they can to defeat that big bad. that’s literally all i need from a final fantasy game for it to feel like a final fantasy. plus, at least one engaging character who i can root for.

38. What things did/would bother you when/if they were put in the games (i.e. what things DON’T belong in Final Fantasy games)?

nothing’s bothered me much yet, but i guess what i don’t really care about are those weird collabs, like xv + assassin’s creed or something. i get why they do it, but ehh. i think those rather “pointless” dlc additions are just that: pointless. i am, however, on board useful and important dlc additions, like story additions or new fighting arenas, like with dissidia nt.

39. What is your favorite prequel or sequel?

my favorite prequel is definitely crisis core, and my favorite sequel is x-2 (does advent children count? if it does, then ac, too). 

40. Square-Enix hands over the reins to you, to make a prequel or sequel for any game of your choice, even ones that already have those things. What do you make?

first i make a sequel to vii to see what happened to cloud after advent children, then i make x-3, and then i make a sequel to viii. it absolutely doesn’t need a sequel, but i want it in glorious hd.

42. Worst character design?

no one looks bad, to me anyway, but i guess some characters are pretty weird, like cloud of darkness’ design for dissidia nt. i get that she didn’t really have any clothes on in the original, either, but that crap must be very impractical in battle.

43. What is your favorite weapon?

cloud’s buster sword, and cloud’s fusion sword.

44. What cutscene do you wish you could cut out of any of the games?

the date scene with iris and noctis in xv. why did they do that???

45. What creature do you most wish was real? (Chocobo’s, moogles, etc.)

oh, moogles would be so adorable. so would moombas.

46. Best soundtrack?

i think all the soundtracks are freaking fantastic, final fantasy music is the best music ever created, but i am gonna go with final fantasy xv. my close second pick would be final fantasy viii.

47. Favorite overworld song?

the one from viii, just because it brings back memories of me wandering around for hours, grinding for magic spells and items.

48. Which game had the best opening cutscene?

they are all freaking amazing, honestly. like honestly, all the games are so beautiful and perfect in this aspect, but i guess if i have to choose… probably x. the destruction of zanarkand is pretty powerful stuff, especially for an opening cutscene.

49. Which game had the best ending?

i’ve always said this, and i will always say it: final fantasy x-2. it’s called the perfect ending for a reason. and yes, i mean the ending where tidus comes back and he and yuna are reunited. 

51. Favorite non-vocal song?

somnus and somnus ultima from xv. honestly the most gorgeous song i have ever heard in my life.

52. Favorite limit break/overdrive/trance/you-get-the-picture mode and/or ability?

cloud’s omnislash for sure. can’t wait to see that in the remake.

53. Are there any plot-holes or questions you have about any of the games that you wish would be resolved?

nothing that bugs me too much. i guess the one that bothers me the most is that, why was ultimecia’s summon called griever?? has anyone ever explained this? if ultimecia isn’t rinoa, then why?? it worries me. i don’t know why, but it worries me.

54. What scene had the most impact on you?

there are plenty, but here is the top 5: yuna and tidus’ goodbye at the end of x, aerith and zack saying their final farewells to cloud in ac, noctis calling the kings of lucis to help him bring back the dawn and they all proceed to kill him in xv, luna and noctis getting married in the afterlife in xv and that scene at the end of viii when rinoa is pointing to the sky, we think she’s alone and then she turns and squall’s there, smiling for the first time in the entire game. okay, no, i’m cheating. also the ending of crisis core, for sure. 

55. Which game did you play first, and when (how old were you, etc.)?

i played final fantasy x when i was around 8 or 9. i got introduced to it by my friend’s sister. we watched her play for days and weeks until i finally asked my dad if i could have the game, too. and i got it, and i loved it. i still do. what a game. 

57. What game that has yet to be released are you most looking forward to?

*laughs nervously* final fantasy vii remake. square… please? 

58. What do you think of the Final Fantasy fandom in general? Do you think it is a good one? Any complaints?

oh, i think it’s a very good one! i’m not one to get too involved in fandoms anyway, so if there is bad blood, i don’t know about it. but everyone i’ve met has been super friendly, very talented and just genuinely wonderful. no complaints :) ok, maybe one. it doesn’t matter if you ship clerith, zerith, cloti or whatever you want. everyone can ship in peace. it’s all good.

59. Do you have any favorite works of art or fanfiction that you always go back to, and/or basically accept as canon?

i have no shame in admitting that i basically consider it as canon (tho this goes into the kh story, too) that squall and cloud are basically the fathers of roxas and sora, and they’re the best, happiest family ever. i go back to a lot of strifehart fanfiction, and plenty of awesome fanarts i’ve seen.

60. If you got the chance to work at Square Enix making Final Fantasy games, at any job, regardless of your skill set (they offer you paid training), what would you most like to work on or do?

hmm, i think i would like to be a character designer, but i would also really, really love to be involved in the story creation and writing, too. maybe i could do both?

thanks so much again, hon, you’re the greatest and i had the best time answering these :D talking about final fantasy makes me so happy! love you

[witcherfic]

JewFlexive April 14, 2020 at 05:00PM

by JewFlexive

{Jaskier remembers reading somewhere that hate was just love reflected, that hate was just love pushed one step too far. The part of Jaskier that is still Julek can’t imagine ever hating Yenna, that boy’s love for her too pure, too unspoiled for him to even contemplate the possibility. But Jaskier can hate Yennefer, can hate the heartless witch who stole his sister’s eyes and his best and only friend, who sounds so much like Yenna and yet is nothing like her at all.

Of course, he does see parts of Yenna in Yennefer: the part of Yenna that had longed to be a queen, the part of Yenna that had never bothered to learn Bianka, Iza, and Marcin’s names, the part of Yenna that had lied to him through her teeth when she promised that she’d return to Julek, promised that she’d never abandon the little boy whose songs made the whole world fall silent and listen. But this, this is a terrible thought, this is a thought that complicates Julek's love for his beautiful, funny sister and renders the forty years he spent as Julian Pankratz meaningless, and Jaskier can’t have that, he wouldn’t survive that, so he pushes it aside.}

A story about two siblings that spans three names, eight decades, and too many secrets to count.

Words: 5498, Chapters: 1/3, Language: English

Fandoms: The Witcher (TV), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: Gen, M/M

Characters: Jaskier | Dandelion, Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg, Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, Roach (The Witcher), Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon, Original Female Character(s)

Relationships: Jaskier | Dandelion & Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg, Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion, Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg, Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon & Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon & Jaskier | Dandelion, Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon & Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg

Additional Tags: Angst with a Happy Ending, Magic, Feral Jaskier | Dandelion, Non-Human Jaskier | Dandelion, POV Multiple, Family Drama, Oblivious Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, Jaskier | Dandelion Has a Past, Past Child Abuse, Child Abduction Is Bad But No One Has Told Mages That, jaskier is a bisexual disaster with a tragic backstory and geralt is the witcher who loves him, yennefer: it costs 400 dollars to see a therapist but it's free to kill people and steal houses, Ciri and Roach are the only ones with any sense, this is angsty lads, It will get worse before it gets better, geralt says 'i don't get involved in the affairs of men', and then gets involved in the affairs of men, in which yennefer unlearns some toxic behaviors, no beta we die like renfri