#booking a train was a tricky job this time

[throneofsapphics]

remember everything that we'd die for

cazriel x reader

summary: Hybern attacks Velaris, you're not where Cassian and Azriel expected you to be.

warnings: injury, death, angst

a/n: the acomaf blurb style rewrite temptation is strong

By all means, it was one of the most beautiful days of the year. Until you were called into work. Not that you minded your job, the bookstore was a peaceful place, but some days you just wanted to rest. Considering both of your mates were busy, it was probably a good thing this happened, saving you from a full day of worrying. 

Fate was tricky, you knew that. Despite all previous signs pointing towards a peaceful life in a city known for its safety, not everyone could escape the scythe of the afterlife hanging over them. Your scythe was looking an awful lot like the soldiers from Hybern Azriel and Cassian had described, blotting out the beautiful sky. 

“Get inside,” you pushed the door open, ushering the panicked people through. “If they break through, go out the back,” you’d firmly instructed your coworker earlier before retrieving the rusted blade you kept under the front desk. Your mates would throw a hissy fit over that. Two knives, gifted to you by them, were tucked into your clothing. 

A little girl pressed her hands against the window, her mother dragged her back. You hoped you conveyed your appreciation in the brief meeting of your eyes, all you saw in hers was gratitude that made you sick to your stomach. You were no savior. You were more likely to be their damnation. Perhaps fate or destiny took you to work that day, you just prayed the people inside the building made it. 

With a store full of people behind you, you tapped into your magic for the first time in years, perhaps decades, and let the wall rise as you stepped beyond it. A golden sheen now covered the building like a second skin. 

You wished you could’ve had one last day with them. Or even just an hour. 

-

As Hybern’s soldiers fell, Azriel took solace in the fact that you were in their home, safely warded. He knew, not far away from him, that Cassian was doing the same thing. Later, he’d question why his shadows had failed him, for the first time. 

-

The first grey scaled being landed in front of you, took one look at the blade in your hand, and laughed before calling out in a language you half understood. Only three others landed. 

Righteous, sweet, anger filled every nook and crevice of your body and mind. Breathing out, you let enough of it fade to keep a clear mind. 

“Losing your head is the fastest way to get killed,” Cassian’s voice echoed in your mind. They may have taught you a few things, but you were no trained warrior. Tears built in the corners of your eyes. Was this really how it would end for you? 

-

As his blade toppled the head of one soldier, his magic crushing another, Cassian counted his lucky stars it was your day off, but he wouldn’t find true peace until he managed to lay eyes on you and confirm you were safe. 

-

Like something out of a story book, you felt rather than saw your magic sneak up the blade, coating it in what must be a golden iridescence. You didn’t dare look, didn’t dare give away that one precious piece of knowledge that might give you some kind of edge. 

Despite the training you’d received from your mates, four versus one was not good odds. Tilting your eyes to the blotted sky in silent prayer to the mother, you waited for your opponents to give something away. Time, you needed to buy time for someone else to get here. 

It took three dead enemy bodies for you to realize help was not coming. Your arms shook as they held the blade, the magic on it already sputtering. 

The first knick hit your shoulder, blood pooling around the cloth of your off white top. 

Dying was absolutely unacceptable. You had too much to live for.

If you died, you doomed the people behind your shield, the ones counting on you to keep them safe. You had a store full of younglings, females, and males all counting on you. 

This couldn’t be your end, you thought as you reached for the knife tucked at your waist, dodging another blow. 

Your aim had always been good, it wouldn’t, couldn’t fail you now. 

The knife flew from your fist as a blow hit your head, hard enough darkness took you. Like a marionette doll, you crumbled to the pavement. As the sky turned a familiar and safe dark, the golden shield behind you faded, and you couldn’t tell if you were a failure. 

-

As Rhys’s magic cleared the city, a black shadow wisped around his ear, whispering one of his greatest fears. 

Hurt, she’s hurt. 

Azriel shot through the sky, a blur of black, aiming right for where Cassian scanned the horizon. He looked up as Azriel slowed just enough to approach, the panic in his eyes must’ve made the message clear. Few things could make him panic. 

“Where. Is. She?” Cassian said, jaw clenched. 

Work, another shadow curled around his ear, work. 

“The store.” 

He clasped Cassian’s forearm, shadows transporting them the short distance to the city proper.

They landed quietly, but their steps were near thunderous as they approached, the crowd clearing for them, words of thanks flying past their ears. 

A few children hid inside the bookstore, he could feel the remains of your magic, a sensation he hadn’t known in years, something you generally kept to yourself, brought to the light by these ancient horrors. 

Azriel kept his head clear enough by focusing on how his shadows said hurt not dead. Why the hell did you have to go to work today of all days? He’d kill whoever called you in. Gladly. Cassian might even help him. 

“Clear out,” a voice shouted, he looked out to see a healer he recognized hovering over your form, looking at him and Cassain. 

The crowd parted before he needed to shove their way through. 

Azriel’s knees hit the pavement on your other side, Cassian right next to him. 

The healer didn’t complain at the shadows now swarming over your body, reporting back to him on every little detail. 

A blow to the side of your head, one on the back of your head, likely from hitting the ground, a wound on your shoulder. Unconscious, no doubt you’d have a concussion, but right now you were still breathing. 

Cassian asked all of the questions to the healer, his restraint at her touch and magic a sign of your century old mating bond. A hundred years ago they would’ve been at her throat. 

Now, he was capable, although not happy about it, of letting her work. 

“She needs lots of rest,” the healer said. “Minimal activity for at least a week.” He’d tie you to the fucking bed if he had to. 

general taglist: @rowaelinsdaughter @bookishbroadwaybish @nestaismommy @erencvlt @book-obsessed124

@callsigns-haze @littlest-w01f

acotar taglist: @lilah-asteria @yeonalie @I-am-a-lost-girl16 

[podraje]

On my way to the ✨️ 🌊 seaside 🌊✨️

[anarchiii]

The Shadowsinger’s lover-1 —ACOTAR AU

Part one | warnings: fluff, swearing if you squint | Azriel x Rhys!sister

Summary; Rhys’ sister comes home, finally, and the the new members of the inner circle are surprised to learn that she (we are gonna call her ‘Selene’) and Azriel are Mates and have been for over two hundred years.

Note: this is an AU it’s not in the books.

Masterlist / Series Masterlist

Selene’s POV

To say she was missing home was an understatement, she’d been gone for sixty-five years, she wanted to go home and see her mate and see her brother again, she’d heard what had happened in the fifty-years she’d been gone. How and what her brother had sacrificed for his court and his family. She’d been gone far longer than she’d expected but she’d had a job to do, she was second in command to the general, she worked side by side with the Lord of Bloodshed and was one of his closest allies and friends, not to mention that she was mated to his brother in arms. So she was basically his sister.

While Cassian controlled all of the Night Court’s armies, he had constructed his own group of formidable warriors, it included Cassian—of course—Azriel, Her and two others, all of them in the bane—Rhys named it—had Siphons of various colours. Her’s being purple, Cassian’s being red and her mate’s being blue. The other’s being a deep pink and white.

Selene had been working in a camp near UDM, she and her team had been studying all the creatures Amarantha had created and converting them to be on their side, it was a tedious, tricky and dangerous job but it helped immensely in the war and any battles they found themselves fighting in. Selene had been fighting in the recent war. Just in a different area.

Once she reached Velaris she made it to the House of Wind, it was a shame she didn’t have her wings anymore, she could’ve easily flown up there in minutes, she banished that thought before it had time to fully develop, Selene had been walking for days to get here. A recent battle in the swamps had left her magic drained. Meaning she couldn’t winnow, she let out a sigh before making her way up the steps to the house, this was going to be a while.

-

Sweating and breathing heavily, Selene collapsed onto the ground, she seriously needed to work out more.

A throat cleared nearby and she looked up from where her face had been resting on the concrete floor. It seems she had interrupted a training session if the shirtless men and sweaty women were any indication. “Heyyy guys” she said breathlessly, she only recognised two of the people there, her general and her mate, speaking of, Azriel walked over to her and grabbed her hand. Pulling her up and into his chest. “I didn’t know you were coming” he said into her hair. “I swear-” panting, “I told you guys I was coming” holy shit. She needed to run more. This was embarrassing how much she was gasping for air, it didn’t matter if she had climbed 15,000 steps or whatever amount it was. He mate did this every week and didn’t break a sweat.

“Let’s get you inside, okay?” “Okay”

She sheepishly smiled at Cassian and the woman he was training with, Selene could already tell that she did not want to mess with the sharp faced, fiery eyed fae, “I missed you” Azriel said to her, sadness and loneliness showing in his whiskey eyes. “I’m sorry, Azzie, I didn’t mean to be this long. I’m here now. okay?” Her mate nodded and softly pressed his lips to hers, they both shared a smile, —one that was only used when they were alone—she brushed the silky black hair from his face. Brushing her finger down his cheek slowly. “Tell me”

So he did.

Azriel sat his wife down and told her everything that had happened while she’d been gone, a lot, apparently, had happened.

“I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for you” Selene said sorrowfully, “it’s fine, don’t beat yourself up over it, your here now anyway” he said back with a smile that didn’t quite meet his eyes.

-

For the next few hours, Selene and Azriel laid in each others arms, bare, from the catching up they had partaken in, as she lay there. Her face in the crook of his neck. She made a silent vow to never spend so long away again.

The End.

Note: I’ve had this in my head for a while and i finally got off my ass and decided to do it, there will be more parts to this in time, thanks for reading, I really appreciate it.

-taglist;

@daycourtofficial

@illyrianbitch

@milswrites

@itsswritten

@azrielslittleslut

@utterlyotterlyx

@thehighladywrites

@flickering-chandelier

[alexhatessupermarketcola]

I've been spending a lot of time since s3 came out thinking about how Alex could get more tangled up with Scorpia or how an AU could occur. It's become a bit of a thinking exercise 😆 tricky because TV!Alex has such a strong support network compared to the books. So far my ideas consist of:

- Grendel finishes his drink and confides in Yassen about Julia's personal vendetta. When Alex and Yassen get in the car, Yassen ignores the turn off for Malagosto and then just keeps driving.

- Nile either finishes the job with Tom and Kyra or simply alludes that he has to Alex. This clues Yassen in to Julia's revenge because why would she needlessly hurt Alex that way. Yassen calls some board members and Alex shoots Nile when he corners Yassen mid Scorpia v Scorpia raid. (Extreme angst).

- A book and TV show medley wherein Alex has dealt with some version of Stormbreaker and Skeleton Key between s1 and 2. Alex is struggling, Tom and Kyra are struggling with Alex's danger magnetism and have drifted away a little and so Alex goes to hunt down Scorpia alone (with Kyra perhaps on a different hunt after an argument in an au where they didn't have enough peace time to get as close). Perhaps Malagosto is Venice, or at least a bit more sophisticated simply because I say so.

- Grendel reports Julia because Julia and her faction of Scorpia are the only part that isn't business focused à la Yassen and are ruled by sadism, revenge and other such motivators to a dangerous degree. Grendel was one of them but now that emotion has made him soft and he realises the error of his ways. An intervention occurs. Yassen, pragmatic as ever, simply relocates Alex to continue his training. Perhaps they are both still oblivious to John's true allegiances. Invisible Sword is halted without Alex's interference because it's simply bad for Scorpia 's business dealings with intelligence and also just generally their continued existence (borrowing devil logic here). Alex finally gets some valuable and proper training yay.

Does anyone else have any ideas? I find it so interesting to think about and plot 😆

[a-little-bit-of-tradition]

Welcome to the Fly Team. So how does Wes differ from Halstead? Are there any similarities?

Jesse Lee Soffer: Well, they’re both cops, sort of. They’re very different in my mind. It’s tricky sometimes because cop thoughts are cop thoughts. So there’s scenarios where I find myself like, oh, that feels like the previous guy. And then I got to kind of readjust my brain. But Halstead had so much baggage and was dragged through the mud so many times and had such a chip on his shoulder by the end of his run on P.D. and Wes is really more carefree and has kind of an unaffected attitude and is a much lighter character and unaffected by baggage. And so in that way they feel really different.

What kind of boss is he? How does his leadership differ from Scott’s and what the Fly Team is used to? Everyone has to adjust to each other.

I think there is an adjustment. Wes really does not do things by procedure, does not do things by the book, and operates by the beat of his own drum, which is a frustration and a thorn in Smitty’s [Eva-Jane Willis] side. There’s some fun relationship dynamics to play out because of their uncertainty of, how much trouble is this guy going to get us in? So that’s really fun in the first few episodes.

Talk about filming in Europe. What’s been the most fun about that so far?

It’s really exciting. It’s such a treat to look around sometimes and go, oh my God, we’re on the coast on a beach in Portugal and I’m filming a scene. There’s once in a lifetime experiences happening all the time, so it’s a real treat.

Talk about Wes and Cameron (Vinessa Vidotto) because they have a history—he trained her—and now he’s her boss, and she’s second-in-command, so she’s moving up.

Oh, I didn’t know there was a hierarchy. I didn’t know she’s second-in-command.

She was with Scott (Luke Kleintank) at the end of last season.

That makes sense. No one told me. She kind of keeps him in line. It’s nice that she kind of respects how hard he was on her in the backstory of it, that he kind of beat her up to build her up and she respects that she’s the agent that she is now because of some of that tutelage. And so that’s nice going forward because he respects her and if she tells him he is out of line or he’s going too far or something, then he listens and he trusts her, which is a nice dynamic.

Is she the one that he’s closest to, or is it going to be someone else as he gets to know the team?

I think because they have a history, they obviously start off like that and that kind of remains through at least what we’re filming now. But he is making relationships with everybody and having different dynamics with the team. There’s a friendship with Raines [Carter Redwood] and there’s this interesting back and forth kind of—what’s the word I’m looking for? He and Smitty always kind of ruffle each other’s feathers. And he puts Tate [Christina Wolfe] in the field in an episode and she goes undercover and he kind of trusts her to elevate herself as a field agent. And so there’s a lot of nice dynamics to play out.

So is he clashing with Smitty the most in the episodes you filmed so far?

Clashing wise? Yeah. Vo is the one that kind of puts him back in line sometimes, but I’d say most of the bumpiness comes from he and Smitty.

How much is he going to be getting into the action of it?

A lot of it. A lot of it. My knees hurt, my shoulder hurts. A lot of action.

What’s been your favorite action scene to film so far?

We did a really fun foot chase in Portugal that was really cool with a lot of drone footage and the location is beautiful, the setting is gorgeous. That was really fun. And in Episode 2, there’s this great fight with a hitman on a subway train and it took forever. It’s a long fight and it’s an exciting fight. Our stunt coordinator, Ken, did a great job and that will be a treat for the fans.

What was the appeal of this role and the show after being on P.D. for so long? How has that adjustment been? You’re still in the world of Dick Wolf.

You know what, the only adjustment has been the Europe of it. There’s a language barrier. I’m trying to learn Hungarian on set so I can get all the set lingo.

How’s that going?

It’s going great. Actually, I’m picking up a lot and I kind of can tell what the first A.D. and the second A.D. are talking about now. So that’s been really interesting and a real treat. But the adjustment has been—like I said before, Halstead had baggage and Wes is a little lighter and more carefree, and so that’s actually been a fun adjustment.

Has that been what’s appealing, that they’re such different characters?

Definitely. And I’m working with Matt [Olmstead] again, who wrote the first five seasons of P.D., who was a showrunner there. So that’s a real treat, getting to work with friends.

What’s been your favorite character-driven or more emotional scene to film so far?

We just did a nice scene the other day with Vinessa, with Cameron Vo, where Wes talks about this case that kind of almost cost him his career and that he’s got some baggage from. She’s kind of his only emotional support system right now. So it’s the first time you really see him open up. He hasn’t really opened up and he starts opening up more and more to her. So that’ll be interesting to see, a more vulnerable side of him.

How is he settling in? How much will we be going home with him?

Yeah, he’s still settling in. There’s lines even recently where he is like he’s finally unpacking. He showed up and he just got right to work and that’s what he’s focused on. So much so that he’s living out of a box. … You go home with him a little bit here and there. It’s teased. Matt does a good job of giving you just enough and you’re like, yeah, I want to see more.

Could we possibly see you directing this season?

No, definitely not. It’s way too much of an undertaking to take on a new character on a show like this and for that character to be in a leadership role and so my priority is making sure that I know all my lines.

Fans love Tank. Are we seeing Tank this season? Are we seeing Wes with Tank?

Yes, we do see Wes with Tank. Tank gives Wes the okay I think in the second episode. He kind of signs off on Wes and is like, this guy’s all right. So hopefully that bodes well for Wes and the fans.

Is Wes looking at his time with the Fly Team as a long-term thing, his next permanent home? Is he just kind of going with the flow?

It’s kind of written that he puts a toe in, puts a foot in, he’s going slow. So I’d say he’s taking it one day at a time. That’s kind of how it feels.

[ohmystarrynight]

I love your art of your train and their crew, have you ever thought of doing a comic or story of them? They're very nice and I love the idea of the "pet train" genre its awesome to see another writer of that genre 😀

Aw stars thank you! Callisto (and co) will be starring in their very own illustrated book soon! I’ve had it written for a while, but finding the time to illustrate it all is tricky with my regular full time job.. but I’m chipping away at it!

Until then have some whiteboard doodles that I did while at my regular job 😂

(Vinny is there too haha)

[alice-angel12x]

Death is always around the corner

Jamil + Death!Reader

Riddle, Leona, Azul, Jamil, Vil, Idia, Malleus

Masterlist

This is currently a slippery one. Death sighed as they flipped through Jamil's book. A servant who wished to be more than he is, to be number one.

This was certainly a tricky situation.

Winter had finally come to NRC, and it was Y/n job to use their magic to cover the land in snow as they put the plants and earth to rest.

As they did, y/n watched as the students gather in the mirror chamber, ready to head home. All the while Y/n watched from a distance, though this didn't go unnoticed by some people.

"Getting cold feet?" Leona yawned.

"They don't say it, but I know they don't want me near," Y/n answered simply.

"So you not gonna see your friends off?" Leona asked as he leaned again a nearby pillar.

"Friends?" Y/n asked with a surprised and confused expression.

"Do you not consider those first years you hang out with as friends?" Leona asked.

"I let them decide what I am to them. And I've never heard them address me as such. They only come to me when they need something from me," Y/n said simply.

Leona didn't know how to react to this. A part of him was happy that they are unaffected by this fact, while another part of him was not. Surely Aduece had more respect than that.

"Than I shall have a talk with them when the break is over," said Riddle as he suddenly appeared.

"Ah, hello Riddle. Not too enthusiastic about returning home I assume," Y/n said as they turned to face Riddle.

"Yeah, I want to try talking a little with Mother, too… Though, I’m not sure if she’s going to listen," Riddle said nervesly.

"Good for you Riddle. Though some words for you, even if things don't turn out well. At the end of the day, it is your life to write not hers. And when you become an independent adult she has no control over you," Y/n said with a soft smile.

"Thanks," Riddle nodded as he turned to leave.

Only for him to quickly turn back and hug Y/n tightly. Death froze as they felt arms wrap around their torso. Never feeling mortals affectionate touch before, they froze. Only managing to pat the boy's head.

Riddle had to let go of Y/n, cause they felt as cold as ice. But Y/n did see off Leona and Riddle, while Azul and the twins' stayed for it was too cold at home.

While Grimm took care of the fireplace, Y/n tracked down the next target. which was not hard since Grim was already inside Jamil's trap.

Y/n simply watched from the shadow, as Grim indulged in the food, till Kalim showed up. And Y/n would have stayed hidden if Grim had kept his mouth shut.

"W-when did you get here?" Jamil asked as Y/n stepped into the light.

"I was wondering where Grim ran off to this time. Since it's his job to keep the fireplaces going, and low and behold he is not doing his work," Y/n said as they glared slightly at the cat.

"Wha- I was hungry. And I was invited unlike you," Grim glared. "And you just killed the party atmosphere."

The vibe was indeed soured, as the music stopped and everyone seemed nervous in their presence. Even if the students weren't sure why.

Even Jamil could sense something was off about this student. Every possible instinct in the student's body was telling them to run. All except Kalim, who was either too oblivious to the change in vibe, or simply his heart was too big. Invited Y/n to the party.

Y/n Was thankful that there are a few humans like Kalim, who could somehow get past their cures and smile at them. Yet They couldn't help but feel sorry for the ball of sunshine.

For he naively believed that is always safe from harm, cause his "loyal friend" Jamil was always by his side. Sadly Jamil did not share that sentiment.

So Y/n watched as Jamil used his powers on Kalim to ruin the boys standing with his dormmates. Forcing the boys to walk through the scorching desert, and train to point of breaking.

____________________________

One day on one of these desert walks, Jamil kept a tighter grip on Kalim with his magic. Making Kalim seem cruel by with holding water from them.

" It’s okay, I knew this would happen, so I packed some water. Go get them from the camels and share with everyone," Jamil said as started handing out water.

"Thank you very much. Ah… It would’ve been better if Jamil-senpai was our Prefect-" "Stop spouting such nonsense. What will you do if Kalim heard you?" Jamil cut the boy off.

Jamil filled one more bottle of water and slowly walked over to Y/n. Who was standing behind the crowd, and just looking around at the desert. Steeling his nerves he slowly approached Y/n in hopes of earning another ally to overthrow Kalim.

"Y/n, have some water you must be thirsty," Jamil offered, but Y/n didn't even turn to acknowledge him.

"I do not require water. Give it to grim, he could use some extra water," Y/n said simply as they stared blankly at the dried-up oasis.

"It's been two days and not once Have I seen you eat or drink anything. You can't keep abusing your body like this," Jamil pushed.

"Wow, You almost sound like you actually care for my well-being," Y/n said as they turned their head slightly. "But I know this is only an act."

Jamil's heart began to race as Y/n's red irises bore into his own, practically staring into his soul.

_____________________________________________________

Jamil had to rethink his approach to this strange student Y/n. Maybe he would have to convince them to why. Yet they saw right through his lies and refused to help.

Jamil panicked, for he feared Y/n will be his undoing. So he started spreading rumors that the ramshackle students were in cahoots with Kalim.

With the student's pent-up anger and frustration, they began to take it out on Grim and Y/n. But whenever the students try to gang up on grim, Y/n would always steps in before anything could be done.

Y/n knew things were getting out of hand, so Y/n implanted a thought into grim. Just dig your way out, and get to the treasury, there is something there to help.

"That's a great idea, me," Grim said to himself as he did just that and escaped Scarabia. Jamil having enough of this and decide to Magically "lock" Y/n in their room.

The enchantment made the room invisible to everyone but him, yet Y/n didn't really react. But simply smiled and laughed at Jamil's scrambling.

Even when Jamil thought he was still in control of the situation, his sleep has been horribly affected. Night terrors, and seeing Y/n in places they most certainly are not.

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

As Jamil was cooking in the Kitchen, he heard something. he turned as he held the knife, only to see no one around. And It seemed that the spoon had simply. When he bent done to pick up the spoon, in the reflection was a pair of 2 red eyes glaring at him.

The boy gasped as he took a swing with his knife only to find he was still the only one in the kitchen. Jamil's heart was pounding as he heard an Eerie whistle fill his ear. He couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from.

The stove suddenly turned all the way and the fire quickly burned the food Jamil was cooking. The boy used water magic on the fire and once out, immediately left the kitchen.

As he navigated the dorm, with only the moonlight lighting his way. But the whistle still followed. Shadows that looked like a certain person stalked him throughout the halls. He could feel a hand grab at him, but nobody was there. He felt it around his neck as he felt a slowly tightening squeeze.

"Is it worth it? Snake?" Y/n's whispered in his ear. A cold breath blew against the shell of his ear.

Jamil was slowly finding it hard to breathe, as he put his hand over his neck. He started to grow weak as he was only getting enough breath to stay bearly conscious.

"Jamil?" A familiar called.

Jamil turned to see Kalim with a very worried expression on his face. Not even asking Kalim quickly helped Jamil, and escorted him back to his room.

But as they did, in the corner of his eye, he could have sworn. He saw Y/n staring at him, as a king cobra slithered out from their hood.

_____________________________________________________________

Things did not get easier when Octinvinalle began to interfere. And Eventually, he was exposed. He was finally pushed over. He came too far and his wish was just out of reach. so the ink took over.

So he sent Kalim, Azul, the Twins, and Grim flying over the horizon. In his crazed state, wished to rub his victory in Y/n's face. He went to the locked room, only to find it empty. The whistle began to haunt him again.

Jamil shouted and cursed Y/n, telling them that he has won. And that they were too late. But from a pillar high above him, Y/n watched with a downcast expression.

But after some time, Grim and the others took down the blot.

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

Jamil opened his eyes, and he found himself at a banquette mat. It was covered with a king-worthy feast. The boy had no idea how or why he was here in this strange and dark place.

"I called you here," Y/n said as they emerged from the dark and took a seat across from Jamil.

"What are you doing here Y/n? And where am I?" Jamil asked

"We are in the space between esse and quietus. A realm ruled by Life and myself," Y/n answered.

"S-so your... Death itself," Jamil said slowly as his eyes widened.

"Smart boy, you've always been very talented," Y/n smiled as they poured Jamil a drink.

"Are you trying to torture me?" Jamil asked as he eyed the food and drinks suspiciously.

"If I wanted to end your life, I would have just reaped it when you overbloted," Y/n said simply. " I Do not relish in Suffering. So no I am not torturing you."

"So then why are you holding me here?" Jamil asked.

"To give you some advice," Y/n said simply.

"Death giving life advice, that's rich," Jamil sighed.

"Says the guy who spent all this time an effort to be dorm leader. To prove that he is #1 and the best. When in the eyes of the world such a thing doesn't matter to them. And by the way, Kalim's never asked for Kalim to be dorm Leader," Y/n said.

"They simply wished that he be in the same dorm as his loyal servant. Crowley decided to put Kalim in that position as thanks for the donation," Y/n continued.

"Every one of them kept saying the same thing. “I’m sure you’ll understand,” they say. So… Who will be there to understand me?" Jamil asked with frustration.

"Your right, it is unfair. It's unfair that you have to hide your talents for fear of what the master may think," Y/n agreed, causing Jamil to look up in shock. "But you made a fatal mistake."

"And what would that be?" Jamil asked.

"You made enemies with the person who could have helped you. Kalim," Y/n said, causing Jamil to scoff and roll his eyes. "Alright, then explain to me this. Why do your parents fear their master so much?"

"It's because of Asim's pride. Kalim's father hates the thought of someone being brighter than him or his bloodline. Is this how would describe Kalim?" Y/n continue.

"No, of course not he'd... He would," Jamil said slowly, understanding what Y/n is trying to say. " Just talk to him about it. He would have understood."

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

Y/n explained that asking for help, or communicating an issue or problem does not make you any lesser than. But to make sure who you know your talking too

For not all humans are truest pure-hearted. So be carful of who you trust.

Y/n knew that Jamil has a long ways to go to not only achieve his dream. But to grow to be a better version of himself.

[orangerosebush]

The specific non-reproductive (sterile?) masculinity*** of Butler is something that I find interesting to revisit in the series as an adult. He is the epitome of what a Butler should be -- he even sets a new record for being the youngest graduate from the training program necessary to uphold the family legacy. The relationship that ties the Butlers and Fowls together is at the heart of the primary and sequel series, with Butler (and Juliet) helping Artemis to usher in a new era of prosperity for the Fowl family.

Yet notably we do not see (human) relationships that Butler has that might divert his energy from Artemis/the Fowls -- it is as if the energy that would be directed toward raising an heir is diverted to guarding Artemis. Butler decides to spend some of the last years of his middle age helping Artemis undertake the Mars mission; Butler is unable to create a family outside of the Fowls due to both the constraints of his job and certain tensions created in the narrative. After all, what if Butler were to have a child? What time would Butler have for a family of his own? Who takes precedent -- the heir or Artemis? These are all questions beyond what the books were equipped to confront, so Colfer doesn't try to address them. However, this creates a situation in which Butler is both the platonic ideal of what it means to be a Butler, and the end of the family's legacy by virtue of leaving no heirs. Juliet similarly splits her time between her career and the twins, begging the question of whether the series depicts the end of the Butler family line.

I note also that Butler (and by extension, Juliet) is never mentioned as having a mother or father -- just a deceased uncle. The previous generation is presumably dead, yet of so little import that they get no reference. We have Colfer’s tweets to outline who their parents were, and we have a suggestion of extended family, but these characters never impact Butler or Juliet’s characters or arcs. In the same way that Butler can't be primarily beholden to the next generation of Butlers, there's no previous generation to which Butler has a duty or familial ties.

*** The class dynamics of the Butlers and Fowls -- though the Butlers are technically old money -- make confronting Butler's agency in having desires tricky. Back in the day, a lot of fans assumed (though there isn't a textual basis) that something in Butler's contract required celibacy for the duration of his working years. There is a reason that Colfer really pulls back from the implications of this dynamic after book 1 lol -- the only book (IIRC) where you have Artemis being referred to as "Young Master Artemis" instead of simply "Artemis".

[sun-stricken]

FT Ice siblings Headcanons

ultear is back to normal in this bc i make the rules

None of them are touchy feely types, but man would they die for eachother

Gray and Ultear get ‘mistaken’ as siblings constantly, and Lyon is absolutely not jealous of it, he swears!

They are both pretty protective of Gray for obvs reasons (little brother and he was technically both their turning points)

even more so after his death to the dragons

also stemming from their guilt

the reasons dont matter, but they would give him the world if he asked

subtly tho

Lyon Vastia, also known as the ‘Resident Drama Queen’

but theyre all dramatic

Lyon is just naturally extra

Ultear is allergic to cats

it was devastating to find out

Lyon and Ultear grew close during the 7 years Fairy Tail was missing, it made them gravitate towards eachother

they mourned Gray together (even though neither could fully accept he was most likely dead), spoke about their guilt (Ultear told Lyon about what she did on Tenrou, and her involvement in Galuna) and got to know one another

When Lyon found out Fairy Tail was back he dropped everything and booked the next train to magnolia

He tried to get in contact with her on the way there, but communication was always tricky with her job

After Ultear was like, reinstated (or whatever the word is) she dragged them both to a bunch random events and restaurants and just a lot of places

Gray pulls the ‘poor sweet little brother’ and ‘and here I thought you were a good older [brother/sister]’ card on them at every denial they give him

it works every time

Gray lets Ultear, Jellal, and Meredy crash/hide at his place if they want, it allowed him to get to know them, and for them to have a safe haven

Gray told Erza after a couple months of this going on and she started suspiciously visiting Grays house more often

They have a groupchat, Gray’ll bother the fuck out of them in the middle of the night bc hes bored and his sleeping schedule is shit

or he’ll send incriminating and alarming photos/messages and drop off the face of the earth for awhile

Lyon pretends its annoying and says as much but it finds it comforting to wake up with texts every morning

although, 47 separate messages from one person about the chronicles of a stray cat is a little excessive

Ultear indulges him since Crime Sorciere does most of their traveling at night

Lyon and Gray have a running bet on if she sleeps

they have a standing bimonthly meeting, sometimes they’ll meet before that but it there is always a fixed plan just incase

[emotionaldashtoons]

If there was a Inside Out 3, what would it be like?

(Poster Edit by Me/App on Android: PixelLab)

Like we already got how Sadness and Joy were lost in the first movie, than Anxiety taking control in the second film, I think I the third should be about Riley is ready to go to college next Thursday, and then, nine new emotions appear to take over Riley's mind, the names would be Love, Courage, Surprise, Pride, Trust, Suspicion, Frustration, Shaudenfreude, and the dark emotion himself, Spite. The nine emotions cannot handle it when Riley develops a new crush onto the new boy and that's where things get serious when Spite takes the eight new emotions in his control and uses Love to make Riley's crush into love madness.

As Spite gets rid of our nine heroic emotions out of their jobs, it's up to Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust, Anger, Anxiety, Envy, Ennui, and Embarrassment to save Headquarters and go through place to place in Riley's new developed mind, which is practically now a Mindtopia. And it means it'll be a lot more tricky.

Returning Voice Cast

Amy Poehler as Joy, Lewis Black as Anger, Phyllis Smith as Sadness, Bill Hader as Fear, Mindy Kaling as Disgust (YES YES YES! I'M BRINGING THEM BACK! RISE OF THE O.G.!), Maya Hawke as Anxiety, Ayo Edebiri as Envy, Adele Exarchopoulos as Ennui, Paul Walter Hauser as Embarrassment, Kensington Tallman as Riley Andersen, Diane Lane as Mom, Kyle MacLachlan as Dad, and Lilimar as Val Ortiz.

WHO WOULD CO-STAR IN INSIDE OUT 3?

Sophia Bush (Incredbles 2, Van Wilder) as Love, James Marsden (the X-Men, and Sonic The Hedgehog films) as Courage, Charlie Day, (The Super Mario Bros Movie, The LEGO Movie) as Surprise, Kristen Wiig (the Despicable Me and How To Train Your Dragon films, Bridesmaids) as Pride, Natasha Lyonne (Uncut Gems, DC League of Super Pets) as Frustration, Diego Luna (Andor, The Book of Life) as Trust, Aubrey Plaza (Scott Pilgrim VS The World, The To Do List) as Suspicion, Flula Borg (DCU's The Suicide Squad, Ralph Breaks The Internet) as Shaudenfreude, Nathan Fillion (DCU's Superman, Cars 3, Monsters University) as Spite,

Xolo Maridúena (DCU's Blue Beetle, Cobra Kai) as the new boy Riley has a crush on, Cameron Rivera, Dan Fogler (the Fantastic Beasts films, Fanboys) as Mind Councilman Mr. Chairman, J.K. Simmons (Spider-Man, Klaus) as The Mind Warden, Nicole Scherzinger (Moana, Men In Black 3) as Spite's Big Fan, Grey Griffin (Onward, Tuff Puppy) as Miss Leah, Edie McClurg (A Bug's Life, Planes Trains And Automobiles) as (the new voice of) Nostalgia, Yong Yea (Inside Out 2) as Lance Slashblade, Ron Funches (Trolls, Hoops, Noelle) as Bloofy, James Austin Johnson (Saturday Night Live) as Pouchy, Steve Purcell (Brave, Toy Story: That Time Forgot) as Deep Dark Secret, Jeff Pidgeon (Toy Story) as The Mind Receptionist, Eli Fucile (the Incredbles films) as Awe,

Paula Pell (Sisters, The Cat In The Hat) as Mom's Anger, Conrad Vernon (the Shrek, and Madagascar films) as the Mind Constructor, Flea (Toy Story 4, The Big Lebowski) as Mind Cop Jake, Sam Richardson (Werewolf Within, Ruby Gillman, Veep) as Mind Cop Sam, Frank Oz and Dave Goelz (The Muppets, Sesame Street) as Mind Cop Dave and Mind Cop Frank, John Ratzenberger (Toy Story, Cars, The Incredibles, Up, Coco) as Fritz, Paula Poundstone (Inside Out) as Forgetter Paula, Bobby Moynihan (IF, Hoppers, We Bare Bears) as Forgetter Bobby, and Angela Kinsey (The Office, Furry Vengence) as The College Advisor.

Crew

Directed by Kelsey Mann

Co-Directed by Bob Peterson

Screenplay by Josh Cooley, Meg LeFauve, and Andrew Stanton

Produced by Galyn Susman, p.g.a., & Jonas Rivera, p.g.a.

Executive Producers Pete Docter, Mark Nielsen, and Ross Stevenson

Story by Josh Cooley & Meg LeFauve

Music by Mick Giacchino

Director of Photography by Kim White and Patrick Lin

Edited by Catherine Apple

Production Designer Jason Deamer

Animation Supervisors Jerome Ranft and Conrad Vernon

Visual Effects Supervisor David Ryu

Casting by Natalie Lyon & Kevin Reher

\🟡🟡🟣🟡🟢🟡🟡🔴🟣🔵🟡🟡🟡/

What do you think about it?

It seems that I have creative ideas for it. And it also seems that director Kelsey Mann and Amy Poehler really want a third Inside Out, you guys can look up the new articles if you want. I'll see you soon.

[lovely-vermin]

Hi neighbor! I hope you are doing a wonderful day and oh! may I request all the welcome home characters with a reader who can escape situations, or should I say clever to be specific, say for exmaple, reader is handcuffed but they managed to get it off without finding a key. I found this in one of my old subject books and got this idea. Thats all, thank you!

Of course neighbor! That is such a wonderful idea! I didn’t know who you wanted so I did Wally and Sally! I didn’t know who you wanted sorry! You have a wonderful day as well neighbor!

Welcome home with an escape artist Reader

Summary:Doesn’t everything town have their own escape artist?

Characters?: Wally and Sally

Romantic or platonic?:Can be seen as either

Notes:I love escape artist like their so cool!! This took me so many times because my phone just got me out the app multiple times but tell me it you wanted different characters or all of them!

Warnings?:Reader is referred as Squiddy and squid

Wally Darling

-He’s very impressed! He’s never seen such things!

-Sometimes he goes to Sally’s play area to watch you do your random escape activity,he does get worried because he doesn’t know if you’ll escape or be injured but yet you’ve never had either yet!

-If you do get some small injuries he takes care of them like a good neighbor! He does scold you like a mom but it’s so hard to take it seriously with his adorable face! (He is very adorable and he knows it!)

-You’ve just finished your activity and everyone was clapping,you never do seize to amaze them with your ability. You let a chuckle out as Wally came over to check on you. He likes to make sure you have no injuries so you can’t hide or lie about them. It’s comforting :)

Sally Starlet

-She started the squid/Squiddy nickname train! When you first did your act she named you that quickly! Soon everyone called you that as it felt natural in a way!

-She picks the stuff you escape sometimes! She makes sure you won’t die or get badly injured as she doesn’t want her favorite Squiddy getting hurt from doing something they enjoy!

-If you do get a small injurie she takes you to howdy or Wally as she’s not good at taking care of injuries but she is good at making you take care of yourself!

- “Amazing job Squiddy!” You smiled at the jumping,clapping,and smiling star in front of you. She helped you up from the ground because it was a cooler she chose this time but a bit more difficult. “Thanks Sal,it was tricky but nothing can hold me!” “That’s right!” Your so happy to have her as a friend!

[drdemonprince]

I feel like you've answered a question on this before, so sorry if my search skillz failed me. how do you keep a playful attitude when trying new things? I started a book on wu-wei/'trying not to try' that has made me feel a bit hopeless so far, as I know that approaching things more casually/playfully will help it feel less painful (social situations, job search, dating, etc), but apparently you can't consciously try to be playful?!

Hmmmm this is a tricky question to answer, because it is far easier to describe what the end state feels like than to explain how I got there. But I will try!

I think if you're someone who tends to be quite skeptical and cynical about things, your first instinct during difficult situations might be to turn that skepticism toward yourself. You watch yourself trying to complete the new activity, or talk to the unfamiliar person, and all you can see is the flaws, and you tell yourself, "yeah, nice try bozo, you're never going to be good enough at this / it's never going to be worth it" and what do you know, you are crestfallen and unmotivated. And now that you're judging yourself and feeling shitty, it's even more difficult to complete the task.

but, in my experience in graduate school, developing as a creative writer, and just fumbling my way through social mores, there comes a time when you stop turning that skepticism on yourself all the time, and instead direct it outward, and begin to notice just how fucking confused and fucked up everybody else's attempts are. and if you're lucky, you might even notice other people's foibles and missteps with a sense of affection, rather than cruelty.

the more you step outside of yourself and observe others, the more you notice all the awkward things people say, the strange moments of crossed wires and missed signals, the jokes that fall flat, and just how much people really do not care about all of that so long as you keep engaged and keep your energy open and keep trying.

i have never seen a neurotypical socialize flawlessly. they say rude weird ass things and bump into other people all the fucking time! but they just keep going. often they don't even realize they've done anything wrong. and maybe they haven't even done anything wrong really. perfection isn't really what is expected. the energy is what matters more than the execution, and so if they move around with an open, receptive quality to themselves, and keep learning, they can get by being a little awkward or confused just fine.

and once you recognize how much people are fucking up all the time and that it doesnt really matter, and nobody really cares, for me it gets a lot easier to saunter around being my own level of messy and loose too. i used to judge how inept and oblivious everybody was -- at work, in school, during the hangout, on the train. and at some point i realized it was actually beautiful and something i could feel affectionate about.

it turns out you do not need to worry about everyone behind you in line at the grocery store hating you for taking too long putting your change away. AND you dont have to be mad at the guy in front of you who takes five minutes to put his change away either. because YOU are HIM and HE is YOU and we all suck and that's great.

it's fucking funny how silly and sloppy and dazed a lot of people really are. everybody fucks up constantly and is fucking weird. so who cares! i dont need to evacuate the space because i forgot myself and started picking my nose in public for a second. i can just rub my hand on my pant leg and move on. i dont need to give up going to the comic book club because me and one other guy there got into a small argument. i can come back the next month and make a joke about it with him. that's just normal messy human stuff.

the writer david cain talks about coping with social anxiety by imagining other human beings as kittens that have been dumped out from a basket into the room. they roam around, falling over themselves, exploring and sniffing and doing kitteny things, and none of them are a threat to you ever, and their actions dont mean all that much and certainly aren't all that menacing, they're just silly little animals fumbling around.

and i like to think of humans that way. we goof off, we devote an entire supposedly very serious work meeting to discussing something only tangentially relevant but far more emotionally compelling, we make up all kinds of games to play and weird rules for those games, and then we break the rules of those games and forget them. none of this shit is like, real. and the people who recognize what a goofy joke it is are often the most powerful.

not taking anything too seriously makes me feel powerful. im cynical and skeptical about everything that i get told is an airtight social or procedural rule, and i experiment around the boundaries of it, to see where it bends. but whereas i used to do that in a very bitter and entitled way, trying to find my way "out" of a system I had disdain for, now i can sometimes play with these boundaries and laugh at myself for tripping over them at times and just keep on moving, because that's what everybody does.

[team7-headquarter]

The thing about Naruto being Hokage and why the execution of such concept is so tricky is that every other Hokage was practically a genius.

I'm not saying Naruto is not smart (he tricked a goddess with a sexy jutsu, after al), or that every other Hokage was better than him 'cause they were book smart or whatever. What I'm saying is that every other Hokage was more versed on stuff like politics and negotiations, were a bit more crude or realistic or at least had more experience.

Naruto is not fool. He's not a little kid too busy dreaming to do something about the world. I don't mean to undermine his capacity of learning, nor deny that he could become a great Hokage.

The thing is —he needs training.

And yeah he's the strongest shinobi in the world and there's no one more qualify to protect the village (he proved that several times). But we're talking about governing. Not only paperwork, but what's behind the paperwork. We're talking about decisions like sending some kids to possibly die in crazy missions. We're talking about malicious and dark stuff. Choosing a side in a conflict between allies. Dealing with greedy no-shinobi politicians. Interfering with clan politics. Making people mad. Dealing with bad consequences of good actions.

You could argue that all the leaders of the world became besties after the last war and I could say that's one of the most bullshit decisions of the manga. This is a shonen, I know. But if you meant to have a continuation of some sort, I think you'd have to acknowledge that peace can't last. You don't even need an entire family of gods to reach that conclusion. You don't even need to mess with space and time. All you need is to wait for the tiny conflicts to accumulate. Evil shinobis wanting to wreck havoc, some misunderstandings, even just climate catastrophes or the consequences of a past you can't erase.

In the end, you can't be loyal to the entire world. And while Naruto did fight in a war, the nature of it was not the same as the other wars. There was no big common bad back then, just flawed people being flawed people.

When I say every other Hokage was a genius on their own ways, I mean this:

Hashirama was a founder of the hidden villages, a political solution to protect the shinobis, balance the entire world and further the progress of society.

Tobirama did almost everything in Konoha's system, including the Academy, and he is arguably the best Hokage when it comes to modernization, politics, jutsu creation and being realistic.

Tsunade changed the entire landscape of how wars were fought by introducing the importance of having a medic nin in every team (or close to it).

Minato proved to be not only the strongest but the smartest shinobi in Konoha, without kekkei genkai or any clan; he was second to Tobirama (in my opinion) in terms of Hokage intelligence in politics and such.

Hiruzen was the student of both the first and the second Hokages, and even when he made a lot of bullshit decisions (LIKE A LOT), he had the experience of having lived through almost every war and kept Konoha running after Tobirama died.

Kakashi has been making war decisions since his childhood. Bloody, ugly, dark decisions. A prodigy who became an anbu at childhood, with a mind capable of adapting on the run, capable of quickly analyzing any situation. Again, more versed in politics and such.

Naruto needs training. He needs instruction, he needs to study. He needs to mature further still. But when I read about the blank period, all I read is about him falling in love with Hinata, teaching the kids on the Academy, etc.

I personally want Naruto to be the best leader he could be, 'cause I grew up supporting his dream of becoming Hokage. I want to see him succeed! What I don't want is the implication that someone else has to do the job for him. I want Naruto to be able to discuss shinobi politics with Shikamaru, not because Naruto is a genius, but because he loves his village and he's willing to work hard for it. I want a Naruto that has his own thoughts about shinobi children, about orphans and families and civilians and clans. I want a Naruto that learns all he could about the origin of Konohagakure and tries to reach other Uzumakis and give them a home. Stuff like that.

Every other Hokage was practically a genius but competing with geniuses never stopped Naruto. He's stubborn and he loves with his entire heart and he doesn't give up. He mastered the rasengan in a couple of days. He won his match against Neji in the Chunnin Exams, defeated Pain and Nagato. He is not stupid or incompetent, okay? And that's what I want to see when I'm presented with the future of him being Hokage.

[pynkhues]

A while back Rolin said that they're playing with points of view and are sticking with lestat's. I think it makes sense since the books he mentioned planning to adapt- up to Memnoch- are all from Lestat's pov (with the exception of some chapters from qotd, but even those stories are told to Lestat and he's the one who wrote the book). I think that after TVL, Rolin wants to move completely to the modern timeline, so for the rest of the series we'll be in the third person omniscient/objective pov with some occasional flashbacks.

For me both 1.06 and 2.06 have that weird unreal feeling to them, I remember reading a post mentioning how the train scene and Antoinette's house scene couldn't happen the way it was shown and I agree. Overall, there's too much inconsistency in these both eps for me to believe that things happened the way it was told. I think we'll never know the whole true and tbh i'm fine with that. Personally, I think the only thing that really needs to be revisited is the trial. We've already had Louis, Armand's and Claudia's pov and there's no need for more of it, and there'not enough screen time for the constant revisits and flashbacks.

Rolin also mentioned that after season 2 they'll be done with the unreliable narrator and memory is a monster trope. I really hope that this is true because it's become very tiresome. Some people are already saying that Lestat lied about the two revisited scenes from 2.07 and how all of them are unreliable narrators and we can't believe anyone etc, when for me it's obvious that it was not the show's intention. People may hate it all they want but it was clear that Lestat in the books wasn't written as a deliberate liar, Rolin is sticking with it and the show wants us to believe that 2.07 flashbacks scenes are the truth. And I'm so ready to be done with all this mess.

Yeah, I mean, I do think Lestat will be the primary POV character as I said in yesterday's post, but I do think they're in a little bit of a tricky position to have two seasons with such restricted POV only to leap into a new one for the rest of the series' run. It works for the books because there's a longer break between them being published, but also because they function as standalone novels within a broader series, whereas the show does need to have more overarching consistency in order to manage tone and audience expectations. I think they did a good job of opening up the narrative with s2, and again, I do think they're going to shift towards Lestat, but I just don't think it'll actually work for the series at all to lose Louis' POV at this point, which I think Rolin is aware of given his continued reassurance that Louis' remaining a lead.

It's also interesting that you mention Rolin wanting to shift into the current timeline after TVL, which makes sense given QOTD and Body Thief are predominantly contemporary, but I think that also potentially lends to Armand having some POV sequences in the new season? It doesn't sound like Rolin's planning on adaptating TVA, and he's already threaded some parts of his backstory in too, but the logical place to further weave it in is through Lestat's interactions with Armand and Marius in the past. It does feel a bit like a Matryoshka with it being flashbacks in flashbacks, but they managed that well with the trial (I do think it needs to be limited though).

Also interesting that you think 1.06 and 2.06 couldn't have happened the way that they did! I definitely agree that there are inconsistencies, and that the show doesn't have the time to address them all (nor should they - overexplanation is the death of story, tbh), so I'm curious to see what does end up getting addressed.

As for unreliable narration/memory is a monster -- I still like it, haha, and imagine there'll be threads of it throughout the series' run. The nature of subjectivity is unreliable, and the amount of unmanaged trauma Lestat has inevitably feeds into the monstrousness of his own memories as he steps into the primary POV character, but it makes sense to retire them as the major themes with the IWTV arc having finished up.

[mariacallous]

AI-generated writing is now all over the internet. The introduction of automated prose can sometimes change a website’s character, like when once beloved publications get purchased and overhauled into AI content mills. Other times, however, it’s harder to argue that AI really changed anything. For example, look at LinkedIn.

The Microsoft-owned social media site for business professionals has embraced AI, even offering LinkedIn Premium subscribers access to its own in-house AI writing tools that can “rewrite” posts, profiles, and direct messages. The initiative appears to be working: Over 54 percent of longer English-language posts on LinkedIn are likely AI-generated, according to a new analysis shared exclusively with WIRED by the AI detection startup Originality AI. It’s just that the corporate-speak style of AI writing on the platform can be tricky to distinguish from genuine human-penned Thought Leader Blogging.

Originality scanned a sample of 8,795 public LinkedIn posts over 100 words long that were published from January 2018 to October 2024. For the first few years, the use of AI writing tools on LinkedIn was negligible. A major increase then occurred at the beginning of 2023. “The uptick happened when ChatGPT came out,” says Originality CEO Jon Gillham. At that point, Originality found the number of likely AI-generated posts had spiked 189 percent; it has since leveled off.

LinkedIn says it doesn’t track how many posts on the site are written or edited with AI tools. “But we do have robust defenses in place to proactively identify low-quality, and exact or near-exact duplicate content. When we detect such content, we take action to ensure it is not broadly promoted,” says Adam Walkiewicz, LinkedIn’s head of “feed relevance.” “We see AI as a tool that can help with review of a draft or to beat the blank page problem, but the original thoughts and ideas that our members share are what matter.”

LinkedIn is for finding a new job and keeping in touch with former coworkers, which means it’s a relatively staid social media platform. But in recent years, it’s developed its own network of influencers and is surprisingly popular with Gen Z, including teenagers. Like everywhere else on the internet, people are thirsty for attention on LinkedIn, too, and startups have realized there’s money to be made helping people grow their audiences. There’s a cottage industry of AI LinkedIn comment and post generators to help the career-minded churn out content to dazzle potential bosses or prospective customers. Instead of spending four minutes puzzling over the right tone with which to congratulate an ex-colleague on their promotion, it now takes four seconds to conjure up an algorithmically generated accolade instead.

But LinkedIn users who spoke to WIRED say that they rely more on general-purpose large language models to cobble their LinkedIn posts together rather than bothering with specialty AI tools. Content writer Adetayo Sogbesan says she uses Anthropic’s Claude to spin up rough drafts of posts she creates on behalf of clients in the tech industry. “Of course, there’s a lot of editing done after,” she says, but the chatbot still “helps me save a lot of time.”

Several non-native English speakers told WIRED they rely on AI tools to polish their English writing and fix grammar errors. Journalist and marketer Çiğdem Öztabak says she has experimented with AI to rework posts originally written in Turkish, her first language. (She prefers Claude to ChatGPT.)

Writing with AI can be a controversial choice. Some writers and artists stridently oppose the use of large language models that have been trained on books, websites, and other works written by humans without permission or compensation. In their view, these tools devalue human writing, and are helping usher in a future in which there are far fewer professional opportunities for people to make a living in the field. A number of high-profile lawsuits allege that training AI on people’s art and writing without their knowledge is tantamount to theft.

On LinkedIn, some people who have embraced AI have received blowback as well. Entrepreneur Zack Fosdyck says he’s gotten mixed feedback about his use of automated tools. “Some people engaged positively, appreciating the clarity and structure of the posts. Others were skeptical or critical, often focusing on the fact that AI was involved rather than the content itself,” he says. “I find it fascinating how polarizing this technology can be, especially since tools like calculators or spellcheck, which are also forms of assistance, are widely accepted.”

“There’s definitely a lot of dislike for content that is blatantly AI-written,” says Rakan Brahedni, a LinkedIn blogger and the founder of a technology advisory firm. Brahedini includes a disclaimer telling his LinkedIn readers when he used AI writing tools, but he says no one has complained yet. “Personally, I think it all boils down to quality. If it’s a good read, I don’t think people are bothered much.”

From one angle, LinkedIn may have inadvertently created the ideal laboratory for AI writing. Nobody’s logging on expecting profundity, hilarity, or sincerity. It’s the place where people strive to be the most anodyne versions of themselves, pleasant and inoffensive. Artificiality, in other words, is what everyone is expecting.

[bookofmirth]

“I have headcanoned for a really long time that Azriel self harms. I could see him cutting or otherwise purposefully injuring himself.”

I could definitely see this. Maybe he doesn’t wrap his hands when he trains and lets his skin get cut up and bruised easily and doesn’t let himself heal. If Azriel does cut himself, do you think his brothers would know or have their assumptions? I feel like if they did know it wouldn’t be because Az told them. I don’t think he would tell anybody.

Also, for Gwyn, how do you think she deals with her trauma? I know some people view her only as passive and optimistic/upbeat, (which there’s nothing wrong with), but I wonder if deep down she has some intense rage, (which would be very understandable) and deals with things like Azriel or Nesta, but hides it from everyone. We don’t have her POV, but I really want to know more about her character.

I use to cut myself and I’m a survivor of assault, so it makes curious, and a little nervous, as to how Sarah will approach these topics. I think she’s done research on disabilities for Chaol when writing TOD, but I can’t be too sure. Please correct me if I’m wrong.

First off anon, giving you the biggest virtual hugs ever, I am glad to hear that you aren't harming yourself anymore. It may never go away, but you've come out the other side stronger and wiser.

Yes, harming could be something that no one could accuse Azriel of doing intentionally, but instead they may notice him playing fast and loose with his own safety. I think we can already see a bit of that with the risks that he takes on his missions, how willing he is to do things to others (IE torture) without regard for how those actions might affect his own psyche. It would be really easy for him to brush off the injuries as being part of the job, for him to make excuses about how he was injured. If he pushes himself a bit harder than he needs to and he ends up in a dangerous position, then people might have a hard time saying he's actually being self-destructive, you know?

I don't think his brothers would know or that he would tell anyone. Just speaking from experience, if people know then they want to help and then you get attention and really you just want to suffer and self-destruct in isolation. He's a pretty closed book, he doesn't really share his inner life, and perhaps he doesn't even acknowledge those behaviors as being harmful? I kind-of headcanon that he thinks he deserves it. Also, I think that people who have never done anything like that just... will never get it. It's so foreign to them. It's fine that they don't, that just makes it really tricky to navigate telling anyone and then hoping to get an understanding response!

I see Gwyn's competitiveness and pushing herself to train as the way she is dealing with her guilt and grief over Catrin. I don't think she's self-destructive at all, but her attitude seems to be more along the lines of "never again". I am rereading acosf so if I find any quotes I'll add them. She's one of the characters that sjm has described as being kind and optimistic despite what she's gone through (like Mor and Elain), and so to me, her training is the way she is being proactive. Gwyn definitely carries guilt for her sister's death, but I think she knows cognitively that it wasn't her fault (also like Elain! who acknowledges that her father's death wasn't her fault, but still has regrets).

Funny story, but the omniscient narrator did actually give us a peek into Gwyn's mind in acosf.

Roslin, Ananke, and Deirdre were close on their heels, propelling Gwyn to push her group harder. She wanted to be the first. Wanted Nesta and Emerie and her to be the ones who wiped the smirks from Azriel’s and Cassian’s faces. Especially Azriel’s.

Gwyn didn't tell Nesta this information; the omniscient narrator is telling us Gwyn's thoughts and feelings. There may be other points in the book where this happens, it's just the first one that comes to mind!

But anyway, I don't know if I see rage in Gwyn, so much as I see determination for the events of her past to never be repeated, and to me, that comes out as her competitiveness towards Azriel, wanting to cut the ribbon, making it through the Blood Rite, etc.

Sjm did do research on disability! I went to her Tower of Dawn event in London (in 2017) and she mentioned interviewing people with Wounded Warriors Project to better understand their injuries and to try to write Chaol's experience with care. There isn't a recording of this event as far as I know, back in the day you either went in person to events or you waited for people to make recap posts on Tumblr. Fun fact, that event was also where she announced her first pregnancy!

I'm personally not worried about how sjm will handle either of their healing stories, mainly because I'm not sure that she would actually delve into the depths of Azriel's self destruction. She pulled Nesta's story away from those themes pretty quickly and easily in acosf, so...

I hope that their stories help you feel seen and understood, however they turn out <3