#but now it's 9 and i haven't written anything oops....

[freyafrida]

20 Questions for Writers

tagged by @librarylexicon!! ty ty ❤️

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

nineteen

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

154,262

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Currently Anne of Green Gables and Midnighters. i've also dabbled in some other fandoms but haven't written for them in a while, or i feel like i've written all i want to for them, so i don't count them.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Come Back Home, by faaaar (252). following that, How Certain the Journey (160), Arco Iris (144), but i don't know who you are (105), there's another, not a sister (73). all aogg fics!

just for fun, top non-aogg fic by kudos is you're my unforeseen, a kenzi/hale fic from back when i watched lost girl. (also canadian content......sensing a theme here.)

5. Do you respond to comments?

i try to! i always really appreciate them and ofc if there's a thoughtful comment i do want to respond in kind. (kind of funny, i think i'm better at replying to comments than i used to be solely bc i have an email job now so i'm always like "ah yes gotta turn around a reply to this in 24-48 business hours.")

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

hmm...i don't usually end on an angsty note! i like to leave things hopeful or peaceful, at the very least, if not outright happy. i guess it would be leave me the way i was before, which ends on an ambiguous note -- even though the characters come to an understanding and no longer hate/blame each other, they know they can't stay together and help each other heal.

(oh yeah i just re-scrolled through my fics and i guess but i don't know who you are is kind of a downer, bc walter realizes he loves una but he's already in the trenches and the ending implies it's too late oops. i was counting it as a happy one since hey, at least he realized it! lmao)

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Come Back Home, pretty obviously -- canon ends with walter dead and una forever alone, so having walter live and return her feelings and both of them finding some peace/their place in the world after WWI is pretty happy i think!

8. Do you get hate on fics?

never gotten full-on hate, fortunately! wayyy back in the day on FFN, when i wrote a rarepair or unpopular character, i'd often get 1-2 passive-aggressive comments like "uhhh your writing is ok i guess but i don't think you understand canon because OBVIOUSLY you wouldn't have written this if you did", but those seem less common/acceptable now thankfully.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

occasionally, yeah. i've never written anything super explicit, but there's a...middling amount of detail? lol. i like writing romance and intimacy and vulnerability and simping and i've gotten more comfortable with portraying/exploring those themes via sex scenes.

10. Do you write crossovers?

no, never have -- "characters from X and Y fandoms meet" isn't my cup of tea, although i do like "AU of characters from X fandom in Y fandom's plot/setting", provided, you know, i find the latter interesting haha.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

uhhhh...🫣 not outright stolen, but i did once stumble upon a fic that seemed to have lifted a scene from one of mine. the fic was already abandoned by the time i read it and the author seemed pretty young, so i didn't want to like call them out, but...welp. hopefully they quietly learned their lesson. also yeah pretty much all my fic has been scraped and reposted to random knockoff sites.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

yeah!! my rebelde way fic, Comfort Zones, was very kindly translated into russian by Alice_Bolognini.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

nope! i don't think i ever will; seemingly like a lot of my mutuals, i am kind of a control freak over my fics lol. i also am a super-slow writer so i imagine a co-writer would get really fed up with me after a while!

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

i...guess walter/una? haha that's really hard to pick, i love romance and have a ton of fave ships and i like them all in their own special ways! but walter/una has had me in a chokehold for almost the longest* and i think maybe has the most ~scope for imagination~ for me -- i still get ideas for what i want to write for them and bits of their characters that i think are interesting and how it would affect the dynamic between them. (tangent, i think the fact that anne's kids have several gaps in the narration of their lives is what makes me so interested in them, versus anne herself? like i never feel the need to write anne/gilbert fic, and i very rarely get the urge to read it, because their canon story is so complete and perfect to me. anyway.)

*honestly, in terms of pure "years i have spent thinking about them" numbers, it would probably be...david/shay from uglies. or james/sarah from liberty's kids lmao lmao /o\

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you will?

no such thing, i am determined to finish everything i post! (see also: coming back to How Certain the Journey after 9 years). the WIP that will probably take me the longest is the clocks are black, a Midnighters fix-it fic that i ran out of steam for a few years ago. i still tinker with it and plan to finish it, but it's unfortunately slow coming.

16. What are your writing strengths?

i think characterization and language (word choice, sentence flow) in general -- at least, those are the things people point out the most, so i'm rolling with it! the latter is probably what i pay attention to most while writing.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

i am not great at writing action scenes for sure. also i'm not great at coming up with zingers, so writing witty/snappy dialogue is rough for me (not that i write very many snappy characters...i probably am subconsciously avoiding them for this reason lmao).

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

full on lines of dialogue, no -- it feels unnecessary; at that point i'd rather write it in english and indicate elsewhere in the text that they're speaking another language (or write "so-and-so said something in [language]", if the POV character wouldn't understand it.) i don't mind using an occasional word/phrase when necessary, though.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

a series of unfortunate events! in the dark depths of fanfiction.net, under a different username, you can find a ton of my klaus/isadora fics with evanescence lyrics for titles. good times.

20. Favourite fic you've written?

Come Back Home is the fic i'm proudest of. it's the fullest and most complete thing i've ever written, in terms of being the longest and having the most plot (not that it has a lot, still) and actually being completed. that does make it my favorite in some ways -- it's still the only longfic i've ever finished and i'm still just like. eternally pleased that i managed to write all my wish-fulfilly walter/una thoughts into something coherent and give myself something to reread when i want to ignore canon. buuut it's also 11(!!!) years old and there are parts i think i could write better now (although i wouldn't touch it either, too many war flashbacks to authors taking down completed fic to rewrite it, and then never completing the new version ;_;)

my actual favorite fic at the moment is the more that you say, the less i know, which is a david/shay fic i wrote a few years ago! i just always had a lot of feelings about shay's story arc in uglies and how she was treated by the narration/other characters, and i feel pretty happy with how it was all distilled and portrayed in the fic. it's also recent enough that i'm not embarrassed by the writing yet. also i wanted to keep it fairly concise and not write 20+ chapters for it, so i'm happy i managed to keep it to 4 haha. it still took me a whole year to edit chapter 3 tho

tagging @jomiddlemarch @gogandmagog @noneedtoamputate! ofc feel free to not do it, and anyone else who wants to do it can consider themselves tagged :D

[greypetrel]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Thank you @theluckywizard for the tag! It's been fun to compile :3

1. how many works do you have on ao3? 6

2. what’s your total ao3 word count? 356,534 (from last October. It's higher since I haven't upload a lot of ficlets I wrote here, oops)(But! it's my AO3 birthday, yeeeeh!)

3. what fandoms do you write for? Dragon Age, there's a crossover with LOTR/Silmarillion. I don't know if I'll ever write anything solely on Tolkien lore, I tend to reason per OCs in stories and I feel slightly bad in treating other's characters as my own.

4. what are your top five fics by kudos? - Home Was Never On The Ground (CullenxLavellan, long fic)(also known as Monster Fic) - She of Many Names (CullenxLavellan, a Dragon Age and LOTR - crossover) - The Night Before First Day (Some CullenxLavellan but very on the sidelines. it's Solas acting as Santa. And it rhymes.) - One For the Road (FenrisxLavellan, Angst is over 9000, 2 chapters.) - Death and All of His Friends (HawkexMerrillxIsabela, I'll get on with it but everything is on hold because I want to get Monster fic done before the year ends)

5. do you respond to comments? Oh yes, of course! Jumping on my seat and being very happy about it. I'm wordy, so chances are that comments will be answered with more lore.

6. what’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Death and All of His Friends, right now.

7. what’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? The Night Before First Day.

8. do you get hate on fics? Not that I know of. The worst hate I got in the fandom were some assholes who commented on an adoribull fanart here on Tumblr. I didn't want to learn how to say "F*ggot" in Russian, but I did. They didn't expect me to understand and reply in Russian, and they never got back.

9. do you write smut? if so, what kind? … Tried to. I'm self-conscious about my writing, so it never got posted. I don't know if it ever will. It was just to see if I could, but for now I'd rather keep it personal.

10. do you write crossovers? what’s the craziest one you’ve written? Yes! I love making connections between things and fiction and see similarities and who inspired some others. I have She of Many Names, which is a Dragon Age with Lord of the Rings crossover. There's some Silmarillion, but as long as highlighting characters background goes. A person on Instagram commented on one artwork of my Lavellan (miss cinnamon "I cry if you tell me that there are kittens under the rain" roll) asking me if she was Sauron. I laughed so art imagining her as an evil overlady that I HAD TO write it. "It's all a big misunderstanding".

11. have you ever had a fic stolen? Not that I know of.

12. have you ever had a fic translated? Nope.

13. have you ever co-written a fic before? I haven't, but I'd love to!

14. what’s your all-time favorite ship? You'll pry HawkexMerrillxIsabela from my cold, dead hands. HawkexFenris has the best ANGST. FaramirxEowyn. Been there since I was 10, will probably die on that hill. I see the fascination of Solavellan, but Cullavellan is there above, of course. And, MaharielxMorrigan. I am surely forgetting something, but it's one case of "I am asked what's my favourite movie and suddenly my brain thinks we never saw ONE movie in our life".

OH OH OH EnjolrasxGrantaire. I SAID IT.

15. what’s a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will? I have another chapter half blorted down for One For the Road but I'm not feeling it. It's sliding towards a triangle and it's losing all the appeal to me.

16. what are your writing strengths? Oh shit, that's difficult ahahahahahah. As above, I'm self conscious about my prose. I'll try, tho.

Dialogue (been writing my own comics for years, those are just dialogue. I have exercise on that, ahahahah)

… angsty, emotional scenes?

People crying. watches Aisling

17. what are your writing weaknesses? Language and mispellings. English is not my first language, and as every person who speaks more than one, I have a very confused brain. I re-read my own writing again but there's always something missing. I also tend to write prose without a precise plan: I started writing fanfiction after YEARS of not writing prose after some comments that caught me in a moment when I was particularly fragile and convinced me my prose was never going to be ok. In order to ease me back into it, I started writing Monster Fic purposefully without a plan of action or a plotline not to stress myself too much and convince my brain it's just a hobby to relax. It worked, but in long fics I prefer having plans, I read it again and I think it shows that there's little planning ahead. When synthesis ability was being distributed, I was trying to pet a dog.

18. thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic? Uh, English not being my first language counts? xD Beside that: I wrote some SIMPLE lines in wannabe-Latin, some words here and there in French. If it's something long, tho, I'm against it. Personal preference, I'd rather have my readers understand what's being said if it's important, rather than showing that I know more than one language. Personal preference, I also tend not to like movies that are all done in dead languages that nobody speaks, with subtitle. Glad the writer can master ancient Latin, here's a cookie, now what.

19. first fandom you wrote for? … Inuyasha in middle school. I drew small comics for my friends over it. And, I drew a parody comic of the Iliad in my first year of high school, which is the first fandom with a COMPLETED fic.

20. favorite fic you’ve ever written? … Still with the difficult questions AHAHAHAHAHAH. These two because I got to use friends' blorbos and I was so nervous but also had the best of times: - Three Cards Trick [ Maria Hawke becomes the official third Science Sibling. They adopt a skeleton. ] - Saving Grace [ Aisling as a companion for Kerry Hawke in DA2. She refuses to pay for elfroot, but will find a way to acquire "some" from the Templars. ]

- Could be Worse. [ Mahariel, Morrigan, and Aisling becomes Ghost Hunters in modern time New York. It should have been a scam. ] I live for quotations and it set my head on fire and it's yet another modern AU I'll get back to sooner or later.

- Death and all of His Friends. [ Raina Hawke, human disaster but mildly successfull trash raccoon, fucks up royally at the end of Act 2.] Originally prompted by salsedine but I'm linking the polished AO3 version. Raina Hawke won the lottery of having issues similar to mine, and writing her has always some form of therapy. But I did it, I like the three parts, and I completed it and posted it anyway.

- Not the Years but the Mileage. [ Booby traps in the Temple of Mythal. Cullen breaks stuff that should be in a museum. ] And this one because again, quotings. Arbor Wilds (that mission is flawed, but the environment? Not.). And that piece of dialogue where Aisling can't talk and Cullen just understands her mumbling.

- Something Fishy. [ Raina and Garrett Hawke, loyal knights at the court of the Red King of Amaranthine, gets sent on a... Fishy mission.] This was probably the funniest to write, and nothing. I thrive in angst or in absurd crack fics, and this by now is my peak crack.

... I wrote for years and I hope it was remotely interesting.

TAGGING BACK: @shivunin @ndostairlyrium @heniareth @oxygenforthewicked @rosella-writes @scribbledquillz @star--nymph @zenstrike and YOU who are reading.

[ltleflrt]

Twenty Questions for Fic Writers!

Thanks for tagging me @prosopopeya 😊

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

112 (also 112 unanswered asks in my inbox, oops lol)

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

1,998,134

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Dragon Age, Mass Effect, SPN/Destiel, Baldur's Gate 3

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Kiss the Baker (9,346)

Satin and Sawdust (8,306)

Cursed Or Not (7,797)

No Words (7,754)

Addicted To You (6,079)

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I try to! In order to conserve spoons for it, I only answer comments on my long/chaptered fics, and don't answer them on my short one-shots. Which makes me feel guilty sometimes, but setting up an exception is the only way I can manage my social anxiety about it.

6. What is a fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

No Such Thing As Ghosts

This is a one-shot that I always answer comments on because if someone takes the time to read a MCD fic, they deserve extra gratitude, and probably milk and cookies and a box of tissues.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I write romances or smutfics, they all have happy endings lol

Probably the sweetest thing I've ever written is Where The Heart Lives which was for an October writing challenge a few years ago.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

It's happened, though it's rare. There was a troll that targeted me on FFnet like 10 years ago who was so over the top with their hatred that it was actually funny. Every once in a while I'll get a comment that irritates me, but it's not really hateful stuff, just something I disagree with.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yeah, original sci-fi alien smut was a thing for me when I was a teenager. For fanfic, I loooove writing smut. Some of my short fics are just smut. My favorite kind of smut involves being in a shower or a bathtub. It might just be masturbation, or full on sexual escapades, but there's water involved.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

I don't like crossovers, so no. I have a lot of ideas for fusions, but I haven't written any. I tried to do a Pacific Rim/Mass Effect fusion, but I only ever got 1 chapter, and it's the only fic I've deleted from AO3.

For reference, I consider a crossover something that includes characters from both universes in a story together, and a fusion is a story where characters from one universe live in the other universe, but there's no meeting of characters from both. Like, Dean is a Templar who knows Knight Captain Cullen in Dragon Age, vs what if Dean is the Knight Captain instead of Cullen.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I'm aware of *knocks on wood*

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes, a few. One of them isn't on AO3 and I lost the link, which I'm sad about. But now I only give permission if it's going to be posted on AO3, so they show up under my name.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Not exactly, but @jupiterjames and I have worked so closely together that it's almost co-writing. @bendingsignpost wrote a prequel to a shortfic I wrote tho... does that count? That probably counts. Here's the series:

Bookshelf Boys by bendingsignpost, Ltleflrt

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

They all feel equal in my heart, but I've written the most for Destiel, so they're probably a tiiiiny bit more important to me lol

15. What's a wip you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

I'm starting to think I'm never going to finish anything ever again lol

My current posted WIPs are

Reaching Out (Dragon Age)

Shameless (SPN/Destiel)

I desperately want to finish them, but my brain is very NOPE about it. There's also the Untitled Haunted House AU I've been talking about for years now, but I've never posted any of it.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Capturing character voice in dialogue. Also shower/bathtub smut 😁

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Descriptions. Of anything. People, places, emotions. I feel like I suck at all descriptions.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I like to do it, but I definitely have to get help since I'm hopelessly monolingual. And I like when other authors do it too.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Dragon Age, specifically DA2. It's what got me into reading fanfic in the first place, and eventually sparked the urge to write.

20. Favorite fic you've written?

This answer changes every time someone asks me the question lol... today's favorite is Peace because it's the most recent thing I've worked on and there are 2 people commenting on it, and I'm having a good time with it.

Tagging: @jupiterjames @mittensmorgul @slytherkins @valleydean

[void-dust-muffin]

called out by @egg-exe to list my favorite character from 10 different fandoms.

I. Do not remember names. And I refuse to look anything up. we'll see how this goes.

1) Kal'Tsit from arknights. I've been low key obsessing over the game for a while now, and Kal is definitely one of the coolest characters. Storied past, cold demeanor belying genuine care and kindness for everyone under her, Mon3tr, the team that made her did a good job and she really just exemplifies the strength of the game in general. But I can talk to the moon and back about how stupid good the writing for arknights is, especially considering it's a gacha mobile game, so ill move on

2) Neopolitan from rwby. I fell in love with rwby's setting all the way back when I first watched it. Its unique mix of fantasy and technopunk drew me in and its character concepts have kept me there ever since. Neo probably the most. A mute character being the wisecracking villain's muscle and making her shorter than literally the rest of the cast? Peak. If only they made a character to go with the cool moves.

3) Princess Zelda in Breath of the Wild. Sweetheart's trying her best and facing frustration at every turn. Somebody hug her I'm begging you. (it's me, the sweetheart is her but also me)

4) Jafar Fire Emblem 7. Played the game years ago, loved his character design and his class(crits go brrrrr), but his story is the real selling point. The way he interacts with Nino is so sweet and I have such a soft spot for both of them(technically illegal two faves from one fandom oops).

I had the next one and then I lost it uhhhhh not the one I had but we'll go with

5) I was going to say a different character from portal but then I remembered the boy: Space Core.

6) Riza Hawkeye from Fullmetal Alchemist. Her relationship with the major is so heartfelt and the writer did them so well. If you've never watched it go and do that cuz it's just so well put together.

7) Padparadsha from Houseki no Kuni. God that manga is a train wreck. Phos you walking disaster. I love it. Anywho, pad is an interesting character in an already very interesting cast of characters. Their entire existence, teetering between waking and immobility is an exploration of how much of the gem is required for them to function. how much them can be removed before they just. cease.

8) Waymond from Everything Everywhere All At Once. First off, if you haven't watched the movie, go see it. Second, damn I didn't think anyone would actually read this far. Waymond is such a wholesome man he changes the way the woman going through the infinite possibilities of the multiverse thinks. He finds joy in everything he does and shares it with everyone around him. Not because he's ignorant of the struggles of life, because with happiness they become easier. And the man that played him is just as sweet. At the Oscar's when it was announced as best picture he went up on stage too and was hugging everyone. I would die for him.

9) Finn from the star wars sequel trilogy. As bad as they were, when the force awakens came out I remember seeing it and being excited to see what they would do with a stormtrooper main character. And then they didn't do anything, wasting all of his potential. But if there's one thing I learned from rwby, it's that someone else was just as disappointed and wrote a fanfiction exploring what canon didn't.

And now time for the niche reach.

10) Maven from the web novel Save the Demon King. Maven is the eponymous demon king, a near mythical figure in setting and the last demon alive. He is such a fun character in a fun setting that is very well written. I refuse to say more except for go read it. It's free on tapas and very good.

Honorable Mention:

I did think of Hades the game as a possible fandom but everyone in it is too good. I can't choose. the short list is half the hub area characters and at least three of the gods on top of that

fuckin hell theres an hour down the drain. gotta keep the chain going so uhhhhh @krindenium you're the only other human that I know on this site.

[devotioncrater]

Top 5 books! 🤗📖

YEESSS let's goooooo

putting this under a break because it got long ahaha oops

Tender Is The Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica.

this book my god. respectfully never reading it ever again 🫶 at first i didn't jive with the prose. it felt staccato and clinical and direct so much so that it was jarring; but the more i read the book the more i understood that it's an intentional choice. it had to be written in a distant way to help further exemplify the dehumanization occurring within its pages. for me, the true horror didn't set in until the last few paragraphs. i got the sense early on that Marcos is an unreliable narrator, so his moral descent was expected, but the ENDING???? HELLO??????? anyways this book left me hollow and empty. 10/10

Craft in the Real World: Rethinking Fiction Writing and Workshopping by Matthew Salesses

if you are going to write a story, or are thinking about writing a story, read this book. it breaks down creative writing to its bones by examining the racist foundations in how fiction writing's taught and written. which voices are heard, which are dismissed, why and how that happens. what to do about it. 15/10 this book is necessary. my copy is marked up to hell & back and i often reread passages.

Men Who Hate Women by Laura Bates

i still haven't finished this book & i started it a month ago. it's...intense. i've been reading it on and off because i get worked up about the subject matter. the book delves deep into the manosphere, the radicalization of vulnerable men, and the violent misogyny centrally imbedded in those communities. Laura doesn't edit anything out, doesn't sanitize anything. the quotes she pulls are horrifying not just from what is written/said, but also from how they're all made by real people who truly believe in their messages. this book puts a name to an issue that's been skirted around in favor of coddling men's egos. the book talks about femicide and focuses on the real life consequences women face due to violent, online, misogynistic rhetoric. furthermore, the book isn't about hating men, either, as it reiterates and shows compassion for the harm men also face at the hands of the manosphere. 12/10, read at a pace you can emotionally/mentally handle.

Villainy by Andrea Abi-Karam

where are my fellow queer arabs at???? because booyyyyy does andrea abi-karam have something cooked up for you!!! holy shit. i love the way their mind works and their flow with words. their style is in a league of its own. unmatched. Villainy is a visceral read. super raw. not safe for work at all. unhinged. it's my favorite poetry book. 1000/10. go read it right now!!!!

The Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante

go girl put glass shards in his pasta!! i support women's rights but i also support women's wrongs. if you like a fucked up descent into madness thanks to divorce, then this is the book for you. things just keep getting worse and my god it is beautiful. yet another difficult read though. 9/10

[spikeymarshmallows]

Fic Reading - Jan 2023

I used to write, and thus posted "Writing Updates" each month. I'm now onto like... year fucking THREE of a writers block that is destroying my soul.

But someone suggested to find different ways to enjoy fandom. I have a few friends that track their fic reading so... I'm giving it a shot. I'm also gonna add some fic-recs because I think that's important :) Where possible, I'm gonna TRY to rec fics that I don't see all over the place, getting rec'd left-right-and-centre, or I simply think are spectacular.

Jan 2023

Total words read: 580 961 Fics read: 75 Podfics listened to: 6 Did not finish: 9 Rereads: 12

*

Recs for the month:

I'll Be the Shadow, You'll Be the Light by jesskier - 60k, explicit - a 10-part really fun, sexy, at times angsty kink series. It plays heavy on the kinks, which I LOVE, with the aftercare and the complexities of feelings being so strong and just... it feels very real, you know? But also, it's hot as hell. I've reread some of this series 5+ times. Oops??

Eddie Munson and the Dreamboy by pukner - 8k, not rated - Look, I am a slut for anything pukner writes. "took you for a working boy" is one of my favourite fics. But EM and the Dreamboy just.... wrecks me. Features baby!Steve in teddy bear socks that makes both Eddie and I want to eat drywall.

On the Frozen Lake, Jagged and Beautiful - by kayeslin - 74k, explicit - I haven't finished this fic because I am listening to the ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE PODFIC. This is a fun fic, and Eddie makes Steve solve DnD style riddles every time he sells him weed. It's just... it's just fucking great, and you should all gobble it up.

international garbage man, i've decided that's what i am - by fenellacapella - 7k, explicit - so for those that know me, I really fucking love kink that... IDK, plays hard? that isn't just the standard "handcuffs and spanking" (I mean, I love those too! but I ReALLY love things that get a bit different too). This fic does that. The shower sex... face slapping... lowkey sexy-drowning-steve-with-a-showerhead... yeah, that's my kink. the Via Chicago series is great, tbh. >:)

Dustin Henderson and the Lovebirds - by pukner - 9.7k, not rated - Look, I'll try not to rant and rave about how amazing pukner is EVERY time I put together a rec list, but like, they never miss. They never. fucking. miss. This fic just gets you in the happiest spots and makes the world a little brighter.

*

Fics I'm "keeping my eye on" (ie, they're WIPs but hot DAMN do I fucking love them):

dumb bunny, I'm wild for you by honeyvenom - 13.9k, WIP, explicit - I've written in my notes "Steve is a subby baby, and Eddie offers to platonic Dom him. It has a dark non-con fantasy, and the whole thing is REALLY REALLY GOOD, HOLY SHIT". So uh, that's my rec lol.

A Year in the Life of Chip Harrington - by courfeyrac and sourpastels - 51k, WIP, mature - I haven't read the most recent chapters because brain function? Haven't heard of her. BUT the first two chapters are just GREAT and this fic just feels like a warm hug in your heart. Based on the tags, I don't think it'll emotionally cripple me either, so yay!!

getting lost in the dark is my favorite part - by QueerOnTilMorning - 18k, WIP, explicit - AHHHHHH. Eddie decides to go be rid of his pesky virginity post-S4, and look, there is a scene that makes you wanna DIE (of embarrassment. for Eddie). But it's SO GOOD and has Steve and Eddie uh... learning things about themselves heh.

Trouble Looks Good on You - by indelicate - 25k, WIP, explicit - Steve is Strong and Eddie is a chaotic gremlin who likes to launch himself at Steve. There are ~awakenings~ and honestly, the author is REALLY fucking good at writing their sexual tension, holy shit.

*

Goals for Feb 2023 Reading:

Read a (Stranger Things) fic 4+ months old, with fewer than 500 kudos

Read a fic with >80k words

Cross off 25 tasks in the Fanfic Reading Challenge

(2 AU categories, 2 Author categories, 4 Content tasks, 1 Minority task, 5 Fic Type tasks, 3 Numbers tasks, 1 Ships tasks, 1 Titles category, 3 Tropes tasks)

*

Got any steddie recs I should read? (I ask, as if my TBR list isn't >250 fics now...). I'm particularly into podfics right now, and will hopefully be putting together a good list of those in the future too!

[ridragon]

I remembered!!!!! So sometimes I add entire albums I haven't listened to to my likes so forgive me if I'm like. Idk wtf this song is. Lol.

1) You Really Got Me - League of Legends: Wild Rift [SHIT I WAS HOPING TO AVOID THE LOL SONGS.... Anyway I think this is a cover I feel like I've heard this song before but idk.]

2) Liar - Emilie Autumn [I'M GLAD I GOT A SONG FROM HER she's one of my favorite singers. I love the gothic aesthetic and her haunting voice. Just a warning this song is about an abusive partner. "I want to mix our blood, And put it in the ground, so you can never leave, I want to earn your trust, your bed, your heart, you'll never be the same"]

3) Hiss Hiss - Lucid Dementia [OKAY YEAH this is one I added the whole album of and actually never listened to. Oops. Listening to it now I'm not sure how much I like it. It has a cool name tho.]

4) Creepy Doll - Jonathan Coulton [This is the guy who wrote Still Alive and Want You Gone from Portal!! I like this one too.]

5) Born 2 Run - Penelope Scott [Recently discovered her music, like it a lot! Tho sometimes depressing.]

6) Rollin' (Air Raid Vehicle) - Limp Bizkit [KEEP ROLLIN ROLLIN ROLLIN ROLLIN]

7) When - Lucid Dementia [A song from them I actually know and listen to. I'm pretty sure it's about people looking for someone after they were murdered? Very dark. It's a little hard to understand the lyrics with how they sing, and there's like no lyrics written down besides their website which you have to scroll through a bit. Luckily the song isn't glorifying the killer or anything, they even talk about how disgusting the murderer is. I wonder if this is based on a real case? [... We searched into the thicket and we searched into the streets, and we searched into the ditches and the valleys and the streams, we put up all the posters and we sent out the alert, in hopes that with a little luck we'll find the girl unhurt, but the minutes turned to hours and the hours turned to days, and the night turned into darkness and our hope began to fade."]

8) I - The Fall of House Atlantic - Coheed and Cambria [WHY OUT OF ALL THEIR MUSIC DID I GET THIS ONE it's the intro of four(?) Songs that go into each other and relate to each other, but it's just them going RAH RAH RAH RAH RAH, RAH RAH RAH.]

9) ............

No Cock Like Horse Cock - Pepper Coyote [WHY WHY DID FHIS ONE XOME UP WHWY... It's catchy ok....]

10) It Was a Dark and Stormy Night... - Creature Feature - [Another one I kinda just added BUT I LIKE THIS ONE a lot actually.]

Thanks for the tag I love doing these!!! I get shy tagging people so if anyone sees this you're free to do it!!!

MUSICS BE THRUST UPON YOU.! got tagged by @psygull to put my dang ol music on shuffle and post 10 of the songs! [thank you for that also] this is the dark souls of my jams specifically AND ONLY THOSE ONES

Weight of the World // Shayfer James [evil music, introduced to me by my swagful partner]

Lucy's Fucking Sky // Lords of Acid [originally heard in a second life industrial goth club, if that explains anything]

Dance Dungeon // Louie Zong [goes well with dodging skeletons]

Men in Metal // Don Davis [Matrix soundtrack my best friend and brother in arms]

Not Okay - Alone Mix // SOPHIE [one of the first SOPHIE songs I ever heard, and also the beat compels me.]

Surrender // Cheap Trick [SURRENDER, SURRENDER, BUT DON'T GIVE YOURSELF AWAY,,]

Up // Worthikids [probably the best song about failing to land a part in Cats]

Animal // Vicetone feat. Bekah Novi [monstercat loyalty bonus]

Sofi Needs A Ladder - MosDam Remix // deadmau5 [not as good as the original, but I'm not about to go on a diatribe about my younger self's taste in classic dubstep]

Pokemon World // Pokemon (?) [WE ALL LIVE. IN A POKEMON WORLD.]

TARGETING @transgender-scout @sharkchimedes @pokemonrules2001 @ridragon @lastoutter @dykebeckett AND ALL FOLLOWERS. I TAGGED EVERYONE..... MY FINAL MASTER PLAN. TELL ME ABOUT YOUR MUSIC.

[aceofstars16]

Tagged!

I was tagged by @gods-little-punk and someone else (I forgot to save the post to see who) to do a get to know you tag, but I already answered here, so I thought I’d just let them know that! (thanks for the tag! I always love tags ^^ The only answer that has changed from that tag is that now my hair is short xD)

I was also tagged by @friendlywildflowers, @sgcfcjohnpreston782 , and@shenzi-hemlock (they asked me different questions so I’ll be answering t three sets of questions, flowers tagged me forever ago but I kept forgetting to work on it xD)

Rules: Always post the rules Answer the questions given to you Write 11 questions of your own Tag 11 people 

@friendlywildflowers questions:

1. Would you rather sing well and not be able to play any instruments or play all instruments beautifully but have a horrible singing voice?

Ohh that’s hard...I might go with singing because I love singing, but it can also make my throat feel tight *shakes fist at VCD* so maybe instruments would be more fun, especially if I could play any instrument...

2. Oh no! You’ve been injured and one of your limbs must go lol sorry. Which limb would you give up? Why?

Oh gosh...maybe my left arm? Cause I could still write and draw? Or a leg...I really don’t know I don’t want to lose a limb haha xD

3. You have the chance to make 1 thing come alive. What/Who would it be? (And by that, I mean fictional/inanimate things/people. Dead people don’t count.)

Ohhh...oh that’s hard...I’m tempted to say Peter Parker cause honestly that would just be fun...or just any character I want to hug? There are soo many though! *flops* (I want give Lance a hug though...like he needs it poor bby!)

4. If you had to live in a museum for 2 months, which museum would you pick?

Oh goodness...I’ve never been a HUGE fan of museums so I really don’t know...maybe the Natural History Museum, I could just pretend I’m in Night at the Museum haha xD

5. You’re forced to steal a painting. Which one would you steal, and why? (Bonus: Also, how would you steal it?)

Ummm, gosh I don’t know...Starry Night maybe? I’ve always loved that one...I would use my “make one fictional character real” card and make Neal Caffery real and ask him to steal it for me...xD

6. What food would you eat if you had to eat only that for a year?

Can I go with the salad option and like have fruit salad and regular salad and like anything I can call a ‘salad’ cause I’d do that...or chicken maybe but I would get tired of only chicken so....salad...xD

7. Oh look, the world is being attacked by a super villain and you must save everyone! Who is in your squad and what superpowers do y’all have?

Oh I’m thinking this is like, people I know and not fictional characters? I’m legit blanking on fun creative things so much right now tbh...I don’t even know if I can narrow down all of my friends into just one squad??? *flops*

8. Your pet (any one) turned as huge as Clifford (and if you don’t have a pet, imagine you do). Now what?

I snuggle with them and pet them and enjoy having a huge fluffy cat xD

9. You come home one night and your parents tell you you’re adopted. What’s the first thing you do?

Probably ask about my real parents....though I might be kind of shocked...no I’d be really shocked and confused.

10. What would you describe as “the perfect day”?

Hmm, no stomach or headaches, just feelings good, going out, maybe hanging out with friends, seeing a movie or trying out a fun restaurant or activity, and then when we get home, watch a movie and make cookies and stay up late talking and laughing.

11. Favorite quote you’ve written yourself?

*looks at the list of word documents of fics and thinks of my long drafts of stories* I....I have no clue and it would take me hours to scour through them to look for something...like I’ve looked at a few things but none of the scream favorite or “I love this!” Like I like some quotes but it’s mainly just fluff things so...I don’t know xD

@sgcfcjohnpreston782‘s questions:

1. How is God working in your life right now?

Patience and trusting in Him, it’s been a continual thing for a while now, but yeah, I have a lot of worries about my life and future so just trusting God in that.

2. Which book(s) of the Bible are you reading?

2 Chronicles in the morning and Isaiah at night. Also trying to read John and Psalms with a friend but I’ve kind of fallen behind on that *flops* 

3. Last thing that made you laugh?

Probably White Collar or Homecoming xD

4. Twenty-six is 20% of what number?

...my math brain is asleep right now...and percentages are my weakness...come back to me later on this...xD

5. How long have you known your oldest friend?

21 years, my sister is my best and oldest friend and I’ve known her my whole life haha xD

6. What talent do you lack, but wish you had?

Not sure if it’s a talent, but giving myself motivation for fun things and school...also being able to learn other languages cause I’m bad at it *flops*

7. Best version of Spider-Man?

*looks at my icon and the answer to #3* This boi! 

To be fair, I don’t dislike any other version of Spider-Man, I’ve liked pretty much every version I’ve seen (I haven’t seen all of them - aka all TV shows/comics- but the ones I have seen I really like!) but I LOVE Tom’s Peter soooo much!

8. Favorite type of cookie?

Give me a good chocolate chip cookie any day

9. Current obsession?

Marvel mainly...also kind of getting into White Collar again, and Rebels cause Season 4 is coming and I’m NOT READY

10. Do you have any nervous ticks?

I kind of like try to make myself small when I’m out, like I’ll hold my purse close and hold my water bottle like I’m ready to swing it as a weapon....pfft xD Also sometimes I’ll fiddle with things or clench up when I’m really nervous

11. How would you describe yourself if you were the main character of an adventure novel?

Oh...hmm...

Ace didn’t seem like much of a hero, and if you asked her if she was one she’d just kind of shrug and say, “Depends on your definition of hero I guess.” Most days she stays home, scrolling online, chatting with friends, trying not to stress too much about the future. But despite her semi-normal life, she has a love for stories. Running outside she pretends she is her favorite character, jumping around saving lives, interacting with made up worlds. Some people might think its silly, but to her its a blast. 

@shenzi-hemlock‘s questions

1. Have you ever been pulled over by a cop?

Nope, my dad did when I was in the car once though. But that was just because he was stressed trying to find a place for me to go to the bathroom (we were on a road trip) and I think he turned too fast or something?

2. Best compliment you have received?

Off the top of my head, I remember a comment I had on a fic saying someone was rewatching the episode my fics had been based off of and they thought scenes where missing because they rememberd my fics and thought they were actually part of the show!

3. What is your perfect pizza?

Hmm, I don’t know, I like trying new things, but I mean, I like veggie pizza, and chicken barbecue pizza and...lots of other pizzas so???

4. Do you feel that children should be sheltered from unhappiness?

My first thought is no, and in a sense, yeah I agree. But I also know you can’t be happy all the time and you shouldn’t spoil kids either, so...a good balance of making sure they are okay and safe, but not always giving them everything they want just to keep them happy. 

5. Have you ever eaten a crayon or glue?

I don’t think so xD

6. What cheers you up?

Chatting with friends, hugs, watching a show/movie I love, sometimes writing or drawing, happy music, going outside and soaking up the sun, snuggling with my cats.

7. Do you enjoy reading and if so what is your favorite book?

Usually...not always, it’s been hard for me to get excited to read recently. I can’t pick just one favorite book...I love a lot? The Lunar Chronicles is great though, and Percy Jackson, Rangers Apprentice, Harry Potter...I like series xD

8. Do you have anyone you go to for advice? If so, are they in person or online?

Usually my sister, sometimes maybe Lynna ( @fair-and-finn online)

9. Which do you use more often, a dictionary or a thesaurus?

Honestly...I use both...when I don’t know what something means or I’m writing and need a better word...I always just look it up online though, so not an actual physical book xD

10. Are you still learning who you are?

Hmm, yeah

11. What dead person would you least want to be haunted by?

So someone I don’t want to be haunted by? I...I don’t know...I tend to think of fictional characters so...??? xD

My Questions:

1. If you could enter one movie, what movie would you enter and why? 

2. If someone paid for a quality cosplay for you (with all the bells and whistles, so you actually feel like that character), who would you want to cosplay?

3. Goldfish or Cheeze-Its?

4. Favorite type of taco?

5. What fictional character would you want to be your best friend?

6.  Favorite tumblr meme?

7. Favorite type of relationship in fiction (romantic, brotp, familial, etc.)?

8. Do you like Nutella? If so, what’s your favorite way to eat it?

9. Your go-to movie for when you feel down? Or a movie you can watch over and over again and love it every time?

10. Do you binge watch Youtube? If so, what do you usually end up watching?

11. If you could meet any actor/actress, who would you pick?

I’ll tag... @hiccup-is-left-handed, @littleaussiecupcake, @throwaninkpot, @forever-painting-roses, @jupiterlandings, @wise-lizard, @ikos-evil-twin, @mintylovesbarryallen, @meldy-arts, @starry-writes, and @book-and-comic-fangirl (bonus: @gaybrielreyyes if you want to do it! ^^)

[my-bestie-is-a-demon]

Most Likely to Try to Bed You: Brothers and Dateables (sans Luke)

In my defense, I was left unsupervised. So this is written from least to most likely. And I included why they might hold back.

Suggestive Content Ahead--Sexual Themes and References and Adult Language

May Contain Spoilers if you haven't finished season one

11. Barbatos

The much-beloved and ever serene demon butler is not about to try anything, unfortunately. Being around you is enough for him, and what if he makes you uncomfortable with unwanted advances? How awkward; your friendship would never be the same.

10. Simeon

I know! The angel is only second to last. Truth be told, Simeon isn't wholly aware of the true meanings of his feelings. Even when he does realize... oh dear... He's not sure what to do with himself. You'd never be able to tell anything is different about him. He's still a sweet and subtle flirt, albeit an internally flustered one.

9. Beelzebub

Behold the resident teddy bear. Beel likes you; like, likes you likes you. He thinks you're attractive and nice. You're so good with his brothers too... But he isn't truly pushed to act on his feelings. He doesn't like being selfish, and he worries that if he makes advances towards you, it might hurt his brothers' feelings (doubly true for belphie). Unless you initiate something, he is pretty content keeping things the way they are.

8. Leviathan

Oop! Coming in hot at number eight! His sin eggs him on a bit in this case. The thought of someone else hanging out with you? Let alone touching you? It sends him spirally so hard and fast: he's dizzy for days. He wants you. But what if you reject him? He couldn't take it. He'd die for sure. For now, he'll wait. The more time the two of you spend together, the more you'll like him. Right?

7. Belphegor

thin fucking ice belphie. He knows how he feels. And he knows others feel the same way. Unlike Beel, he isn't going to make room for his older brothers... Unless it's Beel in question. Otherwise, Belphie is happy to attempt to monopolize your time and affection. Let him sleep in your lap; he's so tired... He'll wrap his arms around your waist while standing to rest his head on your shoulder. Is he asleep or smelling your hair? Who knows. Watch his hands though, they be wandering.

6. Diavolo

the prince himself -3- The Prince of Devildom must admit to himself that he enjoys your company more than is necessarily appropriate. He finds himself thinking of you... and your body. Whoops!! He'd flirt, maybe a bit terribly, and compliment you enthusiastically. If he can get you alone, then he'll tell you. Bluntly. And Diavolo will gladly take you then and there if you let him.

5. Solomon

heuheuheu This saucy sorcerer wants to get into your bed on day one, if for no other reason than it would piss off everyone else. He flirts and gives light touches. Focuses on you so intently when you speak, you get embarrassed by the attention. He makes it clear early on that if you ever want a bed partner, platonic or otherwise, he's available. After all, he has an excellent grasp of human anatomy.

4. Mammon

he's your first man, damn it!! Anyway. Mammon is a fuckin mess about it. Greed incarnate, he needs to have you. You're his, don't you know that already? Well, he plans on making it clear to you. He hovers. Constantly. He gives you trinkets and demands you spend time with him. When he musters the nerve and gets you alone... he's still a mess! Completely red and incoherent. He finally gets to the point through action--maybe kissing you, holding you, or pinning you down. He wants you so bad; he looks stupid. And he knows it.

3. Satan

is this a surprise to anyone?? Satan has read enough books to know where this is going, lol. There are no downsides to wanting to bed you. After all, it'd piss off Lucifer, and he'd get laid. Win-win! He doesn't need to demand time alone with you. The library is one of the places you often visit for solitude and comfort. And if he's there too, is it really a surprise? He'd stare at you so much that you noticed. He'd pretend to be sheepish at being caught... but it's part of the game. He wants you to know he likes you without saying it out loud. He wants to create tension so thick it'll be a relief when you finally kiss him.

2. Lucifer

the cannon is coming for me According to our beloved source material, depending on choices you make in Season 1... Lucifer breaks. His compounded logic and unshakeable discipline pale in comparison to the joy you bring him. He can feel his self-control eroding away whenever he's alone with you for more than a minute. He knows you must have some feelings for him as well. Why else would you avoid his gaze like this? Why would your skin be so warm? He seduces you only after he's sure you'll say yes.

1. Asmodeus

were y'all expecting someone else?? Asmo wanted in from the very beginning. How interesting that you're immune to his powers. He didn't go out of his way to seduce you at first. Just unsubtle hints and persistent flirting. But post pact? Woof. Good luck. He knows what buttons to push, what questions to ask, how much of his clavicle he should show to make your mouth go dry. It's amusing for him, figuring you out as a sexual being. He's quite content being a casual partner to you and makes himself perfectly clear on multiple occasions. He can sense lust like an alcoholic senses happy hour. If you're horny, he's on his way, babe.

[travelling-on-the-octopath]

Tweet I found: "Fire Emblem takes one of the most beloved FE protagonists and makes him live up to the promise of being a morally gray genius who plays both sides ON TOP of giving him a character arc."

I'm sorry, WHAT? One, Claude was only ever originally thought of as anything CLOSE to that; the """""promise""""" of him being anything other than what we got in 3H... never existed past the rough drafts. Like sorry-not-sorry to this fandom that insists so hard on making Claude way more morally dubious than he ever was in 3H, but Claude is for the most part a soft-hearted sucker. He was never half as bad as either he tried to say he was or the fandom ever treated him. And this is partially proven by even the eastern fandom being outraged at Hopes!Claude - the eastern fandom, who was never subject to Meme Man Claude portrayals of him! Like yes he can be underhanded, but the dude's just... nice, overall.

Two, if Claude was ever really someone who "played both sides" in 3H like this person said was """promised""" to us, then why doesn't he ever directly try to willingly help the Empire at any point in 3H? You know, like he does with helping the Kingdom cross Gloucester territory undisturbed, or how Claude gives Dimitri Failnaught, or how the Alliance lords willingly decided to fold back into the Kingdom, in AM? Even though the Empire, on CF, has Byleth to make them seem legit, and even though the Church would've still had the same dogma that Claudelgard insists they have that made him become an asshole?

Three - and I'm cupping my hands around my mouth for this one - A CHARACTER DOING BAD THINGS DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY MEAN THEY'RE ON A CHARACTER ARC. Claudelgard is not on any "arc" - not on one that's any sort of competently written, at least. Him killing his brother and him saying he's willing to get his hands bloody afterwards does not, by ANY means, signify that that now means he's willing to COMPLETELY THROW AWAY ANY CHANCES HE HAS AT HIS AMBITIONS FOR BETTER FOREIGN RELATIONS, or that he's willing to believe someone he KNOWS to be a liar on just her word, or that he suddenly gives a shit about expanding his power (when THAT has NEVER been a concern of his, either in 3H or even in 3Hopes before that moment) to the point that's he's willing to help the Empire in any way in order to leech off their influence. Really wished that the people who like Claudelgard would stop throwing around the term "character arc" as some kind of gotcha against those who see the very clear breaks in Claude's character that needed to happen for him to do pretty much anything he does post Chapter 9.

And would, like, just stop being so rude in general actually?? Like, the amount of times I'm seeing say things like "the people who don't like Claude in hopes just don't like him making mistakes" "they flanderized his character and forgot that he can be bad too" "oh to be a Claude fan who knows how to read (<- ACTUALLY SAID)" is enough to make me wanna scream lmao, like holy shit

This got . . . long. Oops.

I'm not going to pretend I haven't said things similar to "they just don't understand"; I've said it about the Lions, and I've said it about Claude, because while it does feel gross to say (who am I, a little clown on her corner of the internet, to go after someone's interpretation of a game), after a certain point it's very clear that the text does not matter to certain consumers nearly as much as their own conceptions of the character, which is . . . irritating, to say the least. It's less about proving right and wrong, and more coming to the conclusion that being selective regarding canon is a consumer's choice, but after a certain point their interpretation cannot be taken seriously because of how little care they give the facts in the original media. Which is to say: People can enjoy this version of Claude if they want to, but I would heavily encourage a breakdown of what they enjoy, and if that's really something that was present in Houses or if it's just something they wished were there. Because people can holler until they're blue in the face about the character Claude could have been, should have been, would have been better as, but at the end of the day, I don't give a shit about the original draft of this game's writing beyond a cute little "huh, that's interesting," because it, frankly, does not matter. It can certainly provide a frame of reference to how they bastardized his character in Hopes; and if you were going to write an essay on how writers treat characters who don't fit into their franchise's usual tropes, and how that result interacts with their consumer base, sure, you could cite the original plans for Claude as a case study, in that he was going to be some sort of conniving middle ground between Blue Lord and Red Emperor--but from a narrative standpoint you cannot reach into the writers' hard drives and say "See! This was the plan all along!" because I think if someone did that to Princes I think I would fucking implode. Intention is not product; there is a reason drafts exist. If the writers really, honestly cared about giving us a morally loose character, they would have taken care to keep him that way instead of allowing his character to become one who's firm enough in his morals to trust the Blue Lord with the state of affairs--and his family heirloom!--while he fucks off back home. The writers made choices; Claude von Riegan, AKA Khalid somethingsomething (WHEN ARE WE GOING TO GET A FAMILY NAME, INTSYS?), is the result of those choices, and while he doesn't get to shine nearly as much as we all would have liked in Houses, he's sure as fuck consistent: He always has a backup plan, he doesn't take well to people using violence to get their way, he very much cares about those closest to him, and above all he treasures his ambitions and protects it with everything he has, without feeling the need to throw away his life. People are more than within their right to want something different but . . . oh well? Like I'm sorry, I really am, but that is not what we got. Frankly, that's what fanficiton is for.

And......I'm going to ask this in the most respectful manner I can, but:

What fucking character arc? Because Claude remains tragically one-note on Golden Wildfire. He's made to work for the plot, again, instead of having it go the other way around. That means he can never be confident in his plans, because the plot needs him to get to a certain point to make Decisions(TM); that means he has to throw aside common sense and his stance already established in this game to make an Alliance that makes absolutely no sense for his character, but it necessary for the plot for . . . *checks notes* reasons. There were no ups and downs for this Claude, because he was little more than a plot device instead of a full-fledged character.

The reality of it is: Claude in Hopes was poorly written, and he is by no means comparable to Claude in Houses as a means of saying what should have been. He's not even allowed to walk away with the title of smartest dude on the board because half of the decisions he makes are just straight-up idiotic. I can't look at this guy and cheer that this is the guy we were supposed to get because a) the guy we got in Houses was flawed without being insufferable, and b) you can't just undo a whole game's worth of canon because you want to. Hopes, as per the developers, is not meant to override Houses, which means they're meant to co-exist, and as we've established by this point, these two guys are . . . nothing alike. If people want to look at my takes and the takes of others and say we simply never understood Claude, or that we can't appreciate a scheme-y schemer . . . well, sorry, but no.

[the-blind-assassin-12]

So like... all of the asks in the autumn lost (or the ones you haven't been asked) 🥰

Hi lovely! Thanks for sending these!

lantern: how did you met your best friend and what were your first impressions of one another?

My best friend and I met in freshman year of high school and we didn't talk to each other or interact at all for a whole year until sophomore year when she joined the cross country team. at first, we thought there was NO WAY we would become friends. At the time we were polar opposites in virtually every sense of the word. But that same year we ended up having like 5 out of 7 classes together, so friendship happened anyway. and now there's hardly anything at all that we disagree on. after HS we spent a good 6 years living in different states, but now for the first time since before we could drive, we live 10 minutes away from each other and its like sophomore year all day every day.

frost: if you could give some advice to your younger self, what would it be?

I would 110% tell myself these two things: A) Don't worry so much about what other people think. You can only change the thoughts in your own head, and their opinions don't matter nearly as much as your own. and 2) save more money you spendy bitch! ugh. i used to go out after work like ALL the time when i was in my early 20s and sure it was fun but i do not even want to think about what i could have now if i didn't have all those long island iced teas then.

fireside: if you had your dream wardrobe what would it be?

I would raid Florence Welch's stash of long flowy fairy gowns, and then the rest would be equal parts tie dye tee shirts, sweat pants, jeans and boots.

cider: a food that you disliked as a child but you now enjoy:

brussels sprouts. i have a VIVID memory of sitting at the dinner table until ike 9:30 one night because my dad was very much a "you're not leaving the table until you finish your dinner" kind of dad and i was very much a "watch me sit here all night then" type of daughter. (i still am but he got soft. i blame my siblings.) but now i love dem lil cabbages.

amber: share an unpopular opinion that you might have:

the song all about that bass? its the worst song to have ever been written. and that's how i feel about that.

fog: how well do you think you would do in a zombie apocalypse scenario?

OMG SO WELL. like, not that i want the earth to crawl with the undead, but if ever it did it would be my time to shine. i have thought extensively about what sort of everyday items could be used as weapons or armor. (those screens on your fireplace? that's zombie proof chain mail just waiting to happen.) i love camping, i know how to fight, and i don't scare easily. bring on the zombies, i'm ready.

jack-o-lantern: if you could look like any celebrity who would you choose?

i can honestly say that i have never thought about this at all. so i have no answer. oops.

orchard: share one thing you would like to happen this fall:

I have some friends from college that live out of state and I haven't seen them in over a year due to life being crazy on all three of our ends, so i would REALLY like to do a friendsgiving get together with them.

*bonus* something i hope that happens for someone else this fall: My husband is looking to compete in a BJJ tournament this November and I really hope he does because I think he's gonna straight up kill his division.

crow: which school subject do you wish you had an aptitude for?

MATH. i can't math. I don't speak numbers. I have tried. I have failed. The only time I "get" math is geometry because I can draw shapes and actually see them.

bonfire: describe your dream house:

Big, old shore house with weathered brown shingles. a wrap around porch and white shutters. hardwood floors, an open floorplan, a kitchen that could be on a TV cooking show and enough bedrooms to have lots of guests stay over.

Cobweb: do you miss high school?

OMG NO EFFING WAY. You could not pay me to go back to high school. College though. That was a TIME.

Cranberry: what’s one physical feature that you get complimented on?

My hair. It’s wild. It’s big and curly and long and crazy.

Quilt: how do you take your coffee or tea?

Coffee- black like the night.

Tea- honey and lemon

Moonlit: are you a neat or messy person?

Hahahahaha I am chaotic. I have a sign on my desk that says “I like my desk messy and my whiskey neat” and that’s honestly the best description of my organization style and beverage choice.

Ghost: is there someone that you miss having in your life?

My mom. I miss her all the time. I’ll randomly have a thought or something will happen and for half a second I’ll think “I gotta call mom she’s gonna love this” and it sucks that I can’t. It will be 8 years this November and sometimes it feels like decades and other times it feels like yesterday