#but to just so /vastly/ misunderstand the point of these stories?

[as-kind-as-summer]

I saw a street interview the other day where they were asking people which was better LotR or another fantasy series which shall not be named and one of the people said LotR wasn't as good because "it just has a happy ending so it's not as powerful" and I just...do people think this? First off, if you don't think every one of those characters is not now carrying deep-seated trauma I don't even know what to tell you. But second...that's the whole point?? These stories are about the power of friendship and finding light in the darkness and banding together to overcome the worst evil of an entire age. The characters getting a happy ending after all of that doesn't negate the struggles that they faced earlier. If anything, a happy ending strengthens the message of LotR.

[elumish]

I think one of the most important unspoken skills of being a writer is knowing how to take critique and criticism of your work.

This is not about comments once work is published--this is about how to actually deal with and adjudicate feedback from beta readers, sensitivitiy readers, editors, etc. Because at some point, if you plan to go through any sort of publishing process, you will need to deal with feedback.

Especially for content/structure comments (as opposed to grammar/typos/etc.), most people have an instinct to get defensive. It's normal! I get it! I also get defensive. These stories are usually the product of many hours worth of work, of time and energy and emotion dedication. Having someone tell us there's a problem can feel like they're telling us that we did something wrong.

So first, recognize the defensiveness. You're allowed to start with defensiveness (if you're not a jerk about it). But recognize that you're being defensive, let yourself sit with it as long as you need to, and then figure out how to move past it.

The next step is to make sure you understand the feedback. Sometimes feedback can be confusing or unclear (the people giving feedback are human too) or it can be talking about a problem that doesn't really exist. You want to make sure that you know what they're actually saying and how it fits in the story.

Along with understanding the feedback, recognize when feedback represents a fundamental misunderstanding of your story. Sometimes people misread your story or aren't careful or just have a vastly different interpretation of your story than the words on the page, and they will give feedback that reflects that. You are allowed to say, basically, "this isn't actually commenting on my story but the reader's interpretation of my story" and move on. But sometimes a fundamental misunderstanding means that your story is confusing or unclear, and it may signal that you need to make changes, even if they aren't the changes the commener suggested.

When you're working your way through feedback, trust identifications of problems more than you trust recommended solutions. This is not to say that you should never follow people's recommendations (and what recommendations you follow may/should depend on who they are), but it is your story, and ultimately you know it better than they do. If someone gives the comment that the pacing doesn't work in x section and that you should think about adding y scene, you may realize that what would actually solve the problem better for the story is updating an earlier or later section instead.

Trust your understanding of your story but allow it to evolve. You know your story best and shouldn't change it just because someone had an idea--but you should also be flexible about your story and not stick to your original story just because it was the first idea you had.

Finally, learn how to be okay with having been wrong. Sometimes your idea wasn't the best. Sometimes what you wrote didn't work. Sometimes it was racist or sexist or homophobic or transphobic or ableist. Sometimes it was confusing or unclear. Sometimes it was a stupid idea. And when commenters tell you that, the only way to fix it is to learn how to look at something you love and say, yeah, okay, this was bad and needs to be fixed.

And as a postscript to it all--remember that critical feedback isn't a reflection on you or your writing. Every author in existence has gotten critical feedback at some point (or, if they haven't, it's because they have a terrible editor). Nobody is perfect on their first true, and nobody is perfect in a vacuum. Critical feedback is one of the ways that you and your stories get better.

[genericpuff]

I think what gets me the most annoyed about LO currently is how I just don't care about Rachel's attempts to make the story seem more high-stakes than it really is. Apollo has no real power, Kronos was defeated by bees so why should I care about him now, everyone is instantly on Persades' side, Persephone will get any excuse to not hold her accountable for her mistakes, and Ouranos is simply too late-stage and underdeveloped for me to take them seriously. If this is Rachel's attempts to bring people back or keep them around, she's vastly unaware of what her readers actually want and want she's capable of writing. None of this is compelling, it's just frustrating.

You didn't mention it but even the fact that we as readers know now that Apollo can't use Persephone's powers without her actually being in love with him... it's such a narrative buzzkill?? So now we're spending all this time on some "Apollo twist villain" plotline that we know won't lead to him winning because we already know it won't work. IDK if this was Rachel attempting some sort of dramatic irony thing - when audience members are aware of something the characters aren't, ex. the complete misunderstanding that was Juliet's "death" that resulted in Romeo actually dying - then she completely misunderstood how dramatic irony actually works, you can't inform the audience of something the characters don't know if it's something that removes any and all tension. There are no stakes now. We know Apollo can't use Persephone's powers. So we're either gonna get Apollo realizing he can't do it and have that just be his downfall (predictable) OR we're gonna get some sudden retconned plot point that technically Apollo can use her powers because of the assault (big yikes). Or some other third thing that Rachel will inevitably pull out of thin air to write herself out of a corner.

Overall it speaks to her lack of actual storytelling skills - she's alright at coming up with neat standalone ideas, but she's not good at weaving them into a story, and she's especially not good at actually coming up with organic re-interpretations of things that inspire her; rather she often just rips whatever she likes from things she's watched and throws them into LO without any understanding of why those things were actually well written, she puts them in because "well I liked the scene where the Beast got bathed by his house servants so I'm gonna put the same thing in LO!"

It's very much like - dare I say it and possibly invoke many more asks in my inbox - a certain indie production you may have heard of called RWBY. Constantly yoinking elements out of other shows and movies to put into the show, while not understanding why those elements worked so they come across as flat first steps rather than fully developed ideas.

[illarian-rambling]

I heard ghost ship in space and came running :)

So I’m not 100% certain how your cast fits into the ghost ship unless I’m vastly misunderstanding what you mean by ghost ship but I’m here to ask questions all the same because I love characters. Here goes:

I’m going to assume at least some of the characters are either from or end up forming a spaceship crew (feel free to ignore this if not) so I’m curious what roles they end up playing (like who’s the captain, the mechanic, the helm officer, etc)? What ways do they suit those roles and what ways do they really not suit those roles?

What’s their goal? Do they all agree on it? I feel like going out into the death void that is Illarian space isn’t something you do unless you have a plan of what you want

How do they react to the unique challenges of space? Like I love space, but the tiny living quarters, lack of natural light or nature of any kind, spending time in a small environment with the same five people, rationing, knowledge that any minor damage to your ship could kill you… it’s not for the faint of heart. Are they used to it? How do they cope (or not)?

I hope some of these help the brainstorming :)

This helps so much, thank you!

So, by ghost ship, I mean the characters for this are gonna be ghosts. Essentially, the vague idea is that some mages on Illaros found out that there's this 'mysterious wall' at the edge of their solar system, and they want to launch a ship into space to check it out while also investigating some of the other planets along the way because yay first space travel! However, technology hasn't progressed to space suit level. The ship is actually just a wooden ship with a runic engine that they're teleporting into space via a teleportation rune etched on basically a manhole cover they managed to launch up there by putting it on top of a well with a bomb at the bottom. They know they don't have the means for survival up there, so what do they do? They go to a Chosen priest and ask them to summon up some ghosts.

At this point, the gods have a vested interest in this mission. A few ghosts might be small enough to slip past End unnoticed and find out if there's anything else in the universe. But they don't want to give up their best and brightest on what's likely a suicide mission, so they pick some screw-ups with a few skills to send instead, promising them a better place in the afterlife should they succeed. Some divine magic allows the ghosts to be bound to the ship and off the mission goes!

The thing about all these fuckers being dead though, is that they don't need a lot of traditional ship stuff. Especially since it's a magic ship that mostly flies by itself. I've got five crew members planned out, each with a role.

Faalgun Falani is the captain. He was a renowned Flying City pilot until his gambling addiction got him fired and eventually beaten to death. He's an uptight sort who tries to adhere to a code of honor, even though he often slips up. Out of all of the crew, he knows the most about space and the other planets, as the Flying City travels between planets frequently. I think he really wants to get into his religion's heaven to prove that he's not a total failure. Maybe he's got family or a lover there too? Who knows!

Nyda Burningrock is an astronomer who died about 400 years before the story takes place. She's Nabafyrian and has a bit of a complex about not being an adept fighter in such a martial culture, despite her rough and tumble nature. She was actually the first to theorize that the 'stars' move under their own power more than what's accounted for by gravity and the rotation of the planet, and she found a way to predict those movements, but unfortunately, she didn't write anything down or cite any sources. Her end came when she decided to travel to the realm of the Fair Folk to observe the sky there. She lasted about 15 minutes before getting hunted for sport by a fae lord.

Kaulakri Placeholdersurname is gonna be a sort of foil for Nyda, I think. She's a halawemavish selkie and the ship's cartographer, as well as a natural historian. She has beef with Nyda because mapmakers have been trying to replicate Nyda's method of predicting the unpredictable movements of Illari stars for centuries, but again, Nyda wrote literally nothing down. Kaulakri, on the other hand, writes everything down. She's neat and orderly and unfortunately wasn't able to get her comprehensive map of the world's ocean currents organized in time before she died of a random stomach bug.

Pashananath (Pash for short) is the ship's negotiator, for if they encounter any life beyond the wall of End. He's one of the Fair Folk and grew up in the Hive (a vast compound city ruled by a powerful fae demigod). His Contribution (an important concept for fae) was music. He was quite the musician, but due to his faculty for languages, he also worked as a honeytongue - essentially a smooth-talker/jester for hire in Fair Folk society. He died very young for one of the Fair Folk when another fae decided to kill him for playing a pitchy song. Pash isn't too mad about this (fae morals are weird), even if the rest of the crew things he should be.

And finally, there's Anarac. The scientists didn't ask for him, but the gods sent him anyways. No one knows what his specialty is because he never talks. He's the longest dead out of all of them and is one of the extinct Araunian people.

With such a cast, I'm hoping there'll be a good deal of tension. I don't think they actually know much about End (besides Anarac), except that the Chosen who summoned them said it's dangerous, so they arent worried about it nearly as much as they should be. I'm hoping that Nyda and Kaulakri can have a fun rivalry, while Pash might be the son figure Anarac needs, and leading these people to success will help Faalgun stop thinking he's a failure.

I'll probably structure it more episodically, with fun stuff happening at each planet they stop to explore. I have no idea what's gonna happen when they reach End's blockade, but I guess I can figure that out later. I think the main environmental problem for a ship full of dead people would be that if they get too far from the ship, they start to lose their ability to stay corporeal, then they just fade away.

Lmk if you have any more questions or suggestions! I think this really helped me with getting things straight in my mind, so thanks a ton <3

[fleetways]

Hi, HUGE fan of yours, I just wanted to point out that the big addition you made about Shadow Generations and the Shadow's history timeline from the anime expo seems to be based very heavily on assumption; it's way more likely and also was downright alluded to by the host that whoever threw that chart together for this con (and who likely was just an intern given Photoshop and a Fandom wiki) was only including appearances that were major to real life; they specifically presented it as "his first appearance, the games where he returned, his first standalone title, and then non-game media that depicted him."

I also don't agree that it'd be nostalgia bait to focus on Shadow's past right now, especially in a Generations-style anthology game that's meant to capitalize on the movie. The ARK itself was last relevant to a game almost 20 years ago so SEGA is probably concerned that the people they're marketing to literally weren't alive during its relevancy.

Spoilers for a level in the game below:

It's also not like they're ignoring 06 and sweeping it under the rug, one of the few things we know about the game is that it has a level from 06. I'm not saying you were wrong I'm just saying you based a ton of speculative criticism on assumption and misunderstanding, which as a Sonic fan who lived through the 2010s it's just very draining to hear speculative criticism

Well the 06 thing was just me being mr salty more than anything so I’ll give you that. It’s not a criticism for the game, because I know what the game is gonna be and accept this, but just a disappointment with the attitude around it and the fact that they were able to tell new stories with Shadow in the past but have been seemingly unwilling to do anything else like that for the past 17 years. It just kinda feels like they’re digging their heels in to characterize Shadow as someone whose sole motivation revolves around Maria because they think that’s what people want to see, even though that’s something that I feel the canonical ending of Shadow the Hedgehog (2005) and later Sonic 06 showed was definitely not the case.

(Although I still vastly prefer this reading to Shadow acting like an asshole for no reason).

My issues lie way more in my expectations for the panel that this was going to be a deep dive into Shadow’s in-universe character and explore some of the lore that hadn’t been talked about before. There was some of that, but in the end it really boiled down to stuff I was either aware of, or stuff that had already been well-established in canon. There’s nothing wrong with that per se, especially as an introduction to Sonic x Shadow Generations, but considering Sonic x Shadow Generations is already looking to be an introduction to Shadow in Sonic 3, I was hoping there would be more for me to sink my teeth into as someone who is familiar with the character and deeply interested more in specifics. I recognize this is 100% a me problem, but I can’t help but feel frustrated.

As for the nostalgia-bait thing, I think we’ll just have to agree to disagree there. Sonic Generations is literally THE nostalgia game, and I don’t mean that as an insult, it made perfect sense for the time it came out. But considering there’s been a pretty significant tendency to revisit the same locations and concepts, to the point where its become a known point of criticism for the franchise, I can’t help but feel like this is the same thing I’m used to seeing just with Shadow. Which don’t get me wrong, if they’re gonna do it anyways, I’d much rather it be for a character we’ve been hankering for for so long! I just feel a little fatigued is all, even if I understand it makes perfect sense marketing-wise to make a version of one of your best-received games that neatly introduces your character starring in a blockbuster later that year, while also throwing a bone to Shadow/adventure era fans who were dying to see remastered levels from that era (me included!). It’s actually ingenious, so I can’t possibly fault them for it. Plus, for all my complaining, its looking like there definitely is new stuff going on with Shadow, so I’m excited for that. I am just hoping they can tell a story better than the one we got in the original Sonic Generations (which fortunately shouldn’t be too difficult).

[sequinsmile-x]

Warpath

Emily decides to surprise her boyfriend, but a misunderstanding might ruin things forever.

-x-

Hiiii friends

As requested by a lot of people following an anon I got asking for Hotch/Reader to get into an argument because she thinks he's cheating on her, I made it Hotchniss!

This screams Young Hotchniss to me, and it has been a long time since I wrote them, so here we are! I hope you enjoy this!

-x-

Words: 3.1k

Warnings: References to cheating (no one actually cheats on anyone I promise!)

Read over on Ao3, or below the cut

She told herself it was just sex. 

She’d told him that too, her hand already in his pants, wrapped around him, whilst his was pushing her underwear out of the way as they kissed. Her words lost against his cheek as he pressed her between himself and his desk. Weeks of long looks and flirting as she distracted him whilst he was meant to be working culminating in the best orgasm Emily thinks she’d ever had up until that point. 

It, of course, quickly became more than that. 

He’d lay in bed with her, staying in her room much later than he should have if he didn’t want to get caught by one of his colleagues or her mother, and they’d talk for hours. Fingers trailing over skin as they exchanged stories, their childhoods vastly different but similar in many heartbreaking ways. Loneliness and a lack of the love they both deserved leading them to this - seeking out companionship in places they probably shouldn’t have. 

They spent the weeks of that summer pretending it would last forever, that their deadline wasn’t fast approaching. On the last night before she was due to go to Yale, he’d snuck into her room as usual, although Emily had since learnt her mother already knew about them by then, and he said he didn’t want them to come to an end. That he wanted more with her and, if she wanted it too, they could make it work. 

She still remembered the nervous look on his face, a vulnerability she knew he only ever showed her sparkling in his eyes. She didn’t have to think twice about it, her answer would only ever be yes.

They’d been together for 10 months now, the anniversary of that first night in his old office at her mother’s house fast approaching. It was the best relationship she’d ever been in and she missed him when she was away at college. 

They took turns to visit each other once a month. It had only been two weeks since she’d last seen him but with finals coming up and a particularly nasty phone call she’d had with her mother a couple of days ago she felt on edge. She wanted nothing more than to see him, to find solace in his embrace and to breathe him in. 

She got in her car without really thinking about it, a haphazardly packed bag on the passenger seat as she drove to see him, the 8 hours passing by in a blur. It’s only when she parks up outside of his building that she realises she probably should have at least called him and let him know she was coming. She blows out a breath and walks the familiar short distance from the building’s entrance to his apartment. 

She knocks on the door and waits for it to be answered. She bites her lower lip in an attempt to contain her smile, her excitement, at seeing Aaron for the first time in weeks. She was spoiled by how they started, how he’d been available to her all the time, and she missed him when they were apart. The nightly phone calls and monthly visits were not anywhere near enough, which is what had led her to decide to surprise him like this. 

Her smile drops off her face as the door swings open and she comes face to face with a woman who looks a couple of years younger than her. She’s wearing a  t-shirt that is clearly too large for her, and a tiny pair of shorts that were sticking out just below its hem. Her hair is mostly dry, but there are damp patches on the t-shirt she’s wearing where her hair lays over her shoulders, a clear sign she’d been in the shower recently.  The woman looks her up and down, and she raises her eyebrow.

“Hi.” 

Emily continues to stare at her for a moment before she clears her throat, “Hi,” she replies, “Is Aaron here?” 

The woman nods and looks over her shoulder, “Aaron. Someone is here for you.” 

Emily swallows thickly as the woman walks back into the apartment, leaving her alone, frozen in place on the other side of the door, panic and confusion climbing up her throat. It turns into sorrow, bitter and heavy as nausea rolls through her when Aaron comes into view. He’s drying his hair, a towel in his hand as he rubs it back and forth over his head. He smiles at her, and it makes her heart drop into her stomach, her mouth falling open as he has the nerve to smile at her like she hasn’t just come to see him and found another woman in his apartment. 

“Em, sweetheart, what are you doing here?” 

She chuckles bitterly and shakes her head, crossing her arms over her chest to hold herself together. She refused to cry in front of him, didn’t want to let him know that he’d broken her heart, leaving it in pieces on the floor in the hallway of his apartment building. 

“Wasting my time apparently,” she replies, stepping back when he leans in to kiss her, the smell of his shampoo washing over her, “I should go,” she says, shaking her head, “Leave you with your friend.” 

Aaron frowns, his delight at seeing her so unexpectedly fading rapidly, replaced by confusion because of how she was acting. Standoffish in a way she hadn’t been with him since he first started working for her mother all those months ago. Before she trusted him. 

“Em- He says as he takes a step towards her again but she backs up even further, almost hitting the wall behind her, putting as much space between them as she can. 

“You could have just broken up with me, you know,” she says, cutting him off, her voice strained as she desperately tries to hold back her emotions, determined to keep it together, “I’m a big girl, I can take it.” 

“Break up with you?” He asks, furrowing his brow, and she feels fury roll through her. Aaron wasn’t stupid, and she didn’t understand why he couldn’t see what the issue was. “Why would I…” He trails off as it clicks, the final puzzle pieces falling into place. It makes him draw in a breath and he laughs without meaning to. The idea is so absurd to him that he can’t hold it back, “Em, no you’ve got it wrong-”

It doesn’t go down well. His reaction makes the spark of anger in her blood catch fire and she shakes her head at him, once again cutting him off before he can explain. 

“Go fuck yourself, Aaron,” she says, shaking her head as she walks away, ignoring him as he shouts after her, “Or better yet, let your new girlfriend do it for you.” 

She makes it to her car before she starts to cry, the slamming of the door followed a sob she can no longer hold back.

___

She’s just about to order room service, her mind set on getting every dessert the hotel served and eating her feelings in bed when there’s a knock on her room’s door. She sighs and places the menu in her hand down on the vanity before she walks over. She groans as she looks through the peephole and sees Aaron standing on the other side of the door, his hands in the pockets of the sweatpants she’d seen him wearing earlier. She gives herself a moment to gather herself, her forehead briefly pressing into the cold wood of the door, and then she stands up straight and pulls the door open. 

“How did you find me?” She asks, her voice sterner than she thought it would be considering she’d spent most of the last hour or so crying. 

“I work for the FBI, Emily,” he says, trying to joke and sighing when he sees it doesn’t land, “I knew the last person you’d want to see after me would be your mother, so I figured you’d stay in a hotel. I called around until I found one that told me they had a guest with your name.” 

She frowns, her hand still gripping the door handle as she stands in place, not giving him room to walk past her. 

“I don’t want to talk to you-”

“I’m not sleeping with her,” he says, cutting her off before she has the chance to yell at him again. She freezes, her jaw tense and tight as they stare at each other, “She’s not…I would never do that to you.”

She feels some of the fight drain out of her, her grip on the door handle loosening as she tries to think of another explanation for what she saw. 

“What? You just happened to have a beautiful woman in your apartment? Who you just clearly had a shower with?” 

He sighs, frustration building in his chest as he clenches his jaw to stop himself from showing it, well aware that arguing with her right now wouldn’t fix anything. 

“She’s called Ashley, and she’s Sean’s girlfriend,” he explains carefully, watching how her confusion only gets clearer, “And by the way I didn’t shower with her. She used all of my hot water by having the world's longest shower and then I had to use freezing cold water when she was done.”

“Sean’s girlfriend?” She asks, still slightly dubious as she ignores everything else he’s said, “Your brother who you haven’t seen in years?”

Aaron nods, “He just showed up this morning, with Ashley in tow,” he says, shaking his head at the thought of it, at how his brother just expected him to drop everything just for him, “He asked to stay for a few days. Apparently, he has a job at a diner in the city and they need somewhere to stay while he has a place of his own.” He continues to look at her, his eyes fixed on her face. He watches as it dawns on her, her eyes going wide. “Any chance I can come in now?” He asks, looking around the hotel hallway, “I’d rather other people didn’t hear any more of my business.”

She nods and she finally steps backwards, letting him step past her. She closes the door and turns to look at him, her arms crossed over her chest. She walks back through it, looking at what had happened at his apartment from a new perspective. Ashley’s hair was almost dry and Aaron’s was still dripping water when he walked towards the door, he’d been excited to see Emily. Joy and surprise in his eyes when he found her standing there even though it was still another couple of weeks until they should have seen each other. He’d been calm, content. Not at all like someone who had just been caught out cheating on his long-distance girlfriend. 

She feels embarrassment colour her cheeks, her skin burning with guilt and internalised anger that she had reacted in the way she had, accusing him of things she knows he would never do without thinking critically for even a moment. She’d always prided herself on not being emotional, of being able to control herself in that way, but he brought it out of her. Made her feel everything that much more sharply than anyone else had ever been able to. She loved him, the happiness and light that came with that the brightest she had ever known, but she knew it also gave him the power to hurt her, something that she knows he would never purposely do. 

“I’m so sorry, Aaron,” she says, her voice shaking as their eyes meet, his hands in his pockets still as they stand just a few feet apart from each other. Now her anger has cleared, she feels like she’s looking at him properly for the first time since Ashley had opened his front door. He looks sad, hurt shining in his eyes as he looks back at her, and she hates herself for doing this to him, “I…I’m sorry.” 

He smiles at her and nods, “It’s ok.”

“No,” she says, taking a step towards him, so close now that she can feel his breath across her cheek, but she doesn’t touch him, “It’s not ok. I…should have listened to you, or thought about what I was looking at but I made an assumption and I wish I could take it back,” she finally reaches out for him, her hand cupping his cheek. She feels him lean into it, his stubbly cheek scratching against her palm in a way that warms her from the inside out, “I am sorry.”

“I know you are sweetheart,” he replies, turning his head to kiss her hand, “And it’s ok. I forgive you, god knows how I would have reacted if I showed up to yours to find a guy opening your front door. But I hope you know I wouldn’t do that to you,” he says, taking her hand in his and linking their fingers together, “I love you. I would never cheat on you.” 

She smiles and nods, closing the final gap between them as she leans forward and wraps her arms around him. The final bit of tension leaves her as he wraps his arms around her too, a touch of desperation in his embrace that didn’t usually exist. 

“I love you too,” she says, pressing her face into his neck and breathing him in, “And I’m going to apologise at least 5 more times before I go back to college.” 

He pulls back to look at her, stamping a kiss against her lips, “I never did get the chance to ask what you were doing here.” 

She groans and rests her forehead against his. He tugs her towards the bed and they both sit down. Emily leans against him, her legs over his lap and her cheek pressing into his shoulder. 

“Finals have been stressing me out, and last night after I spoke to you I had a…fucking horrible conversation with my mother that ended with me hanging up on her. And I realised the only person who could make me feel better was you and that a phone call wouldn’t do. So I got in my car first thing this morning. I probably should have called first.” 

He kisses her forehead and runs his hand up and down her arm, “Well, we would have avoided a misunderstanding if you had,” he quips, chuckling when she lightly slaps his shoulder, “But you know you’re always welcome, right? I miss you when you’re not here.”

She hums in response and sinks further into his embrace, “I know.” 

They lapse into silence for a moment and he continues to run his hand up and down her arm, well aware that she found comfort in it.

“Do you want to talk about what happened with your mom?” 

She sighs and lifts her head to look at him, “She asked what my plans were when I finish my masters,” she smiles tightly, “I told her what we spoke about.” 

They’d discussed it the last time they saw each other, the end of her year at Yale looming over them. She wanted to move back to DC, something she would never have even considered before Aaron, and get a job, preferably in the FBI once she was old enough to apply. She was planning on moving in with Aaron, an idea he’d suggested when she commented she’d need to find somewhere to live. 

Elizabeth had hated the idea. She’d been unhappy with the relationship since the moment she found out about it, and Emily knew she’d hoped it would fizzle out as they were forced to maintain a long-distance relationship for most of the time they’d been together. Emily knew her mother wouldn’t be pleased, but a small part of her had hoped that she’d recognise her daughter was truly happy and accept it because of that.

She was wrong. 

“What did she say?” He asks, knowing she sometimes needed pushing to talk about her mother. He’s sure that if he didn’t know Elizabeth, if he hadn’t worked for her and knew what she could be like, that Emily wouldn’t tell him anything about her relationship with her mother, always afraid that people would think she was being dramatic or that she was simply a spoiled rich girl. 

Emily laughs bitterly, “That I’m letting my heart lead me, that you’ll eventually hurt me and then I’ll realise I’ve shaped my life around something I’ll lose,” she shakes her head and blows out a breath, “It’s probably why I reacted like I did when I got to yours. Even after all this time, she’s still able to get into my head.”

She sounds so sad, so downtrodden, for a moment that he thinks about calling Elizabeth himself. Crossing the line he’d promised Emily he’d never cross, leaving her relationship to her mother just to her. 

“She’s your mom, sweetheart,” he says, kissing her temple, “She knows exactly what buttons to push.” 

“Yeah,” Emily sighs, “Because she sewed them on,” she smiles at him, “She said she won’t be able to make it to my graduation. She claimed it’s because she’s going to be in Italy, but I think she just doesn’t see the merit in it.” 

He pulls her closer and he knows he can’t fix it for her, that it would mean more to her than she’d ever admit if her mother did go to her graduation. 

“I’ll be there,” he assures her, “I’ll be the loudest guy in the crowd.” 

She laughs and pulls back to look at him, “Yeah?” 

He nods and leans in to kiss her, his lips firm against hers, “Yeah.” 

“I was going to order food before you arrived, do you want to eat?” 

He nods, squeezing her tighter for a second before he lets go and she gets up to pick up the menu she’d abandoned on the vanity.

“Yes please, Sean and Ashley have eaten all of my food since they arrived.” 

She smiles and climbs back into his lap, menu in hand, “You’re staying tonight, right?” She asks, tilting her head as she looks up at him, “We could go back to yours but-”

“We should stay here,” he says, knowing he’s said the right thing when she smiles brightly at him, “We deserve some time alone.” 

She nods and kisses his cheek, “I can’t wait until we live together.” 

Aaron smiles at her, his future as clear as it had ever been, “Me neither, sweetheart.” 

-x-

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[deusvervewrites]

In regards to the whole "The HPSC should have been the Main Antagonist", I ended up being reminded of one of my favourite seasons of one of my favourite shows of all time: The fourth season of Justice League the Animated Series (or the second season of JL Unlimited, if you count like that.) Because they bascially did something like that and now I am wondering how a similar plotline in BNHA would have looked like.

So, (mild) Spoiler Warning for a twenty year old show, I guess?

The fourth season pretends to be about Lex Luthor and one of his classic 5D-galaxy-brain plans that nobody can figure out or understand, but the actual main antagonist for most of the season is actually Amanda Waller and the U.S. Government.

Wallers whole point is that the League is dangerous and out of control and that, to protect the World (read: America) the Government (read: her) needs to be able to counter/neutralize them. This leads to all kinds of plots from her side, including, but not limited to:

Blackmailing convicted Super Villains to become her off-the-record Black Ops Squad,

Cloning/Creating and indoctrinating your own Superhero Team, complete with limited Life-Span and potential Kill-Switches,

Trying to create/control Monsters, that the League previously fought,

and, my personal favourite, manipulating Heroes in the League to work against the League, often without them realizing whats going on until way later.

And all of this makes for a great story, and one of the main reasons is that Waller, despite being the antagonist, is not a Joker/Luthor/Darkseid pure evil enemy. She sounds reasonable when she makes her arguments AND she is smart about her actions. It takes the League ages to start to realize that there is a pattern with some of the past events and even longer to trace it back to her. The show essentiall becomes almost a Cold-War Spy-Thriller at points, because both sides are suspicious of the other and are making preparations "just-in-case", without wanting to be the first one to escalate.

Which is also another of the great points: The League (which at this point has been vastly expanded beyond the original seven) is not a united front in this! Some want to come down on Waller, hard, treat her like any other maniac; others want to talk, clear up what HAS to be a misunderstanding, and there a lots of positions in between all of that. Waller barely does anything apart from exist and it is enough to drive the Heroes apart and create schisms between them.

Two more things of note, then I will shut up, I promise!

Firstly, while Waller and her guys keep going on about how dangerous the League could be if they ever got brainwashed (which has happened in the past!), or if they decide that killing is actually ok, or that the last election wasn't legitimate and needs to be redone under their supervision, etc...; the subtext in all of this is NOT subtle at all: Wallers main problem with the League is that they are indipendent and not under any control. Not under HER control. And thats what she actually fears so much. The fact that they can make their own decisions instead of having to go through her. This is never said out loud, but it becomes very clear, very quickly.

Secondly, Wallers undelying philosophy in this whole arc is that a pre-emptive strike against a reasonably big potential threat, i.e. The League, is not only justifiable, but absolutely necessary AND the only way to handle problems in general. At which point I will remind you that this show came out in the early 2000s. 9/11 had just happened, the War on Terror was just gearing up and WMDs in Iraq were still considered a fact. And in the middle of all of that, an American Kids Show comes out with a very clear message against exactly that. They basically said, "any government that acts like this would be opposed by the greatest Heroes in the world." That is BOLD.

So, yeah, if any of you haven't watched Justice League, you totally should, not only is it great, what I described here is barely scratching the surface!

It is however a pretty great example of how I personally could imagine a proper HPSC-storyline being written in BNHA: A version of the HPSC that uses all kinds of unsavory means to achieve their goal of total control, but clever enough to do it from the shadows, while playing the Heroes that resist their philosophy against each other.

I am just gonna file that under "WiP that I will probably never have the time to actually write" for now...

I haven't actually gotten around to JL yet but as a massive BTAS fan it's definitely on the list, and all of this is exactly the kind of thing I'd love from MHA to do with the HPSC

[purkinje-effect]

Hewwo!

Are you by chance a trans man/trans masc?

I have an OC who is a trans man, and has had top surgery but hasn't had bottom surgery yet?(idk if they'll ever get it) and I was wondering if that would be considered transphobic?

I have other trans OCs that are vastly different in terms of their bodies, but I don't wanna be accidentally transphobic or anything.

Hi there! Thanks for the DM.

Well, I'm nonbinary, but I will try my best. I welcome any transmascs/transmen to help me out here, and reblog with their own advice and input. Their feedback's going to be more valuable than mine.

I'm also not sure whether you're creating a character for art, stories, RP, etc., so I'm probably giving you a lot of information that might not be pertinent to your character building.

But, you've asked me something that I feel quite passionately about, so this became a bit of an essay.

There are many variations to the trans experience. Not all trans people necessarily pursue every possible gender affirmative care/procedure available to them. Plenty of trans individuals never have bottom surgery. They're no less their gender for their current or desired combination of affirmative care. If they're of a binary gender, not getting certain procedures, treatments, or surgeries still does not make them "less binary." (Likewise, if they're nonbinary, they can pursue strictly binary procedures, and still be nonbinary at the end of the day. And cis people can have any number of such procedures and still be cis. As all this holds true in reality, so goes it double in fiction, esp in sci-fi and fantasy genres where there might be invented races, etc.)

If you're worried about your decision to have the character have this combination of traits, then the focus should be less on their traits and more on any plots you intend to use them in, and on what kind of interactions and scenarios you'd like to put them in. It's not so much about the fact, as it is how it's treated.

For example, I'd be less worried about a transmasc character that hasn't had bottom surgery, and more about the way the narrative they exist in respects and upholds their identity when it comes up. That's not to say characters that interact with them can't ever have misguided or intentionally bigoted perceptions of them--anyone can make mistakes, even with the best intentions. Unless the narrative they belong to is working through themes of prejudice and misunderstanding, then the default presumption of the narrator and/or other characters probably shouldn't be "oh hey, this guy's trans, he must have had bottom surgery" or "this guy isn't trans enough if he hasn't had The Surgery." But, it can be good worldbuilding if world views factor into their experiences and encounters, even if it means that doing so highlights that your trans character might be a minority or outlier, or even outcast. And it can be good development for a recurring character if they learn and grow from making transphobic mistakes, just as much as any mistake. (It can, to exhaust the point, also be fantastic characterization, if such a character instead doubles down on their bigoted mindset, thus underscoring that character's intractable moral compass, principles, and possible "no I'm 2000% right about this" mentality, for the worse. "Bad" characters can be very, very compelling, and provide complex opportunities for antagonists and foils.) Recurring characters don't have to experience growth to be part of your OC's hypothetical support network either.

I think I'd suggest three rules of thumb.

One, every trans person's got their differing comfort levels on how realistic any bigotry is depicted in the media they consume, or just how much the character's transness is core to the narrative. Some trans people just want the comfort of pure, frictionless, positive depictions of transness. Others want to power through rough and unforgiving antagonism and poor decisions in a fictional outlet. And while some might want a character's transness to be the main plot and have everything be about that character's transition journey, others would like a character to just happen to be trans.

Your narrative could place your character in a place that's very welcoming, supportive, and accepting of their identity. The character might have very few people they can be openly trans with. Your narrative might even place them in a position to have no support net. Uplifting, harrowing, or outright tragic, they're all valid narratives.

What I mean to say is, because there are so many different types of transness, and so many different narrative choices to make, even if you go a route that isn't transphobic, you're still likely to encounter trans people in fandom who aren't going to relate with your depiction. And that's okay.

Two, trans characters are more than just their transness. They can be proud of their identity, and it can be core to who they are, but they're always also their personality, taste in music, fashion, and culture. They're also shaped by their ethnic and national backgrounds, possible disabilities, friend circles, community, pets, socioeconomic standing, education, possible romantic history, and hobbies. Just like any other character, your transmasc character is a composite of traits. Even if being trans is a big core component to who your OC is, they still celebrate that identity their own unique way.

And three, though this one may be considered more controversial. Just like any other character, your transmasc character can be a composite of traits, both good and bad. Characters can be as complex and flawed as you want, full stop. Having a trans character make poor decisions, have bad faith opinions, and generally creating problems for themselves or others is perfectly acceptable, even if their transness might factor into the cause for those decisions or actions. As we move away from the Hays Code era, we've seen a 180-flip on LGBT in media where such characters can do no wrong. Yes, it's important to vary the depictions of queer lives. Yes, we need more variation than having no options than harmless unassuming backdrop characters or queer-coded villains. But LGBT people are people, and LGBT characters need to be permitted to embrace the same scope of humanity that cishet characters get to, and that includes what themes and traits we're allowed to explore in fiction. LGBT characters can suffer through internalized transphobia, or struggle with correctly gendering themselves. LGBT characters can be fantastic gay allies, but be extremely biphobic or racist. LGBT characters can be corporate criminals, shoplifters, manipulators, murderers. They can be as skilled or inept at anything as you want. As likeable or unpleasant as you like. LGBT characters can be given opportunities to grow and learn--and they can take those opportunities or refuse them. And they're still human at the end of the day, even if their choices create less than ideal outcomes.

That's the great thing about a character: they can do and be just about anything.

I hope this helps. My inbox is still open, and again, if any transmascs/transmen would like to weigh in on any of this, please do

[egg-emperor]

I'm happy that you can take that attitude and I wish more people were better about "I still love them even if there's a version I don't like" because, especially with long running franchises, there's always going to be different creative staff handling stories and characters in shared worlds and there's no way for it to ever 100% line up to how we see them. Add fandom to that and there are as many interpretations of a character as there are people who have been into the source material. It's best to look at it as the versions that matter to you will still matter no matter how many ways that same character exists to other people.

I've pretty much always been like that because there are so many versions of Eggman/Robotnik and so many different universes. There's actually always been more that I either dislike, just don't care for, or am only neutral on than like. But I don't inherently dislike or have a problem with them just for existing and being different when that's the point of them. It's just not for me depending on the changes they make and if they lack the things in personally interested in as a result.

But what I really dislike is when spin-offs and adaptions say they're supposed to be the same as the source material but then vastly change or misunderstand the characters and universe but still try to say it's accurate and faithful to it. That bothers me much more than ones where they actually intend for it to be totally different and separate. Because with the latter they don't have to be exactly like the source material and they can reasonably change some things up.

But I've realized recently that even that isn't really too big of an issue to me personally, compared to the actual source media itself suddenly being changed and treated as accurate and faithful, despite everything else prior in it showing otherwise. Such as recent events. And because of that, it's elevated my fears of Eggman being changed so much within the actual games that he becomes unrecognizable to who he was, though I hope I'm just being overly dramatic and anxious.

But I said that in the tag of that post because if it did happen, I'd still always hold onto the Eggman I knew and loved before, my passion is too great to just drop my love for him as a character. Proof is how unhappy am with major things in his Frontiers' portrayal but I still haven't. Though dropping the games would be possible for me, if it got to the point it was upsetting and not interesting to me anymore with those changes. I'd just remain a fan of the older games and version of the character.

I also don't mind different fandom interpretations as much as some think, I just wish people wouldn't come at me for having a different one, only liking and seeing him in a certain way, and having discomforts just like they do with mine, without being seen as a bad person. I wish I could express my opinions freely without demonization. I also dislike misinformation, when people insist things about game Eggman specifically are true when they're not and it's not a matter of interpretation and against blatant facts.

I'm never really asking for much when it comes to my own personal taste in Eggman portrayals, he's not a super difficult character to handle in a game canon accurate way when one looks at him without certain biases and for how he's presented in the games, rather than what one wants him to be. My preference in Eggman is just everything the game version has been in every canon game before Frontiers, because there's blatant contradiction without any explanation or development.

But that's a big bother to me because it's suddenly changing source media within the same media itself and isn't accurate and faithful to what was firmly established there. I have a lot less of a problem and complaints with completely different versions in non canon official media and fandom versions that aren't said to be one in the same with game canon Eggman, as sometimes that's the point. Though it isn't appealing to me personally then, who am I to say they shouldn't exist ya know

But yeah no matter what nothing is going to stop me from liking him as a character as a whole, no matter how many different versions exist or vast changes are made to the source media, though the latter would upset me. But the Eggman I know and love could continue to live on in my heart and creations with the amount of passion I have for the character, it's not like I'd suddenly let go of that just because I might dislike other things or even the different direction that my favorite version takes.

[righteousinadversity]

Such a large part of the MDZS fandom acts like the Yiling Laozu and Wei Wuxian are these vastly different people and I am tired of it.

Firstly, Yiling Laozu isn't some more evil, cruel immoral alter ego of Wei Wuxian. In fact, one can argue that the period of time when Wei Wuxian is named the Yiling Laozu, is the time when he stands apart from the rest of the society in refusing to let vengeance and rage and corruption decide his actions and stands by justice and righteousness. Yiling Laozu is Wei Wuxian as his purest self - kind and righteous and good.

Secondly, much of the fandom acts like Yiling Laozu is Wei Wuxian with his personality stagnating at the WC torture scene - which is ironic, because he doesn't even have the title at that point in the story. Yiling Laozu is portrayed permanently as cold, cruel, and vindictive as Wei Wuxian is when he had just escaped a place akin to hell on earth. But this is really not the case for Wei Wuxian during the Burial Mounds arc, which is when he earns the title. He is playful and inventive, he still cares for and talks as he always have with LWJ, JYL and JC, he adores a-yuan, he earns the respect and care from people who were terrified of him and knew him to be the bane of their existence.

This is especially true for the way his interactions with Lan Wangji are portrayed - the blame on their fights are foisted on his head without a regard for the fact that both of them are working under misunderstandings and Wei Wuxian had very good reason not to think that it was concern driving Lan Wangji's actions given his initial reactions to WWX's attempts at getting closer to him.

Yes, both Nightless City and Qiongqi Path happens during the time he bears the title - but neither of those incidents are initiated by him. Neither of them are mindless, cruel murder - he is ambushed in Qiongqi Path, and at Nightless City he is faced with the fucked up realization that not even the sacrifice of his friends would stop the so called righteous sects from marching to the Burial Mounds and killing him and the innocents he protected.

I just... Yiling Laozu is not the Mr Hyde to Wei Wuxian's Dr Jekyll or whatever and yall need to stop acting like it.

[meeko-mar]

I'm gonna complain a little bit here;

some fans are clearly missing the point of Bakugou's development in 358. ( I mean, what else is new...) and just...not realizing the context of the situation here?

"He's out to murder/death/kill Shigaraki;"

No he's not.

YES, he is STRAPPED with a load of new weaponry. But are we, or anyone inside the universe, under the impression that even these mods would be enough to kill Shigaraki? Bakugou's EXPRESS intent is to clear a path so the others can get to him, because if you haven't noticed, Shigaraki-AFO is physically expanding at an extremely rapid pace, all Akira style... And it's NOT EVEN A QUIRK.

And whether we have empathy and want Tomura to be saved or not, we KNOW That this situation is fucked. What are the heroes supposed to do right now? NOT try to match and out-do Shigaraki? Just let him go completely out of control?

Is Bakugou just supposed to do absolutely NOTHING to minimize Shigaraki-AFO's destruction?

They are trying to CONTAIN HIM. THE PLAN WAS to have Izuku WITH THEM. Izuku was supposed to lead the charge here, but HE GOT SEPARATED from them. The plan got fucked.

Bakugou is trying to BUY TIME, the whole team is.

"The fact that he's strapped to the teeth with new weapons just shows he hasn't learned anything about "SAVE";

No the fuck it doesn't.

Shigaraki-AFO is VASTLY, SUPREMELY overpowered. To stand a fighting chance against him, is it not LOGICAL that Katsuki equip himself well enough to be able to stand up to him?? He needs moves in his arsenal that can match Shigaraki, again, at least long enough for Izuku to catch up and do what he needs to do.

I'm certain that Bakugou knows what's up, and knows that ONLY IZUKU can save Tomura. It's not his part, and he doesn't have the power, the ACCESS to that mind-space. He can and does, however, tell AFO to shove the sermon, he already knows about it from personal experience; He can and does use all of those weapons, not to kill Shigaraki, but to create an opening for the others to get through(and likely, this Panzer thing will NOT regenerate for the rest of this battle!).

And regardless, right now, Shigaraki-AFO is an ACTIVE THREAT to everyone. EVERYONE. Is Bakugou just supposed to stand by and let Shigaraki-AFO do whatever the fuck he wants? Kill his comrades? Escape the UA battleground? Find Izuku first, get OFA, and kill him? Destroy the world?

Because that is the threat level he is facing right now. Just because we all know that somewhere in there, Tomura needs to be saved, does NOT MEAN that in the meantime, he isn't a very real, critical danger to everyone, and Bakugou and the team's job right now is to fight against that danger.

I don't know why Bakugou is considered a fucking Asshole for that.

"Bakugou has learned nothing";

Katsuki Bakugou has learned EVERYTHING.

He knows now, exactly what happened to his psyche that made him lash out and begrudge Izuku. He knows it was a shitty misunderstanding that was on HIS PART.

He acknowledges it in this chapter by yelling at AFO.

"Misunderstandings lead to fear and rejection" is basically Katsuki's life story.

And he tells AFO to go fuck himself because he has already processed and accepted that it was part of him, and he has decided to change, to essentially, kill that part of himself, and move forward. He's better for it, more powerful, united with his allies, because he LET GO of those fears and made effort to bridge over those misunderstandings.

He's done the legwork, and tells AFO to shove the sermon because he doesn't need it.

(This may be going up late, but I'm amazed that each and every time Bakugou does something notable in the manga and shows his evolving development and world view and relationship with others, there's still people just ready to blast him.

Guys, bakugou is doing fine.)

[utilitycaster]

I was wondering if you had any thoughts on what "redemption" means to Zerxus? In particularly how his difficulty with forgiving the people of Avalir and himself either conflicts with, agrees with, or has nothing to do with his views of redemption? I'm new to D&D, so my exposure to Oath of Redemption Paladins is based only on what I've read online. I feel like my lack of understanding of the subclass is causing me to misunderstand him. That or I'm just projecting. Hope this makes sense, and you find it interesting enough to examine. Thanks for your time either way.

A few things are going on here:

I have no idea what you're referring to regarding him not forgiving the people of Avalir; is this a specific line? He says "I hate this place"; that's nonspecific, has nothing to do with the people, and anyway it doesn't matter because...

You have conflated forgiveness and redemption which are two very different concepts. Forgiveness is the act of letting go of your anger or vindictiveness towards someone; redemption, when you strip out all the specific real-world religion aspects and talk about a redemption arc, is the act of moving past prior misdeeds and becoming a better person. You can forgive a person who is still a bad person, but they are not redeemed; a person can redeem themselves through their actions, but might not be forgiven by all. Forgiveness is a thing others give to you; redemption is a thing you achieve for yourself. The Oath of Redemption does not once mention the word "forgiveness". It's not about that.

Paladins strive to embody their oaths; they do not always succeed flawlessly and in most cases are not expected to, provided they are indeed striving.

But also, I am personally of the belief that in D&D actual play, while understanding D&D absolutely gives you more insight into the story, if you need to go to the subclass sourcebooks to understand a character's motivation, that actor has failed - and I don't think Luis has failed.

Zerxus believes in redemption. He believes that within everyone there is a capacity to become better. The problem is that he believes this so hard that he forgets the caveats of his oath - that even if you believe everyone can be redeemed, if someone refuses redemption and is threatening others, it is a disservice to favor their hypothetical redemption over others' literal lives. (And, while this is in the subclass, listed in the flavor text and literal oath, this is also just common sense). Redemption means exactly what it always means to him; he is just too arrogant to admit that he can't keep forcing it when someone is refusing redemption; or to acknowledge that the gods are, contrary to many of the attitudes of those in the Age of Arcanum, actually more ancient and vastly more powerful than mortals, and do not need their worship. He keeps pushing well past the point of failure. That's Zerxus's story. It is, like the others' a story of hubris.

[the-insomniac-emporium]

Sovereign Talks (Daniela Dimitrescu/Reader)

Fandom: Resident Evil Genre: Bit of angst sandwiched between two pieces of fluff Rating: T for language Notes: Another partially/selectively mute reader story! Again, this is somewhat self indulgent, essentially being a self-insert story with edits to make it better for a wider audience. PS Daniela says some stuff that's kinda insulting, though it's out of misunderstanding rather than poor intentions, and she tries to make up for it. Also, some of the descriptions of the reader's muteness might not make sense to everyone, as I'm essentially describing how it feels for me, personally. Summary: Daniela's favorite servant is sweet, charming, eager to please, all the things she wants from a romantic partner. But there's one detail she's never quite understood. An argument, a discussion, an inevitability.

Try as you might, it was nigh impossible to please your employer. No matter what you did, there was always something wrong, and Daniela Dimitrescu was more than pleased to point it out to you. At least her intentions weren’t severe. It didn’t really bother her if you missed a spot while dusting, or if you accidentally stumbled upon a ‘private’ conversation. What mattered to her, at the end of the day, was having material to tease you with, or ‘bargain’ with. She’d approach you slowly, musing out loud about your chores. Then she’d point out a flaw, smirking ever so slightly, before placing a finger beneath your chin. You’d make awkward eye contact, desperate to get out of the situation.

And then she’d tell you exactly what she wanted from you.

Most days it was simple enough. Or at least it had been at the start, when she first sought you out. ‘Carry these books for me’, she’d say, beckoning you to follow her. ‘Make a copy of this poem so I can return the book to Duke’, she’d command. Every single time you were powerless to refuse. Hell, you couldn’t even say anything if you wanted to. So you did as she asked. In time, you came to realize the truth behind her actions, the center of her motivations: She wanted to spend time with you.

You had been baffled, at first, to connect the dots in such a way. But Daniela made no attempt to hide her feelings, letting her touches linger on your skin, smiling without any cruelty when you were near. Once, she had even covered for you after you broke a vase. When you had tried to protest, hands waving, mouth refusing to speak, she had shrugged you off with a simple ‘you are worth the price’. Ever since then, the two of you had been rather close. Sure, she had never officially asked you on a date, but she had held your hand while the two of you read. And she had held you, swaying back and forth, as music played in a distant room. Then there were the times she caught you in the corridor, pressing you against the wall for a quick kiss… or a long one, that is. Certainly that meant something? Otherwise you’d look quite silly, blushing as hard as you tended to.

Eventually your concerns subsided considerably. It took a long, difficult conversation, however, and an argument you’d never forget…

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

“Have you read Crier’s War yet?” Daniela asked, looking at you over her own book. The two of you were in her personal study, near the library, lounging in peaceful quiet. Well, it had been quiet. At her question you glance up, ensuring you made eye contact before shaking your head no. “I think you’d like it. Impossible love between two people from vastly different cultures, who start out opposed… sounds familiar, hmm?” This time you nod, laughing a little under your breath. Then you’re returning to your novel, oblivious to the way your partner is watching you, her eyes narrowed. When she catches your attention once more, it’s with a question you had hoped she would never ask. “Why don’t you talk?”

Trying to hide your discomfort, you practically bury your nose in your book, refusing to look up at Daniela. In response she grabs your notepad, slowly sliding it closer to you. For every second of silence she moves it another centimeter. With a slight groan you give in, snatching it from her hands, but sending her a glare as you do. Quickly you grab your pen and scrawl her a note. Not an answer, rather a question of your own.

“Why does it matter?” Clearly that wasn’t what she was looking for, as she leans back and gives a groan of her own.

“Seriously? I’m just curious. You can laugh, groan, make other, nice little noises… I just want to know how you work,” Daniela explained, frowning all the while. Admittedly, you understand where she’s coming from. But that didn’t mean that you were terribly comfortable with this conversation. In fact, it’s a subject you’ve been dreading ever since the two of you started ‘dating’. How exactly were you supposed to explain your condition? Especially without being able to talk directly through it?

“It’s complicated,” you write, angling the paper so Daniela can read it from her side of the table. But she only spares it a quick glance, before staring hard at you again. “Fine, babe. My mouth feels like static. My tongue is heavy, and trying to talk is like walking when both your legs are asleep. There’s never not a lump in my throat.” Now she’s reading attentively, frown vanishing, replaced by a confused expression. Shifting awkwardly, you internally pray that she doesn’t have any follow up questions. Alas, there are no gods on your side this day.

“Did something happen? Or were you… born like this?” Daniela asked, watching you closely. Frustrated, you give her a pleading look, hoping that she’d get the message and back off. Instead she doubles down. “We could arrange for a doctor to come out here, if that’s what you need. All you have to do is tell me what’s going on.”

“I don’t expect you to understand. It’s a multifaceted issue, and-” you have to turn the page to continue writing at this point- “a very personal one. But if you must know, it has to do with my anxiety.” There’s a pause, and for a few seconds you think the conversation is over. The relief that floods your chest only lasts a single moment. Then you’re face to face with Daniela, who’s leaning across the table, eyeing you with an expression you can’t make sense of. Now your heart is racing, leaving you trembling.

“So… it’s not a matter of whether or not you can talk at all? It’s a choice?” Daniela questioned, sounding aggravated. Instantly you’re shaking your head, scowling at her interpretation of your words. “What, you’re saying you can’t even relax enough to talk around me? Your fucking girlfriend?” This was exactly the sort of thing you had been worried about. How could you expect Daniela to understand the way your mind locked your jaw in place? How could she ever realize how terrifying the whole castle was?

“Calm down and let me elaborate, please,” you write, as fast as you can. But Daniela yanks your notebook away from you, tossing it to the side. All you can do is stare at her in shock. This was more than just a misunderstanding, this was her actively sabotaging your only reliable method of communication.

“You want me to calm down? Can’t you see why I’m upset? I just found out my partner isn’t comfortable around me. We could have been talking all this goddamn time! Why haven’t you told me this before? Why haven’t we worked on this?” Daniela was practically yelling now, and both of you had risen to your feet. You’ve backed away a meter or so, only for her to close the space between you, one hand cupping your cheek. No matter how hard you try, you can’t bring yourself to look her in her eyes. “C’mon, please,” she whispered, voice barely audible. Tears are starting to cloud your vision. “Say something. Anything.”

Wordlessly, you pull yourself from her grasp, too overwhelmed to do anything other than let your feet carry you out of the room. Half to your relief, half to your misery, Daniela doesn’t lift a finger to stop you.

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

Two weeks. That’s how long it had been since you ‘talked’ to Daniela. Ever since, she had been avoiding you, and you her. Hell, for three days you struggled more than usual to communicate with anyone because you hadn’t dared to go back for your notebook. In the end someone had found you a new one. It didn’t quite feel the same though, considering your normal one had been a gift… a gift from the very person who had taken it away from you. For two weeks it had felt like every single thing was another reminder of your loneliness. You wanted desperately to fix your situation, but had no clue where to even begin. Until an irritated Cassandra hatched a devious plan, that is.

You weren’t privy to the specific details of her scheme, and could only guess as to her motivations (presumably being annoyed by Daniela’s sulking). All you really knew was that one moment you were following the middle child, supposedly to assist her with organizing something, and the next you were being shoved in an unfamiliar room. Inside, Bela was trying to stall Daniela, making up a ridiculous excuse for her to be there. As soon as you entered, the eldest daughter made a beeline (flyline?) towards the exit. Before either you or your girlfriend could process what was happening, the door had been shut and locked, trapping the two of you within.

“What the fuck?” Daniela asked, temporarily ignoring you in favor of pounding on the door. It didn’t budge, unsurprisingly, but someone outside did yell in response. Not that you could make out what the muffled voice was saying. “Ugh, I swear I am going to kill them for this.” Unable to get out, she finally turns to look at you. In an instant the anger drains from her face, replaced with a bittersweet smile. There’s enough tension in the room to weigh the corners of your lips down. It’s getting harder to breathe, and you can’t quite look Daniela in the eyes. “Hey. Hey, c’mon, if they’re going to be assholes, we might as well make the most of it, right?” She asked, voice a million times softer than you would have expected, considering your previous conversation. With that she moves to sit down, gesturing for you to join her.

“Mmm?” You ‘say’, really just making a confused humming sound. For once, you do want to talk. More than any other time you’ve wanted to. But your tongue was caught in the bear trap your teeth represented, preventing almost any sound from escaping. Still, this is a side of Daniela that you do not often see, with how prideful she tended to be. All it takes to get you to move is for her to pat the spot next to her. Then you’re shifting, blushing hard as you lower yourself onto the couch. Not quite ready to meet her gaze, you stare at your thumbs, twiddling them like an anxious child.

“Bela seems to think that I’ve made a fool of myself in front of you,” Daniela mused, more to herself than to you. One of her hands slides towards you, however, eagerly intertwining her fingers with your own. After two whole weeks of isolation… it’s an amazing feeling. “I said something stupid. It’s been driving me mad, and I have no clue what to do about it. Fuck-” she flinches as she speaks, eyes clamping shut- “I just want to fix this. I want you to feel good around me. I want you to feel the same way I do. More than anything, I want to be your safe haven.”

Your eyes meet, finally, as warmth floods your chest. Words fail you, as they are wont to do, so you leave them behind. Instead you reach for your stars- the body of your girlfriend, pulling yourself into her arms. Even as tears drip down your cheeks, you are smiling softly, overwhelmed by the embrace. Soon enough you can feel Daniela rubbing soft circles into your back with her fingers. She presses a gentle kiss to the side of your head, enjoying the hug too much to pull back even the slightest bit.

“Is there anything I can do? Anything to make you more comfortable?” She asked, for a moment not even realizing the difficulty you would have with responding. Finally connecting the dots, she changes the position of her arms, ensuring that you could stay in her lap while still being able to gesture with your hands. Instead of replying, your first concern is to gently cup your girlfriend’s cheek. Then you place a kiss on her forehead. “You’re my everything, you know that, right?” Daniela whispered, sounding almost in awe. Suddenly you’re possessed by a rush of courage, clearly bolstered by her affection, and you move without thinking. You lean back in for another kiss, hand moving to the back of her head for stability.

Both of you are smiling now, even as your kiss gets more intense, the two of you pressing against each other as best as you can. One of Daniela’s hands runs itself through your hair, before taking it in a loose grip. All you can think about is how right this feels. Your heart is racing, especially as your girlfriend switches to an open mouth kiss, letting her tongue slide across your lips. It catches you off guard, and you need to pull back to catch the breath she had so eagerly stolen. Even then you swear you can feel her pulse pounding just as hard as yours is.

“Sorry, I got a little carried away,” Daniela murmured, embarrassed, worried that you had stopped for a very different reason. In response you shake your head a little, then practically smother her face in tiny kisses. She’s giggling at that, grinning, all of her anxiety fading away. Most of yours does too. Everything feels perfect. So much so, in fact, that you feel something you haven’t felt in almost an entire year: The loosening of your jaw muscles. Clarity unstiffens your tongue, making age-old static clear up. Can I…? You wonder, wanting so desperately to use this opportunity as best as you can. After all, who knew when you’d ever be this comfortable within the castle again. Hell, the thought alone makes you more nervous, and you struggle to think of something, anything, to say.

“L-l… Love,” you stuttered, barely getting the syllable out, mouth feeling incredibly dry, mind racing, hating how it sounds because holy shit you haven’t talked in a year and was Daniela going to hate your voice and forget all about what you were saying and ruin the moment or worse was she going to hate you or thoughts thoughts pounding in your head like a hurricane, because because because-......................... Anxiety, above all else, was an asshole. One that had prevented you from hundreds of conversations, and limited a thousand more. Now, moments after finally speaking, your mind is on the brink of a tear-worthy breakdown. But you’ve said your piece, and by God has it been received.

“Yes, absolutely, fuck baby, I love you so much!” Daniela cried, equally overwhelmed, for a far different reason. She’s holding you as close as she can, burying her face in your neck. Likewise you rest yourself against her, letting your eyes drift shut, happy beyond description. There were still things you had to talk about, yes, and you would once more have to rely on your trusty notebook. Daniela had a lot to learn, to understand, but this was a start. More than that, it was the first step after the mending of a broken bone. Everything to come would be far, far easier, a labor of love done fearlessly.

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

“Should we open the door now? Or at least unlock it?... How long does it take two idiots to stop being mad at each other?” Cassandra asked, leaning against the hallway wall. Meanwhile Bela had her ear to the door, straining to hear what was going on within. Sure, she had gone along with her younger sister’s plan, but she hadn’t been entirely convinced that it wouldn’t end in disaster. Then again, so far so good. No yelling, no (loud) crying, just some quiet words from Daniela. Maybe they’re working things out, Bela thought, starting to smile. And then she heard something she’d never forget…

“Yes, absolutely, fuck baby, I love you so much!”

“We are not opening that door,” Bela replied, suddenly, her ears burning red. She didn’t know how things had gone from so quiet to so potentially dirty in such a short amount of time, and she did not care. Without even a hint of an explanation, she turned to leave, desperate to get certain mental images out of her head...

[borathae]

Just my thoughts in general about how different SA! Tae's and Y/n's Relationship and chemistry from SA! Yoongi's and Y/n's

For Tae and Y/n their connection and attraction started out immediately partly because of taehyung manipulating her but even before that y/n found him attractive. Their romance was kinda like something out of a romantic comedy, their dates were elaborate and in each one of them they would always have this moment that would make them fall for eachother even more, for example their first date at that cafe after that they were soaked in the rain and had a moment then it repeat again after their date in which they swing dance their moment while walking together and then again after tae took her to the mansion and of course many others, to get to my point their romance seems like the expectation we would have for a romantic partner, their love seems like fireworks and butterflies and all these typical romantic scenes and actions

While for SA Yoongi and Y/n their relationship started out slowly, it build up the tension they have for one another, the pining, the misunderstandings and the unsaid words were their building blocks on what they have now. Their relationship was flawed in so many different ways from the beginning. But through time and communication on both parties (although not easy because of their stubborness) on why they were wired that way, we get to see this unseen side on both of them specially on yoongi's part. Their love felt grounded and full of comfort, it felt like this mature love that you will only experience when your with someone for a very long time

And I'm in awe on how much you manage to make each pairings love suit the relationship and the people involved in it. The distinction and the way you story tell their romance respectably is amazing. You made me fall for this to vastly different ways of falling in love. Just ahhh after reading SA for almost a week now I can't help but be thankful mygosh your talented. If I was rich I would probably give you my entire fortune plus my hypothetical first born baby. I would love to see a sequel to this but I'm happy if this how you would end the story. I just want to say my thoughts on this story and I can't wait to read more of your works. Also I'm sorry this is super long feel free to not reply on this as I just wanted to share my thoughts on you about your amazing fic.

I love you so much anonie 😭😭 this is the best message I have ever recieved 😭😭 thank you so much omfg I love this 😭😭

I also couldn't agree more, you analysed the differences between their relationships so well ommgm. Tae and OC seem exciting, fresh and like something out of a romance movie. While Yoongi and OC seem settled, safe and as if two people with the same mindset finally found each other 😔

I love you so much, gosh I reread this message so many times 😭😭💜

[bottlesandcats]

hiii!! i hope it's okay to just ask you, i really want to start writing fanfiction but i'm so embarrassed of my writing style and in general, ever showing it to anyone? do you have any tips for beginners? 🥺

Hey there Anon! Sorry for the delay in getting back to you, but I was at work when I saw your ask, and wanted to really think about what to say before responding. With that in mind, I hope you don't mind a really lengthy answer.

I have to say I’m incredibly flattered to have someone ask me for writing tips, and will do my best to provide some insights based on my own experience. I'm no expert, but I've done a lot of writing both academic and creative. Of course, it goes without saying that the following strategies are what work for me, personally. Everyone works and thinks differently, so some of my suggestions may not fit the way you work and that's totally okay!

Because I am an anal nerd, I've organized my responses into categories.

Writing Style

Firstly, remember that your writing style is unique to you and you have nothing to be embarrassed about! But honestly, I think a lot of writers feel the same way; I don’t actually like my fiction writing style, either, and am always working to improve it.

One thing I’ve found that helps: find authors whose style you really like, and read and reread their stories and study how they write. What’s their sentence structure like? How do they write dialogue? How do they set up scenes? Is it through dialogue or more through the use of a character’s thoughts? This is what I do. I have three authors, who all write in a particular way that I really love, that I tend to reread and study for inspiration. Just know that your style is not set in stone and you do have the ability to adjust it, it just takes practice.

At the end of the day it's easy to wish we could write like our favorite authors, but don't be too hard on yourself; your style is special, too!

Getting Started

When I used to write research papers in school, I was a big fan of creating outlines before I'd start writing the actual paper. However, for creative writing, I don't use outlines because I find that I'm constantly changing things around. The outline would either have to be so basic in order to allow for flexibility that it wouldn't be of much use, or it would become irrelevant three chapters in.

Writing that first sentence is probably the hardest part of writing a story. What I did, for the story I'm working on now, is picked a part that I was really excited to write about and just started with that, first (I'm pretty sure it was something that comes much later in my story, that I haven't even posted yet). That helped me to get really into the process and feel confident about what I was doing, which made it easier to move onto other sections. What I'm trying to say is don’t be hemmed in by feeling like you have to write sequentially. I tend to write scenes as they come to me; I don’t force myself to write consecutive chapters, if that makes sense. For example, in my current story, I had chapter 14 finished before chapter 11 bc I had a burst of inspiration and just wrote it all out. Just be aware that sometimes this can lead to you writing yourself into a corner (which did happen to me in this fic), but the beauty of it all is that it’s your story and you can change whatever you want!

If you’re writing a story with chapters, keep a point in mind. My beta reader actually taught me this. With each chapter, ask yourself “What is the goal of this chapter?” Think of chapters as mini stories that, when combined and read in order, create one big story (duh). Therefore each chapter should ideally have a purpose that moves the overall story forward.

Write about what you know. If you don't know -> research

Authenticity is really important to me. I have googled the most random shit for this story: "Did soldiers have to repair their own uniforms in WWII?" "Popular slang of the 30s and 40s." "How to make jambalaya." "Popular cigarette brands of the 30s."

I have also been very careful around race in my story as it involves POC and I'm as white as white gets (I got a hyphenated name and everything). When I address a character's emotions around race I try to match it to how they acted in the show/movie. I don't rely on conjecture or how I think they'd feel, bc as a white person, it's impossible for me to truly know what it's like to be a POC. This also goes for dialogue; it can be easy to turn people into caricatures. I've watched TFATWS at least three times, and have watched numerous interviews with Anthony Mackie to try and make sure I write dialogue and emotion that fits him as an individual and not a stereotype. It's not perfect, and I'm sure I've made some mistakes, but it's something that's really important to me and I try my damndest to make sure Sam Wilson comes across as authentic.

Getting Edits

I see a lot of people suggest sharing your work with friends or family to get feedback. I'm not really a fan of this because I'm pretty private about my writing. I don't want anyone that I know reading it bc, frankly, I'm embarrassed (hey look how we came full-circle there!). Besides AO3, Tumblr is the only space that I feel comfortable enough to share my work without fear of judgement. I think the preferred alternative is to get yourself a beta reader. This is the first fic that I've worked on with a beta reader and...wow, what a huge difference it has made! I found my beta reader when he posted on tumblr expressing an interest in beta'ing, and so I messaged him (hey @3dg310rdsupreme). It’s the best decision I ever made. He has truly made me a better writer, and my current in-progress fic wouldn’t be nearly as good without him offering edits, acting as a sounding board, and reigning in my excessive use of lengthy paragraphs (he will probably cringe at these paragraphs, here).

Posting Your Story

If/when you do decide to post your story in a public forum, try to maintain a loose posting schedule. When I first started uploading I committed to a chapter a week, but by the eighth chapter I was getting too stressed and found myself glued to my computer 24/7 trying to keep up. Hold yourself to goals so you don't wind up abandoning the fic, but remember that you are your own boss and this is meant to be fun, so go easy on yourself. I'd also recommend getting several chapters finished BEFORE you even post the first one, to give yourself a head start. You think you have plenty of time but it's surprising how much time edits and rewrites can take.

It can be really scary to share your work with others. Writing is really hard, can be very personal, and it's an incredibly vulnerable feeling to put yourself out there like that and leave yourself open to the judgements of others. I was terrified when I first started to upload chapters because I just wasn't sure what reader etiquette was like. The last time I posted a fic was on FanFiction.net almost 10 years ago and ppl did not hold back their criticism (I think things have vastly improved since then or maybe AO3 readers are just nicer). I can't emphasize this enough: you are not obliged to take readers' criticisms/feedback whether they are constructive or not. I don't ever leave criticisms or corrections when I comment on other writers' stories; I honestly don't feel it's my place to do anything other than support them as they are sharing their talents for free. Some writers welcome constructive criticism, and will typically state that in the notes if they are open to it. I do not; it's why I have a beta reader. I did have one reader post a public comment correcting me on a couple things (one of which was a misunderstanding on their part) and I politely requested that in the future any corrections should be sent to me privately, not publicly shared.

Wow...I think that's a good start. I really hope at least some of these tips will be useful to you! Thanks for reaching out, feel free to do so again, and if you ever want to send some pages my way you are more than welcome to! Just remember, be kind to yourself and have patience bc seriously…

[inkdemonapologist]

Do you either believe Henry created Alice (Like how Norman said) or that Henry helped in creating her?

I don’t see any reason to doubt that Henry designed Alice! Like, I’d trust Norman’s word over Joey’s anyway most of the time, and on this, Joey backs it up with his comment that Henry might talk about the “creation process” of the main three:

“Heck even in those rare occasions when people would say Henry created Bendy, Boris, or Alice because they had met him once and he’d spoken about the creation process with them, I was happy to let people think it. A man who is secure with himself doesn’t need to set things right. He just lives his life knowing the truth. 

“That being said, I did invent all the cartoon characters at the studio. That goes without saying. They are mine, my inspiration, based on my life experiences. Anyone who says anything differently is lying or has been lied to.”

So even if you take Joey 100% at his word, there’s good reason to believe Alice was designed by Henry -- I personally think the contradiction in the Sammy chapter implies that Joey is lying about some aspect of Alice, but it’d also be possible to take both statements as true instead: for example, that Henry designed Alice at some point early on, and a year or two later Joey finally dug out Henry’s old drawings of her when they were brainstorming a female character.

But for which version I lean towards, whether Henry created the character himself, or bounced off of Joey’s concepts when designing her… man that really does go back to how much you believe Joey’s story about the Creation of Bendy, doesn’t it?

I’m inclined to believe it because it makes a lot of sense. Like. Joey doesn’t intentionally paint a misunderstanding, but it’s really easy to see it happening in the story he tells -- Henry sees it as “we both created him” and Joey sees it as an OC commission, and downplays the fact that so much of Who Bendy Is was captured in that design that Henry created. And like, I’ve seen this sort of thing happen in real life -- the writer and the artist both assuming the character belongs to them or was primarily their creation, even when the character is mutually brainstormed. I’ve had this happen in art jobs I’ve done!! It’s a clash of expectations that rings very, very true to me. (Incidentally, if you’re planning on working with a friend, like on a webcomic or something, that’s one thing Joey is not wrong about: please, sign a contract!! Figure out where you stand on these ideas ahead of time.)

But at the same time, what are we supposed to make of the “He was born here” golden message? Is that symbolic, the idea that Bendy was truly born from Henry’s pencil, not Joey’s? Or was he literally created at Henry’s desk in the Studio? Because the latter would mean that Joey’s timeline here is vastly wrong, since Henry would need to have already gotten the job before Bendy was created, and this whole encounter would be fabricated. It would open up the idea that Joey is creating this story out of whole cloth, and that actually Henry made Bendy all on his own -- which is wild, because this story also contains Abby, someone Joey still regularly works with, and it would be EXTRA weird for Joey to turn her into a matchmaker like this for no reason.

As soon as you try to consider a version of events where Bendy’s creation didn’t really happen this way and Joey’s making it up -- if Henry created Bendy on his own and Joey wasn’t involved, maybe if a similar brainstorming session really happened, but with some other character, etc. -- it doesn’t make any sense that THIS is the story Joey would invent. He seems off-balance in his every interaction with Henry, desperately trying to cover that up by negging Henry every other sentence, and tells us a story where they create something together, something Joey couldn’t have created on his own. Based on the entire rest of TIOL, I don’t think Joey is subtle enough to make up this story, to make up a story where he didn’t recognise Henry’s genius but Abby did, where he couldn’t figure out how Bendy should look but Henry could, where Joey is excited and caught off-guard and nervous and and Henry is confident and sure.

So, if we’re going with the idea that this DID happen, then I think it’s very likely the other two characters could’ve been similar. Joey mentions Isabel Newsome being an inspiration for how he sees Alice Angel, and I think that (a) says some very interesting things about Alice Angel and (b) makes a lot of sense -- Joey couldn’t fathom an angel as a main character unless she had a little bit of devil in her -- so the idea that the basic concept of the character came from Joey, and the design and manifestation of the character came from Henry, is one I’d absolutely accept.