#cracks knuckles. now i just need to worldbuild

[storgicdealer]

ahem. cracks knuckles.

you know what time it is boy

highlights of attacking the innocent (also balling): general analysis of influencer arc episode 1

(so. the green onceler arc might be actually real)

THIS EPISODE WAS SO SICK. the animation????the music??????? the 3D CYBERSPACE??????????? MWAH chefs kiss . and the most interesting new thing: new character to play dolls with (thank you everyone who put their 5 cents in and shared a braincell: calling him greenscreen)

and. god.

the 3d insides of the computer box and programs... GOD !!!!!! GOD !!!!!!!!!!!! THIS IS WHAT I LIVE FOR BABY!!!!!!!!

i NEED to find out the dimensions of it.

the way the ab team decided to expand on the 3d perspective just like this is. oh my lird

personally this means SO MUCH for me as the #1 lover of the "internet is walkable" trope. one of the main reasons why i adore avam so much

more points on that: the icons dont seem to.. "gain shape" until they're interacted with: in this case picked up by the cg. another point: sticks need to apply force to an icon to open an app . swag

additional note: the episode itself seems to begin in sticksfight?? or just a random table that was drawn

additional note electric boogaloo: green seemed to hit the CEILING when performing his ballin movement. is the gui of the computer really not that high?? and.

where are the doors. where are. where is the backstage that the sticks constantly come out of. hello

the way they interact with adobe premiere is SO SO interesting. the whole process of videomaking in the universe is something im gonna be thinking of for a GOOD while

(small note: i know sticks own hammerspace and can basically bring out anything but. is the red cape the red fabric green used in the matador short?

now, onto our new character

greenscreen seemed to appear out of the adobe video being overloaded? with effects n unnecessary sfx and clipping masks and such, causing it to glitch. in fact, adobe itself warned to proceed with caution the second the cg put too much stuff into it.

honestly, we can always put this monent into the "something glitchy-fucked happens and there are consequences" category, with the consequences just happening to be a new guy (thank you so much whoever did that). but worldbuilding wise, how exactly did it manifest? did the excessive amount of effects and glitches.. shape a creature into existence? with it taking the appearance of green as the main character that appeared in the video the most. sort of like a puzzle to create a being?

what's interesting, the screen focuses on the cg throwing the video away before the sequence with it gaining sentience by taking the form of green starts.

now, the main thing about the fight scene to me is how greenscreen took all of his movements/actions from the video itself,

and how many people have already pointed out, is that..

he doesn't seem to have wanted to attack in the first place.

screen, from the beginning of his existence only possessed powers/moves that green & cg themselves have shown in the video. and of course, the main point of the video itself was fighting a monster — obviously filling up the video, the whole essence of the character, with mostly that. his whole being was shaped up that way.

screen might've tried acting friendly, or neutral at least — but the whole way the video, a fighting video, was jumbled with glitches kind of.. forced him not to exhibit any other behaviour. perhaps, if not for these glitches, he could've controlled his own actions — he would still know the most of the world from the video, but at least, if he wanted to fight — he could control it. and do it himself, if he wanted.

(additional note: greenscreen seems to glitch everytime he's hit, also.)

the time he does attack, himself — is when he is cornered, and has been shown nothing but violence from others.

woah that pal has some seeerious issues to get under control ! anyways, onto other highlights of the video! (/silly)

the new video did a WONDERFUL job at showcasing the cg's fighting style in a new, clear manner. the gang regained the weapons they have wielded in the first part of "wanted", but in another form.

orange, equipped with the classic brush tool, seems to be mostly focused on defense. (regaining the previous defense styles based on the last parts of wanted & avm s3!)

red seems to focus on melee and hand-to-hand fighting,

blue, classic: fighting at a distance with the bow.

yellow seems to also fight at a certain distance, but it is only a hand's reach: enough to hit, enough to not get hit. (this also heavily reminds me of yellow's behavior with the staff, where in fight she has mostly hung out in the middle: aiming and attacking from a certain distance.)

i'm not particularly sure what category to put green in, also taking in his usage of the rod in avms3 and a .. gun. in the beginning of wanted. but his moves are the most agile and sharp (literally) out of the crew.

a bit of the video i am . Really interested in

finding out about his adobe-abilities, screen consumed other bits of the program to use it for attacking. including posterizing time, which is not only a quite strong ability in on itself, but!

..also seemed to affect other sticks, while he, himself — was unaffected by time.

the move seems to be incredibly powerful??? like. if it was that easy for a glitched video to consume parts of adobe, use it for his own powers, to a point of manipulating time???

damn. the cg basically created an adobe demigod????????

another supposition i have onto why it worked on sticks: the cg were drawn themselves, and drawn in adobe flash, therefore being interacted with as symbols whether they were affected because of just being drawn beings themselves, or because of some kind of influence all adobe programs might have on each other — their creation itself is probably the reason for this. (once again. they created a killer machine and provoked it itself!!!!!! damn pick a struggle!!!!!/j)

the episode finishes off amazingly in my opinion by the cg recreating and using the basketball movements they learned when filming their first video. they Slamdunked a stick. good lord

anyways. FEEL FREE TO ADD ON TO THIS POST WHATEVER YOU WANT !!! i appreciate all notes !!!! :D

[alternativesaga]

Penny for ur brainthoughts on elemental? 👀🤲

I opened my laptop for this *cracks knuckles* oKAY I am so sorry for the ramble for what's about to come but honestly the reading is unnecessary I just need to ramble on what I can currently think of atm

I'm ngl, I was really initially hesitant to watch the movie. I didn't even plan to, but a friend suggested it while hanging out and watching a movie sounded nice to pass the time.

And I'm glad I did! The advertisement for it was truly atrocious.

I'm not gonna go into the worldbuilding aspect of Elemental City. It's nice, but honestly it's not what intrigues me about the movie. However, I do enjoy their color schemes especially at night with vivid dark blues and contrasting eccentric warm yellows and reds in Firetown!

My biggest love for this movie is the relationships between family (the dynamic with Ember and her father especially), and love (Ember and Wade). Which--cheesy, yes, but it was more than that! It had aspects of being a descendant of immigrant parents and what that means to the child, and the potential for culture clashes in everyday life, including relationships.

With Ember and her father, all throughout her life she's had this desire to prove herself to her family that she will be what makes them proud. To her, it's taking over her dad's store. It's not about being perfect, she understands her temper, but she needs to be better. And knowing that feeling all her life, that pressure never goes away. She wants to show that she's grateful to whatever they have sacrificed for her. She has to be a good daughter. Or else it'll seem as though everything she and her parents have done will have been for nothing. A failure. And because the pressure has always been there, it's understandable as to why she never fully questioned going out and doing her own thing because she figured there isn't a point in looking for more than what she has now. Growing up in a family with more traditional views, sometimes its encouraged to keep within the limits of what someone is already capable of. Or sometimes its just saying, oh, yes, you can dream, but don't dream too big! Ember didn't even let herself do that because she already sees how tired her father is. Therefore, it's practically the idea of sacrificing her own life to protect what she currently has--her family.

Culture in itself is a huge aspect of the movie. Peter Sohn, the creator of Elemental also supported this as he provided examples of his own life being first-gen from an immigrant family and what his parents had to go through while moving into a new country. And while its different elements of characters between water, fire, earth, and air demonstrates those distinctions to an extent, it's deeper than that. It can affect a person's way of life and their relationships. (I lied I'm going into the worldbuilding a bit) Element City is a great aspect of showing the accessibility available to the fire people. Each element is provided their own accessibilities throughout the city, but there is minimal for fire. So instead, they essentially have their own Firetown in the outskirts of the city. But also, you know, the topics of racism. It's there and apparent in the most simple way that the movie can make it. But ngl the think with what Wade's step-dad/uncle(?) says to Ember about speaking clear? I laughed because that does happen. It shouldn't! But it does! Without getting into too much detail irl I've been in similar situations and I like how the movie just addresses it so randomly.

As for Wade and Ember, upon watching it the first time, the relationship was cute, but wasn't entirely something I really cared about. It was mainly due to how Wade was so--Idk, bubbly that I was initially thinking like--"damn, really? We're sticking with this?" It's honestly not that deep. It bugged me at first, with how he pushed Ember about telling her father about everything. And to encourage her to leave her current life at her job just to follow an internship she just learned about! He, who moves from job to job just because he can, and her, who has worked her whole life--it wasn't just about culture as elements, it's even social class. I understood the apprehension and fear Ember felt and the anger of explaining that that doesn't just happen. It's not something that can be done on a whim. It's not because she didn't want to, but because she couldn't. It's a damn privilege. At the time, it was like "leaving" meant leaving everything behind and essentially betraying her family to do something completely different to what she believed meant going against their dreams. And man, does that hurt. But Wade doesn't understand it. Which--unfortunately/fortunately, it's understandable. It's not something that just comes to be understood, it's just something someone can bear and grow with. Wade was one of the first things outside of Ember's life at home in which she wanted. She wanted the relationship. All her life, she has put up this front to be strong, show resilience, don't let anything hurt you. She's protective of her home, her mother, her father, her life. She's always happy and fiery in her personality until she just blows up because of all that stress and anger that's left to build up and explode! But then here's Wade, some fool, who the first thing he says after she explains her experience at the museum with her father, "You must have been so scared." Not even knowing her, or her life at the time to an extent, does he still manage to try to connect with her. And even after everything and the rejection, he STILL tries to prove to her that he's willing to try to understand. And they made it work even with all the apprehension!

In all honesty, a lot of the movie was something really relatable to me, and I see a lot of myself within Ember. Even with the temperament at times haha. I'm also glad to have watched Peter Sohn's explanation of the inspiration for it and his connections to it because he just brings in that perspective and representation of being a person from a family of immigrants and how it event affected his own relationship. I know I could probably say more but I'm just going to leave it as this haha Thanks for coming to my ted talk

[trollprincess]

Okay, so some of you might not know this because I did this before I returned to Tumblr from the bird site, BUT. Last year I dictated almost two entire books to my phone.

Let me explain. One of my jobs is a twelve-hour weekend night shift. Six PM to six AM Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, so thirty-six hours with the other four hours paid just as long as we do the entire weekend. I first took it so I could have the rest of the week off, and then proceeded to go back to work at dog camp those days. For the most part, over the last five years, I have only have Mondays completely off solely because that’s when my therapy sessions are.

Anyway, my weekend job is full-time, dog camp is part-time. The weekend job is factory work, making helmets, a lot of which are for the military. (Which, as a pacifist, I manage to stomach because hey, it’s just protective gear.) The thing is, like a lot of manufacturing work, it’s boring and repetitive. Think about how bored you are after five or so hours of an eight-hour shift. Now imagine it’s one o’clock in the morning, you still have five hours to work, and you would literally rather shove nails in your eyes than work. It sucks.

Meanwhile, my free time is spent trying to work at my third job (making @disasterarea-podcast) and attempting to work on getting published. I had all these grand ideas about getting traditionally published back in my twenties, and now I’m 46 and I’m struggling just to come up with any ideas at all a lot of the time. Three jobs doesn’t help. Depression and anxiety don’t help. So for a while there, I had terrible writer’s block when it came to my novels.

So last year, I decided to try something. I have these massive baby-pink noise-canceling Bluetooth gaming headphones with a mic which I wear to work. Why not try dictating a first draft to my phone? Obviously it wouldn’t be exact, since voice-to-text dictation isn’t perfect under the best of situations, and certainly not with loud factory noises around you. But I tried it on dictating notes for my podcast a few times and it worked pretty well, all things considered. And a bad first draft is still a first draft.

So I figured, fuck it, and one night I just started dictating a story off the top of my head. No preparation, no outlining, no worldbuilding - just pantsing HARD with nothing but an annoyance following a Teen Wolf rewatch and a resolution not to edit until after I churned out a first draft.

It took fifty-one days.

Eighty thousand words or so later, I had a dreadful first draft which needed an absolute fuckton of editing and continuity correction and character work. BUT I had a finished first draft of a novel. Which is something I hadn’t had in a good long while.

So I tried it again for NaNoWriMo. I got up to 65k words. So I won NaNoWriMo, but I put the story aside because I hit a bit of a wall. Still! That’s almost two full fiction manuscripts in one year, AND the nonfiction memoir I wrote about my road trip to disaster sites during the pandemic. 2022 was a good writing year.

So I did what I do with first drafts and put them aside for a while. I knew they were awful. I knew they needed a ton of work. And maybe that was a tad intimidating, which is why I only JUST picked up the NaNoWriMo first draft to work on it and finish it off. It’s queer, it’s got time travel, it’s got disasters. It is right up my fucking alley. I may be just a tiny bit obsessed with that story.

Unsurprisingly, going through it now is taking more than a little while. I sit down, I spend an hour working on it, I maaaaaaybe get two paragraphs polished. If that.

But the fact that I’m working on ANY fiction is kind of remarkable. And fingers crossed, maybe I can get this damn thing, and the other manuscript, AND my road trip book, finished and polished over the next year so I can submit the fuck out of them.

NOW. Someone send me a twenty-pound bag of rooibos vanilla chai and ten pounds of red licorice laces. Mama’s gonna need it. *cracks knuckles*

[valentinerose529]

I checked my copy of Unlocked, and it doesn’t explain anything about the economy and working society besides birth funds, treasury cubes, and deductors (functionally similar to a credit card reader), and the fact that elves don’t need to work and treat it as a hobby or occupation. So *cracks knuckles* it’s theory time!     To be honest, since the series is targeted at kids, the worldbuilding tends to be lax and thin in some places and this is probably the case with money? to a young reader, the explanation need only be “sophie doesn’t have to worry about money when she’s transplanted into the lost cities, because everyone is given money at birth and it’s worth a lot more than human money”     (although i don’t remember how they explained sophie’s birth fund if she legally didn’t exist for the first twelve years of her life?)     tbh that’s probably also why the luster-dollar conversion rate is so astonishingly high, just because “one luster is worth a million human dollars” sounds cool to a young reader without considering all the practicalities.

But as a serious and overthought answer, I’m gonna extrapolate that the actual monetary number value of a luster isn’t the same as the economical worth. If lusters really had the same economical worth as a million dollars does in the human economy, such a high monetary value would probably end in everyone using fractional lusters or exclusively bartering for their things. Since the elven world has very little narrative focus, and a seemingly nonexistent reliance, on business and blue collar jobs (the gnomes almost exclusively handle the Lost Cities food production and distribution, for example), that’s probably not the case. Which means it’s more likely that, in some point in elven history (possibly before the Lost Cities cut contact with humanity, to explain the comparison to human money) all monetary values plummeted and inflation skyrocketed. After the economy stabilized, the actual economical value of a luster stabilized to be something more sustainable, but the now-archaic conversion rate remained the same.

Alternatively, maybe the elves just don’t know diddly-squat about human currency and assume that dollars have a much lower value than lusters, generating that million-dollar conversion rate! Who knows, it’s children’s fantasy; I’m overthinking this!

As for with jobs and working and whatnot, the series says that working is done out of want, not need. Which reads like a watered-down version of the guaranteed living income model seen in certain parts of the real world, although with a lot of unanswered worldbuilding questions. (Maybe this is why there are only two doctors so far in the series, and one of them is a school nurse? Nobody else wants that kind of job?) Unlocked says that elves can earn money through working and they can have more money than others, but this has no social importance. In the real-life guaranteed living income model, humans can and will still choose to work (in jobs that aren’t soul-sucking and exploitative, mind you) simply because we need some way to occupy ourselves and, in the ideal society, because we want to mutually contribute to our community and keep it running. (You’d think in an immortal society with such a high birth rate, a lot more elves would get jobs to occupy themselves and share their skills with the younger generations, but i honestly don’t know what most of the elven population does. Makes art? Eats vegetables? Joins a rebel group?)     It seems like the Lost Cities have a similar business model due to the two factors of birth funds and elective workforces, but as I said above, the series says nothing about the essential services and blue collar jobs of the elven world. Despite the majority of their population having skills and abilities that would improve working conditions considerably, I think the only mention of abilities having practical and everyday uses are in Atlantis when the Psionipaths maintain the shield over the city, or Flashers being well-suited to operating medical technology.     Finally, there’s a dark implication in the series that the Talentless, canonically the secondary social class, can’t get the “good” jobs that the Nobility have and may end up being the ones working the unwanted but essential jobs like waste disposal, power plant production. Which, yikes, I hope that’s not the case.

The economy in the Lost Cities makes… no sense. How do they even get their money? What is it worth on an international scale?

What’s even the point of working when there’s nothing received in return? I know it’s just a pastime, but it’s still kind of… not well thought out. Why do they even have a currency if everything’s passed out by the Nobility government? Are most jobs within the Nobility because it’s said that working within the Nobility is very prestigious… but those are the main jobs shown? Most of the ones that aren’t are looked down upon and seem to be the kind of jobs that don’t require much skill so their wouldn’t be paid as much. Actually, pay doesn’t matter so that last point was kind of irrelevant.

Why is their currency even worth so much in comparison to human money like American dollars when they don’t involve themselves with that species? Do they just use really expensive things to make their money? Why? For such an advanced society, why would it be through physics representation?

Like, Messenger couldn’t have just made it like where free enterprise is a thing so they can make money in the first place then have social institutions and advanced, unbiased tech or other redistribute the money equally through high taxes?

I’m almost certainly over thinking this. It just… I don’t understand it at all. Did I miss something in the books that explains this? I haven’t gone through all the info in Unlocked so maybe that explains it. Idk.

[twisted-wonderland-shenanigans]

Whats the General idea of humans in Twisted Wonderland? And What do the students from Heartslabyul, Scarabia & Pomefiore think of the humans that their dorms represents? +what does Malleus and Lilia think of humans? (If they're still immortal in this au)

Oh boy! *cracks knuckles* More worldbuilding! And it's a doozy of a question too! :D

To start off, I'll answer the easiest of the questions: what are the Great Seven? I've broken them down as follows:

The Queen of Hearts--human

The King of Beasts--manticore (still in beast form as he is in game)

The Sea Witch--kraken

The Sorcerer of the Sands--human

The Beautiful/Fairest Queen--human

The King of the Underworld--centaur (sleipnir variation. Yes, I know it's more Norse, but I see him having multiple smoke-like legs as a centaur akin to his toga)

The Fairy of Thorns/Thorn Fairy--dragon (depicted with tail and dragon wings that fold over her shoulders like a cloak or out like in the live action movie)

Now, originally I was going to make them all based off some form of monster or other mythology...but aside from Jafar, nothing really seemed fitting for the remaining two, and so I left all three as humans. Thus, we are left with the questions: how are humans perceived? What do the three dorms think of the very humans their dorm represents? 🤔

To start off, it's safe to say that they are still revered in Twisted Wonderland even amongst monsters--both magical and non-magical due to their accomplishments and noble efforts to mend the bonds between humans and monsters. Of course, much like we saw in the movies, they were anything but the great beings paraded about and Yuu still experiences the dreams leading to an overblot. That being said though...

For the general idea on how humans are depicted, the best way I can describe them is that the stories are a mixture of: old wives tales, Brother's Grimm Fairy Tales, and a few surviving handfuls of Disney-esk "love shall overcome hate" stories and movies--only, much more dramatic and dangerous because hey, monster abilities! 😂

Skimming over the Disney like ones, those sort of stories are of the few humans where the princesses choose to be with them and vice versa, though by comparison the humans are shown defending and protecting their monster counterparts. I gotta think on which ones would have been monster and which ones human, but for the most part I'm holding off on the RSA side of things until we find out more about that side of Twisted Wonderland and not just the little bits that are sprinkled in here and there. ^_^;

As for the "dark side" of the species though...the mythology of this AU depicts many of them being violent, vindictive, cunning, and cruel. Urban legends suggested that many of them were magicless, growing jealous and fearful of their monster neighbors. It's not hard to imagine how things turned out in a world where humans were defensive and reactive versus dealing with those monsters who wield magic and already don't look favorably upon those who don't. Needless to say...it did not turn out well.

Rumor has it that the most powerful magicians came together to banish humans from Twisted Wonderland. Others believe that the Great Seven sent them to another world. Yet many simply believe that humans just...died off. No one knew the truth, and the very few who did even remember when humans roamed the lands have only a faint memory. Malleus wasn't born yet when this happened, but Lilia does have some recollection of them much like he does when he's in history class and remembering events happening differently.

Well, now you have a better understanding on why everyone is so confused and baffled by Yuu's arrival and behavior~! 😃

Now, as for the students themselves? Well of course they respect the Great Seven, and it's considered an honor being in their respective dorms. I'll give a brief overview of points that I feel need to be pointed out.

For Heartslabyul? Granted, the Queen of Hearts being human does make it a little iffy given how strict she is, but what helped solidify her role as one of the Great Seven was the fact that she held everyone to those standards--it didn't matter if they were human or monster, she gave them the same set of expectations without question and gave both species the same opportunity to fix mistakes for breaking certain rules (such as stealing tarts, etc).

For Scarabia, the Sorcerer of the Sands was respected by the students for his intelligence and cunning, though his appearance and behavior resembling a monster species known as a gorgon helped with that. As a result, he essentially has the second easiest time getting respect from the monsters in Twisted Wonderland. The one who had the easiest time?

Why, the Fairest Queen of course. It's no argument that she was considered the most beautiful to both humans and monsters alike, her diligence and determination to pursue her goals rivaling the respect for her skills and abilities in poisons, astrology, and alchemy. It's even been something of a point that many monsters actually use as a role model to remind them of what it takes to pursue their own goals and dreams.

Anyway, that's all I could think of off the top of my head! If you guys have any other questions feel free to hit me up! I love these sort of questions, they help me build up this world more! :D

[ebachan]

Sonic Prime - Frame by Frame

Hi,

I've seen and now taken tons of frames from the newest Trailer. Some are just funny, but you'll notice "odd stuff" in some. So, let's dive right into them. Also, this will be a very long post ;-)

I don't mind the 4th wall breaking, but I wonder how often, or if it will be there. The opening looks like it could be trailer-exclusive.

It's just for a frame, but we can see Sonic and Shadow being knocked back. This means both are evenly matched regarding the raw power of their spin-dash/homing attack. Which is no surprise XD

It seems not all Badniks have a Flickie.

We can conclude, Dr. Eggman also cracked the Paradox Prism. Or the sparks were caused by the forceful removal. I wonder if we will learn why that stone exists, who created it, and why it was in Green Hills. There is definitely a lot of worldbuilding that can be explored.

It's hard to see, but I wonder if those letters are based on any existing language or inspired by games. It would be cool to find out those aren't random "words". Also, notice the red dot which is the ShatterPortal (Let's call it that ;-)).

I really love how we get to see "Mobians". And it seems we may get a decent amount of variants. Also, it begs the question if we will see more humans outside of Eggman. It would be the first time since Archie we would get humans and Mobians living together and not separately.

I can't help but think Sonic can't run as fast as he should. Could it be possible that he can run fast thanks to his shoes as suggested in old Genesis manuals? It would be probably too similar to Shadow, but given his shoes are all sparkly, it's possible. That could also explain why he needs new shoes and gloves per universe.

I really like how each mecha is different. Also, I think we have seen only 3 out of 5 in this trailer. Unless those two Eggmen have something different.

Basically except for the fully blue-haired one, everyone is based on the old concept art. I really wonder what individual quirks they have :-D Also one of them seems to have a visible tattoo that is quite big. You don't see that often :-D

I can't help but think Tails have both of his tails. Right behind him, you can see something like two tips. But it may be just one tail with a split end. Tails also may have those mechanical legs because he can't fly even with two tails, or to increase his combat potential. I can also see him being more cynical or sarcastic, showing he is less optimistic.

Terminator Amy, nothing else can be said XD I wonder if we will get a flashback of how she ended up like this. Also, it may be possible she is completely mute, giving her more Metal Sonic vibes.

Primal Flickies used to be huge :-D Also, Amy is a bit of a less cavehog in this case. I really love the use of leaves for clothing. Froggy is there too :-D And Tails is examining something in the background. This fox will always be the brainiac :-D

I just find it interesting, that Rouge's sword looks so different from the other two.

Only the best of the best pirates have hot-air ballons on their ship :-D Notice Amy in the background by the helm. Also, I love Knuckle's clothes here, and his dreadlocks got a small but cool makeover.

Did Sonic steal Knuckle's hat? XD Also, Big is there too. Now to find Froggy. (It would be way past cool if Froggy turned out to be a giant sea monster Big befriended XD)

These robots are exactly the same as in the Dystopia world! And they are in Pirate world now! That may mean a few things.

One of the Dystopia Eggmen is after Sonic, chasing him through the multiverse.

For some reason, the Eggman of each universe uses the same robots. Maybe because of the Paradox Prism.

There is another Eggman, that provides his robots to "lesser" Eggmen to control the Shatterverse.

Any other ideas?

Could there be a piece of Paradox Prism, that acts as a gateway to the ShatterVoid? I wonder if anybody else can use it to hop between dimensions?

There seem to be Knuckles under the ship. It can be a flashback or an outcome of the battle with the robots.

It seems Sonic is deep in thought and realizing what mess he had made. It's refreshing to see him being so serious. I wonder if this moment is in the first episode where he decides to stand against The Council and fix everything. Not that he wouldn't want before, but this isn't your everyday banter with Dr. Eggman he knows. He needs to mature to be the hero he thought he is.

Do you see the portal? Could it be possible for Sonic to leave Dystopia World (by accident or by choice) and get back later to fight The Council? Because the next few seconds are from one scene.

First thing, lovely shot. And... Rouge has some sort of knife on her soles! And a different style of heels! And it seems her main partner is Knuckles since we can see them almost always together in this trailer. It may not mean much, but it would be a nice teasing for Knuckles x Rouge shippers :-D

It's also interesting to see that, despite the chase, citizens seem indifferent. Shows how their will is broken, and they just try to survive.

Also, I have to wonder why Sonic looks so "concerned" or "worried". He should be able to run just fine with his new shoes. I wouldn't be surprised if those robots are tougher to beat. But it may be just a frame from his usual smile.

Have you noticed those weapons are literally taped together? Such a neat detail that tells a lot about their resources. It's also interesting how all of them are surprised by Sonic's speed. Could this be possibly the first time he had shown it to them? Or it was Sonic returning to aid them after leaving?

Of course, leave the best for the end! It seems Shadow's involvement will be bigger. And unlike Sonic, he may be stuck in between dimensions. This may be because he used his Chaos powers to protect himself, making his situation worse or better.

Worse - He is stuck in between.

Better - He may be in a similar position as Sonic, allowing him to search for a way to fix the mess.

But also, he seems to be more friendly toward Sonic than in most of his incarnations. He sounds urgent, not angry or aggressive. Maybe he will be able to point Sonic in the right direction where to find shards of Paradox Prism or something that can prevent from the multiverse collapsing.

Well, I told you it'll be long :-D Hope you enjoyed my babbling. If you have any ideas, leave a comment or reblog. I like to read them.

[sunderedstar]

@blitzlowin​ /cracks knuckles/ i do this for u. there is no order to this list, but here we go -

the jasmine throne - 2021, epic fantasy. fantastic. lesbeans. just gorgeous worldbuilding, and the main characters Priya and Malini are likeable and smart while they’re maneuvering around each other and the other moving pieces in a colonized country under the thumb of an empire that’s rapidly taking a turn towards war. the cover for book 2, the oleander sword, just dropped, and I’m dying.

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the luminous dead - 2019, scifi/horror. lesbeans, with even more emphasis on the morally grey aspects this time. absolutely fucking terrifying - the threats in this alien caves are very real, stacked with the psychological tension of having someone above control the caving suit that keeps you alive while underground for weeks at a time and the economic pressures of being trapped on a dead-end planet, leaving you no choice but to keep delving deeper...and deeper... 

again, the worldbuilding is insane. I reread it periodically and can never get over how well-paced the beats are. this is the kind of merch you get:

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iron widow - 2021, scifi/fantasy. the bisexual poly love triangle we’ve all been screaming about. I describe it as an inverse Pacific Rim, but you won’t get why until pretty much the final pages. all three of these have had morally dubious protagonists but in iron widow Zetian GOES OFF AND WE LOVE HER FOR IT. she’s chaotic furious. she’s unhinged in the best way. “May he stay unsettled.” the author themselves has described this as accidentally furry Dragonball Z with giant Pacific Rim robots and monsters, essentially. I have absolutely no idea what will happen with book 2 but I know it’ll be balls-to-the-walls insane (complimentary).

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the outside - 2019, cosmic horror scifi. lesbeans. humanity is ruled by AI gods throughout the stars, the angels are cybernetic post-human cogs in a repressive machine, and Yasira accidentally makes a scientific leap that invites in a disruptive, heretical, reality warping presence that destroys a space station. things spiral out of control from there. the second book didn’t hit as well for me (mostly because mysteriously it was half the length it needed to be? it goes from a novel to a sequel novella almost, so not sure what happened there) but the outside is 9/10.

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the world gives way - 2021. scifi. you will cry. like that’s it, it’s a short little novel written entirely to gut you. that is all.

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murderbot - scifi. I feel like everyone by this point has heard about/read murderbot by this point, but the fact is I can’t in good conscious leave it off a rec list. there are six books, now, a mix of novellas and one full length novel about Murderbot, and Martha Wells (bless her for this and for the Books of the Raksura, her series full of bi poly shapeshifters) apparently has a contract to write at least three more murderbot books so we’re set for life basically. Ms Wells has never let me down ever, in her life -

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the darkangel trilogy - 1982-1990. scifi/fantasy, though you may not realize the scifi at work at first. 

okay. okay listen. listen. hear me out. you read the first book description. it sounds like a traditional dracula hetero set up. Aerial and her mistress are kidnapped by the darkangel. it has an almost fairy-tale kind of logic to the magic system. it ends with Aerial literally exchanging her heart with the darkangel’s to save his life, causing him to fall in love with her. 

meredith ann pierce then spends the next two books deconstructing the consequences of that choice, as Aerial finds herself more and more estranged from the rest of the humanity-adjacent people of her world - including the darkangel himself - and becoming a sorceress whether she wants to be or not, inextricably linked to the sci-fantasy workings that keep their world turning under the light of a [spoilers] COMPLETELY IRRADIATED EARTH. ultimately she has to make a choice to give the darkangel his own choice back, and take up a responsibility that will leave her cut off from her humanity entirely but for one person who stays with her to the very end. meredith ann pierce’s meld of scifi and fantasy is what I aspire to - the worldbuilding is so subtle at first that you don’t even realize what’s happening until it happens. 

(do I like to imagine it ends on a slightly lesbean note because of that last part? maybe so...)

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tgcf/heaven official’s blessing - 2017, now being published officially in English starting with book 1 in December this year. putting the g in LGBT. before, I could have linked to the free online English translation, but everything has been taken down since it was licensed officially for publication. Xie Lian ascended to godhood 800 years ago, and through a series of catastrophes and extremely traumatic events was banished, ascended again, got banished again in even more disgrace, and spent the rest of that time wandering the world, luckless and alone, until he finally...ascended again. but the evil and mysteries that plagued him 800 years ago haven’t gone away, either. (MXTX also did MDZS/Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, the basis of the Untamed show.)

[kopivie]

*cracks knuckles* this is what my art skillz are used for (SORRY THEN DONT LOOK GOOD I AMDE EM IN LIKE 15 MINS AND I DIDNT KNOW HOW TO DRAW THEIR HAIR I STILL NEED PRACTICDE KSNEGSEGGE)

omg rigel sounds so so sweet but YEAH he might not be the best king,, IM GLAD SAIPHA AND HIM STILL ARE CLOSE THOOO i wish they could just both be the ruler but life isn't that easy

AND MANA??? SO THERE IS KINDA LIKE MAGIC IN HERE what are lapis and lazuli's mana like? im assuming they have their own magic and stuff AND HELP[ I LOVE THIS PART "if people knew what they were doing, they'd be ousted and jailed" PLEASEEEEEE

"the bigger kingdoms like the avrigian empire and the xedian dynast" THE WORLDBUILDING?? WHAT ARE THE OTHER DYNATIES AND EMPIRES LIKE??

dragons love it there because of how untouched it is by mankind." does that mean we get to see dragons. I FUCKING LOVE DRAGONS. PLEASE LET ME SEE DRAGONS--

"fun fact: lapis was born in bahmania, but was taken out of there by their human father against their mother's wishes." oh no. WHAT??? U CANT JUST SAY THAT AND DIP??

IM LOSING MY MIND[@@*@@;&=×&÷:&@$ YOU'RE FUCKING AMAZING, I'M LITERALLY ON THE BRINK OF TEARS RN THANK YOU

oh boy ... okay Okay Look this world is huge, lemme try to like. Not Fly Off the Handle

so for mana manifestations, there's three stages:

the first stage is basic life. mana is life energy — the first stage is just being alive. everyone possesses just enough mana to keep them alive. everyone also possesses an aura that shields them from minor injuries. it takes quite a bit of jostling to hurt someone — scraped knees are a thing of fiction, really. but bloody noses and broken bones are real, it just takes a little more force to cause that kind of thing, so the strength gap between real life and this world is a little big.

the second stage of mana manifestation enhances bodily capabilities. enhanced intuition, telepathy, psychokinesis, that sort of thing. saipha... well, to quote my notes directly:

“Instead, her specialty allowed her to smell a person’s true nature... and greatly empathize with people... Her ability to judge a person’s character is second to none. She cannot tell when a person is telling the truth or not, but if she cannot stand the smell of a person, then they are deemed suspicious per her order.”

she can also see the color of a person's aura, and it's not exactly something she can turn off, so she constantly wears a veil to shield her eyes.

the third stage of mana manifestation is elemental manipulation. you can control any one element at will!

lapis is a third stage manifestor by default because of their lineage — they have the blood of an elemental within them, so they can control water at will. lazuli on the other hand was a second stage manifestor, but thanks to the spirits' interference, they can now control water as well! (they only ever use it when cooking, though. they try to avoid dirtying their hands via combat.)

mmh i'll leave the other dynasties and kingdoms for another time, but! the thing about lapis being taken from bahmania!

in this world, hybrid children are... commodities. one of the rarest and most precious goods that money can buy. lapis' father took them out of that country with plans to make money off of them somehow, but last minute, his conscience stopped him. of course, that didn't stop him from physically abusing them until his sudden death, but that's what happened. he didn't even name them. lapis raised themself for two years before they encountered lazuli.

[midwestharpy]

New Fics for the New Year!

*cracks knuckles*

Alright folks! I did this last year but it was in the notes for one of my fics. This is a better format so here we go! This is pretty much a list of any fics I found that I really enjoyed, and that you might to! Find something you’ll like in 2021! Which hopefully won’t be a trashfire!

Authors are tagged with their tumblr or a link to their AO3 account if I couldn’t find one for them and links for the fics themselves are in the titles. PLEASE check the tags on each story for warnings and ships if you are interested in reading them, know your limits!

Disclaimer, none of these stories are mine. 

Most of these are Harry Potter fics and I need to make the statement that JKR has decided to be a TERF and we don’t stan. We’ve taken the content from her and will not be returning it.

If your story is on this list and you would like it removed, or a link is incorrect, please tell me and I will not hesitate to fix these things. Same goes for if one of these creators have a tumblr, please let me know so I can tag properly and give credit where credit is due!

On with the show!

Harry Potter and the Welcome to the World of Grey by sobsicles

Oh my god this was a ride. Delves into what would have happened if Harry had killed Bellatrix after the battle at the Ministry in OOTP, its such a time.

A Shift in Perspective by @nobodyzhuman

Harry finds out Dumbledore has lied to him for a really long time and he’s on the wrong side of the war. After catching Harry Dumbledore turns him into a cat and sends him gift wrapped to the Dark Lord. Its so, so fucking good if you’re looking for a sympathetic dark side/death eaters story.

The Sun and The Moon by Silverlynings

Drarry soulmate AU that just hits different. Amazingly written and just a really good story? Hermione is the best person ever.

There Is COVID in Ba Sing Se by @koala-otter

Absolutely adorable modern Zukka AU where they move in together at the beginning of the pandemic. Quarantine AU is a thing now, fight me.

Ripple of Change Series by weirdsisters99

Sirius and Snape become unlikely friends and things spiral out of control. Now Snape's a mentor figure for a bunch of Hogwarts students who pretend they absolutely don’t know each other outside of his rooms and visits Sirius in prison. I’m not doing it justice so just go read it please.  

Shoulder Pillow by Music_dreamer_003

Muggle Drarry AU where Draco falls asleep on Harry on a plane. Adorable to the max and just a fluff masterpiece. 

Son of Thanos Universe by @essayofthoughts and Kiterou

Harry is kidnapped from Earth by aliens and is raised by Thanos. He eventually escapes and chills with Yondu, Peter, and the Ravengers, and after awhile makes his way back to Earth. Earth hasn’t forgoten him. It was a time and I love it so, so much. The worldbuilding is phenomenal and also shines a light on what HP cannon could have been without their golden boy. Read it.

Wizards IN SPACE by @esamastation

The Room of Requirement can, in fact, turn into a space ship. Magic teenagers plus a spaceship is not something I thought I needed but I did and you do to. Yoden has done a continuation of the story here that is unfinished but also highly recommended, its amazing.

Be Kind by juhele

I’m not usually one for Cedric/Harry but this. This is a masterpiece. Harry is pretty much a panicking Bisexual and Cedric is the number one. Like he’s just amazing. Boyfriend goals. 

Excuse Me, Do You Fucking Mind? by Nine_3quarters

Another modern Drarry AU but they have superpowers in this one. Draco is in drag. It’s just...everything you could ever want out of this AU and its wonderful

Family is a Purple Bus by @rowanmoonlight

Yet another one I didn’t think I needed but absolutely did. After leaving the Dursleys Harry gets a job on the Knight Bus and the family he deserves in its employees. Just...oh it’s wonderful, so fucking wonderful. 

How Like Home by @waitingondaisies

 Its a god-tier story, like everything by this author but this one. This one. Harry falls through the veil after Sirius and ends up in another universe where his parents are alive and well and Voldemort never existed. No war, no death. Just redemption and a new chance for Harry.

Independent Study by SomewheresSword

So this is now one of my favorite authors, because of not only this but their founders AU and another fic which is right under this one. Its just so fucking good? This story in particular is a Harry got expelled before fifth year AU and its amazing. He lives with Sirius (as he should) and definitely does not have a crush on George. Its great. 

Lily’s Boy by SomewheresSword

Deep sigh. Ok this one. This one. Wizengamot politics meets a taking-no-shit Harry and supportive heirs. Drarry just happened so that's been a plus and its just-look this author made me love Snape/Lupin and that, that my friends, is a feat. 

(Note: This may or may not be up. The author was having trouble with copyright and it was taken down briefly. As of last time I heard it hadn’t been reposted however if you ever see it again, READ IT. This note will be deleted if I see it again on AO3.)

Misticheskiy Institut by GhostIsReading 

Harry says fuck it and moves to Russia. That's literally what happens but it’s so fucking good. There's also a dash of creature inheritance but man I just love the worldbuilding of the Russian school and Magical World its just-gah its incredible.

Pieces Verse by @tulipscomeinallsortsofcolors

Tulip just has a habit of making me cry and I love it. This is the same author who did LAOFT (which I also recommend if you haven’t read it) and has yet again wowed us with their excellence. Pieces is a Sanders Sides soulmate AU. Prinxiety and Logicality were one shots but Dukeceit has received its own chunk and its an angst fest but so. Fucking. Good. 

The Way We Wind by @thesleepiesthufflepuff

*screams into pillow* LOOK IF YOU DIDN’T THINK HARRY OWNING A KNITTING SHOP COULD BE GOOD, IT IS AND YOU NEED TO KNOW THAT OK?!? Drarry is thrown in but god this is so wholesome?!? Even without it?!? I love it.

To The Dead by LadyoftheWoods

Look. Look. I’ve read a lot in my short, short life. Very few things have made me cry or come close to it when it comes to literature. This? This made me cry. Ghost Sanders Sides AU that's just...wonderful. Its so wholesome and beautiful and I expect any of you who read this and cried to tell me so we can cry about it together. Ok? Ok.

And that's the list for 2020! Obviously there are other fics that were amazing and this is all just my opinion but I hope you get a good story out of this post! Send me anything you think I’ll enjoy to! 

Heres to 2021 being better!

[akindofmagictoo]

meta tag game

thank you @isherwoodj for the tag and for encouraging me to choose this info dump specifically! this was a lot of fun! 

rules: this tag is an opportunity to infodump any cool meta about your wip! this can be anything you like: lore, worldbuilding, character development, metaphors, themes, symbolism, etc. just any cool details about your wip that makes it what it is. 

so. this is not for Hurricane. this is for the WIP that I “introduced” in this post, and it’s very new but I’ve been worldbuilding for it recently so *cracks knuckles* here we go you don’t really need to know much about the plot for this. 

this is about the knight system for this world. it’s going to get long. strap in. 

I promise I’m going to introduce this WIP properly soon!! (if you’re interested, let me know and I’ll start a pseudo-taglist now)

TAGGING: @zmlorenz​ @writingbyjillian​ @i-prefer-the-term-antihero​ @tea-and-pirates​ (i saw a post about your WIP and i want to know more!!) @haventriestowrite @arcaneanomalywrites and @hekat-ie! no pressure :) 

bonus fun fact: i sat down to work on this a bit last week and suddenly it turned into 1.2k words in my worldbuilding document. somehow. this is a (hopefully) condensed version. 

knights aren’t highborn people; prestige comes with knighthood, not the other way around. but you do get nobles as knights

the knights wear a black uniform with yellow/gold detailing (yellow is the royal colour but yellow fabric is reserved for the royals themselves) 

TRAINEES

trainees are often collected from cities around the main continent (which has no name shhh). it’s basically kidnapping. let’s not sugarcoat it. 

they live and train in the main citadel, and train with citadel knights and retired knights. they also learn to read and write and stuff like that. they have no uniform. 

trainees may become squires from age 12; twice a year a ceremony called the Choosing occurs, and trainees may not put themselves up for Choosing every time, often depending who is coming to Choose. knights will specifically choose a squire, usually one who is interested in the posting that that knight has. 

knights Choosing will traditionally have 4-5 years experience, and if they were knighted at 17 (youngest possible age) they generally have more. they have to be cleared to take on a squire. 

trainees who are unsuccessful in three Choosings that they put themselves up for, or who reach around 16 with no mentor, will be found another job in the citadel. they can travel home but many aren’t able to and find it easier to stay. 

SQUIRES

squires live and work with their mentors (they get a uniform) and do things like cooking and cleaning, cleaning the knight’s clothes and armour, etc. they accompany their mentor on any missions; they might help in a fight and their help might be asked on dispute resolution, but at very least they watch and learn. 

generally five years as a squire is the minimum requirement for knighthood; the mentor will judge whether or not a squire is ready. 

CITADEL KNIGHTS

citadel knights are those knights posted in the main citadel (*gasp*). they enforce the law and keep the peace, and resolve disputes brought to them. they have on-duty and off-duty time, with the general understanding that only life-threatening or urgent matters are brought to them after dark. otherwise if they’re in uniform, they’re on duty. 

they may also be sent on separate missions since they’re easy to contact (many of them help with trainees and/or are in and out of the castle with reasonable frequency). sometimes they go partner with resident knights (see below for more). 

they have a few days off each month (taking it in turns so most knights are still there). however they can rarely travel far so many spend their holidays in the citadel. 

this is where Isi is posted. also the annoying guy who used to be her rival is posted in the citadel. (it was a two-sided rivalry to begin with, but she grew out of it and he didn’t) 

CASTLE KNIGHTS 

castle knights are specifically responsible for the royal family’s security. they live in the castle itself and work on much shorter shifts with more time off per day (since they’re on high alert), but fewer days off per year than citadel/resident knights. they don’t have the counselling/dispute resolution role and the selection process is way stricter. 

RESIDENT KNIGHTS

resident knights are like citadel knights but posted in other parts of the continent. their role is similarly law enforcement/peacekeeping/dispute resolution. also dealing with miscellaneous threats to their specific homes. 

they tend to have much closer relationships with the people there than the citadel knights do, because they will stay in the one post for years on end, sometimes for life until retirement. they do however get time off to visit the citadel for major events, training, or just holidays. they have longer holidays than citadel knights but are generally expected to spend them in the citadel. 

the outer parts of the continent are much less strictly governed bc distance, so the resident knights are also generally more chill. reporting stuff is hard when you’re far away. you gotta prioritise. 

starting a family is most common among resident knights; they might then work on a tag-team system with others so there’s always someone available to solve problems, but they have enough time to spend with their families. 

as well as dragons I haven’t talked about magic here. but magic is illegal, technically. resident knights are more chill. again, more to come. 

if someone wants to tag me back I can talk about the dragons. who doesn’t love dragons? 

[thewinedarksea]

okay so honestly I've been curious about the tyrant trio ever since that goat herder snippet so?? May I please know more about them? :D why did Nensela make an alliance with them? How they all become married? Also from the goat herder snippet Aditya seemed chill but obviously he's as ambitious as Citlalli so can I ask what's his deal? Also what is Nensela's personality because she seemed chill too but i mean their name is the tyrant trio. What is their story, anyway? I wanna know everything :D

*cracks knuckles* okay so. to understand the tyrant trio, brief background is needed on their empires--this book v much stemmed from my desire to do interesting and fun things with ruling structures. so:

citlalli: divine right to rule, literally. considered an actual god by her people (and maybe she is actually a god. that’s not the point of this ask, though). worshipped. adored. her empire recently went through a golden age of expansionism, making them one of the largest--and richest--countries around. unfortunately (to citlalli and the majority of the country’s citizens, at least), her father and mother reversed that, choosing to focus on peace and cultivating their own country. citlalli...was opposed, largely because a lot of their territories realized no one was going to come after them for sort of splitting away, so they did. anyways long story short and skipping a lot of worldbuilding stuff, she had them offed when she was 13, blamed it on a neighboring kingdom, and took the throne with the promise that she’d take revenge. she did. brutally. her people love her A Lot. everyone else is terrified.

aditya: might is power. in his country, which is really one massive city and some scattered villages, you hold your position by being the strongest. thus, although some families have definitely held certain positions for long period of time and are thus generally considered strong, there’s no blood factor. if some shopkeep were to off the king, they’d be king. (then they’d just have to keep the job....) aditya was a v v minor member of the royal family. he is also, as it turns out, brilliant with poisons. long story short he is now the only member of the royal family. he’s got an eye on expansion, too. ambitious boy.

nensela: no snappy summation for her. her empire is...a market, i think is the easiest way to describe it. it’s a hub of trade and knowledge and ideas, and her job as ruler is to facilitate it. there’s a large cultural emphasis on bartering, exchanges, truth and how to tell it, etc. her people value traits more than blood; her mother was queen, and her other parent was a passing traveler who told the most beautiful stories. her brother’s father was a scribe. the rulership is a mix of elected position and bloodline; theoretically, she could be thrown off the throne if her people disliked her. that didn’t happen! but what did happen was a civil war that tore the country apart and killed her mother.

so jumping from the civil war: it lasted several years and devastated the economy. not many people died, but there was high turnover in the upper government, nensela was forced into hiding, and the man who usurped her did a lot of damage. also, a lot of areas essential for trade got wrecked. spike in crime. spike in lots of things, really.

nensela and her side won the war, but uh. damage had been done. there was a lot of pressure for nensela to marry, since her kingdom was severely weakened and a few of her neighbors were looking disrespectfully. most of the pressure was to marry internally. the rest was to marry someone from the kingdom looking most disrespectfully to prevent issues.  ....nensela had other ideas. see, aditya is a small but powerful kingdom, and citlalli is rich af and also v powerful, and both command a lot of respect/hold a lot of sway in international politics. so nensela was like hi ik my kingdom is weakened but also we are actually a major player normally bc, you know, all the major trade routes. would you like to marry me. 

both of them said yes. which, hey. even better. triple alliance. 

of course, both citlalli and aditya were, by this point, well known as tyrants who were totally fine murdering their own family for power, but hey. nensela loves her country goddamnit. she accepted her fate as a piece on the political chessboard. she married them.

(she also, it should be said, did love them. for what it was worth, she loved them very, very much. and they did love her.)

cue several decades of powerplay, aditya and citlalli being monstrous, all sorts of passive-aggressiveness, the two of them constantly spying on nensela (and trying to spy on each other) and casually invading her kingdom to deal with her problems, sending each other gifts like new and fun poison for birthdays, etc..... and then they die.

and then they’re reincarnated.

nensela fucking hates that. 

[myhusbandsasemni]

happy sts! take this moment to gush about a wip of your choosing. what do you love most about it? what little details do you love? what keeps you coming back to it? also, for a second i forgot your username and so i autopilot typed 'moral support dragon' into the search bar haha

@writeblrfantasy cracks knuckles

I’mma talk about the story I used to call The Balance Keeper but is now called Plains, Ether, Hearth. I love the characters. They are very very real to me. I drew a picture with all of the mains and I smile at them every time I see them and I feel like they are asking me to join in the group and go with them to go demon backing. I love the little games they play, how each and every one is broken and has started over and can thus see the good in other people and figure out how to fix each other. I love the faint hints of terrible backstories which even I don’t fully know about. And I don’t want to know. They’re new people now. I love the worldbuilding. It is some of the best I’ve done in a while. The three moons of the Balance are each incredible and feel like home in different ways. Taali is a place of wonder and possibility but also where the bad guys live. Everything is complicated. There are lots of morally grey areas. I love going back to it for the characters. Once they start coming together and acting like a team I don’t think I’ll be able to stop writing it. I love each of their scars, their little ticks that they do when their nervous. I love their clothes, how they all wear things that are very the same, but, at the same time, completely different. I love the way this story, overall, is about the biggest second chance that had ever existed. And I love my babies. I love Steve cause he’s just as confused as I am. I love Ava cause she’s a crazy skilled pirate who won’t admit she needs help, I love Martha because she’s the best mother and leader figure for the group, something they all need. I love Neville cause he’s an idiot and needs some love too even though he’s ro0d. I love Ril because she’s based off of my very first OC which my siblings adored. I love Ander because he cares about people in his very chill way and he’s very sincere. I love Zack because of the support he gives Steve, the complete support, and he is sword boi. I love Dante because he is my anxiety and fear. My inability to communicate with real live people well. He’s my little sweetheart who is trying his best, who feels so lonely even when surrounded by people. And, of course, I love Gilbert because he’s a baby dragon with tragic backstory and a love for sticking his tongue in Steve’s ear. It’s a story about family and not being alone that I want everyone to hear. I want someone to read it and love my characters and give me their headcanons. I don’t want this story to be alone.

That got angsty there at the end. Sorry XD. Also, being known as the moral support dragon gives me life. Thank you.

[lovelylogans]

You seem to be the person that I follow who knows the most about fanfic, and I kinda want to get into reading it again. I used to read a lot of phan or supernatural stuff and now I read none, lol. Can you rec me LAMP or any pairing between the light sides or platonic fics with happy endings? Even if it's the most basic ones that everyone has read, I probably haven't. Thanks so much!

*cracks knuckles*

this is gonna be a long one. it’ll go title, pairing, then super basic plot summary, so. below the cut!

as far as self-promotion goes, i’ll get that out of the way first and rec you some of my most popular stuff in this fandom. these links will be to ao3, though you can also find them on my tumblr:

where you lead, i will follow (romantic moxiety, romantic logince): 150k of a gilmore girls au that absolutely no one asked me for, you do not need to have read the show to read this. it’s slowburn friends-to-lovers moxiety and childhood friends-to-lovers for logince, this fic follows patton, who was a pregnant trans teen who ran away to the tiny town of sideshire, his son, logan, who just got accepted into one of the most prestigious high schools in the state, patton’s parents, emily and richard, who clash often with their son, virgil, the owner of the local diner and reason all the locals have not developed scurvy, and roman, a teenage dancer/dance instructor who just so happens to have a crush on his best friend. this is a big personal favorite of mine, and i’m still writing in that verse, so. 

lavender for luck (romantic polyamlamp): the fae family has been cursed with magic dating back two hundred years. with great power, however, comes a great price; any man or woman who falls in love with a fae is doomed to die. virgil fae is trying his best to ensure that that does not happen. as is his uncle, dee. however, three of the friends he makes at college makes that increasingly difficult, for him.

my true love gave to me (romantic prinxiety, romantic logicality): a christmas-centric fic of four roommates, all of which are in love with each other in some way. follow these disaster gays being wooed or attempting to woo their crush in time to make out under some mistletoe. (this fic was nominated for best overall in the fander fic awards on tumblr.)

not you again (romantic prinxiety): inexplicably my most popular fic in terms of tumblr notes, this follows roman being a Gay Disaster Barista who is crushing hard on one of his regulars, who unfortunately has a boyfriend (or does he?) ft. remy (aka the sleep character from thomas’ short vids.)

dance partner (platonic royality): the popularity of this one is also due to the fanart made by the incredible sanderstribute, roman takes patton for a night of dancing on the town. 

okay, that’s enough of my stuff. this section is mostly “fandom essentials” in that most people have either read them or are familiar with them, in some way. a lot of these are kind of old-school fander fics, but they’re still really good and a good introduction to fandom! mostly the most kudos/bookmarked fics on ao3. also a pretty good starting point to a variety of popular fic-types in this fandom.

to build a home (romantic logicality) by avalorouschoice on ao3: patton and logan adopt virgil from an orphanage. this is a lot of found family, kid-growing-closer-to-the-family, and it’s just. i Like It A Lot and i’m definitely due for a re-read of it, it’s just very sweet

starved (polyamlamp, ft. thomas) by @randomslasher: honestly, it was tough to pick just one randomslasher fic to put on the list (if you’d like more fandom essentials, i’d argue that lj has written a toooon of them so just reading through their fics would be good!) but this one kind of had to win out. this fic boils down to “virgil needs hugs desperately and hides how desperately he needs them from the other sides, the other sides find out, the other sides give him hugs.” that’s... yeah. that’s the one. it’s Good Stuff.

of trying and towers (romantic prinxiety) by @parsnipit: similarly difficult to parse down any parsnipit fics! a lot of their stuff ranks among my personal favorites, so again, just reading down the list of what they’d got is a Good Call especially once upon a dream, which is similarly one of those “fandom essentials.” this fic in particular is about thomas in medieval times, stuff goes wrong, and all the sides split up and are turned into what they hate/fear, and it’s their journey of teaming up together again and defeating the evil ruler in place of the kingdom. there’s dragons. it’s Good Stuff.

it’s only logical (romantic logicality, romantic prinxiety) by @tinysidestrashcaptain: logan owns a flowershop and hires single dad patton, while his best friend virgil, who owns a coffee shop, and roman flirts with virgil a lot. very cute, very sweet, kid thomas is Great! again, tstrashcaptain has a lot of the stuff i’d call “fandom essentials,” so. those! all good stuff!

silence and duality (platonic lamp) by @xaandiir: one of the first takes on the whole “dark sides” aspect we had, back in the day, this fic follows along with the sort of psychology/mentality of the sides as children, as they grow up, and the potential of what could happen to one of the dark sides, especially if they were rejected. i’m trying not to spoil it too much, but! again! good stuff!!

insomnia (platonic lamp) by @xaandiir: virgil cannot sleep, attempts to hide it from the other sides, and the other sides find out. Good Stuff. let the boy take a nap

learning & loving verse (romantic prinxiety, romantic logicality) by @virgilsjourney: jenna’s just... yeah, lots of really good fics there! again! a college verse fic in which Pining Roommates feature; virgil helps roman through some stage fright (trying not to spoil it!) to eventually star as fiyero in wicked, and the realization of Feelings throughout. good stuff!

college verse (platonic lamp) by @princelogical: again! one of those Really Great Authors to just read a ton of their stuff! this one in particular is a college verse, in which all the sides have various emotional reckonings. really great character development, really great backstory. i will say read the warnings, just in case!

and now, for some of my personal favorites. this is only a fraction of my favorite fics, and if you’d like more of my personal recommendations, i have a whole tag for fanfic! (if there’s an indent under, it just means ‘more by this author!’)

love and other fairytales (polyamlamp) by @tulipscomeinallsortsofcolors: ohhh my fuckin god. worldbuilding a+, characterization a+, plot a+. have you ever wanted faerie!virgil and changeling!logan and witch!roman and a-little-cursed!patton??? you do! trust me you do! i have no idea how to describe it without spoiling any of the plot, however, i will say that this is basically just Straight Up a novel and has developed a little fandom of itself which is honestly so lovely to see, so!

faded with uncertainty (romantic prinxiety): in the aftermath of ‘dealing with intrusive thoughts,’ roman finds virgil crying in the midst of the mindscape and comforts him in the aftermath of That Reveal that virgil had in the video

blanket!verse (romantic prinxiety, romantic logicality): a few oneshots of varying topics, this deals with virgil and his anxiety in his new relatinoship, as well as patton’s tendency to hide emotions, with fluff involved in each. (canoodling especially it’s so soft and fluffy and just!!!)

track seven (romantic logicality): logan struggles with his emotions and snaps and blows up at everyone; patton tries his best to get to the bottom of it.

lovely, dark, and deep (romantic analogical) by @teacupfulofstarshine:  MERMAIDS!!!! virgil’s a doctoral student and thomas is his advisor, and logan, roman, and patton are all mermaids, of a sort. very good, very gay, the imagery is spectacular and it is Good! Stuff!!!

little and broken (but still good): moxiety as dads! logan, roman, and thomas are their kids! they’re all so good! so cute! really great family feels! i cry every single time! the domesticity! the FLUFF! it is a masterpiece!

the pattonella au (romantic analogical, romantic royality): oh my actual god, star, YOUR MIND, this au is just such a wonderful take on the cinderella fairytale and putting it within the context of the sides with its own little twists and turns, they are Cute and Good and the development of the relationship in the aftermath of a cinderella-type event is just chef’s kiss 

living in the real world (ain’t it fun): the sides coalesce into the real world, and thomas is KIND OF FREAKING OUT about it; they’re having trouble adjusting, at first, but since the work’s still in progress you can see them kind of slowly coming to terms with it and it’s just a take on the “sides become people” au that i’ve never really seen before so!!!!!!

stardust sleeper (and the college!verse in general): logan gets to take the nap He Deserves, there are Cute Accents in here, and it’s just a very cute, very good domestic slice-of-life in the midst of the chaos that is college. it’s Very Cute and Very Sweet and please just read it oh my god???? 

internal bleeding (past romantic logicality, romantic prinxiety) by @princelogical: virgil and roman come to visit patton at christmas, in the aftermath of patton’s husband’s death; his husband is very aware that he’s dead, but he hasn’t been able to leave yet. angst, hurt/comfort, Oh My Fuckin God

the queerplatonic logince verse: logan and roman are in a queerplatonic relationship, and the stuff that entails. i just really like it whenever someone focuses on aro or ace sides, and i think this is a really well-done portrayal of the fact that relationships absolutely do not need to be romantic in order to be significant.

i feel like it’s just me: patton is a professional cuddler, and the people he meets in the course of that job, ft. some patton angst and general thoughts about loneliness. to quote, “this is more of a concept piece,” but i very much like the concept

lists.: just a short, sweet lil thing about the other sides appreciating logan.

hold your breath until it’s okay by insertfandomjoke, @notafeeling on tumblr: a brooklyn 99 style au in which logan is the captain, and virgil, roman, and patton are the detectives—it’s a “Five Times They Closed a Case Without Anyone Getting Hurt and the One Time They Didn't” au. 

in which we are all virgil: in which virgil stares at elliott and thinks “oh no they cute!!!” and also presents elliott as joan’s anxiety and dr. picani as a fusion between patton and logan and it just. Good!

sweaters: patton makes his boyfriends all christmas sweaters and They Cute

habits (romantic logicality) by @astralbone: human au, slice-of-life kind of thing. the characterizations are Very Good and honestly i just really love to read it. both of them are hurting and their life may not be perfect but they’re fitting together and it’s just. it’s Very Good

sanders sides ficlets by @virgilsjourney: ranging a variety of topics/timespans in terms of the series, there is a ton here. you want movie night fluff? it’s here! you want hurt/comfort angst in which roman is locked away like in the snow queen? you got it! you want logan and patton mend up after moving on???? it’s here! just a lot of really good stuff!!!!!!

blink back to let me know (romantic moxiety, hinted romantic logince) by @virgilsanxiety and @shakespearesocks: virgil and patton are both pining, logan and roman don’t get paid enough for this, and they are Good Soft Boys who maybe need to improve a bit at communication

logic’s notebooks (romantic analogical) by @parsnipit: logan keeps notebooks about all the sides and feels bad about it; in the midst of all this, some Very Great domestic analogical

and you lied to all your selves (romantic prinxiety, romantic logicality) by penrosequartz: i haven’t read this in a minute, but it’s a prinxiety fic in which they get closer, and virgil is being, well, anxious, and i’d recommend you read the warnings but!!! loosely structured, good characterization, it’s just some! good! stuff!

migraine (analogical) by @theonlyjelly-iwillput-inmybelly (philosophicalrune on ao3): virgil is overworking himself through a migraine, logan helps him feel better, and tries his best to make virgil feel better. it’s cute and sweet and very good in terms of hurt/comfort, i tend to go back to it whenever school is stressing me out, so that should tell you something!

smile (platonic moxiety) by @doggo-fiends-on-a-spaceship: to steal their alternative title, “Alternatively titled: Virgil has a nightmare and wants a hug, but being emotionally constipated, Cannot Ask for one.” virgil has a nightmare and spends the night in patton’s room; the trouble is, patton did not know that he was doing that until he nearly trips over virgil. they are Good Boys and it’s just Real Nice

again, this is a tiny, miniscule fraction of really spectacular fics in this fandom—there’s a lot of talented people here, so happy reading!

[clansayeed]

Bound by Circumstance ― Chapter 3: Of Monsters and Men

PAIRING: Nik Ryder x trans*M!MC (Taylor Hunter) RATING: Mature

⥼ MASTERLIST ⥽

⥼ Bound by Circumstance ⥽

Taylor Hunter (MC) has made it good for himself in New Orleans; turns out moving to a new city fresh out of college to reinvent yourself isn’t as hard as people make it out to be. Things only start to get confusing when he finds himself the target of a malevolent wraith. Good thing someone’s looking out for him though — because without Nighthunter Nik Ryder as his bodyguard he definitely won’t survive long in the twisting darkness of the supernatural underworld he’s tripped into.

Bound by Circumstance and the rest of the Oblivion Bound series is an ongoing dramatic retelling project of the book Nightbound and the rest of the Bloodbound series. Find out more [HERE].

Note: Circumstance only loosely follows the events and plotline of Nightbound, and features a separate antagonist, different character motivations, and further worldbuilding.

*Let me know if you would like to be added to the Circumstance/series tag list!

⥼ Chapter Summary ⥽

Taylor meets his new bodyguard, debates casual necromancy, and learns the truth behind his hallucinations. All while a fae makes him cream soda.

[READ IT ON AO3]

Taylor doesn’t remember waking up — one second he’s asleep and the next he just isn’t.

Despite the things he’s seen (not really seen, but thought he’s seen) he’s not a fan of these kinds of wakings. Would rather emerge slowly as if from a cocoon. With enough time between breaths and heartbeats to let the dreams that plagued him fade away into fuzzy oblivion — forgotten despite all efforts to bring them back to recent memory.

He prefers it because when he wakes all at once there’s no helping remembering his dreams.

And all of that — the cemetery, Vera’s gloves, Kristin’s tears, the moon and moldy flowers — definitely isn’t something he wants to linger on.

“Are you gonna freak out now? Because these walls ain’t soundproofed.”

The voice resists its accent; clips sounds the Louisiana slang wants to let hang. He’s never heard it before but doesn’t need to.

It does the trick. Reminds Taylor how easily the world of dreams can blend with reality.

He takes in his surroundings with eyes still shut. The scratchy pilling on the cushions underneath, the stale air that’s made his shirt stick sweaty to his body, the repetitive squeak of a portable fan that should have retired a lifetime ago.

If he keeps his eyes shut will it all go away? Can it really be that easy?

Of course it isn’t. He knows it, the stranger knows it… but still a guy can dream.

“I know you’re awake, kid,” the stranger continues, “sleepin’ people don’t breathe like that.”

Taylor’s nose scrunches. “Don’t watch me breathe.”

“Then don’t breathe weird.”

The fact I‘m not hyperventilating right now is a fucking miracle, Taylor wants to say back — doesn’t in favor of inhaling so hard his nostrils burn before letting it out in a whistle on his dry lips.

Instead he snaps his eyes open and stares at the bald patches of peeling paint on the popcorn ceiling.

Something shifts behind him; the squeak of leather on pleather.

“You’re handlin’ this awful well.”

No, he’s really not. “I’m not unfamiliar with waking up on strange couches.”

“Is that so?”

Taylor doesn’t like the way the voice drops into a suggestive purr. It’s enough to get him to sit up on his elbows and try to shake the fog from his head. The familiar words, “how much did I drink last night?” are on the tip of his tongue but without the pounding headache there to accompany them they just don’t feel right.

A hand appears out of the corner of his eye. He watches scarred knuckles on tanned skin flex silvery as a nondescript flask is placed on one of the coffee table’s few bare spots.

“Here — this’ll help. Trust me.”

Taylor takes it. Can smell the familiar simmering honey and spice of whiskey. But he isn’t even tempted — screws the cap back on and sets it pack with a little too much purpose.

The stranger gives a ‘huh’ of surprise. “You sure? It’s not top shelf, but —”

“I’m gonna say this once;” as he does Taylor sits up and digs his knuckles into his eyes to quell the dizzy rush, “don’t ever offer me alcohol again. Please.”

As bright and inconsistent colors flash before his sight there’s silence.

Then, “fair enough,” and takes back the flask.

He can’t immediately tell if the stranger is just prone to dramatics or if the positioning of the lamp-sans-shade is purposefully there to shroud his rescuer (or kidnapper) in all the shadows the apartment can offer.

But it’s definitely him: the guy from the dive bar. Where his memory ends his eyes pick up the slack and fill in the sharp face like a puzzle. Dark eyes — almost black — and evidence of a five o-clock shadow. A little bit of a greying sheen to the hairs at his temples. And a strange scar like an inverted triangle brushed flippantly from left temple to eyebrow to the top of his cheekbone.

So he’s the quintessential ‘rugged, grizzled, don’t-play-by-the-rules’ type. Which, in Taylor’s opinion, just makes the worn leather trench coat overkill.

And his very presence makes things very very complicated.

Makes his head incite a full-on civil war between the things he knows and the things he’s seen — not to speak of the independent faction trying to resist both.

The man grabs something small off of the stand beside him and a glass of water — takes one of Taylor’s hands off of his jeans and pushes it into his palm in a very non-negotiable style.

“At least take this. That headache looks real fierce. Won’t work as fast as the booze, though.”

Oh, he knows. But he’s glad for something to help no matter how little and washes down the aspirin tablet with the entire water glass.

Judging by the awkward silence that follows neither Taylor nor the man know how to actually… begin. Because there needs to be a beginning — maybe not right now but there was earlier and if he thinks about it too much, if he lets his imagination run wild and spiral, he’ll start to panic.

Last time he checked panic wouldn’t bring Kristin back from the dead.

Kristin. Oh god. He needs to find her body.

“Can I…?” He raises the glass. The stranger slaps his knees and hauls himself up with possibly too-much dramatic effort and takes it to refill. “Thanks.”

“Sure.”

It’s a small apartment with only as many walls as needed. Ideally Taylor would prefer a room between him and the man to make his escape (which will be the exact opposite of stealthy) a little bit easier, but…

He waits until the leather-clad back is turned before slowly starting to stand. Not one step and the fucking floor creaks underfoot.

Shit. “Uh — can I get some ice?” Taylor asks; louder than necessary to cover it up.

The man (probably) rolls his eyes. “Want a straw while I’m at it? Maybe a little pink umbrella?”

“I’d prefer yellow.”

“I bet you would.”

Taylor waits, poised like a viper, and strikes when the ice maker on the fridge door begins to rumble to life. Dashes as fast as he can — though it isn’t until he moves more than an inch that he realizes just how sore everything is — to what looks like every closed front door he’s ever seen.

Aaaand it’s locked.

There’s a deep rich laughter behind him as Taylor yanks on the brass handle; twists the lock this way and that in his growing panic and previously undiscovered claustrophobia.

When he looks back the man is behind him, glass in hand — with ice, too.

“Stop laughing!” Taylor’s voice cracks — makes him wince.

With a shake of his head the man approaches. Taylor tenses for some sort of assault but instead watches dumbly while his personal space is invaded. Damn this guy is tall.

“Stop being so funny.”

“What kind of fucking sicko locks an apartment from the outside?!”

Bemusement falls into a slight frown. He flinches, feels the stranger reach around…

The door unlocks with a click.

“Dunno, but I’ll let you know when I meet one.”

Not a second into looking up and up into the man’s face does Taylor push him back. Keeps his back pressed against the door and blindly searches for the knob but forces distance between them.

It doesn’t take a psychic to know he’s wary. The stranger sighs and scratches the back of his head.

“Listen — I ain’t holdin’ you hostage, or anything. You’re free to go.” But before Taylor can even twist his wrist he adds; “Not that I’d really wanna run the risk of facing Casper’s Cannibal Cousin again but that’s just me. You seem like a strong, capable guy. Lemme know how it goes.”

Fuck.

Taylor gives him a wary eye. “Are we — I mean… am I actually safe here?”

“With the wards on this place you’d have a hard time being stung by a really pissed-off mosquito.”

“Not funny.”

“Who’s laughing?”

Somehow they end up back in the same positions they were a minute earlier; Taylor’s fingers wet and numb from the glass and the other, well, he couldn’t look more like a middle-aged drunk if he tried; especially now with the coat off and thrown over the back of his chair.

“Do you have a name?” Taylor tries — and fails — not to let it get to him when he gets only a nod. “Wanna share?”

“Just call me Ryder.”

“No.”

“Why?”

“It’s not your name.”

“Yes it is.”

“It’s dumb.”

“You’re dumb.”

A tense and silent stand-off follows. This is why he doesn’t spend much one-on-one time with cis-men, not that Taylor would say that out loud.

Finally ‘Ryder’ relents; “My first name’s Nik. Nobody calls me Nik — they just call me Ryder. That means you’ll call me Ryder, too.”

Well he won’t, but that’s beside the point. “And where are we? Are we still in New Orleans?”

The question catches Ryder by surprise.

“‘Course we are. Just a couple’a blocks over from Bourbon.”

“Oh, good.”

“Yeah.”

“Yeah.”

He tries not to feel peeled back into layers by the scrutiny of Ryder’s gaze but with eyes like that it’s kind of impossible. Makes him freeze up — words forgotten.

“Is that really all you wanna ask?”

His face flushes hot. “No, of course not.”

“Then ask.”

“Ask what?”

“You know what.”

“No I don’t,” again his voice cracks — makes him focus on the wet spot the glass leaves on his jeans rather than the look on Ryder’s face, “like — I really don’t. Because… because my head is telling me to ask ‘what happened’ but when I think about it I automatically default back to the fact that nothing about it makes sense — nothing about it could have been real.”

Ryder takes too long to respond.

“Just because it doesn’t make sense doesn’t mean it wasn’t real, Taylor.”

And doesn’t that just fire off a spark in his brain. Makes him turn and slam the glass down and give Ryder the hardest, worst, and most rueful look he can.

“Fine — you want me to ask questions? We’ll start with — with that. How d’you know my name?”

The man shrugs. “Because I’m being paid to.”

“You’re being…” —oh the headache— “so you were stalking me in the bar?”

“No.”

“Uh, you just admitted it.”

“Uh, no I didn’t.” Taylor must’ve hit a nerve judging by the tick in Ryder’s scarred brow. “Strange as it may seem — and we really ain’t short on strange with all this — I wasn’t hired until after I left the Touristy Unicorn.”

That doesn’t help. “Hired for what?”

“For protection detail; bodyguard stuff. For you, kid.”

Does he look like his brain is short-circuiting, because that’s definitely how he feels. And in his silence Ryder takes the opportunity to keep talking without being harassed. “I wouldn’t’ve taken it on a normal day but, shit, you ain’t normal. Not even taking into account that you saw me in my booth —”

“— No shit I saw you. You were just sitting there.”

Ryder shakes his head. “Sure was but I was glamoured up to the nines. Nothing under a century or without some heavy magical aid should have been able to see me.”

Taylor disregards his crazy talk — he has proof. “My friend saw you first.”

“Who, the tipsy co-ed?” he barks a laugh, “Nah, she was more focused on the two mashing mouths to my side. Was too hard to enjoy my drink with the sound of sloppy spit-swappin’ for me to forget.

“She may have been seeing the world a little liquored-up but she definitely didn’t know I was there. But you? You looked right at me; saw right through my glamour and with no small amount of effort judgin’ by how sick you looked after.”

His headache. And wasn’t that what had started all of… of whatever this was? His headache and wanting to go home, getting lost with no signal, and then…

There’s no resisting the permafrost that blankets over his bones. When Taylor looks at Ryder he doesn’t see him; just sees the outline of him and that awful haunting thing in his mind’s eye.

Ryder continues; “You can turn the paranoia down a notch. I was content to mind my own business until I got a call on a damn payphone nearby.”

“A… payphone?”

“Well they don’t ring on their own. And in this town if someone in the know crosses by a phone ringin’ on its lonesome then that means its for them.” He sniffs; brushes something off like it’s no big deal and Taylor’s the fool for not just knowing. “Picked it up and there it was in my head: your face, your name, and the message. That’s how you know there’s something heavy hangin’ in the air… the kind of spellwork that can dig into your head without a trace.”

Magic. Spellwork. This is too fucking nuts.

Still, he has to ask. “What was the message?”

“‘Protect him.’”

How foreboding and creepy that is — well he’ll deal with that later. Because up until shit went down he didn’t need protecting. Had done a fair job of protecting himself all his life. But how can you protect yourself from things you don’t know about?

“What was it?” When there’s no quirky quip Taylor knows he’s starting to ask the right things. “What was that thing in the cemetery?”

“I…”

“Come on, Mister Answers. Where’d your answers go?”

“Hey, now you just —”

“What was it?”

“I don’t know!” Ryder growls through gritted teeth. It’s the first time his posturing slips — shoulders slumped and instinctively seeking comfort in the contents of the flask. “I don’t… I don’t know. I’ve seen a lot of crazy shit; the dead, undead, the undead-dead. But I’ve never seen anything even remotely close to whatever the hell that was.”

Some bodyguard, he wants to say — doesn’t. Strange as it is Taylor finds himself comforted by the fact that he’s not the only one completely ignorant.

Not that it lasts long. Because when his brain finally puts everything together — shadows and skeletal killers and spellwork and the fact that the thing he’s been thinking was a flagpole leaning against the wall has a bright crystal atop it and is most likely something ridiculous like a wizard’s staff — it shuts off.

At least he’s got his answers.

Ryder knocks back the rest of the flask and tucks it between the cushions in his chair. Leans forward elbows-on-knees and studies Taylor’s face.

“I’ve been waitin’ for you to ask me what happened before you keeled over,” he says finally, “but now I’m not so sure you wanna know.”

“I do,” he answers on autopilot.

“You sure?”

He’s sure.

The story Taylor expects goes something like…

“I drew a circle around the creature, sated from its kill. Using the blood of my ancestors and sacred herbs I’ve been cultivating for this exact moment, I conjured magical holy fire and banished the demon back to the depths of Hell.”

But that’s not what he gets.

“I thought I had a shot when you went into hiding — you know how damn hard it is to chase something chasin’ somethin’ else through that shit? — but lost it again. Finally found you at the entryway and used the thing’s distraction to get a few arrows lodged in its, uh, well I think it was its back.

“Thing is those were holy light arrows I used. Blessed by every priest in every religion you’ve heard of and some you ain’t. I’ve used those things to take down malformed conjurings, hundred year-old revenants, the works. But it was about as effective as throwing a rock at its head.”

“I’m guessing that’s a bad thing.”

“You’d be guessin’ correctly.”

Taylor runs his hands over his face. Shoves down the thickness that wants to consume his lungs and keep him there; solid, immobile.

“Okay, okay —” talking more to himself than Ryder, “— okay. This is good. Crazy, but good.”

The look he’s given really shouldn’t be a surprise. “Did I break ya?”

“No — I mean, maybe, but not with that — no you… actually you saved me. So I’m grateful for that. Thank you.”

Ryder snorts. “Finally…”

“But you didn’t save Kristin. So I’m going to push down every… every problem I have with everything you said and pretend with all this crazy that conjurings and holy arrows and whatever-the-fuck-else is real —”

“It is. But, kid —”

“— And you’re gonna help me find some voodoo or hoo-doo or whatever kind of spell you can that’ll bring her back.”

The fact that Ryder doesn’t look the least bit remorseful is an issue he’ll deal with later — though that plate is starting to get a little crowded. But if the universe seems intent on throwing him into this fucking insanity with no warning or even a tutorial mode then he’s going to meet it head-on and screw the rest.

He leans forward and starts rifling through the leather-bound books, tomes, and sheets of paper scattered on the coffee table. “So what here can help us? Do we need a lock of hair, or a personal item, or —”

“She ain’t dead, kid.”

Taylor nods but doesn’t really register what he hears. “Got it. Dead meaning, what, her soul hasn’t crossed over yet? Is she still on the, uh, the mortal plane or something?” He looks around wildly; lifts up his feet like he’ll find her hiding there in miniature.

“Shit — is she here with us? Can you see her? Kristin? Krissy?”

“Whoa — okay, yep, you’ve cracked.”

Then Ryder’s hands are on his shoulders and oh hell no. His body reacts before the brain can catch up and he’s pushing Ryder away — giving himself breathing space.

“Don’t touch me.”

Much like the flask it’s an issue Ryder doesn’t push. Holds his hands up and gives a curt nod but that doesn’t make him look any less concerned. Now he’ll start to argue with the man, because technically it’s his fault Kristin died in the first place.

“There’s gotta be something —”

“To get you to chill out and listen to me? Yeah I doubt it.”

“— No. To help us contact her.”

“Could try a phone.”

Taylor snaps. “This isn’t a joke! I don’t know this crazy stuff like you do. So stop making jokes and — and help me!”

“Christ,” Ryder rubs his head — leans forward but doesn’t make a move to put his hands on Taylor again, “if you’d listen you’d not sound so damn stupid! She’s not dead, Taylor. The thing didn’t kill her.”

No, no… he saw…

“I won’t say it didn’t get close but she wasn’t the target. I don’t know if that limits it’s powers or… or hell, maybe it was feeling merciful or malicious. But your friend ain’t dead. — In a bad way… but not dead.”

It’s not even in the realm of good news — what did that mean, ‘in a bad way’ — but it’s the best news he’s heard yet so yeah he fucking runs with it. Leaps to his feet and doesn’t even bother trying to misdirect Ryder this time because not only is the door unlocked but he’s going to see Kristin alive.

And, really, with the zeal in which he was ready to pursue some form of necromancy to bring her back he’s kind of disappointed in how surprised Ryder sounds behind him.

“Kid — where d’you think you’re goin’ exactly?”

Still walking to the door, only backwards now. “Where do you think? Is she at the hospital, which one? Come on — take me there.”

“Well that ain’t happening but regardless how about we stay up here instead?”

“How about we don’t?”

“Kid —”

“First I need you to stop calling me that. Second I’ll grab a cab if I need to. Thanks, Nik—Ryder—whatever for saving me but I need to go see her.”

Ryder doesn’t stop him from slamming the apartment door behind him and finding his way out. That must mean he’s not entirely devoted to this bodyguard job, right? If that’s even really the case. Not like he has any proof.

It’s probably guilt at not saving her in time, rationalizes Taylor as he looks around the crowded hallway only to spot a winding, iron-wrought staircase almost hidden in the corner.

That makes the most sense. He feels guilty and there was nothing he could have even done in the first place.

Though, finding out where Ryder gets those hallelujah arrows might help.

He’s at the bottom of the steps when he remembers Vera had his phone last — is halfway through entertaining the idea of going back up to ask Ryder if he could borrow his when he takes in the ground level.

“Are you fucking kidding me?”

It’s still dark outside but dawn has to be on the approach — last call having already been there, done that.

The bar is small and he can only think of it as oaken. Wood floors on wooden-panel walls with a wooden bartop in the corner decorated in carvings so small and detailed they could only have been done by hand. Even the booths are wooden on the outside with what look like rich mossy-green velvet lining.

But the place doesn’t smell like a woodshop — not how one would expect what has to be a quarter of the population of Louisiana’s deforestation, has to be — rather a forest. Like all the wood is still growing and alive. Pine needles and sap and mulchy earth digging into his bare toes and proving life continues to live underfoot.

Though when he wiggles his toes Taylor is almost surprised to discover he’s got his shoes on.

The place is empty save for two patrons and a lanky young man behind the counter.

One man, hulking in stature no doubt even if he’s bent over the table before him, scribbles diligently in a notebook with a glass of something bright at his side. Must have one of those cheesy lite-cubes within because he could swear the drink is pulsing color.

The other is a woman mostly obscured by the bar and her ombre violet sheen of hair. She’s gotta be decorated for Mardi Gras though the bone-white hand she twirls a lock of hair around would be more suited for a Día de Muertos party.

She notices him first — offers a flawless grin of black lipstick and white teeth before she learns forward and whispers something to the bartender.

He rounds on a practically choreographed flourish of his heel. Beams wide and unabashed as though he’s greeting an old friend and not a complete stranger.

“Taylor, my mortal! Good to see you again. You look famished. Are you famished? You look famished. I should get you something. Are you a vodka-type or a gin-type? You know what — I’ll fix a couple options up. Variety is the spice of life!”

Before Taylor can even process the English language enough to turn him down the bartender disappears in a shock of his albino-white hair. Leaves him staring at the silvery fabric of the partition.

“Garrus is a hoot, isn’t he?” asks the goth girl — she waves over a hand and pats a stool beside her in invitation. “Come, come! I wanna see what he whips up and you will too.”

He casts a longing look to what has to be the front door of the place — the only thing that isn’t wood, as he notes the iron decor with irony. But can’t even step in that direction before she clears her throat in a way that says she won’t take no for an answer.

So… he sits? He sits.

“I’m surprised Ryder didn’t come down with you. Or did you let him drink himself asleep?”

Taylor shakes his head. “No, he’s… he let me go.”

“Huh, funky.” She taps long dark nails against her cheek and stares at him with wonder. Underneath the strange combination of lights she looks even more pale than he thought — almost translucent. It must be her makeup that makes it look like her veins run black under her skin.

There’s a throbbing in his temples so Taylor looks away out of habit.

“You should call your friend back.”

“Why? It’ll be a good show — and even if it’s not your fancy you’ll still get free booze out of it.”

“Well I don’t drink.”

“Drink what, vodka, gin? I knew I called you for a tequila man.”

“No,” and headache aside he looks grim into her purple color-contacts, “like at all. I’m sober.”

Just as the girl’s expression falls into embarrassed horror the curtain brushes back as if by a gust of wind. The bartender Garrus barrels forward with an actual cauldron in his arms and every nook and twiggy-armed cranny filled with various corked bottles and vials.

“Not for lo~ong!” he sing-songs. Drops his things carelessly on the bar surface and starts picking through them intently. “Now I could have sworn I had more cane root than this, but maybe if I sub in —”

Taylor goes to speak but the gaunt hand on his arm stops him short.

“Garrus, he’s sober.”

“I know, Ivy my love, I heard. Honestly what was Ryder thinking trying to unload all this on the poor man without even offering him a drink?”

Ivy gives a sigh of honestly and precariously balances on thick-sole heels to reach over and grab Garrus’ next glassy victim out of reach.

“H-Hey,” he practically whines, “that’s not in the spirit of things!”

“Listen to me,” and Taylor’s grateful she’s going through all the trouble but can’t not laugh when she sandwiches her friend’s face in both hands, “sweetheart — he is sober; dry, straight-laced, whatever you want to call it — go for it. But this human no drinkey.”

If that’s what it would have taken for Taylor to get the man to stop he isn’t entirely sure he’d have had the guts to do it.

As it is Garrus looks like he’s taking it personally before their eyes meet and his face goes flushed pink all the way to the tips of his rather pointy ears.

“Oh.”

Ivy resumes her seat cheerily. “My work here is done.”

“S-Sorry,” Taylor tries to offer, “I’ll take a coke if you’re really, uh, insistent.”

Garrus is interrupted before he can answer. And by a voice that rings startlingly familiar, too.

“Why not whip up one of those old cream colas for him, Garrus? You were just talking about how much you missed making them.”

It’s enough to put the pep back in his leather-booted step. Has Garrus clapping in delight and pointing between them to the only occupied booth with a wink.

“Darling, you’re a genius!”

Garrus gathers up his cauldron and brews; dashes back behind the curtain. Taylor meanwhile whirls around on the stool cushion to the vaguely recognizable face previously ducked in concentration.

Krum — that was his name, right? The more-mountain-than-man he had bumped into heading home from rehearsal earlier that day.

Who gave Taylor the early triggers of a panic attack in how his skin seemed to turn to a literal mountain under the company lights.

Who pushes up an almost comically tiny pair of spectacles and gazes back at Taylor with similar vague recognition.

“Understudy-boy?” He pulls off his glasses and wipes the lenses with the hem of his sweater — as if he’s the one hallucinating things and not the other way around. “Well I’ll be, it’s you!”

Ivy joins the conversation while sipping her margarita through a stirring straw. “You know this guy, Krom?”

“K-Krum.” corrects Taylor.

“Well actually,” says the man in question sheepishly as he slides out of his seat and comes to join them, “it is Krom. It’s a family name, too, and I’m very proud of it. But mortals never hear it right and I just sort of stopped correcting them.”

Ivy croons. “You gotta get thicker skin you big lug.”

When Krom tries to take the stool next to him, though, Taylor flinches back violently. Practically falls off his seat in his haste to get back. His ‘little throbbing’ is a full-on migraine now; the lights too bright and the smells too weird and he has to back up and steady himself on the nearest support column to keep from vomiting all over the nice shiny floors.

Like most concerned samaritans Ivy and Krom are on him in an instant. Their voices blurring together with the ringing in his ears; “Honey are you okay? — what happened — oh no did I hurt him — go get Ryder!”

“NO!”

He’s startled when he realizes it’s him yelling — not them. Blinks through teary eyes to look into the expressions of two ordinary people warped and twisted by his traitorous mind.

Ivy’s makeup looks melded to her face — like if she catches the light a certain way he’ll see her skeleton and the lines above are the tension of her muscles. And Krom is still a literal mountain man but in high-granite definition; he swears he even hears stone grind with every movement.

“Oh god…” he wails and covers his eyes. Scratches at them like maybe he can claw off the tears instead of just wiping them away.

In the bright darkness there’s muttered, muffled noises. Footsteps echoing on wood, then metal.

Then the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He knows there’s a hand hovering just above the surface of him.

“The more you go on fightin’ it, kid, the more it’ll hurt.”

He doesn’t have to open his eyes to imagine the look on Ryder’s face.

Words seem impossible but he finally manages to grit it out. “I won’t.”

“Won’t what?”

“I won’t give in. I’m sober. I’m sober!”

He manages two good smacks to his skull before Ryder snatches his wrist ironclad. “Hey—Hey! Stop that!”

“I’m sober fuck’s sakes! This should have stopped! I’m sober and I’m not. crazy!”

They struggle over his hand but Ryder’s strength beats out Taylor’s fright and panic. Just lets it hang limp in midair in the calloused grip.

“You were up there with me fully ready to take on some high-level necromancy bullshit and this is what sets you off?”

“You were gonna let him do what?!”

“Relax, Iv’, relax,” Ryder sighs, “I wasn’t gonna let him do it. But still he believed. You did believe, didn’t you?”

Did he? He doesn’t know. Can’t even tell if he’s still awake right now or if this is all some awful feverish nightmare he can only hope to never have again with the help of his sponsor.

Ryder tries again. Closer, this time — almost a whisper.

“Didn’t you?”

“I —” the whole bar hangs on his every word, “— I think so.”

“So believe me now when I say this: you aren’t crazy. Weird I guess, and maybe a bit gutsy. But not crazy.”

It isn’t much. But it’s enough for him to pry his eyes open and look at the man above him through the tears.

“You don’t get it. I… they look like…”

“Like what?”

He shudders the words out; “Like monsters.”

“HA!”

The cackle — or shriek — is so loud and so close it startles both of them out of their closeness; out of the intimacy of his admission. Makes them both look at where Ivy sits cross-legged on the floor with them sucking on a lollipop.

“Well I should sure hope so,” she teases, “because my glamour looks like a cheap imitation of the real thing! That’s what I get for skimping with B-O-G-O spell goods.”

Glamour. He knows that word. And Ryder knows he knows too judging by the wry little smile he gets. “Yeah, them too.”

“But —”

“Glamours are for all kinds’a things, kid. Here, c’mon up ya get,” with both hands Ryder helps him stand, “that particular one of mine was for secrecy. Most common ones you’ll run into though are harmless little shifts — ways to make the not-so-human look a little bit more that way.”

There’s a gasp and all eyes fall on Krom, now fully stone. His hairline replaced by filed-off pointed edges and skin rippling with crystalline sediment.

“You can see through glamours?” He asks, mortified.

Ivy’s black lips peel back with her grin. “Wicked.”

Garrus appears from around the bar with interest. Still pale but there’s no denying the actual point and tilt of his ears or the way his skin seems to almost shimmer. His eyes pale but reflective like bright diamonds.

“I wondered what set off my wards when Ryder here dragged you in. Seeing through glamours is some high-level magic. What’ve you charmed?” He looks Taylor over with interest.

“What have I… what?”

Ryder answers for him. “Already did my due diligence, guys. He’s not wearing anything charmed — he is charmed. Can see through the veil au natural.”

“Wicked.” repeats Ivy.

“Guess you’re my not-so-mortal, huh?”

Krom shakes his head with hands clasped together. “No wonder you were so frightened at the company. I’m so sorry, Taylor. I had no idea.”

Taylor swallows but manages a smile. “It’s… it’s okay. Not your fault, right?”

And the more he looks at them — really looks instead of seeing passing glimpses and resisting their existence — the less everything hurts. The ringing in his ears fades and like a drum at the end of a song his head abruptly clears. Along with the clouds that seem to hang invisible over his head every time he has one of his hallucinations.

But they aren’t hallucinations. They’re real.

It’s all real.

There’s a hesitation before Ryder lightly touches his shoulder. Taylor doesn’t flinch away — in fact a little human (maybe?) warmth is kinda comforting.

“You good?”

“Y-Yeah, I think so,” he inhales shakily, “I just can’t believe it’s all… I mean that it’s not in my head. It’s real. Everything I’ve seen is… is real.”

But everything means everything. Makes his heart settle down somewhere in the region his stomach ought to be occupying.

Makes him look Ryder head-on.

“So why does it want me dead?”

[johnandrasjaqobis]

OC Backstory | Jordan | 1

repeated disclaimer that this blog is not a writeblr in any traditional sense, but I love my OCs and will take any chance to yell about them. (Thank you for the chance @yourocsbackstory)

These continue to be vague (though this one slightly less vague than the last). Honestly, hmu if you want a real explanation for everything, I’m more than happy to give it, it’s just……a lot of worldbuilding that doesn’t really fit into short chunks like these.

Involves hospitals and…weird versions of death? Sorta?

Week [0] 1 - Parents

—–

He knew about the calls. It had been something his dad had brought up even before Jordan was old enough to understand the dangers of the job. Logically, in the back of his mind, he always knew that he might get a call, or maybe get pulled from classes, or woken up in the middle of the night.

It was always a possibility when your dad was a cop. Especially when he was one quite that stubborn.

Even so, Jordan never actually…expected it.

Even so, it felt like something had suddenly pulled all the air out of his lungs when he recognized the station’s number.

There was an incident, they told him. Someone will be by to pick you up in an hour.

It looks like we’ll need to transfer him.

It took more than an hour. It felt like six. The officer who showed up was at least mindful enough not to treat Jordan like he was five, which some had the tendency to do. (Granted, fourteen wasn’t exactly impressive to someone with over a century under their belt, but it was the principle of the matter.)

“We got the guys who did it,” the man assured him. “All of ‘em. Not going easy on them, either, trust me, not after all this.”

“They said they –” Jordan felt the words catch in his throat, swallowed quickly, and tried to sit a little straighter. “They’re gonna transfer him?”

He got a glance that might’ve been sympathetic before it went right back to the road.

“Probably, yeah. Doctors did their best, but it was…rough. Doesn’t look like there’s much chance of saving this one. But word’s already gotten through to the brass, they’ve pulled up a replacement already. Good one, too, none of that secondhand prison loaner shi– garbage.”

Jordan tried to smile, glancing down at where his hands still had a white-knuckled grip on his bag.

“Nah, I’ve heard; those are all bullshit.”

The officer grinned a little, shaking his head once before it fell away again. The glance was longer this time.

“It’s gonna be okay, kid,” he said firmly. “Really.”

Jordan nodded instinctively, keeping his eyes down and as wide as he could to keep them dry.

Logically he knew that.

It was just having a harder time sinking in every other way.

The hospital wasn’t busy, but everything in it still felt like it was moving at twice the speed it should. The nurses were pleasant – one of them brought him a sandwich that didn’t look entirely processed, and he was pretty sure he did eat it at some point.

It wasn’t in his hands, at least, when an older man held out a small, slightly oblong disc that was sealed in plastic.

They had missed a few specks of blood when cleaning it. Jordan decided not to mention that.

“We did our best,” the doctor assured him quietly. “I’m sorry.”

Jordan caught himself nodding again, though he had no idea what it might be in response to. He couldn’t pull his eyes away from the disc, the dull grey metal, the very faint blue glow coming from below a wire meshing on top.

They were sturdier than they looked, he knew. Had to be. Keeping it sealed like the hospital was doing was probably just to make it a little easier on themselves later, it wasn’t actually necessary.

It looked fragile. Jordan knew he could throw it across the room with almost no chance of damaging it.

He had to fight the wild, illogical urge to do just that when the doctor pressed it into his hand.

“We have some prep to do,” Jordan heard, as if from a distance, “but you can hold onto him until we’re ready, okay?”

He’d seen models. They’d passed those around class on a few different occasions. Plenty of diagrams and explanations when going over biology.

He’d never held a real one before. Never had an entire person sitting in the palm of his hand, condensed down to coding and electrical signals.

If there had been the energy to do more than sink back into the hard plastic chair, Jordan felt he might have puked.

It was hard to tell how long it took before someone came back and gently took the disc from him again with a promised, “We’ll take good care of him.” Harder to tell after he started dozing off, the sudden drop in adrenaline pulling his eyelids down with it.

Then suddenly someone was leading him through the harshly lit hallways, a hand on his shoulder like he might walk into a wall if not properly steered. (Probably a legitimate concern, really.) Stopping him in front of a door that was simpler than he felt it should be, given what he knew was on the other side.

“He’s still adjusting,” the nurse said. “Some pretty heavy sedatives right now to help him rest, but everything’s looking good. Just be gentle, and…no mirrors yet.”

More nodding. Still not really sure what for. The nurse opened the door anyway, stepping inside behind him but staying back as Jordan’s feet carried him forward without his full approval.

He knew what to expect. He’d known it since his dad had brought it up all those years ago, even before Jordan was old enough to really understand. Even so, he couldn’t hold back the sharp, shaking intake of breath and immediately tried to stamp it down.

Jordan didn’t know the face in the bed. The black hair that looked like it had been recently shaved short, the sharply angled jaw, the prominent ears –

“Dad?” he choked out before he could stop himself.

He didn’t know that face. But somehow he did know that slow, slightly crooked grin, and the way one arm stretched out, if a little shakily, to motion him closer.

“Hey, Jor.” It wasn’t his dad’s voice, but at the same time it was. The unfamiliar eyes finally cracked open then, somewhat unfocused but still immediately locking onto Jordan. “This is one for the books, huh?”

Jordan stumbled a step when he moved forward then, nearly crashing onto the bed as he threw his arms around his dad’s shoulders 

that were too narrow, too small, he was smaller now

which got a short noise of caution from the nurse that he pointedly ignored. The immediate returning hug was weaker than it should be, but somehow still firm enough to squeeze out the tears that he’d kept in so stubbornly so far.

He’d known about the calls. Never really thought he’d get one.

Now it was just a matter of, ideally, never getting another.

[ddaenggtan]

jungkook

j | write or describe an alternative ending to [insert fic].

You didn’t pick and I’ve been sitting on this for a while sO y’all get to know how From Eden was supposed to end before I wussed out and decided Nah Romance Y’all! I’m putting it at the end, though, because this is long enough as it is!

u | share three of your favorite fic writers and why you like them so much.

ryn i know u sent this and i hate you for making me pick anyone at all for anything sO YOU’RE RUDE, BLOCKED AND REPORTED, I’M MAKING YOU ONE OF THEM AND I HOPE IT GETS CHUMMY FOR YA

@fortunexkookie - ryn is easily one of my favorite writers, because everything they write is very real. like. each mc is relatable in their own way, they’re all very human and flawed and realistic, and i really love that. each of their iterations of the members are also very distinct, like their Falling Skies Jungkook is very different from their The Turing Test Jungkook, while still maintaining, I think, the things that make them them. Both Jungkooks are, at heart, very much like I imagine the real Jungkook to be, while still being distinct characters. If you dropped them both into a room, they’d have their own personalities and quirks and traits, but they’d still be JK. And the way Ryn does their world-building is simple and understated but it can’t be denied that it’s some of the most beautiful worldbuilding I’ve seen. And we’re not going to start on the prose part of their writing, because I will legitimately never stop talking about the way Ryn consistently puts in lines that just. Echo. In your brain. Like. It flows and it emotes and it’s perfect for the scenes, but then they just hit you with these specific parts that just stay in your heart for so long that they grow roots. I’m never not going to be in love with Ryn’s writing. 

@junqkook - Yara is an ICON. Like. HOW she read something I wrote and thought it was good I still don’t know because I legitimately am floored every single time I read something by her. I’m pretty sure I’ve gone through her masterlist at least twice, and every single story is so unique and creative, even the ones that are inspired are published series, and I’m just. In awe. The characters she creates are always so varied and intriguing, and the worlds are so interesting and fascinating, and I am consistently envious of the way her work flows so smoothly and so naturally. It all has such a natural progression, the dialogue is genuine and real, and I’m just. I’m in awe. Literally in awe, I love it so much, and I can only hope that my shiny garbage can one day be like that. 

@gukyi - i don’t think we’re actually mutuals, because I could only wish for someone like Guyi to know I exist, and the only reason I’m keeping the tag is bc she deserves all of the love and praise. If you want good fics, especially if you’re not one for the smut, then you really need to be following Guyi because the worlds she creates in her fics are absolutely astounding. Her entire HP au series is absolutely phenomenal and creative and stands out from every single hp au I’ve EVER read, which is rare because while they all tend to be good, they also all tend to be very similar because there’s only so much you can usually do in a hp au, and I haven’t read a single fic from her that I didn’t love. Victorious? Iconic, the worldbuilding she did to add onto HTTYD was phenomenal, and she blew the childhood friends to enemies to lovers trope out of the park. Her horror fics are some of the only ones I’ve read because they’re just that good. THE WEDDING PLANNERS? Truly iconic. I honestly WISH I could write like Guyi. 

n - answered here

g | do you write your story from start to finish, or do you write the scenes out of order?

I’m a dumb bitch, so I have to write my story from start to finish. I tend to ramble in my notes about various scenes I want to include, and maybe some random notes about the relationship or their personalities, but like. 

o - answered here 

k | what’s the angstiest idea you’ve ever come up with?

That’s gOTTA be Forever Rain, like. I’m not usually an angst person, so I’m not super good at coming up with angst prompts, but Forever Rain is EASILY the most angsty thing I’ve ever come up with. I’m getting sad just writing it, like. 

From Eden Alternate Ending

The aftermath of the fight with Demeter changes everything. Hoseok and Hades don’t see Yoongi before he gets dragged back to Olympus, which shouldn’t be possible in the first place, but Zeus has always tended to side with anyone who wasn’t the Queen of the Dead. No one is even sure Yoongi’s alright until Hermes comes down to tell them about Zeus’ decision, and Hoseok is pretty sure he’s never seen Hades angrier than that night. They haven’t spoken since, not really; he knows that she visits him when she thinks he’s asleep, knows that she runs her hands carefully through the air above his fractured wing even as she has to work to stitch her own body back together out of shadows and the memory of what hope felt like. The guilt shoves from her in waves, until it cloys in his throat and drowns out his own. Hades is focused on her own pain; how she should never have gone to Zeus, never have sought out what Yoongi was so afraid of, never trusted that Hoseok would be able to stay with him when Yoongi could convince anyone of anything. She doesn’t talk to anyone, doesn’t do anything but the work expected of her; the dead are piling up, slower than during Demeter’s rampage in the mortal world, but without Hoseok there to pass judgement, the Council is forced to, and they take far longer than he ever did, and she doesn’t know what she’s going to do because he was hurt because of her. 

Hoseok, meanwhile, is on bedrest, forced to spread his wings over several chairs so that they stay put, so the bones don’t break further and they set correctly. He’s a god - one of the oldest gods - but Demeter knew what she was doing when she twisted his wings beneath her and laughed as they cracked. In this story, Hades does not talk to him softly as he heals; she’s too afraid to see the accusation in his eyes, the blame that does not exist. She doesn’t tell him that she thinks its her fault, so he isn’t able to convince her otherwise. He doesn’t shed any tears with her in the darkness, she doesn’t hear his whispered confession that he blames himself because if he’d stayed...if he hadn’t flown off to try to protect his queen then maybe, just maybe, Yoongi would still be there. He’d still be safe. She doesn’t wipe his tears with her thumb, she doesn’t press a gentle kiss to his cheek after asking for his forgiveness, he doesn’t slide his lips across her knuckles and tell her there’s nothing to forgive. Instead there’s only Hoseok, stuck in a room and in pain, wondering if he’s condemned Yoongi to death because he couldn’t follow orders. 

In this universe, Hades is too afraid to send warnings to Olympus about what might happen to the dead if Yoongi returns hurt or upset. She doesn’t want to meddle more, doesn’t want to cause more damage to the flower god that she loves so much, doesn’t want to watch him crumple like the blossoms around her pomegranate tree. Can’t bear to think about where the golden drops that decorate the ground there came from, but can’t bear to have it covered, either. It’s a reminder, of just what happens when she gets too close. Of what happens when she lets herself forget that she carries Death on her fingertips and Tragedy in her footprints. 

In this universe, when Yoongi returns, he isn’t waiting in her room to tell her that he loves her and Hoseok. He doesn’t hold her, doesn’t show her how much he missed her in those months. In this universe he comes back quiet and solitary. He doesn’t visit Hoseok at the gates anymore. Yoongi can’t bear the reminder of the pain he caused. This time, Yoongi stays in his room. He visits the tree and his flowers, tends to them until the remnants of his blood are visible no more and the only reminder of that night is the taste of pomegranate on his tongue. He doesn’t visit Hades, doesn’t make jokes with Hoseok, and neither of them seek him out, too ashamed or guilty or grief-stricken to be faced with the hope he holds in his very skin. None of them can bear it, so none of them do. 

Hades stops wandering the Meadow. She doesn’t visit the gates, either, ignores the whines of Cerberus when he misses her, refuses to pass anywhere near the courtyard where the tree sits, surrounded by a kaleidoscope of color that she’s grown to hate. The smell of pomegranate surrounds her, as it always has, but it turns her stomach now more than ever. She cries more often than before, and no one notices. 

Hoseok doesn’t let the Council take over again. There’s a backlog of spirits, that’s the excuse he sticks to, and there’s too much work to be done. He pets Cerberus when the dog whines, letting all three heads lick wounds in him that no one can see, and he pretends that it’s okay. He doesn’t look at the flower crown hanging on the peg nearby, pretends it’s not there and that it’s as faded and withered as the ones behind it. His judgments become harsher, less forgiving than they were, and people stop asking for them. He stands with the dog at his back and the anger on his face and pretends like he’s healed. He doesn’t acknowledge that more broke that night than just his wing. Or that it never really healed. 

Yoongi doesn’t speak. He’s silent and steady in the darkness, hands moving on instinct. He misses Cerb, misses the way he would cajole Hoseok into judging more souls, misses the way Hades would smile as she worked on the flowers. But he knows better, now. His mother spent six months reminding just what would happen if he ran again, what would happen if he let himself think he was safe again. He has nothing else to do so he thinks, about what he should’ve done. How he shouldn’t have convinced Hoseok to leave, how he shouldn’t have been in the Meadow, how he shouldn’t have asked about the pomegranates, how he shouldn’t have gotten attached when he knew she wouldn’t let him stay. How he shouldn’t have run. The pile of flower crowns beside him grows with every day, and they mock him with their refusal to wither. They stay, bright and full and hopeful, a light in the dark of his room that refuses to go out. When he leaves to go back to his mother, he doesn’t take them with him.