#deemoyza

[rayless-reblogs]

For the character ask meme, how about Yuna and 14, 18, and/or 25?

Absolutely!

14: Assign a fashion aesthetic for her:

Hm, my first thought would be something like geisha core or flowercore, but I'm not sure those are actually aesthetics. A Google search tells me geisha core is more traditional, and while Yuna's canon outfit definitely takes inspiration from a kimono, I think it's too experimental for that.

And looking at a breakdown for flowercore/bloomcore on the Aesthetics Wiki (a thing!) that doesn't sound right at all. I think I'm also making a mistake if I only focus on her original canon outfit and neglect all the different dresspheres from FFX-2.

So one of the first things that strikes me when I look at it that way is that Yuna's outfits really exemplify the free-spirited, ethereal, 70's-inspired look of the early 2000s. It's a video game, so things are exaggerated, but when I look at her Gunner outfit, I see the soft peasanty blouses, the fringed leather belts, and the ruffles of 2002 or so. And let's not forget the low-rise jeans and tall boots. I'm not sure this is what most people think of when they say Y2K core (it's not a velour track suit), but to me, this is extremely Y2K.

Her Songstress outfit gives me a similar millennial vibe -- a ruffled 70s-ish blouse, the waterfall effect, the pleated miniskirt.

Her outfits also feel very flowing and organic, so I'm going to go with something like... Oceanic Y2Kcore.

18: A canon relationship with the character you admire:

One of the strongest elements of FF10 is the close bond the party shares, and that all centers on Yuna. And it's hard to pick a favorite there. I like how Rikku probably doesn't even know her cousin well, and she realizes she's always going to be in the minority when it comes to arguments about religion and philosophy, but she still leaves her home to try to save Yuna. I love Kimahri as the big stern, but loving, bodyguard. And I think Auron and Yuna have an intriguing dynamic; Yuna must have spent so many years imagining her father's journey with Auron, and she meets him with so much respect. But I wonder how it might have shaken her to see what he was like in reality. He's not antagonistic, he takes very good care of her, but I doubt he was what she expected.

But the first relationship that popped into my head was Yuna and Lulu. Lulu's just as stern and forbidding as Kimahri and Auron, but I like that the game takes time to show her being soft, sort of like a sister, but also very much like a mentor. I can imagine Yuna growing up looking up to Lulu so much, and while she doesn't try to imitate Lulu, I have to think Lulu had a huge role in forming her personality. The idea of Lulu loving Yuna so much, and then choosing to guide her to her death -- while Lulu herself has already failed at this on another pilgrimage -- is heartbreaking. They both must be so strong to undertake that, and to carry it out with a smile -- or, in Lulu's case, a slightly more neutral frown. Quiet strength like that (even if their choice is questionable) is something I really admire, as I'm much more likely to do something difficult kicking and complaining all the way.

25: What was your first impression of this character? How about now?

I can actually faintly remember the first time I saw a FF10 article in... PS2 Magazine, I think? And they had Yuna's classic character render pictured. I remember not liking her outfit, but I thought it was cool she had two-colored eyes. At that time, I'd only been playing JRPGs a few years, so I was pretty familiar with FF, but didn't have a huge pool of other heroines to judge her against -- Rosa, Terra, Aerith, Rinoa, Garnet. I think I was intrigued by her, but not very enthusiastic.

I came to really, really like Yuna after playing the first game, but being very disappointed by her evolution in FFX-2. I felt like they'd traded that quiet strength that had spoken so loudly to me for a shallower, more conventional action-based heroine. It soured my feelings on the character for a while.

But more recently, I'm over that. I understand what they were trying to do with FFX-2 -- show this character who had been utterly shaped by cultural expectations finally breaking free. It's not how I would have written her development, but I'm more at peace with it. And I still really like her from the original game. As for the post-FFX-2 canon, it honestly baffles me, the direction they've taken things in. I tend to just mentally stop things right at the best end of FFX-2 and just leave it there.

Also, now I love her original game outfit.

Thank you for the ask, this was fun!

meme here

[iffylogic]

drop this sunflower🌻into the inboxes of the blogs that make you happy! lets spread a little sunshine ☀️

Aww the feeling's mutual, you're the sweetest! 🥺🥰

[postalninja]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love❤

Thank you for the ask, friend! However, I have already answered this one (twice, haha!)

[runicmagitek]

Why do work when I can take a quiz and make a picrew?? Many thanks to @bluebudgie for the tag!!

It is officially Beanie Weather and I just buzzed my head on Saturday so gotta keep warm! Also...... yeah that tracks lolsob no one can fix me it's fine

Gonna tag @wingsyouburn @mereelskirata @metaphoricalmelodies @iffylogic @grraveryl @gaymergal @deemoyza no pressure, as always!

Links for the things: picrew / uquiz

[daily-rayless]

AO3 Wrapped: Writer Edition

Got the idea to do this from @deemoyza

Words written this year: 25500

Works written this year: I wrote four fics this year, though two of them came pretty late and haven't been posted yet: "After the First Time" (Aerith, Final Fantasy 7), "Tenuto" (Tales of the Abyss -- I'm counting it as one fic because it's a drabble collection), "Matter Recollected" (Fate, we'll see about that title), and "Mother Paws" (Narnia, we'll also see about that title). (Other fics I posted this year had been written earlier.)

Work Most Proud of: "Matter Recollected". Most of the word count comes from that one, but it was an attempt to tell a bigg-ish story in a short-ish amount of space. I think I did pretty well establishing scenes and the characters' circumstances, then letting them stew in their own angsty juices for a while.

Work with Most Hits: Between the two that have been posted, definitely "After the First Time". FF7 is a much bigger fandom than Abyss.

Fav title: "Tenuto" gave me so much trouble, trying to find something to unite ten drabbles, so I fell back on music (appropriate for Abyss), and the fact that ten is there in the word was a bonus.

Pairing You Wrote the Most For: None of the pairings overlap, though the ArcherHakuno (technically ShirouHakuno) "Matter Recollected" is the longest, so we'll say that.

What Work was the Quickest To Write: "Mother Paws". I was thinking about Narnia while I was exercising (sure, that's a thing that happens) and ideas started leaping out of my brain; so I stopped what I was doing and hammered it out in thirty, maybe forty minutes.

What Work Took You Longest To Write: "Matter Recollected" took about a month, in forty-ish minute bursts every night. "Tenuto" also took a fair bit of time in the editing stage, getting the drabbles down to 100 words.

How Many WIPS do you have for next year: No first drafts. Things are being edited, though, right until they're posted, so we can count stuff from The Muse Trilogy there. Still wondering if I should even post the earlier Fate stuff, and I have one outstanding Abyss fic from a few years ago I might post.

Longest Work of the Year: "Matter Recollected" at 21100 words.

Shortest Work of the Year: "Tenuto" at 1000 words.

Fav character to Write: I really enjoyed dipping into different povs for "Tenuto", including characters I'd never really touched before. But if I'm honest, I love writing for Hakuno, my impression of her as a character is still developing, and she's just a lot of fun. So we'll say Hakuno.

Which work of yours have you re-read the most: Maybe "Tenuto"? Editing was all about repeated whittling.

Total Kudos this Year: 55. (Most of that is for Aerith.)

Total Hits This Year: 497. (Ditto!)

Total Bookmarks This Year: 6

Total Subscriptions This Year: 0

What Do You Listen To While Writing: I tend to listen to my music on shuffle. In most cases, having lyrics doesn't bother me, and I listen to a lot of folk and piano pop, so it tends not to be very intrusive to start with. It definitely helps mentally separate me into a writing mindset.

Fav line or passage: I don't know if I have a favorite, but I like this one: She watches Cloud walking ahead of her, turning to say something quiet to Tifa. She has to pull away from him now. But in the days that follow, she doesn't. Maybe she can't, but she suspects she merely doesn't. She did, after all, warn Cloud that the only thing she was really good at is giving up. Because she knows she'll probably die, and the Whispers still cluster around her and take from her, and the Lifestream, as beautiful as it is, doesn't have the same tenderness of being alive.

[the-moral-of-the-rose]

The example of Anne Blythe's poetry - Part 1. (Was she a gifted poet?):

*LMM's fans - how would you rate this poem/orbitruary (scale 1-10, where 1 is the lowest and 10 the highest) as an item of a poetry? I'll include the poll below, but you may always tell me in tags/messages, after the voting is over):

"The Old Man's Grave"

"Make it where the winds may sweep Through the pine boughs soft and deep, And the murmur of the sea Come across the orient lea, And the falling raindrops sing Gently to his slumbering.

"Make it where the meadows wide Greenly lie on every side, Harvest fields he reaped and trod, Westering slopes of clover sod, Orchard lands where bloom and blow Trees he planted long ago.

"Make it where the starshine dim May be always close to him, And the sunrise glory spread Lavishly around his bed, And the dewy grasses creep Tenderly above his sleep.

"Since these things to him were dear Through full many a well-spent year, It is surely meet their grace Should be on his resting place, And the murmur of the sea Be his dirge eternally."

Anne of Ingleside by L. M. Montgomery

@gogandmagog @batrachised @pinkenamelheart @no-where-near-hero @informedimagining @mzannthropy @girlathome9 @bewareofitalics @moonlightredfern @the-lily-blooms-late @deemoyza @diario-de-gilbert-blythe @mollywog

[aleheartilly]

Writing patterns

Tagged by @angelosearch

Rules: list the first line of your last 10 (posted) fics and see if there’s a pattern! (Or however many fics you have!)

A shell, unveiled "She has just closed the book she’s been studying for three hours straight, massaging her temples as she thinks if she’d rather have a cup of tea or something more fitting for a cold, rainy night, like hot chocolate, when someone knocks on her door. "

My mind "This is what Rinoa remembers of her mother: a soft scent of iris, clothes in tender hues of roses, sometimes her laughter and the way it made her eyes shine, her finger moving swiftly and precisely on the white grand piano in her music room."

Pet Names "It’s quiet."

Choices "It’s a cold and snowy day. Squall looks out of the windows of their home in Balamb, as Rinoa waits for the coffee - Timberian roast, the only kind worth drinking, she always says - to brew, and he listens smiling as she talks excitedly about the decorations she saw in a shop and how she’d love them for their house."

Heroes of the revolutions "“Laguna, for the love of Hyne. You want to get to know your son, right?”"

Pieces "Rinoa loves Yuletide. She really does. The small cabin hidden in Balamb’s mountains feels cozier and warmer, when she looks at the snow softly falling outside her window."

A seat next to you "“You know I love you, right?”"

Playful ever after "Early summer really suits Timber."

Normalcy "It’s the normalcy he dreads."

Diamond "When he opens his eyes, all he feels is pain. All-encompassing, breathtaking, mind-numbing pain."

...only pattern I can see it's the present tense tbh

Tagging @deemoyza, @irishais, @summonerluna

[dustpileofherown]

For Snippet Sunday, a peek at a WIP in which Barney and Valancy return from their honeymoon and pick up their cat's at Georgiana's:

She recognized them—all too well—immediately.  The only thing about them that had remained the same from their day of departure was the blessedly quiet green car.  Otherwise, they had left Deerwood as the Redferns of Montreal and returned—quite shamelessly, Georgiana thought—as the Snaiths of Mistawis.  Barney, clad in a simple homespun shirt, had allowed his hair to grow again, and it hung over his forehead to the tops of his mismatched eyebrows; Valancy, meanwhile, had kept her hair cut short and was dressed in—good heavens, was Valancy wearing knickers?

Thank you @deemoyza for participating in

Snippet Sunday!!

[iffylogic]

Quiz result's not quite the vibe I was hoping for, buuuut at least I'm loved and I look good killing! 💃

No-pressure tag: @alkonoststorm @runicmagitek @deemoyza @promised-meadow @rayless-reblogs

Saw this going around twitter, looked like fun. What? I'm not procrastinating (I am, I really am)

Make this picrew of yourself

Take this uquiz

Post the results side-by-side. No pressure tags: @alypink, @revnah1406, @madefordvarka, @deadbranch, @welldonekhushi, @kaitaiga, @applbottmjeens, @froglights-and-pearls

[rayless-reblogs]

For the recent meme, Celes Chere?

How I feel about this character:

Thanks for picking Celes because I utterly love her, and have for a long time. Final Fantasy 6 was the third JRPG I ever played, and while I enjoyed a lot of the cast, I swiftly connected with Celes. She's very competent and heroic, but also cold, and I saw her emotional arc as being about learning to trust and befriend people after a life that was warped by being raised in the imperial military. I also love her Amano design, the sleek trousers and jacket, the different shades of brown -- I think she looks just lovely. Also, she gets the opera scene, what a great moment.

All the people I ship romantically with this character:

Relatively few, though there aren't a lot of ships for her that I'd really object to. I'm a longtime LockeCeles shipper. I do acknowledge the ship has issues with Locke's chronic hero-itis, but I see that more as feature than bug, given all the things a fanwriter could dig into there. I like the contrast of his open, fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants personality with Celes being more cool and collected, and I always enjoyed the tension of him simultaneously still being very involved with Rachel. Which is the more important relationship, the one that's quite literally frozen in the past (but which was, before interference, so good), or the one dynamically evolving in the present (but which is a lot less certain and more complicated)? Let alone Celes' feelings on the matter, does she even want to be with Locke, is her being with Locke unfair to this woman she doesn't even know and who might never wake up? I've always liked a heaping helping of angst in my ships.

But I've also come round to SetzerCeles. I think there's a lot of potential chemistry, Setzer being sexy and suave and passionate and even more risk-taking than Locke. I've danced a bit around the pairing in writing before, and I do think that's how they'd approach things early on -- indirectly, neither coming out and saying it, despite both knowing something's there, with Celes still stern and reluctant.

My non-romantic OTP for this character:

So very very long ago, I had this headcanon that Celes was Sabin's and Edgar's illegitimate half sister (based on one throwaway npc line about Celes being similar to Sabin). While I don't subscribe to that anymore, I still like the idea of Celes being close to them. The contrasts in personality would lend themselves to a lot of humor, but I think they'd be very supportive for her (Sabin can hold up a house, after all), and she could help give them some focus.

My unpopular opinion about this character:

I don't know what the unpopular Celes opinions would be? Maybe most people are unhappy that she replaces Terra as the protagonist in the second half of the game? While I don't like Terra being pushed to one side, I love Celes and have never minded having her as the party's leader.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon:

Similar to what I said with Guy, we don't really have any hints about what Celes wants to do with herself, free of the empire. Given her focus on Locke (but even that's downplayed in the World of Ruin), I don't like the implication that her fate is to just settle down with him. If she wants to settle down, fine, but what else is she doing? In fairness, most of the characters have that lack of resolution, so maybe even by getting anything, Celes is actually doing better than some of the others.

My OTP:

I mean, if I'm picking one here, it's going to be LockeCeles. It's very nostalgic for me.

My crossover ship:

I've long thought SephirothCeles would be pretty cool. She might not be as powerful as him, but I think she could keep up with him, both on the battlefield and emotionally. She's also more grounded which, you know, maybe he needs.

A headcanon fact:

I didn't originate either of these, but I like the idea of Celes having a connection to Shiva, perhaps formed during her training. Also Celes being taller than Locke is excellent.

Thank you again!

[iffylogic]

Last Line Challenge

Rules: In a new post, give us your last line (written or drawn) and then tag as many people as there are words!

Thanks for the tag @mereelskirata! 😁

Last Wednesday I tried doodling for a random story idea I've been sitting on for years, hoping to get a spark back? It didn't work. :/

But at least the idea has a face now, so that's neat! ^^

No-pressure tagging @deemoyza @daily-rayless and @quiettekiyet!

[runicmagitek]

Baptized by Fire (Celes/Terra - Final Fantasy VI)

(( written for @deemoyza for Rare Pair Exchange! I had a blast revisiting these two and writing some post-canon established relationship feels for you 💖💕 ))

Flames surrounded Celes. They crackled, devoured beloved homes and establishments, then left behind nothing but ash. As smoke replaced the clouds and blotted out the sun, she stared at the carnage barely concealed beneath a thin blanket of soot and embers. Men and women. Elders and children. Families and friends. All gone.

All because of her.

It was her fault. It always was. Despite the ice slicking her veins, there was no erasing the fact that she—

“Celes?”

The gentle voice paired with a shake of her shoulder shattered the illusion. Celes gasped and vaulted upright. Air burned in her throat, as if she inhaled the smoke from her nightmare. She shuddered and clutched her head.

“Hey.”

There was that voice again—soft and soothing, like a welcomed breeze to break the heat. She turned to the origin. Curled up next to her in bed was the only one who understood her plight.

Because the Empire branded Terra, as well, even if she failed to remember the specifics.

Wide eyes latched onto her. Terra pouted. Perhaps another morning—it... was morning, yes?—Celes would’ve seized Terra’s face and kissed her. Instead, they gazed at one another. Celes’ shallow breaths deepened and lengthened alongside her heartbeat.

“It’s okay,” Terra murmured, smoothing a hand over her features. “It was a bad dream.”

It was now, but years ago, it was her reality.

[read more on AO3]

[aleheartilly]

Thanks @summonerluna for the tag!

So, send an icon and I'll answer.

meanwhile, I tag: @angelosearch - @tr1ck5 - @suleikashideaway - @gardengalwrites - @deemoyza - @msstarlight and whoever wants to play!

Writer Truth or Dare Ask Game

🎱 ⇢ post your AO3 total stats 

🍓 ⇢ how did you get into writing fanfiction? 

🌵 ⇢ share the link to a playlist you love

🕯️ ⇢ on a scale from 1 to 10, how much do you enjoy editing? why is that?

🛼 ⇢ describe your latest wip with five emojis

🥤 ⇢ recommend an author or fanfic you love

🎲 ⇢ what stops you from writing more in your free time? 

🍄 ⇢ share a head canon for one of your favourite ships or pairings

📚 ⇢ what's the last thing you wrote down in your notes app? 

🔪 ⇢ what's the weirdest topic you researched for a writing project?

🌿 ⇢ give some advice on writer's block and low creativity

🏜️ ⇢ what's your favourite type of comment to receive on your work?

🦴 ⇢ is there a piece of media that inspires your writing? 

🍅 ⇢ give yourself some constructive criticism on your own writing

🪲 ⇢ add 50 words to your current wip and share the paragraph here

☁️ ⇢ what made you choose your username?

🐝 ⇢ tag your biggest supporter(s) and say one nice thing about them

🎨 ⇢ link your favourite piece of fanart and explain why you like it

🧩 ⇢ what will make you click away from a fanfiction immediately?

Everybody is probably too busy playing EoW (my preorder is delayed 😭😭😭) to respond to this, but here goes!

Tagging: @drsteggy @dubiiousfood @linktheacehero @spices28 @daemosdaen @pelicanpig @summonerluna @jdetan @wouldyoustilllovemeifiwasawyrm @bahbahhh @flutefemme @zeldaelmo @hyylia @louwhose and anyone else who cares to play

[aleheartilly]

Five Lines Tag

Thanks for the tag @angelosearch!

rules: find five lines based on the prompts you are given, then change one of the prompts at the end!

A Line About Butts

From Pieces:

“Oh, you better,” he says, pressing his lips against her hair, moving his hand to pinch her backside. “In Balamb, we are really serious about our pasta.”

A Sad Line

From The Wolves (what might have been lost):

On a table on his right, a small glass vase was holding the flowers she loved so much. Loved. The past tense never sounded so definite, so irreversible, so painful as when he has to use it to talk about the woman he loves. And it hurts so damn much to think she loved things, she loved him, but he still loves her and it’s almost like having a black hole swallowing his entire being.

A Furious Line

From chapter 4 of my AU The Winter Rose:

"Because it's all about you, Princess." He moved his arm to point at the painting, at the ceiling in all its glorious, magnificent opulence. "You need this and you don't care what other people may feel about that. It's all about what you want, and what you need. Did you ever stop to consider maybe I don't want to be involved in this Knight thing you need?"

A Line Describing Scenery

From A seat next to you:

There’s a timid sun, shining on their flower field through a couple of clouds. The air is filled with the scent of flowers, and there’s a soft breeze that ruffles her hair, carrying the smell of a cleansing storm. She realizes there’s an animal somewhere nearby – a seagull, maybe, crying over the crashing waves of the sea.

A Fun Line

From Board Games:

“First Squall’s fat ass on my fragile back and then your scrawny elbow in my beautiful eye!”

Sooooo I tag @suleikashideaway, @irishais, @summonerluna, @gardengalwrites. @deemoyza and whoever wants to try Your lines are:

A Line About Skies

A Sad Line

A Furious Line

A Line Describing Scenery

A Fun Line

[dustpileofherown]

I am BLOWN away by the participation in our first

Snippet Sunday!!

Thank you all who submitted, liked, reblogged, commented!! We’ll shoot to do this again next week!!

Including links to all today’s submissions:

A last thought Barney wouldn’t recognize…

She thought resentfully that it was such a terrible way to go…

She recognized them - all to well - submitted by @deemoyza

Maybe she was obsessed with death…

Bernie hadn’t wanted to go…

As Valancy looked up, she crossed gazes with Barney Snaith…

[rayless-reblogs]

For the writing meme: 5, 12, and/or 32, please? :)

Thank you! Let's take a crack at these.

5: What are my writing superstitions? Not any superstitions, but maybe hang-up is a better word? Whether it's original writing or fanfic, I'm very, very reluctant to assume I'll finish a project. I'll start writing and tell myself, "Okay, this is just a casual thing, no pressure, if you finish it, great, but you're not committing to anything here." Never mind that I'm secretly hoping I will finish it, of course, and I know that. There've been times in the past when I've launched into a project with high expectations, only to watch it peter out and die. Usually if I'm fifty percent through or more, I have a reasonable expectation of seeing it through, but even there, I've still quit before it was done.

For related reasons, I tend to make myself write linearly, not jump right to the scenes I'm really looking forward to writing and filling in the "boring" stuff later. Those scenes are the carrots on the stick -- I have to get through the less exciting stuff first, and that helps ensure everything gets written out. I ended up breaking this rule for my more recent Abyss fics, where I ended up jumping around a lot. But I don't think that would work for me in most cases.

Also for related reasons, this is why I don't post long fanfics until they're finished. I don't want to leave readers hanging with something incomplete.

12: If a genie offered you three writing wishes, what would they be? Asking for loads of money so I could just spend all my time researching and writing and self-promoting my writing would be nice, but is probably too indirect for the writing genie. Would need a money genie for that.

I am ridiculous when it comes to typos, so being typo-proof would be great.

For my current writing project, I have been taking an unholy amount of notes, which I still need to fact-check and organize. Being able to see all of my notes at once, comprehensively, right there in my brain, sounds amazing.

Never again having that feeling of knowing there's an exact word I want to use but I can't remember what it actually is.

32: What is a line from a poem/novel/fanfic that I return to again and again? This is an odd one, not because it's obscure, but it's just strange that this is something I do think back to a fair bit. The last line of Peter Pan novel:

When Margaret grows up she will have a daughter, who is to be Peter’s mother in turn; and thus it will go on, so long as children are gay and innocent and heartless.

My mom read Peter Pan to me (I was a teenager, not a young child, just to clarify), and I remember when she came to that, I was just sort of wow. What a note to end on, that word "heartless". I think the Disney movie robs Peter Pan of a lot of its -- dark? sinister? -- neither are exactly the right word (where are you, writing genie?) overtones, and the whole book has this against-the-grain element. But it's so sharp and stark in that line. I think it helped teach me the power of including, with no fanfare, a simple word that cuts against what the reader expects -- just putting it there and leaving it be, letting the reader cope with it themselves.