#despite their intelligence they dont have a concept of crime

[dullanyan]

dolphins are evil legitamately

they dont have a concept of morality. theyre just smart enough to do things that benefit them that humans perceive as evil

and YES im aware of just what kind of things dolphins do not only to other things but each other, and sorry 2 say but many other animals Also do things like that to their own kind

like ducks, but no one calls them evil

[saeyoungs-sunflower]

Matchup for @nad-zeta! (Milestone Celebration)

Zeta, my sweet sweet Zeta, here’s your matchup! You have been such an angel, both in your patience and your general loveliness.💛 I’m sorry it took a little longer than expected, but I hope it was worth the wait! It’s pretty long (~3000 words lolllll) so it’s all under the cut. Sorry, I got carried away! :’) xx

So, without further ado, based on the information you gave me I matched you with...

Saeyoung!

take care of my bby pls

I feel like I need to say that I kept going back and forth between him and Zen. Zen was a VERY close second, so I kinda half match you up with him too. That being said, there were some things you mentioned that made me lean more towards Saeyoung, which will be explained below :))

~

Reasoning & General Headcanons!

“🥰 i am a aries, infp, ravenclaw female 🦊”

An Aries you say...?

Need I say more? Absolute chaotic duo. The energy is buzzing, and the people you hang out are always amused by your shenanigans.

As an INFP, you are caring, loyal, and sensitive, which are traits that I believe Saeyoung would benefit from in a partner. He also hides his true emotions well, so someone with your personality type would be able to pick up on the signs that he is feeling low, even if he tries to hide it. Your loyalty and devotion also helps him feel secure, which considering everything he’s been through, is something I feel he would struggle with, particularly in the early stages of a relationship.

On the flip side, Saeyoung is also incredibly loyal. And whilst he does joke around and tease, he knows how sensitive topics and comments can affect someone, so he is never careless, especially since (as an INFP) you often take things to heart. As a team, you work well together because you view the world slightly differently. You’re an idealist, whereas he’s a realist; you focus on the big picture, whereas he has an incredible attention to detail. This is really helpful in difficult conversations, big decisions, plans for the future etc, because whilst your opinions may differ, you offer the other a different side of the story. You get the best of both worlds!

I don’t know my Harry Potter houses very well, but from my memory and a quick Google search, Ravenclaws value knowledge and are wise, intelligent and witty. Sounds familiar? ;) i mean wise is debatable lol. Your conversations are sooo interesting and natural, because you’re both very intelligent in many ways.

“i am pretty shy and difficult to get to know (apparently it took me 2 months to start opening up to my friends, ooops), i tend to bottle up my emotions, my friends would likely describe me as incredibly stubborn, gentle, kind, over dramatic, goofy and fun loving. I am pretty aloof and blunt, like i will 9/10 times tell you to your face how if feel about you if you ask 🙈once u are part of my inner circle i am playful, teasing, i am an extremely sarcastic person that makes snarky remarks under my breath and my kind of humor is a bit of dark and self deprecating.”

Okay, this was one of the key things that made me match you with Saeyoung. A huge reason why I love Saeyoung so much is that there is a high level of comfort in a relationship with him. By that I mean that he is so open and fun that there is literally zero judgment. Judgment is such a foreign concept to him in this kind of situation. He makes you so comfortable that it’s so easy to be yourself around him, and it doesn’t take long for him to get to know you.

GIRL HE’S THE SAME. The king of bottling up his emotions. This means that y’all know when something is up, you can see the signs. You are understanding of each other, so discussions happen and actions are put into place before things become too much.

Saeyoung sometimes just needs to be told when he’s being a lil prick. You are kind and gentle when he needs it, but also can be blunt with him when it gets silly. I mean, if MC was like you towards the end of his route, we would have got through the whole “i’M tOo dAnGeRoUs gEt aWaY” thing SO much more quickly.

Once you’re comfy with him, you become an absolutely unstoppable force. When he teases you, you tease him back. When he’s being playful, you’re his partner in crime. Y’all are so goofy. Your life is full of laughs and joy with Saeyoung.

Sarcastic comments, dark humour and self-deprecating jokes? Yep that’s also very Saeyoung. Sometimes you two have to reel it in a bit when you’re hanging out with others because YOU’RE OUT OF CONTROL TOGETHER.

“I love my friends and family and will fight anyone who threatens them, although when it comes to me, you can do or say anything to me and i wont do anything (I honestly can't stand up for myself).”

IT’S LIKE HE’S LOOKING IN A MIRROR. Seriously though, he knows the importance of self worth because he knows, firsthand, the damage that can be done when you don’t value yourself and your wellbeing. He makes it his mission to help you see how worthy you are of respect and give you confidence to stand up for yourself. Even if you won’t do it for yourself, he’ll stand up for you. He cares too much about his loved ones to let them be treated wrongly.

He feels how much you love him and your other friends/family which makes him feel so secure, and he also has a phenomenal amount of love in his heart to give and he ain’t afraid to do so.

“I swear like a sailor although I am trying to get that under control, however the road rage is real.”

Finds your road rage and swearing SO amusing. Constantly teasing you about it and winding you up, but it’s all in good fun.

Absolutely has a swear jar for you. No doubt about it.

“You’ve corrupted my good, Catholic ears.” “Saeyoung shut the fuck up.”

“I love nature and animals (i love my lil bunnies and dogs), i love working out/going to the gym #gym is life”

I mean, we know he adores cats, and I imagine he loves other animals too.

I also imagine he loves camping, and I don’t even know why. He just gives me camping vibes. Weekends away spent in nature, sleeping in a tent and sitting round a fire in the evenings are pretty common for you.

I know this is ~controversial~ topic in the fandom, but I am of the opinion that Saeyoung also works out.

Do I think he’s completely ripped? No, probably not. But he’s strong, lean at the very least. Even Jaehee admits it! He makes working out so much fun and it’s always a bit of a laugh.

“i enjoy cooking (i am now officially a chef), wine tasting (fancy way of saying getting very tipsy of different wines most nights), spending time with friends (especially if there is tea to be spilt) although i do need lots of alone time to recharge my social battery”

The first time he tasted your food, he almost cried. Poor boi lived off eating crisps and soda for God knows how long.

“Wait, you’re not meant to constantly feel like you're gonna throw up? Food is meant to have...flavour???”

Help him

Saeyoung is pretty social, but also needs time to recharge like you, though he can go a bit longer than you and doesn’t easily get drained by social interactions. This may seem like a problem when you spend time with friends, but it’s actually such a blessing. If you’re feeling exhausted when socialising, he knows and will “take the wheel” if you will. There’s nothing worse than trying to keep a conversation going or seeming upbeat when you literally don’t have the energy, so Saeyoung is there to help you out. He’s also super good at politely and subtly taking you out of those situations if you are super drained and need to recharge.

He’s also such a gossip so if you got tea to spill he’s ready to hear it, and you know he ALWAYS has tea to spill. Sneaky man

“i like conspiracies, reading, writing (Fanfics and im busy with my Masters in nutrition >“<), rom coms, and  sleeping. As much as i love spending time outdoor i also enjoy lazing around the house being a lazy potato.”

Discussions about conspiracies over dinner lol. He is in possession of some...top secret information, so those conversations are very interesting and eye opening ;)

He LOVES to read your writing. It literally doesn’t matter what it’s about, he finds it truly fascinating. It’s a little glimpse into who you are, and it’s something you created!!! By yourself!!!! HE LOVES THAT. Always impressed with what you write, every time. He’s so proud.

ROM COMS WHILST CUDDLING ON THE COUCH

He’s a cryer, he loves rom coms.

He works super hard, so he’s always down to have a lazy day with you!!

“I definitely zone out and daydream all the freaken time and tend to blush easily which i hate 🙈 i definitely dont like crowds and loud sounds (ie you will never find me in a club). I am a picky eater despite my degree in cooking (i basically only eat candy, carbs and protein)”

He. loves. Making. You. blush. I’m sorry, but it’s one of his favourite things. He thinks it’s so adorable, so prepare for all the teasing, lewd jokes and general flirtiness that’ll get your cheeks burning ;)

He’s not keen on crowds either, so that’s not a problem!! I imagine he occasionally goes on night’s out with the bois (and by bois I mean usually just Zen and Yoosung LOL) but he’s not often out until super late, and he’s super respectful of you. Would never ask you to do something or go somewhere that makes you uncomfortable.

“i love cuddles although i look like someone that wouldn’t. Ive been told i come across as calm and confident, while in truth on the inside i am really scared and insecure.   I am incredibly awkward when it comes to boys and have been told my sarcastic comments are x100 when i talk to them (oops).”

CUDDLE MONSTER. I actually think he’s the biggest cuddler in the RFA. Controversial I know, but damn Saeyoung loves a cuddle. He’s a spontaneous cuddler. Like it doesn’t matter what the situation is, if you need a cuddle or he just fancies one, he’ll find a way.

He sees right through your calmness and confidence, because he’s exactly the same. This puts him in the perfect position to reassure you and lift you up. He’s a great hype man!

He finds your awkwardness adorable, and your sarcastic comments just make him love you even more! He has a good sense of humour and doesn’t take things too seriously if they don’t need to be, so he’s constantly laughing with you and easing your mind in the very early stages of your relationship.

“I am very go with the flow, and i never burn my bridges 🙈 i am very forgive and forget🦊, like no matter how badly you hurt me.”

Based on what happens on his route, it’s very handy that you are a forgiving person hahah

But again, if Saeyoung thinks you are being treated wrongly and being hurt, he will stand up for you.

His dedication to protecting the ones he loves is STRONG. I mean, look at his relationship with Saeran and the way he is constantly looking out for you in ALL routes.

Of course, he won’t say or do anything to that person if that makes you uncomfortable. Instead, he will constantly reassure you of your self-worth and remind you that you deserve better, but will also support the decisions you make.

If you want to forgive and forget, he will respect that, even if he thinks differently.

“What am i looking for in a potential partner?.... well i definitely think i need someone that could bring me out my shell initially, also someone who isn't too sensitive cause like i said i can be super sarcastic and my jokes kinda match that (like in my family we show out affection for each other via playful insults and savage comments)😂😂”

As I stated above, I think Saeyoung is the best person to help bring you out of your shell. There’s no judgment and no shame with this man.

I find that someone being unapologetically themself is SO contagious, and Saeyoung is exactly that - unapologetically himself.

We’ve all seen his humour, he doesn’t seem to be particularly sensitive either so you’re all good there hahaha. Obviously everyone does have their limits, so whilst their are topics/jokes that would probably make him uncomfortable (e.g. stuff relating to Saeran), overall, he’s chill and ALWAYS ready to joke around with you.

The roast battle is so real with you two LOL

“i kinda want someone stable, hard working, decisive, ambitious and who can push me out of my confort zone and vice versa.🦋”

He goofs around, but there’s no denying that this man works HARD.

Once he leaves the agency and starts his new life with you, I can imagine him being super ambitious and also aiming for stability.

His life before had been so restrictive yet so uncertain. He had to do what he was told, but never knew what was just around the corner.

This makes me think that he would crave the stability and certainty that he never had (a ‘normal’ life, if you will), but also he’d want to try so many things that he hadn’t before. He strikes me as a ‘go big or go home’ kinda guy, so I think it’s safe to say that he would be ambitious in many ways.

The only thing I don’t think he ticks the box on is decisiveness, at least not at the beginning. I think he usually knows what he wants, but rarely acts on that.

“It’s up to you”, “whatever you want” and “I don’t mind” are very common phrases for him lol. I think he would learn to be more decisive once he gets comfortable. I also think he has his moments of assertiveness though, when he’s in the right mood.

“Also someone who is family oriented and loving (someone that can cuddle me when im having a bad day)☺ and someone who can make me laugh, cause i love joking around so i kinda think i need someone who could match that🌻”

SAEYOUNG. IS. SUCH. A. FAMILY. MAN.

Again, look at what he’s done for Saeran and how deeply he cares for and loves him. A ‘normal’ family was something that was absent in his life, so when he has his own family (whether that be a found family or one he made) he would cherish that so strongly, maybe more than most.

SAEYOUNG. IS. A. CUDDLE. MONSTER.

He could be working at his desk and suddenly think “you know what? It’s snuggle time” and then he would search the house for you to give you The Snuggle™

Again, he’s also VERY observant and his attention to detail is impeccable, so he can instantly tell if you’re having a bad day and will act accordingly - aka SNUGGLE TIME

I mean, need I say more? If you want someone who makes you laugh, Saeyoung is the guy. There is never a dull day when he’s around, and the house is always filled with laughter!

So yeah....that’s my reasoning :’)) now onto your very own drabble!! This is all yours, so if there’s anything you’d like me to change or add, PLEASE let me know!! I’m more than happy to edit anything to make it more personalised for you, just shoot me a message and I’ll be on it, same goes for anything I’ve said above!!🥰

~

Drabble!

“Saeyoung! Can you come here a second?”

You called out to him from the kitchen, stirring from a pot whilst its contents quietly bubbled away. You could hear the music blaring from his headphones all the way from the other room, with the occasional hum or drum on his desk. Evidently, he hadn’t heard you.

“SAEYOUNG CHOI GET YOUR FINE ASS IN HERE.”

The music ceased, followed by rapid pattering as he darted into the room, nearly skidding round the doorway. 

“I heard ‘fine ass’ and here I am,” he smirked, sauntering over to you and snaking his strong, secure arms around your middle. He swayed you from side to side, planting a wet kiss on your cheek, much to your dismay. Saeyoung merely chuckled, resting his chin on your shoulder, “What do you need, witch lady?”

“Why ‘witch lady’?”

“Well, whatever you’re cooking is giving me witchy vibes. It looks like a potion in a cauldron. Look at you with your double double toil and trouble-OW! Don’t pinch me!”

“Sorry, it’s a witch thing,” you winked, spinning around in his grip so you were face-to-face. “You sure you’re not the witch? You do have the nose for it.”

“I’ve also got the dress and hat in the attic, shall I go put it on?”

“Try this for me first.” You held the wooden spoon out to him as he took a sip, chuckling at the way his brows furrowed in thought.

He smacked his lips a few times, hummed then finally looked back to you, “It’s good.”

“That’s it? That’s all you got?”

“You do realise that my taste buds have essentially been burned off by chips and soda, right? I have no idea if something’s bad or not.”

“You’re right. I should call Jumin.”

“You can’t,” he informed, his smirk growing ever wider as he moved towards the snack cupboard, “Mr Han has a date tonight.”

The spoon clattered against the counter, your mouth agape, “You’re shitting me.”

“That’s another coin in the swear jar.” Saeyoung chucked a packet of candy in your direction, though it only hit you in the face before falling unceremoniously onto the kitchen floor, “I think we need to get your reflexes checked, babe.”

“Tell me everything.”

He took a seat on a breakfast stool and chortled as you leaned over the counter, eyes showing your eagerness to hear the gossip. And he was more than happy to provide, “He appears to be really into her. Like, really into her. She seems to just get him, you know? I could hear his smile down the phone when he told me about her earlier.”

“Earlier? Why are you only just telling me this now?!”

“Do you wanna hear the rest of it or not?”

Huffing, you perched on the seat next to him, stealing a piece of his candy despite his look of horror, “Okay, well where did he meet such a woman?”

“You’re never gonna believe it.”

“Try me.”

Saeyoung was enjoying himself far too much. He couldn’t wait another moment to witness your reaction, “She’s Zen’s co-star.”

“NO.”

“YES.”

The tea had been spilt, and things were about to get very interesting within the RFA.

Your eyes were glued to his as he continued to disclose the details. At some point you had wrapped your arm around his, his other hand encompassing yours. He abruptly stopped halfway through describing the first encounter, causing you to quirk an eyebrow impatiently, “What?”

“Do you smell burning?”

“...Fuck.”

“And another one for the swear jar.”

~

@nad-zeta​ there we go my love, I hope you enjoyed your matchup!! I am so grateful for your support, it never fails to make me smile when I see you pop up in my notifs. You are beautiful, kind, bright person and you deserve the world. Thank you again for all you’ve done and all you do💛💛 Take care of yourself, my friend! xxx

(Note for other readers: I usually don’t do matchups, this was for a special occasion! I doubt I’ll open up requests for them later on, but never say never!)

[radiantmists]

rhythm of war part two thoughts

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa  (spoilers through the second interludes under the cut, and at the very bottom some comments based on what i have to assume is a major spoiler for the entire book, or close to it, though i'm warning again beforehand.)

well, last things first: taravangian's working against odium! i'm super excited about this, and very happy about the support for the concept that Taravangian's compassion isn't his curse, it's just the division of his intelligence and compassion that's sthe problem.

so we've been able to talk to the sibling, who is mostly trying to help despite genuinely feeling that what navani is doing is wrong. except now they're locked away, and navani is under the direct scrutiny of rabaniel and messing around with her is going to be risky. that being said, we're on our way to some very interesting revelations about how investiture works on roshar:

the stormfather is purely of honor. the sibling is a mix of honor and cultivation. the nightwatcher is purely cultivation

the sibling should not be able to function on pure stormlight, because it's purely of honor.

lift may not run on stormlight at all-- we already knew she can't pull it from spheres.

adhesion, which is somehow a fake surge and purely of honor, is not totally cancelled by whatever rabaniel did to the sibling. from lift's interlude, neither is regrowth when she uses it, which if i had to pick is the surge i would choose to be purely of cultivation.

as far as we can tell, people can still draw in stormlight with no issue, they just cant use it to power surges.

windrunners, who bond honorspren, are less affected by the fabrial: this applies especially to kaladin and syl, and we know syl is different from other honorspren, older. my money is that she's in some way more fully of honor than the others. lift, who's been hugely modified by cultivation directly, is also immune. the edgedancers as a whole are not immune and apparently are reacting as badly as anyone else.

...syl notes in the last set of interludes that she's different from other honorspren, mentally. is this a byproduct of whatever she did to sneak out of shadesmar, or of her being older? interesting.

To me, this all implies that whatever rabaniel did interferes with how cultivation and honor interact. lift, who seemingly only uses cultivation's investiture, can power the surge that seems most directly associated with cultivation; kaladin, probably closest to honor, can do the surge that seems to be entirely honor. the regular edgedancers aren't immune at all because they run on stormlight; the windrunners are somewhat but not fully immune because they're almost fully of honor, but cultivation likely had some hand in the way honorspren were made after the shattering.

Regrowth really is a very odd surge, compared to the others, which seem to deal with much more fundamental physical forces.

the fused do have access to regrowth while powered by voidlight, though. interesting.

speaking of: did navani's weird sphere contain some kind of... cultivationlight? or maybe it's some kind of combination, and that's why the sphere exploded right around the time of rabiniel's experiments (or the sibling was drawing on it somehow?)

on a more immediate level, the current tower resistance is as follows: navani, under constant monitoring but she has the best chance to figure out how to fix this shit. kaladin, who's a mess, being hunted by the pursuer, and who's about to start getting suicide-baiting nightmares from odium, but he does know how to fight! lift, who's amazing and knows how to sneak around the tower but is being hunted by someone who i assume has to be mraize. and rlain, masquerading as a singer (im so worried about him i hope he's okay).

if this somehow ends with kaladin killing mraize to protect lift before he can give shallan answers, i'm going to fucking SCREAM.

speaking of frustrating things: lirin turn on ur location i just wanna talk. Kaladin was actually rebuilding himself until this whole invasion thing, and i don't understand how lirin can look at a man who's that committed to doing good, sees exactly what it is that drives him to kill, and then calls him a monster.

I loved Kaladin's efforts to deal with mental health care! He's in the unique position ofhaving way more political power than any medical professional, darkeyes, or mentally ill person could ever have hoped to have, and I really want to see him come back to this once the world is burning down a bit less again, especially because it genuinely seemed to be helping him.

navani's plots have sorta been subsumed into this whole plotline, but i enjoyed what we got-- the little episode with the other scholars taking bets on whether she'd use tomor's fabrial was adorable, and i also liked how clear it is that they look to her to make things work.

moving on, uh... shadesmar stuff.

adolin's making some progress at waking maya! she doesn't talk but she shows a clearly unusual ability to learn and make independent decisions. i love it.

...also the thing with notum's horse implies that ryshadium are sentient enough to imagine spren. that's fun, and also terrifying.

adolin offering to stand trial for the crimes of humanity is fascinating, but all i'm thinking about is the episode of avatar where he agrees to stand trial for kyoshi, except in this case we already know that humanity did actually do the thing he's in trouble for. it would be unjust to punish adolin for it, but... i worry.

especially because there are, apparently, new deadeyes. this isn't extraordinarily surprising as syl was two skips away from death (though, im curious, does it work differently if the spren's never been a blade prior to dying? or are there just deadeyes wandering around who aren't tied to blades?) but it is very alarming.

and then there's the other thing: pattern is lying to shallan. i frankly don't think it's as simple as him being a spy for the ghostbloods; we saw even here that he's a terrible liar, and to have concealed this he'd have to have been pretty impressive.

on the other hand there was clearly some shit going on between shallan, her family, and the ghostbloods when she first got pattern. he's admitted that he has more exposure to humans than most spren. it doesn't look great, honestly.

i also appreciate that brandon is acknowledging how fucking weird shallan's timeline is. hopefully we get some answers about this.

adolin and shallan's relationship continues to be adorable; the sequence with the starspren is lovely and i totally get why it's brandon's favorite chapter in this part. between this and part one, he clearly enjoyed how the shadolin came out in this book and i agree. the fact that his romances continue after the marriage, with issues beyond just jealousy, is one of my favorite things about sanderson books.

venli's whole set of pov's this part was about walking up to urithiru. i really do want to like her, but she spends a ton of time just following more dynamic characters around and observing in these first two parts, and if not for the juicy secrets rabaniel's been dropping, it would make me just want to get back to other characters. hopefully that'll change in the next few parts.

i was going to make a comment about how we havent even had flashbacks yet, but i just glanced at the POVs for the next part, so I guess those are coming. I do wonder if these eshonai flashbacks will be info venli knows, or what.

she did kill someone for the first time, and attuned the rhythm of the lost for the dead man. the whole incident disturbs her, and i appreciated that as the rest of our viewpoint characters are extremely accustomed to death. i'm interested in seeing how this affects her going forward.

the epigraphs are so exciting! sazed is writing to hoid again, but this time he's gotten his bearings and spoken to some new shards... ones we haven't heard from before! also he asks hoid to say hi when he's on scadrial, which, fair enough tbh. i dont remember whether hoid shows up much in mistborn era 2 but for some reason i have the feeling he is not going to oblige this request.

the epigraph where sazed mentions he wants someone who can both preserve and kill immediately made me think of kaladin. (i think this is what he ends up trying to do with wax, but shhhh) he and sazed would agree on a lot of things philosophically, i think. (omg au where kaladin ends up working for sazed?? i have no idea how this would work the idea just fascinates me.

...where are the heralds? did dalinar take them with him, or are they in the tower? if the latter, are they also passed out? probably not, since they're not radiants, right? although whatever they are is very investiture-dependent so who knows. vasher's probably alright.

why is odium afraid of nightblood? is he worried it could eat him?

lots of POVs for the next part, but no shadesmar crew, so i guess we'll find out whether adolin gets executed by honorspren later. i do wonder why so many pov's from the battlefront; i guess something more is going to happen along those lines than i'd really expected. crossed fingers for some actual insight into renarin, finally.

in light of said spoiler: holy god i hope that division (between taravangian's intelligence and compassion) doesn't continue, though I have the horrible feeling that it will. This puts sazed's discussion of the intent of a shard combined with the cleverness of its vessel into a terrifying light: a godlike being who is at his smartest when he's a complete sociopath is like, the worst case scenario,  not even taking into account that the odium shard is uniquely suited to make people act on impulses. this is so bad.

but i can't know the full extent of that until i read the context, so let's move on!

[theskyexists]

Fascinatingly - I actually ship Aloy most with Avad.

I would have shipped her with Ersa (who has an amazing fuckin lifestory of her own) or the first ever Nora friend she made - BUT UNFORTUNATELY THEY BOTH DIED SO THEIR BROTHERS COULD FUCKIN AVENGE THEM.

Anyway. Not to dwell on that stupid narrative decision.

Avad is a good king. He's intelligent, he's strategic, he's kind when he can be, ruthless when he has to be. He exercises concepts such as 'rehabilitation' and 'war crimes' and 'peace'. Also he's super good-looking. And there's something about how he moves that's kind of adorably...nervous? Obviously Aloy should or could never substitute Ersa, but I dont think that's what he's trying. I feel like he's just genuinely grateful towards Aloy for everything she's done and sees how she could make him, his rule and the Carja strong. He would definitely like to give her a place to belong. And he's the sun king - which is nicely...worthy of Aloy.

I like Erend but as a friend with a frisson of potential who's just a bit in awe of Aloy - rightfully. And Aloy is very fond of him clearly. I like Talanah but in that Hawk-Thrush dynamic - a sifu who's apprenticed a godly master of hunting let's be real lol. There could be something there.

I hope theres a fanfic out there that's just 'Aloy kisses every significant person in her life'. Erend gets a kiss on the corner of his mouth. Rost gets a kiss on the cheek when Aloy was little. Avad kisses Aloy's hand and then she kisses him on the mouth. Because why NOT. Aloy and Talanah kiss after they've gone out hunting and near escaped death - maybe even while they're hiding out in a cave from the rain or snow.

Oh wow she's actually got depressingly few people who she might call friend or family...

Talanah made Aloy smile!!! Actually laugh and smile!!! I was like???? Have I ever seen Aloy laugh like that? Teeth fully bared??? Aloy despite the Nora. That's the basis for some real shit!

Also can I just say. I LOVE the world building of this game the story of how the robots came to be was fascinating a chilling and I LOVE Elisabet Sobeck.

[lairofsentinel]

Looming truths 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 10 11 12 13 14 15

Loomingtruths  - answers as long as the fic XD

1:What inspired you to write the fic this way?

The game,the chars, and my depression back then.

2:What scene did you first put down?

It's hardto remember.  The first ones were with Lang. Another of the firstones was the scene in which Phoenix tells Miles to stop behaving likea child, that they looked like actors in a opera soap. It was meantto be a parody/criticism of my own ridiculous scene lol.

Anotherone was the first scene in which Phoenix is depressed, laying on bed,unable to get up, sitting a bit but then falling again on the bed, wanting toforget his life, struggling with his bisexuality.

Also the 2possible Endings: the one in which Miles died (that turned out to be a scenein middle of the fic), and the solution of the whole plot about thecase of faceless bodies. You can't write police-like texts without doing them backwards: solve the crime and then, start splitting theparts that form the crime and making them fade out into thecharacter's doubts, assumptions, and lack of info.

3:What's your favorite line of narration?

Milesmonologues in front of graves. He got all my existential shit there.XD

AlsoLang's.

“Kay.Once again, her image appearedon his mind, and like his father's, it gave him some kind of vaguesafety, that only those pastprotective figures could provide in the world of the living ones. Maybeafter all this time he had found a sense to that strange habit ofvisiting old stones. The uselessneed to talk with those who were gone. Those who would never, everreturn.

“Everycase I read, now more than ever,scares me by foreseeing the image of the most terrifying hellawaiting us. The madness that humanscan reach frightens me. There are no rules for what is waiting foryou when human creativity,the disrupted one, is challenged. There is not even a kind of naturalrewarding system afterlong periods of suffering. It's more of the same. Uncertainty, chaosand nonsense. It's all you have.So unpredictable. That's why my father lies here. And also, that'swhy I'm here, alive. This universeworks in such fearful, chaotic ways. If humans can't put order toit... an order that could givesome kind of consolation to those who are lost in this storm...what's the point of being humansand be proud of it? What's the point of Justice and Law?”

“What?!”Klavier opened his eyes wide for a second. That was the mostrevolting suspicion he hadreceived in years. He was angry, but also tired. Putting his hands onhis head, he shook it slightlyover the desk and his voice started to get louder. “I can't believethe kind of image you haveabout me... all of you. I've done everything by the book. Myprosecution skills were perfect afterthat unfortunate first case. I've tried my best to do everythingright since then. But people are moreconcerned about my leather pants than the amount of cases I'vesolved. Yes, I don't wear a damnsuit, or glasses, and I work on my tan. But I'm a fair man. I'm notmy brother! I don't care aboutthe Gavins' legal fame!. Stop thinking of me as if I were him! He isdead! I pushed forthat tohappen!” Klavier sighed, calming himself down while straighteningon his seat. “Don't you dareto treat me as the twisted man he was.

4:What's your favorite line of dialogue?

Thereare many. One that comes to my mind is the one with Lang and Kayabout idealism:

“Iknow, but at least this will stop it. So many deaths weren’t invain” [said Kay]

“Iwouldn’t be so sure... but I let it go”, defeated emotionsplastered in his voice, in his eyes, in his soul.

Curious,Kay raised an eyebrow and smiled as if what Lang had just said was amere joke. “are youserious?”

“Let'sbe honest. You can't be serious believing this willfix the world, don't you think?”

Kay'ssmile was wiped out of her face. “So, you are doing things withoutbelieving they would changeanything?.”

Heshrugged, “Hmph, who knows.”

“Well,you should. It’s you I’m asking. You. You should know, it's yourown fucking mind.”

Bothof them looked at each other, defying, aggressively provocative. Anold tired wolf fighting againstthe Master. A little crow too smart for a savage predating world. “Ihave no time for over-thinking those things so much, like certainpeople could. I need to watch thosecriminals and sink my fangs in their throats. That's all my father,my whole family, my ancestorshave been doing through the years. But when your so long-lastingheritage has been doingthe same you do, century after century, and things never change onebit, you start to doubt if whatyou are doing right now will be the same useless thing they have donebefore.”

“Youare a bit pessimistic, Wolfie...” her face darkened. “I want tobelieve my father's ideals will beaccomplished, some day. A world that doesn't need the Yatagarasu. Hedied for this... you can't beaccomplished, some day. A world that doesn't need the Yatagarasu. Hedied for this... you can't sayit was useless....”

“Ofcourse it was not completely useless.Some people could have been saved with all this. I'll giveyou that, but... let's be serious. “

“Ican't believe that”. Kay looked at a screen, but her eyes were notwatching any of the lines displayedon it. A cold silence tensed the atmosphere.

“Forwhat it's worth, believe what you want, crow girl.” Lang threw histired body on the bed and sighedagain. A glimpse of Tyrell's image crossed his mind,  remembering howmuch the old man usedto complain about the youngsters' enthusiasm. Probably time hadgotten to Lang as well, too oldfor interacting with young people in the same way he used to

5:What part was hardest to write?

Apollo'ssubplot. All about Apollo was always hard to write for me.

6:What makes this fic special or different from all your other fics?

Thefandom. I usually write one fic in each fandom, and that's all what Ido. I put all my passion, all what I want and I like in that singlefic. That's why my fics are... ridiculously long.  The topics maychange according to the fandom. In Ace Attorney I try to focus a loton topics such as Justice, Power, corruption of the powerful ones,the loneliness, depression, several existential shit, love hard todeal (I mean, romance in Looming Truths is more about romance thatsometimes cross toxic limits and the couple tries to come back to ahealthy way). It's far from pinky romance, I guess. And of course,sexuality in a non-smut way. I read all my life fics with such smutin them, that I'm unable to write better things than that, so I tryto show the others things that may happen in sexual situations that Ididn't read in fics often.

7:Where did the title come from?

It'sthe common thing of all chars: truths that are there, hard to find or to see, that lurk aroundthem, like looming threats. It also applies to the case of facelessbodies, the main plot of the fic.

8:Did any real people or events inspire any part of it?

Hohoho.Like... Sure. There is a mix between the characterization of the gamechars and how I relate them to some people I've met in my life. Tosay the least, Phoenix is unbelievably similar to one of my ex, theone I had a long relationship as wonderful as you can read in the ficwith a person so hard to deal with due to their lack of emotionalintelligence like me.

Allthe stress and the conflict that Phoenix lives related to hisbisexuality, realising that he is bisexual when he was almost thirty,the shock it gave him is basically all the struggle one of my exlived, and I was close her to see all the process and how her mindwas deeply conflicted to this.

Klavier'sweird emotions and doubts for his brother are basically thestrangeness I feel when I think of my relationship with my father.

Theconcept of “let it flow” with Miles' stress and lack ofunderstanding?, Franziska dealing with all the shit around men, abouthaving to be much better than all of them because otherwise she willbe not recognized at all? And all her walls of rudeness around hereven though she was destroyed about Andrew's death? Because beingseen as a woman in a masculine environment makes surviving hard toaccomplish?. That's all different sides of myself in my real life translated into AA situations.

MyAura? it’s basically the friend I dedicated this fic: noir. I wroteAura always thinking in her.

10:Why did you choose this pairing for this particular story?

Narumitsu:because I love the pair. It will sound lame but I had a relationship like this once, and I know this is the kind of relationship I want to have. Writing about this gave me a lot of nostalgia. They look such a healthy couple, despitetheir weakness and flaws and fears. Their brutal honesty is what makes themkeep going on.

Klapollo:Well, I was not planning to do this pair, but considering how Klavierwas portrayed, I wanted a bit of good things in his life, same forApollo, so I tried to do what I did: a toxic relationship trying totake away the toxic part.

Franziska/Andrew:I wanted to write a lesbian, and Francy has that type ofpersonality that usually is only portrayed on male chars, so that'swhy I tried to write as much as possible about her, andI wanted her lesbian as fuck. But, to be honest, Andrew and Franziskaare not a pair I like. I simply see them too toxic in the game,that's why I changed a bit Andrew's personality. I did not want toshow co-dependant relationships as “good” relationships, but Idid not want to show the only lesbian couple in the fic as anunhealthy one, so I played a bit far away from the “in-char”field there. Sadly, I dont have lesbian pairs in AA. :( it hurts me. I can’t ship Francy with anyone, because she needs someone like Phoenix: tender, but that also has enough personality to calm her down. Ema is too aggressive and bitter for that. Maya is too naive and too “out of Francy’s field” (I mean, Laws. They dont have common ground from where to build the cound), Andrew doesn’t have a personality that could make Francy behave. I see that a “no” from Andrew is always too weak for the storm that Francy is. Lang’s personality is really good for her, but again, I want her lesbian as fuck, sorry.

Lang-Miles:Not my pair, but my friend's (Noir). I wrote half of this fic due to her,because she wanted to read a fic about lang-miles relationship in-char without rape, and well...Looming truths turned out like this.

11:What do you like best about this fic?

Thecharacters interactions and their existential shits.

12:What do you like least about this fic?

It'sgrammar, the words I used, the way I wrote it. English not being mynative language makes some sentences hard to write. In Spanish I cancraft a really good fitting sentence, but then it goes clumsy inEnglish, with less intense emotion or simply weird. But well, thisfic was, in part, written as a way to force me learn English. And Itdid it in a marvellous way.

Stillyet, I resent a lot its grammar issues, and some weird descriptions.Sigh.

13:What music did you listen to, if any, to get in the mood for writingthis story? Or if you didn't listen to anything, what do you thinkreaders should listen to to accompany us while reading?

Myplaylist. It's immense. It's full of OST from videogames, classicalmusic such as Vivaldi or Mozart, Jrock, Jpop, electronic music, tango,electro-tango, enka, celtic music, Irish music. Uff. It's a looong list.

Theonly song I think readers should listen while reading is the one Ilinked in the Epilogue.

14:Is there anything you wanted readers to learn from reading this fic?

Alot of things. But I leave that up to the readers. Every readerlearns or takes from the text what they want/need in that moment.That's all what I expect from the writer-reader relationship.Also, I’m always too obsessed with people developing their own critical thinking. I always try to stimulate that on my fics, to make situations that force readers keep thinking, and taking positions. If that happens, that’s all I want from my readers. That, and comments helping me to improve my grammar XD but those never came. 

15:What did you learn from writing this fic?

English,lol. A loooot.

AndIt helped me to overcome my deep depression in that moment. It helpedme to survive really bad times. Like I said to one of my ex once: ifI write, it means I'm really bad. If I'm feeling happy and ok, Idon't have wishes for writing. But when I feel myself eaten bydepression, I learnt that writing helped me to kill me, to hurt me, toforgive me, to guide myself. Writing is for me a healing process thatno therapy can match.

[comicteaparty]

December 11th-December 17th, 2019 Reader Favorites Archive

The archive for the Reader Favorites chat that occurred from December 11th, 2019 to December 17th, 2019.  The chat focused on the following question:

What webcomic would you describe as your guilty pleasure and why?

Holmeaa - working on WAYFINDERS

Oooh. So the only webcomics I read are very nsfw, so there is a big guilty pleasure in reading smut.

keii4ii

Depending on how you define guilty pleasure, I don't think I have any, comic-wise. But I do have a couple of comics that I read with my brain turned off. XD One is a MMA action comic called Gyuhkki 3-Ban (Contact Sport Class #3). https://comic.naver.com/webtoon/list.nhn?titleId=701535&weekday=wed It's in Korean only at this time, but I would recommend it to anyone just for the sheer action, which you can enjoy even without reading the text. The artist is awesome at drawing the human body in motion, or even multiple human bodies in motion (all the grappling). They also have a MMA consultant for the series, which I'm sure helps a lot. Bonus: even though I mostly read it with my brain turned off, I also really like most of the characters? In particular, there is an extremely close platonic relationship between a dude and a gal, and it is so precious. The comic is not afraid to show affectionate touching (e.g. gently grabbing the other person's hand/wrist -- while pinned down to the ground by the other, to boot) despite the non-romantic nature of their relationship, and it makes this ace/aro person meeeellllt

keii4ii

There are also some insanely gorgeous webcomics that I read with my brain turned off. There is nothing bad about the writing in these comics -- it's not the writing, it's me, as I will explain. The visuals are just Too Powerful and my eyeballs basically replace my brain when I gaze upon those comics. Wormworld Saga is one of them. https://wormworldsaga.com/

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

I kind of feel hesitant to even answer this question, because a ‘guilty pleasure’ insinuates that a comic is bad, but I like it anyway. I wouldn’t want to deride any of my fellow creators’ work like that. None of our comics are perfect, but we’re all passionate about them and doing our best. I wouldn’t even classify any of the ‘naughty’ comics I read as guilty pleasures because I don’t feel guilty for enjoying them. Some explicit comics still have deep, meaningful storylines and well-done art. The subject matter isn’t for everyone, but that doesn’t make the comic bad or worth less than other comics. Yes, I have read comics that weren’t the best quality, but again, I feel no guilt for finding pleasure in their stories. None of us start out as pros, after all.(edited)

keii4ii

Yeah, I wouldn't say any of my "turn my brain off" comics are less intelligent reads! It's just how I respond as a reader. They are excellent comics that I would 100% recommend, with confidence.

FeatherNotes

Agreed with Lee! it's a hard to answer question, and I think we today have really learned how to de-construct and analyze better, so that 'guilty pleasure' isn't a concept that most who do can really relate to anyways?? interesting topic nonetheless!

SAWHAND

I would say my guilty pleasure comics (and I'm not gonna call em out by name, for some reasons discussed above) are comics that I know have some tropes or themes that are problematic to current day issues. Just stuff that's like, "I'm enjoying this, and I'm interested in the theme, but I'm a little skeptical that this author put in their due diligence in being careful of sensitive topics". That's the only thing that really makes me feel "guilty" when reading a comic.

RebelVampire

I'm gonna point out its fine to do as @SAWHAND and @Holmeaa - working on WAYFINDERS have done and not call any comics out directly if you don't want to even remotely suggest a comic may perchance be bad.

DanitheCarutor

Ah, now I feel bad for my post, even though to me "guilty pleasure" means something other people find bad that I really like. I wasn't insinuating the comic I pointed out was bad, but very edgy, which doesn't make it lesser quality. There are plenty of great edgy, bloody, grimdark stories! I'll just delete my previous post, don't want to offend anyone. <_<'

keii4ii

Yeah, I think this is can be a tricky topic! I did enjoy discussing some of my favorites though. To reiterate/clarify, just because I can enjoy them a lot with "my brain turned off" doesn't mean they are shallow. It's more like they have multiple layers to offer. The surface layer offers a ton of enjoyment already, but there is so much more to them if you read deeper!

Holmeaa - working on WAYFINDERS

For me it is not because the comic is bad I love them or else I would not read them. I just dont talk about them a lot, and I would not read them in the train. Also for me a comic who has a bit of stigma can be a guilty pleasure, like I really love yugioh. But because of the stigma I see it as a guilty pleasure of mine.

RebelVampire

Yeah, I agree with that sentiment. Just cause you define something as a guilty pleasure does not auto equate to "comic is bad." It can mean a lot of things for different people. I usually see a guilty pleasure comic as something you read but wouldn't necessarily tell everyone you read it because you would be judged or argued with in some regard. Like for me, a lot of comics I would define as guilty pleasures are the comics that are premium on their respective platforms. Not because their quality is at fault, but because there's a lot of politics surrounding them and the generalized hate they get just for getting more promoted on the platforms than others. And in a general crowd I would not necessarily mention that cause I avoid all sorts of politics where possible.

That being said, I don't want anyone here to think it's bad to say you think a comic is bad or it's taboo to imply bad comics exist. That is a fool's errand. The difference is are you respectful about it and still understand the creator is improving and getting better. Cause if you're respectful, it's not a crime to think something isn't good.

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

That’s all very true! I suppose I had concerns that defining a comic as a ‘guilty pleasure’ might open up backhanded compliments at comics whose creators who could well be perusing the server. Thank you for clarifying your stance, and I’m glad I was mistaken.

AntiBunny

For me it's Jack. The comic was often disturbing, very dark, heartbreaking, and yet could also be beautiful and uplifting. I stopped reading because the author stopped keeping up the website, and only posts on fur affinity now, and I don't feel like trawling his gallery for the updates.

MJ Massey

Hmmm I guess I read a lot of romance comics, that kind of surprises people. Mostly webtoons stuff like I Love Yoo and True Beauty, which are both so good

MJ Massey

Kind of combining this question and the previous, there was this comic waaaaaaaaay back in the day I loved called "Ninja Spirit". I don't think it's online anymore. The art wasn't the greatest, and it started more gag-strip like, but I ended up falling in love with the characters and the story as it evolved and developed. Unfortunately, it went on forever hiatus right at the start of the last chapter so I'll never know how it ends

RebelVampire

I already partially answered this earlier, but I want to add another. Similar to @MJ Massey , the comics I generally define as guilty pleasures are romance comics. Because a lot of the ones I like are filled with tropes you've seen one hundred times. And I am gonna say not all of them are that great. While most of them aren't bad, they do not fall into a category of comics I'd recommend to others and go "Hey this comic is great, you should read it." But even if I don't think they're that great, I still read them and like them because they hit that niche of happy fluff that I sometimes need to get through life.

MJ Massey

and sometimes, that is exactly what you need