#end. what a mystery.' and mcs literally like 'so you lost it.'

[sluggsy]

i love cove im sad so im thinking abt cove i think abt the beach i think abt cove i think abt the water the sun the lil fishes the aquarium n museums minimum wage jobs that suck late diagnosed autism fireflies parental issues the kombucha at work thats literally his name n i thi

[eggroll-sama]

THINGS THAT REMIND ME OF THE LI

This is purely self-indulgent and just based on stuff that makes me go, “it’s them!” when it’s unrelated to them. But here you go and hope you like it. To make it sound more accurate, I replaced the nouns to fit Touchstarved cast.

AIS

Tyler Durban and Edward Norton from the FIGHT CLUB— “How much can you know about yourself if you’ve never been in a fight?” “Maybe self-improvement isn’t the answer, maybe self-destruction is the answer,” “Only after you’ve lost everything you’re free to do anything.” “We are the same person.”

The song, ‘I Remember You’ from ADVENTURE TIME— “I can feel myself slipping away, I can’t remember what it made me say, but I remember that I saw you frown, I swear it wasn’t me…And I need to save you, but who's going to save me? Please forgive me for whatever I do, when I don’t remember you.”

The punk from FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF. I can just see Ais at a police station, giving advice to a pretty stranger, and end up making out with them.

This scene (warning: graphic violence and gore) from ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD. It’s just so Ais and Princess-coded

VENOM, enough said.

KURAS

The murder-mystery film, THE DA VINCI CODE. I feel like Kuras would love the movie if it existed in his world since it’s canon that he likes trashy murder mysteries.

The song, ‘No Good Deed Goes Unpunished’ from WICKED— “[MC] where are you? Already dead, or bleeding? One more disaster I can add to my Generous supply…No good deed goes unpunished. No act of charity goes unresented. No good deed goes unpunished. That’s my new creed.”

GONE WITH THE WIND— “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn.” This line was controversial when released in 1939 because swear words weren’t normalized. I feel like Kuras, like this movie, rarely swears but when he does, the whole room goes silent and you know shit’s about to go down. Also according to the RSS radial chart, Kuras has low empathy plus maxed out strength high wisdom, damn at some point that man might legit not give a damn-

MAQUIA: WHEN THE PROMISED FLOWER BLOOMS— “you smell weird, you smell like the sun;” “If you fall in love, you will truly become alone.” Contextually the line is about how an immortal should never get too close with mortals because they'll one day they’ll die, and it fits Kuras a lot.

HUNTER X HUNTER 2011—“[MC] you are light. Sometimes, you shine so brightly, I must look away. But even so, is it still ok to stay by your side?” I love the idea of an angel heavily associated with the sun (Prometheus, likes sunny days, radiates heat), finds someone that is the light of their life.

ONE PIECE— “I have seen the future of this country. And it is destruction. As long as [the Senobium] remains here, this country can never be cured, because even if medical technology progresses, even if [alchemical] research continues… there is no cure for stupidity.”

OPPENHEIMER. After I watched the movie all I could think about was Kuras doing the blank eye stare at the end of the movie.

LEANDER

Goob from MEET THE ROBINSONS (he’s literally just child Leander in the modern world ;o;)

Michael Scott from THE OFFICE— “I wanna be married and have 100 kids so I can have 100 friends and no one can say no to being my friend,” “it’s not about the horniness, it’s about the loneliness”

The painting, Death of Sardanapalus, by Eugene Delacroix. King Sardanapalus palace is besieged by enemies and he decides to commit suicide after he learns of the army’s defeat, but not before ordering his men to destroy all his favorite possessions- wives, horses, pages, and dogs. He’d rather his valuables all be destroyed than his enemies own them. King Sardanapulus selfishness is humane, but the extremity’s he would go to keep what is his is monstrous.

GASTON from BEAUTY AND THE BEAST— Gaston and Leander both have similar vibes. They’re both trusted and well-liked by most people, viewed as heroes, are human but are monsters on the inside, overconfident, attractive, has a possessive streak, hangs out in bars, nice singing voice. The main difference is that Gaston doesn’t try to act like a nice guy like Leander Fake ahhh

The song ‘Burn’ from HAMILTON— “Do you know what [Vere] said when we saw your first letter arrive? [He] said, be careful with that one, love, he will do what it takes to survive…Do you know what [Kuras] said when [he] read what you’d done? [He] said, you’ve married an Icarus, he has flown too close to the sun.”

Michael Corleone from the GODFATHER.

Sampo from HONKAI STAR RAIL— I barely know anything about Honkai Starrail, but I was going to an anime goods store with my friend and one look at him made me think of Leander. My friend gave me a run down that he betrays you for money and runs away and unironically I could see Leander throwing us under the bus.

VERE

This scene from the movie, MALENA. Vere is heavily desired by men and women alike, but his flirty and fickle personality is just a front to protect himself. And he hates how people see him as a pretty face or someone who needs saving from the Senobium. Tbh Malena herself just reminds me of Vere’s problem of how being pretty is a double edged sword. People see you’re pretty, so they feel threatened or idealize you. You feel extremely lonely bc people are distracted by your beauty and won’t try to understand you intimately. So you either own it and be alone OR assimilate and have friends. Vere is the former.

Madonna-Whore Complex. This article explains it pretty well, “The Madonna Whore Complex (MWC) is a psychological complex often perpetuated by heterosexual, cisgender males which places women into two categories the “Madonna, a woman who is pure, virtuous, and nurturing, or a “Whore,” a woman who is deemed as overly sexual, manipulating, and promiscuous. The dichotomy of MWC creates a rigidity that limits women’s sexual expression, agency, and freedom by defining their sexuality into one of two categories.” Vere is the latter.

Ymir from ATTACK ON TITAN. Both of them were self-proclaimed deity, was caught lying (presumably), and paid for it. Their personalities are similar too except Vere masks himself through innuendos.

The song, ‘The Red Means I Love You’ by Madds Buckley— “The red on my face is matching you. And goodness, you're bleeding, what a wonderful feeling. You're down and you're pleading, my head is just reeling. The red means I love you. Tasting your blood means I love you.” (I can’t see Vere becoming a yandere because he’s already deranged)

MHIN

Another line from ONE PIECE —“Someday I will become too much of a burden. Someday you’ll betray me and cast me aside.”

SHUTTER ISLAND— “What would be worse, to live as a monster or die as a good [person]?” Mhin hates monsters ironically since they are one, and I could see them nearing the time limit where their curse becomes permanent and decides that maybe it’s better to die with their humanity than live forever as a monster.

The Beast from BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. I already said this in another post but like IMAGINE THE AU. AHHHHHH

Felix from LAST LEGACY but more depressed.

Disclaimer: we don’t know much about Sen or Elyon yet so I don’t have much.

ELYON

THE GREAT GATSBY— “…can't you see who this guy is, with his house and his parties and his fancy clothes? He is just a front, a gangster, to get his claws into respectable folk…(to Elyon) We're all different from you. You see, we were born different. It's in our blood. And nothing that you do or say or steal... or dream up can ever change that.”

SEN

Unfortunately I don’t have any for Sen. Her design reminds me of Frankenstein’s creature tho.

BONUS:

MC

This scene from SHAPE OF WATER. MC falls in love with a monster and trying to save them from danger. MC knows that they are also an outsider, a monster. Being with the LI’s feels like they were finally accepted for who they are, regardless of their curse, so they can’t abandon them— “When they looks at me…the way they looks at me, they don’t know what I lack. How I am incomplete...and now I can either save them or let them die.” I think this quote can also be interpreted as the players choosing a route, essentially dooming the other players if we don’t choose them.

Famous line from 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU— “but mostly I hate how I don’t hate you, not even close, not even a little bit, not even at all.” The fact that us as players will keep coming back to them, replaying their routes even though they killed us, and obsessing over them. Yes they suck but we still love them.

This quote from Green Mile— “ I’m tired…I'm tired of bein' on the road, lonely as a sparrow in the rain. Tired of not ever having me a buddy to be with.” I think this quote really emphasizes how touch-starved MC is, and how alone they feel from being betrayed by people they cared about in the past (also sparrow name drop ^-^)

[mysteriouslover1516]

IMAGINE:

The young hacker sighed as he and MC laid out all the information they had discovered in the last few hours. They had so many new leads, so many new paths to pursue and chase after, and yet he felt like they had barely made a dent of progress in Hannah's disappearance. He somewhat smiled though, MC was handling everything very well, he couldn't help but be impressed, proud even.

You can relax a little bit for now. I have asked a lot of you recently.

MC deserved a break, he needed her to rest. She needed to be able to function the next time he had something new to share with her.

When was the last time you slept anyway?

A small chuckle escaped Jake's lips, when was the last time he slept, like ACTUALLY slept? Hmmm, he figured cat naps didn't count, he could barely even remember the last time he slept more than three hours at the most. All he could say was insomnia sucked.

Last fall?

He half expected MC to give him some sort of lecture about how the body needs roughly eight hours of sleep every day in order to properly function, blah blah blah. But instead she took a different turn, catching him off guard.

Hey Jake...

Yes, MC?

What was worrying her? What was weighing on her mind? Was she okay? Or was she about to confess her feelings for him.....

I don't want you to go....

Jake had hit the nail on the head with his last theory, there was no doubt in his mind that MC held certain affections for him.

I can literally feel you blushing.

He groaned, running a hand through his wavy black hair. How did she master the art of combining vulnerability with cockiness? And why did he find that hot, not hot, he meant interesting, interesting was what he meant, not hot, definitely not.

What are you afraid of? You know I like you.

Jake's foot twitched nervously as he read MC's question, what WAS he afraid of? The answer was easy, he was afraid of commitment. But deep down that wasn't the real reason he had found himself trying to quell the unfamiliar feelings he was experiencing. If he committed and lost her, he would never be able to recover. It was better to kill the feelings now, put an end to everything, it was necessary.

Do you think I don't feel the same?

Because he damn well felt the same! It was impossible to not.

You are so mysterious but at the same time I feel like we have known each other for a long time.

Every day he found himself wondering who she was, who was this mysterious MC? Why had she been pulled into the group? Why was her number the last message sent from Hannah's phone?

Throughout the day I think about you a lot more than I would like. And I don't even know you.

He would find himself thinking about her at random, whether it be looking out the window wondering if MC's weather was rainy like his was. Whether he was eating a box of takeout and he asked himself if MC happened to like Chinese food as well. Whether she felt the same way for him.....whether or not she was falling....falling for a stranger she had never even laid eyes upon....

I open up to you, even though I usually never give anyone any information about myself.

"I open up," Jake mumbled. "No matter how much everything within me says not to, I find myself placing myself at your mercy." Whatever he was feeling, this thing he could barely bring himself to call Love, he needed to end it, and end it now. It simply wasn't safe!

My behavior towards you just doesn't make sense.

For once in his life he found himself operating by heart, not with his head. This was not him, this was not normal, and it wasn't RIGHT!

It doesn't have to make sense if it feels right!

But it isn't right! And it's dangerous. For me just as much as for you. I am sorry MC.

Quickly logging off, he pushed himself away from his desk. He was angry, yes, but not at MC. He was angry at himself, angry that his chair was not the only thing he was pushing away. Why did his life have to be laced with so much danger, why couldn't he be one of those lucky bastards who experienced a happily ever after?

[jenyifer]

Book List Time!!!

And with that I have 10 give or take books to discuss. Now I’m up to over 30 books since May woooo telling tumblr about each one has been a great motivator so I hope my reviews and list help people out in a non spoiler fun way. Gonna rank these in order I want to reread them.

1. Green Creek the series by TJ Klune 🏳️‍🌈🐺🌶️🌲 Wolfsong Ravensong Heartsong Brothersong I am obsessed. Literally read all four books in 3 days. I have bought physical copies and marked them up. Will make you cry, laugh, and stay in your heart forever. Just……. Go read it. But the quick synopsis is Powerful Humans Wolves Witches have to pay for the sins of their fathers over and over again while maintaining their found family and finding their true soulmates. There is Ace Lesbian non binary rep in here as well.

2. The Warden by Daniel Ford🏳️‍🌈 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩🧙‍♀️❄️🪦truly a fantasy masterpiece the romance isn’t the focus but it’s fucking good. First sapphic book to get a 10/10 for me. About a witch(with a magic system that is interesting surprising) growing up and finding herself a family without sacrificing who she is. I loved her and at first you think ehhh is this going to be boring no definitely not. Was surprising made me laugh and cry. Can’t wait for part 2 cause more of the hot gf in there I hope.

3. A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland🏳️‍🌈👑⚔️🌶️🌶️ I listened to this book two times in a row I enjoyed it so much. It’s a bodyguard and prince story. The prince’s depiction of depression anxiety panic attacks was so real. The bodyguard is very endearing. The themes of family are strong and interesting. The mystery was easy to solve but I found it rewarding because I wanted the prince to win so badly haha.

4. Spindle Splintered by Alix E Harrow🏳️‍🌈👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩👸🏼🥀😢

Short story about a dying girl who has a special interest in sleeping beauty. It does have a…. Debatably Sad ending. I did enjoy it for what it was trying to talk about. I lost a friend when she was too young. I’m glad I read it.

5. Scumbag Villains Self-Saving System series by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu 🏳️‍🌈🚩⚔️😈🕊️🤓🌶️? I’m putting it up this high because besides that scene in chapter 21 that slapped me in the brain I really enjoyed the series. Only Danmei I HAD TO GET THE REST OF THE SERIES IMMEDIATELY Hell I’ve even now written fan fic for the side ship. About a Nerd being put into his favorite love to hate stallion novel (story about a hero who fucks his way to success) but he’s in there as the abusive villain who the hero is destined to kill. The nerd has to save himself and unintentionally builds himself a harem featuring the most red flag the hero who so sololy motivated by the nerd. It’s great easy to read very fun. But 🌶️ scene in book 3 is a definite skip and delete from memory.

6. Case File Compendium Vol 1 by Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou 🏳️‍🌈? 😈🚩🩸🕵️🥼

I did just finish reading this so maybe I’m bias but I really did find it a book I couldn’t put down. I even brought it with me to work to read a chapter during my lunch breaks. Main characters are heavy in their homophobic lifestyles but they kiss and protect each other? True crime and mentally ill characters. MC is has a fatal mental illness that makes him unstable and MIL was his former private doctor. MC is trying to date MIL’s little sister. While getting up to shenanigans they stumble into a corrupt hospital and evil forces are maybe after them?! Idk its exciting fun to read but only if you like 🚩’s

7. The Disabled Tyrant’s Beloved Pet Fish Vol 1 by Xue Shan Fei Hu 🏳️‍🌈🐟👑🎨🖼️ I did genuinely laugh my ass off during reading this book. It was incredibly easy to read I think I finished it in 4 hours. Very cute. I love the inside and outside art. About a nonverbal Prince who has anger issues and his crush on the modern man who is trapped within an ugly little fish. Now yes the Prince is becomes actively in love with the fish. Lucky for us we are stuck in the man who is trapped as the fish’s pov and he is genuinely just trying to get back to his world by obeying the powers that be System’s prompts to go home. Fish is not trying to seduce the Prince or anything. It’s just funny I had a great time with vol 1 probably will read vol 2.

8. So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole 🏳️‍🌈👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩👩‍❤️‍💋‍👨🐉🏝️ while having dragons and diverse cast it ultimately falls short of expectations wishing for more depth and clarity. The asexual spectrum representation feels muddled and Jamaican inspired cultural elements are unexplored which is at odds with its rich backdrop that could have enhanced the story. The story’s mystery element lacked cohesion resulting in a frustrating bittersweet ending that suggests a sequel and left me unsatisfied. I won’t read the next book. Won’t suggest it.

9. Faithless Book2 by C L Clark 🏳️‍🌈🚩👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩⚔️👑😩 a big let down from book 1 but I’m locked in for life I guess. Luca is back in France navigating a way to get the crown. While Touraine shows up with a priest and Teen to some how get food for her people. Most of the plot feels useless both MC characters are stupid and do no growing. The new teen character was interesting. I disliked the poly romance I didn’t particularly feel comfortable about Touraine and Luca why not add another person in what could go wrong? Luca’s reign as Queen looks to be very bad and you will feel extremely disappointed at the end. I’m going to read the next book but only because I like the characters who didn’t go to France.

10. Self-Made Boys by Anna-Marie McLemore.

I read 90% of this book and I regret it. It’s a trans characters as the leads gay retelling of the great gatsby. I was truly excited to read it I’ve read The Great Gatsby many times. However this book just laughs at the source material. I’m tempted to say maybe the Chat GPT’d the plot and didn’t ask for any over arching themes in the book. I couldn’t do it I’m gonna have to find a better trans representation book in my next set of ten.

DNF’s

Last Night at the Telegraph Club, The Once and Future witches, Gearbreakers, the emperor and the endless palace.

[infiniteetcetera]

MY TOP 10 SJM CHARACTER RANKINGS:

[Broken up as girls vs boys bc if it wasn’t it’d just be like all the girls and Dorian]

GUYS:

1) DORIAN HAVILLIARD👑: NO ONE IS SURPRISED BUTTTT truly love him so much, no notes at all✨Hot, sweet, kind, respectful?? Amazing character journey??? Served “I’ll bleed whatever color you tell me” AND “you cannot pick and choose what parts of her to love”??? Impossible not to love him

2) Rowan👑: Another angel who just wants to love, respect, and protect his wife✨ his sense of humor is so underrated and he’s just overall a generally good/fun guy

3) Fenrys: I’m actually SO sad we don’t get more of him because he steals every scene he’s in. He’s so charming and fun despite everything he’s been through and his friendship with Aelin has my heart. Also love a sassy man🔥😩

4) Chaol: Hot take perhaps but I love him and his character arc so much. One of the most realistic SJM characters overall and more than any other he just has such a kind heart and genuinely wants to do the right thing and protect those he cares about. Also underrated hottie, smooth AF when he wants to be THERE I said it🔥

5) Azriel: We have so little of him but I love him so much already😭 will probably be higher after his book, I just already love how he’s such a perfect balance of mysterious/hot and gentle/kind. he’s also SOOOO funny??? like one of the funniest ACOTAR characters by FAR

6) Rhysand: Maybe controversial because I feel like most people either love him like #1 style or hate him completely but I think Rhys is SOOO complex and one of SJM’s most interesting characters. He’s been through more than almost any other character and I think if he was perfect after that he wouldn’t be realistic, so even despite his flaws I love him and want the best for this silly sassy fairy boy✨

7) Lorcan: I have my moments with this guy but I do love him😩 he can be a little bit too broody at times but he has others to remind him to cut the nonsense so✨he definitely gets extra points for changing his name to Lord Lorcan Lochan (even though I know Fenrys and Aelin never let him live that down) and just generally loving his wife

8) Lucien: I LOVE my sassy fire boy😩🔥 Book 1 Lucien would be higher but he’s gone missing since then🤧 still love him though and hope we get to see more of his charisma in future books because he’s so fun and deserves a happy ending

9) Sartaq: SOOOO underrated and for why??? Him and Nesryn are SO adorable and he’s just so cool??? Super smart, funny, kind and just a great leader??? literally told the girl he likes “marry me and be my queen or i’ll quit and just be your man” like???? only so low because we get so little of him but TOD is actually one of SJMs best books too

10) Aidas: would have felt rude to put ZERO crescent city boys on this list and this spot wouldddd be Ruhn but he was an absolute dumpster fire in CC3 with Lidia so he’s lost his place🫡✨ but AIDAS I literally kept waiting for more of him the whole series because he’s so cools and suave (and a cat boy😩🔥) and brought this interesting morally grey twang to CC that it was missing. wish they expanded more on him but I love ALL his scenes

GALS:

1) AELIN ASHRYVER WHITETHORN GALATHYNIUS & MANON BLACKBEACK: no you can literally not make me chose they’re both PERFECT. perfect character arcs, perfect stories, perfect vibes, no notes at all✨🔥❤️ two of the most fun MC’s i’ve ever read and super interesting story arcs. Aelin went through so much and I genuinely FELT her journey and Manon was such a fun heartbreaking insane character to follow too I love them both endlessly

2) Elide: okay I LIVE for this girl and I don’t know why she’s so underrated??? like she’s so smart and cool??? survived this whole series with like -100 health and all odds against her and pulls all the baddies because she’s just that good??? is 50% of the reason they win the war??? so funny and generally STANDS ON BUSINESS, like she got the ick from Lorcan and actually made this man GROVELLLL and I love her for it

3) Yrene: ANOTHER underrated queen, i’m obsessed with her😩 there are so few fantasy characters out there like her and I LOVE that in this series of chaos and violence it’s a healer who saves the day and Yrene is so lovely and fun and smart but also stands on business and gets things done and I LOVE her

4) Nesta: I LOVE her and her character arc, she is another one of SJM’s most real/realistic characters and my heart genuinely aches for her, she deserves all the happiness in the world and the only reason she isn’t higher is bc of her choice in men (free her)🤧✨

5) Lidia: This woman literally SAVED the CC series. I would have DNF’d HOSAB if it weren’t for her and her parts were the only bearable ones (besides Nes and Az) in CC3. such an awesome character and her story is so heartbreaking and done so well for just being in one book really?? she’s incredible, I love her, of course she’s related to the queen and king themselves🔥✨

6) Lysandra: an absolute QUEEN and so underrated even though she saves the day countless times and is just so loyal and kind??? her friendships with Aelin and Evangeline are everything. she literally gave her all to fight for a world that had done nothing but hurt her and she’s so brave and beautiful for that, wish we had more of her🤧❤️

7) Asterin: when I tell you I WEPT at her death like a young lad I just JENDKEND for a side character she’s so phenomenal and has SUCH an impact on the entire storyline. her backstory is heartbreaking and yet she’s so full of light and happiness and love for her sisters. BRING MY BODY TO THE CABIN???? LIKE??? gets me everytime and I would SO read a story about her and her hunter boy or her and manon growing up or just her existing again 💔

8) Feyre: I know this feels low BUT i do love her so much, she genuinely starts this all and saved everyone’s ass, her character arc just feels a little incomplete to me and I wish SJM didn’t kick her to the curb because there’s a lot left to be done with her. truly though, I love Feyre and wish the best for her and hope we get to see more from her in the future✨

9) Elain: we’ve gotten so little of her but IDC I love a flower girl❤️🤧 truly though, she’s so intriguing to me and I can’t wait to read more about her (could DEFINITELY be higher after her book) she’s already so kind and fierce and also HILARIOUS, like I have laughed out loud at so many of her scenes😩 her gifts to Azriel being the best gags??? her LOLing when Nesta calls her a bitch??? I know she’s funny AF and we just need to see more of it

10) Emerie & Gwyn: I couldn’t decide again I love them both✨❤️ but really there two are not just what Nesta needed but what I NEEDED to get through ACOSF. their friendships with Nesta have my heart and they’re both so complex and fun even with so little page time??? I can’t wait to read more of them, I feel like both their stories have SOOOOO many possibilities and I am pumped AF for more

[zozo720]

Today on "lukewarm takes nobody cares about" All my problems with Legends Arceus, specifcally the story-related ones, come down to how unbelievably rushed the "true" ending feels The main ending with Origin Form Dialga/Palkia? It's good, it's fine, it's a climax that the game does a good job building up to. Kamado is an ass but that's clearly intentional, and at least he has a clear motive and all that.

The postgame ending feels like they came up with the Volo fight first, and then had to scramble to create literally any justification for it to happen. They basically just gave him Cyrus's motivation, made him look vaguely "crazy and evul XD" and hand-waved it as "Oh, the Celestica tribe is involved".

And I must ask... who even ARE the Celestica people at this point? They're VERY vaguely talked about in the Old Verses, it's implied Cogita wrote them, which implies that she's the last Celestican, which implies that Volo MIIIIGHT be a descendant of them, which is why he says "the blood of the ancient Sinnoh people flows through my veins". Please note how much I said "Implies". There's having hidden lore and leaving it up for interpretation, and then there's vaguely shrugging and dumping incoherent, very-easy-to-miss text. All this is to say, Volo's motives are indecipherable, not because he's a multi-dimensional character, but because they don't bother elaborating on them, he's just a helpful friendly guy the whole game and then BAM, he was actually evil and crazy all along! It's no wonder fan interpretations of him range from "tragic sexy sad-boy who's upset because his indigenous people were wiped out for unknown reasons" and "insane murder-man who's immortal and for some reason, really likes screwing with NYC subway conductors from the future. Also he's sexy." And then there's the Arceus ending. Simply put, WHY is there nothing to say that the player character would be able to go home? I've seen several responses genuinely upset at the prospect of the MC being stuck in Hisui forever, possibly ripped away from their life and family. And even if you assume the MC has no problem staying in Hisui forever, that doesn't address the Copperajah in the room that is Ingo.

Now, Ingo being in PLA was cool back when the game first came out, but over time, it's become apparent that this was a pretty lame move. Most PLA discussion and fics are centered solely around either him or Volo (usually with ableist stereotypes in abundance) all at the expense of the other genuinely interesting cast of PLA.

And of course, of COURSE, they don't bother resolving his arc at all. The most he gets is an implication that his memories might return, but then what? He'll still be stuck in Hisui, except now he can remember what he's lost? Is this Arceus's "grand plan" or something? Now sure, for gameplay reasons, the player would wanna stay so they can keep playing the game, but there are so many ways to write around that, as demonstrated by the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon series. That series always ends with the MC having to return home or disappear, but they always come back somehow. There's always some justification for it. In Legends Arceus, nothing gets truly resolved aside from the conflict with Kamado and Dialga/Palkia. Volo? His goals with Giratina are stopped and he just gets to walk away scot-free. No punishment, and no elaboration on his motives. Cogita and the Celestica tribe? All we get are allusions and vagueries in the Incarnate Forces sidequest. Arceus's mission to "seek out all Pokemon"? Your reward is that he invites you to his space apartment and beats the stuffing out of you. The Player/Ingo? Stranded in Hisui with, as of now, no canon return home.

[inkedwingss]

I've never read anything quite like Fever Dream. I couldn't understand a lot of it as I read, although I do understand the characters and plot overall. In each moment, did you understand what was happening? What did you find profound? What did you like best artistically about it, and were there any big philosophical statements?

What a cool, exciting ask! I love this book, I wrote a 6-page essay about it for college at the time and I was never able to read it again because of how strong the experience was for me (I want to preserve the memory).

Latin America's magical realism is not about introducing some fantasy features into the ordinary, is more about the mystical experience of reality itself, the haunting mysteries or inexplicable events of life. They exaggerate the surreal, "magical" aspect to highlight the main issue. I will share more about that in the end.

What I like about Fever Dream the most is its originality. Once you start the book, you have to feel lost. That's the whole point. Schweblin is so bold, she actually doesn't want you to "understand what is going on", she invites you into the MC's feverish dream, and for that to happen you literally have to let go of any expectations and let the story unfold at its own pace. I honestly will recommend this book to any writer who is willing to take the (eco)horror path.

But it's not just about that. Personally, this book got to me because of the "rescue distance" concept — a better translation of the original title. As someone who lost a baby, the whole paranoia that comes from sensing danger, but being blind to it at the same time, drove me almost mad. I ate that book in one afternoon — and I'm a slow reader. Couldn't stop turning pages. It was too similar to my personal experience of foreseeing death, knowing that something was just about to happen, and not being able to avoid it at all. Very cathartic, per se.

But to talk more directly about the book, I will use my own words from a few years back, and if you don't want spoilers, don't read it:

"In the end, the loose thread remains. The feeling of loss is inevitable. All the danger and sense of paranoia culminated in a whirlwind of unstoppable events, engulfing the reader in a tachycardic, spiralling route; and he lands with the certainty that something very important was left behind: the essential and irreplaceable — perhaps, life itself. It's like returning from a trip without your luggage, empty-handed. Maybe this loose thread is the sensation of the entire humanity when confronted with its impotence in the face of a scenario of constant catastrophe, of destruction that disintegrates everything around: the web being woven as one lives, without being able to deviate from the tracks or turn back. The inevitability of evil — are we like Amanda, doing our best to protect those we love, and always losing what matters most? What similarity would we have with David, tying everything in his room (p.136), trying to connect the loose thread of this unreachable distance that can no longer be calculated? He may be trying to connect with what little remains, that which seems solid, in search of connecting then with something familiar; something that sustains a world that seems to be in free fall, heading nowhere. And this world — this same world of mutations, poisoned mist, dead ducks buried in the backyard, of silence that devoured all things, this world of Schweblin's magical realism — this is our own world."

I might upload my reviews and essays one day if I ever have enough energy and time to open a substack or something (they are too long). Latin American literature is fire! I'm glad you have this book a chance :) and thanks again for the ask!

[alitgblog]

litg characters I'd cast in romcoms

When Harry Met Sally: Seb as Harry!! Then Genevieve as his ex, Tom as MC's (Sally's) ex, Nicky as Seb's best friend, Elladine as MC's best friend

I actually have this all sorted how this would work out but my post got deleted 😭

Notting Hill: Jin as Hugh Grant's character (forgot his name lol) because in my head he's history nerd so like just imagine him in cozy sweaters okay. He's got that wacky roommate whose name I have also forgotten and naturally if we had to pick from S8, Liam, but I also think Jamal would be a fun pick (make the roommate less wacky and more just fun and wild though). The other version of this is Jake as as the main character with his roommate Tim.

Legally Blonde (and I'm going based off the musical): Literally only here because I know I can cast the lawyers, like clearly Suresh as Warner (and oh lean heavily on the implication that he cheated on MC while they were dating) and Blake or Marisol as Vivienne (I like her being cut throat but still looking for love). I'd really like Hari as Emmett because they have a backstory of working hard for their dream and would have a fun banter with the main character without being overly cheery and also is very competitive when needs to be although may be an underdog, but lowkey could also be anyone that has the very grounded boy next door vibe so like Tyler, Rohan, Jake, James, and Lewie are also good picks imo. The other sorority girls needs to include Chelsea, Thabi, basically any of MC's besties (...minus Amelia). It's hard to think of anyone as Paulette because she's an older character and everyone in the game is pretty young but we can further my Angie x Cora agenda and have it be Angie talking about her lost love and then in comes the hot deliverywoman, Cora. She also has like sage advice vibes when she's in the villa sometimes so I think that works.

She's All That: Gary as the main guy. Eddie as his shitty best friend. I don't know why but this came so quickly to me I'm not sure I'd even have to explain but like Gary gives off cool guy / player vibes but I'd also see him absolutely get into or at least support whatever weird artsy stuff his girlfriend is into and have a character arc and all that.

While You Were Sleeping: the OG "I fell in love with your brother while you were away" story, so clearly Ozzy as Peter, Marshall as the brother, Grace as the girl Ozzy's actually dating

How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days: Because I've already said Gary for a different romcom, I'm inclined to have the suave ladies man esque character be Will or Youcef. I also think an evolved Suresh or Finn or Mason or Levi could work. Often I forget about her but I think Lulu would be a fun whatever Kathryn Hahn's character's name is.

A Cinderella Story (the Hilary Duff version): I think the fandom's go to "I don't wanna do what my dad says" character may be Lucas but I want to give Oliver a chance as the sweet lead even though I remember nothing about his backstory in game. MC's best friend can be someone a little dorky and the only person coming to mind right now is Felix.

Ten Things I Hate About You: Again, a reformed Finn could've been so good. Instead, we're going for mysterious and brooding so I think Joyo is a good choice for Patrick. Then to continue the streak of me remembering S7 characters, I think Raf could be a good Cameron because he's got that innocence and silliness that works. Then we need the friend that gives Raf an explanation of how things work and I could see that going to Andy because he's a little silly and dorky but mostly pretty confident (slightly different vibe from the character but that's fine). Other option, Bruno. In the movie, I believe he also ends up with Kat's best friend, who I just remember being very confident and alternative vibes so I think Najuma, Cora, Bella, or Lottie for her. We also need Kat's sister Bianca, and that could be easy and I say it's Amelia, or we could pick a tolerable option like Bea. There's also the guy Bianca initially has a crush on, and dare I say we pick Toby?? Just a character that's full of nothing. Or it could just be someone pretty like Levi or someone rich and an asshole like Miles or Jasper. All I remember about Bianca's bestie is that she backstabs her at the end and since fusebox hates women that could be a number of characters but my pick is Sophie or Erikah.

I could go on forever so I must I choose to stop now before I get carried away 🤣

[somany-fandoms-solittle-time]

“What’s so Special About the Moon?”

Jamil Viper x MC(insert character Mac)

(Ch. 1) – Ch. 2 – Ch. 3 – Ch. 4 – Next – Previous

This was originally supposed to be, like, a single chapter hurt/comfort before my OC (Mac) and Jamil as a song fic where they berate him and then sing a song referencing the moon… but then I had feelings and it’s becoming a more in depth character study between the two. Don’t worry! By the end of this mini series, there will be song lyrics and more sappiness… it’s just now that I’ve finished both Book 4 and Book 5, I need to reorganize the events and specific and whatnot. Some quick housekeeping as always: I tried to make Jamil to encompass both his dark & mysterious villain persona ALONG WITH him practically being a fucking child so that’s why I wrote him like *this* so yeah… I’m moving around the timeline so that Yuu/MC (aka Mac) has the weekend to GET THEIR SHIT TOGETHER LOL, Mac is about 19-20 (haven’t decided yet) and uses mixed pronouns as a heads up, Ch. 2 has a 1st draft written put still needs to be typed up and edited. If you see a typo NO YOU DIDN’T!!! This one of my first times trying a different writing doc that isn’t Google (cuz fuck Google) and it’s a little weird to get used to and edit stuff. It’s beta-d in the sense that licking the spatula while your mom bakes cookies and claiming that you helped… literally only a few paragraphs were checked over y’all.

Quick shout-out to @krenenbaker and @twst-beam for inspiring my writing thus far (and sorry for taking so long to post this lol!)

I’ll be releasing some type of overview of my OC eventually, but take these snippets as they go while I fall back in love with writing. You’ll meet Mac in full when xey are good and ready… anyway, please enjoy Chapter 1 of my new fanfiction, “What’s So Special About the Moon?”

“Here. You can use this one,” Jamil directed towards the plain (compared to the rest of the dorm) laundry… mat? There were several industrial sized washer and dryers, a couple moderate-sized one’s that would fit a regular apartment complex, and a long wall designated area for hand washed items. Jamil was keeping the door prompt open with his hips; his slight frown of concentration and the flick of his Magic Pen were the only signs of the current spell he had going. Turning around, MC was slightly surprised by the massive piles of fabric that was being corralled in via multiple a massive sheet tied to multiple brooms. They still couldn’t fully grasp the concept (and power) of magic and seeing it so casually performed on a day-to-day basis was kinda daunting.

“Thanks again for letting us use the space along with showing me how to properly clean all these fancy duds and whatnot.” the Ramshackle Perfect awkwardly trailed off. Their focus was split between stealing peaks at the Scarabia Vice Warden, not wanting to bother the already busy Sophomore, and surveying over the dusty, damaged antique pieces the two stripped from the halls of the previously abandoned dorm. Rugs, carpets, curtains, furniture covers (in varying state of disrepair) dulled of their once rich and vibrant color. The patterns were a mix of stuffy academia and the quiet comfort of a grandparents cottage living room. Both extravagant, yet understated. It’s a style lost to time, but not quite a revived ancient aesthetic.

At this point MC was fully lost in thought; they desperately needed to clean, fix, organize and decorate the dorm in preparation to host so many guests. Even with his limited memories, they had a feeling they’d never hear the end of it from his parents.

“Don’t worry about it much.” Jamil said, interrupting their musings. “Honestly, I’m doing this as much for myself as I am helping you.

With a flick of his wrist, Jamil organized the seemingly random crumbled piles of fabric by condition, color and use. His movements while cleaning were quick, smart, and efficient-- all while patiently showing Mac which order to start in along with the best way to clean them.

“Ya’ know…” MC broke the relative quietness between the two workers, “Even with everything thing that happened over break, I understand why Kalim still trusts you; I almost can believe that you’re not that bad of a guy.” Jamil gave xem a startled (and exasperated) look, but they continued before he could respond: “I fail to see how helping the person who ruined your ‘world domination’ plans—”

“They were hardly World Domination level!” He quickly snapped. His embarrassment led to him tugging his hood further down his face, teeth slightly clenched, and dilated eyes as MC continued listing all the ways he’s “helped” them out.

The magic-less Perfect laughed to themselves the more conflicting emotions flew across Jamil’s face. Eventually those same emotions were compressed behind a cold, smooth mask. Limestone slabs and stiff mud brick walls were swiftly constructed between the two working-class students. Something about it didn’t sit right with Mac.

“Hey I’m not saying what you pulled wasn’t a dick move! But you’re also not the first overly-traumatized teen boy I’ve had to deal with… and between what you’ve said about yourself, plus thing’s I’ve heard and seen, I’m starting to think you’re not nearly as complicated as you think you are.” The longer they argued *to* him, the more Jamil’s mask began to crack; there were a few holes in his walls he didn’t account for. Xe’s a tad more observant than I remember, but weirdly just as persistent, Jamil internally rolled his eyes.

“I could still change my mind and send you back to deal with the Pomefiore Wrath(tm),” He mumbled while gracefully lugging the newly cleaned (and damp) furniture coverings into an empty drier. Despite his harsh threat, MC still remembered him assuring the other this laundry room was only ever used by him after Kalim’s parties.

The large machines and larger working space was specifically added for the servant to clean and repair any decor or Asim Family Treasures when Kalim’s recklessness caused a larger mess than usual. This meant that Mac and Grim (who was originally supposed to be helping… where the hell was he anyway?) could do as many loads needed without worry. On top of the borrowed space, the Housewarden himself had cheerily has assured them, his Oasis Maker would replace all the water used ten times over!

Mac’s thoughts were interrupted once again as Jamil relented, “I told you, I’m doing this to help me.” After receiving an unconvinced eyebrow raise, Jamil began to explain, “Kalim might’ve announced us as equals but I still have a job to do. If he got sick while spending Allah knows how long in a dusty, dirty, shabby condemned building like Ramshackle I’ll never hear the end of it.”

“It’s not nearly that bad anymore!” the sole-human resident of said dorm argued, but was quickly shut up with a tired gesture towards the untouched loads of laundry left to be done.

“On top of that,” Jamil smirked “Even a common peasant like myself wouldn’t sleep in a rundown garbage heap if I can help it.” His smirk slowly slide off his face from his face as the insulted Perfect almost ripped the handful of soapy doilies, that they were previously scrubbing by hand, as xey prepared a retaliation.

“OK, first of all! This whole Inferior-Superior shtick isn’t going to prove your point. If I’m being totally honest, I’m pretty used to the bratty, arrogant attitude of teenagers by now (even if I wasn’t Leona is a thousand times worse).” They turned their full body to face the 2nd year boy before continuing the assault. “Secondly, even just doing the bare minimum would’ve been fine, considering I’ve slowly been deep cleaning them place room by room. This is just last minute cleaning considering I wasn’t expected to host six extra people in two days.”

The shock of Mac’s care and attention to detail couldn’t win over Jamil’s newfound freedom to be right… and sassy while doing it. “Keep in mind you wouldn’t be the only one having to deal with Vil. His expectations are much higher than my personal standards—”

“Getting there!” MC interrupted again. “It’s not like Vil and whoever else couldn’t magic things better or get things done over at Pomefiore.” However, their fire started to die down with their obvious lack of understanding of magic. Not that Xeir level of intellect ever stopped them from talking out of their ass during debates… even if this wasn’t exactly shaping up to be anything like Debate Club back home.

“Not the point!” Mac built back their steam after thoughtlessly shaking off any internal distractions. “Third of all,” Jamil groaned not-so-quietly, “third of all, you didn’t have to show me how to do it. Nor did you have to continue helping me. There’s only so much I could pay you back in favors and it’s not like you’ll make back the time and energy spent. You’re obviously a bit of a piece of shit but I don’t totally blame…”

Jamil suddenly gave Mac his full attention. He smoothed any emotional tells from his face and readied himself to actively dissect what ever left xeir mouth and any messages in between the lines. The silence prompted Mac to drip extra sincerity as they begin to ramble without thinking.

“… I get why you did what you did. You’re not totally forgiven, but it’s not like I’ll hold a grudge over you forever. Whenever I joke about Winter Break I thought you knew it was just that: a joke.”

The two stared at one another for a few beats. Jamil betrayed nothing that he was thinking, but Mac could practically feel the exasperation flooding off of him in great waves. The disbelief pushing and pulling off of him, despite remaining stone cold to zeir admission. So, of course, they continued with slight for fever:

“Yeah, okay, you held us all prisoner, enslaved via hypnosis your entire dorm, and nearly killed multiple students. Twice.” Mac cringed at their own blunt statement, “… But why would you go as far as you did, if you didn’t care! What your parents, and more specifically your culture, put you through wasn’t fair—but you obviously still love and cherish them!”

At this, he seemed to get even more guarded. It felt patronizing to be hold how he supposedly felt or why he should feel a specific way. They hadn’t been there. They hadn’t grown up as a Viper in the Desert, constantly reminded by Kalim’s Mirage of wealth what he could never have. They didn’t know the FIRST thing about the Scalding Sands—!

“… How do you know anything about my parents? Did Kalim--?!” He choked out infuriated at the mere implication.

“Relax Viper! It’s all in the Secret of The Ooze™”

“What?”

“Never mind…”

The usual absurdity of MC’s references (much to xeir chagrin that no one seemed to understand them) Jamil allowed himself a shadow of a smirk. Right about now they’d drop what they were saying and instead empathize with him over terrible bosses. They’d both fall back into a familiar pattern of quiet understanding while making playful small talk; maybe Xe’d make a remark over how “hellish” the desert temperature is and moan about being “a poor Northern forced into the sun” before dragging them both off to grab an abominably sweet drink that Kalim would still put sugar in. Xe had always been could at mediating with the other students at NCR.

However, they didn’t drop it. They continued to push him… especially when they realized that he expected the conversation to have ended and started to relax. Xey pushed and pushed and pushed. Finally, they had circled back to him rebelling from his status.

“What? You think I’d be Happier staying a lowly servant?! I’d rather cut my own tongue out than remain bending to Kalim’s will for the rest of my days.” He huffed, still not stopping his assault on the pile of laundry in front of him.

A frustrated sigh left Mac as Xey tried to get their point across, “THAT’S NOT WHAT I’M SAYING!… Obviously, you don’t love being forced into child labor or having to pretend to be something you’re not, but that doesn’t mean you’re totally being honest with yourself either. Rebelling adolescents often do a complete 180 of who they once presented as in an extreme action to feel validated.”

Jamil scoffed in indignation at the impromptu therapy session he’d been forced into.

“Just because you were forced to lie sometimes as ‘Servant Jamil’ doesn’t mean those memories or feelings weren’t authentic!”

“My Childhood, my Pride, my ENTIRE LIFE was stolen from me before I could even open my eyes, Mac! Who could cherish that sort of future?”

“I’m not disputing that! I’m not trying, in any way, to imply that what you went through didn’t fucking suck. But just because you’ve started saying the quiet part out loud doesn’t mean you’re being totally honest either. Switching one mask for another just means nothing has changed but your ability to bitch about-it to the kid you literally Grew Up With, Jamil.” A tired resignation was growing in their eyes as they headed to the end of xeir rant.

It was clear MC was starting to speak in circles and xey weren’t going to be able to get through to them. A heavy weight sunk deep in their chest, slowly sliding to xeir stomach the more he misunderstood the magic-less student. I saw him drown in the depths of his own helplessness and self-pity, but even after he’s been pulled out it’s like he can’t help but dive back in for a swim. It was a suffocating thought while Mac watched as Jamil once again went stone-faced… Like what he was about to say would be his final shield before walking away. It’s a shame that the Ramshackle Resident had become too used to throwing bombs over walls and blowing verbal shields to smithereens after months of being stuck in Twisted Wonderland.

“I’m not sugarcoating or bowing down to anyone anymore. I won’t bite my tongue. I won’t put on a Happy Face to Kalim’s idiotic, half-thought out ideas again. I’m slowly gaining my freedom, something you clearly don’t understand. Just because you’re as blind as he is doesn’t mean anything! What more could you want from me?!” He hissed his final insult before finally stepping away from his station. Not leaving the room, he aggressively got himself a cup of water from one of the sink and gulped the unfiltered water down.

“Just because you’re not hiding your bitter, knee-jerk reaction from an unfair world doesn’t mean you aren’t still hiding away and lying about your more vulnerable emotions.” Mac whispered in an emotionless tone. “Cutting a part of your past off and pretending it was never there is doing yourself a disservice and lying to those that still care about you… And there sure-as-shit isn’t much that I hate more than a Fucking Liar.”

. . . . . .

The lacy doilies sat in a sudsy basin, left forgotten as the two students stood a mere paces from each other—both maintaining an uncomfortably intense eye contact. The sloshing thump of the washers and stirring hum of driers harmonizing were the only song to accompany the two’s stare down. A short hiccup as Mac took a drawn out breath was the only reaction between the two of them. The combined heat of Scarabia’s sun (barely past 10am) and the humidity of continued use of machinery didn’t help the suffocating air in the wide laundry room. Not to mention the loud, stifling silence to boot.

MC usually held back such honest commentary (not that they weren’t blunt) unless Xe deemed it necessary: think high stakes and a sense of urgent drama. But something about Jamil and Kalim’s situation reminded them of himself. The two’s intertwined dance of class, history, loyalty and betrayal, friendship and loss, and such overwhelming guilt reminded the dimension hoping stranger of home. Whatever that meant.

But this was no time to get lost in their own problems and Trauma’s. They’d went too far (again) and that means xey should be the bigger person (again) and deescalate the situation before he hated them (AGAIN). Which means, MC would be the one to break the silence and run away again.

“Ya’ know what? Grim’s probably burned the school down already. Don’t worry about,” Ze gestured blindly to the numerous stations they’d started, “this mess. I’ll rope my little Rat Gremlin and the Freshies into finishing this up. Hell, I could probably convince Rugs to pitch in for lunch or something. Bully the Music Club with helping in exchange of random sheet music I still remember from home.”

Their rambles became more spastic as they noticed Mr. Sugar, Spice and Not-So-Nice break out of his own trance and try to reply. “Seriously! Just enjoy the break… Not that it’s my place or responsibility to be butting in anyway. I will be back in, like, 10 minutes and from here-on-out minding my own damn business. Sorry. Whatever. See you sometime after Sunday, I guess?” Their entire monoluge Mac was slowly backing out of the room before turning around in xeir spot and just short of sprinting their way out of the dorm. A few passerby Scarabia students stopped to eavesdrop on xeir muttering… watch them leave.

Without getting a word in Jamil stood unmoving, watching the Ramshackle Perfect leave swifter than the desert wind shifting the dunes. Almost on auto-pilot, he simply left to go back to his room and do as he was told; enjoy his break. His day off. The day he could do what he liked and didn’t necessarily have to prioritize work. A day he spent working to help and assist the pitiful, magic-less loser that was dropped-kicked into another reality and forced to play nice with a University filled with overpowered and hormonal teenagers while having no way home… And in return was insulted, psychoanalyzed, and thrown aside before he could get a word in edgewise.

“Son of a STREET RAT!!!!!” It was clear he’d need a few hours to calm down before he could even think of trying to enjoy the rest of his Saturday off.

[not-krys]

Seasonal Vibes Meme

So, saw a prompt on twitter about what seasonal vibes a character/ship gives off, so I think it'd be a fun question for here and a good writing exercise:

What seasonal vibes does your OC / squish / ship give off? Are they like spring or winter? Can also include not so traditionally thought of seasons, like the rainy season, harvest season, winter/spring thaw, a local holiday season, bug season, etc.

For those that wanna do this too, you can do your OC (fandom or original), or even just your favorite fictional squish at the moment.

For those that wanna do ships, sky's also the limit. MC x canon, OC x canon, canon x canon, selfship x canon, romantic or platonic, doesn't matter, just whatever the seasonal vibe is with a lil blerb as to why that is.

No pressure tagging: @lorei-writes, @kissmetwicekissmedeadly, @scummy-writes, @honeybyte, @batteryrose, @drachonia, @limonzu, @tsundere-mitsuhide, and anyone else that's wants to play.

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Houki/Mitsunari (IkeSen): Spring, Sweet blossoming beginnings. Both are discovering new things around them (Houki quite literally as she's from a different world all together, Mitsunari learning about love and confidence) and while there may be storms along the way, they help each other blossom into themselves.

(plus it doesn't help that @beni-draw-ikemen-please drew them surrounded by cherry blossoms a while back, so I'll always think of them with the springtime vibes)

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Ophelia/Kennyo (IkeSen): Late Winter/Early Spring Thaw. Times of deep turmoil coming to an end so that something new and wonderful can grow. They both have troubling things happen to them in the past, but as time passes, they learn to grow as people and to put the harsh times behind them so they can have hope for the future.

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Thea/Theo/Arthur (IkeVamp): Summer. Time of high heat and fun adventures. They bicker and tease each other a lot of the time, but they never turn down having an adventure together. Whether that adventure consists of solving some small mystery in town, walking hand in hand in hand through an art gallery they helped set up together, or challenging each other in cards or arm wrestling in the gaming room, they never forget that doing it together is the best part of any adventure.

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Abby/Vincent (IkeVamp): Autumn. Change and reflection on the times of the past. Abby goes through a lot changes in her life, Vincent being present for a lot of her later changes, sometimes even triggering them himself. But he always wants to be a part of her life, especially after he lost her the first time, putting a change in him that rippled across all the lives they had connected with before.

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Maddie/Harr (IkeRev): Early Summer. Not as young as they used to be to be like spring, but still want to have the fun they had/didn't have in their youths. Harr is a hardened academic at his core and Maddie is discovering magic for the first time, three decades into her life. They have insatiable curiosity despite not being spring chickens anymore. Their lives are shaped by their pasts yet they still want to explore the world and discover more of its mysteries and wonders.

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Clara/Nokto (IkePri): Rainy Season. The sun after the rain is much more beautiful than the sun before the rain. At first, Clara hated Nokto. She hated him for taking advantage of her and for putting her in situations she felt she had no business being a part of. However, once his masks were washed away, as it were, she saw who he was underneath. How much this man actually cared, about the kingdom and about her despite his wicked ways. How tightly he held her when he opened up about his insecurities, about how much better everyone else was compared to the jester he made himself out to be. How he didn't deserve the ray of sunshine she was, how jealous he was about her open and honest ways. How much he wished he could be like her. And once the rain stopped and the sun came out again, they found the other much more beautiful drenched but smiling. That though they went through some hard times, they still came through the storms to see light again.

---

Miri (Obey Me): Spring, She doesn’t have a set suitor yet, but the ones that I have romantically shipped her with (and with all her platonic ships too), she has the aura of spring: sweet, innocent, blossoming love, sometimes a little unpredictable in the newness of everything. She wants to be kind to everyone, even if it sometimes is a detriment to herself. She wants to do right by the three realms, even if that sentiment maybe a little naïve compared to others who have lived through harder times than she has. Yet her newness and fresh outlook has changed some of even the toughest of opponents and has helped heal and soothe even the bloodiest wounds of the past. She's bringing about positive change in a world that doesn't want change but desperately needs it.

[animemaniac21]

WHY I HATE TIME REGRESSION TROPE IN ANIME

#AN OPINION BLOG

SPOILER ALERTS !!!!

This is my first opinion blog, or simply a rant you will, but if you have completed Solo Leveling and Dr. Stone, bear with me on this one. Recently I found an anime called Aiyou’s Secret Room, a mystery thriller based on escape rooms, and since the 1st episode, it hooked me on itself. The characters, the plot, everything was thrilling! At that time, 15 episodes were released, and with each episode, I was awe-stricken, the mystery deepening, with no easy solution; made it all the more interesting! The hole of mystery dug in Episode 1 had become an endless abyss by then! So, I binged watch them in a day, and waited, for the final one to be released. The finale- where all threads of mystery will be untangled! And today, it was released. So, how was my experience? Well…now, I’m no author but lemme tell you, if you are writing a story and at the end of it you leave a major plot point unexplained…much less what is the centre plot around which the story revolves, and also move your protagonist back to square one, on the name of taking the story to a ‘full circle’, then regardless of how great and thrilling the story has been, it will all go down the drain. Unless there’s a season 2, but there weren’t any details to be found.

And here’s where I rest my argument. Regressions. The ‘back to square one’ trope. Sorry, but I hate them. Why? Cause going back to square one literally defeats the purpose of the story’s development! All progress is lost. Is it that hard to understand?

Let’s take Dr. Stone for example. The manga is finished, and when it was ongoing, I awaited every week for another fabulous chapter. The story may have a lot of cliché tropes, but it doesn’t disappoint on its very central theme- science in a stone world. How Senku develops modern science once again along with other scientists even in a world of primitives. Its science is top-notch, and so are the adventures. So, what about its ending? Well…

The plot is driven by the mystery of petrification itself, and with each turn it deepens. Until ultimately, in the final arc, it is revealed- that the petrification devices are aliens?! The entire moon arc was ‘maybe’ too rushed, and for the entire thing to develop into this, it also felt weird. But alright, this may be my opinion only, but man, when the in the last chapter Senku decides to create a FUCKING TIME MACHINE, trying to return to 5000 years in past, I lost it. Wait, so what about the present? What about Kohaku, Chrome or Suika? What about going to the future together? Won’t they just disappear? What’s the point?

Solo Leveling. It was thrilling. Every chapter. Up until the end, I remained in a thrill, what would happen, how will he win, will he die? But what our protagonist does? Reverses time itself so that everyone forgets his existence and he goes back to square one, of course with all his powers, so that he could redo it overall! I mean, from the audience’s point, all the development that happened, is lost. What makes Solo Leveling so thrilling is this growth of our weak protagonist, and now what? At the other end, he is just an overpowered ‘all-knowing’ protagonist.

This ‘all-knowing’ is so damn annoying. Now, many fantasy manga/manhwas start with the MC returning to the past to solve the problem all over. This leaves us with an ‘all-knowing’ MC and no mystery is left. A reincarnation is different; you go to a distant future. But overpowered cause you are a ‘know it all’?

Let’s compare it to an anime like, let’s say Tokyo Revengers. Regressions are its plot, the protagonist’s power. He corrects the past to get a better future, but mysteriously the future just worsens. Tokyo Revengers doesn’t put a ‘know it all’ ‘correcting the past’ MC on the plate, but an intriguing MC with some mystery entangling him and the past. Its plot is delivered well, unlike the other regression fantasies.

But that can just be my preference, cause these regressions to correct the past making a ‘know it all’ MC is still a well-received trope. But Dr Stone or Solo Leveling? Heck no! Pulling that shit on end, destroying all the ‘development’, back to square one, WHY?

This distaste that I held for these tropes is just reignited with Aiyou’s Secret Room, and unless anyone can confirm there’s more to the story, my advice: please don’t waste your time watching it.

Or any such story for that matter!

PS: I uploaded this blog a year back, but since I thought I might share all my blogs on other platforms like Tumblr, so I thought to post this one first 😅

[saibug1022]

A New Start

Word Count: 1.2k Magnus Bishop & Wind Velez A/N: I've already written multiple things for the Windverse yet here I am not posting any of it like an idiot. For those unaware, Into the Windverse is a connected universe that started with @oh-so-youre-a-nerd's LoA MC Wind Velez and evolved to include @aces-and-angels's MC Enid and my MC Magnus. aces-and-angels wrote about how Magnus got fired and selected for recruitment but this is how he GOT recruited.

Magnus had been through a lot in his life, and despite how they may have damaged him, he'd always been able to hold onto his sanity.

But this boredom may be what finally cracked him.

He had just slammed his laptop closed upon seeing another email from Richard Jensen in his inbox when his phone started vibrating in his pocket. Great, that would definitely improve his mood. His hearing aids were on the other side of his apartment and he did not care enough about this unidentified number to go get them so he just set his phone on the counter and turned on the transcription before answering. 

“Who is this?” Magnus said, not bothering to hide the irritation in his tone. There was a slight pause as the person on the other end spoke, the phone processed, and typed out what they'd said.

‘Uh, is this Magnus Bishop?’

“Who. Is. This?”

‘My name is Wind Velez,’ The mystery person said, assuming Magnus's phone had spelled their name right. ‘I'm a senior associate with-’

“No, I'm not dealing with any more associates or paralegals Phineas sends after me, tell Richard they can fill their quota another way.”

Magnus reached to hang up but paused when he saw another line of text coming in that actually intrigued him.

‘No wait, I'm not with Jensen,’ Velez insisted. ‘I'm a senior associate with McGraw-Byrne.’

Magnus remembered that name getting tossed around a few times, mainly in jealous contempt or begrudging respect.

“The law firm in New York? The ones who took on that murder case with the actors last year?”

‘Yes! That's us!’

“Why the hell are you calling me?”

‘According to the news you handled the trial of Austin Morris lawsuit and then the DA had you prosecute him during the trial but by the end of the trial your firm completely severed your contract…how much of that is true?’

“You still aren't answering the why question,” Magnus sighed. 

‘Well we were hoping you'd consider an interview.’

“You're recruiting me?” Magnus blinked at his phone, wondering if it transcribed something wrong. 

‘Hoping to!’ Velez confirmed. ‘The firm will cover the price of your flight and a hotel room, and if you end up going back we'll cover your flight back too. And if you stick with us you get a seriously nice relocation package.’

“Right, uh huh,” Magnus rolled his eyes. “Because a high end firm is gonna go through that much effort to hire a junior associate.”

Why did everyone just assume he was completely stupid. Well, he knew why. He fucking hated it. It was literally the reason he'd pursued law in the first place, to fight against and change that shit. But of course the first time he made any progress or did anything significant he lost his job and what little power he had.

‘Associate?’ The text starting again pulled him from his pity party. Normally he wouldn't have indulged it even that long, but he hadn't exactly had anything else to do. ‘No, the job is junior partner.’

Partner. Partner. Was this real? He wished he'd grabbed his hearing aids just so he could hear if the person was lying. After years of fighting and scraping for any chance to prove himself only for it to mean nothing because of something literally skin deep. Here it was, just being offered to him.

‘Hello?’ Velez prompted him. ‘Did the call cut out? It keeps doing that, is your reception bad?’

“It's not reception,” Magnus shook his head. “It's my phone transcribing, I'm deaf.”

‘Oh shit, sorry,’ Velez said immediately. ‘Well now I look like an asshole.’

“Yeah you do,” Magnus agreed, even though it seemed like it was just an honest mistake.

‘Oh no, did I just ruin any chance of you coming to the interview.’

“Send me the information.”

‘Really?!’

“Did I stutter?”

‘Alright! Awesome, I'll send the ticket and everything to your email.’

“Don't get excited, I haven't said I'm coming.”

‘Whatever you say.’

Magnus rolled his eyes again and hung up the call without another word. He opened his laptop and within a few minutes he got the email with all the attachments. Damn, this Velez was thorough. Everything was in one email instead of scattered between 50 emails like some people. 

As Magnus read over the info about McGraw-Byrne he drummed his fingers on the counter top, using the rhythm of the feeling process his scattered thoughts for him. The offer was tempting. Very tempting. Which was how he knew he wasn't going to take it.

Offers like this were always too good to be true. There was always a loophole or some way around the contract. Or even more likely, he'd show up to the interview only for them to go with another person. Chances were they'd already picked someone else and just had to give more interviews for appearances. Filling quotas. 

Magnus sighed and reached to close his laptop again but his eyes fell on a picture he kept on the counter. It wasn’t in the greatest shape. It was a miracle it was still visible at all. That picture had been through just as much as he had. 

It was a picture of a toddler version of him, the only picture of himself from before transitioning he could stand to look at. He was on a young Vivian's shoulders shrieking and grabbing at her head while she laughed. On either side of them, one holding him up and one keeping Vivian from falling, were his parents. Not any of his foster parents, his real parents. The one who had actually loved him. He didnt remember much about them. His first memory was sitting in that courtroom after having to testify about his own parents’ murder and watching their murderer smirk as he was sentenced to only five years in prison. All the stories he knew were from Vivian. It still felt like there was a constant hole in his chest.

He had his Mama's smile. Not that he used it much these days. She was smiling so brightly in that picture. The only picture of them he had.

“Dont look at me like that,” Magnus muttered. “I know, I know, you want the best for me and want me to grow. Vivi's said it countless times. But I'm sick of being humiliated. I don't know how much longer I can go on like this.”

The words hung empty, neither parent nor son hearing them. Magnus sat and stared at the picture in silence, as if he expected his dad to appear on the stool next to him and starting talking about never knowing until you try. Maybe if he could remember their voices he'd even be able to imagine it. 

But he didn't remember their voices. And the picture remained frozen. The hole grew a little bit bigger.

“Damn it,” Magnus sighed.

He got up and went to his bedroom. He needed to pack. His flight left in the morning.

[pumpkinnning]

Horror(ish) books I've read so far this year :

The Lost Village, Camilla Sten : 7.5/10 Documentary crew goes to isolated Swedish village where everyone mysteriously disappeared 50 yrs ago to investigate. Great tense atmosphere, broke my heart, I felt so much for the characters, loved the complex take on female solidarity and understanding btw mentally ill characters. Some nonsensical character decisions and plot explanations, esp at the end. Horrors of ableism, hive minds, the scapegoating of difference and cult dynamics (although that last bit felt thinner than the rest).

Black Sheep, Rachel Harrison : 6.5/10 Daughter returns to culty family she escaped from for her sister's wedding. A bit forgettable, and slow in the middle, but the ending has some great oomf and imagery. The horror is about charismatic parents you can't help but be compelled by even when you know they're abusive and awful, and what it takes to break away from that.

Vampires of El Norte, Isabel Cañas : 7.5/10 Dramatic love story between childhood sweethearts separated by class and tragedy, in 1846 Mexico, on a backdrop of war against the US and vampires. Very compelling worldbuilding, the romantic plot felt a bit cliche but I was so sold on it - one of them learning the other isn't dead after grieving for a decade and imagery of love as haunting was gorgeous. The horror aspect feels underused, this is more of a spooky romance. The horror is about class differences, authoritarian familes but most of all colonialism and white supremacy.

Gallows Hill, Darcy Coates : 7/10. MC inherits estranged parents' winery and estate when they die, the place is very very cursed. Tense as fuck through most of it, the action and vibes really worked for me, a few amazingly sinister yet heartbreaking bits. I grew up near a winery and the whole process was always spooky to me so the setting was great. Characters are underdeveloped. Effective overall and I really liked the poetic justice of the ending. The horror is about family secrets, the dehumanization of poor people and how greed perpetuates misery.

From Below, Darcy Coates : 5/10. Documentary crew goes to film the wreck of a Titanic-like cruise ship that sunk mysteriously a century ago, but sinister shit is afoot. Great set up and tension up until half of the novel, but then when the source of the horror is revealed, it just becomes a slog of repetitive action. Explanation felt incomplete, source of the horror in the plot (worker exploitation) and the horror mostly shown on page (deep sea scary brrrrr) somehow feel mismatched and it doesn't land. Underdeveloped characters, the most interesting character's story is only revealed at the end and not properly explored. Lots of potential but disappointing.

House of Hunger, Alexis Henderson : 7.5/10. In order to escape the slums, MC becomes the 'bloodmaid' of distant reclusive noblewoman. Inspired by Countess Bathory but make it Gothic/sapphic/vampiric (ish). Great setting and set up but became a little bit underwhelming at the middle point, feel like the author held back on going as fully bonkers as she should have, still pretty awesome. The horrors are about abusive relationships, power imbalances, exploitation, racism, and the way rich people dehumanize those who work for them and literally consume their life force.

Night's Edge, Liz Kerin : 7/10. MC spent most of her life completely isolated in order to take care of her mother, a vampire that she feeds with her blood. Very realistic, powerful depiction of codependent relationships and the horror of parentalized childhood ; also a metaphor for drug addiction and how it can be enabled by loved ones. The sapphic love interest was kind of annoying and felt very manic pixie dream girl vibes (although I guess that was part of the point, and they had some sweet moments). Overall incredibly draining to read, points for psychological and moral complexity, but the individuation journey of the MC felt less convincing - I didn't like that it was carried almost entirely by the romance - so I was fucking depressed at the end. But yeah personally triggering lmfao.

A House with Good Bones, T Kingfisher : 6.5/10. MC returns to her mom's home during a lull in her job as a paleoentomologist and starts to worry she's unwell ; then there are swarms of ladybugs in the house and jars of teeth buried among the roses, and her evil grandma might be haunting the place. I liked the MC but her very millenial quirky self deprecating voice got a little annoying at times, and it's a drag in places. The overall plot concept is very interesting but somehow it didn't fully land ; the monsters are very scary at first but their origins were so ridiculous it killed the vibe for me and the end felt silly. Good sendup of fatphobia. Horrors of conformism, neglectful egocentric fathers, white hegemonic femininity and...??? yeah the end lost me a bit. Also i do NOT vibe with the author's insistance that roses are evil.

Overall - good decent batch although I didn't feel really wowed by any of them, which is frustrating. I'm having a 💀 horror year 💀 so I absolutely want to be wowed - please send recs if you have any !

I'm trying to figure out what I think makes good horror - from these I feel like a lot of horror authors underestimate the importance of emotional character development and weight. AND i feel like you have to know what the core horror of your story is and radiate it through the entire story, slowly drawing the reader to it right from the start ; it's not easy knowing when to bring pathos, when to build up tension and when to do temporary relief/sweetness ; if you get the rhythm wrong you can easily kill the tension or end up with something underbaked.

[skylermadness]

A Step into Aionios (Teach TF/MC)

(Original Date of Upload: October 6, 2023)

Original Description:

This was written as a birthday gift for my friend A-C-Crowley on DeviantArt! This story took me a little under a week to complete! The process of it was actually more complicated than my usual stories, mainly because I had to have my Switch near me at all times so I could write down an accurate depiction of the Cooley Lake area in Melnath's Shoulder. I also needed the model viewer to stare at Teach's face. And overall it resulted in me learning many new ways to try location descriptions! This was definitely a heavily experimental and new story for me, but I think for a first time I did extremely well! Also personally Teach is definitely one of those moods for me that you wouldn't peg as a mood for me. Mysterious and cryptic men are my jam~ Also the Indoline race look very pretty. ...now would you believe me if I said Teach is literally younger than Mio by a few months though?

   If Matt were to be honest, hiking was not his biggest forté, but sometimes he felt like trying new things even if it isn't a fully thought through concept.

   The good news was he wasn't lost in the middle of the forest. The man had elected when he started his trip to follow whatever pre-ordained hiking trail was set up in this forest so he wouldn't get lost. Despite that he had found himself getting slightly inconvenienced by some of the smallest things. Somewhat heavy backpack that he somehow over packed just enough to be a problem. Kind of achy legs from just the fourth five or so minutes he's been walking. There was also the fact he probably picked some of the worst pairs of shoes possible for a hiking expedition.

   There obviously existed pairs of footwear that were equipped for lengthy hikes on rough trails. Usually hardy boots with thick soles that could perfectly grip onto the rough and slanted terrain that these trails had. Unfortunately, Matt's shoes were evidently not those. He just had a ratty pair of old, deep gray sneakers. They were well worn, but way too well worn in the sense that if you took a look at them they'd appear like they were on the precipice of breaking open.

   "This was… not my best decision," Matt remarked to himself, noting the slight chill in his feet thanks to the various rips and tears of his footwear. Even with his socks on it wasn't the most pleasant experience imaginable. 

   In the end all of these factors culminated in what was rather unpleasant trek through this trail. The only thing that really took his mind off the tiresome experience was the scenery that was the nature around him. It wasn't the densest forest out there, but it was a rather nice looking one that had a beautiful appearance thanks to the sunlight frequently breaching the treeline. Perhaps the only thing that stood out was the autumnal feel the forest possessed, Matt sometimes musing to himself about the warmer colors of the leaves despite the fact that it was only mid-August.

   Yet those thoughts were only temporary. He'd feel his feet chill or feel something poke up against his sole only to find out a third pebble slipped in through the cracks of his footwear and that just broke all sense of calmness he'd gain from being here. And the aching in his legs was only growing more prevalent because he was still walking towards a destination that he was only now realizing he doesn't really know. What was the usual end goal of hiking? Just reaching the end of the trail or something…?

   Matt stopped for a moment and sighed. He really did not think this through.

   He then resumed walking. One step, another step, then another. The dirt crunched beneath him as he continued forward towards his uncertain destination. Although if he were going to be honest he was this close to calling it quits and doing a reverse hike down because it felt like his shoes were only a few moments away from-

   Shrrrp!

   …breaking.

   Matt's head slowly drifted downwards, the man not really ready to take a look at what had just happened to his footwear. He knew what to expect though, the ground entering his gaze more and more with the unpleasant sight of his shoes following shortly after. It wasn't as bad as he was anticipating, the left one noticeably having its toecap somehow pried off the sole to the point that his entire foot could poke through it with minimal issues. The right shoe luckily seemed fine but it also was only barely holding on.

   Matt sighed, then took his eyes off his feet to look at his watch. "An hour…" he muttered. That meant he would have to spend an hour walking back through the trail just to leave this place. An hour with a broken shoe with the other on life support. Such a prospect seems miserable. He groaned in exasperation as he thought about it more, ready to turn around and high-tail it out of this place. But as he started to turn he caught a glimpse of something from the corner of his eye.

   "Hm…?"

   Due to the forest being light in terms of tree density it was rather easy to see distant things between the thin trunks of the grove. In this case Matt's eyes captured the sight of what seemed to be some kind of clearing off to the trail's side. Curious, he walked forward towards the spacious looking area, cringing slightly at the feeling of his left shoe's sole flopping around the air as he walked. Luckily for him the walk wasn't that lengthy and it only took less than a minute or so for him to reach the mysterious area. Although he was rather surprised at just what he ended up finding…

   "Is that a camp?"

   The answer was yes. Matt had managed to come across a small camp in the middle of the clearing. An unlit campfire stood in the middle of the space, and sprawled around it were a few chairs and a pair of tables. Beside one of the tables was a stack of metallic-looking boxes as well. Strangely, everything looked rather pristine and polished as if the campsite was recently maintained.

   "Perhaps this site is a rest spot," Matt tried to rationalize as he stepped forward into the newly discovered area. With a sigh of relief he places his backpack beside one of the chairs and takes a seat upon it, noting how weirdly designed it was as he eyed it from the side. The 'legs' of the chairs being Z-shaped, hinges on each joint as if these chairs were collapsible. The prospect of collapsible chairs wasn't weird, but the shape and overall metallic feel felt a bit off. It gave the vibes of being pseudo-militaristic.

   He attempted to ignore that though. The dull ache that was in his legs steadily died down as he remained seated, Matt deciding to take in the view of the nature around him. It wasn't very different in comparison to the rest of the hiking area. The forest remained sparsely packed, autumnal, and there weren't any animals to be seen. Strangely enough there wasn't the sound of any birds either. Just Matt himself alone in the silent, sunlit camp. It was kind of creepy if he thought about it for too long.

   His gaze then wandered towards the set of boxes stacked at the far end of the site. They were likely some strange assortment of supplies used by the trail's management, but that thought wasn't enough to dispel the budding curiosity in the back of his mind. This was a public site after all, it's not like the people who set this place up wouldn't have expected people to be curious enough to rummage around their things. And if they did, the boxes would probably be locked to prevent visitor rummaging. He stood up and made his way towards the boxes, the man still vehemently hating the feel of his torn up shoe as he walked. Once he was at the stack of containers he took a few seconds to adjust the shoe to the point that his sock wasn't digging into the ground, then placed his hands on the sides of the top-most box's lid before opening it.

   Matt was surprised to find that the first box just contained clean dishes. Okay, free dining stuff if you want to eat here. He placed the lid back on and picked up the box before setting it onto the nearby table, then went to open the next box. This one was a little more interesting with it seeming to contain an assortment of cylindrical containers with some kind of green fluid in them. Part of him thought they were fancy glow sticks, but there was a slight feeling of unease from looking at them that made him seriously not want to touch them. So he resealed that container and moved on to the one beside it. Shortly after removing the lid of the third container, Matt looked into it only for a sudden feeling of surprise to arise once he saw what was in it.

   While many of the objects within the metallic box were just a random assortment of things, by some stroke of luck it seemed there was a pair of footwear that was sealed within the container. They didn't look to be hiking footwear per se, rather seeming to be a pair of sandals with rope-like straps and silvery metallic soles. Not the most well equipped for long treks it would seem, but as Matt gathered together the straps and held the object up out of the box and in front of him all he could feel was relief. 

   "These don't look perfect, but I'm sure they're a lot better than what I've got on now," he stated as he made his way back to the chairs and took a seat on one. In a few seconds he shirked off the dying and dead pair of sneakers and cast them aside. It took a bit longer for him to slip the sandals on though, the man having to properly adjust the straps to hold onto his feet properly while also having to wrap a portion of them above his ankles in order for the newly acquired footwear to stay on his feet without slipping. It was rather tiresome to do so, but he would eventually reach a point of satisfaction that allowed his new sandals to hold onto his feet perfectly. The soles were slightly larger than his feet though, if only by a few centimeters. There was also the fact they were still open, so his feet were still a little cold. He only had a single comment though.

   "...socks with sandals," he idly said to himself. He'll get used to the slight chill, and at the very least he didn't have to worry anymore about stepping on a pointy stick and getting impaled in the heel or something. 

   He took a couple more seconds to stare at the shining silver of his footwear though. Something about it just felt unique to him for some reason. The feeling of the hard metal at the bottom of his feet, the nice smooth texture as he rubbed the sandal's flat heel with a thumb. He was kind of hoping these would be complimentary because he wouldn't mind taking them home!

   With that in mind, Matt heaves up his backpack onto his back and starts to make his way back onto the trail. A part of him was ready to make his way out of this place, but a conflicted part just wanted to keep going. There was a budding desire to just see the end of this place, to not give up and just continue his trek forward. It was still daylight after all.

   The ends of his mouth curled downward as he tried to think. He did have a new pair of footwear that was evidently better and more durable, and it wouldn't hurt to see if he could go a little bit further. Especially if there's a few more rest spots lining the path.

   He turns his head towards the right, tilts it a little to the side, then nods. "Yeah I… think I can go on actually," he decided. The sound of dirt crunching beneath his feet resumed as he made his way forward through the trail. Matt felt particularly reinvigorated thanks to the fact he didn't have to worry about a pair of ratty old sneakers anymore. 

   However, as the man walked he remained oblivious to something weird beginning to occur within his body. In truth it had started a minute earlier at the camp. Matt had removed his hands from his sandals and started preparing to leave, him not even noticing the tinge of blue that had stained the tips of each of his fingers. And as time progressed to the present that blue tone was steadily making its way down his fingers as well. His white complexion deepened to the slate azure with each second, with each step he took. It was like water slowly trickling down each extensor and making its way closer and closer to his hands. Eventually it would reach his hands, and from there it would proceed to try and make its way towards the rest of his body.

   While the changes in tone swept across his skin there was another set of more minute alterations occurring in his hands. His hands grew out a little with a bit of size being added to them. His fingers got just slightly thicker and a little longer too to fit with the new proportions of his hands. There was a slight addition to the thickness of his hands as well, a small level of muscle mass being added into them as time progressed. There also came a level of hardness being placed into his palms with that region lightly callusing.

   His wrists widened in circumference by a few centimeters as the transformation seemed to move up and past them to reach his arms. While the newly developed cyanosis still continued, beneath it all were more changes to Matt's muscularity. It wasn't the most impressive level of muscular tone though. His forearms bulked up lightly, muscle mass seemingly only growing large enough to dispel his thinner appearance. The same would apply to the muscles in his upper arms as well with his biceps and triceps only swelling enough to look conspicuous, but not overtly prominence. In general the gain in muscularity only seemed to be enough to fill out the sleeves of his shirt a bit, making them feel a bit snug while just barely having his newfound mass bulge through them slightly.

   This addition to muscle mass did come with a new feeling. A strange increase in stamina within Matt's form, alongside a burgeoning of strength. Albeit this strength wasn't intense. The best way to describe it would be that he had power, but it was more honed into endurance and agility. It was a fairly odd and unobtrusive sensation, only seeming to help Matt more as he continued his trek forward through the path.

   His steps seem to slow however as he begins to approach a… strange obstacle directly in his path. It seemed the trail he was on led towards some kind of rock face, and the trail itself connected to a single steel slope of sand. There was no way around the rocky terrain it would seem as all Matt was greeting with as he looked left and right were more forest. The only way forward was to climb up the sand slope.

   Matt rolled his eyes and remarked, "Why does this terrain look like a video game glitched in its world generation and made everything beyond this point higher?"

   This would be a good place for him to give up, but a thought crossed his mind instead as he eyed the sandy slope. Imagine a stake…

   Matt blinked. Why did he…? Actually… He dwells on the thought a little as he unconsciously takes off his backpack and places it into the ground in front of the slope. The back of his mind tells him he didn't want the unnecessary weight.

He then takes a step forward and shoves a foot into the sand. Then another, then another. He manages to take another few steps as he tries to explain the stake manta to himself. Bury his feet deep into the sand, imagine himself one with the earth. Do that and repeat with each step. As he does so he's able to get himself halfway up the slope before his thought patterns break for a single second and he asks himself, "Why does this make so much sense…?"

   Matt then began to slip. Did his voice sound different?! Wait- "Crap, I broke my concentration!" 

   Slowly he slips and moves downward more and more before he falls forward and tries to grip his hands into whatever terrain is in the sand. He groans as he looks upward, but is glad to find that he didn't move too far down. He could just climb up… and with that in mind he does indeed climb. He continued to grip his hands into the ground, steadily hauling himself up more and more. 

   As he does so the newfound strength that was added to his body comes into full effect, plus more musculature being added to his upper arms as he pressed on. Shoulders got thicker as his deltoids grew out a little more, and his upper body strength got better as the wave of blue skin went beyond the axillary region of his arms and began to coat his chest and back. He could feel his back broaden a little as the muscles within it developed more and the newfound strength continued to coarse through him.

   With all of this happening at once it allowed Matt to garner enough strength to pull himself up the slope before promptly collapsing onto the ground. His shirt, which is usually pure black, now noticeably had a good amount of sand on the front, and he could feel sand in his socks. He also left his backpack down the slope and he knew for a fact he wouldn't be able to pull it up. In the back of his mind though, Matt had the feeling he was reaching the end of this trail. Or at least he was hoping he was…

   He laid on the ground for another few seconds before finally getting the strength to push himself up and stand back up. He spent a bit trying to dust off what sand and dirt he could before he looked forward to see where the hiking trail would lead. Except there was no trail anymore and instead he was greeted with a more astonishing and rather concerning sight.

   The area that sprawled in front of him was a lakefront. Judging from where he was, it looked rather shallow. A single flat hill raised out from the small lake, and beyond the lake seemed to be another clearing that led up to another rocky face that had a waterfall pouring into a separate lake that seemed to be on a lower level from the one Matt was on. The concerning part however came from two primary factors.

   The first factor was the fauna roaming around the lake. There were a couple large bugs flying around, and within the lake were three massive sentient plant-like organisms that roamed around the place. The second factor came from the fact that as his gaze turned more towards the sides, he came to the realization that the area he was in was somehow in some kind of fantastical mountain range. It felt like he had stepped into a world radically different from his own.

   "W-where did- uurgh!" Matt took a sudden step back and placed a hand on his head as a sudden headache pierced him. His worries got purged in an instant as a single name entered his head.

   Cooley Pool…

   That was the name of this place, he knew it was. His mind steadily began to rationalize everything as his sudden onset of panic was forced to subside. "Just… don't think about it too much…" he tried to reassure himself. "You'll reach the end of this path soon and then leave."

   With that thought in his mind Matt started to step forward again and approach the lake. He quickly noted that there was no way around the lake, so his only way was to wade through it. The man luckily was able to assess the portion of the lake that would be easiest to walk through in order to reach the small portion of land that was in the middle of it and minimize the amount of water he'd get in his clothes. With that assessment in mind he steps into the lake and begins to walk across the bar of dirt bridging the mainland to the miniature island. The calm water seemed to easily reach knee height as he walked.

   Something about this act seemed to continue his transformation again while he trekked. Everything about his physical changes progressed more with each step. Shades of slate blue deepened his skin tone more and more across his chest and back as the waves of discoloration steadily began colliding across his midline. Once they did, another layer of musculature entered his form, this time with it happening in his chest region. A twinge could be felt in his pectorals as the muscles were prompted to grow, prominence forming in them just slightly as they got slightly larger and more matured. They didn't seem to grow too large though, the musculature only growing enough to make his pecs just barely stand out. The increase in size did continue making his shirt feel a little bit tighter though.

   The trek through the segment of the lake was extremely short. But even once he left the water and continued onto the landmass that stuck out of the lake, the changes only continued. As he tried to avoid the large flying insects that harmlessly roamed around the island, the increasingly blue tone of his skin started to inch up his neck while at the same time rapidly cascading down his torso. This prompted a slow increase in height as his spine decompressed slightly. Meanwhile at his front the steady increase of his muscle mass was being facilitated as well. His abdominal region pushed out slightly, light fat just barely melting away as abdominal muscles formed. He didn't seem to form any level of packing however, the new muscles only creating a solid firmness in the area with only a barely noticeable hint of a more solid muscle mass. Despite that there was still a level of strength coursing through him, flowing downwards as it began to reach his waist.

   His torso had finished changing by the time he reached the edge of the island that led to the latter portion of the lake. Matt was about to make his way through the lake again, but found himself stopped as he noticed a creature beginning to lumber through his line of sight. One of the massive plant-like creatures that he saw earlier. Its sudden appearance seemed to startle him, forcing him to step back a bit as a feeling of fear entered his body at just how large that creature was up close.

   "That thing, it's- ah-" another headache dulled his feelings, seemingly trying to force his fear to subside. Something about it forced him to speak again to continue that easing. "It's just a Blant, they're fairly common around here. Just don't aggravate it and you'll be fine…"

   He swayed a bit as he tried to take in what had just happened. His vocal tone sounded so different there. So formal and calm. And it was from his mouth no less. The dullness in his brain only stayed as he tried to dwell on it more, trying to think of just how he knew that or why he said such a knowing thing. He has never been here before, but at the same time it felt like he's been here more times than he could count. A sense of overgrowing familiarity that he couldn't shake off or repress.

   But as the plant-creature, or Blant as he seemed to call it, moved out the way all Matt could do was feel this feeling to press onwards. "I-I should move… move forward. Almost there after all…"

   He stepped into the shallow lake again and tried not to dwell on how his voice kept changing in and out of tones. His accent wavered between its standard British feel and something more akin to a posh American one. He didn't want to dwell on how much more different everything seemed, how his shirt felt tighter or how he felt stronger. That weird feeling in the back of his mind only grew stronger the more he continued this hike, thoughts and feelings and memories in a weird cloud that was mixing everything together. There was even a more prominent thought telling him that thinking about all of this wasn't needed, especially since he needed to focus on his surroundings. After all, even with the Blants being docile they could always ambush him. Or worse, he could suddenly get attacked by Kevesi troops…

   Matt held his head again as he continued walked. "What are these thoughts…" he said through gritted teeth.

   His lake walk this time around had also become rather sluggish. Instead of being knee deep this time it was waist deep and really amped up the wet feeling his pants had experienced this whole portion of the trek. He was even getting some water on the hem of his shirt. But what really mattered was how this was influencing his transformation, soggy denim pressing up against his legs as the skin upon those limbs shifted in tone like it did the rest of his body. However in contrast to his slow movements it would seem his stamina was only improving, especially thanks to muscle mass accruing within his legs.

   Similar to how it was in his arms, the muscularity in his legs was only growing just enough that it would be perfect for someone more agility-based. Hamstrings and quads getting slightly larger, thighs growing a little more thick and firm. The crus of his legs followed shortly after with his calves just barely garnering any semblance of prominence. There also came a slight lengthening in his leg bones causing another bit of height to be added to his form. All of this made his jeans feel a little bit snug around him, his newly muscled legs pushing up against the wet denim of his legwear. Alongside this these changes just gave Matt more stamina, which was a stark contrast to his hazy mental state at the time. If anything it felt like he could run and fight for ages!

   By the time the blue pigmentation overtook his legs and started trickling its way down his ankles, Matt had finally reached the end of the lake and hauled himself out of the water. His brain was too dazed to acknowledge the intense wetness of his clothing, or the discomfort his feet were experiencing because of that, or even feel concerned about what would happen as he continued to move forward. He just felt compelled to continue on at this point, his mind being constantly granted strange and unfamiliar thoughts that he couldn't ignore. That he felt like he wanted to accept.

   Now a few steps out of the lake and still walking, Matt found himself in a large open field. The left portion of the field led to another lake, but he was willfully ignoring that as he continued onwards. He could see another sand slope on the path ahead, and he knew once he climbed that slope he would reach the Transcendent Retreat. And yet he still wonders why and how he knows that's the destination he was heading towards. He could've sworn he didn't even know where he was hiking, that he was just going where the path led him!

   "Is-is that not what I'm already doing though…" he asked himself. The sound of his voice again echoed in his ears, the former sound of it seeming even more lost now as he spoke. It didn't sound like him but at the same time he was registering it as his own. "None of this is… right-"

   Matt's thoughts break as he walks further into the field and his peripheral vision catches onto something. He slowly turns his head and realizes that there was a massive dropout towards the far right of the field that opened to a scenic view of the mountain range. His head instantly recalled the name Melnath's Shoulder, and as he continued to walk he took note of an absolutely massive opening on the mountain side that he was given the view of. That view forced a single comment to slip out.

   "Seeing that little bit of Colony Gamma from this far is always an astonishing sight…"

   The term Colony Gamma resonated with him. Something about that seemed to force his ongoing mental haze to do something with his mind that it wasn't already. Filling his head with strange memories of people (his… students?), of events (combat training), or places (this place was the Aetia Region, right?) He grit his teeth at this sudden assault of revelations, remove his gaze from the far-off Colony Gamma in order to focus on the trail he was walking.

   He's only taking this hike to find a good spot to meditate after all. He had to start preparing his mind…

   The headache intensified at that thought, Matt's sense of self seeming to dull and blur as everything got even more confusing. His mind felt like a tumultuous whirlwind of entropy, conflicting thoughts and memories trying to determine dominance as he was unable to discern himself away from this growing force in his head. The stressful feeling of it was giving him a feel grayish-white hairs… literally.

   That wasn't the only change as well. The wetness in his clothing seemingly caused physical changes to the attire itself, things steadily shifting as he continued forward towards the next sand slope. His shirt's hem was the first part to change, steadily drying off as the black coloration of it shifted into a sleek blue. A split formed directly in the front middle while the rest of the shirt's bottom began getting longer by stretching downwards. This shifting downwards continued more as the hem formed a more triangular appearance that ended halfway down his thighs. Immediately lengthening from those newly developed extensions were a set of vertical tassets, five on each side.

   At the same time as that was happening the newly forming split in the middle of his shirt grew upwards and divided his shirt out more. The deep blue that was overtaking the shirt's former black color was also proving that the cottony feel was changing to a new material and becoming something more leathery instead. As this progression continued a few weird alterations occurred in his shirt. Two straps formed on the sides of the split, and a red and gold band materialized and looped in those straps to hold them together. Once the leather finally spread onto the upper torso portion of his shirt, the split dividing the shirt's halves even more, two diagonal straps stretched upwards across his chest in an X-formation before clipping beneath the shirt collar with golden intricately-shaped buckles.

   It was at this point that the changes in material had finally reached the peak of his shirt and his sleeves. The stretching split finally reached the shirt's neck, and that portion of the shirt lengthened upwards until it became a proper collar that was long enough to graze Matt's own neck. The now much larger and longer collar also gained a golden trim around itself. As for his sleeves, the wrist ends rapidly unraveled themselves as they both seemed to shrink away. This only continued for a few seconds until he was left with what could only be described as a quarter of his sleeves, that quarter being the upper half of the upper portions of them. The material of them changed, and a pair of maroon ropes manifested from one halfway point of the partial armholes before snaking their ways to the other half of the corresponding armhole.

   All while his shirt was changing, something else was appearing beneath the shifting attire at the exact same time. Another set of layers stretching across his very form. The first set was a chest plate, silver shimmering into existence as it atomized itself around Matt's body to form a metallic armor piece that served well in protecting it. It even seemed to run a good length as it went from the main plating covering his lower chest to the horizontal tassets that gently laid above his upper thighs. The second layering ran beneath the chest plate, a softer garment of some kind slipping beneath it and front-wrapping itself over his torso.

   If that wasn't enough layering, the transformation in his absolutely soaked pants was going to add a fourth layer to his form that went alongside their own changes. While the sogginess steadily subsided, the standard gray of the denim was forced into a dark black as the material changed into something that was rather similar to nylon. Their size increased slightly to the point they looked a little baggy now. The ends of each pants leg steadily shrunk up his legs before settling just a few inches below each knee, meanwhile the top portion of his pants stretched upwards and under the three layers of clothing he already had on his torso. It would seem his pants were shifting into some kind of one-piece jumpsuit, moving upwards more and more to the point you could see it through the large armholes of what his shirt had become. It didn't even stop there as it moved up more and more and reached his shoulders, then steadily slunk its way down both his arms. Then once the newly formed sleeves reached his wrists, one final set of accessories appeared around various points of his body. A pair of metallic bracers manifested around his forearms, then there came another pair of bracers that strapped themselves around the crus of his legs. The final bit of clothing that formed on Matt's body was a pair of leather gloves that materialized around both his hands.

   By the time most of his clothing was finished changing he had finally reached the sand slope. Matt, despite his mental haze and confusion, eyed the slope with determination. 

   "Be a stake and root yourself in the ground," was his only comment as he stepped forward and plunged a foot into the sand. Then another, and another. All the while the sand seemed to erode at his socks, the last piece of clothing from his former self that seemed to remain. The wet cotton of his socks wore away, practically getting washed in the flood of sand pelting each foot as he walked up the slope.

   If that wasn't enough, the physical changes in his body were finally reaching his feet themselves. Slate blue deepening the original pale tone, rapidly overtaking the surface area of each foot with each. This forced changes not unlike the ones in his hands, size steadily shifting larger within the straps of his sandals. Both sandals seemed to adjust alongside this increase in size, ropey straps loosening against his now larger feet and ankles. His toes easily made their way to almost grazing the apex of his metallic sandals as they grew just slightly chunkier, and he could feel the big and index toes graze the straps. He could practically feel his own soles squeeze up against his footwear while his heels dug into the backs perfectly, the remainder of his socks wearing away completely as the changes in his feet came to an end.

   And once his feet finished changing, Matt reached the apex of the sand slope flawlessly. For just those moments his concentration stayed intact, the man repeating the stake manta constantly without questioning it. It was the only way to keep himself from slipping after all. Concentration is key for things like this. Truthfully, it is key for many things in general. Combat, teaching, meditation…

   He sighed, somehow content despite the whirlwind of identities re-entering his mind. "Just purge those stray thoughts…"

   He continues his trek forwards, the man knowing he was approaching a cliffside. He disregarded the fauna roaming around, the manta ray-like Moramora flying above him while he took note of some creature movement leftward. Everything here was the usual wildlife, but he liked to keep vigilant in case anything decided to ambush him.

   After all, his mind was filled with combat maneuvers and battle moves. If need be he could easily summon his Martial Linkstaff and use a Furious Flash on the opponent to Bind them.

   He blinked his eyes a few times and shook his head. No, he didn't need to be mapping out combat plans right now. He just wanted to make his way to the peak of this cliff and meditate. With that in mind he walked, thought, and unawaredly let the final set of changes overtake the last unchanged part of his body: his head.

   Blue coloration had etched its way up his neck and onto his face, steadily crawling onto his lower jaw and spreading its coloration upwards across his face. All the while the structure of it was being shifted. The broad rectangular look of his face reshaped, skull structure altering into something less overtly masculine. His jawline narrowed, the chin's apex rounding slightly. His nose thinned slightly, and his eyes narrowed themselves. The thickness of his brows faded, thinning out and garnering a silvery white coloration that replaced their original deep brown. Perhaps the most notable change was in his ears, both of them stretching out with the top of the lobes sharpening into a fine point. This ended with them getting a more elfin appearance instead.

   The change in skin coloration was also adding another layer of changes. Features seem to youthen, his skin smoothing out and softening. A bit of age regression it would seem, even if his face still had a wizened appearance to it that mixed well with his now young adult features. Although it also easily possessed a bishie sparkle to it, something that got accentuated by his glasses melting themselves down into a single diamond-shaped crystal that embedded itself into the far side of his cheek.

   Lastly were the changes in his hair, whiteness starting at the brown roots before quickly ascending up his follicles in rapid succession. The shock of white overtook his thick hair easily, and it wasn't long before that forced a complete style overhaul in its once swept-back appearance. The strands grew longer while at the same time trying to maintain their uniformity which forced the density of his hair to increase more. His hair also got a noticeable parting two-thirds into it causing one portion of it to sweep to the right side while the other swept left. The leftward facing bunch of hair was the thicker of the two sides, and the rightward one was seemingly not as thick but still significantly dense. The lengths of his sideburns also grew more as well, etching their way downwards more until they were inches away from the start of his jawline. Lastly came bits of hair on his hairline sticking out; a rather small lick of it hanging out from somewhere on the right half of it, and on the left half of it grew a longer collection of strands that gently hung from its place on his hairline.

   With that done his physical changes had reached completion. Nothing of 'Matt' remained upon his body, and what was left in his mental space was quickly getting consumed and replaced by a new identity. The layering of thought processes he once deemed foreign had rapidly gotten to feeling like they were his own now because to him they are his own. A new, different, much wiser and learned, and very mysterious persona placed itself in and overtook the man's mind, and as he reached the cliff's peak that very persona would seem to take over completely.

   "Here it is, the Transcendent Retreat…"

   The peak of this cliffside was one that was privy to an astonishing view, one that was much more grand than the mountainside view from earlier. Here he was granted not a look into his own home mountains, or a look over a forest, but rather one into a canyon that the red-grassed lowlands of Gura Flava were located in. Due to the height of the cliff, he could also see the Gaur Spikes that overlooked the Millick Meadows in the distance. Then there was the massive behemoth of the Urayan Mountains that was just miles away, and yet here he was given a full view of the whale-like mound. It was truly astonishing.

   "It never gets old," he said as he took a cross-legged seat on the ground. The identity related turmoil in his brain was dying down to none the longer he looked at the view. So much familiarity being packed into one place that always made Teach know his place in the world of Aionios. With that he clears his mind and closes his eyes, the brown hue of his irises taking a green tone instead as he does so.

   He now begins to meditate, feeling at peace despite the everlasting war that rages on in the world.

[starrlikesbooks]

Hey Castor, i'm trying to find a book to buy for my roommate for his bday. He likes fantasy and sci fi, and i only ever read more grounded, english-lit type stories so i'm totally lost. But then i thought, "hey! My longtime mutual Castor will surely know what's up." Have you got any recs? Preferably something from the last year, so he's not likely to already own it. Sincerely, world's biggest Don't Touch That Dial fan.

Hello best friend anon! I'm not sure what kind of vibe you're going for/what type of SFF your roommate leans towards, so here's a variety of vibes

The list got long, so here's a read more!

Cozy/Domestic

Kaiju Preservation Society (Domestic Sci-Fi 100%! Kaiju like Godzilla are kinda real and their gigantic interdimensional creatures most of the characters study like secret zoologistis. Except the MC. They lift boxes.) 🌈friendly

Legends & Lattes* (I know little about this book beyond sapphic fantasy running a coffee shop. If he likes cozy fantasy and is in bookish spaces, h knows about this. If not, but he seems like he’d dig it, he’ll love that you go it for him!) 🌈

We Could Be Heroes (Slightly older, but not well known. Very down to earth superhero/supervillain friendship where tone of them saw their mind powers and was like oh geez um I guess I’m supposed to rob a bank? and the other saw their super speed and went sweet I’m gonna get all the delivery tips) 🌈ish

Even Though I Knew the End (Magical noir. I’m counting this as domestic because a lot of the plot revolves around the MC’s partner and their shared life, as well as her motivations towards keeping her brother save and thriving. This would also fit under “mystery” though) 🌈

Weird and/or Unhinged

The Atlas Six* (Underground government picks taps someone to join per each division, but 5 of them are 100% gonna die) 🌈

Anything by Jason Pargin (AKA JDATE or Zoey Ashe*. JDATE books can be read as standalones and the newest one is about a gamified kids toy that’s demanding human body parts so a cult can summon something to end the world)

City of Nightmares (Gotham atmosphere, if you fall asleep you might turn into your literal nightmare. MC’s sister turned into a giant spider and ate her father, MC is both afraid of everything and willing to threaten people with violence in order to get what she wants, which is, namely, not in terrifying positions like being kicked out onto the street) 🌈friendly

Hell Followed With Us (If he’s horror leaning, and/or into trans people embracing the monstrous and destroying evangelical cults! Though if he is and he spends time in bookish spaces, he may already know of/have read this one) 🌈

The Sky is Yours (Not a new book, but not one ever talked about so probably safe. Basically a Jetsons future, except they can’t use most of their cool technology or thrive because they’ve been being tormented by dragons for like 80 years that won’t stop burning their city down. This one is also kinda satire styled.)

Mystery

Self Portrait With Nothing (Magical portraits, lost mothers, off beat and kinda weirdly emotional while also having a bit of a mystery plot. Extra points if he’s into The Raven Cycle or The Dreamer Trilogy at all.) 🌈friendly

The Library of the Dead* (Edinburgh based urban fantasy with an amateur detective tapping into the occult. Also, ghosts!)

The Bruising of Qilwa (A novella about immigration/xenophobia and a also mysterious, fatal illness that may be murder.) 🌈friendly

Witness of the Dead* (Came out about a year and a half ago. This is a mystery set against politics in a steampunk fantasy world, and is sure to be a bit dense in spots. It's a companion novel to The Goblin Emperor) 🌈

Questy

Last Exit (Plays out like the end of an epic. Former friends from college have to reunite and cross world again as darkness slips out and they try to reach their long lost leader, left to the other side.)🌈

Soulswift (A little older, but not by much. Girl gets semi possessed by the god of another culture’s religion AKA the Lilith figure in her own religion that she’s a nun in. Forced allyship & forced proximity leading to a lot of cultural understanding and romance, on the way to make sure she doesn’t actually die.)

Lost in the Moment and Found (In a series of novellas, but works as a standalone. Girl finds a door to the place lost things go, and enjoys adventure- but things aren’t as they seem. Big content warning for grooming & attempted SA!)

The Stardust Thief* (A thief, a Djinn, and a prince have to go on a quest for a legendary magical lamp! Based on 1001 Nights.)

Gay!

A Strange and Stubborn Endurance (Treaty based marriage with an assassination plot ramping up the tension. Big big content warning for SA and PTSD!)

A Marvellous Light (Murder mystery with magic and forced allyship/coworkers to lovers between a magician and a regular Londoner who accidentally got the job.)

Light From Uncommon Stars (This could also passably go under the Weird category, but it’s just so inherently queer it needed to be here. Women takes souls of violin prodigies to win back hr own soul. The other main character a formerly homeless transwoman sex worker who suffered abuse, and the teacher’s love interest is an alien with kids including an AI daughter, who’s super into running her donut shop. It’s also very diaspora and Asian centric!)

*have not read yet

[poisonouspastels]

(Prev anon asking for lore) BITING YOUR LOREDUMP SM!!!!/pos It's so interesting!! I absolutely love how you wrote it, it like, in an way started picturing an painting in my mind of how part of the stories went down. Like with Groda and the way she wanted to be a leader with all the revolts then sending herself and her loyal followers into the underground and what was describe with the people above. And how she seemingly got even worse(?) down there while now sesrching for that enternal life. And the way Herobrine finds it!!(and how hes trying to keep himself alive D:!!) Your writing for it is intriguing to me and I can say you definitely got me into it.

THANK YOU!!!!!! Legit it is SO nice to finally be able to talk about universe building stuff with someone that isnt my partner (NOT THAT I MIND TALKING TO HER AT ALL but its just nice to get it OUT THERE) and its always so hard for me to just lay out stuff unless someone asks about specific stuff which usually people dont!! and i cant just talk about the ENTIRE thing all at once because i wouldnt even know where to start or where to end!!! or what to detail!!! my brain is exploding at all times because of all the fucking writing in it. i want to talk about EVERYTHING!!! and i want people to ENJOY CONSUMPTION OF MEDIA!!!! I am incapable of being normal but people engaging with my content and asking questions brings me indescribable amount of joy ANYWAY enough about me, im glad u liked it!!! I am by no means a professional writer but getting ideas out there is so satisfying, even if it isnt really in a professional formatting. And my MC au is something im REALLY passionate about bc it brings me a lot of comfort so i just have so many ideas and things in my head and im glad they come out cohesive and actually kind of cool sounding!! And u are right Groda got VERY worse she is so up in her head about being better than everyone else and ensuring her own success that she kind of lost sight of what she was actually fighting for and now even that is gone. Like congrats bitch!! Ur a ruler of an empire that collapsed under your own fucking reign!! What now!!! Don't worry when she comes around to finding that humans exist once more in the modern time she's gonna make it everyone's problem AGAIN. Or at least the main four players. SPEAKING OF THE PLAYERS Herobrine is genuinely so fun to just do anything with. Dude literally spawned in and weeks later dedicated a majority of the next years of his life to chasing some mystery. He, at the time, is far more obsessed with the past than caring about the present where he's just this scrawny twig of a man who's barely managing to keep himself on two feet. The spider bites on his leg are IMMENSE and he even has scaring on his arm from his encounter with the Warden. As well as that facial scarring from improper use of magic

he is a CAVE RAT and i love him deeply. most ppl make Herobrine some paranormal entity thing which can be really cool!!! but i really did say hey what if i just made him some weird fucking guy. Would u believe he first met the other main players properly through Rana finding him having tripped over face first in a berry bush after trying not to be seen by them. I would. And as I put it on Discord: