#honestly given the syntax and grammar of the M!A

[punsandfuturekingsmen-archive]

Zory, demonic attorney at law, at your service. At least that's what the business card says. "I've seen this before and it rarely ends pretty. Hanahaki is an unfortunately specific yet aggravatingly ambiguous in nature. So many loopholes possible, but so ill-defined as to make those secret exit clauses lose effectiveness in many cases. Still, I'll do what I can here." The demon's tail flicks through the air, brows furrowing as he stares over a sheet of parachment. (Technopathic-games 1/?)

The demon continues, pacing. "The wording of the curse upon casting implies prior knowledge of its nature, so it might benefit you to write down the specifics of what you knew of Hanahaki when it was cast. That will narrow down the possible loopholes here." He glances at Arthur, ruby eyes glittering, "Don't fret, though, this is pro bono work. All free. Frivolous fae casting curses carelessly... pisses me off, so it'll be nice to stick it to 'em." 

“So, based on prior research and the particularities of the magic involving this curse, the other member of the second party ensnared in this little curse is one Lewis Pepper, hereto referred to as Party (L).” 

“According to most Hanahaki curses, Party (L) is an object of affection, and the curse will be effective for the duration until such time that Party (A), yourself in this case, divulges their amorous affections to Party (L), though the means of this is usually not specified. In your case, it’s entwined with a Silencing curse, therefore opening up the means of divulgence to any reasonable means that does not involve vocalization.”

“Hanahaki curses are generally infamous for being specific towards amorous feelings, though there are cases in which there are exceptions (i.e. Robinson v. Wade, in which the “feelings” in question were platonic in nature and the curse was resolved by means of vocally expressing platonic affection for a close friend, or Egil, C. v. Egil, A, in which the unspoken feelings in question were that of broken familial bonds.)”

“Based on the letter of the magic, though, it only stipulates that you must admit "feelings," not which feelings, thereby opening up the possibility that the “feelings” in question could be literally anything, as long as they have gone unspoken.”

“Additionally, another possible factor for exploitation is the lack of specification surrounding other factors of the proposed confession, including range, duration, target, and most importantly, recipient comprehension and/or acceptance. Based on the magic present, ‘A’ Lewis is required, but ‘WHICH’ Lewis may not actually matter, nor whether or not he actually understands the message being conveyed.”

“Therefore, given this ABSOLUTE MESS of a magical contract, it would be arguably possible for you to chuck a wadded-up paper ball at a Lewis that is not from your home reality that you will likely never meet again that contains the message confessing some dubious, unspoken emotion written entirely in an esoteric cipher, and the book it for the hills.”

“Other alternatives include: A) Telling a Lewis you are afraid of losing him as a friend, satisfying the “unspoken feelings” clause. B)Expressing your emotions through interpretive dance, or even C) flashing the confession on a piece of paper in front of his face for less than a second, not actually giving him the chance to actually read it, then burning the paper then and there. For an extra measure it could be in a language he does not understand.”

Zory’s grin turns mischievous. “In any case, given all this evidence, it’s entirely possible to rules-lawyer your way through the specifics of the curse and thus weasel your way out of it. There are a number of possibilities, but based on my analysis, there are a few glaring loopholes:”

“A) You do not have to confess to your reality variant of Lewis, B)You do not specifically have to admit LOVE, as any unspoken emotion can likely satisfy the conditions, C) The person you confess to does not necessarily have to understand your message, allowing you to confess while also fully obfuscating its meaning.” Zory preens, feeling clever. “I didn’t go through 400 years of demon law school for nothing.”

Arthur tried really really hard not to let his eyes glaze over as this-- demon person, was speaking. It was hard, with how fast they slipped into legal jargon. It wasn’t exactly difficult to understand, but it was a bit mind-numbing to be hit with it all at once and to listen to it. His brain kept wanting to abandon ship and think about other things. Now they were quoting cases and other things and some of the words were incomprehensible with his attention flicking in and out. It was just-- so much to take in at once.

Why couldn’t lawyers talk in layman’s terms? Wasn't the point of understanding the way laws and contracts were worded so they could translate for people who didn’t? So they could get what was being asked of them exactly? 

Well. Maybe it was a demon thing to want to stay a bit irksome even when helping?

Arthur sighed and tapped at his tablet. “I don’t know exactly how it works, but this magic doesn’t always explicitly have to be said to work a certain way. It’s not the end of the world if I do something. It’s not like he doesn’t already know.”  He rubbed at his shoulder. “Thank you for offering your help. But I think I’m just gonna suck it up.” 

He’d been considering signing it, in the hopes that it wouldn’t be understood. But at the same time? He did know already. So what was the point besides just-- not wanting it to be awkward? It’s not like he wouldn’t understand if he told him it was a curse. A long time ago when he didn’t even like Arthur he’d let him kiss his hand for a different magic spell. He’d understand. He was a a good guy like that.

[hlwinterficfest2017-blog]

Beta/Britpicker List

Hello writers! We’re glad to see that so many of you (hopefully all of you) are happy with the prompts you received. In case you need any help with your fic, all of the wonderful people below have volunteered to help in any way they can! If you’re in need of someone to give your fic an extra read-through, or give you some extra encouragement, check out the list below and feel free to contact any of the people here when you’re ready. 

We’ll update this list as needed, but read all of the descriptions to see how well you’ll work together, and don’t forget to check the parentheses for their AO3 names. We wouldn’t want you to accidentally ask someone to beta the fic they’ll be receiving! 

Betas:

1. backtohaz (backtohaz) - Hi! I'm Sarah, and I spend 99% of my free time reading about two special boys falling in love! I don't have any triggers, and will read anything you throw at me! I would love to help you out! 

2. mehconomancy (shesnotafraidofshadows) - I won't read major character death, self-harm, suicide, or rape, but everything else i'm completely fine with!! :)

3. i-miss-my-bearents (imiss_mybearents) - I'll read it all,  I honestly can't think of anything that would bother me.

4. jada-the-beta (openolivia) - Everything is a go EXCEPT sexual activity for characters under the age of 16 or incest. I love to read anyway, so can usually beta pretty quickly (usually within 24 hours). I use Google docs. I'm easy ;)

5. courtesyofmj (aesthetixniall) - I'm willing to help you with about anything. Whether it is brainstorming, editing, moral support, emotional advice, anything. We will become a team. I'm willing to contact you in any type of social media that is most comfortable with you. I am skilled with most document platforms, but I have a better understanding for Microsoft Word and Google Docs. I've been reading fics for five years now so I have a wide understanding in what I like to work with and feel comfortable. This is anything except contents that include: underage, abuse, emotional abuse, cheating (in some cases), alpha/omega/etc. I am 100% onboard with fics that include smut, but I love my fluff too. I prefer AUs to cannon, but can work with both. I love my drama and complex plot, but simple plots are also welcome. I also can help a little bit with britpicking since all I read are fics involving british ships, but I am in no way related to anything England. I am willing to learn with you through this process though. I am a college student so I have responsibilities that come first to being your beta, but we can work a schedule that works for us both. I can't wait to start this journey with you. 

6. funkyqueers (funkyqueers) - No self harm, present abuse or eating disorders. No blood play or ddgl. Apart from that, I'm willing and excited to read everything. I've been reading fanfiction for almost my entire life and I've seen the good, the bad and the ugly. I'm here to help you avoid the latter two.

7. duchesskitty16 (duchesskitty16) - No a/b/o; no heavy bdsm; no daddykink 

8. slaychords (alittlelove) - I am willing to read almost anything and you can count on me to be brutally honest and truthful about your writing and where I think you can improve! I'm pretty good at syntax (sentence structure), grammar, vocab, and generally just giving a reader's opinion and a second brain to make sure your fic is as great as it can be! I'm sure you will do amazing! However, not too comfortable with reading ABO, mpreg or daddy kink. Happy with pretty much everything else though :)

9. dimpled-halo (dimpled_halo) - I'm pretty good with grammar and catching typos, and I'm also willing to point out plot holes and be a sounding board to bounce ideas off of.

10. boyfriend-shirt (loammy_jean) - I'll read pretty much anything except non-con and extreme or unhealthy BDSM. I gravitate toward friends-to-lovers, slow-burn, and high school fics, but I don't confine myself to those types of fics at all, and I have a real passion for unique/weird ideas and topics. I also have a really good eye for spelling and grammar errors and making sure a sentence flows properly.

11. maybe-jamesbond (kbw01) - I'm a very caring person, so I will check in on you and make sure you're doing well. I have 7 younger siblings, so I'm pretty good at gently pushing you in the right direction, but I can also push you harder or be firmer when needed. I'm a good person to bounce ideas off of it you're stuck, or even just to get a second opinion. Punctuation and grammar are my "super strong suits". I will read anything, I'm not picky. I look forward to reading all the amazing fics that will come out of this. Good luck :)

12. dulosis (el_em_en_oh_pee) - My beta work in the past has centered around both SPaG (spelling, punctuation, and grammar -- so the mechanics of writing) and characterization/plot feedback, as well as cheerleading. Given the demands of my real-life job, (1) I cannot beta last-minute, particularly given that fic due dates are around the same time as university finals -- we will need to work out a schedule that works for both of us. I prefer to have between 4-7 days to give documents a close read and so that I can provide iterative feedback should you desire multiple pass-throughs (I'm also happy to check in multiple times during your writing process instead of just at the end, though!); and (2) I tend to provide detailed feedback framed more as constructive criticism than anything else. I can respond to specific questions you have about your work (e.g., "does this make sense for these characters?") or provide more general feedback than that. I will NOT read anything that includes forced closeting, anything that vilifies women associated with 1D, or daddy kink or addiction plotlines, but am open to just about anything else. I cannot provide britpick aid, but I do have knowledge of the operation of educational institutions *IN THE UNITED STATES* ranging from daycare through universities, as well as creating realistic/age-appropriate child characters, if you need feedback on either of those things! I'm happy to work via google docs or emailed word documents, whichever you prefer!

13. haz-and-louis (larryismyloveandlife) - First of all, I feel like it's necessary to say that I'm not a native English speaker. However, I have a very good knowledge of the language, especially grammar. Also, I love to write and I'm willing to help with anything from ideas to proof-reading to cheerleading you at 4AM! I adore Christmas so every fic will be a joy to read!😍😂 I generally don't like reading very detailed scenes of violence and abuse, and also I'm not a big fan of a/b/o, m!preg and hybrid fics! Watersports is also a kink I don't really like, but smut is absolutely fine! Also, if your fic includes any of those it wouldn't be a huge problem and I'm positive I could work with it just as well. Feel free to contact me at any time about anything you need and I'll be more than happy to help! :)

14. nightwideopen (nightwideopen) - I’m willing to read pretty much anything except underage, student/teacher, and non-con. I prefer to read fics supernatural elements & lots of angst. I’ve got a really good eye for correcting grammar/spelling/punctuation. I’m also good with noticing plot holes and/or inconsistencies. You can bounce ideas off me if you’d like, and I’m always available to help/read!

Britpickers: 

1. britpickerhl (twiki77) - Can help with anything/everything British, lived in UK all 40 years of my life. Have local knowledge of Wolverhampton, if Liam is a big part of your fic. I won't read noncon/rape but will read absolutely almost anything else. Happy friendly BP who can work with several writers at once. Just come say hi.

Both: 

1. screwstyles (screwstyles) - Would like to avoid reading about blind characters, hurt/comfort and major character death as much as possible. 

2. angelfaceharry (angelfaceharry) - I'm pretty open to reading anything, but the only thing I'm not really willing to read is Mpreg. As a beta I'll help you with anything you want me to as well as the usual beta duties. I really like being a beta for fics as I really enjoy it and like to help as much as I can. I am from the North West of England so I'm more than happy to britpick as I have lived in the UK my whole life. Therefore, I am fully qualified to ensure your fic (if its set in the UK) sounds realistic.

3. czernxy (lapoesieestdanslarue) - I’ll read pretty much anything bar PWP or heavy BDSM

4. lilacstyles (lilacstylesss) - I am willing to read anything except alpha/omega fics. I can help with grammar, spelling and punctuation. If the author is Spanish speaking but is writing in English I can help with translation as well. I can also provide the writer with ideas and be encouraging all the way! I lived in London for a year, and most of my friends are British so I can help if you need someone who knows about the UK.  

5. ponymom-stuff (ponymom) - The only thing I am not good with is hard drug use and character deaths. Anything else, I am fine with. 

6. nouisarelovers (lourrielove) - I'll read anything really. I'm british and part irish. I can help with spelling and grammar and choosing british words instead of americanisms.

7. chloehl10 (lovelarry10) - Anything, I am not bothered! :) Open to everything.