#i get that some people don't want to know anything about the plot and that's understandable

[delight-angelsbliss]

hey, i hope youre having a good week!!

im not sure if your requests are open but do you think you could write a sonic or shadow x reader whos a type one diabetic? ive seen maybe one other idea abt it for shadow and id love to see people write about it in more detail!

ofc, if you dont write for that, a general fluff for either of the two hedgies will work fine :3

Warnings: mentiones of syringes, not proofread as always

Precis: Hcs for sonic and shadow with a type one diabetic reader + normal relationship hcs

Notes: my cousin also has type on diabetes I found out in 2023 I only get to see her once a year. Ok so when I wrote like (っ˘ڡ˘ς)  that popped up and why r ppl using Arabic for their symbols?? Why is ت a smiley? And ppl complain abt using the Greek alphabet for symbols but then use the Arabic one as if that isn't hypocritical. Also I used what I've seen from my cousin and she used insulin syringes I've heard there r pills but I've never seen them so I hope this was ok! Hey dear keyboard from my mobile? Can you please stop making any simple present into a simple past or past form? 🥺

Sonic

Sonic isn't really good with memorizing reminders, his carefree attitude and fast pace of the world makes his head focus on other things than reminding people of things

But that doesn't mean he won't try to remind you to take your insulin

He isn't really a genius when it comes to health but he knows some of the basics like not using sweeteners or sugar in tea, making sure you always have insulin on hand and to always keep some before a meal

Sometimes sonic has to make himself look away as you pump a syringe inside your body before eating, no matter how many times he gets used to seeing you do that before eating, it makes him so sad knowing you have to do that everyday

It doesn't matter to sonic what kind of illness you have, as long as you're happy and healthy it makes him happy. He loves all his friends and that doesn't mean you'll get the same love, attention and more from him as his partner

Even when sonic isn't there he puts reminders and notes around your phone to remember stuff (even if you don't really need it) Sonic is trying his best but he knows he isn't able to do much that can help you which makes him sad almost everyday knowing he won't be able to take anything troublesome out your life to make it easier

Sonic still tries to be understanding and makes sure to sometimes drink tea without sugar for moral support no matter how bitter

Even if you chuckle, tell him he can add honey and that it doesn't bother you, he still persists as he tries to make jokes to lighten the mood and make sure you don't think about the mountain of syringes pumped with insulin and the lifelong condition you have

He'll make sure you're happy and remember as much as you can, he'll be the biggest help he can be!

︶ ⏝ ︶ ୨୧ ︶ ⏝ ︶

Relationship hcs

Sonic may not have much time to spend but he makes every moment count, or at least tries to. Since Eggman is always plotting something, it is known as Sonic's "duty" to stop him while also keeping his charismatic personality

Some missions last months while some last a day or two, it varies a bit too much but that doesn't mean he isn't always there for you. I've said this before and I'll say it again: just because he isn't home much doesn't mean he won't think about you

His mind always wanders while fighting, thinking of you, at home waiting for him all alone (you're probably not alone but he likes to think so for his own ego) He doesn't like leaving you all alone but it is how it is

When he is at home he always wants to bring you with him outside. Mobius is such a pretty and sunny place so why not enjoy it? We all know he loves to run but he'd adjust his pace to be able to walk with you and listen to your day or whatever you say

We all know Sonic has immense pride and ego, so it isn't a surprise to other when he shows you off and makes sure everyone knows his love for you and the relationship you two have, to sonic, being yours and you being his is like a blessing. Sonic feels luck everyday knowing he's with someone he fully trusts and loves with his whole heart

Sonic knows that he won't always be there, that there's a lurking danger that he might croak during a battle, so he always tries to make the moment with you a good memory

^ he sees it fit to make many dates for the two of you, trying to make the memory one to hold onto, dinners, cuddles, movie nights, deep conversations while on a walk. You name it! He wants to remember his time with you forever and ever, he wants the same for you and he'll make sure it happens

His pet names for you are: babe, baby, my girl, babygirl (surprisingly), my love

Average teenage romance pet names if you get what I mean

Shadow

Shadow is stubborn, quiet and brooding, but that doesn't mean his memory is bad, he'll still be able to remind you daily to take insulin and actually researches what can make your blood sugar worse

He takes your condition seriously and tries his best to be there for you and help you with whatever you need: a ride to the doctors? Everyone get ready and buckle up! Cuz here we go (jay reference)

Shadow might be brooding but that doesn't mean he won't care for you and your health, he's like that with everyone even if he doesn't show it. His trauma of losing others has made him scared to feel that again so he becomes somewhat overbearing when it comes to your health concerns

He'll act like a mother and make sure you always have your insulin and drink tea without any sweeteners, this can obviously sometimes become too much to handle when he berates you for having high blood sugar or something else

The best way to get rid of that is sitting down and talk, listing a few reasons on why you need that overprotective kind of style to stop

Babes I know most of y'all throw an insult and can't make counter arguments but please learn to do that cuz it's a life long skill you'll need trust me

And you'll also need it here to be able to make him see how you don't like this overbearing behavior and nitpicking

If you do win the argument he'll try his best to tone it down, but that doesn't mean he won't stop helping you deal with it all. He's still too afraid you'll leave him one day or croak

Sometimes he just sits on his bed, thinking about you, it makes him nervous knowing you're dealing with something so horrid. We all know Shadow is more of a homebody so he tries to make dates indoors like a candle lit dinner, movie nights, plain cuddling and more!

︶ ⏝ ︶ ୨୧ ︶ ⏝ ︶

Relationship !!

Shadow is very stubborn as we know (ahem idw) but he's still loving and listens to you/your ideas, he's already figured out what it means to lose people and he doesn't want to make the mistake of underappreciating someone again

He still sometimes has some nightmares of losing the ones he loves, including you, which makes him sometimes sleep on the couch as to not disturb your sleep. His nightmares usually consist of some places like the ark (did I say that right idk I blame the German dub) and his time there, when he does have nightmares he's in a vulnerable position, which he does not like at all, it'd best to console him at that time and hold him close while reassuring him you won't ever leave him

He tries his best to complete missions or outings as fast as possible so he can get back to you and do something together, even if it's just cooking a meal

His favorite things to do with you is definitely starting a new show, some of his favorite genres are definitely those crime involved action shows like 9-1-1 or something similar

His pet names for you are: my darling, love, precious, treasure and more stuff that makes you feel like royalty

[ckret2]

I don't know if anyone has asked this already, but I really really need to know if goldilocks is gonna have any romantic development between agent powers and Bill, where Bill does feel a certain thrill for the whole dating scene. I honestly had never thought of them as a pair before, but with your fic I'm genuinely in need of any content at all where there's a certain mutual romantic/sexual tension between the two, and I really wanna know if you plan on expanding a bit on it, because after all Billford is the endgame, but idk if this is gonna be a plot point where Ford experiences jealousy (bc I'd eat up that too, honestly, anything u write makes me a bit insane) or if the manipulation is as far as we're getting with these two. Thank you for writing!!!

I'm gonna stick this one under a read more since this is the kind of plot point I don't mind spoiling, but that some readers might not want to have spoiled.

EDIT: this sure is a hell of a post for tumblr's "move the read more down one paragraph before posting without telling you" bug to kick in. Fixed.

Powers is gonna pop back in and out of the plot for the rest of the fic, the fake dating will continue, and it's possible they might hook up more than once idk yet that's the kind of minor detail that's too far out for me to have plotted yet; but, the emotions are gonna be pretty much one-sided.

Bill does find a few things he actually likes about Powers (he appreciates a human who yearns to Solve The Mysteries), but in the grand scheme of things, it's like finding a gold watch in a parking lot. It doesn't make you wanna buy the whole parking lot. To Bill, Powers has more dealbreakers than positive traits. (Like... working for the government, for starters.)

And he'll be quite happy to hook up with him, but not due to any attraction to Powers himself; Bill's just turned on by other people being attracted to him. Powers is a warm body that offers Bill attention and physical pleasure, and 90% of the time attention & pleasure is all Bill wants out of people. (The other 10% of the time he wants a portal.)

So there's gonna be like... a cold-hearted femme fatale vs naive rival spy type dynamic here. There's some kinda tension, it gets steamy, but plot twist the femme fatale felt nothing for the spy the whole time. Except it's not a plot twist because we're following Bill's POV instead of Powers's so it's not a surprise.

Ford knows Bill too well to be jealous over somebody Bill's manipulating; and he doesn't strike me as the kind of guy who gets jealous over physical intimacy. Bill could bang half the town and Ford wouldn't get jealous until he hears that Bill's been helping someone out on their quantum physics doctoral thesis. He maybe gets jealous over emotional intimacy, but he definitely gets jealous over intellectual intimacy.

(Like,, the one time in the fic so far that he's gotten jealous—not even in a romantic sense, just in general!—is when he saw Bill playing chess with Mabel. Bill playing chess with a kid gets Ford more jealous than Bill banging an utterly smitten suitor and that tells you everything you need to know about Ford's priorities.)

If anything, he actually pities Powers because he knows the guy's getting used and doesn't deserve it.

There is someone else later on that Ford might be getting jealous of (depending on what order events end up happening in—i.e., whether it's still going on AND whether Ford knows about it once his emotions start to turn), but that character hasn't been introduced yet.

There's also someone Bill might be getting jealous of depending on whether I find a way to work them into the plot. I hope I do, I've got a couple killer scenes in mind for them.

[krispypajamalady]

Let me ask something to everyone who has read FW, IF and OS.

Who will Violet choose when I comes down to Xaden and everyone else she loves?

Who will she save when it comes to hundreds and thousands of Tyrs and Xaden?

Who does she spend a good amount of time with in OS, to the point where it's like everyone else is a filler character?

The answer to all of that is Xaden.

However, for some reason Rhiannon is being hated for not making Violet her priority.

Mira is being hated for hiding the fact about dedication.

So now Violet is supposed to be everyone's priority while she chooses Xaden over then repeatedly.

Yk what I see?

I see you being desperate for reasons to hate on Rhiannon and Mira.

I see people WANTING to have reasons to hate Violet is OS.

Violet risked EVERYONE'S life by hiding the fact that Xaden is venin. He went to countless mission where he could've channeled and killed everyone. So is it not wrong for her to not inform people? At most AND atleast the squad?

Now we come to Rhiannon.

She is a leader. A good one unlike whatever Xaden and Violet are. She looks out for people. Her priority is the thousands down there and not Violet. So what?

Is she supposed to give up the thousands for Violet, who is as unpredictable as Xaden if not more? Is she supposed to sacrifice hundreds of men, women and children for them?

If that's what you think she is supposed to do, then Rebecca failed as an author.

She was trying to show you what a leader should be like. She was trying to show you what war is. You don't get plot armour in a war. You don't get anything in a war except weapons and armour. People die and you have to choose.

As for Mira, all the hate is once again baseless. Yes, ok she should've told Vi about her theory on dedication. But there is a chance she would've accelerated what she thought was the process of her being venin.

But where does the hate evaporate when it's Xaden's turn?

By that logic of hiding things, we should be hating on a HUGE number of characters but no. We only hate Mira.

Before anyone says anything about the venin not solely concerning Violet but also the world, let me remind you of something.

Lilith is dead. Asher is dead. Brennan is trash. Mira's squad is never mentioned, she always flies solo.

Who does Mira have left? Violet.

If by telling Violet Mira thinks she is going to risk HER world, which is Violet, will she tell her that? No.

Also, Mira connected the dots after they visited the Isle of Dunne. Or maybe way later. And she did tell that to Brennan right? Yeah?

When did she tell that to him? When Violet and Xaden were in the washroom.

Why did she tell that to him? So that they could help Violet escape if, by Mira's assumptions, Violet is venin.

She said that to Brennan in Riorgail's room, knowing VERY well that Violet is in the washroom and she will come out any second. We can deduce 2 things from that:

1. She lets her guard down around Violet: That means she wouldn't harm her in any way. She does not think of Violet as a threat. Also, she does not truly believe in the whole dedication bullshit.

2. She knew Violet would listen.

Heroes don't sacrifice their loved ones. Their loved ones sacrifice themselves for the world. Please read properly.

Thank you.

[onbearfeet]

Generally speaking, any story gets a certain amount of time at the start to set up its premise, however absurd. Anything that differs from everyday reality can be acceptable if it's set up properly.

A kid gets bit by a radioactive/bioengineered/magic spider and gets superpowers? Cool, now I know this is a universe where people get superhero powers from weird shit. Tell me a story about it.

There's a space war and two robots are on the run with a macguffin they got from a space princess? Okeydoke, I will accept the existence of all those things for the next hour or two. Tell me a story.

There's an island full of magic science dinosaurs and some idiots are touring it? Noted. Tell me a story.

"This would never happen" is only a valid criticism when "this" violates the established premise in some important way. If the dinosaurs get loose in Jurassic Park and everyone on the tour remains calm and unbothered, THAT is something that would never happen because the premise has not established that the humans in this universe would somehow not be scared of a T. rex. If you establish the tyrannosaur at the start, I will accept anything that seems to flow logically from that premise. She eats goats? Sure, carnivores sometimes do that. She wants out? Lots of caged animals do. She makes Godzilla noises? Ehh, I don't know what they sounded like, so that's as good a guess as anything I could come up with.

If the T. rex suddenly sprouts wings and flies away, on the other hand, I will call bullshit. If she builds a spaceship, I will call bullshit. If she starts reciting Shakespeare, I will ... actually be very interested, but I will also no longer even pretend to suspend my disbelief.

The T. rex herself is not a plot hole unless the movie hasn't established that dinosaurs are a thing that can happen.

"This would never happen" is a statement about rules being broken. It has its place, but only AFTER we all agree on what the rules are.

Call me a bad movie lover if you want, but I legitimately think people are being too critical on movies in a very uncritical way. “this would never happen” that’s the premise of the movie. What if it happened, what would the characters do? What is it trying to say about a situation and the people in it? Sure, some movies don’t do a very good job of tying up plot holes or creating believable motivations, but it’s also up to You to buy into the plot, to suspend your disbelief enough to watch the fucking movie.

[deoidesign]

Can you make a tutorial on how you world build and make ocs? I can't seem to make any people in my brain, but then when I try to come up with environments jobs, beliefs and little details to slowly come up with someone, I think: well I don't really know how people have influenced the world- it's a weird loop

To be honest, I don't think I can! Writing is an extremely personal process. The way I write is directly related to how I process things, what I find important in stories, years of my own analysis of my and other's writing, etc... The way you write will be unique to you, as well. But I can explain how I personally think of it.

The short answer:

Write. Write anything and everything, it's a tool to explore your ideas. Analyze your own writing, and write more. Then, as you discover which ideas you want to develop, write more to explore them more. You won't know what you want otherwise!

The long answer:

I think this kind of loop is common. It's easy to feel like everything needs to be done "at once," because our job as writers is to make elements logically fit with each other for our readers. But as you've discovered, developing multiple elements simultaneously isn't really possible, or at least is extremely difficult.

Personally, when I think of writing, I break it into three major elements; characters, world, and plot. As much as possible every scene explores one or more of these, and as much as possible these three things tie back into what I personally consider most important: theme.

Everything I do is in service of the themes I want to present. Without them my events feel aimless. It can take a while to discover them, but they're the core of my work. You will have to discover what you feel is the core of yours. Analyzing other media helps with this too.

Concepts in your brain exist in a state of infinite potential. But when you start writing you have to start making choices, which removes potential as you move forward... But you have to move forward anyways. If there's ideas you want to explore later, you can always explore them later.

What this ends up meaning, to answer your question, is that I don't think of my characters as "people in my brain" or my worlds as something people have influenced... Not at their core, at least. They are tools that I use to represent specific ideas. Obviously they're also my blorbos, but mostly they're serving a specific narrative purpose.

So above all else... Write. Write, and discover what you're writing about, and then start over and write with that in mind. Keep doing this. But you have to write!

[taamlok]

i've said it before and I'll say it again: if you consider literally any millisecond of content from any sneak peaks or trailers to be spoilers that you don't want to see it's your responsibility to excuse yourself from participating in online fandom spaces. you look fucking ridiculous being extremely active in the da fandom and then crying that people aren't "tagging spoilers" when the spoiler in question is like. a completely out of context screenshot or a single line of dialogue

[icewindandboringhorror]

I know multiple of these are likely important to people, but I'm asking in terms of like - which of these do you tend to focus on the MOST, enjoy the most, that is most essential for you to actually care about the media, etc.?

(For example: someone finding "Relatability" most important would likely not enjoy a show much if they have trouble empathizing with the characters/relating to it, even if it were good otherwise. Or, someone might be able to overlook bad acting and ugly costumes, as long as the Character Dynamics are fun to them, because they value that more than Aesthetics- while for others, bad costumes would be a dealbreaker.)

Also feel free to reblog and explain your answer or more information in the tags- I've always been curious about people's relationships to media, how they conceptualize it/what they get out of it, how some people value some parts more than others, how that informs their overall taste and genres they may be more inclined towards, etc. :0c

[gangstalkerbarbie]

REAL AS HELL OP it's so much more fun and edifying when you make an effort to understand the people who were writing. they probably weren't writing to you and they may have actively wanted to kill you or enslave you, but that's a bias inherent in a Lot of writing by people who aren't whatever you are, that i for example was still required to read to be able to participate in even my birth society. you know? to me this actually does have a lot to do with the real world, personally (again: to me, i'm not hauling anyone into anything. everyone not interested in Barbie Gets Political: The Movie can ignore the cut)

like, ok, xenophobia is and was real in real life too, and if it's set dressing in a period novel, well, i'm there for the plot, aren't i? these are concerns these characters realistically would have had, aren't they?

the racists and the antisemites and so on aren't going to jump off the page and hurt me. in fact a lot of the time old dead racist people or whoever are hamfistedly trying to be anti whatever it is for their time, given that many of them don't experience the effects of whatever on their society at all, being dominant in it and not having any acquaintances who aren't. sometimes some of them actually do know people marginalized in their society intimately, and their writing is genuine allyship. that's in the archives of history too.

and no one like, shielded me from any of that, because if literature reflects the world then encountering written hatred is safe practice for children at engaging with real hate. you balance it out with your own cultural products where your experience is central and your domestic life is celebrated, but in order to survive in a hostile society your offspring have to understand the soul of that society, and if you want to change something about it, why then you need to know what you're working with so that you can effectively do that.

being able to see people that conceivably could have hated you as humans who are good or at least neutral at heart is hard. especially if their descendants keep killing people like you and saying inflammatory shit online. but intellectually understanding them is still important, because most of the time the fencesitting people in your daily life who find refuge in times when you were less visible are afraid of you, and most of the time the fear is manufactured by some force other than either of you with oodles of money. and much of the time comforting them in the voice of these ancestors of theirs works!

and idk it's no one's like, heaven given task to educate racists but the one person that frames it as a sickness and bothers is going to change those people's lives, and their own life in a small way too. you know? i've done it, it's work i didn't have to do and shouldn't be held responsible for always doing but i have in fact done it.

that's why i spent so much time grinding english - i would have been fine with the school level if i just wanted to make money, but i wanted to understand the anglophone soul, as a matter of keeping myself safe and helping other people.

i half have a conspiracy theory that the american push to sanitise children's experience of the world is a push to keep children from accurately comprehending the situation they're maturing into. left unspoken is that there are going to be responsible parents of every kind educating their children at home, but they'll do that from books that reflect their own politics and their real experiences and fears about the world, which is how you get privileged children who grow up into a kumbaya sparkles and rainbows construction of the world where racism or antisemitism or whatever is Solved, and then every other kind of child raised by parents with every other idea about how the world works, who might meet them only in higher education. who has a pretty fundamental gulf of experience with them, which is none of their faults, but which does mean that in their perception this marginalized person who is just trying to protect themself appears to be picking on them for no reason.

if someone picks on you for no reason and you've been raised to fight injustice with the structural power that you have to do that, riddle me piss, what's the white kid going to do?

bingo, the same thing that i do when lumped in with anglosaxons by people trying to minimize whatever racist thing i'm telling them happened to me, or deny that it was because the people doing it don't think eastern european women are fully people (they don't), or whatever.

except they have relevant and responsible ancestors and mine were, like, illiterate peasant wizards with a classist and antisemitic reputation for stealing everything not nailed down, krymchak rabbis who tbh didn't really do anything honestly they just got axe murdered for nonexistent gold, horse cart nomads with a racist reputation for stealing everything not nailed down, and factory serfs with a classist reputation for stealing everything not nailed down.

and to this hypothetical white person it's just defending themself, but everyone else might experience that same exchange as a manifestation of structural racism - the establishment gaslighting them about their own suffering and, essentially, engaging with them as an abuser with a victim.

why does only that guy get to sit on this high horse? why does he get to believe the world is ponies and care bears while everyone with any tie to literally any "third" or "second" world country, to any ancestral homeland, even one like the construction of mama afrika, can see it for what it is?

if there was a unified, at least trying to be antiracist national literature in any anglospheric country it would help - it did help, it's largely the soviet cultural machine and its unfortunate impacts on everyone that made, for example, russians and tatars in the ussr, who had beef, largely functionally indistinguishable from each other today. these are people with a long intergenerational legacy of mutual strife and oppression, and they're, like, fine now. they joke about it.

but there isn't an attempt at a unified, antiracist national literature in any anglosphere country, that i know of. there's only books by people who aren't you, some of whom have always or frequently seen you as less than human (if you're anything other than WASPy), and some of whom (if you're WASPy) are justifiably really, really, really fucking mad at your parents.

it is a very important skill to have to abstract yourself from people personally starting shit with you and start seeing writing about your demographic as just a neutral reflection of the world, or the biases inherent in the world. that's the only way it's ever going to get any more neutral, is if the people who could actually most benefit the world by reading minority authors actually did that.

the rest of the world has to read your literature, why not read the world's? see what the world has to say? it might not be flattering but it's real, which is something that i knew from childhood, and something that people better off than me are at present actively trying to devalue learning from university.

to be someone who's actually interested in reading english literature and genre fiction or tbh any kind of cultural production. you kind of accept that racism and misogyny and so on usually brackets all the cool worldbuilding and beautiful prose and the clever ideas? it doesn't really dull my enjoyment exactly, i honestly have fun mapping out the exact contours of the type of racism. i enjoy fanwork that thumbs at that. but the denial of its existence actually really really does annoys me. i emotionally have a worse long term response to the denial of racism than actual racism. (this has absolutely nothing to do with the real world.)

[californiaquail]

well boss said reese has no indication of any uti or crystals only a tiny amount of red blood cells which can be caused by the manual expression. coworker insisted there was no point in taking rads to see if he's blocked from the string so going to try some laxaire and hope 😬🤞🏻also then my boss gave me a ride to the bus stop so i didn't have to carry the huge crate which was uncharacteristically nice of him 🤨

[sukibenders]

The way some people are reacting to the Oscar nominations, specifically in regards towards Barbie, and many other things surrounding it holds certain undertones, especially when they then start to go and deny America Ferrera's talent among other things, that are very concerning. Like let's not do that. Especially if you're writing an article for a newspaper (LA Times) that makes digs towards the other films and their nominees, mainly who were women, and say that that proves the point of Barbie. Even though the point of the film was that women have to work harder than men just to get their foot in the door, not about shaming other women, but I digress.

[ashyjingles]

hi i see all your points and they're all valid but i disagree with some of them but also agree with some (regardless of how much i agree with them though your points all absolutely have an undeniable foundation)

disclaimer i haven't watched the show or read the books in a while

1) the pacing was ABSOLUTELY off. nowadays companies don't want to 'waste' money on anything that could be filler episodes, but those filler episodes are crucial to us getting to know a character both under times of extreme stress, but also maybe some more relaxed moments (as relaxed as a quest to get back your dead mom back can be at least)

each chapter in the books had something unique to it. when you mash them up into that few episodes, it gets loud and muddled. stuff happening ALL the time tired a viewer out. it also makes them so focused on the big plot points that they don't get the chance to notice the finer details, thus removing the ability for good world building via show not tell. you're right, everything feels too explicitly given to us. we're supposed to be learning the world with the characters! it's part of the struggle. but instead their struggles and characters are undermined by making it too easy

2) i actually don't think percy trusted poseidon at ALL at that point. they've had no contact until that point, but the fact that poseidon was his father alone got sally killed. percy resents him for that, and for not once showing up throughout his childhood years. i like the fall rather than the jump because it shows an apprehension to trust him (which is a large part of his character! he doesn't trust authority figures right away! not after all his shit teachers! not after gabe!) and a pleasant surprise that poseidon is actually so strongly advocating for percy

i like percy as a parallel to luke. angry at the gods and their treatment of their kids, and of opinion that things need to CHANGE. because that's part of what makes him fighting against the titans so significant. he's not fighting AGAINST the gods, he's fighting **for the demigods**. that requires him to fight for the lesser evil

i also like percy and annabeth as a sort of foil. annabeth had a terrible experience with her mortal family, so she turns to her godly side. and they've been there for her since a very young age!

percy meanwhile has had only good experiences with his mom. the problem is that those good experiences are ONLY with his mom. it's them two against the world to him at first. they're both suffering gabe's abuse, and his dad, who's supposed to be a god with insane powers, just lets it happen? the sally dies because of her association with poseidon. percy's angry at him for not protecting her.

3)

a) GROVER I LOVE YOU. you're supposed seem lowkey pathetic at first BUT THEN PROVE YOURSELF. my shayla 🥺😔

sorry anyways

b) we never got to see annabeth prove how smart she was! we never got to see her just be a normal annoying 12 year old! we never got to see her just be a softie! or a kid!

and i cannot express how much i agree with what you say about her being there at luke's fight. her realization that he can't be saved... doesn't really happen until the very end for her. why is happening here?

however, i think that her crush on him can be nuanced. i don't care for the crush one way or another. i think it works with or without. an infatuation with an older brother figure makes sense! i'm not a younger sibling so i don't know it first hand, but my little sister adored me and would follow my every word or action without question. i like that representation of luke and annabeth's relationship because i adore familial ones. but kids getting 'crushes' on people they look up too also makes sense i think. i'm aroace tho so. take that with a grain of salt lmao bc idk how that works

c) abuse is abuse, and none should be "better/worse than the other." BUT. different types of abuse lead to different trauma responses. that changes their character. what i'm trying to say is that i agree with you lol

d) i think that it was reasonable for sally to get frustrated in difficult moments. i think the issue they had was they lacked any moments that showed her true character. we only see her worst moments, not her best. based on pattern recognition alone, she does come off as a bad mother. badly treating percy, badly treating percy, oh the museum scene is cute! badly treating percy... you see how that reads

you're also right about how it was too much for her character. even in her frustration, i find it hard to believe she would treat her child that way. you could of course argue that percy sees her through a lense because she's the only thing he has (and he routinely has to deal with gabe) but routinely throughout the books she is shown to be a great mother, even with any possible lense removed. it's jsut. bad writing

okay i'm done

please don't think any of this is disrespecting your opinion!! i think your opinions are all valid even if im technically disagreeing with them. i'm just sharing my own thoughts :)

UNPOPULAR (?) OPINION

(pls don't attack me for this 😭😭)

THE PERCY JACKSON SERIES WAS A PISS POOR ADAPTATION!!!

I would like to start by saying absolutely no hate on the actors!! They were perfect for their roles <3

I'm not just gonna be complaining the whole time, there were some things I did like and I do mention them as well.

1) the pacing was all off. I get that they only had 8 episodes to cram all that info and action into, but it really was WAYY too fast paced. The fight scenes didn't feel like fight scenes coz they were over in seconds, and just a lot of the info you're supposed to find out gradually or just know from context clues is outright said instead of shown and spaced out.

Also, just some of the dialogue was really cluncky and weird/unnecessary and made it very awkward to watch at times.

And then the only two long fight scenes dragged on and ended in ways that just completely disregarded a major character moment. Which leads me to no. 2

2) The arch scene. I actually really liked how they changed it to a shrine of Athena's in the show, it really showed how much Annabeth trusted her mother, and when Echidna was able to pass through anyway, the betrayal was a nice touch which really showed how much trouble they were really in.

HOWEVER!!! What I DIDN'T like, was that last fight scene with Echidna and the Chimera, which actually really upsets me coz it was our first decently lengthed fight scene. I didn't mind the fight overall, but the ending was a cop-out.

The scene in the book where he jumps out of the arch is supposed to show how much trust/faith he has in the gods and his father. He trusts that Poseidon will catch him. And yes, ik, Uncle Rick "thought it was closer" and didn't realise the river didn't go directly under the arch, but surely the fact that it wasn't closer holds that much more weight if he had jumped?

3) They completely butchered Grover, Annabeth, Sally and Gabe's characters.

Grover is supposed to be this scared but BRAVE and LOYAL satyr who loves nature and whose entire purpose is to PROTECT young demigods and find Pan (the god of the wild).

Instead, we get this guy who rats out his friend for doing something he didn't even do, AGREES WITH ARES about fucking WAR of all things (I get it was a ploy to get information but I'm still not really vibing coz it was just so out of character), and WAITS OUTSIDE till the fight is finished before running in and asking if it was over yet. And if all that wasn't bad enough, they've turned him into the exposition guy. Uncle Rick, does show don't tell mean nothing to you?? He deserved a lot better than what he got.

Annabeth in the books had so much depth and character dimension; she wanted to break free from her stereotypes (dumb blonde, girls can't fight/are weak etc); she had a lot of faith in the gods (especially her mother - I'm really glad this was shown in the show); she wanted a way to prove herself to the gods.

Instead her character is moulded down into a singular trait. 'Mean'. I personally think it's a step up from her movie counterpart's singular trait of 'girl', but they could also just do her one better and give her an actually fully fleshed out personality.

I understand that, due to her appearance, they obviously can't do the whole dumb blonde thing (which I really don't mind), but they could throw in some struggles about her race and the 'girls are weak' thing too. Obviously they'd have to be careful to handle it respectfully but it's definitely doable. Like, there are so many thing they can do with her character and all they did was make her mean.

I would have liked it to have been more obvious that she wanted to prove herself to the gods, because it's such a big reason why she chose to be part of the quest. Like, the bathroom scene should've made it more obvious that she was scoping him out to see if he was the leader of the quest she was prophesied to be in, instead of that stupid janky line about capture the flag.

I did, however, like that they got rid of her little crush on Luke, because the fandom ruined their sibling relationship because of that. (I can already see the arguments THATS gonna bring up lol). I interpreted her little crush on Luke as something similar to like when you'd have a teacher crush on primary school. A silly little crush because "they're pretty and were nice to me" kinda vibes. A platonic crush if you will ?

ANYWAYS, I'm glad they fixed that up, but I really would've liked to see her and Luke act more like siblings before he left. Like, half the confusion the first time round was coz we didn't get any proper sibling moments before (or after really) Percy came to the conclusion that Annabeth liked Luke. It just would've been a nice touch.

I also really didn't like the fight with Luke at the end (they changed WAYYYY too much) but the thing I dislike the most was that Annabeth was there. She wasn't supposed to be there. Half her struggle through the rest of the books was that she couldn't come to terms with the fact that Luke was on the Titan's side, and tried to hurt/kill them multiple times when they got in his way. It's supposed to be a slow process for her, but having her there would (realistically) speed up that process, and undermine her feelings and struggles from the books.

On another note, I didn't like how they dealt with Cerberus. It felt so unfeeling, when it was supposed to be a more emotional interaction. Annabeth loves dogs, and that was supposed to be one of the moments you learn more about her. It was supposed to be sad when they parted, but instead it was more of a "that thing is going to kill us, we need to get the fuck outta here" kind of situation.

One last thing for Annabeth coz this is getting long. The Fields of Asphodel scene was rubbish. If there had to be one of them stuck there, it should've been Grover. I truly believe he'd have the most regrets out of the three (eg. Thalia dying under his care, losing the teleportation pearl, trusting Luke, regret for ratting Percy out perhaps? Etc). But realistically they all would've planned roots. They each have regrets weighing them down. Anyways, I just thought it was stupid

Gabe is meant to be the absolute worst. He's meant to be an abusive asshole who couldn't give two shits about Sally and Percy. He's meant to be demanding and messy.

Instead we get this somewhat likeable guy whose worst crime is sitting in his chair for hours at a time. We're supposed to hate this guy, so why am I finding him kinda funny? Like yes, he's still kind of a dick, but he's not so irredeemable as he once was, and this version of him DEFINITELY doesn't deserve to be turned into a statue 😭😭

Like, miss ma'am, just divorce him, move out, turning him into a statue was so unnecessary in the show 😭😭

And I hate to say it, but the movies actually got him right.

And that leads me into Sally's character. In the books she's this brilliant woman with a heart of gold who loves her son more than anything. She married an abuser to protect her son from worse things, so he could grow up with a relatively normal childhood without fear of being hunted by monsters 24/7.

She's supposed to be a bit timid, a bit scared of Gabe because HES AN ABUSER. Sally isn't supposed to have her girlbossness yet! She hasn't gotten to the point where she can leave him (both because she's staying to protect Percy, and also because after being with someone like that for a prolonged period of time, it starts to get to you)

Side note - she's also not supposed to keep contact with Poseidon?? It kinda defeats the purpose of keeping Percy underwraps?? (I'm talking about that one flashback in the diner, it doesn't really make sense)

ANYWAYS!! Instead of some quality character development/growth, we get a character who unrealistically doesn't need it coz she isn't really a victim in the first place. They took away part of her character by taking away her trauma. The way that Sally and Gabe are portrayed really takes away from Sally, and the point that her character is at in the show doesn't make sense to her situation in the show's current timeline.

Also, the way Sally treats Percy in some of the flashbacks is fucking disgusting. THAT is NOT my Sally Jackson. My mother is emotionally/vocally abusive and neglectful, and that is exactly how she treats my neurodivergent younger brother. Maybe I'm projecting or looking into it too much, but seeing that in the show from one of my favourite characters in the books was so jarring, I almost started crying.

Because Sally is supposed to be the best mum, everyone loves her coz she's such a wonderful human being, and that's how she's been treating her son. It just makes me second guess how bad my own mum really is. Obviously everyone has their flaws, but getting angry and yelling at a child because he's scared/upset/doesn't want to do something has never been one of hers.

Alrighty, I'm gonna stop yabbering on coz I feel like this is WAYY too long, but I have a lotta thoughts and feelings about this coz PJO is my comfort fandom lol.

Please gimme any thoughts/opinions you like to share <33

[legendary-assassin-stance]

oh i'm sorry, i didn't realize we were taking moral standing points from the asura now. y'know. the race that full-hog experimented and ripped apart sylvari even after knowing they were wholly sapient beings (and it wasn't even inquest! it was regular fucking asura! the arcane council most definitely okayed those experiments! never mind the fact that the council TO THIS DAY fucking openly allows inquest to do as they please so long as they don't cause trouble in rata sum) and have done little to nothing to apologize for that fact to their sylvari allies.

but no, you're right, the humans are the worst race in tyria just by way of existing and trying to find a place for themselves. how could i have ever thought different?

[giantkillerjack]

Thank you, younger me, for drawing so many things in which the lines were never quite right. It is quite literally the only reason I ever figured out how to get them right.

[imavikingo]

(This will be a vent post about fics with heavy topics, with one in specific in mind, but with a general tone bc really... This happens often).

Why people love to do dramatic speeches in fics where a character basically tells another "No one will ever love you" "You deserve to be alone" "No one should be with you, ever" and in the next chapter/scene THEY GET TOGETHER?? Or are like "I love you" "me too" ???????

Like... If you want to write a happy ending -without a toxic relationship in mind- and you care about the plot and said plot is serious... YOU NEED TO ADDRESS THAT. Especially if you're building the relationship from scratch and your story it's about or has heavy topics. Don't do stuff like that only for the dramatics bc -healthy- relationships don't work with that kind of interaction. Especially if your fic has a lot of plot/words, and tries to be realistic with feelings and psychological problems for one or more characters.

And if they do, there will not be a happy ending really, ESPECIALLY if you write the character that received that kind of vitriol SUICIDAL from the get go (or has problems with their self-image/worth).

I don't understand how anyone can find the other character is in the right?? And people in comments usually don't care about this kind of things either. How can you excuse or simply ignore that kind of vitriol??? When the fic tries to paint them as a healthy relationship and "goals"?

I really can't enjoy fics like that bc what do you mean the character that you made specifically suicidal (in this particular case) that also was talked down FOR BEING SUICIDAL needs to forgive and forget AND ALSO ASK FOR FORGIVENESS from the other party? I understand that both were in the wrong in the end (they don't write it like that tho, and only think of the suicidal character as the one in the wrong). But really? Make them be together after that? Without a single conversation talking about it? Without a single "I'm sorry I was angry and spoke without thinking and wanted to make you hurt?" (Because other things had to happen too) Like man... the other chapters were so good in building the relationship and in one interaction I can't read about their relationship anymore bc of this....

Am I too picky???

I mean... if you're going to talk about heavy topics and want a happy ending -without the relationship being toxic and terrible/codependent in a "dark/sick" way-, you should put yourself in the shoes of the characters you wrote and fix the problem, not ignore it. If both characters have issues, you should put yourself in BOTH of their positions too. Especially if one of the main characters was suicidal and self-harmed from the beginning.

People are flawed and not everyone acts the same, sure. But if someone is or was in a terrible state, and even if they weren't, If someone else they loved tells them something like that... IT WILL HAUNT THEM. And will be a problem for the relationship. Not amount of "Happy ending guaranteed" will save the relationship (in my eyes at least).

I really don't understand the need to add that kind of things to fics with heavy topics when you end up ignoring it completely. If everything you write is intentional, how can you ignore something as crucial as that? With the topics the fic has???? And justify it? (("They were fighting!! usually when ppl fight they talk without thinking" sure but ppl often tell the truth in that state too. If you say it while mad, it's probably bc you were thinking it on a normal day, if you were thinking it, it's bc you more than likely think it's true to certain extent OR because you resent the other person/want them to hurt. And if you want them to hurt and you do this while you're NOT really together... How can you justify and say this won't happen again?)).

Idk I really think I'm too picky/serious and annoying sometimes... :')

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

2025 book bingo time 📚

want a completely arbitrary set of reading goals for 2025? want to try something new in your literary diet but don't know where to start? just like a challenge for the sake of a challenge? just love a good game of bingo?

boy do I have something for you!

for anyone planning to participate, please know that I LOVE attention and talking about books, so I would be STOKED to be tagged on any and all updates about what you're reading or planning to read. I'm so, so excited to see all the different ways these prompts get filled, especially if and when they bring people away from the kinds of things they normally read. not to mention snag some new reading recs myself, hopefully!

and of course, I want to know whenever somebody gets a bingo - and ESPECIALLY if somebody fills the whole board! I don't have any prizes for you, but I can offer a sense of accomplishment :)

note that this is designed to be played as 1 book = 1 space, so even if you read, say, a fantasy graphic novel published in 1923 from an indie publisher that has a bat on the cover, you'd only cross off one space. I'm not a cop and I'm not in charge of what you read, so if it sparks more joy to check off multiple spaces per book then go nuts, but I am throwing that disclaimer out there.

EDIT: the 2025 book bingo challenge is now also on storygraph, thanks to @obi-wann-cannoli!

wondering what some of these spaces mean? seeking a couple recommendations to get you started? no idea what a zine even is, let alone how to make one? worry not! I have a guide to all 25 prompts, including recommendations + an example of what I'll be reading throughout the year to fulfill each space. read on beneath the cut!

Literary Fiction: I find that a lot of people are reluctant to check out literary fiction, as it’s often written off as not being about anything but adultery and divorce. If this is you, I implore you to take a chance, acknowledge that adultery and divorce are compelling sometimes, and also remember that lit fic has a lot more to offer than that. At Writer’s Digest, Michael Woodson describes literary fiction as “less of a genre than a category,” which “focuses on style, character, and theme over plot.” My recommendations include Raven Leilani’s Luster, Ocean Vuong’s On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, and Melissa Broder’s Milk Fed. 

I’ll be reading: Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar

2. Short Story Collection: You know, a bunch of short stories together in one book? It doesn’t get much more self-explanatory than that. Could be a collection of stories by a single author or an anthology—it’s up to you! I recommend checking out Mariana Enríquez’s The Dangers of Smoking in Bed (translated by Megan McDowell), Nalo Hopkinson’s Falling in Love With Hominids, and Kim Fu’s Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century. 

I’ll be reading: Your Utopia by Bora Chung and translated by Anton Hur 

3. A Sequel: It could be one that you’ve been meaning to get around to, one that’s not releasing until 2025, or the sequel to something you read to cross off another space on this very bingo sheet!

I’ll be reading: Heavenly Tyrant by Xiran Jay Zhao, sequel to 2021’s Iron Widow 

4. Childhood Favorite: Go back and read a book you loved as a child, tween, or teen! There’s no wrong answer here; anything from a YA novel to a picture book would be just lovely, and I can’t wait to see what people pick for this option! I’m not sure which of my old favorites I’ll be revisiting yet—should I go for the warm and fuzzy Casson Family series, or straight towards the mindfucky sci-fi of Interstellar Piggy? Or maybe I’ll go see how Artemis Fowl holds up...

5. 20th Century Speculative Fiction: For those not familiar with the term, speculative fiction can encapsulate science fiction, fantasy, and anything else that falls into the unreal. You’re spoiled for iconic choices here: the 20th century gave us Le Guin’s Left Hand of Darkness, Atwood’s Handmaid’s Tale, Butler’s Parable of the Sower and Kindred, L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time, the beginning of Pratchett’s Discworld series, Diana Wynne Jones’ Howls’ Moving Castle, and countless others.

I’ll be reading: Dawn by Octavia E. Butler, love of my literary life 💜

6. Fantasy: Fantasy comes in a thousand different shades, from contemporary urban wizards with day jobs at the office to high fantasy spellslingers chasing dragons away from castles. Some examples I’ve adored are N.K. Jemisin’s The Killing Moon, C.L. Polk’s Witchmark, Fonda Lee’s Jade City, and Nghi Vo’s Empress of Salt and Fortune.

I’ll be reading: The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty  

7. Published Before 1950: This one could not be more straightforward if I tried. You have all of human history (or at least, all the parts that have surviving literature), just not the last 75 years. Dig deep! 

I’ll be reading: Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, published in 1938 

8. Independent Publisher: Did you guys know that just five publishing companies (Penguin Random House, HarperCollins Publishers, Macmillan Publishers, Simon & Schuster, and Hachette Book Group) are responsible for 80% of books published in the US each year, and 25% of books globally? Break away from the big five and see what some small presses are putting out! If you need some ideas about where to start, check out this list of nearly 300 independent publishers with notes on what kind of books they put out!

I’ll be reading: Taiwan Travelogue by Yáng Shuāng-zǐ and translated by Lin King, from Graywolf Press

9. Graphic Novel/Comic Book/Manga: Despite my personal obsession with Batman, the world of comic books is sooo much wider than Gotham City—or anything else that DC and Marvel have to offer. If superheroes aren’t your speed, check out the Southern gothic of Carmen Maria Machado and Dani Strips’ comic The Low, Low Woods, splash around in Kat Leyh’s graphic novel Thirsty Mermaids, or stop waiting for a new season of Dungeon Meshi and go read Ryoko Kui’s manga, translated to English by Taylor Engel. 

I’ll be reading: The Fade, by Aabria Iyengar and Mari Costa

10. Animal on the Cover: Yes, yes, don’t judge a book by its cover—but do go find one with a critter on the cover and give it a read! Absolutely no other requirements here, get silly with it.

I’ll be reading: Shark Heart by Emily Habeck

11. Set in a Country You Have Never Visited: Fiction or nonfiction, doesn’t matter so long as it gives you a little glimpse of a country you’ve never visited in real life. If you’ve somehow visited every country currently recognized in the world, then I guess you get to go read something set in space.

I’ll be reading: A Magical Girl Retires by Park Seolyeon and Kim Sanho, translated by Anton Hur 

12. Science Fiction: A genre just as diverse as fantasy, with a little something for everybody! I recommend Becky Chambers’ Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet for those who want to kiss an alien in the stars and Jessamine Chan’s The School for Good Mothers for those who want a surveillance state dystopia that hits much closer to home.  

I’ll be reading: Womb City by Tlotlo Tsamaase

13. 2025 Debut Author: Read a book by someone who’s releasing their first book in 2025. Fic or nonfic, any genre, no further requirements. Not quite a free space, but pretty close!

I’ll be reading: Liquid: A Love Story by Mariam Rahmani, coming out March 11

14. Memoir: Per Wikipedia, a memoir is “any nonfiction narrative writing based on the author’s personal memories.” Some are funny, some are heartbreaking, some are both! I recommend Carman Maria Machado’s In the Dream House and Roxane Gay’s Hunger, because I tend to lean heartbreaking! 

I’ll be reading: Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner. Again, I like heartbreaking!

15. Read a Zine, Make a Zine: Not familiar with zines? No problem! Check out some of these digital archives for inspiration, and then craft your own zine with this simple guide (or do it your own way, I’m not in charge of you). 

Internet Archives: https://archive.org/details/zines

Gay Zine Archive Project: https://gittings.qzap.org/ 

POC Zine Project: https://poczineproject.tumblr.com/ 

Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/collections/zine-web-archive/ 

16. Essay Collection: Like a short story collection, but it’s nonfiction now. Some of my favorites include Samantha Irby’s We Are Never Meeting in Real Life, Elaine Castillo’s How to Read Now, Aimee Nezhukhumatathil’s World of Wonders, and Cathy Park Hong’s Minor Feelings.

I’ll be reading: A Little Devil in America: In Praise of Black Performance by Hanif Abdurraqib 

17. 2024 Award Winner: What award? Any award you like! And boy, there are tons to pick from. Any book that won any award in the year 2024 is free game. If you need some places to start looking, check out some of these:

Lambda Literary Awards, for excellence in LGBT literature: https://lambdaliterary.org/awards__trashed/2024-winners/ 

The Alex Awards, for adult books with crossover appeal for teen readers: https://www.ala.org/yalsa/alex-awards 

Ignyte Awards, celebrating diversity in speculative fiction: https://ignyteawards.fiyahlitmag.com/2024-results/  

Women's Prize for Fiction (self explanatory) https://womensprize.com/prizes/womens-prize-for-fiction/

Others: https://www.bookbrowse.com/awards/ 

I’ll be reading: Biography of X by Catherine Lacey, winner of the 2024 Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Fiction

18. Nonfiction: Learn Something New: I know very little about archaeology, anthropology, or any other fields that involve studying ancient cities, but Annalee Newitz’s Four Lost Cities: A Secret History of the Urban Age was some of the most fun I had with nonfiction in 2024, because every page brought a brand new discovery. For 2025, find a nonfiction book about a topic you don’t know ANYTHING about, and learn something new!

I’ll be reading: Cooling the Tropics: Ice, Indigeneity, and Hawaiian Refreshment by Hi’ilei Julia Kawehipuaakahaopulani Hobart

19. Social Justice & Activism: Read a book about a social issue, the history of an activist movement, or brush up on a guiding philosophy or ideology. Arm yourself with knowledge, besties, because I have a feeling we’re going to need it! if you need a good place to start, why not try Angela Davis' Race, Women & Class, Mariame Kaba's We Do This 'Til We Free Us, or Molly Smith and Juno Mac's Revolting Prostitutes?

I’ll be reading: White Feminism: From Suffragettes to Influencers and Who They Leave Behind by Koa Beck

20. Romance Novel: Listen to me. Fucking listen to me. I mean a ROMANCE. NOVEL. Not a novel that incidentally has a romance in it. Romance novel, motherfucker. Go check out the romance section and have some whimsy as two people fall in love through the most contrived series of events ever conceived. If you really need a romance that makes you feel smart (that’s still sexy and messy as hell), try Akwaeke Emezi’s You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty.

I’ll be reading: Go Luck Yourself by Sara Raasche  

21. Read and Make a Recipe: Could be a cookbook, could be a recipe you yoinked from the New York Times, could be something your grandparents lovingly wrote down by hand. Could be as complex or as simple as you like, just make something tasty! Some cookbooks I’ve enjoyed are Sohla El-Waylly’s Start Here, Dan Pashman’s Mission Impastable, and John Wang and Storm Garner’s The World Eats Here.

22. Horror: Slashers, zombies, haunted houses, creeping paranoia, you name it! It’s time to get spooky and scary with all kinds of things going bump in the night. Maybe this is the year to finally keep up with Dracula Daily? Not for me, I'm not doing that, but you could!

I’ll be reading: I Was A Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones

23. Published in the Aughts: A throwback, but not too far back. Read something published between 2000 and 2009. Maybe it’s time to finally get into Twilight? (For legal reasons, that’s a joke.)

I’ll be reading: The Sluts by Dennis Cooper, published in 2004

24. Historical Fiction: You know, fiction that takes place in a bygone era! Please remember, this isn’t just about reading a book that’s old; we have a separate prompt for that! This is about reading something that takes place in the past relative to the time it was written. Pride and Prejudice is historical to us, but was contemporary when Austen wrote it. Think of Brit Bennett's The Vanishing Half, Markus Zusak's The Book Thief, or history + a bit of fantasy in book's like R.F. Kuang's Babel.

I’ll be reading: The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon

Bookseller or Librarian Recommendation: This one is fun, and something I always like to do when I’m travelling and visiting a new bookstore. Ask a bookseller or librarian to recommend something they’ve liked, and check it out! If going in person isn’t feasible, many bookstores and libraries have staff picks on their websites, and the Indie Next List is a monthly list of independent booksellers’ favorite new releases. 

I’ll be reading: The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse by Louise Erdrich, which I bought at Erdrich’s bookstore, Birchbark Books, this summer :)

lastly: tagging people who asked to be tagged to make sure they didn't miss this! @thebisexualwreckoning @perfunctoryperfusions @reallyinkyhands come get your bingo sheet!

[fanged-fanfics]

☆ "You Can Have My Last Name" — Zaunites x GN Reader ☆

Genre: Fluff || they/them pronouns for reader || No warnings needed

A/N: I'm pretty sure this idea is like. Everywhere by now. But people from Zaun/the Undercity don't really have surnames so plot is basically what if Reader offered up theirs. Simple and cute type stuff idk I wanted some fluff

──────.𖥔 ݁ ˖˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ──────

Viktor

ᯓᡣ𐭩 Mentioned the nature of his lack of a surname rather casually, while venting about how Piltover kept trying to say his paperwork was 'invalid' for lacking one. He explained to you that it was common for anyone in the Undercity, and that most from there didn't have one at all

ᯓᡣ𐭩 More confused than anything when you offer yours, or he at least pretends to be. The truth is the idea flustered him coming from you so casually, so to cope he acted like he didn't know what you were implying

ᯓᡣ𐭩 Thinks about it for several weeks afterwards, subconsciously mulls over how your name would sound paired with his in his mind. He writes it down a few times too, just to test it out. Finds out pretty quickly that he likes the sound of it

Vi

ᯓᡣ𐭩 Doesn't miss the implications a bit, as a matter of fact she IMMEDIATELY flirts back by asking if you'd really give your precious name to any pretty face you come across

ᯓᡣ𐭩 Teases you about the idea relentlessly any time the subject of names is brought up, or in any way she can really. Often makes jokes that she's gonna make a fool out of the name

ᯓᡣ𐭩 Secretly actually very honored that you'd offer it up to her but she doesn't feel like admitting that yet, you're gonna have to deal with jokey teasing for a good while first

Jinx

ᯓᡣ𐭩 Snarkily says she wouldn't be a good fit for your name to hide the fact that she really doesn't think she deserves to be considered a part of your life

ᯓᡣ𐭩 "Ohh, you might be crazy too if you're gonna give it to someone like me"

ᯓᡣ𐭩 Feels kinda bad that she wouldn't have anything like that to offer you in return. She loves the idea of having a family to belong to again, but her own self doubt gets in the way of admitting that to herself

Ekko

ᯓᡣ𐭩 "Oh- uh- what??"

ᯓᡣ𐭩 Genuinely very caught off guard. Not at all in a bad way, he just doesn't know how to respond to such a sudden and blatant flirt. Quickly tries to think of something to say as you're chuckling and reassuring him it's okay

ᯓᡣ𐭩 He ends up telling you through his fluster that it's not really gonna bring you any good to proudly announce a Zaunite as part of your family name. But in the end, he gives you a soft smile and says it's a nice thought he isn't against

Sevika

ᯓᡣ𐭩 "Is that so?"

ᯓᡣ𐭩 More keen on the idea than you'd might think- tells you it wouldn't be such a bad idea, but you'd have to prove it's a name worth adopting first, teasingly daring you to make it a name you'd both be proud to wear

ᯓᡣ𐭩 Tells you to reconsider once or twice, but mostly because she loves seeing how determined you get when defending her right to bear your name

Silco

ᯓᡣ𐭩 Doesn't pick up on what you're implying at first at all, simply tells you that isn't how that works and you're talking nonsense

ᯓᡣ𐭩 You have to prod into the implications a little more to get him to finally register what you're actually trying to say. It takes him a moment, but when he catches on he falls silent for a while

ᯓᡣ𐭩 Ends up mildly tripping over his words while telling you he's not really someone to give such an important thing to, and that you should get a better head on your shoulders and keep focused (largely to hide the fact that the offer genuinely caught him off guard. He's never gonna stop thinking about it)

Vander

ᯓᡣ𐭩 Actually not against the idea. Seems to chuckle it off at first, but once he realizes you're being serious he fondly mulls over the idea with you while cleaning up for the night

ᯓᡣ𐭩 Recognizes the idea might not be very feasible, but hey, what's wrong with having hope? Everyone's allowed to have dreams to chase, right? No harm in chasing this one together, then

ᯓᡣ𐭩 Promises that once things are settled down enough that he'll try to make it happen with you. As long as the kids he takes in are all alright with you, of course