#i might make this a series of posts. because a lot of characters had suboptimal parents and in my heart this is a story about love and

[mediumsizedpidegon]

raising a child would crack naruto like a walnut.

with how shitty his childhood was and how many barriers i headcanon that it created for him, i think being in the place of a parent would destroy the final doubts about how bad naruto's childhood was.

something about about the breaking of cycles: something about naruto having a child and that child not having to budget at four or starve, about that child not being *alone*, about that child being so so loved by their huge family. something about that child growing taller than naruto, because naruto was malnourished and they are not. something about naruto having his kid come up to him asking for help and be knocked on his ass by the trust he has been given: how this child has no doubts about naruto's care and love. something about how this child will never ever truly understand the sheer... emptiness that sometimes lingers on naruto, how they will never get why simple things like ramen together or shikamaru's hand on his shoulder or sasuke silently picking out the tomatoes out of naruto's take out makes naruto tear up.

how naruto will watch his child not understand and be so so glad. (some things are not meant to be known. this is one of them.)

[quillyfied]

Fanfic Writer 20 Questions

tagged by @shakespearevillain! Much thanks!

My AO3, because that's the only link I have the energy to provide, folks :P

1. how many works do you have on ao3?

135, according to the internet. That seems like a lot.

2. what’s your total ao3 word count?

957,125. Oh heck guys that's not too far off from a truly staggering number that I can't process XD

3. how many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

Um...thirteen, if you take out the duplicates. In order of content, it's Homestuck, Good Omens, Dice Camera Action, The Adventure Zone, Avatar: Legend of Korra, Twilight, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Powerpuff Girls, Red vs Blue, Sherlock BBC, Avengers, Pokemon Sun and Moon, and Harry Potter. Mind, this is just what's posted on AO3...though even the stuff that's not on AO3 and never will be is mostly here. I think there's some various anime fandoms that got some stuff. Maybe some Phineas and Ferb, some Kick Buttowski.

4. what are your top five fics by kudos?

Let's see...

1. Snake Children, or Snildren, (Good Omens, Wiggleverse)

2. Snake Cottage, or Snottage, (Good Omens, Wiggleverse

3. Comfort and Joy (Good Omens, Wiggleverse collab with OlwenDylluan)

4. running into the sun (but i'm running behind) (The Adventure Zone: Balance)

5. Broken Crowns (Homestuck)

5. do you respond to comments? why or why not?

I try to! Don't always succeed or have the spoons, but especially sweet or thoughtful comments I try to give some semblance of response to. I cherish every single comment, even if I don't always respond.

6. what’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Ha. Um. Probably "Ashes", a Twilight fic from Marcus' point of view about losing Didyme. Entirely canon-compliant and canon-driven, which is probably why it ends so sadly. If we're talking off AO3, I'd have to go digging and I have no such time.

7. do you write crossovers?

No, not really; I've done it by very special occasional request. Of course, you have to define a crossover these days, bc to me, a crossover is shoving two fandoms in the same space and making them interact with each other, but some people tag their AU fanfics as crossovers when it's just "insert characters from fandom A into world of fandom B" and that's...not a crossover. That's an AU. Regardless: no. I don't write these.

8. have you ever received hate on a fic?

Kinda? Had one comment where someone said "i am going to kill you" and that's it so I had no context for if it was a playful jest or a statement of intent and I reacted as if it were the second XD (Also had one fic where the story didn't turn out how a reader was expecting and my collaborator and I knew from their comments that they probably weren't going to like what was coming up and they didn't, and there was some small bit of friction over it, but that wasn't really hate.)

9. do you write smut? if so, what kind?

No.

10. have you ever had a fic stolen?

Kinda? I had someone post a fic from forums/deviantART to FFN because I was young and thought I needed parental permission to make an FFN account (which I did not have, dad said no) and I had a reader who insisted the FFN crowd needed to read it and started posting it without my permission, but they didn't say it was mine until the author's note at the very end of the last chapter; at that point I finally had made an FFN account on my own and tried to insist the poster take it down since I was there now and could post it myself but they didn't reply. I reported it on FFN but nothing was ever done about it and the poster never replied to my messages. Far as I know it might still be there and I'm resigned to it.

11. have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope! Would be cool, but I'm not holding my breath XD

12. have you ever co-written a fic before?

Oh yeah, all the time now!

13. what’s your all-time favorite ship?

Oh boy. Coming from a veteran shipper, this is quite the question. Naruto/Hinata (from Naruto) and Toph/Sokka (from Avatar: The Last Airbender) were my first big OTPs and I will always love them and have a special place in my heart for them. But I don't know if I can pick a FAVORITE. All my ships are precious.

14. whats a wip that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

I wish I could have finished Broken Crowns and its prequel (and maybe the possible sequel I was toying with). That was a fun experiment in flying by the seat of my pants, and the first thing I've ever written that was so big it broke Spellcheck, but ultimately falling out of the Homestuck fandom and losing interest in the project were the death of it. I'm glad I was able to provide a "here's where this was going" chapter, at least, so many fics that fall by the wayside don't get that and it's such a great thing to do for readers.

15. what are your writing strengths?

I think I'm best at character voices and dialogue, and maybe the occasional witty turn of phrase. Also technical polish; sure, my plots are contrived and the characterization might be dodgy but by gum at least my commas are mostly in the right spots and everything is spelled correctly XD (Given that as a reader grammatical errors are what throw me off and distract and irritate me most, I think my own writing evolved to not distract myself with that, at least.)

16. what are your writing weaknesses?

Oh, boy. Settings, I think. Describing settings. And finishing long-form work that's in any way original. Long fic based off another story/movie/whatever? Easy peasy, got an outline all ready to go and tailor-made. Long fic based off my own random ideas? Um...help??

17. what are your thoughts on writing dialogue in another language?

Since I only know one of them, I am scared stiff to try it XD Google translate can only take you so far.

18. what was the first fandom you ever wrote for?

Very, very first? Probably either Disney or Luigi's Mansion. Published on the internet? Harry Potter.

19. what’s your favorite fic you’ve ever written?

Oh, gosh. I have such love in my heart for many of my own works, which is pleasant and comforting and a nice change from visceral self-loathing, but if I had to pick a few (because heck no I can't just pick one)...the Sherlockbound series I wrote for Homestuck, "i have loved the stars too fondly" for The Adventure Zone: Balance, Suboptimal Omens for DCA, and probably a million oneshots along the way that have helped me work things out and figure myself out as an artist and as a person.

20. who do you tag?

I tag anyone who's looking at this and thinking "gosh, that would be fun." You can even tag me in the post. Blanket permission. Do it!

[necer0s]

So I just reread all of Mother of Learning in preparation for the big finale, and boy do I have a lot of Thoughts.  So I put them all in one post so as not to spam everyone.  

The summer festival planar alignment being an excuse for a huge political/social/academic party makes a lot of sense when you consider that this particular planar alignment is essentially the anniversary of the Ikosian Empire.

Can I just say that the Splinter Wars and everything that goes into them is an absolutely masterful piece of worldbuilding craft? Those combined events set the stage technologically, socially, and politically, at scales large and small.

I really enjoy the Northern Frontier chapters. Whenever I think about an epilogue, I always imagine that eventually Zach and Zorian will move north to settle some patch of land with their incredible skills. I feel that Zach wouldn’t be happy without the adventure, and Zorian would enjoy the relative isolation.

I also really like the mind magic in this series. It has a great set of abilities and limitations. Watching Zorian master those abilities and push those limitations is what makes his progress in the field so enjoyable.

Aranean culture is also fascinating. It’s kind of interesting that we explore a number of different web cultures before we really start exploring the different human cultures.

The foreshadowing in this story really is quite remarkable. Nochka and Raynie, two totally separate people with nothing in common other than being shifters, are both introduced to us in the very first chapter, however passingly. Eventually, Zorian is given completely different reasons to get to know both of them. And by the end, getting their respective stories is not only crucial to understanding the invaders’ plans, but essential to stopping them entirely.

The more I reread, the more I wish I’d read the conversation with the angel a few more times. I still don’t really understand why the angels chose Zach of all people to be at the center of the time loop. If it’s a matter of character, surely his Tragic Backstory should have made him look like a potential danger? With his history, there was always a danger that Zach would decide not to care about Cyoria or something.

You know, during this period where Zach is waiting for Zorian to show up... I wonder what’s going on in his mind? I mean, apparently Zach knows all this time that only one of the two of them can survive. But by the time they meet up again, he seems... antagonistic, maybe, but he’s also determined to get Zorian out of the loop pretty soon after talking to him. Is he hoping that they’ll find a way for both of them to live? Or has he already given up on life at that point?

Seeing the “original” version of the invasion is making me think about how Z&Z will defeat the real invasion. I suspect they might have warded most of the artillery magic targets, for a start... and of course, Zorian’s city-wide mind magic will be devastating.

I really do like Xvim. He’s just such a strong character. And yet we know so little about him! I really hope he doesn’t die at the end of the story.

I have to say, I much prefer when Zorian starts becoming exceptional, rather than merely competent. The basics are fun and all, but it’s undeniably more fun to watch him master more advanced skills like mind magic and dimensionalism.

Zach is such a wonderfully fascinating character. That was true even without the contract reveal, and with that information... he seems so carefree and happy most of the time, but he has such delightful hidden depths. The depression and rage were always sort of there, but it’s only with this new insight that I can see just how good a liar Zach can be. It’s not something you’d expect from him.

Random theory: is the Ghost Serpent a former god? He says that a past Branded One made him “fall”, and if anyone could cause the gods to lose their power and be thus diminished, it would be someone who had been through the full time loop.

I will never stop loving the reveal of how the time loop really works. It’s such a masterful culmination of foreshadowing and worldbuilding. “Time travel is impossible”, “blueprint conjuration”, “Black Room-style time acceleration”... the list goes on. Dozens of little hints and facts and observations all add up to this one revelation.

Zach’s determination to get both of them out of the loop is so bittersweet with the contract revelation. What is he thinking in this moment? Is he resolved to die if it gives them a better chance to save Cyoria? Is he quietly (desperately) hoping that if he saves Zorian, Zorian will somehow save him? It’s honestly heartbreaking.

You know, I’ve thought this before, but I really want Kirielle to end up learning from Silverlake in the epilogue.

Oh yeah, the Sovereign Gate belonged to House Noveda in the past... I wonder if the same is true of the Dagger? Even if it’s only the Gate, it does sort of imply that Zach is a distant descendant of the original Ikosian kings. Which might account for why he was chosen for the time loop...

I know that the story is supposed to be divided to into three Acts, but seeing Act 2 end at chapter 54 when the maybe-final chapter is going to be 101 really makes me think that it’s really a four-act story (partly thanks to later chapters being either longer or more plot-dense than early chapters). Maybe Act 3 should end when Silverlake leaves the time loop? There’s a certain symmetry in having each act end with the revelation that someone has left the loop.

So the gate has sufficient power for a thousand iterations even under the suboptimal conditions of this early activation. That’s... over eighty years. Easily a lifetime. At full power... would you expect to see two lifetimes? Five? Ten? That’s incredible power. And yet, for as relatively little time as they’ve had, Zach and Zorian have sure come a long way. By the end of the time loop, even counting Black Box time, Zach has had just about 40 years, and Zorian has had about... 15? Even with all the advantages of the time loop, it speaks to their talent that they both leave the loop as powerful as they do. For them to be as close behind Quatach-Ichl as they are, when he has almost a thousand years on them... it’s impressive.

I love it when Zach and Zorian start bantering. It’s a lot of fun, of course, but it’s also just... so good for them. It’s the kind of thing that just seems really healthy for both of them after how long they’ve been effectively isolated.

Have I mentioned recently that I love Xvim? He’s so totally down with Zorian being a powerful mind mage.

The reveal that Quatach-Ichl is wearing the Crown is such a delightfully sadistic moment. Like, you knew that gathering the Key was never going to be easy, but they went ahead and put the single greatest possible obstacle right at the start.

The Dragon Cult being worried that QI might try to betray them if he knew they were trying to control the primordial seems a lot like foreshadowing... as does Alanic saying that knowing the simulacrum spell is half of what you need to be a lich.

Daimen and Zorian meeting each other for the first time in so long is another one of those moments that makes me wish we could get Zach’s viewpoint on all this. Partly because I’d love a neutral perspective on their interactions, and partly because... what must he be feeling, as someone who lost all his family so long ago?

The wraith bombs are such a wonderfully horrible development. Not only are they about the most disturbing weapon imaginable, they make horrifically perfect sense in this setting. The perfect fantasy nuke.

The fact that the invasion is actually cancelled after the Ibasan Gate is stolen seems like a fairly significant point to me. (Especially since it happens before Silverlake joined the team, meaning she may not know about it.) If one of the first moves in the counter-assault is to shut down the Gate somehow (a sensible option anyway, as it would cut access to Iasku Mansion), there’s an increased chance of Quatach-Ichl deciding to retreat.

...I wonder if Zorian could dominate a couple soulseizer chrysanthemums and use them to fight Quatach-Ichl? They do seem like kind of the perfect option for something like that... I’m just imagining Zorian luring him into a seemingly undefended Noveda garden and then suddenly half a dozen tiny flowers pop out of the ground and try to eat his soul.

With the knowledge that Jornak is Red Robe, it strikes me as important to wonder who exactly it was that screwed him out of his inheritance.

Zorian is such an annoying little brother. I can’t blame him— it’s obviously self-defense against his asshole older brothers— but it is definitely funny.

Boy, every time Zach talks about his future instantly becomes sad when you consider the contract, huh?

Silverlake’s study of the primordials and their prisons is really worrying now that she’s working for the other side. Does she even need the shifter children to release Panaxeth?

You know, Silverlake suggests tracking Quatach-Ichl’s movements to try and find his phylactery, and Alanic agrees, but I don’t remember them ever actually doing that? That’s going to become extremely important by the end of the story. If they could just place the ring’s tracking marker on him, then send him back to his phylactery...

I really do love that dealing with both Quatach-Ichl and Silverlake has serious consequences. Powerful and ancient mages shouldn’t be completely at the mercy of anyone with a time loop, and these two certainly aren’t.

...so the Sovereign Gate can be used as a replacement for the shifter children, right? But the question is— is that true in the outside world as well, or only while it’s “attached” to him to create the time loop? The answer to that question will have a big effect on the final battle. (Could the angels possibly re-attune the Gate to a different primordial? Can the Guardian of the Threshold push Panaxeth back?)

You know, even having seen most of what’s coming, I can’t keep from imagining foreshadowing in everything that happens in this early part after leaving the loop. Like, is Bryn a spy for Jornak? That kind of thing.

Zorian says he has “that one trump card that no one but him knows about”. Boy, what a tantalizing line. Is he talking about bypassing mind blank? Being a lich? A secret spell formula weapon? We just don’t know.

Okay, here’s a thought: how does the contract kill Zach? Is there any way he could survive, like by becoming a lich? Or would it just... erase his soul?

I love that one of the necessary characteristics for the angels choosing Zach is him being dumb enough to agree to a mysterious contract presented by beings in a dream.  He’s Stupid Good by design.

You know, most of the angels’ concerns and precautions make sense to me.  Zach needs to be good, he needs to be willing (however dubiously), he needs to keep Panaxeth from escaping... but why is it such a big deal to them that no one knows about the time loop?  The Sovereign Gate can realistically only be activated by them, and if I understand its function correctly, once Zach went in, no one else was going to be able to use it for another 400 years.  

...oh shit, Zorian is going to put the grey Hunter in a box and send it at someone. Silverlake, probably— he knows for a fact that she can’t defeat it, after all.

It’s sort of ironic that Zorian is the one who will probably end up using the most monsters in the final battle, given how heavily the invaders rely on the monsters.

Ah, okay. The Sovereign Gate can’t serve as an alternate key to Panaxeth’s prison. That’s made explicitly clear. So no shifter children... no Panaxeth. (Except now that I’m thinking about it... what about Silverlake and Jornak themselves? They have a pact with Panaxeth and he literally created their bodies... that’s the kind of thing that could easily work.