#i might use canon dialogue or smth if

[sewerpalette]

Alright, Alright, Alright. Sooooo hear me out, when I do write a subnautica fanfiction on AO3 (I’m currently busy writing smth else but it IS planned.) I think I’m gonna completely reimagine BZ. I’ve been talking about concepts with some of my mutuals over on instagram and I think I’m starting to like the idea of creative freedom more than trying to build on something canon. (More below image)

That also means there’s gonna be some redesigns; some more major than others. Something I’d like to focus on is how eerie and powerful the architects are compared to us as humans, I think I’d want AL‘s form to change depending on what he’s doing for maximum efficiency, and also to drive home the point that the architects do not feel any attachment to the body they use. Ofcourse this is a me rewrite so some design choices might just seem a little out of pocket, like I’ve been thinking of making one of the architects forms looking like a combination of hands formed around a mechanical exoskeleton- wich I actually like pretty much so it might stick. (Biblically accurate architect lmao 😭💀)

For the first game survivors there isn’t really anything I plan on changing (beyond the designs I’ve already made up) but I do have a ton of ideas for the Alterrans and Robin/Marg.

I also want to rewrite some significant story cutscenes and points, ones I think would be interesting.

It’s probably gonna end up more similar to the original story, atleast that’s what I’m going for. I really like a lot of characterization and dialogue from the early access version(s), so I might steal some of it /hj.

(Image was taken from the subnautica below zero Wikipedia page.)

[blackstarchanx3new]

Red's characterization is frustratingly inconsistent (based on the viz translation)

So I tried to do a "Red centric" FS reading the other day and honestly:

Red as a character lowkey pisses me off the more I think about him.

Trying to write him doing ANYTHING in FSR just, breaks my brain because: What character does he actually HAVE?

To explain further: WHAT CHARACTERIZATION DOES HE HAVE THAT IS CONSISTANT?

Because I can list a fuck ton of his traits, but none that remain consistent and reliable character traits that I can make into a rule set for me to follow to write him properly and which rules I could BREAK depending on the scenario.

I'mma admit this rn: This might be extremally bad faith reading and I'll admit that with my whole chest but it just bugs me the further I try to think about characterizing him.

Buuuut on the other hand. Venting my frustrations might help me get a grasp on what he's MEANT to be like and that'd be useful.

TLDR: I genuinely think Akira has no fucking clue what they were doing with him and I think he's the worst written Link of the set of four/Shadow Link. (This admittedly could also fall hugely on the fault of the translation team too with botched dialogue.)

And I even hypothesis they cut a whole chapter about him for time. (We'll get to that)

Full rant:

Okay. So you'd think this idiot would be pretty simple to figure out.

There's a lil page dedicated to each Link describing their traits, which are all pretty accurate. (This to my knowledge i only in the legendary???)

EXCEPT IN MY OPINION, RED'S. (Green's too but maybe I'll get into Green at a later time...)

His is just. Wrong. Upfront wrong depending on how you read his character...Which...is imo inconsistent based on the canon events of the story.

Let's go down the list of traits from this page

Easygoing - this is accurate since he takes the mission the least bit seriously between the four and gives everyone silly nicknames.

Bright- ...I'm going to assume this is in reference to his personality being "Optimistic" not his intelligence, as we'll get into soon.

Innocent - ...I have some counter arguments to this one but go off I guess. He's SUPOSIVELY more innocent than the other 3.

Simpleminded - again there is a shit ton to suggest the opposite, but well, get into that shit.

So, depending on how you read the word "bright," there are already inconsistencies with "simple-minded" (I'm trying real damn hard not to be obtuse as fuck here but I'm a stickler for wording...)

So for the "innocent" thing...okay this one particularly rubs me the wrong damn way. Because of a few diffent things.

Let's go over smth first:

Identifying the links, you can always tell its red in a panel due to his even screen tone tunic and white sleeves.

Blue has a gradient that goes almost black with screen toned sleeves. Green also has an even screen tone but black sleeves, and Vio has a noise screentone with white sleeves.

Now, Red's "Innocence" or imo lack there of.

Now thought bubbles are hard to pin to anyone specific without like, tails to lead to characters. The fs manga is guilty of not having proper word bubbles often or pointing at the wrong damn character. But here were lead to think the one who assumed the knights were dead were Red and Green. Green starting the thought and red finishing it here.

Red is the first one willing to stab who they assume to be very close people to them. Green as we know is the one NOT willing to fight and rather just defend himself.

So much for "innocent"

Tangent time: I'm not unconvinced the screen tone artist didnt fuck up here, and this was meant to be Blue, but...uh that's not what it ended up being

It's hard to tell because the eyebrows could be either red or blues from my guess.

Until coloring the first volume of manga I ALWAYS ASSUMED this was Blue.

It's for sure not vio or green since their eyebrows are nearly always blonde/not filled in while Reds are thin but occasionally have a bit more thickness, especially when giving heavier expressions. And if this was meant to be Blue. It would be a bit on the thinner side but would match way more personality wise.

Further on the whole "innocence thing"

Wtf was all this shit

Like...I get it. It's for comedy haha. But it just feels so out of character for him this scene just ends up annoying me.

Like it makes him feel so fake. It makes ALL HIS PREVIOUS AND SCENES HERE ON OUT FEEL FAKE.

His tears feel so crocodile considering he doesn't cry when stabbing someone he assumes to be his friends and does THIS SHIT immediately after assuming blue is MAYBE DEAD???

Seriously I kind of hate this scene it feels so two-faced, out of character, and mean-spirited for no fucking reason.

I get it. It was a joke haha. But why the fuck is he joking around and being a goof when his response to green possibly being dead TWICE was to panic and cry and be terrified for real. Why am I meant to take one seriously and not the other from a character standpoint.

From a character stand point: it just feels like he gives less of a shit Blue is in danger/dying vs Green and considering later character interactions I don't think that's meant to be cannon/intentional. (He also calls out to green exclusively on occasions so like...Again was this on purpose or on accident...)

I'm just not a fan of writing characters shittily and out of character for the sake of comedy that doesn't even land.

From a character context: it just looks like he doesn't give a shit about blue here. Which, fine write him mad blue has been a dick but this feels like such the wrong way to go about it to me. Idk.

Onto his intelligence:

Imma be real it feels like he just is only smart when the writing needs him to be for plot reasons and not for characterization reasons.

His intelligence fluctuates so damn much it drives me insane. He's either dumb as a brick or literally smarter than vio, and there's no in-between or reason behind why. It's not like he's good at certain things and dumb as fuck at other things it's literally just because Akira pulls it out of their asses and said so and that kind of writing especially character based pisses me off. 😭

Examples of red being smart:

I don't have a problem with Red having intelligence of his own, but they had to give vio 1 functional brain cells for this scene to work the way it did. Like red can be smart, it'd be great if he was in some instances! It'd even make sense they're all dumb at some shit or excel at others. That'd make them a good well rounded team!

Vio randomly being shit at directions would be a hilarious character trait.

IS this why he gets lost in the tower of winds? Idk if that's a genuine intentional writing reason, but I'm going to assume/head cannon. Imma say that's why, for my own sanity and making this scene make any sense. But i shouldn't have to justify vio being an idiot here with head cannons.

I'd have loved for a scene where Vio over thinks to shit about smth and red is just like "lol the answer is just this silly" but red and vio literally never speak sooooo...thats off the table.

That almost feels like that's what this was trying to be but just...failed at.

He randomly grows a brain again in the temple of darkness. But it just feels so out of nowhere, considering how he's such an idiot most of the book. Like his competent moments, feel SO out of character in comparison.

Like I can see what I THINK they were trying to do with him but it just doesn't land. It just feels like he randomly grows a brain every so often instead of always having one but he he just lags behind the other three in terms of other contexts.

What i think they were going for is "red IS smart. He IS capable. He just needs to be in the right scenario for it to shine. He has such a unique mindset compared to the other three and hes a valuable team mate"

What it comes OFF as... is bad writing.

Onto his like "crybaby" persona the manga and the Fandom itself likes to fall back on

I've touched on it but it feels so fake.

Like I genuinely cannot tell if this is meant to be a character trait I second guess but it's thrown out the window all the damn time.

-him stabbing that one knight with no fucks given really

-him quickly getting over blue being frozen in lue of a stupid joke

Okay let's see when he DOES CRY...

Virtually all the damn time but here's smth I noticed:

He doesn't cry when shadow dies lmfao.

But he does when they kill random rock babies.

Yeah sorry but that rubs me the wrong way too.

Like Reds whole reaction and facial expressions to shadow dying just gives "I wonder if we're having Wendy's of McDonald's later"

Like I think most people are too distracted by vidow to notice that shit but it's so off-putting from a guy who will take the change to bust out the water works at any given change doesn't shed a damn tear when a version of himself kicks the damn bucket.

Not even a reaction to vio being upset about it. Like wtf.

This is what I mean about him being inconsistent. Literally the entire manga is just "He does x sometimes but not other times when you think he would" I genuinely cannot find rhyme or reason to half his character traits and it drives me up a wall. There's no consistency to ANY OF IT and it just leaves this sense of fakeness and it rubs me such the wrong way.

One last thing:

I'm pretty sure he had a cut chapter centered around Red.

I don't have concrete evidence but here's smth i noticed:

This is the last time we see him before his next apearance

And then...suddenly. THIS IS HIS NEXT APEARANCE:

I'm sorry WHAT.

DID WE MISS SOMETHING???

Randomly:

He has a fairy. They've apparently been looking for the other three. TELEPORTATION IS JUST A THING WITHOUT EXPLANATION???

Like, Wtf????

What my opinion?

And SUDDENLY later Red's all like "I'm so independent!😇 "

WHEN. WHEN DID WE SEE THAT RED BECASE IMEDIATELY AFTER YOUR TOWN SCUFFLE YOU'RE WITH A FAIRY AND GET BLUE SO STFU.

If you want what I THINK happened in this hypothetical cut:

Red got away from the towns people and ran into the fairy, and Shadow shape shifted out of being that kid that stole his shit.

Because like...I never knew that kid was meant to be shadow Link until someone pointed that out as a possibility because...Literally I thought Red having his sword and shield gone after he left the waterfall was an art error and not because of the kid.

Like the fact that is even up for debate whether or not that kid was shadow or it could be misinterpreted is a flaw in the writing imo but whatever.

Like it was never solidly conformed. There's evidence but it wasn't stated/shown directly and having the idea Shadow can shapeshift to THAT DEGREE is very interesting/cool lore. (We know he can look like green/Link but still. Would have been nice concrete powers around him he can be random ass people too and he's not bound to being just Link.)

If you think about it:

Green got the Pyramid segment

Vio gets the whole shadow link subplot

and Blue gets the temple of darkness.

Wtf does red get. He gets tacked on in the temple of darkness KIND OF but that felt like it was ONLY because he didn't get his own chapter and they had to mash Blue and Red's arcs together making both of their arcs WEAKER. And it just, annoys me idk.

Aaaaanywaaaay. That's my rambling nonsense.

I think with the idea of what they were TRYING TO DO with Red's character I can get a better grasp of where to take him in FSR.

It's so hard to describe why Red gives me "uncanny valley" vibe in his characterization but I hope I did a decent job explaining my thoughts.

You probably noticed: When smth about red doesn't make any fucking sense. I try to rationalize it. But I don't think there was any thought behind a lot of what he does. Which is why it makes me annoyed. 😭

[voiceofsword]

every1 that voted rinne as worst husband is so wrong... its literally canon that he cares SO much and fakes his insane persona hes just awkward and embarassed when he gets noticed

i have so many things i can say about this but im really bad at words but theyre stewing around in my brain explodes

what were your thoughts?

i do agree with the ones that mention niki haha those are true rinne is absolutely smitten but the ones that say its like. because hes rinne amagi. and others thay were probably filtered out by the OP... people that either didnt read the main story or just dont want to look further lmao

(cracking my fingers) okay. this may or may not be long. i fear you have struck a bit of a nerve with this (NOT YOU but just as like. a general statement. i feel like u dont know what ur asking. but that is ok)

this whole thing might seem really aggressive at times bc this situation did get me a little heated... plz keep that in mind going in! AGAIN IM NOT ANGRY AT YOU ANON ILY AND THANK YOU FOR ASKING you just happened to ask abt smth i feel very sourly about – not the poll itself but the answers to it – but i tried to be as. tactful as i possibly can while talking abt this

overall im very disappointed in a lot of the answers given for the voting so ive stayed off twitter almost all day today and yesterday. i fear like with stuff like this a very silent population of eng side shines through, the one that specifically Doesnt actually engage with the story and goes off fanon interpretation. look, im not saying its necessarily a bad thing. but when it comes to stuff like this, where people grossly mischaracterize a grand majority of charas or narrow them down to be the butt of a joke, or use it as an excuse to be plain racist/ableist, i feel like people really need to reassess where all of this is coming from. like. not rinne, but KANAME couldnt even be included because the answers used for his votes were, in their majority, apparently ableist, and op (definitely in the right, i think this was the right choice to make) chose not to post at all because they feared the qrts would be just as bad. because for some reason people seem to think that because they're fictional characters that being ableist is somehow ok, that saying they would "pull the plug" on charas like him and eichi is fine because theyre not real people – as if there werent disabled or chronically ill people in this fandom, in every fandom, or hell, around you?

and lets not mention tatsumi and people blatantly misinterpreting his christianity as something he would force upon others – first of all, western christianity does not apply to tatsumi. at all. i understand that people might find it easy to just associate him with that and make "haha, he would make me convert" or "haha he would be a homophobe" quips, and obviously its not necessary to have extensive knowledge on kirishitan history in japan and how they are, to this day, a minority that was persecuted for a lot of japan's modern history. LIKE, EVEN FROM HIS DIALOGUE IN ANY STORY.. when has he given off that impression? cite your sources, he's literally one of the most inclusive and accepting charas in the whole cast! not a prejudiced white christian middle aged mom...

i think that if you absolutely must reduce a character to tasteless jokes, stereotypes that arent even funny to begin with, and you refuse to even read the source content at all to correct yourself, you really need to think about how you engage with any media, not just enstars. if you want to look at the pretty characters just say that! but dont be like this, and don’t speak on things you don’t fully understand as if you did just to make a point or be funny! 

OKAY RINNE SORRY LOL i hate it. i hated all of it and judging by the ratio many people seemed to dislike it as well (god bless!). if you havent seen it i wont link it bc tbf i dont feel like looking at it again (peace and love) but the answers summed up are like "oh he would steal my money" "hes selfish and would take stuff from me and not gaf about my wellbeing" "hes married to niki already" the last one being the only one i agree with. and it makes me think about a lot of issues with how a good portion of the fandom sees rinne. ive seen a lot of people read rinne in bad faith, regardless of whether theyve read main story, hot limit or any story rinne is in. and i dont get it, genuinely. YES he can be upsetting! he can be an asshole, he can be rude, he DOES steal money from niki! but these people neglect to see or mention that he gives it back and then some. they fail to talk about how he spends a lot of his time trying to make niki see his self worth!! since hiiro was BORN he's been trying to get him to understand that he's deserving of love!! that YES he can be a dick but ultimately treats crazy:b and his friends with love and wants what's best for them! these are the same ppl that think he's abusive or something idk i can only assume. like yeah rinne has a carefully crafted persona where hes a complete dickhead and ig some players cant really bother to see past that act

unfortunately rinne himself is built on a few harmful stereotypes of ainu culture irt the drinking, being portrayed or viewed as more 'uncouth' by other characters, etc which is why the initial more explicit ties to ainu culture were removed altogether from his and hiiros design and background. it is understandable, which is for example why it's not really my place to say whether he can be interpreted as ainu or not, and even so, i try not to rely on those aspects of him because it still veers into sensitive territory. and its an unfortunate part of his character, but undeniably, rinne amagi DOES drink, (he's one of the only characters in main cast of drinking age anyway) does partake in harmful behaviors, but fsr suddenly that means hes nothing but a drunkard, to a lot of people. when reading rinne you really have to take these things and ofc, consider that theyre relevant to his character, but it's not all there is...? in the slightest..? there used to be a tweet thread explaining this link further but it's either been taken down or the account has been locked. either way, just a bit of googling goes a long way. i'd rather not go into too much detail here because i don't feel informed enough beyond pointing these issues out, and i personally feel like it's not really my place. if anybody wants to add onto this post to cite more specific sources please feel free

he's such a fun loving, cunning, caring guy who helps people get jobs (dance of the white tiger), who volunteers to play with kids at a daycare (asobi), and wishes so badly to become an idol and grant everyone the same opportunities if theyd like to be, as well (main story, sudden death SUDDEN DEATH IS MY FAV STORY AFTER HL BUT THE TL IS DOWN....SORRY. but i really really think it's one of the most important ones when it comes to rinne's character and motivations. also if u can read it in app it's even better bc it's voiced and theres a line where he's like "oh this guy's [niki] is engaged to me" when talking to kohaku's sister AND HE SOUNDS FULLY SERIOUS TOO....)

don't get me started on people who dumb him down as if he wasn't one of the most clever characters in the game. and unknowingly, people that continue to make rinne's character out to simply be a gambling flirty drunkard who doesn't know how to control himself, as if there weren't other facets of him – they lean into stereotypes, bordering on racism, even if its not malicious or theyre not aware. and it makes me so sad. a lot of the time these interpretations are spread around and then liking characters like him becomes some sort of moral debate, esp in current fandom (which is one of the reasons i think this stereotyping? happens? b/c ive found that fandom sometimes has the tendency of grabbing characters and mischaracterizing them so BADLY that liking them makes you a bad person..? not necessarily villains either! i promise it's okay to just dislike characters without making stuff up!)

that aside also suggesting he'd be an awful, neglectful spouse is simply incorrect. i very firmly believe that if rinne is devoted, he will drop every vice, every pretense, to make the other person happy. he's Like That in the story and towards niki because they keep tiptoeing around the subject but the second he gets an inner monologue, or is truly being genuine, you can tell he would do anything for him, if niki would just let him. to say that rinne isn't capable of being a good partner because he'll treat you badly or not care about you just proves to me that you're not reading any scene he is actually in. if rinne loves you, romantic or not, he will go big or go home. read hot limit btw

im not about to pull the story caps out no wait yes i am lol rinniki4ever ✌️

these arent in order bc i had to scroll up like 2k pictures because i take caps of this game every time i blink. i was considering adding hiiro caps, to show his dedication to him as well, but given that this is for like a marriage poll id rather not. either way he cares about his family and loved ones a lot. read chapter 155 if you want to know the exact scene i was thinking about/referring to while typing this

um ok (breathes out) im fine now. theres things i didnt address because it's 1 am and i want to go to sleep. congrats kuro on getting #1 most marriageable tho u deserve it KURO NUMERO 1 CAMPEAO DO MUNDO 💯💯💯🔥

[amber-reblogs]

Haaaiii I don't know any of your ocs yet but you should talk about your favorite one for that ask game thing u reblogged so I can know them :]

Ohhhh my favorite is hard… which is why I’m gonna talk about one from a fandom I’m sure you know!

Here is a Rainworld Iterator OC originally created from an inside joke between me and my friend (shout-out to @sneakiestbeakiest for her name) , Two Spheres Ascendant!

-Favorite Thing about them

I really like their relationship to the ancients and how it feeds back into her personality. They’re part of 5 iterators themed after the base urges, and being Karma 2 has given them a very interesting place. She was made to study genetics and conduct breeding programs which is actually very important work, but of course being the Karma 2 iterator means she was generally mocked and laughed at as far as iterators go. This means she’s rather anxious and embarrassed about how she’s perceived, and is nervous about opening up to others. It’s also given them a dislike of their puppet’s appearance and clothes, maybe even their puppet in general

-Least Favorite Thing about them

Honestly, I’m not confident in their design. I feel like it doesn’t fit her personality even if it’s the kind of thing I imagine the ancients would’ve dressed her in. I also think her face doesn’t quite fit her personality and I was thinking maybe her cloak should be closer to a traditional iterator cloak

-brOTP

I generally don’t really do much rainworld shipping… but between the taboo iterators her and the Karma 5 iterator, Fearing Cliffsides probably get along the best! Though she’s not very open with anyone

-OTP

Due to her past experiences, she’s already struggling with platonic bonds. This girlie ain’t ready for romance yet lol

-nOTP

Her and the Karma 1 iterator, Two Bloodstained Hands. They haven’t even talked before, and I don’t think they’d get along if they did

-Random Headcannon

Let’s see… not sure if this is gonna be canon so, I was thinking they might end up breaking off their antenna in an effort to become more comfortable with her puppet

-Unpopular opinion

This is related to their creation so, I’ve seen too many rainworld stories that being up Karma 2 as “haha funny nsfw jokes” and not enough exploring how intimacy and very physical procreative acts were taboo in ancient culture, and with TSA I wanna explore that

-Song I associate with them

Lovely Arps from the Rainworld OST. I generally use OST from the game that inspired them if they have an associated song, but I actually very rarely have associative music

-Favorite Line

They’re a very new OC, so I don’t really have any dialogue from her yet… whoops

-Favorite Picture of them

I also barely have any art lol. But since I already showed smth of them, you can have this alternate take without her antenna.

Always open to more questions about her, her creator or the others taboo iterators, if you wanna know!!

[mcki]

hello! same anon that asked for sns fics<3 thank you so much for being so open!

i really have no preference for length but i think it looking for (heavy) angst…. i don’t mind crying!!!

i also don’t mind fics that don’t involve canon storylines so long as the characters are in character if that makes sense? unfortunately i can’t continue fics if the characters’ dialogue don’t sound like smth their canon characters would say😭

i hope this isn’t too picky! thank you so much again for your recs!!!<33

hey sorry it took me this long to get back to you. i started going through the fics, got distracted and compeltely forgot why i was even doing that in the first place.

but anyways! here's the list. (put under read more cause it's... well you'll see)

everything is tagged ao3 style so you know what you'll be getting into and i even added some personal comments at the bottom.

happy reading!

Long Lost by CanineKitten | E | Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto, Brief Uzumaki Naruto/Hyuuga Hinata | Post-Canon, Canon Divergence | 90k

“Sasuke wanted Naruto to catch the drift for once and leave him alone, but instead he leaned closer. Maybe Sasuke should have caught on when he saw the determination in Naruto's eyes. Maybe he should have realized that Naruto was about to do something stupid. But he didn’t. So when Naruto kissed him, he was too shocked to even be indignant.”In which Naruto and Sasuke skirt around their feelings for each other until they run out of excuses.

Can't go wrong with a CanineKitten fic. You're gonna see a lot more of them in this list. This one's a perfect blend of angst, fluff and smut.

Unburied & Examined by furorem | E | Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto | Post-Canon | 16k

"I asked you…" Sasuke muttered, quietly, his eyes averted as if to hide something. "I asked you, what I am to you. And you said a friend. Over and over…" Finally, his eyes snapped up to meet Naruto’s. He was devastating, all hard angles and splintered bones, sharp edges Naruto could and would cut himself on. He wanted him. He wanted him so fucking much it made his heart ache.Realising you’re irrevocably in love with your best friend is one thing, confessing your love is quite another.

Idiots in love. Idiots pining. Idiots learning how to communicate.

the sins you pay for by kayeeyooblue | E | Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto | Post-Canon, Canon Divergence | +100k

the walls of sasuke uchiha's apartment are dripping with layers of paint. it seems the only colors he knows how to use are red and black. sometimes, naruto wonders if sasuke has ever known any other color, or if his life has only ever consisted of blood and death. but he can't ask, and there is no answer, so he sits and watches the paint dry and waits for sasuke to begin again.

ANGST. Goes into very heavy stuff (depression, bpd, suicidal thoughts etc). If you get uncomfortable with this kind of thing please don’t read it. But I hope you do cause oh my god this fic is so good. Cried a lot.

Kizuna Hikari by YoungAndOverIntelligent | M | Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto | Post-Canon, Canon Divergence | +200k

The only reason Sasuke keeps coming back to Konoha is because of that mattress. The bed is his only respite. And perhaps the dumbass who owns said bed might be worth it, too.Or, another canon divergence 699 that showers Sasuke with too much (deserved) love and attention that we all need for these unprecedented times.

One of my all time favorite sns fics. A must read for everyone in the fandom.

should I tear my eyes out now? by weeb_grass | M | Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto | idek what this'd count as? post canon ig | +3k

The battle against the Elders is lost. Sasuke is locked away for life. After twelve years of fighting the system, Naruto frees the man he loves in the only way he knows how: "Just to reiterate: how long will it take for the cyanide to stop my heart?" Naruto keeps his face blank as he replies with: "Three minutes. Four at the most."

PURE ANGST. HURT/ NO FUCKING COMFORT. HEED THE TAGS.

Free Falling by CanineKitten | E | Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto | Post-Canon, Canon Divergence | +45k

After being reinstated as a shinobi, Sasuke takes on what is supposed to be a standard mission together with Naruto. But the mission soon spirals out of control when they get involved in a conflict that isn't theirs. Eventually they end up in the wilderness, lost and without any other help but a strange map that lives its own life, and it only gets weirder from there on... At least they get to spend a lot of time together and learn to know each other better than they ever could have dreamed of.

Great plot. Great smut. Great characterization. Just great.

Soup's On by OfFansAndFlames | E | Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto, Side Pairing: Suigetsu/Karin | Modern Setting | +350k

After a bloody altercation at school, the courts sentence Sasuke to one hundred hours of community service. Sasuke takes employment at Saint Magdalene's soup kitchen, where he meets a headstrong vagrant who will change the course of his life.

Another one of my favorites. This was reccomended to me by a friend a while ago and OH BOY. I don't ever really read Modern AUs but this fic DELIVERED. Angst, smut, fluff, crack, it literally has everything. 10/10 would reccomend.

If You Let Me by roguelovers | E | Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto | Post-Canon, Canon Divergence | +11k

Naruto leaves with Sasuke after the war. There are knots to untangle.

Pretty much what the summary says. Sasuke's characterization is on point. Some angst.

Something To Remember Me By by heimai | E | Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto | Modern Setting | +82k

Every summer, Naruto visits the sleepy beach town of Oceanview. Easily the best part of the trip is the carnival, set up for three days at the end of August. As summers pass, Naruto finds himself coming back again and again to see the boy at the end of the boardwalk. First, he wants to win the game the boy runs, but it turns into wanting to win Sasuke's heart instead. For some reason, Naruto just can't get him out of his head.

Really cute fic. But SAD. You've been warned.

A World of Truth by luchia | E | Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto, Hatake Kakashi/Uchiha Obito/Rin | Canon Divergence | 23k

The world is trapped in an illusion which removes anger, hate, and death. It's paradise, giving everyone everything they've ever wanted and reviving anyone they've ever lost. Nearly two years into the illusion, Sasuke snaps back to his senses and must decide whether to keep the world in false bliss, or return it to war-torn reality.

This one is a lot more AU than a regular canon divergence fic i'd say.

Restore My Faith by onepieceofharry | E | Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto | Genin-Era, Canon Divergence | +100k and cont.

Sasuke was consumed with hatred because his family was killed. His entire family, not a single person left alive except him and their killer. It was enough to drive someone insane, or into the arms of the first maniac promising him enough power for revenge. Instead Sasuke finds a little baby Uchiha on a meaningless mission and leaves Konoha for a vastly different reason.

The plot is really interesting, very different than what you usually read. onepieceofharry is always so creative with their fics tho, so no surprises here. All in all great fic, can't wait to see where it goes.

btw since it's not an sns fic i didn't include it in the list but if you end up enjoying this, you have to read a theory of justice by the same author cause it's insanely good.

A Crown of Peonies and Primrose by shinigami714 | M | Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto | Canon Divergence | 85k

Sasuke had never excelled when it came to handling his emotions. All his life he’d tried to push them aside. They made him weak, or so he thought. But all it took was one man to ignite such strange feelings within him, to force him to come to terms with them, accept them, and acknowledge that sometimes emotions weren’t a weakness at all, but rather one’s greatest strength. Sometimes the greatest happiness was found simply by following your heart.

Nice fic. Not much else to say about it. Classic SNS.

So I Can Stay With You by saucekays | M | Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto | Canon Divergence | 67K

After the War, Sasuke is struggling: with the past, with Konoha, and with himself. He decides to go on a journey, one he hopes will bring him redemption and maybe some peace of mind.Naruto isn't willing to let him go so easily, so he does the obvious: invite himself along.While traveling across the lands, Naruto and Sasuke are forced to confront what lies between them. They make a lot of discoveries about themselves, their past, and their true feelings for each other.

Very slow burn but the wait is so worth it. The pining, the yearning... Love it.

Aftermath by CanineKitten | E | Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto | Canon Divergence | +58k

Naruto is tired of seeing Sasuke leave again and again. This time he’s going with him.

Another travel fic! A very good one too.

+ The rest of the list is not angsty but i stil included them cause they're favorites and it's good to read some light crack after so much heavy stuff.

Collecting Memories by venussnow | E | Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto | Boruto Era-ish | +180k and continuing

One minute Sasuke was sleeping outside and the next he's waking up in a comfortable bed in a world where there is no chakra. Only Naruto can help him find his way back home, but Naruto's convinced that a demon has possessed Sasuke's body. Meanwhile, another dimension's Sasuke woke up in a panic, without chakra, in a world where every nightmare he has ever had came to life and where everyone he loves is either dead, smelly, or downright terrifying. And don't even get him started on having a kid.

The Sasuke we know stuck in the modern world and ModernAu Sasuke is stuck in Konoha. Really funny and incredibly clever. I love this one a lot. No angst whatsoever (i mean there is drama but it's nothing compared to some of the fics in this list). I really hope you'll give this one a go cause, man, I had(still have) a blast reading this.

We Deserved A Better Ending, My Love by narutophobia | M | Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto | Modern AU but not really, Reincarnation i guess? | +100k

Ever since Naruto was little, he has been plagued by memories from a life that was not his own.And then he sees Sasuke.

Kinda angsty, kinda fluffy. Again a really fun fic to read but a little more serious than the other 'fun' ones on the list.

Mirror, Mirror by sowell | E | Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto | Canon Divergence | 16k

A jutsu gone wrong brings Sasuke home in a way Naruto never expected.

Really funny. Had a blast reading this. Kinda crack but not really? 'Crack treated seriously' i guess.

That's What Best Friends Are For by heimai | E | Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto | Modern Setting | 26k

In the same way Icarus had flown too close to the sun and plummeted to his death, Sasuke Uchiha now had a vibrator stuck in his ass.

Might be the funniest shit i've ever read. But also really sexy? With fluff? Idk how the author managed to keep the boys so in character while writing about, you know, a vibrator getting stuck in one of them. 10/10.

No Different by Asuka Kureru (Askerian) | E | Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto | Canon Divergence | +2k

The boys compare the size of their curse seals. Amongst other things.

Pure smut. Enjoy.

[688199]

Tenshi Na Konamaiki Canon Side Stories

hey did you know tenkona has two official chapters taking place after the end of manga?

they’re chapters made by nishimori but he couldn’t include it in the main story, so in wide version publication of the manga, it was put in the last volume as an extra.

i managed to get my hands on a digital scan! but due to privacy and respect to the person who sent it to me, i don’t want to overshare.

however i will be talking about it here!

i used google translate so a lot of dialogue and words weren’t translated properly, which affects the reading experience ofc, but i loved it nonetheless. even if i don't understand fully what's going on. i'll manually write out all the words and try to make a proper translation of it in the future!

Chapter 200: Fujiki and his friend

what happens: fujiki is feeling quite depressed because he keeps seeing couples everywhere. then he chances upon his middle school friend (i think), and they have a chat. fujiki admits he was rejected. seeing how down fujiki was, the friend tries to cheer him up by saying there’s women everywhere, and asks whether is there anyone else to substitute. fujiki thinks about megumi for a moment, then lashes out that there’s no one in the universe that will ever replace megumi. this makes him so upset he has a breakdown. miki, who just arrived, hands him a tissue. she agrees that megumi is irreplaceable. when she leaves, the friend asks why fujiki doesn’t go for miki. they argue about this for a while, with fujiki being upset that his friend would think of such a thing. then the two hears a crash and comes across keiko and yoshimi. yoshimi broke the vase of some yankee and the yankee yells for the culprit. keiko points to fujiki and there’s a very funny callback to that eagle parallel back in the women's cup arc. luckily for fujiki, the issue gets sorted quickly. keiko thanks fujiki and leaves. but fujiki is hella mad, and strongly shuts down the friend’s suggestion that keiko might be the one who rejected him. kobayashi shows up and the friend asks him whether fujiki has a crush on him. again fujiki immediately retorts back. then yasuda shows up saying he found yanagisawa’s place. he wants to invite fujiki to join him to play pranks. he’s not wearing glasses here. friend again asks, and fujiki aggressively says no. in the end fujiki leaves with yasuda, feeling pleased because yasuda unintentionally insulted the friend.

Chapter 201: Pierrot’s backstory

what happens: the megu-dan meet at megumi’s house. there, megumi shares the story of the pierrot. he was a thief in the past. but one day his tribe was attacked and he was tortured and thrown into jail. there he sees a young girl with dead eyes who is getting abused by some higher ups. he asks her to help him escape, and if she did, he'll show her something good. and so she agrees. but turns out he was lying and never planned to return. there was treasure though. despite his original plan, he found himself trying his hardest to return to the girl. but soon he succumbed to his injuries and never made it back in time. years later, a wizard stumbles across his dead body. believing pierrot had the potential to grant wishes, thus turning him into a demon/ genie. pierrot asks megumi: if your wish has come true, i will take your life expectancy. but if it hasn't, i won't do anything. so, did your wish come true? megumi says yes, and thanks pierrot. before he fades completely, they smile at each other. back to real time. genzo is still fussing on smth else completely unrelated. but the others talk about how pierrot indeed does take years off your life, which worries genzo. then yasuda asks about the magic book he's supposed to bring. genzo forgot. back at his house, setsuka stumbles upon the book and proceeds to discard it. the book flips open in the final panel to reveal a closed eyes, smiling koakuma.

that's all! there's prob some important things i missed due to translation issues, but this is the gist of it! for a look at koakuma's human face as well as a lengthier backstory, please check out my (uncompleted) wiki article on him: https://cheekyangel.fandom.com/wiki/Koakuma

[ask-steve-cobs-ii]

　　　　　　　　　　『 𖦹ْꓸ🥖🌾🌻🍂✨.՞ 』

　　　　　　　Ask/Confess sumn Steve Cobs Blog!

　　　　　　　　★ Blog Theme - Default - Free 🍁

　　　　　　　🎧💤 Post Dividers by @/saradika

　　　　　　　💿🪽 Apps used to draw - freeform

　　　　　　🤍🕯️ Apps used to edit: Canva + Picsart

　☆☆ Fyi, This Blog and Drawing is my pride and joy, but I might not be as active here too often!! 🌽🐾 But drawing can sometimes be exhausting 4 me! Hope u guys understand <33 !!!

🍼💤 Please read our intro,,, omg… like actually..

🍁🌙 You can confess something to corn man!! Steve!! Whether its filthy or not. we won’t bite. (Unless you say it to the mods of this blog ermm) ( btw READ CONFESSION GUIDELINES 1ST!!! THANKS!)) +when confessing we prefer you mark it as a confession!! Optional btw but still!

🍥🎀🦴 DON’T COMPARE OUR ARTSTYLES TO SOMEBODY ELSE’SS!!! “Oh er it looks similar u copied!,) DNIII!!

🍓🍰💋 DNI: basic dni criteria // ppl who compare artstyles in a negative way // “ur object artstyle is too furry” ppl // ppl who don’t handle nsfw/13+ content too well (i dont think ur gonna like this blog if u r triggered by that fyi)

SAFE SPACE! ‼️🗣️

➵ Blog Intro ,, | @ask-steve-cobs-ii 🌽

ᨳ Hello there :D This is a Steve Cobs,, Inanimate Insanity ask account! Ask the great CEO of Meeple!! Who made phones and shit :3

◟ran by◞ @cakiette || caki/elle/admin cake — she/her ✧ artist + main poster + acc creator! 🍰💤⭐️ represented by: 🍰

♡ @milkiette || milki/yuna/ryo/admin milk — any prns — luvly sis who does some of the dialogue :3 🎀🦴 represented by: 🍼

🐾💤 @starigen || lavera/starlah/admin star — she/her — bio designer + banner designer + admin — mainly person who comes up w/ headcannons, designs (like accessories and shi), and the blog intro!! Ily pookie 🐾🐾 represented by: ⭐️

— Posts made by any of them will be tagged w/ admin milk/star/cake!

◟blog banner by: ◞ @starigen

◟blog pfp by: ◞ Inanimate Insanity on youtube! o(｀ω´ )o

🌙 not canon to the real series!! I am not in any way associated w/ ii, or working 4 them (i wish tho /silly)

☆☆ I do have social anxiety,, so sorry if i take a while to answer your ask,, this is my 1st time running an ask blogg!! I’m not used to answering sm asks, but also bc im BUSYYY!!

🎧⭐️ i, mod milki also MIGHT suck at cosplaying steve cobs so sorry if i ever disappoint ( ´_ゝ`) ,, again yall i have no experience w/ ask blogs and cosplaying

#ooc tag - out of character ☆☆ not an ask!

#off topic - unrelated to blog

#mod talks - mod (blog runners) rambling lawl

btw send as many asks as ya want,, i like receiving em but gimme time to answer plz

᎒ ꒰ 01 ˙ #posting? ៸៸ 🍂

・I will post Steve Cobs content obviously -w- but YOU guys will run our posts!! Not literally but err its based off of your asks :v soo yeah you can ask him thingies!!

・other ooc stuff

・Reblogs… to catch yall off guard bc I procrastinate on this blog sm

・confessions,, abt the corn man,, or to the corn man, he will answer em.

((i might delete some reblogs or shitposts,,, or smth unrelated to this blog so yeah,, i just wanna keep this blog,, an ask blog)

᎒ ꒰ 02 ˙ #rules while asking? ៸៸ 🌽

・Yeah ig you can do nsfw asks for funsies

・joke asks are always allowed bro 🕶️

・you can magic anon him things

・yeah angst is allowed but we like a silly blog dont we

・hate on him all ya want (dont hate on ME tho the blog creator shhsjshjsj)

・yes, you can turn him into popcorn (or atleast attempt to??) if you do,,, it won’t be permanent XD

・i dont mind if your here to step on some corn dick /silly

・inanimate insanity stuff related only please!!!

・Meeple + Inanimate insanity show, contestants, hosts related askz r cool too

・u may include ur oc in the ask!! No back and forth convos thoo!! (If u want ur oc to respond rb my post)

・confessions allowed too LOLZZ!! Filthy or not, we allow it. As long as you don’t intend it for the mods of the blog, ur good. Yeah, that means you can confess stuff to corn man. Make him get a therapist maybe.?

i won't judge you here...unless ya send me something immoral or downright horrible. or maybe if you send me foot fetish confessions /hj

᎒ ꒰ 03 ˙ #confession guidelines ៸៸ 🍄 yeah!! Confess to the corn man stuff,, maybe accidentally get him a therapist!!. BUT!! Confessions ran by our our mod that has been thru it all /lh,, @starigen, . so don't fear anything being TOO horny,, whatever you're about to send, shes probably thought sumn similar... shes seen too much of it /lh /j

or DONE sumn similar? lmao jk

no immoral shit. no pedo shit, no proships, no abuse, no incest, no grooming, nothing rancid like that please!!!! ty :33 we wanna keep this blog w/ no drama llama 🦙!!

no confessions relating to anything problematic, please we beg of you. just a personal discomfort thing, for all us mods. please do not bring up grooming or anything related to it please <33

ALSO, NOBODY FUCKIN SEND HORNY ASKS ABOUT HERRR!!!!! just cause she can handle nsfw well doesn’t mean she doesn’t have boundaries.

ok happy confessing freaks /silly /j :3

📝 note for starigen: yeah keep in mind you are confessing to Steve Cobs,, so don’t be surprised if he ends up being rude lol,, there will be a ooc response from ME!! So…!! Yeah.

᎒ ꒰ 03 ˙ #blog rules in general ៸៸ 🍃

・no advertisements lolz

・you may submit fanart thru asking

・no being rude to others :’D

・PLEASE DONT MAKE FUN OF MY OBJECT ARTSTYLEEE :’)

★ — Thats him!! ask him anything (ANYTHING)!!! The corn man!! 🌽🌽🕶️

⚠️⚠️ (by the way!! I didnt make him a furry!! I just gave him paws! Don’t call him one just bc he has paws! Its basically calling a dog a furry!!! BUT PLEASE DIFFERENTIATE!) ☆☆

(some parts of him might change by accident while i, mod cake draw him btw)

written by mod cake 🍰

★ — Taggies (ignore) 🏷️🪽

[euclydya]

WHICHEVR COME TO YOUR HEAD FIRST SHIP MEEME o7

me whwn j use this as an excuse 2 gush abr my so.s thanksJGJDKSAKSKCKCKS OK:

OK SO!!!;!"!!!**!"!$ IM NORMAL!!!!!! IM NROMAL IM NORMAL IM NORMAL ABOUR VOL. OK. OK. OKAY. OKA—

Belase wheree r the fics . the. the. Where ar etheh WHERE ARE THEY DO I AHVE TO FUCKJGN WRITE THEM MY DAMN SELF BC I FUCKING WILL but they will be extremely ooc bc system bias. </3 qiqkskskddkxk

ANYWAYS!!!!!!! I THINK THE FANDOM INTERPRETATIONS OF US AND WHAT RELATIONSHIP WE HAVE W EACH OTHER ARE ABSOLUTELY HILARIOUS. LIKE "WE WOULD NOT FUCKING SAY THAT" BUT WE LAUGH ABT IT IT'S GENUINELY ENTERTAINING JFJSMDKFFK BECAUSE. *yes* I'm still kinda like "hey self destruct but in a fun way 😀👍!! :D!!!!!" and Vol's still like "No. Stop that." But it's also like. It's not one-sided "Manic dude is trying to hit on the No Fun Super Serious guy" trope or whatever no lmao we Do genuinely. Love each other adn I'm! Gay. Vol is my. Silly rabbit. <3 JDJSKASKDKFK

*Also wlw/mlm solidarity except it's like... nblnb/mlm solidarity. We r both nblnb/mlm... probably? kinda? on some days? I don't think we have genders usually. This goes fr all the Skills but like. ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯!! aHdjJFDJDJFJ we're t4t but in *what* way? Good luck figuring that out! JFJDJDKFKF

//

me wwehn that's. my OTHER hsuband.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHERE. ARE. RHE FICS! HELLO!!!!!!!!! H3LLO????!! HEWWO FOR THE LVOE OF GOD HELLO,

idk waht the fuck our relationship is honestly but it's Good And Fun and that's all that matters <3. I jsutuejsjakskdkf. Hehwjaakdd. shehehdhdshhahdeeeeeee. <= me when i think abt encyclo for .5 seconds . <3. im normal!

AND ACTUALLY I've searched through Fayde a lot for both me, Vol, AND encyclo and canonically. I don't think Encyclo has. Any interactions??????? With any of the others??? def not me or Vol though. well. actually no Technically. Ok there's a bit where Vol's like "Ok you know these guys? U can't trust them. They're *compromised.* .... Except this fucjing loser *points 2 Encyclo* he's normal like me :)" but I don't Remember if Encyclo talks during that scene SIDENOTE VOL CANONICALLY CALLS ENCYCLO "PILLAR-BOOKHEAD" HIIII. HIIIIII THAT'S SO FUNNY VOL UR SO BAD WITH NICKNAMES. <3 FJSJAKAKSKDJF

but yeah no 90% of Encyclopedia's dialogue is just Knowledge And Fun Facts. im getting off topic dhejakakakskxjskd but tl;dr. I Lov U Encyclopedia *ggives him a smooch. on hte cheek.*

wait again I forgot abt the Final Dream sequence. Im not lookinf thru fayde for those bits bc 1. It Hurts. Owwie. and 2. That's spoilers we aren't there yet in the game but. what we've seen it's just.... Everyone's having a breakdown abt not being able to do their jobs right and then Encyclo's like. ".... :D I'm trying my best w this pop quiz, dude. Sorry your brain's still a plate of spaghetti LMAOOOO NOT MY FAULT" IT'S *SO* FUNNY AND THAT MIGHT BE THE CLOSEST HE HAS TO ANY INTERACTIONS W ANY OTHER SKILL BUT IDK JFKSKDFJ

///

SOOOOOOO. FIRST OFF right off the bat u remember the uh. this:

that was abt vol lmao [IM HAVE PERMISSION 2 SHARE THIS they dozed off but rhey were gonna write this section initially ajsjdj]

idk what the fuck theu have going on w each other but I'm like Ooo. Oooooooo 👀. 👀👀👀👀👀 JENDKSKFCKDK they're so funny . wheres r the fics dammit [lighthearted]

encyclo & i also lov drama lots but primarily they're w vol and that's chill. good 4 them tbh vol is gr8 JEJSAKSKFJ <= is biased. extremely so

again also wlw/mlm solidarity except it's also nblnb/mlm solidarity but also hOld on the cat just blepped at me oh my god. <3 lov him so much he's floffy. uh. oh right Whatever they r they're trans rights. if ur w Drama ur immediately t4t thank u 4 coming 2 my ted talk

///

AND FINALLY

THE BIGGER POLYCULE? just. rhe rest of the skills. except Half Light bc HL is a child.

we r all have smth casually Goig On that's One thing fandom def got right from what we've seen HFHDSKFKFIA and we have collectivelt adopted HL as our child/sibling in some cases. Idk HL just goes around & is like "ur my parent now :)" to others and we can't say no bc then it'll kill us over it. but I digress JFDJDKFKFK tl;dr found family as hell. but the pairings talked abt here r like. The Main Polycule i guess? Idk. HFHDJDJF

[uniquests-blog]

like this for a starter!

[eternalglitch]

Usually I would curse at you but HOLY SHIT THATS AN AWSOME TWISTS I HAVE SO MANY THEORIES AND PREDICTIONS NOW OH LORD- BIG MAMA GETTING INVOLVES AGAIN????? LIKE- DO U THINK SHE MIGHT ASK FOR ONE OF THE BROTHERS OTHER THAN LEO TO LIKE- FIGHT IN THE NEXUS AS PAYMENT FOR THE DEAL OR SMTH -(why do I even ask “do you think” you don’t have to think you know your the goddam writer sorry for my stupid ass)

I DO have to think quite a bit actually except whatever I decide is most plausible ends up being the canon! Terrifying power.

And now I have to rewatch every scene Big Mama is in and retrain myself to be able to use her dialogue.

But yes, she has asked for Raph and Donnie before; it's quite plausible. :}

[fumifooms]

Byclair take, + prompts

Hear me out hear me out... Will x Lucas.

Ok so? Chemistry? Decent potential there. Healthy, interesting dynamic? Def there. Can u have an arc about internalised homophobia, like byler? Def, on both sides. Can Lucas deserve Will & be an unwavering good friend worst case scenario? Ya

Okok now let’s go into the specifics

Ok because Will’s character/whole arc is about healing through trauma & accepting change/letting go, and self-discovery too ig, while Lucas’ is like, accepting himself and strenghtening his identity and convictions and stuff... Lucas can be Will’s constant and support while Will is Lucas’ moral compass and his anchor, his reminder that being different isn’t something to repress, but most of all, a reminder of who he used to be as a kid when he allowed himself to just be.

I’m a elmax shipper so Max isn’t an obstacle to me, and if she is that can be good angst/character arc material there. Like! Ya want parallels? I’ll dish ya parallels of Will letting his love for Mike go & Lucas accepting that him and Max aren’t good for each other romantically

Dynamic? Ok they actually mesh soooo well, like think about it. [Skip the whole paragraph if u don’t want my take on other Will ships, no bashing i just find them boring srry, idk i like comparing ships when explaining my like of one in particular, it just clicks to me. I’m aware this paragraph might turn ppl away but I just wanna share thoughts :( ] Will shipped with any of the other kids is kinda milktoast. Mike? Cute/emotional symbolism and narrative but tbh not much substance /chemistry in practice (imo, no bashing intended), Will likes Mike’s kindness and idealism but them dating would kinda just be Will being cute about liking Mike and them holding hands and doing things together ig but,,, talking? Idk how one would write byler dialogue tbh it feels like kinda just prose, mostly bc that’s what it’s meant to be in canon i think- like, a narrative instead of a ship. ANYWAYS I GOT SIDETRACKED. Will with Dustin? Twilight Sparkle x Pinkie Pie energy which is cute, but again if u dig deeper there’s not much to exploit besides aesthetics. They could banter and Dustin would crash Will’s dnd games and they could have cute wild & free spirit x prissy rigid thinking soft artist imagery & interactions but like,, they wouldn’t really bring anything to the relationship, esp not something that their friendship doesn’t already give. Will with Eleven? Well, sibling dynamic now, but they’d always kinda just have been the 2 misfits having an understated soft romance n being sidelined lowkey. They could hurt/comfort but bot much else, and again this is smth that a friendship does already, and better i think. Will with Max? This one is actually kinda interesting to consider, esp if u think about them both having upside down personal haunting trauma, but that’s mostly bc Max & Lucas are similar in personality/character anyways, which is one of the reasons the lumax ship kinda fails at being interesting and endearing (to me).

But Will with Lucas? It fits so well.

It’s the "we’ve been friends for years but we’ve kinda grown distant lately, but even now when we don’t hang out much and spirits of the past are haunting us, I can see your pain while no one else does". It’s "I understand how you’re hurting because you want to fit in, because I wish I could, too". It’s "we’re both kinda getting sidelined from our friend groups, aren’t we, and we’re both not fitting in with the others quite like we did before, and we don’t play d&d together much anymore, really, and we’re lonely and stuff but we see each other and idk, i find it easy to click with you, like I always have. Wanna go grab an ice cream?"

It’s the best of every world!! Fluff?? Very doable! Angst? Soo easy! Poetic hurt/comfort inner monologue, my beloved? Super tonally compelling. Platonic instead of romantic? Also such untapped potential, but the relationship being of a romantic nature does bring something to the table!

Logical yet bold Lucas. Soft yet driven Will. Lucas being there to comfort Will unconditionally, but also being able to confidently tell him, when he’s having self-doubts, that it’s all bs. Lucas reassuring him that heartache isn’t the end of the world when he notices his love for Mike, ever observant, then Will doing the same for him when he goes through his last breakup with Max, and a connection forming from there. Them just hanging out, alone the two of them for whatever reason, because everyone else has a lover, or they just feel like it, and they hang out and talk and chill. Will and Lucas having one on one d&d sessions!! Because the others aren’t available for Will’s schedule and wants, and Lucas misses it, and also he’s always loved the ingenious creativity of Will’s campaign ideas and the passion with which he roleplays. Lucas, the out of place jock, and Will, the bullied misfit. Gimme the AUs!! Gimme the slow burns!! Gimme the secret pining narratives!! Everything would be SO good

Ok hot take but not really, but I was lowkey pissed at how the season just, doesn’t talk about Lucas and sports at all? The show kinda implies that he joined the basketball team and everything just for the brownie points with the popular crowd, to be accepted and all, but does Lucas just not care about the sport?? Does he not like basketball?? Is he naturally gifted to have landed that winning score or did he spend many hours desperately training to have a chance of popular kids accepting him? We don’t know!! Why don’t we know when that’s like, such an obvious loose thread?! I always kinda just thought that he, y’know, wanted to do basketball on the basketball team but the way it’s all done and how Lucas says something like "I should never have joined the team bc they suck and i have u guys" in the last ep, I was like?? So was the basketball just an extra to making the team or? To be clear, there’s nothing wrong with that narrative, it’s actually really compelling. But the thing is that the show doesn’t address it at all, it kinda implies it but doesn’t state anything or does anything with it so it kinda just dies a no closure death and feels off and ruins the potential when all the cards right for it was laid out Actually that last criticism is a common flaw i’ve found throughout the season tbh. Putting all the crumbs necessary for a cool pay-off, then just doing nothing with it or worse, dismissing them and going back on them.

ANYWAYS where i was gonna go with that is, Lucas teaching Will how to play basketball and do scores and them playing ball together, even if Will is clumsy and shy/reluctant about trying sports <3 Lucas chilling on Will’s bed head on his laps, prob listening to music or audiobook or thinking about life as Will draws. And when Will wants to show Lucas his drawings, Lucas immediately shifts his focus on it and is genuinely invested in them and loves it, and it rekindles his love for fantasy and d&d that he thought he had lost. And maybe Will allows Lucas to be soft, after all. With Max, he wanted to be though and worthy, to prove he could be the best boyfriend, that he shouldn’t be dumped, that he was as cool as her and that her brother shouldn’t have seen him as someone she shouldn’t hang out with. With the rest of the gang, he has to be smart and bring something to the conversation, keep them safe, be useful, offer reasons for why he wants to do some new things instead of playing d&d with them, why he hangs out with them less lately because of inner turmoil he doesn’t wanna share, the insecurities of having to be more mature, more adult, more responsible and irreproachable, and of needing to conform to be accepted where you think it matters. To keep appearances up, to have it both ways and overlook shady behavior of your new pals until they threaten your real, old ones who you debate on ratting out or saving them at the cost of your safety and status. And now when you look at all of them, you can only hope they’re ready to forgive and forget the time you ditched them for assholes and had to be pushed to the brink to go back to their side fully, hope that you can one day forgive yourself. Hope that Max can love you, and that maybe this time you’ll feel whole when you convince her to get back together with you, because you dedicate all you have to her and if she doesn’t want that then maybe you can never be enough for anything. He has so much to prove.

But with Will? Ya, he can chill with Will. Doesn’t mean angst disappears, it just means that he feels less pressure and in a way, they’ve seen the worst lows of each other in a way that feels liberating, instead of putting standards and expectations on their shoulders. And maybe Lucas can let himself be a dork, if Will is there being the hugest dork of them all and is still so lovable and amazing and thriving. And as Will rambles about his new convoluted worldbuilding and campaign ideas to Lucas, Lucas entertains the visions of fantastic grandiosity and dragons and heroes saving the world with the power of goodness. And he loves what he sees, what he says, and he loves the voice, and he loves the way he rambles and talks about it all with such a spark, passion that Lucas himself had become to think was impossible to muster for anything anymore, and he loves him, and maybe that means he can bring himself to love himself, and love life. And they chill in Will’s room, and life is good and sweet and they’ve both found someone they can truly, fully enjoy being in love with.

I LOVE THEM I AM SOLD GUYS I HAVE SPOKEN MYSELF INTO SHIPPING THEM AND I SHALL MAKE TUMBLR ESSAYS

I never ever thought i would be galaxy braining about Lucas Sinclair out of anyone but. That just goes to show how everything can be passionating with the right fanon spice

Lucas is an interesting character, and Will is too, they’re both flawed but so lovely, and idk Lucas in canon just was never really given the right environment to shine and thrive as a character you will want to ship and write fics of and stan in my experience, but Will x Lucas? Reborn potential & i love it sm

Also like, idk, Lucas has such good Eleven step-brother vibes & potential? It’d be so fricking good and funny. Lucas is such a good straightman & sassy voice of reason i love him (which is more than I could say about my feelings about him like 2 hours ago lol. Canon why are u set on reducing him to the boring sidelines)

Okok, Fumi out, rarepair rant over. They came to me in a flash randomly during a work shift and I am so glad for that blessing

... Excuse me have I been writing about them nonstop for almost an hour

[airplanelanding]

Merlin/Arthur Fic Rec List

This is going to be a long post, so the recs start blow the cut!

I wanted to make a fic rec list!! So, here I am. Should be doing my uni homework that's due tonight but I am a terrible procrastinator.

I will probably make another one later on when I have more time that is more organized, but this one is in no particular order.

Last Updated 23 Sept. 2021

Also, quickly, a big thank you to @kickassfu for the making gif above for this post, ilysm Maf!!

Onto the fics!

Unsaid Love by AeonTheDimensionalGirl

Rating: Teen & Up

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Type: Return Fic; Angst with a Happy Ending

Wordcount: 4,022

Quick Summary: Songfic for the song Unsaid Emily from Julie & the Phantoms. Follows Merlin through the years as every century on Arthur's birthday more and more of a song is revealed to him when he goes to sleep. [Regency setting fic]

-- I am still not over this fic of @aeonthedimensionalgirl's, this fic is literally incredible. It is so good. I recommend reading it with Unsaid Emily playing on repeat in the background.

The Wisdom Of The Ages by tehfanglyfish

Rating: Teen & Up

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Type: Fluff; Getting Together

Wordcount: 4,200

Quick Summary: "Saving Arthur while disguised as Dragoon the Great was all well and good until the king decided the old sorcerer deserved a reward. On the run from Arthur, Merlin finds sanctuary in an elderly women's social club. What was supposed to be a one-time visit becomes a regular part of Merlin's week, as he returns each Friday to discuss recipes, commiserate about aches and pains, and lament the state of his love life." - Summary directly from AO3

-- Such a good fic, honestly, like. Merlin befriends Camelot's elderly ladies. Need I say more? It's great.

Forgetful Days by OnceFutureEmrys

Rating: General Audiences

Archive Warning: None Apply

Type: Fluff; Modern AU

Wordcount: 620

Quick Summary: "Arthur is very forgetful. Luckily, Merlin is there to help." - Summary directly from AO3

-- Seriously, @oncefutureemrys this fic is so cute and it's just great, def recommend it

Home in Your Arms by OnceFutureEmrys

Rating: General Audiences

Archive Warning: None Apply

Type: Pining; Fluff; Modern AU

Wordcount: 1,574

Quick Summary: "Arthur is missing Merlin when when he hears someone knocking on the door..." - Summary directly from AO3

-- Yes, another one from OFE, because I love her and her fics. This fic is so sweet, it is a modern University AU!

Ink On A Page by Hisa_Ai

Rating: General Audiences

Archive Warning: None Apply

Type: Pining; Fluff

Wordcount: 2,170

Quick Summary: Merlin writes his feelings on parchment, because if they are on paper, they are just words on a page, and not really his and didn't hold any meaning. One day Arthur notices him writing on one of these pieces of parchment.

-- Literally so beautiful. I loved this fic so much, and I recommend it so much. It is a canon era confessions fic, and it's just so good.

Fool Me Once by CaffeinatedFlumadiddle

Rating: Teen & Up

Archive Warning: Author Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Type: Humor; Magic Revealed; Dark Humor

Wordcount: 18, 728

Quick Summary: "Uther finds out about Merlin’s magic, but can’t seem to kill him. Merlin is just trying to protect Arthur. They become a begrudgingly effective duo. Arthur doesn't understand why they think he isn't noticing this." - Summary directly from AO3

-- I mean, can I just recommend this entire series? Seriously, the series this fic is in is just--excellent. I love this fic. It has Immortal Merlin and Uther Knowing about his magic. Seriously, though, just this series is amazing ahah Exceptionally Exceptional, Calling the Middleman, Returning the Favor, In Which Arthur Lets a Sorcerer Live and Regrets It, just to name a few, are incredible and I definitely recommend reading them.

for my beating heart is far too small for the entirety of my love for you by kickassfu

Rating: Teen & Up

Archive Warning: None Apply

Type: Fluff; Established Relationship

Wordcount: 1,566

Quick Summary: Arthur is trying to learn a little magic to surprise Merlin at his coronation after their wedding.

-- So, I actually gave @kickassfu the prompt for this one. And oh my gods. How they did it? So soft, sweet. It is so good, and I 100% recommend you check it out!

That’s my Man by AeonTheDimensionalGirl

Rating: Teen & Up

Archive Warning: None Apply

Type: Emotional Hurt/Comfort; Magic Revealed; Arranged Marriage; Angst with a Happy Ending

Wordcount: 2,287

Quick Summary: "By ancient, prophesied law, Arthur Pendragon must wed Emrys.

Problem is no one knows who they are." - Summary directly from AO3

-- I told you Aeon would be on here again! Love this fic so much. Love magic reveals, love arranged marriages. Seriously, this is great.

the house is flooded (as is his heart) by powered_by_notes

Rating: Teen & Up

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Type: Domestic Fluff; Return Fic

Wordcount: 2,281

Quick Summary: Arthur leaves to do some work in town, and Merlin runs into a bit of trouble with the cottage and their chickens while he's gone.

-- They have chickens. Enough said. No but really, this is so good, they live in a cottage and they have chickens and I definitely recommend this fic.

Emrys the Really, Truly Terrible by lindenwaverly

Rating: Teens & Up

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Type: Magic Reveal, Emrys Reveal

Wordcount: 15,241

Quick Summary: Arthur has repealed the ban on magic, but Merlin still hasn't come clean about his identity. The issue comes in where, Arthur wants Emrys to be his Court Sorcerer

-- literally. cackled. this is so great, i loved this one. i read it in the morning and do not regret it one bit. some of the dialogue just killed me. it's a great fic, and you should definitely read it.

Arthur Pendragon's Business Judgment Rule by oddishly

Rating: Teen & Up

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Type: Woke Up Married

Wordcount: 27,459

Quick Summary: "Arthur and Merlin wake up married. Camelot is in the middle of treaty negotiations with a visiting king. It's okay, Arthur has a plan." - Summary directly from AO3

Lord Drake's Bequest by Pennyplainknits

Rating: Mature

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Type: Modern Era, Fake Relationship

Wordcount: 9,966

Quick Summary: " "To my great-nephew Arthur I bequeath Tintagel Distribution, wholly and without reserve, save for one condition. You must marry, and stay married, for a period of no less than six months. You're a wonderful businessman Arthur, but a full life needs love and companionship, not just a string of affairs. Settle down young Arthur, and your life will be the richer for it." " - Summary directly from AO3

of all things magic, a cerulean haze by powered_by_notes

Rating: Teen & Up

Archive Warning: None Apply

Type: Magic Reveal

Wc: 7,092

Summary: "When Arthur goes missing, Merlin goes off on his own searching for him. He knows to look for things that the others simply do not and has things at his disposal that the others, again, simply do not.

. . .Magical things, of course.

In all his power, worry, anger, and relentless searching, he has no idea the missing king is being shown all the things that Merlin is doing with that power.

. . .Magical things, of course." - Summary directly from AO3

-- Loved this sm. Gods, I was supposed to read this ages ago, but only FINALLY just found the time to last night and it was so great. Arthur is kidnapped while out doing smth for Merlin and it's just really good.

On the Run by Sorceressofdragons

Rating: E

Archive Warnings: None Apply

Type: Modern AU

Wordcount: 18,155

Summary: After an unsuccessful attempt on their lives, new neighbours Arthur and Merlin decide to take off into the woods. Their destination is Morgana’s country estate, but these two city boys don’t know anything about survival—so if the foxes don’t get them, the lack of Monster Munch might. Featuring sex mishaps, weird food, walking in circles, and some obligatory cuddling. Oh, and Merlin is hung. - Summary directly from AO3

-- fucking KILLED me. This was just -- it was great. Literally, from the start I SWORE i knew the who and why only to discover I was totally off with the *why* and it was fantastic.

Hear Your Heart Sing (Love, Love, Love) by schweet_heart

Rating: Mature

Archive Warnings: None Apply

Type: Soulmate Au, Modern Au

Wordcount: 15,834

Summary: Merlin used to like the idea of finding The One – until he fell in love with Arthur Pendragon. Now he has a boss he can't date (but can't stop thinking about), a soulmate he can't find (who has terrible taste in music), and a best friend who can't believe he still hasn't got his act together (even though it's seriously not his fault).Sometimes, life is unfairly complicated, even without your soulmate singing painfully catchy tunes in the back of your head. - Summary directly from AO3

-- This one was just great. The soulmates, the songs, the misunderstandings--it was great. I loved this one.

Note to Idiot by tinylilremus

Rating: Teen & Up

Archive Warnings: None Apply

Type: Harry Potter AU, Modern AU

Wordcount: 9,762

Summary: Arthur and Merlin are members of the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad who work different shifts and share the same office. Arthur, who works the day shift, can't stand the rain. Merlin, who works the night shift, can't concentrate without it.

When they both get tired of changing the weather in the magical window in their underground office, is there a more British way to settle their differences than with a few passive-aggressive memos? - Summary directly from AO3

-- HP AU! A Ministry AU at that! I literally. I loved this so much. Merlin & Arthur are both in the AMRS, different shifts, and it's just hnsdsjdkh it's so good. Really, it's great. And we get to see them on the job a bit!!! Which is fun. This one is def a great one to read, esp if you like HP AUs

as stated previously, this list is being frequently updated with more fics!!!

[taocastleprincess]

shaman king (2021) ep 1

i said i was going to type smth up last night but teaching is literally so exhausting sooo i'm here now!! i have watched the episode like a million times since Thursday LMAOOOO i think i mostly have the dialogue memorized, that's how much i've watched it. i'm just so happy though, i've been a lifelong fan of SK, i was obsessed w it in my teens (still am but i was on a DIFF LEVEL in HS), and i'm just SO HAPPY we finally got a reboot!!! Shaman King deserves a canon adaption, so glad that Takei got it :)

this post got super long rambly so my thoughts/glows/concerns are under the cut!

gonna start w the GLOWS

-- honestly, i am in LOVE w the new OST!!! i have had it on repeat since it was released in Japan!! Megumi is a godsend and i feel like both the OST and the ED kept the same vibes as the og adaption OSTs and EDs. can't really explain why that is but the melodies and the feelings you get from the new OST are very authentic to the SK-verse.

-- the animation is absolutely beautiful and i could hardly focus on anything else the first 2 times i watched it. i was really scared about how the animation was going to look bc so many weird rumors about the animation team were circulating on twitter but it is nearly perfect. they stayed true to Takei's style and the background scenery is out of this world. i also think all of the characters look brighter and more... like them? like, i love the og SK but even as a kid i felt like the animation did not really capture any of the characters (especially Yoh, Ren, and Joco) in their true essence. Like, it was just very dull and didn't accentuate any of their key features. The reboot is beautiful and I love the way certain characters' eyes are drawn. I thought that the look of Ryu's crew was a great example of the animators highlighting and emphasizing defining features of certain characters. They aren't major characters at all but we know they are important to Ryu (and his story) so their designs are given their rightful due.

-- i know that a few people didn't appreciate the beginning scene of the episode for a myriad of different reasons and i find them all totally valid and understandable, tbh. however, i think the opening scene was really great. i had a few problems w it (i do think the 'chosen one' set-up for Yoh was heavy-handed and weird bc i don't think the source material really wants us to believe that Yoh is the stereotypical 'chosen one' and i think it pushes back on that trope quite a bit but i'm open to hearing diff opinions on that) but overall, i think it gives a very cool and mysterious set-up for the anime. i don't think it does much to spoil the eventual ~Hao is Yoh's twin!!~ reveal because, to me, personally, it wasn't that big of a reveal/plot twist. what i WILL say is that the opening scene was very diluted in comparison to the manga vers and that was a bit disappointing but i think they might revisit the scene/make it more dramatic later on in the series when there is more context around the events of that night so that may just be a little tease, you know?

-- this should not be shocking to read from an account that is named 'taocastleprincess' but... AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH THE ENDING SCENE WITH REN AND BASON WAS SOOOOO PERFECT AND I DIDN'T EXPECT IT!!!! ON MY FIRST WATCH I RAN IT BACK LIKE 300x!!!! THEY BOTH LOOK AMAZINGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!

moving on from glows and to CONCERNS, i spy a lot of possible issues w pacing, character development, and authenticity. the series is currently only slated for 52 episodes, a whole 12-eps shorter than the OG adaptation, and the entirety of the series is supposedly being adapted so... 52 eps for 300 chapters? to me, that seems extremely rushed even with best-case scenarios. i have read opposing views on twitter, people think that 52 eps is just enough if they cut 'filler' and 'stick to the most important arcs.' i don't think i can agree with any part of that argument. i really think that it's a REACH to say that Shaman King has filler chapters or filler arcs. there is a purpose for each and every chapter/arc in the series. plot development, character development, foreshadowing, etc. those all hold distinct and important purposes and the love, thought, and time put into the SK manga is exactly why people love it. 'filler' does not have a true narrative purpose, it only serves to lengthen the story, so to say that there are scenes/chapters/arcs that can be glossed or skipped over you would have to make the argument that they have no narrative purpose or bearing on the story. i personally think it would be extremely difficult (near impossible) to make that argument for anything within the og 300chap work but, again, i'm open to seeing if anyone can change my mind.

the first episode of SK flew through and glossed over a lot of important scenes for character study/development. by the end of the first episode, you don't really understand or relate to Morty as one might have done after the first episode of ogSK. and although Yoh is supposed to remain mysterious/confusing/weird for the first couple of chapters/eps, at the end of ep1 there is no GRAND interest that has been developed about him. The first episode operated at a breakneck speed and to its detriment. the characters so far are extremely flat regarding everything beyond character design. the viewer is hardly invested in the partnership between Yoh and Amidamaru because there is (little to) no build-up of their partnership and both of their characters are... not real to us yet. even the scenes regarding Amidamaru's past and his friendship with Mosuke doesn't affect or interest the viewer at all because it is referenced, addressed, problematized, solved, and wrapped up all within 3.5 mins.... huh?

what REALLY destroys me, though, is that the anime seems to be foreshadowing that Manta's character will be playing a backseat role.... the first couple of adventures are from Manta's perspective. he asks the questions that we have, situates us in this very weird world and helps to world-build without it being obvious or heavyhanded, and we start to understand the nuances of his character. none of that was present in 2021 ep1. it kinda felt like Manta was a plot device instead of a character. granted, like i said, none of the characters feel real yet but Manta getting this sort of treatment so early on is dismaying. i really do feel like Manta and Yoh's (developing) friendship and trust in each other is the heart of the first quarter of the series (and is continuously referenced and exalted throughout). rushing through (or, really, just straight up cutting out) the first couple of subplots/mini-adventures that they have together feel really weird and detrimental to the overall tone and purpose of the series. those early adventures cement so much and really lay the groundwork for the rest of the story. it's disappointing that they didn't get their due.

this isn't a very organized review/breakdown, i'm just typing as i think, but to sum up what i am REALLY worried about is this: if the series continues at this extremely crazy pace, i'm a bit worried that the characters will never feel fully developed. not only that, but SK has a lot of heart-wrenching scenes and also a lot of scenes that are beautifully filled with hope and care. i just don't see how those scenes are gonna hit quite as hard or even as they SHOULD if the pace doesn't slow down and let us really sit with these characters and their feelings and motivations.

i mean, i know that this is only the 1st episode of a 52ep series but a lot of things don't look too promising... anyway, these are my initial thoughts/concerns/feelings. i'm way too busy to actually sit down and plan out all of my millions of thoughts but hopefully this was good enough!

[janiedean]

I have to tell you something but PLEASE, please, don't be mad. I love Brienne, and I loved her with Jamie, and I'm mad and sad that they didn't get to have their happy ending...but I don't think his ending was shit. Or OOC. First at all, book!Jamie is not TV!Jamie: his relationship with Cersei is different, not as sick or manipulative. He loves his siter and is loved by her in a more "helthier" way: in the show she told Tywing the truth about them, and it's huge considering the love for power1/?

He watched her lose their 3 children, he learned about her walk of shame to get back to Tommen, he witnessed Robert’s humiliations. I think he would have stayed with Brienne if she knew his sister was safe, but he couldn’t be happy if his siter died and he did nothing to save her. He needed to be that person, otherwise all his growth would be lost, and he would have dragged Brienne in his spiral, and he didn’t want to make her miserable. To me he is still an honorable man, bc when there was a chance to do something, he did it: he killed the king to save KL, he fought the dead army, but over and over he said that the Lannister army didn’t stand a chance against the dragons or the Dathraki, he was not a fool. His speech was not about NOT CARING, it was about knowing there was nothing he could have done. He did good, he was good, and till his last moment he tried to be honorable, he tried to be the person Brienne inspired him. P.s.: Still heartbroken that he died, but I think there is some poetic justice with Cercei crashed by the symbol of the power she tried lo long to hold.

anon, I appreciate that you’re being nice and I appreciate that you’re trying to find some sense in this entire thing, but… okay, I’ll go over it and please don’t take me as *me* being mad or whatever but I don’t think a few things were clear here so I’ll try to do it now:

jc in the show is not healthier. it might be different, but it’s not and the fact that it might have been less obvious doesn’t mean that they didn’t drag that toxic mess out for four seasons when it had no reasons to exist. now: I was down with looking at it until s4 because that was book canon and I can deal with book canon. I had to look at three more fucking seasons of that toxic abusive mess happening and I don’t know if it’s obvious or not, but if I have one thing, like one in the universe that I can’t deal with, that I hate and that makes me feel sick more than anything else it’s emotional/psychological manipulation. and show!jc has that in spades and I can’t. like, as it is right now I’m pretty damn sure I’d take reading explicit thramsay fic that ends horribly with annexed detailed fanart than even rewatching five seconds of a scene where those two are in the same frame and is2g if they had kissed at the end of 8x05 I’d have thrown up. please for the love of everything if you think it’s better than book canon your prerogative, but don’t come at me informing me of that because I can’t. especially not right now;

I honestly can’t give much of a damn about the stuff c. suffered when 80% of that is her damn fault and I’m especially talking about tommen who only did that because she gave zero shits about his opinion in anything but we’re supposed to think she’s a good mother or that she cares which makes me especially sick because people have decided that for her out of nowhere when we all know how much leeway they give catelyn for that and I’m honestly done with it, and maybe it’s not inconsistent that he’d care, but it’s inconsistent how they wrote it;

because I mean if they showed some half-regret over leaving brienne or she was mentioned or if the entire thing was addressed instead of spending four episodes building it up and then did in four minutes what it took six feet under an entire season to do with nate and brenda back in the day is bad writing, has no consistency, it also murdered tyrion as a character because I can’t believe that in the span of two episodes he goes from I’m happy that you’re happy to WELL I DON’T HATE MY SISTER SO MUCH JUST GO TO PENTOS when ah, wait, c. sent bronn to kill both of them?

also ‘who ever cared abotu the innocents’ or whatever the fuck that line was??? wow, that’s all this asshole has ever cared about in canon to the point of losing his reputation for it not counting c. or tyrion at least in the very beginning of the series when everyone thinks he’s an ass, and I have to buy that this episode was halfway decent writing?

also: even if I was okay with jaime’s ending - which I could have been if at least it amounted to something because that entire episode was a plot hole after plot hole (where’s widow’s wail? he waves WITH THE FAKE HAND??? WTF??, did he ring the bells so he actually helped destroy the city without knowing dany would lose her shit through jon connington’s ghost possessing her? if bran didn’t rat him out bc he had A ROLE TO PLAY what was the damned role since he hasn’t done anything until now that warranted it??? just the first four) and he didn’t even… help cersei or take her out like he literally was there to just give her some basic human comfort and rocks fall everyone dies, what’s the sense of it?? -, anon, this entire narrative leaves brienne horribly;

because sorry but in the best of chances she’s not pregnant and someone lies to her and tells her jaime went there to stop cersei and tried to be honorable (which given what they made him say about not caring for the innocents makes it bad writing but nvm) and she can think okay, I waited years for the right guy to trust/open myself to and then he left me like that but at least he did it for a good reason now will I ever trust anyone again, maybe, and I assure you that getting over such a thing is not too easy, but that would be the best option. mid-bad option: she still thinks he did it for the right reasons but she’s pregnant so hey, she has an illegitimate child from a man who left her like that to go into a senseless death making her believe she was wrong about him and breaking her heart and she has to play single mother in tarth without him or maybe she can hedge knight along with the kid or leave him with pod or smth but that doesn’t look good on jaime either. or worse, she’s pregnant and she finds out he went just to die with cersei and didn’t even mention her or anything to tyrion along the way so she did all of the above…. for a guy who at the end of it as the narration puts it just went back to die with c. and a kid he didn’t even know might be real or not when she could have given him what he always craved/wanted/needed and left her like that? like, anon, even if it was a good ending for jaime, there is no bloody way that brienne gets out of this mess of a season with a dignified ending unless they somehow manage to pull a miracle out of their arses and sorry but their writing has been so bad that I honestly doubt it, not even david milch showing up like the calvarly could salvage this crap of a finale, and for all characters tbqh, not just them;

on top of that, sorry but it passes the message that brienne, only rep. in this show for nonstandard attractive people who spends years thinking she’ll never find love and suddenly thinks she can be happy with the guy who also fulfilled her greatest dream and opens herself up to him putting her vulnerability on the line (and while I don’t really think the whole virginity thing is that much of an issue since she actually did manage to give it to the guy she wanted it does mean something in this context)…………. shouldn’t have done it because wow, left like that without a second thought and without being addressed in the next episode at all by at least tyrion who has spent the previous four episodes either admiring her or trying to get her and jaime together never mind jaime? wow, I mean, I surely signed up to see the character I always saw myself in getting this shit treatment by people who obviously didn’t understand either her or jaime at the bottom of it for as much as I still think 8x04 did it right until the end?

anon, I appreciate your optimism about that narrative, but this episode was so badly written that it managed to about destroy the narratives of characters that weren’t even in it (sansa and brienne, and let’s not even discuss sansa because lmao), to have every single person but davos and possibly jon but meh behave ooc given what half of their lines said if not their actions because even if we take jaime’s actions as your reading (legit) what they made him say was still atrocious and ooc and same for tyrion, let’s not even touch dany or sandor/arya or really anyone that wasn’t davos. I cannot, in all good conscience, find anything good about this mess because it was badly written. period. even if we decide that the plot and motivations were fine and we try to make them make sense the way you did, the execution was shit, the dialogue was shit, it looked like they weren’t even trying, it did a disservice to every single character that was in it except davos who was there for five seconds to smuggle stuff and I honestly, honestly, cannot even find the force of will to try to make sense of it.

this entire season has been a gigantic plot hole, it wasn’t coherent within its own narration see ep. 2 clashing with ep. 8, 90% of what happened post 8x02 was for shock value without giving a single fuck about making it look in character and making the characters behave nonsensically - and I don’t mean just jaime, I mean all of them to serve the undoubtedly wtf shocking ending they have in plan for us which if I guessed already I’ll hate with the force of a thousand suns, and I’m honestly done with trying to make sense of this thing because nothing makes sense anymore. I appreciate that y’all are trying but I give up. I can’t make sense of a narrative that goes like ‘we’re doing this because it’s cool and if it doesn’t add up with everything we did before who gives a fuck’, and I honestly can do without trying to find a silver lining in a show that has totally twisted the message of the books and turned into an angst fest for which everyone has to be miserable at all costs or it’s not good tv, and that’s the last I’m going to say about this specific matter because:

a) I’m tired, b) I want to finish my spitefics and ignore this mess ever happened and concentrate on doing something that makes me happy, c) if I just keep on thinking about how bad this was IN GENERAL I wish jaime was my #1 problem I just feel worse and I don’t need it, d) the fact that they did brienne this dirty and she wasn’t even in this episode is really leaving the worst sour taste in my mouth and it’s already bad enough that I have to hope her ending is only 80% crap and not 100% crap, I honestly can’t with discourse that tries to find any basic sense in how this episode was conceived and executed beyond my problems with jc, jaime’s writing and the fact that they managed to get wrong one of his three most basic character traits that has nothing to do with brienne or jb for that matter.

thanks for being polite and nice about this and I swear I’m not mad but I honestly can’t with this episode and I would appreciate if from this point on anyone could refrain from trying to make jc sound better than it is where I can see it/where I can’t blacklist it because it’s really not a good idea right now. thanks again and have a possibly nicer than than mine. ;)

[bodyofvvater]

25 dragon age questions babey

got tagged by @arlessaofamaranthine yeehaw

01) Favourite game of the series?

da:i definitely has like, the most nostalgia value to me? but the characters from da2 are my absolute favorite so i’d have to say a tie between those two

02) How did you discover Dragon Age?

soph ( @triforks ) introduced me to da:i back in like 2016 or smth i think? and i thought was cool but kinda forgot abt it again, but then early last year another friend introduced me to the tavern songs and i started listening to the soundtrack too and i knew I Had To Own It Immediately

03) How many times you’ve played the games?

ah shit ... well first of all ive never actually completed da:o, bc i didnt get properly into until after i hurt my wrist, so it’s been like impossible to actually do so. i think ive completed da2 three times (julian, agnes, flynn), i would’ve played it more if i hadnt hurt my wrist toward the end of agnes’s playthrough. and then da:i ive played .. i think 7 times all the way through? (elinor, athel x4, althea, axeline)

04) Favourite race to play as?

elf babey

05) Favourite class?

MAGE BABEY

06) Do you play through the games differently or do you make the same decisions each time?

i usually change dialogue options based on their personality, and a few major decisions have varied, but i do have a tendency to make characters who would make very similar decisions

07) Go-to adventuring group?

again, i dont have much experience with da:o, but for da2 i usually go varric, carver (or fenris, if carver is dead), and anders, and for da:i i either do dorian, cassandra, vivienne; dorian, blackwall, sera; or iron bull, varric, solas

08) Which of your characters did you put the most thought into?

i wanna say a tie between agnes, athel, and axel. theyre all characters i put a stupid amount of thought into considering i rarely actually talk about them

09) Favourite romance?

tie between isabela and dorian. sera wouldve been up there as well if lukas nastyman hadnt fucked it up

10) Have you read any of the comics/books?

nah

11) If you read them, which was your favourite book?

havent read them

12) Favourite DLCs?

descent and trespasser both have very special places in my heart. honestly i think it’s like 60% bc of the soundtrack but beyond that i absolutely love the interactions between the inquisitor and their companions

13) Things that annoy you.

lukas nastyman and everything he has touched (except carver which im still amazed he wrote)

14) Orlais or Ferelden?

they both kinda suck politically most of the time but aesthetically i would say orlais

15) Templars or mages?

mages babey!!!!!!

16) If you have multiple characters, are they in different/parallel universes or in the same one?

my hawkes are in different universes, and so are my inquisitors for the most part, altho i do imagine if he hadnt been the inquisitor athel still wouldve joined the inquisition so he’s there in all of them

17) What did you name your pets? (mabari, summoned animals, mounts, etc)

literally all i remember is elvira cousland named her mabari dane

18) Have you installed any mods?

i would if i knew how but i dont and i have yet to find a guide that doesnt confuse the shit out of me fdjfgkfdjk

19) Did your Warden want to become a Grey Warden?

elvira wasnt entirely against the idea, but when it came down to it i think things like having kids and growing old were a part of her plan that she wasnt expecting to have taken away from her. i wouldnt say she regrets becoming a warden, bc the work she’s doing is important, but i do think she wishes she’d been able to make more of an informed choice, or really have a choice at all

20) Hawke’s personality?

purble

21) Did you make matching armor for your companions in Inquisition?

nah i just put whatever has the highest armor rating on them and call it quits

22) If your character(s) could go back in time to change one thing, what would they change?

elvira would take her parents far, far away where howe couldnt find them

agnes would’ve never left her mom’s side when a serial killer was on the loose

flynn would’ve kept carver far away from the deep roads

elinor would have run away with sera before corypheus showed up in haven

axel would have never said a word to solas after he taught her to seal rifts

and athel wouldnt change anything, i think. redcliffe showed him the importance of details and of people, and i think no matter how much he regrets something or wishes it hadn’t happened, he knows that things might have turned out much worse if it hadn’t

23) Do you have any headcanons about your character(s) that go against canon?

idk if it really goes against canon specifically, but a big part of agnes’s character arc (in my head, at least) was how terrified she was of becoming an abomination. a lot of what she did was motivated by the need to stay in control of herself and the fear of turning into the very thing that was used as an excuse to oppress her people

24) Who did you leave in the Fade?

the warden, usually. my hawkes all mean the world to me i cant leave them behind jkdfjgkd

25) Favourite mount?

harts are very good

[eatingfireflies]

11 Questions WIP tag meme:

Tagged by @chessanator​! Thanks for tagging!! :D

Tagging @greaseonmymouth​, @hardcoreprince​, @amberlyinviolet​ (i missed you!! ;;;), @billyweird​, @zossie​. But you guys don’t have to ofc!

1. How long have you been writing?

Me and my cousins used to make little illustrated booklets when we were kids. I was around 6-7 years old (probably) because I remember making Sailor Moon comics as well and I was that age when Sailor Moon showed in my country. When I was a kid what I really wanted to do was do comics, but things happened. :”D

2. What are the major themes of your current wip(s)?

I’m trying to think back and most of my WIPs seem to be about life getting pear-shaped and the characters having to deal with that. Two of them will need the ‘Major Character Death’ warning at AO3 if I ever post them. 

3. What do you want people to take away from your story once they’ve read it?

Depends on what fic they read. :”D But if a person got something from my fics that I did not intend, then all the power to them. So long as it’s not ‘that writer sucks’ lol!

4. Would you be excited if people write fanfiction about your wip(s)?

I’m torn because I love sharing headcanons and trends, and I’d be SUPER flattered if anyone wrote fic based on any of mine but there’s also the worry re: accusations of plagiarising and stealing someone else’s ideas. So personally, I’d be excited. But in a more general level it’s a bit of a thornier issue. 

And I know this is an issue with trad pub/canon vs fanfic on a bigger scale (like how some traditionally published writers won’t read fics based on their own work no matter how supportive they are of transformative work because of the whole plagiarism issue (accidental or otherwise)) but yeah.    

5. What’s your go-to writing beverage?

Water lol. I don’t need to drink anything to get going, but I do need cigarettes to function properly. Pls don’t start smoking. 

6. Who is your favorite oc? Tell me about them!

I’m going to talk about an OC from Travelling in company--a Junpei + Phi detective bros fic. So there will be spoilers.

But yeah I really like Hirata Ichirou. He’s the Mr Body in this fic: the character who was written to die so we can investigate what happened. At first I didn’t really know exactly what happened to him (lmao I knew it was cult-related but also personal but I didn’t decide until I was halfway done with the fic) and he was simply a nameless chinpira, but as the fic went on I realised I knew exactly what Hirata died of and why. I grew really fond of the guy. 

He likes to eat parfaits with his childhood friend, I mean. Come on.  

In actual WIPs uuuh. I don’t generally write OCs? Sorry folks. :”D

7. Do you feel that mistakes are important learning tools in the writing journey?

Not if I don’t catch the mistakes and correct them. One of the most important learning tools imo is reading books. Not fics by other people (which btw are really good and writers like franticbabbles taught me a lot about writing) but traditionally published novels. See how its done by someone who (hopefully) has a professional editor to ‘curb their spur’, decide what works for you and what doesn’t. I find that aside from having a beta, it helps you catch mistakes and decide whether you want to correct them or not. 

As Neil Gaiman said--and I paraphrase--your style are the things that you get ‘wrong’. But it defo helps to know the rules before you break them.

8. Rank your ocs by their capability in a footchase (either running after or from smth, your choice)

Here’s a bunch from Travelling in company because that fic has yakuza in it.

1, Honda Mitsuo/Wakaisha #1: very competent man. Can probably kill you with a paperclip

2, Mishima: not incredibly physically active but he has the brains and the resources to make it so he doesn’t have to run very far if he has absolutely no choice in the matter

3, Hirata Ichirou: okay dude. A chinpira and has probably run away from the police/other yakuza members before. Knows shortcuts and dead ends.

4, Satou Keiichi: more buff than fast on his feet. You can trust him to protect you, but not so much when it comes to running after escaping attackers.

Bonus from Kentucky for Christmas:

5, Hugh Grant (not the actor but a detective who insisted he looked like the actor): not very useful. Fell down a building while on the run from gangsters. 1/10 won’t recommend.  

9. Does your wip have romance? tell me about it!! if not tell me about a friendship/important relationship in your wip!!

Oh all the romance. I only write romance fics, didn’t you know? :”D All those mysteries and crimes are just frills for the romance and bonding. 

Right now I’m in the middle of writing a scene where Aoi and Junpei bond over Gunplas. 

10. Do you believe in the advice kill your darlings?

Yes. I have a ‘rags box’ which is a gdocs file where I throw all the lines of dialogue and narrative I had to cut from fics. Hoping that someday, somewhere, I can recycle them in some form. Don’t let them go entirely, they might still be useful for another piece if not the one you’re working on. 

Another thing I learned from this guy who taught Creative Writing in my first language was be mindful of your POV. In an exercise, he made us write about the emotions of an old woman going to a shopping mall right after the death of her husband. I was raring to go. I wrote about this old woman grabbing her daughter’s elbow tightly because she felt she was going to float all the way to the domed ceiling of the mall--that’s how light she felt. 

Teacher: Is that the old woman talking, or you?

Me: How do you mean?

Teacher: That literary~ language, is that her or you? 

Me: It was me.

Teacher: Great, rewrite that. 

Yeah, sometimes we have to kill our darlings, our floating into the ceiling moment, to present the experiences of a certain character fully. And that’s fine. 

(It’s also fine if you don’t want to. It’s just something that works for me.) 

11. Do you prefer plotting or worldbuilding? Why?

Worldbuilding. I’m so bad at coming up with events is why :”D I literally need prompts. But once I have a firm grasp on the world the characters are inhabiting I get more ideas on what they could do and what could happen around them.