#i say this like im not a fanfic author who does exactly this

[bugbbear]

fanfic authors in the ending notes be like "give my boy a break!!!" my brother in christ You are putting him through the horrors

[lexithwrites]

soooo what's exactly your problem with lily (i understand this one, if the fandom gonna take her husband from her they at least should do her justice or don’t write her) and barty being portrayed as shitty exes and why you can't scroll past and let people write what they want and where does your limitation end? are you also gonna bash writers who write regulus as raging homophobe and rapist in wolfstar fanfics or it doesn’t apply to him? what about snape? the way he's written in many marauders fanfics goes against his canon arc, should the writers be called out for inaccurate portrayal of him?

i think characters are tools and if writers wanna use them as tools it should not be controversial. do you think otherwise?

to answer your first question — because it's an opinion. am i going onto people's fanfictions and wasting my time commenting that i hate their trope? no. am i calling authors out by username? no. am i just stating my opinion on my tumblr? yes. plus, you are well within your right to scroll too, you didn't have to let my post get to you? if it offends you that much then block me lmao

id love to know what fics you're reading where regulus does that?? but no i dont agree with that therefore i wouldnt bother reading it? idc how popular a fic is, if i dont wanna read it then i dont have to, its called having free will. i dont want to read about a r*pist for a start, and ive never really liked snape that much and ive only read the books once and watched the films growing up, i dont really think about his character that much especially since i only write muggle/modern aus. write them how you want, but it doesn't mean i have to like it does it?

i dont think anyone should bash authors for their work, myself included. am i allowed to have a private, personal opinion on what i want to read/enjoy reading? absolutely, everyone is in their right! as are you anon, but coming to me and saying this is surely a waste of your time? my opinion doesn't matter to anyone but me lmao

and when did i say it was controversial? i just said i dont like when people make these characters the bad guys when they dont have to. oc's exist for a reason, why not make lily and james old childhood friends instead of exes that have bad blood? why does barty just have to be the old fuck buddy that regulus never looked at again the moment james came around, when he and regulus could have been raised as brothers together and are close that way? or they could all be strangers, the possibilities of fanfics are endless! thats the beauty of them! but is this gonna keep me up at night that authors have FREE WILL and can CHOOSE to write whatever they wanna write? hell no idc that much lmao, but this is my tumblr, as i said, and i can say what i want on it tbh

anyway, if you hate my opinion that much then thats cool, im not mad at that, but you can do much more vital things in your day im sure, have a good one <3

[cobiehaven]

We See Stars — Lee Felix

SYNOPSIS; felix loves astronomy, he lives for it. he could probably point out every star alignment that shows. but when he comes across a lonely girl shivering in the spring of winter, he can’t help but want to share that same love.

PARING; felix x reader

GENRE; fluff

WORD COUNT; 1.4k

TAGS/WARNINGS; royalty au, prince!felix, noble!reader, reader is insecure, one set scene.

AUTHORS NOTE; inspired by one taehyun fanfic i read by an amazing author but i couldn’t find the link 🥹.

felix took a deep sigh of relief the moment he stepped outside to admire the beautiful night sky, a cloud of heat escaping past his lips.

it was painted with stokes of dark navy and sparkled white dots shimmering across, the terrance was chilled with a soft frost. it was euphoric. the only thing that was different was the small girl chattering her teeth near the bench on the other side of the balcony.

he raised a brow. what human would be leveled enough to want to step out in freezing weather without a coat on?

a light “achoo!” perked his attention even more, his actions thinking before his brain.

“you must be insane or stupid to want to be out in weather like this,” he said informally. your attention being taken by his admiring complex as you snapped your head around to see who the owner of this unfamiliar voice was. “who are you?” you asked, informally back.

he didn’t answer with his name but instead shrugged off his thick fur coat, draping it over your quivering shoulders.

you blushed but it was masked with your already pink face, it must have been from your forming cold. instead of asking him any more, you awaited for him to.

he took a seat next to you, your eyes glued on him while his own trailed from the glowing city below to the twinkling stars above. “what are you doing out here?” he asked you.

you hesitated in answering. he was a complete stranger, why would you tell a stranger? but then again, he was a stranger. it’s not like you’d ever see him again. “its a stupid reason,” you sighed, hugging the coat he gave you. “maybe i like stupid,” he laughed.

you were just going to pretend what he said earlier didn’t matter.

“well now you can’t laugh once i tell you.”

“i don’t promise that.”

you gave him a hard stare but he just stared back, waiting.

you sighed and looked away, deciding that it didn’t matter either way. “no one told me i looked pretty tonight.” it was silent for a few moments, you wondered if he thought it was as stupid as you thought it was. to be sad over something so attention seeking was just embarrassing. you wouldn’t be surprised if he was repulsed by you. but then again, you both don’t even know each other and never will, so its not like it mattered too much.

he glanced at you, his eyes on you instinctively making you look back at him. “what..?” you asked, ready to go on a 5 minute tangent about how you came to be so upset over such a topic. quietly, he spoke.

“you look beautiful, tonight.”

the silence was long. longer than before, you weren’t sure how to take those words. to be happy that someone told you what you were hoping to hear or to not take it seriously since you had already told him what exactly you wanted to hear. deciding that the second option overruled the opposing, you just scoffed. “i know you’re just saying that because i told you,” you giggled.

“im serious.” was he? “i’ll be honest.. i couldn’t stand to see you sitting out here all alone, shivering. i originally came out here to stargaze but then i saw you. i couldn’t help but want to know about you.”

you didn’t know what to say. what do you say to something like this?

“what do you want to know?” you asked.

he glanced at you, a soft smile spreading across his pretty freckled face.

“who you are.”

“but you haven’t told me who you are.”

“that does seem to be an issue..”

he hummed, looking away with a sigh, his eyes glued on the city lights below. the view was beautiful. the twinkling lights from both above and below reminded you of the man next to you and his cute freckles. you could draw lines trying to connect them all night. it wasn’t until he looked back at you that you snapped out of your alluring trance. “i’m felix,” he spoke, your eyes widening in utter shock. “what?!” you stood up. “like- the 3rd kings son, lee felix???” you questioned him, your voice cracking from how dry your throat was. he nodded, you could tell his cheeks were flushed the same shade as pink as yours. you lowered your voice, squatting back down into your seat but your eyes still open wide. “i can’t believe i’m talking to the prince right now,” you were in disbelief.

now you really felt embarrassed for telling him what nearly made you cry tonight.

“a lot of people say that. the only thing is that no one recognizes me as the kings son until i tell them.” you fell quiet, not sure of what to say. “it’s my older brother who gets the most attention since he’s awarded the throne next,” felix didn’t sigh, or look uncomfortable at all. but you didn’t believe he wasn’t at least hurt. “that has to bother you, no?” you asked him. “a little but i’ve been numb to this feeling for a while,” he looked down at his hands, his fingertips red and frozen.

it was silent. the cool breeze brushing up on your clothed shoulders and across your nose, it seemed like it was going to start snowing soon if it got any colder.

sitting back down next to felix, you weren’t sure of what to say as you too, had fallen for the same inconvenience that everyone else does, when meeting felix. not even recognizing him for who he actually is. “you don’t have to feel bad, i actually kind of like it this way.” you turned to look at him. “being a prince isn’t always the luxury people imagine. i’m lucky enough to be that prince that no one knows of and can have my own freedom.”

you never thought about it that way but he was right, you couldn’t imagine being of such high class and not getting attention all of the time. so it was a blessing to have a royal life without the looming paranoia of eyes and voices surrounding you.

“i suppose i could see how you would like that,” you agreed with him. “but still, the title is nice to have.” he nodded in agreement.

it was an awkward silence for a while, the two of you enjoying the city sounds and faint voices below the terrance. you weren’t sure if fate existed nor were you sure of miracles but you swore that you had never felt more comfortable in this open space with a complete stranger than you ever had with anyone else. the soothing feeling having you sinking down against the bench and looking up at the night sky.

“do you like astronomy?”

the question caught you off guard. why would he be asking you a question like that? right now?

“uhm, i guess?” you questioned.

“you don’t have to say yes if you don’t,” he laughed.

“well now i’m curious!” you argued.

felix gestured up to the sky, his pointed finger guiding you. “you see that star right there?” you hummed in response. “see how it has a slight reddish tint? it’s actually not a star,” he pointed out. your surprised eyes only feeding his enjoyment.

“it’s actually a planet.”

“wow.. how do you know that?” you watched as felix cowered away with a soft blush to his cheeks. his hand reaching for the back of his neck. “i might be a bit of a space nerd..”

you would have never guessed the kings 3rd son would be into astronomy.

but then again, it wasn’t your place to assume such things of people.

“why are you bringing this up with me?” at the end of the day, you were still just strangers to each other. but for some reason.. something told you that he didn’t have anyone else to tell. “you just seemed like the right person to tell,” he smiled at you. his freckles lighting up in the moonlight in a way that had you connecting them like constellations.

there was nothing more surreal than watching the most beautiful man in front of you admire you the same way you admired him. you didn’t even realize you were staring at his lips until he caught attention to your own. giving in to his instincts, he slowly leaned in to capture your lips, you happily complying with him.

suddenly, you no longer had any worries.

proofread by @hwasluvr

© cobiehaven 2023

[hannie-dul-set]

maybe it’s just me but i don’t thing the comments and asks for updates are disrespectful or entitled? i mean im sure it’s mildly annoying to not get feedback and stuff but not all readers are critics, and i honestly dont expect people who read fanfics on tumblr to be good critics. I suppose it’s rather a good thing that they’re looking forward to more of your writing? i understand that they’re repetitive but again, doesn’t seem like such a bad thing. They’re not paying you for fics but all the comments i’ve seen on your account seem rather polite? i mean if ive been following a fic for a while, as a reader, i would too want to know when ill be getting more of it and that’s not a bad thing imo. I’m a writer too and while i can’t speak for everyone, in my circle of writer friends this is the first ive seen someone be this bothered. You have the right to write your fic whenever you want but similarly to how you feel that your readers aren’t entitled to ask for more since “they’re not paying you”, neither are you entitled for the kind of comments you want, or a more desirable notes to reblogs ratio. maybe im misjudging it as english is my third language, but this is my opinion on the situation.

i didn't want to bother answering this at first, but i think you deserve a reply for taking the time to send this in, so i'm just gonna go through this point by point.

1) i don't think it's rude to ask an author about the status of their fics. it GETS rude when the author has REITERATED multiple times that they don't exactly appreciate receiving such things time and time again. i understand that not everyone reads my posts and reblogs, but that doesn't detract from the sheer annoyance i feel when receiving them regardless.

2) i admire your patience for not being bothered by these things as a writer, and i'm well aware that i'm an impatient short-tempered individual. frankly it does get triggering, it makes me feel underappreciated when, again, as i've stated multiple times— i get more asks like these than just pure comments about my work, even when it's politely or respectfully phrased. it's not like i'm asking for 3 page critiques about my pieces. it's just that i appreciate receiving a simple "i love x fic" over "when are you updating x fic?"

3) to say that i'm not entitled to express the kinds of comments i wish to receive over my own blog and works is honestly difficult to wrap my head around. i am entitled to express what i want over my own creative property. i understand that this does not mean that i will not always get what i want. but i am still entitled to express them. i'm still entitled to feel underappreciated. i am entitled to get pissy whenever i reach a breaking point lol.

4) and again, i don't usually reply to these asks and just leave them be, but let me tell you— i've got over a hundred unanswered asks in my inbox rn and you can guess how many of them are just questions on when i'm posting or updating x fic. it gets annoying. it gets triggering. the best way to let an author know you're looking forward to a fic is to actually DISCUSS it with them, talk about which parts you liked and which parts you're looking forward to!!! it doesn't take a good critic to leave a comment of that nature.

[asumofwords]

Tee if you make any reference to sf&a in the ghost aemond fic I will physically combust/j

PLEASE let it be a spooky smut with absolutely no references unless you like to see us cry, which I feel like you do 😭

ALSO LOKI FICS??? GOOD LORD I WANNA READ HIM WRITTEN BY YOU SO BADLY.

Also you know how like we say " Women written by women" "Men written by women" Etc, there's this guy in my class who literally ACTS LIKE HE'S WRITTEN BY YOU AND IM NOT JOKING, HE'S AN ABSOLUTE ASSHOLE BUT KIND AT THE SAME TIME, like he has red flags but they're good red flags idk?????? he has a gf tho :(

Can't believe I can't date the guy that acts exactly how the characters my fav author on the internet writes 👁👄👁

Who is this man and where does he live?? Hahahaha

I need to stop inadvertently adding SFA mentions into things but for some reason I just can’t stop, it’s like it’s own stupid universe hahahaa

Writing Loki is going to be so much fun for me, I’m an original Loki girly, I was reading those Avengers living in the tower fic at 12, and I’m surprised I haven’t written him sooner tbh!

I think either Loki or Draco was the first ever fanfic I read! Lmaooo

Hehehe 🖤🖤🖤

[acaciapines]

What does the post ending of 'The Holiday-Dreemur Kids' look like? How does it compare to what's featured in 'So I'm Waiting For The Teeth' and 'Dear Dess, Love Asriel'? You're are genuinely my favorite deltarune author and 'i know i'm not well (but i'm alright)' is by far my favorite deltarune fic (and in my list of all time fav fanfics) and I would LOVE to know what if any future you've envisioned for the cast?

ok well first off THIS IS SO SWEET THANK U SM......i dunno it always makes me so happy 2 know people return to my fics and me being your?? favorite?? deltarune author???? wild.

n all honestly i didnt really envision any sort of future once i finished up the series, i essentially see both homegrown hearts (for the kids) and dess, after (for dess n azzy) as the futures for the cast as i wrote them in i know i'm not well! this means theres a Whole Lot Of Life unaccounted for yes lol but that leaves it open for you to decide! they made it through the hardest part now they get to live their lives.

tho i will say some cute things ive always sort of pictured would be ralsei going to high school w the rest of the fun gang...she gets out of the dark world pretty early so she's got like, two or three years of high school experiences. i imagine kris susie and noelle really run with the bit of ralsei being a foreign exchange student (from their school's closet) just to see how far they can push it. i doubt they're super secretive about the dark worlds after this tho lol once ralsei gets out its like. why keep the worlds separate?

all the kids are way more mentally healthy here lol since they wouldve worked out the worst of their stuff earlier! im not sure what they'd do as adults...kris and noelle sharing a dorm room is still the funniest thing EVER to me. i also really like the idea of ralsei studying religion...as someone who doesnt study religion idk exactly what that would look like, but i think she'd find it really interesting and really relate to the idea of finding meaning in a world, though im not sure i see her as being like. actively religious herself after the dark worlds. i just feel like studying it is a way for her to forgive her past self, in a way? for how she clung to the prophecy. dunno. might do something with this idea one day. probably not, but we'll see.

on the dess and asriel side of things, asriel would meet chara! in this universe xe was dess's friend first but xe and azzy would hit it off too. asriel and dess playfully fight over xir and chara thinks it is very stupid (xe can have two friends!) but also won't complain about the pair of them doing all the chores xe doesnt want to do lol. i feel like prooooobably one big difference would be chara and azzy not having a qpr? that's an idea i like which is why i explored it in dear dess, love asriel, and i like xir having one with dess which will be seen in the dess raises kris au, but for this particular universe i think both dess and azzy being there means theyre all just close friends! chara doesnt let dess babysit though. dess is fine with this. she is not a huge fan of being responsible for children lol.

dess and kris continue to repair their relationship. for missing so many of kris's birthdays theres a good ten year span where dess goes super all-out. probably plans a surprise party that kris 100% knows about but thinks is really sweet so they dont say anything until the very end.

but thats just a few ideas i came up with! none of these would ever be written in any way bc i cant see myself writing more for the holiday-dreemurr kids universe...those stories are over and while i hope to write more deltarune stuff in the future (i have a LOT of ideas for the dess raises kris au), these particular fics are all in the 'it's free real estate' territory. their futures are whatever you could picture!

[makahimetenshi]

Follow me inside the wastelands -  Chapter 31 -Arthur Maxson x Female Sole Survivor Fanfic

Oh shit I wrote the last chapter what im going to do? Write the porn ones of course! The continuation to this fic is not exactly a continuation but chapters between chapters but with lemon content between this two, so I can make enough emphasis that it was a really passionate relationship despite being short

If you are very very very delighted with one fic and want a continuation I didn’t write or post you can donate me at least $5 bucks, most of this fics have next chapters I don’t finish because lack of motivation but hey a $5 is a $5, I see a few reviews and comments that fics that are abandoned months laters receive comments of wanting to know what happens next. Here it is, I finished my handling with you all, enjoy the fic

It was unveliable to every soldier in the airport the unexpected arrival of Sentinel Nora and her squad of savages, but after almost 5 years she was well received by everyone, even Arthur got the memo of the celebration down there in the airport not because he wanted to participate or anything but because of how a big thing it was, everybody was in someway grateful with all the things she did over this almost 15 years since her awake in the Commonwealth, she was a hero.

Oh gosh his children’s were going to be aware of her arrival…

After a pair of hours he saw the log of an authorized ventibird flying to Sanctuary Hills, the same that bring her here and probably the only one that would transport a supermutant and some raiders folks with the enough trust to not being killed in the way but in the log…well there it was her squad but…she wasn’t in the tripulation list…so she stay here, in the Boston airport… she was around. Arthur scratched his beard with a little of discomfort shit he didn’t want her here…

So he walked out his quarters, and walk and walk walk walk walk walkwalkwalk in the Prydwen looking for her until he…heard some strange voice in the nursery…there she was...laying over the gurney while Cade was doing some stiches in the side of her waist, shirt up, armor off, there was an strong aroma of Herbal antimicrobial in the air. Arthur stood there, unsure of what to say, the words disappeared from his mind, he didn’t have very clear what to say neither but after a pair of minutes standing there…Cade noticed his presence, didn’t say anything either, just keep working professionally on the open she had

-Who is the rude asshole standing there? –the pose make it difficult to distinguish, but she knew she can see a man –nothing to see here buddy –Cade snorted, well he wouldn’t say it that way

-What happened to you? –ask the voice and then Nora get up on her elbows, Cade quickly press a hand over the wound stopping the one with the stiches not expecting that

-Careful! –reprimand her the knight working down on her waist

She froze at the view of Arthur standing in front of her. They hadn’t see each other in years…

-I been dealing with an infection…this last month…-she answer going back down, not wanting to face him at all, looking at the ceiling.

-Its it bad? –ask Arthur giving a step forward into the room.

 -Well it summons a heavy fever and the wound doesn’t close by its own –mumble Cade, Nora get extremely nervous around Arthur and the knight could see that, her muscles getting tense.

-Why you didn’t ask for help in the other chapter? –the real question was why are you here? Nora sees that.

-She did –said Cade to relax Nora a bit so she wouldn’t carry with this conversation in only her shoulders- the wound reject the stiches and the swell moves away the medicine, the principal problem is that the fever doesn’t go down, I bet it hurts like hell.

-It does, its difficult to move and react, the fever gaves me constant headaches.

-Well you cant keep getting doses with med-x –answer Cade opening an alcohol bottle, Arthur cross his eyebrows, that will hurt like hell.

-Mostly because they don’t calm any shit anymore –she mumble, goshwhywasarthuristillhereeeeeee

-So what does she need? –ask Arthur a bit zooming out to the stiches on her waist, eyes lost in that gore inferno.

-Resting –said Cade pressing a disk of cotton and alcohol

-How funny, I already did that –spit Nora a bit disappointed enduring the burning of alcohol on the wound.

-Real resting it’s a very complicated area just right in the middle and…-he didn’t want to say that the fact that she wasn’t skinny  as before now complicated things, too much flesh- you move a lot too, since when are you with this problem?

-6 months, it is a ghoul bite –Arthur spine tremble from the head down, shit- now you see it like this but it was far much worse months ago.

-I can see the scaring –and paying attention at the surroundings of the inflamed wound Arthur can see it too.

-I almost don’t make it, that day I learn the bad way what’s being surrounded of ferals without scape…-so…she almost died...and he can see she had a mental mark of that event in her gaze, of course, a trauma, its not easy to surpass an ocation when you were almost eated alive

-You need to rest and sleep, stay still in one place, this is a difficult area if you are always twisting –said Cade- I will find you an unoccupied bed since your rooms have long belonged to someone else and I will pick you up to take you to your new bed. You will share the space with some knights but...

-How do you pretend me to sleep and stay still? –she said in a way that the elder find a little bit nasty but the man ignored it an just take out off the shells a little bottle of Daytripper, which Arthur highly discourages.

-Relaxed, though the tranquilizing effect made physical tasks more difficult to accomplish…says the prescription, it may make you feel more relaxed and heavy to move and do, encouraging you to sleep and rest

-Im not sure if I want to be dopped

-Are you clean? –ask Arthur.

-No…-she simply said and feel defeated- just resting?

-Just resting, the stiches doesn’t stay in place because of the nature of the wound, the form makes it swell a lot and if you move they break…

-Alright, ill wait –she said laying down and Cade leave the room quickly not wanting to dilate this situation any further, it wouldn’t be good for nobody

They stay in silence, together, until the man spoke out-I don’t want you here –well that hurts to hear, she sighted down in the gurney and close the eyes to not face him

-I know

-I don’t want them to see you

-Are they around?

-Why they wont be? –I don’t know, maybe ask your mother? Nora thought

-Im sorry –she said and paused- im only going to be here a little.

-I want you to leave –well she never expect to hear that from Arthur- but as sentinel you have all right to use the brotherhood facilities, so at least stay away from both.

-I heard the news…about him- Arthur froze, never thought she would bring this subject and wasn’t prepared for it-It was a difficult interrogation to go through after so much years but I suppose i was able to keep up the façade successfully, I always knew it could happen-Nora laugh a bit, low, almost for herself- Im surprised you keep the name

He remained silent, angry, containing the desire to wrap his hands on her neck and twist them until he thought carefully words and was able to respond- that’s because unlike you I know he is OUR son and not only mine to decide his fate-Arthur spit that true and then leave, leaving Nora alone in the nursery with a bitter feeling for the rest of the noon.

In the following days she wouldn’t do more than go to shower, eat at the cafeteria, sleeping in the bed knight Cade assigned her, maybe change clothes, read a bit with the scribes and having a daily clean of her wound at the nursery, just walking around the zeppelin veeeery slowly, resting most of the day, taking it easy, and since she was dopped she couldn’t do much anyway her brain wouldn’t be capable to allow it, when she started to do something like go to read in less than one hour she was sleepy and tired again to go back to bed, it wasn’t a problem sleeping between everybody working and talking, it was fine, its been a while since she had her own bedroom, her own place to stay…she lost that and was in peace with that idea

-Is my mother around? –ask Arya, a 10 years old girl. Lately he discover she learn to cut her own hair and cut it short like Nora. Unlike her, Arya skin was super pale since she almost never leaves the Prydwen for long periods of time more than just place a foot in the airport and then comeback to the zeppelin with his father, her light blue eyes stood out a lot from her face.

-Yes- he answer with fear- she is in the ship resting from a long mission, injured –he didn’t want them to reunite, Nora didn’t deserve their daughter.

-Is it bad? Is she alright? –god this break his heart, he didn’t want to deny the girl her mother, he wanted to deny the daughter to the mother. Even without knowing her Arya…cared…It wasn’t a surprise tho, his father was excellence, and as she may have heard around her mother is excellence too, obviously she would want to meet her as he never spoke shit of Nora with his daughter, just stay away, be distant, but not shit talk.

-Not really, but she has this problem since a long time now –in another time he would demand to see the reports of her wound to see how deep the problem was, he bet It was a very deadly situation in the beginning since it last until today but now he lost interest

-I see- said the little girl  after a while in silence, breathing in and out. He knew his daughter and…she was going to look the way to meet with Nora.

-Let the sentinel rest, she worked hard for other chapters of the brotherhood and choose to rest a bit in her home town

So Arya did, in the days Nora stay in the Prydwen she did her best to stay away from Arthur and not go to the places he often walk, do her route carefully an if she sees anything, leave and wait to come back to not cross him like he asked. The problem was that Arya was following and stalking Nora…Since the sentinel was constantly doped she wasn’t on her full senses to notice around all the people working and walking around in the Prydwen a little kid a lot of meters away…watching her…Nora wasn’t on her full to detect it and frankly in the Prydwen she had her defenses low, she feel safe there, unlike someone throw a nuclear bomb the thing wasn’t going down and she had a more secure position than years ago…

She was being watched and followed by her daughter. The little girl didn’t know how to talk her, what to say, what to do around her. She didn’t feel like hugging unlike with his father, neither to say I love you, or wanting to catch up or anything…it would be strange to approach her with nothing to say so she just…watch…recognized her from how people call her or act around but since like her father say she was resting…she wouldn’t do much, wont talk much, she heard some conversation here and there…once with knight Cade about how she get that wound, it sounded amazing how she fight that ord of ferals and escaped even barely alive.

Arya see the wound in her waist, it was ugly, but it also shows how strong and resilient her mother was, and the scaring with jaw forms shows a lot of what that day has been…It was impressive, Arya was impressed with that conversation. But it was the most she had of Nora that day, since after that she had dinner at cafeteria, and went to sleep again

Another day she followed Nora were the scribes were working, she was there just reading but what Arya didn’t realize…was that she was being watched by her father, followed, he would see the little girl following Nora and he can just ask himself how the hell the sentinel wouldn’t notice…but considering how doped she was it wasn’t something strange. He couldn’t care less about the sentinel but he can see that his daughter was…hurting herself…getting too close to Nora always lead to getting deeply hurt.

Nora would do little, shower at ten when the showers were empty, have coffee, clean her wound in the nursery with knight Cade daily, have lunch, go to read with the scribes, have a nap, listen so some radio in bed with her pipboy, have dinner and keep sleeping to rest properly and not move her waist a lot. It was easy, simple, doesn’t get in Arthurs way like he asked, he was glad she wasn’t disobeying but with Arya around he wished it was even less, it was little, so little, but maybe with less Arya would loose interest…She wasn’t. She was attracted to her mother like a magnet, wished to be around her and the elder understand it like a human feeling, it was beyond what he wished for her but…

Until one day Nora was napping on her bed, and Arya was there, just watching her, Arthur will stay around but far from her and her sight pretending he was reading some papers to not be weird to the other soldiers working around minding their own business…

And Arya got close, very very close, sitting on the edge of her bed while she sleeps without . Arthur put his focus on that with the side of his eyes pretending he wasn’t being weird about following his own daughter but…

Nora wake up, wake up all suddenly, scared, panting, eyes wide looking at Arya, not understanding anything alarmed for the fact that there was a weight on her bed not allowing her to move freely. The little girl became afraid of her out of nothing reaction but quickly recompose thinking she obviously scared the sentinel by doing that in the middle of her sleep without presenting or even giving her any clue of course. She was alarmed.

But Nora didn’t say anything, just look at her recovering her breath with her eyes wide opening not believing what it was in front of her

-Hi mother- Arya saluted with a low and shy voice looking directly at her brown eyes, Nora slurped some saliva, not responding, still shocked, even with the doses of Daytripper she still reacted all defensive against what the hell was on her bed, even if it was a late response.

-Arya! –her father called her from far from the upper floors of the Prydwen, screaming to call her attention. The little girl look at him a bit scared but still she had confidence with her father.

-What? –she say back, looking back at the shocked sentinel who still seems like the cat eat her tongue.

-Let the sentinel rest! –nonono, not talking he wouldn’t allow both of them talking at all.

-Im not doing anything! –said Arya looking up, gosh Nora didn’t want to be in the middle of them but still take a glance at…her daughter no matter how difficult it was to say that, take the chance to meet her since…it would probably be the only time.

-Arya! Come up in this moment! –they were making a fuss around the soldiers and people were starting to notice their odd family behavior.

-But dad im not bothering! –no! the girl didn’t want to leave from…her mother side…she look at Nora waiting some kind of…response! Something! Anything! But Nora would just look at her with her mouth shut! Arya eyes get all watery wanting to cry of frustration, she look at her mother pleading some kind of help for her to say…

-That’s it! We are meeting at the command deck! –the girl get nervous at hearing that, why the hell she was in problems!? She look for her mother but…no response…Nora would just stare at her like nothing, Arya press her lips and look down at the bed frustrated having a deep feeling of impotence, why wasn’t she..saying anything for her?

Arya left to meet with her dad in the command deck, wanting to cry hard, she just wanted to be with her mother today! Nora just look at her leaving in the distance…better not be involved…it was the better for the three of them…she keep looking at her until she get lost on a wall…for a ten year old she was tall, she had her long legs…

There was a thing that even she could notice, Arya would call Arthur dad…and to her…she was just mother, mother and that’s all. Because they don’t meet each other.

-So, Arya –the elder call out for the little girl walking in the room, he could tell even not facing her that she was upset.

-Why did you do that!? –she asked out loud with a tearful voice, Arthur get scared at hearing that and look over her to find her so distressed oh no

-Arya it just wasn’t the time and moment  -the man look down and put a hand over her shoulders trying to reassure her, he didn’t want to have this negative feelings about Nora.

-I wasn’t disturbing her! –gosh she wasn’t going to let go this easy

-The Sentinel come back to this chapter to just rest and get better to go to work again, as an squire you cant disturb a sentinel

-I just wanted to meet her! –ohmygosh her crying eyes were breaking his heart- when its going to be the right time and moment then!? –never, never ever, with Nora you never are on the right time and moment no matter what do you want.

-The Sentinel- not Nora, not your mother, he wouldn’t call her that-is a hero, and heroes makes sacrifices all the time, she sacrificed her family to save a lot of people and improve their lives every day. For now she just needs to rest and heal to keep working hard

-I know but I never talk to her! –Arya was as frustrated and angry he was with Nora, it could become a family custom

-We don’t have to –simply said Arthur looking to another side-when she retires…she may want to expend time with her family…but for now she is busy, we don’t have to disturb her

-I want to meet her! –scream Arya to him like she never did before, surprising the man- I want to talk to my mother! I read a lot about her! I heard amazing things and I just want…to meet her…-Arthur stood there for a few seconds in silence until he hug her, and she hugged him, using her hands to squeeze his jacket, wanting to vent her frustration somewhere.

-I know- he said accustomed to this type of situation, expecting it to happen at some point. Nora always caused moments like this but now they were affecting Arya- but she is the sentinel, her times are different than us…maybe one day she decides to come back at us but for now…

-But you are the elder! –scream Arya against his jacket- let her stay! She doesn’t have to work all the time! I waited enough! –no, absolutely not.

-You mother have her fate sealed in the moment…-his mind would autocomplete the phrase with Kellog kidnapped her son, or she was liberated by Shaun Howard, like it was Nate lastname but…-she came out of vault 111

-I don’t want that, you are the elder, make her stay –he couldn’t, he never couldn’t,  and he didn’t want it now.

He wouldn’t, she will not cause more suffering to his small family, she wasn’t invited to be part of, she had her chance, multiple chances and all take them down, even giving them away…he was tired. He would not seek for  less than 2 years romance  again, not after so much time, not after giving it so much chances. She made him lost all interest. No matter how intense their romance was once, how strong his feelings towards her were…

So at the next day Arthur face her early in the morning, in a corridor after she take breakfast and a shower.

-I want you to leave –he said making her surprise for the sudden approach. Of course it had to be with what happened…yesterday.

-I didnt talk to her –Nora avoided his eyes looking at the wall but the man walk forward, making her step back, this was strange, the sentinel usually was more…assertive…did something happened? Well I suppose everything happened

-And yet you make your mark, your damage again –all this years he avoided Arya crying because of her…but whenever Nora makes presence she brings suffering.

-Im sorry –Nora mumble.

-Leave the Prydwen today, I don’t want you near Arya or Shaun reach at all, go to the house in Croup Manor to rest if you are avoiding people, it was yours since the beginning after all –he said that and then she reaches his hand, making him jump surprised

-Arthur –she called, and the man look at her face, Nora seems scared, in distress, conflictuated. In a second she step forward and point on her toes to kiss him, to leave a chap kiss on his lips closing her eyes.

He just stood there, didn’t close them, but recognized to himself that its been too long and he…missed her kisses…missed the attraction they had for each other and the perfect connection they had…The sun stains on her skin were all he can see so close, he didn’t respond, didn’t move, just stay there, having a warm wet sensation over his mouth. Arthur moved out his hand from hers and that break the magic of the kiss, separating them. Nora had fear to open her eyes but still did, not liking the situation.

They look at each other in silence for a few seconds after separating. He make as possible to not change his expression and not give her any weird idea…but she kiss him again, a second kiss, and this time Arthur did close his eyes.

And relaxed, and let the air left his nose and get in inflating his lungs. It was a simple sloppy kiss, just lips crashing, a bit wet because of the weird position their mouths ended up but still it felt…nice...but knowing himself so good tells him that if he continues with this…he will feel butterfly’s in his stomach even after so much years neglecting this feelings because of all the anger and abandonment, because he craved for this touch again, and why not? Even right now he felt a bit aroused by the situation. Because her touch was a suppressed craving by logic and resentment

So he diffused it, move her head with the palm of his hand by pushing her cheek off. He bite on his lip and step back opening his eyes, Nora look…confused…even now she was still confused…unsure. That confusion cost them a future together but if even after so much time she cant get her shit together…none unexpected passionate reunion will fix it.

-Pack your stuff and go away–he just said turning around and giving his back before he was the one eating her mouth again against a wall . Behind his back, he can hear her accelerated breathing but…no…he wasn’t regretting this, there wasn’t any kind of closeness that can fix or make him forgive all the pain she inflicted on their childs, its over, the feelings he had for a less than two years relationship were over no matter how much it hurts…

No matter how brave she was, how much of a she a valuable asset to the entire brotherhood she became or if she is right now more beautiful than ever or everything he wished for her to become…no…not anymore…maybe if their childrens weren’t around he would allow himself even just a passionate night but…no…that times between both faded in time…farewell prewar black widow  American wife…

Her confusion and indecision kill whatever was between them.

4 years later he heard about the sentinel of his chapter future wedding in a rumor??? not purposely searching for that data or actually no one informing him explicitly about it…in Rivet City soon it would be the wedding of Sentinel Nora and some Paladin of that chapter from the Brotherhood of Steel. There wasn’t any elders protocol or petition of hands to join both soldiers from different chapters because…it was just a gossip yet. But he did heard that…the man looked very much like Paladin Danse, very similar face features. Arthur still remembers the face of his old friend no matter how much years passed or how things ended up between them

Guess she find again her old love. Or something similar. Even tho she wouldn’t give children to that man in the future…at least they were again together if it was him again in someway.

Arthur hoped that…that paladin was what she was looking all this time. Maybe this paladin of Rivet City can make it up from the damage Arthur caused on Nora in the moment he ask her to execute Danse almost 16 years ago.

[rollercoasterwords]

your post on people thanking you for lesbian representation in your fics has made me think so here are my very disorganised thoughts on it!

when people say thank you for x representation it almost implies that value is added to the fic for including said representation

but whether or not you lesbian representation shouldn’t add or subtract to the value of a fanfic, the value of a fic shouldn’t have anything to do with its content or how much people enjoy it.

the value of a fic is entirely between the writer and the fic itself and not the reader?? if that makes any sense

representation is so important in fan fictions for obvious reasons but it shouldn’t be included in fanfics to cater to an audience by ticking off a certain boxes.

fic writers are not providing a service so thanking them in that way just doesn’t make sense because it wasn’t for them in the first place?? the idea that an author included it to please or cater to an audience kind of goes against what fan fiction is at its core.

like if you handed someone an essay they had written and they replied saying ‘thank you for x representation’ it wouldn’t be unkind by any means but it just wouldn’t make sense because it Wasn’t For Them.

and also saying things like ‘we need lesbian representation in marauders fanfic’ almost puts blame on writers for the lack of said representation in fics when that was never their job to include it in the first place.

(my ramblings may be completed off base im writing this at 3am and needed to somewhat sort my thoughts out on this topic before sleeping)

ahh i love discussing this ok hang on let me go through and like respond to each of these little points

(adding a cut bc i am a kind human being and surprise surprise, this got long)

thanking a fic writer for 'representation' implies that the value comes from that representation, but the value of the fic shouldn't be coming from the content or the amount of people who enjoy it or anything other than the creator just creating something they love

so like the thing is i do think there's value in someone connecting with a work, and i do think there's value in a reader enjoying a fic, but i think i agree with the gist of what you're getting at here which is that the value doesn't come from like...how many people are enjoying/reading a fic, or how many people it appeals to. like i think fanfic is its own art form, so to me the value in it is the process of creation itself and i think art existing holds inherent value, and i think it is also valuable when it moves us and makes us think and helps connect us as humans. so like it does mean something to me when someone says "hey this thing you wrote moved me and made me feel seen," because that's like! a site of connection with someone i might otherwise have never spoken to! but that is like...an isolated kernel of value. like there is this thread of value between my and my writing; there is this separate thread of value between someone reading my writing who connects with it; that person is reaching out and saying see, this means something to me too. so in that sense, 'representation' can add value to a work, i think. but it's like...two separate threads, running parallel to each other. it's not like it makes my own thread of value any shorter or longer; the value of my writing exists independent of any audience consumption; it exists even if my work connects with nobody except me. does that make sense? i feel like i'm rambling i'm gonna cut myself off here on this point lol

"representation is so important in fan fictions for obvious reasons but it shouldn’t be included in fanfics to cater to an audience by ticking off a certain boxes."

ok first of all yes 100% agree with the second part of this statement that the goal behind writing diverse experiences or stories should not be to cater to the broadest audience possible or to a specific audience or to cater to an audience at all. like, yes. exactly. the "audience" should never be the center of fanfic.

but honestly the first part...idk man i'm like thinking through this right now but honestly is representation important in fanfiction? like. fanfiction is individuals writing stories they want to see exist, so i feel like fanfiction is inherently already much more diverse than a lot of mainstream media, simply because it's a space where a lot of marginalized people who don't see stories reflecting their experiences go to create those stories.

but like. the reason we talk about representation in mainstream media and the reason it's important there, i think, is tied into the fact of the consumer economy. like most of the media we see is pushing underlying messages, telling us "this is how the world is/is meant to be," selling us a narrative, essentially. and i think representation is important in those spaces because if somebody is selling us a story and saying "hey, this is what life is!" we have a right to go, "okay, but where's my life in this? where's my experiences? you're telling people that this is the way the world is, but that's not true, because you're not including me in there."

but fanfiction isn't selling you a narrative about the way the world is (or could be, or should be). it's not selling you anything. it's essentially a person going, "hey, here's something tied to my own personal experiences of the world, i'm sharing it for anyone who might also connect with it." and because that's the place where fanfiction is generally being written from, i don't really think that anyone owes anyone else representation. and my concern is that once we start to talk as if representation is something owed in these spaces, we start to slip into the thinking and rhetoric that is tied into a consumer economy. does that make sense? i'm still thinking through this, but that's where my thoughts are at right now.

fic writers aren't providing a service so it doesn't make sense to thank them as though they are

yeah exactly i think this is why those responses to my writing sometimes throw me off for a second. and like, again, there's nothing wrong with thanking fic writers, but i feel like that gratitude should be centered around "thank you for sharing" rather than "thank you for providing," y'know? like just on a personal level i don't really want to be viewed as like...anyone's benefactor or provider or whatever, i'd prefer to be seen as someone who made art and shared it who you are now connecting with as a person. like we are all meant to be on equal footing in this space; there should not be a divide between readers/writers because that falls very quickly into the dynamics of consumers/producers which is antithetical to what fanfiction (as i view it) is meant to be about

"and also saying things like ‘we need lesbian representation in marauders fanfic’ almost puts blame on writers for the lack of said representation in fics when that was never their job to include it in the first place."

yeah again this just ties back into the whole issue with people starting to view fanfic through like...a consumer/social media content lens. like no writer owes you representation or a certain kind of writing, because anyone writing fanfiction should be doing it first and foremost for themselves. but when we start to view fanfiction as a form of media that centers an audience, it makes sense that people will start to feel resentful if they feel that they are being sold a product that does not reflect their own experiences. the issue is that the people "selling the product" are oftentimes not the ones actually creating it. so! yeah :) fun :)

anyway thank u for having a conversation w me about this i truly do just love to discuss + dissect so i greatly enjoyed the 3 am ramblings lol hope ur sleeping well now tho <3

[antiloreolympus]

7 Anti LO Asks

1. Do you know what really gets my blood boiling about this comic? Persephone and Demeter's relationship.

In the myths, Demeter and Persephone loved each other more than anything. Their reunion is so important - it marked the coming of spring and growth. A whole cult was dedicated to this for crying out loud. Yes, the myths were far from perfect, but the Persephone and Demeter myth showed the strength of a loving mother-daughter relationship with Demeter searching endlessly to find her child that was ripped away and had her innocence forcibly taken.

Now, RS is not the only author to make Demeter this over-bearing mother type in order to put more positivity onto the Hades-Persephone relationship. However, RS takes this trend to a whole new level - to the point where I would even consider it misogyny.

How is it, she takes this beautiful mother-daughter relationship and makes it out to be an abusive and controlling one, and then takes the Hades-Persephone relationship from a forceful one to a loving, perfect relationship with no problems? How is it ok to ruin one relationship to elevate another?

I understand that many versions of the myth try to downplay Hades' actions, and even make it so Persephone actually falls in love with him and there is no rape. But it doesn't change that this relationship was problematic, and meant to represent the loss of innocence.

Then fans have the gall to claim this comic is feminist and then claim on top of that that Demeter and Persephone's relationship was the same in the myth? These fans clearly don't know the myths, and neither does RS.

Making Hades a good person is fine. Changing it up a bit to make Persephone's loss of innocence something else is also fine. But ruining Demeter and Persephone's relationship? Especially when Persephone has to spend half the year with her? So horrible. 

2. im sorry, but rachel cant introduce KRONOS coming back and then dropping it for several episodes to focus on a stake-less trail and persephone not knowing what lingerie to seduce hades in. like thats too much of an earth shaking development and huge stake plot point to just ignore for months to focus instead on something as minor as hxp's relationship, which only points out a huge flaw: why is hxp's relationship so minor in this? isnt the whole point supposed to be about them?

3. I think LO completely dropped the ball over Hades’ characterization. 

From the first ep I thought ok, this is good, we have some bones to see he’s not that lucky in love and is just tired and lonely, and while ignoring the creepy actions towards Persephone, I thought ok, Artemis hates him, Hestia hates, even Ares hates him, maybe once Persephone finally sees the underworld and probably gets to know him it’ll be a clever twist and they’ll be proven wrong. The underworld will turn out to be fair and just, the citizens will love Hades, he’ll be revealed to be a good leader and king and not like his brothers, it’ll be like everyone saying Hades of myth isn’t actually that bad, and it’ll help reinforce why this sweet and bubbly Persephone wants him, she sees the real him, not the mean rumors and assumptions, this is perfect.

And then it just didn’t happen. The exact opposite happened, actually.

We’re shown the LO underworld is cruel and unjust, where the poor dead are forced into slavery and Hades created a harsh class divide with him and him only on top, the citizens hate him, the underworld gods don’t trust him and openly seem ok if he’s taken out of power, he’s not a good leader and king and doesn’t even want the job yet keeps it for his own ego and grip of power m, and on top of it all he is just like his brothers, if not worse. He loves to get violent over any little slight against him, he hoards wealth and resources to enrich himself while his citizens starve and struggle to survive, he’s corrupt, he controls all the media and laws to bend to his will, sleeps with his brothers wife for centuries behind his back while claiming to be holier than thou, he has sex with his secretaries who are made dependent on him for any way to survive, and now he lusts after his barely legal intern who is also now dependent on him for her way to survive, and that’s only what I remember off the top of my head.

LO perfectly set up to prove Hades isn’t the devil or the false pop culture assumption that he’s evil and to show some actual facts from myth, and yet Rachel only ended up reinforcing exactly that and even making him even worse with her made up ideas, all while thinking having Persephone ignore or excuse it somehow makes it not bad or even a good thing. It’s honestly kind of impressive just how bad of writing that actually is. 

4. Chapter 172 is not that interesting. It’s setup had me excited to see Hephaestus and Hera and learning more about echo, but it’s cut so short. Because again the story can’t leave HXP out for 2 seconds.

I can also see why Zeus is gonna go insane. 

5. i agree w/ other anon. LO should have pulled a PJO or a BoZ and just made up OCs and have them interact with the gods than whatever Rachel thinks shes doing, which is lying she's being accurate and faithful while completely changing all of it, removing what is needed, and adding what isnt so that it lines up with no actual myth besides like, various 50 shades fanfic she read in 2015 and some popular tumblr text posts.

6 . the animation studio behind blood of zeus literally can only draw one face for the men and one face for the women and they were still able to make the gods all look distinct and hot while LO can't even bother to use more than 6 colors and can only have the women look as tiny as possible with the biggest boobs while the men are all just lego men.

7. ////FP SPOILERS////

Okay so like I stopped reading LO way back before season 1 ended, and a majority of my knowledge of the series comes from what I read here on your blog which is enough for me lol and I decided to read the latest 5 chapters just to see what's up (on zahard. I refuse to give the actual series any views)

And I just. Could not take the whole scene with Daphne running from Apollo seriously? The anatomy and art inconsistency was so distracting that i genuinely could not find it serious. Even when Thanatos discovers her hibernated body I couldn't take it seriously because of how she looked?

And when Hades had that call (??? Was it a call? Or his inner dialogue? I couldn't really tell ngl) with Zeus and said he's causing Persephone unnecessary distress, and that she didn't pose any threat. B!tch??? She killed a ton of mortals??? She has no control over her powers???? She's literally a fugitive for the aforementioned things??? She apparently woke Kronos up? (Idk if anyone knows about that, again my knowledge only spans to whatever I read here) Hello????

And I have a lot to say about the chapters starting the trial but I'll only mention one thing; Hades saying "I don't think blindly supporting my little brother would be doing him any favours (as a ruler)" had me cackling. This is coming from a guy blindly supporting a girl he's literally only known for a few weeks, who's like what, only recently turned 20? Sit tf down Hades you're not cool, you creepy ass overgrown smurf.

Overall I still hate this series lmao. Regarding art though I feel like I wouldn't be so miffed about the anatomy much if the character designs were consistent and the story was compelling. They literally change hairstyles and body types frame by frame, and it's distracting.

The timeline from what I read here is laughable. 4 years in publication with almost 200 chapters and you're telling me only like a month has passed canonically. That's wild and such poor writing.

And as someone who literally will sympathise with any lead character pretty quickly, the story makes me hate them. It makes me want to root against them. I also hate the fact this trash is somehow top ranked on webtoons when so many other stories are far better then it.

Anyway, many thanks to this blog for existing and allowing me to dump so much text here to vent out my hate for this series lmao. You the mvp fam, hope you're having a good day 🥂🥂🥂

[olderthannetfic]

Hi I’ve been wrestling with smtg for a bit( aka several years) and I honestly wasnt sure where to even start a convo for this and then I saw a brief mention in the comments so here I am. Im like a big Cassandra Clare fan(i am starting to outgrow her stuff but i still read for like past me’s sake) havent gotten into reading fanfic (for another fandom) until lets say recent years like a year ago, and then well like any person who obsesses over smtg i also learned stuff about the author that sounded well, like she wasnt exactly the nicest person. Especially when it came to how she started as a fanfic writer. Im confused though: the way people kinda like say, oh supporting her is bad ya know cuz of how she was kinda shitty (im being vague cuz any time i tried to look up actual like proof i just got angry sounding articles and i wasnt sure if that was like good enough??) and I look at her material now that I personally find relatable(Izzy was the first character I looked at and thought: oh its okay to be feminine AND badass? More context: my part of the world was/ is INCREDIBLY sexist) and I found so much joy in and very much like all the lgbt rep I found in it, people are still referring back to how shes horrible and im just like: i feel like i missed out on smtg everyone knew once but idk where to look to even get more info.

Anyway I mentioned how recently I got into fanfic because until I started following your blog I didnt know all the history behind it and that started to help me figure out some things about how some authors started out.

I dont expect anyone to like gimme a list or smtg like: oh this person is bad bcuz X. Im just wondrring like: why am i constantly told I shouldnt like cassandra clare? when they’ve done so much good for me. (I dont mean to think my experience is the only one or anything either ofc)

I dont mean to come off like im in denial or maybe I am idk i really just dont know where to go for this convo cuz i absolutely want to have it

--

You want my honest answer? Butthurt.

Cassie has gotten many, many chances that other people would have liked, and she has gotten them on the basis of whom she knows, from her publishing contract to her film and tv deals. People don't feel she earned those chances, and they are bitter as fuck. For example, her books got made into a film. It bombed. And then, unlike in most other cases, they went on and made a tv series of the same material. I think a lot of people look at her and see a charmed life, and it disgusts them either out of pure jealousy or because she was always kind of a douchbag.

Cassie's an asshole, but her "crimes" are so incredibly minor compared to Hollywood creeps or even compared to JKR. If you want to keep liking her books, you do you.

--

Now, as for what her "crimes" actually are, they boil down to fandom interpersonal drama, gross e-begging (kind of), and plagiarism.

She got her ass kicked off of FFN for copying lines and even whole chunks from other media and putting them in her HP fic without attribution. She later tried to excuse this by saying her fans were playing 'spot the reference', but I saw fans quoting 'her" lines all the time and not realizing they were borrowed.

She did actually plagiarize. Whether you think this is the crime to end all crimes is another story.

"Laptopgate" and the time fandom bought her an iPod are probably second most serious. CC's apartment was burgled, and she and her roommates lost some computers and things. She didn't directly ask her followers for money, but she didn't have to. A little crying on social media and some active organizing by her friend, and fandom coughed up a whole bunch of money. Something similar happened when she wanted an iPod.

This really doesn't seem like a big deal, does it? The reason it bugged people was that it was pretty obvious she had a lot more resources than many of the people donating. She could have asked her family for help replacing the laptops. I found the whole thing a bit tacky in both cases and thought she sounded like she was fishing for the iPod even if she didn't directly ask her fans to buy it for her, but this is hardly the stuff of undying scandal.

The real reason people remember laptopgate is that a fan with a medical fundraiser tried to get CC's friend to signal boost them, and the friend was dismissive. I do think she handled it poorly. It was also a time when e-begging was a lot rarer than now and when signal boosting was more than just clicking reblog. How much any of that was CC's fault is open to interpretation.

CC was also the unwitting dupe of fandom's most famous con artist, Msscribe, a bully who went after whole swaths of Harry Potter fandom. CC wasn't directly at fault, but her fame and popularity helped this other asshole operate unimpeded. It left a lot of fans disgusted with that whole social circle.

Beyond that, there's a vast list of minor bullshit. CC acted like a celebrity and lorded it over her fellow fans. She pitted her sycophants against each other. She was--and as far as I can tell stayed--an entitled, self-important whiner. Her crying about Shadowhunters not following her derivative biphobic trash books more closely was hilarious, for example. Cry moar about how your boring self insert got sidelined for a better character!

She has some one-off story I remember people being pissed about that is basically her pulling a Not Like The Other Girls and shitting on fandom nerds--or at least, that's how people took it.

CC has also spent a lot of time talking behind people's backs and being a catty bitch--possibly even a bully. But that kind of thing is hard to prove. It's all down to how different people remember and interpret various incidents, and a lot of the people she was shitty to are also major drama queens who don't always inspire much sympathy.

If you stopped reading every author who was rude or self-important at some point, you wouldn't have much left to read.

--

OTW, which runs AO3, also runs a fandom history wiki. You can look CC up there. I think it covers most of the major stuff, including a rumor I had totally forgotten about about her ~doxxing a minor~. (That was Flourish who explains the whole thing themself, and CC did nothing of the sort.)

https://fanlore.org/wiki/Cassandra_Claire

CC's major crime has always been being a privileged jerk. People see her as a Rich Mean Girl and one of us who thinks she's somehow too good for the rest of us. Except, now, she's also a famous author and not really One Of Us anymore. That's why it's so difficult for people to articulate the problem.

I think her work does have some shitty messages, but for me to engage deeply with them, I'd have to go read the whole thing instead of just chortling at a few horrible metaphors and reading other people's salt. Life's too short for that!

Go forth, nonnie, and read the teen books of your heart. CC isn't problematic in a way where you should refuse to give her money.

[princesssarcastia]

2021 Harry Potter Fanfic Primer

im here to point fingers at the incredible authors that have enabled my new interest in HP content.  im still conflicted and upset about it, tbh, but for now we’re leaning into the curve.  we’re getting out our shovel and finding out just how deep we can make the hole we’re in.  hand in unlovable hand my beloved <3.  anyway, these fics are wonderful, their authors are wonderful, and you should go read their stuff. if there’s a star next to it that means im losing my mind over it and always will be.

Creatively Maladjusted, by elumish on AO3, 101k  (they also have a wonderful writing advice blog on tumblr, @elumish, which I recommend following if you are a writer) 

A very excellent re-telling of harry’s first year at hogwarts if he were sorted into Slytherin, plus some more not!fic or piecemeal re-tellings of his second and part of his third year.  Harry, in this, has a slightly different trauma response to growing up with the Dursley’s.  He’s a bit quieter, and the signs are a bit more obvious to the people around him, and I enjoyed that immensely. 

Honestly, if you’re going to get sucked into something you have absolutely no business getting sucked into, elumish is the way to go, their fic is incredible. their teen wolf fic is also immaculate, if you’re so inclined. 

Dissonance, by ImpishTubist on AO3, 2.5k (@impishtubist on tumblr)

Set during fifth year.  Oblivious!Harry has always been a delightful trope when well executed, and this is well executed.  Plus, some angst between Remus and Harry over what Umbridge has been doing to him.

I would certainly recommend a lot of ImpishTubist’s other hp work on AO3, like Lacuna.

blow us all away, by rexcorvidae on AO3, 23k (@rexcorvidae on tumblr)

In progress (like, updated last week in progress).  Currently in the beginning of Harry’s first year.  Fem!Harry, Indian!Harry.  Hagrid puts Harry in touch with Remus when she has questions about her parents, and they become reluctant, traumatized, angst-ridden pen pals who keep missing each other’s true intentions like ships in the night.  hot DAMN do I love this fic.  there’s hints of the way the dursley’s treat Harry peaking through in her letters, and I appreciated the attention to “hmm, her experience as a girl of indian descent in britain under the thumb of a bunch of white people who like being Normal may not have been gucci”

Definitely comb through the rest of their HP fic, too, I may or may not have gone feral over it.

Where the Heart is, by silver_fish on AO3, 15k (@kohakhearts on tumblr)

Woof.  This one said, “hey, harry was probably SUPER depressed in the summer after fifth year.  like, clinically.  maybe someone should do something about that.”  Fuck yeah.  Then this one said, “that someone was Snape.”  You all know my opinions on Snape; generally, Bad.  But damn if this fic didn’t wholly convince me by the end of it.  I thought it was a very realistic way for Snape to start seeing Harry as a person all on his own, and not a proxy for Snape’s angst over James and Lily, respectively.  The angst is wonderful, the ending is even more so.

*bernie sanders voice* I am once again asking you to read through the rest of the author’s HP fic.  a lot of them have similar themes; there’s actually a great one with Molly that i’m not reccing here, Wonder.

☆Bindings, Bindings, by Quietlemonhush on AO3, 60k (@quietlemonhush on tumblr)

WORDS CANNOT EXPRESS TO YOU HOW MUCH I ENJOYED/AM ENJOYING THIS.  If I had to pick a single fic and say “you, it’s your fault I’m stuck here,” it would be this one.  Anyway Lily in the afterlife is So Very Angry about how Petunia is treating Harry, and how Sirius is rotting in Azkaban, and how Remus is alone, that she literally brings herself back to life and drags James and Regulus with her.  All three of them are there to chew bubblegum and fix everything that went wrong after they died—and would you look at that, they’re all out of bubblegum!  There’s only Fury left.  That inciting premise is very crack, but every moment after that is very much not crack.  Lily and James love harry more than anything, the way a child should be loved; James and Sirius have the epic friendship of a lifetime; Sirius and Remus have staggering amounts of resolved sexual tension and take turns keeping each other in check; Regulus, though he realized that Voldemort and his family were shit before he died, is still unlearning all his racist bullshit and, also, years of trauma.  Actually, they’re all traumatized, but hey: now they have one another again and not a damn one of them seems inclined to let go anytime soon.  Quietlemonhush went, “hey, HP has a lot of Awful people in it, and a lot of Righteous people in it, and many of them are Very, Very Powerful; also, love is the most powerful force in the universe” and i said “hell yes tell me more right now.”  And then they did!

Quietlemonhush writes Sirius/Remus in a way that makes it sooo much fun to devour, so the rest of their HP fic is most certainly worth a look, if that’s your thing.

Rebuilding, by Colubrina on AO3, 113k (@colubrina on tumblr)

Hermione/Draco (*shrug emojis into the abyss* yeah, yeah, like none of us have ever been there before).  Takes place during Hogwarts 8th year, and while the beginning is, IMO, a little unfair to Ron, it gets much better.  Tells the story of Hermione and Draco clearing the air, learning to like each other, having some hormones over each other, and then falling in love.  Also tells the story of Hermione and Theo Nott becoming friends; the story of how every single 7th and 8th year student is fucked to hell by the war and the Carrows; the story of how they start an emotional support group about it and all become friends; and the story of, what the hell do you do with yourself after that kind of trauma?

I’ve been dipping in and out of Colubrina’s HP since before I was even on tumblr; I actually found them in those dark yesteryears when the only fandom interactions I had were on fanfiction.net.  Of such fame as Green Girl, which is an HP fic staple, and has also written a lot of wackier, crackier, and darker things than that.  If you don’t take yourself too seriously, I highly recommend many of their big HP works, though I imagine it’ll press some people’s buttons.  Colubrina’s work really does take up a corner of my mind whenever I’m in an HP mood, and will take up yours if you let it.

☆ all waiting is long, by shuofthewind on AO3, 149k ( @shu-of-the-wind on tumblr)

This is so well written that I can’t stop thinking about it.  It is occupying my mind when I lie awake at night, you know?  It’s one of those.  Hermione messes with something she probably shouldn’t have in Grimmauld Place, so when Sirius is sent through the Veil in the Department of Mysteries, she gets thrust into an alternate universe...in 1975.  Instead of handwaving it away, shuofthewind actually gets into the mechanics of it in a way that makes sense, to emphasize that hermione is never going home.  ever. The world she finds herself is shifted slightly to the left, quite a bit darker, but in a “the author is treating the idea of a society-wide conflict over blood purity much more seriously than JKR ever did” way, not a sensationalist way.  Now, Hermione has to grapple with all her grief at losing everyone she’s ever loved or known, the moral/ethical/magical implications of sharing what she knows about her future in an alternate world, and, you know, a goddamn war with people who want to murder her for being who she is.  This Hermione is smart, and she’s kind, and she’s powerful, and she’s making real friends.  If you hate JKR’s guts I’d go read this right now, because it delivers in all the ways she failed us.  It’s plotty, its got great world-building, and it pulls back the white curtain on the wizarding world to show you that, like real life, it’s multicultural and full of queer people...and the discrimination that comes with both.

shuofthewind write epics, mainly for the MCU, and I’ve read some of them a looooong time ago, so this fic kinda seemed out of left field for me but im SOOOO GLAD it exists.  If you want MCU fic you can sink your teeth into, go for it, but alas, they do not have any more HP fic (.......yet?)

Speak Now [+] Listen Now, by mrsfrizzle on AO3, 33k altogether

Harry reaches out to Remus for support because Umbridge is getting to him with her literal torture.  Remus, being a former professor, former mandatory reporter, person who loves Harry and has since he was born, and all around good man, tells Harry he has to tell someone, or Remus will.  It’s everything any adult looking back on that time in HP canon ever wanted, which is for an actual adult to say “what the fuck, those are literal chidlren” and then do something about it.  Then, a far more dangerous task: Harry trusts Remus enough to go to him about the Dursleys.  Harry and Remus’ relationship develops SO WELL, and there’s a bit of exploration about how Sirius may not exactly be guardian material, because he did in fact spend 12 years of his life getting tortured instead of growing up.  I think I’m actually going to go reread this right now, because it speaks to my id.

they do have some other HP fic which did not appeal to my hyperspecific wants, but may appeal to some of yours.  I think they’re also a published author, there should be a link on their profile page.

chase the stars, by Duskglass on AO3, 101k (@felix-duskglass on tumblr)

When Harry is five years old, a picture of him ends up in the Daily Prophet, and Sirius Black, Terror of Ministry Officials Touring Azkaban everywhere, gets a hold of that issue.  He then, in order: breaks out of Azkaban; crosses the countryside to Surrey; Finds Harry: Kidnaps Harry; Breaks Into Remus’ Apartment; starts processing (or maybe just acknowledging) his trauma from Azkaban, the war, and his childhood; and pines after Remus.  It’s a little plotty, and deals a lot (sometimes through flashbacks) with the specific awful things that happened to Sirius—largely because, after years in the constant presence of Dementors, those are nearly literally the only memories he has left.  It’s a wonder he’s got the strength to love Harry and Remus at all.  But then, maybe it isn’t.

This is a Very Serious Fic, but the rest of Duskglass’s HP work is actually just cracky enough to tickle your funny-bone, while still making you think “okay but why couldn’t we have done that in the first place.”

So!  That’s it for recs, for now.  These are all things I’ve found and read in the last month; if any of y’all are interested in my old HP recs, let me know and I can make a post for that, too.  While I’m still very conflicted about my choice of current fandom, I am not in ANY way conflicted about my taste in fic and authors.  Send these guys some love, read their fic if you’re so inclined, and leave some nice comments at the end of it.

[irkenheretic]

do u have any favorite iz writers or fanfics ?

i do!!

first fav is @reptile-ruler , their febuwhump stuff is amazing and mishaps is REALLY good, tbh mishaps has a lot of tropes i usually dont like but reptile-ruler does them so well that the stuff i dont like about those tropes isnt really.... there

(for instance i hate zim assimilating into human culture because he just kinda ignores everything about him being irken and the authors tend to treat irk as some kind of Monolithic Badplace... but in mishaps while zim has assimilated he still feels a struggle and still has irken values... the ending of the unwanted visitors (which i wont spoil) is the culmination of that and its amazing)

also the drifters au fucks hard and its one of my fav aus

very close second is @depressed-zimothy! training days is, and i am not exaggerating, exactly what ive always wanted in a fanfic. the red and zim stuff is fucking stellar and there are so many nuances about the characters if u examine the text a little more... i should leave comments on it tbh

also catalyst is amazing and u can see my two essay comments explaining why right there on the fic so i wont repeat myself here (but read the fic first obvi)

firewall is part of @reynaruina‘s ponytail dib AU and it is honestly fucking stellar. i recommend this thing to everyone i know and in my opinion it is THE computer fic. genuinely everyone should read this, even if you dont want to read the rest of the au or even zadr at all. please computer is so good in it. 

in the beginning note there’s a paragraph explaining the basics of the au so you can read with no prior knowledge of PT dib but ill do you one better: the immediate context for firewall is that there was a blackout at zim’s house, and zim and dib were finally starting to get it on with each other during it. computer fixed the lights and turned them back on, and dib saw his reflection in the (off) TV. he gets upset seeing himself and leaves, so zim is angry at computer. and that’s right where firewall starts

please read firewall. im on my knees begging. computer in firewall is fucking sublime and the perfect blend of irritated and dad. literally no other computer portrayal compares. firewall was, is, and always will be The Standard.

read it.

ersatz is another amazing one, the zim angst is sublime and hes never like, a fuckin uwu sadbaby. but you still feel so, so sorry for him and what he’s going through. the author really knows how to pack a punch without exhausting the reader and as someone who specializes in angst i can respect that. (fun facts: i love this fic so much that mirforn, an irken painkiller featured in it, is in ANX as A Loving Reference that i will absolutely credit and also shill for ersatz in the author’s notes)

300 days of zim is really good if you like self-inserts! it’s gender-neutral and in second-person so its really immersive, and zim is just so good in it, he retains all his zimmy goodness but there’s a certain softness (in a way) that makes you fall in love with him

speaking of self inserts, @majentaffy‘s tallest magenta series is a fucking stellar series! red and purple are amazing and its honestly one of the most in-character portrayals of them ive ever seen! though i like both of them, im personally more a fan of the invader red��series (also a self-insert series) where red takes zim’s place on earth, basically. both series are gender-neutral and in second-person just like 300 days up there

hit me is a rapr classic. thats really all i have to say about it, most of my tallest-loving friends have read it at some point. i reread it on occasion; its an elite-era fic, and a slight au in this is where they meet. its lovely

begin is a human au i personally really like because it has a lot of hyperspecific headcanons of mine in it but it could be a personal taste thing. try it out tho!

there was also this other human au where purple was a drifter and red worked at a diner and sizz-lorr was his boss. it legit felt like an original short story and this made me go out and fucking find it again. its called hand in unlovable hand give it a try

i read canvas years ago and the ending still sticks to me today. it’s a oneshot songfic where the gist is that red’s hooked on drugs. it sounds like its gonna be bad and melodramatic but i actually really like it, it surprises you. it surprised me, too. it’s first person but it really does sound like red is talking. i’m extremely picky with first person (i never read it outside of this) but canvas does it right. please, please i implore you, give canvas a chance. you won’t regret it, i promise

why didn’t we just shoot him? is an amazing exploration on the tallests’ defectiveness and that’s all im going to say on that

all 4 works by this author are part of the same series, but they’re not in a series tag. i just call the series mudroom, after the first one i read. it’s an acquired taste and PLEASE heed the warnings, but i like it so its here

and last but certainly not least, when the time comes is unique in that when the plot changes i dont groan and go “aww, but i like the old stuff!” it goes to a lot of places but personally it feels like each event is a natural consequence of the previous one. dib’s a bit of a dick in it lmfao and zim so far is going thru a trauma conga line but i respect that it doesnt pretend to be anything its not. its a porn-with-plot with angst and sometimes thats just what you fucken need sometimes

[kanohivolitakk]

Some ramblings about Memory and why I’m happy it wasn’t canonized

Honestly the more I think about the story, the happier I am that Memory (a winner of the Memories of the Dead canonization contest) was never officially canonized. And Im saying this as someone who absolutely adores Nidhiki as a character and would've liked to see more content of him, especially one that explores his psyche in a nuanced manner.

Before we go on a few disclaimers. First off, yes, I'm aware that Memory is fan-made and that some people see critiquing fanfics as bad, at the very least unless the author personally requested it. And I completely understand that sentiment given that fanfics are hobbies and the writers may not always want critique on stuff they worked on for personal fun and passion. Thing is, Memory was not only submitted to a canonization contest, but was one of the winners. The only reason it (and the other winners of the contest) weren't canonized was because Greg wasn't allowed to visit BZPower anymore (or had it to do with LEGO quitting Bionicle g1 completely in preparation for g2, don't remember tbh). In other words, Memory was this close getting canonized, and was only left out due to external circumstances. That makes criticizing Memory fair game in my opinion.

Secondly: I actually like Memory as a story. It's well written, explores Nidhikis character in an interesting way and has a really interesting theme of how some individuals are forced into roles they didn't want to by circumstance. I think it fills in gaps from the lore nicely (especially the ending). And not only does the story use Mimic (a Dark Hunter I desperately wish was used in canon) it characterizes and uses him rather well. Him acting as a pararell/comparasion to Nidhiki is a solid way to showcase the storys central theme. All in all, it's a solid story in vacuum. Even as part of the larger Bionicle mythos I do like some elements of it and have adopted them into my headcanonverse.

That being said, I have one major issue with the story specifically regarding how it relates to the greater Bionicle canon. And that is, giving Nidhiki a "my original teammates were killed by Dark Hunters and now I desire revenge" type of backstory doesn't work for his character and arguably makes him less interesting.

First off, I understand why the writer chose to do this decision, to paint Nidhiki in a more sympathetic light. In canon, Nidhiki isn't really a sympathetic character (or at the very least wasn't intended to be one, ymmv whether or not he can be seen as one). He is selfish and his reason for betraying toa Mangai boils down to desire for glory and self-preservation. So wanting to give Nidhiki a more sympathetic backstory in order for the reader to understand why he is like that and thus sympathizing with him makes sense especially given how Bionicle doesn’t really have that many sympathetic villains to begin with and Nidhiki is one of the few who could easily be written in a more sympathetic light without making his character worse thanks to his backstory being rather tragic and there being a few hints of him being a more sympathetic character than the canon presents.

Thing is, by giving Nidhiki a desire of wanting revenge against Dark Hunters, I feel the writer misses a major part of Nidhikis character, one that could be easily expanded on to make him a more sympathetic and understandable character: his pragmatic opportunism born out of survival instinct.

Nidhiki is largely driven by pragmatism and self-preservation, by making actions that benefit him. This sense of pragmatism most likely comes from him coming from Tren Krom Peninsula: a harsh climate where you had to be pragmatic in order to survive. Pretty much everything from his characterization boils down to this survival instinct, this desire to survive taught by harsh living conditions. This is the core of his characterization and something worth keeping in mind  both when trying to understand him and writing him. And while the writer of   Memory does understand this to some extent, I feel they only saw it as part of his character rather than the main core of his characterization and driving force of his actions.

While Nidhiki loosing his teammates does add more fuel into him not trusting anyone and developing this pragmatic mindset (something Memory does pretty good job showcasing), I also feel that it's kinda unnecessary. It feels as if it exists as this big push, this big traumatic event that shaped Nidhiki's mindset into this pragmatic self-survival we see in canon and I just...don't feel that suits him. It makes more sense if rather than one big traumatic event that made him what he was it was a series of smaller events, it was him living in a place with a certain mental climate that forced a certain mindset just so he could survive.

The backstory also feels that like it exists largely to give Nidhiki a history with and grudge against the Dark Hunters which just...doesn't make sense at all when you give more context into canon. Like, if Nidhiki had a grudge against them I doubt he would've interacted with Lariska the way he did in BOADH let alone agreed to betray his team, no matter how good opportunity it felt like. Well at least it gives him one more reason to despise TSO and his organization and that’s always a plus if you ask me.

However,the main reason I don't really like this is because it feels kinda cliche and makes Nidhiki less interesting than he could be. Like, it feels that the easiest way to make your audience to sympathize with a villain is to give them a tragic backstory of them loosing a loved one that made them bitter and cynical. It just feels like a cop-out, an easy shorthand. It feels such "been there done that" and does more harm than good for Nidhikis characterization, feels like its there to make him more sympathetic through tried and true means than actually trying to understand him and what makes him tick, and building up a more sympathetic portrayal from there.

What makes this all worse is that I do think you could make Nidhiki a more sympathetic character without resorting to cliche tools like that. And thats by focusing on expanding on whats already there: his desire for survival and self-preservation. While it does make him rather selfish, its also what makes him understandable and (for lack of better term) real. While we want to talk about how self-righteous and good we are, truth is that desire for self-preservation and survival is a driving force that can override (or at the very least heavily affect) our moral compass, especially if you come from a traumatic upbringing. And like I said, the harsh survival of the fittest nature of T.K Peninsula certainly was that kind of place where Nidhiki was essentially forced to adapt a certain mindset. It’d be cool to see him slowly develop this mindset from the environment he grew up in, to have whatever potential goodness and optism he once had be eroded through him having to come in terms with the messed up nature of the world. it would’ve made him much more interesting, sympathetic and tragic character than he is in canon, all while feeling unique

That being said, I understand why the writer did the way they did. Like I said, Nidhiki isn’t exactly the most sympathetic character in canon, and wanting to give him a backstory that’s easy to sympathize with is an easy and good way to do that. It’s also worth pointing out that Memory was an oneshot, so the writer didn’t have time to go through everything Nidhiki went through before becoming part of Toa Mangai and as such, it’s easy to understand why the writer choose to give one big event that changed his mindset. I also dont think giving Nidhiki revenge motive is inherently bad (I mean its basically canon he wanted revenge against Lhikan), nor is making him more emotional and not just a pragmatic opportunist (if anything making him emotional is more than welcome in this house). But I feel that Memory just kinda, changes his character in such a drastic way that didn't sit with me, at least not completely. It kinda makes him an archetypical "I'm aloof and refuse to work with others because I lost my friends against these villains" type of character. Not only is that rather cliche that's also not what Nidhiki is like...He's more interesting as an opportunist who became such due to the harsh nature of Tren Krom Peninsula rather than your archetypical edgy shonen anime rival whos aloof because tragic backstory murder.

So yeah, Memory is a good story but I’m happy it isn’t canon because while it was an interesting take of my favorite Bionicle character, it being canon would’ve done more harm than good for his characterization as whole I feel. Also you can make a character sympathetic without having to resort to “they saw someone close to them die and desire revenge because of that”, especially when it doesn’t fit to that characters characterization as whole.

[autistic-beshelar]

'm loving everyone venting about Molly! Thanks! And I want to ask you how you imagined the finale was gonna be? I have this whole fanfic in my head about Molly realising he had a four leaf clover stuck in his hair and upon noticing it he would give it to Yasha. Then the M9 would deal with Trent and Molly would finally know how terrible of a person the dude was. And then the M9 would introduce Molly to everyone else they met and visit every place they left better than they found it.

that's so sweet!

it's weird, because while like every other molly fan, i've had thoughts on his resurrection and a fic series i'm working on, but i'd never really... thought about the end of the campaign, or what it might be like?

(ETA this ended up so long im so sorry i have a lot to say apparently and this isn't even all of it)

my biggest and most important thing: they are a family. they belong together. maybe they'll go off on their own for a while, or stay with their families, but the nein belong together.

for fjord... he spent so long trying to be someone else, and while he's learning how to be his own person now, he deserves closure on that part of himself. he deserves a last conversation with vandren, and then to move on, to explore new places, to find new goals for himself. there is so much for him now, the open sea with so much life and promise. he buys a ship, a new ship, all his own, not one borrowed or stolen from another, and jester paints its name, decorates its quarters, makes it a home. he wrangles the nein (yes, even veth, yes, even essek) into joining him, and they set sail, all nine of them, the way it couldn't be the first time. he shows molly the ropes, teaches essek how to navigate, and watches his crew, his friends, his family, learning from him, placing so much trust in him, letting him guide them, and sees how truly happy they are to be here with him. usually, the crew is him, jester, beau, and often molly and yasha, but sometimes he will leave for a time, entrusting the boat to orly. sailing isn't all he has now, there is more to see, to do, there are things for him on land now too, but the sea will always be home to him.

for jester... she deserves her happy fairytale ending. i think for a while she stays with her family, seeing her parents happily together, finally properly introducing her boyfriend, and just spending time with her mum in a way that she didn't get to so much when she was young. and then i think she travels, just for the sake of exploring, with no defined goal other than to sow the seeds of joy and chaos everywhere she walks. and as she travels, she begins to write. stories were homes to her as a child, and they're homes even now, for someone with such a powerful imagination. she writes of her adventures, of her friends, she writes of mystical and fantastical things, half of them real. she writes and writes, words and illustrations filling so many books, she gives them to beau, to yasha, passes them off as silly little things, as though they aren't brilliant works of art. all of the nein read her stories - yasha out loud to molly as she plays with his hair, caduceus and calliope in the quiet of their garden, caleb and essek by the light of their bedside table. and in time the stories reach others, scattered journals are copied and bound into books, and one day jester wanders a quiet, nameless town, and in the window of a bookshop she's never seen, embossed on the cover of a novel, there is a brilliant green door.

for caleb... oh man, he is a teacher. that is so perfect for him, and i've been thinking about it ever since his talk with luc. i think there's something so powerful about being the person he deserved when he was younger, about stepping into that position of power and authority and being so kind with it. he's so passionate about magic, and i think it's beautiful to see him come so far - from someone burned and traumatised and so convinced he was irredeemable, to someone who can take comfort in soft things, someone who some days, almost, almost believes he can be good. i think out of everyone, except perhaps veth, he stays home the most. he still adventures with the nein of course, and if there is ever a whisper of artefacts or hidden knowledge or some expedition or other, the nein are with him in an instant to investigate it. but more often than not he is home, making the empire a better place, keeping the fire warm for them.

for veth... i want her to learn that she is enough as she is. i want her to learn that she doesn't have to choose between wife, adventurer, mother. she is all of these things. i want her to accept that her transformation was not a return to her old self but becoming someone new. i think she goes home, as she promised, and i do think she stays there for a long while, a few years perhaps, making up for lost time. and she'll pretend that she's fine with that life, with staying home, with being a wife and a mother. but that isn't all she is, and eventually, with yeza's help, with the nein's help, she will accept that. she'll no longer see it as two lives, two identities. she'll be able to kill fearsome beasts and explore strange new lands with her friends without guilt or fear, and at the end of the day she'll go home and regale her husband and son with extraordinary tales of her and her friends' heroics (that may or may not be exaggerated).

for yasha... i want her to be happy and loved. she's come SO far, from someone running from her past, drowning in guilt and so unsure of herself, to someone strong and bold. i love that ashley said she would do little odd jobs - i think she would do that, go around helping people as they explore. like most of the others, i don't think she would truly settle down. i like to imagine she does have a house somewhere - maybe inspired by the clays, she has a home somewhere green, surrounded by flowers, somewhere quiet and calm and peaceful. a little cottage maybe, for her and beau, just somewhere to return to and feel safe, somewhere she can rest. but i think most of her time would be spent travelling, seeing all the wonderful beautiful things the world has to offer, being with her friends who love her for exactly who she is, who showed her that she was someone worthy of being loved, who taught her that it's possible for her to love herself.

for caduceus... i think, for a time, he rests. he's tired. not done, far from done, but tired. i think he stays with his family at the grove, tending to all the things that are now so vibrant and alive, feeling the walls he was so sure would crumble. but after a time, he would feel that he is supposed to leave. the grove is wonderful, and will always be his home, somewhere he will always return to, and i think throughout his life - throughout the nein's life, and of course they will come to rest there, after everything - he will come home, to tend to the garden, to watch over the temple while his siblings roam. i think he travels, too, but not so much to adventure. after everything he's been through i think he deserves some peace, and quiet. he travels all the lonely winding roads, all the quiet humming spaces, sees all the life in all the hidden corners. while several members of the nein travel with him, it's yasha that walks with him the most, happy to go at his pace, eager to share in that peace and wonder.

for molly... there is so much for him now. he is no longer covered in eyes, no longer has that weight on him, even if he does hold memories of it, in darker moments. he is him but brand new, able to forge himself into whoever he wants to be, and the nein give him so much space and so much time for that. i think he stays with the clays for a little while - while the others deal with trent, yasha, so so scared to lose him again, places all her trust in caduceus to take care of him. and when they return (to find him with freshly cut hair the same colours as his coat, and a particularly proud looking clarabelle), they just spend time with him, all the time they missed and more. fjord tells him of their journey, jester showing him her journal, giving him meaning for it all, and all the time yasha holds his hand, unwilling to ever let him go. it's hard, being gone for so long, and while he is so, so (embarrassingly) proud of his friends for all that they've gone through, and how much they've grown, it's also glaringly obvious that he can't keep up. he almost has it in mind to leave - he doesn't want to hold them back, and he can't help but wonder if he's really the molly they want - it's hard to live up to a memory, after all. and there is so much he's missed. they tell him he's a moron, obviously. he is their friend, and there is nothing they won't do for friends, and waiting, staying, is such a small thing to ask. beau trains him, at his insistence - she thinks it's a joke at first, tells him that she'd be a terrible teacher, just as she was a terrible student. she's wrong, of course, and molly grows stronger by the day. he has so many adventures with them, sailing the seas on fjord's ship, sowing chaos with jester, fighting side by side with beau. there is not a single day that he isn't with his friends, yasha most of all. they are with him through everything, though good days, so many good days, and through bad ones too. molly has so much time - time the nein have given him, as he once gave to them - to live, to love, to wander, to form new memories and experiences. to be everything he never had the chance to the first time, and so much more.

for beau... she is so, so scared at first. they saved the world. they stopped trent. they've done... everything they've set out to do. what's left? what's keeping them together? when molly tries to run it reminds her so much of how she felt before, how she thought to run, to leave them before they could leave her. he returns the favour, reminds her that they are family, reminds her that she has worth, and the nein want her to stay, that they keep her, just as they kept him. (she almost believes him, and definitely doesn't cry). she does so many things - she goes home with yasha once in a while, somewhere tranquil, somewhere to study and research, she travels with caduceus, learning to appreciate a slower pace and all the quiet contemplation and companionship it can offer, she travels with fjord, his first mate, his best mate, allowing someone she trusts to take the helm and lead her on adventures. and she studies - long gone are the days of pretending to turn her nose up at books - she is one of professor widogast's best (and most irritating) students, learning magic not to weave it herself but just to understand it, just learning for the sake of learning. when she confronts her father, fjord and caleb are there as they should be - fjord to talk, to use his words and his charm to help, caleb in quiet solidarity, a hand on her shoulder, just standing with her as she tears down her mentor, her abuser, and comes out stronger for it, just as she had been there for him. finally, she can put that behind her, and she stays with the soul, as their greatest expositor (though maybe one who never does their paperwork), rooting out corruption, seeking the truth, exploring new horizons.

for essek... he spends a long time waiting for the past to catch up to him. it doesn't. it already has, in a way, if only in his own mind, the once unfamiliar guilt that weighs heavily on his shoulders. it never goes away, not entirely, but time heals, and so does the presence of the rest of the nein, always in his life, for as long as they can be. though he and caleb have different goals, they overlap so neatly, and though essek has a place in his own homeland, he spends far, far more time living with caleb. he continues with his research, caleb and beau poring over his notes, sharing his excitement and passion. he doesn't go on adventures near as much as the others, preferring to stay home, but he visits them, in all their different homes scattered across the land - jester in nicodranas, the clays at the blooming grove, veth and her family on the outskirts of zadash, beau and yasha's cottage in a little forest near felderwin. he has homes scattered across the land, so many places he is always welcome, and while guilt never entirely leaves, nor does the knowledge that one day, of course, all this will end, he finds peace.

i guess the reason i've never thought about the campaign ending is because for me.. it doesn't, not really. the mighty nein are family, chosen family. they stay together, they find homes in each other, and they leave every place better than they found it.

[pichitinha]

Fic Writer Questions!

I was tagged by @peter-covinskys, thank you!! 🥰

1) How many works do you have on AO3?

eighty-five !!!!!!!!!!! if only i remembered how to write so i could reach one hundred rip

2) What’s your total AO3 word count?

exactly 337,220. not much but it's honest work

3) How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

in total 6-ish

harry potter, percy jackson, doctor who (kinda), young justice/dcu, rpdr, to all the boys

4) What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

747: It's what friends do - Young Justice (Birdflash)

626: Possibly, Maybe - RPDR (Trixya)

434: Searching, Waiting, Looking - RPDR (Trixya)

428: It only takes a taste - RPDR (Trixya)

338: When no one else was looking - To All The Boys (Covinsky)

5) Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

always!!! responding to comments is one of my favorite parts of the fic process!!!

6) What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

i am a fluffy/happy ending person through and through so i was inclined to say "none" when i remembered i have this one sad (alternate)ten/rose fic that i just reread and while my english was atrocious back then and i truly intend on going back and fixing it, it's pretty poetic and angsty i think

So far we are... so close - Doctor Who

7) What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

literally all of them except for the one above and "gone tonight" which is sort of open ended lmao. but i'm gonna go with SWL bc it's a multichapter and i wrote a whole epilogue of fluffy so

8) Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you’ve written?

i don't and i don't think i ever will but i do think about my favorite characters interacting a LOT. my most constant scenario is a hospital au with all of my main ships, i have everyone's specialties in my mind and i revisit scenes often, it's wonderful

9) Have you ever received hate on a fic?

full on hate, never, but there were two instances that were kind of funny:

- i was partaking in a fic forum contest with the theme "meta" so i wrote a meta fic (fics that mention the existence of that universe fanfic within it) and i tagged it and all and someone left me a lengthy comment about how much they hate meta fics and i was like??? ok???

- i have this cute little piece called glasses where percy "steals" jason's glasses and goes to the canoe lake and annabeth tries to retrieve them and they get all cute and kiss once (1) and someone left me a comment asking how dare i post such explicit content in a fic rated K? ASDFHDJSHSH

10) Do you write smut? If so what kind?

sometimes! it's difficult for me and not something that i find fits most of my stories, but sometimes it does and it flows well. i've written some, but it's in the lowest percentage of my writing

11) Have you ever had a fic stolen?

oh boy, have i. a few times. last two times were separate occasions, months apart, but by the same fucking person. wattpad is fucking hell. they changed the names and just posted it to another fandom.

12) Have you ever had a fic translated?

once but it fits better into the previous question: one time i was searching the percabeth tag (that was like years and years and years ago) and there was this little drabble in portuguese (my mother tongue) and i started reading it and it was SO familiar and i was like wait a minute this is mine??? so like i wrote it in portuguese, then translated it into english myself, and someone without asking for permission or crediting me translated it back into portuguese and posted it as if it was theirs. it was a ride

13) Have you ever co-written a fic before?

no and i think im too controlling to ever do that

14) What’s your all time favorite ship?

that would be mister perseus jackson and miss annabeth chase aka literally the best otp that has ever existed they love each other so much and they will live a full life of happiness and that's all i have to say

15) What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

omg so many... im still in the hopeful stages for all the ones for my current fandom (tatb) so let's skip that and go to previous fandoms:

the trixya jealously one. i have like 8k of it and i liked it so much. it's so far from done. i wish i could finish it.

the hinny spy au. i loved when i had that idea. god that was such a long time ago rip

and the fake death yj au. god i wish.

16) What are your writing strengths?

right now i feel like it's nothing tbh, and i'm doing this to be dramatic or fishing for compliment, it's just been such a long period of writer's block that everything in writing seems weak to me right now. i am however much better at scenes with only two characters, the more people you throw in there the more likely i am to screw it up

17) What are your writing weaknesses?

as mentioned, any scenes with lots of people, but also may i say: ENDINGS. ending a fic is literally the hardest thing on the planet i don't understand how people do it smh

18) What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

i like it if it fits the characters/story but i absolutely hate not knowing what they're saying or having to wait for the author's note, so i'm a fan of putting the translation immediately after if you're gonna do that

19) What was the first fandom you wrote for?

harry potter.......... we've been there folks

20) What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

how can a person even choose this....... i'm proud of so many of mine. if i had to pick one right now i'd say "Just fall into place (you'll fall into me)" bc i wrote the type of fic that i love finding in my other fandoms and it felt like such an accomplishment. but im proud of many of them

i'm tagging @promiseofthepremise @scarletenvy @xgoldendays @byima and whoever else writes fic i totally lost sight of that in here sorry folks!!!

[youngbugandtonystank]

Is there any evidence that she hates Tony Stark in the MCU? I'm sick and tired of reading the same fanfics where she insults him... it's ooc she would never just insult someone just like that! some iron dad authors are just racist and love to write her as a woke activist because they don't care about her character pt 2

she's usually peter's plus 1 for parties and events and they bring her to insult tony and admire pepper I don't understand! explain it to me because it doesn't add up! when are they going to leave the weapons dealer story behind? she would call him that on his face she is not a disrespectful brat! pt 3

Same anon here! Im sorry I didn't specify who i was talking about! it’s mj from the mcu movies not the comics!

Hi

I don’t think those authors are racist, sweetheart. I think they’re writing her like that because that’s the way they understand her personality/character. Jon W. didn’t give us a lot of material about her in Homecoming and to be honest, we don’t know much about her so she’s going to be written with the few stuff they have shown us on screen. 

And no, there’s no evidence of such thing. As a matter of fact, Zendaya loves Robert Downey Jr. and Tony Stark a lot. She said the most iconic part of Homecoming was RDJ/Tony Stark, she also has mentioned that she’s a big fan and that Iron Man doesn’t need wings to fly because he’s a boss lmao. When asked about who was her favorite character before joining the MCU, she said Tony Stark. I remember doing a requested compilation of this last year:

Zendaya being a fan of Robert Downey Jr. for 2 minutes straight

And she’s one of the few people that actually understands Tony and Peter’s connection:

Source.

She even said Tony was a great mentor to Peter and that is a really nice relationship to see. 

She has explained her character multiple times through many interviews and in none of those she has ever stated that her character hates Tony Stark. I think most of those writers think of her like that because her character acts or maybe even is an activist in the movies, but I’m sure such a smart girl like her understands that Tony is not a dealer anymore or anything like that. Zendaya’s said before that MJ sees through people and can read them pretty well, then I’m sure Michelle would just see right through Tony and would understand he’s not what the media says about him. And just like you said, she’s not a disrespectful brat. 

And why would MJ love Pepper and hate Tony when Pepper was also part of Stark Industries when they were selling weapons? Does that make her any less responsible? Nope. Yes, it’s Tony’s company but she was part of it too. She herself admitted it:

Maya Hansen: Yeah, but Killian built that think tank on military contracts.

Pepper Potts: That's exactly what we used to do. So, don't judge yourself.

So it doesn’t make sense that she admires Pepper but can’t forgive Tony. In that case, she must hate every single superhero out there, including Peter, because he's made mistakes too. And I’m sure she understands that can happen. 

Thnx♥