#i will speak more on crossover lore later if asked

[iforgottoavoidthenoid]

fun fact i actually did make noid parents in me and 2 friends' little universe just for the fuck of it

mirabella and robert noid, another fun fact is that robert actually took up mirabella's last name, and mirabella was the last bunny-suit wearing weirdo until her son, theodore noid, decided that he wanted to take up that title right after her

another fun fact!! i made the noid clones mr. green's adopted kids bc notice how the other people who worked for him got their asses beat but his babies only had to sit through a pizza eating contest. he would never let them get hurt badly. after yo noid was said and done though, he apologized to them. despite being unhinged, maurice (hc name for mr. green) is actually a decent father. another thing i made up is that the dark green one is mr. green's only biological kid because she's a darker green! i named her remmy and she's the oldest out of all of her siblings. i can show concepts for refs but they are not final! i need to redraw refs again

I LOVE MAKING UP STUPID CRINGE LORE RAHHH!!! @tasonix10 @barnabybugspeopleonline a crumb of new crossover lore just dropped ‼️‼️‼️‼️

[quetzalpapalotl]

The only IDW I’ve read is MTMTE/LL, and I want to read more, specifically about Optimus. I only know him from Prime, and there, he’s the Superman-like hero, can do no harm kind of guy; I was hoping to see a different take on him. Where do I start for comics that focus on him?

Hello! So glad to have this question! I looove IDW1 Optimus and it's my interest to spread that, lol. When it comes to IDW1 Optimus, many writers have different takes on him, but John Barber is really the one that defines the character, or at least it is if you're interested in OP because of my blog. So the short answer is to read the exRID and Optimus Prime ongoings.

That being said, MTMTE is a far more self-contained story than the rest of the entries in the continuity. Barber's stuff not only gets a lot of crossovers and side stories, but Barber is known for being continuity-obsessed (same), and his Optimus is very much written as a reconciliation of all the interpretations of the character in the comics, taking even the negative implications others ignored and dealing with them face-on. The reading is definitively enriched by context.... but also I'm not gonna ask you to read all of IDW1 because a lot of those comics are... boring at best tbh, and I understand reading comics just for lore is not everyone's idea of a good time, haha.

So I prepared for you a Optimus-focused reading order for IDW1 with little explanations for each entry. Because Optimus is such an important character, his path crosses with many plotlines, so I tried to make it so you would be able to get a full, mostly-coherent story, while also keeping the focus on him. Just keep the following in mind: I am biased. This skips most, if not all, of phase 1 (comics published from 2005 to 2011) because I personally judged it not worth it in an attempt to lower the number of comics (so many). This also skips all the series and crossovers where Optimus doesn't feature prominently (so none of the Windblade series or things like Revolutionaries) so you will lack context for some stuff but I think you should be able to pull through. Finally, there will be issues of exrid/OP where Optimus doesn't show up, but it's all part of the storyline, and also Barber writes about Optimus not only as a person but as an ideal, his influence speaks even in his abscence.

Stormbringer by Simon Furman

An ancient evil awakes, Optimus deals with it while remembering the events that led to Cybertron dying. Nothing to write home about, you can skip it, but it's a quick read and it will give you a taste of how Furman writes Optimus (I'm skipping everything else by Furman btw), which was a heavy influence on JRo (from Marvel) and Barber. You can skip it if you want.

The Transformers (2009 ongoing) by Mike Costa

This is a big jump, so for context: previously the Decepticons did a full scale invasion of Earth as well as almost wiping out the Autobots thanks to intel from a traitor. Eventually the Autobots managed to come on top and defeat the Decepticons. Now the Autobots are stranded on Earth, humans have a terrible opinion of Cybertronians and Optimus wants to make reparations. This series presents a lot of interesting stuff that Barber will expand on. Unfortunately, Costa was (by his own admission) not invested in writing Transformers and it shows, particulary, he doesn't understand Optimus' appeal enough to make something interesting with it, but it was still an influence on Barber. There is some good stuff, but I'm afraid to bore you before getting to the actual good stuff. So you can skip it or come back to read it later.

Chaos Theory by James Roberts

These are issues #22 and #23 from the Costa ongoing, in case you decide to skip it. This is the one thing in phase 1 that you must read. We get a more complex take on Optimus, a look into his relationship with Megatron and their past. It introduces JRo's not-at-all controversial idea of making Orion Pax a cop (if only there was a writer that would later deal with the implications of that).

Autocracy by Chris Metzen & Flint Dille

A radically different take on Orion from JRo, this series is set in the past and shows us a bitter Orion who sees no good sides anywhere in the events that lead to the fall of Zeta Prime. Look, I like this in retrospective, but I don't think it's good on its own, feels very edgy for edge's sake (I have a lot to say about this, actually). Still a dear friend likes it so maybe you will. Either way, Barber will later write an arc that feels like a direct response to this that's one of my favorite parts of OP's character so it's worth a read at some point.

The Death of Optimus Prime by James Robers & John Barber

A single issue that serves as a prologue for the sister ongoings. after using the matrix to save the day at the end of Costa's ongoing, Optimus awakens to a rejuvenated Cybertron. The neutrals come back home and Optimus wonders about his place in peacetime.

Robots in Disguise #1-9 by John Barber Robots in Disguise annual

We see how Bumblebee and co. try to deal with an unstable peace on Cybertron. OP only shows up in issue 6, but since you will eventually have to read all of exRID, may as well read the beginning. Also Arcee shows up, and she will be as important for the themes as Optimus himself, so again, might as well.

More Than Meets the Eye #9-11 by James Roberts More than Meets the Eye #36 Spotlight: Orion Pax

It will do good to revisit Mtmte's Shadowplay arc as we see more of Orion's backstory and his relationship with Senator Shockwave. It may be a long jump, but since we're not focused on Mtmte itself, might as well complete JRo's stuff and read issue #36, where Team Rodimus travels back in time, in that issue we see what Orion is doing after angering Sentinel with no Senator to protect him, now under the guide of Zeta. All of this important for OP's character and for Cybertron's political backstory. Then in Spotlight: Orion Pax, we see Orion working under Zeta-now-Prime and his perspective on current issues.

Monstrosity and Primacy by Chris Metzen & Flint Dille

Following Autocracy, these two series shows us Optimus struggling with his newly-adquired Primacy. Suffer from a lot of the same issues as Autocracy, but in my opinion they're less pointlessly edgy. They don't have as much relevance, however, so you can skip them if it feels like too much.

Robots in Disguise #10-22 by Jonh Barber

We're back to the main series. Again, Orion only shows up in issues #10 and #19, but the same as above applies. Also this will lead up to...

Dark Cybertron by John Barber and James Roberts

A crossover event between the two ongoings, which honestly fits much more better on exRID than it does on Mtmte. It consists of 12 issues, of which #1 and #12 were published on their own, and the rest were published as More than Meets the Eye and Robots in Disguise alternatively, but you can find it all compiled in one volume. Orion has some important moments here, including retaking the name Optimus Prime (but was that really such a good idea?).

Robots in Disguise #28-34 by John Barber

After Dark Cybertron, Barber leaves most of the stuff on Cybertron to Mairghread Scott and takes us back to Earth. Optimus is now at the center on this series and will remain there. Here we start to see his struggles in trying to maintain peace, which will only get more complicated.

The Transformers #35-#38 (2014 ongoing, exRID) by John Barder

This is the same series as Robots in Disguise, expect they reduced the name to just The Transformers to avoid confusion with the comics for the Robots in Disguise 2015 cartoon. That's why we refer to the whole thing as exRID.

Punishment by John Barber

A miniseries where Optimus returns to Cybertron and tries to track down a Decepticon serial killer. Here Barber lays down some themes he will keep revisiting fot the rest of his work. Optimus faces some questions and we see how his self doubt is really taking a toll on him.

This is the first part of the Redemption of the Dinobots trilogy, followed by Redemption and Salvation set later in the continuity. Those two don't feature Optimus and so aren't on this list. However I want to say that they showcase the best of Barber's work when not restrained by editorial mandates, so I do recommend them.

Combiner Wars by John Barber & Mairghread Scott

A crossover similar to Dark Cybertron published across two series, this time between exRID and Windblade. Strascream schemes so Camminus will be indebted to him, Windblade and Optimus use OP's Prime clout to try to diminish his influence (this will surely not become an habit for OP). As questionable as that is, Prowl thinks is not enough and takes matters into his own hands. I think it does a good enough job depiste all the To Sell Toys mandates and either way, it will influence what's to come and we get to see the reason for Prowl and OP falling out

The Transformers #42-#55 (exRID) by John Barber

We continue with the Earth plot. Optimus keeps struggling with peace and makes more questionable decisions. Should he leave Earth alone or is he obligated to protect it? How do you protect that which doesn't want yout help?

Titans Return

A sort of crossover, it opens with a one-shot which is followed by exRID #56-57, and then Mtmte #56-57. For our purposes, you don't have to read the MTMTE chapters, but if you did while on your own MTMTE read you may want to revisit them now with context.

Revolution by John Barber and Cullen Bunn (+others)

Okay, this is where we start with the Hasbroverse crossovers. A six issue series (from 0 to 5) backed up by one shots from every individual series featured. This isn't impossible to follow, but it does drag because it features a buch of characters and plotlines a Transformers-only reader won't care about and the writing isn't great. It does feature some "WTF, Optimus" moments (as in, on purpose), Optimus learns humans are not so defenseless and it is kinda relevant, so you may still want to read it. If you do, make sure to also read the Till All Are One: Revolution one shot (and might as well add the The Transformers one because Thundercraker is in it and he's great, and again, the Mtmte one so you can read it with context this time).

Optimus Prime #1-8 by John Barber

We start phase 3 with an arc that's a favorite of mine. Optimus plays with fire to get Earth to join the Council of Worls for its own good. We also get flashbacks of Orion working under Zeta pre Autocracy and pre Spotlight. Barber recontextualizes Autocracy!Orion, deals with the cop thing in ways JRo didn't dare and explores why me made the choices he did without trying to wash his hands.

Transformers Annual 2017 by John Barber

I don't know why this isn't labeled as an Optimus Prime annual, but whatever, it takes place after issue #8. Optimus and Pyra Magna have talk.

Optimus Prime #9-10 by John Barber

We get what I think is one of the most touching issues followed by learning more about the history of Cybertron.

First Strike by Mairghread Scott and David A. Rodriguez (+others)

More crossover fun! I honestly can't tell you how easy this is to follow without having read Revolutionaries (not featured on this guide). Again it's kinda relevant, some of this is a consequence of Optimus actions, leads to Unicron being awoken, and it does have some key Optimus moments, this time by Scott rather than Barber, if you want to see what she does with him. It has the tie-in comics, Optimus Prime: First Strike and Transformers: First Strike by John Barber (the laters follow the former, despite having different names) which don't feature OP a lot.

Optimus Prime #11-14 by John Barber

We see what Optimus' followers get up to while OP is busy in First Strike and then what follows after that event.

Optimus Prime annual by John Barber

Thundercraker tries to make a movie about Starscream (who is in jail after confessing to all his crimes in the Till All Are One annual), it's great.

Optimus Prime #15-21 by John Barber

Barber starts to pay off things he has been building up since exRID as Unicron approaches.

This is the recommended order for what remains (all by Jonh Barber)

Unicron #0 Optimus Prime #22 Unicron #1-4 Optimus Prime #23-24 Unicron #5-#6 and finally Optimus Prime #25

Unicron is here to make Cybertronians face their legacy. Optimus arc comes to an end. OP #25 is my favorite comic issue. I hope you manage to get there, and if you do, let me know what you think!

I hope this was helpful. If you get confused by lacking context, it may help to check the continuity notes section of whatever issue you just read in TFWiki's page for it. And as always, feel free to as me more questions!

[grifff17]

Audiodrama Sunday 8/25/2024

Happy audiodrama Sunday! Lets get right into it.

NEW SHOW ALERT Case Study: IREC-A59 is a new sci-fi audiodrama about first contact with aliens - from the perspective of the aliens. I really enjoyed the pilot episode, it has a cool framing device. The basic premise of the story is a really cool unique idea. Also, the captain really sounds like Zach Valenti of Wolf 359, I genuinely thought he was until the credits.

I listened to part 2 of @midstpodcast's Moonward. The line “I think I have a crush on my leg” really got me, but also like it’s a really interesting character arc. David is so likeable!

In @wanderersjournalpod the plot thickens. Is the journal making them swap places by subconsciously walking toward where the other is? Will this cause them to meet eventually?

I continues listening to @cryptonature. The background worldbuilding in this show is so interesting. Are cryptids widely known? Does that make them no longer cryptids, technically speaking? Also the guests are crazy, a McElroy in episode 6?

I finally got around to starting season 5 of @victoriocity. I forgot how good the narration in this show is. It really reminds me of Discworld/The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. Excited to see where the plot goes with the beast in this season.

I'm continuing to (slowly) catch up on Rude tales of magic. This week I started Bears! The Blessing of the Obelisk. It was really funny, when the cast break on this show I always do too.

On Spout Lore this week there was the finale of the Critshow crossover. It was fun, I hope they do more crossovers. Then later this week the new season started. I swear Billy is such a good character, such a great and well done example of the the “immortal child” trope. Jessica understands playing kid characters so well. This was almost a serious episode, between the funeral and the horror.

In Skyjacks: Courier's Call this week Cici is back! God I wish I was one quarter as outgoing and unafraid of what people think about me as Cici is. The entity at the end was so intimidating, I wonder if Cici is going to end up getting her curse from it. I like the idea that when the kids reunite, they all have something new to show the others.

With the @electromancypodcast update, and someone asking me for magic school story recommendations recently, Electromancy has really been on my mind lately, so I've decided to start a relisten of it. I'll probably start that next week.

[bouncydragon]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Thanks for the tag @amidnight--dreary!

1. How many works do you have on ao3?

Currently 46. No doubt there will be more to come, once I manage to actually finish any of my WIPs.

2. What’s your total ao3 word count?

234.084. I'm a little disappointed in myself right now.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

The bulk of my AO3 fics are for the MCU but I have moved on from that and I'm mostly writing for Peaky Blinders right now (and possibly in the future as well). I have two unfinished MCU fics that I will eventually finish, I swear. There's also a few fics written for other fandoms but it's usually single fics.

4. Top five fics by kudos

In order: The King Is Dead, Long Live The King, Winter Butterfly, A Simple Act, Early Bird, and Sleepy Head.

5. Do you respond to comments?

Yes. Though I'm sure I have missed some...

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Oh, hm. I think it would be Dead Boy's Poem, which in my not so humble opinion is a great story, it's just that it ends very badly.

7. What is the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I'm sure there's a few that qualify... At the top of my head I'd pick there goes my mind racing, just because it's a story that's very dear to me and one I actually love to reread. But honestly, there's probably a few fics that qualify, A Simple Act would be one of them for example. Winter Butterfly might fall in that category once it's actually finished...

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I think I remember getting some way back when but I can't remember what it was about, not that it even matters. I do recall having a brief argument with the person, I just deleted the comment thread. Nothing since then I think... I hope it remains that way.

9. Do you write smut?

Ah, well, not really. I have tried my hand at it but it wasn't anything explicit, basically everything but, so right leading up to the steamy stuff. I felt a bit awkward writing that, so I probably stick to hinting at stuff etc. But who knows, perhaps in the future...

10. Craziest crossover?

Well, I don't think I've written crossovers. As far as crazy stories go though, it's definitely the two stories involving the Avengers and resurrected dinosaurs. (Don't ask.)

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I don't think so, which is good. Hopefully it won't ever happen.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Sadly not. I have translated my own shit though. Well, one. I wrote it in my native language and later translated it to English to post it. That's also one of the first fics I ever posted on AO3, way back in 2019.

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

Yes! Winter Butterfly is a project of the wonderful @worstloki and me, which we really have to finish at some point... I recall that we talked about it at the end of last year, and I forgot to check on the fic since then... Sorry.

14. All time favorite ship?

Ah damn. I have to say that it's probably Tofie (Tommy and Alfie from Peaky Blinders). It's the ship I write mostly for now and also the ship that kind of has stolen my heart, so to speak. I just love bisexual disaster gangsters. It used to be Frostiron. It's the one I've written most for and it still is dear to me but unfortunately it has been dethroned.

15. What’s a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Oh. At the top of my head it's a fic called "When Dragons Cry", which I haven't posted and it just sits in my docs and judges me. It's Frostiron and Loki is a dragon and his egg has been stolen. There's convoluted lore to it as well.

But also a fic/series called "here I am alone between the heavens and the embers" which is about Tommy from Peaky and ghosts. Do ask me about that. Maybe if I talk about it, I will actually fucking work on it. It's so ambitious in my opinion, and I don't know if I am confident enough in my abilities to actually write it. I mean, I have started it and I do like what I've written, but damn...

There's probably more... Now I feel awful for all the abandoned projects... Anyway!

16. What are your writing strengths?

I cannot answer this because I don't know. Even if I think longer about it, I probably won't be able to come up with a satisfactory answer. It's probably something others are more capable of answering for me.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Honestly, same answer as 16. Though I guess I could say smut because it's just something I haven't practiced as much.

18. Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

I think it's good. Though my language knowledge is very limited. I have used some in the past but it's usually very simple phrases that even a translator cannot fuck up.

19. First fandom you wrote in?

I've had that question recently and my answer is still not any more definite. It's probably Naruto, NCIS or Warriors. Though the more I think about it, the more I believe it was Warriors. But can't remember honestly.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

There's a bunch but if I have to pick, I'm gonna pick Lest We Forget again because it's a fic I'm very, very proud of and which deserves more attention in my not so humble opinion.

Tagging some writers, hope you don't mind, also no pressure obviously... @poormeowmeowcollector @justhallucinating @rabentochter @whentommymetalfie @justrainandcoffee @andtherewerefireworks

[darting-ironthorn]

"Yanqing, lieutenant of the Luofu Cloud Knights, reporting in!"

rules and info below the cut!!

Rules (ooc)

➤ NO NSFW ANYTHING!! MOD IS A MINOR!! i am also not comfortable with suggestive asks

➤ Mod is not comfortable with flirting on their blogs UNLESS they have spoken with the other person before hand

➤ Racists, proshippers, incest shippers, ableists, homophobes, anything of the like, do not interact, you'll be blocked

➤ In character asks are good (this is a rp blog after all)

➤ I don't roleplay in DMs, but you can DM for important things/to ask for ships

➤ Please be patient when waiting for answers to asks, I am in school and get BUSY

➤ No shipping wars, all ships (that are of age) are allowed

➤ Mod is autistic and may misunderstand stuff please be patient with me

➤ Hate is ignored and deleted so like. don't try what's the point.

General

➤ MOD DOES NOT PLAY HONKAI STARRAIL OFTEN AND ALSO DOESN'T HAVE YANQING IN GAME. I JUST AM OBSESSED WITH THE LITTLE GUY. DON'T EXPECT HUGE UNDERSTANDING OF LORE

➤ Mod uses he/they pronouns thank you!!

➤ May seem ooc as i have hcs sprinkled in here

➤ Italics for actions, bold for shouting/yelling, italics and quotations for thoughts, quotations for speaking, small text is for whispering (um. i might forget this sorry.)

➤ More stuff may be added here as needed

➤ Genshin blogs can interact with crossover shenanigans, but this is NOT a crossover blog. Mod is more familiar with genshin

➤ Other Honkai Starrail blogs to check out: https://www.tumblr.com/dr-ratio-official/740636881328422912?source=share Go drop them a follow and an ask!!

Tags and Signoffs

🐦 time for some swordplay : general interactions

⚔️ practice is over : shenanigans/in character rambles

ooc : mod talks

More may be added...later.

[darkartistyt]

lore time :] (the crossover arc)

Inspired by @/citrus-soda's au, this au (name pending) started out as just a combo between two ideas I had: what if the Bracelet of Tiamat had extra powers, and what if Katrielle and Raphael interacted? Of course, because I'm me, things got out of hand quick, and now there's a whole story and stuff

I also decided it was going to be one of my pl harpy aus specifically because I didn't know how else to get the ball rolling with the bracelet nonsense. All you really need to know about the harpy aus is that at one point in the main one, Luke has a vision (he's a seer) of some distant-ish future, and one person in his vision was somehow able to look back through it, which shouldn't be possible with the way visions work in this magic system. Magic fuckery ensues, creating a bunch of issues in alternate timelines which result in them diverging so much they become separate universes

In this world, the magic fuckery in question ends up creating a bunch of random space-time rifts for a minute, and Kat and Ernest just happen to fall through one that opened up on the floor in the midst of some investigation. So now they're in France in like. 2012 or whenever this game is set

Since it's post-game, I decided that how they meet Raphael is by crossing paths with him as he goes to return the Bracelet to the Louvre (as Phantom R, ofc). It senses their presence and the magic energy they carried --- it works kinda like how scents can be carried --- and activates, wrapping tightly around Phantom R's wrist so that he can't take it off

He dips after affirming that he's okay in order to avoid any potential questions of why he was trying to sneak into the museum, and he tries that night to pry it off his wrist, but to no avail. On top of that, he ends up crossing paths with them again while on a date with Marie and Charlie, and Kat recognizes him immediately and asks how he's doing

So now he has to explain not just the fact that he couldn't get it off but also how he met these two to his partners. He also makes Kat and Ernest swear not to ever reveal his identity as Phantom R, and they oblige on the condition that he help them with their predicament

The group plan to meet up at Raphael's apartment later that afternoon, which gives Kat and Ernest plenty of time to continue snooping around and seeing if they can find anything that will help them (spoiler: they don't)

When they all meet back up, Kat explains her and Ernest's situation. Marie and Raphael brief them on the admittedly weak powers they've seen from the Bracelet and Marie's violin before, but they all agree that there may be more that they have yet to unlock, which could hopefully help the duo return home. They decide to try and strengthen those powers while also still searching for other methods of opening portals and whatnot in the meantime

Given how small Raphael's apartment is, Charlie agrees to take in the two, even though Ernest wanted to find a hotel or something so as to not burden him. He reluctantly agrees only because Kat argued that it would be a lot easier (and cheaper) to accept Charlie's offer versus go through the process of converting the money they had, especially when taking into account the fact that they were from the past, if not an alternate universe entirely. Charlie does have to explain their predicament to his father, but Inspector Vergier ends up being surprisingly willing to help

Over the next few days, Raphael unlocks stronger and stronger powers, from animal whispering and heightened senses to stuff like teleportation and the ability to breath fire like a dragon. Speaking of dragons, he begins to undergo a physical transformation over the last three days they're all together, which slowly turns him into some weird dragon-like creature. All the while, they're trying to figure out how the Bracelet's power works and trying to see if they can at some point re-open that portal that sent Kat and Ernest to their world

On the fifth day after their initial meeting, they decide to go back to the place the portal was and see if there's any remaining magic there, since at that point Raphael might be able to sense that stuff. They set out rather late into the night, and even though he's exhausted, he hides it and tries to see if he can sense anything, and he manages to pick up on something very, very faint

While they're trying to determine if anything can be done, the Bracelet suddenly starts to loosen itself from his wrist. Its eyes glow, then its body. It begins to straighten out, moving strangely organically. Then, it spirals up his arm and shoots directly into his mouth, nearly choking him

Everyone's like "WHAT THE FUCK?!" and rush to ask Raphael if he's okay, to which he says he's fine, but they can all tell he's lying. He feels dizzy, like he could faint at any moment, and his vision's starting to distort, as if the world around him was glitching out (Kat can kinda detect a distortion too, but not as strongly, meaning though a lot of the Bracelet's magic fuckery was internal, it was strong enough to spill out into the outside world too). Before he knows it, he passes out

Marie, being the closest to him physically, is the first to check and make sure he's not a) dead or b) feverish, both of which thankfully end up being false. So she carries him home, the other three trailing behind her. They discuss what to do now and end up planning to meet up early in the morning, before Raphael wakes up, to at least make sure he's okay. Charlie also insists that if they need anything to call him --- that he'll have his phone on and nearby

The next morning is when the transformation is complete (which is what my first sketch was about). He has, in a way, fused with the Bracelet, and is now able to utilize its full power. It' starts raining as they're messing around's a rainy day, which works in their favor as there are not that many people out and about. They decide to head out and try to reopen the portal. But no matter how hard they try, and no matter what Raphael tries to do, it doesn't work. Eventually, Charlie asks if, instead of opening a portal, they try teleporting to their world instead, since the leftover magic is still there and Raphael is able to teleport, at least. They try that, and it works after a bit, but it leaves him completely drained

find themselves in some random part of town in the middle of the night. After a bit of wandering around, Kat and Ernest are finally able to recognize where they are, and they head towards the Detective Agency, letting the others crash there for the night. Given the fact that it was closer to midday in the Rhythm Thief world, no one (spare Raphael) is super tired, so they stay up for a bit trying to figure out how much time has elapsed in this world

They form a plan: Kat and Ernest will go to whoever they need to to show that they're safe and no longer missing, then Kat will go to Luke and/or Hershel (whoever she meets first) for help with the whole "Raphael's now a dragon" thing and in sending the quartet back home

The two set out kinda early the next morning, leaving the others to explain everything to Raphael (who fell asleep halfway through their conversation). They return with Hershel, who, after introductions and all that, agrees to help. Given that there isn't anything that Raphael wears all the time for her to enchant, he ends up manifesting a small armband which is enchanted to keep him in a continuous shapeshifting state and to help him control his powers better. Marie asks if they need to find where they arrived again, but he says there's no need and tells them he can transport them back home whenever they're ready

They give their thanks and say their goodbyes, and Hershel brings them back to their world, staying with them for a little while so that he can make sure his magic would be stable here (it is, so Raphael shouldn't have any issues with the armband in the future)

[darthkvznblogs]

Hello! I've just finished reading (or letting Chrome read to me...) "Changing of the Guard" (which is super awesome) and it was the first story of this universe you've made I've consumed. I'm seeing that the very first installment mainly involves The Owl House, which is a show I'm far from being done with (Hunter has just entered the picture for me), so what can be read without being majorly spoilt? Thanks in advance!

Hey there! Thank you so much for saying so, you're very kind :)

I'll try my best to tell you what you probably should watch/read/play before consuming each of the works in the series:

-She Stole My Heart (and most of my valuables): you should watch all of TOH and Gravity Falls first, there's spoilers for both series' finales.

-The Girl Who Could Knock Out the Hulk: for the most part, you'll be fine just having some pop culture osmosis about the early MCU and DC lore regarding Kryptonians. In later chapters, the story has crossover points with other stories in the series (a POV of the major battle in Changing of the Guard as well as a series of chapters that involve characters from A Cold Day in Erebus and Thanatos Scowled), so refer to those.

-Just Another Day at the Office: definitely some major spoilers for the Mass Effect trilogy, especially ME3

-The Royal We: no real spoilers here yet

-To Rule Alone, To Built Together: minor references to canon spoilers for Miraculous Ladybug, but the story is mostly a reinterpretation of the show.

-A Cold Day in Erebus: major spoilers for the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series

-Thanatos Scowled: spoilers for PJO and Danny Phantom

-Refusal of the Call: major PJO, Danny Phantom, and also Harry Potter.

-That Which Drives Nerds to Change the World: minor spoilers for Big Hero 6: the series, though for the most part it's a retelling of the BH6 movie.

-Close Encounters of the Gem Kind: spoilers for Voltron: Legendary Defender up to season 2-ish

-Eternity in Promise: major spoilers for all of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power and for VLD up to season 3

-You and Me, and the Woman We Could Be: no real spoilers to speak of here

-Like a Puzzle Piece: some spoilers for Gravity Falls and Infinity Train Book 1

I've probably missed some stuff, since the series has grown so large, but those are the major things I can think of! There's a lot of franchises in there, so don't worry if you can't/don't want to read everything! I've tried to structure the Kverse so you can pick and choose most of the stories according to what piques your interest (though there's obviously a couple of direct sequels and connective tissue binding everything together). I hope you have a good time in the Kverse! And don't hesitate to ask any more questions you might have :) aside from major plot beat spoilers, I'm happy to answer anything about the series.

[amazing-spiderling]

for the fandom ask game: 5 6 11 16 23 24

something you see in fics a lot and love

I really love seeing Foggy sort of leap-frogging over his panic and anger and confusion in moments of crisis to get right to the part where he works on being helpful. That, "We are going to fight about this later, but right now I need to stop that bleeding" sort of thing. Foggy is absolutely allowed to have emotions and fall apart in a crisis, but he has a good head on his shoulders and certainly after a certain point he's had to learn to compartmentalize just to survive being in Matt's life. I think it's comforting to imagine having a friend or partner like that- I guess it speaks to the idea of there always being an undercurrent of love. No matter what else is going on in the moment, no matter how furious or scared or worried the events taking place right now make them, they do not supplant the love that is at the basis of the relationship. I just think that's neat.

something you see in art a lot and love

When artists really have fun with the clothing, paying attention to details and making things really specific. When someone really pays attention to drawing a certain kind of shoe- I'm just... yeah, that's the good stuff. :)

if you’re a writer or artist, what fic or piece of art are you proud of making?

Well, I'm a little bit of both- but I guess a fic sprang to mind first so I'll answer for that. (tw for fictional CSA mention btw) So, as I've not-so-casually mentioned, one of my first big/long term fandoms was Metal Gear Solid. And I know that some of the memes from that series have escaped containment, and to the outsiders it might look like "Call of Duty but with the occasional zany moment" but it does have a lot of story (too much, some might say XD) and intricate character relationships and lore and, ugh it's just SUCH fertile ground for art and fic and all the things that make fandom great. But, it *does* also very much appeal to gamer dudes of the usual type. And normally this is fine, the transformative fans and the archival fans largely keep to their own fandom spaces- but sometimes there is crossover that rubs one group or the other the wrong way.

One such case is that there is a character who has an "affair" with his step-mother, but I put that in quotes because when the dust settles, it turns out this happened when the character in question was 16. There is TERRIBLE fallout from the event (family trauma, suicide, estrangement) and the game plays it all straight- this is something that broke the already fragile family to pieces. BUT for a long time, the joke was "haha character banged his stepmom". Which. Ew.

Anyways, I always really wanted to write a story that sort of expanded on those events, not the actual relationship/abuse/fallout, but more the events that precluded it, mostly what made the character an easy target. (Isolation, otherness, a lack of confidence in who they were as an individual). Basically, I wanted to really tell a story that treated the matter with the needed level of seriousness, if only to say, "hey, this isn't a punchline, this is a traumatic experience".

I ended up watching, "The Graduate" a few times as sort of... research? Partially for tone, partially because the themes and characterization in that movie matched the vibe I was trying to go for in my own story. (I can't help but think that Kojima, known for referencing movies in his games- might have had it in mind due to some shared imagery.) This was maybe the first time I did something like that, watching a movie to pick it apart for nuance in tone, as opposed to looking at it for canon events, timelines etc.

So that story ended up being, "Surface Tension", which first appeared in the "Metal Gear Solid: Lost Years" zine, and then eventually got posted to AO3. It's not my best reviewed fic by a long shot (understandably, it's a difficult subject material and not shippy or anything), but it's one that I can say I am proud of.

a tiny detail in canon that you want more people to appreciate

Wow, this one is tricky for me- I feel like a lot of fans are way more detail oriented than I am when it comes to canon. I'm always the one in awe when people are like, "Oh in episode seven, this one song is playing in a car as it drives by, and that's significant because it came out in 2013 and that was the year that..." and i'm just like "you guys know the names of songs?"

I guess to that end- I always liked the line in, I think it's season 1 where Matt says it's a "90's Top 40" kind of guy. I think it's really funny because people characterize him as having... well, let's just say "better" musical taste, but like, no. That dude would bop his head if you played the Spin Doctors.

the fandom you’re curious about because of a mutual

I have no idea what's going on in the Trolls fandom, and at this point I'm afraid to ask. But they all look like they're having a great time.

how has fandom positively impacted your life?

I've made so many friends, and as someone who doesn't get out as much as I'd like (especially as an immunocompromised person in the middle of a pandemic), my fandom friends are so, so important to me. I love the feeling of having a group of people who love the thing I love and being able to waltz into a space and say, "Hey, who wants to do this crazy thing with me?" and have even a few people say "Yeah, let's fucking GOOOO". ^^

I also think I wouldn't write nearly as much if it wasn't for fandom, and writing has certainly gone a long way towards helping me become better at unraveling the balls of yarn in my brain and making them into sweaters and scarves, as it were. I think a lot of the time when you write, you're practicing empathy- because you're forcing yourself to see the world from someone else's perspective. Maybe the character you're writing about had something in common with you, maybe that's what drew you to them in the first place, but identifying that also helps you understand more about yourself *and* how you relate to others. So I like to think that writing has helped me relate better to other people, even the ones I disagree with, and made me more able to slow down and ask, "well, why does this person feel/think that way?" Storytelling is so important for a lot of reasons, but that's a big one for me.

[sorakh28]

The Gridman SRWDD special

So.

I don't usually do this- my Japanese skills are practically non-existent- but it features my boy Masaki, and it's double the Midorikawa and I'm on a Marth high.

From the early dialogue, it really feels like this could be featured in the Classic Saga. They mention the Inspectors, for one, and the visible cast are the ones from there, too. Considering that Shu seems to be a playable character, it's definitely post-SRW2.

WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT DARK BRAIN- AND GRIDMAN'S CHASING HIM?! oh god hello more acknowledgement of the SRW multiverse.

Aaaaaand Masaki & the Cybuster's unresponsive after DB's attack.

And now that DB's gone... was Masaki knocked out or sent into Cyberspace? He's talking face-to-face to Gridman.

Well, Masaki says "Ittai", so it could be that the former directed into the latter.

OH HEY CYFIS NAMEDROP. Did Cyfis saw Gridman chasing DB and thought "You know what would be hilarious? If my Herald was this dude's host!"?

Masaki let a few 'anta' slips, which as an 'omae' user, is rather interesting... (giving respect to Griddles?)

GRIDMAN GAVE MASAKI THE ACCEPTOR LET'S GOOOOO!

Annnnd Masaki's back in the ordinary world. The poor guy seems overwhelmed.

Okay, so no, technically Shu is just one of the player's team units. Still, Granzon vs. Granzon is like, something every SRW fans want to see, and DD gave us a taste.

There's a mention of Volkruss, so this seems to be post EX. If it's 4, F or F Final, I can't tell, however.

"Wait a minute, where the fuck is Shu, he'd be chuckling or being boastful by now!" That's because it's a Granzon replica by Dark Brain, I bet.

GRANZON VS. GRANZON LET'S GOOOOO

WORM SMASHER ON THE REPLICA GO FRICK A TREE REPLICA.

OH SHIT THIS REPLICA ISN'T GOING DOWN. Gridman time?

Kuro: HOLY SHIT GRIDMAN JUST POPPED UP IN THE SIDE MONITOR. Masaki: HOLY SHIT. Gridman: Yeah, hi, this Replica's a bitch, you're gonna need my help.

Masaki: Alright, LET'S DO THIS! CYFLASH! Gridman: ...Access Flash, Dude. Masaki: right Kuro: stop embarrassing yourself

OH SHIT DID CYBUSTER BECAME GRIDMAN?! i mean that would be a fantastic shortcut if you ask me.

Everyone: holy shit there's gridman wtf where's masaki Gridman: Yeah no Masaki's fine, no worries.

GRIDBEAM ON THE FAKE GRANZON LET'S GOOOOOO

And Cybuster's back! With Masaki and the cats!

Kamille: So what's with that Granzon? Did Gridman tell you? Masaki: A Dark Brain copy, basically. Amuro: Speaking of Gridman, where he is now? Gridman: 'Sup. Everyone: HOLY SHIT.

Okay, so they're talking about Gridman and Cybuster. I think Griddles takes over the silver turkey in this scenario?

...I'm also glad that my Gundam teal gumball also gets to be present in this. I really wished there was more dialogue between Masaki and Kamille, so this makes me happy as well.

OH SHIT, THE NEXT COPY IS THE VALSION. Awww, Masaki mentions Bian's Lüne's dad! <3 ...And it multiplied.

Not that it matters, the player beats them to a pulp.

And now we have friends of Dark Brain visiting! ...Interesting.

I kinda skimmed fast through the battles, and then we're at the end, and MASAKI TALKS IN A MOMENT OF WEAKNESS. I think he's talking about the full potential of Cybuster, and how Gridman's not using it?

Masaki: Yare yare. Me: No this is not a JoJo reference. Unless that's what Masaki thinks he's doing.

...Okay are the others like, uniting their powers with Gridman?! Because that is awesome and explains why he gets that Universal Fighter thing in this story.

...And Masaki and Griddles are back in Cyberspace. The later's saying his goodbyes, and DNJFHDFAHDJAS HE SAID MASAKI'S FULL NAME. ...And not sayonara! Hmmm, maybe this Gridman's aware of the SRW multiverse?

And the crew finds him in a city street, lol.

Masaki's talking about the wind. I think he's got a feeling he might just meet Griddles again.

Anyway, that's all my commentary on this thing! I wonder if it would be ever canon in Gridman lore? 'Cause I'm down for a Masou Kishin/Gridman crossover.

[hisclockworkservants]

Speaking of TMA and SCP, I actually have this super specific crossover idea that's supposed to be dark office comedy??? This probably require some Foundation lore knowledge. It's really weird and probably doesn't fit into the lore of either but oh well, there's no canon in SCP so XD

Anyways it's set in Foundationverse, the Fears are there but they are like, just one fish among all the other fishes, just some not super speical eldritch horror.

Elias still tries to use Jon to bring the Eye into the world, not sure how it went exactly, but the Eye did not break through, and let's say Jon get Pupil level powers (again, not that special when there's other supernatural stuff out there), and he managed to destroy the Magnus Institute and Jonah.

Jon now runs into the problem of having to feed on people, which he doesn't want to do. He managed to Know about the Foundation so he decided to turn himself in, fully expecting the Foundation to lock him up and just occasionally drop someone for him to feed on, or even strave him.

And this is where the comedy comes in I guess, because Foundation actually finds his power super useful in getting information and interrogating people. So Jon actually finds himself very well fed. And O5s are like... you turned yourself in and is cooperative and useful... what if... we make you just work for us and we don't pay you because you are not an employee :) So Jon get some sort of research position as a front. (I mean they do employ anomalies in some canons so XD)

The O5 are also actually super into the idea of connecting Jon's powers to computers so they can very conveniently monitor the world and maybe use an AI to interpret all the info so it's more efficient. (There are something similar in some canons.) And they are like, you know, we had a lot of issues of projects like this where the researchers just run the anomaly into the ground and eventually creating whole disasters... what if we just put him in charge of himself and just send someone to monitor him. Surely he would know his limits :)

So they just promote him to site director or something and ask him to run this project, trying to connect his powers to computers. And they send Daisy to monitor him. Oh and no pressure doing all the work while trying to run the site while trying to keeping up the facade of being totally not SCP :)

Introducing the cast:

Jon, eldritch horror who did not expect a job in the Foundation, well-fed but stressed all the time. Dasiy, worked for the O5s, was probably in Red Right Hand or something, sent to make sure Jon stay loyal. The cover is that she is Jon's security. Martin, the Ethics Committee liason. He is investigating the project Jon is working on because O5's projects are shady. People doesn't take him seriously (Jon does because eye powers), but he actually has a lot of power because Ethics Committee. (Was later informed of the project and then start to help Jon with it.) Basira, knows Dasiy from her pre Red Right Hand days. Sasha, senior research who really thought she was going to be the next site director. Tim, researcher. Not sure how to bright Melanie and Georgie in.

And that's the office comedy set up in Foundation with Jon as the stressed boss and also eldritch horror :) The confict would be Jon trying to hide his nature and various people just trying to pry info about him or the project. I do not know how the comedy would ensue tho XD

[demonsfate]

      𝐍𝐎𝐈𝐓𝐂𝐄𝐋𝐅𝐄𝐑  𝐍𝐖𝐎  𝐘𝐌  𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐄𝐁  𝐃𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐒  𝐈  ,𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐖  𝐘𝐌  𝐓𝐒𝐍𝐈𝐀𝐆𝐀

      𝐀𝐆𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐒𝐓  𝐌𝐘  𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋,  𝐈  𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐃  𝐁𝐄𝐒𝐈𝐃𝐄  𝐌𝐘  𝐎𝐖𝐍  𝐑𝐄𝐅𝐋𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍

indie   jin  kazama  &&  devil  jin  of  the  tekken  series.  as  fought  by  wikia canon  divergent  (i  have  beef  with  TK6  ok)  and  hc  based READ  ABOUT  HERE  ||  OPEN  TAG  ||  RULES  UNDER  CUT.

MUTUALS  + FOLLOWING

I’ll only interact if we follow each other. However, non-mutuals can still like posts, reblog posts, & send me asks if they desire to. I only want to thread with mutuals because it’s less stressful.

I’m likely to softblock if your blog’s content makes me uncomfortable. If you decide to unfollow, please SOFTBLOCK me. Because I may not realize you unfollowed, and I may attempt interaction.

As for DUPLICATES? I don’t mind following other Jins, and I’ll happily interact with them! It could be multiverse, or twin AU. Hell, I could just play Devil and you could play Jin or vice versa!

This blog is very accepting of OCs and crossovers!

I am now completely stuck with Beta Editor as Tumblr has removed the option to switch to Legacy. Because of this, I solely write with Beta.

CANON DIVERGENCE

I try to adhere to canon. However, I have my own headcanons, theories, and takes that make my Jin unique from canon. I also hate how Tekken 6 handled Jin’s character. He was uncharacteristically cruel, and his “plot” made little sense. It also defeats the original purpose of his character and why I love him so much. So while this blog still acknowledges 6, it was Devil Jin who started the war, and was in control of Jin’s body throughout all the events - Jin has NOTHING to do with it - Jin only gained strength and took back control near the very end, where he defeats Azazel. Thus, Jin’s own memories of 6, and the characters involved, are foggy or nonexistent.

Jin and Devil Jin are not the same person - Devil Jin isn’t just Jin, but he’s corrupted by the “devil gene.” In my depiction, Devil Jin is a separate entity who is parasitic and shares the same body as Jin.

Speaking of which - although this is, technically, a dual muse blog - if muse isn’t specified, then the default will always be Jin (as, he’s usually the one in control with the exception of TK6′s events) unless I feel the interaction fits Devil Jin or your muse has a more established relationship with Devil.

I don’t adopt movies (live action, OVA, or blood vengeance) the anime (bloodline) comics, or any adaptations in my canon. I only follow (most of) game canon, as trying to piece together the adaptations is too difficult as they’re very inconsistent with the games’ lore, and considered non-canon, too. However, I may cherry pick little things from adaptations if I see them fitting.

NSFW + Triggering content

Posts may contain some triggering content, frequent ones that’ll pop up are abuse/neglect, suicidal thoughts/ideation, and cannibalism may be one - even if Devil Jin isn’t a human, he still has a humanlike appearance. I try to tag all triggers. I refuse to write incest, or p*dophilia too. I will block you if you write these contents because they make me very uncomfortable.

Smut threads will be present. If I put them under a readmore only depends on if my partner does it or not. But I’ll always tag them as “spicy” - since Tumblr likes to block the tag “NSFW” and that makes it difficult to find posts tagged it for later.

GODMODDING + METAGAMING

Godmodding is a no and metagaming is also a no

SHIPPING

This blog is multiship. I’m okay with pre-established relation/friendships as long as they’re plotted first - or, as for friendship, as long as it’s already established in canon itself. (Such as Xiaoyu and Hwoarang.)

REBLOGGING

Anything but threads are rebloggable! Because typically my partners don’t like threads to be reblogged. Mutual or not, you’re free to reblog my ooc posts, my shitposts, memes, my art (highly encouraged!) I don’t mind at all!!! 🥺🥺🥺 Also, if you sent in a meme or anything in the inbox, you’re very free to turn it into a thread.

MUN DOES NOT EQUAL MUSE

I’m not Jin or Devil Jin - please don’t get mad at me (the mun) or assume I share the same beliefs because of my muses’ statements or actions.

GRAPHICS + ICONS

All graphics used on this blog are made by me unless stated otherwise. 

MUN

Hi hi hi! I am the mun, you can call me by Wikia or anything, I am 25 years old. If you made it down here, I just wanna say that there’s no password to send and thank you for reading and respecting my rules! I hope to write with you soon. ❤︎

[fanfoolishness]

Interview with a Fic Writer

Tagged by @novantinuum, thank you!

__

How many works do you have on AO3?

242 works. The actual fuck??? Wow, me. Of course, this does span about 9 years, so I guess that's not that insane?

What’s your total word count on AO3

549,737! But that averages out to only 2271 words per story, haha. You got me! I think I have less than 10 fics that have more than 1 chapter. I love one-shots, what can I say?

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

Oh, you want to get into this? All right. We'll get into this:

The X-Files, proto-fandom, ur-fandom, first OTP ever... yeah, 15-year-old me went. WILD. Many horrible Mulder/Scully stories, and some Doggett/Scully and character study stories as well. Mostly not very good, but with occasional flashes of decent writing. Really had a difficult time writing romantic feelings between 30+ year-olds given a) I did not date in high school and b) was 17 and not an emotionally stunted FBI agent.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer - not a huge volume of stories, but definitely some very angsty Spuffy and Spike tales.

Harry Potter - just one published fic (Lupin grieving Sirius), and one with Snape and Harry having a heart to heart I could never quite get right.

Then came the dark times (vet school) where I was exhausted and hard at work for a few years and I thought, horribly, I might have outgrown fandom. Thank god for...

X-Men First Class and the undying love of Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr! I'd never fallen for a slash ship before but my god I fell hard for this one and wrote my first fandom smut and my first real AU (mutants with zombies) that I never finished.

Then.... let's see...

Quantum Leap drabbles!

Two Avatar the Last Airbender fics!

Agents of SHIELD fics, mostly focused on Coulson and FitzSimmons, and super angsty.

Bioshock Infinite sads (god I love writing the sad bad dad)!

And then the juggernauts of Mass Effect (my longest fic to date with 30 chapters!) and Dragon Age, which were endlessly productive and are still productive given the variety of different protagonists you can create, different choices, and different relationships to canon characters. I'm still working on a Hawke/Varric fic in the back of my mind here.

There's one random Gravity Falls fic (wish I could have got a little more obsessed with it, or gotten into it while it aired) of Stan sads, and one tiny Avengers ficlet of a sad Tony and Peter.

There's one Wheel of Time fic! Dammit I wanted Rand and Tam to reunite so much sooner than they did.

40-odd Steven Universe fics! So many SU fics!

One random Schitt's Creek fic of David and Patrick!

And finally, The Mandalorian, with 47 fics. Phew!!!

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1. The Invitation, The Mandalorian. Din Djarin finds himself in dreams that seem realer than real, reminding him of his loss, but he begins to find a sense of hope again. A promise is kept.

2. The Outstretched Hand, The Mandalorian. Din Djarin is a man of action, but sometimes, the quiet finds its way in. Din reckons with the aftermath of the events of Chapter 14, the Tragedy. (My very first Mando fic!)

3. Not the Sentimental Type, Steven Universe. Priyanka Maheswaran has long prided herself on keeping her emotions in check. But a mother's love can only grow, and sometimes it expands to people she never anticipated. Like the Universe boy.

4. Translation, The Mandalorian. Din Djarin was a man of few words, but many languages. Some might have thought the Child had no language at all. Din Djarin and the Child grow to understand each other.

5. Full Disclosure, Steven Universe. Just as the world begins to recover from Spinel's attack, Steven starts having nightmares. The more he ignores his fears, the worse they become, until he's left with no other choice but to ask for help. (My thoughts on what would drive Steven Universe Future, and I wasn't far off.)

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I really try to! Even sometimes years later if I realize I've missed some. I appreciate each and every one, and have definitely made friendships through comments <3

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

Oh, hell... I'm too lazy to link these but if anyone wants to read them let me know or find them on my AO3!

A Stopped Clock from Bioshock Infinite has Booker DeWitt ravaged by Korsakoff's amnesia from his long-standing alcoholism. Is Columbia real or imagined? Hard to say.

The Viscount's Way shows Varric Tethras having become his parent, and a cruel, hard viscount of Kirkwall.

Songs in the Key of Red shows how Cullen fared under the dark future in Redcliffe in DAI, and they write happy endings, don't they? shows what happened to Varric. Both horribly depressing in different ways!

Two by Two, Hands of Blue shows a not unexpected end to lyrium addiction :( Poor Cullen, he got a lot of angsty developments, didn't he?

Do you write crossovers? If so, what’s the craziest thing you’ve ever written?

Never really got into crossovers or AUs. Just... meh for me!

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

No, I don't think so.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Charles/Erik, Shepard/Garrus, Shepard/Liara, Shepard/Tali, a mess of different f/f femShep drabbles, and most of my Dragon Age pairings have gotten sexytimes. On the other hand I helped start the NoRomo Mando tag for the Mandalorian to help find non-pairing Mandalorian content. Depends on the pairing and the fandom, for sure.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Nope, thank goodness!

Have you ever had a fic translated?

I think so! There used to be a Spanish-language wiki linking to some of my old X-Files stories XD

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No, but friends and I definitely will beta each others' things to help with sticky points.

What’s your all-time favorite ship?

ALL-TIME? Just, why? So many ships I loved in years past turned out to have pretty damn problematic elements I didn't see at the time, so it's hard to say... Mulder/Scully actually has a ton of issues, Buffy/Spike obviously has issues... so maybe Hawke/Varric (except not canon!) or Garrus/Shepard or Brosca/Alistair.

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

Still need to finish my Hawke/Varric fic for after Adamant! I have 3 chapters written that I haven't posted. Maybe posting them will help inspire me....

What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue and POV writing from different characters; I feel fantastic writing Steven and Greg, though totally at sea trying to write from Connie's POV, randomly. But I think my dialogue and emotional beats are what people tend to tune in for. When I do write romance, it's usually very sweet and silly and pulled from life. I also love writing nature scenes and settings to help establish mood. Mood and emotion and catharsis are my bread and butter, and I like my poetic prose.

What are your writing weaknesses?

What the hell is a long, well-thought-out plot? Like what even is that???? My longest fic with 30 chapters is basically "Shepard has PTSD and hangs out with her crew. They have some funerals." THAT'S IT. How the heck people actually come up with plot that ties into the lore of a fandom I genuinely have no idea and it's the biggest thing that's held me back from finishing original work. I can come up with a setting and characters and then trying to make them do stuff that's more than just talking to other characters and deepening their relationships with them... how the fuck???

I also definitely have 10-20 words that I am in constant danger of reusing like every other paragraph, LOL!

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

I don't speak any other languages so I always avoid it as much as possible. I've seen people describe sign differently in fics and picked one way to depict it that made sense to me for Grogu, but that's about it.

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

The X-Files, of course!

What’s your favorite fic you’ve ever written?

Towards Another Day, the tale of how Cullen went from being a templar in Kirkwall to commander of the Inquisition, is definitely up there.

Reverberations is one of my rare multi-chaptered fics and one of my favorite for the catharsis at the end. It makes me tear up every time. 5 times Din and Grogu encounter the Dark Side, and one time they find the Light.

Either a world for the birds (Steven develops a closer relationship with his Uncle Andy, learning birdwatching along the way) or on the subject of rocks (Steven and Jasper finally reach a peace) might take the prize for favorite SU fic.

__

Tagging (if you’re super bored and would like a fun thing to do) fellow writers:

@lastwordbeforetheend, @runrundoyourstuff, @honestlyhufflepuff, @art3mys, and @fake-starwars-fan if you would like to play!

[michellespenscratchz]

Tagged by @frankenjoly. Don't mind if I do. ;)

what's your all-time favourite ship?

I guess at this point Rhysha is the one I've made the most content for, but I also used to ship Jesse/Jane (Breaking Bad) and Iorveth/Saskia (Witcher). I guess the more, um, incomplete a ship feels in canon, the more I feel the need to fill in the gaps myself.

how many works do you have on ao3?

66. To be fair most of them are short drabbles from when I would do Ask Prompts here on Tumblr.

what's your total ao3 word count?

90,157.

what are your top five fics by kudos?

Mostly Borderlands, but it seems whenever I do dip my toes in Legend of Zelda it goes over pretty well.

I Thought We Were Friends, Borderlands

Silent and Still, Legend of Zelda

The Tale of the Risky Venture Launch, Borderlands

Target Audience, Borderlands

A Father's Love Never Dies, Legend of Zelda (Huh, really? Wasn't expecting that.)

do you reply to comments, why or why not?

Oh absolutely. When someone doesn't reply to my comments, I assume I'm annoying them and I usually quit reading the fic. 😬 I want to be sure to communicate that will never be the case with me.

fic you've written with the angstiest ending?

That'd have to be a tie between Apology Girl's Dues (Breaking Bad) and Carried Home To You (Game of Thrones). Both are about a dude mourning his dead lover, imagining she's there, and then realizing she isn't.

fic you've written with the happiest ending?

I'd have to go with I Thought We Were Friends, because it's about a moment in Borderlands 3 that made me especially happy. (The footer notes of the fic elaborate on this.)

do you write crossovers?

In the "Handsome Jack goes through a time warp and meets Robert Edwin House" way, no. In the "Cast of this franchise re-enacts Charles Dickens' Christmas Story" way, yes.

have you ever received hate on a fic?

A fic, no. Rhysha art on Instagram, yes.

do you write smut? if so what kind?

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Mine tends to stay pretty vanilla. It's an escapist thing for me as an Ace.

have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of, but then I used to be on DeviantArt, so anything's possible. Haven't checked in on the ones I orphaned on AO3, either.

have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope. Wonder if I should?

have you ever co-written a fic before?

Not unless you count the Zelda RP I was in on GaiaOnline for most of college. But I would be open to a collab. :)

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

Oh, so many. Every time I get a sweet message on Saovine Convoy I feel a pang of guilt for abandoning it and tell myself I'll come back to it. Then I just, y'know, don't.

what are your writing strengths?

Character authenticity. YMMV on how well I pull it off, and some characters are trickier for me than others, but I always make a real effort to make sure all canon characters sound as in-character as possible. Having someone tell me "I actually heard that in their voice" is my favorite compliment to get. <3

Also, Canon Compliant fics. I will sift through tons and tons of lore to find the tiniest, most obscure, forgotten details to build on before I go completely off script.

what are your writing weaknesses?

Staying on task. And also, I'm trying very hard to break myself of editing while I write. I need to just be okay with the first draft sounding like a ten year old wrote it.

what are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I had Felix speaking Pig Latin in The Stars Align And Stuff. So, there's that.

what was the first fandom you wrote for?

I got in trouble in fourth grade for submitting a "Buttons and Mindy" fanfic as a class assignment, because the teacher thought I was plagiarizing the actual cartoon. Funnily enough, it was a fic of them as mermaids, and then later on there really was an actual Animaniacs episode where they were mermaids. Oops. :P

As for the first fandom I actually submitted fic online for, that would be Invader Zim. (I had a bit of a goth phase.)

what's your favourite fic you've written?

I have very fond memories of Deja Vu (BrBa) and Saovine Convoy (Witcher). It was a different time in the early 2010s. Readers would have whole-ass discussions about the fics and about the fandom in general right there in the comments, and I was living for it. :D

Tags: @laianely If you feel up to it.

[of-wrens-and-whirlwinds-blog]

Visitors

Commission for my dearest @depressedstressedlemonzest !! A crossover (kinda) of The Witcher and Good Omens. Aziraphale is basically me in this. I hope you like it, love! Commission info is here!

~

Geralt is having trouble tracking the serpent, because the ground is dry and rocky and doesn’t show tracks well, and the wind is blowing in the wrong direction. He can still smell the sulfur, though, faint on the ground, and occasionally the lazy wind of a giant serpent through pockets of sandy dirt. The scrub is too sparse to hide much, but there are plenty of rocks.

Oh, and Jaskier won’t shut up.

He’s far enough back that he won’t get in Geralt’s way, but the same wind that blows the scent away from Geralt blows Jaskier’s muttering up to him. Something about blisters and getting a twisted ankle at this rate. Geralt presses his lips together and ignore Jaskier.

Then the wind turns, and he smells it. The sulfur is strong, now, and he can see a large rock up ahead with a heap of something dark on it, half-hidden by scrub. He halts, and waves Jaskier up to him. Jaskier immediately shuts up and creeps the rest of the way to just behind Geralt’s shoulder. “Is that it?” the bard whispers, apparently fascinated.

“Yes,” Geralt grunts. “Stay here.”

“But—!”

“No buts. You’ll be in the way.”

“Hmph,” Jaskier huffs, but sidles around behind Geralt to crouch behind a rock and glare at him sullenly. Geralt nods, and sneaks as softly as he can towards the relatively flat area where the serpent waits.

He can hear it now, hissing gently, its heart slow and somber. It appears to be asleep. Excellent. If he can behead it before it wakes up, everything will be much simpler.

Pebbles crunch under his boot, and he freezes.

The serpent stirs lazily, and raises its large, wedge-shaped head. Its eyes are gold like his, but it seems not to see him, looking instead towards the horizon. Strange. Still, a blessing is a blessing. Geralt creeps closer…

The serpent uncoils from the rock more swiftly than Geralt’s ever seen a big snake move, and raises itself up to hiss at him fiercely. Geralt readies his sword, eyeing the serpent carefully, noting that it doesn’t seem to have fangs. Odd. Devilish serpents always have fangs. But his pendant is humming, and he’ll get lots of coin for this monster’s head.

He darts forward, the serpent attempts to avoid, but as soon as it dodges, Geralt changes direction and manages to open a wound in its scaly hide.

Heat and the scent of myrrh flare up behind Geralt, and he growls and rolls to the side as something slams down right where he’d been standing. He’s on his feet in seconds, just in time to block a sword that appears to be on fire.

The sword’s wielder disengages before Geralt can disarm them, and yells, “How dare you! How dare you attack an innocent being!”

Geralt glances at the serpent, startled; it’s coiled up again, watching the scene. “What the fuck?” he says, bewildered, looking back at the… man? No man he’s ever heard of has wide white wings like that, nor dresses quite so… oddly. But the other holds his sword competently, and the rage on his face is dangerous.

“Can we not have a moment’s rest without you primitive humans running around with swords and bows, trying to kill us?!” the man snarls. “Good lord, it’s like you don’t even know what we are!”

“They probably don’t, angel,” the serpent says, and Geralt’s eyes widen as he hears Jaskier gasp. It raises itself up again and continues, “This is a tv show we’re in, and they’ve never mentioned angels or demons.”

“Oh, hush,” the man replies crankily, but his wings are relaxing, and he’s actually turning away from Geralt. “They shouldn’t just attack willy-nilly!”

“What the fuck else are we supposed to do?” Geralt snaps, drawing their attentions. “Murderous serpents aren’t—”

“He’s not murderous!” the man interrupts, and actually stomps his foot. “How many times do we have to say it?!”

“Then what is it?” Geralt demanded in exasperation. “And for that matter, what are you?”

The man seems honestly taken aback. And then his face twists and he shouts, “I’m an angel, you stubborn twit!”

“Ah, fuck,” Geralt mutters. He says louder, “I don’t know what an angel is, but if you and that serpent are innocent, then what the fuck is killing the locals?”

The angel splutters, and Geralt almost jumps when the serpent sighs, bunches its coils, and raises up to reform into a man, in leggings of a strange material and a black jacket of an absolutely horrendous cut. Too much time with Jaskier has shown Geralt that there are just some shapes that have no business being draped on a humanoid body. At least he looks vaguely normal and doesn’t have a bow around his neck like the angel. That bow makes him look like a kitten. The sword makes him look like a warrior.

The man in black turns to Geralt and says, “I dunno what you lot call it, but it looks like wyvern to me. Two legs, two wings, dragon-y looking bastards?”

Geralt frowns. He hasn’t seen wyvern activity around here… but he’s been following the shapeshifter. Maybe the two avoid each other when possible.

“Geraaalt,” Jaskier calls impatiently.

Geralt sighs heavily and sheaths his sword. “Fine,” he calls back, and shakes his head as Jaskier pops up from behind the rock and trots over, staring at the angel’s wings, intrigued.

“Melitele’s tits, those are big,” Jaskier says, marveling at them. “Are you sure you’re not part harpy? No, of course not, harpies have different wings. If it’s a wyvern, can I come to see that fight too?”

“Absolutely not,” Geralt snaps, exasperated with this whole situation. “Look, just—”

“Oh!” Suddenly the angel’s face lights up, and the sword in his hand just—vanishes. “You’re Jaskier!”

Jaskier immediately draws himself up and beams at the angel. “Yes, I am,” he replies. “How did you know?”

“We saw you,” the angel says.

“Angel!” the shapeshifter barks. “Focus.”

The angel turns and shoots him a scowl, then huffs and says to Geralt, “We’re not murderers. The wyvern is that way.” He waves vaguely in the direction they had come from. “Are you the Witcher, Geralt?”

“Yes,” Geralt replies, utterly confused at this point. Damn it, how the hell is he supposed to convince these idiots to leave if the angel keeps yelling and the shapeshifter keeps letting him?

“That explains it,” the shapeshifter says, as the angel’s expression turns sour. “Look, Geralt, Jaskier, nice to meet you and all that, but we just want to go home. We’re kinda stuck here for the moment, though.”

Geralt sighs and runs his hand through his hair. “Fine. Just… stop turning into a snake where townsfolk can see you.” When Jaskier glares, he grudgingly adds, “Please.”

The angel sniffs and the shapeshifter scowls. “It’s kinda hard to do that when they keep coming up here unannounced for no reason,” the shapeshifter retorts.

Jaskier and Geralt point wordlessly to the sign in the dirt that quite clearly says “This Way To The Spring”.

The two monsters stare blankly, first at them, then the sign, then each other.

“You said it didn’t mean anything!” the angel says, exasperated.

“It’s not like fantasy languages are my forte!” the shapeshifter replies, cheeks red. “Is this or is this not the place where Anathema is gonna bring us back?”

“It certainly looks like it,” the angel replies, looking around. “What does that sign say, anyway?”

Geralt is still confused about ‘fantasy languages’ (it’s clearly in Cintran Common, what the fuck?) but Jaskier helpfully translates and asks curiously, “Why are you here, anyway?”

Both monsters look rather ashamed. “We, ah… just wanted to visit,” the angel says weakly.

Geralt narrows his eyes. “From where?” he demands.

“A place across the sea,” the shapeshifter replies airily. “You won’t have heard of it.”

“Ah, on the contrary!” Jaskier says eagerly, looking thrilled, “I studied geography extensively and spoke to several world-renowned sailors. Are you from the coast? Why don’t you have accents? Did you fly here or sail?”

The monsters look even more uncomfortable with every moment that Jaskier speaks. Geralt watches them warily. They might lash out at any moment. He medallion is humming frantically, telling him to dispatch these creatures, but… they’re sentient, and according to the angel, they’ve done no harm.

Where did they come from?

With a heavy sigh, the shapeshifter says, “A witch sent us—I mean, a sorceress. We, eh, we’re big fans, but we didn’t expect this place to be so… eh, distrusting.”

“Fans of what?” Jaskier asks.

“Um...”

A portal suddenly opens to one side, and Geralt immediately draws his sword, stepping over to put himself between the portal and Jaskier. A sorceress pokes her head through, and sighs. “You two just had to go and run into the very people I told you to avoid, didn’t you,” she says in an annoyed tone. “Aziraphale, please, for the love of god, put those wings away. Hey, Henry-with-white-hair and Joey, looking sexy as usual.”

Geralt tenses unhappily, and Jaskier muffles an outraged gasp.

“You said not to call them that!” the angel protests, as his wings fold in and vanish, and the shapeshifter takes his arm and drags him to the portal. “Oh, wait, but I wanted to ask about the television lore so I could compare it with the books—!”

“Later, angel,” the shapeshifter sighs, then, before they step through the portal, he tosses over his shoulder to Geralt and Jaskier, “By the way, I’m Crowley. Tell Ciri I’d die for her.”

And then they’re gone and the portal closes.

There is a very long silence. Then Jaskier asks, bewildered, “Who the fuck is Ciri?”

“Fuck if I know,” Geralt replies with a shrug. “Come on, let’s go find the wyvern.”

[afaimsarrowverse]

My 30 Favorite Arrowverse Episodes:

This list reflects my personal opinion and is in no way objective. Everyone has their own taste. Also Love is Love and  can not be measured – except on stupid lists like this one. If an episode is not on it, that does not mean I don’t like it (unless it does). Everyone ist entiteled to their own opinion, so please respect mine and don’t reblog or answer to that just to tell me how wrong mine is.

 30. The Fellowship of the Spear (Legends of Tomorrow Episode 2.15/31, Written by: Keto Shimizu, Matthew Maala, Directed by: Ben Bray)

 This episode is “Legends”-Homage to Tolkien and his works. However the most quotes and nods go to the Peter Jackson Movies, which is no problem, because we love them too. The Legends recruit Tolkien out of the trenches for a treasure hunt, however things go bad and some fans were not to happy with one of the team betraying their own at the end of this episode. But don’t you guys remember Boromir? I really love this one, because it combines two of my favorite things: “Legends of Tomorrow” und Middle Earth.

 29.  Flashback (The Flash Episode 2.17/40, Written By: Aaron Helbing, Todd Helbing, Directed By: Alice Troughton)

In this episode Barry travels backt to the time of Season 1 and therefore changes the outcome of the Season 1 Episode in question and creates a new timline, which no one but him notices. Later on stuff like this would happen all the time, but this was the first instance, and it was very very wild to have Barry knock out Barry and pretend to be Season 1 Barry. Also we got Eobard and Eddie back and given how much I love both of them it no wonder I love this episode.

28.  The Last Temptation of Barry Allen Part 1 (The Flash 6.07/121, Written By: Jonathan Butler, Gabriel Garza, Directed By: Chad Lowe)

 Here Barry is infected by Ramsay who gets in his head and in the Speed Force which tries to help but ends up getting attacked by an paranoid and confused Barry, who finally gets to voice all of his frustration about the Speed Force and the way it interfered in his life. This is a very emotional episode that confronts Barrys immanent death, all the losses he had do bare and his conflicted feelings about everything that is going on in his life at this point of his story.

 27.  The Once and Future Flash (The Flash 3.19/65, Written by: Carina Adly MacKenzie, Directed By: Tom Cavanagh)

 In this episode we get to visit the future in which Iris was killed by Savitar. Barry ends up there while trying to find out more about his foe. It’s a dark and depressing „What If“, where we get to see new sides most of our characters and this episodes dives deep into the immanent darkness of the seemingly so bright „Flash“-TV-Series.

 26.  The Adventures of Supergirl (Supergirl 2.1/21, Written by: Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg, Jessic Queller, Directed by: Glen Winter)

 This essentially is a Crossover Episode, even though it took Superman three more years to get his own show. However the episode acts as if there is an existing Superman-Show that crosses over into „Supergirl“. This version of the character is as adorable as Kara and a very good antidote to the Snyder Version of the character. Oh, and it does help that the episode is good as well.

25.  Nora (The Flash 5.01/93, Written By: Todd Helbing, Sam Chalsen, Directed by: David McWhirter)

 Season 5 opens up extremly strong with this episode where Barry and Iris meet their future daughter, who has some secrets up her sleeve that change everything for next one and a half seasons. Nora is perfectly portrayed in this one as a mixture of both of her parents and manages to screw up the timeline imediatly, while everyone is still reeling from the fallout oft the last season finale.

24.  The Brave and the Bold (Arrow Episode 3.8/54, Written by: Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg, Marc Guggenheim, Grainne Godfree, Directed by: Jesse Warn)

Crossovers were the moments „Arrow“ had a chance to let ist hair down and just be a little bit different for a while. This one has Barry, Caitlin, and Cisco visiting Starling City and the Flash and the Arrow teaming up against Captain Boomerang. It’s still Arrow, but with a splash of „The Flash“ in it, which makes it funnier and nerdier then „Arrow“ usually is. I always loved it.

23. Haunted ( Arrow Episode 4.5/74, Written by: Brian Ford Sullivan, Oscar Balderrama, Directed by: John Badham)

 John Constantine crosses over in the Arroverse in this episode which reveals Olivers dealings with him in the past and shows him restoring Saras soul. With this episodes the show started to embrace it supernatural arc, which many fans weren’t too fond of in latter part of this season, but this episodes remains a favorite because here „Arrow“ got mystically weird. Also Johnny Constantine tends to make everything better and we got Sara back, so it’a clearly a win.

22. Kapishon (Arrow Episode 5.17/109, Written By: Brian Ford Sullivan, Emilo Ortega Aldrich,Directed By: Kevin Tancharoen)

 This is the episode in which Adrian Chase manages to break Oliver. That sounds painful and yes it is very painful, but it’s really really great at the same time. This episodes asks all the uncomfortable questions the show seemed to shy away from in the previous seasons, builds on Season 5s solid Bratva-Flashback Arc and even presents us Anatoly meeting Malcolm Merlyn. It’s cleary a highlight of the show.

 21. The Bottle Episode (Supergirl Episode 5.10/97, Written by: Derek Simon, Directed by: Tawnia McKiernan)

 The Post Crisis Carzyness lived in this episode. We got a lot of doppelgangers, most of them Brainys, and a lot of chaos, I mean more chaos then most other shows usually have, except for „Legends“. So I guess this episode was „Supergirl“ trying to do an episode of „Legends“. Also Brainy evolves in this one, so it wasn’t just for the laughs. In short: There was nothing not to like in this one.

 20.  Welcome to Earth-2/Escape from Earth-2 (The Flash Episodes 2.13-14/36-37, 36: Written By: Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg, Katherine Walczak, Directed By: Millicent Shelton, 37: Written By: Aaron Helbing, Todd Helbing, David Kob, Directed By: J. J. Makaro)

This two parter is the first time we ever visited a parallel earth. We visit Earth-2 in this, where pretty much everything and everyone is different. Adorable Nerd Barry, Cop Iris, Singer Joe and many more ahoy. But Deadshot of Earth-2 is the best thing about this reality. Too bad it pretty much everyone from over there was done away with later, but we will always have these episodes, so that is something.

19.  Out of Time (The Flash Episode 1.15/15, Written By: Aaron Helbing, Todd Helbing, Directed By: Thor Freudenthal)

Time Travel is an important plot element of the Arrowverse, but it wasn’t always so. This is the first episode where Barry discovers that he can time travel, after kissing and losing Iris and witnessing the end of Central City. Which is one of those „everyone dies“ instances that are always cool and I always love. Also it’s Season 1 of „The Flash“, where they really couldn’t go wrong most of the time.

18.  Starling City (Arrow Episode 8.1/ 161, Written by: Beth Schwartz und Marx Guggenheim, Directed by: James Bamford)

In this one we are essentially reliving the „Arrow“- pilot with a few signifcant changes. Turns out we are actually on Earth-2 and Oliver pretends to be his doppelganger in order to do a thing for The Monitor. Until the shocking ending, this on is like everyone favorites „Arrow“ fanfic come to live. Even the flashforwards were not bothering me in this.

17.  Flash VS Arrow (The Flash 1.8/8, Written By: Ben Sokoloswki,m Brooke Eikmeier, Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg, Directed By: Glen Winter)

 This one was the first real Crossover Episode of the Arrowverse and it blended classic comic book action which Season 1 „Flash“-Style, meaning it was beyond great. We never quite saw Oliver like this before and not very often after, and seeing him and Barry connect is just one of the joys of this superior episode.

16.  Worlds Finest (Supergirl Episode 1.18/18, Written by: Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg, Michael Grassi, Directed by: Nick Gomez)

Speaking of the first seasons and Crossovers. This was the Crossover we always wanted, but never believed we would get, because back then “Supergirl” was on another network. But we got it anyway. Barry gets stranded on Karas Earth, which leads to a lot of chaos, many nice moment and fine jokes. This was one of the clear highlights of Season 1, and it paved the way for the season finale as well as future crossovers.

15.  Myriad/Better Angles (Supergirl 1.19/19-1.20/20, Written By: Yahling Chang, Caitlin Parrish; Ali Adler, Andrew Kreisberg, Robert Rovner, Jessica Queller Directed By: Adam Kane; Larry Teng)

 Season 1 of „Supergirl“ ended with this „all or nothing“ two-parter where everything came head to head. Driven and energatic „Supergirl“ cemented itself as one of the superior superheroe shows of it’s time. I loved the show, I loved Kara, I loved Cat and especially in this one.

 14. Camelot 3000 (Legends of Tomorrow Episode 2.12/28, Written By: Anderson MacKenzie, Directed By: Antionio Negret)

 From the far future to Camelot and King Arthur – this episodes travelled far and mixed those two areas up quite nice. In true Legends fashion Ray became a Knight of the Round Table, Sara got to hit on Guenevere, and Mick got to beat the adversary army with his brain. Yes, you read that one right. Just ask poor Martin about it. Given how much a love both Arthurian lore and the Legends this one remains one of my favorite up to today.

13.  Meet the Legends (Legends of Tomorrow Episode 5.1/69, Written by: Grainne Godfree, James Eagan, Directed by: Kevin Mock)

In this episodes Ava tries to race money for the Time Bureau by making a documentary about the Legends and their work. This episode is the documentary and the making oft he documentary. Think Arrows „Emerald Archer“ only way carzier and funnier. The Legends meet Rasputin who kidnappes the camera team, while Ava writes Sara a very weird condolence note, everyone is acting weird(er) because cameras, and well it’s „Legends“ only even nuttier than normally. I love it.

12.  Invasion! (2) (Arrow 5.8/100, Written by: Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Wendy Mericle, Directed by: James Bamford)

In the middle of the big „Invasion“ Crossover „Arrow“ celebrated its 100the episode by looking at a world where the Gambit never sank. While the writers cleary had fun with Barry and Kara in this one, the heart lies in the dream reality, where things are better but sadly not real. Oliver, Thea and the others need to chose the life they want and weg et rewarded with a really great episode while they do so.

 11. Raiders of the Lost Art (Legends of Tomorrow Episode 2.9/25, Written by: Keto Shimizu, Chris Fedak, Directed by: Dermott Downs)

 This is officially the episode where „Legends“ went nuts. Oh and it’s a delicous one. George Lucas never became a filmmaker after being scared of by Malcolms and Damiens attempts to kill amnesiac Rip Hunter who thinks he is an American filmstudent, whose script is basically the plot of the shows first season. Too bad he can’t find a decent Vandal Savage. And that everyone thinks he is this Rip Hunter guy. Also Mick gets a brain surgey, Ray and Nate change occupations, and Amayas babysits their attempt to get George Lucas back to film school, and thanks god she does otherwise … well otherwise there would be no „Star Wars“ or „Indiana Jones“, would there?

10. Beebo the God of War (Legends of Tomorrrow 3.9/42, Written by: Grainne Goodfree und James Eagan, Directed by: Kevin Mock)

 This was supposed to be the sad goodbye to Martin Stein and it still is that as well, but mostly it’s the episode about Beebo Day. You know, the blue god, who hungers for war and conquest? Whose birthday we celebrate once a year in december and … wait? What was I talking about? Oh, yeah Leo tries to make Mick quit drinking and Beebo get’s squeezed a lot. Well you have to see that one to know why it’s a great one, but believe me it is great.

9.      Elseworlds 1-3 (Flash, Arrow, Supergirl, Part 1: The Flash Episode 5.9/101, Written By: Eric Wallace und Sam Chalsen, Directed By: Kevin Tancharoen und Tom Cavanagh, Part 2: Arrow Episode 7.9/147,  Written by: Marc Guggenheim und Caroline Dries, Directed by: James Bamford, Part 3: Supergirl Episode 4.9/74, Written by: Mac Guggenheim, Derek Simon und Rob Rovner, Directed by: Jesse Warn)

In this Crossover Oliver und Barry switch identities which no one on Earth-1 believes, but Kara’s help leads to an evil not-quite Superman and a brand new reality. Also we are introduced to Batwoman and Gotham. And Lois Lane. Well, there is a lot going in there - even Gary guest stars on „Supergirl“ – but mainly Oliver is Barry and Barry is Oliver and that if fun and Kara makes a connection with the Elseworld version of Earth-1 Alex Danvers which is also great.

8. Legends of To-Meow-Meow (Legends of Tomorrow Episode 4.8/59, Written by: James Eagan und Ray Utarnachitt, Directed by: Ben Bray)

 Sulky about missing out on the Crossover the Legends crossovered with themselves in Season 4. John and Charlie destroyed the timeline for selfish reasons, and now everything is wrong and everything they do makes things worse instead of better. Zari gets to spend most of the episode as a cat, the rest of the Legends get turned into puppets, we meet the Sirens of Spacetime and the Custodians of the Chronology, and a gay kiss saves all of spacetime. Why can’t all shows be more like „Legends“?

7.      The Scientist/Three Ghosts (Arrow Episode: 2.8/31-2.9/32, 32: Written by: Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg, Geoff Johns, Ben Sokolowski, Directed by: Michael Schultz, John Behring)

 This two parter introduces us to Barry Allen and culuminates in the „Arrow“-Version of a „Christmas Carol“ Oliver gets visited by three ghosts and Barry gets hit by lightning. Among other things. All very good stuff – I watch „Three Ghosts“ every Christmas, if I manage to get around to it. But this also is very the Arrowverse was born. And back then it was the best of „Arrow“ they ever did. And it still stands out today, combindes strong Flashbacks with a strong Main Story, which is all we ever wanted from „Arrow.“

6.      Resist/Nevertheless, She Persisted (Supergirl 2.21/41-2.22/42, Written by: Derek Simon, Jessica Queller, Andrew Kreisberg, Robert Rovner, Caitlin Parrish, Directed by: Milicent Shelton, Glen Winter)

 Season 2 of „Supergirl“ ends with a very strong two-parter that features the Daxamits Invasion of earth. Superman is in it, but these are all about Kara who get’s inspired by Cat Grant again, goes on to inspire everyone else in turn, faces of against the truly evil mother of the love of her life, and has to make a big sacrifice. The two parter was especially well written and  no season finale of the show later ever measured up to it afterwards.

5.      Reset (Arrow Episode 8.6/166, Written by: Onalee Hunter Hughes und Maya Houston, Directed by: David Ramsey)

Yes it’s a time loop episode in „Arrow“! Yes, it’s still „Arrow“, it will still break your heart. But it’s probably the moment the show embraced it’s funny pages origin the most wholehearted. It will make you cry in all the right ways. We get to say goodbye to Quentin in a prober way in this finally and that is beautiful. And Oliver gets around to accept his destiny which is heart breaking, but still this is my favorite episode of „Arrow“ if you get right down to it.

4.      Fast Enough (The Flash 1.23/23, Written By: Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg, Gabrielle Stanton, Directed By: Dermott Downs)

 Season 1 of „The Flash“ has the strongest Season Finale in the history of the Arrowverse. In a very real way it could only get downhill from here. This one will break your heart in so many ways, but it’s the good sort of pain, that makes an impact, may even destroy a part of you, but makes you come out stronger in the end. The whole season comes together in this one and never falls apart (that will only happen later, if you think about it, but it’s explained away by later reveals). Sadly neither this show nor the others could ever measure up to this one, but on the other hand that is exactly what made it special.

3.      The Faithful (Supergirl 3.4/46, Written By: Paula Yoo, Katie Rose Rogers, Directed by: Jesse Warn)

 This one is my favorite episode of „Supergirl“. Mainly because this is what a certain director tried to do nut failed at in three movies: An exploration of the idea that Kryptonians are essentially Gods compared to humans. This episode is always respectful and has much to say, it touches on Karas own faith, shows us a new and intriguing side of James, and creates a villain that should have ruled the show and the season, but who sady stumbled later. In this one though Coville is just perfect. Like the whole episode.

2. Duet (The Flash Episode 3.17/63, Written By: Aaron Helbing, Todd Helbing, Greg Berlani, Andrew Kreisberg, Directed By: Dermott Daniels Downs)

 It’s the Musical Episode! This „Flash“/„Supergirl“-Crossover has all the jazz – singing, dancing, kissing, opening up about feelings – and also a mini „Glee“-Reunion. Kara and Barry are trapped in a Musical Dream World and doomed to follow the plot, while Wally has to confront Darren Crisses Musis Meister. For vocals sakes the episode also includes John Barrowman and Victor Gaber of course, because there was no excuse to make this episode without them. I love this one just as much as it was to be expected and I will never forgive them for never making another Musical episode in any of the shows.

1.      The One Where We are trapped on TV (Legends of Tomorrow Episode 5.13/81, Written by: Grainne Godfree, James Eagan, Directed by: Marc Guggenheim)

And the award for the Craziest TV Episode of all time goes to this one, where the Legends are trapped on TV. Charlie put them there to protect them, and so we get very familiar but strange versions of „Friends“, „Downtown Abbey,“ and „Star Trek“ with the Legends as the main characters instead. We also meet a murderous Mister Parker, get another musical number lead by the Tarazi siblings, and are as amazed as Mona about everything that is going on here. Can „Legends“ ever top what they did here? Or anything else in the Arrowverse? Let’s not challenge them, I am sure they can. But until then, we have this one, which of course is not only my favorite episode of „Legends“ but also the whole Arrowverse.

[rivaltierno]

You listed Future Shock as one of your bottom SS episodes, can I ask your thoughts on that? :o

Sure thing!

My issues with “Future Shock” are a mixture of like, legit critques of the episode’s writing and more personal things I simply just didn’t like about it. I’ll put my major thoughts about it under the cut for length purposes. 

To get the most petty reason out of the way up front: I’m just not that big of a fan of Batman, and by the time this episode rolled around I was already getting tired of seeing him/his cast so much. “Future Shock” was the 6th crossover episode of the series and the 5th one involving Batman in some manner, and frankly, if I wanted to see the guy that badly I would be watching one of his series’ instead of Static Shock.

Speaking of which, probably the biggest issue issue I have with “Future Shock” is that I don’t think it really works as a Static Shock episode - it’s a Batman Beyond episode that Static happens to be in. Besides a cameo from Gear and a brief appearance of the Gas Station, Static is our only connection to the show in this episode. Everything else in all Batman Beyond, from the setting to the villain to the characters Static is surrounded by. Static isn’t even the character who gets any development in this episode (though he’s the only Static Shock character active in the story), it’s the guy from the show we’re not watching who gets it.

Sure, the episode does explain who these villains are and whatnot so the audience isn’t completely lost, but I shouldn’t have to have a crash course in Batman Beyond’s lore to enjoy or even just understand a Static Shock episode. From how I see it, “Future Shock” is just one big Batman Beyond advertisement and that’s it.

Yes, all of the other crossover episodes are just advertisements too, but at least those episodes still had the Static Shock cast/setting play a part in their stories. Most of them are set in Dakota proper and involve Static’s relationship with other characters, whether it be with the rest of his cast (him and Daisy in “Toys in the Hood”, him and Gear in “A League of Their Own pt. 2″) or the other DCAU characters he’s supposed to be working with in the episode (him and Batman in “The Big Leagues”, him and Green Lantern in “Fallen Hero”). Even “Hard as Nails” - which is an episode I rank low almost exclusively because its good parts are pushed aside to show off more Batman characters - made sure to ground Static’s part of the episode in his desire to help Allie. All “Future Shock” had was Batman berating Static for half the episode and then reluctantly teaming up with him again later, which is not exactly something I want to watch (but more on that later).

Likewise, all the crossover episodes built up their stories a lot better too, in that they were actually built up. Static and the other heroes in those episodes had actual reasons to work with one another, usually of the “[X] villain is in Dakota!” variety. Even “A League of Their Own pt. 1″ and it’s “Static needs to charge the Watchtower!” reasoning which I personally don’t really care for is still like, an actual reason. “Future Shock” had “Static is working with Batman and Robin for some reason and then he zaps a time machine that they had for some reason and gets sent to the future”.

On the topic of that opening scene, it has my other biggest problem with “Future Shock” in it as well, in that I think Static was written very poorly in this episode, in an almost OOC way even, especially in the beginning. 

I don’t for a second believe that Static would have decided to just try and start the random time machine like that. This isn’t Season 1 or even Season 2 Static that’s brand-new to being a hero and wants to impress the League heroes. This is Season 4 Static who has been a hero for at least a good year and has worked with League heroes multiple times now. Even ignoring the experience side of the argument, Static is a smart character, both in a book-smart “good at science” way and a more observational way. I feel like that alone would make him realize “Hey I shouldn’t charge this malfunctioning machine that I don’t know what it’ll do once it’s working properly”.

I don’t think that his more impulsive tendencies would make this in character for him, either. Yes, Static has in past episodes ignored orders from others and acted on what he thought was best. But these instances have been based on more moral reasons than egotistical ones. He ignores Batman in “League of Their Own pt. 2″ to save Gear, he goes to try and talk to Green Lantern in “Fallen Hero” because he wanted to give him a chance to change his ways before fighting him, and so on. Static in “Future Shock” deciding to ignore Batman’s warnings because he thinks he can “fix” the machine or whatever is not the same. 

I’m more lenient of other actions Static does in “Future Shock”, like for some reason deciding to trust that random dude in the street instead of waiting for Batman since you know, unfamiliar situation and all that, but I still think that my point still stands for those scenes as well. I feel like this episode purposefully wrote Static like this to play on the “inexperienced hero meets a more experienced one” angle they were going for in this episode. 

Now, this isn’t an inherently bad idea for an episode, I actually like the episodes that play on this dynamic for Static (“Blast from the Past”, the Anansi episodes, etc.). The problem is that those episodes have Static working with adult heroes, who legitimately have more experience than him in both being a hero and general life situations. Since “Future Shock” is a Batman Beyond crossover episode, that means the “more experienced” figure in this case is another high schooler.

Thus, the episode has a limited-experience high schooler yelling at and looking down upon a different limited-experience high schooler for being a limited-experience high schooler. I found this incredibly annoying in this episode and made me kinda hate Batman in it. 

Sure, in hindsight why Batman’s so upset makes sense, but like I was saying earlier, I was watching this episode as a Static Shock fan wanting to watch Static Shock characters, so I’m naturally going to care more about how Static is being treated in the story than what the other guy is going through. It’s also true that Batman does learn to respect Static a bit more in the episode, but I feel like that’s done better, or at least more enjoyably, in other crossover episodes. When Batman learns that lesson in “Hard as Nails”, Static gets to learn the man’s secret identity. All Static gets in “Future Shock” is existential concerns about his future self caused in heavy part by Batman himself.

Those are the two major reasons I really dislike this episode, but there are other ones as well. For example, it bummed me out that they made Gear fat as an adult entirely to make jokes about it instead of just letting him be fat and moving on. I can’t really think of major things I liked about it, either. I can’t think of any jokes or quips I laughed at (I think there was like, one facial expression I sorta chuckled at but I’m not sure if it was supposed to be funny or not), I can’t think of any memorable action scenes, and I didn’t like the character interactions throughout it.

There are small things I liked about it, sure. I liked the adult designs for both Static and Gear and the future of the Gas Station. I liked that the reasoning for adult Static getting captured is that he wanted to help Gear and assumed it wasn't a trap. In a petty way I liked Robin’s comment about Batman not being as great as everyone thinks he is. But those things aren’t really enough to carry the episode for me. The adult designs could have easily just been an extra on a season DVD or something, for example.

I think that's all I have to say about “Future Shock” and why I rank it so low. It’s poorly written, and there’s not much I really liked about it, but it's not the worst written episode and it didn’t make me super mad or uncomfortable, either.