#i wish more places in my actual city would get back to me. lmao

[phagodyke]

me trying to figure out if a 2hr commute is worth it... 9-5 work day at 21k/year but it is a lab job but it's asbestos testing not biology but they cover u to get qualified. but 2 hour commute thats 4 hours a DAY + up to a fifth of the paycheck on travel alone but they pay more once ur qualified since its only a trainee role to start and I wouldnt need to stay there long term if I can get >6mo lab experience... I feel insane for even considering it but god. I need a job

[embersofhope-if]

What interactive fiction would you recommend (besides this one)?

oh anon i follow over 150 if blogs let me get you some of my favorites😊 This is very long so all of them are under the cut🫶

some of these you'll probably already have heard of bc of how popular they are, but trust me, they're popular for a reason, lmao

these ones all have demos (if i messed up and some dont uh ignore that)

@infamous-if - "You're going to be a superstar, no matter what it takes." genuinely one of my favorites ifs (seven lawless my beloved please come back home the kids are asking whats taking so long)

@coeluvr - "You play as the only remaining member of the royal family of Vesphire; living in the home of the man who took away everything from you." another ive been obsessed with recently. i will forever love revenge stories (and my pookie helios)

@merrycrisis-if - "As a late 20-something year-old fresh from a recent break-up and struggling to pay rent in New York, life throws up more questions than answers."

@ramonag-if - "When your village is razed to the ground, you're left fleeing with an exiled prince. You can trust no one but each other. Your father's dying wish was to protect the prince, but can you really trust a man who was exiled from his kingdom?"

@nyehilismwriting / Project Hadea - "Set in a distant future, you play the role of an elite operative of Scytha Industries, a private contracting firm. ‘Contracting’, in this case, refers to anything from political assassinations, to private security, to bodyguard services."

@vapolis - "You’re a mercenary, gun for hire, assassin, information extractor, delivery person – call it what you want, because the people that hire you for your services don’t give much of a shit what you call yourself as long as you actually get them what they want."

@godsandvillains-if - "As the only metahuman with the ability to wield the powerful Chaos Magic, your very blood holds the answers to unlocking the secrets behind the control of time and space, but it has the drawback of being almost completely volatile."

@hvllowheart - "LAMB TO THE SLAUGHTER is a spy game where you take on the role of an agent under the codename Wraith, who up until two years ago was one of the best agents TERRA has ever made. now the agency returns into your life and pulls you back into the field as agents go missing by the dozens."

@eyesofshan-if - "Years ago, you were uprooted from the only home you had ever known and captured to be sold as a slave. Now, war is at your doorstep once more while you are left in a delicate position — as a commander of the country that invaded your homeland. While investigating a case of illegal human trafficking, you come across a plot that threatens to rip this tentative peace apart."

@apt502-if - "Moving from your small home to New York City was supposed to be a dream. You were supposed to start your new life with your long-distance partner and dive headfirst into full-on adulthood. Everything was supposed to be perfect. How can you not love being in your mid-twenties in the Big Apple?That is until your put-together, white collar partner dumps you the same day you arrive. Fun."

@acourtofserpents - "As the only human in the Kingdom of Faerie, you're no stranger to shining eyes that hold looks filled with hatred, lips painted in the color of forest fruits whispering your name, heads with pointed ears turning at your every step. Though you long for their approval, for a place amongst the wicked immortals, they remind you with every breath you take that as you came from dirt, to dirt you will return."

@softlyopulent-if - "All of King Adder’s children are a mystery to the common folk, but you—you are nothing but a ghost. A ghost, that spends eighteen years locked away in the deepest part of the palace, so that no eyes may lay upon you.And those that do—they do not treat you kindly.And when you are finally of age, at last, you are betrothed to the child of the King of a far away kingdom, to secure an alliance that your father has been seeking for years.And you are swept away to a place even more foreign than your own land, to be wed to a stranger that looks at you with contempt. To live in a kingdom of citizens that despise you. And perhaps, just perhaps, fight a war."

@heromaker-if - "Stories of heroes, legends and chosen ones are commonplace. But you'd never thought it was your child who would have to save the world from the Demon Lord's clutches."

@theabyssal - "In The Abyssal, you assume the control of a powerful deity that was betrayed by their fellow gods. Imprisoned against your will for all eternity, you had a long time to plan your revenge."

@milaswriting - "By birth, and association, you are one of the most famous people in the big city of Lehsa. Your father's the mayor, and you're from a bright, vibrant, bustling city... and yet, until recently, you didn't realise all the secrets yourself and the city held."

@zico-if - "You were supposed to be a sacrifice in order to bring an eldritch god to your realm, a sacrifice that was never supposed to live. Instead of dying and summoning the god intended, you find yourself face to face with an ancient being that was chained and locked away for the horrors they once committed."

@collegetennisoriginstory - "Experience the ups-and-downs of life as a freshman on the Cargill University varsity tennis team amongst a colorful cast of characters."

@disenchantedif - "You used to be a beacon of hope. Now they only know you as the failure, the Unchosen. Will you rise above them? Will you become better or far worse than they could ever imagine?"

@bouncyballcitadel - "Play as a first-year surgery intern at Citadel Health. Will you become the star intern and curry the favor of the chief? Or will you uncover Citadel Health’s secrets and break a story or two? This will be the best and worst year of your life. Don’t forget to save lives and break some hearts along the way."

@leoneliterary - "You play as a thief pressed into the employ of a mysterious nobleman. With the your life, the fate of your guild, and your honor on the line, you'll have to navigate the perils of the royal court and combat a more mystical threat. The story is set in Cusmo, the naturally fortified, desert capital of Hashind, and will showcase the much praised Upper Cusmo, the crime ridden Lower Cusmo, and much more."

@doriana-gray-games - "Play as your version of Sherlock Holmes in this romance detective game!"

@fallenlightsif - "You are the half-sibling of High General Ezrah Rhys and have lived the past twelve years of your life in Kesdon, the capital of Ebia. You've spent most of your time training and honing your skills for the future that awaits you. A future that is entirely your own."

@shai-manahan - "They call you Ripper. It’s a horrendous name to give to a detective like you, and definitely not one you chose for yourself, but you suppose it’s to be expected given your reputation for putting powerful people behind bars. Businesses feared you. The other cops hated you. Local gangs despised your entire existence. Yet, despite all of that, you remained untouched. Until that day, when all the lies and the deception and the foolish mistakes turned your life upside down."

@larkingame - "someone is after you. for over a decade and a half now, you’ve traveled up, down and across the country--running schemes and hunting fiends with your mentor, con-man-by-day, vampire-hunter-by-night, Wyatt Abrams--the prolific vampire slayer and the living descendant of Gregory Abrams, founder and prophet of the Abrams Family, the nomadic vampire-hunting cult that raised you--and was wiped out years ago. carrying the abrams name means also means carrying on it's enemies--but that isn't to say you haven't forged a couple of your own along the way. now, it seems someone is trying to make good on old threats and promises. they've placed a bounty on your head. so you and wyatt do what you do best: you run away. to some little town, out nevada ways, where the title of town preacher is unexpectedly thrust upon you--bringing back years of trauma you thought long tucked away."

@evertidings - "you are a bounty hunter. responsible for taking in rogue supernaturals, you work for IAOS—the international agency of supernaturals—where, alongside your best friend and partner, you two have quickly become the best hunting duo of the branch. after a particularly tricky hunt, you brief your boss, Caine Atheron, and come back to work the next day to find that he has mysteriously disappeared overnight, the company is now in the hands of his best friend, Sebastian Mai. and though no one else seems to question it, something tells you that there's more to the story."

@rotten-games - Regrets Of The Traitor: "You are the Ruler of Hadaria after killing the previous Queens and betraying all who once trusted you. Sat upon the throne with all the power available to you, one would be forgiven for believing you finished with your quest. With a strange figure in your dreams speaking vague prophecies of magical artifacts, a mysterious cult moving into the city, and a group intent on unseating you from your place, perhaps you’re way in over your head for a farmer’s kid. City of Immortals: "You follow a pair of siblings worlds apart as they get accustomed to their new realities in two very different worlds. One trapped in an unnatural desert wasteland where every resource has a scarcity, not knowing if they’ll be the only one left when everything turns to dust, the other working as a private investigator in a sprawling underground metropolis of the undying. Each not knowing the other is alive, will they unravel the mysteries that somehow connect their two new homes?"

@shepherds-of-haven - "Shepherds of Haven is a dark fantasy interactive fiction game. In it, you play as a Mage living in a world where magic is outlawed and your people—those possessing supernatural powers—are oppressed and reviled. The world is ruled by humans who believe in science, technology, and industry: at best, you and your kind are nothing more than a fairytale, and at worst you are the state’s greatest threat."

@someoneverypretty-world - "As a child, growing up in the slums of Hvinir without any guardians, you believed you would not live to see 30. Until Haven, a thief guild, took you in and taught you how to survive. Facing hardships, the guild leader tasks you to sneak into the castle with the mission to take."

@northern-passage - "The Northern Passage is an 18+ horror fantasy CYOA, where you play as a hunter sent up north to investigate a series of missing people along the border of your home country and in the port cities of the Blackwater. Working with your handler, Lea, you will travel north and discover that things are far worse than you ever could have imagined, and that there is something powerful lurking out in the deep, dark sea…"

@thedecoy-if - "♔ The Decoy is a dark fantasy that follows you, a 21st century normal human, kidnapped to an alternate magical universe to play the part of the missing heir to a powerful throne...who also happens to be your doppelgänger. ♔"

@ripperplague - "You are a doctor, a prodigy in hiding. Deep in the underbelly of Valeris, you hide among the shadows. You work hard to wring the blood stains off your palms, your face...your soul. Redemption and revenge are parallel goals, the flames of rage and disgust mingling. How could anyone ever love you?"

These ones dont have a demo yet, but im still absolutely obsessed

@pavedinashes-if - "You're only 20 when suddenly your life goes bam! Throwing you into a whole new city, a different country even. Wasn't part of the plan, but you know how life loves to mess with plans. People happened, stuff happened, and suddenly you're on the move. The new chapter ahead? Buckle up, 'cause it's not gonna be all sunshine and rainbows. And guess what? Your step-mom? Yeah, she's right there in the same city. She's always had this knack for trying to steer your ship, like every decision's a GPS checkpoint. But hey, there's this one thing that's never let you down—your skateboard. It's like the buddy that's been with you through thick and thin, the one that never bails. Among all this craziness it's like your anchor. So, the big question is—can you break out of the loop you got in? Find your place in the world and restart or lose yourself in temptation? Time to find out."

@riptide-if - "Your dad has always said you swim as if your were born to be in the water; the rest of your family has always said that he is the whole reason you turned out like that. So, it's not really a surprise when you had used all the money you got for your 7th birthday to buy a surfboard. And even less of a surprise when you started joining small surf competitions by the time you were 10, later followed by bigger competitions. It seems you are the only one surprised when it turns out you're able to compete in the World Surfer's League's Ultimate Tournament Tour*. Thrown into a mix of fellow surfing prodigies, rookies, and pros, do you really have what it takes to win?"

@weepinwriter - "You are inmate No. 1441, incarcerated in Tartarus, the most notorious prison on the continent. You find yourself imprisoned for a crime that you do not remember committing, leaving you in a state of uncertainty about your own identity and purpose. The first memory you have is awakening to the sensation of a gun being shoved into your mouth."

@whatawaitsus - "Despite being one of the most expensive schools in the nation, nothing particularly interesting has happened at the school in the nine years you've been here— aside from the occasional accidental possession caused by a ghost or the common room getting flooded after a nixie gets too frustrated over their homework. That is until students start to go missing."

@evermount - "Blue-suited guards stand in every corner, but they're no threat—you're under threat. And this is how you keep safe. It's necessary; the council said so themselves. Under no circumstances shall Evermount be left, ever. So, no one has, and no one intends to. Why would you? It's peaceful—you're at peace. You have your spouse, and you have your house; everyone's happy. This is all you've ever known."

@forsakensword-if - "When the Deathless, an Ancient Evil that hasn’t been seen in over two million years, returns to Earth, it threatens the extremely precarious peace that has settled between the warring factions of Heaven and Hell. God, in an effort to protect Humanity from the consequences of a war between the Angels and Demons, sends Heaven’s best warriors to banish the Deathless once more. When that ultimately fails, it is declared that God’s Sworn Sword and Heaven’s Chief Angel will be charged with finding a way to destroy the Deathless once and for all. That Angel is you. The Archangel Michael."

@velena-if - "You wake up in a dark, cold place with no memories of yourself, save for one: the memory of your death. It becomes clear soon enough that you are in the Nav, the domain of the goddess of death, Morana, and the sanctuary of all the evil spirits and monsters. For you, Nav will be the place where your life changes forever."

@countdown-if - "Three months ago, life took a sharp turn. Your mother found herself entangled in a situation so bad, she couldn't dig her way out of it, like usual. This time, the hole was way too deep. She needed help, and the only people capable of aiding her were the same ones she had vowed never to allow back into her life, let alone introduce to you and your younger sibling. Who were they? Your grandparents—a powerful and well-established duo. In short, they did manage to help your mother back on her feet, but not without strings attached—never without strings. Now, you're facing a senior year in a private school, fully funded by none other than grandma and grandpa, dearest. The only task at hand: do what your mother couldn't—graduate."

@dropout-if - "This is your first summer home since you began studying in Stanford. That is what everyone thinks. This is your first summer home since you dropped out of college, thus becoming the biggest disappointment in your neighborhood. That is what only you know. "

@stonewall-if - "Stonewall Military Academy: the most brutal, merciless, and unforgiving boarding school in the country. Most recruits either desert or die by the end of their first year. It is where the fiercest and deadliest killers are trained and molded to be the military's steel fist. And it is not for the faint of heart."

@viperdove-if - "You are the Dove, the heir to one of the most powerful crime families in your country. The grip your family--your father--has on their side of the land is tight, and now that you've reached adulthood it's time for you to be fully absorbed into the machinations of gang warfare. That means opium, mercenaries, assassinations. In this ancient world, blood moves people just as much as money does."

@fallen-if - "You are an individual that has been known by many aliases over the years. Child of the dawn, the original sinner, star of the morning. But no matter the name, your identity remains the same. You are the one that defied the heavens, the one that cast aside the shackles of tradition and broke free from the constraints of the divine. You are Lucifer Morningstar - The Fallen Angel. "

@maboroshi-if - "Maboroshi is an Interactive Fiction Game based in the world of Naruto, however, all events within the story span during the end of the First Shinobi War and the beginning of the Second Shinobi War."

@greatprotector-if - "Forced out of your family's farm against your will, you are now an ocean away from home, and you have somehow been chosen to be the main protector of the heir to some kingdom you’ve hardly even heard of. The spot's only open because the former protector died of old age, so that's probably a good indicator that it won't be as strenuous as it sounds. But despite that, you pour yourself into your work. You can't help it. You feel safer decked out in armour, and you like having something you're trusted to look after. Protect some royalty, cover all your blind spots, and try not to worry about all you've left behind."

@retribution-if - "Retribution, He Cries is a revenge story set in the Dark Ages of the fictional world of [REDACTED] and other realms."

@thescarsilivewith-if - "You were a kind monarch once. After your mother’s brutal reign, you thought your people needed respite. Evidently, they didn’t think the same since their bloodthirst only increased. Three years after your coronation, your mother’s favourite consort dethroned you with the army and the clergy’s support. As you fled from the palace together with your spouse, from an arranged marriage celebrated only three months earlier, you were found by slavers. You managed to save your spouse but not yourself. Four years later, your spouse finds you, though you’re not the same person they knew. You are not changed in spirit alone, however, for your magic grew in your captivity and now you’re unbound. When the crown chose you as its owner, you wanted peace for your kingdom. Now the only thing you crave is revenge."

[kunikiiida-kuuun]

BSD Locations- Yokohama Visit 2024 - Part 5

The final part of the Yokohama Pilgrimage!

The previous parts:

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

24. Harbor View Park (S1EP9)

It's so close to France Yama. It was really windy and a pleasant area to relax after a long day. You can see a wonderful view of the entire city from here!! The sun was setting around the time I visited so it was kind of perfect :')

25. Harbor View Police Station (S1EP9)

Only a few minutes from the Harbor View Park. It so happens that a black car also passed by as I was taking a picture, such a great coincidence XD

26. Motomachi Park Telephone Booth

A nice old-fashioned telephone booth!! I'm not sure it is still operating though...There were some beautiful western styled architectural buildings on the way here.

It was getting so dark at this point that I was worried I wouldn't be able to find this telephone booth, but thankfully I did! (It was only like 16:45 or something 😭)

27. Motomachi Park (S3EP26)

The park featured in the 15!anime adaptation. Honestly this place was kinda difficult to find (i think I literally passed by a cemetery??). It was so deserted and I'm the kind of person who gets spooked when alone and loses sense of direction when it starts getting dark lmao. I tried to match the angle of the anime but the design of the park was slightly different.

How was Dazai even jumping over that pillar thing? It was so big, it would take a lot of effort to climb on top of one, much less jump from one pillar to another 😭

When I was leaving the park, I saw a cute kitty too!! Somehow, I felt like my trip was really complete lol. I really wish I had some cat food (I want more cat friends!!!! 😭)

28. The Sky Garden Yokohama Landmark Tower (OP2)

The final place on my list and one I was dying with excitement to visit!! S2 opening is so iconic and my favourite BSD opening, so I tried to search for a building with the same view hahaha. The ticket costs 1,000 yen, but I got it for 900 yen by booking in advance on Klook! The view was absolutely stunning!!!! I would definitely recommend coming here for the night view! 💕

The Cosmos Clock 21 changes colors every 15 minutes and it's so pretty!! They have a cafe and they have some books too! You can just sit and relax while gazing out towards the beautiful Yokohama timeline! :)

Speaking of which, they even had the BSD Anthology collection in a section labelled, "Books based on Yokohama" XD

I picked a random one and there was a chapter in which Kunikida was sick? I'm not sure if the anthology series is being translated anywhere but I sure as hell do not remember any chapter like this?? There was even one where Fukuzawa was feeding cats or something and I'm so intrigued, I will consider getting a copy if I ever find it in stores.

It seems that they have days when they plan fireworks at the Yokohama harbor. I saw it on a free pamphlet i collected from the subway station. It's called Yokohama Sparkling Twilight!! I've added the link for any of your fanfic requirements lol. Imagine how cool it would be to see the fireworks from here thoo!? 😩💖

Yokohama Museum of Art was the last place on my list. It's actually located close to the Landmark tower, but it was getting really cold and my legs were killing me so I had to call it a day lol :')

Final Thoughts

Looking back now, I find it crazy to think I planned to visit all these places on foot in one single day (and managed to pull it off???) If I had started a little bit earlier, I suppose I could have squeezed in a few more places, because it gets dark so quickly in winter, but the exhaustion would have got me before that hahaha. I think I walked 30,000 steps that day, the most I have ever walked in my life ig 😂 But it was totally worth it!! I felt so happy to see all the places featured in the anime, and it's just amazing how much work the anime team put into the smallest details. It's just so wholesome and fun to connect the places to the anime versions.

I think it would be better to do such a pilgrimage in summer instead. The BSD anime page on twitter had also made some posts about some of the locations, which i forgot to share. I'll add them to part 1, to the other references I listed.

I'm not sure if it's because I love the series so much, that made me romanticize the place a bit, but Yokohama really was such a lovely place. It was such a charming and peaceful city and when I walked around the harbour I found myself thinking how I wouldn't mind living here hahaha. If I ever get the chance to visit again, I would like to relax a bit, without having to worry about moving along to the next destination XD

And that's the end of my Yokohama Pilgrimage!! Thank you for taking time to read this! Honestly I'm so honoured if anyone even bothered to go through these posts and I did not expect this to have five parts hahahaha but I hope you enjoyed hearing my silly commentary!! ❤️

[hms-no-fun]

so, (SPOILERS FOR FIONNA AND CAKE but its relevant to the question but im gonna put a bunch of line breaks just in case lol)

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

so fionna and cake ended with fionna basically being like, you know, youre RIGHT god, if magic came back my wish would simply be twisted and it would suck, there will be no rule breaking miracles! I will now work as a struggling minimum wage employee in seattle and Be Happy about it. i sure am glad the threat of losing everyone i know and love set me straight!! sorry to send u this really random thing the ending just felt like such a slap in the face and i wanted to ask someone who knows that exact Seattle Struggle. this is absolutely me appealing to the Writing Gods to back me up that the ending wasnt very good lmao but if i have a direct line to the craftsgoat i simply must use it for something stupid at least once

FULL SERIES SPOILERS FOR FIONNA & CAKE AFTER THE BREAK!!!

i really disagree with your read on the ending. it didn't feel like "just struggle with seattle minimum wage forever and be happy about it" at all to me! the whole instigating incident was that fionna wanted to transform reality into something that she personally thought would be better, without taking into account the fact that other people exist and have internal lives just as complex as hers. she comes back to her original world to find marshall and gary holding hands, explains to them the magical adventure she's been on and the fact that their world is about to transform into something unrecognizably magical, and they receive this with abject horror! fionna doesn't know whether simon becoming ice king again will erase marhsall & gary's burgeoning relationship, which makes her realize that in her quest to escape the boring, oppressive reality of working odd jobs to make ends meet, she's only ever focused that energy on how to make things better for her.

i really want to dig into this because it's a key theme of the show. there is a destructive selfishness innate to the "heroes" of this universe, who feel entitled to the joyous empowerment of being able to defeat anyone and everyone they see in open combat. cake has a whole musical number about this! simon's arc in the last two episodes was betty grabbing him and shaking him until he finally asked himself, how would my life have been different if i'd just once let the woman i loved steer the ship for a while? and then of course we see the lich in a reality where he succeeded in eradicating all life, only to find himself desiccated and without purpose, begging the god of chaos for an answer it cannot give. brian david gilbert's ice prince seems perfectly put together and successful, until the reveal that he's outsourced his madness to someone who didn't accept the terms of the crown's curse. this didn't solve the fundamental problem, it just inverted the roles of its expression by making princess bubblegum into the mad candy queen. nothing about the status quo has changed, simon has simply given himself a more dignified role in it.

this is a story about what happens when people in struggle behave as though they are the protagonist of reality. when fionna says "this is the world i want to fight for" she's not fighting for the right to get another shitty minimum wage job. i think you've really missed something by accepting that conclusion when cake the cat is right there saying that her magical self IS the version of herself she wants to live as. being a normal house cat for her was, arguably, a form of body dysmorphia, and the show lets her keep that magic at the end! the thing is, their world IS changed by the events of the show! the status quo is altered!

like, what do we actually see everyone DOING when the credits approach? we see this entire disconnected community banding together to rebuild the city together, and we see a huge crowd of protesters outside marshall's mom's place demanding that she lower rents. we see people connecting with other people, including three outcasts from other universes escaping to this more boring one for their own safety. i loved this ending honestly, because it felt to me like an attempted refutation of the very idea that you can magically transform reality into something better overnight. if fionna'd gotten her original wish and made her world into, like, candy world, then... what? let's say they play it as like, at last people are freed from the shackles of capitalism and everyone just gets to be weird funky critters going on adventures or whatever. what would that, as art, actually say? what would that mean to us in the real world? if we're going into this cartoon looking for some kind of revolutionary energy (which IS present in the text, much to its credit), what actionable or symbolically resonant message are we supposed to take from a story that resolves its problems with magic? at that point, it ceases to be relevant as anything more than pure fantasy, because it has abandoned any connection to the material reality WE are trapped in.

i don't want to magically transform the world overnight. this whole show goes out of its way to explore how trying to transform the world overnight, in a world where such a thing is possible, is a really fucking bad idea for a whole host of reasons. regardless, such things aren't possible in our world. so going into the finale, my worry was that they WOULD turn fionna's world into another candy world and just say, ah, the revolution is when you think the right things so hard that the material plane bends to your will.

that's neoliberal thinking. that's like the essence of the failed leftist project of the "end of history" era from the 90s onwards, when marxism was systematically rooted out of academic cultural analysis and replaced with the delusion that if you can just get people thinking the right things, you can affect change in the world. well here we are, it's 2023 and all that magical thinking has got us is a world on fire and a civilization of human beings so thoroughly disempowered that they would literally rather pretend to be a tortured anime protagonist than exist in this boring, shitty, violent reality. you can't think your way out of oppression. raising labor consciousness is, at best, step one. you want to know why unions are winning big right now when they've been completely useless in this country for decades? it's because they've stopped giving a shit about optics they can't control and remembered that the boss's value does not exist without labor. you do not necessarily need marxism for this, marxism is simply the most accurate articulation of the fact that workers who make the things a capitalist sells can kneecap the capitalist by refusing to make the things they want to sell. change doesn't happen with the publishing of a book or whatever, it happens when enough people in real life press their material demands hard enough that someone in charge is left no choice but to listen.

so for me, fionna & cake ending the way it did was a huge relief, because it wasn't espousing magical thinking. the solution to fionna's ennui and economic anxiety was not to just get another job and be happy to live in the world as it was-- it was to create a sense of shared community and struggle, uniting the not-seattleites in their survival of a near-apocalypse and using it as a jumping off point for fundamentally transforming the state of that world as it exists. fionna had to realize that her problems are everyone's problems, and that making her life personally better at the expense of everyone else's agency is just an act of kicking the can of responsibility down the road indefinitely. no one who gets their wish in this show is happy to have gotten it, or avoids punishing others who didn't ask to be involved.

the "canonization" of fionna & cake felt like a reaction to the idea that we in our world are permanently isolated from the fictional realities we create where change seems to come so easy, and the powerlessness that can engender. instead this show is saying, okay, let's say we are in continuity with these fantastical realities. what do we actually DO with that? how do we make this world more fun, more interesting, more fulfilling for everyone to live in? the answer is the same as it's always been, and no other answer would ever feel satisfying: you do it by organizing the workers against the current arrangement of the state with the explicit goal of transforming it for the better.

what does simon do at the end when he gives fionna her world to her? he says that no one person should have that responsibility, that it's been in one person's hands for too long. so he gives it to her in the form of a dandelion, whose blown seeds merge with and become part of everyone trying to survive the scarab's attack. the idea here is that while no single person ever possesses the power to transform the world on their own, the world itself belongs to all of us, and it is within our power to transform it together. those who hoard power want us to believe that this is not the case precisely because the basis of their power is fraudulent and maintained through the violence of the state.

as someone who does live in seattle for better and worse, as much as i do wish i could make literally anything better right the fuck now by whatever means necessary... the fact is i can't. and it does no one any good to labor under the assumption that i or any other individual has that kind of absolute transformative power. the solutions are all right there, and they are simple, materialist propositions whose only difficulty lies in how successfully we've been propagandized to think that the individual is God, or at least speaks on His behalf. there's no thinking our way out of this pickle, and no one's gonna do the hard work for us.

as to the question of how you actually get people in real life to get together and do all that hard work... well, personally i think it's unfair to ask a 10 episode cartoon show to give you any kind of actionable advice on that front. i might even go so far as to say that such an expectation is an expression of the very same magical thinking which the show tries to push back against! in any case i liked it quite a lot and i hope this rambling answer encourages you to revisit the show and reconsider some of your takeaways

[ofmermaidstories]

you saying you’d write an au for stardew is the equivalent of getting a rabbits foot and multiple prismatic shards in one day omg. even if u don’t do it the idea popping in ur head is already fantastic! i’m so happy you love the game i think it’s the perfect distraction for life !!! if only we could all just pack our things and move to our inherited farms and become the richest in town… it’s nepotism at work lol

please tae, i literally daydream about someone giving me a deed to a farm or a plot of land somewhere. 😭 and the thing is!!! like!!! farming’s not an easy job, it’s so dependant on the earth/weather, and even before climate change was a tangible threat it was a hard, hard living. 🥺 i get stressed out with my video game, lmao, 10pm and im still out in the fields hoeing or planting seeds, like. 💀 imagining doing that for like, 40+ plus to make a living……. you’d have to have a good team around you. 😩 farmhands, or family. a good spouse LOL. even a little hobby farm would be stressful………. and yet i still want that life. 😔 an orchard by the sea. 🥹 still stressful, but maybe slightly more manageable lmao.

i am trying so, so hard not to give into the temptation (not yet) to fulfil this wish via a fic LMAO. 🥹🙏🏽 i’m trying to feed it by doing like, small things: naming it (from the valley), making a playlist for it. god, i’ve gotten to the stage where i actively pause the game to write down little notes (things in our backpack: pink cake. a orange poppy flower. goat’s cheese. four cups of banana pudding. a totem with a weathered, deeply carved face. the pock-marked head of a mushroom). i am fighting for my life!!! the only thing that’s actually, properly stopping me from the follow through is that i don’t have a romantic end-game in mind. because in my head i’ve already given Reader three potential boyfies: izuku, katsuki, and maybe shouto (maybe shinsou instead). like, i can picture how friendships/relationships would form among them (izuku the kind, helpful guy. katsuki in the background, wary. shouto the son of the man who founded the company we worked for, back in the city; our work husband, who we joked to about following us out to the valley and who does). the one thing i’d want to do is have Reader find their way to Skull Caverns, and realise that all the magic they thought was whispering to just them has been whispering to other people, too—Izuku, sword in hand, staring at us in horror when he finds us cradling a large, spotted egg. Katsuki, rounding the corner after him, swearing black and blue about ghosts—sdhjfgklsdjflsfgkjsflkgj. i wanna write it so badly, just to get to that moment, LMAO. the mutual horror when all three of you are face-to-face in this giant, deadly, underground maze. the boys making you swear to secrecy; Izuku tearing into you for being so stupid, how did you even find this place, how did you know, do you understand what could’ve happened? you should’ve told them, you should’ve told him. your relief in finally having someone to talk to about all the weird shit you keep stumbling across. the way this would give Izuku an excuse to drop in to you, on the farm. Katsuki turning up to help with the tilling or seasonal planting, the harvest. i want to write about it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! all of it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! being on the dock in the middle of winter as the snow is falling, all those festive, jewel-like boats bobbing gently before you, waiting with their… winter star trees, or their paintings. the sea salt and the charred warmth of coffee beans. the mermaid show with all it’s tawdry secrecy…… the worn carpet under your feet, the mismatched planks that hold steady despite the creaking. i just think!!!!!!!!!!!!!! it would be neat to do. 🥹 i just!! it’s such a good world to play in LMAO. and if i could come up with a ending for it—a true, stops-me-in-my-tracks kind of ending—not even my attempts at nail-digging self-discipline would stop me from writing it.

for now tho it’s just my yapping, lmao. my yapping and my threats. 🥹

[logarithmicpanda]

Dragon Age: The Veilguard - a full review

This is going to have extensive spoilers! the TL;DR is that I had a lot of fun with the game, a very good 8.5/10 overall, also be aware this is highly subjective to my experience as a DA fan

And I lied previously, I am actually doing a second run immediately as an Antivan Crow Rogue hehe

Gameplay

The Good

Actually functional map (I hated the Inquisition map that wouldn't actually let me know where I could walk)

Fun and dynamic combat, the animations are really pretty, the style is fluid

Combos are nice and a good alternative (at least to me) to the stilted strategy stuff. I liked not having to keep track of the companion's healthbar, only their attacks cooldowm

Not overwhelming with useless quests, everything feels tied up either to the companions storylines or to the main issues

Exploration feels nice, probably my favorite part

I realized fairly late in the game that I could boost the broken faction by selling valuables through the Crossroads ship! I think it's fun, and it makes sense, like you're giving supplies to the city that needs it! I wish the shop were in the city itself, but it was fun so I'll allow it

A bit of an occupational bias on my part but I enjoyed how easy the UI made things? Comparing new equipment as soon as you get it, ease in reassigning points in the skill trees...

It's not specific to this game but I really like that there isn't that many weapons/armors but that you gain levels on them. Also huzzah for getting rid of inventory limitation and allowing me to pick every single thing on the map like the gremlin I am. Also also, bonus points for the appearance override on stuff, love being able to be vain rather than wear whatever is stronger even when it's ugly haha

The Bad

The way some zones are blocked with no explanation or hint of when they will unlock is frustrating. I love backtracking when I get a new item/ability and that I can remember several places where to use it, not so much having to go back to random spots and just hope for the best.

Gift giving feels useless, there's barely one line of dialogue and no visible effect on approval. I really wish there had been more gifts and that you'd be able to help each companion make themselves at home throughout the game

I cannot understand the reasoning between making an early choice like the Treviso/Minrathous one lock the romance entirely. I wanted so badly for it to simply make things angsty, to make me work for the romance, only to be rewarded by Lucanis and Neve suddenly being a thing, even as I had been trying to get with either lmao (let me have polyamory if you want to play it this way??)

Aside from unlocking the shops and I'm assuming changing the result of the end battle, the factions were a bit useless. I expected to be able to really send out armies like in Origins maybe...

Dragon battles get repetitive I swear there was like ten of them or something

The final battle dragged a bit for me, it was long but not that hard, just wave after wave of fodder until getting to the main baddie, which. Could have been faster! (I would actually have loved if, for example, the factions allowed me to skip those boring battles lol)

World

The Good

The environments are amazing, Treviso is an incredible city, I liked the designs of the story cards and of the enemies

Some parts (mostly explorations of buildings) felt super reminiscent of DA2 in the best way

The Solas lore is driving me absolutely insane!!!

I really enjoyed the way some things were recontextualized

The choices in the ending feels weighted, like I had to really think through my actions

I really enjoyed the variety there was in terms of side characters and their dynamics

It felt very rewarding to go after the world's hidden secrets, both in terms of story and gameplay

The Bad

There is maybe too much magic. Like put some back.

Where are the consequences of the choices of the previous games? It doesn't even feel like it matters all that much whether the Inquisition disbanded or not

What happened with the Mage/Templar conflict?

Minrathous in the intro is all cool and futuristic why don't we see that for the rest of the game? Dock town is both poor and somehow super sanitized.

Speaking of sanitation... Like I disagree when people say the game is not dark, it has plenty of twisted shit, but there are ways in which the game feels retconed to avoid callouts. You put us in a city built on slavery, but we never really see that. You put us with the Crows, but the horrible, mafia aspect of it is reduced to nothing, smoothed until they're vigilante rather than people who buy kids out of brothels to train them to become assassin (notably through torture!) Also for a game with that much blight - where are the brood mothers? The horrifying concepts that existed in previous games feel like they're being either hidden away or forgotten entirely, to be replaced with only smaller chunks of darkness, if that makes sense.

It feels like the good guys are all good, and the bad guys are bad but really they had reasons to, rather than how it was in previous games: even the good guys are unbelievably morally fucked.

Characters

Just to start, I really enjoyed the variety of options in the character creator. I was able to do the same noses that elves had in DA2, which I really enjoyed as a design choice. I'm also super glad the game had options to be trans and non binary, with no restriction to what that looks like! I was already delighted in BG3, but I am not over having game characters use they/them for me <3

I wish the romances were better (longer, less formulaic, more involved) and that the characters didn't start up morally upright. They're all a bit too wholesome, they don't really have conflict, which I missed from previous games, though I have to say, I love the companions overall a lot more than in Inquisition!

Companions

It was nice to see Harding again, I flirted with her in Inquisition haha. Her questline with the dwarves and the titans ties up nicely with the overall theme of the game

From the trailers I expected to adore Neve and to have a lot of romantic tension with her, but uh the romance was rather underwhelming. I do like her a lot, and her calling Rook Trouble as a cute nickname made me giggle, but tbh I shipped her more with Rana. I already said it but I was not a fan of her and Lucanis, it feels unfair that she and my Rook were both shadow dragons but Lucanis only got mad at me lol. I don't really understand that design choice

Bellara is my surprise fave. She looked kinda interesting to begin with but ended up being sooooo relatable. She's brilliant and awkward and writes books? She got blighted in my run and it was so satisfying to get her back, and to see her exploit the blight for her own ends. I was afraid she was going to remind me too much of Merrill, but the similarities are only surface level.

Lucanis broke my heart and is the main reason I'm doing a second playthrough straight away. I did watch his romance and I think it is a tad underwhelming compared to how the writers were hyping it up, but as a demi, I actually really love the slow burn lmao. I wish his storyline had more conflict with Spite, and touched more on the darker aspects of the crows, but I really liked that they went countercurrent and made him a bit awkward and shy, and obsessed with food and coffee. He's a nerdy (affectionate)

Davrin gave me so many fuckboy vibes at the beginning hahaha he grew on me, his relationship with Assan is lovely and the evolution he has might actually be my favorite of the lot (then again, when have I not enjoyed a character that's just a little bit suicidal). He died in my first run and I cried, definitely changing that for my second run, RIP Harding

Emmrich was really interesting for the lore, but also tragically reminds me of my ex xD so he was off the table as a romance for me but I looked around and it seems he actually has the better romance of the lot! I loved his questline, I'm a sucker for spirits and skulls and green fire hehe. I wish the lich thing was a bit more problematic like. Yeah no I do not actually think turning into an immortal undead that watches over mortals makes any sense, especially when an overall theme of the game seems to be that immortals keeps fucking people over?? Such a weird take to make liches into good people imo

I know Taash is controversial, and I'm not gonna lie they weren't my fave to start with. I do find their storyline a bit too simplistic on the gender side, and plain weird on the cultural side. Why would they have to pick one culture or the other? It's bullshit and it feels tone deaf after the whole argument that they don't have to choose between being a woman and a man. Also (and that's more a general gripe I have with games that touch on dom/sub dynamics) why are the beefy tall people always the doms. Why can't my tiny Rook be the dom, uh?

Returning Characters

The Inquisitor felt like they really were there just to placate fans of Inquisition tbh. I did lookup the solasmancer scene and it is pretty sweet, but for me seeing my Inquisitor again did very little, especially since I had romanced Dorian but that barely seemed to matter.

Speaking of Dorian I was so hyped to see him again, and then felt kinda underwhelmed. His little fight with Maeveris made me feel like I was supposed to pick her over him but tbh I think he's right lol

It was nice to see Isabella again but my Hawke had romanced her so not really seeing her mentioned felt weird as hell. It also felt like Isabella was more a caricature of herself than a character tbh

I was sure Varric was dead from super early in the game because everyone was weird in his scenes hahahaha *sobs* I was sad but I also really liked the way they handled it

Solas is so much more of a dickhead hahaha I was tempted to do the bait and switch even though I had everything ready to reason with him one last time. I liked that I was able to change his mind, but I feel like I should have been allowed to kick him. Just because. His dreadwolf transformation was fire though, 10/10 no notes

Morrigan my beloved I kinda wish they hadn't brought you back. I guessed very early the meaning of her wearing Flemmeth's headpiece thingie, but I think it was underexploited! Their relationship was frought with angst from Origins on, and it feels like it's been retconned, and Morrigan made into someone overall way too nice??? Where is the sense of danger?

Characters that should have returned >:( (or be mentioned a couple times)

The Warden. How do we still not know what happened to their quest of ending the Calling?? In many ways, the game feels like a sequel to Inquisition specifically, and kinda ignores the first two games. (Yeah yeah they need to let new players come in, but still)

Zevran??? I have no words for how disappointed I am to have a game set in Antiva, and the only hints to Zevran are subtle and missable ( I did not get the banter about Crows no longer taking contracts in Ferelden). It would have been so interesting to have him, who comes from the worst, most violent houses of Crows, as a contrast to Lucanis, who was born into it (and whose worst times are glossed over in the game)

I would have liked a mention of Leliana, but I guess since they don't ask if she became the Divine, it was not going to happen. She already came back once so I guess it's fine but still.

A mention of Sven could have been cool (maybe I missed it)

I am so devastated that a game set in Mirathous makes no mention of Fenris, especially after the whole blue wraith thing????? And the design of the spirits like the Caretaker are so reminescent of his lyrium markings, come on, it's not like the devs forgot he existed??? I low key headcanon that a romanced Fenris with a Hawke left into the Fade created the Shadow Dragons, with the name being a wink to Hawke's love of dragons.

Speaking of Hawke. We spend so much time in the Fade in this game it would have been really easy to add their journal or something even if you don't want to have the character physically there??

I need Merrill and Solas to be in the same room. Come on. The blood mage ready to do anything to learn of the past, and the god of lies who despises the current Dalish culture? I need them to have a conversation. Also I always feel mad that she worked so hard on her Eluvian, and now they're mentioned and shown everywhere but she is seemingly entirely forgotten????

Josephine also feels like she could have been hanging around Treviso but I'm not that mad about it, I was never as insane about the Inquisition characters compared to the other games lol

Conclusion

Is the game perfect? No. Did I expect it to be? Absolutely not haha come on I love this franchise but there has been valid criticism of absolutely every single one of them, and retconned things all around. Plot lines dropped and abandoned.

Honestly I think my biggest disappointment has been the romance (I wanted the angst so bad lol) but I loved the story, loved the gameplay, and do not regret any of the 70 hours I spent on my first run. It never happens, for a game this long, that I want to replay it right after finishing.

8.5/10

[birb--birb]

The Fool and the World!! 💛💛

aweeh excellent choices!! I thought too much about the World for him and now have a massive block of text about Savrin getting a happy ending 😭💕 thank yoouuu friend!! @spiritsong

Fool: Where did Rooks journey begin? What were they doing before joining the Veilguard?

Savrin has been a full Crow for like.... 12 years at this point? So helping look after some of the fledgling Crows in House De RIva (and by helping I mean teaching them how to get away with shit without Viago catching on, typical big brother role lmao). But aside from spending evenings on Treviso's rooftops (with or without cheap wine and a cute person to make out with), the usual Crow contracts re: keeping people in check around the city, and pushing back against the Antaam, Savrin was actually looking for his mom. She was a fellow Crow and was assigned to a very hush-hush mission in Val Royeaux when Savrin was 10. Its been 2 years since they'd last heard from her and while Savrin knows her letters have always been far and few between, he also knows somethings not right. The Talons wouldn't let him go look for her, but they're doing what they can to find her. Savrin's been in a mood for the last couple months after fighting with Viago about not being allowed to go look for her alone, so the in-game lore of "Rook attacks a group of Antaam and gets sent away" kinda connects.

World: What does happily-ever-after look like for Rook? Is it attainable, or just wishful thinking?

I've been thinking about this a lot lately, especially since he's like one of my few OC's who gets a happy ending.

Savrin never really expected much for himself, he knows being a Crow can be dangerous (and has almost had his story end many a times already) and kind of envisioned himself either living long enough to become a trainer of bebe Crows or get killed while out on a mission. He doesn't want to be a Talon or run his own House, he's quite content with his lil family of De Rivas! Savrins very much a "We'll see what the next year holds and go from there" kinda person, and lowkey expects to be killed on a contract (he's made his peace with his mortality a long time ago). So I guess his happily-ever-after would be having the ability to travel Thedas and experience new things, find out what happened to his mom, maybe find a special someone(s) that he enjoys being around. Just being able to continue experiencing new and beautiful things out in this world for as long as he can.

In reality, he got so much more than he ever could have hoped for💕 seeing all these new amazing places through the Eluvians, meeting incredible people who challenged him and pushed him to be better for himself and their own sake, working with people he'll cherish for the rest of his life!

Hell, meeting Emmrich, growing closer to the necromancer, and having the realization of "I want to wake up with this incredible man in my arms for as long as this life will let me... is this what they mean by love?" was so unexpected for him! Seeing Emmrich be so gentle and thoughtful with Manfred and all the other spirits he comes across, watching him throw himself into this fight against the gods despite his fear of dying, knowing that he's always there to back Savrin and the crew up even in the most harrowing of situations. Emmrich showed him a sort of gentleness he didn't think he deserved. Where Emmrich settles the souls of the dead, Savrin sends them to their deaths, sometime agonizingly so. This little Crow is forever changed knowing that someone with such a gentle heart chooses to stay by his side, and continues to shower him in a kind of love he never thought he'd experience. Savrin still doesn't know what his future will hold (right now, hopefully a goddamn break holy shit saving the world is hard), but he's forever grateful it will have Emmrich in it, and he'll treasure that for as long as he can.

[iwritenarrativesandstuff]

Meryl, Luida, and Bridging the Gap

This is just a quick little side-note I wanted to make about the similarities between Meryl and Luida that I noticed as I was reading, and how they end up occupying similar, yet complementing roles in the story.

***Disclaimer: I was sick when I wrote this and my head is full of fog lmao. If I have completely left out a word or something... don't even worry about it it's fine.

First off, on a surface level, they both are characterized as capable, intelligent, level-headed women, who are suddenly thrust into leadership positions, with Meryl being assigned the task of tracking down and mitigating the damage caused by Vash the Stampede plus looking out for her new protégé, Milly, and Luida stepping up to take charge of Ship 3 and its residents after Doc's death.

While the demand placed on them both is immense, nonetheless, they are shown to be quite capable of shouldering this kind of responsibility - however, given their intense focus and objective-driven personalities, they actually both get scenes where they are somewhat horrified by their own temporary prioritization of objectives over morality. We see this with Meryl in Trigun Volume 1 when she doesn't react in righteous anger to Badwick threatening his parents and had shut herself off from writing to her own in pursuit of her job, and with Luida when she briefly considers the idea of another July incident to stop Knives. Both think negatively of themselves for this - of course, I'm of the mind that since they are upset with themselves on reflection, this proves the exact opposite, really. I think they both have hearts of gold, they're just under a lot of stress, especially as time goes on. The two of them are human beings who falter, but whose morals ultimately align closely with what Vash wants to see in the world. Really, what the two of them hate most here is the idea of their own inaction or taking the easy way in the face of wrongdoing - a concept that drives them into action going forward.

[ID: Two images from Trigun and Trigun Maximum. The first is from Trigun Volume 1. Over images of trees and Badwick's father, Meryl says "But I... I just stood there and took it all in without even budging. I am such a cold person. I chose this path of blood and tears without thinking about the rest of my life. All I can see is what's right in front of me." Meryl starts to cry as she continues, "Why could I not see... that when I closed myself off to him, something was wrong? I..." She then slaps her cheeks and says "No... never mind!" The second image is from Trigun Maximum Volume 8. A single tear runs down Luida's cheek. Meryl says "Miss Luida...?" Her back turned to Meryl, Luida says "I'm sorry. I... was thinking for a moment. If something like July would happen again... it could stop Knives, but... ... I'm a terrible woman. End ID.]

Both of them also have a connection to Vash's past that gives them a different perspective on him as a person, instead of just an ally - Meryl, of course, gets brain-blasted in Volume 5 with Vash's memories (poor thing), but Luida is also more familiar with him than even a lot of the people on Ship 3, it seems - enough that she calls him out for blaming himself after the attack, clearly used to hearing this from him. She also is the one to clear up at least some of Wolfwood's confusion and uncertainty.

We also get this interesting parallel of them both watching Vash walk away to face Knives, him having rejected their offers of help. It's something that clearly saddens them both, as they watch him fight alone again and again, and wish he wouldn't. Both of them have moments where they feel they can't offer much in the way of assistance, or that their best efforts aren't enough.

[ID: Two images from Trigun and Trigun Maximum. The first is from Trigun Volume 2. Vash, his back turned, runs off into the chaos, a Plant seen above him and the city ahead, as he yells back "Get as far away from here as you can! Get to safety!" Meryl watches him from the door. In the second image, from Trigun Maximum Volume 8, a grainy flashback shows Vash's turned back as he walks away from a young Luida, who is reaching out to him. End ID.]

Of course, we the readers know this isn't true at all! Meryl and Luida do so much over the course of the story.

Interestingly, they don't start off as the ones completely in charge - Meryl works for Bernadelli even if she is in charge of her assignment, and Luida is presumably part of the Council, but the one in charge is initially Doc. But once they do take over - Luida after Doc's death, and Meryl once the world is thrown into ruins and Bernadelli no longer exists - there is a striking difference in the way they act from their predecessors.

Meryl goes from simply following Vash around to taking a self-directed and active role in assisting him however she can - looking for his old belongings and anything else of potential use, asking Marlon to repair his gun, creating a distraction with Milly, and helping the Earth Federation in the final hour with no hesitation.

Luida takes a much more active role in rallying Ship 3 to assist Vash as well. While some of this may simply have been because the stakes were raised much higher after Volume 3, Ship 3, while already a base of support for Vash, was a distant safe haven, kept largely separate from the rest of the world. Up until that point, they had provided Vash with aid, but not fought alongside him, something that clearly bothers Luida on multiple occasions. She decides to change this. She's the one who sets out to help as many of the towns ravaged by the Ark as possible. She rallies the Ship 3 residents for a rescue mission to help Vash. She's the one to step forward and attempt to bring all the leaders around to standing with Vash.

Which brings me to my last comparison point. They're both staunchly supportive of Vash, quick to come to his aid, and quick to defend his character from those who doubt his intent - Luida even sharply calls out her own people for their moment of mistrust after hearing about July. These two know and care about Vash on a more personal level than most - and as we all know, due to his avoidant tendencies, this is not an easy thing to do. Vash is frequently misinterpreted, and these two are often the ones to set the record straight.

[ID: A panel from Trigun Maximum Volume 3. Luida, sternly, says "That's a foolish question. You would know the answer just by looking at the scars on his body. If he had used his true immortality, those scars would not be there. End ID.]

In this way, much like Vash is a bridge between humans and Plants, Meryl and Luida are something of a bridge between humans and Vash.

And they're able to do this because deep down, their ideals align closely with his - they're not just supporting someone they care about; they have a similar desire to see the kind of world he fights for, and they choose to fight for it too.

But while Luida is something of a spokesperson for Vash, reaching out to humanity, it is almost as if Meryl becomes the voice of humanity reaching back, responding to him, and agreeing that not everything in the world is awful; that it is worth believing in the best in others. They need to stand together.

[ID: A panel from Trigun Maximum Volume 14. Meryl, in a spacesuit, with frank determination, says, "Because we decided to stand together. We stand with Vash the Stampede." End ID.]

Meryl is the voice of proof that some people believe in the love and peace he speaks of, and are willing to say it back to him in turn.

Updated on my masterpost - my other book club stuff can be found here!

[thedragonagebigbang]

Bang Creator Interview: Tumblr: @AmmoniteFlesh  |  AO3: AmmoniteFlesh

The Collaboration period has begun! In these quiet months before works are due, we want to foster a sense of excitement, camaraderie, and celebration among our participants. To that end, all participants were given the option of a formal interview by our mod, Dema, or an informal “ask-game” survey. We hope you enjoy getting to know our phenomenal creators as much as we have!

Top Eight People Having An Absolutely Soul-Destroying Time in This City: number four will KILL you!

Faust and Dema discuss The Bog, the power of deadlines, and Ghila “So, So Blighted” Mahariel

Dema: We're well into the writing and collaboration period now; how's it going? Are you excited? Are you in The Bog?

Faust: Oh my god, I am extremely in the Bog.

Dema: Any particular monsters in that Bog with you? 

Faust: Well, I'm only just coming out of a massive writing slump that sucked away a lot of my ability to work on anything. But while I'm not nearly as far ahead as I would like to be, I've always worked best at the last minute (unfortunately lol). I feel confident that I can finish. The fic itself I'm actually feeling really good about! I like what I'm doing, I have like 90% of it in bullet points, there are some moments I'm SUPER proud of. It's coming together - I just wish it was doing so a touch more quickly! 

Dema: Oh, are you me? (LOL I really really empathize) 

Faust: Honestly, I'm in awe of anyone who doesn't work this way lmao

Dema: Same. What helped you emerge from your writing slump?

Faust: I'm not sure! Going easy on myself helped - sometimes you really just need to let the batteries recharge. Plus my artist sent some absolutely BANGER sketches and was just generally very complimentary about my writing, which is always nice. Also, just... lowering the standards I set for myself. Writing is also kind of my day job, so it's sometimes difficult to remind myself that this is the Fun Writing that does not need to be perfect. 

Dema: Yeah, perfect really is the enemy of good. I'm so glad you gave yourself some grace and are back on the horse! What is your ideal writing environment? Do you have any rituals around it?

Faust: I love writing in a cafe, if I've got headphones to cancel out the noise. It just feels so indulgent? Here I am, getting my work done over a hot chocolate, people-watching – makes me feel very artsy lmao. I'm trying to get better at bringing more of that energy home, though, because I cannot afford to write at a cafe every day. 😅 Usually I do two pages of journalling first, to get all the noise out of my brain so I can focus. Then it's pomodoros all the way!

Dema: I also love cafe writing! And the pomodoro method, for sure. How long do you usually write in one go? Or is it varying a lot?

Faust: It varies a lot - sometimes I only manage one 25-minute burst and then I get distracted. Other times I go for several hours. The reason I decided to do the Big Bang in the first place was that having a deadline makes me waaaaay better at actually sitting down and getting words on the page - that external structure is so, so helpful.

Dema: I agree! Are you pretty used to writing longer-form fic like this, or is the Big Bang stretching your wordcount?

Faust: Yes and no? I have my extremely in-progress longfic, which is currently sitting at about 25k words, but that's literally it. I've worked on long-form stuff a ton, but actually completed very little of it - again, because I struggle a bit without external structure. I've cheated my way into feeling more comfortable with my DABB fic by writing something that's kind of a long-form piece and kind of a collection of shorter pieces. This nefarious plan to make me less intimidated by the prospect is working great so far! 

Dema: Is your longfic a DA fic?

Faust:  It is! It's an Origins retelling featuring my Mahariel, Ghila - who is extraordinarily Blighted and just generally does not have a good time. It's actually the first DA fic I ever wrote and the first fic for anything that I published, so it's very very close to my heart.

Dema: Can you tell me more about Ghila?

Faust: I AM ALWAYS READY TO INFODUMP ABOUT MY GIRL/AMBIGUOUSLY GENDERED ENTITY! Ghila was the result of me looking at how Mahariel has to travel all the way from the Brecilian Forest to Ostagar while Tainted and going 'oh, you should by WAY more fucked up by this'. She almost dies of the Blight, gets saved by the Joining in the nick of time, continues dying of the Blight but more slowly, until Avernus is finally able to stabilise it. She then steadily gets more and more Darkspawn-like, unlocking some cool spooky powers along the way.

She's also just so, so full of love - and full of rage for how the Dalish have been mistreated. Her opinion of the world is very cynical, but she does her best to make it better anyway. A lot of her arc is about trying to find a way to exist and survive in a world that hates her - both because of her Dalish-ness and because of her newfound monstrosity. And she does get there in the end, but it's a long and bitter road. I have so many feelings about it.

Dema: I am adding immediately to cart, haha! She and your fic sound super interesting. 

Faust: Thank youuuuuu 🥰 I'm Love Her

Dema: Is Origins your favorite installment of the franchise, then?

Faust: It's my favourite to write fic for! Favourite full stop is probably DA2 - I just love the characters, the small setting, the tight scope of it. But Origins has a lot more missed opportunities and loose ends imo, just by dint of having more going on, so I find it much easier to dive into and play with! 

Dema: In our last minutes, you may have seen that I'm titling these interview posts with a click-bait title 😂

Faust: Oooooooh

I'm gonna go with Top Eight People Having An Absolutely Soul-Destroying Time in This City: number four will KILL you!

Dema: L O L amazing! 

Faust: why thank you 😄

Dema: And it has been delightful interviewing you, thank you for taking the time! I hope you have a fantastically productive writing week.

Faust: No worries!!! It was super fun, thank you for doing these.

[practically-an-x-man]

Backstory for the new Abner/Nikoletta fic? I can't remember what it's called and Ao3's down so I can't look it up lmao

Thank you so much!!! Vexic actually asked the same thing, so I did that as a part 1 with a general overview of what went into this, and I think for this one I'm going to talk about why I chose the title!

Link to the fic: Bishop's Knife Trick

The title of this fic comes from the Fall Out Boy song called Bishop's Knife Trick, off of Mania. In the original song, the title is a reference to Aliens, with the character of Bishop performing a "knife trick" on Hudson.

However, I feel like the "knife trick" also works well to symbolize the surgery in the fic itself, given surgery is something like a knife trick itself. That's the first layer of symbolism here, and what initially prompted me to use it as the title (along with the fact that I just love that song lol)

The second layer of symbolism comes from some deeper analysis to the lyrics. First, the chorus:

These are the last blues we're ever gonna have Let's see how deep we get The glow of the cities below lead us back To the places that we never should have left

This whole song is a reference to suicidal thoughts, but there's an interesting detail with this chorus. The first two refrains look like this, but the third chorus is missing the line "let's see how deep we get" - I can't claim this is my own observation, but Genius Lyrics says that that missing line indicates that the narrator is no longer considering suicide. I liked that analysis, and I thought it not only fit the song but also aligned with Abner's evolution of thought from the beginning to the end of the fic. His nihilism towards the surgery at the beginning of the fic, compared to him realizing all of the reasons he wants to keep living, definitely follow the pattern of those three choruses.

And then there's the bridge:

I'm sifting through sand, sand, sand, sand Looking for pieces of broken hourglass Trying to get it all back, put it back together As if the time had never passed

This, of course, is describing a wish to go back in time or mend past traumas that can never be completely fixed, which works with the fic's themes of medical trauma and Nikoletta and Abner's shared histories with STAR Labs. They're both permanently changed from their experiences, both physically and emotionally, and there's no way for them to go back in time or "put the hourglass back together" and change who they are - and even if they could change that, they'd never have met or build their present life without that history. All they can do is move forward.

And lastly, there's a bit here in the second verse that I like for Abner and Nikoletta too:

And I'm yours 'til the earth starts to crumble and the heavens roll away I'm struggling to exist with you and without you, yeah

They're devoted to each other almost to a fault - their relationship isn't fully romantic, but they are partners to the absolute end of the line. And at the same time, their relationship almost veers on codependent, in a way: neither one is used to having a support system or being surrounded by people that love them, so it's both a positive development and a source of difficulty. They make each other better in a lot of ways, but either one would be ruined if they lost the other. It's not a "downward spiral" codependency, but an "opposite sides of a seesaw" codependency - they keep each other balanced when they're together, but one would plunge if the other left.

They struggle to exist together in the sense that they've adapted to their traumas in different ways and those adaptations can cause some strain that they need to work through, but the struggle to exist apart from one another would be even more intense.

Thank you for the ask!!!

[myloveforhergoeson]

Hiya! 😊 You're now a writer for the show. What three episode storylines are you gonna write? (In other words, what are you gonna make the boys do?)

ohm y god i literally have so many episode ideas but i'll try not to repeat any of the ones i've made posts about (except my first bullet bc im so passionate about it) so i'll give you my big list. most if not all will likely be something i DO end up writing about in my own story because ehehe i love making them do things

ones i think i've mentioned before:

a returning to minnesota chapter!! not for anything but nostalgia, getting to see the guy's favorite places, seeing their friends and families, bringing them back to realize how far they'd come. not so shy spon for my fic but i wrote a chapter like this last month and it's probably one of my favorite things i've written to date. it let me explore some of the boys' past, family dynamics, a little bit about Katie and agh i can't believe btr didn't capitalize on that at least once. ik its expensive to fund sets and hire new actors but idk i imagine it like an hour special where they could afford to shell out a bit more. idc when it happens, could be after they sign their record contract or the last episode or whatever :)

sketch comedy episode, something akin to saturday night live or so random

graduation! like you and i talked about lol i think it would be sweet

get me in the writers room stat:

originally i'd planned a "home alone lost in new york" like chapter for my story around thanksgiving where the boys are going to perform at the parade in town but they end up having their own adventure around the city beforehand. boyish antics, screaming gustavo, beautiful scenes, the works. i was just in too much of a slump to actually put it to paper :)

more tour-focused chapters (again, spon for my own fic lol) the episode in Canada was cute and the one on the bus was fun but idk there's just so many elements toward touring that i think they could've capitalized on; homesickness (for CA or MN), hardship of a go go go schedule, or fun things like being able to travel with your best friends and not ending up on the world's most wanted list lol. i know they tried really hard with this one so i don't blame them too much but my vision is just different and that's okay!

crossovers! while i'm so very happy dan schnider didn't have either of his disgusting hands in big time rush, i do remember watching the icarly/victorious crossover for the first time and wishing big time rush were there. it takes place in LA! the victorious kids are singers! carly, sam, and Freddie are pop culture experts! it would've worked really well :) so i'm writing that as a chapter for my fic LMAO

generally either an episode focusing in on or more scenes including james and lucy since the writers wanted them to be together so bad. inherently there's nothing wrong with them being together, but i do not think the relationship was given enough time to develop. give me lucy discovering her feelings for him, give me james not being creepy and obsessive about her; something more needed to be done on both of their parts to make me believe in it

additionally on that note more with jo/kendall and logan/camille; i love them both but they also had little development, just more than james/lucy. maybe they give carlos a gf (not alexa IMO, sorry. that got into weird territory for me idk why they made him be with a "real" person when he isn't other than they were already together irl) earlier and they can all have like conversations about their gfs and how much they love being together idk

and another generally, there were many songs btr put out that i love so much and feel like deserved their own episodes for hehe. i know not all of them have storylines easily transposed but i think they used confetti falling like four different times in the last season when any other love song from their third album could have been placed instead

and also another generally, and i know the early 2000s would've never allowed this for children's television but they should have and i'm the writer now!!!, but more representation all around. maybe some episodes about cultural heritage that didn't make stereotypes the main focus, canon LGBTQIA+ characters, holidays that aren't christmas, aspects like that where all kids can see themselves represented... LA is such a huge melting pot, it's not all white kids trying to make their dreams come true!

good god that was long SORRY AKJBSKJGBAB i have a lot to say and there's a lot im trying to incorporate into my story to add in what i think enhances the already present storyline. that's what's so beautiful about fandom, i love that we can have conversations like this :)

but what about you? anything you'd like to add in? i'd love to know <3 thank you for the question!

ask me a question! save my life!

[tennypress]

Hi! First of all love your writings. second could you pls do a yandere Samuel x fem! reader (with slight mentions of smut) were he becomes even more obsessed after she breaks up with him

Of course my favorite bumblebees!

minors dni

WARNING: kiss and break up, angst, boss x secretary, ex boyfriend, gender neutral reader

“And you don't seem to understand”

You just look at the apartment with many memories you’d shared with him

On the outside he may seem like a gentleman but deep down inside you, you’d wish you did t meet him in the first time. Especially since you saw his actual side other than his “hot rich ceo” demeanor. How you’d wish you’d never stop to apply to that job

You were just a newcomer to OneMCN company to apply as a new beauty and gamer newtuber trying to earn money to support yourself and your family back in the countryside. You’d enter to get interviewed by him

Yeah you were attracted to him, but who wouldn’t? He’s tall, handsome, and rich(everyone Lookism simps type ever)

You enter the office and sat down. He looked through your files, and then you. At first it looked like he was t interested, but in his mind: he was immediately attracted to you, wanted to be your everything. He’d put on that serious cold face and started your interview.

After a while, he tells you that you were hired, you were officially his new secretary. He’d tell you that you start tomorrow, and you were full of glee. You’d thank him and left the building.

You know the next thing people(I know that I sound lazy, but like it’s 4am and I don’t have much to write about 💀, plus this is a one shot :)): you guys grow closer, he’d offer coffee dates, you guys see each other more often, you guys hang out on the weekend, then he’d asked the big question: will you be my one and only. Of course you said yes.

Sure this relationship sounds great, but cmon let’s be honest. This is Sammuel we’re talking about

He’d usually be so cold around you at the office, treating you like his secretary, you’d only respect his wishes by treating him as your boss

But it only got worst a few weeks where he’d lashed out on you, treat you like nothing, he’d ignore you, come home late smelling like alcohol and smoke. Worst of all, there would be situations where he’d harm you for the smallest things: like let’s say you accidentally spilled coffee on his paperwork’s, when you try to apologize he would grab your wrist and yell at you, then would angrily clean up your mess

You knew that this was unhealthy, but he would try to apologize with small gifts to dates where he wouldn’t talk to you.

You knew the sign and eventually would leave. Looking back at his home and left a note

A couple of days were about self care and healing. You’d eventually moved back into your small apartment near the city and eventually went to therapy for it.

You left your job at OneMCN and decided to ask for your classmate Jace for a job at the cafe he worked at. He was hesitant but agreed. You entered your new work environment and worked your hardest

A few months later you’d eventually made enough money to pay rent and send money to your family.

You’d eventually decided to celebrate at a local club and was escatic. You’d danced the night away, and eventually met a nice guy, Byung ho. You’d met him at the club and met him back again at the coffee shop you worked at. You guys eventually hanged out at his place.

While you and him were walking down the street, you both bumped into a familiar tatted man.

He’d just looked at the both of you guys dumbfounded, the look on his face wasn’t looking good. He’d just push Byung out of the way and grabbed your wrist to drag you to your apartment which was conveniently on the way.

He’d just slam the door shut and pushed you against the wall

“Wanna explain this shit to me y/n?” He said while he grabbed your wrist to pin you on the wall

“I left you for good Sammuel, Why come back to me?” You said trying to escape his grasp, but lmao you we’re struggling

“Who said you left me? I didn’t give you any signals who said you can just leave like a rushed car?” He said while his glasses were sliding off his nose bridge while he came closer to you.

You’d managed to kick him just enough for you to push him away, and you just walk away from him

But to your appeal, he just grabbed your wrist slightly, pulling you in into a big embrace

You knew that it was wrong, but it felt sincere.

You just stood there, while he turns you around and kisses you passionately

You’d dint pull back, push him away, or just slap him. You just gave in

The moon shining through your window and how the stars twinkled. You were enjoying the moment.

And that’s how he’d trapped you into your relationship. You’re trap like a fly in a spiderweb

[nsk96]

I've been feeling much more stressed and overwhelmed since I got back home from Midyear. My anxiety has been through the roof. Such a drastic difference from when my mom and I were in New Orleans for the pharmacy convention, while my dad had to stay home in Florida. One of the first things we thought as we saw the landscape on our way to the hotel on day 1 was, "it looks so much like Florida." Of course when we got to the city, it was very different. That wasn't the only thing that was different.

All I can think about is how we were able to have a carton of fruit juice for the first time in years without having to worry about it being tampered with after placing it in the fridge. I was able to eat leftovers without worrying about it being tampered with. My mom and I were able to eat out and actually enjoy the food instead of worrying about managing my dad's emotions and tantrums in the restaurants. Like, imagine wanting to have a nice birthday dinner and your dad has to get angry at even the littlest thing to make the day about him. We were able to walk around and see what we wanted to see around the city, without hearing my dad's complaints, insults, negativity, that would always ruin the moment. We were able to just simply exist without his presence weighing down on us 24/7.

On the fourth night when we were out for dinner, my mom told me she finally understands. Finally understands why I wanted to move out for so long (well at least part of the reason). She had gotten her nails done earlier that day...for the first time in over 20 years. A decision in which she finally put her needs first. The "excuse" she gave the nail tech was that she stopped getting her nails done because she "got an infection last time." But we both know it's because my dad said he didn't like it, just as he would insult her or make her feel bad for dressing up all nice, so she eventually stopped until this day. I even noticed how at peace she was without him being there. Much less conflict between us and more fun, lighthearted conversations.

She has lived under his boot for so long, that she forgot what it was like to breathe normally. Not having to always be on edge. Not having to always hide our hygiene products and cosmetic products from him. Being able to change our clothes in peace without the paranoia of hidden cameras. Being able to keep face towels and hand towels in the bathroom without pee or poop mysteriously appearing on it. She was free to attempt to rediscover herself. We both were. I slowly started to feel like myself again, like my personality was finally coming back to me. Less dead inside. I wish we could have stayed longer, because maybe then I could go back to being the fun outspoken person I used to be around friends and close family.

Now I'm back home, having to suppress my personality, feelings, and thoughts again. Having to walk on eggshells around him because if I say anything he doesn't like, he will blow up at me and/or throw a tantrum. Just yesterday, I was watching the last episode of a series in the living room and my parents decided to join me. My dad does this thing where he just has to blurt out his prediction of what will happen next. He keeps doing it despite us telling him that it ruins the movie for us and that it's hard to enjoy watching anything with him doing that. I always make predictions too but I never say them out loud. So while I'm watching this show, I'm fully immersed, and then he goes and ruins it for me like he always does and when I said "shush" he got angry at me and gave me the death stare. Lmao I'm the one that should be angry. Then he throws a small tantrum by going on his phone to play games and now I get to hear him tapping away while trying to watch the remainder of the episode.

The thing is though, that for these past few years, he has become unpredictable as he is aging. It's terrifying not knowing when a threat or tantrum is just a scare tactic or when it's actually for real. His sister who was so surprised to hear how he's been behaving has started to just cover for him now. I didn't expect any better.

And today, my mom announced to me that we can't eat the food in fridge, specifically a dish we haven't made in long time; that we've been craving (Trinidadian doubles). My dad refused to eat any more of it and made some barley only for himself to eat. When he does something like this, we learned to suspect tampering. My mom, not thinking he'd do it to the food, decided to eat it today. She's now complaining of foot and leg pain (nerve pain specifically) accompanied by tongue numbness and throat pain. It also reduces our ability to focus.

This pain happens whenever we eat food that was tampered with. It's happened so many times by now with many different things, that there's no way it's "in our heads" anymore. Sometimes we realize in hindsight, not piecing the clues together until after. Other times it's in doubt when we tell ourselves "I don't think it's tampered with. It's exactly how I left it in the fridge." I mourn the food we've had to waste because of this. And then he would yell that we're wasting food. I'm pretty sure he tells his family that we are wasteful, just as he tells them that my mom has a spending problem and that we're in debt because of her. Just as he tells them that my mom and I don't want to come to their family gatherings (confirmed by his sister), all while he never even tells us that we're invited. All these years, he had us thinking that they were throwing family parties and not inviting him.

Just being in this house now, gives me so much anxiety I can't even focus and I'm getting heart palpitations more regularly. I'm tired of living this way. I am applying to a few residency programs that are far away, in hope to have a strong reason to move out without getting cut off before I get settled. However, whether or not I get accepted into a residency program this year, I hope to move away with my mom after graduation. I'm sure I can find another excuse to delay an explosive reaction from him. It doesn't look like I can get my references sorted though, but I'm still hoping that they come through for me. The first application deadline is after New Year's day and only one of my references completed my recommendation so far. I'm also behind on my letter of intent and a mini essay I have to write for one of the programs. What is my life...

[emmavakarian-theirin]

9, 18, 22 <3

thank you both for the asks! these were nice to think about <3 figured i'd answer these in one post

9 - Best month for you this year?

man that’s a harder one than i thought. i want to say right in between march-april (if that counts) because: 1) i was staying at my best friend's house 2) i decided to try out baldur’s gate 3 JUST to check out the character creator and it turned into a full blown obsession with gale <3 3) i tried costco cinnamon rolls for the first time and they were fucking AMAZING and i haven’t been able to get any since RIP 4) most importantly, i got to meet JENNIFER HALE which i NEVER thought would happen and if it did, i would have to travel to the other side of the world to do so but instead she was in my own city! i was riding that high for SO long

BUT i also want to say october because: 1) said best friend became a mother and i was dubbed “auntie” 2) i somehow got to meet mark meer as well! again, something i never thought would happen and i’m amazed it happened within the same city/country/YEAR let alone anywhere in the world within my lifetime 3) veilguard came out and it brought back my passion for creativity along with the bioware brainrot

11 - Something you want to do again next year?

i WANT to go to conventions again - apart from the 2 this year, i hadn’t been to one in 10 years - but the anxiety of it really kicked my ass and i stopped myself from enjoying so much more than i could have, and what enjoyment i had was so intense because of it that it immediately became a blur. i want to learn to just let myself do things and give anxiety less of myself. 

18 - A memorable meal this year?

this is going to sound so stupid and anticlimactic, but KFC had brought back hot rods and i was getting sick in the throat, but i didn’t want to miss the opportunity to get some despite the fact i’m VERY sensitive to spice and wasn't well... my throat fucking BURNED the rest of the night lmao

19 - What are you excited about for next year?

honestly, the idea that i might finally have an income again so i can stop feeling guilty every time i spend money and can just live. i nearly bankrupt myself several times this year because i was determined to make this year about good experiences, and it was stressful but i’m glad i did because if i didn’t have those experiences that helped me through all the medical drama this year and helped make myself feel human again….. yeah

22 - Favorite place you visited this year?

i think i’d have to say PAX AUS, not just for the opportunity of meeting mark, but being in that meet and greet room and seeing SO many fellow mass effect fans all the way down here was wonderful. again, i wish anxiety didn’t kick my ass and i allowed myself to actually TALK to those people and maybe make local friends, but it was still a delightful day 

23 - If you could send a message to yourself back on the first day of the year, what would it be?

things are going to suck and you will be tested harder than ever, but my god good things can and will still happen and it will be worth it, again and again

[leahrocky]

The Pan-Dimensional Frisbee - pt 1.

I decided to list out all the hidden references / easter eggs I included in this story bc I had too much fun with it and I wanted to make sure anyone who was curious could see hahaha. So, if you'd like a deep dive into my pop-culture obsession... read below

Chapter One Title: "Across the Potterverse"

“We could be anywhere . We could die! Or worse, I could be fired,” Hermione said, fumbling with the grey frisbee now that she’d been shielded from the mud.  “Do I need to say it again?” Ron demanded.

 “there could be a universe out there that’s every bit the same as ours, except that shrimp don’t exist, or a universe where only shrimp exist—“

“What is he, then?” Ron asked. Hermione just frowned, focusing on the PDF again, and biting her lips to bite back the word. “Say it,” Ron said. “Out loud.” “Vampire,” Hermione said.

Hermione picked up a stack of papers, and read aloud, “Hogwarts Paper Company. We never let sleeping dragons lie.”

Where their fingers had once been, were now, what looked to be, wands . They were jointed where all the knuckles should have been, and ended in a familiar pointed tip. Wooden fingers, like a puppet’s.

Harry had never seen in the Hogwarts he knew. There were glass boxes erupting from turrets, like strange additional rooms and spaces. Instead of the gargoyles at the front, large whirring metal cameras turned on a constant swivel, and the grounds, instead of being empty and sprawling, were filled with strange looking obstacle courses that reminded Harry of an old muggle war movie he’d seen. 

She placed the aluminium packet on the table, and a glass dome rolled over it. Only a second later, the dome rolled away, and a full sandwich, alongside a fresh looking salad, appeared where the aluminium had been.

"don’t think I’d marry Cho. I mean, she’s lovely and all, but, no."

"Are we all still going to Nox’s afterwards?” Draco asked. “You still owe me a glass of Prosecco.” (this is a reference to an author i absolutely adore, NoxNoir :) I wanted to put them in the story in a fun little way. @ghostofnoir)

Chapter 2: Once More, With Feeling

You are about to enter another dimension… existing beyond time and space, and directly parallel to the universe of our previous story, a perfect identical match, except for one significant difference:

"Scared, Potter?” Draco asked. “You wish.”

Because right outside, instead of the ordinary muggle street he was sure he’d find, Harry saw the surface of the moon. (so, I decided to use inspiration from the movie Zathura for this dimension, and this dimension is actually supposed to be like a parallel universe travellers' like "safe zone" lmao. So if Harry and Draco just stayed there, they would have been fine. And it's why the fridge was covered in magnets... they were magnets from parallel universes)

On close inspection, they looked to be the sort of souvenir magnets typically sold in airports. All of them sported the name of some city, places like Los Cabos, Boston, Tokyo, and Frankfurt. Alongside places with names such as The Republic of Gilead, and Panem, that Harry wasn’t sure were real, as far as he was aware. However, the most shocking one of all was surely the one that said Diagon Alley, in glittery silver lettering, which Harry found himself staring at for several seconds. 

His hair, still that same platinum blond, was spiked up, in a way that reminded Harry of some singer whose name he couldn’t remember. (this is a double reference, lmao, because it's a reference to my main canon rewrite series where a character frequently compares Draco to the singer Billy Idol) (which is actually a reference to how Spike in Buffy gets compared to Billy Idol / Spike is a character whose redemption arc/enemies-to-lovers arc i find to have a lot in common w/ what I want for Draco)

“You know,” Harry said, steps slow, “I think we’re in London. And I think… I think that’s David Bowie—” (This is probably the most self-indulgent reference on the list lmao. Bc.... this universe is actually a universe from another fic I've written for another fandom lmao...)

“Two Blue Lagoons,” he said, the first name he landed on. ... "Well?” Harry asked as Draco grimaced. “How is it?” “Tastes like a hangover,” Draco said. (this is referencing a line from that fic--- "Eddie does get their next drinks. Blue shots called Blue Lagoons that taste full of sugar and the promise of a hangover.")

"Hey, hey, settle a bet for me, woudja?” the man asked, accent so American it almost hurt. “See my buddy over there,” he said, pointing with his thumb over his shoulder to some other man, who looked, from what Harry could guess, embarrassed, “he’s all outta wack because a few of your fellow countrymen ruffled his feathers, talking about werewolves in the moors. I told him they were just a bunch of hot air, but I think it’s still bugging him. So, I just thought I’d get a second opinion—-confirm that’s just something you say to mess with tourists, ain’t it?” the man said, finally finishing the sudden diatribe. (like I said, this is one of the main characters from that other fic of mine.... which is another doubled reference I'm so sorry lmao...) (because that fic was inspired by the opening of An American Werewolf in London... so this is the context)

“Besides,” Draco said, dropping his voice to a whisper that made Harry lean in to hear him, “there are pixies in the moors.”

“Pixies,” the man said, when his laughter finally subsided. “Ain’t that the name of a band?” (this is a reference to a line Richie says in my other fic: "Rumors? Ain’t that a Fleetwood Mac album?” Richie asks.)

"And then, to Harry’s horror, Hannah began to sing. "I’ve got a theory that it’s a demon… a dancing demon,” she sang, “ no something isn’t right there. ”

Chapter 3: Ron of the Dead

"You've... you've got red on you," Draco said, pointing to a swipe of red—blood, probably— on Harry's hand.

 “Oh… name was Brian. Brian Dumbledore”

[coachbeards]

okay now for a tl question: as someone who also dislikes season three, i'm curious to know how you would have liked season 3 to end? i'm pretty sure you've talked abt it before but i'd love to hear your thoughts.

well, i think there are a lot of things that could've happened....but i'm not entirely sure, as i haven't seen the season since it aired. that means i can't give the biggest in depth answer to it regarding every single tl character, so i'll just give my thoughts on what i think should've happened............................................for beard

first of all, he should've broken up with jane after mom city. i've talked a lot about that, and how i believe that beard's forgiveness of nate should've been shown as a forgiveness of himself as well, and by extension beard finally beginning his journey of self-healing. because, no. forgiving nate didn't Heal beard, not by a long shot, but it helped fix a little bit within himself that would've paved the road to his breaking up with jane. realizing he didn't need to be punished anymore.

so, if there was no jane involved in the finale, there would be no wedding or beard choosing jane over ted.

HOWEVER. i think it would've been amazing to see beard choose richmond anyways.........finally making a choice for himself. he came to richmond in the first place because ted asked him to, and he was willing to leave richmond all because ted asked him to. ignoring the jane of it all, beard choosing to stay in richmond because he wants to....he wants to continue coaching the team, he wants to complete their mission of winning the whole fucking thing, he wants to nurture those relationships he made and be .,,,, well. his own independent person, something we never really saw considering he was either following ted or following jane. never on his own.

regarding the other characters,

JAMES DIDN'T DESERVE TO BE FORGIVEN. i am all for james's recovery arc, showcasing him in rehab and actively trying to get better. but just because a character is in recovery doesn't automatically erase all the harm they've done, nor does it mean their victims need to forgive them for anything. i think jamie should've been shown to grapple with what he wanted to do, forgive him or not, and come to the conclusion that he doesn't need to do anything. he doesn't need to care what james thinks of him anymore, he doesn't deserve to have that weighing on him. i think jamie should've been shown to be ... idk not Happy or Supportive, but be okay with james in recovery, but draw boundaries that he doesn't need to do anything past that. he should've had someone tell him it was his choice, rather than being told to forgive him.

roy should've been in therapy earlier on in the season than last second. i'm glad that roy is seeking help, obviously, but i think it would've bettered his arc if we saw more of it starting like,,,, 3x08 onwards. maybe. idk. again, i haven't seen s3 since it aired.

not sure about rebecca, since i didn't really pay attention to her arc that much in s3 (sorry to all) because i disliked the psychic aspect so much. i like her ending up with the dutch man! wish we got more of them between 3x06 and the finale, but i understand the romcom aspect of reuniting with someone you thought you'd never see again. i don't hate her ending !!!!

ted needed to go back to kansas, sorry. it wasn't dottie "forcing" him to go back, even though i will admit she's a pretty shit parent lmao. but it wasn't like that wasn't the plan from the very start. could it have been handled better? absolutely! should've jason played ted with way more emotion in 3x12? YES. but,,, come on. ted is a father first and foremost. before a coach, friend, romantic interest, etc. he's a father. and that's actually been a really big part of his character, so i never understood when people said that it "came out of nowhere" or it was so "out of character" for him.........to....be with his son? DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THE HENRY LASSO HATE. i swear some of y'all forget the message of being curious, not judgemental lmao. ted was always supposed to go back to henry. i don't agree with the idea of uprooting a literal child to a whole other country, though i can picture there being a time where they do move back to richmond together! the door is left open, not closed! i could picture him going there as a teenager and going to school there, but again. he's like.....12 lmao. ted's arc always circled around his son...and he needed to go back.

also keeley just deserved better. i'm perfectly okay with her remaining single at the end of the show, as i do think that that could've helped her heal herself and her relationships with other people and her career. no, giving her a romantic ending wouldn't have impacted her career, but i think i like where she ended up. on her own, with her new friend of barbara and their company, her and rebecca, and even her and roy and jamie!!!!!!! i think there's chances for their to be romance, but like. i think considering how much of keeley's arc has revolved around romance, it's nice that she didn't end up with anyone. idk.